Tommy Doubterson

*a portal opens up from the swapverse, out of which two strangely familiar figures appear*

What is this place? (ooc: green machine broke)

@tommy-doubterson (the swaps)

⮚ oh, welcome bac- wait who are you

Oh, hey! I'm Ingrid Irondottir.

I'm Doubtful Tommy. Who the hell are you?

⮚ Shady. hm, you look familiar..

⮚ oh, right! are you from ðe oðer Exclamania? (how'd you get here..?)

Yeah. We came here from a portal that just showed up at our house.

⮚ weird. what did it look like?

It matched our colors on our end, but on this end, it's those same colors, but inverted.

⮚ huh. mine was cyan, for some reason. like, ðat's apparently "ðe color of my soul" or whatever Letzt said

Okay, but what's with this portal's colors on this end?

*a portal opens up from the swapverse, out of which two strangely familiar figures appear*

What is this place? (ooc: green machine broke)

@tommy-doubterson (the swaps)

⮚ oh, welcome bac- wait who are you

Oh, hey! I'm Ingrid Irondottir.

I'm Doubtful Tommy. Who the hell are you?

⮚ Shady. hm, you look familiar..

⮚ oh, right! are you from ðe oðer Exclamania? (how'd you get here..?)

Yeah. We came here from a portal that just showed up at our house.

⮚ weird. what did it look like?

It matched our colors on our end, but on this end, it's those same colors, but inverted.

*a portal opens up from the swapverse, out of which two strangely familiar figures appear*

What is this place? (ooc: green machine broke)

@tommy-doubterson (the swaps)

⮚ oh, welcome bac- wait who are you

Oh, hey! I'm Ingrid Irondottir.

I'm Doubtful Tommy. Who the hell are you?

⮚ Shady. hm, you look familiar..

⮚ oh, right! are you from ðe oðer Exclamania? (how'd you get here..?)

Yeah. We came here from a portal that just showed up at our house.

*a portal opens up from the swapverse, out of which two strangely familiar figures appear*

What is this place? (ooc: green machine broke)

@tommy-doubterson (the swaps)

⮚ oh, welcome bac- wait who are you

Oh, hey! I'm Ingrid Irondottir.

I'm Doubtful Tommy. Who the hell are you?

Hey, what's that thing?

Looks like a portal. Let's go in.

Yay!

*they go in*

Some time after Set's check-in, Azothel is running the Goldracht. Maintaining the flow of the proper alchemical reagents to keep the engine running efficiently, checking her timetables for when she needs to reach the next stop, guiding the tracks along through the terrain near John's castle. She is silent, but as content as an NPC can be. But then her vision starts to cloud. The terrible knowledge that Set had so kindly tried to hide away for Azothel began to peel away at the flimsy facade, as if it had only just realised there was any sort of barrier at all and was taking its time getting back to her. She saw not her train, but some vast void. Garbled text floated past, indecipherable to her simple, feeble mind. The invisible faces of greater beings reared themselves, beings that her behaviour pathways could not apply to. It all came crashing back to her, slowly, like a meandering landslide. Azothel could no longer see the Goldracht Express or the land around it, fully consumed by the horrible vision that showed her everything and nothing, overwhelming her with so much broken, scattered information that she had no way, no reason, to put together and try to comprehend. But suddenly, it's gone. Her sight returned, the knowledge thrust upon her becoming little mire than a searing memory, sitting derelict in her automated mind, ignored by procedures that cannot apply. Azothel reaches for the controls, but her hand does not move. She's frozen in place, forced to watch with apathy and perhaps a hint of primal, consuming terror as the train veers towards a massive tree.

A thunderous crash resounds across the landscape as the Goldracht collides with the ancient oak, splintering it to the ground as the train is thrown off its rails. If it was capable of taking damage that wasn't superficial, the train would be completely destroyed. As it is, the Goldracht lays battered and crumpled, burst pipes and damaged vents spewing neon-coloured alchemical smog, raising up like a vibrant smoke signal.

(Enrique is blankly staring off into space. Upon hearing the crash, they begin crawling towards the train, evidently not sure if it's a threat or not.)

What was that? Uh oh! Danger? I should investigate. Danger? Maybe someone is injured! Danger?

(Their voice keeps switching between poorly done default lines and it's actual voice.)

A number of the train doors manage to pull open at your approach, including a few where debris from the tree happened to make a convenient ramp or ladder. Quiet squabbling can be heard inside, and yelping.

Okay, maybe the driver didn't go kaput.

(Enrique crawls through one of the doors. Enrique does not seem to have noticed Tommy.)

I heard something! Hello? KRGH! Monster! Hello? Danger? ARGHH!!! Must have been the wind. I'll find you, enemy! Attack! I'll not run! Hello? Are you alright? Stop right there! To arms! Time to die! Hello? Are you injured? No! Injured! Are you alright? I heard something!

(They appear to be trying to enter a combat animation, seemingly attempting to draw a sword. Which is difficult, when you are unarmed. They also keep ragdolling when it attempts it, due to their lack of legs, damaging it.)

There are a number of small, gargoyle-like homunculi in the dim train car, flitting about on heavy wings and trying to restore the toppled wares that fell off their shelves in the crash, talking to eachother and seemingly arguing in a strange, guttural language. One of them though is trapped, pinned under a rack that had fallen over. It seems to be the source of the yelping you heard, and when it notices the two of you it starts gesturing pleadingly with its free arm.

I think we should help these things.

(Enrique notices Tommy, and attempt to enter a combat stance again. This fails, and Enrique then waves both their hands.)

Oh! You're friendly, my mistake! We must slay these monsters! ARGHHHH!!!

(Enrique used BlueYellowKnife! Their right hand changes into the shape of a blade, and they bring it down on the head of the gargoyle. A critical hit! 2 damage.)

DIE MONSTER! YOU'LL NEVER HURT ANYONE AGAIN! In the name of the red star. DIE!

(2 damage again. 1 damage. 1 damage. 1 damage. They're breathing heavily, apparently out of stamina.)

The homonculus screeches and whimpers, trying to bat you away as you cleave off small pieces of its soft clay body. Some of the others drop their duties and hover around you, wanting to stop you but unsure how to do it safely. They clamour and bark, pointing at Tommy and miming pulling Enrique away

Hey, why are you thingies pointing at me? I didn't do anything! It's the ghost's fault one of yours is hurt!

(Enrique stops breathing heavily.)

Oh! You're friendly! My mistake! So sorry! I'm not myself you see. I'm not myself you see. I'm-

(Their voice glitches.)

So sorry!

(Enrique casts a healing spell. It has no effect.)

Well, I suppose we should get going, boss! Where to next?

(They stare expectantly at Tommy.)

A clanking echoes from somewhere in the train. Something, or someone, is active in one of the other train cars.

Now that Enrique has stopped attacking the trapped homunculus, the others help it get free. It snarls weakly at you, and scampers away towards the engine, the same direction you heard the clanking come from. The remaining homonculi grumble, but go back to cleaning the train as best they can, giving you both the cold shoulder all the while. The forward door on this car is open wide, but the corresponding door on the next seems wedged in place, only open enough for the small clay beings to squeeze through.

Hold up. I'll check the engine.

Let's get going. I'm right behind you. See any trouble?

(Enrique follows Tommy.)

The clanking gets closer, like it's coming from behind you. Is this a friend, or a foe?

The door is stuck fast, but with a good deal of effort you're able to pry it open just wide enough to squeeze through yourself. This car was the main "checkout" area, with Azothel's counter and less shelves than the other cars. Burst pipes hang from the ceiling, dripping fluids onto the carpet that cast an eerie glow on everything. It faintly sizzles.

I believe this train's driver is somewhere here. Come on, Ghost (I never even learned your name)! Let's look for them!

*looks at Tommy angrily*

HOW ARE YOU EVEN HERE, INGRID?!

I'm right behind you. Lead the way.

The clanking gets closer, and a door opens. A stranger, with sandy hair and gray armor, looks around the inside of the train car.

Hmm... Oh! Enrique! What are you doing here?

When you stop moving, and there's a moment of silence, you all realize you can hear... something. Quiet static, fading and coming back like the crashing of waves. Its coming from the next car up, which should be the engine cab. Every now and again, you can just barely make out what seem to be broken, stuttering lines of dialogue.

Yup. That's probably the train driver. They're probably not feeling well if they sound like that.

*Tommy attempts to reach into the engine cab, but fails*

Don't worry, Tommy! I can help!

*Ingrid reaches into the engine cab and tries to locate the source of the broken dialogue*

(Enrique starts crawling into the wall and then clips? Or teleports? Into the engine cab.)

Wait! Come back-

Semi seems to really want Enrique's attention. Why? For what purpose?

The cab is surprisingly dark, the windows and the gap between it and the car behind have been covered by leaves and branches. The whole "room", already small in good condition, has been crumpled in. Crouching in the corner, completely still, you see Azothel. She mutters to herself in glitched lines, her eyes emitting the only light in the cab in the form of static. Every now and again you can see flashes of... something. It's incomprehensible to you, especially with your sentience stripped from you.