> Lucy, Owen, & Kala: {BELLIGERENCE}
causticAccolade
dead yet dreaming
- Location
- Silent Sound, Cipher Cove, Levoile.
"Owen, you're great, but I'm going to have to question your judgement," you manage, as you try to pull yourself together and use what little time you think you have to think. "Mari, could you pretty please try and get the elevator working as fast as possible?"
"Oh, thank you for the instruction, Calloway, I was planning to go about it as slowly as possible just in order to spite you!" Mari shoots back, pulling out her trusty SCREWDRIVER and appearing to GET TO WORK on the ELEVATOR DOOR MECHANISM. "And you didn't even put a cherry on top of your please!"
Marinette seems quite happily busy at work with the ELEVATOR, so you gesture to Owen, who almost trips over his own SNEAKERS scrambling over to you, and Kala, who seems a little nervous but with a shimmer is by your side. You look at them both, very earnestly, and explain your plan. "Have you ever seen Home Alone?" you begin. Kala shakes her head.
Owen frowns. "Is that the one where... he has no arms... and... a hat?"
You furrow your brow. "No. What? What... no, never mind. Okay, the point is, it's about a boy who sets up some traps in his house because he's getting robbed, and..."
"You think whatever's coming is going to rob us?" Owen just seems more confused.
"No, no, I mean, look, let me explain," you're about to launch into a detailed synopsis when you notice Kala struggling to drag furniture over to the door and shake your head. "Just... go help Kala, okay?"
As Owen and Kala finish the task of BARRICADING THE DOOR with whatever they can find, you start working on a MAKESHIFT TRAP. However, as much as you enjoyed HOME ALONE as a piece of CHEAP AND TRASHY ENTERTAINMENT, you're not sure the WACKY ANTICS OF KEVIN MCCALLISTER hold up quite as well in the REAL WORLD... at the very least, you can't make HEAD NOR TAIL of the plans that are forming half-baked in your head.
[GUMPTION CHECK: FAILED]
You're on the verge of tears of frustration, and with the footsteps getting louder every passing second you can feel your resolve starting to slip away from you. You're tempted to just curl up and CRY, but then you feel - well you hardly feel it, really, it's almost like a soft breeze more than anything - a hand on your shoulder, a flickering, barely-there hand, and Kala's voice whistles through your head.
"What are you trying to do. Make a trap? Like in your movie about being alone and at home. I wish I was at home. And also alone. Not alone from you. But from everyone else. Most people aren't very nice here. It's scary and confusing and I do not like any of it at all. We are becoming angels. It is upsetting. Yes. Home would be better. I do not have a home, but if there was a home where I could be alone, I would want to be home and alone." She seems to catch herself rambling, and stops, staring at the parts in front of you. With a little effort, you try to articulate what you were trying to do, and she seems to understand, acting swiftly and decisively in order to create a MAKESHIFT TRAP.
[GUMPTION CHECK: SUCCEEDED]
Right, priorities. You don't have long, what to do - of course! You run over and grab the TV REMOTE, pocketing it with an IMPISH GRIN that you can't HELP BUT ALLOW TO SPREAD ACROSS YOUR FACE. Owen frowns at you. "Luce, do you have a plan, like, a real clever plan that you're gonna use the remote for?"
You shake your head. "Nope. I just want to leave whoever's chasing us with a TV that has no remote. Can you imagine?"
Owen whistles, impressed. "I see. Photosynthesis warfare. Very clever. You can be cruel, Luce. Just... cruel."
Your GRIN only widens.
Unfortunately, this CORDIAL EXCHANGE is quickly interrupted, as the two of you notice a VIVID RED LIGHT shining through the DOOR, before hearing that TERRIBLE SCREAM again. Then, a crash, the sound of something very heavy moving fast, and the door, a heavy thing that must be about three inches thick, dents inwards. The roar sounds again, this time so overwhelming it almost seems to physically fill the room, taking up space like a living creature and forcing you and Owen to take a step back - Kala has her hands over her ears, while Mari remains completely focused on her work, sparks flying as she hurriedly makes her way through the instruments of the toolbox. The red light gets brighter, searingly so, and with another crash, the door goes flying off its hinges, slamming into the wall only a few inches from Mari - who barely even flinches, eyes not moving from her work for an instant.
It's difficult to see what comes barrelling through the door in the next few seconds, because the glow hurts your eyes to look at, like you're staring directly into the sun. After a few seconds, your eyes become accustomed, just a little, and you can make out the silhouette wreathed in that terrible glare of light that doesn't belong , taller than it should be tall with arms longer than they should be long ending in claws that shouldn't be at all, a mouth of jagged teeth stretched into a grin, eyes like searchlights flooding the room with red. Over all of this, stretched and torn, are the remains of an Institute gown, like the one you're wearing. You're stunned, looking at what's in front of you - because as much as you want to say it's inhuman, you can't bring yourself to think as it like that. It's inhuman in the same way a dog isn't a wolf, a tricycle isn't a motorbike, a biplane isn't a fighter jet. It's... beautiful.
It's about halfway through a leap towards an equally stunned-looking Owen when it triggers your MAKESHIFT TRAP, a HEAVY BOOK coming down on its head and sending it off balance, briefly, before it regains its footing and moves, nimbly, limbs aligning to angles they should never be able to, back towards the two of you. Broken out of his trance, Owen frowns, not quite able to bring himself to move. "... Moth?"
With the creature bearing down on you, you feel your head begin to hurt - first aches, then pain, and suddenly a splitting, uncontrollable agony that makes you close your eyes, press your hands to the sides of your temples, and...
You open your eyes again. Everything seems different. Sharper, somehow. Looking over at Owen, you see that he feels the same way - his eyes are open. Kala, you think, could see from the moment you met her. You don't understand anything at all, and yet... you feel like you know more than you did, now. As Mari continues her repairs, the three of you turn to face the creature.
You can now perceive SOTERIOLOGY ASCENDANTS.
LUCY'S SOTERIOLOGY ASCENDANT is SATURN, LEVEL ONE
OWEN'S SOTERIOLOGY ASCENDANT is MERCURY, LEVEL ONE
KALA'S SOTERIOLOGY ASCENDANT is LUNA, LEVEL TWO
You have now entered a {BELLIGERENCE}. For your enjoyment and convenience, enjoy a brief explanation of the mechanics of {BELLIGERENCE}
{BELLIGERENCE} occurs when circumstances render some degree of PHYSICAL DISCORD unavoidable, and you find yourself facing a BOSS BATTLE. During {BELLIGERENCE}, QUESTIONABLY SOTERIOLOGICAL operates slightly differently to usual. First of all, the PARTY is controlled by a voting system, as opposed to the usual freeform command entering. Each PARTY MEMBER who is involved in the {BELLIGERENCE} can make ONE ACTION PER ROUND, from a choice of <ATTACK>, <ITEM>, <CLASS MACHINATION> or <SOTERIOLOGY GAMBIT>.
<ATTACK> will direct that PARTY MEMBER to ATTACK a specified enemy with their EQUIPPED WEAPON, pitting their FISTICUFFS or NIMBLENESS against the enemy's NIMBLENESS.
<ITEM> will direct that PARTY MEMBER to either EQUIP or USE an ITEM in their INVENTORY, with VARYING EFFECTS.
<CLASS MACHINATIONS> will often have DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS in an instance of {BELLIGERENCE} than they do under ORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES.
<SOTERIOLOGY GAMBITS> are ����█▓████�▓▓▓▓▓��?"£"£%@}{:}{���
While the <ATTACK> command functions on its own, votes for the <ITEM> <CLASS MACHINATION> or <SOTERIOLOGY GAMBIT> options require FURTHER SPECIFICATION, on which ITEM is selected and whether it should be USED or EQUIPPED, on which CLASS MACHINATION to use, and on which SOTERIOLOGY GAMBIT to use, respectively. To discover what OPTIONS are available to a character, you may issue the command [x] Examine <ACTION> to be given a DEEPER UNDERSTANDING of the OPTIONS that ACTION entails for that PARTY MEMBER - doing so does NOT USE AN ACTION and does NOT REQUIRE A VOTE.
Other than EXAMINING ACTIONS, there is another command that can be freely submitted: TALKING, either to other PARTY MEMBERS or to the ENEMY, is A FREE ACTION.
{BELLIGERENCE!}
LUCY (300/300)
[] <ATTACK>
[] <ITEM>
[] <CLASS MACHINATION>
[] <SOTERIOLOGY GAMBIT>
OWEN (230/250)
[] <ATTACK>
[] <ITEM>
[] <CLASS MACHINATION>
[] <SOTERIOLOGY GAMBIT>
KALA (200/300)
[] <ATTACK>
[] <ITEM>
[] <CLASS MACHINATION>
[] <SOTERIOLOGY GAMBIT>
So, first of all, I have to apologise for again being so unreliable! Nothing like getting exams out of the way only to be hit squarely in the face with a large pile of coursework due in only a few weeks' time. The worst of it is behind me, at least, so here I am with... a lengthy update that introduces a whole new system, because I am really terrible at this. {BELLIGERENCE} has been in the works since the very start of this adventure, so I hope it works out okay now that I've finally brought it out! Again, the most heartfelt of thanks to all of you for sticking around this long and being this patient with me and my ridiculous story.
Unfortunately, you are not the one doing the FOLLOWING in this scenario!
Unfortunately, [EVERYTHING YOU CAN'T DO I CAN DO BETTER] takes into account the stats of the ENTIRE PARTY, regardless of current occupation.
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