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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it wasn't a secret in their world that leon was dead; he was branded a traitor and lost with a legacy he never deserved to have stamped on him. but here, there aren't those things to worry about. stahn wants for leon to be able to live, to make friends and have a chance at life he couldn't back home. and the last thing he wants is for people to make him uncomfortable by pitying him. so he's kept quite all the while, skirting topics that would give away this secret he's been harboring since he arrived.
but that can come once he's calmed down, just as the sincere thanks from dymlos will also come to light. he remains silent for now, following kashuu's lead with his eyes trained on the floor. he's drawing in quiet breaths to try and push back the feelings—the last thing anyone needs now is for stahn to lose his composure and cry like he had back then.]
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Sousei had told him, once. Never let your guard down. Don't become complacent. Be prepared for anything.
(Easier said than done.)
But he'll lead Stahn out toward the door, out away from the mirrors and the scenes they reflect, away from the building several steps just for good measure. Only then does he stop to look back, though he doesn't drop his hand just yet.]
D'you need to find a place to sit?
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but fortunately, being outside and away from that so directly does help, and when kashuu asks that question, stahn just shakes his head.]
No... I'll be okay. [each passing minute away from the flooding memories helps, even if it's going to take him a bit to shove those despairing feelings back down and turn his sunshine back on.] It just surprised me, something like that happening at all.
[his brows knit a little, and he wonders how it's possible. the truth is still that he probably should take a breather, but he's worried about the fact that he hasn't yet found leon.]
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[And he's realizing now, very much belatedly, that just telling people to "be prepared" and "always be on guard" isn't as helpful as sharing the details, even if they're uncomfortable or painful. The more information, the better-prepared some might be if something like this were to happen again.
Though a part of him does wonder, as he's glancing back, if any amount of preparation could really allow a person to handle things like this. Being told that something happens and witnessing it are two entirely different things, after all.]
...Let's take a little break anyway, okay?
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people are getting hurt and maybe even killed. they're having their worst traumas exposed and played out for people see. they're separated from all their resources—it's like they're being tortured. and it's worse right now for stahn after witnessing all that to remember that he has no idea where leon is. it jolts an extra sense of panic into him, one that almost forcible forces stahn down to one knee.]
I have to find Leon. I... I can't let him see what happened in here. [that trumps all of his curiosity. he can't let leon see the shards reflections. because if that's what he saw, then he can only imagine that leon will get the other half of that memory, and... he can't let it happen.
that actually terrifies him to think about, and his breath hitches slightly before he tries to use dymlos to stand back up.] I can't take a break right now. I have to keep going.
[he needs to take a break right now, kashuu, don't listen to him.]
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So he shakes his head once, standing his ground firmly.]
Rest first. If Leon comes this way, then you'll be able to stop him before he goes in. If he doesn't, then he won't have to see that yet.
[There are other dangers in the city, of course, but he also knows that CERES isn't a fan of repetition. He doubts another building with these exact horrors are out there.]
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sure, dymlos isn't blind to what happened; he saw and heard it all, but he still maintains enough of a detachment from humanity most of the time t be the voice of reason; he's the jiminy to stahn's pinocchio at times like these for a reason.
stahn, on the other hand... doesn't want to admit that defeat so easily, but kashuu's right. and he knows that kashuu is right. it wouldn't be the first time someone had to reason him into staying put when it came to trying to save or protect leon—he's learned this lesson before, and he isn't one to forget things he's taught. or forced into learning by traumatic experience. he ends up sinking to the ground completely instead, his head dipping in defeat.]
Don't bring this up to Leon. [he'll say after a short silence. and unlike his usual tone, this one is unsteady and pleading.] That you saw those things, that you know about it.
Please, don't say anything.
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But when Stahn speaks up again, Kashuu's attention hones in quickly, even if that's not what he expected to hear. "Don't bring this up to Leon"... He understands the request. He understands what that shift in tone means. Still...]
Is... that okay? [To not say anything is a lie of omission, and Kashuu is honest when he shouldn't be.] Won't he be angry if he finds out that someone else knows and no one told him?
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[stahn can admit that much, he knows leon well enough to know that no matter what happens, he's not going to be happy about it.
but there' a lot more stahn knows and understands about leon, and that's why he says the things he does, even if they may seem ridiculous to kashuu. it's... brutally honest and raw, both in how leon is, and how stahn himself views things.]
He doesn't want people to know that about him. He knows... people will treat him differently. I know they will too. He doesn't need pity. Leon... Leon needs people to care about him for him, not because of his past or his status, or his usefulness to other people.
[he's not saying that kashuu would do any of those things, but stahn knows how leon has been treated in life, and he knows how leon will see things. his closes his eyes, sucking in a quiet breath.]
I want him to be able to talk about it himself with the people he wants to tell. It's... it's not fair to him for people to find this out when he doesn't want them to know. He might close himself off more if he realizes other people know.
[and stahn doesn't want that, because he wants leon to open up more to other people and make friends on his own terms.]
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So his nod is slow-coming, but he does seem sure of his agreement at least, and just as honest with it as he is with most everything else.]
All right. [A careful pause.] If you think that's what he'd do- [Close himself off, that is.] -then I won't let him know, okay? That guy... I don't really know a lot about him, but he's had a hard time, right? [He's seen it, of course, in the way that Leon doesn't know how to react to some extremely basic things - things that even Kashuu can grasp without a problem.] So if this is something that would make things even harder, I don't want that for him.
[And Leon won't be a recipient of his pity either, though that has less to do with the fact that the situation itself doesn't warrant it and more to do with the fact that there are precious few things or people or situations that Kashuu has pity for. A sharper trait, less reflective of his human empathy, closer to the sword he was born as.]
...You really do a lot to watch out for him, huh?
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[so naturally, to stahn, that means he needs to look out for leon always. and he knows that leon looks out for him too, in his own ways.] I couldn't do anything back then, even though I tried. So...
I want to do whatever I can now. Leon deserves better than what happened to him, no matter what he thinks.
[stahn sucks in a breath quietly; he trusts that he can tell kashuu this based on the way he speaks of it. he already considered kashuu a friend, and he would have trusted him regardless—but hearing him say things like he doesn't want to do things that would make something harder for leon...
it speaks in loud volumes to him. for stahn, leon is one of the most important people he's ever know. leon was a huge factor in so many ways his life and worldview had changed, and even in death, he always called leon his best friend. nobody could replace that.
so he looks to kashuu, and though his expression is still melancholic, there's an obvious sense of gratitude that comes with it.]
Thanks. [for respecting his reasons for wanting to keep this from leon, of course. for respecting it at all, really.]
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Kashuu listens with a somber sort of earnestness as Stahn explains a little more, and even though it's just a little, it helps a lot in understanding. Stahn must be carrying a lot of weight too, then, if he still says something like I couldn't do anything back then. Knowing it happened despite trying - that must hurt, too. And Leon, apparently of the opinion that he doesn't deserve better than what happened to him... Honestly, Kashuu still doesn't know what exactly happened to him, beyond the creeping sureness that he had indeed just witnessed someone's last moments, but surely Leon didn't deserve even that.]
Mm. [It's not quite a "you're welcome" or a "you don't need to thank me", since Kashuu is caught between those two responses. It's just a little hum of acknowledgment, of the fact that he sees Stahn's gratitude.]
...If that guy has someone like you with him, I'm sure he'll be able to keep doing better. So I'll do my best, too.
[Both in making sure he follows Stahn's wishes and reasoning here, and in continuing to be a presence for Leon when and if ever he might be needed.
...]
But don't forget to rest sometimes, yourself. Putting all your energy into other people is fine- [To an extent, anyway.] -but if you push yourself too hard, it'll just hurt.
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to honor leon's last request, to avenge his death... and even now, to try and let him have a new lease on life, a second chance, and maybe a place to go where he doesn't have to return to the silent, watery grave his fate held for him. this is just how it is for stahn, leon is always pretty much at the top of his priorities in every regard.
so for kashuu to offer to do his best... it means a lot to stahn. someone who will be kind and understanding and not just pity him or write him off because of his attitude—that means more to stahn than most things he's encountered in recent history. so he's grateful to kashuu for that, and he really believes kashuu to be a good friend (and undoubtedly someone stahn will look out for a ton in the future).]
I'll be okay. [he says, eventually.] I know the things I have to do—[find a way to leon to live out his life, get home, save his own world, make sure his friends and family are safe from harm.] —I have enough energy for that.
[he doesn't care much about himself or what he wants or needs right now. sometimes, stahn can be a little bit of a selfish kid. sometimes, he gets too wrapped up in his own head and what he can't do rather than what he can do. sometimes, his feelings blind him to the pain of others—and that's always the worst, so he'd rather be selfless to the point of hurting himself than selfish enough that he neglects the people who matter most to him.]
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So for now, he just nods after that thoughtfulness has ebbed.]
All right.
[...]
But everything has a limit.
[Because he likes Stahn a lot already. He likes this optimistic, bright person, who pulls others toward him like a burst of sunlight. It would be an awful thing for this sort of person to fizzle out or crash and burn.]
...D'you mind if I stay with you for a little while? We can split up when you go look for him. [So Kashuu doesn't have to find an awkward excuse to leave before Stahn delivers his warning.]
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