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Swords of Sin 1.1: Maelstrom Island『PLOT』「Bass|Cin|Mai|Rico」
Amelie
Better Mod
2019 Tounament Winner!
Also, the person who tends to grade things.
Posts: 2,562
OOC Name: Yuu™
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Post by Amelie on Aug 10, 2022 23:50:44 GMT
Theoretically, there were many paths that could be taken to tackle the problem at hand. The one taken was definitely on the unorthodox side, but it was still worth a shot, wasn’t it? Since the tree had proven it could communicate with everyone present, maybe talking back to it would accomplish something?
Well, an ephemeral shriek wasn’t precisely communication, but at least it was something, right? Thus, the tree was gently asked to turn aside. What did it do in the face of such a request? Firstly, the tree stood there, silently. Pretty much like any tree would do really. But, then…?
Another scream, just like the one that had been heard moments before, was heard again. It wasn’t in the exact same tone, but it wasn’t like that mattered a lot when considering how foul the sound actually was. Tree wasn’t getting anyone off the hook easily this time, it seemed!
Or, maybe it was? It was hard to know when it had exactly happened, but the tree wasn’t there anymore. Instead, a pathway that went forward extended itself. Not far from where the group was, a simple, shrine-like structure was located. At least from a distance, it seemed to be crudely built, and surprisingly enough, at least twenty or so flaming dots could be observed from the structure's general direction.
Whoever decided to set candles alight amid a jungle was either extremely pious or extremely stupid.
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Post by Miyako + Mantis on Aug 19, 2022 5:25:28 GMT
"Well, doesn't seem like the one resident wanted to get knocked over. I dunno, it would've been a little reassuring to know for certain that we weren't the only living things on this island outside of that blur from earlier, y'know?" Miyako hmm'd. The mystery of the island was only growing by the minute.
Still. Miyako was going to take the initiative and move ahead, with Mantis and Robin trailing on behind. What was there to be found upon a pathway that an individual who was largely non-verbal laid out? "Not quite moving things aside, but...something's here." Miya mused, before she took note of...
"A shrine. Really, of all the indicators that there is anything at all alive...it's some pious piece of shit's handiwork. Wonder if there's any recording around here..." Mantis was having a grand old time as he sought to approach the shrine. What was around in it's vicinity?
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Post by ricochet9-Kima on Aug 19, 2022 8:41:50 GMT
Between the suggestion to burn the tree down the suggestion of tunneling came up which caused Fuzz's eyes to light up. With his natural talents for swiftly tunneling such a thing would be theoretically easy. Then the possibility of roots being potentially problematic made Fuzz's frown as he had not considered that as a problem as he could likely dig far enough down to avoid the roots.
Rumi then suggested that if talking to the tree didn't work that they could knock it down and sure with all of them there that would likely be very easy if properly coordinated. Though apparently Takoda's unorthodox approach of talking to the tree had a reaction they weren't expecting. Well that was after the group's hearing came back after the second scream and the tree seemed to have vanished.
"Seriously? Was more screaming necessary?" Shillan growled in annoyance as the ringing in his ears faded.
"Guys look the tree is gone and there seems to be a path." Kima said pointing out to where the tree once stood. Then as Miyako took initiative Blaster followed her and Kima and the rest of her forces followed further behind.
Soon the group saw the the old shrine which perked the curiosity of Kima's group and she looked at Takoda, Shillan, and Chaytan before looking at everyone else before she nervously suggested. "Uh maybe we all should look around. Like Mantis said there could be a recording or some other clue."
Kima and her forces then began looking around with Takoda and Shillan lowering their heads and sniffing around while Kima, Blaster, Chaytan, and Fuzz gently moved stuff around. Then Blaster seemed fascinated by the candles as he said "Maybe these candles are of some importance. I can't think of any reason why they would be lit if tha shrine is this old."
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Post by Carlos Rey on Aug 26, 2022 21:53:29 GMT
"....shut up." The imp quietly spat at Remmy, not wanting to admit he was starting to get a bit lost by this back and for over who had or had not suggested not burning stuff up. Not that it would matter soon, since after nearly deafening the group again the tree would just...no longer be there. Huh, maybe talking was the answer all along. In it's place however stood something considerably less inviting, despite the piousness associated with such a place, but for some irrational reason Carlos wasn't all too fond of exploring a weird shrine like place that had materialized from thin air.
"Guess we'll find out who else lived on this island. Or lives."
After all, while the candles sure gave the place a more ethereal and almost serene look, it also probably didn't bode well for their chances of this place being deserted, but that ship had sailed long ago.
"It's a mystical shrine in the middle of a forest. I'd be more surprised if they weren't lit." Dio retorted, rather cryptically, as if he actually had any prior experience with spooky forest shrines. Almost as if to prove that he'd make a beeline for the shrine, intent on poking and proding around once close enough. He shot Mantis a glance, "Fifty bits says there's a recording in the shrine."
Carlos lifted a hand as if to stop him, but relented, not like he was going to listen anyway. Instead, he and the black guilmon would see about circling the structure, hoping to spot a trail or something similar behind it so that they could continue heading deeper into the island, ignoring this bizarre but nonetheless persistent roadblock.
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Post by Kurumi on Sept 2, 2022 1:44:54 GMT
While Remmy would have loved to take some time to be smug about getting a certain Impmon's non-existent panties in a bunch, he was a little too focused on backing away from the tree before any further 'conversations' could take place with it. And by conversations, the narrator absolutely meant screaming. Just like it did immediately after.
Rumi attempted to cover her ears, which was frankly too late to be useful, while Mori just stared at the tree without blinking. Seemed pretty productive, on their end! "Wish we would've knocked it down, for the headache I'm gettin'," the blonde muttered. Even better would have been to catch it on fire, but she wasn't really interested in prodding at Dio's pride more than Remmy already had.
As the group began to progress, Mori listened to Blaster's interest in the candles. "Do you think we should take some of them?"
"That is how you get cursed."
The silver-haired 'girl' puffed her cheeks at the human that had ruined her suggestion, before leaning to examine one of the candles, briefly. "Or, we could try to extinguish them."
That sounded like another way to get cursed!
The candles probably weren't all that important, anyway. But it looked like it would have been totally fine to burn down a whole tree, considering someone didn't care about forest fires, either way!
None of the trio approached the shrine too closely, deciding for varying reasons that none of them really wanted to be the one to potentially interact with screaming/cursed recordings. But, they still stayed with the group well enough that they wouldn't be left out of any goings-ons.
Instead, wanting to make sure not to overlap a strange recording message with anything from her sister, Mori took a quick opportunity to go over anything that could have been sent her way. Her face scrunched, looking at the walkie-talkie. After the message from her little sister ended, she looked around at the group to see if anyone would listen. "Does anyone know S'mores code?" Marina sure did use a lot of weird names and terms in these communications! "Little Sister Marina said it's a thing humans might know, and it can be auditory or visual. It comes in pulses or dots and dashes. She thinks the tree was part of it." Which part of a screaming tree was involved with smores, was the real question here.
There was absolutely no chance that Marina meant Morse code when she said it, after all! A 'morse' wasn't a thing that Amorie had ever heard of, and couldn't be real! So, she went with the next best option! Silly Marina.
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Amelie
Better Mod
2019 Tounament Winner!
Also, the person who tends to grade things.
Posts: 2,562
OOC Name: Yuu™
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Post by Amelie on Sept 7, 2022 0:03:03 GMT
What would the group find, then? As they approached, anyone observant enough would notice that, one by one, the lights that had dotted the shrine’s area began to slowly burn off and extinguish all the way until there were only three remaining. Eerie.
The shrine itself was quite perplexing, as well. What had seemed crudely built at a glance now seemed like an excellently made, and somewhat smaller piece of furniture. It wasn’t quite a barrel, but it looked like it had certainly drawn some inspiration from Pop Up Pirate. Alongside the length of it, there were ten holes, each of them wide enough for a human to extend their hands inside; these holes were each marked with a roman numeral, from I to X, making them in total. Atop the structure, the three remaining dots of flame floated atop a candle each, even though it seemed like neither had too much time on them.
The rest of the small clearing was defined by a collection of two shacks that, just like the strange device before them, seemed to have weathered the ravages of time almost as if they had not effect for them. Could this place be so ancient, or was this construction recent? Judging by the polished stones and the mossless roofs, that couldn’t entirely be judged out.
Most striking, though? Each of these had a pretty hefty padlock securing their main doors; the things were pretty much the size of the average human’s head, and seemed to weigh at least twice as much. Whatever was stored inside these, one thing was for sure. It seemed like they really cared about their possessions.
As far as sensory scouting went, both Takoda and Shillian would sense a faint smell of… lavender in the air, even though its source was rather vague. Or, at the very least, the candles didn’t seem like they were its source.
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Post by Miyako + Mantis on Sept 19, 2022 2:38:11 GMT
Was there a recording in the shrine? Hm. Didn't necessarily seem like there would be room for one, but...It also looked a little bit like a strange puzzle. Miyako then looked between the shrine, and the shacks. "Someone's gotta check those out...Hm. Ten holes..." She peeked into one of them. Was there anything on the other side? Were there any circular objects to fit in there?
Mantis would take the onus of venturing towards the two shacks, and stopping when noticing the padlocks. "Hm. The island might well be more populated than I ever anticipated, if there's people smart enough to leave their shacks locked up despite having no other SIGNS of life here." Which meant there had to be a key somewhere...
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Post by ricochet9-Kima on Sept 19, 2022 4:52:01 GMT
Kima had been watching the interactions between Dio and Remmy not knowing how to go about communicating with them. It seemed like Remmy was getting a kick out of messing with the Impmon in question. So far there was really no in fighting so all they now had to worry about was the shrine that seemingly had come into sight.
Takoda and Shillan sniffed around before Takoda said "Other than the scent of lavender I'm not picking up anything else."
"Same here, Takoda." Shillan said as he walked a bit away from the Pumamon soon spotting Mantis following him to where the shacks were."I'm gonna try and bust through one of them." Shillan shouted back to the others forgetting about the communication system Blaster and Fuzz had worked on for their army. It was fine though since Shillan's voice was one that carried. One thing for sure is that he could definitely project his voice a good distance. With that some clanging was heard as it sounded as if the Sangloupmon was using the blades on his boots on one of the locks itself.
Takoda shook his head before he said "I suppose it's better than him using that cannon in his body he absorbed some time ago."
However when Marina asked if anyone knew Smores Code, Kima looked at the digimon perplexed before she asked "Uhm, don't you mean Morse Code?"
Meanwhile Blaster had lost interest in the candles moving closer to the shrine for a better look watching as Miyako investigated the holes and said "Maybe there is something in those holes that is supposed ta be lit, ya know, like other candles."
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Post by Carlos Rey on Sept 28, 2022 22:30:55 GMT
No recording so far, but instead another change and another conundrum of a puzzle for them to solve. Whatever force ruled over this island had a thing for those it seemed.
"Well, if you want to extinguish them still that's your chance: there's only three left." Dio pointed out, the smallest of hints of sarcasm in his tone as if not buying anyone would actually try to put the remaining candles out. He sure wasn't going to, lest they got actually cursed. Unfortunately neither twin nor Carlos knew anything about codes, either S'more or Morse, though at the very least the man agreed that the screaming was probably means of communicating something. No earthly idea of what but something!
"Either that or someone was expecting people." Carlos shrugged at Miyako, more annoyed than puzzled at the amount of security these lonely structures had, lax as it was. The more time they spent here, the less likely they'd be to reach the center of the island first.
As the imp went onto try his luck melting the lock on one of the sheds with some of his fire, his brother's attention would instead be fixated on the holes, as well as Blaster's remark about something maybe being inside them.
"On it!" The guilmon exclaimed, getting close to the strange not barrel and attempting to put his claw into the hole marked with a "III", reaching into it to see if he could find anything. Why that one in particular? No reason, other than the fact his group was made of three, so he was quite fond of that number.
"What did I tell you about poking at stuff you shouldn't?"
"Well, how do you know we shouldn't? Do you see anything else we could stick inside?"
The man didn't reply, just shrugged and waited to see if the world would be on his side or Gio's...or maybe nothing would happen, that was a possibility too, but ironically that seemed like a worse prospect than even Gio being right.
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Post by Kurumi on Oct 5, 2022 22:10:31 GMT
So far, nothing seemed dangerous, but nothing was really popping out to know what to do, either. At least, as far as the trio in this post went. Rumi gave a small sniff, but she was pretty darn human and the smell wasn't very powerful, so she was going to have to trust the Digimon who claimed they could identify it. "Dunno if it matters, but lavender's supposed'ta be calming. Spiritual people claim it wards off evil, and some even think it lets you see ghosts." Was any of that relevant? Honestly, probably not. There was a higher likeliness that they were going to find some sort of digital lavender patch nearby.
Mori looked to where Dio pointed at the candles, and pursed her lips. "If they go out on their own, do you think we get cursed, still?" Hopefully not, since there wasn't much to avoid it from happening!
Without much physical to go on with the lavender thing, Kurumi turned her attention to where Miyako was looking. "Looks like something I saw in a horror movie once." A pretty gory one, at that. "Anyone wanna stick their arms in it, and see if it's the same thing?"
"Or don't," Remmy was quick to follow-up. He was pretty sure he got the spirit user's reference. And while there were no televisions nearby that a creepy doll in a suit could communicate with them through, the random radios that popped up were unsettlingly close enough. Unfortunately, it was probably said too late to stop Gio's action.
At the thought of the island being populated, Mori tilted her head. "How could it be populated, if it was underwater not long ago?" Could inhabitants build this stuff that fast? Or could it have been crafted underwater?
Not that she had much time to mull on it, since she was now being questioned about Smores. There was a moment of silence, while she looked back down to her communication device. "If 'Morse' is a word, then yes. I would say that would be correct." Awkward. "Can anyone think of more instances where we may have seen or heard this code, so I can relay to Little Sister Marina?" Maybe, the other team would have more information on it!
Otherwise, though? The trio was just going to let the others try to bust into the shacks. They didn't really want to be the ones to find out firsthand what would happen to anyone trying to break in. After all, on the off-chance the lavender did have a purpose...
Actually, maybe Rumi should say something. "How sure are we that locks like this are meant to keep us from getting in?"
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Amelie
Better Mod
2019 Tounament Winner!
Also, the person who tends to grade things.
Posts: 2,562
OOC Name: Yuu™
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Post by Amelie on Oct 18, 2022 6:56:29 GMT
Interestingly enough, even though the furniture in question wasn’t going any lengths to prevent it, Miyako’s efforts at peeking inside the hole were fruitless; it seemed like observation would only go so far, which in practical terms meant… not very far at all.
Was there something else inside this piece of furniture? It was hard to tell, and even if Miyako was troubled by some kind of abnormal near-sightedness, there was this weird feeling that, from within it, something was gazing straight back at her. Why would be this the case? At least for the time being, it was completely impossible to know.
As Mantis’ prospective search began and Blaster assisted on Miyako’s own search, Shillan tried to pry open one of the locks by using brute force. Simple and effective, right? Things as they were, the method was successful! Or, at least partially so; there was an easily observable dent on the padlock, but it still had a long way from being broken. Maybe some more effort had to be poured on the task? It certainly seemed like that at plain sight.
Similarly, an attempt of Dio’s quality would be partially successful, even if ultimately not completely so; the lock’s metal seemed to be somewhat resistant to heat, but signs of wear due to the hostile condition showed; it wasn’t hard to guess that, with more potency, breaking in wouldn’t be too much of an issue.
However, Gio had far and away done the most daring (and possibly reckless) act when he stuck one of his claws into the hole marked with the ‘III’. As he did so, one of the lit candles was snuffed out instantly, and, in a puff of purple smoke, the vague silhouette of a wooden door frame marked with a long, yet completely smooth horizontal gash; for some brief moments before the smoke dissipated, the silhouettes of a group of digimons and a single human were evident.
An interesting revelation, to say the least; chances were that its meaning remained cryptic, however. Could this be one of the many pieces that the puzzle of the island had? And, most importantly, could the group be able to correctly interpret it, if that was the case? For now, the answer to that question was on them.
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Post by Miyako + Mantis on Oct 26, 2022 4:59:24 GMT
So, trying to look in the holes was a bust. But, all the same, some things that were mentioned did stick out to Miyako. Namely, the significance of the lavender scent... "It wouldn't surprise me if there were ghosts or something spiritual amid this spot. The candles probably support that hypothesis, Miss Rumi!"
Mantis, however, honed in on what Kurumi mentioned about what the purposes of the locks could be. "Perhaps they were to prevent something from getting out, all the same. A purpose that it is still fulfilling by barring entry or exit." Something that may have been corroborated by the gash and the silhouettes...
Miya squinted at them. Namely the Digimon, trying to ascertain any details from their silhouettes. "...Gio, keep doing that. That might be something to help see what's in here. Or who."
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Post by ricochet9-Kima on Oct 26, 2022 19:50:01 GMT
Blaster went about also looking around near Miyako and the efforts were seeming to not get anywhere but was messing with the candles the right answer what with mentions of curses and all. The mention of curses was getting Kima uneasy causing the general to look at the humans in the group before she uneasily asked "A-Are there really such things as curses here in the Digital World. Are we doing the right thing by messing with this area?"
Takoda said "While rare curses aren't unheard of, Kima. I know this is worrying but I'm sure the others are not trying to put everyone in unnecessary danger. If things get out of hand we digimon can handle it."
"But what if there is a curse? Is that something digimon can even handle?" Kima asked sounded slightly less panicked but still hesitant. Takoda looked at the others looking lost.
Meanwhile Blaster looked at the remaining candles and said "Don't worry Kima. I'd be more worried about there being somethin' in those sheds."
"But wouldn't Shillan of heard something by now since he is trying to break the lock off?" Kima asked receiving a clueless shrug from Takoda in return. Meanwhile Shillan was now poking at the lock as it was still mostly intact but there were clear dents.
However, after Gio stuck one of his claws into the hole that was marked 'III' which caused the candles to snuff out and Chaytan said "Looks like something is happening." The Hawkmon's words were right on the money as a puff of purple smoke revealed a silhouette of a wooden door before there was the silhouette of what appeared to be a human and some digimon too.
Fuzz chittered in his native language his confusion written on his face not to mention his tone. However, only Takoda understood the small digimon's words. Blaster moved a bit closer to the vague image and said "Uh, hello there. Who are ya?" It was clear he was attempting to communicate with the vague images of the human and the digimon. If they were spirits maybe they could be spoken to.
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Post by Carlos Rey on Nov 4, 2022 19:05:06 GMT
"Eh, I'm sure curses don't apply if you move between worlds." Dio shrugged, probably trying to ease his own worries about the matter more than the group's. Truth be told, if they already had come this far to muck around inside a conspicuous shrine in the middle of an island, they were probably already cursed to hell and back, so there was not much point in worrying about that right now.
What was upsetting however was the lock not budging even under his fire prodding, though it still looked very much like they could get in with enough force. The question if it would be worth it to evolve just to kick down the door would have to wait for an answer however, as his brother's putzing would somehow bear results.
Amazingly it seemed Gio's gamble (or rather reckless curiosity) not only mostly paid off, but most importantly did NOT blow up in the group's collective face as a result, so the horror movie theory was also probably out of the gate; there was a first time for everything it seemed. Of course he had no clue what the result could even mean, but at the behest of Miyako he'd most certainly keep going.
"Ok!" He replied with a nod, turning his attention back to the holes and squinting for a moment. Thinking about the one singular human ish shape they had just seen, he placed another claw into the hole marked as "I" and waited.
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Post by Kurumi on Nov 20, 2022 4:02:43 GMT
Rumi gave a small smile at Miyako's response to the idea of ghosts being in the area. The candles certainly did aid the theory. But, would they find anything that could prove it? It was pretty hard to tell when the spirit user's side of the group, admittedly, wasn't doing a ton of the actual work. Still, she nodded at Mantis's statement, "exactly the concern." Even if they hadn't heard anything yet, there was no reason to assume it was safe!
"Curses being nullified by traveling is a beneficial concept for us. I'll accept it as the truth," Mori responded to Dio's statement. Maybe two Digimon agreeing with the idea would help settle Kima's nerves! Even if there was nothing to back the theory! "I don't believe I've been cursed before. It might be fun to experience."
If anyone was cursed at this point, it was probably Gio, though! He did, somehow, summon some sort of door with strangers. Or... were they? Firmly, Mori took one hand and began shoving Remi toward the strange device with holes in it, "stick your hands in."
There was obviously some resistance, even if this device wasn't an immediate murder-machine! "Why would I do that?"
"You want to gain favor with Miss Rumi, right? Helping her mission would surely be a start."
The holosuited 'man' gave a groan, and looked at the human that was the topic. And only gained an uninterested shrug from Kurumi as a response. Scrunching his face, Remmy began to walk up to the 'furniture' and gave a look around. "I'll do it if someone else does, too." Was he really going to take more of the party down with him? No offense to Gio, but he needed someone a little more cautious to agree this was worth trying, before he was willing to risk himself! Plus, the more the merrier, right?
Now that Mori had gotten Remmy to somewhat agree to play the not-quite-pop-up-pirate game, she lifted her communication device to her mouth. "Little Sister Marina. No luck on the Morse. However," she raised her voice slightly, "you mentioned a gashed door previously. Could you describe it more? Much affection, from Big Sister Mori." Coincidences weren't just coincidences, right? Eyes remained fixed on where the smoke had been, unblinking. If anything new happened, she wasn't about to miss it!
Meanwhile, Rumi had come to another conclusion, and pursed her lips. "Think we might only get three tries," she uttered, while making a gesture toward the two remaining flames. Hopefully, they hadn't just used up their second attempt, though the answer to that would be given soon enough if another candle was snuffed. "We should consider what we need to do before we risk usin' it again, just in case." Says the person who was trying to convince people to stick their hands in when she initially thought it was dangerous!
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