[CLOSED] PLAYER EVENT ★ THE DEPTHS

[futurologists]

THE DEPTHS The source of the magic in the ocean has been pinpointed to a certain point west of the Nalawi islands. It's too deep for swimming even with an apparatus, so submarines are the only way to go. There is coral here, visible just by looking into the clear water, but then the shelf drops off into increasingly dark depths. There are a multitude of sea creatures here. The reef is home to colorful fishes who hide in coral that appears to be based on old machinery dumped here some time ago. The metals have been taken over by the ocean, but the artificial angles and surfaces are still clear. Deeper, the giant crabs seen on the beach scuttle about. Deeper still, there are stranger creatures: giant sharks, sharp-teethed fish with glowing scales, and tentacled things that shoot by in the water, startled by the contraption moving steadily downward. And still, the source is deeper. [ This player plot was submitted jointly by adlantisag and babbylon. If you have any player plot ideas, don't be afraid to suggest them here! ]

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THE DESCENT

[futurologists]

open;

[babbylon]

[Down, down, down they go...

When Kida first proposed this venture, he'd been a bit skeptical. Not of the journey's potential, but of her. Was this another test, another tenuous extension of trust, or was she so desperate to get to the bottom of things she'd consult with someone she'd once considered a bitter enemy? Although, even with his scruples, it hadn't taken long to convince him. Maybe it really was true that beautiful women were destined to hold his leash.

So they'd gathered a ragtag crew and set off. A submarine worthy of his Gate, of course, was a very fine vessel, large enough to house them all comfortably but small enough to explore the sea without running into anything. Everything is automated, propelled by magic; Gilgamesh may have been weakened by Nalawi's curse, but it could not take his true strength from him. Not without a fight, at least. He remains conscious and alert as the hours pass, though the particularly attentive among them may notice the darkening rings beneath his eyes, the occasional period of sluggishness. Sometimes he retreats to the cabin to rest, even if it never comes.

But if anyone needs to find him, for any reason, he will always be nearby. Admiring the colorful schools of fish, or even trying to stare down a great shark. He may even approach the other crewmates himself, out of curiosity or simply to pass the time. At any rate, he refuses to appear so weak as he was in Chantes, withering in a jail cell.

That Gilgamesh was forever dead and gone, and fates willing, would stay that way.]

[beyourrock]

[She had seen him pass by a few times, her brow furrowing as she notes his sluggish movements and his tired eyes. And yet, she could see a hint of determination in his crimson eyes. Much more than what she saw back in Chantes, after the jailbreak. When he settles in his cabin, Pearl pads up to the doorway, in her ballet flats.

The Gem felt more at ease in her Crystal Gem attire, especially on ghis mission. The layers in which the ALASTAIR uniform provided only proved to be difficult for her to manuver in.

She lingers in the doorway, her form flickering for a few moments, before it settles. Gently she reaches put with their bond, silently requesting entrance into his cabin.]

May I come in?

[babbylon]

[Such requests will always me answered with warmth, as they are now. The bond hums in affirmation, and Gilgamesh rolls over on the sheets, reaching out with his arm as well as a faint smile. For Pearl, he will put on his best face... even as it feels ready to fall off.]

You are ever welcome in my arms, Pearl.

[So an answer as well as a request: come lie with me.]

[beyourrock]

[Pearl offers her own faint smile in return, her form flickering again before she nods and steps inside, gently closing the door behind her. She steps inside, almost cautious of her own footsteps. As if one wrong move would send her tumbling. She ventures towards the bed, only to shakily crawl upon it, an arm, this time flickering in and out of view.

Eventually, she finds herself stable once she lies down beside him. She doesn't even have to ask about how he's feeling. And the worry is apparent her the furrowed brows that framed her gem. Kida and he had put this all together, despite his current handicap of sorts.

She offers up a different question instead.]

Do you need anything?

[anteil]

| Gentle as a jackhammer, Helga decides to breach a subject that begins to be somewhat disconcerting given that they are a small crew in a submarine heading for who-knows-what. Observance is a vital skill to her, it has been so for thirteen years, and with powers fading all over the place, weariness is something she has begun to look out for. |

How are you holding up?

| Coming from anyone else, stranger or not, this could be a kind question. From her, it sounds cold, wary.

At least, she's chosen a private moment. |

[babbylon]

Not particularly well; I am a being of pure magic, after all.

[Helga might just be surprised by his words, so swift and direct, but Gilgamesh feels no need to hide the truth in this case. Nor does he look bothered by it, even as he's started to sag in more ways than one. Whether she inquires out of kindness or just icy curiosity, it doesn't really matter. She asked, he answered, end of discussion.

Unnaturally red eyes flicker over to her, registering someone new. So he asks of her, too:]

Are we acquainted? I presume it was Kida that invited you aboard this vessel.

[anteil]

| Pure magic. So if magic is fading, does that mean he...? That isn't exactly reassuring. |

She has. I was second in command on the expedition that lead to the rediscovery of her people.

| That's the heavily censored version, at least. She's barely lying, though, and she seems to be entirely comfortable. |

Part of it was made by submarine, this is why she asked me. It's yours?

Open

[beyourrock]

[The water was sometging in which Pearl was very familiar with. Perhaps it was due to her namesake. But, this was a new experience. Being inside a vessel to explore the depths. It's best to travel in groups like this than to swim among the ocean's depths. The sharks she catches sight of certainly prove her point.

Pearl could be seen around the submarine. At a glance, one may think the Gem is sick. Her limbs are loose and sluggish, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. Deep within them was stubborn determination. They had to get to the bottom of this. Whatever it was, it was affecting many people. And she needed to be at peak performance to even help. What if another freak storm were to rear it's ugly head again? They'd be sitting ducks.

You may see the Gem's entire body flicker out of view, leaving a floating pearl in her place; the one fused into her forehead. Her form reappears once more, in the next instance. The same happens for her limbs and hands. Flickering in and out like a dying light bulb. Pearl shakes her head stubbornly, taking in a deep breath to keep her form in one piece.

She may come by to ask about your well being thus far on the descent. She could also either be seen looking out one of the sub's windows, or wandering about to keep her head straight, along with the rest of her form.]

[dokyuu]

[Motochika knows he didn't make the best first impression with Pearl, but she'd seemed well-intentioned, at least, and his concern tends to extend to nearly everyone, regardless. He walks over as she looks out one of the windows, just standing there watching as well, for a moment, before he turns to look at her.]

Hey. You going to be okay?

[He won't ask if she is now, because the flickering definitely points to 'no,' but he has no idea if what's going on with her is fixable. He assumes it has something to do with the situation they're trying to investigate, it seems to hit some harder than others. His own abilities are a convenience rather than an essential part of him, so he isn't feeling their loss too keenly, yet.]

[beyourrock]

I'll be fine.

[Pearl doesn't even miss a beat, looking out the window as her arm flickers out of view.]

I'm more concerned with actually finding out what's causing all this in the first place. [She turns her gaze towards him, pieces of her jumbling like a compressed image, but eventually the hologram rights itself once more.]

Are you doing alright? You... don't have any magical properties... do you?

[Granted, their last encounter was less than pleasant. But. At least he had pants on.]

[dokyuu]

[Well, he'll have to take her word for it, even if the continued flickering is both worrying and a little disconcerting.]

Yeah, seems like the faster we can solve this, the better it'll be for everyone.

[Especially the Nalawi, who couldn't just... leave. At her question, he shrugs his shoulders a little.]

I'm fine. Got a talent that's suffering a bit, but it's not really magic, and I can live without it.

come one come all

[heelies]

[Well does Achilles know the wine-dark sea: from Thessaly he has sailed to steep Skyros and well-founded Troy, and many scattered lands besides, sacking the cities of men from his beaked ship. His mother is of the sea, a nymph borne from its loins. So imbued is he with the scent and rhythm of the sea, he can hardly fathom a land where men do not know of its bounty and its dangers, where they do not build ships and offer hecatombs to Poseidon for safe passage.

Yet, for all his natal knowledge of its waters, nor can he fathom how deep the sea stretches. The journey down into its belly finds him often standing watch at the bow of the submarine, as it were, drinking in the murky view: it is not long before they dive past where the thinning fingers of sunlight reach, and then the darkness is broken up only by occasional shimmers of sea creatures.

The son of Peleus is here for Gilgamesh. To reduce it to a mere favor owed would be crass: his honor as a warrior ties him to the king of Uruk's generosity, as is the way between worthy men. The rest of the crew, however, he knows barely, if at all.

By the way, he probably sacrificed something before the crew left the shore, and he probably made everyone stand around observing the pyre. Nalanni may have left her post, but one never knows what god might be watching. Achilles will not risk their destruction via smiting or drowning at sea or whatever other ill fortune may befall them as retribution for godly toes stepped upon.]

[adlantisag]

[ He is the only member of the crew she did not choose. She has heard of Achilles, hero of Troy, but not yet met the man behind the legend--which, she has learned, can be deceiving. But if nothing else, she trusts Gilgamesh's judgement in war, and so she knows he chose a warrior suitable for their adventure.

She speaks little as she steps up to Achilles, considering him. They know each others' names, and that's about where familiarity ends. It's been an hour since they began their descent, and already the sun is vanishing; like most of them, he's been watching the water. Outside the glass, a massive shark glides close, only to vanish away from the ship's headlights. Dimly, she can see Ninat's whiskers glowing. Kida leans her hip against the railing. ]

You have my thanks for accompanying us on this journey, Achilles. [ She is royal, she doesn't bow--but she does incline her head to him, in gratitude. There's an easy smile on her face. ] I do not know what we shall find down there, or what shall find us, but I only hope we may yet ease the suffering of the Nalawi... [ She glances back, back towards the rest of the ship and those assembled, some faring better than others. ] ...and our own.

[heelies]

[The son of Peleus in turn bows his head in acknowledgement: she is a stranger who hails from a land about which he knows nothing, but she gathers about her strong shoulders a noble bearing. A woman who maneuvers like a man, a reflection of the bright-eyed daughter of Zeus.]

I lend my aid out of respect to Gilgamesh, shepherd of the people, who has earned my loyalty. It is as you say, fair-haired Kida - in return for the hospitality shown us by the cloven-footed Nalawi, their suffering becomes as our own. Indeed, I too feel weakened for this curse rained down upon our heads like a plague. Had I with me my own great spear, that which great Peleus bestowed upon me and which only I have the strength to wield, I doubt I should be able to lift it any longer: such is how my strength, the greatest among all the Achaeans, has diminished.

[adlantisag]

[ Kidagakash, she nearly corrects him, though the use of her nickname--no doubt learned from Gilgamesh, damn that man's incorrigible familiarity--isn't worth the argument. She raises her chin instead, taking in the sight of his biceps, still quite plainly the size of her head; her amusement is cast aside, because his worry is founded. Pearl is flickering. Even Gilgamesh, golden and shining, is more weighed down than she's seen him since Chantes. Her pendant dims with each passing day. It barely casts any light now, she barely feels its hum; it may as well be an ordinary pretty rock. It's ironic how the deeper they go in the water the farther she feels from home. ]

Tales of your strength precede you; I can only hope we shall not have need of it on this voyage. [ It's genuine: anything that might require any strength beyond the hull of the machine that houses them would mean instant death for most, if not all, of them. ] I am Kidagakash, daughter of Atlantis' king. [ She doesn't know if that name will mean anything to him, and it's unlike her to pull out her title--but she knows men like Gilgamesh and Achilles do better in the presence of power. ] You are well met, Hero of Troy.

open!

[anteil]

| Unlike some people, Helga doesn't think it's the gods who might foil them. And unlike other parts of the crew, she looks to be in perfect health. If she is tired, it doesn't show; she isn't unused to days and nights blending seamlessly into one, long workday. The Leviathan her crew encountered on their way to Atlantis had left a deep, lasting impression, and it's her new standard worst case scenario to prepare for.

Funnily, or not so funnily now, here, miles below the surface, if there is such a beast waiting for them, their mission is akin to suicide. So while she is thinking "Leviathan", what she is gearing up for is mythical sea serpent that is likely to be impressed by their comparatively small vessel.

At the moment, she is going over the torpedo stations, acquainting herself with the foreign technology to the best of her abilities. She looks grim, but don't let that keep you from approaching her – it's just her resting face. |

closed to Motochika;

[adlantisag]

[ Masamune's words had been categorical, final as death. The Dakal lands no longer existed. The Nalawi had wiped them out. She's dimly aware of her anger not being alone, but then Gintoki adds more and all she can see is red.

By the time she's done--by the time she hits her limit--she yanks the bracer right off her arm and flings it with a snarl, watching it sail across the vast cockpit and ring against the wall. Her breath whistles out of her, breast heaving with pent-up rage. Images of Atlantis follow her as she storms out--away, anywhere, wishing they weren't trapped down here, that she could lose herself in the ocean without courting death.

She becomes aware that Motochika has followed her down the hall until he's coming up by her, and she realizes what an emotional, quivering wreck she must look like. She speaks without looking at him. ]

It angers you as well, does it not?

[ Her nails are digging hard enough into her palms that her knuckles are white. ]

[dokyuu]

[He can tell Kida's angry, it's a feeling he shares, and when she storms off, he hesitates only a moment before going after her. This is personal for her, he can tell, he feels the same way. He's not sure he can be of any help, but he figures maybe he can at least commiserate.]

Yeah. Pisses me off...

[There's a mix of frustration and anger in his voice. He knows he's taking this more personally than he should, but he can't help it.]

[adlantisag]

[ She steadies her breathing until she feels a little better in control of herself, but it's slow going. All she can hear are the screams of dying, frightened Atlanteans echoing in her head. She's glad there are no windows along the hall, just doors--she doesn't think she could stand the sight of more dark water. ]

Do you think Masamune speaks true?

[ The Date lord has many faults but he would not lie about this, she knows. Her teeth grind together. ]

If that is how the Dakal left the world, I--[ It makes her visibly upset to think on. ]--my heart aches for them. Water is not an easy killer.

[ A seaman like him would understand. Drowning is a painful, terrifying death. ]

[dokyuu]

Well, he's not really the lying type, not over something like this. At the very least, he believes whoever told him.

[And Masamune knows Kida, so Motochika's fairly sure he wouldn't have passed the information on if he wasn't sure.]

It's a bad way to go. [He knows, he's seen how quick and brutal the ocean can be.] But we don't know for sure that's how it went. The islands could have gone down after.

[Not that any scenario he can think of is better. The Dakal are dead either way, all of them, and there's no way to frame that fact that could make it palatable.]

THE DEPTHS (npc encounter)

[futurologists]

[ The source of the magic winds ever deeper until the submarine is forced to descend an underwater trench. Skylight doesn't filter down this deeply, leaving the whole of the trench pitch black.

The fish found here are bizarre and unsettling, floating by with undulating movements, bioluminescence glowing eerily in the dark. They look ancient and strange, with sharp teeth and shapes that accentuate bone; these creatures have lived down here without being disturbed by fishermen for a very, very long time.

It's near the bottom of the trench that the magic source can be pinpointed. By all accounts, the submarine is directly on top of it. But there's nothing unusual here. Nothing stands out. It's just a deep, dark hole in the ocean.]

[adlantisag]

[ She's never been in a submarine, nor even this deep underwater; the ocean she sees from the ship's lights is foreign even to her. She did not think the sea could hold anymore mystery to her, but it does, and the thought both thrills and concerns her.

Inside the vast glass-walled cockpit, she presses her hand up against the pane, watching Ninat swim outside. She can't help a thrill of worry for her companion, as massive sharks glide just out of sight. It's so dark she strains to see where Ninat's tendrils catch the light. There's an ominous feeling in her gut.

As they've reached the sea floor, and nothing appears either by the window or the various apparatus Gilgamesh has the knowledge of, she frowns. She turns to look at him. ]

There is nothing here. Are you certain?

[babbylon]

[It was as Gilgamesh promised, then, a world not even her eyes, so accustomed to the world beneath the waves, would recognize. At her hesitation, he checks again, just to make certain; nodding decisively, he folds his arms and roots himself to the spot, his not so subtle way of saying of course I am.]

This is the spot. We need only wait.

[Wait for what, is the question... maybe the other crewmates will prove a bit more patient.]

[beyourrock]

[Pearl steps up inside the glass cockpit, seeing as how they had stopped. She peers past her own transparent reflection in the window to look into the dark depths. It sends a small shiver down her spine as she listens to her companions.

So. This was it? They just had to wait? Pearl swallows thickly but stands firm in place, watching the darkness in front of them.]

What if it's something? [Who is to say the source wasn't being held or guarded by something? How were they to defend themselves? Who knew what kind of creatures lived at the bottom of the sea here. Probably some of which Pearl has never seen before. She glances to her crew members.]

This seems almost too convenient.