hadriel | [2] text

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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.

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(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.

Oh, I'm sure they have. I've no clue. Asking me about the history and full technological functions of my world is pointless. It's safe to assume I know very little. But they had extremely advanced technology. Technology that could make anything and everything that's happened in this world entirely possible.

They just focused it all on a cure, I think. Not space travel. Though I wouldn't put it past them to have left all of the sick people behind and abandoned the world.

(His bitterness probably shows through text whoopsies.

He actually kind of assumes everyone's life sucks. He hasn't met anyone who really has had a "good life" as of yet. And shit life has been all he's known so- yeah. He's kind of assuming her life blows too in one way or another.

His world's plague didn't seem so manageable. Not when everyone had the virus in their bodies. At least - it didn't seem like it was manageable. He wouldn't know though.)

I've been thinking about planting a garden, honestly. If I can manage one I think it'd be a good idea to have a food source available to us by our own hands. A bit more dependable.

Primitive? I think there's a certain reliability in something that doesn't run out of ammo.

Good. Then you'll be safe.

(It takes Maketh a moment to think up a response. She supposes that Newt's world just doesn't work with the same logic that hers does. Surely a planet-wide plague can't be unheard of? But maybe he only has one planet and no place else to retreat. And why wouldn't he know about his own world's technology? Unless he was isolated in the Maze he described, then perhaps...

Maketh is very confused by Newt's world. Therefore she dislikes it.)

Forgive me. I am applying logic and protocols from my home to yours. I don't think they apply.

(Not in the same way, at least.)

That would be wise. I could offer you some tips, if you like, though I'm not familiar with the sorts of plants that grow here.

Oh. You still use bullets. We have moved past those in my home. And blasters may break or malfunction if cared for improperly, but they do not run out of ammunition.

I'm not concerned with my own safety. What worries me is the number of people not trained in defense. They are vulnerable.

(She assumes Newt can handle himself, so she doesn't ask. He seems capable enough.)

(It's okay, he has the same problems really. There's a reason a lot of people hated WICKED. Their logic on finding a cure wasn't the best one. There had been groups out there who thought the money and resources could have been put to better use but Newt had never met any of these people.

So. He had no clue. He's not a fan of it either so he'll join her on that front. And yeah- isolation was pretty accurate.)

It's okay. My world was mostly mad so logic wasn't really applicable ever. There are things they could have done better, no doubt, but it's hardly like I had a say in any of it.

I took care of the garden back home but I'd never say no to tips. They do seem strange but maybe if I requested a more um. Human friendly garden it could work.

It's complicated. Poor people in my world use bullets and traditional guns but hired uppers used- blasters actually I think was the word for it. I can't remember anymore. No idea if they worked the same at all but it wasn't really bullets they shot out. It was a horrible kind of energy. And were tricky to get a hold of.

I agree with that. I don't really want anyone getting hurt and there's plenty of monsters around to do some hurting if someone doesn't know what to do. It's why we need more organization. At least maybe that way someone could offer up training people in fighting.

(She'd be right. Also, he has officially decided that he likes this woman. She's a good adult. Another adult he finds he can trust.)

No, I suppose you wouldn't.

(Maketh barely remembers what that was like, not having a say in the way things are done. Though she's beginning to realize that her voice never was that loud. The Empire has probably already replaced her.)

It couldn't hurt. My family

had a farm

in the desert. Difficult to make things survive there. Some of it may apply here.

(yeah she doesn't want to talk about it. But she offered. So.

She's intrigued by his description of the weapons, though.)

Was it a blast of energy, or a projectile that shocked as it struck the target?

Strange. That technology was common in my world. Yet I've met no one here who recognizes it.

Yes. Perhaps this council that's been suggested could arrange lessons.

(She likes you too, Newt. You are logical.)

(Newt is pretty convinced that no one has the say that they think think they do in most situations. Even higher ups.

It's a curious way she decides to text over the next bit. Newt has no idea about families or anything but he knows that for a lot of people, it can be a sensitive sort of subject. He won't pry, no, he's not the type but he does make a mental note of it.)

Well then I'd be more than happy to take your advice on things. All advice is useful advice.

(See. Doesn't even mention the family.)

The latter, I think. I can't really remember. I didn't have much experience, sorry.

The technology in my world wasn't really invested in weapons. They focused on other things. A lot of medical and mental things. They could make something look like it vanished out of thin air with their technology if they wanted to.

That would be wise. Or at least guards posted. I think a young girl was talking about that some time ago.

I'll give it when I can.

(She's really, really thankful he didn't ask about her family. It's not a touchy subject so much as a confusing one. Maketh doesn't know what she's supposed to think of them, so she tries not to. And it's possible that none of her advice will be relevant - it's been years since she did anything with farming, and all of that was in a desert. Not really the situation here. But if she didn't offer and the knowledge was needed, then the whole group would be at a disadvantage. So.)

It's fine. Possibly not relevant here.

(She still wants to know. Just in case.)

Your world seems very strange to me. I think you are describing cloaking technology, though I'm surprised that would be present when the technique to make a blaster rifle would not. Though using projectiles has certain advantages in psychological warfare. The pain is greater. Organ and brain damage likely. Effective when attempting to control large groups.

(In some senses, a blaster is almost elegant in comparison.

Either way, Maketh knows a whole lot about how people die for an administrator.)

Patrols would be effective as well, at least in the populated areas. Oh? I will have to look for that. I'm glad others had the same idea.

(He doesn't know much about family. Only what others have told him. He might be open about most aspects of his world but he has his own secrets. Understands what it's like to want some things kept private.)

I'm not sure. I don't know a lot about the technology since we were barely involved with it directly. See, they were experimenting on us so they had very limited interaction with us. Most of the time, they would arrange a situation and see how we would react to it. More involvement by them, the less authentic our reactions. Or something like that. Besides, they really didn't need weapons when they had monsters. And brain implants. Guns were for guards. When I last saw a room for their weapons- it was covered in dust. If that tells you anything about how little they use weapons or find the need to.

(His world is....extremely weird, basically. It was a whole lot of emotional sway and seeing what people would do in different situations.

~~Also a whole lot of hand-waved head-scratching science that kind of makes no sense even if u try whoops. what are world-building problems 101~~)

I'm sure someone will think of something. There are good people here, after all.

(Maketh is trying hard to wrap her head around Newt's explanation of his world, though without much success. It just doesn't fit with the logic she's been taught by the Empire and her understanding of how things ought to be done.)

It must have made sense to someone, if not you. (Right? Probably.) Our worlds seem very different.

(Newt's sounds awful.)

I hope so. I truly do.

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