15strangers | FINAL TRIAL

FINAL TRIAL
(1 of Hekatombaion)

[When the time comes, Charon arrives on a boat, hrrhrrhrring a little tune as he rows. No need to worry about space, even with all of the shades coming with. Fluffles, unsurprisingly, doesn't go; he does see everyone off, at least, before he falls asleep.

With a final hnnnngrrrgh, they're off. Charon is the master of the Styx, in his own way, deftly avoiding roots and branches from the Qliphoth as he guides his charges up through the layers of the underworld. From the dark and gloomy green of Tartarus, to the lava-flooded Asphodel and it's giant many-headed bone snake, sadly snarled in demonic roots (without thinking, Zack waves to it), on through the lazy rivers of Elysium, and lastly through the pitch stink of the corridors of a temple separating the underworld from the living world.

Throughout, there is eerie quiet. No shades appear to watch their procession-indeed the few wisps around seem to be fleeing, hiding. No rats try to bite Zack's face off. Aside from Lernie, there's truly nothing but tree, tree, and more tree.

Finally, though, the surface air hits, and it is...not cold, but not warm, either. Though, as everyone disembarks, that's probably not what catches everyone's attention. No-it is the barren fields of ancient Greece, just outside the entrance to the underworld-and there is only one thing alive in the area.

It is late afternoon, and the silhouette of the new moon is the only thing that emits real light now in the grey. Indeed, if there is a sun, it is blocked out by the massive, massive roots in the sky, swirling into the stratosphere. The roots in the underworld were in fact more akin to greedy branches; the roots in the sky of the world of life, however, are far more massive, and it's clear the tree is fully grown. And-if the dead grass and trees and barren lands around the Temple of Styx are any indication-it isn't simply feeding on human blood-it's affecting the life of the earth itself, greedily lapping up what it can as it further embeds itself, further spreads, further grows. Further destroys.

It won't stop. There is obsession and power, and Delta is right-it will never stop unless someone intervenes.

Wordlessly Delta points to a Spire of blood in front of them. Yup-they need to enter it to get to where they need to go. Lovely.]

Through here is the core of the tree where the fruit of the Qliphoth is being cultivated. Come.

[Well, no turning back. With luck, the Catillac has some extra towels.

So, immediately after squishing into the...blood elevator?...everyone is schllllorped on a ride akin to w water slide, going up and down, left and right, up, up, up, then down, down, down....down.......

d

o

w

n

into the depths.

And when they emerge...]

[Bright flowers grow on the vines. There is distant birdsong, and the sun shines among fat, lazy clouds. But you can see the shine of glass in the corner of your eye; the air is too perfect to breath, too cold to touch. You don't feel the grass or dirt underfoot that you can clearly see The smell of blood is everywhere.

An illusion? A dream? A delusion? Something else? Who knows. There is a patio table laid out with tea, and four seats. It's almost as if the owner simply got up and left for a moment. It's all strange, all...wrong.

Still. You're finally here. You're in the core. You freed a possible god from the grip of forced ignorance. And you have-you hope-everything you need to end this. But there is still one question:

Who is the true Mastermind, and what is their goal in doing all of this?

It is time, Strangers. By the seas, the heavens and the earth, by blood and darkness, it's up to you.

Good luck.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's...it's just too much of coincidence. It makes no sense.

Coincidence?

[Sorry, he's getting a bit fed up. Not with Zag, per say, but...]

For the idea of getting a group of strangers together and having them slowly murder one another? My boy, you've got to learn that such a thing is hardly unusual, even among mortals.

[Listen, that's basically just a Grail War.]

Anyone can come up with such an idea. There are fewer that can carry it out, certainly, but such a thing is not impossible. Especially if they had planted the agent through which your downfall would happen alongside a 'gift' none of you could ignore.

Or are you going to tell me you were never told the story of the Trojan Horse?

[Wince. Ouch.]

...Well, actually, I do know that story.

Edited 2023-07-22 20:58 (UTC)

Then you should know that while you were tricked, you can hardly be blamed for any of this. You merely followed your instincts, in the end, and attempted to stop it - and you failed, but that in of itself is nothing horrible.

Even if you inspired the true mastermind...are you saying you'd have run this, yourself? With 'mortals' such as ourselves?

[Even though he's...technically not really MORTAL anymore, given his whole...Heroic Servant thing.]

No. I would never.

Then we're all in agreement. You're a victim, just like the rest of us.

Then cease apologizing!

[Wow, he's...actually a little angry sounding, for once.]

Focus more on what you can do now that you have come back to yourself! And realize that if you are not the cause of this, then your ire is better served aiming at the one who booby trapped a mortal child to deceive the gods!

For they, most certainly, is the one that caused us to fall into this hell, and stole away your memories. And as that is the case, you need to think upon what seemed unusual when the baby found her way into your halls. Was there anything out of place beyond her, that day?

...the seed, as I said.

[Well, when a mortal is right, he's right. He should be angry at whoever is responsible. ~~Fear is for the weak.~~]

Yes, the Seed. But was there any portals that day that could not be accounted for? The barest whisp of someone that should not have been there? Did any shades or other beings see the moment as it occurred?

[Please tell him y'all didn't just go 'oh sweet a free baby' and didn't question it. Please, Zag, he's begging you.]

Edited 2023-07-22 21:29 (UTC)

No. There was nothing unusual that we saw. Just the baby and the seed. My parents discussed what to do with the child, but my mother wished to keep it. To give it a chance at life-not abandoning it.

[He's quiet at this.]

[The shade just. Looks at him.

And then just falls over face first onto the ground.

There is a muffled scream coming from the floor. It's fine. Just give him a second to recalibrate, because of course no one saw anything or doublechecked, of course they wouldn't they're GODS-]

--are you ok!?

HRNRNNRRHRHRAAAAAAAAAAAH

[LIKE FIVE MORE SECONDS PLEASE HE'S STILL REBOOTING]

Edited 2023-07-22 21:44 (UTC)

They're gods, people leave weird gifts all the time.

NOT A GODSBEDAMNED BABY THAT ISN'T A SHADE SUDDENLY IN YOUR REALM WITHOUT WARNING!

[Moriarty lift your head to talk, goddamn]

You'd, uh...be surprised. There were people in ancient Greece who would offer their infant children to the gods.

(no subject)

hatesdeerstalkers - 2023-07-22 21:52 (UTC) - Expand

superstylishsquid - 2023-07-22 22:03 (UTC) - Expand

[Points and laughs]

[A part of his robe suddenly flaps up.

Enjoy the portal that just appeared that will be moving you to the other side of the room, Bert.]

[Small sigh.

Extends his hand.

Waits.]

[INTENSE SCREAMING INTO THE FLOOR!

...

...

....

He lifts his head.]

....I wish to leave this place and go to somewhere that makes sense, Kaitoooooo.....

unpossibilities - 2023-07-22 22:31 (UTC) - Expand

[Hermes bobs up and down.]

It miiiiight be a good thing you found the baby and not Cronus.

Please don't.

[Hi demon-Zeus here?]

The Titans are dead, so it wouldn't be a problem, mate.

[Hermes does a double take at that. He's not used to there being actual GODS that have different lives and statuses than the ones in his computer game does.]

Is that....

Really true?

[ALL THE MYTHS SHE READ IT DIDN'T REALLY MATTER IF THEY WERE DEAD THEY WERE STILL A PRETTY BIG PROBLEM]

godofblood - 2023-07-22 21:57 (UTC) - Expand

exequte - 2023-07-22 21:59 (UTC) - Expand

godofblood - 2023-07-22 22:01 (UTC) - Expand

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