Gula Intro Log...?

[cancrymods]

GULA

After recovering from the tedium of the time loop and the gruelling fight, the Executors gather their resolve and continue their descent through Purgatory, at last passing through Superbia into the next layer. Feeling peckish? That's an unfortunate side effect of being in Gula, the Gluttony layer of Purgatory. Down here in the third layer of Purgatory, the word on everyone's lips is Gluttony – and that means that nothing here is ever quite enough for you. All during your time in this layer, you'll find that you just can't be sated, no matter how much you eat, drink, sleep – or whatever other itches you need to scratch. However much you take in, you'll find yourself still wanting just that bit... more. Which is going to be pretty hard to do, seeing as how there doesn't actually seem to be anything left in Gula. The shell of a city stands here, all huge blocky buildings and towering skyscrapers but it's clearly been abandoned and worse still, ravaged by time. Plants and trees are growing up through cracks in the pavement, pushing abandoned cars, streetlamps and other fixtures of the city out the way. All the buildings you care to examine are empty, stripped bare of everything not nailed down (or even things that actually were nailed down, going by the condition of some of them) and most notably of all, there are no Specters here at all, no matter how much you look. And if all that weren't ominous enough, your senses as an Executor allow you to pick up something that you might not have noticed otherwise. It's more spiritual than physical and not quite so easy to expalin, but things feel... thin here, as if things were picked clean so thoroughly that part of the world itself was stripped away with it. Something is terribly wrong here. Explore?

Comments

[cancrymods]

[ Cheerfully: ] Yup!

[ At least she's honest... ]

[swordofajerk]

From the Undercity.

[cancrymods]

[ Earnestly nodding along. ]

Uh-huh! 'cause you guys – you can travel to other places in Purgatory, can't you?

[swordofajerk]

And? We need to go down.

[He's done.]

We can't help you.

[cancrymods]

Oh, you sure can!

[ She cracks a mischievous little smile. ]

'cause if you guys don't help out, then I'm not gonna let you go any further down into Purgatory!

[mementomoritz]

Well, at least you're straightforward about it, I guess! So we either need to get stuff from other layers to give to you, or figure out why your layer doesn't make new things anymore and fix that...

[etincelledefierte]

[She pinches the bridge of her nose really, really hard. Etoile is sick and tired of this stuff.]

What is with every new person we meet lately trying to kill us for a second time? First the bird girl stabbed Chiron and wiped his memory, now you're doing this, it's getting really, really old.

[She doesn't realize she's moved her hands down and dug her nails into her hands hard enough that she's bleeding pneuma.]

[mementomoritz]

Ah- [Medic turns and catches sight of the pneuma with her usual knack for zeroing in on any injury.] -do you need a bandage?

[etincelledefierte]

I - yeah. Thanks, Medic.

[mementomoritz]

No problem, that's what I'm here for! [Rummaging quickly in her pockets and holding out a box of bandaids for Etoile.] Here, pick whichever kind you want!

[The designs on the bandaids are, uh. Interesting.]

[cancrymods]

Huh? Huh?

[ She sounds more confused than anything. ]

It's not that much trouble for you guys to come and go, is it?

[mementomoritz]

[Helpfully:] Mostly I think they're worried you have some kind of trap or trick you're planning to keep us from getting anywhere. The other Authorities usually tried stuff like that!

[cancrymods]

That's dumb! Why would I trick you when I can just tell you what I want you to do?

[etincelledefierte]

- look, the last time I met someone new, she tried to kill me and very nearly succeeded at it, so, you're going to have to forgive me for being skeptical. The problem is also that we got stuck in the last layer for gods-only-know how long, and...

[she breathes, finally looking at her hands. that's what gets her to calm down and finally be honest.]

...I don't want to have to fight you, but I also don't want to make a promise I'm not 100 percent sure we can keep. I can say that we can try?

[cancrymods]

Is that so? Well, that's good, since I don't want to fight you guys either. I like you!

[ said in the same airy, breezy tone as she's said everything else. ]

Come and eat some tasty snacks with us down in the city and I'm sure you'll feel better. Food fixes everything!

[daughterofthemark]

Indeed! Once we've dined together, I'm certain all of us will be more comfortable.

[mementomoritz]

[Something about that makes Medic pause. Running the sentence back in her head, she realizes what it is.] That does sound nice! But... if you're running out of everything, should we really eat your food? It wouldn't be fair to take what you have left, if we have plenty and you only have a little.

[daughterofthemark]

[...oh nooooo]

[swordofajerk]

Let me ask you a question.

[To Gerda.]

How do you think we got this far down into Purgatory?

[cancrymods]

You punched and kicked and bopped your way down here, duh!

[swordofajerk]

Exactly. So why do you think you can threaten us into doing these pointless errands for you with "I won't let you down into the Undercity"?

[cancrymods]

'cause if you tried to bop me right here and now, I'd bop you back twice as hard! I know how all this being-in-charge stuff works, you know! You guys can't hurt me unless I go all loopy and lose my powers, right?

[swordofajerk]

[. . .

Sword is not actually sure if that's how this works, so he glances to Rei or someone else who does.]

[daughterofthemark]

That is consistent with what we've seen and heard previously.

Moreover, we're friends now.

[mementomoritz]

[Medic confirming:] That is entirely possible.

It's unclear if a fully stable Authority is impervious to harm, or just too strong for anything we can do to make a dent- but either way, no previous attempt at attacking them before reaching Revenant status has been successful.