I Know It Burns You // [ Conqs v. Monts Day 3]
Feb 23, 2013 20:38:51 GMT -5
Post by Baby Wessex d9b [earthling] on Feb 23, 2013 20:38:51 GMT -5
there's a sick little suicide in all that we do
you decide, which one's for you?
Another long night found them, even after they trudged away from the Temple of Sacrifice, even with the promise of water with the dawn. They were following the sounds of it, the rush of currents and the calls of birds. They quieted though as night fell and they were once again surrounded by jungle. Asunder yawned every few minutes, his body aching, his leg more of a burden than any of them should have to bear. But still he leaned on Owen and used his harpoon as a crutch. It was slow, thankless going but Asunder figured out early in the day that whining and crying over his leg didn’t make it any better. In some ways, it made it worse.
So he bit his lower lip and trudged on, even while the bruises turned ashy, even while the arm he had slung around Owen’s shoulders ached with the remnants of poison. He’d been lucky for too long, he decided. In the mines he’d never gotten anything worse than a scratch, while some of his crew mates had lost their lives. This was payback. This was justice. He kept repeating that mantra to himself, if only to keep his mouth from blathering. It was clear that Owen didn’t care to listen to his sudden outbursts and that the long silences between them were more comfortable.
Less awkward. It was a novelty for Asunder. He was almost sad to disentangle himself from the other tribute when a camping site was decided upon. Almost as soon as Owen stepped away, Asunder became acutely aware of his own body once again. The throbbing up and down his left side, the hollowness at his center, the ache in his chest. He didn’t miss anyone from Twelve in particular, but the entire district – the life he had left – made him heartsick. It was strange to be able to miss no one and everyone all at once. After a few feeble attempts at checking the plants around them (all poisonous), Asunder fell asleep to the promise of water.
Unlike the previous two nights, he slept poorly if at all. His dreams were haunted by the venom, filled with jaguar eyes. At some point he became aware of the dawn, but it clung to him, shadowed him even as he packed his bag. He felt the cloying entreaty of sleep, and of course now that they had to be moving, it seemed so right, that he should be sleeping. He was so obsessed with returning to dreamland that he didn’t notice that his arm felt normal, if a little tingly from the awkward tangle he’d gotten himself into overnight. He didn’t notice that his leg, though still black and blue, could now bend at the knee and carry some weight.
He slipped his arm through the teeth of the harpoon, determined to walk on his own for the day. “I at least gotta try,” he said to Owen, shaking his head. He was slower than the others and therefore ended up at the rear for most of their journey through the jungle to the gurgle of water. Would it be a creek and a pond? An undrinkable ocean? An oasis? He yearned for it, for all of the scenarios, for anything that would fill his belly.
He was still stupid with sleep when he heard the first shouts. His harpoon fell, heartbeat in his neck as he fumbled with his pack. He had a few extra, precious seconds. And for once, his fingers cooperated. He snagged the jar, dumped it over the contents remaining over his shoulder, and then pulled the rubble he had filched from the Temple to light a spark.
Six of his arrows caught in the blaze, and he wasted no time in sliding one along his bow. Some of the flame licked at the curved weapon, tasting it before he had a chance to aim and let fly.
[Asunder attacks William ; flaming arrow #1]
[dice=200+4000]
[Shallow Cut on Left Forearm -- 3.5 damage]
[dice=50]
[Severe burn (+8 damage, +Turn Delay)]
[Asunder uses 1 Jar of Tar and firemaking to light 6 arrows]
banner credit: thg's izoe
song: the matches sick little suicide
song: the matches sick little suicide
[rand=888814134668737642113030231460324128678559327952475432579539772072]