Week 3.

[trustfellowship]

WEEK 3 Grace and Doug are dead. It seems that there isn't anything more to do but mourn your losses and try to move forward. The Transmitter's rules still hang in every room, a reminder of the only means of escaping this place. But surely no one else will give into them, right? Saturday is given to regrouping and rest; the static blares out early on Sunday, but at least there are no bodies to find today - it seems you're safe for now. The night before wasn't necessarily a peaceful one, however; you'll probably feel a bit groggy when you wake up, and it seems you've regained something that you didn't realize you'd lost... Once again, however, it seems your efforts won't go unrewarded; another set of corridors have opened up, much in the same fashion as the other new area did last week. With them come new rooms to explore; maybe some of them will be to your liking. Or perhaps it's better to say that hopefully some of them will; after all, if the Transmitter gets her way, you may be here for a very, very long time. PATIENTS REMAINING: 26

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY
[OOC: Welcome to week three of Trustfell! Feel free to make as many top levels as you'd like and tag out to other characters! This post is for all of your interactions this week... at least until the weekend. Don't forget to save those threads for coins and the activity check!

If you'd like to get in contact with the Transmitter, you can do so through text or the phone in your room!]

Comments

[heritrix]

[Well, door closed. She's less patient than he is, so she'll start with arms folded under her chest, making sure she looks him in the eye.]

This isn't like the kitchen.

[ossifragant]

I've gathered as much.

[There's no judgement in his tone.]

I take it in your world, being a mage isn't something discussed under most circumstances, correct?

[heritrix]

[She'd prefer it the other way around, honestly. Rin has never been in a situation like this before, and it's left her with unsure footing on how to act.]

Correct. You got it in one.

[Moving on into the rest of the room, it's a bit of a mess. She kicks a few objects under the unmade bed, as if to halfheartedly clean up.]

As I said back there, magecraft is handled with utmost secrecy. Its existence and our status is only discussed openly with other mages, and kept hidden from the rest of the world.

[ossifragant]

I can understand, then, why you wouldn't want your secret to get out. The rest of the world would probably panic at the realization that magic exists in the world.

[heritrix]

...That's not the problem.

[She says this with her back turned, not facing him.]

[ossifragant]

.....Other mages, then?

[heritrix]

[Yes, but she's not sure he understands why. Quiet for a moment, she ponders for the best place to start.]

You said in your world, the existence of alchemy is common knowledge among the public, even if its use is restricted to the military.

Has it always been that way?

[ossifragant]

If it used to be different, it was from a time before I was alive. The average farmer might not know much about alchemy beyond the fact that it exists, but it's well known the military relies on alchemy.

Amestrian society is militarized, so it's become something of a point of pride.

[heritrix]

I see...

[Even though she thought that had to be the case, the thought still surprises her. Where are they drawing their power to perform it from?]

We also have alchemy in my world, but it's a branch of magecraft; one of many. You can specialize in different fields, but they can all be classified as magecraft in the end.

It's not True Magic. What we do is a science, producing an end result that anyone else could achieve, but for us is accomplished through a miraculous process. Because of that, all of our spells are fueled by a special kind of energy, which comes from both inside and outside of ourselves. And that energy is considered magic.

[Following so far?]

[ossifragant]

[It sounds complicated, but he nods.]

In my world, we have a concept of the source of all alchemy-- it's probably not completely dissimilar.

1/2

[heritrix]

[She sighs actually, like that's a relief to her. Their sources have to function differently, just based on what he's told her, but she's glad there's something there. And it's good that he gets it; she's going to give him the simplified version, but it gets more complicated from here.]

Our source is called the Root. For this, imagine it like it were a well of water.

[Cupping her hands in front of her, Rin stares down into her open palms as if to imagine that water there; the source of all magical energy running through her fingers.]

The water it holds is vast, but not infinite. In the beginning, few people knew about it so they could draw as much as they wanted from it comfortably, but as the centuries went by others too learned of its existence. As a result of that, how much we can draw from the well has been diluted significantly in the present time.

[heritrix]

[That's complicated, but not so complicated she doesn't think he'll be able to understand it. The next part is what's actually important. And because it is, she faces him again with the resolve of steel.]

It's worth noting as well, you don't have to be a mage to pull energy from the Root. Just by knowing magic exists, you draw from it automatically for as long as you're aware its out there. It's for this reason, magecraft's existence is kept secret from the public.

The Mage's Association goes to any lengths necessary to ensure that.

[ossifragant]

That would make sense that you would need to guard your identity as a mage, then-- the more people that know of it, the quicker that well is going to evaporate entirely.

[That being said he would still prefer that she not kill anyone.]

I can't exactly blame you guys for your level of secrecy.

[heritrix]

Naturally. But how far we go to do so is extreme.

[Mages aren't good people, my dude. Despite the fact Rin's go-to method is to erase memories instead of killing those who inconveniently discover the truth like everyone else, she considers herself in that group.

Except now she actually is threatening lives. Would her father commend her for her resolve, she wonders? Imagining the answer is yes doesn't give her as much comfort as she hoped.]

[ossifragant]

Is that so?

[He looks interested, though he doesn't ask for an elaboration. He has an idea what it could mean.]

That doesn't surprise me. People will go to great lengths to hide things they want to protect.

[heritrix]

That's right. That's what everyone should take away from this, too.

[And definitely not pull a Corrin.]

[ossifragant]

I would agree-- this motive tells us the Risen are serious.

[heritrix]

Yeah. Despite what Nozomi said out there, I don't think they'll settle for a whisper in the ear. All of our secrets; the uglier they are, the more the Risen are going to drag them into the light, exposing every detail as clearly as they can.

[She needs to double check that with the Transmitter when she's calmer, but Rin has a gut feeling about this.]

[ossifragant]

I'm still not sure I understand their motives. If they were just doing this for the hell of it, I would understand that to an extent. But they make it sound like they have much bigger plans.

Unless it's to show off how much they know, I don't think I'll understand it anytime soon.

[heritrix]

[Her fingers twitch at her sides, curling into fists and relaxing again.]

It's both.

[ossifragant]

[He lets out a sigh.]

It could very easily be both. More reason not to trust them.

[heritrix]

[It's definitely both. Remembering that conversation, Rin is so angry that her shoulders are trembling, but she doesn't say anything out loud.]

[ossifragant]

....Are you going to be okay?

[heritrix]

Why does that matter to you? I declared myself your enemy.

[ossifragant]

That doesn't matter to me.

[It really doesn't.]