lol normies War Burst (Into Chunks): S3

[17:09:53] * Oxford changes topic to 'Pysahdy katusulku!'
[17:13:55] <@Oxford> The military transport truck bounces down the road at breakneck speed, its red-headed driver plowing heedlessly into what feels like every pothole in the country. Sitting in the back, Cille and Vladko have to hang on tight to keep from being thrown from their wooden benchseats and tossed among the crates full of technical documents.
[17:15:48] <Cille_Lund> It's almost like she's bouncing them around on purpose! ...I-it's probably not, though. They're in a hurry, no time to watch for potholes and drive around them or something cilly like that.
[17:15:53] <Cille_Lund> It WOULD be pretty cilly.
[17:21:55] <@Oxford> Vladko is idly flipping through the stack of binders, using one hand wrapped around the canvas roof's steel ribs to steady himself. Every now and then Marupol glances back through the rear window of the cab, either to look for pursuers or to make sure her passengers aren't getting up to any funny business.
[17:24:38] <Cille_Lund> She'd like to get to some funny business, but this is not the time or the place. The closest she could get is accidentally falling into him due to the obnoxious bumping around...but she's got a good enough grip that it's not too hard to stay somewhat steady. Despite the serious things at stake right now, though, she's never felt in higher spirits! She believes SHE HAS THE POWER. She-meguca.
[17:30:01] <@Oxford> Through the back of the truck, she can see the road receding into the past. The marshy plains on either side seem to whip by so quickly she can hardly make out the details, but on this flat ground any irregularity stays visible long after it passes. Some things can only be recognized in hindsight.
[17:32:16] <Cille_Lund> ...She's just GLOWING right now. Not literally. The crystal growing on her face might be, but...huh, this IS pretty fast. She's totally not running into them on purpose. Potfalls happen...but they're not deep, so it's OK! "Bump." Bump." Bump." Bump." "I see bumping in our future." "I see all kinds of bumping in our future." "We'll definitely have to be quiet for that one, huh?"
[17:36:08] <@Oxford> Distracted from his reading by a particularly jarring bump, Vladko looks up over the edge of the binder at Cille. She sees him from the corner of her eye as she looks out the back, and he has a sad half-smile that he hides when she turns back towards him.
[17:41:56] <Cille_Lund> Cille, allowing the voices to say things that might be sort of suggestive, had allowed her gaze to freely wander! ...And in that wandering, she saw something she...would rather not have seen! ...In the sense that she doesn't want him to feel sad, of course. Her mood, while still a lot more positive than usual, gets serious. "...Are you nervous? Or..." What they're about to do would make most people nervous! ...And whatever's written in there, that would probably be something.
[17:45:01] <@Oxford> "Hm?" he asks, looking back up at her. "Oh, um, no. Not really. Just thinking, I guess." He sighs a little, but thinks better of making her drag it out of him. "You're happy, right?"
[17:50:25] <Cille_Lund> "I am. ...Been a while since I was, especially like this~" She's definitely got the voice to prove that! "A bit harder when you're feeling down, though."
[17:53:58] <@Oxford> "Ah, no, I'm alright." It's not exactly a lie, but he goes on as though she called him on it anyway. "I just...everything seems crazy right now. You're not worried things are going too fast, are you?"
[18:01:29] <Cille_Lund> "...While I've got concerns that we're dealing with something that might just be bigger than us...I'm sure things will end up alright, one way or another. So long as I can stand, it'll be alright. ...And while it all seems crazy and fast to me, I've spent the longest time not moving at all, and that's...way worse than moving too fast, I think." "Like this truck. Bump." "Bump." "You know that sentence could have had a dual meaning, right?" "It's fine either way!"
[18:05:01] <@Oxford> He nods, the corners of his mouth pulled tight. "Yeah, of course. I know how much this means to you. It's your country, after all."
[18:06:13] <@Oxford> "And of course, I'm with you," he adds quickly, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "I'm with you all the way through this, whatever you have to do."
[18:13:25] <Cille_Lund> "...At this point, it's less about my country. Though it seems to be the least prone to war, it might very well be because it's weak, and even if I ignore what it might do if it had too much power, it never really treated me right to begin with. What this is really about is peace...and if we're to help forge a lasting peace, we'll have to do it together!" She squeezes his own in response! Funny business!
[18:19:58] <@Oxford> "And I'll help, of course." He sits up a little on the bench, and straightens out the leg of his pants with his free hand. "For however long it takes to have peace. I just wish there were more I could do."
[18:25:18] <Cille_Lund> "If you weren't here...I wouldn't be here either. I'd be rotting inside a tavern, doing things sometimes, but nothing that matters, so make no mistake, you're doing a lot just by being here right now! ...Though I do wonder what would happen if someone that wasn't tested for pendant use tried to use one..."
[18:28:02] <@Oxford> "Hm?" he asks, tilting his head. He doesn't seem to mind being taken off-topic. Maybe it's easier to stay distracted. "What do you have in mind?"
[18:35:15] <Cille_Lund> She pulls out one, TWO pendants. "For whatever reason, I bought two of these pendants along, one's Novgoraadian in nature. I still have no idea what would happen if I tried using both at once, but...well, if we're gonna be outgunned, it wouldn't hurt to be...less outgunned! Just, if I'm the only one that can use one, and the idea of using two at once is kinda frightening, that means the other one I brought along is dead weight. Really, magic just isn't a good idea to play around with haphazardly, lest you start hearing voices and growing crystals on your face. Or summoning monsters into the world." "I'm taking offense at that first one!" "...And if we're monsters to you, then the last one too!"
[18:42:07] <@Oxford> "So...you want me to try using it?" He takes the Novgoraadi pendant from Cille, turning it carefully in his hand. His expression is improved by the distraction. "What exactly do I do to activate it?"
[18:45:12] <Cille_Lund> "You just take it into your hand, and...WILL yourself magical. It's...not exactly the most clear of instructions, but that's magic for you."
[18:48:25] <@Oxford> He tightens his grip on the small metal tube and makes a strained expression. "Like this?" he asks uncertainly, as his ears turn a shade redder.
[18:50:43] <Cille_Lund> "...Yeah, that seems somewhat right. ...Try to maintain that for a while..." She watches with interest! This IS a good distraction! Not exactly easy to plan when it's the bumpiest ride ever anyway.
[18:56:59] <@Oxford> He tries for several more minutes, growing steadily more embarassed. Finally, he lets out an exasperated sigh. "I'm either not doing this right, or I just don't have the...whatever it is. I mean, I'm sure if I did the air force would've found out somehow. I don't know how they test for it, but I imagine military personnel are the ones most likely to get screened."
[19:00:05] <Cille_Lund> "...Yeah, it's probably the...whatever it is. If I knew what it WAS, it'd probably answer a lot of questions, but since I don't...the questions remain! ...Wonder if Marupol has the...er, whatever it is. I think there was blood samples involved? It's been a while since I got involved in all this..."
[19:01:52] <@Oxford> Cille will have to find out later. As Vladko is passing the pendant back to her, Marupol calls back to them through the window: "Varoa, kasakat!"
[19:06:11] <Cille_Lund> ...That means something! Watch...?
[19:06:40] <Cille_Lund> Well, unless people start getting down, that means it's time to take a look around? She thinks so!
[19:09:37] <@Oxford> Looking through the window of the cab, Cille can see a few men on horses in the road up ahead, wearing military uniforms and strange fur hats. They've dragged a fallen tree across the road, and planted a sign in front of it. Marupol immediately slows the truck, giving them a little more time.
[19:16:17] <Cille_Lund> Cille at least tries to make sure she can't be seen after seeing them, AND KEEPS IT DOWN. "OK, wasn't expecting a barricade. Do we try to sneak in by lying somehow, or should I just transform and try to not be noisy with the dispatch?"
[19:20:00] <@Oxford> Vladko slouches down in his seat as well. "Don't bother talking to them. They're kasakats, sort of a ethnic cavalry unit from the interior. Most of them probably don't even speak Novgoraadi."
[19:20:12] * Tactical ([email protected]) Quit (Quit: http://www.kiwiirc.com/ - A hand crafted IRC client)
[19:26:56] <@Oxford> The truck begins to slow down as Marupol pulls to a stop in front of the barricade. "Apst?ties tur, izk??t no kravas automa??n?m!" a rough voice calls, in a language Cille doesn't recognize. Marupol answers in Novgoraadi, sounding rude and impatient.
[19:28:37] <Cille_Lund> ...What she gets from this is that they're not too bright. ...No more words, just...wait, hidden, patiently...with a pendant closeby in case a gun is so much as aimed in their direction.
[19:31:02] <@Oxford> Cille can't see the men, hidden as she is, but through the truck's canvas sides she hears the snort of a horse and the faint clop of hooves walking toward the rear of the truck.
[19:33:21] <Cille_Lund> NO PRESSURE. ...Some pressure. A lot of pressure.
[19:34:06] <Cille_Lund> ....Stay calm. You're calm! And invincible. Not entirely invincible. Getting shot would still not be the best thing ever. Not right now.
[19:34:50] <Cille_Lund> Getting shot in the head would probably do it, as is. A helmet would do wonders right now.
[19:40:07] <@Oxford> The horse's head appears around the back of the truck, and Cille has a split second advantage before the rider can see her. Even before he comes into view, though, his horse's reaction tells him something is wrong. Cille has no time for indecision.
[19:43:50] <Cille_Lund> NOPE. If they try to communicate with her, it's over, and if he's got a gun trained on her, it'll thus be over before even then. The fact that they were hiding all but attests to that much. By the power of...herself! She has the power! TRANSFORM, with any luck she can outright startle the horse! ...And then immediately exit the truck, knock the man off his high horse on the way, and maybe take a second to understand just how much different directions she's going to have to cover to avoid anyone ELSE getting hurt.
[19:45:37] * Oxford changes topic to 'Cille -> 4 Kasakats'
[19:56:43] <@Oxford> Cille charges out of the truck, transforming in a flash, but the man's horse reacts even without his input, spinning lightly out of the way. These are highly trained light cavalry, the elite of the Novgoraadi steppe. Cille's path takes her up and around, where she can see four of the horsemen surrounding the truck on each corner. They carry short carbines, and have curved swords at their hips.
[20:00:59] <@Oxford> They curse in their strange foreign tongue and fire their carbines into the air, working the bolts back furiously as the rounds bounce harmlessly off Cille's shield.
[20:05:05] <Cille_Lund> They ALL bounce harmlessly, on multiple shields...shields that shatter. Cille...would like to only kind of skewer them, but you know what? She doesn't want to endanger Marupol or Vladko with the fire, so she could mind less when the shields all shatter , and the fragments point at the soldiers menacingly...before going out to create alternative, modern art.
[20:10:53] <@Oxford> From inside the truck, Vladko can only hear wet impact of chunks of meat falling lifeless to the ground, and the faint gurgle as Cille's 'art' spreads in a rapidly expanding pool in the road. A piece, though he has no way of telling what exactly, lands on the truck's roof, leaving a dark red stain soaking through the canvas.
[20:11:21] <@Oxford> He doesn't look outside. From the cab of the truck, Marupol screams.
[20:14:19] <Cille_Lund> Of course, she doesn't think of it as art...but it's not exactly entirely in her control anyway! With any luck, she can at least make sure none of it gets on her. "Four bodies and the mood. Is that five? Can we get a five?" She breaks the crystal off. Formless assholes.
[20:15:33] <Cille_Lund> ...Did the scream and gunfire attract anymore? It might be prudent to INTERCEPT anyone else coming and see if she can subdue them BEFORE she acts in reflexive self defense.
[20:16:26] <Cille_Lund> There's no better place to look than the distance. Because everything close to her is...geh, she could gag.
[20:16:35] <Cille_Lund> Probably worse than gag.
[20:16:40] <@Oxford> Cille is high enough to avoid the initial splatter. It will be difficult to land without getting some on her. In the back of Cille's mind, she registers what large animals horses are, in terms of volume.
[20:16:56] <Cille_Lund> Oh god, that's staying in the back of her mind.
[20:17:45] <@Oxford> Scanning the surroundings, nobody else seems to be coming. The grassland is empty for what seems like many kilometres. The treetrunk still blocks the truck from moving forward.
[20:19:46] <@Oxford> The door of the cab opens up, and Marupol leans halfway out, heaving.
[20:20:58] <Cille_Lund> Well, we can't have THAT, then. Let's...any obvious way to move it? If there is, do that. If not, she's just going to have to MOVE IT HERSELF...or, at least see how far she'll get moving the whole thing, anyway.
[20:22:08] <Cille_Lund> She'd PREFER not to smash it into chunks, The poor people have heard quite enough for now, at least make an effort to not...be even MORE violent.
[20:22:48] <Cille_Lund> Once she gets the way clear, THEN she can...try to handle the moral repercussions of the mess she made. Reflexively.
[20:25:28] <@Oxford> It isn't anything fancy - just a log across the road. It looks like it could be pulled aside by a few men, or perhaps a pair of horses roped to one end. With her augmented strength, Cille can drag it away easily, but as she does she sees Marupol watching her through the red smear on the windshield.
[20:33:27] <Cille_Lund> ...Works. ...This...was not a sight she had wanted to see, but with everything else taken care of, she can't help but notice just how much meat and blood four men and four horses have. "...I..." TOO BRUTAL. She wants to hide from the world, but she has to move WITH the world. ...And the one with a front row seat to it all was driving (the world). ...She...has to move with the world...so she goes to the back. Not in the back. "...It...wasn't my intention to...not like that..."
[20:36:52] <@Oxford> Vladko is laying in the bed of the truck. From his position, all he can see through the rear flaps is the clear blue sky above, framing the transformed Cille. He begins to sit up.
[20:42:39] <@Oxford> "What are you talking about-?" he starts, but as his vantage point gets higher up Vladko can see the road behind Cille. He fights back a gasp, swallowing hard instead. "It's okay," he says unsteadily. "You had to." He doesn't sound certain.
[20:45:06] <Cille_Lund> "I...didn't know what they'd do...what they might do...and they shot...so I...we...we need to move....but Marupol...she...saw..." As much as she'd like to stay positive now, she just made that VERY HARD for herself!
[20:48:08] <@Oxford> The engine revs as she speaks. Their red-haired driver has regained herself, and is ready to leave this little piece of hell.
[20:49:05] <@Oxford> "It's okay," Vladko says, embracing her woodenly. "It doesn't matter. You had to."
[20:50:58] <Cille_Lund> Aaaaand in she goes. "I...don't want this to ever be necessary again..." She closes her eyes tightly. This...is a difficult road. ...Peace through violence. ...She continues clinging onto the hope that this violence is at least going to prevent it, but yet...
[20:53:14] <@Oxford> /session