Telepathic message, during the Awakened battle

[kokuyoyo]

We're not getting anywhere. These things aren't the real threat, and they're only going to keep coming.

Second round, pay attention.

If your username had a wheel, immediately look for people who are murdering these things with apparent experience. Keep finding more of them. Make sure a group can keep you safe. Stay away from the lockers.

If you had a pair of blades, find the people being most targeted and defend them. If these things get rid of us Navigators, you'll die easily.

Do that immediately.

And for everyone... We need to lure the true form of our enemy out. These rats are just meant to exhaust us.

If we can find a way to a larger area like the gymnasium, we should set up bait. Since these things want Navigators so badly, some of us should be what sets the trap.

[There's the sound of a mental sigh that whispers through everyone's minds.]

Unless anyone has any better ideas...

Comments

[hachitaro]

[He's quiet for a few moments, before speaking up.]

I'll be the bait.

[kokuyoyo]

If you chicken out, it'll be annoying.

[kouteipenguin]

Not alone. I'll be with you.

[megacurious]

Are you sure about this? You will be risking your life if you do.

[sociallyarcward]

Are you insane?

[connivingbird]

>Good job, but it won't come for just one of you. It wants all of us or how many it can get at.

[draculabackwards]

Are you certain of that? [For a newly Awakened or an about to be one? Ridiculously unsafe but what choice to they have?]

[beastfang]

Has a way past the mist been figured out yet? If so we need to coordinate our efforts there in order to funnel as many of us as quickly as possible out of this corridor.

[kokuyoyo]

If anyone knows, it would be Luci.

....Alternatively, we can always see what destruction of property gets us.

[Just fucking explode a hole in the wall, just do it]

[touketsu]

[Volunteers willing to be bait are one thing, but...]

We can't let anyone play that part undefended.

[hachitaro]

You want more people to die?

[kokuyoyo]

Combatants and whatever Navigators are left will be on standby, obviously.

If we can position things right, then it can be a fake opening: letting it think it has a chance at grabbing something but getting trapped instead.

[beastfang]

I agree, there's no use in leading anything anywhere if the ones doing so are not given the cover needed to find a suitable place.

[megacurious]

Regarding the Navigators, I'll try to defend them as much as possible until the enemy reaches that location. Is that okay?

[kokuyoyo]

It's what you need to do.

But that's going to require everyone coordinating for this to start with....

[And judging by Chikusa's dead tone, he's starting to doubt that's going to be possible with how much everyone is flipping their shit.]

[blackdogdown]

If were gonna set up bait, we need to prep traps.

Did _anyone_ bring anything useful this time. Spikes? Fire? We need to use the area we lure these bastards into to defeat em for us. I think most of the weaker fighters are pretty spent.

We need to save energy for whats coming.

[hachitaro]

I've got some rope. If we can manage to get into one of the classrooms they'll probably have supplies. Tacks. Glue. Staples. Things we can break.

[touketsu]

I've got matches.

[beastfang]

If the geography hasn't changed too much there are several janitorial and maintenance closets along the route with supplies that can be used.

[kokuyoyo]

We can use the rats.

[connivingbird]

There's lighter fluid and steel wool in my bag, plus some waterproof matches. You want it, pick it up whenever you swing pass me.

[connivingbird]

The bait has to be sweet enough for the thing driving the rats. Splitting us in half won't work unless those being bait act weak or the Combatants are hiding.

[beastfang]

[Even though one of those being bait is his captain he has to tactically agree with this after all is said and done.]

If it looks as if we're scattering they may think they have us on the run. So long as we can navigate ourselves into a cohesive group once it gives chase it could work. Even having Combatants trying to protect Navigators can be seen as desperation if done correctly.

[osakanpride]

[ Of all the times to have a convoluted discussion. Even worse that he recognized a fraction of these voices that spoke. All of which were debating on how to draw out the main objection (whatever that was). It was a little difficult to simply write it off as hallucination, especially when he engaged in this activity before he even reached the school.

There was some method to achieve this type of communication, and Heiji just hadn't figured it out yet, regardless, all this talking and fighting was giving him a headache. ]

You idiots are annoyin'!

How many separate debates are ya gonna have at a time like this? If ya still need a 'navigator', I can step in.

[ Heiji hadn't actually come to terms with it, not fully, but he was willing to do whatever it took to put an end to this ordeal. As fictitious as it was... ]

Healin' is preferred, correct? I have that...spell...

[ Not that he'd be able to use it until he was under pressure again, anyway (unbeknownst to him). ]

[connivingbird]

[ This voice has a strange metallic quality to it, as if the speaker was speaking through a mask or metal or has somehow managed to add the vibrations of metal to their words. ]

They're humans. Of course they're idiots.

We cannot afford to put too many Navigators into the trap. Some of us need to be a part of the outside jaws a well.

[singlefaith]

[The torrent of voices is overwhelming, disconcerting, and distracting. Already Ran's made two mistakes she shouldn't have, and it's cost her gashes to an arm and leg -- one from a rat, and one from a locker. Her gasp of pain is audible both physically and mentally.]

Stop. If we all start arguing with one another, we're taking attention off keeping each other safe in the first place.

[A breath of a pause.]

There has to be a different way than putting some of us in more danger, too.

[connivingbird]

It wants the Navigators. It won't come out if we are too protected or too scattered.

[ There's flashes of the dream, the swarming rats followed by the thing with all the tendrils and inky smoke. ]

The only way we are in more danger is if the idiots both try the same tactic. They need to combine it and stop arguing over details.

[draculabackwards]

[Although Alucard is more than capable of taking care of himself in his own world, it's become increasingly obvious that fighting solo is not the way to do anything here. Fighting takes up time. The only way is to fuse their group as a whole. So while he's hacking through rats, he's listening in the back of his mind.

He has to let himself be directed and Chikusa is someone who clearly knows how to arrange people together.]

The only thing better than the gymnasium would be a sports field, but I surmise that in an open area, the rats won't take the bait. Do you need to be guard anyone or be anywhere while this baiting is going on?

[kokuyoyo]

We'd also have to get outside, which I'm not sure is possible.

[They might not be able to get to the gym, either, but one thing at a time.]

What abilities do you have?