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]

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!

[pyrighteous]

I'm not waiting a minute!!

[ Hunter's running down the tunnel towards him. ]

[neonleon]

Don't slip on that stuff!

[He's looking closer at the mess he made. at the goop and slurry still coating his arm. He needs to wash it off, before it gets worse.]

It's kinda everywhere.

[pyrighteous]

I'm not gonna -

[ WHOOPS. there's an audible splat. ]

-- I'm okay!

[ Also there seems to be something that looks like a sink behind Leo; there's a glyph combo that looks like it will turn on the water. ]

[neonleon]

You better be!

[It's an empty threat with nothing behind it. But he'll poke at the glyphs. Sighs in relief when a stream of clean water does start, though it's sputtery to begin with. Just have to get his whole arm under it and.

Oh.

Right, no send hand to actually wash stuff off.]

Might need a hand in here.

[pyrighteous]

I-I'm coming!

[ Hunter hauls himself back up, now a bit slimed and uncomfortable but not dissolving or anything. He heads into the room and...

Uh. Hang on. Brief pause for horror. ]

What kind of place is...

[ oh right. help Leo. He hurries to slap the glyph and send a cool jet of water out over Leo's arm. ]

[neonleon]

[A lot more relief when the stream becomes steadier and strong enough to wash the slurry off itself without needing a second hand.]

It's not a great place, is what it is.

[pyrighteous]

[ Yeah, Hunter keeps his hand there until it's clear enough water is running. ]

It looks like an old laboratory. It looks ...

[ Hunter shivers viscerally at the open grave pits. ]

Familiar.