Intro Log: Arm Yourself

[hadrielmods]

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for August
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: August 10th-15th
Warnings: Stalkers, newbies, and cute loot!

Sleeping on the cold dirt ground of the colosseum is enough to make anyone uncomfortable. It might be a little worse this month than others, as some of you may be waking up on top of or around various self defense devices (btw: that last one is a taser).

Come to think of it, you'll probably need those. Also in the colosseum and already stalking you are... uh, well, stalkers from the Borderlands game series. Stalkers come armed with claws, teeth, and sharp tails- and what's more, they can turn invisible to sneak up on you. Zap them with your newfound taser or stab them with your jewelry comb knife or just run away screaming- we won't judge, but you have to do something or else they'll kill you and eat your corpse and all sorts of unfortunate things.

Good luck finding a way out. Maybe you can make some friends along the way.

All done and escaped from the clutches of the colosseum? Awesome! Feel free to go explore the rest of the city! Find a house, find a new monster, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers August 10th-15th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► All characters arrive with phones that have network communication.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

Comments

[lovesickkiller]

[Misa nearly laughs in his face at the suggestion that she should help him, but when she looks back the path she had been following no longer seems to exist. People and monsters have been shuffled around, and suddenly the beast attacking L isn't so far away from her after all. An arm passes over her head and Misa shrieks, lashing out with her taser. It barely clips the stalker, but the charge is dispersed none the less.]

You do something!

[She wasn't made for this, she clearly does not belong here, and it's about now that someone should be rescuing her, not the other way around. L is the last person on earth that Misa wants to risk her life for.]

[scarletcast]

You will find no shortage of it. If you ask, people will help. Sometimes they might trade.

[ The more suspicious ones, but Wanda has no issue with that. People survive in every way they can. ]

[save_theworld]

[This is an interesting juncture. Frisk looks blank faced to Rey, and Rey simply looks right back. It's out of the usual standards of how things should be; Frisk seen and not heard as the adults take control of the situation, quickly divulging everything the child needs to know (and more) which-

Is not what's happening, right now.

Almost like real, actual conversations require both parties to contribute. Who'd've thought?]

Uh...Underground. Just not this underground.

[...]

A different one.

[In case that wasn't clear.]

[save_theworld]

[No exit. Like a barrier no one can cross, except they don't know the tale to this, just yet. No intimidating fish woman to fill in the blanks that everyone else had danced over, no apologetic reptile to quietly confess that them alone isn't enough.

There is no exit; however, Chara would be foolish to think that just that statement alone would stop Frisk from searching for it. An issue for another day.

The statement sounds a little like a warning, and they're quick to observe, slow to challenge it.]

Then what do we do?

[What have you been doing, along like this?]

[quaerit]

The flowers are very much a new addition, planted only within the last few weeks. But before that there had been an orchard, and other trees even before that. This cave has never really operated under what might be terms 'normal rules'. All of that goes out of the window here.

"These are Hope's plants," he says, or at least he assumes they're Hope's plants. "The gods can make whatever they like. And from what I understand, the light is provided by Hope. Presumably whatever he's doing is enough to let them grow. There's no insects, either, but that hasn't stopped them."

And Gansey, whose relationship with pollinating insects is complicated, is actually quite glad of that fact.

"Anyway. If you understood the books, you'd be my new best friend. I've been trying to read them for months. If be happy to show you what I've found so far. They're full of symbols, none of which mean much to me, but I've been cataloging then to see if a pattern emerges. I'm Gansey."

[save_theworld]

[Their stumbling is just the bare (ha) bones of their momentum, causing their shoes to kick up a small cloud of dirt as space takes a slide over to another direction; shift scene. Things get a little quieter; screeching at a bit more of a distance, intermingled with the sounds of those still fighting for their lives.

They should still be in there, right?

It's their job.

But Sans grins down at them easily enough, a low rumble of greeting and a hand on their back, keeping Frisk steady. They should still be in there...right? It's their job. And yet the transition isn't as simple as it should be, when interference from outside parties actually comes into play.

Why did it come into play?]

...Hi. [Never the most verbose, Frisk makes the decision, this time, to speak up.] Uh...

What was that?

[And why was it so important to interfere, this time?]

[somuchlove]

[They're not that dumb. If there was one thing that they could say with absolute certainty that Frisk was Determined enough to keep going. No exit? Okay then, I'll just look for one. It's what kept them going in the Underground. If something didn't work, they'll try something else.

Playing chicken with that skeleton was the answer, although they have a feeling that Frisk wouldn't be too pleased with that answer. Instead Chara tries for something else.]

I do not know. I have been speaking with the people here, but that alone isn't enough.

[They're getting bored, but it has changed somewhat now that Frisk is here.]

What have you been doing?

[Wandering around, picking things apart? Finding people that were happy to talk? Sometimes that was easier.]

[circumitus]

[In Rey's case, she is (fortunately?) all too aware that she is not the type of person who is in any position to be imparting small humans with life advice. Rey herself doesn't particularly know how to Life, anyway.]

Oh. Huh.

Was born in an underground city as well. Much different from this one, but--

[She scratches her forehead, glancing away for a moment.]

--Well, not "born" so much as made. [Same difference?

[No, not really.]]

[bheidh]

( Once the arrow has fired Leliana moves in, adding a few of her own cuts before the creature vanishes. She looks back to Cecily, looking for it but it isn't there )

We should move before it returns.

( And remain ready )

[save_theworld]

[Casually attempting to kill one of the few people you care about probably wasn't the best option to respond with, no. It doesn't make Chara's actual words any less surprising, however; speaking with, even if it's not really enough.

They can't remember ever hearing Chara speak to anyone outside of them before. Even when they had the option to do so.]

...Thinking, I guess. [And wandering. And looking. People around here aren't as quick as monsters are to divulge their every secret; and Frisk isn't always ready to seek out conversations.

After the day they've had? No. They're not ready to seek out conversations. Not with strangers.]

I want-

To get out.

[Of here.

And there. Both, in whatever order they happen to fall under.]

[save_theworld]

[What is a life? Can you eat it?]

Oh. That's cool.

[It is, really. With that little bit of information, it's much easier to slot her into the same group of people they've known for so long. The underground could make one kinder in many ways.]

...Made? Like a robot?

[somuchlove]

['To get out'.

Chara can understand that. It's not easy being stuck somewhere that you can't leave. At least in the Underground there was a chance for a friendly conversation - or EXP but that was something else. Here were monsters in the true sense of the word. A nasty shock, they suppose.]

There is no exit unless the gods give us one. But we can find somewhere to rest. It's been a long day.

[infinite1up]

Sato emerges with a fresh new shirt, as well as a new pair of suspenders. The latter wasn't strictly necessary, but they were there, and it was always nice to change things up a little.

While he declines the Doritos with a small shake of his head -- it might be stereotypical gamer food but really not to his tastes, he does add:]

Actually, what I could really do with is a cup of coffee. Any chance of finding a cafe around here?

[mismanagement]

We can't get out of the caves. The terrain changes. [Maketh exhales slowly.] The gods - the ones in charge - claim that a device called the 'Door' is responsible for bringing us here. We've been attempting to locate that.

[infinite1up]

If this fellow has questions, he can always ask, is Sato's overal feeling on seeing the other man's obvious confusion.

"Ah, that's too bad. I should probably be on my way then," he says pleasantly. "It's best to be prepared for whatever else gets thrown our way."

[infinite1up]

"Of course," he repeats again. Despite his initial uncertainty about the whole strange futuristic-robot thing, now it feels like more of a convenience, with logical (if perhaps a little suspect) answers available at any time.

He waves before setting out on the last stretch leading to the housing spires with his usual measured steps. Now... it's time to take in the sights.

[enchangement]

River shrugs at Maketh. Other than Wanda, she hasn't told anyone what she is, what she can do, and starting right this moment doesn't seem like the best idea. Better to seem strange and neutral than strange and dangerous.

"There's no malice in intentions; thank you for being a guardian."

[skelebro]

[They got questions. 'Course they do. And he's got...not perfect answers, but he's got some answers, but probably not to their satisfaction. Looks like he got the other part of his two-part variable here, though. So that clears things up a bit.

So which one does this make them?

He scratches at his cervical vertebrae with an uneasy chuckle.]

This is, uh...kind of a long story. You're in Hadriel now - underground city. Place brings people through from all sorts of places. People like you, and me.

[And your friend, he almost says. But he doesn't. They can cross that bridge later, when it's a bit more pertinent.]

Usually the newbies come floodin' in with a surplus of things aimin' to kill 'em. Sorry about that.

[funnybird]

Trading, huh? That's nice and all. Except I'm a bird, sweetheart.

All I got to trade are the feathers off my back. And those are staying right where they are, thank you!

[ He can also reach things in high places, or carry things that weigh less than a book. But he only does those kind of favors for his friends. ]

[funnybird]

I didn't know you had a sword!

[ Oh, the stalker is dead? Let Crow fly right back over to him, be a little grossed out by the dead thing, and then continue the dialogue. ]

Maybe think 'oh, there's this cat thing. but oh, wait, I have a freaking sword'!

[ Bit of an afterthought to realize how bad ass that whole thing was. This kid has some talent.

He should... probably say something. ]

...anyway, thanks for saving my tail feathers.

[turbulentwind]

Great.

[He's seen the results of someone being revived, and it's not pretty. All he hopes for is that Charlie kicked Bison's ass.]

Have you been one of the, uh, revived?

[mismanagement]

Yes. [Maketh exhales slowly. She doesn't wish to discuss it, really.] It's happened more often lately. Not just to me.

[mismanagement]

A guardian? That's an odd way to put it. Though Maketh did say she was a guardswoman, so perhaps it's only a different word for the same title. Maketh shakes her head. "Nonetheless. I would like to meet your brother soon, if that would be all right. We're in need of medics. And please let me know if you need anything."

[turbulentwind]

[He notices it and backs off.]

Sorry. I didn't mean to dredge up anything.

It sounds like a messed up situation. I'll help however I can.

[keep_smiling]

Afraid not. Nothing like that's open, and I haven't seen hide nor hair of a coffee maker in my travels here. But maybe someday our food selection will expand, and we'll have coffee once again.

[Man can't live in Doritos alone, anyway.]

I guess the next thing you'd need is a place to stay then, eh? There are plenty of open apartments around. Including in the building I'm in. I think you can just pick whatever you like and call it your own, so long as no one else has. Rent-free!