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

[twibeast]

[ The response is fast, a little too fast and judging by Achilles’ own surprise and quick attempt to back pedal, it wasn’t something he intended to say. Like his emotions getting the better of him and catching him off guard. ]

I-I mean… no, I… do not mind at all. Carrying them would be no problem.

[ He avoids addressing the other question again. After all, why answer twice? ]

[discutio]

…

[Phoenix didn’t comment on the response, but after handing one of the bags off he held out his free hand to Achilles if he wanted to take it.]

Shall we get going?

[twibeast]

[ He stares at Phoenix’s hand for a few seconds, before carefully holding it with his own free hand. There’s a slight tremor to his own hands, but it seems to level out once he’s holding Phoenix’s. ]

Y-Yes.

…Thank you, again.

[discutio]

I should be thanking you. [He gave a small smile, in an attempt to break the tension on both sides. It probably didn't work all that well.] I know my way around well enough by now, but it should still be a bit quicker with your help.

[twibeast]

[ It works a little at least! ]

Ah… hopefully. I don’t know how much help I can be in that place, but I will endeavour to do my best.

[discutio]

I'll settle for 'being able to see where you're going.'

[twibeast]

[ Okay that gets a laugh out of him. ]

That I can do at least.

[discutio]

Let's go, then. I'm sure the others will be relieved to have some actual food down there.

[twibeast]

Ah… yes, food.

[ ……

That’s really all you got for that, huh?

He moves along towards the train station. ]

…Have things been going okay down there? I admit I have been avoiding the place not only physically but mentally as well.

[discutio]

It's...something, certainly. At least we already know the Authority.

[that's about the best we've got, achilles]

[twibeast]

Wait, you did?

[discutio]

Or someone insistently claiming to be, which seems much less likely. She was the first we ran into, which already does not exactly fill me with confidence as to her intentions.

[twibeast]

That… well, I suppose it’s better than spending weeks trying to find her… even if her intentions turn out to not be very good.

[ ……

He gets a sinking bad feeling talking about this though and so he has to ask: ]

What is she like…?

[discutio]

...You know how Medic gets terribly chipper when she's talking about things that perhaps don't warrant quite that particular mood?

[except we love medic who has done nothing wrong in her life]

[twibeast]

…

Oh.

[discutio]

She's...certainly an experience.

[and definitely up to some weird shit, but that goes without saying.]

It's going to be troubling to deal with her, but we'll determine some way forward.

[twibeast]

I… see.

[ Yet he finds that bad sinking feeling going away and even finds himself sighing with relief. She sounds like a handful but at least she doesn’t sound like what he was fearing - whatever that is. ]

I suppose it was too much to hope for another situation like the President in Superbia so soon.

[discutio]

Things could certainly have started off worse.

[of course they could still GET worse, but his point stood.]

...Are you feeling alright, Achilles?

[twibeast]

[ He looks off to the side, away from Phoenix, debating how to answer. Even in the silence though he finds his grip in the other’s hand tightening just a little. ]

…No.

[ This time he doesn’t attempt to backtrack and take back his honest answer. ]

That place… this layer… it makes me uncomfortable.

[discutio]

I can safely assure you that you aren't alone in that, at least. What is it that's bothering you so much?

[twibeast]

[ ……… ]

…It reminds me of the place where I grew up.

[discutio]

Oh...I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds as though you don't much care for it.

[twibeast]

Ah… I fear that’s… somewhat of an understatement.

[ He wonders how much he should say. Phoenix hasn’t heard before about how Achilles knows he came from another world to reside in the one he would call home until his death. That he was an “alien” as Chiron had put it. He’d only ever told Chiron and Rei about that and well. Chiron didn’t remember now. He’d kept himself from writing about it in Mona’s journal, afraid that telling the others was going to alienate him from them.

But… who else can he tell now? Who else could he talk to about this now that it’s hanging in his head like an unpleasant fog. ]

Truth is… I couldn’t even remember it - only what I told others about it - until I saw Gula. Now everything is flooding back and I feel… overwhelmed. Overwhelmed and terrified.

[discutio]

[He squeezed Achilles' hand gently, trying and failing to find the right words. Between Chiron and now this, he was noticing that ability wasn't as reliable as he might have liked.]

...Is there anything I can do to help?

[twibeast]

[ The hand squeeze reassures him, as he tries to decide what to do - what he wants, what he’s even willing to ask of the other. Does he just continue to keep a lid on everything until he bursts or does he just pretend everything will be fine so long as they just continue on like normal?

… ]

Would you… be willing to listen for a while? And if you do… can you promise you won’t think less of me after what you hear…?