PREVIOUS: 005: Technically He Isn't Lying
Tanvir's House
đ˛ Lucya Enters the Fray with a weak hit. She chooses +2 momentum.
Lucya fights back a scream and readies her axe. The heron lunges for her shoulder.
đ˛ Lucya Clashes with another weak hit. As part of Paying the Price, she loses 3 health, but gains one back with her strong hit on Endure Harm.
LUCYA: "AUHHHH!!!"
The scream finally comes out as the heron gouges her arm, but she saw it in enough time to mostly get out of the way. As it passes by her, she pins the thing's neck against the stairs, and unceremoniously lops its head off like she's slaughtering a chicken.
It doesn't even seem to notice. Blood sprays around the room as it raises its stinger again...
JAGAL: "Are you SERIOUS."
Jagal grips his remaining dagger to try to slash at whatever tendons are still letting the thing do that.
đ˛ Jagal Strikes. It's a miss.
Unfortunately, the sheer amount of blood slicking the floor right now is more than he's ever had to account for, and he loses traction before he can even get close to doing damage.
JAGAL: "Ughâ!"
Jagal automatically tries to catch himself with his empty hand, but all that gets him is another shock of pain up his shoulder.
The heron is starting to move slower, but it seems to sense the thud of Jagal hitting the floor and turns toward him.
đ˛ Lucya uses Turn The Tide. It's a weak hit, with another 10 on one of the dice... The rolls are atrocious tonight.
Lucya swings at the heron once more, sending it flying against the wall. Its injuries are grievous, but it's already standing up again... She bodily picks up Jagal under one arm and runs for the stairs.
LUCYA: "We are gettin' OUT of here!! OUT!!! LET US OUT!!!"
JAGAL: "Wait, I don'tâGh."
đ˛ Lucya Faces Danger to run away from the spider-bird and try to escape. It's a weak hit, so we decide she Endures Stress (very understandable!)
She makes the mistake of putting him down, and starts hacking away at the door from underneath.
Jagal immediately tries to slip back towards the mess. Possibly more literally than intended.
đ˛ Jagal Faces Danger himself, and not only is it a miss, but it's ANOTHER complication! We decide to go the comedic route this time.
A mighty freckled hand grabs him by the shirt collar.
LUCYA: "We can go back AFTER WE OPEN THE BLIDDY DOOR!!!"
JAGAL: "Then you open it while I'mâYou saw the bloodâWouldn't be surprised if my dagger's already starting toâLet go!"
Jagal attempts to squirm out of her grip, but it's entirely hopeless and pretty pathetic to witness.
đ Jagal loses -1 Spirit LOL
Jagal has just about freaking had it today.
Lucya ignores him and keeps swinging at the door/bellowing curses at Tanvir through the floor.
đ˛ We are scrambling for a strong hit so we can end this dang fight, but not yet! Lucya tries to Secure an Advantage, and gets a weak hit.
Finally, she's done enough damage to the latch that she can force the door open a crack, but it's too late-- the heron is dragging itself up the stairs, stinger at the ready.
With Lucya's focus shifting, Jagal escapes her grip again to try speeding past the heron to get his dang dagger back.
đ˛ Jagal Faces Danger one more time, and it's... another miss...
It can't feel, it can't see, it can't eat, but somehow, its stinger finally lands.
JAGAL: "Nonononoâ"
Jagal tries to keep moving like he'll somehow outrun literally any of his current issues that way.
đ˛ Nightmare spider venom is numbing and hallucinogenic, rather than lethal, so Jagal Endures Stress from the sting instead of Harm... We finally get a strong hit, and it's doubles on the d10s so it's an opportunity! The spider-bird's progress meter was filled up several moves ago, and I figure Tanvir's about as tired of watching this mess of a fight as we are...
Lucya shrieks and almost lets go of the door to run after him, but a flicker of light catches her eye through the gap. She looks up.
A pair of round glasses is staring back at her.
Tanvir: "Oh, poor Agatha... Look what you did!"
Lucya almost tries to punch him through the gap, but she's afraid of losing her leverage on the door.
LUCYA: "Okay ye win or whatever! Just make it stop!! He's hurt!!"
Despite Lucya being extremely correct, Jagal is still trying to go get his dagger, by golly. He doesn't have the presence of mind to stop himself from ranting as he goes.
JAGAL: "Great GREAT I swear if that thing had real venom I'mâHow long do I even have this is the LAST thing I need right now, if I wanted nightmares I would have slept under this roof last nightâ" (quieter) "Gggggk."
Tanvir hears Jagal's panicking and cocks his head thoughtfully.
TANVIR: "She actually stung him?... Huh."
He snaps his fingers and hops to his feet without a word to Lucya, though he does mercifully undo the latch before he trots off to his room again. Agatha suddenly collapses, her corpse tumbling limply down the stairwell.
Lucya throws the door back with a SLAM, then looks back to see Jagal's disappeared again.
LUCYA: "What do ye even NEED down there?!"
JAGAL: "My VERY EXPENSIVE black iron dagger! I am not leaving it in thisâswear if anything'sâUgh!"
Jagal finally manages to locate his fallen dagger and pick it up. With his current amount of blood loss it's enough to make him dizzy.
JAGAL: "Already at the 'dulling senses' part I think, howâ"
Jagal freezes briefly to look to his right, then blinks hard a few times and continues some rant or other under his breath now.
Lucya looks around frantically to make sure Tanvir isn't returning immediately, then runs back down the stairs. She sees Jagal wavering with both daggers in his hands, and decides for him that he's leaving.
Tanvir can barely keep a straight face at the sight of the little jackal being carried unceremoniously up the stairs. He hands them a loosely-woven bag that smells of something like rosemary.
TANVIR: "You know, most people that get stung by nightmare spider venom do it to themselves on purpose... But if you really don't want the trip--"
LUCYA: "WHAT IN THE DEPTHS AND HOLLERS WAS THAT?!"
TANVIR: "Hm, what's that? I'm hearing quite a bit of entitlement from guests who took advantage of my hospitality to break into my basement, trash my lab, and kill my pet."
TANVIR: "Granted I can fix her up pretty easily, but still."
Jagal snatches the woven bag in record time before realizing he's not actually sure what he's supposed to be doing with it.
JAGAL: "Yeah, you may not know this, but there's actually a difference between 'breaking into' and 'unintentionally falling into and then being locked in by the homeowner'. Just a small distinction."
TANVIR: "I don't recall making you go inside... Ah, cover your nose and mouth with it, it's aromatherapy."
Jagal is ready to make some snapback about gravity but decides the aromatherapy is more urgent right now.
Lucya blusters for a moment, but takes a deep breath and decides that she really just wants this guy to go away more than anything else.
LUCYA: "Okay. Book. Can we still get the book? I won't touch anything, I'll let ye have some soup, just..."
TANVIR: "Hmm..."
Tanvir looks them over with a pitying laugh-- it's a sorry sight.
TANVIR: "Well, as long as you keep it down and don't go snooping around again... And please go clean yourselves off, there's a decent stream out towards the south."
JAGAL: (without much volume or edge before it gets muffled by the aromatherapy bag) "Yeah, real sorry for bleeding after I got stabbed."
Jagal is on too high an alert for the flickers at the edges of his vision to handle anything more complex than back-sassing on base instinct.
Tanvir just waves his hand dismissively and leaves for his room once more.
TANVIR: "Be back by sundown!~"
Lucya carefully watches him leave, then heaves a huge sigh of relief and goes rummaging through her bags.
LUCYA: "That bliddy snake o' a man!! Jagal, are ye-- do ye want me to take ye out tae the stream? Or just, ah-- lie down?"
Jagal takes a minute to remember he probably ought to be concerned about his physical well-being, too.
JAGAL: "Uh, probâgood idea. I should be able to make it to the stream, sure..."
Lucya finds the bag she's looking for and swings it over her shoulder, then checks the soup pot to make sure it hasn't been disturbed.
LUCYA: "Aye, I've got some bandages and such like, let's get ye over there..."
She heads for the doorway and looks at him expectantly.
Jagal fully intends to bring along all his belongings, medical or otherwise, but he won't say no to free bandages. More for him later.
JAGAL: "Yeah."
Jagal takes a deep enough breath to just about choke on the scent in front of him, but he at least starts after her without much trouble.
â Encounter complete(?)
đ˛ We roll Make Camp for the recuperation at the stream, and Lucya has to burn her momentum to even get a weak hit. We have had more than enough of Foundry's dice roll RNG! Lucya takes +1 health, and Jagal takes +1 spirit.
Jagal isn't entirely steady but manages not to fall into the bog altogether as they go.
The stream's burbles are audible over the animal calls and lapping muddy waters that make up most of the noise around here. As a result, it isn't hard to find their destination, though the mangrove branches overhead filter out an uncomfortable amount of the sun's light and warmth. The water is moving right along and looks clear enough, though.
Lucya scoops a quick drink of water for herself, then unties her bracers and rolls up her baggy sleeves. She wets a rag and wipes down the gouge on her arm-- it'll probably leave a scar, but it's not as deep as it looked at first. Jagal's injury is a much more urgent matter.
LUCYA: "Alright, put yer arms up, I'm ginnae have tae..."
With barely any warning, she reaches for the hem of Jagal's shirt and starts pulling it up.
Jagal was just trying to gauge what all here had blood to clean off of when that starts up.
JAGAL: "WHOA whoa hello. You're not the first to show interest but let's slow down here." (pulling away slightly) "I can handle that, thanks."
Jagal doesn't look all that capable of handling it with one arm coated in distinctly his own blood and the other hand busy holding a bag to his face.
LUCYA: "I am interested in not having to smell ye wearin' the same bliddy shirt for a week!"
She gives him the chance to struggle with it for a moment, then sighs and forcibly helps him at least get the sleeve off of his injured arm.
LUCYA: "Now hold still while I get these..."
Her voice trails off and her face grows a little pale as she looks down and sees just how many injuries he's sustained besides the currently bleeding one. She turns away quickly to fetch the bandages from her bag.
đ˛ We finally decide to ignore Foundry's built-in rolls and just roll the dice ourselves... and we get two strong hits in a row! Lucya aids Jagal's Heal move, and with Jagal's Herbalist asset that gets him back to full health.
Jagal is beginning to rankle at the fussing when he catches the shift in her expression.
JAGAL: (starting to laugh) "Yeah, clearly that was the first thing that's ever tried to kill me."
LUCYA: "...Ye've had a hard life, haven't ye, wee man?"
JAGAL: "..."
Jagal rinses off the fresh wound as best he can before going for his pouch of herbal things and picking out the largest bottle among them. He pours onto his fingers some grainy green-brown sludge that would probably smell pleasant if it were a little less pungent.
JAGAL: "I prefer 'exciting'."
Jagal quickly transfers the medicine to his wound. He stays silent but still winces at the burn.
LUCYA: "Aye, even me grampa Oskar, he didnae have so many scars..."
She binds his wound securely, if not gently, trying not to stare at the veritable crater in his chest. Then she tries to dress her own, but she's not quite flexible enough to reach all the way around her burly arms.
LUCYA: "...Auh, would ye help me out here?"
Jagal snorts, seeming a little more at ease the longer he goes without any particularly vivid hallucinations.
JAGAL: âYou sure youâre cut out for this adventuring thing? Canât imagine havinâ to find somebody else to help with every halfway decent scratch.â
Not wanting to let the residue go to waste and maybe out of a little pity, he wipes his fingers off on the bandage before placing it. Considering she literally just now bandaged him, he wonât try to charge her for his assistance. This time.
LUCYA: "I-It's the angle on this one, it's just..."
Lucya's cheeks flush a little pink, but she's more sad than embarrassed.
LUCYA: "Aye, maybe not, not by meself. But I dinnae what else t'do..."
She looks down at him with a wan smile as he ties off the bandage.
LUCYA: "Thank ye, Jagal."
JAGAL: (shrugging lopsidedly) âJust something else to consider.â
Having taken care of the urgent part, Jagal now starts to rinse the blood off his earthly possessions. He attempted to wipe his daggers somewhat clean earlier, but itâs good to see more clearly that they havenât been melted or anything.
JAGAL: âIâll take payment over thanks any day, but sure thing.â
LUCYA: "Well I did make ye some soup..."
Something about Jagal's reply makes her laugh a little. She moves upstream a bit and starts to change out of her Lovely Dress, assessing the damage. Some of the blood and muck comes out in the river, but the little embroidered flowers along the hem have been thoroughly destroyed.
LUCYA: "Auhh... I hope Ms. Freida will forgive me! But maybe I can cut it off and hem it..."
Jagal immediately glances over at the stuff on the shore just in case said soup made it here, but no dice.
He blinks at Lucya starting to change, but he has things to look down at, anyway. Between the spider-bird spurting everywhere and him falling, there's plenty of blood to get off of this and that. Not to mention drying off his daggers properly. By then enough things have passed through his hands that he's inadvertently using both for the task.
JAGAL: (absently) " 'd give you a rag to keep around, too. Can't be the worst idea."
Jagal doesn't know enough about traveling in dresses to contribute more than that. Nor is he interested enough to ask about the name drops.
Lucya was mostly talking to herself anyway. She changes into a colorful but less ornate dress, wincing as she pulls a sleeve over her bandaged arm. As she's buttoning up her vest, she turns and sees the potpourri bag lying off to the side.
LUCYA: "Ach, feelin' better already, are ye?"
JAGAL: "Am I..."
Jagal trails off, trying to decode the question for a second before realizing.
JAGAL: "CRAP."
Jagal snatches the aromatherapy bag off the ground and holds it back over his face, forcing a second's hyperventilation to be safe. This excursion is not turning out quite as relaxing for him as he'd hoped.
JAGAL: "Gh, how long do I have to keep doing this..."
LUCYA: "Hum, he didn't say, did he... But if ye weren't, ah, seeing things just now, maybe it's worked already?"
Lucya gathers her things and trots back over to Jagal. She offers him a hand up, out of habit.
LUCYA: "I oughtae go check on the pot... Are ye about ready?"
Jagal doesn't seem entirely sure whether or not he'd been seeing things a few seconds back.
JAGAL: "Maybe...?"
Jagal continues to dry off a few things one-handed. He turns to look when her hand is offered, but he's already uncomfortable with the amount of help and consideration he's gotten today. The last thing he needs to do is keep encouraging it for either of them.
JAGAL: "Almost. Go ahead, I'll catch up in a second."
She steps back a bit, but clearly has no intention of going anywhere before he's up on his feet himself.
Jagal keeps polishing a dagger longer than necessary before sighing and pushing himself back up.
JAGAL: âAll right, have it your way.â
Jagal stretches carefully to test his balance again before he sets off.
JAGAL: (muttered) ââŚIâm not your responsibility, you know.â
LUCYA: "Nay, but ye are hurt and ye need some soup!"
Lucya plods along behind him as they make their way back to Tanvir's cabin.
As soon as they go through the door, she makes a beeline for the fireplace. Thankfully, it hasn't overcooked and it doesn't look like Tanvir's meddled with the pot. She tastes the broth, then reaches for the spice jars in her bag and adds a little of the orange stuff.
LUCYA: "Ach, isnae the same without the oakmoss... But it'll fill ye up!"
She starts ladling it into a little wooden bowl.
Jagal mutters something or other about being fine but otherwise resumes silence for the trip.
JAGAL: (feeling like he's vaguely heard of oakmoss before, but it must not have been important) "Huh."
Jagal does try to keep an eye on her for any adverse reactions after she has a taste, but his gaze keeps pulling back to the soup.
She catches him staring, and smiles more brightly than before.
LUCYA: "Aye, this one's fer you!"
She hands him the bowl and starts pouring one for herself.
Jagal realizes he's been caught and hastily clears his throat in an attempt to save face.
JAGAL: "Right, cool."
Jagal yoinks the bowl and goes to sit at what's apparently his usual spot. He's not one to politely wait for the rest of the table before tucking in, but he doesn't want to look, like... enthusiastic...
Lucya raises an eyebrow as she sets down with her bowl.
LUCYA: "Are ye waiting for me t'say grace? I didn't think ye the type..."
She blesses her own food and tucks in.
JAGAL: (casually) "Ah? Nah, just was thinking about something."
Jagal waits for her to take the first bite anyway since he's held out this long before starting himself. But this is warm and he's hungry and it's soup and it's good soup, and he's still a little too frazzled and exhausted from all these ordeals to properly muffle the delight on his face.
Lucya's still not sure why he's got such a problem with, like, enjoying things, but she'll accept that crack in the facade as its own reward.
LUCYA: "Wohoho! Help yerself tae seconds if ye like."
She leans in conspiratorially.
LUCYA: "Eat it all! I'm ginnae make a different batch fer Mr. Tanvir, I'm nae wasting the good stuff on the likes o' him!"
Jagal freezes for a second, realizing he's as caught as he could possibly be, but he still can't quite kick all of his smile to the curb. He's simply just going to not acknowledge this now or ever.
JAGAL: (snorts at the conspiracy, a little closer to his usual comfort zone) "Well, I'm not about to turn down food."
Jagal dutifully goes over for seconds once his bowl is polished off, which is almost worryingly quick.
Lucya pours seconds for herself as well, then stocks the pot again with some of the less appealing finds from her foraging trip. She looks out the window to gauge the time.
LUCYA: "Still a few hours afore sundown... I'll keep watch if ye wannae get some rest, aye? What a day..."
Jagal kinda eyes the less-appealing pot just as much, but if he got any more at this point, heâd just make himself sick. Heâs at least calmed down enough to fully register that.
JAGAL: âThis is rest, whaddaya mean?â
Jagal takes the couch while Lucya is standing and looks genuinely drowsy for a second before blinking it off.
JAGAL: âThat it was.â (fishing out his damaged shirt, then a little spool of thread) âYou have fun?â
LUCYA: "Ye know what I mean..."
She adjusts the pot's location for a longer simmer, then plops down on the floor next to the couch.
LUCYA: "I wouldnae call it fun, no! But if we get outta here alive and with the book, that's something, aye?"
Jagal chuckles at that and squints to thread a needle.
JAGAL: "Aw, not even a little bit? You gotta have some fun with everything if you're gonna make it out here."
Jagal finally gets the needle threaded and smooths out the torn part of his shirt with a small grimace. He rubs his eyes before slowly getting to work.
JAGAL: "Both of those would definitely be something, yes."
LUCYA: "I guess throwing rocks was kinda fun...? Nay, but I've had enough of swamps fer a while!"
She pulls out a bracelet she's working on to fritter away the time.
LUCYA: "I just hope Mx. Eleri will be able tae help us after all this... Naught t'do but wait and see, I spose."
She hums a little as she starts weaving and knotting the thread.
JAGAL: "There you go." (pricking his fingers a few times before seeming to notice) "Yeah, no telling 'til the time comes."
Jagal squints at the needle a few more times before sighing in frustration and leaning back to shut his eyes. He'll just take a second to refocus, and then he'll get back to...
It's about ten seconds of his eyes closed, his belly full, and Lucya's humming in his ears before he nods off, the tension in his limbs and face finally going slack.
Lucya smiles and keeps weaving away. That song always put Aleksy to sleep, too.