auroraexpress | Event: Worldhop #1

Entry tags:

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!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Snarl] So you can hold me back?

I do not need the help of any of the mortals here. I have faced worse than you could imagine and defeated it all on my own.

[Yup, he's affected. And very, very unaware of that fact.]

Please, I've seen an immortal geek out about books. That high and mighty language just makes you sound like a snob.

[And she's going to walk up beside him.]

You choice is stay, or I go with you. That's it.

[Another snarl. You said the wrong thing, Solar.]

I should have known. You would turn on me in the end. Staying was a mistake.

I am leaving. Alone.

How is it turning on you to make sure you don't die because something is messing with your head?

Which it probably is right now.

[Giving him a flat look.]

Because how is 'alone into the wilderness of mind whammies' a sensible choice in any way?

You are trying to control me. And trying to convince me that you are helping, not hindering.

[He winces when she says something is messing with his head, then shakes his head.]

No. Nothing has changed, I have only made up my mind.

I will leave this realm behind and find another, as always.

I'm watching your back because you're letting something else get in your head and not being rational.

And I really wish everyone would stop assuming I'm not as capable as I say I am. If I have limits, I will admit them! It's like everytime I say 'yes, I can help,' everyone is like 'but can you really?' What? Are you guys all thinking like dragons and griffins and going 'ah, the adorable thing can't do anything, what can a puffball do.'

You know what happens when a dragon does that to a unicorn who knows how to use their magic? They get sent running.

[Okay, she's ranting a bit, it's happened, A LOT.]

[His face twists as so many conflicting emotions go through his head. Should he listen to that voice telling him it's time to leave? Is she right that it isn't part of him this time? And what she says about being underestimated and admitting her limits, that hits some of his other buttons. But he settles on a wide, mirthless grin as he brandishes his dagger.]

So. You wish to challenge a god?

[She gives that dagger a flat look.]

If that's what it takes to keep you from doing something stupid while mind whammied?

[And there's a confident smirk.]

Well, you'll just owe me a thank you later when you're sane.

And you will do me the favor of never bothering me again when I win. If I choose to leave you in any condition to do so.

[He stabs out with the dagger, but it's a feint, as he sends a wave of telekinetic force from his other hand.]

[She hops out of the way of the dagger when suddenly the force hits, a flash of surprise on her face-]

[And then she's just gone with a pop of magical force.]

[And now Loki is getting grabbed with telekinetic force from behind and she's gonna try and swing him towards the train.]

[Loki's nasty grin flashes slightly wider at her look of surprise, but it's soon wiped off his face when she disappears. He growls when he feels himself magically grabbed, but rather than struggle, he gathers his strength and braces for the blow he expects to be coming.]

Do you think to hold me forever, little horse?

Pony.

No need to be speciesist.

[There is a thoughtful pause.] Actually, I suppose I can see if this is different.

[And flipping Loki upside down while carrying him back.]

[Because blood rush to the head can be a great way to disorientate an opponent for a more effective take down.]

Edited 2020-01-05 12:42 (UTC)

[Another button pushed, making him even more irrational. He snarls again.

[And is flipped upside down. He has a vague guess that it's meant to incapacitate him, and everything adds up to him deciding it's time to break out of her grip. He releases his own power recklessly, hoping to shatter her hold, and not really thinking that it might mean he'll land on his head. Or be blown backwards.]

[She's doing better under the effect. That was the advantage of her Element of Harmony, she was resistant to things like this.]

[But not quite immune, and she's had a few of her own buttons pushed. She is a PONY, not a horse, and people needed to keep that straight.]

[And certainly, this was part of why she had flipped him upside down. IN case he had a way out, he was gonna hit his head. Disorientation was the name of the game, at least as long as she could manage it.]

[So as the power comes out, it certainly breaks her concentration to let go of the telekinesis, skidding back a few feet, teleporting up a foot to help some momentum get taken out without the friction of the ground.]

[Better to land stumbling on her feet than being flat on the ground.]

[Loki's getting the worst of all worlds. He thinks his experience with emotional influence gives him an advantage, but his arrogance and own internal issues are keeping him from realizing anything's wrong. His mental state keeps getting more imbalanced and his pride makes him smart at every time he's outmaneuvered and care more about proving his strength than continuing with tactical feigned weakness.

[And he both hits his head and is sent tumbling along the ground. So he has extra bruises and just to add insult to injury his opponent seemed to keep her own balance.

[He glares at her as he starts to push himself back up to his feet, grip tightening on his dagger.]

[Four legs certainly have their high points.]

[She sees that dagger and hm.]

[Nope, she knows at some point he's gonna get smarter than this. Maybe. Hard to say with the emotional influences, but she needs to be ready for that.]

[Which means the dagger needs to be away.]

[Her horn lights up again and she's grabbing at the dagger to yank it away from him and send it flying behind her.]

[Normally he'd let it go, or maybe even try to turn it around on her with his own magic when she least expected it. But right now he only sees someone trying to take the physical weapon he only just received, which he had paid for. Stealing his property and symbolically disarming him. That won't stand.

[He reinforces his physical grip with magic, effectively sealing the dagger to his hand. But he's not directly breaking Solar's hold, only countering her pull and indirectly having her yanking applied to his entire body. He's digging his heels in a bit to fight it, but if he loses that purchase...]

[What if he did lose that purchase?]

[She's still pulling, focusing hard on her own telekinetic grip, making sure the knife isn't pointed at her as she changes tactics.]

[Sidestepping a few steps, almost like she's just making sure she's out of the way.]

[At least until she gets to a rock and that's when she moves quicker, turning quickly, still keeping her eyes on him as kicks up the stone into the air before bucking it hard to hit him...somewhere on his lower body.]

[Her aim is only so good with her hooves.]

[Loki eyes her as she moves, but since she's not getting closer, he dismisses it as not preparing for an attack. Then she kicks the rock. It hits him in the gut, not hard enough to knock him over, but enough to startle him.

[And make him lose his balance. And his concentration on his magic. The dagger is ripped out of his hand and he flies forward as if still dragged by it before running out of momentum.]

You will regret that, pony.

[He builds up a green glow in his right hand, but doesn't release it. As he keeps switching his gaze from Solar to the dagger, it seems like he's not sure whether to attack or retrieve his weapon first.]

Probably not gonna. You shouldn't underestimate fluff balls.

[And she's gonna throw the dagger hard into the ground, into a wet patch of earth.]

[It only goes partially down to the hilt, but she's hoping it'll achieve what she's going for. Keeping it away isn't necessarily her biggest concern, but making it look like she was trying to bury it completely also works.]

Go back inside, Loki. You're not well.

[He reaches out for the dagger with his spell, pulling it out of the dirt and towards his hand. Keeping it is more important right now.]

And why should I? So you can imprison me? Your prince can use me as a tool? Like all the others?!

So you don't get EATEN by a monster.

[And she's gonna grab for the dagger again because she did what she needed, but no need to let him know that.]

The void could not kill me! A mere monster is no threat!

[Yanking the dagger, trying to draw it back into his hand.]

There are monsters that will strip you of your emotions, that's been confirmed. They'll make you not care, make you no more than a puppet to be ordered around.

And that's near purified areas, let alone with what's happening now.

[And yanking the dagger back. He is fixated on it. Either he's bluffing about his ability a whole lot or he's fixated on it.]

[Well, might as well see. BACK TO THE TRAIN WITH IT.]

Perhaps it does that to mere mortals, but I am stronger than that!

[Very fixated. And following the dagger, not really caring if it's taking him closer to- or onto the train.]

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