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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phase iii!
[ Souji's body goes still when she clutches onto him, not moving even as she pulls away. ]
You really are clumsy.
[ Souji says without rancor, his gaze flicking back to Lili's secrets reflected in the glass then back to her. ]
You should calm down before you hurt yourself.
[ as if the situation doesn't warrant panic. Maybe if he pretends that it doesn't, then it won't. ]
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In fact, as scared as she is, it's all too easy to remember how menacing this person can really be. On a regular day, Lili would still defend Souji and Saitou from anyone who would dare to criticize them - they aren't bad people. Yet... Souji has reason to not want her to be able to speak. It makes the blood in her veins run ice cold as she's suddenly nearly stumbling over her own feet to put distance between the two of them.
This person can hurt her too.]
I-
[She ends up bumping into the mirror on the other side of the wall, wincing as the jagged edges of it cut her shoulder and back.]
Ah!
[Lili, what did he just say.]
no subject
[ The scent of her blood hits his nose and his eyes widen. ]
[ If he ever needed another reason to get out of there, then there it was. Later, he'd think of the irony of the situation -- meeting Lili again under these kinds of circumstances and without Saitou to buffer whatever damage might occur between them. For now, it's the thought of Saitou and the kernel of goodness that actually exists deep in Souji's heart that convinces him not to immediately split the scene. ]
[ She is injured, after all. And he wasn't so weak that he'd lose control over something like this. Souji clicks his tongue, hands leaving the hilts at his waist. ]
Tch, I told you to calm down. [ He keeps his distance. The last thing he needs is Lili bumping into another mirror. ] Turn around. Let me see your back.
[ Other than that, there's no other actual reason for Lili to listen to his demands. ]
no subject
Yet she can feel the stinging pain of the wounds she's sustained, the blood already starting to stain her clothes - the impact deep enough to break through the cloth and skin easily. There's only a slight flinch but the look on her face almost looks more akin to irritation, she doesn't have time to be hurt.
When she looks to him, there's a mix of emotions in her eyes. The fear exists - but there is even more frustration. She doesn't think Souji is a bad person. A difficult, impossible person sometimes - but he is not malicious. He doesn't attack citizens or the unarmed.... right? So even if there's something between them, she doesn't think that he'd hurt her like this. Yet he still has a sword at his side. He speaks with authority. He's trying to boss her around and she hates it--
But he's not the same as the soldiers.
So in an attempt to both bring power back to her end as well as clarify something, when she speaks, she tries to find the steel of her own backbone.]
If- If I were to trust you right now.... do you swear to not betray me?
[Cocky? Absolutely.
But in a way she's also trying to prove to herself that she can trust him.]
no subject
Swear?
[ A part of him balks at the word. The other recognizes Lili attempting to clamber back onto solid ground. He should let her, since the alternative was something he'd rather not entertain. He should let her, since he's just seen a memory of Lili's face being ground into the dirt. ]
I won't kill you if that's what you're asking.
[ That's the highest form of betrayal he can think of right now, with Lili's past fresh in his own mind. ]
no subject
So she sighs.
Her shoulders straighten then as she tries to cling onto any sense of calm. Then because she is always, always painfully earnest, she meets his eyes after wiping any trace of fear from her own.]
Then I'm choosing to trust you.
[Resolutely, she turns as he requested.
The shattered mirror stabbed into her in a few different places - cuts at her right shoulder, another beneath her shoulder blades, and lastly at her waist. The cloth of her robes is torn and bloodied, but with her hands clenched into fists, she is determined to not be nervous.
Is it really just to prove a point anymore?]
no subject
[ He inhales through his mouth, then exhales. It could be worse. The smell of blood could be choking the air around him. ]
Clumsy and troublesome… [ He mutters, because he can’t resist being half-punk. Souji pulls his swords out from under his obi and holds them in his right hand, while he unties the belt with his left. This should do. It’s only enough cloth for one wound, but it’s better than nothing. ]
I’m going to bind your shoulder, so hold out your arm. [ he pauses, then dryly ] I mean, I would very much appreciate it if you made this easier for me and held out your arm.
[ thanks sooj.... ]
no subject
[Though the words are typical of Lili's usual return fire - she speaks them out in a sigh. Clumsy and troublesome? He's not wrong. Right now she does feel quite troublesome, even as she'll agree to his request and moves to hold out her arm as requested.
She doesn't speak for a moment.
But whens he does, she asks, if only for the sake of understanding exactly how much he knows about her now-]
Did you see all of it then....?
[The images.The soldiers. Her pitiful state.]
no subject
Some of it.
[ Right from the start, actually, but Souji doesn't want to ask if there had been more. Considering all the snatches of memories he's been seeing, there could very well have been more. He wraps the wound around twice then ties it firmly. ]
I saw someone's memories like this before. [ Yuri's, all those days back. ] I didn't care about them then.
[ They hadn't been as long as Lili's. And so far, Lili hasn't had to watch one of his in return. (so far) But besides that, Souji couldn't really find a difference. He could at least do Lili the credit of not prodding further. ]
And I don't really care now, since it's none of my business.
no subject
Lili breathes in quietly at that - and then a sharper inhale when he firmly ties the bandage. Ah. It's been a while since she's had to be patched up. Perhaps she's getting better at exploring? (How can this be any sort of better?) Still though, it's shaky and only vaguely stable when she releases the breath that she'd been holding in.
He doesn't care.
For some reason... that's the best possible answer he could've given.
Despite herself, when she turns then to look up at him, she thinks then that perhaps this is the kindest he's ever been to her. As raw and emotional as she is, the words that leave her mouth are simple:]
Thank you.
no subject
[ He's about to say something back, but he's stopped short by the flickering in the glass surrounding them. Not again... He expects another unfamiliar memory, so the dark room reflected back in the glass makes him start in surprise. ]
[ That's his room. ]
[ And then he knows. ]
[ Souji in the mirrors, identical except for the blood staining his lips and the pale, wan look to his face. This Souji looks sick, as if confirming all of Lili's suspicions. This Souji pays neither of them mind, instead struggling to unsheathe the swords at his waist and then watching as they fumble out of his grip and land on the floor. He stares down at them.
"This... is all I am now... Souji Okita, the captain of the Shinsengumi's 1st Division." ]
[ The real Souji sucks in a breath. It's almost fitting. He saw Lili's most recent memory, and here she was, able to watch his. ]
[ The memory continues to play on, as if on fast-forward. Souji clutching a tiny glass bottle in his hand, a girl's voice crying for him to stop, Souji drinking every last drop. Souji's hair now pure white and his green eyes now blood-red. He looks like a monster. And the way he scoops up his fallen swords and tears into the monsters around him only proves that he is one. ]
[ There's nothing Souji can do but watch. ]
no subject
That's the only reason why she looks - because if he's going to see something of hers again, then she wants to know what it is although she can't think of anything more pressing than the last one. What could it be? Her exile? Her time as a slave?
It's nothing like that.
Instead, it's him.
Souji Okita - so that's who he is.
He's also very, very sick. The swords tumble and fall and despite herself, she flinches. After all the respect that she's earned for swords now, she hates to see them treated that way - even as an accident. Perhaps... even more an accident, given everything that she's been told about the partnership between sword and swordsman.
Then it all seems to stop. She watches the transformation. It frightens her to a degree, she gasps quietly and a hand comes to cover her mouth but... he's right next to her. He doesn't look like that. He's... He's not whatever that white-haired devil is. She tears her eyes away when he begins to cut down all those around him and suddenly she's searching for an answer in Souji's eyes again.
Despite her fear, the way that her hands shake and her wide-eyed stare, she tries to keep her voice level.]
... My name is Lili An, daughter of the General of the Water Tribe, currently living in exile.
[It's fair, it's fair.
Her fingers tremble obviously but she tries to hide it, clutching onto the cloth of her skirt.]
Who are you?
no subject
[ And here was Lili, offering up her name (a small part of him musing that he had never gotten it, had he?) as if to complete the exchange. He doesn’t have to look at her fingers to know that she’s grasping for some semblance of control. His memory revealed lot of things, but most of them wouldn’t really make sense unless he filled in those blanks for her. ]
[ He liked those blanks. He’d rather they were there. The penalty for learning the secrets of the Shinsengumi was death, after all. Souji didn’t think he’d have much difficulty killing Lili, but he went ahead and made that troublesome promise earlier.It was so like him, to dig himself into a hole without a solution other than murder. So, while thinking of his options and of nothing at all, Souji meets her gaze with a blank, flat look. ]
Souji Okita. Captain of the first squad and sword of the Shinsengumi.
[ It’s everything and nothing at the same time. It’s who Souji is at his very core, but what would it mean to an outsider? He finally moves, turning to pick up his swords and carry them in his hands, since he gave his obi to Lili. ]
You should ask specific questions if you want specific answers.
[ But what would he say if she asked him if he was a monster? ...The truth, maybe? ]
no subject