Outside 51: It's just a weather balloon

[Morty]

[Steelbite Canyon]

Calm Reed nods to signify she's ready. Once Atreyu has opened the door, she will stride confidently in, her footsteps loud and firm, punch the wall and yell. If the zombies do chase after her, she'll retreat through the door.

[Chaotic Bob]

ABAJ - Day 4

G'nichi only hesitates a moment to rub his bracelet. It protected him from freezing to death before and it kept him from falling ill from the fog earlier. He has to hope it will continue to protect him.
He's dead if he backs down anyway. He really wishes his mace were back though.
He takes a few prepatory breaths before he traverses the fog wall water veil.

A few things happen here.
The first: the water burns. Not in the manner of scalding, but something almost chemical. It's such that prolonged exposure is very clearly going to be incredibly dangerous.

The second: gravity whirls around on him and he finds himself falling in a new direction than the one his feet had just been using.

The third, related to the second: he seems to have just stepped up horizontally out of what seems to be a large basin of pink-tinged water, from which he has promptly fallen out of and onto the ground next to it (maybe he caught himself before looking like an idiot and landed on his feet?). This basin is set next to a cave wall, with torches hung up on other side of it. The floor below him seems sloped and curved, winding both upwards and downwards. Looking down the path, more of these basins appear every so often at equal distances, though they all seem either empty or full of fully pink liquid rather than the partially pink he just stepped out of. Further down, there's a pink glow of some sort whose source is concealed by the curvature of the wall.

The fourth: an incredibly strained looking Syncope looks over at him from next to the basin, grits out a "all I've got for now kids", and promptly dissolves into pile of silver dust.

The fifth, lastly: a very exhausted looking Mari sits slumped against a nearby wall, wearing the same clothes he last saw her in, but minus her left arm.

She looks somewhat relieved that he's here and offers a little "hey" before slumping back a bit, letting out a long shaky breath.

Also that giant, greenish greatsword from earlier is on the ground, alongside a short gladius-style golden blade. The hilt of the smaller blade appears to be a dragon claw grasping a golden orb, while a red gem is set into a sharp-looking circular handguard. Blue runes of some unknown nature run the length of the blade's flat sides.

[Earl of Purple]

Steelbite Canyon

The door is opened, the zombies called, and they react. Rather slowly and awkwardly, stumbling on dead limbs and lurching against the faceted crystals of entropy growing within their bodies, they advance after Calm Reed. Two stride rather rapidly after her; the obese corpse with the crystal coagulating in its gut and the other with the crystal lodged in its chest. One drags itself over the ground, the crystal replacing its legs squealing against the stone floor of the shelter. The last stumbles awkwardly, heading off in the wrong direction but avoiding Atreyu too, unable to see due to the faceted abomination that is serving as its head. Atreyu could probably pick off the blind stumbler or the legless crawler on his way in, so even if she tires Calm Reed only has to worry about the two that aren't crippled by their mutations.

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ- Day 4

G'nichi stumbles, but does not quite fall. He blinks as Syncope vanishes almost before he can process who's there. He smiles and salutes where she was. She had promised him tools when the time came (maybe). He reaches out and takes the two weapons.
"Hello, old friend. Hello, new friend." he tucks the smaller sword into his belt.
G'nichi shakily steps forward to kneel down before Mari. He's fairly sure he recalls burying her. He also doesn't remember her arm being gone but the body was in pretty bad shape.
"Hello, Mari. I really botched things up, didn't I?" he says softly. He thinks he had an okay run, all in all.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - Day 4]

The larger sword gives a vague feeling of appreciative recognition, while the smaller sword...there's the distinctly creepy feeling of someone looming directly behind G'nichi's shoulder and whispering a feminine "hello" into his ear.

Mari, meanwhile, gives a tired shrug and a little smile.
"If it makes you feel better, this is more or less what we were hoping for. Actually winning wouldn't have helped you as much as you'd think. Or us."

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - Day 4

Well, that makes G’nichi feel a little better.
”I have a lot of questions but I know you’re not in condition to answer them. For now just tell me what I need to do. And possibly how.” G’nichi wipes his glasses with his shirt. For once there’s no fog to cloud them up again.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - Day 4]

Mari does not respond right away, taking a few more deep breaths. Evidently before G'nichi arrived, she rather exerted herself.

The pink glow from further down the tunnel begins to brighten however, and she begins struggling to her feet around the same time that the greatsword transmits a feeling of alarm to G'nichi.
"No, we need to go higher up, then we can talk. This is important, and I don't think I'm going to get another do-over. Grab the bracelet in that dust pile and help me up a ways."

Covered up in that pile of silver dust lies a bracelet similar to the one our hero already wears, but...lesser in some abstract way. It's apparent upon touching it, though still not clarified how.

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - Day 4

G'nichi nods and goes to pick up the bracelet. Then he moves to Mari's right side to take her arm.
"Is this for you or for me?" he asks as he helps her up.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - Day 4]

"Don't you have enough cool toys, mister hero? That one's mine."
For that, she doesn't really make a show of trying to snatch it away from him. Too focused on standing and working her way uphill with G'nichi.

She urges them on for a little while, past several more of the basins as they go. These are all filled with non-pink, but brackishly opaque liquid.
As they go, the feeling of danger from his greatsword lessens more and more, though it never quite fades.

"Here, this is probably far enough. She doesn't usually see too far past the last game."

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - Day 4

G'nichi gently take's Mari's hand and slides the bracelet onto her hand if that's what she wants.
"She? Our intruder to the Game, or our lurking deep horror?" he asks. At this point he doesn't know who or what he's fighting.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - Day 4]

Like a magnet, the bracelet snaps its way down her hand to settle on her wrist, as soon as he clears it over her finger tips.
As it settles, her breathing seems to become slightly less labored.

"Awesome, poison is killing me slower again."
She glances down the hall, to where the pink glow still lurks.
"You've been misled for quite awhile. The game's been usurped almost since the beginning. You don't really have to worry about the 'lurking horror'. You're currently inside it. Still asleep, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not anymore."

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ- Day 4

"Oh boy, I love being lied to." G'nichi says dourly.
"I know we're still slowly dying of poison but could I maybe get some exposition, then?" he asks. "Because I think you're well aware how little I know is going on."

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - ???]

"Don't worry, plenty of time for you to get the death juice in your blood, too."
Mari fiddles with the bracelet a little.
"Okay, so the general situation as you understood was accurate. Syncope and her 'friend' were playing a game over the fate of some horror thing, the former trying to keep the latter under control with the game as a trap.
Two problems with that though: Syncope lost control almost immediately and her opponent didn't want to release the horror.
She wants to eat it."

She sighs and taps the bracelet.
"Syncope was cut out of her own game for the most part, except for a shard she inserted into my knockoff artifact here. I'm your predecessor here, someone she brought in from the outside to try to fix things. But I wasn't... Really up to this, I guess. It's been years, G'nichi. I've been here for years. Trying to find a way to win the stupid games, or disrupt her stupid rituals without dying."

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ

"Well, if it makes you feel better it doesn't sound like I won any more, and I was cheating a lot." he was cheating so much.
"So what are we supposed to do? I don't think I can beat the being that wants to eat all of...this with a sword. Even a big one."
It's a pretty nice big sword though.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - ???]

"Well, yeah. Pretty sure killing that...thing with anything we've got is pretty far off the table."
Mari sighs and shrugs.
"But I guess we don't really have to do that much. We just have to find a way to keep her from getting what she wants.
The game isn't that, not anymore. We've wasted enough time just trying to get you out of it. Anymore time spent in that hellhole is just going to be pointless suffering. More opportunities to get caught."

That strange presence looming over G'nichi's shoulder (even if he's against the wall), murmurs into his ear again.
"I can help. This place is rotten with necromancy. Something I can influence."

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - ?

”Alright. I’m not solid on manipulating situations like this. But it sounds like my friends are.” He puts a hand on the new weapon.
”Okay, what do you have for us? And feel free to tell me your name.” he tells the gladius.

[Fort Aegis Resort]

"Um, y-y'know, I don't know exactly when they're due to start talking." Sylvess admits, awkwardly, scratching at his snout. "I don't know exactly how old I was when I started talking. They sometimes try to take after me and roar like a proper dragon, a-and it just comes out as a squeak. It's cute."

Fort Aegis Resort

Spako reaches up to gently poke Sylvess' nose that he's scratching so intently.
"To be fair, if it's cute it sounds like they're taking after you excellently.
But yes, we don't really know how quickly they'll develop. Especially with their mixed heritage." All they do know is that Hiedie probably shouldn't have those horns so quickly.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - ???]

Mari eyes the swords with a frown.
"I've seen a little of what you can do when you're acting within the game's rules. You don't have those out here, so cut loose I guess. Syncope was pretty insistent that we needed you and so I'll follow your lead I guess."
There is just a trace of frustration to her, though it doesn't really seem to be aimed at G'nichi himself.

"The poison within your friend is a necromantic curse made into substance. The pink within the basins and the mist. It is...disturbingly potent. I cannot destroy it, but I can work with it.
Prick your friend's finger and we shall draw it out. It will give you a taste of what may be necessary soon."

There is the sensation of a hand reaching down his sword-arm towards his hand, to gently guide him into drawing the blade and moving it towards Mari.

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - ???

"If this harms her, I will not let you." G'nichi says flatly. He blinks, remembering himself.
"My sword says she can draw the curse out of your blood if she pricks your finger. Or maybe the back of your arm? Fingers bleed a lot." G'nichi does draw the gladius, leaning the greatsword against the wall. But he has been manipulated too much to do what she says without question.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - ???]

"I doubt it will feel comfortable and a small wound to get access to her blood is necessary, but it is a better alternative to death. And death truly is the alternative, the nature of this curse is purely opposed to life.
I understand your hesitance, but I truly mean to help. If not in me, you can trust the bindings of your bracelet in maintaining my cooperative intent."
The presence does not withdraw, but it is very specifically not forcing movements on G'nichi.

Eyes focused on the sword, Mari chews her lip for a moment before holding out a hand with her forefinger extended.
"Gonna guess the 'bleeds a lot' part is what it wants. I'm going to be a little upset if this kills me, but I don't have a lot of options I guess. Syncope can't help with it, apparently the stuff messes with her about as bad as it messes with normal people. Pretty sure it's why she lost control of everything in the first place."

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - Day 4

"That makes sense. Apparently it's a curse made manifest. I imagine the only way to ignore it is to be immune to magic entirely." Maybe they should have sent some sort of golem. No, it probably affects them too.
G'nichi slowly reaches out to prick her finger with the point of the sword. He knows the bracelet keeps the weapons in check. He certainly observed that with the spear. The gladius seems benevolent. But he's being careful, with the week he's had.

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - ???]

Mari adjusts herself so she can rest her arm on her knee, to hopefully keep it as still as possible. She doesn't wince as the puncture is made, though she looks slightly uncomfortable with the way the blood starts to balloon up into a big ball on her fingertip.

Hold in your mind the image of frayed yarn. Imagine yourself pulling the ends in two directions, we will having to pull the curse directly out of her blood. As it is cleaned, the blood must be fed back into her to prevent harm. She is already weak, we shouldn't strain her more by doing it all at once.
I will soften the touch and guide the finer magic, but your will is the core of this. Be confident, be calm, the hard work will be later..."

While G'nichi isn't a particularly renowned mage, the sword/presence seems to be imparting some degree of subconscious functionality in this regard.
If he focuses on it, he can get a sense for all the blood flowing through Mari's veins, and the corruption swirling within it. Like clay, if he reaches out, it is his to mold.

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ- Day ??

Wow, it's like this week is manipulating him into using blood magic, which he's never been comfortable with.
G'nichi nods and tries to envision these things. A gentle pull. Slowly. Poison out, blood in. Being able to do magic is kind of exciting, actually. He's always had about the same amount of magic aptitude as he had aptitude for weight-lifting.

[Rebonack]

[An Improbable Adventure]

"Battle powder?" Fenris echoes as our heroes travel. "No, I can't say that it's a term that I'm familiar with. Obviously I'm familiar with alchemical powders, but I don't know of any specific 'battle powder'. Is it a reagent for inducing a battle rage?"

She's familiar with some warriors taking potent alchemical concoctions before a battle to work themselves into a frenzy. The Stormcloak berserkers are particularly fearsome. Fenris is honestly glad she's managed to steer clear of the civil war for the most part. She can understand the theological anguish but sometimes concessions have to be made when negotiating from a position of weakness.

"I think I can learn and adapt to a new thing or two. I am educated. Formally, I mean. I've encountered quite a few unusual phenomena in my travels and I would like to think I'm an open minded person," Fenris insists.

...of course...

Now that she has said that out loud?

That's just an invitation for the Nexus to throw something really weird at them as they travel, isn't it?

But what kind of outlandish nonsense might it be?

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - ???]

A hero's life is hard. There are more morally gray things G'nichi will likely have to wrestle with in his certainly storied future.
This one at least has an immediately tangible positive outcome.

This is a slow process, by the standards of most magic, not just a snap-of-the-fingers-and-you're-cured spell. It could be significantly faster, but G'nichi is guided into a fairly sluggish pace specifically for the reduced likelihood of further hurting the already rather wounded Mari.
Little bits of blood at a time, until her entire supply has been purged. There's less in there than there should be, but given her lack of arm that makes sense.

After getting over the initial discomfort, Mari closes her eyes and engages in some breathing exercises.

Time passes.

"Well, yay...guess I'm not dead."
At the end of this, Mari is left looking healthier (though afflicted with a case of the heebie jeebies, as she rubs her legs and mutters about feeling her own blood crawling inside her), and G'nichi has a thick, roiling ball of pink gas suspended just above his sword.

"There it is, the curse in its pure form. Get a sense of it, how its energy feels. I'll help you sense further.
Further into the tunnels, you should be able to feel more of it. Smaller sources, the corruption in the basins. Further on, carefully, you should feel a bigger source, just the edges of it.
Far below us must lie the true source of the curse. From its active movements earlier, when your friend had us move up here, I would guess a necromancer of no small power is here with you."
Like streetlights in his mind's eye, he can detect a spiraling procession of pink stretching below, before a blinding amount of it obscures further details.
"Play with what you have extracted, become familiar with it. It won't be a danger to you if you master its manipulation."

[Deathkeeper]

An Improbable Adventure

G'nichi shakes his head.
"No, it's an explosive mixture used to explosively propel projectiles. You're going to have to expect people with weaponry like a crossbow except the missile is tiny, nearly instantaneous, and it can fire seven to forty times in rapid succession." That last part is the main difference between them and a crossbow along with the range and ease of loading. In practice arrows at close-ish range are already fast enough to be essentially instant when it comes to dodging.

ABAJ - Day ??

"I do my best. Sorry about the creep value." G'nichi tells her.

G'nichi tries his best to see if he can move the gas around with the help of Gladius. The most simple method to protect himself from it will be the ability to simply move it away from him so it cannot poison his body. Unfortunately, he takes up a lot of volume to move the gas around.
"For the record, I'm glad you're alive. Even if you're adding 'for now.' "

[Chaotic Bob]

[ABAJ - ???]

"Not your fault, and feeling gross for a bit is better than dying."
She inspects her finger tip, where evidently G'nichi's sword clotted a small amount of blood to stymie further bleeding.
"Neat trick."

She watches G'nichi mess around with the gas ball for a bit (which should ultimately end up being quite a bit easier than the procedure he just performed, as he gets a feel for it. It has no will to oppose him, on its own), before speaking up again with a more hesitant tone.
"I'm not technically the Mari you know. I mean, I'm technically the same person, I guess, but I'm not really her."

[Deathkeeper]

ABAJ - ???

G'nichi slowly drags the ball of gas back and forth with his hand. He talks without turning to look so he can keep focusing on it.
"So it was sort of a reflections thing? I guess that's a little better than actually dying over and over. Are the others looping the week as well, or did they get new people every time?" G'nichi doesn't really see the difference here, other than that it traumatized the people in the game and it means this Mari doesn't know him very well.

[Rebonack]

An Improbable Adventure

"Oh," Fenris replies curiously. "That's... actually quite clever. I imagine the projectiles must be fed from a container like a dwarven repeating crossbow?"

She has the remains of an old dwarven ambulatory ballista she had destroyed in her travels. Had it shipped all the way back from Solstheim. That was a fascinating machine. A little less fascinating when it was trying to kill her but that's to be expected of dwarven constructs. Its repeating ballista is a marvel of engineering to say the least.

"Are you expecting that we might encounter brigands bearing such weapons? Thus far the walk has been pleasant en-"

"Reach for the sky!"

A giff just stepped out from behind a very large rock.

A giff wearing a distinctly western bandit outfit and holding a shootin' iron.

The hippo person is also a .gif, somehow. A living sprite (in the graphical sense). A pixelated two dimensional image somehow projected into a three dimensional world.

Fenris looks so baffled shoe isn't sure how to react.

[Deathkeeper]

An Improbable Adventure

Oh no, how terrible. The poor .gif should really find a digimon to help him get back to a proper file management system and not in a 3D world.
In a instant and with an incredible twirl G'nichi is back in Bell's outfit! A ribbon shoots out from Bell, trying to grab the edge of the giff.gif and turn it 90 degrees to the right.
G'nichi is not sure how it will handle that.

[Rebonack]

[An Improbable Adventure]

"Nnooooooo!" the giff.gif wails as he's rotated, promptly ceasing to exist.

Or maybe he got shuffled off into some parallel universe?

Who knows.

Fenris sure doesn't.

"What."

She definitely doesn't.

"What... exactly... was that?" she asks.

It looked like an ambulatory mosaic. Some kind of magical construct?