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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though before merlin can speak, she has to say her part first. ]
Mm, you get me. That's how I think, too.
[ now hit her!! show her the thing!! whatever that is. ]
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Sorry. Sorry. [ His body shifts then to face her properly, knees bent to the side to make room. His hands reach out to cover underneath hers and slowly he nudges them into a ball shape. ]
Like this. [ His own hands linger underneath, shaped like a bowl as he leans forward. He only stops when his mouth is merely a centimetre away. It takes more concentration when he's trying to use her hands as a vessel so she can feel the life form there instead of watching as he does it. There's something he has to say first, though: ] Magic is supposed to be used for good, though not everyone keeps to that. For something like this.
Ye-wircan leef.
[ He's close enough that she'll feel his breath on her skin, but shortly after the soft flutters of something trapped between her palms. Merlin pulls back, a serene expression on his face. Now it's up to her how she takes it. ]
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soon.
after the spell has been cast, she looks at merlin, her eyes completely wide in surprise. what is this? why is there something- ah... ]
Can I open them now?
[ though her own excitement makes the judgment before he even gets to answer. she opens her palms just a little bit to take a peek, and eventually lets whatever is inside go. ]
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I believe it thinks its found a flower.
[ ...???? No????]
Look, it isn't even trying to leave now.
[ Don't tease a girl over a butterfly's resting spot you jerk... ]
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she holds out a finger so the butterfly can flutter and do its thing there. she feels like one of those princesses in those kooky animated movies right now. and it's giving her hope that despite all these bad things happening around them, there's still a source of happiness. ]
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It'll stay with you. If we do get separated for some reason or other, until you let it go. It'll stay.
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My turn. Give me your hands, and then close your eyes.
[ the butterfly lands on the top of her head as she waits for him expectantly. ]
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He gives her a look, but there isn't any hesitation as he offers his hands out in the same way, his eyes closing right after.
He has 100% trust in her, especially after this ordeal. ]
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This is made from a real moonrock. And if we ever get separated, I want you to give it back to me when we meet again.
[ think of it as a promise, merlin. ]
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I can't take this. It's-- [ Even if he gets the meaning. Even if he really wants to. There's a shake to his hand as he looks at her. ] It's important to you, isn't it?
[ The visions he'd seen of her past, it was there too wasn't it? In flashes. ]
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[ her tone is serious, but she's smiling brightly. she trusts you now, 100%, merlin. ]
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He bites down on his lip as he looks back up at her, the gratitude for this trust in him, but also for the fact that she's also ensuring her can't let her down now...
His free hand moves up to cover his face, mostly to hide the embarrassed laugh that slips out. He covers that by dropping his hand lower, just looking at her for a moment.
She can probably hear everything too, can't she? That's what makes this so embarrassing. ]
I'll take good care of it until then.
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she feels a little naked without her earring, but it should be fine. she's worn this earring for nine years and only took it off on special occasions, but it should be worth it. she trusts this guy; she trusts merlin. and if the earring ever gets lost, then it's fine... it may have saved her life, but it's her punishment for even doubting the heart of such a good guy. ]
Thank you, Merlin.
[ okay, now she's also embarrassed, but she just laughs it off. ]
You're tired, aren't you? Maybe you should rest.
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That way, it'll be secure.
And close to his heart. ]
There.
[ His hands are sore from handling it, and he probably worked silently for the meantime, shaking his head when she asks if he's tired. ]
I got enough rest just by staying here.
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Well, if you ever want to rest or sleep, I'll be awake for a while.
[ a beat, then she gently touches the moon pendant. it looks really nice, even nicer when it's not on her. and it's a bit nostalgic to see it hanging on somebody's neck. ]
It looks nice on you.
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It looks better on you.
[ A soft admission. ] All the more reason to ensure it makes its way back to you safely.
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[ and then she laughs softly.
that's good to hear, though. especially what he said last. she pulls away and leans on the wall again, and she looks forward at the debris and the abandoned once-office. ]
When I asked you earlier if I'll be alright, I didn't mean it. [ the butterfly flutters and lands on her leg, and she softly rubs its wings with the back of her index finger. ] I was just really paranoid.
Someone I trusted tried to get me killed before.
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[ He goes quiet though as she settles herself back down, watching quietly as she starts to explain her earlier turmoil. It had been frustrating, because it was unlike any side of her he'd seen -- but he's also well aware that he still has a lot to learn about her too. There's no room for judgement at this stage.
Watching her with the butterfly though, brings an ease, a calmness over his entire being. ]
I don't understand how anyone could do that. [ His eyes flicker towards the wall. He stays like that for a few seconds then finishes with: ] I don't understand how anyone would really want to harm you.
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He needed to blame somebody... He murdered somebody, and pinned it on me.
[ somehow, it's cathartic to talk about this with someone. finally. ]
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Why. [ He licks his lips, presses his hands together to give him something to do. ] Why did he kill someone to begin with?
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He was a spy. [ hopefully he knows what a spy is?! ] And my mother's friend was trying to track him down.
My mother- she was a psychology expert. And with her help, my mother's friend was able to figure out the spy's psychological profile.
He didn't want to get tracked, so he killed my mother and tried to steal the file.
[ it's a long story, but she truly doesn't mind telling it if he wants to listen more. ]
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He doesn't know what a spy is, but he can figure it out on some level -- either way, this person wasn't good. ]
Can you really catch someone with something like that? I know you... you said you can hear someone's heart. But this sounds different. [ He's just trying to understand it all really. ]
Some people are too blinded by themselves that they can't see the pain they cause though... I'm sorry you fell victim to that.
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We were able to do it. [ but she'll spare him the story. ] In the end, it the earring you have now that solved the case.
[ that's why it's so important to her. it's saved her life once. ]
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That's incredible.
[ He bites his lip, almost wincing when he bites too deeply but then he's shaking his head. ] I've seen a lot of things, but... usually they're done with magic. It's strange, to hear about the things people can do without it, honestly.
[ Now smaller, with his eyes dipping down to stare at the hand that's pressed to hers he says two more words: ] You're incredible.
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Aw, you're just saying that! [ though softly, she says: ] Thanks. I guess... When I tell people about it, they usually get scared.
[ that's why... she understands merlin, even a little bit. when he told her about uther and how he's banned magic in camelot, she understood why he lived in fear. and people likely feared people who used magic, as well. she just connected the dots.
hopefully, her feelings aren't getting way ahead of herself, and of the truth. ]
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