EVENT #10: AFFLICTION - IC POST

[abraxasmods]

Event #10 - Affliction

go to the OOC event info & plotting post

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With tensions heavy across Abraxas and all the destruction that's happened, it's no surprise that the dark shadows which sweep over the land go unnoticed...at first.

Winds initially stir in Solvunn, where the influence of the Old Gods remains the strongest. Slowly each Herald infects Thorne and the Free Cities, as well. The Summoned are the first to feel its effects and are the most heavily impacted.

Though no one will realize it until well afterwards, Nocwich remains unaffected. After all, the Summoned don't reside there.

NOTE: This event will deal with themes of death (people and animal) and horror imagery.

Emergence

It begins sometime in mid-October, around the 18th. Not everyone will experience it at the same time. You might even believe you're spared until days afterwards when you're visited by an unusually vivid dream.

The dream starts the same for everyone: you are going somewhere, anywhere, walking to your bedroom or enjoying a stroll on the beach. You might be driving down a familiar neighborhood. Wherever you're headed, you eventually come upon a stone tablet engraved with your Arcana. Laid on the tablet are three objects:

◎ A dead moth trapped inside a wilted rose, symbolizing Koth of Festering Lands
◎ A teacup inside which sits a single nightshade berry, symbolizing Adlewyrd of Poisoned Tongues
◎ An ornate cracked hand mirror that contains no reflection, symbolizing Sannleikr of Many Faces

Make a choice. Something inside your soul will be drawn towards one of the objects. Maybe you spend hours in the dream deliberating, but sooner or later, you'll pick one of the items up. The moment you do, the other objects vanish and the chosen Herald appears before you. Where one might expect a god to seek subservience, the strange figure instead extends a friendly hand towards you - as though it's greeting you as an equal.

Whispered around you, you hear its name. Then it fades and with it the dream. You awaken.

Affliction

You go about your day as usual. That's when you realize something isn't right. Creatures and people around you behave strangely. You begin to sense that you are the cause.

Depending on your chosen Herald, you'll experience at least one of its afflictions. The effects might start small, then grow. They might rush you all at once. You can't shake what haunts you, though you can try. Spells, potions, and willpower can help keep the afflictions at bay but you won't ever be completely free.

As the afflictions seep into your mind, you start to find shadows of it following you: a dead moth here, a nightshade bloom there, a cracked mirror elsewhere. You may even wonder if it's following you in the first place. What if instead, you are the one leaving these signs behind?

Corruption

The first time you inflict your ability on someone else, you don't mean to. It might be a stranger, some unsuspecting soul, or it might be another Summoned. Regardless, the afflictions that ail you seem to spread through you into another. Someone falls down as if in the throes of an invisible death or secrets spill. You brush by someone and they're suddenly upset and confused.

The more this happens, intentionally or not, the better you feel. You may grow full of life and energy, gain a renewed strength of heart, or radiate a charm that turns heads and garners compliments. The afflictions haunting you could even start to fade or completely vanish. And if you use your newfound power deliberately? You'll feel better even faster for longer. Of course, these boons are temporary, lasting at most an hour or so. When the feeling wanes, you might miss having it.

You are not possessed. You can't control this power that spreads through you, but how you respond or behave is up to you. You could be attracted to the allure of power, enjoy the boons you are granted, or realize you can gain relief from your afflictions if you choose a victim. Not everyone will fall headfirst into the pull. Some are not easily swayed by power, some struggle to overcome their dark impulses, and others would rather endure their suffering than inflict it on someone else. But others still might succumb to temptation and turn on those around them with purpose: once, twice, multiple times. The choice you make is yours alone.

Blight

With the call of the Herald at your fingertips, the world around you twists. No one knows whether this stems from you and your newly imbued afflictions, or if the Heralds are exerting power on their own. It's for sure easier to think of what occurs as the influence of something monstrous beyond your control. No matter the cause, the earth is changed all the same.

Omens

The omens arrive shortly after the initial Summoned receive their dreams, but they don't come to every faction at once. SOLVUNN is first, being home to the Old Gods' shrines, before THORNE and the FREE CITIES follow only days afterwards. Depending on where you are, the omens will affect things a bit differently.

Solvunn

In Solvunn, the ground stirs. A desiccated hand breaks through the grass, a cloven hoof. Human or animal, they crawl forth, animated against their will. Some might attack, but most do not. At the same time, crops around the settlements begin to fail. Some chickens lay rotten eggs while cows produce spoiled milk. Any livestock that perishes overnight will surface in the mornings with empty eye sockets - pecked out by crows or gnawed on by rats. From a distance, the ocean can be seen bubbling as leviathans beneath thrash.

Worth noting is that many of the dead are concentrated around the shrines, especially the ones deep in the woods. They're too decayed to recognize, and some might not even move from the site, as though they are waiting for the earth to take them again...or as though they once chose to give up their life at this very spot.

Summoned can assist by helping to cast spells or place warding charms around shrines, farms, and gardens to protect crops and livestock. As a commune, the Solvunnites will share their resources as much as possible and would appreciate those who might lend a hand bringing supplies, herbs, and offerings to neighbors who are lacking. The Summoned can also brew a common herbal remedy to aid any animals who have fallen ill or to help purify the well water.

Free Cities

In Libertas, the dead buried under the rubble dig themselves out. More crawl forth from graves in Cadens' cemeteries. Beasts and bandits slain in the desert wilds rise, hungry or searching for the ones who killed them. At the same time, dead fish wash up onto the shores of Aquila while birds fall dead from their perch, dropping like flies from an unknown illness. Vultures and other scavengers begin to prey upon the eyes of the dead, leaving behind hollowed-out corpses.

Worth noting is that in the Badlands, a few very old and skeletal corpses rise with a metal plate or two screwed onto their bones, which are also oddly elongated. Only one or two make their way near the city. The army is quick to dispose of them before many can notice. They will not disclose any information about this and will claim these are just monsters like anything else.

Summoned can assist by going on patrol with the soldiers to put down any risen dead. Merchant caravans are also hiring escorts for their journeys. Additionally, they can help look through any received supplies and packages to make sure the food isn't rotting or worse, use a special dissolving compound to purify the waters, and donate staple food items to refugees and the less fortunate who can't afford the rising prices.

Thorne

In Thorne, the dead emerge only from the outskirts of the castle city. Thanks to information from one of their Summoned and their recent monitoring of the Singularity, Thorne was able to act swiftly and was able to ward any royal or otherwise significant burial sites. Graves and tombs of less importance, though, will not be protected in the same way. There are fewer encounters with eyeless corpses, though some animals might appear outside the castle in such a state. Normally extravagant dishes from the Castle's kitchens use simpler ingredients as they struggle to ration their food stores.

Worth noting is that a few unexpected corpses make their way up from deep under the castle in places beyond the dungeons. These are twisted and mangled, missing limbs, heads, fingers. The castle guards are quick to dispose of them before they get too far into the rest of the castle, but one or two may be spotted.

Summoned can assist by contributing to the wards around Castle Thorne and the city, using spells to put down the dead without mangling the corpse, and taking inventory of food stores. Further, in Nott the situation is more dire for anyone who is traveling there to continue assisting with repairs following the attack. Nott will welcome help with any problems caused by the omens. It'll be clear the kingdom has neglected the city somewhat. Thorne will claim the Castle takes priority, of course, due to King and Queen residing there along with the entire royal court.

Apprehensions

Across the factions, locals are beginning to catch on that something isn't right with you, the Summoned. No one will say it outright, but there's an air of caution and wariness around you where you go. Merchants might be quick to hand you your wares so you'll leave or locals give you a bit of space when they walk by. Chatty innkeepers are more reluctant to hold lengthy conversations.

Much of the time, it may not be conscious. The natives might simply sense something off that instinctually makes them want to put some distance between them and you. The only exception? If you've chosen Sannleikr of Many Faces, you'll continue to exude your charm towards people you encounter. At least for as long as you continue to inflict that ability you've been gifted.

Displacement

Everyone responds differently while in the Horizon. You might exert better willpower over your afflictions or you might feel its effects more strongly. It all depends on the individual and their mindset. Regardless, the Heralds are only one part of the equation. There's a much bigger disturbance going on.

It could happen as soon as you enter or it might be as you're stepping over the threshold into another's domain. Whatever the case, you are suddenly not where you're supposed to be. Instead, you're in one of two places depending: transported into a domain you never meant to go into or in a foreign setting altogether.

Visitation

Whether you're the one transported or someone teleports unexpectedly into your space, the Horizon becomes unpredictable for the next little while. Rooms normally locked to strangers, areas you yourself may not even realize exists - you and your fellow Summoned continue to pop in and out despite your intentions.

The effect isn't painful, just disorienting, like missing a step you didn't see or stumbling through a door into a too-bright room. The person whose domain you've inadvertently visited might sense an unwanted presence, whether they're inside the Horizon or not, or they may be completely oblivious. This will depend on the strength of their connection to the Singularity and the Horizon.

Not to worry. You won't be trapped or anything in these cases...unless the domain you land in happens to seal from the inside. You might stumble on secrets you weren't meant to find, though, locked away in someone else's mind.

Ensnared

The less fortunate will be pulled into a space that they've never encountered before. The bizarreness of it resembles the glitchy visions that flashed through a few months ago, but rather than an image flickering by, you are now inside the space itself.

Trapped between minutes to hours, you can't use the Horizon's creation magic as normal. Attempts will falter or go sideways: trying to fly out might cause you to tumble, tools and objects are broken or not quite right, wounds don't vanish or heal completely, etc. More significantly, you can't seem to send or receive messages through your connection. Anything that manages to come through will be garbled and distorted. It's as though the place you are in is just out of the reach of your control.

Luckily, you may not be alone. Someone else may have gotten lost alongside you. They might already be there when you stumble through or they might arrive after you do. They might even fade out sooner than you, unintentionally leaving you behind.

Eventually, you'll be released back into the Horizon proper, spat out in a random place in the Horizon. While you're stuck, though, you can try to survive, explore, sit and wait it out, or make friends with your fellow trapped partner. Each area has its challenges and quirks that you'll need to deal with.

Scenes to Explore

JUSTICE ◎
FULL IMAGE

High in the clouds, these snowy peaks are as cold as they look. Giant marble hands reach out, though their sheer scale means you might not recognize them as hands from up close. You can scale the mountain, but if you try to go down, the hands will flip the mountain, which sends you tumbling to the top again.

It's up to you whether you can be injured when you fall. Maybe the snow will feel like marshmallows, or you'll break a bone on the jagged rocks. No two experiences are the same. If you have a partner, they could end up faring better than you despite being in the same place.

Conjure some warm clothes or a log cabin even if you wish - they might not manifest perfectly, but it'll be better than nothing. At least the view's fairly nice...while the sun is up. A blizzard will come through by nightfall. With it arrives a strange hovering light that entices you or your friend to follow it into the frozen darkness. What draws you out depends on you. It could be a familiar voice, an image, or a simple compulsion. If you're lucky, the person with you is unaffected and can try to stop you. Or maybe you're the one desperately chasing after the other person?

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THE CHARIOT ◎
FULL IMAGE

From a distance, it's hard to tell if they're shipping containers or houses stacked atop each other. A gooey mess covers the ground below. Oddly, the smell isn't as unpleasant as the goo looks. It smells like bubblegum or cotton candy, artificial and sweet. When you first fall in, you might land inside one of the homes, on top of the stacked structure, or the ground. You can try to reach anyone else who's there with you, but be careful: the ooze is spreading. Climb if you must or move from room to room. If you don't keep moving, you risk getting sucked into its sticky mass.

Each block of a home is different. Some are furnished, whereas others are empty or filled with strange knickknacks. Some might even have subconscious creations spawned by you. Keep ahead of the gloopy substance, and you'll be fine, probably. Or you can try to fight it back or block its path by sealing yourself in a room or otherwise, which can slow it down significantly. Mostly, you'll have to hope you fade out before the pink mass completely consumes the landscape.

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THE WORLD ◎
FULL IMAGE

The hazy neon glow obscures a nothingness that seems to extend forever. In the middle of the wet ground are several stacked television sets with wires plugged into nothing. Inexplicably, there's also a cat. At first, it appears perfectly normal, but keen observers will notice that its behavior is on a loop where it will walk a certain path, pause at specific intervals to lick its paws, and meow at set points. It does not acknowledge any of its intruders. You can break its loop by picking it up, at which point it'll go limp as a ragdoll. As soon as you set it down, it'll resume its actions as before.

While you can see the same images as someone else on the screens, it's also possible you'll each see something different despite being in the room together. What you see is up to you. It could be an old fuzzy movie, home videos of your childhood, trivia questions you have to answer correctly, or even a memory or vision you wouldn't want to share. Words or faces taunting you could appear between staticky flickers, or maybe your very thoughts are projected onto the screens for anyone with you to read.

Break the televisions if you want, but given a few short minutes, they'll reform between one blink and the next. Looks like you'll have to keep watching until you're released.

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THE FOOL ◎
FULL IMAGE

Sprawling and massive, you're unlikely to recognize at first that you're trapped in a labyrinth. Stone walls rise around you, and your surroundings are pitchblack. Manifest a torch or a flashlight if you can, though these will be prone to going out at inopportune times. Escaping over the walls will only send you into another section in the maze.

As you navigate the twisting corridors, you'll encounter any variety of trials and troubles: gaps in the ground, spiked traps, haunting whispers, monsters, decaying corpses. Some of these might've formed from your mind, others might've spawned from anyone else who's trapped with you.

If you aren't alone, do your best to locate your fellow Summoned. Voices do carry and echo over the walls, and there could be landmarks that help you find each other. Finding the exit, however, is another matter. Walk and climb all you want. A way out is impossible until the Horizon chooses to set you free.

Players can pick any scenario that interests them from the four choices above. Unlike the visions from before, characters can accidentally be trapped in as many of the scenes as you want, as many times as you want. Another option is that they can stay trapped in only one scene while a variety of characters fade in and out to join them, or some combination of the two. Choose what works best for your plans.

Each scene will once again carry an associated Arcana etched somewhere inside it, which can change from person to person or instance to instance. It might be on a wall, a table, or on the ground. Characters with a stronger connection to the Horizon are likely to be trapped for longer but the extent of this is your choice and it won't ever exceed a few hours. It's also your choice whether the afflictions continue to haunt them or not. If you want characters to deal with both problems while stuck together, you're welcome to!

Generally speaking, there are no restrictions other than that they won't be able to communicate with anyone outside the area, they can't escape it until the Horizon chooses to release them, and their creation magic will go wrong just enough that it'll make things tricky.

Comments

[itookashot]

Jesper's pivot into seduction was quick but fully leaned into and he wondered if he could make Kaz pass out right here. Or if he could push him up against a wall and make his knees weak without any passing out required. It is a much better thought than the terror that goes through him when Kaz refuses his seduction and makes it clear he is not going to get out of this. If it was anyone else he might pout and keep trying to win him over, but he knows the jig is up.

He wavers for a moment, leaning into Kaz, suddenly exhausted. He looks genuinely sickly all of a sudden, like how Grisha actually looked when they weren't using their powers. Like the color was fully stripped out of him all at once. He seems thin and frail, as opposed to his usual flush of health, because he has been running on full throttle since this hit him. And because his temptation of Kaz didn't work, so he didn't get that rush of power his affliction gives him.

"I can't," Jesper says, so tired and with emotion in his voice. "I can't stop and I'll say things to you, I'll say horrible things. I'll make you say horrible things." He's already learned this. He also knows that when he does that, he feels better, and he's ashamed of how much he wants to use it on purpose for that same good sensation. This is the worst possible situation for someone like him. He doesn't want to do it with them in close quarters.

"Just leave me here, Kaz, please." There are tears in his eyes as he releases Kaz's clothing but looks like he might keel over. "At least I'm only hurting myself here." Not Kaz, not Inej. Not the people he cares about. Only him, who deserves it.

[wiedzminka]

[ With his fingers still around her wrist, Sephiroth can probably hear how fast her heart is racing. Ciri exhales shakily, blinks a few times; her adrenaline is still high, and all of a sudden, there's nowhere to direct the fear and aggression that had been flooding her mind, as it's all evaporated in a moment. She's left disoriented and breathless, clutching Sephiroth like a lifeline.

Her gaze catches on the blood sliding down his cheek. ]

I'm sor--

[ But then, he leans in closer, presses their foreheads together. For a second, there's only a glimpse of his eyes, that too-bright color overwhelming everything else.

She forgets to breathe.

It hits her with the crash of adrenaline, leaves her weak-kneed and lightheaded. The relief crashing through her in the wake of a close call, the sudden need to make the best of a bad situation, the light at the end of the tunnel even if it's only a flame.

Ciri slides her free arm around his neck and hugs him. ]

Why do you keep catching me like this? At my worst.

affliction

[earthborn]

Shepard has never hesitated to touch Garrus, even before they were together. In the old days, it had been a little forced, as much about the idea of camaraderie as the reality of it. Maybe there was a little challenge in it, too; I'm not afraid of you, see? The bravado of a child daring to touch something they know they're not supposed to.

These days, it's a lot simpler, more casual and more intimate; she doesn't even usually feel the need to make sure he knows it's coming, a thoughtless hand on his shoulder, the bump of hips, easy closeness. Or, like just now, reaching to touch his face, in a quiet moment.

But the minute her fingers hit plates, it's like the lights go out and she is plunged, disoriented and whirling into a vision of death. Her death, a spinning, gasping, flailing death by slow asphyxiation out in the black. It's more than a vision, now; it's a memory. She can feel the cold biting in, the hollow blowing sound of a pierced airline, the weightlessness. Far away, Garrus is shouting, asking what was happening.

But Shepard's gone stiff in his arms, eyes wide, caught in the afflicted flashback, unable to pull herself out of it in her usual bullheaded way. If he doesn't catch her, she'll go down, arching her back to kick against a sense of momentum that belongs to another life, another lifetime, gasping for a breath that won't come, in the stars beyond Alchera's blue ice.

[wiedzminka]

What?

[ Ciri snaps back immediately, so baffled by the order -- and the gall of it -- that she actually looks up from her work to peer over the edge of the creature's shell, scowling down at Alucard. ]

Not exactly in a position to lure it away with treats! Just move it later!

[ Speaking of which: the undead chaigon isn't going to stand around letting itself be decapitated while they figure out logistics. It swings its tail, shaking its whole body from side to side and stomping wildly. Ciri grips her blade, using how well it's lodged in the neck to keep steady. ]

[stations]

( Spencer would be the type to not only not show Lucifer how to play, but also as soon as he started to figure it out, would stab him through the hand with a switchblade and then laugh maniacally, win the race, and then tell him to lighten up about it.

Fucking Spencer. )

Mmmm, more like a barrel of homophobia, illiteracy, and bad police cover-ups.

( He returns lightly, settling into the lull of calm that comes with staring dead-eyed into a television screen while one detaches to the dulcet tunes of a video game.

Maybe some of that false sense of security bleeds out of him when he glances at Lucifer's side of the screen, then at his hands, and then offers some unobtrusive, casual advice. )

It's easier if you hold down the brake while you're turning, it makes you kind of... power slide drift, so you don't just shoot straight off like- ( Oop. There he goes again. ) ...like that.

[thearchangel]

Frontlines, sure, but not in the exact front. That was the place for their biotics and heavy hitters. He was a sniper, he preferred to be a nice distance from the oncoming hostiles - when possible. He didn't carry the assault rifles for show, after all. But that's back in his world, where crap makes sense, and the only walking dead are Husks.

On second thought, maybe that doesn't actually make a lot of sense.

His grip is hampered, somewhat, by the crossbow in one hand, but he gets his free hand around one of the nearest corpse's wrists. A simple, rapid twist. It should be pinned in a better position to throw an elbow in its face - or... or the arm could just break off. Right there at the elbow. Garrus looks down at the limb. The corpse looks down at the limb.

He throws it in the corpse's face, and high-tails it in the direction of Claude's voice. When in doubt, distraction, and tactical retreat.

"Got it in sight! I'm with you!"

[thearchangel]

"Shepard!"

That's wrong. This is all wrong. He's calling out to her, but there's no one home. She looks like she's a thousand miles away and getting further out. She looks white - a color he's fairly sure human beings aren't supposed to be. Pale, yeah, they come in pale, but not that.

Is she sick? Did something attack? His brain is racing, heart caught up in his throat in a way it hadn't been in a long time.

Of course he's going to catch her. It's a given consequence. His hands clasp onto her shoulders, a little tighter than they would if she'd been with him. Is this a seizure of some kind? Delayed reaction to too much biotic work? He can't think of another affliction he's ever seen, aside from that, to have the same sort of effect on someone. Okay - okay, treat it like that until he knows better.

Ease her to the ground. Keep the area clear. Get her into a comfortable position in case her limbs move, jerk. In case her muscles go haywire. He should be getting clear of her, too. But he can't bring himself to pry his hand off hers. Maybe if he keeps the pressure on - some kind of anchor.

"Shepard - can you hear me!"

Please hear me in desperate echoes and vibrations down through his bones. Of course he's afraid of losing her. It's a very real possibility every day they're in the fight. Every day the war goes on. Knowing a real possibility doesn't mean you accept it. Doesn't mean it doesn't break you out of a sound sleep at night thinking you heard another broadcast with the Normandy's destruction in your tiny Citadel bunk.

[carmesi]

[no, it is not pleasant at all—not something she would wish on anyone either. but although sylvain feels this way, wanda cannot fault him; she's lived through something similar, even if she hadn't been so ardently alone, waiting for death in a situation that felt so helpless.

two days she had waited alongside pietro for the bomb to go off in their apartment, hiding away under the bed, with the rotting bodies of her parents under the rubble.

she shakes her head.]

I only wish your big brother had been like mine. No one deserves to be treated like that by family.

[and, as much as a menace as sylvain has proven himself to be, wanda wraps him up in a hug—momentarily. with it, with this contact, she tries to push the warmth and love that she felt from pietro; how safe she felt. this much, at least, she can share, all before pulling back and cutting off their contact entirely.]

Do you want me to help you hide this memory away? So that this well no longer haunts you?

[philancer]

[ He's so surprised by that sudden hug that he stands frozen for a moment, eyes wide. Before that warmth washes over him - familiar but not - and he leans into the embrace. For once, there's nothing flirtatious on his mind, just an old ache that will never fully heal. The comfort from her might be unexpected but he's pathetically grateful for it all the same.

Still, her offer gets a deep, quiet exhale from him before he flashes her a halfhearted smile, even if it doesn't quite meet his eyes. ] Maybe, but in his eyes, it's no worse than what I did to him. [ Even if it was just by existing. Sylvain's always understood that truth all too well. He's quick to shake his head following that, however. ]

No. Thank you, I appreciate the sentiment but... Nothing would ever change if we just forgot all the hard parts of our past. And some things should be remembered, even if they're not happy memories.

[ His brother had been shaped into a terrible person. Sylvain still wonders how much that would still be true if he hadn't been born. But still. Miklan deserved to be remembered by someone, even if it was someone he'd spent his life resenting. ]

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard's eyes meet Ciri's, but what he sees are eyes and-- fog? He blinks, shaking his head, but the image doesn't change. That? That's terrifying in and of itself. That is not how faces work, and means the hiss that comes out in response is angry and deeply, deeply uncomfortable.]

I don't want it near my home!

[A reasonable request of a stranger, or at least he thinks so.

At this point, Alucard is done. The tail seems the easiest thing to work with here, and so his attack is abandoned for straight up just grabbing the tail and starting to drag the whole damn thing away. A little difficult for his own strength, but the pace is steady and his legs do not sink into the sand.]

[cryptsleeper]

[The dhampir shakes his head no.]

Not yet, not until all of this is passed. More simply identifying what goes in what section of the graveyard, and ensuring it is as organized as possible until this new wave of...whatever it is...is fully gone.

[philancer]

[ Well. That's a little reassuring. He supposes? ]

Do you do this at all the cemeteries or are you just like.... the appointed guardian of this one?

[ Because you've gotta admit, most people would find this a little strange. Sylvain has seen stranger, but considering they just slayed a graveyard of undead together, maybe that means he can be a little concerned here. ]

[a_better_man]

"Dark things! It's how the madness starts! Seeing things and hearing voices!"

This is not a moment to be calm and Mat doesn't like being told he ought to. He's begun to lose his mind, he cannot be calm about this. There is no quiet acceptance or trusting himself to something greater, he's losing his mind and he's not about to do so without a loud protest.

Besides. Yennefer promised. He doesn't want to hear 'calm down', he wants to hear 'I can fix this'. He's so wrapped in his fear that he doesn't even have the time to note how much nicer her room is.

[techmaturgy]

He waits, largely oblivious to the efforts Jayce is making until a sudden noise directly next to him alerts Viktor to another presence. For a moment, he startles in the darkness, unsure of just what, exactly, has made its way here, but a familiar voice and the warm body up against him is indication enough.

"You found me."

Of course he did. Viktor is certain of one thing, even in here--Jayce will stop at nothing to keep the two of them together, and this is apparently no exception. Despite everything, he manages a small smile, though closer inspection of the situation will reveal this may not be as straightforward as it seems, now that they're reunited. Dark tendrils, almost like tree roots, seem to have sprung up from the ground and coiled around him, creeping up his legs and waist with clear intent to continue.

If he notices this, he doesn't address it.

"I sat down to rest and lost track of time." It can't have been that long, but given the disorienting nature of the maze, Viktor has mostly stopped worrying about it. "Sorry. I'm tired."

[hextechhead]

Jayce is confused at how Viktor is listlessly sitting there, he can tell there's no injury. Their moods since this all began have been complicated although he hasn't kept sustained anger with him. It's harder than usual to shake his bad feelings away, but he's an expert at it.

"We need to try to get out of here, or at least find a better place to stop." Preferably one with light and an easier viewpoint in case of threats. Jayce can hear things rustle around them, there's the sound of movement but not anywhere close, not yet. He is not one to sit still and let things happen, not now.

He sparks a light in his hand again and then can see the dark coils on Viktor's body. Jayce panics at the mere sight of them, as he does most threats to his lover, and rips them off him. Although it doesn't seem to stop from them coming back. It's this place, it's because they're stuck.

"Viktor, come on. You have to get up. We have to move." Jayce puts Viktor's hand on his shoulder so he can use it to stand easier, something they regularly do.

[hextechhead]

So you're literally one of a kind, huh?

[ Jayce smiles wearily at him, the sentiment genuine, even if his soul feels really run down at the moment. He is out of sorts and starting to worry that the constant stream of negative experiences is going to chip away at him a little too much with time. He isn't as strong as he pretends to be, not in spirit. ]

After you two find a solution for Viktor, it seems like it might be worth it to keep experimenting then. Get more answers about your blood and you for yourself, not just for him. I know he'd be happy to help.

[ After Alucard being willing to do this out of friendship, he knows Viktor is a loyal friend himself, it would be an easy thing to continue. ]

If you ever want to test it out on a healthy body and see what happens, you've got a volunteer here.

[carmesi]

[truth be told, wanda hasn't had a lot of time to mind studying the shapes of the arcanas. however, it does breed familiarity, and when he says 'the fool', it reminds her of where she's seen it before—on thor, on himeka.

and while she knows the significance might not quite be the same between their world's understanding of arcanas and abraxas', there is still a line she can draw on.]

Picking out The Fool from a deck of tarot cards represents someone that does not care for any possible dangers. They welcome adventure, untroubled by what may lay ahead.

[—could be related to their current predicament of being literally in the dark of what lies ahead in this labyrinth, dark as it is without their magic lighting their way. stephen clicks his tongue and makes a general assessment of their situation at large.

as it were, she is about to agree, when he gets cut short by the sound of something from within the darkness. wanda delays a verbal response; she hears his thoughts clearly in her mind.]

Yes.

[innocuous and simple as her reply may be, wanda draws in a deep breath and closes her eyes, trying to get her telepathy to spread like tendrils into the darkness, though she is uncertain of where to focus her efforts. no matter—soon enough, she links with something—something familiar but horrifying. mindless to a point.

she opens her eyes again.]

It's blind, but it can — sense us. Noise or temperature, one of the two.

[without a missing a beat, she closes her fists and her magic disappears, throwing them into some amount of darkness. she is careful to not shuffle her feet on the ground, lifting herself up instead to levitate just a few inches off it, gliding back a bit as the sound is a little louder, a little closer.

not that they can't handle it, but do they even want to tackle a monster in the maze? would there be more, and would they be attracted to the noise?]

[godshattering]

[ He doesn't look away when Sylvain speaks though he wants to, and we before it's swapped for they is only scratching the surface. Here again feels like a misstep but he's at a loss for how to fix that. Even now he can recall the exact moments he knew that not all of them would be walking away from what was to happen at this battlefield or that one, and whether Teach would try to convince whoever it was to join them if he could, and Claude would then devote his plans to keeping who he could safe.

It was war. But then - he has to remind himself it's only past tense for one of them. Or only him.

Is it better to rip the metaphorical bandage off now rather than later, several months down the line, when things may have shifted even further in who knows how many ways? The answer to that is no clearer than the first time Claude realized it was something he couldn't avoid here and the question's lurked in the corners of his mind ever since, so his deliberately short answer in response is, ] Yeah.

[ Because what else is there to say? For all the many ways he has to spin a thread of a conversation into something wilder and more distracting, it seems like they've all deserted him now. Nothing to do but watch Sylvain process it and silently brace himself for whatever comes next. ]

[ushiri]

[ He watches her carefully as the dog approaches her, a barely perceptible change in his own stance toward protective.

There's a pause when she asks that question. His instinct is to continue to lie. That's what he's been doing since he arrived, and long before that. In this case it would be toward self-preservation. He's seen all kinds of strange magic in his time in Abraxas, but she is different. She is exactly the power that the priests spoke of when they meant to justify their actions. This woman is powerful, and dangerous beneath the calm, human exterior, for once he's seen it himself. How many times had he seen the Payshmura burn other woman with less evidence?

(his own mother)

Under her gentle touch the tip of the dogs tail begins to wag, slowly. It licks the inside of her wrist.

There's no hiding his hesitation in answering now, but after a moment he speaks up, carefully: ]

We crossed paths briefly in Nocwich. You seemed a little lost.

[ An understatement. But the stark contrast in her demeanor between then and now has him curious.

The Payshmura are long gone. ]

[ushiri]

"Istredd?"

Kahlil seems to appear from nowhere, a habit of his. He eyes Istredd curiously as he holds one of the broken pieces of apple. In the hand it feels no different than a normal fruit, and is entirely edible - though he's yet to see anyone else actually eat one.

It's only by chance that they're here at the same time. Kahlil hasn't been avoiding his own domain, but he's been limiting his time in Horizon after the last time he'd found himself trapped in one of those strange, unknown landscapes.

The real world feels no safer now, though, after he nearly stabbed Jack...

The ground beneath them rumbles ominously again, and Kahlil shifts his feet apart instinctively. Another overripe apple drops from the tree and smashes on the stone floor with a confusing sound, like a wet splat and a soft shattering of glass layered over one another.

[techmaturgy]

"Has what always been there?"

He sounds distracted, though she seems fairly concerned, and that makes him second-guess himself in turn. His curiosity wins out after a moment, enough to make him poke his head out the bay door and peer in the direction she's referencing.

"The mirror? I'm not sure." Viktor is, generally speaking, laser focused on his own work, to the detriment of smaller details around him. Like whatever's on the wall of the building next to his. "Did you see something?"

[wiedzminka]

[ The beast jerks in a way even more unnatural to what it's already doing, and Ciri has to quickly shift her balance with a grunt. She looks over, confused.

To see Alucard. Dragging the beast by the tail. Like... with his bare hands. ]

...whoa. Okay. That's actually rather impressive.

[ But the fact he's doing it now is also rather annoying. Ciri pauses in what she's doing, too baffled for a moment to keep hacking when the monster she's riding is being physically dragged away with her on top. ]

[thedevilwhorose]

If they can get away with bad police cover-ups there's no point for good ones. [Because that's the takeaway here.] Welcome to the small-town garbage of humanity--where the same thing exists in larger places, but they obfuscate it with their loudness and neon lights. [This is all said with the most matter of fact, as he tries to pay attention and actually make use of Jack's advice, the barest twitch to his expression when he gets it right.

Jack's not the only one to be lulled into a false sense of security.]

[thedevilwhorose]

He completely ignores the question about who he is. The last thing he needs her to know is that. He's done a decent job hiding from everyone, even those outside of Thorne, and she was the one that got away. Because she was too much for his ragged state.

He regrets it. He regrets not losing more of himself to making sure she was dead and now she's a continued loose-end, but he doesn't think he's going to get out of this current messed-up situation without some assistance.

"Right now?" He keeps his gaze shifting from her to the thin cracks around the door, watching for any signs that it's gotten through. "I'd like to get out of this because I don't know what the hell this place is and I don't think it's anyone's domain! And if it's no one's domain, how the hell do we know if we're going to wake up from dying here?"

[thedevilwhorose]

"No, but I haven't exactly been traveling much with how unpredictable the Horizon has been." But he had come here. Not only just to see if Istredd was in, but because it was oddly comforting. Wanda's domain similarly, but he was still avoiding her. She let him have his privacy at least.

"There's nothing under here, right? No freaky, hidden basement locked up in your brainspace?" Not that he's seen any other freaky, hidden basement locked up in someone's brainspace. Not yet.