I will take that under advisement. I certainly do not intend to return.
[he just
thinks of those skulls, at the mention of lopping off heads, and wonders if maybe he ought to come back after all to see if that can be taken care of. what the fuck. if only desperate people go for that black powder, though...
for the best that he left it alone.]
But I will have to inquire when I arrive, then. Unfortunately, I was not given much information to work off. [speaking of information:] What manner of festival is it, by the by?
[ This bus driver is going to remember Emet-Selch forever tbh. Sometimes all bus drivers need is a friend. ]
"Damn... well, guess you should head off straight towards En's then. His family's powerful, and pretty much organises the entire thing, so... I'm sure you can get information way better from him than from me.
We'll be riding into the city soon. I can point you towards their mansion, but I can't get you in. You're gonna have to figure that out on your own."
"Well. En sure doesn't skimp out on advertising his own shit. Heh."
[ And soon they'll be riding into town. It looks prettynice, way nicer than the hallways obviously, and considerably nicer than Berith. I can't find a nice picture of the outside, but Emet-Selch will be let off at some point around the city, and the bus driver points out a very large mansion some ways away. It's got a ridiculous, insane front gate, made in the shape of a massive and ugly devil of some kind. ]
It is appreciated. Good luck with the remainder of your work.
[thank you bus driver, you've been a big help.
he keeps the makeshift mask up as he heads toward the city, sword in its usual place upon his back, alert for any signs of danger (or any of that advertising. maybe some of it will have clues about what in the name of the star is happening.)]
[ The city is bustling and nice! Emet-Selch can take a look around, and if he looks upwards, he can see magic carpets and brooms flying, leaving trails of black powdery smoke behind that dissipate into the air.
Around the city, he can see the bizarre architecture, and also, several statues that seem to venerate strange creatures -- fairly stereotypical devils as far as our OOC minds can perceive, but Emet-Selch is seeing those strange satyr-like creatures carved in stone, clearly made out to be something glorious, powerful, venerable.
Blue Night posters are plastered all over the walls here too, cheerfully advertising a night of wondrous festivities with plenty of eats and drinks, and even a performance by the great En himself. Apparently, this guy is a hot shot around here.
Some people jump aside as Emet-Selch passes them, clearly startled by his height, but it's weird -- it's in a kinda honoured, wowed way. Like his size is really cool or something. Some others kind of shirk around him, spooked.
Take a detour, or keep heading towards the mansion? ]
[ah-- well, this isn't... too bad, he supposes, though these creatures the people seem to venerate are quite strange. he lingers by the posters, reading them over to hope they give more information, but. this seems fairly generic, for a festival, and so he moves on.
he's not unused to reactions to his height, by now, and so this hardly throws him off. he does his best not to bump into others along the way, though, since some are spooked by him...
instead of heading right for the mansion, though, he hangs around a bit, looking for anyone advertising anything related to the festivities or just talking about it already.]
[ He can stick around, sure. Kind of trailing around the sides, going towards the alleyways... he can listen to some gossip from some young sorcerers hanging in an underpass.
'That En guy... he seems to think he's the shit, but he and his family barely ever step outta their mansion, y'know...? Must be nice being all buddy-buddy with the devils. How'd he even get to where he is? I seriously gotta win the lottery... one of these days...'
'You never watched his Mastema documentary? It was a flop, heh. People are saying it's a load of shit, but it does talk about how he got to where he is... you ever thought about working for him? Bet he'd have loads of good shit to pawn off. Could be a millionaire and fuck off somewhere real far. He probably has a million powerful magical objects hiding out in there.'
'Asshole! Don't say that, his cleaners would come and kill you! Or worse yet, that Shin guy -- you heard what they did to a Cross-Eyes hideout recently? Cut up a guy -- alive! Nah, I'm fine where I am, thanks...'
And so their conversation pauses into smoking breaks, and occasional banter otherwise. ]
[...hmm. devils, is it? he doesn't know a Lot about those, but from what he is aware of, aren't they generally supposed to be. sort of evil.
anyway it sounds like these people probably do some murder, but at least he tends to go into meeting new people with very low expectations. emet-selch makes a note of all of this and continues onward towards the mansion.]
[ They sure are something. Me coming back to my desk like damn I should've had them steal Emet's shoes.
Emet can continue onwards towards the mansion. It seems... hm! Relatively non-bustling. Seems everyone is out for that ding-dang festival the kids are obsessed with, lately. There seems to be a guy with a gun standing by the entrance, but it's just the one dude. ]
he does know what a gun is, at least, and it's not a leap to assume this guy is security. emet-selch pauses, after approaching, and offers the man a nod.]
Do forgive the intrusion. I am unfamiliar with this area, and was directed here for further information-- I understand the residents here have organized the festivities?
[okay, so it's an event FOR the devils, this is all starting to make more sense.
as the man begins to stammer, emet-selch leverages the attitude he always does when talking to this sort of person: he folds his arms and just watches the man expectantly, a brow slightly raised.
he very much gives the impression that he feels this man is wasting his time by not doing something already, and this man will just have to figure out what that is.]
[ The guy sputters and is panicking like a man who is seriously fucked and is in immense danger of being fired, although being fired in this case is becoming the plaything of devils which he is spooks about. ]
"W-would you like -- directions, sir? Or would you like to wait inside and, um -- I can call... someone... I can call En-san! To let them know?"
[he very quickly weighs his options. this 'en-san' might figure out a lot more easily than their lackey that he is... not actually a devil... if they work with them...
on the other hand the driver directed him here without much concern, so you know, he may as well get everything he can out of this visit. he knows so little about this place, it's best to do what he's able.]
[ I thought it would be funny because there are Emet-sized people in this series, but they typically tend to be devils or devil-affiliated folk so Emet-Selch has now received power in this world without actually trying to.
The man stutters and gestures Emet right into the mansion, where he will... pretty much be allowed to do whatever the fuck he wants, god. Help. It's a very nice and rich mansion, albeit the decoration... um... leaves a lot wanting.
It's mushrooms. All the decorations are mushrooms. There's also a couple of massiveself-portraits just kind of hanging around... don't worry about it. Hope you like mushrooms.
This man in 'charge' won't stop Emet-Selch. In fact, he stutters and offers whatever Emet-Selch wants to pass the time. FOOD? DRINKS? ENTERTAINMENT? THEY HAVE BOTH VHS AND DVDs OF THINGS!!! Snoop while you wait? ]
[i'm losing it he literally will just roll with this he's used to being recognized as an authority figure
clearly this is decorated by someone who would get along GREAT with the mycologists in the words of halmarut... honestly, he's seen weirder shit, ancients with special interests truly just create some things.
the man gets a slight nod, acknowledgment and light dismissal all in one. he's fine, thank you, he WILL snoop. what's up in here? what vhs and dvds do they have, too. he learned of these things in the prism so he is not clueless.]
[ He would LOVE to have a talk with them, tbh. Please introduce them to each other immediately.
Emet-Selch is free to snoop. The DVDs include multiple copies of En's hit song, DREAM☆KINOKO. It is his mixtape. You may have it. It is now in your inventory and you cannot get rid of it for the rest of this adventure. No no, I insist.
The VHSs seem to be leftover copies of En's Background Story, and how he singlehandedly destroyed Mastema and a mafia organisation and came into power, or so says the synopsis. Or so you think it says? Your vision blurs a little bit as you look at this particular one, the mansion seeming to darken, reminding you of where you started -- the grim warehouse, black and bloody, a brief vision of red crosses. ]
[it's actually not bad?? wrow. he'll accept and keep this, he supposes.
he has no idea what mastema is, but given the way those people spoke of how that power is used... well. it doesn't sound great, but he's coming to expect this sort of thing of mortals, so it's not as shocking as it once might have been to consider. this entire world seems darker than he's accustomed to... still, maybe deal with your gang problem outside the city, damn.
emet-selch blinks several times when his vision darkens, giving his head a slight shake to clear it. he'd rather not think of the warehouse more, thank you, he's trying to focus!!]
[ Somewhere in the world, En's mushroom senses tingle. Finally a man who respects him for what he is.
The VHS tape sits there in your hand, weighing heavy. Something about it brings doubts to your mind, and keeping an eye on it keeps on making you think of the warehouse for some reason. Or rather, more accurately -- less the warehouse specifically, and more the feeling of it. Something dark lurking in the corners, a twist of reality under the appearances.
Mayhap you may be even interested in what all the hubbub is about with this video nonsense, there's surely a VHS player or two around with mushroom-shaped buttons. ]
[ I am like, 99% sure even his underwear would be mushroom themed. This man is nothing if not incredibly committed.
But here Emet-Selch goes, driven by the morbid curiosity to go ahead and watch this thing. It appears to be a self-produced video, telling the really cool tale of a very awesome sorcerer, whose storytelling you cannot help but feel is likely bolstered a little bit... or, you know, by a lot. It seems to be some kind of heroic tale video of a powerful sorcerer, who took down an organisation of evil wizards by turning it into a giant mushroom. It is about as perfectly mediocre as you were possibly led to believe. However, midway through the video, the VHS starts to glitch and change. Everything rewinds. The truth is told from the beginning.
The tall tale is adjusted and retold from the start. Suddenly, you are observing a dirty hallway, swathed in blood. Two massive bodies lay against the wall, injured and bloodied. What you can see of them distorts -- one, long purple hair unravelled into a mess, the other, the aura of the Sun darkened as if by a solar eclipse.
The video jumps and cuts, a garbled and glitched voice yelling and screaming. In the hallway stands someone tall, their figure shadowed and blackened, the only thing visible of them being two, red crosses where the eyes should be -- but the fear and terror that [ the point of view, the maker of the video, you ] feel is palpable, even from a silhouette. The figure grins and breathes out black smoke, acrid and suffocating -- a lot of it, until the entire screen is blackened. Pitch black. Nothing. Then, one by one, almost cartoonish mushrooms start covering the entire screen, in oddly sickeningly high definition.
The video glitches again, and snaps to what seems to be a weather report. A masked woman with glitching features cheerfully holds what looks like a spine to a map over a pulsing red marker.
"...C-c-c-c-currently, there is a forecast for heavy rains innnnnnn Hole, particularly concentrated around the Department Store! There will be some flooding expected, so so so so please be sure to stay in in in inside and don't go out, please stay inside if you know what's good for you! Sorcerers beware! The Final Days have begun ー"
...And then the video shuts off. The VHS will not replay. If you check it, you see that its film has disintegrated into black, smokey powder. ]
he watches this story idly, up until the point where it glitches, and then--
the sight of those bodies draws his attention immediately. there's no way they could have been-- hythlodaeus and azem are at home. safe. untouched by all of this. whoever this figure is, if they're the source of it-
he'll bear this in mind. the location, as well, the mention of the final days (how, though, in a place like this? not that. not yet.) when it shuts off, he just exhales and turns from it, unsettled.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
guestservices) wrote2022-06-12 11:18 pm
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[he just
thinks of those skulls, at the mention of lopping off heads, and wonders if maybe he ought to come back after all to see if that can be taken care of. what the fuck. if only desperate people go for that black powder, though...
for the best that he left it alone.]
But I will have to inquire when I arrive, then. Unfortunately, I was not given much information to work off. [speaking of information:] What manner of festival is it, by the by?
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"Just where in the world you been off to studying, guy? Hole? Down in Hell?? It's Blue Night! Every Sorcerer knows Blue Night."
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[please tell him you will share more, bus driver, you're his only ho.]
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"Damn... well, guess you should head off straight towards En's then. His family's powerful, and pretty much organises the entire thing, so... I'm sure you can get information way better from him than from me.
We'll be riding into the city soon. I can point you towards their mansion, but I can't get you in. You're gonna have to figure that out on your own."
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I will do so, then. If they are the organizers, then surely they shall not mind sharing the word of their event.
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[ And soon they'll be riding into town. It looks pretty nice, way nicer than the hallways obviously, and considerably nicer than Berith. I can't find a nice picture of the outside, but Emet-Selch will be let off at some point around the city, and the bus driver points out a very large mansion some ways away. It's got a ridiculous, insane front gate, made in the shape of a massive and ugly devil of some kind. ]
"En's Mansion. Can't miss it, buddy. Good luck."
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[thank you bus driver, you've been a big help.
he keeps the makeshift mask up as he heads toward the city, sword in its usual place upon his back, alert for any signs of danger (or any of that advertising. maybe some of it will have clues about what in the name of the star is happening.)]
no subject
Around the city, he can see the bizarre architecture, and also, several statues that seem to venerate strange creatures -- fairly stereotypical devils as far as our OOC minds can perceive, but Emet-Selch is seeing those strange satyr-like creatures carved in stone, clearly made out to be something glorious, powerful, venerable.
Blue Night posters are plastered all over the walls here too, cheerfully advertising a night of wondrous festivities with plenty of eats and drinks, and even a performance by the great En himself. Apparently, this guy is a hot shot around here.
Some people jump aside as Emet-Selch passes them, clearly startled by his height, but it's weird -- it's in a kinda honoured, wowed way. Like his size is really cool or something. Some others kind of shirk around him, spooked.
Take a detour, or keep heading towards the mansion? ]
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he's not unused to reactions to his height, by now, and so this hardly throws him off. he does his best not to bump into others along the way, though, since some are spooked by him...
instead of heading right for the mansion, though, he hangs around a bit, looking for anyone advertising anything related to the festivities or just talking about it already.]
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'That En guy... he seems to think he's the shit, but he and his family barely ever step outta their mansion, y'know...? Must be nice being all buddy-buddy with the devils. How'd he even get to where he is? I seriously gotta win the lottery... one of these days...'
'You never watched his Mastema documentary? It was a flop, heh. People are saying it's a load of shit, but it does talk about how he got to where he is... you ever thought about working for him? Bet he'd have loads of good shit to pawn off. Could be a millionaire and fuck off somewhere real far. He probably has a million powerful magical objects hiding out in there.'
'Asshole! Don't say that, his cleaners would come and kill you! Or worse yet, that Shin guy -- you heard what they did to a Cross-Eyes hideout recently? Cut up a guy -- alive! Nah, I'm fine where I am, thanks...'
And so their conversation pauses into smoking breaks, and occasional banter otherwise. ]
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anyway it sounds like these people probably do some murder, but at least he tends to go into meeting new people with very low expectations. emet-selch makes a note of all of this and continues onward towards the mansion.]
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Emet can continue onwards towards the mansion. It seems... hm! Relatively non-bustling. Seems everyone is out for that ding-dang festival the kids are obsessed with, lately. There seems to be a guy with a gun standing by the entrance, but it's just the one dude. ]
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he does know what a gun is, at least, and it's not a leap to assume this guy is security. emet-selch pauses, after approaching, and offers the man a nod.]
Do forgive the intrusion. I am unfamiliar with this area, and was directed here for further information-- I understand the residents here have organized the festivities?
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The guy just looks up at Emet, clearly startled. This is... above his paygrade??? ]
"D-devil? Er -- uh, yessir, um... yeah, the En Family is in charge of organising the Blue Night for the devils, sir... are you, uh..."
[ He seems to want to ask if Emet is lost, but is immensely afraid of offending him. Sweatily staring up at him. ]
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as the man begins to stammer, emet-selch leverages the attitude he always does when talking to this sort of person: he folds his arms and just watches the man expectantly, a brow slightly raised.
he very much gives the impression that he feels this man is wasting his time by not doing something already, and this man will just have to figure out what that is.]
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"W-would you like -- directions, sir? Or would you like to wait inside and, um -- I can call... someone... I can call En-san! To let them know?"
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on the other hand the driver directed him here without much concern, so you know, he may as well get everything he can out of this visit. he knows so little about this place, it's best to do what he's able.]
Thank you. Do call them.
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The man stutters and gestures Emet right into the mansion, where he will... pretty much be allowed to do whatever the fuck he wants, god. Help. It's a very nice and rich mansion, albeit the decoration... um... leaves a lot wanting.
It's mushrooms. All the decorations are mushrooms. There's also a couple of massive self-portraits just kind of hanging around... don't worry about it. Hope you like mushrooms.
This man in 'charge' won't stop Emet-Selch. In fact, he stutters and offers whatever Emet-Selch wants to pass the time. FOOD? DRINKS? ENTERTAINMENT? THEY HAVE BOTH VHS AND DVDs OF THINGS!!! Snoop while you wait? ]
no subject
clearly this is decorated by someone who would get along GREAT with the mycologists in the words of halmarut... honestly, he's seen weirder shit, ancients with special interests truly just create some things.
the man gets a slight nod, acknowledgment and light dismissal all in one. he's fine, thank you, he WILL snoop. what's up in here? what vhs and dvds do they have, too. he learned of these things in the prism so he is not clueless.]
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Emet-Selch is free to snoop. The DVDs include multiple copies of En's hit song, DREAM☆KINOKO. It is his mixtape. You may have it. It is now in your inventory and you cannot get rid of it for the rest of this adventure. No no, I insist.
The VHSs seem to be leftover copies of En's Background Story, and how he singlehandedly destroyed Mastema and a mafia organisation and came into power, or so says the synopsis. Or so you think it says? Your vision blurs a little bit as you look at this particular one, the mansion seeming to darken, reminding you of where you started -- the grim warehouse, black and bloody, a brief vision of red crosses. ]
no subject
he has no idea what mastema is, but given the way those people spoke of how that power is used... well. it doesn't sound great, but he's coming to expect this sort of thing of mortals, so it's not as shocking as it once might have been to consider. this entire world seems darker than he's accustomed to... still, maybe deal with your gang problem outside the city, damn.
emet-selch blinks several times when his vision darkens, giving his head a slight shake to clear it. he'd rather not think of the warehouse more, thank you, he's trying to focus!!]
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The VHS tape sits there in your hand, weighing heavy. Something about it brings doubts to your mind, and keeping an eye on it keeps on making you think of the warehouse for some reason. Or rather, more accurately -- less the warehouse specifically, and more the feeling of it. Something dark lurking in the corners, a twist of reality under the appearances.
Mayhap you may be even interested in what all the hubbub is about with this video nonsense, there's surely a VHS player or two around with mushroom-shaped buttons. ]
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the longer he gets this feeling, the more curious he is, so- okay. okay, it's time to learn.
he pops in the tape and pokes around a bit to set it to play.]
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But here Emet-Selch goes, driven by the morbid curiosity to go ahead and watch this thing. It appears to be a self-produced video, telling the really cool tale of a very awesome sorcerer, whose storytelling you cannot help but feel is likely bolstered a little bit... or, you know, by a lot. It seems to be some kind of heroic tale video of a powerful sorcerer, who took down an organisation of evil wizards by turning it into a giant mushroom. It is about as perfectly mediocre as you were possibly led to believe. However, midway through the video, the VHS starts to glitch and change. Everything rewinds. The truth is told from the beginning.
...And then the video shuts off. The VHS will not replay. If you check it, you see that its film has disintegrated into black, smokey powder. ]
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he watches this story idly, up until the point where it glitches, and then--
the sight of those bodies draws his attention immediately. there's no way they could have been-- hythlodaeus and azem are at home. safe. untouched by all of this. whoever this figure is, if they're the source of it-
he'll bear this in mind. the location, as well, the mention of the final days (how, though, in a place like this? not that. not yet.) when it shuts off, he just exhales and turns from it, unsettled.
this place is messing with him.]
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