auroraexpress | Event: Worldhop #1

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Event: Worldhop #1

Who: E V E R Y O N E
When: Day 54 all-day
Where: E V E R Y W H E R E

This morning, just after dawn, you're awoken by a wail so deep and loud it makes your chest rumble. An eerie noise that feels supernaturally wrong, it's like a roar and a screech intertwined, multiple voices lashing out in anger and pain all at once. The sound last several long seconds, before facing into a distant hum.

Should you follow the noise towards the beach, you'll see that the corrupted island across the water is surrounded in a black miasma, floating into a sky that appears to be stained with bruise-like purple. For a little while it remains contained, but after a few minutes, there's a heart-beat like pulse.

Once

Twice

Thrice...

And the darkness rolls across the sky, bringing with it air filled with black dust motes that smell of mildew. The jungle is quiet, its wildlife in hiding from the Malice encroaching upon it, but you swear you can hear whispers out there. They're too quiet to understand, but you just know they're temping you:

Just let go. You don't need anyone but yourself. Everyone else should just go away.

Fortunately, as long as you stay inside the Aurora, the whispers won't actually cause you to act differently. They'll just be unsettling. Head outside, however, and you'll find yourself growing slowly more irritable and likely to say something nasty.

It takes a few minutes, but eventually everyone receives a message on their Chain, from The Construct. The same message is also aired in a robotic voice over the intercom.

Systems have detected imminent danger. Due to progression of purification, it appears the primary source of Malice on this Star has become enraged. This creature must be purified in order to complete Prism restoration.

Heroes willing to venture into the creature's lair, please make preparations and assemble in the lounge in two hours. A guide will be sent to transport you to your target location and aid your search. Please do not attempt to approach on your own.

Be aware, there is an increased likelihood of malicious creatures approaching at this time. It is advised that you remain inside the train as much as possible.

And remember: Stay Positive! The fate of the universe depends on your healthy bonds.

The announcement will prove quite true: periodically throughout the day, monsters common in corrupted areas of this Star may appear around the Aurora. They will appear one at a time and may be driven off -- it seems the overall purification of the jungle has made them weaker than they were before, but they're still dangerous!

It's time to wrap things up in this part of the universe -- good luck!

[NOTES: Please use this post to mingle freely, make IC plans, and general deal with the overall day of the event! To go and purify the island, there will be three sessions of mod-guided exploradora: 3pm PST & 7pm PST on Saturday, and 6pm PST on Sunday! Sessions happen sequentially ICly, so you can go to as few or as many as you like. If you intend to play, please to go sign up in this toplevel just so the mods have a rough idea of numbers. You can play even if you don't sign up, though!

Also, please check out this toplevel to leave your submissions for your new team bond! Submissions must be in by 6pm on the 6th, or the mods will pick a second bond for you. Thank you very much!]

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[ Sunset is a Good and Tiny Baby and must be protected. But her little stolen nest under Dusk's bed seems like a good enough place to leave her; no Malice is going to make it this far, not if she, or any of the others, can help it. ]

[ She's trotting through the dining car when she hears it, her ears twitching, head jerking up in alarm. Dusk. Trouble. Forget the spat they'd had — she just bolts, slamming open the nearest door, shapeshifting seamlessly to her true size as she leaps into the air. ]

LEAVE HIM! [ A true roar, so very different from her usual chirps and squeaks. But the tiger may be worried less about the acoustics and more about the Many, Many Pounds of pure muscle slamming into it in a solid, draft horse-sized tackle. Her first, purest instinct is to get the smaller predator off her packmate ]

[ so she can rip out its throat without worry about hurting him ]

[David is making a good effort in keeping the saber tooth back. There are claws digging into his side, but he's keeping the beast far enough back it can get a proper angle to disembowel him, and the teeth are wrapped around the chair leg.]

[He needs the gun, he needs the gun, but if he lets go, it'll get to him, he isn't fast enough, and he's just screaming because he needs something, anything, anyone-]

[And there's a blur of blue and feathers knocking the saber tooth off him, the tiger yowling and snarling in protest, already clawing at its attacker that's getting in the way of it's prey.]

[David scrambles back, getting distance, only pausing a moment to get the chair leg back in one hand, but distance is IMPORTANT and scrambling to get the gun out of it's holster because there's still a THREAT-]

[ excuse u tiger those are her feathers you're making a mess of! … not that its claws are doing all that much damage; she's got thick skin when an evil cannibal snake monster isn't nerfing her. ]

Get back inside!

[ She keeps herself between him and the tiger, wings half-flared, body turned side-long and a low, deep growl rumbling in her chest as she snaps and claws at it. ]

[ And then comes the tail, shockingly flexible; A powerful swing arcs towards the cat with spines fully extended. If it lands, it'll send the tiger flying ... and gouge some significant gashes. ]

[It's the alien who says she's a dragon.]

[She came to help him. He....hadn't been expecting that, honestly. Never in a million years, aliens were the enemy, the ones who were a threat to humanity, the ones who-]

[But she saved him from the weird tiger and ultimately it makes no sense to go so far to fool him. He's just a kid. Good in a fight, sure, but it's not like he knows military secrets.]

[And she was fighting the tiger still.]

[The tiger that isn't quite as strong as Meridian, but it's a fast, agile creature. There are scratch and gouges from their first clash, but the tiger is moving away from the tail, the gouges only grazing flesh wounds as it ducks under the tail and lunges at Meridian's side.]

[David doesn't retreat inside, but he gets on his feet and he keeps his distance.]

[ Good, lunge for her. Get in close. ]

[ She doesn't try to dodge. Doesn't move at all, really, waiting, waiting, until it's almost on her. That's when she lets loose a searing jet of fire, so dazzlingly hot that the flames are almost blue. ]

[ Try getting out of the way of that, kitty. ]

[The tiger certainly isn't smart enough to see a trap, continuing with it's lunge when the streak of fire hits its side, and there's a loud, pain snarling, the tiger going to claw at her back since OVER her is going to be the fastest way to get away from the flames for it.]

[At least until an orbal blast hits it in the face as it crests over her wings and forces it back down to the ground.]

Wha-FIRE IT AGAIN! I don't know what I shot!

[Tiger is still twitching, but between fire and that energy punch in the face, it's in a Bad Way, but that can be dangerous with an animal.]

[ Being a dragon comes with a lot of perks, including a flexible neck and a powerful, whippy tail — but before she can catch the tiger in her jaws and throw it down, it's knocked off by — ]

[ No time to question. ]

[ She doesn't think twice before torching it again, a constant blaze engulfing their enemy. It's hot enough to warp metal, let alone roast fur and skin. ]

[Kitty BBQ. Nuff said, really.]

[And David is trying to get a knife out of way too large boots, muttering about 'what kind of gun fires concussive energy, what the fuck-' and he doesn't know if it's good, but a knife is always a knife.]

[Except then it's kitty BBQ so he's just kind of....kneeling on the ground, knife and gun in hand and just]

[G O D]

[ Once the kitty (very, very) thoroughly roasted, Meri pauses. Stares at it critically for a moment ... ]

[ And turns a way with a huff and a ruffle of wings, focusing on Dusk instead. The aggression drains away all at once, leaving concern in its wake. ]

Can you stand up? Walk? We need to go back inside, it's not safe out here.

[He's kind of breathing heavily, trying to get his heart to calm down, and he looks at Meri and he's just]

[Doing that thing.]

[That thing Dusk does where he just shuts everything the fuck down because he just had a lot happen and now he needs to process.]

[He'll slip the knife back and stand up. Testing his legs.] I can walk. [Even got that dead on emotions thing. Because apparently Dusk just did that for A While.]

[And just gonna turn and walk for the train, Y E P]

[ As long as he's getting his butt back on the train before he can get eaten, he can emotionally shut down all he needs to. She doesn't love it, but it's his life and his coping mechanism. It's ... probably fine? It's probably fine. ]

[ She follows a short distance away, in high alert for any potential attacks. Only once he's safely back on board does she shrink back down to the size of a great dane, jumping in and hooking the door with her tail to slam it shut behind them. ]

[He will let her close it, just going to the nearest chair.]

[Gonna sit down and curl up, burying his face against his knees, hands behind his neck, and just breathe because guh. He almost DIED.]

[And the dragon alien saved him which is....is a Thing.]

[ Aforementioned dragon is also ... leaving? ]

[ Just kidding! She's back within minutes, a first aid kit between her teeth and a cup of water clasped carefully between her two front paws. Once she's set the former down: ]

I got you some water and some medicine.

Edited 2020-01-07 12:47 (UTC)

[He's still in the same place. Only glancing up when he hears movement, checking what's there and seeing her and just]

[Watching]

[He hesitates, but he'll take the water. Sniff it and takes a tentative sip.]

I didn't know there really were good aliens around.

Hmph! Dragon!

[ not ALIEN, sir]

There's so much life on so many planets, across so many galaxies and many, many universes. [ Tilts her head, brows furrowed. ] But you thought the only good ones look like you?

[ Heaves a big ol' sigh ]

I'll forgive you if you say you're sorry.

Edited 2020-01-16 07:39 (UTC)

No, that'd be dumb. Law of probability would be against it.

I thought the Covenant wiped out all the good ones. It's not like we've been contacted by any species besides the ones in the Covenant, seemed reasonable we're not the first ones they went genocidal on.

Sorry. [He's not good at apologies, but at least the tone is sincere.]

Apology accepted. We can be friends now. [ She's not saying they are friends, just. The offer is there, on the table. ]

The Covenant sounds rude, but there's no one like that here on the train. We're all here together fighting the Malice.

[HE IS. STILL ON THE FENCE ABOUT IT. He's still pretty freaked out.]

The Covenant has wiped out several planets. [That is definitely a Dusk deadpan though.]

And the Malice sounds like a fairy tale.

Well! If they come here and try to kill us, I'll kill them. [ Simple as that. ]

Sounds like a fairy tale, is real. [ Makes a shrugging motion with her wings, still somewhat bloody from the fight earlier. ] You'll see.

Billions of enemy soldiers. [More deadpan.]

Is there any proof? I mean, obviously there's weird going on, but how much of the actual conflict is real?

Where there's a will, there's a way. I won't let them get you.

[ Tilts her head at the question, with a quiet, humming chirrup. ]

Talk to Eliza about proof things. She knows a lot! She's nice.

....it's not like I'm incapable of taking care of myself, you know. I've survived an attack before.

Eliza? What's she look like?

Never said you weren't capable.

[ but oh boy oH BOY SHE GETS TO TALK ABOUT ELIZA ]

She's very pretty! Lots of curly yellow hair, well-groomed, and blue eyes. And she wears green and she's got lots of nice skeletons friends.

Nice...skeleton friends...

She's a necromancer!

(no subject)

schrodingerscockroach - 2020-04-09 09:39 (UTC) - Expand

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