etraya | video, un: gorgug (pre-mingle)

[ The camera turns on and focuses in on a motley duo: Riz and Fabian, a Goblin and a Half-Elf respectively (and, it has to be said, the camera has to be considerably zoomed out to accommodate both of their heights) who wear matching expressions of distinct disgruntlement. Behind them is a clue board that Riz refers to every now and then while he talks, his speech quick and efficient, words stumbling over each other in his haste to get them out. ]

Uh, hey everyone. Welcome back to Etraya, I guess? I’m just going to cut straight to the chase: a team of us did some investigation of what was happening back at Moorecroft, and I think there are some things that everyone should know. We went ahead and tried to figure out what the whole curfew thing was about – in case some of you just decided to behave yourselves the whole time, our curfew was being maintained by robots that would straight up kill you if you decided to stay out.

First, some of us went to check out the hospital, which is where most of the suspicious activity was coming from. Something there had the ability to lock away people’s powers, and they were able to somehow mimic people we knew from home, which were sent out to attack us. Presumably, that was to get our guards down. Fabian and I managed to get into the underground, where… [ He frowns, rubbing the palms of his hand together. ] Honestly? Things there were pretty inconclusive. There were a bunch of hand-drawn pictures along the walls of the corridor, stuff from around town, and it looked like they were raising some sort of… kids down there? Some of the rooms were obviously for teens our age, and other rooms were for really little kids, and it all led to some sort of tracks that led somewhere else. Where and why, we don’t know. But something real fucked up is going on there. You don’t find empty hidden bunkers of kids stuff without it being super fucked up, you know?

The others ran into other stuff around the city – smoke that turned into these big monsters that tried to eat them, the things those robots were trying to protect us from. Others ran into these android kids, who we can pretty easily assume the rooms in the hospital were for. The monsters didn’t try to go after them; apparently they only went after people who didn’t belong. Namely, us. Now, we don’t know what the hell those monsters were, but Adaine could feel what sort of arcane energy they were giving off – it was some seriously powerful reality-shifting energy. Conjuration, but the sort you’d only get from really, really powerful wizards.

That energy isn’t restricted to Moorecroft. She felt it here too, once we got back. That doesn’t bode well for any of us.

[ Riz takes a deep breath, glancing up at Fabian. ]

Did I miss anything?

Yeah, maybe some more emphasis on how fucked up this all is? [ Riz may have sounded relatively composed. Just objectively trying to get information across. Fabian, on the other hand, sounds anything but. He’s not looking majorly upset - yet - but he’s definitely both looking and sounding annoyed as he speaks. It isn’t aimed at Riz, nor even really at the viewers, like it’s some sort of general annoyance at this place. ] We almost died back there. Someone actually did die! And it’s not even the first time, since the stuff with the maze and the stuff with the plushies was just as fucked up!

[ Riz grimaces, a row of sharp teeth on display as he tugs at Fabian’s arm, hissing in a far less officious whine: ] Dude, time and place, this is just the mission report—

[ Unfortunately, Fabian just keeps going, wildly gesturing with his hands at this point as he speaks, the smaller boy visibly giving up on stopping him beside him: ]

We can’t just act like this place is normal! If it really wanted to help us save our worlds or whatever, then it could at least stop constantly trying to kill all of us, right?! How are we supposed to trust anything in this place when clearly it does not have our best intentions in mind in any way? [ His hand gesture arm swing is so wild that he almost manages to accidentally hit Riz. Sorry bud. At least it’s a near miss. ] I mean, the least we can do is for people here to stop holding hands with the companion bots! They’re trying to kill us!

[ Wait, what is that weirdly specific mention—

And a deep sigh can be heard from the other side of the video, which then ends there. Wow, wonder who that could've been!!! ]

( ooc: responses can come from one of the three boys (riz, gorgug, or fabian) just as an fyi! )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What... "stuff"? Do you have anything more concrete, or are you still trying to figure it out?

[ Not like she's likely to Get It, but inquiring minds need to know! ]

Eeehhhh... [ That is the sound of someone figuring out how to explain magic/energy/shit he doesn't even get, and a face contorting at trying to, but: ] It could be a foreign energy, but, it's...it feels like existence itself? I don't know magic a lot to really explain it, but...

When energy like that is out in the open and it isn't doing anything, you know-- it isn't being used in a spell or you've got a lot going on, you can kinda feel it. That's what I think's going on.

We don't know anything concrete though. Just, it felt really powerful back in Moorecroft.

Existence itself...

[ She's kinda marveling at the concept. That even she can feel it. ]

I've never felt it before. I guess some magic exists at home, but I've only really seen one thing that could be called "magical". Apparently... apparently someone is trying to figure it out, but I don't think it's working.

[ For a moment, she has to keep herself from shuddering when thinking about the immortality experiments. ]

Don't you want to find out more about it?

[ Because Rin kinda does, now. ]

Uh, well. [ He sounds so unsure from the get-go. ] If it's gonna cause problems, I'd like to know. I'd like to find a way so it doesn't do anything bad.

So, yeah. But I'd need help. Magic can be a pain in the ass to figure out.

[ Just like whoever was figuring out magic in Rin's own world knows! ]

Hmmm... that makes sense. Surely there are people here you could work with? I'm pretty sure some are familiar with magic.

Uhh, I mean, I don't know if I should... do you know magic people? Here?

[ M-maybe someone else more magical than himself?? ]

Uhm. I'm not sure, actually. Guess I'd have to ask around.

Yeah, my magic is more...I stick magic into things. I'm not really-- wizard-y. You know what wizards are? 'Cause I'm not like that.

Unless I make something to be like that.

You... make something to be like that? How does that work?

[ Give her the deeeeeeets!! ]

Uhh, so when I work with something...? [ He looks around left and right on screen, feeling unsure about the conversation switch to his abilities (mainly because Riz won't get mad at him, right??), but! ] I can touch something, if it's an easy spell, or I can hammer magic into metal with magic. My magic, that's in me.

[ He is very eloquent about explaining things, you see, Rin. ]

Some of it I need certain tools or the right items, but, as long as I have an idea of what I'm doing or I've studied up on it, I can make items magic. It just happens through the process.

[ Yeah. So. Rin is not sure she really gets it. Her face scrunches up as she takes in the information. ]

So you have magic in you... but you can't do magic?

It's-- it's different applications. [ Oh, god, he's not explaining this well at all, is he! ] Like how someone can play a guitar but not a piano? Does that work? I do a different kind of magic.

[ Guitar... piano... those are musical instruments, right. ]

Uhhm, I think so, yeah.

Okay. [ You can hear the sigh of relief in the word. ] Yeah, it's like that. I don't really have a way to do just anything, or... I need a way that works for me. It's a totally different set of classes.

Classes? You can study this?

Huh? Yeah, there's all different magic. Except, there's one-- I think it's sorcery? They don't study. They don't have to pick up a book or anything, they just know it.

[ And, there's a pause. ]

I got told I'm just as gifted too.

[ He sounds like it's reflecting on something...even looks it, when he takes a moment to nod to himself. ]

[ Wow. Must be nice to be gifted. As usual when hearing tales of effortlessly talented individuals, Rin feels a twinge of jealousy.

She'll be keeping that to herself. ]

You got told? Don't you feel it, too?

[ it's ok rin it is a lie that everyone around him is propping up. ]

Well... I guess, technically, if I'm gifted and I feel the way I do, then I'm always feeling gifted?

[ Logic. ]

But I feel like me. [ Also that. ]

[ oh nooo ]

Well. I guess you would, huh.

Yeah. Maybe if you meet a wizard, they'll tell you not to read any magic books either. The emptier your mind, the more gifted you are.

[ How did they get here. ]

[ Wait. That can't be right

can it ]

R-really...

I sealed a creature of the night that blotted out the sun into the roof of my van.

No wizard books.

[ Rin, he sounds so sagely as he shares this. It's true. He's true. He sounds so convinced. Nothing about his expression is a lie. ]

[ He is SO lucky that she can't really tell the difference, on account of knowing very little about magic. ]

Wow...

Was that hard to do?

I gotta admit, I don't know, [ ...which doesn't make sense, but-- ] It felt like something was happening, but it also didn't feel like anything was happening. And there was a lot of dust and shit and we'd been getting attacked and everything was I was just over the whole thing, but I guess...

[ Hold on, let him think about what he guesses.... ]

Wizardry is really-- it's a mystery.

[ ...magic even befuddles this guy, Rin... ]

[ That... does not sound like an expert practitioner. But what does Rin know? ]

Uhhh... it sure sounds like it...

video, un: gorgug (pre-mingle)

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