week two: mingle

[cyclists]

Week Two
26 in Competition

As the sun rises on Monday morning, all participants will find themselves awakening with a sense of purpose. Regardless of where they slept the night before, they’ll find themselves compelled to return to the main meeting hall first thing in the morning.

Approaching the hall, however, they will find a large, swirling mass grey in color looming near the sakura tree. This swirl cannot be approached just yet, but seems to be locked and waiting for something more.

As the last member of the village enters the hall, they will find Lune and Sol at the head of the room. Though they’re together, it’s Lune who speaks up first this time.

"Good morning, good morning. You've done well to purge the corruption in the previous gateway - allow us to assist with the finishing touches. For the time being, it would appear as though we've been able to locate another. The land might appear a bit familiar to some however... I only advise you watch your step."

When Lune finishes, Sol chimes in from their place at Lune's side.

"The corruption is still out there, and we're going to do all that we can to find a way to contain it. But until then... stick close to others this week. Do your best to protect yourselves and look after each other. Okay?"

The moment participants leave the hall, they will find that the gateway has changed from grey to white, the opening widening enough for multiple people to step through. The Signs will soon take their leave, and all will remain peaceful once more.

The only oddity is that throughout the week, in a noise that extends past the portal but seems to resound even through the village, there will be the occasional, resounding call of a war horn.

In addition, as the week goes on, partners will find ever-growing feelings of anxiety and nervousness dwelling within them the longer they are separated from one another. They will feel compelled to be very close to their partners at all times, and will be on edge if separated for more than an hour by the end of the week. Welcome to surprise codependence at its finest.



Welcome to your week two mingle! As a reminder, murder proposals are open. We will also be hosting a mini-event on Tuesday, so please be on the lookout for that.

In addition, ensure that all of your week one private conversations were reported on the page, and your week two private conversations are reported on that page. If you'll be taking anything from locations, please report that as well.

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Comments

[unfriendliest]

[ there are too many people who don't know how to fight to risk leaving shess to handle it alone - but once he takes out an enemy soldier, kara is confident that he'll be fine. he knows skill when he sees it, so instead he turns his eye to the general, and the oda soldiers standing between them.

one charges at kara head on, forcing him to duck under the attack and cut him down from behind. that gives him the chance to see someone sneaking up on shess - but he's not close enough to help in time, so he has to settle for shouting a warning. ]

Behind you!

[nonbelligerent]

[he doesn't waste time doubting kara—without looking, he launches another kick behind him. he catches the attacker's arm, knocking the weapon out of their hand. immediately, he follows up by slicing their arm.

anyhow, he probably like. grabbed a few kunai, so as he turns back to kara, he throws one at one of the enemies between kara and the general. go.]

[unfriendliest]

[ he's turned back to the battle before he can see how shess handles it, but the kunai sends the message well enough. kara pushes the soldier it hits aside with his sheath and goes straight for the general, who... is not paying nearly enough attention to the enemies in his immediate vicinity, instead focused on something further back, closer to the village. kara spares only a second to think that a soldier of his rank should know better, before dashing past the last few soldiers and swinging his sword in a wide arc toward his neck. if he's not paying attention, he'll pay for it. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[unfortunately for kara, we're only at [checks] 7 comments total now so not yet, loser. apparently, the general's horse is more alert than he is, as it neighs and rears back, allowing him to haphazardly block kara's attack.

meanwhile, shess goes for the soldiers kara left behind so that they can't catch kara by surprise. a stab to the chest; another one down.]

[unfriendliest]

[ look he had to try. and as much as he hates injuring an animal who didn't choose a life of war, their best bet for taking the general out is to get the man on the ground. once the horse has all four hooves back on the ground, kara presses forward again, this time aiming to cut the reins. if he can't control the horse, there's no point in staying on it, right?

but when that doesn't work quickly enough, ookurikara huffs an annoyed sigh and aims for the saddle instead, watching with grim satisfaction as both general and horse crash to the ground. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[kara you impatient fuck

anyway, shess stabs another soldier, whirling around and allowing the momentum to slide the body off his dagger, as well as having the body act as a shield against another incoming attack. he spares a glance to see how kara is doing.]

[unfriendliest]

[ he really is tbh

luckily for the general, he's regained his feet by the time kara fights his way around the horse. the soldiers in their immediate vicinity are trying to regroup to support him, which means kara is... basically getting surrounded, but that doesn't deter him in the least. kara is ruthless in a fight, deflecting what attacks he can with his sheath and immediately countering with his blade.

sheer numbers mean he can't guard against everything, though - and he finds himself stumbling as an enemy sword takes him in the side. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[well, that's concerning.

shess can't call out, though, and getting distracted will serve no one. still, kara getting injured does make things a bit more urgent. speed, at least, is shess's forte as he focuses on making his way to kara's side as fast as he can, dodging or blocking the attacks of soldiers in between.]

[unfriendliest]

[ kara is, of course, the type of idiot who takes injuries as a challenge. before the assailant can pull back or launch another attack, he turns on them with a glare. ]

Is that all?

[ surely the oda forces have stronger personnel than this, he thinks, as his blade slices through the air to cut the man from shoulder to side. with that one gone, he turns back to their leader, dashing forward to engage the last guard as if he'd never been injured at all. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[if kara's still moving around, then that's fine (though shess suspects kara isn't above pushing himself past his limits).

sighing a little, he follows after him.]

[unfriendliest]

[ the last guard puts up a good fight, even getting in a good slice on his forearm that almost forces kara to drop his sword. after readjusting his grip, he counters with a low slash at the man's legs and doesn't even wait to see if he's dead. kara just shoves him out of the way and pushes forward as the oda general takes a defensive stance. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[since kara is being impatient, as usual, shess will doubletap to make sure the soldier is, in fact, dead? it'd be bad if he survived and tried to launch a surprise attack on kara, after all.

still unsure if kara got the "get the scroll" memo or if he's 100% just here for his boss fight, but well. that's what shess is here for.]

[unfriendliest]

[ honestly? no, kara didn't stick around long enough to hear the part about the scroll, but that was going to catch up to him (and shess) anyway because hey, guess what the general was looking at in the distance! a few of those figures have caught up to the edges of the battle, and are tearing through the soldiers with no regard for which side they serve.

not that ookurikara has noticed; he's a little busy to keep an eye on their rear, so shess will have to handle that one if it gets close enough. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[he was looking to get the scroll from the general, but whatever, the more the merrier. their slowness, at least, makes them easier to deal with, and he doubts kara would appreciate him interfering with his fight with the general.]

[unfriendliest]

[ so they have options in case kara's too dumb to grab the scroll or cuts through it in the heat of battle. it's fine. we're fine.

anyway this guy is proving a little more difficult to defeat than kara expected? his sword has a longer range than kara's, for one - and he still has subordinates trying to help, so every now and then ookurikara has to split from their duel to defend himself while the general tries to fall back. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[kara...

once shess figures that removing the scroll from these new figures stops them, defeating them becomes relatively simple. his speed is particularly helpful for situations like these.

when he has a free moment, he can at least throw a kunai or two at the general's subordinates, aiming to pierce their throats.]

[unfriendliest]

[ he's trying!! he even grins when a kunai strikes true, and ducks when he sees the second one coming. these two are just nuisances, though, so kara bats them aside, cuts one's sword arm for good measure, and races after the general again. he's not giving up yet, even if he's a little slower now than when he'd first charged in. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[holy shit did kara just smile

anyway, as tiring as kara's force of will can be, there's something endearing about it as well (still worrying too, though). keeping an eye on the rear, shess follows after him.]

[unfriendliest]

[ kara lives for the fight ok

once he's caught up to the general, kara swings at his back - but he's ready, and his blade hits steel instead of armor or flesh. it's only then that kara notices the scroll, but he doesn't have time to make a grab for it before he's being pushed off.

they trade blows, kara ducking under the other's blade when it comes a little too close to his head, and responding with a slash at his legs. caught off-balance, the samurai stumbles back a step, giving kara the chance to go in for a jab right at his chest. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[do your best, kara. in fact, you should probably hurry it up a tad, as reinforcements are coming. while shess doesn't doubt kara would cut his way through them if need be, it'd also be nice if they could simply get out of here before that became necessary.]

[unfriendliest]

[ you can't rush these things, shess! generals aren't so easily defeated, or they wouldn't make for decent opponents. kara's blade is blocked at the last moment, forcing him to dodge to the side to avoid the next blow - but he doesn't succeed entirely. it catches him on the abdomen, cutting into the muscle, and making kara stagger.

but on the front lines, he can't afford to stop. he's taken worse hits fighting the revisionists, so he'll fight through this as well. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[lili is going to fret, kara?? please.

for now, shess will make his way to around the general, so that he's behind him. he won't step in, lest he get in kara's way, but having an enemy at his back might at least distract the general so that kara can get in a good hit.]

[unfriendliest]

[ left arm held tight against the wound, kara struggles to regain his balance as shess moves. the general seems to think he's won this fight, but he's also unprepared for being surrounded, as he seems to panic a little at finding shess at his back.

that doesn't stop him from launching himself at kara again, who sidesteps and lands a nasty hit on the man's arm, forcing him to drop his. sword. while he scrambles to draw the wakizashi at his hip as backup, kara steps in to point the tip of his blade at the man's neck. ]

[nonbelligerent]

[the general freezes. shess pauses as well, waiting for the next move, and keeping an eye on their surroundings. it'll still be some moments before the reinforcements make it here.

with a blade at his neck, all the general can do is glare defiantly at kara. it's over.]

[unfriendliest]

[ kara only waits a moment, eyes flicking down to the scroll curiously. but there's no point in drawing this out, or risking an escape. so he pulls his blade back just far enough to swing, and slit the man's throat.

only when he's fallen to the ground does kara kneel beside him to look at the scroll more closely, frowning as he cuts through the tie. then he'll finally look back at shess, as if he'll have the answers to... whatever is going on with this. ]