sticksandbones | EVENT 004

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EVENT 004

ASHES TO ASHES

DUST TO DUST

It’s a calm, misty morning. The sun is peaking over the treetops, and the air is chilled, almost like the onset of fall. How long have you been here, now? Days? Weeks? Months? Everything blurs together. But so you persist… just. Not quite yet. The day’s only just waking up and so are you! Whether you like it or not. You see, as you slept, something has crept its way into your room, and as the sun peaks through windows and closed blinds, it’s finally grabbing you and pulling.

As you meet your rude awakening, the intruder is clear to see. Or rather, it’s incredibly unclear. Mist and fog and sickly-looking vines wrap around your legs and up your body as it drags you to the woods, and attacks of all sorts slide off like water on glass. There is no escape. It’s time to play, and the air is unusually, painfully hot.

OUT OF THE FRYING PAN...

The fog of the forest grows dark and heavy as you’re pulled along against your will, and as you go something seems… different. Maybe your body seems lighter and off balanced. Maybe certain features are no longer tickling your skin. Maybe the connection to the world around you has been brutally severed — all that can be said is that as you’re eventually spat out to a metal platform, you feel incomplete somehow. Magic doesn’t come when you call. Gear doesn’t activate properly. Whatever happened, you’re a completely ordinary human, and it stings.

You and your fellow denizens of the Grove stand on a seeringly hot metal platform, and the air burns your lungs. Ash and soot float through the air, singeing wherever it lands for a split second. Towering up before you is a volcano that has no right being here — but it is. Platforms and smaller spires and rocks litter your surroundings, and scorch marks are everywhere.

The only consolation is that whatever is about to happen, you at least aren’t doing this in your pyjamas.

...INTO THE FIRE

Eventually, as sweat builds up and the wind only burns further, a too-familiar childish voice rings out: "It’s playtime! If you win, I’ll show you something REALLY cool. …Oh, but surely I don’t have to explain ‘The Floor is Lava’, right?"

It goes silent, and there’s a loud metal grind of something. The lava beneath the platform begins to rise, and so does the hateful heat.

At least there are multiple ways out. You can attempt to hop across crumbling platforms, mysteriously and magically floating overhead — though they might break after a few footsteps. You can try climbing the burning-hot, stony surface of the surrounding cliffsides, where flows of magma get a bit too close for comfort. You can take the safer-but-risky way of running through the game area’s many mazelike paths, cut into and through the cliffs, but be careful; should the magma rise too high, those pathways will be flooded. No matter what you choose, the goal is to get to the top, out of the volcanic arena and to a designated “safe zone" waiting on an overhang at the volcano's lip. Up there, an invisible barrier prevents victors from climbing back down into the game zone, and up there is where you will wait with your fellow victors if you succeed. It’s air-conditioned, as if you’re still not trapped within a volcano.

As the first of you reaches the top of the rise, a victory fanfare plays from somewhere, but the lava begins to rise faster. Faster and faster, for each person who succeeds — or dies a horrible, fiery death. You’d better hope your success doesn’t come at the cost of someone else’s life.

DYING EMBERS

As soon as there are no players remaining in the game, another chime plays from a still-mysterious location. After a cheerful voice congratulates you on your victory, the fog encircles you again, as it had done earlier in the day. When you next blink, you’re back in the Grove, standing exactly where you were when you were first taken.

Those of you who died, however, will wake up the following morning in your usual sleeping quarters, be it in your bed or outside in the forest. The good news is, you’re hale and healthy despite everything. A voice whispers to you as soon as you reawaken: "Better luck next time!"

SPARK NOTES

CLICK TO EXPAND!

DUST TO DUST

Good morning. You are being stolen. You can shout for help, if you'd like.

OUT OF THE FRYING PAN...

Welcome to today's event: A big game in a volcanic arena! Use this time to talk to your fellow players. You might need to devise a strategy to get out of this one.

...INTO THE FIRE

The game begins, and the lava starts to rise. For every player who successfully makes it to the top of the arena, the lava will begin to rise faster and faster, intending to kill your fellow competitors. If you make it to the top, you'll find yourself standing in an air-conditioned platform still within the volcano, walled in by an invisible wall and unable to leave until there are no more remaining players.

DYING EMBERS

Once there are no more players remaining, and if you completed the game successfully, you'll find yourself back in the Grove in short order, standing where you were when you left. If you died, however, you'll wake up the following day, restored to full health and (probably) not damaged at all.

OOC

If you'd like to plot with someone, head to the OOC Plotting Post for this event! As a reminder, we will have a sub-event later on in the month that will be much lighter in nature. Stay tuned! And watch out for the New Moon...

UPDATES

❖ None yet!

(CODE)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

If you're part of the sea, it's no wonder. ... I grew up in a city full of cannals, and our lands are lush and full of waterways that flow to the sea, as well. I'm no sea jelly, but- dry places don't agree with me, either. Not to the same extent, but...

( hup hup, hopping up the ways... )

[ Mizuki is listening, honest. He's just a little distracted by the threat of death. He's fine. It's fine. It just takes him a while to respond, in short, wispy breaths because he's already finding this hard. If Chung isn't going to use the rest of the water, Mizuki will. He wants to be considerate and put other people before himself, but how is he supposed to help anyone if he's fried sea jelly?

The rest of the water is dumped out on him. Admittedly some on Chung as well, such is the nature of being carried. ]

... S'why y'have connection t'... th' "water el"? [ Made sense, really. ]

The connection is part of my family- it granted us the Guardian Stones...

( he lets the water hit him with a relief, even if its going to boil away quickly. )

... That's what allows me to transform to my armor, if needed. Someday I will show you.

[ How funny to talk like this, despite their circumstance. Despite being minutes from being akin to baked ham. But, well, even that is coming to an end considering Mizuki's finding it increasingly harder to keep his breathing steady. It's so hot. This is really no place for a sea jelly.

He looks around the best he can, trying to be mindful of any loose stones or fragile edges and doing his best to "steer" Chung away from them with small tugs. ]

( chung only pauses to hold mizuki a bit closer for a moment, rubbing his back soothingly with soft murmurs of "its okay", "i'll get you out of here", and other such truths.

but it's clear, talking more will only hurt mizuki the longer they stay, so it's time to get moving. he lets mizuki be a second pair of eyes, and carries him all the while like the guardian he is.

the next time the volcano rumbles, something dislodges from above- and with mizuki in one arm, chung grits his teeth, shifts his stance and fires right at it.

seven cannonballs left... )

[ The rumble absolutely spooks Mizuki, and he desperately clings onto Chung as if this might be it, and Chung will lose footing and they're both about to meet their lava deathbeds. It's fitting, Mizuki thinks, to be cooked alive. He'd say it's how he wants to go, but he'd like to be finely grilled, not charred beyond recognition. He'd also like to be prepared as a fine meal for others to enjoy, and spread his nutrients out who needed them and continue this cycle they called "life".

Not lost to this world's core forever, nutritional value wasted to hot rock soup.

But what happens instead is a loud shot being fired, and the crumbling of a boulder above. Some of the debris still rains down, but nothing more than that. It's only then that Mizuki realizes that, even despite how lightweight he is, him being here, like this... that's a problem, isn't it? He can't... do anything. He can't- He-

He starts to squirm, a frantic paranoia suddenly washing over him. ]

Put... put me down-

--Mizuki? What is it, what's wrong?

( he sets destroyer against the wall of the volcano for a moment, checking for any injury- did he scare him somehow? if only he could heal- )

[ Mizuki shakes his head, becoming only mildly less panicked because he's realized that he's losing a lot of air flailing like that. ]

I can walk, I'm okay. I'm okay. Please put... me down.

... If you're certain. But please, don't push yourself. Alright...?

Worry about... yourself, too, okay? I'm okay.

[ He's a little shaky and he wants to disappear, but his camouflage isn't working. Why is it not working? He squirms again. ]

There's... I have to go... find someone.

Who is it? I can't let you go alone-

( especially with how unstable mizuki seems- even as he places the other down onto his feet, chung can't help but fret. )

[ The rational thing to do here is tell Chung, or even just tell him to take care of himself or literally fucking anything, but I rolled a fucking one, so Mizuki just books it the second he's on the ground.

Bye. He'll have breathing problems about this later, for sure, but roll the dice better next time, loser. ]

-!!

Mizuki!

( sorry mizuki, but he's following after. no one goes alone in this fucking mess- )

[ Don't be sorry, Mizuki is not reacting very rationally to this. Mizuki might be able to accept being useless, especially now, but he could never, not in a million years, accept being a burden on someone. He'd much rather topple into the lava outright, thanks.

The right, common sense thing to do might be, again, to say literally anything about it, but I rolled a five, so here we are. Mizuki is nimble enough to be able to use even the most precarious of footholds to push himself forward, at least. ]

( where mizuki has speed and his nimbleness, chung has strength and agility. even with the heat dazing his mind, he gives chase. )

Mizuki! Please, what's wrong? I can help!

I don't need it. [ He doesn't stop. As much as he might want to turn around and talk to Chung. They have to keep moving if they wanna beat the molten death. ] Please, you need to find your friends, too. I'll be alright. I promise. I just... I can't stand the thought of being someone's liability.

Did I say you were?

...I am not so unobservant.

( chung manages to reach out and grip mizuki's shoulder- not roughly, but enough to stop him, at least. )

Do not think so little of me, or presume how I view you.

[ He does stop. He’s tempted to just grab Chung’s hand and take him with, but… ]

No, you are a hero. You would say something like “You are someone I should protect,” or “You didn’t do anything wrong, I should do better,” or something like that.

…

I do not think lowly of you. I think incredibly high of you, actually. That is why I don’t want anything to happen to you if not carrying me could’ve prevented it.

... Mizuki... I don't understand. Why are you- I wasn't bothered. You're no hindrance, I could shoot and climb without risk of dropping or hurting you- why do you... I don't get it.

[ Move. Survive. Something urges him to move. For what it’s worth, he does take Chung’s hand to drag him along. ]

You say you can climb and shoot, but what if you need both arms? What if you could’ve easily dodged instead of shooting but, with me, you miss a shot or the debris makes us fall?

Don’t make me be an obstacle… I… I want to be useful, too.

An ob- ( chung sputters, indignant on mizuki's behalf- he lets himself be tugged, though. ) You aren't! I promise you aren't. I'm- as the Guardian of Hamel, being able to do these things one-handed is expected. And were you not my second pair of eyes?

[ Okay. Mizuki stops at this and spins around, determination clear on his face as he squeezes Chung’s hand. ]

No one expects anything of you here, let alone be able to care for others and yourself.

[ There’s a very brief pause, and Mizuki wants to keep moving, but… first, he gives Chung a hug, desperately clinging to him in hope that somehow all the words he doesn’t have time to say will somehow manifest through physical contact. ]

But… we should work together, you’re right. If you… Will you stick with me?

...Maybe you don't. But I do. I must maintain my duties, if nothing else.

( he must. he's given up everything for this- to stop now, to lessen his standards... what was all that sacrifice for, if he were to stop? no.

he is the guardian. he always will be.

... the hug is nice though, and allows him to sweep mizuki back into a protective embrace- )

That's all I want. Please- don't run off again. I was so worried...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT 004

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cw: cannibalism ment.

Re: cw: cannibalism ment.

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I rolled a nat20 for emotional maturity so

wheezing,