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Azukai

Zuki
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Saturday, September 09, 2027

"Dr. Aldricht, it is such an honor to have you here in the studio today."

The evening show host was beaming with vigor and excitement as she welcomed her exclusive guest for the night. Immediately, the crowd burst into cheers, some even opting to stand in ovation for the elderly man who waltzed onto the stage. Unlike most evening show guests who opted for a suave appearance, the man in question was dressed in an ordinary lab coat, white shirt, and jeans. To make matters worse, his physical features were clearly unkempt, and the bags under his eyes were enough to make anyone question if he had seen any sleep in the last the decade. Nonetheless, everyone in the studio continued their enthusiastic greeting--the applause lasting far after he had taken his seat on the couch next to the host's desk.

A full minute went by in continued applause before the host stood up from her chair and signaled for the show to finally begin. "Again, I cannot express how much of an honor it is to have you in the studio today. I can only imagine how busy you are getting ready for the launch of your brand new...I don't even know how to describe it. Like...wow!"

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Booming chuckles erupted from Dr. Aldricht. He used a hand to flip several strands of his long wavy grey hair out of his eyes before responding to the host's introduction of himself. "You give me far more praise than I deserve." He said in a noticeably thick, foreign accent. At first sound, it might have seemed Scottish in nature; however, something about it was still peculiar enough to remain distinctly unique. "But yes, it has been quite a chaotic year for Fracture Industries. To think that after nearly a decade of trial and error, attempts and brutal failures, we are here today on the brink of a true technological advancement." Dr. Aldricht fell silent to allow for another wave of applause. Behind him, a screen began to lower itself down from the studio ceiling, and once extended, it came to life with a distinctive outdoor view of the Fracture Academic campus. Glass skyscrapers towered across the campus grounds, all of them covered with lush growths of various foliage. A man-made river cut through the center of the view and vanished into the depths of the inner grounds. The crowd gasped.

"It's beautiful if I do say so myself, but that is not what is special here...." Dr. Aldricht paused as a means to build suspense amongst the viewers and crowd. "...What you are looking at is a future which hopes to bring salvation to our dying Earth." Again, he paused. His eyes gazed out towards the crowed who were all awaiting his next words with bated breath. "It should come as no surprise to anyone who follows my research that sustainability is my greatest passion in life. Coal is not a resource we can depend upon forever, and other modes of energy have not proven dependable or cost effective enough to implement at scale. This is where my genius comes into play."

Dr. Aldricht rose from the couch in grandiose fashion--his lab coat flourishing behind him as he extended his arms outward from his body. "Allow me to introduce you to Project Silvanus. This is not a theory. This is not a proposition. Starting Monday, all three thousand acres of Fracture Academics will be run on a self-sustained energy, hydro, and agricultural grid--a grid void of both coal and nuclear sources. A grid, which I can proudly admit, to be one hundred percent efficient and infinitely sustainable for centuries to come. People of all genders...welcome to my future."

Dr. Aldricht bowed.

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Sunday, September 10, 2027. Evening

In the Northwestern most tip of Blue Springs laid the ginormous three thousand acre campus of Fracture Academics. It was segregated from the city by the Central Springs River which acted as its southern most border. From every other angle, the campus was bordered by seemingly endless rows of foliage and trees. Because of this isolation, the campus was blessed with an unusual level of exclusivity from the general public. To add to its exclusivity, Fracture Academic was considered an independent district of Blue Springs; in that it did not fall under the jurisdiction of the city or state government. Rather, it was governed by its own private board known as the Academic Council. Because of this unique political standing, it was allowed many liberties which practically defined it as a pseudo city in of itself.

The only modes of entry into the campus were through a series of private trams lines which required an active student or faculty ID to gain access into. These trams were accessible from the main station of any of Blue Spring district or from the city's international airport. Because of this restriction, however, family of the students or faculty were not allowed entry onto the campus. It was a lonely journey coming into Fracture, but one that promised to be well worth the sacrifice.

All first time students were given a window of arrival which stretched between the late afternoon and early evening on Sunday--the day before classes were to begin. Because all luggage was delivered to the appropriate dorm assignments, this allowed the students the opportunity to attend an evening orientation which proved to be quite unique compared to other college experiences--namely because it was a series of parties.

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The total number of incoming students were well over a hundred; however, within each party, only a handful of individuals were invited. This was purposely done as a means to allow a more intimate connection among peers, who would soon be classmates for their Introduction to Fracture Academics course. In the case of the Ravenwood Class, the party was being held in one of the expansive rooms of the Union Building's underground. Nonetheless, despite its location, the room was an awe-inspiring experience being that the walls and ceiling did not reflect a basement.

Walking into the room was like walking through a portal to another land. The doorway acted as a break in the trees which led into an open forest clearing. Along the clearing's outskirts were a series of wooden tables that held a wide variety of beverages and food items for the guests to enjoy. Within the center was a small bonfire that crackled with no smoke, yet genuine warmth. All of this was surrounded by a ring of stumps for the guests to sit upon. Where one might have expected a ceiling, a beautiful evening sky with little to no clouds provided a perfect view of the stars above.

On one of the stumps was a lean individual who was notably feminine in appearance. They had bored expression on their face as they sipped one of the cocktails available to the students over twenty one. They had seemingly been waiting for quite some time, given the sudden excitement that came to their face once the first of the students arrived in the room. "Quite the demonstration of technology, huh?"
 
Juniper
Sunday, September 10, 2027
Late afternoon- Evening

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When Juniper first applied to Fracture Academics, she hadn’t exactly expected to get in, her family wasn’t the uber rich afterall. Yet, there she was, standing on the campus of the future. Everything Juniper read about the school and the Dr. behind it lined with everything she believed in: Sustainability not at the cost of comfort, or the cost of nature. Breath-taken was only one of the few words to describe how the young woman felt.

She stood from the tram exit at the entrance to the school grounds, other students loudly milled around her. Some people seemed to already have friends there, or were just good at making friends- Juniper was never socially adept enough to just walk up to someone and start talking, she found the people who could were a little scary. The late afternoon blue sky shone over their heads, so it was hard for her to even care that her hard-made friends would not be coming with. Even the girl who suggested for Juniper to go to this school decided to not apply so she could travel Europe. Of course Juniper would have loved to travel Europe instead of go to University, but as she stood on the campus longer, she found this sentiment getting smaller and smaller.

Finally, with a small goofy smile, the girl followed the instruction to get across campus to her dorm. Yet, only a few minutes into her walk something so beautiful grabbed her attention and pulled her from her path. In her backpack Juniper pulled out her secured camera as she cut across the vivid green grass to an even more vivid flower patch used for decorations-she assumed. She kneeled next to it, marveling at the colors she hadn’t seen before on this particular flower. After a long moment of admiration she finally snapped a few pictures and stood to leave- she really needed to get to her dorm to change out of traveling clothes for the evening orientation party.

The problem with Juniper was, once something shiny, or pretty caught her eye, typically everything pretty will all of the sudden stand out. So, simply put, it took her almost over an hour to get across the campus. With no time left to spare the young woman instead changed her course to the other direction on her orientation packet to follow the path to where the party would be that night. A bit of confusion, and a few wrong turns later Juniper finally found her way to the entrance, none of the many students she had already passed followed to this strange location.

At the entrance, or should she say portal, Juniper fully paused again- she knew plenty of Fae stories to be wary of their tricks- before she stepped through. The whole world changed in just one step, and she was almost afraid to take another, would it change again? Instead Juniper pulled out her camera and began clicking pictures of everything around her till her eyes landed on the woman already there.

Her back was still half turned away from Juniper, and without a thought she captured her with the flame lighting up her thin, dark frame. Suddenly the woman spoke, causing Juniper to jump a few inches before she moved farther into the room, her smile back on her face.

“Yes it really is! It’s amazing, I’ve barely even begun to explore the area and I’ve truly been surprised at all technology can accomplish.” She took her time choosing a seat next to the other woman, grabbing herself a non-alcoholic drink before she did.

“I’m Juniper by the way!” She held her hand out to the other woman to greet her properly, her smile from earlier still glued to her lips, the excitement clearly radiated f
rom her.
 
Nari
Sunday Evening
9/10/27


Nari meticulously stepped off the white tram onto the perfectly green and dewy grass. Her sneakers squeaked as she trudged across an open field towards the main entrance of the University. Grandiose and sleek in its appearance, the campus sparkled like a shiny new penny. Nari examined the architecture and abundant foliage that wrapped around them like a neat bow. Impressive, she thought to herself. A school offering free tuition and hundreds of miles away from her daunting parents--there was no doubt she took this opportunity without doing any research before hand.

She watched in awe at each building she passed along the way. So detailed. So flawless. Perfectly crafted to exude excellence. A mockery of my self-image, she thought to herself. Her attention was torn from her thoughts once she found herself at the front of the Union Building. She had no interest in stopping at her dorm to potentially be met by some overly-excited bag of sunshine she'd have to endure for the next few months. No, it's way too early, she thought, despite it being the early evening. She walked through the doors, and asked a campus attendant where orientation for the Ravenwood Class would be held for tonight. Since she hadn't received a map of the campus, she used her bright intuition and luck to even find the Union Building. The lady attendant pointed her down a long hallway of offices and classroom doors, to where an elevator sat in-between. She got on pressing the B for basement level and proceeded to descend underneath the Union Building's main floor.

As she stepped off the elevator, she paused in confusion. She checked her surroundings to assure she was seeing correctly. Trees? She thought. She took a few steps forward through the doorway and found herself in an...open forest? Bewildered, she froze. Her brain frantically searched for an explanation while her eyes conveyed this by darting in all directions. A bright flash permeated the room causing Nari to laser focus onto the source of light. It was two students who had arrived before her. One who held a camera, and the other who looked a bit lanky in appearance. They were conversing over a drink, which led Nari to scope out the rest of the room. The ceiling was the sky; the walls were the forest. Feels like I just walked into the Twilight Zone, she thought. It reminded Nari of back home, almost triggering a feeling of homesickness and disgust. She grabbed a juice to shake off the feelings and stood a few feet from the two students. Overhearing their conversation, she joined in.

"I've watched enough sci-fi movies to know there's always a downside to these things," she said as she sipped her juice, "Nonetheless-- I'm beyond impressed at this point. I'm Nari. You guys seems...interesting, I guess."
 
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"Juniper Lockley and Nari Dyer." The woman announced once both students had joined in on the conversation. The bewildered awe which existed on their faces brought a sense of smugness to her own--if anything, it was like she was personally proud to hear the copious amounts of praise being sung for Fracture's technology. "Naturally, you'd be impressed..." She began in response to both of their statements. "...If Fracture weren't capable of doing the bare minimum like impressing you, then there would be absolutely no reason for you to attend. When we say this experience will revolutionize your life, we mean exactly that."

At the entrance of the room, jovial voices began to seep in and signaled the approach of new students. Of the incoming arrivals, there were three individuals--two of which were clearly friends, whereas the third trailed in the shadows of their background. The two friends were both heavy built men who towered in height and had clear, well defined muscular structures. At first glance, they might have seemed like athletes--an assumption which was quickly confirmed by their conversation that involved the upcoming practice schedule for the Fracture football team.
"Shit man, they got a hella buffet here." One of the men said before sprinting off in the direction of the barbeque ribs. His friend was quick to follow. In passing, he nodded in the direction of the campfire, giving the three woman a quick, How are ya, greeting in passing.

The third arrival was far more intriguing than anyone else in the room. From appearances, she couldn't have been any more than twelve years old, yet here she was standing in the presence of a bunch of college aged adults. Her youth combined with the fact that she aimlessly wandered to the nearest corner of the room, made her seem like a lost child; however, the woman at the campfire, who seemed to be the leader of the orientation, remained entirely unperturbed by the peculiar arrival.

"And with Sylvia, that is more than half of the class. There are a few others who seem to be running a bit late, but no matter." The woman declared in a voice that boomed with sudden authority. While talking, she rose to her feet and took several steps away from the campfire. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Miyuki Takumi. You may refer to me as Miyuki or Dr. Takumi. Whatever you prefer." There was a sudden wave of silence that fell upon the room. Even the jaws of the football players had dropped to the floor. To anyone who was familiar with the history of Fracture, the name Miyuki was one of utmost importance. After all, she was one the core engineers who worked alongside of the esteemed Dr. Aldricht. Her face wasn't one that was commonly seen in media; however, her accomplishments were still known far and wide--namely, for being the youngest engineer to have ever won numerous international awards for her significant achievements in the field of biomedical and neural engineering.

"Nari." She said turning her full attention to the girl whom she called upon. "I am curious why you said there is always a downside to the technology you are experiencing." She then turned away and posed a question to everyone in the room. "Does anyone else share a similar sentiment?"
 
Peter
Sunday Afternoon
September 10th, 2027


A tall man rushes off the tram. "Oh gods, must've fell asleep." He states as he looked around the tram station. looking for an exit. "Still, that It's a damn shame this transport is privatized and patented, the way it's designed could be implemented into most cities with extreme ease too..." Looking back at the beautiful, white, small tram that took him into his future. "Still a major improvement to cars though." he snickered as he dashed off to the stations exit, stepping outside into the pathway paving through the low fields of grass, taking a look up in awe at, the expansive and precipitous solarpunk esque buildings.

"Gods..." He said, wide eyed with wonder, instinctivlely taking out his phone to quickly shoot a photo, and sending it to his dad.

I made it!

Told yah you could make it! :)


Smiling at his phone, his eyes glazed over the time, as reality hit him. "Oh shit!" his feeling of immense wonder disperced with immediate dread, as he pulled out the campus map he was given with the acceptance letter from his pockets, frantically spreading it open and scanning over it with his finger. "Where the hell is... there!" He yelped, pointing at the location where he's supposed to go, the Union Building and rushed towards it. Dashing by the smooth, glass buildings, he glanced at the many students Pressing the button and pulled out his phone to check the time again. "Damn it, I'm late... Hope I didn't miss anything vital yet." Seeing the elevator door open up, he stepped in and pushed the button labled B1, and wildly pressed the close button.

Seeing the door open to basically another world, he was hit with intense wonder, many questions filled his head. Oh my god. What?! HOW! LITERALLY HOW IS THIS EVEN.... WHAT?!? looking around in complete shock at the luscious trees, and the illusion of infinity this basement presented however, he quickly placed that aside as he saw his target...

Food!

He approaching as casually as possible and grabbing a munchie. As he grabs a plate and stacks it full, he listens into the converstation occuring, and decides to butt in with his opinion.

"I don't really share similar sentiments, but I do know that technology itself isn't what causes the downsides, but how people are incentivised to use and develope it is what causes the negative impacts." He says as he takes a bite from the lasagna.
 
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FiveElemental FiveElemental Azukai Azukai TheAdventureBegins TheAdventureBegins
Nari sat down on a log as her named was announced along with the other student, Juniper. She scoffed lightly as a woman she hadn't quite noticed before, responded to them in such an arrogant way. Flashing a weak smile towards her, she adverted her attention to the incoming students--some jocks and a small child. Sure do let anyone in here ,don't they, she thought. She continued to sip the sweet and tangy punch in her recycled paper cup that had the academy's name branded on it. She cuffed the cup between her fingers on her lap, and listened as the woman introduced herself. Miyuki Takumi? I know that name from somewhere, she pondered. It had occurred to Nari that this was indeed not the first time she had heard of a Miyuki Takumi. In fact, she had heard the name many times before in her S.T.E.M program in grade school. This was the very woman who had worked along side a plethora of innovative engineering techs in California and beyond.

Nari's demeanor changed from annoyed to star-struck. This woman was a hero. Not because of her technological achievements, but to Nari, she was the epitome of power, success, and intelligence that Nari strived to be. Subconsciously, Nari bowed her head slightly, feeling a twang of jealousy, unworthiness, and yet respect. The room was quiet for a moment, as expected when a name as such is dropped. The silence was quickly pierced by Miyuki when she called out Nari and her early made comment about advanced technology. Nari snapped her head up in embarrassment and shifted uncomfortably in her chair while examining the room before turning back to Miyuki.

"I--well-, Nari began shakily. "I just feel with such technology we have available today, specifically in this room, could be used against the population in a detrimental way." Nari looked once more around the room before continuing. This time more confidently. "Technology like this again, is very impressive, and progressive in many ways. I mean, this academy itself is a dream. But as there is a hot, there is a cold. If it were to get into the wrong hands, it could really cause some damage. That's all." Nari sipped her juice again, curing the dry mouth she had developed from being nervous. She knew first impressions were important, but she hadn't wanted to slight one of her role models on the first meeting.

A young man enjoying the buffet of lasagna intervened out of nowhere. His opinion caused Nari to narrow her eyes at him for a moment. What does he know? By the looks of it, technology doesn't seem to be your forte, sir, she thought to herself. Feeling attacked, Nari in a disgruntled manner, got up and walked herself to the buffet. Ignoring any and everyone's gaze. She shoved a cookie in her mouth and took a spot in the back for comfort.
 
Juniper
Sunday, September 10, 2027
Mentions

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Juniper greeted the next person to arrive -Nari- with another smile and a nod of her head. She didn't respond right away to Nari, instead her attention was pulled back to the other woman. Did she just use Juniper's last name? She was almost sure she hadn't given her last name when introducing herself. No matter, Juniper didn't let her confusion show, the only sign had been when her smile slightly faltered. Yet. . . Did the woman seem a little smug as she explained things to them, explained why it's normal for them to be this impressed. Juniper finally decided on she was an older student there to show them the ropes, of course she would know their names, and be used to the magic of technology this school displayed. Instead of asking the woman some stupid question or another her attention was luckily once again pulled away by some newcomers before she could speak.

Smiles, and a small wave was much easier of a greeting than introductions, and Juniper was glad when the boys didn't head straight over to them- Juniper wasn't very good with putting names to faces in group settings, it was much easier for her one-on-one or in a very small groups. Blinking, Juniper tried to clear her eyes as she watched the younger girl walk into the room. Jeez, she must be smart, or her parents pushed her to crazy limits, or even both. Juniper couldn't help but remember her own, relaxed, upbringing, and always wondered if she could have been something like this girl if she hadn't spent most of her childhood running in the forest, ignoring proper lessons and schooling. Of course she wasn't a genius by any means, but her parents were, and in theory maybe she could have been too. Even as those thoughts floated through her mind she knew they were wrong, she had heard stories of how her parents were raised-pushed beyond any realistic expectations- and knew she never would never actually change her childhood.

Sylvia, that must be the younger girl. So far it was Juniper, Nari, the two food obsessed boys, Sylvia, and their mentor. She wondered who was missing, or would even dream of being late to something like this? Juniper drank the iced soda in her hand, enjoying the bubbles as finally the first woman introduced herself. The bubbles she had just enjoyed mere seconds ago nearly came out of her nose, and she tried to cough as quietly as possible. Of course Juniper knew the name Miyuki Takumi, she had after all read the school pamphlet in great detail, and even if she hadn't, she had been hearing the name all throughout high school. 'Did you see the recent accomplishments of Miyuki Takumi' went through the dorms at least every few months especially when she first moved there. There had been plenty of young, aspiring students that wanted to be just like her. Of course, Juniper never wanted to be like the woman herself, she had never found too much interest in engineering, but that didn't mean she couldn't be just as awestruck as someone who was.

When Dr.Takumi focused her attention solely on Nari, Juniper turned slightly to do the same. She was interested in what the other woman had to say, she herself couldn't quite settle on an answer, whenever she did her mind would argue and explain it another way, and so the cycle continued. Her head nodded in understanding, and slight agreement with what Nari was saying. She absolutely had a point, there was many times shown not just in movies, but real life, where advanced technology in the wrong hands could be detrimental. Yet, that didn't mean they shouldn't continue with these improvements, especially when they were aimed and designed for good, humane purposes. Still undecided if she should add in or not her mouth was poised open when a man she hadn't noticed joined their group speaking his own thoughts. Even more so this sent her mind thinking even deeper, he was right too, in his own way.

Finally Juniper spoke up, a bit hesitantly, and unsure of where she was going with it. "As Nari was saying there are hot and colds to every situation, we are at a turning point for technology, and in turn humanity. Yet, is this technology actually what is needed for all humanity, will it solve our problems as claimed, and will it be easily accessible to all humans of the Earth? Or could it be the next turning point for social classes? Are the first world countries and the elite only going to be able to access this, leaving the poorer, the most in need left in the horrible, polluted, left overs afterwards? I guess my point is similar to Nari and. . ." Juniper trailed off and nodded her head at the new guy, " in that it depend, I guess on us as humanity to warp technology into good or bad, inclusive or exclusive- even this technology no matter how magical it is." She wasn't quite happy with her explanation, but figured she had rambled on long enough. There was so much that could go wrong with technology, but did that outweigh the good? She wasn't the scientist here so she couldn't really answer that.
 
TheAdventureBegins TheAdventureBegins KapMcflow KapMcflow FiveElemental FiveElemental

First came Peter, who spoke a rather simplistic, yet applicable answer for the question that had been posed. Next was Nari. Miyuki observed the emotions on Nari's face as she spoke and subsequently walked away to the dessert section of the buffet. What an amusing girl, she mused to herself with a smile.
Finally came Juniper's response. It was much longer than the others' had been; her response formed from a mix of her own thoughts and borrowed ideals that her peers had shared.

"Well, that certainly gives me insig--..." Miyuki had begun to say, but she was promptly interrupted by a soft, muffled cough that emanated from the corner where Sylvia sat. The young child wore a black oversized hoodie with massive sleeves that covered her mouth and muted her words. Nonetheless, she was faintly audible to anyone who strained to hear her. "Who cares about the morality of it all. If it has a purpose, advance it." Immediately, she buried her entire face into her sleeves--whether it was from anxiety or embarrassment, however, was still to be determined.

"And now we have an opposing view to what seemed to have been a general consensus." Miyuki announced with passionate excitement. "Can humanity be trusted with the rapid advancement of our scientific achievements?" The question was a rhetorical one, given that Miyuki did not wait for anyone's response. Instead, she rose to her feet and walked towards an open space in the forest clearing. There, she reached into the pocket of her jeans and retrieved what seemed to be a remote. With a click of a button, the ground directly in front of her feet began to partition, and from it rose a small open display case. In the case were eight thin wristbands which resembled a unique smart watch of some kind. "Rather than have a heated discussion around the campfire, I'd figure we play a little ice breaker game. This is your college orientation after all..."

For the first time since their arrival, the two football players abandoned the food at the buffet and approached the display case with mild curiosity. Even Sylvia had risen her head to see what the new set of commotion was about. Miyuki continued to speak.

"Obviously, these are your campus wristbands. You'll learn more about their functions soon enough, but that doesn't concern the game..." She reached down to pick up one of the wristbands, only to begin twirling it around her index finger. "Let's pretend each of these wristbands are a personal Pandora's box...one for each of you. By choosing to affix the wristband on your wrist, you are opting to open your box..." She demonstrated by placing the band around her own wrist. The screen of the band immediately flared to life. For a fraction of a second, there was a small peculiarity--as if a butterfly formed from blue 0s and 1s had erupted from the screen, but nothing to prove one way or another remained. The screen displayed nothing out of the ordinary--simply a collection of smart watch apps that pertained to the Fracture campus.

"At this point you might be asking yourselves, why should I open my box? Well the answer is simple. Each and everyone of you have dreams which you believe can benefit humanity--it was why you were admitted into the academy. By opening your box, your dreams will be guaranteed. The price you pay, however, is the curse of Pandora's box. You do not know what that curse will be, but it will affect you at some point in your life, and in some way. Do you choose to open the box for all of humanity?"

Miyuki fell silent as a means to bring weight to her lingering words. After a moment of silence, however, a small giggle erupted from her lips as she cupped her hands around her mouth and began to whisper. "At some point all of you will have to put on your wristbands, campus policy, but for the sake of our little fun, only put it on if you want to open your box."
 
Azukai Azukai

Just when she thought the topic had expired, a small voice from the corner came forth. It had been the young girl from earlier, Sylvia. She voiced her opinion, quick and suffice, before returning to her cocoon of black fibers. Nari watched Sylvia for a moment, puzzled by her manner. Miyuki presented another question to the class, leaving no space for a response, accept a few shrugs from around the room. Nari continue to chomp on the cookie she had. Her eyes followed Ms. Miyuki Takumi to the center of the room. Miyuki pulled out a small remote, drawing a piece of the ground before her to rise. "Just when I didn't think it could get anymore sci-fi," Nari thought aloud. The vibe in the room shifted, and now everyone who had not been so interested, glued their eyes to a display case of eight digital watches.

Nari took a few steps forward to get a closer look. An icebreaker? Miyuki explained their functions, referring to them as a "Pandora's Box". She even showed a demonstration of applying the watch on, in which a holographic-like butterfly comprised of numbers leapt from the screen for a split second. The choice of words that the esteemed bio-tech used to describe these wristband watches: dreams, guaranteed, humanity, price, pay, and curse, all gave Nari the goosebumps. Sounds like she's pitching an informercial, she mused. Yet, Nari was encompassed with curiosity and a deep yearning to find out what this technology had to give. Good or bad. A heavy silence crept into the room once more, allowing Miyuki's words to saturate through the students minds. If Nari hadn't already been slightly apprehensive of the news, she could have sworn she heard a snicker. Or maybe it was a cough? Coming from Miyuki. Nari narrowed her eyes once more, this time in suspicion of Ms. Takumi. She shook the feelings off as much as possible, weighing the latter. This is my time to lead. Perhaps it'll even impress the great Takumi, and I'll show promise for this mediocre class, she convinced herself in her mind.

Nari propelled herself forward in front of all the students in a haughty manner. She stood before Miyuki, with the display of watches between them.

"I'll open mine, or put it on, or whatever," she said fearlessly. Nari raised her wrist as she grabbed the watch next to the one Ms. Takumi had used for illustration. She snapped it on, giving her arm a 180 as she examined it. Comfortable-- haven't turned into a toad yet, she thought. She took a step back out of the way with a self-gratifying smile on her face.
 
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Juniper
Sunday, September 10, 2027
Mentions
Azukai Azukai KapMcflow KapMcflow

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Happy to not be speaking anymore and making a complete fool of herself, Juniper took another swig from her soda, this time not coughing it out. She was still looking at Dr. Takumi when the softest voice just barely carried over to her ears. Who cares? That was a loaded question, lots of people cared, obviously they cared about the morals of it, to some extent. Instantly Juniper's mind went to one such example of technology that wasn't advance due too many people caring- Nuclear. There was such a big possibility for nuclear to be the clean energy of the future, but long before Juniper's time those people that cared put a stop to it out of fear of the catastrophic effects it could have. Here they were, explaining possibly catastrophic effects and why people would care, and why someone might, hypothetically put a stop to it. Yet, Juniper knew that wasn't really the point of what Sylvia was saying and remained quiet.

A visible, but small grimace fell on Juniper's face at the mention of icebreakers, her memory of those were never particularly any fun. It usually went like, 'say three truths and a lie and have everyone guess', or even more simply 'tell us one interesting things about yourself'. Juniper didn't have anything interesting to tell really. . .other than she liked photography, ok yeah, she decided that would be her one interesting thing about her. Before that thought even had settled the Dr started to explain the icebreaker more, bringing up the purpose of the wrist bands that had appeared out of a hole in the floor-Juniper was slowly getting used to the casual displays of technology. These were the ice breaker, and their decisions clearly meant to show Dr.Takumi something deeper about their personalities, though Juniper wasn't sure what it would show exactly.

Juniper remembered the myth of Pandora and her box; she had been a gift to a titan, but more a trick for a titan and punishment for humanity. Pandora had been made curious, and when told not to open how could she resist? It speaks to a lot of humanity, but was not one of Juniper's favorite stories. It was a myth to keep humanity from looking into what they shouldn't, see things those in power didn't want them to see, or else it would be their fault for all the horrors that could be unleashed on the world.

She had been so deep in thought Juniper hadn't even questioned the hardly visible butterfly made of code that flashed and disappeared just as quickly. Almost instantly Juniper assumed she would simply opt out of putting it on for this game, after all if it was about dooming all humanity and knowing so then why would she choose that. Dr.Takumi continued before Juniper could even fully decide this, because no it wasn't exactly that they would be dooming humanity, rather saving humanity. . . and dooming themselves. Easily, for the sake of the game she could take the moral high horse and say 'of course I'd take the brunt of things to be the superhero' but was that honest? Would it be so easy for her if this was a real life deal, and she was actually going to curse herself in some way? Maybe it would have been easier if she knew what she was cursing herself with, but where would the fun be in that game?

A breath of contemplation came softly from Juniper's mouth, no matter what they would luckily get the wrist bands, but that still didn't help the moral dilemma it left Juniper with. Finally just as Nari spoke so did Juniper, "I'll-" She stopped so the other girl could speak, still confident she was making the right choice to who she was. If she could balance the negative all on her own shoulders, and only give good to everyone else, yes she would take the curse.

"I'll put mine on as well." She finally spoke, though softer this time, as if still going over this seriously.
 
Mike Anderson
Azukai Azukai

To put it simply, Mike wasn't exactly late, he was just.. Fashionably abit under the required time, naturally. Nothing to be said against showing up a little totally not late. Not like he missed anything of particular not- Holy shit this place was rad holy crap dude. It's like he just walked into a god damn Fae creature's backyard and was standing around waiting to get cursed or something by whatever owned it.

Yoooooooooo, was that a fire? Did somebody screw something up already? We're they burning something, wait... No, doesn't look it.. Nope no witch hunt today he would guess.

Thats good, real bad way to start a school year by doing that type of thing. It'd be like opening a book store with a book burning.

The male stood around, sort of flickering his eye around the room as obviously somebody very important was talking, but in truth, he wasn't exactly listening, sure he could be and learning quite abit about this college campus but.. Really he's gonna be honest he's been through this song and dance before. He was certain it was just some fancy dancy show off thing to say how cool THIS college was and was giving out free watches or something. Probably made of some cheap plastic crap. But hey a free watch was good right? He had a frog shaped plastic one that ahe wore for years and even netted him his first girlfriend now that he thought of it. So, maybe these things would help out in stuff?

Not like they'd invite him here openly with all the world's eyes on them all to give him a watch that will turn him into a monster or something. Though, admittedly, the variable monsters that there could be to transform into, he'd hope for at least something that was cool to look at and didn't eat humans specifically... Werewolf? Can deal with. Vampire? Iffy but you CAN get blood from other things... So.. vampire was on the fence...

....

Oh, shes done talking?

Shoot he must've missed something important. Crap. Shes looking at them all expecting something, shoot, guess he gotta go get the watch then. It'd be horrible to miss out on the second half, she looked like she worked very hard on all this scene, man he kinda felt bad zoning out right then... He'll pay attention this time, for sure.

"So just.. get one of these? Yea?" he asked as he, in fact, got one of the eponymous things that were in fact wristband shaped. "...Wierd watch..? Everything gonna be so sci fi? Kind of a fantasy guy myself.." Said the man, who was already toying with the weird thing on his wrist, clearly and without understanding what the significance was of it, he figured he may as well just go with the flow and figure out whats what by simply doing.

What does he got to lose anyways?

....

Why does it feel like he just haphazardly walked through a important situation? People were watching him... One dude was looking at him like he was gonna explode or something...?

"...So.. Uhh... Hope these things don't monitor us 24/7, guy needs some peace and quiet yea know." Says the Cyber Security engineer who may poke and prod the thing in his spare time...
 
Peter
Sunday Afternoon
September 10th, 2027
Underground


His ears perked up when he saw his shorter peer begin to speak, and was slightly shocked by what she said... but, he could empathize, what's the point of caring for others if all they'll do is just take from you. All the effort and dedication you put into something, simply taken from you. What incentives does he have as a person to care for what he does to others if they don't give a single shit of what's done to him. That was certainly how he first felt when dealing with a few rowdy customers. The cold water was still freezing.

Peter took a deep breath, as he observed his peers, noticing that a large portion of his fellow colleges grabbing the "Pandora's Box" as Miyuki lovingly dubbed it after showing off the flashy holographic of a binary butterfly. "Well, that'll certain convince a significant portion of the class." Perhaps it was just about everyone that was willing to open Pandora's Box?

"What an unusual analogy to choose..." Peter thought as it lingered in his head.

Pondering on the meaning. As he polished off his piece of lasagna, as he knew for certain what to choose.

"Well, that display really buttered the deal." He chuckled at his own terrible pun. "I was really tempted to flutter over there and snap it on." He continued his punny escapade. "But, honestly, having my dreams being fulfilled so easily seems a bit... boring. Even if there are consequences, skipping the journey just to reach the destination is honestly, a boring option to me. I really don't judge anyone for opening the box, as I know many people that will take on any amount of suffering if opening the box allowed them to satisfy their curiosity that the road they chose was in fact the right one. I'd certainly would like that pat on the back sometimes, that the path you're going is the correct path." He said, with a face plastered with a jovial smile. "Cuz, it's really keeping me boxed in." As Peter makes another zero effort pun.
 
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CW: Violence, gore

There was next to no emotion on Miyuki's face as she watched Nari make her decision. The girl had acted with little hesitation and quite the noticeable amount of pride stemming from her subsequent pose. What a passion for acknowledgement, Miyuki mused as if she were taking mental notes on Nari. Next came Juniper, who unlike her classmate, spent more time hesitating the decision. After what seemed to be a few internal flip flops, evident by the emotions on her face, she finally made her decision, albeit without conviction. Confident in her decision, yet wary of the consequences that may come, Miyuki tacked down as her second mental note. Wi--...

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden arrival of another late student. Not only was Mike somewhat loud, he was a bundle of haphazard energy. Without any context, he walked up, reached forward, and slapped the band onto his wrist. It took everything within her power not to facepalm at his antics, though her eyes did slightly lift in amused curiosity at his choice in puns. Nothing more needs to be said, she concluded with a low, but audible sigh. Then came Peter, the first student to throw a curveball by bringing a debate to the table. His stance was clear, there was no enjoyment in having a dream fulfilled without the fruits of his own labor--a sentiment which was quickly shared by both of the football players.

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"I agree with him..." One of them began. "We have to work hard to bring entertainment to the masses. There would be no point in achieving that goal without any of the effort."

Sylvia was the last to participate in the game. Her overall composure was noticeable nervous as her body shook while walking towards the case. Like Nari, however, she didn't hesitate to put the band on her wrist. "It doesn't matter what happens to me, so long as I find success," she muttered under her breath. For the first time since her arrival, the hood of her outerwear had fallen behind her head, revealing the long, white hair that had been stuffed inside. More notable, though, was the passionate fire which burned in her amber eyes.

Once the last wristband had been claimed, Miyuki began clapping. "Thank you for humoring my little game. It was certainly insightful to learn a bit more about yourselves, and I hope you found this experience as interesting as I have. Now..." Up until this point, none of the wristbands had acted in the way Miyuki's had. None of them had even bothered to turn on, much less flash a butterfly out of their interface. "...let us begin the actual game."

For each of the students wearing a wristband, a slight prick would have tingled from the skin directly under the the band's interface. Without warning, a micro needle had extended from the bottom and collected a sample of the wearer's blood. Immediately, the interface lit up with a collection of letters listed vertically on its screen...I..C..E. Furthermore, the band tightened to a level that wouldn't have been a concern for circulation, but would have been near impossible to slide back off.

image-2021-10-27-173427.png
Overhead, the sound of small explosions began to erupt across the entirety of the ceiling, which formed miniscule shards of glass that began pouring downward. Immediately, Sylvia and the football players fell to the ground and curled into a ball in an attempt to protect themselves from the raining hazards. Having had its source damaged, the illusion of the forest began to glitch and fade, revealing the true nature of the basement room in its wake. For the most part, it was relatively ordinary--a series of tables holding food and drink, chairs, and a space heater in the center of the room; however, there were two noticeable peculiarities. First was the fact that Miyuki was no where to be found, and second was the eerie shadow that hovered next to one of the football players and was only visible to those wearing a wristband. One by one, six crimson-filled slits began to open and focus themselves on the students in the room. Two rows of impossible sharp teeth became immediately obvious as the shadow's face formed an ever-growing grin. Lunging forward, the shadow latched onto the nearest football player and pulled its body into the student's.

There was a moment of silence as nothing occurred, but soon, guttural groans began to bellow from the student's chest. "Y-You okay bud?" the other player said out of immediate concern, his body inching closer to check on his friend. What happened next, however, was a blur of events. In the most grotesque noise possible, additional eyes began to form on face of the possessed, while two human-like arms began to force themselves out of his body--one of them coming from his upper groin and the other from the skull of his head.

"W-What the fuck!" The friend shouted in utter terror. Unable to find the traction to run, he began sliding himself against the floor, in an attempt to gain distance away from the horror. Each push against the ground left his hands increasingly more lacerated, as chunks of glass slashed and dug into his skin. From the monstrosity, the arms, which had finally penetrated the body's skin, began to lazily extend as they followed the slow-moving trail of blood. It didn't take long for them to catch up. Soon, the sound of desperate gurgles began to spout from the victim, as the hands of the arms forced their way into his mouth and latched onto the upper and lower portions of his jaws. With little effort, the upper portion of the victim's head was split from the rest of his now-convulsing body. Blood began to spurt from the open wound, all while the gaze of the humanoid-monster fixated onto his next victim...Peter.
 
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Mike Anderson

Mike wasn't the most eloquent person in the world, sure, he had his moments. But at this little point, with all these things happening at the same time, the thing from the ceiling, the thing GOING INTO the guy's body and then changing him into a fucking monster and, for good measure it seems, TEARING OFF HIS FUCKING HEAD!!!!

Thete really was only a few things he could really say at this point and time as his brain racked over all the keyboards in an attempt to get the computer to unfreeze.

What came out, as something akin to Scooby Doo and Ned flanders. "Well howdily doodly it's time to get the fuckaroony out." Panic, dies not produce the greatest of works vocally.

However, with words out, he was able to move again, and move he did, like a graceful gazelle he leapt iver a nearby chair, bringing it down with him in a clattering clash if panic driven grace. Then, like a raccoon caught wrist deep in the dog food, he ran. Mostly to the wall as the situation progressed.

Interactiins: None
Witnessing: Anyone not looking at the Friendly Neighborhood Abomination.
 
Nari shook her arm as a wave of small static-like tingles brushed around her wrist. For a moment, a feeling of regret began to run across her face. It was until an expression of mortified terror replaced it. The ceiling began to crackle, debris of glass scattered around the compound. No longer a beautiful forest clearing, the true form of the basement was revealed. Alternating between the chaos of a broken building and black demonic ghost figures, Nari took a quick deep breath before finding a corner in the room. “Some game this is, you psycho terror b*tch,” she thought aloud. Nari watched in horror as one of the Jocks began to mutate into a sub-human species. Unpleasant in its form, the gurgled screech of pain from the Jock made Nari wince incessantly. “Guides, if you hear me, please protect me from the negative low vibrational forces that walk among us,” she prayed to herself quietly.

Searching the room, she looked for an open opportunity to make a break for it. Realizing there’d be no perfect opportunity to make a sprint for it, she weighed her options swiftly-- and without much thought-- she made a run to the exit. Unfortunately she was knocked down by the passing latecomer who had also decided to run the opposite direction towards a wall. “Really?!” she yelled out to the panicked man. Exposed and momentarily debilitated in the center of the room, she watched as the mutated boy-creature directed its attention to Peter. Its eyes flashed a bright red and a toothy grin plastered across its face. It gazed at him with pure menace.

Nari’s heart was soon to jump out of her chest. The adrenaline in her body increased causing her to leap back onto her feet, steady and strong. She crouched down slightly with her arms before her, watching and anticipating the ghouls next move. Peter would buy her some time by distracting the freakish thing. Nari took careful and easy steps toward the entrance way. She sprinted into the small corridor making a sharp right towards the elevators. Frantically, she pressed the first floor button repeatedly. To her dismay, the buttons would not light up, signaling they had been disconnected. She banged her fist against the doors in defeat, resting her head on the cold steel entryway. Nari turned around, brushing the pieces of her straight and fizzy hair away from her sweaty face. A door on the right of the hall was slightly opened, which drew Nari to inspect the inside. It had been labeled the storage room, but to Nari, it became her apocalyptic bunker until the chaos outside would subside.
 
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Peter
Sunday Afternoon
September 10th, 2027
Underground


DREAD

Dread was the last thing he felt before his head was ripped off. Then came pain. He felt it, He felt it all. He felt it all from his classmate, a potential friend as his life was snuffed out. He doesn't get it, why was he so calm. This was absolutely a moment to panic, to cry, to despair. He was about to die from an eldritch abomination. Barely being able to comprehend what that thing was... No, he shant even attempt to comprehend it, or subcome to the madness. He listed out what he could do. He could run, and most likely make it, but he didn't want to leave behind those that remained. He just... didn't want anyone else to die. That's when he felt it, the familiar heat, a burning flame lit up, it was sweat inducing, it was... the heat of the kitchen, and he needed to act fast if he didn't want anyone else to get burned in the chaos. He knew what to do.

Breathe

He looked around the hellscape, the glass shards littering the concrete floor, a brutally decapitated corpse. Bile rose from his stomach, but he managed to keep it in. He looked up at the... ghoul, he doesn't know what or how this happened but, all that matters it was staring at him with demonic eyes. He looked down at the case in his hand, and placed it down. Opening it to reveal his small knife collection, as he drew his Nakiri, a knife useful for through chopping vegetables and meats. But not through bone. He analyzed the extra limbs that grew out of him earlier, as his trained eyes saw it. There's no bones, it's more aligned with an octopus, shaped into a crude imitation of a human arm. He's experienced with octopus. Peter knows it's extremly strong, but that's all there is to it. He can do it. as the former human targeted Peter. Lazily extending it's fresh arms towards him, as it entered his chopping block range. Whatever this thing is, it's sadistic in nature. It loved tormenting it's victim with looming dread. He took advantage of that, as the limb got closer... NOW he quickly closed the gap between him and the ghoul, catching the abomination off guard as he removed the extra limb a hairline away from the head, as usual, he avoided harming the human carcass. As he was trained to do. It had a similar consistency to chopping a haggis... he fucking hated haggis. As the seemed to creature recoiled in pain. He won't get another oppritunity like this. Pulling his knife back, as he went for another limb, the one in the upper groin, as it was sliced off.

Taking advantage of it's moment of weakness, as it writhed in immense pain, he disengaged the eldritch horror with trained movement of a chef manning multiple stations during rush hour, he yelled out towards his classmates. "YOU!" Peter exclaimed and pointed to Nari, as he noticed her cool headedness and the nonchalant attitude in this extreme situation. "GET TO THE STAIRS, DON'T GO TO THE ELEVATOR!" Looking back at Mike, he noticed his loud quip as he came to. "YOU!" Pointing at Mike, noticing his frantic panicking "FOLLOW HER! IF YOU SEE A FIRE ALARM, PULL IT! AND GET EVERYONE ELSE TO FOLLOW YOU! " Peter looked towards Juniper, and remembered her Camera, "YOU! TAKE A PICTURE OF THIS THING AND FOLLOW THE REST OF YOUR CLASSMATES!" Letting out one last he said "EVERYONE! FOLLOW THEM AND MOVE TOWARDS THE STAIRS IF YOU WANT TO LIVE! AND DON'T TRIP!"

He decided to wait til everyone alive made it out of here first. Just, whatever this abomination is, he hoped it didn't grow back.
 
Nari held her hand up at eye level. It slightly shook as the situation had began to really take a toll. She was having an adrenaline crash and her heart rate slowed. Nari’s body slumped down against the storage room wall. She combed her hair back with her hand, releasing a deep breath for which she felt she was holding for a long time. I guess I’m starting to understand that flight or fight nonsense, she mused to herself in attempt to bring light to a dark situation. Maybe this is some sort of trip, and that Miyuki slipped something in the food. I mean, this all seems so surrea—

Ahhhhhhh!” A loud etherial scream interrupted her train of thought. Nari rose to her feet in caution. She analyzed the dimly lit room grabbing whatever she could use as a defensive, rather than offensive, weapon. With a bucket as a shield and a shoddy broom as a sword, she peeped through the slightly cracked open door. Nari caught a glimpse of a mad man—No, wait— Peter? Sashimi(ing) their former classmates extra ghouly arms. A few students ran past the storage room headed to the stairs. Shutting the door, she admired his bravery. Her cowardice had shown and it deflated the already low self image she had for herself, despite her ego being as huge as a whale. Leaders lead, peasants follow, she affirmed to herself. Taking one last deep breath, Nari swung open the storage room door, heading down the hallway where the stairs laid at the end. She stopped midway, bucket in one hand, broom in other. “You heard the man!” she yelled with great vigor referring to Peter. “Get your asses up the stairs! Go! Now!” In the midst of all that was occurring, Nari couldn’t help but wonder if the young and tiny Sylvia had made it out.
———-
FiveElemental FiveElemental Azukai Azukai
 
Juniper
Sunday, September 10, 2027
Collab:

Azukai Azukai

♦♦♦♦

Her attention had been on the watch merely long enough to fasten it to fit properly, though this was long enough for the newest member to arrive and just grab his own watch. She found herself nodding slightly at the thought of them monitoring them 24/7, but really how different was it from using a cellphone? Unless they were watching her shower of course, that’s a bit far wouldn’t you think? Juniper assumed it might collect passive data on them like other electronic devices, but really what did she know?

It took a bit of self-control to not roll her eyes at every single pun that fell out of the other guy's mouth-she hadn’t gotten either of their names yet, so it was tweedle one and tweedle two for now- and instead focused on the watch back on her hand. Once again she found herself wondering what curse she would be assigned for this game, what kind of curses was the Dr. talking about anyways? Wicked witch kind of curse, deadly sins kind of curse, there were so many possibilities! Yet, even more so, the thought of a good power trumped her concern of a curse, there was always a positive to any negative, and as long as she followed along with the positive everything would end up fine.

Of course everything didn’t end up fine. Juniper had been so deep in her own mind she had hardly noticed the last few take their own watches. It was only when a sharp prick from her watch pulled her back to the here and now. Instantly her hand was pulling at the watch, she had been stung by too many trapped bees not toreact. Yet, the watch grew tighter and tighter as she pulled.

“What is I.C.E-” She turned to the good Dr. only to find her not where she had just been. There was even less time for her to question this fact as a loud explosion sent Juniper ducking to the ground, covering her own head. Debris crashed near and far, destroying the magic of the room in instants, scattering concrete dust everywhere. Juniper covered her eyes long enough to try and stand and get out of everything, to take the situation in.

Chaos was what she was first expecting, but it seemed everyone else was just as startled, and lost as her. Her eyes fell on the still curled up Sylvia, so far everyone else had seemed to began to pick themselves up but here; maybe something was wrong? No other thought went through her head as she jumped around the chair she was sitting, it having been crushed by a rather large chunk of ceiling. The ground was luckily not slick with the dust, but there was a lot of broken glass, and other hazards.

Quickly Juniper reached the young girl across the room and dropped beside her; at this point she hadn't even looked back at the others, let alone notice the beginning forms of red, demonic eyes surrounded by otherworldly shadows. She put a hand on Sylvia's back, "Are you ok? Can you get up?"

----
Sylvia was clearly whimpering from the sudden turn of events. Initially, she had never noticed Juniper's approach, continuing only to mutter the same words over and over under her breath.

"Brother....help me...please."

Juniper's hand, placed on her back, finally triggered some form of reaction. Immediately, she spun around and wrapped her arms around Juniper's chest. "Augus--..." She had begun to say, but quickly silenced herself upon realizing who she was hugging. With a light push, she shoved herself off of her peer and spoke in her usual cold, muttered tone. "You...did...not...hear...anything." Her final word had extra emphasis--a weak attempt at a bravado given the noticeable embarrassment which began reddening her pale cheeks.

There was no time for silly pleasantries, however, as she looked past Juniper and noticed the gruesome events occurring behind her. "What the hell..." She uttered in disbelief as she observed what seemed to be a shadow pulling itself into a student.
----

Up until now Juniper had only really noticed Sylvia's brave side, but it really hit her that this girl was really might be a bit younger than the rest of them. Her eyes widened in shock as the young girls arms wrapped around her, but she only had time to begin hugging the girl back before she was shoved back and knocked over. Still eyes wide she shook her head, she truly hadn't processed the words Sylvia had said, Juniper's brain was a little over-loaded at the moment; but she wouldn't try too hard to remember anything with the tone she had.

It was when her head was mid-shake did she finally noticed the football player transforming behind her. "Don't look." Juniper managed to get out, gagging at the sight as it unfurled behind them. She pushed herself in front of Sylvia still on her knees, trying to block her view as best as possible. Even with her telling Sylvia not to look, Juniper found it hard not to glance back, before quickly turning back to Sylvia to grab her and try and stand.

"Don't look. . . just don't. . . cover your eyes!" She could hear the gurgling of the other football player as she grabbed Sylvia up, trying to get her to get farther away from it.
----

Any signs of weakness had vanished from Sylvia's personality. It had been replaced by a rabid curiosity towards what was occurring in the room. For the most part, she followed along with Juniper's whims and let herself be drug around; however, her eyes remained fixated on the monstrosity. "This transcends what should be possible. Its biology....its chemistry....the physics surrounding its actions...None of it should be possible..." One and on, she continued to comment on the impossible science behind the creature--fully blind to the fact that it was actively murdering a fellow peer.
----

"It's a nightmare living is what it is." Juniper hadn't even meant to say the words out loud, but with Sylvia's morbid curiosity it was hard not to. Juniper didn't let go of the girl as she attempted to haul her back even farther, mostly out of fear Sylvia might actually go up and try to study it. Now was not the time to be a super genius, now was the time to get the fuck out of there.

They were farther behind the other students, they were there just long enough to view the brave, yet very stupid Tweedledumb go at the monstrous thing that was once one of their classmates. Again Juniper gagged, glad for once that she hadn't actually eaten in awhile, nothing for her to throw up other than some soda-easy enough to keep down. She barely heard the man yell for her to take a photo, and against her better judgment Juniper did stop. Was he insane? Yes, but he did have a point.

As fast as she could she snapped a couple pictures before grabbing ahold of Sylvia's hand, "no matter how much you want to dissect that thing, we have to get out of here!"

----

Unlike Juniper, Sylvia wasn't bothered by the gore. If anything, she had been far more interested by the strength the monster, in that it was capable of ripping off a head at the jawline. It was, however, Peter's choice to at fight back which snapped her somewhat back into reality. Truly, she wanted to learn more, which is why she didn't agree with Juniper's assessment to run, yet given that her life was at stake, she didn't exactly protest either.
 
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The monster was writhing in pain, and from its wounds, thick black blood had begun to ooze. It had also been staggered from the sudden surprise of being attacked. Everything about its existence suggested that it was the stronger lifeform, yet here it was, injured by a mere human with a knife. "Krkkkkkk." Its sounds were a horrific, ear-splitting chatter that erupted into the vicinity with a surprising level of volume. While the noise was tolerable, pinching one's ears might have been the far preferred method of coping with the spine-chilling noise.

image-2021-10-29-124227.png

All while this was happening, the severed arms were also writhing on the floor. Unlike the main body, however, the limbs had purpose associated with their chaotic movements. Every wriggle brought them slightly closer to the corpse of the football player--a target which soon became an extension to the ever-growing nightmare. Tendrils of black blood erupted through the skin of the arm and plunged itself into the corpse. At first, nothing seemed to have happened, but within a few seconds, the body began to gradually convulse--a horrifying awakening that was straight out of a zombie movie. What followed, was far different than the transformation of the main body. All across its figure, large bulges for the arm-like tendrils began to form, all while two small tendrils began to expand from the empty gap of its severed head. The entire process took only a few seconds, leaving a far different creature standing in the wake of the corpse. Standing over seven feet tall, was a grotesque monster that had a series of well-built arms extending from the base of its body. Gone was its human flesh replaced by a leathery, black texture with dozens of slit eyes and white thorns. A shrill screech erupted from its lungs, before it exploded forward at a speed which exceeded all but a track-runner's capability. Neither Peter, nor Mike were its targets. Instead, the monster blasted out of the immediate room--its momentum crashing it into the opposing wall of the hall. There, another screech filled the hallway as the monster fixated every one of its eyes on the three runners who had just rounded the first bend. Again, it resumed its forward charge.


image-2021-10-29-123323.png

Back in the original room, the first monster was still chattering away. In doing so, however, it had also begun to change. In terms of appearance, the monster's new form was overall similar--black leather-like skin with hundreds of crimson eyes. Different, however, were the six hand-capped legs which extended from its hexapedal body and the cluster of arms which swayed from its head like hair. A booming howl filled the room with an overpowering sense of dread, right before two arms grabbed the nearest chairs and flung them at Peter and Mike. The monster wasn't done with its attack. Immediately following the chairs, came another set of arms aimed at grabbing Peter the moment he would have been off balance.
 
Peter
Sunday, September 10, 2027
Afternoon
Underground
Collab:
Azukai Azukai Orikanyo Orikanyo

This situation had gone from bad to extremely worse. What used to be one had multiplied into two, each with clear, distinct objectives. Peter had objectively been outmatched, and outnumbered. His small chopping knife was ineffective against the growing, evolving mass of insanity.

And he’s absolutely terrified.

What was once a humanoid creature has shifted into a disgusting, wolf-like creature, and without realizing, the limb he chopped off leeched its way into the decapitated football player's body, as it shifted and mutated into what can be accurately described as just hands. Hands everywhere, as it sprinted past him towards the others, how does it know where they are? As he was forced to dodge out of the way of the thrown chairs, not noticing the incoming arm strike targeting his blind spot. Striking his side, as he was hit, feeling his rib crack, as the arm grabbed onto his shirt. He quickly struck at the arm and ripped it off his body.

“Shit, that… was close.” Peter said, with a pained smirk.
---
Mike was panicking, indeed he was, there was no machoing his way out, his body was full on fight or flight and it was choosing flight. But the thing is about fight or flight, it’s not an or. In truth, it is one then the other, or just one depending if it does or doesn’t work, so the or doesn’t fit as they are not mutually exclusive.

The body looks for the path of least resistance.

The enemy, now split in two, his fellow human was attacking it, therein, his body started to reevaluate his options. The path of least resistance was shown by another, to be through the beasts, and while normally he would be happy to just run away his monkey brain, fueled by adrenaline, took over and said the only thing it could.

Smack it with a thing.

And thus, is how Mike managed to pick up a bog standard folding chair, rush forward and, whilst screaming a yell that would put Tarzan to shame, smashed it into the strange weird arm thing. Naturally, the folding chair smashed upon impact, but hey, it’s the thought, and action, that counts right?
---
Peter managed to escape the trap by the skin of his teeth. If it was a bit more tactical, it would've aimed for his knife arm, and ripped it off. He needed to make sure that can’t happen. Thankfully, being a chef means you can't rely on one trick your entire life. Or be blown away, forever lost in the wasteland of cooking. Between his short, intense cooking experience, he managed to pick up a thing or two. He quickly grabbed another knife from his case, a Chef’s Knife, a useful tool for all chefs of any level of skill, but can only be mastered by the greatest. Looking besides him, he saw his backpack, and he has an idea so stupid, it just might work. He just needed a large distraction. Which was when he noticed the person he told to run, has stayed, and he’s wielding a folding chair!

Immediately after Mike smacked the eldritch abomination, he rushed towards his backpack, and quickly searched through it, he found it, and he hoped to the gods this idea works. As he withdrew a bottle of soy sauce, and a tin of cinnamon. He recalled the many stories talking about how humans have died from both of these in large, but relatively speaking, small quantities. As the monster that sprinted by him crashed into the wall, it began to stand up, getting ready to sprint towards the living students. He couldn’t let that happen, as he ran towards the sprinter and threw the cinnamon towards it’s elongated tongue. Coating it with vile, spicy, and dry dust. Even if it didn’t kill the eldritch abomination, hopefully it wouldn't be able to taste or smell for long enough for the others to flee. As the creature was in immense pain, Peter approached the more stationary creature, with a soy sauce bottle in one hand, and his knife in the other. It was time to cook up a storm.
---
The monster was barely phased by the chair which struck it. The blunt trauma had been enough to cause some damage, but the creature simply sacrificed some arms as a means to shield itself from the blow. Three of its head arms fell limp by its side--a small price to pay for its overall survival.

SLAM

In a swift arc, one of the arms from the other side of its head swung around its body and slammed itself into Mike’s chest. It wasn’t enough to kill him on strike, but the damage of the blow was certain to have been significant. With one of the threats seemingly neutralized, it turned its crimson eyes towards Peter; its tooth-filled grin growing only wider as it practically taunted him to try his knife again.

The sadistic leech grinned at Peter. In an attempt to rile him up, and it certainly seemed to work, as Peter tossed what’s left of the cinnamon, as it’s multiple eyes were blinded and ran towards the amalgam. As he aimed his bottle of soy sauce right into the creature’s mouth. As Peter filled the midnight creature with a salty, black liquid. And disengaged.

“C’mon dude! Get up! We need to get out of here!” Peter said, as he attempted to help Mike stand up.

In the background, shrill screams of pain filled the room following Peter’s second attack. The cinnamon, soy combo seemed to had been a success—up until the cries of pain came to a sudden, ominous halt. Starting with its face, the monster’s body was becoming translucent, almost as if it were fading away. As a side effect of this change, the liquid soy, which had been contained within its mouth, simply splashed onto the ground, having passed through the creature's barely visible skin.

Were Mike on his feet, he might have witnessed a far different scene, being that the creature would have remained fully visible to his eyes. But in the case of Peter, there was never any chance to dodge the tendril which latched onto his arms and severed them from his body.

"AAAARGH Got FUCKING damn it... It hurts… It hurts so much… I don't want to die... No, it's stupid to die like this, I'm stupid, I should've just ran. But no, I had to be a fucking hero. Look where that led you, selfishly dying, and bringing someone down with you. I’m sorry dad. Looks like there won’t be your sous chef beside you anymore… he got wrapped up in something way bigger than me…”

On the monster’s face, a wide grin accompanied the sinister almost, human-like laughter which grew closer to Peter and Mike. In the case of the former, the damage was done. There was no chance for his survival. Which is why he was left wholly ignored as the monster stepped on and over his body and sunk its teeth into Mike’s head.

But what it got however… Was not so much meat, but steel, shitty steel but nonetheless. Like a crowbar jammed in a vice the leg of the chair was planted between the teeth, the bloodied face of a young man who was maddened by anger, rage against the inevitable death against a monster. But a chair, even when broken has two sides, the next resting in his other hand, stabbing upwards, again, again, even if his ribs were broken, even if his heart was pumping bleeding blood he would fight to the last.

And so, let it be known, he fought for his final words, even as the metal begins to break in it's jaws.

"F-fuck you!"

And then, he was gone.

But, his will was not.

As with one last burst of strength, Peter was someohow up, wielding his chef's knife with his teeth, as he shoved straight it into the monster's shit eating grin, breaking an oath to never use a knife on a human. Former or not. However, adrenaline can only take you far.

As his life faded away.
 
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Juniper didn’t let go of Sylvia’s hand, she clamped on tight and ran as hard and fast as her legs could. In her youth she could have run a mile or two without stopping, once she went to high school though she spent hardly anytime running, causing her athleticism decline greatly. A loud noise sounded behind them and with as quick a glance as she could Juniper spotted a monster as it decided to chase them. That wasn’t the same thing as before! What had happened to the possessed football player? Or better yet what happened to TweedleDee and TweedleDumb? Those poor, poor souls, all of them lost she assumed.

“What the fuck is going on?!” She yelled instead, as she hauled ass fully around the corner coming in sight of the other student who fled-with this much anxiety it was as surprise Juniper even remembered her own name, let alone anyone else's-.

“It’s chasing us!” She yelled to the other girl, pure panic radiating off her face.


"Go! Go! G-" Nari was interrupted by the most blood curdling screech she had ever heard. Her bones stiffened and breath shallowed. The sound had come from the direction of the basement where she saw young Sylvia piggy backing Juniper Lockley. A miniscule sense of relief washed over Nari as a recovered Sylvia had made it out safe... for now. The fact that a young child had to experience a predicament as such, made Nari wince. Despite the ever going chaos, Nari couldn't help but notice the horrid panic on Juniper's face, and the chilling nonchalant expression masked on Sylvias. "It's chasing us!" Nari heard from a perturbed Juniper.

"You don't say!" Nari replied, her eyes fixated on the newly formed ghoul. What the hell, she thought gripping the broom and bucket tighter. Either this was another mutated freak, or... a really really bad trip. Nari gulped down her rising anxiety. Once again, she had to quickly weigh her options, as there was no lasagna boy to save her this time. Get it together Nari Symone. What would Papa do? , she coached herself as she backed up to the last bend of the hall. Besides bitching about how unorderly I'm be-Unorderly? Unorder? Order! Nari caught a view of the vending machines in her peripheral. Her mind worked liked Tetris. The devilish creature slowly crept towards her and the others. Swiftly, she turned her attention towards Juniper and Sylvia once more. I can't believe I'm doing this, she agonized. Against all judgement, Nari threw her trusty bucket of wrath at the ghastly creature, knocking it back ever so slightly. "I'll hold it for now!" she exclaimed. "Figure something out! The vending machines! Quick!" Nari stood her ground in a warrior stance, her broom to the forth of her. Her breath shaky as all hell.

-----

"You idiot." Sylvia exclaimed upon realizing Nari's course of action. There was no way in hell she could stop whatever was chasing them with only a bucket and mop. That being said, the creature wasn't exactly acting normal either. It wasn't running in a straight line. Several of its arms consistently staggered its charge, while consistent shrieks of pain filled the hall with their blood curdling sound. The closer it approached, a new scent began to fill the air. Cinnamon? She thought to herself in confusion.

WHACK

Nari threw the bucket and managed a beautiful strike that smacked the creature directly against its severed head. A cloud of dust erupted around it, adding to the potency of the spice's scent. Immediately an idea formed in Sylvia's head. "Get to the vending machine, now. Break it open. We need every drink." She too, began to run in that direction.

----

Juniper was at a total loss for words at Nari's sudden show of heroism, taking that thing on with only a mop and a bucket? Were all these people that had been down here with her all a little insane? No sooner had the thought crossed her mind when a loud thwack sounded behind them-she didn't dare turn to look- the smell of cinnamon bloomed in the air impossible to get away from. What was this thing made from confectionary? Juniper didn't stop to find out, the scenes she had witnessed had been all too real to question. Nari had bought them enough time to reach the next room, the beautiful stairs leading to total darkness-and hopefully out of there- sang it's siren's song to Juniper. She resisted, going against every human instinct to flee as fast as possible.

Break the vending machine open? It only took a quick glance at the machines to notice that wouldn't be easy, just like everything else around, the machines were newer models, aka thicker glass-they were lucky it wasn't the plastic ones at least- it would take more than just a good punch to get through it. The adrenaline must have been messing with her brain at this point, everything in the room quickly became in focus and the only things she could think to find was the table the lamps were sitting on in the other corner of the room. Juniper didn't know how much time they would have, and short of pushing the impossibly heavy machine over, breaking the glass seemed much simpler.

As quick as her body would allow Juniper crossed the room and ripped the table out from under they lamp, sending it shattering to the floor. With the surprisingly light table Juniper lunged back swinging it at the larger of the two machines, hoping Sylvia and everyone else was out of the way as it went crashing.

-----

Was the act of heroism a need to be seen as a leader--a lionheart? Or was the act of heroism a death wish Nari may have secretly desired deep down in her mind. Perhaps both. Either way, she was in one of the most compromising positions she had been in a very long time. Despite her predicament, Nari couldn't help but to momentarily flash back to a memory of her mother. Egregiously angry and hysterical, Nari's mother had found out her husband would not show up for their anniversary, again. His infamous words always being, "Work, Habibti (my love)." With an emotionally stressed mother, Nari had developed an impulse mechanism to protect and comfort those who seemed vulnerable. At the age of 7, this would be a continued cycle in her life. However, she could never come to protect herself when needed the most. Like now.

As quick as a blink, Nari's stroll down memory lane had ended. The broom was still tightly gripped in her hands, yet her stance had softened. The smell of cinnamon spice filled the halls. It brought with it an unusual sense of comfort to Nari, being that it was a staple for most comfort foods she had eaten. Puzzled, she returned her focus once more onto the jeeper creepers creature. Alternating her attention between the monster and the girls, she picked up a shard of factory grade glass that had fallen on the floor. The monster had been debilitated by the force of the bucket, and there was only a small window of opportunity for Nari to make a move. She crept forward, this time with a bit more haste, closing in the distance between the monster and herself. With all her might and force, Nari extended her arms and the broom over her head, whacking the creature in the same spot the bucket had landed before. Filled with the adrenaline and the wide fear of being so close to the monster, Nari panicked and threw the celery-sized shard of glass at the devil-spawn. Swiftly, she ran back towards Sylvia, Juniper, and the stairs. In that moment, Nari was the one vulnerable, and the impulse to survive was finally kicking in.

"We just need to get the hell out of here while we can!" she stressed to Juniper. "I'm sure I didn't buy us much time, and there is NO way I'm ever doing that again for strangers," Nari said while attempting to grab Sylvia's hand to escape.

-----

“What did you expect from a bucket and mop?” Sylvia snapped back at Nari. She smacked away her hand and instead, examined the damage that Juniper had caused. Sure enough, the table had shattered the glass of the vending machine. Sylvia carefully reached through an open break in the glass and grabbed the first drink she could reach.

“Here goes nothing,” she muttered while unscrewing the cap of the coke bottle. In the near distance, the sound of the creature’s cries of pain were lessening by the second. “This better work.”

From her hoodie pocket, she pulled a pack of mentos and stuffed every candy into soda. Sure enough, the liquid began to immediately bubble. Not wanting to waste the reaction, she quickly grabbed the bottle, ran to the vending machine’s outlet and watched as the co2 filled liquid exploded into the open socket. “Come on, come on, come on…” She chanted with her fingers crossed. Smoke and sparks began to billow from the outlet, but that alone wasn’t enough. A overpowering shriek blasted down the hall and into the open space, seconds before the sounds of a charging beast began once more. “Fucking ignite already!” Sylvia screamed—her composure having abandoned any sign of the once, shy little girl.

As if on cue, a small tendril of flame licked through the outlet and into the open air—the first signs of what would hopefully become a decent sting electrical fire. Wasting no time, Sylvia grabbed an idle newspaper from the nearest couch end table and set it on fire.

The creature was visible, having nearly caught up to the end of the hall, but it came to a screeching halt once it noticed the newspaper being flung it’s way. The fire was small, but it was still enough to make the monster hesitate. Back in the room, the fire in the outlet had slightly grown to the point that it now included the immediate wall space surrounding the plastic. “This should keep it busy for a second.” Sylvia announced with a grin on her face. “Get up those stairs!” Adrenaline and excitement fueled her charge for the exit—a charge which soon became heavy steps as she came to sudden stop at the foot of the stairwell. “Oh…”

Following the halfway point of the stairs was a solid wall.

----

It took Juniper a moment of looking stupid before she realized exactly what Sylvia's plan had been. Fire would in theory be a good way to kill it, even in all the crappy vampire novels she had read while nothing else killed them fire always seemed to! That is. . . If it would actually catch on fire. Juniper chewed her lip anxiously looking around for anything else to help, the smell of melting electricals filled the air, enough to almost make her head spin. If they made it out of this she would have one killer headache.

Finally small flames burst onto the newspaper, and began growing up the wall; by the reaction of the beast Sylvia's assumption seemed to be right, it was wary of fire. Everything happened so fast, one moment half of the stairwell had been visible in the corner of her eyes but the moment they turn to flee it simply wasn't there anymore. Thoughts of insanity ran through her mind, but even this pumped on adrenaline she knew there had not been a wall there before. What was going on? So far there had been no time to question the reality of events-she after all had seen all of the blood and gore, lived through it- but it seemed the school didn't want them to get out, and Juniper highly doubted the school was sentient, someone didn't want them to get out. No matter what they did death in the most gruesome of ways was to be their fate. . . But Juniper couldn't just sit down and die, she had to try to slow it down, maybe Sylvia and Nari could figure something else out if she just bought them some more time.

Just moments before she had questioned how others could decide to put someone else first, but in that moment she knew there was nothing else for her to do, one way or the other she knew there wasn't a way out for her, she had no idea what else to do. "Look for another way out! I'm sure you two can figure something out!" With a grimace more than a smile Juniper turned away from them, grabbing the first weapon she could think of- couch cushions. Highly flammable and if she was fast enough she could throw them on fire down the hallway while she figured something else out.

Quick as her shaking hands would allow Juniper took two couch cushions off, tipped one half of it in the ever growing fire. Back at the opening the smoke began to fill her lungs, tears dripped from her eyes, luckily she didn't want to see anyways, she didn't want to look death right in the face. With all her strength she threw the burning cushion down singing the hair on her arms and her hands in the process; turned, lit the other on fire and did the exact same. The smoke was much thicker right by the fire, choking and strong smelling thanks to being electrical, it took her blindly turning to get out of the smoke as it pulled down the hallway, less away from the inside of the room.
So many thoughts bombarded Juniper as she turned back into the cleaner air in the room, trying to keep low as much as possible. "You might want to find a fire extinguisher or something!" If the fire did stop the monster, it wouldn't be much help if they died in the fire. Coughing Juniper turned to the first side table, broken and just out of reach of the growing flames and grabbed one of the sharp jagged edges. If it came down the hallway she would light the wood on fire and charge- and probably die.

-----

Nari's hand slipped from Sylvia's. This wasn't the time or place to contest Sylvia's decision, leaving Nari to flee. She sprinted towards the maple brown steps, her heart pumping erratically. Freedom and survival, was all that swirled around her haywire brain. Behind Nari, a smell of thick gray smoke filled the stairwell which made her cough vigorously. Her eyes swelled with tears as they stung with each blink. Determined, Nari pushed forward, her sight somewhat blinded. Her quick momentum to climb up the stairs was stalling as her lungs began to fill with hazardous breaths. Unfortunately, Nari was stalled completely once her head met the cool concrete of a wall block on the staircase. She fell back from the force as a small gush of blood trickled down her forehead. The sudden impact of the wall combined with the poisonous carbon monoxide filling the premises took its toll. The sound of footsteps ascending could be heard moments before she was knocked unconscious--death awaiting patiently for her arrival.

----

Sylvia was next in line to succumb to the smoke of the every-growing fire. "Brother...I'm sorry..." she managed to say, before crumpling next to Nari's body. At the edges of her consciousness, she heard Juniper mention something about a fire extinguisher and felt a shadow fall over her own. With a forced giggle, She pictured Juniper standing guard, in a desperate attempt to protect her against the monster and flames. What a kind idiot.
A small smile formed on her face as she turned her head to look at Juniper. It was a struggle to see anything past the smoke and her own waning vision, but what she witnessed brought only confusion. "Dr...Miyuki...?" She slowly mouthed, just before everything faded away to black.

"She's a strong girl, don't you think?" Dr. Miyuki said to Juniper--a grin on her face as she pointed a finger gun at the lone survivor who remained huddled in defense. Miyuki's voice was enough to trigger a reaction from Juniper, but before she could even turn around, her body was flung face-forward to the ground, with a pool of blood forming around the now-gaping hole in her head.
 
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Miyuki was staring at her wristband, unconcerned by the chaos which continued to unfurl. The fire had spread to most of the room and even down the hallway, where both monsters were busy shrieking at the barrier of flames. There was a countdown on the band and only ten seconds remained. In the hallway, both monsters were growing bolder by the second. They tested their limbs against the burning flames, and sure enough, the fires did nothing to damage their body--a realization which renewed their vigor for blood and sent them barreling after their only prey. "And zero." Miyuki muttered before glancing up to see an ordinary basement floor. There were a few small stains of blackened char on the walls of the room and hall, but such miniscule details combined with the corpses of the students, were the only evidence that something had been amiss. Everything else had vanished.

Ding.

An elevator arrived at every shaft in the basement, delivering a set of hazmat wearing staff who immediately went to work. They knelt down by every corpse and began monitoring their bodies with a peculiar set of equipment. Minutes went by in relative silence, until one of the staff members eventually approached Miyuki with a quick salute. "The results are within acceptable bounds for four of the seven students. Two were lost, and one teeters on the edge of corruption. Shall we dispose of him?" The question left Miyuki with a quizzical expression on her face. "Take me to him," she eventually concluded. With a quick nod, the staff member led his superior to the forest simulation room, where he then pointed in the direction of Peter. The student was in poor shape--his arms having been ripped from his body and several deep gashes dug into his skin. Impressive, however, was the fact that a knife was wedged between his teeth. Perhaps a last resort attempt at killing the Lost? Miyuki mused to herself with delight. She reached into her coat pocket and retrieved the wristband that she had taken from the room prior. With a flick of her hand, she tossed the band at the nearest staff member and turned to leave with her final orders announced. "We'll take a chance. Affix the band and follow general protocol. There's only three hours until dawn."

Sunday, September 10, 2027

Finis

------------------------------------------------------


Morning, 6:58 AM
Monday, September 11, 2027

Fracture Academics: Ravenwood Dorms

BOOM


Thunder exploded across the sky and shook the walls of the Ravenwood dorm. The rumble was enough to stir most people awake, just minutes before their alarms were already due. It was a gloomy Monday morning, and one which offered little comfort for the students whose classes were a twenty minute walk away. Not all was bad, however. Apart from the location, the Ravenwood dorms were considered one of the more luxurious housing options on campus. The building, which looked to be an old, rugged shack from the outside, was a singular modern-aesthetic living space capable of housing up to eight students. The dorm was split into two floors, with two bedrooms existing on the east and west side of both floors. In between the bedrooms were several rooms of common space. Upstairs, the spaces were defined by study and entertainment rooms, whereas the ground floor contained the kitchen, laundry, and living room.

Each occupied bedroom had the student's belongings already pre-delivered; however, aside from the luggage, the rooms were fairly bare bones. Only a queen sized bed, an end table, and a dresser existed within. The lack of general furnishings was done on purpose, since each end table contained a school-provided MacBook and a small pamphlet describing an online furniture outlet. With a wide selection of available options, each student was given the opportunity to customize their own room, free of charge.

Of course such luxuries were likely the least of the student's worries given the orientation from the night before. Nonetheless, there were no signs that anything had gone awry. Not a single injury existed on anyone's body, much less any signs that they had died. Only the wristbands remained affixed to every student's wrist. For all they knew, however, the events from the night before could have just been a bad, drunken dream.

With each awakening, the screens of the wristbands would have flared to life, displaying a timer that had roughly two hours remaining. Underneath of the timer was a description for a campus building and the name of their first class.

1:58
Academic North, B, Room 103
Introduction to Fracture Academics
 
"Yea mom i'm- No its okay I'm.." He paused again, he was trying to say something about yesterday, he had been for abit now. He was...

He was just happy, to be alive.

And thankful he could talk to mom again.

Even if it was mostlt just him reaffirming he was okay and just wanted to hear her voice... The monster.... He remembered it so thoroughly... The arms, the limbs... Flailing about with insane strength... Did that happen? Was that just a hazeing? Did he get hit with LSD and had a huge death related trip? He didn't know in the slightest....

"Okay mom, love you too... Miss you too, love you, bye." Shit... Fuck... What was he gonna do now...? One minute he was stabbing a limb demon seconds before his head gets taken off and now hes... Worrying his mom with a morning phone call... He should be happy, but... All he had were questions... So many questions. And no real answers beyond he was breathing, his heart was beating and his whole body ached. Pain was a sign he was still alive enough to care about his well being at least...

The fear of last night... He knows thousands upon thousands of stories from the past about people going to war, fighting monsters even in myth... But... Did they all feel that way too? The urge to run? Never look back? He never thought about fighting until he found no way out... Then he just felt angry... Angry that he was to die, that he was just some sacrifice to the god of Slaughter known as Kill ot be Killed that this world worshios and has for millenia... Say what you will of this world and your desire to protect it...

It wants nothing but your death, and that has never changed from the start.

Knowing this...

Why did he feel so scared to leave this room?

It was as unfamiliar as everything else but god he just didn't want this to be some form of metaphotical last moments before true death and leaving will just make him slip away to nothing... But he talked to mom... And there were birds outside... So... If those birds can survive and face the world, so can he...

With a slight hesitant breath, he turned the door knob and threw the door open...

No pearly gates yet, it seems...
 
"One, two, three, four, five" Nari counted on her hand. She held her palms out in front of her, examining the smooth brown texture of her skin. No bruises? No scars? Not even the one from when she was 9? Nari scoffed in disbelief. If that had been a bad trip, then she must still be tripping. The A/C hummed in the background. The coolness of the short carpet beneath her bare feet could be felt. Nari sucked in a deep breath of air through her teeth. All she could remember was the feeling of suffocation and the taste of iron in her mouth. Sort of like if you ever put your tongue to a battery. Nari dragged her feet, exhausted yet alive, to the full body mirror in her...dorm? When had she gotten here? Or rather who brought her here? No recollection after blacking out, she began to shiver, however it wasn't from the A/C. The thought of the very lucid dream had slightly traumatized her. She had realistic dreams before that shook her once she awoke, however-- this one topped them all. In only her under garments, Nari began to examine her body in the mirror. Her eyes traced each part of her slim physique beginning with her head. Slowly they followed down to her neck, defined collarbone, pronounced navel, legs, and then feet. All had been intact. Perhaps, too intact. All the scars she had accumulated over her lifetime seemed to have had disappeared. She was anew. Almost like she was...rebirthed.

Nari snatched her eyes from the mirror in angst. She hadn't wanted to be called crazy, let alone be sent to a mental institute. If I'm not already at one, she thought. This was her new start, away from the control of her parents. Whatever she had experienced would be kept to herself. No matter who asked. Nari grabbed her mahogany velvet cotton robe from her suitcase along with some slippers and put them on. The A/C was beginning to get to her. She checked her phone to find that she had several missed messages from her father.

Baba
them
Mama, did you arrive accordingly?
them
I'm sure you're rather busy. Text me as soon as you're free.
them
Nari Symone, I do not appreciate the disrespect. Your Mama is worried...I am too. Reach back.

Nari groaned. Missing her fathers texts was like a bomb waiting to explode. She hadn't wanted to upset them, but what choice did she have. Nari replied, hoping to leave them with ease of her whereabouts.
Baba
me
All is fine, Baba. I apologize. Orientation was rather eventful? I'm fine, I'm in class--can't talk right now.
them
I expect better from you. Do not text me while you're in study.

Nari rolled her eyes as she threw her phone on the bed, and walked towards the dorm room door, turning the knob with caution. The last time she walked through a door, it converted into a forest hideaway. Hence forth, Nari was a bit wary and distrustful towards doors in the academy. She peeped her head through, looking down the hall both ways. It was quiet, clean, and quite put together. Moderately more comfortable, she took a cautious step out with one foot. Testing the floor as if she was a toddler dipping a toe in a pool. Seeing that there were no trap doors, she stood in the hall silently. Observing her surroundings, she then decided to walk down towards a common room placed between other rooms on the floor.
 
Peter
5:37 A.M.
Monday, September 11th, 2027
Dormitory


Peter had a nightmare, that's what it had to be, losing his arms is honestly one of the worst fears he has, feeling the air flowing through his nostrils and filling his lungs Peter, he knew he was alive. to breath is to be alive. Peter didn't know what's going on, he doesn't remember how he got here, as he doesn't drink alcohol, perhaps he was roofied? No, that makes even less sense, who would even attempt to roofie me? Besides, his phone and cooking tools were still there. He doesn't understand, but perhaps he doesn't need to, all that matters is that he's still alive, and has an extreme urge to cook. Getting out of his bed, he grabbed his knife case and examined them with trained care. They were, in no exaggeration, in perfect condition, the blade was tapered, sharpened, and polished with extreme precision and care. He could tell instantly this was not his handiwork, but by someone who respected and loved blades. However, he could still tell that this his blade, the handle was still worn with perpetual use. This was indeed his blade, as he placed back his knives, picking up his case, and walked out of his room. He needed to cook. Going through his door, looking for the kitchen.

Peter
6:59 A.M.
Monday, September 11th, 2027
Dormitory Kitchen


Peter has been cooking non-stop for a while, making plenty of breakfast foods that could feed an entire king's court. First came the Eggs Benedict, with English muffins made from scratch, thick bacon slice, topped with a perfectly cooked and shaped creamy poached eggs, and generously drizzled homemade hollandaise sauce, next came the Kartoffelpuffer, or Potato Pancakes, grating potatoes with precision and speed to make a fluffy, oil fried pancake which goes well with powdered sugar and jam. Speaking of Jam, he picked out a batch of fresh strawberries, and processed them into fresh strawberry jam. Next came the quiche, quickly preparing a pie crust, freezing it, then filling it with an egg mixture generously filled with chopped up green onions and diced bacon. Peter managed to cook all this without wasting a single second. Making all sorts of dishes from all sorts of cultures and customs. (Y'all can have whatever if it's considered a breakfast food that's)

His last minutes making a tall souffle pancake. After cooking all this food, he checked to make sure that half of the dishes here were vegan, having a vegan option doesn't hurt anyone. It was his first time dorming with people, I hope they'll be comfortable while eating, as he grabbed a cup and drank some tap water. The tap water actually tasted delicious and refreshing.

"Well, that certainly blew off some steam," Peter chuckled. "Nothing like working to distract yourself from... whatever happened yesterday. I do hope I can meet the person who sharpened my blades, I wanna learn how to do that. It was a good thing the kitchen was really well stocked, even as so far as to having Holy Basil! He is so gonna make curry for dinner tonight. Well, I hope whoever my roommates are, they'll enjoy this breakfast."
As he rested his eyes in the chair he was sitting in. He was really glad to know his finely tuned muscle memory was still intact. "It was just a nightmare..."
 

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