driftfleet | 2nd Judgment ⚖ Action ⚖ Open

Entry tags:

2nd Judgment ⚖ Action ⚖ Open

Who: Justice and YOU
Broadcast: None
Action: Planetside in the forest
When: Between the crash and the post by Zhade

[No one was probably expecting to stumble across a guy who looks like a corpse standing over the literal corpse of one of the hunters. One could ask how Justice came across a dead hunter, but Justice's security-issued ray gun and the hunter's scorched head should probably answer that question.

What people probably expect even less than this vision is Justice ignoring the body and instead holding the dead hunter's machete, glaring down at it like he can set it on fire with his eyes. He could be taking cover and wait to see if more Vieziri come through, or maybe he could be searching for more Fleeters to give the supplies he carries on his back, but no. Glaring at a machete is the best use of his time.

After an uncomfortably long time where he literally does not move, not even to breathe or blink, he growls and throws the machete to the ground with much more force than necessary.] Useless. Better it be burned. [Everything about him hums with frustration and anger as he tears pieces of the hunter's mask of its burnt face, now glaring at it the same as he glared at the machete.

Maybe he should be worried? After all, when there's one Vieziri, there's usually more. But he does not seem worried--he seems single-mindedly focused on glaring at the mask like it owes him money.

Those who are familiar with Justice and his power may be able to tell he's looking for something in the memories attached to the Vieziri's possessions. More specifically, he's looking for the hunters' main base, so he can go there and ~~get himself killed~~ bring these monsters to justice. Justice is nothing if not predictable.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Leilani is quick to summon her magic, to move forward, and she Fade Steps away from the hunters in an invisible burst of frost. When she's sure there's some distance between herself, Justice and the creatures on her heels she turns and casts a quick spell, throwing an Ice Mine down on the ground. It's not obvious, not with the greenery and the dirt on the floor, so hopefully it'll be enough to slow down any pursuers that might think to follow them.

Justice is far quieter than she is, but she is still Dalish. She pushes through the forest with only a little more noise than the Spirit manages, and she keeps her head down low. They need to find some open ground to fight otherwise these things will get the better of them; she's no fool. They are experienced hunting in their own forests, just as her people were - and they would be deadly.

Reaching forward, she grabs Justice's arm and nods to the side, off the course they were following, and steps to head that way. She has no idea where she's going, of course, but alternating between forward and the sides seems like a good way to shake off whatever might follow them. ]

[Magic sings like the Fade. It's not as clear and strong as the elf's hand, but it's enough for Justice to notice.

Justice has the advantage of being a spirit and therefore nearly silent, but he has no experience eluding attackers in a forest environment, so he follows Leilani's lead, zig-zagging through the woods after her.

The ice mine goes off behind them, a cold draft sweeping through the underbrush as something behind them screams. Guns blast from the trees, spraying the ground, but it's clearly an attempt to just scare them into revealing their positions. Justice keeps his head down, fixing his eyes on the elf's back and focusing on following her lead.]

[ This is, at least, where she is in her element. Forests were her home for years and years before she was sent to the conclave as a trusted spy, and being back in one, even one she's never been to before, is like being home. Leilani thrums with the adrenaline rushing through her, moving between trees and over crops of plants with only a flicker of hesitation. She doesn't like the idea of running from a fight, but she doesn't have much of a choice, not when she has to make sure both herself and Justice get through this.

She stops for a brief moment, her eyes flicking from one side to another before she reaches out to grab Justice's wrists to try and tug him behind a tree. She wishes she was more experienced with barriers and wards, wishes she had asked Solas to teach her more than just Rift magic, and the burn of anger and regret makes her grit her teeth.

The hunters are still behind, but she takes a deep breath, moving to crouch lower, to shift off in another new direction, motioning for the spirit to follow her. They'll be confronted soon, she's certain of it, but she hopes to put as much distance between them as she can. ]

[Justice follows the mage's lead, keeping his eyes out for any signs of clearings. All they need is to bring the hunters into the open, and then they can fight on even ground.

The forest sings with memories, tainted by the malevolence chasing them. Between the memories, tampering with the elf's senses, and the song of the mark on her hand, it's hard to concentrate on the world in front of him, on the direction of his feet. Thus, her guidance and touch are welcome grounding, keeping his focus where it most has to be at the moment.

Then he brushes against a particular tree, and he feels the memories emblazoned on the bark like fungus. A young man who had strayed too far from his village. Wounded on the knee, it was only a matter of time before fell, get to the clearing get to the clearing--

He didn't get to the clearing.

But he knew where it was.

Justice grabs Leilani's wrist and tugs her in a very particular direction suddenly. The memories know where they should go.]

[ She is completely and utterly focussed on moving forward with the path ahead, nothing blocking her or stopping her - there's nothing but her own feet rushing through the forest and the grip of Justice under her fingertips. If they can get passed this tree they'll be okay, then it's the next tree, then it's a bush, little markers on a made up road that should guide them to safety and certainty. It's all to make sure that one of them - him, she thinks, it's always been friends first - manages to get out alive.

When Justice begins to move them in another direction she has no idea what he thinks he's doing, but her instinct is to trust him. She stumbles, just a little, at first, but she soon gets her footing and shifts forward, turning her hand in his grip so she can hold onto his properly. Her fingers sink around his and she moves, determined, clinging to him as though he has all the answers to keeping the two of them alive.

Maybe he does. She's not a spirit, is she? She doesn't know what he thinks, what he feels, what he wants and wonders.

Determined, she keeps her eyes on the forestry around them, ears pricking as she listens for whatever is following them.

They'll catch up soon, but Leilani doesn't intend to go down without a fight. ]

[Were this any other situation, Justice would have to wonder at the way her hand feels in his. He has held no one's hand before, and it is perhaps a small thing for mortals, but it is intimate and physical in a way he's not used to. But they are running from cannibals, so he only clutches her hand tightly and wills her to follow his lead.

Justice follows the footsteps of victims past. This one was downed by a blast to the back, this one's knees were cut out by a machete, this one was still alive when they were dragged away, but they were all trying to get to the same place.

He knows what it looks like before he sees it. A patch of land too rocky for the trees to take root, right next to a waterfall and river. The river has a punishing current and the waterfall comes down a sheer cliff face, impossible for even the hunters to climb, cutting off their ability to surround their victims. The trees are cut off by the rocks, and the rocks provide ground cover, so the hunters are forced onto the ground to find their prey. Something approaching an even playing field.

The land shifts from dirt to rocks suddenly, but Justice does not lose his footing, and then the trees part and they're in the clearing, the crashing of water suddenly loud and churning. Justice doesn't skip a beat before bolting for the largest rock, searching for cover before the hunters have a chance to shoot at them from the tree line.]

[ Right now, the only thing she can focus on is Justice ahead of her, guiding her forward and urging her to trust him - which she does. She's always been intense when it comes to trusting people, to putting her faith in them, and that had only been fostered into flourishing as part of the Inquisition. She'd had to lend her faith to Josie, to Cassandra and Leliana and Cullen, and she had to believe they wanted the best, just as she did. She wanted to believe in them and so she did, just like how she believed in Varric and Cole and Solas and Bull and Dorian - and now Justice, too.

It means that she doesn't question where he leads her, how he leads her, just rushes after him, fumbling a little as she keeps up. Her eyes are on his feet so she can go where he goes, trying to ignore the sound of things behind them. She's not entirely successful, but it doesn't matter.

As soon as they're out in the clearing her eyes widen and her hand drops away. It's perfect, she thinks, to turn and face off with the creatures after them, and she nods her head to Justice before she summons her machete. She wishes she had a proper magical staff, something she was more familiar with, but what limited supplies they have will simply have to do. It's harder to focus with her blood pounding in her ears, but these hunters are nothing compared to Darkspawn and dragons and Qunari breathing down her neck.

Before she darts behind the rock Leilani summons an ice wall, slamming it up in front of them. It's probably not the strongest one she's ever managed, given how tired she is and how her mana is suffering, but it works, and she drops behind the rock to fumble next to her friend, breathing out. ]

We need to try to keep them at bay. I can shoot them with Rift magic and ice from here - are you going to be okay?

[Were the situation less dire, he would appreciate her faith in him too. He knows that mortals, especially mages from Thedas, find him unsettling and frightening, and they have been taught since early on to fear his kind. She does not fear him. She trusts that he has her best interests at heart, and that sort of trust is in short supply.

But things are moving too fast for him to dwell on things like that. He cocks his gun, checking its power supply.]

This weapon is designed for range. [Eventually, they will be forced to attempt their attack on foot. And that will make the ground more even between them. But it's best to try to pick off as many of their numbers as possible beforehand.] Do not concern yourself with me.

[ Don't concern herself, he says, as if she's just not going to worry. Shifting, Lavellan focusses on the stretch of land in front of them, considering. She doesn't feel as though she's strong enough to cast a lot more spells - limitations exist and there are no lyrium potions here to help her - but she must be able to do something. Her machete will do for close range, and she has her Rift magic, and if the worst happens... Justice might be stemming the pain of her Anchor, but it's still there. She can use it if she needs to.

Breathing out, she focusses, summoning a Veilstrike ready. ]

If you get kidnapped I'll be really mad. [ But she's smiling, and shifting to angle herself over the rocks. ] Take care of yourself. [ Before her, she means, but she's not sure if she believes it. The ice wall crashes and shatters behind them and she moves instantly, shifting up to send out the first strike. ]

I would prefer if you avoid kidnapping as well. [Justice still has his perpetual glare on his face, but it doesn't have the harsh edge it usually does when he's scolding. He might be teasing her. Or he might be simply stating a fact. It's hard to tell with him, honestly.

As soon as the ice wall is down, he peeks around the corner, spraying blasts at the tree line. A blast whizzes past his ear, but he doesn't even flinch. Instead, he follows the line leading to where the blast came from and fires.

One Vieziri falls from the trees like a rag doll. One down, many more to go.]

I can try. [ It's said with a grin, at least, and she is doing her best. She doesn't want to end up wrapped up with whatever strange creatures these are, especially given some of the things they've seen so far, but it may end up being unavoidable. She simply has to make sure that Justice makes it out as alive as he can be; that's her main focus.

Each shot is enough, and Leilani watches, thrilled as she moves, pushing herself up a little more over the rocks. It's precarious, and she almost laughs, shifting to angle her body so she can shoot more and more veilstrikes over. She needs lyrium, she thinks, she needs rest, but she doesn't have a choice. If she has to wear herself thin to make sure they're successful then she will.

There's always the Anchor, after all. She knows she can use it to protect, but it runs the risk of hurting her and Justice. It's a last resort, even as she grimaces, drawing all her focus to summon her power. The fireballs will come, she thinks, but it'll hurt. ]

[Justice feels her magical exhaustion like the tug from draining water. She needs help. He could help her.

But a firefight with a bunch of cannibals is not really the best time to introduce a non-spirit healing mage to communing with spirits. Justice remembers connecting with Anders' boyfriend with a grimace--it had been an awful experience all around, and they were both lucky that neither of them had been hurt (and somehow, miraculously, they managed to save Anders' life).

But he and Leilani have a much better rapport than he and Anders' boyfriend, and he's already established a presence in her mind by maintaining control over her pain. That hasn't caused any problems (yet). Communing with spirits is a very dangerous business for mages that don't know what they're doing, but half the danger is mistaking a demon for a spirit and the other half of the danger is not paying attention to what the spirit is trying to tell them.

Justice is still not sure if now is the time to try it for the first time, though.]

You will exhaust yourself. Slow down your mana consumption. [He has a gun, and that can cover their ranged needs while she takes a moment to breathe. He'd prefer that she be slow with her magic over her passing out.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

2nd Judgment ⚖ Action ⚖ Open

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject