Into the Dark

[kenod]

Karin felt the worm spasm one final time, and then it fell to the ground, dead. She wondered why though. It couldn't have been her actions that killed it, not yet at least. So that meant the others had killed it. That was all good, but it did raise the question of how she'd get out of this thing. The pressure on her had lessened to some degree, but she still couldn't really move around. With some luck someone would decide to check up on her and free her. She had told Althea she was a regenerator after all. Still, it was probably best not to rely on that. She nodded to herself. Time to get out of this place! she thought, trying to cheer herself up.

Back in the cave part of the worm started wriggling about, first softly but slowly getting more violent. Finally something that looked like a knife or a tooth slammed through the side of the worm. It slowly started to move back and forth, trying to cut trough the skin. It couldn't find much purchase though, and it didn't do that much.

[+Sorana]

2 hours ago, kenod said:

Back in the cave part of the worm started wriggling about, first softly but slowly getting more violent. Finally something that looked like a knife or a tooth slammed through the side of the worm. It slowly started to move back and forth, trying to cut trough the skin. It couldn't find much purchase though, and it didn't do that much.

"Karin." Althea exclaimed and rushed over, exteneded a hand to her side while running. Brashen formed in her hand, her hand reached out for the shaft of her helbard. Whisps of mist surrounded the blade for a moment, then Brashen solidified and she closed her fingers around her weapon. As usual it was huge, looked scary, and she still had only a rough idea how to wield it. Devaan had shown her a little bit and it had helped, but showing a little bit didn't make up for years she should have spend training with it.

She stopped in front of the knife or tooth and then took a huge step to the side. Then another one. She took Brashen in both hands and slammed him down, easily cutting through the meat. There was no soul left to cut. A gush of blood and acid and other things rushed on the floor and the stink of the mixture made her gag. Althea stopped breathing, trusted the stormlight to keep her alive and slowly started to cut towards the place where she suspected Karin. She took her time, knew that if Karin got cut by Brashen it would have severe consequences she'd prefere to avoid.

Edited October 12, 2019 by Sorana

[kenod]

9 hours ago, Sorana said:

"Karin." Althea exclaimed and rushed over, exteneded a hand to her side while running. Brashen formed in her hand, her hand reached out for the shaft of her helbard. Whisps of mist surrounded the blade for a moment, then Brashen solidified and she closed her fingers around her weapon. As usual it was huge, looked scary, and she still had only a rough idea how to wield it. Devaan had shown her a little bit and it had helped, but showing a little bit didn't make up for years she should have spend training with it.

She stopped in front of the knife or tooth and then took a huge step to the side. Then another one. She took Brashen in both hands and slammed him down, easily cutting through the meat. There was no soul left to cut. A gush of blood and acid and other things rushed on the floor and the stink of the mixture made her gag. Althea stopped breathing, trusted the stormlight to keep her alive and slowly started to cut towards the place where she suspected Karin. She took her time, knew that if Karin got cut by Brashen it would have severe consequences she'd prefere to avoid.

Karin suddenly felt a small shock flow through the dead beast, and a breath of air flowed around her. She opened her eyes, seeing some light beneath her feet, then immediately closed them again as acid started burning them. Over here! She tried to yell, but no sound came out, since her lungs were still empty. She took a deep breath, nearly triggering some left-over chocking reflex as the acid burned her lungs and throat, and tried again. "Over here!" She yelled in a happy tone to whoever was chopping up the beast. "I'm head first into this thing," she continued. "Wait for a bit, I might be able to crawl out."

She retracted the spikes on her arms, shrinking them until all they did was provide some additional friction. She then started moving her arms around in a peculiar fashion, pushing herself towards the light while at the same time pushing the stomach outwards to reduce the force keeping her there. In the beginning it was difficult, but after a minute or so she had gotten the hang of it, and her feet exited the worm. using her feet she pulled herself further out of the worm, until after a minute longer she was finally fully out of the worm.

She stood up, stretching herself out and let out an extremely fake-sounding yawn. "Well, that was a nice nap," she quipped. "Did I miss anything?" She looked around through the cave, trying to get an idea of the general situation.

[I think I am here.]

1 hour ago, kenod said:

She looked around through the cave, trying to get an idea of the general situation.

Karin... alive? Wes felt a pang of anxiety when he remembered how the worm had swallowed her whole, just like all of the other employees it had consumed. But how could she be alive? Wes followed the Righthand as she cut open the worm, suppressing any squeamish impulses, too busy wondering how Karin could be alive to help.

Finally, Karin’s feet exited the worm, and the rest of her slowly came out until she was standing around quipping. Like she hadn’t been eaten by some giant worm. The DA, Wes thought, with slight awe. In any case, he was glad she was alive and not melted in a pile of digestive juices like all the other victims. But, if she had survived...

“Hey Karin,” Wes said, waving slightly. “Did you see anyone else alive in there?” Maybe the creature hadn’t really killed anyone. Just kept them inside... for storage? Wes knew it was a long shot, most likely Karin was the only survivor. But it was worth asking at least once. Thank the Heralds we didn’t throw the bomb in there, he thought suddenly. But if Karin could survive being eaten, she could probably have survived an explosion, Wes was sure. But still.

[Rushu42]

Sarah jumped as Karin was pulled, alive, from the stomach of the now dead worm. She had seen the woman get eaten. How had she survived? She ran over to the corpse, peering at it. No one else appeared to be emerging. "How under Harmony are you alive?" She asked, staring at her aquaintence. 

@kenod

[TrailRunnin]

Rig stood for a few minutes, hunched over and breathing heavily. He noticed someone head over to the now-dead monster and start chopping at it, but was too exhausted to offer any help of his own. Once he had caught his breath, he straightened and took a moment to fix his jacket about himself. That done, he pulled out yet another vial of steel flakes and downed the mixture, replentishing his reserves. He had gone through far too many already-he would have to talk to Stancel now about getting some more. 

Rig let loose a short laugh at the young mistborn's comment. "Well, every day might be stretching it. As a matter of fact, this is the first giant worm I've faced all week!"

Glancing to Corette, he grinned. "How about you, Corette. Is this a daily thing in the-" He paused, trying to remember the name they had given the place. "Alleyverse?"

He looked back at the younger mistborn. She had been useful during the fight, that much was certain, but he had seen her botched steelpush. She was fresh, still. Either way, she had kept her resolve remarkably well for a teenager. And if there was anyone who could teach her to steelpush, it was Rig. "I'm Rigex, by the way. Rigex Lekal, from Scadrial."

@ZincAboutIt @I ♥️ Rashek 

[xinoehp512]

Nekorb peeked around the stala-column he'd been hiding behind.

"Is it dead?" he asked in a quivering voice.

[+ZincAboutIt]

Corette stood up from behind the rock formation and winced as her shoulder throbbed and her back twinged. Blood continued to trickle down her left arm, and it had soaked a large portion of her undershirt too. It cooled into an uncomfortable, sticky mess in the chill cavern air, and without a steady stream of adrenaline Corette became rather acutely aware of how little clothing she had on. She leaned against the rock and tapped Cadmium again when Althea started slicing into the worm's corpse. Gore had never much bothered Corette, but why smell viscera if she didn't have to?

Rig's mention of her name caught her attention, and she looked at him, then the mistborn girl. What was her name? Alli? Allri? She seemed a bit shaken, but nothing too severe. For his part, Rig seemed winded but largely good as new. He took another swig of steel flakes and looked around the cavern with confidence.

Corette waved her right hand dismissively. "Bog standard around here," she said, voice dry. "It's hardly a proper week without at least one attempt on my life. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to get patched up, and put my clothes back on."

She began walking slowly towards the worm's corpse, noting with some interest that one of the DA scientists had survived being swallowed whole. Corette was hardly surprised, the DA being the DA, but it was fascinating. Perhaps she'd ask her about it, if she found the time. For now, Corette had to get her shoulder patched up. Her left shoulder felt unnaturally hot, throbbing deeper and deeper into the core of her body. She changed directions, moving instead towards the remainder of the main camp, where at least one Progression Radiant stood tending other wounded. Corette gritted her teeth, fighting against the blur that had already begun to fuzz the edges of her vision. She could feel herself swaying slightly, the heat in her shoulder contrasting sharply with the cold she felt in her left arm. Blood dripped from the tip of her middle finger, and Corette thought she could hear it drop onto the soft sandy floor.

The window of her vision had gotten smaller, narrowing into a small point. She clenched her fist - her right one. Her left fingers weren't responding to her brain. Bad sign, she thought, maintaining her dogged trek towards the main camp. Just a bit further. Her head felt as though it would float off her body, and her arms and legs prickled with gooseflesh. Corette released her Cadmium, thinking that the act of breathing might help her regain a sense of grounding. But her breath came ragged, and the world started to tip as she staggered to one side, then sank onto one knee. 

"Rusting hell," she managed, before the floor rushed up to meet her, and her vision went dark.

@TrailRunnin @anyone else

[I ♥️ Rashek]

31 minutes ago, TrailRunnin said:

He looked back at the younger mistborn. She had been useful during the fight, that much was certain, but he had seen her botched steelpush. She was fresh, still. Either way, she had kept her resolve remarkably well for a teenager. And if there was anyone who could teach her to steelpush, it was Rig. "I'm Rigex, by the way. Rigex Lekal, from Scadrial."

2 minutes ago, ZincAboutIt said:

Corette waved her right hand dismissively. "Bog standard around here," she said, voice dry. "It's hardly a proper week without at least one attempt on my life. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to get patched up, and put my clothes back on."

Allri nodded. Rigex and the other woman-Corette, he'd called her-seemed unconcerned, with jokes ready just moments after the worm's death. How could they be so nonchalant about it? She had never been in so much danger before.

Maybe that was why. They'd said that this was a regular thing for them, and after seeing them in action, Allri believed it. They were calm under pressure and very good at what they did. Corette had managed to sneak up on the worm and stab it in exactly the right place while it was moving, and Rig had been so good with his steel, flying around the cave seemingly effortlessly and driving the knife through the worm's head. Remembering her own Steelpushing accidents, Allri winced. She wasn't a safe and sheltered socialite anymore, and could absolutely not afford any mistakes like that again. She needed to get good, and it would go a lot faster if she could learn from a master. Noticing for the first time that Rig was at least a head taller than her, she looked up at him. "Could you teach me how to use steel, please?"

She heard a thump and turned, only to see Corette on the floor, covered in blood. Allri stepped forwards, ready to help, then realized that she knew nothing about healing. She forced herself to breathe in, then out, desperately trying to calm herself, to think of something, anything, that she could do to help. Corette didn't deserve this, she'd helped so much with killing the worm, keeping the rest of them safe. It wasn't fair for her to die here!

An idea! Maybe Allri couldn't heal Corette, but she could buy time for someone with real healing to get here. She called for help, then threw up a cadmium bubble, hoping desperately that help would arrive in time.

@TrailRunnin @ZincAboutIt

[+Invocation]

The Wanderer, ensorceled in a meaty, wet, constrictive prison, finally saw his chance. The worm shuddered and stilled as it died, and with that, he could finally summon his Blade without jostling. He cut his way out, glowing Blade sawing back and forth, and clawed his way out. "You can never leave me behind - why am I in a bubble?" He noted the form, bleeding on the ground, and the apparent source of the bubble beside her. "This looks like a fun situation. I don't normally do this, but here." He knelt beside the slumped form of Corette and tapped her on the shoulder, sending a wave of Progression-healing through her. "I want the full story here, and you better make it good."

Quote

I have been waiting for a suitably strange entrance point for him!  

@ZincAboutIt @I ♥️ Rashek

[+Sorana]

"Good to see, that you survived." Althea nodded at Karin, her words honest, despite the fact that they lacked warmth. "I wasn't sure if, you'd make it." She didn't add any kind of reference to their earlier conversation, left it to Karin if she wanted to tell everybody about her powers or not. Instead she turned to a woman that had joined them. She hadn't learned her name yet, but that could be changed.

"There are ways to survive immense damage to the body." She explained, made sure to stay with general facts instead of hinting at Karin's nature or her guild. She didn't know hoch much the woman knew about her. "Stormlight, or feruchemical gold, to name two examples. Additionally some epics from eath also have immense healing abilities, to name an example from outside the cosmere."

Turning slightly to Wes she made sure to soften her voice a bit. "We can check for other survivors. Maybe some of them didn't reach the acid part of its stomach yet. They might have a chance."

@Rushu42 @kenod @I think I am here.

Quote

I didn't react to the Wanderer as you placed him directly into the bubble.

 

Edited October 13, 2019 by Sorana

[I ♥️ Rashek]

Quote

Who's the Wanderer?

 

[I think I am here.]

5 hours ago, Sorana said:

Turning slightly to Wes she made sure to soften her voice a bit. "We can check for other survivors. Maybe some of them didn't reach the acid part of its stomach yet. They might have a chance."

Wes nodded, looking to the worm’s corpse. Slowly he walked forward and tried to ignore the smell, trying to look inside the hole Karin had left when she’d exited. No sign of people, but maybe they were just in a different part? It was a big worm after all. Wes clung to the hope that they’d be alive, that everyone would come back.

But no one did.

[kenod]

5 hours ago, Sorana said:

"Good to see, that you survived." Althea nodded at Karin, her words honest, despite the fact that they lacked warmth. "I wasn't sure if, you'd make it." She didn't add any kind of reference to their earlier conversation, left it to Karin if she wanted to tell everybody about her powers or not. Instead she turned to a woman that had joined them. She hadn't learned her name yet, but that could be changed.

"There are ways to survive immense damage to the body." She explained, made sure to stay with general facts instead of hinting at Karin's nature or her guild. She didn't know hoch much the woman knew about her. "Stormlight, or feruchemical gold, to name two examples. Additionally some epics from eath also have immense healing abilities, to name an example from outside the cosmere."

Turning slightly to Wes she made sure to soften her voice a bit. "We can check for other survivors. Maybe some of them didn't reach the acid part of its stomach yet. They might have a chance."

@Rushu42 @kenod @I think I am here.

 

Karin nodded. "Althea is correct," she said in a more serious tone. "In my case I'm an Epic. As for my abilities... Basically, I've got an enhanced physiology, regeneration and partial shapeshifting. Part of that includes that I don't actually need to breath, as well as being able to survive stuff that I really shouldn't be able to." She shrugged, looking down at the corpse of the worm, and then at Wes. "Sorry, I didn't notice anyone else in there," she said. "Not a nice way to go," she muttered to herself, looking down.

[Voidus]

Whisper spared a single disappointed look towards the worm as it fell. She'd held some hopes that it might have more secrets, but if it had it had taken them with it into the grave. After confirming its death she shifted her attention to those still living, giving Althea a particularly long and interested look. There had been that moment that she'd stood frozen, something about her eyes.

Interesting.

Whisper knew well the eyes of one who had seen horrors and was living through them again. Althea it seemed was still fighting what she'd seen, and was strong enough that it hadn't broken her yet. But it was only a matter of time, no one could stand up to the full weight of the unknown, the horrors that drifted on the fringes of memory and awareness. Resisting meant they would break you, Whisper hadn't resisted.

She watched as Althea moved towards the corpse of the worm, helping out someone who seemed to be crawling out from inside of it. She heard the name 'Karin' but it had seemed to be the one who looked like Aylitha. Her survival gave Whisper a little more hope that she might be genuine, but then if she had been that worm wouldn't have been able to eat her in the first place.

She filed the information away before scanning the rest of the group, eyes finally resting on the one who had been watching her. She seemed unsteady on her feet, eyes unfocussed. It only took a few steps before she collapsed to the ground. Others were closer by, better able to help, but Whisper still moved forward, a look of worry on her face. Trying to help when there was nothing useful you could do was something that most people seemed to take as a hallmark of kind people. Personally Whisper thought it was a hallmark of people who couldn't accurately assess a situation, but other people's impressions were what mattered now.

[+ZincAboutIt]

Corette opened her eyes as a wave of cool, gentle power rushed through her body. The throbbing in her shoulder lessened as the flesh re-knit, and she felt the ache in her spine smooth out as well. She sat up quickly, turning at the sound of a new voice. The Mistborn girl crouched next to her, answer for the second time today Corette found herself in a speed bubble. Judging by the too-quick motion of those outside the bubble, this was Cadmium. 

She turned her attention to the newcomer, and for one moment Corette found herself genuinely shocked. It was the man from before, the one who had dropped out of a ceiling grate back at the initial meeting. He was absolutely covered in thick, dark blood, and the acidic smell rolling off him was enough to curl her lip in revulsion. 

He survived inside that thing? Corette made a careful note of that. He could certainly be interesting to the right people. 

“Thanks,” she said simply. “That thing attacked us, lulled us with a powerful Soothing - or something similar. Managed to drill a blade through its skull. I see you have some...insider knowledge on it. See anyone else in there? You’re the second person to rip out of that thing.”

Without waiting for his reply, Corette stepped backwards out of the bubble, steeling herself for the disorientation. She stumbled only once, then quickly put some distance between herself and the new man. Never wise to be too trusting with someone you don’t need know yet, especially if they had strange powers. A few people had approached the bubble, and Corette raised a hand.

”New Radiant back in the bubble,” she called out. “He ripped out of the worm and healed me. No clue how he managed to survive in there, or how he got there in the first place.”

With that, she walked back towards the glowing pool. Part of the worm still lay within, but there was plenty of room. Corette hopped over the rim and sank into the water, feeling the cool shock of it on her skin. She scrubbed at her shoulder and arm, dried blood sloughing off, and she smiled. 

“If anyone else needs a bath, the water is just fine!” She called, then pushed herself back up onto the rocks. The air felt even colder now, but it was a good sort of sting. Careful not to let herself think too deeply about her near-death, Corette walled back across the cavern, grabbed a spare bit of cloth - possibly a cloak or blanket of one of the victims - and toweled off. She found her clothes and her pack where she had left them, and once she had zipped back into her coveralls, she finally let herself relax. 

Corette slung her pack over her shoulder and meandered back towards Rig. Around her, the camp was in total disarray; people groaned or wept or assembled their belongings. She moved through them, unconcerned, attention still on the stranger in the bubble. Corette spared one glance for the young girl who had noticed her Bronze, and grinned.

”Nice job with your Steel,” Corette said to Rig. “I knew you could do it. Or, well, I was about eighty percent sure. Close enough, right?”

@Invocation @I ♥️ Rashek @TrailRunnin

[+Sorana]

Althea picked up a blanket of one of the dead employees and offered it to Karin, in case that she wanted to follow Corette's example and wash off the blood as well. She wasn't sure if parading around in a set of wet cloths was approriate or not - but in the end that was something everybody else could decide on their own. Then, she walked over to another backpack, that sat lonely on the floor and fetched a new suit, handed it to the woman as well. "In case that you would like to change." Maybe Karin didn't care about these kind of things, but Althea would have wanted a more or less clean set of cloths, if she was drenched in blood, gore and acid like the other woman.

Her eyes rested on Wes for a moment, who was staring at the worm, even peeked inside to see if anybody else was still alive. Nobody was. It wasn't surprising, but at the same time she wished that there were better news for him. But then, it was probably good that the journey had started like that. The sooner he lost his illusions, the better. She noticed the young woman, Wes, observe and looked at her for a moment before she shifted her weight to her other leg and opened her hand, let go of Brashen. Her weapon vanished an shortly afterwards her spren resumed his position of her shoulder, holding on to her hair. Mentally she made a note to keep an eye on this Wes as well. She kept to herself, observed, that made her a lot more dangerous than the loud ones. If only because she saw and remembered things, the others discarded and overlooked easily.

@kenod

Edited October 13, 2019 by Sorana

[kenod]

1 minute ago, Sorana said:

Althea picked up a blanket of one of the dead employees and offered it to Karin, in case that she wanted to follow Corette's example and wash off the blood as well. She wasn't sure if parading around in a set of wet cloths was approriate or not - but in the end that was something everybody else could decide on their own. Then, she walked over to another backpack, that sat lonely on the floor and fetched a new suit, handed it to the woman as well. "In case that you would like to change." Maybe Karin didn't care about these kind of things, but Althea would have wanted a more or less clean set of cloths, if she was drenched in blood, gore and acid like the other woman.

Her eyes rested on Wes for a moment, who was staring at the worm, even peeked inside to see if anybody else was still alive. Nobody was. It wasn't surprising, but at the same time she wished that there were better news for him. But then, it was probably good that the journey had started like that. The sooner he lost his illusions, the better. She noticed the young woman, Wes, observe and looked at her for a moment before she shifted her weight to her other leg and opened her hand, let go of Brashen. Her weapon vanished an shortly afterwards her spren resumed his position of her shoulder, holding on to her hair. Mentally she made a note to keep an eye on this Wes as well. She kept to herself, observed, that made her a lot more dangerous than the loud ones. If only because she saw and remembered things, the others discarded and overlooked easily.

@kenod

Karin looked at Althea, and then looked down at herself noticing the gore covering her, as well as the rancid smell that hung around her. "One sec," she said, walking to the pool. "I'll try some water first, I'd prefer not having to throw away my clothing away so soon into the expedition. Besides," she added with an embarrassed look, "given the number of cloths I'd have to change I'd prefer to wait until I've gotten a place with a bit more privacy." With that she dove into the pool, quickly sinking underwater.

While underwater she altered her hand, the surface changing into something resembling a sponge, and glands all over her body started producing a soap-like substance. She really hoped she was far enough down nobody could see what she was doing, but it should be enough to clean herself up again. It seemed her clothing was still in decent condition as well, with little actual damage.

Finishing up she swam back to the surface of the pond. Climbing back out she checked herself, checking for any remaining gore as well as checking how she smelled. She nodded, satisfied. She probably still looked like a drowned cat, but at least she was clean again, and she didn't make the entire cave smell like a rotting cadaver anymore. She looked at Althea. "Is the offer of a towel still open?" She asked.

[+Sorana]

8 minutes ago, kenod said:

Finishing up she swam back to the surface of the pond. Climbing back out she checked herself, checking for any remaining gore as well as checking how she smelled. She nodded, satisfied. She probably still looked like a drowned cat, but at least she was clean again, and she didn't make the entire cave smell like a rotting cadaver anymore. She looked at Althea. "Is the offer of a towel still open?" She asked.

"It is." Althea handed her the blanket, when Karin stepped out of the pool again. "It should work well enough, given how effectively you managed to clean up." Karin's cloths were surprisingly clean for the short time she'd spend swimming, and that without any soap at all. Shapeshifter. Maybe she was able to work with the blood, use it as some kind of fuel. Something else she would have to keep in mind. She pointed at herself, still wearing her normal cloths, her suit over her arm. "I've been searching for a place to change without everybody watching - but so far I failed."

Was it prude that changing in front of everybody didn't work for her? But it simply felt wrong. Position and everything aside, she wasn't comfortable with everybody observing her, judging her underware. She discarded the thought as irrelevant and instead looked over at the dead worm. "We should consider to get rid of it. It will poison the water, with its tail still in there and lure more predators to this cave as well."

[kenod]

22 minutes ago, Sorana said:

"It is." Althea handed her the blanket, when Karin stepped out of the pool again. "It should work well enough, given how effectively you managed to clean up." Karin's cloths were surprisingly clean for the short time she'd spend swimming, and that without any soap at all. Shapeshifter. Maybe she was able to work with the blood, use it as some kind of fuel. Something else she would have to keep in mind. She pointed at herself, still wearing her normal cloths, her suit over her arm. "I've been searching for a place to change without everybody watching - but so far I failed."

Was it prude that changing in front of everybody didn't work for her? But it simply felt wrong. Position and everything aside, she wasn't comfortable with everybody observing her, judging her underware. She discarded the thought as irrelevant and instead looked over at the dead worm. "We should consider to get rid of it. It will poison the water, with its tail still in there and lure more predators to this cave as well."

Karin took the towel and started drying herself. She thought about Althea's question and nodded. She had forgotten about the corpse poisoning the water, or attracting predators. She normally didn't really need to consider water or poison after all. "If we're going to pull it out we'll need to get some help," she noted. She took a second look at the body, and licked her lips. "Do you think anyone will mind if I eat some of it?" She asked. "Being digested makes me hungry."

Edited October 13, 2019 by kenod

[+ZincAboutIt]

Deb stopped next to a box of equipment and resisted the urge to sit down. Instead, she took a deep breath and climbed onto the box, surveying the remaining members. The majority had survived, and while a few of the others had distracted the worm, Deb had managed to shove their equipment into a far corner, herding most of the employees into a safe area. Her attention had picked up when the Seeker woman, Corette, had re-emerged from a Cadmium bubble and mentioned a "new Radiant."

She eyed the man's form; he appeared to stand still in the slow-motion speed bubble, and Deb actually recognized him. It was the fellow covered in shadow - the one she had expressly denied admittance onto the expedition team. Her mouth flattened into an even thinner line, but she decided to tackle that problem later. 

"If anyone needs healing, please come forward!" She called. "We have fabrials and one Radiant with Progression."

Her eyes strayed back towards the new Coinshot and Corette. From what she'd managed to catch of the fight, those two had been instrumental in bringing the worm down. Rig, in particular, had behaved with speed, courage, and accuracy. Thank Harmony. His appearance had, so far, proven most fortuitous. Deb hopped down from the box and walked towards Althea and Karin, who had somehow survived being totally consumed by the creature. Deb wasn't sure if she wanted to know, or not. Probably not.

"Ms. Tenira is right," Deb said, catching the last piece of their conversation. She looked at the Ghostblood leader, recalling her momentary fit during the conflict. "Do you think you can Soulcast it..."

Deb cut off when Karin mentioned eating some of it. She blinked, then smoothed her hair reflexively. Rusting Dark Alley and their machinations. Deb cleared her throat. "Glad you survived," she said to Karin. The woman looked wet, but normal. Whole. Certainly not like she'd been digested. "When you're, um, finished with it, do let us know. We should dispose of the corpse to avoid any additional predatory attention. We will need to get moving soon, anyway."

@kenod @Sorana

[TrailRunnin]

2 hours ago, ZincAboutIt said:

”Nice job with your Steel,” Corette said to Rig. “I knew you could do it. Or, well, I was about eighty percent sure. Close enough, right?”

"Only eighty percent? Corette, you offend me," joked Rig with a wink. She had cleaned herself off and looked more or less back to normal, which shocked him more than maybe anything else so far. It really shouldn't. You've already met a mistborn and been told you're on a different rusting planet, he thought to himself. A little healing was nothing compared to that, and he was just glad Corette wasn't gone so soon. He was growing happier and happier she was the first one he had met here in the caves; anyone who was willing to stab a worm twenty times their size was probably worth their weight in Atium. 

"Seriously, though, I hope we get out of here soon. This place doesn't seem so safe anymore." The scene around them was much more solemn than the bustling camp before the attack had been. Now survivors were being tended to and bodies were being carried away. 

He turned back towards the younger girl--Allri, he thought her name was. He regarded here with a critical stare, searching her eyes for a moment. He liked what he saw; she seemed unsure in some ways, but there was a spark of determination in there. And she was smart, too; her actions with the rioting and bendalloy proved that. She might be fresh, but she showed potential. Rig had been like that once, and his Uncle had stepped in--now he could do the same. And having a mistborn loyal to him could prove valuable indeed.

"I could show you some things, sure. Maybe once we make our next camp me and you can train for a bit." He looked back at Corette; she was standing comfortably, looking confident and assured despite the fight they had just gone through and her near death experience. "Corette, what do you think? Feel like training the next lord Mistborn?"

@ZincAboutIt @I ♥️ Rashek

[+ZincAboutIt]

27 minutes ago, TrailRunnin said:

"Corette, what do you think? Feel like training the next lord Mistborn?"

Quote

I think Allri is still in her own Cadmium bubble at the moment, fwiw, but that's easy enough to work around for purposes of conversation.

Corette looked back at the young mistborn girl, still frozen in her own bubble, then shrugged. If she were being honest, Corette wasn't even interested in teaching the girl how to tie her own shoes, let alone Allomancy. Still, it could prove useful - instructive, even. And if one more person owed her a favor, well, that couldn't hurt either. Especially a Mistborn. This girl wouldn't stay ignorant forever, and depending on her guild, that favor could even come with more benefits. Corette looked back at Rig, who had been looking her up and down with an appraising eye. Was he impressed with her skill, or remembering her dashing through the cavern in little more than her skin? She didn't much care either way; modesty was for priests and innocents. Corette was far from either.

"Sure, why not? Most people discount Bronze as useful - I'd bet my own eye teeth she hardly remembers she can burn it at all. But Bronze can be as useful as Atium in a fight - and infinitely easier to find. Plus," Corette turned back towards Rig, "now I can watch you show off for her. That should be amusing, if nothing else."

Corette grinned at him, then dug around in her pack. "Aha!" She said, then pulled a silver flask out of the depths, holding it triumphantly. A quick flick of her fingers and the cap was off; she took a swig, hissing in a satisfied manner at the burn of the whiskey within. She held it out to Rig. "You'll recognize that, I think. Nothing better after almost dying than some Roughs whiskey. Well," she raised one finger, her grin turning a bit wicked, "there's almost nothing better."

[kenod]

33 minutes ago, ZincAboutIt said:

Deb cut off when Karin mentioned eating some of it. She blinked, then smoothed her hair reflexively. Rusting Dark Alley and their machinations. Deb cleared her throat. "Glad you survived," she said to Karin. The woman looked wet, but normal. Whole. Certainly not like she'd been digested. "When you're, um, finished with it, do let us know. We should dispose of the corpse to avoid any additional predatory attention. We will need to get moving soon, anyway."

Quote

Not sure if 'normal' is the best descriptor for Karin, but sure.

Also, I suggest not reading this if you're eating anything.

Karin nodded to Deb. "Thanks," she said. She looked over the body, and put a hand in the pocket of her jacket, shaping a knife into it, using the pocket to hide what she was doing, instead making it look as if she just pulled it out. Leaning over the worm she started cutting loose a large slab of meat, taking care not to splatter anything on her cloths. She wasn't really keen on another bath right now. She started cutting the meat into smaller bits that would actually fit in her mouth. "You might want to look away," she told the people around her. "This probably won't look tasty." She stabbed the knife into the ground next to her and grabbed the first piece of meat, shifting away her tongue and disabling her sense of smell. She put the first piece into her mouth, a long strip of meat, still dripping blood. Hidden from view small claws extended from the inside of her mouth and throat, pulling the meat into her throat without having to even chew, a 10-inch piece of meat disappearing into her mouth in less than five seconds. As soon as it was gone she grabbed another piece, and then another, continuing until she had devoured over 4 kilos of meat.

She felt the meat disappear from her stomach, and her mass reserves filling back up to full. Once everything was gone she groaned. She hated speed-eating like that. She had to do it enough times that she was used to it now, but the feeling still made her feel like throwing up. Sighing she grabbed the knife, cleaning it in the pond right next to the corpse since anything coming of the knife there couldn't contaminate the water any further. Satisfied that the knife was clean she put it back into her pocket, reabsorbing it.

Standing up again Karin looked at the others. "Well," she said with a disappointed sigh, "that was the least satisfying meal I've had in a long time. Thanks for giving me the time to eat though."

[+ElephantEarwax]

Walking over from where had been standing, still shocked by the sudden arrival and appearance of the worm, Adren goes to examine the dead beast more carefully. 

In his mind Jethro and Mercy began complaining they he was going to cut it.

"Why are we cutting into it? I don't want to get tarnished from this unknown monsters blood."

"GROSS I don't want to go near that dead thing"

"Because I want to see if the beast has any useful properties."

Speaking out loud to everyone as he cut into the beast, removing slabs of flesh and large sheaves of skin, "Does the blood of the worm have any corrosive or poisonous properties  to it, beyond that of normal blood? 

@kenod @Sorana

 

Edited October 13, 2019 by ElephantEarwax