crescentview | 🏝️ dulces sueños group excursion! 🏝️

🏝️ dulces sueños group excursion! 🏝️

🏝️ who: intrepid adventurers (vacationers?) and more!
🏝️ what: ori organized (origanized?) a group trip to the resort! mass memshare ensues.
🏝️ when: fall 9-10
🏝️ where: dulces sueños resort
🏝️ warnings: threads will be marked as needed for memshares.

[ Hopefully everyone had fun on the Arco Lunar! The morning after the boat departs from the docks, a letter arrives to your mailbox: ]

Hello, intrepid adventurer!

I am excited to have you along for a group excursion to the mysterious new island! In two days' time, let us gather in the town square and set off from there! Please be prepared to stay the night. It will be so fulfilling and memorable for everyone to spend a night on an adventure together!

If you have any questions or concerns, please come find me at my flower shop in town or at the forest farm where I live!

Sincerely,
Oriphi

[ If she accidentally delivered it to a few wrong mailboxes, then... Oops!

On the promised day, once everyone (and likely a few surprise tag-alongs) has gathered or been gathered, Ori distributes little paper bags of snacks to everyone. Inside are cookies, oat snacks, and a freshly-picked apple from her and M-21's orchard. Do with them as you please... Just don't let her catch you throwing it into the sea or something. 🥺 ]

Alright. I think we should head out, then! Thanks for coming along, everyone! I hope it'll be a great time. Oh, and please don't forget to drink plenty of water and use this incredible ointment I discovered on this island! It's called "sunscreen!" Tieflings don't really get sunburnt, but you should use it!

[ And with that our intrepid adventurers set off to the mysterious, dangerous, unknowable... resort island! ]

( This is the ill-fated mass ~~extinction~~ memshare event. Please refer to the event for details on the resort and the plotting post for any specific details for characters' memshares! There are toplevels for each area of the resort (and for the memshare). Enjoy! )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Dream world, the priest confession, third person, cyoa]

[ For a moment, you think you might dream of yourself.

There is the sharp, ear-ringing clash of steel. There are snarls, of creatures not alive and yet not dead, the air thick with the coppery scent of blood and the sickly sweet of rot. And there are cries, of both ferocity and agony.

You open your eyes, and see the moon. There is grass beneath you, wet with dew and an unpleasant red that smears your shoes. In front of a mighty fortress wrought of stone, there is a battle- men wreathed in steel with their blades and their bows clashing against the cold flesh of creatures unliving. Some are rotted, bones jutting, flesh missing. But some are far more put together, in a way, resembling somebody you know-

Somebody who is here, with you. No, you are here with him- and others. A tense man, who's brows are furrowed as he looks on this scene with...the tinge of distress. A red-haired woman, who's fingers spark. A quiet child, whose hands wrap around the handle of a sword nearly as big as they are. And in front of you, far more in focus than the rest of the knights, is a blond man, blood on his face and determination clear in the grit of his teeth. He is fighting against a tall figure wreathed in black, skin a waxy white, and is being pushed back.

One dream down, and another to go- the second of three. Benjamin, Adelis' notices, seems to carry an an almost twitchy air around this one, as Sasha engages in their silent charades with Anatol. He, like others, cannot sleep well- and you all will see that he wakes from this dream, just as the girl had before him. This is a hollow place despite it's sunny, doll-like appearance, where people go to waste away slowly in ignorant bliss, and the very thought of it makes Adelis' sick.

He rubs at his newly cold arms, especially as they lie in wait for the man to tuck in a proper sleep. And when he does, unaware of their presence, they join hands around his sleeping body. The necklace pulses, your consciousness smears, and everything goes dark-

The specific confrontation in front of you, however, does not last much longer. The creature, the vampire spawn, jerks, unnatural, with the way it's head turns towards all of you. And then a putrid smile peels back it's lips from it's sharpened teeth, and the next thing you know, it is upon you-

The child heaves their sword without a hint of hesitation, and it slices through icy flesh...but it does nothing to deter it, especially when you notice the edges of the gash lightly writhing in an attempt to close itself. This is very obviously something strong, if the way the rest of the party tenses up, and there are the sparks of light and fire dancing around the fingertips of the remaining two.

Adelis, as well, pulls a knife from nowhere, the crackling pink of energy folding into blade in his hands. You do not belong here, but none of them seem to cast a suspicious glance your way. You are there, but you somehow fit in, like you were always there to begin with. And thus you are also in danger, for blood or not, you get the sense it will not hesitate to rend you with it's filthy claws as well.

In the background of this battlefield, something shifts. A figure, perhaps, out of the corner of your eye, but it is not as pressing as this.

What do you do? ]

[Ultimately, the battle takes priority. The shift in how the creature's strength is unexpected determines that he needs to ensure these people are safe. He needs to lend them his strength.

He sees Adelis, with what looks an awful lot like chaos energy--but now is not the time to dwell on that. Stab first, question later.

So he draws his blade (please let him have his blade) and rushes for the creature, teleporting to close the distance at a speed hopefully too quick for it to track so he can aim sharp steel into what looks like a weak point.]

Edited 2023-02-09 07:15 (UTC)

[ Thanks to the warp, your blade strikes true, even though the spawn is fast- but unfortunately, a weak point means little when you can see the edges of the wound continue to writhe in an attempt to close. It heals, fast, and it relishes in your futility with an almost taunting smile on it's face.

'Little mouse, what do you bleed?', it coos, but the blood smeared around it's face belies whatever playful tone it may have tried to keep. Not that it did a good job in the first place, unnerving sight that it is. Luckily, something whips through the air and sears into the creature, making it screech- bright, winding yellow light, flickering like a flame, as the thing furiously scratches at the smoking wound left behind. If your gaze flickers, you can see the pink-haired man with his sharp gaze set in concentration, the same light around his fingertips with a book gripped firm in his opposite hand. This injury, you find, does not heal so fast.

Still, this is but a small dent. But the spawn leaps away from you as a sword, two swords crash down where it was- that of the child, and that of the knight who had been facing it moments ago.

It seems you will have to hit it harder and faster to outpace it's healing. It is doable, with all 6 of you. The smell of blood only gets stronger with the battle raging around you, and there is a presence in the air that makes you uneasy. ]

[Oh he hates when they heal.

He steps back, shield raised in the time the creature takes to taunt him--and then something strikes it true, and it reels in true pain.

He sees the smoking wound, looks to the man who fired it--and nods once. Someone here has an edge. The rest of them just need to keep it distracted.

So his form seems to split, two other Syrlya's appearing and swerving with him as they pursue the creature in an effort to overwhelm its focus. Only one of these blade can truly hurt.]

[ He is not the only one in that regard, he will find.

It is clearly not expecting the surge of faces, gaze whipping around, but Syrlya has an advantage in the lack of proper blood- it cannot seem to figure out which is real, and so it swings blindly, at both you and the other two physical combatants. It misses you, but strikes the child- opening claw-shaped gashes on their dark arms, which barely earns more than a twitch.

It is difficult to deal with so many combatants, as it hardly has time to blink when two crackling, pink blades fly past and sink straight into it's head. The hiss of it's voice is clear as it comments about cheaters, but as it reaches to pull them out, they flicker and disappear, only leaving the slowly healing holes in their wake.

You are hurting it, however slowly. It is a battle of attrition, more than anything, but you have strength in numbers it does not with it's allies otherwise occupied. ]

[He can tell Sasha is young. Clearly in child age, but she's holding her own against being slashed they, frankly, don't have the option of dragging her out right now. So he focuses on Trying to keep its attention with his own bright magical wells (to hurt it, to slow it, to protect them.] While digging his sword into flesh and flanking it with clones.

A battle of attrition. But Syrlya knows about pacing himself, because one wrong move overextending himself too quickly could always have cost his life. He won't make such a mistake against a single creature when numbers are on their side.]

[ There is flashes of fire, of searing yellow, of knives sharp and pointed, and while it dodges some, it cannot dodge them all, especially whilst boxed in by slashing blades- it is beginning to look a bit pained, but so is the blonde knight, who had been weary before. Even besieged by 6 at once, it is still holding out considerably well, but it is clearly not appreciating the fact none of you are dead yet.

It's movements grow more frenzied, and this time it comes at you with sharpened teeth as well as claws. It removes remarkably well and fast for something that has been stabbed and burned so many times, but that is the undead for you- disgustingly, horrifically resilient. ]

[It's fast. So is Syrlya.

Magic cracks and shatters in his place and where his clones once stood, purple and glass like, and then Syrlya teleports back tens of feet to bait the creature after him. The space where he's left, though... in its place is a clock, slowly ticking back.

Syrlya braces with his shield up, ready to let the beast throw its weight and claws at him. Three... two... one...

Revert.

Regardless how deep the beasts claws dig in, at the end of three seconds Syrlya is gone. Back in the exact spot he was before teleporting, now well behind it. Now as if, in that brief moment, he hadn't been touched at all.] Now!

[Now before it recovers its footing, this is their chance.]

[ Something at the edges of his vision flickers with the magic shattering, like the dream pulsing and reacting to the magic, but it fades before much notice can be taken.

The soft ticking of the clock earns the bewildered glance of several faces, but it is not something for them to dwell on- not when the spawn opts to give chase after another rending slash of it's claws draw red across the knight's chest. Nails clang loud against the other's shield, prying to try and and get behind. They do, eventually, piercing through cloth at the last second of the countdown-

But then you are gone, and it seems disoriented, left on it's own as it whips around with a snarl. And while some seem prepared to take advantage, the air thrumming with magic and steel-

'...Oh? I don't believe I've seen you here before.'

The temperature drops.

The voice is so calm, unexpected, that for a moment, everybody freezes. And when you turn, to the center of the battlefield, mere feet away from the rest of the party, you find you are not alone.

This is not one like of the creatures from the battles nearby, hands and smiles wet with red. The man in front of you has a calm, if not mild curious look to his features, a smile on his face. Dressed in the garb of a priest, he slowly takes a few steps forward, his gaze rolling over every single one of you in turn. He is...beautiful, you find, but there is something that makes your skin prickle the more you stare at him.

If you turn to look at the party, there are differing reactions- Sasha is the same as always, but their grip on their sword tightens as they shuffle closer to Benjamin. Legba's gaze is darting between the man and all of you, as if looking for an answer. And Benjamin and Adelis...there is an obvious familiarity, in the way they are both tense as a bow string- and judging from the looks on their faces, it's not the good sort of familiar.

You notice the sound around you has become muted, the background dulled in color. The creature that had been attacking you has diverted it's attention, as if you are suddenly not there, and the uncomfortable sensation of wrongness sinks into it.

'I've wandered this dream many a time, but this is the first time I've come across something so out of place. Won't you tell me where you came from?'

His smile, serene and pleasant, makes you itch. ]

[Syrlya stiffens at the new voice, whipping to face it with a tighter grip on his sword as he stares at--well, someone that looks human but he gets the feeling that they are not.

He's inclined to listen to his instincts, here, and in checking everyone else to ensure they're fine he finds their reactions largely reinforce his. This is dangerous. It--

Oh.

No.

He twists lifts his blade, but takes a wary step back all same.] No place you've heard of, I'm sure. Who are you?

[ The man's eyes continue to stare at the party, unwavering in the slightest, but his gaze does flicker to you at that statement. There is briefest moment of intrigue, but it does not last- he looks away from you, as if you were not entirely worth the time.

'No place, indeed.'.

It sounds only the vaguest bit amused by the concept. Apparently, despite it all, your appearance does not look too out of place to him despite being largely amongst humans. You note he does not answer your question, but the pink-haired man does it first. ]

...Duke Alexei Koshevek.

[ Despite the title, he does not speak with any reverence- it is merely a fact, and not a pleasant one, by the tight furrow of his brows and clenching of his hands. There's a small clap, as the newly named Duke continues to smile. The smell of iron still permeates your nostrils, but it is far off and muted, like everything else around you now.

'I'm flattered you know of me. It does not answer my question of who you are, however- rarely do I see anomalies whilst on my walks.'

He speaks this so casually, as if treading in the dreams of others is the same as taking a stroll. As casually as the way he seems to take a pause to think, before stepping forward once again.

'I'll admit, I am ever so curious, now that I have company. Perhaps to pass the time, we could play a game. A test of sorts, you should say, of your worth.' The party tenses as his fingers reach into his clothes to divest something, only to pull out what appears to be a locket- which, upon closer inspection, seems to be the bleached white of bone.

'Should you manage to take this item from my person, you pass. It's quite the simple task, isn't it?'

There is a beat, as he waits. Something tells you your answer will not matter. ]

[Ah.

Syrlya narrows his eyes. He absolutely doesn't like this. But yes, he can understand from Alexei's behavior he won't accept being waived off.

...] Fine. [He slings his shield onto his back to free a hand.

Game start? Game start. Syrlya doesn't expect fairness and doesn't intend to play with it, so in that moment he teleports, assuming to get right by Alexei and grasp for the locket as quickly as he can.]

[ The agreement is tense amongst the rest, but it is clear that whatever they say would matter not...but you can see the clench of Adelis' jaw and twitch of Sasha's hands all the same.

None of them are as quick as you, however, and there's a surprised moment where you can see his gaze flicker in interest-

but it is not the only thing that flickers, as his form does as well, a twisting writhe of shadows that feels cold and empty when your fingers brush it the only thing left in his wake. You blink, and he's quite a ways away, idly humming in what you assume to be amusement.

'An impatient one, you are. Most children know to not start until given the go-ahead.'

It's not scolding, but more like one would talk down to a class of children, calm and understanding. Coming from his mouth, it seems wrong, for all his perceived gentility, and he turns his attention back to the other four who seem poised to act as well.

'It seems you need little incentive, so I'll simply offer an additional trial to appraise you properly. Shall we find out how heavy your soul weighs? We shall start with...' Red eyes jump from one, two, three- and settle on Adelis. 'With you.'

The glance already had him tense as a whip, but once the words escape his lips, you'll find Adelis seems to freeze, limbs idly shivering as blue eyes widen before his knees buckle. The woman beside him jumps in surprise as he falls to the grass, hands raising slowly with obvious hesitation before clasping in front of him, like one does at prayer. ]

F-Forgive me, Father- [ The words spill out, but clearly not by his own will, by the waver. He looks confused, bewildered, uncomfortable, as his tongue works without his consent. ] for I have sinned, by spilling the blood of my fellow man, by robbing them of possessions and dignity. I have used others for my own gain, submitted myself to Pride and Avarice-

[ And so he continues, the grip of his hands growing tighter as his body refuses to listen to his own commands. The others are stunned only momentarily, as something else quickly draws their attention, and perhaps yours- around all of you come pools of writhing black, shadowy appendages shaped like hands rising from their depths and searching for the nearest signs of life.

The challenge, perhaps, lies in the fact they obstruct your way...and when you look, you will see them reaching for Adelis himself as well. Unable to move or defend himself, he can only continue to mutter his unwilling confessions, face grimacing further at the rake of claws across his flesh.

The others are moving- setting crackles of magic and slashes of blade to the creatures whilst attempting to move closer to the unmoving figure of Alexei, still smiling serenely whilst he watches. ]

[Syrlya hisses, gritting his teeth. He wonders if that locket is just a trinket, or something that holds power...

Still, he doesn't immediately lunge again. Just as he follows Alexei's gaze and finds him focus on Adelis--he regrets it immediately. His eyes widen in dawning horror as Adelis seems to collapse in--what must be some position of prayer, as he's seen Kasmeer take.

Worse yet, Adelis is trapped in a position he clearly can't defend himself as dark, spectral appendages lash for them. He's torn.

He thrusts one hand out, and under Adelis' feel a well of his magic concentrates to coat him in a pulsing shield of magic to deflect the hands. It... won't last long, even as he tries to hold his attention and energy to extend the length of it to keep recoating the shield with every blow it absorbs instead.

That's as much as he can do right now, because Alexei continues to be a threat to all of them as long as he stands. He whips his attention back around and rushes forward, shield buffering against hands before he aims to teleport in Alexei's vicinity again--this time, aiming to thrust his blade at the arm holding the locket.]

[ The light underneath Adelis' bent knees indeed protects him from the writhing claws, even if they slam their shadowy palms against it in fury. Luckily, they are not particularly tough, and the swing of blade and spark of magic dissipates them well enough...but they are many in number, and it is only Sasha themselves who attempts to close the distance between themselves and Alexei, dragging their sword through the hands that reach for them in the process.

As for Alexei himself-

Your blade strikes. It does, indeed, dig into the pale of his arm- but he moves it enough, so it does not so much as sever it as it does pierce it straight through. Despite this, he does not seem perturbed in the least- his expression doesn't change, even with his flesh torn and blood dripping down the length of your sword.

'I see you are rather eager.'

In the distance, while you cannot hear it, Adelis' prayers slowly seem to ebb, and his limbs twitch gradually. Alexei looks back at you, straight through you, and slowly holds out his free hand to your chin.

'Then, I shall listen to all that weighs on you, as well.'

You seize. It is like all the weight in your body has settled in your legs, and against your will, you find yourself collapsing to the grass below. The sword in your hand falls from your grip, before it also slips from the man's arm- flesh slowly knitting as the blade lays flat in front of you- close enough to take, were your body listening to you.

Instead your hands raise, however shaky against your resistance. They clasp together, tight, and you find words rising out of your throat as you nearly choke them out. The sins you have committed, the people you have hurt, the things you have done. They roll off your tongue, like a tidal wave of repentance.

Alexei stands above you, like a holy symbol, and he listens. ]

[His blade pierces flesh, and Syrlya drops his shield so that his free hand isn't weighed down as he lashes for the locket--

And then fingers ghost his chin, then grip, and the connection is so unexpected that he stops before his fingers properly close around the necklace.

His eyes lock with Alexei's, bewildered, until he realizes the flaw in delay.]

No--[His hand slips away from the locket before he can recover, releasing his sword as he drops hard to his knees and clasps together his hands that shake as he tries to reclaim control of them.]

Forgive me Father--[The words come out in a hiss, and he almost bites his tongue trying to silence it. But the magic that grips him is stronger than his own.] For I have sinned. I have killed many and without remorse for standing in my way. I have judged myself as better than others and given into pride. I have abandoned my station. I have failed my duty to those who have depended on me. I have given into anger at the expense of my companions. I have acted with impulse and endangered many. I have lied to others to use them for my gain. I have used threat of force to intimidate others. My actions have nearly destroyed Tyria. I have--

[He continues to stare up at Alexei as his wrongdoings slip from his mouth, and though his eyes are wide, the defiance is unmistakable. He does not need the forgiveness of the man in front of him. He is not the one who deserves them. He will not yield his heart no matter how many dark secrets Alexei forces him to spill.]

[ It's a valiant effort, on his part. His fingers brush the white bone, just barely, but they fall just as the rest of him does. And as Syrlya drops to his knee and his lips move in unwanted, feverish repentance, Alexei smiles down without much of a touch of emotion in his eyes. It's like looking into a dark room, only an inky blackness greeting you in return, and yet you know something unpleasant lurks within.

He is listening, as he does. Carefully, all whilst paying attention to little else.

You can hear the noises behind you, of cracks of magic and swings of steel, and the dull muted noise of the battle around you that sounds faintly like it's underwater. Your legs refuse to move, and whilst your hands shake in protest, you find you cannot unclasp them- not until every sin is confessed, every shame of yours laid bare for all to hear.

Something cold and dark scrapes at you, at your clothes- there are hands around you as well, clawing at the waxiness of your skin whilst you cannot move. It stings, but rather than burn, it leaves a faint cold in it's wake. Hollow, empty, like it threatens to leech the life from you directly.

You hear the shift of grass, and Alexei barely shifts as a sword slides through the space in front of him. It thuds into the grass, slicing through some of the black hands in front of you, and Sasha's brows furrow slightly in their silence. Their sword is large, requiring both hands, and it seems they are debating on how to grab the locket whilst defending themselves at their stature.

You do not hear Adelis' confessions anymore, nor can you see him. ]

I have killed purely out of emotion--[Syrlya isn't fool enough to believe Alexei truly isn't paying attention to everything else around him. He doesn't think his babbling confession is really drawing all his attention, like it's that interesting--this is a taunt.

The shadowy hands clawing at him sends an uncomfortable shiver, a deep pit of wrongness twisting in him as he's completely at the mercy of Alexei. He needs to rely on everyone else, but the thought doesn't alleviate the discomfort at being vulnerable.]

I have put my allies at risk to manipulate my enemies--[Especially being vulnerable to something whose eyes are so empty.

He just--needs to focus on the after. There is only so much he can confess to before he's exhausted his life experience.]

[ You can feel, deeply in your bones, this is a battle you cannot win the normal way. He is toying with you, the way a cat toys with a mouse, batting it between their paws and watching it panic in an attempt to free itself with a predatory eye. This is a cold, empty creature, smile as blank as the look in his eyes, and it makes the claw of the hands seem harsher.

Sasha's small hands struggle to reach, even with the heft of their sword, and whilst you see the crackle of magic near him every so often, it is clear the other two are not physical combatants, used to being up close and personal. The hands seem to rise ever-flowing, no matter how many get batted away, and you watch their hand miss again as Alexei merely peers down with that omnipresent gaze-

And then he blinks.

His hand is empty.

There is a still moment of quiet as he stares at his hand, and then looks up. You can crane your gaze from where your head is drooped, and you can feel the power slowly return to your limbs as his concentration seems to shift fully.

You can recalled seeing something quick, a blur when Sasha's blade was swinging, but now it is evident what that was- Adelis stands, faint claws marks raked through his clothes, and in his hand is the locket. He had been so quiet, so quick, it had almost been impossible to tell, taking advantage of the other's strikes to slip it from the vampire's grip in a split second of distraction. His face is tight, staring at the man himself with an unreadable expression, but by the wide of his eyes and tenseness of his body, you think he might be...afraid.

'...My.'

Alexei's voice is...amused. But there is something else, something dangerous, that rings under his tongue, and you don't like it. He slowly lowers his raised arm, and with it, the shadows around you seem to slowly dissipate. As does the hold on your body and your tongue, control returning gradually now that the game is over. Sasha retreats a bit, their gaze shifting down to you if only for a brief moment.

You notice he has not stopped looking at Adelis.

'I will admit, I wasn't expecting this outcome, but I am a man of my word. Congratulations, on proving your worth. Such a thing is worthy of praise.' ]

[Syrlya's defiance never wavers, despite the continual futility. So the moment the control slips even a little, his head cranes with resistance--it's inspiring, and as the confession slowly, finally dies on his lips and he unclasps his hands, his gaze also follows Adelis standing triumphantly.

And he smiles with relief and pride.

Until Alexei speaks, and then his expression slips as he looks up back the vampire. His empty eyes boring down on Adelis, and he knows... knows what this leads to.

Fury burns up in him, and the memory of his body carries him through swift and practiced motions while Alexei stares at Adelis.

His hand levels to the ground to set a gravity well under him and Alexei. The magic is thicker than the other wells, seeking to grip the vampire and drag him off his feet to the center. And while it pulses, Syrlya surges forward to grab his blade, the motion fluid as he gets up on his feet to try and angle it right through Alexei's chest whether he's on the ground or standing.

It's a really bold attempt, and a part of Syrlya knows this won't mean anything. But the rest of him is furious at the man who tried to reduce Adelis to nothing.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

🏝️ dulces sueños group excursion! 🏝️

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject