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Annie is on her trike on her way to school.
This van labeled HAZARDOUS MATERIALS is also on its way to school.
The van hits a patch of black ice. It goes spinning, it turns over, it slices itself open on a wrought-iron fence with spikes, and it disgorges boxes which smash open on the pavement. Some of them skitter clear into the slush.
Some of them - along with most of the van - land on Annie.
There is a whirl of bewildering pain and confusion -
- and she falls to the ground, injured and in more kinds of discomfort beyond that and moaning.
She slowly starts to heal before the eyes of her sole witness.
six artifact pileup annie in thedas
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keep_busy
first-and-final
"Oh, thanks." He picks it up. "Yeah, that'll be handy." It can be attached similarly to Stalas's own leg; there's room.
When he's all done going over the bodies, he takes a last look around, unloads the ballistae, cuts their strings, and smashes them into scrap with a war hammer borrowed from a dead darkspawn. "Right, time to move on. Let's try this way."
When he's all done going over the bodies, he takes a last look around, unloads the ballistae, cuts their strings, and smashes them into scrap with a war hammer borrowed from a dead darkspawn. "Right, time to move on. Let's try this way."
first-and-final
Onward, onward...
...
...There are rather a lot of darkspawn approaching from that direction at a fast march. Two ogres head the group. Stalas halts in his tracks, ten feet before the right-angled bend in the road that would put the group in view, when he hears the ogres' tromping footsteps.
...
...There are rather a lot of darkspawn approaching from that direction at a fast march. Two ogres head the group. Stalas halts in his tracks, ten feet before the right-angled bend in the road that would put the group in view, when he hears the ogres' tromping footsteps.
first-and-final
"We don't have room to run," calculates Stalas. He keeps his voice to a low murmur. "They'd still see us when they came around the corner. You turn back and get as far as you can as fast as you can without falling, find some rubble to hide behind if there's any available; I'll wait here and surprise them."
keep_busy
She swallows. "Okay." And she goes. Because clearly she can't stop him from worrying about her and if he doesn't have to do it as much maybe he'll be able to live through this.
first-and-final
The darkspawn approach. The tunnel trembles faintly under the ogres' feet.
And Stalas surprises them.
He stabs one dwarf-sized genlock, vaults over the collapsing body to land on the next one's shoulders, kicks them in the head on his way, and catches hold of a suprised ogre's flailing arm, to which he hangs on long enough to let go and drop onto said ogre's head, where he dodges its other hand and leaves a dagger in its eye as he takes a flying leap onto the shoulder of the second ogre; this one he stabs in the neck, and pulls the dagger out before leaping down to land on a human-sized darkspawn's shoulders and stab that one's eye. And so on, and so forth.
They haven't noticed Annie yet at all, being far too preoccupied with this tiny whirlwind of death in their midst. A sword scrapes across his armoured back and he ducks and spins and stabs the sword-wielder's gut. A hammer crashes down and he skips aside and stabs the offending genlock in the throat.
And Stalas surprises them.
He stabs one dwarf-sized genlock, vaults over the collapsing body to land on the next one's shoulders, kicks them in the head on his way, and catches hold of a suprised ogre's flailing arm, to which he hangs on long enough to let go and drop onto said ogre's head, where he dodges its other hand and leaves a dagger in its eye as he takes a flying leap onto the shoulder of the second ogre; this one he stabs in the neck, and pulls the dagger out before leaping down to land on a human-sized darkspawn's shoulders and stab that one's eye. And so on, and so forth.
They haven't noticed Annie yet at all, being far too preoccupied with this tiny whirlwind of death in their midst. A sword scrapes across his armoured back and he ducks and spins and stabs the sword-wielder's gut. A hammer crashes down and he skips aside and stabs the offending genlock in the throat.
keep_busy
Annie will be over here curled up in a pocket of rubble and being 5% enthralled 95% terrified that he is about to die.
first-and-final
And...
...one of them notices Annie. A darkspawn of medium height, between dwarf-sized and human-sized, but with a crouched posture and long spidery limbs. It breaks away from the melee and darts down the corridor; Stalas notices and gives chase.
...one of them notices Annie. A darkspawn of medium height, between dwarf-sized and human-sized, but with a crouched posture and long spidery limbs. It breaks away from the melee and darts down the corridor; Stalas notices and gives chase.
keep_busy
Shitshitshitshit she couldn't run even if she could run she's cornered -
first-and-final
He scoops up a loose rock and hurls it at the back of the long-limbed darkspawn's head. A glancing blow causes the creature to pause, turn back, and howl at him. Meanwhile, he is being chased by the remaining two-thirds of the group, a couple dozen in all.
The long-limbed one is fast, the only darkspawn so far that's actually been fast enough to match him; but Stalas is stronger. It swipes a clawed hand at his face and he catches the wrist and crushes it in his grip, eliciting another howl. The creature pulls a dagger, and he wrestles it to the ground - uncomfortably close to Annie's hiding place.
They roll toward her. Stalas catches a crossbow bolt in the shoulder, but seems disinclined to let it slow him down. He is determined to keep the darkspawn away from Annie.
Just as he manages to get the contested dagger into the darkspawn, the leading member of the horde catches up and attempts to bisect him with an enormous axe. In rolling out of the way, he causes both himself and the dying darkspawn to brush against Annie.
Stalas is unharmed by the contact; the darkspawn disintegrates, burning away to fine ash in an instant.
The long-limbed one is fast, the only darkspawn so far that's actually been fast enough to match him; but Stalas is stronger. It swipes a clawed hand at his face and he catches the wrist and crushes it in his grip, eliciting another howl. The creature pulls a dagger, and he wrestles it to the ground - uncomfortably close to Annie's hiding place.
They roll toward her. Stalas catches a crossbow bolt in the shoulder, but seems disinclined to let it slow him down. He is determined to keep the darkspawn away from Annie.
Just as he manages to get the contested dagger into the darkspawn, the leading member of the horde catches up and attempts to bisect him with an enormous axe. In rolling out of the way, he causes both himself and the dying darkspawn to brush against Annie.
Stalas is unharmed by the contact; the darkspawn disintegrates, burning away to fine ash in an instant.
keep_busy
Annie blinks. Once.
And then she flings herself at the axe-wielding one, hands outstretched.
And then she flings herself at the axe-wielding one, hands outstretched.
first-and-final
That one also disintegrates on contact.
Stalas rolls farther, bounces to his feet, and charges straight for the two with crossbows, both of whom are aiming for Annie. He stabs another one on the way. One of the crossbow-wielders looses a bolt at him, and he dodges just enough that it catches his already-wounded shoulder. His one remaining functional arm is still sufficient to kill both of the crossbow-wielding darkspawn when he gets there a moment later.
Meanwhile, the rest of them are getting in each other's way in their confusion as to whether it is more appropriate to attack Annie, attack Stalas, or flee back down the tunnel.
Stalas rolls farther, bounces to his feet, and charges straight for the two with crossbows, both of whom are aiming for Annie. He stabs another one on the way. One of the crossbow-wielders looses a bolt at him, and he dodges just enough that it catches his already-wounded shoulder. His one remaining functional arm is still sufficient to kill both of the crossbow-wielding darkspawn when he gets there a moment later.
Meanwhile, the rest of them are getting in each other's way in their confusion as to whether it is more appropriate to attack Annie, attack Stalas, or flee back down the tunnel.
keep_busy
Annie gets to her feet, disintegrating targets of opportunity while they're tangled.
first-and-final
Stalas stabs darkspawn with remarkable efficiency. Between him and Annie, it's all over in a couple more minutes.
When the last darkspawn has gone up in a lightless flash of heat, he looks at his shoulder and says mildly, "Ow."
When the last darkspawn has gone up in a lightless flash of heat, he looks at his shoulder and says mildly, "Ow."
keep_busy
She drops to her knees next to him, catching her breath. "Are you going to be okay? Can I help - what do I do - I don't disintegrate you is there anything I can do? I - there might have been something but I barely touched you and I only noticed it when I touched you -"
keep_busy
"I don't know it was only for a moment -" She holds out her hand tentatively.
keep_busy
"I think I can copy you my artifact effects. I don't know if it's with their drawbacks attached or if I can undo it. But I could let you have my regen."
first-and-final
"I will take your regen," he says. "It seems preferable to continuing to go around with a wrecked shoulder indefinitely. - Do you know which drawback is attached to it?"
keep_busy
Headshake. "No idea. Um, if it makes you blind and deaf should I give you the languages thing and/or the extra sense, too, while you can't understand the question?"
first-and-final
"Languages thing. I'll probably want the extra sense too but the languages thing is the minimum required to discuss the problem."