⚔ //001;

[discutio]

[He awoke in darkness in the coffee shop, of all places.]

[Abruptly aware of a dozen and more sounds and scents, someone was calmly pensive as if sudden self-awareness of one's postmortem existence was an everyday occurrence. It certainly seemed nothing that panicking would help with, and nothing that wouldn't await examination until after he'd finished his coffee.]

[Which he did, of course. Later on he would be found exploring the city in very cautious and deliberate steps, hand occasionally on a wall for guidance. He found he didn't have much difficulty maneuvering despite the chaotic layout--a strange problem not to have, and perhaps one warranting consideration as to what kind of person he was. An interesting quandary to examine, and more so if he wasn't the only such person.]

[...One thing he did already know for certain, however.]

[His name, if indeed that was what he was called, was almost comically ironic.]

Comments

[emberserker]

Only making sure. See, the average soul haunting around here is a Spectre. Varied in appearance, completely oblivious, unliving their lives in this chaotic dump without so much as questioning the hotel rooms never being in the same place twice or the concept of yellow being sold next to the microwaved popcorn. Spectres are supposed to move down the levels of Purgatory to let go of their sins, so we're told, and reincarnate. Unfortunately... we can't.

[discutio]

[He listened carefully as she spoke, committing it all to memory as best he could for all the sense it did and didn't make.]

And have we any idea why that might be?

[emberserker]

Not in detail. Something's tampered with the Cogs of Renewal, and that's why those of us who are awake -- Eidolons, graduated from Spectre -- joined up with Rei. She was the last Executor, an Eidolon who can transform and fight in order to ensure safe passage for the dead to the other side. Right now, that means training so we can take on a particularly large monster sealed underneath the city. Don't tamper with the fountain, for the record.

[discutio]

Sounds reasonable enough.

[For reasons he genuinely could not have even begun to describe, all of this not only made perfect sense but felt entirely sensible.]

[JRPGs, amirite.]

What's wrong with the fountain?

[emberserker]

That's the hidden door down to the next level, and that's where the Revenant is. Rei trapped it down there, apparently, before any of us woke up. It's too difficult for one person to fight, so since the lot of us became Executors, we've been training. Or we're supposed to. Some of us, I'm not sure. Ariel's far too carefree, Medic too obsessive over people's injuries, and I'm half convinced Royal Veil's head is entirely hollow.

[discutio]

Understandable. I fear I must have interrupted such an endeavor, in that case. But since that damage has been done, what am I to call you?

[emberserker]

Wolfsbane. It's the only thing that comes to mind, and it works a good deal better than some of these names. And yourself, then?

[discutio]

Phoenix, I think.

[Reasonably sure. It wasn’t as if he had any other answer available.]

[emberserker]

Easy to remember, at least. Well, Phoenix, it should be safe around here unless another Spectre decides it's had enough. Though I'm sure you'll be sick of the place before long. Nothing in here makes any sense.

[discutio]

I was getting that distinct impression. Does this environment defy all sense of spatial logic, or am I perhaps incorrect in that guess?

[emberserker]

You're unfortunately right. The hotel shuffles the rooms around and the corner store goes on forever. It sells the most ridiculous things besides, and I'm not just talking foreign potato chip flavours. Pariah found the concept of yellow shelved next to the microwave popcorn.

[discutio]

[Phoenix sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.]

It seems I'm to have a fair bit of trouble, then. So be it, nothing to be done to fix the issue.

[emberserker]

At least you won't be the only one. I can see why Spectres can become Revenants if they're stuck here too long. I'm already sick of the place.

[discutio]

At least you've the advantage of knowing where you're going.

[emberserker]

Honestly, with how things are around here, being blind might not even be much of a detriment. This place as a whole is a chaotic dump.