She seems busy, a glowing instrument in her hands. Wires emerge, created from the fog itself around her, snapping and hissing to life before fading back into greys.
You are handed a bag. It's a simple bag, tied with loose string, locked in the center. At one end of the string is a key.
"Go on," urges the Goddess, her smile crooked but hopeful, "open it up. I have a gift for you."
There is nothing inside.
"Oh." the Goddess is suddenly clenching and unclenching one hand. "A small error. It's okay, I can fix this." Her gaze intensifies, "With your help, I can fix this. Could you fetch me more parts? I stored them in my special labs but it's getting a little cluttered down there. Just look for the chests, they should be inside. I don't need everything it holds, just the heart." They pause, before giving you a pair of scissors. "That should do the trick. Just the heart. They don't need theirs after all," their expression turns turns wry, gentled at the corners with remorse, "...they didn't quite make it."
You turn to leave as the Goddess beams at you and gives you one last smile before you walk towards the thin opening. It's just a small box, a very tiny opening. It is dark inside. You think you hear something, steady thunks.
You step inside.
Sin was happy to be blessed by the presence of the Goddess. Although he was beginning to understand that perhaps, she was an eccentric Goddess? When he received the bag, along with a task, "Uh.. Thanks?" Neios rubbed the back of his head with an unsure look on his face. What sort of present required them to find something? Normally, he wouldn't have a problem but there was this strange talk of a heart. Neios thought about the function of a heart. "I hope she's talking about a figurative heart.." But when Neios looked down on his own glowing heart, he realized that he could no longer assume what a 'heart' really was.
"The other doors look pretty creepy so I'll go with the first one." Some might say that Neios lacked courage, but he preferred to say cautious. At the very least, nothing (much) would happen here.
Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 1:52 am
TASK 1
[ You chose the First Door ]
Quote:
You hear just as you walk into the hallway a sound, a light humming, a strange nostalgia in you stirs. For a moment you imagine pumpkins, smiling glowing ones, before all is quiet. You hear voices, lingering in the distance. They sound familiar and provide a sense of warmth. The corners of your mouth turn into a smile, without you even knowing why. It feels like someone you've been waiting for for a long time is here.
The door shuts behind you, firmly, the second you enter. It is bright. You walk through a field of brightly glowing pumpkins. They seem to be leading a path for you, with flickering yellow lights and orange carved faces. At the very end there is a very large open field. It is covered in small glowing orange flowers, that seem to illuminate the ground. It feels peaceful here.
There is a tombstone sticking out in the center. It reads "HERE LIES -". You do not recognize this name. Someone has placed dried yellow flowers against the tombstone. As you lean closer, you realize that there is a sound coming from underneath the grave.
Thump-thump.
A heart.
Thump-thump.
There is no fear or pain. You know what you have to do as you reach and push away the flowers. It calls to you. The Heart, marked by the tombstone, glowing a bright orange.
Extracting the Heart is a simple, really. You take the scissors and continue to keep on pushing the pliant ground around it away until at last, in your hands, you uncover the heart. As you clasp it in your hands, it glows a steady yellow.
Thump-thump.
You remove it. It stops pulsing
Slowly, you place it into your bag.
Neios followed the pumpkins who proved to be a resourceful guice. Although he knew time of the essence, the male couldn't help but really stroll along to enjoy the scenery. After all, what was the point if he didn't enjoy his time? Of course, that might account for why he was always lost. But he preferred to say that he was exploring.
When he caught sight of the gravestone, the smile faded from Neios's face. "I don't suppose this is where she meant?" But when he looked around, there was no other place in sight. "I suppose this is it." He crouched down on his hind legs to lightly touch the gravestone; wondering if he should be familiar with the name or not? It seemed strange how they had no memories. But it wasn't as if everything else wasn't strange.
-----------------------
"If you fall off and die, I'm not responsible for you kid." A man, somewhere in his twenties, smoked a cigarette off to the side while Sin practiced on the tightrope.
"Come on, don't say that." A younger version of Neios joked around with the other male. "Besides, I'm not a kid anymore."
"Compared to me, you'll always be a kid."
----------------------
A sound intruded upon his thoughts. "Well, this is a surprise." He placed his hand squarely on the dirt, feeling the thumping of a a certain rhythm. Somehow, Neios knew what to do. It was a real heart. When he finally uncovered it, Neios had to be preoccupied with the question of how it sustained itself? The glow subsided in his hand..
"Well, the Goddess needs it." She commanded, Neios obeyed. Well, somewhat.
Xaki
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Xaki
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Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 7:35 pm
TASK 1
Zoobey
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."
Neios, once he retrieved the heart, began to head backwards in the direction that he came from. But as the scenery slowly transition, Neios's mood did as well. Having that lone memory bothered him. Why had they losen themselves in the first place? What was the story behind the heart? Was it somebody he had known?
"If the Goddess wanted me to swim, I wish she had told me so that I would have brought my swim suit." Nevertheless, he trudged through the water. The water gradually grew higher and higher, soaking his clothes. He vaguely knew how to swim at the very least.
He wasn't imagining the footsteps behind him. Neios turned around several times but saw nothing. "Uhh, is it just me or are things getting kinda creepy?" He was all for exploring -- he really was but Neios couldn't shake the feeling that somebody was following him.
Without warning, he was submerged in the deep water under a painful pressure. He opened his one good eye to view his assailant.
"I can't." He didn't know why but the sense of urgency and purpose within him didn't let him. He didn't like stealing from others but in this case..
As Sin stared into their eyes, the realization of their identity hit him. "So- I can't escape you even here." A sardonic smile curved upon his lips despite the circumstances.
------------------------
"Why are you doing this?" The crimson flames burned in the background behind him. He finally caught up to his mentor who stood on the other side of the bridge.
"So you followed in the end, didn't you? You foolish child."
"Tell me why. Why did you kill them? They didn't have to die!"
Before Sin could even blink, his teacher had closed the distance between them. "I won't explain anything."
"Had you left me alone.. you wouldn't have had to suffer." He single handed held Sin by his neck, lifting him up until Sin struggled.
"But because I like you.. I'll give you a chance." Sin felt himself falling- falling from his grasp, falling backwards- remembering the saidistic expression of enjoyment on his face. And then he was plunged into the cold darkness of water, the river, pelted by the strong currents. he had no air. He had nobody left. The oxygen escaped him, the burning pain began to invade his throat until he thought he would die.
------------------------
He had been weak and helpless back then.
He was no longer the same person.
"Get the hell out of my way."
Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 7:36 pm
TASK 1
Zoobey
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.
"Get the hell out of my way." Neios refused to be swallowed again by the overhwleming darkness of the waters. In one hand, he held the heart. In his other hand, he held a pair of scissors. Without hesitation, he plunged the sharp edge into the back of his assailant's neck. He quickly took advantage of their pained scream to wretch their hands away, to escape.
When he resurfaced, he was forced to expel the liquid from his lungs and gasp desperately for air. He had to drag himself past the door. When he looked back, not entirely surprised to see the baleful stare they sent him. "You won't die. Not from something that simple." How Neios bitterly wished that he had the pleasure to kill him. But they were here, even without their heart.
He no longer knew if this was a reality or a nightmare. But there was one thing that he was sure of. "Even if I sent you into the deepest depths of hell, you would still haunt me, wouldn't you?"
Xaki
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Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 4:35 pm
TASK 2
Zoobey
"You cannot escape forever."
The Goddess looks down at you, one hand gently running over the curved blade of the scythe as if it was a favored pet. "You must face your Fears. Eat or be eaten. That is the way of it here. Were it another time... I wonder which one you would be?"
She drops down from her perch and approaches you, circling you and looking you up and down. "I wonder indeed. Perhaps we shall solve this little mystery? Take this." She hands you a small jeweled dagger. It is a simple blade set with a stone, and from it dangles what looks to be a small claw of some sort.
"That should be more than enough," the Goddess continues. "You will need to learn to fend for yourself, to take on your challenges and judge for yourself what it means to sacrifice. That is the only way you will become stronger, else you'll fall prey to someone greater still." As she speaks the blade of the knife begins to rust, stained with a dark color reminiscent of Ruin.
"You are ready." She announces, gesturing with her scythe. "Go." Her bright glowing eyes are on you until you finally move towards a thin opening. You can still feel her gaze on you even after you leave her presence.
Sin couldn't disagree with the new goddess's words, having echoed the same sentiments himself many times. Accepting the jeweled dagger, he left with a polite bow.
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 5:02 pm
TASK 2
Zoobey
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.
Examine the door again:
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 are too scared too move.
They approach closer until you can feel chill claws grab at your neck. In a burst of terror, you move again, as their footsteps get more distant.
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.
OOC: ESCAPING THE HALLWAY
[ 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.
[ YOU ARE BEING FOLLOWED ]: You are being pursued by an unknown shadowed figure that will instantly kill you if they reach you. The figure will occasionally taunt you with words, sometimes familiar ones or ones that are simply twisted in a familiar tone. They CAN be the same figure that you stole the Heart from in Task 1 (though your character does not remember this anymore), OR another figure entirely, one that in your character's original (pre meta) life, they considered a threat or danger. if you have not participated in Task 1, they are a figure from your character's past (pre meta) memory, now twisted beyond comprehension. Please do not use existing characters in this meta, if you are using someone else's character that is not an NPC, please contact that rper for permission. - The distance between you and the follower is currently 50 feet. If the distance between you and the follow hits 0 feet at any point in this story, it is game over. - Your goal is to escape out of this area.
[ Escaping Mechanics ]:
- You will now need to roll to escape. Each escape roll costs time and has a prompt. Write a response to the prompt accordingly. Subtract the correct time as listed in your dice roll. If your distance hits 0 at any point, you default to Game Over prompt (below). Keep a tally of your current distance in OOC quotes at the bottom of your post. You start at 40 feet apart from the figure.
- Roll 1d4 (one four-sided dice). Keep on rolling and responding to these prompts until you get the passcode successfully and escape. Make a new post in your Journey thread for each roll until you escape. Write reactions as necessary.
gaia_starIf you roll a 1: You panic as you look around. For a second everything blurs and all you see is a memory of you and that figure. (OOC: This is a memory triggered, any memory, of you and that figure. That figure is the same figure that you stole the Heart from in Task 1. IF you were not here in Task 1, this figure is the someone from your character's past that was important to you. ) - Subtract 5 feet from the distance between you and the follower. The follower begins to taunt you, using strange, distorted words in some semblance of the same figure from your memories.
gaia_starIf you roll a 2: You see a piece of paper to your left. It is stained in red. You read it.
A C E G.
-If you have NOT examined the code by rolling a 4 before this roll, you panic when you see this slip as you do not know what it means. Subtract 5 feet from the distance between you and the follower. You must now roll a 4 to escape.
gaia_star If you roll a 3: You stumble again. In a fit of desperation you push at the doors. They do not open. - Subtract 5 feet from the distance between you and the follower. The follower begins to taunt you, talking about all your past failures. You don't remember any of those so you don't know what they mean.
gaia_star If you roll a 4: You see a second piece of paper to your left. It reads A=0, B=1, C=2.
-If you have NOT examined the letters by rolling a 2 before this roll, you panic when you see this slip as you do not know what it means. Subtract 5 feet from the distance between you and the follower. You must now roll a 2 to escape.
gaia_star[ If you roll a 2 AND A 4: (Any order) - You put together the sequence. You enter 0, 2, 4, 5 into the number pad. The door slides open. With a final burst of energy, you escape. Proceed to the next post below for the second set of prompts.
[ GAME OVER ]:
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.
- If the distance between the follower and you hits 0 that is the end of this journey for you. Write your death solo reaction to the GAME OVER prompt in italics (a post where your character reacts to the given death prompt) as your last JOURNEY post for this prompt. Then go back to the Task 2 opening thread HERE and respond to the RESULT PROMPT post in that thread (the last post).
[ Success ]:
If you succeeded in opening the door, proceed to the post below.
(( Click carefully, the image above within the spoiler is not for the faint of heart or those with heart conditions~ ))
Sin woke up in an entirely white room. "Damn.." Sin rubbed a hand over his face, wondering where he was. "Man, I think they need some redecorating.." A painting here and there, a comfy couch, even some trash would liven up the room.
He didn't know what he expected, but his eyes widened in surprise at the unlocked door. "Is it asking for me to leave?" Peeking out his door, the looked left and right down the hallway- seeing nobody.
SLAM!
He looked back into the room. Huh. "Wow." The room was worse than before.
Thud!
"Feels like I've done this before." Neios observed to himself.
Thud!
Needless to say, Sin ran.
Xaki
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Xaki
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Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 5:03 pm
TASK 2
Zoobey
You are outside. There are grey trees staring that greet you, hiding you from the figure.
You look behind you:
They are still steadily following you.
Without looking back and further, you continue to run. The figure following you taunts at you. Occasionally through the loud crunching of their footsteps you can hear steady snipping. They taunt you about returning their Heart. They taunt you about taking your Heart in return.
You reach the end of the trees to a long bridge. It looks rickety and unsure, swaying uneasily. You will need to cross it.
Sin was glad that he wasn't athletically lacking. Still, the figure themselves weren't lacking either.
"Whoa, whoa man! What's this about my heart?"
"If you were a beautiful, gorgeous babe -- then I might not have any qualms. However, I'm pretty sure that you don't qualify for that category."
Sin skidded to a stop only centimeters before the entrance of the bridge. "I run from one problem only to find another."
"I'd prefer the bridge than him stealing my heart."
Xaki rolled 1 4-sided dice:
3Total: 3 (1-4)
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 5:04 pm
TASK 2
Quote:
If you roll a 3: You manage to cross the bridge, but it the wind snags it, swaying it precariously. You feel sharp fingers claw into your shoulder, and then something sharper jab your back -
- Without looking back you flee, and as the snipping sound gets further and further.
Run like hell!
Xaki
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Xaki rolled 1 6-sided dice:
5Total: 5 (1-6)
Xaki
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Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 5:44 pm
Zoobey
At last you reach a final dead end a cul-de-sac. There is simply one monument standing behind you, a rickety haunted house. Strange shadows are cast from the building.
You look behind you:
They are still steadily following you.
The rusted dagger you were holding suddenly glows a bright red, as if in reaction to the shadows of the Haunted House. You hear the Goddess of Ruin's words echo in your mind. Now or never.
Without hesitation, you plunge your dagger into the figure.
OOC: FIGHT OR DIE
[ FINAL CONFRONTATION ]: - You finally confront the figure behind you. A sad memory plays between you and the figure. You remember bits and pieces of what happened between you and them, when you were called by another name. In your desperation, you lunge with the dagger just as they lunge at you with the scissors.
- IF your result is ODD the figure's scissors find you first before you can make use of your dagger. Use the GAME OVER prompt below.
[ GAME OVER ]:
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.
- If the your rolled prompt leads to a GAME OVER that is the end of this journey for you. Write your death solo reaction to the GAME OVER prompt in italics (a post where your character reacts to the given death prompt) as your last JOURNEY post for this prompt. Then go back to the Task 2 opening thread HERE and respond to the Result Prompt post in that thread.
"Sin. How many times will you challenge me before you learn?" The figure blew off Sin's blow without any effort at all.
"As much as it takes for me to defeat you." It was a younger version of Neios again.
Neios brought his dagger up -- but the figure grasped his wrist and threw his body down. He couldn't move. There was no mercy but only cruelty -- to be able to see and hear the black figure so well.
His fingers moved to the spot where his heart should have been.
