Event || The Answer

[melodiesmods]

Characters: All characters who signed-up for the event.
Where: South Continent of Balance (Imperial Territories)
When: April 20th to April 30th.
Summary: The Heroes of Light have lost consciousness and now find themselves in the middle of nowhere, without their Moogles and away from everything they know. They will have to get back home, but what awaits them on the path? For more information, please check the First OOC Post and Second OOC Post.
Warning: Bad things.

Group 01: Team Hijinks House
Group 02: Team Brigands
Group 03: Team Discovery Channel
Group 04: Sephiroth's (In)Sanity Squad
Group 05: Team (Bad) Shipping Advice
Group 06: Team Blue-Haired Lords on Fire
Group 07: Team Mom and Late Sleepers
Group 08: Nothing Bad Will Happen
Group 09: The Hellhounds
Group 10: Loftwings, A Working Title
Group 11: Team Oni
Group 12: Team F.N.T.I²
Group 13: Team Name-In-Progress
Group 14: Team The-Mods-Couldn’t-Brain-A-Name
Group 15: Seraphim Shenanigans

Comments

[21stcenturyguy]

[Santa walks to the door, giving the panels a disgusted look as he passes by them. Talking's not getting them home. The only thing to do is press on and seek the way out.]

That is some royally fucked up shit. Let's get a move on.

[With no more pause than that, he steps through the new door. He figures if there's something dangerous on the other side, he should be the one to face it. At least if he gets killed, he won't have to worry about how cold he is or what a mess his hair must be in.]

[answernpcs]

[Santa steps out into a smooth, stone walkway with intricate designs carved into them. The hallway leads to a wide chamber, completely empty save for several floor torches at opposite ends of the room. Every sound echoes within the walls, and the heavy air gives off a feeling of holiness within this room.

It's as if this were meant to be a temple.

There's a set of stone doors on the opposite end of the room. It looks like walking there should be safe, but the long chamber does look suspicious empty...]

[confidentia]

[ Each of the previous rooms followed a theme of its own, so the sudden absence of clues is no less alarming than a floor strewn with corpses. Even the walkway feels like an elaborate invitation to something much bigger and darker, and for that very reason Ace is reluctant to adhere to Santa's leadership, hurrying to match his step. He gives the designs only a brief look before moving forward, keeping his stare firmly ahead. Nothing is safe about this place. ]

[answernpcs]

[With the door closed behind the four of them, panels along the walls flip over, revealing small turrets. The two closest to Santa shoot out two magic bullets right at his feet, and the ones up ahead also activate, firing at regular intervals. The entire pathway to the exit doors is within the range of attack, and those turrets will not be running out of ammunition anytime soon.]

[chasingfireflies]

Eek!!

[Keiko yelps girlishly, jumping backward. She wasn't even in the range of fire, and that startled her. Immediately she casts Shell on the party, because those bullets don't look like ordinary bullets. If they're magical in nature, then they need magical protection.]

How are we supposed to get past this?!

[21stcenturyguy]

SHIT! [Santa jumps back too, instinctively, but as soon as he catches himself doing it, he steels himself and makes sure he's between Keiko and the turrets. He's not good for much, but he takes care of the people he cares about, damn it.]

[Whipping out the cards Ace had given him before, Santa draws a Four of Clubs. A burst of physical force, not overly powerful, shot out at the nearest turret.]

[confidentia]

[ Ace, on the other hand, sighs tiredly at this old-fashioned attempt at a trap. ]

Really, now?

[ Santa seems to have the right idea about using magic, so he joins him by shooting a chain of Blizzard spells the machines' way. Though Fire would be the usual choice, he'd rather not risk having the turrets explode at their feet. ]

[answernpcs]

[Fortunately for the group, the spells and attacks create a static shock inside the turrets, causing them to freeze up. They aren't destroyed, however, and the fact that they continue to point at the pathway isn't reassuring.]

[has_been_faking]

...Hang on. Back up.

[Ed's not thrilled about using up the energy for this, but he's got a Blacksmith attack that can help with this - Thor's Hammer. If the other spells knocked them out, then this powerful electric spell should hopefully do the trick. He aims it towards the turrets and lets loose an explosion of electricity that momentarily lights up the room, and makes everyone's hair stand on end.]

[answernpcs]

[That dies seem to do the trick. The turrets are smoking after being hit by the spell.]

[21stcenturyguy]

That was pretty badass.

[The turrets are probably deactivated now. Santa assumes that once a section of puzzle has been cleared, it's no longer a problem. That's just how things work.]

Ok, everyone keep moving.

[Santa continues down the path without waiting for them to respond.]

[confidentia]

[ Even with the obvious threat gone, Ace can't bring himself to lower his guard anytime soon. He moves with small leaps rather than actual steps, ever mindful of the placement of the turrets. You never know. ]

Doesn't it strike you as a bit odd? Any other room could have been equipped with weapons and serve its purpose just as well. Why here?

[ At least he can't shake a feeling they're not done with this place yet, something about its concept seeming oddly inconsistent compared to what they've been through. ]

[chasingfireflies]

It's hard to say. Nothing about this place makes sense.

[She follows along tentatively. Ace was the one she'd been watching the closest, to see if guns were psychologically upsetting to him, but he just seems annoyed. So either this room wasn't like the previous ones aimed at Santa and Ed, or he's got an amazing poker face.]

We woke up in a maze littered with treasure chests that had helpful items in them. But then there were the corpses, and the holograms.

[Keiko sighs.]

It seems like some huge, odd test, doesn't it? But what are we supposed to prove?

[answernpcs]

[As they approach the exit, a message can be seen on the archway.]

You are now authorized to proceed.

[However, it's not written in any language they can recognize, save for Ace, who will recognize it as an ancient language from his world.

The door does not lead to another hallway, nor does it lead to a puzzle room. Instead, it simply has a large, spiraling staircase that floats in the air, as if suspended by magic. Above the chasms lining the edges of the room, they stretch higher and higher, towards a roof that can be seen if the four crane their necks back. Up top, they can see a dot of light...possibly the exit.

They will find no time to ponder, as red, thick water begins to flow out of the chasm. They rapidly creep towards the party, threatening death with their foul stench.]

[chasingfireflies]

[But Keiko's not done with her detective work! If the bullets that were fired at them were truly Magic Bullets, then that means someone with access to the Magitek Knight job set it up. And if that's the case, then Keiko might have a better idea as to where they are, thanks to Cid's assignment that required her to study the magic potential of different jobs. That particular job was devised by the Heran Empire, so that means--]

[AHHHH A RIVER OF BLOOD! Or at least, it's the same color. Keiko's wide eyes only get a brief horrified look before she's running for the stairs with the others. Is it viscous enough to be blood, or is it something else? She isn't sure, but that smell it's giving off is setting off every alarm in her head.]

Run!!

[confidentia]

[ It's not as though Keiko was alone in her concerns. Ace could feel the eyes on his back, his own heart beating to the rhythm of their frantic steps-

-only to fall in his chest when he approaches the door, the sign above it giving off an ominous glow. He should have known better than to disregard the warning signs, but he decides to keep quiet, regardless. There's no need to put the team even more on edge. ]

This is....

[ The place of the final judgement. His thoughts drown in the familiar murmur of blood pooling on the ground and staining the stone steps crimson. Even so, it's the rays of light which capture his gaze before anything else, for he knows that awaiting them at the top of the stairs is anything but salvation.

On the off-chance it's just a test of his willpower, however.... ] I'm their target. [ Without even looking at the others, he runs up to place himself in the front, operating entirely on an adrenaline surge at this point. ] Have your spells at the ready and don't get ahead of me, no matter what happens.

[ Regardless of how confident he might seem, there is no plan to put in motion, no words of wisdom, save for the concise warning. There's only hope that things could possibly turn out differently, this time around. ]

[has_been_faking]

[50 years of being immortal have retrained Ed's reflexes, and it takes a lot for him not to push Ace out of the way. Getting himself killed wouldn't be much help, but he doesn't want to see him get hurt either. The best he can do for now is cast Mad Scientist, giving Ace a boost to his defense.]

I guess it's your turn to go through... whatever all of this is supposed to be. Sorry, Ace.

[21stcenturyguy]

[Santa has to stop himself from running ahead. Ace seems to be the one in the know on this particular shit-show, and he seems to want to go first. Besides, if Santa's learned one lesson, it's this: never run ahead on the spiral staircase of death, because some dumb-ass will stay behind and get themselves killed. That considered, Santa takes the rear guard as they run.]

Ok, just keep your ass moving, then. That weird blood-water crap ain't slowin' down!

[He has a card ready to draw in case something happens.]

[chasingfireflies]

You know what this is?

[Keiko stares incredulously at Ace's back, struggling to keep pace with all of these taller long-legged men. Santa prevents her from falling behind, thankfully, and it's a good thing she's naturally pretty athletic.]

Wh-why, what's ahead of us? WHAT'S targeting you?

[confidentia]

[ Ace doesn't like the turn his words seem to have taken. Any other time, he would express his gratitude towards Ed's genuine efforts, but now he'd much rather that each of them would look out for their own lives instead.

He doesn't speak up until they've managed to establish a good enough pace, though he takes advantage of being able to collect his thoughts while he's at it. Despite being hauntingly similar to the Pandæmonium in his memories, there is no doubt that the place exists solely to turn his own emotions against him. ]

The previous room was a clue that I missed. This is a trial- [ The boy takes a quick look over his shoulder to check on the others. ] -that I went through with my siblings.

[ One they weren't allowed to complete, he adds in his thoughts, the mocking tone of the Judge still echoing faintly in his mind. Ace inhales sharply, unwilling to let his rattled mind affect his orders. ]

Don't trust the light. There's a chance that the exit isn't at all what it seems, and for that reason I need to go first.

[answernpcs]

[The water continues to rise. As the party continues their conversation, the first flight of stairs is submerged and disappears from sight. After each flight, the staircase becomes a flat pathway that leads to the next flight of stairs, and they run around in squares up to the next level.

However, the distance they put between them and the rising water leaves a false sense of security. Climbing to the top will be difficult. As they approach a corner, another hidden turret emerges from the floor, hitting all Heroes that approach it with magic bullets. Each bullet will cause a small amount of damage, but what is more dangerous is the knockback each gives.

The stairs do not have railing.]

[chasingfireflies]

[Keiko's lungs are burning, short littls bursts of prickling pain firing off in her thighs. It's a good thing she's fit and active, because those are a lot of stairs to climb, especially when they're running at full speed. She pants for breath, knees jumping as she races behind Ace.]

[She never sees it coming.]

[The magic bullet punches into her side, and for a moment her mind is blankly stunned as she feels the ground leave her feet. There's nothing to grab onto, no purchase for her hands as she grasps helplessly at the air. Her brown eyes are wide with surprise and terror as she falls over the edge.]

[21stcenturyguy]

Shit! [Santa makes a grab for Keiko as she pitches over the side of the platform. He's not losing anyone else to a motherfucking murder maze.]

Get your shield back up around you! [If she focuses on just herself instead of everyone, maybe it'll keep those bullets off of her. The others can just dodge, or deal with getting hit, himself included.]

[has_been_faking]

[Ed is really glad for the boost his Jobs give him right now, as he's never been the most in-shape person ever. He barely has time to slide to a halt behind Keiko, and gets hit by a bullet that slams him into the wall. He starts to slide, but pushes himself to fall forwards instead of backwards. It's not graceful, but it's better than the alternative.

As soon as he can get back on his feet, he lunges to help Santa haul Keiko up, if it's not too late.]

[chasingfireflies]

[Keiko yelps as Santa's hand barely catches hers, jerking her descent to a halt so sharp it feels like her arm is going to be yanked out of her socket. Her feet dangle precariously as she hangs, trembling. Sweat beads on her brow as she struggles to maintain her grip. Her other hand grasps for his wrist, but the solution seems only temporary. Seeing Ed approach, She bites her lip, then decides to reach for the hand he offers.]

[But her weight is too much for Santa's arm warmer. The hand clinging to his wrist suddenly slips with the pull of gravity yanking the garment down. She doesn't even have time to scream as the arm warmer is pulled clean off, and Keiko with it.]

[She hits the water, and it swallows her. There's no thrashing. No sound. And no resurfacing of her body. She was dead as soon as it touched her.]