The good news is that miraculously, I rolled a nat 20 for this vase, so despite Sebastian faceplanting, the vase............ remains intact! The fiend is still chasing after him, but it hasn't caught up yet.
The bad news is that I also rolled a 17 for the fiend attacking Cloud so it's clawing his side, sorry.]
anyway, HE'S RUNNING with the vase in his arms again, but he's very much not in peak condition right now, so he rolls a 7 and takes an attack for the team (the vase team) while the vase remains whole under the lord's protection. ]
[ thank fuck this vase is made of indestructommia or whatever the fuck
cloud was so worried about the vase that he takes the hit to his side, which i am putting on the same as his ankle for hilarity, and he winces and goes "ow" as his hp goes -500
it's fine, he has a lot of hp, so he rallies himself up and swings his giant ass sword at the fiend with a 17 to get it off and probably Dead before taking off after sebastian so he can maybe try to protect him from the next fiend attack and not lose the vase ]
Sebastian runs, but the fiend lunges at him, clawing at his back! ... But Sebastian is just fast enough that its claw skims his back, rather than doing any significant harm. Go, Sebastian, go. Go, Cloud, go.]
[ whatever the direction of "away from the fiends" was, which. yeah i guess it was deeper in the forest.
absolutely terrible to try to run and hit something running after someone else without sending it into them, but cloud sure is trying with that 13. slash that fiend!! distract him from sebastian's delicious flesh and shitty, shitty rolls!!!!! ]
Think they were attracted to us, the vase, or Ren's little display?
[ he can't casually talk while doing this shit but this is just how ff7r is. they banter during fights. i'm terribly sorry to sebastian. ]
[ but oh god FINALLY they're free (for now)... he leans against a tree to catch his breath and actually looks at the vase now that he has the chance. he wonders if the compass means something. ]
[ they're free! he puts his sword back on his back, where it stays there by magnet. do NOT ask me how that works in this au backstory of theirs.
while sebastian checks out the vase cloud will check out where they are. does this look like a good place to dig. does it look hidden. are there human bones all over.
he looks at him when he talks though: ]
... It's fine. You were doing your best. [ wow. he actually... does not sound like he's lying? he presses a hand to his side to stem the bleeding a little while he is just standing there, fetching for a background description from jan who hates us immediately ] How's your back?
[ that is what the in game lore is don't ask me. anyway, cloud looks at his side like eh, but he can't remember why he thinks this isn't a big deal because he has forgotten a lot of his real backstory, so he's also like, hm, maybe I have lost too much blood? he shakes his head ]
I'll be fine. I want to deal with this vase before more of those things show up. [ so he will absolutely desecrate the honor of this sword by shoving it in the ground to start the hole. it's really not made to dig so it's just a starter but!! it's a start!! digga dig dig. ] Don't know where we'll be able to go next. I doubt we can squat Sen's house without raising suspicions.
[Digga dig dig. I won't be mean and make you spent 5 comments digging this hole. Eventually, Cloud and Sebastian succeed! Yaaaaay.
Before they put the vase in the hole, though, the compass emblem glows—and then comes off, forming an actual compass, albeit one with no cardinal directions carved into it.]
[ there aren't like inscribed instructions or other words on the vase (if they check that before filling in the hole) or on the back of the compass or whatever that might tell them how to use this, right? ]
I'm not sure if it just isn't working or if I'm missing something about how you're supposed to use it...
[There are no instructions! But Sebastian may find an inscription on the back of the compass that reads Zin. Look, I broke away from my theme naming.
Imagine if I was like "and then as they walk, five more fiends come to attack them." No, they can peacefully walk out of this forest and back into the village. They may get a few villagers clamoring in shock that they came out of the forest alive, though? They feel okay? No... sense of getting corrupted or anything?]
[ WELL I SURE HOPE WE AREN'T SENSING THAT anyway hi neighbors take care of yourselves
so okay they will go back to the house which hopefully hasn't been mysteriously destroyed while they were gone... assuming it's still standing, maybe they can try looking for a hint about the compass here while they're gathering food and other supplies (and cloud is hopefully taking care of his wound)? ]
I wonder... if she has anything here in the house that says anything about how the compass works?
[ he'll check the bookshelves for anything with "zin" on it, or anything about compasses or vases that could be relevant. ]
[ cloud will say they're fine, he's tough. just look at how big his sword is. he doesn't say the latter but the sword usually convinces people. they feel fine but they need to get their wounds looked thank you byyyye.
once that's done he'll let sebastian explore for compass importance while he takes care of his side wound and steals from sen. i don't know if she had a bag but he'll make a bag of supplies anyway!! food and water and stuff for wounds!!! stealing!!!! she's a vase, it's fine. ]
Maybe. [ he thinks it is a magic quest doohickey, so maybe it will just activate on its own, but he doesn't say that. ] This place isn't big, try and be thorough about searching. We can't rest here too long, I don't want the villagers to start thinking we killed Sen when they realize she isn't coming back. They'll think we were after the cure or some garbage.
[There doesn't seem to be anything in the house about a "Zin" or about compasses. The house is/was cozy enough (before its owners turned into a vase), but it's not very fancy and doesn't have a lot. However, checking the books will inform Sebastian that it is the year 15XX right now. So, they're about 500 years in the past, but not far enough to prevent the calamity.
[ well, he tried... hopefully cloud is right and it'll magically kick into gear when they need it. ]
It looks from the dates in those books like we're in the 1500s right now, so I guess we need to go back further than that... even though I don't think we had a choice in coming to this time in the first place?
[ maybe they did, maybe he shouldn't have just run through the first fucking archway that showed up ]
Anyway, seems like that's all we're going to get right now. [ sigh. ] So if you're ready, I guess we might as well go.
[ it's a very dry tone, because it took them forever in the first place, but whatever. they have a mission. stopping the apocalypse fucking sucks. he nods with his bag of supplies, slinging it and then pausing before they go out ]
See if there's like... a kitchen knife or something you can hang onto.
[ his baton
is so useless
but if there is then off they go with their ? useless? compass and their supplies to try and find the time chasms again. surely this will be fine. ]
Anyway, they may head back to the Time Channels. Once they do, it's... more of white void. I will not make you thread out even more aimless walking, but let's just say it's a lot more of the same, with who knows how much time passing. Eventually, they make it through another archway, to find...]
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The good news is that miraculously, I rolled a nat 20 for this vase, so despite Sebastian faceplanting, the vase............ remains intact! The fiend is still chasing after him, but it hasn't caught up yet.
The bad news is that I also rolled a 17 for the fiend attacking Cloud so it's clawing his side, sorry.]
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I-it's still safe!
[ somehow??? don't ask questions
anyway, HE'S RUNNING with the vase in his arms again, but he's very much not in peak condition right now, so he rolls a 7 and takes an attack for the team (the vase team) while the vase remains whole under the lord's protection. ]
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[ thank fuck this vase is made of indestructommia or whatever the fuck
cloud was so worried about the vase that he takes the hit to his side, which i am putting on the same as his ankle for hilarity, and he winces and goes "ow" as his hp goes -500
it's fine, he has a lot of hp, so he rallies himself up and swings his giant ass sword at the fiend with a 17 to get it off and probably Dead before taking off after sebastian so he can maybe try to protect him from the next fiend attack and not lose the vase ]
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Sebastian runs, but the fiend lunges at him, clawing at his back! ... But Sebastian is just fast enough that its claw skims his back, rather than doing any significant harm. Go, Sebastian, go. Go, Cloud, go.]
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anyway he's still doing his best to hold onto this damn vase while things are clawing him!!!
where are they even headed right now, are we running deeper into the forest ]
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absolutely terrible to try to run and hit something running after someone else without sending it into them, but cloud sure is trying with that 13. slash that fiend!! distract him from sebastian's delicious flesh and shitty, shitty rolls!!!!! ]
Think they were attracted to us, the vase, or Ren's little display?
[ he can't casually talk while doing this shit but this is just how ff7r is. they banter during fights. i'm terribly sorry to sebastian. ]
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You're probably deeper in the forest, yeah. But hey, at least there don't seem to be any more fiends attacking you right now!]
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[ but oh god FINALLY they're free (for now)... he leans against a tree to catch his breath and actually looks at the vase now that he has the chance. he wonders if the compass means something. ]
Can we bury it here, you think?
[ and then after a pause ]
Sorry... for messing things up so much.
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while sebastian checks out the vase cloud will check out where they are. does this look like a good place to dig. does it look hidden. are there human bones all over.
he looks at him when he talks though: ]
... It's fine. You were doing your best. [ wow. he actually... does not sound like he's lying? he presses a hand to his side to stem the bleeding a little while he is just standing there, fetching for a background description from jan who hates us immediately ] How's your back?
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Anyway, sure, it looks like a decent place to dig. Lots of dirt, relatively hidden, and there are NOT human bones all over.
Meanwhile, the vase looks a little scratched up but in one piece. Does the compass mean anything? Who knows.]
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Oh, uh, it just scratched me, it's not that bad.
[ getting hit by the tree was probably worse... anyway, he's looking at all that blood on cloud's side like yikes. ]
Are you gonna be okay?
[ idek what they're wearing but maybe they could tear something up and make kind of a tourniquet deal out of it?? also, ]
Um, I can try to do the digging, maybe? So you don't make it worse?
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I'll be fine. I want to deal with this vase before more of those things show up. [ so he will absolutely desecrate the honor of this sword by shoving it in the ground to start the hole. it's really not made to dig so it's just a starter but!! it's a start!! digga dig dig. ] Don't know where we'll be able to go next. I doubt we can squat Sen's house without raising suspicions.
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Before they put the vase in the hole, though, the compass emblem glows—and then comes off, forming an actual compass, albeit one with no cardinal directions carved into it.]
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[ since like... she's not going to need her food anymore...
but yay digging success! then the compass on the vase starts glowing and THANKFULLY THIS DOES NOT MAKE HIM DROP IT ]
Whoa! I was wondering if that design meant anything, but... do you think it's telling us where we should go?
[ is there any kind of pointer indicating a specific direction (like, that it will keep pointing toward if they move the vase around)? ]
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Probably. It pointing anywhere? We still need to get back to those time chambers, too.
[ they really should go back for supplies but they have a new quest marker so they will both ignore it for that instead. where to magic compass ]
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[ there aren't like inscribed instructions or other words on the vase (if they check that before filling in the hole) or on the back of the compass or whatever that might tell them how to use this, right? ]
I'm not sure if it just isn't working or if I'm missing something about how you're supposed to use it...
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cloud's staring at the compass while sebastian is looking it over, trying to see, but gives up quickly because, well. whatever. ]
Maybe it'll come to us later. Keep it for now. Not like we can just shove it back in them.
[ phrasing. anyway that means that now that the hole is filled they should start walking again ]
... You're right. We can try to get some supplies at the village before we set out again.
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Imagine if I was like "and then as they walk, five more fiends come to attack them." No, they can peacefully walk out of this forest and back into the village. They may get a few villagers clamoring in shock that they came out of the forest alive, though? They feel okay? No... sense of getting corrupted or anything?]
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so okay they will go back to the house which hopefully hasn't been mysteriously destroyed while they were gone... assuming it's still standing, maybe they can try looking for a hint about the compass here while they're gathering food and other supplies (and cloud is hopefully taking care of his wound)? ]
I wonder... if she has anything here in the house that says anything about how the compass works?
[ he'll check the bookshelves for anything with "zin" on it, or anything about compasses or vases that could be relevant. ]
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once that's done he'll let sebastian explore for compass importance while he takes care of his side wound and steals from sen. i don't know if she had a bag but he'll make a bag of supplies anyway!! food and water and stuff for wounds!!! stealing!!!! she's a vase, it's fine. ]
Maybe. [ he thinks it is a magic quest doohickey, so maybe it will just activate on its own, but he doesn't say that. ] This place isn't big, try and be thorough about searching. We can't rest here too long, I don't want the villagers to start thinking we killed Sen when they realize she isn't coming back. They'll think we were after the cure or some garbage.
[ ZERO TRUST IN THESE PEOPLE ]
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Cloud may steal a bag of supplies.]
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It looks from the dates in those books like we're in the 1500s right now, so I guess we need to go back further than that... even though I don't think we had a choice in coming to this time in the first place?
[ maybe they did, maybe he shouldn't have just run through the first fucking archway that showed up ]
Anyway, seems like that's all we're going to get right now. [ sigh. ] So if you're ready, I guess we might as well go.
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[ it's a very dry tone, because it took them forever in the first place, but whatever. they have a mission. stopping the apocalypse fucking sucks. he nods with his bag of supplies, slinging it and then pausing before they go out ]
See if there's like... a kitchen knife or something you can hang onto.
[ his baton
is so useless
but if there is then off they go with their ? useless? compass and their supplies to try and find the time chasms again. surely this will be fine. ]
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Anyway, they may head back to the Time Channels. Once they do, it's... more of white void. I will not make you thread out even more aimless walking, but let's just say it's a lot more of the same, with who knows how much time passing. Eventually, they make it through another archway, to find...]