auroraexpress | Origin Star Finale: Session 1

Who: explorers
When: Day 54, morning
Where: The Final Island

[As promised, two hours after the initial announcement, the train shudders slightly as if in preparation for a Trial. On your Chain is a short message:

If you want to deal with this problem, come on out.

Step out of the lounge car and you'll find a cozy but sturdy-looking airship hovering a few inches above the ground. Its only occupant is Thyme himself -- a small young man with many white, feathery wings sprouting from his back and head. He's familiar to some and new to others, but regardless he looks like he's feeling a bit awkward to be here, and rather concerned about the situation in general.]

Before we start, get the idea of slaying the demon out of your head. This is Malice. You're going in to purify. That said, we're detecting three sources of corruption on the small island, so we'll be doing this in three steps. They're likely totems deliberately set by someone, so you'll need to find and deactivate one each trip.

You're probably going to be up against a lot of creatures, but you need to fight them with your feelings more than your weapons. When you find the totem, throw your positivity at it.

Got it? Let's go.

[Board the airship and it'll take off with lightning speed, though somehow the ride is quite smooth. The ship darts over the ocean and around the back of the island, where you get a breathtaking view of the ancient ruin that takes up a large part of it. The airship stops at a small outcrop, dominated by one large stone door, slightly ajar.]

Here you go. Try not to get killed.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ As you step into the room to investigate, you see something in the corner of your field of vision - something amorphous, without a solid form -

But as soon as you look to it, its shape transforms. It becomes something frightening - you should turn back now! You shouldn't be in here any longer! ]

[Breathes in sharply.]

[Ah, yep, that makes sense.]

[But he's used to scary situations. He just got blindsided by a murder fridge memory, thanks teenage!him, he's already dealing with horror unimaginable.]

[He can avoid not running.]

Got a fear monster! [His grip tightens on the gun, but he's also glancing around. There are people to protect. There are people he can rely on. That always made it easier to deal with bad situations. Reds, Blues, Freelancers, teammates, family.]

[Those are the feelings he focuses on, but keeping at least one eye on the shape thing.]

[ but what if friends and family were to die?

it doesn't come any closer, perhaps warded off by these feelings, but it shapes into someone - someone important. but they're not whole and hale, they're being torn apart, a gruesome and painful end, they're dying - and they're cursing you. ]

[HAHA]

[MAN]

[MAN WHAT IF THEY DID]

[LIKE YOU KNOW A ROOM FULL OF DEAD PEOPLE HE KNOWS OR HIS FRIEND WHOSE BODY HE BLEW UP OR HIS TEAMMATE HE TRIED TO EAT OR HIS MOTHER OR CAROLINA SLOWLY STARVING WITH HIM-]

[And that does almost get to him. He's got triggers and that's them, but that last part....oh that last part....]

Fuck off. [Because it's the one thing he believes about himself. He wouldn't stab his friends in the back. He wouldn't do anything to warrant cursing.]

[He is there for his friends and he won't stop for them unless he literally can't do a thing. It does summon anger, frustration, grief, but it just makes him more determined because he has friends HERE. He has friends right here he has to protect and he won't fail them.]

[If he does, it's because he goes down first.]

[ he can see that familiar power suit, the helmet beginning to roll off, the red hair that pokes out underneath - carolina's face, emaciated and withering, as though the very life was being sucked out of her.

how could you do this to her? - seems to be the look that she gives you. ]

That was Temple.

[And he won't believe it because that's the thing. She's around. She's the one whose been around the longest. She was so angry and frustrated while searching for the Director. She was there helping with Chorus. She had Church? Epsilon? She knew the Reds and Blues, she knew they did stupid shit, and she wanted to stop killing.]

[She wanted to stop killing, handle things legally, and god.]

[God, it just tells him the thing he's been dreading. Because it's like his memories are dancing around it. Something Happened. Something Bad. Maybe Temple's revenge was warranted because it was believable the UNSC wanted to cover up whatever the hell they did.]

[But in the end, he doesn't care for unknown sins. He doesn't care about laws. Not when it might be a danger to his friends. Fuck Temple. Fuck the UNSC if it comes to that. Nothing is more important than his friends. Nothing.]

And if you think I believe we died there, you really are barking up the wrong tree. Do you know how insane and incredible Carolina is? She sees a building explode and she jumps off the edge and makes the fucking landing! She sees a hangar full of people and she goes for it. She hears the UNSC is after us and she wants to take them to court.

[He pulls up his gun, and there is righteous, defensive fury, and utter faith.] I don't believe we're going to die because I believe in Carolina! I believe in my stupid survival instincts. We're getting out of it and how dare you use her face. Carolina is too good for you to mimic!

[ as he speaks, as his faith shines through his words, it seems to be like a shining light to a creature of darkness; the slime begins to melt, carolina's face becoming amorphous once more before the slime becomes less and less viscous, melting away into the cracks of the floor.

the last thing he sees of her proper face before it melts might be - something like a peaceful expression. ]

[Carolina dere is a powerful thing.]

[Though the melting thing will be stuff of nightmares, but he can't think in nightmares. He can think here and he believes in her. He believes in them because they're still getting through some grade A crazy bullshit.]

[So he holds onto that feeling as the slime melts away, and the peaceful expression is....]

[That is a thing.]

[He may need to talk to Eliza about that.]

[He takes a breath, let's it out, and lowers the gun.]

[Time to make sure his friends are all right.]

Origin Star Finale: Session 1

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