once I knew I was not magnificent.

[singmod]

THE HUNTED, PART THREE

A hunting party in Lakeside with Young Bill for company ends up being cornered by Old Bear, a deadly game of cat and mouse within a caving system and a fight ensues.

WHEN: Late-April.
WHERE: Lakeside
CONTENT WARNINGS: supernatural creature; themes of hunting, being hunted/stalked by an animal; bear attacks; potential gore/maulings; potential injuries; claustrophobic sitations; themes of terror; themes of peril; eye injury; neck injuries; mentions of blood/gore; NPC death.

THE HUNT

Having lived in the Lakeside area for years and being native to Milton, Young Bill is a wealth of knowledge of the deeper parts of Lakeside. It’s provided invaluable when the wildlife has been scarce and usual hunting trips have ended up with poor results to return to Milton with. He’s accompanied Interlopers before on these hunting trips, using the knowledge of the land and his hunting and trapping knowledge to help Interlopers finds food in a world where everything is certainly less bountiful.

With the Old Bear’s hauntings and attacks still very much in full swing, he continues to join Interlopers on their hunting parties and when they travel through the region. An extra set of eyes, ears and hands isn’t a bad thing, and of course — when it comes to Old Bear, things are personal.

With the recent revival of quake activity into the month of April, things are definitely being a little more precarious. There’s been nothing too bad as of yet, but the ground has shaken and one’s footing can’t help but seem a little more precarious than usual. But there’s mouths to feed in Milton, and hunting trips can’t be put off by Old Bear or quakes.

A light fog hangs in the air, biting and clinging. It’s quiet. Until it isn’t anymore. The party will get that familiar feeling, that prickling at the back of their necks that makes them all pause, peering into the fog with apprehension. And there it is: the thuds of its paws in the snow approaching you, low grumblings of a great, angry beast seeking you out.


“We’ve got company.” Young Bill says quietly. He’s already swapping out his hunting rifle for his own spear. “Keep your spears ready. Looks like our ‘friend’ wants to say ‘hi’.”

With a furious roar, Old Bear storms into the group — scattering the party. Previous encounters have been particularly fearsome, but there’s a fresh kind of vitriol from the beast this time. Move quickly, or Old Bear’s claws will soon fight the softest fleshy parts and tear it open. Or worse yet, without a spear planted ready for a charge — there’s a risk of being sent flying and viciously mauled. Hopefully someone else can manage to fight Old Bear off before it’s too late.

Even Scout and Nova will quickly and desperately nip and swipe at the beast, trying to help the hunting party the best they can. And while Young Bill might not have the gifted abilities like the Interlopers, he fights with a careful fury to help defend the Interlopers best he can.

But despite the spears and numbers, Old Bear can still inflict serious damage. The party will fare better than most, at least — managing to fight the beast off.

And then there’s a rumbling to quake, and it’s not just the thundering noise of the fight.


The ground quakes hard, and there’s an odd sense to one’s feet. The whole fight is thrown off balance. Old Bear isn’t frightened off, still trying to take swipes where it can. Something gives way from beneath, and with a strange groan — the earth opens up and sends the party below.

The drop isn’t far, and the snow cushions the landing. Tumbling down into what appears to be an old caving system, there’s potential for further injuries in the fall. There’s little time for property recovery, the Old Bear is stalking straight down into the pit after them.

HIDE AND SEEK

The way out is climbable, but there’s no way of getting out without facing Old Bear head on. Scout and Nova buy precious time for the Interlopers and Young Bill to get themselves on their feet again, trying to keep Old Bear’s attention on them. But the bear won’t dwell long as it clambers down. Young Bill hears the snarls and barks from above and stares with wide-eyes as the two dogs trying to follow.

“No—! Stay—!” he roars, trying to help an Interloper up to their feet. “C’mon, we need to move now.”

Scout and Nova heed his warnings, but continue to whine and bark from above. Young Bill’s glancing around them. The air is cold and damp, not stale as one might think. It means one thing: there could be other openings to this place to allow air flow.

“We can’t fight it in this place, it’s too confined.” he yells, “Come on, we need to try and find a way to get around it.”

He leads the way. Sure enough the system isn’t as closed off as one think: in places above one’s head, there are small openings that allow light to filter through — along with a soft, strange glow along the rock walls. There’ll surely be another way out, or at least some way to circumvent the creature.

The system itself isn’t entirely huge, a few short tunnels all seem to loop back into a large, main atrium — a small half-frozen stream trickles through part of it. It’s big enough to try and lose Old Bear in. There’s ledges to climb up to get out of the way, and even spaces to crawl into. Large enough for Interlopers to squeeze themselves under to get out and away from Old Bear’s jaws and claws, but small enough that Old Bear can’t squeeze through.

And while large enough for people to move around the space with ease, Old Bear is much slower down here. But it doesn’t make it less determined as it chases after the Interlopers. Hopefully no one gets separated. Even with the light and air, one might get disorientated.

Old Bear can still catch you, but maybe if you’re quick and smart enough — you might just make it.

Or not, and find yourself in close quarters with the beast who will do anything to destroy you.

WHAT ONE MAN CAN DO

The Interlopers aren’t the only one who might find themselves trapped and attacked. Perhaps you see it, perhaps you might only hear it: the air fills with a man’s screams. A struggle. Young Bill finds Old Bear upon him too, and he will fight as furiously as he can to keep the beast back.

In the main atrium of the cave, under cold half-light, Young Bill fights against Old Bear in a deadly dance. Old Bear charges and Young Bill drops to a knee, spear ready — piercing the ancient bear’s softer underbelly and wrestles against its heavy weight. Old Bear still tries to swipe and bite at Young Bill — the man growing more and more exhausted as the fight goes on but he’s certainly holding his own.

Interlopers can try and help, giving Young Bill a little breathing space as he staggers back to catch his breath. He’s bleeding, his brow slick with sweat and gore, but he’s standing — eyes alive with adrenaline and determination. Even when he catches his breath, he’ll throw himself back into the fight with Interlopers. He doesn’t have the strength or the stamina like the Interlopers might do, but he’s a formidable force in his own way.

But a fight cannot go on forever.

“Get out of here!” he yells to the Interlopers. “I got it, just get out of here. Circle back and head out the way we got in here!”

The words barely leave his mouth and Old Bear charges for him, knocking him off his feet. He yells for Interlopers to go, Old Bear’s jaws closing down the man’s shoulder and neck. Young Bill roars, his spear twisting and piercing Old Bear’s eye.

The sound is deafening — shrieks and moans as Old Bear and it tries to dislodge the spear from it, crashing and staggering around. Young Bill rolls to get on his feet, heavily injured, one last burst of energy as he moves to drive the spear deeper. With his injuries, he manages to grab the spear, and screams as he pushes with all his might—

but Old Bear shakes him and the spear loose — sending him flying. He crashes against the stone, blood pools around him.

Young Bill struggles to get up again, he pulls himself onto his hands and knees with ragged, shallow breaths. There’s a look on his face, a strange one.

It’s the look of a man who’s going to die.

But there’s something else, too. Something almost indescribable. Understanding. Old Bear, half-blind and furious, comes to a strange calm.

Young Bill was a young boy once. He lived with his parents in Milton and grew up on stories of how his great-grandfather hunted down a ferocious bear who grew angry at the settlers upon the land. How he chased the great beast through the woods and snow, out onto the muskeg — never to be seen again.

A young boy who grew up listening to his father and mother arguing on long summer days. How his father would disappear for weeks at a time, chasing ghosts he was so sure would catch him when he wasn’t aware. A young boy who returned home as a young man to find his father, reclusive and paranoid of those ghosts.

His father had been right. Magic was real. The Old Bear was real. His father said it would come for him, and so it did. Young Bill looks to the Interlopers around him, wherever they may be — perhaps watching from the way to get out of this place.

They were all interlopers, of a sort, in this place.

“Alright.” Young Bill utters.

He twists the spear in his hands and places it gently but decisively upon the stone. With laboured breaths, he sits back, hands resting on his knees and lifts his head to the Old Bear’s drooling maw. Young Bill stares the beast in the eyes, sweat dripping from his face and expression wan. Blood continues to blossom outwards from his injuries, clawed and bitten — staining the fabric of his clothing dark red.

Surrender.

“You win.” he whispers. “It’s done. It ends with me.”

Young Bill bows his head. Old Bear stares, motionless. There are only sounds of breath, man and beast. Even wounded, the creature doesn’t look any less ferocious and or weak. It stares at a dying man, recognising something there. Old Bear had always watched them all with a keen intelligence that seemed almost inexplicable.

There’s a strange shifting in the air. A wind from nowhere blows and flecks of the beast begin to crack and peel away like a soft drifting of snow up into a sweeping breeze. By the time Young Bill lifts his head again, Old Bear has gently filtered away, the flecks dissolving into a dance of dust and then to nothing.

Young Bill stares into the empty space for a long moment before his body slumps to one side with an exhale that sounds like relief, collapsing in a heap upon the cave floor.

By the time anyone reaches him, he is gone.

In the spot where Old Bear stood are five, singular bear claws. They shimmer with a strange mother-of-pearl sheen: The Old Bear's Claw.

FAQs

GENERAL FAQS

1. Interlopers with Old Bear's Blessing will fare much better compared to other Interlopers and will be less critical injured compared to other party members. Teaming up with fellow Interlopers with Old Bear's Blessing will prove a particularly ferocious fight that will eventually have Old Bear giving up on you — but may turn on attacking someone else instead.

2. This mini-event marks the end of Old Bear, along with the end of Young Bill. Old Bear will not be seen again following this event.

3. Young Bill cannot be saved or brought back to life.

4. There will be a final letter from Young Bill in due course detailing his last requests and a final message to the Interlopers. Scout and Nova will now become ownerless.

OLD BEAR'S CLAW

Congratulations on surviving the final encounter with the Old Bear! You have been gifted with a unique item: The Old Bear's Claw!

1. The Old Bear's claw grants the ability Armoured, a form of protection. Old Bear was known for its particularly thick hide which couldn't be penetrated by arrows or bullets in its story. With its Claw, while not completely immune, the Interloper will find themselves less vulnerable to projectile weapons and puncture wounds, along with any slashing injuries. What might be a fatal wound sinking deep into the body will be only shallow thanks to the Claw. In addition to this, any wounds sustained will less likely to bleed, meaning they will survive wounds which can potentially cause a huge amount of blood loss and keep standing for longer until they can find medical assistance.

2. The Old Bear's Claw must be kept on the Interloper's person. They may choose to fashion it into a pendant or bracelet, or simply keep it in their pocket for it to work.

3. The Old Bear's Claw can be given to anyone and they will receive that ability as long as they keep it on their person.

4. The Old Bear's Claw can be lost or destroyed.

Comments

[meadqueen]

The Hunt

It feels as if hunting has been tense forever for Randvi - after her injury, and then the scarcity that had followed, the attacks by other humans, the intermittent trembling of the earth - but this bear spirit truly has made things difficult. She wears her bow but holds her spear, knowing how little time they might have to react in a crisis. She's also wearing Edward Kenway's hidden blade. It would probably glance off of such a beast, but the element of surprise could save her life in a pinch.

Still, when the bear comes for them, Randvi does not feel ready. This is her first life or death battle in some time, and her blood sings with it, but there is fear there, too. The scar of the mind that Fraser had described, perhaps.

"Someone stay on my right side, I can't see-" she calls as they really get into the fray. The spear allows her to manoeuvre a bit, but a paw coming at her from the right would kill her before she had even seen it coming.

Hide and Seek

They do not have enough time to check one another for injuries, after the fall. Randvi barely has time to grab her spear before they're scrambling for the ledges, squeezing into alcoves and tunnels, the bear roaring behind them. She's glad now to have left Ulfrùn at home.

This time she escapes the worst of it - Randvi is no skinny little waif but she's small enough to fit easily into the spaces in the stone and accustomed to this sort of warfare - but she's bleeding from a scrape on her forehead and a claw swipe to the leg by the time she's close enough to someone else to ask, "Are you all right?"

What One Man Can Do

Randvi feels no great sorrow for Young Bill - perhaps not her people's idea of an honourable death, but it seems to her that knowing his story it had always only had one possible ending - but she moves forward once the battle ends, to investigate.

"I am well enough to assist in returning him to Lakeside. Methuselah can likely tell us what the funeral traditions here entail."

The hunt

[solitarysoul]

Levi also has his bow on his back but his spear in his hands. He prefers long range, but that's not an option with this foe. He nods to Randvi's request and moves over to her side.

"No problem. I'll do my best."

Re: The hunt

[meadqueen]

Randvi could fight off a normal bear, even like this, but this one has the strategy of a military commander. It darts in for a vicious attack then seems to disappear, returning from a different angle. They're constantly off balance.

It's comforting to Randvi to see the other spears around them, and the next time she sees the bear she lashes out with her fire, planting her spear in case the bear charges from the left.

“Thank you,” she says to Levi. “We are covered.”

[solitarysoul]

"None of us can win this alone." He doesn't have fire powers, but he's quick and has fought monsters with a spear before. But mostly he's determined to end this and protect the others as best he can.

[meadqueen]

Randvi nods, but can't answer before the bear darts into the fray again. Her spear glances off the bear’s chest, and she scrambles to cut off its access to the inside of their circle. She yells in defiance, letting her supernatural rage rise against the bear, and pivots her spear for a block.

“It's on the left!”

i auto capitalized Bear and i think im going to keep it

[solitarysoul]

Things were hectic, but they always were during a battle and, honestly, that's one of the few times Levi actually feels in his element. He doesn't speak, but he follows around Randvi and as she puts her spear up for a block he thrusts his at the Bear's side.

[meadqueen]

Randvi had known that Levi is a competent young man, and that he’d seen battle, but she's impressed anyway at his handling of the fight with the bear. Her heart is racing, augmented rage making her a bit sloppy, but he is in complete control.

The bear bellows as Levi’s spear strikes true, and it withdraws for a moment, giving them a second to breathe.

Randvi looks around, nervous.

“That was a fine strike. It might have killed a different bear.”

What One Man Can Do

[wingbound]

Levi, on the other hand, appears grief-stricken -- perhaps not very much so outwardly, but Randvi should know him well enough to notice the hints of it in the way his eyes grow distant and his body language grows slower and less rigid, like a man given up. For a little while, he just stays where he'd been put by whoever had dragged him out of the cave while Young Bill fought his last fight, but eventually, he does trail after Randvi, careful and attentive to any sights the bear might still be lingering.

It's not. Instead, they are greeted only by the sight of the man, slumped in a heap and unmoving, and the strange trophy the bear had left behind.

He would almost prefer it if the creature was still there instead.

"I can help, too," he mutters. He's not back at full strength yet, but he also has not collected many new injuries, miraculously enough, so depending how (un)lucky others got he might be among their best choice for this. He takes in the scene, quiet for a moment.

"We should bring him to his home first," he finally says. "He might have some document or... something there, about what he wants... done for him."

The cemetery might technically be in town, but there's nobody to arrest any of them if the man had preferred to remain on his land that he seemed so attached to.

[meadqueen]

Randvi nods gravely. “I agree. I can't explain how, but I've seen things in my dreams that suggest he would likely not appreciate being laid to rest in Milton.”

There is also the matter, of course, of the wolves.

“It's fortunate that he did not simply disappear as the bear did. I have never seen such a thing.”

[moralabsolutism]

The Hunt

Despite his usually prickly personality, Rorschach actually was a good person to have along for the hunt. He could work with others and was more than willing to engage in teamwork, especially when there was something as important as killing this beast at stake.

Given his normal ferocity, he was more than ready to engage with the bear. “Be careful!” He hissed out at whoever he was with. It was a good thing Enola had given Rorschach Old Bear’s Blessing as his gift this time. It would make it a little easier in the fight against the monstrous spirit bear.

At one point in the battle, Rorschach stepped forward, stabbing away at the bear fearlessly until it had been annoyed enough to focus solely on him.

Suitably enraged, Old Bear turned and charged at the man, clearly ready to maul him until he was a bloody smear on the snow. For his part, rather than standing and fighting, Rorschach turned and ran to the nearest tree. After a year and a half of living in this snowy hellscape, he was as adept at climbing up one as he was the rooftops he so often lurked about on. He got up as far as he could before the branches became too thin to support his weight any longer. He had a death grip holding onto the trunk with one hand and keeping a firm grip on his spear with the other, looking down on Old Bear.

The bear was focused on swiping at the tree to get him to come back down rather than climbing up after Rorschach himself, the evergreen rattling ominously as huge chunks were taken out of the trunk each time. It was quite possible Old Bear was going to simply knock the entire evergreen down to get his prey back on the ground so that he could kill him. The vigilante was keeping his balance thus far but he’d need a rescue soon enough. Fortunately, while Old Bear focused solely on Rorschach, that would give someone else the opportunity to come in and take the beast by surprise. Had that been Rorschach’s plan all along? It was hard to tell.

Hide and Seek

When the bear caught up to them again in the caves, Rorschach was thankful for once he was on the short side. It made it easier to slip into the crevice in the wall that created a small space, just wide enough for two people to hide in if they squeezed tight.

“Get in there!” He barked out and shoved the other person behind him in a protective manner, more as an order than a request for whichever Interloper he was stuck with. He’d face off against the bear long enough to make sure that whoever was behind him managed to squeeze inside before doing the same. When Old Bear swiped out with an enormous paw, Rorschach calmly struck out with his spear, stabbing out ferociously until the bear was forced to back up a few feet.

Rorschach took the opportunity to slip inside the space as well. Normally, he’d have disliked being this close to anyone else, but between certain death from Old Bear and feeling a bit uncomfortable, he’d take the latter.

Suddenly, the roaring and sound of the bear’s footpaws moving around stopped abruptly. ”Do you think he’s given up?” He asked telepathically of whoever he was stuck in the space with.

What One Man Can Do

Rorschach had been prepared to stay and fight as long as necessary but it soon became apparent to him that this was Young Bill’s battle against Old Bear alone, especially as he became more and more injured.

That caused the vigilante’s thoughts to turn towards the pragmatic task of trying to get as many people out alive as he could. “Forget him!” He snapped out who tried to protest and linger to help the hunter, for once the stress of the situation making him speak more normally instead of just the stilted fragments he was usually only capable of. “He’s a lost cause. Come on, get out of here!” He grabbed the arm of anyone who was nearby, willing to drag away any of the Interlopers by force if necessary. Rorschach was a lot stronger than he looked on the surface.

When everything had settled, with both bear and man dead, only then would he allow anyone he was with to go back. He’d lapsed into silence again, thinking of other times in his life when he’d failed to save someone from death.

There was a curious pattern no one would have ever seen before that appeared on his mask as he stared at the scene of the final battle. Two lines of black that dripped down in spots from about the point where his eyes were at, down his cheeks, and only disappearing again when they reached the edge of his mask. It was hard to tell but someone observant might have been able to figure out that he was crying under the fabric. Somehow, that had translated onto the surface, the only face he was ever willing to show anyone.

What One Man Can Do

[wingbound]

There's a familiar sense of dread settling into the pit of Levi's stomach as he keeps circling the beast, tries to stick it with the spear from an odd angle while the bear is clearly focusing on Bill, barely letting him breathe despite their best efforts.

Not again, he thinks. He did everything right this time. He's here, and he's fighting, and he's still unable to draw the creature's attention fully to himself--

He's so focused on his task that he barely registers the sudden steel grip on his arm, ending up dragged a few steps before he braces himself and refuses to budge, turning his head to look at the culprit, eyes wild.

"He won't be if we fucking help him," he shouts back, trying to pull free. "Let go!"

He's also stronger than he looks, though he still has some lingering injuries, so if Rorschach really puts his back into it, he should be able to overpower him.

[moralabsolutism]

Rorschach's harsh grip on Levi's arm didn't let up and he continued trying to drag the man away from the scene of the battle. "I'm not allowing you to die for him!" If anything, it seemed far more like Young Bill was willing to let himself die to end this conflict between him and the monstrous bear spirit.

The sound of another cry of pain from Young Bill caused a scattershot pattern to appear on Rorschach's mask, as if a stone had been thrown in the middle of it that caused the black dots to splatter on all edges of it. Unwilling to spend any more time debating this and given his propensity to solve most problems with violence anyway, Rorschach punched Levi hard on the jaw in an attempt to stun him so that Rorschach could drag him away.

[wingbound]

And I'm not letting him die for us, Levi thinks, but rather than continue arguing, his next response comes oddly calm, almost chilling.

"That's not your choice."

He doesn't want to die. He knows he's useful, and he's always done his best to survive, but right now, buying his own life with that of another's doesn't feel right. If it comes down to it, one of them is more valuable than the other; Levi knows next to nothing about this place.

He's not quite expecting a punch. He can take one, usually, though it's rare that the men throwing them know what they're doing as well as he does. This time it's indeed the case, and his body's thrown violently off balance with the force of the hit, his vision going spotty for a moment. If Rorschach wasn't still holding him, he probably would have flopped over backwards; as is, there's a good chance to simply scoop him up and abscond.

For a few moments, anyway, until he gets his bearings again and, depending on what state of being dragged away he's in at the moment, starts squirming violently or trying to throw a punch back.

[moralabsolutism]

Indeed, the second Levi was stunned, Rorschach just scooped his limp form up over his shoulder (thankful that the person he had to do this to was even shorter than he was) in a fireman's hold and started hauling him off. Even if he wasn't going to listen to reason, Rorschach was determined to save him from his own pigheaded ideas of somehow battling the bear alongside Young Bill. All that would end up with was two corpses instead of just one.

What he hadn't expected was how quickly Levi would recover, which led to Rorschach trying to hold onto him as he wriggled around like an eel. "Enough!" He roared out at him. "You want to die, do it on your own time. But not while I'm around."

levi ackerman // attack on titan

[wingbound]

--1. THE HUNT/HIDE AND SEEK

[ It's almost too fast when the earth gives under their feet, but Levi is used to fast, and he's used to creatures that can alter landscape in an instance. His gear might not work, but it's still got most of its parts -- and he yanks out the cable with the grapple on the end with one hand, trying to hook it on something, while grabs the person nearest to him -- you -- with the other. ]

[ The grapple doesn't catch firmly enough to make him hang partway down, but it does slow and stagger the descent. He'll finally drop you once you're almost at the bottom; this ordeal might have just saved you both a sprain or a broken ankle. ]

Come on. We need to move.


--2. WHAT ONE MAN CAN DO

[ Not again. ]

[ Levi refuses to leave, determined to do his damnedest to give Young Bill some breathing space. The bear seems oddly fixated on him in particular, though of course it still spares growls and paw swipes for the rest of them if they try to interfere. ]

[ Perhaps it would be wise to listen, to let him fight the beast alone while attempting an escape -- but what good could that possibly accomplish? The creature would just come after them again, and this time they'd be short a competent pair of hands. No, they're not going to abandon their own, not when their best hope is fighting together. ]

[ And so he dances around the beast, trying to get its attention, darting in to try and stab it with the spear whenever he gets the chance, leaping back when it turns toward him. Surely it's ought to tire sooner or later, right? ]

[ Perhaps at some point he's a little too slow, and a powerful paw flings him across the atrium again. He might end up with some (more) broken ribs for his trouble, but it doesn't seem to deter him. ]


--3. WILDCARD

[ Feel free to surprise me, or let's chat on disco xoxo! ]