T̷h̷e̸ ̵G̶a̴m̸e̵ - A VR Role-play

[FrankieDoodle]

"I was trying!" Xai shouted, briefly shooting an icy glare at Zayne. Frantic fingers grasped another arrow, stringing it hurriedly. C'mon, c'mon, breathe...
The screaming continued, floating over the tree tops. Until it just stopped.

Xavier's heart was in their throat. Its stomach churned, a heavy wave of nausea consuming it. Shoot it, shoot it, shoot it...
The feather tip of the arrow brushed its cheek, its doe-eyed stare locked on the creature and its gaping mouth. The jaw was holding on by brittle, rotted strips of bone and flesh, hanging wide open and swinging with every jagged stride the equine-type creature took. It was staggering, like its legs where too weak to hold the rest of its body up. Liquid seeped around the arrow in its neck, but the creature showed no signs of backing down. Even when the creature stopped and stood completely still, foul smelling liquid draining down the gaping neck, it didn't lay down or hide. It kept its deep red eyes locking on the two people hidden in the tree.
Xai knew they had to shoot it. But the silence was terrifying and left them paralyzed. Wating. Listening.
Listening.

Listening.

Listening.
Oh, no.

The racket surrounding them was loud enough to deafen them, thundering enough to send the pale leaves clinging to the trees spiraling to the ground. The tree shook threateningly, and Xavier turned their stare into Zayne.
Hoof beats hit the ground around them rapidly, threatening shrieks splitting the air. The stench of decaying flesh was enough to make Xavier vomit, their throat burning and stinging as they emptied the contents of their stomach to the ground below.
Several pairs of glowing eyes stared back at the pair from the base of the tree. Xavier's arm snapped onto Zayne's, gripping the boys flesh with a vice-like grip.
It was as if ice has entered it lungs. Freezing them. Its throat had closed.
Frozen, frozen, frozen, frozen.
The world glitched, flickering in and out of view, hazy, grey, spotty. Flashes of color. Akin to an old, malfunctioning TV. Red eyes and snapping, moldy teeth spun below them. Drums were frantically playing in its ears, its head stuffed full of cotton.
A death grip clutched Zayne's arm in one hand, and the bow in another, but its fingers were cold and numb.
Its face was numb.
So cold.
So hot.
Burning.

I'm gonna die, we're gonna die, do something Xavier, do something.

I'm going to pass out.

A sucking sensation was pulling them under. It wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Pulling, pulling, pulling, and they couldn't resist it.

And the world vanished.

Until it didn't, and solid ground caught the pair.
Xavier's head shot up, glancing around rapidly. Their veins were on fire, their head was full of bees, the stench of death hung heavy in the air.
But they had teleported successfully, landing several yards away from a swamp full of bewildered, starving Kelpies.
It frantically got to its feet, and realizing it was still clinging to Zayne's arm, it attempted to pull him up with it. "Run. Run."

Zayne cursed, drowned out by the incessant screams. If it kept on for much longer, he knew his head would burst, splitting down the middle like an axe in a piece of wood. He tried to find something to silence it, and short of throwing his knife at it--he was a terrible shot, and the blade wasn't made for that--there really wasn't anything he could do except hope Xavier knew what they were doing.

And then there was nothing.

The noise cut out so quickly, there was a moment where Zayne thought he might have imagined it. The ache in his head could've easily been passed off as residual symptoms from his previous vision, as stupid as it may have been.

He cracked an eye open, peering over the tree limbs and pulling his hands from his ears. He held his breath, not wanting to break the sudden silence. No birds sang in the distance, no creatures sloshed in the mud. The only sound came from the demon horse as it sucked in ragged breaths through the hole in its neck.

He cast Xavier a wary glance, but otherwise didn't look away from the beast. By their rigid posture and frozen movements, he could see his companion was just as scared--not that 'scared' could ever touch what he felt--as Zayne was.

He was just about to ask what now, when footsteps thundered throughout the swamp, and his hands went back to clamp safely over his ears. An icy hand on his arm made him startle, franticly looking at Xavier as it gripped onto him like they were afraid of letting go.

And then the smell hit him.

He suppressed a gag, but noticed Xavier wasn't so lucky. it almost made it onto his clothes, and a distant part of him deciding that was far from the grossest thing that had happened to them this entire time. In a way, he almost found it comforting, if almost getting barfed on could make it into that category. It reminded him of all the late Friday nights he spent with friends, staggering back home once they've all had too much to drink.

With a sickening twist, like the world fell out from under them, Zayne found himself on his hands and knees in the mud, gasping for breath. It took him a moment to process what happened, and how they were suddenly away from the undead horses, before the tug on his arm alerted him to Xavier frantically trying to get him up, repeatedly shouting 'run'.

He struggled to his feet with a quick nod, not needing to be told more than twice, before taking off through the swamp. He didn't know what direction to go, and silently prayed to whatever god might be listening that they didn't run int0 more of those things.

He adjusted until he had Xavier's hand firmly clenched in his, making a mental note to remember to thank his nan for convincing him to take track in school all those years ago. The sound of hoofbeats still echoed in his ears, but if they just made it far enough, maybe the horse-demons would simply give up the chase.

He caught sight of a break in the trees, hope filling his chest. Just a little further. . .

All that hope was yanked out, stomped on the floor, and ground into paste as he skid to a stop, feet sliding over what looked like ice?
No, that couldn't be possible. They were just in a swamp, there couldn't be ice.

As a blast of cold air hit him, he gave a wide-eyed stare to Xavier. "What the f--"

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

Jack did as he was told.

He ran.

Well, sort of.

Slipping and sliding on the sand, Jack managed to stumble his way down the dune and halfway up the next one before he inevitably fell upon his face.

Jack quickly leapt to his feet. He turned his head, fully expecting to see a rhino-lizard about to make a tasty Jack-kabob. However, no such impaling took place, much to Jack’s relief.

About two second later, he heard the scream.

Jack’s relief left him just as quickly as his good grades when he entered high school.

For a moment, Jack stood frozen. He had a choice- run to safety, abandoning Faye, or try to help and probably die. The moment passed, and Jack’s usual suicidal impulsiveness drove his feet towards the direction of the scream.

Kiem drawn, Jack almost made himself into a Jack-kabob several times as he slipped back up the dune he had just vacated. Managing not to murder himself, he finally reached the top and stared dumbly at the scene before him.

“HEY!” Jack shouted, a futile attempt to get the megalizard to drop Faye.

The lizard ignored him.

I’m going to die. Jack thought, possibly for the second time in the last hour. Had it been an hour? He didn’t know. What he did know was that he was about to run at a huge lizard and hopefully not die.

Jack ran forward and slashed his kiem erratically at the megalizard. The lizard, momentarily distracted, dropped Faye and hissed at Jack. He was about to swing again when the lizard whipped its tail around, hitting him, hard, in the chest and throwing him to the ground.

Jack exhaled sharply as he hit the ground and lay there, gasping, as he tried to catch his breath. The lizard approached rapidly, its legs and body moving side to side in the odd gait reptiles have.

My last thought is gonna be about zig-zag lizards. Jack thought in a strangely detached way, watching the creature’s shadow engulf him.

The shadow stopped.

Jack tensed, fully convinced he was about to be eaten. Or at least dismembered, or something.

Once again, those that may hate Jack (such as his 3rd grade english teacher) would be disappointed. The lizard was, in fact, not getting ready to feast, but was listening intently. Jack soon learned why.

The ground started to shake, a shake which rapidly became more intense. The sand was roiling like waves, becoming liquid in the throes of what must have been- an earthquake? More big freakin’ lizards?.. Something worse..?

Two.. things, the size that you’d associate with sea monsters, burst out of the sand. From what Jack could see- and he couldn’t see much, he was still pretty much laid flat on the ground -the creatures were scaleless, eyeless, white snakes. Oh, and they were really big. Did he mention that?

The desert snakes circled dunes, dipping up and down into the sand, their white, pitted bodies brushing against each other as they performed some sort of violent dance.

They seemed unaware of the lizard, Jack, and Phaedra, but the lizard was clearly afraid. It had exited the scene almost as soon as the snakes showed up. Jack sat up shakily, grabbed his kiem, and stared at Faye, at an utter loss on what to do. The snakes’ dance surrounded them, and the way the sand was shifting made escape seem an impossibility.

The snakes were closing in, their circle becoming smaller. Jack soon noticed that the sand seemed to be swallowing him. All his childhood fears of quicksand came back in an instant, and he struggled to stand up and not be engulfed.

Oh no. Was all Jack could think as he gazed around and realized that him and Faye were in the middle of what was evolving into a sand whirlpool. High walls of sand surrounded them, as terrifying as the incoming wave of a tsunami.

“Mother of mothers!” Jack yelped as he truly comprehended the size of the walls around them. They were at the bottom of a huge pit, and that pit was only stopped from collapsing by the giant snakes.

Suddenly, the snakes dove into the sand, thrashing about in the middle of the whirlpool. The sand, as promised, started to collapse. Tails and slithering bodies writhed around and below them, whipping sand into the air and conveniently into Jack’s eyes.

Watching the sand fall towards them like a horrible, dry avalanche, Jack had the worst idea. “Stab or- er- grab a snake!” He yelled. He promptly stabbed his kiem into the nearest piece of snake he could find. He could only hope that Faye had done the same, as he immediately lost sight of her.

Bad idea, BAD IDEA! Jack internally screamed as everything went black. The snake had entered the sand once again.

Jack tried to hold his breath, he really did. But he couldn’t for long. Everything was suffocating. He couldn’t breath, couldn’t think. Still, Jack gripped the kiem, knowing vaguely that it was his only chance.

It was too much. Too much sand. Jack felt his grip loosening as sand entered his throat. The last thing he was aware of was a jerk as the snake changed direction.

…

Jack shot up, gasping uncontrollably, only to find that there was no sand in his lungs. Wait. He had been suffocating just a moment ago- why did he feel fine?

Unknown to him, one of Jack’s three lives was gone. His hands trembling, he gripped the grass below his feet, never even thinking to check his wrist.

(*Edited)

Flecks of gold stared through the waterfall of Phaedra's tears. Razor teeth grew horrifically closer to her face, owned by an erratically opening and closing set of jaws. A sticky, forked tongue snapped out, splitting the salted river pouring down her fragile cheeks.
Knuckles wielded into useless fists, now cracked and bleeding, pounded against the lizard's thickly plated tail. Her ribs, now certainly crushed and near broken, battled against their confines, desperate to take in even a tiny gasp of the humid air.


Static ran in her veins, drowning out the sound of the world. Muffling Jack's raggedly yell. Like her head had been forced under water.
The sky's turning dark...
It was a barely coherent thought, the last thought she had before her head lolled, the severe lack of oxygen affecting her consciousness rapidly.

Until.

Her lungs were able to give up there rampaging fight against the cage of the lizards' tail, and finally-
Finally, a gasp of that sweet, sweet air.
Although, her current conditioning of plummeting several feet to the sand below her was rapidly more concerning than her previous lack of air.

The sand caved below her as she landed with a nauseating crack. Flipping onto her back, she was only aware of the sky pulsing above her, of the tingling numbness settling into her fingertips and entire left side. Of the sand that cascaded on top of her, although she could do nothing to avoid the avalanche, not even when it entered her airways or blinded her.
When Jack's yelp reached her ears, she realized that the ground was shuddering and heaving beneath them, and managed to roll onto her stomach. Nausea rolled in her stomach. Lightning shot through her arms and ribs, digging deep into her bones and hurting.
In the sheerest form of the word- it hurt.

It hurt so much, she barely felt the pang of terror when she looked up and saw the skyscraper height walls of sand circling them. Something bright dove in and out of the circles, something paper white and smooth. Oh my god...
Snakes. Massive snakes, whipping the sand around the pair into a whirlpool. Trapping them.

She vaguely heard Jack's scream, not that she could make it out. She was too focused on the glinting of her sword two feet away from her face. A shriek ripped itself from her throat, sand filled as it was, as she flung herself forward, numb and trembling fingers reaching out and snatching the hilt of the sword.

Just barely.

The world closed around her.

Sharp particles entered her eyes, nose, throat and ears. Deafening her. Silencing her. Soaking up her air like a sponge would with water.
The world when dark.
Silent screams echoed in the back of her mind.

Then it all went numb.


....


It all stopped.

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

Zayne cursed, drowned out by the incessant screams. If it kept on for much longer, he knew his head would burst, splitting down the middle like an axe in a piece of wood. He tried to find something to silence it, and short of throwing his knife at it--he was a terrible shot, and the blade wasn't made for that--there really wasn't anything he could do except hope Xavier knew what they were doing.

And then there was nothing.

The noise cut out so quickly, there was a moment where Zayne thought he might have imagined it. The ache in his head could've easily been passed off as residual symptoms from his previous vision, as stupid as it may have been.

He cracked an eye open, peering over the tree limbs and pulling his hands from his ears. He held his breath, not wanting to break the sudden silence. No birds sang in the distance, no creatures sloshed in the mud. The only sound came from the demon horse as it sucked in ragged breaths through the hole in its neck.

He cast Xavier a wary glance, but otherwise didn't look away from the beast. By their rigid posture and frozen movements, he could see his companion was just as scared--not that 'scared' could ever touch what he felt--as Zayne was.

He was just about to ask what now, when footsteps thundered throughout the swamp, and his hands went back to clamp safely over his ears. An icy hand on his arm made him startle, franticly looking at Xavier as it gripped onto him like they were afraid of letting go.

And then the smell hit him.

He suppressed a gag, but noticed Xavier wasn't so lucky. it almost made it onto his clothes, and a distant part of him deciding that was far from the grossest thing that had happened to them this entire time. In a way, he almost found it comforting, if almost getting barfed on could make it into that category. It reminded him of all the late Friday nights he spent with friends, staggering back home once they've all had too much to drink.

With a sickening twist, like the world fell out from under them, Zayne found himself on his hands and knees in the mud, gasping for breath. It took him a moment to process what happened, and how they were suddenly away from the undead horses, before the tug on his arm alerted him to Xavier frantically trying to get him up, repeatedly shouting 'run'.

He struggled to his feet with a quick nod, not needing to be told more than twice, before taking off through the swamp. He didn't know what direction to go, and silently prayed to whatever god might be listening that they didn't run int0 more of those things.

He adjusted until he had Xavier's hand firmly clenched in his, making a mental note to remember to thank his nan for convincing him to take track in school all those years ago. The sound of hoofbeats still echoed in his ears, but if they just made it far enough, maybe the horse-demons would simply give up the chase.

He caught sight of a break in the trees, hope filling his chest. Just a little further. . .

All that hope was yanked out, stomped on the floor, and ground into paste as he skid to a stop, feet sliding over what looked like ice?
No, that couldn't be possible. They were just in a swamp, there couldn't be ice.

As a blast of cold air hit him, he gave a wide-eyed stare to Xavier. "What the f--"

Xavier ran.

Blindly.

Not caring where they ran to- as long as it was away from those creatures and the clinging stench of death.
Every thump thump thump of their sprinting footsteps sent coursing twinges of pain up its leg. The only thing that was keeping it from faltering too poorly was the grip that Zayne had on its hand.

Browns, blacks, greens, purples, burnt reds and oranges all melded into one singular blur of color. Hoofbeats were still threatening behind them, but they were quickly fading into silence.

Its breath roared in its ears, stumbling, stumbling, stumbling, until they were pulled into a skidding stop, just barely able to keep their balance on the slippery surface beneath them.

Mist flooded the air before them as their much hotter gasps of breath hit the freezing air. It looked wildly around them- a wasteland of ice and snow stretching for miles. "W-what the actual hell..."
They looked back at Zayne, searching his face. "We were just in a swamp.

We were just in a swamp, right?"

 

[Thing2]

Damir paused a few meters away from Evan, his jaw dropped slightly as he quietly observed the newcomer.

Even when the metallic doors slammed shut and the train whizzed away, he didn't announce himself, he just stood silently, watching as Evan backed away from the tracks.

His chest tightened and his heart threatened to pound through his chest. He could feel the anxiety crawling up through his throat as he waited.

He was hoping for some sign or behaviour that proved that Evan wasn't just another fake person, that he was actually real.

He couldn't bring himself to talk to him, to another NPC, just to get a repetitive conversation, or even nothing at all. He had to be sure that the guy standing in the station was actually really real.

Through all of the anxiety, Damir didn't even notice that Nina hadn't followed him down the glossy steps, into the station itself. She probably wasn't even outside of the station anymore. But, all of his focus had been drawn solely to Evan.

Damir took a deep breath, letting it trickle slowly out of his mouth, mustering up all courage he had. He took a single step forward, towards Evan.

He stopped almost immediately, clutching at his leg as a sudden sharp pain shot through it.

He'd been wearing his prosthetic for much longer than he usually did, and it was starting to get uncomfortable. But, he knew that he was going to have to put up with it for just a little longer.

With another deep breath and gritted teeth, he took a few more steps towards Evan, before stopping a few paces away; trying to see if he could see a tattoo or any indication that he was a player too.

"He's... He's human..." Damir let out a nervous laugh of relief, running his hands over his hair. "... And he ran away."

"I can't believe he ran." He stood in disbelief for a second, before letting out another little laugh, ignorant to the irony of the situation. Maybe he'll bump into Nina.

"Wait," Damir's expression dropped as he spun around, doing a full 360, looking for Nina. But, she was nowhere inside the train station; he couldn't recall her even entering it. "N-Nina?"

He rushed up the stairs, after the other person, but with the motivation of finding the girl he'd originally been exploring with.

But, when he reached the top, she wasn't there. There was just the occasional emotionless passerby, going about their programmed path, and the same dim buildings.

"NINA?" He yelled out, desperate for some reply. However, all he got was the same old city ambiance - the quiet steps, the leaky pipes, and inaudible chatter in the distance.

Damir felt a sharp tinge of guilt deep in his chest. He'd promised to protect her. He promised that they'd stick together. But, he rushed off ahead, and now she had disappeared.

He leaned against a nearby wall, taking the weight off his homemade prosthetic, as he tried to figure out what to do.

He could wait here for Nina, even though he had a feeling that she wouldn't be coming back, or he could chase after the guy and risk damaging his leg further.

Damir placed his hand on his leg, where the prosthetic connected to the skin. The tiniest thing seemed to remind him of that night, and this moment wasn't an exception.

Flames engulfed the building, spreading rapidly through the wooden support beams, before they clattered down on top of him, crushing his leg.

Spitting flames grabbed at his clothes, burning the skin underneath, as he tried to wiggle free of the debris.

He tried to get out, to get to her, to save her. But, whether it was due to a lack of oxygen due to smoke inhalation or because of the pain, he passed out before he could.

"Damir, help me..."

Her scared voice replayed over, and over, in his head, until he snapped himself back into reality. Or, rather, what had become their reality.

Damir looked towards the direction Evan had gone, before deciding to go after him, despite the pain. After all, if he couldn't help Nina, he was going to try to at least help someone.

Deep down, the reason was probably more selfish than that. It was more likely that he didn't want to be alone in this world. But, he wouldn't admit that to anyone, not even himself.

"Not... Not like the fake people," Damir replied to Evan's question, quickly realising how crazy he sounded. He took a deep breath, rubbing the bridge of his nose a little. "I know this sounds strange, but... the people here, they're not real... I don't know if they're acting o-or something, but they're just... they're not right."

Damir took a second to calm down, before he started to scare Evan. He glanced down at Evan's numbered palm, then his own. "The only people who behave normally are people who have these numbers tattooed on their hands."

He wasn't normally one for conspiracy theories, but he didn't know how else to process the fact that hundreds, if not thousands, of people in this place weren't real. What if all of this was an experiment? Or some kind of simulation? What if the earth was flat?

A sharp pang, in his leg, snapped Damir out of his spiralling thoughts. He leaned against the damp wall, once again supporting his injured leg.

"You didn't happen to pass a girl, at the station, did you?" He uttered out, trying to fight the feeling of guilt welling in his chest.

Expecting to have his own questions answered, Evan was just thinking up more as Damir spoke to him, frantically trying to explain the nature of the people that roamed here.

He placed his hands on his head and took a deep sigh as he paced in front of Damir. “So the people with no numbers are basically AI’s, and those with numbers are normal..?” Evan reiterated Damir’s as he stopped in his tracks, “Got it.” He nodded, confirming the information to himself. With the amount of weird things he woke up to today, he was strangely willing to believe anything, logical or not.

Evan looked on with concern when Damir leaned up against the wall, “A little girl led me to an underground station to get here.. but I don’t remember passing by anyone when I left, but what did she look like?” He replied, feeling regret for having run off when he could’ve helped this person find whichever girl they were looking for.

Nina stood completely still at the top of the staircase, a boulder in the fast-moving river of strangers that swept around her. Her heart rammed against her chest and leaped into her throat, threatening to choke her; she was all alone. She’d only stepped away for a moment to get a closer look at the strange, translucent material making up the walls of the station. Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a deep breath and tried to retrace her steps.

After she’d seen enough of the wall, she’d turned back towards Damir and he’d been gone. Rushing to the top of the steps, she’d spotted him starting towards another young man and headed to join him. Just as she’d drawn near, however, the train doors had opened and a flood of people had exited, surrounding her and sweeping her into a tunnel-like pathway that angled downward. She tried to get through them, but they barely moved as she pushed and shoved, becoming more and more frantic as she was dragged further from the main station. By the time she’d broken free, she was completely lost, her surroundings foreign and sterile. She’d wandered through those labyrinthic tunnels for long, almost neverending minutes, finally coming out on a completely different end of the station.

Someone bumped roughly into her shoulder, knocking her sideways, and she opened her eyes, assaulted by the noise and light of the station. Suddenly claustrophobic, she rushed for the outside, where there was at least fresh air and fewer people. The situation was finally hitting her; this was really bad. She was all alone in a world that didn’t even seem real and certainly wasn’t friendly. At least with Damir, she had someone to talk to, someone real who made her think she might get through this.

Nina, stop it, she thought desperately, ending her panicked dash on the edge of the sidewalk. Freaking out helps no one, especially not yourself. You have to actually do something. She spun back towards the station, her eyes settling on a small bench nestled against the cold, shimmering wall. That was it, she’d wait. She’d wait, and maybe Damir would come looking for her. Clinging to that idea, she started towards the bench when something moved in the corner of her eye.

Nina. A low voice echoed in her mind, and she jumped, heart racing. Frozen, she stared defiantly at the ground, although she could sense something standing just beyond her peripheral vision. She took a step backward, off the curb, ignoring the traffic passing lazily behind her, and the thing mirrored her, stepping closer. Nina. Again, the deep voice. Her head jerked up, her anxious gaze found the source of the movement, and a chill ran up her spine: a tall, hooded figure stood in the doorway of the station, facing her. She couldn't see its face, just that it stood completely still. And unlike her, the NPC's around it gave it an ample birth.

(Hey, I'm back. Sorry for the absence )

 

[Yowza Wowza]

Nina stood completely still at the top of the staircase, a boulder in the fast-moving river of strangers that swept around her. Her heart rammed against her chest and leaped into her throat, threatening to choke her; she was all alone. She’d only stepped away for a moment to get a closer look at the strange, translucent material making up the walls of the station. Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a deep breath and tried to retrace her steps.

After she’d seen enough of the wall, she’d turned back towards Damir and he’d been gone. Rushing to the top of the steps, she’d spotted him starting towards another young man and headed to join him. Just as she’d drawn near, however, the train doors had opened and a flood of people had exited, surrounding her and sweeping her into a tunnel-like pathway that angled downward. She tried to get through them, but they barely moved as she pushed and shoved, becoming more and more frantic as she was dragged further from the main station. By the time she’d broken free, she was completely lost, her surroundings foreign and sterile. She’d wandered through those labyrinthic tunnels for long, almost neverending minutes, finally coming out on a completely different end of the station.

Someone bumped roughly into her shoulder, knocking her sideways, and she opened her eyes, assaulted by the noise and light of the station. Suddenly claustrophobic, she rushed for the outside, where there was at least fresh air and fewer people. The situation was finally hitting her; this was really bad. She was all alone in a world that didn’t even seem real and certainly wasn’t friendly. At least with Damir, she had someone to talk to, someone real who made her think she might get through this.

Nina, stop it, she thought desperately, ending her panicked dash on the edge of the sidewalk. Freaking out helps no one, especially not yourself. You have to actually do something. She spun back towards the station, her eyes settling on a small bench nestled against the cold, shimmering wall. That was it, she’d wait. She’d wait, and maybe Damir would come looking for her. Clinging to that idea, she started towards the bench when something moved in the corner of her eye.

Nina. A low voice echoed in her mind, and she jumped, heart racing. Frozen, she stared defiantly at the ground, although she could sense something standing just beyond her peripheral vision. She took a step backward, off the curb, ignoring the traffic passing lazily behind her, and the thing mirrored her, stepping closer. Nina. Again, the deep voice. Her head jerked up, her anxious gaze found the source of the movement, and a chill ran up her spine: a tall, hooded figure stood in the doorway of the station, facing her. She couldn't see its face, just that it stood completely still. And unlike her, the NPC's around it gave it an ample birth.

(Hey, I'm back. Sorry for the absence )

(Glad to see you again :0 I hope you have been doing well! /gen)

 

[Thing2]

(Glad to see you again :0 I hope you have been doing well! /gen)

(Thanks, I've missed everyone! I'm doing well, I hope you are too!)

 

[FrankieDoodle]

Xavier ran.

Blindly.

Not caring where they ran to- as long as it was away from those creatures and the clinging stench of death.
Every thump thump thump of their sprinting footsteps sent coursing twinges of pain up its leg. The only thing that was keeping it from faltering too poorly was the grip that Zayne had on its hand.

Browns, blacks, greens, purples, burnt reds and oranges all melded into one singular blur of color. Hoofbeats were still threatening behind them, but they were quickly fading into silence.

Its breath roared in its ears, stumbling, stumbling, stumbling, until they were pulled into a skidding stop, just barely able to keep their balance on the slippery surface beneath them.

Mist flooded the air before them as their much hotter gasps of breath hit the freezing air. It looked wildly around them- a wasteland of ice and snow stretching for miles. "W-what the actual hell..."
They looked back at Zayne, searching his face. "We were just in a swamp.

We were just in a swamp, right?"

Hands thrown out on either side to keep his balance on the ice, Zayne took a few cautious steps closer to where Xavier stood. “I didn’t—I didn’t see this coming,” he said, in a failing attempt at humor. Still, his words held truth to them. On a normal day, something of this magnitude would’ve been shown in his visions. While it was possible he simply missed it—it wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened, and the combination of the earlier vision, residual migraine, and adrenaline from the kelpies made the perfect breeding ground for accidents—the change in scenery seemed all too sudden, like fate wasn’t sure it would happen until it did.

He ran a hand through his sweaty hair, brushing loose bangs out of his face as he shivered, the cold nipping at his bare skin. He didn’t think either of them would survive long out here, especially with both of their clothes being wet and mud soaked. If they were lucky, they would reenter the forest, and possibly get quickly eaten by the demon horses. If they weren’t, they’d both slowly succumb to hypothermia, just conscious enough to feel their organs as they gave out. From his experience with a previous roommate never keeping the temperature in their shared dorm above 65F, Zayne would rather brave the horses.

He turned to the direction they came from, paling at what he saw—or rather, didn’t see.

“Uh, buddy?” he said, gently rapping his knuckles on Xavier’s upper arm. “I don’t mean to alarm you, but the trees are gone.”

Sure enough, the tree line was replaced by an expanse of ice and snow, stretching on for what Zayne could only assume were miles. The faint line of snow-capped mountains barely peaked out from behind dark clouds, clouds that look all too close.

“I hate to point out the obvious, but those clouds don’t look too good. I mean, I grew up in LA, so my knowledge of what snow clouds look like is pretty limited, but those look like snow clouds to me.” He turned a pleading gaze to Xavier, hoping his companion would brush him off with a scoff, maybe even a “those are just regular clouds, idiot.” Zayne could count on one hand the number of times he wanted to be called stupid, but admittedly, this was one of them.

“What’s our course of action? If we just stand here, we’ll be dead within the hour. I don’t—I don’t see any immediate shelter, so unless you got some fire powers I don’t know about. . .” he hid his nervousness behind a chuckle, turning it into a cough after a mental ‘now’s not the time.’
“The mountains might be a good idea? Assuming there’s some kind of cave we can take shelter in. But that’s where most of the clouds are. . .” He let his voice trail off, glancing over his shoulder at the aforementioned mountains as he suppressed another shiver.

 

[TamingMaster]

Updating location file name "Aromatica_Tea_Shop-SZ". . .

Update complete.

A short pause in the gentle tinkering of the tea shop allowed the shop itself to update once more.

Nothing had changed drastically, not compared to the previous update.
The menu, once filled with only magical herbal teas, had gained a new section. It matched the sweets, and baked goods, that slowly filled trays and hampers around the shop.

The dull orange lighting had brightened slightly, adding a pinker ambiance to the environment around them.

The tables and chairs that had replaced many rows of shelves, during the last update, had a new flush of decorations. New tablecloths spread out, held down by slim vases, enamoured with soft pink flowers, and matching tea sets.

Lastly, long vines extended out, growing up the shelves that sat against the back of the tea shop, carefully avoiding the trinkets, books, and various tea-related items that covered each shelf. They gently bloomed into various flowers, some followed the pink and orange theme, others added their own flare of white to the mix.

Iris, who had been frozen mid-pour of her most recent batch of sweets, continued like nothing had happened. She carefully tipped the mixture into it's mould, using her favourite spatula to level it off, making sure each indent had the correct amount in.

Zahara stood just across from Iris, on the opposite side of the island that sat in the middle of the kitchen. She continued the small, circular stirring of her tea - the spoon quietly clinking against the ceramic cup.

She, like Iris, wouldn't notice any of the changes in the shop. To both of them, it'd be like the shop had always been that way. Every memory of their's would contain the current state of the shop, replacing any previous forms it had taken.

Spoiler: New Items:

Bee Balm:
A weaker version of the healing ointment given to players when they first join The Game. Sold in a small, round jar; it has a pale yellow tint, smells of honey and aloe, and has a similar texture to butter.
Not to be used on large or infected wounds, or may cause Hive Fever.
Can be used by players, NPCs, and other creatures.
20 Silver.

Teleport Puff:
When eaten, it forces the player to teleport to another random biome. Sold wrapped in wax paper; it has the appearance of a lilac macaroon, tastes like fig and blueberries, and has a soft, crunchy texture.
Some biomes are incredibly hostile, this is to be consumed at your own risk.
Can only be used once by a player.
35 Silver.

Where Candy:
Whilst being eaten, this hard candy allows the user to locate one specific object, person, or creature, by highlighting them with an outline that matches the colour of the candy. Sold wrapped in paper with twists either side; it has the appearance of traditional clear candies, and comes in a variety of colours and flavours.
Effects last only as long as the candy is being eaten.
Can only be used once by a player.
40 Silver.

Rick Rolls:
User gets nothing, except a link to a well-known meme. Sold in a gold cake box with no descriptors, except that you're never gonna give it up.
Can only be used once by a player.
10,000 Silver.

*Other sweets, desserts, and baked goods are available - some only via quests or through item collection.

 

[TamingMaster]

She nodded, as they continued to speak she listened intently. This was useful information to know, just in case it happened again.
Her head went up as they spoke again, “yeah I guess we should get moving. Ummmmm….plan? Hmmm. Maybe we should just follow the river? In case you haven’t experienced a biome change, that tends to happen relatively randomly here. Also giant spiders live here too.” She returned their smile and gripped their hand pulling herself onto her feet, “Oof. This entire adventure is worse than that summer I spent at surf camp” she muttered to herself while dusting herself off.
A few years ago she’d spent a summer at a surf camp, totally not stalking a boy she’d had a huge crush on. Well She was not exactly a pro at surfing but yet she volunteered to try and ride the big waves. Long story short she wound up clinging onto her surfboard for dear life and ended up face down in the sand.

She shuddered at the memory before turning to fix Fabian with a big smile, no way was she telling anyone her embarrassing surf fail.

Fabian nodded along, trying to make an effort to listen to Lyra properly. They nodded along with her proposition, thinking to themself as she spoke. That's actually a pretty smart idea. Good job, spider girl.

They fought the urge to remind her about the giant spiders, considering they had been the one who had saved her from the giant spider's web in the first place. But, considering how stressful the entire situation had been, and how that stress could affect memory, Fabian decided to let bygones be bygones.

They paused for a moment, repeating her words back to themself, asking for clarity, in case they'd somehow misheard it. "Biome change? That... explains a few things."

Fabian took a deep breath in, double checking their gear; bag, bottle, food bar, tin of gel, jacket, spare web, and lastly their hammer. They tied their jacket around their waist, just under the bag that sat across their chest, then mustered all their strength for the journey ahead - as well as being nicer to Lyra.

They started with a steady, but slowed, pace out of the cave. Though they were adamant that it was because they were drained, it was also so Lyra could keep up.

Unsurprisingly, when they emerged from the cave, the biome to their right had changed again. Originally a winter horror show that had melted away into a rocky wasteland, it had now become a dead, stenchy forest that had started to leak thick fog into the neighbouring biome.

Fabian flinched as the smell plunged into their nostrils, causing their face to scrunch tightly. Their hand rushed to cup their mouth and nose, as they took a few staggered steps back. The smell brought with it a strange humidity, leaving Fabian feeling a horrid crawling sensation.

To their left, a more sightly biome stood it's ground against the dark forest, sending breezes to push the fog back. Just across from where they stood, the river that Lyra had mentioned was trickling along, with no end in sight.

It wasn't difficult to decide which biome they wanted to continue trekking through.

Fabian crossed into the more appealing biome, getting a good distance away from the smell, before cautiously taking their hand away from their mouth and nose, beckoning Lyra over.

 

[TamingMaster]

(@Cluckcluck1215)

Returning to her homely abode hidden inside the honey suckle bush, Zulema retrieved a key she hid within the cushion of the drivers seat.

The pangs of thirst were already starting to settle in, and she could feel herself weakening physically by the second. Finally getting the key inserted into the overhead compartment at the front of the bus, Zulema propped the lid open and urgently snatched a blood vile from her stash. She lowered herself on the drivers seat and fumbled to pop open the top of the vile.

She gritted her teeth and cursed to herself as she slowly lost her sense of feeling in her fingers. The heat of the blood that penetrated through the glass was all that kept Zulema from letting it slip through her fingers. After successfully opening the vile, a rush came over her and she immediately closed her eyes and brought it to her lips. Once the redolent red liquid passed through her lips like velvet, the weariness dissipated and her strength returned to her.

With a satisfying hum, Zulema fluttered her eyes back open and lowered the empty vile down. The sweet metallic taste lingered in her mouth for a few moments before her body absorbed it, leaving her thirst satiated. She gave a wipe of her mouth and set the vile in the window as she locked up the overhead compartment then stowed away the key back in its hiding spot.

She gave a look at her tattooed hand, scowling at the single remaining life in what hardly resembled a number.

I nearly have enough to buy another life. I can’t keep drinking this often.. who knows when I’ll run into him again?

Ignoring the sounds of the hyenas outside, Zulema crossed through the walkway and towards the curtain that divided the bus. She gave a sigh and drew back the sheet, “Nothing to—”

She was cut off by the sight of Theo slumped on a couch on the right side of the bus, silent and still as could be.

“Are you… good?” she asked, furrowing her brows at antlered individual, while xe held an expressionless face with eyes wide open.

No response.

Zulema stepped closer to them and grabbed their chin gently, looking them over as she moved their face side to side. That’s when his chest raised and a snore rippled through his nose.

Xe was asleep, with xyr eyes open.

Did xe…

Her eyes scanned the table next to Theodore, and obviously enough, they went ahead and made themself some tea from the water she boiled on her portable stovetop. She clicked her tongue out of annoyance with herself and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Great. He’ll be out for a couple hours, unless I get something strong enough to wake him up.

Zulema crossed her arms and looked about the bus, searching for something with a putrid enough smell to break through the Becalm tea. Though nothing stood out to her, as most of the items she had thrown about were just straight out deadly or odd with no distinct smell.

With the events that were unfolding outside, she picked up the call of her name, and a plea for help.

Markings from a hyena.

Once the idea came into mind, Zulema rushed out of the bus, with an empty vile in hand. She turned invisible the moment she breached the bush and immediately turned her attention to mess the blonde girl had gotten herself into. Choosing to circle around them and avoid the conflict, her foot made contact with a flat metal object on the ground.

It was Leita’s sword from earlier, the one adjourned with precious jewels. She picked it up and observed that Leita was forced about against the bus by the hyena’s, and would surely meet an untimely fate.

Feeling a sense of remorse, Zulema went ahead and tossed the sword at Leita’s feet before taking her leave in the direction of which the hyena’s came.

Leita pressed her back against the hard metal vehicle behind her, being separated by only a thin layer of creeping foliage.

The hyenas let out a dark collective laugh, taking a few daring steps closer, closing the distance between them and her.

Leita grasped her arm, wincing at the dull throbbing that echoed through the muscles. The blood raced down her limp arm, until it reached her fingertips, dripping onto the patch of dirt below.

She glanced around for a way out, for something she could use as an unconventional weapon, or for someone who could help - but there was nothing.

Her jaw clenched tightly as her body braced itself for the inevitable.

The clattering of her sword, as it hit the ground in front of her, caught her attention.
She didn't have the time to wonder how it had gotten there. All she knew was that it was a welcome miracle, especially considering her chances without it.

The sound had startled the hyenas, forcing them to take a few anxious steps back, letting out little cackles as they warned each other of the potential danger.

Leita took it as an opportunity to drag the sword towards her, grasping it by the handle with both hands. She winced slightly as the wound on her arm pulled with her motions, blood seeping onto her white shirt.

A quick sniff of the air, catching the heavy scent of blood, sent the hyenas back into their frenzy. They growled and cackled as they eagerly closed the distance between them and their kill.

Leita swung her sword towards the thinnest hyena, knocking it into the side of the bus with a metallic bump. It slowly faded away, blinking a dull red colour.
She quickly swirled towards the others, slicing at them, forcing them back with each confident step.

Two of them rushed at her, but this time she was ready for them. She slashed upwards, knocking one over her head, straight into the other. It pinned the other to the ground, too injured to move, but not injured enough to fade like the others had.

Leita stared down the leader of the cackle, and it stared straight back at her, teeth bared. A quick glace towards the stacked pair gave the leader its opportunity to attack. It hurtled towards her, its feet heavy against the ground, until it was close enough to jump at her.

She reacted quickly, curving the sword up towards its stomach. The sword cut through, piercing the other side, but the weight of the hyena dragged them both down, putting Leita flat on her back.

It slid down the sword, before blinking purple and exploding into fading, purple confetti. Leaving a handful of silver coins and a faded canine tooth in its place, which Leita eventually tucked away in her bag.

Leita let out a long, relieved sigh, letting her arms and legs go limp, falling to her sides.
The sword dropped to the ground beside her as she took heavy breaths, letting out a gentle laugh.

She glanced over at where the stacked hyenas had been, but they were no longer anywhere to be seen. Leita figured that they'd disappeared, like the others had done.

After a few more minutes, Leita slowly stood up, once again grasping at her injured arm. She dragged the sword over to the bus and her hand parted from her arm to feel along the edge, searching for an opening.

Her hand eventually met a door, carefully giving a push until she felt it open. She brushed past the honeysuckle, tripping into the bus and onto the hard floor, dropping her sword as she did. "Ouch."

Leita pushed herself up, brushing off some of the debris she'd picked up from outside the bus. She turned to the door, pushing it shut, before turning back to study the inside of the bus.

The overall vibe of the interior was grungy and somewhat cluttered, but it was homely enough. Despite the wear and tear, it was kept in decent condition.

"Hello?" Leita called out quietly, half expecting a response from the magenta-haired woman she had seen earlier. But there was no response. The only sound that she could hear was a soft snoring sound.

Leita curiously passed through the bus, following the soft snores to a sleeping person. She pushed past a deep red curtain, making her way towards the back of the bus.

Slumped on one of the couches inside the bus was a tall person with fluffy pink hair and rough, twisting antlers.

At first, Leita was taken aback by their unbreaking, heterochromatic gaze. That was until xe let out another soft snore, and she realised that he was actually asleep.

"Hey?" Leita asked quietly, reaching a hand towards xem. She stopped before making contact with them, noticing the caked-on mix of blood, dirt, and debris on her hands.
She glanced at xem, then back at her hands, before quietly heading towards the front of the bus. I'm sure they won't mind me washing up first...

Leita sat down on the floor, near the door, with her legs crossed. She unclipped her bag, placing it in her lap and unzipping it, taking out her bottle of water.

She ripped her sleeve off, where the hyena had torn it open, and tossed it to the side. She followed with the other sleeve, ripping it off and soaking it with the water; gently cleaning her wound and down her arms.

Leita also rinsed off the handle of her sword, using the tattered scraps to dry it off as best she could.

She reached into the bag again, pulling out the tin of ointment and smearing a decent amount across the wound. Considering the wonders it'd worked on her leg, she wasn't hesitant to try it on her arm.

Once she had packed everything back into her bag, she tucked it beside her sword, near the doors, and decided to check if the other person was awake yet. She stretched as she stood up, before quietly walking around the bus again.

Leita's attention was caught by a floral smell, as she passed a small teapot. Beside it was an empty cup, begging to be used.

She carefully poked her head around the curtain, glancing at the still-sleeping Theo, then back at the teapot. They wouldn't mind if I had just a little taste... right?

After arguing the morality of stealing a sip of tea with herself, she decided that she could always pay them back for it later and poured herself just under half a cup.

She sat back near the door, before taking a gulp of the warm, orange coloured tea. It tasted as sweet as it had smelled, and immediately made her feel relaxed. A little too relaxed.
Her eyes started to feel heavy and her body started to droop. She could feel herself being pulled in by the unfightable urge to sleep.
As soon as she closed her eyes, she was fast asleep; dropping the cup as she slid onto her side.

( @Cluckcluck1215 )