othellovonryan | The Bunker of "Safety"

The Bunker of "Safety"

[You find yourself in a large stone room. It has enough room to stand up, even for the tallest, and plenty of space to walk around. Likely Donnie absolutely exploded the insides of this rocky area to make this much space. The walls and corners are cut cleanly thanks to his mystic tools.]

[In the ceiling, recessed with some metal holders are crystals that shine with a warm light. A magic sunlamp.]

[There are a few inches of water on the floor, and probably most impressively is he's managed to make it so the water cycles through to the ceiling to make a light waterfall across all the walls. There are some polished boulders that provide some dry spots in the room.]

[But do make it very hard to try and write or carve things onto any surface in the room.]

[There is also a door with no handle on this side. It's half slid into the stone and has a metal cover, though any investigation will reveal the door is very thick, so probably stone makes up its center.]

[When people being dropped off]

[They can tell Donnie is coming back because the wall with the door is suddenly covered in a purple pink wall that will be shoving them across the room to push them away from the door. Then he'll open the door and drop off the person he's caught, or the food for people.]

[Each time the wall comes up, almost everytime, the walls seem to be getting...pinker.]

[Just for you guys: The Things Donnie is collecting from his connections for all this nonsense]
-Space Titanium to make Fabrications stronger from Korone
-His strength Plus Korone's strength when she's nearby until she bites someone else.
-Glyphs from Hunter
-Ninpo is always a thing
-Kraang things from Danger Memories
-Sedatives, so many sedatives
-Randy's orbment which comes with tech magic like FIRE, strength buffs under conditions, up his crit range for harder hits, makes him faster.
-Crow's guns

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Who says I wouldn't bite an acquaintance? Randy-san and Crow-san are both cool.

[ Leans back against the wall, arms loosely folded. ]

You really shouldn't need me to point out that Kraang tentacles aren't your style.

You said.

They're a very useful tool. The Kraang are biologically efficient, less bulk for more power, a high growth rate, amazingly resilient. Even the plant based origins makes it harder for toxins to take effect.

How many casts did it take to get Hunter out?

[ Her smile fades. ]

Dee-kun, I remember how you felt in that memory. You'd pull a lot of shit if you thought you had to, but you would never do this. Especially not to your brothers.

Doing all I have to do is what I'm supposed to do.

You've used at minimum five casts.

Most likely six, I imagine you wouldn't have healed Eve unless she said no.

And that's not counting misfires that I can't account for.

[ sssssshhhe isn't going to give him any indication either way of how many casts she's used. she thinks he's right on the money though, which, damn. get out of her head??

but they're both wrong. surely nothing unfortunate could come of this. ]

I am pretty damn sure that you'd nuke something from orbit before you'd even consider Kraanging at it.

A nuke for orbit is good when I want to kill something, not when I want to keep people safe. That requires utility.

Where did you send Hunter? It can't have been right outside the door.

When'd you decide they were an option, then? When did all of this - [ gestures around ] - start? Walk me through it.

There isn't much value in doing so.

I'm going to guess Hunter is with Leo, but Hunter doesn't know where the bunker is. Which would explain the delay in Leo just making a portal.

Which means he'll be trying to find it.

[Turning to head out the door.]

[ shit, no, she'd been hoping he'd be pissed enough to hang around longer —

he turns for the door

and Korone's there on the other side, both featherblades drawn ]

I'm not letting you hurt either of them again, for your own sake as much as theirs.

...

[He huffs.]

Seven.

[He's betting she used it on Eve, he knows how Korone does.]

[He's pulling his staff forward.]

I'm pretty sure we established I don't need protecting, Korone-san.

[ She's just gonna ignore the little voice in the back of her mind. Y'know, the sensible one that says sensible things like, "this is stupid, Stupid, you're blind, you're almost out of casts, and he already took you out once today without breaking a sweat." ]

Yeah, yeah, I heard you. And I'm calling bullshit.

[ Lifts one of the swords; the other stays low for now. ]

I'm not giving up on you. Not now, and not after. Remember that.

Its not a matter of giving up, Korone-san. Its all about priorities. You should value yourself more.

You're going to get yourself hurt this way.

[He steps forward, and even with the water at his feet, its still so faint.]

I value myself plenty, thanks.

[ which is why

she turns him into a cat :) it might only last a few seconds — this power is glitching too! oops! — but that's okay; she only needs it throw him off. it's the one power she never told him about. the moment he pops back to his regular body, she's there to meet him, swinging for his head with the blunt edge of her sword.

the other blade is ready and waiting to block or parry, just in case ]

You've proven oth-

[Except then its a yowl.]

[Listen, going down hard.]

[There's]

[There may be an unpleasant thud to Korone's ears between his battleshell is definitely way too heavy for a cat. Thankfully Frog Materia doesn't cancel out his weird abilities because that may have been Bad otherwise for normal cat bones.]

[He's scrambling out from other the battleshell, and oh, he does not like where water is UNPLEASANT down his lungs, nor the feeling of wet fur-]

[Pops back in his body, and he's falling back in the water, kicking hard away from her to slide across the water, and flipping back onto his feet and-]

[This is a sight for most everyone behind the wall. About the only thing on Donnie right now is the skintight boxers akin to biker shorts, the rest is bear. Including his shell that's been covered with the metal battleshell since he's known everyone here save for Raph.]

[His shell is in complete view. A soft, leathery shell compared to his brothers hard scutes. But more than that is the scarring, like the root system of a tree had been growing into his shell and then was forcibly ripped out.]

[Raph knows how much Donnie absolutely has not been able to stand having his shell exposed since that incident even in a relaxed setting. And yet the panic that has been happening with it as of late is...missing now.]

[Donnie looks to his stuff and he's already turning from Korone, leaping for the wall to bounce off of to go over her to get back to his staff.]

[You know, all things considered, Tryse has been pretty patient about things. Granted, part of that is due to a lack of, well. Offensive spells. If she'd been expecting combat, Donatello would have tasted lightning long ago. And nastier things, too.

But she'd rather been expecting a light day. Some scavenging in the newly recovering forest. Maybe checking out the friendship pond. Her limits mean she doesn't exactly have a lot of options when it comes to expecting either trouble or wanting utility.

She doesn't appreciate a lot of what Donatello's doing. It seems out of character, but she's not really aware of just how bad it's gotten. She does, though, know that he needs to be slowed down a bit. Fortunately, Donatello's been just a little tied up with Korone, and the wall's leaving her plenty of movement.

Gesturing, she starts a quiet incantation. It takes ten seconds, an agonizingly long time, but he's busy with his transformation. The hard part will not be missing, especially since he's moving so rapidly.

But the spell goes off. If she's got it wrong, an orb will appear behind him, lighting up the area and not offering much else. If not, though-blinding light. Unceasing. Unflickering. Like a blazing torch has been installed in each or his eyes.

Sorry, Korone, this is the best she can do at the moment. She's no match for Donatello in a straight fight, not unless she's prepared first. She doesn't say anything, though. Let him figure it out.]

[ Thanks to the splashes and clattering, she knows roughly where the shell — oof oof ouch she's going to owe him an apology after all of this is over — and his staff are. She also figures that he'll want both of them back ASAP.

So she casts a shield spell. The first one doesn't take, fuck, but the second one does: a semi-transparent box bursts into life around the shell and staff, shimmering like golden-hued moonstone. It looks delicate, but it's sturdy enough to withstand anything.

She hopes he had enough momentum going to smack face-first into it. REVENGE for pushing them around with his door shield. ]

What's the matter, Yanatello? Cat got your tongue?

[SUDDEN LIGHT]

[He doesn't know what happened (Crow? Tryse? Eve is too physical, but they have unknown magics-), but it doesn't matter, he was on a trajectory for his stuff, he'll be able to grab his staff and hopefully access his shell-]

[WHAM]

[Right into the box and he goes bouncing off with a pained yelp, rolling and skidding across the watery floor. He's pretty sure his nose is bleeding. He blinks his eyes, but he can't get the light away.]

[A problem.]

[He can track her, she's nowhere near as silent, let alone know how to compensate for water, but he needs to get her pendant off to get the shield down to get the dosage.]

[He's not this weak.]

[He would risk hurting her.]

[She will be made to understand.]

[It would be going too deep-]

[But I will do everything it takes to protect what is ours.]

[He pushes himself into a crouch.] I will do everything it takes to keep you safe. The cost does not matter.

[Raph can feel the tug on the Ninpo. Not as clean a tug, not with Donnie's corrupted mindset, but there is clearly still some level of mutual trust despite how far he is going with this.]

[But he's pulling heavier than he has been, though whether its on purpose or not-]

[The light is no longer purple at all. Its a vibrant, distinct pink as more tentacles form, bursting along his arms, along his back, but the most disturbing thing is]

[It's not all light.]

[More energy crackles heavily around some of the new limbs, pulling harder when he's remade Bo staves and his battleshell, and suddenly there are a number of tentacles that are]

[Quite]

[Real]

[Not all, but some most certainly are.]

[Along with the yellow eyes that form along them and over his face.]

[All that knowledge from the technodrone that had run through his head in their moments as one is more than enough emotional base to make something solid. Nothing is more emotionally strong for the Kraang than making more of themselves, after all.]

[There is a snarl from Donnie and it's nothing like he's made before as he leaps up out of the water, tentacles shooting up, digging into the stone and launching him hard at Korone.]

((A not too inaccurate visual representation))

Edited 2023-02-08 05:13 (UTC)

[ "The cost does not matter." Oh boy. Oh boy, that's ominous as fuck, actually! She shifts on her feet, hating the tell-tale slosh of water. Her grip tightens on her blades.

… But if she thinks she thought his words were ominous, they have nothing on the snarl. All that hard work and training, and yet suddenly none of it matters. She's seventeen years old again, inexperienced, over her head, terrified and angry and desperate with it because all around her people are dying.

She's prey.

She's prey and —

He is so fucking fast.

She gets a second shield up just in time: a wall this time rather than a dome or a box. It's weaker, won't be able to take anywhere near as much punishment, but it's fine it's fine it's fine it's what she has to work with, she can deal. she can't give up now.

Donnie gets to feel another blip as she Frog Materias him again. Turtle this tine. Actual turtle, spiny softshell, but it really does only last 2.53 seconds. Korone's there to meet him, using a wingbeat for extra momentum; she swings. Blunt edge first, a one-pivot-two hit combo. The shield comes with, guarding her six. ]

[Tryse is just... Taking notes, arms folded behind her back. She's got nothing to say here, shouting would just be a distraction. Maybe she'd threaten to hurt one of the others, if she'd thought to set something like that up ahead of time. She could've cast her water-breathing spell on Hunter, then threatened to 'drown' him. He was small enough that a threat like that might work, there's no way she could believably threaten to kill Crow or Raphael by holding their face underwater. But the others would object, so that plan gets filed away until she can explain things and not get cracked across the mouth for doing it unannounced.

The transformation's alarming, but not the most extreme she's seen. Like this, he reminds her of a demon she'd seen once, caged in a mystic lab, screaming obscenities in between trying to assume more seductive, or plaintive, shapes in order to convince someone, anyone, to free it.

Funny how the shoe was on the other foot now.

Her biggest regret is escalating things here. Something is seriously wrong with the turtleman and it doesn't seem like Qhyone's style. She's assuming that if the snake had something to do with it, it'd be either more sneky or nature-focused. Also, if the Serpent Lord were influencing him, Donatello would be putting them into conflict with one another. Perhaps giving some of them special privileges the others didn't, trying to drive wedges between them. So not that. Whatever it is, it's clear that blinding him triggered this, and that it'd ultimately been a wasted spell, one they could've used on a more successful escape attempt.

Too many eyes. At least the tentacles aren't on his face, this means that it's not some mutant version of ceremorphosis. The last thing they needed was to be pets of a mind flayer.

...Is it permanent, she wonders? How would he explain it to the rest of the 'camp' if it were? No, they'd have to realize by now that something's up, especially with so many of them gone.

Her thoughts continue along this path. She has a Lot of thoughts. For now, though, she's just hoping that Korone gets out of this intact. Even with her polymorphic tricks, even with his handicap, it's clear that Donatello's got the upper hand. The girl's not moving right, not reacting right. It makes Tryse wonder if she can actually see Donatello. If the turtleman isn't totally lost, if he doesn't break her in an attempt to keep her safe, they'll need all the help they can get.

After all, even a blind magic-user is another body to throw at the problem.]

[There is a weird]

[Mental hiccup at being turned into an Actual Spiny Softshell. After all, he hasn't been one since infancy. Familiar yet nit familiar, no clear memories that far back-]

[The light tendrils are still there, not dismissed, but the real ones are changing with him which is probably another point of concern.]

[The size change and turtle brain change is disorientating and the first strike connects, knocking his head to the side-]

[Then tentacles shoot out to grab her, some feeling same as before, but others are cooler than his fabrications usually run, looking to restrain her arms.]

[ she was ready for tentacles (panic later fight now panic later fight now) and she does not let herself hesitate. she reverses one sword and slashes, skimming over her arm, even as she wrenches herself back and away with all of the strength and speed she has — before any of the tentacles manage to get a good grip.

all followed up by her shield ramming him. it only moves as fast as she can think, and only with the speed that she could throw or push someone, but that's still Fairly Speedy. That plus the sheer strength behind it, from something that makes no sound at all, means that if it hits, it's gonna h u r t.

and if it does hit, it'll just

keep going, trying to slam him into the opposite wall, while Korone backs up ]

What, what did you do?!

[ Why did some of those tentacles feel cool, why didn't they run warm, like all of his constructs always do? ]

[What's more disconcerting is that tentacle is definitely bleeding something viscous, at least the part that gets cut. It doesn't slice easy at all, but it's enough to dislodge the tentacles, and there's an inhuman hiss that isn't Donnie's usual brand.]

[Donnie can see the shield. Not with his own eyes, but all the other eyes, and he leaps as the shield comes, bracing his feet on it and even as the impact makes his legs shake, the tentacles shoot up to dig into stone and pull him up not unlike a spider.]

I already told you. [And more tentacles shoot down, grabbing for her arms and more specifically for the chain around her neck.]

[But]

[None quite go for the back of her neck.]

[ She refuses to make this easy for him.

Some tentacles she dodges. Others she slashes through, featherblades flashing and whirling with a precision that belies how both blind and how super fucking boned she knows she is.

With the tentacles as a guide, she flings her shield at him again. Keeps flinging it, aiming as best she can, as fast as she can. No reprieve for Yanatello! — but then a few things happen at once.

The shield glitches. Shatters, vanishing into sparkling gold. A tentacle wraps tight around one wrist. She wrenches against it with a snarl, not caring if it hurts, and she tries to cut herself free only for another tentacle to stop her short.

And

They're going for her neck.

The chain is short. Way too short to pull over her head, and it's more than strong enough that he won't be able to snap it. He can actually feel that the pendant itself is resisting him. Still too close. Still too much. Nope. Nope nope no no no, fuck this, no. She gathers herself, grits her teeth, and ports —

Except no. She doesn't. The moment she draws on her magic — yanks on it, more like, fuelled by fury and sudden desperation — she drops like a rock with an echoing cry of pain, both swords tumble from hands gone suddenly nerveless. She's not out, she's not unconscious; the pendant is still being stubborn and she's already fighting to pull herself back together, but she's definitely dazed. It hurts it hurts it hurts - ]

Edited 2023-02-08 16:28 (UTC)

[There is a wild abandon in his response. No precision or real thought in his personal defense, both light and real tentacles grabbing at the blades and shoving them away even as it leaves pink blood behind.]

[Others try shoving the shield away, but he also accepts taking the hits because he knows he can take them, and is willing to do so in a way that is certainly out of his character.]

[There's more bruises left behind with the bleeding nose, which at least that blood is red, but there is a single minded determination to get at her.]

[While still not doing much to hurt her. At least with the way the tentacles dig into stone, they could be doing more damage.]

[And then she's down and he freezes.]

[One beat. Two.]

That's ten. [He drops down to the water and moves to her.] Don't you dare, Korone-san, you don't push soul magic past it's limit. [He's moving to kneels beside her, moving to grab her pendant off.]

[ The pendant

doesn't

budge

Not even a little. The same magic that brought it back to her after he stole it the first time is working overtime now, keeping it close. Nevermind that it hurts, nevermind that the chain is digging in, nevermind that her head feels like it's trapped in a vice, nevermind the nausea and the rushing pounding pulsing shrieking in her ears. She won't let go. She won't. ]

You — think I'll make it that, that easy for you? [ Bares her teeth in a facsimile of a smile. A spot of blood drips from her nose. ] F-Fuck. That.

[ GUESS WHAT, FOLKS

IT'S CATATELLO O'CLOCK AGAIN

Just ignore Korone's strangled whine of agony as her headache ramps up to eleven, twelve, twenty. She kicks against the floor, trying to wrench away from the tentacles regardless of how much it might hurt. If she breaks free, she'll scramble for her swords — if not, she'll keep trying anyway.

Either way, Frog Materia might hold for a whole five seconds this time. Wowee. ]

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