July Adventure: Where the Weeds are Now Growing Free

[lifeaftr_mods]

NEW ISLAND: UMUI

Who: Everyone!
What: Umui appears, and a new adventure begins
When: July 10th and onward
Where: Umui
Warnings: Tag as you go!

'Cause the Dirt is Up to My Eyes
As of July 10th, the mana pools on Ensō and its islets will now allow for travel to the new island of Umui.

Travelers will arrive on a mana pool situated on the C1 square. The thick crops of flowers spring freely across the lush, grassy landscape, clustered in dense knots. The variety behind these growths seems profoundly limited: it is as though each flower has only sprouted around others of its kind, mingling solely at the edges. A large building looms in the corner of the region, a twisting, unfurling mass of piping and a half-crumbled metallic shine.

Whatever lays inside, or beyond the island's limits, is for you to discover for yourself.

---

Welcome to the new island of Umui! As the island is now accessible, feel free to begin preparations and explorations in this log, or create new ones of your own! For further information in regards to the island, or plotting, the following links may prove handy:

[ ♆ ] OOC info and introductory post
[ ♆ ] Optional future event sign-up
[ ♆ ] Umui on the Locations page
[ ♆ ] Search Requests page

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[catpiper]

[The noises coming from this machine are jarring and make her want to run far away from this place. But it's definitely hurt, at least to her, and she can see the way its heart comes to life with every movement. It's scary and sad and she has to ask-]

Did something hurt you?

[aftrnpc]

execc-c-cute: identification
guardian unit designation: ARUM-25

[The low mechanical rasp of their voice sounds as rusty with disuse as they are, like a handful of gravel caught in a sink drain.]

[deathfindsaway]

[That doesn't mean much to him. But it's responding. It can understand.]

What is your purpose? Where are we?

[catpiper]

[She has a passing familiarity with the way robots talk from here and her own world. It's not attacking, so-it might be okay? They want to talk? Maybe it's scared? It doesn't seem corrupted in the same way the ones her world were-just messed up and in need of repair.]

You have to say 'hello Arum-25' first.

[Which is. Yeah. That'll help. Absolutely.]

Is your family here?

[aftrnpc]

[A soft whir of processing power. Forgive them; their CPU isn't what it used to be.]

execu - exe - exe -

[A sputter, like a car exhaust pipe dying. Silence. Then:]

ggg-ggoTo subrouTtttinE.i - i - i - intro

Hhh - hell-o, and w-w-welcome t-to the Asph-asph-asph-asphAsphodel Alpha Site and rrrr-rrr-rrrResearch Building.
Please - please - please sstay seated andddd await instruction from y - from y - from your designated handler.

[deathfindsaway]

[Kravitz looks back towards Ren a little indignantly, a bit stressed. But she's helping. Or trying to help. He still has no idea what's going on. He feels like he should be writing this down.

He takes a moment. Looks back at Ren like he's waiting for approval of some kind. Continues.]

Thank you. Are you a handler? Can you tell me what that is?

[catpiper]

[The word research makes her stiffen up and grip Kravitz's arm a bit tighter. This place is as worn down as the labs in her world and it doesn't look like there are any survivors wandering around. No ghosts, no scientists, just the spooky remnants of a place she already hates.

And this question is to both of them, honestly, but she's looking at the robot.]

Do you want to leave? Will that make you feel better?

[Getting them out of this spooky place might help them. Somehow. Like a rescue mission.]

[aftrnpc]

If - if - if yyyou would prefer t-to contact friends or f-family, please refer to your - your - your - your - assignedddd-d-d-d - your assigned guardian unit.

[The affectation then falls away: introductory subroutine complete.]

My desig-desig-designated patient is deceased.

I have not been assignedddd-d a replacement.

[deathfindsaway]

[Kravitz grips back to Ren, trying to give her some sort of comfort.]

Ren, I promise you, we'll leave very soon, alright? You won't be trapped here. I'll get you out.

[But he-- he needs to ask. Because if people are dying, he wants to know how.]

How did they die? Who were they?

[catpiper]

[That small reassurance is enough for her, even if the topic is moving into a territory she doesn't particularly want to go into. Do they really need to know the reason? Everyone's dead. That's. You know. That's probably enough info. It's fine to ignore Things Like That.]

Have you been alone for a long time?

[aftrnpc]

[The automaton's head...twitches.]

ERROR.
ERROR.
ERR -





Memory processing inccc-cc-complete. Significant inter-r-rior damage sustained.

[A faint spray of sparks hisses out from the joints at their neck as their head lowers once more.]

I am sorry.
I am sorry.
I am sorry.

[deathfindsaway]

[He takes a step back, still holding on to Ren. He feels like his arm's going a bit numb. Another one of those small, mortal things he dislikes. But that's not important right now.]

I-- you--

[He looks down towards Ren again.]

Did we break it...?

[catpiper]

[Isn't that the big q of the day? There's something about all this that pings her senses in a strange way. It might be alone. It's stuck in this building, with no one to rescue it, and it's hard for it to talk.]

It's okay, it's okay. You're a good ARUM-25. You don't have to say 'I'm sorry.'

[Maybe it just needs to be talked down? Is it panicking?]

[aftrnpc]

Grief is nnnnnn-not - not - not - not our prerogative.

[Another twitch, another hiss of sparks. Their head lowers fractionally, a bit more.]

Maintennnn-n-n-nance failure equal to - to - to - to failure to ccccccComplete objec-c-ctive.

[deathfindsaway]

[Ren's making this easier in a way he wouldn't have expected. Call it child intuition, but... maybe it's just empathy.

It's dying. And those also need comfort. Even if he's not perfectly certain that's what's going on, he needs to figure this out.]

It's okay, we're, uhm... here to help. Can you be repaired? Or can we help-- complete your objective?

[catpiper]

We can find treasure for you and Kravitz is very good at helping. He'll make you smile. You'll be happy again.

[She has a vague idea of how robots work-electricity and batteries? Not that this information helps in the grand scheme of everything going on. All she knows is that it's hard to turn away from their jerking body and ignore their garbled words. They've got to try something.]

So it's okay to talk to us.

[aftrnpc]

Confirm: adm-adm-admin?

[A soft creak of circuits, a twitch of shifting metal, and their head lifts, very slightly. Their tone is still the same flat, mechanized thing it has always been...but the increased pace of the words, the brief clarity, suggests something recognizable as verging on emotional.]

[Perhaps urgency.]

[Perhaps hope.]

[deathfindsaway]

[His eyes slide back to Ren again, a silent bid to let him do this before he looks back.]

... Yes. Confirm admin.

[He waits, interested-- ready to see what might change.]

[catpiper]

[It's clear by the look on her face that she doesn't think this is a great idea, though she doesn't voice any of her displeasure. Figuring out what to do with this broken down, maybe lonely, robot is difficult and if becoming an 'admin' helps, then so be it.

Anyway, she wants to protect Kravitz, but he kind of got himself into this potential mess, so she moves behind him instead, finally letting go of his arm. She's supporting him from the back, it's fine. Always need an extra pair of eyes there, right? She's gripping the back of his shirt now, to drag him away if Shit Goes Down and helpfully adds-]

Kravitz is a good admin.

[What tf that means. Good luck, reaper.]

[aftrnpc]

New admiadmiAdmin: Kravtiz confirmedddd-ddd-d.

[A soft creak; a lowering of robotic shoulders. The closest a synthetic being comes to an audible sigh of relief.]

Majority of primaryyyy-y sys-sys-systems offline.
Request - request - request maintenance.

[deathfindsaway]

[He knows Ren is scared, really thinks she shouldn't be here for all this, but he doesn't have time to take her back and he certainly isn't leaving her alone for this venture. So he keeps himself ready, but... nothing really happens. It's not dangerous.

Or well, at least it's not attacking. He'll take it regardless.

Kravitz nods at the robot's response, as if he knows what they're talking about in the least.]

Of course. That would be... prudent. Can you tell me a bit more about your function so I know what to fix first?

[And then, over his shoulder to Ren--]

I have no idea how to fix this. You don't, do you?

[catpiper]

[No...o?? She does not? A kid who barely understands the function of a fork on a good day has little to offer in terms of robotic maintenance advice.]

They like 'batteries' and 'electricity'-that stuff.

[Which means nothing? Absolutely nothing. These aren't the same kind of robots and she has [0] idea how those two things can actually function to fix the dang thing. Where are Legion and Crow? That's the real q. Either way, nothing weird happens, so she slowly moves back to her original spot and outside the safety of her patented reapershield to address the roboto.]

Do you like batteries? Do you eat those?

[aftrnpc]

[It takes them another few moments of excruciatingly slow processing to engage every query lobbied at them - and they cannot answer them all at once.]

Materi-materi-material self-sustaining.

Defined-d-d-d as: floriocite. Generates own own own own power.

[deathfindsaway]

[Mmmmm, okay! Okay, great, he has no idea what's going on here. He kind of hoped he did and now he absolutely knows he doesn't. So he'll just nod along, put a hand to his mouth like he's really considering it and not just completely out of his depth.]

Oh-- okay, you generate your own energy with. That. Thank you.

[????????????

He looks back to Ren.]

Perhaps we should get someone better equipped to handle this than you or I. So we can help our new.... friend.

[catpiper]

[That's a better plan than becoming a full fledged admin. It seems cruel to leave them alone again, but what else can they do? It's too heavy to move, too injured to walk or talk and-]

Okay.

[But she's not going to leave without dumping a handful of rocks on the ground, pushing them towards Arum-25 with her foot, so she doesn't have to actually get closer. Just. Close enough.]

You can make these into a pile if you get lonely. We'll look for it and stay with you until you feel better.

[They probably....can't bend or do anything like that, but it's the thought?? that counts?? right? Someone save them.]