⇨ CAMPING GROUNDS

[ringleaders]

Who: Everybody!
When: Day 64
Where: The Camping Grounds
What: While the Ringmaster attempts to purge the carnival of magical tracing spells and deal with the angry fire fae in her belly, everyone else is getting sent on an emergency camping trip with some unusual local fauna.
Warnings: Camping.

CRYPTIC CAMPGROUNDS↴ You're given about three hours to prepare, after the Ringmaster tells you her plans for the coming week. There is a vast selection of camping equipment at your disposal, and the means to take along enough food for the length of the stay. The wilderness of the planet you're left on is nearly idyllic, but some people just don't like the great outdoors. ► CRYPTOZOOLOGY: As it turns out, the carnival won't be alone here. There is a varied ecosystem of cryptids to be found as well, living in relative peace and mostly reacting to the newcomers with curiousity. More details can be found on the plotting post. You are free to NPC the cryptids as much as you need to, as long as you stick to the behaviours described. ► DREAMSHARING: There is a player plot going on which will allow characters to share dreams! These are specifically more dreams than nightmares, and the mushi-adept characters will be here to help. ► CHILLAX: There isn't any plot twist for this setting, so this is mostly an opportunity to decompress from the last plot and get ready for the future. The Ringmaster will show up occasionally to help with needed medical treatments and check on things, but won't stick around for long.

Comments

[whattaprick]

Lambert's holding himself still, the only motion the gentle rocking of the boat. In the strange way that dreams work sometimes, Shima might find his perspective overlaying Lambert's for a moment, seeing through his eyes as he looks at the water. At first, there's nothing.

Then-- there. Ripples under the surface of the ocean, sleek shapes that are just a bit darker than the rest. Slowly, their perspectives separating again, Lambert reaches a hand over his shoulder and wraps his fingers around the hilt of one of his swords.

It happens quickly -- an unearthly screeching fills the air and three bodies burst from the water, leaving an impression of writhing bodies and scales. One lands heavily on the mast, spines tearing through the sails as its tail lashes. Two other bodies heave themselves onto the boat, dumping water along with them. They're humanoid bodies attached to monstrous limbs -- a torso displaying bulges that could vaguely resemble human breasts if you had a good imagination, stringy hair like seaweed clinging to bulging skulls.

[worldlyafflictions]

Lambert knows what those are, so Shima doesn't feel as much of a shock when the monsters start throwing themselves at the boat--that doesn't mean he can just stand there and gawk though. He pulls his spear from where it's holstered on his back, kicking at the nearest creature that's thrown itself on deck, ready to drive the bladed tip through any exposed vitals.

[whattaprick]

Sirens, the name supplies itself readily into Shima's mind.

Watch the teeth, use silver, don't be fooled-- As soon as Shima lashes out, the creature reels back with a shriek, its body shifting into a beautiful, damp woman ... albeit one still attached to monster parts it can't disguise. Those are some awfully life-like breasts on display, a deceptively vulnerable belly, but when Shima brings his blade up, he'll find a heavy tail swinging up to attempt to knock it -- and him -- into the water.

In the meantime, the one on the mast launches itself at the witcher, whose response is swift and brutal. An arc of silver slices through the air, and monster ichor sprays the deck as the siren slams into the edge of the boat, one of its wings cut clear through the membrane.

[worldlyafflictions]

Don't be fooled but JEEZ, why do they have to be like this?! If Shima didn't say that out loud Lambert's still gonna know he thought it with how offended he is about this. Give him real naked women, c'mon! Shima gets distracted enough that he gets knocked right overboard into the otherwise placid water. It's deep enough here that he really should have gone right under, and under more nightmarish circumstances maybe he would have, but instead he treads the surface after he gets dunked, pushing himself along with the pole of his spear, torso mysteriously mostly above water because that's just how it works, and despite it dragging at his legs as he walk-swims, he makes his way back toward the boat to pull himself back up.

[whattaprick]

In turn, Shima might feel a thin thread of amusement back. They really stop being so distracting when you’ve cut down a hundred of them.

Him hitting the water is more of a concern, but Shima’s not drowning, is he? Still, there’s a brief spike of controlled alertness — no panic, just anticipation, they’re faster in the sea than in the air, have to end it — and then in the blink of an eye, as dreams seem to work, the sirens lie in pieces on the deck and in the water. A few stray bits bob on the waves that have finally started up again, like the death and blood were all it was waiting for.

Lambert wipes his sword clean of ichor on the scaly hide of one, then starts chopping off heads, booting the rest of the monsters into the water. A decent job. Less sirens harassing trade routes will always have someone willing to pay. He might even be able to pay for a real dinner and an inn room tonight.

He finally seems to realize he isn’t alone. After a pause, he looks up, expression questioning.

[worldlyafflictions]

It's not as gruesome as it might otherwise be. Collecting the heads seems perfectly logical, so Shima doesn't question it, though personally.. still kinda gross. It's only after Lambert gives him that kind of baffled look that it occurs to Shima maybe it's weird for him to be here.

He isn't gonna have ta pay his own way too, is he? That sounds like it means more monsters.

[whattaprick]

Mostly, it means less money for Lambert, since he can’t argue Shima didn’t earn at least some of his keep (by being a distraction, if nothing else). The rest of the sirens seem wise enough to stay away, and he doesn’t feel like sailing all around looking for more.

“Shouldn’t you be somewhere else?” is what he ends up asking, curiously.

[worldlyafflictions]

"Eh, should I?"

He looks around again, some lucidness settling on him as the weirdness gets stronger and it starts to feel less logical that he'd be on a boat somewhere with Lambert of all people.

"Uh, I guess I don't actually know where I am...?"

[whattaprick]

"Off the coast of Spikeroog, in Skellige," Lambert offers, pointing out one of the closer landmasses breaking through the water. The foreign-sounding names roll off his tongue easily enough.

The lack of wind, unfortunately, means a lack of movement. Their fighting had jostled the boat a bit, but it doesn't push it along, and Lambert rummages in the bottom of the boat for oars, holding one out to Shima.

"Tell you what: help me get this thing back to shore, and I'll owe you a drink."