Halloween Nightmare: Part I

[dreamposts]

✵ HALLOWEEN NIGHTMARE: PART I ✵

It comes without warning. A few nights before Halloween, when the moon is supposed to be full and bright, it suddenly blinks out and turns pitch black. Even the stars seem to be covered, casting a strange darkness all over Songerein. While the fae sense something unusual, the newly arrived people—the dreamwalkers—all suddenly fall over asleep as if struck by a curse. Thick, black fog covers the town and one by one their bodies glow bright before converting into dream energy and disappearing into their crystals.

Alarmed, the tapirs investigate, some plunging deep into the realm of dreams to try and find wherever they went. What they discover is something they had never seen before—a massive dreamscape rippling through the dimensions, one full of life, color, and sound. It's as if its own little world, unaware that a giant group has dropped in uninvited. Before the dreamwalkers can be too confused, the tapirs send out a message via their crystals:

Careful, Dreamwalkers! We don't understand what's happening, but you have entered an unusual dreamscape, one where everyone here believes this to be their own world. It feels unstable, to the point where if too much disturbance happens it could turn this entire place into a nightmare! One that could affect Songerein!

Good news is it looks like they're throwing a huge party, so maybe if you just have fun and help out, it will pass quickly and you can return. There's a strange barrier that prevents anyone from coming out of the dream normally...but, we'll figure it out! Just try and have fun, okay?

That might be a tall order for some, but there's little choice. Already everyone has been outfitted in appropriate costumes that serve as "disguises"—some more realistic than others—allowing them to blend in. So long as they follow along and don't cause any disruptions, the locals won't bat an eye. However, the moment someone behaves oddly, such as speaking of other worlds or not behaving in a "frightfully ghoulish" manner when expected, the locals will start eying them with suspicion and small cracks will start to form in various places, most notably the sky where are a large grinning moon watches over everything. Fortunately it will take quite a lot before things get dangerous, but care is needed.

Now, what kind of "dream" have they been pulled into?

I . HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL

The town is bustling and looking quite alive despite its rather monstrous and undead citizens. The architecture style is a mix of ye olde Victorian England and steampunk—with bones and spiders and a lot of sharp things, of course. There is a giant cauldron in the center that acts as a fountain, and while touching it won't harm anyone, drinking it might cause a few green, gassy, flammable hiccups and fire breath that goes away after a while. There is even an odd story going around about a crazy witch called Baba Yaga and many wonder if something strange will happen again like all the other years. For now it's advised for everyone to carefully explore while perhaps getting into the various festivities. It's their time of the year after all!

A. Costume Party. Everyone's in a costume and there are plenty of contests and parades for everyone to show theirs off. All are encouraged to do their best and act like whatever they're dressed up as, and some may even be pulled into random impromptu "acts" for fun. Cute little black cats with witch's hats will hop on their heads and drop some special candy as a "reward." What could be so suspicious about this? (Yes, this is the cursed candy mentioned in the official details.)

» BONUS: MAGIC THREADS. Some locals need a little help with their costumes and request special thread that can be harvested by the ghoul worms—an underworld version of the silkworm. However, getting to them can be a bit...tricky. The worms need to be scared out of their wits for them to spit out the thread. The next difficult part is capturing the thread and not having it all over one's face. There are also some rainbow spiders who produce colorful threads, but they need to be sweetened up before they'll pass over their hard work.

B. Beware the Food. Of course the food is to die for. No, really, be careful of the food because there's a high chance it's been cursed and will cause one or more of the following: 1) suffer severe food poisoning; 2) become an undead zombie; 3) turn into a ghastly toad; 4) have a Wicked Witch experience and turn into a puddle of goop to then become a slime monster. Except for the first one, these changes are all painless and will just make the affected feel funny for half an hour. For the food poisoning, drinking from the Cauldron in the center of town will cure it, but for those who don't want flame breath, creating a certain witch's brew could be concocted.

» BONUS: WITCH'S BREW: Gather the following items to create the special witch's brew that will not only cure the food poisoning but other maladies as well. Just need a few tails of newt, a couple eyes of mud guppies, and the nails of opossums. Fortunately there are quite a few stores that carry these items so no one has to harvest them themselves, though they are certainly welcome to. If buying, the payment requires five chocolate coins. The catch? All the kids have the chocolate coins so need to somehow get them. Maybe the trick-or-treating can help.

C. Jack-o-Lanterns. There are pumpkins everywhere and an assortment of activities to do with them. From simple pumpkin carving for decoration, to loading them into catapults to see how far they go, to avoiding flaming pumpkin heads flying around causing mayhem. But the real buzz is carving pumpkins for the newly "arrived" skeletons that have unearthed to join the populace. As part of a celebration these special pumpkins will be worn by the new skeletons so the more decorated the better.

D. Trick-or-Treat. Of course there is candy being handed out and thrown out to be passed to the younguns. Some adults may find a giant skull head full of various candies shoved into their hands so they can give them to any excited gremlins. Just beware, those little monsters are more than happy to pull a trick instead, so tricks are also fair game as long as they are eventually given candy. In fact, tricks and pranks are highly encouraged, to the point that some are throwing competitions. Should anyone try to withhold the goods, however...well, curses from children are the worst.

E. Candy Corn Golems. Some candy corn will randomly come together and transform into candy corn golems. They range from knee-high that can do little more than just do feeble punches and throw goop on people's legs to a towering ten foot monstrosity that is ready to launch candy corn missiles that explode into harder gunk that can completely imprison anyone. While some locals might find their presence a suitable chaotic ingredient, many don't as they have no idea how these creatures came to be as the usual hexes and underworld magic seem to have little effect. Yet they are susceptible to the dreamwalking abilities… Most will cheer when a golem is defeated, but some may become suspicious.

» BONUS: FIND THE SOURCE. Even though the golems can be taken care of, the more that only the dreamwalkers can destroy, the more unnecessary attention and suspicion is aroused. Best to figure out where to find what's creating them and put an end to it. Whispers of a "mad witch" and "crazy hag" can be heard and curiously, some of the smaller golems trundle down away from the main chaos through some small alleys. Following them will lead them to a strange house, the magic spilling out unnatural. There are drag marks and broom bits that are tinted blood red and inky black. Stray, tattered pages and black smears can also be found around the house. Attempts to enter the house result in being blown back into the town center cauldron, however as long as attention is drawn to the house then suspicion will reduce from the dreamwalkers.

II. GRAVE WEDDING

Just outside of town is a vast graveyard that stretches for a considerable distance, the madly grinning moon seeming to loom and be its brightest here. Although mostly consisting of graves, there are also large mausoleums and a dilapidated looking chapel. Many live within the graveyard and those not participating in the town's festivities are having their own little parties. There's even a wedding being held at the chapel. However, not everything is going well and a helping hand—connected or not—will be appreciated.

A. Haunted Wedding. What a spooktastic night for a wedding between a bootiful bride and her ghastly groom. The chapel may be old, riddled with holes, and look ready to fall apart at the slightest breeze, but it's the ideal venue for all wicked weddings. With the pews filled with other residents of the town, it looks to be a perfect celebration—until red-eyed goblins suddenly burst through the already broken windows and holes. Some of the guests are quick to fight back (with some thinking it part of the event), but these goblins seem stronger than usual. Anyone who is nearby will be asked to help and get rid of them before they really do wreck the wedding!

» BONUS: GOBLIN SEALS. No matter how many are defeated, more just keep appearing to take its place. A gravekeeper shouts out that they witnessed the goblins appearing near a dark corner of the cemetery, a place known to be heavily cursed and filled with hexes due to all the witches buried there. Those who investigate will find all the graves dug out and each one with a summoning seal inside. Fortunately they are easy to destroy by either casting magic or even chucking rocks to break up the symbol. Destroy them all to stop the goblins, but be careful as some will pop up in the process.

B. Grave Situation. The graveyard is considered as one of the largest neighborhoods with many finding their underground or stone mausoleum homes quite comfortable and even luxurious in some cases. As part of the Halloween prank, tombstones, grave markers, and even coffins have been moved around and the residents are not happy. They'll need help replacing everything, but be warned—some pranksters have gone beyond and boobytrapped some. Triggering the traps will produce sticky webbing, glitter paint, and "bloody" marshmallow slime (it's just dyed red).

» BONUS: HOSTILE NEIGHBORS. There are some undead and skeletons lying in their earthly beds and cramped coffins that will not take too kindly to being disturbed. They are quite aggressive and will outright attack anyone who comes near their homes, even if they aren't in the right place. They need to be restrained and it would be bad news if anyone is severely harmed or worse—destroyed. Careful examination will reveal a strange slip of paper with what looks like a hex symbol on their heads, and if removed they will pass out but return to normal.

C. Nightmare Graves. Some tombstones will have writing that will mysteriously change to words that will provoke those who read it and send them immediately to a nightmare. It could be something completely random or it could be personal with the severity also random. Some dreams will be reflected on the tombstone similar to the crystals while others can be entered via dreamwalking. In either case, the dreamer's body will be lying in repose in front of the tombstone, which will have a line of "Do not disturb" along with cryptic words related to the nightmare.

» BONUS: NOCTAERE. The longer someone stays in a nightmare, the greater the risk in either attracting noctaere into the dream and out into the dreamscape and for the dreamer to become a noctaere themselves. It could be a partial or full transformation, depending on how strong the nightmare and how sensitive the dreamer is. Dreamwalkers must help try to stop the change before it's too late by attempting to change the dream or calm the dreamer. But if the dreamer turns into a noctaere and starts causing havoc within the dreamscape, then they must be subdued physically with dreamotion abilities.

[Mod Note: This is Part I of our event! To look over the official details as well as ask any questions, drop them in the official Event Details post. While we prefer for threads to remain in the event log, players are welcome to take their threads into their own individual logs for personal organization. We only request players to comment to the event log with a link to it so that others can find them more easily!]

Comments

[noblegarnet]

[While her healing does absolutely nothing to stop the process of the gem taking over his limbs and face, it does apparently ease to the point where he can manage to hold back his cries of pain.

The group is apparently struggling to process what's happening, but one of the girls is bold enough to break past their collective dismay to answer the question: Citrine, her magical costume in oranges and yellows.

We've never seen th—

Before she can finish, the caped man has already drawn his sword, lunging forward and stabbing straight towards Mirai.]

[fatedmahou]

[She'll take something over nothing at least. Just when one of the girls was willing to tell her what she knew, she noticed the caped man coming at her. She stopped her healing for a moment, conflicted over the idea that if she stopped, his condition would only worsen faster. Out of nowhere, a staff showed up in her hands, extending long enough to block the sword.]

If we don't do something fast, he won't last. Please. If there's anything that can be done to help him, let me know. I cannot-- No. I will not let him die on me. [Not like everyone else.]

[Sadly enough, suddenly being attacked like this isn't exactly new for her. It was the way of life back home. It took her slightly by surprise, but for the most part, she was ready to react.]

[noblegarnet]

[The man lets out a high bark of laughter, not attempting to press past her defenses just yet.

You think I'll let him die?

Just as soon as Ferran's pain returns enough for him to writhe once more, Onyx's hand clamps down on his shoulder—and from it emerges a white glow that seems to soothe the pain just as Mirai's healing had. The young man's now-red eyes move vaguely in his direction even as the crystal continues to crack and spread, now overtaking his chest and legs.

After I've put in all this effort... don't be absurd. He will be here to the end.

Because Rion had deliberately saved his life, hadn't he? After Ferran had so willingly taken that shot meant to kill his guardian, he'd healed everything instead of simply letting him bleed out. Of course he wouldn't let things end so easily.

Either way, Onyx will not allow anyone to interfere. He aims a silver-heeled kick at Mirai to drive her back.]

[fatedmahou]

[She had a feeling that once she stopped healing, his pain would return, but she had no choice in the matter right now. Whoever this man was, his agenda was hard to piece out. One moment it seemed like he didn't care and the next he was helping him. Well, whatever. As long as Ferran was taken care of, it didn't matter how it was done so long as he'd be okay for the time being.

With her hard occupied by the sword, she had no way to stop the kick, sending her tumbling backward. She was fine. If a kick like that could down her, she wouldn't have made it this far. Peering up from the ground that she was lying on, pushing herself upward..]

If that's the case, then why are you stopping me from trying to help him? I don't care what you think of me or what you do, but saving him... [Gesturing over to Ferran as she pushed herself back on her feet.] That's what matters right now. If you truly intend on saving his life -- regardless of the reasons for doing so -- then stop picking fights with me and do it.

[It's a tone that Mirai didn't use very often. A stern, serious tone that was a far cry from her usual bubbly personality. While she figured it wouldn't be enough to make her point clear to the man, she was deadly serious about her claim to try to help him. She didn't normally give into anger like this, but if anything happened to Ferran because of this, she was going to be pissed.]

[noblegarnet]

[The golden-eyed man doesn't seem to be taking her very seriously, but then he rarely appeared in his Onyx guise without a smirk on his face. He holds his sword at the ready for any potential threats, but this time he remains by Ferran's side.

I think you're under a few mistaken assumptions, he says. This isn't fatal.

Ferran grits his teeth, shuddering as a spike of pain shoots through him only to be partly cooled by his guardian's magic. A rough-looking young man in blue, grasping his ornate crossbow so tightly his knuckles are white, spits an accusation at their foe.

Like making him suffer as your mindless weapon is any better, you bastard!]

[fatedmahou]

[She studied the man carefully, ready to fight if he attacked again. It wasn't until the other man spoke up that she finally said something.]

A mindless weapon...? [Looking back to Ferran, clearly bothered by this statement.] What do you intend on doing to him? How is this not fatal...? He's in pain right now.

[She made a sweeping motion towards him before directing her staff his way.]

Tell me... What is it that you truly want? Do you actually care for his safety or is he just some convenient tool for you to use and dispose of once he's no longer of use to you?!

[She's seen a lot of good Mahou and an equally astonishing amount of Mahou who only thought of their own selfish desires. This scenario wasn't exactly foreign to her, although she wasn't sure what to make of it just yet.]

[noblegarnet]

[Not everything painful is fatal, is it?

Ferran had no idea what to think about what Onyx was doing to him—not in this dream, and not back home. The man encouraged restraint when it came to using the corrupted powers that caused him pain, but he was the one who forced that state onto him in the first place...

Either way, it was clear he was meant to be used. Half of his face crusts over with gem, and a garnet-clawed hand reaches up to carve lines in Onyx's armored gauntlet as he feels his coherent thoughts fade.

I'm sure you're beginning to form your own opinions, the dark man says, evading the question with a practiced lightness of tone. I'm curious to see what you plan to do about it.

A wide sweep of his sword—a grand gesture, rather than any kind of attack—summons a number of crystalline monsters from the shadows, ranging from boarlike beasts with jagged teeth to long serpent creatures with edges honed like blades. For a few moments, they simply wait, as if to allow the group of teens to recognize the looming threat.]

[fatedmahou]

[She didn't like this man, but he was right about one thing. She had to do something if she had any chance of saving him. The problem was that she had no idea what she was dealing with or any possible ideas to save him yet. Turning her attention -- but not completely turning her back on him -- she observed the crystalline monsters.]

So what is your goal here? [She'll ask again, but then look to the others here.] And you guys... Where do you stand?

[She wanted to believe they were probably Ferran's friends, but after seeing Onyx and his lackadaisical response to this situation, she couldn't rule out that they were working with him.]

[noblegarnet]

[Unfortunately, despite the clear enjoyment Onyx seems to be getting from the exchange, Mirai won't get her answer. He simply lets out a brief chuckle before dismissing the question.

I'm not one for monologues.

The fact that Ferran still doesn't know what he wants to do with the gems after acquiring them is proof enough of that. His motives are still a mystery to the young man, and his dream can't explain what he doesn't know. But a girl with a cyan ponytail answers the second question as she keeps her eyes fixed on Onyx, her two daggers already drawn.

We have to stop him.

She's clearly ready to fight, and as the monsters draw closer, the few of the others who hadn't already moved into a defensive stance do so now. An older girl in yellow wielding a whip continues, the expression on her face a mix between frustration and grief.

If Ferran gets in the way, we... just have to stop him, too. For his own good.

The one in blue grits his teeth at the statement, though he says nothing in protest—and a few of the others don't look too happy about it either, but they all seem determined to follow through.

Ferran, Onyx says, tapping his ward's shoulder briefly before removing his hand. Ferran's own claws simply drop to his side again. See if you can't find out where that girl's power comes from.

The young man's blank red eyes focus on Mirai as the crystal creatures close in, charging towards the others to try to bash them with hard heads or slash their legs to leave them immobile. Mirai will be on her own against Ferran as he dashes forward himself, apparently no longer held back by the pain of the transformation.]

[fatedmahou]

[As frustrating as it was, feeling powerless wasn't a new feeling for her. She was not the type to give up so easily though. Seeing as the girl had weapons out suggested there might be some hope for them... maybe. It was hard to tell who was on what side right now. At least they seemed to be allies for the time being. She knew how fickle the word was. For now, she'll take what she could get and expect the worst to pass in an off chance that they turned on her.

Her attention was turned back to Onyx and Ferran upon hearing his comment to him. What did he mean? The boy mentioned something about making Ferran a weapon of some sort earlier... Even with the creatures attacking, the others seemed to have that handled for now.

She didn't have the time to address that with Ferran suddenly swiping at her though. Shit. Blocking his attack with her staff, she tried to think of something to handle this with. The transformation was getting worse. Just what kind was it? What could she even do about it?]

Woah! Hey! Ferran, please... It's me. It Mirai. We're friends.

[Okay, well, if she didn't know Ferran in her dream, there was a chance that he didn't recognize her.]

I'm here to help you. Please... We don't have to do this.

[noblegarnet]

[Despite her attempts to reach him, there's no further recognition in his eyes than before, and a few moments of struggling later, his other hand moves forward. However, it's not in an attempt to attack—instead, he tries to take hold of her staff with his claws, aiming to yank it out of her hands entirely if he can get a grip on it.

Finding out how her powers work doesn't have to include doing significant harm to her. Even in this state, he's aware of that much. And for whatever reason, Onyx hasn't tried to kill any of the others back home, something Ferran has taken note of a number of times. Even if he doesn't know his guardian's mind, the nightmare version doesn't force him into attempting murder... at least not yet. He's focused on those sources of power alone.]

[fatedmahou]

[As he tried to take a hold of the staff, she took a risky bet as her staff disappeared, giving her enough time to raise her foot to kick him away while trying to break free. Stumbling backward, she immediately swiped her hands in an upwards motion as numerous vines sprouted from the ground, quickly wrapping around him as if trying to restrain his moments.]

I'm sorry. I don't want to fight you.

[But she will if she has to. She still needs to figure out a game plan here.]

[noblegarnet]

[The disappearance of the wand turns his grab into a fruitless swipe, and he only has so much time to regain his balance from the kick when he's trapped by vines. Although they've gotten hold of him without trouble, the sharp edges of the stone are bound to cut through the plants eventually, as he strains to break free.

She might not have much time to come up with a plan, though, as the other magical fighters deflect of one of the crystal creatures, unintentionally redirecting its momentum—and its weighted blunt attack—towards Mirai.

Look out!]

[fatedmahou]

[Mirai had been too busy trying to restrain him that she didn't have enough time to react to the crystal creature ramming into her. Tumbling back to the ground, her magic held strong, but she was no longer maintaining any further magic to restrain him.]

[noblegarnet]

[The creature slams onto the ground after hitting her, breaking in some spots and leaving it unable to attack further, but it allows Ferran the chance to cut himself out of the vines.

He doesn't waste any time dashing towards her again once he's untangled, though all he'll end up doing if he gets close is take a hold of her with his claws and lift her. Even so, his sharp grip might not be reassuring...]

[fatedmahou]

[Damn it. It wasn't going to be enough and she still had no answers for this problem. Struggling to break free from his grasp, his sharp grip was the least of her worries right now.]

[noblegarnet]

[Despite how deeply his consciousness has sunk under the transformation, he gets the sense that this isn't the first time he's had a dream like this. One where he was ordered to fight someone he cared for, and where he took it upon himself to interpret those orders differently.

The longer she stays here, the more danger she's in. He knows that instinctively.

With a force that isn't merely physical, Ferran throws her—and what she crashes through isn't the glass of a building, but the fabric of the dream itself, forcing her back into the original dreamscape.]

[fatedmahou]

[She couldn't fight his grip, as much as she tried. Being through around wasn't something she wasn't used to, but to wake up outside of the nightmare and back at his gravestone...]

H-huh...? W-Wait... No! Ferran!

[She had to go back to save him somehow. But how would she do that when she had no idea how to achieve it? After examining the gravestone over for a while, she turned to his unconscious body, gently trying to stir him awake.]

Ferran please... Please answer me.

[What could she do? He wasn't responding and after seeing what had happened to him in his nightmare, how could she not worry. No amount of healing or anything of the sort seemed to be enough to stir him from his slumber. So she did the next best thing that she could. She tried to keep an eye on his unconscious body until he'd finally show signs of breaking free.]