Event: Worldhop #1

[trainmasters]

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!]

Comments

[schrodingerscockroach]

Yeah, need it not be in the way, but still easy to get the pile in fr-holy shit!

[He's jerking back as he actually looks at Meridian, hand going to his side as he moves to get SPACE between them.]

[featherbeaned]

[ She just. Sits down, with her floofy tail curled around herself and her ears pricked attentively. ]

What? What's the matter?

[schrodingerscockroach]

[He's grabbing a chair and making sure it's between the two of them.]

You're definitely an alien.

Humans don't exactly have a great history with aliens, though that's kinda hard to miss.

[featherbeaned]

[ RUDE ]

I'm not an alien, I'm a dragon!

[ She doesn't move, not overly worried about the chair. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

....you have feathers.

[featherbeaned]

Lots of feathers! [ Enthusiastic, as she loosely stretches out and flexes one wing so the feathers catch and shimmer in the light. ]

They're pretty, aren't they?

[schrodingerscockroach]

Dragons are supposed to have scales.

[SO LIKE???]

[But also still Very Much keeping his distance.]

[featherbeaned]

[ MAKES ]

[ A FACE ]

No they're not!

[ For her part, she stays where she is ... although her tail gives a bit of a flick at the top, twitching back and forth. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

They're like giant...reptiles?

I think Chinese dragons had some feathers, but it wasn't like....all feathers.

I'm just saying, I'm not buying you're not an alien.

[featherbeaned]

What's a Chinese dragon? Have you ever met a dragon before?

[ Frowns at him!! ]

I'm not a bad person. Be nice.

[schrodingerscockroach]

I've been close enough to aliens to know I don't want to be around them.

Especially one that's lying about it.

[featherbeaned]

[ Rude?? Rude! Rude. She's legitimately quite stung by that, her ears pinning back. ]

I'm not lying! So what if I'm not human? People who aren't human can be good, too, you know. I came over here to help!

[ But if he's going to be like this? If he doesn't want to be around her just because she's got four legs and feathers? Fine. She turns and walks away. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

Yeah, tell that to the Covenant. You know, the group that either recruits or kills whatever species they run into.

[But he's not gonna stop her either because, well, he doesn't want to pick a fight with an alien either.]

[featherbeaned]

[ Covenant sounds bad?? But being a jerk to her is also Bad, and she's not about to waste her breath arguing when she feels so insulted. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Covenant super bad and he's super freaked out and dealing with it As Well As To Be Expected.]

[featherbeaned]

[ nerd ]

[ The first thing she does is double check that Dusk's kitten is safe inside Clover! And then it's back out into the train, checking to make sure everything is secure as it can be Just In Case. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Sunset is indeed.]

[hanging out under his bed with a bunch of stolen overalls.]

[David continues on at least trying to make the train safe, but he also knows enough about tactics at this age to know just one line of defense is bad. Having an outside blockade would be very good so he actually ventured outside, trying to find any good places to set up.]

[He even tries to be sensible and not even go that far from the train and everything.]

[But he lacks Dusk's refined sense of danger and perceptiveness.]

[And tigers are very, very sneaky.]

[He ends up straying just a tad too far. Still in line of sight of the door, but too close to the trees.]

[There's only a rustle, enough chance for him to look up, but then there's suddenly a tiger on him and really it's a miracle he has the makeshift club up in time to keep his throat from being ripped out as he's forced to the ground.]

G-get off! Help!

[featherbeaned]

[ 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 ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[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-]

[featherbeaned]

[ 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. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[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.]

[featherbeaned]

[ 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. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[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.]

[featherbeaned]

[ 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. ]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[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]