thehauntedfrequency | fairyland fun! (your levels of fun may vary)

[on the plus, any projectile Emery lobs his way won't hurt him, so no harm there. and any musical thunk it might land off the guardian's can rattle it enough for Zel to try and stay upright without such a dedicated mauling.

he reaches up and grabs at what he can of the mass on his back, prompting the return to said mauling, but at least Zel can wrench one of the offending arms free; the tear at the inside of his cheek destabilizes some of the stone on the surface of his face, prompting cracks that fill with blood near as fast as they're made.

that's a new sensation for sure.

Zel reels, tilting and dropping hard on the affected side, rolling so his stone weight pins the creature down beneath him as he coughs and snarls in pain. it also gives him a chance to feel around his waist for his sword.

he's gotta kill this thing. clearly.

(unless reason cuts in before he starts the cutting, of course)]

[Actually managing to hit the thing is encouraging. But then there's a flash of red on Zel's cheek, wrenching a choked gasp out of Emery. How?! This is Zel, a man who catches swords with his bare hands- How is the spring's guardian managing to do that-

-It's a guardian of the spring. That means it must be drawing power from the water. Emery turns sharply to look at the cliff wall, and all the various places water is spouting from.

He starts moving.

So while Zel is wrestling the deranged water monkey imp thing, Emery starts scrabbling up the side of the cliff. It's a slippery process but Emery grimly makes progress hard-fought foot by foot, until he's at a relatively stable position near the top. There, he gets on his knees and starts digging into the dirt with his bare hands, clawing at soil, stone, and root.

Come on... You need to move!

At first, he isn't able to cause much of an effect.

But then, above the din of splashing comes a hoard of creaking, popping, and cracking noises as roots stretch and grow across the rocky face of the cliff at an impossibly fast rate.

Wherever and however the guardian is in relation to Zel, it makes a startled "Wrh?!" noise.]

[that hitch in struggling gives Zel the chance to roll off of the guardian, draw his blade, and snatch one of the offending claws.

he yanks and hacks it off at the wrist as he climbs to his feet, using the momentum for the strike. staggering backward toward dry land, he chucks the disembodied hand toward the howling creature, trying to keep his eyes on it for signs of greater retaliation. it's hard, though: the pain is almost blinding, infuriating...but it is severe enough that it's keeping him from focusing his thoughts enough to do any brutal, killing spells.

his sword drags a line in the gravel as he takes another heavy step backward, mouth hanging open while blood pumps freely. no chance for making threats or demands like this, either, so all he can do is seethe and watch.]

[The guardian lurches, clutching its bloody stump of a wrist as its howls taper into more of a pained keening, then plunging its arm into the water. The bloody water churns around its arm and then the guardian triumphantly yanks its arm back- revealing a new hand, shaped from a mixture of blood and water, clinging to its wrist.

Emery's too busy manipulating the mana in the earth and plants to keep a close eye on proceedings, but he's watching Zelgadis enough to get an idea of what's going on. Damn it, get out of there!

Proper greenery tentatively starts unfolding and squirming out of the roots that grow further down the cliff wall and begin properly curling into the highest of the cracks and holes that produce the spring water.

Emery's not the only one pulling magic bullshit, however, as the water around the guardian whips up and whirls around, as fast and vicious as a series of drills.]

[Zel spits a globule of blood out, holding his free arm up.]

Freeze! Arrow!

[he flings the icicle construct as he snarls the enchantment, spiking the water in front of the guardian and letting it burst and spread to encase them and the nearby area while he, himself, trudges backward out of the shallows, staggering a step that prompts him to turning partly around to watch his step while also keeping the enemy in his sights.

when some glimpse of Emery hits his peripheral, Zel's focus swivels, reminding him better of his place; he reaches for Emery, to grab an arm and hasten away from the pond, buckets be damned.]

[There's a hopeful twisting sensation in Emery's chest as he sees the spring get iced over. That'll do, won't it? Emery withdraws his hands from the soil, feeling his head swim as he turns to look properly in Zel's direction. Ah, he's coming closer...

Emery gets to his feet and stumbles his way down the side of the cliff, dirt and stones skidding and sliding beneath his feet as he makes his way to Zel's side in a manner partway between running and falling. He lets himself be grabbed and hauled around without noticing any roughness. Zelgadis's current state is more distracting.]

Your face-

[There's so much blood on Zel.]

[brusquely:] Yeah.

[talking hurts, so he just pants the response, his mouth still hanging open, letting blood leak; it's something to worry about well away from the reach of the water, but...but not right in front of the caravan, either.

when he catches sight of the camp, he slows, relaxing his vice-tight grip on Emery's arm and looks him over, to see if he's hurt.]

...

[Emery isn't injured, though he looks more of a fright than normal. He's wet from the waist up, there's mud on his clothes, and his hands are absolutely caked in dirt from digging into the soil. Not to mention how pale his complexion is and the dazed look in his eyes as he stares back at Zel.

Getting close to the caravan means that sooner rather than later the goblins spot them, and needless to say they're both a sight. Most of them just stay rooted to whatever spot they happen to be, staring, but a handful dare to approach their weird guests. Emery vaguely recognizes Tantabel at the front of the group.

"What the hell happened?" she asks.]

[the moment Zel can register eyes other than Emery's on him, he ducks his head, absently feeling for his hood before giving it up in the haze of pain.

he shakes his head, ducking it as he crouches and shifts onto a knee. he needs to try to staunch his bleeding or get his mouth around working to utter a healing spell, but it's hard to focus outside of the bristle of panic and pain.]

[Emery looks from Zel to Tantabel, necessity forcing him to shake off the daze from the magic usage and the shock of the fight. Right. Zel can't do the talking. Emery can do the talking.]

The guardian of the spring attacked us. I don't know why, but we weren't doing anything that other people weren't.

[Having offered that brief explanation Emery crouches next to Zel, peering at his injuries. It's hard for Emery to get a good look, both because of the angle Zel's head is at and because there's so much blood it's hard to tell what's injured and what's just had blood smeared over it.

Well, better to get it treated fast. Emery holds up a hand and whispers the words of a healing spell. A pale blue-green glow lights up in his hand as the magic spreads from Emery into Zel.

Nearby Tantabel makes an exasperated sound and walks off to do something-or-other. Maybe talk to the Hob. Maybe to call in the local equivalent of law enforcement. Emery deems it not nearly as important either way.]

[Zel holds his breath while the magic numbs and stitches back up the soft flesh of his inner cheek; hairline cracks linger where the strain of the attach broke through the other side to the exterior, slightly off-color even after the spell has finished its course of repairs.

once he can feel his tongue again:] ...Thanks.

Did it get you anywhere else?

[Emery gives Zel a hard stare, looking carefully over whatever bits are visible. He's not ready to relax just yet, not when Zel still looks and sounds like an exhausted mess.]

[good question. he looks down at himself, at his hand...and the other one, still gripping his sword hilt like it were fused to him; quietly he tries to train on the feelings of himself outside of the malaise of pain-induced adrenaline.]

Don't think so. Doesn't feel like it.

[beat.

his eyes wince.]

...This probably isn't going to endear us to the camp.

[Emery exhales quietly and leans back, still tense. The mention of the caravan earns a little scoff.]

So what? That so-called "guardian" was the one who started it.

[A bit of genuine anger slips into Emery's tone as he thinks on it. Even if they'd broken some unspoken rule, it couldn't have been anything that merited trying to kill Zel!

At about that moment Tantabel returns, hauling a small travel trunk along with her. She sets it on the ground nearby and looks the two of them over before speaking.

"You're both patched up now, right? You should hide in here before anyone comes looking for you."

She fiddles with the latches and pops open the lid of the trunk, which definitely doesn't look big enough to fit even one of them, let alone both Emery and Zel. Still, Emery shuffles over to take a look.

Ah. It's one of those "bigger on the inside" situations. Looking into the trunk, Emery can see a small, dim pantry room, as if they'd cut a hole in the ceiling to look into it.]

[despite the mending of Zel's wounds, his face and portions of his front are stained with blood, still looking like an extra fresh off the set of a horror movie, whatever that is.

he blinks owlishly at the goblin, not entirely processing her words outside of ones he expected to her - a strange disconnect.]

...Why are you helping us? [for another you-owe-me?]

["You paid for passage to Fairford. We couldn't hold up our deal if you got incarcerated here,' Tantabel says. With a thoughtful look, she adds "Unless you'd rather have a refund...?"]

We'd like to keep traveling.

[Gift horses etc. Emery figures Zel will need time to recuperate, and he doesn't want to them to still be here when the locals start looking for the miscreants who unhanded the spring's guardian. He sets a foot on the edge of the trunk, but he won't actually climb in until Zel's on his feet and headed in the same direction.

"Don't touch anything while you're in there. You're both filthy."]

[Zel slowly climbs to his feet, warily watching Tantabel, as though he expected some double-cross. by the time Emery's looking back toward him no such thing happens, so he can't really belabor the moment, can he?]

...Thank you.

[he won't refute looking a goddamn mess, so he'll just offer thanks and move to Emery's side, giving the case in front of him a side-eye.

pocket dimension...in a case...?]

[The thanks earns Zel a nod from Tantabel. Emery steps into the trunk, and from his perspective it feels less like jumping into the room and more like the room rises up to surround him. It's a tad disorienting, and when he looks up he can see the square-shaped hole in the ceiling a few feet above him.

Emery shuffles back, careful not to bump into any of the shelves behind him.]

Come on, it's safe.

["It certainly is!" quoth Tantabel.]

[Zel has to put a hand against a wall or a shelf for a brief moment despite the request to not touch anything, if only to keep from toppling over from the weird, disorienting sensation that hits him. it's brief, at least...

until he tilts his head up and sees the warped perspective - the god in the sky being the view of a goblin's nostrils.

weird.

he blinks, then looks around the space to get a better sense of the small space.]

What kind of enchantment is this?

Some sort of... spatial, sub-plane manipulation? I don't know much about it but I think it's kind of-

[Any further fumbled explanations are abruptly squashed when Tantabel closes the trunk, leaving the two of them in total darkness.]

Ah...

[Emery blinks a few times and realize there's no light for his eyes to adjust to. Welp. More magic it is.]

Lighting.

[With the bright ball of light drifting above their heads, Emery's able to get a better look at their surroundings. The walls, floor, and ceiling appear to be all made of wood of the same kind as the trunk was made out of. No windows or doors can be seen now that the trunk has been shut. As for the contents of the shelves- it's a pantry, so there's an assortment of wooden dishware, herbs, root vegetables, etc.

After looking around for a few moments, Emery glances back at Zel and gives him a tentative smile.]

I guess there are worse places to hide out, right?

[Zel murmurs a faint, affirmative sound, looking about, his eyes lingering on the crates of foodstuffs.

he looks down at his sleeve, where some of the blood has stained the fabric.]

Worse, but...not the best. I don't want to taint their food stores.

[Emery grimaces at the reminder and raises his hand, as if intending to try and wipe some of the blood off. But then he sees the state of his hand and turns it over, looking at the grime from various angles.]

No wonder Tantabel was appalled. Ehe... heh...

[The weak attempt at laughter dies almost as soon as it comes out, as Emery just winds up staring at the blood on Zel's face and clothes. Unable to speak around a peculiar lump in his throat.]

[the sound of Emery's discontent is practically palpable, especially in this space where the air doesn't seem to move. Zel lifts his gaze from the plants to Emery himself, scanning his expression.

...he looks very troubled. considering the circumstances, not a bad thing. and it's kind of hard to be reassuring while a mess himself, right?

Zel hesitates, then finally sheathes his sword, freeing his hands up to grab a length of his cape, bunching it up until he reaches the damp end of it.]

You'll...have to tell me where to wipe off. Unless there's a mirror in here.

It's mostly on your face. Kind of- here.

[Emery gestures towards the left side of Zel's face. He gives Zel a few moments to at least try and get clean(ish) while Emery fidgets in silence before he finally blurts out an apology.]

I'm- I'm sorry about this. Really.

[He blinks several times, feeling an ominous sting in his eyes. Goddamn, he can't just start crying on Zel right now, he's not the one who got his face ripped up! But the growing shame of having endangered Zel like this, however unknowingly, is threatening to swallow him whole.]

What-?

[he stops mid-scrub, eyes getting big as he sees Emery's watering up. there's an inherent sense of oh no at that notion - that he's run afoul of something he missed, since tears are almost always, always bad (right?).]

You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one who got jumped, but not because you did something to make that happen...

[beat.]

This isn't...even the worst I've ever had.

[it's KIND OF true, given he's been actively dead before.

...also he has no concept of how heinous his injury looks; that might change his tune slightly.]

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