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deep in the murk
"It comes first and follows after. Ends life, kills laughter."
With the outcome of the battle against the Caducans and the Moira having twisted together with their ship to form a strange combination of glass, metal, and organic parts (both across the ship and among the crewmembers), there is still the matter of the Ingress not functioning “properly”. It hasn’t worked correctly since the very first person arrived on the Moira through it, and there is little the Captains themselves know about its functions. However, now, more than before, it’s even worse than that. The Ingress malfunctions yet again. This time, though, it doesn’t simply combine time and space and objects around it—it encompasses the entirety of the ship and sends it far off into a completely different universe. Welcome to:
( click text for a rough map/layout )This puts the Moira closer to its final destination, and most of the glass has disappeared as the Caducan ship has been left behind aside from small things here and there (i.e., some of the walls in the corridors, random furniture in the rooming decks, the rooms themselves). Even the mess hall has permanently changed. Yet, there is some bad news that comes with this transition. The universe the ship is in is so terrible that it has been given its own name so that travelers avoid it altogether. Even the Captains themselves are aware of just how Bad News this universe is and had originally planned to take “the long way around” to avoid it. Anything shady or unsavory can be found in the Runoff, and while it might not appeal to the majority, it is simply second-nature to those who inhabit it. From arms trafficking to drugs, whatever one might think is illegal somewhere else is suddenly very legal and very dangerous.
Through the transition, some of the crew will accidentally end up on a nearby outpost specifically used for slave trade. It is a covered, temporary establishment used only for this purpose, meaning there are no open markets, hotels, or businesses of any sort. Stalls and tents line dirty streets, and ships litter the space around the outpost. This is a slave trade zone. People come and go but do not stay. Various lifeforms can be found here, and there are many different forms of slave trade happening. The motto “honor among thieves” does not exist in this place either. Crew who end up here will be “free”; however, this means that there is the potential to be taken and sold or kept by those of the Runoff. The Moira will not be close to this outpost, but the signals given from their MIDs will alert the crew to their location. Rescue, obviously, is imminent, but those who choose to help their fellow crewmembers must keep to small stealth missions using transporters or other crafts with one important detail in mind: they cannot bring attention or notice to the Moira itself.
Almost one-third of the crew has found themselves on the slave trade outpost, leaving the rest to plan for rescue. The Captains will immediately divulge all information that they have about the outpost, which is unfortunately very little outside of the stigma associated with the Runoff. The Captains will ask any MID techs or those with skills to create a program that allows person to person location; this function will allow crewmembers to search for those on the outpost via their MIDs. Rescue efforts are encouraged, and all the ships and transporters in the cargo bay will be available for public use. Crew will be told to be careful and quiet, bringing no attention to the Moira’s location, and most importantly, do not stand out. If crew look and act like they don’t belong there, others will notice. Stealth is the name of the game, and blending in is a necessity. ☄ time goes by slowly The unfortunate crewmembers who ended up on the outpost have now found themselves pursued by those looking to make a profit through slave trade. The standards of hard labor vary from owner to owner, but it is what it sounds like. Rough, hard work that will last as long as the body performing it can endure. If purchased, owners might examine their new property to determine what type of work they’d be best suited for and then split them up into holding areas until they are done with their purchases. Others might have their slaves begin work by cleaning their ship or holding stalls or packing up their tents and gear. The owners, and their needs, are as varied as the universe. Did you manage to escape? Or were you forced to work before you were rescued? ☄ and it seems to last forever Like the crewmembers taken by general labor owners, the murdersport slavers buy and take whomever they believe can last the longest in the pit. Some take those who appear to be strong or have great stamina, and some take those who are light on their feet or are quick-witted. Some crew are chosen simply based on appearance and how good they’ll look in their gear. If pursued, the slavers will do everything they can to capture the Moirans, and if captured, crew might be taken to a holding stall or a testing pit so that their skills can be witnessed by the public and tested. Some slavers want to show off their new property by throwing them into small roped off areas with other slaves, various creatures, or machines. Some make them stand up in front of groups and simply show them off, boasting that, at the next big event in the Runoff, they’ll surely win the grand prize. What kind of slaver has taken you? Will you be forced to fight before you rescue? Or will you not make it to the Moira before the Ingress pulls you back? ☄ but then it starts to fly ( cw: sex ) As is typical of this universe, slave trade comes in various forms. The most notorious being its illustrious sex trade. Slaves are bought and sold quickly and often, with no notable preference for appearance or species. Buyers come from all over to find slaves to work in their brothels, for personal use, as in-house entertainment, and much more. While the other two most popular type of slave trade don’t care as much about the physical well being of their property, these specific owners usually do. They might try to incapacitate first, so that the slaves aren’t bruised or cut, and if necessary, use binds until they can get them back to their ships or holding stalls. Some owners have their slaves cleaned and dressed in the finest attire, while others shove them into uniforms and tossed into stalls. Were you captured? Did you escape? Or were you rescued before something untoward occurred? What's more, events of the past always have a way of coming back to haunt you.
Months past, a monster terrorized the crew and left a very literal mark upon those that it touched. Those scarred by encounters with the Ploiatos will find their minds drifting as they work and go about their day. They may also find themselves in a different part of the ship than intended when they come back to themselves. It happens slowly, these small moments of lost time. But both before and after these events occur, one might notice that the scars seem to shift slightly. Where the patterns have been stable for months, suddenly the branching arms of the scars appear to be in a slightly different position than before. More often than not, those who lose time will regain awareness and find themselves in Navigation. When this happens, oftentimes Captain Manasseh will herd them out with a quiet, but undeniably firm, suggestion to visit the infirmary. More unsettling are the moments when they awaken in the I.L.R. standing outside the one door that should never be opened. As for those who were lucky enough to avoid encounters with the creature locked within, they must figure out how to deal with their friends and fellow crew who seem to walk around in a fog with no control of their actions.
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hownkai) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thisavrou_log2016-07-19 01:11 am
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[His legs are chained, but even if they weren't, he doesn't think he has that kind of strength anyway. He hasn't gotten up in a while to try testing out how much stamina he has left - there's nowhere to go in this tiny cell and he has to keep what strength he has.
The metal screech earns a flinch as Asriel tries to quickly scoot away, and his eyes widened as the door starts to creak open, light starting to filter into the cell. It's a brief moment of hopefulness that's quickly drowned with sudden fear.]
What are you doing?!
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The sight of Asriel, emancipated and filthy and so completely devoid of hope, brings about a fresh wave of emotions. She steels herself against them. IF she lets herself give into despair, it will break her. She trains her expression into something more befitting of the situation--stern, serious, and focused.]
We don't have much time. If either of us get caught, it's gonna mean becoming an example for what happens for people who try to escape.
[Her fists clench at her sides. This detour was too dangerous. He can't even run. He's so noisy. She hates herself for thinking those things. It's fear talking, eating away at her. It's the hatred for those around her: The worthless cretins that bought and sold people as though they were trinkets or tools and the wretched creatures that were forced to serve under them, refusing to do anything but cry and despair and hope for things to get better or otherwise stop caring about anything.
She hates it. Hates all of them. Hates everything about this miserable world.]
That means playing dirty. And being quiet. Now, I'm going to cut your chains--somebody else will have to deal with the shackles later. Since you can't run, I'll carry you most of the way, but it's going to be a rough ride. If we both keep quiet and move quickly, we might be able to avoid attention. If anybody decides to get in my way, I'll crush them.
Got it?
[Kyoko pauses once more to hear his answer.]
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But the light through the door weakens his resolve to not be selfish. He didn't want to put her in danger, he didn't want to be a terrible and selfish person anymore but... he wanted to go home. He wanted to see Toriel and Frisk. He misses them so much.
Staying quiet, he gives a scared and teary nod.]
I-I can look out for bad guys.
[He can't run. He's dead weight to her, but he'll try to do what he can in this state.]
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I'll let you watch my back.
[That will do for now. Kyoko holds her Soul Gem in one hand, the blade of her spear protruding from it. It glows an eerie red. She grabs one chain with her free hand, cutting it as close to the base as she can without risking clipping Asriel before repeating the process with the remaining chains. As she works, Kyoko continues doling out instructions:]
The way you are now, you'd just be a hindrance in a fight. You're gonna be the easier one to get back and seen as easy leverage 'cause you're hanging out with me now. So, if it's one or two, stick around and I'll take care of it, but anything more than that? Just get out of the way. If you can't run, then walk, but make use of the distraction. The faster you're outta reach, the better. I'll come after you eventually.
[Kyoko clips the last chain with a shrug. For as dark as the conversation is, she doesn't seem terribly worried. Perhaps it's just confidence in her own ability to succeed. Or perhaps she just doesn't care.
Her Soul Gem returns to it's place as a ring on her finger, and out from her pocket comes a package of green tea kit-kats that couldn't have been there before. She'll toss it to Asriel and wait for him to grab hold of it before scooping him off the ground into a fireman's carry.]
Well, probably, anyway. If I don't, return the favor by guilt tripping somebody into coming to come finish the job of wrecking the place. That's the best way for you to help.
[A beat.]
I won't have time to shout commands at you at the time, y'know, 'cause I'll be busy and something like that's just gonna draw unwanted attention. So if I put you down, think of that as your signal to run.
no subject
He always thought the red hair reminded him of her. The spear makes it even more obvious.
She looks like Auntie Undyne...
His mental comparison is cut short when Kyoko slices through the first chain keeping him trapped. It gets him to flinch, but he tries not to flinch again when she starts cutting him free. He numbly nods at her orders - he's useless to her in this state, all he can do is be an extra pair of eyes. Even right now she was risking herself for him.
Once she frees him and offers him the candy, he rips it open and devours it in almost one large bite. He wasn't sure what it was exactly or what the flavor was, but it was sugar and something in his stomach that had been empty for days. He doesn't even pay attention when she picks him up, but there is a very soft and short growl that accidentally comes out of him when she lifts him while he's still eating. He looks startled for a moment, then ashamed.]
'm sorry.
[He sinks into her arms a little fearfully and submissively. Just showing his teeth had gotten him muzzled, he doesn't want to know what growling gets you.]
... Why are you helping me when I've caused you so much trouble?
no subject
Her steps are quick and light, the slight sound that each one produces easily hidden by the shuffling, scratching and rumbles that come from the cages that followed. The pang of guilt that she feels is easily squashed. For true animals, their suffering was as short as their lives. Even that thought fades from her mind upon pressing open the door, grinding her teeth at the loud sound, and turning into a hallway.
The layout here is unfamiliar to her. Kyoko's eyes remain forward, straying only during the brief stops used top inspect her surroundings and lay out a path. It's during one such pause that she finally chooses to answer his question in earnest,]
It was just luck that I found you, y'know. I wanna get out of here, not get tied up in playing hero.
[But since he was along the way, well...]
I didn't have any reason to leave you there, so I didn't. It's not like anybody else is coming, y'know.
[Her voice is low, but only out of fear of being overheard. There's the same flippant air to her words as always, as though even this were nothing more than the natural course of order. He was in her path and they had the same destination in mind. There was no reason not to take him along.]
no subject
Asriel can't help but wonder if he'd end up just like them if they didn't escape.
Kyoko's answer though... causes his heart to sink a little. It made sense, really. She didn't really have any reason to rescue him. And regardless of her reasons (or lack of reasons), he's grateful at the chance of escape at all. But it seemed like a lot of risk just to rescue someone that happened on the way.
No one was coming for him. No one knew he was here. He wasn't sure how much time had passed - was the Moira even still here? Just a few weeks ago, he wanted nothing more than to run away. Now he bitterly realizes how much he wants to go back.]
... Thank you anyway, for getting me out of there.
[It really says a lot about Kyoko for her to go out of her way to bring him back, even if he was a risk to her own escape.]
no subject
[Her voice is quiet, but not unkind. It carries to it a gentle reminder and a warning: Neither of them are safe. He needs to stay focused until the end. It must seem cold to him, to only be given orders and warnings when he must want nothing more than to hide himself away and forget it all.
The tinge of guilt almost spurs her to say more, but she bites down the words that rise to her throat. If things go bad, then it's all the better if he thinks of her as a cruel and uncaring person. Those feelings, along with primal fear, should be enough for him to find the energy to escape.
That's what's best, but something compels her to offer him (and herself) some minor comfort in spite of the risk. In her mind, she justifies it as a way to give him direction:]
It's faint, but I can sense magic near here. If we keep going, eventually we'll run into others from the ship as well.
[It should be from the ship, or so she tells herself. It doesn't seem as though anyone on this planet uses magic, though that has acted as a source of unease in and of itself. Withces and other Puella Magi could be tracked and dealt with accordingly. Humans were trickier. And though the security didn't seem tight here, the silence leaves her uneasy. The tension seems to grow with every second and though her face betrays no emotion, every passing second leaves her a little more certain that something is going to happen.
After all, nothing is ever this easy.]