bravenewworld | The Labyrinth of the New Moon

Entry tags:

!plot

The Labyrinth of the New Moon

Most of Union was familiar now with the second world that had so abruptly inserted itself into their lives. They called it the Dream World: a place where fiction became more real than reality and where the imagination knew no bounds. If it weren't quite so intrusive, some might even find it an amusing place to visit - there were secrets to be uncovered here, surely, where the mental barriers of friends and enemies were relaxed, and powers to be taken advantage of. Who wouldn't want to host a pool party every night?

For a week, the people of Union continue to pop in and out of the Dream World until most have grown tired of the seemingly random nature of the disappearances. Low mutterings and disgruntled complaints begin to spread throughout the city, but it seems as if no one truly knows how to stop it. Giant fans to disperse the fog are suggested facetiously once, and a number of Fan Rotoms are seen working hard the next day... But such efforts amount to nothing.

On the night of the seventh day, something changes.

Those who pop into the Dream World tonight will realize immediately - the landscape has changed. Dream mists still swirl and eddy at random intervals, but the Neutral Spaces have grown dark and shadowed. There's no ominous feeling of danger, but rather... alertness. The sense that something unusual is about to happen.

Up in the sky, a shadowed moon gleams with a faint luster. A new moon. ...This is impossible, of course, but then, many things are impossible in this world. And no matter where you head, it seems as if each step takes you closer to that black moon, a gaping maw in the twilit sky... Step forward, retreat backwards, close your eyes and flee. It matters not. One more step and it has devoured you whole.

There is the sensation of falling, of spinning, of coming to an abrupt halt without feeling an impact. But when you open your eyes, you are not alone. Two or three others you may recognize are with you, and a long corridor stretches out before your group with doors dotting each side as far as the eye can see.

Welcome to the Labyrinth of the New Moon.

[OOC: All plot logs for people in the Dream World will occur here. Please make the first post with all the names of the people in your group in the subject line so people know where to post. Mod responses will come about once every 24 hours as long as at least one person has posted.

The group listings are here. We will not be running randomizers anymore, but you may still sign up with a full group of at least three if you can find one and tag in. Keep in mind though that the log may not be finished depending on when it is posted. You may also hop in an existing group as long as all existing group members give permission and the group is not full.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Going back and forth from the waking world to the dream world was starting to get really annoying. Even more so because Usagi hasn't had a good night's rest in over a week. She's been hopping in and out of others' dreams or hers have been unceremoniously walked in on...

When she first finds herself back in that foggy place of a dream world, her first immediate thought is to almost start whining, but, she's not in the forested area like she normally is when she gets here.. nor does she feel like she's alone in this place.

So, she looks around to see who or what is here with her on the off chance it's people she knows. ]

[The first person Usagi will see is one of the more familiar faces. It's Rei, trotting up on Casius' back. The little Growlithe had evolved the week prior, practically gobbling up the Fire Stone. And now he was bigger than a Rapidash at least, and nearly as fast.]

Usagi-chan.

[There were a lot of reasons Eiji wasn't too pleased with the past week- thought he had to grudgingly admit that some good did come of it. His control over his typing was better- not great- but better.]

[Eiji isn't far from the others when he wakes up. He grumbles running a hand through his hair and sits up. This knocks Hina off of him, who was sleeping on his chest, and she flutters off in a flurry of grumpy feathers.]

Eh?

[So that weird new moon thing wasn't some kind of dream?]

Looks like someone wants something from us.

[ And here's Haruka, walking out of the shadows back towards her group. Who all...oh, it's Rei and the face she was wearing a few weeks ago. That must make this guy her relative. Convenient.

A lot more convenient than...well. Nothing Haruka can do about how they've ended up divided, and she has more pressing matters on her mind right now than rehashing her argument with Usagi.

Haruka stares down the hall as if glaring at it will solve this. Something's finally made its move. About time. ] The stillness is suffocating.

[Suffocating is a good word to describe this place. 'Oppressive' is also apt. Their voices echo down the corridor, and there is a vague sense that this is not a place where anyone is meant to stay. The suffocating atmosphere will drive them to motion before too long... This is a place of in-betweens and passing-throughs, the layover in the middle of journeys.]

[ That anxious knot that had tightened in Usagi shoulders loosens up considerably when she sees Rei and Casius come up from the darkness. She's about to drift in her direction when she hears two other voices, Rei's cousin Eiji, and Haruka respectively.

Having Haruka there makes her a little nervous, mainly because she, too, didn't want to argue with her, So, she tries her best to keep her cool. Try being the keyword. ]

I don't think I want to be here if they decide to cash out on whatever they want.

[ Which means that everyone's got to but up and ready to go, so Usagi's just going to walk on over to where Eiji is sitting and hold out a hand in case he needs it. ]

Do you need help? We should really be getting out of here.

[Rei's most immediate concern is Eiji, since Haruka is...well...Haruka. And Usagi seems to be herself, if a little more awkward. Her senses pick up on something, but now's not the time.

So, first things first, she walks over to her cousin, joining.]

Are you okay, Eiji? And you, Hina?

[To Haruka, though, she nods.]

Who do you think it is, Haruka-san?

['It' is apparently a fan of old, medieval castles, since they seem to be standing in one. It is also not apparently a fan of dawdling, as a door behind Usagi begins to shake slightly.]

We-

[ ...."shouldn't jump to conclusions" might be how that was supposed to end, or something with that gist in more foreboding terms, but the wiggling door puts a stop to that. Mouth snapping shut abruptly, Haruka turns to face the door, sinking into a "ready" stance. In a situation like this, you head down the hallway, right?

But there might be obstacles along the way. ] Who's there?!

[ She's not about to open the door herself, that would be silly.

....why is Usagi the closest person to it. ]

[Hina swoops back down to land on Eiji's shoulder and peck at him. He's so used to it that he doesn't even react. Instead he smiles sheepishly at Usagi and takes her hand. He nods to Rei.]

We're fine. Mostly startled, I think.

[Okay, the door wiggling is. Something. Hina fluffs up and Eiji just kind of stares.]

Ah...

[ Usagi's about to open her mouth and do proper introductions, mainly because that's the right thing to do, but the wiggling door that's right behind her startles her with a short yelp.

Still, she's made sure that Eiji's up and okay before she hesitantly looks to everyone after that little door stunt.

Well, they probably should, because random place in the dream world that's making itself really obvious? ... Hey, it'd be something she'd do. So, Usagi just slowly makes her way to the door so she can open it... ]

[Oh...that...is really weird.

Rei blinks, and just sort of glares at the door. Do you mind, Dream?]

Get away from it!

[ Haruka doesn't think to actually knock Usagi out of the way, though. She just yells at her.

Because that's worked so well in the past. ]

[ It worked in that Lava Lake shrine, didn't it? So, when Usagi hears Haruka yelling at her, she freezes just as she's about to turn the knob on the door. ]

W-well, what are we supposed to do then? [ She wants to whine and pout, and she's on the precipice of doing so, but she doesn't. It's okay, Usagi. You can do it. You can be a strong woman who ain't afraid of no ~~ghosts~~ shaking door! ]

If there's no other way out, then we have to open the door anyway!

[ Because, she's not seeing any other options, so, the most logical thing to do is to take what they've got and roll with it... ]

....

[ Except now she's too scared to turn the knob. One step forward, two steps back. You tried, Usagi. ]

[Don't worry, Usagi! You won't have to!

Even as she stares at the door, the shaking increases - in one swift motion, the door swings open, the labyrinth tilts 90 degrees, and all of them tumble down to the ground... which is now the gaping maw of the open door.

Bon voyage!

Eiji will come to first. Not that this is really a good thing. He is tied to a post jutting out from the center of a lake... A lake filled with what are clearly hungry Sharpedo. Around him, three long wooden pathways stretch out, about a quarter-mile long - at the ends of each of these pathways, Usagi, Rei, and Haruka appear out of thin air.

Clearly, they just need to run the quarter-mile to rescue him, right?

In the moment it takes them to think this, the three quarter-mile boardwalks ripple and spit out an obstacle course filled with swinging blades, pits of spikes, and long falls into Sharpedo-infested waters.

A giant timer hangs in midair flashing 5:00.]

Edited 2014-10-28 04:51 (UTC)

[Saying this was a rude awakening was a bit of an understatement. Eiji wakes up to the uncomfortable feeling of rope biting into his skin. It takes him a few moments of staring blankly at the environment around him to really register what's going on.]

[And even then he's not even sure.]

[So he shouts in alarm and looks around. What???? What is going on???]

[Yeah Hina is having a fit. She's flying around him trying to peck at the rope.]

[Rei sees this and blinks, surprise being her initial reaction. This is definitely not what she'd expected, and it's damn weird!]

What?!

[And on reflex, she starts forward, hurrying to try and reach her cousin. Tapping her warp band, she calls up Phobos.]

We have to help him!

[ The moment she sees that timer, Haruka is on her way as well: Harsh! Saint Cry!! the Honchkrow is her Pokémon du jour, flying ahead and testing his maneuverability against the obstacles. She doubts he'll be able to free Eiji, but every little bit helps.

Haruka, however, is fresh on his heels. The booby traps don't make her flinch. This is some kind of sick game and the only way out is to play. She'll use every bit of agility - and, if necessary, Agility - at her disposal to do so.

What is this but one huge, intense Rhyhorn racetrack, after all? ]

Huh? What? [ When Usagi comes to, she's a little disoriented. But, when she finally gets her bearings straight, there is nothing short of absolute and loud shock in the form of a yelp once both the traps and the timers pop up. ]

What kind of crazy place is this?!? [ Regardless, Usagi starts running towards their goal of one Eiji. She's keeping up the pace as best she can (probably due to always being late to school. Who knew?) She blinks when she notices Haruka off in the distance with her Murkrow, Rei with Deimos. As she dodges a swinging sword that almost takes off half of her hair tail, she taps her warp band and calls out Lucky the Talonflame.

It appears with a loud caw and glances to her human. ]

Go, Lucky! Get to the others and try and get Rei-chan's cousin out!

[ Lucky nods before zipping through the air to meet up with the other aviary pokemon to help as best she can as Usagi just tries not to get herself chopped to bits or turned into Sharpedo food... ]

[As the bird Pokemon flap towards the prisoner, steel traps drop out of the sky to encage each of them in turn.

The timer flashes momentarily to show the words INTERFERENCE PENALTY and then -1.00.

The clock now reads 4.00 as it rapidly begins to tick down.

After the generic sort of swinging blades and rotating platforms, Obstacle Number 1 for each Sailor Senshi is a climbing wall. At periodic intervals, jets of fire incinerate a path. A few of the rocks are fake and detach the moment any weight is put on them.

In the meantime, Eiji is not without entertainment as his left hand suddenly jerks free. A blinking sign hangs in front of him with several options - it may be hard to tell what's going on at first, but it will soon become apparent that he can add numbers to the timer... at great risk to the three girls. 10 seconds means the jets of fire will go off twice as fast, 30 seconds means that sections of the climbing wall will begin to detach, and 1 minute is marked with a great big ?????.

He also has the option to drop one of the Senshi into the pool in return for his immediate release.]

Hina! [OH HELL NO DID YOU JUST CAGE HIS BIRD? And also all the other birds too, wow RUDE.]

[Interference penalty....oh. Eiji might have audibly gulped. He looked ahead as the others fought their way towards him and then dropped his gaze to Hina trapped int the cage. She's still fighting to get free with a tenacity but to no avail.]

[He's startled as the sign is dropped in front of him. It takes him a few moments to figure out what's going on- but he gets it and when he does, his brows knit and his expression darkens. Really? There's no way.]

[He would have faith in his cousin and her friends, he wouldn't dare put them in further danger just to buy him some more time. That was preposterous.]

[Rei grits her teeth and keeps moving. She isn't Haruka, but since her evolution she's had very little trouble with acrobatics of any kind. An Agility to speed her along helps, and she's nimbly climbing and dodging and ducking like any of the Sailor Senshi. Or...a pretty athletic psychic type.]

Just...just hang on!

Edited 2014-10-29 11:59 (UTC)

Krow! Krow! [ Hey, what gives?! Harsh! Saint Cry!! beats his wings against the cage, which ultimately serves no purpose whatsoever. Haruka clicks her tongue against the back of her teeth but motors forward. She'll retrieve her Pokémon somehow after Eiji's in the clear.

Reaching the climbing wall, she bypasses the first few lines of handholds by jumping as high as she can, using Gust on the ground to give herself an extra boost. Which handholds are safe, which -

She narrowly misses burning her foot as a jet of flame roars to life, but there isn't room in her mind for fear - just dispassionately tackling the obstacle. Okay. Almost there.

Dare she risk a look to see how the others are faring? ]

[ It's probably better not to see how Usagi is faring at least. She's finally reached the bottom of the climbing wall, and staring up at it nervously, watching as jets of fire appear almost out of nowhere to make her way up even more difficult. Look, she was never good at climbing either and this is just making it even worse!

Still, she doesn't dawdle too much because now Lucky is in trouble and the moon rabbit can't just leave it like that! So up she goes, after she ties up her hair real fast so it doesn't inevitably get singed from the flames. Fumbling with getting a good grip at first, but making a bit of head way once she gets used to it, Usagi finally gets to the first stream of flames... winces once when it almost cooks the top of her head, and then bolts upwards once the flames die down.

Oh! Hey! She did it! Yay!

... now to get up the rest of the way. OTL. ]

[The screen will fade from Eiji's sight once all three Senshi have made it about halfway up. Haruka scales the wall the most quickly with her Flying techniques though a jet of flame may singe her as she goes, followed by the Fire-type Rei.

Usagi.....

Well, at least she's not dead yet! The ends of her hair might be smoldering, though.

Let's leave Usagi for the moment and look forward. There's another long path of swinging blades before Obstacle Number 2: a crawling course. A long length of barbed wire is strung close to the ground, requiring the girls to get down and crawl along a staked out path. As with the wall, at periodic intervals on certain sections, spikes will erupt from the ground.

As Haruka reaches the crawl pit, the timer reads 2:49. There is one more obstacle to go after this.]

Rei, Usagi, Eiji, Haruka

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject