Field Mission 5: Il Prigioniero, Part 2

[balancemod]

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. Back to top 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. Back to top 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? Back to top 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. Back to top blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

[rockymountaindie]

[ Blood. Blood, Alex remembers the top of his head fly off, and Alex stammering, swift-talking, losing his goddamn mind as he tries not to stammer, finding himself able to understand, the design, the way it works, and he's focusing on that- on that instead of the fact that someone he's known since he was seven, who went bike-riding with him, in front of him, because he- because save one person, lose another--

Billy's blood lands on his face. Like before. He's stumbling backwards and Mia's in front of him. The memory of Clear's hands on his cheeks. Baby, you are losing it. Blinking, once, twice. ]

You think it's gonna end any diff'rent for you? [ Tod's crawling out from under Ms. Lewton. ]

Alex... He only tried to get himself off that plane. He was going to leave us. [ Terry's blood-smeared face is in agony. ]

He's a curse...! He's a horrible, gross monster! [ Ms. Lewton remains angry, sobbing. ]

Hhhn. Hhhhh!! [ Indecipherable, as Billy tries swiping at Mia. To grab something, though he can't see what. Her hair?

Carter speaks loudly. The leader. ] Alex Browning thinks he knows everything. But everyone 'round him are the people who pay the price. Whether they die...

Or he does. [ Clear's voice sounds normal again. She's behind them, and Alex turns to look at her. Still burning. But just sad. ] That's the kind of person he is. Do you really want to risk your life for someone like that?

[ Tears crowd Alex's eyes. What he'd said... Really, what he'd said, it starts to sink in. How could he? How could he say something like that...to her...? Even to an illusion.

Just...what's wrong with him? How fucked up is he...? ]

They- [ Still staring at Clear, who doesn't attack him. Who doesn't advance anymore. ] ...They're not wrong. I- I'm a jinx. I get people killed. I hurt them. I die. ...I don't- [ Alex, do you trust me?

He grits his teeth though his brain is screaming, the eye is telling him he's Wrong. ] I don't trust myself right now. I could- I could really fuck you up.

[ Do you know what you're getting into, with this kid? ]

[doubledsofjustice]

[Mia tries to ignore the dead behind her, but they're trying to address her now. She turns away from Alex to swat at Billy, but really, his impossible face is hard to look at-- especially when Clear talks, and distracts them. Mia listens, brows knitting together-- but before she can manage a response Billy grabs something, whether he was reaching for her hair or not. What he gets is her scarf, the scarf she's worn from the start of her career, the one Lana tied for her the first time- it grips her neck and she gasps, grabbing the fabric that Billy's pulling on, leaning back to give it slack as not to choke. She wrestles her fingers under the fabric until she can give herself some room- any room- to breathe, gasping and managing a--]

Just-- trust-- me!

[She has to ignore the drumming feelings of how can he trust you? who even are you? in the back of her mind, instead focusing on those earlier thoughts of Maya. On the memory of Alex, grinning as he shot the carnival basketballs through the hoop, living like a real kid-- even if Ghost can't remember whose memory that is. It's a memory of a kid who didn't deserve this, for heaven's sake.]

Please-- Alex!

[But the awkward position she's in with this scarf is making it hard to fight back, leaned over like a jojo's pose with a silent hill wanna-be on the other end of Mia's yellow scarf. She lets go of it with one hand to reach for Alex, just for that extra leverage-- surely the two of them are stronger than a corpse, but not when she can't easily sit up to pull away.]

1/2

[rockymountaindie]

[ Do you trust your teammates?

Of course. Of course he does. Clear stares into his eyes. He stares back. ]

I'm sorry. [ His voice is low, intimate. ] I didn't mean to leave you.

[ Clear's hand rises to stroke his cheek, and he almost lets it, flames and all. ]

[rockymountaindie]

--But you're not Clear.

[ A snarl as he swings his hand out, an Eldritch Blast flying into the burning corpse. It screams, and Alex spins around to fire another, at the Ms. Lewton fake. Then, he charges forward. ]

Hey, no-face, get the fuck off her! [ Swings back a leg, to kick the ghoul. It... Well, it goes wide. He doesn't kick Mia, at least! Billy's more interested in Alex, however, so he drops Mia's scarf, instead snatching at the leg that just slipped by his chest. ] --Ah, shit--!

[ Sssslide, he's falling. And not catching himself. And hitting his head on the ground.

That could've gone better. ]

[doubledsofjustice]

[You know? It could have gone better. But when Ghost is free to breathe, as far as she's concerned, it's good enough. She has to take the moment to cough, sit up, recollect herself, try not to think too hard about how she almost had a damn-near zombie crawl over her to get to Alex. It's enough time to breathe, but also enough time for Alex to fall.

At least Alex's taken care of some of them. Mia gets to her feet- with Billy still going after Alex and Alex now on the ground, well, she's better off getting Billy away from Alex somehow. So, she grabs Billy by the back of his bloody sweater and starts trying to drag him away from Alex. Her hair hangs sweaty and bloodied in her face, hands red, but she drags him regardless, hoping Alex hasn't gone unconscious. Either way, she manages to get Billy at least a pace or two away, but the remaining corpses are far from her mind. If she can just get Billy away long enough for Alex to recover, maybe she can use her offensive path action to drive back the Tarter amalgam.]

[rockymountaindie]

[ The boy's had a head injury about ten days back, so it's...eh, lights swim in front of his eyes, but Alex blinks tightly and groans, nose scrunching. He's bit his tongue. He spits out some blood and rises on his elbows. A crash of a mirror signals that the burning corpse imitating his girlfriend's gone through the mirror. Ms. Lewton, against one of the far door frames.

Alex doesn't have a lot to work with her. He's wracking his brain for something other than an Eldritch Blast or a Fireball, which is the worst option right now. As he is, a caw breaks out from the darkness. Beaky. Shit. He forgot- he lost her, in that--

The raven swoops down on the amalgam, the two trying to advance on Mia while she's distracted. Talons swipe, hitting nothing but keeping it from getting closer.

Okay. That's helpful. Alex grunts and stumbles to his feet, breathing heavily. ]

Let's try that agai--oof-! [ He's tackled into a door frame. Tod. He forgot about Tod.

The corpse sneers at him--seems he's put his head back on--and all of a sudden his hands are around Alex's throat. Fitting. ]

Heyyy buddy. Been awhile since we got some one-on-one, huh, pal? [ He leans in close, and Alex can smell formaldehyde on his breath. ] George says "hey," by the way.

[ He starts to squeeze, raising Alex up the frame with unnatural strength. ]

You... and him... and me... We should all hang out, Aleeex.

[doubledsofjustice]

[Once she's done dragging Billy's terrible body away, or at least far enough away to be satisfied he won't be getting up easy, Mia kicks that head-stump with the back of her heel in attempts to keep him down. Flames actually would be good now, especially since, well-- how does one lethal force punch an already dead body? Mia doesn't take the time to find out, stepping away to analyze the situation. Beaky's got TerryandCarter, who already can't move well as it is-- it's enough for Mia to prioritize the fact that Alex is being held up by some other dead teen.

She can't use Radiant Bolt on Tod-- no, not from this angle, she'd hit Alex, too, and then where would they be? So instead Ghost hurries up to the back of the strangled corpse and kicks up between his legs, hard. And for equal measure, she gives Tod a punch right in the back as well, as hard as she can manage without focusing any ki, hoping to at least release Tod's grip on Alex.]

Sorry, but this visits's over.

[What, she rolled a 19, she can have a cool line. Or attempt one, anyway.]

[rockymountaindie]

[ A 19 is a damn good roll, and it not only gets Tod to loosen his grip but drop Alex as well. The corpse stumbles at the kick, and falls through a door frame from the punch, while Alex coughs and presses his wrist to his throat, in lieu of rubbing it with a hand. ]

H- I swear, he was a lot nicer when he was alive. [ Incredibly hoarse. He's joking, that's probably a good sign? Probably.

Not a lot of time to recover, but Alex has a moment to breathe, and he's going to take it. Ms. Lewton's starting to get back up, and... It's time to take care of this. ]

You're not...here. You're i- in...my mind. [ He bites down tight on his lips. ] But I- I haven't forgot you. I haven't- I haven't forgot any of you. [ None of the silhouettes. None of the survivors. No one. ] ...A-and I'm n-not... I'm not...doing okay, right now.

[ I mean you can't feel it right now. ]

...I-I can't...decide anything to do. I can't. Not right now. [ Can you honestly tell me you came to this through some thought process of your own? ] I g-gotta take care of some things.

But 'm never gonna- I'm sorry. I'm sorry for...all of it. [ (For savin- no, stop it. shut up.) ] ...Gimme time. A- and I'll figure this out, when I- ...when I can trust myself again.

[ Fire forms at his limp finger tips. He nods to Beaky, who starts to fly up and away. ]

Just hang on 'til then. Okay?

[ He doesn't give the corpses time to speak. In quick succession, he launches fireballs, three of them. Ms. Lewton, Billy, Terry-and-Carter. A silent apology all-the-while. Their screams echo and he winces as the group melts. Ms. Lewton's sobbing, Billy gargling, and- and Carter's drawing Terry into a last hug. That one, he has to look away from.

And now, all that's left...

Tod groans in a doorway. That that was Clear starts crawling from the mirror again. First, and last. Alex hesitates, a lump rising in his throat. ]

[doubledsofjustice]

[Ghost watches Alex, watches the fire hit its targets-- looks away as it consumes them. So what if it isn't real? It looks real enough. She looks to Alex, looks to the bodies that were Clear and Tod. She gets close enough to put a hand on Alex's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze.]

Almost there.

[Ki, like light, radiates from one of Mia's fists. She's at the ready if Alex needs the help-- but she wants to give him the chance. They're his fears and friends, after all.]

1/2 cw: suicide discussions

[rockymountaindie]

[ A shaky breath. Alex nods and approaches the closer of the two, Tod. ]

I hate you. I hate you- y'didn't save my brother...and y'didn't save me. I HATE you!

[ Alex closes his eyes and feels his entire self shake. There's part of him that wonders if, when he was dying, Tod did blame him. Part of him wonders what his last thoughts were, if they were turned to his brother, or his parents, or Alex himself. He wonders...if in that, he had any idea just what was coming for him. If part of him was glad it was happening.

But, Alex will never know. Can never know. It's not his to understand. ]

...I know, buddy. See you later.

[ He lights the corpse on fire, and it screams. ]

2/2

[rockymountaindie]

[ Now, only she's left. No longer on fire, but charred. Slumped and trudging towards him. Blood running down her burned arm from the mirror. ]

Alex... Alex... You can't...do this to me...

[ Far away and consciousness gone. A voice in the dark, pleading, dammit, you can't do this to me, and he feels himself drawn back, unable to leave her.

Alex approaches her slowly. ]

I- ... I'm sorry for leaving you all alone. [ The corpse reaches for him in shaky stock-motion. Alex closes his eyes, and there- she's before him, same as she was. Light smile, blue eyes, bright hair. Looking at him. Only him. ] Clear... Whatever happened- ...whatever happens.

[ (How can you say this, when you know what has to happen? How can you feel this?)

Alex embraces the contradiction; he'll accept whatever pain it causes later. ]

I love you.

[ And a fireball engulfs her, reducing her to ashes with a horrible, blood-curdling scream. ]

[doubledsofjustice]

[As Alex finishes them off, Ghost releases that energy, hand dropping to her side, and sighs. The deed is done, and she grasps hold of Alex's arm again.]

We can rest when we're out of here.

[She assures him-- not giving him the time to breathe, even, bur like she said- they can rest outside this door. Mia is in pain and covered in blood and a bit of viscera from Billy, but it just isn't over yet. She tugs with the intent of guiding Alex out that doorway.]

[rockymountaindie]

[ But Alex doesn't move. Not yet. Ghost can feel, his arm is trembling. His whole body is trembling. He takes a few quick breaths and hangs his head as Beaky flaps about it.


A sob escapes his mouth. ]

[doubledsofjustice]

[She should have expected it, really, but the sound still tugs on Ghost's heartstrings. She lets out a sigh, puts out her arm to wrap it around him from where she stands just behind him.

Don't cry until it's over. For now? Ghost is fairly confident this is over. She rests her forehead on the back of Alex's shoulder and just holds onto him there, quiet. She has no consolation to offer him.

Who possibly could?]

[rockymountaindie]

[ That touch just breaks him down further. He gasps for breath and leans against her. The ashes blow away in wind that can't exist. Black fog slips from Alex's mouth but he pays it no mind, crying loudly and openly.

He'll leave. He will. He'll let her lead him through the doorway. But there's so much weighing on him.

The illusions are gone, by his own hand. But it doesn't remove the guilt that festers at the hole in his soul. ]

[doubledsofjustice]

[That's fine. If anyone deserves to cry, it's Alex. Mia doesn't stop him- she just keeps a hold of him and guides him through the door, grip firm and secure. He can cry as much as he wants as soon as she gets them out of this horrible room.

And once they are, back somewhat in the maze though they are, Ghost stands protectively beside him still, slowing their steps. She isn't sure of anything she could say-- is there anything even useful? And knows he needs to cry- but she can see the mist from his mouth.

Still, all she can manage, in her own confusion and sympathetic pain is--]

You're not a monster, Alex.

I'm so sorry.

[Quietly, exhaustedly.]

[rockymountaindie]

[ “I’m not some kind of—” “He’s not a witch.” His only defender, steadfast and sincere. The memory makes him cry harder.

It’s not something he can believe right now. But then, he can’t really believe anything good about himself. That’s the point of what Maya said, right? He trusts them, so... He’ll just have to trust Mia - the person standing here, who doesn’t remember being Mia - is telling the truth.

As they walk, the world fades around them. The maze takes pity... Or maybe there wasn’t ever a maze to begin with. ]

[doubledsofjustice]

[It's true to Ghost, at least. And if it's something she can't remember but still believes-- it should be true, shouldn't it? It's what Ghost holds on to, anyway, as the maze fades away.

She's exhausted, but their only defense is to make something positive of it. She doesn't tell Alex not to cry and even slows their pace.]

Okay.

[It's barely even a whisper, gentle and steady. Let the boy cry a bit. Hell if he doesn't need it. She'll stand there as support and anchor. It's a familiar action, anyway.]

[rockymountaindie]

[ Eventually... Eventually, the void gives way to clear, defined paths, a way out of the tree. Eventually, Alex finds himself breathing steadier again, the blood from the illusion gone and only bruises and bumps left. Eventually, he can speak. ]

Th- thank you.

[ There’s not much to say, because there’s too much for his mind to sort through. But, at the very least, he has to let her know— ]

If you hadn’t come along, I woulda—

[doubledsofjustice]

Don't think about it.

All that matters is someone was here.

[She knows. And maybe it should have been someone smarter, stronger than her, but even that doesn't matter. She was here. She still is.]

That it's okay now.

[Most of the blood is gone from Mia now too, especially all that had been on her hands, just leaving the eight finger-width holes in her collar.]

Besides... All I did was yell at you some more. You drove them away.

[rockymountaindie]

[ Alex winces, biting down on his lower lip before dropping his eyes. ]

I- I just... just tried to... [ Looks back, and the catches sight of the holes, and all other words fall from his mind. ] Sh-sh- shit, what- oh fuck, what- you’re hurt. We gotta- we gotta get you to the...to town-!

[doubledsofjustice]

What?

[Adrenaline is a powerful thing, and in some shock, Ghost actually had forgotten those injuries. She looks down at them, surprised.]

Oh. Fuck.

[Quietly, and bit non-committal. She's not sure she's the type to curse like that, but you know, Alex's right. This is the occasion for it.]

Right. We'll go back to Lion-

[Ah, they kind of hurt now that she remembers them. She looks back to Alex with stern eyes though, saying-]

It'll be alright.

[rockymountaindie]

[ don’t start cursing like alex, he’s a bad influence-

He’s already moving to get something out of his BIAS, something he can use as a bandage...but that’s easier said than done, in his current state. ]

But... But you... [ There’s no healing in Wonderland. They have to do this old-fashioned, no magic. Alex finds himself wavering under her gaze, though. Whether she knows who she is or not- she’s remarkably god at supporting others. Telling them when it’ll work out. ]

...Yeah, okay.

[doubledsofjustice]

I'll last long enough to make it to the pharmacy.

[She can at least remember where that is. She's not bleeding at a dangerous rate anyway, and she checks by touching those wounds and-- shhh! sucking in a breath between her teeth because that stings, why did she do that? She kind of wags the pain off in her hands, frowning and shaking her head.]

As long as I don't do that again. Okay. We'll get over there.

[Well that was a bit embarrassing. But anyway, she has to beckon him and lead him or else maybe he might think she's less alright than she will be, she knows that much by now.]

[rockymountaindie]

[ Yikes, oh, jeez- he raises his hands in reaction, intending to try and help with her injuries but suddenly remembering his hands might as well not be there. It's fine. This is fine. She's...pulling him along, so it's fine. Still. ]

Be careful, a'right?? There's no...fancy magic shit, that could get infected.