post-snek recoveries

[neonleon]

[You know?

That weird temple wasn't good, but it wasn't the worst. Not by far now that he's back in this dimension. He floats a bit aimlessly, body broken, shell cracked and falling apart, some bones and insides shattered. His head aches in a way that he can't think.

All he can really do is hope Prime doesn't find him immediately right now. The light off his ring catches his eye and he looks at it, not fully registering that it's lit up.

A promise.]

Comments

[pyrighteous]

Okay, okay, just saying ...

[ Hunter kicks off into the air then to start the match. It's gonna be a fierce one - their scrimmage opponent is from St. Epiderm and is gonna give them a heck of a time, despite theoretically just being a scrimmage. ]

[neonleon]

[Leo watches him do that then looks a staff-Lucky and follows the same motions. Before he knows it he's up in the air. And even from this, he can smell the animosity from St. Epiderm; there's definitely some long standing beef there they use Flyer Derby (and probably also Grudgby) to sort out.

He takes note of which side is theirs to take the flags back to, any notes Hunter and Willow have to give him about tells or weaknesses in the other players.]

All right, I think I got the hang of this. Ready whenever.

[pyrighteous]

[ Willow has way more specifics; she's clearly the the tactician of the two. And once she sees that Leo's into this, her usual light levels of frost warm up a bit. ]

Okay. Wait for the whistle -

[ And after a PIERCING whistle noise, they're off! Hunter is in the thick of it immediately, blinking all over the field to swipe flags and avoid getting his own taken. ]

[neonleon]

[No one actually said that they had to use their actual physical fingers to remove the flags. He's focusing on staying just barely out of range of the other flyers, using his Snail boon to quickly yank the flags away from his opponents once he's close enough. He doesn't wanna give away the strat immediately.]

Ohoho, I think we got this in the bag- [He just has to go put them on his own team's bone-tower and that's it right?]

[pyrighteous]

[ It's true! And St. Epiderm is showing way less restraint with their own magic, so frankly Leo will go unnoticed at first.

Hunter, meanwhile, has to dodge a lightning bolt. He gives Leo a thumbs up. ]

Go for it!

[ And go quickly. There's actually a turtle demon on the other team who is zooming across the field now, on a collision course with Leo. ]

[neonleon]

A race, huh?

[This turtle demon wants to try and get the best of him? Good luck-

It's wrong. As suddenly as he feels it, the pain is unbearable shooting up his arm. Leo cries out from it, barely keeping control of Lucky to stay in the air a few extra seconds. But the sudden sight of pink flesh tearing through the bandages and taking over his green skin is enough that he falls out of the air to the pitch.

He's not going to hurt you EVER again.

Hunter had promised. So why now? The fear that takes hold of him blinds him from how much falling to the ground hurt, but it isn't nearly as much as his arm hurts, as much as the Krang flesh digging into his bicep and up his shoulder hurts. A few of the other flyers start to approach.]

Don't! Stay away! [He has to deal with this. But he doesn't have his sword with him.]

[pyrighteous]

[ To St. Epiderm's credit, the match IMMEDIATELY stops as soon as it's clear this isn't a normal fall. Hunter sees his fiancé go down and zooms that way in an instant. But when he sees that flash of pink ...

Screw zooming. He's teleporting. He's at Leo's side in the next moment, trying to put his hand on Leo's arm to see what's going on. ]

Leo? What - is that -

[ That CAN'T be Krang. Right? ]

[neonleon]

[Willow and Gus aren't too far behind her, Luz and Amity watching from the stands and Luz having to be stopped from climbing over the railing to come see herself.

Leo's trying to keep it from touching anything, even the ground. But the pain is a searing white hot flash that he's trying to think through. Hunter shouldn't be this close, it'll just get him too- even as it's climbing further up his shoulder to his neck.]

Don't touch it- Just- get it off!

[pyrighteous]

I - okay! I'll get it off! Somehow!

[ But HOW? It's all over Leo's arm, he's not sure how to get it off without hurting him? Or ...

He swallows thickly and pushes THAT thought away. Instead he grabs his staff and focuses electricity into his hands. Reaches down to grab the pink part and try to zap it with his bare fingers. ]

[neonleon]

[The zapping is the only thing that keeps the Krang flesh from trying to find a home in Hunter's skin as well. It recoils, wrapping tighter around Leo's arm with a squelching sound.

Whether fortunate or not, Darius was watching the match as well. Damn him for wanting to support Hunter's endeavors. He's stepping in to take a look and makes a disgusted face at the sight. None of the Boiling Isles natives have any idea what this is, or that this had come with the turtle. The Krang mutation starts solidifying around Leo's hand, long sharp appendages over his fingers and hard, calcified pink wrist and forearm. But Leo looks up at Hunter, tears in his eyes like a plea.

Darius rests a hand on Hunter's shoulder.]

"I can take care if this."

[pyrighteous]

[ He doesn't want to hurt Leo. He doesn't want his fiancé to have to - to wind up without a -

(But he can SEE the way the mutation is spreading, how it's solidifying. In a couple more seconds, this won't even be an option at all. Does he risk his entire fiancé just to try to save his arm? No. That's no decision at all.)

Hunter fights back tears and nods, grateful for Darius's help. ]

Do it. Quick.

[ He grips his staff, ready to fight whatever comes off of Leo. ]

[neonleon]

[Darius knew there had to be something. Hunter had talked him up so perfectly, so wonderfully. He'd shown up and been the model partner for his protege. This is the natural outcome, he supposes. There likely wouldn't be anything else to worry about but he'd be keeping an eye on the turtle for a long time after this.

The coven head takes a breath and circles his abomination sludge into the space between the two of them and the turtle. And gives a nod; Leo recognizes what's about to happen and clenches his eyes shut a moment before the violet slices across. It's a different kind of heat that flashes through him to his shoulder, and Leo finally cries out, rolling away from the appendage that no longer belonged to him. No, it belonged to the bit of Krang that had snuck through. The flesh reorients itself, six spindly legs sprouting from the sides of the arm to sharp points to lift itself off the ground, eyes opening down the length of it and focusing on Hunter and Darius.]

"I think that's fair game now. What do you say, Hunter?"

[pyrighteous]

I'm going to make it regret doing this to him.

[ This sort of anger is rare for Hunter, who normally yells and blusters. This anger is cold and sharp, reserved only for people like Belos? And the Krang, of course.

He launches forward without waiting for Darius, staff crackling with more electricity as he swipes it directly at one of the legs, aiming to remove a limb in turn. ]

[neonleon]

[It reacts violently to the electricity hitting it, repelled a bit from where it hit but coming back together as one of its legs is burned off. A mouth materializes close to where it was cut from Leo's body, letting out an angry screech before trying to run at Hunter.

A small bit of fire erupts to stop it in its tracks. Luz grins a few feet away at Hunter holding Stringbean in her hand.

Between her, Amity, Willow, Gus, and Darius, they at least have it corralled into one spot unable to go anywhere else.]

[pyrighteous]

[ That's a good start at least, yes. Hunter scarcely notices it, though, as he rushes forward in turn. He winds up skidding beneath the monster as it stops dead from Luz's fire; he puts an edge on his staff and tears into its underside with vicious accuracy. ]

You should have left him ALONE!

[neonleon]

[At the ripping of its underside, the thing rears up with a squeal of pain. The purple-pink blood that spills from the wound paints the grass underneath it an unnatural color. It shoots one arm out to try and pierce Hunter's side, but a vine rips the pink flesh off its trajectory and down so it can't move. Willow grins determinedly at it, a few extra vines wrapping around its length to keep it pinned down.]

"Get it, Hunter!"

[pyrighteous]

I got it!

[ Hunter shoots Willow a startled but grateful look. That’s his strong captain … He might be engaged to Leo and VERY happy with it, but he still likes her a lot. He’s glad they’re still friends despite the romantic tangle.

Anyway, he turns back to the monster above him, currently imprisoned by Willow’s vines. He gestures a tiny little spell circle, converting the edge of his staff to a sharp metal blade. ]

You don’t get to hurt him EVER again. Not while I’m around.

[ Hunter stabs upward and through the Krang’s body as far as he can reach. More electricity gathers at the metal spike like a lightning rod; Hunter’s using it to discharge more power into the monster’s body. ]

[neonleon]

[The smell of burnt flesh and ozone is powerful as the Krang monster cries out from the attack. It's clearly hurting worse than anything that's hit it so far. It writhes unable to get the spike out of itself until its throes finally come to a stop and it falls limply on its side. It hadn't gotten very strong and without Prime to give it orders or connect it to a hivemind, it can't regenerate itself. Instead, it's an ugly mound of pink flesh starting to slowly melt where it fell.

The rest of the group start to congregate around it. Gus poking the end of his staff against it.] "What... was that?"

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter is breathing heavily afterwards, eyes still wild with adrenaline and panic. Is it done? Is it gone? Is Leo -

Hunter jolts up to his feet, flicking off a stray big of Krang viscera. ]

The Krang. They’re aliens, basically. They tried to invade Leo’s world and take it over, and when they couldn’t, they tried to make sure to take Leo down with them. That’s what I rescued him from the first time.

[ But now … he rushes to Leo’s side, terrified of how bad off he is now. ]

[neonleon]

"Gross." [Gus is making some notes in his notebook about more human world stuff - they have ALIENS - while Willow looks over his shoulder at it. Luz and Amity are finishing taking care of what's left of the Krang flesh. But Darius watches Hunter go to Leo.

He's gotten himself out of the way as quick as he could. Never before now has he been more grateful that he used his last power token to pump up his healing a second time. He'd started on it, and Amity's sister was helping. But he can't stop shaking. The shock and adrenaline still powerful in his mind right now. But the whole arm is just... gone.]

[pyrighteous]

[ Just gone. A completely empty space left behind…

Hunter’s hands tremble as he adds a tiny trickle of healing to everything else being done. Coaxing the skin into knitting back up, replenishing what he can of the blood … ]

Leo? Can - can you hear me?

[neonleon]

[His fingers tremble at that before picking back up focusing on healing.]

Yeah. I-i hear ya, Hunts. I'm here. You okay?

[pyrighteous]

I’m - I’m fine. Not a scratch.

[ A little gross from the goop falling on him but otherwise completely unharmed. He just keeps supplying that little flow of healing, looking Leo up and down for more injuries.

Titan, this is awful. He needs to cheer Leo up a little. ]

I - I don’t think you’re going to be all right after this.

[neonleon]

[Emira cuts Hunter a look, but Leo watches him before smiling a little; it's tired and worn but there. He gets what Hunter's doing.]

No. Guess I'm all left.

[Emira rolls her eyes. THESE GUYS..]

[pyrighteous]

Y-yeah. Exactly.

[ He figured Leo would pick up on that. Can always trust his fiancé to enjoy a dumb pun.

He looks over at Emira. ]

Has anyone bird called the emergency Healers? He - he needs a hospital …