auroraexpress | The First Trial

Who: All Brave Heroes
When: Day 4, morning
Where: The Witch's House

[ Something is amiss.

The jungle goes still, unsettling in its silence. Not a leaf shudders and not a beast makes a sound, as if everything alive outside is holding its breath in dead… or anticipation?

All of the lights on the Aurora begin to flicker. And while at first it may seem as though it is simply the beginnings of another power outage, the notion is quickly chased by the entire train abruptly swaying and shuddering-- as if something seized hold of it and started shaking it from the outside.

Come hither, Heroes. Prove thy worth.

If you step outside you will see it. There, sitting just in sight of the train, is a place that most certainly had never been there before. Or had it always been there?

Based on the outside, it seems like a place that no one has lived in for quite some time. The wooden shutters on the windows are barely hanging, rotting from age. The stones that make up the house look weathered and are covered in moss. The roof is missing shingles, any plantlife around the building appears to be dead . . . and yet the chimney has smoke coming out of it.

The air around the house seems to waver and the darkness of the world seems to be drawn, to gather around its worn silhouette.

Likewise, whether by compulsion or sheer curiosity, you are also drawn towards the house.

Entering is simple enough. You need only go through the front door to enter your first Trial. As you enter a voice greets you from nowhere, ]

“Welcome, children. This is the real beginning of your journey. Let’s see how strong you truly are. Oh, but do be careful, and . . . “

[ There is a chuckle. ]

“Don’t die. ♥”

[ The house that you entered is no longer a house. Rather, it is a moonlit clearing, with vegetation surrounding reminiscent to the jungle you just left. Around you, you may hear the familiar sounds of the beasts. They wait for you. They wait for you to fall so that they may feast.

But the beasts are the least of your concerns. As soon as you enter this clearing you feel it-- a burning hot sensation, the world spinning around you, and a sick twisting feeling in your gut.

You know immediately. You are sick. You’ve been poisoned.

Lining the edges of the clearing are seven cauldrons, and around each of them a circle of flowers growing in seven different colors. At the center of the clearing is a similar circle, in the middle of which lies a book full of blank pages, a collection of feathered pens, and a knife of which the handle is inlaid with a beautiful earthy gemstone.

To each cauldron is pinned a piece of parchment that reads “antidote” before a list of ingredients scrawled in a muddled mess of handwritings.

You may want to read these parchments carefully. Your time is already running out. ]

Instructions and Rules ☆ Q&A ☆ Ingredients and Turn-In ☆ Winners and Consequences ☆ Endgame

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ yes yes come join him. the floor is nice. ]

Bad humor, bad driving... I would like to have a talk with whoever is running this operation.

I'm giving this destination vacation a 0 stars rating.

FFfhhaha! Don't, don't make me laugh... it's hard enough to breathe already!

[oh!! claps her hands at the air like catching a butterfly, there's one ingredient down]

But haven't you heard? Laughter is the best medicine!

[ if he knew what her ingredients were he'd congratulate her, but he doesn't so he just. coughs. ]

So they say... but that doesn't quite sooth the pain.

Edited 2018-12-08 20:53 (UTC)

Unfortunately, it's all I've got to offer.

I suppose I'll have to make an actual effort, then... do you have any fruit?

[ that's it that's his effort ]

I could check the woods..?

.... I wouldn't go out there on your own, if I were you.

I mean, I wouldn't go far. They're dangerous.

Hm... maybe you should take one of my teammates with you. That blonde boy over there can summon entire an entire sun for some unearthly reason.

I remember that. That would be a tough bodyguard to beat.

Right? Frankly I'm terrified!

[ in the most casual tone! ]

Oh, same for sure! All the rules of magic I know are now super broken??

Edited 2018-12-16 05:13 (UTC)

Oh? So that kind of thing isn't normal where you're from?

We have a bunch of magic where I'm from, but we have only one sun and it stays in the sky. Our magic also takes, like, so much prep-time.

Well! It's a relief to hear that your sun stays in the sky. I do wonder where he got that sun from...

Your magic is different from your technology, right? What kind of magic do you usually see in your world?

Right, it's hard to combine the two things for us. But we have a big variety! I have a friend that studies rocks with her familiar, but I can also use my magic to summon certain kinds of animals.

... what kinds of animals?

I specialize in extinct dragon species.

[ ... wow that is a lot in one sentence ]

Dragons. .... as in real dragons? [ wait. ]

You said you summon them. But they're extinct?

Well, I do technically know how to summon live ones, but primarily I'm a necromancer.

-- a necromancer?

[ tips his head. ... huh ]

Is it really okay for you to say it so casually?

It should be fine for me to say it casually. My studies are legal, licensed, and they don’t hurt anyone.

...... ... they give you licenses to bring things back from the dead? Why? What good does it do anyone?

(no subject)

bowtiedbones - 2018-12-30 00:44 (UTC) - Expand

hissoff - 2019-01-03 07:53 (UTC) - Expand

bowtiedbones - 2019-01-03 16:20 (UTC) - Expand