daybreakacademy | battlefield: the enraged ones [open]

battlefield: the enraged ones [open]

Who: A. Anyone!; B. Mostly those who have shown interest in fighting the Dragon, but even if you haven't posted in the OOC interest check, feel free to jump right in anyway!

What: A. Let's talk about Heralds; B. It's time to fight a Dragon daemon!

When: Late June. A happens before B.

Where: A. The Iris Network; B. A small town found within the Mount Lebanon mountain range, Lebanon.

Warnings: There will be fighting, likely with blood and possible gore.

Note: Will match format!

A. UN: murakumo_emille | Subject: Heralds

A. Colleagues and Students,

I, Head of Research Emille, have been looking into the beings known as Heralds in order to prepare for our eventual showdown with Utultar. There are records of battles against a previous Herald, Xelvak, and we cannot forget that a baby Herald resides with us within the walls of the Academy.

Therefore, for anyone who has fought with Xelvak or Utultar, or have interacted with the baby Herald, I would like to hear your story. What was your experience like? What was the Herald like? How do you feel about the baby Herald that resides with us? Is it an abomination, or worth training to fight with us?

As for myself, I will admit that I am wary of the baby Herald. As long as it does not become a threat, it can remain with us, but the moment it becomes dangerous we will need to take action against it. Besides, I do not believe it likes me much. That is my opinion. What is yours?

--Emille

B. Codename: Sleepy Hollow

[One June afternoon, Emille receives a dire phone call from Murakumo HQ in Tokyo. They've detected signs of a butterfly-like Dragon daemon in Lebanon, and they're asking if she can mobilize a squad from Daybreak to nullify the threat. By the next morning, she and a select group of students are on a Murakumo-funded helicopter flight to the Middle East.

Upon touching down at the foot of a mountain range, they are taken in rugged ATVs to a small town within these mountains. The surrounding area is densely wooded, and snow-capped peaks can be seen off in the not-too-far distance. As for the town, it is a mess. It is obvious that something strange is going on, that a battle has been taking place. Burn marks can be seen on some of the buildings. Chunks of earth have been gouged out and strewn around. Small medical tents have been erected near the entrance to the town, with Murakumo doctors aiding wounded humans. And, of course, swaths of orange flowers have sprung up in various places, from the ground to the rooftops.

Emille and the group are greeted by a member of Murakumo as soon as they step out of the ATV. The uniformed, ventilation-masked man gives a quick debriefing: the Dragon daemon, codename Sleepy Hollow, has used some sort of ability like the shedding of its wing scales to turn the people of the town against each other, verbally and physically. Murakumo is currently working on providing an antidote to this problem, both for the victims and for those gearing up to fight the Dragon. Sleepy Hollow itself has been chased off for now, but it will be back anytime.

He then points to three stations: A larger tent set up next to the smaller medical tents where the antidote is being created, a small table with a nurse outside of the medical tents, and the biggest tent of all in the center of the town where the anti-Dragon briefing is about to begin.

Which station will you join? See the toplevels below for details!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm eighteen. [It's a near-automatic response to the remark about her appearance.] I'm one of the students regularly helping out in Daybreak's infirmary, but IVs aren't something I've handled before, so yeah, go ahead and show me.

Though, uh, mind if I try something real quick first? I'd like to see if I can get those cuts taken care of; things might be a bit easier if she's not in as much pain. [She knows she's going to be asked what she plans to do, so she just keeps going and puts it right out there:] I'm a Candle with a sort of healing touch, so if she lets me, I can speed things up a bit there. It's not going to be like immediate full recovery, but it'll be something.

[The attendant tilts her head at Becky's remark about her age, then shrugs her shoulders. She's seen weirder things.] Sorry about that.

[She listens to Becky's plan, and nods.] Sure, why not. We don't have too many Candles in Murakumo, so I'm interested to see what you can do. If it doesn't work out, we can administer sedatives through the IV drip like I was originally going to and let this poor girl rest.

[The woman is still staring off into the void when the attendant places a hand on one of the woman's in an attempt to get her attention.] Miss, are you okay? [The patient snaps her hand back almost immediately and glares at the attendant, who continues talking.] Good. I have someone here who wishes to help you feel better. Are you okay with that?

[The young woman doesn't say anything, but looks tired. She eventually nods, tears welling up in her eyes, and says in a small voice,] Please, help me. I don't want to die.

[Well. Time to show what she can do.]

It'll probably feel a little weird at first, but I'm gonna try to get those cuts healed up for you. All I need is to just see your hand for a minute, and I won't do anything that hurts, promise. [Offering one more chance to back out of this—she doesn't want to go and do it without being 100% sure she has consent—Becky holds both of her own hands up, allowing the woman to take them if she so chooses.

If she does, then the girl begins to focus; simply touching isn't enough for her ability to work, she has to focus on it, actively make it work. Wanting it to work quickly, she focuses hard—harder than she has before—in an attempt to push it into actually healing as opposed to just being the accelerated natural recovery that it normally is.

Because she hasn't actually pushed it so hard before, she doesn't know how quickly it might work, or how long she can try to do this without exhausting herself. If it does work the way she intends for it to, though, those cuts should start healing, although with the bandages back on, whether it's really working or not can't actually be seen right away; the only immediate indicator as to if it is or not might just be the woman's reaction, whatever that may be.]

[The woman tries to fight back her tears as she looks at Becky, hearing her but not quite comprehending much due to her state of delirium. So when Becky raises her hands, she's not sure what's happening. The attendant notices this and says gently,] She wants to help you. Touch her hand.

[The patient looks at the hands in front of her, and begins slowly reaching out with her right hand. She falters and withdraws it a little once, but she does eventually brush her fingers against one of Becky's hands. Her hand is trembling, and her palm is sweaty, but it's where it needs to be. The attendant smiles.] Good girl. You've done well.

[At first, it doesn't seem as if anything is happening. It takes several minutes for the woman to react in any way, but she eventually snaps and howls in irritation, suddenly taking both of her hands to her legs and trying to claw through the bandages. She hisses through clenched teeth:] It itches...! Make it stop!

[The attendant jumps up and gently tries to restrain the woman's arms in order to stop her futile scratching. Once again, she's shushing the woman and trying to calm her down, but the woman is only growing more irritated. She then begins to kick her legs like she had been earlier, and the attendant looks at Becky and curtly orders,] Could you try to hold her legs down until she calms herself? Please!

[The initial reaction both snaps Becky's focus and breaks contact with her—both of which are things required for her ability to work—and with that, if the itching is because of her, it should quickly subside.

If it is her doing, she's not sure if she'll be trying that again. At least not with this particular individual, unless the woman can be convinced to let her keep trying.

She doesn't need to be told twice what to do next; the moment she's given the order, the girl tries to do as she's told. However, being in the body of a child, she has the approximate strength of one as well, so holding the woman's legs may prove to be somewhat of a challenge to her.]

[The woman continues to thrash around even after the attempts are made to pin her down. She is relatively petite and looks to be in her twenties, but she is kicking with all her might so Becky may be struggling. Even so, whatever she is able to do is enough.

The itching feeling begins to ebb away from the woman's cuts, but as all true itches go, they're never fully satisfied until they're scratched. Because of this, she continues to fight until she wears herself out. The kicking is the first to stop, as the attendant doesn't trust the woman enough to let go of her arms just yet. The woman is worn down, but she continues to moan in discomfort.

The attendant sighs and looks her patient over, then turns to Becky.] I'd like to take a look at her cuts. We have two options here. We could go ahead and sedate her, or I could continue holding down her arms so she doesn't scratch while you unravel the bandages. Which would you feel more comfortable doing?

[Either way, it seems likely that they'll have some kind of struggle on their hands. Assuming that some progress had been made with Becky's attempt to do her thing, though...]

Keep holding her for a minute. If what I was doing was actually working before I got interrupted, we should see some kind of progress. At the very least, they shouldn't look as bad as they did before. [And maybe, if their patient actually sees this progress, if there is any, she might start to be a little more receptive to what they're doing. Maybe.

With the answer given, Becky starts unwrapping one leg, making sure to do so carefully as to hopefully avoid inadvertently agitating the woman again. If she isn't interrupted by more struggling, she'll move on to the other once the first is done.]

[The attendant nods.] Alright. I'll do my best.

[As soon as the woman begins to feel the bandages moving across her skin and the air hitting her wounds, the itching intensifies once again. She takes a sharp breath through her teeth and tries to move her arms, but the attendant has a good grip on them and she doesn't move them much, though a grunt does escape her lips. The attendant is stronger than she looks, that's for sure.

Once Becky has unraveled enough of the bandage for the cuts underneath to become exposed, the attendant leans over and is taken aback at what she sees. The cuts aren't completely healed, of course, but the deeper cuts certainly look more shallow, and the longer ones do look shorter. The amount of residual scarring from the cuts will in turn have been reduced, as well as any inflammation surrounding them. It amazes the attendant.] I'll be honest: I didn't expect to see this much improvement from that small amount of time. A lot of the wounds look like they would if they'd already scabbed over and had some time to heal, but without the scabs or the time. I wonder if you could finish healing her with another round or two of treatment. Her mental state is another matter entirely, unfortunately.

[The patient does try to rub her leg on the cot in an attempt to soothe the itch once the air tickles her exposed cuts. She grinds it against the sheet underneath her with as much force as she can muster, which at this point isn't much because she's tired all over. In response to this, the nurse tries to talk soothingly to the woman once again in order to reassure her.] Everything's okay. That itch you feel is proof that your cuts are healing. [Her words have very little impact on the woman's movement, but the movement might have an effect on Becky's current task.

The attendant turns her attention back to Becky.] There was a particularly long nick on the underside of her calf that likely would have left a scar. Could you check that for me, and describe how it looks? I won't be able to see it from here.

'kay, I'll take a look. [Becky adjusts her position to give herself a better angle, and since she wasn't told which leg to check, though, she takes a look at both, lifting them up gently to check underneath—without focusing, so her touch won't actually do anything this time—looking to find the injury in question.]

[The woman's squirming loses steam as her legs are lifted off of the cot they had been rubbing against. The wound Becky is looking for is on the woman's left calf, and it runs from slightly below the underside of her knee down towards her ankle. It is approximately eight inches in length, though not extremely deep. It's as if the tip of the knife was dragged down her calf.

If she is able to catch more than just a glimpse of the cut, Becky will notice that the very ends look as if they've already closed together into a healthy pink line. Some healing is definitely evident, but it would take Becky more time with her skill in order to fully close the scratch.

The patient begins to moan and move her entire body in protest, though certainly less forcefully and more sluggishly than before. The attendant comments,] I think her body is ready to get some rest. I hope she can shut her mind off too. Once you lower her legs, we'll watch her for a moment to see if it's safe for me to pull away from her arms. Once she falls asleep, I'll want to examine her legs and administer fresh bandages. While I do that, do you mind checking with a doctor on some of her test results for me? He should be towards the middle of the tent, and he has short grey hair. A real grandpa type. You can't miss him. I'd really appreciate it.

[While carefully lowering them back down:] That cut you wanted me to look at's already started closing, it should be fine if she can leave it alone.

[When the next request is made, she glances off toward the indicated area. Pretty sure she's already spotted the man described to her, she responds:] Yeah, I can do that, just gimme a few. [Off she goes, not running because that's not safe, but still at a hurried pace because she knows the quicker she and anyone else in here can work, the better.

When she gets there, if he hadn't already noticed her approach and turned to face her then she'll be giving his shirt a tug to get his attention, otherwise she just parks herself right there in front of him.] 'scuse me, hey. My name's Becky and I'm here from Daybreak, I was asked to check with you about some test results?

[The attendant nods at the report.] That's good to hear. Thank you, miss. [The young woman's eyes are definitely droopy right now, so the attendant pulls away from her arms.] I'll work on getting the IV prepped while you're talking with the doctor.

[The doctor does need a shirt tug in order to get his head out of the data he's reading off a chart in front of his face and back to reality. At first he gives Becky a confused look, but nods his head in understanding once she's finished her statement.] I see. You're working with Reiko? [He flips some pages around and begins reciting data.] The young woman's panel came back mostly normal. No signs of any underlying conditions that could complicate treatment. However... [He looks at Becky with a bit of a frown.] She has increased hormone levels, which most likely signifies she's pregnant. Both mom and baby could be in danger. Please let Reiko know as soon as you can. Thank you. [He slightly bows in gratitude.]

[When he tells her that the results are 'mostly' normal, Becky knows that something is up. When he clarifies what that something probably is, she straightens herself up and keeps listening in case there's more, but then he tells her to go report back.

She doesn't want to waste time asking for further details, so she simply gives him a nod.] I'll get back over there right away, thanks. [Off she goes again, still not running, but at a quicker pace than before.

When she gets back to where Reiko has been working, Becky waits until she's finished her current task—knowing that interruptions or surprises could potentially cause major problems—and then speaks up:] Test results came back mostly normal. Mostly. Our patient here has elevated hormone levels, the doctor thinks she may be pregnant.

[The attendant Reiko is hooking the large IV bag up to its stand when Becky returns, after having successfully hooked the patient up to it. For now, the IV is only pumping nourishing fluids and antibiotics into the woman's body. The young woman seems to be asleep at the moment, her body finally worn down enough to allow her some rest. Perhaps Becky's healing also had something to do with it?

Reiko turns to face Becky, eager to hear the results. Her expression turns into one of slight surprise once she hears the big news, however.] Pregnant, you say? [Reiko looks the woman over with that information in mind.] It doesn't seem that she's showing yet, so she must be pretty early in her pregnancy. We've got to be as careful as we can with her, because her body's been through enough as it is with this daemon flying around.

[She looks at Becky with a glimmer of realization in her eye.] I know! Do you want to try and use your Flame power again while she's resting? This'll be your best opportunity to do so, since we don't know how long she'll remain like this.

Sure, I can give it a shot. I won't be pushing it too hard though; maybe around the same speed I was trying before. [She takes a seat next to the cot and then takes the woman's free hand into both of hers.

It's entirely possible that she is in fact partially-responsible for the woman finally being tired enough to rest; her understanding of how it actually works is that it actually speeds up the body's own healing processes, and quite some time ago, she had admitted to Ekkehardt that because of how it works, it can be potentially-exhausting to both herself and whoever she uses it on if she tries to do too much at once.]

Stop me if it looks like I'm about to pass out.

Edited 2020-07-03 17:08 (UTC)

Great. The antibiotics that are entering her system right now include an anti-inflammatory, so she shouldn't be as bothered by any itching sensation she might feel. I'll keep an eye on her anyway, just in case.

[Reiko moves to the head of the cot, ready to soothe the woman or grab her arms in case she snaps awake while Becky does her thing. After Becky begins her healing, Reiko cautiously breaks the silence.]

Would it be too much of a disturbance for you if we talked a little while you use your Flame power, or do you need to completely focus? We haven't even been properly introduced yet, and I thought now would be a good time to do so...

[She doesn't look away from what she's doing, but—] No, talking's fine.

I know I sort of identified myself earlier and all, but things were a bit, uh, busier at that moment, so I kinda rushed through that. [She'd given her nickname, which was at least something, but it wasn't a proper introduction.] My name's Rebecca Fulton and I'm a student at Daybreak Academy—been there since late September of last year.

[Reiko notices that Becky is remaining focused on her task and not lifting her eyes, which she understands -- she herself is watching the young woman for any sign of movement. She expects her to start lightly twitching in her extremities sooner or later as she subconsciously battles a natural desire to scratch, if their previous experience is anything to go by.]

Nice to meet you, Rebecca, or Becky, right? I am Reiko Ueda, member of the Murakumo medical staff for the past ten years. I actually began my medical training in the Japanese Self-Defense Force, but I was recruited to Murakumo after helping nurse daemon-attack victims back to health.

[A moment to make sure everything's still the same. So far, so good.] I must say, Becky, if you weren't a student, I would try to talk you into becoming my assistant. You've been so calm and helpful this entire time. Do you have experience in this field, or have you ever thought about pursuing nursing or medicine?

This isn't the first time I've come out somewhere to do my thing. [She had been part of the medical team for the mission that had ultimately led to the academy taking in Iriceli.] But most of my experience is either from helping my parents back home by using my ability, or from hands-on work in classes or volunteering at the academy's infirmary.

I've thought about sticking with it, but haven't really come to a decision about that yet. [She's had some people getting concerned that she's been making herself do things simply because she has the capability, rather than it being something that she really wants to do.] There's some other things I've thought about possibly getting into instead, too.

I see. You must have awoken to your power at a very young age, then, if you have this much experience with it. [A pause, then to clarify:] And I'm already sure that you're older than you look, since you've proven your maturity by the way you've handled yourself today. Plus the fact that the Academy has allowed you to come to a war zone helps your case. [That's all she'll say on that, unless Becky wishes to elaborate further.]

But now for a little advice from Auntie Reiko. [She giggles a little from the smallest smidgen of embarrassment, as she's never had a chance to say that but has always wanted to, towards one of her juniors. Reiko's only in her thirties at most, hence why she's just "Auntie."] Being in the medical profession is something that has to click with you, Becky. It's a hard job, and it's one that will most likely take over your whole life if you choose to pursue it. If you feel like you are following this path only because you have a certain ability, you won't get as much genuine fulfillment from it, and that will weigh you down. That said, what other kinds of things click with you that you've thought about?

It happened when I was seven, and on top of what it lets me do, it kinda stopped me from aging. That's why I still look like a kid here, eleven years later. [She's not going to go into anything about the incident that had resulted in said awakening.

As for the advice, it's stuff that she's heard before, phrased in one way or another, but hearing it yet again reminds her that she really should take the time to think about what she's doing with herself, at some point.]

Cooking and baking. A lot of what free time I get goes into that. [Well, that required no real thought whatsoever. Considering that she's explicitly identified it as a free-time activity, it has to be something she likes doing, right?] I haven't had any complaints about the stuff I make, yet.

Edited (fixing html) 2020-07-07 16:29 (UTC)

[Reiko listens with interest at Becky's explanation of her appearance, and a sympathetic frown crosses her face.] Oh, Becky... It must have been hard to try being a normal teenager while not physically being like one. I'm sorry.

[And yes! Advice received! Hearing about her likes puts the smile back on Reiko's face.] You can't go wrong with being able to make good food! It's probably a good idea to steer clear of being a nurse or doctor if you want to take that route. I can't speak for everyone in the medical field, but I know that I never have the time for working on my cooking skill. Thankfully our mess cooks are pretty talented.

[The patient's mouth opens slightly, and she quickly takes a deep breath before shifting her head to the side. She's finally entered a good sleep, which Reiko comments on.] I see she's feeling better enough to get a good nap in. It's fortunate that she fell asleep on her own, because after finding out that she's likely expecting, I wasn't going to give her any of the sedatives I'd originally planned to. [Oh, speaking of! She looks back at Becky.] I'm just throwing this out there, but... Have you ever worked with children at all?

Like closer to the age I look? Not a whole lot. Sometimes I'd get to see one that took a pretty nasty spill playing outside or something and just get them patched up if they could sit still long enough for it, but it's mostly been students closer to my real age.

Why?

[Reiko looks over the young mother-to-be with concern, then answers Becky's "why."] I'm worried about the orphaned children we treat and then leave behind after missions like these. The parents of a lot of the children in this town were severely injured or killed when the Dragon attacked, and my gut feeling says that things are going to get worse from here on. [Reiko's too low-ranking in Murakumo to be told anything about Nightfall, but the rumors have definitely reached her ears.] What if the end of the world is really upon us? Who will be left to take care of and raise the little ones left behind, even to do something as simple as clean and bandage their cuts and scrapes?

[She casts her eyes downward in an attempt to prevent any tears from welling up in them.] Sorry, this is something that really eats at me. It's probably because I'm a nurse and a mother, so I can't help but think about the children. [She gives a weak smile.] At least we can do our best to save this one, and its mother too. How are you holding up, Becky? She's probably nearly healed by now.

[While listening to Reiko's answer, a question begins to cross Becky's mind. It's one that she doesn't know the answer to nor does she really want to know, so it remains unasked, both for her own reasons and because she doesn't think Reiko needs that right now.

Being asked how she is snaps her mind back and away from that for the moment.

She lets go of their patient's hand.]

Feeling a little on the tired side here, so I'm gonna stop for a little so I don't run the risk of passing out on you. If you think she'll be fine, we should be good to go check on someone else in a few.

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