Well, no. That's not true. Mitsuba likes surprises, as long as they're good ones, but the fact of the matter seems to be that Mitsuba draws a whole lot of negativity to him rather than positivity. Any time he's been surprised, it hasn't been... great?
He's all but clinging to Nene like she's a lifeline, besides.
"Daikon-senpai," – and it's not quite a whine, but it's not not one. Mitsuba's better off here than Nene is, he knows, so even though he's basically wrapped himself around her, he understands that any protection is going to have to come from him. Mitsuba doesn't... expect the best from situations like this, though.
He still remembers, for instance, having to – well, having to run from... himself. The Mitsuba that existed before, Sousuke, his rumour corrupted and his form barely recognizable. Mitsuba doesn't trust when things happen. He didn't want to show up anywhere in the middle of a thing happening.
... like the laugh, taunting and ever-familiar, drifting out of the fog towards them.
"D-D-Daikon-senpai," he stutters, like he doesn't want to be sure of himself – and, admittedly, he doesn't. "Please tell me that doesn't sound like Tsukasa-kun. Lie to me if you have to. I-it's just Number Seven being a nuisance, right? Right?"
"I-it's not Tsukasa-kun out there in the fog, is it?"
With the end of November comes a recognizable chill in the air; the yearly announcement of the shift to December. The month rolls over, the wind creeps ever-closer towards winter…
… and, from the mountain, comes a rumbling that shakes the forest.
It’s coupled with a terrifying sound; a boom like thunder, echoing out over the treetops. Anybody still awake would have been filled with the sensation that something is off, drawn to the mountain – and anybody peacefully slumbering, as is logical to be at midnight, would no doubt be roused from even the deepest of sleeps.
It’s Tia who responds properly first – or at least, she tries to. The first few who arrive at the mountain would later report seeing her there pacing, muttering that something was wrong, this wasn’t right... but Tia doesn’t stay there for long. Within a few hours, she’s withdrawn to her shop, barely moving from a seat behind the counter, all wrapped up in a blanket and complaining of a terrible headache that inhibits her ability to think.
*
What had the sound been? What had happened at the mountain?
The mess of rocks, once keeping the mouth of the cave plugged up, had simply… loosened, somehow. Even the strongest of attempts had previously been unable to move those rocks, yet here they lay now, some tumbling as far as several hundred metres from the cave. The path is – open. The way through the mountain is…
… well, clear would be an exaggeration.
Because through the mountain there seems to only be fog – fog, and the unknown.
There are shapes swirling in the shadows, Saved One. Do you step through the cave, even knowing this? Do you take a step into that terrifying gloom, hoping to find a light on the other side?
-
And thus Eversanctum’s first event, EXPANSION, begins!
SO WHAT’S GOING ON?
The way through the mountain has cleared… kind of. While the rocks that were once blocking the cave through the mountain are no longer there, the circumstances overall don’t… really seem much better than they used to be.
That is to say, the tunnel is clear! But through the tunnel is… a whole lot of nothing.
WHAT’S OUT THERE?
Fog, primarily. But fog that works very similar to how the Deep Woods do – there are spectres looming in there, mirror images of everyone from friends to family to enemies. These spectres will do what they have in their power to try to inhibit, if not entirely stop, your progress. Straying too far into the fog off the beaten path will send you right back to the cave mouth, on the Eversanctum side of the mountain.
Ah, but that’s right –
PROGRESS?
From the depths of the fog come lights.
They’re spread out, and not very bright, but they’re there. Following one of them will lead you to some sort of small stone monument, each in the shape of a different animal – anything from deer, to foxes, to owls. It’s their eyes that are glowing, and the spectres seem to be drawn to these statues in particular.
The fog is less dense around any statues that have been cracked.
It seems there’s only one thing to do.
Break the statues.
DO I HAVE TO?
No! If your muse doesn’t want to risk being attacked by the spectres, they’re free to do what they can to help otherwise. Any muses who would want to halt the progress of others are free to as well, because the no-combat spell doesn’t seem to apply outside of the forest. That’s right: whatever powers you have unlocked are fully available here.
AND, ONE MORE THING…
There have been rumours of an arctic fox being spotted darting among the fog, pale as the mists themselves. You may have even seen it yourself, if you stepped a little too far into the fog away from where the last of the statues are, rescuing you before your memories haze over and you find yourself in front of the mountain. It’s been spotted fending spectres off, too, in case they became too much for one person to handle.
Maybe the fox is a spectre itself…?
-
IN SUMMARY:
The way through the mountain has opened up because of something overnight.
Tia has a terrible headache and will not be seen outside her store, despite how terribly she wants to help with what’s going on at the mountain.
Going through the tunnel to the other side will lead to you finding yourself in a fog so dense you can barely see; but there are lights in the distance, and you can at least steady your eyes onto those.
These lights belong to the eyes of strange statues, monuments, that have to be destroyed in order to lessen the fog.
The no-combat spell is not in effect outside of the forest.
You don’t have to participate in the event by breaking statues! Your muse can simply do what they can to help out those who are more in the thick of things, or indeed they can even try to hold others back!
Straying too far into the fog away from the statues will end up with you back in front of the cave in Eversanctum’s forest. Perhaps a little fox led you there, but you can’t seem to ever get a solid look at this fox, if it even really exists...
-
EXPANSION WILL RUN UNTIL
DECEMBER 15TH, 11:59:59 PM EASTERN.
Participation may be obtained either through threading with someone (or someones) else, or through drabbles.
The last of the statues crumble with a roar as great as the one that moved the rocks from the mountain. The fog lingers, for a time; from it, the spectres looming in the mists let loose one great pained cry.
And then, in the blink of an eye, it's over.
As if it hadn't been there mere seconds earlier, the fog has vanished. The spectres have been taken out with it; instead of the haunting, swirling greys, there's now a clear path down. A sign comes into view the further along the path you go – "Mount Estval", it points in one direction.
"Mistbrook", it points in the other.
You let your eyes follow the arrow and, surely enough, in the distance you can see the rooftops of various houses and other buildings. There's – there's a town. There's a town, and a clear path down to it. Further still you can see the reflection of the moon shimmering on the water; the ocean?
The spectres are gone. The fox you swear you caught glimpses of is nowhere to be seen anymore, either. Were you one of the ones remaining currently in the forest, you would find Tia slowly making her way out of her shop for the first time in forever, her headache gone, her eyes turned toward the mountain.
You want to go explore. You want to see this Mistbrook with your own eyes.
So you take a step forward.
-
Thank you for participating in Eversanctum's first event, Expansion!
Those of you who participated in the event may now claim a bonus, as listed on the rankings page. If you didn't get around to replying to any starters made for you during the event period, you still can reply and safely claim a reward – just so long as the starter was made between December 1st and 15th.
As explained above, Mistbrook is now available for your muses to explore!
Mistbrook introduces Outsiders to Eversanctum. Outsiders are explained a little further on Mistbrook's page proper, but may also be read about here.
Muses cannot currently move to Mistbrook... currently.
A few graphical changes and bigger edits to Eversanctum to reflect these introductions will be made at a later date due to unforeseen issues arising with Mod Fawn's internet (as in it has none at all, and very limited data). We apologize for any inconvenience!
Rui’s – admittedly, gotten a little lucky with familiar faces. Hanako being his Hanako had been luck only, Rui thinks, and he’d pushed it by assuming Nene was the same one he knew (even if she was). Rui had... Rui had been forgotten before, so even though he recognizes Dean, he makes no attempt to insinuate that he does.
It’s easier that way, admittedly, in case Rui has been forgotten about again. While he hadn't been particularly attached, it's less than... ideal, to know someone else doesn't know who he is anymore. He knew how badly it had hurt him once upon a time when Hanako didn't know who he was.
So as he gazes out at the fog, one hand flexing out at his side to resist the instinctive want to play with his threads even if there's no threat at hand, Rui doesn't admit that he knows the face nearby.
"Are you meaning to take care of some of the statues yourself?"
Rui glances over his shoulder; the attempt to repress his threads doesn't work very well, because after only a few more seconds his hands have both raised, and he stretches a web idly out in front of him.
"You'd better be prepared before taking a step outside. Those things are relentless."
