lifeaftr | October Intro: Louder than Sirens, Louder than Bells

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October Intro: Louder than Sirens, Louder than Bells

INTRO LOG: OCTOBER

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: October 3rd
Where: Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

The Beach: For All the Rest
The shores of Ensō are far from the tranquil, almost idyllic tropical backdrop that they should be. And so it is that while you fish, or perhaps as you go about your daily business on the islets, the first thing you will note is the persistent sound hammering at the back of your skull.

A drumming.

And it's growing louder.

The source of the drumming will, like it or not, soon become apparent. At the fringes of the trees, wielding slings and hollow, wooden pistols, is a group of large and very displeased simians who have every intent of claiming this spot of beach - yes, traveler, this spot of beach you're standing on right now! - for their own, and by any means necessary.

And they certainly don't look interested in diplomacy.

If you came armed, you might be in luck, because this conflict will require your steady hand in its resolution. If you did not...well, you may be better suited to run, or risk capture at the hands of warriors skilled, cunning, and incredibly vicious. Laugh at their monkey business all you like; they are ingenious fighters and, what's more, they're just as good at killing as they are at capture.

For the uninitiated, this particular brand of chaos doesn't usually sweep across the entire island the way it has. But those who have been here for some time will recognize the monkeys in question, and might even recognize this for what it is: revenge.

Group I: The Squeakquel
Looks like your monkeying around last month has landed you and everyone else in a spot of trouble. The monkeys in question certainly weren't happy to be confronted with others on their lands, nor are they willing to share their territory. While you may have triumphed last time you confronted them, the apes have been planning their revenge in the meantime.

Some of you were unlucky enough to become targets. Overnight, a great deal of them silently invaded the islets. Their blow-dart guns are equipped with a fairly powerful sedative that is more than capable of knocking most living creatures out - and those that were immune were simply snatched up, gagged, and bundled away.

However, it seems that some of their prisoners didn't suit their purposes, for one way or another, and thus weren't retrieved with the intention of long-term capture. Which is why a number of you will awaken in regions of the island that you've already explored.

...the really, really dangerous ones.

Whether it's a Center of Gravity, a parade of centipuppies, a contingent of Lungblossoms, a Fustercluck, or something else entirely, one thing is certain: the monkeys wanted you out of their way.

So get ready to fight for your life.

Group II: Ape Escape
If you're not one of the slightly luckier newcomers that materializes on the shore, then you're one of the unlucky ones that's managed to materialize square in the middle of the jungle. Or rather, in the middle of one of the denser, more populated parts of the jungle. The abodes woven into the canopy are crude, built of mud and sticks, but they're nonetheless sturdy.

And, as an important note - they are also swarming with monkeys. Snarling, baying, armed monkeys. Perhaps they'd be more hostile toward an interloper...if you weren't already in a cage, along with several others.

Fortunately for the newbies, they've all got something the monkeys didn't anticipate, aside from the element of surprise. Most prisoners don't arrive with knapsacks full of newly-acquired gear, and it's a good thing, too - you may very well need it, and the help of the new arrivals, to escape this place. You could always wait for the cavalry to come, but are you really willing to take that risk?

Group III: Pot Luck
As for you, you terribly fortunate third group?

You'll find yourselves suspended in wooden cages as well, though this time, to the hot curtain of whitish steam clouding your vision. It smells an awful lot like smoke down there. An awful lot like something...burning? Unlike your fellows over in the second group, these cages aren't simply a means of containing you, no. These cages are currently hanging over what might be the largest cast iron cauldron you've ever seen. All of this is, of course, for one simple reason:

Some species of monkeys are carnivores.

The acrid scent of smoke is already hot and rancid in your nostrils; the pyre beneath you has been lit, and the hungry flames are beginning to boil the water below quite eagerly. We'd suggest you hurry up in freeing yourself and your fellows - being boiled alive is not a particularly pleasant way to go. At least the monkeys weren't expecting quite so many main courses so soon, which allows you the element of surprise.

As a final note to those who participated in the Test Drive Meme, bear in mind that those threads, if all parties involved would like, can be game canon in the form of dream-like memories involving a place very much like this one, though the layout is considerably different.

All new arrivals will awake with knapsacks with their names stitched to the front. The contents of said knapsacks can be found below!

Feeling a tad adrift? Make sure to check the Locations Page, which has details regarding the starting areas and a handy map for those who feel better with a bird's eye view!

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

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[Asriel's had rude awakenings before. He didn't think anything could top "come back to life unable to feel your arms, your legs, or your emotions in general," but "in a cage being doused in uncomfortably hot steam and woodsmoke while also there are monkeys here" might actually take the prize.

At least... he isn't alone...? There's a human in the cage, and... uh. What he thinks is probably a monster? He's like 60% sure humans don't come in grey. They're both strangers, but he can think about that at a more "not in mortal peril" moment.

His foot nudges a knapsack as he sits up; desperately, trying not to make any sudden movements, he grabs it, starts digging through his bag in hopes that there's something he can use before these strange monkeys turn him into... uh. Dust soup? Golden flower tea? He's not entirely sure what their plan is, here.]

Um... you two. Are you awake?

[His voice is low. About the level of a stage-whisper: quiet enough that he hopes the monkeys won't be alerted, but loud enough to be heard over the crackle of flames and the bubbling of a boiling pot.]

Please, you have to wake up! We're in danger!

[ It takes Clementine only a few seconds to realise she's not sleeping on her normal mattress back in the cottage. For a short, hopeful minute, the smoke and the sudden absence of her bed reminds her of the strange camp stories everyone tells the rabbit now and again since she's got here. But that thought doesn't last long. This doesn't feel like any dream, like that always does.

She sits bolt upright, taking in the view from between the bars of the cage and looking around. They're locked in a cage... dangling over what seems to be some really hot water. She has her knife, something she's got in the habit of sleeping with, but not really anything else. ] Where...? Oh no... oh no.

[ Frowning, she looks around at the strange kid(?) beside her. Luckily, she's already met some odd friends over the last few months on this island, so being alongside two people who don't look very human is the last thing she's worrying about. She's more concerned about the fact she doesn't recognise either of them, not even as someone she's seen but never talked to that she can remember. ]

I'm awake- it's okay. It's going to be okay- [ Is it? She looks around, trying to convince herself, as much as anyone else. ]

["Monster" is right, but probably not for the reasons Asriel thinks. Kanaya wakes slowly and groggily, rubbing her eyes with her main set of hands, and then bolts upright when she realizes that she's smelling smoke.

What in the world is going on? This looks like a scene straight out of one of Vriska's shitty pirate movies that she used to make Kanaya sit through when they were young, except significantly less entertaining and far more dangerous. It's all fun and games until you're the one about to get boiled into soup.

She notices what the goat(???) kid is doing, and begins to carefully rummage through her own pack for something helpful. Okay... tinder and flint (promising, but liable to get them all killed), a wood drill (much better), a bag of flour (a distraction? maybe??)...

...why the hell is there a toothbrush in here?]

It will be okay. [She tries to make it sound firm.] What are your names?

Fl...

["Flowey the Flower," he almost says. It comes automatically, after spending so long introducing himself like that. Better not to say who he really is, if he's probably going to turn right back into a flower anyway. But... "Flowey" is a downright strange and bad name for a boss monster. So... Bossy? No. As...gore... Junior? No!!!

He doesn't have time to waste on being bad with names. Not with the water beneath them getting hotter by the second.]

Asriel.

[He pulls a hatchet from his bag, immediately holds it out it one hand for someone stronger than him to use. The other hand is open, palm up. A single "friendliness pellet," a spinning white oval of magic, hovers in it. It's a little harder to do than it should be, but he still has his bullets, at least.]

I have this, and I think maybe I can hit one or two of them with these, but I'm - my magic isn't that strong, and I don't... I don't want to kill them. If we can chop a hole into the ceiling of the cage, maybe we can hold onto the rope we're hanging from and climb to safety...?

[ Clementine nods. She's right; it'll be fine. Clementine and her group has got out of worse back home (sort of). ]

I'm Clementine, [ she tells the both of them, looking up at the ceiling of the cage as Asriel makes his suggestion. ]

They're trying to kill us. [ She really can't feel too bad about killing murderous monkeys right now. Maybe once, she would've. But not now. ] If I had my gun, I'd shoot them. But you're right - it's made of wood, so cutting a hole and climbing up there might be okay... I could do it, if someone gives me a boost? I have a knife too.

My name is Kanaya.

[She eyes Asriel's magic with interest as she slowly stands, trying to keep the cage from rocking too much as she moves. Honestly, she doesn't feel particularly fussed over the idea of killing their captors, but avoiding a fight right now, if at all possible, is probably in their best interests. She has no idea what it will take to incapacitate any of these monkeys, but she feels naked without her chainsaw.]

I can lift you up and try to hold you steady as you work. It will be a little shaky, but I'm sure you'll be able to manage. You'd best take the hatchet. [As (maybe?) the oldest, tallest, and most armed person here (like, she's got four, what can she say?), she's the best candidate for getting that started. After taking a deep breath, she steadies herself and holds her hands out to create a place where Clementine can step into.]

So... does anyone know why we've been kidnapped and threatened with death by soup? I would be upset with my impending fate either way, but I don't even know what I've apparently done to deserve this.

[Clementine. Kanaya. Those are nice names. Not... ha ha, not that he's really got time to make useless small talk like that. He's more than a little alarmed that Clementine is so... so ready for action? That he's seeing someone so close to his age talk so frankly about shooting people with a gun. It's not out of character for humanity, maybe, considering how his limited experiences with it have gone, but it's still...

It doesn't have to be like that. They can get away without killing. He knows they can. He can't go back to "kill or be killed." He's not Flowey yet.]

No. Last thing I remember is having a strange dream, then... suddenly, I'm here. I never planned to go up to the surface ever again, let alone... um... let alone to a monkey town?

[Was that dream... more than just a dream? The Storyteller had seemed awfully nice. Why would they go and drop Asriel into mortal danger?

No time to think about that, either. He hands the hatchet to Clementine, then kneels down at the opposite end of the cage. He doesn't weigh very much, but it should help keep it at least a little bit balanced while they work, and... those two monkeys are bound to see what they're doing. Someone has to keep them distracted.]

As soon as they notice we're escaping, I'll start firing magic. I don't think I can hit very hard... but I can keep them away from the winch, at least.

[ Clementine takes the hatchet quickly, handing her knife over for Asriel to hold onto for now in the process, and stands up onto the step Kanaya has created for her. Luckily she's a short, skinny nine year old, so she shouldn't be too heavy. She reaches up to cling onto the bars of the roof of their cage, and then begins hacking at the wood with the hatchet. It's not exactly fast work, admittedly. She's become stronger and more enduring than most nine year olds, but she is still a child.

She glances down at the two of them briefly as she hacks at the wood, beginning to feel one of the bars break slowly. ]

I don't know. I... think we're still on the island I was on before though. I've been here a few months now, and I don't know how I got here back then - but I've never seen any of this before. [ She indicates the cage, boiling water below and the strange monkeys. ] I was sleeping in a cottage before... that's the last thing I remember.

Coming here wasn't my intention, either. I've already been involuntarily displaced once and honestly had no plans to repeat the experience. [She lets out a small oof as she rearranges her grip on Clementine. It might be slow going, but at least it's going.] At least I'm not alone in not knowing what I've done to provoke these creatures' ire.

[Sometimes, People Are Just Assholes.

Not the Storyteller, though, from what little she saw of them. Kanaya is becoming unfortunately experienced with powerful beings with claims to godhood, but... the Storyteller seems benign, or at least willing to leave Kanaya mostly to her own devices, which to her is far more benign than anything else that's happened in a long time. Telling tales is a lot less worrisome than forcefully changing her body.

Though she might have some Issues with leaving her to be eaten.]

I'm... guessing there's no chance they'd just bring us down and let us explain this was a misunderstanding, is there?

[He's been through a bit too much to be that trusting, that naive. You don't try to boil someone alive by accident.]

But Clementine... if you think you've been here before, then do you think you can figure out how to get back to that cottage? We're going to have to run fast when we're free, and I, um. I don't really know where to go.

[Asriel watches the monkeys closely. One of them looks up, notices their attempt to break free of their cage. Before he can lunge for the winch and plunge them into the water, though, Asriel focuses. A ring of those shapeless little friendliness pellets springs up between the two monkeys and the winch. The one who reached draws back sharply, clutching a stinging hand.]

We're REALLY not going to have time for being lost.

[ Clementine is making steady progress; one of the bars of wood already snapped now, she reaches to hack one a few feet across.

She can't help but pause a little, tense, when it becomes apparent the monkeys have realised what's happening. But then Asriel seems to do something to them, slowing them down. She's seen magic before, so it's not too surprising. Wow though, it is pretty cool.

Not wanting to waste time now, she starts hammering into the wood more quickly. One more bar to break and they should have a hole big enough for each of them. ]

Yeah - Yeah, of course. There's about forty or fifty other people that got taken here too. I can take you to where we've all been kind of living the last few months. Um. It shouldn't be too far...

[ She frowns a little. She's pretty sure she hasn't explored this part of the island before, so she might not be entirely certain on the exact route to take, admittedly. ]

[Well, it looks like their captors have finally taken notice of their escape attempt. Kanaya can't help but feel a little worried as Asriel summons the strange looking magical pellets; there's nothing she can do while they're still in the cage. She has no magic, no weapons -- she might be able to distract them with a cloud of faerie dust or bop them in the face, but that requires the monkeys to be much closer. For now, her safety is firmly in Asriel's hands. (Paws? Whatever.)]

Once we're out of here, I'll be better able to disorient them and cover our escape, but until then, I'm afraid it's up to you, Asriel.

[She glances upwards. Clementine's making good time -- it won't be long before they can start climbing out.] That's a small comfort, at least, if safety isn't too far off. Is it possible some of your friends would have noticed your disappearance and come looking?

You can count on me!

[For now, all he has to do is keep that ring of bullets in existence. The monkeys are still at a point where they think they can circumvent it or get past it; he just has to buy time by shifting the ring every time they try to reach over it or adding a new bullet every time one bursts against their reaching hands. It's too weak to do more than smart a little, but - but it's better that way. Better if they can figure out how to do this without too much harm.

He just hopes they can get away quickly. Once the monkeys give up on trying to get around the bullets, the obvious next course of action is to call in backup, after all.]

We'll follow your lead, Clementine. Don't worry, we'll have your back until your friends find you!

[ Clementine gives Asriel a small, grateful smile, then turns to answer Kanaya's question. ] They should notice... There's three other guys who share the cottage, and I might not even be the only one those things took.

[ Not seconds after she's said that the hatchet saws through the last bit of wood, which falls onto the floor below. There's now a hole in the ceiling of their cage big enough for them each to crawl through and onto the top. ] Got it! Shall I go up first?

You're already up there, so that seems like the most sensible and expedient option, and I'll stay behind to lift Asriel up as well. After that, I'm afraid that I might need some assistance in my own escape attempt.

[~~WITH A MIGHTY HEAVE KANAYA FASTBALL SPECIALS CLEMENTINE TO SAFETY~~ by which I mean that when Clementine is ready, Kanaya goes ahead and hoists her up to help with the climbing. Afterwards, she shakes her hands out -- they were starting to get a little tired -- and readies herself to repeat the process again for Asriel. ]

Get ready to go quick - I don't think I can get out of here and keep the bullets up at the same time!

[Asriel risks a look over his shoulder. Clementine is already through, and Kanaya's ready to lift him. Now or never!

He clenches his paw, and the halo of bullets explodes outward. Banking on the precious few seconds of time that'll buy, he darts over to Kanaya, ready to get bolstered out then just as quickly try to pull her up, too.

At least she'll find him remarkably light for his size. Being empty inside and also made of little more than dust and magic has its side effects, after all.]

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October Intro: Louder than Sirens, Louder than Bells

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sorry this is late

np! I've been pretty slow too

me too sorry fam