((I switched to finalizing B.E.T.A. a bit since that seems to be our other mission and I am happy to report that it is also mostly done. Just need to double check the map a bit.
If all goes well, I should be able to start both missions on... let's say... Tuesday.))
Stumble up to the cave wall, retch.
You stumble up to the nearby cave wall and retch, but your stomach is empty.
While you do so, you notice that this is a rather large cave. It's lit by some small holes in the ceiling of the cave. There's also a cliff at one end of the cave. There's only darkness there.
"Hey! Hey, you! Everything alright? Something went wrong with the transfer? Are you feeling like yourself? No, that's a silly question, how could you be able to tell if you weren't yourself? Eeeerm... Something simpler. CAAAN. YOOOUUU. UNDERSTAAAND. MEEE?" you hear a voice in your head.
"I allow D into this area."
I wait a moment, giving him a chance to enter, but stay curled up.
"Why did Stellar reject me D? Why did she push me away? I... I needed her. I needed, still need, help. And she pushed me away, saying I should hate her for... something she did a while ago. She hasn't said what, though I think I can guess it. I don't hate her D. I've tried to tell her over and over, but she can't seem to accept it. I... I wish she'd trust me. I wish she'd accept me. She keeps acting like she thinks she's unworthy of me. I don't care about if she's worthy or not! Why did she reject me D?! Why..."
((Just noticed you described my caves as dark, cold, and empty. um...))
if you continue deeper still, magma pools begin to pockmark the area, and small geysers and hot springs are everywhere. the air is quite hot and humid, and every imaginable surface is absolutely covered in plant life. including some giant fungi that will sometimes extend from the ceiling to the floor, and block some paths.
A lot of the local flora are bioluminescent. It's not daylight-levels of light, but it's closer to a normally-lit room in most places (exact light level varies based on plant distribution).
There are dark, cold, and empty places, but those are much higher up. The deep area is my home and it's not like that.))
((Sure, whatever you want. You gave me an entire planet's worth of description and I thought I could use it to make the scene a bit more desolate. And I was in a hurry so a small description was a plus.))
The entity begins manifesting even before you finish your sentence. A golden sparks and particles each with a different mix of yellow and red begin appearing and condensing into the form of a male fox. He's a bit larger than a fox should be, more like a big dog in size and his colors are more of a reddish orange than a brown or red.
"Hola he-" he begins in his happy tune before he fully materializes, though he stops when he lays eyes on you.
He watches quietly as you speak, slowly approaching and swishing and curving his fluffy tail from side to side, more like a curious cat than a fox, his ears at attention.
When you finish speaking, he responds, his tone normal this time, almost serious.
"It's not your fault. It's just... who she is. Her character. Human nature. She's normally a very happy person, a very... well, the closest thing to a good person I've seen, if such a thing exists. And she's strong, one of the strongest people I know. But... when she's feeling bad, when she thinks she's-... She pushes the people that care about her away. Retreats to herself. Blames herself for everything. She remains strong when it matters but on the inside,-... And it's been worse since that damn-..."He stops talking, his head and his ears dropping.
"Well, I can't talk about it."He sits down near your legs and looks you in the face, his tail swishing from side to side nervously. He continues speaking without opening his mouth.
"It's not about you, it's not about trust. I've been with her all my life and even through my bond I can't get to her. The only thing I can do is try to make her feel better.""If anything, what she did shows the opposite. She does trust you. And that makes her weak. Vulnerable." He gets up and walks closer to your face.
"I hope you won't betray that trust?"Sometime during this conversation, a message is melted on the wall, as if written by a laser, stating that Zechariah wants to talk to you.
Bryan looks around a bit sheepishly when he realizes he interrupted the young lady. He waits to make sure that she is done talking before answering her question. "Well, as I understand, most of the people here just went through an incredibly traumatic experience. They are upset with the people in charge and that has led to an out of control fire, and someone nearly losing control of an incredibly violent alternate personality. It looks like things have calmed down a bit though."
The foxwoman seems to wait for you to speak first. You take a breath and half-open your mouth to declare your intention to speak, hoping to avoid any further awkwardness.
The girl seems puzzled by your explanation, her head twisted to the side quizzically.She answers your question nevertheless.
"Oh, I was... sightseeing earlier and couldn't help but notice the fire... You really don't need help, then?" She glances behind her before returning her gaze to your eyes.
"You don't think they need help?"
Summon one of those whacky inflatable arm flailing tube men.
You summon a giant whacky inflatable arm flailing tube man. Right on top of you. You are now pinned under a GWIAFTM that can probably be seen from miles away. The way his arms are flailing while he is standing on top of you seems almost mocking. Like he's celebrating your defeat.
"Well, as I understand, most of the people here just went through an incredibly traumatic experience. They are upset with the people in charge and that has led to an out of control fire, and someone nearly losing control of an incredibly violent alternate personality. It looks like things have calmed down a bit though."
((Sounds about right.
Also, I'm posting my turn soon, just give me a little bit of time.))
Zechariah huffed while on the floor. It was stupid what he was doing, he knew it. But he didn't know what else he could do. He felt powerless to his own mind. Hell, even the man-child that has just knocked him to the ground is probably more mature than Zechariah. He decided to close his eyes and take a small breather once again, this time to set his mind straight. When he opened them again, it seemed as if time froze. Nothing was moving and he couldn't hear anything but his own thoughts. He turned to his side and found a strange person staring at him. It wasn't who he expected, and not someone who he thought he would have seen again.
"Oh, it's so nice to see you again Zechariah! It's been ages, hasn't it? What are you doing here?"
Zechariah shook his head. No, it couldn't be. What was she doing here? She's dead!
"S-selene... Iaunum? I... I thought you were dead.. wait, does that mean Zedekiah's here too?" Zechariah struggled to get up, but couldn't move. Selene, in her sky blue, silk robe and with her light blue hair, strode over with a certain leisure in her step. She smiled as if nothing could have been wrong at the moment.
"I am part of your subconscious, Zechariah. Just like Artemis. You don't know where Zedekiah is. He fell in with you, into the limbo. Why are you distraught?" Zechariah observed Selene and her movements. She appeared to glide, which meant she most likely was a spirit. She did mention being part of Zechariah's subconscious, however, which means she's probably either in another multiverse or still attached to Zedekiah.
Selene, Zedekiah's alter-ego and the counterpart to Artemis, was right in front of Zechariah. But why?
"I thought you wanted to help others, Zechariah. You can't do that lying down. You have to get up. Your friends depend on you. Believe it or not, the others within this game depend on you too.
"Don't brood over your faults. You're not going anywhere by doing that. Accept who you are and improve yourself. Embrace your shadow. Isn't that how you defeated Zedekiah?"
Zechariah tried to speak but couldn't. He could not find the words to say anything. He was quite embarrassed, actually: here was his subconscious, telling him that he shouldn't be lying doing and moaning over every little mistake he has.
Selene began to dissipate. "Don't worry. Make friends here. These are not your enemies, these are your allies. Good luck, Zechariah. Don't hesitate to live your life. No harm will come from doing so."
Zechariah sat straight up, breathing quick breaths.
Selene Iaunum. I'm sorry. I'll make it up. Maybe I should apologize to Irine first of all, for making such a fool of myself and losing control...
First, find Irine. She doesn't appear to be anywhere in the main area.
"Drake? Might you know where Irine is right now?"
Find Irine.
"I'm talking to her right now. I'd prefer to talk to her in private but I suppose you could send her a message requesting entrance to her personal area."For the sake of not wasting a turn, I've already written that you sent a message in Irene's turn. Feel free to write a more detailed message if you want and send it to her via mind mail.
"Well, that was an interesting conversation, but I suppose I must see what the others are up to." Jordan stood up, sipping the last of the drink, then walked towards the door and opened it.
Step out and see what the others are doing.
"Sure. Anytime..."Well, the staging area is a forest and a waterfall. There's a big scorch mark in the middle.
There's Alan trapped under an inflatable arm flailing tube man. Eria sunbathing. Zechariah talking to the air. Some guy in a gas mask. Angel being sad. A giant bulky robot. Aaand Ike sitting near Angel.
Peregrine
Theri tilted her head to the side. "Oh, I was...sightseeing earlier and couldn't help but notice the apparent fire coming in. You really don't need help, then?"
She glanced quickly back before looking at you in the face. "You don't think they need help?"
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Topic: Special People: Mechanical Syndrome (Read 1147100 times)