END OF ARC 2: PART ONE OF THREE

[asgardmods]

Who: ANYONE going on the infiltration into Thrymheim!
What: Lots of travelling and also rescuing Freyr's soul.
When: Days 278 - 279 ( June 10 - 13 )
Where: Asgard, Thrymheim, and the road inbetween.
Rating: PG-13. Anything that might go higher than that should be taken to a private log, please!

[ Before even the first crack of sunlight over the horizon on Day 278, every bracelet in the city will give a quiet blip! as they activate with a short mass text from the gods:

The time to act has come. Gather at the Gate of Frost by the Sun's first rays if you will, and be prepared to strike at the heart of ice. There is no room for failure.

Exactly as the message implies: it's time to ship off to Thrymheim. Gear up in your best winter clothes and bring whatever weaponry you need; there are wagons thinly concealed and waiting for you at the southern gate that leads to the home of the Frost Giants. Inside the wagons will be those portable heaters that you guys bought in Utgard, along with spare gloves, jackets and scarves for anyone that foolishly believed summer might touch the kingdom of ice. Travellers can also find food rations to last a week alongside a generous amount of medical supplies that may or may not be a bit foreboding.

The caravan will leave at precisely 5AM, driven by the barest amount of Natives to keep travel at a minimum. Secrecy is of the utmost importance, and a severe silence will fall across the few sitting in the back of the wagons with the Travellers. They know the weight of this mission: if you fail, Freyr's soul will remain trapped forever. It is dangerous and no one's lives are guaranteed, so prepare yourselves for a fight quite unlike any other this far.

As you travel further from Asgard, you might notice the terrain getting a bit more uneven as the wagons move through undeveloped areas. There may be the odd village noticeable in the far off distance, but they are nowhere close enough to make out any distinguishable details because you don't want them distinguishing anything about you in return. These villages are few and far between, and grow even less in number the closer the caravan gets to Thrymheim. The terrain goes from rocky but arable to colder and harder, the temperature dropping increasingly as the earth grows solid and unforgiving, eventually peppering with light snowfall even in the midst of Yggdrasil's summer.

It will take two full days to reach Thrymheim travelling at as fast a pace as they can without wearing out the horses or catching unwanted attention. They will make short stops to feed and brush the horses, switch drivers, and allow for any necessary relief - but these breaks will last no longer than ten to twenty minutes at most. Simple meals will be served by the Natives thrice daily, and Travellers are welcome to attempt sleep on one of the meager pallets stocked up if they think they can manage it. Space is not abundant and neither is time. ]

[ OOC NOTES: This is part one of three for the Save Our Souls plot! Please put the day/location in the title of your comment along with [OPEN/CLOSED]. The second log can be found over here and the third and final log can be found here. Let us know if you have any questions! ]

Comments

[bloodypocket]

Do you? There are a number of medicinal supplies provided, as well as other healers already attending. [But he knows the dangers they are facing after looking at that inventory and realizing they would need as many healers as possible, yet that made Hibiko being here with them all the worse.]

Tell me, what did you plan to do if you succeeded in staying hidden? If you went straight into the midst of battle, there would be those caught off guard because they did not plan on another person being there. It could have cost their safety, and yours.

[saving_sound]

But my power is really strong. And this mission is going to be really dangerous, so they'll need as many healers as possible.

[She's been a healer for too long to accept that. Although the second part has her faltering again.]

...The spell only works for an hour, so there's no way I could have hidden that long. [Its main purpose was to get her on the way to the mission so the others couldn't stop her, not keep her out of sight for the entirety of their journey there. See, she can plan ahead too, Eyes!]

[bloodypocket]

[He listens to what she has to say carefully, expression carefully neutral even though the worry still burns through him. He understood her desire to help, but she was so young and inexperienced with this. An innocent. Someone like her should not have had to touch war.

Quietly he sighs, closing his eyes for a brief moment before continuing.] What do you plan to do? While your healing abilities can be hidden given appropriate measures, the enemy may think you an easy target because you are still young. They may come directly for you.

[saving_sound]

Then I'll stay by the wagons. If anybody needs help, I can use my healing, and I'll be able to get to the medical supplies quickly too. And it'll be harder for them to see me that way.

[bloodypocket]

And the wagons will be their primary target once they realize it's our only transportation. They will want to trap us in terrain they are familiar with, to better finish us off. [He wasn't trying to discourage her, because there really was no point to that now this far along, but he wants her to understand the dangers.]

I suppose that will also be where I stay. [He had been considering it anyway, with his power type.]

[saving_sound]

They won't be distracted by everybody else? [She had kind of assumed...]

Ah-- it's okay for you to stay behind? [Not that she... really knows if Eyes can even fight. Umm, wasn't his power related to music, too?]

[bloodypocket]

It's the duty of the reinforcements to delay them and clear the way for the teams responsible for retrieving Freyr. Enemies will be pursuing them, and before long they will notice that the wagons make for the best targets, once discovered. [He could come up with a variety of scenarios and reasons for why the wagons could be the most dangerous place, really.]

My power is both offensive and defensive, we will need as much of that as we can for this battle.

[saving_sound]

[Oh. Well, she knew it was going to be dangerous...]

...I'll find a way. As long as I stay by the others, I'll be safer that way, and then I can still heal.

[bloodypocket]

Then please stick with that plan. [He breathes in once, then releases it slowly. It wasn't often that his affections for her were placed at the forefront of his mind, but when they made their way there he found himself both frustrated and somewhat frightened. He wasn't supposed to be allowed this.]

I will remain close by as the teams come closer to us, and will take care of any enemies who make it that far before they do. But you are to stay close enough to the wagons that the given time, you may jump onto them and escape safely. Understood?

[saving_sound]

Okay...

[Although-- wait a second.]

...You'll be close by and jump up too, right? [She's not sure why, but there's a sudden fear, there. Her own safety is one thing, but she wants to make sure, absolutely certain, that Eyes will be safe as well.]

[bloodypocket]

Assuming that I am able and it will not hinder a safe escape, yes. [He didn't plan to die, not when there were still people that needed to be protected. People he wanted to protect. But if that was what it came down to, he was willing to throw himself to assure their survival.]

I will be nearby, don't worry about it.

[saving_sound]

Promise?

[She's worrying.]

[bloodypocket]

[Promise. What a foolish thing to ask, he can't promise her anything and he knows it no matter how much he may want to. His hands, held loosely at his sides, clench slightly in reaction to her request because he can't guarantee anything.]

I will do my best. [That was all he could give her for comfort.]

[saving_sound]

[But that's not a promise, Eyes...]

...Just... t-try to take care of yourself, too.

[bloodypocket]

Mm. [But it's the best he can give, he's not going to guarantee a future when he doesn't even know where he will be in it.]

Rest, for now. We still have another day's travel to go, and the weather will become colder.

[saving_sound]

[She shakes her head, although she does curl up a little tighter.]

I fell asleep earlier because I didn't get to very much at night, but... I don't think I can do it again.

[Too much worry. Too many nerves.]

[bloodypocket]

Then do you want me to stay here and keep you company? [He didn't have anything else to attend to, and now that he knew she was here he would prefer that she stay in his sight.]

[saving_sound]

You aren't too busy?

[bloodypocket]

Not so much that I can't stay here with you. I already made my preparations. [Even if he has to account for her now.]

[saving_sound]

[Well... She can't really argue against that. Instead, she wraps her arms around her knees close under the cloak, leaning back against the side of the wagon.]

If... If you're really sure.

[bloodypocket]

I'm sure. [After a brief pause, during what almost looked like a thoughtful expression crossed his face, he removes the soft white scarf he was wearing and places it around her instead.]

You need to stay warm.

[saving_sound]

Eh--

[Oh wow that sure is a scarf around her now. It is nice and soft, but...]

Rutherford-san... You don't need it?

[bloodypocket]

Not enough that I would object to giving it to someone else. [He adjusts it just a bit, leaning back from her once he's done.]

Think of it as a reminder of why we are here... That scarf was one of the first gifts given to those of Freyr's house.

[saving_sound]

Th-this is...?

[...Oh. Oh.]

But that just means it's even more important, doesn't it-?

[bloodypocket]

Yes, it is. All the more reason for you to be careful, we wouldn't want such a gift damaged would we?

[It was a dirty way to trick her into being more sage, but if it worked...]