It’s been a few days in the jungle now and hopefully you haven’t managed to die just yet – after all, the fun’s just begun.
On the seventh day of trekking the wilderness, each character who has Air in their heart will suddenly find themselves pausing in the middle of the day. Suddenly they’re able to feel the patterns of the wind in the air. A chill passes through them as a breeze will kick up.
Then without warning, they’re lifted right off the ground and cast up into the sky. At least they don’t have time to be scared as they suddenly lose consciousness after floating for a few seconds.
Don’t worry. It’ll get better. When they wake up, they hear the following message in a wispy way, carried along by the breeze itself –
 It is not the correct time to be sleeping. You must awaken.
There is something that needs to be done.
You need to be the one to do it.
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PHASE I [ day one ] Anyone here with a fear of heights? Yes? Well, that’s too bad. When air characters awaken, they’ll find themselves cast right into the mountains of Tellus. It’s rocky, the path is minimal at best and non-existent at worse, and there are screeches of something dangerous and angry calling in the distance.
Caeli demonstrates his poor sense of direction once again as characters wake up and find themselves on a mountainous ledge. There is no apparent path -– except for across a dangerous ravine that dips down to the base of the mountain. There is no end in sight when one looks down, instead only pure black depths.
The cloud waits on the other side, floating patiently. Caeli gives one instruction: “Jump.”
But try not to fall in, that would be a sad start to the trip. Thankfully, the distance across isn't really too far, and Caeli might give those who can't quite make the jump a little boost -- but you still have to be brave enough to make the jump or be left behind.
PHASE II [ day one ] Well, one way or another, you seemed to have made it. From there, it’s just one long hike where you’re stuck following a cloud that simply doesn’t feel like responding to your calls for attention. The hours drag on and the sun sets across the horizon as you are left climbing this mountain, no end in sight.
But as you climb higher and higher, the temperature drops. The hour grows later and slowly but surely, white flecks begin to fall from the sky. Cold? Hopefully you were dressed appropriately seeing as now the thick layers of snow are building and building and building – making it harder to climb as the movement now requires trudging through three to four feet of snow.
Did you want to take a break? Have fun catching hypothermia if you do!
There's definitely not much in the way of shelter, but you can try to make something out of the scant trees remaining, or create a fire. Either way, you definitely don't want to be left behind, so don't lose sight of everyone else.
PHASE III [ day two ] Whether you felt like standing guard or were fast asleep, a piercing screech will act in the place of an alarm clock.
All too soon, a flight of winged creatures will descend upon the mountain travelers, looking none too friendly. Caeli descends to offer helpfully, “Griffins. They were once mine.” To which, the beasts merely emit another piercing screech before baring their claws and moving to attack the party. They are fearsome creatures and will not fall until they are killed, consistently trying to get back on their feet even when injured.
If no one manages to lose an eye and the griffins are subdued, characters will find upon their fallen bodies that they have areas where tufts of fur are missing, leaving a clean injection spot. There are small machine implants at the back of their necks, beeping ominously. Each is branded with a different number identification. Caeli is nowhere to be found.
PHASE IV [ day three ] The summit of the mountain is typically considered the most beautiful place. For those who are seeking solace, the peak of this adventure is safely above the clouds and the sun is slowly rising in the distance. Acting as a moment of peace, it is truly beautiful.
For those who do not rest so easy, there is more to be found near the top of the mountain. One run-down shack can be found, plated with steel and amenities found inside such as blankets and coats to fight off the snow.
More worryingly, there is an operating table in the middle of the room. A white cloth drapes over it, stained with red and operating instruments resting on the edges, the gleaming metal darkened with old blood. The same tufts of feathers and fur that could be found on the griffons are scattered on the floor, claw marks digging deep into the metal of the walls.
Be careful not to touch anything. If a character comes into contact with some of the blood that stains the table or the instruments, they will immediately begin to feel hints of aggression. There will be an intense need to pick fights with those around them and the feeling will not disappear until they are knocked out (or killed, but who would want that?).
Welcome to your new home.
[ 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. ] |
Welcome to Cerealia's October 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 for the month of October, or IC 3/15 to 3/30. This log will last from 10/15 to 10/22 or IC 3/22 to 3/26. Should this event log hit Captcha, there is an all-purpose overflow here.
There are 60 characters with the element of air.
Thank you! |
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no subject
What an idiot, this kid. He, Hyoubu, hadn't been able to save his own comrades, either. And yet... a little voice inside him points out: since that time, he never lost another like that. He had become strong, and he kept all his children safe.
...
All but Ket.
Somehow his arms are around Ket now, holding him close against the cold, against the memory of fire, against everything. ]
She's fine. You saved her. It's the truth.
[ Fortunately the griffins are holding off on attacking, because the protagonists are having A Moment. ]
1/2
Except Ket can't heal. Len's tried to teach him, but in the end he can only run. Flee. He can't even Shift others, let alone fix wounds. Ardeo's warmth, the only power he'd ever been able to share, is now gone. He couldn't possibly have saved Ene.
And he remembers now. He remembers passing out in the sky. Only the distant memories disappear, and that one's far from distant. Hyoubu must have saved him. Healed him. Ket's never seen Hyoubu heal, but he doesn't doubt that he can. As for Ene... it must have been too late for her.
That's what Hyoubu's upset about. Ket was weak, and Hyoubu's angry at him for it. Disappointed. By the looks of things, he's been out for a while; Hyou-Kyou must have been taking care of him this whole time, because he's that kind of person. Even now, he's lying for Ket's sake.
That hurts almost as much as Ene's death. Ket leans into the hug, fighting the urge to cling. ]
... Thanks, Hyou-Kyou. I needed to hear that.
[ Ket's a terrible liar. He is clinging, and there's a definite sob in his whisper as his fists clench on fabric. But he has to pretend, because that's what Hyou-Kyou does.
You're kind, Hyou-Kyou. The world needs more people like you. ]
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Be right back, Hyou-Kyou! Goldfish is drowning, gotta check on it! [ Reiterating: Ket's a terrible liar. He'll start to fly away, intent on searching for Ene. She must have revived by now. ]
1/2
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Oi! That's my jacket! Where do you think you're going?
[ He punctuates that last sentence with a snowball aimed at the back of Ket's head. Intuitively he knows that in order to disabuse Ket of his current beliefs, he needs to come clean about a number of things. The truth will hurt Ket much less, in the long run.
He reaches for Ket, attempting to send this telepathic message:
I'm not, it doesn't, and Ene-chan didn't die, you mush-brained moron! You did!
With the message comes an image: his memory of Ene holding Ket's burnt corpse, tears streaming down her cheeks. ]
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It doesn't register at first that Hyoubu's talking in his head. ]
You don't have to – [ And then the memory hits and he lurches to a halt, whipping an arm forward to reach for Ene. He can't touch her, of course. He can't touch the corpse, either. His corpse.
With that understanding comes relief.
Ene's holding herself up, devastated but alert, a stark contrast to limp, barely conscious state from before. Hyou-Kyou really did heal her. Ene didn't die. It's the truth. ]
Hyou-Kyou! [ Ket whirls round, shouting over the screeching griffins. (Whom he's still bisecting, barely looking at them. Sorry, friends.) ]
You saved her. You saved her, you... [ You're amazing. And also a mind reader, but that's not important right now. Ket barrels into the younger (older??) boy, flinging his arms around him in an attempted hug. ]
Where is she? Is she safe? [ He didn't see her. He can't see anyone else, actually... did they die in the fire, too? ]
What about the others? Minato, Kaz... [ No, they wouldn't have been caught. Even if they had, Hyoubu would have saved them. But really... really, the ones in danger would have been the rest. ]
Everyone. Everyone else. What about the people without powers?? [ Ket had intended to go back. After getting Ene help, Ket had intended to save everyone else. ]
no subject
Worry about yourself!
[ He leaves the telepathic connection open, so Ket can feel the depths of his disgust and frustration. ]
She was like that when I got there. Liar-kun must have done something. He's fine, Kaz-kun is fine, everyone's fine.
[ A beat. He shuts down the connection just then. ]
There were two other casualties besides you, that I know of. Some Normal; and a man who was partially responsible for what happened.
[ He....... quietly doesn't point out that in a fit of rage he very nearly caused a fourth casualty. Shh. ]
no subject
Ket's not imagining this. Hyou-Kyou feels different, anyway. Like a... a worried parent. Not unlike Yossen, actually. Except Yossen's middle aged, but Hyoubu can't be older than what, sixteen? Seventeen? ]
I'm fine, though... [ 'Liar-kun'. Minato can heal. That thought makes him happy, and because Ket has no idea how this works, he attempts to push his joy and relief and gratitude through the connection. See, Hyou-Kyou? Nothing to worry about.
And then the connection's gone. Ket blinks, a little disorientated at the loss, but continues shoving ~happy feelings~ into the air. The feelings peter off as Ket listens, dismayed – until his head snaps up and he Shifts away, again, beaming hope into the sky. ]
Then... then we have to find them! [ He beckons, eyes determined. If Ket respawned, then those two must have too. "Partially responsible" totally means "accident", right? ] Come on, Hyou-Kyou! [ Or he'll fly off with your jacket again. ]
no subject
[ He's not lying. Today is Round #2 of looking for the Queen and the Empress. ]
However, if you take off like that, in a mad frenzy, you'll expend all your energy without accomplishing anything. And you'll run out of energy right away if you don't eat. Besides...
[ He slides his hands into his pockets and glances down at the... carnage. ]
There's nothing quite like having mythical creature for breakfast.
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So, uh... what are those things? They're not dogs. Or dragons. [ "Mythical creature" could mean anything. Lore isn't exactly abundant in Stybon, and movies can only tell him so much. ]
... Weren't we supposed to be in the jungle? What happened to Caeli and Ardeo and the other, uh, elementals?
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[ He glides down to the mountainside, landing next to one of the bisected beasts, its innards steaming into the brisk morning air. ]
Those are all good questions. Get to work skinning that, and I'll explain.
[ With his hands still in his pockets, he starts gathering sticks via esp. A pile begins to accumulate in the snow in front of him. ]
We got here the same way we appeared in the jungle: abruptly and without warning. Everyone actually lost consciousness for a little while.
Caeli is around, somewhere. He's been coming and going. As for the other "elementals," I haven't seen them. But I suspect that's the clue to where everyone else is.
no subject
So how many are here? With Caeli?
[ Ket lands beside Hyoubu, peering at the griffin. He doesn't have a knife – or anything really, except for his scorched pants and Hyoubu's jacket – and any sharp objects around here are mostly buried by the snow.
So he cheats, Shift-teleporting the meat, chunk by chunk, out of the creature's skin. Most of the meat lands neatly next to the carcass, but some of it, uh... well, Hyoubu might want to dodge, because there's a slab of bloodied offal about to land on his head. ]
no subject
[ He dodged most of it; he would have dodged it all, except his first impulse had been to fling it back at Ket, which was a fine plan, except Ket is wearing his jacket. ]
Look, instead of teleporting the meat from the skin, do the reverse.
[ He grabs a snowball and rubs it on his hair. The blood comes off pretty easily: snow is abrasive and useful that way. Then he goes back to accumulating his pile of sticks. When he's done, he sets it on fire. ]
no subject
Still ridiculous to watch. ]
S-sure... I, I'll do that! [ COUGH. Just give him a second as he tries not to laugh. Keyword: tries. ]
1/2
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[ telekinetic snowballs incoming! ]
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I-I'm not laughing! Just expressing amusement! [ He's totally laughing. And totally returning the telekinetic snowball favor.
Sometimes he feels like a parent, sometimes like a little brother... Make your mind up, Hyou-Kyou. ]
no subject
[ HE HEARD THAT
Right, he's teleporting the actual snowballs now, at multiple different targets, based on where he thinks Ket will shift to next.
And...
he is...
enjoying himself. A lot, actually. This is a good day. ]