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

[neonleon]

[Leo can't help looking at them either...

The one good thing he guesses about losing his arm is he doesn't have to stare at his own burn scars anymore.]

So definitely not letting it touch you again. I'll heal whatever it does.

[pyrighteous]

[ He leans forward to give Leo a gentle forehead bunt. ]

I know you will. I trust you, Leo.

[neonleon]

[Oh!! He gives a happy little trill at that, following up for a quick kiss before resuming moving rubble.]

And I trust you not to let it get you so we're good.

[pyrighteous]

[ Good ... Hunter drifts after him a bit before remember he has a job to do. ]

Right. Uh - I'll give you a few minutes before I get too close.

[neonleon]

[You want a smooch you gotta do the responsible. Leo nods at that and keeps working.]

Just let me know when you're ready to start.

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter heads back down the stairs, then, close to where the thing is still struggling. ]

I ... I think I'm ready. Yeah.

[neonleon]

[It's straining to get the last of the rocks moved, but he gets it all cleared out by the time Hunter comes back.]

Okay... Read here too, just give me like. Two minutes to get my breath.

[pyrighteous]

Course. I need a moment too.

[neonleon]

...Hey.

[Leo smiles at him, stepping up again to just ...hold him. For a second.]

We got this. We'll get him out of here, and we can go back to taking are of your brothers. All right?

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter clings hard at that. ]

R-right. They'll be safe after this.

[neonleon]

They will be. And it'll be better.

[pyrighteous]

And if something goes wrong you'll get help?

[ Despite this being Hunter's plan, he's afraid. ]

[neonleon]

I will get help so fast.

[pyrighteous]

Good. Thank you. I -

[ He takes in a deep breath, steeling himself. ]

Okay, I'm ready. Be right back.

[ And he heads back down towards that awful tunnel. ]

[neonleon]

[He watches Hunter go... Swallows the lump in his throat and gets ready to do his part of this. But god he hopes Hunter doesn't get hurt again.]

I'm ready...

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter sure is going off to face a monster that might eat him. There's the distant sound of yelling - and then an awful lurching splorch as the monster tries to lever itself out of the tunnel. It seems to stretch thinner and thinner as it inches towards Hunter, like it's connected to something in the chamber behind it.

Hunter draws it back towards the stairs, quickly at first, and then slowly. ]

[neonleon]

[As soon as there's an opening, Leo guns it. Running past and under it to go further down the tunnel. If something's holding it there, then he needs to cut it out.]

C'mon, what's got you stuck here huh.

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter nods as Leo passes, continuing to lead the monster towards the stairs. ]

C'mon - c'mon - up here -

[ It seems entirely focused on Hunter, for better or for worse. Leo can easily follow the thread of goop back into the cave. It narrows as it goes along the smooth passage, which is completely devoid of grimwalker remains. After about thirty feet back, there's a broken down door that it clearly worked its way through. Seems to be a chamber back there? It's utterly dark, though. ]

[neonleon]

Oh gross.

[But all right. He ducks into the door, pushing it open a little further.]

Let's get you out of here and away from my fiance, hm? [He'll start searching for where the goop is trapped.]

[pyrighteous]

[ Inside this room is what looks like an old laboratory. It would be creepier if not for the fact that the monster already ate all the organic material available, but it's still not great. There are diagrams on the walls showing multiple grimwalker recipes. Most have been made for obedience (no surprises there), but uh. One particularly horrifying recipe simply reads For absorption only.

Even more fun are the pits that have been put in the ground like rows of graves. All are empty save for one; that's where the goop is coming from. It looks like these pits are usually filled with a similar goop, but currently it's in the monster itself. It seems to be tied to the pit nearest the door, where something glimmers in the thin layer of slurry at the bottom.

Also? Smells kinda like rotting veggies in here. Gross. ]

[neonleon]

[It does and it's only through his lifetime growing up where he did that Leo doesn't want to vomit immediately.

He runs to the pit seeing the glimmer and. Oh. He has to, huh. Good thing it's him and not Donnie. He takes a breath, then dunks his whole arm in to reach for the shining thing and try to pull it out. If there's resistance, he's pulling even harder.]

You! Are! Coming! Out of this shithole!

[pyrighteous]

[ Oh there is HELLA resistance. The instant he tries to yank the thing out, some of the slurry doubles back and tries to loop around his remaining arm. There's a faint burning sensation as it tries to dissolve him. Not nearly as effective since he's a turtle and not a grimwalker, but still unpleasant.

The shiny bit turns out to be a galdorstone fragment. It glimmers brighter as he begins to pull it free of the goop. ]

[neonleon]

[He's gritting his teeth so hard he feels it grinding in his ears. But he doesn't stop or let up, not until the fragment is out. He'll work on healing himself later, instead focusing on using some of his telekinesis to tug at the stone along with his own mutant strength.

Once it's loose, if willing, he'll set it on the ground and start trying to smash it.]

[pyrighteous]

[ At last, it comes free with an audible pop. There's a horrible roar outside, a rush of slurry coming his way -

And then Leo smashes it. One good hit is enough to turn it into a million little fragments. A wail goes up from the long line of horror goop, and then it all just sort of splashes to the ground. It doesn't dissolve - it's still super gross - but it's no longer moving.

From main cavern: ]

-- Leo? Are you okay?

[neonleon]

[His whole arm aches. Not nearly as bad as Belos' goop burns, but still unpleasant.

He didn't... mean to melt the thing.]

Yeah! Just- Need a minute!