castaside | [Heart Game] From the ashes we can build

Not a single thing. There is nothing. The entire place is still and quiet. No other objects flying around.

The staff stands there, waiting.

All right.

He will move close to the staff. Still looking around.

Pooookes the staff and jerks back in case the staff is also lava.

The staff doesn't move, doesn't wobble, don't anything. It just stands there. You get the physical sense that you're poking an immovable wall rather than a staff that's balanced on the ground.

"Well, at least its not lava," he said. Pushing the staff some more and yeah.

Yeah, that ain't moving.

"I'm guessing this is a monkey thing?" He calls over to the elevator.

"Me and Monkey King can move it! And the gauntlet lets you too!" MK said pointing at the ground. He looked over at Monkey King.

"You want it or me? Or should we just toss the gauntlet?"

"I already have two different staff options," Donnie said, flying back over to the elevator. "I can bring you over though so we don't trigger the trap again."

"You're probably overthinking it, turtle kid. MK can get the staff and I'm keeping an eye out for more of those shard things."

Wukong was also debating the filling of the hole. They had many options between them. But who's to use, and which?

"Alright. You got it," MK nodded and held out his arms for Donnie to pick him up.

"Let's get the staff. Then fix the hole. Figure out what we wanna put there," MK said with a nod. They had a plan.

"You want to risk more holes?" Donnie asked. Maybe the trap won't trigger again.

OR MAYBE IT WOULD.

And then its more holes to fill.

Donnie grabs MK and then lifts him like he's a couple of grapes. "Besides, its not hard," he said, giving a bit of a yank up to wrap arms around MK's middle so he has easy use of hands.

Then going to hover MK on over to the staff for pulling.

"I might have something that can help with the filling of the holes. Autumn powers let us create rocks. We can probably keep them floating and move people around. So no one has to touch the ground. First things first," MK said.

He spit on his hands and grabbed the staff once he was in range. He pulled hard.

"Come back to daddy~"

When you touch the staff, you don’t get a memory. What you do get are echoing screams that startle you and are so loud that they hurt your now-sensitive ears. Covering them is a help, if you do, but it can’t block the screams out entirely.

Below the staff, where the hill just was, is Macaque, lying supine, writhing on the ground. The staff is jammed through his right eye which is trickling blood. Pull the staff out, and the trickle will become a gush.

In order to progress, you’ll need to yank the staff out. You’ll have to effectively, symbolically, kill him.

This is Macaque’s soul, of course. He won’t really be dying if you do this. But, as Macaque looks so real and his screams thunder through you, good luck telling yourself that.

Well, this is why we make noise cancelling headphones, now don't we? With the sudden loud noise, they shut off toe block out the sounds.

Well, as well as one can block out magical hearing, but it keeps him from flinching too badly, his arms tightening around MK and-

Oh.

Oh fuck.

No. NO! This...MK's eyes widen as he heard the screams. They can't be shut out. He stared at Macaque writhing and screaming under him. He couldn't turn off his hearing! He tried but it wouldn't cut out the sounds of those SCREAMS! MK's hands shook as he gripped the staff. He couldn't move. He could only stare. This was how it happened? This was how he died?! Screaming in pain and the staff had to come out. It had to.

Blood. There was blood everywhere. All of the blood. So much.

Tears fell as he started down at Macaque. It hurt. His ears hurt but his heart hurt more.

"I...I'm sorry!" He tried to cry back over the screams. He pulled the staff. He pulled it out.

"I'M SORRY!"

Just before the staff comes out, Macaque's screams plead with you not to. But they're screaming Wukong's name.

When the staff comes out, it's with a small spray of blood and viscera. And then the blood starts flowing, and Macaque's screams fade into stillness.

He remains on the ground after he bleeds out, his corpse's face going slack and turning so his one-eyed gaze is locked on the elevator.

Donnie sees the scene. Of course he does. He can't really look away from it.

But its a big thing. A horrifying thing. And its already thrown into the pit, a clattering of puzzles of unprocessed feelings, the sight Korone saw months ago. The feelings are too big, too great, and he cannot afford to shut down.

So he doesn't.

He looks at the situation.

He looks at what he can do.

And he does it.

As MK pulls, he pulls back, an arm wrapped around his middle still, but the other moves up to cover MK's eyes. Spare him what little he can of this memory.

Re: Level C cw: blood, death

noodleboi - 2024-03-09 20:20 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Level C cw: blood, death

othellovonryan - 2024-03-09 20:24 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Level C cw: blood, death

retirementsnotsopeachy - 2024-03-09 20:50 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Level C cw: blood, death

othellovonryan - 2024-03-09 20:58 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Level C cw: blood, death, gagging

noodleboi - 2024-03-09 21:09 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Level C cw: blood, death, gagging

retirementsnotsopeachy - 2024-03-09 21:26 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Level C cw: blood, death, gagging

noodleboi - 2024-03-09 21:52 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Level C cw: blood, death, gagging

retirementsnotsopeachy - 2024-03-09 22:00 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Level C cw: blood, death, gagging

castaside - 2024-03-09 22:02 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Level C cw: blood, death, gagging

noodleboi - 2024-03-09 22:07 (UTC) - Expand

[ The screams hurt.

… But nothing hurts worse than seeing Macaque in such pain, writing in agony.

Korone pushes through and yeets herself to him, so fast she may as well have teleported, skidding to her knees by his side. ]

Sensei-!

No more shards fly out of the sky when you touch the ground. Macaque is laying there screaming WUkong's name, pleading with him not to... something. Yank the staff out, probably.

He doesn't appear to be comforted by your presence, sadly. This is the past. You weren't there, so he can't perceive you.

[ Even so, she tries to take his hand.

Maybe it's futile. She wasn't there — there's no going back and saving him from this, or changing it, or anything.

All the same, she can't just leave him. Not like this. The very least she can do is stay with him until he's gone. Then she'll get back up, and she'll keep fighting for his future. ]