DUNGEON LOG: AMESTA FOREST

[phantasmods]

Hello everyone!

Up and the others think that we have enough stabilizers ready for the next expedition! We're going to the forest to the south this time, but it shouldn't be too far for anyone to walk. If you're REALLY going to complain, you can talk to Top on the roof and catch a ride on one of the drones like before.

The scenery's really nice, but there's definitely some kind of magical effect going on in there - as far as we can tell, the day doesn't progress inside the forest. It's stuck a little while after sunset - probably when the Fissure first appeared? (°ヘ°)

Be careful out there! Don't be afraid to call for help if you need it and we'll send a drone your way! o(^▽^)o And Strange says no stupid stunts this time, got it? (；¬д¬)

You'll probably see a big tree on your way there, before you're under the cover of the forest! That's the Infinity Tree, it's a really big willow. Charm can probably tell you more about the mythology if you're interested. He's gonna meet you guys there at the end of the expedition, so try to work your way in that direction as you go!

(｡･ω･｡)ﾉ See you when you get back!

After Down's message, characters will find things set up much the way they were last time on the roof. Top is making last-minute adjustments to the drones, and there's tables with food and medical supplies set out - the latter a little sparse compared to last time, so hopefully you kept your first aid kits from before. The table of stabilizers, on the other hand, is much more full.

On your way, you might also see some of what the construction drones have been putting together so noisily these last few days - there's the metal shell of a building, similar to but smaller than the Station, to the immediate west, just off your path to the forest in the distance. Nothing much indicates its function as of yet, though there are significantly more windows.

To the southwest stretches the border of Amesta Forest - about a mile distant, though still easily within sight. As promised, the Infinity Tree sticks up from the far edge, easily visible for those who need a landmark either now or later in the dungeon. If you get lost, you can probably find your way up a tree somewhere to get a perspective on it, and which direction to head in.

The silver mist doesn't begin until some distance into the forest, the time of day gradually changing to the eternal twilight mentioned as you approach the boundary of the Fissure itself. There's no distinct border, just a slow shading towards late afternoon and then sunset while the mist increases around you.

And as the mist wraps around you, and exhaustion you might have felt from the walk out here starts to evaporate... You've well and truly arrived, now. Better keep your eyes open.

Comments

[nightcure]

april 13: blossomgale.
[ All things considered, it's not the worst place to end up. It's bursting with color, and quite frankly, Noctis has never seen anything like it. He's absolutely looking around with wonder, and he stumbles upon a few yellow flowers. ]

Hah... I wouldn't mind staying here for a while.

[ Later on in the day, he's lounging around near a patch of the yellow flowers, and there's... a friend? It's a friend. A catfriend. It's curled up on his chest, and he's petting it absentmindedly. It's kind of weird he can't seem to fall asleep no matter how relaxed he feels, but it's fine. ]

april 14: fall's heart.
[ He's not sure how, but during his trek through the warm-colored forest, Noctis sees-- ]

... Dad?

[ His father. It's such a vivid image that Noctis can't be blamed for thinking he's real. No--it's painfully accurate, his father's silver hair like a beacon through the reds and oranges. Noctis's heart thuds painfully in his chest, and it's hard to breathe. He tries to reach him, but he can't seem to reach his father. ]

Dad!

[ And try as he might to call out, he never turns. ]

april 16: infinity tree, lake.
FFXV SPOILERS WITHIN.
[ It starts out simply enough.

A long road stretches out before whoever finds themselves in the dream. Just ahead, the tall skyscrapers of a city appear, fuzzy at the edges. Or maybe that's the smoke obscuring most of the city, because sure enough, it's on fire. The smoke is thick and heavy, even so far away, and abruptly--

Night falls on the road. Screeches fill the air, some human, some not. There are creatures on the prowl, ones with glowing eyes, black miasma wafting off of them like poisonous fumes. Behind them, five figures stand. One, a woman in a bloodstained dress, blonde hair nearly a light in the darkness. A man with milky-white eyes, his hair rumpled and messy. A taller mountain of a man, all muscles and tattoos. Another with gray hair and scars like forks of lightning on one side of his face. The ring on his finger matches Noctis's. And finally... the last one is Prompto.

But there's something terribly wrong about them. From their eyes and mouths, black seeps.

There's a yell, and Noctis can't seem to summon his sword. Any of them. Or perhaps it's just the horror in front of him that's given him a block of some sort. ]

Don't--! Stop punishing them!

[ Because behind them stands a man, yellow eyes glowing in the deep night. He looks shockingly like Izunia... but Izunia's never worn an expression of equal parts malice and satisfaction, has he?

The scenery shifts. It's a train, now; the man who looks like Izunia smiles at him, and Noctis watches as he twirls a bloody knife in his hand. ]

In the dark, just like always, highness.

[ Noctis cries out, hoarsely, and the wind blows through his hair. There's no warning, just a shift. His knees go weak, and Noctis watches as a phantom of himself laughs and pushes Prompto off the top of the train.

The dream Noctis turns, and Noctis screams as he looks into his own face, corrupted and dripping with black. ]

April 17th or something, Blossomgale

[photoshooter]

[The hush shepherd that's been, well, minding Prompto in its way has taken off to the edge of the glade, playfully chasing a kittehfly. It means Prompto's feelings are left without supernatural regulation, for better or worse, but it also means he can actually talk, which is a plus.]

Aw. Look at them go.

[He doesn't go for his camera, opting instead to stay leaning comfortably against Noctis while he brushes his fingers through the petals of some large, brightly-colored chrysanthemums.]

[nightcure]

Yeah. They're pretty cute, huh?

[ This is nice, really. After everything that Noctis has seen in this forest, he thinks he deserves a damn break. Both he and Prompto do, and the glade is the perfect place. Idly, he plays a little with Prompto's hair. ]

Thought you'd be taking, like, a million pictures by now.

[photoshooter]

I got a bunch already the first time we were here. And Cloudy doesn't show up well on film.

[His hand drifts from the big blossoms to a smaller flower. After a moment, he picks it and hands it up to Noct, smiling a little.]

Here, put this in your hair. I'll take a picture of that and send it to everybody.

[nightcure]

Cloudy. Adorable.

[ He grins, then makes a little face as he takes the flower. ]

Really? Fine, but you've gotta put one in your hair, too. We can take a selfie, Selfie-Master.

[ He picks a flower, too, and puts it right in Prompto's hair. ]

[photoshooter]

[He chuckles, then cozies up to Noct, getting his camera ready and then turning it to face them.]

Smiiiiile.

Blossomgale

[thoroff]

[After her less-than-pleasant introduction to the forest, the bright, picturesque Blossomgale is a welcome reprieve indeed. Wren is strolling casually through the flora, twirling a chrysanthemum of her own in one hand, when she sees Noctis with the kittehfly. She giggles, softly and warmly.]

Made a friend, have we?

[This is said with perhaps more fondness than is warranted when addressing a stranger (albeit one she recognizes secondhand), but you can thank the flower for that.]

[nightcure]

[ Noctis hasn't seen her around, but he lifts a hand and grins lazily. ]

Yeah. She's pretty cute, right?

[thoroff]

[She kneels beside him to get a better look at the creature, and her face lights up even further.]

Absolutely adorable.

[nightcure]

You can pet her if you want.

[ The kittehfly looks at her, wings fluttering just slightly. To his little friend, Noctis says, ]

She won't hurt you, don't worry.

[thoroff]

How could I not?

[She reaches out to scritch the little catbug's neck with one finger.]

more like blossomgay-le honestly,

[shiritai]

[ Greetings, Prince Nyactis. There's a perplexed looking Miss Evergarden on the approach, looking to see where all the noise is coming from. ]

... where is the cat?

[ She hears a kitty, she does not see a kitty. ]

don't call me out :/

[nightcure]

[ What up gurl. ]

Right here, [ he says, gesturing to the kittehfly on his chest. ] I thought I was hearing things, but she's a little winged cat.

:/

[shiritai]

[ C–cat... even saberfaces aren't immune to the charms of tiny butterfelines. Don't mind her if she stoops next to him so she can get a proper look. ]

She's very small. [ thanks, captain obvious. ] Is it a kitten?

pushes you over

[nightcure]

[ Cute... He doesn't mind. ]

I think she's fully grown, actually.

that's assault and i'll have you banned for it

[shiritai]

... Then the young of these cats must be positively miniscule.

[ the tiniest kitten you could imagine ]

It seems quite docile for a wild animal, though.

that super Nope prompt

[beguiledcard]

[ The black dripping out of the faces is painfully similar to what he's seen before; Akira's body is frozen in place. That is, until he sees the form of the stranger pushing Prompto off the train - his body jolts and moves before he can remind himself that it's a dream. ]

Prompto--!

[ ... right. A-... It's all a nightmare. Though, it somehow reminds him more of the kinds of nightmares he's been having lately; something about that thought has a coldness seeping into the pit of his stomach, a chill spreading along his spine.

Is this... Is this Noctis? Akira's quiet as he moves forward, until he's several feet away, and attempting to speak in a soothing voice. ]

Hey... [ it sounds far weaker than he'd like it to; he fortunately manages to strengthen his tone for the next part: ] It's not real...

[ Obviously. Still, sometimes knowing it, deep down, and hearing it said, out loud, are two different things. ]

[nightcure]

[ As soothing as Akira tries to be... it doesn't help. Noctis jolts, whirls around. His eyes are wide and wild, and he looks like a trapped animal. He hasn't seen Akira around--maybe this is just another trick?

It's not real.

But it feels so, so painfully real.

Noct's fingers twitch at his side, and he's stretched tight like a rubber band. When he speaks, his voice is just a touch above a snarl. ]

Who the hell are you?

SOB THIS IS SO LATE AND I'M SO SORRY we can handwave the rest of this if u need

[beguiledcard]

[ Oof... he expected something along these lines. ]

Akira Kurusu. I'm one of Prompto's friends.

[ His hands lift to show he's not visibly armed - an attempt to placate. ]

You're... Noctis, right?

[ He almost called him "Noct" - that's all he hears him referred to as. He's managed to keep his tone calm and even this whole time... somehow. ]

Are you okay?

[ Facts, facts... Facts have always helped... ]

I know these nightmares seem real, but... you have my word it's not. I've already been through a ton of them, myself. It's the forest messing with us.

touches ur face

[nightcure]

[ He draws in a breath that sounds more like a hiss, and he curls his hand into a tight fist. But something registers, a name that cuts across the confusion and hurt.

Prompto.

He uncurls his fist, but there's still a tightness to his expression. ]

The forest--

[ He swallows. It's so horrifically real, but it's not. It's fake. ]

What the hell kind of place... messes with someone by making their worst fears appear?!

gasps

[beguiledcard]

[ The calm tone doesn't waver when he speaks, though there's a flash of some form of understanding... Of course he understands to some degree, because these damn things don't discriminate. No, they hit whenever, wherever... ]

All I know, so far, is it helps if you keep moving... It's not a fix-all, but I've seen the worst nightmares hit whenever someone stopped for a break.

[ Someone like... himself... but...

It's all he can do to focus his mind on finding something to help drag Noctis out of this. ]

We can't let this place beat us.

april 16

[dubiouslychthonic]

[Jetshard arrives on the scene just at the end of the sequence - there had been enough noise to draw her attention, but between the mist and the enormous, twisting tree roots, visibility is not exactly great in this part of the forest, so she has not actually seen anything beyond Noctis' final confrontation with his doppelganger.

She is fairly certain that the oozing version is the dream. Not completely, though, and as she creeps up on the upsetting tableau and reaches for her strife deck, her fingers slip past the knifekind card and dip into the needlekind one instead.

But she's made the right call, and when the hypodermic of sedative pierces the figment's neck, the dream-Noctis dissolves away into inert mist, the way the dreams do when attacked. Jetshard lets out a breath she hadn't been consciously aware of holding, as she lets the hand holding the needle drop to her side.]

[nightcure]

[ For a split second after the phantom disappears, Noctis thinks he's next. Whatever happened to it... it might happen to him, too. And he cannot afford to die here, or anywhere, not when there's so much at stake.

Not when Prompto is counting on him.

Noctis lets out a shaky breath, hands trembling. He sees her, and he feels slightly calmer now. ]

... Jet-- Jetshard?

[dubiouslychthonic]

That's right.

[She puts the hypodermic back into her strife deck, a motion that's accompanied by a brief flicker of a green-bordered card but otherwise is much less showy than some forms of hammerspace inventory.]

Are you alright?

[nightcure]

[ Honestly, he's not. But he won't take it out on her; that's not fair. ]

... Not really. I hate this place.