Spooktacular Extravaganza: When Chipmunks Attack!

[yarrharr]

As the party carries on, the storm outside has worked into a frenzy. The wind howls and bellows and the water at lasts breaches the top deck. Beneath the waves, the shadows move, converging upon one single point and suddenly...

BAM!

The Black Tide shudders at the impact, water spilling through the cracks made in its hull. A leathery appendage pushes against the damage, seeking entry before it is finally swatted away in favor of something a little more dramatic.

Another BOOM rocks the boat and finally its hull is breached. The tentacle slithers in and begins to crush whatever it can wrap itself around.

As passengers right themselves, and food is quickly cleaned from the floor and walls, Rowe turns to Iseul and Mica, her face red and eyes wild, pointing sharply at the door. "Well? What are you waiting for, you bastards? FIX THIS!"

When they are gone, Rowe snatches up her goblet and drains it dry until the very last drop. When she sets it down, the chipmunks attack.

((The chipmunks are enormous! As they swarm into the Pourhouse, passengers will be scooped up and packed into their cheeks or stuffed into their fannypacks! Have fun with that. IMPORTANT MOD EDIT!!! We totally forgot to mention that any passenger successfully nabbed and taken away by a chipmunk will be automatically dropped. Where are they going? Nobody knows! If you would like to drop your character, here's your chance!))

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[yarrharr]

The chipmunk screeches as it is cast aside by the chair smackdown. It is thrown onto its side, where Bennett continues to beat the woodland creature for its offense of... what did it do to deserve this cruelty, Ben? The madness is clear in the werewolf's eyes. It can see the wildness in the depths of them.

If it could perceive of the concept of spirituality, the chipmunk would be praying in vain to its God(s) for either mercy or salvation.

[butcherofblaviken]

Geralt approaches and he can see Ben furiously beating something to death. There is no art in Ben's strikes, there is just fury and the wet sound of bone and flesh crackling under the assault. Blood spatters the floor around the chipmunk's corpse and Geralt steps forward with one hand outstretched. He isn't sure if Ben is through with his berserker's fury, and he doesn't want to risk a crack over the head with the chair still in the werewolf's hands.

He's seen werewolves lose themselves in battle before, even when not transformed. Their bloodlust is legendary.

"Ben... It's me, Geralt..."

[nonhuman]

Ben is not a typical werewolf.

He isn't.

He knows he isn't. He's done blood tests. He's compared himself to the more ancient breeds. Checked against the common, modern lycanthropic infections. He's compared himself to an actual, modern wolf, Canis lupus. He has complete control of his senses when he's a werewolf, and he can make intelligent, pacifistic decisions. He is really just himself, with a higher than average fondness of fetch.

He's only hurt one person in his entire decade spent transforming. Ten years. He hurt one person. Granted, he ripped into the man's throat and more than likely ate a fair amount of the man's trachea, but he made the decision to start the action.

He let the wolf out off the little leash in the back of his mind. Those blood tests always said he was more gray wolf than werewolf or human anymore, anyway.

Geralt's voice causes the thin man to freeze, holding the bloodied ruins of the chair in his hands. Bennett spins, bright amber-brown eyes falling on the Witcher, and he relaxes immediately, the rage and fear fading from his face into his normal worried.

"What-- I, I-- you doing okay over there?"

He hasn't even noticed whatever's left of the rodent at his feet.

[butcherofblaviken]

"I'm fine," Geralt says, like it doesn't even register as a possibility that he isn't. He's the Witcher here, so Geralt feels responsible for the laypeople--even if one of them is technically not a human being anymore, but a werewolf. But Geralt's learned that Ben is different, Ben isn't like the other werewolves... right?

Geralt's eyes flick to the bloody stump of the chair in Ben's hands, back up to Ben's (blood spattered) face. There is blood on the scholar's glasses, blood on his trembling hands (though now Geralt is sure it's adrenaline making him tremble and not fear).

"What are you doing, Ben? Did one of the chipmunks try to take you?"

[nonhuman]

"I-- I don't-- it tried to eat me--" He's talking, gaze firmly on Geralt until he realizes that... huh. He looks a little... pink and fuzzy. Maybe red. And then his eyes refocus.

There is blood on his glasses. On his hands. There's blood everywhere. He lets out a shaking breath and drops the remains of the chair. It lands with a muffled, wet thump on the corpse of the chipmunk.

Bennett closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, cracks his knuckles. His hands are shaking when he reaches to grab another chair.

"I'm-- I'm okay. W-we'll deal with this l-later." If you make him stop and think now, you're going to have one useless, quivering sadsack on your hands, Geralt.

[yarrharr]

A chipmunk washes its face, watching Bennett and Geralt. Its fallen comrade will not have died in vain. The united chipmunk force pushed forward upon this battleground, aiming to overwhelm the passengers with sheer numbers. The lines were being drawn, and their spacious cheeks were the trenches.

[butcherofblaviken]

Geralt flipped the knife in his hand and prepared it as the chipmunk ran in its suicidal blaze of glory towards them. The Witcher grunted as he slammed the blade into the thing's eye, and he twisted the knife, snarled and then dumped the body onto the floor. More are coming, that much is certain, and he doesn't want Ben losing steam now.

"There's a girl here!" Geralt says, stepping over the chipmunk, watching for another. He follows Ben when Ben calls out to Lily.