etrayalogs | MISSION 008

MISSION 008

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: March 14th - April 11th
WHERE: Aphaia
WHAT: Mission 008
NOTES\WARNINGS: Survival horror elements, violence, (mild) body horror, potential death.

⏵ APHAIA ⏴

At the request of those inhabiting Etraya, Aurora has adjusted the mission schedule a little in order to send everyone into a world that is actively dying. Which means that, on the morning of March 14th, everyone will be directed to a glowing, purple portal situated just outside the hospital. Aurora will recommend that those with pets leave them behind; given the mission parameters of survive, she anticipates that it will not be a place for companion animals to accompany their owners to. She will not, however, force this: people are welcome to bring their companions if they'd like!

Once they have stepped through the portal, it will become clear that survival will not come easily. The sky overhead is fractured into a kaleidoscope of neon colors, artificial stars blinking in and out of existence among shards. Towering structures resembling stadiums and coliseums stretch endlessly into the horizon, their surfaces plastered with massive holographic advertisements displaying the face of past "champions" - many of whom appear to be long-since deceased.

From the moment they step through the portal, cameras whir to life around them, zooming in on their expressions while loudly announcing their names, their specialties, and what they are capable of. Applause echoes through unseen speakers when talents worth the excitement are announced: those with fighting capabilities, unique extraordinary powers, or odd talents seem to get the loudest reaction.

And once introductions are complete, a loud, booming voice cuts through the noise:

WELCOME, CONTESTANTS! ARE YOU PREPARED TO SEE WHO AMONG YOU IS THE SMARTEST, THE HOTTEST, THE STRONGEST, AND THE SHINIEST? ONLY THOSE AMONG YOU WHO ARE WORTHY WILL SURVIVE. KALI TYCHI!!

There is no introduction to the voice. No explanation.

Welcome to Aphaia.

⏵ SURVIVAL SPOTLIGHT ⏴

Aphaia is a dying world. Once vibrant, now it is little more than a stage - an arena where survival meets spectacle and death is a form of entertainment. Cameras are everywhere, their mechanical eyes dissecting every action, hesitation, every moment of weakness. To the residents of Aphaia, it's all a game. After all, they know they are living on borrowed time - why not make it fun?

Towering holograms flicker with advertisements for upcoming challenges, massive leaderboards shift constantly, tracking the contestants' popularity in real time. Every move is judged, and every breath is measured.

Participation is not mandatory, but refusal comes with some hefty consequences. Those who refuse to play fade into the background, their scores slowly dropping closer and closer to zero.

And when it does bottom out? They disappear. No body, no remains, just - erased entirely from existence.

Now, survival is not just about brute force (although there is some of that too!), but about entertainment. Contestants are not simply fighters, but performers earning the favor of other contestants.

Each contestant has a score, visible using the HUD of their earpiece. Scores range from 1-100, with 80+ reserved for crowd favorites. The moment scores hit zero, they disappear, presumed (and are) dead.

New contestants start with a randomized score, assigned the moment they step onto Aphaia's surface. From there, their survival depends on strategy, skill, and showmanship.

Nanotechnology laces the very air they breathe, embedding itself into their bodies. It monitors oxygen, tracks food intake, measures every potential need for everyone, including alien species whose needs differ. Supplies are scarce - meaning only those who keep their scores up receive rations, shelter, and medical aid. The lower one's score? The less they get.

And there are no second chances.

⏵ DISTRICTS ⏴

Aphaia is separated into four districts.

The Colosseum is where blood is currency. A high-tech battle arena where combatants are pitted against each other for entertainment, the Colosseum is always prepared for any battle one may wish to take part of. The floors shift, and the environment changes at the whim of the audience. It's built to support any challenge that requires physicality: the floors will break into massive labyrinths meant to confuse individuals, or the walls will raise to create rooms that are difficult to escape to test one's intellect. Within the Colosseum, contestants are invited to battle one another and others for glory. Are you a warrior? Built for combat? Do you have capabilities that shine through with physical action, rather than mental stimulation? This is the place for you.

A place of luxury, the Symposium is where alliances are forged - and broken. Here, the highest-rated contestants (those who rank Luminary or higher) are invited to partake in fine dining and lavish parties. Violence is not permitted within the walls of the Symposium; while this may provide the false illusion of safety, it is anything but. Whispered betrayals are passed between contestants within the walls of the Symposium, with deals struck to ensure that those who rank high enough to enjoy all the benefits it offers continue to be able to visit.

In the heart of Aphaia is the Agora. Pulsing with flashing billboards featuring the faces of many past and current contestants and live polls of the current scores of those who are still alive, the Agora is where contestants are invited to engage with the public to shape their own narrative.

In the streets, many contestants can be found putting on quirky performances, participating in challenges, or conducting interviews with other contestants. Charisma can be just as valuable as brute strength, and this is the place for those who rely on their ability to sweet-talk others to make sure their points remain high. This is where the facilities for the non-physical challenges resides, such as Echoes of the Past and Tychaios.

The Agora contains the housing district in which contestants reside. There are a few massive apartment towers stacked to the sky. The high-ranking live in luxury, enjoying rooms up to two bedrooms with plenty of space - the lower ranking individuals reside in smaller apartments, with significantly less amenities.

On the edges of Aphaia are the Backalleys, where rules are meant to be broken. A maze of shadowed corridors and hidden tunnels, there are multiple "convenient" corners where camera blind spots can be found. Here is where people come to converse between one another outside the eyes of the audience or to find temporary sanctuary from their lives being consistently narrated. However, it is also well-known that while they may be able to find areas where the cameras cannot reach, the Gamerunner is also aware of these blind spots.

⏵ RATED & REVIEWED ⏴

While the highest rated contestants get to go to The Symposium, those middling or in danger of falling off get invited to only the finest of trashy talk shows.

Anyone can see how this daily, midday TV show plays out. Stand in front of a television long enough and you’ll see reruns of bruised competitors hashing it out in front of an audience over failed plans, ruined alliances, and broken friendships. If you want to see the worst in others Kathiki Pidón is the show to watch.

Though one might wonder why anyone would ever go on this thing, it is a nearly universal guilty pleasure. There is a chance to raise one’s own rating without risking one’s life. But say the wrong things, and you may become more unpopular than ever. It is a desperate place to go- but they do always give a hot meal to anyone who agrees to come on. It might be your only chance to recuperate.

This is also a great opportunity to try to lower someone else’s ranking by airing out private grievances very publicly. Was the only reason you lost because you were tricked or betrayed? Is there a secret alliance you want people to know about? Or perhaps you need a platform to earn a little sympathy.

Kathiki will be more than happy to host you, donning his usual black and gold suit and holding his slim microphone for you to speak into.

For those who are a little shier, Kathiki has a private booth in the back of the studio where you can pour your heart out in front of a camera. This can have the same benefits, but it may be edited in very unfortunate ways before the public sees it.

⏵ NOTES ⏴
Please use our NPC Threads toplevel on this post for any NPC interactions you'd like! This includes Kathiki.

For all questions relating to this mission, please refer to the plotting post. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.

⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

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[As he predicted, the scene continued on around them, and the reason for his state before arriving here began with his choice to save Vi trapped where he had left her. She'd either be killed or perhaps suffer a worse fate; he couldn't let that happen. He'd lost two children, and he would sacrifice everything to protect the third.]

Ah well, there is a difference. Always is for the entertainment of the audience.

[Oh well, yeah speaking of that purple-veined boy pulling the door that pinned Vi to the ground. The question of the boy dying was answered when Vander emerged from below, and he winced as he watched himself, his fingers clenching and unclenching.]

I killed him when I killed him.

[His suspicions are confirmed as he watches the scene continue to play out. So he had come from all of this, essentially, straight to Etraya. Yeesh, it's a wonder he wasn't rampaging around Aurora's hospital.

Accelerator frowns, giving Silco another glance to see if he's doing anything that stands out, before focusing back on Vander. There's no reaction from him as he kills that other shimmer monster - mainly because he's been long desensitized to violence, so that's something he can easily dismiss. What's more important, in his opinion, is that it's Vander doing the killing.]

Oh. It isn't that, then.

[He's narrowing his eyes, continuing to observe everything carefully for anything that seems glaringly wrong.]

[Vander did not enjoy seeing himself like that, but he had made the choice. He also recalled the fear in Vi's eyes when she had seen him like that, and it had forced him to struggle against the effects. Then the ultimate choice: kill Silco or save Vi. He had chosen to save Vi.

The point where he died there on the ground was the point he arrived in Etraya. That was the point where he left his remaining children to fend for themselves, and he had varying stories and evidence on how that had gone for them. It was a good distraction from the scene itself, vivid and still fresh enough to be painful.]

No, it isn't.

[He turned his attention to the curiosity of what happens if one failed this. He was certain that it happened, and he did expect some form of consequence. He'd never cared to ask because it was going to happen one way or another. Success or failure. The problem was it was his memory so he knew there was a difference but for him it also seemed to be as he recalled.

Where was the difference?]

[Accelerator sighs heavily, dragging a hand through his hair as his brain tries to come up with another answer. It's a pain, it's like one of those spot the difference puzzles but you're only given one picture.]

Okay.... [What else is there? Their surroundings? The time of day?] Is there anyone missing? Or someone who died but shouldn't have?

[Vander was considering, though because it was his memory was he even able to detect the difference? He supposed it was his job to guide Accelerator for the facts that he knew to be true. He looked around the memory, studying the people that were left.]

No... Sevika is over there. Silco is on the gangplank. Vi is getting up. Everyone else is trying to escape who should be...

[He shook his head as he surveyed the scene.] What colour is the shimmer vials here? It should be over the edge.

[Accelerator clicks his tongue. This really isn't going to be easy, is it?

He steps over towards the walkway, leaning over the railing.]

Purple. The colour's really similar to when it was in your veins, so I guess that shit's really strong if the colour's persisting even when it's in a body.

[He nodded his head and looked around more, though he was convinced that he wouldn't be able to see the difference but would know it if Accelerator told him. He moved around the gangplank as the cannery burned.]

Yeah it is. It's hell when you're on the upswing and downswing of it.

[That middle section though? It was probably the most powerful he had ever felt, the best he had felt, the strongest. He could see why people would take it.]

It has to be something else. Can we only watch this once?

[He clicks his tongue, annoyed, and moves further down the catwalk, looking around.]

I don't know. All the other challenges I've done that were like this were only run once.

[It hadn't been all that difficult to figure out what had changed, especially when he had been paired up with people who were highly observant and experts in some relevant area.]

[Vander walked the direction of the broken room where he had been kept as if that might hold a clue. Unfortunately, until it was pointed out to him, he likely wouldn't see it. Instead, he looked at the crumpled broken body of the kid who had just been apart of their usual vicious ecosystem. He didn't feel bad particularly.]

So we have to discuss the small details as he recall them. If it was big and obvious, you would have questioned it, so this has to be subtle.

[What happened to them if they failed? What happened to them when this was over and Accelerator may have questions?]

[He steps carefully, looking at his surroundings. The warehouse isn't familiar, but as far as he can tell this looks like a typical rundown building where... maybe a bomb went off, or something. If they were actually there then he could check for any unusual vectors, but since it's a simulation he needs to assume the change doesn't go that deep.

So... it has to be the people. Something is off with them. He sighs heavily, leaning against the guard rail.]

Subtle.... [He wracks his brain.] You look about the same. I don't know about that other fuck. Silco's eye doesn't look as bad as it does in Etraya?

[Vander turned to look at Accelerator, confident that the kid would be able to figure it out. He was a smart kid after all, and there always seemed to be an attention to detail when it came to the kid.]

His eye is a progressive condition he's treating. [Because of him, he mentally thought.]

Right. [Accelerator is thinking the same thing, and pointedly directs his focus away from Silco's eye, squinting.]

... What about the knife? That's pretty fucking important to this memory, but it's tiny.

[Vander set his hands on his hips and considered the knife. It had once been his knife, taken off of his person some years prior. He had never replaced it either, which some found odd given his occupation.

His brows drew together as he considered it. That's not...] Does it have a triangular chip in the middle of the blade? Because it's supposed to.

No, it didn't.

[He doesn't need the simulation to replay the memory to be sure of that.]

That's it, then. The knife.

[The knife, of course. It was such a small item, and yet it bore so much meaning, a culmination of their dispute and his destruction. He made a noise of acknowledgement and agreement.

In their ear pieces, the audience sounded a cheer and the scene froze and shorted out to blackness. For a time, Vander didn't remove his VR headset, though he did contemplate beating a quick retreat to limit questions about the scene itself. Accelerator was a smart kid after all.

Instead, he stood still and let that scene embolden him. His dead children buried under rubble. Vi crying. Making the decision to rise to the occasion and now being unable to return to that controlled passivity.]

[Accelerator, on the other hand, is quick to remove his headset once they've got confirmation they successfully completed the challenge. They're both getting points for this, at least, though he wasn't sure it was worth it.

That had been a rough memory. He didn't have a good idea of what Vander's and Silco's relationship is, and it isn't really any of his business. It isn't particularly surprising to him that Silco tried to kill Vander, he wasn't under any delusions that Silco was a good person and Vander wasn't violent. Still, it feels weirdly private to have seen all of that.

He glances over at Vander, waiting to see what he's going to do.]

[Slowly, he reached up and remove the VR headset, setting it down and then pushing his fingers through his lengthening hair. Since that scene, he had not cut his hair and it was nearly to his shoulders now. Perhaps he should, he thought. It was an odd thought to distract himself by, yet this memory reminded him of all the things he no longer accomplished.

He glanced at Accelerator and gestured with his head for them to leave the room. The success felt hollow, but it would raise their rankings and that was the point of it all. Keep the audience entered and life wouldn't be quite so miserable for them while they were here.]

Come on, Accelerator. No point staying here any longer. Good call on the knife.

.....

[Accelerator stares back for a moment, but decides to follow. If Vander wants to be alone then that's fine, it couldn't have been easy to have relived that memory. And if he doesn't mind him there, then he can stick around.

All of this puts the bickering he saw over the network in a new light. It has to be hard for both of them to be forced to exist in the same space. Honestly, now that he knows the details, he wouldn't be surprised to hear they've attacked or tried to kill each other in Etraya.

He mulls that over, shrugging.]

It wasn't a big deal.

[This was all act, of course. He couldn't show that this revelation to whoever might have been watching was public, especially as he and Silco kept most of their dust ups here as private as possible. He was not about to invite questions, but he could pretend that he had dealt with that scene, the fall out, the emotional turmoil since arriving here.

And yeah, the bickering was the one place he didn't hide. He had his reasons. So did Silco.

So, he would walk Accelerator back to the apartments or until the kid decided to head off to do something far more entertaining than walking with an adult. Though, he expected the kid would probably nap; he knew a lot of that happened and was just glad it wasn't a situation that required Accelerator's powers to complete.

He glanced back, nodding his head.]

It's a small detail. It shows how good your memory and perceptive skills are. You should be pleased. I doubt most people would have picked up on it.

[It's good to see they're heading in the direction of the apartments. While it's a pain having to dodge all the cameras in the streets, the apartments are about as quiet and private as it gets on Aphaia, so by default they are Accelerator's preferred location while they're doing this mission.

He frowns faintly at the compliment, shaking his head.]

I don't need to know how good my brain is. I'm already aware of that.

[His brain is the equivalent of a supercomputer, he's the top student in a city full of supergeniuses, and the nature of his ability lends itself to observation. More important than all of that, his stupid brain got a whole lot of people killed, so he doesn't want to hear it.]

[The apartments was the place where he decompressed from whatever exercise he had participated in. Normally he would wander, but at this point, he would prefer to be in the small room that he had been provided and take some time to process.

Yet, he sighed at the reply from Accelerator, still plastering on a smile anyway.]

It's a compliment, Accelerator. Take it or leave it. I'm still going to make them, so I'd prefer if you take it as just that.

[He tucked his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders, shrinking his naturally tall and wide frame inwards so he appeared smaller. It was on purpose, though he rarely did it here.]

[Accelerator bristles a little, feeling like he's being dismissed. Normal people are okay with compliments, sure, but he isn't normal. Why is that so hard to understand?]

I'm not fucking interested. [If it's 'take it or leave it' then he's going to leave it.] So your compliments are going to fall on deaf ears.

[Normally, Vander would be gamely about the whole compliments thing. It was just a teenager being affronted about teen things that shouldn't need this level of energy. Yet, he had just relived the second worst memory of his life and one that was extremely fresh, so he was, for once, in no mood to deal with a highly brilliant under-socialized teen throwing shade his way over a compliment.]

That's a shame. Maybe your lack of interest is part of your problem then.

[He just kept walking, and while he would normally shorten his stride so Accelerator could limp along beside him on that crutch, he wanted to be back in his apartment to lose himself in private sooner than later and didn't provide that accommodation this time.]

[Accelerator starts to slow his pace down, staring straight ahead as his mind processes what Vander says.]

.................

[His lack of interest is the problem. Does that mean he's the problem? He usually is in most situations, so it sounds like that's the case right now, too. That doesn't mean he wants to hear it, and he doesn't see why he needs to argue over not wanting compliments being forced on him, so he just stops.]

Fuck this, I want a coffee.

[And he's going to turn and head down another street, in the direction of a cafe.]

[If Vander was in a better head space, he would have apologized. He would have stopped, turned around and tried to be better because the kid didn't deserve his angst and sensitivities. However, that was an amend that he would have to make at a later date because he could not convince himself to look back or stop walking to the apartments.

Accelerator sometimes reminded him all too much of Mylo. Brilliant and awkward, trying to prove himself and all prickly. Normally his patience and firmness would break through, but even he had to take a time out from the kid.

Just as he had to do now. It wasn't fair on Accelerator that he unload in the kid. So he made a mental note to apologize later.]

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MISSION 008

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