melodiesoflife | Player Plot: The Crystal Caves

All we need is for the crystals to become over-aspected and it'll be almost like the Burning Wall.

[For her part, K'pandolu's stayed back somewhat, to try to keep an eye on everyone. The chasm's hard to miss, but she doesn't have the best view of where it might end, nor whatever in the wall, at least for now.]

… Well. I suppose that means it's single-file, at least for now…

[ Eventually, Sheena had gotten the hang of looking at her PKE meter while gliding down the slope--sometimes even bringing it close to her ear to listen for its hum. Every other time, she hadn't heard anything.

This time, however, is different; she hears a faint hum. Dropping the meter to her side, she turns and applying pressure to both her feet and hands, manages to slow her descent so she can make it to the bottom without falling.

Which is a good thing considering what's in front of them. Sighing, she mutters almost good-naturedly and not entirely to herself. ]

I was wondering when the hole would show up.

[ Turning, she nods to K'pandolou. ] Sure looks it. Everyone be careful. [ Once again picking up her meter, she keeps it pointing straight ahead as she walks slowly along the "path", occasionally sweeping it out towards the cavern. ]

Miss Rukia!

[Chappopo collides against Rukia who was walking a little too carelessly, attention focused on the PKE meter instead of the gaping chasm just up ahead. She pulls up short, brow furrowed, then glances down. ...Yes indeed that is a very deep abyss, isn't it? What could be down there? And what's causing her meter to react?]

Thank you, Chappopo. I'm picking up something unusual.

[Her attention moves to the...thing...encased in crystal. Could that be the source? She frowns thoughtfully to herself, then passes the meter to her Moogle.]

Could you fly over there and get a closer look? Be careful.

Of course!

[Happy to be of use, Chappopo holds the PKE meter firmly in both paws as Rukia turns to press herself against the wall and move along the edge of the path.]

[The rational side of Selphie screams to tread carefully. The irrational side of Selphie however, says the slide right on down. What's the worst that could happen right? Thankfully, she's one of the last to descend and she's watched more sure footed individuals slip and slide their way down. She swallows the lump in her throat as she takes a few cautious steps forward every-so-often.]

Okay... not so bad...

[She shifts her weight carefully to try and keep her balance before she slowly inches forward. She can hear the conversation echoing up the shaft just as she loses her precarious balance and flails a bit.]

Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!

[Is there anyone nearby to lend their clumsy colleague a hand?]

Wondering when it would show up...?

[Levy blinks, turning her attention to Sheena.]

You expected this to be here?

[She's already going over everything she's learned in her time here in her head, wondering if there's something she missed.]

[Though Sephiroth was near the front of the group, after giving the once-over of the chamber -or what he could see, at least- he hung back some to allow others to file in a single line first. It's a careful process and there are others smaller than him who would find it easier.

Besides, he'd rather be last across and make sure no one behind him will be knocked off by the sheath-harness of Masamune being diagonally at his back. Not to mention that he's already managed to pull a shoulder once in a previous battle before and doesn't want to chance doing that again.

It's a good job, in hindsight, as he's on hand as Selphie goes forwards to start to cross. She flails and he spreads his stance immediately wider and reaches out to place a firm hand on her shoulder.]

Got you.

[Perhaps rougher than most would have been he pushes towards the wall, to enable the girl to get her balance again. He'll even grip her fingers if she feels the need to ground herself by bringing her arm back in closer to her center. Sephiroth has come forward now though so he'll follow Selphie across; just in case.]

Jack stops his advance dead and shoots the other people around him a slightly annoyed look. First the chamber, now this. Jack raises his voice, and he gets a nice echo effect with the acoustics of the cave around them. "If anybody has been here before and one of those visions that we've been shown? Now's the time to speak up, kids. It's only the polite thing to do." Bad enough everybody else in this world is being mysterious with them without the Heroes doing it to each other.

[While Sephiroth takes the rear guard on the path, Cloud keeps to the front, ready to be the group's shield if need be. But as he shuffles along he gives Jack an equally annoyed glance.]

It's not like we knew that chamber was here let alone still standing. But I guess it's just like this world that certain things like this wouldn't reset when the cycle does. Jade, did you ever figure out why the Tower is able to do that? Maybe it's connected.

[He doesn't know what Sheena might have seen but he can't blame her for not talking about it.]

[Jade glances back to check no one's fallen off. Since everyone seems to be fine, he turns back to answer Cloud's question.]

I'm afraid not. The fact we're still running into Ancient ruins and technology after all these millennia proves not everything is reset when a new cycle starts. For that matter, if all of humanity were wiped out every time, that begs the question where the population of the following cycle comes from. Even with the souls being recycled, someone would have to give birth to the new generation...

[The PKE readings don't change when Chappopo flies ahead. It seems they only get higher when the Heroes are heading downwards.

What they find encased in the crystal wall turns out to be remnants of machinery. What the technology is for, it's impossible to say; but they can at least tell it's Ancient in origin.

Perhaps more importantly, there is a huge leaf-like platform extending over the chasm, easily big enough that the entire group could stand on it at the same time. It's the only thing that hasn't been encased in crystal.]

Well now... Looks like we're finally getting somewhere.

...Huh.

[That actually makes a lot of sense. Levy hadn't thought of it from that angle before. She'd been assuming the ruins and ancient technology were just pre-populated each time the cycle reset itself. Having it left over from previous cycles makes just as much sense, though.]

So if that's the case, and Rukia's PKE meter is picking up readings down here, have we found something like a wellspring of life energy? Is this where new souls come from each time the cycle is reset?

[Levy thinks out loud as she continues walking, making a beeline for the machinery. She doesn't know how to use it, and isn't going to try, but maybe there's something around that she can translate to help out those who can.]

That... actually makes sense.

[And Twilight takes a thoughtful pose as she flies over to the platform.]

Take the Lunar Gate, for instance. Not only do we have Ancient technology there, we also have technology from our worlds there, no matter how odd. If that's the case, then we can probably assume that everything that is encased in the crystallized areas are preserved if they're non-living. Or perhaps non-sentient.

As for where the next generation comes from... that's a good question. Didn't someone say someone tried to just kill Garland and let the world get crystallized? Either way, it's highly possible that the previous generation might end up surviving in some capacity if the Heroes were sacrificed sooner than later.

If that was the case, it would make sense as to why the Heroes are only remembered in stories because the Heroes arrived, did what they were supposed to do and then disappeared...

"The crystalization is a safety measure, what holds back the Calamity. If the cycle is not reset, kill Garland but not solve the Calamity, then we've seen what would happen. The crystal breaks, and the world is left behind, empty. The few survivors have a whole world of tech to scavenge but still cant get home."

"If Garland is defeated but not Palitutu, Kalki said she can restore his memories. It's got to be both Garland and the Calamity." Jack still doesn't understand this place, he's not satisfied with Cloud's answer, but he'll move on. He heads towards the platform Jade has pointed out.

[ Looking a little sheepish, Sheena answers Levy's first question before continuing on the path ahead. ]

Well, back home, holes always seem to show up sooner or later, and being inside a cave... It just seemed like the perfect time and place for one.

[ She knows it's silly logic, but that's her experience. Still, she remains silent until they get across the path and to the other side, still sweeping her PKE meter back and forth and still getting those same faint readings.

She stops and turns to Levy as she heads to the machinery. ]

A pool of souls? Souls that weren't put in crystal?

[ A she waits for an answer, she heads for the platform, still moving the PKE meter back and forth. ]

I wonder what this is? And is it connected to that machinery in some way?

[K'pandolu shakes her head, shrugging.]

No- it's not anything like that. It just reminds me of the area. But I don't know whether the crystals of this world could become overaspected in the same way, anyhow.

[she nods at Jade's words, humming for a moment.]

Even when ice encase the lands, there were still survivors… Though I suspect that may have been less encompassing that the crystalisation.

[but at any rate-]

That platform's untouched… I wonder why. [hopefully it's not a trap. She moves towards the machinery to see if there's any part of that she can help out with.]

[Ales keeps a safe distance between himself and the hole. That looks like a magic source, and he doesn't want anything to do with that.]

Anyone remember what happened back there? [He juts a thumb at the pit] Or here? It might have been used in the last cycle, might have not. Wherever I was, it's much deeper down these caves.

[He'll tell them his side of the story if they give theirs. The room where Sephiroth's sword was found didn't have anything useful in it, but the pit and the machine is the opposite.]

And this...? [He approaches the machine and runs a finger along an edge. Has it collected dust? Is it rusted and worn from years of use?] When did this get here?

[Selphie had shot a relieved look in Sephiroth's direction before finally making it down to the landing below. She was quiet as she wandered closer to the platform and the ancient machinery.]

Maybe this operated the platform? But not for a really long time.

[She'd heard Jack speaking about Garland and Palitutu and Kalki and scowled as she squinted through the crystal at the machinery.]

Well, Palitutu's out of commission so that plan's a little blown now... But maybe Garland equipped a Guardian Force and it took his memory away.

[That last idea was a shot in the dark but it was something to keep the discussion going, right?]

[All the machinery is half-encased in crystal, which makes it difficult to examine properly. What they can see is that it's extremely old -- something that hasn't been used in a good hundred thousand years.

The platform looks pretty old too, but not rusted like everything else. Jade kneels by the edge of the pit and looks under the platform. As far as he can see, it's a straight drop down, no crystallized cliffs or anything else in the way.]

...I think we've found ourselves an elevator.

[Standing up again, he cautiously prods the platform with his foot. There is a faint hum as the elevator comes to life. Even after all these years, it still seems to be functional.

There is no other path leading away from here. Jade turns to look at the others.]

Well then... Shall we give it a try?

[By the time Sephiroth follows Selphie onto the platform most of the others are already gathered around or on it specifically. He, too, ends up squinting at the crystallized machinery, trying to make sense of it himself and what he might have remembered reading in Ancient but without Scholar equipped and relying on memory only it isn't fruitful at all.

As Jade apparently makes the platform come to life, immediately he looks down and turns in the direction of his comrade, ready to leap from the platform if it at all felt like it was going to buckle.]

Wait. How did you do that?

[It couldn't have been just a toe-prod, surely?]

[Either way, Twilight's going to stand on it, making sure it can handle her first.]

So far, so good. But, we need to be careful if we use this.

[Levy nods at Sheena.]

It's just a theory. Maybe the souls from this world come from somewhere physical, and it recycles them and repopulates the world when the cycle is reset. This could be that place.

[Moving on, though, she steps onto the elevator with the others.]

Twilight's right. We need to be ready for whatever - or whoever - might be waiting for us at the bottom. This is uncharted territory.

[Her voice is equal parts cautious and excited. This is the kind of thing Fairy Tail lives for, after all.]

Maybe the first people after the resets are other doppelgangers pulled from here? Similar to how we're all summoned to the crystals.

[It's a longshot of an idea and he shrugs, quietly following along as the group until Sheena and Levy get to musing about souls.]

The lifestream? You're talking about the lifestream...Or at least that's what they call it in my world.

[He looks off the edge of the hole, wondering if he can spot a telltale glow.]

Maybe if we go deep enough we can find it.

[As they gather around the elevator Cloud steps forward to join Twilight and Levy.]

It doesn't look like we have anywhere else to go. Looks like it's big enough for us all too.

[Levy's nervous enthusiasm makes Cloud smile as well. He's ready for whatever may come, and he's glad for the people he has with him.]

I did- have a memory, admittedly. I don't know where, for sure… but it felt like the last stand, so perhaps- close to the heart of this.

[well, there's not much to be gained from the machinery, and the elevator probably goes somewhere, so she goes to join the others, tail flicking.

She tilts her head towards Selphie, eyebrows raised.]

A Guardian Force? I- no, I don't think it was that- what is that, though?

[she nods, listening to Levy and Cloud.]

It's been called that in mine, too. But- ordinarily people, animals, anything that dies simply becomes a part of it again… Why do the doppelgangers look as similar as they did before?

At least we don't need to worry about ending up divided. [for now, anyhow.]

[ Sheena also looks at Jade somewhat suspiciously but doesn't say anything. The man had been acting odd during the trip--even for him.

She had been told about others sharing memories of their other "selves". Perhaps this was a part of it?

Either that, or that damn vision they all had. ]

Yeah, we need to be careful. [ She looks at Cloud. ] We don't have anything like that on my world, but from what you say, it's possible.

[ She looks to K'pandolu. ] Maybe they look the same because they're from a different time? Thereby they're from a different stream?

[ Pulling out her particle thrower, she takes up a spot near the edge, her look determined. She's ready for this trip.

She hopes. ]

Jack hesitates, and looks to K'pandolu, startled at her words. Hang on, then. Who wasn't accounted for in that vision? "...Thancred. I-" there are too many ways to end that sentence, "-didn't realize you'd met Gwen." Perhaps a topic for a different time, though.

"Kalki's words after the vision, were that the doppelgangers join the Cycle of Souls here, and become a part of this world. What does that mean? Enh, good luck figuring that out. But you know the part that's really bugged me?"

"Why do they exist now? The Doppelgangers weren't the first people to pop back up at the beginning of a cycle, or they'd all be dead now, right? They've got a normal life cycle, they wouldn't live for 2,000 years, even if some of us that they're based on would live that long. So why did they wait until now to be born, to get, for lack or a better term, spit back out of the Cycle of Souls into existence?"

Something must have triggered in order for it to come forth in this manner. If we can find some clues on what that trigger is, we might have a chance at fully understanding the bigger picture.

[ Mikleo has been following the crew to the best of his abilities, and sometimes he gets a little distracted so Muse has to make him focus. Eventually, he catches up with the group and continuing to listen to their conversation.

It's best for him to put everything into consideration and take note of all the important things that are being discussed. He seems to be engrossed in writing in his notebook again. ]

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