[ sipp single-handedly trying to make us dodge injury. he scrambles upright so he doesn't crush guy, but the second swipe leaves them dealing with The Goop.
he's going to make a str check to pin and hold this limb in place with his trident and prosthetic arm once it strikes at them. but he is really hesitant to do much more damage. sorry guys. ]
[ listen i wasn't going to use my 20 on seducing sister monster SORRY besides they probably have some cracked ribs from the impact or something. ]
[ but uh, unfortunately, it is true that the natural 20 can't save him now. very uncharacteristically, he actually freezes up. the weight of a pile of corpses is right, and it's crushing. ]
[ Actually, as Margaret raises her hand to try casting her spell - Hold Person - the monster's face flickers through a few -- No, that's an android, a brain slug, a clone, a cyborg, anguatunisian-- None of them a quite right until she is staring you down, looking disappointed. You would walk away from this Margaret? Everything you tried to build together?
And then Owner sinks his blade into her face and she screams.
Sidon can make a pretty successful attempt to hold down the limb - it's difficult, because it's thrashing wildly, covered in scars from thorns it ran through to try and escape, please, please let it choose its own story, it's own dream. But he holds it down. Keeps it in place.
Guy, you're suffering a lot. Maybe distracted enough you don't see the spiked tail swinging down to hit you again in this moment. But perhaps that was written in the Score all along. Guy Cecil: Killed by a dream.
N-N-N̴̡̨̮͓̰͇͔̬̗̱͔̭̆́̄̔̄́̐̔̓̒̿̂ͅƠ̴̧̡̡̛̭̲͓͍̫̪̱̞͕͈̫̺̜̳͎̜̪̯̦̳̩͕̲̘͈͖̞̲͙̜͚̦͉̮̟̠̩͒͊̽͐̉̆̉͗͛̉͗̋͆̈̒̏̐͒̈͐́̚͘͜͜͜͜͠͝V̷̨̨̡̫̖̦͔̣̹̞̘͕̠̝͖͙̗̮̹͍̻̜̣̞̜̑̅̊̎̾̒͑̂̋͌̓͑͂̏̎̿͑̏̑̍́̑́͜͠͝͝Ę̶̳̦̝͍̩̼̦̘̳̦̥͎͇͈̩̪̝̲̳͑͆͑̈́͛̎̃̇̓͐̽̉͋͑̍͆͂̅̋́̒̒͌̈́͒́̄̽͋́͋́̎̾̚͘̚̚̚̕̚̕̚͜͠ͅM̸̢̨̡̢̢̧̡͉̖̦̖̘̼͔̖͖̜̭̲͓͇͎̩̱̞̬̭̹͖͕̰̏̏̽̽͗̽̌͌̊̔̅̒͑͂̄̉̑̉͌͒̈́͊̏̾̚̕͜͜͠͝͝ has been inputted. Booting EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN PROTOCOL - Ple-Ple-PLEAS-E-E-EEEEE proceed to the CONTROL CENTER to OPEN THE Ç̷̰̉Ṟ̵͆͛Ȩ̶̀S̷̰͖̈́T̸͈͓̚ CONTAINMENT SHIELD. ]
[some of us don't have sisters so the monster has to turn into our bitch ex. well, guess what, she's mad at her! yes, she wants to walk away from it, god damn it! she doesn't want to be part of this bullshit! don't you have an art school party to attend or something?
owner is stabbing this thing, so she will try with a shaky hand to shoot it and make sure it stays down.]
[ the siblingless pair is probably better off. he really can't do this—he holds it down long enough that it doesn't interrupt margaret and owner, but beyond that, he lets go of the creature like it's scorched him.
he tries to wipe off the goo, looking for any way out that isn't fighting this creature. ]
We need to move!
[ where is this control center? he'll take a slash at the tail that's coming at guy but sipp can get however fucked up she wants ]
[ anyway, guy can get fucked up a little as a tweat to me bc i'm tired of him rolling 20s and looking cool. sidon slows it down, but he is definitely getting fuckin hit with a spiked tail and maybe impaled a little who knows ]
[ she shoots it and the plasma bolt goes through its eye and its suddenly Owner's face on the creature, looking ... happy, to be shot in this way. It sighs relief when the sword slices into its body. This could be over. Maybe that's the way out. If they all just were quiet, and laid down, they could all dream together here in this place and they wouldn't have to hurt one another. There doesn't have to be violence. But it understands - many fight against the future when it arrives, but inevitably it marches on.
Where is the control center. You're so tired now, tired of fighting, tired of all the struggle. It's probably somewhere high, where you could see the arena below - overlooking it all. But that seems like a lot of effort. ]
[ guy gets hit by the tail despite his efforts, but he sees this creature morph into owner, and he's suddenly wearied and finds it difficult to go help him. it's hard to do anything—he hadn't wanted to fight this beast anyway?
maybe they could just stop.
...but margaret speaks, and he blinks back to awareness, trying to lift her so they can go up to the panel together. guy and owner will have to distract this thing for now. ]
[ mission accepted. guy got impaled or some shit but he is staggering towards owner, his untailsmacked hand coming to rest on owner's shoulder this is the hand with the friendship bracelet. bitch i told you i'd get you ]
Hey, [ he says quietly, roughly. but he's staring at the creature too ] It's not.... [ he wants to say it's not real, but he's struggling a little bit ] It's.. not them. Not you.
[ it's tired. your dream. it sinks to lay down on the ground on its belly, the shattered remains of its prosthetic arm unable to hold its weight. it's curled around the orb in the center of the room - large enough to take up the entire space and bleeds stardust and ashes from the wounds on its face and sides, Owner's face watching his own in turn.
Then it blinks, and it's-- an android who wants to be more than an obedient computational system, a boy who you once thought you would kill and decided instead that love and friendship could be the answer, and a young man who, despite everything, you think could save the world if you believe strongly enough. It's you, at peace, watching the people you love live happily and free.
It's a blonde woman, strong and well-built, a smile brighter than the sun, and it's a dream of a happy family, two caring parents and three children, who are never hungry and never scared and always loved. It's a way forward, it's a tilted run-down house in Shady Creek Run, with all the lights burning softly in the windows, and it's someone who understands and then gets to stay by your side. Is this not what the dream is? Everything you thought you lost. Everything that the world has snatched from your hands. Everything the gods deemed you, a speck in the universe, unworthy for. You dragged it out of the aether and set it here, and now you will see it undone.
But, a voice, in all of your minds at once. `This work is incomplete. Unfinished. An early experiment and a failure. Please - Be rid of it.` and perhaps without meaning to, whoever is closest will feel compelled to take control of the chamber. ]
[well, i think sidon and margaret are both here together, so can they do it together? she doesn't want the dream to be here anymore. let her take control and get rid of it. she'll share, she will.]
[ right. they need to-- he looks around, spotting where margaret and sidon are, trying to ignore the creature that they brought here, but still not quite ale to look away from it. ]
[ he wants to go to this monster. his heart aches for it suddenly and wholly, watching it from above as it curls up like a creature waiting quietly for the end to come, defeated. it's almost worse than when it was fighting them tooth and nail, the way it sags in on itself, horrifying and tragic.
dreams into reality, that man had told him. this is what he'd meant.
but he and margaret are closest to the controls. he helps to hold her up so they can work, and he feels that compulsion, reaching out for the panel with her. his hand nearly shakes as he follows the impulse; he wants this dream. he doesn't want it to suffer. ]
[ It doesn’t move to stop anyone from going - it merely watches, red eyes careful and suspicious, dark horns curled at the side of its face. Maybe. Maybe if it had a chance to start anew, free of tragedy and pain, it would be something different. Something free. Death-obsessed, but free. But it’s not. It doesn’t fight anymore.
As they work to operate the panel it seems natural and intuitive - both their hands move in practiced sweeping motions along the controls hovering in the air, sending runes and circles spinning in familiar, mind-bending patterns. The ceiling showers dust as it creaks into life again, gold plating retreating and twisting and pulling out of the way. In the ceiling hands another portion of that beautiful, glowing blue Threshold Crest. It’s quick, at least - a roar of golden light and the creature screams again and just … melts.
A whisper: `The philosophers abandoned us. Took their whole Ward with them. Cognouza. Curse them. May they rot in—
Blood seeps into all the grooved channels along the floor, and flows into the orb, disappearing. Your dream, gone.
Victoron, from where its sitting goes: `W-W-W-Welcome. Do you need assistance?`
[she is tired. once control over the panel wanes, she slumps, leaning against sidon.]
Is it over?
[she's too tired right not even to remember why she was angry before. it feels like something took her over and filled her with so much, and it isn't as though she didn't want it, but the absence of that pressure is a relief. it hurts, when your dream dies in front of you, but it's such a relief, too.]
Are you all okay?
[she says this very quietly, not sure what to think. for a while she forgot why she trusted them, but now she's forgotten why she didn't, but it doesn't feel as though the source of that distrust is gone exactly.]
[ no. not really. but yes. there is an odd feeling of knowing that this dream was unobtainable, and he knows this, so its death should not be upsetting. why mourn something that never had a chance?
but he's so tired, and they should probably just rest, and then continue moving later. he sits down. ]
[ he doesn't bother lying, nothing was okay about that. the only thing that takes the edge off the sense of tragedy here is that he's so tired.
he holds margaret, mustering his strength to help drag the two of them to meet the rest of their party. their friends. he'd seen glimpses of their dream in this too—this shared, monstrous entity of theirs.
he musters a smile as they reunite. ]
...Good idea! We ought to rest.
[ sleep time. tomorrow will be better, even if their dream is dead. ]
[ wow we've swapped partners. guy sits down next to owner and gives margaret a little smile as if to wave off the concern. so much has happened... her acting strange seems like it was years ago. ]
I think we do, Victoron.... [ but he cannot remember the menu. oh well ]
... Yes, let's rest and recover. It's been a long day.
As you settle in for the night, you go through your new items. 10,000 gold, a lock pick set, and a spell scroll: Polymorph. And you have two pieces of a Threshold Crest. One more … one more step.
You realize, however, the night before no one had kept watch. You were so … distracted. With everything. But something - some creature or person - had come in the night. You have no food or supplies. You will have to go hungry. You killed your sweet little dream baby and your punishment is no dinner.
Since it is Nighttime you’ll get to pick TWO ACTIONS as a group: - Prepare yourselves. - Keep watch No need. You can see all that is coming. - Take care of Equipment Study the journ̷a̸l̴ (Learn.) - Study the j̵̨̧̦̻͓̤͔̭̺͔̙̜̠̓͒̄̇͝o̷͈͚͉̟̝̠̜̤̝̰͖͗̅̔̈͛̀̓̎́̿̽͊͘͜͝͝͠ư̶̬͔̎͛̉́̾̍̚̕r̵͖͈͙̙͚͉̅̆́̋̐̋̀̎͊ņ̵̳̜͇͚̳̟̥͔͚̘̤̾ͅͅà̸̧̛̰̝͙͌̒̓̋̊̀̀ͅļ̷̧̧̢̛̯̺͙͎̗̟͓̭͉̘͖̮̾̅̇̽̐̑̄̐̈́̇̑̚͝ (Learn.) ]
[well. once they rest, i figure she doesn't want anything to do with the journal, but after a while starts thinking about how they're already in this deep and there's a lot of danger ahead of them. maybe they need to learn more about the journal so they'll be prepared. what happened earlier was scary, though. she doesn't need to be the one responsible for the journal. we can study it together as a group and prepare for the next day. she's tired, anyway.]
Let's all look at it. I won't hold onto it myself anymore, we should just all know what we're dealing with.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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it makes him hesitate. and then he tries to stab again, a little harder. ]
I know.
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he's going to make a str check to pin and hold this limb in place with his trident and prosthetic arm once it strikes at them. but he is really hesitant to do much more damage. sorry guys. ]
Novem!
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[ but uh, unfortunately, it is true that the natural 20 can't save him now. very uncharacteristically, he actually freezes up. the weight of a pile of corpses is right, and it's crushing. ]
M... Mary....
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And then Owner sinks his blade into her face and she screams.
Sidon can make a pretty successful attempt to hold down the limb - it's difficult, because it's thrashing wildly, covered in scars from thorns it ran through to try and escape, please, please let it choose its own story, it's own dream. But he holds it down. Keeps it in place.
Guy, you're suffering a lot. Maybe distracted enough you don't see the spiked tail swinging down to hit you again in this moment. But perhaps that was written in the Score all along. Guy Cecil: Killed by a dream.
N-N-N̴̡̨̮͓̰͇͔̬̗̱͔̭̆́̄̔̄́̐̔̓̒̿̂ͅƠ̴̧̡̡̛̭̲͓͍̫̪̱̞͕͈̫̺̜̳͎̜̪̯̦̳̩͕̲̘͈͖̞̲͙̜͚̦͉̮̟̠̩͒͊̽͐̉̆̉͗͛̉͗̋͆̈̒̏̐͒̈͐́̚͘͜͜͜͜͠͝V̷̨̨̡̫̖̦͔̣̹̞̘͕̠̝͖͙̗̮̹͍̻̜̣̞̜̑̅̊̎̾̒͑̂̋͌̓͑͂̏̎̿͑̏̑̍́̑́͜͠͝͝Ę̶̳̦̝͍̩̼̦̘̳̦̥͎͇͈̩̪̝̲̳͑͆͑̈́͛̎̃̇̓͐̽̉͋͑̍͆͂̅̋́̒̒͌̈́͒́̄̽͋́͋́̎̾̚͘̚̚̚̕̚̕̚͜͠ͅM̸̢̨̡̢̢̧̡͉̖̦̖̘̼͔̖͖̜̭̲͓͇͎̩̱̞̬̭̹͖͕̰̏̏̽̽͗̽̌͌̊̔̅̒͑͂̄̉̑̉͌͒̈́͊̏̾̚̕͜͜͠͝͝ has been inputted. Booting EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN PROTOCOL - Ple-Ple-PLEAS-E-E-EEEEE proceed to the CONTROL CENTER to OPEN THE Ç̷̰̉Ṟ̵͆͛Ȩ̶̀S̷̰͖̈́T̸͈͓̚ CONTAINMENT SHIELD. ]
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owner is stabbing this thing, so she will try with a shaky hand to shoot it and make sure it stays down.]
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see, they still get along, their tag team. ]
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he tries to wipe off the goo, looking for any way out that isn't fighting this creature. ]
We need to move!
[ where is this control center? he'll take a slash at the tail that's coming at guy but sipp can get however fucked up she wants ]
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[ anyway, guy can get fucked up a little as a tweat to me bc i'm tired of him rolling 20s and looking cool. sidon slows it down, but he is definitely getting fuckin hit with a spiked tail and maybe impaled a little who knows ]
[ that's what he gets for having a sister ]
[ he'll be useful next turn, probably ]
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Where is the control center. You're so tired now, tired of fighting, tired of all the struggle. It's probably somewhere high, where you could see the arena below - overlooking it all. But that seems like a lot of effort. ]
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[her leg is broken but she will start trying to drag herself back up there but sidon is free to step over her body and get there first.]
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owner does not try this, because he just stares at the creature, transfixed. his blade stills in his hand. ]
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maybe they could just stop.
...but margaret speaks, and he blinks back to awareness, trying to lift her so they can go up to the panel together. guy and owner will have to distract this thing for now. ]
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Hey, [ he says quietly, roughly. but he's staring at the creature too ] It's not.... [ he wants to say it's not real, but he's struggling a little bit ] It's.. not them. Not you.
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Then it blinks, and it's-- an android who wants to be more than an obedient computational system, a boy who you once thought you would kill and decided instead that love and friendship could be the answer, and a young man who, despite everything, you think could save the world if you believe strongly enough. It's you, at peace, watching the people you love live happily and free.
It's a blonde woman, strong and well-built, a smile brighter than the sun, and it's a dream of a happy family, two caring parents and three children, who are never hungry and never scared and always loved. It's a way forward, it's a tilted run-down house in Shady Creek Run, with all the lights burning softly in the windows, and it's someone who understands and then gets to stay by your side. Is this not what the dream is? Everything you thought you lost. Everything that the world has snatched from your hands. Everything the gods deemed you, a speck in the universe, unworthy for. You dragged it out of the aether and set it here, and now you will see it undone.
But, a voice, in all of your minds at once. `This work is incomplete. Unfinished. An early experiment and a failure. Please - Be rid of it.` and perhaps without meaning to, whoever is closest will feel compelled to take control of the chamber. ]
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[ right. they need to-- he looks around, spotting where margaret and sidon are, trying to ignore the creature that they brought here, but still not quite ale to look away from it. ]
Guy, we should... go to the others.
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dreams into reality, that man had told him. this is what he'd meant.
but he and margaret are closest to the controls. he helps to hold her up so they can work, and he feels that compulsion, reaching out for the panel with her. his hand nearly shakes as he follows the impulse; he wants this dream. he doesn't want it to suffer. ]
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... You're right. Come on.
[ he will be walking a little slower, but he is walking ]
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As they work to operate the panel it seems natural and intuitive - both their hands move in practiced sweeping motions along the controls hovering in the air, sending runes and circles spinning in familiar, mind-bending patterns. The ceiling showers dust as it creaks into life again, gold plating retreating and twisting and pulling out of the way. In the ceiling hands another portion of that beautiful, glowing blue Threshold Crest. It’s quick, at least - a roar of golden light and the creature screams again and just … melts.
A whisper: `The philosophers abandoned us. Took their whole Ward with them. Cognouza. Curse them. May they rot in—
Blood seeps into all the grooved channels along the floor, and flows into the orb, disappearing. Your dream, gone.
Victoron, from where its sitting goes: `W-W-W-Welcome. Do you need assistance?`
God you’re tired. ]
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Is it over?
[she's too tired right not even to remember why she was angry before. it feels like something took her over and filled her with so much, and it isn't as though she didn't want it, but the absence of that pressure is a relief. it hurts, when your dream dies in front of you, but it's such a relief, too.]
Are you all okay?
[she says this very quietly, not sure what to think. for a while she forgot why she trusted them, but now she's forgotten why she didn't, but it doesn't feel as though the source of that distrust is gone exactly.]
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[ no. not really. but yes. there is an odd feeling of knowing that this dream was unobtainable, and he knows this, so its death should not be upsetting. why mourn something that never had a chance?
but he's so tired, and they should probably just rest, and then continue moving later. he sits down. ]
We should take a moment. We are injured.
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he holds margaret, mustering his strength to help drag the two of them to meet the rest of their party. their friends. he'd seen glimpses of their dream in this too—this shared, monstrous entity of theirs.
he musters a smile as they reunite. ]
...Good idea! We ought to rest.
[ sleep time. tomorrow will be better, even if their dream is dead. ]
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I think we do, Victoron.... [ but he cannot remember the menu. oh well ]
... Yes, let's rest and recover. It's been a long day.
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As you settle in for the night, you go through your new items. 10,000 gold, a lock pick set, and a spell scroll: Polymorph. And you have two pieces of a Threshold Crest. One more … one more step.
You realize, however, the night before no one had kept watch. You were so … distracted. With everything. But something - some creature or person - had come in the night. You have no food or supplies. You will have to go hungry. You killed your sweet little dream baby and your punishment is no dinner.
Since it is Nighttime you’ll get to pick TWO ACTIONS as a group:
- Prepare yourselves.
-
Keep watchNo need. You can see all that is coming.-
Take care of EquipmentStudy the journ̷a̸l̴ (Learn.)- Study the j̵̨̧̦̻͓̤͔̭̺͔̙̜̠̓͒̄̇͝o̷͈͚͉̟̝̠̜̤̝̰͖͗̅̔̈͛̀̓̎́̿̽͊͘͜͝͝͠ư̶̬͔̎͛̉́̾̍̚̕r̵͖͈͙̙͚͉̅̆́̋̐̋̀̎͊ņ̵̳̜͇͚̳̟̥͔͚̘̤̾ͅͅà̸̧̛̰̝͙͌̒̓̋̊̀̀ͅļ̷̧̧̢̛̯̺͙͎̗̟͓̭͉̘͖̮̾̅̇̽̐̑̄̐̈́̇̑̚͝ (Learn.) ]
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Let's all look at it. I won't hold onto it myself anymore, we should just all know what we're dealing with.
[study journal.]
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DAY 3
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