at once short of life, and long of sorrow.

[strangerpeople]

[You are dead.




Well, obviously. You remember how you died. It was...not fun, to say the least. But hey, at least you're off that ship, right?

Except...you don't know exactly where you are now. It seems like a house, but if it is, it's...a work in progress. Most of the rooms are empty, and your steps echo up through the marble columns and down faint mosaics on the tiled floor. The few windows you find have a green light gleaming through them; you can't really see anything beyond the eerie light.

It feels like you're in a temple of some kind. The columns and mosaics seem to indicate it is something like that-it's certainly reminiscent of something out of an ancient culture, perhaps even one you're familiar with. For some reason, though, it's clear someone-or something-lives here. One of the rooms to the south is stuffed with pizza boxes. Another, larger room has a makeshift futon in one of the corners. There are imprints of multiple footsteps all through the dusty floors as you look around, many of them leading to a small alcove to the west. And-

and there's a giant van. Just. hanging out there. Completely out of place with the seemingly ancient decor. And inside, there is the sound of light snoring.



Ok then. You're apparently not alone in death, after all.]

((OoC: Map for reference.))

Comments

[strangerpeople]

[One, the one with red spikes on its head, chitters loudly and makes a beeline for Brain. The notes hit, and the monster is affected - it screeches and starts running faster. It will swipe at him with sharp claws if it gets in range.

The other six let that one go first, but will follow swiftly. Swarms are fine, right?]

[lovedthemost]

[Welp. He's not sure what he expected entirely, but he was hoping those bullets might do a bit more damage. His eyes go a bit wide as they get closer, and he ducks out of the way as it swipes at him. As it goes past, he's going to try and use the saxophone itself as a weapon, swinging the hand holding it up and across, trying to smack it with the bell.

As for the rest, well...swarms aren't fine, necessarily, but he'll do what he can, shifting into a fighting stance similar to more of a Japanese martial arts style]

[strangerpeople]

[It isn't that they didn't hurt it. It just kept going anyway, screeching all the while, like some kind of nightmare berserker thing.

Thankfully, Brain is good at dodging, and the bug isn't good at recovery. Especially not with that whack from the sax - it's stunned!

And it looks like Moriarty is making sure Brain only has to handle one right now.]

[lovedthemost]

[Brain blinks as the portal opens up, redirecting those bugs back to the roots.

He tilts his head to listen to what Moriarty is yelling, briefly, before turning his attention back on that stunned bug.

Assuming it's tumbled out of the air after being stunned, he's going to try and bring his foot down on top of it, aiming for its wings. If he can ground it first and make sure it can't get in the air again, so much the better]

[strangerpeople]

[It's a bit difficult to firmly pin the bug, given the size and uncomfortably human-like shape these things have...but yes, the wings are now maimed!

It's bucking and struggling to get back up, though. And, particularly, trying to knock Brain over as it gets up, and if that succeeds it has both claws ready to tear into flesh.]

[lovedthemost]

[Maimed wings are definitely a good start--and a grin curls the corners of Brain's mouth in a triumphant smirk. However, he's catching movement out of the corner of his eye, turning his head just in time to see the one with butterfly wings sending another bug off towards Moriarty.

Which, considering the usefulness of Moriarty's power, simply will not do. There's a spike of anger that goes through him, and he's turning, lifting the saxophone's mouthpiece so he can concentrate that anger--how dare you attack part of my party--and use it to spit out bright red music notes at the one that was sent out, hoping to at least knock it off course momentarily, if not damage its wings as well.

Unfortunately that's going to take his attention off of the one he'd just maimed--and it's going to easily catch him in the side and he makes an 'oof' sound as he goes down.

Brain comes out of his wince just in time to see those claws coming down at him, and he's making a strangled, panicked noise as he brings that saxophone up in front of him horizontally, planning on trying to block those claws that way]

[strangerpeople]

[Oh, that's effective. The purple one with the missing limb gets hit hard and thrown off - it's now howling in rage and has certainly bought Moriarty a second or two. A second or two can make all the difference in a fight like this.

The one with the red spikes on its head, though, it's seeing its opportunity and taking it. These bugs aren't terribly strong, but they are quick.

The sax makes a surprisingly effective shield, stopping much of the blow. Still, the bug tries to slide one claw off and at least take a poorly-aimed swipe.]

tw: mention of eye stuff

[lovedthemost]

[Between having his attention divided, getting knocked down, and barely getting that saxophone up in time, it's hardly a wonder that that bug is able to get a swipe in at him.

Brain's eyes widen as he sees that claw coming, and jerks his head to the side just in time for it to graze his cheek, leaving him with thin scratches that immediately begin to bleed but let him dodge getting an eye gauged out.

He grunts, then, gripping the saxophone and shoving hard, moving to at least push the bug a bit farther away--enough so he can quickly pull his knees up to his chest and kick out with both feet, aiming to kick the bug off of him]

[strangerpeople]

[That's a success! The bug is successfully pushed off! It's going to need to recover, but seems to be prioritizing...licking the blood off its claws.]

[lovedthemost]

[well that's not the reprieve Brain was expecting, but he'll take it. He drops the saxophone, rocking his body back so his shoulders hit the floor, hands going up to land on the floor as well on either side of his ears so he can use momentum to push himself up to his feet in one fast, fluid movement.

He's then resummoning the saxophone so he doesn't have to bother bending to pick it up as he launches himself at that bug--gripping the neck of the saxophone in both hands so he can then bring the bell down as hard as he can at the thing's skull]

[strangerpeople]

[It claws for Brain's leg at the same time. Is it quick enough?

But the sax comes down hard, with a sickening mix of squishing and cracking. This bug stops moving, and the roots immediately work to start reclaiming it.]

[lovedthemost]

[Really, his focus was on braining (ha) the bug, so that claw will absolutely rip into his thigh--enough to make him grunt in pain but not enough to stop his saxophone.

When it finally stops moving and the roots start to reclaim it, he's ignoring the burning in his thigh to reach out and try and yank the corpse out of reach]

No, you don't--!

[strangerpeople]

[He's quick enough to grab it before the roots have too good a grip. So now Brain has a bug corpse. Zelda item get sound?]

[hatesdeerstalkers]

[Except no you don't, swarms. As the other six follow after the one earlier and are nearly to Brain, they'll suddenly find a portal opening up in front of them and plopping them back down where they were originally at the roots themselves.

Moriarty grins, before yelling:]

I'll keep them from swarming one person, so that we may take them out one by one! It's up to the rest of you for now!

[Given these buggos like to charge, he's basically going to have his hands full with keep-away, pretty much.]

[strangerpeople]

[Most of them are going to take at least a couple of resets to cotton on that this tactic won't work.

Most.

One hangs back after the first reset, one whose vestigial wings aren't so feathery and look more lepidopteran. It chitters, and another, this one has stringy black hair and hollow eyes, peels off, scooting around to one side instead of charging straight ahead.]

[hatesdeerstalkers]

[Well, it's a bit of a shame - because even as that one peels away from the group, another anomaly appears just as it's about the reach the fray.

This time, though, it's not a portal but a black hole, the small pinprick hovering just in front as the bug moves to one side, ready to cause some damage.

Moriarty, meanwhile, has realized that one of them isn't as dumb as the others, and seems to be taking a commander's post. He won't do anything at the moment, but if his manouver he's currently pulling off works...]

[strangerpeople]

[Oh, a black hole can really fuck a bug up. But that leaderly one with the butterfly wings and gunshot scars, that one hisses, and another heads for Moriarty - this one is missing an arm, and has a purple hue.

It's headed right for him, aiming to take a swipe with its claws.]

[hatesdeerstalkers]

[....Butterfly wings and gunshot scars. hm.

Still, he manages to dodge out of the way, jumping back with a surprising dexterity one wouldn't expect from someone who looks as old as he does.]

You'll have to do better than that!

[In the meantime, he'll make another hole, this one MUCH closer to the leader bug - It might leave him open to that one bug going at him, but he's got no issues with taking a hit in order to take down their 'commander.]

[strangerpeople]

[Very surprising dexterity-- and just before the purple one hits the floor, it's thrown well off balance by a flurry of red notes. Which means instead of recovering and going back on the attack...it's pausing to howl in rage and scuttle off towards the first thing it sees.

Sounds like a problem for someone other than James Moriarty. Who has that commander to focus on.

A commander who is clearly quite aware that the gravity sucking it in is quite a problem, and who screeches and has the two remaining bugs scrambling to pull it away. These two - one is a shade of green, the other all an eerie white.]

[hatesdeerstalkers]

[Thanks for the save Brain, even IF he's surprised it even happened, given their little snit during the meeting.

Still, he's got little time to focus on that - though yet again he can't help but notice the colors of the bugs attacking them, and their details. Is this on purpose, to unnerve them? Or, perhaps...

No, he can't think on it now. With a sweep of his hand - like he's conducting a symphony - he creates a portal to divert those two bugs helping away from the commander bug, not caring it a few of their limbs get torn off by the sudden portal closing in the process.

And as always, even during that, he has enough fine control to keep the black hole creeping ever closer to the leader, willing it's pull to erase the largest obstacle to them here.]

[strangerpeople]

[Good move, the green one in particular was strong, and now it's missing a limb.

The leader is chomping down hard on a root, trying to keep some control over its movement, but it's in a bit of a bind now, isn't it?]

[hatesdeerstalkers]

Starting to do a bit of our work, aren't you? Thank you for your service!

[He'll only cackle a little as he keeps the black hole moving, creeping ever closer. Though he'll still keep an eye out for any bugs that have it in their head to retaliate against him during the moment, of course.]

[strangerpeople]

[The bug tries for whatever grip it can get...but there's not a lot it can do.

That white one from before, though, that one is quicker and quieter than the rest. It's scurrying right at Moriarty from behind and to the left.]

[hatesdeerstalkers]

[He doesn't react until the bug is practically on top of him - then, he whirls, lashing out with a leg and using the motion of his body to apply extra force to the blow, seeking to knock it farther away as his black hole finally reaches the leader.

God bless centrifugal force!!]

[strangerpeople]

[Bless indeed! The bug's a bit lighter than the rest and gets flung pretty far.

And that leader is tasting oblivion.]