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

i. wonderland - design (cw: blood (image 3), gore, emetophobia, body horror, strangulation (image 1), partial decapitation (image 4), incineration, suicidal ideation) - limited to 1, please

[ Another time. Wonderland's got no end of excitements for Alex, it seems, and after the little...revisit, he's not too keen on experiencing them. But the place still is Wrong and he'd like to look for any leads he can on anyone who's missing. The sooner they find them, the sooner they can... Well, they can find them. That's good enough, isn't it?

Where he is... It's not the hall of mirrors. Or, box of mirrors, or whatever it is now. But it's in the Ghost Square, he thinks. It's a hall of some kind. Where the mirrors should be, there are door frames. Infinite, stretching out around him.

It isn't the same, but it's a maze nevertheless. Will said, keep your hand on the left wall. That'll help you keep from getting lost. Maybe the principle still applies. (He's going to need to go through a doorway eventually- not now, just give it a shot--)

This place is quieter and more lonely than the empty premonitions. And yet, at the same time, he can't help but feel something's there. Something's with him. Walking behind him, in-step. Something's with him. Something's
with
him

Heyyy, Alex. Askin' the man in the mirror somethin'? [ A slithery voice, with a tone of laughter to it. One he recognizes. Alex spins to see a corpse, grinning at him darkly. His face has been done up by a mortician, leaving him as a pretty, formaldehyde-filled mannequin. Being cleaned up certainly doesn't hide the lacerations on his neck, around his neck, nor the nicks at his fingers. Certainly doesn't change the fact that the blood vessels in his eyes have burst, either, coloring them red.

Alex doesn't breathe. He just stares. ]

T- Tod...

There aren't mirrors here, genius. [ Another voice, dismissive and cutting, but also pitying. Sad. Alex can't bring himself to tear his eyes away from the corpse, though, especially not when it laughs, again- ]

Aww, come ooonn, it's a reference! Alex gets it, don't you? [ Darker, a wider smile- ] Who woulda thought, the bathroom? Safe place. Ha!

[ He can't look at him anymore. Instead, Alex's eyes find the other voice- and instantly, he wishes he hadn't.

She's standing in a doorway, a pretty girl- or, once pretty, because her legs are twisted and broken, bone poking through her knee, her face one big smear of blood, yet somehow still able to convey a look of utter devastation. Her whole body's broken. ]

I just wanted to get on with my life. Why didn't you say something?

[ It's worse. Alex feels himself gag, sick to his stomach. Still, he tries to stammer. ] T- Terry. Terry, I- I d-didn't- this isn't-

[ He tries to back up, and it leads him to bump into someone. Spinning, he finds- no, oh god no. Those pleading eyes. A woman, blood pouring from her neck, a knife embedded in her chest. No, Alex can't do this, not her. ]

Why didn't you do something? You were right there. Y- you watched me--

[ A furious shake of his head. No, he'd tried to- no this is Wrong, it is Wrong, what you tried to do was Wrong, they should Die, they were Supposed to Die!!!

Alex starts to back up again, away from the phantoms in the doorways. Choking, unable to even apologize because this was supposed to happen wasn't it. Like clockwork, he knows it, another one, standing in the doorway next to his dead teacher- ]

Yeah, Alex, come on! [ It's pathetic, the way this voice sounds, whining. It stands in contrast to the person before him, somehow able to speak even though from the top half of his jaw onward, he doesn't have a head. ] You could've told me! You could've said I was next!

Billy, n- no, it happened so fast, I- [ That's not what he should be saying- ] You were going to die anyway, we all were!

So you don't even care?! Duude! I DIED! It frickin' hurt!!

[ Billy takes a step closer. Alex takes a step back. But, still- ]

No shit it hurt, Billy. [ Casual, almost completely casual, from a cocky-looking guy, standing beside Terry...or at least, partly standing. See, he's leaning against the doorway, because his torso's popped forward, from a completely broken back. Blood drips down his back to the floor. ] Boo-hoo, you died, and Browning saw it all and didn't stop it. Boo-hoo, join the club.

Carter, you dick!

[ Terry almost laughs through her despair, at something familiar (no she doesn't she's not here none of them are here this isn't happening it's not real) and Carter smiles softly; all he wanted was to hear her laugh again, he'd said once, one night while visiting Alex in the hospital, in a rare moment of vulnerability. His eyes remain fixed on the sole living inhabitant of the door-hallway, however. Something knowing's in his eyes. ]

Alex. Been awhile. Still need someone to save your ass? Don't answer that. I know.

[ His stomach lurches. He remembers the blood dripping to the floor on him instead, Carter practically split in half from the force of the swinging sign. There's nothing to say to Carter, nothing he can put into words, no retort, and he hears Ms. Lewton start crying and Tod let out a twisted, contorted laugh. Carter stares right through him. ]

Hey, Alex. Who's next?

[ He takes off running. Down, away from the Wrong phantoms. In front of him, there's just a long hallway, empty door frames, frames that flicker with charred silhouettes of different sizes. At least, that's what's there before he glances over his shoulder to see if they follow him, for when he turns back-- WHACK, right into a mirror. Tod laughs louder, see, see told ya, I almost got it and he looks up into

blue eyes

sad, and longing.

This phantom's the only one that's not disfigured in some way. ]

Alex. [ Through his left eye, she's soft and loving, normal. Through his right eye, all he can see is Wrong, her face scorched and charred, only to him. Her. No. No, no, no. ] Baby, I've missed you so much.

[ He slides back on his rear, trying to use his hands to push himself up, before forgetting oops, he doesn't have feeling in those, not anymore. He ends up falling sideways, and She reaches a hand to the glass she's behind, kneeling down in worry. ]

Alex...! [ She's concerned. Her face is gaunt, eyes sunken with exhaustion. Her hair hangs stringy, unwashed. Since he last saw her (this isn't her isn't her isn't isn't isn't) she's gone through so much, it seems. What's she wearing? Is that...from a hospital? What's- ] Alex, are you okay? What happened to your hands, did they- are they hurting again? Alex... Say something. Please, Alex, I've missed you. I've missed you so much...!

St- st-stop! [ He can't look at her. It. Whatever this is. ] You're not... You're not real. This isn't happening.

Alex... [ Hurt. ]

Not the way to talk to a girl, Browning. [ Mocking. ]

Hey, if she dumps ya, we can still go see the Yanks together. Even if you got us all killed, I still like ya. [ Scornful.

Ms. Lewton starts crying louder. Terry sighs, and Billy starts whimpering about something incoherent. ]

You're! Not!! REAL!!! [ Alex squeezes his eyes shut, so he can't see any of them. He can't see the Wrong. ] This isn't here. This isn't you. It's not... We were all s'pposed to die anyway, it's not my fault! It was always gonna happen... We were all always gonna die!

[ The phantoms fall silent, outside of soft noises of disgust. But, She- ]

Alex, stop. What are you saying...? We... We were giving each other a second chance, Alex. We were....

We never had a second chance! [ The Raven Queen's sight burns behind his eye. He sees, he Knows, and though he'd be screaming at himself, begging with himself, knows somehow, somewhere, this isn't Right, he doesn't believe that anymore, it's been ripped from him, and this is what's left, those beautiful impossible memories dyed red, dyed black. ] Don't you get it?! I didn't save us, I just- just prolonged it, just screwed everything up! We shoulda died on that plane, and I fucked it!

I hadn't... You were the first person...in years, I ever wanted to... [ For a simulation, it's...horribly accurate. The way her voice catches. The moment of pause, where he knows she's pressing her lips tight together and- ] You gave me a reason to live again. I loved you.

[ Damn it. He looks up, to see her blue eyes full of tears. She's still reaching out to him. He starts to reach back. ] Clear...

I- I'm sorry. [ His voice breaks. But he doesn't take any of it back. ] It would've...been better, if we'd just...

[ The Clear in the mirror lets out a shaky gasp and sobs. Her hair falls in front of her face as she curls in on herself. It's the worst thing he's ever seen, worse than any death or mangled body. Murmurs behind him, and...alongside him, but he can't take his eyes from her. He's sorry. He's sorry. He's sorry he did this to you. Made you fight something you couldn't win. We never should've met, we never should've had that moment, we never should've-- ]

You want me to be dead? [ A low growl, full of pain and anger. ] Fine. Just for you!

[ As her head shoots up, her body catches fire. It's not just his right eye seeing it, it's everything. She's burning, and she's screaming, and he can't tear his eyes from the sight. (Better. Better, this is how it should be--) With a howl, her hand reaches out, through the mirror, and grabs at his ankle. Flames lick his foot as he scrambles away, crawling and falling. Alex screams, because quite suddenly her hand isn't the only one reaching out for him. The charred silhouettes fill out, into charred corpses, all of them emerging from doorways and grasping for him. In front of him, the other phantoms, the ones with faces and voices, drag themselves from their doorways too, reaching. Behind him, the smell of burning flesh and hair fills the air. ]

Alex...!
Alex!
Alex...!
A-Alex!
Aleex!
Alex!!

[ They're screaming for him. The corpses all. Reaching for him, and he's nowhere to go. Help. Help. Maybe-- maybe he's better- maybe it'd be better if he just- if he just let them--

There's a door frame leading out. One with no phantom. One with a fellow Reclaimer. Help. ]

Edited 2019-09-23 08:33 (UTC)

[It's a raw experience for the blank slate that is Mia to have been a part of this. She'd followed Alex into Wonderland simply because Ghost could still remember him, and in that memory was a feeling. A duty to protect, despite not knowing what they're up against, despite the repetitive motion of a maze drumming what little sense of herself away with each step.

And then come the mirrors. Ghost puts out little of her own energy in this maze, and Alex's feelings and memories and identity overwhelm hers in the area they've entered. Alex's friends speak and she has no memory of them-- but Alex does. Alex knows, and Alex feels, and Alex speaks. Alex speaks their names into reality-- Tod and Terry and Billy and Carter, and each time they become their own people, case files in Ghost's head updating with what little she can infer about them.

They are Alex's friends, or close to him at least, important. They pull on Alex's heart and she can feel it tugging at her own, distant, and yet all the same as though Alex's spirit is within her own. And then as Alex begins to speak, Mia finds that she can't use her own voice, stuck in her head watching as though Alex's voice is in her throat. It doesn't take much to hear the pain in his voice anyway, especially once Clear makes it to the scene. But even as the hell they're in makes Ghost feel more and more as though she is Alex, she can't help but feel she disagrees with what he's saying. There's something in her heart that speaks true even if she can't remember why, just a burning feeling; this isn't right. This isn't just. This isn't fair. An undeniable feeling that despite as Alex retorts I just- just prolonged it, just screwed everything up! We shoulda died on that plane, and I fucked it! That he isn't right.

She can't be Alex, can she? No, because she can't convince herself that not trying, that not fighting, for someone's right to live... that can't be right. And because Alex is still before her, and because-- because Will said, when she starts to lose her way, to remember.]

My name is Ghost, and I protect what's important to me.

[She mumbles to herself, nearly inaudible against the scene unfolding before Alex. That's right. She can't be Alex, and she won't allow Alex to be right about all this, either. She can talk again, and most of all she's a part of her own body. She can see those corpses reach for Alex, can hear them calling his name. Joke's on them. Ghost can reach, too, and she's got a strong grip.]

Alex!

[That courtroom voice bellows in attempts to call over the cries of Clear and Tod and Carter and All. Ghost grasps a hold of Alex's arm with no regard for how she's going to tug away a six-foot-tall teenager away from his fears. She holds tight and pulls anyway, reaching out her other hand for Alex to grab hold of if he can just turn away from those corpses.]

Edited 2019-09-28 20:05 (UTC)

[ What you fight with in Wonderland isn't hate or rage. It's determination. It's positivity. It's emotion that is Mia's whole self right now, that protective instinct. It cuts through the horror and the lies, Mia- Ghost- she goes through the corpses. The silhouettes, at least.

Alex, too absorbed in his own horrible memories and their distortion, finds himself unable to realize what's happening until Ghost's pulling him, away from the corpses hissing. He finds her eyes with a tearful gasp. ] M-- Mia...?! Mi- what're you-

[ He can't reach back, his hands useless, but he doesn't fight her pull, if only because he's too shocked. The fakes reach for him, Clear's skin melting from her bones. ]

You're leaving us again?! [ The memory speaks with a warp of her voice, dark and horrible.

The girl he loves? Like that? (You did this.) He isn't fighting Ghost...but he certainly isn't helping, either, paralyzed in his own guilt and regret. ]

[There's still a pain in Ghost's heart as Clear calls out again.

You're leaving me again? was never something Maya would say, not without puppy eyes and a laugh. Maya had...

..That's right. Mia remembers. When Mia left Kurain, when Maya smiled her and let her go, when Maya gave her strength.

When Maya showed her Love.]

You aren't leaving. You've never left the ones in your heart!

[Who cares what those corpses say? Mia's heart is flooded with love, love for the one person left alive that showed her love back, and new love for these new burning lights in her life like Alex. Mia reaches and pulls and tugs Alex into her arms protectively, clinging tight as she pulls back.]

You're living. The people that love you, Alex--

[She thinks of Maya's smile. She thinks of her brightness.]

They want you to live!

[ Alex blinks through tears as his head swivels to look at Mia, best he can. She's holding on so tight. Like he had... But won't that only cause trouble? For her, for everyone? Had he just died...

(Had you just-) ]

T- sh- she... Clear's never- sh- she always wanted me t- but... But I can't-

[ That burning thing isn't Clear. She wouldn't... But is he allowed that? The corpses turn their gaze to Ghost, Mia, the one pulling Alex away. Tod's nicked and torn fingers grasp at Alex's sprawled leg, as he snarls. ] Hands off, lady, he's got a flight to catch!

[ The bloodied Ms. Lewton launches at Mia as she cries. ]

[Mia can't help but make a bit of a squealing, whining noise- corpses aren't supposed to move and it's awful, she wants to kick at Tod's terrible hand but then Ms. Lewton's lunging her way and Ghost's eyes shut tight.

It's not real, it's not real, it can't be real-- but there's little she can do to fight back without letting him go. She just endures, holding tight to Alex and still, still trying to pull away. The only one she can fight is Alex, with her words.]

She wants you to live. You have to believe that! You deserve to live!

[She might be terrified of these corpses but she is not giving up.]

I- I can't! When all of this- I-I'm not s-supposed to!

[ Ms. Lewton takes a swipe at Mia, with surprisingly sharp nails. Tod yanks, pulling Alex slightly from Mia's arms, and he finds himself looking into the corpse's red, bloodshot eyes. ]

You ever get fucked up 'bout it, Aleex? That you didn' even have a chance? That you didn' even know I was gonna bite it? [ He tilts his head and...and it starts to tilt off, coming apart at the sharp wire-marks around his neck. Alex screams, appropriately. ] Ever think about me, when you were off thinkin' you WON?

[ The other corpses with forms approach, the silhouettes twitching on the ground, as the burning corpse of Clear shuffles closer. Her voice is a horrible garbled wail, as she's...currently on fire. ] I missed you... I missed you...

[they may be an illusion, but Ghost is only human and she is terrified. Mia screams as well, loosing one arm off Alex to swing at Ms. Lewton-- gasping when she notices the slack in her grip when Tod yanks. She pushes with the heel of her palm at Ms. Lewton's face, half-shrieking--]

Get away from me!

[is she shaking? She can't feel her own body anymore, disassociating in her fear. Desperately, she tries again to get a better grip on Alex. She wants out of this place, but there's no way she's leaving him behind, not even when Tod re-decapitates himself.]

Please, you just-- [a weakened plea to start before Ghost regroups.] You didn't kill them! You're not-- guilty!

[She tries to shout over the other voices.]

It's not your crime to pay for, Alex! This isn't right!

We were supposed to die! [ He's screaming this, partly in terror, as Tod crawls forward with that shifting, wobbling head. ] I'm not Right! B- but I--

WHY DID YOU LET ME DIE, YOU LITTLE FREAK?!

[ Alex jumps as the normally quiet Ms. Lewton, reeling from Mia's blow, turns her attention on him again. His breath stops in his chest, and he remembers the fear in her face as she looked at him, his small attempt to comfort her rebuffed, get away from me you scare the hell out of me, the kind teacher he helped clean the blackboard gone and replaced, replaced with this--

Her nails are glass. The glass that sliced her neck, it's now coming for him, and between her and Tod he can't move. ]

I- I did- didn't- I didn't want-- I d-didn't--

[ I didn't want that to happen. I didn't want any of that to happen. ]

Edited 2019-09-29 23:43 (UTC)

[suddenly, there's no one holding Alex anymore. That's because Ghost is now in front of him, struggling against Ms Lewton and her glass claws, the shards scraping into Mia's collarbones through the fabric of her robes. With her hands around Ms Lewton's wrists, she's shaking keeping Ms Lewton in place there, but the fierceness in her face... It's like a lion, how she's glaring Ms Lewton down.]

Who are you?! Who do you think you are?!

To put this responsibility on-- a kid!

[She shoves back against Ms. Lewton's arms, trying to force her away, even as blood blooms on the fabric.]

Wanting to live isn't a crime, Alex!

[ Alex twists around, the sight of it finally getting him to move. ]

Mia!!!

[ Ms. Lewton isn't a physically strong woman, not even as a corpse. Facing down a monk? With that sort of power behind her? Yeah, she goes stumbling back, falling over Tod, who releases Alex's leg at the shock of it. The blood dripping from her neck flies with her momentum, splattering the ground.

Alex winces, scrambling backwards to try and see if Mia is okay. ] M- Mia- why would- why would you...?!

[Mia glares Tod and Ms. Lewton and all of their corpsey friends down with a look that dares them to try it again. Eight little nicks bleed into Mia's scarf, but she stays steady. It hurts. It hurts for real, somehow, it hurts like it's real even if she keep repeating in her head it's not, it's not, it can't be-- but she doesn't sway. She takes her eyes off the corpses only to look Alex in the eyes.]

I'm not letting you die.

[Mia may not be "her" name, but there's no one else here by that name. She doesn't falter. She breathes heavily, hoarse in her fear, but she's not losing it, at least.]

It's not your fault.

It- it's gonna kill me when s'all done. I'm- [ He's trying to stand. A little dizzily. ] It's p- pointless, Death's still gonna-

[ While those two are stumbling about, Tod's head rolling away to the side, Billy groans and blood bubbles from his throat. Seems like he's finding it hard to communicate now. ]

hhheyy, hhhee exxxx, ex. coome. aaal. ffccKING--

Jesus. [ Alex can't help but murmur, watching this corpse start to stumble forward.

Terry and Carter, both their injuries debilitating, have a tough time walking. So, the two lean on each other, one of Terry's legs dragging by strings of muscle, Carter's torso held up by Terry's arm. A sick, horrifying three-legged race, entangled together, entwined, forever. One fucked up love story, isn't it? ]

Alex! You still need people to save your ass? Gee, surprise. You gonna get this one killed too, then? You tell her? You tell her what happened?

[ Before Alex can answer, Billy charges, sputtering and gurgling, blood flying out like an erupting volcano. ]

The Long One, bunch of cws in the prompt

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cw: decapitation, immolation

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cw: severed limbs, decapitation

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cw: eye horror

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ohh i hecked the narration in that tag hard

dw about it i've done way worse

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