driftfleet | i'm going on hiatus so taako's going on forced vacay!

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i'm going on hiatus so taako's going on forced vacay!

Who: Taako and everyone who will want to beat his ass for being dumb
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Iskaulit, later First Breath
When: Forward dated to December 27th. I'm going on hiatus from the 24th to the 5th so Taako will be resting from his massive goof-up until then!

Iskaulit: Late Night
This planet was the perfect location. After hearing that they rarely came to such singing worlds, Taako knew he couldn't wait in case his work was discovered or destroyed in the interim. After all the festivities had wound down and he'd finished making his rounds and showing his face where he was needed, Taako retreated to the Iskaulit, to a room down in the depths that he'd excavated out of the bowels of the ship. It was deep enough that if things went wrong - not that they would because this was Taako after all, he wasn't an amateur, but if they went wrong - no one else would be caught up in the wayward magical energies. He had a multitude of books filled with notes and information gleaned from the library and from conversations with people here and an endless supply of magic as long as he kept drinking that glowing blue water. And, just in case, before he'd sealed himself up in here, he'd sent Lup a package with a copy of all his notes. If anyone could figure this out if he failed, it'd be her.

He'd checked and rechecked his diagrams as he drew the magic circles across every surface in his square room, carving them into the very walls and filling them in slowly and painstakingly with the right color stone. The more stable the circles, the more stable the magic - something he'd gleaned from Belthazar's notebook. He'd measured and remeasured and tried his best to get the surface of the circular gem beneath his feet to be an absolute perfect circle. And finally, here he was, ready wth every component and piece in place. If this worked - and it would, natch, it was him, it would work - he'd have a window into his Plane and vice versa. If the Raven Queen could seize on that moment to push some power through, it would mean Kravitz would be able to rip a hole out of this place. And if that didn't work, maybe Taako could get a message to Magnus or Merle or-- no, let's be real, he'd contact Angus because he was probably the only capable smart person he knew and he wasn't sure if he trusted the Director anymore, if he ever did. Angus would figure this out or Kravitz would rip in and out of this plane, and they'd all be home again easy peasy.

Taako took a deep breath, pressed his hands against the smooth gem beneath him, and concentrated. "Here goes nothing."

The water he'd pulled up and placed at strategic points around the room glowed like beacons, the burn of power in his stomach grew warmer, and the lines of his diagrams jumped to life like a blinding fire. Wind pulled at Taako's hair and clothes, whipping them around as he channeled all his energy into the magic circle and the gem. The world was filled with buzzing, magnificent power, and Taako pressed it, pushed it, and formed it to his will. He could feel things clicking into place, and he could feel the universe press back against him, an overwhelming force, resisting his will, resisting the change. But Taako was nothing if not stubborn, and the arcane magics puffed like glowing mists from his lips as he forced the world to listen to him and it did - for a brief, brilliant moment.

And, like some sort of cruel joke, the gem beneath him cracked in a grim mocking smile and Taako saw all his hard work unravel in slow motion around him. An arc of power shot out from the cracks like lightning and scored the ceiling and walls, ripping through the magic circles. That damage sent out other bolts of energy, shredding his protections and tearing the magic containments apart. He barely had time to register that he might honestly die right now before the world erupted and all that energy and power and fire came crashing back in on itself - and on him.

Iskaulit Action & Broadcast
[Sometime, late at night, when most reasonable people are asleep after all the revelry on the planet, there is a massive explosion that rocks the bowels of the Iskaulit. The ship shakes like a minor earthquake and settles no worse for wear. Ten minutes later, a communication goes out: Taako is bleeding heavily from a cut on his forehead, he's covered in ash and a million other little injuries and coughing weakly. Behind him is a smouldering wreck of a room, jagged shards of blackened glass jutting out of the walls.]

If anyone's near the Iskaulit? Shit, I hope someone's nearby. Is this even the right network? Fffffuuuuuck it. [Taako clears his throat as best he can, slumping against a clear spot on the wall.]

Yeah hey, I uh - it's me, ya boy Taako, and well? [He takes a shaky breath.] I messed up. Yeah, yeah, I know - stupid dumb Taako, my bad - but save the yelling for later, mkay? 'Cause I'm, uh.... I think I'm gonna need a cleric. [He looks down off camera and winces.] Like no biggie, but...

[He rolls the camera down and it shows a piece of that jagged glass stuck through his side, red blood is quickly staining more and more of his shirt and hand where it's pressed against the wound.]

It's kinda? Urgent? Pretty sure...I'm gonna lose consciousness... like... mmmmm, pretty soon.

Oh and uh sorry for the whole...not PG13 gross blood thing. I...m...... [He hisses in pain and his voice starts trailing off as he drops the communicator.] Sonovabitch...... fuckin' dice........ rolls..........

First Breath Action
[Once he's rescued and stablized, Taako spends the first three days after his failure sleeping - or trying to sleep, or pretending to sleep to avoid talking to people. When he can't do that any longer without looking like he's gone into a coma, he stays in his room, alternatively sulking and checking his notes over again to find out what went wrong. He's here until the pain subsides and his magic comes back, having blown a shitload of it on the spell, enough that he feels tapped out. Anyone who wants to yell at him is free to come over. It's not like he can get up and leave right now.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Belthazar picks his communicator up almost immediately.]

Thank the Light. I'm sorry I didn't see this earlier... I have salves and bandages if you need your dressing changed.

Can I ask what happened?

Nah, Taako's good.

[He'd just nearly died; not completely died. Very big, very important difference.

But at the question that he knew had to come, he goes quiet, staring at the device. How does he even answer that?]

I...well, to put it mildly? I fucked it up pretty bad. No biggie - didn't die. And, uh, I guess now we know the Atroma can push back when they want to.

[Belthazar doesn't look comforted by that for some reason.]

Maybe you didn't die, but that doesn't make it any less terrible! You have to heal, and there could be side-effects-- we don't know yet-- and on top of that, death doesn't mean anything!

[He breathes in and out shakily. He doesn't want to yell, but it's too late for that, so he just tries to calm down a little instead.]

Taako. Did you try to cast the spell?

Yeah the side effect is blowing the fuck up. Your welcome for testing that for you.

[He doesn't mean for his response to come out as biting as it does, but he's been yelled at a lot in the days following his botched attempt. He deserves it, certainly, but that doesn't mean he has to like it.

The edge falls away from his voice and he goes quiet for a moment.]

I tried.... a version of it. I can at least tell you what will and won't work now.

[Belthazar's ears flatten against his messy hair as he gets that biting retort. He doesn't say he's done that already, he just sinks his fingers into his hair and takes another deep breath.]

Well... I figured out a stable way to store mana in gems. We can definitely power a portal if we amass enough of them and execute it correctly. Of course the danger is that much greater, but we'll need a massive power source to have any chance of success.

[He looks up finally, his lips set in a line.]

And we'll need you, too. Don't do that again. Please. I thought it would have been obvious that we needed a group effort, but apparently not.

Whatever the source is? It's gotta be more than the planet was putting out because that's what I used and it still wasn't enough.

[Which frankly terrified Taako. He's gone up against a lot in his short time as an adventure, but he's never had this amount of blowback on a spell and he could reach into other planes and straight up banish people. Whatever the Atroma were packing, they were either in an insane amount of magical sync or it was a single godlike entity that could bat him back like paper in the wind.]

And uh...Taako's not so great at group projects - as if that wasn't obvious - and you might not even want me in that team anyway. Kind of in the maybe shithouse right now.

By the Light... [That's a lot of power. But Belthazar doesn't want to give up yet, not at all.] So we'll-- we'll get more crystals! We'll amass energy from two or three or five planets like that one, it's-- it's fine. We can still do this, just not right now, and not alone. We just need time and energy.

It's more than one mage can handle alone. Not even the most powerful living sorcerer on my world could figure this one out, and so this falls to us. We absolutely have to work together and-- and patch the holes in the spell with the knowledge we share, because each world's magic is different and differences are strengths.

[He breathes in and out slowly again, trying to find his words. His mind is turning a mile a minute in four different directions. Taako being hurt, the mana from the planet not being enough to channel, whatever it was that pushed Taako back, and the thought that maybe there's something huge inside the Marsiva or in Atroma's possession that is barring the whole thing.

Gods, it's so much.]

I'm-- just glad you're safe, [he says finally, haltingly.] I don't want this research to have a body count too.

You're gonna want to start amassing it now then. Like you said - no telling when another place like this will show up. I can store magic in stone and gems, but it takes a long time and right now I'm kinda tapped clean out.

[He sighs and tries to roll his shoulders, wincing at the pull and the pain. With the stitches being held in place with magic, it's hard to remember that he isn't actually healed. It's annoying, too. He wants a damn cleric.]

But uh, does a lot of your research have body counts? Because ch' boy could've used that information before he went and blew himself up.

I have! I have. I've got like, twenty of them. And most of them, if not all of them, are shelf stable. I had someone help me with the formula so I could make it stick.

[Belth only looks more concerned. He itches to help change those dressings and do what he can with salves, but magic would solve their problems. Thing is, he's never been any good at healing magic.]

N-- no, it's not like that. [He looks ashamed for even bringing it up, his long ears drooping low.] I was blamed for someone's death because the culprit modified a potion I created.

If anyone gets hurt in the course of my magic, it's me. That's how I prefer it.

[Belthazar is not arguing his case very well is he.]

Fuuuull stop there, dumbass.

[Taako snaps his fingers in front of the camera to draw Belth's attention back to the screen and the disappointed look on Taako's face. He doesn't like caring about anyone here and normally he wouldn't, but that attitude?]

Listen to me carefully now: Fuck. That. Shit.

If some dumb fucker decided to use your potion for evil, that ain't on you. Even if you personally handed the potion to them? You didn't know what they were going to do with it, so nope. Not your fault. Fuck that.

Fuck all of that. Especially the whole "only I get to be hurt" shit.

And this whole situation? [He waves his finger, circling his bruised face.] Also not your fault. I took everyone's research and did a dumbshit thing and I don't need your guilt on top of my own. So cut it out? Got it?

[The snapping works. Belth's eyes jump upward, followed by his eyebrows, which are practically at his hairline by the time Taako's done with his lecture. He looks like he wants to interrupt, but he doesn't, and as the last part sinks in he... deflates.]

I'm-- sorry. [The last thing he wants to do is be a burden on Taako.] I wasn't-- [christ this negative charisma modifier] -- I got it.

No, not a sorry just an "I got it." That's all I need to hear.

[He waves a hand and tries not to wince. All the gesturing makes his side hurt, but the last thing he needs is for Belth to see him hurting. The kid has a guilt complex as big as Neverwinter apparently. It's not Taako's job to make people feel better - the Atroma would have made him a counselor if that wanted that shit from him - but he doesn't need to make them feel worse at least.]

I'm a shitty person, so just ignore any guilt you might even think of having and just keep to the anger thing. Suits this better.

[Belth is awkwardly silent for a moment longer as he tries to decipher the mixed signals he's getting. Taako doesn't seem like a bad person, and he's met bad people. Yeah, sure, they swindled a guy out of his wares on that one planet, but like... the guy was trying to rip Belthazar off anyway. And he offered to help with the spell, which he had no obligation to do.

... It reminds him of himself. Before he was adopted by Adrasteius, before he knew the ships of the Fleet, he was a scared urchin with a chip on his shoulder. And he'd said the same thing to someone once, almost word for word. Just be mad at me, it's easier.

He takes a deep breath, lets it out, and refocuses.]

Taako, I-- I respect you a lot. You have a keen intellect and a strong sense of creativity, and I think you have the power to make anything you visualize into reality. You're so far above my level that I can barely comprehend it and that makes me want to do better in a way I haven't experienced in a long time.

[He raises his finger.]

But that last statement was-- pardon my language-- complete bullshit. And if you think I'm about to walk away because I'm a little vexed, then I have very bad news for you-- I'm vexed constantly, at everyone, and my remedy is to shove food down their throats until they cease to annoy me or stop talking, which is basically the same thing.

So. [He puts his hands on his hips.] I imagine you'll be on bed rest for a while. How fast do you read? Will fifteen books suffice for the week?

[He stares at the screen for a moment, watching Belth as if he's actually considering what the elf just said. It's nice, certainly, to be told in no uncertain terms that someone he probably just royally screwed over isn't going to just drop him like a hot potato, but it's also a lot to take in right now. He isn't ready to just listen to nice words and believe them because he's been told a lot of nice things that turned out to be total fucking lies before. So he watches Belth carefully, and then, very deliberately, blows a raspberry at the screen.]

You've chosen a very bad person to respect, my dude, but I won't stop you from doing it. Just be prepared to be disappointed a lot.

Case in point? I'm not as fucking nerdy as to read fifteen books in a week. Holy shit, Belth. Get a hobby.

I'm already disappointed with myself, it's hardly a change.

[And just like that, being teased breaks the mood. Ironically, this is easier to deal with than actually confronting feelings. Plus, Belth is so easy to rile up... He's blushing and he hates that, because every time he gets upset, his pale as fuck skin shows it all.]

Reading is my hobby! [oh my GOD] How did you become such a great mage if you didn't study?

I'm just naturally amazing.

[Or, he studied a shitload and just doesn't want to admit it. Taako shrugs and waves the question off.]

And get a different hobby. There's, like, an entire universe out here? Go take up, I dunno, alien fly fishing or something.

[He's not sure how much of that is bluffing but his insight isn't great so he'll just take the loss.]

That sounds like agonizing torture. Just because I'm an elf doesn't mean I have the patience of a thousand year old turtle. And there's the sun exposure, and the risk of fumbling a hook and getting it lodged somewhere it oughtn't be, and--

[He bursts out laughing and then winces, flipping the communicator over so Belth can't see him double over in pain. Or, hopefully, hear him wheeze through the covers that he uses to muffle the microphone.]

Fuck me, fuck the Atroma, fuck all of this godsdamn.

[He flips the communicator back up and rolls his eyes, trying to pick up where he left off.]

Holy shit do you need to go outside. I'm taking you fishing one day just to watch and see if you hook your own shirt and throw yourself into the water.

[That was a lot of laughter and then the rest was muffled. Oops. While part of him is relieved that he can make Taako laugh, that might be painful for him right now.

Thankfully he seems to bounce back.]

I bet I won't.

[He sounds five. He doesn't really care.]

[Ohhhhhhh now it's on. Taako's smirk is both visible and audible as he leans in.]

How much you wanna wager on that?

[Oh boy. His ears pin slightly, intimidated, but he only doubles down on that assertion.]

A hundred credits.

Done. No backing out now. The next planet we get to where I'm not dying, you're going fishing and I'm going to get you to hook your own shirt.

[Belthazar leans in just as close, his gold eyes narrowed. And he utters two words in his usual rough, slightly nerdy tone:]

Bring it.

[He bursts out laughing again.]

That would have been cool if it wasn't about you getting a fishing hook stuck in your dumb shirt.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i'm going on hiatus so taako's going on forced vacay!

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