balance_logs | Lunar Interlude 4

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Lunar Interlude 4 — corporate retreat

	I have a feeling that you'll find the next few weeks a little... in-tents.
	NAVIGATION

1. NEW RECLAIMERS

A. WELCOME WAGON

For those of you who will be arriving today, the story is the same: though you may not remember it, there was a moment where you were living out your life, at home or wherever you were ... and then there was the moment the Hunger came. And amid the television static that is your memory of that moment, a hand reached out to you, beckoning your escape as the tendrils of darkness destroyed everything that ever existed about your world.

"Would you hurry this up, please? Your world no longer stands a chance. Come with me, we are the last bastions of hope for all universes everywhere. And we're going to need you."

And then, unceremoniously, you are dragged through the universal wringer and plopped down on the soft, though not quite cushioned, grass of the Moon Base Quad.

You're not alone, either. Along with the newest members of the Bureau, in a fashion probably not unlike this, there are people waiting here for you. People who wanted to see the heroes the Director has managed to bring in this time.

People who are excited to see what you're capable of.

You have a few minutes to talk with each other — or maybe lob a few questions at the impromptu welcoming committee, or any of the older Reclaimers who may happen to be nearby. But before long, you're whisked away to a different area of the Moon Base.

B. THE VOIDFISH

You are quickly divided into four groups, and brought to the easternmost geodesic dome, to an elevator in a well maintained, but sparsely landscaped field. There's nothing particularly ominous feeling about the space — in fact, the two guards who greet you at the elevator entrance seem pleased with your arrival. You are, after all, one of the few chosen by the Director, the few who will reclaim what the Hunger has destroyed.

And in a few moments, you're about to find that out for yourself.

After a tightly packed elevator ride, your group is ushered out to a rather grand looking hall, banners of the Bureau of Balance adorn both sides of smooth metal walls. And inside the Voidfish's chamber stands a tank — impossibly tall, and soaked in a black ink that obscures whatever the tank may be holding.

You may notice a melody, someone playing the violin. It's a bard, on his fourth round of introducing Reclaimers to the Voidfish.

When he's finished, he pulls out a few pieces of paper — sheet music — opens a drawer at the bottom of the tank, drops the papers in, and shuts it.

And swiftly, you feel as if there's something you can't just shake off about the melody you just heard.

If you seem alarmed, the bard takes notice of it.

"Yeah, man, like... don't think too hard about it, it's like that every time. I'm guessing you're here to be inoculated? Just a heads up, you might want to, like, seriously, hold your nose while you drink it down. It tastes wicked gross, man."

You sort of get the sense that he's said this speech once or twice in the past. It's well rehearsed, much like the stories you'd expect a bard to be able to recite.

"Anyway, I'm supposed to tell you that you have a choice. If you drink the black stuff, you'll be able to hear through the, uh... Huh, how do I describe it? Through the [TSHCSCHTSHCHSC] sound. You guys like, hear that? Anyway, it's all about knowledge or something. I don't know, I'm just here to, like, feed the thing. We call it the [TSCHHSCHSCH], by the way.

So, like. You get a choice. You can drink it and understand stuff, or not drink it and then hear that crackling noise all day every day. If I were you, I'd drink it. But, hey man, I'm not like, your dad or anything."

The bard takes five cups and draws liquid from a spigot connected directly to the basin of the large tank. Stormy, muddy looking ichor is drawn into them, one by one. He offers each of you a sip.

Drink it (he wasn't kidding about what it tasted like), and you're inoculated to the wisdom of the Voidfish. You try to remember the song this bard played a few moments ago and the melody, the meter, every octave, all come back to you. And if you think back to your arrival, some of the things you may have heard other people in the Quad say, that simply sounded like static, are suddenly clear. Bureau of Balance. Grand Relic. Reclaimers.

Yet you still can't remember the Hunger or what it had done to your world. And as you look back to the tank in front of you, the water has become clear. There's a jellyfish, as tall as a building, floating within. You look into the body of the creature and you can almost make out a beautiful, tiny universe floating within it.

2. TEST OF INITIATION

You're given approximately 48 hours to sign up for the test of initiation. Outside the Arena is a command console where you can push your biometric signature up against the device, pick a time, and get prepare to take your entrance exam. This one is a little different than the ones before it; the Director has posed a group challenge among her hopeful Reclaimers. One slot contains blank names for four people altogether. Two of them are backlit in a blue background, two in red. It looks like you're going to be competing against other Reclaimers.

At the appointed time, you'll enter the arena's chambers and fill out into one of two rooms. You and your teammate will be allowed to dress and prepare accordingly. From the window, you can see a single, solitary mountain that rises so high you can barely make odds or ends of the peak. An array of items stands before you, four in total. You can only choose two, as the second both of you claim one item, the other two become translucent and untouchable. Placing either of your items back on their pedestals makes them corporeal again. All in all, you have:

○ Booster boots - aids you in climbing and scaling the mountain, quadrupling your jump speed

○ Spiked boots - when landing on a surface of the mountain, it magically locks into place and prevents you from falling or being otherwise deterred in moving upward

○ An enchanted cloth - you're not sure what this is capable of, but if you try it out a little bit, you'll realize it resists the push of air. Essentially, a portable hang glider

○ Grappling hook - standard issue, its reach is about 50 feet. When it locks onto a surface, it's impossible to remove unless a button is pressed on the device to loosen it

Both of your teams must make it to the top. What awaits you there is a wand, standing on an intricately carved, raised dais. The base is made out of stone, but written in very clear, etched letters around the bottom are the words: THE GRAND RELIC, WAND OF PLANAR DISPLACEMENT. Does it sound too good to be true? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. You need to get that relic back down to the entrance room.

The caveat here is if you happen to be tempted, and let's face it, the easy way out is always rather appealing, you can try to use it. It'll take you back down, easily enough, but the wand will not come with you. Looks like you're going to have to trek your way back up there. Either way, the first team to make it down wins the contest. What's the prize, you ask? Gloating rights, mostly.

3. THE REAL CAMPY FUN BEGINS

As The Director mentioned, you will be spending this month on a corporate retreat! And she wasn't kidding when she said she said this retreat will be an exercise in working together. Shortly after the newest Reclaimers are all good and initiated, and shortly after the rest of you have packed what you can, you're all whisked away to Gwynneth — a beautifully lush forest on the Moonshae Isles.

Blanketed in a canopy of lush greens and soft, comfortable grass that seems to grow even in the farthest corners where the light can't reach, the forest looks and feels like something out of a storybook. A peculiar, but not unpleasant, scent that is a blend of sweet olives and cherry blossoms wafts throughout the forest no matter where you turn.

That is to say, for those of you who have been in the Bureau for the while, and are used to roughing it with your BIAS: Welcome! This should be roughly old hat for some of you. Not far from the clearing where you all land are two perfectly lined rows of cabins that are in particularly bad shape. On the door frame of each will contain some information... and you might have guessed it. "BARBARIANS," "FIGHTERS," "PALADINS," "DANCERS," "MONKS," "RANGERS & ROGUES," "BARDS," "SORCERERS," "WARLOCKS," "DRUIDS," "CLERICS," and "SMART PEOPLE." - you get the idea. Each cabin will have just the essentials (creaky bunk beds, chests at the foot of each, and a few spare desks per room). Rest assured, the Director's enchanted the cabins to reject entry to anyone who doesn't fit the proper description that's labeled above each door.

You will... most likely have to clean the place up prior to habitation. Showering, toilets, and mirrors are communal, but divided into stalls in the administrative cabin, adjunct to the Bureau's cabin. And for those of you who don't fit into any of the above (hi Lucas), uh, well. There's an old shack close to where you were dropped off, but you probably don't want to stay inside for too long. It smells like something died in there — and maybe something did.

And boy, does this whole trip have "campy corporate retreat" written all over it. When you arrive, you're informed that your "mission" here, so to speak, is to safely make it through the month's activities, including the penultimate task: Braving what staff is only referring to as the Tomb of Horrors.

But we'll get to that later. Right now, you've got some camping activities to do.

C. GET IN LOSERS WE'RE GOING CAMPING

If there's a camp activity that you can think of, we guarantee that there is space set aside for it, and that a Bureau member The Director brought along to assist the Reclaimers is helping to run it. Here are a few of the more prominent activities to get you started, however:

○ Fight Club/Struggle Tourney/Whatever you want to call it: For those of you who are in clear need of more training, or simply like getting yourself into a good strife, a small arena has been squared and roped off for your said strifing convenience. You can sign up in pairs or go mano a mano against one opponent, but there's a catch.

This activity is about improvising, and learning your fellow Reclaimers' fighting styles — an absolute must for when you're out on the field in the thick of a battle. You will only be allowed to use fighting ring issued weapons. A magical barrier will knock your regular weapon right out of your hands if you try to enter the ring with it!

And, I mean. Who wouldn't want to fight with these Fantasy Costco exclusives? (Note: If you want to join an actual Fight Club, the magic barrier is down for two hours starting at midnight. Use that information how you will.)

○ Arts and Crafts: Another camping given. Stretched out between two large evergreens is an equally large canvas, though short enough that every Reclaimer should be able to reach. You'll be given a paintbrush — magic, of course, according to the Bureau member helping out with this activity. It magically fills itself with paint, allowing you to add color to the canvas without the need for a palette.

Because curiously, it seems you're capable of painting in only one color. And more curiously, it's a color that's very unique to you: no other Reclaimer is going to have the same hex value as what's flowing out of your paintbrush. If you ask her, the Bureau member will smile somewhat pensively, and explain: That paintbrush allows you to paint in the color of whatever energy you're giving off right now. Take this with a grain of salt, of course, but the basic hues can be interpreted as follows:

Red can mean that you have a problem that you need to solve. Yellow means there's a secret that you're keeping from someone important to you. Green elicits a feeling of calmness, but there's something else that you're not allowing yourself to address. Blue means there's something you need to confess, whether it's the fact that you have a crush on someone, or the fact that you stole something or told a lie. White means, simply, an energy at peace.

Of course, you may find yourself painting in any color out there — and they may represent something else, depending on you specifically. Use this prompt however you'd like!

And, that's not to say that these are all things that we need to sit down around the campfire and hash out — though that's an activity later on if you want it! These energies aren't necessarily a bad thing either. It wouldn't be much of a painting, you wouldn't be the person you've grown into right now, if you're always painting in white.

○ Ghost stories: Speaking of campfires, every night, you'll be invited to have a seat at a large campfire and to try to tell your best ghost story. Not too far away from the campfire are four busts of wizardly looking men and women on pedestals. Yes, they are haunted by the very same wizardly looking men and women. And yes, they will be offering frank commentary on whatever story you decide to tell.

I'm just gonna leave this here.

○ Field Day: What's a camping trip without the likes of potato sack races, music, tye-dye booths like you'd find at the typical spring fair, and friendly games of capture the flag? If you find this whole field day thing a little bit childish, then, well ... yeah, you're probably right! But even stuffy old people like Lucretia know that the people even stuffier than she is need a chance to cut loose once in a while. So go right ahead and get yourself a fried charisma oreo.

There's a dunking booth, by the way. Yes, you can dunk the Director if you want.

You might bump into Lucas while you're here. He is having pretty much the worst month right now: sunburned, blown up on histamines and more than ready to go back to the Moon Base where there's air conditioning and technology.

○ Man eff that: If the campy camp activities are a bit too campy for you, then The Director certainly isn't going to twist your arm into participating. Well, actually, she might. A little?

In any case, if you're hellbent on boycotting, you might join Lucas in the aforementioned Smelly Shack, as he tinkers with the tech he managed to bring with him and is generally a pain in the ass about having to be out in the forest. Saru and his band of kitsune, if you remember them from Vista Virs, now full-fledged members of the Bureau, will take you on hunting trips if you're interested. If you need to actually learn how to hunt, then Carey and Killian are here to help.

If you're still gonna be a stick in the corporate retreat mud, then the Director might ask you to clear as big of a path to the Tomb of Horrors as possible (Note: You will not be able to go inside, or find a way inside the Tomb of Horrors, no matter how hard you try. This isn't Breath of the Wild, sadly, you can't defeat Ganon right after falling off the Great Plateau). It's about five miles directly to the east, and behind the thickest and densest part of the forest. Who knows what else you'll find out there? Have fun!

D. AN OVERNIGHT SENSATION

One more thing. Something strange is happening overnight, while everyone is asleep, whether it's in their bedrolls, or holed up in the Smelly Shack.

Something — or someone seems to be draping a blanket of magic over the entire camp, leaving those who were asleep rather susceptible to it. You may find yourself afflicted with any number of inconvenient status effects for the day, whether it's a burn on your arm you can't seem to heal, more, uh. Well. More sleep. You blink, and suddenly, 24 hours have passed. Maybe you enter a 2v2 in the fighting ring and suddenly realize you can't tell friend from foe — even though you'd agreed on the teams before entering.

Maybe all the food suddenly loses its flavor, leaving you to marvel at how intense textures suddenly are. If you happened to be painting in blue, maybe you're suddenly compelled to blurt it out to the next unfortunate soul who passes.

It's a smorgasbord of minor inconveniences. Almost like something's spotted the corporate retreat, and has decided to use its participants as their plaything.

But what?

blurb code by photosynthesis

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[ He was just about to ask, but then she clears it up for him and his face twists into a guilt-stricken expression. ]

Oh, right. She's had a rough time lately, on account of me. I never wanted to put her in a position like that. I, uh, really screwed up on our last mission.

[ He hates saying it; he really does. He wants to put it in the past, but because he's probably traumatized Maya, he needs to feel the guilt for it. First he left her alone to fight off a damn basilisk because he went and looked at it, getting turned to stone. Then she had to figure out how to turn him back. Then he fell through the ground right in front of her, crashing to the world below where she guarded his lifeless body. He's pretty sure she needs therapy now on account of him. ]

[Mia nods in response, arms crossed as per her usual-- and when McCree's finished speaking, the same smile remains.]

Funny. She was saying the same of herself a few days ago-- not blaming you, of course.

[It'd be mildly hypocritical of her to say aloud that yes, dying is probably a bigger mistake than she might make of it considering... But he's also not dead anymore, and neither is Mia for that matter, so it doesn't matter quite the same way. It's tough to count it, what with the Fey's beliefs in death, but Mia won't brush it off, either. It still hurts, and it still puts her sister in danger.

But Maya wouldn't blindly defend someone, either, as much as she may seem to be easily attached. Mia's (almost) always trusted her judgement-- especially of herself. But Maya's also been in a ton of danger before she became a reclaimer, and Mia shares the blame for some of it. She can understand why McCree may feel he's done no good.]

You're hardly the first person to put her in a tough position. But she's critical of herself, you know?

It's good that you've given her more to believe in.

[ He really doesn't know how to take that. Maya's a good kid. She pushes herself too hard, always in a quest to do what's right, and he's still not sure how a guy like him is someone she considers a friend. Maybe because she thinks everyone can be a friend if you just try hard enough to make them into one. But he definitely can't see what Maya can be getting out of it. ]

I know she is, but I'm not sure it's me whose given her anything to believe in. [ He shrugs. ] At least, I sure ain't been preaching anything to her.

Maybe you're right. Maybe she's the one giving us something to believe in.

[Mia concedes, shrugging her shoulders, smile still present but just a tinge sadder in the way her eyes soften. When Maya was crying over McCree, it was all about how she hadn't done enough, how she should have been stronger-- how she should have been more like Mia. But Mia isn't sure she could have done any better in her place, and from what she can discern from McCree's body language he's placed the blame far from Maya as well.]

But Maya hasn't had enough people looking out for her before... all this.

[She continues, still watching McCree.]

I appreciate it-- you looking out for her. She doesn't need lectures.

[Just, you know, more people who won't trade her life for power.]

[ He can see what Mia's saying. Having Maya around makes him want to do the right thing. Not that he was a man looking to break the law or shoot a few kneecaps, but being a vigilante means doing what you need to do in order to get the end result, lawbreaking included.

And he has to huff out a laugh about Maya not needing lectures. ]

I've learned by now to just go along with whatever crazy plan Maya has because if I don't, she'll do it anyway without someone to watch her back. May as well be me.

[ Not that he did a good job of it when they crossed the basilisk. That still stings. ]

[It's Mia's turn to laugh-- McCree is absolutely right. Maya's a little whirlwind, and she doesn't stop for anything. Not kidnapping, not the threat of death. She has to lean her head down against her palm, mostly tickled but a little exasperated.]

She sure does know how to get herself into trouble.

[But she's the best, really.]

I really am glad she's got people like you looking out for her.

[At least McCree isn't the only one doubting their ability to keep Maya safe.]

Well, hey, now you're here too, so that's even more to look out for her. Even for those times when she doesn't need it.

[ It turns out that Maya's full of surprises, like her ability to fight. ]

Mm.

[Mia... settles back to a poker face, nodding. That's... a good reminder. As scared as Mia is deep down, Maya's getting more and more capable of taking care of herself.]

I just hope I can keep up with her, at this rate.

[And then, as if to pass over the comment, she waves toward McCree's plate.]

But I didn't come here to keep you from snacking, really. Just to say thanks.

[ He glances down at his plate and chuckles. ]

Now don't go thinking I'd rather eat a plate full of fried food rather than talk to a lovely woman such as yourself.

[ He's not exactly flirting; he just tends to turn on the charm quite easily. ]

[Mia's at least used to people talking to her like this, and doesn't seem to mind. She does, however, reach away to grab some of that grub for herself, giving another laugh.]

Maybe you should reconsider those priorities.

[Lovely women can be dangerous, in Mia's experience. That said, if she can keep him talking and learn more about a fellow Reclaimer, she's gonna capitalize on the opportunity.]

You know, you remind me of a detective I used to know. But you're an actual cowboy, aren't you?

[Or at least more of a cowboy than a detective who wears nothing but cowboy clothes is.]

Weee-ell, depends on your definition of cowboy. I've ridden a horse in my time, but I haven't been around cows in awhile. I'm more of a freelance bounty hunter nowadays. Or I was, before ending up as a Reclaimer.

Freelance bounty hunter.

(That's... exactly the kind of person Maya would meet.)

[anyway-]

That's right, you're a whole new class now, aren't you? Which one?

That'd be a Ranger. It's come in pretty handy, but I can't say I understand how it even all works. magic and such is still sorta new to me. What about yourself?

A ranger's something like a bounty hunter, right?

I'm a monk- though I'll have to admit that one's a little more intuitive.

[She is, of course, assuming Maya's already brought up the spirit medium thing.]

I think it's more like a person out in the woods, setting traps and such? At least, that's what my brochure said. And there's plenty to do with terrain and marking targets too.

Now when you say "monk," I'm guessing you don't just mean the peaceful kind preaching about the soul, huh? We're all able to fight, after all.

Hey, the peaceful preaching is just as useful.

[She seems amused, though, smiling like a content cat.]

Will say I'm not used to punching things with light, but the rest is fairly familiar.

[The light punching is way cooler. Almost as cool as channelling ghosts. (Okay, cooler.)]

Punching things with light? Well, now, that sounds like a thing I gotta see in action sometime.

[ He points a curly fry at her to emphasize his next statement. ]

Not using it on me, that is, but if we're fighting side by side.

Well, let's hope you don't give me any reason to.

[Mia grins broadly at that playful threat. She'd only be trouble for him if he actually did hurt Maya, but hey.]

Luckily I think we're more likely to be on the same side. Maybe we'll get to see each other in action soon.

Maybe. I'm just hoping for a nice, easy time this next mission.

[ He eats the fry and looks down at his plate to decide what he should go for next. ]

Chances of that happening are slim to none. Probably shouldn't have even said it, 'cause now I gone and jinxed it.

Jinxing it, or speaking it into existence. One or the other. We'll just have to see.

[Well now that she's gone and had fries pointed at her, Mia has to turn to the table again for some of her own.]

That said... I really do hope things are easier for you this time. Dying never is easy.

[She wonders if it feels the same dying here as it was back home, but doesn't voice it.]

[ He huffs out a mirthless laugh, nodding his head. ]

I guess you might say that dying's the easy part, it's coming back from it that's not. But at least I had the chance to come back.

[ For some reason, thoughts of Gabriel and Ana enter his mind right now. Jack told him both were actually alive, though with the fate of Earth sort of uncertain after what Lucretia said back at the base, he's wondering if they're gone now or if everyone can be brought back. But he pushes these thoughts aside. ]

I wouldn't recommend it, though. If you can avoid it, I would.

[ Which is an understatement, he knows. ]

If you haven't heard yet, when the Bureau brings you back, they don't bring you back whole.

[Mia keeps a smile on while McCree talks, halfway from a laugh, but lets him speak. She puts a hand to her chin pensively, taking just a moment to decide if and how she's going to share this bit of news.]

Actually... Before all this, I was already dead.

[Bluntly is how.]

Not that I'm making any plans to jump back into it. Especially not if that's true, what you said.

You were? How'd you— well, I guess I know, but... huh.

[ Hidden beneath his hat, his brow furrows in confusion. ]

Yeah, it's true. It's not a big thing but I ended up coming back without the sight in my left eye.

[Mia just shrugs.]

I assume the same way as you.

[She suspects the nature of channelling, or perhaps that she was being channelled by Maya last her memory served, might also have something to do with it.

...'It's not a big thing,' McCree says, and Mia's brow raises. Maybe it's better than dying, but...]

I'm sorry about that. Do you have any idea if it's permanent?

It's been a few days now. Doesn't hurt, but there's no sight in it at all. Thinking it ain't coming back.

[ Others might be able to deal with it better, but a sharpshooter like him? It's been tough. ]

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Lunar Interlude 4 — corporate retreat

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