Descent into Darkness

[bravenewmods]

As the characters arrive, they will find what appears to be a rather deep cavern. Upon entering, the caverns are quite narrow, with twists and turns everywhere and different tunnels that all seem to be interconnected. As characters travel deeper within the caverns, reality around them will start to warp, they will start to see and hear things that aren’t necessarily there - images of old enemies, past failures, voices of condemnation, visions that strike at the soul and core of the characters. Once this begins, it will only increase in power and volume, demanding it be confronted, lest they be trapped within these caves forever.

[OOC: This event will run for a week. All characters who enter the caves will be subject to some of their deepest fears, darkest demons, and most abject failures. To overcome them, characters must help each other out, finding their purpose through strength of character and resolve to move forward. In general, these visions should require characters to come to grips with themselves. Illusory images and voices can and will appear and can take any number of forms, depending on what is most appropriate to a character. Additionally, characters may thread with each other and are encouraged to help each other out to overcome these personal demons. For those who wish to take part, they are able and encouraged to narrate their own personal demons, which will be on display for everyone who enters their thread. IC threads may be made in this post.]

Comments

[lunchleader]

--Ohhhhh. Oh, man; I'm so sorry. I didn't know that you lost your family...

[His condolences were as honest as they were immediate.]

...but is it really that expensive, attending that academy? I know there's Brentwood Academy for all the noble kids and young eggheads back home, but I don't think they're that expensive...

[actsmagnificent]

[ Nope. Nothing gets through. Except laughter. Something sounds like it's laughing at Right, except sound (aside from their voices) is being swallowed by the bleakness of their landscape. So what's with that?

The laughter may very well even cut into Right's Imagined vista. ] {{ Pretty dreams. Have you told him what you're leading him into? }}

[ Now Haruka reacts, looking around on the offchance the "speaker" will show itself. ] Who's there?

[ World Shaking jerks his head up too. Trainer. That weird sound in his head...it kind of sounded like Trainer. ]

[echoingmelody]

I guess.

[She's not too sure on that, but she might as well keep going, right?]

[lunchleader]

Eh? Told me what? Who is that? [Right looks to Haruka first before he, too, starts looking around for the source of that new voice.

Soft Steel also looks around, seeking any aura signatures beyond those around him. Having that half-mile range can be very helpful in this kind of situation.]

[ladyofluminosity]

[ Lux looks down, giving this idea a bit of thought. ]

If you think I can...

And if he tries to bring me back here? What should I do?

[actsmagnificent]

Or intimidation. [ Which is much the same thing. She and Rise appear to be seeing the same visions, though, so they've either really been taken here - this is the actual future - or something's strong enough to make them both picture the same things where there should be a cave. Haruka doesn't like either of those options. ]

Can you sense anything?

[ Every Psychic-type's abilities work differently, so really, anything beyond what they can see would be good. Even though there's just silence all around them. The only Pokémon around are the ones the two Divine Defense Force members have brought with them. ]

[untalented]

It's been a few years, now; don't worry about it.

[At least they passed from an illness, and at least it was relatively quick. He was grateful for that much.

He shrugged, and cast Right a weary look.]

I think half of the price is so they can weed out people like me. They prefer to keep their friends close, enemies closer, and anyone else is a potential liability for....whatever it is they do in those towers.

[indy_wannabe]

What's in it for me?

[faithfulflame]

But, is it really the way you want to do that? Shouldn't you be...maybe inspiring faith in your own way? Rather than living the way someone else did ages ago?

[She may have some serious personal insight here...]

[ladyofluminosity]

[ Right... There was that. ]

Ah...

[ What should one do in a situation like this? She had never hired an explorer before, and she hoped that maybe this would be much easier than it was. Was there something she could give him...

Lux looked around the room for something, anything, that she could exchange. Then it hit her. ]

You know who I am, right?

[steelbeowulf]

EXCELLEN!

[The black figures are pulling him away from her body]

[indy_wannabe]

Nope!

[actsmagnificent]

Right. [ Haruka climbs onto Rushing Wind's back and directs the Pidgeot up. First, she wants to see whether they'll hit the ceiling; second, she wants a look at the vista for herself. If it's a perfect cage, how will they break it? She doesn't like the idea of exhausting themselves by pounding away fruitlessly at fake scenery.

World Shaking, for his part, just wanders over to some wreckage and pokes it with its drill. Pieces crumble off, but everything seems intact otherwise... ]

[leadingspirit]

[Taki takes a small step back from him to let him stand, bracing his hands on his hips.]

I'm about 90% sure that's something that most people down here have thought.

[platinumlucifer]

[ Had he called her name back then? She was likely too far gone to really remember. It was eerie, watching herself like that, and it made her feel ill just standing there.

Taking a few steps forward, stepping through the shadowy figures, grabbed him from behind, drawing in close. He blocked her vision. That was her story, and she'd stick to it. ]

Kyosuke, it's okay. I'm right here.

[ Her voice didn't sound like it was okay, and she was shaking like a leaf on a tree, but if asked it was because she was gripping him hard enough to get his attention.

Not for fear of what she saw there. ]

[sparkofgenius]

"Grown...up."

Lucca closes her eyes and nods. Her voice still has that odd quality, and she steps forward, reaching out. Her hand clenches once. Twice.

"I've...I've always wanted a chance to fix this."

And then she puts in the commands.

L-A-R-A

The sounds of the machine begin to slow, to die, and finally it grinds to a halt. Lucca slumps forward on the console, her younger self vanishing as she does. Her breathing relaxes a bit, becoming more steady.

"If I could, I'd turn back time just to do this."

[leadingspirit]

[Quirks his mouth, and advances on him, tapping a knuckle against the wall.]

Nah, pretty sure those are the walls. 'Cause Takeshi knows better than to think stuff like that.

[He meets the Enhanced's eyes, smiling in a way that isn't quite apologetic, but isn't just a smile, either.]

Right?

[ladyofluminosity]

[ She really should have figured. ]

Luxanna Aegle Crownguard, daughter of Aldert and Lilia Crownguard.

[ She didn't even need to look at his likely vacant expression to know that that meant absolutely nothing to him. Lux continued. ]

My family is directly descended from the Savior, which affords us certain luxuries that someone such as yourself may not have. Someone as smart as you claim to be should be able to understand what that might mean for you, should you help me.

Re: Open

[conquerorofwaves]

"Me."

That was all it said, and the presence vanished - leaving Sinbad trembling with anger. "You're not me, so don't try to lie." he growls in the back of his throat.

"Lies? Truth? Who cares? It's what you get in the end that matters, right boys?"

His tail thumped against the ground.

are you really

[expertonshutters]

[Yeah, he's not really keen on this himself. He's also pretty horrified that Right is seeing this at all. This was no doubt a pretty clear hint at what he really was, and he didn't want most people to know about what Gigas did to him.]

[Still, even as Right is saying that, Hayato is trying to fight the control the best he can. His movements are jerky and halted. He's trying.]

I'm not-! [He doesn't want to be this weapon.]

Right, get out of here. I can't fight it!

[morituri_nolumus_mori]

ALL LIVES ARE OF INTEREST TO ME. The figure said, but it did not step closer.

"Well, mine isn't interesting," Rincewind replied, so utterly petrified with terror that he'd somehow gained a temporary backbone. "If it's all the same to you, we'd rather not die today. Plenty of other people out there, taking risks. Being interesting and getting themselves killed. Go, er, bother them."

His false bravado was already slipping, but Waver was helping. His presence dulled the sharp stabs of doubt emanating from the other things. It cushioned their stabbing remarks. It helped him focus.

Open

[untalented]

As suspected, the answer was less satisfactory than he had wished for. Huffing in agitation, Waver cast a glance back at the trembling Sinbad. Although they didn't know eachother well, that level of anger unlike anything he had imagined to see in his fellow traveller's eyes.

"...And what are you aiming to get, if the truth doesn't even matter to you?" He crossed his arms, casting a withering glance out into the darkness. If nothing else, egging their antagonist on with some pointed words might get them a few clues about how to proceed.

[rainsrespite]

"Well, I should think it obvious. It was Gigas, of course. Who else would bother?" The shade's answer comes with a sigh, one hand going to her hip and her jaw jutting out petulantly like she just couldn't believe it.

"Gigas? What the hell are you talking about?"

The double moves forward with an almost liquid grace, flowing across the concrete till she's inches from the real Yuuna's face, one fist held up and suddenly crackling with electrical energy.

"I'm saying, halfwit, that your future? Is as an experiment."

And that? Prompts an already unsteady Yuuna to fall back flat on her behind, eyes completely wide...

"What?!"

[incousinswithyou]

[Heatran doesn't seem to feel the Psychic attacks, but at least the Surf and the Bonemerang seem to have an effect. It flinches and roars again, but this time, the roar turns into Metal Sound. Rapidash whinnies, ears flat against her skull in an attempt to block out the sound. Michiru's other Pokemon aren't doing much better, though her Vaporeon seems incensed enough by the noise to retaliate with another Hydro Pump.

Michiru grits her teeth and finally sends forth a Brine attack to follow up on that Surf. It's weaker than it was in real life.]

[expertonshutters]

If you don't- [And that's where Taki grabs him.]

What's going to stop me from killing you!?

[And that might be an improvised throw.]