open Into Limbo: Worlds Collide

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Illiad Easle @Starforce

As they continue down the basement, they'd find themselves in a sticky and humid situation.

The place was filled with the magical purple mist from outside. It seems the reason why the first floor of the building wasn't filled with this kind of mist is because it all went down the basement.

Again simply touching the mist gives a small amount of magic relief, while inhaling it gives quite a boost to ones magic energy. The problem is that things that are good to be true ARE good to be true....

The group could either continue down and deal with the purple mist some how or leave the place alone for now.

 

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Starforce @Kujamih

Sticky, Humid, and full of the strange mist? Blu wasn't going in there. If the mist was dense enough to settle downward it indicated that whatever component that made it purple was either vaporous, and unlikely water, or gaseous, and heavier than air. He shook his head once he saw it. "I'm not going down there until we know what exactly this fog is made of. Could be noxious swamp gas for all we know."

He sat down at the top of the stairs leading down to the basement, opening up the Kernel to take out a small vial, which he would use to try and collect a small amount of the mist. "I can have the Kernel analyze the mist, which will take about an hour or two, but that won't tell us if there's a magical component to it." He looked over at Dusk, "Do you think you could check for that?"

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Illiad Easle

As Blu tried to get a sample, he'd noticed that the mist was acting weird. As he got close, the mist seems to gravitate towards him slowly.

Because of Blu's overly cautious behavior, he would successfully grab a sample without the mist touching him.

Although Blu had been already in contact with the mist before from outside, it seems this mist from the basement is more thicker... And humid that a haze could be seen below, hence him not wanting anything to do with it.

Since Blu was able to use basic magic and had a feel about it. He himself can feel that weird tingling sensation when using magic from that mist. 

 

@Starforce@Illiad Easle

Dusk could easily tell that the mist has magical properties. If she and Blu could recall, the mist actually replenished quite a bit of their magic when they first encountered it, especially when inhaling it. But of course no one knows yet if this mist gives a side effect.

As Dusk tries to cast her detection spell the mist would react quite intensely. As soon as Dusk release the spell she casted, the mist would quickly gravitate towards her, as if the mist was going to attack her. Since she was about to cast her spell and the mist was moving quite fast, she'd be open and vulnerable at this state, unless some one intervenes.

As the spell hits the mist, the spell casted would become a stronger version and would give too much information to dusk that one can't comprehend or understand. Not only that, since the spell was amplified, the info given to Dusk would also get amplified. Thus depending on how Dusk handles it, a very distracting and probably a painful feed back would hit Dusk. Hence one of the reasons that Dusk have no time to handle the creeping mist heading towards her.

It seems the mist is attracted to magic or magical creatures.

 

 

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Kujamih @Starforce

Blu would quickly retreat from the mist upon seeing its reaction to Dusk's spell, closing the Kernel to keep it safe. Once things were calmed back down he shook his head, "That was certainly unexpected, it seems to react to magic like flammable gas to a flame. I'm tempted to call it magic kerosene."

Once the shock and fear wore off he turned his attention to the small sample of it he had, "You know, in small amounts this could be very useful, a little boost to one's magic. But all that all together is just asking for trouble. A small spark spell could easily blow up the whole castle."

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@-Buttercup- @Illiad Easle

As Dusk tries to escape from the pain that her spell has caused, she wasn't able to evade the mist that snucked in and inhaled by her. 

Because of this, the mist has aided her and the pain was easily subdued. Also, the mist in some way helped her to be able to translate a few of her spells information.

" ...energy... Power.... Addiction... Danger..." Are the words that's been floating to her mind.

The pain would immediately be cured within just a minute, and Dusk would be fine....for now.

Since her exposure to the mist Dusk could only ponder the possibilities of this mist... Will she be tempted by power and corruption? Or will she fear it instead?

( Please tell me if the kernel is done analyzing the mist.)

[Additional knowledge]

It seems the mist on the basement is more active and concentrated than the ones outside.

As they backed away from the basement. They'd end up bumping to Mr. Bear, which seems to have been able to enter the castle.

Mr. Bear would grunt towards Blu and Dusk, as he was a bit displeased for leaving him behind.

 

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Kujamih @-Buttercup-

(The Kernel will take about an hour to finish analyzing, you can have it make a sound when enough time has passed, then Blu will be able to get the details when he next opens it up.)

Blu was a bit surprised to see the bear again, he had assumed it would lose interest and leave by now, but ultimately he didn't pay the bear much mind. "It seems it can be interacted with physically. With enough wind we should be able to just blow it out of the basement, maybe into the ravine we crossed over? But so long as it stays in the basement we should be able to leave it alone until we find a solution."

He thought a moment, "Maybe we could translate the shield spell into a rune? If we put that at the entrance of the basement, the mist approaching should be enough to activate it, keeping it from leaving. Do you think that would work?"

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Illiad Easle @-Buttercup-

Blu made a very clever idea to put a rune on the basement entrance. This way the mist would be trapped there forever whenever it activates the rune, in addition it would continuously supply energy for the rune, making it last until all the mist is drained out. But of course... If placed too near the mist, it might over power the spell and cause another unknown haywire and unpredictable outcomes.

It seems that Dusk has taken an interest on the unpredictable purple mist...

Is addiction to the mist kicking in? Or is it just Dusk's curiosity and desperation to find answers?  Only time will tell....

As time passes by the kernel is able to gather information, as much as it could.

It seems that the kernel could not identify some of the chemicals or elements mixed within the mist as it would put on its text " unknown substance." But there was one thing that cought Blu's attention on what the kernel did detect....

It was a large amount of stimulants, and the most abundant in it is amphetamine.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Kujamih @-Buttercup-

Blu looked at the results of the analysis in surprise, "Well shoot, didn't expect that." He looked over to wherever Dusk was, "So, not only is that mist reactive to magic, it is super full of drugs. Good thing we've been able to avoid it. Plus it has some unknown component, maybe the magic, maybe something else, definitely not good for you."

Following what he had been taught from the book on how to place runes, Blu did so at the top of the stairwell leading down to the basement to cover the doorway. Given the mist settled downwards, and wasn't all over the floor of the main level, the mist could be no higher than below the top step, so it shouldn't be coming into contact with the rune yet. He wasn't too concerned with overcharging it, given it should simply result in a stronger shield.

Once the rune was in place there wasn't much else for him to do with the mist, "I'm going to head to the library, all that empty space should be good for practicing runes."

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Illiad Easle @-Buttercup-

As they head to their destination, they'd be greeted by an empty Library. The tables and chairs are either covered in dusts and webs or broken and unkempt. The bookshelves either empty or toppled. The worst nightmare of a bookworm.

further exploration of the place would greet them to an area without a door but beyond it is a bottomless pit leading into darkness.

it seems this was once a hidden area that has already been discovered, or a trap that has already sprung.

this would give caution to our adventurers that there still maybe treasures to discover in this place .... Or another trap to be sprung...

 

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Kujamih @-Buttercup-

12 hours ago, Kujamih said:

The bookshelves either empty or toppled.

(Assuming an exclusive or, meaning that the toppled bookshelves are not empty)

Blu raised an eyebrow at the apparent laziness of the crew that had been tasked with cleaning out the castle, they hadn't even bothered with the books that were inconvenient to collect? He would attempt to lift one of the toppled shelves to see how difficult it would be to get any of the trapped books out. While it was statistically unlikely that any given shelf contained the books on magic they were interested in, depending on how many toppled shelves there were compared to empty ones, there might be a good chance that a non-zero number of books on magic or some other useful topic were present.

If the shelf proved too heavy for him to lift individually, he'd leave it alone for the moment, investigating the supposedly bottomless pit, the presence of which gave him pause enough to reconsider how lazy the recovery crew might have been. They may well have been chased off, and thus could be forgiven for only grabbing what was convenient in their escape. He would look for a loose piece of rubble, like a stone, to toss into the hole, counting seconds to see how deep it actually was. If he didn't hear anything after 20 seconds he'd back away from the hole, otherwise it would depend on when he heard back. It could well be that same mist simply hiding the bottom.

"Very interesting, why would a castle like this need a hole? It's not like they've installed elevators, certainly not one this large, for a castle this short."

If he could lift the bookshelf, or if he and Dusk together could do it, he'd start going through any books they could find, sorting them into useful and not.

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Illiad Easle @-Buttercup-

(The hole is based on the episode "Inspiration Manifestation" where spike almost died from the trap hole...tsk..)

Dusk was able to clean the whole Library in a matter of minutes, without breaking a sweat. This might be because she had a dose of the purple mist, or her great passion for libraries.

As the place is more clean and presentable, the group has a better and nicer view of the place. It seems that there were some books left in the castles library... But most of it were either heavily damaged or just garbage now. 

As for lifting back the bookshelves. Mr. Bear would notice that Blu and Dusk are having a hard time doing the task, so the bear ended up helping and was able to do the job quite fast.

Now the place looks like a proper library.... An empty one.

As they were disposing the dust and rubble to the hole, they played and tested out the place. Blu would test out the depth of the hole by throwing a pebble in it. But sadly no noise came out of it.

Dusk threw a lot on that hole as well, and yet none.

Must be really deep or something strange is down there.

As their curiosity ran dry from the bottomless pit and back to the empty Library, something cought their attention.

At the center of the library appears to be a book on top of a table, a well preserved and clean one.

 

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Kujamih@-Buttercup-

Blu wasn't convinced that the hole was bottomless, perhaps there was something at the bottom that prevented the sound from coming back to them? Still, it wasn't like he intended to jump down it any time soon.

When he saw the book that had not been there before, he was immediately on guard, "Alright, this is obviously a trap. Question is, who set it?" He would turn to the other universe Twilight, "You didn't find that pristine book and set it on the table did you? Think you can scan it and see if it's cursed or something?"

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Illiad Easle @-Buttercup-

As Dusk tried to scan the book, her spell did not detect anything ominous or dangerous from it, it did leave a trail of magic residue, but not enough to track the casters location. 

The book was titled "Metal Bending: higher level for earth magic."

The book itself was made of metal, from the case, paper and thread, all metal. The weight is as heavy as any ordinary book.

Who ever made this must've been an expert at metal magic as the craftsmanship of the book is quite good. In addition, the book hasn't rust at all and magic to make the metal light is sure at play here.

This may be a blessing for Blu, this could help him make his preferred weapon, or a deal with the devil, that may one day be regretted upon.

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Kujamih@-Buttercup-

Blu was, or course, still very suspicious. Even if the book itself weren't cursed, someone had to have put it there, and they no doubt had their own motives. There was no way to tell if those motives were tangential to his own. Still, if it wasn't cursed, they'd likely have some time to look at it before any physical traps could be sprung. "Here, I'll use the Kernel to take pictures of it while casting a shield, in case it explodes or something, and you can turn the pages from a safe distance. Then, once we've got pictures of all the pages we won't need to worry about the book itself."

He wouldn't proceed unless Twilight 114A agreed, he'd also go along if she had a better plan to get the info out of the book.

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Illiad Easle @-Buttercup-

Both ponies were interested at what the book has to offer, but still in doubt even after detecting the book for anything ominous. Either they're overly cautious or doubt their own ability.

As they burden themselves to uncover the knowledge of the book, time would pass by. 

 

They'd successfully gain the knowledge of the book, but at what cost? Time? Time is all that is needed for a proper execution of events to unfold.

Even though they have learned the books knowledge, it doesn't mean they can perform it instantly and without flaws. Again, theories can help but practice is the key to mastering the arts.

( Blu and Twilight can practice or perform  very basic metal magic for now. Learning earth magic would help too, but it seems there isn't any tools neer by to teach you about that skill yet.)

But their celebratory achievement for learning metal magic would be cut short as a loud explosion could be heard below. And it seems the bear is no where to be seen.

 

Edited May 14, 2022 by Kujamih

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Kujamih@-Buttercup-

Blu would turn at the sound of the explosion, "I doubt that's a good sign." Before leaving the library, he would set the Kernel to analyze all the images they had taken of the book, maybe it could come up with new connections that they wouldn't on a first read through. At the very least, it would be able to summarize the knowledge contained by removing any unnecessary filler text that academic types so enjoyed adding.

That done, he would head off, cautiously, towards the sound of the explosion. He didn't realize or care that the bear had disappeared, as he hadn't much cared for the bear's presence to begin with.

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Illiad Easle @-Buttercup-

As they search for the cause of the explosion, Blu and Twilight would notice that there's purple fog crawling through the floor. At first, caution would be their immediate reaction as they know that these things are still dangerous.

But knowing them, they'd easily notice that this specific mist is not as thick and heavy as the one on the basement. This one is more light and few, the same as the one from outside. 

They'd notice that the fog's quantity increases when they head near the basement and near the entrance of the ruin.

The group needs to properly decide their next action as their situation seems to be quite dire. 

Edited May 16, 2022 by Kujamih

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Kujamih@-Buttercup-

Blu would be especially cautious given the mist was now coming up through the floor, "Might be best if we just left. It's not like there's much here that we could use anyway."

He considered going back to the throne room for more armor pieces, but figured it wouldn't be good to over encumber himself if running away from the mist became necessary. "We should go back for that strange pony though. It wouldn't be right to leave them unconscious in danger. But once we have them we should leave, find somewhere else safe. I've got enough metal for us to practice until we can get more, and I doubt it would be too difficult to get more anyway."

With that he'd head back to the throne room and see if the strange pony was still there.

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Illiad Easle @-Buttercup-

They've decided to save the shark mare fly thing and started to gallop towards the stairs leading up. As they reach the place, apparently the hybrid mare is still there sleeping...and snoring. As the group went near and tried to pick her up, they'd here someone slowly but heavily walk up the stairs, maybe it's Mr. Bear?

They wouldn't have time as they would see who made the noise from below.

It looks like it has also spotted you. It soon lumbers it's way to the stairs where you are at as it seems it wants to give chase to you.

But it seems the creature is in no rush, an slowly climb up the stairs with it's front limbs... As if it was crawling...

Edited May 17, 2022 by Kujamih

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Kujamih@-Buttercup-

If Blu were not currently facing a dire shortage of bullets, he'd have dumped a full clip into the monster coming up the stairs behind them.

As it were, he wasn't going to use any of his six remaining bullets on a creature that may be immune to them. To his credit, he did not freeze when confronted by danger, simply moving faster to the window that the shark pony had tried to jump out of earlier, "Right, giant magic monster on the stairs, everyone out the window."

If the distance out the window was less than 20 feet, and there was enough clear space at the base of the wall, Blu would dangle himself out the window and drop down, rolling away from the castle to save his legs from the full impact. If it were higher than that, or there wasn't clear space to drop onto, he'd turn to Twilight 114A, "You think you can lift or teleport us out of here?"

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Illiad Easle @-Buttercup-

As Blu checked the drop he'd approximately guess it to be 2 stories high... But luckily there's a tree that could catch their fall, and there is that purple mist from outside... Which is quite fewer than before when they were outside.

Twilight's conditions were met, that teleporting outside was much more safer than getting trapped inside the castle with their now disfigured friend. 

As they teleported outside. The purple mist reacted weirdly and moved erratically. It didn't try to merge with them this time though... It just started to clump up together and started to become one solid lump, then puff!

It became a bat like purple sharp edged bat thing.

It screeched as it forms into life, as if it was in pain.

It starts charging at both of you.

Since it was made from the purple mist turned to life, it might still be attracted to your magic.

 

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@Kujamih @-Buttercup-

Blu would take off running as soon as Twilight wasn't holding him anymore. He was a bit miffed that he had been picked up without warning, but begrudingly accepted that it was the safest way out of the castle.

As it pertained to the bat mist monster, it being attracted to magic would make this easier. He used his magic with a glove to hold the closed case containing the Kernel by it's handle, thus if the bat were attracted to magic it would head either for him or the glove, and in either case it would be easy enough to hit with the Kernel's case, hopefully breaking it up enough for them to keep running.

If using magic only seemed to make it worse, he'd stop, and simply run, covering his mouth and nose so as to limit how much of the mist he breathed in.

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Illiad Easle @-Buttercup-

The creatures would puff out of existence when hit by the kernel. But their victory would be replaced with frustration as the mist yet again reacted to Blu using his spell. Yes the creatures where attracted to the magic which made them easy targets, but the mist as well got attracted to that magic. As soon as it made contact, the small amount of mist started to react once more, but this time it became some kind of small creepy crawlies ( consisting of spiders, bees, centipedes and worms.)

Those too were attracted to them same as the mist, and is scurrying towards you. Also the bear roars from above and could be seen peaking out of the window attempting to give chase to you as well, which given time could destroy the window and it falling towards them.

(It seems that depending on the spell you casted upon changes how big the life form it gives life to and only if the mist made contact with your magic.)

 

Edited May 18, 2022 by Kujamih

[Illiad Easle 3,139]

@-Buttercup- @Kujamih

Well it had been worth a shot. Blu secured the Kernel along with the metal he had scavenged to his back so that he wouldn't need magic to carry it, then continued full speed ahead to the bridge they had crossed to get to the castle. He would have called out, but that would risk the mist getting in to his mouth, and he'd rather not. Besides, Twilight was no doubt smart enough to learn from his experience to not use magic going forward, and simply run like their lives depended on it, which they very well might.

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Illiad Easle @-Buttercup-

As the group rushed for their escape, they where able to run across the stone bridge. But as soon as they did, Twilight would feel a gentle bite on her neck. It would drain quite a bit of her energy. She would notice that the mare shark was the one who did the deed.

Surely enough, Twilight would try to fend herself of as well as Blu to assist her.

The shark would leap off of twilight and land near the bridge.

This delay would help the mist creatures close in the gap and would be at the other side of the bridge.

The shark mare would turn her back at you and start to lift both her front hooves and slam it on the stone bridge.

*SMASH!*

not only did the bridge crumbled and exploded. The earth shook as well. Some of the debris were able to crush the flying mist creatures while the others fell to the cliff.

The rest of the mist creatures can only lurk on the other side staring menacingly to them with nothing to do but fade at the back ground.

As the spectacular event ends, the shark would face both of you once more and bow towards you.

" I would like to apologize to both of you for my rude behavior... Especially to the mare who I have bitten. My birth name is Shallow Shade, I hope you could forgive me..."  The mare shark gracefully and diligently said while bowing, as if she was some kind of noble.