Unlock! (1)

[trainmasters]

Who: Everyone
When: Day 12, evening into night
Where: the Aurora

[As evening approaches, you hear the jingle associated with an official message from your Chain. It's the same balloons and confetti animation as the last time newbies arrived, and the same message as well:]

WELCOME NEW HEROES

[As anticipated, some newbies are waking up in their rooms, in the usual nondescript undies or team pyjamas.

Just after this, however, something much more startling happens...

Outisde, the bell tone gets all the louder, a beautiful resonating sound that fills the air. Then, suddenly, a flood of strange square-shaped sparkles appear, floating around like magical fireflies, bringing with them a pleasant warmth. They increase in size and volume until the air itself whites out with a bright but pleasant light. While you can't see, you can hear the bell, and the distant rumbling of stone.

Abruptly, the sound stops, and the bright light fades to reveal a sky painted in sunset hues. Where there was once a dark and hostile jungle with cracks in the ground, there's now a colourful rainforest environment and a floor thick with bright moss. The sounds of birds and insects and regular wildlife rise over the previous silence, and the aggressive plantlife is replaced by large flowers and succulent fruits. In one direction, a dirt path winds through the trees, and in the opposite, the brush gives way to a stone formation with a flat top and an opening flanked in carvings of water and plants.

If one were to enter the new cave entrance, they'd find the previous moon crystals replaced by rainbow ones that reflect sparkling light onto the floor, and feel soothingly warm to the touch. Further into the caves, there's a carved stone path that leads to the beach you initially arrived on. There stands the Prism: a large floating cube in the center of gyproscope-like concentric rings. Where it had been glowing black, it's now a royal purple, and the light and energy from it are significantly less malicious than before -- though still far from pure. The beach itself is now covered in fine white sand, and the sea no longer tries to pull you in -- provided you don't go out too far.

Because not all is well on this Star just yet. While the nearby water contains a reef of colourful fish, 100 meters or so out to sea the water turns black again. While under water in the safe area, you can occasionally see the shadows of great and terrible monsters deep in the dark.

Likewise, should you choose to follow the first path, after ~1km you'll find the forest fades back into the previous dense, dark jungle. At the edge of the darkness, there's something new -- the remains of what looks like a modern town. It's all overgrown, cottages twisted into ruins and streets covered in vines and prowled by tiger monsters and a new threat: towering reptilian creatures that climb the crumbling shells of apartment buildings and the empty City Hall, like geckos increased to dinosaur size. They're fast, and if they catch you they'll swallow you whole. On the one side, that makes it easier for someone to save you -- they could cut you out. On the other, those unable to be rescued will find their skin and muscles becoming slowly more transparent and stiff, the colour and feeling leaving them until their minds are trapped in a useless shell. Those found in that condition later must be saved via the healing pods -- but they'll remember their stay in their glass bodies, with their blood running and heart pumping like a living anatomical model of their organs.

On the Aurora, however, you're welcome to enjoy the first sight of the sun in 12 days. As the brilliant sunset moves into a night reigned over by a gentle moon, the Heartbeat Festival remains in full swing. So celebrate your victory with a glass of shimmery alcohol and a kiss, because you've done it -- your love has purified a part of this Star!]

[[OOC NOTES: CONGRATULATIONS on your first Prism purification, guys! There is a toplevel for ICly suggesting train upgrades here, so check it out! Next week we'll post a poll, and the week after the upgrade will be implemented.

The updates to the Setting page to reflect this post will be made soon, so keep an eye out!]]

Comments

[bowtiedbones]

I did put some of the monitors underground. We have cell service down there, now.

[bad_crowmance]

Cell... service?

[ You've lost him. ]

[bowtiedbones]

Phone service?

[bad_crowmance]

Nope, I've got nothing.

[bowtiedbones]

The Chains work underground now? The thing with the glass screen. They're very similar to smartphones that some of the worlds here have.

[bad_crowmance]

I did notice those. So.... you can use them for...?

[bowtiedbones]

[pulling her Chain out of her bag to point through some of the features]

They're really useful. You can use them to talk to someone long-distance by audio, text, or video. It can even do a conversation with multiple people at once. There's an app for the Construct in here too, and that can give you tutorials for things like how to shop with Sparks or get one of your memories paid out.

[bad_crowmance]

Oh, you can call people!

[ Yes, he knows what that is but doesn't recognize the word phone. ]

This sounds really useful, though. It can really do a lot, huh?

[bowtiedbones]

Yes! And it's your room key, so like extra don't lose it.

[bad_crowmance]

My room key, huh? Yeah, I'll keep an eye on it. I don't wanna get locked out.

[bowtiedbones]

Being able to get in and out is just a little important. Which, it probably won't happen again, but just so you know, the doors will be difficult to open if the train loses power. We had to keep ours propped open with chairs.

[bad_crowmance]

Do you know why the power went out?

[bowtiedbones]

It was when we first got here. The train was out of power to start.

[bad_crowmance]

Huh. So how'd you get it running again?

[bowtiedbones]

It charged itself up. We didn't do anything except be around. Positive feelings, again.

[bad_crowmance]

It's just positive feelings all the way down, huh?

[ He still thinks it sounds corny. ]

[bowtiedbones]

Pretty much.

[bad_crowmance]

You'll forgive me if I have to see it in action before I can really wrap my head around it.

[bowtiedbones]

I could show you how buying things with Sparks works? It's part of the same idea.

[bad_crowmance]

Sure, that could be useful to know.

[bowtiedbones]

We get a lot of Sparks from Bonds, and bonding helps the Prisms, so...

[opening the shop app on her phone, browsing around]

Here, name a snack.

[bad_crowmance]

Okay, how about... custard pudding!

[bowtiedbones]

[tap tap tap and ordered]

Okay! Now we just check my locker at Thyme, and it'll be there.

[bad_crowmance]

It's that simple?

[bowtiedbones]

Yep. It's eas easy as that.