cancry | Limbo Underside Log

LIMBO DUNGEON LOG
It's easy to lose track of time in Purgatory, but believe it or not, just over a month has passed since the initial wave of awakenings took place. There's been more since then, of course, with new Executors popping up left and right but other than that, things are mostly quiet. Until one day, you all wake up to find the fountain looks kind of... busted. Not broken precisely but something has impacted the bottom of the fountain from below, hard enough to jar it slightly out of place... and those of you who joined in the first jaunt down into Limbo's Underside can probably guess what was responsible. This seems to spook Rei. She spends most of the morning afterwards mulling this over before eventually speaking up to the group; "We can't put this off any longer... tomorrow, I think we need to go down there and fight." You have a day to prepare and ready yourselves... And then you descend into Limbo's Underside.
THE UNDERSIDE
Just as before, when Rei returns the sword to its place atop the fountain, the mechanism chugs to life and groans its way to the side, revealing the staircase underneath. Despite the battering it took, things seem to be working just fine. The steep staircase vanishes down into the darkness and as you follow it, it feels for a moment as though you're wandering blindly into the unknown... and then quite suddenly, before you're more than a few steps down the staircase, Limbo's Underside pops into view. While Limbo itself is mostly functional if a bit odd, the Underside is... a lot. The geography of the place is twisted and doubles back on itself in places and seems to warp in your vision as you observe it. From your bird's eye view as you descend the stairs, you can see that the general shape of the place mirrors that of the town above, with many of the same general landmarks. For example; The movie theater is offering a "late night fright fest" on all of its screens. If you're ~~dumb~~ brave enough to go and watch such a thing, you'll find that the description is accurate at least – all of the screens just show the attending Executors subjected to situations that play into their worst fears and anxieties. The coffee bar serves the same drink, no matter your order – a pitch black sludge that makes you feel violently ill when consumed. The pastries are fine, though. The hotel is even more maze-like than it was previously. Your hotel key won't work here. The windows won't break. The doors won't open. Wasn't the exit around this corner? What about the next? How many floors have you climbed again? How long have you been in here, anyway? The conbini is now a perfectly normal and functional convenience store. Somehow this is even more upsetting than having it become more weird. ... Among other oddities. You thought Limbo was already weird? That was baby shit. At least that horrible feeling of dizzy disorientation from last time doesn't seem to take hold again, but the ground is very much still moving around a bit. Mind your step! It goes without saying, of course, that the place is swimming with Revenants, too. No sight of the big punchy lad who had at you the first time around, but he's sure to be around. All you can do now is explore, investigate and do your duty as Executors. Good luck.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What, so suddenly? Well...on second thought, it seems plausible that anything could awaken memories for any number of reasons.

[Phoenix was, perhaps, a little too focused on the logic of the matter.]

...Are you alright?

It was a memory of fire and death. So... I have to assume that was what caused it. Or perhaps the danger. I... can't say.

[He shakes his head]

I am... better than I was. But still, any time my mind wanders it returns and I want to scream.

...Would you wish to speak of it?

[He adjusted his visor, pushing it a little further into place. Whether that was conscious concern or unconscious awareness of the burns on his face was anyone's guess.]

I think we've a moment to spare.

No.

... but perhaps I should. If I say it, maybe it will feel like an actual memory instead of something that keeps happing in the present?

Such a decision is yours to make. Giving voice to it may help or it may not, but I would be willing to remain regardless. Consider it my thanks for your help when I first awoke here, if that helps the matter at all.

[The pained, cagey tone of his voice softens for a moment, and if Phoenix could see it he would know his expression matched]

There is nothing to repay in that regard. It was a pleasure to help a fellow Executor. We all only have each other here, after all.

Perhaps so. But either way--if I can help somehow, I can think of little else of more importance at the moment.

[He sighs softly]

Very well.

I can't say how old I must have been at the time. A child, but one inching up on manhood. If I had to guess no younger than 12?

[He snorts in something like amusement]

Apparently I was tall then as well, so who can say? I was with some older people- two men, one older and one younger. I... can not remember their names or faces...

[That pain creeps back into his voice, his breath stuttering]

But we must have been close- the younger was too young to be my father, perhaps an elder brother? Regardless we were in a carriage, and I was looking out the window- there were many others with us. Men and women on horse and pegasus-back. Their faces too are missing. Like a dream where you know you know something, but the moment you focus it breaks apart?

I remember being... excited. But suddenly there was a yell. Someone warning us that there was... was an attack? Yes, our caravan was under attack... There was someone not with us that I was worried about...

[His voice starts to crack with panic, but he's managing to keep it contained for now]

...

[Phoenix frowned slightly, tilting his head as he listened to the minute changes in Lion's voice as well as the words themselves. He considered things for a moment, and with only a little hesitation offered his right hand for Lion to take or not as he saw fit.]

[Lion makes a soft sound of surprise, and his fingers lightly touch... before pulling away]

That... might not be wise. I'm very strong.

[He wouldn't want to crush Phoenix's fingers, even if the touch WOULD soothe him some]

I've learned recently I am more resilient than I look.

[poor jock and pariah have no idea how the fuck he does half the things he does, and neither does phoenix.]

I suspect I'm accustomed to a little pain now and again. It's quite alright.

...if you're sure...

[He doesn't need to be told twice, which is a testament to how upset he is, honestly. He takes the offered hand, and after a moment dismisses the gauntlet of his Executor outfit so it's a little less unpleasant to touch. Leaving scared knobby fingers instead]

Where was I... ah, the attack.

[He shivers]

The two men left me behind to join the battle, and I lost sight of them. But soon after the... fires... started. Mages, I have to assume. Nothing but magic could have started that much fire that quickly. They... there was so much screaming. It wasn't a battle, it was a massacre.

[He starts to squeeze, and he wasn't just being polite- it's nearly crushing]

Trained knights and warriors, butchered like fattened hogs. I could... I could smell them burning. Hear them begging for their lives. For... for me to stop their suffering. To save them-!

[It did hurt somewhat, but Phoenix's hypothesis had been right; whoever he'd been in life, it was someone with quite the pain tolerance. Calmly, he adjusted his visor again with his free hand. He made a silent note to let Lion know about his own magic at some point before it became relevant, if this was the case.]

I'm sorry. To see a memory like that at all, much less in a place like this...I can only imagine how you must be feeling right now.

[There was more, of course. The aftermath, him being dragged back to that place for 'revenge'- the tall boy he had saved because DAMN IT HE HAD TO SAVE SOMEONE-

-but he can't bring himself to talk about it any further. If he did he would surely snap Phoenix's hand like a bundle of twigs. No matter his pain tolerance Lion could not bear the thought of hurting one of his teammates like that.]

It... would be easier, I think. If I could remember who they were. If I could... grieve in any way that mattered.

[Phoenix laid his other hand over Lion's, thoughtful as he chose his words carefully.]

...I think that even remembering such a thing is, I might say, ultimately a good sign despite its gravity. You might yet recover more of it before long.

Recover...

[The idea seems impossible- but he can't say if that's because the pain is so fresh or something else he can't understand yet. But he nods along, not wanting to spit Phoenix's kindness back at him]

Perhaps.

Limbo Underside Log

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