[Gameboard] Earthside Trickery [Solaris]

[Kaefaux]

[ Backdated to October 7th 2022 ]

Metis had warned her that this time of year got weird--well, she'd mentioned all large gatherings and holidays seemed to be plagued with trouble. But though she and Realta had given her plenty of examples, it hadn't done anything to keep Kyrie from wandering around the city as normal.

As Solaris, she stretched, wandering down an empty path of one of her favorite parks--all the more adored, since it was where she'd reunited with Alastor again. Something in her had felt lighter after that. A familiar face, someone who'd gone through a similar story as hers... it'd been a balm to her in a way she'd never have anticipated.

And the prospect of helping him again, in any capacity, to aid his world... it was a purpose she could focus herself on.

Light as she felt, she skipped through the park, nearly missing the odd piece of wood. Till the light snagged and shone upon its surface, causing her to pause and blink down at it. A die, like those she'd seen in games here on Earth. Shaking her head at yet another random thing lost from someone's pocket, she bent down to pick it up. It looked pretty, all stone and... opal? It could be cute in one of the plants' pots--

As her fingers curled around it, a gust slammed into her back. Solaris yelped, her wings fanning out to try and balance her as she toppled forward. Into darkness, into panic, into--

--a... wooden path? She sucked in a breath, looking about the darkness she'd found herself in. "Now what did I do," she murmured, realizing she should have given more credit to Metis and Realta's warnings.

Huffing, she straightened, trying to walk forward on the path--but slammed into a... barrier? She cussed, pounding her fists against the invisible surface to no success. The wooden die dug deeper into her palm, and she scowled at it as she unfolded her hand. "You match the path... so you're the culprit here?"

Looking at the golden symbols on each square, she didn't feel too great about this... but she knew a game when she saw one. Shaking her head a little, a slow smirk formed on her face. She cast the die. "Let's play, then."
 

[Kaefaux]

Quote:

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.

The moment she'd cast the die and it had landed, the barrier before her let up. Solaris grinned, picking up the die once more and moving forward. III had been illuminated on its surface. She moved forward three spaces--and again, the barrier returned.

A fog began to form around her, cold and heavy. Goosebumps began to form on her arms and shoulders, much to her confusion. She wasn't cold... but shivers were lacing up and down her spine. Was something... watching her..?

The board seemed to vanish, and she scowled, crouching down low till she had one hand against the ground and dropped the die. "This better not stay around..."

 

[Kaefaux]

Quote:

Space 6:
You hear a shrill, humming noise; it sounds almost like something is firing past you–and sometimes, you even feel a sharp burst of air, like something has just missed you. Maybe, even, it does get a slice out of you. Sharp, bladelike threads seem to string up around you; you’d best be careful not to get cut on any of them between now and your next dice roll.

The die rolled another III and Solaris quickly scooped it up and began to move forward. The fog lingered about her, though she could see it begin to thin as she kept walking.

It masked the threads in the air until she ran into them. "The hell!" Solaris yelped, leaping back and looking down at her hands she'd been using to feel ahead. Slender, tiny pinpricks of blood welled from less than paper-thin cuts. Snarling, she peered closer, seeing the web of the threads ahead.

It wasn't easy to navigate through them--she was mostly concerned about her wings to be fair--and she got herself a few more cuts for her efforts on her arms and legs... but she rolled the die quick enough to move on and away from whatever else was moving so close to her...
 

[Kaefaux]

Quote:

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.

The fog and bladelike threads faded off behind her, and Solaris breathed a deep breath of relief--and then began to violently cough. "Now what?" She could hear people screaming in the distance, smothered by festive music and the sounds of running footsteps. Many, many footsteps. She could feel the rush of air as people ran, the smoke of some unseen fire overtaking her.

Cursing again, Solaris ducked low under the smoke, rolling quickly to try and get out from under this.

 

[Kaefaux]

Quote:

Space 17:
Something howls in the distance. It’s loud and echoes with such ferocity it seems to shake you. On the other side of you–another howl. Closer. This one is loud enough to hurt your ears. The ground trembles with the force of something charging at you. A growl, a snarl. Yellow eyes staring you down. There’s not just one monster out there–there’s several, and they’re all coming for you.

At least the V from the die got her away from the smoke and the running people. She now could breath easy, at least so far as air quality. But she knew already to not let her guard down.

And she was proven right.

A howl that rocked her startled her, looking about into the darkness. More began to answer, closer. Making her ears ache and she winced, covering them as best she could. Something, many somethings, were coming right at her. She glanced behind her, catching sight of yellow eyes approaching rapidly in the darkness.

"Nope!" She immediately cast the die and snatched it up in one clean movement from one hand to the other, bolting forward as quickly as her feet could take her.
 

[Kaefaux]

Quote:

(doubling 2 to 4 spaces)

Space 20:
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.

The creature faded behind her, and Solaris let out a "Safe!" when her feet touched the opal floor of the last tile. She could see a soft glow ahead of her, and smiled, holding tight to the die as she quickly headed forward. She'd no interest in lingering here any longer, though she was extremely curious as to what sort of forces were at play here to even make such things occur...

As she stood again in the park she was so familiar with, she tossed and caught the die that now seemed so ordinary. She'd have to ask around about these strange occurrences...

[FIN]