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« 004 ⇢ INTERLUDE004.EXE »
Who: These suckers and E R R O R
When: OOC: 5/29, IC: 7/15
Where: CERES Research Tower and Beyond
What: It seems an old friend has decided the situation is progressing too slowly.
Rating/Warning: PG-13: Violence, injuries and inevitable deaths.
▶ ACTION.EXE | IC: 7/15
▶ RUN.EXE | MOD NOTES
When: OOC: 5/29, IC: 7/15
Where: CERES Research Tower and Beyond
What: It seems an old friend has decided the situation is progressing too slowly.
Rating/Warning: PG-13: Violence, injuries and inevitable deaths.
▶ ACTION.EXE | IC: 7/15
For those unlucky saps who disappear today, ranging from early in the morning towards the middle of the afternoon, well...they can't be reached by CereVice.
Any attempt to do so will bounce back the message User Currently Occupied.
It's an odd message, and one that's never been used by the CereVice. How strange. It's probably nothing though, right? No contact can be established between groups or from groups to outside people in Cerealia, whether by technology or magic. You're cut off from everyone but those in your groups, now.
Otherwise, all abilities will remain intact.
As for the people who do disappear, well... things get a little hairy really quickly.
▶ RUN.EXE | MOD NOTES
This is the event log for these sign-ups! Your groups have been sorted below; here are a few handy links for you:Group 01 | OOC plotting
Group 02 | OOC plotting
Group 03 | OOC plotting
Group 04 | OOC plotting
Group 05 | OOC plotting
Group 06 | OOC plotting
Group 07 | OOC plotting
Group 08 | OOC plotting
Group 09 | OOC plotting
Group 10 | OOC plotting
Group 11 | OOC plotting
Group 12 | OOC plotting
Group 13 | OOC plotting
Group 14 | OOC plotting
There is no tagging order, so feel free to tag in whatever way works best for you as a group.
The characters should not ICly be gone longer than 5 hours -- if they survive, of course. There will be mod involvement in each of the threads.
If there are any questions, feel free to ask them here. Please try to avoid asking hypothetical questions (such as "What will happen if my character does [action]?") as that's part of the fun and risk of the interlude! You are welcome to plot with your groupmates in this post. Thank you!
▶ GROUP 9.EXE
. . . LOADING JIBRIL.$$$ . . . LOADING NEJI HYUGA.$$$ . . .
. . . LOADING STEVEN STONE.$$$ . . . START ESCAPE.EXE. . .
[ It starts with the ring of a doorbell.
Your doorbell rings, and you have to go answer the door, right? That's just polite, and Cerealian doors don't have peepholes (seriously, who thought that was a good idea), and besides, they'll keep ringing the door until you answer it.
There's a glimpse of a robotic face. And then you get a face-full of sleeping gas.
Regardless of your constitution, it'll knock you out cold, and when you wake up... you'll be in what sincerely looks like a dungeon. Creepy.
At least you're not alone, though which direction you came from is an absolute mystery. ]
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Of how exactly she had been knocked out. Not this place, just yet.
It did mean her face was one full of delight, the area around her being not as dank and dreary as the dungeon, thanks to whatever magical light seemed to radiate from her body.]
Wow! To think someone could create a chemical that would put down a Flugel....I need to get my hands on a sample and hmmm...test it out some more? If only I had been given more warning so I could properly catalogue my feelings on the matter....
[What a bad place to contemplate not on how or why she was here but the actual thing that worked on her.]
It doesn't look like it killed any of you so that must mean you can't overdose...if what was given to me was shared with the rest of you...
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Well, this is...promising.
[ As promising as anything that started with that robotic face and ended with him in an apparent dungeon could be. Which, truthfully, isn't very promising at all.
What's even more disconcerting is that he doesn't have any theories to fall back on for this one. He'd never seen a place like this in Cerealia before, and if the robots were involved - a group they knew largely nothing about - they could be just about anywhere. It didn't seem like a VIVID level, at least. He surveys their surroundings before glancing back at his companions. Mabel isn't anywhere to be found, and is that girl...glowing? He edges maaaaaybe just a step closer to Jibril. ]
Iiiii think we've got bigger things to worry about.
[ Where's Mabel? ]
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The boy took his turn in pointing out the obvious, and Neji isn't quite sure what more he can learn from looking over the rest of the unfortunates, so he's turned his white eyes to the dungeon surrounding them. Multiple levels, rusted chains, dim... lighting, making everything horridy difficult to see. A threshold straight ahead, and another before it, to what would be their right.
And of course, whatever's behind them. Him. If there was ever a time to mourn Byakugan... now wasn't it. Well-]
If anybody has any idea where we are, speak up now.
[And no, the Hyuga won't say it was suggestion. Because nobody was whining over a broken leg, were they?]
If not, let's move. We stay together. Say your name and [-rank. Rank would help. It also meant nothing in the company of strangers.] whatever skills you may posses that'll help us get back to the city.
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[ If there was one place Duo could've stood to have never woken up again? It was a dungeon of some sort. He lays there for a moment, despite everyone around chatting it up and getting friendly to just... look and see what he could see. If anyone was going to get taken out first for standing or talking it sure as shit was not going to be him. But .. once it became pretty clear that no one was going to get knocked off, considering all the chit chatting he sits up, testing to see if anything had been taken off of him when he'd been out. It didn't seem so, the lock pick was still in his hair, and he's keenly aware of the knife in his boot still ever-present. Well at least he wasn't totally and utterly at a loss for weapons - though he'll make a mental note to keep a gun on hand even when he's sitting in the apartment, if this is how this place is going to play games.
He does, however, snort as the dark haired man starts issuing orders, standing and brushing any dirt off of himself, tugging his hat down over his face. ]
Settle down, would you? Ain't a soul in here that knows where the hell we are or how we got here.. There might not even be a way back to the city.
[ But he's definitely scanning the walls and surroundings in the place, trying to figure out and running the stats he thinks he has with the information that they have. By-the-by, this is all looking pretty shit. ]
Unless someone's left with a map stickin' together might just mean following in a line to get massively lost.
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upon awakening, the first thing he does is feel at his belt, then his lapel. his poké balls and mega stickpin are all present, which means that whatever comes at them, he'll have some sort of a fighting chance. at least there's that much.
he recognizes a couple of faces out of the small crowd he's been assembled with, but now isn't the time to get friendly. they can do that if they have a moment of respite, but now is the time to keep senses sharp.
to duo: ] Let's not jump to pessimistic conclusions. We'll get a hold of our bearings, and then discuss options when we can ensure our safety.
[ he steps to the front of the group, a poké ball in each hand. ]
Cradily, Carbink. Flash, please.
[ two creatures emerge from their capsule confines with a flash of energy. the small, floating rock emits a strong light from the crystal on its head, while the sea lily does the same from the two glowing orbs in the crevice on its head. it lights up the area enough to make their surroundings far clearer, without much worry of something coming from the shadows to sneak attack. ]
We'll keep the way lit. Shall we move forward?
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They're not friendly.
And they're about 5 feet in size, and they come in droves. Immediately, eyes burning from the change in lighting in their usually peaceful home, they'll be shrieking and dive-bombing whoever's closest to them, but especially Carbink and Cradily for causing the disturbance.
To make matters worse, the disturbance and light together make it clear that the floor they're standing on is very much not stable, though it's not crumbling yet. ]
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but despite the new threat, neither steven nor his partners will falter. ]
Cradily, Solar Beam! Carbink, Power Gem!
[ with the light from flash giving solar beam no need for a charge, the attacks come from either side of the group to keep them together. the monsters will be attacked as they dive bomb, without any moment to rest.
while they keep the horrible shrieking hellbats at bay, steven will bring out one more pokemon. ]
Metagross, standby with Protect!
[ the steel behemoth comes out its own ball, able to float above the ground with its magnetism and avoid collapsing the ground - once it's out, it will project an energy shield that can keep at bay any of the monsters that avoid carbink and cradily's attacks. steven has noticed the fragility of the ground with the better lighting, but with metagross here, it can keep them from falling with its telekinesis if it does give way.
now he'll turn to his newfound traveling companions, expression hardened. ]
Can any of you can fight?
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But even that lingering, questioning gaze is short-lived (Steven can control those creatures, can't he?). The flood of light brings forth a new deluge--
and it's instinct and training that has the ninja springing to the front, nearly beside the Pokemon, to fend off the swarm of monsters. The sharp step makes him note something under his foot cracked.
Fuck.
But anyway-] Hakke Kūshō! [It only takes an instant to focus and channel the chakra into the attack, the swift palm thrust forward that sweeps a heavy handful of bats back. So great, he does hope that answers the question of whether or not he can fight and why the hell had anyone thought he'd wanted to get this information out of these strangers earlier?] I'm a short-range fighter. [Another wave of hellbats advance, and Neji doesn't do anything but stand his ground with the soldier's resolve and equally steely look but
a drove of beasts was nothing to scoff at.
Certainly nothing to stay put and stupidly think to keep indefinitely at bay.]
If they're not attacking from behind us, then move there.
[Thank you, team, for making him feel the need to direct you to the obvious.]
The ground is going to give.
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He takes a second to assess, but only a second. Everything around him is happening so fast, a second is all he has between the creatures swooping down, Steven calling out what he thinks are Pokemon (Silver had used balls like those), and the ground splintering beneath them. A sickening, all-too-familiar feeling claws at his chest at the uncertain sensation under his feet, but he pushes it down, because he has to.
He could fight, but not monsters like these. He doesn't have the brute strength for it. His advantage in this scenario was knowing when not to fight, and strategize instead. ]
We need to cut them off. [ There are hordes of these things, and even if there were people in their group strong enough to fight them off, then what? The whole place looks unstable - it's only a matter of time until something collapses or caves in. They might as well have control of it.
A quick glance backwards as he pulls a flashlight out of his vest pocket: ] There's a hallway behind us. If we make for that, we can collapse the doorway and keep them from getting through.
[ And they better get moving before the ground gives out. Even if the team has some tricks up their sleeves to protect them from the fall, who knows if they'll find something worse than hellbats down there? ]
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Shit - Are you kidding me!? [ Of course this was his life, wasn't it? One minute he's in a dungeon, next thing he knows there's hell bats all around and trying to swipe at them, though thankfully they're trying to attack the Pokemon and not really at him, for the moment, though he intentionally keeps a low profile. Either way - he's making for what looks like steadier ground, away from the chaos of what's going on at the moment. Usually he'd be down for a hand on hand fight, but not with bat creatures with wings.
That was a suicide. ]
Get off that floor if you like being alive! [ As if no one hadn't noticed that yet, but just in case - Duo's pacing around the outer edge of the room, trying to stick to the shadows and, therefore, out of the beasts' hit list, so to speak. He does catch Steven's comment, though, and gives a little approving nod. ] Or at least keep 'em at bay for a little while.
Let's see what we can do with that doorway, huh? Though hell knows what'll be beyond this place, considering what's going on already. But if the walls are built like this floor.. I'm pretty sure we could get things moving with hands and tools if need be.
[ Someone's already reaching in to his braid for what he can get, muttering under his breath. ]
What I wouldn't do for a stick of dynamite right now.. or my Gundam..
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Metagross won't be able to hold the ground beneath them together and keep all of the ceiling off of them, and the chunks of rock that start to fall are large enough to kill with the force they're falling with.
On the plus side, they're large enough to kill the bat-like creatures as well, and they shriek as their main priority becomes getting away before they're crushed. At the very edge of the room, Duo's probably safe from the largest amount of the collapse, but everyone else is very much in danger. ]
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[Jibril honestly wasn't taking part in much of the fighting, though that didn't stop her from smacking aside whatever got too near.
But that didn't mean her mind wasn't running at peak right now and couldn't see the danger. No, she could also see who was most vulnerable at the moment in terms of who could do what too. And since Dipper was closest, that made things easier.
Jibril reached out and grabbed Dipper's arm. Through the lovely miracle of magic, she could have him fly along with her, which is exactly what they did. Toward the doorway nearly everyone has pointed out.
But with the maneuvers she had to pull to dodge both rocks and beast, hopefully her current partner didn't get sick.]
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Carbink, bring a Light Screen and Reflect above us!
[ the small creature obeys, the crystal on its head glowing once again to project two large walls of energy above them that stops the rocks as they fall. however, with each smash of force, the barriers begin to visibly crack. ]
Those barriers won't last long. Through that doorway, everyone!
[ of course, metagross and carbink will move steven and neji, but will move duo as well if needed. jibril has dipper, meaning that they're all (hopefully) accounted for... ]
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Then they're off, and Dipper can't keep back a quick "whoa!" as they ascend into the air. The barriers are cracking - they don't have a lot of time. Even as Jibril flies them through the doorway, their accidental cave-in is making quick work of their enemies, but it's close to making quick work of the rest of the team, too.
So much for a controlled collapse, but hey, as long as they got through safely, that's all that matters, right?
As long as the only way out wasn't through that room, anyway. ]
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They all bundle their way into the hallway, which is pretty cramped with all of them in there + metagross, and the ceiling's going to collapse entirely, leaving that way out entirely inaccessible to them.
There's only one way to go now, which is forward.
Thankfully, the tunnel doesn't last long before it starts gradually sloping downwards, though the temperature will drop starkly as well, until they come out into a large, cold cavern (which is dark again, of course). ]
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while it would be ideal to keep metagross out for defense purposes, retreating it to its ball seems like the best course of action at the moment. he'll still be keeping carbink out, who illuminates the tunnel with the gentle, blueish glow of its body crystals. it's not the best lighting, but less invasive than another flash. ]
Thank you, Metagross. You did well.
[ unfortunately, now things seem to be getting colder. fire-types are by no means his specialty, which means that in the keeping warm department, he won't be much help. his attention turns to his dungeon-mates as he lets out a deep breath. first thing's first: ]
Are we all in one piece?
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There isn't much more to say that hasn't already been said, and asking questions was useless. If anything, their previous little problem had greatly reduced their options and for now going forward was the consensus (versus staying put like idiots, but y'know). It had also given Neji a rudimentary understanding of his group's skillset-- which wasn't the big thing to focus on but again.
He's pretty sure nobody was whining over a broken leg.
Neji had taken a position in the rear of the group. With everyone's eyes ahead, he figured he'd be of some use to keep alert to what may come at them from the sides. And anyway, he did want to keep an eye on his teammate's statuses. So.] I believe so.
If anyone detects a draft, that might clue us in to where we need to go. Otherwise- [obviously-] stay alert and keep moving. [Try not to bring the ceiling down this time??] We're at least well-armed.
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I think we're all here.. [ Duo makes a quick look around, and then nods his own silent affirmation that everyone seems to be there. At least he hadn't noticed any faces missing. But then again.. what does he know? It isn't like he's got the usual team of guys around him. He's grateful for the gentle glow of the other pokémon, and well, it's a lot better than the brutal amount of light from the Flash attack. Duo's found a small flashlight in one of his pockets, upon inspection, but figures that if there's light he might as well save the batteries. ]
[ Duo nods to Neji's recommendations, but then - ] And considering the floors earlier, keep an eye out for where you're steppin', too. If anyone gets a spike through their foot or takes a body shot from an arrow we're pretty well screwed for options, down here. [ It sounds like an episode of Indiana Jones, but, considering what had happened so far? He's just hoping a boulder doesn't start rolling after them. ]
Going down is not a good sign.. [ The long haired boy mutters as he notices the slant downward, the temp dropping. That might slow down reactions in people, if they got too cold, and he adds another little tick to the line of 'things that may count against them' box for this dungeon adventure. ]
Just keep the light low from now on, yeah? I don't need any more pissed off bats comin' around to try and cut my from stem to stern, and I don't think anyone else does, either. [ But Duo, for one, is going to stick close to the outside walls just in case. ]
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[After making sure her temporary charge was landed and on the ground okay, Jibril's finger lights up and she writes a giant X in the air. Mostly to indicate that the area behind them wasn't a place to go.]
That might help anyone else who may come this way. Fellow learners and explorers should assist each other.
And if anyone else needs assistance, you're more than welcome to beg or scream for my help!
[Yes, she can be a sadist even in this kind of situation, not really phased too much by watching the floor in front of her. Mostly because she prefers to float herself around either way.]
▶ CHECKPOINT ONE.SAV
. . . CONTINUING ESCAPE.EXE. . .
[ They continue down, and the temperature continues to drop; they're probably a great distance underground now, and in time they'll be able to see their breaths in the air.
But there aren't any more traps in the tunnel, and when they come out of it, they'll be in a room that is slightly lit by torches, almost too simple compared to the typical technology of CERES.
And in the middle of the sweeping room, there are caskets, lined up in neat rows. ]
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mostly, he thinks it's a good idea to keep his mouth closed and breath steady. Being a shinobi didn't mean he was invulnerable-- the trek itself was already all sorts of miserable (not that he'll dare to ever show it). The biting cold didn't help. Even if he's always been one to dress in longsleeves, it's clear by now they'd need to find some source of warmth soon. So when the room they came to was lit by torches, it was almost too convenient.
Neji wanted to bark out an order for everybody to grab one but. His eyes were drawn to the caskets and the chill in his blood is irrelevant to the actual temperature of their surroundings, it-- caskets. Alright.
This world toyed with the dead; he knew that. Did his companions?]
Stay on guard. Get a torch if you can reach one, then we can all have a source of light. See if you can find an exit against the walls.
[And, to both Steven and Jibril, but so anyone can hear:] Any way to know what's inside the boxes? [Without pushing a dead man to open them?]
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[That is to say, Jibril didn't really plan on ruining any ancient tombs by being hasty about things. Though she realized they didn't have the months and years needed to properly dig things out, that didn't mean they couldn't mark a path and return later.
Of course, she had no experience in the world of the undead, one of the few things she lacked experience in. Which meant that it never occurred to her that there could be danger there either.
Still, she was curious....oh so curious.]
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And now they're in a cavern lined with caskets.
A shudder runs up his spine as he takes a step towards the caskets. He didn't want to be reckless, but it's hardly the first time he's suggested the questionable option. ]
We need to open them. Did any of you visit the caverns under the old colony?
[ Anyone who was there might realize where he's going with this line of thought.
As he waits for an answer, he listens keenly for a moment for any sounds of water. ]
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Dude, do not touch the damn caskets. [ If there was one thing in Duo's life that he was definitely above, it was opening graves and caskets. He'd done a lot in his life, even by seventeen, but that was where he drew the line on that one. It doesn't help that he's cold and amongst a group of people that he's very unsure of, on top of all of this, and he pulls his sleeves down a little bit further, pacing around to try and find an exit already.
Basically, Duo summed up, right about now? NOPE. ]
Let's find a door, say some last rights or some shit, and go. I know Catholic last rights, we can cover our bases, and head out to where ever is next. I'm not gettin' pegged with opening up someone's casket. [ Maybe being in a Catholic orphanage had taught him something. ]
Especially with those bat things back there, this whole thing? Looks a lot like a way to get your face eaten before you've got a second to register you made a mistake.
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