[Whatever you were doing before—well, you aren't anymore. A blink later, and each person will find themselves in a factory. The scene is a wreckage, though: corpses of adults littered about, amidst scattered raspberries. There are various tools to be found, pieces and rods of metal lying around.
Immediately, two things might strike them. First, they're child-sized? Jan is going to be banned for turning you all into children in an 18+ game, but everyone will find themselves to be about 9-13 years old.
Second, they are alone. No one else from the base seems to be around... mostly. A few familiar faces can be seen (except they're also child-sized now? huh), standing nearby; however, they might wish this wasn't the case.
A man's voice will echo, and they will know that they can't get out of the situation he has demanded:
I will let just one of you live. We'll take that one under our wing.
If you want to be that one, you'll have to prove yourself. Prove yourself even if you must cut off everyone else.]
[Gu Yun will find himself facing against Emperor Li Feng and Sasazuka. Sure hope the former isn't a pacifist, because bitty him promptly throws a punch at Sasazuka, who goes down because he's a (bear) twink.]
anyway. it's not going to matter, though, because when gu yun blinks into this situation, he blinks into complete blackness.
because he sees nothing. the entire world around is black. there's no sound. there's nothing, just the pitch black void of a world that he wakes and sleeps to every day.
but, at thirteen years old, this is something that he's used to. it's been four years, now, and in those four years, he's learned. if he squints his eyes - if he looks, really forces himself to try, he can see faint outlines of human bodies. if he strains, forces, he can hear - scuffling. the sound of metal clanging, distant, muffled, faint. barely there.
at nine, his father threw him out to the courtyard and shoved a sword in his hand, put him in front of iron puppets - they never gave up. they never stopped fighting, no matter how exhausted gu yun was, no matter how much he roared at his father about it, i can't see!, it hadn't mattered. no gu will be a worthless child. the iron puppets fought, and fought, and now -
four years later, he's learned how to listen without hearing or seeing, at all.
he takes a step back where he's standing. there are two other people, neither one very big, roughly his size - he can feel the air moving when they step, swing - one punches the other. when he steps backwards, he can feel the floor vibrating under his feet when one hits the floor, like the belly of a great kite (there's machinery, here). there's a fight, right in front of him. he takes another step back, feels something touch his foot.
and the minute he does, gu yun sweeps down and grabs it, in his tiny, too calloused hand. he's always been a scrawny little thing, but the iron puppets don't care. they've never cared. they'll swing at you until you want to die. (either you will learn to stand up, or else find a place to hang yourself.)
the thing he found was a metal rod, of a decent enough size. it feels like a windslasher, but it's not warm enough to have any mechanism to it. that's fine. a dull one. he doesn't care. it will block, it will hit.
he doesn't know why he's fighting, right now, but gu yun's survival instinct digs in like iron nails and holds on for dear life - he lunges forward towards the first figure that's up (sorry, li feng!) and takes a terrifyingly powerful swing for a thirteen year old. ]
The blow connects with Li Feng's shoulder, as he lets out a cry of pain and stumbles back. Sasazuka, who is down but not out, takes this opportunity from his state on the ground to sweep at Li Feng's legs, knocking him to the floor.
Also, for poor blind Gu Yun's sake, Sasazuka also yells—]
Asshole!
[That's to Li Feng. Gu Yun is fine, except for the part where Sasazuka knows they're also enemies here.]
[Primrose will find herself facing against Therion and Tressa. While Tressa looks some mixture of confused and distressed, Therion immediately darts away to grab a piece of metal.]
[ Primrose is 13 and has seen some shit already and while a part of her balks at just how uncouth and savage this is and how they seem to want all these children to fight, suddenly...
Well.
She can't let herself die. Not now. Not when those men still also live, and although she finds herself trembling, Primrose flings herself at Therion with all her strength, aiming to get that piece of metal first. ]
[Darn you two characters with almost identical stats, but Primrose manages to beat Therion to it. Never let it be said that he doesn't act quick, though, as he darts away from her to try and find something else.
Meanwhile, there's Tressa!]
Hey, guys, can we... not?
[There is no pacifist way out of this, unfortunately, but at least Tressa made kind of an attempt.]
[Childe will find himself facing Zhongli and Endorsi. Zhongli promptly grabs a metal rod, but looks more like he intends to defend himself than bash someone's head in; Endorsi, meanwhile, lunges to tackle Childe with no hesitation.]
[((notes in writing that I'm cheating and making him 14 because jan is nice and said I could))
Haha!
Welp!
Even after months (days? years? no, it must be months, surely--), the Abyss is a mysterious place, and Childe wouldn't dream of claiming to understand every part of it. This doesn't look anything like what he's growing used to, but then, it wouldn't be the first time he's wandered somewhere he shouldn't go. Skirk encourages his curiosity, and hasn't let him die from it yet, so. If anything, this could be a test of hers. He doesn't recognize the man's voice, but that hardly means anything here.
The other boy--immediately, something's clearly different about him, that much Childe can tell. (Or maybe it's just the sight of human faces after so long without them.) But the girl is clearly fierce, brash, really, and he doesn't have time to ponder before he has to dive out of the way of her attack. Like this, with his memories of the base (and his near-decade of experience) robbed from him, he's unfamiliar with how Endorsi fights, but he's been learning. He's getting stronger. He can do this. He needs a weapon, though, something to use, he's been training--
--he scrambles to his feet, and dashes for the sharpest piece of metal he can find.]
[Endori's unrelenting, apparently without remorse for what she has to do in order to survive—hoping to catch him off-guard before he can adjust to having a weapon now, she goes for Childe again, aiming to knee him in the crotch.
Zhongli isn't far from the scuffle, rod still in his hands, but he seems to still be evaluating the situation rather than jumping in.]
[Vlad will find himself facing Douman and Meg. Douman, in his tiny clown glory, cackles at the situation, while Meg looks like she'd really rather not be here? Why is this happening?]
[This is where I sweat because how the fuck does one play Douman, I don't have Crystal's clown expertise.
But someone's gotta start killing, and I'm not going to make it poor Meg. Douman shrugs in a gesture that probably conveys, what can you do?—before he tries to punch Vlad in the face.
Meg, on the other hand, flees into a corner. Too bad they're locked inside with nowhere to run!]
[Primrose will awaken in an unfamiliar location yet again, but this time, she's back to her normal age, physically and mentally, albeit with none of her previous inventory on her. Any injuries she might've incurred earlier in her fight against Therion and Tressa are gone, though she sure is going to have to live with those memories.
She'll find herself in an early 20th century-style room, windows covered by curtains. It looks to be a study/living space of sorts: there's a desk near the window, with a string of men's laundry hanging there as well. There's a coffee table on a rug, a few couches surrounding said table, a wooden wall with chains and knife marks and blood stains, and a door. Just your average room!
Furthermore, she'll notice that she's... kind of hungry? How long has it been since she last ate? Well, it's probably fine.]
[ Oh. Well, she sure did murder kid!Therion and kid!Tressa, though she at least closes her eyes and quietly thinks...
Well, this may not be real. It's fine. Surely...
Yes, they can't be here. For now, she looks around, paying close attention to that Awfully Concerning wall and ignoring those hunger pangs for now. Can she move the curtains to look outside the room? ]
[Vlad and Childe will wake up together—Gu Yun and Primrose nowhere in sight—in a modern city that... Vlad will recognize to be Amity Park, actually! It might take a moment, as it's nighttime, casting everything in relative darkness.
... The very jarring part of this, though, is the people from Liyue. The fantasy-Chinese people are probably not familiar to Vlad! They will be to Childe, however, as they point and stare at him.]
That's the one, isn't he...? The one who tried to destroy the city...
Oh, back to this. [HE DOESN'T SOUND SURPRISED AT ALL though he's just frowning in confusion at their surroundings. Point and stare, it's fine, it's not his fault your god sucks.] But this isn't Liyue... [To Vlad:] Do you recognize it?
[Meanwhile, Gu Yun and Primrose will wake up in what Primrose will recognize as the streets of Sunshade, at night. For the most part, it will be as Primrose remembers... though one thing might be off.
At the other end of a street is a green-haired figure, and you can tell by the wild hair and short height that this can only be one twink: Sasazuka.
He, uh, does not look happy to see them. Too bad neither of them will have any idea why!]
[ well! this looks completely unfamiliar to gu yun, but it's likely just another illusion. spotting primrose, he gives her a quick smile and then moves to try and find their other companions... who are gone. gu yun's danger sense prickles up the back of his neck; he glances around the setting, for a moment, trying to get a feel for what the place is like, and it is upon being observant as humanly possible that he spots... ]
...Is that Sasazuka? [ hello?
i cant believe you're going to make me kill him again ]
[This time, they wake up in the ruins of a street at night, unfamiliar to them all. From the fog steps out a silver-haired man, his features returning to that of an ordinary-looking human as he slowly approaches.
They will get a vibe similar to that of the goat monster from him, but... not quite the same, either? Likewise, the man doesn't seem to recognize them at first; only after a few moments pass does understanding dawn in his eyes.
His gaze softens. He looks very sad, actually! He is sad for you and your shitty lives and everything you have been through and also, tbh, the shitty choices some of you have made. He's sad over everything. ðŸ˜
He also seems to be in literal pain as he clutches at his chest, over where his heart should be... which is visibly pulsing blue, for some reason.
When he speaks, they can identify his voice as the one who spoke at the very end, when they were falling unconscious after encountering the monster.]
... I do not have much time, nor much strength left. Come find me, in my true form. I ask that you return my power... It was not his right to give it to you...
[What is he talking about? Who knows. Maybe he's really the one drugged up, not you four. But he collapses onto his knees, so it seems like he's really not doing well!]
Once you do, I can grant you an exit... but I must warn you—there is a malicious energy among you. You—you are in danger...
[The space in front of him ripples, before two objects emerge: a mirror and a red blanket. As he hands them over, they will feel somewhat compelled to at least grab the red blanket. They might not want to stare at the mirror for too long, as they will get the feeling that it reflects not the outside, but the innermost parts of themselves.]
... No matter how difficult things get, I hope you can hold onto your compassion.
[That some of you arguably don't have much of! But he believes in you anyway, even if that might be a terrible life choice.]
This is all I can do for you now... if the enemy appears, you must—
[Before he can finish, though, he vanishes. Moments later, a portal opens up behind where he used to be.]
[Presumably, they go through said portal instead of just chilling there forever. Once they exit through, they'll find themselves in... space? It's hard to say, exactly. It's almost as if they're on the surface of a rocky planet, looking up at what might be stars, but they can breathe just fine, with the gravity of Earth. Be careful about gazing at the sky, however; if they stare for longer than a few moments, some of the bright lights will hurt their head and cause their eyes to bleed.
Moreover, any inventory they had on them prior to the CYOA is back with them! Neato.
In the distance, they can see a baby goat lying on the ground.]
[ What the hap is fuckening. Vlad can hardly wrap his head around any of this, much less the tragedy that played out before his eyes in Amity Park, before he finds himself on some other rocky surface. He looks up to the sky for a moment, but quickly looks away, holding his head from the pulsing pain it seems to give him. What the hell.
Turning his gaze downwards gets him to finally notice the baby goat.
The man from before, who seemed similar to the goat monster earlier... ]
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Immediately, two things might strike them. First, they're child-sized? Jan is going to be banned for turning you all into children in an 18+ game, but everyone will find themselves to be about 9-13 years old.
Second, they are alone. No one else from the base seems to be around... mostly. A few familiar faces can be seen (except they're also child-sized now? huh), standing nearby; however, they might wish this wasn't the case.
A man's voice will echo, and they will know that they can't get out of the situation he has demanded:
I will let just one of you live. We'll take that one under our wing.
If you want to be that one, you'll have to prove yourself. Prove yourself even if you must cut off everyone else.]
GU YUN
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anyway. it's not going to matter, though, because when gu yun blinks into this situation, he blinks into complete blackness.
because he sees nothing. the entire world around is black. there's no sound. there's nothing, just the pitch black void of a world that he wakes and sleeps to every day.
but, at thirteen years old, this is something that he's used to. it's been four years, now, and in those four years, he's learned. if he squints his eyes - if he looks, really forces himself to try, he can see faint outlines of human bodies. if he strains, forces, he can hear - scuffling. the sound of metal clanging, distant, muffled, faint. barely there.
at nine, his father threw him out to the courtyard and shoved a sword in his hand, put him in front of iron puppets - they never gave up. they never stopped fighting, no matter how exhausted gu yun was, no matter how much he roared at his father about it, i can't see!, it hadn't mattered. no gu will be a worthless child. the iron puppets fought, and fought, and now -
four years later, he's learned how to listen without hearing or seeing, at all.
he takes a step back where he's standing. there are two other people, neither one very big, roughly his size - he can feel the air moving when they step, swing - one punches the other. when he steps backwards, he can feel the floor vibrating under his feet when one hits the floor, like the belly of a great kite (there's machinery, here). there's a fight, right in front of him. he takes another step back, feels something touch his foot.
and the minute he does, gu yun sweeps down and grabs it, in his tiny, too calloused hand. he's always been a scrawny little thing, but the iron puppets don't care. they've never cared. they'll swing at you until you want to die. (either you will learn to stand up, or else find a place to hang yourself.)
the thing he found was a metal rod, of a decent enough size. it feels like a windslasher, but it's not warm enough to have any mechanism to it. that's fine. a dull one. he doesn't care. it will block, it will hit.
he doesn't know why he's fighting, right now, but gu yun's survival instinct digs in like iron nails and holds on for dear life - he lunges forward towards the first figure that's up (sorry, li feng!) and takes a terrifyingly powerful swing for a thirteen year old. ]
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The blow connects with Li Feng's shoulder, as he lets out a cry of pain and stumbles back. Sasazuka, who is down but not out, takes this opportunity from his state on the ground to sweep at Li Feng's legs, knocking him to the floor.
Also, for poor blind Gu Yun's sake, Sasazuka also yells—]
Asshole!
[That's to Li Feng. Gu Yun is fine, except for the part where Sasazuka knows they're also enemies here.]
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PRIMROSE
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Well.
She can't let herself die. Not now. Not when those men still also live, and although she finds herself trembling, Primrose flings herself at Therion with all her strength, aiming to get that piece of metal first. ]
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Meanwhile, there's Tressa!]
Hey, guys, can we... not?
[There is no pacifist way out of this, unfortunately, but at least Tressa made kind of an attempt.]
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CHILDE
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Haha!
Welp!
Even after months (days? years? no, it must be months, surely--), the Abyss is a mysterious place, and Childe wouldn't dream of claiming to understand every part of it. This doesn't look anything like what he's growing used to, but then, it wouldn't be the first time he's wandered somewhere he shouldn't go. Skirk encourages his curiosity, and hasn't let him die from it yet, so. If anything, this could be a test of hers. He doesn't recognize the man's voice, but that hardly means anything here.
The other boy--immediately, something's clearly different about him, that much Childe can tell. (Or maybe it's just the sight of human faces after so long without them.) But the girl is clearly fierce, brash, really, and he doesn't have time to ponder before he has to dive out of the way of her attack. Like this, with his memories of the base (and his near-decade of experience) robbed from him, he's unfamiliar with how Endorsi fights, but he's been learning. He's getting stronger. He can do this. He needs a weapon, though, something to use, he's been training--
--he scrambles to his feet, and dashes for the sharpest piece of metal he can find.]
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Zhongli isn't far from the scuffle, rod still in his hands, but he seems to still be evaluating the situation rather than jumping in.]
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VLAD
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...why is he a child? He nearly stumbles as he takes a step, unused to these short legs as he is. ]
What on earth...?
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But someone's gotta start killing, and I'm not going to make it poor Meg. Douman shrugs in a gesture that probably conveys, what can you do?—before he tries to punch Vlad in the face.
Meg, on the other hand, flees into a corner. Too bad they're locked inside with nowhere to run!]
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She'll find herself in an early 20th century-style room, windows covered by curtains. It looks to be a study/living space of sorts: there's a desk near the window, with a string of men's laundry hanging there as well. There's a coffee table on a rug, a few couches surrounding said table, a wooden wall with chains and knife marks and blood stains, and a door. Just your average room!
Furthermore, she'll notice that she's... kind of hungry? How long has it been since she last ate? Well, it's probably fine.]
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Well, this may not be real. It's fine. Surely...
Yes, they can't be here. For now, she looks around, paying close attention to that Awfully Concerning wall and ignoring those hunger pangs for now. Can she move the curtains to look outside the room? ]
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VLAD & CHILDE
... The very jarring part of this, though, is the people from Liyue. The fantasy-Chinese people are probably not familiar to Vlad! They will be to Childe, however, as they point and stare at him.]
That's the one, isn't he...? The one who tried to destroy the city...
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Well this is rather peculiar.
[ but hey, if people are pointing fingers at someone else, Vlad's not gonna complain about it. ]
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GU YUN & PRIMROSE
At the other end of a street is a green-haired figure, and you can tell by the wild hair and short height that this can only be one twink: Sasazuka.
He, uh, does not look happy to see them. Too bad neither of them will have any idea why!]
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...Is that Sasazuka? [ hello?
i cant believe you're going to make me kill him again ]
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[ What's a twink like him doing in the pleasure district, he's angry, not... bangry. ]
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[1/2]
They will get a vibe similar to that of the goat monster from him, but... not quite the same, either? Likewise, the man doesn't seem to recognize them at first; only after a few moments pass does understanding dawn in his eyes.
His gaze softens. He looks very sad, actually! He is sad for you and your shitty lives and everything you have been through and also, tbh, the shitty choices some of you have made. He's sad over everything. ðŸ˜
He also seems to be in literal pain as he clutches at his chest, over where his heart should be... which is visibly pulsing blue, for some reason.
When he speaks, they can identify his voice as the one who spoke at the very end, when they were falling unconscious after encountering the monster.]
... I do not have much time, nor much strength left. Come find me, in my true form. I ask that you return my power... It was not his right to give it to you...
[What is he talking about? Who knows. Maybe he's really the one drugged up, not you four. But he collapses onto his knees, so it seems like he's really not doing well!]
Once you do, I can grant you an exit... but I must warn you—there is a malicious energy among you. You—you are in danger...
[The space in front of him ripples, before two objects emerge: a mirror and a red blanket. As he hands them over, they will feel somewhat compelled to at least grab the red blanket. They might not want to stare at the mirror for too long, as they will get the feeling that it reflects not the outside, but the innermost parts of themselves.]
... No matter how difficult things get, I hope you can hold onto your compassion.
[That some of you arguably don't have much of! But he believes in you anyway, even if that might be a terrible life choice.]
This is all I can do for you now... if the enemy appears, you must—
[Before he can finish, though, he vanishes. Moments later, a portal opens up behind where he used to be.]
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Moreover, any inventory they had on them prior to the CYOA is back with them! Neato.
In the distance, they can see a baby goat lying on the ground.]
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Turning his gaze downwards gets him to finally notice the baby goat.
The man from before, who seemed similar to the goat monster earlier... ]
...is this what he meant by 'true form'?
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