TEAM ETHANOL LOG

[recollecters]

TEAM ETHANOL

After that strange Retrospec post, you may be wondering how to contact this "technician". Luckily, your phone or whatever device you have handy to check the network chooses that exact second to go haywire... Team Ethanol roster: Almedha, Augustine Sycamore, Chuuya Nakahara, Heine Rammsteiner, Izumi Sena, Kazuma Kiryu, Nui Harime, Peko Pekoyama, Rosalind Lutece, Weiss Schnee, Yukiko Amagi, Zaveid. On whatever device you use to view the retrospec application, you may note the following scrolling on the screen instead of the usual options: ALERT: CRITICAL TIME-SPACE ANOMALY ACTIVE. SEARCHING FOR ADMIN... SEARCHING FOR ADMIN... DESIGNATED ADMIN CANDIDATE: EMPLOYEE #91962 M. MAHONEY PLEASE INPUT AUTHORIZATION CODE. The prompt does not seem to be for you, however, as the text prompts continue to scroll, this time with some input. > ********************** ACCEPT ADMIN STATUS Y/N? > y DESIGNATE PROGRAM TO RUN. PLEASE BE ADVISED WE ARE SYSTEM CRITICAL. > run subroutine designation echolocation-alpha CONFIRMED. EMPLOYEES ACTIVE IN AREA: 2 > list employees EMPLOYEES ACTIVE: M. FITZWILLIAM LEVEL 0 ACCESS, INTERN M. MAHONEY FULL SYSTEM ACCESS, ADMIN > search for alternative assets CONFIRMED. SENDING ALTERNATIVE ASSET LIST. Names scroll by on the screen. and look, there goes yours! It seems like someone is manually picking and choosing from a list of every Retrospec user who didn't disappear into the void, and several names queue up. > initialize support team CONFIRMED. TEAM DESIGNATION? > ethanol CONFIRMED. TEAM ETHANOL MISSION PARAMETERS? PLEASE BE ADVISED SYSTEM ENERGY LEVELS ARE CRITICALLY LOW. > make contact with sysadmin > contact point entrance 6 > temporary access level 1 granted CONFIRMED. MISSION PARAMETERS SET. TEMPORARY ACCESS LEVEL 1 GRANTED. The screen clears itself, and instead of the familiar retrospec logo, there is simply TEAM ETHANOL as a designation. the application will refuse to show anything other than a map, with one point highlighted in red. it is, of course, up to team members to decide whether or not they approach the access point. Team Ethanol's access point is in the Recollé Graveyard. Team members will find the grave of "G. Mahoney" will move aside to reveal catacombs so long as they approach it in groups of two or more team members. Only Team Ethanol team members can see or enter the catacombs at this time. Please see the Objective 1 toplevel for more information on what they can see when they travel further down the tunnels. This is the Team Ethanol Event Log. You are free to toplevel and thread as you choose on this log, but only team members may utilize this log. Important links to mod toplevels are: Mod Questions & Participation Reporting. Please be aware you are responsible for reporting your own participation & objective completion efforts with links; the moderators will try to keep up with threads, but as we are currently running several teams with participation, we require you to keep us up to date! Please read each of the toplevels and instructions! The schedule for Team Ethanol is as follows: WEEK 1: Objective 1; CLEAR: M. Mahoney WEEK 2: Objective 2; IC mission briefing; CLEAR: W. Guo WEEK 3: Objective 3; IC mission briefing 24th: Objective 3 closes (8PM EST), Final city-wide log posted (9PM EST) Objectives will be given in mod toplevels to this post with instructions; please check the log currently for Objective 1 to see how this will work. NPC interactions will be rnged from your team roster once per week, and toplevels for those will also be posted, although all team members can hear/see these interactions!

Comments

[eyestitch]

Oh, so that's what I was thinking of! [Nui laughs a little bit. Once again, future Nui has solved what past Nui couldn't! Now that Sena's gone back toward the gate, she realizes that that's where she saw the first indentations in the first place.]

Oooh, ooh, lookie! This one's the same size. Maybe we have a multipurpose thingamabob!

[Unfortunately, Chuuya, that chest probably still isn't movable. Does he feel bad? Can she see him cry later? After very delicately getting orb the second back out of its hold, she follows Sena (slower, since her legs are stinging though they've stopped bleeding) and slots the orb into place.]

[recollecters]

[ there's a flash of light, filling the room.

sena's device pings: employee #32041 is within range, and a flashing red dot with that number label appears on the map.

they can now cross over the boundary line, if they so choose. do they intend to continue? ]

breaking the sequence for a bit!

[adoringpast]

[ huh, okay, that's weird... no name? ]

There's someone out there. Probably waiting for us?

[ turns to nod at the other two and waves for them to come follow him and this signal. just what is waiting for them outside anyway? ]

[doublesmall]

Let's get going, then.

[chuuya nods, and he'll just be keeping pace with sena, because he may have the map but chuuya's not gonna let him get too far ahead. he's the resident monster magnet, he may still need bodyguarding or something out here.]

Nui, you stay close too in case we get jumped, alright?

[eyestitch]

[This is actually a valid call-out since she would definitely skip ahead under other circumstances. Chuuya doesn't have to tell her twice, though, and she sticks closer to him than to Sena as they step through. She swaps her Kuma shield to the hand that wasn't hurt, just in case.]

Someone? Jeez... How do you get stuck all the way out here?

[recollecters]

[ yo, rude! anyway they find this pathway leading up to a temple. following it eventually leads to this platform after walking through a strangely empty temple, but instead of a sword there is a woman sitting rather unhappily at the center of the flower, a shimmering globe of white light over her.

she's wearing jeans, a black leather jacket, and an old t-shirt, and does have a sword strapped to her back.

she kind of blinks at them whenever they come in? ]

[adoringpast]

[ the place feels so unreal but then again they're here to fix that, right? they can easily get lost here but thanks to the lvl2 access on sena's phone, they reach the platform in no time and sees a woman a sword. this must be that unnamed employee, right? ]

What're you staring at us for? Sorry it took us too long to get here or whatever.

[doublesmall]

Sena.

[that comes with an elbow nudge, there, and an exasperated look.]

Sorry about him. Listen, we're here to fix unreality, but-- we're not gonna get stuck or something too if we get too close, right?

[because he is ready to grab either of these two if that's the case.]

[eyestitch]

[Softly--for once, like, an actual whisper that isn't intended to be a stage whisper the woman in the flower can hear.] I think she might be the one who's stuck.

[She raises her voice.] He's right--we don't wanna get stuck her, but are you trapped under there? If you know how to get out, we're getting really good at solving puzzles!

[recollecters]

Who the hell - wait, you're from that application?

[ why the fuck are you in the crypt. anyway, she stands up. ]

It's all fucking riddles, and I can't get to them from here. [ she gestures to the six crystal points around the flower. ] I think it's something to do with those. They all need to be facing outward - bloomed.

[adoringpast]

The app's the entire reason why we're here, so yeah.

[ he does look where she's indicating and tilts his head in confusion. ]

That seems pretty simple enough, so why so stumped over it? Do we need to move those by ourselves or are we supposed to activate something?

[doublesmall]

Little hard to do shit if you're stuck, kid. C'mon.

[and he just gestures for sena to come with as he heads to the closest point, inspecting it. more riddles, huh? fine. that's fine. at least it's not dancing skeletons.]

[eyestitch]

[So we're really doing this again, huh?

She starts backing away from the flower toward a different crystal platform, trying to keep her conversation with the prisoner going while also moving toward the puzzle.]

Hey, uh...no offense. We've had some really bad luck. [She eyes the sword.] If you get out you're not going to, like...

Stab us?

Right?

[recollecters]

Not if you don't stab me. [ like. she won't promise not to stab someone who attacks her first? she crosses her arms.

...probably she'd give her name if asked, but doesn't seem about to give it. she's frowning. ]

How did you even get in here? Who the hell gave you guys access?

[ it's more confused than accusatory. she's been in here two weeks without updates, although she seems...like she was stuck in a moment of time.

at the base of each crystal point is a dial with five flowers; it seems they'll have to twist all the dials so one of the points is facing up. there's a lotus, a rose, a daisy, a peony, and a daffodil on each dial. ]

[adoringpast]

[ sena goes over to where chuuya is examining the crystal points and spots the dials. all they gotta do is turn them up, right? seems easy enough.

... too easy. ]

The good doc back at the crypts gave two of us "Level 2 access", if that's what you meant. I'm one of those guys. [ holds up his phone ] Apparently you're Employee #32041.

[ so is she one of those retrospec scientists or a victim just like them? ]

[doublesmall]

A few groups of us got access to different places a little while ago. Sounds like it's pretty much a skeleton crew working, so-- we're helping out.

[he's just kind of talking over his shoulder while he investigates, here, considering-- six points and five flowers, so it's not one of each. maybe matching them to the one she's standing on...?

chuuya goes ahead and turns the dial on this one so the lotus is facing up.]

[eyestitch]

[Nui had the same thought, so she turns the nearest dial to "lotus" as well. What a bad riddle if it's just making them all match, isn't it? she thinks. Finally feeling like it's fine to turn her back on the girl in the flower, she'll make way to the second dial near her and do the same.]

Yeah, only two real employees keep showing up, you know? Something really, really bad happened with reality, so it's just the doctor and Maurice.

You know, the intern!

[STOP PICKING ON MAURICE HE'S DOING HIS BEST.]

[recollecters]

Wendy Guo. [ also, the crystal chuuya moved the dial for is now glowing, and the petal "blooms".

wendy can't reach the dials, so presumably that wasn't helping her with her escape attempts. ]

Wait, which doctor? [ there's more than one and she has no idea which one is in charge. who would even think to call in these guys? ]

[adoringpast]

[ turns the other dial nearest him towards the lotus too! ]

Doctor Mahoney. For some reason she looked older now the last time we checked in at the crypts, even though she looked much younger the first time we met her.

[ and finally turning the last dial towards the lotus as well. that should do it. ]

[doublesmall]

[honestly a fair thing to wonder, wendy

anyway i think that was 5? but chuuya will help if they haven't covered them all and get the last; if his glowed and nui's crystals didn't, though, he has a feeling there's more to it than matching them all to the same thing.

still, it's a starting point!]

I mean, she is working on time and space shit, it's probably related-- doesn't make it any less weird, though.

[and with a glance back to wendy:] So are you part of her department? She didn't mention anyone being stuck around here.

[eyestitch]

[She scowls when only Chuuya's lights up and stomps back over to the first crystal she examined. Which actually is a bad idea because it really hurts her beaten-up legs.]

What gives? [She mutters to herself, bending over to examine the dial.] It's not like they can spell anything...they can't be different numbers...

Hey, Wendy! [Waving her hand like she's asking a question in class.] One more thing! Is there a question or something that goes along with this riddle?

[recollecters]

Oh. Mahoney would ask you guys. [ that's fine, then...but: ] I'm not a Technician.

[ anyway...there is one more step after all the crystals light up and the petals bloom:

the crystal shatters, and wendy freezes, scanning the area, before her eyes narrow. she draws her sword in one movement and is immediately jumping off the platform and over towards nui to slice at the air. assuming no one tries to slaughter her, they'll find this guy appears where she aims, blood dripping from a cut. ]

I'm Security. And I hate these guys. [ so she will help you kill the thing dead, apparently. what he does is illusions and slicey hands, so. ]

[adoringpast]

[ GODDAMMIT of course there's gonna be some sort of boss battle after this.

he also grabs for his sword, but hesitates. this isn't like the ninjas from the main hall where they can easily manipulate them, so this is gonna be one heck of a fight and he's not really prepared? how do you avoid its hands, though?

anyways, maybe attacking it from behind will help. so while wendy is doing the coolest job so far, sena will circle round this guy, checking if it has a weak spot on its back or something. ]

[doublesmall]

[staying behind it is definitely a good plan, but chuuya has another suggestion here, just to make a point after sena's done a good job being careful:]

Hey, model boy, does this look underground to you?

[you know what you doing. take off every bombs.

chuuya, for his part, draws his knife with a grin; this looks more interesting, now that there's 1. another fighter here, and 2. there aren't fifteen of this fuck.

the goal here is to try to dart in close and make contact, see if he can slow this guy down-- he's not sure how much he can actually affect it, but hey, one way to find out.]

sorry about my last tag i got confused re: the dials working

[eyestitch]

[Nui definitely thinks that Wendy is coming over to stab her, so she flings herself back with her hands raised...not like there's anything she could do to stop it. When the monster appears at the end of Wendy's blade, she is briefly, momentarily grateful. Wendy is now her favorite company employee.

The KUMA riot shield is definitely up now, and close to Wendy still, should she need the protection. Though whatever damage she does will be weak, Nui is eyeing the gaping maw in this guy's stomach.]

No offense to this guy, but it looks like he can't move all that well...If we wanted to blow him up, we could probably get out of the way past me.