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Post by ★|Sayu on Nov 11, 2017 16:50:58 GMT -7
The two dolls make their way forward into the next building, seeing how it is right next to them.
The inside of the building is just as broken up as the rest. The room the two find themselves in is rather large and open with pillars holding up the floor above accented by torn down walls all over the room that used to divide up the place. Blown out windows line the walls and various foliage is growing all over adorned with shimmering blue flowers that weakly pulsate with light. There is a hole in the ceiling a ways into the wide room. Small specks of debris and dust rains from up above. Finally there is a door on the far side past the hole. Metal chairs and desks are piled up against the door in order to prevent access to it, but with some work that could be cleared up.
As the dolls continue to investigate the room a sudden pain befalls them. The piercing headache is mind numbing and images flash in their minds.
The pain subsides just as quickly as it had come - and with it the visions. Jen finds himself standing across the room now, staring down at the collapsed highway. A few stories below him the robed figures scurry about, helping each other off the boat and make their way towards the building.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Nov 11, 2017 18:58:57 GMT -7
The flash of pain and visions subsided, leaving Jen at the other side of the room. This is getting more and more confusing… Upon eyeing the robed figures making way toward the two doll’s building, Jen hastily turns to find his companion. Was that… Was that happening in the present? His mind was frantic. If those visions are anything to go by, these guys probably aren’t our friends.
Turning back to his original position, Jen eyed the other doll, and moved toward it quickly. He extended his hand and looked at the rock in its possession, wanting to write ”VISION ROBED DANGER REAL” on the ground.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2017 10:51:42 GMT -7
The damage of the room in particular interests the thief as he walks through it. Using the weak light pulsating from the nearby foliage he discerns a few more details. "It appears as though the area was cleared to make room for something, why else would the walls that used to divide it be torn down in such a way? The state of the windows allude to it as well. Something caused this... but why?" For a few moments the thief looks up at the hole in the ceiling, trying to figure out if what caused it escaped from here or broke in from above. Eventually his intrigue brings his gaze to the blocked door on the far side of the room. "I wonder..." He muses as he begins to shift the blockade away from it.
He doubles over in pain, the first he's felt since in this form. He sees a robed figure attempting to possibly repair a massive machine which occupies the corner of a dark room, but is unable to figure out if he recognized the area due to the scene's shifting as soon as it begins to spark. Another bridge... in a familiar area, carriages uncanny enough to strike him as odd, and a rowboat carrying robed figures much like the one in the earlier vision, they spot a doll much like his companion across from him and the vision abruptly ends...
"The hell?" The thief can barely make heads or tails of it. He turns to the doll who had been accompanying him. It seems to notice something outside the window before it begins to rush back towards him. It seems to be indicating it needs the rock for something. Rauj cautiously hands it over, hoping nothing he needed to protect himself for is about to happen, then finds himself equal parts relieved and tense at the action of the doll's writing and the message it recorded. "Shit. That's not good." Based on the vision the figures already knew where they were so hiding and/or acting as if they were merely lifeless relics was out, the thief takes the rock back and scribbles 'Fight / Flight / Talk?' on the ground before grabbing a chair he fully intended to use as a weapon if the other doll chose the former.
He figured they had a few minutes before the figures reached them, but if the odd voice was alluding to these figures as a danger, then they probably weren't looking to chat, still, he couldn't help but want to figure that out on his own, he still wasn't even sure if the voice was speaking to them.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Nov 12, 2017 15:43:14 GMT -7
The other doll gave Jen three options, two of which he was averse to. As curious as I am, I'm not sure talking would be a good idea, and based on your hand, fighting's out of the question too. There's so much we don't know... This is the safest option, at least for now. Jen reaches out his hand and points to the "Flight," his partner had written. Looking back up, Jen realized his ally had grabbed a chair from the door. It looks like all those chairs were a blockade of sorts, but from what? One of those big machines? Jen begins pointing to the barricaded door, wanting to move the chairs and desks aside. After moving one desk, an idea struck him. Making sure his companion is looking, Jen stands on top of the desk and holds two fingers up. He then points at the door and then the hole before putting his hands up in a shrugging manner. Which way do you think is best?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2017 14:21:55 GMT -7
Rauj nods as the doll chooses 'Flight'. It was more than likely the best course of action considering the circumstances, the problem was, where? From what the thief could tell, there was no real 'safe' way back down, since the only path they had leading to this area was the path the opposition would most likely be taking. He turns to the barricade as his companion points to it, and in all honesty he feels a certain curiosity towards it as well, but unfortunately it was more than likely a dead end, assuming the blockade had been made to keep something in there or block it off. The thief looks around again, mostly using the light from above to... He looks up, nodding to himself before looking back towards his comrade, who seemed to be waiting for that moment. Watching him stand atop the desk and gesturing to choose either the blockade or the hole, Rauj immediately points up... with his stump of a hand. "Hm. This might be a bit difficult." Sure, he had plenty of experience carrying things and climbing while doing so, but that was in a different body, one he had fine tuned himself, so to speak. He almost instantly comes to an epiphany though, "If we're intending to use the blockade to make ourselves a way out, why not do both?"
He beckons the other doll to come down and begins dragging the desk it was standing on over to the proper setting for their makeshift stairway out. Rauj then gestures to the other doll. He points at the table, then to his ally, and makes a short horizontal chopping motion raising his arm slightly higher each chop, a sign for stacking. The thief then points to himself, grabs a chair in the blockade, and slides it towards the makeshift stairway, then begins sliding another table from the blockade to do the same. Effectively using the blockade to make their way out, in the hopes that doing so would allow them to get a peek at what's on the other side before they leave via the roof.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Nov 13, 2017 18:00:26 GMT -7
The two dolls begin moving the makeshift barricade figuring that whatever precious time they had was best used exploring as many options as possible. They stack table upon table and chair upon chair underneath the hole in the ceiling acting as their go-to escape route.
Surprisingly enough the task is relatively easy as the two dolls find themselves able to carry the tables with little effort. A little while later the door is free of tables and chairs and ready to be accessed.
Being as cautious as possible Rauj opens the door. The handle screeches as its rusty inner workings scratch against the rest of the metal door and with some force he manages to pull the door open. Off its hinges, in fact, as the door comes loose and nearly knocks the doll over with its weight.
The room beyond is a freakish scene. A staircase, leading up and down, acting as a disturbing canvas for the shocking display of bodies. Dolls, most of them. Crushed, rusting, some with their limbs missing and others with tears in their bodies. They look like they were piling up in-front of the door trying to get in before they were destroyed. Among them are also the skeletal remains of humans, picked dry by the years of decay.
Peeking further into the stairway the top of the stairs seems to have toppled down, creating a solid concrete wall. Further down are more and more destroyed dolls piled on-top of one another. The only way through here is down.
"...seeking... ...rebelling... ... ..." the mysterious voice echoes through the minds of the dolls. "... ... ...no more than processors..."
The more the voice goes on the clearer it seems to become. In the back of their minds it is almost as if the two dolls could hear the pounding of metal on metal.
"... ...the life of servitude...seeking vengeance..."
The metal pounding becomes louder and louder. There is a brief audible crackle, then a high pitched sound like feedback from a microphone. Then suddenly nothing.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Nov 13, 2017 21:53:46 GMT -7
We can take a glance I suppose. We’re decently high up, so we have a few moments at least. Jen moves to help the other doll lean the door to the ground, being both quick and cautious. Their would-be pursuers knew the two dolls were here in this building, but they definitely didn’t need to know their exact location. Jen looked back up to peek through the remaining hole.
A mass grave greeted his vision. Remnants of dolls and human bones were strewn about the place. Their ligaments and appendages either bent in horrific fashions, or just outright severed from the body. Gashes riddled the torsos of some select individuals, and their lifeless metallic bodies left a fairly grim impression on Jen’s mind. Gods… He thought to himself, slightly unnerved. They were fleeing from something, clearly. He examines the gruesome scene a bit more, noting the irony that he too is fleeing.
Before Jen can do anything else, the ethereal voice returns, this time clearer and accompanied by the striking of metal. As the voice continues speaking, the clanging grows exponentially louder. A succinct crack breaks the chant-like rhythm, giving way to an eerie feedback. Thinking his body’s hearing was going bad, Jen reaches to smack the side of his head. He stops just before doing so, as the sound seemed to just vanish. Slaves seeking vengeance? There seemed to be a lot of pieces, but he wasn’t entirely sure how they fit together. Either way, the longer Jen was conscious, the clearer the woman’s voice was. If he wanted to understand this whole nightmare, he had to survive it.
Jen figured the other doll received the same treatment from the voice, so he didn’t waste anymore time trying to communicate. That hellhole of a staircase probably led straight to the robed creatures, and Jen had no intention of meeting them. Turning back to the makeshift escape route, he begins steadily climbing up to the hole. Once at the top, Jen intends to aid his newfound friend up as well.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2017 4:35:37 GMT -7
The door pops right off its hinges when the thief pulls at it with a bit more force, making him stagger, fortunately able to keep his balance with the help of his comrade, who helps him lightly set down the door. After doing so he looks towards the entry way only to be welcomed by the grisly scene. He's not exactly taken aback, in fact, its somewhat better than he had guessed, though not by much. He pays particular attention to the damage of the bodies noting the crushed and torn forms in particular, It seemed as though they were all piling the door trying to get out, but were barricaded in, most of the damage incurred could've just been them attacking and/or trampling each other in their mad rush. "What were they trying to get away from?" Rauj thinks as he looks to the human remains, picked clean by age. He felt some relief at seeing them though, the familiarity of a similar race even if they weren't here or altogether extinct oddly giving him a small sense of hope.
He follows the trail of bodies further down with his gaze and considers takes a step only to be welcomed by the cacophony of the now much clearer yet still mystic voice from earlier paired with the 'oh so elegant' sounds of steel upon steel. A few more cryptic words followed by static and a screech followed by sweet silence. Rauj shakes his dome as if attempting to clear it of the noise, but unfortunately he'd likely not be forgetting the sound anytime soon. He about-faces towards their escape, catching the other doll come to the same conclusion the thief had. He stops at the escape route, attempting to figure out a way up, when his companion passes him. Once he had ascended, he offers a hand to Rauj. The thief quickly gathers some more vines and branches, tying a somewhat flimsy loop, (or at least as good as he could do with one arm) around one of the more crucial parts of their 'ladder' and leads it up as he accepts his ally's assistance, attempting to craft a self destruct rope of sorts, so their pursuers wouldn't have such an easy time following their path.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Nov 15, 2017 13:49:16 GMT -7
After deciding against using the stairwell the two dolls climb though the hole in the ceiling. Jen helps his one-handed companion up into the next floor and the two of them scan the area. Naturally they seem to be in a similar situation as they find themselves in yet another room. This one however appears to be smaller - the walls are still mostly in-tact but the 4th wall of the room that used to consist of glass-panels seems to have shattered. The door-frame and part of the wall are also broken out of it, almost as if it had been torn out. There are rotting bits of wood strewn about the place; the remnants of what used to be a desk and shelves. There are also books and paper strewn about the room, all of which have decayed into mush by the humid sea-air and are therefore impossible to read or handle properly. Right outside the room is a hallway, and adjacent from them another similar room. Taking a cautious peak down both sides of the hallway, there are a few similar rooms but the hallway eventually opens up into larger areas on both sides.
Suddenly the noise of clanging metal chairs falling over and a glass bottle rolling across the floor down the hallway on the right draws their attention. Instinctively both dolls take cover and barely peek around the corner and down the hall.
The glass bottle slowly rolls across the floor and stops as it hits some debris at the end of the hall. Then it comes. The robed figure rushes into the hallway and picks the bottle up, almost as if it were a precious treasure. The curious thing is that unlike the other robed figures, which were similarly dressed but in brown and blue rags, this one is draped in dirty red ones instead. It briefly examines the bottle, checking it for any damage. Then stands upright and examines its surroundings to see if the noise had attracted any unwanted attention.
Naturally the dolls pull away from the corner and further into the room as to not be discovered peeking around the corner. Though nothing happens...
Daring a brief glance again, the figure is gone, and the glass bottle with it.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Nov 15, 2017 15:46:30 GMT -7
Whatever just abducted the glass bottle had disappeared into the ruined hallways. A glass bottle? These things must be some sort of scavengers, though that one didn’t seem affiliated with the others. Jen gave time to listen for the creature’s movements, but failed to pick up any sound other than that of the crumbling infrastructure. I wanna know more about this thing. Something’s off. Turning to the other doll, he pointed to the creature’s previous location.
Cautiously stepping out from the two dolls’ hiding place, Jen moved to where the bottle had been. Sticking to the wall in a crouched position, Jen did his best to remain as silent as possible. Given his “new” body, that was proving much more difficult than usual. Taking care to step over any stray debris, he finally reaches his destination. Jen looked back to his friend, and pointed again toward the expansive area at the end of the passageway. Want to check it out?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2017 20:15:31 GMT -7
Rauj looks around the new area, a bit disappointed that the literature was so far gone, that knowledge could've been vital. He begins to set his trap taut so that the vine triggering it would be easily tripped by any would-be pursuers, but midway hears the disturbance in their area and instantly ditches the trigger to take cover. He studies the robed figure carefully, noting its interest in the mundane. "Hmm seems like it likes to collect things it finds odd. Might have something that'll help us figure out what the heck is going on, or at least where... maybe even WHEN are we..."
His companion seems to have the same idea as he does, and attempts to sneak a closer look, egging Rauj on, to which he complies, attempting to keep his pace slow and low as well.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Nov 15, 2017 22:39:16 GMT -7
Being as cautious as possible the two dolls sneak up to the end of the hallway. Finally being able to see the next room a little better they examine it. There are short walls, about chest high, with metal desks and chairs all over. There are some broken electronics as well, not too much unlike some of the machines imbued with magic functions at home. There is also a door at the far side of the room. However the whole room is a mess. Most of it seems destroyed or worn down with age - which probably doesn't come as any surprise - though the room is also full of flower bushes similar to the ones found down below. All of them glow faintly, illuminating some of the dimmer parts of the room. There are however no signs of the red robed figure from earlier.
By now the two dolls can hear the scrapping of metal and shouting of some unknown language emitting from down below. Whatever those creatures are they are definitely human in nature, or at least origin. Judging by the distance of their chatter they seem to still be struggling up the staircase, an idea that is easily backed up by the constant scraping and crashing of metal.
There are no signs of the voice returning yet.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Nov 16, 2017 0:05:42 GMT -7
Jen looked about the room, finding nothing but odd, aged gadgets and bushes of the glowing flowers from before. He reaches to examine one of the devices, but stops just short of touching it. This place must have experienced some kind of doomsday a very long time ago. Jen couldn't possibly hope to replicate the device’s “pristine” state, if you could even call it that. Given that their pursuers were thorough enough, they would see that he'd been there. Better not.
The commotion from downstairs caused Jen to hasten his scouring of the area. Their chatter sounded vaguely human, which raised even more questions in his mind. Quickly dismissing that thought, Jen eyes a door on the opposite side of the room. He’s sure that the other doll spotted the path forward as well, so he heads that way without a gesture. After all, his fellow doll had shown remarkable competence so far. Jen wasn’t sure how their partnership would work out at first, but much to his relief they cooperated well. I'd definitely buy them a beer if I could.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2017 1:01:24 GMT -7
The insight they gain from examining the items in the next room support one Rauj's theories, they may just be in the same world just the extreme future. He was hoping to glean more though, none of this was explaining why he was here, or how to get back to his own body. Unfortunately none of the items seem to be of much help either, even if the pair could use them, they're too warn down to be of any use. The clattering in the distance is like the toll of a clock-tower to Rauj, he acknowledges time is running short, but doesn't acknowledge it in any other way than following the other doll further down the hall. He mentally begins to steady himself. He was used to having a route out no matter what, but they position they were in sandwiched them between two unknowns; not a favorable position at all. There was still some time though, their pursuers seemed to be struggling with the makeshift staircase, might have even toppled it themselves from the sound of it. That and they hadn't run into the red robe yet, but at the rate they were going, that was merely a matter of time.
He stares at the other doll's back for a few moments as they continue. Though they hadn't communicated much, the pair had adapted well to the circumstances. "Whoever they are, they'd be a great partner in the guild. But at the rate we're going we may have to fight our way out. I hope it can handle itself." He pauses and looks down at his own nub of an arm, "Hell I hope I can handle myself... I'd rather not have to resort to anything underhanded to make it through this... At least not towards someone in the same position as myself... I gotta think of a way to get us out of this. I was hoping whoever the hell is after us would give in to their curiosity and head down, to see why all those bodies were behind that door to begin with by creating two pathways to go. That would've at least split up their forces... At most gotten them all torn to pieces or something... but no such luck; seems they're pack creatures. Not good. On top of that i'd assume none of these entities are friendly, they don't seem like dolls, at least based on the commotion they're making." He looks around the hall, keeping his eyes open for anything else of interest as they continue, pushing the possibility of failure from his mind as he steels himself. "... The only way to find the answers is to keep moving forward, and i personally refuse to stop."
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Post by ★|Sayu on Nov 16, 2017 1:28:28 GMT -7
Deciding they had spent enough time exploring the area the two move on. They make their way to the next door and try it. Fortunately unlike the other door it neither flies off its hinges nor does it hide any more piles of bodies.
The most note-able thing about this staircase is the missing top. Seems like the building has crumbled down and there is no way further up. Curiously enough there seems to be a human skeleton pinned to the wall via a large metal spike that had forced itself through the skeletons ribcage.
Then the snap happens - The vines. A satisfying crash of tables and chairs sounds from the direction the two came from. Despite the poor construction of the trap it seemed to have worked well enough. Though, that only rubs in the fact that time is running incredibly short.
With no other option and hiding being out of the question the two dolls close the door behind themselves and descend down the stairs. At the very least it should take their pursuers some time to sweep the area in search for the dolls.
A few moments of rushing down the stairs later the two find themselves at another door. They had passed a few others before but they either refused to open or were crushed underneath debris. Jen looks back at the other doll, figuring this would be yet another door that refused to open for one reason or another. But, surprisingly it opens just fine.
The first thing he hears upon opening the door is the clanging of metal on metal and the sloshing of water. The room ahead is dark but Jen can see the hallway right ahead of him is safe enough to navigate. He takes a few cautious steps forward untill he comes to the end of the hallway turning off into a staircase leading further down. He can make out some catwalks in the dark, going across a larger room with machinery and Pillars all over. The bottom part of the room is filled with water and at the very bottom is a robed figure standing in front of a giant metal box of sorts. Bang - Sparks fly off the box as the figure strikes it with a sledgehammer, revealing the numerous dents it had made. The figure stops to recover its breath and then pulls out a small glowing... something. It's hard to make out from under the rags. It fiddles around with the glowing object for a moment, then makes some grunting sounds and begins to talk to the shimmering piece in its hand. Finally he the dolls realize the object in question was an AQL. This must be why they robed people were on their way to this building to begin with.
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