October Intro: Louder than Sirens, Louder than Bells

[lifeaftr_mods]

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 )

Comments

[demonpuppy]

[Chip groans when they come to, looking around blearily and blinking as they try to figure out what happened. Did they get punched by one of the other kids again, or...?]

[Wait. Why are they moving?]

[They yell and scramble to their feet, looking around wildly to try and figure out where they are. The jungle around them seems like it could be the Other Place but this isn't--they didn't go near any crossing points! There isn't even one in the city, let along along the walk to their school!]

[Their breathing hitches, and they turn to look at the two unfamiliar people in the cage with them, backing up against the bars and trying (and failing) not to start hyperventilating.]

Wh-whu...what's going on?!

[scourgingstars]

Don't start panicking, that will be terribly annoying.

[Let's just calmly examine this situation. Three guards, not a big deal. They'd probably be very flammable.]

[metachrosis]

[Well. Fuck. Espio groans, and flops back onto the bottom of the cage. Everything is stupid and everything always happens to him.

It probably doesn't look like it considering he is lying down, but his attention is on the three guards close by - he doesn't know either of his two companions, so he assumes it will be his job to get them out.]

Well, I'm not panicking. Not at all.

[demonpuppy]

I-I'm not...I'm not scared!

[A very convincing argument, yes. Chip glares up at Ardyn, fists clenching tight despite their fearful tremors. They glance out again at the guards, but only for a moment.]

I'm not scared of you!

[scourgingstars]

...At which point did I imply you had reason to be afraid of me?

[Admittedly, it would not be a bad idea to keep in mind.]

In case you'd not noticed, I am on the same side of this cage's walls as you are. And if the two of you would like to be outside of it, I suggest you remain calm and follow my lead.

[He sighed, rolling his eyes before glancing to the guards and then the cage itself.]

I can provide those three with a distraction so that they don't simply drop this blasted cage; we'll have to be quick about escaping once I have, however. Do either of you have anything that can break out of this, or will that task fall to me as well?

[metachrosis]

I think he meant the guards... and I'm sure they're all convinced.

Anyway, I can try punching it.

[His tone is flat, but he isn't joking.

He sits up again, tail curling around one of the cage bars, attention now on Ardyn.]

I've smashed through tougher-looking things.

[demonpuppy]

[Chip flushes with embarrassment as the men berate them, gritting their teeth and curling their fists all the tighter. They look back and forth between the two of them, and...they're scared to try, but Grant--their dad said that black magic is just the same as any other color. And if it will help them all escape...]

[Chip's gaze turns onto one of the wooden bars in particular and their eyes go an inky void-black as they concentrate and pull at their magic. It takes a few moments, but a spot of rot appears on the wood and begins to spread--slowly, to be sure, but it is growing.]