If Myt asks for a password, it's "Cardamom". Stay safe.
[ Unfortunately for one of them, it's not entirely possible. Somewhere down the road on the way back, something calls. It's barely noticeable at first, mostly drowned out by the burning ache brought on by the deep gouges left behind by one of the many crystal-fused aberrations. Perhaps in hindsight he should've reached out sooner rather than now, long after his skin started to grow pale and fragmented. Degradation had been his first thought but when none of the other signs and symptoms followed Roche had allowed himself to breathe easy and power on through the discomfort.
He should've done something before whatever he felt pulling at every fiber of his being grew too strong and subconsciously made him turn his handlebars towards it. There were a lot of things he would've, could've, should've'd before it came to this. Maybe if he had, there wouldn't be a red bike sitting in the ditch with the remnants of a shattered crystal some twenty feet away in a field with smaller fragments following a trail of paw-shaped prints in the dirt.
It's almost an hour before Roche, or... what remained of Roche made it back into town proper. Gone was the man and SOLDIER, replaced by something much more bestial — he shambled along on all fours like a wolf and even looked like one from a distance, but up close? A monster. A monster that was following something back to the bakery. Whether it was a scent, a desire, or something else was a mystery. All he knew was the chorus of voices that had grown louder urged him there, telling him to find. What he finds instead leaves him puzzled, and for a fraction of a moment he tries to speak. Kazuya?
Roche's — the wolf's — lip curls back in a growl and whatever recognition had been there disappears in the next breath. ]
[He should have known that what he'd find wouldn't be the man he'd come to know as an acquaintance. He's heard and seen enough of the disease that's spread through Dreamer and Native alike to know that he probably shouldn't have taken him at his word when he said that he'd regained some strength that he'd lost, and the implication that he'd be fine until he showed up.
Seeing the man face to wolf-face, Kazuya just sighs, and shakes his head, giving a small shrug. Like he should have known better. Like he doesn't particularly want responsibility for whatever chaos is about to unfold.
But-
He said he'd help.
And so he will.]
Any part of you left in there? It'd make it a lot easier on me if there was, and that we could maybe just take a nice walk towards the crystal to let the natives here fix you up.
[A brief shimmer appears and disappears in front of Kazuya. A tetrakarn, just in case he gets rushed.
[ There's enough self-awareness in him left to realize he's being spoken to, or at least spoken at. It's difficult to make out from everything else echoing around in his head but it's at least something, and it's enough to give him pause as if he understands.
He doesn't, not really. It's more confusion than actual recognition what with his "instinct" telling him that Kazuya ought to be running and the fact that he isn't also tells him that something was off. Maybe...? Roche's muzzle wrinkles and he sniffs once, twice, and with a lowered head he skulks closer. Not too close, just enough to get a better look. Could he have already been infected? But that shine wasn't from them.
Magic. It'd be completely foreign if not for the fact Kazuya had flaunted it once or twice before, but he doesn't have the wherewithal to comprehend what it actually means. ]
Nnh...
[ Speech? Maybe. In reality it's more of the half-whine of a bewildered, cautious beast that doesn't know any better.
His head jerks up and in a flash, he lurches forward with a snap of teeth, glowing slobber, and a swipe of crystalized claws. ]
[Another sigh, and Kazuya simply lets the beast rush him, lets it rush forward with snapping teeth and crystalized claws that would easily rend and tear flesh from bone.
If not for the fact that Kazuya knows a little better. Has enough experience to know that the creatures want to infect and attack and create more of themselves, and honestly, he's not interested in becoming a minion of a horde.
The tetrakarn shimmers again, and where Roche attacks, all of that would be damage to Kazuya's body is instead reflected back at him as his body moves to elbow the crystalline beast right in it's gut with enough might to crack a rib.
Hopefully that crystal on it covers the brunt of the damage and simply knocks the wind out of him.]
[ Just when he thinks he's got his teeth in, he feels something metaphorically sock him in the jaw. It's enough to make him recoil with a violent shake of his head and a deep-chested snarl, only for his displeasure to be cut off thanks to the sharp jab to his upper body. It sends him wheezing and reeling — from all fours to his full height on two and what was brought on by his transformation — some steps back. There, where Kazuya made contact, cracks spiderweb out across the crystal protecting his vitals.
Things weren't supposed to fight back—
Roche shakes his head again, trying to shake the ringing in his skull. Something felt off but without the capacity to recognize it, he has no choice but to ignore it. (That was a problem for future-Roche.)
His tail lashes behind him and his posture shifts, arms relaxing and fingertips scratching along the cobblestone under his feet. He's slow, he knows this, but he's not that slow. The mako pumping in his blood alongside the infection made that possible and while he's not like the other infected out there, he can still... He has to.
[The former-friend now-beast is fast, that much is for certain. The swipe nearly hits, if not for the fact that Kazuya steps back just barely in time, a claw catching and tearing his pant leg.
Which he looks down, frowning.]
Not cool. I'm not the one who ruined your clothes, you know. Don't take it out on mine.
[Annoying...
But he supposes that he should end this fast, right? Knock out Roche, drag his fuzzy ass to the nearest crystal, and let them deal with it there. If he wakes up before they're ready and he causes a huge issue... Not his problem after that, right?
So this time Kazuya lunges in turn, leg raising to kick Roche right in that snout that tried to bite him only moments earlier.]
[ SOLDIER or no, getting kicked in the head hurts. Had it not been for his own enhancements he likely would've broken something or had been knocked out at the bare minimum, but he's lucky. Or unlucky, depending on how one looks at it. Kazuya's kick lands square and not only do stars erupt behind his eyes but something feels loose in his jaw. A fang, some buried part of him thinks. Bite bite bite bite—
His head snaps back towards Kazuya's ankle, fully intent on trying to grab any and whatever part of him he can while his world momentarily spins. Was it pointless from that barrier? Yeah, but he's not exactly thinking clearly right now. This? It wasn't him. There was no passion, no fire, only what these monsters could consider "instinct."
[He's grabbed. It doesn't hurt, because he's just made of sturdier stuff, but he also wasn't expecting it to begin with. Wasn't expecting the monster the other had become to try and bite him again, catching his leg as Kazuya moves to kick him once more.
So he's summarily snatched right off his feet.
Kazuya tries to kick him in the jaw with his other foot.]
no subject
[ Unfortunately for one of them, it's not entirely possible. Somewhere down the road on the way back, something calls. It's barely noticeable at first, mostly drowned out by the burning ache brought on by the deep gouges left behind by one of the many crystal-fused aberrations. Perhaps in hindsight he should've reached out sooner rather than now, long after his skin started to grow pale and fragmented. Degradation had been his first thought but when none of the other signs and symptoms followed Roche had allowed himself to breathe easy and power on through the discomfort.
He should've done something before whatever he felt pulling at every fiber of his being grew too strong and subconsciously made him turn his handlebars towards it. There were a lot of things he would've, could've, should've'd before it came to this. Maybe if he had, there wouldn't be a red bike sitting in the ditch with the remnants of a shattered crystal some twenty feet away in a field with smaller fragments following a trail of paw-shaped prints in the dirt.
It's almost an hour before Roche, or... what remained of Roche made it back into town proper. Gone was the man and SOLDIER, replaced by something much more bestial — he shambled along on all fours like a wolf and even looked like one from a distance, but up close? A monster. A monster that was following something back to the bakery. Whether it was a scent, a desire, or something else was a mystery. All he knew was the chorus of voices that had grown louder urged him there, telling him to find. What he finds instead leaves him puzzled, and for a fraction of a moment he tries to speak. Kazuya?
Roche's — the wolf's — lip curls back in a growl and whatever recognition had been there disappears in the next breath. ]
no subject
Seeing the man face to wolf-face, Kazuya just sighs, and shakes his head, giving a small shrug. Like he should have known better. Like he doesn't particularly want responsibility for whatever chaos is about to unfold.
But-
He said he'd help.
And so he will.]
Any part of you left in there? It'd make it a lot easier on me if there was, and that we could maybe just take a nice walk towards the crystal to let the natives here fix you up.
[A brief shimmer appears and disappears in front of Kazuya. A tetrakarn, just in case he gets rushed.
He's not going to play stupid like this.]
no subject
He doesn't, not really. It's more confusion than actual recognition what with his "instinct" telling him that Kazuya ought to be running and the fact that he isn't also tells him that something was off. Maybe...? Roche's muzzle wrinkles and he sniffs once, twice, and with a lowered head he skulks closer. Not too close, just enough to get a better look. Could he have already been infected? But that shine wasn't from them.
Magic. It'd be completely foreign if not for the fact Kazuya had flaunted it once or twice before, but he doesn't have the wherewithal to comprehend what it actually means. ]
Nnh...
[ Speech? Maybe. In reality it's more of the half-whine of a bewildered, cautious beast that doesn't know any better.
His head jerks up and in a flash, he lurches forward with a snap of teeth, glowing slobber, and a swipe of crystalized claws. ]
no subject
[Another sigh, and Kazuya simply lets the beast rush him, lets it rush forward with snapping teeth and crystalized claws that would easily rend and tear flesh from bone.
If not for the fact that Kazuya knows a little better. Has enough experience to know that the creatures want to infect and attack and create more of themselves, and honestly, he's not interested in becoming a minion of a horde.
The tetrakarn shimmers again, and where Roche attacks, all of that would be damage to Kazuya's body is instead reflected back at him as his body moves to elbow the crystalline beast right in it's gut with enough might to crack a rib.
Hopefully that crystal on it covers the brunt of the damage and simply knocks the wind out of him.]
no subject
Things weren't supposed to fight back—
Roche shakes his head again, trying to shake the ringing in his skull. Something felt off but without the capacity to recognize it, he has no choice but to ignore it. (That was a problem for future-Roche.)
His tail lashes behind him and his posture shifts, arms relaxing and fingertips scratching along the cobblestone under his feet. He's slow, he knows this, but he's not that slow. The mako pumping in his blood alongside the infection made that possible and while he's not like the other infected out there, he can still... He has to.
He lunges in again, swiping towards his feet. ]
no subject
Which he looks down, frowning.]
Not cool. I'm not the one who ruined your clothes, you know. Don't take it out on mine.
[Annoying...
But he supposes that he should end this fast, right? Knock out Roche, drag his fuzzy ass to the nearest crystal, and let them deal with it there. If he wakes up before they're ready and he causes a huge issue... Not his problem after that, right?
So this time Kazuya lunges in turn, leg raising to kick Roche right in that snout that tried to bite him only moments earlier.]
no subject
His head snaps back towards Kazuya's ankle, fully intent on trying to grab any and whatever part of him he can while his world momentarily spins. Was it pointless from that barrier? Yeah, but he's not exactly thinking clearly right now. This? It wasn't him. There was no passion, no fire, only what these monsters could consider "instinct."
He'll regret it all later. ]
no subject
[He's grabbed. It doesn't hurt, because he's just made of sturdier stuff, but he also wasn't expecting it to begin with. Wasn't expecting the monster the other had become to try and bite him again, catching his leg as Kazuya moves to kick him once more.
So he's summarily snatched right off his feet.
Kazuya tries to kick him in the jaw with his other foot.]
Hey! Let go! Bad dog!