MASKTOURN

@Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟 @Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

12:31 PM

Kal enters the door, and finds themself in a dark, earthy room. Another door stands on the other side of the room. Different colored metal tiles adorn the floor- perhaps stepping on them could do something? @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

Huh, he was looking at the puzzle before him. Ponder the puzzle. Hmmm. Interesting. "Y'know," Kal hummed. "I was never really good at these things.."

Kal had spent so long marveling at the puzzle in front of him, Asha had enough time to drag herself all the way across the sand and in to the room. She didn't even have the strength to look at the puzzle and just laid on the floor and took in some deep breaths, clutching at her right hip. @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

Maybe the puzzle wasn't so bad. Maybe his pondering would help.

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# -1
Details:[d20-5 (4)]

(FUCK)

12:34 PM

Maybe he WAS concussed.

Nothing happened...

".. This puzzle hurts to look at."

"Kal j-just.. Give up. Please. You know y-you can't really win, even if I die f-first. Think." Asha said through gritted teeth and began to look over the puzzle. "J-just sit down and w-wait for me to win. You know what's at stake, y-you're not that stupid.." @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

"Asha.." Kal tried not to look at her. He'd just feel sick and guilty. "I.. I don't know if I can do that, Asha."

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 14
Details:[d20-5 (19)]

Kal solved the puzzle!

"Oh wow actually the puzzle's not hard."

12:37 PM

"I'm not concussed!"

The stone door opens, leading to a staircase up to the next room. This room is decorated in an array of glowing crystals of various colors, which make musical sounds when touched. There’s another door on the other side of the room.

"K-kal! Kal- wait-" She gasped as she saw him boogie straight across the tiles. "Kal! I talked to Cansu and-" The stone door slammed behind him. Rage flashed in her eyes for a moment and she forced herself up, ignoring the pain in her hip. She had to go through this puzzle so she could keep talking to him..

Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

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# 11
Details:[d20+2 (9)]

Asha got through the puzzle easily! Probably because she had just seen Kal do it

"Cansu? Really? That guy's a weirdo!" Kal spoke as Asha made her way after him. They were now in the second room together. "You can't listen to what he says, he's- He's wrong about everything he says."

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 5
Details:[d20-5 (10)]

In the few moments that they had been separated, Asha's expression had totally changed. She had previously looked scared, but somewhat understanding. Now she just looked pissed off. The door slammed behind her, and she was still holding her hip. "I'm starting to see where he's coming from." Asha said slowly. "About how you're just like your father. He would let me die too." @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟 (Turn skip)

"Wh-what?" Kal turned to look at her before he shook his head. Right, don't look at her. You'll feel bad. "You don't know that man- Well, you know him, but you know me. I'm not that monster, Asha!"

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 4
Details:[d20-5 (9)]

Kal was desperately pushing the crystals, attempting to figure it out. He couldn't be here to listen to Asha any longer, he couldn't.

Asha made no move to arrange her own crystals. She could easily outwit him in these puzzles, but she wouldn't be able to beat him up that mountain at the end. She had to destroy his will now. "He said you look just like him." Asha said, and paused for a moment. This felt awful. ".. I'm sure your mother saw it too, Kal. She'd be proud if you let me win here, Kal. I have more riding on me than you do. All of your donations, I can match them. I can double- no, triple, them, Kal. Th-think of all the good I'd do, please.." @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

"Don't- Don't talk about her, Asha." Kal spoke with a warning to his voice, though there was desperation in his tone as well. "You got no right talking about her, Asha- Stop." He took in a deep breath as he continued to push on the crystals. "This- This isn't about donations, Asha- It's-.. It's-" What was it about? Why was he fighting so hard for? What did he even have for himself? An ultimately lonely life? A life that he often put on the line in an attempt to actually feel alive? A life of so little friends? He was friendly, but it didn't mean that he had friends. Maybe four? Five? What did Kal have, and why was he desperate to keep going?

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 0
Details:[d20-5 (5)]

The crystals made the worst sound known to man

Maybe he was concussed.

"What is it about then, Kal? J-just- tell me if there's something so important that you have to go back to. Something so important that you're willing to probably also die here with me. And maybe even kill everyone else in the crowd with you." Asha said and limped closer to him. She reached in to her bag and dug through it, until she pulled out her overstuffed wallet full of gift cards and polaroid photos. She took out a small rectangular picture that had seen plenty of love, judging by all the creases and tears in it. She held it out to Kal. "Look at it, Kal, and tell me that they should live a life as awful as yours was, without a mother. Tell me that to my face." @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

Kal refused to look at it. He couldn't look at it. "Stop- Stop it, Asha." Kal blinked rapidly, desperate to keep his tears back. God, those kids deserved a mother. They deserved to have a happy and safe life. They deserved to be able to go to school, and eagerly come home to see their dear mother. They deserved to sleep comfortably at night, and deserved to be able to retreat into the safety of her arms if they were ever plagued with a nightmare. They deserved better. What the hell did Kal deserve?

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 1
Details:[d20-5 (6)]

(kalllllll)

The crystals continued to make horrible sounds.

https://youtu.be/f8mL0_4GeV0?si=uZ9kf055rJQKAI3S

Rush

Metal pipe falling sound effect but it’s more violent

"No, Kal, look at it." She held it even closer to his face, ignoring the awful clacking sounds. @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

"No, Asha." Kal repeated. If he did, he knows his resolve would disappear. Her point would be proven.

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 11
Details:[d20-5 (16)]

Kal figured out the right melody, and the door opened for him....

Click clack, the right beat was made. He rushed forward to quickly get away from Asha.

The last door led to a staircase to the next room, which seems to be themed around sand. Grains fall from a large fountain in the center of the room, into a few different pots. Each pot is decorated with a different symbol, and levers control how much sand is distributed into each pot.

Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

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# 19
Details:[d20+2 (17)]

Asha rushed in after Kal, looking even more determined. She was running out of room before they get outside.

Oh, great- Another puzzle, fun, funsies. Maybe this one wasn't as hard as the other one..

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# -2
Details:[d20-5 (3)]

kallll

No, it was hard. Kal's hands reached up into his hair, desperately ruffling it up before he grasped onto it. Fuck, Asha was going to talk more.

Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

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# 10
Details:[d20+1 (9)]

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 17
Details:[d20+4 (13)]

Asha tried desperately to grab him and show him the picture, but he moved away too fast. "Kal, if you let me die, you'll never live it down. I-if you somehow get home and don't die with me, what are you going to do? Go back to being your happy go lucky self, when you know you're responsible for another person dying?" She didn't know for sure that he had let someone die before, but she was desperate to pull any tragic backstory out of him. A man as charitable as Kal must have been making up for something. @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

"Asha- You're being real hurtful and toxic right now," Kal let go of his hair and dug through the sand. Coarse. Rough. Grainy. He hated sand. "Please-.."

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 3
Details:[d20-5 (8)]

innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs pinned a message to this channel. 7/10/2024 1:11 PM

Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

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# 19
Details:[d20+1 (18)]

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 13
Details:[d20+4 (9)]

Asha grabbed his shoulder and forced him to look at not only her face, but also the small photograph she was holding. It was of Asha, someone who looked a bit like Roman but less sickly, and two kids. They were all playing at a playground, with a background not too unlike the area outside of these puzzle rooms. The two children were on a swingset, getting pushed by one of the parents. The older one had braided hair down to her shoulders with butterfly clips in it, and the younger had a puff of hair pulled back on top of her head. They all looked so.. Happy. And normal. "That's Lupita and Dekha. Kaisa- Kaisa is so young I-I don't even have a picture of her." Asha said in a quavering tone. "I- I just want to see them again, Kal. And I know they want to see me. Th-they love me more than anything." @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

Kal's gaze remained on the picture. He took in the sight of the children- Their happiness, their smiles, their- Their lovely little life. Would his mother have had a wallet brimming with pictures of him? If things were different? Would she have had a picture of the two of them in a scenario where they were happy on a playground? Would his mother have been like Asha, maybe not as guilt-trippy, but- Happy? Alive? Thriving? God, what the hell did he have pushing him forward? His dad- Right! He still had the stuff with his dad- He needed to teach him a lesson, give payback for all that he had done. And- There was Adan, he had to get back at him- Revenge. Dear god, what else did he have aside from that? Was he actually just so petty that it was all that he had propelling him forward? No, no- There had to be something more- There had to be- Kal's heart pounded in his chest. His eyes burned. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the picture. He had to. He- The puzzle- Right, right- The puzzle-

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 0
Details:[d20-5 (5)]

His eyes roamed back to the picture.

Good. He was looking. And he seemed miserable. "Lupita just got in to school, and she needs me there to help with th-the math homework. She's really smart, but I can't let her fall behind. And Dekha i-is a little artist, she w-was working on a little family portrait with all of us, she's going to have to start over if I don't come home." Asha said. "If I die, wh-who will help her? Who will be their role model? Who will be there for them at all?" @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

"Y-you-.." Kal took in a deep breath. "You got- A lovely family, Asha.."

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# -4
Details:[d20-5 (1)]

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 4
Details:[d5 (4)]

Kal had quickly turned back to the puzzle and stepped towards it. His foot slipped in the sand, and he bonked his head on one of the pots. "A-ah- Fuck.." [Kal's at 16 HP]

Asha placed the picture down on to his chest as he laid on the ground. "Y-you keep that. And just stay there. I'll go finish this fight." Asha took in a deep breath. "Th-this is better for everyone, Kal, thank you..." She leaned in a bit closer and whispered, "Darcy put a tracking spell on you, in case you lost. We'll be able to find you if there's a dungeon. We'll get you out, Kal." But she knew deep down, there was no dungeon. She turned and tried to finish the puzzle on her own.

Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

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# 5
Details:[d20+2 (3)]

... She couldn't figure out this one either.

"Wh-what?" Kal stood back up, his hand holding onto the picture. "Darcy- Didn't do that! he's- He's my friend, he wouldn't- He didn't- He didn't do anything like that!"

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 10
Details:[d20-5 (15)]

Kal solved the puzzle!

His desperation really paid off. As he rushed to the door, passing by Asha, he rested the small picture on her shoulder. He was not going to hold onto that.

The next room is damp and wet. A large pool takes up most of the area in the room, around which are small empty bowls, each inscribed with a numerical-looking symbol. A slight dripping sound can be heard in the room…

Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

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# 22
Details:[d20+2 (20)]

Asha grabbed the picture and perfectly replicated the solution of the puzzle before chasing after him. As he stood there looking at the next puzzle, Asha put the picture on his shoulder again. "Y-you can't just keep ignoring me, Kal." Asha said. "You know it, deep down. I-It's better if you lose here, for everyone." @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

"I can keep ignoring you," Kal took the picture and held it back out to Asha as he looked over the new puzzle. "Shush- Shush, I'm- Trying to think-"

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 14
Details:[d20-5 (19)]

Kal easily passed through the puzzle!

Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

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# 17
Details:[d20+5 (12)]

He rushed through the puzzle and went through the door.

The last puzzle room is nearly empty, but the ceiling is almost entirely covered in painted stars. Each star corresponds to a matching tile on the floor, which lead to the door at the end of the room.

This was her last chance. What would- would have to happen? What will convince him? "Kal-" Asha was gasping for air with all this running around. She hadn't taken that picture back, so Kal was still gripping it in his hand. Her being a mother had not worked.. What would? "I-if you win here, you'll make your father real proud Kal." Asha said slowly. "What would your mother think? Of you letting all of us die for your own selfish reasons?" @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

"I said to stop talking about her, Asha!" Kal didn't look at her. Everything was hurting- "He's- Irrelevant- And- And-" Focus on puzzle, focus on puzzle-

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 3
Details:[d20-5 (8)]

"And I said to not let all of us die, but you won't grant us that!" Asha yelled back. "Your mother, what would she say? What would her expression be, heartbreak, anger..? What about your father? Glee, approval?" @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 9
Details:[d20-5 (14)]

Kal desperately tried to figure out the puzzle. He couldn't handle listening to her anymore.

Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

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# 12
Details:[d20+1 (11)]

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 21
Details:[d20+4 (17)]

A firework formed in her hand, and she shot it off at Kal as he went back to the puzzle. As he was moving around it missed, just sending off a shower of colorful sparks everywhere. "KAL!" Anger laced in to her voice. She was running out of time. This puzzle was so mind-numbingly easy, even Kal would figure it out shortly. "GIVE UP! GIVE UP! PLEASE!" @van'

Kal flinched as the firework went off. His ears rang slightly, but he kept his eyes on the puzzle. "I can't, Asha," He spoke quietly. "I really can't."

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# -4
Details:[d20-5 (1)]

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 4
Details:[d5 (4)]

Okay maybe he didn't notice that his robe was on fire but he did feel the burning- Owchie

Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

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# 9
Details:[d20+1 (8)]

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 18
Details:[d20+4 (14)]

Another went off, but it was even further off target. "KAL YOU'RE ON FIRE STOP DROP AND ROLL FOR 10 MINUTES, THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO STOP IT!" @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

"Stop drop and whAT?" Kal frowned. "I've never heard of that."

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# -1
Details:[d20-5 (4)]

"STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING, DROP TO THE GROUND, AND ROLL AROUND LIKE A LOG!" @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

Kal still looked confused. "Like a log?"

Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

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# 16
Details:[d20+1 (15)]

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 23
Details:[d20+4 (19)]

A third one went off. "JUST ROLL AROUND!" @Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

Vanessa | Cansu🐥+Evan🔩+Kal🌟

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# 14
Details:[d20-5 (19)]

Kal rolled, and somehow rolled across the room and solved the puzzle!

"WHAT?!"

KAL SOLVED THE PUZZLE

Mads | Roman 🥁 Asha 🎆 ? 🪱

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# 20
Details:[D20+2 (18)]

Asha just ran after him...