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Ol'random

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From: Somewhere by the Mountains

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'Erg' the Blog-Slayer, Round III: Destroyer of Worlds - LP 10/24/19

OOC: Thanks to Greg/Willow for putting this whole plot-line on! It's been fun!

Erg (Pvt. Dom),
Cpl. Felicity,
Sgt. Gregorian,
Rcr. Isla,
Pvt. Nilear,
Cpl. Terrence,
and Mj. Varus
(+many, many toads).

After the plans for rescue...

Containment. Imprisonment. It's a first for Isla - the closest approximation to her current situation being that time a magic trick went wrong and set fire to a local tavern. But the troupe had paid the proper dues, done some service, and been free to go after a good laugh with local authorities - this is different. There's no rationale, no fine to pay, no crime, and no escape. So, the doe stews. Her brain whirring. There is still a way out, she knows, she just doesn't know what that is. The recruit is currently sat on the ground of her cage, singing softly to herself. It's a nonsense song, nonsense lyrics, just something to fill the space of silence and anxiety, something that she can feel in control of, for that moment.

The novelty of the prisoners has finally worn off, and, with the exception of one or two toad guards, most of the amphibians have gone back to their autumn schedule - that is to say mostly just sitting around during the day and tossing rocks at each other while during the night is more of the same but with fire and food. One of the few not sitting is the toad watching the hares, leaning on a crude spear as it lazily tries to catch one of the many, many bug that's buzzing in the swamp and village. Too preoccupied with this task, it doesn't give much thought to how Isla is singing or what she's saying, not like it could understand the hare anyway.

Someone appreciates the song at least as to the back of the cage one of other recruits, Nilear looks up. He's been silent a lot, accepting of his fate and short run life as a patroller so he's not even made any attempt to interact with the toads. For a moment he's just listening to the tune before the words finally reach him and he looks confused "...That doesn't even make any sense"

"Ugly things, bumpy things, be they beasts or something less -" Isla babbles, albeit rhythmically. "Wee, wop, bop, slop." Plucking a wet stick from the mud, she taps out her own beat against the bars. Could she break out of the wooden cage? She doubts it. Could she escape the toads upon doing so? She doubts it even more. A sigh weaves its way into her melody. Think. Her arm has grown hotter, sending shooting stabs of pain every time she moves it. She's been soaking in filth since the injury, and she has little doubt that an infection is taking hold. She tries not to look at it too closely. Do toads have any thoughts on disease? Perhaps they would release her if they thought she had one which could spread. More likely, they would just kill her and save themselves the trouble. She tucks the idea away for further contemplation. "S'not like they can understand it." She responds to Nilear with a shrug. "Just needed noise wot wasn't -" She waves out at the toad slurping bugs from the air. "That."
Everyone's a critic.

The toad was quite happy with its snack, smacking its lips. However, it notices the two hares converse, albeit after a minute or so. With a croak and a, "Glrulg!" It raps the cage bars harshly with its spearbutt were Isla had been tapping, but doesn't do much beyond that, instead searching for another bug to snap up. The buzzing of the marsh bugs, even this far into the fall, is nearly maddening.

"You're just attractin' that" Nilear sounds frustrated "You keep drawin' them over and" he's cut short as the toad hits the bars and he flinches. He has to bite his tongue and clench his paws to try and keep calm or at least avoid completely losing it "I swear if he does that again..." he mutters and flicks his ear as a bug lands on it.

"Maybe I want 'im to." Isla mutters back with the flicker of an idea. She gives him a smirk and stands, moving to the side of the cage closer to their guard. "Toooooooooads!" She sings. Her voice, at least, is lovely - she depended on it long enough. But the lyrics are ugly and nonsense, as Nilear has pointed out. She lapses into the tune the troupe used to improvise sea shanties. Lilting and easy, rising and falling like the waves, the kind of beat any drunken beast can beat a tankard to. "Ya ever seen a frogbeast, after sailin' out ta sea? All dried an' salty worthless, as they are now ta me. Bu' th' thing bout toads whats been salted out an' dried, is it's preferable eatin', if yer other options died!" She hollers the melody through the bars.

The long tongue of the toad leaps out through the bars to snatch the bug by Nilear's ears, the disgusting wet sound loud and accompanied by sprays of spittle. With happy croak the guard munches on its new snack, content for now. When the other hare starts singing, it glares at them both, vaguely aware 'toad' being some sort of insult for them. It leaps back as Isla gets closer, startled, raising its spear point and poking lightly at the hare. "Kilp! Glo-Har!" It croaks, keeping out of reach from the cage. As the singing continues, the guard relaxes, somewhat, enthralled by the pleasant voice - but the spear is still kept pointed at her, if a bit laxly.

"The you're goin' to get us all killed like Zolomon" Nilear mutters back harshly when Isla suggests she wants the toad's attention. There's some debate if Zolomon made it of course. When last seen he was being dragged off after Dom killed him but then there was a lot of toads running off afterwards. Nilear is firmly of the belief he's dead and Dom's an insane lunatic now. He flinches again as the tongue snaps over his head and he freezes at the sound and spit. For a minute he's just stuck there, his brain broken before he shudders with a "Yeeeeacht!" he frantically rubs his head with his sleeves.

"We're gonna die anyway." Isla mutters back, but doesn't take her eyes off her now captivated audience. "Th'rain is black an' bitter, th'sea is twice as so, but I still prefer th'Dark Forest, to th'marshes stinky glow." Struggling to keep up with the melody, the words remain nonsense. But the toads don't understand, nor do they pay her - so on she goes. "Sticky slime an' bugs t'dine ain't a meal wot happy bellies crave, but give me yer damn spear, ya clod, so I cin poke ya through th'nave!"

A throaty chuckle comes from the guard at Nilear's discomfort, distracting it from Isla song; but her audience isn't just one, now. Two more toads had shuffled over at the noise, and now croak in enjoyment of the hare's singing. The guard's spear is lowered even more, the tip practically in the cage. "Clog...?" One of the other toads looks confusedly as its fellows, earning a shrug in return. "Har-Kilp, Glo-Ush."

Nilear suddenly stops and his shoulders slump after Isla's reminder "Right...good point" he just sits lost in thought for a moment but Isla's singing still brings up back and he watches her for a good minute before he spots the toad's spear is right by the cage and he looks away, trying not to draw the toad's attention to it "Holy hell it's workin'" he mutters back.

The performer-turned-Patrol-recruit gives a knowing smirk, but keeps singing. She's still lilting on in that wavering shanty melody, but lapses from nonsensical lyrics about the swamp to an answer to Nilear: "A'course it's workin', ya stupid buck, now all we needs a litttttle -" Isla continues singing, her brain running through rhymes even as she tenses for her next move. "Luck!" She lurches forward, moving forward to try and snatch the spear from the toad through the bars, a foot jutting forward to block the tip and keep it on the ground, should the guard try to stab her with it, but she doesn't want to break off the tip - but anything is better than nothing, which is what they have right now.

"GLARG!" The toad guard croaks, tagging franticly at the now trapped spear. The other two toads look at each other, perplexed, before croaking out for help. "HAR-GLARG!" They shout, not moving to help the guard in any way besides that. They're not on duty right now, after all. Soon, more croaking can be heard as the village slowly responds to the plea for help even as the guard struggles to free the spear while shrieking. Its grip is loosening the more it pulls back.

Felicity has been quiet most of the time they've been imprisoned.  She's been thinking about her uncle Flint, who had been a prisoner of these same toads for many seasons.  It almost seems as if her family is doomed to always be encountering the amphibians in less than ideal circumstances.  She also has been trying to come up with ways to escape.  Not having come up with much in the way of good ideas, she's been watching the Recruits doing whatever in the world they're up to.  Meanwhile, whenever the toads have been distracted, she's been sorting through the debri that has been chucked at them, finding some pebbles that were encased in the soil that had been chucked at them and hiding them away in her stone pouch.  It had been emptied when she was captured, but the toads aren't searching them every day.  She's also found a sharp stone.  As the croaks start to increase in volume, the Corporal looks up from rolling the soil into balls (there's a lot of clay in this soil) and rolls her eyes instead.  "Great. Y'shoulda tried beltin' 'im unconscious first."  She pulls out her sharp stone and hides it in her sleeve, gaze darting around the cage to see if she can find a way to open it.  She's been looking for that this whole time.

Nilear starts to get nervous all over as Isla keeps singing and he grabs a couple of thrown rocks in his paw too and tenses. When Isla springs he does too and gets right up to the bars before throwing the rocks at the toad, trying to get him to loosen his grip.

"GIVE!" Isla hollers at the toad, gripping the spear and yanking back on it, hard. It sends flames of pain through her swollen arm, and she has to grit her teeth. For a moment, the shock of the sensation sets her world to spinning, but she powers through. It's not hard to, the adrenaline is coursing through her now, narrowing her focus but dulling her pain. Kicking out through the bars, the doe bares her teeth at the guard. "GIVE!" Felicity's remarks are ignored, but filed away for later complaint-sessions with her fellow recruits, should she ever see them again. Should any of them see anyone outside of these cages, again. She pushes that thought away, too.

The toad does give, leaping back with a howl. It manages to spare a moment to glare daggers at the two bystanders who aren't doing anything - and who continue to do both but watch, having finished crying for help - before the guard picks up a stone and hurls it at the spear thief. By now some toads had heeded the croaks, and a few more amphibians armed with spears make their way over. They're taking their sweat time, though, not really wanting to deal with problems today.

Felicity steps up beside the Recruits, sharp rock in paw.  "Mmm...may'ap 'twasn't as bad an idea as I thought.  Least we got a real weapon now.  Y'know 'ow t'use a spear?"  She pats her waist, forgetting for a moment that her sling had been confiscated.  Instead she gets another rock out of her stone pouch, still looking for a way out.  Could they push the roof off?

Nilear ducks his head as the rock is thrown back even though it's not thrown at him. As soon as it doesn't hit him he looks up quickly and looks victorious "Ha! I can't believe that worked" he does a little mocking jig and laughs at the toad "Yah warty idiots!" he seems relieved for the first time since they were caught. He looks to Felicity "Better with a sword but it got covered in the trainin'!" he looks back at the toad with the unconcerned back up slowly approaching "So wot's the plan?" he asks Isla.

Victory! There's a flash of pride - good ideas. She has them, sometimes. The pride is short lived, as the sudden release of the spear sends Isla stumbling backwards, and she falls to the ground with a 'WHUMP'... But she's holding a spear when she does so. "Let's party!" The doe yelps, tears of pain springing unbidden to her eyes every time she uses her left arm - luckily she's right-pawed. But she doesn't use the spear to attack - no, she knows her strengths. They're in her head. Scrambling to the far side of the enclosure, away from the guards, she jams the spear through the bars, stabbing the tip into the mud and using the shaft as a lever. She just needs to bend, break, or lift the cage enough to allow an opening - if it can work. She's lifted the troupe's cart out of the mud with less, before - but she's making it up as she goes along. "KEEP 'EM BUSY!" She hollers in response to Nilear, not bothering with rank right now. She's a recruit - what's the worst they can do, demote her? 
She's got a plan, of course she's got a plan. "Th'plan is to improvise!"

The single guard, now, thoroughly angry, bends to toss another rock, more viciously this time, at the hares. The two other toads start backing away from the cage and the enraged guard. More toads gather around now, and it seems their plan is to chuck rocks at the offending hares. "Glag! Glag!" They croak as a chant, letting Isla be even as some amphibians stand by with evil grins. "Croak."

Felicity points to one corner of the cage.  "Covah those 2 sides?"  She orders to Nilear as she darts to the opposite corner.  Tossing rocks back at the toads, she glances around to double check if they're surrounded or not.  "EULALIA!  Come and see th' colour o' y'insides, toad scum!!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Nilear tries to dodge rocks and gets hit by more than he avoids "Keep the busy how? By bein' target practice?!" he shouts back at Isla before doing what Felicity tells him and getting to the other corner. He too starts throwing the rocks back and shouting angrily "Sod off! Yah smell worse than my grandda's armpit, go die in a ditch!"

She's throwing all of her weight into leveraging the cage-top off of their pit, and every ounce of Isla shows that strain and effort. Her arm aches and burns, the pain nearly blinding her, but every sinewy muscle in the lithe teen is twitching and flexing with the effort. Her head is ducked as the thrown rocks dig their stony teeth into her hide, nipping worse than those biting insects ever could. She never thought she'd miss the bugs. "B-Budge! Ya stoopid thing!" She pants through gritted teeth. "Gimme a paw!" She hollers to someone, anyone.

The efforts of the hares are met by laughs - it seems many of the armed toads present find them entertaining. And who could blame them? Since cage fights with 'Erg' had been stopped after Zolomon's faked death, there hasn't been much to do in toad village. However, some are deadset on stopping the hares, especially now that two of their number are knocked out by the captive's throws. A few bunch together infront of were Isla is letting the cage, spears ready, waiting for the breakout with a few jabs through the cage here and there. However, these toad don't really want to kill the hares, just try to get them back in their cage - the hares are quite literally all they have for fun for the coming winter.

"'Elp 'er, Recruit!  I'll do m'best t'keep 'em at bay," Felicity orders, barely avoiding getting knocked unconscious by a rock.  The cut she sustained when they were captured is reopened a little, but she ignores the blood as she chucks rocks back at the toads and then tries to grab one of the spears being poked at the younger doe.  Stuffing her sharp rock into her stone pouch, she tugs on whatever spear she grabs with both of her strong arms, silently grateful for all the exercises she's done in the Patrol in her life.  "EULALIAAA!!  Gimme that blasted spear, you slimy excuse f'r a doorstop!"

Nilear doesn't need telling twice as he's already fed up of being pelted with rocks. He'll have more bumps than the toads soon. He springs over and grabs the spear too, pulling down sharply with his weight put in to it "Come on! Move the soddin' thing!"

One of the toads is surprised when Felicty grabs their spear. He really shouldn't be but they just don't learn from the mistakes of others. He tugs back on it with an angry croak but two others are quick to take their attention off of Isla and aim their poking spears towards Felicity now. They don't want them getting another spear!

Felicity kicks at the offending spears and, while keeping a grip on the spear she has, leaps back and intentionally falls to the muddy floor of the pit/cage/thing.  She's gross anyway, so it doesn't really matter to her anymore.  "Keep goin'!" she orders the Recruits.

The toad stubbornly refuses to let go but regrets it as Felicity leaps back and takes the spear and the toad with it. The spear finally comes free of his grip as the toad collides with the cage bars hard and flops against them a bit dazed.

Felicity has a spear!  Yay!  She leaps up and goes to stab the toad she took it from, then whirls and starts stabbing at toads that just get much too close.  "EULALIA!  Blood an' vinegar! Tha's whot y'get f'capturin' Patrollahs!  'SSS DEATH!!"

The dazed toad looks surprised again as he's stabbed and gurgles, struggling for a second before he lies against the bars dead. They now have two spears and the recruits are struggling to get the cage open still. This was getting out of hand but the toads had tried poking them with spears and they'd tried throwing rocks at them! They were all out of ideas and angrily croaked as then backed up quickly just out of Felicity's range when she starts stabbing all over the place.

Felicity whirls 'round, glaring at the gathered amphibians murderously.  "Tha's right, y'ugly mugs.  Get close an' y'll get a taste o' m'spear, wot!!"  The Runner refuses to take into consideration the fact that she never really mastered using a spear -- swords are more her thing.  And slings.  But she can stab through the bars of a cage pretty well, right?  She keeps slowly spinning, spear level, ready to find a toad to end its life.  "Come a little closah -- haven't done th' dance o' battle in quite a while, wot!  EULALIAAAAAA!!"

A couple of the toads at least prod the dead one off of the bars and far enough to grab him and drag him out the way. None of them seem to want to be the next one to go forward but the biggest takes charge and shoves one forward while he circles around to try and get behind Felicity and attack from there.

Felicity wasn't born yesterday.  Noting that the shoved one was, well, shoved forward, she whirls, following the sneaky one with her gaze and the spear.  "Oh, no, y'don't," she growls.  "'M not gonna let y'get be'ind me THAT easily, y'stupid blaggahd."

Meanwhile across in the dunes a tent has been set up for the officers with all the maps and reports on a little folding table so they can sit there and stare at them for hours. That's what Greg's been doing with them anyway. Staring and thinking. He's not even sure quite where his mind has wandered in his attempts to run over the plans they have and iron out the problems.

Terrence, who is standing behind the officers, is present if only because on of the maps has his basic plan outlined on it. The corporal remains silent, watching his higher ups staring and waiting for the moment some hare speaks.

Gregorian runs a paw over his face and finally sits up straighter "Corporal? Could yah run through the plan one more time?" He must have run through it plenty of times already but the waiting around is bothering him.

Varus has, of course, brought out the same veterans he brought a few days ago to save this sorry lot. He has faith in their many seasons of accumulated experience. "'Asn't th' Corporal already explained it?" He says out loud, as he enters the tent. "I'm goin' in wi' mah group t' create a diversion, while you free th' prisonahs..."

Looking between the major and sergeant, the corporal begins, again. "Er, Sah, like the Majah says, the goal is to get the toads as far away from the prisoners as possible, wot," Terrence points to the map, drawing a line with his finger to the opposite side from the captives. "And fight them over here. While you and me, Sarge, go with the smaller group to free the prisoners using hatchets to cut down the wooden bars, wot."

Gregorian throws out a salute as the major appears "Numerous times sah" he nods at the corporal's repetition of the plan "This exercise hasn't exactly been without it's problems. The last thing I want is more casualties"

Varus gestures to the old veterans he brought with him. "Trust me. If all goes accordin' t' plan, there should be no casualties." He harrumps. "I paw-picked th' most experienced hares in th' mountain, wot..."

"Sah, I actually have something that might help with that, wot." Terrence says, rolling out a large chart on what little free space is left on the command table, "Is this."

The image is that of two rectangles, with several smaller circle to their side and back. "It's a battle field deployment - the runners, once done setting fire to everything the toads hold dear, lure the slimy beasts to the main fighting force, deployed like this - two sets of three ranks deep, with every hare in this armed with long spears. The runners go to this formations flanks, protecting it in case toads try to go around. A fair amount of archers behind this rain their fury on the toads, wot."

The toads have lost two spears and a fellow toad and seemed no closer to getting the weapons back as they were finding it hard to even get near the cage. The longer it went on the angrier they were getting and the louder the croaking became with more toads coming out to see what was happening and laugh at the idiots who let the prisoners get hold of their weapons.

Gregorian nods once to Varus before Terrence draws his attention with additional planning and he looks over the diagrams "Somethin' from yah old reports I'm guessin'?" his ears perk a little as the swamps seem to be getting louder again "Hm. How soon could yah sort this tahgethah? They're soundin' excited again" the last time that happened Zolomon stumbled out of the swamps.

Varus harrumps, and nods. "Yes, I found th' Corporal's battle plan to be very well thought out, wot. 'E's got a good 'ead on 'is shouldahs, wot." His ears perk, and turns to glance outside. "Right, somethin's 'appenin'... I suggest we kick this plan inta high gear..."

The corporal, whose ears were up and alert at the sarge's words, rubs the back of his neck, saying to Varus, "Well, thank you, sah..." He taps the paper, looking at the sergeant with a rueful grin, "Inspired by, more than anything, Sah, wot. Usually stuff like is reserved for major battles and the like - I don't think I've seen this used by a relatively small group such as us here before, but I think it'll work... If it does, the runners can move forward and envelope the toads, and you, Sah," Terrence turns towards the major, "Can deal with the blighters any way you want - Even set them on fire, wot, as I've heard you'd like to! Though I can't imagine the smell being all that pleasant, wot wot."

"Well, I guarantee the toads won't be anywhere near as organised" Greg replies as he gets up and heads out of the tent "Everyone! Front and centah! Runnahs ovah here. Fightin' force Corporal Terrence will give yah some additional instructions. The toads are makin' a dreadful racket and we intend tah put an end tah it tahday!" he yells around the little camp as he starts directing hares in to their groups.

Varus hrmms. "Truth be told, Lad, th' fire is chiefly f'r their village, wot. I want it burned t' th' ground, an' I want th' toads driven outta th' area..." He steps out of the tent. "Right! Fightahs, atteeeen-shun!" He's speaking to his grizzled old veterans now, who look like they're ready for some toad soup. "Yahr wi' me. We're gonna provide th' distraction, wot!"

"GO, GO, GO!" We re-join our friends in toad captivity, covered in sweat, mud, blood, and other questionable swamp good. Sufficient effort and injury leaves a gap just enough for a body to squeeze through between the top-cage over their pit, and the mud itself. Isla isn't wasting any time, and is dragging herself through the mud, leading with her spear. Of course, no toads will take kindly to that sort of blatant escape, so she hopes her back-up can watch her back long enough for her to find her feet - if she can create a distraction, she might be able to draw some of them away from the others! Of course, she has to get all the way out, first. Alive.

Once the major is done, the corporal gives the instructions to the troops, emphasizing the point about the spears, and, once finished, moves over to stand by Sergeant Greg. He starts to put a hatchet at his side and his rapier on his other, saying, "Looks like I'm with you for all this, Sah."

Nilear is still weaponless so Felicity may have to do most of the defending and distracting work but he does at least go to give Isla a paw up to the top of the cage, throws a few rocks while she's trying to regain her feet and then he jumps up to scramble after her. The toads are out in numbers by now but most are there to watch not help. The figure the guards must have this covered still as they've mostly surrounded the pit and try to force the hares back with their spears.

Gregorian nods once to Terrence "Hope for a good distraction and poorly made cages then lad" he signals their readiness to Varus and then to the runners "Runnahs! Yah know yah job, draw them from the cages. Get tah it and stay safe" he says before he starts off in to the swamps, following paths he knows to be safe through the marshlands.

Varus throws a salute, as does his group of veterans. "Right ho, Lads... Blood 'n' vinegah, wot!" He leads them out behind Greg's group, following the same path carefully.

This isn't going to work. The thought smacks Isla, hard, about the same time that the flat of a large stone smacks her, hard. With a yelp, she has to throw her arms over her head, half in, half-out of their prison. The spear in her paw waves wildly, blindly, as her legs scrabble at the sides of the pit to propel her the rest of the way out. It's not going to work - but she isn't going to die in a cage, that much she's decided. "Ack! Bloomin'! Hellsteeth! Scuts'n guts!" She swears in a steady stream, struck by rocks and nicked by speartips. The toads may not want to kill their entertainment, but they don't seem to have much of an understanding of the long-term effects of their attacks.

With a dry chuckle, Terrence responds, "Certainly, sah!" he tightens his belt, adjusting were his sword hangs so as to make running easier, "They are made by toads, Sarge, so I think a few minutes of good l'hacking will do the job, wot!" The corporal's following Greg closely through the marsh, now, paw on his rapier.

Felicity leaps forward to stab at the toads who are in turn stabbing at Isla.  "EULALIAAA!  DEATH BEFORE SURRENDAH!  EULLAAAALLLIIIIAAAA!!!"  She stabs out in many different directions, trying to keep the toads away from her comrades, trusting that they'll help her get out, too.  "We'll needta get Dom!  I think 'e's somewhere around 'ere, wot!  EULALIAAA!!"

Nilear throws back rocks where he can until he gets a toad in the head and they fall close enough for him to grab their weapon and join the fight against the spears "He killed Private Zolomon!" he shouts, arguing against Felicity over going for Dom "He might kill us all too! We should just try and get out of here"

The closer the rescue party get the more they can hear and Greg's never heard a frog yelling eulalia before. He curses under his breath "They're fightin' alright..." he looks back at the group quickly "Stick tah the plan but get a move on!" he hurries up quickly and signals the runners to get in position while he takes his group to the other side to get in place ready for the distraction as soon as Varus and the fighters are in place too.

Felicity glares at the argumentative Recruit.  "I don't bloody care what 'e did, we are NOT leavin' 'im be'ind an' that's an ordah, Recruit!  If 'e tries t'kill us, I'll deal with 'im.  Don't argue wi' y'superiahs!!"

Felicity's actions do provide enough of a distraction to allow Isla to rise to a shaky stand, leaving room for another to slither out of the cage. "MAKE A RUN FAH IT!" She shouts, tucking her head, pointing her spear dead ahead, and charging to the left, trying to isolate a target, trying to keep herself alive just a little longer. She's hot all over - she knows it's not all from the exertion or the marsh's ecosystem. She's hot. She's sick - even the tiniest of wounds can bloom into an infection strong enough to kill a badger - isn't that what they'd been taught in their classes? "Shut up, Nilear, I'm gonna find Dom. GET OU' YOU LOT!" She's running, she's yelling, she's probably dying, and she has no idea that help is on the way. Let's find the big guy.

Varus can hear the yelling. "Yes, that's Felicity! Right, 'urry it up, mates!" He breaks into a trot now, and his troops follow, making their way toward the village as quickly as possible. It's already in view, so he yells, "Eulaliaaaa! BLOOD 'N' VINEGAH!" to get the toads undivided attention.

"No plan survives first contact..." Terrence mutters with a wry grin, hearing the patrol war cry - and the croaks. "Yes, sah!" The corporal picks up his pace, hot on the Sarge's tail. Fiddling with the hilt of his sword, he gets into position alongside Gregory and the rescue party. "So, eh, wot now, sarge? Seems we might have a fight on our paw, wot, no matter what the majah's up to."

Nilear thinks they're all insane but he gives up, he's not going to argue "Right. Fine" he snaps as he gets a toad in the gut "We're all goin' tah die anyway lets go rescue the insane behemoth"

Gregorian snorts at Terrence's words. That always seems to ring true. As Varus' group starts yelling the toads that were just watching or relaxing quickly realise there's a second attack and a lot of them take off with angry yells towards Major's group. Greg holds his group there long enough to give them a good head start "Well I'm nevah one tah say no tah a fight. No yellin' though, keep it fast and quiet we don't want the rest of them comin' back this way" he says as he going quick and silent until the first thing a toad knows about it is a hammer to the head.

Felicity has escaped the cage!  Yay!  Roaring her battle cry, she stabs out semi-expertly at the toads with her spear.  Making a mental note to let their superiours know once they get back that the Recruit needs more training on teamwork, she keeps her subordinates in sight.  "Isla, wait for us, that's an ordah!  'SSSS DEATH TO YE!!"  she informs a toad as she skewers him.  At the sound of the shouting from the rescue party, she schreeches out her loudest 'eulalia' yet to let them know exactly where the (now escaped) prisoners are.  Will they be able to reach Dom's cage?

"He's our insane behemoth!" Isla counters Nilear, swinging to follow Felicity and the other recruit. She drops into a charge at one of the armed toads and, whether she meant to or not, her spear makes contact. Burying itself into a toads gut, her momentum carries her forward longer than she had meant to, and when she manages to grind to a halt, her fists are almost pressed to the toad's stomach, the spear protruding far out of its back. She's face to face with it, her own eyes wide and terrified as they stare into his - wide and terrified. A throaty 'hurk' sprays her face with blood, and she staggers backwards still holding the spear. It looses itself with a sickening sound, leaving the toad to slump to the ground. Isla is frozen, flecked with gore and mud. She's never killed anyone before.

Varus is rushing in there like death, yelling loudly with his compatriots, all with weapons drawn. "Right, let's kill these monstahs, burn th' village, 'n' go 'ome!"

"Yes Sah!" The corporal mutters as he draws his weapon, rushing after Greg. Soon, another toad falls, Terrence's rapier stuck in it's back. Pulling the blade out of the dead creature, the corporal slices at another toad who had started to turn to see why its fellow didn't answer. It too slumps to the ground, a look of surprise on its face as it gurgles out. "Over there, Sah!" The buck points with his sword to the three escaped hares, before cutting his way through the toads towards them.

Gregorian sees the escapees after Terrence points them out "Well, how nice, they saved us the trouble of gettin' them out of the cage" he says with pleasant surprise as he breaks another toad skull "Lets get ovah there before they finish the fight for us" he gestures quickly for his troop to break through the toads quickly to get the captives some back up fast.

Felicity catches up with Isla and curses under her breath.  "ISLA!"  She goes to grab the maiden and give her a shake.  "Keep movin' afore that 'appens t'you, an' that's an ordah!  MOVE!"  Literally the opposite of the way the Corporal prefers dealing with this, but they don't have time for anything other than tough love right now.  Going to push the Recruit forward, the Runner keeps stabbing at the toads around them, shouting her war cry as they contu=inue to fight their way to Dominik's cage.

She's never killed anyone before, and it takes that a solid minute to sink into Isla's head. She's frozen, at some point jostled by something but she doesn't feel it. The shouts sound distant, in fact, the sudden brevity of her actions must have broken something - because she could almost swore she heard more hares yelling. Felicity's voice sounds distant and muffled, but reality slowly pieces back together. It's with the shake that she comes back to herself, though her gaze is far away. She stares at Felicity, as if confused by how she got there, but the corporal's actions are enough. It's an act - compartamentalize, move on. "B-Blood an' vinegar!" She manages to croak out, her vision blurred by tears. She scrubs them away with the back of a paw, and spins, spear pointed, and with a deep breath, follows after Felicity and Nilear, searching for Dom's cage.

Varus's force meets the oncoming horde of amphibians with a clash of blades, copious croaking, and plenty of stabbing to be had. The first toads to crash into Varus' group go down with little more than a collective "URK," as the seasoned veterans prove far more disciplined and skilled at swordplay. "Right, y' ugly wart-faced buffoons, keep it comin'! Y' got faces not even yahr mothahs could love!"

For his part, Terrence is close now to Isla and the others - and Dom's cage. As he hacks down another toad, he waves his free paw up in the air, calling, "EULALIA! Patrol hares, over here!" There's no point in being silent now, not when the three hares one's supposed help rescue are the center of the toads attention.

Dominik's cage was situated a good distance away from the others...whether that was intentional or merely pure coincidence is anyone's guess. Being that it was the toads that decided, it's more than likely completely by accident. Still, the attention drawn by Isla and the other prisoners during their initial 'attack' with the stolen spears was more than adequate enough to draw away most of if not all of the toads that had been hanging around Dominink's enclosure. Finding the space around the cage now almost completely abandoned, the hulking hare that crouches in the corner ever so slowly rises up to his full height. Making his way towards the section of the cage where Dom had spend a lot of his time gnawing at various spots in the bars during times when the toads weren't watching him quite as closely, the large hare lingers there a moment, his head tilting as he looks over the section of cage. A slow grin spreads over his muzzle, and he rears back with a strong footpaw, leg muscles tensing, as he swings it forward and connects with the bars. There is a loud 'ker-ACKKK' as Dom manages to actually fell the entire wall of the cage; it sloooowly teeters a moment, before toppling forward and hitting the ground with a loud 'fa-WUMPF'. Toad construction at its finest, ladies and gentlehares. The path now open and clear for the loopy hare, he steps out of his cage, the commotion in the rest of the village not too far away reaching his ears. There is an escape path if he were to simply go straight ahead, however immediate escape is -not- in the large hare's plans. Eyes narrowing, Dom crouches down and grips the bars of the felled cage wall. With a loud snap, he breaks off two of the wooden bars, their ends sharp and jagged. Peering down at them, that smile crosses his muzzle again. The fearsome hare rises up again, made all the more terrifying by his rough and disheveled condition; his normally rugged and handsome face is scarred, streaked with the pale yellow of the toadblood he had used for facepaint as well as his own dried blood, and his ears are folded against the back of his head. His uniform is torn in various spots, dirty and unkempt...but that is the least of his concerns at the moment. Turning, he searches out the nearest area for any nearby toads...he heads in the direction of the fighting, one thing and one thing only on his mind.

They just need to find Dominik and then... "I'll be dunked an'quartered." Isla gapes. "Th'Patrol is 'ere!" She can hear Terrence hollering, but Isla is still running in the last direction she knew Dominik to be contained, hot on Nilear and Felicity's heels. She makes some stabbing motions at the enemy, but she seems hesitant to make contact again - that was horrible. That was truly awful - but she'll deal with it later. On with the show, Isla! "...It looks like he didn't need our bally 'elp afterall." Her own warpaint is not as intentional as Dom's, which makes his all the more terrifying. While Isla is smeared in blood, mud, and grime, it's the random chaos of the situation - not... Whatever it is that big guy has going on. "Right." She changes course, heading for Terrence's voice calling out to them. They might survive after all!

Varus and his old fogies are cutting down toads, left and right. "C'mon now, boys! On t' th' village!" He assumes the rescue is going well. At least he hopes. In the meantime, one of his hares, who's carrying a torch, finally sets fire to the nearest hut that counts for a toad house, and it goes up like a bonfire...

A very loud and very vulgar curse escapes Terrence when he sees the three run off in the exact opposite direction as him. He rushes off after them, batting away toads left and right with the flat of his blade.  "WHAT THE BLOODY-" The corporal comes to stop when he gets a good look at what has become of Dominik (and the others), his jaw hanging open for a moment. "Wot..." He shakes his head, speechless, but sees the three hares now coming his way. "I think Pvt. Dom'll be alright for now, wot!" He calls to them, giving a long, savage cut to a nearby toad. "You three, we need to move it! NOW!" The rest of the rescue party are nearby, fighting, even as smoke bellows up from the village. Croaks grow more and more frantic around them all.

Dominik seems to have some form of tunnel vision at the moment; the other Patrollers are there, but Dom seems to look right past them, his pace increasing in speed as he finally spots what he was looking for. Lifting one of the improvised spears into the air, Dom's voice booms out, echoing throughout the marshes and more than likely striking fear into the hearts of those toads who can hear it, and who now can see their once-revered 'Erg' now out of his cage, and about to put some serious hurt on toadflesh. "ERG!!!!!!" Following this with a roar that builds deep within his chest before exploding outwards, Dom is like a hare possessed. Striding into the nearest group of toads, he cuts them down like stalks of corn. Very slimy, warty and green corn. Using the wooden cage bars as both a striking and a stabbing implement, Dom knocks toads left and right, the creatures falling in front of him. He doesn't care who they are, if they are even remotely toadlike, they are struck down with a vengeance. Isla's changed course was likely a wise idea.

She just has to get to the other hares, and then this nightmare will be as good as over. As she rushes forward, Isla trips over something and slides a solid half-meter through muck. Turning around to see what it is that caught up her foot, she sees another dead toad. She blanches, but goes to rise - in time to see one of the ugly blighters raising a webbed hand to fling a rock into her face. On instinct, she stabs out again with the spear, stabbing up through the soft, papery skin of the thing's chin. It's dead instantly, going limp where it stands and collapsing on top of her. Isla has to shove and scramble, panicking slightly, to squeeze out from beneath its rubbery weight. "No, no, no-" Her breathing is ragged, but she has the sense to yank her spear free again. "Corporal!" She gasps out, joining Terrence, the Sarg, and their group.

The fire the old retired Sergeant Mayweather set has taken hold, and begins to spread quickly. Soon over half the huts are ablaze, and the flames are encroaching on the prisoner pens. Varus hacks down another toad, only to have two more pop up. They appear to be enraged to have their playthings escape, and their village turn into an inferno, and they don't seem to be too keen about retreating. Fortunately these old hares have seen a thing or two, and they more than match the amphibians' strength...

"Brought a hatchet if you'd rather use that, wot!" Terrence says while dispatching a toad with a quick jab to the throat, a wide grin on his face now the hares are back. "Bloody-well good to see you still in one piece, Isla - same goes for you two!" He calls over to Nilear and Felicity. "Now, then, time to get you lot back home, wot!" The corporal has enough sense about him to keep a very wide berth from were Dom was having his 'fun', and the sarge's group starts to back slowly away from the now fully panicked and enraged toads, with the hare's swords and spears at the ready and slaying any amphibian that comes too close. "Maybe you and the others should stick behind us, recruit," Terrence mutters to Isla, hacking at another toad. "Let us fight, and get a bit of respite, wot wot!"

Dominik currently has no intentions of going anywhere but where his instincts are taking him...and that is in the direction of those groups of toads who are fleeing and panicked as their village is quickly becoming engulfed in flames. As Dom continues to cut through the unfortunate toads who are either not fast enough to get away or just too stupid to realize that fighting him is a lost cause, he seems to be laser focused on one toad in particular. Said toad seems to notice that Dom's eyes had now fallen upon him, and he gives a panicked croak as he turns and tries to flee. To no avail, however, as Dom reaches down with a hefty paw and grabs him by the back of the neck. "Glurg! ERG DAL GLOG!" Dom croaks in a very toadlike manner, but with enough of his own deep voice in there to make the odd words sound more intimidating. He lifts the toad...who seemingly had been the one who stood on the high platform during Dom's fights...and leans forward, taking a nice sized bite out of the side of his neck. Jerking his head to the side, he tears the toad practically in two using his paws as well, letting the corpse drop to the ground. Stepping on it, Dom continues onwards, following after fleeing toads instead of heading in the other direction with his comrades.

Everything is going up in flames, and those fires reflect in Isla's eyes as she turns her horrified gaze back onto the village as she flees it. A wordless nod answers Terrence, her teeth gritted so hard that she can feel the tension headache building. She drops the spear without a word and takes the hatcheStick behind. Get respite. Look present as she dissociates further from the reality of the situation - which is due in part to trauma, and in greater part to the infection that has been brewing in her blood the past few days. The recruit is not in great shape, so looking up in time to see - from a distance - what Dom is doing, further pales the pink skin beneath her fur. "I'd like t'formally request a leave of absence." She informs Terrence, voice devoid of any emotion - which is a tell in and of itself.

Varus catches sight of Dom passing, as do the toads the veterans are fighting with, tooth and nail. The toads start to scatter, but Varus stands his ground, as do a couple of his comrades. The rest figure it's best not to cross the crazed-looking hare, but the Major is not easily cowed. "PRIVATE DOMINIK. TURN AROUND 'N' RETREAT! THAT'S AN ORDAH!" The flames are leaping skyward, turning the surroundings into a hot, hellish landscape. It's fully out of control now, and even the marsh is burning. Retreat is the only true option left, but Varus is stubborn. "I'M GIVIN' YOU AN ORDAH, PRIVATE! NOW!" He knows it's a losing proposition.

The corporal looks her over with a frown. "Afraid I'm not the one you should go to for that, wot!" He guts a toad, though their onslaught, at least against the rescue party, is lessening - especially with how Erg the Destroyer is ploughing through them like grass. Terrence spares another glance at Isla, this time letting a little concern creep into his voice. "Look, once we-" He sticks an amphibian, its blood spraying out. "-get back, you can! You don't look so good, wot." As the swamp goes up in flame, the corporal looks around wildly, letting out another curse even as the major's orders ring out. "You heard him! BACK, NOW!"

Dominik,despite the growing heat from the surrounding flames and the shouted orders from his superior officers, comes to a stop where he is standing, his back to the group. Toads continue to flee all around him, heading into the burning marshes to certain death either in the bogs or by the fire itself, and Dom seems to know this as he lets a few of them go without feeling the wrath of his two wooden cage bars. Paws gripping the bars tightly, the hulking hare grits his teeth, and he half-turns to look back at the other Patrollers, namely Varus. The look within his eyes is frightening and unlike any version of him that the older hare had seen before...steely, cold and absolutely unrelenting. The toadblood upon his face coupled with the light from the fire does not help him look any less terrifying. "Not Dominik," he booms out. "Erg." He then turns back around and follows after the fleeing toads into the marshes beyond the village. The screams and croaks of the toads can be heard in the direction that the hare had taken, his fury being taken out on them even as they flee. No one would be spared.

As long as orders continue to be 'get out of there', Isla is happy to follow them. But something about Dominik is genuinely terrifying - there's a loose danger to his actions that seems more unhinged than she expected coming from training and discipline. There's something else there, or something missing, and she doesn't like it either way. She wants to go home. Isla nods vacantly to Terrence's answer, her grip tightening on her hatchet as she raises it to rest in a defensive stance. "Did Private Dominik just defect?" 

Varus had expected that response. Unlike many of the younger hares, he's seen that look before. That madness. He's had subordinates succumb to it in the past... And not all recovered. Dominik is a lost cause. The three elder hares who stood with him to stare down the unhinged Private watch Varus, wordlessly, as if awaiting an order. Time almost seems to stop, in fact, as the old hare seems to be frozen, in place, watching one of his most promising soldiers disappear into the flames and smoke. "R-right..." he falters, something rather out of character for the Major, but he'd dared to let himself become overconfident. "Right chaps... Let's get the 'ell outta here..." The fact that he cursed is telling, too. The toads are all either dead, fleeing, or too demoralized to put up a fight. The fight on his end is over.

"No...I don't think so." Terrence slowly responds, eyes now on the self proclaimed 'Erg' and Varus. "Leastways not to the toads, it seems, wot." He winces as another shriek comes from Dom's direction. By now, most toads around the rescue party are dead or fleeing, too. Soon, the corporal turns away from the AWOL private and his victims (and the major), facing the recruit with sympathetic look. "Isla! Don't worry about Dom anymore! That's not for you to deal with, wot, and that's an ordah! Now, come on - I really don't like how your arm looks, wot!" Starting to jog alongside the others as they retreat, the corporal waves Isla to follow. "Sooner we get back the better, wot, and we need the healers to have a look at you."

Her arm looks bad - and the rest of her isn't too great, either. Isla gives another tired nod. "Yes, Corporal." She agrees, trotting to keep up. "I'll be 'appy to put this place behind me." Will they look for Dominik - or, 'Erg' now, as he seems to prefer? She can't know, and only distantly does she care - her spear pierces flesh with a wet, squealch. It's so much easier than it should have been - just sacks of water... But no, she's not holding a spear. Isla gives a shake of her head. The show must go on - you can't be focused on the performances of the past. "Yes." She agrees again, though it isn't clear to what, as she hastens to stay with the group. She's happy to put this place behind her.

Varus gathers his wits, and sighs, shaking his head. He trudges over to join the other group, counting heads. Amazingly, it looks like none of the hares that took part in the rescue were killed, though there are injuries to be found. The Major himself is sporting a nasty cut to his left shoulder that he doesn't even seem to realize yet. But that can be taken care of later. "Isla, Nilear, Felicity... We got Zolomon, too... But wot about Private Konner?" He resolutely marches away from the flames, which are akin to an inferno now, as pockets of swamp gas ignite and help the fire to spread. It is likely that the entire marsh could burn before all is said and done...

Glancing at her again at the second 'yes', a brief look of confusion plays out on Terrence's face as he runs. Though he quickly goes back to the task at hand: avoiding the spouts of flame that keep popping up in their way - the hare already has quite the singe from one he nearly stepped in. He can ask the recruit about the matter when they get back safe and sound (and once she's seen a few healers). "Come on, Isla, gotta keep moving!" The corporal slows to better match her pace and to ease the strain on his burn. "We'll all be glad to be rid of this sinkhole, let me tell you, wot." He raises his head to look over at the major, hearing his words. "Isla - was Konner with you lot?"

"Zolomon made it?" The news brightens the recruit, but the question which follows it sets her face to a deepening frown. "Nilear, Zolomon, Dominik, an' Felicity were with us, sah." Isla answers Varus, anxiety arching into her tone with a nervous glance to Terrence as he slows to match her pace. "I haven't seen Konnor since we were still tryin' ta complete Serge's course." A spout of flame earns a wince. It means there are only a few places the buck could be - and if he were safe at the mountain, it's likely that some news would have reached her superiors about it. "'E wasn't with us."

Varus dares to glance back the flames behind them, as they continue their strategic retreat. "Well, if 'e's out 'ere... We'll find 'im... Eventually." Likely dead. "Come on, you lot... Pick up th' pace! This whole swamp'll be in flames by mornin'! 'Op to it!"

"I see." Terrence doesn't say much more on the matter, thinking back to that ill begotten day. He certainly isn't going to tell the major at this moment - besides, Varus has more than likely guessed the private's probable fate, and the state they will find Konner in. In an attempt to distract Isla from this, however, he says in a more comforting manner, "Yes, Zolomon made it back - he's safe at the mountain now, wot, recovering. Dom - well, Erg - helped him fake his death, or so he said, wot." The corporal dances around another burst of fire with a curse, reaching out a paw to try and stop Isla from stepping near it. "Yes, Sah!"

She will learn of it, eventually. Until then, Isla is going to need some time to process what has happened... And to deal with the infection slowly chewing its way through her. It's going to be a rough few days, with or without the news of Konnor's demise. Had he been the one to holler at her? No, no that was someone else... It's all very muddled in her head. "Yessah!" She parrots, jolting at the sudden barrier Terrence creates. "Thanks." She nods, following. It's time to go home.

In the distance behind the retreating hares, the Toad village is one larger inferno amidst several smaller ones caused by peat and swamp gas. The hares have by now managed to mostly outrun the flames. Dominik, or Erg, as he chose to be called, is lost, for now, as are several recruits. This training exercise was an unmitigated disaster... But many hares showed valor in the field. There are sure to be lasting repercussions from this day.

Last edited by Ol'random (2019-10-25 07:23:40 PM)

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I play Atticus, John, Lossow, Terrence, and Spruce
The Long Patrol Landing Page!
Usually on the MUCK Saturdays + Monday & Wednesday evenings if I have the time
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