lifeaftr | October Event: Crystal Clear

Entry tags:

October Event: Crystal Clear

OCTOBER EVENT: CRYSTAL CLEAR

Who: Everyone!
What: Your exploration takes a turn.
When: October 20th - 26th
Where: The caverns situated underneath Ensō
Warnings: Character death, body horror, descriptions of illness. Please mark any additional warnings as needed!

Part I: Attack, Attack!
Congratulations! You've successfully gone where no Storyteller has gone or can go, and woken up in the network of subterranean caves buried beneath the island's mass, along with your designated supplies: a miner's cap, a week's worth of food, and both your knapsacks and their collective contents. And the further along you go, the vaster and more sprawling these almost labyrinthian tunnels seem to get. There’s certainly evidence that civilization once thrived here - old buildings hewed from the rock of the cave walls may very well contain old tools, or even salvageable supplies. Careful examination of structures and cavern walls alike will reveal sigils resembling those carved on the doors, each of which will need to be destroyed entirely at the Storyteller's behest. Whatever was down here was advanced enough to dwell without sunlight. But that raises a rather pertinent question...

If there were once people here, where did they all go?

Fortunately, one will soon discover that there's plenty of natural light underground, exhibited by the crystalline growths on the walls. None of them appear to be dangerous, and those attracted to shiny things might even find them useful for picking up or chipping away in order to better light their way. The crystal has about the thickness and hardness of quartz, and bathes its surroundings in a luminous green glow.

The closer you come to the center of the mass, however, the denser the crystalline growths seem to become, until one has to be quite ingenious in navigating them. Eventually, they'll simply be too dense to be squeezed through, even by the smallest and most agile of your number.

That’s when they it will start to become apparent.

Something in the crystal is moving.

Huge chunks of crystal are starting to detach from the center and move slowly, inexorably, toward those unfortunate enough to have explored the caverns. Unmistakably humanoid silhouettes, distorted by awful crystalline growths, most of which have completely swallowed any recognizable features.

...most.

The good news is that the creatures can be shattered, and beaten back. The bad news? Well...

Part II: Retreat, Retreat!
Those who get close enough to the crystalized beasts to get a good look at them will soon make a horrifying discovery - the fact that, underneath those thick layers of luminescent quartz, there was once something that might have been recognizable as human. These quartz monsters aren't native to this region, or indeed, to any region of the island at all. They were formed.

Formed out of the very crystal that you explorers have been touching, picking up, sleeping on, and just generally remaining in prolonged contact with ever since you set foot down here.

Indeed, anyone who has been in contact with the crystal for extended periods of time - sleeping on it or getting dealt a swipe from one of the crystalized monsters, for example - will find that tiny, quartz-like growths have started to sprout on their skin as well. Once the virus has taken root, it will spread rapidly until it has swallowed you whole. Indeed, the unpleasant symptoms will reveal themselves within twenty-four hours of the initial exposure: in addition to clusters of crystalline growths pocking the affected areas, the inflicted will begin to experience intense stabbing pains all over as the crystal begins to grow - both inside and out.

The transformation is slow and arduous and painful, and vocalization tends to be one of the first things to go once the crystals sprout in the mouth and throat. Within the span of about three days since the initial exposure, the transformation will have sheathed most of the physical body in crystal entirely, sealing the victim in a humanoid cast of glasslike green.

It has not been confirmed if the inflicted are sentient and aware of their state of being once they are completely consumed. Whatever their intentions, those are easily overridden by the virus's innate desire to spread to as many organisms as possible.

As this is an event with a high risk of death, the Storyteller will impose death penalties for one week only. Additionally, deaths succumbed during the event count towards the character's total. There is no known cure to the virus, but that doesn't mean characters can't or shouldn't try!

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] October 20th: Spelunking begins. Points of interest will be provided.
[ ♆ ] October 22nd: The Quartzalcoatl make their presence known.
[ ♆ ] October 24th: The final sigils are broken, and the Storyteller will return all uninfected to the Islets.
[ ♆ ] October 26th: All deceased will be returned at midday, suffering from a reduced death penalty.

Event Specifics

[ ♆ ] If your character perishes in this event, please let us know!
[ ♆ ] For those who opted out, please see the top-level below!
[ ♆ ] Item claims can be found on the OOC plotting post here!

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Guess who else is roaming around in the dark, hesitantly checking out whatever loot these houses still have in them? This girl. While at base camp more often than not, she can't help to check out what's in these old homes. Looting and scavenging is second nature to her and she finds herself falling back into those habits, especially when her first go around yielded so much in the way of supplies.

But the empty houses she finds now are just that, empty, and that's disappointing for more than one reason. No supplies. No shiny treasures to shove into her bag. No toys for the cat she's keeping a tight hold on. Oh well.

As she turns around, set on going back for the time being, her eyes catch something blue. Panic rushes through her for the briefest moment, until her miner's hat is able to fully illuminate their form.

It's not a ghost. It's only Drifter.]

Your light broke?

[The presence of children down here is not what they'd call an ideal circumstance - not given the risks that accompany the dark and the damp. A bright beam of light throws them into abruptly relief, and for a moment, it's an equal relief that they no longer need to squint quite as much.]

[Their sprite has to hover closer to her level for its text to be visible in the gloom.]

used it all
ok down here?

I'm okay.

[There are no ghosts or monsters spawning. Houses aren't filled with corpses for some odd reason and she has a cat to sense any troubles that might crop up. Life's as good as it gets right now for someone stuck in a dark cave.

Luckily for Drifter, Ren has spare oil. Between the extra pot she found and the portions given to her by the elves before they left, she's got some to spare. She doesn't give it a second thought or ask if they need it. Once she reads their words, that's it. Down her cat goes, down the bag goes and she's already rummaging through one of its smaller pockets for the pot.]

I have some for you. You can keep it.

[Closer inspection reveals that she does, indeed, have a wholly unfamiliar cat in hand. They'd not realized the island was populated with such creatures, nor did they know how or when she might have acquired one. After the issues with all the monkeys, they should hope. They should hope.]

[They are equally uncertain as to how she got a fresh pot of, as the odor would suggest, oil - perfect for their extinguished miner's hat.]

but you?

[Never doubt an apocalypse survivor and RNG's blessing on them. She doesn't look up right away, only noting the words when she passes the oil to them.]

It's okay. I'm going back soon.

[Because loot adventure 2: boogaloo isn't going well and it feels like she's been wandering through these dark caves for some time. Oil depletion worries aside, she's got to go back to camp to take her medicine and wait for a couple adventuring elves to return. Maybe crack open a can of food for ESP Kitty. He's probably hungry by now.]

Are you going to map this place too?

[That's more acceptable. She should not be here, after all - this is no place for a child to dwell. They cannot help but think, fleetingly and nervously, of the multitudes of other children here. Are they, too, wandering in the dimness and the dark in search of the Storyteller's runic inscriptions?]

[The Drifter bobs their head in a patient nod and, after a moment's hesitation, accepts the pot of oil. The acrid scent is still unfamiliar to them; technology in their world had not been quite so regressive.]

[Still, they can drop into a crouch as they start to transfer the oil gratefully to their miner's cap.]

if possible
should know presence of symbols

[The answer isn't unexpected and it doesn't surprise her. She asked that question only to get confirmation what she already knew. Brave people are like that. It's why Taako and Lup were continuing on despite the unknown dangers further in. It's why the base camp is oddly devoid of people, despite all who were sent in. In a way she understands. It's necessary to go on in order to leave. Someone has to go down there.

And it might be safe. Further up, things are fine. It stands to reason that would continue. There were no hands coming through walls or crying ghosts with glowing backs. Her cat hasn't reacted to anything outside of her own missteps and accidentally rock kicking.

Even knowing all that, she can't help the nervous expression that appears on her face. It might be hard to tell with only a few lights between them, but it's clearly there. ]

Are you coming back? Later?

[Today, tonight-whatever. She can't tell what's going on down here.]

[Are they coming back?]

[They're not sure. They don't have any reason to, certainly, until whatever threat down here has been diminished, as per the Storyteller's request. They are not the same manner of god as the silent jackal, but a god nonetheless, and the Drifter is beholden to that.]

[They are beholden to most gods.]

[It would be best to ease the fear and anxiety that screws up her features so. But it would also be imprudent to lie. Nonetheless, something of those dark eyes softens when they respond in turn.]

where is back

By the front.

[Unlike Drifter with their companion or Seto with his map, she's not used to giving directions. "Over there" and "By that thing" is her modus operandi and she has look down to her cat for guidance. Like he'll be able to offer a better path for Drifter to take in these twisting caves.]

People are in that place. It's a camp.

[Or so they said. It's what she overheard and where she's supposed to wait for the elves. There are a few marks that line the cave walls to guide her own way back, but she's reliant on her memory more than anything. Her lack of planning only upsets her now that she doesn't know how to get them back there.]

There's a big rock with-[what color had she used?]-pink mark. You go that way.

[A pause]

I'll draw for you. You can follow that.

[She does far too much for them already. There’s something in the repetition of speech and the addendums that follow that they can quantify as nervous, and the thought that they may be the source of such a thing is - unfortunate. They are not to be the cause of that level of concern. Let it be saved for the living, for those with more vitality than a dying drifter.]

[Please.]

must do gods work
but

after
?

[After is fine. It's enough of a promise to bring the smile back to her face.]

Okay. I'll wait for you too.

[They have a map, so she's confident they can find their way back up. The little drifter drawings that will dot the walls all the way back to camp can do the rest.]

Then we can all go back.

[When Taako and Lup finally return, when Drifter joins them, and all the markings are destroyed in the caves, they can leave. She's looking forward to that. It's not like this place is particularly bad, but it's hard to adjust to constant darkness for many reasons and she misses the freedoms they had above ground. Right now, it's all sigil destruction and no play and that makes this a weird sort of vacation.]

Don't forget to come back this way.

[She is smiling, and that is enough to lift away the edges of their weariness, smoothing away the corners of their confusion. Then we can all go back. All of them.]

[We.]

[It is a small thing, but it pinches the corners of their eyes and there's the cupping U of their fingers spread just above the cloth wrapping at the lower half of their face. A smile.]

[But more importantly:]

twins ensuring safety
?

Edited 2017-10-27 00:28 (UTC)

[There's something to be said about the power a smile and Drifter's own is no exception. It might not be clear on their face or under their mask, but it's special in its own right. Ren's finding she likes their version quite a bit.

With a smile still present on her face, she raises both hands over her face and mimics their gesture. Two smiles plus her own.]

Yes. It's why they told me to stay there. It's safe.

[She's the gremlin that wandered away from camp for an impromptu treasure hunt. Let it be known they Did Their Best.]

Do you have a stick?

[Or any backup weapon honestly.]

[Ah. So they told her to stay there, and she wandered off anyway. Probably on her way to uncover an abundance of treasures. Encountering a mire of quicksand, it seems, was not enough to put her off from that for very long.]

[It is appropriately childlike, but it is still - concerning. Particularly as there is no telling what dangers may lurk beneath the island's surface. The Drifter has to take a moment to reach into their knapsack and extricate one of the many sticks Ren has bestowed upon them. They've not used them for much, yet.]

[With the exception of this one. It has a cord of dried flowers wound down along the length of it in a faded white spiral.]

[It seems that, following Ren's lesson in flower crown making, they'd attempted to experiment.]

yes

[Few things in her world had been able to retain their beauty after everyone died. Limited to the moon, the sparkling stars and the occasional marble, there was almost nothing left to admire. The few things she found, she treasured and shoved into bags.

Weapons were never among them. They didn't sparkle. The weather had rusted the few Seto managed to find in piles. They never bothered to take care of them or decorate them, simply because they would break after a few hits. There was no point to an ornate weapon.

It shouldn't surprise her that Drifter would manage to find beauty in such a thing and bring it out in the manner they had. They were good at reaching people with their kind heart and it seems like even items aren't excluded from that special power.]

You made it pretty! It looks like Drifter now.

[Cat by her heel, she takes a step forward to inspect the stick and in a quick motion, her hairclip is off and clipped to the very top of it.]

This kind of thing will keep you safe.

[There isn’t always much to do outside of the routine of sweep and map and chart and fight. They keep their goal well in mind, unidirectional and focused utterly on the goal as it is bared to them inch by inch.]

[So what does one do when the chills are too deep to drowse through, when the shakes and coughs keep one awake for hours, for hours, for days?]

[They have never had anything until recently, to fill those endless and tormented hours. They did not even require a great deal of motor coordination, as long as they went slowly enough. And they had.]

[The clip just makes it more - personal, in that peculiar sense.]

[They offer the entire thing to her at once. Better that she use it to keep herself safe. Yes?]

[They're offering her the weapon?

It feels weird to reach out for it and she takes it from them mostly to get a closer look at the flower decoration around it.

She's not brave. Despite their campfire story claiming otherwise, she can't ever see herself in that way. The few moments she can remember working herself up to be a fraction as brave as those around her were easily overwhelmed by the many times she ran away. By the times she ran to Seto for aid. By the times she hid behind rocks and old buildings and near groups of cats. It's why she ended up with a slingshot instead of a knife, despite Lup's attempt to impart some weapon handling wisdom on her.

It's why she never fought against Shin, despite knowing the malicious intent behind his actions. It's why until Seto came into her life, she had given up on ever having a chance to live.

The thought of confronting something, even if it's to defend herself, is too scary. Running and hiding don't make her brave and she knows that. A good weapon like this is wasted on someone like her.]

This kind of thing...for someone like me-

[It may sound like the beginning of a self-deprecating statement, but she sounds matter of fact and pauses as she lightly touches the flowers with her fingers.]

I'm not brave. I'm not like Drifter or Seto. You should save this pretty weapon for someone like him.

keep you safe

[If she's going to be roaming about in the dark, alone, she ought to have something to ensure she doesn't get hurt. It is not a question of bravery - not truly. Bravery does not spring, fully-formed, from the ether. Bravery follows when one does something truly brave.]

[Even if that brave thing is merely fighting to keep yourself, or someone else, safe.]

should not go unarmed

[It doesn't convince her that she could use it more and the look on her face is dubious. She has a cat, a slingshot for marble throwing, but Drifter doesn't have those luxuries to take with them.

But the flowers hold another meaning for her. Maybe it's meant to keep her safe in the sense they offer a warm feeling to help keep her calm and guide her through these dark tunnels.

And even then, she thinks they need it more.]

I'll keep this safe for you.

[Maybe it'll give them an incentive to return sooner.]

You can run away from scary things and find me-

[In case their bag is smashed and their sword breaks, they'll be left with no other option. Weapons are hard to find in here.]

And I can give it back.

[Exactly. Exactly, see? It's a means to an end, and she will take care of herself, and they can return to ensure that she has made it through with a minimum of mortal peril. That would be ideal.]

[They do not generally run away. They cannot, generally. They fight for as long as the option is presented to them, and they cut their opponents to pieces until they may proceed unimpeded. But she does not need to know that. She is hardly asking, after all.]

[She is seeking reassurance. And they may give it.]

share a special weapon

[Share is what convinces to grasp the flower braided stick as tight as she can because it isn't just hers anymore. In their own way, they've agreed to come back. They must, in order to share this weapon. And until then she can hold onto it, look at the flowers and be reminded of them.]

Okay, we'll share this. Drifter and Ren's special weapon.

[With Seto too, when he finds his way through the caverns and up to the camp. He'd like this for sure and she can't wait to show off Drifter's hard work.]

I'll-[A pause and she holds out the stick too] we'll be waiting for you there.

[Her, a cat and a stick covered in flowers.]

[Exactly.]

[It's a promise that they'll return for her sake. They'll ensure she stays safe and they'll clear away the caves of terrors, and be back, as they believe that certain residents on one of the islets might say it, in time for dinner. They're not even particularly sure what dinner might mean in this instance, but it is nonetheless an appealing prospect.]

[An appealing prospect, when it might not once have been.]

[Because she seems so - eager to see them again.]

i will see you again

Very soon.

[And with that, she seems content. It's enough to appease her for the time being and the knowledge there's one more person meeting her at the camp is enough to make her scoop up her cat pal and take a step towards the direction she initially came from.

It's enough to make her stop treasure hunting at least. Maybe friendship was the real treasure all along. #SesameStreetValues

But before she turns her back to them completely. Before she lets them continue on their way-

She copies their smile, making the familiar little u shape over her mouth with her fingers.

Goodbye, Driftybean.]

[She mimics their smile, the little u-shape of fingers lifted over their mantle to assure the other party that they mean it. And it's true. She does not need to, either, but she does regardless - something that inexplicably warms something deep in their chest, and has them copying the gesture by way of farewell.]

[Until we meet again.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

October Event: Crystal Clear

10/21

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject