For Thine Is; Part One

[animusmods]

Characters: anyone outside of the Tower
Setting: outside
Format: any
Summary: You have been transported out of the Tower, and you must return quickly.
Warnings: psychological horror

It's pitch black here, though the ground is made of dirt and the Tower gleaming in the distance provides at least a sign that light exists somewhere. It's completely silent. It feels as if things might jump out at you--but that's probably your imagination.

Comments

[sageprincess]

[Zelda's first thought as she reorients herself after being suddenly tossed and twisted in a break of reality is to wonder if she's been thrown back into that void she spent oh-so-much time in last month. That thought only lasts for a moment, however, as she realizes she still has a sense of gravity, and she stands not on an empty void, but instead cool dirt. Looking down at herself only further cements that this is not the void, as she sees an indigo wireframe body surrounding a ghostly image of herself instead of her normal (glamoured) appearance. These details unsettle her, certainly, but nothing makes her heart drop to her gut like seeing that glimmering Tower in the distance, Arthur's words echoing in her mind as she gazes upon its glow.

"There was some kind of light— a searchlight, maybe, couldn't really tell. As soon as it turned on, the doors closed. ... She wasn't lying when she said we would die if we went outside."

Din, Nayru, and Farore, they are outside. And the discomfort she feels - the tingling around her neck and the feeling of her body being too small, too constricted is all the warning she needs to understand that Ruana's words will come true if they don't get back inside, and soon.

Don't panic. Keep it together. What else had Arthur said about what he saw outside? The Tower was on a hill, high above the city it overlooked, and the city had buildings as far as the eye could see... Goddesses above, they must be far away... Zo had saved him at the time, but with what they heard before reality snapped, it doesn't seem like saving people is something he's interested in anymore... Don't panic--]

We need to move. Quickly.

[Her voice is forcefully even as she addresses the group (because of course there are others, this sort of thing never happens to one person alone), but the note of intense anxiety in her tone is difficult to hide completely. She tries her magic, attempts to summon a light of her own illuminate the immediate area, but nothing comes, and at this point she's not sure if she should be surprised or not. In the absence of any other light to go by, she squints into the darkness, attempting to make out the forms of the others that had been thrown outside.]

Is anyone injured?

[bashfulshifter]

[The "don't panic" mantra is simple enough to say, but leagues more difficult to follow. Between the abrupt transport, the immense, almost unbearable discomfort his wireframe body radiates--christ, the wireframe, he's never had the glamour off long enough to even see it, and that's enough of a shock on its own--the "don't panic, don't panic, don't panics" he mentally repeats only seem to stir Rick into more of a nervous frenzy. What is this? Why is this happening? Where is everyone else?]

[It might be too dark to see him clearly, but Rick's shallow hyperventilating probably gives him away pretty quickly.]

W-What...what's h-happening?

[And no one was surprised when Rick didn't answer Zelda's question.]

[sageprincess]

[Zelda is mildly more successful in her own efforts to remain calm, if only because a sense of duty demands that she be. Especially when there are those as nervous as Rick in her midst. She follows the sound of his stuttering voice, keeping her own as calm as she can manage as she tries her best to explain the situation.]

Zo... tossed us outside, I think. I do not know why. All I know is that we need to return to the Tower as quickly as we can.

[She doesn't say why, because that certainly wouldn't help calm the man down, but the urgency in her tone and the pain Rick is feeling may very well be enough to come to a conclusion on his own.

She tries her question again, worded differently.]

Are you all right to walk?

[bashfulshifter]

[It's good that at least one of them can keep a level head, because Rick is doing a very poor job of it. It's somewhat of a relief, knowing that he's with a person that many people trust, and who is usually the first to gather people when things start looking dire; that's a nice pillar of stability for Rick to lean on.]

[He nods, hesitantly, then realizes a moment later that the princess probably can't see him.] A-Ah--I-I-I th--think so.

[Steadily, the memories resurface through his discomfort. That's right...Zo did say something before they went outside, didn't he? Something about...]

[...wait...outside.]

[The concept is such a strange one that Rick isn't sure how to parse it just yet. Sure, there are windows, the fog, the stories he's heard...but actually being here...]

[Despite his best reassurances, the blonde man's image in a shivering wire frame is stunned, rooted in place.]

[gradosfinest]

[In light of their latest (and quite arguably greatest) crisis Amelia does as any good soldier would. Rally on the nearest important looking person. Though deep down quite nervous herself Amelia manages to at least look calm (as much as a largely featureless wireframe can display any sort of emotion at all), even if she finds her hand constantly drifting down to where her sword would be- should be on her belt.

She's not sure which feeling she hates more, being stuck outside of the Tower or not having her weapons. Figuring her odds of being recognized on sight are somewhere approaching none she speaks up as soon as she thinks she's within earshot of Zelda.]

Alive, at least for now.

[sageprincess]

Amelia?

[Fortunately, Zelda recognizes the voice despite the wireframe it originates from being virtually featureless. But what's even more fortunate is that she remembers Amelia's station. Amelia is a knight, and the kind of discipline found in knights is precisely what they need in this tense situation.

Zelda nods, making the gesture slightly exaggerated so it's sure to come across.]

Let us work to keep it that way. When we start moving, could you help make certain no one falls behind, or strays too far from the group?

[gradosfinest]

[It's a simple relief perhaps, but having something resembling an order helps keep her grounded. Focused. Makes it easier to bring that discipline to the fore, and she nods as well before casting her gaze behind them.

Should be easy enough, keep her eyes towards the flanks and occasionally look over her shoulder, perhaps move around the group here and there to see how people are doing.]

Understood. For now, it seems like we're the only... things out here, so falling behind should be the only danger. [There's an audible sigh, a hand patting her waist right about where the hilt of her sword would be one more time.] This doesn't change the fact I'd give almost anything for a sword right now. Or a reasonably heavy blunt object.

[glassceiling]

[Not even being pulled into the void left from recharging the Tower had felt so violent or disorienting. Assassin can't even take the time to land when she's thrown out of the Tower. As a result, she ends up landing at an awkward angle. A painful noise comes from her left arm.]

[For a moment, she just lies on the ground, dazed from what happened. But Zelda's voice snaps her back to reality. She quickly pushes herself up, though it takes a minute longer due to only having one arm to rely on.]

I might be.

[She calls back in reply.]

But it is a minor thing. I will recover quickly.

[She's never heard of a dislocated arm killing a Servant.]

[sageprincess]

[Zelda is not so certain, given she cannot access her own powers at the moment. Yet... it is not as though they have medical supplies available, nor can they afford to wait for recovery. Unfortunately, she cannot tell what has been injured, given the darkness.

Her tone shifts slightly, concern replacing duty.]

Can you still walk? [That is the most important thing.] Forgive me, it is difficult to see.

[glassceiling]

Yes, I can.

[She stands up. Her legs do not seem to hurt.]

It was one of my arms, not my legs. I can walk on my own, though I cannot carry any others.

[warriorscribe]

*Enoch, easily identifiable by his real jeans and sandals, is staring up at the void of a sky when Zelda's words reach him. He looks down at himself, and looks over at her.* I'm...I'm fine.

*He regards the tower in the distance with a sorrowful expression on the image of his face beneath the wireframe.* Zo...we must return to him.

[sageprincess]

We need to return to the Tower.

[Her response carries urgency to it, though it is not unkind. She just cannot allow herself to get lost in thoughts of Zo and what caused him to do something like this when their situation is so precarious.]

Everyone's lives are forfeit if we do not.

[And she refuses to die here, after all she's done.]

[warriorscribe]

*Enoch nods, his attention still far away. He logically knows what will happen out here, but the emotional impact hasn't quite happened yet.*

We must hurry. How many are we? *He turns to glance back at the others in the group.*

and one for you

[bloodyashes]

[Asch finds Zelda not by appearance but by the sound of her voice - he trusts his ears more than his eyes for identifying people right now, although the shape of her bound within the wireframe is helpful. It's strange, though, and he can't help but wonder why it never happened inside the Tower.

Later, though. He can wonder later.]

I'm fine.

[His voice and brisk, business tone should be enough to identify him - but if not, he's one of the only wireframes wearing something other than the white jumpsuit, and the tunic is distinctive enough to not be anyone else.]

It doesn't look like there's many injuries, but we should get a headcount before we go too far.

yeee

[sageprincess]

[Thank the Goddesses, someone she trusts who isn't panicking. Though, perhaps she shouldn't be thankful people she cares for are in this situation at all. A moral dilemma to be mulled over when they're not on death's doorstep.]

It will be difficult to get an accurate one in the dark, especially with everyone as unsettled as they are-- [To put it extremely lightly.] --but I agree. Would you mind doing so? We can compare totals later.

[She can't say she's done anything like this before, but that seems like a smart thing to do.]

[bloodyashes]

[It's the right suggestion, judging by his nod - he's not used to working with a disordered group like the one in the Tower, but he'll make do.

He should be thinking of them as civilians, but he can't. None of them are really civilians anymore, even if they're noncombatants. They've all seen too much.]

I was planning on doing a loop around the perimeter of the group and counting that way. ...At least there's the different colors of fluid to tell people apart, even if it isn't much.

[If the others have outlines, there's not much to see of them until you get close. Color is more reliable, for the time being.]

[hoasen]

[Vietnam was eerily calm when she approaches Zelda, but it is possibly because she really does not understand the extent of how bad this could be.

At the moment, though, she thanks the deities that her blissful ignorance could work to her advantage, at least mentally.]

I am uninjured, Princess.

[sageprincess]

[At this point, having anyone who isn't panicking is a godsend, regardless of the reasons why. She doesn't know Vietnam very well, but she seems trustworthy and level-headed, which given the situation is good enough for her.

She nods, firmly.]

Good, it seems most of us are all right. [There's a brief pause, a hesitance to start throwing out orders to someone she doesn't have any legitimacy towards (she thinks), but their predicament pushes her forward.] Forgive me if this is a personal question, but I must ask: how strong do you believe your endurance to be?

[hoasen]

[Zelda's intuition is correct, and thankfully, as a country, Vietnam is used to orders from her bosses! Though Zelda is not her boss, but given that they are all in the same boat right now, she is willing to overlook that and settle back into something she still is used to.]

No, this question is very important, it is fine.

[She moves her fingers, as odd as they look. She probably lacks the endurance she was gifted with as a nation. However--]

Strong enough. I am confident that I am amongst the able bodied. [Her military training will make up for the weaknesses this strange "wireframe" body has left her with.]

[notachickenhawk]

[Tobias lands nearby, his form faintly visible under the collar fluid.]

<I'm fine. I didn't see any injuries as I made my initial pass, but I'll keep a lookout for them.>

[sageprincess]

[Admittedly, there is a moment of surprise at the revelation that Tobias' true (or truest, as the case may be) form is, in fact, a hawk, but it is quickly shoved aside in favor of practicality. Having someone who can still fly could be very handy indeed.]

Thank you, Tobias; that would be a great help. When we begin to move, could you also occasionally check to make certain everyone is keeping up? Even in the dark, I imagine you would have a better view from the air than those of us on the ground.

[keybearer]

[Like Zelda, Riku's wireframe covers a faint, flickering image of who he is. Who he should be. And while his knowledge of what lay ouside the tower was limited, and the fact that they're risking death out here hasn't quite sank in, the pressure, the bubbling feeling inside's left him with a perpetual grimace stuck to his face. It feels as if the wireframe's squeezing him. Constricting him. Like at any minute, it'll burst at the seams...

But despite the building pressure, he manages to keep a straight face. Chin up and shoulders squared, he pulls his face into a more neutral expression. He nods, eying the tower, for once shimmering with a faint glimmer of hope...

How ironic.]

I think I'm all right. Could be a whole lot worse, anyway.

[His eyes narrow, and he kicks at a small, puny pebble.]

So what do we do know? Move as a herd?

[There's certainly strength in numbers, but what if someone gets left behind?]

[sageprincess]

['Could be a whole lot worse.' Zelda supposes that's true; any injuries they've sustained from being thrown through the fabric of reality are mostly minor in scale, and the lack of anything to be seen in their immediate vicinity can be viewed as downright peaceful in comparison to dealing with the monsters that roam the Tower at night.

Those consolations aren't very comforting, though. Zelda crosses her arms, brows furrowed into an expression of concentration.]

It is difficult to think of what else we can do. I do not like the idea of everyone running off on their own, even if time is of the essence.

[wegotlucky]

[He might not have any powers, but he took the new collar fluid anyway-- just in case. There was no reason to think that it would change anything at all, but coming from a magical land meant that he was used to accepting that magic existed at the very least.]

What's going on? Where are we?

[And then he catches sight of the Tower in the distance, his eyes going wide, mouth hanging open.]

Oh my god.

[sageprincess]

[... Oh. Hi, Neal. Haven't seen you in a while. Zelda places herself in front of him, trying to get him to look at her rather than the Tower's far away glittering. She guesses by his reaction that his second question answered itself.]

I do not know why, but I believe Zo warped us out here. We need to get back to the Tower as quickly as we can.

[Don't think too much about how impossible that seems from here. Keep it together.]

Are you all right? To walk, at least?