lifeaftr | July Intro: Upsy-Daisy!

July Intro: Upsy-Daisy!

INTRO LOG: JULY

Who: New arrivals, your lif᷆t̕i͗n᷅ģ f̧̞ͅr̡̦̃ḭ̅ͭe̩᷅̂n̟̣̤d̨̬̏, and you!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr, and everyone makes a new friend!
When: July 5th and onward
Where: All over Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Like a Bat Out of Hell
At this stage, the appearance of new arrivals to Ensō's shores is hardly a surprise to anyone but the arrivals themselves. Whatever mysterious force is responsible seems to have taken a vaguely nostalgic route this month, depositing the new and unconscious across the shoreline of the beach closest to the tumbled stone bastion of the Storyteller's temple. At first, that seems to be all there is to it. The arrivals stir to the smell of salt and the summer sea air, and the cycle of questions, searching, and settling begins.

For about five minutes. Perhaps ten.

Almost like an afterthought, something else shows up, plummeting straight out of the sky and landing with a veritable explosion of water some hundred feet from the shore. A large, rectangular shape breaches the surface after a few moments, bobbing, cork-like, in the foam-crested waves before ever so slowly beginning to sink into those aquamarine depths. For those familiar with such objects, it makes for a rather odd sight. That most certainly was an elevator, or you can be...fairly sure it was?

Give it another minute, and you'll be certain. The elevator streaks out from the ocean like a creature possessed. Maybe, in those split seconds prior to its approach, you'll be able to note the elevator's distinct features: a disturbingly smiling face on its doors, and a set of teeth framing a very organic mouth.

Meet Upsy, your lifting friend.

In case it wasn't obvious by now, Upsy is far from a conventional elevator by any standards. What's more, Upsy has not taken to LifeAftr as well as some others. Armed with the ability to move in any direction, the rogue contraption takes no prisoners - by which we mean, they take as many prisoners as possible. Upsy proceeds to swoop across the shoreline, combing the beach in the most haphazard and patternless path possible, scooping up anyone slow enough to be caught in their maw. Once you're caught up in their jaws, it comes down to the winds of fortune, in regards to wherever Upsy proceeds to spit out their cargo. While the journey itself will be rough and...sticky, it is not inherently dangerous.

Hopefully, the same can be said for wherever you end up Ensō hosts a great deal of predators, environmental hazards, and worse. Though you could always end up belched into the ocean. Hope you can swim!

When the Metal is Hot and the Engine is Hungry
Upsy’s reign of terror isn't restricted to mere adventurers. Those with livestock or animal companions may be in for a small shock or, perhaps more likely, a very large one, when flying elevator sucks up those cuddly critters with a grin and spirits them off into the great unknown.

Though your phoenix, chocobo, or tigerlily may not be where you saw them last, you can at least be assured that they are still on Ensō. All you need to do is round them up. And if this isn't good enough news, well...at least you don't keep bludrocs.

Whether you're out searching for an animal or not, be careful traversing Ensō for the next three days. If Upsy is empty, they'll most certainly snap you up. And if they aren't? You may find anything from birds to horses spat out at you.

The velocity of these organic projectiles tends to vary. Dramatically. Upsy's reign of terror will end on the evening of July 9th. At that point, the elevator will fly off to greener pastures...and our RNG spreadsheet for potential encounters in future. Sweet dreams.

All new arrivals will awake with knapsacks, their names stitched to the front. The contents of said knapsacks can all be found in your acceptance notices!

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.

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 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Grimm certainly was a newcomer and his reason for launching the first attack was not to help people (no matter how one sliced it something trying to eat him alive while he was sleeping was rude) but the continuation came from the fact the Troupe Master was not alone. He wasn't so cruel to make a point and then leave for those left in Upsy's wake to suffer.

And this was the best option available - they cannot kill it so being a distraction and leading it away while the others fled suited their needs.]

If there is a place that this creature can be lost or contained, then I will be happy to follow along in leading it away. However I am new to these shores.

[Grimm doesn't know where the Drifter stands, if they have been here for long or not. But while Grimm may be the master of his Troupe, if someone knew the footwork for a dance he did not, he will follow to learn. Being bullheaded will get them nowhere.]

[Lost or contained.]

[The Drifter considers this. Tilts their head to one side. There is, perhaps, a place they may lead it to...get rid of it? They're mostly thinking of the floating black hole that exists on Ensō, improbably, and therefore suspect that this may be a very handy way to get rid of their elevator problem.]

possibly
problem is getting there

[They'll have to direct, won't they.]

[This will probably not go well.]

[There is a very good chance it will not, yet nothing will happen if nothing is done.]

If you are able to guide me then I will be able to bring the creature along. As long as we are fast, then we should not trouble others.

[Their chat had allowed Grimm to rest, however little it was, and he is confident that he could keep pace with his speed and teleportation. And however useless attacks were, they clearly attracted Upsy's attention.

So a game of follow-the-leader may be enough to lead the elevator to wherever it may be that the Drifter is thinking of.]

island makes it difficult
cannot maintain speed long

[They mean more in the general sense as opposed to purely in how fast they can personally go, though that certainly is relevant. Not everyone grasps that at first, and the Drifter was startled to discover that their ammunition did not replenish naturally here.]

[All told, they'd rather anyone else not endure any nasty surprises.]

[Grimm had indeed notice a change in his powers. The Troupe Master's skills had been consistent for a long, long time. The reduction of the range in regards to the teleportation heavily used in combat is easily noticeable, although Grimm has not experienced any change besides that thus far.]

Do you have any recommendations then? I do not mind being bait if needed.

[Keep-away was a boring dance but Grimm was willing to let that slide for now.]

[The Drifter takes a moment. Taps at their sprite, igniting a secondary HUD. It spawns the Drifter's current map of the island - roughly accurate, but forgoing any written words for blocky symbols that probably bear a significance to the Drifter, but no such immediate thing to anyone else.]

[They tap at one section of the map - the beach.]

we are here

[And then another point.]

head here

[Oh, that certainly is a useful device. The technology in Hollownest had declined as the kingdom did and the hazardous often outweighed the useful. Physical maps, for example, was often a bug's choice in tracking their location rather then anything like the device the Drifter possessed.

Grimm studies the map silently and deeply until he is confident he could find the place they pointed out, then he looks up with a nod.]

I will do so. Once we arrive what shall be done next?

[He asks so there are no missteps at that point.]

center of gravity
takes care of it

[Yeah, that sure is a bunch of words that might be a shade worrisome. "Center of gravity" translates to fucking black hole, but the Drifter isn't familiar with that particular phrase. They aren't familiar with black holes at all, really, and thus simply treat the center of gravity as a peculiar anomaly that is best avoided.]

[Except for now.]

[It certainly is a worrying set of words. Grimm himself has not encountered a black hole before but "center of gravity" is enough to understand the general gist of what the Drifter means. A place that could trap Upsy where it could not bother others. There was a risk of the same happening to either of them...

But as they say "No risk, no reward". And they certainly would not get anywhere with this problem if they spent all their time hemming and hawing over what to do.]

That shall do then. Now, [Grimm gestures towards Upsy with a wave of his hand.] are you ready to begin our final act?

[It's about time to end things before they stretched out to infinity.]

[Final act.]

[They suppose it has been their final act for some time now. The curtain has not yet been drawn, to whatever end - is epilogue fatigue a problem that audiences suffer?]

[They're mixing their metaphors.]

[The Drifter straightens, bows their head in a nod.]

ready

[Epilogue fatigue is indeed a problem the audience must face when they request an encore. Most who request such a thing are prepared to sit and wait until it was done, while those who do not must stay.

It was just a question of which one you were.]

Then let us begin.

[Grimm raises his left hand and snaps his fingers before teleporting into the air. Despite his assault on Upsy before, the elevator is easily able to be drawn back by the prospect of yet another person to eat. The air is once again a battle of teleportation and fire-bats, but Grimm is indeed moving them both back towards the area pointed out to him.

It is time to take this dance to a new location. Make your way there Drifter and he will meet them there.]

[Off they go, at a speedy zigzag. The problem, they are learning, is that it is not particularly easy to evade the elevator and maintain their breakneck pace at the same time. They're pushing themself too hard, too fast - and the consequences crop up quickly.]

[The Drifter does not fail to decelerate quickly enough. They slam into a tree at a pace that most would call "unsafe," and skid into the bracken with utter gracelessness.]

[Seems they're tapped out for now, unless Grimm starts to wonder where they may have gotten to.]

[Inevitably Grimm does. For one who seemed to be willing to help with Upsy, the Drifter not arriving to the desired spot was concerning. Either they suddenly decided not to aid Grimm or that something happened. Grimm did not know the Drifter so both options were a possibility.

And with both options of either fear or distress being an even fifty/fifty split, Grimm backtacks to see if he could at least spot the Drifter along the way. It meant losing Upsy but Grimm knew he would not be able to lure the eldritch elevator into the center of gravity on his own. Perhaps a project for another day.

After playing keep-away with Upsy for a long time now, Grimm is indeed rather tired so he will have to walk for awhile before he could begin to teleport again. There is a good change they may miss each other or maybe they will not.

At the very least they both are distinct enough to be spotted easily by the other.]

[Their breath is hoarse, at the moment. It's been some time since they've made that sort of error on this kind of a scale. They must plant one hand against the nearest tree to drag themself to their feet, but they're already tasting the iron tang of their own blood.]

[It gets worse when they're injured. It always does.]

[The Drifter may be moving at a considerably slower pace, but is nonetheless attempting to reach the designated area - spitting up sprays of pinkish blood all the while.]

[The arrival of Grimm through his teleportion is marked by a loud bang and puff of red smoke. Guess work was all he had to find the Drifter but it appears to have paid off.

(Well the blood may have become an aid later on, but Grimm was only familiar with the black smoke of the void children and the sickly orange of Radiance's infection.)]

You may wish to stop, as we no longer have to go to that place.

[And the Drifter is injuries but that would be stating the obvious.]

[Stopping, as it turns out, is not in their repertoire. The Drifter looks up regardless, their gaze somewhat clouded but nonetheless focusing on the firework-bang of Grimm’s materialization. If they’re startled by its abrupt nature, they don’t show it.]

[Or perhaps their mind is merely elsewhere. They pushed themself too hard; this is the price for it.]

where is it

Elsewhere, likely. It did not see fit to finish our dance despite the finale we set for it.

[Upsy, it appears, had little interest in a being that could teleport away and went to go find easier prey. And as Grimm was feeling a strain he had not felt since he was a grub, there was no point in giving chance.]

But that matters little to me right now. What happened to you, my friend?

[A shake of their head; more to clear it than to dismiss the concern. Again the word reverberates: friend, friend, friend. A casual aside, a calm epithet, nothing more.]

[Perhaps that is why the words can appear on their sprite's HUD with the same sort of evenness, unhurried. Simple. To the point. This, after all, is standard for them. Not entirely unusual.]

sick
it happens

[It certainly is a case of bad timing for a sickness to rear its ugly head when you are attempting to beat back a monster. And indeed, no fault of the Drifter for failing to reach the meeting point.]

Then let us go back so we can rest and try again. I doubt there is as much of an escape for that creature then there is for us.

[A very old saying but indeed, if you don't succeed the first time there's always another chance later on.]

[It just be like that sometimes.]

[And yet, the Drifter is not so easily deterred. They lift their head, back of one hand to their mantle to press the fabric down over the rush of blood, as if that might tamp an injury that does not exist. Their chest aches, that familiar and hollow thing.]

[But they're far from the sort to simply give up.]

where is it

[A curious, yet not unfamiliar sight. Grimm has met many bugs of all shapes and sizes during his troupe's travels through the dreams. Bugs that participated in his Ritual for various reasons. For the sake of battle, for the enjoyment of the crowd. For survival, to get stronger. Just because they sought out not the Troupe Master, but the God of Nightmares and that single moment within infinity where Grimm wore a crown.

And, of course, because they were a tiny Vessel who always wished to help, who looked up at him after the dance was over with a silent realization of what was to come.

All of them had the determination to do what they wished to do. So...]

Do you wish to find it, even though there is a chance you may face your own death?

[One would consider it a question with an extreme and slightly pessimistic slant. Perhaps such a question could be said out of concern but it necessarily isn't in this case. A curiosity, to see if this one truly had the determination to do what they wanted, or if it was just a buff in the end.

Well, Drifter?]

inconsequential

[The question hardly bears any thinking about; they dismiss it outright, without concern or hesitation. Their death has impacted them many times over, incalculable times, and it has changed nothing, altered nothing. It has merely delayed the inevitable conclusion.]

[Their death has never mattered.]

[Particularly now.]

[And to this one it simply does not matter. Perhaps it was that determination, perhaps it was a suicidal confidence or something else entirely but it was not Grimm's place to judge either way. He merely digests the Drifter's answer before responding in turn.]

I lost track of the creature near the edge of the location we agreed to trap it in. If you wish to request my help again, I do not mind.

[An offer, nothing more nothing less.]

[The clench in their insides is a sure sign that they're nowhere near a ready condition to go streaking into the trees anew. And yet, they weigh that option nonetheless, allowing it the due consideration it deserves.]

[Really, it's a waste of time to bother contemplating. They have already come to a decision.]

where

[If they have then Grimm will not stop them. He is not, and will never be, a God who manipulates the choices made by others. He is just the Troupe Master.

Grimm half turns, gesturing for the Drifter to follow along. He sadly cannot teleport them both so walking is the only means to get there.]

If you will follow me then we shall find our escaped target.

[It can't be hard to miss a monstrous elevator such as Upsy after all.]

(no subject)

hyperlit - 2018-07-21 04:00 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only