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expiationlogs2023-07-13 02:36 pm
{EVENT #3} ADVERSITY 1665648.6754
| MOD NOTES: Please direct any questions to the corresponding comment below. Note that character decisions and actions taken on these prompts will affect future events, storylines, and relationships with other peoples of Expiation. You can find the OOC poll here. Please pick from the corresponding options with the appropriate character journal. If you use a personal journal or a journal not part of Expiation, your votes will not be counted. Remember that if your character did something different than what is in the prompts given, leave a comment in the OOC poll entry and link to your comment in the option made available. We will provide an IC post in exactly one week with the results of the poll that will wrap up the event. You may mingle on it if you like, but the most important purpose is to share the effects of character decisions on this event. The various prompts are, of course, optional. |
FOLLOW THE FAIRIES
On the morning of the 14th, Chosen will wake to the sound of loud clanging outside as what seems like a band of fairies has arrived to town. Most of them don’t talk, they simply stare expectantly as they float above the ground and gain the attention of the Chosen. If a character tries to speak to them, most will roll their eyes or shake their heads—some possibly using rude gestures to get their point across. They seem like they’re waiting for something, and their stubborn silence might be a problem for some of the more impatient Chosen. Characters who are nice to them might get some sass, or some eye rolling. Characters who are more impatient and try to yell, fight, or harm the fairies might find themselves… afflicted. They might not be able to hear for a while, they might not be able to see—maybe they’ll be floating in the air as if in a bubble, not able to move one way or another besides squirming and yelling at the cranky fairies. It could be a lesser affliction, too—maybe your allergies suddenly act up, or you have a massive cramp in your legs so that you can’t go anywhere. These effects don’t last long, though, only about ten or fifteen minutes. Their purpose isn’t to harm anyone, they’re just trying to tell the ruder Chosen to kindly fuck off. Other lesser status effects might happen—but the intention is never to harm, just to distract.
A larger fairy comes flying up, and the others surrounding him roll their eyes in even more exasperation than anything the Chosen would’ve gotten out of them. He sighs in an exaggerated way, before putting on what seems to be a fairy’s sort of version of a Customer Service Smile. When he speaks, he’s smiling but he sounds bored out of his mind:
The fairies behind him make a motion, almost like they’re unzipping a zipper. With a sound of tear, a hole appears in the air behind him, almost as if the scenery itself has been torn. A couple more fairies pull and stretch the tear until it’s big enough for the Chosen to walk through. If the Chosen to look through the tear, they can see that there’s a desert on the other side of it. It looks to be some kind of ruins, actually—but don’t wait too long.
Mr. Expedition isn’t too happy with hesitation.
**NPC will be available for interaction at this point!
JOURNEY TO THE DESERT
When the Chosen step through, they find themselves in the middle of some desert ruins. There’s not much on the horizon to see other than sand, and an oasis that looks like it’s off in the distance. If characters try to exit the city and go further out, they’re stopped and find themselves teleported back somehow. The fairies give a little chuckle when it happens, so maybe it was them? They can’t go further into the desert than where they’re at right now. There are stone buildings, but there are also metal remains of structures scattered around the area—just about the size of Aldrip. There’s remnants of businesses, restaurants and houses. Some are standing, and some are only remembered by a single dining room table sitting in the middle of the sand.
**NPC will be available for interaction at this point!
I. THERE'S SAND IN MY SHOES
Chosen who wander the ruins may note that it looks like some of the buildings were left in a hurry. Some of them look like people just disappeared from the inside— everything remains intact, as if nothing has been moved or taken out of the building. Plates out, covered with dust and sand, as if waiting for a lunch that’ll never come, or at the bar with liquor still in smaller shot glasses. Twinkies that have been unopened and are, somehow, inexplicably,, still good—
The remnants of the interiors are covered in thick layers of dust, but when they look inside, everything is painted. Everything is treated as a mural, from the inside walls to the outside. From religious figures, partial landscapes, and even some cartoon-looking characters—there’s a little bit of everything painted. Nothing seems to be just plain, almost as if the people who had lived there had considered everything a blank canvas. There may still be buckets of paint that characters find still hanging around, dried up from disuse, but still there. Beneath piles of rubble, the Chosen can find canvases, easels and other art supplies, most in various states of disrepair from age.
Besides paper used for art work, it doesn’t look like there’s much in the way of books or newspapers.Instead, they’re able to find something that looks almost like a smartwatch: sleek, with minimal interface, but when touched, they activate a few seconds of what looks like decayed hologram log.We have to work together! We can’t let them separate us— The hologram disappears. The Chosen can fiddle with this device and try to restore the hologram, but it just repeats the same distorted words over and over in a loop.
Besides the watches are what look like datapads that are found around the buildings as well. Touching them will cause the screen to flash in and out, almost as if there’s something wrong with their wiring. But words on a screen can be found intermittently—Those bastards, they left us THEY LEFT But wait… You feel a sudden chill down your neck. Are you being watched? Was that a shadow moving from the corner of your eye? You look, but don’t see anything. No, that’s silly. Mr. Expedition is the one watching you. Of course. That’s all it was
Of course.
II. LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED
The Chosen are a thorough bunch, aren’t they? As they continue to investigate the ruins, they’ll be able to access places like pantries, drawers, closets, and basements that are still roughly intact. Kind of. There are various things in these nooks and crannies: characters will be able to find various sundries like money, or sheer metal, or old dilapidated clothing. Jewelry boxes may still have earrings or necklaces, tool boxes may still have tools inside, things like that. A lot of it is personal, tucked away in storage, waiting for owners who have seemingly not returned. Some of it is useless junk: broken toys, half-disintegrated candy wrappers, and the like.”You might want to keep those items for later.” Mr. Expedition says this over the Chosen’s shoulder, but when they turn around, he’s gone again.
What he doesn’t warn for… are the traps. There’s tripwire, and devices on the doors to ensure that they’re not messed with. What kind of traps?
Well, they’re mostly harmless.
Most of the traps are just pranks: trap doors springing open beneath a character's feet, a loud burst of firecrackers upon opening a drawer, pie-in-the-face pranks with pie shells that have long since dried up. There is an endless variety, and nothing causes more than light bruising or startling. What will the Chosen pick up? What traps will they end up springing? Well, that's up to you.
THOSE WHO COME AT NIGHT
As Mr. Expedition mentioned earlier, there are some… people hanging around. Or are they people at all? Sometimes it can be as simple as a shadow, a trick of the light...others look as if they’re merely ghosts. Whether the Chosen try to talk to them or not, they don’t say much.
Why us?
Why why why why why
It’s nothing that really makes sense to the Chosen… so maybe it’s not that important to interact with them. Right?
As the day gets darker and it turns to night, the figures become more tangible. Their forms become clearer, now: what looks like people with strange but possibly familiar markings running along their skin. They’re probably unnerving enough, with their incoherent speech that just gets louder and louder.But they're not the only concern here: the bigger problem is that something else is becoming more tangible, too. These creatures might have been humanoid, once: they seem to have two arms, two legs, and what looks like a head…but all of them look fuzzy, almost like they're half-there, with indistinct features and black holes where their faces should be. Even if they don't have mouths…they still scream when they attack.
III. DESERT'S HAUNTED
These creatures see the fairies—and anyone who might be accompanying them—as a threat, and they react accordingly. The marked humanoids ("Oh, ew, Infected!" Mr. Expedition will hastily explain, if asked), who had barely paid attention to the visitors earlier, turn more hostile at the sound of the screams, almost as if the shadowy mutations are encouraging them to join the attack. Curiously, their markings become more prominent at the sound of the screams, as well. They all seem averse to light, which might be why Mr. Expedition has encouraged the Chosen to stay close to camp. The campfire provides refuge from all of the hostile creatures, but for those enterprising enough to try exploring at night…well, good luck."Ah, yep, there they are," Mr. Expedition ponders aloud, ducking behind a group of the Chosen. "Now, let's see. What was I supposed to tell you about them? Hmm…something about 'the attack'." And then, just like that, he's gone again.How helpful.
Chosen who attack the Ghosts will find this to be a futile effort: weapons, magic, and objects lobbed at the creatures are absorbed in the black void of their bodies. Physical attacks with fists and the like are repelled: the Chosen will find themselves thrown several feet away after trying.
The Infected, as Mr. Expedition called them, do not seem to be invulnerable. The Chosen are able to attack and push them back with weapons, magic, and physical attacks, which can prove fatal to them. When they die, their bodies disappear from the field moments after they're struck down.
Both the Ghosts and the Infected are able to hurt the Chosen, tearing at them with claws. The wounds caused by these creatures seem normal enough, but are invulnerable to magical healing, and take a strangely long time to heal…
IV. KNEW THAT'D COME IN HANDY
"Aha! I got it!" Mr. Expedition cries, reappearing over the Chosen a few minutes later. "Be nice! Remember the attack! And items have power!" He bows, as if he's made the most helpful announcement in the world, and then disappears again. So…what does that mean? And why did he wait until now to even say anything?
Chosen that are able to think quickly may remember his words from earlier about holding onto some of the personal items they found in the ruins. They might also remember how some of their ranks had been Branded before, and how selfless acts helped them overcome those struggles. The Infected may stand down when they're held back from hurting others, or given a possession that someone found earlier. If given a personal item—any personal item—from the ruins, they pause their fighting, their faces going blank for a few moments. The markings begin to face, and they collapse on the ground. they're still alive, but unconscious.
The Ghosts are more formidable. They don't have the same reaction to the personal items, but they seem to be strongly affected by acts of protection. Witnessing the Chosen exhibiting these acts of kindness is what ultimately gets a Ghost to stop in its tracks. These creatures are too far gone to revert to a humanoid form, though—if their tastes are met, they simply fade away.
THOSE WHO STAYED BEHIND
We get it, not everyone trusts fairies. Those who choose not to go on the expedition to the ruins might find things eerily quiet in Aldrip. There are a few fairies who stay behind and continue to coax the ground back to life, of course—and just as before, they encourage the Chosen to help them do so.
But if they're paying attention, the Chosen might notice that something is amiss. Parts of signs on buildings have blinked out of existence. Some of the local residents of Aldrip act as if they're lagging. Some even flicker in and out of existence…but that's fine, right? Nothing to worry about.
Right?
V. IT'S NOT A BUG, IT'S A FEATURE
For those who have stayed behind, there's plenty of work to do in Aldrip and the surrounds. Buildings still sit in disrepair after the last event—haven't the locals been working on that? no? what have they been doing all this time?—and decayed wood and underbrush need to be removed from Pessiria Forest.
Now would be a great time to begin working on building up new things, too: plenty of Chosen have been talking about building homes or dorms to ease the pressure on the Inn, and some of the locals still whisper concerns about what happens if refrigeration fails again. Do they have enough crops to feed everyone, after that giant monster withered so much of the area? Where are you going to put all that debris, anyway? And what about the paths between towns that still lie in disrepair?
Unfortunately, the Chosen are almost entirely on their own for this. The people of Aldrip seem particularly helpless in the face of change, and some even seem to freeze up at the thought of helping out…wait. Are they actually frozen? They're not blinking. Or moving. …Oh, they're fine now.
This is fine!
VI. FUCK IT, WE BALL (WILDCARD)
Just because there’s not a prompt for it doesn’t mean that your character’s actions aren’t acceptable. If you wish to do anything that hasn’t been directly addressed by the prompts, leave a message for the mod team to say what your character would do. If you choose to go down this path, note it as a comment on the OOC poll when it goes up, and leave a link to your threads so that we can take all actions into consideration for the next State of the Game.
Ragna the Bloodedge | BlazBlue
[ So now there are even more fairies out there, huh? Technically speaking, Ragna isn't terribly interested in them, but he assumes they must know something about this whole "Chosen" bullshit, so he might as well ask. And by "ask", he obviously means rudely demand answers from them, which ends about as well as one would expect; it quickly escalates into an insult contest between him and the fairies, and it's hard to tell with side is more fed up with the other. ]
Tch, buncha little shits...
[ At this point, Ragna is feeling pretty much done trying to argue with them and tries to leave... only to find that the gravity around him isn't what it used to be, and he begins to float up in the air. ]
What the hell?!
[ The fairies snicker at his distress, clearly having fun watching him flail in panic. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who's behind his current predicament, so Ragna's initial panic is quickly replaced by pure anger. Perhaps someone more reasonable would try apologizing to the magical beings in an attempt to make them undo... whatever they did, but seeing as this is Ragna we're talking about─ ]
Fuck off.
[ Yeah, that's not happening. Guess he'll just hang in the air for a little while. ]
II. why did it have to be ghosts
[ It doesn't come as a surprise that there would be some kind of danger involved in this expedition, and quite frankly, this is way more up Ragna's alley than going through some abandoned houses in search of god knows what. He's been in a bad mood after being dumped in the middle of a scorching hot desert, so having an excuse to beat the crap out of someone is exactly what he needed.
Interestingly enough, he displays vastly different reactions depending on the type of enemy encountered, however: ]
a.
[ Those "Infected" or whatever the fairies call them? Piece of cake. Any of them that approach him find themselves at the receiving end of his blade, and while cutting them down one by one doesn't seem to accomplish much, he sees no reason to try and find a different solution to the problem. Sure, the fact there's seemingly no end to them and they never learn from the fate of their predecessors is a pain, but what else is there to do but to keep destroying them if they keep coming? ]
Get outta my way!
[ This time around, Ragna doesn't even bother drawing his sword; instead, he reaches for the creature with his right arm, which instantly transforms into a beastly, clawed form and he grabs the Infected, lifting it up. The creature trashes in his grip, trying to escape, only to slowly come to a stop and grow limp a moment later. The man lets the corpse go, dropping it to the ground, as his arm returns to its normal shape. ]
... What the hell was that...?
[ He asks no one in particular, looking down at his hand and slowly flexing his fingers. Sure, his Soul Eater worked just as intended, but something about that felt a little... off, just now. He's not entirely sure whether it's his Grimoire acting up, or just the result of being in a different world...
Oh well. The man shrugs, deciding there will be another time and place to figure that one out ─ preferably somewhere without these weird zombie-like things attacking him. ]
b.
[ ... and then there are those other things. The ones that shall not be named. Ones that Ragna would give anything to unsee.
Of course there would be ghosts here. Of course. That's just his luck. Why couldn't it be literally anything else?! Snakes, spiders, hell, he'd take mummies for fuck's sake. But no, it has to be the one thing in the whole wide world that actually scares him.
Ragna has been doing his utmost best to avoid those things, but unsurprisingly, what little remains of his luck eventually, and he finds himself face-to-face with one of the phantoms. ]
... Nope. Nah. Nuh-uh. No. Nein. Non. No way, no how.
[ He quickly spins around, away from the (momentary confused) spirit, and starts walking away. Maybe if he simply ignores it and doesn't acknowledge its existence, it'll just disappear like a bad dream upon waking up? Clinging to that hope is his only solution aside from running for the hills. ]
wildcard
[ Feel free to toss any scenario at me or hit me up for plotting something else if you'd like! ]
i
I don't think continuing to cuss them out is going to help anything.
[she's. just saying...]
no subject
It's not like it can make things any worse, either.
[ Famous last words... ]
no subject
[she knows she's being unhelpful. but with all of his shouting and everything, she feels like he kind of deserves it.]
If they could make you float, who knows what else they could do?
no subject
Dunno, send me back where I belong? Explain why the fuck I'm here in the first place? That's exactly what I was trying to find out!
[ He throws his hands up (or... what would be sideways from her point of view) in exasperation. This finally felt like a chance to get some answers, but no, of course things can't be this simple. ]
no subject
[she considers him a little bit more.]
I mean, I wouldn't have taken you yelling and cussing at me well either.
no subject
He glares down at her, apparently not taking her advice to heart. ]
Oh yeah? Well, since you're such a specialist, how about you answer my questions?
[ So yeah, that part about not being a dick? Doesn't seem to have made it through his thick skull. ]
no subject
There's worse things than floating if you're going to continue to be an ass.
[she huffs.]
But go ahead. I don't know much, before you get pissy with me.
no subject
In that case... know anything about whoever's in charge of this shithole?
[ The chances of that are probably slim but hey, you never know, right? ]
no subject
I don't. The Aldrip locals seem to be very fond of Those Who Were There though, but I haven't found anything tangible about them yet.
[better than nothing, maybe?]
2b
Then at second glance, the man is...turning his back on one of the phantoms. And just. Walking away.
The absurdity of it all makes Sigma forget where he is and what he's doing just long enough to voice his thoughts. ]
Are you out of your mind!?
no subject
runwalk away?Hearing someone exclaim, Ragna looks over and sees... Oh. The guy from back then. He sighs, having absolutely nothing to say in his defense. Yeah. Yeah. He knows. He knows, but... they're ghosts. The one thing in the entire universe he doesn't want to, no, straight up can't handle. ]
I must be, since I seem to be seeing things.
[ Or at least he wishes that was the case. ]
no subject
[ He takes a step forward, hoping against hope he doesn't have to intervene but if that thing aims to take advantage of easy pickings then he can and will put himself between it and this giant stubborn fool. ]
no subject
Which doesn't stop him from feeling annoyed with being lectured. ]
You think I don't know that, Cruella?!
[ His outrage, however, is interrupted when the creature behind him finally decides to strike. Acting purely on instinct, Ragna dodges the attack, but now that he's faced with one of his greatest fears, he can't bring himself to even finish his smart-ass comment, let alone retaliate before the ghost continues with its assault.
He would never actually admit it, but he might need some help here. ]
no subject
Fortunately he's pretty fast for a guy running on sand, and he makes the split-second decision to just pick up the nearest piece of debris he can easily lift and chuck it at the creature. It doesn't do anything of course, just gets lost in the swirling void of nothing that makes this thing up, but it wasn't really intended to do damage anyway. Only get its attention off attacking long enough to shove Ragna (and hopefully the idiot trying to help him) out of the way.
Here's hoping they don't just end up in a prone lump. ]
2a
Which is why she's frantically looking around for a solution. Even if it's just something she can temporarily use as a weapon, just something to whack them with--
Except she doesn't spot anything of the sort. Instead she's distracted by some odd-looking huge claw-hand in the distance, spotting it first before she sees the guy attached to it. In the middle of a situation like this, Ange doesn't even stop to think about what kind of weird powers Ragna has, or why he looks so confused.
There's no time to think. She can always ask him later. ]
Ragna!
[ Congratulations, Ragna, it might just be the only time anyone has heard Ange raise her voice like that in this place. To be fair though - she isn't sure if he'll hear her if she doesn't do it, and the Infected keep trying to claw at her, even if Ange is trying so hard to dodge them and avoid getting surrounded by them at the same time.. ]
I could really use some help from a non-hero here..!
[ Ange.
Ange, this is not the time for references, girl!! At least she is properly asking for help, instead of just giving up and letting these beings have her.. ]
no subject
Before he even reaches her, a dark, vaguely beast-shaped shadow rises from the ground, catching the being closest to Ange in its fangs and dragging it across the ground away from her. The beastly shadow then dissipates, seemingly retreating back into Ragna's right arm as the man throws himself between the girl and the approaching enemies, his sword drawn and ready to strike. You know, like a real non-hero would. ]
Stay back!
[ It's almost alarming how these... things don't seem to have any common sense to stop attacking, no matter how many of them he cuts down or pushes back ─ you'd think that at some point, the simple survival instinct would kick in, but no such luck yet. Still, since he has no doubt about his ability to handle them (as long as they aren't the ghosts, that is), Ragna can take this moment to throw in some sarcastic banter of his own in here. ]
Thought you're not one for combat, huh, Miss Detective?
[ Two can play the poorly timed references game! ]
no subject
Especially when she quickly realises the shadow is actually helping, rather than just another threat. It must be something Ragna is doing, and it's not like she's going to question his powers in the middle of a battle.
It's easier to multitask with dumb banter than with actual in-depth questions, okay. ]
I'm not exactly getting much of a choice here. [ Those are the words she fires right back at him - though she isn't ungrateful for the rescue, despite not really showing it in this moment. Maybe when she has a few more moments to actually process the thought of it when this is over.
It might just be the first time someone has actually come to her aid, after all.
For now though, she's trying to focus on the battle. Even if Ragna seems like he's got it covered, she doesn't want to have to risk more of these things attacking them, or maybe Ragna running out of stamina, so-- ]
I need a moment to get my powers working, as long as you hold them off!
no subject
Got it!
[ He dispatches the next Infected who approaches him without problems, sparing no thought to the morality of harming or killing them in case they happen to be actual people under those weird markings. And why would he? They're attacking him, so what happens to them next is none of his concern.
He makes sure none of them can get anywhere close to Ange, but as he's been learning lately, fighting for yourself and protecting someone else are two entirely different things, and as comfortable he is with the former, the latter can still prove to be a challenge if they end up surrounded. ]
Anytime this century would be good, y'know!
[ He hopes that whatever she's cooking will be effective enough to at least provide enough distraction for them to put some distance between the foes and themselves. ]
no subject
Which is why the girl isn't even sure whether it'll work to begin with. But she has to at least try, so she tries as much as she can to drown out the sound of the battle around her in her mind, trusting Ragna that he'll keep her safe enough, even when she's concentrating on something else than dodging the attacks going on here.
She raises her hands, which glow with golden magic.
Ange can at least hear what Ragna is saying, but she does her best to surpress the instinctive urge to snark back at him. This so isn't the moment, and she has to remain focused, and-- she knows he's got to mean well anyway, if he's bothering to help her at all.
So when Ange opens her mouth, it's instead to call forth her magic: ]
Come, rise, and forgive the sin! The seven sisters of Purgatory!
[ Blood-red magic circles appear all around them, and slipping out of them as if they are portals are seven.. odd objects. They look a little like stakes, or ice picks, except they're oddly decorated..
But what might be more important is that they seem to fly through the air by themselves after appearing - at speeds that are too quick for the human eye to even follow. They bounce off everything they can find, whether it's the ground, or rocks, or walls from nearby buildings, and then just continue to ricochet around like that.
They mostly seem to be trying to get between the Infected and the two of them - and Ragna will even find that even if he moves, the stakes will not hit him, like they're purposefully making sure to fly right past him without touching him. It seems to work, since every time the Infected threaten to get closer to the two of them, one of the stakes will fly right in its path, stopping the Infected in its tracks. ]
no subject
When the stakes shoot out of the magic circles, Ragna instinctively moves out of their way to dodge them before he realizes they do that by themselves; usually, when someone summons pointy objects from portals it's to skewer him, so one can't blame him for being a little cautious. But this gives him an opportunity to move his focus from the enemies to his companion. ]
Guess that's our cue to leave. You ready?
[ She'd better be, because that question is all the warning he gives her before he... reaches out to grab her around her waist, picks her up and casually tosses her over his shoulder.
Look, he figured this would be the fastest way and asking for permission kind of defeats the purpose of being in a hurry. ]
i have the perfect icon for this
[ Ange really doesn't have time to do more than just let out that slight sound - not even answering the question yet, mind you, since her brain gets a little confused by Ragna practically already moving for her when he only just finished asking his question! - before stuff is already happening.
Before so much stuff is happening.
It's not even like she's completely unused to this. It certainly isn't the first time she's been picked up by someone trying to get her away from something, but it takes her brain a moment to process that this is even happening. In fact, Ragna is probably already moving away from the situation while carrying her like that when Ange properly realises in what kind of position she even is. ]
Wha-- R-Ragna, what are you doing?!
[ Though she's not dumb enough to actually start kicking or anything right now, she's definitely squirming where she's slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. ]
You have to ask girls these things and wait for a proper answer before you just do it!
[ Sorry, Ragna. You must understand-- It's the tsundere in her that has to complain about this, even though he's definitely helping her. And even though Ange definitely is not protesting or resisting as much as she could here in the first place, the non-tsundere part of her brain understanding this is just necessary in a relatively dangerous situation. ]