[milliways] search and rescue

[bringspeopletogether]

Okay. So. First night in a tavern at the supposed end of the world and he's about to go running into a blizzard to rescue two men he doesn't know.

This is, by far, the most normal part of Alistair's very bizarre evening.

When he asks for equipment, the enchanted bar heaps up piles of furs, three strange lanterns with little clear orbs where a candle would go, a long length of rope, some sort of canvas backpack with the letters SAR stitched on one side, and what looks like a bright red, misshapen crossbow. He frowns at it as he gets to work shrugging on all the necessary layers.

"Do you know what that is?" he asks Chuck.

Comments

[comm_npc_2]

What an excellent suggestion, Alistair.

Unfortunately ... circumstances might not make it the best suggestion.




Creak.

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck is about to reply (something about Alistair heading back while he looks for Nepeta) when that creak comes.

"Give me a dagger and get out of here," he says, handing Alistair the walkie talkie. "Push the button to talk."

He's dead, Alistair is alive. This is going to be a real fucking pain, but what is he going to do -- die?

[bringspeopletogether]

Indignant, "What? No!"

Granted, Alistair says this even as he's trading one dagger for the walkie-talkie, but -- "I'm fine, I'm not going to give up now."

Dead or not, abandoning Chuck to fight the next spider alone is...it's just not going to happen. You don't do that.

[comm_npc_2]

Treetops sway aside as the second snow spider stalks into the clearing, snowflakes swirling about it. Its foremost eye cluster swings from Alistair to Chuck and back again, and it takes another step forward --

[nepetaleijon]

-- and abruptly lurches sideways as a hurtling streak of dark green hits it amidships.

Bright blue claws flash, the spider screes, and a flurry of snow obscures a sudden whirlwind of rapid motion.

[andinfluencepeople]

After a moment of confusion, Chuck woops.

"Yeah! Nepeta!"

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair opens and closes his mouth a couple times before he manages to speak.

"Wow." He rubs the back of his head -- his hood got knocked back in the course of all the fighting -- and stares at the highly efficient murder spree unfolding in front of them. With clear admiration, "That's terrifying."

Can they hunt spiders with Nepeta all the time? Please?

[nepetaleijon]

Within moments the cloud of snow settles, revealing the giant husk of the final spider with its head raggedly severed from its abdomen, and Nepeta bouncing towards them over the frozen-ichor-streaked ground.

"Are you two okay? I got snarled in an ice web and it took me furever to cut loose."

[andinfluencepeople]

"Yeah," Chuck says, grinning at her. "You destroyed that."

He really approves!

"We should get back -- they found Edgar and that other guy."

[bringspeopletogether]

"Right, yes," says Alistair. "The line still ought to be attached to my pack, wherever that went off to -- "

In the meantime, he fumbles with the walkie-talkie, trying to locate the button Chuck mentioned. When he presses it, a small red light ignites as the grate on the front side hisses. He's pretty certain that means it's working, from the glimpses of seeing Chuck use it.

"Er. Hello." He leans close to the box. "This is Alistair. We're all accounted for; we're heading back now." A beat. "Also, if anyone's in need of new armor or some supplies for freeze bombs, there are several very large dead ice spiders out here free for the taking. Just...so you know."

Hey, if he can't go back to the palace loaded down with spider parts, somebody else ought to make use of them!

[stilljustandrew]

"... did you say ice spiders?" crackles Andrew's voice. "Actually wait, never mind, tell us about it when you get back. Mission Control out."

[nepetaleijon]

"Fr33ze bombs," Nepeta says, "now that's an intpurresting idea. I was rawrlready thinking of armor. Or meowbe some new claws ..."

She starts off in the direction of the main building, tail swishing thoughtfully, and the other two follow.