Day 4: Monster Arrival

Afternoon: 12:00noon - Evening

[ IRL Timeframe: July 17th - July 31st, 2019 ]

It's monster time.

The bright, glowing blue fissures are still open throughout the ground, they haven't gone anywhere. At last, social media has started buzzing about the source of the cracks. They're all originating from the mountain up the slope from Craydon! There are a ton of theories, including a non-negligible amount talking about a 'Wizard death machine'! Guess the heroes will have to find out for themselves.

As usual, though, social media is the fastest source of information. Do they have an inside man? Is one of the heroes actually the one feeding all the information to social media? Either way, there are numerous discussions going on about the "door on the mountain". Apparently satellite pictures have traced the cracks all the way up to a glowing door in the side of the mountain. It's absolutely not a manmade door and it's definitely magic in some way, but why is it there now?

Monster Arrival: Craydon: The Game Show.

The Weather
Eerily still.
66°F / 19°C
Is... is that... air conditioning?

Prompts:

12:00pm The Game Show, Craydon: Garrot, Rory, Joanna, Haizea, Olivia, Luka, Gyre, Seth, and Zafika will all find themselves teleported from wherever they were to a new and fantastical location. The room is dark, the stage is set, the hero is seated in a contestant's chair. Suddenly, the spotlight is on them and the curtains open: The crowd goes wild! In front of the hero is a big television screen with the words "Welcome!!" on it and, beside it, is the fourth monster. They're entirely humanoid, standing at roughly six feet tall, wearing a positively striking suit and tie. All four of their eyes look surprisingly normal on their face. They look like a regular person just with a second set of eyes where their upper cheeks are. They settle their yellow pupils on the hero in the chair as they smile wide and their mouth squishes as the space opens up into existence. Looks like the mouth isn't a permanent feature, but there's a soft bubbling sound that follows it and then their voice breaks the strange noises up. Their voice is high, eager, and unmistakably excited about the news they're about to share.

"Are you ready for the show? Smile, you're on camera!" They say, hopping back and forth on their feet by the screen, barely able to contain their enthusiasm. Any hero who gives it even a moment of thought will realize two things: 1) Cameras don't work, and 2) That's not a real audience, this room is actually just dark and it's only them and the monster.

Oh god, it's only them. Where are all the others? One on One monster fight? Great!

1:15pm Lounge Time, Bamborough: Social media is going bananas! That monster that was roaming around Far Haven's train station has made his way to Bamborough! The effects of the earthquake here may be less apparent, but there are still things to fix. But Ten won't be found fixing anything this time. Instead he's sitting on a beach chair, under an umbrella, on the oceanfront at the Bamborough Resort. On the little table to his right is a tall glass of tea and a portable USB charger. Because, in his hand, he's fiddling with a cell phone. Where did he get a cell phone? Who brought him tea? What on earth is happening?

4:00pm International Bungalo of Burgers, Bamborough: The social media war of "Crepes or Burgers" has begun, it's been set off by the Wizard arriving at IBoB for dinner. Just like the morning, she's asked for a group table in the restaurant. Gail, Terrence, and Matilda have all received special invitations right into their pocket (or their hand if they lack pockets). Enjoy a little card that says "One free burger!" with a stylized tiny Wizard face to the side looking very surprised!

??:00pm Mountain Door, Craydon: [Exploration] [Not yet revealed]

Procedure:

Reply to the appropriate toplevel comments for events below. Indicate if a post is a private conversation with "Private" in the subject otherwise all threads should be open to interaction with others. Plan OOCly how you'd like to toss everyone around.

Important: 'Exploration' toplevels will unlock additional information as items in their descriptions are explored. If your character explores a feature, write [Character explores ____] at the end of your tag and send a ping on Discord to get a reply with further details regarding that item.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Your opponent will be me! For every question you get right, you get to fill in a square! Get three in a row aaaaaaand-" They clap their hands and bounce in place.

"You win the game!" They motion out towards the game grid and one, two, three squares light up in a row to show off what's possible.

"But if I get three-" As they say it, the squares are changing to three yellows in a row.

"I win! Surely you won't go easy on me? Now! To begin, a coin flip! Call it, dear contestant Zafika!" They exclaim as they flick a coin in the air and the nine squares all change back to their neutral non-colors. It's game time!

Huh, so game of tic-tac-toe with questions? Simple enough, but Zafika can't relax still. They have no idea of what the questions are going to be, but there's no time to think about it, the game has begun. "I call tails."

They keep their hand on their bag, watching Four and their surroundings carefully. They need to try and win the game, but also they need to figure out where the hell they are, and if they can get away if things go south. Maybe they could illuminate the place bit more....

At Zafika's call, the coin comes down onto their hand and they slap it down on the back of their hand. A moment later, they reveal their hand and...!

"Tails!" They say, too excitedly.

"You're going first, dear contestant!" They grab the coin and motion towards the squares.

"Which square will you be trying to claim first?" And as they ask it, they point at the grid of squares. Which will it be?

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Edited 2019-07-24 01:11 (UTC)

Hearing Fourth announce tails doesn't make Zafika feel much better, it's just raising their stress because the game has really started now, and they don't know what this is going to be like. At all.

At least, unlike regular tic-tac-toe, it doesn't matter what square they try to claim, more so as that they try to answer correctly. As long as they get more answers right than Fourth, they should win, almost no matter what squares they pick. Just almost.

"Bottom center." They're restless, they should be good at staying still but the itch to start pacing is there, but they don't want to start actually pacing around. So, their finger is lightly tapping their bag, while their tail was swishing and coiling around their legs.

When Zafika chooses, the bottom center box lights up bright white! Suddenly there's a soft shifting beside them and Four's eyes are all closed. At the same time, the monstery figure in the bottom center box opens four eyes on its face and it stands up, waving suddenly.

"Well then, contestant Zafika!" They exclaim from the square, huh. This don't seem overly fair now does it?

"I will give a statement, it could be true or it could be false, but all you have to do is agree or disagree! If you agree with the truth, you win! If you disagree with a lie, you win! But if you doubt the truth or believe a lie, it's my victory!" They fold their arms, looking utterly confident in this moment.

"For your first question!" They look thoughtful for several moments before they exclaim:

"Two of Twelve's favorite hobbies are the games Chess and Go!"

Oh this absolutely does not seem fair at all. How are they supposed to defeat Fourth if they can just swap between all 10 of the bodies present!? They don't want to think about that, and now they really have to go for the win, they absolutely don't want to fight 10 monsters, even if it would be only one at a time.

"Okay, true or false, sounds simple enough..." They, hope at least. As long as this isn't any too obscure trivia they-

........ what?

Two of Twelve's favourite hob- how the fuck are they supposed to know that!? They curse under their breath, tail coiling tighter around their leg, what the fuck is up with this?! Either they should have actually followed the previous years, or done shitton of research about them.

Unfortunately, they can't exactly cram that knowledge into their brain right now, so they can only guess. "True...?" Please let it be correct...

It's perfectly fine, it's just a game show! Four watches with excitement as Zafika works through their thoughts, trying to reach an answer to this bit of fantastic trivia.

Even if they had done their studying, they would have only found out about Twelve's fondness for Chess. They didn't play Go publicly, at least not anywhere where someone would have said something about it. But as it stands, Zafika takes a chance on the statement being true and, fortunately, it is.

"Dear contestant, that answer..." Four begins, drumming up suspense before, suddenly, confetti pops out from every direction.

"Is entirely correct!" They clasp their hands together, giving a bounce as their square lights up purple. They flop back into the seat in the square and go dormant afterwards, reappearing beside Zafika in their host body.

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"It's my turn to go, I hope you have a question prepared to fool me with!" They get this big, wide smile on their face as they motion out towards the grid.

"It would be unfair if I asked myself a question, wouldn't it?" And as they say that, the square in the dead center of the board lights up. Looks like they're trying for that one.

Zafika watches the Four in the square intently, even more restless since they're taking a moment to answer and...

Then there's confetti everywhere, and they get a near heart attack from it, both from the sudden pops and the confetti flying everywhere in the studio. But their annoyance is quickly replaced with well masked relief, they had completely guessed the answer to that question.

And then the Four next to them tells them to ask a question, and they go quiet again, frowning a little. "What could they even ask...? They don't know how much Four, or any of the other monsters for that matter, know about them, the world, or the other Knights. Losing one round won't necessarily screw them over but... okay, they'll try something.

"Alright, here goes. A basilisk's petrification, if left unattended, lasts 10 hours. True or false?"

It was a good guess, Zafika! But they've taken note of that response and the emotions they made them feel in this moment. A little jumpy, contestant? They can't help a smile as they wait for them to come up with a question, though, but when the question is posed...

"Oh, oh dear me contestant!" They look surprised, is it genuine surprise?

"What a splendid question, I believe it to be true!" They clasp their hands, looking gleeful at their agreement. Do tell them they're right, they love this!

Zafika watches Four closely, but reading monster body language is way different, but they also make the assumption that the surprised look isn't actually genuine. Because honestly, they're currently suspicious about nearly everything. Sorry Four, not going to get much reactions outside very reflexive ones!

"And the answer is... false. Sorry, no luck." They shrug calmly, it's one loss for Four and one win for them, but they're very well aware that it can change easily. They just have to keep thinking about good questions.

"Your turn to ask a guestion again. I'm going for the dead centre square."

When Zafika says they're wrong, they give an immediate laugh. Delightful! Splendid!

"How wonderful, dear contestant Zafika!" They exclaim as they motion up towards the board and the center square turns purple.

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"But you've already won the center when I got my question incorrect!" They clap their hands, collecting their composure with a soft exhale.

"You're so close to a victory already! I assume you'll go for the top center instead? Will you claim victory in a perfect three square grab?" They lean a little closer, waggling their eyebrows.

Shit. They'd forgotten about that little detail, but, it could work still. Four can't take the squares they have, not they're very too keen to give them a chance to get two squares in a row though. What to do, what to do... going for the top center would be obvious, definitely. But this absolutely can't be this easy.

"Alright. I'm going to go for the middle left square." It's a gamble, but they'll see what kind of questions Four has in store for them. "Go ahead and ask your question."

"How surprising, contestant Zafika!" They exclaim, looking mock surprised in this moment. It's very clearly some fake surprise, but it seems real enough to the audience! They all gasp and 'wowww!' in response to the middle left square choice.

"But of course!" They immediately respond with as they reach their palms out to calm the audience.

"This is a question about me, dear contestant Zafika! Is it true that my favorite dessert on this little planet is a decadent chocolate mousse topped with fresh whipped cream and truffle chocolate shavings?" They offer their question and, surprisingly, give nothing away with the smile on their face. They look very much like a stoic game show host.

Which is it, Zafika?

Zafika squints at Four the barest bit, not too amused by that mock surprise. Better not risk a possible win... especially when they hear the next question, and for fuck's sake how are they supposed to know that?! But fine, if Four wants to play unfair, they'll play unfair back. They can take one loss if they end up guessing wrong.

And, right now, they can only wing it with this question too. The amount of details is stupid, and too many details make a lie obvious, but with Four being eccentric, they don't know if this is true or not. "Hmmm... false." Why not, as long as they don't let Four win either they'll be fine. Probably. They're unsure what will happen if they end up in a tie.

When Zafika answers 'false', the middle-left square on the board immediately flashes and changes color to reflect Zafika's correct answer. There are the blaring of several horns and bells to celebrate the success, and Four chimes in a moment later.

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"Splendid answer, dear contestant Zafika! You are correct! I despise simple desserts like that one, I simply must have something that's more! Now!" They motion their hand out to point abruptly at the top right corner square.

"I choose that square! It is your move to stump me, can you do it? Will you do it? I'm eager to guess your statement correctly!"

Zafika winces slightly at the loud noises, the scales on their tail bristling as they hiss quietly at the blaring of horns. Are all quiz shows this loud? They don't know but if they are, they definitely don't like them.

But at least they've got one more guess right, somehow, and Four hasn't gotten anything right. Which, they do intend to keep that way. "Alright... well, your question is about me this time. You get to pick one from three options. The first time I used my innate ability, I was... one, four years old. Two six years old. Or three, nine years old. So, what's you choice?"

There is definitely a right answer amongst those options, they're not going to get too risky. But it doesn't mean they can't make this as difficult as possible for Four.

Quiz shows have to be loud, Zafika, that's how you know it's exciting! That everyone is succeeding! That people are WINNING!

"You were absolutely four years old!" They answer delightedly, wasting almost no time choosing the most obvious of all the answers. It just had to be four years, Four was certain of it!

Right, of course Four would go for that, why aren't they surprised?

"Nope, wrong again unfortunately." They brace themselves for more loud noises as they look at the board. Well, since Four has so nicely provided them with three ways to win...

"I'm going for the bottom left corner. Let's keep the questions going."

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"Oh, but dear contestant Zafika... if you get this one right, you'll be victorious!" They say dramatically, folding their arms to look deeply conflicted a moment later.

"And our show will come to an end... but dear contestant, you have the toughest question you'll ever answer! So tell me: Is it true or false that the Protector is actually a murderer?" And as they ask it, their face distorts into a wide smile from ear to ear. This is a mean question and they know it.

"What?"

That's the first reaction Zafika naturally has, because even as a cold blooded assassin, this isn't a question they'd have expected nor wanted, ever! The Protector, a murderer? In technicality, yes, even if not directly, considering that the Protector is just as much of a part of the Wizard Season as the Wizard and the monsters are, but how are they supposed to know for sure what the answer is? They knew the winning question would be hard, but this? This is... they don't know what to think.

They almost start pacing, completely ignoring Four as they think this through. They're even hesitating to answer, because no matter how they answer this, getting it wrong is going to be bad. If they answer with 'true' and they're wrong, they'll have relief but the game will continue. But if they're right about it... they don't want to think about it.

But they can't just stay quiet forever, so they sigh quietly and look up to the boxes that are lit purple. They want this game over with. So let's be as pessimistic and go with what they would least want the correct answer to be.

"True."

Zafika's reaction is exactly the kind of thing that gets great great studio ratings! Four watches them with the widest smile imaginable, deeply pleased that they're so stumped by the question. They're starting to wonder if they should interrupt and demand an answer by the time that Zafika chimes in and...

Four confetti cannons rise up out of the floor and aim directly at Zafika.

"Dear contestant Zafika, that answer..." They spread their arms out at their sides, displaying the cannons as one would show off a pet.

"Absolutely correct!"

The cannons fire, shooting a wall of colorful paper scraps directly into Zafika. Their entire view of anything and everything is obscured as the paper fills the air and they're forced backwards by the blast...

...and they land on their back wherever they were taken from, outside of the game show, with a note in the palm of their hand just waiting to be noticed and read:

"Thank you for the lovely show dear contestant Zafika! Your performance was a show-stopping success! I can't wait to see you again." And it is, naturally, signed with the number four in incredibly stylized cursive.

Zafika goes tense as a wired spring when the four god damn cannons rise up from the floor and aim directly at them, and while Four starts speaking they quickly pull their dagger from their bag, and it transforms into a glaive as Four spreads their arms wide at their sides...

And then a wall of paper scraps shoots at them, and they barely have time to shield their face with their arms as they're forced backwards by the blast. And suddenly their back hits strangely uneven ground, and they groan and cough a little before they look around again and sit back up.

What the fuck? They're back on the mountain, right where they remember last being before they were whisked away into Four's annoying game. What the fuck? They then notice the note in the palm of their hand, and after reading it growl quietly and tear it to pieces as their tail coils behind them. Despite having won, they don't feel like it. This is the one time they wish they hadn't been right.

But, as they're sitting there, they realise something. They're back where they had been earlier that day... so where's Garrot?

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Day 4: Monster Arrival

Afternoon: 12:00noon - Evening

The Weather

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