realmofstories | Chapter 01: Act III - The Horseman of Christmas Future

A Hollow Christmas Carol: Act III—

The party goes off with almost nary a hitch. Everyone plays their part, their actions developing the story in strange and interesting ways. Poor families are given gifts and tributes, bringing in some hope and life into the town. The party itself is filled with festive cheer—and a bit of mischief, but it remains under control. And thanks to a few brave souls, the mansion is also protected from attempted attacks from the Erasers, several fended off without anyone noticing inside. Compared to the muted, subdued beginning, everything and everyone is brighter and the entire town feels more alive.

Then, after the final scene comes to an explosive close, once more mist and fog from the forests roll over the entire town, casting a spell over everyone so that they fall asleep right where they are. Again they are left completely unaware as the the environment shifts and shuffles, letters and ink swirling as more constructs are formed. And just like before, the Aspects will have a dream depicting a little more of the story they've helped create.

In a sleigh pulled by a strong, heavy horse, the Horseman of Christmas Present pulls Ebegeeser through the town of Lowry. The Horseman tries to instill into Ebegeeser the lesson of generosity, and as they pass through the streets and come across poor families, the man is slowly moved to pity. He offers money, but it's the clothes off his own back that bring true joy and comfort to the people. Seeing this, Ebegeeser's heart begins to change and he vows to try and find a way to help them further.

After arriving at the party, Ebegeeser lives through the possible "what if" of the day. He shares a dance with Beltrina, awkward though it is. One might think she could be charmed, but Bromfred's love for the woman may be genuine. Despite the harrowing and terrifying tale of the Headless Horseman he shares, he treats Beltrina with care and charm before sharing a dance with her.

Seeing this, Ebegeeser is once again driven to consider his plans, even debating if he should actually kill Bromfred. But the Horseman of Christmas Present intervenes and manages to talk him out of executing such a nefarious plot. Thus already resigned to his fate, Ebegeeser asks Beltrina to meet him in private, a room on the second floor.

Although he already knows the answer, he makes one last attempt and proposes to Beltrina. She rejects him, but Ebegeeser takes it in stride. She then asks if he could help loosen her bodice as it had grown too tight for her. However, given his apparent inexperience, Ebegeeser accidentally tightens the garment instead, constricting the poor young woman's chest even further to the point that she struggles against him. In his attempt to help her, they both stumble instead, tripping over the carpet and she staggers toward the window...

.......And that is where the vision ends, the Horseman of Christmas Future bearing down, dragging in darkness and the stench of death. This is where our story continues...

When the dream fades, the fog disappears and everyone awakens scattered around a church and its cemetery. It's dark, the moon just a small sliver in the starless, night sky, and the fog covers the ground. There are some sounds—various insects and the occasional hoot of an owl. But a more sinister sound can sometimes be heard deep within the dark forests: hooves thundering over earth and gravel, the shrill neigh, and a hoarse, raucous laugh.

All Aspects have been assigned to their new roles, and their journals softly glow with their assignments. Everyone set to work with one another will find themselves near each other or in their set location. Aspects will also learn of a particular task regarding the collection of certain items that would help create the Segment road to connect this Story to the Index. There are also no enemies here except for one—the real Headless Horseman, which will look eerily like the one described in the story told during the party. Everyone should be wary for it it seeks not just Ebegeeser's head, but everyone's.

They are nearing the end—but what kind of end will it be?

§ instructions.
With fairly unanimous support, this will be the designated log for this Act. All Main Scenes and Sub Quests have their own top level created for those involved to respond under, but players are also free to post outside of the designated top levels to create your own for any additional prompts you'd like to take on. Each Main Scene top level has the scene prompts and casting, and assignments for the sub quests are listed below. If you haven't signed up for a sub quest yet, you can still do so!

As a reminder, characters will have the necessary information within their journals. Those who are selected to play a scene will find their journal flashing red, so hard to miss. The information they have is roughly the same as what is written OOCly.

If you have any questions, post them to the Game Notes.

§ sub quests.

Everyone is free to participate in the sub quests, including those of the main cast. You can also participate in both. Characters can help each other with their assignments, even if they do not have one or already finished theirs. If you have any questions, post them here.

Segment Scavenger Hunt. Characters are tasked in finding particular relics that will help forge the Segment path between the soon to be finished Story and the Index. These relics are scattered around the setting area and will be objects symbolic to the story. The list itself can be found in the journals with clues as to where to find the items and anyone is technically allowed to find any of them, but for our purpose we're using assignments to make it more organized. Upon finding and collecting the relics, the relic will glow a soft white before disappearing into a sparkle of white light and ink. Here are the assigned relics and their locations:

9S: The first is a large red apple. Located in a nearby apple orchard, most of the apples there are either green or rotten. But there is one large apple hanging near the top of one of the trees. Beware the hungry crow "guarding" it. His second is a small pumpkin. Somewhere within the graveyard is an open grave. Inside is a pumpkin along with a knife. Carve a face onto it.
Shizuo: Must reach the large church bell and ring it three times. It's found at the top of the church bell tower, but caution: the way up is rotten and rickety, and there is no rope to pull the bell. He'll have to find another way to ring the massive bell.
Alfyn: Must retrieve an old teacher's handbook. It's buried in the old headmaster's grave located in the center of the cemetery beneath a large oak tree. The skeletal remains are harmless, but its holding onto that book pretty tightly.

Players can still sign-up to find a Segment relic! Just comment here.

Hunting the Headless Horseman. Characters will need to fight the Headless Horseman and will have multiple chances to do so, like a repeating mini boss battle. Each time the Headless Horseman suffers a deep wound, it will disappear, only to reappear again later somewhere else. Although the characters own powers and weapons will be sufficient, there are additional items to help. Pumpkin bombs for explosive splash damage; pitchfork spears for the extra jabs; ornamental stars for piercing projectile attacks; and the handheld choir bells which when rung will have a charm and stun effect on the Horseman (good for distractions) and provide some healing and support buffs for the fighters.

Although the horse itself will be dangerous, the Horseman will also be armed with a fiery whip chain sword, capable of slashing and slinging it out to try and grab others. The order in which each particular part is hit is based off sign-up/assignment order ~~because lazy~~, and when struck the part will alight in flames and turn black before the Horseman disappears. When it reappears it will be unable to use that part. Although characters are assigned certain parts, they can still fight it multiple times to help others. Simultaneous hits are also allowed.

Here are the assignments:

Rokurou: Left Flank. A large enough slash will result in the left rear leg of the horse to become broken and limp, hindering and slowing its movements.
9S: Horse's eyes. The entire head is also viable, but damaging the eyes in particular will at least result in the horse losing more of its balance and erratic movements due to blindness.
Finn: Horseman's arm. Either arm, although its right arm is dominant. Damaging the arm will force the Horseman to only fight with one arm and potentially lose balance.
Asougi: Horseman's leg (either one). Damaging the leg will cause the Horseman to fall and unable to ride the horse.

As a reminder, the Horseman will disappear soon after receiving critical damage. Although a lot of progress is being done in the fight, there's still plenty of damage that can be dealt and there is no "final" piece to allow any late sign-ups or if anyone wants to do more. Just sign up here.

[Mod note: Refer to the accompanying Game Notes for more information. If you wish to switch out of your current role, let us know!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, you mean my goggles? I need to give them a good scrub. They're dirty enough that they're just impeding my vision now.

[ He turns the pumpkin over in his hand. ]

I was thinking about what kind of face I should carve. I could stab in some eyes and a mouth in ten seconds, but it could matter in the long run, so I thought I should put a little effort into it.

[ -- A thought occurs to him. ]

Do you like pumpkin carving?

Oh.

[9S must have been out looking for a while then. Roxas studied the pumpkin in question, though the question made him look up.]

Huh? Oh, I...

[A sheepish look formed on his face.]

I've never carved a pumpkin before.

[ Oh, good. ]

Wanna give it a shot? Humans are supposed to get a kick out of it.

[ He gives the pumpkin a tantalizing wiggle at Roxas. ]

I...

[He almost let out an 'I'm not really human, though', but held his tongue instead. 9S was offering, and they needed to get this done for the Draft. So after a small pause, he nodded.]

Yeah, I can try it out.

Great!

[ He pats the edge of the pit next to him, inviting Roxas to sit. Whether or not Roxas decides to take a seat, 9S offers both pumpkin and knife next. ]

First things first. What do you want to carve?

[Roxas takes a seat next to 9S and accepts both the pumpkin and knife. He looks down at the little item, frowning at it.]

I'm not sure... it has to be a face, right?

That's what I've heard. It's not like I'll snitch on you if you don't, though. How about one of your friends or family?

[Roxas makes a face at that.]

I don't even know how I could do that...

[But after a moment of thinking, he nods.]

I guess I can give it a try, though. I think I know someone who wouldn't mind being used for a pumpkin.

[ He draws a leg up and hugs his knee, settling in to watch Roxas carve. ]

Then have at it. Who's it going to be?

[He hesitates for a moment, the knife hovering over the pumpkin's flesh, before he settles on a particular face.]

My friend Axel. I think he'd get a kick out of being turned into a pumpkin.

[ A human named after a machine part? How bizarre. ]

Is he from that town of yours too?

[Roxas shakes his head.]

No, he's not from Twilight Town... though, we would often hang out whenever we could. He taught me a lot of things, and even introduced me to my favourite ice cream.

Er... What's "ice cream"?

[ He really wishes he had access to the old world database back home... ]

[He can't help but stare in surprise at 9S.]

You don't know what ice cream is?

Never heard of it. There are a lot of things in human society I don't know much about. It was never relevant until I came here, and our historical records were... spotty, to say the least.

[Roxas blinks in surprise, but a small smile forms on his face, and he nods.]

It's okay. I know what that's like.

[Those early days, when he had to be told what everything was...]

Well, ice cream's a sort of cold food you can eat. I don't know how exactly it's made, but it's got frozen milk and stuff in it. It comes in all sorts of flavours, but my favourite is sea salt.

[ 9S's eyebrows shoot up. ]

Sea salt? I've tasted saltwater, but I'd never think about getting that taste into my food on purpose.

[ He might never stop being bewildered by human lifestyles. ]

Then again, you are the Mermaid. I guess it fits.

It sounds weird, I know. But trust me when I say it's good. It's salty, but also sweet, and the flavour just works.

[He chuckles, then begins to get to work carving the pumpkin.]

Yeah, I guess it does, doesn't it?

Huh. Color me curious. If I ever get the chance, I'll have to try it.

[ The outlook isn't great given the general lack of freezers in the Index, but who knows. Maybe someone will come along with ice powers.

From here, 9S is content to stay quiet while Roxas works. Wouldn't want to distract him while he's doing stabby things. ]

If we ever get the chance to have some, I'll be sure to share.

[He gets to work on carving the pumpkin, brows furrowing as he concentrates. But his lack of experience clearly shows, and when he holds up the pumpkin it looks... well...]

...You can tell that's a face, right?

[ Um. 9S isn't a pumpkin carving expert, but that's looking a little rough... ]

Well, it's got eyes and a mouth. So I guess you're on the right track? How about some hair?

Hmm, I could try... but his hair is kind of... well, really spiky.

[But he will give it a try! Though, as he works, he's not sure if he's making it better or worse...]

Chapter 01: Act III - The Horseman of Christmas Future

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