estoria | « 007 ⇢ event007.exe »

« 007 ⇢ event007.exe »

Who: CERES & you
When: IC: 10/19 | OOC: 12/16
Where: ViViD
What: Intro Log
Rating/Warning: PG-13

//event007.EXE

The Haunting II: Haunt Harder

ViViD has opened up a new world that new arrivals will be pulled into while frequent players will be invited to check out. This particular setting is the new beta world that CERES is constructing in time for the Hallow's Eve celebrations and festivals. It's a world inhabited by the undead and several ghouls and monsters of typical horror lore. Inside, one will encounter werewolves, lichens, vampires, succubi, incubi, specters, mummies, and so on. They will be on the prowl and eager to attack, but players need only concern themselves with getting through and getting out.

At first, players will awaken outside of a large manor supposedly owned by a wealthy noble who is rumored to be practicing strange alchemic experiments within. Many know him simply as The Count.

New arrivals and those logging into ViViD will first find themselves being greeted by their guide at the start screen:

"F̳̰̘̝̭͚̙̝̺̅̀͋̊̑͐̎͜͝͝͝Ü͎͉̗̬͍̫̤̳̳̓̉͌͛͒́̔̎͝ͅÇ̢͎̳̰̫̝̝̮̣̈̓̽̂͒̌̾͊̊̓K̯̺͎̬̟̠̳̤̙̥̍͊͒̐͌̏̍̂̚̚!̧̛̹̲͎͕̥͓̥̻̟̿͐̔̑̈͗̕͘͠-ɯǝɥʇ ʇɐǝq oʇ ʍoɥ sı ǝɹǝɥ

¡ǝuo lɐuıɟ ǝɥʇ ʇǝǝɯ noʎ ǝɹoɟǝq sʇsoɥƃ ɹnoɟ ǝlʇʇɐq oʇ pǝǝu llıʍ noʎ

ʎɐpoʇ suoıʇɔnɹʇsuı ɹnoʎ ƃuıʌıƃ ǝq llıʍ ı

ɹouɐɯ ɐıɔoɹʇɐ oʇ ǝɯoɔlǝʍ

slɐʌıɹɹɐ ʍǝu ollǝɥ"

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I

[ xxxx ] Yes, those are all the directions you get. Welcome, indeed, to Atrocia Manor. On the outside, you'll notice a faint howling in the distance. You better start running. That howling is only going to get louder as the werewolves start approaching. They roam in packs and will approach you from all sides, leveling a menacing stare at you before-!!!

-licking your hand. They'll all suddenly surround your character and start licking and lavishing attention on you as their tails wag from side to side happily. They may even roll over and show you their bellies for belly rubs. Please give them a treat and lots of love.

PHASE II

[ xxxx ] Once you survive that grueling challenge, it's on to the next part. This is where things start to heat up. The inner atrium of the mansion is dark, only lit by faint torches. In the center are three of the four ghosts that were spoken of, slowly moving in circles around a shrouded figure. Before you can glimpse at the figure, it disappears and the ghosts turn to you and start approaching from every side. They block you in, leaving you in the center and slowly looming around you.

Their howls are prolonged and deep, piercing your ears, and they seem to want to lead you into a room. You can choose to run from their frightful faces or you can follow them. They will seat you down at the dinner table then slowly pull forth a power point presentation. This is your love and/or sex life. Yes, you have a sad one. How dare you? The ghosts will guilt you for this, and somewhere in the midst of their lecture, you notice a faint figure moving along the windows. It's only for a flicker of a second that it appears, but the impression it leaves on you remains.

PHASE III

[ xxxx ] Feeling tired already? Well, don't stop and rest now! The challenges will only get worse. As you escape the three ghosts, you will ascend the stairs to the second level. Awaiting you is a vicious vampire …panda. Does it want your blood? Nope. It wants to talk to you about how to properly file your tax forms for a successful tax return. It will then lecture you on the EVILS of tax evasion. Be prepared for a scary ride with this one. It's not letting you out of the room until you listen to everything it has to say. For those who attempt to escape, it will… do absolutely nothing. It will sit there and watch you run.

PHASE IV

[ xxxx ] You escape the horrors of both the first floor and the second floor only to arrive at the basement. The mysterious fourth ghost awaits with its back turned to you. It's covered in a shroud, and you are sure it's going to talk about diversifying your stock profile next. Oh, how wrong you are.

Because this one legitimately wants you dead, and it will wear the face of your worst enemy or your least favorite person while swiping down a scythe to reap away your life quickly. It won't be easy to kill, but once you whittle down its life halfway, it will finally reveal its true form. That's when the entire dungeon will start to glitch, and the ghost will cradle you between its hands before warning you:

sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ
sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ
sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ
sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ
sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ
sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ sn ǝɹǝʌǝɹ sn ɹɐǝɟ

It will then fade away, and congratulations! You won! Sort of...

BONUS

[ whyo'clock ] Congratulations on surviving Atrocia Manor! Here's your complimentary coupon for 35% off on your next Vidia's Secret purchase. Wasn't that a fun ride? But wait. There's more! The final final boss awaits you outside in the courtyard. It's the most gruesome of them all. The worst ghost you can encounter because it's one that has known great suffering and is out for vengeance.

It will follow you around and try to eat you basically. One floating dot at the time until it can reach you.

[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with trigger-y or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ]

//RUN.EXE

Welcome to CEREALIA's latest intro post. For your convenience, we have compiled a post detailing everyone's usual arrival experience (which is not entirely applicable this round for reasons stated above^) and a FAQ that should explain everything in more detail. Please read them thoroughly before playing. Thank you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[to be honest, Tenka can't believe it either, but at least the ghosts are a good distraction because this is going to probably be deja vu really quickly

INCOMING TENKA TACKLE because he can't think of another way to make sure that he can keep Shirasu pinned.

tenka no, this is exactly how they got the first picture.............]

You think you can ignore me?!

[ Really, it's deja vu all over again. Complete with kunai at the throat.

But at least, this time, he pulls the weapon away pretty much first thing, and he's more surprised he managed to let this happen twice than he is to see Tenka.

There is something else in his face, though, before he closes it down. Before, he didn't know what had happened back on their world. But now, there's a feeling of longing so strong it makes him physically ill. ]

[ . . . . well, it's a little gratifying that the kunai is gone almost instantly. At least that much is something that Tenka expected - so maybe that's not the only thing he's right about.

Still, he's not against using his hands on Shirasu's shoulders to keep him down and not giving him the chance to run again. His grip is probably remarkably tense, half of him wanting to hug the other man that he never thought he'd get to properly see again and the other half wanting to deck him in the face.

The latter is infinitely more likely to happen but it's the thought that counts....

Tenka's holding onto that anger and frustration with a death grip, but even then he's concerned because god, he'll always be concerned about Shirasu. Which in itself is frustrating. For now, he's burying it underneath everything else though.]

Don't you have anything to say?

[ Shirasu can match Tenka for speed and skill, but not strength, so until there's an opening, he's resigned to staying put.

That doesn't mean he's inclined to be cooperative. ]

I said before that I didn't.

I don't care what you said before - this is now!

[ - which has always been his methodology for dealing with Shirasu. People had tried to talk him out of it, to convince him that it was a bad idea to take in a Fuuma. But Tenka never possessed any interest in whichever person that Shirasu used to be, based on his bloodline or anything else. It was always what he did at the shrine to help their family and take care of them that reassured Tenka that he had made a good decision.

What does he do now?

Can he still judge Shirasu based on that same standard? Because if he forgets about the other man's past all over again, that's ten years that Tenka spent with him.

His throat closes up for a moment before he steels himself and keeps pressing.]

I trusted you with my brothers. What happened to them?

[ He knew Tenka stood up for him, even if he usually wasn't around for it. The looks on the faces of Otsu's villagers over time said enough. From outright hostility to grudging acceptance to, finally, friendliness. He would have never reached the same level of welcome as the Kumou brothers, but their advocacy on his behalf was clear.

And he'd used that, and then discarded it, as he'd always planned to.

He hadn't expected it to feel like he'd lost something. ]

Does it matter? Aren't they dead now?

[ It'll be easier if you don't want to be around him, Tenka. Really. ]

[Something in him snaps.

Tenka is never cruel but sometimes he is angry beyond the point of reason. So in the split second it takes for the word 'dead' to register, one hand is curled up into a fist and he doesn't hesitate to punch Shirasu straight across the jaw with it. The other hand that remains on his shoulder tightens its grip, likely getting to the point where it would hurt a normal man.

Dead?]

They're not.

[It's quiet - quieter than Tenka is normally ever expected to be - just as the times when a secret was shared between the two of them. But this is something he says with conviction, with certainty. After all, if his brothers were dead, would he have left to live for?

Even the implication that they might really be gone - it's too much for him.]

[ Shirasu expected to get hit for that, so the pain and taste of blood in his mouth is worth it. The pressure on his shoulder bordering on hurt is also accepted.

If Tenka's brothers and Shirasu's clan are dead, what do they have to live for? Other than a vague promise from CERES that they'll be restored.

There are two options: be allies or be nothing. When the world is restored, they'll have to be the latter, so contemplating the former is just denying reality. ]

They are, Tenka. Along with my clan. Along with everyone. [ His tone isn't cruel, this time. Just stating a fact. ]

I don't believe it!

[Which has sort of being an underlying thing that Tenka hasn't discussed with anyone here. Tenka doesn't believe that their world is really gone or that his brothers are dead. For crying out loud, he was just getting to the point that he could save them. There's no way everything could blow up all of a sudden without him.]

Shirasu, you can't just believe what they're saying here....

[Because they've also proven that their choices are really, really dumb sometimes.]

[ Don't do that. Stop looking for hope where there shouldn't be any, Tenka.

His gaze wavers, looking off over Tenka's shoulder. ]

Whether we do or not, it doesn't change anything.

Sure it does!!

[Asking Tenka to not look for hope is like asking for the sun not to shine, if you know what I mean.]

For one - it means that you should finally answer my questions.

[yeah, why not-]

What's this Fuuma Kotarou business, huh? You take up a pseudonym after I died?

[ Attempt to derail conversation -- failed. Dammit. ]

That's always been my name.

No, it hasn't.

[Tenka, this conversation really isn't going to get anywhere if you keep denying what few truths Shirasu does tell you.....

Except honestly it does affect him. His grip on Shirasu's shoulders loosens but remains forceful enough to keep him down. Despite himself, he can't quite keep the sadness from showing on his face now that he got a good punch in.]

But fine. I'll bite.

Then who's Kinjou Shirasu?

[ Also him. ]

The pseudonym.

[ . . . . and quietly, because Tenka still holds onto hope.]

Can you really have a pseudonym for ten years?

[They spent ten years together. They laughed, they worked together, they were a family. Tenka's memories of those days are still clear in his mind - he refuses to believe they were all fake.]

[ "Yes". It's three letters. One syllable.

And he can't say it.

Just like he couldn't answer Tenka the last time he saw him.

He just keeps his expression blank, and says nothing.

Damn you, Tenka. ]

[ . . . . that's a good as it's going to get, huh?

Tenka can't do it. He can't hold onto his anger, not now that he already solidly hit Shirasu. He still wants his answers and he's not going to stop until he gets those, but..... well, there's one thing he wants to make sure of before that.

So he grins - one tinged by sadness, by doubt, but a grin nonetheless - and asks something a little too familiar.]

Shirasu [because it's not a pseudonym to him] I need a favor.

[ Heaven above, he wants so badly right now to hate you, Tenka. Always asking, requesting, wheedling and never ordering. Always giving him a choice. ]

What is it?

[He knows that face. God, he knows that face and it's making him laugh. Unabashedly and unashamed, he's laughing because it's not fair. Shirasu betrayed them - he betrayed Tenka's trust that he so rarely gives out to other people - and yet Tenka sees old memories in every single expression that the other man makes.

He doesn't know where his stupid hair tie went and he doesn't know when the ninja garb became customary and not an occasional thing.

But he knows Shirasu - or at least he fiercely thought that he did. He hopes that maybe he's still in there somewhere. It's a tentative hope and one marred by paranoia and concern, but it's still there.

So he continues on-]

Sousei's here.

[The Yamainu that called Tenka a traitor. That one. But also the one that's Tenka's partner.]

... Don't hurt him, okay?

[ Tenka's laugh is still warm and light and everything anathema to the Fuuma. He was honest, before, when he said he was glad Tenka lived. ]

Abe no Sousei... [ Meh, that guy. Shirasu remembers him for his lack of presence the last ten -- eleven, now -- years, and the "traitor" comment, which still rankles even if he doesn't have the right to be offended on Tenka's behalf anymore. But foremost is something which has very little to do with Tenka, personally. It was Abe no Sousei's sword that split the Orochi in half, even if Soramaru held it.

And Abe no Sousei didn't have the good grace to die when his twin tried to kill him.

It might have let his brother's soul rest a little more easily if he'd been able to accomplish even that much.

Shirasu closes his eyes briefly, trusting that Tenka won't hit him again, easily as breathing, and then gives a nod. ]

[ . . . . that was simple. And Tenka wants it to be simple, god does he want it to be simple.

But he's been spurned by Shirasu before and while before that much would be enough to get Tenka to believe him entirely - it's not enough anymore. Not when someone as important as Sousei is on the line here. So Tenka actually questions further:]

Promise?

[ Shirasu is surprised that Tenka presses, and whether it's because Tenka's finally learning to not trust everything, or because his knee-jerk reaction is surprise Tenka's questioning him, he's not sure. Not that he doesn't deserve it, it's just... unfamiliar.

He clears his throat lightly. ]

I promise I won't go out of my way to hurt him.

[ . . . . well, honestly that sounds fair. Tenka got Sousei to agree to not hurt Shirasu either, so hopefully this way it'll keep the both of them at bay? So he nods, accepting that because despite everything.... if Shirasu promises something to him like this, then he'll trust it. Why would Shirasu want to attack Sousei anyway?

This is just a precaution.

Which leads him to one other thing-]

One more favor.

[Because Tenka really is greedy and selfish.]

[ Oh for the love of...

But now he's slightly wary, because he can't think of anything else Tenka might want from him, besides answers he doesn't want to give -- either right now, or ever. ]

Yes?

[It's funny because Tenka asked for a favor but what comes out of Tenka's mouth now is the farthest thing from what sounds like a favor:]

If any harm comes to my brothers again and you let it happen - even if it's not your fault, I'll never forgive you.

[It's unfair, probably.

Shirasu isn't the keeper of the Cloudy brothers anymore - apparently. Tenka trusted him with absolutely everything because his brothers are his everything and apparently since then Soramaru became the Orochi (which Shirasu wanted?) and Chuutarou was kidnapped by a serial killer that Tenka personally threatened. Yes, it may have been Tenka's fault for disappearing in the first place but his last request still stands.

Tenka will forgive a lot, but he will never forgive bad things happening to his brothers. The fact that Shirasu let those things happen back home is already bad enough.

If it happens again, Tenka might actually have to actively hold it against him, even if it breaks his own heart to do so.]

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