bravenewworld | Descent into Darkness

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.]

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Morgiana stalked through the caves as the voice of a man taunted her in a mocking voice.

You'll never be free of me, Mor~gi~a~na. I spent good money to have my very own Fanalis, you know.

"You don't own me."

Oh but I do, servitor. It's all nice and legal. The chains I made will NEVER leave you.

"No chain can bind me. The chain you used is in a box under my bed, where I can check on it whenever I want, to make sure it's still broken."

That paltry thing? It was just a symbol of ownership. It was never meant to hold you. I'm talking about the chains in your heart. In your head.

At this point the voice actually had a face, as a leering man emerged from the shadows. He looked Gigan.

I can't wait for you to come back and be mine again.

"SHUT UP!"

Her temper snapping, Morgiana threw a punch at his stupid smug face. Naturally, her fist went right through the phantom, shattering a wall into a pile of fragments and shaking the whole area. The force of her punch had the whole cave groaning ominously. Fortunately there wasn't a cave-in, but it was definitely a believable outcome if she kept throwing punches like that.

Morgiana stood still, fists balled tightly, breathing heavily, and shaking slightly as she tried to calm back down. It wasn't clear if she was shaking from rage or panic. The voice laughed as it faded into the darkness once again, taunting and echoing.

Edited 2015-07-20 01:14 (UTC)

[It didn't take Chie long to figure out that there was something wrong with these caves. Something deeply wrong. And she knew that Morgiana was interested in exploring them, so as time went on she found herself increasingly worried about her girlfriend. She had her own worries and fears, naturally, but for the moment she's pushing them to the back of her mind - she needs to know that Morgiana is okay.]

Morgiana!

[The sheer impact and sound of her punch is what ultimately draws Chie to Morgiana's location, running as fast as she can. At first she's worried that there might be a cave-in, but when she catches up, she sees a hole in the wall and a very shaken Morgiana. Balling up her own fists in frustration for a moment, Chie takes a deep breath and slowly walks up next to her.]

Hey...

Morgiana looked up in surprise at the sound of a voice, but relaxed when she saw who it was. "Hey."

"Did you...see that?" Her voice was thick with held back emotion.

[Chie shakes her head. She only caught the tail end, but the argument was pretty loud by then.]

I heard someone else's voice... were you fighting with someone?

"I think I must be crazy. I saw a man, but..."

She shook her head violently, trying to clear her head. "No, it couldn't have been him. He died in the cave-in. He HAD to have died."

...Who was it?

[Chie keeps her voice as soft as she can, lifting a hand to place it on Morgiana's shoulder to try to keep her steady.]

"Jamil."

Shudder.

"He bought my contract as a servitor when I was little. He was...a bad person."

[Chie had already known about Morgiana's history before coming to Union, but suddenly having a name to attach to the source of her suffering causes her to tense angrily for a moment. If she had been here to see his specter, she might have tried to beat the shit out of him too.]

Jamil...

[She very nearly spits the man's name as she repeats it. Morgiana is the strongest person she knows, and nothing will ever change that view in Chie's eyes, but it's obvious that he's had an effect on her. That he's still having an effect on her.]

He's the one you escaped from when you came to Union, right?

[Obvious, perhaps, but she wants to give the other girl a chance to unpack this a bit if she wants to.]

"Yes."

She sniffed, then wiped her eyes. "I still have nightmares about what he did to me. What he said. Some days I'm half afraid I'll wake up to find this last year has just been a dream and I'm still locked up in a dungeon somewhere."

[That little sniffle just about breaks Chie's heart, to see how much she's hurting. Of course she's seen some of the scars and calluses - they've been living together for a few months by now, after all, even if she's been careful about physical boundaries.]

Yeah... I don't blame you.

[It's hard to know exactly what to say. Morgiana has been through things that Chie can't even imagine if she tried, and she's finding herself briefly at a loss for words. She compensates a bit by gently squeezing her shoulder.]

But it's not a dream. You're really here, and I'm here with you. And Sinbad, and everybody else too. If that jerk ever shows up asking for you, we'll all kick his ass.

Morgiana hugged Chie tightly, saying only, "I know."

Eventually she let go, but still held both of Chie's hands in her own. "He can't hurt me any more. I have so many good friends here. I have you. Just knowing you're on my side is enough."

[Chie is all too happy to return that hug just as tightly, holding Morgiana's hands for as long as she wants to.]

I'm always on your side.

[She gives her hands a little squeeze, smiling somewhat shyly.]

And if you ever have a nightmare, come wake me up. I'll sit up with you until you can fall back asleep. I don't mind at all. I want to be there for you.

Morgiana nodded silently, but happily. Her eyes shone with tears of a different kind entirely than they had just a moment ago.

[Chie smiles, tearing up a little herself as she leans in to give Morgiana another tight hug.]

Come on... let's go home.

"We can't go, not yet."

Her face fell. She didn't looks sad, just...serious.

"There's something strange in these caves that is causing this, and we still don't know what it is. I want to explore a bit more."

I'm with you all the way, then.

Onwards and inwards! The two of them continued on, hand in hand, into the depths. Phantom Jamil made another appearance or two, but Morgiana paid him no further mind beyond giving Chie's hand a little squeeze.

Descent into Darkness

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