Your head feels heavy, your memories foggy, and as you struggle to recall where you are and what you were doing, you hear the sound of something large and heavy moving behind you. Whatever it is - machinery of some sort, you can tell that much right away - it doesn’t seem hostile; merely a massive machine going about doing something down far, far below you. You can see it - through the cracks of the floor you're standing on, and the steep drop off the side. At least there’s a railing on this path to keep you from falling down there?
No matter which way you look - up, down, or out straight ahead of you - there’s endless paths and structures, as though you’re standing in some sort of massive building. You look to your left and there’s a broken section of wall revealing open space - strange, since you aren’t wearing anything different, yet you’re still breathing just fine.
A loud ping! catches your attention, followed by a few more. As you turn around to find the source of the noise, you’re led to a rundown computer terminal. It looks ancient, untouched, and dusty, and yet there’s a message in bright green standing against the stark black contrast of the monitor.
/// L O A D I N G . . .
Oh good, you’re awake.
Hi, I don’t have much time, so please pay close attention.
You’re the only ones who can save this world - all worlds, maybe.
Thank you for agreeing to help.
For now, please practice your new abilities and try to work together.
I’ll be in contact with you as soon as possible.
It feels familiar, like maybe you've experienced something similar before, despite the fact that none of you recognize this place. What's going on here? What have you gotten yourself into?
AWAKENING
Your memories leading up to your sudden arrival in this place may be foggy. Even if they aren't, you certainly don't remember how you got here of all places. And where exactly is here? Well, inside of some sort of massive structure that expands outwards, backwards, downwards, and upwards. Every direction you look, there's plenty of building to be seen, whether it's walkways over the abyss (but thankfully with mostly sturdy guard rails) or stairs and ramps leading up and down to new floors, or even rooms that don't seem to hold much of interest. All of it is rundown, worn and in desperate need of some dusting.
Before you sits the terminal, a sturdy computer set into a pillar with an old-fashioned and dusty keyboard. The green text remains bright against the black background, with a cursor indicating that you can input text, if you'd like. You may try to communicate with whoever's on the other end at any point in time during the week, though you may not receive the answers you're hoping for.
Not too far away is a carefully-arranged group of supplies. You'll find plenty of non-perishable food, blankets and bedrolls, clothes in your sizes that are plain but acceptable, and some basic supplies - things like rope and matches and flashlights, but no weapons or anything you could use to defend yourselves. You'll also find a large room nearby that happens to have several bathrooms and a fairly large communal shower. Despite being rather old and dusty, they do work... though the water never gets above "not freezing". Sorry about that.
Looks like you'll have to settle in, as there doesn't seem to be any way out of this strange structure.
EXPLORATION
It's likely that your first thought will be to explore. Why not? After all, there must be a way back home, or at least a way out of wherever this is. Traversing the structure is fairly easy, as even if a path is blocked by rubble, you'll find another one going in a similar direction somewhere nearby. In fact, the entire place seems to be rather pointlessly constructed - hallways that lead to dead ends, paths that loop in circles for no reason, and far, far too many stairs.
If you're lucky, you'll stumble across rooms with some basic supplies. They won't have any food or weapons, but you'll find some dusty fabrics and blankets, or small caches of tools. If you're unlucky, you'll be lost in this structure for far too long, wandering off the beaten path and possibly losing track of where you are and how to get back to the base... you might want to travel with a buddy, just to be safe. Or hope that someone stumbles across you and can guide you back, your pick.
Holes in the structure open out into what looks like... well, outer space. An endless sea of stars amidst a black sky that never changes, making it hard to tell how much time has passed. Despite this, you can breathe easily, just as you would back home.
MACHINES
It won't take you long to notice that you aren't truly alone. After all, how could you be, when massive machines seem to be hard at work on constructing even more of this place? The large ones - the builders - do just that, building more pathways and rooms and walkways, endlessly working and never stopping. They don't take notice of you; they won't respond to anything you say, and even attempting to poke and prod them won't get a reaction. Even if you get particularly daring and try to take one apart, you'll find that it's nearly impossible; these machines are massive. Finding a panel to get into to get at their wiring is strangely impossible. They seem to be completely seamless, with nothing you can really do to investigate them further.
But they aren't the only machines present. Though you likely won't see them immediately, you will hear them; a skittering, metal-on-metal clicking sound that alerts you to a presence, but fades before you can even detect which direction it was coming from. Whatever it is, it seems to be watching you.
And if you're ever alone... well, then they'll show themselves. Around three feet tall and made of metal with long, spindly legs that look like they shouldn't support their thicker cores, these spider-like robots aren't particularly strong on their own, but they never attack on their own, only in groups of three or more. If you're especially unlucky, you can find upwards of ten of them at a time. They have two claw-like "hands" that can shoot a jolt of electricity or scratch at you - and be careful, because they hurt! That jolt of electricity can even leave a burn if you're unlucky.
But surely if you stick together you won't have to fight them... right?
SHARDS
The strange gemstone imbedded in the back of your dominant hand almost hums when you're in danger. It fills you with confidence, with the knowledge that you can do something - though what exactly that something is varies from person to person. You might be lucky enough that you innately recognize your power and know how to use it. You might not be that lucky and you might have to manifest it in combat to defend yourself. Regardless, it will manifest - and you now have access to a power all your own.
It's not going to be easy to control it. This power is new to you, and you'll need to practice to have a hope of utilizing it in full. But right now, you have the means to defend yourself, and if those spider robots get particularly bold, you can stop them. After all, what better way to put your power to use than by testing it on fairly weak robots?
Let's hope that you can aim your power well enough, however. While the builders may not care about you at any point in time, if an attack goes wide and hits them or they're otherwise in the path of an ability, they will turn their full attention on you. You really don't want that. Builders are relentless in their pursuit of you - and they have massive steel beams they will swing at you, or they'll try to crush you with their giant hands and fists. There are only two ways to stop a builder: the first is to run far, far away. They cannot chase you, as they are connected to the building itself, after all. The other way is to destroy the joints of the arms or wrists, rendering the builder incapable of doing anything. Better hope you don't anger any of the ones near your base!
DOWNTIME
Aside from exploring, mastering the power of your shard, and getting to know one another... there really isn't much to do here. So how are you going to spend the time? After all, it's just you, your fellow shardbearers, and some robots that probably aren't sentient. Settle in, it looks like you've got a long week ahead of you.
ENEMIES
This week's enemies are described above: spider robots and builders. If you have an enemy idea you'd like to have your character encounter, let me know and we can discuss it!
Spider robots are three feet tall, silver metal spider-like robots that look vaguely like this. They have a core in the center of their body that can be taken, but it isn't particularly useful outside of being cool to look at. Even you tech nerds won't be able to get much out of it, as it seems impossible to find a way to dismantle it further. Spider robots come with two "hands" that have sharp claws on them; they're capable of creating electric zaps with these hands, which really hurt if they connect! Spider robots are very fast and will skitter away the moment there's danger... unless there's three or more of them, then they get bold. They will attack anyone sleeping, especially if they're alone. They're fairly weak enemies, and can be fended off even if you don't have a great grasp on your powers just yet.
The builders are a different story. Massive, structure-spanning robots that are nearly impossible to tell apart from the building itself, the only real part of them that you can identify are their dark metal arms. They are likewise massive, with one hand being large and strong enough to flatten five of you if you aren't careful. Though the builders are non-hostile and will go about their business of building this never-ending structure, they will turn their attention on you if you hit them with any sort of ability... even if that ability isn't an attack. They can swing giant metal beams or just go for the option of trying to crush you with their hands. They're slow-moving, but very powerful; though they can't pursue you so at least there's that. If you anger one near the base, watch out - as you will have to defeat it.
[ Oh. It's like she's pressed a switch in him. A part of Ashley, the distant cold part that she keeps finding herself falling into, finds it fascinating.
She does everything she can to push it back into the box it crawled out of. ]
That's just te- terrible. So they just- they killed you? And- and then...
[ Bang. That's supposed to be the end of it. But it wasn't for her. And it turns out, in a completely different way, it wasn't for him, either. ]
And then I woke up in some kind of holding zone or something. Couldn't pass on right away. I'd have been stuck there if I didn't "pass the test", like I mentioned earlier, so it was either another life or nothing.
[ Yeah. It sucked. ]
We were put into a time loop of sorts, one where we had to face the things in our lives that were keeping us from moving on. Monsters were living there, too, so that's why I was granted my previous ability.
[ He inhales very, very deeply. He looks away, off into the distance like he's looking at something beyond his reach. His hand, however, doesn't move. ]
I don't know. If I had to guess, it's probably been at least a month of that before I showed up here.
[ ... ]
And here is where I get to be alive again without some kind of weird price tag attached to it. The person over the terminal even said anyone who wanted to stay here after our mission's complete, probably could.
If I had to guess why I agreed to come here, that's probably the reason why. It's a free shot at life again, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's what happened.
[ The bitter laugh, the anger—it reminds her even more of Josh now, but in a sick way, it's...better.
That was when she knew Josh was being real, at least. The frustration, the anger—she stopped seeing it, at some point, and she'd assumed that was better. God, he let her down, but she let him down first, didn't she? ]
Of course. [ Small, brittle. She raises her head from her knees and the tears right themselves, falling straight down her face instead of at a diagonal. ] A- after that- who wouldn't?
I'm sorry, Percy. God, this- this must be...
[ A boon. A relief. A new lease on life, even if he is oddly cold. ]
You don't have to apologize. Hopefully, it's over.
[ Hopefully, he won't have to go back. He won't need to go back and fight anymore, with the bitter reminder that his sister could have had another chance, too, but she was too soon - and would he really have wanted her to endure all of that?
Probably not. ]
...It's a miracle that I'm even here. I'm not taking it for granted.
[ Even if he was sure going to take the people here for granted, but now...who can say? ]
[ Because he could put himself through all of that, fight for his way to be resurrected, and at least he'd be able to see his family again. At least he'd be able to properly apologize to Lia instead of run away like he always does.
Those days, however, are over. Somehow, he manages to smile again, but it's a little hollow. ]
Looking forward is all I can really do. This is life now.
But that's why, you know, I said that talking to you made me feel calmer, back at the meeting. It's been a while since I've sort of made a connection with someone, even if you probably didn't realize it.
[ He shrugs, trying to keep it as casual as possible. ]
[ Ashley starts to lift her hand, which means she's lifting Percy's as well. She stops, then wipes at her eyes with the other hand, instead of defaulting to her dominant. ]
Me, that's just s-suck a joke.
[ Her. Her. He's...telling her... ]
...You...really didn't h-have to tell me all this.
There's a part of him that feels like Ashley does, where he probably wants to cry and not stop himself from doing so. Doing it in front of someone else, though – or just anywhere, period – seems really embarrassing, though. He holds it in and just lets his expression soften instead. ]
Well...thanks for not, you know, walking away after all of that.
[ He sounds calm...but he hasn't realized that he's started shaking, ever so slightly. Ashley's holding his hand, though, so she'll be able to feel it. ]
[ Feel it she certainly does. And, well- she's not really one to hide her feelings. So once she does, she gives it a small squeeze. It helps that her hand's been shaking on and off as well.
What a pair the two of them are. She'd laugh, if it were even a little bit funny. ]
How could I? That's just- that's cruel, if you said all of that, and I turned away.
[ Thinking on that for too long... She feels like there's a pit in her that just keeps getting bigger and bigger. ]
[ She squeezes his hand and he doesn't register why, but he lets it happen. He hears what she says, lets it turn in his head for a bit.
They are both terribly, terribly traumatized, aren't they? And they are both just trying to do what they can to make it through the day. He's already said more about himself than he thought he ever would, and Ashley has been emotionally volatile for some time.
The logical thing to do here is... ]
...Well...it's a good thing that didn't happen, then. Because I think it'd be nice to hug it out.
[ Ashley reaches around him with her free arm. She lets her grip on his hand relax, only so she can reach up to complete the hug. He's taller, but sitting down it's not as pronounced a difference. He's...actually pretty close in height to Chris or Josh.
That unbidden thought prompts her bury her head in his shoulder for a moment and squeeze her eyes shut, as tight as she can. ]
[ The hug is warmer than he anticipated. He's still a little colder to the touch, but the way he reciprocates is earnest, surprisingly a little shy. He may like bears, but he doesn't give bear hugs as liberally as other people. Still, it's not loose by any means – and perhaps he's just getting used to physical contact after not having it for a long, long time.
The embrace lasts for a good moment, and when he feels like he's okay, he pulls back and lifts a hand to...lightly ruffle her hair. ]
Don't worry about me. I'm gonna be okay. Just let me know if anyone pisses you off – maybe I'll finally get to do my first haunting.
[ To even her own surprise, Ashley laughs against his shoulder, a quick bark of one that shocks her the instant it leaves. She's getting tears on his shirt with it, but...
It's the first time she's laughed since that nightmare started. The first real one. ]
Oh god- I d-didn't expect- no, no, I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
[ Percy may be lukewarm, but to her, right now, he's exactly what she needs. ]
[ He perks up again, but his energy is a little less in her face. It's not forced. ]
I'm probably gonna go skateboarding with the person chatting with us, so if you ever wanna give it a try, let me know. I'm teaching Yeager how to do it, too, so I think it'll be pretty fun?
She'd told Viktor she wasn't completely alone, and that's the truth. There's people around school she likes who aren't Chris. There's acquaintances, professors. There's her parents.
Still. It feels like a chill's gone through her when she thinks about going home. Has that been happening this whole time? Has she been cold enough that she hasn't felt it? ]
...Maybe...trying it couldn't hurt... But I'm going to crash, okay? It's going to happen.
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cw implied gun violence
She does everything she can to push it back into the box it crawled out of. ]
That's just te- terrible. So they just- they killed you? And- and then...
[ Bang. That's supposed to be the end of it. But it wasn't for her. And it turns out, in a completely different way, it wasn't for him, either. ]
ok blanket cw for death for the whole thread
[ Yeah. It sucked. ]
We were put into a time loop of sorts, one where we had to face the things in our lives that were keeping us from moving on. Monsters were living there, too, so that's why I was granted my previous ability.
[ He inhales very, very deeply. He looks away, off into the distance like he's looking at something beyond his reach. His hand, however, doesn't move. ]
That's the short version.
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Still. It makes her think, for a painful, horrible moment, about her friends. About how Chris— ]
God. [ And monsters. Ashley blinks out a few more tears. She can't really stop. ]
How l-long...were you there? Since you d-d- died.
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I don't know. If I had to guess, it's probably been at least a month of that before I showed up here.
[ ... ]
And here is where I get to be alive again without some kind of weird price tag attached to it. The person over the terminal even said anyone who wanted to stay here after our mission's complete, probably could.
If I had to guess why I agreed to come here, that's probably the reason why. It's a free shot at life again, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's what happened.
no subject
That was when she knew Josh was being real, at least. The frustration, the anger—she stopped seeing it, at some point, and she'd assumed that was better. God, he let her down, but she let him down first, didn't she? ]
Of course. [ Small, brittle. She raises her head from her knees and the tears right themselves, falling straight down her face instead of at a diagonal. ] A- after that- who wouldn't?
I'm sorry, Percy. God, this- this must be...
[ A boon. A relief. A new lease on life, even if he is oddly cold. ]
no subject
[ Hopefully, he won't have to go back. He won't need to go back and fight anymore, with the bitter reminder that his sister could have had another chance, too, but she was too soon - and would he really have wanted her to endure all of that?
Probably not. ]
...It's a miracle that I'm even here. I'm not taking it for granted.
[ Even if he was sure going to take the people here for granted, but now...who can say? ]
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[ All she'd been asking about was to go home. He couldn't. How insensitive... ]
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[ Because he could put himself through all of that, fight for his way to be resurrected, and at least he'd be able to see his family again. At least he'd be able to properly apologize to Lia instead of run away like he always does.
Those days, however, are over. Somehow, he manages to smile again, but it's a little hollow. ]
Looking forward is all I can really do. This is life now.
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[ Because of course she can see that it's hollow. She knows what to look for now. ]
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[ He won't even bother denying it. ]
But that's why, you know, I said that talking to you made me feel calmer, back at the meeting. It's been a while since I've sort of made a connection with someone, even if you probably didn't realize it.
[ He shrugs, trying to keep it as casual as possible. ]
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Me, that's just s-suck a joke.
[ Her. Her. He's...telling her... ]
...You...really didn't h-have to tell me all this.
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[ Whether he likes it or not. ]
So...sorry about that.
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[ If anything, she's the one who... She sniffles. ]
What I mean to say is, thank you. F-for telling me about you. For trusting me with that.
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There's a part of him that feels like Ashley does, where he probably wants to cry and not stop himself from doing so. Doing it in front of someone else, though – or just anywhere, period – seems really embarrassing, though. He holds it in and just lets his expression soften instead. ]
Well...thanks for not, you know, walking away after all of that.
[ He sounds calm...but he hasn't realized that he's started shaking, ever so slightly. Ashley's holding his hand, though, so she'll be able to feel it. ]
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What a pair the two of them are. She'd laugh, if it were even a little bit funny. ]
How could I? That's just- that's cruel, if you said all of that, and I turned away.
[ Thinking on that for too long... She feels like there's a pit in her that just keeps getting bigger and bigger. ]
If it were me, I'd be...just ruined.
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They are both terribly, terribly traumatized, aren't they? And they are both just trying to do what they can to make it through the day. He's already said more about himself than he thought he ever would, and Ashley has been emotionally volatile for some time.
The logical thing to do here is... ]
...Well...it's a good thing that didn't happen, then. Because I think it'd be nice to hug it out.
[ He Is Asking. ]
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...It would, wouldn't it?
[ Ashley reaches around him with her free arm. She lets her grip on his hand relax, only so she can reach up to complete the hug. He's taller, but sitting down it's not as pronounced a difference. He's...actually pretty close in height to Chris or Josh.
That unbidden thought prompts her bury her head in his shoulder for a moment and squeeze her eyes shut, as tight as she can. ]
no subject
The embrace lasts for a good moment, and when he feels like he's okay, he pulls back and lifts a hand to...lightly ruffle her hair. ]
Don't worry about me. I'm gonna be okay. Just let me know if anyone pisses you off – maybe I'll finally get to do my first haunting.
[ Hehe. ]
im in hell
It's the first time she's laughed since that nightmare started. The first real one. ]
Oh god- I d-didn't expect- no, no, I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
[ Percy may be lukewarm, but to her, right now, he's exactly what she needs. ]
yeah. YEAH.
Haha, you're too kind.
[ Because he would've done it- (no)
Percy keeps his arm around her shoulder for good measure. ]
Let's get you a new pencil when we land? I'm gonna grab myself a skateboard. Ever learned how to do that before?
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What? Me? O-oh, nooo no way. Anything with wheels besides a car and I- I crash. ...Even cars are a little precarious.
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[ He perks up again, but his energy is a little less in her face. It's not forced. ]
I'm probably gonna go skateboarding with the person chatting with us, so if you ever wanna give it a try, let me know. I'm teaching Yeager how to do it, too, so I think it'll be pretty fun?
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[ But, she's supposed to...
She'd told Viktor she wasn't completely alone, and that's the truth. There's people around school she likes who aren't Chris. There's acquaintances, professors. There's her parents.
Still. It feels like a chill's gone through her when she thinks about going home. Has that been happening this whole time? Has she been cold enough that she hasn't felt it? ]
...Maybe...trying it couldn't hurt... But I'm going to crash, okay? It's going to happen.
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... ]
It won't. I'll make sure you won't get hurt, at least. Just, you know, gotta have a little bit of fun before you go back home, yeah?
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That's...what that was supposed to be. ]
...Alright. Just...a little skateboarding. [ ... ] But, I need to find a new pencil around here somewhere before we meet up with um...Natsume?
[ That's what the others were saying, so she may as well use the name for ease. ]
I think if I don't have something to write with I'll start losing it.
[ ...It's. It's a bit of a joke, but also, ]