[you know what? we'll just memshare on a non-curfew day, it's fine. so, wherever ljh is, ryn is stopping by to say hello... and getting promptly interrupted by our friend The Memory Hole. he is honestly laying on the floor in the hole, he's so tired.
and when the screen starts up-
the landscape here is icy and absolutely freezing, harsh and unforgiving, the howl of the wind overshadowed by the sounds of shouting, growling, of metal clanging against metal and teeth and fangs scraping against armor and flesh. their unit's overtaken by the undead, ambushed by scourge forces, and already three out of the eleven of them are bodies on the ground. they all wear the same uniform tabard bearing a stylized sun; rynlan is in the center of their group along with a taller elf in heavier armor, clinging to a staff while his partner bears a shield, struggling to hold off the swarm.
he looks different, too. not blue or tentacle-haired at all-- he's pale and blond-haired, with bright, glowing green eyes, the same color as his partner (though another elf here has glowing blue ones.) he's younger, if not by much, definitely healthier, golden sparks flying from his fingertips as the pair of them struggle to keep their unit healed. another staggers to their knees, a shield of light surrounding them as rynlan hurries to her side, the memory providing his internal narration. spreading already-- at least three distinct diseases. plague. rapid onset of necrosis, no response to cleansing-- fuck. fuck, i can't-- out, get out, damn you, let me fix this, please let me--
'ryn-!' he hears from behind him, as claws dig into his arm, the snarling maw of a ghoul entirely too close. rynlan screams, lacing it with magic on instinct to drive the creature away, its claws tearing free as it goes. his partner's mace comes down on it, and as he sees another creature slam into the paladin from the side, he realizes they're truly overrun. there's no defense, anymore, there's just each of them against the undead attacking them, too many for him to even focus on healing at all. 'move,' he manages, his voice hoarse, and the other elf understands.
he snaps the vial around their fallen companion's neck and hurriedly steps back as the body is consumed in blinding, holy flame, all of the dead around them hissing as it burns their eyes. in under a minute, the body is nothing but ash. nothing left to stagger to its feet again, mindless. at least he can keep her from that fate.
he can't keep the two of them from theirs, though. there are too many, and they're both healers-- he sees the other elf glance back at him as he staggers, his own arms almost too heavy with exhaustion to hold his staff. the undead mob his partner all too easily, and he screams in outrage-- but this time they don't go anywhere. he just doesn't have anything left, eyes wide with panic at the realization.
'i'll hold them off you,' his partner mutters, determined. 'shut up-- get them off yourself!'
he doesn't listen.
the rest is a blur, for him, the memory on the screen less clear from there, but the last thing rynlan remembers of him is seeing him flash a quick, reassuring smile before taking hold of the vial around his neck, pulling it from its chain. he remembers thinking no no no don't you dare don't you fucking dare do this-
the last thing he remembers before teeth and claws sink into his leg, his back and arms, anywhere they can reach, body curled in on himself in a desperate attempt at protection, is hearing his own voice scream.]
[ it's vicious, the film, and he doesn't really expect it. it takes him a moment, first of all, to identify who is here, and that ryn isn't so much the ryn sitting beside him now, but the blonde man on the field, fighting for his life, for the lives of his companions as well. his fingers curl into fists at the sight, his eyes widening, just a bit, brows lifted.
and he really wishes he could look away, bites the inside of his cheek and sits back to just. smoke a cigarette slowly, watching until the very end, until the film stops and the lights go up just a bit while whatever is dunking them all into holes switches films in and out.
finally: ]
What was that vial...?
[ finally glancing over at him, frowning? they have a little time to digest this all... hopefully. ]
[he's quiet for a few moments, a little shaken, but. at least that's one of the easier questions.]
Holy fire. That was... Icecrown is the very heart of Scourge territory. The army of the undead. Any bodies that aren't burned are just... more reinforcements for them, those vials were a way to ensure our rest would be final.
I made them for us. Not a standard issue sort of thing.
[ he nods, accepting that. sacrifices you don't ever want to see so close up. a difficult choice made. he just. taps the ash out onto the floor of the theatre because this place sux. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
w3 wednesday
and when the screen starts up-
the landscape here is icy and absolutely freezing, harsh and unforgiving, the howl of the wind overshadowed by the sounds of shouting, growling, of metal clanging against metal and teeth and fangs scraping against armor and flesh. their unit's overtaken by the undead, ambushed by scourge forces, and already three out of the eleven of them are bodies on the ground. they all wear the same uniform tabard bearing a stylized sun; rynlan is in the center of their group along with a taller elf in heavier armor, clinging to a staff while his partner bears a shield, struggling to hold off the swarm.
he looks different, too. not blue or tentacle-haired at all-- he's pale and blond-haired, with bright, glowing green eyes, the same color as his partner (though another elf here has glowing blue ones.) he's younger, if not by much, definitely healthier, golden sparks flying from his fingertips as the pair of them struggle to keep their unit healed. another staggers to their knees, a shield of light surrounding them as rynlan hurries to her side, the memory providing his internal narration. spreading already-- at least three distinct diseases. plague. rapid onset of necrosis, no response to cleansing-- fuck. fuck, i can't-- out, get out, damn you, let me fix this, please let me--
'ryn-!' he hears from behind him, as claws dig into his arm, the snarling maw of a ghoul entirely too close. rynlan screams, lacing it with magic on instinct to drive the creature away, its claws tearing free as it goes. his partner's mace comes down on it, and as he sees another creature slam into the paladin from the side, he realizes they're truly overrun. there's no defense, anymore, there's just each of them against the undead attacking them, too many for him to even focus on healing at all. 'move,' he manages, his voice hoarse, and the other elf understands.
he snaps the vial around their fallen companion's neck and hurriedly steps back as the body is consumed in blinding, holy flame, all of the dead around them hissing as it burns their eyes. in under a minute, the body is nothing but ash. nothing left to stagger to its feet again, mindless. at least he can keep her from that fate.
he can't keep the two of them from theirs, though. there are too many, and they're both healers-- he sees the other elf glance back at him as he staggers, his own arms almost too heavy with exhaustion to hold his staff. the undead mob his partner all too easily, and he screams in outrage-- but this time they don't go anywhere. he just doesn't have anything left, eyes wide with panic at the realization.
'i'll hold them off you,' his partner mutters, determined.
'shut up-- get them off yourself!'
he doesn't listen.
the rest is a blur, for him, the memory on the screen less clear from there, but the last thing rynlan remembers of him is seeing him flash a quick, reassuring smile before taking hold of the vial around his neck, pulling it from its chain. he remembers thinking no no no don't you dare don't you fucking dare do this-
the last thing he remembers before teeth and claws sink into his leg, his back and arms, anywhere they can reach, body curled in on himself in a desperate attempt at protection, is hearing his own voice scream.]
im finally here
and he really wishes he could look away, bites the inside of his cheek and sits back to just. smoke a cigarette slowly, watching until the very end, until the film stops and the lights go up just a bit while whatever is dunking them all into holes switches films in and out.
finally: ]
What was that vial...?
[ finally glancing over at him, frowning? they have a little time to digest this all... hopefully. ]
no subject
[he's quiet for a few moments, a little shaken, but. at least that's one of the easier questions.]
Holy fire. That was... Icecrown is the very heart of Scourge territory. The army of the undead. Any bodies that aren't burned are just... more reinforcements for them, those vials were a way to ensure our rest would be final.
I made them for us. Not a standard issue sort of thing.
no subject
... A precaution. They were all over you.
[ he frowns. ]
What happened...? You survived.
[ "but at what cost?" without judgement, his expression neutral save for his brow, which is just. concern. ]
no subject
...he broke his. While he was still alive. Took out as many as he could so I might...
no subject
Don't look the same as you used to.
[ the elephant in the room question. ]
no subject
[another few moments of silence.]
This came later. Results of being void-touched. But the injuries did plenty to change me even before the void.
no subject
lin jingheng just.
slumps deeply in his seat and the sound of a match lighting a cigarette fills the air. ]