
It is a quiet day in mostly reconstructed Cerealia. The robots are busily running into walls that were not there before, the Cybuddy bees are buzzing...and CERES has still not said a word. Attempting to contact them still gets the User Offline error. Strange...
But who cares if CERES is offline? After all, they are the cruel and tyrannical captors. A Cerealia without them must be better than a Cerealia with them. So there's nothing to worry about on this fine, peaceful day. Or, at least, that's what it seems like, when suddenly there's a voice in everyone's head. A chosen few may recognize the voice, for they will have heard it before, but to the vast majority, it is brand new.
Looks like someone has been saved, and a reward granted... and no, you don't have a single choice in the matter.
 Your heroism will be remembered, lost and stolen souls.
You have saved me, and so now, I shall save you.
All of you.
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PHASE I [ day one ] It happens so quickly. One moment you’re in the colony, going about your daily life, and the next, you’re… floating. A moment later, every player character from the colony is transported with a wisp of fresh air to...somewhere very very different. The distance is far, but it is covered in what must have only been a scant moment, and it’s clear somehow, especially to air characters, that it was Caeli’s doing that brought everyone there.
There, naturally, being right in the middle of the jungle.
Everyone is then unceremoniously dropped. You may land on a tree, or in a patch of poison mushrooms (no really, look out for the colorful plant life, it’s probably poisonous) or in the river. There are some strange insects of all sorts and types, some of which have some uncomfortable side effects if you’re bitten, such as swelling or the uncomfortable urge to go hug the nearest person, and there are strange flowers everywhere, some of which glow only in the dark of night or the shade of trees. It is dreadfully humid, however, and a little hard to breathe--unless you’re of the air disposition.
Either way, you’ve certainly landed somewhere fantastical, so take some time to get used to your surroundings. It shouldn’t take too long to find everyone else, hopefully.
PHASE II [ day two ] Of course, this far into the jungle, and making this much noise, it was only inevitable before some company was attracted.
Some are clearly dangerous, some are peaceful as can be and some are somewhere in between; approach at your own risk.
Either way, these monsters are all drawn to larger groups of people and a lot of noise, so it may be best to keep quiet...though the ones that keep their distance may be even more concerning.
Everyone is certainly being stalked at one point or another in the jungle -- and at night, there are eyes watching from the darker parts of the trees.
PHASE III [ day three ] But perhaps if you follow some of those monsters deeper into the woods, you will stumble across an old, run down village of sorts. It looks as though time and the jungle has overtaken it. Exploring it will reveal plenty of homes that were clearly lived in however, by families and by people of all sorts.
There are empty rooms, covered in dust, and a central village fire, long gone out.
Small knick-knacks and various objects can be found… if you want to steal from the dead, you know. It’s a little rude. It appears they led a simple, peaceful life, however; most notably, there is no technology to be found.
And if The Bridge catches you doing it, she will look incredibly sad and ask you to put everything back in its proper place before she goes back to looking very irritated at Caeli. You may overhear words about how this “isn’t the right place” and Caeli’s unrepentant, “It is only a few hundred miles”. Looks like something went a little wrong in the transportation process.
Time to camp out for the night, perhaps. And your CereVices don’t get any reception out here, so no surfing the internet for you. If you try to connect to the internet, for some reason the device starts playing a song. Was that programmed…?
PHASE IV [ day four ] By the fourth day, it’s pretty clear that you’re going to be stuck here for a bit. Pestering Caeli or Maris gets nothing, while the Bridge still can’t be approached for pretty good reasons. So… you’ll just have to make the best of it while they figure out their next approach.
Time to figure out how to camp with few supplies and even fewer nice places to sleep. Maybe try to make a fire (though it’s incredibly difficult, considering how muggy it is here) or try to find some bugs to eat (ew gross).
Of course, you can try hunting, but the prey doesn’t look too friendly, so be careful not to become the prey yourself. The same goes for fishing, it seems.
Some of the trees are poisonous, some of the grasses will cause unfortunate rashes, and some vines will lash out to grab at people (especially colorful ones); basically, this is an entirely untamed alien jungle, so it may not be the fun camping trip you'd like.
Time to work together to survive out here, at least for a little longer.
It’s your time to shine. This is Person Versus Wild.
PHASE V [ day six ] On day six, the jungle goes utterly silent.
The monsters and animals disappear. The extra friends poof away hastily and suddenly. Maris and the Bridge fall silent (though Caeli admittedly continues floating there as ever). If anyone approaches them to ask, they'll just say that "she is coming".
And soon, she does appear. She moves slowly, lacking in feet; they are roots, as though that of a tree. Nonetheless, she has no troubles with moving forward, slow bit by bit. She does not speak, not at first, and behind her, trotting lightly through the woods, there is another. Both feel strongly of spiritual energy, just like Maris and Caeli. And eventually, after observing the people gathered, they can be spoken to.
BONUS [ day ??? ] After spending some time in the jungle, emotions might be running a bit amuck. And those emotions might bring some unexpected...friends. Yes, let's go with friends.
Because if a character is typically grumpy, gloomy, stoic, lineface, or anything along those lines, they may find themselves followed by a bright, happy bird. That bird feeds off of those emotions, and will just cheerfully follow around any lineface character for as long as possible. Or until they smile. The birds are otherwise harmless, chirping happily every now and then and following them around like a friendly shadow.
Happy, cheerful, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, energetic characters, on the other hand, will soon find themselves followed by... a different friend. Or maybe a handful of them. It depends on how cheerful they are. Either way, these creatures feed off of happiness and fun, but they will also chew on hair or an ear if they're allowed to get that close, making horrifying, chittering noises as they follow anyone who is in a good mood.
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
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[Interesting, it looks like outside of the city, there was civilisation. It's fascinating, only because such ruins are even beyond her, and she is someone who is used to the jungle. But never has she seen anything like this.
It's not time to rest yet, or at least, she's not tired. The humidity is not bothering her, but it is more uncomfortable than she would've thought, being much more stuffy than back home. Still, being in a place like this, wouldn't you want to look around? There's some curious items and rooms.]
I wonder if the same rules apply.
[They were code, weren't they? Downloaded from their worlds in order to "save" their own. What of this place? Does it still work that way?
She frowns when she hears voices in the air.]
PHASE IV
[It's true, they got to eat. Now, she's fine with hunting: skin them, scale them, she'll do it. But when faced with these large monsters and very little weaponry, once has to wonder how do you take down your meal? These are the most docile looking ones here.
She taps her chin in thought as she ponders over how to take them down.]
How to hunt them, and how to cook them too, I wonder. [Well, she's very certain that they'll probably be tough, being wild creatures who live in a such a tough environment. But she'll figure out that part later.]
WILDCARD
[Got an EVEN BETTER MORE AMAZING IDEA? Throw it at me!]
iv
I suppose with the larger creatures, cooking them directly over the fire should be fine. We could also try boiling the meat, but there's the matter of finding a receptacle that can conduct heat well enough to cook it.
[ they could always try eating it raw too. how hardcore do you have to be. ]
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Or they can eat it raw, that too.]
Ah yes, that can work. We'll need something strong enough to chop the meat up too, otherwise it would take too long. [HMMMMM...] Let us aim for cooking over a fire to simplify the process.
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Do you think, if we asked very nicely, the sword spirits would lend us their vessels to cut the meat with?
[ they probably won't... but it won't hurt to ask... right???? ]
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iii
The same rules? Laws? [The prosecutor is thinking of the wrong kind of rules.]
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Not quite the laws that would be used to govern a city, though I wonder what they are like here too. I wonder if we are no longer controlled as the code we were said to be, now we are here.
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[He watches her sit beside him, and is satisfied that she doesn't bother his personal space. Then again, personal space is the least of his problems while in this crazy jungle.
Edgeworth doesn't believe in the code and everything surrounding it, but...sometimes it was something to ponder.]
That's a good question. I don't know how far we are from the colony, however...
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IV
Is it any different from fighting with other humans?
[ they all die, same end result... right? ]
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Well, the theory is the same, yes. We must take it down. [And kill it, as he is thinking.]
The size of the creature though... [Even if they found a docile one, with how big it is, it could still possibly be hard to take down. Then again, doesn't Tsurumaru always have his sword on him. Her eyes wander down to the blade he holds by his side.]
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iv
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A-ah, Yang! Your help will be much appreciated! Do you have a plan? [She can also go with No Plan.]
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phase iii.
He's carefully examining the village ruins and not really paying attention to the song. He's too hyper focused on the current mystery at hand. These are the kinds of things he nerds about so...]
I wonder about that too. It feels so much different here though.
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It's a good thing there's a nerd who tries to figure everything out though. Especially a badass doctor/professor?!]
It does...the weather doesn't seem to be controlled like CERES did to regulate the city...
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III
Do you think they were run out of their homes?
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I wonder. The creatures outside, some are hostile, no? But then to be able to construct something like this that withstood such dangers for a while, they would have to be very strong or knowledgeable as well.
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phase iv!
he smiles thinly, some meek, watered-down facsimile of his usual grin, trying to dissuade her against the option of seeking out her own death. if worst comes down to worse, he'll tag along, but he obviously won't be able to afford her much help besides serving as a meat shield.
on second though, he really should have asked scheduled a sparring session in advance. ]
You're alright with doing all of that, Vietnam-san? We aren't going to be here for too long, right?
[ appealing to her higher reason, he gestures tepidly at the surrounding greenery. ]
Maybe we could just eat plants for now.
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She can't account for taste, however. Finding plant life is also essential for them as well, considering they that need a balanced diet in order to conserve and replenish their stamina to be be able to trek through such wild lands.
Now, seeing as Makoto is with her, she knows that she can't be reckless. Perhaps a trap where she can kill the creature with ease may help, though she's unsure how smart they are. In any case, Makoto is not going to be a meat shield. He's going to stay safe. Maybe at her makeshift kitchen once she prepares it.]
Mm, we won't be here for too long, I believe. We need to keep moving. But we need to eat too, and I hope that this will be able to help us. [They'll need to cook everything at once, meat in this heat will go bad faster than if they just carried cooked meat around with them. And Makoto is big and active with a thick muscular frame: he'd need all the protein he can get.]
I think I have a chance, if it is something smaller. We need something substantial while we can. I am unsure if food will be easy to find once we keep going.
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iv
[For the hunting part, he means.
Naki's fox is slightly more knowledgeable about hunting than Naki, but still...]
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It is just a matter of having the right tools and strategy to take it down. [She, unfortunately, she doesn't have, other than her oar and her two bare hands.]
What do you think? [He has a sword, but she doesn't want him running into danger either.]
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the random icon button likes smallest fox...
BECAUSE SMALLEST FOX IS THE CUTEST
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iii!
[Kashuu's sitting nearby, fanning himself in a fruitless attempt to combat the humidity. It's not that he's not used to weather like this (it can get pretty muggy even in the mountains in summer), but after several months in the climate-controlled colony, this is Rough™.]
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Is this place controlled by CERES? They told us that they took us and put us into the system after all. What happens when we are taken out like this?
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iv
He waits until he's properly through the grass and at a good distance before he talks to her. ]
You are looking for food?
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Once she hears him, she turns to find where he is before nodding.]
I think if that creature is taken down, we should be able to have a decent meal. [Once she figures out how to prepare it too.]
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W I L D C A R D bc i can't be contained
Or rather, he was fighting something up in the treetops and then fell, along with his prey, from the sky. As they tumble downwards, he lets out a battle cry and drives his sword through the creature's chest, killing it.]
KEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!
[They both land in a cloud of dust and muck and tangled limbs with a huge thud right next to wherever Vietnam is. After a moment, his head pops up from the wreckage and he notices her.]
Oh, hey.
AWWWW YISSSS
?!
[--until this ball of chaos lands right next to her. And Dotanuki just coolly greets her after a mad battle?!]
D-dotanuki?! Did you just fall from the treetops with...this?! [WAVES AT THE MONSTER.]
food from the sky!!
TIME TO COOK IT
and then they poison themselves
alas, we will remember them...
sad funeral yakkity sax
the most moving theme