cancry | Gula Undercity Log

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
...?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm fine, Chiron. You don't have any reason to worry about me.

Well, I was going to share some news, but I suppose if you're going to be needlessly difficult... [chiron]

What is it? Did you find something?

I do wish you'd relax first.

This is relaxed.

[look! he's been cooking! that's relaxing!]

Yes, you look like you've just come from a day at the spa, the epitome of having no cares or worries.

Chiron, please. I'm exceptionally preoccupied as of late, so if there is something I can do for you, simply ask it of me.

You can have a seat for me. Please. I promise it isn't bad news, unlike before.

[Phoenix sighed, reluctantly finding his way to a chair and sitting down.]

What's happened? Are you alright?

Quite alright, all things considered.

I remember.

[is he going to be a tease about this, apparently yes]

...You do? What did you remember, exactly?

All that was taken from me once a very unkindly sword pierced my middle. I remember Lion, and I remember conversations that were lost to me, and sections of layers that had eluded me, and I most certainly remember you.

[Possibly unsurprisingly, that was a considerable amount of the stress currently weighing on his shoulders since the previous layer.]

[Less unsurprising was the fact that Phoenix immediately stood back up and hugged Chiron tightly.]

[It's less that he's surprised it's happening after Achilles, but that it's Phoenix doing it. He has not before come off as a huggy person, save in...times of extreme duress (for someone else).

But fuck it, hug back. And lift! Lift him for a moment, because he can.]

Quite on its own; I did nothing new or different to encourage a change. Perhaps time alone is enough, or simply a full amount of time to properly heal, who can say?

Astrals, Chiron, I was so worried about you.

[Another thing that was unusually forthcoming of him, but given how worried he had been and still was about Chiron and Achilles, Phoenix was too tired not to mumble that into his shoulder.]

Goodness, I was still me without the memories, just, perhaps, a little less so. Maybe now you can start to relax? Or, silly me, that's not in your code.

You were, of course. But you know that wouldn't have stopped me worrying.

[shut up and take your damn hug, because he isn't letting go]

[It's a good hug!] I know. And you were still willing to help me in spite of...well, in spite of.

[This is cozy and sweet and maybe Chiron has decided an appropriate response is a peck on the cheek. Because Phoenix deserves that, poor dear.]

Of course I was. Would you have expected me to do anything else?

[Well, that's certainly a nice and welcome gesture, certainly.]

...I gave you my word that I wouldn't abandon you.