[CLOSED]

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Who: Add, Rin Okumura, Zelda, Oscar, Lenneth... and more TBA!
Where: The depths of Henir's temple
When: October 1st through the 2nd
What: Doing science on the spooky chaos temple core was never a good plan.
Warnings: Various degrees of mind control/manipulation, existential horror, and at least one death. Will update as needed.

Once the formal party is over, Add is already back at his temple making preparations. A pair of messages are sent to his "assistants" to ensure that they're aware of the date—a simple reminder and directions to his temple, along with the slightly ominous "Knock first, I'm not chasing you down if you get lost."

The outside of the temple is looking especially unkempt and overgrown today, but if Add's instructions are followed the door will open up into a wide dark space, blue cubes floating aimlessly about. Star-like lights glitter distantly in the abyss, occasionally blocked out by drifting dark shapes. Even further beyond that is a giant blue orb that never quite seems to stay in the same place. It's hard to miss, at least, but trying to gauge how big or far away it is might give you a headache.

Gravity appears to "stick" to the surface of each cube—any surface—but only as long as you remain in contact with them. So, get used to floating around and jumping between them. The meeting point is at the largest cube near the centre of the cluster, as per Add's directions.

Comments

PRE-EXPEDITION MINGLE

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[Add can be found sitting on his dynamos like a chair, surrounded by an array of purple holoscreens filled with complex equations and energy readings as he floats sideways next to the meeting point. Most of the preparation work is already done, but it doesn't hurt to check through everything one last time before they go. It doesn't look like he's slept at all in a few days, but he has a (cold, half-empty) cup of coffee sitting on a dynamo next to him (don't ask how it stays in there), so he's probably awake enough to be operating advanced machinery to bend the laws of reality. He's also still wearing his formal outfit, though it's not simply out of laziness. Every little bit counts, and it'd be easier to make the temple cooperate with their efforts if Add does a good job of emulating Henir, right? That's what he thinks, anyway. Hopefully this won't be a complete waste of time...

He'll offer a nod of acknowledgement to anyone who approaches, though he'll keep multitasking if they have any questions for him.]

[hellskitchen]

[ Rin isn't oblivious to the fact that Add has been working on something big for a while. The shinki has never really asked the other about it. He just figures it's beyond his comprehension, and the scientific jargon alone will give him a headache, so he decides to not even inquire about it. It concerns Rin with how many sleepless nights the scientist's been racking up, and he must have not went to bed after the reception either. How could someone be so absorbed into one project? Rin doesn't get it.

That morning, out of the blue,Add asks him to do a few errands for him. At first, Rin finds it odd since the god is so self-sufficient in most things, he didn't think the other will ever ask for his help. But Rin isn't going to pass up on an opportunity to be helpful, so he quickly goes off to complete his errands.

Midway through his task (after a few hours of running around in circles),he realizes how ludicrous the instructions are. So Rin gathers that this might be another prank of Add's, so he just abandons the completion of his assignment, heading back to the temple. Rin finds upon entry that it's easy to get within the cube space without having to go through another illusion. He ignores it for the moment, returning to the living space they share.

Add is still preoccupied with his work, but it seems as if he's planning to leave somewhere. Either way, he has a bone to pick with the esper!]

Hey!What's with that bullshit errand, huh?!

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[Add looks up, clearly surprised to see Rin back so soon. That list should've kept him busy for at least another hour! It couldn't have been that long already, could it?

... Well. Then again, maybe he shouldn't have expected a trick like that to work on someone who isn't as stubborn and obsessive as Jakob. He'd been so busy with his plans he kind of reused the same tactic without thinking about it. Add sighs, pushing aside a few windows and turning in his hoverchair to face Rin.]

It was just a joke, don't take it so personally. Why don't you go back outside and find something else to do then? I'm working on something delicate right now, I don't want you messing up my experiment.

[And if something goes wrong, he doesn't want Rin to get hurt. He's a shinki, getting home shouldn't concern him right now when he's dead and missing memories. It'd be better for him to stay out of this completely.]

[hellskitchen]

A joke?

[ Rin hasn't known Add for very long, but he has picked up on certain quirks that his god has. Usually when Rin's been duped (which is not really too hard to do), Add seems to be very proud of himself. Yet, Rin doesn't get a sense of that. It just as if he's just going to push the whole ordeal under the rug.

Something's off, but Rin can't really explain it.]

I just came from outside. If anyone needs some fresh air, it's you. Haven't you been workin' on this thing for a while now?

[ He then frowns at the accusatory tone that he might mess up his experiment. It dawns on Rin that Add might be trying to get rid of him, though he's still clueless of the reason.]

So that's it! You're tryna keep me out so I don't wreck your precious experiment! Where's the trust? I know you've been workin' hard on it, so I wouldn't mess with it.

[ Rin's a little hurt, but he's not going to deny that he's curious of what Add plans to do. He says it's delicate, so does that mean it could be potentially dangerous?]

[nibelungvalesti]

[Truth be told, the Valkyrie is uncertain what she is doing here. Her god power can perhaps be useful? The idea that she has a power is still unfamiliar to her, and she understands very little of what it means.]

[Her confusion, her impatience, and her concern all manifest in a fashion that ought to concern anyone who knows her greatly. The Valkyrie is pacing; walking a dozen steps across the temple, turning, then walking back. Her expression is a mere faint frown, and little in her posture speaks of particular concern, anger, or alarm... but she doesn't pace. Ever.]

[hellskitchen]

Huh?

[ Rin is on his way back from Add's bogus task, when he comes across the Valkyrie, pacing back and forth in front of the tower. It's an odd sight, since the temple isn't really known to get many visitors. Especially the indecisive kind of guest. Her expression is unreadable, but that doesn't seem intimidate Rin.

He doesn't want to startle her, so he gives them a fair distance before addressing the goddess.]

Hey, are you lost, or maybe you need some help?

[nibelungvalesti]

[She pauses in her steps, turning slowly to look at him. Not with any intent of intimidating or glaring, though her gestures may come off that way simply by nature.]

Neither. I am merely waiting.

[hellskitchen]

Waiting?

[Rin looks around him, just to confirm there's nothing here to wait for. Just the same ol' unkempt grounds, and tower. He turns back to the Valkyrie.]

Waiting for what?

THE EXPEDITION

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[Once everyone is gathered and ready, Add has them all move over to stand on one of the smaller cubes. The core is plainly visible in the distance, but getting there is still a bit of a challenge. Since not everyone in their party can fly in zero-gravity, they need some sort of vessel to get them there.

But the lack of gravity means it's also super easy to pull that off, so Add is just using this random cube as a "vessel". His six dynamos are positioned around the back of it, pushing it easily through the void. Once they're on the right path all it needs is a few adjustments here and there to avoid crashing into things. Easy!

The trip through the void is fairly uneventful, though the floating cubes become more and more distorted the deeper they go into the temple. The glowing cube they're riding on barely resembles the twisted, impossible shapes all around them, shrouded in a thick darkness that seems more and more impenetrable the further in they go. There are jagged stones floating around in there as well, forming clusters like asteroid belts that they have to carefully maneuver around. Before long the only lights are their vessel and the ominous blue core before them, ever hanging in the distance.

It's faint at first, but the energy radiating from the core can definitely be felt as they get closer to it. It's an uneasy feeling, like an immense and steady pressure building in the air. A suffocating feeling of dread and uncertainty. Not malicious, nor threatening, but something that demands a certain amount of respect.

The core never actually appears to get closer, but eventually the shapes abruptly thin out to a more open black space. Add has their cube stop at the edge of it, the core waiting before them. The aura of chaos is thick here, radiating powerfully from its source.

Add takes a deep breath to steel himself, moving his dynamos to open up a few scanners. He's been this far before, but the pressure is on since this is the one time it really counts. Don't screw it up.]

... My Dynamo can pick up on the energy from here, but it's too far to access directly. We'll need to get a bit closer.

[nibelungvalesti]

[Occasionally, very occasionally, a flicker of a silver-blue energy drifts off the Valkyrie's back, from her shoulder blades, where her wings manifest at need. But beyond that she is still and silent as a statue as they drift, seemingly chiseled out of stone and fastened to the cube by some divine adhesive.]

[At his words, she at last moves, looking over to him.]

What dangers can we expect?

[sageprincess]

[Zelda, meanwhile, takes a knee during the trip. Their method of travel is certainly unorthodox to Hyrule's Princess, and while the gravity the cube possesses would likely keep her from falling off, she'd still rather not risk it. Her eyes remain on the core, her fingers flickering anxiously with the golden magic that's meant to contain it upon their arrival.

Feeling the aura of chaos itch at her skin, a part of her wonders if she'll really be able to do it, but-- no. There's no time for doubts, now. For the sake of Hyrule, she must.]

Let me know when it is time for us to do our part.

[The gauntlet on her left hand glitters in the strange not-light of the core. It's a bit weird, having Oscar in his vessel form even when the danger is not immediate, but at least this way they can be literally of one mind when the time comes for them to control the darkness, and there's one less body to keep track of in this bizarre space, besides.]

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None, hopefully. It's possible the core might have an adverse reaction, but that's why both of you are here.

[As much as he's tried to act like he knows what he's doing... really, this is as far as he can be certain. He dimly recalls the research papers he read so many years ago, detailing what little was recorded of the Henir experiments. He knows that objects from Henir's space contain massive quantities of raw energy, possibly enough to compete with even the original El Stone in its prime, and he's performed enough tests on these deep-space objects to know that they're not quite enough for his needs. Nothing was ever reported on the core itself, besides the fact that it was theorized to exist. The ancient experiments were discontinued without any reason given. His own have stopped before the core, at least for now.

It should be fine since he's Henir, shouldn't it? This is his domain now. There's no reason why he shouldn't be able to tap into its powers. He just has to stay calm and approach this with caution.]

Zelda, Oscar—if something goes wrong or the core starts to resist, do whatever you can to restrain it. Lenneth, you are to assist them with your powers if such a situation occurs. Otherwise, you are to assist me with channelling the core's energy. Once I have control of the energy's flow, Dynamo will handle the rest.

Rin... try to stay out of the way. [if he sounds a bit exasperated, it's because he already regrets letting the shinki come along.]

[hellskitchen]

[Rin still not sure what Add and his assistants are trying to accomplish here, but he's happy that he's coming along on the adventure. Entering the void and going to the core, just seems like something out of a science fiction manga. So he's blissfully ignorant of how serious the situation is, but he's going to do his best not to embarrass Add.

As they approach the core, Rin notices how their surroundings seem to distort. The air around them feels a little stifling. The feeling seems to intensify the closer they get. It's not enough to scare Rin off, but it does give him an uneasy feeling. His blue eyes continue to gawk at the energy source until Add refers to him. Stay out of the way...shouldn't be too hard.]

Gotcha! [ He gives him a thumbs up, just to hide his own uncertainty. Everything will be okay, right?]

THE RESCUE

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locked to Caster & Dokugakuji

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[The maze of illusions seems endless, scenery blending together and looking less and less stable as each exit is passed. Eventually, though they both end up in a dark forest with a stream running through it.

Sitting in one of the trees is a black cat, quietly cleaning itself. It stops and stares back when noticed, though, it's eyes a distinctly unnatural blue that glow faintly in the dark. Glowing patterns are also visible under its fur, occasionally seeming to shift and change when not being watched.

It's not an ayakashi, but it's wearing a collar with a tag that can't quite be read from a distance.]

Re: locked to Caster & Dokugakuji

[royaltyloyalty]

[Honestly, Dokugakuji just wanted to know what was going on. The last time he saw a light show this bad there ended up being a demon involved and the last time he saw some warping effects like that it ended up affecting his little brother, so all told he's about ready to jump in and see what he can do--

But then all he gets is a non-ayakashi cat, after fighting lots and lots of ayakashi.]

What the fuck?

[futhark]

[ Forests are sacred things, so look, it fits. Sage of the Forest appearing in one, and all that, he will make a connection even if none is there because that's how the story sounds better.

He runs into Dokugakuji the same time he notices the cat. ]

Friend, or foe? [ Nope, never met this guy before. So you know, just to be sure he materializes his druid staff and points it lazily at Doku. No real threat there, more of an alert, and he keeps glancing at the cat because

-- why does it remind him of something? ] If the first, well introductions are in order, if the latter-- I'm busy right now, so I suggest you get lost and keep your life this way.

[ Best First Impression ever ]

[royaltyloyalty]

Depends, really.

[ He holds up his own sword. He's 6'1" and a lifelong warrior; he's not scared off by such a polite challenge. ]

If you're part of what's causing all of these problems and the ayakashi along with it, then foe.

[ Frankly, it's a pretty damn good first impression where Doku's concerned. Nice and short, to the point. ]

locked to Futaba & Archer

[hexahedron]

[Once the UFO makes its way into the rift over Henir's temple, it's not long before an illusion forms itself around them, trapping them in the maze. It may take some time to figure out how to navigate it, but eventually they end up in an ash-covered mining village. The fires are still lit but the tools have been abandoned, making it look like the people who lived here abruptly vanished while working.

But the village isn't completely empty. There are two wolf-shaped ayakashi near one of the furnaces, circling what appears to be a... floating, glowing purple cube. It flashes red, emitting a loud and violent screech in an attempt to ward the creatures off, but it doesn't appear to be having much effect.

Whatever the cube is, the corrupt ayakashi are very interested in it.]

[all_seeing_eye]

Navigation beginning.

[The first thing Futaba does is get right to work trying to analyze their surroundings: entry points, the layout of the area, potential exits, etc.]

Be on the lookout. There may be more ayakashi.

[boneofsword]

Got it. [Archer nods, focusing on watching for any possible threats. He also wants to assess' Futaba's skills, since the maze is more of her strong suit just like combat is his. He keeps glancing around, sharpening his senses slightly; if they run into ayakashi he has to distract them and leave it to her to find an escape route.]

locked to Chikusa, Yukio, Shun & their shinki

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[Chikusa somehow makes it into Henir's temple without a hitch, eventually ending up in some sort of mechanical factory. For the moment, he's alone... or is he?

Distantly, a humming noise can be heard echoing through the steel halls. The noise draws closer, louder, until a blinking red light can be seen approaching from the shadows. The only other exit is a locked steel door, and he's left with no choice but to face his adversary. The machine rolls out from the shadows, streaks of glowing blue patterns staining its reinforced-plastic casing—

It's a roomba.

A pink roomba, in fact, though the Henir corruption covers up a lot of it. It stops at the entrance of the room, the vacuum deactivating. The small red light blinks a few times before a speaker crackles on, a distorted synthesized voice addressing Chikusa.]

INTRUDERS WILL BE REMOVED BY FORCE. INTRUDER. INTRUDER—

[... and it keeps repeating itself, the audio become more crackled as its small body unfolds, revealing a set of three long spider-like legs hidden behind the casing. A mechanical arm unfolds itself from the top, ending in a sharp prong that sparks threateningly and distorts the air around it with each flash. Thanks to the corruption, there's easily enough voltage in that taser to stun or kill an unsuspecting victim.

The machine scuttles towards him in a zigzag, trying to jab the shinki with its weapon.]

[kokuyoyo]

["Somehow" is, frankly, an astonishing amount of luck. Figures that, for once, it's for something like this. Stepping carefully throughout the bizarre factory, doing his best to stay silent, Chikusa eyes his surroundings warily. He always figured that Add's temple would be a mess on the inside as much as its owner was. So far, nothing has really disproved this belief. Still, even if it's a mess.... It's a dangerous one, too. Also, unfortunately, like it's owner.]

[So his eyes stay sharp as he makes his way through the factory, listening to the hum of everything around him. There's such noise that he almost misses the sound of a different kind of whirring... And by that point, there's not really anywhere to hide. Gritting his teeth, he jerks to a stop and pulls his hands out from his pockets. The blue yoyos are in place again, ready to be used, and he braces himself for...]

[...A cleaning machine.]

[Chikua's shoulders lose a little of their tension as he eyes the thing. Really? This is what he has to deal with. All his searching, and it's- ]

[That's around the time it starts to grow legs and a weapon, and Chikusa's mental swearing only intensifies. He has a lot of options available to him, except where he doesn't, so when the machine charges.... He turns heel and hauls ass.]

[Fuck this.]

[Fuck the roomba.]

[Fuck Add.]

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[The machine chases after him, speaker still blaring barely-coherent static. Its movements are chaotic and it stumbles from time to time, though it's quick to claw its way back onto its feet to continue the chase. Sparks fly wildly from the prongs of its weapon, strategically held at just about Chikusa's waist-level at all times.

The good news is roombas were never meant to have legs, so Chikusa is much better at running than the machine chasing him. It'd probably have better luck if it switched back to its wheels. Unfortunately, the bad news is that Chikusa has nowhere to run to. The only exit is in the other direction, and the side of the room he's fleeing towards has only a solid steel wall with no apparent mechanism to open it. The machinery along the sides of the room don't seem to be actually making anything right now, but since they're still active and pounding away inside it's probably a bad idea to try escaping along the conveyor belts.

So, his only options are to get past the roomba or disarm it. Or get electrocuted. That's technically an option, too, even if it's a bad one.]