Day 196 : Start of the "Sickness Inside" plot

[bastionpc]

Who: Nathaniel (NPC) and everyone else who wants to be involved
Open: Open
When: Day 196
Where: Near the monument --> Out on the Skyway
What: Nathaniel needs a radio tower. He's enlisting the help of others to get said radio tower
Format: any
Warnings: Dead body discovery in the radio tower threads. Mentions of throw-up when Zulf joins the Okumura group.

This is the post for everything related to Day 196 of this particular event. The starter is in the comments, and important threads will be linked here as they are made.

Important threads:

START: by the monument

At the radio tower and the surrounding area

Regrouping

Meanwhile, at the Bastion...

Comments

[hellpyre]

[Rin hovered back near the doorway, keeping herself distant like Zulf had suggested. If Nathaniel had a way to get them clean, then she was all for it. To his question about the tower, though, she shook her head and pointed at the tower, finger moving along back to the building they were standing in.]

This is just a storage and office. The people that were sick in here probably took it over 'cause it's a lot bigger than the broadcast room where the tower is. I couldn't see anythin' that showed they were connected at all.

[notduchess]

The note sounds like the best plan, just assuming the worst and everyone out here could possibly have something on them.

[ Duke shifts, thinking. ]

Isn't it... use boiling water, or fire to make things clean? If we know how hot we can make that radio tower without melting it, I can change the temperature of one of my spells to .. bake it a little, I guess.

[ Except it sounds like there's a room attached to the tower. Take everything delicate out of that? ]

[bastionpc]

You know, we don't even really need the room that goes along with the tower. I have just about everything I need back at the Bastion, as long as we get the tower itself.

We could burn everything else, and just take the tower. I doubt sickness sticks to metal.

[hellpyre]

[Wait...

They're talking about burning away sickness, right?

All at once, Rin perks up, practically bouncing where she's standing and jerking a hand up in to the air like a student wanting to answer a question.]

Wait wait I've done this before!

[freedom_engineer]

[Colin makes an unhappy face, and he shakes his head.]

We clear the room attached to the tower. If there's a body in there, we're screwed. No amount of cleaning will make it safe. If we can separate the tower from the building, then I can sterilize the tower back at the Bastion.

If we can't, well... I'd rather build a radio tower than kill everyone back there. Towers like that can't actually take much heat. Too little surface area to dissipate the heat. Fire would likely collapse it.

[He looks at Nathan.]

You know what your stuff is gonna do, can we separate the tower from the building? And metal can't get sick... but if someone left skin cells on there, or if one of those peckers perched on the tower...

[It's worth noting that, yes, he's not paying much attention to Rin at the moment.]

[hellpyre]

[Wow. WOW. She knows you're ignoring her, Colin, and she is not happy!

She drops her pack then, storming out in spite of Zulf's warning to go over and give Colin a swift kick to the shin.]

Don't ignore me, you ass! If you'd quit yammerin' on and listen!

[yinyangfox]

[ Well, there's already a fire going, but that one just smells of smoked rotten long pork...anyone can see the smoke rising. Seimei's taken up post with several shikigami doing the labor of dragging the bodies out and burning them as he stoically supervises. Having the shikigami do it prevents any trouble, since he can burn their paper effigies and make new ones later. ]

[freedom_engineer]

Keep back, dammit!

[Colin's immediately going to retreat from her, and his hand moves to a flashbang. If she keeps advancing...]

[hellpyre]

[She doesn't, stopping a few feet from him with her tail lashing a million miles a minute and her fists balled up at her sides.]

Then. Listen. To. Me! I've done this before! I got rid of the rot of the Impure King in Kyoto with my flames without hurtin' anyone! We don't need to burn this whole place down or lose the tower!

[bastionpc]

Yeah, if we can- Colin!

[And he moves to grab Colin's hand. Because seriously, throwing grenades at kids?]

Look just- Just calm down, the last thing we need here is everyone freaking out!

[He'll hold his other hand out towards Rin, to try to signal for her to stop.]

[doctor_dragoon]

[Yukio doesn't want to get closer than the others will be comfortable with, but it's time for an intervention. While Rin's focused on Colin, Yukio takes the chance to quickly slip in front of her and halt any potential progress.]

Neesan, calm down. This is a very stressful situation and arguing won't solve anything.

[hellpyre]

[Which, unfortunately, only serves to make Rin more upset. She had already stopped - Colin's barked order at her halted her just fine thanks - and she wasn't going any closer.

But she wanted to be heard, and that wasn't happening.]

You know I can do it, Yukio! You were there!

[Then, in a slightly quieter, almost pleading voice.]

I just wanna help!

[doctor_dragoon]

I know.

[Since Rin isn't making any further moves toward Colin, Yukio steps back to stand at his sister's side.]

She can do it. Dealing with anyone who might be carrying something internally is a different issue, but her flames can easily remove any physical traces without so much as scorching a blade of grass. Heat isn't an issue.

[freedom_engineer]

[Colin gives Nathan a narrow-lidded gaze, but then he turns his gaze to Yukio, and then finally Rin, and he nods.]

If you can do it... Do it. But if this gets back to the Bastion, we're screwed. So... no pressure.

[He's STILL keeping his distance from everyone, thank you very much. And yes, he will use a grenade on anyone he feels is jeapordizing the survival of the group. This time it was a flashbang. This time.]

[bastionpc]

[There's no real way of being able to test it, so they're just going to have to trust Rin. Nathaniel lets go of Colin, but still stands near him, ready to intervene if things go south.]

Go ahead and try, it couldn't hurt. Just be careful not to melt any of the metal or wires.

[fuckthemancers]

By which he means a lot of pressure.

Please don't kill us all.

[That's fine, Colin, Zulf is keeping a distance away from everyone too. Especially you, Mister Grenade Happy.]

[hellpyre]

Yukio...

[He was actually sticking up for her! She wanted to hug him for that but, of course, this was not the time for that.

Yeah yeah, no pressure. To that she just scoffs and goes for Kurikara at her hip, though for a second her hand shakes.

The last time she did this, she had been struggling with who she was, with why she had been saved by Shiro at all. Her confidence shot, her sword refused to move out of it's sheath until the last moment. That, and she had the help of a much stronger creature.

A creature that had left her, asking which one she was.

A human, or a demon... ?

She still hadn't decided yet. And her confidence had been wavering ever since the Calamity. Her friends were gone, her sister was gone... Yukio was here now, and she had Bon, but there was still so much lost because of it.

All eyes were on her. Everyone back at the Bastion was waiting for them to come home safely.

Right... no pressure.

She shut her eyes, gripping the handle of the sword and pulling it out, letting the flames free with it. A breath in, and she held the blade out straight in front of her.

I can't remember the chant anymore. It's not in my head like it was when Ucchusma was with me. Maybe I haven't decided what I am yet... but I know what I can be, and that's some one who protects her friends and keeps this place going!

Breath out, flames getting bigger, spreading out from where she stood. Warmth surrounding her, hot but not burning to anyone.

Please let this work... !]

[doctor_dragoon]

[Standing right next to Rin, that wave of warmth hits him first, the feeling oddly jarring while accompanied by the sight of those blue flames. They should be hot, should be burning, but they're not. He's experienced this before, though in situations where he was much less prepared for it. Even now, it takes quite a lot of will power not to flinch away from the blue filling his vision.

Yukio knows Rin can do this, and he knows that Rin won't hurt anyone, but damn if that color doesn't bring up some unsettling memories. He doesn't move, but there's the slightest tremor in his hands for a moment before he wills it and those memories away, settling for closing his eyes to block out the color instead.]

You can do it.

[freedom_engineer]

[Well, if this works, it works. And if not... well, he's the one with six explosives strapped to his chest that really won't react well to being in an inferno.]

[On the other hand, the alternative is bringing back a PLAGUE. So he'll just shut his eyes and wait. It'll either work, or there will be a very loud ringing in his ears. On the plus side, what's left of his head will be nowhere near them...]

[notduchess]

Well, it would be safer than letting me try the fire option...

[ The knight waits, watching the flames spread with uncomfortably crossed arms. Rin's clothing isn't reacting, but what about everyone else's? ]

[bastionpc]

[Nathaniel is absolutely amazed to be standing in the middle of fire that is not burning him. He is even experimenting a bit, trying to actually touch it and see how it reacts when he moves his arms.

Congrats, Rin. You have momentarily amazed the NPC.

But that moment quickly passes, because of one important thing.

Remember those sensors, the ones that Nathaniel and Kohaku had activated, and just left at the base of the radio tower when Yukio ran out to talk to them? Yeah, something weird is starting to happen to them.

You've got about 30 seconds to burn away any disease on that tower, Rin, before it is dragged away back to the Bastion.]

[spiria]

[ As someone who had been burnt by someone before (literally ... though she'd kinda rushed into that herself), her initial reaction was a flinch as Rin's flames reached her ... but they didn't hurt her, so she forced herself to calm down.

This whole thing was just too unnerving. She focused now on staying calm through all of this. ]

[fuckthemancers]

[Zulf isn't focusing on the flames. In any other circumstances, he most certainly would. This sort of thing, fire that doesn't burn, is amazing. Beautiful in a way to be so close to it. However, his attention is utterly captured by Colin in a rather intense way. The Okumuras and anyone else close enough or with good hearing can probably hear him muttering.]

Don't blow up, don't blow up...

[Perhaps because he's not so focused on the fire and rather Colin away from the rest of the group, Zulf notices the sensors. He pauses in his muttering to stare at them before straightening up.]

Rin, hurry. The sensors are doing something.

[hellpyre]

[Oh god oh god she can feel the ground moving beneath their feet. Not enough that they've actually begun gliding back towards the Bastion yet, but there's certainly a rattle that confirms what Zulf has yelled out to her.

It very nearly makes her falter, makes her lose her concentration, but she clamps down on any frightened, doubtful thoughts and grits her teeth. Her hands grip the sword so tight her knuckles blanch white. The flames continue to move outward, curling and blossoming out the more power she puts in to them.

Come on... come on, don't hold back now... you can do it! Everyone is countin' on you!

She feels her demonic side welling up in her chest, a tight, heavy weight like something attempting to claw free, fueled by the power she's releasing. A faint growl sounds from her, and her hands even with their tight grip on the sword start to tremble.

No! I won't let it happen!

Breathe in, breathe out, focus... focus... almost... almost...]

[bastionpc]

[Whatever Rin is doing, it seems to be working. At least, the tower isn't catching on fire, and any disease that is there would likely be burned away.

The same is true for the people, too: anyone touched by the fire is cleansed from any external strains of the disease remaining.

Of course, that only affects anything on the outside. For those who breathed in the disease already...well, they'll find out in a few days if they're infected or not.]