bravenewworld | Descent into Darkness

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There's nothing wrong with having your eyes on the prize, but don't let that blinker you, or you won't even know if you've been led astray. [ Tendou taps the broken pillar behind him with a knuckle. ]

This is the second, possibly the third time we've passed this. If you don't believe me, keep running, I'll be waiting.

[ It was a strange phenomena, but this entire cave was a strange phenomena. In the first place, how could a cave fit the entirety of a ruined Union City within it? It simply made no sense mathematically, so of course it was always possible that they were running on the spot. Tendou had not thought of that at first, but now it seemed obvious. ]

The fleeing shadow was a trap? [ That's not difficult for Haruka to imagine. Stopping outright, she puts a hand to her chin to think. It's a closed world, then. That makes sense - but it also means that her original plan of "keep going and ignore the illusion" won't work.

She looks up at Rushing Wind. ] Can you see a boundary?

[ The Pidgeot shakes her head. There's just city as far as the eye can see... ]

It might have been a trap, or it could have set a trap. [ Tendou shrugged. ]

Does it matter?

[ They could pontificate on the nature of shadow monsters after they had figured out space looping in on itself. ]

I'm going to walk ahead, see if you can figure out where exactly this trap ends.

[ If they were lucky, they could just hit it with Brick Break and it should fall apart. ]

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... ]

[ It was easy to find where exactly the trap extended to when paying careful attention. Being fast was important of course, but there was no use being only fast if it meant they had missed something so obvious. It was something for Tendou himself to take home.

Unfortunately, the edge where space was folding in on itself was a little more complex than a Reflect barrier, so hitting it with Brick Break was apparently not enough. So he wandered through the barrier and walked back to the broken pillar, waiting for the lady to see if she had any ideas. ]

[ No ceiling. No end in sight from above, either: it's very cleverly done.

Haruka shakes her head as she and Rushing Wind return to earth. ] The shadow's vanished too.

[ It got what it came for, apparently. She looks away in frustration. ] There has to be a weak point....

[ That's how she's always worked. Find the most efficient, most permanent method of problem-solving. Identify the weak point and slam into it full throttle.

If this isn't like that... ]

Perhaps we've been going about all this wrongly. [ He had believed the illusion could be broken by means found within the illusion, that by being fast, by being strong, and being clever, they could get out. Perhaps only that last one was necessary.

He recognised how she felt, of course he did. They were similar people in many ways. Why wouldn't they be able to catch anything? If it were a shadow cast by their own nightmares, then he could simply run faster than even that and shake it all off.

Was that the reason? Did they have to surpass their own fears? ]

This is all in our heads. So if our minds stop running on the spot, maybe our bodies will too.

[ Now, how do they go about doing that? ]

You want us to just wait here?

[ ....The fact that every instinct in her body bridles against that might, in fact, be a compelling argument to give it a shot. An enemy with access to their heads might be savvy enough to pull that level of mind game.

World Shaking shifts in place; that, if anything, is enough to dispel Haruka's sourness. Her first Pokémon knows her in a way she didn't think it'd be possible for other people to achieve (until she'd met Michiru). If he isn't placid, then she's not thinking clearly. If he isn't content, her judgment's been clouded by emotion, and can't be trusted.

Stress draining from her shoulders, Haruka laughs - at the situation, and at herself. "Just waiting" is all they'll be doing in practice anyway if they try something futile, isn't it? ] You're a twisted guy.

[ But she's smiling. It's somewhat twisted amusement, in and of itself, but it's still amusement. ]

Grandma said this: "There's nothing wrong with waiting, as long as you know what you're waiting for." Use the strongest flame all the time and your dinner will end up burnt more often that not. [ Truly, an infinite font of grandmotherly wisdom.

Of course, Tendou Souji wasn't just waiting. He was trying to think, trying to figure out where exactly they were and the nature of this illusion they'd found themselves in. It's hard to say, but perhaps this dream simply wasn't his to wake from.

Turning the nearest flat piece of rubble into a makeshift chair, he smiles, amused by her statement. ]

I'm not twisted, I'm just waiting for the rest of the world to catch up with me. [ He's the centre of the world after all, at least according to him.

Which honestly, just proves that he's kind of twisted. ]

[ Haruka can't help but wonder whether Grandma was still around when bad things happened to this guy's hometown. She has a hard time believing anything, even Gigas, could have befallen it with a lady like that in the picture.

This all remains unconscious, however, since they have a problem to solve. She chuckles. ] I stand corrected.

[ So stand she does! In place, heedless of the apocalypse. A shadow flickers across the buildings, and though her eyes track it, she doesn't move. Then, she closes them. Cave. Can she hear it? She knows, deep down, that she's in a cave. If running won't defeat this enemy, she'll make it come to her.

Bit by bit, the scenery begins to grow...insubstantial. Tendou might find himself without a seat soon. ]

[ It was completely thanks to Grandma that anyone survived at all. Tendou himself was only seven at the time, and hardly in any state to be useful. He wasn't ashamed to admit it, but it wasn't something he spent too much time thinking about. The man Tendou Souji was far more important than the child who would become Tendou Souji. ]

It's good that you understand. [ He smirks. There weren't many people that would so readily accept such a ridiculous statement, and that she did said a lot about her. He might actually have to meet her again away from some nightmare cave. ]

Now then, it looks like we're getting somewhere. [ He hops off his perch before it has a chance to drop him on his ass, and simply waits. He knew what he was waiting for, after all: For the lady here to break the spell that had been put upon them. ]

[ He moves just in time: there goes the illusion. Now it's World Shaking's turn to look confused, sniffing the air and then snorting. The smudges all around them have changed. And that made Trainer feel better.

Huh.

Haruka opens her eyes to...just a cave. A long cave, with plenty of winding paths, but a cave nonetheless. She won't thank her companion for the new perspective, but she does incline her head. That's gonna have to be good enough. ] Let's go.

[ Time to go see whatever that illusion had been keeping them from. She'll keep walking as if nothing had happened, but the tension's gone. She almost seems amused. A cautionary tale, huh?

One point to Grandma. ]

[ Being this amazing was often a thankless task, but he wasn't in it for thanks, so it was fine. He would take that almost-nod. He had learned something too, though that wasn't something he would admit readily. ]

Right. [ He was more than happy to walk alongside her now, just about ready to find out whatever was in the depths of this cave and bail. It was clear by now that this wasn't a friendly place, and Tendou had lucked out in seeing somebody else's nightmare of desolation instead of his own, all things considered. ]

[ The cave is now just a cave, until they get to ~~the event wrapping up~~ whatever it is they were looking for. Haruka doesn't mind this guy's company that much any more now, though. Tendou, he'd said his name was?

She'll have to remember that for later. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Descent into Darkness

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

i think we're done here!