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's endless, it all feels endless. There was recognition in her eyes as she'd watched the former image of Kashuu move, the blade that he wielded and there's something unfamiliar and dark and heavy that settles in her gut as she watched him dart through the crowd. These aren't pleasant moments. This is frightening and her hand in Kashuu's grips far too tightly to be comfortable, but he grounds her as the one real thing.
Yet as the tip of the blade is broken, as blood springs forth from Kashuu's throat -
There's no helping it. She screams.
When they make it outside, she's clinging onto his hand too tightly. She's breathing hard. Her eyes are wild and afraid and confused and yet none of these are emotions for herself. Not a single one.
Immediately, she's moving to close the space between herself and Kashuu, standing right in front of him and not daring to let go of his hand as she looks up at him with a mix of emotions in her eyes. She's fearful of what she just saw. She's lost and disoriented because it all happened so quickly. Yet there's one thing that she has to know:]
Kashuu - Kashuu, are you alright...?!
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I'm fine.
[Which isn't a total lie, at least. He reaches out, placing his free hand on her shoulder as if that might help give her something to focus on too. All of that confusion can't be helping her to feel any better after what she'd just been through - he doesn't want to add to it.]
I'm fine, so take a breath, okay? [He hates that look on her face, and he hates that he's at fault for this too.]
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After the promise that he wouldn't get hurt for her, the image of seeing him so suddenly and completely broken hurts. It throws her off-balance as she has to take a moment to figure out what's real and what's not. Technically, both of those were real but the Kashuu in front of her is the real one. The hand she's clutching onto, the hand on her shoulder, the calm of his words.
This is the present.
Even as she finds her eyes drawn to his throat first before his face.]
I... You were--
[She saw it. Should she apologize?]
I didn't....
[She didn't know.
Is he insulted now? After all she'd said about worrying for him? Is it only an excuse that she didn't know before?]
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And he notices the look too, so he urges her to keep her eyes on his, as if mentally willing that will be enough to make it so.]
I didn't die then, if that's what you're thinking.
[Which could be a relief or it could be ominous, depending on the way she hears those words. Maybe he'll be honest on his own - it's not like his history isn't available to anyone who'd think to crack open a book, after all.
But for now, he's still trying to calm himself down - still trying to calm her down.]
...It's okay. I'm fine, see?
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"Then"....?
[Does he die.... another time? Eventually? It makes her feel numb. Even if he's fine now, what does that mean? Will he always be fine? Will he one day not be fine?
Slowly, as if moving too quickly will knock her completely off balance, she shakes her head as tears flood her vision again. How much crying will she do today? How has she not already run out of tears?]
No, I....
I need you.....
[In a sense, those words are already true - and only in her raw emotional state can the words leave her mouth without being shackled by her own self-consciousness.]
I need you to be okay.
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[He says that swiftly but with full truth, making sure not to look away for even a second. It's important that this promise is made, too - because he is okay now. Even if his past weighs on him with a heavy pressing hand at times, he was given the chance to shake it and build something new, and that's so infinitely precious to him that he doesn't want to give Lili room to think of it as anything else.]
...I wasn't okay. After that, I wasn't. But I'm okay now because Haruji found me and brought me to him.
["It wasn't really a nice place", he said back at the aquarium.
Well, it's not untrue. Quasi-nonexistence isn't nice.]
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Still that manages to get her to calm down a small fraction. So Kashuu was fixed because of Haru. Lili needs to thank Haru. Even if it's foolish, even if it doesn't make a lot of sense, she knows that... she would be struggler much more without Kashuu and anything that helps Kashuu is worth gratitude.
But that was only a year ago or so, wasn't it?
How long was he suffering, caught in this space between immortality and death?
It dawns on her suddenly, like a crashing wave.
Without hesitation, not even given herself time to think, she lets go of his hand only to wrap both arms around his neck and pull him in for a hug. Lili is only physical when she is violent.
And apparently when experiencing sudden, violently charged emotions.]
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There's a little sound of surprise then, because it is surprising. Even if it's not unwelcome, he's still... upset. The memory is raw, and he dislikes sharing it even verbally. He likes Lili, but that doesn't mean he'd give something so personal away if given the option. And she's still upset, and it's still because of him, and he just hates that. Really hates that.
But what can he do? There isn't a lot of comfort he can give by way of word, so he raises his hands after a second and meets her halfway with the hug as he had done with the promise. She can cling as tightly as she'd like - he won't move at all.]
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He'd done his best with her after her ordeal, he'd been there when she needed to cling onto someone just to confirm that they're real. Yet now, now that she knows he's suffering, she doesn't have the words for him. Driven to the point that the most she can think of is this - this sudden, clumsy, unabashed physical move as if it'll hold the two of them together.
When she speaks, it's quiet. Almost a whisper, but close as they are, she knows that he can hear it.]
Never again.... I'll never let anything like that happen to you again.
[She's weak and she knows it. She's not as strong as he is. She's terrified of the idea of him ever being hurt.
But please, let her be able to do this much for him.]
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In the end, after all, a sword is a sword is a sword. His human body may be close to immortal because it isn't real and his sword body may be harder to damage than something as flimsy as flesh and blood, but he was born to fight, and he'll fight until he undoubtedly dies again. Metal isn't made to last forever, even if it can last thousands of years with proper care. Metal specifically summoned to fight in a war have even slimmer chances.
He won't insult that genuine way she spoke by denying what she said, though. Even if it isn't possible, it really is the thought that counts in this case. He lets his chin rest briefly against her shoulder since he's stooped too low to rest it against the top of her head, and when he replies, his voice is just as soft.]
Thank you.
[He's grateful. It means a lot, even if he won't hold those words as a binding promise or even the truth.
But that's fine.
Hearing it is fine all on its own.]
...I made you cry again. M'sorry.
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It's not - It's not your fault. [She trips over her words with how quickly she wants to reassure him that these tears.... they're inevitable. Because she's useless. Because she has more strength to cry than anything else.] It's never been your fault....
[It's not like he's cruel. He's never been cruel to her. Yet here she is, crying and... making him feel bad about it apparently. She pulls away slightly then, retracting one of her hands just so that she can quickly wipe at her face. No, these tears are only because she can never control her own emotions.]
I just - [The words die all too quickly.
I just want to be here for you. I just want you to smile again. I just wish that I could have the words to keep you from hurting.
Why can't she say them? Why can she never say what she truly feels? She tries, dear god, she tries-]
I hate... that you're suffering.
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He reaches forward; even though she's wiped her tears away, he gently passes his fingers over her cheek anyway.]
That memory is from a long time ago. A really, really long time ago, so - I'm not suffering, y'know? [Which is mostly true. He carries his scars and his weights like anyone else, but day to day, he isn't suffering. Right now-- Right now, it hurts, but he still wouldn't say he's suffering.] So please don't worry, okay? Don't be upset.
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(It's calm and patient, just like Tetora's. Despite herself, she finds herself aching for this kind of kindness too.)
When she speaks again, it's quiet and mystified:]
I don't understand....
[She doesn't understand his world, so full of death and misery. In all technicality, she knows of his strength and what it's used for. She knows that he's a kind soul - whether that soul belongs to a weapon or not. These two things so rarely intersect and so this serves as a grim reminder.
How can he be someone who smiles so much, is so happy over the simplest things, is so warm and welcoming and patient.... how can he do it?]
I really... don't understand you at all. Why are you the one reassuring me right now?
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[And there's no cruelty or malice in his tone, because it's very much a statement of fact as far as he sees it. Because it's an old hurt for him, even if it stings and bites and settles just below his skin discomfortingly to this day. For her, it's new - something caught in bits and pieces and flashes, painfully put together but still likely disjointed because he still hasn't come out and said everything that he probably should say. That's his weakness speaking for him.]
I don't like, make a habit of saying things only to go back right after. [Because he'd just said "I don't want to give you more reasons to cry" and yet, here they are.] And I don't like it when this place makes me lie, but there are still some things I can make sure it doesn't touch.
[He's finding today that he really hates seeing Lili cry. He hates seeing anyone cry. Even if it's better than some things - despondency, resignation, bleak acceptance, forced dismissal - it still sits poorly with him, and doubly so when it's someone he cares about, or when he's the one at fault, or when he can't do anything to stop it.
When he pulls his hand away from her face, it's only so he can move to pick hers up again.]
So even if I made you cry again, I want to try to make it stop, okay? [A beat, and then:] Please don't think of that Kashuu when you look at me.
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I'm sorry.
[There's a sniff as she bows her head then, trying to avoid meeting his eyes until she can get these tears to stop. They fall onto the cold ground beneath them, small drops that betray that she still isn't completely under control. Her hand in his clutches onto him, trying to extend both apology and appreciation in the same grip.]
It's not your fault - but I.... I think I'll always cry for you. Is that foolish...?
[Is it stupid? Is it idiotic? Perhaps it would be fitting, as she feels like she's all of those things.]
It likely is but more than that, I.... [Words that she doesn't know how to say: I want to keep this world from hurting you. I want to take the guilt away from your eyes. I want to you to know only happiness.]
I won't think of those times when I see you, I won't - not if you don't want me to. But if there's ever another time where you're scared or hurt or lonely--
Please - please remember me! [And in direct contrast with her words earlier, how ready she was to leave him for the sake of his own safety, she appears to have completely changed her mind now:] I'll always find you and I- I swear I won't leave you alone...!
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But the relief is real, and much safer than any of those sentiments he likes to pretend don't exist. So is the gratitude. So is the reluctant admittance that even if she cries for him, it should be okay.
He's quiet for a second, but there really isn't a need to debate his answer here.]
I'll remember you. [He'll remember that Lili saw him at something less than his best, and that she didn't push him away. (He's still too shocked now to really feel frightened about that, but it will catch up to him eventually, and he'll wring his fingers until they're red out of nervousness that someone, someday will look back at these mirrors and deem him unworthy.)
But for now-- Isn't this enough?]
I'll remember. There's no way I couldn't, right? Because you aren't foolish or whatever. You're still standing here even though I keep making you cry. [Even though she saw those ugly things.]
...Thank you. I'll make sure you don't regret it.
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[ not that there's any sort of bite to her words at all - rather, it's her attempt at trying to find stable ground again. There's a small sniff before she reaches up with her free hand to finally wipe away the last of her tears now that he's promised this too.
He won't sacrifice himself for her until she gets strong enough to stand next to him. He will be okay. He will remember her.
All these things make her heart swell. Even in a place as dirty and frightening and uncertain as this, these promises ground her.
When she steps back, she still doesn't let go of his hand. ]
I know I won't regret it already.
[ how could she regret anything she does with Kashuu? ]
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Having promises - that's important to Kashuu, being who and what he is. He's lost without those little things to tether him down, and the more of that weight he has, the more certain he feels. It's too scary to be alone and adrift - this is much better, and he's endlessly grateful to Lili for it. It seems like he's always finding new reasons to fall into the debt of others, but that's fine.
He squeezes her hand gently.]
Then I'll do my best.
[Whatever his best is needed for, be it training or fighting or taking Lili out to his favorite greasy spoons or giving her a cat to hold or a shoulder to borrow if she's ever tired and lonely. His loyalty and dedication are very complete things, after all.]
...You really are kind, Lili.
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Then his words surprise her.
Kind?
Surprised, she shakes her head. Heat rises to her cheeks predictably and she looks away, even if she doesn't let go of his hand.]
No, I'm - I... only tell you the truth.
[There's nothing kind about that.
Just... factual.
Even if she can't deny the warm feeling in her chest, the way that it makes her feel glad to know that maybe... just maybe she's done something to reassure him too?]
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You always say stuff like that.
[And that's - comforting. That's a comfort, isn't it? To know that even after seeing the things she'd seen, Lili still acts in a way he's come to expect. It's a relief, too. The preservation of status quo is very important to him even if he never says it in so many words, and that's more of a gift than any apology or words of mourning and loss.
He won't let go of her hand then, even as he turns away from the building.]
...Let's go. We still have a lot of ground to cover, right?
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Even as he writes off her behavior as typical, she blinks and looks at him with a hint of amazement in her eyes. How can he always just keep moving like this? How can he already find the strength to laugh? The fact that he keeps her hand in his... for now, she finds that acceptable.
(Though she'll likely find it in embarrassing in a few moments, too. Which will win out? Who knows.)]
Where are we going?
[... but the 'we' part settles easily with her, at least.]
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[Away from one broken building and toward many more then, since it isn't like they have anywhere else to go right now.]
So let's look. This place and that place underground were the only two, so something's gotta be up here somewhere.
[Since he's already been to the very end of that dark place, and even though he found things, he didn't find an exit.]
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Lili nods slowly - isn't that what she's been doing these past few days? Just trying to progress on her own.
That said, there's something reassuring about Kashuu's hand in hers.
So she lets out a short, quiet breath and then moves to step forward, trying to take the lead resolutely. There's no time or cause for tears anymore.]
Very well then.
-- Who are you still looking for?
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—I still haven't seen a few of my comrades, so they're my priority.
[Hilariously, he's already run into most of the non-swords that he's particularly close to... Lili had more or less been the last of the ones he'd wanted to check up on, but it's always hard to keep track of a group of 14 people.]
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Which of them...? I might've... seen a few?
[Perhaps?
It's still so hard for her to determine until the person she's talking to says something sword-like and then suddenly it's as if the lightbulb has been turned on.]
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