Day 6: Evening Monster

[wizardseason]

Evening: Evening - Midnight

[ IRL Timeframe: December 4th - December 18th, 2019 ]

Three significant things happen when the heroes have finished their venture into the mountain.

First: Just outside the mountain cave entrance are four doors just... freely standing there. The heroes will be able to walk around them, walk past them, and generally inspect them. But they just look like normal doors. Three are marked "Bamborough", "Craydon", and "Far Haven" and sure enough if the heroes open them they'll find the marked city just past the door.

What?

The fourth door is marked "Guest List" and has the names of all the heroes scrawled down below it. Six had said everyone was invited, after all.

Second: The Wizard and Protector's fight has ended, but social media is losing their collective mind over the crater the two had left behind. A significant part of the beach is now gone, filled in with water in the empty space the battle left behind. How did it end? Who won? Is it all over?

Third: Six's show has started. Luka's princess senses will point him straight to the door with the guest list on it, and he'll know he's meant to enter. Courtesy of some time nonsense, even if the heroes take their time entering from the mountain-side of the door... they'll all arrive at the same time in the monster space. They won't all arrive back on the mountain at the same time, though, instead they'll go back at the end in the order they went through in. First in, first out, after a shared same-time-Six-showdown fight.

But is it a fight?

Monster Arrival: ???: Where is this?

---

The Weather

• Cloudy.
• 52°F / 11°C
• Still chilly!

---

Prompts:

• 5:00pm Mountain, General Post: Any character interactions atop the mountain or in any of the towns before the heroes go to face Six can be added here. Five and Ten both say they won't be joining the heroes to watch the show, they weren't invited.


• 5:30pm Onward: Monster Theatre: When the heroes arrive in Six's space, they'll be surprised to see that it's set up very much like a movie theatre. There are exactly enough plush, reclining chairs for all the heroes to have one each. At the front of the room is a big red curtain that's down, with a sign over it stating "Take your seats, the show will be starting soon!"

---

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.

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Activity Check: December 2019

[ IRL Timeframe: December 1st - December 31st, 2019 ]

Comments

[eutychia]

"I mean the real Protector -- not the one you had in your show. He wouldn't do that." Luka scoffs. "I can still slay your actor, if you want. It would be more realistic than being a background character who only serves to get shot and die."

[wizardseason]

Six sounds excited as Luka offers to slay the Protector actor dummy he has.

"Oh, yes, please! A post-show strike of the one and only Protector. Please, make a dramatic show of cutting him down!"

"Yes, strike me down, I am a bad man." The Protector dummy chimes in from behind Six on the stage as a spotlight clicks back on to illuminate the dangling dummy.

[eutychia]

“Well...” he hesitates. Six’s reaction had sown some suspicion in Luka. “I don’t know if that would be a good look. He sees everything, you know? This isn’t being televised or anything actually, is it?”

Luka twists the rapier in his hand indecisively. Despite his uncertainty, he approaches the stage.

“People have a way twisting anything you do to suit their needs. Context doesn’t matter if they can manipulate the narrative and make you look bad..” He explains as he makes his way onstage, carefully. He points the tip of his sword in Six’s direction. “You understand, right?”

[wizardseason]

"I do understand." Six answers with a little laugh.

"This is being recorded, but it's not televised, my stories aren't for the public yet. I've shown the Protector videos of past Princesses doing things like this." He sighs, ignoring Luka pointing the rapier at him.

"He's never been impressed, not even once. Are my stories not good enough?"

[eutychia]

"Well, of course he's not impressed! Why would you even show him something like that?" Six is so ridiculous that Luka's distracted trying to make sense of his logic. "I'd be unimpressed too. Not only that you'd cast me as a villain -- which I'm very much not -- but that your show lacks the proper presentation."

He lowers the rapier to his side.

"Hey. Did anything... happen to those Princesses? Did they end up mysteriously near-dead in a cave?"

[wizardseason]

Six folds his arms immediately. What a rude thing to say, Luka. None of that is actionable criticism, arguably it was just complaints! He can't help you if you don't help him!

"I can think of more than a few who did." He answers, nodding, as he thinks back to some specific years.

"The six that I based my story on did. The year only the dragon knight lived, because he killed everyone else with the Protector." He casually drops that bombshell of a claim like it's a known fact.

[eutychia]

Luka's grip tightens on the rapier's handle.

"I feel like you're leaving out some important details."

He wonders if the other Knights had heard Six's comment. If they did, he hopes that they assume it's only a case of Six bluffing. It was not a good time for people to suddenly and passionately change alliances on him. It would ruin a lot of his plans!

"They must have been resistant to saving the world."

[wizardseason]

Six is about to ask what kind of details Luka means when he follows up with that second comment, and, well...

"You're wrong about that." He sounds confused, and wary.

"Do you really believe he's trying to save the world?"

[eutychia]

“Well, I’ve heard mixed things.” Luka admits, shrugging. “That he’s doing it for the glory, that he wants to be seen as a hero. That’s fine. The world gets saved it the end every time, that’s the part that matters, yeah?”

Luka shifts on his feet and takes a few steps toward Six.

“This year will be different, though, supposedly. Sxicq seems like they’re changing the game, and maybe he doesn’t like that. Would you agree?”

[wizardseason]

"What." Six answers, first, taking a hesitant step back as Luka approaches says some... truly confusing things.

"This isn't a game." He counters, first, before addressing the really horrible part of what Luka had said:

"And murderers aren't heroes, being a hero won't magically make him stop killing people."

[eutychia]

"It isn't?" Luka asks coyly. "All of this monster battling is just fanfare, isn't it? The monsters don't really die, and the act of defeating them is just some elaborate ritual the Wizard and Protector arranged. Only the vote matters. Sounds like a game to me, even if the stakes are incredibly high."

He continues, his voice growing serious.

"There are plenty of heroes with blood on their hands. Being too soft is what gets you killed."

[wizardseason]

Six is clearly upset as he answers again, taking another step away from the Princess.

"We do die." He hesitates, before his voice sounds more serious.

"That's what happens when princesses cut us with swords." He goes silent after he says it, he wants no part in telling Luka he sounds like an unwavering monster driven by self-assigned duty.

But man, he wants to.

[eutychia]

“No, you go back to being a part of Sxicq. Or something.” He says, sounding unsure. “That’s not the same as dying, if you just come back in a year.”

Luka keeps the sword at his side, making no movement to raise it.

“I’m not going to cut you. Not if I don’t have to.” He explains. “But can you tell me what your goal is with this performance? What’s the message of it?”

[wizardseason]

"I don't want that. I'm not a part of them anymore." He wants to run away from here.

"We don't come back, not now." He pauses.

"Which is the whole point of the show. There's no undo button. This is it. Reality will kill you if you don't face it."

[eutychia]

He's quiet for a long moment as he reflects on Six's stance. He didn't personally consider himself to be refusing reality. Luka would say that maybe he was facing reality a little too hard these past few days, actually.

"Where's your Protector? I'll kill it for you. For the show."

[wizardseason]

Six had been expecting any number of other responses, but not that one. It's jarring to go from a serious conversation to... hitting a puppet. He hesitates before making a sudden sound:

"O- Oh yeah, uh, here." He stammers, taking a step back. There's a clattering as the puppet on strings is pulled forward and it hovers over towards where Luka is.

"I am the Protector, I am a bad man." It repeats, easily within a few feet of Luka. Striking distance!

[eutychia]

Being predictable is so boring, definitely not Luka's style. Besides, hitting a puppet can be serious, even if it looks ridiculous!

Luka's very aware, now, of the Protector-puppet's position. He unceremoniously lifts the rapier and thrusts it into it's chest in a move that might recall the slaying of Four. He leaves the sword in the poor puppet as he turns to Six.

"There, is that what you wanted to see?"

[wizardseason]

Six desperately wants to answer "uh, no, i'm still surprised" but instead he... stares, at the rapier now embedded in the puppet.

"Oh no, I have been killed. Woe is me. Farewell." The puppet exclaims before its wires disconnect and it clatters onto the floor.

"Yes, that--"

"I am passing on from this mortal coil. My life has been severed."

"I-- That's all--" Six stutters out as the defeated Protector puppet continues.

"I am destined for dust. My form is fading. My story is finished."

"Shush!!!" Six exclaims, stomping over and punting the Protector puppet before turning back to Luka.

"Yes. That's all. That's fine." He answers, exasperated.

"Deeeeaaddddd" The Protector puppet groans out as it finally winds down and goes silent.

[eutychia]

Luka waits with increasing impatience as the puppet plays out its death scene. "Hm, well, he's certainly adept at chewing the scenery."

He doesn't bother to fish the rapier from its chest. It was likely a construct that would disappear shortly like the one he'd used on Four's show.

"So, does this mean I've defeated you?" He asks as he turns back to Six.

[wizardseason]

Six didn't want the death scene to play out that long. He gives a long sigh as Luka comments on the obvious. Yes. Sure.

But then he asks that second question and-- is this a trick question?

"What?" He sounds utterly confused.

"I mean. You defeated the Protector. So. Sure. Yeah. You, uh, win!"

In the background, Victory.mp3 plays for all the readers. Luka and Six, though, are spared from the tune. It sounds slightly like a Final Fantasy victory tune.

[eutychia]

"Good." Luka says proudly and triumphantly places his hands on his hips. "It's my understanding that we don't have to actually kill you to win. Just 'defeat'. So, there. You're defeated."

He pauses for a beat.

"Just don't go using that footage of me without my consent. I have a very good team of lawyers."

[wizardseason]

Six shrugs.

"Okay, I guess, I'm defeated. Thanks?" He answers, confused-- at least until Luka says that second thing and then--

"Okay. Can I show it to the Protector?" He immediately counters. Give him consent!!!

[eutychia]

"Sound more excited, Six! The other method is much less preferable, isn't it? And you got to be defeated by me, the Princess! It's a big deal." Luka's not going to let such a lukewarm response slide so easily. "Besides, this could well be the last year you ever do this."

"Absolutely do not show it to the Protector. That's like the worst possible thing you could do!" He huffs. "That guy would probably cut you down the moment he laid eyes on you anyway."

[wizardseason]

Six takes a surprised step back from Luka. Um. Um!

"Uh." He hesitates. "'Yay!'? I'm defeated?"

As far as performances go, it'd barely be worth a 2 out of 10.

"... Can I show it to the Wizard?" He sounds a little more certain as he asks that. Maybe she'd get a laugh out of it?

[eutychia]

"That's more like it." Luka takes a moment to think before he gives his next reply.

"Sure. I don't imagine she'd take it as seriously as he would, anyway." Luka smiles. "If I'd known she'd be watching I would have put on more of a show."