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.

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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!

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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!

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[pawper]

[WELL THEN, ain't this just a series of unfortunate events? Except there's no time to really dwell on that. No time to do much of anything, it feels like, except try to scramble for some way out of this mess.]

H-Hey, aren't you guys being way too hasty? I'm too skinny to make a good meal!

[Somehow her voice is pretty calm despite the circumstances, if painfully earnest like an eager student desperate for their teacher's approval. The fear that's got her nerves strung tight like piano wire, it shows instead in the worry lines around her eyes, the tension that's gripped her lean frame like a vise. Most of that fear is reserved for her cagemates. The rest belongs to an old, old nightmare that Lys is refusing to allow any mental houseroom. None of it is for herself.]

Here, look—

[Lys fumbles with her uniform for a moment, squirming around until she's pressed against one of the cage walls in full sight of the hungry monkeys, trying to draw their attention, then yanks up part of her shirt high enough to show off pale skin stretched tightly over a gaunt ribcage. Surreptitiously as possible, her other hand dips behind her back to rummage around in her knapsack. C'mon c'mon....]

See? Not even a little fat, and I bet not nearly enough vitamins. Don't you know that bad ingredients always turn into bad food?

[thejaw]

[He wakes up in his mask. It's a small relief, a barrier to cling to even with the pandemonium happening around him. Brian is still pulling himself together when Lys presses herself against the bars, and aside from a raised eyebrow that slightly shifts his mask, he doesn't react.

His cagemates mean absolutely nothing to Brian. He has no reason to work with them, or even communicate with them, for that matter. Instead, he shuffles through the knapsack and tears out the knife with no small amount of relief. He kicks at the cage bars on the opposite side to Lys, testing their strength, and starts trying to whittle down the sticks as fast as he can.

All that matters is escape.]

[hellawrath]

The heat and smell of something burning is intimately familiar to Lup and normally it'd be reassuring, evidence of a job well done or a hell of a party. But when she comes to, weirdly groggy and gross from the steam, to somebody yelling about meals and ingredients, she knows immediately that this is some kinda shitshow she doesn't wanna be anywhere near. As she scrambles to sit up, she's hit by the memories of last night, being overrun by those fucking monkeys, losing sight of Taako and Ren and then... nothing. Shit, shit, shit.

In a very fucking closely controlled panic, she shuffles around looking for her Umbra Staff, but of course that's gone too. What she finally notices instead are her cage mates, a scrawny girl and some hooded guy facing away from her messing with the bars, nobody she can rely on, nobody she even knows. There's more cages suspended in the eye-watering smoke, but she can't see or hear Taako make a racket in any of them, which means he must've gotten out, right? Yeah, let's go with that, and not the possibility that they're doing even worse to him than turning the tables and making soup with him, fuck this island for the millionth time.

And fuck these hairy assholes too, she tried playing nice with them last time she was here, this has passed the realm of not cool and entered I'm gonna fucking kill you at lightning speed. Fire is already dancing between her fingers as she spots the monkeys by the winch before she realizes the implications of blasting those fuckers away from the only thing keeping all the cages in the clear for now. Alright, fine, change of plans, the only way out is down, so let's make that as safe as possible first. Leaning an arm out into the steam, she starts flinging bright blue Rays of Frost into the water. They hiss and melt pretty much immediately but if those apes are waiting for their soup water to boil, they're gonna wait a long time. Hopefully the thick steam and that girl's hollering will be a good enough distraction while they think of a better plan, preferably before she runs out of magic juice.

Glancing at that hooded guy's efforts again, she casually flicks a Fire Bolt at the bars near him with her other hand, easily catching the sticks on fire. If he's not a total dumbass he can let the fire weaken the bars and then kick them down or something. "There, make us a hole before we're all cured and delicious, will ya?"

[pawper]

[Is she the only idiot optimist in this cage? Must be a day ending in y.

Lys keeps one ear cocked to whatever's going on behind her, squinting through the lingering smoke and rising steam at the monkeys that just don't seem to care enough about the less-than-beefy nature of their living, breathing lunchables. But they also haven't caught on to what her cagemates are doing either, at least not the troublesome specifics, and that's cause for a little relief. Ditto when her questing fingers close around a knife a moment later, buried deep in her pack. A sharp blade is sometimes all you need; she tests the edge with her thumb, still facing forward, trying to keep any suspicious gazes (and they're starting to draw a few) focused entirely on her.

In a mutter that's just loud enough to be heard by her "companions", but not carry:]

You guys jump first once a way's clear. This cage is gonna start swinging from the momentum.....it'd really suck to end up falling into the pot anyway, right?

[Then, louder, obviously intended for the monkeys:]

Trust me, lean meat isn't that great! It's tough and stringy and takes forever to chew! And you know the worst part? You'll burn off that full feeling really quick!

[thejaw]

[Okay, so maybe he does wanna pay attention to these two. The one pressed against the bars is smarter than she initially seemed, at least, and the other-

He scrambles back from the flame, sucking in a sharp breath but otherwise making no noise. Reports indicate-- the fire was quickly contained, but--

But there's no time to get lost in the past, or to consider how the fuck she did that, and seemingly without a care as to whether or not the growing flame will burn him, Brian directs as hard a kick as he can from this angle straight into the most weakened part of the cage frame.]

[hellawrath]

Hey, Lup is super optimistic that they're gonna get out of this cage and wreck monkey town all to hell, actually. The girl's doing her job well, so that's a relief, and the dude is apparently the broody silent type, but actions are just fine right now. Barrel straight up into that fire, sure thing, you go dude.

"Momentum from what?" Lup asks a little dubiously, like, is this scrawny wisp of a girl gonna try getting their cage swinging? "Also take your bags on the way out, they might have like one useful thing in there you can use later." What a way to welcome the newbies, like damn. The heat of the steam is getting kinda unbearable on her skin, so she shifts and switches out her arms to continue freeze blasting the water.

[pawper]

[She risks a glance over her shoulder, mostly at the audible crrrack that comes from Brian kicking hard at the weakened frame, and gives Lup a smile that's a little strained but still mostly genuine.]

From jumping out! Probably. You know, like.... [a brief seesawing motion with her hand to indicate how a sudden shift in weight and movement from a full-bodied person making a leap to freedom might set their mutual prison a-swingin'] ...that. Or maybe it won't, but I think you two should still be careful. [A brief nod to the point about the knapsacks.] And yeah, good idea. We need all the decent gear we can get.

[She herself will be absolutely fine! Or she'll get roasted/drowned/stabbed by angry monkeys. Flashing Brian an encouraging thumbs-up, Lys turns back around and starts yelling louder to cover up suspicious noises, like splintering wood, allowing herself to sound what she hopes is believably desperate. Maybe of interest to look at, but not worth investigating too closely. They just need a little more time....!]

Can't you at least take like fifteen minutes to season us properly?! Or throw in some diced carrots, maybe a few onions? I don't wanna die tasting bad!

[thejaw]

[Brian is quick to take the advice too, although he doesn't give any indication of having heard it, aside from scooping it towards himself. He grasps onto his knapsack tightly, and after giving Lys a thumbs up in return - which, in all honesty, feels fucking weird- he gets back to kicking the bars apart.

It only takes a couple more strikes before they splinter completely and fall apart under his shoes, and sticks rain down over the side of the cage, alerting the previously distracted monkeys below to their actions. Of course, this is also enough time for the flame to begin licking at Brian's leg and climbing his pants, and it's started to spread around the cage...

If they want to get out unscathed, it's now or never, and Brian isn't waiting. He jerks his head to the side, indicating that the other two should probably follow him asap, and pushes himself recklessly through the hole, hopefully with enough force to avoid the cauldron--

The landing is gonna be rough. ...And he's still on fire.]

[hellawrath]

Man they have got this prison break on fucking lockdown. Of course they do, because Lup's here. The girl makes a good point though, despite her weirdly chipper attitude, and the guy - wow, she briefly catches a glance at the black mask over his face, yikes, is it time for fantasy Halloween Midsummer Solstice again already? - he's clearly got no reservations about some fire damage in the name of booking it, which Lup appreciates. He jumps and the cage does start rocking, not to mention there's some very angry shrieking and hollering down below now.

She'd let the girl go first, but she's still pressed against the bars on the opposite side of the hole and there's no time to argue. The flames are gonna reach the rope holding up the cage any second now. She spares the girl an encouraging grin nonetheless. "Don't hesitate, okay? I'll see you on the other side." And she'd better, Lup-brand escapes are effective but leave little room for error and she's not down for having another innocent life on her conscience.

Lup launches herself out of the cage, narrowly missing the cauldron and hitting the ground hard but on her feet. Elven dex is nothing to sneeze at. She's throwing Fire Bolts at the approaching monkeys even as she's getting her bearings, taking up position next to the smoldering trick-or-treater. "Yo, Emoji Dude, stop drop and roll?" She'd lend a hand if she didn't need both for monkey arson, sorry.

[pawper]

[For once in her stupid doggo life, Lys puts real effort into her own escape when her turn comes — mostly by taking five seconds to make sure she's got momentum on her side before jumping out — if only because there's other people around to worry about and try to protect. It's hard to fend off angry monkey-dudes with hands too blistered to properly hold a weapon, or to run for the winch on a broken ankle. That said, she still narrowly misses the cauldron and her own landing is unsteady, forcing her to throw out a hand and turn the landing into a clumsy three pointer that has her knees hitting the dirt.]

Wah!

[But she scrambles upright quickly, knapsack slung over one shoulder and her knife in one hand. The other one, noticeably calloused, reaches out to try and roughly pat down some of Brian's flames, if any remain, and always assuming he hasn't stop drop and rolled himself a thousand miles away. Those fire bolts are buying them a little time to catch their breath, so instead of bolting forward to get her stabbing on—]

....whew! [#eloquent] You two okay? I was thinking about going for that winch, but....

[These guys probably had friends somewhere or other plans, right?]

[thejaw]

[It's a good thing that Lup is focused on fending off the monkeys, because Brian is rolling for his life out here.

Lys helps put out the last of the flames, and he's about to try and make his gratitude, when his eyes catch on the cage still swinging overhead. The flames have almost eaten entirely through the rope holding it up, and between that and the swinging- well.

Brian doesn't wait or waste time trying to direct their attention in the right direction. He just dives for cover, dragging whoever is in the path of the falling cage as best he can.]