acatalepsy_logs | PHASE 3: AKVOS: THE END.

PHASE 3: AKVOS: THE END.

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the great escape.

The Circle has quite a lot on their plate, this time around. Multiple players are fighting for the control of Akvos, and many difficult choices to make. No matter what path you choose, though, one thing is for certain: it is a bitter fight to the death to ensure that Akvos remains standing, one way or another.

There are three main areas for the characters to explore in the final log of Akvos: (1) The Kingdom of Akvos, where the King is fighting to seize control; (2) The Rift, where the characters will encounter the Dreamscapes; and (3) The Kingdom of Polankos, which is where King Ka'pouli has reigned since his arrival in the pocket dimension. Decisions made in all there areas will affect the outcome of Akvos, so get to exploring.

THE ASSAULT ON WAHINE.

The King’s forces will attack in three different fronts. There will be mermen attacking from above, riding saddled giant seahorses and manta rays, launching spears at the mermaid-warriors below with terrifying precision. They seem to be indiscriminate, in their aim -- the weaponry, charged with the same dark energy that the shadow creatures seem to be made out of, find their target in civilians and warriors alike, raining down a sea of terror upon the central stronghold of the Kingdom of Akvos.

The mermen will also be attacking at the ground-level, attempting to burst their way through the Palace Gates to flood the city with numbers. While the mermaids outnumber the mermen, the mermen are certainly more brutal than the mermaids. Some of them, though, in finding the city, are more concerned with looting it than with senselessly murdering everyone inside. Indeed, this is the most food they have seen in a long time -- and markets are destroyed in grabbing as much food and riches as they can, pressing closer to the Palace, and toward the Queen's stronghold.

And, finally, they will be attacking from below, navigating their way through a network of tunnels meant to transport goods and bursting their way into people’s homes, to sneak their way closer to their ultimate goal, which seems to be the Palace itself.

The Circle's main goal, here, is to protect civilians, usher theminto the underground strongholds beneath the Palace, and fight for their own lives should they attack the mermen first. Man the wall, if you so choose, to attempt to block the air attacks from the mantas. Fight on the ground, to protect Akvos from destruction. Or make your way to the underground strongholds and tunnels, to block access to the Palace. All of these will certainly assist in keeping Akvos safe.

In addition, please remember that shadow creatures (which can only be killed by magical means) are still making their way through the entirety of Akvos. While King Ka'pouli's forces are targeting the Palace of Wahine, the shadow creatures are still present everywhere. Get to killing!

INTO THE RIFT.

Some of you, however, have elected to traverse into the mysterious rift that appeared in the midst of the Fields of Akvosia. It looks like a black hole into nothingness, crackling with odd energy . . . and passing through it feels as though you have stepped through an icy waterfall. For a moment, you cannot breathe -- and then, you are treated to beauty.

The gaps between time and space are full of sparkling lights, bolts of rainbow starlight winding around you as you move through the uncertainty that is the void. It seems endless, but something inside you is tugging you forward . . . and, suddenly, there is a soft voice in your ear. A familiar one, to those who reside within the Circle . . . the confused voice of Astoria.

"Hello? My Travelers? How are you within the Void?" The Void? That word hadn't been used to describe whatever this magical place is before, but . . . well, a witch with the ability to send you all across the universe probably knows what she's talking about, right? "That should not be possible . . . who opened this doorway?"

You can tell her, or you can not. It seems to matter not, because: "Is this not getting through? Why can I not hear you . . . but I can feel you, I can -- please, if you can hear this, be careful. The Void is not something for mortals to interact with, and it can show you terrible things -- terrible things, so please--"

And, right before you have the opportunity to respond to our benevolent witch (or captor, depending on your point of view), you see a bizarre glass-like surface in front of you. It looks like a mirror, and you see a perfect reflection of yourself. It is absolutely captivating, and it beckons you . . . almost urging you to touch it. And Astoria's whisper grows a bit louder, more urgent:

"My dear Traveler, be careful what you encounter here -- can you hear me? Can you see me? I am trying to get you out of there, to bring you back home--Akvos is--"

But it is too late.

Your fingers graze the edge of the mirror, and you are pulled -- a sensation that is familiar to you, the same pull in your stomach that you feel whenever Astoria thrusts you across the universe, into new realities. And, when you blink your eyes again, and look around . . . you are no longer in Akvos, or the Void. You are somewhere entirely new.

Welcome to the Dreamscape.

THE KINGDOM OF POLANKOS.

Once the Circle emerges from the Rift and the Dreamscape, they will stumble into another world . . . but this one's wateris shallow, in comparison to the massive depths of the crystal-clear kingdom of Akvos. You can quite clearly see the surface, here, and there are shallows that allow you to come up onto islands, tropical in nature with fruit, odd creatures that appear to be multiple-headed monkeys and parrots, and sandy shores. It's a bit jarring to see, after spending so long underwater. Indeed, you emerge to trudge onto land, and look around, somewhat mystified that the deep-dwelling mermen would be from a place like this.

However, exploring the islands (which is not very difficult to do, as they are all small and will not take very much time) will yield the discovery that on the islands themselves are tunnels -- underwater caverns that thread through the islands to much deeper water. It's almost as if the islands themselves are barriers to the underwater caverns below -- shallow water, a layer of land, and then a (mer)man-made bubble of water below the barrier of land. And that whoever lived on these islands tunneled through them to find deeper water. Princess Kea, (who will attend on these journeys, while remaining in the water), will tell the Circle members that King Ka'pouli told her that when the mermen were cast out, they landed on solid land, and had to slowly dig deeper to their salvation.

Navigating through these tunnels will be somewhat perilous -- and the Circle members will need to carry Princess Kea to the nearest tunnel to get her into some water, because while she can breathe on the surface for a certain period of time, she cannot navigate the land as quickly as you people with legs. Additionally, underwater caving isn't exactly a blast, but the deeper you go, the more clues of civilization you can find. And, eventually, once you go deep enough, you emerge into a massive underwater cavern to find the small Kingdom of Polankos.

In comparison to the Kingdom of Akvos, Polankos is witheringly depressing. It is not brightly colored, nor open -- indeed, it is tiny, with mermen huddled together waiting patiently for the forces that went through the rift to return. There is not a lot to find here, save for some interesting weapons that possess a dark energy, versus a lightning energy -- and those weapons will be given to the Circle members who ask for them, because those who wield them are in no condition to fight. There is little food, little room to sleep, and these are a people clearly in need of assistance.

In order to get them out of Polankos, you will need to usher them through the tunnels back up to the Rift above -- it seems that King Ka'pouli opened the Rift on the surface, rather than risk the city below in case it did not work. The mermen there (who seem to be elderly and weak) will be eager for the assistance to get out Polankos, and at the promise of being brought into Akvos, they will happily go. There will be no resistance from them.

You may also see Princess Kea, who has filtered in and out of the Rift to assist on the journey -- teary-eyed, heartbroken at the sight of these individuals who require rescue, organizing the mermen with the promise of keeping them safe in Akvos.

"Hurry," she tells you, as she rouses another merman into getting to the nearest tunnel. "We do not have a lot of time to pull this off, and we must work quickly."

Additionally, please feel free to write up and work with your own prompts! These areas of the world are presented as jumping off points for your characters, not limitations. The idea of this world- as with all the others- is to explore -- you may use as much leeway as you want in order to come up with what your character will do, especially in the Dreamscapes.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask them back on the various threads back in the OOC post from before!

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[Firo hesitates; the fact that the queen lied to her people hadn't really registered with him until Prompto said it. That might be a big part of why he doesn't comment on it verbally, instead moving on to the other points.]

If it's so important for Astoria, she can come down here herself. [He sighs.] Besides, I get what you mean, but wouldn't helping their city get attacked be like abandoning the mermaids instead?

[Not that the mermen still chilling in the rift are exactly fearsome attackers...]

I'd say... twenty there, five back if I run.

[Something she can't do burdened with that many merpeople. At least, not responsibly.

Carefully, she tries to help the merpeople balance on her back, passing out rope and pointing out places to hang on, like her shoulders, harness, and the belt of her "skirt".]

[ Takeru raises an eyebrow at the list of seemingly mundane animals taking up residence on their ship. Add space cows to the list of explanations, please. ]

Yeah. Put it down once it starts to come out.

[ It doesn't take long for a baby Popomon (likely the result of some subconscious influence, given the lion theme down the line) to start to emerge from cracks in the egg's shell. A crib conveniently pops into existence shortly afterward, because the Digital World is helpful like that. Takeru just smiles as he watches this play out--even years later, there's still nothing better than giving a helping hand to the little guys being born. ]

All the eggs you see lying around are just waiting to be hatched.

[ They could, in fact, do this all day. Popomon seems to have other ideas, though, and propels itself out of the crib to jump on Hunk and whine about being hungry. It's only natural that the rest of the babies follow suit. ]

[Honestly at this point, Keith has lived so much of his life trying to figure alien peoples and alien worlds that he's been dropped into the middle of -- home and in Astoria's service -- that he's used to just rolling with contexts he doesn't understand. So he really appreciates the explanation.

Dark as it is. And even if she also turned into a dragon. Which, for the record, interesting detail.

Keith frowns, but he doesn't stop his movement, his attacks. Because he'd really rather not find out what happens when someone dies in someone else's memories.]

Were there any left to save?

[ There they are. His brothers, for lack of a better term. His flesh and blood. Each one just like him, frozen in time, suspended until the Empire calls on them to serve their singular purpose: give up their souls for daemonification. They'll never know happiness or warmth or love like he does. How could he have been the only one to earn that right?

Should he have rescued them? Could he have rescued them? If he freed them from the pods, would they even know how to live? How to move, breath, eat?

A strangled sound catches in his throat as his eyes move between her and the pods. ]

...If I hadn't been rescued, I...I would've been just like them. I-it's weird, I know.

[ It can't be easier for her to see this. It isn't easy for him to see her seeing it. ]

[the enhancement takes a different form in everyone, he's been noting. tacticians juggle more, warriors find a new reserve of strength, and it leaves them with that lingering glow. it lasts longer than it used to, he sees - surely a benefit of whatever power cracked through the planet to find them. useful, in these circumstances.

when the sound dies down, he peers his head out to take measure of the situation. the merfolk have departed, and that Circle member is still standing, so to speak, the glow he gave her still alive and feeding the magic. he's done his job here, and he emerges from the crevice, long hair trailing in the water, already turning to begin swimming away in the opposite direction.

the fact that he's doing what can be considered work is something he's trying to not think too hard on - or at least, selfishly justify to himself. just making sure that this story continues to have a happy end.]

Oh yes. [An instant reply.] We are currently on the first floor. On the other side of the door behind us, there are three children and a senior enchanter. The old woman up ahead erected a barrier to shield them.

[She nods at Wynne before spitting a fireball at an abomination behind Keith. The blast sends it reeling before it explodes. Wynne casts a healing spell on the woman with bow and arrow in hand. Creation - or, healing and defensive spells - school of learning, or the opposite of what she mastered, which was Entropy. Fear and debilitation was what she knew beyond a few primal spells. It suited her just fine.]

One Tranquil on the second floor, as well as a blood mage. He lets her go. A templar on the third floor was enthralled so badly, we could not. Such a shame...

[Yes, and she enjoyed saving kittens from trees. There is no love lost there, nor in-] And another that was tortured out of his right mind on the fourth, right in front of the stairs to the Harrowing chamber where that man you glimpsed is waiting. Three senior enchanters, as well as this Circle's First Enchanter who is the primary target of this little rescue mission. Those at the gates won't believe it's safe unless their precious leader says so.

[If rolling one's eyes could be audible, it would sound like a bowling ball hitting pins in a perfect strike. Or like that poor abomination exploding into flames with that last strike Keith did. So many explosions, so little time. Do try not to look at them and maintain your "cool" status- ah, wait.]

Ah yes, and another mage on the second floor who decided his best option was to lock himself in a wardrobe and proceed to hide in said wardrobe again when we cleared the entire floor and heard his pathetic mewling. ...There is a joke there somewhere and I am not entirely sure where.

[ no, it isn't easy for her to see this. not only do they represent the very close shave prompto's life is, it is the picture of sick cruelty. whether on hydaelyn or eos, it seems the garleans never fail to stoop to such lows to achieve their goals. it's barbaric. she can only hope that these poor souls never woke from their slumber. ]

No, it is not weird. It is.. cruel.

[ cruel is hardly even a strong enough word. alisaie has not the poet's soul to properly weave the horror and sadness of what had happened here, what might still be happening on eos, or even on hydaelyn. how can they do it? how can they sleep at night? how can this possibly be worth achieving their goals? alisaie will never understand the minds of these sorts of men; for as hard and fiery as she can be, she could never bring herself to sow the seeds of such torment.

her grasp on his hand tightens, and she stands a little taller, breathing deeply. ]

Shall we move on?

Oh, his name's York. Bit shorter than me, brown hair, his left eye's kind of messed up.

[It's the best description he can muster, and York's eye does usually cause him to stand out in a crowd. Not that he tries to draw too much attention to it.]

I kind of lost contact with him, so I'm trying to track him down.

[her actions are startling, but after he has half a second to gawk and be useless, he has to do something. so he reaches for her prosthetic again, tugging it back and trying to think of the right words, the right spell to murmur it into sleep. harder to do to separate out Zero and the flower, but he can do it if he calms down. thinks about the nature of a spell, pulls out something he hasn't dealt with in a while.

there's a murmur of energy that passes over his skin, his lips silently moving, trying to not trip on a line. to encircle the presence, pull it into an illusion, weave the cradle of dreams to keep it calmer, unaware. the flowers around their feet begin to wither and die, him pulling energy from them to fuel this, concentrating to the extent of forgetting for a moment that this isn't Avalon - it doesn't smell the same, doesn't feel the same. if she's going to rip it out, then immediately afterwards, he'll probably have to help stem blood loss.]

[the smile doesn't fade from Merlin's face, but there's a spark of seriousness in his eyes that undercuts everything.]

One for the fate of this world. Whatever happens, the story will have a new page turned, a new chapter. Life will continue, though we've been sent to meddle.

[Keith is already moving closer as he's tugged, arms wrapping around Shiro firmly, holding tight. This memory feels like it happened lifetimes ago. In a way, it did. So much has changed between that moment and this. But it'd be a lie to say he's not shaken by it still.]

Yeah. Looks like we are. [Quieter.] I never knew how to talk about it.

[Clearly. But now it's out in the open, so maybe that's for the best somehow. Keith's eyes are shut, and the scene around them is shifting, darkness and stars giving way to a strange and green landscape, odd and alien vegetation.

The small shelter that Keith and his mother called home for their years in the Abyss is there. A fire burns, smoke rising into the air. As Keith lifts his head and looks, he sees it from the outside. His mother and another version of himself sit by the fire, the wolf curled up close by.

Welcome to the Quantum Abyss, Shiro.]

[ As nice as it might be if Kairi gave him a straight-up yes or no to guide him, he knows it wouldn't be fair for him to ask that of her. This isn't her world, and even if he summed up all the events that happened in his life over the last year, she still wouldn't have a full appreciation for everything that's at stake here. The only person who can make this call right now is Prompto himself.

The pressure is immense. He is completely unsuited for this, but that's nothing new. What is the right thing to do?

His lips press together in a thin line as his chin dips down. They don't have time to dawdle, but...what should their next move be? ]

...W-what if we give it a shot? I mean...it can't hurt, right?

[ Right? ]

[ For a moment, he just closes his eyes, and breathes in and out. He can still see the image of the clones trapped in their tubes behind his eyelids, but Alisaie's question prompts him on. They need to keep moving. It didn't do to dwell in this place then, and it won't do to dwell in it now, either. ]

Yeah. Let's shake a leg.

[ And so on they go, into the next room, and Prompto knows what's coming. They follow his past self as he stalks along behind a window into a large, circular room with a massive machine in the center. Two figures are conversing inside, and though Alisaie won't recognize either of them, one of the men calls out to Prompto in his unseen position, as if he could sense his presence.

Prompto's skin crawls anew at the sound of Ardyn's voice, beckoning him to meet his maker, as he learns fully, completely, just how horrible the purpose he was created for truly was.

This confrontation will end with blood on his hands. He can only hope it won't change how she sees him. ]

[ She doesn't quite know how time travel or affecting the flow of time can change things, but this is his world, and she doesn't know a thing about it past what she's just seen here. If he wants it so badly in his heart, something terrible must've happened today. It's not a stretch, considering the environment.

But .... hmmm. She shakes her head. ]

I don't really know. Maybe it could, maybe it couldn't. [ She seems a little lost on the subject herself. ] But if it's what you want, I won't stop you.

[ She'll help him with his decision! He should follow his heart. ]

...Magic seems to always have a price. You're enhancing yourself. You need enough to by pass your current strength.

[He picks up a little speed, catching sight of debris he'll need to take care of in the distance. Judging by the size of the rocks two shots from his laser cannon should do it.

But his mind is on what he's been told about his companion's ability.]

But, as you've already theorized, you're also taking away from yourself. That doesn't seem like a medium deal. More like your energy is the fuel. So, let's avoid boosting more then necessary.

Once we clear out this tunnel we should be good for a while to escort groups back and forth. I have slightly over six hours left of shifts before I can't shift again today. We'll make both our abilities count in the time we have.

H-hey, I said I was okay not knowing!

[ But as she's shared anyway...that makes a lot more sense now. Anyway— ]

Well, we better get down there, then! I bet they've been missin' you like crazy!

[ i started writing this with alisaie recognizing ardyn's voice, then remembering she doesn't know it.....

nevertheless, it's quite immediately apparent that this man is sinister and untrustworthy, his bored, languishing drawl could curdle milk. he's instantly dislikable, at least for someone like alisaie, a girl who is honest and forthright almost to a fault. whoever he is, it's clear enough that he was no friend.

thoughtlessly, alisaie weaves her fingers through prompto's own to strengthen their hold with a silent, simple intimacy.

when the shot rings out she is not surprised, though she is, perhaps, a little sad. alisaie has plenty of blood on her hands, she could never judge prompto his choices, but he deserves.. better, than to have to do such a thing. he is too good. too warm. did it hurt him, to have to pull that trigger? does it haunt him to have taken a life? if it didn't, like as not she would not be seeing this at all, but nevertheless she continues to believe in his strength, holding fast to his hand while the rest unfolds. ]

[ Even more kernels of doubt seed themselves in Prompto's heart, but his position remains unchanged, if only by necessity. He's too far down this path now. If he were going to protect the kingdom, he would be back at the palace right now. And he had spent some time there. It was only after that that he figured there had to be a better way to end the senseless fighting and bloodshed.

Sometimes, you have to fight. But this? This isn't one of those times. ]

Look, I-I dunno, man, I'm not good at this whole...moral debate thing. I'm just...trying to do what my heart tells me is right.

Then this might be more than a recollection. [He climbs the stairs two at a time. Shiro plays it off as a casual burst of speed but his brows are furrowed and his gaze up above. He reaches the apartment and unlocks the door, stepping inside. The apartment isn't luxurious but it's servicable and not insulting to be assigned to it. Obviously built for four people, there are only a few signs Shiro has lived here. A notebook with a list of grocies, a tacked up work schedule, and a first aid kit right out in the open.

There's no one else around, but for a moment he sees himself cleaning his Sig sauer p226s. The memory of him puts them back together and loads them. He slides both into hidden gun holsters under his coat.

The memory of him fades away leaving just a book about 'modern' aircraft on the coffee table. He walks over to the couch and sits down.]

Astoria said the Void could show us terrible things. [This counts for that. He never wanted to be in Shehui again.]

I should have a short scar where the signet was. [He peels off his shirt and all the scars his clone body used to lack are back. Among them is a short, thick scar above the collarbone of the left side right along the muscle.]

...it's not an easy thing to talk about. [He says into Keith's ear. He holds him tighter as if to ward them both from the past. He stiffens as the world around them shifts into a place he's never seen before.

He takes in the lush vegetation and the ground beneath his feet feels odd. He taps his foot against it. He can't be imagining it feeling less like dirt and more like something with more density. Shiro glances away from Keith's face and spots the fire.

Krolia, Keith, and the wolf he's not sure Keith ever told him the name of sit together under a handmade shelter. He slowly eases his hold on Keith and glances around.]

...where are we? Is this the Quantum Abyss?

Mm..

[ alisaie hums thoughtfully, her eyes lifting to the wide, blue sky. it's been so long since they've really, truly seen the sky.. even if it isn't real, it's still lovely to behold. ]

In many ways, yes. I would not have been capable of walking the path I chose had I no ability in combat. It is not an easy way to live, but there is certain peace of mind in knowing that, even in some small ways, you can protect yourself and those you care for.

[ a wave of her hand. ]

But I mean not to pressure you. Only know that should you decide it worth pursuing, I should be glad to help.

[Hank doesn't laugh.

For a split second he looks surprised and then his expression pulls tight with something- something that locks down when Hank closes his eyes, something that churns underneath the rest of his emotions like a dark and heavy cloud, like thunder rolling in the distance.

Cars roll, distant, down the road he can't see. The sound of traffic joins the sirens. Someone honks their horn somewhere, far away. Hank pushes his eyes open to frown at Cayde, mouth tight with enough anger to hold that cloud of something else in check.]

You're awake.

[His voice is tense and hard - and steady. So. His breathing might not be there yet, but at least there's that.]

This isn't a dream, cause we're here, we're both here and you're talkin to me. That's as real as it gets around here. And now that you are, I need you to use that superhero bullshit to get me out.

[Hank's hand slides from Cayde's head to the back of his neck. He makes an effort to mix in some of that conciliatory voice from before, his tone going a shade or two lighter.]

Get us out. What do you think? You awake enough to help me do that?

[Hank raises his eyebrows, smiling a smug, indulgent little smile. Sure man, have your power play.]

That's right. Why, lookin to send a couple guys after me to deliver a little thankyou present, mister, uh...

[He could recognize the noises a raid makes in his sleep, so for the moment he doesn't look at what's going on there. He doesn't have to look at his team to know what they're doing. He frowns at the guy's face instead, snapping to jog his memory.]

What is it, something Italian, right? I must of arrested you before.

Got it.

[Waver nods, all too serious. He's then doing the last round of checks, making sure the merfolk are on as securely as he can, then he nods.]

We're good. I'll try and get the next group ready.

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PHASE 3: AKVOS: THE END.

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