jk, it's fine, the stairs take you to the next level. you hear Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit! accompanied by running footsteps heading toward the landing you left, so changing course is not an option. better head to that next floor.
this floor is also square in nature, but it's wide, wide open, which makes sense as it seems to contain a wide range of activities for students to enjoy. a standing banner proclaims that you may Enter Here for the Skills Challenge which leads to the beginning of a labyrinth (EH???) of sectioned off areas, either empty or with some physical challenge within them. each has their own unmoving mannequin with a set of masks for a face. it's something like an indoor mini-golf course, for scien and sora who may know what the fuck that is.
the sections each have their own banner:
Rope Climb (1) Swim Test (1) Check Your Posture (1) Are You Ready? (3) ]
[well, as soon as they hear that 'shitshitshit' scien will just be turning to the other two and immediately:]
Run.
[they do not have time for thoughtful choices anymore. think fast or get caught by the unknown. absolutely obsessed with the 'are you ready' banner what does that even mean. scien is going to head for it because it might suggest that the three of them can stick together since that's better than getting separated in this illusion
i hope sora and nero branch off and leave his ass]
[Sora runs before Scien even finished saying that word, running down the stairs and very glad she's wearing an uniform instead of heels at a time like this.
When she reaches down at the sections, she slows down from the surprise]
...what...?
[She expected many things but this wasn't one of them]
I guess we have no choice now.
[And she delivers a tremendous kick onto Scien's back, throwing him facefirst into the Are You Ready section while she goes into the swimming test--okay, no, unfortunately she goes alongside him because staying together definitely is the right move here]
[ as the three youths approach the Are You Ready (3) section, the mannequins move. all of them, in tandem, twist their torsos and thus heads around to face the three naughty students. gentle whirring noises and their janky movements suggest these are, actually, automatons.
the one stationed at Are You Ready (3) drops its jaw. inside, gears are twisting and interlocking. a voice, as if through a phonograph, greets them. ]
Welcome, students! I am glad you wish to prove you are ready to proceed, but please complete the Sir Friendmore's Skills Challenge in....
[ a faint buzzing sound ]
............order! If you have any questions, I am here to. To. To. To. To. To. To help.
[ the automaton's jaw lifts. it does a rapid-change to a happier mask, giving all three of you a brief glimpse at the machinery spinning inside. then the happy jaw falls.
Is your posture sloppy? Do you find yourself drooping--
[ it flings itself to one side, then the other. ]
--or slouching?
[ whipping backward into a near backbend ]
It can be corr.............rrrrrrected!
[ at a snail's pace, it cranks itself into an upright position. you don't have to wait for it to finish. ]
[She was a thing with wings and levitation and also the Otherworld has no water so I really don't think literally anything in it knows how to swim, she included.
But looks like, with Nero not taking the swimming test, Sora is doomed to learning in a hurry, let's goooooo]
[ woo! scien, you brave, brave boy! the Check Your Posture section is one of the more barren set pieces. however, upon his approach, the automaton awakens. its jaw drops, as you might expect, before instructions are offered. ]
Stand straight. [ roll dex. ]
[ sora, as you approach the Swim Test the floor panels shift and then part to reveal several lanes of indoor pool (oo la la). the water, calm at first, rapidly churns in one direction. choppy as hell and it's impossible to tell how deep. the clockwork monstrosity guarding. this one waves. jaw drops. ]
For this swim chaall-enge, please complete four laps. [ roll str.... you may also refuse, baby, it's ok ]
[ nero, you surely have the most straight forward of the tasks available. this manne-friend(!) stands at the bottom of a rope that runs from the floor to the a hook in the ceiling. yeah. it's a rope climb all right. thingie's jaw drops and it says: ]
Student.................
Turn. Er. Please ring the bell. [ you can see a li'l silver bell at the top if you squint. roll str. ]
Whoa! You started the Skills Challenge? [ says someone from the vicinity of whence you came. but this is like, right after you finish your rolls for the skills challenge, then you may look over. ]
Why do you humans need to get in water like this. There's no point.
[And she jumps in, uniform and all.
What happens next is literally indescribable. I can't describe nor explain how she's managing to float in the water and propel herself. Sora just recalls how, generally speaking, humans swim, so she flails her limbs a manner emulating that and by sheer coincidence the way she does it turns out to be productive and fruitful. There she goes, swimming in the water, unable to focus on anything except """""swimming""""]
[ before scien can turn his head, the automaton rushes him and grapples the shrimp-backed young man, arms underneath his. he is forced to stand straight, his spine realigned. ]
A straight back is a friendly back!
[ there's not much that can be said other than sora is a natural talent. she belongs in the water. what's her species again? doesn't matter. may as well be fish. more over, sidon, new king of the ocean, etc. etc. what matters is she will finish the four laps successfully. hooray! once she has, the water goes still again. easy for her to exit. sora now has the status condition wet. ]
ConGRATULA-tions! You have passed the challenge! Yay! Yay! Yay!
[ as nero fails to fly and succeeds in smacking the hard flooring, he may reflect on why he made sora, who didn't know how to swim, swim. take -5 falling damage. ]
[what the ever loving fuck. he's never been this manhandled all his life. it probably cracks uncomfortably when he's forced to stand straight, but mostly he's hilariously befuddled at this. how far this god has fallen]
[Sora comes out of the pool, breathing heavily because she craves air. She's not meant to be amphibian, clearly enough, so after that she goes, sopping wet, to watch her comrades in misfortune tackle their own challenges.
You know what, since she's not busy right now suffering, she looks around. There had to be kind of a voice before, no? Any hint of who was it?]
[ Nero lays on the floor for a second longer and considers the fact he drowned last weekend.
With some effort (and with some ouchies) he begins to climb up the rope (15)! Maybe he got a better hold of it this time. Perhaps spite fuels him. (It's probably the spite.) ]
[ as quickly as he was accosted, scien is left bereft as the mannequin retakes its original position. ]
Let's try again!
[ sora, master of the ocean, has time to look around and see what stranger called out before. and it's an edgy tiefling teen, grey-skinned with short and choppy periwinkle hair. his spaded tail swishes behind him. the uniform he wears matches nero's and scien's. he wears slippers, no branded socks (rebellion?). after meeting her gaze, he waves, sheepish.
spite fuels nero like it does all queers. he makes it to the top of the rope where that itsy bitsy bell awaits. takes but a finger to make it ding, and then he may safely return to ground, sweet, ground. he is appropriately congratulated. ]
ConGRATULA-tions! You have passed the challenge! Yay! Yay! Yay!
[to SAVE US from ANOTHER 9, scien is just going to irritably NOT agree to this test (i'm so sorry sora and nero) because he's irritated at this mannequin for messing with his spine. he's moving to cross the distance between them with the purpose of an all too arrogant teenager]
Try this, you faulty piece of machinery.
[PLAY NICE (he won't)
he's truly going to try to dismantle it to force a pass (and if failure comes he will be forced to roll for dex again and maybe won't get another 9)]
[You should have swam, Scien, the dice say it's real easy to do even when you're a total beginner.
Seeing that tiefling, Sora decides to engage in conversation]
We did start them. So far it hasn't been worth it.
[This person doesn't seem familiar...perhaps to Nodd he would ring a bell? But oh well, Sora decides to watch out in case it seems there's danger of snitching. Don't be a narc, edgy tiefling, we're on the run]
Nero, whose social skills aren't great either, will leave Sora to the tiefling and go towards the banner that turned them away. Does it say the same sorts of things as the first time they approached? ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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If we go up, do you think there's a ladder to get back down?
[ He didn't take featherfall. If they want to keep all their limbs intact, doesn't it make the most sense to go down? ]
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jk, it's fine, the stairs take you to the next level. you hear Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit! accompanied by running footsteps heading toward the landing you left, so changing course is not an option. better head to that next floor.
this floor is also square in nature, but it's wide, wide open, which makes sense as it seems to contain a wide range of activities for students to enjoy. a standing banner proclaims that you may Enter Here for the Skills Challenge which leads to the beginning of a labyrinth (EH???) of sectioned off areas, either empty or with some physical challenge within them. each has their own unmoving mannequin with a set of masks for a face. it's something like an indoor mini-golf course, for scien and sora who may know what the fuck that is.
the sections each have their own banner:
Rope Climb (1)
Swim Test (1)
Check Your Posture (1)
Are You Ready? (3) ]
no subject
Run.
[they do not have time for thoughtful choices anymore. think fast or get caught by the unknown. absolutely obsessed with the 'are you ready' banner what does that even mean. scien is going to head for it because it might suggest that the three of them can stick together since that's better than getting separated in this illusion
i hope sora and nero branch off and leave his ass]
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When she reaches down at the sections, she slows down from the surprise]
...what...?
[She expected many things but this wasn't one of them]
I guess we have no choice now.
[And she delivers a tremendous kick onto Scien's back, throwing him facefirst into the Are You Ready section while she goes into the swimming test--okay, no, unfortunately she goes alongside him because staying together definitely is the right move here]
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He absolutely does not know what golf is, let alone mini golf. He simply refuses to use any brainpower on that right now.
Into "Are You Ready" whatever that could possibly mean.
Also he'd rather not be submerged for
Obvious reasons. ]
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the one stationed at Are You Ready (3) drops its jaw. inside, gears are twisting and interlocking. a voice, as if through a phonograph, greets them. ]
Welcome, students! I am glad you wish to prove you are ready to proceed, but please complete the Sir Friendmore's Skills Challenge in....
[ a faint buzzing sound ]
............order! If you have any questions, I am here to. To. To. To. To. To. To help.
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[it doesn't
but!! fine!! scien will look around then at the other challenges]
I suppose we're meant to do the others. Pick your poisons.
[time to split up gang]
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[You know what, let her just go to the mannequins and repeat that question, disgruntled]
Answer fast so we get this over with.
[They have pursuers on their metaphorical tails, mannequins! Please answer so we can decide better, yup]
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I'll do anything except the swimming test.
[ A little too fresh in his memory. ]
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Is your posture sloppy? Do you find yourself drooping--
[ it flings itself to one side, then the other. ]
--or slouching?
[ whipping backward into a near backbend ]
It can be corr.............rrrrrrected!
[ at a snail's pace, it cranks itself into an upright position. you don't have to wait for it to finish. ]
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[he's never tried to leave the island so he's not a big swimmer, sora you got this,
but he's heading off to his station oop]
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[She was a thing with wings and levitation and also the Otherworld has no water so I really don't think literally anything in it knows how to swim, she included.
But looks like, with Nero not taking the swimming test, Sora is doomed to learning in a hurry, let's goooooo]
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Try not to drown. It's not a good way to go. ]
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Stand straight. [ roll dex. ]
[ sora, as you approach the Swim Test the floor panels shift and then part to reveal several lanes of indoor pool (oo la la). the water, calm at first, rapidly churns in one direction. choppy as hell and it's impossible to tell how deep. the clockwork monstrosity guarding. this one waves. jaw drops. ]
For this swim chaall-enge, please complete four laps. [ roll str.... you may also refuse, baby, it's ok ]
[ nero, you surely have the most straight forward of the tasks available. this manne-friend(!) stands at the bottom of a rope that runs from the floor to the a hook in the ceiling. yeah. it's a rope climb all right. thingie's jaw drops and it says: ]
Student.................
Turn. Er. Please ring the bell. [ you can see a li'l silver bell at the top if you squint. roll str. ]
Whoa! You started the Skills Challenge? [ says someone from the vicinity of whence you came. but this is like, right after you finish your rolls for the skills challenge, then you may look over. ]
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[ 9!!!!! i realized belatedly how funny it is for scien to have the posture challenge when he's horizontal so often i hope he gets his ass kicked
but also who is talking, he's looking]
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Sora sees the churning water and just...sighs]
Why do you humans need to get in water like this. There's no point.
[And she jumps in, uniform and all.
What happens next is literally indescribable. I can't describe nor explain how she's managing to float in the water and propel herself. Sora just recalls how, generally speaking, humans swim, so she flails her limbs a manner emulating that and by sheer coincidence the way she does it turns out to be productive and fruitful. There she goes, swimming in the water, unable to focus on anything except """""swimming""""]
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Nero did not get any kind of solid hold on the rope before he fell from it, dropping straight onto his back.
Wizards don't raise their strength score.
Idiot. ]
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A straight back is a friendly back!
[ there's not much that can be said other than sora is a natural talent. she belongs in the water. what's her species again? doesn't matter. may as well be fish. more over, sidon, new king of the ocean, etc. etc. what matters is she will finish the four laps successfully. hooray! once she has, the water goes still again. easy for her to exit. sora now has the status condition wet. ]
ConGRATULA-tions! You have passed the challenge! Yay! Yay! Yay!
[ as nero fails to fly and succeeds in smacking the hard flooring, he may reflect on why he made sora, who didn't know how to swim, swim. take -5 falling damage. ]
You should try again! I believe in you!
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You know what, since she's not busy right now suffering, she looks around. There had to be kind of a voice before, no? Any hint of who was it?]
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With some effort (and with some ouchies) he begins to climb up the rope (15)! Maybe he got a better hold of it this time. Perhaps spite fuels him. (It's probably the spite.) ]
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Let's try again!
[ sora, master of the ocean, has time to look around and see what stranger called out before. and it's an edgy tiefling teen, grey-skinned with short and choppy periwinkle hair. his spaded tail swishes behind him. the uniform he wears matches nero's and scien's. he wears slippers, no branded socks (rebellion?). after meeting her gaze, he waves, sheepish.
spite fuels nero like it does all queers. he makes it to the top of the rope where that itsy bitsy bell awaits. takes but a finger to make it ding, and then he may safely return to ground, sweet, ground. he is appropriately congratulated. ]
ConGRATULA-tions! You have passed the challenge! Yay! Yay! Yay!
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Try this, you faulty piece of machinery.
[PLAY NICE (he won't)
he's truly going to try to dismantle it to force a pass (and if failure comes he will be forced to roll for dex again and maybe won't get another 9)]
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Seeing that tiefling, Sora decides to engage in conversation]
We did start them. So far it hasn't been worth it.
[This person doesn't seem familiar...perhaps to Nodd he would ring a bell? But oh well, Sora decides to watch out in case it seems there's danger of snitching. Don't be a narc, edgy tiefling, we're on the run]
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Nero, whose social skills aren't great either, will leave Sora to the tiefling and go towards the banner that turned them away. Does it say the same sorts of things as the first time they approached? ]
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