PHASE I [ 9 00 ] The peace of the morning in the Residential District shatters just as the wall caves through. It’s a small segment of wall -- no more than five feet across at most. And yet the crash and groan of the metal being stretched is ominously accompanied by the distinct piercing screech of metal and another sound. A raucous noise, a combination of ungodly wailing and sharp, victorious laughter spills forth from the hole left in the wall as a myriad of ghosts and spirits erupt from the newly created exit. Characters with any type of spiritual sense will find themselves nearly overwhelmed by the amount of negative ghostly energy that suddenly floods Cerealia and characters with no sense of preservation will find any attempt to enter the hole blocked by the fiercest of ghosts, met with deadly force if they try to pass, as the ghosts won’t hesitate to do things such as reach straight into your body to try to stop your heart.
These ghosts are out for blood, and they don’t seem to stop no matter how you try to talk to them -- they just hiss out, over and over again, “Murderersmurderersmurderers.”
From there, the ghosts move on. Their true target, after all, is CERES… but to them, there’s no difference between the character players and CERES. They’ll go for whoever gets in their way, phasing through walls and becoming tangible long enough to reach for characters before fading away again. Characters with special abilities will find themselves in a similar state. Their abilities may increase and decrease in power sporadically, or be completely gone. They may attempt to cast a spell only to find that the wrong spell is cast instead, or an attempt at healing may end up a more dangerous spell. Be careful with your own magical skills!
Those with items or powers specifically intended to ward off spirits will still fulfill their intended purposes when used – unless malicious spiritual energy gets to them first.
PHASE II [ 1400 ] It seems the ghosts have more tricks up their sleeves. It seems that a not-so-friendly ghost has decided to play a game with you. It doesn't matter where you are, or what you're doing, because a moment later a voice calls out -- Hey. Can you see me? -- and once you turn your head, you’ll come face to face with a surprise.
Who is it in this world (or your world, or any world) that you have managed to disappoint the most? A family member? A friend? Yourself? They face you now, eyes full of sadness, and they say, “I need you to do something for me.” Without another word, they’ll turn away and begin to walk. Your vision grows foggy, focused solely on the need to do whatever this person wants – they need you, after all. Your legs move to follow them, unless you manage to somehow resist.
But you apparently don’t seem to notice that you’re the only one who can see this person – or that they’re leading you stray toward that monorail track with the sound of the train coming closer, or that busy intersection, or right off the sky bridge.
PHASE III [ 600 ] Other ghosts don’t feel like borrowing faces in order to inflict damage. No, they’ll inflict their damage on a far more personal level. They manifest suddenly and without warning – then all it takes is a simple touch. A ghostly hand reaches out to you and it feels like the cold wraps around your heart, and your vision skews, and then... they leave just as suddenly as they came.
Those who have been around for awhile may very well recognize the ghosts, at that.
But the damage has already been done. Depending on a character’s assigned sense, they will feel one of the following changes:
Sight: Hopefully you aren’t in the habit of bending the truth. Dead men tell no tales, they say. But what happens to a living person unable to tell lies? Any attempt at telling any lie or falsehood will cause the character to feel as though their throat has closed off, and they can do nothing more than choke.
Smell: The cold passes, but in some way that it never really leaves. And then everything seems perfectly normal. Nothing has changed, right? You're fine -- except that in a short period of time with how crazy things are, it becomes apparent that you're unable to feel pain. The damage to your body is the same as ever, but dangerously, you can't feel a thing.
Taste: It would appear as though the ghosts have a sense of humor. From those who rest in eternal slumber, try a few days of being unable to sleep. Everything seems fine at first... but slowly but surely, that lack of sleep will start to take its toll.
Hearing: Most others would feel relief once the ghosts left, finally a moment of peace. But you? You don’t feel anything – nothing kind, anyway. Rather, you have been left unable to feel joy. Everything seems either bleak or as though it simply has no emotional impact at all.
Touch: How many deaths have been caused in the name of heroics? Apparently in an attempt to keep future casualties down (or perhaps for their own laughter), the ghosts have left you unable to be brave. Suddenly, a situation you'd face fearlessly is one that has sent you running, panic sharp in your chest.
These effects will last throughout the event, if a character is caught by them.
PHASE IV [ 1000 ] While chaos erupts throughout the city, some of the more misguided ghosts (but still bloodthirsty, so very bloodthirsty) just happened to run into the wrong part of town and don’t know how to give a proper scaring. One ghost seems to think that it was a great idea to possess a masseusebot from the Spa. You’re grabbed suddenly! You fight for your life but can’t seem to get yourself out of its metal grip! With expert precision that only a robot can mange, it finds your pressure points – and releases all that tension from this Incredibly Bad Day. The ghost inside the robot is confused, distressed -- why is this human suddenly so relaxed? It only wants to murder. But the only illegal thing happening here is how good this massage makes you feel.
Maybe later you’ll walk down the street and get stopped by the ghost that possessed a balloon dispenser. Perhaps a ghost has possessed the friendly McCERES mascot, and is now handing out coupons with murderous intent. And of course, there are always the hug bots...
Look, they tried really hard, okay.
Of course... they might end up possessing technology a little closer to home as well, at which point it's not so funny.
BONUS [ xxxx ] Hopefully you have friends who have ghost-fighting skills. Or ghost-taming skills. Or ghost-bellydancing skills, who knows, we won't judge them if you don't. But what of those poor people who come from worlds where the supernatural is some weird television show?
Worry not, poor souls, for CERES is here to provide! Some time after the ruckus begins, characters will find what looks to be a hand-held vacuum cleaner situated innocuously in their rooms (only one per person, you greedy gus). The logo on the side will helpfully inform you that this is of CERES make, because the paper pamphlet beside your new device? Well, it's more like a picture book. Observe Stick-Man Sully as he uses his vacuum cleaner to capture ghosts! Learn from his stellar example! Do not stick the hose in your mouth or attempt to give the vacuum CPR, there's a big X over that picture. Also of the one where Stick-Man Sully sets his captive ghosts free once more, we don't want that, do we?
Your new ghost vacuum should prove effective against any ghastly ghoul that shoots your way, but beware! Should you capture a ghost and not turn in your vacuum to CERES for weekly ghost disposal, your ghost will serenade you in the wee hours of the morning with its song of choice. If you capture a whole horde of ghosts, well, congratulations. You have a boy band living in your vacuum.
[ 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. ] |
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
phase ii;
it's not something he's been able to put into word, but the all-encompassing sense of dread that's been weighing on his shoulders has made it hard to function; even if he's been a little under the weather for the last few days, it hasn't been crippling, or even that noticeable compared to others. but this... something feels wrong. consulting with dymlos, he agrees, but the looming sensation seems to be primarily isolated to him. he's got other priorities, though: finding leon.
he starts off with a text (god, those are convenient), but when he gets no response—well, that's when things get bad. he figures heading back to the apartment first could work, though he doesn't even get to the train station when he sees leon walking... somewhere? alone? it's odd.]
Leeeeeonnnnn! [he's calling out from across the way. it's close enough that leon should hear him (especially him), but... no response, again.]
Dymlos... something's wrong with this, right? It's not just me. [of course, he defers to dymlos.
"Mm. Even Leon wouldn't ignore you in that way." in other ways, maybe, but not in that way. but it reminds him of a similar situation... "When we met Leon again, this is similar to how you were behaving. Unresponsive and pressing forward. You should follow him if you're worried he's in danger."
naturally, stahn is worried about that, but:]
I was? When... [it takes him a second to remember what happened. right, he thought he saw leon, then the real leon pulled him out from that trap, and things almost went wrong. that recognition causes his eyes to widen, and he's immediately following after leon, breaking into a sprint.]
Leon! Leooon! LEEEOOOOOOOONNNNN! [as he catches up, he'll just be continuously calling for leon's attention, hoping that he'll turn around. where is he going? why isn't he answering? is he really in danger? this is definitely putting him in a panic; he can't let anything bad happen to leon after everything that's already happened.]
no subject
Unfortunately for Stahn's efforts, Leon is also entirely focused on the ghost before him. It's a mix of actual belief (Stahn would suddenly act strangely, based off of what he's seen here so far, and he's concerned) and the strange hypnotic effects of the ghost itself, and so he continues onwards, expression flat and apparently entirely unaware of Stahn's yelling.
Chaltier, on the other hand, isn't affected at all. He can't see what Leon can, and he's sincerely panicked about it, so as soon as he hears Stahn's voice, he's yelling, shrill and concerned. "There was a ghost, and then he just stopped responding! It's as though he can't hear me at all!"
(Do something, Stahn, Chal is going to cry.)
Naturally, it's strange--Leon always responds to Chal as well, even if just in exasperated huffs and noises. But this is unnatural, and he's drawing closer to that pond; it's pretty clear now that that's exactly where he's going, entirely focused on what's ahead.]
no subject
[not that words like that are going to really ease chal's worries, but he says them anyway; it's an assurance that he's at least in control of himself. and, of course, that he;s going to do everything in his power to ensure leon's safety.
by the time he's really caught up, he can see where leon is headed. a pond? no. no, this isn't right at all. he wouldn't do this; there's no way he would do this so willingly. this is definitely valid reason to panic, and there's no way he could blame chal for this sentiment, either.]
Leon, stop! Leon! [he calls out, but he's still just a bit too far away to stop him. of course, he presses forward until he can reach out to leon. there's no hesitation there either... even though he's more than aware that leon doesn't like to be touched, stahn reached out and grabs his arm anyway.]
Leon, can't you hear me!? Leon! [why is he doing this? leon, what the hell are you doing aside from scaring the living hell out of the people who care about you!]
no subject
Which is rewarded, of course, because Stahn would never let anything happen to Leon. He grabs his arm and Leon jerks to a stop; though it still takes him a moment to process that he has stopped. He's still staring ahead of him at whatever it is that has his attention, and then... slowly, between the touch and the words, Stahn gets through to him.
Leon blinks, confusedly glancing around himself as if he's just come back to himself, before his gaze finally falls on Stahn.
... wait what?]
But you--
[????
Weren't you just ahead of him?]
no subject
stahn looks puzzled. and then relieved—if only because he can see that whatever leon was doing, he's clearly stopped it now. but his brows furrow after a moment of silence.]
What were you doing? Where were you going!? [he sounds... angry? but it's a panicked sort of angry, once that's laced with an overwhelming amount of worry. nobody else but chal and dymlos could possibly understand what's so scary about this situation, and why it's so wrong. leon walking so fearlessly towards the water, unstopping even though it was clearly dangerous.
and even without the danger of what lurks in the water (and occasionally jumps out), it's the fact that he knows leon is in know way comfortable with this sort of thing. large bodies of water—after all that happened, and even after the day they arrived to cereal—stahn knows that it's something leon isn't equipped to deal with right now.
so what the hell was he doing? why does he look so confused?] What were you trying to do, Leon!?
[he's had the shit scared out of him by this because of all those factors, not to mention the way chaltier was panicking...] Didn't you hear us all that time!?
[it's worry, it's so much worry that even after he yells like that, stahn's hand drops away from leon and his shoulders slump a bit.]
no subject
Leon has barely gotten his metaphorical feet under him, but Stahn yelling certainly doesn't help. There's a part of him that knows that he's probably just afraid; he doesn't have to remember Chal's panicked yells to know that the Swordian was just as scared. He's going to have to apologize, isn't he?
But... later. Because right now, Stahn is yelling and Leon still doesn't understand what happened, so naturally, he's snapping back.]
I was trying to stop you! You were carrying on in your oblivious, idiotic way, and I knew it was going to cause trouble if I didn't--
[A beat.
Slowly, it sinks in for him. Stahn... was never there, was he? Leon was following a ghost. He was following nothing more than an illusion, and his teeth grit together as the realization sinks in. He messed up. And he can only look away sharply, voice tense under his breath.]
Dammit!
[Played for a fool........]
no subject
he stands, dumbfounded (and maybe even still with the feeling of defeat hanging over him). stahn hasn't gotten the memo about the ghosts at all as of yet. so naturally, he has no idea what leon means, and more so when he sees that other brand of anger rising up in leon.]
... [stahn tilts his head to the side, and he looks at leon with an expression that encompasses how confused he is. sure, he's had a really bad, ominous feeling all day... but not knowing why really has helped. so now stahn is just mixed with too many conflicting feelings. that darkness that looms still makes him feel sick and tired, he's relieved that leon is safe, upset that he walked into danger, and now confused about the conclusion he came to.]
Leon...? [at least he doesn't sound mad anymore—if he even sound angry to begin with. now it's just outright worry.]
no subject
He shakes his head shortly, crossing his arms, but it's a more defensive grasp than usual; there's no arrogance to it at all. If anything, he's trying to keep himself from shuddering.]
These damn ghosts.
[He sounds calmer, at least, taking in a slow breath forcefully.]
They can apparently appear as someone else--as people we know. [And he was...totally suckered, because it was Stahn.]
no subject
Eh? Gho... ghosts?
[??? he's clearly confused. at least dymlos is here to help.
"What he's saying is that there are ghosts present here that can take another form. In Leon's case, it was yours. He followed it, believing it to be you."]
Is that true? Did you really...? [not that he doesn't believe dymlos, of course, but he wants to hear that confirmation directly from leon's mouth.]
no subject
He huffs shortly.]
Stop wasting time making me repeat my explanations. [So yeah, the answer is yes.] More importantly, there must be a way to stop them.
[That's not going to happen again.]
no subject
[he hates the sound of that. he hates knowing that that something out there borrowed his face. he hates knowing that something out there used that to sway leon and take advantage of the trust he has in him.
it's not okay. there's nothing okay about that. it doesn't matter who or what it is, and it doesn't matter what their reasons are. something that tried to use his face to lure leon into danger, and that sparks a very unstable fire in stahn. his jaw clenches, and his hands ball into fists as he sucks in a deep breath.]
Whatever they are... we have to stop them. We have to find where it's coming from so that this doesn't happen again. So that... nobody else gets hurt because of something like this.
no subject
"So that nobody else gets hurt because of something like this" is a line Leon could have predicted word for word--
wait.
"Nobody else"... Leon frowns for a moment. He hopes Stahn doesn't think he was hurt by this because he's not, he's fine--
... Whatever. Focus.]
The higher concentration of these ghosts appears to be in the Residential District. That would be a good place to start looking for the source.
[He honestly isn't going to even bother trying to stop Stahn from doing this, because a) he knew it was coming and b) he hates the ghosts and wants to crush a lot of them for therapeutic purposes.
#good leon goals]
no subject
straight to a death that he'd already suffered once before, and doing it while using the face of someone leon trusts. that's not okay. there's no way it's okay, and he can't fathom the idea of not being hurt to some capacity by that. even if it's not physical. but that's just stahn and his way of thinking, and maybe that's just one of the many ways he and leon differ.]
Right. Let's go check it out before things get any worse. [because if leon, who is smart and strong and talented could be fooled by this, what about others? what about the people who aren't well-trained and accustomed to dangerous situations? a lot of lives could be in danger because of these ghosts, and stahn can't waste any time if that's the case. as long as leon feels okay to get moving, then stahn is more than ready himself.
he's so determined right now, even if he has no idea how they'll even be able to find what they're looking for.]
no subject
There's a lot Leon's not happy about.
So springing into action is far more acceptable and tolerable to him.]
Let's go.
[TIME TO SLAM INTO THE RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT but probably not because there are going to be ghosts in the way no matter where they go. Leon, though, is on hyper alert now after what happened, so any time there's even a hint of a poltergeist, he's casting some sort of arte to get rid of it. He might be a little trigger happy, but hey, better that than being affected again.
Don't touch him he swears to god--]
no subject
it's easy enough to work in tandem when there's a threat, but it feels like they're not getting anywhere at all because of it. these encounter rates!! are too high!!]
It's getting worse by the minute... [and the closer they get to the residential district, obviously. and the closer they get, the worse stahn feels; it's almost makes him feel sick to his stomach. dealing with a bit of those under-the-weather feelings like many others in the city pales in comparison to the looming feeling over home. it's like something bad, something worse will happen by trying to face them head on.
not that it's stopping stahn, of course, but it's also pretty hard to hide the paling of his face and his discomfort with this whole situation.]
no subject
No... if this is some sort of side-effect like this, and it's getting to Stahn now too... that's unacceptable. Honestly, he's concerned, so the best option would be to gently get Stahn to retreat, to let Leon accomplish reconnaissance and to take a breather in the meantime:]
You are going to get in the way like this. Go back.
[Ah.
Or he could be Leon about it.]
no subject
[it doesn't matter that he feels... well, not good. even at the worst of times, he's never been able to just not fight when it was important, and like hell dymlos would let things play out this way either.
but for stahn, it's about not letting leon fight alone. the situation is too dangerous—these ghosts have already put his life in danger once today. what if he were to listen to those words and then something happened? what if he wasn't able to save leon again? how could he live with himself if that were to happen? it doesn't matter how sick he feels—he's sure at this point that this is happening on purpose, that this is meant to try and hold him back, or separate them.
so stahn steels himself, gripping at dymlos' hilt even tighter and grounding himself before shooting off an attack that he probably shouldn't, but it's that or deal with another spirit coming at them.] Severing Wind!
no subject
[Ugh!!! Stahn is such a pain in the ass. It's definitely an attack Stahn shouldn't be handling, and Leon's charging forward instantly to handle the remains of the ghost, neatly and precisely. After all, close call aside (which he has already shoved under the rug), Leon is perfectly fine and healthy, unlike Stahn.]
It wasn't a request! You are in my way, and I can handle this on my own!
[Some things, it seems, never change, even if it's stemming from Leon's concern for Stahn.]
no subject
I'm not leaving you to handle this alone! [he snaps back; he doesn't usually do that, but here and now... he can't leave leon in good conscience. because of the reasons he already worries about. regardless of if he's healthy and capable, he can't leave when he knows there could be something even worse that leon absolutely should not be taking on alone.]
We don't know what we're up against. I'm not leaving, Leon. [he offers a hard gaze; he's too worried about the worst to just stop fighting now.] I can still fight, it's not that bad.
[the feeling is just so stifling, he feels like leon will for sure die if he goes alone. that can't happen. he can't let that happen.]
[1/2]
[Leon might be a little desperate to get Stahn to back off, honestly... but even if he can't feel the illness effects, he does feel the foreboding, and he interprets it the same way as Stahn--but in reverse. He's scared that something bad is going to happen to Stahn here that he won't be able to prevent. He... can't let that happen. He has one goal here, and it's to make sure Stahn gets home safely to complete what he needs to complete.]
You are going to drag me down in the state you are in, and I do not have the time nor inclination to deal with that! And it does not matter what happens to me here--
[Because he's already dead. Don't you get it. But even as the words escape him, he's biting his tongue, because he knows Stahn won't like that.]
[2/2]
Just... leave. I am not doing this with you. If I have to leave you behind, I will.
no subject
[he'll fight this tooth and nail. it upsets him too much to think of leon getting hurt or killed again. it upsets him to think that he's supposed to be a swordian master tasked with saving an entire world, but he can't even protect his best friend time and time again.
maybe leon thinks it doesn't matter. but to stahn, it matters so much. he can't let that second chance at life go so recklessly. he can't let leon bear all the burdens alone just because their fates are so far apart. leon saved him once... it's his turn to make sure leon gets saved. which is why he doesn't back down, and why he'll follow leon every step of the way even if leon tries to leave him behind.
the last time leon went off alone... it didn't end well.
stahn can't watch that again. the idea of it terrifies him.]
I'm not going to drag you down... I'm—I'm not that weak. [things have changed, leon.] We're friends. We fight together when it comes to things like this.
no subject
It is not your choice! It has never been your choice! I made the decisions I did, and I do not regret them!
[Somehow, he voice doesn't tremble. Somehow, he manages to keep it steady--but probably because of how furiously cold his tone is.]
Stop acting as though you do have the choice here, because you do not!
[They're friends. They fight together. Stahn isn't weak--that much is true. Stahn wouldn't drag him down. But Leon can't let Stahn be injured here. He can't let Stahn go into a situation that will only make him worse off. And... he can't stand the thought that Stahn...thinks that this is something that he could've changed. That in the end, they keep coming back to this.
"I won't let that happen again", Stahn says.
Leon doesn't think it's any of his business, in the end (not if Stahn is going to just be hurt again).]
no subject
I know that. But you never should have needed to make that choice to begin with, Leon! [doesn't he get that? why can't he understand this much? sure, it was leon's choice ultimately. and sure, it saved their lives. it was a sacrifice that ended up being necessary.
but stahn hates that. he hates that it was necessary to begin with. he hates that leon was forced into a situation where that was the only way. he hates that he wasn't in darilsheid to prevent things from getting so bad, and that leon wound up being nothing more than a pawn for hugo.
he hates all of that. he hates it so much and he regrets that he couldn't reach his hand out even a minute sooner to ensure that leon would never even have to risk his life and die such a painful, lonely and scary death. maybe this angers leon, but he cant help that he feels this way. and he's sure as hell not going to let leon just win, either. for all that he lets leon get away with... this doesn't qualify.]
I've already made my choice here. This is my choice! This isn't something you can decide for me, even if you think it's better. We're a team, and a team doesn't go alone!
no subject
Still, Leon can't back down on this. If he does, then he's lost. If he does, then it's admitting that he messed up, and he can't do that yet--
But Stahn doesn't argue that. Instead, he argues that they're a team. He argues that this is his own choice, and Leon can't undermine that without undermining his own argument, and he frowns.]
You--
[... He's worried still. Stahn... he can't die here. But... Stahn will go regardless of what Leon does, so he's just going to have to keep a close eye on him, isn't he?]
--Do what you want. When you collapse, I am not dragging you to safety.
(no subject)
(no subject)