I honestly don't know what to do now that Oni has quit. I'm kinda stuck in a scene that's... Really dumb, with a bunch of cryptic shit that doesn't make sense and no simple solution? Like, do they still have to solve the puzzle? I don't want to just write a post that's like "OH BUT IT TURNS OUT JACK ISN'T MAGIC SO THEY ALL ESCAPE" or shit like that because that's really cheap, but there's not really a way to 'play' the game now that there isn't somebody to make it make any sense. Should we just turn Jack into an NPC?
The Mycologist smiled, giving a friendly bow to the Pianist, as well as the two kind gentlemen who had apparently taken up the invitation alongside himself. "The Correspondence. The key to Mr Stones' vaults, the language bats speak, the mathematics of Hell. I did my research, madame." With a pleasant smile, he pressed his thumb down as well. "Let us get this started... I take it at least one of these tasks involves fungi, or maybe..." he sniffed the Neathy air, and leaned in to whisper only to the Pianist. "The Sun." A small light flickered in his eye, imperceptible to all but those well-versed in the many deadly obsessions of the Neath.
"Would you believe that I have yet to see a single d--ned Blemmigan? I thought I was coming down here to further my research!" This was, of course, entirely untrue. His reasons for descending were entirely more esoteric than simple scientific curiosity.
Name: Alexandre Streye Age: 32 Physical Description: The Mycologist is not a physically intimidating man, by any stretch of the word. Rather, he is a gaunt and frail academic, rather shrimpy in comparison to even the average citizen of the Surface. To make up for this spindly and weak demeanor, he dresses in very exotic clothes, shipped from far off lands... Including the more interesting regions of the Neath, such as Khan's Heart, or even Port Carnelian. He delights in finding new and exotic hats, especially.
The most striking thing about the Mycologist is the colour of his skin: At a glance, it appears tan, like any person who has spent their days on the shores of the Surface. However, with closer inspection, his skin takes on a certain... Glow. Not necessarily in a tangible way, but definitely in a noticeable sense: In the darkness, even pitch black, it is still possible to see him. His body heat, as well, seems far greater than that of the average man. If asked about it, he will likely laugh and brush you off, before recording your name amongst those he no longer trusts. Personality: The Mycologist is a rather jovial man in most dealings, quick to laugh at even the darkest of humours. His laughter, they say, lights up the room. Perhaps it's just an idiom, perhaps not. Who can say?
In all honesty, the Mycologist is a perfectly respectable man in his social actions, kind and cordial in all things. Except during the night time. Oh, how he hates the night time, it makes him shiver and shake with anger at the thought of all that darkness and gloom... Why hide in the shadows what could be brought into the light?
On most days, the Mycologist seems a bit scatterbrained, going through his research into the fungi of the Surface and of the Neath. He dreams to someday see the great Uttershroom and document the beauty of the Blemmigan homeland for himself. Ethics/Beliefs: The Mycologist is a man very firm in his beliefs, which are in all honesty, rather ill-defined. The most notable is his love of the nature of the Neath, from the fabled Dark-Drop Coffee Bean to, yes, the native Blemmigans. He would never do anything to harm the fragile (is it fragile? So hard to tell, with the Neath...) ecosystem of the lands below.
The other strong belief he has is his love of the Sun. It's not often explained, and he seems quite embarrassed when it slips out, but he absolutely believes that the light should shine eternal. Occupation/Talents: He is a Mycologist, an academic of a fungal persuasion. He studies mushrooms. In terms of talents, he has a strange innate connection with light... And heat. Heart's Desire: THE SUN. THE SUN. THE SUN. History: The Mycologist was not always the way he was now. He was once a timid, cowardly man, hidden away below the decks of ships sailing the seas of the surface, looking for new and interesting fungi to document. He was honestly quite unappealing as a man, and as a scholar, his work was viewed as pointless and disgusting. All that changed on a fateful voyage around the Mediterranean.
As they came ashore one fateful night, they came across a... Crack, in the ocean. A cavern, seemingly out of both space and time, leading to somewhere deep below. Unbeknownst to the captain, crew, or Mycologist, this was the crack in the Surface above the Unterzee island of Aestival. It was a strange place, dark, but also bright. And that was where the voice spoke from. It said few words, or rather, exactly two words over and over again: "THE SUN. THE SUN. THE SUN. THE SUN. THE SUN." The Mycologist did not know it then, but these were the words of the Dawn Machine seeping into his head, infecting him with it's... Ideas. Messages. Meanings. And from then on, the Mycologist was forever changed, no longer himself, but rather an unwitting vessel for the will of the Dawn Machine.
Luda shook her head, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Time slowed down, and... A 'challenge' had been issued? And now the building was on fire and... Holy shit. Tough Love narrowed her eyes at Jack, wondering how this situation had escalated from dine-and-dashing to an arson-mass-murder combo. "Now you listen here, Prancing Ass, and you listen good. You say we need to stand on our lonesome? Well guess what, you shit-for-brains... You're in the building too." She upped with her foot, embedding it well into his gonads, then pulled her foot back down, causing his bruised nethers to emit a pleasant squelch/slurping noise. "Honestly, you didn't think this through at all, did you? If we win, you're stuck in here to burn and die like a moron. Moron." She spat at him. "And you, other dickweed, What the fuck did you THINK would happen when you broke a reality warper's arm?" She glared angrily, but decided not to give him a similar kick, considering he, despite his brutish methods, had been correct: This guy was a goddamn psychopath. "Honestly, if it wasn't for the threat of innocent death, I'd be out of her already, and you'd both be bathed in flame. But..."
She turned to Jack again. "What constitutes an innocent life? A bystander? A noncombatant? Because if it's a noncombatant... I think I'm about to claim an innocent life RIGHT NOW." and with that, she angrily lunged at the poor, dancing bastard.