« 007 ⇢ event007.exe »

[reparator]

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!

Comments

[dielectrics]

You mean the game, or how everything kind of died and we're the last remnants of what's left of our worlds?

[ Go big or go home, right? Right. He says it with genuine curiosity, though; from the people he's met, either one is a valid option. ]

[preserver]

That's not true!

[His response is immediate and sharp, a determined scowl present on his face.]

I don't believe it and neither should you.

[dielectrics]

Well, it's not like they can prove it yet, I guess.

[ And if it does turn out to be true, well... He's not nearly as calm about it as he appears, but it's not like he's going to lose his cool when he doesn't even know what the situation is yet. ]

It's hard to believe they'd go to this much trouble if it isn't true, though.

[preserver]

[He's quiet as he thinks it over, the frown still there.]

It could be that they're hiding something. I don't know or understand much in this place, but there's no way it's true.

[dielectrics]

There's easier ways to hide something. Even if they're just using us, aren't there more believable cover stories?

[ Case in point: just how hard it is for them to accept that this might be true. If you've got people doubting it from the start, it doesn't seem like a very effective subterfuge. ]

[preserver]

[Shakes his head. Sorry, bro, but he's just going to stubbornly go on thinking it's a lie.]

They can say what they want, but I... I definitely can't accept it to be true. I have too many people I care about to let myself think they're all gone.

[dielectrics]

[ Well, it's not like Killua doesn't understand the appeal of being in denial about everyone he knows effectively being dead. He's not gonna judge, even if he does think it's kind of counterproductive. Besides, he can't entirely dismiss the possibility himself. ]

If they're not gone, then what do they want from us?

[ What is there to gain by having them think their worlds are dead? To get them to cooperate, he assumes, but for what? ]

[preserver]

[He doesn't have an answer to that. He doesn't even have a good guess.

After a few seconds of silence on his end, he opts for a change in subject.]

... Anyway, we should get out of here.

[dielectrics]

[ Killua's willing enough to let the subject change; he looks around, taking in the glitching walls, the textures that don't seem to fit the room, the way the floor almost seems to be curving up toward the ceiling in some parts. ]

Sure. How do you think we do that?

[ The door they'd come in through... has yet to make a reappearance. ]

[preserver]

Maybe there's a way out once we leave the building.

[It's not like certain doom awaits them outside in the form of a pixelated ghost.]

We... won, after all. [Whatever that means.] It's probably over now.

[dielectrics]

This was the lamest boss fight ever.

[ He scowls. They didn't even get loot from it! But there's nothing better to do than go see what's outside now, so he goes to examine the walls of the room.

There's one section that's particularly glitchy. He shrugs, jams his hand into it, and pulls. The wall peels apart like skin coming off an orange. Tada, access back to the hallway! ]

Let's go, then. What's your name, anyway?

[preserver]

[wHAT THE FRICK ARE YOU DOING jamming your hand into something like that...

Well, uh, at least it worked?? But how bold, kid-kun...]

Ah, I'm Kumou Soramaru.

[dielectrics]

[ Hey, if it works, it works, and who cares about the possible debilitating pain that comes with it? That's totally Killua's philosophy. ]

I'm Killua Zoldyck. Try to keep up, okay?