The Staging AreaYou find a rock that's not too jagged and sit on it.
"So..." you can hear an entity talking to you. "I've been meaning to ask you something. You said you share your head with a guy named Artemis, right? Well, my question is, what's with the name? Iisn't Artemis a... girl's name?"
"Normally, yes. However, I do believe it had several connotations attached to it. First, Artemis, on our world, was the Greek goddess of Hunting, the Moon, and... well... virginity, although that last one can be omitted. That's kinda why he's named Artemis. The other reason is that he had a rival Guardian named Apollo Devicus."
"Ahh, so it's one of those evil opposites thing, eh? I know that stuff. I can understand that and how it could lead to misunderstandings. In fact, once, in one of the worlds I had traveled to, there was this superhero who could enchant donkeys called the Great Ass. Heh, yeah, that guy had a good sense of humor. Too bad he was killed by the Big Rip." *chuckles* "And, anyway, a crazed villain who thought the Great Ass was his arch-nemesis or something misunderstood the origin of his name, so, you won't believe this, the guy started calling himself-..." the entity stops mid sentence.
"Ooohh crap." he adds with an almost musical tone after a moment. He doesn't speak for the minute of quiet after that.
John stares at his chair. At least he could sit in it- and does so.
"Don't dwell on the past too much, though. Learn what you need to and move on. You can't change it, so don't linger there."
Get a feel for the abilities of the chair. Put my hand on the ground and try to sense there as well- surely this is all virtual reality, and it's one giant machine?
You touch your creation and focus on understanding it.
The chair is a chair. You can sit on it. It can't fly or recite poetry or anything like that. One of its legs is kinda crooked but it's nothing life threatening.
The freezer attachment seems to have a burnt diode in one of its circuit boards.
The massage attachment for the chair has its motors and rails a bit misshapen and asymmetrical. That's what's causing the strange behavior.
As for the ground, you feel nothing. It's dirt and stone. Nothing special.
Sounds like you need a song on why bears suck, Orange!
Summon cane, top hat, and tap dancing shoes.
"Who are you calling Orange, Red?
Anyway, I'll have you know I am Gold, thankyouverymuch. Check my BBCode tags if you don't believe me. My beautiful Golden scales are the envy of every entity. All the suitable mates turned their heads and assorted seeing organs to look at me when I was passing them by."You get a large selection of Top Hats, Canes and Tap Dancing shoes to materialize around you. Some of them are too large or small for you and all of them are in flamboyant, fluorescent colors. Looks like something one would wear in a carnival.
Bryan hears the shadow man speak turns and almost speaks to him. He thinks better of it, he does not want to irritate that being yet. He exhales a deep breath. This is a lot for him to take in, and he needs space to think. Move towards the sound of the dog barking.
You start walking towards where you think the sound came from, somewhere opposite the waterfall. However after a bit of walking, you reach a rock wall that blocks your movement.
The Staging Area looks somewhat like this:
Higher ground is north, lower is south. The sound came from somewhere on your east.
"That's about it, yes. Why did you choose a six year old, by the way? Not that I mind, it just strikes me as a curious decision."
"Not my choice. Every entity can bring almost anyone they want here. He chose to bring the Demongirl. Nothing I could do about that. Not that I'm complaining, she did an excellent job, even if she did most of that by accident."After about a minute he adds.
"By the way, there's a very entertaining show being given out there if you want to watch. So much Drama! I've got to warn you though: it's extremely hot..."
((I's be willing to play target amethyst. Still voting for boss fight though.))
Try to get to the roof of the building.
How do you wanna try to do that? Most obvious ways are either going through the door and looking for a ladder or trying to climb to that hole in the wall. You could also try going through the vents if you think you're a video game character.
((Sorry for not answering all your questions but I don't think people who are emotionally in a bad place would suddenly start rambling and providing exposition like nothing is going on. That's why the answers are coming a bit slower.))
((Don't worry about it, different people handle stress different ways. Irine's stress-handling mechanisms are based off my own, which are a lil nonstandard sometimes. for example, pain, sorrow, and anger can all be changed into one another. When carefully balanced, they can keep each other in check even when I'd normally be overwhelmed. When unbalanced from such a state...))
"Had to... Had to what? Stellar? I don't understand. I... what's wrong? Why wouldn't I want to be your friend? You're here for me, aren't you? I still trust you. I still like you!"
I rock back and forth in her arms.
"Comon Stellar, stop being so mean to yourself. I need you Stellar! Please, can we please be friends? Please?"
I suddenly lick her cheek once.
"Gotcha! Comon! Please? I'm supposed to be the depressed one here, remember? Please, I just want to know what's happening to me. It's not that I don't trust you. It's that I can't help unless I know what I'm really doing, and why. What are the Games, really?"
"You don't understand. It's my fault!"
She gently pushes you away. The ground beneath her rises about half a meter, creating further distance between you.
"I- I made a mistake. I should had done a better job but I couldn't help you. I... don't know what happened, why it happened. I didn't fix the damage you had and he- he had to fix it for me or you would die and he- That's why you... you're different."
She falls on her knees, her head hanging low. Ripples extend from her face to the rest of her liquid body, the returning waves merging with each other creating standing waves and other interference patterns.
"It's all my fault. If I was better, stronger, none of this would have happened. It's all my fault. Not yours."
She gently pushes you away. The ground beneath her rises about half a meter, creating further distance between you.
She pushes you away
creating further distance between you.
I stare up at stellar from my now-seated position from when she pushed me.
"S-s-so, yo-you're rejecting me? I... I... I'm... I'm on my own? I... I... But... You..."
my breathing accelerates, my fingers flex repeatedly by my sides, my ears remain low, and my teeth clench.
"I-uh-i-I'll... FINE! I'll... I'll... I... I'll fix this with or without you then! I... I... I refuse to give up, okay? I... I'll... I'll think of something! I... I..."
I hug myself for a moment as my teeth unclench.
"I still like you Stellar. Even... even if this ends badly for me."
and then get up and <rest of action PMd>
((Aah. Interesting. I wish to you that your feelings always remain in a metastable state then!
EDIT: Oh, it wasn't a pillar. More like a small mound. And .5 meters isn't a very big distance. If it was steep and circular, it would be more like a very tall step or a very short pedestal than a pillar.))
You start walking away as the environment changes around you, spurred by your own dark thoughts and memories. Waves of fire spread from you, burning the clearing. The panicked chirping of birds and the creaking of burning trees lasts only for a moment before the area around you is replaced by something more familiar, darkness and heat and cramped spaces.
With your back turned on her and your body obscuring the mirror, you cannot notice Stellar, the interference pattern on her body intensifying until it collapses into a puddle of water that soon evaporates. You're too far away to hear what she whispers before she disappears.
You step through your now burning portal, into the staging area beyond.
The Staging Area contd.Irene steps out from the cave containing her portal, a wave of fire following her footsteps and spreading around her, consuming everything. Her face is contorted with rage, her ears hanging low, her body low and ready to strike, her tails twitching nervously from side to side. A stance of anger, an offensive stance despite the fact that her face is still red and and glistening from the recent tears. The fires continue to spread around her but extend mostly behind her, backlighting her, making her face appear even darker and angrier.
"WHERE IS THAT COWARDLY FORSAKEN SPITEFUL BASTARD OF AN ENTITY WHO DESIGNED THAT MISSION!?!" she shouts.
"So many kind words for me?" responds the entity smugly as it condenses from a red haze into a human form, a man wearing a black suit, white shirt and black tie.
"I'm impressed." He stands a few meters away from her.
"WHAT KIND OF A MORON THINKS IT'S REMOTELY FAIR PLAY TO RIG THE GAME TO ARRANGE OUR HOSTS GUARANTEED DEATHS EVEN UPON A VICTORY?""Now, now, those allegations have no basis on reality. You-""NOT ONLY WAS OUR BRIEFINGS UNECESSARILLY LACKING BASIC INFORMATION, AS SHOWN BY THE MISSION PLANNER KNOWING THE ESCAPE VEHICLE EXISTED AND ITS CAPACITY BUT NOT HOW IT WORKED OR WHY WE WERE EVEN BEING SENT IN THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.""That is technically-""NOT ONLY DID YOU FAIL TO SHOW US THE LAYOUT OF THE PLACE WHILE WE PICKED INSERTION METHODS.""I believe I-""NOT ONLY DID YOU FAIL TO WARN US OF THREATS ON THE SECOND LEVEL DOWN DESPITE KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT TO TAKE FROM THE DEAD CENTER OF THEM.""To be fair, you-""NOT ONLY ALL THAT, BUT YOU SABOTAGED THE ESCAPE VEHICLE SO THAT IT COULD NEVER LAND.""I did no such thing.""AND ON TOP OF THAT YOU FORCED US TO EXIT OUR HOSTS PREMATURELY, TRAPPING MY HOST IN A BODY OF THE WRONG SPECIES WHILE TRYING TO PILOT THE SPACECRAFT.""Again, I-""GEE, SHE PANICKED WHEN THAT HAPPENED. SHOCKING. YOU, PERSONALLY, MURDERED HER, IN A SPITEFUL ATTEMPT TO GET BACK AT ME FOR WINNING YOUR DAMN GAME. YOU CHEATED HER OF HER LIFE AND IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO BRING. HER. BACK. DON'T YOU EVEN TRY TO PULL THAT 'DEAD IS DEAD' CRAP EITHER. IT WASN'T OUT OF MY REACH SO IT ISN'T OUT OF YOURS.""Listen here young lady. What happened there was caused by you and you alone. Her death is on your hands, not mine. We cannot interfere once a challenge has started, neither to help you nor to hinder you. You were put into their bodies with the expectation to help them finish their objectives, to give hope to a hopeless suicidal mission, to help them in a fight for freedom. Not only was all the information they had available to you, but D. many times provided you with information you shouldn't have, going against the rules and barely avoiding being punished. Most of the enemies you faced were drawn out by your incompetence and your inability to be subtle and stealthy, not by some sinister planning on my part. And the 'spacecraft' as you called it, is actually a missile utilizing primitive and cobbled together teleporters to bypass detection systems and countermeasures by teleporting through them. The rocket must be piloted by a special individual because only he can target the missiles teleportation feature. The cockpit module is meant to detach and land safely, because compatible pilots are rare." The air in front of him ripples like water and then solidifies into a screen, showing the rocket launching.
"However, by disregarding your directives, putting two beings (one of them not even human) in a cockpit designed for a single human and severely damaging the missile, you managed to somehow get the two modules stuck." The video he shows you confirms this, assuming you believe it's authentic. The rocket goes through the fan with nothing more than scratched paint, but then crashes from one wall of the ventilation shaft into another, causing major dents to form all along the missile, one of those near the place the two compartments attach to each other.
"You were pulled out of there when you completed your objectives. You knew that would happen when you completed your objectives, your Interfaces informed you of that. And if you had been a bit more competent, your host would have been returned to her appropriate form when there was enough space to do so, her memories changed to help her remain sane. We clean up after we play. The fact that I enjoyed and profited from what you did, what you all did, that doesn't make me responsible for it. In the end it was all your choice. After all, there was nothing preventing you from stopping, was there? If you wanted to be certain she would stay alive, then all you had to do was walk away. But instead you kept on going. And even if I wanted to bring her back (which I don't and frankly I don't see any way for you to convince me otherwise) there is no way I could do that. That is not one of the worlds I control." That smug voice and that look of a man who is certain he is right never leave him while he speaks.
Mostly everything around Irene is burning right now and the fire is getting dangerously close to others. The
entity seems to hold the flames around him at bay by some invisible method.
((By the way, I imagine
him as looking somewhat like a
young Al Pacino when human.))
Peregrine
((That is one beautiful view.))
Theri laughed along with her companion-both surprised, worried and happy at the same time-as everything came into place.
I wonder if he was thinking about the lands. Some danger to it? Hmm.
"That's a lot of deep thinking you've got there, River. Something wrong with the lands? They're quite beautiful. How did we get here?"
!
"Oh, that?" he says, suppressing another wave of laughter. "That's just one of the tricks I can do. I can move to other places." He gets up and removes some dirt from his fur before approaching you. "Sorry for not warning you about it, but sometimes it is easier to show something than to explain."
"I guess I deserved that?" he adds with a smile. "Well done, by the way. Few can sneak up to me like that. And... thanks."
He turns around to face the cliff again. "Speaking of showing, come! Take a look at where we are at!" He starts walking towards it. "Clean mountainous air, clear water springs and some very interesting people! I think-" He stops talking mid sentence. "Oh... That's not good."
Looking down from the cliff, you can see what has him worried. There is a number of people down there, all of them very interesting and somewhat strange. An overweight man dressed in colorful clothing, a man with comically large ears, a boy with the aqua wings of a dragonfly on his back, a blue lizardwoman, a man sitting on a chair among unknown contraptions...
However what has River's attention drawn is a young woman that bears a bears a remarkable resemblance to you, her only difference being that her brown fur only covers her ears and three fox-tails. She seems to be having an argument with a man in black and white clothing and a black silk rope tied around his neck, shouting at him while he remains completely calm and speaks normally. The most alarming thing is that she seems to be emitting magical fire from her body, burning everything around her, causing the water in the stream to boil and filling the area around her with an orange glow.
The woman's shouts reach you, but she's too far away for you to understand exactly what she is saying. The only thing you can make out with certainty is the rage in her voice and movements, her ears hanging low, her tails twitching nervously, her body low and ready to pounce.
((The area looks somewhat like this:
Higher ground is North (the lighter brown), lower ground is South (the darker brown). The people you are watching are somewhere near the center of the area, near the stream.
Poll
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Author
Topic: Special People: Mechanical Syndrome (Read 1146568 times)