auroraexpress | Origin Star Finale: Session 3

Who: explorers
When: Day 54, early afternoon
Where: The Final Island

[After returning from the second mission with a little extra cargo, Thyme waits another 20 minutes before calling for the third and hopefully final round of totem hunting.

One more. If you have the energy to help, climb aboard.

Characters attending session 3 may now board the airship. As it flies, they'll get their briefing:]

If you haven't gone in yet, please pay attention.

Your objective is to find and deactivate a totem -- a source of Malice in the target area. You'll probably come up against enemies, but try to defeat them by showing them positive emotions, not through combat. Defend yourselves if you have to, but keep in mind killing things won't purify them.

This is the last totem as far as we can tell, so it's vital that you get to it one way or another.

[You land, this time, in a clearing in front of a ruined temple. The heavy bronze doors, cast with images of stars, have swung open, and one has fallen from its hinges to lay in the grass.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[As you enter, the bottle flashes with a red glow. In your mind, you hear a young man's voice shouting in mortal terror:

NO! Get away!

From the floor shoot tendrils of phantom thorns, glowing red, reaching up to wrap around you and trap you in place. They cut into your skin, leaving you bleeding from scores of punctures -- not life-threatening, but very painful.]

Nng--!

[ In a panic she moves, trying to fight against the sudden painful thorns that have her trapped in place. The every movement hurts worse however. ]

E...Even if I wanted to, I can't...!

[ Not like this. Swallowing thickly she's trying to think positive, but she has no idea how to get out of this and it hurts]

T...Tell us what's wrong. We can try to help you...

[The light from the bottle is dying the whole room in red now, but the voice does respond:

HE sent you, didn't he?! I won't trust it this time! Everything's so wrong...!

The ground below your feet is growing uncomfortably hot...]

[ The room... it's warming up. Or the floor is? She tries to wriggle, struggling harder than before to attempt and right herself but moving when tangled is no easy task. Her heart is thundering in her chest. ]

Please--

[ It hurts...

She swallows, shaking her head if she's able. ]

I promise-- I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help. I-- I won't do anything to hurt you. Just tell me what's wrong. What happened?

[It's slow, but eventually the soles of your shoes begin to melt. Soon enough, your feet will burn, unless you can get free.

I don't believe you! I just wanted to help, and those people--

--Wait, am I...? No!

Apparently, this ghost has not accepted the whole being dead thing.]

[ When everyone around you has powers but you're just an ordinary riceball man. Her struggles don't stop but she doesn't have a method of freeing herself. Her only weapon is her words and those aren't seeming to reach the spirit. It's hot-- it's too hot! She cries out in pain, trying to lift her feet up. ]

You can help---you can, but please-- right now, we're all of us hurting...! Please-!

[How am I supposed to trust you?! I can't--

But at least Solar is getting through to him! So the heat goes away, leaving only moderate burns. The thorns, however, remain.]

[heading over with his shield]

I'm so sorry! Here, let me get you out!

Penric-san...

[ She's so glad to see him free at the very least. ]

[using the shield to get rid of the thorns]

Are you all... no, of course, you're not. I can't do much, but I can either take you back to Thyme, or carry you as we go on. You shouldn't be walking on those burns.

[ The moment the vines pull back she cries out for a moment and then will stumble forward unless he's able to help catch her. She's...well, she was just wrapped up tightly in thorny vines so she's a bit of a mess at the moment. ]

Like this, I would only slow you down.

[ It's the truth. And if there is danger again, he'd be stuck trying to carry and defend her while also looking out for himself. She hates the idea of giving up, but she can't...jeopardize what everyone has already been struggling toward.]

If... If you can get me back to the previous room, I can wait there until everyone else returns.

[ She will take whatever she can get. She closes her eyes, drawing a shaky breath. ]

I don't know. I have no way to prove myself to you, not like this. And I can't help if I don't understand. You're scared... and afraid to be hurt again. I understand. Trusting others can be a scary thing.

[ It takes a lot to ignore the pain, and trudge through. ]

If I betray you then... then you can burn me up right here on the spot. But I promise that I don't want to hurt you or bring any more harm your way. I just... I just want to help.

[The voice, after all the talking to by everyone in the room, at least appears to be willing to listen now.

...Maybe... Maybe you're right. But, I--

But then Crow triggers the deactivation, and everything is okay.]

Origin Star Finale: Session 3

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