deercountry | Otherworld Log

Entry tags:

Otherworld Log

Who: Anyone & Everyone
What: Open Log for those who want to participate in the Otherworld Player Plot (though you're free to use the player plot in your own logs)
When: December's Log
Where: All over Trench (and ever a ways outside of it)

It doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing, whether or not you're among friends or strangers, it comes for you: the fog. It rolls in so thick it muffles every sound and obscures your vision until you can see nothing but white. And then the siren begins to sound, a split-second of warning before darkness begins to descend upon you and swallow the world. You can feel the change in the air, the hairs on the back of your neck raising up, and can taste it on your lips. It tastes like rust and rot and ash.

Should you be lucky enough to have a light upon you, or see in the dark, you get to witness the world shift and corrupt right before your very eyes. Everything you see begins to fall apart. The paint on the walls chips and cracks and yellows. The wallpaper peels up, floating upward before it dissolves into nothing, revealing the bones of buildings. The carpet or the wood beneath your feet rots away and it doesn't matter what once was hidden beneath those layers, what lies beneath now is grated flooring, old tiles, battered cement, or just sheets or rusted metal. It's over in seconds and the darkness lifts and you're confronted with a Trench you've never seen before. A Trench that's been devoured and tainted.

Some may open their eyes to this place alone, others with friends or strangers by their side, but it doesn't matter who you're with, what matters is how you're going to find your way back to the Trench you know.

Exploration will prove dangerous and difficult. This Other Trench has fallen apart. The streets you're familiar with may have collapsed, forcing you to find another way around, and the buildings and shops and homes you're used to may prove impassable, doors locked or jammed or somehow blocked. Home won't be home now and might not be safe. It's the monsters, though, that make this world dangerous. They roam the streets and haunt the buildings and are drawn to every little sound you might make.

Walk fast, move quietly, and you may very well get through this.

Welcome to your Otherworld.

[ ooc: Feel free to hit up the Otherworld Plotting for more information, plotting, monsters, and more! Or DM here or add me on plurk

lobselvith ]

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"I wouldn't have doubted you," Luz said, managing a thin smile. She was still slightly scared, of course. It was one thing to see Silent Hill in memories, and something else altogether to witness it in person.

Luz moved a few paces behind Sharon, her hand at her shirt in case she needed to draw out a glyph. Without a gun, it was really the only kind of protection she had.

She listened to Sharon's instructions and nodded. She might have been inclined to toss a light glyph at it as a distraction, but it was just as likely to backfire and attack them, so she was going to attempt what Sharon asked.

Luz took a long, deep breath, and nodded. "Yeah. Let's do this."

Once she had Luz's confirmation, she opened the door and led them both out, careful to keep her footsteps light. The creature hovered a distance away from them in the air, listless in its movements, but didn't appear to notice them in the darkness of the streets.

She moved as quickly as she could across the street and kept to the right, only ever stopping to make sure Luz was keeping up with. They had a long way to go before they made it to Crenshaw and she would make certain Luz made it there in one piece.

Luz, despite being clumsy and sometimes accident-prone, was doing her best to keep up, and found it was not as hard as she thought. All of her flying and running around with the farthers had made her pretty fast. It was keeping quiet that made Luz pause, because the last thing they needed was another animal coming at them.

On the plus side, it at least looked like they were going to make it!

Sharon led them down alleys and side streets. Always careful, always quiet. She never strayed far from Luz's side. There were times she'd ask Luz to wait in a quiet area to check something out that wouldn't be safe for the both of them but she was never gone long.

She knew this world like it had been carved into her heart. No matter the changes others brought in with them, it was still hers. It still breathed with her.

It's not long before they come across a street that's collapsed. Most of the buildings that had lined it have survived, a nesting of apartments, but the tail-end of them has fallen into the pit. A bed hung precariously at the edge of a second floor. Sharon groaned inwardly. This had been the quickest route to Crenshaw from where they'd been and now...

"I think we might need to backtrack just a little, take a turn down that alley we passed up." They'd passed it up because there'd been strange sounds echoing off the brick walls and Sharon hadn't wanted to deal with some monster encounter in such an enclosed area but... It looked like it was their best option now.

Luz walked with her, and was now starting to take note at how foggy everything was. She wasn't used to something like this happening without the help of the weather, and it just added to the sense of creepiness that was starting to creep at her skin.

Still she stayed close, hoping that she wouldn't have to depend on a glyph. Maybe this would all just end simply?

"Down the alley?" Luz said quietly, nodding. Ok. Ok. She could do this. She might have thought that too soon though: just as they were starting upward, there was an empty can Luz failed to see, and stepping boldly, it was slippery enough that Luz let out a yelp when her feet gave way under her, and she attempted to catch herself and instead rammed her leg hard into some concrete.

"MIERDA! " Luz yelled, then covered her mouth. Oops.

It all happened so quickly. One moment, they were on the move, silent as they could be, and the next, Luz was yelling. Sharon whipped around to look back at her companion, bolt upright. Even in the darkness, she was pale, her fear evident. They'd been doing so well.

She crossed the space between them to hurry and pull Luz to her feet just as the sound of footsteps began to echo out from behind them. Wet bare feet slapped against concrete. And then came the groans. High-pitched, almost shrieking. The creatures that stepped out from the fog around them appeared to glow from the inside out. Their bodies were dark, their skin flaking, but it was as if the fires that turned their flesh to ash still lived within them.

Luz could have kicked herself for the noise that she let out right now. Dang it, she'd been doing so well! But now she managed to give away their position, and Luz knew there was no turning back from that.

Not that she wouldn't try.

With Sharon's negging she was on her feet again, and the sounds of the monsters seemed to echo in her nightmares. She just needing a little of their gross, slippery noises to come to life, running alongside Sharon and pulling a glyph of light that might possibly distract them.

She let it go instantly, trying desperately to catch up with Sharon.

The crying, shrieking childlike creatures try to block their path and reach out toward them with their hands, their fingers dark and melted together. They don't try to attack, though, they just crowd and cry. They were desperate. Needy. Yearning.

The light glyph Luz tossed out away from them helped some and caught the attention of a few of the stray children but the large bulk of them remained focused entirely upon the pair. Sharon dragged Luz along with her. The two of them could move faster than the grey children but the creatures were coming out of seemingly nowhere. They tried to grab at the hems of their clothing. Sharon screamed when one hand scrapped against the bare flesh of her other hand and she wheeled her body away from them.

The children burned, every touch like being kissed by fire. Sharon lashed out, blasting a handful of them back telekinetically. They were just feet from the alley mouth now. They were almost out of the tight space. From there, they could easily get away.

"Sheesh!" Luz called out, somehow still unable to curse, even here. Luz felt a few hands reaching out and did her best to kick them away (she was actually better at doing something like this than she thought]. She was still a little angry at herself for giving away their position, but there was very little time to think about that when these squelching, creepy children thing were coming for you.

When she felt one of them actually grab her hair Luz shrieked and didn't hesitate: she had the glyph pressed against it's forehead, and a peal of fire now erupted over the one in question. Now the mass were shrieking even LOUDER, and Luz was desperately trying to stay closer to Sharon, scrambling for the alley, her scalp screaming.

They make it to the mouth of the alleyway just in time and stumble out onto the street. Behind them, the Grey Children crowd together, shrieking and hollowing and crying out for them. Sharon refused to let go of Luz's hand even once they were in the open and didn't once dare to slow.

It took almost ten minutes of racing down the street, picking and choosing their direction at random, that Sharon finally felt they could slow. The sound of the children was so far in the distance now that she knew they free of them for the moment. She released Luz's hand and doubled over to catch her breath.

"Fuck. Fuck," she straighted herself up to look Luz over, touching the other girl's face to twist her head this way and that. She winced, "I think they singed your hair. Are you okay?"

Luz didn't stop even while the pain was stinging. It hurt, but if they got a hold of her, it would be nothing BUT pain. Moreover, she'd promised Sharon she would help her learn more about her power, and Luz had every intention of living up to that promise.

She just had to make sure not to die. Easy peasy?

The pain was enough of a motivator though. Luz ran with Sharon, swerving when she did, moving as fast as her legs could carry her. If she was lagging, she refused to show it, and only when Sharon let go did Luz allow herself to fall to her knees, trying to catch her breath and stop trembling.

"Y-yeah, I'm good," Luz insisted, but did flinch at the touch. She WAS bleeding, and Luz had refused to acknowledge that until now, telling herself it was just sweat that hurt. It had been a comforting lie.

Sharon was careful as she checked Luz over. The blood made her grimace, "We'll get you cleaned up when we get to the house."

She's grateful she had the foresight to keep a first aid kit on her when she shifted the world. Sure, it had aged with the world but it would still be plenty useful.

"How's your leg? Can you walk?"

Luz sighed. It seemed like wherever she went, she always seemed to wind up hurting herself inadvertently. She had to get better at dealing with this kind of thing by now!

Clearly this girl needed to get her priorities straight.

"All right," Luz said, though she could feel the adrenaline moving in her. "I can keep going. I just need a few minutes to catch my breath."

Sharon gave Luz a firm nod to show she understood. It made her more anxious to stand here out in the open as they were but she knew Luz needed a moment to recover. She pulled her gun off her hip and flipped the safety off as she paid careful attention to their surroundings. It was impossible to see through the fog but she'd be able to hear something moving through the fog.

She hoped.

Still, no matter what might try to creep out upon them from the fog, Sharon would protect Luz.

Luz saw Sharon already getting the gun ready and her heart sunk slightly. She really didn't think she'd ever get used to guns, knowing how loud they were and how violently they could rip through people. She also understood not everyone had access to magic or super powers, so this was sometimes the only protection you had.

It was usually enough that the weapon rip and tear when it needed to.

"I'm good now," Luz said, finally catching her breath. "Sorry I made us stop. We shouldn't be targets like that in a place like this, huh?"

"It's all right," Sharon didn't hold this against Luz in the slightest. Not everyone could just blindly push through pain until they reached safety. Plus, she'd rather Luz catch her breath during a moment of calm than continue to push herself and risk her life later on.

She helped the girl to her feet, "We're almost there."

It wouldn't take much longer before they made it. Already, Sharon could see familiar homes and buildings lining the streets. They were maybe ten minutes out now. Sharon picked up their pace.

Luz knew for a fact that she could not do this. Every time she tried, she knew it was one step closer to becoming fully corrupted again, something she definitely didn't want to happen. No, the best bet was try to keep a cool and collected head.

Even while she was trembling in fear.

Luz gratefully took Sharon's hand and righted herself up though, taking a sharp breath.

"R-right. Ok. Yes. If we meet no more monsters on the way, we're doing pretty good, right?"

Famous last words.

"Even if we encounter monsters, we can just run," Running, in Sharon's experience, was always the better option outside in the Otherworld. If they tried to fight, they'd just catch the attention of other creatures in the area and they'd eventually be overwhelmed.

She gave Luz's hand a brief, but gentle squeeze, "You're doing great, I promise."

Most people panicked. In Silent Hill, the panic often led to death. They'd run blindly, desperate to find some escape and freeze upon their first encounter with one of the many creatures that haunted the streets. That had been the point. Alessa had wanted them to feel that fear she'd grown up with. In this version, Sharon tried her best to ensure there was safety for the people she'd dragged in, leaving notes and tips in the safe rooms she'd created, but she knew not everyone would encounter them. It's a guilt she would have to live with.

It's not long before a familiar cottage house comes into view. And while there are a few monsters walking the street, Sharon paid them no heed, racing past them without even a glance in their direction. Soon, she and Luz were climbing up the porch steps and into the house.

With a flick of her wrist, Sharon spawned an orb of fire in the air above her. With the foyer lit, it was easy to see that even the home Rose and Sharon had shared wasn't immune to the changes of this world. The chair that sat in the corner by the stairs was moth-eaten and stained with age and what appeared to be blood. The wallpaper was ripped and peeled back and the table that was against the wall was slanted and fallen, two of its legs broken away. The whole home smelled of must and rot, no better than any other building in this version of Trench, but it felt different. There was a sense of safety here.

Sharon led Luz to the living room and the orb followed after them. She motioned for the girl to take a seat on one of the couches, "Let me grab the first aid kit and we'll get those wounds taken care of, okay?"

"I think in a place like this, I'd be scared to turn my back against monsters!"

Really, what Luz was saying was that she wanted the staff so she could at least travel FAST. By feet, well. This place was pretty terrifying with or without a staff, but at least she could fly away from monsters rather than be a target for them on the ground.

"Thanks. I hope this is helping you with world building powers. It feels like you're already pretty familiar with how this works!"

Luz was meanwhile trying to keep her wits about her. If this had been the first few months at Deerington Luz probably WOULD have panicked. Since she had all the years being in Deerington and then Trench, she was starting to get pretty used to being in sheer terror. It wasn't a great feeling, but it at least kept her thinking quickly and moving just as fast.

Luz looked around the place, then nodded, noting that the sounds of the monsters outside were still sounding nice and distanced.

"I guess you have no say in the decor around here, huh?"

"I don't think I could stop my own corruption in this world. The Order had ways to repel the darkness but I never bothered to figure out how. I think it was old magic," she exited the room as she spoke and headed into the kitchen. The Order were all hypocrites. They'd called her a monster, a witch, for the things she could do but, at the same time, they'd had magics. They'd had spells and rituals. They knew what she was and what they could do to her; what her body could give to them. Even now, her hate for them still simmers away deep inside of her, "Symbols and shit. I know they used my name in the Halo but... I couldn't read the language. Supposedly, it was Enochian: the language of Angels."

She returned with a rusted first aid kit and popped it open. It was filled with typical supplies, though most of it looked a little worse for wear given the reality they were in. She opened up an antiseptic wipe and began to dab the blood away on Luz's face.

"That's their whole scary business though. Maybe you need to find a way to enact your own magic somehow. That was what I did when I was in the Boiling Isles. It wasn't easy though, and it took practice. Not that I need to tell you that."

After all, Sharon was doing this whole thing so she could better control her powers. Luz knew that in order to that, she was probably going to have to rewrite the way the order had intended to use her so she could make things happen her own way.

"Thanks," Luz said, dabbing her face and wincing. "I really have to be more careful. Or more observant. This sounds like the kind of place a friend of mine lives in back where she's from."

Sharon may not need the reminder that much of her abilities were all about practice but she understood where Luz was coming from. She knew the other girl was simply trying to offer solutions to the issues Sharon presented. She gave a firm nod in response as she focused on the witch's wounds.

As the conversation continued, Sharon shrugged, "Accidents happen," but it was her mention of her friend that piqued Sharon's curiosity, "It does?"

Luz understood that everyone had that stage where they were starting to feel out exactly how much they could do. It might not have been the ideal situation, but she was going to brave it.

She knew Rose would have. It wouldn't have stopped her. She might have even done this for Sharon with no hesitation. If Sharon could control her powers and use it to fight off something really bad happening, she could manage.

"Yup. Right. Um, her world's infested with zombies. It pretty much made her had to scavenge wherever she could, and it gave her some pretty rough scars. I wish she were still here, but knowing her, she's surviving. I never met a kid as tough as her, but she'd probably wouldn't even see herself that way."

"Zombies, huh," her lips twitched upward at the comparison. She could see it. To live in this kind of world, survival required a certain amount of either strength or faith. The Order had faith that their god would protect them. But Luz's friend had strength, "Luckily, this apocalypse is temporary for us. It's not impossible to survive here, though."

She looked down at Luz's leg, tapping the knee she'd fallen on gently, "Let me take a look at that, make sure it's not too bad."

"Yeah. Like. I could tell whatever her life was like back home, it was not an easy one. She even got a glimpse of the future and knew if she went back to her world, she eventually loses a leg. But if I know her, she'll make do. She'd one of the people I try to think about when things feel like they're getting really bad."

Luz was scared she'd forget her name one day, but she never did. Clementine.

"Oh, sure!" Luz pushed her leg out, wincing slightly. "Oh. Ow. Should not have done that so quickly."

Otherworld Log

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...I may have Luz trip over something in the next thread.

lmao sounds good to me!

Re: lmao sounds good to me!

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this feels like a good wrap point? they rest up & return to trench after a few hours?

You got it!