Multiple Settings Life's A Game ⎨IC⎬

[Hell0NHighWater]

〔ESMAEL CISNERO〕
Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or fulfill good intentions.​

TAGS: Spoiled Bread Chise_Robin_ oxicodone Cara Nellancholy BELIAL. felideli SavannahSmiles lostbird ⠀ ⠀ ⠀WHERE: CONSERVATORY → DORMS (MH)⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ MOOD MUSIC: Everybody's Going to Die · Church of the Cosmic Skull⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

Esmael sat back on his heels. Quillspire's conservatory had always felt the most like home to him. The hundreds of different plants emanated a symphony of aroma, never competing for dominance but instead blending to a heady perfection. The natural light seeped into the space, uninhibited by the glass roof, and warmed the soil beneath him. It was his safe space, and it just so happened that the Lab for this week's class required him to spend hours here. Not that he minded. Though he was immensely grateful that this assignment didn't require a partner. He didn't quite know how to act around Kyra anymore. His eyes lifted from the dirt mound he'd been absently patting, as if pulled instinctively to the woman weeding perennials three rows away. Even from this distance, bathed in golden midday hues and covered in dirt, he thought she was stunning. An air bubble trapped itself in his throat—a weight against his jugular. Their break up hadn't affected her in the slightest, and yet here he was a woeful mess pining more for the memories than for the person associated with them. A sigh released the tension in his throat and he forced his attention away, back to the seedlings he had just planted. Sliding the trowel back into his organizer tool pouch, Esmael reached for his shears when a blue holoscreen flickered before his eyes. It dinged like a disembodied prompt on a computer screen.

Which class will offer you the best chance of survival in an apocalyptic world?

30​

His lips folded into a thin line and his brows knitted together. An array of cards as tall as him encircled him in a narrow ring. Each card was painted with handcrafted holographical care—a shield behind two crossed swords, a bow and arrow set behind a leaf blown sky, and some type of scepter with symbols engraved on it. He turned to look at the other cards behind him and they began to move, revolving around him at a rate slow enough to see each card in detail but fast enough to still see the next one. The selection seemed endless. And it shifted, apparently never showing him the same card twice. Then he noticed that the number began to move. Was it counting down to something? What the hell did any of this mean?

25
​

"Es, are you seeing this!?" He flinched at the familiarity in which Kyra addressed him, hated himself for feeling any type of way about it, and nodded slowly before realizing that if she was seeing what he was then she probably couldn't see him either. "Yeah." He let the silence hang after the word, his mind reeling at the cards before him. She said something more, but he wasn't listening. He reached out to touch a card just as it was snapped away. Replaced. Moving again.

15​

His hand froze in mid-air. If everyone was seeing this then was it safe to assume everyone was picking from the same selection pool? How wide-spread was this? Did he miss an important student government announcement about some technology the IT department was testing? He could feel the sweat pooling at his temple. What would happen if he didn't pick anything? Would the twins pick something? Lucia would in a heartbeat, he knew she never erred on the side of caution. But was caution the right move here anyways?

4​

The question was about survival. If he wanted to live, then he should pick a card. As illogical as it seemed...

3​

He had to pick.

2​

The selection spun again and his eye caught something familiar, something that evoked that feeling of home and the irrefutable certainty of science. Urgently, he thrust his hand out as if he could hold onto an intangible thing.

Congratulations on your choice to become a Player! You have chosen the [Alchemist] class. Good Luck!​

"Alchemist?" Esmael mumbled, blinking rapidly as the rest of the conservatory suddenly came back into focus. "Good Luck?" He frowned, staring at his gloved hands as if they were some alien appendage. He didn't feel any different. Was that some type of weird prank? He turned to look for Kyra when the rustle of leaves alerted him to movement on his left.

A pair of yellow eyes peered at him from between the ferns. He lifted himself into a crouched position almost at the same moment a reptilian mouth snapped in his direction. Rows of sharp teeth centimeters from his face. Esmael threw himself backward, struggling to regain his balance as the creature sped forward. He reached for the nearest object and threw it. Ceramic shards flew through the air, and the creature stuttered a step, but shook the hit off much too quickly for Esmael's comfort. Still, it was enough for him to get moving. He grabbed his bag as he passed it. Someone screamed. Followed by another, until the chorus drowned out the birds. He needed to find his sisters. And, "Kyra!?"

A hot pain flared up his leg. The creature hissed behind him. He thought for a moment that it might have said something guttural and alien, but the observation was overshadowed by the glint of a knife swinging towards him. Esmael leapt backward, his heart damn near stopping in his chest as the creature made eye contact with him. It sailed past him through the air and tumbled to the ground rolling and bouncing before whacking into another reptilian beast. There were more?

Esmael forced himself to move again. If there were more then he couldn't stand around and do nothing. He needed a weapon. Another growl erupted from his right but this time Esmael couldn't avoid the knife that skated across his chest. Thanks to adrenaline he didn't feel the worst of it, but he could tell from the damp stickiness on his shirt that the wound needed attention. He stumbled against a shelf, blindly grasping at another pot. It cracked against the monster's shoulder and shattered on the ground, but didn't deter it. Esmael pulled his sheers from his belt and threw them as hard as he could. He watched the blades whirl in the air before finding their target—the heart of a yellow eye. The creature roared in agony, clutching at the tool protruding from its skull. Esmael took advantage of the opening, limping as fast as he could towards the exit.

It wasn't any less chaotic outside the conservatory. Students and faculty ran every which way in a state of panic, some of them were being attacked but Esmael couldn't tell by what. He didn't have the time to pay attention anyway. He needed to get back to his dorm. He needed to find his sisters. He needed medical attention. And—
He stumbled abruptly as the realization hit him that he left his girlfriend—ex-girlfriend—behind. Should he go back?
More screams sounded behind him and Esmael forced himself to move again. He wasn't good to anyone dead and staying in the conservatory with those things was a death sentence. He had to hope that she could handle herself.

The twin brick dormitory buildings were a welcome sight, but only for a moment. A window above him shattered. He barely had time to look up before a body blurred past him and hit the ground with a sickening dull crunch. Limbs splayed at unnatural angles, it took Esmael a moment to register the body as human—as a fellow student, one who lived only a few doors down from him. His stomach inverted. The contents of his lunch spilled into the grass. He wiped absently at the corners of his mouth. Shock kept him from lingering too long and he found himself moving from only the instinctual urge to get to safety.

None of this should be possible. He limped around to the front of the building. Small green critters with rudimentary weapons overran the grounds. They swarmed individual students, pulling at hair and slashing at limbs until their prey fell to the ground. He couldn't see what happened then, but he knew from the screams that he didn't want to. There were so many of those critters that he couldn't count them. Esmael barely managed to make it to the entrance when the door swung open. A small green creature splattered with blood grinned at him maniacally. Esmael didn't have time to react before the small beast slammed into him with enough force to tip him over. The air flew from his lungs. His chest seared red hot. It took all his strength to keep the little monster from ripping into his throat. He couldn't get a hand free to properly defend himself.

He squeezed his eyes shut and screamed, "H-Help!"

They thrive because someone expended effort on them.​

 

[Nellancholy]

Erin's eyes flew open, the sound of commotion hitting her like a wave.

Her head was light and easy, without any trace of fatigue or weight. Thank the tiger's eye she kept in her pouch.

Her hand crept up to her jaw, nursing the forming bruise that had been delivered, oh...about an hour ago?

---

A door creaked open.

"Who is it?"

"Lady Gemory?"

Erin blinked, feigning ignorance at the frowning woman at her door. "Who?"

"Lady Gemory. That's you."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about-"

"That stupid, fucking, BLOG or whatever. You told my girlfriend that my presence was toxic, and that it was time for her to move on-"

"Look, whatever this Lady Gemoree said, I'm sure your girlfriend is an adult who can make her own decisions-"

"Cut the crap. Can't you be honest for once in your damn life? I looked into who pays for that webspace, and your name was right there. So even if you're not that BITCH, you know who is."

"Look at you. You think doing that makes you look like the good guy in this? And besides, even if I knew who that was, what do you even expect me to-"

The room spun as Erin spun, a sharp cross punch cracking her jaw.

She fell sprawled over the intricately-patterned hexagram carpet, lying still as she heard her assailant stomp off.

Well, she'd take the L, but if that girl thought this'd be enough to stop Lady Gemory from telling people what they needed to hear, she'd have another thing coming.

She'd have to relocate the blog to a new domain, but...

As she lay, stewing in shame, a bright window seemed to open before her, a portal to the empyrean. Intricate shapes spun within it, as if beckoning her. And then-

---

Between there and here, something had happened to lead her to where she was, lying outside the dorm on someone's discarded couch.

She reached into the waistband of her shorts, pulling out the card she had apparently picked up.

Beast...master?

Huh.

She wasn't sure what that had to do with anything, though she found the style familiar, not unlike the arcana she usually drew from.

No time for that now, she had to see what the commotion was about.

He squeezed his eyes shut and screamed, "H-Help!"

A peaking voice broke through her distraction, leading her to spring to her feet, instinctively grasping a long, thin implement that had been lying by her on the couch.

"H-hold on, I'm coming-"

She rushed back the way she had apparently come from, the several meters it'd take her to reach the doorway to the dorm.

She barely registered the form of the assailants lacerating and pouncing at every turn, her mind filing it as some kind of...animal attack? in its frantic pace.

But as she came up to the man being pinned down, she had to confront it.

Humanoid, hunched over.

With...opposable thumbs.

Oh god, the Biology faculty had done it, hadn't they?

Some Rise of the Planet of the Apes shit was going on here.

"Alright then, monkey! Get OFF him!"

She hefted the implement she had on hand. It wasn't as heavy and thick as a polearm or baseball bat. And as she brought it down on the weird green monkey, it finally came into view.

Damn it. It was one of those animal control things.

But the loop was around its shoulders.

"I said, get OFF!"

With that, Erin spun, flinging the creature several feet away where it clonked its head on a tree and fell unconscious, at least for the moment.

"Huh..." Still baffled, Erin looked at the foe she had just downed for a moment, before glancing back at the now-freed man.

"Uh, need help getting up?"

Hell0NHighWater

 

[oxicodone]

font call font call font call

necromancer

kim jiwon

profile

nervous

JV -> GH

Flick... flickflickflick. Jiwon's shoulders readjust; he breathes out the frustration through his nose. Another flicker — and it springs alive. A little flame. It dances and jitters in the cage of his palms, kissing embers over the end of his cigarette. Inhale: feel the rush of nicotine — feel alive. Look alive. He tries, fails. His shoulders slump back down, his head lazily falls back, and his eyes flutter shut. Exhale: feel your body rid the toxins through a gray cloud, planting spiderwebs and fume across the walls of your throat. Any other day and it would've posed for a decent distraction.

But Jiwon readjusts. Then, again. And again. A whole minute passes before his next awkward shift. His nerves rattle and cry, and he thinks another puff of the cigarette should put an end to it. But like the first nine times, it doesn't, of course. So he blinks, lifts his gaze from his death stick and pays closer attention to the card. A crowned skull stares back at him. Under it reads:

Congratulations on your choice to become a Player! You have chosen the [Necromancer] class. Good Luck!

Jiwon's shoulder rolls, refixes and finds no new comfort. He's lost count. After a good second or so, the text fades and God returns the world to him in a much uglier state than before. Jiwon pulls the cigarette back to his lips and side-steps a groaning, rot-covered woman. She groans and awkwardly turns around. Like she's learning to walk all over again.

"Um.......... do you — "

Jiwon tries to spark up conversation, but she groans and jerks forward, throwing herself at him again. He slides back and she fails a step.

"I'll just ask someone else,"

he murmurs. She ignores him, tries again, but Jiwon's long gone; snaking himself in-between the few dressed in gore and viscera, and the masses that scream and flail about (is there a festival today?). Jiwon misses the way someone's skin rips open, the way another's guts pour out from under his belly. Like any other day; Jiwon yanks the hood over his head and moves.

Makes for the dorms.

@fluticasone

@fluticasone

@fluticasone

 

[Spoiled Bread]

RENATA CRUZ

Location: Dorm​

---

Far from the bustling activity of Quillspire University, A group of student had transformed one of the dorm room into a small studio with 4 PCs inside, each for different members of the group. On the corner of the room was the bed of the room's owner who had volunteered his room to be used as a studio, though said person was nowhere to be seen. Hanging on the wall was a big decorative cardboard cut out announcing the name of the studio to anyone who stepped inside, Gory Doge, a small group of indie game developers consisted of 4 students of Quillspire University. Once in a blue moon, when the stars align and the eclipse appear during equinox, the group would do a project together and creates some janky experimental horror games that might or might not be well-received, but otherwise they mostly spent time playing video games instead of creating one.

Today was just like any other day. The owner of the room was nowhere to be seen, swept away by his busy schedule for his medical degree. The studio wasn't unoccupied however as two students had spent the last three hours using one of the PC to play games. One of them was Renata Cruz, an animation student who's in charge in doing both the 2D and 3D model in their games, the other was Damian Brown, the only member of the group with any coding capacity.

The room was mostly silent apart from the repeated clicking noise coming from the controller in their hands and the soft humming generated by a small old refrigerator where they put all their club snacks inside. However, the silence was broken when Damian suddenly spoke.

"Say, Ren. If you're in an apocalypse. What RPG class do yo think would have the best chance to survive?"

"I don't know... Ninja, probably?" Renata answered nonchalantly as the yellow-garbed ninja on the screen grappled the opposing fighter and throw him into a spinning giant fan where the body was immediately minced and splattered all over the place, covering the entire place in fresh gore. "Brutality, hell yeah!"

The girl celebrated her victory by grabbing the nearby bottle of orange juice and downed half of it quickly, only then she realized the floating holographic cards next to her. There's a lot of cards there but it already hovered on one particular class, the ninja, probably because she mentioned it before. She clicked on the card and the entire display instantly vanished, replaced by a simple windows with some text on it.

Congratulations on your choice to become a Player! You have chosen the [Ninja] class. Good Luck!

"Hmm...??" Confused as to what was happening. She looked at Damian and found him seemingly interacting with something that might be similar to hers.

"D-did you get it too? The class selection screen?" He asked nervously.

"I though it was a hallucination for playing games for too long."

"Or maybe... we somehow got teleported into a game-like fantasy world?"

"That would be cool." Renata answered casually, she didn't seems to be taking the conversation seriously, but she did stand up and approached the door.

"I will check outside, touch some grass and maybe say hello to our new neighboring dragon." Opening the door, she was welcomed by the familiar sight of the dorm's corridor in front of her. Yet her senses were also bombarded by various things that she never experience before. She could hear a scream echoing from the end of the corridor, she could smell pungent stench as if someone just mix a ton of rotten eggs into a large bag of rancid wet trash, and she could see a ragged and bloodied figure groaning and dragging itself towards her.

"W-whaaaaaaaa-?" Renata slammed the door and locked it. She pinched herself to make sure she's not dreaming. Nope.

"What happens?" Damian did also heard the scream and now his face was pale.

"Zombie apocalypse!"

---------------------------------

It had been 10 minutes, the zombie had been banging on the door non-stop but the door still holds. They had barricaded the door with some furnitures, closed all windows and turned of all the light. Damian was cowering in the corner while Renata was busy dragging something out of the room owner's cupboard.

"We can't stay like this. The banging would attract other zombies and they would just break through the door sooner or later." Renata whipped out a worn out wooden bat, it seemed to had been stored there for years and had a faded autograph of someone on it.

"What are you doing, Ren?!"

"I'm going out, wanna join me?"

"I-I don't think I can move." Renata simply nodded, the room had been reeking of piss for a good five minutes now. She figures that he's stunned with fear right now, or simply too embarrassed to move. She's spare him from asking it though, at least for now, hopefully she would be able to tease him about it later, if they survive.

"Allright. I'm going to draw the zombie away. Don't make any noise and keep everything closed. I will try to look for help."

Slowly unlocking the window to the corridor. Renata took a deep breath before she slammed it open, jumped out into the corridor and launched an epic powerful swing towards the zombie with the bat she found. She expected the bat to at least dent its skull, but the cracking noise came from the bat instead and Renata watched in shock as the bat exploded into splinters without harming the zombie.

It did however, draw the attention of the zombie. It stopped banging the door and lurched towards her. Renata reeled back from the zombie's approach. Back stepping quite some distance out of the zombie's reach.

"C-come here you rotting bag!" With no weapon to fight, Renata's only option was to run away. At least the zombie would leave Damian alone for now. Her legs moved swiftly creating a considerable distance between her and the zombie, she also attracted several other zombies wandering in the corridor and before long she was running across the dorm with a horde of zombies trailing behind her.​

 

[felideli]

Catalina

mood.

frightened.. confused..

location.

library -> to dorms.

tags.

n/a

Catalina stretches her arms above her head, stifling a yawn. She glances at the clock ticking on the wall, and that’s when she notices she’d been in the library for four hours. As if on cue her stomach rumbles lowly, seemingly begging for food. She hadn’t had any food at all today, her stomach grumbles again. Catalina looked at her homework sitting in front of her, frowning at the amount she still needed to get done, sighing she started packing up her belongings scattered all over the table figuring she could finish her assignment later, good thing it wasn’t due until a few days from now. As she hastily shoved her notebook into her book bag, she heard a loud ding coming from in front of her. Thinking it was just another one of her peers entering the library, Catalina chose to ignore the noise.

Though the flash of light accompanying the sound caught her attention instantly, looking up she saw a holographic screen. Catalina got up so fast, that she nearly tripped over the chair she was sitting on in her attempt to get away from the screen that was hovering in front of her. She stared, the screen stayed unmoving. Grasping her book bag tightly she slowly inched towards the holographic screen, suddenly interested in reading the contents being displayed on it.

Which class will offer you the best chance of survival in an apocalyptic world?

A timer was present underneath it, though that was the least of her worries. This had to be an April Fools Prank right? Perhaps she had dozed off while doing homework and she was asleep right now drooling all over the library’s pristine tables. Catalina pinches herself multiple times, each part of her skin reddening at the contact. Nope, she’s awake. As if the screen wasn’t enough, cards presented themselves to her, encircling Catalina, the art depicted on them shining beautifully. If Catalina had the time she would find herself admiring them for their beauty. Time was ticking away, and the time left to choose was getting increasingly smaller.

What happens if she doesn’t choose? Will she die? Catalina’s thoughts were running a mile a minute, she wasn’t even sure she’d be able to choose with the time left. Biting her bottom lip, her heart pumping, she hovers her finger over a card. Catalina pauses. What do they mean by what class? What are classes? She has to choose one of these to survive? Catalina quickly looked around, there weren’t any of her other peers around here, meaning she was alone. She wonders if anyone else had this happen to them or if she’s the only one with the worst luck.

Redirecting her attention back to the cards, she makes her choice, might as well choose one versus not choosing one at all, right? Catalina didn’t want to be left with nothing.

Congratulations on your choice to become a player! You have chosen the [Cleric] class. Good luck!

The cards and screen quickly fade away leaving Catalina by herself in silence. Catalina’s eyebrows furrow, a player in what? Is this some sort of game? Catalina perks up a slight bit, she loves playing games, but… didn’t the prompt on the screen mention surviving an apocalyptic world? It seemed like whoever controlled this game had a sick sense of humor, because once that thought crossed Catalina’s mind, a horde of small grotesque creatures, with rough green skin, and big pointed ears filled the library. Catalina screams, her eyes wide at the sight. She had to get out of here, they may be small but there are too many of them to fend off by herself. Now how the hell was this class thing supposed to help her, why choose if it wasn’t doing anything for her right now?! Swinging her book bag onto her shoulders, she sprints towards the exit, her legs crying out in pain (she definitely should work out more..), trying to dodge the grubby hands of the creatures, and the weapons they were swinging through the air.

Bursting through the front door of the library, Catalina catches her breath, hands on her knees, assessing the area meticulously, and trying to figure out where to go from here. These monsters were everywhere on campus, some she’d never even seen until now, and Catalina would run into them no matter how hard she tried to hide from them. Catalina slapped both of her hands over her cheeks, she had no other choice, she had to make a run for it. She knows it’s a bit later than usual having been in the library for a while, so there had to be people in the dorms. Surely she can find help there, or at most some company. She darts in the direction of the dorms, not even turning her head to look behind her, if she can’t see them, they can’t see her, right?

cleric

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Chise_Robin_]

Code:

Click Tabs

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• Nara Najeeb

  Location

  Dorms
  

  Mood

  Scared - Confused
  

  Interactions

  Hell0NHighWater Nellancholy
  
  
  

  
  The hangover started the minute her eyes fluttered open. As she slowly came to, the pounding in her head matched the thud of regret echoing through her mind. Blinking against the harsh light filtering through the window, she sat up with a groan wincing at the waves of nausea crashing over her. Memories of the previous night flood back in bits and pieces, accompanied by a sense of unease. How much did she drink? What did she say? Did she embarrass herself in front of Mark?
  
  Glancing at the sleeping figure beside her, Nara smiled softly as she watched Mark’s blond curls as he slept soundly. Careful not to disturb him, Nara slipped out of bed, her movements slow and deliberate as she gathered her scattered belongings. Each creak of the floorboards beneath her feet felt like a thunderclap in the silence of the room.
  With one last glance at Mark's sleeping form, Nara tiptoe to the door, her head pounding in time with the rhythm of her racing heart.
  As Nara stepped out of the dorm building, the cool morning air hit her like a slap in the face, momentarily clearing the fog of her hangover. She fumbled for her pack of cigarettes, her hands shaking slightly as she lit one up, leaning against a tree.
  
  As she took a drag, a sudden flash of blue light blinded her momentarily, and her heart skipped a beat as a message materialized before her eyes. "Which class will offer you the best chance of survival in an apocalyptic world?," it read, stark against the backdrop of her hazy surroundings.
  Confusion and fear gripped Nara's chest like a vice as she stared at the ominous message, the cigarette forgotten between her trembling fingers. What could it mean? Is this some kind of sick joke or a hallucination brought on by her pounding headache?
  
  But as the seconds tickked by, the urgency of the message became undeniable, and Nara realized she had no choice but to comply. With trembling hands, she reached out towards the ethereal blue screen, her mind racing with fear and uncertainty.
  As her fingertips hovered over the screen, she hesitated, her breath caught in her throat. What if this is a trap? What if choosing a card only lead to more danger?
  But the message left her no room for doubt, and with a shaky resolve, Nara selected a card at random, her heart pounding in her chest as she waited for the consequences of her choice to unfold.
  
  Congratulations on your choice to become a Player! You have chosen the [Magician] class. Good Luck!
  There wasn’t even time for the shock to faid as a humanoid small green creature came flying at her, hitting the tree and falling limb at her feet. she looked up from the creature to see a couple of students, the guy was on the ground nursing what seamed to be a bleeding leg. A purple haired girl stood next to him trying to help him up. before she got the chance to ask whether they were ok, the creature lept to its feet and gazed at her.
  As the small green creature hurtled towards her, Nara's instincts kicked into overdrive. With a sharp intake of breath, she braced herself for impact, her mind racing with fear and adrenaline.
  
  With a resounding thud, the creature collided with her, knocking her off balance and sending her stumbling backward. She grunted in pain as she hit the ground, the wind knocked out of her lungs as she struggled to regain her bearings.
  The creature, lunged at her once more, its small frame moving with surprising speed and agility. With a swift motion, Nara dodged its attack, narrowly avoiding its claws as they slashed through the air where she had just been standing.
  
  She tried to aim the only weapon in her hand, a cigarette to the creature’s eye, but her aim faltered, and the burning ember missed its mark. With a frustrated curse, she scrambled to her feet, her heart pounding in her chest as she realized the gravity of the situation.
  "Run!" she shouted to the other two, her voice filled with urgency as she gestured wildly towards the creature.
  With one last glance over her shoulder, Nara turned and ran towards the two, her heart pounding in her chest as she fled from the creature's relentless pursuit.
  
  ''What the hell??'' Mark's familiar voice made her look up to see him watching them from the window. His gaze fell to Esmael, he had some classes with him, history of botany. ''I...I'm coming to help.'' with that he went downstairs.
  .
• SIT DOLOR

  QUOTES

  
  ''In hell, the only music is the sound of your regrets echoing through eternity''
  

  
  

  MUSIC

  
  
  

Scroll

 

[BELIAL.]

MONA MERRIDEN - ❝ GUNSLINGER ❞
location: outside WA by Library ; interactions: felideli

Mona stared at the prompt before her, too shocked to even wonder how a holographic response could seemingly appear at will; and, to that matter, who or what was behind it. She sat in an empty lecture hall, belongings strewn on the desktop before her, tapping the end of her pencil against her lip, when it visualised. The cards that seemed to dangle, held up by nothing, and the words that blinked back at the blonde, seemed completely out of the ordinary. Yet she had no capacity to freak out, to conceptualise, and merely regarded it as it was: a selection to be made, and one with a prompt enough countdown to make haste.

Though Mona had never once thought of the apocalypse, not yet anyway, the question did at least make her hesitate.

Of all the cards that floated, there was one in particular that sang out like a calling; a reminder, in part, of a past that she left behind. There were no others like it, reading only one Gunslinger, but wondering where the practicality was in any of these ‘classes’. It was the only way to describe it, though Mona herself was not versed in too many rpg settings or scenarios, but given that the prompt asked about an end of the world, was a gun so unreal to want?

She hated the sound of them, the feeling of the weight in her hand. All of it triggered a trauma response, sending a shiver down the back of her neck and making her deaf ear begin to ring. Even just the thought of it…

But what else was there? The ones she’d seen prior seemed ridiculous. Unreal. A gun was practical to have, as much as she hated to admit it.

Before the card could disappear Mona snatched out at it, letting her hand drag through air. The images disappeared, the prompt disappeared:

And she was left with the empty lecture hall once more.

Convinced, in part, that the stress of assignments and mind-numbing textbook jargon had made her briefly hallucinate, Mona shook her head to try and forget it. Rounding up her things, no longer feeling the lecture hall to be a place to study, she gathered her heavy books into her bag and lugged it over her shoulder. Pulling out her phone she checked the time, aimlessly wandering toward the lecture hall’s exit.

Pushing the door open with her hip, the outside greeted her with a stunning grin: only for Mona to then see, in a delayed sort of surprise, that there were… things roaming about. They looked human, surely, but Mona could tell by the way that her hair rose on her neck and arms that something wasn’t right. She could hear screams, far off and some a bit closer, and that it seemed pandemonium had found its way to Quillspire.

From her left one of the creatures shambled out, skin rotted and arms outstretched.

The instinct to do something overcame Mona, and though her bag slowed her down substantially, she bent over near some of the landscaping by the lecture hall and gathered an armful of rocks.

Stretching an arm back she attempted to throw one directly at the approaching creature, but the rock sailed right by it; and in the resulting time spent, along with trying to find a big enough rock to throw again, the creature lunged at her.

Scraping its sharp, ragged fingers down the side of her arm, the creature gouged Mona, enough that her arm could be hastily yanked away; only to result in further blood to drip down, splattering against the pavement. Her armful of rocks dropped, Mona twisting away with a shriek. Her arm burned with a fiery anger, slick red seeping into her other hand as she sought to staunch some of the blood flow. The bicep flinched when touched, laying limply in her grasp, causing Mona to rely on her legs to get her out of harm’s way.

She made some distance, feeling a rush of adrenaline surge through her system, and slowed.

“Hey!” Mona shouted, suddenly seeing someone come from the direction of the library. She ran toward the other woman, still holding onto her bleeding arm as if it would fall off. “Hey! Hi! Hello-- What the hell is goin’ on?”

Trying to ignore her wounds, she gave a hasty look around, still moving alongside the woman. She wasn’t sure if she could place the woman’s face, knowing at least for a fact that they probably didn’t share any classes. Mona could at least place a face, usually.

“Some fuckin’... thin’ just grabbed me. It looked dead! Are you headin’ somewhere safe?”

Her brown eyes were wide, laced with fear and darting in every direction. She was shaking, though she had no concept of it.

coded by archangel_

 

[Cara]

Ashley Cipher

Location: Dormitory - MH-
Interactions: Hell0NHighWater Nellancholy Chise_Robin_ .

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Ashley spent most of her teen years indoors, avoiding any unnecessary conflicts and encounters. But the rules were different when she started at Quillspire University; she was an adult, she could go anywhere anytime. The mountains and forest around the campus had a certain charm that always attracted her. It felt quiet, peaceful. She sat on her desk thinking of going for a walk after finishing her book when a ding drove her attention back to reality. “What the heck?” was what came out of her mouth when she noticed a blue writing appearing in front of her.

Which class will offer you the best chance of survival in an apocalyptic world?

30

​

She slowly closed her book, not taking her eyes off the words that appeared right in front of her. 'Is this some kind of feature on campus?' she thought at first but then dismissed the idea as silly. and if true, it is a stupid feature. Suddenly the words disappeared and a set of cards appeared instead. They looked like tarot cards; she had seen them before when she was younger at her mother's shop, only these were much bigger, almost her size. The cards surrounded her like a hula hoop and started moving, not too fast, not too slow. She began noticing the shapes and drawings on each card: swords, daggers, 'a violin?' . Waiting for the cards to disappear seemed to take forever. Underneath the cards, the number '30' started decreasing.

20
​

Countdowns always overwhelmed Ashley so she did the first thing an “Ashley” would do in a similar situation; which was panic and press something...

16
​

She lunged for the next card before it followed the others, slipping past her grasp. Suddenly everything went back to normal. Whispering the first thing an "Ashley" would say in a similar situation, "what a dumb move!" she held her hand out to find out she actually did catch the card, and it had somehow shrunk to fit in her palm. The card read:

Congratulations on your choice to become a Player!

You have chosen the [Warrior] class. Good Luck!

"Warrior? What's that supposed to mean?" she muttered, scanning her surroundings for any sign of trouble. Relief washed over her as she saw nothing amiss in her familiar room. Just for a second, she thought everything was fine. But then, she turned around to find a small, ugly green creature perched on her bed. Had she not been alone, she would have sworn it was some kind of sick joke. "What on earth are you supposed to...?" she began, her sentence cut short as the goblin lurched towards her. She couldn't identify the feeling that sank into her, it was more than fear and it locked her in place. But then, with a clumsy stumble, the goblin tripped over the wire she'd forgotten hanging from her desk chair. A surge of adrenaline replaced the terror. 'Normally I'd laugh,' she thought, a humorless smile tugging at her lips, but this wasn't normal. The goblin was about to stand up when her eyes darted to the sword hanging on the wall near her desk, She hung that on the wall at the start of the semester. She lunged for it, the weight familiar in her hand as she swung at the creature. She felt the blade connect, a sickening thud resonated as the sword met its mark. Blood splattered all over the room and the creature was unconscious on the floor. She already had a duffel bag with a first aid kit and a couple of swords and daggers inside in her closet, she packed that for a delivery the other day but they canceled last minute. Not waiting to see if the goblin was dead or alive "I'm sooo out of here!" she said grabbing the bag as fast as she could, she then took off running like crazy.

When she finally burst out of the building, Ashley instantly regretted her decision. Different creatures roamed all around, attacking students. Things were falling from higher floors, shattering glass. "Run!" a panicked voice shrieked, and Ashley whipped her head in that direction. Three students, one of them badly injured it seemed. "The hell did y'all do?" She started but then noticed the goblin behind them. Cursing under her breath she ran towards them . Dropping her duffel bag, she used both hands this time and drove the blade straight through the creature's heart. It twitched for a moment, then crumpled lifelessly to the ground. Heading back to where the guys were at. "Now what?" she said trying to catch her breath.

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[Hell0NHighWater]

〔ESMAEL CISNERO〕
Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or fulfill good intentions.​

TAGS: Nellancholy Chise_Robin_ Cara ⠀ ⠀ ⠀WHERE: DORMS (MH) --> GH⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ MOOD MUSIC: Led Zeppelin · Dazed and Confused⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

Struggling at the front door was preferable to being inside the building. At least he realized that as soon as the green little creature went flying off him. Dazed and confused he sat with his mouth half ajar and his glasses askew. Maybe this really was a mass hallucination? Did they really just summon some type of animal control lasso? The Goblin's body twitched at the base of the tree, but it didn't get up. Was it...dead?

Esmael adjusted his glasses while glancing between the person to the rope and back. Seriously, where did she get that?

With her help he got to his feet with a wince, "Thanks..." Casting one last wary glance at the prone monster, Esmael turned to face the dormitory entrance again when someone came barreling out. "Run!" The shout pulled his attention to the woman sprinting their way. He could just barely see the creature chasing her, it looked the same as the one that had pounced on him. And, since it was the kind of day where nothing went right, there were three more behind that one. With his leg the way it was, there was no way that he was going to outrun four of them.

Three of the tiny green guys charged before Esmael had time to react. The one closest to him though never made it within swiping distance. A blade pierced through its chest and it flopped to the ground moments later. Just like the one that had hit the tree, it twitched and spasamed before growing completely still.

"Mierda," he hissed through a clenched jaw as he hobbled a step back in shock. Before he could get his thanks out the new addition to this rag-tag team spoke, "Now what?"
"Move!" on impulse he grabbed her arm and yanked, moving her just enough to avoid the stone that went whizzing past her ear. A lil green dude at the rear screeched in irritation. Esmael watched it shake its sling-shot at them as if to say 'I'll get you next time!'

The third creature was still on them. There must be some way he could protect himself. Esmael fumbled with the hand trowel hanging from his belt. He could do this; he readied himself to attack; he could be useful somehow--

This item can be infused. Would you like to infuse this item?​

He didn't have time to overthink. He certainly didn't have time to question what he was infusing the trowel with. "Yes! Yes! Hurry!" The trowel seemed to glow in his hands, blinding and bright and it seared white-hot in his hands. "Ow, Ugh, Ouch, Fuck!!"
He dropped the trowel. The little green guy grinned at him! Esmael frowned. What was with the attitude on these beasts they're like--"Goblins!??"
It raised its dagger at him and screeched.

He yelped, pivoted and fumbled for his trowel before gearing up to shoot off in a sprint like a track star, but the moment his foot hit the pavement pain shot up his leg and cradled in his calf. The charlie-horse was so deblitating that he lost all strength in his leg. He fell, momentum carrying him into a roll. Thankfully, someone stopped him from rolling further.
"Esmael?" A curtain of blond hair shielded him from the sky, "I thought that was you."
"Oh. Hi, Mark."
Mark offered his hand to help him to his feet. Esmael took it, greatfully. As soon as he opened his mouth to speak a stone pebble whacked him in the temple. Esmael was falling before he even realized he'd been hit. His face kissed the pavement with an auditory slap! Somewhere, a Goblin screeched in victory and the rest faded to black.

============NPC: M A R K===============​

Mark scooped up the trowel falling from Esmael's hands before it hit the ground. Swinging, he plunged the blade directly into the Goblin's skull.
"Eugh." With a grunt he shook the corpse off the end of the trowel. It was only then that he noticed the creature's skull was smoking as if the soft tissues had been burnt. Was the trowel magic? "That's interesting..." He wiggled the trowel into his pocket carefully.

"This guy," Mark sighed, stooping back down to haul Esmael over his shoulder. Which didn't work. He tried to pick him up again, but this time all he could manage was an arm slung over his shoulder--dragging Esmael's legs behind them. It was slow and hard work, but at least he wasn't leaving someone to die for his own benefit. He didn't think Nara would've approved of that.

Mark started off in the direction of the GH building. "Come on! I know a short-cut!" He urged, hoping that the ladies would watch their six.

The closer they got to the other dormitory building, the more it became aparent that the little green goblins weren't the only things they needed to worry about. "Are you all seeing this? Are those...zombies?" Mark asked, unsure if the shambling figures aimlessly patroling the front of the GH building were real or not.
Mark stopped by a tree, unable to go any further. "I have to set him down," Mark huffed, gasping for air as he let Esmael's body slip to the ground.

They thrive because someone expended effort on them.​

 

[Spoiled Bread]

RENATA CRUZ

Location: Dorms GH - Kitchen area​

---

After getting chased by the zombies for a good five minutes, she realized a few things about them. First, they're slow, slow enough that Renata could easily ran twice faster if she sprint, and maybe more. Two, they're dimwitted, turns a corner and they might stop chasing, put obstacles on the way and they would likely just stumble right into it, they're taking the phrase 'no thought, head empty' in the most literal way. Three, they're hella strong, she saw them breaking doors and ripping limbs as easy as opening a bag of potato chips. With the knowledge she got and her strangely fast running, she managed to shake all the zombies away from her and entered the dorm's kitchen.

She needs weapon, and the closest place she know would have something that can be used as decent weapon would be the dorm's kitchen. It's a small one as its mostly used by student to make some midnight snack or cook instant noodle, but when Renata opened the drawer she was greeted by several knifes in different sizes. She took the biggest one as she wanted to minimize contact with the zombie as much as possible.

A miserable groan could be heard approaching, Renata closed the drawer and hastily ran. Unfortunately her path was blocked by the zombie, forcing her to turn back and use another path, but that too was blocked by another incoming zombie. Despite their slowness, these zombies managed to flank her in a corridor, just like in a damn horror movie.

Just like in a horror movie...

"Ahahha, ahahahahaha....."

She knew that she should've been scared right now, yet she couldn't help but feels amused by the situation. Fear and excitement merged into one, giving her an elevated sensation that she never feels before. Maybe her grandma was right and playing too much video games made her violent, but if violence was what she needs to survive then she would do it.

Raising her knife, Renata locked her eyes at one of the zombie before she charged forward. No thought head empty, disregarding any potential risk Renata sprinted straight into the zombie and launched a slash! Part of her expected the knife to snap, followed by the cold rotten hands to strangle her to death. What she got instead was blood splattering on her face as her attack cleanly cut the zombie's head in two. Its body immediately went limp and collapsed on the floor. It's dead, dead dead, hopefully. Renata brushed off the blood on her face, her eyes darted between the now unmoving corpse, and the bloody knife on her trembling hand.

THAT was the most anime slash she had ever done.

100 exp obtained​

 

[Nellancholy]

"Oh hey Nara, fancy meeting you here-"

"Run!" she shouted to the other two, her voice filled with urgency as she gestured wildly towards the creature.

There was no time for pleasantries, however, as more of those weird-ass monkeys showed up. Nara (hopefully) was able to form up with them while a swordswoman appeared, her blade already bearing blood as she cut down one of the several creatures that continued to assail them. "W-whoa, nice shot!"

"Move!" on impulse he grabbed her arm and yanked, moving her just enough to avoid the stone that went whizzing past her ear.

The group took off at a run, only two of them so far armed. "I do hope your sword arm isn't tired yet, miss...?" Cara

And so it fell to Erin and the swordswoman to bring up the rear, fending off the deeply resentful apes. As they scuttled out of the dorm, across the path, Erin was able to hit them with a few swats and bats from her implement, but couldn't get the loop around any of them to get the same awesome throw she did the first time. Felt almost like she was playing rich girl lacrosse, which she never actually got to. Ah, the possibilities.

Esmael too, seemed to be awakening to some kind of power, making his little trowel glow and spark just before dropping it and getting brained because he couldn't handle the heat. Thankfully, a good-looking...someone? showed up to help out, helping them get Esmael closer to the GH dorms in spite of his incapacitation.

The sight before them shoved a solid, dark orb of uneasiness straight into Erin's stomach.

Her mind couldn't frame this differently, certainly.

While the green creatures before could most definitely be called into question, the shambling masses before them were undeniable. She couldn't recognize any of them for the people they must have once been, but the fact was that they were people. And now they weren't.

Something had gone very wrong in the world. Or maybe just the campus. People were being attacked and killed left and right, the goddamn walking dead were all over...and to top it off, people were using...magic?

That's it. If they could do it, she could do it too.

"Hold on a minute, let me handle this." She gave Mark and the others a nod as she gripped the noose in her hand, stepping out from behind the tree. Her other hand slipped into the pouch around her waist, pulling out a piece of pyrite.

Her eyes narrowed as she regarded the aimless shamblers, her entire posture and tone of voice shifting. If disaster had truly befallen the world, and strange powers been imparted to the survivors, then who better to master these abilities than her?

In this moment, Erin stepped aside, and Lady Gemory appeared. She raised her staff and the lump of fool's gold, concentrating her might.

"Living dead, pitiful simulacra of who you once were, I speak to thee! In the name of Hecate, the name of Nephthys, I abjure thee! Cast out the malevolent aberration that animates you in defiance of the Great Wheel, and return to your rightful places in the grave!"

The wind blew stronger for a moment, punctuating the awkward silence.

════════════════╗
║ 1d20+4 ║
╠══════════╤══════╣
║ rolls │ sum ║
╟──────────┼──────╢
║ 15 4 │ [19] ║
╚══════════╧══════╝

The zombies in the vicinity glanced at Erin in unison, acknowledging her loud voice.

And then they turned and shuffled away just as fast, as if not wanting to be associated with her.

Well...close enough?

Chise_Robin_ Hell0NHighWater

 

[oxicodone]

font call font call font call

necromancer

kim jiwon

profile

nervous

GH [kitchen]

The blame might lie with him. Maybe, in some delusional sense, Jiwon's choosing to think of this all as some horror-themed festival. A play. Something he might've missed the announcement for in the beginning weeks. See, he's surrounded by viscera; upstaged by his classmates, and — one look at a familiar brunette in the distance, and he's thinking: since when are athletic students so good at acting?

Something lunges at him, but he's gotten used to the dance by now. He draws back one foot and holds the other still. Just below her own. She does the usual: groaning, grumbling, baring her blood painted jaws at him. Then, she trips. Just as clumsy as the first dozen. She slams into the floor, hard, and at this, Jiwon's face scrunches. Then, just as easily, he steps over her, moves down the corridor. In his mind is a face; a goal. Woven in-between his fingers is a cigarette; unlit. For when reality comes crashing down on him. Just in case he can't humor his delusions in an hour or so.

Scratch that, make it a minute.

Scene A pans to scene B, and, suddenly, Jiwon's a witness to murder. How lucky. From the blood that explodes on Renata, he feels something prick him. Little drops scattered, reaching across the air and hitting the corner of his face. And the slow trail of his eyes, eventually ending on Renata's blade-wielding hand, come to widen when — finally, maybe, somehow — reality dawns on him.

"You just stabbed someone."

Spoiled Bread

 

[Chise_Robin_]

Location: GH
mentions: Hell0NHighWater Nellancholy Cara and everyone in GH i guess

Nara Najeeb​

Chaos ensued around her as she watched, stunned. A brunette swordswoman with blood on her blade was cutting down the relentless creature, like a scene from a horror movie.

"Oh hey Nara, fancy meeting you here-"

Erin's familiar voice shook her out of her trance just in time for her to duck before another creature launched at her.

The asphalt felt hot against her back as she fell to the ground with a thud, the creature slashing at her arm but missing. She managed to wiggle out from under it and follow the group.

They ran in the direction of the other dorm, catching up to Erin and the brunette, who seemed to be struggling a bit but had things under control for now.

As they reached the dorm, Nara could see that everyone stopped collectively, as if something extraordinary had caught their attention.

She walked up a little closer to the group and stopped next to Erin.

"Are you all seeing this? Are those…zombies?" Mark’s question earned him a short laugh from Nara, who just shook her head in disbelief as she watched the undead move slowly with groans.
She even thought she recognized her philosophy professor, who now seemed to be heading her way.

Zombies were in front of them, and goblins with a shriek-like laugh coming out of their wide, sharp-toothed mouths and long ears resembling blades followed behind them, and it seemed like there was no escape.

Until she witnessed something not short of spectacular.

"Living dead, pitiful simulacra of who you once were, I speak to thee! In the name of Hecate, the name of Nephthys, I abjure thee! Cast out the malevolent aberration that animates you in defiance of the Great Wheel, and return to your rightful places in the grave!"

And with that, the zombies shifted their direction and went away.

"Uh…ok? that was Awesome! Was that um what?" Mark’s eyebrows couldn’t go any higher, and for a moment, he forgot what he was going to say until his gaze fell on Esmael.

"We need to get inside NOW!" Helping him up, he headed inside with the group, hopefully following suit.

As she headed towards the building, everything went dark, then the same blue screen flashed before Nara’s eyes.

[Spells to be casted]
[Acid Rain, Healing Rain]

With that, she pressed the Acid Rain spell, and an incantation found its way to her brain, as if she knew it all her life.

Turning around, she faced the green creatures and raised her arms.

"From clouds that churn with vengeful might,
Let torrents fall, with acidic bite.
O stormy heavens, unleash your pain,
Consume the goblins with acid rain!"

With that, three small dark clouds formed above the goblins, and black rain with a strong smell started pouring. It wasn’t strong enough to kill them, but it was satisfying to hear them shriek in pain, and some of them started to run away.

Mark was setting Esmael down when Nara stepped into the rec room. Remembering the screen that flashed before her eyes five minutes ago, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Come on, come on, come on!

The familiar blue screen flashed again before her eyes, and she chose Healing Rain this time.

Walking up in Esmael’s direction, she stood between him and Mark, who had a concerned look on his face. But before he was able to say anything, he saw her arms rise again.

"Beneath the sky's embracing grace,
Let healing droplets find their place.
O gentle clouds, release your rain,
Revive the wounded with healing gain!"

White clouds formed above the group, and silver-colored droplets fell as if in slow motion, slightly healing their wounds. They weren’t enough to heal everyone completely, just strong enough to relieve them a bit.

Feeling really tired, she fell into the nearest chair. "Can someone tell me why I can use magic?" she asked anyone willing to answer, while avoiding looking in Mark’s direction, who she knew was an occult fanatic and would talk for days about the history of magic.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

RENATA CRUZ

HP: 4/9
EXP: 200/300
Location: Dorms GH - Kitchen area
oxicodone​

---

"You just stabbed someone."

Renata was trying to catch her breath when she heard someone behind her. Turning her head to face the source of the voice, she found another student of the university staring at her. Unlit cigarette hanging between his fingers and a shocked expression on his face.

"I stabbed something, not someone. Pretty rad, isn't it?" Renata casually gave Kim a bloodied thumb up, oblivious to the real reason of why he was so shocked. She proudly kicked the zombie's remaining body. "Did you see me cut the fucker in two?"

Renata was almost started to brag about her recent kill when another groan approached her from behind. She did got flanked, and then forgot about the other zombie. With Kim as the audience, Renata was eager to impress him with another well-placed blow like before.

"I'll do it again, be right back."

Dashing towards the zombie, Renata raised her knife in front of her before swinging her hand for another clean cut! She could feel the knife sinking deep into the zombie's neck. However, it didn't stop the zombie and it lunged forwards with both of its arms extended. Realizing that the situation was different, Renata sidestepped to avoid the attack while performing a quick stab through the zombie's skull to finish the job! Blood splattered on the floor as the zombie fell on the floor. Fortunately, the zombie wouldn't go back up anymore. Unfortunately, the zombie's blood wasn't the only one that stained the floor.

100 exp obtained

"I-I messed up." Renata leaned her back against the wall before slowly sliding down, her right hand was covering a long open gash that started from her left shoulder and down towards her chest. She probably got grazed during the zombie's lunge. She sheepishly turned towards Kim.

"T-Tell my friend Damian to clear my browser history, please." She said dramatically while wincing in pain.​

 

[Cara]

Ashley Cipher

Location: Dormitory - GH-
Interactions: Hell0NHighWater Nellancholy Chise_Robin_ .
RP members: BELIAL. felideli Spoiled Bread oxicodone

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A blue screen flickered in front of Ashley:

Congratulations, you gained ‘A pair of hide bracers’
Exp = 50

​

She didn't give it much attention, but she remembered seeing such a thing at her dorm earlier. 'Wasn't that number 25?' she thought. Was this really a game? She wasn't a big fan of video games, but she never thought it would be this real. And why was she in the game?...

“Move!” one of the trio yanked her out of the way of a rock that was about to hit her head. It flew so close to her ear, she could hear the wind whistling past the rock. Ashley was completely oblivious to the creatures behind her. She didn't even bother to scan the area before turning back to the trio. But in her defense, she didn't know goblins traveled in packs. "Thanks" she said to the guy, then turned back to the creature. 'Is that little dweeb smirking?' she thought, trying to read its face. "What, you play ball now?" she shouted at it. "I do hope your sword arm isn't tired yet, miss...?" one of the girls said as she dispatched a couple of other creatures with practiced ease. "I'm Ashley, and not at all, the adrenaline's still kicking in, I guess. I've got some weapons in my bag, feel free to grab anything. By the way, I didn't catch your name" she said with a soft tone. She realized that she didn’t recognize any of the people around her, but it was mainly her fault really, she never did socialize when things were normal. She always felt that she didn’t need anyone… until now of course.
A bright light flashed, pulling Ashley's attention back to the boy next to her. He yelped, dropping what seemed to be a glowing trowel to the floor. The creature grinned, its eyes glinting with malicious glee, and darted their way. "They like shiny things... noted!" Ashley declared, her mind racing for a solution. The boy next to her, clutching his hand, reached down to pick up the trowel again, his face contorted in pain. Before he could react, he stumbled forward. Luckily, another person materialized beside them and with a swift hand, helped him up at the last second. From their brief conversation, Ashley learned their names were Esmael and Mark. "Watch out!" Ashley screamed as another stone hurtled in their direction. Her warning came too late. The rock slammed into Esmael, and his eyes fluttered shut before he crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Mark snatched the trowel and with a sickening crunch, crushed the goblin's skull. No, actually, he fried it. "Nice trick" Ashley commented, surprised. This wasn't something she'd ever seen before. Mark hoisted Esmael over his shoulder. "Come on! I know a shortcut!" he said, already striding off. "A shortcut?" Ashley echoed, grabbing her bag and hurrying after them. "Where are we going?" They needed to find somewhere safe.

The GH section was a chaotic mess, reinforcing Ashley's regret about leaving her room. "Are you all seeing this? Are those...zombies?" Mark stammered, his voice laced with disbelief. Ashley couldn't help but snort. "You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed. At this point, nothing surprised her anymore. First, gold-obsessed goblins, and now zombies? What was next? Aliens? 'Wait, we already have those, don't we?' she thought wryly. They stopped near a tree when Mark seemed to tire. "Guys, we should at least clean Esmael's wounds. We don't want him bleeding out," Ashley said, sitting down with a sigh. She fervently hoped zombies couldn't smell blood. Of course, she immediately jinxed it. A couple of zombies shambled towards them, their movements sluggish and slow. "Hold on a minute, let me handle this" the girl from earlier declared, stepping forward with a confident air. What happened next left Ashley speechless. 'We can do that?' she thought in astonishment, fighting the urge to mimic the girl's gesture with a flick of her wrist like Spiderman. The girl's spell worked like a charm, the zombies groaning in confusion as they lumbered off in a different direction. "We need to get inside NOW!" Mark barked, urgency lacing his voice as he started moving again, Esmael slung over his shoulder. Ashley wasted no time, snatching a dagger from her bag and securing it to her belt. Following the group, she scanned the area with narrowed eyes – 'you can't be too careful' she thought.

The goblins were persistent. One lunged at Ashley with surprising speed, but she barely had time to flinch. Luckily, the hit slammed directly into her newly acquired bracers, sparing her flesh. A satisfied smirk tugged at Ashley's lips. "My turn, bitch!" she growled, reaching for the dagger at her belt. Her smirk faltered. The dagger must have fallen loose during the goblin's attack and now lay useless on the ground. She cursed under her breath, frustration bubbling up. Suddenly, the other girl launched into a chant, her voice rising in power. A swirling cloud materialized above the goblins, unleashing a torrent of rain. But this wasn't ordinary rain. 'Acid rain, huh?' Ashley thought, a flicker of awe replacing her annoyance. The goblins erupted in shrieks of pain as the caustic downpour melted their flesh. Seizing the opportunity, Ashley darted forward, snatching her dagger from the ground in a swift motion. With a surge of adrenaline, she plunged the blade into the goblin's skull, silencing its screams instantly. The other goblins scattered in a desperate bid to escape, their guttural roars replaced by agonizing squeals.

Exp = 75

The group huddled in the rec room. The redheaded girl knelt beside Esmael and wove another spell. Clouds gathered overhead, unleashing a soft rain that showered the group. Ashley felt a surge of energy with each drop, and she watched in amazement as the others' wounds visibly healed. The redhead collapsed into a chair, fatigue etched on her face. "Can someone tell me why I can use magic?" she gasped, her voice ragged. Ashley, still shaken from the encounter, offered a helpless shrug. "No clue," she admitted, "but I sure hope I can do it too." Drawn by a strange impulse, she walked over to a table and flicked her wrist Spiderman style, half-expecting something spectacular to happen. Disappointment washed over her when nothing occurred. "Why can't I do anything fun?" she muttered, frustration lacing her voice.

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[oxicodone]

font call font call font call

necromancer

kim jiwon

profile

nervous

GH [kitchen]

Pride swims in her response. Nothing short of thrill, like she'd just aced a level in a video game. Jiwon's expression withers away, and he almost decides that his first idea had been correct. Not for long. Something drags itself their way, and, as if to make matters worse; the student springs forward, ready to kick off her murder record.

It half works. Here's what seals the deal and officially kills any delusions Jiwon had left:

"You're... actually wounded?"

It is real. It's never been more real. It's... what the fuck?

"Seriously? Zombies? Like, movie zombies?"

he mutters to himself, gaze spaced out in the wall behind her.

At some point, Jiwon steps up to her. Takes one short look at her wound before moving towards the counters.

"Tell him yourself."

Yanks counters open, goes through a few drawers, and — after maybe five minutes of searching, he returns to her with a few cloths. Some of them used to set tables, others used as kitchen towels.

"Here,"

he tosses them at her.

"Wrap your arm and tell me what's going."

But like any movie, Jiwon doesn't get to finish his sentence. At the entrance is a third zombie. Crawling their way with enough a-pace to suggest it'd heard them. He reacts, finally, not in shock, but in response. Copying her; grabbing a random cleaver from the drawers he'd pulled and readying himself.

The creature whips an arm at him. Barely misses him. Jiwon's shoulder rolls back, delivers the cleaver down on the zombie's head and... almost misses. Catches on the side of his jaw and shaves off a chunky size of it [-3 hp]. It grunts, grumbles, the usual. And lunges at him again. This time, he steps out of its way, a curse slipping out of his mouth with every movement. It rotates, angry. And he uses his chance: brings the blade of his cleaver down on its skull. Slices it in an unsymmetrical parts of two [-3 hp]. And so it slips, bashes its head along side its fellow undead.

"Hey, you. Do you have alcohol on you?"

Spoiled Bread

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

〔ESMAEL CISNERO〕
Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or fulfill good intentions.​

TAGS: Nellancholy Chise_Robin_ Cara oxicodone Spoiled Bread ⠀ ⠀ ⠀WHERE: DORMS (GH) Rec. Room --> Kitchen ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ MOOD MUSIC: Live And Let Die · Paul McCartney & Wings⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

Droplets of water fell across his skin, soft and steady and gently warm. The sensation brought him back to playing in his Abuelita's garden during the Spring and Summer, or whenever his parents had enough money to leave them on the island for a few months. Yet, the smell of wet earth and the chipper of birds was missing. He pulled in a long breath and held it, thinking that he'd fallen asleep outside again, but the only aromas he caught were sour, rotten even, and metallic in an odd way.

"Ugh," Esmael grunted as he sat up further on the couch someone had placed him on. "What happened? Where are we?"
"GH's rec center." Mark replied, "Here you dropped this." As soon as Esmael took the trowel, Mark drifted further from the couch and towards a woman sitting in an opposite chair. He leaned on the back of her chair, smiling at her fondly as he spoke, "My Special Lady bought us enough time to catch our breath. She patched you up too." Mark turned his attention back to Esmael, "By the way, you should really pay more attention to your surroundings. It's dangerous to keep your head in the clouds....Oh. Right, you haven't met Nara, have you?"

Esmael managed a smile and a wave, caught off guard by the sudden introduction. He shifted in his seat. "Hey, thank you--"

Mark cut him off as if eager to pull his attention elsewhere, "Oh, and this is Ashley." He gestured to a brunette by one of the tables. Mark paused a moment before gesturing to another dark-haired woman behind Ashley, "And Erin, right?"

Esmael waved sheepishly again. He mumbled something under his breath that he himself couldn't even hear, but thankfully Mark glazed past it, "Ladies, this is Esmael. I'm, of course, Mark. And now that we've all made introductions, why don't we figure out where to go from here?" Mark grinned, but it was impossible to tell if it was genuine or not.

Esmael stood with a sigh. He was grateful to be alive, but he was also so anxious that he couldn't keep still. Were his sisters okay? Where could they be right now? "We need to get to the student union. Campus security is that way too."

Mark nodded, "I agree. That short cut I mentioned earlier will take us right there. If we can leave out the north-west exit, we can cut through the parking lot, go between JM and WA, and hightail it across the quad."

"Sure, whatever keeps us alive." Confident that they had a plan, Esmael ventured toward the door. "We'll have to pass the kitchen on the way and I want to see if I can find--"
Before he could finish, an arm swiped through the partially open door. Esmael yelped, swinging the trowel instinctively. He watched in amazement as it cut through the limb like butter. The flesh around the shoulder joint sizzled. Undeterred, the zombie staggered forward and Esmael had no choice but to swing again. The trowel cut into its neck, head lopping to the side--attached but barely. It grabbed at him, still trying to bite despite a half severed spine. Screaming, Esmael pulled back and swung again. Now without a head, the zombie's body hit the floor with a thud. Esmael kicked the head away with an audible shudder.

That wasn't so bad?

You have obtained 100 XP

Fighting to regain his breath, Esmael took a few steps further down the hallway. Just as he reached the T-intersection, he turned to look over his shoulder. Not much of a leader, and now lacking the bravado influenced by an adrenaline surge, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. He certainly didn't want to go too far if no one else followed him out...

They thrive because someone expended effort on them.​

 

[Nellancholy]

"Why can't I do anything fun?" she muttered, frustration lacing her voice.

"Mmmn, you're telling me." Erin mumbled, as if she was trying to restrain herself from saying something petty but just HAD to let it out.

And to think that Nara, of all people, was able to pull such...cool magic out of somewhere while Erin had just embarrassed herself in the middle of their life-and-death situation. Well, more like life or undeath.

She slipped her hand over the waistband of her shorts, flipping out the Beastmaster card and laying it face-up on a nearby table. "But if you wanna get nosy about our new powers I get the feeling these cards are the start of your answer." She emphasized the "our".

As the others milled around, Erin took to trying to make rudimentary fortifications in the room, jamming the windows and putting sheets over them.

Mark nodded, "I agree. That short cut I mentioned earlier will take us right there. If we can leave out the north-west exit, we can cut through the parking lot, go between JM and WA, and hightail it across the quad."

"Hey, I'm not staying here longer than I have to." She nodded assent at Mark's plan. But before she could do anything else, Esmael opened the door, getting a scratch for his troubles from a zombie but giving far better than he got. And then he stepped out, heading out without waiting.

"Uh, anyone wanna follow him?"

Chise_Robin_ Cara Hell0NHighWater Spoiled Bread oxicodone

 

[Cara]

Ashley Cipher

Location: Dormitory - GH-
Interactions: Hell0NHighWater Nellancholy Chise_Robin_ .
RP members: BELIAL. felideli Spoiled Bread oxicodone SavannahSmiles

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
​

Ashley wasn't the only one disappointed with the lack of powers. "Mmmn, you're telling me" Erin replied to Ashley's last sentence. "Dude, with one spell you drove a dozen zombies away from us. I didn't even have to twitch" Ashley explained, amazed by Erin's powers. "Look at me. I have a sword. And a dagger that I dropped in my last encounter with one of the green-heads" she said, pointing with a disappointed look at her sword. "But if you want to get nosy about our new powers, I get the feeling these cards are the start of your answer" Erin continued. Ashley remembered the card. She took it out of her pocket to take another look. "Warrior" she read. "The irony of me majoring in weapon making and getting the Warrior card" she mused.

Esmael stirred awake, blinking at the unfamiliar surroundings. "What happened? Where are we?" he croaked. Mark took charge, introducing everyone. "My savior, Nara, bought us some time to catch our breath. She also patched you up," he said, gesturing towards the redhead. Ashley offered a grateful nod towards Nara. "Yeah, thanks for that" she said, settling back down. "Ladies, this is Esmael. I'm, of course, Mark. And now that we've all made introductions," Mark continued, "why don't we figure out where to go from here?". Esmael suggested heading to campus security. Everyone seemed to nod in agreement. Though silent, Ashley was far from calm. What could campus security possibly do against these creatures? And if they were capable of handling the situation, why hadn't they already intervened? A sudden thought struck her. "Um, shouldn't we find a phone?" she interjected. "Maybe contact some bigger authorities?". Esmael, muttering something about finding supplies, suggested they head to the kitchen. Just as he reached for the doorknob, a monstrous arm reached through the door. Ashley's scream pierced the air. A zombie lurched into the room. Esmael reacted immediately, lashing out with his trowel. He connected with the creature's arm first and then its head. But even with its head partially detached, the zombie lunged at Esmael, determined to bite him. With a swift kick, Esmael sent the severed head flying across the room like a bowling ball. The headless body crumpled to the floor in a heap. With that, Esmael started walking down the hallway. "Uh, anyone wanna follow him?" Erin questioned. “I mean it's either follow him and face whatever lurks out there," Ashley started "or stay put and hope it doesn't find us." She wasn't about to wait around to be monster bait. With a resolute shrug, Ashely slung her bag over her shoulder and followed the determined figure of Esmael, venturing deeper into the unknown.

Ever the impulsive one, Ashley neglected to glance back as she trailed after Esmael. A sudden brush against her back sent a jolt of terror through her. She whirled around, a yelp escaping her lips as a zombie lunged at her. With a surge of adrenaline, she lashed out with her dagger, burying the blade in its neck. The creature shuddered, but its horrifying resilience refused to let it die. It swiped at her with its claws once more, raking a bloody gash across her arm before she could retreat. A choked groan escaped Ashley's lips. She switched the dagger to her other hand, plunging it into the zombie's neck once more. This time, with a final tremor, the creature collapsed, hopefully for good this time.

HP= -2
Exp = 175

​

"Hey guys! whatever you decide, decide fast!!" Ashley yelled, her voice strained and her eyes fixed on the shadows lurking in the hallway. "Come along or lock the doors!" saying her final words, she bolted after Esmael.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

 

[Chise_Robin_]

Location: GH Kitchens
mentions: Hell0NHighWater Nellancholy Cara BELIAL. oxicodone
Exp: 100/300
HP: 5/8

Nara Najeeb​

Her gaze lingered on the card on the table. Beasmaster huh? Erin seamed to be beating herself up a bit and and Ashley's reassurance was kind of sweet. Nara smiled passively as introductions took place until she looked in Esmael's direction and saw that he was getting restless.

"We need to get to the student union. Campus security is that way too."

He went to the door and murmered something about needing something from the kitchen. Mark just sighed and shrugged his shoulders as he followed after him ''There's no stopping him''.
''Hey! wait fo....'' A severed head rolled on the floor next to her feet. Everything seamed to be going to fast. Esmael, the trowel, people leaving the room.

“I mean it's either follow him and face whatever lurks out there," Ashley started "or stay put and hope it doesn't find us."

That was the last thing she heard before she found herself alone in the room. '' Nope!'' with that she ran after the group
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


As they reached the kitchens she realised they weren't the only survivors in the dorms, two students struggling with again...zombies, and one of them seamed to be injured.

Before she ventured to offer using Healing rain again, a movement in the shadows caught her eye. A figure lurched forward, its movements erratic and disjointed. As it stumbled into the dim light, Nara's blood ran cold.

It was her philosophy professor, or at least, what remained of him. His once distinguished features were now twisted into a grotesque parody of humanity. His skin was pallid and mottled, stretched taut over protruding bones. Empty sockets stared out from sunken eye sockets, devoid of any semblance of life. Tattered remnants of clothing hung loosely from his emaciated frame, stained with dried blood and filth.

With a guttural groan, the creature lurched forward, arms outstretched in a macabre parody of a greeting which actually earned a chuckle from her. ''Guess he won't be grading our midterms''

She started backing up slowly looking for anything that can help her in this situation, and no matter how she tried, that stupid neon screen wouldn't turn on. Professor Steaveson, now Stinkenson managed to graze her shoulder with his weirdly long finger nails, but before he was able to do any more damage, she grabbed one of the skillets hanging on the wall and swung it at him once, twice three times as blood exploded from his head. None of that seamed to stop him though. The screen flickered in front of her eyes.

HP LOST 3
Activate Acid Rain?

''YES YES! GOD YES!'' with that the stingy smell filled the kitchen as the professor melted with shrieks. The sounds stopped, and the proffessor's melted body lay on the floor of the kitchen as the last drops of rain disappeared.

Mark came closer and knelt beside it, poking at the oozing puss with the skillet he took from Nara's hand. ''Serves him right for hitting on all the female students I guess.''

EXP Gained 100 exp
Reward: Sting

​

A dagger, glimmering with ethereal luminescence as if infused with the very essence of moonlight itself appeared before her as Mark's mouth hung open. Nara held the blade admiring the hilt that was adorned with intricate carvings depicting celestial scenes: stars, constellations, and planets dancing amidst swirling cosmic clouds. ''I've seen this in a book before...Something about a lost civilization?'' before his hand reached the dagger Nara smacked it lightly ''Mine!'' she chuckled putting it away.

 

[Spoiled Bread]

RENATA CRUZ

HP: 4/9
EXP: 200/300
Location: Dorms GH - Kitchen area
oxicodone​

---

"How about it? Do you like the sensation of adrenaline pumping through your vein?" Renata commented as she watched Kim fight another zombie. Her hands awkwardly trying to wrap the towels over her wound, though after a few failed attempts she just gave up and put the clothes away.

When Kim finally downed his opponent she noticed something glimmering in the zombie's body, not only on that particular zombie but in all the zombies she had killed too. Curious about the glimmer, Renata reached out to the closest zombie to her, one of the two she had killed and from that zombie she retrieved a glass vial with clear green liquid inside it. Focusing on the object would prompt a holographic window to pop out and tell her the gist of the item.

Healing Potion: Restore small amount of HP

Her eyes immediately lit up one she realized what she's holding.

"Check the zombie's body! I think we can loot them!" She told Kim about her discovery. She then walked to the other zombie she killed and pulled another item from the body. This time its a blow gun with a number of needles alongside it. She never used a blow gun before but she would store it in her pocket anyway.

She could heard several steps approaching and she looked at the direction to find some other survivors! Real living people! She tried to wipe out all the blood from her face before welcoming them with a smile.

"Welcome to the kitchen, people. Ignore the mess, we have loads of knifes and some foods here." As she pointed to the zombie bodies lying next to her, she was surprised to see them started to evaporate, and after a few seconds the two zombie she killed had faded away, the only evidence of its existence was them as witness and the big wound on her shoulder.

oxicodone Hell0NHighWater Nellancholy Cara BELIAL. Chise_Robin_​

 

[Nellancholy]

Before much could be said or done to form a plan to shelter in place, the group was on the move again. Yeah, trying to barricade themselves in a single room probably would've been a stupid idea anyway, not to mention their lack of knowledge about what exactly was happening. Could they wait it out? Was there a way to solve this...problem?

"If you ask me, we ought to march on down to the Biology faculty and see what they have to say about this." Before they started running again, Erin pulled her phone out of her pocket in its sturdy case, tossing it to Ashley. "Try and get the cops or whoever, can't believe I'll be glad to see them." With her other hand she swiped the Beastmaster card off the table, sliding it back into her pocket. It seemed to be utterly useless so far, not to mention a strong mismatch, but she somehow felt like she shouldn't leave it too far behind.

The group clambered and scrambled through the corridors, the ones in front more in grasp of their abilities and doing their best to turn aside the (already rather thin) mass of zombies. Well, the good thing about zombies is that they had to be bodies. You could only have as many zombies as there were people, as opposed to like, a hundred ghosts or something. Damn, and Lady Gemory was going to do a haunted house cleansing stream this weekend, too...

Just as they were about to make it to the kitchen, the girl Lady Gemory had advised and her apparent new girlfriend barreled out of one of the doors.

Oh my gods...they were roommates...

Though as they turned their white eyes on the group, it was clear that they weren't there any more. Well... at least they died together.

As one snarled and grasped at Erin, she blundered right into the loop of Erin's outstretched pole, leaving it closed around her neck and keeping her from moving closer.

╔════════════════╗
║ 1d20+1 ║
╠══════════╤═════╣
║ rolls │ sum ║
╟──────────┼─────╢
║ 1 1 │ [2] ║
╚══════════╧═════╝

Unfortunately, this gave the other a chance to get close and punch Erin in the gut.

"Ghk! H-hey, you'd think you'd be more grateful..." The girl's corpse clutched at Erin's arm, trying to drag her off who knows where. Erin grunted, pushing the lassoed zombie forward and back, trying to shake off the one grabbing her without releasing both.

"Guys, a-a little help...?"

But right at that moment, something stirred inside her. A whisper, a candle's flicker of power. As claws threatened to tear at her flesh, she closed her eyes and let that candlelight erupt.

╔═════════════════╗
║ 1d20+4 ║
╠══════════╤══════╣
║ rolls │ sum ║
╟──────────┼──────╢
║ 20 4 │ [24] ║
╚══════════╧══════╝

[Spell Acquired: Color Spray]

"This'll show you. Take THIS!" A bright spray of rainbow-colored light shot from Erin's eyes, momentarily overwhelming the decomposed sensory organs of the corpses.

They both hissed, their voices utterly unfamiliar even to one who heard them speak each day. Loosing the snare of the zombie she captured, Erin twirled her pole and spun once, flinging her arm out to swing the unadorned end of the pole towards them. The powerful swipe caught one in the temple, sending it barrelling over the other, with both of them landing in an inanimate heap.

╔═════════════════╗
║ 1d20+1 ║
╠══════════╤══════╣
║ rolls │ sum ║
╟──────────┼──────╢
║ 15 1 │ [16] ║
╚══════════╧══════╝
╔════════════════╗
║ 1d6 ║
╠══════════╤═════╣
║ rolls │ sum ║
╟──────────┼─────╢
║ 6 │ [6] ║
╚══════════╧═════╝

"Aww..." Erin couldn't help but smile for a moment. This kind of happiness was why Lady Gemory did what she did. And totally not because of the digits shilling for crystal manufacturers and health foods added to her bank account. "A-ahem, I mean-"

She caught up to the others in the kitchen, her eyes falling on Jiwon and Renata. "Phew, bad day, huh? Hope it doesn't get worse." oxicodone Spoiled Bread

 

[Cara]

Ashley Cipher

Location: Dormitory - GH-
Interactions: Hell0NHighWater Nellancholy Chise_Robin_ .
RP members: BELIAL. felideli Spoiled Bread oxicodone SavannahSmiles

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

As the group moved forward, Ashley clung to a sliver of hope that whatever this menace was, it wouldn't be waiting for them at their destination. The adrenaline rush that had fueled her earlier was fading fast, and she winced, clutching her injured arm. 'I probably need to cover that' she thought, hoping to find enough time to patch herself up when they arrived at the kitchen. Erin's voice broke through her thoughts. "If you ask me, we ought to march on down to the Biology faculty and see what they have to say about this." Ashley chuckled, "If they're behind this whole mess," she replied, "let's hope we're not their next science experiment." Cause yes, it felt like they were in that Maze Runner book she read a few years back.

Upon arrival, they found two other students surrounded by zombies, dead for real this time. "Welcome to the kitchen, people. Ignore the mess, we have loads of knifes and some foods here." The girl with the wounded shoulder welcomed them as the bodies of the dead zombies vanished. Ashley's blood ran cold. Erin was gone. She could have sworn she was right beside her a moment ago. turning around, Ashley's eyes met with a fresh wave of the undead blocking the kitchen's door . "Ugh, not again!" she groaned, flinging her bag aside and gripping her sword tightly. With a sharp whistle, Ashley snagged the attention of a nearby zombie. "You Hungry?" she taunted, a reckless glint in her eyes as the creature lumbered towards her. "Eat this!" she yelled, charging at the zombie and plunging the blade through its open maw. It went in smoothly, point to hilt. Ashley ripped the sword free, but the creature remained standing, its eyes fixed on her. A tense moment passed before it lurched forward once more. "Seriously? These things just don't die!" she roared, Now getting frustrated, she took another swing, separating the Zombies head from its body.

Exp = 275

​

Ashley turned back around to find a zombie's fetid breath inches from her face. Razor-sharp claws lashed out, tearing through her arm in a sickening spray of blood. The sword clattered to the floor, forgotten as pure primal instinct took over. Grabbing the nearest object, she slammed it into the creature's head repeatedly, buying herself precious moments of breathing room. The zombie staggered back and shook its head as if recovering from the ding in its mind - that's if it had any -. A ragged gash gaped in its neck, courtesy of the unlikely weapon in Ashley's hand. She raised an eyebrow, a surprised snort escaping her lips. "Huh, who would've known?" she muttered, hefting the pot lid in her hand. The sharp edge of the lid made contact with the zombie’s neck slashing the rotten flesh. Ashley swung the lid again, the metal connecting with the zombie's neck with a sickening crunch, sending the zombie’s head to the ground. "Of all the games in the world," Ash muttered, "why choose an apocalypse?" she leaned against the counter, gasping for breath. Pain flared in both arms, the warmth of blood seeping through her clothes. Just then, "Phew, bad day, huh? Hope it doesn't get worse." Erin stood beside her. Ashley's eyes widened. "What happened to you?" she rasped as another blue screen flickered into existence before her eyes:

Congratulations, you have made it to level 2
HP= 17
New target EXP= 600

Congratulations, you gained ‘A Ring of Shielding’

The screen disappeared, leaving Ash in shock. she was kinda proud of herself for making it to level 2 for a second, then she remembered the situation they were in "Umm guys! This thing has levels" she said trying to calculate her kills in her head. “I've seen this in a book before...Something about a lost civilization?” Mark said bringing Ash back to the moment. She turned to find a Sting in Nara’s arms. She came closer and took a look at the dagger before Nara pulled it away from Mark’s grip. “oh yeah. It seems you’ve got yourself a Sting!” Ashley sat down, grabbing the first aid kit from her back and gesturing for the others to take what they needed. While cleaning and patching her wounds with a sponge and alcohol, she explained about the dagger. "Or in other words, The sword of Gondolin. Rumor has it that this Elven dagger was made in Gondolin during the First Age. Don't let the size fool you, it has an incredibly sharp blade. Oh, and the glowing indicates that Orcs or goblins might be lurking nearby." she continued feeling the need to explain why she possessed such information "I took a fictional weaponry class last semester!" Ashley shrugged hiding the fact that she did try to make one before, but the closest she got to a glow was through Strontium aluminate which only made it possible for the blade to glow in the dark.

Ashley finished patching herself up, a grim satisfaction settling as the stinging subsided. Reaching into her pocket, her fingers brushed against the cool metal of the phone Erin had given her. Relief washed over her – undamaged. She started dialing 911 when she realized there was no signal " we are on our own" she said giving the phone back to Erin.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

〔ESMAEL CISNERO〕
Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or fulfill good intentions.​

TAGS: Nellancholy Chise_Robin_ Cara oxicodone Spoiled Bread felideli ⠀ ⠀ ⠀WHERE: DORMS (GH) Kitchen ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ MOOD MUSIC: One More Step⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

Perhaps it had been a rash decision to rush off ahead. But, coming face to face with two other survivors in the kitchen might have been worth the risk. There was greater power in numbers after all, right?

The woman on the floor spoke before Esmael could greet her. "Welcome to the kitchen, people. Ignore the mess, we have loads of knifes and some foods here."

The bodies of the zombies she had killed flickered before fading out entirely. Esmael blinked, unable to wrap his head around what he'd seen. Deciding to focus on something that he could explain, his gaze combed over the wound on the mystery woman's shoulder, "Do you need help-"

"Phew, bad day, huh? Hope it doesn't get worse." Erin said moments before it felt as if the earth shook. Esmael caught himself on a counter, struggling to keep himself upright. Then just as suddenly as the quake started, it stopped. The status window snapped into existence:

Main Quest:
BIG MAN ON CAMPUS
Rewards: 1000XP 700

Kill Boss(es) to complete the tutorial and leave the area.
Failure to complete this mission within 24hrs will result in a boost to all monsters on campus.​

Did that mean they were trapped here until the boss--whatever that was--was dead? Esmael accepted the quest after some hesitation. The rewards seemed worth it but...something told him this wasn't a fight they should rush into. He fished some flasks out of his pack and pulled up his skills menu. Out the corner of his eye he saw Ashley press her phone to her ear. Then after a moment she pulled it away and gave voice to his own grim thoughts, "We are on our own."
"Great." The sarcastic note slid out of him before he could stop it.

"Uh, did everyone see that quest?" Mark asked.

"Yeah." Esmael rummaged through a few cabinets before he found the sugar. He added some to one of the flasks before he turned the stove on.

"Well?" Mark prompted, quizzically watching the other man as he put what looked like random ingredients into a flask. "Did you accept it?"

Esmael shrugged, "Did you?"

"Duh. Did you see the rewards!? How could I not?"

"Then you have my answer as well." Esmael muttered, evaluating his creation as he set it on the counter to cool off.

Side Quest:
RACE TO THE RESCUE (Optional) Reward: 200XP 50

Help survivors trapped on campus within the time limit.
Progress: 6/22​

"A side quest!?" Mark exclaimed. "We might as well accept this too. Looks like we've already made some progress on it."

"Rewards aren't bad either." Esmael noted. He hit accept on the quest menu before turning his attention back to the flask in front of him.

The blue potion continued to bubble and steam as if it were still boiling despite having had enough time to cool down. He was less surprised this time when the status window attached itself to the object he was looking at:

Potion discovered! Potion of Heroism: after drinking it, the player gains 10 temporary hit points and is immune to being frightened for 1 hour.​

"Huh." He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. "That's cool, I guess." Esmael wished that he could make another, but there weren't enough supplies in the kitchen. "I think I know how I can be useful but I'm going to need more supplies. The JM lecture hall should have what I need--"

"We need to stay together." Mark cut him off with a frown, "Let's focus on getting somewhere safe, somewhere that has more survivors, so we can complete this quest before we think about going on expeditions for your toxic blue mountain dew."

Esmael sighed in exasperation, "We're passing JM anyway we might as well-"

"Let's not argue about this, Es. Stick to the original plan." Mark shifted his attention to Nara briefly before he turned his back on the group to check the hallway. "If you're done, we should get going while the hallway's clear."

They thrive because someone expended effort on them.​