October Event Log

[kaisoumods]

October Event
Dominant Element: Earth
Waning Element: Water

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Autumn is in full swing throughout Kaisou. The winds of September have settled down, leaving behind picturesque chilly autumn weather. During the month, the trees will be in full autumn glory, giving everyone a beautiful show of bright yellows, reds and oranges. At night, the atmosphere is perfect for a spooky Halloween night, with the moon showing brightly as you walk through crumpled leaves that skitter across the ground.

A Spoopy Time of Year

With the arrival of October, the city switches into full Halloween mode. You can't go anywhere in the city without finding some kind of Halloween decoration, whether it be jack-o-lanterns, paper ghosts, fake skeletons, or orange and black coloring. Restaurants and coffee shops are selling Halloween-themed refreshments, while there's a Spirit Halloween opening up in just about every empty building in the city for those looking to get yourselves a costume. Where did they come from? How did they pop up so fast? No one knows.

With school entering it's second month, students are finally getting used to the new daily routine. As they do that, maybe it's time to look into getting more involved. The Student Council are holding their elections, and there's auditions for the fall music concert. Meanwhile the clubs and sports are starting to gear up at both high school and the university as well. There's a wide variety, from high school baking club to the swim teams to the university anime club - or you can make your own club! There's lots of ways to be involved with your peers.

For those looking to get into the spirit of the holiday, there's plenty of things to do! The pumpkins are ready to be harvested in the farms of Stardew Valley, so you're welcome to visit a patch and pick out one for jack-o-lantern carving! There's also costume contests being held in the shopping center, with winners getting gift certificates to various businesses. Kami State Park are offering horse-pulled hay rides through the forest in the evening, for anyone wanting a fun date or family activity that's low on the scares. For those who want more of a thrill, the Gold Saucer has set up a ghost hotel experience. You can either do a basic tour that showcases all the typical things a haunted house has (creepy props, jump-scares, costumed folks, moogles in ghost costumes, etc), or for the truly brave, you can opt to stay the whole night in the hotel. The rooms are decked out to the macabre extreme complete with some creepy sounds occasionally occurring throughout the night. But hey, if that's what you're into - no shame!

The Halloween festivities aren't restricted to just the normal parts of town. In Undertown, plenty of merchants are getting into the spirit and selling Halloween items such as cauldrons (great for potion brewing), witches hats (enchanted to always be pointy), and witch brooms (enchanted to...just hover. No real flying). Meanwhile more traditional shops will focus more on protective wards and items meant to appease spirits, sometimes grumbling about the commercialization blinding people to the real dangers of this time of year. Enki Education Center meanwhile will offer plenty of classes about the history of Halloween and other related topics.

Samhain: The Lifting of the Veil

Those involved with the paranormal will be familiar with the idea of the veil between this world and the Spirit Realm thinning somewhat during this time of year. It's been a long known fact, and why so many holidays occur this time of year. However most years, the thinning of the veil results in nothing more than it being easier to conjure powerful spells, or an increase of supernatural sightings from normal people - some real, some fake, some from folks who have indulged a little too much in the Halloween spirit. Overall though, it's nothing to be too concerned about.

This year though? Between the already unusual activity from the Spirit Vein and recent damage done to the barrier by the man-made portal? The annual thinning of the veil couldn't come at a worse time. Instead of an mild increase in supernatural sightings? Normal people around the city find themselves bewildered as they become capable of perceiving all things supernatural. Your inhuman features? Your weird hair color? Those weapons you've been carrying around? The people can see them for what they are, and they have a lot of questions and concerns. The app users will be routinely dealing with the chaos that comes from those who once were oblivious now noticing what has been going around them all this time. Do your best to navigate the questions or escape if it gets to be too much.

Unfortunately, the problems from the thinning don't end just there. Throughout the month, tears, or smaller gates, will continuously pop up around the city. Each of these gates will lead to smaller labyrinths that looks like different versions of hell - complete with demons ready consume on any poor souls that happen to go near these gates. The surefire way to deal with these gates is to kill or exorcise the master demon of the labyrinth (which is a demon that's tougher than the other ones). This will cause the labyrinth to collapse and everyone inside will be safely teleported out. Do your best to patrol the city and ensure that no civilians fall prey to these tears.

The Disappearances

It starts slow, at first it's just one or two people from the app who go missing. Those who have the Libra app might suddenly find that they can't get a hold of their friend. For some, they might rationalize an explanation: it's October and some people are getting really busy with school or work as the big holiday season is right around the corner. Nothing to get too worried about, right? But for others, such rationalizations doesn't sit right. Not when a person they live with doesn't come home, or fails to show up to work when they've never been known to skip out.

Investigating these disappearances don't yield much at first. In most of the cases, there's no signs of a struggle. Though for a couple, especially with people who tend to be difficult normally, there's some signs that maybe something occurred - but there's no trail, no fingerprints. If you submit a missing persons report to the police, they won't have much in the way of leads. Zodiac too seems concerned, saying they'll look into it but not having more details to share at this time.

By the second week of October, things have escalated to the point that not even the most laidback of people can rationalize things away. Several people, all on the app, have gone missing and no one has been able to contact them at all or locate them by any means, magical or mundane. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to who's taken or when they were taken, just that they were likely alone when they vanished.

Just where then, is everyone going? Will you be next?

A Gate to Hell

It's not until October 13th does a lead finally get found. Zodiac will send a message through the app, it's signal blaring as usual.

ALERT: SHIFTING GATE LOCATED AT KAISOU HIGH SCHOOL.
Element Classification: Earth
Danger Level: High
Designation: The Qliphoth
A large gate has been detected at Kaisou High School. We have received information that this gate is connected to the disappearances of app users. Some locals have approached our agents with information on this realm. They have also requested assistance in stopping the demons within and saving the hostages. This realm is HIGHLY DANGEROUS, please only go near it if you're prepared. Please visit the Zodiac Office if you need any questions answered or equipment. And whatever you do, do NOT make any deals with demons.

Visiting the Zodiac Office, they will find that the atmosphere is once more very serious. There are Zodiac employees rushing around, trying to get a handle on the multiple crisis going on. Professor Willow looks rather pale and like he hasn't slept in a week. When asked about his condition, he'll just explain that he just pulled an all-nighter researching. Though when the TV in the office shows another news story of someone reporting a supernatural sighting of some kind, he seems to pale even further.

But before you can focus too much on the Professor, the Zodiac attendants usher you over to the group that requested assistance. It seems to be a mix of people that hang around the Underground and ....yeah, ok, that's a 7 foot tall demon with horns with them. Before you can brandish any weapons, the humans with them insist they're a good demon. They explain that within the realm of the Qlipoth, a demon lord by the name of Zoray is attempting to harvest power with human sacrifices - the folks who had been kidnapped. As such, they need help in putting an ends to the plans.

Once you're ready to go, the gate can be found on the football field at Kaisou High School. It's completely overtaken one of the endzones, a massive and twisted monolith that just reeks of evil as you approach. The grass around is turning brown and quickly dying off as red light from the gate itself reflects on. Needless to say, the homecoming game has been cancelled until further notice.

It becomes incredibly apparent, as soon as you step through, that the situation is much worse than what Zodiac was expecting. Before your eyes lays what looks to be once a normal city, not unlike Kaisou itself. However, its days of being a normal city are long gone. The sky bleeds between bright reds and blues, often mixing into an odd but eerily clear sunset, and two major landmarks greet the eyes amongst the urban ruins. Nearby, an old castle looms with impeccable stature, while in the distance lies a horrid and twisted tree.

One of the most prominent things to note, then, is the slight scent of copper wherever you go. It lingers on the tongue as something familiar, but you can't quite name it as to what. For folks with enhanced smell, however, they can tell exactly what that copper is– blood. The entire gate reeks of it. Even worse is how there is an oppressive air constantly around, one that feels heavy and has weight to it overall. The flora and fauna have too many eyes, too many teeth, and many look like if you mistreat them, they'll bite off your fingers or worse.

What a way of greeting the incoming help, huh?

Kidnapped: Face Yourselves

As for those who were kidnapped, let's rewind a moment to what happened. They had been in Kaisou when they were approached by a stranger, pleading to help someone who had been trapped within the Spirit Realm. Those who were reluctant to go were offered rewards of various sorts. Anyone who agreed to follow the stranger would've found themselves quickly nabbed by demons before everything went dark. As for those who resisted all attempts to lure them - well, the stranger had enough and called on their demon friends to jump you anyway.

Those who were taken will wake up and find themselves in caverns below grown, beneath a massive tree far bigger than any tree or really any building you'd find on Earth. Any weapons on your persons has been taken from you, and the phone can't get a signal - not even to Libra, thanks to the magic radiating from the tree roots. No one is being tied down or anything, as the demons are sure there's no way you could ever get out from beneath the tree. Listening in on their conversations, it sounds like they plan to sacrifice you. Those who are able to sense magical energy will be able to tell that even now, the tree is slowly siphoning their energy just by being here.

If you want to try, however, and perhaps avoid the fate of being sacrificed, you can attempt to escape. The kidnapped victims are in the root system of the tree, so they'll have to use their best judgement to navigate through the roots without getting caught. Though getting out is easier said and done to actually, as the root system is a maze, with twists and turns and dead ends and the occasional gap that must be traversed. Anyone who attempts to escape using magic will find their way blocked.

There are small mercies, as you don't seem to get hungry or thirsty while trapped in here. However after a few days, the tree's roots will absorb enough of your energy to create demonic doppelgangers of the captured. These demonic doppelgangers appear as twisted versions of the person they're copying, and worse - they reflect every inner demon within oneself and magnified. Someone prone to jealousy would have a demon that flies into jealous rages, while the demon of someone greedy will not stop until they have everything. These demons are their literal inner demons made manifest, and they were created to make sure you do not escape. Some will try to kill, while others aim to break you mentally by making you face your worst features. Do you face them head on and defeat your inner demons? Do you try and befriend them? Or do you just run the other way and hope they can't catch you?

Meanwhile, Back with the Rescuers

Returning to the rescuers, there are two avenues in which a person can assist. For those who aren't quite suited for or willing to do a marathon of battle, you can head to the castle. Meanwhile those who brought weapons and an itch to fight? Well, you're directed to head to the tree.

Route A: Raising Spirits at the Castle

The path to the castle is a straightforward one. The stronghold itself seems out of place, an old castle that's in a pristine state amongst modern buildings in ruins. As you approach, you may being to spot the residents of this castle. Demons of every shape and size fly, flit, scamper, and walk around the area with no malice or ill intent. They aren't the only ones here, as there's humans mingling among the demons as well. It's not until a group of these residents, the human kind, come forward that you may realize that this isn't a place of terror or horrors, but a refuge from what is happening outside.

Once they notice you, you're ushered towards the fortress. The group explains that long ago, this was a normal city, but one day that demonic tree appeared along with an army of demons. The humans that remained now are part of a witch coven, descendants of the citizens who lived here once. Their duty these days is to keep the balance within this realm in check, and stop the demonic legion from spreading further. While some demons have learned to live in peace with the coven over the years, there are many more that still seek to wreck havoc and conquer. Recently, the evil demons have grown fiercer, thanks to their leader Zoray's plan to harvest a fruit that'll boost their power and allow for them to push their army into the next realm over - Kaisou. The only way for the fruit to be produced? Sacrifices, and lots of them. They were particularly keen on folks with high spirit energy, like the app users that got nabbed. The coven is doing what they can, but they need help in both places, and in more ways than just fighting.

That's where you come in.

While many wish to go to the tree and save those who were kidnapped or even assist those who go, there's another way to help out. One thing that serves to weaken the force of the demonic army? Positive energy. Being a safe haven for demons doesn't exactly make it a place that one would consider happy or positive, and it shows. As the plans to take on the demons and Zoray are laid out, the group admits that having enough good energy back at the castle will help take off the edge of the demons at the tree.

Seeing as there's plenty of people who can help bring in some positive energy, they've begun preparations for a Halloween celebration, roping anyone into it that chooses to stay behind. Lights need to be hung, streamers need to be unrolled and placed, food needs to be prepared, events need to be broken down and planned so things run smoothly. Demons and humans alike will split the work, though watch out for some of the smaller demons, as they like to be mischievous and have fun when people are doing their job. Once things are all set up, then the fun begins. Games have been set up to entertain everyone there, including bobbing for apples, telling spooky stories, dancing, even a costume contest to keep spirits high, and have things last for a long while.

Route B: Speedrun Attempt

Of course, some may not care to scale the tree. For those who want a more direct approach to saving their friend, you hear rumors around the castle that the kidnapped victims are being stored away in the roots of the tree. Those who pursue those rumors and look around the roots of the tree (all while avoiding patrolling demons) will find a stash of items that were taken from the kidnapped victims. Take care of the demons guarding the stash, grab anything you recognize as belonging to your friend, and carry on. Eventually, the search will pay off and you'll find an opening that leads into the root system where the captives are being held. (note: if a character attempts to STEAL any items to keep for themselves, they must obtain permission from the player who the items belong to.)

Or at least, what seemed like an opening. As once you go inside? The roots will move and seal you within the roots. Just like the kidnapped victims, you're trapped within and subjected to the same torments the kidnapped victims must deal with. Whoops! But on the upside, you have weapons! Those will probably come in handy.

Route C: Battle at the Qliphoth (cw: trypophobia)

For the group that decides to head to the tree? Hell is about to get up close and personal.

Finding the path towards the tree isn't too difficult, but the further the group ventures in, more and more of the city they approach begins to show how devastating the tree has been to the environment. Debris lines the streets, buildings have crumbled and parts lay strewn across roads, and the smell of blood grows stronger. Perhaps the worst thing of all is the sheer amount of (cw: major trypophobia) husks left along the way, mostly in the shapes of people in complete and utter terror. Eventually the group will come across the witches assigned to watch the tree, still focused on keeping the tree's evil from spreading. A quick exchange of information from them fills you in on any missing notes– namely, that Zoray has gathered his minions and has gotten exceptionally protective of the layers of the tree. The higher you go, the stronger and greater amount of demons you'll encounter.

For those who try to bypass all of the obstacles given by the tree and its residents by teleporting or flying, they'll find a barrier forms less than halfway up the tree, with a phantasmal hand that shoos them away from going any further. Time to start climbing.

The Lower and Middle Levels

On the (cw: trypophobia) outside of the tree's tough skin, plenty of small fry (and not so small fry) will greet you enthusiastically and maliciously. Demons here more often than not don't speak in human tongue, they'll simply acknowledge your presence with a roar and bound after you. And where there's one, more are sure to follow. As if that wasn't bad enough, roots from the tree itself lash out every often, hoping to catch anyone who passes through unaware and impale them to the floor. Getting caught by one is going to have to use some quick thinking– either stab the root or shoot it, and the thing will let go. It sure won't be happy about losing its meal though, so be careful.

Far into the middle of the tree lies twisted paths and corroded edges, some of them almost looking more like a path of an elongated spine than the bark of a tree. Tougher demons lie in wait here, some even being commanded by others, and you may even come across spaces where the way forward is blocked by red spiderwebs that refuse to budge unless all demons are defeated. Finish them off, the webs will shatter, and you can move on your way.

The High Arena

Up at the top lies the demon lord responsible for this entire mess. Zoray watches over the rest of the realm, smug in his assumptions of claiming the Fruit once it ripens. The arrival of outsiders such as yourself is not something he expects, and it shows– he'll do everything in his power to keep you busy and unable to reach the Fruit, as he's standing beside it. It will take a lot of teamwork and cooperation to take out not only the demons serving Zoray, but the demon lord himself must be destroyed as well. Thankfully, the positive energy being created at the castle does help make his blows hit much less harder, and offer occasional protection to those who get struck. Everything is on the line, so bring your best to fight for the safety of the realm.

When the dust settles and Zoray is no more, most demons inside the tree will scamper, unable to handle the loss of their leader and not knowing what to do without orders. Make sure to destroy the fruit (which thankfully has yet to ripen) before you go. The trip down will be safer, and the coven will greatly thank you for your help once you return. Not only that, but the roots of the tree will pull back enough to allow openings for the kidnapped victims (and their would be rescuers) to make their escape and reunite with everyone. Any doppelganger demons that are remaining will need to be dealt with...or left to their own devices, never to be seen from again.

Aftermath

With the main threat dealt with, the city returns to....well, okay. Not fully normal, but a little bit calmer. Tears become less frequent, though still continue to be a problem thanks to the time as year. Normal people will still continue to notice more things than usual, but some of the more oblivious ones will stop noticing things. The coven witches, thankful for the help, will send everyone jack-o-lantern buckets that will refill with your favorite candies through October. Any items that were taken from the kidnapped victims by the demons will be returned to them if they weren't already. The staff at Zodiac will begin to relax, offering monetary compensation for samples of the tree and feeling hopeful that once they get past Samhain, things will return things to normal.

Except, that's not what happens. In the final weeks of October, after the Qliphoth has been dealt with, the days will get progressively shorter. Much shorter than what's normal for this time of year. Daylight will go from lasting half the day to only a couple scant hours. It will culminate on October 31st, Halloween, when the sun does not rise at all - leaving the city in perpetual darkness.

Going to Zodiac will yield little answers, as they have no explanation at all. Clergy at the church will inform you that the Black Order is looking into it as well. As for POKEGO, well strangely....Professor Willow is nowhere to be found. In fact, no one has seen him since the days have begun to shorten.

That's probably a coincidence, right?

OOC Notes

The dominant element this month is Earth! Anyone with an affinity to the earth element will find themselves boosted throughout the month. This could mean a boost to their power, having more energy, feeling more inspired with creativity, having better luck on different attempts -- the boost can manifest in all sorts of different ways. By contrast, anyone with an affinity for Water will be experiencing the opposite. Perhaps their powers will be weaker, they have less energy, they're having a creative block or general worse luck - again it can manifest in all sorts of way and players are free to play with this mechanic as they'd like.

Player are still allowed to sign up to be kidnapped! Just head to this comment and sign up! Sign-ups for kidnappees will close on October 13th.

The original OOC plotting post for this event can be found here. Another Zodiac Post will be going up October 15th to serve as an intro post for new characters and allow characters to react to developments over the network.

Comments

[couldntsaveone]

Luffy only just manages to dodge the blow but he won't be able to dodge all of the flames. He's fast but this place is severely draining his abilities. He won't be able to keep it up for long, he can tell. Probably not even for ten minutes; he needs to finish this fast.

Well, too bad! I'm not going to let you have your way! Whatever that is!

He jumps forward, moving much faster now. He's moving fast enough to be an indistinct blur and his punches, when they land, will be a little bit stronger. He aims one for his stomach, looking to knock the wind out of him quick. Easier to knock someone out after they've been winded, not that he's putting a lot of thought in his fight. He tends to run off instinct, mainly.

[theskyaccepts]

[This is a demon who is based off of Tsuna's fears and whatever weird memories are connected to him. A demon, therefore, who has only really fought opponents with dying will flames. To be against someone who is conclusively not using those is a bit of an adjustment.

The punch to the gut comes as a surprise, and definitely catches the demon off guard, but not before a hard blast of orange flame shoots from his hand towards Luffy.]

[couldntsaveone]

This close, there's no avoiding the flame and Luffy doesn't even try to dodge it. He takes it head on, accepting the pain and the burn. He can worry about healing later.

Fighting Luffy is definitely a different experience. Not only does he not have a dying will, he doesn't have the typical fear of pain or dying that most people have. He faces him head on, dodging what he can but bodying what blows are just. Impossible to dodge. It's not that it doesn't hurt, although he won't show much signs of outward pain yet, it's just that he won't let anything stop him from achieving his goal.

Once he gets in a blow to the stomach, even if it slightly winds him, he's aiming another blow to the demon's head. Throw him off balance. Leave him winded and disoriented. He'll keep raining down as many hits as he can, dodging back if it'll give him the advantage and coming in closer for stronger hits. It definitely helps that since he's rubber, he can stretch his arms to some extent, giving him a little bit of distance from his opponent, although his range has shortened a bit now that he's using gear 2nd in order to be quicker.

[theskyaccepts]

What?

[Is the last thought that the demon has for a moment before it is struck by a number of blows from Luffy. It's hard to dodge, hard to set up another attack because he's never really been attacked like this before. But eventually the demon fires another blast of flame, widely, trying to push himself away from the attack.

The real Tsuna can only watch, amazed.]

[couldntsaveone]

This blast hits as well, although it does significantly less damage than last time. It does, however, hit more of Luffy than last time, since it was much wider. Again, he falls back, starting to breathe a little hard but still willing to push himself. He probably has a couple more minutes. He can last that long, can't he?

He can. He'll force himself to. Anything for a friend, and even if they've only met a handful of times, he already considers Tsuna a friend.

Better back off, flame guy, because I'm not going anywhere. You can't touch my friend!

Pushing himself past his limit, he pulls up a quick burst of energy to go a bit faster than before. He needs to land as many hits as he can before he runs out of steam, quite literally. And he needs to push Tsuna out of his shell, too. If he's capable of having anywhere near the power of the guy he's fighting, then he'll need his help.

Oi, Weakling! You're really strong, I know it! Even if this flame guy doesn't believe in you, I do. You helped me in the library and that means something. You're a helper and that takes a certain kind of strength. Being strong isn't always about being the strongest or the fastest or the best in the room. As long as you're able to fight together with your friends, protect each other and help one another, that's enough!

This is going to be another fun story, a funny adventure for us later! So, come help me fight, I could really use your help.



ooc; Luffy will probably run out of power in the next couple of comments, since he has limits to keep him from being too OP here. Up to you if Tsuna wants to join and help him, save Luffy after he's down, or if Luffy saves Tsuna~

[theskyaccepts]

[Tsuna doubts himself.

Tsuna doubts himself a lot. And why shouldn't he? A lot goes wrong around him. He's lazy, he's clumsy, he's not good at a lot of things. So as much as he wants to help Luffy, there's a part of him that keeps him back. That he won't be a help. That he'll just get in the way. That he will make things worse.

But as he's watching the fight, the fact that Luffy is fighting for him, he knows he has to do something. And Luffy's words bring memories. Memories that he isn't sure are his but feel close enough. Because this other him has friends. Good friends, who would fight for him and he for them. Because he is their Sky, whatever that means.

He doesn't know how to activate his power at will, but he's at least going to try. Because he has to help Luffy. He has to help with his Dying Will.

And at least, responding to something, the bars of his cage start to pull apart.]

No!

[Screams the demon, who is now severely battered. His hand alights in a cold orange flame, clearly moving into a desperation move.]

[couldntsaveone]

Luffy does his best to jump between the demon and Tsuna. His friend is trying to help him, trying to get free. He won't let you ruin that.

Oi! Leave him alone, flame guy! Your fight is with me.

[theskyaccepts]

[At this point the demon doesn't seem to care about who its target is. It screams and flies at Luffy with a flame filled punch. But behind Luffy is Tsuna, who is pulling the bars of his cage apart with a brilliant, warm orange flame. It alights in the middle of his forehead and with a loud roar, the bars separate.

And in a flash, he is in front of Luffy, blocking the punch in a display of previously unheard of athleticism.]

[couldntsaveone]

Which is good, because Luffy is finally starting to falter. His abilities are severely hampered here, both by the tree and by being in Kaisou in general. Or hell. Or both.

He stumbles back a little but remains on his feet, for now. But he's letting Tsuna take the lead on the fight from now on. He'll play back up, encouraging mentor and sidekick.

There you go. Looks like you're not such a weakling after all. I'll back you up but I believe in you. You can win this fight.

[theskyaccepts]

[If Tsuna had just a little more control over Dying Will mode, he might have been able to respond, but Hyper Dying Will is just a little bit too far for him. Though it says something that he's managed to keep his clothes on.

Instead he pulls back with his other fist to clock the demon hard in the jaw.

The demon stumbles away before looking up with a face full of rage.]

So, you want to do this the hard way?

[couldntsaveone]

Luffy lets Tsuna take the lead, for now. He's carefully watching the fight between the two of them, looking to jump in if it looks like he needs help or if the demon is aiming for a blind spot. He knows well how to adapt his style to fight in a team.

Shut up, Flame guy. You're annoying.

[theskyaccepts]

[The Demon glares at Luffy, considering its options, but Tsuna doesn't really give it a chance. He roars again and charges in blindly, swinging his fists and ready to make contact. The demon catches him, trying to knock Tsuna unbalanced, but Tsuna stands his ground and swings the demon around towards Luffy.]

[couldntsaveone]

Luffy's been watching the fight and is ready for it. He sings his fists back, stretching them, before bringing them forward to hit him with an attack he named after a bazooka. So, not exactly pleasant.

But that's it. He's reached his limit. Whether the hit makes it mark or not, Luffy needs a break. He's going to collapse, unable to move for the next five minutes.

[theskyaccepts]

[It's enough.

The demon is hit with the force of Luffy's attack and is sent flying across the room into a wall.

And Tsuna takes that moment to run. He scoops up Luffy and heads blindly up a hallway, his roar scaring off any demons who might want to pursue them.

At least until Dying Will runs out and Tsuna stumbles, leaning against a wall and trying not to drop Luffy. A little hard with your strength gone so they're kind of in a heap.]

A-a-re you okay? Luffy?

[couldntsaveone]

Luffy's still out of it, so he's going to continue to be a limp noodle for a little while longer. He accepts being in a pile with friend.

I'm fine. I just can't move for a little bit! It's one of the side effects of me fighting. Are you okay?

[theskyaccepts]

Y-yeah, I think so. I don't have a lot of strength either though.

[And he's pretty sure he can't carry Luffy like this.]

How long until you can move?

[couldntsaveone]

Hmm. A couple more minutes, probably.

He's in a lot of pain but doesn't let that on. Once he "gets better", he'll keep pushing himself like it's normal.

Once I can move again, do you want me to carry you somewhere?

[theskyaccepts]

Out of here, if you can manage it?

I mean, I should be able to lean on you at least.

[couldntsaveone]

I can probably manage that!

He laughs but lays still for a few more minutes.

Then, albeit slowly, he pushes himself up. Then, he's reaching to help Tsuna up, offering to either carry him on his back or help him limp along.

We should probably get out of here now! I don't think either of us is any shape to fight too many more demon flame guys!

[theskyaccepts]

[Tsuna takes Luffy's offered hand, stumbling a little but soon finding his feet. He'll go as far as he can, which is all he can probably ask of himself.]

Yeah. I don't want to have to do that again for a while.