sangraal | Task 4

You find yourselves in a round gilded stone room, perfectly empty except for a pedestal in the middle that holds a sphere of lapis lazuli. Babalon's voice comes from the ceiling, warm and gentle.

"You have embarked upon a journey through trials. Past these doors, you will find a series of rooms. Each room contains a choice between two tasks; one of you must make that choice, explain why you chose as you did, and perform that task in order to go forward. Some choices are easy, and some are harsh. I cannot tell you which will be which. Once you've performed a task, you may pass freely through that room if you wish to try another door. There is no forwards nor backwards; any sealed door will open upon a new task. You must clear four rooms, not counting this, to find a path out, and each of your group must perform at least one task, though you are not required to strictly take turns.

"This is the Point of Solace. You may return here at any time to try the other door. This sphere, which you should take with you if you wish to be able to use it, may be used to clear one room without performing either task. It may only be used once, and those who ask for solace may have little chance of winning. But I know many of you are not in this to win.

"I will heal any wounds you may receive when the task is over, and if you seek comfort from me, I shall always grant it. If at some point you are the only person left on your team, you may choose to leave early, or you may choose to call for me to be a passive partner as needed to perform further tasks."

There are two doors. One is marked with a large red א, and the other with a large red ב. Neither has a doorknob; rather there is a hand-shaped imprint where a doorknob might be.

(OOC: Please indicate OOC if you are lying when you submit your answer to why you made a particular choice. You certainly can, but Babalon will know.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This room has two person-sized globes of inky darkness behind each of the floating rubies, flanking the pedestal in the middle.

One ruby says: "Step into the darkness and die with little pain."

The other ruby says: "Step into the darkness and suffer fearsome pain, then return alive and unmarked."

Edited 2012-10-13 16:41 (UTC)

Right. Mine.

[grabbing the painruby]

[w-what]

[...yes okay ._.]

Why are you so okay being hurt?

Edited 2012-10-14 02:19 (UTC)

Because I know I can take it. I know I can get through things. And it's one of the only good things about me.

That can't be true, with the way you've helped.

[so confused]

I. Still don't understand what you mean about that.

The only thing I've seen wrong so far has been you beating yourself up.

[h-huff]

It's not beating myself up. It's fact. I'm not a person. I'm a--copy, of somebody else. My body's fake, my heart's fake and doesn't even work anymore, I kept myself going for the sake of a memory that I knew was a lie. There's nothing to my existence. I didn't mean to help you then--though the more I learn about myself, the more I think I might want to protect you. I wasn't even thinking about it, I just wanted to win myself so that I could know why I didn't have a name or a real body.

Re: Discussion

pucelleflambe - 2012-10-14 03:16 (UTC) - Expand

fakebook - 2012-10-14 03:23 (UTC) - Expand

pucelleflambe - 2012-10-14 03:27 (UTC) - Expand

fakebook - 2012-10-14 03:33 (UTC) - Expand

pucelleflambe - 2012-10-14 03:45 (UTC) - Expand

fakebook - 2012-10-14 03:50 (UTC) - Expand

pucelleflambe - 2012-10-14 03:55 (UTC) - Expand

fakebook - 2012-10-14 03:59 (UTC) - Expand

pucelleflambe - 2012-10-14 04:11 (UTC) - Expand

fakebook - 2012-10-14 04:25 (UTC) - Expand

W-what? are you sure?

Of course I'm sure. I barely even exist, I don't want to stop it for a moment.

I suppose I can't take issue with your wish to avoid dying. And if we're sharing the difficulties of this task among us, then you have the right to choose this trial......

Like I said, next one's mine. And I know I'm strong. From what I remembered, I kept existing after my heart and everything I was was shattered. I can take it.

I trust that you can handle it.

[nods. and heads to do his thang.]

(The character who's doing the task should comment here to set the ruby in the pedestal, state out loud their reason for the choice they made, and start doing whatever they need to do. Results can then be threaded out accordingly.)

[sticking the painruby into the pedestal]

Because Diarmuid's had his turn and neither of us want Liane to get hurt. Because I don't want to disappear even for a moment. And because I think I can take it. [very quietly] Need to prove I can take it. And that I exist.

[and charging into the appropriate shadowblob. welp let me playercest the result comment because Blade Bladed this shit and I can't not >.>]

Edited 2012-10-14 02:54 (UTC)

[too serious for numbers]

[y'all can't see what's happening to him, but you can hear it. screaming almost immediately, like he's trying to bite it back but it's being ripped out of him. unearthly noises going on for almost a minute, until the darkness clears away to reveal him curled into a ball on the floor, shaking, hands clawed in his hair]

When the doors appear, there are three unopened doors this time, with new symbols: א, ל, נ, or back to try another unopened door?

[Covering her ears when the screaming is going on, but rushing to try helping Blade sit up when things are done.]

I-it's over.

[shaking and wild-eyed and completely out of it for a moment or two, red-faced, this was clearly a few levels beyond what could be coped with easily]

[bewildered look down at her hands]

[and then slamming one hand into the floor, practically a punch, and levering himself to his feet, legs like jelly but standing through sheer force of fucking will]

...yeah. I'm still here.

[Staring at him like. O-OKAY THAT IS WORRYINGLY CRAZY. But momentarily she's going to rise to try supporting him.]

...The choices are different this time.

Edited 2012-10-14 03:24 (UTC)

Re: Choice & Outcome

fakebook - 2012-10-14 03:26 (UTC) - Expand

pucelleflambe - 2012-10-14 03:31 (UTC) - Expand

pucelleflambe - 2012-10-14 03:46 (UTC) - Expand

fakebook - 2012-10-14 03:48 (UTC) - Expand

pucelleflambe - 2012-10-14 03:57 (UTC) - Expand

fakebook - 2012-10-14 04:00 (UTC) - Expand

sangraal - 2012-10-14 04:01 (UTC) - Expand

[coming to stand near them]

Yes, you're still here. That was bravely done.

fakebook - 2012-10-14 03:27 (UTC) - Expand

knightspath - 2012-10-14 03:34 (UTC) - Expand

fakebook - 2012-10-14 03:37 (UTC) - Expand

knightspath - 2012-10-14 03:52 (UTC) - Expand

fakebook - 2012-10-14 03:56 (UTC) - Expand

The Choice of Oblivion

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Choice & Outcome

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