my oath shall be sped;

[agogemod]

WHO? Everybody!
WHAT? The January TDM.
WHEN? The mythic dimension of Vorspiel.
ANYTHING ELSE? Violence, as always. Please warn in subject lines for anything beyond physical violence, and move to a personal journal if things go beyond PG-13.

JANUARY TEST DRIVE MEME;

Vorspiel; a land of song.

arrival for new recruits

You wake up in a patch of verdant forest, with the birds chirping all around you. You're not in a clearing; your body lies between the trees. Near you, a frail woman with tired eyes rocks back and forth. You have none of your clothing, just black military-issued underwear, and none of your previous possessions beyond the one you chose (if you remember choosing) to bring with you.

When the tired woman notices you've come to, she speaks in a tongue you won't recognize, but somehow understand, in tilting tones that somehow always rhyme. Tired and sorrowful though she is, if you have questions as to what's going on, she'll answer: you are a member of COST, a paramilitary organization of time travelers fighting against the Regency, a tyrannous kingdom of the future who are trying to stamp out freedom and individuality in the name of peace.

She will provide you with the clothing necessary to fit in, and show you how to use your BCE implant to look up information on this dimension and its social and political mores. She won't let you leave until you're properly dressed to fit in, but once you are, she'll wish you luck. She thinks you'll need it.

And, she says as you depart, if you see the Gods, spit on them. They will do you no favors here.

ARRIVAL FOR VETERANS

While on BASE, you'll receive a message on your BCE.

URGENT MISSION: VORSPIEL UNDER MAJOR ATTACK. ALL POSSIBLE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO PROVIDE AID.

ACCEPT: Y / N ?

Selecting 'Y' will instantly teleport you to Vorspiel. Or maybe you're not the volunteering type, but your BCE glitches and signs you up anyway. Them's the breaks.

When you appear in Vorspiel, you'll find yourself in that same forest with the same woman who is ushering new recruits. She will give you clothes and wish you luck-- though luck, she says, is something true heroes have in short supply.

VORSPIEL

Regardless of how you got here, your BCE will have a short rundown of the situation once you arrive.

Vorspiel is a mythical, magical dimension rich in rare and precious resources. During the course of the war, it's been fought over by both sides. The Regency has recently allied with the leader of the misty country of Nibelheim to issue what is known as a Time Break; a sort of spell only possible in ancient dimensions such as these. Essentially, linear time has been destroyed in this dimension. Everything is happening at once, simultaneously and perpetually, a never ending cycle of lives and deaths and battles. While Vorspiel is a vast dimension, its borders have become warped; it is possible to walk from one country to another across the sea in a matter of moments, by accident. While the BCE is trying to send people to Nibelheim, it's entirely possible it misses the mark completely, or sends them to several places before they reach Nibelheim.

This chaos is meant to be a punishment: bow down before the Regency, or nothing will ever be the same again.

There is good news, though. Vorspiel is a dimension of inherent magic; singing or humming or whistling certain magical tunes will have an inherent effect upon one's surroundings. The BCE lists all the spells, though it notes that some have varying results (AKA go wild, guys, have fun), and the ones named after people will do little unless the person in question is present (a statistical unlikelihood).

As you enter different parts of Vorspiel, the BCE will sometimes give you different assignments, prompting you to take this action or that. If you have any questions about how this setting works, feel free to ask!

THE RHEIN

You come upon a giant river with clear and beautiful water. The sun shines down upon it in yellow light, and wherever the light touches it, gold floats to the surface of the water. The BCE will prompt you to fetch as much of this gold as you can-- it is an extremely powerful magical resource, rheingold-- but it will not warn you about the Rheinmaidens.

The rheinmaidens are mermaids, essentially, and at first, they are very friendly and gentle, singing nonsense songs and welcoming you to their home. But as soon as you begin to make any moves toward the gold, they will curse you, dive for you with surprising speed, and attempt to drown you. They will be vicious, and their natural element is water. You're in their territory, taking their things, as far as they are concerned. They have every right to kill you.

Killing the rhienmaidens will work... for a minute or so. And then they will rise again. Wounds will undo themselves-- whether they're inflicted by the rheinmaidens or you. Drowning doesn't seem permanent either-- you're pulled under, and all air escapes you, death befalls you... and then you wake up a moment later, standing on the shore.

Time has been fundamentally broken. Nothing done here is permanent.

WALHALL

You stand outside a fortress bathed in rainbow light atop a glorious mountain. Around you, the air is cool and still, and the roof of the sky seems terribly close. No matter how far toward the fortress you run, you can never make it inside. And thundering footsteps are coming just around the mountain pass, coming for you.

Lumbering giants wander around the fortress, searching for something they mutter and murmur is theirs. If they see anyone around, they will attempt to carry them off, kidnapping them for unknown purposes. They do not seem interested in eating their catch; they seem more interested in kidnapping it. Still, they are dangerous, brutish and sloppy with their strength. It is best to avoid them if possible, hiding in the trees.

Or perhaps you'd rather fight these fifteen-foot monstrosities on your own?

Of course, if you kill them, they just... come back. Death cannot be permanent in a place where time has been caught in an endless loop.

NIBELHEIM

The misty country of Nibelheim is located within a network of caverns dug into the side of a great mountain. It's a foggy, polluted place that brings to mind a city on the brink of the industrial revolution, not unlike Victorian London, though Nibelheim is entirely underground. There is smoke and smog everywhere, and living conditions are generally poor. The rich class is one family, ruled by a Nibelung named Alberich. He has various objects of great power that keep him enslaving his fellow Nibelung, working constantly in factories of his making. He has allied with the Regency to achieve this goal, and the time break within his home dimension is due in large part to his planning and plotting.

Human visitors to Nibelheim aren't unheard of, due to trade, though they are in a minority. Nibelungs, for the record, look and feel and act completely human, but they are ultimately alien, averaging a foot shorter in height at least, having naturally sallow skin, large eyes, hairless regardless of gender, and long, nimble fingers. They are a race of people made to live underground, and it shows; most can see in the dark, and climb nearly any surface. They are famed as smiths and metalworkers. Most just want to make a living and feed their families, though Alberich's clan keeps them in line.

Your duty here, the BCE says, is to try and befriend these people, the average Nibelung, and spark some kind of revolt. There are Regency spies everywhere, however, so be careful; you cannot call for rebellion in an open voice on every street corner. No, it's better, safer, to be subtle about it. Win the trust of a local businessman, seek out influential Nibelungs and figure out their opinions. Be tactical, be clever, be quick.

And avoid Alberich and his family at any cost.

But if you can, try and save some of the Nibelungs. Due to Alberich's machinations, Nibelheim is the only part of Vorspiel that has been untouched by the time break, but that will only stay true for so long. If you can convince any Nibelungs to join COST, they will do so willingly; you'll just have to escort them to safe places in hidden back rooms within dingy bars and forgotten libraries, the places where COST cells have been fermenting under the nose of the Regency. Don't get caught, and be careful; save as many as you can.

AT THE BASE OF A GREAT TREE

A man lays dying. He looks very much like the woman who introduced you to this place. Regardless, he lies in a pool of his own blood, a stab wound through his heart. The time break keeps him from ever truly passing into the next life; as soon as he dies, his eyes open, and he begins the process of his last painful moments once again.

Each time, he begs you to avenge him and find his love (or sometimes his sister; he seems very confused), and if you ask him his name, he will only respond that he is, "the woeful one". And then he will die again, for the hundredth time.

In the trees, warriors watch, poised to attack. They see you communing with their enemy, and they wish to defeat you as well. These warriors care little for your protest; they are locked in an endless battle that they cannot free themselves from, and you have just joined it.

IN THE FOREST

There is a serpent, larger than anything you have ever seen, sitting at the mouth of a cave. It sits upon a hoard of gold that may be familiar to you. It may not, but the BCE will inform you of what it is: rheingold, an incredibly potent and valuable magical resource.

Regardless, the serpent will attack anyone that comes near it or its hoard, even by accident. It, too, is caught in an endless loop of battle long over, for it calls you boy and foolish young man regardless of who or what you are. It speaks in a deep and sonorous voice, and will not stop until its head is cut off. The creature is obnoxiously large and highly dangerous, and battle with it will be long and painful, not least because, like everything in this place where time has been so fundamentally broken, it is very bad at staying dead.

Be careful when you fight it -- if you accidentally get some of its blood in your mouth, you will be suddenly and temporarily able to understand the language of birds. Which is cool, but also, you know, distracting.

The birds will tell you to find the Valkyries, who will bring you great fame and glory. They will also tell you to run, for Fafnir does not die so easy.

AT THE END OF THE WORLD

You are at a funeral. A golden-haired woman stands upon an unlit pyre, standing next to the man who, she sings, is her dead husband. Her song is beautiful and loud and incomprehensible, and when the pyre is lit, the fire swallows her whole. But the burning doesn't stop there; it begins to destroy the assembled mourners, the forest around it, the castle, the very river burns. The fabric of the world crackles and sets to flame.

Run from the flame all you like, but it always licks at your heels.

There is a trick, though, to saving your life. If one is truly unafraid of death, the fire cannot harm you, or anyone you touch. The BCE won't warn you of this; it doesn't know. But if you are unafraid, you can simply walk through the flames unharmed.

It will bring you to a wide field atop a mountain, where a woman lies sleeping. It's the same woman at the funeral, peaceful in sleep, unmoving, unsinged. She can be awoken by a kiss.

Of course, awakening her will begin the cycle again: the pyre, the fire, the fearlessness, the clearing. Over and over again, endlessly, until the BCE manages to pull you out.

This is the will of the Regency.

As a final note: This will not be the main mission for January. This TDM is meant as a one-off to dump characters into a setting they don't have to read a ton of infopages for, while still getting a sense of what Agoge could be (and as always, this TDM is game canon).

The main mission for January will be the Gallipoli campaign, as detailed here. Future missions for Agoge are always listed here months in advance.

NAV. NETWORK LOGS OOC MEMES PLURK

Comments

Jesse McCree | Overwatch | new recruit

[good_bamf_ugly]

The Rheinhardt

[Perhaps being a bonafide cowboy (from the 21st century), it was inevitable that McCree would be drawn to the prospect of gold collecting. There's no obvious warning it will be a difficult venture as he casually saunters towards the water's edge. He's mindful of the rheinmaidens occupying the waters. They don't speak in words but their sounds are welcoming enough that he takes them at face value. The gold can wait a minute, it'd be impolite to not introduce himself first. He kicks off his boots and takes a seat on a large flat river rock, ideal for hanging his feet off of and getting a better look at the rheinmaidens. They seem curious enough about him, cutting through the water and gradually getting closer to him. McCree talks the entire time in smooth easy tones, even if they don't talk back; nearly like he's talking to a lost child. Incidentally, flecks of gold float their way towards his hairy half-submerged legs. That's super convenient.

He goes to scoop a handful of it out of the water and in the blink of an eye he's violently yanked under. He thrashes and instinct takes over as he grabs his revolver. Shooting a gun under water is mostly a crapshoot, but whatever's on him is close enough that the loud bang stuns and dissuades them just long enough for Mccree to make a break for the surface. He gasps and processes exactly what's happened and paddles desperately for that rock. He only manages to get a stroke or two in its direction, and belt something of a half a scream out before he's dragged under again.

He's caught completely by surprise and is, unfortunately, completely out of his element.

a) Help a stupid cowboy before he dies.

b) Oops he died. He comes back to his senses standing at the river's edge, sweating and gasping for air. His body is tense and his hand flies to his revolver, though there's nothing to shoot at. All he manages is to stand there dumbly, staring at the rheinmaidens innocently swimming around. Birds chirp and the sun shines, as if all was right in the world. Might have to give him a second to let the whole time-loop business really sink in.]

Base of a Great deku Tree

[Well if this ain't a sorry sight. McCree contemplates putting the old man out of his misery but he'll have to save his bullets. He's keenly aware he's not the only one here as silhouettes move between the tree branches and more and more pairs of eyes loom over him, eager to ambush. McCree stands with his arms splayed wide, fingers wiggling in the air over his revolver, daring them to make the first move. The very second they do it's already all over.

Six loud bangs ring out into the air and the heavy weight of six bodies falling to the ground thump-thump-thump follows shortly afterwards. McCree tumbles backwards and reloads his revolver in one smooth movement, taking aim at the other warriors who are still intent on attacking him.

...Honestly he looks like he can handle this on his own... so long as he doesn't run out of bullets.]

End of the world as we know it

[EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE. This is not okay. McCree's first instinct was to get anyone else caught in the flames to safety over his own but before he knows it everything is swallowed whole in crackle and smoke. He's more alarmed at how easily disorienting it is but secondarily he realizes he's not burning or dying. This only adds to the confusion of this scenario. Warily but steadily, he marches in one direction until he comes across a wide field atop a mountain. There the woman lies sleeping.]

What in tarnation... [He drags a hand over his tawny brown hair and down his beard, perplexed. He convinces himself this is a surreality, a dream-state, the result of too much liquor. Another Tuesday, maybe. All this is, probably. He approaches the woman and gently nudges her, notes she's not dead but not waking either. Is he supposed to do something? Was that fire some kind of omen? Was this one of those loop-things? Was he supposed to set her on fire???

No, probably not, but he's short on any other ideas. He can't just leave her here... so he gently picks her up and cradles her limp body in his arms bridal style and starts wandering around. He's only a little aimless.]

end of the world pls forgive me

[heilt]

( there were many things that angela had learned to control her fears of but dying wasn't one of them. she could push the fear aside when her job or someone else needed her more but it was still there deep down.

there'd been many people at the funeral, and a lot of panic once the fires had started raging. she's trapped at first, flames roaring all around her. then others walk through it. it takes a while for angela to read out herself, but as she does things become a little clearer.

she's searching out any that are injured, perhaps touched by the flames, when she sees the figures on the hill, the woman in his arms, their slow descent down. it has her moving, attention first on the woman, checking for a pulse, any visible signs of injury )

How did she get over there?

( it's a comment more than a question, a thought as angela checks her over, not yet having registered who is carrying her. the woman had been there at the pyre, had been consumed by flames and yet she looked untouched by them. did she have their healing factor also? )

no forgive me and lack of good leftover icons

[good_bamf_ugly]

[The flames seem to wane and clear the closer she gets to McCree and the sleeping woman in his arms. He's still lost and looks every bit it as he tries to find any kind of familiar landmark to go by. What does break through the haze is... Angela?

He manages to look even more lost.]

How did you get over here?

[This is all definitely a dream, right? Then again, he's not sure he's creative enough to dream up a paramilitary time travelers... He was pretty sure that was Winston or Tracer's forte anyway. But here he is, and here she is. He wants to feel relieved but he gets hit with small rolling waves of guilt instead.]

Angela?

shh he has a beautiful face

[heilt]

I don't know.

( there's puzzlement to her tone, equal parts at the situationand realising that jesse is with her. her head slowly lifts from the woman, satisfied with the lack of injury for the moment, and her attentions turn to him. a quick visual scan, both assessing him for any injury and making sure that it is jesse. her hand reaches up, resting on his face, checking that he's really stood there but also turning his head a little so that she can get a better look at him )

I was focused enough on getting to the two of you that the flames didn't seem there.

( were they? or had angela walked through them? she isn't quite certain. there's a short pause before she adds: )

It's good to see you, Jesse.

[good_bamf_ugly]

[When she puts her hand on his face everything else seems to melt away in his mind. It's a welcome warmth, seems to burn hotter on his skin more than any of these flames ever did. He finds himself leaning ever so slightly into it but is compliant with letting her turn him as she inspects. He, too, would like to know if he's okay. He knows she'd say something if that wasn't the case so he exhales once she seems satisfied with the assessment.]

Figure'd hell wouldn't be a place I see you next.

[Or ever! Not the place for her but these flames felt close enough for a few real moments. Now they recede more as the time loop starts to reset and stall, trying to figure out what to do with the limp, sleeping woman McCree's still holding onto. RIGHT. They should probably work on that...

He hefts her up a little in his arms.]

She ain't dead, but I can't make heads or tails of what's wrong.

[With her... with all this, he leaves unsaid.]

[heilt]

( she's about to correct him, to fill him in on some of the details tht had likely been wiped from his mind, but he refocuses her. the woman is more important, and as angela looks at her again she lets her hand fall from his face )

Let's get her back down -- slowly.

( she takes a step back to give him space, head tipping back up again to watch him. the fire had seemed to die down a little, as strange as it was, and whilst the area was safe they had to check her out. leaving it could risk her health more )

[good_bamf_ugly]

[As she gives him space he steps back and carefully falls to his knees, one at a time. He goes to set the woman down but as soon as her body is in contact with earth more than air there's a deep reverberating sound of... nothingness. It snaps with a lurching pop and a shift in the air, and her body seems to wink out of existence but reappears on the pyre some distance away. Even if it's not perfectly visible somehow McCree knows she's back exactly where she started. The flames are gone too. For now.

As for him he keeps kneeling there a little dumbly with his arms splayed out holding onto nothing, still trying to wrap his head around the events that just played out before him and the trauma of not-actually-burning-alive. He looks up at Angela (completely grateful she's still there) with a look that can be succinctly summed up as, "I could use a drink."]

[heilt]

( he isn't the only one confused. though angela may be a little more knowledgeable, and somewhat comfortable, with the where they've been taken something like this is a first for her. bodies transporting into thin air, the way the fire had behaved. it takes a moment for her gaze to meet his, still fixed for a few seconds on where she'd expected the body to be placed.

angela steps towards him, hand reaching to rest on his arm. almost to hold on as if fearing that he may disappear too, and part to ground the both of them )

She was real-- the woman was at the pyre.

( right? it was the same woman that they'd seen then? )

I. The Rhein (Route A)

[immortalrose]

[When the cowboy gets dragged under for a second time, something fierce and mighty strong yanks him up by the collar. A serpent-like hiss escapes Augustine as he all but tosses the man ashore. That's no easy feat, especially since the man in question weighs quite a bit. However, supernatural strength is something token to most vampires and even a dhampir like Augustine was blessed in that regards.

The rheinmaidens shift their attention from their lost quarry and towards this newcomer who dared to trespass into their domain. Just when the fishy sirens were about to go to the offense, Augustine snatches a few daggers off his belt and throws them with deadly accuracy. He nails a couple of the pretty mermaids right in the eyes, causing a good few of them to retreat. The others that linger claws at his legs as he climbs out the water. They tear at the hem of his blue and gold tunic, tugging savagely as they try to drown him in turn.

Augustine has to fight his way towards the shore but it's a fight easily won since he's hurling these fiends off him one by one. Of course they leave a few scratches and bites upon him. These beautiful mermaids fight like the Devil himself. They're ferocious when angered, not hardly as innocent and lovely as they appear.]

[good_bamf_ugly]

[When pulled between two opposing forces, McCree gladly accepts the one that doesn't result in potential drowning. It's still unpleasant as sharp nails and fangs rake his legs and tear the paltry clothes the old woman had given him to shreds. If he hat a hat, even vaguely like his own, it too was long gone and floating somewhere down-stream in the river.

He drags himself the rest of the way up the shore, not caring at all about any of that. Adrenalin keeps much of the pain at bay but does little to explain this stranger's unreal strength. When one of the mermaids wiggles and tries to sink her teeth into the back of his knee, McCree ambles over and punches her on the top of her head with a resounding clang. He was given a long glove from the old woman to try and cover up his prosthetic arm, it's entirely off now.

He helps his savior further back on dry land until they're out of harms way. McCree lets himself fall back to the grass so he can catch his breath. He slicks some wet hair out of his face.]

Mighty thankful there, stranger.

[immortalrose]

[Battered, beaten and definitely bruised after that harrowing ordeal, Augustine takes a moment to gather his thoughts and his breath. He could still hear his heart thumping loudly against his chest and feel the sickening burn of his wounds. Augustine wouldn't be surprised if their bite was poisonous but thankfully it's not. The dhampir knows very little about mermaids, almost nothing at all besides the catchy shanties sailors would sing.

The rheinmaidens stalk the shoreline menacingly, hissing and growling like feral beasts rather than timid maids they once were. Even some of them looked right monstrous now, almost downright ghoulish. Augustine narrows his eyes some once a few start throwing stones at them but eventually the rheinmaidens return to their leisure.

It's then that Augustine gives the man a slight glance.]

M-More than welcome!

[He greets the grizzled cowboy a faint smile. It's a pained one since he submitted quite a few injuries but it's a smile nonetheless.]

I hope they didn't harm you much. They seem like a friendly lot as long as you don't test them.

[Those inhumanly black red eyes stare back at the cowboy with such mirth. Augustine is honestly just glad he could help.]

[good_bamf_ugly]

[It's difficult to not be distracted by the way Augustine's eyes are or how he's put together entirely. McCree stares just long enough to realize he needs an excuse to look away. Assessing the damage to his arms and legs is a plenty good one.]

Just a scratch.

[That's what he thought. He peels back what's left of his pant legs and winces. There's long gashes on his shins and thighs, bleeding freely but not profusely. His arms and torso fared better but the rheinmaidens made real short work of the paltry "disguise" the old woman had offered him. It had nothing on the leather chaps he wishes he had on instead.

Of course, now that's he's looking everything starts to hurt.]

Some... big scratches.

[He grits his teeth and keeps remarkable composure despite how bad the wounds look. He looks over to Augustine, seemingly more concerned about him.] Are you alright?

[immortalrose]

Just a scratch...? [For some reason, Augustine doubts that but he holds his tongue.] That's good at least. They were seconds away from devouring you.

[It's by mere chance that he happened upon the scene. Augustine was just traversing through the woods nearby when he heard the commotion. He wasn't too far off from the river at that time since he was using it to navigate his way south. Even with a poor sense of direction, Augustine knows the basics. Always follow a river when in doubt, it will lead you either north or south.]

Those scratches don't look too good. [He mentions with a frown. The faint whiff of blood makes him recoil some but not out of fright.] You might need stitches for all that.

[The following question catches him off guard.]

Oh, me? I'm fine! Nothing I can't handle.

[He laughs a tad nervously while searching for his dark. The damn thing was ripped right off him when the rheinmaidens pounced. Augustine gives up in his search once he spots something black floating away in the river.

Seems that one of the fishy maidens snagged it.]

...Fantastic.

[good_bamf_ugly]

Wouldn't be the first time. [He says with regard to the stitches. He's been through worse, he's sure. His left arm is testament to that. He, however, distinctly got the impression something as simple as sanitary stitches might be a rare or precious commodity around here. He starts tearing at straps of cloth around his legs to make bandages and tourniquets.

Augustine looks for something and McCree's eyes also scan the water. He can't tell what it is but he can tell they sure as hell aren't getting it back. He forces a laugh.]

Made off with my dignity too in that water.

[He'd extend a hand but they're bloodied and not presentable. He raises a hand out of instinct to tip his hat but there's nothing there. He turns the gesture into another hair-wipe, running his fingers through his bangs.]

Name's Jesse McCree.

[He wants to ask what are you over a name, but leaves the invitation open for Augustine to introduce himself however he wants.]

[immortalrose]

[A faint grin lingers upon his face as he watches the mermaid swim off with her prize. Augustine can't help but find some humor in all this. After all, he was just fussing about how ridiculous he thought that cloak looked upon him.

Maybe it was karma.]

Serves us both right for disturbing them, I suppose.

[His smile fades some but the mirth remains within those unusual red eyes. He's quite chipper, isn't he? Might have something to do with how quickly his wounds have healed. There's barely a scratch left on him, just a couple of bruises.]

Ah, yes! I almost forgot to introduce myself.

[He hesitates briefly to shake McCree's hand but the moment passes quickly. Augustine clasps the man's hand with a gentle but firm grip, nothing like how he yanked the cowboy right out the water earlier. Maybe that show of impossible strength was just a fluke? Could've been but then how could anyone explain how McCree survived?

There's definitely something odd here.]

I'm Augustine--[He pauses briefly as he thinks of how to introduce himself. Alias or real name? Alias or real?] Augustine Wagner!

[Yes, let's not mention anything regarding his late progenitor. That seems like a safe idea.]

I'm terribly sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances. I doubt neither of us expected to be well...

Kidnapped.

rhein BBbbbbbb

[mylawn]

[By the time he places the familiar silhouette, dragging up old memories from a life he'd rather forget, it's too late to do anything. It's something he should have seen coming, but Jack doesn't exactly have time to think about the fact that Jesse likely has no idea what's going on before his body is moving of its own accord. He doesn't think about how he's going to answer for the fact that he's alive, nor does he think about the uncomfortable truth that McCree deserted Overwatch, potentially with vital information that would have kept it all from crashing down. He should leave it alone--if McCree isn't smart enough to get himself out of this,

All he sees instead is the briefest glimpse one of his people in danger, and there's still some part of him that reacts automatically to that, no matter how hard he tries to tamp down the impulse.

Despite the best of intentions, however, Jack is too late. He reaches the bank of the river just as McCree goes under, and reaching his hand out does nothing, as he's pulled down too quickly and too forcefully for any difference to be made. He's left grasping, so momentarily panicked that he doesn't notice the loop reset itself, still reaching out into the water.]

how could you do this to me

[good_bamf_ugly]

[The loop resets and McCree is left with the horrifying memories of water filling his lungs and piercing claws and teeth dragging him down deeper and deeper, fresh in his head and leaving his brow slick with sweat. He sees Jack reach into the river and from behind he looks too much like a stranger. All McCree knows is he used to be there, right there on that rock, and now he's not.]

...Hey.

[He forces himself to say something, softly, mostly to himself. He's alive. Somehow. His hands drift over his chest just to make sure he can still feel his own heart beating. Yep that still works. That fella' ought to know lest he get pulled in to. The very thought gives McCree much more composure and he repeats himself with much more confidence and volume.][He trots forward and closes much of the distance, right up to the water's edge and on another smaller rock in the shallows.] It's dangerous.