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?  ...
...........
................
:)
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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. ] |
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[ being the cave explorer he is, it's steven's natural inclination to want to go down. it's a calculated risk to not go up right away, but it's one that he wants to take - he'll be able to go up later with the help of his pokémon. right now, curiousity is getting the worst of him. plus... he wants to be useful. he can prove himself to whoever's watching. he's the strongest trainer in the hoenn region - among the strongest in the world. he can protect everyone.
from his belt, he'll release a companion from her poké ball. ]
We'll need some light, Cradily. Flash, please.
[ from the two glowing orbs in the dark crescent on her head, cradily will be able to light a wide path to follow. ]
phase ib.
[ when they reach the water, he pauses, then reaches to his belt again to release another creature. ]
Armaldo, we'll need you to dive down to the depths and see what you can find. If something attacks, take it head-on. I know you're capable.
[ and while that's true, something about that kind of command seems a bit... reckless. but whether you choose to speak up about it or not, armaldo will dive down into the murky abyss. time passes, and eventually the pokémon surfaces - slightly roughed up and tired, but fine. in his mouth, he holds a mask. ]
Well done. [ he gives the pokémon a stroke on the head, but looks at the mask curiously when it's released into his hand. ] But what's this?
phase iii.
[ he's somehow survived the depths of the underground (along with seeing that mysteriously familiar temple...), leaving him to explore the outside buildings. unlike how he needed his pokémon before, he's intending to traverse these areas by himself. he'll bring them out if there's a threat, but he needs to do this alone.
once he's able to pry those doors open, he'll silently watch over his reflections in the mirror shards around the room. it's... unsettling, to say the least, but nothing to worry about... until it changes. in one mirror, the reflection of a raging, torrential thunderstorm can be seen. it's nothing close to being natural, and between the enormous cracks of lightning, the cry of... something can be heard.
in another mirror, this scene can be seen. in front of a large, shimmering megalith, a god-like dragon can be seen destroying what appears to be some sort of temple as steven, a young man, and their pokémon try to stop it. while neither of these scenes are visibly traumatizing for him to see, steven will look a bit pensive as he watches them. ]
bonus.
[ but none of this is enough. no matter what he does or how many people he's helped, he hasn't been able to prove himself yet. no one has recognized how strong and capable he is, despite doing so much... it's frusturating - infuriating, even. it's looking like desperate times are calling for desperate measures, and he'll need to prove himself by eliminating any kind of threat he comes across. he's got his team by his side; nothing can go wrong if they use an all-out strategic assault. those monsters won't be able to stand a chance against mega metagross, let alone the rest of his friends.
too bad that's a vast overestimation.
even with all seven of his companions doing their part to defeat one of the creatures, it isn't enough. even with the powerful bond of mega evolution between steven and metagross, it isn't enough. even if he's strong, it isn't enough.
the sentient technology mass that they've taken on is intelligent enough to know that the disturbance is coming from steven, not any of the creatures that he's commanding. it's a valiant effort on everyone's part, but in what feels like an instant, one of the tendrils from the creature's head extends, shoots down, and pierces steven through the chest.
once it's shaken his lifeless body off of the tendril (with his team watching in silent horror), the creature leaves the scene. that leaves you, steven's corpse as it bleeds out, and his pokémon, which are currently approaching their trainer in hesitance to confirm what their senses have already told them.
besides the chirp that beldum lets out that sounds strangely like a sob, the air is silent. ]
bonus. yep here we go
adrien—chat—is entirely used to combat, but he avoids it when he can. the possibility of using cataclysm is shoved away into the deepest, deepest emergency situations in his mind. there's very little to recharge plagg here, save for the sole piece of camembert he'd been sleeping with (seriously? but also at the same time fortunate), and he can't afford to be stuck as adrien. he's realizing that he can't do anything as adrien.
but soon, he finds he can't do anything as chat, either.
he'd been looking for steven, senses ready and waiting. and he finds steven, but he's fighting, and usually it'd be very amazing to see but now it's just frightening. it's that familiar feeling that settles in his stomach when he sees ladybug fight—the fear that gets him jumping in front of arrows and fatal strikes without hesitation. the fear that gets him down on four limbs, rushing forward to help— ]
STEVEN!
[ —but he's too late, and he can't do anything. he's only fast enough to watch steven's corpse hit the floor as his mind freezes. only fast enough to have this feeling that someone just punched him in his throat then stopped his heart.
steven's pokémon are there and he isn't sure if they'll let him approach as chat, if they recognize him, but he shoves forward regardless. he can do something, can't he, there's something steven can't be dead ]
Steven—
[ okay. so.
this went well. ]
:')
while his pokemon would normally be fiercely protective of their trainer if he was injured, they're too racked by shock to stop this "stranger" from pushing forward. those that have the ability to cry already have silent tears welling up as it hits them.
while beldum isn't one of those that can shed tears, its wails are unrestrained and desperate. it tries to cuddle into its trainer's chest, but isn't met with arms around it - only blood smeared across its body. ]
punches
they've known him way longer. they're probably hurting so much more.
and so he looks back at beldum again, outstretching a hand carefully to settle on top of it. ]
Bel— [ ah, that was raspy and his words aren't really coming out of his throat. ] —Beldum. Beldum, it's Adrien.
[ and even as he tries to reassure weakly, his frazzled, fractured mind is still reeling. maybe he could... move him? yeah, as chat, he could carry steven no problem (he couldn't make one of the pokémon do that), and... cerealia was really futuristic, so maybe they could have something that could help when he finds the way back, even if steven's— ]
/2
the blood smeared across its body is as red as its eye, still fresh. but that's not its concern - beldum a child, and a child naturally wants to be consoled after losing something it loves. without steven, it takes solace in adrien as it sobs instead. ]
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when the tendril impaled its trainer, its mega evolved state reverted immediately and without warning - it felt as if its energy was suddenly severed completely, to the point of it hurting. the manifestation of their bond was gone, and it couldn't be returned. the usual sparkle of the key stone on steven's lapel pin can't be seen; instead, it looks... dull.
when adrien pushes past and holds beldum, it gathers the strength to walk over and lift steven's corpse with its telepathy, lying him gently onto its head. he's still bleeding out, but it wants to be the one to take him home once they're out of this place. it's the longest-standing member of this team, and it needs to be strong for everyone. as his partner, that's its duty. ]
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... metagross really was amazing, wasn't it. through the grief, that action shoves adrien's strength forward, prompts his logical side: they... need to get out, and they need to find the way back, and there's still danger. it's the thin thread holding him up.
but it still hurts far too much, and failure weighs on him heavily. this was where he'd ask steven about whatever it was metagross just did, probably, and why he looked a little different but then didn't. right now all he can offer is: ]
Are you... Metagross, I can hold him. If that's...
[ if that's too hard. ]
I'm— [ stronger like this, but not enough to save steven. not enough to at least pretend he's collecting himself, to collapse at a later time. ] —Sorry.
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bonus;
...You absolute idiot!
[ Yelling at a corpse. Classy.
She could go after the creature, it's true, but there are more pressing matters, like his companions who have just been so brutally and suddenly left behind in the blink of an eye, the whip of a tendril. She doesn't know him very well, it's true, but she still has a heart and it feels like it's clenched tight in her chest, a visceral reaction to seeing yet another life fade right in front of her eyes. ]
Did you even think about the ones you'd leave behind like that?
[ She shifts her gaze to the crying(?) Beldum, then to the rest of his team, waiting to see if they'll chase her off if she comes closer. It'd be understandable if they did. ]
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but it's aron and aggron that tell them to stand down, looking at edna with sad eyes as beldum continues to wail and metagross approaches its fallen partner. with their permission, edna will be allowed to get closer. ]
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...I'll carry him if you don't want to.
[ So they don't have to dirty their hands with the blood of their own beloved trainer dripping onto them. ]
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using its telepathy, metagross lifts steven's corpse and lays it on top of its head to carry. he's still bleeding out, but it pays it no mind. the other pokemon stay close, with beldum continuing to whimper and tremble in its feeble attempts to wake him. ]
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ib
But when he sends Armaldo down into the depths, Veronica frowns and turns to him.]
Even if he can, that is not safe, is it? Do you have no others that could assist in some way?
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he appreciates veronica's concern, but shakes his head. ]
Armaldo is the only Pokémon I have that can swim and dive properly. I've trained him for underwater combat, and his armour can withstand enormous amounts of pressure. Have faith.
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You say that....and I wish to. But...But he is yours, is he not? Why do you need to send it down there? You are not planning on going in there.
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[ which is also ridiculously dangerous, but he can't rely on his pokemon for everything. proving strength meant taking matters into his own hands, too. ]
I have high expectations for my teammates, as they do of me. I'm not going to abandon them, if that is your concern.
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III; i've missed u
[ A simple comment is heard from a certain individual. As Steven looks further down the row of mirrors, he'll see a main with long, silky hair seated in a wheelchair. Oddly enough, he's seen by himself, and anybody who knows Katsura knows he usually has somebody (or something) with him. ]
What do they mean?
[ maybe you know
you handsome devil.]doki doki
Elegant, but powerful enough to destroy the world if given the chance.
[ and they would have... if steven didn't enlist in others to help him. too powerless to protect people alone, as was his duty. it makes his teeth clench, but he stays calm otherwise. ]
That depends. What do the images you see mean to you?
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) goes in all intense even tho they haven't met before
—It seems like they suffered. What I have seen.. is also suffering.
[ But his suffering. ]
Are they important to you?
[ Like his memory is to him? ]
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They're times where I feel as if I failed. They're important to remember in retrospect... but not ones that I particularly enjoy reflecting on.
[ there's no reason to hide - while he isn't proud of these memories, he can't say that he didn't do everything that he could. it just so happened that it wasn't enough. ]
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ia. whatever im doubletagging
Wait, Steven!
[ running running running and then stopping just short of the pokémon trainer... in a plain t-shirt and pajama pants, given the time they got dragged here but y'know.
he's here. ]
I thought it was you. [ ... uh, wait, manners. and probably not so much energy at ass o' clock. ] Er... good morning. I'm glad you're okay.
[ yeah wait until that changes in a couple of days buddy ]
Nice
Likewise, Adrien. [ he smiles, but it's a little weak. ] But we shouldn't let out guard down. It isn't safe here.
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captcha is lame
something something cat pun
hip hip hooray ]
buy one get one free
[ it seems like the pokemon is gone forever, and rideaux starts to wonder after a while, as he picks at a loose thread on one of his gloves, whether it might have met something it wasn't capable of taking head-on. ]
How long do you intend to wait?
[ bonus. ]
[ while they aren't really traveling together, rideaux has been heading in the same direction as steven. it's by coincidence, for the most part, though he's also noted (maybe a little reluctantly) that the larger of steven's trained monsters are quite useful, and that it works in his favor to follow in the path they clear.
he's pragmatic like that, you see, and while he enjoys a good fight (or, let's be honest, simply inflicting pain for its own sake from time to time), he's not going to expend his energy on an unpredictable fight that he might not win if he doesn't have to. and that is exactly why he's standing back out of the way when this all goes down -- close enough for a bit of the blood spray to stain his jacket, but staying under the opposing monster's radar.
it should probably shake him at least a little to see something like this happen to a familiar acquaintance, but he's been destroying fractured dimensions for more than fifteen years, and he's seen plenty of his fellow agents meet similarly gruesome ends at the hands of divergence catalysts. so while he does approach steven upon the monster's departure to attempt to provide emergency medical care -- he is a doctor, after all -- once it quickly becomes clear that it wouldn't do any good, he simply sighs and stands back up. ]
Well, that was a waste.
[ said to no one in particular, though it's spoken loudly enough that it's clear that he doesn't care who hears him. ]
worst boyfriend ever