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buttrinthum2024-07-20 09:30 am
TDM #10 OVERFLOW
Whether it be sleep or death, you feel your eyes close, and as your body begins to let go, you see a barn owl that is flying through the darkness, soon sweeping you across the clouded sky. You feel yourself mouth the words, “I wish, I wish..” and utter your deepest and darkest desire.
When you regain consciousness, you’ll find you are in an unfamiliar place with no recognition of how you arrived here. You have the clothes on your back, but nothing else. No weapons and if you had a particular superpower, you’ll notice it is missing. All you have is a satchel with a piece of bread, a vial of water, and a potion. The potion could be red, blue or golden. There are no instructions about these potions other than two words: Drink Me.
Will you drink it or not?
There is a parchment, handwritten in scrawling, jagged lettering that seems a bit... ominous:
You’re in a garden, surrounded by flowers and plants– most of which you cannot identify. However, there are a few that you can make out: Sunflowers and Hibiscus. You’ll soon find out that being around the Sunflower makes it difficult to pass through the already disorienting garden, even with the light guiding you. Where patches of them grow, even if only waist-high, you cannot pass through them, over them, or even destroy them to get them out of your way. In each grouping that blocks your path, there is one that has a key-shaped opening in the middle of the flower. Maybe the key is nearby? (Spoiler: it's probably under a rock nearby that you forgot to check!) The hibiscus offers an entirely different effect - inhaling the pollen grants you the temporary ability to shoot fireballs out of your hands. But be careful, those fireballs are difficult to control and seem to bounce in random directions no matter how hard you try to aim (cannot be used to destroy the sunflowers). The effect ends once you step out of the garden.
Somnius is once again recovering from a devastating blow. Buildings need to be restored to their former glory and the emotional turmoil of the previous weeks surely needs to be alleviated. What better way to lighten the mood than a little fun for the whole family? A new arcade has appeared in town, beckoning residents with its stone doors set wide open.
With multiple levels, a variety of games and even a snackbar, Appl3 Pi Arcade is sure to be a hit!
Of course, as with everything that ever happens in Somnius, the arcades appearance is not without some complications. For one, playing the games inside might see characters teleported into the machine itself, perfectly pixelated to fit the game they're in. Hope you weren't about to fight the final boss, because now you might be fighting for your life! The good news is, if you die in the game... you don't die in real life and are just popped back out into the arcade again.
Strange things happen outside the arcade too. Walking down the road you might suddenly see a healthbar pop up above someone's head. Are you supposed to fight them? Are they going to fight you? Best to be cautious and reach for any trusty weapons you have just in case. Weapons that have become pixelated and can be pulled seemingly out of nowhere like some kind of hammerspace. They are also prone to breaking and shattering into glimmering pixel pieces (your normal weapons are still intact, don't worry).
Boxes and pots around Somnius are somehow more breakable than usual, smashed open with a single swing of those pixel weapons and producing gold coins! What a shame gold coins aren't the currency here. But if you don't want to destroy more things around Somnius, why not try fishing instead? That seems safe - if not suddenly more difficult with the fishing minigame that popped up in front of you. Quick! Keep the fish icon in the green bar or you'll lose it!
All things considered? It's all relatively harmless fun up until-
Vaeros wakes up. For those new to town, this means nothing. For those that were here for the castle raid? They can rest assured that they're in for a surprise. The Overlord of Visium has finally awoken from his Hyalily induced coma and he is furious. A shout echoes from the castle:
A wave of magical energy sweeps through the town, shaking it to the very core. Miraculously, the destroyed buildings and any remnants of the forest onslaught are gone and returned to their usual state. Perhaps Vaeros shouting was just another tantrum, an empty threat?
Not quite.
The town has been restored, but the locals? They are nowhere to be seen - cowering in their homes and fleeing to the sanctity of the Church of the Moon in hopes of staying out of sight of Vaeros and Dreamers both. The once tame video game effects are now far more intense - monsters from within those games are now rampaging through the town. They seem to shift through buildings, but if they run face first into a Dreamer, they will find them very corporeal and very deadly.
Not only that, but the lines are starting to blur between reality and fiction again, the healthbar above your head flickering in and out, the monsters turning from pixel beasts to real, live animals that roam Somnius - both feral and not. One second you are walking through town, and the next you are stepping onto a platform that starts to break under your weight, demanding you jump to the next platform before you plummet into an odd, multicolored abyss.
And strangest of all is that music coming from the labyrinth, growing louder when you approach and fading out when you move away.
Welcome to the labyrinthum TDM! Characters will arrive depowered and with only their clothing, and will be given a satchel with a crystal pendant, a communication device, some water and bread and a magic potion. If they drink the potion, they will manifest an elemental, healing or animal transformation ability.
With the exception of Castle Vaeros, characters are free to go as they please, so feel free to place them in any of the locations available on the map. Yes, this includes the Labyrinth - though characters will not be able to clear the maze.
You can find more information about the game here. Any questions regarding the TDM can go under the comment below.
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[Hey! Maybe it is a little weird! Wild, that.]
Life has been pretty crazy for me recently, so I guess I'm just not too shocked by the weird stuff going on?
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Not like he can know for sure. He doesn't know the exact details of the other's life. But every single fact about said life that comes out of the other's mouth feels even crazier than the last, somehow. ]
For one, I think you may be misunderstanding the situation. It does seem like all of us somehow made a contract, yes. [ Which is weird, but he's been trying real hard to not linger on that thought for too long over the past year. It'll just trip him up. ] But it isn't with a demon. I don't know if anyone knows Vaeros' true nature, but.. he does not seem like a demon to me.
[ In fact, assuming it's a demon as easily as the other does feels a little weird to him!!
.. but it does fit in with the general rest of Kazuya's weirdness.. ]
im so sorry for the delay!!! my house slightly burned down 🙃
Some of them are kind of nice to deal with, though they're pretty far and few between. Most of them are obnoxious, but all of them are capable of magically enforcing contracts. I don't see why it wouldn't be a demons doing to bring us here.
oh my god??? is everything okay? :(
Do you deal with demons that often to have so much knowledge about them?
[ That doesn't exactly seem like a fun thing.. Is that why the other seems kind of weirdly messed up? Does interacting with demons too much do weird things to your brain? Inigo would believe it! ]
absolutely! no one was hurt! i was just a little frazzled telling everyone lmao
[That, and fighting against them for a week straight trying to figure out their weaknesses and not getting his ass kicked when one of them reflects his magic back at him.]
gosh that's good to hear.. i'm glad you're okay!!
[ Kazuya, bro. Dude. Maybe you should start off introductions with that. Although that might be a wild first impression, but now Inigo isn't sure how to feel about the fact that he's apparently been standing here talking to the king of demons all this time?!
I-Is that a bad thing? A good thing? Does it mean Kazuya could hurt him even more if he seriously attacked Inigo?! He has so many questions, and half of them invoke panic within him! ]
B-But you look human! You look just like me..!
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Either way, Kazuya can see the panic start to form in the others features and he holds out his hands to placate him. Or try to, anyway. ]
Long story. I used to be human up until very recently. Also theres a lot of demons out there that are indistinguishable from humans, and even more that can take on a human disguise for as long as it suits them, so you shouldn't believe anyone who looks like a human is safe, you know.
[ What was that? He was going to attack the other guy?
Well that's been forgotten about. ]
Besides, I can't use any of my powers anymore, so I'm basically human again.
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Is that why you attacked me earlier?
[ Maybe attacked is a big word for it, but Inigo - king of dramatics, if nothing else - is going to use it anyway. Confidently. ]
Because you're secretly a demon, hellbent on causing destruction and misery?!
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[ He points upwards at Inigo's HP bar. ]
And causing destruction and misery wouldn't do me any good and be incredibly hard without my powers.
[ It seems he's taking that accusation in stride. ]
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[ At least that doesn't sound.. as accusatory on Inigo's end..
Instead it sounds more shocked. Like he might be realizing the only thing standing between this world and utter demonic destruction by this guy's hands is.. this little fact.. V-Vaeros, please don't give him his powers back that easily, Inigo is begging you..!! ]
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[This is a joke, but like. He says it with such a straight face that it's very likely that Inigo wouldn't catch on. But miracles can happen, right???
Also don't listen to Inigo, Vaeros...! Kazuya Needs Those!]
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[ Even though Inigo sounds a little dramatic about this - okay, maybe more than just a little bit - he does also sound like he's taking it very seriously what the other is saying.
Especially since he doesn't just leave it at that. Inigo actually continues after a moment. ]
You need those morals! They're important! Don't you know why they're important?! [ He sounds like he's about to pull out a preschooler guide to ethics or something.. Who knows.. ]
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[This guy... Is he for real? How long can he keep playing with him? It'll start to feel bad after a little bit, won't it?
And yet... He can't help it. He raises his hand again, staking a menacing step forward like he's gonna karate chop him...!
(He won't. If Inigo even lets him get that far, he's just going to clasp him on the shoulder.)]
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.. even if it's just by raising his own arms to try and block the incoming strike. The potential incoming strike. Even if the other gives up, Inigo will be keeping his arms up like he's expecting him to attack him the moment he lets his very literal guard down. ]
Alright, alright! I get what's going on now! It's time for-- for extremely quick ethics lessons!
[ Is Inigo saying he's going to give those to him?
Right here? Right now? As he's under - what Inigo assumes to be - an active threat? Bold. ]
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Oh well!]
Um. I've been joking this entire time. I'm really not about to hurt anyone. Even when I get my powers back.
[Since he's so freaked out... He's just going to give up the joke now.]
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.. then Kazuya says that.
Inigo looks like he's deflating like a balloon on the spot, his eyes growing so wide as he stares at the other. ]
A joke?
[ ... ]
W-What part was a joke?
[ Apparently Inigo genuinely can't tell, no matter how obvious it might have been.. ]
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[But a little panic, maybe. It depends!]
Seriously, I'm mostly just a regular guy. Nothing and no one to be actually worried about.
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It looks like Inigo is taking 2 to 3 business days to process this information, judging by the way he just stares at the other so blankly..
But then it finally does seem to hit him. ]
W-Wait, so practically all of it, aside from the demon part?! Why would you even joke about that and make me so worried?! [ Granted, Inigo's comical reaction - even in this moment! - should be proof enough as to why someone might want to pull a prank like that on him.. ]
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[But he did stop himself! After a point, of course. Mostly when it seemed like this guy would have spent a lot of energy explaining things.
That being said, he still lifts his hand to point at Inigo, who is still making a really comical expression.]
You're still making a funny face about it.
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[ .. and it's also kind of funny. Not that Inigo himself realizes it, especially when she's still relatively worked up.. and in the middle of making that face and wildly gesturing at it.. ]
Anyone would be concerned about someone else saying the things you did! I'm trying to keep the people in this place safe..!
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You really don't have anything to worry about from me. Hurting humans isn't really something I'm interested in. It'd make the people I care about sad if I did that.
[Non-humans can Perish, though ♥.]