[ The flame singes his robes, so he's mostly busy putting that fire out when the monster erupts into viscera and gore. Lucilius just. Slowly wipes away a splotch of demon guts that splattered on his cheek.
Okay then.
Seeing poor Chang Geng in this state does summon up the first, tiny (and mean) smile he's shown this entire adventure, because it's all a little funny. Dry as a bone: ]
An excellent showing.
[ They're one weapon and one mage down, so it's best they hustle to this building. Off he goes, quickly. ]
[Limbo may be covered in guts! They may be covered in blood, and gore, and god knows what else.]
[And yet, the grin on their face is nothing short of pleased.]
Hahahaha! HahahahAHAHAHA! Yes! Yes!!
[What pure delight, over an...exploded monster.]
[Anyways, time to go! Limbo might have enjoyed his little victory, but he won't stick around for seconds, especially not at full power. With a sweeping of his stained robes, and wincing from his bruises, he runs after the others up the temple towards that open door.]
[ a wise choice! the system thinks so. by which i mean i think so.
anyway!! once all three of them are inside, the door slams shut behind them, and a line of red torches light up, one by one by one down a long hallway ending in a door.
something will pull them to walk forward, and as they do, they'll hear the rising echoes of another voice. ]
I've mastered demonic cultivation. [ binghe, again. ] I've planned everything. I'll take Huanhua Palace, and I'll make every person who laughed at me pay, I'll... I'll show them that I deserve to be the strongest. Because I am the strongest.
Have you embraced your demonic heritage? [ asks the deep voice from before. ]
Yes. --Yes! This blood of mine - It's no curse, it's a curse on them. I am Luo Binghe - I'll kill every monster in this realm and prove that it's mine to own!
[ the deep voice chuckles, then. ] Good. Find the blade, then. Take it, child. Use it to take this world and make it your own.
[ before they know it, the group will be standing at the end of the hallway, in another doorway.
the hall in front of them is simple, with large pillars reaching up to the ceiling, and a plush red carpet on the floor. there are a few tables - seemingly, it's some kind of dining hall - and painted on the wall directly facing them is... a woman's face! what a nice piece of artwork. she looks nice and happy, her mouth curved up in a smile.
beside the painting is a little crystal box. it's clear; there is a key inside.
and to the right, there's a door! seems to be how to get to the next room.
find the blade says the deep voice again. they are, as always, welcome to check in with the system! in fact... ]
[ A sardonic smile is the only thing that Lucilius gets in response, pleasant except for the fact that his eyes are dark and his teeth are a little bared. Why is he still carrying the eyeball? Because his bow is broken, and he's more than willing to use the gore as a distraction in the event that they get attacked yet again. (Who throws a giant eyeball at people? A Chang Geng that has let his mental state slip into unhinged for a bit.)
The temptation to throw it into Limbo's face is brief, but he ignores it as he cocks his head at the deep voice, assessing the woman's face on the wall.
Sure. Let someone else check out the key and door. ]
[Ohhh? Maybe Binghe isn't as much of a terrible uninteresting boring person as Limbo once thought. It definitely tickles his sensibilities, hearing someone wanting to give themselves to demonic power.]
Mmm, System? Who is that lady in the picture?
[How pretty she is. He'll go to check out the key along with Lucilius, peering in.]
【 KEY ITEM QUEST! 】 [ the system brings up a picture of a black sword with a red jewel in its handle. ]
THE XIN MO SWORD. Luo Binghe's weapon. Can be used to open dimensional portals.
[ chang geng's question is answered first. limbo's just gets a noise. ]
【 No answer found. 】
[ somebody unimportant, i guess.
anyway, the box isn't locked or anything. the top comes off easily! the key inside is fairly large, but not weird looking - just an iron key with a red ribbon on the handle.
curiously, the woman's smile seems... to grow? and grow, and grow, and grow, and suddenly, her mouth is wide open.
a high pitched, shrieking laughter echoes through the room, acutely, immediately painful, enough to cause some damage... and more importantly, something else?
everyone in the room will start to feel... odd, afterwards. heartbeats start increasing, ears are ringing, and vision swimming with stars, each member of the party may start to feel a little...
...giggly? almost like you've been drinking, way, way, way too much? the room seems to spin and sway, and suddenly, everything's really, really funny.
the laughter is continuing, shrieking and mirthful and loud and horrible, and not stopping anytime soon.
well, you've got the key, right? so all you have to do is get to the door?
[ Looking the sword up and down as the System displays it to him, he doesn't notice right away when the woman starts to smile more and more. But his gaze slides off past the mission goal, as he notices something just off in his peripheral. It gives him a bit of a cold chill, actually, thinking of Xiu Niang's beautiful but uncanny face, and he's about to say something or move to get them to leave -
But Chang Geng's already shifted vision spins, and he wobbles with dizziness before hitting a knee. Both hands come up to cover his ears, the eyeball momentarily abandoned as he tries to find some sort of grounding. There's something more manic than mirthful bubbling in the back of his head, accompanied by the ever present scratching just waiting to break out.
Joining his fellow Lucifer in bad rolls for this round. ]
[ Maybe that smile earlier was a bad omen, because as soon as they retrieve the key, he feels his body react before his mind does. Which is never a good sign—before he can even parse together what or why anything is happening, he winces at the noise and, strangely, a little huff of laughter suddenly breaks out of his mouth.
—which opens the floodgates for him to double over in laughter, literally brought to his knees by it. He laughs and laughs until it's painful, ears ringing.
Seems he's extra affected by this, because he's not going anywhere right now. Thanks, crit fail. ]
[Oh, so that's what that woman was about. Still, nothing like that spicy little Saintess, all bells and dances. Man, he may be heartless, but that was good demonic wife material right there. Miss you Sha Hualiang!]
[Either way, Limbo is no stranger to laughter, so as the others double over, Limbo joins in with the delighted peal of laughter he displayed before, his face filled with mirth. But for a clown, laughter is just part of the trade! He makes his way, unsteady, to the box, and plucks out the key with a hand.]
Hahahahahah! Huhuhuhu, a CURSE? You thought to put a curse on ME? Don't make me laugh- but hahahahaha! I already am!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
[His laughter is so loud that it practically bounces off the walls, his grin sharp like a row of knives. Without further ado, he makes his way to the door, uses the key if he can, and opens it to progress. Sorry, Lucifers. He has another Lucifer he serves. Not you guys.]
[ when limbo reaches the door and tries to put the key in the lock, it just bounces off.
a noise cuts through the hysterical giggles currently coming out of this room, perfectly loud enough to be heard by all members of the party, no matter what their current state of being is! ]
【 ERROR: Remember, this is team mode! Leaving behind any member of your team and reaching the goal early results in all three members B-points being reduced to zero and your existences being terminated." 】
[ the laughter's getting louder now! and if limbo tries to turn the key, it won't budge. in fact, if he tries to put the key in again it just - ]
【 ERROR: Remember, this is team mode! Leaving behind any member of your team and reaching the goal early results in all three members B-points being reduced to zero and your existences being terminated." 】
- 20 B-Points for Putting an I in Team for Limbo. 】
[ A laugh catches in his throat, and Chang Geng can dimly hear Limbo cackling somewhere in the background of the woman's laughter. But instead of letting it boil over, that scratching tears through his head, first, and that - that he knows how to handle. As he opens his mouth, a hysterical laugh does make it out, before being muffled by the fact that he bites down on the meat of his left hand, below his thumb, despite the gore of the exploded hydra still sticking to him.
Pain is grounding. Familiar.
(He has never been thankful for this curse in his life, but he'll reflect on that later.)
The eyeball is abandoned, because as he gets to his feet with blood in his mouth from his tongue and his hand, he hears the System's warning and penalization when Limbo tries to turn the key in the door. With effort, he moves over to Lucilius - and with less effort, picks him up to cart him over to where their clown awaits them. ]
[ The noise is so loud that even his hearing seems to be dulling, his ears ringing and his gut aching, but it still doesn't stop the peals of laughter now that they've started. Maybe because he just doesn't laugh much—this is penance.
On the plus side, he's pretty easily hefted up since he isn't flailing around or fighting it, just covering his face as he laughs himself hoarse. ]
NnnnnnNNNNNNN! Hahahaha! Fuahahahahahaha! Team mode? TEAM MODE?!
[THE GALL! THE AUDACITY OF THIS BITCH.]
[Limbo turns away, their frame shaking with downright evil-sounding laughter. But as before, a clown is used to laughter. This is just his life 24/7, even though he really hates, hates the idea that he's losing.]
[He spreads his arms wide for Lucilius.]
Please! Hahahaha! I can carry our dear poisoned friend for you!! A friend indeed is a friend in need, yes? Hahahahahaha!
[ thank god, we're giggling! we're having a fun time!!
anyway everyone except sourpuss satan rolled successfully enough that this time when they approach the door, the key clicks into the lock, and the door opens. ]
CHECKPOINT COMPLETED: HALL OF DELIGHT! + 10 Points!
New character asset obtained for - Chang Geng - Coolness Points! + 20 B Points! Lucilius Learned to Laugh!: +5 points Limbo: +10 Points for Team Mindset
[ terrible.
the screaming laughter stops, and the door shuts behind the group, leaving them in a nice, peaceful silence. the hallway they've entered is very similar to the one before - this has floors of solid black jade, and pillars that again reach the ceiling, which is much smaller than the room before it - barely two feet over limbo's head. dark blue curtains line the walls, made of soft silk, and everything in comparison to this place seems muted.
walking into the hallway, the group will notice a large section of the floor appears to be glass? and inside, is something shiny. time to investigate this room.
[ Limbo gets A Look as he comes to the door, which is either scathing or just exasperated, hard to tell, but thankfully it opens once they're within range together - he's lost all form of patience at this point. Lucilius is a lump of useless wheezing laughter, their points are slowly dwindling, Limbo is having a great time. Yes. Giggling. A great time for all. ]
Let's just - go. [ fuck u he's not going to laugh ] Before it deducts more points.
[ Once that door is slammed shut behind them is a brief moment of relief, although he moves to deposit his twink cargo on the floor where they stand so that he can squeeze the bitemark on his hand, eyes closed. A beat, two, three, and then he exhales and opens his eyes again, walking forward to where the floor becomes glass. What's up what's going on down here, babe, he is not stepping on it or any further. ]
[ He doesn't really seem annoyed that Limbo left them for dead, but he's definitely irritable by the time he's back on his feet and his head has cleared up a little. He's still laughing, quietly, but mostly he's just gulping down air and trying to breathe normally.
Maybe the system has a self-destruct sequence he can activate? ]
There— [ He swallows down a chuckle. Something shiny! They go. ]
[ the group heads over to the glass panel in the floor. looking under their feet, they will see it is a case - and artfully laid inside is the black and red sword xin mo. however, there doesn't seem to be a handle on the case, at all, and any attempts at smashing the glass will do nothing.
while the group is pondering the case, lucilius (thanks rng) will feel something wet drip down, right onto the tip of his nose. it's bright red! weird.
drip, drip.
more red droplets, one now for both limbo and chang geng, too. you all have bright red noses now. you know, like clowns.
...no, but, actually. looking up, to find the source of the red will show, directly over their heads, another painting! it's another woman, her brows tightly knit together, her mouth closed and pulled together into a sorrowful frown.
drip, drip.
it seems the red drops are coming directly from the painting's eyes, and when the painting's face has been acknowledged, she begins to weep, harder and harder, until a low, moaning sob starts to fill the hall.
there's a click sound, that sounds suspiciously like a lock turning in place.
and then the small, steady droplets turn into a torrential downfall of red, bloody rain, starting to rapidly fill the small hallway. in a matter of seconds, the bloody water is up to their ankles, and the woman's voice sobs, ]
Lament! Lament! Lament!
[ and the word "LAMENT" appears in dark black lettering on each wall in the room. ]
Chang Geng stares up at the ceiling, and almost doesn't register what's happening as real. How many hallucinations and night terrors have veered in this direction? But when it does, as he focuses on the dull throb of pain from his ribs, his hand, he takes a deep breath and sighs heavily. Luckily he's already covered in blood and gore - what's a little extra. ]
We don't have time for this. [ He sounds so unimpressed and dead inside, and this is basically said up to the crying woman above them. He looks back down at the case, especially since trying to break it doesn't seem to do anything. Fine. He'll pick the wall opposite to the one that they came in through, scanning the room for any other weird things that stand out as he goes, reaching out, touching the wall where the word appears to check it out. ]
[ Ah, yes. The poison. He's not shy or waifish, but he simply doesn't want to deal with that right now. ]
Perhaps death is preferable.
[ So he doesn't, and they don't really have an opportunity regardless. The blood starts filling the room, washing over them, and the room is already dark—he looks around anyway, eyes narrowed. Unbelievably, he still kind of wants to laugh, but. ]
Are we supposed to lament? [ Please just let there be some other clue sticking out or on the ceiling. ]
Come now, come now, I'm sure you don't want to die? After we've come so far? With the Xin Mo sword, Binghe can take the world as he deserves, mmm?
[And yeah, that is a lot of blood! How cozy! And lament? Sure. Why not. There doesn't seem to be a lot of options right now. Maybe this will be the thing that puts his B-points to zero, but...]
[Limbo bends down to place a hand against the glass, his voice lifting up in a loud wail. You know, for an act...there's a sense that part of it does seem bordering on...genuine?]
Ohhh! All of us, almost doomed! All of us, in the demonic realm, so close and yet so far from our task!!! Are we unlucky? Is this fair? We are but humble disciples, yes? Ohhhh, please! Please!! We've come through so much!! This Seimei, encountering death and loss at every turn, can they truly be able to achieve the victory they seek with the rest? Can they stand alongside their fellow disciples and understand power, move past futility? Woe! Woe is me!! Woe is us!!!
[ just before limbo starts, a voice echoes through the chamber. ]
“Luo Binghe, you’re a bastard, did you know that?”
[ that's shen qingqiu's voice. cruel, each word enunciated. the bloody rain picks up - there's a bizarrely echoing sound of footsteps, and then a terrifyingly loud scream that comes from shen qingqiu; it dissolves into laughter, after, but then the voice keeps talking. ]
Luo Binghe, it is thanks to me that you have today, so why are you not thanking me – in fact, quite the contrary, why are you so incapable of telling good from bad? You really are a thankless little bastard hahahaha…
[ the second voice comes at a whisper. it's sinister sounding - a cruel, silent fury laced in every phrase. ] You want to die? You can’t expect it to really be that easy. Shizun, after all the evil things you’ve done throughout your life, hurting those hostile towards you, hurting those with no malice whatsoever towards you, barely clinging to life and still able to throw a zhangmen in with the lot....
If you don’t die a little slowly, get a chance to suffer all the misery everyone else did, how else could you make it up to them?
[ there's a horrified gasp coming from shen qingqiu's voice, and the rain picks up in speed, now bringing the bloodied water up to their knees. ish. limbo's tall.
...however, it seems to stop completely when limbo starts talking? for a good ten seconds.
...and then it picks up, twice as hard as before, droplets huge, as the woman's voice continues to cry, lament, lament, lament!
[ Chang Geng is now roleplaying Snow with sheer levels of exhaustion. The lamenting continues from the woman, and Limbo joins her, and it's the most over the top thing he's heard in a long while now.
And then it stops.
His gaze flicks up to the ceiling again when the wailing stops. He feels the ridiculousness of the moment sink in even further, before bringing his hand up to massage his forehead. ]
... fine. Is that what it's going to take? [ A group effort in apparently lamenting, too? It starts out very simple, if a little strained, because of the sincerity in five words. ] I want to go home. The capital is under siege, and for all I know, yifu is buried under the rubble of the walls he was trying to defend. When the battle began, that could very well be the last I'll ever see of him - so if we can get out of this, instead of wallowing in despair, I want to make sure it isn't the last.
[ Instead of him wasting his time with someone else's revenge scheme and listening to this incessant sobbing. ]
[ It feels like the poison's settled in his bones, because he still can't seem to quite catch his breath from all that laughter, and the weight of his own body is now starting to feel almost too heavy to keep up.
But he doesn't sway under the weight of it as the room wails at them to lament (a command that grates at him), and judging from Limbo's performance, it doesn't have to be wholly sincere to count. His expression is flinty throughout the various cries and insults that echo through the room, and by the end of it all his expression drops. ]
Lament what? What a farce this all is?
[ It's not exactly grief. He speaks firmly but barely raises his voice; his body language is restrained but the anger in his eyes is not, like the constant simmer of a star, burning itself to death.
It's the closest approximation to sadness that he can manage, which is its neighbor: bitterness. He was forced to laugh—he can't be forced to cry. ]
I regret nothing but the time I've been made to waste. I grieve that we've been put through these inane paces to follow the beats of a story that aren't our own. I lament that we've trailed the years of a man who doesn't have the will to stand for himself if not for revenge—that I might die at the end of this and still not see the point of it all. [ Because as far as he can see, there isn't one. They haven't made a difference here. They're just pieces in someone's stupid game—he supposes that's something worth lamenting. ]
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Okay then.
Seeing poor Chang Geng in this state does summon up the first, tiny (and mean) smile he's shown this entire adventure, because it's all a little funny. Dry as a bone: ]
An excellent showing.
[ They're one weapon and one mage down, so it's best they hustle to this building. Off he goes, quickly. ]
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[And yet, the grin on their face is nothing short of pleased.]
Hahahaha! HahahahAHAHAHA! Yes! Yes!!
[What pure delight, over an...exploded monster.]
[Anyways, time to go! Limbo might have enjoyed his little victory, but he won't stick around for seconds, especially not at full power. With a sweeping of his stained robes, and wincing from his bruises, he runs after the others up the temple towards that open door.]
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anyway!! once all three of them are inside, the door slams shut behind them, and a line of red torches light up, one by one by one down a long hallway ending in a door.
something will pull them to walk forward, and as they do, they'll hear the rising echoes of another voice. ]
I've mastered demonic cultivation. [ binghe, again. ] I've planned everything. I'll take Huanhua Palace, and I'll make every person who laughed at me pay, I'll... I'll show them that I deserve to be the strongest. Because I am the strongest.
Have you embraced your demonic heritage? [ asks the deep voice from before. ]
Yes. --Yes! This blood of mine - It's no curse, it's a curse on them. I am Luo Binghe - I'll kill every monster in this realm and prove that it's mine to own!
[ the deep voice chuckles, then. ] Good. Find the blade, then. Take it, child. Use it to take this world and make it your own.
[ before they know it, the group will be standing at the end of the hallway, in another doorway.
the hall in front of them is simple, with large pillars reaching up to the ceiling, and a plush red carpet on the floor. there are a few tables - seemingly, it's some kind of dining hall - and painted on the wall directly facing them is... a woman's face! what a nice piece of artwork. she looks nice and happy, her mouth curved up in a smile.
beside the painting is a little crystal box. it's clear; there is a key inside.
and to the right, there's a door! seems to be how to get to the next room.
find the blade says the deep voice again. they are, as always, welcome to check in with the system! in fact... ]
CHECKPOINT REACHED: HOLY MAUSEOLEUM!
+ 10 B-Points.
Fighting an Unnecessary Battle:
-30 B-Points to Chang Geng
Character Development: Edgy but Intelligent
+10 Points to Lucilius
Please continue making choices.
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The temptation to throw it into Limbo's face is brief, but he ignores it as he cocks his head at the deep voice, assessing the woman's face on the wall.
Sure. Let someone else check out the key and door. ]
System, what blade is this?
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Instead, he lets a Less than Okay Chang Geng deal with it for now, looking over the box instead. Can he retrieve the key? ]
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Mmm, System? Who is that lady in the picture?
[How pretty she is. He'll go to check out the key along with Lucilius, peering in.]
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[ the system brings up a picture of a black sword with a red jewel in its handle. ]
THE XIN MO SWORD. Luo Binghe's weapon. Can be used to open dimensional portals.
[ chang geng's question is answered first. limbo's just gets a noise. ]
【 No answer found. 】
[ somebody unimportant, i guess.
anyway, the box isn't locked or anything. the top comes off easily! the key inside is fairly large, but not weird looking - just an iron key with a red ribbon on the handle.
curiously, the woman's smile seems... to grow? and grow, and grow, and grow, and suddenly, her mouth is wide open.
a high pitched, shrieking laughter echoes through the room, acutely, immediately painful, enough to cause some damage... and more importantly, something else?
everyone in the room will start to feel... odd, afterwards. heartbeats start increasing, ears are ringing, and vision swimming with stars, each member of the party may start to feel a little...
...giggly? almost like you've been drinking, way, way, way too much? the room seems to spin and sway, and suddenly, everything's really, really funny.
the laughter is continuing, shrieking and mirthful and loud and horrible, and not stopping anytime soon.
well, you've got the key, right? so all you have to do is get to the door?
good luck! ]
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But Chang Geng's already shifted vision spins, and he wobbles with dizziness before hitting a knee. Both hands come up to cover his ears, the eyeball momentarily abandoned as he tries to find some sort of grounding. There's something more manic than mirthful bubbling in the back of his head, accompanied by the ever present scratching just waiting to break out.
Joining his fellow Lucifer in bad rolls for this round. ]
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—which opens the floodgates for him to double over in laughter, literally brought to his knees by it. He laughs and laughs until it's painful, ears ringing.
Seems he's extra affected by this, because he's not going anywhere right now. Thanks, crit fail. ]
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[Either way, Limbo is no stranger to laughter, so as the others double over, Limbo joins in with the delighted peal of laughter he displayed before, his face filled with mirth. But for a clown, laughter is just part of the trade! He makes his way, unsteady, to the box, and plucks out the key with a hand.]
Hahahahahah! Huhuhuhu, a CURSE? You thought to put a curse on ME? Don't make me laugh- but hahahahaha! I already am!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
[His laughter is so loud that it practically bounces off the walls, his grin sharp like a row of knives. Without further ado, he makes his way to the door, uses the key if he can, and opens it to progress. Sorry, Lucifers. He has another Lucifer he serves. Not you guys.]
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a noise cuts through the hysterical giggles currently coming out of this room, perfectly loud enough to be heard by all members of the party, no matter what their current state of being is! ]
【 ERROR: Remember, this is team mode! Leaving behind any member of your team and reaching the goal early results in all three members B-points being reduced to zero and your existences being terminated." 】
[ the laughter's getting louder now! and if limbo tries to turn the key, it won't budge. in fact, if he tries to put the key in again it just - ]
【 ERROR: Remember, this is team mode! Leaving behind any member of your team and reaching the goal early results in all three members B-points being reduced to zero and your existences being terminated." 】
- 20 B-Points for Putting an I in Team for Limbo. 】
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Pain is grounding. Familiar.
(He has never been thankful for this curse in his life, but he'll reflect on that later.)
The eyeball is abandoned, because as he gets to his feet with blood in his mouth from his tongue and his hand, he hears the System's warning and penalization when Limbo tries to turn the key in the door. With effort, he moves over to Lucilius - and with less effort, picks him up to cart him over to where their clown awaits them. ]
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On the plus side, he's pretty easily hefted up since he isn't flailing around or fighting it, just covering his face as he laughs himself hoarse. ]
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[THE GALL! THE AUDACITY OF THIS BITCH.]
[Limbo turns away, their frame shaking with downright evil-sounding laughter. But as before, a clown is used to laughter. This is just his life 24/7, even though he really hates, hates the idea that he's losing.]
[He spreads his arms wide for Lucilius.]
Please! Hahahaha! I can carry our dear poisoned friend for you!! A friend indeed is a friend in need, yes? Hahahahahaha!
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anyway everyone except sourpuss satan rolled successfully enough that this time when they approach the door, the key clicks into the lock, and the door opens. ]
CHECKPOINT COMPLETED: HALL OF DELIGHT!
+ 10 Points!
New character asset obtained for - Chang Geng - Coolness Points! + 20 B Points!
Lucilius Learned to Laugh!: +5 points
Limbo: +10 Points for Team Mindset
[ terrible.
the screaming laughter stops, and the door shuts behind the group, leaving them in a nice, peaceful silence. the hallway they've entered is very similar to the one before - this has floors of solid black jade, and pillars that again reach the ceiling, which is much smaller than the room before it - barely two feet over limbo's head. dark blue curtains line the walls, made of soft silk, and everything in comparison to this place seems muted.
walking into the hallway, the group will notice a large section of the floor appears to be glass? and inside, is something shiny. time to investigate this room.
where would you like to look? ]
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Let's just - go. [ fuck u he's not going to laugh ] Before it deducts more points.
[ Once that door is slammed shut behind them is a brief moment of relief, although he moves to deposit his twink cargo on the floor where they stand so that he can squeeze the bitemark on his hand, eyes closed. A beat, two, three, and then he exhales and opens his eyes again, walking forward to where the floor becomes glass. What's up what's going on down here, babe, he is not stepping on it or any further. ]
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Maybe the system has a self-destruct sequence he can activate? ]
There— [ He swallows down a chuckle. Something shiny! They go. ]
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[says the clown that was about to abandon them all like thirty seconds ago]
Also. Lucilius, my offer still stands from before, hm? You will die, you know, from that dreadful poison...
[Yes, he is still on that. But anyways, to the room! He'll follow after Chang Geng to see what's in the glass.]
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while the group is pondering the case, lucilius (thanks rng) will feel something wet drip down, right onto the tip of his nose. it's bright red! weird.
drip, drip.
more red droplets, one now for both limbo and chang geng, too. you all have bright red noses now. you know, like clowns.
...no, but, actually. looking up, to find the source of the red will show, directly over their heads, another painting! it's another woman, her brows tightly knit together, her mouth closed and pulled together into a sorrowful frown.
drip, drip.
it seems the red drops are coming directly from the painting's eyes, and when the painting's face has been acknowledged, she begins to weep, harder and harder, until a low, moaning sob starts to fill the hall.
there's a click sound, that sounds suspiciously like a lock turning in place.
and then the small, steady droplets turn into a torrential downfall of red, bloody rain, starting to rapidly fill the small hallway. in a matter of seconds, the bloody water is up to their ankles, and the woman's voice sobs, ]
Lament! Lament! Lament!
[ and the word "LAMENT" appears in dark black lettering on each wall in the room. ]
no subject
Cool.
Chang Geng stares up at the ceiling, and almost doesn't register what's happening as real. How many hallucinations and night terrors have veered in this direction? But when it does, as he focuses on the dull throb of pain from his ribs, his hand, he takes a deep breath and sighs heavily. Luckily he's already covered in blood and gore - what's a little extra. ]
We don't have time for this. [ He sounds so unimpressed and dead inside, and this is basically said up to the crying woman above them. He looks back down at the case, especially since trying to break it doesn't seem to do anything. Fine. He'll pick the wall opposite to the one that they came in through, scanning the room for any other weird things that stand out as he goes, reaching out, touching the wall where the word appears to check it out. ]
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Perhaps death is preferable.
[ So he doesn't, and they don't really have an opportunity regardless. The blood starts filling the room, washing over them, and the room is already dark—he looks around anyway, eyes narrowed. Unbelievably, he still kind of wants to laugh, but. ]
Are we supposed to lament? [ Please just let there be some other clue sticking out or on the ceiling. ]
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[And yeah, that is a lot of blood! How cozy! And lament? Sure. Why not. There doesn't seem to be a lot of options right now. Maybe this will be the thing that puts his B-points to zero, but...]
[Limbo bends down to place a hand against the glass, his voice lifting up in a loud wail. You know, for an act...there's a sense that part of it does seem bordering on...genuine?]
Ohhh! All of us, almost doomed! All of us, in the demonic realm, so close and yet so far from our task!!! Are we unlucky? Is this fair? We are but humble disciples, yes? Ohhhh, please! Please!! We've come through so much!! This Seimei, encountering death and loss at every turn, can they truly be able to achieve the victory they seek with the rest? Can they stand alongside their fellow disciples and understand power, move past futility? Woe! Woe is me!! Woe is us!!!
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“Luo Binghe, you’re a bastard, did you know that?”
[ that's shen qingqiu's voice. cruel, each word enunciated. the bloody rain picks up - there's a bizarrely echoing sound of footsteps, and then a terrifyingly loud scream that comes from shen qingqiu; it dissolves into laughter, after, but then the voice keeps talking. ]
Luo Binghe, it is thanks to me that you have today, so why are you not thanking me – in fact, quite the contrary, why are you so incapable of telling good from bad? You really are a thankless little bastard hahahaha…
[ the second voice comes at a whisper. it's sinister sounding - a cruel, silent fury laced in every phrase. ] You want to die? You can’t expect it to really be that easy. Shizun, after all the evil things you’ve done throughout your life, hurting those hostile towards you, hurting those with no malice whatsoever towards you, barely clinging to life and still able to throw a zhangmen in with the lot....
If you don’t die a little slowly, get a chance to suffer all the misery everyone else did, how else could you make it up to them?
[ there's a horrified gasp coming from shen qingqiu's voice, and the rain picks up in speed, now bringing the bloodied water up to their knees. ish. limbo's tall.
...however, it seems to stop completely when limbo starts talking? for a good ten seconds.
...and then it picks up, twice as hard as before, droplets huge, as the woman's voice continues to cry, lament, lament, lament!
team mode ]
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And then it stops.
His gaze flicks up to the ceiling again when the wailing stops. He feels the ridiculousness of the moment sink in even further, before bringing his hand up to massage his forehead. ]
... fine. Is that what it's going to take? [ A group effort in apparently lamenting, too? It starts out very simple, if a little strained, because of the sincerity in five words. ] I want to go home. The capital is under siege, and for all I know, yifu is buried under the rubble of the walls he was trying to defend. When the battle began, that could very well be the last I'll ever see of him - so if we can get out of this, instead of wallowing in despair, I want to make sure it isn't the last.
[ Instead of him wasting his time with someone else's revenge scheme and listening to this incessant sobbing. ]
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But he doesn't sway under the weight of it as the room wails at them to lament (a command that grates at him), and judging from Limbo's performance, it doesn't have to be wholly sincere to count. His expression is flinty throughout the various cries and insults that echo through the room, and by the end of it all his expression drops. ]
Lament what? What a farce this all is?
[ It's not exactly grief. He speaks firmly but barely raises his voice; his body language is restrained but the anger in his eyes is not, like the constant simmer of a star, burning itself to death.
It's the closest approximation to sadness that he can manage, which is its neighbor: bitterness. He was forced to laugh—he can't be forced to cry. ]
I regret nothing but the time I've been made to waste. I grieve that we've been put through these inane paces to follow the beats of a story that aren't our own. I lament that we've trailed the years of a man who doesn't have the will to stand for himself if not for revenge—that I might die at the end of this and still not see the point of it all. [ Because as far as he can see, there isn't one. They haven't made a difference here. They're just pieces in someone's stupid game—he supposes that's something worth lamenting. ]
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