event: portal seven | the void

[mayfield_mods]

The final portal doesn't seem to be a portal at all. It's a glitch hole.

Located on the lawn of the library is a hole much like the ones that have plagued every new location for the past week. As with them, it hurts your eyes to look at too long, but even if you should muscle past the pain and stare straight into it, you can make out nothing on the other side. Nothing, save for a shifting, twitching, swirling void.

Unlike the portals, which were vertically placed like doorways, the hole at the Library is strewn across the lawn: if you want to enter it, you're going to have to jump. Of course, there's no guarantee it will even lead anywhere. Touching the hole or sticking your arm in doesn't have any effect: you'll pull your arm out unharmed. As far as jumping in completely goes, those who jump in disappear from sight. As long as you're on the Mayfield side, there's no way to tell what lies beyond the hole.

There's only one way to find out.

[ooc: Feel free to roleplay up to the point your characters jump in, assuming they do. A single group subthread will be created in a few hours revealing what happens on the other side.]

Comments

Scarlet Devil Mansion, ho~!

[not_so_great_wall]

[ Meiling pulled back her hand and gulped. ] ...are we sure about this? [ Patchouli was the brains of this operation; Remilia was just the boss and Flandre... well, thankfully she wasn't around yet, but if they were going to get by without making her suspicious, they had to move FAST. ]

[wizardoftheweek]

We've come too far to back away now. The risk is high, but we are prepared. Between all of our abilities, I do not doubt our ability to not only find the item in question, but survive this abyss.

... But, the call is yours, Remilia.

lil godlings and friend (Hopefully gonna get Yuki and Kyon in on this one)

[enpatsushakugannouchite]

[ Shana just waits outside of it, her cloak fluttering around her, eyes blazing and cinders falling from her hair. ]

Mou....

[slave_of_suzumiya]

... So uh, what the heck is this supposed to be?

[hintcoinplz]

[It was a bad idea. Luke knew it was a bad idea. After testing the portal and finding that it wasn't hurting him, he knew that if he really wanted to find out what was going on, it was time to stop hesitating.

As much as he tried to ignore it, there was no denying it: Mayfield was falling apart, and now it was more important then ever to try and seek out the truth. He wasn't sure what would happen. He could die, he could disappear. He wasn't really all that scared to die, not really. Although if Mayfield was in this sorry shape, he wasn't entirely sure he'd be coming back. And that did frighten him.

But it was time to stop being afraid, and to seek out a way to finally solve this puzzle.

Luke takes a few steps back, staring down at the hole. He looks like he's trying to prepare himself to jump in.]

[calmingmelody]

[Having promised to protect him, Loosha tried not to stray too far from her friend. She spots Luke preparing to jump into a hole in the ground, and immediately calls out.]

(Luke! What're you doing?)

[werejew]

[Luckily, Luke doesn't have to worry about hesitating or preparing for things. Annie does that shit for him.

Which is why she's going to be picking him up like a football and diving into the portal.]

YIPPEE-KI-YAY, MOTHERFUCKER!

[heartisabattleground]

[Sora's looking at the portal. People have been disappearing for awhile now into them and well, it's time that he explore one too. Seeing Luke beside it, the teenager stares down into it. Looking down at the boy, he grins.]

You ready to go?

[strike_you_out]

[Crouched at the edge of the swirling vortex is a shadowy boy with a crooked ball bat and a handful of rocks. Each stone is dropped one by one into the abyss of nothing as he decides whether or not to enter it himself.]

[princecreepshow]

[ Bel creeps up behind Slugger, bending down over him.

He grins. ] Careful, or someone might push you in~

[encored]

[and he'll just be peering over the edge, watching one of those rocks disappear into the nothingness on the other side of the portal. he's smiling, but there's a wariness and unease about him that isn't usually present.]

Quite the gamble they've set up for us this time, hm?

[ceasetoexist]

[Dropping rocks in Slugger? A minute or so later a rock'll be seeking vengeance by aiming for your head.

Just kidding. Pokey threw it at you. Or, uh, the Pokey-bot did. The Pokey-bot and L'il Miss Marshmallow, Pokeys robot maid, are standing next to Pokey himself. The Pokey-bot picks up another rock but Pokeys hand jets out, grabbing it before it throws another rock.]

Quit it.

[And Pokey let's his robot replica go, walking beside Slugger.]

...think we could go in it?

[noluckduck]

[For the past week, dozens of people have entered these portals. Morons, Clover calls them. Sometimes she means it; sometimes what she actually means is "why in the world are you risking yourselves like that," or something along those lines.

Well, maybe it's time for her to man up and help, too. And she isn't thinking only about the portals - this town has superheroes and wizards and aliens, for Christ's sake. Nobody's going to stone her to death if she lets people know she could probably flip a truck over if she tackled it. That's what's keeping her from making a difference, isn't it?

But something isn't right, why is she freakishly strong, why is death so familiar--

She shakes her head.

This portal looks different. Hell, it's more of a hole than anything else. Great job making important decisions in time, Clover. A+.

She stands in front of it, huffing, one foot ahead of the other. Her posture says she's ready to jump in. The rest of her isn't entirely convinced.]

[truffulacide]

[it should go without saying but she's not the only one with doubts about this. from behind her, a familiar voice rings out.]

What, you're not even gonna throw a rock in first? Just to test how deep it is?

[he leans over her shoulder (which is astoundingly easy for him considering his height) and peeks down at the portal.]

Not too smart if you ask me.

[kettchmeifyoucan]

[Wes examines the portal with all his intel skills. And comes to one conclusion.]

Well. That's different.

[ceasetoexist]

[Giant glitchy portal you can't see into? There's only one solution Pokey can think of to this.

That's to have his robot maid tie a rope around the robot duplicate of himself Pokey owns. The Pokey-bot does not seem amused.]

So okay boss. Why do I have to go in?

You pretty much just said it stupid: I'm the boss. That's why you do what I say.

Well can't I have like a machine gun or something? Just to be safe.

Where would I even get that stupid? Sides it'll be plenty safe. We can pull you up if something happens. Just tug on the rope if you're in trouble.

Okay what if the rope breaks?

Then we'll make sure to hold a service for you. Shut up. Man.

[truffulacide]

[see, this is why he needs a robot servant. all the delights of bossing someone around without any of the guilt. granted, he'd feel slimy for saying that any other time, but this is a life or death situation. rules and morals are meant to be bent in those.]

Just push him in already, jeeze.

[or do you want me to do it for you? his expression clearly says as he stands a few feet away, watching this unfold with curiosity.]

[cursedtolive]

[Czes is crouched at by the hole, peering into it. He's close enough to see inside, but far away enough that if someone were to push him from behind, he wouldn't tumble right down this strange void.]

We're supposed to jump into this thing?

[Well, it was strange and he didnt know what lay beyond it, and it scared him, but not as much as some other things.]

[encored]

[he's already been scoping out the area pretty much non-stop since he first stumbled over it, but he remains at a distance for the time being, hands crossed over his chest.]

I believe that's the case, but it could just as easily be a trap. [comforting...]

[truffulacide]

[yeah, this doesn't look dangerous at all! like heck Once-ler is going to stick any of his limbs into that portal; he was always taught never to jump into puddles as a child, and although his mother never said anything about swirling vortexes filled that lead to nothingness and danger and possibly evil, faceless clowns, he suspects she'd find it to be just as improper.

whatever.

he's crouched by the hole with a stick in his hand, which he uses to poke into the portal, wriggling it around as if he's fishing for something. when he pulls it out to see that it's still intact, his frown deepens.]

Isn't there an easy way to do this? [whiiiiiine.]

[shadesofgray]

[This is possibly the worst person you could have asked, though in your defense he WAS behind you, and that was probably a rhetorical question. As it is. Gin is prepared. People vanishing and reappearing in portals of steadily increasing danger?

HE'S GOT A RIFLE. Though for the moment, it's pointed at the ground.] Hnhnhn..

I could always push you.

[genkibot]

[Tachikoma rolls up to the hole in the ground to get a better look at it. Since its 'eyes' are a type of digital cameras, they can't be strained normally. That still doesn't mean it can see what's down there.]

Huh, I wonder how we're suppose to find anything in there...

Well, I guess I could always take a closer look!

[It backs up slightly, the gray half spheres on the rear pod swiveling suddenly and making a small sound before it suddenly takes off and jumps into the hole.]

WHEEEEEEEEEEE!

[lovemguns]

[ What had interested Butch, hadn't been the hole, actually. It's actually Tachikoma that he spotted, while it rolled up to the hole. Peering at it with interest, he startles when it speeds into the hole and vanish. ]

Wow!

[ What the--! ]

Awesome!

[ And the cowboy grins widelyand, dead set on finding out exactly what kind of weird spieces of dog that thing is, follows into the hole whith a cheerful, excited whoop! ]

Yeehaw!

[calmingmelody]

[Loosha is seriously staring.

This is the weirdest lake she's ever seen.]

[ex_seventh238]

[The request was for the librarian, so naturally, the last warp appears there. The fact that it was laid flat on the ground instead of being horizontal also made it easier to spot despite the early hour. ...All in all, it was quick to find, and for that, Ciel's got no complaints.

...

So that's that, huh?

She hops down from the lamp post close by the library entrance and takes a step forward. There's not a single trace of hesitation. In fact, her entire demeanor seems to belong to another person - or it may be more accurate to say that it shouldn't belong to any person at all, with the lack of anything human like emotions.

Merem can catch up whenever. She already told him she wasn't going to wait for him. Either way, it's time for work, and this time, she's not slacking off.]

[splitthebaby]

[Whether Ciel was surprised or not, Merem was there very shortly after Ciel got there. In fact, he was mostly likely tracking her the entire time. Don't act like he's not creepy like that.]

Didn't I say I'd be here?

Decepticons!

[autoerotica]

[Knock Out stooped to one knee at the edge of the hole, his fingers barely touching the 'surface' and a look of professional concentration in his eyes.]

Once again, wishing Soundwave was here... Transdimensional science is nowhere near my forte.

[He lowered his fingers into it, squinting, trying to find some evidence of what awaited on the other side. Unfortunately, he saw nothing, and there were no strange sensations he could detect inside. He sighed, then stood up, brushing his pants off.]

As the closest we have to a qualified science officer, my professional analysis reveals nothing. Not that there's much I can discern without the proper equipment anyway. I hate to say it, but we'd be going in blind, here.

Re: Decepticons!

[pnshandnslv]

Soundwave...

[His voice seemed indifferent at mentioning the other. While it may have been some good to have another around who was more experienced in dealing with... portals, it was clear these two were out of luck. He stood over next to Knock Out and sneered. ]

What do you suggest we do then? Unless we were to observe another entering, I find it unwise to proceed further.

[A pause...]

Unless...

[He were to push him.]

WITHIN THE VOID

[mayfield_mods]

You’re in the void, now.

Everything around you is formless and shapeless and swirling and insane. Flashes of impossible colors streak by you like bolts of lightning. There is no sound, only a horrible keening in your mind that sets your teeth on edge. Every cell in your body screams that this place is wrong, screams that you need to return to Mayfield, to sense and sanity. Yet when you look up at the hole you jumped through, you see nothing but even more of the endless, infinite void.

It’s pure chaos, everything and nothing all at once. Stare into the void too long and you’ll see things- flashes of people, places, memories. They’re moving too fast for you to register; the human mind wasn’t meant to process information like this. The human mind was never meant to be anywhere near here.

And yet- the ground beneath your feet is solid. It is, in fact, concrete, the same type that makes up the sidewalks of Mayfield’s suburbs. The air around you is breathable. There is no pain, no obliteration as might be expected. The ground and the ordinary air both extend about twenty feet around you in a 360 degree circle, at which point they both taper off into buzzing, screeching oblivion.

When the voice speaks, it’s your mind that hears the words, not your ears. You can tell that at one point it may have belonged to a middle-aged man. It is warped, mechanical, and yet somehow in spite of that you can make out an element of warmth and kindness- tempered by quite a bit of urgency.

“I’m sorry. I wish there was another way, but this is the best I can do. I can keep the void from claiming you, but not for long.

Follow the path I’ve laid out and you’ll find the memento. I’ll protect you, but I can’t keep everything out. Let me know when you're all ready.

Move fast. We’re not alone here.”

[ooc: once the characters have their bearings and announce they're ready to move, the 20-foot bubble of safety will begin to move forward. anyone who steps outside the bubble will be permanently killed without exception. those who stay inside it aren't exactly safe either, but leaving it means instant death.

the bubble's movement will be handled as a single group thread, spread out over the course of three hours. you're free to create subthreads within, but try to keep organized.]

[busy_fists]

[Dad lands in the bubble carrying a birthday cake and smoking his pipe, just like usual. Alongside him is Mom, sipping at a gin martini. Taking a good look around, he calmly regards his surroundings with all the measured patience of a Guardian. It's unnerving, sure, but so was the end of the world, and he managed to live through that.

He's got a whole wallet full of supplies, but most of them unfortunately won't fit inside the bubble with all the other people that came along. A small frown spreads across his face as he thinks the effort of preparing may have gone to waste, but it doesn't last for long.]

...Well, here we are. No going back now.

((OOC: Mom's player is unfortunately not going to be home from work for another four and a half hours, but since we planned to have Dad and Mom doing Day 7 together anyway, she may tag back later for anyone who responds to this, just as an FYI.))

WITHIN THE VOID: HOUR ONE

[mayfield_mods]

[As soon as everyone is ready, the bubble of safety begins to move forward at a moderately quick pace- you'll need to jog somewhat to keep up. The bubble is mainly secure, but every once in a while you'll need to step over a glitch hole that's made its way within. The edges of the bubble aren't totally secure- they waver and shake unsteadily, as if the void is pushing in, trying to break through.

Don't stand too close. As the minutes pass and you continue to walk, hands reach out from the edges of the bubble, some slow, some lunging like snakes. The arms are bare, their skin colors varying- white, brown, black, blue, and some colors you've never seen before. They shoot out from the edges of the bubble, their owners unseen, trying to grab you, to pull you in...

You'll want to stay focused. The buzzing of the void is starting to sound like words, and something tells you you don't want to listen.]

[enpatsushakugannouchite]

[ SHana keeps back with Kyon and Yuki, sweeping the Nietono no Shana out towards any hands that try to snatch her friends away. ]

WITHIN THE VOID: HOUR TWO

[mayfield_mods]

[By the second hour, things are getting worse. The bubble has picked up pace, forcing you to stay at a steady jog in order to avoid being left behind. The whispers of the void are getting worse, tugging at your mind, whispering to just walk in, and it's getting harder and harder to tune them out. Their voices sound familiar and foreign at once, the sound of beloved friends mixed with sweetened malevolence.

And those hands aren't just hands anymore. Full bodies are now stepping out of the void, drones dressed in suits, sundresses, costumes and hazmat suits alike. Some are faceless, but still others have teeth on their hands, eyes on their necks, fingernails growing in place of eyes. They lunge out of the void, twitching madly, grabbing out, trying to seize hold of you and pull you of the bubble- into the void's embrace.]

[enpatsushakugannouchite]

[ Shana is unmoved, a wall of blade and flame for Kyon and Yuki, embers trailing behind her, almost dancing through the fight. ]

Haaaa!

WITHIN THE VOID: HOUR THREE

[mayfield_mods]

[Those of you still alive are in severe discomfort. The whispers in your mind aren't whispers anymore; they're shouts, demands, furious and unyielding. The faceless drones can now be seen outside of the bubble, clawing their way inside intent on dragging you out. The bubble's pace has also picked up significantly: you'll have to flat-out run to keep up.

And then, out of nowhere, you spot it. A single speck of something on a horizon full of nothing. It isn't until the bubble draws closer that you can see what it is: a single yellow flower, simple and undecorated, sprouting out of the void.

The bubble overtakes it, stopping in the process. Any of you could reach down and pluck the flower, should you wish.]

[werejew]

[picks flower]