fujimaru | Palace Game 6/3

[slapping a scented hanky over his nose, a gift from a certain momfriend. but even that only helps so much. the smell is so strong....

the sounds are a lot too, ears flattening as he starts forward, deeper in

looks through the ring again, hoping for more guidance]

There's no real path forward illuminated, but holding onto the ring does seem to mitigate the worst of the sensation of things staring. Not a lot, but there is the sense that it could be much, much worse.

[tries putting it on properly as he just shuffles onward]

Ritz? RITTTZZZ?

When he puts it on, some more of that feeling fades, though it still continues to get stronger as he moves deeper into the muck and blood.

After a few more seconds, though, something else cuts through the smell of old blood--a sharper ozone smell, like something burning through the worst of it and providing, at least for the moment, some cleaner air.

Off to the side, there is a man approaching. The blood around him crackles and hisses and burns away when in contact with the electricity that sparks around him, and he looks... actually pretty annoyed.

[who is this danganronpaass motherfucker i already got one of you to deal with i dont need another one

stops walking, holding firm]

The closer he gets, the more clear it is that he is deeply annoyed.

"You should turn back," he says. "This is no place for the living, nor the dead. The way forward is only struggle and suffering. To go forward is folly, and worse. Do you wish to die? Or worse than that?"

Skip all that. Where is she?

He raises an eyebrow. "Is that who you seek? My fellow sinner in all of this?"

Without actually waiting for the answer, he puts a hand to his face and bursts into laughter. It is not exactly what we could call hinged. "Kuhahahahahahaha!! Fool! Would you throw yourself into the sea of a thousand curses, a world built higher and more terrible than the accursed Château d'If? Is that what you wish?!"

[................idk what any of that shit means so

just gonna start walking pass him]

"You'll drown."

His voice is calmer now, coldly matter-of-fact.

"Continuing forward is certain death, fool. My fellow sinner is many things, including soft-hearted. Would you add your curse to the others she has accumulated?"

Won't curse her.

Someone has to go to her. She wants t'be rescued, right? Sinner whatever, she's my friend and she said she'd protect me. So I'd be a real piece of garbage if I left her hanging.

"Did she?" There's a sharper note in the man's voice, and then, without waiting for an answer, almost amused: "Of course she did. And of course she does. She is an ordinary girl, no matter what extraordinary things she accomplishes. She was not meant for any of this. Of course she wishes to be rescued from it."

M'gonna find her, mister.

There's a long pause, and then the man starts to laugh--quietly at first, and then with growing volume and intensity.

"Kuhahahahahaha! Very well! I shall acknowledge your desire, interloper! If you wish to dive into the very pits of hell to retrieve a single sinner's soul, then I shall loan you the strength you need!"

How's that?

"Do you think you could make it easily through his ocean? This is not some simple nighttime walk. This is Hell itself! The very worst that the dying and the resentful may throw at the living who outlasts them--"

There's a flicker, and he is suddenly in front of Ruggie now, standing in his path.

"--and if you have the courage to move forward, then I shall walk with you!"

You're so dramatic. This is why Ritz is how she is, ain't it.

Yer all terminally dramatic.

Sure, let's go together then.

Unfortunately, being part of the "Extra" classes means you are also Extra, and therefore in the best edgelord fashion, impervious to being called out even to your face about it. If anything, he seems amused at being called out. He only bows low, sweeping an arm out, an after-you sort of gesture.

Yeah yeah.

[moving on ahead]

Weirdo.

The man falls into step behind him, saying nothing.

In the silence after all of his dramatic monologues, Ruggie's ears are sensitive enough to pick up the sounds of more voices in the darkness: they don't appear to be whispers, but normal tones up to shouting, some louder than others--but all at some great, muffled distance, like maybe he's hearing fighting from a safe(?) distance. On a whole, though, they're all aggressive, angry.

At some point--it may have been a minute, it may have been an hour, time is strange here--something in the blood and worse sloshing around his feet makes a grab at his ankle.

[TRIES TO STOMP IT]

He succeeds, but it screams in a very human voice, a man's voice, which cuts off in a wet gurgle. Whatever it is under his heel, it's still thrashing, and in the glow that is cast by Mr. Edgelord, he can see what looks very much like a human hand break the surface for a second.

[gonna try something--his puppeting magic]

HANDS UP.

[lifts hands into the air and seeing how far and how many his magic reaches, if any at all]

There are

so many

so many.

He can lift the one that was under him, the hand and the arm and the start of a man's head, but if he tries to reach further and deeper, there are thousands of them, all just under the surface of the blood, which seems to be far, far deeper than the path he is standing on indicates. Not all of them are necessarily human, either; there are more who appear to be beastial in shape, and when he reaches out, it's like the distance between him and then is ripped away. They're all screaming, a cacophony of voices all at once.

[drops the magic]

THIS IS SO DRAMATIC HAVE SOME SENSE OF SCALE RITZ

[stomping ahead!!!]

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart

Re: the delights of a human's heart