MPC 55A: Tales of Torment
Oct 17, 2018 4:47:31 GMT
Post by Hideo Kino on Oct 17, 2018 4:47:31 GMT
MPC Number: 55A
MPC Name: Campfire Tales
Rewards: Posts
A night camping out in the digital world was no different than a night out in the real world - dark, cold, and risky if you were alone - not to mention pretty boring.
But fortunately, Hideo was not alone on this night. Ever with him was his partner, Kuki. The two had decided to finally try spending a night in the Digital World - inspired by their meeting with another human who frequently did the same. He had to sneak out at night, but with the time-difference between this world and the human world, he could probably spend a couple nights here before his parents found out he was gone.
And so, here they were, in the middle of the woods, sitting by a campfire they'd set. It was a fairly simple campsite - neither were really experience with setting them up - but it was enough; nice, warm, and comfy. And quiet.
So, rather than just wait until both of them fell asleep, the two decided to liven up the campsite with some stories. After some brief discussion, Hideo would be the first to begin.
And so, he went with a story the younger of his two older sisters told him.
"A man found himself in the middle of a dark path. He didn't have any memory of where to go, where he was going, or even who he was. He sat down to collect himself and let his tired legs rest for a moment, but looked up to see an old woman in front of him. She was looking right at him, showing a toothless grin, and cackled 'And now, what will be your third wish?'."
He paused, taking a bite out of the half-melted marshmallow Kuki had prepared for him beforehand. She didn't dare let him roast any marshmallows on his own - even if he could get a decent idea of where the fire was from the heat it radiated, he was still too likely to set something on fire if he tried it himself, whether it be his food, his stick, or himself.
That moment to bite wasn't just to enjoy some food, though. It was to help build suspense, to let his setup cement itself in his partner's mind, to get her wondering where the story would go next.
She remained silent, but knowing her, it must have meant he'd gotten her interest.
He lowered his marshmallow, continuing. "Of course, he was confused. 'My third wish? How can that be if I haven't even made a first or second wish?'"
"'Ah, but you've already had two wishes' she told him. 'But your second wish was to make it as if you never made your first wish. And that is why you don't remember anything: because that how you were before you made your first wish.' She laughed at the poor, confused man. 'So now, you've but one wish remaining.'"
Another pause, but before he could lift the marshmallow back up, a leg stopped his arm. Even though she was still silent, it was obvious why she'd done that.
"Alright, alright, I'll finish it first." This was enough to get his partner to let his arm free. Seemed like he'd need to finish that before he could finish this.
"The man looked at her, dumbfounded. 'All right. I don't believe you, but there's no harm in trying. I wish to remember who I am.'"
"'Funny' the old woman said, as she snapped her fingers and granted his wish, disappearing forever. 'That was your first wish'."
He smiled, his story complete. While his partner couldn't clap - she lacked the hands for such - the constant patting on the ground was the next best thing she could do. And she seemed to really like it, because it sounded like a quiet jackhammer hitting the ground. He couldn't help but blush. "Man, you make it sound like there's an entire audience of you cheering for me!"
"How else am I supposed to react when you start with such a good one?" was her retort. "Do another."
He shook his head. "Come on, Kuki. I start with one, then you do one. I don't want to be the only one telling stories."
His partner sighed heavily, making it clear that she didn't want to tell one, but she understood the terms. "Fiiiine."
Hideo took another bite out of his marshmallow, ready for her to begin.
"So, there was a Demon who would wander outside of his home, under the disguise of a friendly rookie digimon. Once, while he was wandering through a forest, he came across some champion digimon hunting for data. He asked them what they were doing there, and they told him. 'I've never been on a hunt before,' the Demon told them, and so, they offered to let him join, which he accepted."
While he wasn't sure how strong a Demon was, if his knowledge of his own world's religion was anything to go by, Demons must have been pretty tough. He didn't wish to interrupt her story to get that clarified, so he remained silent.
"They soon came across a village of in-training digimon. The hunters were well armed and could easily have destroyed the entire village before anyone could stop them - but they didn't. The Demon asked them why."
"'They are weak and unarmed' the hunters told him, chuckling. 'They won't put up a fight. We don't hunt anything that can't defend themselves properly. Where's the fun in that?'"
"The Demon agreed, and promptly revealed its true form to the hunters. They led him on a great chase, but eventually, they were caught and eaten."
Hideo grinned, already realizing this was a good point for the story to have ended. He clapped, smiling, though that smile went away when he realized he wasn't the only one making noise at the moment. A short distance behind him was what sounded like some cracking their knuckles repeatedly, except louder.
A chill ran down his spine, but before he could react, his partner moved first, climbing over him so not only would she be between him and this source, but so she would directly cover him from whatever was approaching. "I dunno who you are, but stop right there!"
"I have forgotten my manners," a strange voice said, from the same source as that strange sound. Deep, with a small hum that preceded and ended shortly after he spoke. "Do not worry: I am no Demon here to teach you a fatal lesson, nor am I a witch here to grant a wish you would come to regret. I am but an old mon, here to warm my cold bones by a fire...if you would allow me."
"You think we're just gonna believe that you just happened to walk in the middle of the forest in the middle of the night and found us-"
"It's alright. He can sit with us."
He could feel Kuki looking right at him. "Hideo, we don't even know who he is. I don't even know what kind of digimon he is or what level he's at. You can't just let anyone who walks by sit with us like they're our best friend!"
"Worry not," the voice spoke again, "I've no desire to harm you. While I am no Demon, my power matches that of one. Had I any intent to harm you, I would not be talking to you now." He could hear it move across the ground, its footsteps oddly sharp-sounding, before it sat down, across from them. "This spot will suffice."
There was an awkward silence as each party expected the other to speak first, with naught but the crackling campfire raising a sound.
"I fear I have disrupted your tales," the man finally said, breaking the silence, "though I do believe it was your turn, child."
"Oh, right!" Hideo lit back up, as he had another story already prepared before this man every arrived. It'd probably be a good way to re-shatter the proverbial ice around them at the moment.
"There was once a man with a very particular ability: if anyone tried to harm him, they would be struck dead immediately. He was a cruel man, and abused his power, getting into fights and provoking people as much as he could. But one day, he was finally arrested, and in court, he was sentenced to death for his actions. He just laughed at them. 'There is no-one who could pass the sentence' he said, knowing anyone who tried to would die."
"But rather than be placed in a regular prison, they had prepared something else for him; he was placed down in a lone prison. There were no openings, save for the grate above where they lowered him from. Inside, there was nothing, except for a single cup filled with a liquid in the corner of the room. 'We will come back for you in sixty days' his jailors told him. 'Inside of that cup is a poison, which you may drink. It will be a quick death.''"
His partner was silent, likely engrossed in the story by now. The man was similarly silent, which he'd assumed was also out of interest. "'Aren't you going to kill me?' he laughed at them."
"'No one will come to harm you' the jailor replied."
"'Then you are all cowards!' He searched the room until he found the cup and threw it at a wall, shattering it and leaving the poison to dry on the wall until it was no more. 'Come, now you have to try and kill me.' But there was no answer, and it was at that point that he realized the room was truly empty: no bed, no light, no food or water. All that was in the room were himself and the now-shattered glass of poison, which could no longer harm him. That was the first time he ever felt fear, as he felt death slowly approach."
"Sixty days later, the jailors returned, and took his body out of the cell. He had long since died, and his execution had been carried out."
Hideo smiled, his story complete. Once again, he heard the same knuckle-cracking noise heard before, but had finally realized why this man was making it. "Thanks for your applause, but...you wouldn't happen to be a skeleton, would you?"
"Correct!" the man answered. "My skeletal form is just as true as you inability to see it...or anything, for that matter, no?"
Hideo nodded. He wasn't exactly hiding his blindness, but didn't see any reason to bring it up unless he had to. It was nice for someone to realize it on their own - moreso that they were willing to confront him with it. Most people seemed uncomfortable about even mentioning it. "So, mister-"
"You needn't be so formal. My name is Calcico - please refer to me by my name."
"Calcico, sir. Do you have a story you want to share?"
He didn't respond immediately, which was enough proof for Hideo that he was seriously considering the offer. "Perhaps it would be appropriate for me to share one, if I am to share these flames. Very well. I do have a story for you both, a story I know well."
"There was once an Andromon, freshly evolved, that had for the first time left the factory it had lived in since it had hatched from its egg, to learn more about the outside world for its superiors. It knew nothing but the commands of those immediately above it - it didn't even have the concept of anything above them. One day, it passed by a small shop and noticed a clock that could no longer tell time. It was broken, such that the glass cover was missing and the hands were bent."
"The Andromon immediately set itself to fixing this clock, gathering all the necessary parts before repairing it. He constructed a new wooden housing for the clock, fashioned new metal hands for it, replaced all the springs and gears inside, and carefully filed and oiled the machine. For you see, its ticking had reminded it of its home, and his efforts to fix it were so it could be as precise and functional as itself."
"What the Andromon never truly understood was that it loved this clock that it had worked on in its own image, and why for reasons it couldn't explain, never returned home, electing to stay with this clock until the end of time."
With that, it was clear that the story had ended. It wasn't quite a scary story, and yet, it still seemed like a story close to him.
As if it was something he'd been wanting to tell for some time now.
Kuki shook off an odd feeling she'd gotten from that story. She'd never heard of a place like that factory - a place like that would have been someone everyone talked about, especially if they sent out digimon like that. But then again, it could have been something made up for the story.
Right?
Regardless, it earned an applause from the two. And so, the night would go on, with the three sharing stories, until they'd be reminded that sleep was not something they could just ignore.
MPC Name: Campfire Tales
Rewards: Posts
A night camping out in the digital world was no different than a night out in the real world - dark, cold, and risky if you were alone - not to mention pretty boring.
But fortunately, Hideo was not alone on this night. Ever with him was his partner, Kuki. The two had decided to finally try spending a night in the Digital World - inspired by their meeting with another human who frequently did the same. He had to sneak out at night, but with the time-difference between this world and the human world, he could probably spend a couple nights here before his parents found out he was gone.
And so, here they were, in the middle of the woods, sitting by a campfire they'd set. It was a fairly simple campsite - neither were really experience with setting them up - but it was enough; nice, warm, and comfy. And quiet.
So, rather than just wait until both of them fell asleep, the two decided to liven up the campsite with some stories. After some brief discussion, Hideo would be the first to begin.
And so, he went with a story the younger of his two older sisters told him.
"A man found himself in the middle of a dark path. He didn't have any memory of where to go, where he was going, or even who he was. He sat down to collect himself and let his tired legs rest for a moment, but looked up to see an old woman in front of him. She was looking right at him, showing a toothless grin, and cackled 'And now, what will be your third wish?'."
He paused, taking a bite out of the half-melted marshmallow Kuki had prepared for him beforehand. She didn't dare let him roast any marshmallows on his own - even if he could get a decent idea of where the fire was from the heat it radiated, he was still too likely to set something on fire if he tried it himself, whether it be his food, his stick, or himself.
That moment to bite wasn't just to enjoy some food, though. It was to help build suspense, to let his setup cement itself in his partner's mind, to get her wondering where the story would go next.
She remained silent, but knowing her, it must have meant he'd gotten her interest.
He lowered his marshmallow, continuing. "Of course, he was confused. 'My third wish? How can that be if I haven't even made a first or second wish?'"
"'Ah, but you've already had two wishes' she told him. 'But your second wish was to make it as if you never made your first wish. And that is why you don't remember anything: because that how you were before you made your first wish.' She laughed at the poor, confused man. 'So now, you've but one wish remaining.'"
Another pause, but before he could lift the marshmallow back up, a leg stopped his arm. Even though she was still silent, it was obvious why she'd done that.
"Alright, alright, I'll finish it first." This was enough to get his partner to let his arm free. Seemed like he'd need to finish that before he could finish this.
"The man looked at her, dumbfounded. 'All right. I don't believe you, but there's no harm in trying. I wish to remember who I am.'"
"'Funny' the old woman said, as she snapped her fingers and granted his wish, disappearing forever. 'That was your first wish'."
He smiled, his story complete. While his partner couldn't clap - she lacked the hands for such - the constant patting on the ground was the next best thing she could do. And she seemed to really like it, because it sounded like a quiet jackhammer hitting the ground. He couldn't help but blush. "Man, you make it sound like there's an entire audience of you cheering for me!"
"How else am I supposed to react when you start with such a good one?" was her retort. "Do another."
He shook his head. "Come on, Kuki. I start with one, then you do one. I don't want to be the only one telling stories."
His partner sighed heavily, making it clear that she didn't want to tell one, but she understood the terms. "Fiiiine."
Hideo took another bite out of his marshmallow, ready for her to begin.
"So, there was a Demon who would wander outside of his home, under the disguise of a friendly rookie digimon. Once, while he was wandering through a forest, he came across some champion digimon hunting for data. He asked them what they were doing there, and they told him. 'I've never been on a hunt before,' the Demon told them, and so, they offered to let him join, which he accepted."
While he wasn't sure how strong a Demon was, if his knowledge of his own world's religion was anything to go by, Demons must have been pretty tough. He didn't wish to interrupt her story to get that clarified, so he remained silent.
"They soon came across a village of in-training digimon. The hunters were well armed and could easily have destroyed the entire village before anyone could stop them - but they didn't. The Demon asked them why."
"'They are weak and unarmed' the hunters told him, chuckling. 'They won't put up a fight. We don't hunt anything that can't defend themselves properly. Where's the fun in that?'"
"The Demon agreed, and promptly revealed its true form to the hunters. They led him on a great chase, but eventually, they were caught and eaten."
Hideo grinned, already realizing this was a good point for the story to have ended. He clapped, smiling, though that smile went away when he realized he wasn't the only one making noise at the moment. A short distance behind him was what sounded like some cracking their knuckles repeatedly, except louder.
A chill ran down his spine, but before he could react, his partner moved first, climbing over him so not only would she be between him and this source, but so she would directly cover him from whatever was approaching. "I dunno who you are, but stop right there!"
"I have forgotten my manners," a strange voice said, from the same source as that strange sound. Deep, with a small hum that preceded and ended shortly after he spoke. "Do not worry: I am no Demon here to teach you a fatal lesson, nor am I a witch here to grant a wish you would come to regret. I am but an old mon, here to warm my cold bones by a fire...if you would allow me."
"You think we're just gonna believe that you just happened to walk in the middle of the forest in the middle of the night and found us-"
"It's alright. He can sit with us."
He could feel Kuki looking right at him. "Hideo, we don't even know who he is. I don't even know what kind of digimon he is or what level he's at. You can't just let anyone who walks by sit with us like they're our best friend!"
"Worry not," the voice spoke again, "I've no desire to harm you. While I am no Demon, my power matches that of one. Had I any intent to harm you, I would not be talking to you now." He could hear it move across the ground, its footsteps oddly sharp-sounding, before it sat down, across from them. "This spot will suffice."
There was an awkward silence as each party expected the other to speak first, with naught but the crackling campfire raising a sound.
"I fear I have disrupted your tales," the man finally said, breaking the silence, "though I do believe it was your turn, child."
"Oh, right!" Hideo lit back up, as he had another story already prepared before this man every arrived. It'd probably be a good way to re-shatter the proverbial ice around them at the moment.
"There was once a man with a very particular ability: if anyone tried to harm him, they would be struck dead immediately. He was a cruel man, and abused his power, getting into fights and provoking people as much as he could. But one day, he was finally arrested, and in court, he was sentenced to death for his actions. He just laughed at them. 'There is no-one who could pass the sentence' he said, knowing anyone who tried to would die."
"But rather than be placed in a regular prison, they had prepared something else for him; he was placed down in a lone prison. There were no openings, save for the grate above where they lowered him from. Inside, there was nothing, except for a single cup filled with a liquid in the corner of the room. 'We will come back for you in sixty days' his jailors told him. 'Inside of that cup is a poison, which you may drink. It will be a quick death.''"
His partner was silent, likely engrossed in the story by now. The man was similarly silent, which he'd assumed was also out of interest. "'Aren't you going to kill me?' he laughed at them."
"'No one will come to harm you' the jailor replied."
"'Then you are all cowards!' He searched the room until he found the cup and threw it at a wall, shattering it and leaving the poison to dry on the wall until it was no more. 'Come, now you have to try and kill me.' But there was no answer, and it was at that point that he realized the room was truly empty: no bed, no light, no food or water. All that was in the room were himself and the now-shattered glass of poison, which could no longer harm him. That was the first time he ever felt fear, as he felt death slowly approach."
"Sixty days later, the jailors returned, and took his body out of the cell. He had long since died, and his execution had been carried out."
Hideo smiled, his story complete. Once again, he heard the same knuckle-cracking noise heard before, but had finally realized why this man was making it. "Thanks for your applause, but...you wouldn't happen to be a skeleton, would you?"
"Correct!" the man answered. "My skeletal form is just as true as you inability to see it...or anything, for that matter, no?"
Hideo nodded. He wasn't exactly hiding his blindness, but didn't see any reason to bring it up unless he had to. It was nice for someone to realize it on their own - moreso that they were willing to confront him with it. Most people seemed uncomfortable about even mentioning it. "So, mister-"
"You needn't be so formal. My name is Calcico - please refer to me by my name."
"Calcico, sir. Do you have a story you want to share?"
He didn't respond immediately, which was enough proof for Hideo that he was seriously considering the offer. "Perhaps it would be appropriate for me to share one, if I am to share these flames. Very well. I do have a story for you both, a story I know well."
"There was once an Andromon, freshly evolved, that had for the first time left the factory it had lived in since it had hatched from its egg, to learn more about the outside world for its superiors. It knew nothing but the commands of those immediately above it - it didn't even have the concept of anything above them. One day, it passed by a small shop and noticed a clock that could no longer tell time. It was broken, such that the glass cover was missing and the hands were bent."
"The Andromon immediately set itself to fixing this clock, gathering all the necessary parts before repairing it. He constructed a new wooden housing for the clock, fashioned new metal hands for it, replaced all the springs and gears inside, and carefully filed and oiled the machine. For you see, its ticking had reminded it of its home, and his efforts to fix it were so it could be as precise and functional as itself."
"What the Andromon never truly understood was that it loved this clock that it had worked on in its own image, and why for reasons it couldn't explain, never returned home, electing to stay with this clock until the end of time."
With that, it was clear that the story had ended. It wasn't quite a scary story, and yet, it still seemed like a story close to him.
As if it was something he'd been wanting to tell for some time now.
Kuki shook off an odd feeling she'd gotten from that story. She'd never heard of a place like that factory - a place like that would have been someone everyone talked about, especially if they sent out digimon like that. But then again, it could have been something made up for the story.
Right?
Regardless, it earned an applause from the two. And so, the night would go on, with the three sharing stories, until they'd be reminded that sleep was not something they could just ignore.
