[SP-F6] <<Calming the Soul>> Don't Get Too Close, It's Dark Inside

[Them 0]

A quietness, eerie, filled the air, choking out any sounds that deigned to occupy the void.

Cleo, calm, in touch with oneself, was cross-legged atop a rock that poked out from the shallows of a pond, her fingers creating ripples in the water as they disrupted the current. The journey there, nauseating, sufficed to say, was quick. An escort provided safe passage through the dense brush of the sixth-floor jungles and into the Waterfalls of the Sage, and would do so on the way back, provided she concluded her business in time.Time passed, units uncertain.

The quietness ceased to be. Dull thudding permeated the silence.

One eye opened slowly, inviting in the light. It was blinding; numerous spotlights beamed from high above, collecting where she sat. The other eye opened, and with it, shapes revealed. Below was a wooden decking, which knocked when she stuck a boot out in front to raise herself. The light dampened, and the rest of the environment painted into existence; All around her was a sprawling Elizabethan theatre. The wooden stage upon which she stood, surrounded by a sea of chairs across hundreds of rows, was enveloped in thunderous applause: the seats, empty, every last one of them.

In an instant, the applause stopped.

A moment later, a single set of hands clapped, slowly, inconsistently. Above, a figure as black as the void, with a piercing white smile, clapped.

Four doors in either direction were presented to Cleo, which she noticed, but made no reaction, for her attention remained on the silhouette.

"..."

"..."

 

Stats and Equipment:

Spoiler

Them
Level 3 | HP 60/60 | EN 24/24 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 | LD: 0

Equipment:
Rusty Dagger (Vanity - Dagger)
Leather Duster (Vanity - Overall)

Battle Ready Inventory:

(3) Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)
(1) Teleportation Crystal

Skills:
<<Dagger>> - R1 (4 SP)
<<Cloth Armor>> - R1 (4 SP)

 

Quest:

Spoiler

 

Floor 6
<<Calming the Soul>>
Solo Party | 20+ Posts
Repeatable for standard thread rewards

 

Quest Rewards:

• 2,000 Experience Points
• Unlock <<Meditation>> Extra Skill

Requirements:

• Meditate beneath the Waterfall of the Sage.
• Conquer all of your Inner Demons.
• Equipment and Battle-Ready Inventory are set upon declaration, and cannot be changed throughout the thread.  No access to your broader inventory is permitted.

Summary:

Nestled deep within the jungles of the sixth floor awaits a most sacred place. A former holy ground, abandoned by religious practitioners of ages past; the Waterfall of the Sage. It attracts nearby players like moths to a flame, filling those who arrive with an unbridled sense of serenity and relaxation. Even to the casual visitor, importance seems to precipitate upon the area, its pressure as unrelenting as it is palpable. People from even the furthest reaches of the floating castle Aincrad will campaign to the scene to sit atop the mossy stone settled before the waterfall, concentrating on its ebb and flow in the hopes of uncovering its secrets.

Rumors tell tales of tourists who have opened their eyes to a separate plane of existence. To some, it may appear to be a sprawling, endless white space devoid of matter. To others, an obsidian void that devours every last trace of light. Players have reported everything between, from fields of flowers to a literal rendition of Hell itself, depending upon the proclivities of the individual experiencing it. Despite the discrepancies in venues between players, there do seem to be consistent aspects that all of the experiences have shared.

Invasive whispers permeate the space, echoing the subject’s deepest and most secretive thoughts. A shadow - a featureless silhouette of a human being occupies the space, its shape and size mirroring the individual who finds themselves there. It will introduce the player to a series of doors as a disturbingly large, unsettlingly white smile stretches across what one could only assume to be its face. The doors will present themselves in a manner that holds significance to the player, their designs depicting colors, shapes, symbols, textures, or even smells that are designed to elicit an emotional response in accordance with their deepest held fears and anxieties.

The shadow will motion with its hand, a signal for the player to enter the doors at their own pace. Upon selecting a door, the player is faced with one of their Inner Demons, who must be vanquished before proceeding. Behind each door awaits increasingly powerful foes, the dread attached to each more substantial than the last. Each door features its own location, layout decided by the Inner Demon being fought. Those who found themselves unable to proceed suffered a jarring unraveling of the mind, their fears casting them out of the trance and back into reality, causing the quest to fail. 

The players who failed lost not only the rewards, but a piece of themselves. The players who succeeded left with something more; insight, courage, and the techniques to steady their fears and calm the turbulent tides of their minds.

Outline: 

 

No additional instructions.
 

---

NPCs

<<The Entity>>
A shadow figure that acts as the guide within the space of the quest. It will always adopt the shape of the subject, and always sport the unsettling smile once it has appeared. It is neither hostile, nor particularly helpful; more a silent observer than an active participant in the quest.

 

---

Enemies:

<<First Inner Demon>>
The first Inner Demon in a series against one’s greatest fears and anxieties. Its shape, form, and name will manifest in accordance with the trepidations of the viewer.

HP: ¼ of Player’s maximum HP
DMG: ¼ of Player’s Maximum Damage (Base Damage * Highest available Sword Art, including buffs/enhancements)
MIT: ¼ of Player’s Base Damage

<<Second Inner Demon>>

The second Inner Demon in a series against one’s greatest fears and anxieties. Its shape, form, and name will manifest in accordance with the trepidations of the viewer.

HP: ⅓ of Player’s maximum HP
DMG: ⅓ of Player’s Maximum Damage (Base Damage * Highest available Sword Art, including buffs/enhancements)
MIT: ⅓ of Player’s Base Damage

<<Third Inner Demon>>

The third Inner Demon in a series against one’s greatest fears and anxieties. Its shape, form, and name will manifest in accordance with the trepidations of the viewer.

HP: ½ of Player’s maximum HP
DMG: ½ of Player’s Maximum Damage (Base Damage * Highest available Sword Art, including buffs/enhancements)
MIT: ½ of Player’s Base Damage

<<Fourth Inner Demon>>

The fourth and final Inner Demon in a series against one’s greatest fears and anxieties. Its shape, form, and name will manifest in accordance with the trepidations of the viewer.

HP: ¾ of Player’s maximum HP
DMG: ¾ of Player’s Maximum Damage (Base Damage * Highest available Sword Art, including buffs/enhancements)
MIT: ¾ of Player’s Base Damage

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

Soon, the silhouette would stop clapping. It would stare, unnaturally still, unwavering in its smile.

Then, it would beckon the player to the first door. Cleo, uncertain of what to make of the situation, yet teetering on caution, began toward it, which was at the very south edge of the stage. It had a number on it, 8C, a handle, yet no hole for a key. During her approach, a vague familiarity would overwhelm her, but why? She asked herself, Why the hell is it familiar?

It struck her, the realization. It was the door to her University dorm.

No. I loved it there, the ex-student reasoned. I love it there!

"How dare you." She addressed the entity, scowling. "That place, of all places, is where I felt most at peace. Don't you dare twist my reality into something that it isn't."

Fucking NerveGear.

The door burst open as Cleo passed through into the room inside. Darkness. She unearthed a weapon, her trusty rusty dagger, and proceeded with caution across the carpeted floor. A single light was flickering above, revealing the bed, and then the desk, and then the wardrobe, and then the mirror across the room.

In the mirror, a figure. A bottle in one hand, a dagger in the other.

The door slammed shut, shattering glass shrieked, and-

Slash-

"Ah!-"

A blade tore through Cleo's side, which she clucked in a panic and stumbled to one knee.

"Oh, you're pa-thhh-etic," The figure started, stumbling, their speech slurred, as the lights finally flashed on.

"That sounds like..." Cleo stared up at her aggressor.

It was herself.

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 24/24 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
First Inner Demon | HP: 15/15 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 1

ID: 203937 | BD: 5 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs First Inner Demon | MD: 6 (Hit!) |

• 'Them' misses!
• 'First Inner Demon' hits!
  | 4 - 5 = 1~ DMG

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 59/60 (-1) | EN: 22/24 (-2) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
First Inner Demon | HP: 15/15 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 1

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

Slowly, Cleo would come to realize what the demon was. Who the thing was supposed to be, and when it was supposed to be.

It was herself toward the end of her time at University, shortly before checking into a hospital for substance abuse. A low point, one of the weakest in Cleo's life, a time which she worked tirelessly with a therapist to forget, to help her move on. It was a ghost of her past, a part of herself that she thought was gone forever. And the fucker had just stabbed her.

Slash!-

"Ah!"-

Her attention fixed on the demon, Cleo attempted a sword art in retaliation, the very weakest in the game, but would ultimately miss the aggressor. "Grr, so fast!"

"So sssad!" It cackled grossly, a cloud of spit spewing out of its lips. In its hands was another bottle, droplets splashing as the liquid sloshed around inside, which it drank from unashamedly.

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 59/60 | EN: 23/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
First Inner Demon | HP: 15/15 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 1

ID: 203946 | BD: 5 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs First Inner Demon | MD: 7 (Hit!) |

• 'Them' misses!
• 'First Inner Demon' hits!
  | 4 - 5 = 1~ DMG

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 58/60 (-1) | EN: 21/24 (-2) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
First Inner Demon | HP: 15/15 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 1

Edited February 22, 2022 by Them
Fixing energy

[Them 0]

Lunging into action, Cleo would line up another attack against the demon as it drank. Her rusty dagger illuminated the dark corner of the room, though another expert dodge from the demon saw the player strike wide and the tip of the blade pierce the mirror behind instead. It shattered and sent shards of silver glass raining across the floor, some catching in the folds of Cleo's robes and hair.

In the only piece of mirror that had been left unscathed, she could see the edge of the entity's piercing white smile. It was watching every battle, every move, taunting her at every waking moment. Cleo unraveled, serious doubts lingering as to whether this quest was too much, too soon. The game knew too much. It was too clever for her, too quick. Hopeless and very close to clutching her teleportation crystal to return to the Town of Beginnings, she would shake those thoughts from consideration. She knew she was okay, her health still high, with no real threat of death.

None of this was real. The player tried to remind herself, This thing is not me.

Slash!-

"Ah!-"

And that was starting to get rather annoying.

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 58/60 | EN: 22/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
First Inner Demon | HP: 15/15 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 1

ID: 203948 | BD: 3 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs First Inner Demon | MD: 8 (Hit!) |

• 'Them' misses!
• 'First Inner Demon' hits!
  | 4 - 5 = 1~ DMG

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 57/60 (-1) | EN: 20/24 (-2) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
First Inner Demon | HP: 15/15 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 1

Edited February 25, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

A respite in the battle had let Cleo size up her demon, an imperfect shadow of herself. Its skin, pale against her own, even in the dingy-lit room. Its eyes, while familiar, were washed out as if the colors had faded. Its clothes, worn, ruined by days of wear without washing, were typical for Cleo back then.

At least it hadn't kept her sharp tongue and was limited in what it could spout. Or, at the very least, it was holding back. For now, the vague insults and empty threats were easy for Cleo to brush off. She'd thick enough skin for that.

The being, not yet worn from battle, took another swig from its bottle, chugging on its contents until the final drop was gone. It shook the glass around, desperate for the last trace of liquid within, and grunted, tossing it aside upon realizing the container was empty.

The demon's attention stuck on Cleo and Cleo's on it.

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 57/60 | EN: 21/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
First Inner Demon | HP: 15/15 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 1

ID: 203951 | BD: 1 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs First Inner Demon | MD: 2 (Miss!) |

• 'Them' misses!
• 'First Inner Demon' misses!
• They both suck.

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 57/60 | EN: 19/24 (-2) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
First Inner Demon | HP: 15/15 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 1

Edited February 22, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

A stand-off, a moment of calm. Was the demon looking at Cleo or through her, trying to peer inside and learn all that it could?

Whatever it was doing, Cleo readied up, trying for another attack. She targeted the demon. As she stood ready, so did the imitation, mirroring her movements, right down to her trembling fingers wrapped around the hilt of the rusty dagger. 

A glow, a push forward.

Slash!-

"Ah!"-

A thud, a shattering.

The demon, reduced to zero health, faded away.

The door, casually, opened, allowing light from the Elizabethan theatre and its numerous spotlights to flood the room. Cleo could now see it all and realized that it was barely her old room at all. A pale imitation, with the rough placement of furniture and suggestion of decoration, but lacking any of her actual dorm room's personality.

It wasn't accurate, but by God, it was familiar.

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 57/60 | EN: 20/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
First Inner Demon | HP: 15/15 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 1

ID: 203985 | BD: 8 (Hit!) <<ST-I>> vs First Inner Demon

• 'Them' hits!
  • (4 * 4) - 1 = 15 DMG!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 57/60 | EN: 16/24 (-4) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
First Inner Demon | HP: 0/15 (-15) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 1

Edited February 22, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

Out from the darkness and into the light, Cleo left her old dorm room and came out onto the stage once again, the planks creaking beneath her feet. When the player reached the centre of the arena, she took around at the remaining portals, and then back to the first one, which had since disappeared.

The entity, sitting one row down from where it sat before, clapped, in the same rhythm before. Now, though, it was louder, reverberating around the perimeter of the arena, a thump to it.

"Enjoying the show?" retorted the purple-head, now realising the shards of glass wrapped up in her clothes from the fight with the first inner demon. She began to pick the pieces out, all the while listening to the entity's applause. "You'll have to do better than that. You don't know how long I've wanted to stab myself."

Its smile, Cleo swore, grew wider. Like that was exactly what it'd wanted her to say.

Backtracking, and perhaps reassuring herself, Cleo clarified. "Not like that."

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 (+3) | EN: 17/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5

Edited February 25, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

Despite pricking a thumb on the numerous shards of glass in her clothes and hair, Cleo managed to get rid of them all, save for a few possible stragglers she couldn't see. It gave her time to reflect on what the hell she was thinking, venturing away from the Town of Beginnings for the first time and to such a high floor, far from any town and semblance of safety. In truth, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, a whim after eavesdropping on a party's conversation near the portal in the starting town. 'An easy quest,' they said, 'better to take at a lower level.' And what was not to love about that?

At any rate, the player was well underway to completing it. As annoying as it was, the first demon didn't withstand a single attack. The others, she thought, would be similar in strength and that the real challenge would be to face the worsening demons. The first was low, but she failed to imagine what could be more sinister than that. Would the game continue to tackle her trauma? Uncover truths even she didn't know?

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 18/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5

Edited February 26, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

Door number two crept open.

This one, Cleo knew before getting close. The front door to her family home. A glass door with a curtain on the inside, obscuring much of the room behind, besides a few inches. Past the hallway and into the lounge, one of the sofas gave just the right vantage point to see the edge of the front door open and close, where her mother would always be sitting—waiting for Cleo to come home from a night out.

Her mother was there. But different. Grotesque, the imitation of the middle-aged woman, had long, jagged horns, beast-like legs, and elongated arms, which scraped against the floor tiles. Wendigo. Cleo thought, feared, with emptiness in her eyes. Is this how she saw her old woman, a reflection of her most authentic, most terrible thoughts?

The unmistakable beast, feral, with pain in its eyes, turned, setting its sights on Cleo.

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 19/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 20/20 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

ID: 203987 | BD: 4 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Second Inner Demon | MD: 1 (Miss!)

• 'Them' misses!
• 'Second Inner Demon' misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 17/24 (-2) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 20/20 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

Edited February 22, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

A shallow, airy breath trickled out from the room behind, a warning of its approach. Cleo hid, barely darting behind the wall in time to avoid its notice. Her breaths were narrow, her mind racing. That thing, whatever it was, was not her mother. But the pain in its eyes, hazel, like her mother's, was human. And again, familiar.

Could she run? The door to the theatre, to the entity and, just maybe, freedom, was open, unlike in the first fight. The risk of being caught and struck by a force of unknown power was high. No, there wasn't enough time.

Steady, Cleo hid beside the wall, waiting for the beast. She would catch it off guard and try to finish it at once as done with the first demon.

The horns poked through the doorway, then a pair of claws, beast-like feet, and finally, the head.

Slash!-

The shriek of a wolf, a bear, and a mountain lion shook the room all at once as the wendigo fell backward and into the antique coffee table, an explosion of wooden splinters following. Its scream, feral, carried an ever-so-slightly human quality, a sound one might make when life twists a knife in one's heart.

"Cleo!"

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 18/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 20/20 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

ID: 203987 | BD: 9 (Minor Critical! +1 DMG) <<ST-I>> vs Second Inner Demon | MD: 2 (Miss!)

• 'Them' hits!
  • (4 + 1) * 4) - 2 = 18 DMG!
• 'Second Inner Demon' misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 14/24 (-4) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 2/20 (-18) | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

Edited February 22, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

There was no longer any trace of the beast in that voice. The sound of the wolf, the bear, and the mountain lion, gone, leaving but one thing behind, the human.

"Cleo." The wendigo, the creature, winced, covering its wound with a claw. Its legs writhed in pain, sprawled out across the tiled floor, and Cleo, dagger in hand, stood by its feet.

"Mom?"

She wanted to move, but her legs felt heavy. She tried to move her arms, but couldn't, weighed down by the consequences of her actions, and struck by the realization, by horror, of what was happening, she stood there, paralyzed.

"Oh, Cleo!"

The wounded being, whimpering, held an arm out as if to search for the player's kindness die in her arms. A force moved her forward, step by careful step, to her mother's side. No, the demon. But by that point, Cleo was beginning to struggle to tell the difference.

"... Mom?"

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 15/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 2/20 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

ID: 203987 | BD: 5 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Second Inner Demon | MD: 2 (Miss!)

• 'Them' misses!
• 'Second Inner Demon' misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 11/24 (-4) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 2/20  | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

Edited February 22, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

As Cleo moved closer to the beast, she saw subtle changes to its appearance. Sharpened claws, shrinking, dulling, became hands. The jagged antlers disintegrated from end to base, leaving behind a pile of ash. Once wolf-like, its legs shrank, the bone structure morphing to that of a person's. The transformation was gradual, lasting long enough so that when it finished, the player couldn't pinpoint exactly when the image of the wendigo vanished and the manifestation of her mother appeared. The woman lay there, wounded, a hand pressed to her neck, and the other extended toward Cleo.

"Myy Cleo..." The dying woman drew a breath that, sounding as if it were near to her last, compelled Cleo to reach across, to hold her mother's hand.

Cleo shook her head, "Stop. Please." She felt the swelling in her throat and began to breathe brief, shallow breaths. 'It's just the game,' the player tried to convince herself. 'She's not real.'

She raised her other hand.

"Sorry."

Slash-

"Ahh..."

Cleo couldn't bear to keep her eyes open as she stuck the final blow, dead in the neck, delivering the demon a swift end.

A final gasp of life was the last thing that she would hear before the game began to delete the cadaver.

When she did her open eyes again, just before the head of the demon faded from existence, she could see the lifelessness of her mother's still body. She would never, ever, have done such a thing to anybody, not least one of her parents. But the finality of it, the lack of closure, knowing that if that were her mother, she would never have gotten to resolve their issues, knawed at Cleo, chipping apart a piece of her soul.

It all felt too real, like too much.

Again, she was alone.

Cleo shuffled across to the sofa, pulling herself over it, and faced the ceiling, eyes closed. She wanted to stay there forever, for as long as the game would permit.

A single tear streaked across her cheek.

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 12/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 2/20 | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

ID: 203992 | BD: 7 (Hit!) <<ST-I>> vs Second Inner Demon

• 'Them' hits!
  • (4 * 4) - 2 = 14 DMG!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 8/24 (-4) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Second Inner Demon | HP: 0/20 (-2) | DMG: 6 | MIT: 2

Edited February 23, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

Sometime later, Cleo awoke, feeling not the soft leather of the sofa behind her head but hard, cold wood. She groaned, trying to prop herself up, but the stiffness in her back prevented it as she fell to the floor with a clunk. Her muscles ached, or so thought. It was her first time dipping below half-energy and experiencing physical fatigue in-game, so all she could relate her current state to were real-world feelings of exhaustion. Perhaps she was fine, and it was all in her head, mental fatigue induced by the last two fights with her demons. In any case, she couldn't move or didn't want to. As uncomfortable as it was, the floor was more enticing than the idea of getting up, brushing herself off, and getting back to whatever it was that she was doing before.

The second inner demon's domain was gone, and Cleo was back in the Elizabethan theatre, surrounded by lights, rows of seats, and of course, the eternal presence of the Entity. She thought, just for a second, that maybe its applause had come to an end. Was it satisfied with her performance yet?

Clap.

No such luck.

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 9/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5

[Them 0]

She rolled onto her side and, both hands to the floor, mustered the strength to push up from the ground. On her knees, she spent some time checking her essential motor functions to make sure nothing had broken. Hands are moving? Good. Neck still turning? Check.

Clap.

Ahead, she saw the formless Entity with its wide, white smile, clapping from its seat in the audience. She grimaced at the sight of it. "You know, you're gonna get blisters if you don't stop showering me with applause." Her little quip had no effect on the being, which annoyed her that she couldn't get any reaction out of it, but didn't surprise her. The Entity's job was to put her through misery, so it was probably pointless to try and get a rise from it.

Two doors remained. They weren't dissimilar to one another, both doors wooden and unassuming, with curious markings that Cleo failed to make sense of from so far away. They were notably different from the first two doors, which were somewhat familiar to the player, so she hadn't a great feeling about what lay in store.

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 10/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5

[Them 0]

With a huff, she got up to her feet. The fatigue she'd felt earlier was gone, which was a welcomed development, but that meant she would need to get back to the task at hand—fighting demons.

And that would mean choosing which door to go through next.

To her left was a two-panel oak door with a brass doorknob and illustrations engraved into either panel. The top panel depicted a Melpomene mask floating above the silhouette of a lone person, whose tears collected in a puddle beneath them. In the bottom panel, a Thalia mask watched over the profiles of a group of people linked by their arms, dancing or otherwise enjoying themselves.

To her right was another door of similar design but without the illustrations. Instead, multiple question marks littered its surface, varying shapes and sizes. Upon closer inspection, the markings looked as if they had been etched into the door, or worse, clawed.

To deal with her loneliness, or to deal with the unknown? These options were equally as enticing, which was to say, not at all.

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 24/24 (Full restore - three posts out of combat) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5

Edited February 25, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

Cleo was ready to tackle her next demon. Loneliness had just edged out over the fear of the unknown, as at least she knew what to expect when facing her loneliness. The room centered around the unknown might just be blindsiding and would be better to fight last, to make sure it was the last bit of nonsense she'd need to endure for the quest.

Door number three creaked open.

Inside was dark, cold, and wet. Illuminated by torches in each corner of the room, she saw puddles scattered across the rocky floor. "A cave?" Water dripped in the distance, creating an occasional splash that would quell the silence now and then.

Intriguingly, there was no demon. Cleo could see the room in its entirety, albeit dimly, and there were no signs of life nor activity.

Then, the door closed, locked itself and stood silent. A knock came from the outside. 

Cleo stood silent for a few seconds before calling out. "Hello?"

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 24/24 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

ID: 204176 | BD: 2 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Third Inner Demon | MD: 5 (Miss!)

• 'Them' misses!
• 'Third Inner Demon' misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 22/24 (-1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

Edited February 26, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

As soon as Cleo spoke out, the knocking stopped. She stood, waiting, ready for it to start up again, but it didn't. A cautionary glance at her surroundings revealed nothing had made its way inside yet, and so, carefully, she crept towards the portal, her back to the wall.

When she finally reached the door and leaned over to twist the doorknob, it didn't budge. Figures. Her attempts to push and pull yielded equally bleak results. After a little more waiting, she grew uneased. Was something wrong? Was the quest broken? Could a quest even break?

Something, perhaps desperation, compelled her to knock on the door.

A heart-stopping bang boomed from the other side, knocking her to the ground. "Fuck!" She scrambled on her back to crawl away, eyes glued to the door all the while. No further noises arose but wasn't about to wait for whatever was on the other side to bust inside and catch her off guard.

When she reached the center of the room, she breathed after a little more waiting, allowing her lungs to relax.

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 23/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

ID: 204182 | BD: 2 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Third Inner Demon | MD: 5 (Miss!)

• 'Them' misses!
• 'Third Inner Demon' misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 21/24 (-1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

 

Edited February 26, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

Cleo had prepared for the worst, but it didn't seem to pass. The knocking had subsided for what felt like an age but must only have been a couple of minutes, and she let up her defense with an exasperated sigh.

She shifted forwards from her back and into a seated position, pulled her legs to her chest, and planted her chin between her knees. All of the games, the messing around, began to get to the player, and she could all but stare forwards, blankly, waiting, wondering when this would end.

A puddle shifted from the corner of her eye, but she brushed it off, knowing it must have been a drop of water that caused it to ripple. Then, she realized she hadn't heard the sound of water dripping.

Turning in a panic, she could see it for an instant, a monstrous four-legged creature that would phase between tangibility one moment and then blend into the shadows in the next. She had just enough time to target the demon, and, shifting to her feet in a flash, she struck the whimpering beast in the belly. It howled cruely, and disappeared into the shadows, fading from sight. "Aha! Got you!"

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 22/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

ID: 204183 | BD: 6 (Hit!) <<ST-I>> vs Third Inner Demon | MD: 3 (Miss!)

• 'Them' hits!
  • (4 * 4) - 2 = 14 DMG!
• 'Third Inner Demon' misses!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 18/24 (-4) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 16/30 (-14) | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

 

Edited February 26, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

In the shadows, hiding in the dark, the demon lay in wait. Cleo had only seen it for a moment, a beast with no fur and an almost gaseous appearance, so plainly depicting a wolf or another woodland predator. Its fangs were long, sharp, streaking from its mouth like wisps of smoke, with two red singularities where its eyes should have been. Cleo, glued against the wall, stood prepared, dagger at the ready to strike.

Ten seconds passed. Then, a minute. The player's attention never wavered from the shadows, eyes reading the left side of the room, then the right, then back to the left.

She took a cautionary step forwards, eyes left, eyes right, and then another step. Her slow creep toward the center of the room went on, her checks getting less and less attentive until she stood where she had been before when the demon first manifested.

Is this a puzzle? Thought the player, Or some test of endurance?

A shadow moved in the corner of her vision, a reflection shifting in a puddle on the floor. "The puddles!"

"Ah!" A burning pain shot through her arm as the beast's fangs tore through it, leaving a trail of smoke as it vanished from existence.

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 60/60 | EN: 19/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 16/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

ID: 204183 | BD: 2 (Miss!) <<ST-I>> vs Third Inner Demon | MD: 6 (Hit!)

• 'Them' misses!
• 'Third Inner Demon' hits!
  • 8 - 5 = 3 DMG!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 57/60 (-3) | EN: 17/24 (-2) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 16/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

Edited February 26, 2022 by Them

[Them 0]

Again, for a time, there was nothing. The demon was gone, without a trace.

However, this time, she had something: a clue, a possible solution to the puzzle. Just before the aggressor appeared, she had caught it from the corner of her vision, its reflection shifting in the puddles on the floor. Was that the key? It was worth a try. The first time, she'd gotten the drop on it, or perhaps it was luck. The second time, it hadn't given her a chance. She knew what to do the third time.

Eyes closed, she stood, dagger at the ready, her breaths steady. A droplet of water fell from the ceiling and plopped into one of the puddles.

Eyes open, she waited—a second, and then another two. For a moment, there was nothing, but eventually, a sign of activity.

There was little chance for the demon to evade between Cleo's turning, targetting, and executing her attack. The sword art struck true in its heart, a critical attack, and its gaseous body dissipated instantly. The puddles littered across the floor dried up, the torches burned brighter, and the door to the theatre crept open once again.

 

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 57/60 | EN: 18/24 (+1) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 16/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

ID: 204215 | BD: 9 (Minor Critical!) <<ST-I>> vs Third Inner Demon

• 'Them' misses!
  • (4 + 1) * 4 - 2 = 18 DMG!

Them | Lv. 3 | HP: 57/60 | EN: 14/24 (-4) | DMG: 4 | MIT: 5
Third Inner Demon | HP: 0/30 (-18) | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2

Edited February 26, 2022 by Them