INTO THE WOODS ※ GAME EVENT

[wildestmods]

INTO THE WOODS

The faerie faire goes on into the evening, the faire filled with the sounds of revelry. For those who've spent the day there, the cool evening air is welcome respite from the bright sun that's shined all day. Those who still have some faerie gold might even want to invest in a cloak if they haven't gotten one yet, because it may get chillier as night falls.

As evening descends and various floating flowers start to glow to provide light, the spring faeries start to bring out night-time merchandise and amusements, like brightly-colored phosphorescent flower jewelry. Fireflies are charmed to blink in different colors and magical fireworks paint the sky in vibrant light. They're quieter than normal fireworks, but there are still satisfying snaps and hisses.

It seems like it'll be a pleasant night at the fair and those only just arriving in the evening will find a charming scene opening up before them.

But one thing that isn't noticed as evening begins to fall is the way the winter faeries suddenly slink away into the rising dark. Or at least it isn't noticed until it's too late. Some of the summer faeries start to react to it with alarm.

"Where did they go? The winter faeries are supposed to provide security, they signed an agreement. Go tell Ponto and get some faeries with warding magic to shore up the wards." Faeries start flying with purpose to speak to others that need to be put on security. "We can handle it ourselves but we need to get enough people out to the borders."

"Should we disperse the faire?"

"No, there's no sign of any threats and if we re-ward it, they'll be safer here than people scattering in the woods at night. Even if we had the bad luck to be attacked before the wards are re-done we can defend them with our magic - and we're contracted to."

Unfortunately that bad luck hits too soon. While the faeries scramble to re-do the defense wards, an unearthly fog rolls in. Terrible screeches start to rend the air, sounding similar to the screams of foxes. Warning bells ring from warning wards placed in certain areas of the woods.

"Nightrenders!" someone calls out and people in the crowd start screaming, gathering their loved ones closer. Horrifying beings start to pour into the faire and the hand stamps of all the people who bought tickets ahead of time start to glow. Faeries rally around those people, casting powerful defensive spells. Due to the panic, several stalls start to go up in flames due to knocked over cooking fires. Fortunately the stalls are small enough for people to escape them easily and spread far enough apart that they can be avoided, but smoke joins the fog in the air.

If a faerie sees one of the squad of otherworlders, and their lack of glowing hand stamp they're quick to offer a warning. "You have to run! The people who bought tickets ahead of time entered into a magical agreement of protection. The warding takes time to charge. We can do nothing for you, without slow-charge wards we're not powerful enough to protect you. The Nightrenders will devour your brain, or your soul."

Apparently that little disclaimer about not being fully protected that some of them read while coming in (for those that had arrived earlier in the day) was more important than it seemed.

The faeries always point the same way, still trying to help the people without tickets. "To the north! There's a place in a canyon with a large, glowing crystal. It looks like an abandoned market and dwellings. You'll be safe there, the magic of the Heartstone will protect you."

USEFUL LINKS

Setting Background/FAQ | Major NPCs


NIGHTRENDERS

The beings known as Nightrenders start amassing on the faire. Their movements are quick but clumsy, as if every one of their movements is made up of a hundred janky, smaller fits and starts, like they're made of clockwork. The faerie magic summer faeries use seems to do no more than stagger them back or temporarily knock them over, but at least makes it clear to the squad that they at least can be knocked over and slowed down. At the very least it seems to take them some time to get off the ground and back to their feet.

Attacks

They attack anyone they see in different ways. Some they wound with massive claws. Or they squeeze someone's torso and nearly suffocate them to give them a chance at possibly chomping into the heads of their victims to get at the brains. Most dangerously of all, they breathe in with a loud sucking noise, clawed hands guiding the magic that lets them drawn out someone's soul to devour it. It looks like a small delicate thing, sometimes in the form of a glittering star or a flower, as its drawn out of the victim's mouth.

This process can fortunately be interrupted if the Nightrender is attacked. As long as the soul hasn't been sucked into their mouths, it goes back into the victim.

Cursed Aura

But the whole thing is complicated by the magical aura caused by the Nightrenders. When they draw close, everyone around them is choked with fear, grief, and dread. Some succumb to visions of their worse memories playing out in their heads over and over. Some might be able to still stagger away in this state, trying to see through the visions, especially if someone helps them along, but others will find it nearly impossible to do anything other than curl on the ground. It is unknown why some don't have the flashbacks or can power through them more than others, though it's thought that those that repress their bad memories or negative emotions struggle more.

Anyone that helps someone who's having visions may get a glimpse of their memories - and empathically feel a flash of the pain, fear, rage, or grief they felt during the memory. If two people try to help each other move forward when both are having visions, they may transmit glimpses back and forth.

Weaknesses

The Nightrenders cannot be destroyed, only knocked down, or slowed down. However, those with "holy" weapons, spells, or powers, or those who have weapons, spells, or powers that can hurt "ethereal" beings or evil spirits will find they can cause them enough pain that sometimes they run away. Spells and abilities that create magical manifestations of good will and happiness, as well as spells of light, or purification can also harm them and drive them away.

THE SISTERS

The Nightrenders don't speak, but some have the misfortune of hearing two voices echo out of the fog. The come in stereo, only just slightly out of sync.

"Chosen Ones, you must be so confused. You've become lost in the forest, and the Dark Lord's nightmares already pursue you. Fortunately for you, our mistress desires your company. You'll adore obeying her will. Don't run, embrace a better destiny."

Two woman in white masks and straw hats, with cloaks made from the feathers of ravens, come out of the fog, body language almost identical. No eyes can be seen through the eyeholes of their masks, just darkness.

They start attacking, and when they beset their victims they stop speaking, refusing to talk or answer questions, instead filling the air with wild, mocking laughter. One wields twin katanas, the other a kusarigama with a painful claw at the end of the chain that closes down when it hits something.

Nets

While they're extremely willing to injure the squad they seem to be trying to capture them instead of killing (albeit capturing them after they're maimed), occasionally tossing out nets of glowing silver of moonlight. Being caught in the nets renders someone paralyzed and weak, a deep cold settling into the marrow of their bones. Some may even hear the shrieks of dying loved ones, whether they've actually died in reality or not. The Sisters apparently have the strength to carry even the largest of the squad in the air and will attempt to fly away when someone is ensnared.

The nets are difficult to destroy, but can be with great force of some kind. It has to be aimed at the part closest to the Sisters' hands, because the force required to break the nets would also injure those trapped inside them. The cold and paralysis fades when the victims are free, but some of the rescued may feel weak and need help staying on their feet. Unfortunately, even when they're broken, the nets of moonlight seem to be something they can recreate within several minutes.

Smoke Monsters

For some, they don't attack directly. Instead, one of the sisters pulls out a pipe and smoke monsters pour out of it. They try to drag their victims closer to the sisters so they can be caught in their nets. Fortunately, they can be destroyed with enough force.

While the Sisters seem impossible to injure, they can at least be caused pain with extreme enough attacks, something that makes them teleport away before risking any further injury.

PROMPTS

a) RENT
Uh oh, a Nightrender has you. Either it's squeezing you so hard you're suffocating and about to chomp into some juicy brains, or it's in the process of sucking your soul out through your mouth. In either case, you're likely broadcasting visions of your worst memories in small flashes to whoever is near. You're in desperate need of rescue and the summer faeries can't help - their magic is all but useless on the Nightrenders if it didn't have time to build by a covenant. Only others that fell into the Wilderlands like you did can save you.

(Feel free to provide multiple memory options ala a memshare, but keep in mind they'd only be flashes instead of a full memory!)

b) NABBED
The Sisters have got you, their smoke monsters are trying to drag you away, or you're still trying to fight them to avoid being caught. It'll be a lot easier if you have help - otherwise you're outnumbered and possibly outclassed. The only way to stop them is fight back hard enough that they feel you're not worth the effort and teleport off.

c) RESCUE
Perhaps you're not affected by the Nightrenders or are just good at powering through the haze of painful magic they're inflicting on the area. Either way, you're out to help the people around you. Perhaps you run into another member of the otherworlder squad that needs saving - or maybe they join you to protect a third otherworlder, or a denizen of the Wilderlands that also forewent a ticket and is therefore at risk. Unlike many of the people from other universes, many of the denizens of the Wilderlands are powerless and thought they were in for a day and night of safe fun.

There are also other hazards to rescue people from. Maybe a small child has been separated from their parents and is disoriented by smoke, in need of rescued from some flaming tents. Or maybe an elderly person has fallen and is at risk of being trampled. There are lots of reasons people might need help, due to fires, panicked horses, collapsing tents, and panicking crowds.

d) RUN
It's time to run! Perhaps, after some screaming and confusion - and teleportation - you finally grab a buddy and bolt through the woods. You better run fast because the Nightrenders and the Sisters may give up chase at some point but it may take time and moving through difficult terrain in the fog to lose them. Perhaps you and a partner have to help a third, injured otherworlder because they're having trouble walking.

Better head north like the faeries said. The faeries were right that this Heartstone to the north may be your only hope - and you'll have to reach it despite the fading evening light, skies overcast with dark clouds, and fog.

It may be easier navigating in the dark with a partner or two.

e) WILDCARD
Maybe you decide to do none of the above. Go nuts!

OOC DETAILS
❧ Quest magic: Players can handwave that the quest bond magic is tugging the group northward to the safe place, with the mysterious Heartstone. They can also use the quest magic as an excuse for many different threads. As the group tries to run, their scattering movements will affect the magic and cause people to teleport at random, allowing for many different encounters with many other characters. This can explain why two characters that might otherwise stay together through the whole thing might get separated.

❧ Network: The network can now be used. Mirrors can and do float if someone is trying to talk through one and running, and can follow someone as they move, allowing people to communicate on the go or during action. Feel free to start using the network in parallel with the log events.

❧ NPCing: The mods won't be npcing but players are free to npc the actions of bystanders, the Nightrenders, and the Sisters. The Sisters won't speak, just continue laughing, and players can npc their specific attacks, capture attempts, and teleportation. Please just don't have them talk or godmode them dying - they're currently a little too sturdy for that. If you have a question about whether/how something will affect them feel free to ask the mods in the first comment below.

❧ Environment: Feel free to manipulate the environment. There are things left over from the faire people can work with like bow and arrow sets from the competition, horses (which can be temporarily stolen, though we'd like to limit any that are permanently stolen to the (1) horse another player already requested), and even explosive faerie fireworks (they're quieter than the normal thing but still create a big bang). Abandoned stalls also have weapons and supplies to grab as people run for it. If they didn't think to steal or buy useful things during the day, please limit this to only grabbing one or two items as they run, like a cloak or sword. They won't have time to loot for more.

❧ Experimentation: We'd like to encourage people to experiment! Obviously ask other players if they're down first, but it could be fun to do something other than 2 person threads, like maybe 2 PCs banding to rescuing a 3rd. Players are also encouraged to set limitations if they think it'd be more interesting, like locking their final escape prompt from the faire grounds to a single thread partner and playing out the drama of a full escape.

[OOC: Plot is visible so people can see and start plotting together but not open until Nov. 1. The mods will enable comments then.]

Comments

[somnioergosum]

One could say that Ronan looked at her. like she'd grown three heads, but he'd seen weirder things in his dream. He did look at her like she had lost her mind.

"Are you crazy? I'm not gonna let that thing fuck with your head and then--" He cut himself off because he wasn't sure exactly what it would do, just that it involved something worse than death.

"How are you going to protect yourself from that?" He wasn't entirely being dismissive, even if his tone was hostile. But he had to be convinced and that was a big ask.

[furtitude]

"What's that weird noise?"

He can't tell if it's the things after them. They're doing those unearthly screeches, maybe they make other scary noises, too.

And he's having trouble interpreting her memories. There's some kind of weird swarm that doesn't look like it's insects or something. Is that where the buzzing is coming from?

Re: III Nabbed!

[credit_not_blame]

It's a good thing Saturday screams when she decides that headbutting a spooky monster lady is the correct answer, because it notifies Stacia that some Ahroun-y shenanigans are going down.

(Why are so many of the people she cares about like this. Why.)

She lets go of the chain she's been playing tug-of-war with and turns around to grab Saturday before her twin can recover from that stunning blow and haul her off to their "mistress". Then she lurches sideways into an awkward roll, because she doesn't want to have the twin with the clawed gauntlet at her back either.

[furtitude]

"Okay, then let's get the hell out of here."

The boy climbs to his feet first. He's still disoriented but only from the magic itself. He's still strong for his age and size, and used to dragging himself up when he gets knocked down.

He could, like many children and teens, think only of himself, but he still reaches down for Raistlin's arm and tugs on it to try help him up.

The man had talked about collapsing. Little Cato is assuming that means that Raistlin's magic would make him feel weak. As disoriented as he's been, he can still probably physically support someone, as long as they lead him to the right direction. And he intends to.

[tr1xx]

"Memory," it comes out a little strangled, and through gritted teeth, and the next flash is of the source of that horrible snarl, of Nemesis right there in her face as she turns away from the swarm of purple that's blocking her path.

The thing is tall, dark and monstrous and it wraps an oversized, clawed hand around her head and pulls, the sounds of metal against metal and metal tearing overloading everything else until even that can't make itself heard over the screaming.

Cammie's leg gives, she almost falls to one knee, but she pushes herself up and forces herself to keep moving. Keep it together, Cammie.

Re: d

[furtitude]

"Uh." A pause. "I didn't even know what a cat was until I met my dad. He calls me spider-cat."

A pause. "I actually don't know what a spider is, but I assume it's something fast and he's mushing two animals together."

He shrugs one shoulder.

"Ventrexians don't have any ties to Earth. My species just evolved to be really, really similar to an Earth animal, I guess."

Really, really similar, down to even liking milk, pouncing, and landing on all fours after a fall.

"Just lead the way. We can just follow you."

[hourglasshalfempty]

Raistlin pulls his arm away, trying not to snap at the boy. He means well, that's plain enough. The situation isn't his fault any more than it is Raistlin's.

"I can stand," he says, and does. Barely, leaning on his staff the whole way. His lungs begin to seize, and he swallows a cough. His legs are shaking, but he knows from long experience that, wearing robes, as long as he holds himself upright, no one can tell without paying close attention. Which people rarely do.

"Do you have a parent, child? A sibling? Who is responsible for you - ?" A cough strangles the end of his question. He fumbles in his pouches, still coughing, and manages to retrieve the one with his herbs. Pressing it to his face, he inhales deeply. This isn't a bad attack, just overexertion. The sharp scent cuts through it quickly.

[hasapoint]

Her chuckle sounds approvingly between his ears :Not a bad idea. I am - there's no point in false modesty - as a healer I'm not what I should be, but what I should be is very good indeed. When my friend burned... Boy, if you ever seal your soul to something, don't make it a library.:

Need gives him a few other pointers about running and just soaks in the vicarious sense of it. She doesn't, as a rule, regret binding herself to a sword, but part of the appeal of being around fighters is their physicality, their weight in the real world. It helps her remember that she was human too.

:Remember momentum when you stop, and brace against it. Ready? Stop!: They've burst out into a little tableau - a collapsed tent with hoofprints across the top, a cook with a thinly-crying baby bound to her chest hacking frantically at the canvas with a butcher's knife. Someone's trapped and thrashing and probably in some danger under there. Need doesn't tell Raistlin what to do in words but there is a very pointed sense of expectation.

[hourglasshalfempty]

Raistlin can't hear him. He's too busy staring at the end of his fingers in horror. The magic is gone. The spell is still with him - he can see it glimmering in his mind's eye, the perfect lattice of it - but the magic that should imbue it with life is just. Gone.

It is gone, and with it is his reason for living. The swordman is shouting something. Raistlin doesn't hear it. He stares at the sisters as they rush towards him, laughter singing in the dark. It doesn't matter. He has no magic. What's the point in even raising his staff in futile defense?

[darvit]

"No kidding." She's seen adolescent trolls shorter than... whatever this girl just was. She's not even going to try and unpack that one right now when there's people to rescue, first. She can, in fact, prioritise. "Alright, keep those things away so the path's clear and I'll try coax them out."

ii

[skinlotion]

Mona hasn't yet come up with a way to rationalize what she's seeing at the fair. Oh, she knows it's all a trick; just another escalation from the person who has already managed to do everything from slip a dead pig into a formerly-sunken cop car to spiriting her to an underground lair for the past 4 months. The "how" is important from an academic standpoint, but not her main concern. What takes priority right now is not getting her face clawed off by one of the extremely convincing monsters. She can try to figure out the special effects later, when fewer things are on fire.

So here she was, trying to keep as low a profile as she can in the crowd of strangers while searching for a way to slip into the apparent safety of the forest. She tags along at the back of a small group of people, because at least the girl up in front seems to know what she's doing. That is, until the girl up in front suddenly hulks out into a giant cat monster.

Again, Mona can figure out the details behind the sudden giant cat monster when it isn't directly in front of her. As far as she's concerned, though, the cat thing is just as alarming as the nightrender she's facing up against. Which leads Mona to the only sensible option when faced with two monsters duking it out in front of her: scream and start throwing rocks. At the both of them.

[darvit]

Holly blinks. She was running back in, risking death or worse... for a dog. She's not if Jennifer's more insane for doing it, or if she's more insane for thinking that, well, as reasons go, it could be worse. If humans must keep pets, the least they should do is look out for them.

"Get over here, and don't stop moving. You could have died, you realise that? Those things are everywhere."

[hourglasshalfempty]

Faster than he would have credited, given the situation, the woman is pressing his herbs into his hand. Already open - he brings the pouch straight to his face and inhales deeply, barely able to hold his breath for more than a heartbeat before his squirming lungs force it open again. But the next breath he desperately takes is a little smoother. And then next one, smoother still. He calms in seconds. his breath still comes ragged through his throat, and he can feel blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth, but he is breathing. He wipes his mouth with his sleeve, absently.

"My thanks," he whispers, and falls silent, peering through the branches to the ground below. There's no movement, no sound but the distant screaming and the wind tossing the trees.

[millenyal_pink]

"I'm gonna go with the flow, dude," she said with a playful smile, then turned more serious. "Fighting it pushes you deeper into your head. I think I can handle it, now. I just have to stop pushing back."

She then realized that the whole 'attempting emotional maturity' thing may not convince this guy of her safety.

The first time she shifts into her Crinos form it hurts like hell, but it gives her a rush of power she's never felt before. The anger that usually sits bubbling in her gut has raised to surface, boiling over. It feels like her soul is calling for bloodshed.

"Plus, I'm a hell of a lot more capable than I look. I can take care of myself."

[hallelujahjunction]

"Got it," he says, making a mental note of the folks he's seen running in outfits that didn't seem to fit the setting. Probably people either in need of help or very, very capable of providing it. "Saw a few folks that looked like they were teleporting too, but didn't get a good eyeful of them through the fog."

The nightrender Stacia swept to the ground must have broken its neck or brained itself, because for the moment it doesn't get up. They might have a few minutes before it comes back to come after them, a few minutes to take care of the other one. Dan unloads another arrow into its neck and peels the horse around, ready to charge.

"I got a kid on my three." Dan catches sight of the little girl, still clutching the burlap dragon toy her parents bought her, huddled under a cart that was selling some sort of kebab. She's weeping through her terror, and Dan realizes that it's not because of the danger around her; it's because she's gotten flashes of Stacia and Dan's memories, flickers of things she's been too sheltered to be exposed to, the worst of cruelty that the world can offer.

He charges the remaining nightrender and then feints around it. "Keep that one occupied. Wouldn't rather have no one tackling that thing."

Re: ii

[millenyal_pink]

What the fuck.

Elle has managed to keep the Nightrender's attention solely on herself, which will hopefully give the civilians a chance to escape unscathed.

At least, that was plan, before one of said civilians started throwing shit at her. This doesn't seem to be a delirium thing, but an actual choice that this girl has made. To throw rocks at the two monsters fighting, instead of getting the hell away.

When she has a brief moment, Elle turns around and snarls at the girl.

"I am trying to help you!"

[hourglasshalfempty]

Raistlin follows her instructions and skids to a stop. His arms flail slightly but he doesn't fall: planting his staff in the ground at an opportune moment almost makes it look respectable.

The sense of expectation makes him pause. He understands what she wants, of course. Should he comply? It would cost him nothing, with this new strength; as the price for his life, this was fairly low. A bargain, in fact.

The cook's noticed him. She turns her eyes on him, firelight dancing across her face.

"Help! Please!" There are tears running down her face. The child strapped to her is wailing, piercing even the screams.

There's a peg nearby with a rope attached. He follows it up, find where it attaches - ah. The canvas had gotten twisted around the central pole. If he cuts there, and frees it, then they can pull her out.

:You will find this undignified: he warns Need, before hacking at it with her like she's a very unwieldy cleaver.

Re: II: Rent!

[millenyal_pink]

The battle is dying down.

Well, most people have run away by now, which means that it's less 'the battle has died down' and more that there is very little left for the creatures to fight.

Except for Elle, Stacia, and a handful of others who stayed to protect the ones retreating.

Elle sees Stacia looking over her shoulder and plants herself at Stacia's back, facing the opposite direction. She then turns around and motions for Stacia to run.

Elle will watch her back and cover her retreat.

[eternalmisery]

[Spencer's about to start yelling sit, stay, when suddenly the wolf rises up, bear-like, and that shoves Mona's suggestion of trying to wolf-whisper to the side.

She isn't sure why she steps in front of Mona. Mona's been nothing but trouble and harassment and competition for Spencer. A lot of people, if they knew the whole story, would argue that Spencer should shove Mona towards the beast, literally throw her to the wolves, and maybe break her ankles to make her easier prey instead.

But Spencer finds herself standing between Mona and the monster anyway. This monster that is clearly not a wolf, clearly not natural, so...

Spencer hurls the rock at the wolf's face with all the throwing power of a state champ field hockey player.]

[skinlotion]

What the fuck, it talks? As a hulking cat monster? Isn't that pushing the suspension of disbelief a little far? Mona hesitates for a moment, turning the rock around in her fingers in an edgy, nervous gesture. This is the first time she's had a monster snarl in her face, after all.

Then she throws the rock, though at least this time she's aiming exclusively for the Nightrender.

"Alright, well," she says grudgingly, "excuse me for not being up to date on who's supposed to be on my side."

...not that the rocks seem to be doing much of anything to the Nightrender either. She grimaces, then takes a step or two backwards. "So. So if I wanted to help, instead I should...?"

[skinlotion]

[Mona's as surprised as anyone that Spencer steps in front of her-- not that she really worried that Spencer would, say, shove her forward and run, but there's a world of difference between throwing Mona to the lions and actually stepping between them. And maybe that's why Mona doesn't turn around and leave her to it; why, instead of grabbing her skirts and fleeing through the forest, she just holds her breath as the monster takes a closer step.

And then Spencer lets loose with the rock. As soon as it leaves Spencer's hand and she's no longer at risk of throwing off her aim, Mona tugs on the back of Spencer's dress. Whether the rock lands or not, it's the best distraction they'll get.] Run!

Re: III Nabbed!

[wheyoftheadept]

Saturday's head hits the moon-white mask with bone-jarring crack, and Saturday has, briefly, the satisfaction of the bitch's black-pit eyes widening in a refined expression of surprise.

Then shards of ice rip into her brain, radiating out to her eyes. She screams, falling - then caught, the familiar shape and fur - friend it's okay friend - pulled away as she moans and writhes in pain. There's a vise clamping down on her temples and she can't see anything through the blooms of unnatural color in her eyes.

"Fuck, bad idea - "

[unsealthecatbox]

A decent point -- careless use of a blade could injure someone under that tent. As much as she hated the thought of dilly-dallying around, taking the safer route for the wellbeing of anyone trapped was necessary.

Besides, standing around making objections probably would delay things even further! Without further comment, she went and grabbed the edge of the tent, trying to remember if you were supposed to hold your breath or something while lifting heavy stuff. Lift with your knees, not your back, was it?

Whatever. She'll figure it out, she thinks.

"Let's just get it done. Fair word of warning: I'm not renowned for my physical strength"

[unsealthecatbox]

"I'm honored". Flattest response she has given in a while.

Well. No point in bitching about it. Urgent situations need quick action, and complaining is only going to waste time. She takes a deep breath and looks around.

"If I'm supposed to herd them then some sort of way to get their attention will be necessary. A banner, a flag, something visible. Too bad anything they will see probably will get those things' attention as well"

Herding defenseless people and attracting the attention of the Nightrenders and the Sisters at the same time is pretty terrifying, truthfully! It'd be like serving everyone on a silver platter! Ange is trying to figure something out, thinking as quickly as she can.

[the_hit_list]

The trust is appreciated, although Tim would prefer knowing something- anything- about the man he’s trusting his back to. Yes, the fact that he’s strong enough to move in that armour and seems to know how to wield the sword is encouraging, but it doesn’t really tell Tim if he can be trusted more than an “enemy of my enemy” thing. “Yes to which question?”

He had, after all, asked two questions, but being distracted is understandable. Four fighters, all seemingly patient. Tim, too, would prefer to react rather than act (actually, he would prefer to not engage at all), but that becomes a more and more remote possibility as the woman begins spinning the chain of the kusarigama to bring it up to speed. Tim checks his grip just before the chain lashes towards him. He doesn’t dodge and leave his new friend exposed, and the chain licks around the end of his bow but doesn’t have enough slack to ensnare it. She laughs and drifts closer still.