balance_logs | Field Mission 5: Il Prigioniero, Part 2

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Field Mission 5: Il Prigioniero, Part 2

	Once you sacrifice something here, you don't get it back.
	NAVIGATION

Click here for the RNG thread!

1. THE MANAGER'S CHALLENGE

A. MEET THE BOSS

Once upon a time, there was a man, a woman, and a little boy. They were a family. They loved each other very much.

Once upon a time, there was a monster, a protector, and a dreamer. They never asked to be a family. One by one, they fell under the pressures of each other.

There are always layers to any story. There are at least two sides to any reality. When a man kills his wife with no consequences, what is the end of the story? Will the universe allow such an unhappy ending? Or are there forces that drag it on long past its natural span?

With a single act of resistance, four Reclaimers have Remembered and thereby broken the cycle of the Night Show. But this isn't the end. This is barely the middle. Because the Wonderland you've seen so far is a layer of new pink skin over an ugly infection, one that goes deeper than anything the Bureau has seen so far. You can see what's underneath, now, as the theme park is whipped away in an implosion of void-space to show you . . .

Emptiness. A space that is no space, blank and white in all directions. Free of gravity, every Reclaimer in the park — and, shockingly, Angus McDonald — is held in place with hands cupped and outstretched in front of them, all facing the same way. They cannot move. They cannot speak. They are the audience.

Before them stands a man. Slim, tall, nondescript. He wears a bow-tie with a pattern of Rolands on it. And he is smiling.

"Welcome to my Wonderland! My name is Adrian Morgenstern, and I am the Manager. It's a pleasure to meet you. Each and every one of you have had a very interesting effect on my Wonderland in my absence. Some more than others, and at greater cost to yourselves — but I encourage individual choice in Wonderland, and ownership of personal consequences. Suffering is a part of life. It builds character.

"So, I am proud of you. So proud, in fact, that I've decided to bring you all backstage. You kept trying to see behind the curtain, didn't you? You'll really enjoy it. There is a great deal to do, so much to explore, and so many games to play. Every second you breathe in Wonderland is a game with stratospheric stakes. You're very brave to take the risk.

"And to make things more interesting, I have set up a very special game for you little detectives, who so love to stick their noses into strange secret corners. I challenge you to a Scavenger Hunt. You accept, because you have no choice. Here is what you must gather:

"The vacant bodies of Leonardo da Vinci, Minato Arisato, and Henrik Merryweather. The people who have been lured here after your carelessness shattered their livelihood. Have you located them all already? Or did you miss a few? Ten lost little elves, misled and apprehended. And, lastly—

"My son. Bring me my son. Bring Niel to me, and I will give you the Compact."

There's a crack in the facade. A literal crack; something in the structure of his face is off suddenly, like something has fractured and slid. One cheekbone higher than the other, a hairline fracture underneath his eye. You blink, and it's fixed. His smile is wide, but his face is whole.

Suddenly, in each Reclaimer's outstretched hands (and in Angus's), there is a single three-sided die. On each side is written a word: BODY, MIND, or SPIRIT.

"Don't lose these, now! These are your cheat codes. If you find yourself struggling with the scavenger hunt and in need of a little help, you can play a little game of chance to give Wonderland something of yours. It won't take anything that will kill you, don't worry. But it will take things that matter, and it won't give them back.

"One more thing, and then I'll let you go. I've given you some cheats, but in order to keep you from finishing the game too quickly, I'm taking something away, too. Everyone, please take good care of yourselves while you're here. You're all precious cargo. And there's no healing in Wonderland."

He winks. And blinks out of existence. And suddenly, the nonspace you occupied is gone, and you are Somewhere Else.

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2. WONDERLAND, UNDER THE SKIN

B. THE ILLUSION COMES DOWN

CW: Emetophobia, body horror, reality caving in on itself

For a short time after Adrian leaves, everything is as it should be. Wonderland is Wonderland, but quiet and still aside from the background music. After a few breaths, heartbeats slowing, the music warps and bends like rotting wood, going further and further off key until it grinds. Clangs once, loudly, down to your bones, and halts. The world freezes in absolute silence.

Then. A sizzling noise. Burning paper. The illusion starts to die.

To your left, the floor peels up like it's made of paper, mist, waving like a mirage before your eyes. Colorful red velvet floors reveal dark green and glowing violet moss and fungus. Gold tile floors give way to ebony wood, gone rock solid in atrophy. Disease. A small black vine reaches from the floor towards you, towards Life, but withers and hardens before your eyes. You need to leave.

To your right, a wall bleeds. Is it actually blood? Sap? The color seems to run away from your eyes - goldredwhiteyellowblackblackblack - covered with an iridescent sheen, an oil slick, pouring out and up and towards in ways that burn your eyes and soul. You need to leave.

All around you, the Wonderland you've come to know burns like shadows in sunlight, or sunlight to shadow. The ceiling and walls and everything morphs to the inside of some unfathomably large tree. Roots and branches and gouged out holes, forming paths of the most non-ecludian sort. Some... things out of sight climb up and down in the darkness, looking for purchase, escape, travel. Far too many limbs, or none at all. You need to LEAVE.

Not yet. You want to help. You need to help. You grab the nearest non-reclaimer - an elf, a visitor, someone - and they are both far too light and far too heavy. Stiff like wood in your hands. Their skin is gray, ashen, black veins in porcelain skin. Eyes gone solid black, they try to say something, but all that comes out is a spew of thick black tar - leaking from their eyes, ears, nose, vomit, cracks in their joints and once-flesh. The amorphous Black they just expelled pulses, then skitters down between the wood at your feet.

You look at your skin. Your veins are too dark. Visible. Present. A weight builds in your heart,

The Reclaimers (and Angus) can still move, bolt for what was once a cascade of colors, lights and joy. Now it's a gaping maw, jagged edges like splintered teeth around a hole like a cavity, sap like pus seeping out of the edges. The once-elevator now-branches bring you back to Shadowdale, covered in a charcoal smog that seems to smile at you from every angle.

C. THE CAVALRY ARRIVES

Lucretia, after receiving Sans' text about the current state of affairs within Wonderland, is faced with a decision that only she could make. Years ago, she came upon this place and lost decades of her life, all in an attempt to stop the mechanations of this horrific landscape. Her biggest failure, a thorn in her pride, she assembled the Bureau of Balance not long after her visit in order to take down places like this. People or things who obtain a power they should not have. She doesn't know why Wonderland is the way that it is, she can only guess that the Grand Relic has corrupted the World Tree down to its core. But more than that, more than the years she put onto her life for a wager of chess, more than the meticulous, maddening obsession she has with destroying every single one of these objects that threaten the world- her Reclaimers are here. Her Reclaimers. Against the judgment of most of her advisers and Moon Base employees, she grits her teeth and holds tight to her staff.

Carey, Killian, and Lucretia descend upon the forests of the Cormanthor region. It takes them far, far too long to make it through the wilds. The forest can sense when someone is coming to destroy it, and thus, sends everything it can against them. Enchantment after enchantment gets flung their way, but she knows better. She's seen Wonderland before and she reckons that no one has ever visited this place twice.

Arriving in Shadowdale, she looks up to see Yggdrasil in its sad, sorry state.

Clasping her staff in place, finally here, she is resplendent in her detestation of this unholy place. A few of you might be there at the base of the tree when Wonderland transforms into its hellscape, and you might see her approaching, purposeful, as if every step is one of reclamation and poise.

Angus McDonald looks upon her and tilts his head, trying to figure out what exactly it is that's going on. Lucretia warmly smiles at him. "Hello, Angus. I've heard much about you."

"Ma'am?"

But her attention is turned to another little boy, terrified otherwise. His face is darkened, sickly colors rooting through his veins and showing up against a pale skin. Niel. Ah, she remembers him, too.

Her face gives no sign of anger, of fear, or resentment.

"Don't worry, Niel. We'll free you from that monster."

She doesn't renege on her promises. Lucretia slams her white oak staff on the ground and in an instant, a flash of brilliant luminescence fills all of Shadowdale, expelling the darkness that lingers around the corners of the sleeping town. She erects a magic dome from the center of her origin, expanding out from her as she concentrates on her magic. Lucretia's gifted in the arcane herself, you see, and a giant Globe of Invulnerability spell now blocks entrance nor exit from this zone. And for the first time in centuries, Shadowdale sees sunlight.

Carey and Killian flank her. She needs to concentrate on this spell in order to keep it active, and they're there to stop anyone who thinks about getting in her way.

D. NEW RULES OF WONDERLAND

It's a zero-sum game here that Adrian is wagering. Lucretia didn't bring Dr. Tank down to Shadowdale for a very specific reason; an expert chess player herself, she always thinks in terms of move by move encounters. She figures that the rules would change quickly once the Reclaimers had figured out what was behind the curtain, so to speak. There's no way that Wonderland would allow healing or restoration of a body within its confines. She aims to cut this place off from the outside world. To quarantine it away from escape and cage it inward like an animal. No, Dr. Tank would be useless here, and if anything... dangerous, to put their chief of medical staff here in the middle of the mission.

And thus, no one can come in or out of the area once she's erected the barrier. Returning to base is no longer an option for the remainder of the mission, including any and all facilities provided by its administration: Bender's food, Fantasy Costco, items you may have left behind, etc.

Those of you who have opted out of the horror plot for the month will most likely be spending your time in Shadowdale for the next two weeks, providing back up and support to Lucretia. The work you do out here is equally as important as the work that needs to be done on the inside. Whereas the forest was quiet and still before, it seems to have taken on a new life of its own, now that it senses the Source of its life deeply threatened. Killian takes command from here on out. Anyone not willing to go up to Wonderland needs to stay down here and stop the encroaching darkness from attacking.

And she means that, literally.

As you look around the outskirts of town, the dome extending well beyond the vantage point you can see, there are creatures, made of darkness, dripping a deeply red sap that sparkles in the newfound texture of light Lucretia's spell provides. One bounds forward from the edge of a building, four legs crawling and made of pure shadow, and attempts to make an attack towards the Director. Carey cuts it down as it splits into two and vanquishes into a dark dust.

"What the hell are these ugly gods-damned things?!"

Some of you might've noticed it before in your rolls, but in the light provided by Lucretia's spell, there's no denying it. Negativity forms a dark cloud straight from Carey's mouth, as her eyes go wide at the sight of it. The monster at her feet, now a cloud of dust, seems to feed on it as it reassembles back into its form.

What the actual fuck.

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3. A TASTE OF GOOD SUFFERING

E. REEDS GROWING OUT OF MY FINGERTIPS

The Wonderland the Reclaimers and Angus find themselves in now looks nothing like the Wonderland they left behind. The feel of it is similar, except that the creeping dread has officially crept. It's here now, fully-formed and breathing down the back of every single neck. What was whispered before is screamed now: Wonderland is here to hurt you. The fun it seeks is not for you, but fuel for something else, something you haven't found yet.

Nonetheless, you're here to feed it. And so, you begin to realize, is Yggdrasil. The naturally-minded among you begin to realize it with sickening certainty: the roots, the veins, the stiffness and the ever-present tarlike substance stem from the sickness of the World Tree. Wonderland, and all of you, are within Yggdrasil's rot now — and as much as it tries to reject this magic, the insidious power of the Compact has taken over too far. The tree is dying. Inside of it as you are, you can practically feel it.

The entire place is a warren, structured like the tree it's draining the life out of. From the central trunk, the central locations that used to be Squares slide off from the main body in long, twisting branches that turn in nonsensical directions before abruptly coming to a halt. Each Square exists in uncomfortable parody here — or maybe the original was the cruel joke, because the purpose of Wonderland is suffering.

At any turn in your path through the channels of Wonderland, you'll be swimming through darkness creeping in on all sides. No light can penetrate past your periphery, with very few exceptions; you are a moving lantern in this blackness, functioning on faith that whatever comes at you, a mystery until the last moment, will be something you can handle.

Stumble into Battle Square and find yourself face-to-face with a monster of vicious intelligence and amorphous shape, delighted to cut you to ribbons over a period of hours while telling you every secret shame you've ever harbored. In Event Square, a knot midway up the endless trunk, time goes taffy-sticky as you trip through loops of memory blasted on every wall, loud and confusing and overwhelming, going on for what seems like forever. There's more, of course — more discrete spaces than you could even see in Wonderland. Any manner of horror you can consider can be found here, as vast as Yggdrasil itself.

One or two places, though, will be particularly easy to recognize — and difficult to escape.

F. THIS IS NOT FOR YOU

Sometimes, investigation gives us little tips and tricks for solving the next stage of the puzzle. For example: Michael found a map to the mirror maze, back in the first iteration of Wonderland. But unfortunately, sometimes the setting also cheats. Ghost Square is still here — but maps aren't going to do you any good.

Enter this section of Wonderland and the door behind you doesn't exist anymore. It doesn't pop out of existence; it just isn't, like it never was, like maybe you imagined it in the first place. A hallway, apparently manmade, stretches out in front of you, dark and cold. It appears to be approximately 60 feet long. The walls are black. When you reach out to touch them, they are freezing to the touch and too smooth to be natural, not shiny enough to be polished, too hard to be plant matter. You have no idea what they are, but touching them saps the warmth out of you, so you stop.

You keep walking, a halo of light around you but stretching no further than a few feet in any direction. You walk for 60 feet. The hallway keeps going. It hasn't gotten longer, but it hasn't gotten shorter, either. It keeps going. It keeps going. You continue until your feet hurt or you get sick of this bullshit, whichever comes first, and then you turn back the way you came. Maybe you think you'll see a door, or maybe you're not thinking very clearly anymore.

Back the way you came, there is a staircase. It wasn't there before. You certainly didn't pass it. It spirals down into the depths. It could be a story deep or a hundred. You have no way to know. You turn back towards the direction you originally walked, and there is only a wall. It's the spiral staircase or it's nothing. You go down.

As you descend, it gets colder. Colder and darker, and the darkness and cold press against you, creep under your skin and make you shake. The halo of light around you begins to dim the deeper you go. If you go deep enough, it will be hard to tell what's light and what's your imagination. Because really, honestly? The longer you stay in this place, the more you begin to think you're hearing things. Whispers just beyond your ability to decipher. A soft laugh, like that of a child or someone trying to stay quiet. And if you stop, or rest, or feel something negative — anger, frustration, sorrow, despair, it doesn't matter, because a black fog drifts out from between your lips.

And in the distance, something roars. Just a little bit closer every time.

Every once in a while, as you descend the staircase, you will pass a mirror with a red X taped near the top. Sometimes you'll see yourself in it. Sometimes you'll see something worse. When you get right down to it, what you get out of the world has a lot to do with what you put in — so we hope you're staying positive, or you might see something really nasty.

G. THE SONG BEYOND THE SONG

The aftermath of MARIA's destruction, the Area That Was Once The Night Show is a blasted husk. More than anywhere else, the walls ooze Yggdrasil's lifeblood from where something... was. Something large used to be chained here. Open gashes and empty sockets line the walls and floor. A large root knotted like a spine shoots through the very center of the room, a support pillar, entwined into the ceiling and floor and Everything of this cavern. Growths like tumors rise from the floor - what was once gambling tables look more like grasping hands. A few curl into themselves, knocked over, shattered to splinters in the wake of what was once there. Maria is gone. She is free.

There is a sob. Small. Weak. Mortal. At the base of the pillar, half-absorbed into the plant matter of Yggdrasil is Stylosa. Black roots creep up through her arms, chest, face. Her tears are tinged black, but the eyes are still hers. One arm reaches out. She whispers 'please help, it hurt̷̟͂s̶͕̓ ̵̻͂ĩ̸̺t̸͔͐ ̴͙̍ḧ̷̜́ù̸̘r̶̢̓t̶́͜s̸̫͒ ̸͑ͅî̶̺Ṱ̴̿ ̵̠̃H̷̙͊U̸̻̒R̶̯͛T̸͓͠S̸̢͌`-

The world goes static, right then wrong then right again, and the original Wonderland surrounds you. Silent - for a second. An explosion of color and canned applause comes from behind you. What was once a stage opens once more. There is the Henrik some of you were searching for, skin plaster, eyes matte black, a rigor mortis smile across his face. His voice booms out of speakers that aren't there.

"Welcome, one and all, as we embark on this, our first night! To the new and improved Night Show, with one hundred percent more audience participation!!! Guaranteed to keep you rooted to your seats, haha!" Confetti falls from nowhere, more false cheers from an invisible audience. He bows, stiff and chipped as a wind-up toy. It gives you a chance to angle your gaze to where there used to be an exit. It is there no longer. Doors appear and disappear in wrong places. Chandeliers swap between designs. The new Show is still trying to acclimate itself. "Now, I know some of you have had a bad time here before, but please romaine calm. We-"

And then Da Vinci's Body, appearing from nowhere, the same black eyes and battered smile, smacks him upside the head. A slapstick comedy in all the worst ways.

"That one doesn't work! We're in an ash tree!"

"No, we're in a cactus!"

"Ahahaha! Oh, Henrik, you know I'm a succa for your jokes!"

Both them and the invisible audience crack out into raucous laughter, doing matching poses like they're both on the cover of Vogue magazine. They whisper something to each other and 'Da Vinci' runs off stage to prepare. "Tonight, in celebration, we'll be holding our first ever... talent show!!! Our main acts are just boooring now. You know what I mean? Look at this mess-"

A hand waves out, and Minato unfolds up from the floor, harp welded into his hands, painted and decorated and held in place with pipes and wire. 'Da Vinci' waves her arms, unveiling the elaborate music box. His hands play against his will, plinking out the sad notes to a certain Velvet Room theme. He gets left alone in tired silence for a bit before a note goes off key. 'Da Vinci' yanks his face into the same smile, freezing it in place. TODAY IS A JOYOUS DAY, we are all so very HAPPY, and the eyes of 'Minato' go black.

The room is filled with cheers and rainbows, an excited irish jig played out by their wind-up stage musician. 'Henrik' doesn't wander the room, choosing instead to make sure the background music keeps going. The statues and paintings once lining the walls bend before your eyes - reforming into memories from your home, replays of your failures, but all done up in catchy pop-art style and played for hilarity. Rather than Marias, all newcomers are visited by a black-eyed ghoul wearing a human skin. They hand out drinks and paperwork, what would you like to participate with in our talent show? The winner not only gets a job but-

One wish from the Compact. Surely that's way more interesting than trying to get out, right?

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4. OOC

In order to keep to our goal of providing the most personalized Wonderland experience for all of you, we're setting a limit of 1 RNG attempt per character this log. Additionally, please be aware that while some mundane rolls will have standard-level DCs, many rolls, including those with the potential to uncover plot information, will be high-risk high-reward and will have a very high DC along with steep penalties for failure. As always, we will let you know of this before we roll, and you have the option to decline any roll at any time.

If you would like to gain a bonus of +2 on any given roll, those who have opted in to horror content may make the choice to sacrifice something of body, mind, or spirit. We will determine your sacrifice based on your horror homework. It is up to you whether this sacrifice is for the duration of the mission or a permanent sacrifice. As an additional reminder, there is no healing in Wonderland.

To a few of you, this will be even more detrimental than usual. To those of you who went too far with your debts or your choices, who have lost your very Selves to Wonderland. A list:

○ Michael
○ Kaede Akamatsu
○ Minato Arisato
○ Akira Kurusu
○ Guido Mista
○ Ryuji Sakamoto
○ Leonardo da Vinci
○ Willard H. Wright

Despite Lucretia's spell, the Light won't effect you guys. Over the course of part 2 you'll find you're slowly falling prey to what hit everyone else in wonderland. Your skin will turn pale, your veins will turn dark, you'll start vomiting viscous Abyss that occasionally comes to life, and eventually your eyes will turn black and you will Petrify. Should you as a player not want to play out the vomiting part, it can be exchanged with breathing out black mist. Whichever's cool with your school guys. The speed/intensity of this change and all of its symptoms is also up to you.

There are two exceptions. Da Vinci, while she is still a Roland, will simply start going rotten, seams growing old and fur collapsing away. Constant Mending will mitigate this, but she's on a timer to get her body back now. Willard will find that as the hardening of the glass continues, it will start to lose all color and begin to crack in places. These cracks will leak the same tar infecting the other players. Minato, despite being a Music Box right now, is still in his physical body and is not an exception.

On a more general note, we encourage you to make your own mini-horrorscapes in this setting! The entirety of Wonderland is available to dark-side, with the exception of what we've already laid out for Ghost & Wonder Squares. Improvise and make a mess. Just make sure to tag anything warning-worthy. Anything on the OOC post is fair game, and if there's something you'd like to try, please don't hesitate to let us know on the RNG thread. Should you have any questions, please direct them to the OOC post linked above.

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blurb code by photosynthesis

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Always the hands. . .

If Kishibe were someone she couldn't take seriously, she'd laugh at the dig. If Kishibe were someone she understood, she'd laugh at the dig.

But Erika is silent, still. Silent at the bracing hand, silent at the question, in the consumed way she gets when she's thinking through a problem.

She owes Maya explanation, but she doesn't know enough to explain.]

...I don't know who she was, [she settles on, with a hint of frustration in her voice. Stony bafflement. She knows what Kishibe is to herself, but she doesn't know what it means for this, what she might hear.

The shadow that is Kishibe seems only delighted. "Oh, Erika-chan~" it coos, pressing its fingers together in front of its mouth, dripping sugary venom, "she's so sweet! Where do you find them! I bet it's a lot easier now, is - n't - it~?"

This does not make Erika look any less frustrated.

She puts a hand over Maya's, as though to have her take it away, and then doesn't.] Don't get hurt on my behalf, [she says, though;] no healing, remember?

[The monster coos again and starts to saunter forward, startling Erika into stepping up again to meet her, readying herself as much as she can to fight. "You've gotten so noble! So dashing! I just want to swoon off another skyscraper! Oh, so much for all that talk about human pain!"

She's circling. Erika is sidestepping to keep her distance, keep her in sight.

"I mean, just look at you now...I love what you've done with that body, it's a real upgrade. And that steely glare, that stoicism, just like that hottie brother of yours..."

Erika sucks in a sudden breath in a very "trying not to horf monster goo" way.

"...and brushing her off like that, after that heart-pounding confession? Very, very cool! You weren't even going to tell her! Even I'm blown away!"

Something in the air is swiftly icing over. Something of hallucination-Kishibe's sickly sweet shell is rotting and flaking away in time-lapse. Something about her grin, something about her glee is extremely palpably wrong.

Erika tenses. It is the right time for that.

"I think there's a word for that! It's, hmmm...ohhh...ohhh, I know!"

She is not human. She is a monster of Wonderland, dripping ichor from its talons and its cruel grinning teeth, and it springs and strikes and lashes as it screeches:

"Hy -

- po -

crite!!"

Months of training are not enough for this. Erika has to move and move and has to rely on Infinity Dream even then, letting bladed ribbon-teeth phase through her, butterflies trailing and swirling. She stumbles and jumps up and backs down and chases, swiping, missing. "Kishibe" laughs and laughs.]

[ honestly, maya just does not like the way this monster is talking to erika, real or not. so she's already starting to puff up. it's a good thing erika's telling her to reel it in! ]

Healing or not, I'm not gonna let some gross, jerk monster pick on you.

[ ..... but it's erika's fight. she really shouldn't interfere and throw herself in it. just like her own tango with it, it's erika's own demons turned against her. maybe literally, even, with this creature. that battle, she won't be able to fight. ]

[ .... she stays close, though, supportive, just in case. when she sees erika struggling not to throw up, she interjects verbally-- ]

Don't let this creep get to you! You've got this!

[ it's hard, though, it's hard to just watch. she settles for a low grade interference (for now) -- nick junior circles around the kishibe monster and occasionally swoops down to distract it from erika, and maya sticks her tongue out at kishibe and blows a raspberry. ]

Throwing a tantrum 'cause you know Erika's better than you? That's right!

[ erika has her own hypewoman. and she's loud. ]

[Maya's color commentary makes Kishibe seem...comical. Which is a strange word to attach to this nightmare of a person; everything she did seems so small and petty and pointlessly cruel and gross and jerkish in the face of the consequences. In the face of what she'd said.

Oof. Is it a good thing, to be better than Kishibe?

"Better?"

Oh god why did she think that. Erika groans on a backstep, sounding like she's knowing what's coming up next. (Sounding like she wants to get a word in edgewise but doesn't want to lose focus and get skewered.) "Kishibe" shrieks with glee.

"Erika-chan, you really are the best, aren't you? Between us freaks, I went 'poof', but you went out with the biggest bang! And this kind of talk doesn't even faze you anymore, huh?"]

Oh boy, [Erika whispers, still too occupied to actually reply. A volley of eldritch blasts clear out a little room for breathing.]

["You'll hold your head high, huh? Even if people know how weird you are? Little shut-in Erika-chan? Computer for a brain? Broke your poor brother's heart, stole his future? Couldn't stay dead? Made your deal with the devil? No shame at all! I love it! Everyone gets a second chance! Erika-chan's best quality! Oh, you don't have to hear it from me, though."

She lets up the assault, stepping back and waving cutely, and...melts. Erika slows down too, breathing heavily, still watching hawklike for those slicing ribbons.]

What's she waiting for, [she says lowly, rapidly, stream-of-consciousness-like.] I know what she's getting at she wants me to say you shouldn't believe in me because I'm gonna get you killed or something, what's she waiting for. It's gonna be I knew it.

[It's Ryuji Mishima. Erika lets out a long resigned sigh through her nose, sad but too unsurprised by the vision to be shocked. He looks vacant, hollowed-out, stern eyes a little unfocused, just past the edge of despair into the rage of someone who's decided they have nothing left to lose.

He looks at Erika. He looks at Maya. There's more to the mass of the monster; it roils behind him, readying for something.]

[ maya knows better to take these kind of comments at face value. it's a monster formed on their worst fears, regrets, and memories -- she's not the type of person to just believe someone badmouthing her friends in the first place. ]

[ so she does what she does best: continues to mouth off. ]

From where I'm standing, weird monster lady blob, you're waaaaay weirder. And not in the endearing way!

[ not that this does much. the monster just goes off on its little script -- then, melts into nothing. she lets out a little chuff of a laugh at erika's response. ]

That's what they all say, isn't it? It's so cliche. Like just being menacing and negative and making twisted references to something that happened in your past is just gonna make me run away right here and now.

[ she sees it, though --- she doesn't recognize the boy, but it's obviously someone close to erika. her brother? she did hear the creepy ladymonsterthing talking about him. ]

[ she puts her hand on erika's shoulder, bracing. ]

You got this.

If you were someone else, [Erika starts, and then stops, because why even entertain that thought? She shakes her head to cut herself off and adjusts her grip on her swords.] Right. I trust you. Okay - I don't think I can hit him. Fake or not. It'll be - mmf. Maybe.

[Ryuji watches and watches and doesn't seem to like what he sees. He smiles a wry, bitter smile.

Big talker, now. Where'd you learn that? The smile fades. Erika's not like that. She never said anything. Whatever she did, she just...

He shrugs widely, without hope. The mass behind him coalesces, hunched over him like a vulture.

...did. Left everyone in the dust. Even after everything I gave up. Can't even bother to feel bad about it.]

That's not quite true, [Erika adds somberly, as Ryuji's voice drops into some mix of a growl and a sob. She doesn't have time to elaborate and she knows it. For verisimilitude, it's Arcadiamon that's winding up to lunge, while the copy of her brother steadily acts out an uncomfortably realistic breakdown.

Look at me, he pleads through gritted teeth, Erika, or whatever you are, look me in the eye, dammit. She breaks away from Maya for round two of the dance, fending off the false Arcadiamon with its reaching hands and hopping lunges. She does not look the false Ryuji in the eye; content of the accusations aside, it seems to unsettle her in a primal way to hear his voice at all, much less begging can't you see what you did, she was the last thing I had, look at me, why the hell did you leave me?]

.... I understand.

[ even knowing that pearl and phoenix were copies, even morgan, she couldn't exactly just run up to them and fight them. it's too raw. when they spoke, they sounded exactly like themselves. and the barbed words hurt. even without knowing the context between the two --- whatever he's saying, it's probably some twisted, hurtful exaggeration of what really happened. something she harbors guilt about. ]

I know it's not true. I think.... you need to know that, really know that, no matter this faker is saying about you.

[ maya grits her teeth, too. not because she's putting any stock in what the shadow is saying, but because it's hurting her to see erika so affected by it. ]

Are you sure you don't want me to step in? We could... I could hit him. I kind of want to, since he's being so nasty.

[ if erika says no, she'll respect it, but she's definitely going to yell over anything ryuji says. ]

I know it's not. I just don't think he did. [Bingo. (She swipes at Arcadiamon, and it springs back to circle again, making an alien clicking noise.) That's the naked beating heart of all this, a material regret she's helpless to do anything about now. Like Vista Virs. Knowing doesn't undo the damage, there's nothing to be done but move on, but you still remember the things that didn't have to happen, and you wonder...

The not-Ryuji sobs angrily. Erika pretends not to hear it, firing a warning Eldritch Blast as Arcadiamon tries to creep forward again.]

If he's - if he's realistic, he won't hurt me, but he might hit you back. [Her voice is tense; she chews her lip.] But, if he's realistic, I might not get through to - might only be able to keep Arcadiamon occupied. If you...want to, go ahead and try. But be careful. ...Please.

[Racing through her head: she can spin herself in circles all day, or she can let someone in to help despite that eternal misgiving, and maybe that's what Wonderland is counting against, maybe that's the key? Or is it a ploy to get at her, knowing it can't throw much more than she's already said to herself, fishing for someone to hurt in front of her, another material failure to regret?

I trust you.

She rushes Arcadiamon uncertainly, whispering something to herself. False Ryuji looks up from his own misery and looks Maya in the eye, and there's a seething, unhinged expression on him that he didn't have for Erika.

What do you have to do with this? he hisses, standing up and setting his shoulders back and wow this guy is kinda beefy for a nerd huh. Have some dignity and stop distracting her.]

[ ... that's sad. ]

I think he's realistic.... but I think, no matter what, this thing will find a way to want to hurt you.

[ whether it means attacking directly or.... not. but honestly, she doesn't care if it hurts her, as long as it means erika is safe. but she does get it. if erika sees someone hurt on her behalf, it'll probably just feed the shadow - that's why she wanted her to hang back. dense as fuck maya of course doesn't grasp that erika cares about her a lot more than just a random stranger, but. baby steps. ]

.... I'll be careful. 'Cause there's no way I'm letting you lose.

[ because erika didn't let her lose, so. she'll repay the favor. she grasps her spear to confront ryuji -- who is surprisingly buff, wow. and, uh, taller than she expected..... hm. ]

[ (the joke's on him if he thought she ever had dignity, though) ]

How about you have some dignity and leave Erika alone? Don't you care about her?! Can't you see that what you're doing is hurting her!?

[ if this will at all make a difference. nick junior circles overhead, surveying ryuji's movements. ]

[Ryuji leans forward and yells. Erika is GONE! Arcadiamon morphs and changes - evolves into towering, looming form - in time with the scream, and Erika flinches away from its claws. And so am I. What do you know about how much I cared? What do you know about what I've done?! What do you know about her.

He straightens up again, a dazed look in his eye, and starts to stride forward.

What would you do for her? Fight? Steal? Ruin someone's life? Huh?!

He breaks into a run, and dives in with fists flying.

(Erika, despite everything, is still watching, out of the corner of her eye as she stays out of Arcadiamon's lumbering way and pelts it with blasts; she gasps, but has to lunge to dodge a swipe.]

[ maya can't help but flinch when he screams --- it's loud, and pretty alarming. some part of her knows that it's pointless to argue with this thing -- but that doesn't stop her. it never does. ]

Apparently, a lot more than you! Can't you see this isn't what she wants?!

[ despite her passionate counter yelling, ~~she rolled a three~~, she doesn't teleport quite in time - ryuji's fist connects to her face seconds before she misty steps -- causing her to reappear several feet away and hit the ground hard. ow. ]

Oof!

[ failed step one. good thing she's got a hard head. ]

S-Sorry... Erika....

[ she pushes herself to her feet, though, gritting her teeth through the pain. ]

What I'll do is hold you off... but if you really care about her, you'll stop this!

[He hit her. He hit her he hit her - he's not real. She remembers this in time to make eye contact with him, Erika looking for Maya and Ryuji standing back up and looking over his shoulder and looking her directly in the eye. He's not real. He is here to disturb her with the presence of someone she's only had memories of for a year. He is here to make her want to see a little more of him. He is here to hurt -

- no -

- to drive a wedge, to make it feel like she's abandoned one for another and it's not all the same long road -

Arcadiamon catches her.]

-Maya!

[She cries out in alarm, already scared and startled at being grabbed and lifted. The monster rears back as though to toss her down its own throat. She phases free and falls to the ground, hitting and rolling with another sharp gasp.

When she tries to get up, it's not Arcadiamon that's looming anymore. Just another boy in a dingy space-station jumpsuit, face twisted in another flavor of helpless anger. I knew she did something to you, he insists with voice quavering, Erika, how could you do this to us?

He reaches out. His hands are dissolving away, swimming black and white geometry fading inky black Hunger of the Eaters into nothing and Erika is frozen at a loss for words or actions or solutions.]

Edited 2019-10-22 03:39 (UTC)

[ she doesn't stay down for very long -- she's back on her feet within moments, holding her stinging cheek. really not the worst hit she's gotten here. more worryingly, it distracted erika from her fight and almost really cost her. ]

[ and now she's frozen in fear, in loss, and maya can't hold up the other end of her bargain. ]

HEY!

[ she abandons her fight with ryuji for a brief moment to teleport behind and slightly above hinata -- and yank on his ahoge to pull him away and down. ]

Pick on someone with your own dumb hairstyle!

[ sick burn, maya. ]

[Impossible scenario. Hajime's face screwed up with shock and frustration, Maya behind him, he's not real. (He could be, but,) Maya is. There's no puzzle and no solution there's just a monster wearing a face for the sake of pain. It's not a puzzle it's a fight.

Erika's pacted blade jumps into her hand. The blanked out shocked part of her tries to assemble control, remembering lessons and practice and tracking Hajime struggling with Maya so she can hit the target. It braces itself for unpleasantness, builds a model of the hollow creature that paints over the body it's wearing.

Deep deep breath.]

I'm not playing this game, [she whispers to it/herself,] these memories are mine.

[She dives in and strikes. The shadow gives her the sensation of metal piercing fabric and skin and scraping against bone; she closes her eyes for a moment to neutralize the weight of the memory, diluting it down and thinking he's not real and pushing again with cold determination.

She misses the moment that Hajime stops being Hajime. The monster jolts. Maya's hands reel back from Maya's shoulders, and Maya's eyes snap wide and jump up past Maya's head to the ceiling and beyond, sharp with fear.

Erika opens her eyes again. They go wide too. She sees blood and purple fabric and black hair around Lethe's blade and knows, immediately and distantly, what's going on; she won't look elsewhere, won't give the shadow any further ground in this chapter of her life. It's claimed enough. This, on its own, is....pretty bad.]

[ as it turns out, it did pick on someone with the same dumb hairstyle. maya herself!! wow, rude as fuck. ]

[ she's about to cheer erika, praise and encourage her, but then something unexpected happens. as erika manages to land the blow, it transforms... into maya herself. ]

[ it's surreal, to watch herself get stabbed. she's been hurt before like this -- the womping willow did a number on her -- but seeing it like this is almost like an out of body experience. ]

[ .... strange. disturbing, too. ]

[ but worse for erika, probably. at least she didn't stab the real maya -- that would have been bad. ]

[ whatever complicated feelings maya herself feels at this scene, she takes erika by the shoulders, gets into her line of view. ]

Hey! I'm fine. It's fine. Just another dirty trick.

[ she's right here!!! ]

Don't worry.

[The monster is kind of toppling away when Erika breaks her grip on Lethe. She welcomes Maya's intrusion into her field of view, refusing to watch it hit the ground.

She looks rattled. Not quite horrified, too skeptical already to take everything that just happened at face value, but wide-eyed and alert and mind visibly whirling.]

I know, [Erika says lightly, and seems lost for words after that, starting to form the shape of a word and then another and stopping each time. Nothing comes up. Instead she ducks in under Maya's grip and methodically fits a hug around her, spreading her hands out on her back and tucking her face against her shoulder. Her breathing is even, but her heart is racing.]

[ that's fine. they shouldn't linger here too long just in case it reforms again, but they can afford this one little moment. she wraps her arms around erika in turn, tightly, giving her a little squeeze. ]

It's just mad 'cause you totally kicked its butt, so it's pulling out all the cheap tricks.

[ she snakes her hand up to stroke erika's hair. ]

'Cause you know what? You did it. You beat it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Field Mission 5: Il Prigioniero, Part 2

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i hope jade enjoys this

"i should roll for this" i said and the dice said face your fate

the dice really hate maya

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