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

[freearcadia]

[Another shot rang out behind him as he slips through the increasingly tight gap into a corridor that looked less charred and abandoned than before. Through the twisted wreckage of the door, a vague black shape can be seen springing straight up from the rapidly falling car.

A hall-shaking crash can be heard only a few moments later]

[eggstinction]

[drops to all eights for SPEED and skitters down the hall, looking for a new doorway or anywhere else to duck into]

[freearcadia]

[The door slides open much more rapidly, and Moon would find himself in a large, mutli-story room absolutely dominated by an hourglass-shaped machine completely covered with powered off panels, light screens, and on the edge of an attached counter is an empty wine glass.

On the floor is some shattered glass, likely another wine glass judging from the stem.]

[eggstinction]

[SHUTS THE DOOR]

How do I lock it??

[freearcadia]

[There is a panel on the side of the door the speck circles around - it looks to be a simple on/off switch]

[eggstinction]

I see it— thank you.

[LOCKS DOOR and waits silently for anyone following after]

[freearcadia]

[The speck flies to the hour-shaped computer, sinking in, some lights start to turn on]

[eggstinction]

[Leaving the door to follow her to the computer, though he does pause to pick up the broken wineglass pieces with his claws. what if someone stepped on that!]

[freearcadia]

[A very thoughtful gesture, that would hurt]

Here - is Arcadia's heart.

[eggstinction]

[gives the equipment an extremely lost look. this dragon barely knows how to use his phone. dumps his collected shards into the whole wineglass and goes to tap on the side of the hourglass-machine]

It is... big.

cw: some body horror imagery?

[freearcadia]

[There is a large console with a keyboard, while written in Japanese script, thanks to the Palace's nature, it's completely readable for Moon. Miime's speck flies into the machine, and some of the lighted panels flickers, showing images - each one showing a segment of a man's body, entwined with cables and wires, some of them seeming to bury themselves under his pale, scarred, translucent skin - something flowing in and out]

[eggstinction]

[TAPS ON A PANEL??]

Is that Harlock!?

[freearcadia]

Yes...!

[Miime speaks up]

He's - this is him, what is left after everything was torn out. Now I'm here, I can stabilize him a little.

[eggstinction]

It looks like a torture.

[looks over his shoulder to the door]

Should I look for more of his friends? I can avoid the man with the gun.

[freearcadia]

Yes, it is - it is not a physical torture.

[briefly she regains her form, touching one of the monitors]

I think they're with one of your friends, but if he is on the hunt they might be in danger.

[eggstinction]

[tenses right out of his nervous alarm at "danger." someone else in danger?? time to HUNT THE HUNTER]

I will go look for them.

[freearcadia]

[She gives a quiet nod]

I will stay here - I might not be here when you return, but not worry - it just means we are closer to setting things right.

[When Moon leaves, he'd hear the sounds of heavily objects being flung about and struggling on the floor above]