june event.

[falsitates]

JUNE 15, 2021

The heatwave has passed and the weather has never been better. The city is full of life once again, and the streets are busy as people return outdoors to enjoy what summer has to offer. Everything appears to have returned back to normal.

For everyone, but you.

The newcomers are given an envelope that is either addressed to their current residence or placed in their belongings. There is no return address, and inside is a New York state government-issued ID. It appears to be authentic. The residents, on the other hand, receive a similar envelope, but with a SIM card. There are no other notes.

Are these your rewards?

  MISSION BOARD

Your phone vibrates.

It doesn't stop until you pick it up and when you do, it's cold. The buttons do nothing as it shuts down, unresponsive to whatever actions that you take. Then, much like last time, white lettering on a black backdrop appears.

WELCOME TO WEEK THREE.
A NEW MODULE HAS BEEN UNLOCKED.
YOU MAY CHOOSE TO IGNORE IT.
OR YOU MAY CHOOSE TO USE IT.
AUDENTES FORTUNA IUVAT

A new section has been added to the app. It reads as 'missions'. There are currently three tasks available right now.

  BEGINNINGS OF A FOREST

The barrier continues to grow in size. Vitae's outskirts are gradually, but surely, expanding, and in its new area is a sea of trees. There has never been a forest surrounding the city, yet one is unmistakably forming. It's small, extending outside for less than a quarter-mile, and asides from its sudden appearance, there's nothing unusual about it. Only trees, the barrier, and the nagging feeling that someone is watching you.

Nobody in the city seems to notice. When questioned, they claim that the forest has always been there. In fact, the city was created in the heart of a forest, and it has remained that way since its inception. None of them are aware of the fact that these trees were never there until now.

It's as though the forest has always been there.

  DECISION TIME

By the end of the day, your phone vibrates again. A new message appears.

ALLY?
BETRAY?

One of the two choices must be selected. Otherwise, you won't be able to use your phone.

Make your choice.

Comments

[stormsoff]

[ network ]

So uh
listen
more of my powers came back
just
Listen to me
I can see ghosts and spirits and stuff
I'm a spirit medium
That's why I have weather powers.
But something's wrong
There's no ghosts in this city
No spirits
none
nothing
At all.
I don't know how to explain how incredibly freaky that is. It's not normal.

[ highway robbery ]

[ So, being 13 years old and wanting to 1) work for his money and 2) not just constantly ask for money from Malleus, Isaac never has a TON of pocket change. Still, he has some! Not a lot, but some! Enough not to want to lose it!

And yet, today, he happens to trip and fall. When he does, ALL of that pocket change falls out. For some reason, he is MOBBED with NPC's rushing over to steal every last cent, and rushing away again. ]

H-HEY! WHAT THE HECK, GIVE THAT BACK! WHERE'S THE COPS WHEN YOU NEED THEM?!

[ There's too many people to chase them all... so he just kinda... looks like a sad kid who just got all his money stolen. THANKS, ICHI. ]

[ whose woods are these? ]

[ Really this is just Isaac standing on the outskirts of the woods like ... staring ... into the trees.

If you're standing nearby he'll offer: ]

Think it's worth exploring?

highway robbery hahaha

[ehero]

[ Judai arrives too late to see what happens. He only notices a whole mob of NPCs running away from Issac and the poor boy just sitting/lying there. He does manage to grab one of the NPCs by the back of his collar and he drags the now-choking teenager over. ]

What happened?

[ don't pick on his tiny friend ]

[stormsoff]

[ haha judai rules

Isaac is back on his feet by the time Judai returns and man is he miffed. ]

They stole all my money! It was like they all lost their dang minds!

[ cue the npc shoving, like, $1.50 into their pocket ]

[ehero]

[ yeaaaaaaaaaaah, bad idea doing that in front of judai. He grabs onto the NPC's wrist and pulls it harshly into the air, taking their hand out of their pocket. ]

Check his pocket.

[stormsoff]

[ JUST LIKE DIVES ON IN THERE

and fishes out $1.50, all crumpled up. ]

This is definitely mine.

[ Sighing hard, Isaac steps back, folding his arms tightly over his chest. ]

... let ‘em go, Judai. It’s fine.

[ehero]

[ Judai does what Issac asks, being less than kind when he lets go. The NPC runs off, nearly tripping. He watches them for a few seconds, making sure that they don't try to come back or do anything before he focuses back on Issac. ]

Are you all right?

[ He knows what the answer will be, but he still has to ask. ]

robbery

[prevail]

[ Maybe it's lucky for Isaac that his vocal distress catches a certain someone's attention. Maybe it's extremely bad luck that those muggers run her way, because she whips around and clotheslines twk of them with her arms.

But she's not done, hauling one up from the pavement by his shirt collar. ]

Did you fuckers just rob a kid?!

1/2

[stormsoff]

[ kaine is the coolest big sister in the world fucking text it ]

[stormsoff]

... yup.

[ staring at her in awe. not shock, he knew she could fight, just, like ...

... cool. ]

Wait, yeah, they did! Hey! [ SPRINGS TO HIS FEET, ABSOLUTELY HOPPING MAD ] Gimme back my money!

[ The NPCs absolutely do not want to part with it, despite having just been clotheslined. ]

[prevail]

Some idiots have no shame...

[ That's fine though, Kainé isn't letting tjen get away with robbing a kid. Hell, she counts them lucky Isaac didn't taze them with that sparky trick of his.

She bets he could do that, anyway. ]

Drop the money or I'll hold your asses here 'till the cops settle this. Got your phone on you, Isaac?

[stormsoff]

[ He could.

He didn't, for reasons that involved sitting on the ground and looking sad,

but he's not explaining that.

But he IS immediately whipping out his phone to take pics of these idiots. One of them yelps and the other grumbles. ]

You know it. What kinda creeps steal a couple bucks, anyway?

[ One of the two NPCs decides to hell with this, drops the money, and will try to leave. The other ain't quitting. ]

network

[tsunotarou]

So you can see ghost because you're possessed? Never heard of that.

Is it bad that there's no spirits in here?

[stormsoff]

No no like
Sigh
Okay so
I'm a spectral
Spectrals can see spirits and ghosts
We're either tool users or mediums
I'm just the second one
(Tool users just use STUFF that spirits possess instead of being directly possessed by spirits)
.... I don't know
I wanna say yes because it creeps me out
It's like no one's ever died here
But I don't really know for sure

[tsunotarou]

So... Possession of things is a thing too?

I'm sure people have died here, it's an old city, but I can't be sure unless I check the obituary records.

[stormsoff]

Yep
Like I said, tools and mediums
Normally I would explain this more fully
Sorry to give you the cliff notes version
I can give you the whole lecture sometime
No, I know
They must have
But it’s LIKE they haven’t
That’s the part that’s weirding me out

network

[morient]

What kind of spirits would be around in a normal city?

[stormsoff]

That’s a way broader question than you realize and one I can’t really answer, sorry
My teacher would know a lot more than me about spirit zoology
I’m sure that’s a thing.
The point is that there should be spirits and there aren’t that I can see
To see nothing is unusual
To put it mildly
And I came from a small town
I’d expect a big city to have as many if not more ghosts and spirits
To have zero?
It’s like
I dunno
It’s creepy

[morient]

Either someone drove them all away, or that nobody died here in the first place

[ He's been thinking about the Matrix theory more and more. ]

[stormsoff]

Both are basically impossible
I’m not sure which is worse lol
But the second one is the one I’ve been thinking about
That’s what it feels like to me
But I can’t say for sure
It’s just a gut feeling
Plus the rules could be totally different here

[silentends]

What the heck? I don't like ghosts and that already sounds freaky.

Just making sure, are you okay?

[stormsoff]

Yeah I’m fine
Thanks for asking
Just kinda unsettled I guess
Not freaked out or anything
It’s just kind of weird
I’ve been seeing ghosts and spirits for years so it’s weird not having them constantly around all of a sudden
Makes everything feel emptier

[silentends]

As long as you're not hurt then thats okay.

I hear you though. This city is just getting stranger by the day.

[infolds]

okay I get that you're a spirit medium and you can see ghosts and all

But how does that connect to controlling the weather???

[stormsoff]

I’m a medium for a spirit with weather powers
As a medium I have access to those powers
That’s pretty much it ヾ(*´ー`)ノ

[infolds]

oooo more powers

so you like... channel the ghost with weather powers? thats neat

maybe the city is an anti-ghost zone