❪ event ❫ THE DESCENT: PART ONE -- the overflow.

[natha]

THE PROLOGUE     Your sleep on the night of the 15th is not a restful one, unfortunately. It’s unclear whether you are in a state of half-wakefulness, or dreaming. The voices you hear certainly sound very real. What is it, Sael? —Is everyone asleep?! Every one, yes. Sael, it appears you do not have good news to deliver...? N-No! I don’t know how it slipped past us, but there’s something powerful coming this way. Something hostile. I can barely keep the core systems online! ... I don't know what to do... I see... and we cannot protect Thesa and Alria in addition to transferring the Refugees to Olympia. This force, they waited for this moment. They knew I have been Intervening, and that I have become weak from such Interventions— ... We've been had. It cannot be helped. To save the Refugees on the Stations, we must eject the awoken unto El Nysa. My remaining energy shall go into shielding Thesa— left defenseless, every being we have saved on this station will perish... Sael, where is the ideal location for the landing? Hmm. There aren’t any people within a ten mile radius of The Outlook, and there shouldn’t be any for a few more days. I think that’s the best location right now. Very well. Instruct Zasere and Roman to begin preparations for an emergency eject. This is the only way we can save everyone. I am counting on you to ward off the enemy on the space front. The rest... is up to our Refugees. The alarms are blaring. It shouts against your eardrums, calling you to wake again. This time, you are in new pod, strapped down completely and cushioned tightly against the walls. In truth, you had no idea when you’d gone to sleep, but it is reminiscent of when you had been saved from the force of the Storm. A voice greets you when you come to, while the conversation between Darma and Sael is still fresh on your mind. Despite their voices playing like an old tune in your memory, you still know it is something that happened. Something has gone terribly wrong. You hear Darma speak, her voice loud in your head. Fellow Refugee, I wake you with regrettable news. A force equal to our own is attempting to engage Thesa, no doubt to steal the souls contained here. My energy is near depleted with this last Intervention, so I cannot send you to the grounds safely as originally intended. However, there is hope yet.This power shall instead shield Thesa and Alria — and believe in me when I swear no one shall be hurt. Your loved ones are safe with us. —Unfortunately, that is at your expense. Your descent will not be an easy one. This pod that contains you shall pierce through El Nysa's atmosphere and land you on an island west of Olympia, simply called The Outlook. Travel east. Find the West Outpost, then continue east until you find the Olympian North Gate. There is a method to this madness. You shall be sent in waves. The inhumanly strong shall be first. The parachute will soften the landing, but I am aware of all your capabilities. The first wave will survive the drop, and will work tirelessly to secure the others. Find your bearings, and ensure the safety of the second wave. They are the healers and medics. Catch their pods, ease their landings, make certain that they shall not be harmed, because you will need them for your wounds. The third wave are your strongmen. They shall help clear the debris and take people to safety, making way for the fourth wave, those can conjure magic to help. Bring everyone to a safe distance. A supply drop will follow soon after; it shall contain tents and tools that will be useful for the long night. The fifth and sixth waves are largely vulnerable humans. With your combined efforts, you shall survive this great misfortune. Forgive us, Refugee. Leave the Moons to us, my promise to you is still in tact— focus on what you can do for others like you. Helping at least two (2) Refugees will earn you one (1) Natha REP. Threads must be AC length to qualify, and can be submitted HERE by JULY 31st. THE DESCENT     FIRST WAVE. The instructions are clear. Those who are a part of the First Wave should be equipped with physical strength and fortitude to survive the drop or the power to regenerate and heal their own wounds. While the pods are already designed to cushion some of the impact, as this is the first group, it will likely to be the most jarring. In all of the waves, some of the pods will malfunction and offer no cushion at all. They will be expected to quickly find their bearings. Their mission isn’t simply just landing, after all. The first wave will be expected to help the next wave, and the wave after that. Whether through their abilities or brute strength, they will be expected to help soften the landing for those who are falling. They will also be expected to pry open hatches, carry people to safety, and to just... survive. It’s not always easy being first. SECOND WAVE. Within the next hour, it’s time for the Second Wave to make their descent. You were selected based upon your aptitude for healing and/or being able to administer first aid. Perhaps you can help the tired and weary. Maybe those who have landed have have strength, but no stamina. Either way, it may be unwise to exhaust all their abilities at once. The night is long, and you may want to conserve their energy for the next waves to come. At least you’ll have help in getting settled. THIRD WAVE. Akin to the First Wave, the Third Wave will possess some durability, and some manner of strength, making you a reliable ally. Especially in a time of crisis... Or so we hope. While the landing is tough, and some of you may need first aid. As soon as you’re all healed up, you’ll have no time to dawdle. Your help is required. “Please help those still trapped in pods. Carry those unconscious to safety. Lift debris, and rescue all you can.” May be a vague message still stuck in the back of your head. Something whispered to you while you were just waking. Well, might as well roll with it. It’s the best shot you have, after all. FOURTH WAVE. Those in the Fourth Wave, as Darma projects, were selected due to the versatility of their abilities. No one expects one man to do the same as the next. Rather, that’s precisely the point: to be different. To be able to accomplish something unique. While one individual may be blessed with powers that assist in putting out fires, another may have the ability to shield those from oncoming debris. Maybe one even has the ability to channel all of these. Regardless, it’s up to you and your quick wits to see what tasks are open. It’ll take some coordination, especially as there are more people mixing into the fray, but, you can do it, can’t you? FIFTH WAVE. If you are in the Fifth Wave it is likely that you have a specific power or ability. One that isn’t easily channeled or called upon. Or, perhaps, you were merely placed here for insurance. Whatever the case if, your expertise will presently be put to the test. Maybe you’re quite proficient in survival skills, and you’re already eyeing the supplies that were dropped between the Fourth Wave and now. Goods all ready to be salvaged. Okay, maybe some can’t, but as they say, “it’s the thought that counts.” Besides, the injured from earlier certainly need a space to rest, and camp isn’t going to make itself. Regardless, maybe you feel more comfortable joining in the efforts to assist those who still require it. Whatever it is, you are sure to find your place and use. Darma obviously held the same faith. FINAL WAVE. The Final Wave is fortunate in a variety of ways. With Thesa Station a bit more stabilized, Darma utilizes the last bit of her powers in insuring that these last remaining pods are met with the softest landing, right beside the fifth, that is. The fragility of life is nothing she is unfamiliar with, after all. Still, that isn’t to say nothing is expected of you. Most of the individuals that have dropped earlier will likely be exhausted. An hour stretched between each one, makes several hours for the first couple of waves. They'll need a place to relax. You will act as the final group of helpers. Settle into whatever role feels best for you. Are you an excellent cook? Great at rationing supplies? Perhaps, you have a secret skill in ______ that might come in handy here? Or, maybe, despite the gentler landing you still managed to get hurt. The sky's the limit, and you got this! Meanwhile, in the distant kingdom of Olympia, the Empress and her loyal subject discuss matters late into the night... I’ll have the results of that dragon toxin study ready for you soon, Your Highness. I just need a few helpers to— oh wow, is that a meteor shower? Oh yes, it appears so. How beautiful.. hehe. Let us thank Thesa for this blessing. GATHER YOUR BEARINGS     All in all, the descent lasts for nearly seven hours. After the deployment of the last wave of refugees, it’s only natural that you may be feeling pretty worn out. A. Within the remains of the pods, Refugees will find basic camping supplies such as small tents, sleeping bags, and compasses. Not all of the supplies remain intact, thanks to the impact of the crash. But, sharing resources will ensure there is enough for everyone to rest for the night. Can you really in good conscience leave that stranger next to you without shelter? B. Although you may be tired after such a life-threatening ordeal, there is still work to be done to ensure your survival. Fortunately, it works out because now there are plenty of empty hands. There are stray debris and metal parts that should be collected and disposed of. There's firewood that needs to be collected, and campfires to upkeep. The nights in the Outlook are particularly chilly, and so it will be imperative to keep warm! C. Your clothes are tattered or too bloodied to sleep on with comfortably. Fortunately, Darma thought ahead. There will be various types of clothing provided, mostly robes that resemble her own in earthy tones, all to help them camouflage you for your next big adventure. FINAL OOC NOTE     This INTRO event will be broken up into three parts! Please keep this in mind when plotting your threads/tag load. PART 3 Will be up on JULY 22ND, at 6 PM EST. We will not provide an additional CAPTCHA for this overflow. Players are advised to move threads to an overflow post on their character journals in the event this overflow gets close to CAPTCHA. These threads remain eligible for AC, AC Rewards, and REP. The NETWORK is currently down, as Sael must concentrate all of his efforts on warding off the invading force. Characters may still message each other's personal IC inboxes. Submit two (2) AC-eligible threads from this log for one (1) Natha Orbiter REP point here by JULY 31ST. Recommended Listening: Alex & TOKYO Rose PART ONE | PART ONE (overflow) | PART TWO | PART THREE QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● world ● map ● reputation ● npcs taken ● reserves ● application calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

→ noctis

[punshots]

(( from here ))

[ Of course Prompto wants to take a picture, and it's a good thing Noctis leans in for one, because he wasn't taking no for an answer. However pathetic they might look right now, that's part of the beauty of it, isn't it? That it's so honest and real. It's the same reason he'd take pictures of the four of them crawling out of holes in the ground back home, smeared with grime and blood but very much alive to fight another day. Life's best moments weren't always pretty - but they were always worth remembering.

So Prompto holds the camera aloft, grinning from ear to ear as he pictures being on the other end of it to get the right angle. That should do it. ]

Look who's talking! Your hair is a total disaster right now.

[ Might've been from Prompto's noogie-hug, sure, but those are the facts.

He clicks the shutter release, another gust of improbable laughter escaping him. ]

[noctsout]

[ He was a well-trained prince (turned king) in the manners of photo opportunities. This isn't the worst that they've looked before Prompto's lens, that's certainly true, furthest from, considering the magic of Prompto's timing and shutter-happy worksmanship, but. Still, it's not often that they immortalize the emotion that sits thickly in the back of his throat, that Prompto had so graciously painted over his own face with tears (that they're not talking about). This is a type of embarrassing that's a little different from the others, and thus? It was in need of a swift cover-up.

Which is why Prompto's getting the ever-mature, tried and true bunny ears via Noct's index and third finger just as the camera goes off. There, look at how lame they're being, not at how half of them had (maybe, sort of) cried upon their reunion. ]

It'll be fine after I fix it up a bit. Don't know if I could say the same for yours--!

[ Picture's done, right? Then the training wheels are off, Noct's reaching over to return that offensive hair noogie. He's not allowed to be the only one that gets to look like a hair product disaster right now. ]

[punshots]

[ Prompto lets his hand fall with his camera to rest against his stomach, a satisfied sigh for a picture well-taken escaping him, lame or not. Absently, he runs his palm across cheek, because the trails of those unnoted tears are still there. But he's absorbed in the thought a little too long, realizing too late what Noct's saying and the eminent threat that's coming to his hair.

So Noct lands a direct hit, though Prompto is quick to react - and protest. ]

Hey! Hands off the goods, dude! [ Though it doesn't sound like too serious of a demand, considering the peal of laughter that comes with it. He shoves Noct's hand away the best he can, but it's a little hard with his shoulders bouncing like this.

This is so, so good. ]

[noctsout]

[ It's so good that Noct'll be pushing his luck a little more, ruffling that feathers hair for a little while longer before he eases off, pulling his hands and arms back into his own share of personal space. Doesn't stop him from admiring his handiwork though. Nor does it keep the smirk off his face. ]

Nice. Think I just did you a favour.

[ Now's probably another photo moment, with both of them sporting disasters for hair styles, but that'll have to come later, 'cause Noct's keeping himself busy by sitting up, looking around. Not quite wondering at the mess of the pieces and parts that Prompto seems to have been gathering. ]

So-- what's all this, anyway? Doesn't look like any camping gear that I've seen. [ Camping gear that they wouldn't even need if only Noct could access their stuff out of his hammerspace. Ugh. ]

[punshots]

[ Thanks for that, Noct. After making a half-assed attempt at maintaining some dignity and running his fingers through his hair, Prompto eases himself slooowly off the ground, his ribs reminding him not-so-gently that they were broken only a few hours before and that he should think twice before laughing his guts out like that again. ]

Ha - you know? I was kinda trying to figure that out before you showed up to heckle me. [ That's what reuniting with your best friend is called now. Heckling. ] Some of this stuff got pretty busted in the fall.

[ Like this...thing. Prompto gingerly picks up a twisted piece of metal that could pass for a sweet metal glove-arm-thing if it wasn't, you know, also full of shattered glass. A lantern at one point, maybe? ]

[noctsout]

[ Sorry, he'll make more of an effort to tone down how happy he is to see his best friend the next time that their world gets swallowed up by a storm, they get put into frozen sleep, and then launched planetside with no warning at all. (As if. Prompto deserved a hell of a lot more heckling than he's gotten, alright.) ]

Friendly heckling. [ Right, 'cause that's the most important thing here, the wording. Seriously, guys.

Noct leans forward to peer at the sweet metal glove-thing, eyes narrowed in concentration. Didn't Prompto mention something about space robots? Like, flying said robots? ] Huh. Just how big were these-- space robots you mentioned?

[ Are you following his line of thought, bff. Are they gonna go on a scavenger hunt. ]

[punshots]

[ He sure did mention something about flying space robots, and Prompto's face lights up at the mention of them. Even if his attempt went poorly - okay, extremely poorly - there was still something solidly badass about being able to say he'd done it.

Especially when Noct hasn't. That's what you get for oversleeping, buddy! ]

Juuuust about the size of those MA's the empire had. [ And fortunately, different enough in design that it didn't make him too jumpy to approach one.

Prompto follows Noct's gaze to his new appendage, mouth twisting into a knowing grin. ] You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?

[ Scavenger hunt. Let's do this. It's a clear sign they've got their priorities in order, but right now, doing something this dorky with Noct is just what the doctor ordered. ]

[noctsout]

[ All Noct's gonna say to that is this space robot flying had better all been captured on film for later reminiscing and ribbing. Pictures, at the very least.

Sitting up hadn't been nearly as perilous as Noct had initially thought, absent of the idle tug of laziness that would've been normally so convincing in making him want to sprawl out for the purpose of doing nothing. Must be the novelty of being separated and refinding a friend that he'd thought he'd lost to daemons, go figure. Standing up isn't nearly as easy, but casting a glance down at Prompto to extend him a hand is as easy and as instinctive as sleep. ]

Way ahead of you.

[ More like right on the same page, but his mouth is full of sass that just keeps on giving. ]

Might as well start by finding a bigger pile. Don't think we'll find anything else in here.

[punshots]

[ Well, what else was he gonna to while he was stranded in space but take pictures?

With a lopsided grin, Prompto claps his non-metal hand to Noct's and pushes his feet up underneath himself. There's a little spring in his step that wasn't there before as he hops up, any aches and pains he'd still been enduring from their rough landing all but forgotten now. He is all in for this. ]

Right on! There were some seriously busted ones on the other side of that hill.

[ He nudges a shoulder in the direction he means, and is about to lead the way, before getting a better idea (definitely thanks to the "way ahead of you" comment): ]

Which I'm gonna nab first! [ And he takes off at a run. Catch him if you can, Noct. ]

[noctsout]

Wha-- hey!

[ That's not fair, Prompto, what the hell. Noct's startled for the whole duration of a second before he's off, hot on the tail of his cheater of a best friend. Off on a sprint until his stamina bar is starting to run dry, creeping its way into the red--!!

Which, hell no, there's no way that he was losing this. Maybe Prompto can hear it, the familiar sound of a blade getting pulled from the aether of the magic that still lingered beneath his skin. (Fight cheating with cheating, he'd always said.) As well as the follow-up noise of a sword getting thrown like a spear while the rest of Noct disappears after it.

See you on the other side, soon-to-be-loser. ]

[punshots]

[ He probably should have seen this coming, but foresight isn't necessarily his greatest strength and whatever, he'll take the opportunity for a cheap head start when he can get one. He's speedy, even after the events of the day, but he's about crested the hill when a familiar - almost nostalgic - sound reaches his ears, and he only has a second to glance back and see Noct disappear before he puts two and two together. ]

Aww, man - [ The gut reaction of a loser-about-to-be, and no last ditch effort can claim the distance he still needs to go before Noct reappears ahead of him. ]

Ooookay, so that's still a thing!

[ Something he hadn't really wondered about until he actually saw Noct warp but hey, it's a good sign. He skids to a stop, the last of his velocity going into clapping Noct on the shoulder. ]