After his quests from the Forge and Fragmented Descent with fruitful success, Aeruban found himself back at the Shrine again. This time, it would seem the Goddesses were active, at least Paranoia was. Curious, he approached as she spoke to others to the pedestals behind her; one of them being empty with a vague plaque on it. The description read:
Quote:
The Goddess, wrought with Paranoia, created ====, her last and final project before ====. It was then that she discovered how to replicate ====.
What did Paranoia create? Were there not three Goddesses? Ruin, Paranoia, and Longing? Did a Paranoia create other things? As he turned, the aforementioned Goddess was looking at him, wires snapping to life from the fog that surrounded her. If he knew better, she was smiling, but... at the same moment he was unsure. She was sending him on a quest of sorts to gather a 'Heart' from her labs. The way she spoke certainly confirmed his idea that she did create things, but what was coming to mind now. Did she create those monstrosities that he had been encountering recently?
That he was uncertain of. He didn't have any reason to distrust them.
Taking the sack, he strung it over his shoulder and dipped briefly.
"It shall be done."
Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 7:56 pm
[ You chose the Third Door ]
Quote:
It is dead silent. All you hear is a series of steady thuds, far in the distance and what sounds almost like someone whispering a single word over and over again. A name. But not yours. It sounds familiar though.
The door shuts behind you, firmly, the second you enter. It is dark. You have to fumble your way through the abyss. The hallway seems to be moving as you move, shaping itself towards the direction of your footsteps. You reach your first obstacle at the end, hitting it accidentally. It echos a hollow thump and then another thud.
It is a large crate.
Thud.
You move around to feel around it. It is blocking your pathway.
Thud.
The top of the crate is opened, and there is an unusual shape sticking out to one side, bare outlines bathed in a sickly red. The shape simply does not fit into the crate.
Thud.
You move closer. The strange unusual shape sticking out resembles an arm, swaying slowly back and forth. Instinctively, without knowing why, you grab onto the arm.
The sound stops.
You feel around the arm. Something is wedged almost perfectly into the box, taking up most of the space, something soft and pliant. You push against it as it meets resistance. It's an unusual texture, soft, but firm underneath. As you reach a little closer you hear something else.
Thump-thump.
A heart.
Thump-thump.
Through the firm flesh the Heart continues to beat a steady red.
Thump-thump.
Your bag is still empty.
It doesn't matter how long you wait. The obstacle will not move. It doesn't matter if you wait forever, or a single second, or any time in between. Time seems to be infinite. The darkness makes it terrifying. You can barely see anything. You cannot hear anything else.
The Heart is still beating and there is a pair of scissors in your free hand.
Extracting the Heart is a little difficult. It is hard to explain without fully seeing. You think at some point you moved, digging your scissors into the obstacle inside the crate. You think at some point the rubbery, unusual feeling finally peeled and ripped, slowly but steadily compliant, creating a small opening, a hole towards the Heart. You think at some point your hand reached into the opening your scissors made and felt something warmer within. As you pull your hand out, you hear and feeling a gushing noise pour from the opening, and you push your scissors deeper. Something thinner is in the way, long and elastic, pulsating with life on their own, sharply inflating and deflating in a pair. You quickly snip those parts away. The Heart is still snagged and you have to work fiercely, grabbing both your hands now, to push both sides of the cavity open. It is indeed a cavity, and you can feel it, as the sealed contents from within slide out with a heavy slosh and a thunk into the bottom of the crate. Nothing else remains, only the Heart.
Thump-thump.
You remove it. It stops beating.
Slowly, you place it into your bag.
Just as the Heart was placed inside, a claw dug straight into his back resulting in an agonizing cry of pain. The thundering, flaring pain coursed up his spine before the clawed hand pulled itself away. Something, a sensation, sparked in his mind.
"Why can't you ever do anything right?"
A woman's voice. The sound was familiar but he had never met this woman. She was an average sized woman wearing rather high-class clothes. Her hair tied up neatly and her expression fierce and intimidating. She appeared to be standing over him - or whomever he was looking through. She was glaring and clearly upset. The name 'Naerina' seemed to float among the thoughts of his mind. Perhaps it was hers, he wasn't too sure.
"You sneak out with your damned father and you return like a mess, you both do. Is it that difficult to get to your studies? Is it difficult to do as you are told!? How could you be the heir of this pack if you do not understand the fundamental basis of running a business, let alone our business. You cannot go out with your father anymore, I am forbidding it from this point forward. Disobey this, Uru'baen, and you will learn a displeasure of a whole new level. You are young, do not suffer this feeling now."
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Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 8:09 pm
Quote:
You continue to walk. You realize the floor has become less solid and more pliant until it feels almost slippery and sticky until you reach a dead end again. Behind you, you hear a sloshing noise, and then footsteps. You turn around.
Nothing.
You continue to walk and the water around you gets deeper, colder. You hear the sloshing noise and it is louder this time.
"Please give it back."
You turn around, but nothing.
You continue to walk and the water around you gets deeper still until it is around your neck. You cannot reach any further. You have to move back.
"Please give me back my-"
Two hands grab a hold of you, pushing you down. You can't breathe. You struggle, but you can't resist. You feel a sharp pain, and realize they are pushing you deep, further down, until you, the feeling of your being has almost stopped existing until they look at you with deep, grey eyes, glassy, baring their sunken teeth-
"Give me back my heart."
Her face. Her face was familiar. Through the grimaces and struggles, the face was filling out in his mind. He did not try to recognize her, but it would seem whatever this feeling he was having did. A woman's face; young, once beautiful, with brilliantly green eyes. Her hands were once tender and her hair was once lush. 'Jeniratha'.
"You were suppose to marry me! You had my heart and you took it! Give me back my heart!"
Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 8:22 pm
Quote:
You have no choice. It is either you or them. You must exist for the Blessings and the goddesses. Yes, when you are a goddess, perhaps, one day, you can return for them. You use your only weapon, the scissors against them, plunging it deep into an opening.
They shriek-
- And then disappear
There is no more water, and you cough the rest up, the dark and wretched substance. Light begins to pour in again, this time from a door. You have made it to the exit.
Just as you turn to leave, you could have sworn you saw for a second that same figure staring at you balefully in the distance with hollow eyes. They are holding your scissors tightly clenched in one hand.
Trying to hold his breath, he grasped the arms that held him down. The ghost of a memory screaming for her heart back. Liquid seeped into open orifaces, if he allowed it to continue he'd perish. He could not fail the Goddesses, he needed their blessings! With each one he became more and more. Grasping around, he took hold of the scissors and plunged it deep into her chest. As she screamed in agony and released, Aeruban scrambled to his feet and made his way to a door that poured light. As he entered he could feel the blank stare of the creature inside the darkness, clutching her chest yearning for what was once there. Her heart.
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 5:12 pm
You wake up feeling cold. That's strange, you don't ever remember falling asleep. There is something firm underneath you. A table, made of solid metal. It is very bright in the room, painfully so, the stark white lights in the ceiling a contrast to the greys you have been used to.
The lights hum. It feels slightly painful to your ears, ringing in dissonance. The room itself is empty. There are only four white walls surrounding you and the white ceiling with the white lights.
You take a few unsteady steps. In front of you is a door. It is unlocked.
Unfortunately the hallway outside is equally bright. As you take a few steps outside, you hear something slam shut. You turn around. The door that you walked through is still open however.
It is still open. There is nothing inside.
You continue onwards, taking slow, steady steps. The halls stem to stretch into infinity, but, at the very furthest distance you can see it. An exit. A way out. You don't need a reason to leave. This place is hollow, this place is empty, it's stifling, the lights are too bright, and it feels too clean, too sterilized. You start walking.
Thud.
You turn around again. The door that you left is still open. There is noone behind you, just white lights. You turn back around.
Thud.
You look behind you again.
They are watching you.
The first thing you hear is the steady thudding of footsteps against the perfectly polished floor. You can hear a strange noise, a sharp scraping noise. In one of their blackened hands they carry a pair of rusted scissors.
Thud. Screech. Thud. Screech.
They approach closer.
You start running.
You move as fast as your legs allow you to. The world is spinning. All you can hear outside of your panicked breath, and your Heart that will not stop beating furiously is the steady thud of a figure, cast in shadows, walking behind you. You reach the door.
It is locked.
There are bright red letters written onto the handlebar of the door. Passcode required. A 9 digit number pad is stuck right onto the door at face level.
[ The Escape ]: It is time to start your escape. If you have not already done one for Task 1, create a [JOURNEY] CHARACTER NAME HERE thread in this subforum with your character. If you already have a [JOURNEY] thread up, simply go to your character's thread and continue posting from where you left off in Task 1. Read the above prompt and respond accordingly in a post as your character wakes up and acknowledges their surrounds. Next, you will be rolling to escape the area.
Silence. It was eerily silent. Opening his eyes one by one, he raised a hand to touch upon his temple. He could not recall falling asleep at all, he only remembered walking along the winding paths of the Spire... and looking around, he did not recall being in this room. White walls, white floor, and a metal bed that he sat up upon, the entirely of the room ultimately was barren. The only other noteable thing present was the door on one of the walls. Aeruban gave the room a look around to see nothing but white - heck, it was difficult to see the corners where the walls met or where the walls met the ceiling or floor. Getting to his feet, rolling his shoulders, the red-hearted made a bee line for the door.
Tentatively touching it, Aeruban opened the door and stepped outside. Immediately he heard the sound of a shutting door. Inciting a reaction, the red-hearted turned to see that the door was in fact, not shut. But he was positive that the sound came from behind him... That shouldn't matter because at the end of the hall was another doorway. Certainly a way out! Yes yes yes! A way out! As Aeruban ran for the door, sounds came from behind him. Something was there. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the sight of scissors and his heart sank. Immediately he broke out into a sprint, his hands slamming against the door.
"OPEN! s**t!"
He growled as he tried the handle bar that read for a password.
[[ Distance: 50 ]]
PhiferWolf rolled 1 4-sided dice:
1Total: 1 (1-4)
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:13 pm
Panic striken, Aeruban moved his hands all over the wall, searching for some trigger to open the door but none came. Eyes wide, he kept them open to see if they could see anything when suddenly something flashed. It wasn't physical but in his mental state. It was a woman; young, beautiful... she seemed familiar. "Are you sure about this?"
She said, her voice tender and soft. However, she seemed quite full of herself at the same time, confident but overwhelmingly judging by her behavior. Her hands placed across her lap, her lags off to the side as a woman should. "Fine. We shall not marry for now."
His eyes calmed as his mind retreated, allowing him to regain himself. He felt the presence closer behind him. The rusty click of the scissors echoing in the blank hall.
"Mmmmmmmmy haaaaaaaart...."
[[ Distance: 45 ]]
PhiferWolf
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PhiferWolf rolled 1 4-sided dice:
3Total: 3 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:18 pm
"You were nneeeeever sssmaaaart. Hoooow could I marry yooooou?"
The voice echoed down the corridor, a female's voice. So wet, dead, and slow with purpose... just like the steps that it took toward him. Panicking, he pressed against the door with all his might and it did not budge. What was he doing wrong? W-why was this thing chasing after him!?
"You are a pathetic mutt!"
Nonesense.
[[ Distance: 40 ]]
PhiferWolf rolled 1 4-sided dice:
3Total: 3 (1-4)
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:22 pm
"You are the reason he left! He was the reason we could never marry! You are weak! You are pathetic!"
Nonsense, all nonsense! What does this thing speak of? All the wall, it moved closer and closer and all he could do was push and push, search and search, hope and panic.
[[ Distance 35 ]]
PhiferWolf
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PhiferWolf rolled 1 4-sided dice:
2Total: 2 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:24 pm
As he dared to turn to look at the figure approaching him, he noticed something against the wall a foot away. An arm's reach away. It was red and stood out to the empty hallway. Reaching, he pulled it to him, keep his back to the creature as it crept along.
"A C E G" it read...
Nonsense.
[[ Distance: 30 ]]
PhiferWolf rolled 1 4-sided dice:
1Total: 1 (1-4)
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:26 pm
A pain in his head once again. This time, an older woman, finely dressed and the young woman from before. The elder stood beside her, her arms around the younger's shoulder as if presenting her. Guiding her.
"This is your new mate. She belongs to an important family and you best represent us to your fullest."
The young woman smiled and dipped her head.
Aeruban returned to reality to the clicking of the rusty scissors.
[[ Distance: 25 ]]
PhiferWolf
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PhiferWolf rolled 1 4-sided dice:
1Total: 1 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:29 pm
"You don't attend your studies. You don't attend the meetings. All you do is go hunting with your father and you suspect me to join your family? If this is how it is run, you will surely run it into the ground!"
Her face was angry, she was pacing. Aeru felt helpless, annoyed, angered, defensive, but shamed all the same. Why did he feel like this? This meant nothing to him! These memories... these people, he did not know any of them so why were they so... effective?
[[ Distance: 20 ]]
PhiferWolf rolled 1 4-sided dice:
4Total: 4 (1-4)
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:31 pm
Another piece of paper. The presence of the other being was becoming alarmingly close and he needed out. The second paper provided a clue that gave letters a corresponding number. With the previous paper, he put the two and two together and punched his way through, exiting the hallway and leaving that figment behind.
[[ Escaped ]]
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PhiferWolf rolled 1 4-sided dice:
2Total: 2 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:37 pm
Running, running, running through the fog-thick woods. The red-hearted grey thing sprinted across the pathways ending up at a rickety, old bridge that swung openly over a blanket of fog. The echoing taunts and snips through the woods indicated that he was still being followed. He had to move and he had no time to lose.
With the first step, his foot went straight through. Panicked, with a rusted dagger, he cut his way through, trying to free himself. Cutting through whatever he could - even himself, he managed to free himself. Oddly, he found that he was already healing the wound as he was freed, but not enough to prevent him from limping the rest o the way. This time, he was going leaps across rather than board by board.
[[ Distance: 25 ]]
PhiferWolf rolled 1 4-sided dice:
2Total: 2 (1-4)
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:41 pm
[[ Distance 20 ]]
Another plank breaks underfoot and he's left with the same option. If things kept up the way they were, he'd have to cut through limbs to get out of this, but he had to survive. He wasn't going to let this.... b***h get him.
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PhiferWolf rolled 1 4-sided dice:
1Total: 1 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:42 pm
With a misstep, he found the figment behind him....
Quote:
The last thing you see is a blackened, disfigured body near and a face stare at you, empty and silent. A pair of hands reach towards you, one of them holding onto your head. You can't move. You are paralyzed. You hear a strange thudding sound that increases and realizes it is your Heart.
"Don't worry," coos the voice, "It only hurts once."
There is a loud snip and then a second. You feel the sharp pain only once before that disappears too. The figure walks away, one hand holding your Heart, still beating, the other hand holding a pair of rusted scissors.
[[ As must as he could have fought, he was caught. Trapped. Cornered. He was done for and he knew it. Yet, he held the bejeweled dagger tight in his hands. He could feel the figment loom over him, two long, spindle appendages extending from it's blackened body as it reached for him. Touching his head, holding it still, he couldn't react. It speaks softly and that was all he heard before the snip. Falling down, Aeruban watched as it moved away with a red-heart in one hand and snipping scissors in the other. ]]
