Harlock's Palace - The Endless Orbit of Solitude

[freearcadia]

Who: Lechter, Zenkichi, Stoat, Moon
What: Harlock's Palace Part one
When:
Content Warnings: Death, Dead Things, Death Wish/Passive Suicide stuff, Alcoholism and scars/grevious injuries may come up

When the teams enters the Pirate's heart, there is a moment of choking darkness, threatening to strangle the life out of people, but it soon ebbs and a wailing wind shatters the silence.

You find yourselves on a vast, dry rubble-strewn wasteland being battered by winds that alternated between needle-sharp, wet cold and dry, furnace-like blasts of heat. There's a sense despite how extremely unpleasant it is that it will not harm the group, but it is trying to discourage them from exploring too thoroughly within the heart.

Above the wasteland is a dark sky utterly devoid of celestial bodies, and of such a uniform blackness that it strains the eyes to stare too long, and would no doubt incite artists into feuds over it's unnatural hue.

The only thing that broke the stark black sky is a long, ash-gray ship with a skull upon it's bow, bristling with cannons that swivel and pivot, searching for something.

The wind changes again, the lilting sound of music coming from one direction, and the sound of creaking from another.

Comments

[totalmisplay]

[It lets the drone pick up a knife for now.]

Hmmm. Hey, follow me.

[it says to the speck of light, before leaving the room into the hallway again]

[freearcadia]

[Stoat has acquired (1) craft knife - able to slice through plastics like butter.

The speck follows Stoat into the hallway, radiating curiosity]

[totalmisplay]

I figure I'll just collect you things as I go.

[so, heading towards another room that seems occupied!]

[freearcadia]

[The other room was much more parse, and had the air of just being recently settled in before it was abandoned.

A harmonica rests on the side table, resistant to the ravages of decay, having a similar spark]

[totalmisplay]

Heh. I think I get the picture now.

[The drone uses the knife to knock the harmonica down to the floor, within easy access range.]

[freearcadia]

[The Harmonica clatters on the floor, getting brighter]

[totalmisplay]

[Stoat trots up to put a paw on it.]

[freearcadia]

[As he does, like before the memory expands and takes over, this time it's in the middle of a vast rainforest during the night, and it's far too quiet for one.

The reason soon becomes clear as the silence was shattered by piercing giggles that came from a thousand different directions at once, overlapping as figures start pulling themselves out of the very trees.

Harlock is surrounded from all sides by countless green, humanoid beings who stared him down, inching closer. He's leaning - no, not against a tree - it wouldn't make sense given what he just seen, but his back is definitely pressed against something, as the tension builds - like the last memory there's some blurs and static-like effect happening on the edges.]

[totalmisplay]

Huh... This place looks a little familiar.

[It tries to "look" behind itself to see what Harlock is up against. Even though it's not sure it can switch the perspective that way.]

[freearcadia]

[If Stoat's at all familiar with particular plants, it may recognize it as the Amazon, or at least this is a tropical rainforest.

It's definitely should be solid - shorter than Harlock - but the man suddenly starts humming a few bars of a bluesy melody, while staring straight ahead at the hostile group.

There's a sense of confusion - why was he doing it...?]

[totalmisplay]

This is a song from whoever owned the harmonica...?

[It keeps watching.]

[freearcadia]

[Soon as Stoat said it... something odd happened, the entire scene rewinds to the start, but instead of being by himself, a teenage boy with messy blond hair and a magenta jacket is with him.

When the enemy appears, the boy is clearly nervous and back himself up against Harlock]

Don't shoot yet, wait...

[A memory within a memory plays, the sound of music on a harmonica down halls that look familiar, Harlock follows it to the boy's room. The boy was playing a song that his father taught him.

As the young man trembles, Harlock started humming the song and it seem to work, as the blond exhales, his trembling slowly ceases]

Stay with me, we'll get through this...

[totalmisplay]

—So that's what it is. Are you forgetting people, Harlock?

[freearcadia]

[The memory receded, the speck then expands into the outline of the young man, who studied Stoat's drone first with curious eyes before answering as he goes to retrieve the harmonica]

Yeah, it's kind of what's going on, any longer and we'd probably wouldn't been recoverable.

[totalmisplay]

So who's the other speck?

[turning back to look at the original speck from the model room]

[freearcadia]

[He holds his chin, an arm crossing his chest]

...The first mate... what - what was their name... he's a weird-!

[He starts as gunfire echoes outside]

He's here!

[totalmisplay]

What—? Who?!

[freearcadia]

The Shadow.

He's why the Arcadia is this way.

[totalmisplay]

So we have to get rid of him before he gets rid of us?

[lemiserable]

[Zenkichi (who has totally been following this entire thing)]

That's usually how it goes. Then again, I told you something bad might happen and you ended up saving him so it's not like I'm really that much of an expert after all.

[totalmisplay]

I think it's still a little too early to say I've saved anybody. These sparks could still be gotten rid of, right?

[freearcadia]

[the young man watches the door]

Yes Harlock and the Arcadia is one and the same here, so you better watch - and the.

[He pauses, seeming to be searching inwards]

...Stoat is right. we could be snuffed out if he catches us again.

[totalmisplay]

But if we kill the Shadow, is it gonna affect the actual Harlock?

[freearcadia]

I'm not sure if you can kill him, but if he can be subdued...

You can probably get through the vents.

[He looks to Zenkichi, just quietly shaking his head - too big]

[lemiserable]

Talking to the shadow after fighting it might be our best bet. Uh, just don't get surprised if they suddenly disappear.

[Personal traumatic experience with his own daughter's shadow, you see. Also wow okay, thanks for that.]

So you're saying I need to find an alternative route?