Gula Undercity Log

[cancrymods]

GULA

Now that you've been guided here by one of its residents, it's time for you to get familiar with the Undercity of Gula. With so much of the rest of the layer consumed already, its Specters have retreated to the last safe haven left for them. Just like the city above, when in the Undercity, you will suffer the same inability to fully satisfy yourself and will always be craving just one more... anything. The entrance to the Undercity is slap bang in the middle of the last remaining garden in the entire layer. A snapshot of what this place might have been like before, it's crammed full of all sorts of plants, flowers, vegetables... if it grows in the ground, it's here. There's evidence to suggest that even this garden was a fair bit larger than it is now, with plants looking like they were uprooted or crushed on the outside of the garden, but it's difficult to tell. In the center of the garden, you'll find a steep set of stairs leading down to the underground where you'll find the settlement proper. The Undercity itself is set up in a giant underground bunker, with a tall ceiling and huge open spaces that keep the place from feeling too claustrophobic. There's a mild bit of spacial distortion going on down here that make the ceiling much, much higher than it should physically be possible for it to be, but that's baby stuff in Purgatory by now. There's a few walls and some makeshift separators that section off parts of the bunker for privacy reasons, but more or less everything is set up in the same huge communal space.The walls, floors, ceilings and more or less every surface have been slathered in paints and cloths in a chaotic variety of colours to make things seem a bit less cold and dull. The effect is... striking, to say the least. In some places, where the paint or cloth has begun to peel away, however, you'll see that the surfaces underneath are cold and black and seem to be made of metal. The general vibe of the place is some weird cross between a convention or an indoor market and an airport at 3:48 in the morning. There's rows of chairs and bed and makeshift beds all over the place for people to set themselves down and take a breather, with wide gaps left in between each row to let people safely come and go without tripping all over themselves and dying again. But despite all the work gone into setting up the place, it still feels strangely empty – going by the number of Specters you can see milling about in here, even with the Executors' arrival, this place isn't even half full and that's a generous estimate. On top of all that, the uncomfortable sense of things being "thin" or "stripped away" increases almost tenfold down here. There's something else, too, but it's hard to immediately identify – you'll have to investigate that yourself to work out exactly what's wrong. Thankfully, despite how dour Gula as a whole is, you're free to come and go as you please. So while you still need to make your way through Gula to reach the next layer, the previous layers will still be available for you to rest and recharge if you'd prefer to stay elsewhere. ⚝ Rest Areas: If you're desperate for some shut-eye, or just to get away from the chaos a bit, the four corners of the bunker have been sectioned off with thick screens and padded mats, blankets and pillows have been spread out across the floor. It's basically a nap area for you to come and chill out and despite everything, it's pretty cozy over here. There's also a radius of about fifty feet around each of the rest area that's designated a "quiet zone", where everyone's expected to pipe down and stay quiet to not wake anyone up. They're generally a good place to recharge, even if sleeping out in the relative open can feel a bit awkward. ⚝ Dining Area: A number of long tables have been lined up end-to-end by the door that you can assume is probably the kitchen. They're covered in colourful tablecloths and a hodgepodge of mismatched chairs line either side of it. Dinner is served twice a day, with a ten minute warning beforehand so you can hopefully find yourself a seat before the rush is over. As for what the food is... well, it's pretty lacklustre! Pretty much everything is dried food, canned food or some horrifying combo of both. At least it's... mostly edible? ⚝ Music Stage: A little stage area that's been set up by pushing a number of crates and boxes together to form a stable platform. It's had a colourful cloth thrown over it and weighed down so it looks a little less slapped together, and there's a few instruments spread out across the stage – there's the regulars like an acoustic guitar and a bass but then there's also... a saxophone? An oboe? A harp??? It's pretty random. There's usually a handful of people milling about the stage with someone banging out the tunes, but it's also used to give announcements and anything else that needs the attention of the whole group. ⚝ Kitchen: Locked. Investigate to unlock further information. ⚝ The Rusted City: The once-majestic city of the Gluttony Layer, now reduced to rust and decay. It's a huge, sprawing urban affair with skyscrapers climbing to dizzying heights and buildings packed in to each and every space that could conceivably hold a building. It reminds you, just a little, of Invidia – envious excess beyond anything a single person could ever own or consume by themselves. But the unfortunate reality of Gula is that much of it has been consumed. Shops have been stripped bare of everything that could be useful and any houses or apartments you might be inclined to check have been raided in much the same way. It's a sad, lonely seeming place that feels as though it's slowly rotting apart from the inside out. Alarmingly, Revenants can occasionally be found here, though they seem to have aimlessly wandered up from the Underside and seem just as confused to find themselves here as you are. ⚝ Train Station: On the outskirts of the layer is slightly busted-up looking train station with a single platform. Rusty old trains come through here every half hour on the dot, stopping only briefly to allow Executors to board. Using these trains, Executors can either travel back to any of the other layers of Purgatory without having to pass through the Underside. Isn't quick travel convenient?

THE UNDERSIDE OF GULA

...?

Comments

[schardynfreude]

You ask someone who has done just that, in their waking life.

[discutio]

That's why I'm asking you.

Is it inherently wrong to desire things for yourself?

[schardynfreude]

Not inherently, no.

[discutio]

Then the fact that I'm barely able to do as much isn't exactly a positive. I doubt it will last here, at any rate.

[schardynfreude]

[A small sound of acknowledgement, not much more. And the sound of a swig from the bottle.]

[discutio]

[He squeezed Chiron's hand gently, in an attempt at reassurance.]

I doubt I would know the difference between wanting something normally and being compelled to.

[schardynfreude]

Apparently neither do I, so I wouldn't worry about it overly much. I would want this without anything compelling me, just perhaps not to the same degree.

[discutio]

Considering the way things have been going, I would be more concerned if one didn't want to drink and sleep.

[schardynfreude]

Given we've no need to do either... [Shrug!]

[discutio]

No need, of course, but that alone shouldn't stop us.

[schardynfreude]

Never stopped me before, apparently.

[discutio]

Apparently not.

[...]

I think there is something I want, actually. So perhaps it's better we should both leave for a time, just to clear our heads.

[schardynfreude]

Whatever you think is best.

[discutio]

It's...better not to linger on it. Not right now, at least.

[schardynfreude]

[There's a slosh of liquid that is Chiron waving his other hand about.] As you wish.

[discutio]

Chiron...are you sure you'd rather not speak on what's bothering you? This isn't like you at all.

[schardynfreude]

I scarcely know what 'like me' is at all. I doubt any of us truly know.

[discutio]

...Perhaps not. But this isn't like the Chiron I know, at the very least.

[schardynfreude]

The Chiron you knew. He was not locked away and then "rescued" by a madman with a grudge and an unhealthy obsession with that which runs through my veins.

[discutio]

...

Chiron, we...need to talk.

[schardynfreude]

Do we.

[discutio]

If you're prepared to hear it.

[schardynfreude]

About which part should we speak? The one where I cannot die, and thus have no clue how I ended up here? The one where I was hung up like an ornament and left? The one where some insane scientist with an ego larger than Bahamut himself kept me like a pet to experiment on?

[discutio]

...the part where it wasn't right.

[Phoenix's answer was quiet, his hand around Chiron's shaking in some kind of distress...or maybe it was anger, with how tightly controlled his even tone was.]

None of that should ever have happened to you, and it was an injustice on every front and failure of everyone involved that any of it did.

[schardynfreude]

...It does not matter now. It's done. I've no idea how it happened, though I've an inkling as to why.