Destiny City is a large place, with a large population. It’s not uncommon to find a lost item here or there. Maybe a keychain, an earring, a book.
But, a six sided die? That’s different.
While traveling through Destiny City, you find a strange little object. It looks like old, stained wood, but something shiny in it catches your eye. How could you resist picking it up? It looks like a normal die in terms of shape, and each side has a gilded number, one through six, carved into it. The most interesting part of it all is that the dice seems to be made of old, stained wood with fossilized opal throughout the whole piece. Something about it called to you, and while you are investigating it, a harsh wind slams into you. Darkness falls all around you–and then, slowly, a path illuminates. It’s black all around you; there’s no light, but you can see clearly marked spaces.
A line of squares unwind in front of you, each clearly marked.
You can’t see anything around you, can’t feel anything else–just the gameboard.
You don’t recognize the game, but you don’t really need instructions to know how to play–you have a die, and you have a path. In the distance, you can barely make out a dark wooden platform at the end of the path, but it seems to have the same fossilized opal inlay as the die–and pretty golden symbols along the rim.
You can’t step out of your square. Trying to leave the gameboard results in you walking to an invisible barrier and it feels like slamming into a glass wall. You cannot leave your space–unless the die says you can. If you want to get out of here, you’re going to have to roll your way there–but it isn’t so easy.
Strange gold markings differ from one square to the next. There’s no telling what they mean–you’re going to have to land on them to find out.
Though, judging by the tension in the air, it’s probably not going to be anything good.
They didn't make a habit out of hanging out in Ny's room. Fysarius couldn't give any specific reason why, besides maybe that that just wasn't where Fysarius was located, and Ny tended to follow him more than he followed her. Seemed a little unfair, if he thought about it. When he'd gotten home from class that Friday, he'd made it a point to seek her out in her own quarters, so that she would not have to come find him in his.
Ny's room was... clean, with her bed neatly made, and her desk with her computer set up along the opposite wall, likely with any materials of interest or import stored in the desk drawers. It was otherwise empty.
Unlike Fysarius' hellscape chambers, with dried brown leaves poking out of pots all along the walls, jars full of liquid and/or remains of the specimens he'd harvested along the shelves, his PVC pipe aquaponics system pressed up underneath the window with tendrils of strawberry plant spilling out of it and onto the floor, papers and computer wires strewn about his desk and weaving across the floor, and with a peculiar scent of old vegetation hanging in the air.
It was fine to him, and Ny's room felt still by comparison. Not uncomfortable, just different.
He'd taken up a post on the floor, leaning back against the footboard of her bed, with his laptop open on his lap. He tapped away lightly at the keyboard, entering the week's lab data into a very brick-like program that his professors seemed to enjoy, for some reason. It was tedious and not very engaging, but it would be downright shameful to receive poor marks for some Earth curriculum just because of a boring assignment. He knew a thing or two about especially unappealing assignments.
"I'm telling you, you're not gonna find anything interesting," Fysarius informed the girl sitting above him on her bed.
EchosSweet rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3Total: 3 (1-6)
Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2022 3:05 pm
Space 3
A strange fog rolls in once you land here. You lose sight of nearly everything, including the game board. If you want to roll, you’re going to have to get close to the ground to even see where you’re supposed to go next. Hopefully nothing sneaks up behind you.
Ny snorted and rolled her eyes as she continued to rifle through Fysarius' schoolbag. They had different classes. She didn't know why she was going to Earth school, but he seemed to want some degree out of it, so he was in a different program than she was. Ny had a good mix of subjects, but all Fysarius' were pretty hyper-focused. Sometimes he came home with interesting documentation!
A field guide to birds. Or one for grasses.
A list of all the regulations regarding species take for their area. Which had been very important to understand, as she was fairly certain they had violated some of them unwittingly early on.
There'd once been a warning pamphlet for what diseases could be transmitted by which species. It didn't seem particularly worrisome to them, since they didn't have the humans' weak physical constitution, but it was still interesting to know. In case they wanted to harvest disease, she supposed.
But Fysarius hadn't been lying when he said there was nothing interesting today. She guessed all the good stuff was probably online. Ny pouted and rummaged in one of the smaller pockets of his bag, just in case- and she produced a small cube in the palm of her hand. It looked to be made of wood and stone, with one pretty engraved number on each side. It was much too small to be a paperweight, and was definitely something Fysarius would have no trouble losing.
She scrambled to pull herself to the edge of the bed, dangling her head over her footboard so that her untied hair spilled in a curtain straight to the floor, obscuring the boy's view of anything beyond what Ny wanted him to see. She presented the cube exactly two inches before Fysarius' eyes and gave the cube a little rattle as if to demand, 'What is this? What's it for?'
She gave it a scrape with her fingernail, as if trying to pick it open, and as if in response, some powerful burst of wind blew through and knocked her over the edge of her bed, whipping her hair up into tangles, and- was something in here? In their house? Attacking them?
Ny lurched to her feet, snaring Fysarius' arm in an unrelenting grip and jerking him up as well.
The other Vanguardians could be doing something to rattle the whole house, maybe it was the doing of one of their own, but the weird string of glowing spaces that were now laid out in front of she and Fysarius didn't seem like they'd come from the Vanguard.
It was Fysarius' weird trinket's doing! Why was he carrying around something that could teleport them somewhere like this? And to not even tell her!
Her cheeks puffed out, and Ny chucked the small cube at his chest. Not enough to damage him. Not enough to even sting. It clunked uselessly against the dark fabric of his off-time tee shirt and then clattered to the floor.
Three.
And then by no will of her own, Ny was moving forward through the spaces, without him.
She was drawn to a stop in a space that was so thick with fog, it felt like she was inhaling a liquid. It was dense enough to be blinding, and she fumbled to try and...? She didn't actually know what, but Fysarius was back there, and she didn't want to leave him unguarded on this bizarre path!
You feel eyes upon you, and hear a faint chuckling, like you’re the butt of someone’s joke. It sets a bad mood for the rest of this game; you’re already being judged–and, it looks like a long road ahead.
The only warning Fysarius had of Ny's approach was the scrambling of her comforter before Ny's face and hair tipped completely into his view. Maybe he was a complete idiot for thinking she was just coming around to give him a sweet peck, but he tipped forward expectantly, only to have some unfamiliar object shoved unceremoniously into his face. "Uuerm... What...?" He asked uncertainly as he tried to put a few extra inches in between his eyes and what the other Vanguardian was showing off.
"What? What is that?" He only had to see her expression to realize she wanted to know the same. "You're asking me? You're the one who picked it up! Where did you get it from? And why?"
'Where' and 'why' were right. A burst of wind toppled Ny practically right into his lap, and then she figured she'd be mad at him for it, despite the fact that Fysarius had nothing to do with the sudden scenery change, and was probably even more lost than she was, to be fair. Because this was all very sporadic, very spontaneous, and he'd been in the safety of his own home, minding his own business, and-
"Ny- What are- Where-?! Can you not- Are you just going to wander off?" Fysarius demanded as Ny suddenly moved off across the squares. Fysarius moved to follow her because what else was he going to do, but the path was barricaded by some invisible force. The numbered cube lay inconspicuously on the ground, and since that was the only clue as to what the ********>, he picked it up for inspection.
He couldn't see Ny anymore, but she'd thrown it to escape the square and had moved off a few paces ahead. Fysarius did the same, though he didn't make it very far.
He lagged behind her, and even though he felt a particular frustration at the separation, someone else- someone who wasn't Ny- apparently found it amusing. Fysarious' cheeks tinted a dull purpley color, and he came to the rapid understanding that this wasn't something happening for his enjoyment.
EchosSweet rolled 1 6-sided dice:
4Total: 4 (1-6)
Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2022 3:12 pm
Space 7
Something is twitching and flapping above you, and while you might be minding your own business, something is a little too invested in what you’re doing. You can’t see them, but you suddenly hear shrill, high pierced noises that are disorienting and confusing. They can bring about dizziness and pain and can cause vertigo if you’re stuck in them for too long.
She whipped around, prepared to move back toward her comrade once she was free from the peculiar force, but some invisible barricade seemed to stop her. Ny could still see him, lagging several yards behind, and besides being uncomfortable, he did not seem to be hurt. Her emerald gaze scoured the ground, looking for that bizarre cube again, as it was the only thing she had that seemed out of the ordinary.
Some magical artifact? It had seemed to push her forward based on the number it read, and held Fysarius back based on his...
As soon as she found it through the fog, she held it high over her head, smooshing her whole body against the invisible force so that Fysarius would hopefully see her. 'Use this.' They had to use this thing to keep moving, and eventually, it would come to an end! ...Probably.
She gave it another toss, and found herself propelled just the smallest amount forward, away from the fog, away from Fysarius... And into a space darker, but alive with some movement. Maybe a bird or a bat, something overhead that she couldn't see... She felt the rustle of it hovering near, though not quite touching: just a brush of air as it moved. Was it going to attack? Ny swatted an arm out, and came into contact with exactly nothing.
But it must have agitated whatever it was, because the scream, shrill and alarming, that tore through the air was enough to make Ny recoil. She flapped her arms aggressively, trying to ward it off as she stumbled toward the next square, but found the barrier impassable again.
She threw her cube, and though it landed, she still could not move.
"You have to go!" She croaked out as loudly as she could. She and Fysarius could only take turns rolling to move ahead. She couldn't leave until he progressed forward some too! And the screaming continued, in disorienting waves directly next to and then slightly farther away from her ears, like whatever it was was moving...
A strange fog rolls in once you land here. You lose sight of nearly everything, including the game board. If you want to roll, you’re going to have to get close to the ground to even see where you’re supposed to go next. Hopefully nothing sneaks up behind you.
“Ny?” He croaked quietly, golden gaze swiveling this way and that as he tried to listen around the laughter for what she was experiencing-
Screeches. The screeches of something bird-like, maybe. But he couldn’t see ahead of himself to know for sure. “What’s happening?! Where are you! What are you doing?” Fysarius demanded through the invisible barrier, though he didn’t really expect a verbal response from her.
’You have to go!’
His heart gave an uncomfortable lurch at the sound of her voice, low and gravelly from disuse. And he’d argue that he’d love to go! They should both go and get out of here and he didn’t know how many times he’d expressed that nothing on this planet was for them, and why should this be any different? But there was no ‘going’ anywhere with these walls, and Ny must have realized that. The screeching continued.
And continued.
And continued.
He should- go. Take a turn! He had to take his turn, or she would be trapped in there! Fysarius ate dirt with how fast he hit the ground in search of the cube that would let him move and would let her move after.
Upon taking it up, he hurled it forward, hoping that the farther it went, the farther he would go too. He didn’t see where it landed, but Fysarius was allowed to walk. And he wound up… where Ny had been before. He’d watched her as she moved, had observed as just a little square of space was flooded in a fog that seemed contained by invisible barriers. And now Fysarius stood where she’d been. It was disorienting, like being completely cut off from what lay beyond the fog. He couldn’t see her- and that was their primary mode of communication!
EchosSweet rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3Total: 3 (1-6)
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:30 am
Space 10
A swampy smell fills the air. You take a step, and you seem to sink into it. Mud creeps over your feet, and you sink rapidly. Ankle deep, knee deep. Whether or not you squirm and fight against it, you are sinking. The mud is crushing and painful, and if you sink too deep it steals the breath from your lungs. There’s nothing to grab onto; you have to roll your dice quickly before that too gets sucked into the muddy quicksand.
Good, good, good. Progress was the most important thing. Ny cracked an eye open to see Fysarius trapped in the same fog she'd been in earlier. Breathing had been difficult, but it was manageable. The most important thing was just speed. He would be okay there for a few seconds while Ny went ahead.
And it was good that she was ahead, she thought, desperately covering a pointed ear with one hand as she smacked the die across the ground with her other. If she moved first, she was at least able to see what sorts of dangers were in store for them.
For now, she was allowed to stumble forward from the screaming. As soon as she exited the square, it was like the worst of the disorientation vanished, as well.
So they would probably be safe once they were out. Progress. That was all they had to worry about.
Ny hadn't even been drawn to a stop by whatever automatic propulsion kept them moving, when her foot seemed to suddenly drop through the ground. She gasped as she lurched forward, made worse by how she jerked to try and free herself. To no avail. The ground had captured her, and wouldn't let her go. She snared up the cube quickly in her palm before it could disappear beneath the surface, and her focus swiveled desperately back to watch for any movement from Fysarius.
So long as he hurried up...
Her legs were both pulled in- What if it didn't let her go, even if she threw the die? What if this was the end of the game. "Fysarius!" She squawked, fingers sliding against the invisible wall that kept her from going backward.
Something slithers across your foot, so fast that you might have thought you imagined it. Except, a few seconds later, it happens again. And then, again. Snakes keep moving across your space. If you move, they see you–and they might bite. Some of them hiss, some are capable of spraying a poisonous liquid that can cause itchiness or burning.
Through the fog of his own space, he couldn't see exactly what Ny was caught up in. He couldn't tell when she'd thrown the cube, when she'd made it to the next trap, when she was ready for him to go so they could get on with their lives. This would be easier if they were together. Everything was easier when they were together.
But Fysarius had to fumble around on the ground to look for his cube through the dense haze, and by the time he'd found it and given it a toss... After a beat he was moving. Ny must've gone already.
Exiting the square, he finally caught a glimpse of her- Or half of her, at least. It seemed like she was being dragged into the ground. Her chin was notched up, pretty green eyes angled back in his direction expectantly (she was still so far ahead), and both arms hovering over the... the mud-sand-whatever was entrapping her. She was waiting on him for her chance to escape. Hopefully, Fysarius hadn't kept her long.
When he was allowed to stop, it was somewhere he didn't think Ny had been before him. Rather, she'd certainly passed this way on the path, but she hadn't paused for long enough for Fysarius to know what to expect. But it became obvious in the following moments. Something slipped over his boot. He stepped, trying to avoid it, and it happened again. Serpents slithering through the shadowy squares of the path. They weren't very large, and Fysarius had no particular fear of them, but they also didn't look like anything he'd cataloged at the museum... He didn't know what they were capable of.
And there were enough of them to be in the way, even if they weren't dangerous (which again, he could not be sure of).
He angled his glove down at the ground, several paces ahead of himself. The snakes were small enough that he had no doubt they'd be drawn in by the static field created by his weapon. One shot, far enough away to pull a pile of snakes some distance from him, and he was moving ahead again- only for the sounds of vicious, angry hissing, and something spat some ooze out at his that seared through the fabric of his uniform and wetted against the skin of his arm.
Fysarius yipped, jumped, scrambled to get out of range as he wiped at the burning liquid- stupidly- with his other hand.
EchosSweet rolled 1 6-sided dice:
2Total: 2 (1-6)
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:36 am
Space 12
The smell of smoke is in the air. You can’t see what’s burning, but you can hear distant screams, and–carnival music? It feels like people are running past you, and the air fills with panic and alarm–but there’s nowhere for you to go, and the smoke is so thick. You’d better roll quickly so you can get out of here.
He was still behind her, and that was concerning. Would Fysarius be dealing with everything she left behind in her wake, while Ny was unable to go to him or help him? Could she risk staying in place and hoping he caught up with her? She was still clinging to the edge of the ground, with the earth probably mere moments from swallowing her up. Then she really wouldn’t be able to do anything for him.
So, forward, then.
Whether she liked it or not, this was the situation they were in, and Fysarius was a recognized Corporal. Theoretically more capable than she was. Theoretically. He would have to fend for himself, and if he lagged behind her the entire time, at least she’d be able to turn around and watch whatever miseries befell him. …This was such an uncomfortable place.
Ny forged ahead, pulling herself free of the ground so that she could move through the squares with her next roll.
Where she landed was initially innocuous, but they all had been so far. Still dark, with the most notable thing being some acrid scent in the air. Something burning. Smoke tingled in the back of her throat. There was a haunting melody that she didn’t recognize. And then some phantom force knocking into her. Ny’s gaze swiveled to find the source, to no avail. Even if someone else was here, she couldn’t see them- just bear them, feel them. Screaming, shoving, smoke, burning, a rising and falling cadence like some a backdrop to a play.
It was more overwhelming than anything she’d experienced. Probably ever, in all her centuries. Covering her ears, she stumbled ahead, hoping Fysarius was still pushing forward behind her.
The smell of saltwater fills the air, and you can hear the water lapping against the shore. You hear boards creaking, and bells in the distance. And then, a song. Haunting. Ghostly, and calling you. For a second, you fall in love. And then, water fills your lungs. You’re choking, you can’t breathe. The song is loud and seems to caress you, even as a wet chill gathers in your square. Scaly hands reach for you, you gently caressing, and try to lure you into an endless sleep.
EchosSweet rolled 1 6-sided dice:
4Total: 4 (1-6)
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:44 am
Space 16
As you step into your square, something cracks. At first, you can’t tell what it is, but as your full weight moves onto the square, the ground shifts beneath you. It’s cold, and it’s ice, and a hole falls underneath you, plunging you into frigid waters. There’s enough floating ice that you should still be able to roll the dice to get out of here, but you have to go quickly–you’re soaked, in chilly water, and something just swam by your feet.
You hear a frantic flapping above you, but that’s all the warning you get before a hoard of bats descend. They scratch and slap and screech, but you avoid getting bitten. For now. You’ve invaded their space and they seem keen to defend it. You can try to fight them, but the only way to escape them is to roll again.
Oh, Fysarius, my wayward son. You truly do suck at everything. =w=
EchosSweet rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1Total: 1 (1-6)
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:56 am
Space 18 (Doubling 1)
You smell something poison, something noxious. You pass through a haze of strange, green gas as you enter the square, but it fades after a few seconds. You feel cold. You feel empty. You start to decay. Maybe a part of you knows it’s an illusion, but in that split second when your body feels like it might go limp and when you look at your hand and see skin melting. You see bone. You’d best roll the dice so you don’t wind up a skeleton prop for the next player.
The end; once you have arrived here you are free to leave. You will see be basked in the glow of a beautiful, opalescent aura that will take you back home. If you arrived with a guest, you can leave without them or choose to stay until they make it to the end as well. When you arrive back in Destiny City, you may choose to keep the six sided die–if nothing else, it’s pretty! Though, it doesn’t seem to have any magical qualities, that might be for the best.
