TURN TWENTY-EIGHT: A DIFFERENT KIND OF LIFE
Instead of the usual update for everyone, the beginning of this turn will be an introduction to two new characters.
To those who are entering, thank you for submitting your characters and I hope you will find this adventure interesting at the least.
Without further ado, welcome to the land of broken dreams and nightmarish reality.
Welcome to the Medium.
THE SURVIVORS
Cat Schrödinger...
Click, Clack. Click, Clack.The sound of dress shoes on the wet cobblestone. Rain is pouring from above with great intensity, the sky being darkened by clouds of thunder and downpour. There is no light from the skies, no moon or stars to convince you of an escape to be found.
Another screech, this time even louder. They're coming for you. There's too many of them. You're just a professor at a remote college. Why do they target you? Why do they want to tear your soul out, gouge your eyes from your sockets?
You can feel them, their evil malice closing in on your person. All the adrenaline in the world could not make you sprint faster than now. You feel something pulling at your coat. You dare not look back, for you might see their eyes and then you will lose all willpower to fight. Their eyes, that's what scares you the most. They show no signs of being anything that comes from this mortal world. You can only fear what they may do to you if they catch you. Your breath is labored and your throat feels like gritty sand. It's the fog. The fog is blocking your sight. You can't run from them, they will only multiply and catch up to you. You can never hide from them, never run. They will find you.
They will find you, no matter where you go. They will hunt you down and they will kill you slowly. You will watch as they cut open your body and take your guts, your heart, your eyes, your brain. They feed on your essence, your living being.
You can feel the slimy claws grabbing onto your legs. It's too late. Your legs give way and your face hits the stone path. There is nothing left for you to do. You sob hopelessly as you know what's to come. You feel another pair of malicious hands grab onto your forehead from behind. They're going to rip your eyes out, your tongue next, you just know it. You feel a blade touching your back and..
And...
"Professor Schrödinger?"You can see only darkness. You feel the beating of your own heart and nothing else.
"Erm.. Professor Schrödinger? Are you awake?"A slow knocking. You realize that everything else is quiet, except for the low chirping of birds. You open your eyes.
It was just a nightmare, another one of those confounded nightmares. You turn your head to the right. You can see the edge of your bed, along with your nightstand and your shelf full of your reports and findings on the paradoxical existence of observed supernatural phenomena and recent discoveries on the continent of Survatas. On the far side of the room is a wooden desk with a few envelopes located on it. To the wall on your front is a dirty window with shutters that looks out to the bay. It appears to be early morning, from what you can see. You observe the fading paint on the walls, the flat and old mattress below you, and the closet to your left with a few coats and formal shirts. Yes, this is your room. That was just a nightmare.
Another knock on the door to your right, just next to the shelf. Someone is at the door. You should go see who it is. The voice sounds very familiar, but you're still very groggy.
"Professor? We're going to be late for the meeting!"
EleriYou feel the warmth of the sunlight running softly on your face. There is a cool breeze running up from the ocean today. You hug your tail close to your body and open your eyes to the dawn outside. You are sitting on the right side of the doorframe, just inside of this small house. There are some wooden window-frames with no panes in them. The dirty, old, wooden floor beneath you creaks at every small movement. This is not your home, and you know that. You get up to your feet and lean on the doorframe, examining the ghost town outside. The building you woke from is on the side of a dusty brick path that slopes downhill towards the ocean. You can see a couple of familiar, beige-colored brick houses on both sides of the path. These houses are also windowless and have empty doorframes, save for the occasional broken window or rotten door. The brick path gradually peters off and stops completely after winding up the hill and into the forest for a few meters past the treeline. In the opposite direction, the brick path continues down into a circle that contains an old, dry fountain. This circle is lined with several additional brick houses, all similarly unoccupied and worn-out. The path ends with this circle, as there is a steep drop from there into the small strip of sandy beach and the ocean tide below. This path of buildings lasts about two-hundred meters or so from the treeline to the ocean. It is completely abandoned, except for one particular girl who has been misunderstood and alone for the longest time.
You, the stowaway. The one who constantly tried to interact with other humans, yet was always treated as a freak of nature. As far as you could see, no one else was born with a tail and had fox ears. You were feared by any village that you tried to visit and hunted in vain, as you escaped from them time after time. Yet, that was the extent of your interaction with other humans - always escaping. Instead of letting the cycle take you over, you wanted to have peace and quiet on your own. You boarded a ship leaving the port of Kharo. It didn't matter where you went, as long as you were able to live without fear of others. When you arrived on the island, you sneaked off and traveled through the forest, ignoring the research outpost on the island. If they found you, they would treat you the same way as the others had treated you. It took you several days, but you found your way to this ghost town, and now, it's the only place that you may actually call home.
This is your eighth day on the island.
You've gathered some dry fruits from the forest around the ghost town. It's not much, but it's enough to sustain you for a few days or so. You have a nice source of water uphill, as there is a small spring near the top of a hill not too far from you. Seeing as you don't have any fresh water with you currently, this would be a good time to fetch some water from the spring. As for supplies, you have a bucket, a couple of long branches, and a bowl of fruit that you've stored in a house nearby. It's not much, but it's certainly a good start, despite your new arrival on the island. This is your opportunity to begin your life anew. No one will hunt you down here. No one can be afraid of you, now that they can't see you.
Your name is Eleri. You might not belong with other humans, but one thing is for sure:
You will create your own future now, and no one can stop you.
Eh Ah
"Naturally, Your Majesty. To business, as it were."
Follow the Empress. Seek the Atisi. Converse on the way.
"By the way, what were Your Majesty's dreams, exactly? I ask because they may present an important piece of the puzzle."
Eh AhWithout further ado, you begin to follow the Empress along the hollow streets of Aecrocia. Now that things have stabilized a bit, you can see that there was no major damage to the south side of Aecrocia. Most of the damage was sustained during firefights and bombardments on the northern side, including the majority of causalities inflicted upon both sides during the invasion. However, the south side is just as ghostly and unoccupied by civilians as the northern side was. You can still see the occasional Theyin patrol roaming around this side of the city, but the scavengers have mostly made their way to the eastern portion. Various building materials, such as rods of metal and wooden planks, line the sidewalks where reconstruction projects are being carried out by the joint action of the island's occupants and its citizens.
As you make your way out of the southern portion of the city, you tentatively ask the Empress of her dreams and their significance. She remains mute for several minutes after your question focusing on the forest path ahead that your group must take on the way to the Atisi tribes. But then, you hear her voice from in front of you.
"It's just like real life, but foggy and gloomy.""Pardon?""Pay attention, dammit!" she snaps at you. She then sighs and follows up with,
"The dreams, I'm describing what they are." You give a small nod before continuing to follow her and her guards into the forest. She waves her guards to the back of the group while she continues her story.
"Two types of dreams have been reoccurring quite frequently in the past month. At first, it was a few subtle hints. A streak of purple on this building here, a golden dress worn by some person; Always something small. The fog was like any other morning with rain. There was nothing particularly special about these small occurrences. However, eventually the signs became more obvious. The streets of the Theyin Empire became dark as I walked through them in the dream. The Capital, especially, was covered in dense fog, with flashes of dark purple and golden lightning across the clouds above. The few most recent dreams were the most obvious. I caught a few glimpses of Apollo in the fog and some other kid who I've never seen before. He was a freak, with purple hair and crazy eyes. They said some things, but I could never understand what was being said."She says this while the group is walking through the forest towards the Atisi village. You can see the treeline not far from where you are, with scorched, black dirt to mark where the forest was burned from. The volcano looms above you, now silent, even though it released a firestorm not too long ago.
"But now, Apollo has taken his chance at Survatas. I still have not a clue as to who that other kid was. I haven't seen him anywhere before until now. What do you believe, Mr. Ah? Have you seen that purple-haired freak before?"
Warren Drake
"Food and water are good. Let's not speak. I'm very tired. Rants take a lot out of you. Sorry for going off like that. Special state of mind."
Get food, get water, return self to presentable state. Do not say more until presentable state (complete with lack of thirst and hunger) is achieved.
Warren DrakeShe nods quickly without saying anything, turns around, and hops back into her home below the tree. You can see that it's somewhat small but functional for the purpose of shelter and food storage. It is a dug-out area, partially cut into the tree. A carpet made of grass has been woven and set on the floor, and you can almost see another door that leads further down into the ground. Presumably, that is where she stores her food. You inspect the outside environment of the area, too. The weather is still a bit chilly, but the wind has calmed down and the trees seem to be rather green for this time of year. You don't see any other girl-made constructions around here, so this dugout might be her only shelter here.
After a small while, she emerges from the tree with a rolled-up grass mat and some items contained within the mat. You take a seat on the ground while she places the mat in front of you and places down several wooden cups full of various dry nuts, a few berries, and a few leaves that appear to be edible. One of the cups is also filled with water, which appears to be safe to drink. You look up at her and she gives a quick nod before heading back into her shelter. You begin eating the berries and the nuts quickly. They're a little drier than you would like them to be, but hey, it's food. You periodically wash the food down with small gulps of the water. It doesn't take you long to finish it all. In the end, you are still a little hungry, but it is a large improvement from your previous state - especially since your previous state entailed you becoming a lizard and suffering from the cold.
The girl re-emerges from her shelter with a wooden bucket. She stops when she sees you.
"I-is there anything you still need? I-I'm just going to get some.. w-water.."[/orange]
Lirian
I walk closer to Erin, but at an oblique angle, as our conversation progresses. moving toward the doctor, or towards food, or maybe a window or picture each time. always towards something else, and just getting a little closer to my true objective each time.
"No, but thank you. You've been very kind."
I give a slight bow to him. then suddenly spin on the balls of my feet to face Erin and crouch down to where my head is level with hers and I'm making eye contact in a single, rapid motion.
"You doing ok? You're being awfully quiet. Is there a way I can help you?"
I closely watch her response to my abrupt action, but do not do anything further threatening.
If she says yes, then hear her out.
If she says no, then say "Ok, but if you want to talk, just let me know." then mention that I'd like some fresh air, and that I'll be waiting outside.
then go wait outside for either Erin or Artemis to come. If Deon comes by then ask him about the sword thing.
Lirian After thanking Dr. Kito, you wait until he has exited the room. Then, you turn around quickly to face Erin. She jumps a little in her chair, placing her hands on the edge of the table, not expecting you to be so abrupt.
"You doing ok? You're being awfully quiet. Is there a way I can help you?"She moves her eyes rapidly, obviously nervous and startled. She waits a few moments more before attempting to relax and talk.
"I-I'm sorry for my behavior. I don't mean to worry you, but there is one thing you have to know. May you please sit down?" You observe her for another few moments before deciding to oblige her request. Still, you keep your hands near your legs, if you ever need to unsheathe your knives quickly. You nod for her to continue and she sighs, beginning to respond to you.
"Dad tells me that you're just visiting, so you may not know what happens around here. There is something out of the ordinary that occurs on certain nights in the vicinity. If you talk to anyone in the town, they'll tell you that, at nighttime, our fears and nightmares escape our bodies and walk around the area, looking for anyone who is unfortunate enough to be out at night. These nightmares become physical and hunt down people who stay outside at night. They infect them, they take them over and steal their souls. The next day, they're found awake, but unresponsive. Nothing will get them to move or do anything. If they're left alone, they die of starvation or dehydration. They're like statues, but.. still alive. I used to think this was a myth, but lately we've been seeing more and more people who are found out in the morning who are like this."She sighs and adjusts her glasses, rubbing her eyes.
"My Dad says it might be related to that drug we found earlier. Maybe it's making a comeback and making people see things that are not real. Still, though, I sometimes hear weird noises at night and see some odd shadows. Maybe it does have so something to do with those 'nightmare nights.'"The two of you sit in silence for a minute or two before you hear a ringing at the door. You immediately get up from the chair while Erin tries to make herself look presentable.
"Oh, that must be our visitor! Dad is probably getting ready, so we should probably greet this person."
spread ice around me to blend in
Alex RamanWith the soldiers drawing nearer, you have to find a way to quickly disguise or move yourself out of the area, and fast. However, with the wall towering above you and the mountain rising to one side of you, you don't have many avenues of escape. You decide that your best path of action is to use the environment around you to conceal yourself from these soldiers. You gesture from the ground up, concentrating on the snow and ice around you. Although there is a lot of mud mixed in, you can feel the dead nature of the snow and ice all around you. You quickly move your arms inward and focus on the ice, making the ice and snow move over you. You continue focusing until you cannot see the open air anymore. You are completely buried by a few inches of snow and ice mixed together. You find it hard to breathe, but you shouldn't have to stay this way for long.
Muffled voices above you. Footsteps. Through the shield of ice, you can see the blurred black and beige colors of human and military gear mixed together. Your breath and consciousness is slowly fading away. You don't know how long you're going to be able to keep up this facade before you're going to have to break through the ice and snow for air. You hear the footsteps getting quieter, but you're not sure this yet. Your lungs feel like they are about to burst, yearning for fresh air. Finally, you cannot hold it any longer. You put tension on your fingertips, hoping that this will make up for your lack of concentration. You hear the crack of ice splitting above you. You can feel the boundaries relaxing. Without time to waste, you split the ice above you and flounder to the right side, breathing heavily. Who would've thought that burying yourself in ice can cut off your air supply?
You take a quick look around. The soldiers moved away from your location, although you can see some armored vehicles moving off in the direction of the mountain that you arrived at. At the very least, they do not notice you anymore.
Now, your problem is actually getting
inside.
Just find the static, Cecil. You know it's there. It's there on every station, why not this one?
Cecil tries to tune out into static. He checks another box at random on this floor, trying to find something more about recent history of the place.
Cecil G. PalmerThe thoughts just keep on coming. You won't be able to take it on much longer. You don't think that your mind was meant to accommodate the thoughts of up to twenty or more people at once. There has to be a way to make the flow stop, and soon. You imagine a radio dial in your mind turning from full volume to zero. Hopefully, your imagination interfaces with the thoughts of your mind also. While you cradle your head, you concentrate on this image. After a full minute of nothing being changed, you finally decide to try muttering some words.
"Stop the flow. You can do it. There has to be an end to this radio transmission, there always is. Many to zero, all to none, come on.. Come on!"Silence inside of your head. It's gone. You can no longer hear any other voices in side of your head, only your own thoughts. It is pure bliss now. You can worry about accessing this power again some other time. For now, you have to figure out what you can do now in this large port city. You enter the first floor of the Information Commons of Makoi once again. Hopefully, they might have some more recent news on the events currently happening - more specifically, the status on Atis right now.
You begin browsing through the different boxes, hoping for a section that will lead you to some newspapers or something of the sort. You find some historical fiction, historical nonfiction, fantasy, and even tabloids and magazines, but nothing that would denote a reputable source of present-day information. The magazines are even outdated by a decade or so. Disappointed, you walk out of the Commons without anything to show for your search.
About to resign to defeat, you look to your right. You can see throngs of people moving across the sidewalks and the bridges. You look closer and see, about a hundred yards away or so, there is a stand selling magazines and newspapers. Now that you think about it, a city this big has to have some mode of journalism still running.
Even still, something else catches your eye. You notice several people walking hurriedly to the side of the city that is closer to the port. Out on the ocean, you can see why. Several military ships are moving towards the dock right now. Judging by the crowd's reaction, these appear to be Jaunatne Coalition ships.
You also notice that those ships are armed for battle. Jaunatne Coalition warships.
Where are they going?
"Hmmm... judging by the symbols around the door, I need whatever special creatures these may be to be present to open this door. Do I want to open this door? It looks.... interesting, yet menacing. Alas, if the opportunity arises, I will take it."
Return to the work I was doing prior to the interruption. Create four more "Creator" class golems, and set all of them on to bake. Have some golems mine more clay while these golems bake.
Rune(Bonus to crafting and clay manipulation due to Domain and Affinity alignments.)
Roll for focus: 6 + 2 = 8, success!
SPD: 6
Create "Creator" golem: 3 + 2 = 5 -> Great quality (+1 DEF)
Create "Creator" golem (2): 2 + 2 = 4 -> Good quality
Create "Creator" golem (3): 5 + 2 = 7 -> Exceptional quality (+3 DEF)
Speed units needed to complete fourth golem: 0/2
Speed units needed to complete baking (4): 0/2
Golem #1 <mine>: 5 + 3 = 8
Golem #2 <mine>: 1 + 3 - 1 = 3
Golem #3 <mine>: 3 + 3 - 2 = 4
Golem #4 <mine>: 4 + 3 - 3 = 4
Golem #5 <mine>: 4 + 3 - 4 = 3
Golem #6 <mine>: 3 + 3 - 5 = 1
Total: 23 tons of clay
((Return of the rolls log!))
You need to take your mind off of that ominous gate for now. To do so, you continue doing what you do best: working with clay. You only have a small amount to work with for now, but it should be more than enough. Your entire mind is set on working meticulously on smoothing out the various parts of these new golems and putting them together properly. Meanwhile, while you are physically working on crafting these golems, you set your other golems to mine some more clay for you. You can only hear the hollow sounds of tunnels being created as you work with the clay to construct your new "Creator" golems. After half an hour or so, you finish the first one. Setting him aside, you begin working on the next one.
You follow this pattern for about two hours, diligently working on getting these golems finished. Finally, you are able to get all three golems dry and ready for baking. You then move down through one of your tunnels to check on the golems. Overall, you can see that they did a pretty good job on mining out some clay. You estimate that they dug out about 20 tons of clay in total - more than plenty for you to create even
more golems now! Only one golem really did no work and instead fell on its back several times, doing absolutely nothing productive. Then again, you did put most of your mind on the crafting, so you don't suppose that every golem would have worked efficiently. You do seem to be getting better at this golem-controlling business, however. Always a boon for a clay factory designer such as yourself.
You decide that now would be a good time to check on the outside world. You haven't been outside too much since you started working on this underground army-production facility. The sun seems to be nearing the horizon now, almost time for sunset. You can still see the scorched ground near you where the lava flowed over the land and burned down a large portion of the forest. You see the occasional Theyin troop here and there, but nothing too serious right now. Other than that, it seems pretty calm for an island that had an invasion and a freak volcanic eruption, all in the timespan of a day or two.
No sense in wasting any more time aboveground, however. You have work to do, an army to create and command! Lands to conquer, oceans to navigate and glory to bring to the land-dwellers! Back into the darkness of your clay kingdom with ye!
Author's Note: Some new places have been introduced, along with the new characters. I hope this new branch of our universe comes to life.
I hope you all have a great week. I'm looking forward to this,
Artemis.
Author
Topic: Roll To Medium: Awakening [Chapter VI] (Read 145686 times)