lifeaftr | December Event: No Rest for the Wicked

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December Event: No Rest for the Wicked

DECEMBER EVENT: NO REST FOR THE WICKED

Who: Anyone and everyone
What: Your trials by fire
When: December 15th - 18th
Where: On Maati and Ensō
Warnings: Character deaths and violence are both likely - please mark as you go!

The Trials: Only Then Can We Begin

As noted in the OOC info post, your Trials will all begin on December 15th. As many of you will not be deposited into your trials with food and water (or any items of your own at all, in most cases), the Trials will last only as long as December 18th. If you've failed to complete your Trial by this deadline but have not used up all the deaths allotted to you, you will awaken by Maati's mana pool at the event's conclusion. If you have not failed your Trial by using up all your deaths, this will not count as a character death, and you will not need to submit for a penalty; you simply won't be able to obtain the reward you would get if you had succeeded!

When your character wakes in their allotted Trial, they will discover that their starting chamber has been inscribed with the name of the Trial, the names of those participating, and the number of deaths they have remaining - though the latter aren't labeled in any way. You'll simply have to learn it the hard way; every time your character suffers a death, the number will go down by one. If it wasn't obvious what those numbers stood for at first, by the time the dying starts properly, it certainly will be. And you probably don't want to see it go all the way down to zero...

Should you reach the end of your Trial, you will step out onto the rocky cliffs of Maati, exiting from one of the seven doors set into the cliffs at the seven points of the island's star shape. You see, those doors you discovered earlier weren't the entrances to the Trials at all. They were the exits. And set into the towering cliffs...why, those house the winding mazes that comprise the Trials themselves.

There will be a top-level below for each Trial. Remember to plan with your groups and communicate with your thread partners! Whether you choose to do mingle-style threads or lengthier group threads is up to you.

Once you know the outcome of your Trial, success OR failure, please do let us know so that we can ensure your character gets the reward that befits their triumph...or lackthereof.

Remember also to let us know if your character uses up ALL their deaths during this event. While death penalties will not be inflicted during Trial deaths, if you use up all the deaths allotted to you and die for real, your death penalty will NOT be reduced.

The Water: Don't Let Them Get Away

The rest of you have plenty to contend with as well, of course. If you've opted out of this month's event, be advise that the waters creeping across shores of Ensō, along with the rest of the island, aren't going to take evasion kindly. They'll seek you out, spread along every inch of the island if they can, until they can find you.

There is a top-level below, if you're intrigued! Though if you end up top-leveling yourself, we may very well reach out and find you anyway...

Event Timeline

[ ♆ ] December 15th: The Trials on Maati begin, and the water begins to rise.
[ ♆ ] December 18th: The Trials reach their end.
[ ♆ ] December 19th: Those who have "perma"-died in their Trials are revived.
[ ♆ ] December 20th: The monthly Storytelling occurs.

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Ah, except, you will notice, I did no counting."

He just pushed the damn button. Granted it was at the right time, but even that didn't involve counting.

"I'd just be glad my translation skills are tolerable."

Because the common language offered here is not his native one. He speaks a ridiculous number of them too, so sometimes translation can go a little haywire.

"I assumed you were preparing yourself when I hit '2', but I'll be sure to keep it even simpler next time."

The reveal is anticlimactic as it looks like the door only opened to another stark hall.

"I wonder who did the interior decorating?"

Mindful of traps, Nezumi steps into the extended hall.

"I've seen dead men with better tastes."

"Suits me just fine."

It's bland enough not to look like a prison even though that's what it is. The closeness of the walls and the fact that it feels underground make it too similar to the prison he spent more of his youth than he wants to consider trapped in.

Jules gets partway down the hall before he stiffens and stops. His extra senses might be gone, but his gut is screaming at him right now. It feels too much like something is watching him, and it's not Nezumi.

Oddly enough, they find something in common: their past has honed their instincts, given them a third eye that sometimes defies logic for how accurate it can be.

They can swap prison stories later. Nezumi pauses after only a few steps inside. There are no noises to tip them off, but something feels wrong.

"We're not alone."

His eyes slide to Jules. It's rare that Nezumi fights with someone, but if they're temporarily on the same side, they should both be prepared.

"No."

Though he can't figure out where they're being watched from. All he can tell is it's somewhere behind them. At least he thinks. The feeling is vague and nothing else is giving their guest away.

His weight shifts slightly, just enough to leave his left foot free to come off the ground quickly if needed. The dagger there is easily removable.

Nezumi's fast. He isn't superhuman, but he's especially skilled among humans, skilled enough to survive in Earth's own form of hell since he was a child. However, this test isn't about either of them being individually skilled.

Nothing immediately shows itself. Instead, smoke begins to seep from the very walls, despite the fact they seem solid without any nooks or crannies to allow such a release.

"Cover your nose and mouth!"

Nezumi assumes Jules is already doing just that, but he yells it instinctively as he does his own, using the scarf that's always around his body.

Despite that, despite acting immediately, something's wrong. Nezumi coughs but pushes the fabric more tightly against his mouth. However, he can feel it burning his lungs.

It got inside. Damn it.

This is definitely not what Jules is expecting when he had that odd sensation. He'd been expecting something he could beat, not some poisonous gas he couldn't win against no matter how hard he tried. Worse, he has two sets of lungs. Something like this is going to make it near impossible to breathe.

He has no intention of sticking around for this. Of course, he's not leaving Nezumi behind. With absolutely no explanation (that would require opening his mouth and he is not doing that for anything) he grabs Nezumi's arm and starts off down the hallway at the fastest pace he can muster until Nezumi starts cooperating. Once that happens he'll go faster.

The advantage of having two like, if conflicting, minds is that Nezumi understands why he's being pulled along. He stumbles before catching his footing, wanting only to leave the gas behind. However, instead, of an open hall, a closed door awaits them around the next corner.

More worrisome is that it's blurry and dark. The halls, Jules, the closed door; all of it comes at him out of focus. Slowly, the world around him disappears.

Nezumi blinks, as if trying to clear something covering his eyes, but he can feel that there's actually nothing there. Should he admit what's happening? Confess to the inability to see? It would put him at a disadvantage, but how long before Jules notices? It's better to know where he stands.

"I can't see."

As soon as the words are spoken, the door begins to slide open.

"No shit. The whole place is covered in smoke."

Jules doesn't even consider that Nezumi may be talking about more than the lack of visibility in the room. He's far too worried about getting out before his lungs completely shut down. The pressure on them is intense as he tries to keep wheezing in breaths. It's the one downfall of being a fyreblood.

"I don't plan on wasting my time by repeating things you already know."

For the first time since they've met, Nezumi's voice isn't velvety smooth. Annoyance and anger strain his words, causing it to sound off. He'll die before letting himself see afraid, worried.

But this is bad. This is horribly bad. Much like a wounded animal surrounded by predators, he's in a very compromising position.

"I didn't say I could only see smoke. I. Can't. See."

It takes a second or two for that to fully sink in, but when it does Jules can't help cursing.

"Minsid hell this place can't stop playing these stupid games. Nothing is enough."

He has a feeling the weird tingling in his fingers is more than his imagination now too. He's already dreading finding out what that's all about.

"Put your hand on my arm and I'll guide you."

He's close enough that he bumps Nezumi's elbow with his forearm so Nezumi knows right where he is.

"If you try anything, I still have enough senses to make you regret it."

He tries to wear the smooth, cold tone like a familiar glove, but Nezumi's scared. He'd long been taught that showing fear is admitting weakness, and so he can't just turn to someone who's barely more than a stranger and admit a fault in his normally perfect facade. He's never been without his sight before. How is he supposed to read a room?

Nezumi doesn't sigh. He doesn't even look fearful as he wraps his arm around Jule's elbow. He's taken this stance before, usually to charm this person or that. Never for this reason.

"We've already been over that whole thing. More than once. Unless you've got a hearing problem too, knock it off."

Jules keeps his usual irritated demeanor for the simple fact that he figures it will calm Nezumi a lot more than him being caring. Caring would probably be picked up as condescending. In this case there are benefits to being a jerk.

Senses hyper aware now, Jules keeps going. If anything bad were going to attack them, it would be now, when one of them is nearly incapacitated. Unless they're just waiting for Jules to be too... That tingle is moving up his arm after all.

"When you seem to listen to it, I'll stop saying it."

Jules shrugs off the warning, but Nezumi needs him to know he's entirely serious and entirely capable of killing someone. Normally. Now, if Jules attacks, there'd be trouble. Nezumi gets the feeling that he's capable enough that not even his impressive instincts would be enough to make up the difference.

"Tell me what's ahead."

'Don't make me be blind in my head, too.' Nezumi isn't going to openly admit his fear of being ignorant as well as blind, and so he keeps his voice strong and confident. A part of him even wants to grip the arm even tighter, but he won't let that happen.

"Yes, because I'm totally at fault for making you blind."

That's the only thing that Nezumi could be blaming Jules for causing. Not that Jules had anything to do with that either, but as usual that didn't matter. He always got blamed either way. Other than that moment, there's nothing Nezumi could be blaming him for in terms of "trying something" since Jules definitely hadn't tried anything against Nezumi.

"The same damn hallway you saw before the smoke."

There's a little bit of bitterness in his voice when he says that. Jules can't help it. He's long been tired of people blaming him for things he's never done. Of course his bitterness usually sounds like snotty aloofness that makes people think he's far too above them to care. That's what people expect to hear, so that's what they end up hearing.

"It's obvious what caused the blindness."

And Nezumi isn't going to blindly place blame, especially when the culprit is obvious. He only means that Jules is fond of casually brushing aside Nezumi's warnings.

"Unless you're suddenly capable of poisonous gas."

Which, admittedly, isn't impossible.

"I heard something move? The door didn't open?"

Nezumi brushes aside the bitterness. Those kinds of things don't bother him in the least.

"Not at the moment."

This place managed to suck all of those abilities dry, and the reminder is a kick in the gut. It's been a long time since he's felt so defenseless, and that's a feeling he has worked hard to never feel again.

"Sure. Just looks no different on the other side. Same hallway of nothing."

At least this time he isn't getting any bad feelings. For the moment. Jules certainly doesn't think that's going to last very long.

At the moment. Ah, how lovely. It's good to know that his 'partner' has such abilities. How comforting.

"Then keep going."

His steps are light, cautious. He makes a mental map in his head, using the last layout as a vantage point. Jules better be right about how identical it is.

"Tell me when something changes."

"My patience is changing pretty minsid fast."

Does Jules know that isn't what Nezumi is asking about? Of course. Is he being an ass on purpose? Also of course. That's the way Jules roles.

Other than that though, he didn't see anything different as they continued down the hall. No doorways or diverging halls. Not even a change in the stonework.

"If you see a monster, give me a chance to switch sides before attacking them."

God, Jules is an ass.

...

That's very...unlike Nezumi. He gets annoyed, he calls people out for what he considers to be stupid behavior, but he rarely blames anyone for negative behavior. He expects it, he looks for it, and therefore, it doesn't bother him. He must really be shaken to find his wall of nonchalance breaking.

At least her didn't voice the words.

"If the request was too hard to understand, I can try again with smaller words."

Jules works in the exact opposite way as Nezumi. Jules expects people to hate him because they always do. The problem is they hate him for no reason. In his mind, if they're going to hate him anyway then he might as well give them a reason to hate him. It hurts less inside that way.

"I'm sure whatever monster turns up will be kind enough to give you that oppor-"

Jules stiffens and whispers near silently.

"Dodge left."

He doesn't explain but simply moves and assumes Nezumi will follow him.
It's only once they've both moved that he continues.

"There's something ahead on the right. No idea what. Just a big shadow for now."

Some people hate Nezumi, but they usually find themselves afraid of him as well. Unlike Jules, however, he's created a persona for them to love. On the stage, when in dress and makeup, they love him. Or, they lust after him, but sometimes, the line is thin. Fear can rule a man, but if he thinks he's in love, that hold can be so much stronger.

Weapons come in many different forms.

He sees nothing. A curtain of darkness is his world. His ears try to compensate, but still figures make no noise. That leaves him completely dependent on Jules. Maybe he's trying to make Nezumi look stupid, but he can see no reason to lie otherwise. If he wanted him dead, Jules could do it himself.

So, he dodges.

"How big?" He listens. Nothing. "What can you make out from the shadow?"

"Bigger than me, which says something. Course it's also a shadow."

Depending on the light the shadow could be a hell of a lot bigger than whatever is actually causing it. Not that size truly means anything. His wife is a perfect example of that.

"It's dark," Jules returns incredibly dryly. "Can't see anything. My sight isn't what it should be."

"That must be very hard on you."

The sarcasm drips from Nezumi's words. He can't see either, though his darkness is more mysterious. What if it doesn't fade? This isn't how he wants to live his life. There are too many elements of the unknown.

"Go ahead. Stay quiet. We can't fight what neither of us can see."

"When you're relying on my for my eyes too? Doesn't exactly make my life peachy."

Jules wouldn't like it if it were just him. The fact that his lack of vision could get Nezumi into trouble too made it harder. He has let enough people down in his life.

As much as he hates approaching danger without knowing what to expect, he does as Nezumi asks, moving closer as slowly and carefully as he can. Coiled as a wound spring, he's ready to pull his dagger as soon as there's any indication of movement.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

December Event: No Rest for the Wicked

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