The Swarm - RPLOG
Participants
Date
16/10/476
Log
Evening in Firmament on the beach, the weather warm enough to still produce a little fog rolling in from the sea, cold enough for said fog to be uncomfortably cold. Several groups of beings have fanned out along the waterfront's length, sticking bundles of sour-smelling incense on the beach, held up by...well, sticks.
The first scouts of the invading army have landed on the beach, small, ugly insects about the size of a thumbnail - their painful bites elicits the occasional slap and curse, but thankfully the citrus incense keeps most of them away.
Angus makes a face as he walks onto the beach, waving his hat around to try and ward of the insects. "Damn. Forgot how annoying these little buggers are." He mutters, looking around at all the incense that were being put up. "So, how can I help?" He asks, his tail flicking as he trys not to get devoured by the insects..
standing some way back from the front of the assault on the insects. Paws infront of him letting an arua of fire slowly wash over him and the area around him. Enough to discourage the insects somewhat, at least it seemed to as he didn't notice as many assaulting him. The feline trying to move about and offer assistance lighting or guarding the various workers with a bit of warmth to help stave off the chill.
Eleni marches along in her standard fashion - bugs be damned; all they seem to be causing her is a reason to keep her helmet's visor down. The fennec gives a friendly wave to Angus and looks back over the clouds of insects; "Ya know, this ain't as bad as the last time I was called out ta deal with some mob of bugs." She comments, drumming her fingers against her arm. "'s Angus asked, what exxactly do ya need us for? Somehow I ain't too sure I'll be the most helpful a' beings for ya bugswatting."
"Get these stuck in the sand," a grunt from the city guard replies, handing everyone a generous number of those incense bundles on a stick. Odd that the city guard would be involved in this, even if it's just herding the workers, but when one thinks about it, it's just another kind of invading army, and besides, the uniform is reassuring. Probably. Maybe. "Try to space them out at about twenty paces' length along the beach. That's about the long and short of it, but don't go alone. It's all we can do to make sure folk sleep a little safer in their beds until the cold eventually kills off the damned kricks. Every year they swarm like this, every year they die..."
Indeed, glimmering lights can be seen in the distance, more incense bundles aflame all the way up to the lighthouse. "Now, don't complain. You're being paid a premium because normal, sane folk don't want to get bitten and bled. I know I must be crazy to be out here tonight."
Angus shrugs a bit as he takes the offered bundles, a smile starting to form as Eleni reminds him of the last time they encountered bugs. "Alright, should be rather easy." Taking his bundles he turns and gives Eleni and the newcomer that he hadn't met yet a wave before he moves off to start planting the incense bundles.
Valkair hmms a bit and tilts his head as his muzzle twitches and he shivers despite the aura of warmth radating around him as he flicks an ear and his tail slowly lashes. "I'm not exactly the prime choice of manual labor. Even if there isn't... excessive dirt involved. I would probably be better keeping the bugs under control in particularly bad spots. I have a few ways with that." He wrinkles his nose and sighs softly. "If you have no real use for someone to push back puckets of bugs can try to place the sticks."
Taking a moment to look bakc over the horizon, she shrugs. "Ain't as if we have ta raid some poor being's house again, so I ain't complainin'." she replies, taking her shaer of the incense sticks. "Dependin' on where you people want ta go, I have problem with startin' at the far end a' the beach. I'd say Angus ought ta do the closer ones - wouldn't want him ta get eaten alive by the bloody things, an' you seem ta be able ta handle ya math well enough ta get the midrange done. Seem reasonable?" she suggests - "'aint a problem if ya want ta help out with somethin' else. Ya fire seems ta be doin' a good job at keepin' the bugs off a' ya."
Indeed, as the evening progresses, the swarms only seem to intensify as the work crew continues to set up the bundles of insect repellent. Plenty of beings give occasional pause to smack at the ugly biting insects - although a good number of them lie dead or dying on the beach, hopefully to be swept out with the tide the next day, still far too many remain alive to harass everyone else. Seems like there's going to be a rash of very sore and annoyed folk turning up to work tomorrow, no pun intended.
Angus wipes his brow, swatting at a few of the insects with his hat. "Damned pests..." He mutters, definitly going to hate waking up tomorrow with all these bites. "How are you holding up Eleni?" He asks of the Fennec as he leans down to force one of the incense stakes into the ground, making sure it says.
The feline sighs as he placed incenses after incenses. Not miserable from bugs as much as from the physical effort. Whining from time to time to his self and sending a weak flashs of flame towards errand swarms in anger. The painful... physical work. The feline liked the beach enough, yes. The beach was nice. The heat aura was nice and kept the bugs off him but... the bugs. Buzzing filthy bugs. The second time he took a random job he regreted recently. He managed to get a few sticks in the ground. Slow. Much slower then he should have been moving. Partialy due to the ammount of focus he was metaining for his guard and his small angry attacks on noticable swarms.
Everything seems to be going well. when viewed from a distance, the entire length of the beach is one unbroken line of lights, twinkling away in the evening night. The citrus scent of incense rises up into the air, and while a few of the bugs get through the invisible barrier, most of them are content to remain by the water's edge, buzzing and humming angrily at the fresh, warm bodies they sense on the other side. If things are so bad along the coast, one can only imagine what they're like in the swamps proper.
At length, though, the droning seems to be getting louder, more insistent. It doesn't take long to figure out the cause - a fresh load of kricks has arrived, swirling at the edges of the barrier like a large dust devil of insects. Most of the folk are as safe as they can be, but it's still distinctly unsettling to look at.
"Yeesh, persistant little bastards." Leaning towards the barrier, staying away from the insects Angus starts making faces. Taunting them a bit before he stands back up and chuckles. "Don't a fan of pyhsical work?" He asks, looking at the feline in curiosity.
Valkair shivers a bit and grunts as he lashes his tail again as his head shakes and he flicks a paw at a few stray bugs poping them with a happy crack as the heat pops them. He shakes his head and snarls softly. "I'm a mage not a physical kind. I loath it in most forms." He mutters not turning his attention to the speaker, fur still bristled.
Eleni moves back along the beach and looking back at the insects with marked disdain. "Here's hopin' they won't figure out they can fly over the incense." she comments, laughing quietly at the fox's antics. "Hey Angus, ya keep that mouth open too wide an' a krick'll fly in." Valkair's comment is met with a laugh. "Oh, come on. Ain't anything wrong with a little exercise every now an' then. 'course this kinda work probably ain't makin' it easy ta put ya magic ta work."
Perhaps it's something about Angus' face that the bugs don't like, or maybe they don't like the way he teased them. But insects can't think and don't have emotions, right? Whatever the cause, the kricks buzz angrily and make a beeline for Angus straight through the line. A good number of them drop to the ground, stunned or outright killed by the smoke and scent, but enough of the horde survives to swarm the poor fox, or at least, attempt to.
They broke through, and instantly went for the fox! Angus yelps, flailing his arms as he is swarmed. "Gah, get em off, get em off!" He flails some more, looking for a way out of this before he heads for the one thing he knew that could help....Water.
Valkair blinks at the bugs. The agressive.. angry... foul... things. Rushing through the smoke at the fox. His mid races a moment as his fur bristles and he flexes his claws. FIRE. The first thought on his mind. LOTS OF FIRE. Then the voice or reason requested a moment and pointed out a copious ammount of fire might be bad for the fox, that was just swarmed. HE flicks his wrist and tries to summon a nice churning wall of fire between the fox and the swarm waiting on the other side of the smoke to provide incenerative for them not to continue being annoying.
Eleni doesn't manage to stifle a laugh at the krick's sudden flight towards Angus, though she's not about to let Angus run through the sudden wall of fire and into more of them. Clearly the best way to stop a moving thing is to tackle it, right? The fennec quickly lunges at the fox with surprising speed for someone covered in heavy armor.
Flailing about the fox nearly does try and run through the firewall, before a certain Fennec sized missle decided to hit him. Knocking him to the ground and giving him a good idea of how the sand tasted, as his hat lazily decided to float down beside him.
Smirking and purring, a rather sinister purr, Valkair holds the fire wall. The insects get to enjoy a bit more nice soothing warmth before the summer ends properly if they decide to press their venture into the raging inferno. He glances to the pile in the sand near and murmers softly. "I think fire would have done too much damage if I used it ON you."
Eleni pulls herself up from the fox and offers the noble a hand, putting the fallen hat over the fox's face. "All right, Angus, on ya feet. An' let's hope I don't have ta do that again. Hopefully ya ain't about ta go chargin' inta more krick next time, that's just bloody daft." She chuckles, looking over at the feline curiously. "Bit a' a firebug are we?" She chuckles.
Valkair's firewall draws a little attention from the other workers along the beach, but no one gives much comment once it becomes quite abundantly clear that more of those nasty bugs are dying - although a few amble on over to help them up if necessary and replace the incinerated incense, the strong smell of citrus now all over as the usually slow-burning incense is vaporised by valkair's firewall. someone offers Angus a bit of medicated salve, for all the good it'll do to stave off the welts that'll come tomorrow.
Angus coughs up a little bit of sand, blinking as he goes temporarily blined when his hat is thrown over his face. "....Oh, but I kind of liked the sand." He mutters, before standing up and groaning a little bit. "Oh, thank you." He smiles as he is offered the medicated salve, that might help a bit.
Valkair sighs a bit as he shakes his head and adjusts his dress a bit. Ears tinting with a slight blush as he clicks his tongue. "I have a predisposition to fire. Yes. I've always had a easier time makign it do what I want." HE smiles a bit and tilts his head. Keeping the fire wall up a bit longer as he peers over Angue and the other vulpine. "Valkair. Just Valkair. The rest of my name and title means little at the moment." He gives a half kneel.
Eleni nods, brushing a bit of sand off of the fox's clothes. "Well, look at it this way; ya might be a bit sore from bein' tackled, but ya won't have burns an' more welts ta deal with tomorrow. Seems a good trade ta me." She comments bluntly. "Well, pleasure ta meet you too, Valkair. I ain't too bothered what ya call yaself. Eleni's my name, 'sa pleasure."
