Clash of Cults

[orleanide]

[Tonight on Victorian London: Emerald edition, we bring you a normal everyday ritual.

For the most part.

Under an abandoned church - the remains of the Order of Dagon - a new group has set up their own gathering. Shrouded in dark hoods, at least twenty people have been separated into groups of three or so with an overseer for each.

In short: it's sort of like a classroom for cultists. Most of these people are new and trying to harness the energy from the rift that infamously goes through London. Surely their god will be pleased. But before they try the main event, they really need to get their newbies into shape. Just going through some basic summonings and magical exercises, nothing that should be too bad.

Enter a problem: See that weirdly shiny relic in the center of these destroyed, watery ruins? Another cult happens to believe that belongs to their God. That cult is currently waiting in the shadows for a moment to strike and attempt to steal it. So maybe they ruined this harmless practice session on purpose or maybe the rift in spacetime was too much for the newbies to handle. Either way, their summoning doesn't go...right. It gives cult number two over there a chance to run in, magic ready.

So where does this leave you?

Maybe you were just summoned in. Maybe you were spying. Maybe you were invited as a witness to the training session. Maybe you were passing by when fireworks started blasting out of the church ruins.

Either way you should probably get out of here. There are strangely spacious sewer exits against the right wall, definitely wide enough for people to go through. There are crumbling stairs and doors going to winding catacombs. Maybe you can follow some of the escaping cultists and hope they don't turn on you. Maybe someone will rescue you.

All of it is up to you.]

Comments

[stripdown]

We need to go.

[ escape now, questions later. he glances at the tunnels at the right wall, hoping toward the most stable-looking exit there is. his lips purse into a tight frown. ]

[dorca]

[Right okay he's snapping out of shock (not exactly but even in nightmares survival instincts are a thing right?). He hauls himself to his feet, holding his hand out to Haru, looking around as well. None of the exits look remotely promising honestly.]

[stripdown]

[ normally he might make a face at makoto offering his hand outside of the pool (because they're not kids anymore makoto jeez), but now he only hesitates for a second as the thought flashes by in his mind that they might get separated in all this, and considering what seemed to be going on around them and how spooked makoto seemed to be, that seemed only to be recipe for -- misfortune.

he feels a faint anxiety souring his stomach as he takes makoto's hand, his own hand tense, and tugs in the direction of an exit that seems the least devastated; come on. ]

[dorca]

[Now is really not the time for faces. Makoto has no idea what's going on or even how to process the situation they are in but there's nothing for it but getting out of this chaos if they can, and then they can figure it out. Haru here at least gives him something to focus on.]

[The direction Haru is going seems somewhat promising, as much as anything. He keeps hold of Haru's hand as they sprint for the opening.]

[stripdown]

[ it'd be nice if he had any idea where the passage they entered would lead them. it's true that seal had said that following the waterways would eventually lead them out, but some were likely more winding than others, and haruka could only hope they'd managed one of the shorter ones.

still -- though collapse in one section of the sewer would probably promise collapse, or at least some sort of structural failure, in other parts, once they were out of the immediate line of fire and presumably deeper into the sewers his pace automatically slowed. this entire situation still seemed unreal; he'd initially reacted in panic, but once the immediate source of that panic was gone, there was only him and makoto, and it was hard to imagine that any of that back there wasn't a dream. ]

[dorca]

[Makoto's still holding onto Haruka's hand tight, freaked out and confused. Whatever just happened, whatever they escaped from, was that real? This couldn't be happening could it? It's just a really elaborate, realistic hallucination. Or something? But it feels real enough. Should he just go with it until they wake up?]

Haru?

[His voice is higher pitched with more of a crack in it than he'd like.]

[stripdown]

[ he doesn't pull his hand away from makoto's, even if it is uncomfortably tight. it's better than turning to face him, and seeing the face that went with the strain in his voice. he didn't want to see makoto, whom he hadn't seen falter like this for years, in that state -- not when he was already so overwhelmed. ]

... I'm here.

[ while his voice sounds calm enough, it sounds slightly forced; probably unnoticeable to anyone else. he was less unfazed and more at a loss; what else could he offer? he didn't know what was going on either, and could he really say this was all just a dream? he'd never been one to reassure, but now makoto was the one who needed some kind of support -- what was he supposed to do? ]

[dorca]

[Makoto takes a deep breath, reassured even just by that much. He knows it's a strain on Haru, he can't selfishly ask for reassurance when they're in this together. He's freaked out but it's not like this is a situation Haruka has any experience with, so relying on him to be strong isn't fair.]

[He forces himself to smile, still nervous and afraid and not able to entirely conceal it.]

I'm glad you're here.

[That much at least is genuine and true and the words come out calmer, more gentle and composed and himself even if he still feels far from composed at all. But Haru is here, and that much means he can approach this situation, has to approach it, because he can't just let Haru deal with it alone.]

[stripdown]

[ it might be selfish -- enough so that even haruka can vaguely grasp it -- but he can't help but feel slight relief when he hears makoto composing himself; the smaller crisis was, for now, averted. but that makoto needed to force himself meant he wasn't fine in the least, and haruka had to be a little more careful with his handling.

he doesn't answer makoto's comment directly, but he does glance back at him finally, giving him the same kind of look he normally would whenever makoto said something even vaguely sentimental. as though things were normal. ]

... When we get out, we can figure out where "here" is.

[ because if they could figure out one thing, maybe everything else would fall into place, and it'd be a lot easier to figure out what to do from there. though not much of an optimist, he figures just once he wouldn't mind if this entire ordeal were ridiculous, like the result of hallucinogenic mushrooms or something. it'd make things much easier, at least. ]

[dorca]

[Makoto accepts the fact that Haru isn't trying to pull his hand away as evidence that he cares and it's reassuring and he can deal with this really he can. He has to. Jesus he's in high school it's not like he's a little kid. He towers over many adults. Trying to psych himself up (and mostly failing) he looks around at their... surroundings.]

You don't think this is some weird shared dream do you?

[He asks it half as a joke, half because he wants to lighten the mood. But then again a shared nightmare makes more sense than the situation itself. He looks at Haru, trying to read what he's thinking...]

This wouldn't be so bad if we are hallucinating, right?

[stripdown]

... It's not like I ate dinner raw.

[ his dinner having been, of course, mackerel. treating it like a joke seemed far more sensible (and far less stressful) than taking it seriously, so he doesn't argue with makoto's choice of tone. neither can he be bothered this time that makoto had managed to get on the same page as him without him saying so much as a word -- he wasn't particularly in the mood to think deeply about the situation at hand.

still, something seems to strike him, and he falls silent for a few moments. if this were a dream or hallucination or anything else, then he'd probably have to have done something just prior to waking up(?) in the sewers that would follow with that line of reasoning. but... he was pretty sure he was on the way home? but after that, he can't recall. he frowns. ]

[dorca]

[Makoto continues to be a mind reader. Or maybe he's thinking along the exact same lines as Haru.]

I don't think if this is a dream we'd necessarily remember how we got here or what we were doing clearly. Or accurately. It could be a case of even if I remember going to school, I actually dreamed that part too--something like that.

Let's just find our way out.

[stripdown]

[ okay being spot-on is handy in this situation but does he have to be so spot-on, jeez. but, again, he doesn't argue or make any faces (well, no, he makes a slight face, because he's haruka and this is makoto) because, as reluctant as he'd be to admit it, he'd really like to believe that line of reasoning. it'd be much better than believing everything back there. ]

Fine by me. This place stinks, anyway.

[ he turns his face forward again as they continue, sounding almost offended at the state of the water here. yes they're sewers and yes they're necessary but still. ]

[dorca]

[Makoto tries really hard to resist commenting on what he knows knows Haru is offended over. The state of the water. Of course the sewers would be filthy they're sewers and they have no business crawling around in sewers it's awful. But somehow... The fact that Haru is just so put out by it....]

[That's what makes Makoto laugh, soft and relieved and stressed all at once because somehow that, despite being.... So Haru, such a relief and weird and funny in this moment, it also makes it all the more real.]

Hahaha... hahah...

[stripdown]

[ and that, of course, makes haruka turn his head around without the slightest bit of pretense, because his offense is completely warranted and serious makoto, excuse you? ]

What's so funny?

[ but he doesn't sound as annoyed as he could be, given that makoto laughing in a situation like this -- isn't exactly unpleasant. it was annoying that it came at the expense of his concerns about water, but if makoto of all people was still capable of laughing in a situation like this, then haruka couldn't help but feel a little less uneasy, too. ]

[dorca]

[Makoto smiles, genuine and relieved and walks forward more, tugging Haru with him.]

"It's really awful what they've done to the water", right?

[stripdown]

[ okay, but this puts him in a predicament -- he definitely gets as huffy as he's wont to when makoto finds him so transparent -- but this time he can't outright deny what makoto said because that'd be equivalent to saying he didn't care about what they did to the water, and never in a million years could he even lie about that. ]

--I was thinking how they'd be better off dumping their waste on soil.

[ see, makoto was totally wrong, except how that was basically the same thought he just thought of a different way to say just now (though the sentiment isn't entirely untrue). he lets makoto tug him along, though with the air of a petulant child. ]

[dorca]

That would be a terrible idea, Haru.

[Though he realizes Haru can't ever really sympathize with sullying water, he knows Haru has to know how bad that would be too.]

Still this architecture doesn't really look Japanese, does it?

[He's looking at the stonework around them.]

[stripdown]

It'd work out just fine.

[ for the water. the rest of it didn't really matter.

he doesn't really contemplate makoto's next question too deeply, given that he's still not over the water thing. ]

It's a sewer.

[ meaning, would there really be different styles of architecture for sewers? they all kind of did the same thing (ruin water). ]

[dorca]

[Right Haru's stuck on the water thing. Makoto keeps walking, hoping one of these passages will look like an exit.]

[He tries explaining a different way;]

It doesn't look Japanese.

[stripdown]

[ there's a slight pause before he answers again. even if he didn't like it, makoto repeating the statement probably meant he was trying to point something out. ]

Doesn't it?

[ he glances around, deigning to take note of his surroundings in more detail beyond potential exits. mostly, he was looking for japanese text -- "caution" or "keep out" or something -- because there's no reason they shouldn't look japanese, even if they contracted a foreign company to construct it wow this is more thought than haruka ever wanted to put in sewers ever. ]

[dorca]

[There's no signs in Japanese for sure. It might be too dark to make out writing at this point though, but if there is any it sure is in English.]

[Makoto glances at the sewage, disgusted now that he's freaking out a little less.]

Should we follow the water? Or keep heading this way?

[stripdown]

[ he frowns at the english. granted, english is everywhere even in japan, but it's not really what he needs right now. ]

Follow the water. [ and then adding, as almost an afterthought: ] I was told it'd lead out, anyway.