For Thine Is; Part One

[animusmods]

Characters: anyone outside of the Tower
Setting: outside
Format: any
Summary: You have been transported out of the Tower, and you must return quickly.
Warnings: psychological horror

It's pitch black here, though the ground is made of dirt and the Tower gleaming in the distance provides at least a sign that light exists somewhere. It's completely silent. It feels as if things might jump out at you--but that's probably your imagination.

Comments

[sageprincess]

[Zelda's first thought as she reorients herself after being suddenly tossed and twisted in a break of reality is to wonder if she's been thrown back into that void she spent oh-so-much time in last month. That thought only lasts for a moment, however, as she realizes she still has a sense of gravity, and she stands not on an empty void, but instead cool dirt. Looking down at herself only further cements that this is not the void, as she sees an indigo wireframe body surrounding a ghostly image of herself instead of her normal (glamoured) appearance. These details unsettle her, certainly, but nothing makes her heart drop to her gut like seeing that glimmering Tower in the distance, Arthur's words echoing in her mind as she gazes upon its glow.

"There was some kind of light— a searchlight, maybe, couldn't really tell. As soon as it turned on, the doors closed. ... She wasn't lying when she said we would die if we went outside."

Din, Nayru, and Farore, they are outside. And the discomfort she feels - the tingling around her neck and the feeling of her body being too small, too constricted is all the warning she needs to understand that Ruana's words will come true if they don't get back inside, and soon.

Don't panic. Keep it together. What else had Arthur said about what he saw outside? The Tower was on a hill, high above the city it overlooked, and the city had buildings as far as the eye could see... Goddesses above, they must be far away... Zo had saved him at the time, but with what they heard before reality snapped, it doesn't seem like saving people is something he's interested in anymore... Don't panic--]

We need to move. Quickly.

[Her voice is forcefully even as she addresses the group (because of course there are others, this sort of thing never happens to one person alone), but the note of intense anxiety in her tone is difficult to hide completely. She tries her magic, attempts to summon a light of her own illuminate the immediate area, but nothing comes, and at this point she's not sure if she should be surprised or not. In the absence of any other light to go by, she squints into the darkness, attempting to make out the forms of the others that had been thrown outside.]

Is anyone injured?

[bashfulshifter]

[The "don't panic" mantra is simple enough to say, but leagues more difficult to follow. Between the abrupt transport, the immense, almost unbearable discomfort his wireframe body radiates--christ, the wireframe, he's never had the glamour off long enough to even see it, and that's enough of a shock on its own--the "don't panic, don't panic, don't panics" he mentally repeats only seem to stir Rick into more of a nervous frenzy. What is this? Why is this happening? Where is everyone else?]

[It might be too dark to see him clearly, but Rick's shallow hyperventilating probably gives him away pretty quickly.]

W-What...what's h-happening?

[And no one was surprised when Rick didn't answer Zelda's question.]

[gradosfinest]

[In light of their latest (and quite arguably greatest) crisis Amelia does as any good soldier would. Rally on the nearest important looking person. Though deep down quite nervous herself Amelia manages to at least look calm (as much as a largely featureless wireframe can display any sort of emotion at all), even if she finds her hand constantly drifting down to where her sword would be- should be on her belt.

She's not sure which feeling she hates more, being stuck outside of the Tower or not having her weapons. Figuring her odds of being recognized on sight are somewhere approaching none she speaks up as soon as she thinks she's within earshot of Zelda.]

Alive, at least for now.

[glassceiling]

[Not even being pulled into the void left from recharging the Tower had felt so violent or disorienting. Assassin can't even take the time to land when she's thrown out of the Tower. As a result, she ends up landing at an awkward angle. A painful noise comes from her left arm.]

[For a moment, she just lies on the ground, dazed from what happened. But Zelda's voice snaps her back to reality. She quickly pushes herself up, though it takes a minute longer due to only having one arm to rely on.]

I might be.

[She calls back in reply.]

But it is a minor thing. I will recover quickly.

[She's never heard of a dislocated arm killing a Servant.]

[warriorscribe]

*Enoch, easily identifiable by his real jeans and sandals, is staring up at the void of a sky when Zelda's words reach him. He looks down at himself, and looks over at her.* I'm...I'm fine.

*He regards the tower in the distance with a sorrowful expression on the image of his face beneath the wireframe.* Zo...we must return to him.

and one for you

[bloodyashes]

[Asch finds Zelda not by appearance but by the sound of her voice - he trusts his ears more than his eyes for identifying people right now, although the shape of her bound within the wireframe is helpful. It's strange, though, and he can't help but wonder why it never happened inside the Tower.

Later, though. He can wonder later.]

I'm fine.

[His voice and brisk, business tone should be enough to identify him - but if not, he's one of the only wireframes wearing something other than the white jumpsuit, and the tunic is distinctive enough to not be anyone else.]

It doesn't look like there's many injuries, but we should get a headcount before we go too far.

[hoasen]

[Vietnam was eerily calm when she approaches Zelda, but it is possibly because she really does not understand the extent of how bad this could be.

At the moment, though, she thanks the deities that her blissful ignorance could work to her advantage, at least mentally.]

I am uninjured, Princess.

[notachickenhawk]

[Tobias lands nearby, his form faintly visible under the collar fluid.]

<I'm fine. I didn't see any injuries as I made my initial pass, but I'll keep a lookout for them.>

[keybearer]

[Like Zelda, Riku's wireframe covers a faint, flickering image of who he is. Who he should be. And while his knowledge of what lay ouside the tower was limited, and the fact that they're risking death out here hasn't quite sank in, the pressure, the bubbling feeling inside's left him with a perpetual grimace stuck to his face. It feels as if the wireframe's squeezing him. Constricting him. Like at any minute, it'll burst at the seams...

But despite the building pressure, he manages to keep a straight face. Chin up and shoulders squared, he pulls his face into a more neutral expression. He nods, eying the tower, for once shimmering with a faint glimmer of hope...

How ironic.]

I think I'm all right. Could be a whole lot worse, anyway.

[His eyes narrow, and he kicks at a small, puny pebble.]

So what do we do know? Move as a herd?

[There's certainly strength in numbers, but what if someone gets left behind?]

[wegotlucky]

[He might not have any powers, but he took the new collar fluid anyway-- just in case. There was no reason to think that it would change anything at all, but coming from a magical land meant that he was used to accepting that magic existed at the very least.]

What's going on? Where are we?

[And then he catches sight of the Tower in the distance, his eyes going wide, mouth hanging open.]

Oh my god.

[wrathishness]

Ira's still ignorant of much about the Tower; exploring it only gets one so far, and rather than actually do research, he's spent a good chunk of his time sulking and quickly getting bored with the place. (He wouldn't be so bored if he'd wandered into one of the floors that would instantly rip him apart, literally or otherwise, or one of the floors where his teleportation and flight powers wouldn't work, but Ira's been fortunate enough to manage to miss those.

Today, his fortune runs out.

After a lot of yelling about the blackout, he all of a sudden finds himself outside the Tower. That alone confuses him; he'd been of the impression that you couldn't leave. At least, when he'd tried to via teleportation, it hadn't worked, and if that didn't work, why would he bother to try by foot?

But then he sees his actual body, and he yelps, "What the HECK??" If anyone had told him about the wireframe bodies, he hadn't believed them--until now, when he wiggles metallic digits. His entire form feels weird because there's nothing about it that's recognizable, and when he tries to take to the air or just teleport, nothing happens, which is downright frightening. And there, in the distance of a vast and empty plain, is the Tower.

So he's outside. Give him a few, he's freaking out.

[wrigurun]

The yelling is enough to throw her off balance and Wriggle's many attempts at getting airborne to fly back finally end up with her in a heap on the ground. Looking up all she can see is the faint outline of... someone.

It's times like these that she's thankful she wasn't born human as her antennae give her a general idea of peoples movements when it's too dark to see.
"Who's there? Are you okay?" she calls in his direction. While it was clear that something was wrong, just how wrong hasn't quite hit her yet.

[savedbyasong]

[Shion had known that the illness was nothing good. No one ever got sick in the tower, not unless it was purposful anyways and he had known for the last week that something was going on and that it did not bode well for anything.

He had spent the hour that the power and glamour had went down looking for Reno and Xion, a harder task without glamour. But then the tower had... broke?

And now he was in absolute darkness and outside the tower. He tried to ignore the feeling of being too big and looked around, hearing people around. Breathing because breathing was important though it made him wonder if they could breathe. Out of the tower. How were they alive? The collars no doubt and he had the awful feeling, added to the static coming from them, that they wouldn't last long. They had to get back.] How many of us are out here?

[At least they could see the tower, even if it was the only thing they could see.]

[warriorscribe]

*Someone responds from the darkness - Enoch, if his soul emits enough light to be seen, since it is in the shape of his body within the wireframe.*

I don't know...it's too dark to see everyone.

[gradosfinest]

["This place doesn't save anyone at all." Hearing Zo of all people say something like that was probably one of the most chilling things Amelia had heard in her entire life, and the minute she'd heard it she knew something bad was about to happen. Probably something really bad.

But not this.

It takes a moment to reorient herself, slowly pushing herself up to a kneeling position on the ground as the young knight tries to figure out what just happened. There's dirt underneath her, actual ground? But this doesn't look like any of the floors she recognizes. Looking around for a second, her eyes settle on the Tower in the distance-

Wait. The Tower?

It takes a moment, but the realization slowly dawns upon her and when it does...]

... oh shit.

[Not normally one to swear, the momentary rush of panic and the horrifying realization she is outside of the Tower is enough to get her to do so. Any worry she had for what was happening inside of the Tower is thrown out the window there and then by the much more pressing issue of being so far away from it, and the unsettling realization her life- her actual life is now on the line.

Taking a somewhat shaky breath she tries to steady herself, tries to focus. Her equipment is nowhere to be seen and that leaves her unarmed and far more helpless than she'd care to admit right now. Fortunately, she's got most of her stamina at the very least and perhaps she's not alone out here... time for a head count.

Looking around as she pushes herself to her feet properly she finally calls out into the darkness.]

Who else is out here?

[bashfulshifter]

--A-Amelia?

[Oh thank god, a familiar voice. Rick's stuttering carries clearly through the pitch-black landscape as he stumbles towards where he thinks he heard her voice.]

Are y-you o-okay?

[attheclocktower]

[Being suddenly trapped in her violet wireframe, outside the tower was enough to shock her out of the what remaining contentment she'd had left from the events of the group hacking effort. She reaches up to gently tap at her collar. It feels off, wrong. This isn't a good situation, she can tell already. Still, with a vast majority of her life spent in the Tower, the true danger of the situation hasn't really sunk in yet.

She stars moving as the others do though, she's not careless, at least.

As she does though, she notices something.]

I can see you all.

[There's people - many people, whom she can see them, faint images of them, within their wireframe. She looks down at her own hands. There's nothing. No faint image, not even an outline, save the wireframe itself. What was different? Was it because of what she was, or was there something more simple to explain it...?]

[glassceiling]

I can see you as well.

[Or at least, she can see a faint outline thanks to the Tower's meager lighting and the glow of their souls. While some people's souls are shaped like their normal forms, others only have a ball of colored light. The wireframe speaking to her right now is one of those who only has a ball of light.]

Can you anything else, other than the rest of us who have been thrown here?

[lorule]

So it had all been true. The past hour she had spent it in the tower panicking reflecting on this strange turn of event. For the first time she had been able to see with her own eyes the veracity behind everything she had been told so far. The fact that their bodies were not real, that they were nothing but souls trapped within pathetic cages. Needless to say, the faint image of herself that was lingering within the fake body had done nothing to reassure her.

And as if it had not been enough revelation for one day, soon she disappeared only to find herself reappearing in the grey field along with many other people. The first thing she laid her eyes onto was the gleaming tower in the distance. Were they outside? The tower could replicate such conditions with ease from what little she had seen, but judging from the various reactions around her, most people around her seemed to believe they were truly outside.

It took her some time to realize what was going on, but she managed to keep her composure. At least on the outside; on the inside she had way too many questions going on. Where were they? Why, how? One question though, she did ask:

"... Who did that voice belong to?"

Referring to Zo's words right before they disappeared. It was probably evident it was Zo to anyone who had spent some time in the tower; but she had not.

[attheclocktower]

"One of the admins," Xion answered, her voice level overall, though there's an edge of nervousness to it. "His name is Zo. He's the youngest of the admins and... usually he's one of the friendliest. I don't think... he's ever really been like that before."

And it's for that reason that she's really worried, moreso than being outside the Tower. Especially given what they discovered from Dax's files. Had Zo found out what they'd discovered? Had it been something else, the overall feeling of hopelessness in the Tower she'd noticed from many others?

To make someone as hopeful and cheerful as Zo lose that hope...

[warriorscribe]

*Enoch stared at the tower in the distance for a moment, lost in his own thoughts.*

Zo...we're trying...

*A glance down at his wireframe hands. At the translucent image of his real hands through them. At the still real clothes, the jeans and sandals that easily marked him on sight.*

...We're trying. *He looks around, then, at the others around them, feeling that sense of being constricted, of for once feeling caged...* We must hurry.

[glassceiling]

...Why do you think Zo did this?

[Assassin follows the familiar voice. She feels a little less nervous when standing close to Enoch. In the meager lighting, it's clear that Assassin's form is not human. It seems to be a crudely made, crooked facsimile of a human's shape.]

What made him lose his hope in this Tower...?

[keepscalm]

[It's difficult to reconcile the voice he hears before everything goes to hell with the boy who once saved his life. England can't imagine what must have happened for such a drastic change to occur within Zo, but he doesn't have time to dwell on it much before everything goes dark.

As soon as his body becomes aware of its new surroundings, he knows something is wrong. It feels — he feels like his soul is about to burst forth from his joints and scatter out from between the spaces of the wire frame keeping him upright. But, more than that (because this isn't the first time he's felt dissonant from his soul, and he's certain it won't be the last) is the dread pooling in his stomach. He feels it acutely and it seems like the collar is only feeding into it.

When he looks up and sees the Tower shining in the distance, like some kind of unholy beacon, his confusion crumbles like brick beneath a firebomb. They're outside. They're outside.

'you'd die

you would really die'

It's not any fear of death that shakes him, because England has known death is inevitable for him ever since his mother faded from the earth, but what he felt last time he encountered what lay outside the Tower. No pain he's ever felt can compare to what he experienced that night the glamour went down, to the death of every single soul inside of him all at once until his own was set to go with them.

He stands — at some point he'd found himself on his knees in the dirt — with a hand to his chest over where his soul normally floats, as if he can hope to hold it in despite how large it feels for his fake body. Everything from his spine to the tips of his fingers tremble with the vivid memory of his almost-death; he would be thankful that the current state of their bodies makes it hard to see, if he had the presence of mind for that. But currently, he can only think of one thing, which comes out in a soft murmur.] We can't stay out here.

[The words are a mere wisp of what they should be, but England remedies that quickly, repeating them with conviction — and, perhaps, the slightest tinge of desperation.] We can't stay out here!

[He doesn't know if everyone else is aware, from that strange, ominous static in their collars, but he doesn't really know if he was exactly saying it for their benefit, either.]

[hoasen]

[It took her much longer than she would've liked to actually move. This body feels completely foreign, as if she was about to burst out, and then there was that static from her collar.

She knew it was bad, but she doesn't quite know why yet. But judging from the expressions, it is clear that it was a lot worse than she was imagining.

Hearing England's voice, she quickly moves over to him, tapping his arm. The way her arm moved and she knew she was also without her strength. How...?]

W-what is happening?

x2 prompt combo with bonus Ions

[bloodyashes]

[Immediately following the Vast Boot]

[The first coherent thought he has is that this can't possibly be real, they can't possibly be outside, and the grey field with the tower hanging over it looks enough like home to be a sickening reminder. Add in some purple, deadly flourishes of miasma and he could just as easily be thrown back in time, staring up at the Tower of Rem in the darkness of the Qliphoth before the lands came down.

But there are other people here, other survivors (other victims?) and it's real. Fresh air shouldn't feel so choking, freedom shouldn't make his skin feel so tight. He can feel it, surely the others can too - if we don't get back we're going to die.

Something to remember later, but not today. Today it isn't over, and he's not ready to die so easily.

The soldier persona snaps into place soon after - Asch starts making a round of the crowd, counting heads, checking up on anyone who looks injured. He has a set of real clothes that set him off against the group in the bodysuits, and under the frame and the purple fluid, the hazy image of his hair is as distinctly bright red as ever.]

Come on, keep moving - is there anyone who can't walk?

[Or can't walk far, that's equally a concern.]

We need to keep moving, but don't wear yourselves down. If you can't keep going, try to find someone to help carry you.

[Option 2, 1-3 hours into the trek - with Ion fragileprophet]

[And speaking of carrying - you can't say Asch isn't putting his money where his mouth is, with a tiny purple-and-white figure attached to his back. Even without the glamour of illness, Ion is still weak by most people's standards, with little experience with any kind of physical activity.

At least he's not that heavy, either. Asch keeps up a brisk pace even with the added weight, usually keeping up with the front of the pack but dropping back to check on stragglers every so often before jogging back up to the front.

They'll make it there. They have to. He's not going to accept such a pitiful death sentence, just fading away out somewhere like this.]

herd prompt pls

[bashfulshifter]

[Never has Rick been so thankful for his months of physical training with Reno. He didn't really think about if that increase in endurance would translate to his unglamoured form until several hours into the walk, when he began to realize how breathless he would have been back home after this long. Now he hardly breaks a sweat...or would break a sweat, if the wireframes could do that. No matter.]

[Still, the blonde man trails closer to the back, preferring to keep a steady pace without losing sight of everyone else. It's inevitable that his two roommates--one new, carrying the other familiar--fall into step next to him. Rick chances a couple of looks over to the pair, first giving them quiet smiles and nods, then silence. Awkward silence.]

[...Yes, he should offer. Even if he's terrified of the response he knows he'll get from Asch.]

...W-Would you...l-like s-s-some h-help?

[glassceiling]

[After the initial confusion of being tossed outside the Tower, Assassin has popped her dislocated arm back into place. While everyone greets each other and tries to figure out what is going on, Assassin decides to take a moment to pray.]

[She has no rug, so she cannot kneel. Instead, she just folds her hand and closes her eyes, clasps her hands, and prays.]

[She does not know if God (Glorified and Exalted be He) can even hear her, but nevertheless, praying helps her calm down. She is sure that her prayers will serve as a guide to what she must do.]

[regenleif]

[Not being able to see at all was disconcerting, it meant that he only had sound to rely on and most of what he could hear was frightened people calling for help.

All he could see was the tower in the distance and though he should have been glad to be out of it; he had been told it was impossible afterall.

But there was a feeling of urgancy and a feeling of fear, they would not last long out here.

Capell followed the voices when all of a sudden he realises there is someone in front of him.] Hello?

[bydefacto]

[At first, for a brief few seconds after he comes into conciousness, Sealand actually feels vaguely hopeful. Because they're outside. He can see that - he knows that. And hasn't he been wanting a way out of the tower since he woke up in there? This should be good, maybe from here they could even find a way home--

But this hope is very soon diminished. Primarily because he can't ignore the aching feeling inside himself - the feeling that his very being is close to breaking into pieces.

Something's really, really wrong.]

What's-- Why are we out here? [He remembers the voice - Zo, right? Was it him? Sealand is soon looking around frantically for people he knows, beginning to panic.]

[hoasen]

[Ignoring the pain was something difficult to do, but for the sake of their survival, she was definitely going to try. She walks over to Sealand, and holds out her hand.]

We will get that answer once we return, if that is what we are meant to do.

[fragileprophet]

[For a moment there is nothing but silence following the strange, frightening change in the Tower. Silence and darkness. It had been a few weeks since he had been brought to the void, but it had happened so frequently it's easy to assume that that's where he is once more. Until his knees crash to the ground, that is. Lacking in glamour or not, Ion feels dizzy and sick and not at all well--but somehow, it's not a wholly physical sensation of unease. Mostly, it radiates from his collar.

Unconsciously, he reaches up and makes to touch it before he stops himself. Ion stands on shaky legs as voices start to raise all around him. Most of them are confused, frightened, urgent. He listens.

We need to move and We can't stay out here appear to be the general consensus. Understanding this and seeing no reason to argue, Ion begins to move immediately, though he stumbles as he tries to gain his bearings before becoming fully steady.

He'll do his best to keep up with the others, even when his pace isn't nearly as quick as most and he seems generally quite tired. If he sees anyone struggling, he'll stick with them and offer any encouragements he can provide. That is, when he's not feeling too worn himself.]

[ambassadorasshat]

[Incoming redhead. Not in the collision sens, but he's nearby when Ion stumbles, reaching out to steady him more out of reflex than actually recognizing Ion.]

You okay?

[ambassadorasshat]

[Like many other people, the darkness and silence makes Luke immediately assume he's been pulled back into the void he occasionally spent way too much time in a while back. Except it's...different this time. There's ground, which he scuffs with one foot--a purple wireframe foot with a faint image of a bare foot under it. That's not what the void did to his body.

And there's the Tower in the distance. In the distance. Meaning somehow they got out. But getting out shouldn't have made Luke feel as uneasy and sick and panicky as it did, he never wanted to be in there in the first place.

Not does he want to be here, where he's standing. So he moves, to fufill the compusion but also to look for those he knows.]

H-hey, anyone know what happened...?

[lorule]

[ This one person was a blue wireframe with her own faint image trapped within this fake body. She was also panicking, but she did her best to hide any such emotions from anyone's view. Hilda had never heard that voice before, but she shared what little information she had gleaned from others. ]

We were expelled from the tower for unknown reasons.

[ Which was probably painfully obvious, but heh that answered the question. ]

And now we are faced with choosing between going back to it or staying here to die.

[ Which was probably not really a choice in the end, who would want to die here? Though if someone really wanted to stay here and die-- There really wasn't much they could do about it. ]

[idkworldruler]

[Well this is certainly a thing. A new thing in the typically dull tower. Someone was having a hissy-fit it seems and decided on tearing apart the fabric of reality within the tower...again. And while normally he might revel in being outside of the Tower and be given the ability to explore. Unfortunately he felt rather uncomfortable, as if his entire being was coming undone.

Which it probably is. Though the feeling mainly came from paranoia at being bent and pushed outside of the Tower and it's reality. He still had that nagging suspicion that nothing good could come of this. Plus his bee from home was gone. One of the few comforts that he has, is not with him.

Isn't that just the shit?]

[hoasen]

[Sometime after they (hopefully all of them) make their long trek to the tower (and hopefully quickly), Vietnam would be doing her best to help as many keep up. Those who get tired she will assist (and she'd even carry them if she must). For this, she is seen to slow her pace often to check, and quicken to keep the pace fast.

It was tiring, more so than she thought, but thank the deities that her training was still effective and that her body in general was strong. But more so that her mind was, since she had not been here long at all. The urgency was still there, but she will try her best to give you a supportive word (even while carrying you).]

It is not far now, we can get our answers, if they are willing to give them, once we get back.

[However, if your character is also looking tired, she will ask if they need any help. More than often she would also look around for her fellow nations to see how they are faring.]

Marching songs! While marching is all there is to do.

[warriorscribe]

*It's a long trek, and with so many children with them, it would be all too easy for spirits to drop. Surely everyone's at least getting hungry by now. While something in this walk in a large group strikes a chord of nostalgia in him he can't remember the source of, he realizes he can't just let the silence stretch on.*

Everyone? Shortly after we learned of the glamour, a resident named Feferi came up with a song for all of us. It was in memory of Dax...his favorite color was green. I only remember part of it, but perhaps someone else here knows more.

*And he clears his throat, takes a deep breath, and begins to sing what little he recalls from that day that feels like it was years ago.*

Do you hear this tower sing?
Singing a song that's writ in green -
It's the music of a people stronger
than you've ever seen!

*The tune may be familiar to those from worlds containing a certain musical, and the words might be familiar to anyone else who has been in the tower a while.

Enoch gestures back with his hand, faint face smiling beneath the wireframe. Anyone else want to pick it up?*

HELL YEAH

[bloodyashes]

[There's a beat or two of rest, and then a voice from the back carries forward - Asch is no professional, but he's got a good ear, a good memory, and a set of officer's lungs that ought to count for something.

Anyone who happens to be looking at him, though, will note that he's obviously self-conscious about joining in. It fades a little as he gets going, but not entirely.]

When the beating of your heart
Starts to be more than you can take
Show them you're strong, and play your part
I know you won't break!

Will you give all you can give,
So that the admins can't advance?
If we fall, or cry? We'll live -
it's up to you to take your chance!

[Please someone join in so he's not doing this alone.]