June of Doom 2023
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Taglist: @painful-pooch , @robinbugbanned
Day 20 - “That’s going to be one heck of a scar.” | Cage | Pliers | Scrape
Day 30 - “Are you scared yet?” | Buried Alive | Failed Escape | Denial
Contains: lady whump with male whumper, captivity, blood, moderate gore, gunshot wound, mentioned dislocation, mentioned broken ribs, cage, death mention, restraints, stress position
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Lainey runs. She tears through the trees, brush ripping the skin from her legs, weaving back and forth with tears streaming down her cheeks so that she can hardly see where she’s going. She runs, and she falls, and she gets back up and runs some more. She runs until she can’t run anymore, until her body is giving out, and she collapses in a dry creek bed and wraps her arms around her head to finally let out gut-wrenching sobs.
She failed Isa. She forced her into doing something she was absolutely terrified of, and the exact thing that she was afraid of had happened. She’d told Lainey, over and over again, how it would go, and Lainey had refused to believe her.
He shot her. She’d gotten Isa shot. And then she ran away and left her there to deal with who knows what other horrors he’s going to inflict on her. The very thing she’d told her she wouldn’t do.
Once the crying has subsided a bit and she can actually take full breaths of air, she stands. Her legs are already exhausted. Her ribs throb, still not fully healed from when he’d broken them the first day and certainly not ready for all this activity. Her shoulder aches, recently dislocated and put back in place by Isa. Her stomach hurts from the lack of food, her skin stings from cuts and scrapes and bruises all over.
But she’s out, and Isa’s not. Which means that she has to do what Isa wanted her to - she has to get someone to help.
Stripping off her filthy, worn tank top so that she’s left in her sports bra and shorts, Lainey dabs at some of the new scratches on her legs, getting small spots of blood onto the shirt. There’s a deeper cut on her stomach, too, that started slowly leaking blood sometime during her sprint. It hadn’t been bad enough for them to waste their stitching supplies on. Hopefully she doesn’t regret that now. At least it helps her with her plan to leave evidence behind.
Satisfied with the distribution of blood on the fabric, she uses an already existing tear and the help of a sharp spot on a nearby stump to rip the shirt into multiple pieces. The first one might as well get left here. The rest she carries with her as she starts through the woods again, trotting more than running for now. She wants to get as far away from the cabin as she can as quickly as she can, but she also doesn’t want to expend all of her energy at once. So far she’s still traveling downhill, which she takes as a good thing. The sun is high, but slightly to her right, and she’s fairly certain that’s where it was at the cabin.
Every once in a while, she drops another piece of shirt. The plan is to lead whoever might be in the area searching back to the cabin, mostly in the event that she gets recaptured. Hopefully she’s not also leading the man straight to her. The fact that she has no idea where she is, how far from her hometown he’d brought her and whether anyone will ever even come up here is something she’s trying her best to ignore.
She just hopes she’s not too far from some kind of civilization. Isa needs help as soon as possible, and she doesn’t want to collapse from hunger, thirst, or exhaustion before she gets there.
— —
Isa is dragged back into the cabin and down the basement steps by an arm around her waist. He tried to lock it around her neck to start with, but gave up on that position when her legs just crumpled underneath her and refused to hold her up. The gun stays pressed into her ribs - as if she’d even think of trying anything at this point - unless he needs to use that hand to open a door.
She watches the trees and the sunshine vanish with tears soaking her face. It was her first glimpse of them in five years, and it was far too short. She’d almost forgotten that a world outside the basement walls existed. But now it’s all gone again, and so is Lainey.
At the bottom of the stairs, he dumps her onto the floor and crosses to dig in the cabinets. Isa hits the concrete with a whimper. Her bad leg is aching fiercely from running, and now her formerly good leg has a bullet lodged in the thigh. She’s fairly certain there’s a path of blood leading all the way through the house.
The fluorescent lights glare down at her, and fresh, hot tears spill from her eyes. She hadn’t wanted to run. Hadn’t believed they’d make it. But she’d let herself trust, and for a moment it had looked like it was actually going to work…until everything came crashing down.
Now she’s alone again. Still trapped in this basement. Lainey is out there, and is supposedly going to find help to send back for her, but…it’s hard to trust that it will actually happen. She can’t fathom being rescued. Her brain comes up with all kinds of excuses, reasons that it won’t happen - Lainey will get lost or hurt, she’ll forget about Isa, she’ll decide she’s not worth it, people won’t believe her, no one will want to waste resources on her. There are too many things that could go wrong.
Including whatever Sir has in store for her. He’s angrier than she’s ever seen him before, and whatever is coming next is going to be bad. She might not even be alive if someone does come back for her.
But at least Lainey made it out. She’s free, she doesn’t have to be a prisoner here anymore. It doesn’t make the pain any easier, but…her freedom is worth the pain.
Sir returns, grabbing her shoulder and flipping her abruptly onto her stomach. Her arms are yanked behind her back, and he wraps rope tightly around her wrists, then moves to her ankles, forcing her injured legs up and her shoulders back until her feet and hands nearly touch.
Lastly, he holds a strip of cloth in front of her mouth, pulling it back to press against her lips until she lets him slip it between her teeth. For a moment she wonders why, he hasn’t gagged her in a long time, but then he’s tugging at the knot on the back of her head and attaching it to the rest of the ropes, pulling her head back at an unnatural angle.
Without a word, he stomps back up the stairs, locking the door behind him. His footsteps and heartbeat travel across the cabin and outside. A moment later she feels the rumble of a vehicle driving away. Not the car, surely, since it was stuck halfway in a ditch and had a blown out tire. She hadn’t realized that he owned a second vehicle.
He’s going after Lainey. Of course he would, if she does actually find help then he’s in major trouble. Isa groans through the gag, testing her restraints, but they’re nearly cutting off her circulation. Not that she could do anything if she could get free. She just has to trust that Lainey is smart and will stick to the woods, not the road, and that if he ventures into the woods he won’t be able to find her.
She doesn’t ever have much confidence in things going the way she wants them to, though.
The longer she lies there, the more weak and woozy she feels. Her leg is still bleeding. Gravity is working against it, at least, since the wound is on the back of her thigh, but her pants leg has become quite soaked.
Is he going to just leave her here to bleed out? It’s a less painful punishment than she’d been expecting, doesn’t seem like the end he’d want her to have after everything.
Sure enough, the vehicle returns before she loses consciousness, the vibration just barely registering in her chest. Her neck and shoulders are aching nearly as much as her legs by now, and it’s hard to hold her eyes open. But she’s alert as he enters the house, reaching out with her magic to try and find a second heartbeat. She doesn’t feel one. Does that mean Lainey is still safe for now? Or did he…
Sir stomps down the stairs, alone and possibly even angrier than before. Isa lets herself relax just a bit. Lainey’s not here, and if he’s still that mad then she’s probably still alive.
He goes to the cabinets again, rummaging through one until he finds his toolbox and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. A pair of needlenose pliers comes out of the box, and he pours a generous amount of alcohol over them.
Isa’s stomach is churning.
It’s not unusual for him not to speak as he goes about his work. Sometimes she wishes he would explain his plan to her, though, so she’d at least know what kind of pain to expect. He brings the pliers and sits somewhere behind her where she can’t see him, and she automatically starts squirming, breaths coming in desperate pants around the gag. In response, he leans heavily on her lower back with one hand. Quiet whines escape her with each exhale.
Liquid splashes across the wound on her leg, and Isa keens, arching back even further as it seems to eat away her skin. Before the burning has fully subsided, he plunges the pliers down inside the wound. This time she screams, and bucks instinctively against the pain. He continues on unfazed. The pliers dig around inside her leg, and she keeps screaming, vision going from black to white. It’s too much, she can’t handle it. She’s either going to be sick, or…
The black tunnel encroaching on her vision closes in, mercifully taking away all sensation.
When she wakes, she’s lying flat on the floor, her restraints and gag still in place but no longer attached to one another. She’s trying to get her bearings and decide if she’s alone in the room when a hand latches onto the back of the gag and begins dragging her across the floor, leg burning as it drags uselessly behind her. At least he seems to have done some kind of patch job on it, judging by the hasty bandage. A rarity for him. He’s only ever done first aid on her when she was in danger of actually dying. Apparently he’s still not done with her.
Her head is dropped just inside some kind of…plastic box. He then comes from behind and unceremoniously shoves her the rest of the way in. It’s barely big enough for her to fit in with her legs curled to her chest, and though possibly tall enough to sit up in, she doesn’t think there’s any way she can navigate to that position.
It isn’t until he shuts the wire door, attaching an extra padlock to the outside, that she realizes it’s a dog kennel.
Sir leaves the basement again, and Isa tries and fails to hold back tears that she can’t wipe away.
— —
It’s been two days. The old green pickup is rattling down the gravel road once again, the driver slowly scanning the trees. Lainey has avoided being seen every other time it’s come past.
This time she takes a deep breath, heart pounding, and steps out into the middle of the road, arms spread apart in surrender.
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The 30 day Tales challenge... in one post or else it would never get done!
Favorite Tales game: Legendia
Favorite Main Male Hero: Yuri and Senel
Favorite Main Female Hero: Kohaku
Favorite Side Male Character: Moses
Favorite Side Female Character: Stella
Favorite Canon Pairing: Senel/Stella + Shing/Kohaku
Favorite Non-Canon Pairing: how official is stahn/leon at this point i wonder
Favorite Opening Song: Destiny
Favorite Location: ??? idfk the entire Legacy??? I'll go with Werites Beacon for simplicity I guess. feels like home
Favorite Mascot: Giet. don't tell me he's not a mascot, I'm not listening. (and if you want to try having that discussion my answer is still the Oresoren so we're not getting far, are we)
Favorite Monster: ??? also dfk, probably something cute except i don't like hurting cute so i guess we're stuck
Favorite Boss Battle: UHHHH listen it hurts to say but Vicious; bc the raw emotion that went into that entire storyline ate me whole
Favorite Villain: since I'm avoiding antagonists here (such as Duke who aren't explicitly villains) and prefer to go full villain, Creed.
Least Liked Character: not opening THAT can of worms!!! :D
Your First Tales Game: boooo boriiiing. Symphonia like the other half of the western population. no fancy answer here
Your Favorite Scene: ??? I mean, there's... a lot I guess??? Stahn pleading with Leon moments before disaster??? Kanata crying that Vicious was okay and came back to them??? Moses saying literally anything ever in any scene ever??? the end of Innocence but when you choose Spada as your soulmate bc I'm a bias little fuck??? anything with Yuri and Flynn being happy together??? the entirety of Legendia???
Funniest Scene: idk but it either had Moses in it, Vicious in it, or it was Spada's "I can't believe you mixed up Frosty the Snowman with the Abominable Snowman"
Saddest Scene: Moses' Character Quest cutscene (if not the whole fucking CQ), moments during disaster with Leon, moments during disaster with Asch
Favorite Quote: a lot of stuff Vicious said ngl. can't think of nor pick one off the top of my head but every time he Gets Serious it's one of those and I fall in love further every single time. but if we wanna be REEEALLY simple? "Yeehaw". thanks, Moses. maybe Yuri has said something cool enough to get on the top list, but I'm not sure anything is trumping "yeehaw", and maybe that's equal to something Vicious said
Favorite Piece of Gameplay Music: Scutum - Decisive Battle. Pour one out for Rebirth having the fucking BEST battle theme ever.
Most Shocking Reveal: ??? I'm... not sure at this point. Giet??? was it Senel??? maybe Mathias and Ruca??? Ratatosk and Emil??? I kind of want to say Ratatosk and Emil because I remember being very impressed with the direction of the plot, in that the main protagonist/player character was actually the villain the whole time that the antagonist was trying to kill the whole time. definitely not a plot direction you usually get in JRPGs. Giet's story still hit like an entire brick building 100 storeys high falling on me though
Favorite One on One Fight: that was actually FUN??? uhhh idk Vicious against Kasque. what did you expect me to say???
Favorite Skit: way too many skits to have even a semblance of an idea. I'm going to assume it was either something related to Yuri and Flynn, Moses, Vicious, Spada or Stahn. that's about the closest I can pinpoint
Favorite Tales Spell: I don't... think I have one...
Favorite Tales Weapon: -bangs fist on desk and gets really obvious really fast- BLOOD SINS, BLOOD SINS, BLOOD SINS. after that the Swordians
Tales World You Want to Live In: honestly Legendia's and Graces' seem the most reasonably normal compared to the rest, but also shiny fingertips and Moses is a pretty solid Legendia
Favorite Animated Tales Series/OVA: (don't say rays don't say rays don't say rays don't say stahn/leon) probably First Strike if only because it focuses on Yuri and Flynn who I love, but Abyss' anime was very solid compared to the other Tales animated series that were just heavily condensed versions (or worse in Eternia's case, not even being relevant to the main story). like, I would not recommend the animated series to anyone prior to playing the game except for Abyss, which is the full major story and I have inarguably rewatched that anime more than I've played the game. I guess in terms of general animated, FS, but in terms of actual consistency to the game it came from and dedication it had in retelling the story faithfully without skipping 80 percent of it, Abyss
Favorite Tales Outfit: RICHARD??? HEEEELLO??? not arc F though that shit is too fruity for me. also Leon has VERY enjoyably bright colors that make him stand out and as a Very Deeply Definitely Not Obsessive Leon Enjoyer, I very much love that. Aegis also has a really nice outfit. Asbel's is pretty but definitely not Richard level of I'm obsessed with this look
Favorite Game Plot: -breaks everything in your room and your neighbor's room for good measure- TURN IT BACK ON NAMCO I'M PAST MY LIMIT SO I'M PROBABLY IN OVERLIMIT (Crestoria. it's that or I'm saying Legendia again. Innocence and Hearts both are really close runner ups tho!!! definitely the most unique in the franchise imo out of the mainline games and sadly confined to "nobody fucking cares about them and never did")
Favorite Game Ending: so that's got... layers. it really depends on the sub topic. I guess in terms of a happy ending, Graces (the Wii version specifically, getting Richard back. don't really care for the ending of arc F and lean more toward disliking it). in terms of a depressing fucking ending that makes me Very Upsetti, Destiny. there is literally nothing happy about Destiny's ending for me. like yeah we saved the world, but at a LOT of cost and it's just depressing. I've wanted to make a post about that anyway, but basically it's a type of ending they don't really make anymore (especially in Tales), and the emotional impact for me was a lot heavier than the other games, with Destiny 2 lingering right behind it. both Destiny games were just DEPRESSING, and no matter how bittersweet Destiny 2's ending was, it's still DEPRESSING. Vesperia at least had a more outright happy ending (that wasn't completely changed by a post game ending arc with a totally different ending) and I finally at that point didn't lose my favorite character to Certain Final Boss Death or Recurring Side Character I Came To Love Dying Unceremoniously and Undeserved. only a couple of top favorites actually came out of their games alive for me by Vesperia in terms of games I know + release timeline (to put it into perspective, by the time of Vesperia in release order (so not the order I played in bc I don't really remember the whole actual order at this point), out of all the games I know, my favorite character death toll was five to three survivors not counting Vesperia. still haven't played Eternia so I'm not counting that one). so I guess like, my answer is a whacky combination of Graces for the Wii, Destiny and Vesperia. maybe if Hearts hadn't killed my mans off then it could've had it all. 😔
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