EVENT LOG: ENTER MR SANDMAN (DEFENDERS)

[inthenightmods]

EVENT LOG:
ENTER MR. SANDMAN (DEFENDERS)

characters: those who signed up as defenders for the event
location: all around Beacon
date/time: november 16-29
content: the defenders attempt to drive off a spirit invasion
warnings: lots of horror! body horror, psychological horror, gore, violence, etc.. please cw all threads where appropriate! mods will do the same

in your closet, in your head.

It all happens in a matter of moments. Your friends, your companions, and even some people you aren't all that fond of; everyone who took so much as a bite of the spirits' feast suddenly collapses into a comatose heap. Which is bad enough already, but the worst, by far, is yet to come.

Before anyone can really figure out what's happened to the sleepers, the woods surrounding the town come alive with sound. Rustling, screeching, clicking, howling, and under it all, the characteristic hoots and whistles of the forest spirit tongue. But these aren't the friendly creatures that set up the banquet in the first place, and they aren't the familiar faces (or masks) from around Beacon. As they begin to emerge, bursting forth from the trees, these spirits reveal themselves as a horrifying army of terrors. And sprinkled among them, distinguishable by the emerald glint in their sockets, are the infamous "green eyes", the dangerous spirits that appeared once before.

Attempting to talk to these spirits is a moot point, made obvious by their immediate assault on anyone they get close to. They attack with claws and teeth, with limbs far stronger than they have any right to be, and the green eyes, as they are wont to do, will try to get into your head. Somehow, they seem to know what it is that scares you most, and they don't seem too hesitant to use it. It's not clear what they want— are they here to eradicate you? To frighten you? To send a message?

Whatever the case, one thing is very clear: you and everyone else, sleeping or waking, are in serious danger. Are you ready to defend Beacon?

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Comments

[pure_havoc]

[a derisive snort; sure, it's fortification, but what he wouldn't give for a good nine-meter wall right about now...]

I'm sure they've made enough gaps by now that...

[the sound of hooves is so achingly familiar that once he can hear them over their banter, Cao Pi turns immediately, almost desperate to see a real live horse. Oh, the things he could do while mounted right now! But no, that's uh. Definitely not a horse. It takes mere seconds for him to go from cautiously alert to ready for a throwdown, bringing his blade up and shifting into a stance with one foot back]

We have company!

[policier]

( Unsettling though it is, Javert doesn't seem the least bit unnerved when he turns and throws a light onto the creature. Standing there, it doesn't look like much of a threat, but appearances can be deceiving. Javert doesn't move to strike at it, but he does, however, raise his sword across his body in a defensive stance. )

So it seems.

( Can the creature even see them? He wonders this as he watches the thing totter toward them. In a world consumed by darkness, it seems likely that the spirits would have other ways of tracking. Perhaps through sound or smell. He watches it with a perceptive eye, his breath low and steady. )

[inthenightmods]

[The creature continues to stumble forward, teetering on the brink of collapse more than once. It's quite unsteady on those long legs, and the swinging pendulums of its huge, clawed hands don't help. The closer it gets, the more the two can hear a strange chattering sound coming from the general area of its... head? Does it have a head?

It certainly has a face, at least, one that is revealed as it steps into their light more fully. The chattering noise is coming from the spirit's teeth.

Once again it stops and wobbles in the wind.

And then, with a horrible shriek, it lowers its head ("head") brings up its claws, and charges straight for them. Straight for Cao Pi, specifically. It's awfully fast; there isn't much time to react.]

[pure_havoc]

[HO SHIT INCOMING!

It's fast, but so is he. He takes a couple of good swipes with the swords separately, in order to try and deflect the spirit before it can land a hit, but it tears across his left arm in the same instant he dodges to the side. All the more reason to jam the swords together into the singular form of Pure Havoc, one big long staff weapon with blades at both ends. Not much he can do besides guard himself, though, hissing at the sting of the claw-marks raking through his sleeve]

[policier]

( Javert, for his part, can do nothing but retaliate. He watches the creature barrel toward Cao Pi, and in the time that it takes for it to lash out with its claws, it takes Javert just as long to drive his sword into it. His plunges his saber hard through the sheet, into its side, into what he hopes is a fleshy, soft body beneath. )

That is not a very nice way of saying hello.

( He quips, haughty even in a situation such as this. As he pulls the blade out and he chances at a glance over at Cao Pi. His arm is bleeding, but he's fine, for now, and that is enough. )

[inthenightmods]

[Javert's sword runs the creature straight through, passing easily through layers of cloth and— hm, it really does feel like there's nothing in there, doesn't it?

Maybe it's just really, really skinny and he missed.

Whatever the case, the thing hisses like a rattlesnake, indignant at either the stabbing, the one-liner, or both. But instead of turning on Javert, it decides to take its anger out on its current target. It grabs for the bladed staff with both hands and then stretches its head-shape over it, as if trying to bite Cao Pi in the face.]

[pure_havoc]

[he's ready to compliment the strike when the spirit is right there in his face, either undamaged or undaunted by the damage what the hell. Cao Pi recoils, leaning back as far as he can while maintaining an iron grip on Pure Havoc. Please not the face, it's too pretty!]

Damn this thing! You will not have my weapon...

[he wrestles back, trying to twist one end or the other toward the spirit, but if all he can do is buy Javert a chance for a good solid back-stab, so much the better. It's tough, ducking and throwing his head and shoulders back to evade the snap of jaws.

[policier]

( Perhaps there is nothing under the cloth, or perhaps there is simply a bony figure. Either way, Javert's not going to make the same mistake twice. The creature has hands, and a face, and that is what Javert aims for when he's given another opening.

He sets his sword aside for a knife, and while Cao Pi and the spirit struggle, and with the spirit drawing ever closer to the other man's face, he grabs what he can of the creature's head and drives his blade into it. Hopefully, this time, it connects — somewhere at or near its eye, where he aims. Javert lets out a grunt regardless, and twists a hand around one of its skeletal arms, hoping to distract it long enough to prevent it from harming Cao Pi further. )

Unhand him!

[inthenightmods]

[The spirit doesn't respond to the shouted commands, but it certainly responds to being stabbed in the eye. It howls and turns instantly on Javert, pushing off of Cao Pi's weapon to redirect itself. Javert has a hold on one of its arms, but the other, long claws at the ready, is headed for his face. Its chittering teeth, meanwhile, are headed for his fingers.

The creature is very single-minded, focused entirely on tearing at its target. Of course, that's both a helpful quality and a not-so-helpful one. Cao Pi is entirely forgotten.]

[pure_havoc]

[excellent, because that's his opening. It's strong, he's already panting with exhaustion, but Cao Pi pulls himself together quickly and goes in from behind, whirling Pure Havoc around in order to strike with both ends one after the other. The two of them piling on this thing are like hunters on an elephant, tiny and desperate. There's no time to strategize, all he can do is jab at it as fast as possible and hope he hits something. He saw that earlier hit, there's a chance he might just be stabbing air, but he's got to take every opening he can find.]

[policier]

( It's a small victory, but Javert doesn't have a chance to find any relief in it. The spirit swipes at his face, and it is only the inspector's sharp reflexes that allow him to dodge it — if only by a hair. Where claws may have ripped through skin, now, they only graze, scratching red lines across his cheeks, and distracting him long enough to bite down on his hand. Javert grunts, pulling away instinctively from the pain, letting the spirit go.

His mind catches up to him quickly, though, and he reaches out blindly with both hands, hoping to pin the spirit in place while Cao Pi takes his shot. He doesn't care what happens to him, self-sacrificing as he is. )

[inthenightmods]

[What happens to him is that he gets very bitten, the spirit's teeth crushing down on his hand, strong enough to break the bones. But hey, at least his holding tactic works— Cao Pi is able to take his swings, slicing cleanly through the sheet of fabric, and...

Well, not through anything else.

The sheet, and apparently the monster, is now in two pieces, though the cloth on the lower half doesn't fall, and nothing seems to be peeking out between the two halves. It's like the creature is still together, except that it's not.

This is made all the more unsettling when the thing abruptly lets go of Javert's hand and twists around, its top half facing Cao Pi while its spindly hoofed legs still point toward Javert. Its expression is as close as something like that can come to indignant, and then it's back to trying to rake the flesh from Cao Pi's face, head, arms— whatever it can reach, really.]

[pure_havoc]

[well now that's going to be a problem, isn't it?

Cao Pi actually flusters at the sight. Is this an actual ghost? What the fuck? But there's no time to stand around gawking, the attack is pretty intense and while he has the weapon to fend it off, the relentless press gets a few hits in. His shoulder armor protects his vitals pretty well but there are gaps along his arms and that's where the raking cuts land, and another cut catches him along the brow. That'll teach him never to wear a helm. He gives as good as he gets, at least, hacking and slicing side to side, attempting to cut the claws, the hands, anything that gets too close.]

Attack the top half! Focus our efforts!

[you know, assuming the feet are slightly less vicious than the half that has claws and teeth and all the rage and energy. It's the opposite of divide and conquer.]

[policier]

( The creature bites his hand with a sickening crunch, and it takes every ounce of Javert's self-control not to cry out. He grits his teeth, letting out a noise of discomfort and a curse, holding on to the spirit with at least one good hand. When it turns, Javert seizes the opportunity to collect his sword, which had been discarded on the ground.

Once it is in his right hand, he swings it down in a vertical arc, attempting to cut the creature's arm off at the joint. Whether he is successful or not, he attacks. He mirrors Cao Pi's slices, hitting it from the other side, and kicking at the spirit's legs for good measure. )

[inthenightmods]

[The hooves, as it turns out, are indeed a lot less vicious than the top half. The spirit bats aside Cao Pi's first strike, but then its hands are too focused on trying to tear him to pieces and it doesn't care about blocking anymore. It loses a finger first and then it gets slashed across the face. The area visible through the hole around its eye seems to be bleeding, but the areas visible through the cuts in the sheet seem... empty.

Javert's sword chops into the creature's shoulder, sinking deep, but it's not enough to completely detach the limb. Still, that arm is useless now, swinging limply at the spirit's side.

For the first time, battered from two sides, the spirit actually seems to retreat a bit, its bottom half moving ahead of the top. But that doesn't stop it from slashing wildly, directionlessly with its remaining, working hand.]

[pure_havoc]

[Despite his desperate hack and slash, Cao Pi has seen the weaknesses now and has an idea. As soon as the spirit backs off, he slides in shoulder-to-shoulder with Javert. The pincer worked for a while but now they need to go in head-first.]

Did you see? There is nothing below the shoulders, no vitals. Aim for the head.

[he rejoins the two swords into one and goes in swinging, trying to fend off the good hand and its nasty claws in order to drive in close. He's got very little stamina to use for sorcery but hey, might as well try - one small burst of freezing energy off the tip of the blade as soon as it gets near the spirit's neck]