rocks fall everyone dies

[golemized]

[ The communicator comes on deep in the darkness of the ship, having been jarred by the movements of its owner. There is only one person on the ship whose footsteps are this heavy, the glinting of crystals and white runes revealing Shale's identity to anyone who may recognize them. It soon becomes apparent, however, that the golem is not walking, not running, but fighting -- her large, stone arms are swinging, her targets making loud, inhuman noises of pain. Still, they keep coming, claws scratching along the floor of the ship.

Shale bellows and some of the creatures hiss in pain. There's just enough light from the magic in her crystals and the screen of the communicator that the next time Shale takes a swing, a creature is reflected, caught on camera. Despite the golem's heavy assault, she's being pushed back by the pack of manticores, close quarters making it more and more difficult to fight the way she's used to.

Then, quite suddenly, the camera angle tips. For a moment, it catches the ceiling, then the manticore that's attempting to leap onto Shale. Something bright is knocked off and away by the claws reaching toward Shale's shoulder -- a crystal, perhaps, and it falls clattering away into the darkness. Then, all three -- golem, communicator, and manticore -- fall.








And fall.
















And fall.




























And fall.


























And, eventually, land. The camera stays on for a few moments longer, but nothing is moving save for a blinking red light, illuminating the now-crushed bodies of the manticore and the golem. Shale is hardly in as bad of shape as the creature, but both look like they've fallen into a singularity and couldn't get up. There's no movement, and the runes etched on Shale's stone dim, then flicker out completely. After a few moments more, the communicator times out as well -- and the red light, presumably, shines on. ]

((ooc: Quick explanation: deep within the ship, Shale accidentally found herself some manticores that some of you may remember from the stasis sickness event! While fighting them, she managed to fall down one of the creepy holes and, ahaha, remember those black holes from the maze and how they'd crush you? Well, that happened to her (and the unlucky manticore that fell with her). Congratulations, TQ, you've found one of the few things that can quickly kill a golem! Also, you know, everyone's probably going to die horribly. Yeah. That too. Much love to the mods for giving me a way to kill Shale in a horrifying manner, and I'll still be around with my other characters! ALSO: Quinlan has dibs on the crystal that fell off her.))

Comments

[ladytactful]

[ to Alistair, with a grin ] I prefer a bow, but I'm without one here, more's the pity. I am, however, still quite dangerous with a blade. [ tosses said blade. She'd prefer to work with two, but what can ya do? ]

[ She turns to Daylen, entirely unapologetic ]

You are being a complete idiot, little mage. You can either come with us and keep us safe yourself, or you can let us go off on our own and risk us meeting some grisly fate without you there to intervene, but don't think for a second either of us is going to sit by like children just because you want us to.

[ And she's reeeeeeeally hoping she's read Alistair right, because if he backs down, she's buggered. ]

[forlifeloveandcheese]

[ Alistair raises a chin, looking as authoritative as he possibly can. Kingly, even. ]

You've dragged me to the darkest caves, allowed me to be chewed on by high dragons, swarmed by countless darkspawn, and many, many more. We've been through hell and fire and the Dead Trenches together, and I've protected you behind my shield because you -- and only you -- have given me the resolve to fight. And now you're telling me to stay behind.

If you die out there, if you leave me out of this like Duncan did, I'm never going to forgive you. I'm never going to forgive myself. I would rather die than live a life without you.

So, no. I'm not going to stay.

[ He tries to calm himself, looking to address Marina. His voice is only loud enough for her to here. ] If I fall, drag him out of there if you have to.

[magewarden]

[ Daylen falters.

He falters and the glow of mana dims to nothing in his hand, spell aborted as he looks between them.

You're being a complete idiot, little mage.

You can let us go off on our own and risk meeting some grisly fate...





Even I could shatter from this height, surely.

Daylen falters and lets his fingers curl as he blinks, curl until he can numbly feel the nails digging into his hand.

I would rather die than live a life without you, Alistair says, and Daylen feels himself flinch internally. Feels the anger well back up, but in a different way. ]

Don't you dare say that, Alistair, don't you dare even begin to suggest it. Either of you. Shale was vanished from her pod after the jump and I should have looked harder for her, I should have found her before --

[ Before this happened. ]

[ladytactful]

[ Hawke doesn't verbally respond to Alistair, but she meets his eyes and gives him a little nod. Should something happen, she will knock Daylen out, tie him to something, and have Anders keep watch.

Or something. ]

[ okay, she has no more patience for this, and she's actually getting a little angry ] My mother was taken by a blood mage who had been murdering women for years in Kirkwall. A man I was pursuing, and should've been able to protect her from. And when he took her, I should've found her soon enough to save her, and I didn't. And I should've been faster to notice that my brother was dying of the blight in the deep roads, and I should've been the one protecting our mother from the damned ogre when my sister was killed. I failed them, and they died, and I have to live with the guilt that comes with it.

But their deaths will never be undone by me waltzing off into danger on my own, and my friends would never forgive me or themselves if I left them behind and got myself killed.

You are not the only person here who has failed people they cared about, Daylen, but I had the decency to think about the fact that I have friends and people who rely on me and never went off on some suicidal rampage because of it. The least you can do is stop being a complete prat about it and let us help.

[ deep breath, and then she smiles again, because that's what Marina Hawke does - she smiles and keeps going ]

Now, I am not giving up on your friend until we have absolute proof that there is no hope left for her, and we're wasting time standing here chatting about it like fishwives. Are you coming, Daylen?

[forlifeloveandcheese]

[ He spares a glance at Marina. Softly: ]

For what it's worth, you have my condolences, my lady.

[ He smiles at Daylen like a million sovereigns and squeezes his arm. ]

She's right. There's strength in numbers, and if we all go together, there's a bigger chance of us coming out unscathed.

[magewarden]

[ Daylen almost flinches at the touch, has just enough willpower to keep it down to nothing more than a faint twitch of surprise.

Not because he's surprised that Alistair would touch him, he just wasn't focusing on him.

I failed them, and they died, and I have to live with the guilt that comes with it.

His eyes track absently across the floor of the ship as he thinks, expression pinched into a frown of concentration. He's faced worse things than this, surely? People keep telling him he has. That he faced down an archdemon, a broodmother, that he --

but he hasn't and suddenly he feels a little dizzy, like everything is swimming slightly out of focus. Daylen takes a step back instinctively to lean his weight against the wall of the ship, tries to slow his breathing. He saw her runes flicker out, he knows what that means. He knows, grimly, but he has to be sure. ]

Do you know where in the ship that was?

[ It's a little too quiet, eyes lifting to flick between the two of them questioningly. He doesn't. Would have just kept walking until he found it, left to his own devices. ]

[ladytactful]

[ She shakes her head ] I don't. Though to be fair, I'm not the most familiar with all the darker corners of this place.

Alistair?

[forlifeloveandcheese]

[ He checks his communication device. ]

[ Oh, hey, that sure is, um, Tyke telling people not to be dumb. Wonderful. Ignoring that. ]

[ He gets an estimate and nods. ]

Right. I have... a vague idea of where it is. It shouldn't be far.

[ He glances at Daylen's state, raising an eyebrow. ]

Huh. Should I carry you?

[magewarden]

[ Alistair. He gives another slow frown at that, as if offended by the idea that he could not walk himself to a friend's side.

Shale deserves better than this. He can be better than this.

Besides which, whatever creatures she was fighting might still be out there.

He fights back the nausea --

(fear as much as anything, that he is losing friends. Will lose all his friends because he isn't good enough, isn't strong enough, isn't their hero of Ferelden. Isn't their champion.)

-- and pushes away from the wall, shakes his head emphatically. ]

No. I will walk. I need to see this for myself.