//EVENT026.EXE

[reparator]

Who: All of the unlucky souls who are dragged along for the ride
When: IC: 5/22 to 5/26 ; OOC: 2/13 to 2/20
Where: The Dark Parts of Cerealia
What: File Not Found
Rating/Warning: PG-13 for violence and some scary situations; please let the mods know if the rating needs to go up or the log needs to be locked!

---

//event026.EXE

You're probably woken up by the explosion first. A loud, deafening boom comes from behind the walls of the residential district. When you look outside your window towards the darker, more secretive area of the city, you might see the structure around it... crumbling, the land falling in on itself slowly but surely. That might be what wakes you up first. If it doesn't, you may be awoken instead by the sudden jerking feeling behind your navel pulling you from where you are to somewhere... else. It's dark. The first thing you notice is that it's dark -- and then come the scrabbling sounds of creatures in the dark, like metal being dragged across metal, a chilling, sharp sound. The first thing that becomes clear, as your vision adjusts, is that you're on a rickety pathway, metal and rusting and frail, above what appears to be yawning blackness. Far, far below, there's the faint sound of rushing water, a ways away. The second thing that becomes clear is that you are very much not alone. Something is out there with you, and from the screeching metallic noises that come ever closer, it seems to be stalking you. Thankfully, you're not alone -- right? ... ........... ................ :)

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I [ ??? ] It’s drafty here. You’re below ground, that’s for certain from the echoes of the wind in the darkness. If you continue on forwards along the rickety, metal railing that serves as a walkway, the skittering noises of creatures in the dark follow -- but they don’t appear. It seems everyone has been dumped along this pathway at random; you may be with friends, with enemies or with someone you’ve never met before, but either way, it soon becomes clear. There are only two ways to go along this path: up or down. If you choose to take the path that follows a gradual slope down, the sounds of water lapping against a surface increase bit by bit, the air growing heavier and danker, until finally, the metallic platform gives way very suddenly (watch your step!) to a muddy bank. Down here, everything is darker, and not far away there’s the water. It’s cold and frigid and there are unfriendly creatures that await if you choose to delve into it. However, if you brave those creatures, and dive deeply enough, there is a mask. It rests half-buried by silt and rocks, but it’s there, and can be found by any intrepid explorers. Somehow, it feels a little familiar. And if you carry on in the cave system underground, eventually you will come across what appears to be an altar. There is blood on it -- not fresh, but not more than a month old -- and pieces of trinkets. Old bits of cloth, locks of hair, and some of them may even be familiar. Any dropped character who has a reasonably large amount of spiritual or magical power may have left scraps, such as pieces of clothing, trinkets, hair, or the sort behind at the altar. Maybe that's why they weren't in the Nexus Code. PHASE II [ ??? ] If you go up, you will eventually make your way above ground. It takes some time, and some luck -- you’ll have to avoid rusty railing and pathways, the path crumbling under you and that creeping sensation that something is following and watching you -- and then you’ll suddenly be in fresh air. Well. It’s not so fresh, really. The landscape is broken down and crumbled. It may have once been part of the city of Cerealia, but now it is in utter disrepair and decay. Buildings have crumbled, and debris is everywhere. There are signs of the same level of technology that Cerealia has -- but it is all broken down and utterly inaccessible. And you’re not alone. It seems the technology and metal and broken down destruction has gained sentience over its time sitting alone, waiting. And it is not happy to be disturbed. The creatures are made of pieces of everything around them, and when cut down, they’ll just slowly rebuild themselves from the debris. It might be time to run. They aren't happy about being disturbed, and you're in their way. PHASE III [ ??? ] Above ground, there are a lot of broken down buildings. Some can’t be accessed at all; some are too broken, too reduced to rubble. For those looking for shelter, they'll be able to find buildings where the doors can be forced open and they can camp out on the inside to various degrees of stability. Though the ceiling may cave in or the floor fall out from under you at a moment's notice, it's better than being out there. Be careful, because none of the architecture here can be trusted anymore. And other buildings... are even less trustworthy than that. There is a series of buildings in the midst of the wasteland, somehow still standing. They stand there silently, towering over the rest of the rubble in their two-story glory, and if the doors are forced open, it soon becomes clear that the building itself is full of mirrors. Once, the mirrors had perhaps covered the walls and ceiling. Once, this building might have been akin to something of a ballet studio, somewhere to express yourself creatively. But now the mirrors are shattered and broken into pieces and the building lacks the joy it might have once held. Shards of mirror cover the floor, some big, some not so big, but they still hang from the walls as well and everywhere you look, you can see yourself. And then, the reflection changes. From one blink to the next, you see a memory playing in the mirrors. Your memory. You’ll see a glimpse of one of your most traumatic or life-changing moments, broken up but clear in the shards. Blink and look away, and it’s gone, only to show up again in the next mirror a few moments later. Surely it’s just a trick of the light, right? Except if someone else is with you, they’ll see it too -- and you might end up seeing a bit of their own past as well. Hope you're fond of sharing. PHASE IV [ ??? ] If you survive the monsters, the crumbling landscape and the untrustworthy buildings, you may eventually find a terminal. It is buried deep among the rubble. One turn around a corner, one stumble into a hole, and you will find it. It sits there, out in the middle of nowhere; the building in which it used to be housed is apparently long gone, reduced to nothing but rubble. And if you turn it on, there is a brief message. Transmission Broadcasting. Transmission Connected. And then, there is a face. BONUS [ ??? ] For those who have been wearing their masks a little too much, they might also start to notice that there are some strange effects attached, which worsen the more they’ve been wearing said masks. How badly they worsen is up to your discretion. ➝ Broken Mask: An intense feeling of paranoia, focused on whoever your character is with. They might also begin to remember fabricated memories of being betrayed by those people. ➝ Barcode Mask: Everything will begin to have value to them. There will be whispers in the back of their mind of the worth of their friends, the worth of a monster, the worth of everything around them. An intense need to own and consume as much as possible and as quickly as possible. ➝ Dripping Blood Mask: An intense lack of self-worth, a hollow feeling and thoughts of being weak and empty. Feeling as disposable as possible and an intense listless along with it. ➝ :( Mask: A need to prove yourself, to show everyone how strong you are as quickly as possible. You can do things, you can be of worth to everyone around you. Why won't they see that? Why? ➝ Ivy Mask: A choking sort of terror from all things metal and technology based, and a need to lash out against it. An intense distrust for anything that they feel is against the laws of nature. ➝ Grey Mask: More personable than normal, more emotional, more empathetic. An intense feeling of kindness and gratitude to those around you and a renewed love of life. ➝ Feather Mask: A dulled, lack of emotion. A detached feeling to everything around you. A sort of bland curiosity towards things without any empathetic reaction. ➝ Bloody Fingerprints Mask: They'll feel absolutely fine. No change. The effects of the broken mask can stack on top of the others, if they chose to break their mask after the other effects began to appear. No other effects can be stacked, as no other changes can be stacked. PENALTY [ ??? ] For characters who die while in the dark parts of the city, things will get... a little strange. They will die as normal, but they will wake up almost immediately after their death -- in the Nexus Code. They will have a few surreal moments to be there, to see their friends who have left Cerealia hanging lifelessly from odd, glimmering strands (though there are some faces, of course, that are missing, anyone who was spiritual, or magical, seems strangely absent) and then -- They’re back to being dead. When characters revive in Cerealia, anywhere from one IC day to three or four IC days later, they will find that things are… not quite right with their code. They’re glitching, for a lack of a better word. Sometimes, their fingers will phase right through an object, their own limbs registering as cold and lifeless. Sometimes, they will see a face watching them -- but when they turn around to try to see who it is, the face will be gone. These effects will last an IC week, before slowly things go back to normal. That was strange. [ 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. ]

//RUN.EXE

Welcome to Cerealia's February event! Please visit the OOC information here, and should you have any questions, feel free to ask them here! You can also check the FAQ for more general inquiries. This event will last from 2/13 to 2/20, or IC 5/22 to 5/26. Should this event log hit Captcha, there is an all-purpose overflow here. Thank you!

Comments

[coastal]

[ phase i : nobody ever said it was easy ]

[Lili wasn't here when Yona's dragons were - but there's no denying the fragments of them that are left at the altar. A long ribbon with strands of green hair, the broken pieces of a mask, the shreds of white cloth. Distantly, she recalls those who helped her back home and wonders if this is why they aren't present here now.

Her hands find her own face as the tears sting at her eyes, her legs weak and shaking before she falls to her knees, stunned and shaking.]

This is... too much...

[ phase ii : no one ever said it would be this hard ]

[It's painful to know that even now, she's useless. Yet as the screeching metal comes clamoring closer, she refuses to stay still. There's shame to be found in running because she doesn't care if it means that'll keep her alive.

When the creatures approaches, she's immediately taking the arm of the person next to her and pulling (apologies if you're injured) with a yell of -]

Move, are you an idiot?!

[ phase iii : take me back to the start ]

[note: akayona spoilers for 117

Everything about this place has been too familiar to Lili. It only seems fitting then that what they show her is the exact moments before she arrived in this place. The memories come flooding back, along with the feeling of pain shocking through her dry throat and the wounds she sustained. The final moments of the memories are of nothing but dirt, her faced pushed into the ground as the soldiers words attack her ears with the precision of arrows.

We'll take her to the execution grounds.

It nearly knocks her off her feet again, leaving her bracing against the nearest wall as if that'll put some distance between herself and the memory. Failing that, she might end up bumping into the closest possible person and clutching onto them with shaky hands before she catches herself, trying to pull away even as she looks up with wide, tearful eyes.]

I'm sorry, I didn't--

[She's not sure what she's apologizing for. Either way, she just knows that she wants to find the nearest exit.]

phase iii

[dawnsprincess]

[Yona hears Lili's voice long before she sees the other girl.]

Lili — Lili, where are you?!

[She runs towards the sound of her voice — and then crashes into her.]

Lili, are you all right?!

[coastal]

[Yona.

Lili looks at her - she really looks at her. There are the small details of difference. This Yona's ankle isn't hurt, she's not limping. This Yona's hair isn't quite so long. This Yona doesn't look at her with the right recognition and it makes Lili's heart hurt.

The lines of distinction exist and she needs to remember this, even though the ghost of what she just saw still haunts her.]

Fine. [The word comes out sharp, almost cutting. She's cornered like a frightened animal. She takes a step back, trying to find distance and balance and answers.] Don't - Stay there....!

iii;

[jinko]

[ It's just a matter of perspective, he tells himself.

The mirrored floor are his ghosts; the ghosts of himself, with dripping-wet hair in freezing concrete rooms, bare feet with bleeding toes, an orphanage director with his heels dug into Atsushi's ribs. It's a matter of perspective. These are things to learn from. These are things he can't let happen to anyone else.

It's just a matter of perspective.

He has people to protect, now.

People like Lili, people he made promises with— the girl he's just bumped into again, the girl whose own shadows are following her. He sees the words 'execution grounds' being mouthed by some soldier he doesn't care to know, dirt all over Lili's nice clothes, blood on her cheek.

He freezes, breath caught somewhere in the back of his throat. Is this what she had to run from? Is this what she thought her fate was? ]

Wait—

[ When she tries to pull away, Atsushi grabs at her wrist. He's terrified from all of this, but he's more afraid of letting Lili go. ]

—I won't let them hurt you...!

[coastal]

[It's overwhelming.

Right after she rewatches her own fate, she finds his - broken pieces of abuse and pain that stir up her anger. For a second, she suppresses her own disorientation and laser points on the images in front of her and commits the faces to memory. If this man who hurt Atsushi ever came in front of her—

Then there's Atsushi himself. His face, his voice, his hand on her wrist and the war of her emotions shows its toll as she instinctively pulls away.

She tries to twist her hand to instead catch his hand - but she doesn't deserve that comfort, not when he could get hurt because of her like Yona and that's unacceptable, that's too frightening.

It's what has her falling as she's trying to scramble away again, but her own legs end up giving up on her as she slips.]

No....!

iii!

[adornmental]

[That's the one unfortunate thing abut having an eye that's drawn instantly to any reflective surface - it means Kashuu catches the start of those replaying memories, and once they start, looking away is difficult. Shock overrides the reasonable understanding that these are all personal things, because Lili is just a few steps away, but she's also running through the forest, leaving someone behind, face pressed to the dirt--

So when she bumps into him, he actually makes a little "oof" sound of surprise, and it takes him a second to refocus from the nearest sliver of mirror to the teary eyes in front of him.]

—Lili?

[There's an "are you all right" in that tone, but also a "what was that?" Tension coils in him, and he reaches out somewhat reflexively to grab her shoulders - though he's mindful to be gentle, at least, in spite of his mild panic.]

phase i

[incendire]

[ This...is a little awkward for him to watch. Genos doesn't and didn't have any right to be witnessing what he was but he had told himself that he would watch over her and ensure that she would be fine for the duration of...whatever this was.

Metal arms and hands aren't comforting as soft human flesh, but Genos places a hand onto her shoulder. He's not good in these situations, but then again, not many people may be. ]

Should we go?

phase i

[beaconed]

[ Jaune sees the girl from afar and immediately recognizes the signs of a person who's having a really bad day. That, and he keeps coming at tsunderes like a moth to a flame. Wait, don't they die?? Whatever, Lili will see a 6 foot teen offering her a hand whenever she decides to look up. ]

Hey. [ It's said softly, not to startle the person, and yet he needs to take charge in times like this. ] We need to keep moving.

phase i

[newtimes]

( Lili will hear wet footsteps from behind and standing there is one (1) sword spirit, hand resting on the hilt of his sword and looking surprised to stumble onto Lili of all people down here. He'd figured a girl like her would run up towards the surface instead of down into danger. Mutsu himself would have gone up if the idea of finding his friends below hadn't convinced him to come down here. )

Lili? ( He asks very quietly. Is that her crying on the ground? He'll come over to place a hand on her shoulder, ) Hey, are ya hurt?

jumps on the iii train

[discard]

[it's stifling in here.

That's Leon's first thought, even as his boots crunch mirrors beneath their heels. Why should he be concerned with more bad luck? He doesn't believe in superstition anyway, and he's already had the worst luck possible--which is clear in the mirrors themselves.

He has nightmares about this.

So it isn't hard to ignore it, to ignore the image of him confronting Stahn with his sword held out, of him pulling the lift lever, of the water crashing in, of his final words and giving up--no, he's seen this plenty of times before.

This is nothing new. It changes when he sees different imagery, though it takes him a moment to recognize Lili with those injuries and that harried look. When he does, his eyes widen, and then he tenses--he doesn't like this, not at all, but more importantly, he has to avoid Lili before she sees his--

But of course, he can't be that lucky, even as he steps back hastily, away from those mirrors.]

phase ii - hard shmard

[sortileges]

[ He's slow to react for a number of reasons. His head is spinning from being so overused since they made it here, and now from this. At first he didn't even remember where he was, not with his eyes closing as he's busy being in two places at once, but thankfully Lili's yell brings him back to the attention of the creatures right ahead.

Apparently he didn't even notice until now. ]

...Possibly. [ If he missed something that huge, he must be getting tired. ] Though shouldn't you be asking yourself the same thing?

[ Um. ]

iii

[horsepoop]

[Namazuo's been carefully picking his way around up here, searching for familiar faces, and for anyone that might need help. This is one instance in which his slight build and light, quick steps come in handy--he's much better at hiding and dodging than some of his comrades might've been.

So he makes it to Lili unscathed, only for her to run right into him. She, it seems, didn't get away so easily.]

It's alright, don't worry. Are you hurt? [He asks gently, hands on her shoulders to steady her. He'd heard the voices, glimpsed the scenes in the mirrors, but the only thing on his face right now is concern for the Lili of the present.]

phase iii

[corona]

[ Naturally people would be drawn to this place. It's the only building within several decimated city blocks that looks sound enough even from a distance to support some kind of rescue effort. Rapunzel considers painting a "DO NOT ENTER" sign on the outside of the building, but then figures it won't have much of an effect. Nothing seems to in this place. No matter how many people are saved or cheered up, someone is always in pain...

Take Lili, for example. Rapunzel turns to look down at her friend with a face as blank as the glass behind her. Instead of a clear memory bouncing around between panes, her memories project as flashes of light and dark - shapes, emotions, intensity. It's unpleasant and nauseating. If she could see it herself, she might feel disoriented.

Then again, judging from how she reacts without a single word or touch to Lili's hands grabbing onto her, it's doubtful. For his part, Pascal rushes down from the top of her head to sit at her shoulder, gazing at Lili with wide, pleading eyes as if warning her away or apologising for something... ]

...Oh. You. Are you crying again?

phase iii!

[retorter]

[ His shoulders are fraught with tension. Souji doesn't know how these mirrors and pieces of glass are suddenly showing him things he doesn't need to see anymore, but he honestly doesn't care to know the reason. All he knows is that he doesn't like it, and it's probably CERES's fault, and he'd really like to kill something, but it's harder to lash out at memories than actual enemies. The moment he sees Lili he knows it's too late. He can clearly see her past that's playing out in front of him. A part of him whispers that if he doesn't move now, if he doesn't leave now, that it might very well be his turn. ]

[ Souji's body goes still when she clutches onto him, not moving even as she pulls away. ]

You really are clumsy.

[ Souji says without rancor, his gaze flicking back to Lili's secrets reflected in the glass then back to her. ]

You should calm down before you hurt yourself.

[ as if the situation doesn't warrant panic. Maybe if he pretends that it doesn't, then it won't. ]

phase iii

[covenantal]

[ Ah.

He doesn't stop her trying to pull away, though careful hands are at her elbows, steadying, just in case. He won't hold her, because he thinks she wouldn't want him to, though he's gentle with her nonetheless. His eyes are sorrowful. He's already been in here, you see. Even if he hadn't just seen some of that, he's been through this experience himself. ]

It's alright, Lili-san. There's nothing to apologize for.

phase iii!

[ukakus]

[Ah... It's this girl. The one from the carnival.

Touka blinks, not entirely sure how to react, before her expression softens. She shakes her head, slowly.]

... It's fine. Can you take a deep breath for me?

ii

[swordsitter]

[ haru is so very done with this entire experience. he's exhausted, his feet are cut up, and there's a massive bite on his shoulder that's making it hard to use that arm. and now there's this. for a few moments, he's still, glance flicking around him to try to find something he can use that isn't his clothing-- and then he's grabbed, stumbling as he's dragged behind.. a girl? ]

Ah, w-wait, I--! [ he finally gets his legs working, running after her, since it doesn't look like she's going to let go of his arm anytime soon. ] Do you have any extra fabric or anything?? [ he'd much rather have paper, but he doubts it would have survived after all this. and anyway, who goes to bed with paper at hand? ]

phase i

[imano]

[ It's that girl he met from a while ago. She has those pretty blue eyes and neat hair ribbons...

Oh, she's really upset. That's... different. This altar is full of all things that belonged to people and it's pretty distressing, like these are their remains... at least, it should be, right? He doesn't feel sad, and it's weird for sure. Like he's seen some things that look familiar for him too from others who were here. But he'd rather just leave them be and accept that something's wrong with this place, not dwell on it.

Matter at hand, sad blue princess. He taps her on the shoulder to get Lili's attention, holding a cloth in his hands. It's the kind some of the swords keep on them to keep their vessels clean. ]

Here. It's mine and unused, don't worry about it.

ii.

[meouch]

[ not injured, but there's something about having every one of your animal senses on overdrive and attempting to pick up on so many things that gets you oblivious to the obvious. maybe lili shouldn't grasp the arm of the boy clad in a sketchy cat outfit, but she does, and he jolts when she prompts him, suddenly aware of their predicament.

she tells him to move.

adrien could run, but he doesn't. he hasn't fought one of these before, and he's not aware that that's maybe not a good idea. but if it's just one, maybe he could handle it, and then it won't potentially hurt anyone else, or her. this wasn't an akuma but... superhero business, this was still superhero business. ]

Maybe a little— [ yeah. reassuring. at least his voice is steady, if not slightly worn, until he raises it a little when he doesn't in fact move, save to reach for the small silver baton down on his lower back and to shove her gently forward, away from the creature's direction. ] Like you said, move! I'll distract it and give you a headstart. Keep going, don't stop. I'll catch up with you!

phase iii

[echoistic]

[Rhy doesn't really have conventional people skills—the only brand of social capabilities he's developed are ones that he's left behind—and he can't see those tears in Lili's face, but even he can pick up on tones. And so, it's clear to him, in a way that his vision isn't, that she's upset.

Thankfully, for all of his bluster, he's not quite as bad as Talha who wouldn't know tact if it slapped him in the face; thus, when he speaks, his tone is gentle, serious. If something is genuinely wrong, then now is not the time for cheer.]

Hey... you okay?

[He can't see what's reflected in the mirror shards. Oh, if he focuses, he can tell vaguely that there's some sort of moving image. But without the details, it means nothing to him.]

II!!

[osuni]

[AH, DEJA VU.... Okuni is hauled back by Lili's opportune interference. Her bare feet are bleeding and scratched, but other than that she's not so injured that she can't take a hint. She takes a breath, and then snatches the hand that pulled on her arm... more deja vu apparently.]

There's a building up ahead we can hide in. We'll lose it that way.

[the monsters made of debris were tenacious and clearly didn't tire, but they were lacking other important senses like smelling and hearing... ANYWAY, Okuni will start off in a sprint, heading straight for a building that looks like it's not about to topple into the ground]

phase i

[fortheprincess]

[ He's been off to the side and perhaps a little too hidden in the shadows as he mulls over the loss of his friends on his own. Why--why are their remnants here? Hak's equally as upset as the girl sobbing over their mementos is, and though the anger may show on his face, his soldier instincts kick in and there's no time for grieving here.

As he looks on at the girl, he starts to remember just who she is. Her presence strikes a nerve within him but even he knows that now's not the time for pointless banter. Yona wouldn't like it if he just left her here, but he doesn't know what to say.

He'll be here if she has anything to say. He just wants to know where they are and why they've been cursed to this wretched place. ]

III's company too

[niceguypose]

[Rock Lee had just entered this room of mirrors seeking refuge, followig an arduous battle with the mechanical monsters. He looked weary, bruised and cut, but he still carried himself as energetically as he always had.

No, what drains his energy is what he sees in the mirrors, the horrible images of something happening to someone so dear to him. Tears were welling up in his eyes... and suddenly, that person had bumped right into him and clasped him even.]

...Lili-san? [As she tries to pull away, he still tries to hold her back, whimpering in concern.] Lili-san!!

II hi Dana Im facing captcha just for you

[zerotohiro]

[There's a sharp hiss as his ankle twists when she pulls but he rights himself quickly and picks up the pace and runs after her, glaring at the new stranger for a brief moment.]

Not even close! [But he's absolutely gauging that monster and holding a silver cylinder in his hand. This would be so much easier if he had Baymax with him but no. Thanks, Cerealia. That didn't happen this time.] Where do you think you're going anyway?

I (all your choices are good lkjrlarjf i'm sorry about the recaptcha)

[tsuranuki]

[ Dark and damp. Two things Saitou doesn't fear but dislikes, especially in this place. He choose to go down, though he's not sure why.

Maybe it's a good thing, because he comes across Lili and he speeds up his walk to get to her. One look at the altar, and one look at her, and he can partially understand the situation.

He doesn't say anything at first, but merely extends a hand. It's not good to linger in this place, but at least it seems like nothing is trying to attack them. Yet. ]