hadriel | [2] text

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[2] text

Some things worth noting:

1. You can apparently be brought back to your home world and it's as if you've never left it at all. You can be there for weeks, months at a time and then one day, show back up back here and it's only been a day or so here that you've missed. I don't know if anyone else has had this experience before.

It is unpleasant.

2. I went into the tunnels to see if they were anything like the Maze I know of back in my world. There's two interesting things worth noting. The rock inside of the tunnel is different than out in the main area. Not sure if anyone's noticed this yet. It's strange.

But there's something stranger that we found in the tunnels. Deep inside, a ways in, there was a burnt computer chip. Totally useless but it was stranger than the formations almost.

That's about it. I figured it's more valuable to pool our information together rather than hog it to myself. Not going to find any answers that way. In my opinion, if there's tunnels and tunnels made out of different rock then that's got to mean there must be some sort of way out of here. Or at least another place to be found. I didn't explore the entirety of the tunnels and I don't really want to but it is possible.

If you do, run fast, take weapons, and try to remember everything. Back in the Maze, we'd send people in and they'd come back at the end of the day and record the route they took on a piece of paper.

Maybe that wouldn't be a bad place to start. It helped us figure the Maze in the end. Maybe the tunnels will be the same.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hello, Newt.

(is he named after an animal? is this normal? Maketh saves the picture to her phone, though there's not much she can tell about it one way or another. electronics were never her specialty)

Strange. My world doesn't use copper for computer chips anymore. I don't think I'd be able to do anything with it here, even if I had the proper equipment.

(Nope, he is not. Unfortunately.

They weren't too much his either and he's lacking in the memory department to properly dig.)

Yeah I think that this kind of technology is a little outdated in my world too maybe. Are you some kind of scientist?

(Maketh has taken the concept of multiple worlds pretty well, all things considered)

Not really, no. An administrator. I had engineers under my command once, though. They would have been helpful here.

(It had taken him a little bit. He still can't get behind the idea of 'gods' though. That's still ridiculous to him.)

Ah okay. That's something though at least. There's some smart people here. Hopefully one of them will have an idea. Or maybe if anyone goes further into the caves, they'll find something else.

(Yeah, Maketh's having trouble with that particular detail too.)

I assume the caves are dangerous? Perhaps they could be mapped if a patrol was drawn up.

They can be very dangerous. There's a large variety of monsters that seem to frequent the caves- probably live in there. Some more dangerous than others.

Back where I come from we lived within a Maze and had a group go in every single day. The Maze changed every day and it turned out to have a pattern hidden in it. I think it'd be a good idea to try and get someone to check the tunnels out that frequently, if anyone would ever bother.

Has anyone complied a list of the different kinds?

You lived in a maze.

(Okay, that's strange.)

As a military exercise?

Theoretically there are enough people here to draw up a rotating schedule of patrols. However there is no chain of command and I have no authority to give orders. People would have to volunteer. So far I have found no incentives to encourage this.

Not sure. I wouldn't be surprised. There was a hunting event not long ago so I'm sure people would be able to contribute everything they have seen.

Basically. A Glade inside of a Maze and the Maze was the only way "out". This place feels a lot like that. Minus some small differences.

No, not military exercise. It was an experiment, I guess you could call it.

No one here has any authority. Someone just needs to take authority is all. Even if it's just a council of people who delegate orders. Structure is a key component in situations like these and there's none of that so far.

The only incentive would be self-interest of trying to leave this place, honestly. And some people come from worse worlds than this so I guess that isn't the most encouraging incentive.

Interesting. I'll work on that.

(Maketh is really, really confused by Newt's explanation of the Glade)

For what purpose?

(Is this a difficult subject? Probably. Has she noticed? Nope.)

A council would serve that purpose, yes.

(She's uneasy about that part. Military matters are one thing. Maketh trusts her own judgement there. Less so with civilian affairs.)

That is

Understandable.

Nonetheless, people always want something. If not credits or to return home, then perhaps better rations. Though the supplies appear limited, so that may not be the best compromise.

(Yeah she wouldn't be the first person. Thankfully when you're dead inside it's pretty easy to explain things- or wait.)

They were trying to find a cure for an awful disease that plagued my world. It was stupid. And a failure. It had to do with brain patterns involving stress, to put it simply.

(Text is such a blessing anyway. In any case, the Maze is the easiest part to explain to other people.

Newt's finding it hard to care these days about what happens but hey, he's trying. A council or something probably would help.)

I guess the "gods" reward people here. Stupid rewards but rewards nonetheless. There's really nothing here in general to encourage people. Whether to leave or stay. It's kind of just a place of existence, seems like. People always do want something but this place is pretty lackluster in its uh...

incentives I guess.

....

That is foolish and illogical.

(Inducing stress doesn't require a maze. She would do it much better. HUFF.)

Eventually boredom will put forth volunteers. In the meantime, perhaps alcohol? I've found some already just by wandering.

Yup. And a little bit sadistic. It's okay, they didn't just stick to mazes. Everything they did was foolish and illogical.

It's a lot like this place, like I said. Everything's just kind of stupid.

(Considering what went on in the maze and all.

But hey you know what? Alcohol is something that draws his attention because hellllo.)

You did? Where did you find it?

(More importantly was there any left.)

(Actually that sounds a bit like the Empire. Um. CHANGING TOPICS.)

It depends what these gods want, in the end. It's possible that there is an endgame here, even if we don't yet understand the strategy.

(She's fairly certain of that, actually. Which is terrifying.)

In one of the abandoned shops.

(There was. A lot, actually)

(That's a great idea.)

Yeah, maybe. Only time will tell I guess.

Huh. Could you point out where? Pretty sure my roommate and I would appreciate it.

(He needs it. For. Underage drinking mostly, actually. Teenage boys rarely get up to anything good.)

Perhaps. I will keep searching for further information.

How old are you?

17 or 18. Somewhere around there I think. Why?

(Yeah he has no idea about drinking laws.)

(you're in luck, Newt, the Empire really doesn't care after you're cadet-aged. Which you are)

Curiosity. I'll mark the location. Don't drink all of it.

(A moment later she sends him an updated map, with the coordinates marked)

(Oh, great. He sucks at being a kid in the eyes of the law or whatever.)

How old are you?

I won't. Thank you.

(This place had little to do, really, so it really was just going to be for something fun. He'll remember this.)

(It's the Empire, don't feel bad. Or do? You're still tiny and confusing in Maketh's opinion.)

Thirty four.

You are welcome.

(Fair enough. Newt's pretty mature for his age, considering he can't even remember ever being a child so you know- but he's still very much a teenage boy at times. Tiny and confusing his totally his thing. Okay maybe not so much on that tiny front. He's pretty tall.)

There's a lot of adults here.

(He's not used to that at all.)

Are you settling in all right?

(It's your face, Newt. You have a baby face. Therefore you will be considered as tiny regardless of actual height, or until Maketh sees you shoot something in the face. She's complicated like that.)

Is that strange?

Well enough, considering the circumstances. Is there anyone else from your world here?

(Yeeeeeeaaaah he gets that a lot. Maketh isn't the first thirty-some year old woman to mistaken him for way younger or smaller than he is.

It's okay, he can do even better than that. Just the other day he whipped a spear into something's face. He'll do her justice.)

Yeah. I only ever properly met two adults back home.

No. I wish though. I miss my friends but this world also seems like a better place. They deserve that. Is there anyone here from your world?

(She'll be so pleased.

She's really not sure how to parse through what Newt is telling her. Apparently his world is radically different from hers. Or possibly he comes from a place where the adults were taken away or killed? Either way, not the most pleasant thing to endure.)

I see.

(She doesn't know him well enough to offer sympathy, so she doesn't try.)

Your world sounds treacherous. Much like this one. Though perhaps it can be made safer.

No one that I've seen.

(Which is a relief. The majority of the people back home want to kill her, or would probably consider doing it. No one here knows who she is.)

(It all just boils back to the whole experiment thing, really. Kids are basically lab rats in the world he came from. Actually, people as a whole were kind of- worth nothing mostly.

He does appreciate that though. He's had more than enough sympathy from strangers to last him a while the past few days.)

It's mostly dead is all. The virus they were trying to cure plagued the human race and that was after a good deal of our earth was scorched by sun flares.

I think this place has potential to be safer. The monsters aren't so bad and overall the threats are a lot lower. It's controlled danger, I think.

(Which honestly is kind of a thing. He thinks anyway.)

Do you have any weapons? Know how to fight? I know there's an armory here if you're without weapons. It holds traditional things instead of anything automatic like guns though.

(Maketh has way more experience with that than she wants to admit - mostly from the other side, but not all of it.)

I take it your world hadn't invented space travel yet?

(The situation isn't as surprising to her as Newt might think. Planet-wide plagues happen from time to time. They're not pretty, but they're manageable. The Empire is a fan of carpet bombing as a solution.)

Thus far I've seen no threat that cannot be dealt with. At least we have enough rations to go around.

I've been to the armory. Everything there is so primitive. But yes, I have combat training.

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