GET A CLOSER LOOK==>

You crane your neck, trying to see if the figure is human, and the answer is a resounding "Maybe." Mist gathers over the water,  hiding the figure, but it is undoubtedly bipedal. Of course, you remind yourself, bipedal no longer means human. It's big, for sure. And it's coming, fast.

Will: What... What is that?

Ryan: Okay! You got a guy to come freak me out. I'm almost impressed.

Diana: NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU, YOU SELF-CENTERED JERK! 

Wren: Deen, right now might be a good time to put our mutual differences aside, and... deal with the problem at hand. 

Sam: Well, I mean, it could just be a big dude getting his swim on.

Alex: "Gettin his swim on?"

Sam: Weird way to phrase that, yeah. My bad. But you know, this isn't necessarily supernatural at all. 

Alex: I mean.. I guess you're right. Going in guns blazing might be a bad idea.

CALL OUT==>

YOU: Who are you, and where are you coming from?

???: I COME FROM ROAMING THE EARTH, AND GOING UP AND DOWN IN IT.  AS FOR WHO I AM...

It reaches the shore, and you're looking up at..

Oracle: WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO THINK YOU KNOW THAT, AT LEAST.  

Will nudges Ryan, and unleashes an absolutely mirthless laugh.

Will: That isn't a costume boss. That's a giant bug person. Bill, Bill, are you seeing this? Bill?

But Bill has already turned, and began running away. Will laughs again, without smiling.

Will: Sorry boss, I'm not sticking around for this. I'm not. 

Ryan: No! Will! You idiot, come back! 

He's already turned and vanished up the boardwalk. Ryan frowns deeply.

Ryan:...I have his Ritalin. He's gonna lose it.

Ryan runs toward a pile of driftwood, shoving alex.

Alex: Dude... Cut it out.

Ryan breathes through his nose deeply, rifling around the driftwood, and picking up a long, sharp stick. He lunges back, hurling it like a javelin at The Oracle, who grabs it out of the air, shattering it in its hand. 

Oracle: Your stick will have no effect, boy. Look how I am, not yelling to make you feel more comfortable. HAHA! Hello, Apostate!

Ryan: What?

Oracle: You are the Apostate, born to destroy... Well, something. WE WILL SEE! But, hopefully you will destroy APOPHIS, the great-

Ryan grabs another stick, and runs at The Oracle. He slams it into its head, shattering it over its head. An actual fight seems to be breaking out. 

What do you do?

EXPLAIN==> 

You prepare to explain the situation to Ryan, who, to be fair, has no way of knowing the giant yelling bug-person is an ally, but Alex begins before you can.

Alex: Ryan, that's the Oracle. It's perfectly amiable, if you don't provoke it.

Oracle: AND PROVOKE ME YOU HAVE! YET IT IS IN YOUR NATURE, I SUPPOSE. NO HARM DONE. LET US MAKE UP!

Ryan: This isn't happening.

He laughs, similarly to how Will had. No joy, and he isn't smiling. He sounds panicked, it's a harsh, repetitive sound. His eyes are wide with terror.  It seems like violence was his first response, but the fear at the root of that response has made itself apparent. He staggers back awkwardly. Sam puts a hand out to steady him. A sharp edge of rage seems to stab through Ryan, and he swings a vicious punch at Sam. He hits him squarely in the face, cracking Sam's sunglasses.

Sam: Dude...

Wren: Ryan. Calm. Yourself. Down. You're okay.

Ryan: You're gonna try to calm me down? You?  

Wren: I mean, yeah... I know we have bad history and all that, but-

Ryan: Oh, shut up. I don't... 

He sways on his feet. He points at the Oracle.

Ryan: I knew you were freaks, but this is too much. This...demon, whatever this is. I... I can't... This doesn't make sense.

Oracle: I AM NO DEMON, MY BOY. I AM THE ORACLE, CURSED FOR A WICKED DEED, AEONS AGO. FORCED TO WALK THE EARTH AND BEAR WITNESS-

Ryan: Look, I don't care. I don't want any part of this, I don't want anything to do with ANY OF YOU. I...

Diana has a big smile on her face. She thrashes around, and Wren drops her. She jumps to her feet.

Diana: Can I fight him now?

Wren: Dude, you are bloodthirsty. What the heck, man?

She's bouncing up and down with joy.

What do you do next? 

TRY TO TALK==>

YOU: Violence isn't a good idea. I think we probably need his help, unfortunately. Otherwise, I'd be in your camp.

Diana: ...

Diana: >:(

Wren: Look, Ryan, you don't need to do this, man. You're a hero! You're one of the six! Why don't you worry about that? 

Ryan: I don't have any idea what you're talking about. 

Oracle: YOU SEE MY BOY-

Ryan: SHUT UP! I DON'T EVEN WANT TO THINK ABOUT YOU!

Wren: Look, Ryan. I know you're hesitant to talk to me given our... Previous issues. I understand, rejection is hard. But the fact stands, you were a creep, and you had never shown me anything but hate. And in addition, I don't roll with dudes, dude. But I am... Trying... to show some compassion. I'm trying to be understanding. Can you just... Do the same? But for a giant bug person.

Oracle: NOT A PERSON. 

YOU: Not the time, man.  

Ryan runs his hand through his hair. He looks up. He looks around. He looks... Afraid? But he nods, licking his lips impulsively. 

Ryan: Okay... Okay. What is the "Apostate?" And, um, could you not yell?

Oracle: Certainly. My apologies. You are The Apostate. You are one of The Six, Heroes born into new forms throughout time to DESTROY APOPHIS. 

Alex: And invariably fail at doing so.

Oracle: Er... Yes, but we mustn't surrender hope to The Enemy. That is what He wants.

Sam: We all went through this, man. It's confusing, I know.

Diana: It probably would have been more convienient if we all could have been informed simultaneously.

Oracle: Well, certainly,  but you cannot really time things like that.

Ryan: Aren't you... literally an Oracle

Oracle: Mmmmm.... More of an art than a science, boy. 

Ryan: Ugh... Okay, one last question. Who is Apophis? And why doe it sound like you're capitalizing the H in His name? 

Oracle: Ah... Now that all of you are present AT LAST, I may reveal the story of his creation, and his great defeat! 

Alex: Story?

Wren: No offense, that sounds like it might... Take a while. And we-

Oracle: Long ago...

Wren: Ok :| 

Diana: Hooray, story time :D

NARRATIVE INTERLUDE CONTAINING THE TALE OF APOPHIS, AND RELAYING, ALMOST INCIDENTALLY, THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE.

Long ago, all things were one. Do not misunderstand, it is not that only one thing existed, hovering in some infinite void, it is that all existed, as one, grand thing. And It did nothing. It existed, and It did not think. Time is irrelevant, but to better suit your understanding, we can say that It was this way for a long time.

One day--again, there were no days, nor were there signs by which to mark the passage of time, if such a thing can be said to have existed--something happened that had never happened before. It had a thought. Suddenly, existence became aware of It's own... Well, existence. This being, which became aware of all things in this moment, could be called a god. This term would be incorrect. We will call it the Predecessor.

The Predecessor, which, after an eternity of serene nothingness, became aware of It's own being, did what any being would in such a situation. It became utterly insane. It then attempted to annihilate Itself. 

It failed, of course. Instead, It split Itself into seven pieces. A great chasm of nothingness formed between these pieces. Space was created. Not outer space, the concept of space. One by one, the Seven Pieces became sentient. Each was a god, or a piece of god, if you prefer. Each was inexorably tied to its role, its nature. The identities of each is mainly unimportant, but we will mention them briefly.

Throne was first to become sentient. He was filled with a divine goodness. He was therefore known to be the first piece of god.

Second was The Usurper. Chaos and defiance followed it.

Third was Solus. Hope.

Fourth was Tiamat, and a great hunger consumed her.

Fifth was the Keymaster, and she was too wary to reveal her nature.

Sixth, Wheel. He was order and fate. Huge jerk, honestly.

And Seventh came Apophis. While may of the other gods are, by your standards, unjust, true evil could only be found in Apophis. He was the weakest among the gods, for evil is impotent. 

As the Seven gods created the universe, Apophis found Himself unable to create. Evil cannot create, it can only corrupt and destroy. This enraged Him. He began to destroy the creations of his siblings, but that was not enough.

He wanted worship, which, as a rule, did not interest the others. He began to corrupt worlds and universes His siblings had created. He would find a way to enter other worlds, incarnate in some form... A serpent generallly, or an insect. And He would offer the people of that world power in return for their free choice to follow him. And perhaps He knew some dark nature in every living creature, because they always chose Him. I... Do not know why. But they alway chose hate, and corruption. And darkness. 

Soon, the other gods became aware of what He had done. By then, it was too late. Nothing they created could attain perfection, ever again. He had twisted the act of creation, somehow. They were enraged, of course. Apophis plead for His life, and Throne, who was forgiving to the point of fault, allowed Him to skulk, terribly injured and bound, to some dark corner of reality. But He refused to kill Him. 

Apophis, time after time, seeks to free Himself, and unleash his full power on a world He hates. But the universe has ways of keeping things about square. The Six... You... rise again and again, to strike Him down. And yes, Invariably doom yourselves.

THIS ENDS OUR INTERLUDE, ALLOWING US TO RETURN TO OUR FAMILIAR FORMAT, AND AFFECTIONATE IMITATION OF TEXT ADVENTURE TERMINOLOGY

Oracle: ...doom yourselves.

You stare at The Oracle. It just said a mouthful. Ryan chuckles, and shakes his head.

Ryan: No offense... I always though high fantasy was really boring. I think I'll... Pass.

Diana: You cannot do that, I am afraid. 

Ryan: Oh, wow, watch me. Don't care.

He pushes Diana out of his way, and she makes a face of almost cartoonish indignation.

Do you stop him? 

top

LET HIM GO==>

He walks up the beach, clearly trying to make the fact that he's shaking less apparent.  Wren moves to follow him, a dark look on her face. You reach out a hand to stop her.

YOU: Honestly, let him leave.  

Wren: ... I dunno, man. I think-

Diana: He is not worth your time. Either he will get over himself, or we will do our best without him. And I vote for the second.

Alex: Yeah, I guess we have Antimony as, like, a contingency plan.

Wren shoots a sharp look at him.

Wren: Not a contingency plan. She is an actual, whole person, dude. 

Alex sucks in air sharply between his teeth. 

Alex: Sorry, sorry man. Oracle, any, uh... thoughts on how this is going to work out? Is stuff still gonna be okay without him?

Oracle: OH, YEAH, NO.  ACTUALLY, I DO NOT KNOW. THIS IS LIKELY A DOOMED RECURRENCE. 

YOU: A what?

Oracle: I DO NOT KNOW FOR CERTAIN... BUT OCCASIONALLY SOME ODD, ABORTIVE QUIRK MANAGES TO THROW OFF THE WHOLE CYCLE.

Sam: So Ryan is an... abortive... quirk? 

Diana: (he is something like that)

Oracle: HONESTLY, APOSTATES ARE ALWAYS A LITTLE HARD TO PREDICT. SAME AS HEIRS.

Alex: That's what I am, right?

Oracle: YES. APOSTATES HAVE THIS... ENDLESS ABUNDANCE OF DESTRUCTIVE ENERGY,  WHICH IS VERY USEFUL... PROVIDED IT'S POINTED IN THE CORRECT DIRECTION. MANY A GROUP HAS BEEN MADE OR BROKEN BY AN APOSTATE. 

Wren: ...oh man, this sucks.

YOU: Be honest. Are we cooked?

Oracle: NOT NECESSARILY. CLING TO HOPE THAT THE CLONE WILL DO THE JOB. SHE VERY WELL MAY, THIS IS AN UNPRECEDENTED DEVELOPMENT. AT LAST, HASTUR IS GOOD FOR SOMETHING.

Wren: Oh yeah... That guy....

Oracle: YOU KNOW, KNIGHT, HE HAS BEGUN MAKING CLONES OF YOU AS WELL. 

Sam: What?

Oracle: OH, YEAH. WEIRD GUY.  

Wren: Okay, when do I get to meet this guy?

Oracle: YOU MAY MEET HIM, BUT THESE CLONES WEARING APOPHIS DOWN MAY VERY WELL BE THE SOLE REASON THIS RECURRENCE SUCCEEDS. I BELIEVE IN YOU KIDS BUT... THE PREVIOUS RECURRENCE WENT BETTER, AND ALL SIX OF THOSE KIDS DIED. TRAGIC REALLY. ONLY ONE OF THEM AWAKENED AT ALL. PERHAPS IT'S MY AGE, BUT EACH RECURRENCE JUST SEEMS TO GET CLOSER AND CLOSER TO A VICTORY FOR APOPHIS.

Wren: In which case, we'd all be-

Oracle: NOT MERELY COOKED, BUT WELL DONE.

Wren: Got it.  

Diana: We cannot give up hope, right?

Oracle: CORRECT. AND WHAT YOUR... MENAGERIE LACKS IN SKILL, YOU MAKE UP FOR WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF FAITH IN EACH OTHER. PREVIOUS COMPANY EXCLUDED, OF COURSE. 

Any more questions? 

hey, if anything was wrong with this part, you can change or remove it. probably i'm just being dramatic though, it hasn't been that long :|

FIRST QUESTION==>

You consider any number of questions you could ask, and eventually decide that about three is a decent amount.  The rest of the group, sans Alex, who shares a level of unfamiliarity with Ryan, seem to be recuperating from a cathartic encounter with a common enemy. It makes sense to be the one to ask.

YOU:  Okay, can I ask how exactly we are meant to tell who works for Apophis?

Oracle: YOU CAN CERTAINLY ASK, THOUGH REGRETTABLY, I LACK A STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWER.

YOU: Well... I'm asking regardless.

Oracle: VERY WELL! AMONG THE LESSER OF HIS SERVANTS, SUCH AS THAT JANITORIAL MENACE I HEAR TELL OF YOU VANQUISHING, IT IS SHAMEFULLY APPARENT. HUNGER EATS AT THESE ONES, LIKE A WORM FROM WITHIN. THEIR RAGE IS UTTERLY PURE AND EASY TO SEE. THE ACTUAL, PHYSICAL ABOMINATIONS THEY BECOME PALE BEFORE THE HATE WITHIN THEM. IS THIS AT ALL COMPARABLE TO YOUR EXPERIENCE?

YOU: Yes, quite.

Oracle: EXCELLENT. THEY HAVE NOT BECOME ANY LESS PREDICTABLE. 

Wren briefly pays enough attention to right The Oracle's train of thought. 

Wren: Okay, how about the greater among His servants?

Oracle: AH... WELL, ALL SENSE OF CLASSIFICATION GOES OUT THE WINDOW, I'M AFRAID. THEY ARE TRICKSY. WHAT'S WORSE, THEY ARE IN CONTROL OF THEIR MINDS. APOPHIS IS PRESENT, YES, BUT MORE AS A PARTNER THAN A PARASITE. THESE COULD BE ANYONE. OFTEN THEY ARE IN POSITIONS OF POWER AND WEALTH. OFTEN...

It hesitates, for a moment. This would be less noticable if its general form of communication wasn't a constant, thrumming chug.

Oracle: VERY OFTEN, THEY ARE AMONG THOSE CLOSEST TO THE SIX. I WARN YOU, THEY ARE HARD TO FIND.

Diana: Not my parents. They are a radio show host and an office clerk. Power and wealth... These things are not common to them.

Oracle: AGAIN, THEY ARE ADEPT AT AVOIDING DETECTION.

It senses a palpable shift in the mood, and speaks in a jovial tone.

Oracle: OF COURSE, PARANOIA AND FEAR ARE YOUR ENEMY. TRUST IS KEY.

Alex murmurs something under his breath. Nothing nice, you're sure.

SECOND QUESTION==>

YOU: You said something about the previous incarnation of The Six being  less successful than the others? What Incarnation did the best, would you say? 

Oracle: AGES AGO NOW, AN INCARNATION OF THE SIX ROSE IN EGYPT. THEIR TRUST IN EACH OTHER WAS INEXPLICABLY STRONG, THOUGH I SUSPECT NOW THAT THEY WERE IN FACT A HUMAN POLYCULE OR SOMETHING SIMILAR. THOSE BEAUTIFUL IDIOTS POKED OUT APOPHIS'S RIGHT EYE. ALL SIX AWAKENED, BUT- 

Sam: All Six died? 

Oracle: ...YES. BUT APOPHIS FAILED TO INCARNATE FOR MUCH LONGER THAN WHAT IS TYPICAL.

YOU: Still sucks that the precedent they set is still death.

The Oracle claps a hand on your shoulder. It looks in the eyes.

Oracle: I DO NOT SAY THIS LIGHTLY. I HAVE NOT BELIEVED IN EVERY SIX I HAVE MENTORED. I DID NOT LIE TO THEM ABOUT THIS, AND I ASSURE YOU THAT I WILL NOT LIE TO YOU EITHER. I TRULY BELIEVE IN YOU. IN YOUR SUCCESS. YOU ARE WONDERFUL CHILDREN. IT IS A CURSE THAT I MUST BEAR, TO REMEMBER MORE FRIENDS THEN YOU WILL HAVE ACQUAINTANCES IN YOUR LIFETIME. BUT YOU STILL STAND OUT.

Oddly sweet, despite a bug thing yelling it at you. One last question.

FINAL QUESTION: TRIVIAL BUT VITAL INFORMATION ROUND==>

YOU: What's your favorite food, dude?

Diana: Yes! Let us cook for you! :D 

Oracle: HUMAN PIZZA NEVER FAILS TO DELIVER A TASTE SENSATION. PERHAPS WHEN REST IS AVAILABLE TO US, WE CAN ALL ENJOY A HOT SLICE OF GREASE FOOD. 

Wren: That'd be great, man. You've been a huge help to us, really. 

Oracle: I MUST WARN YOU: A GREAT DANCE APPROACHES.

Diana: Like, a literal dance?

Oracle: YES. AT YOUR SCHOOL DANCE, I BELIEVE SEVERAL SERVANTS OF APOPHIS MAY STRIKE. BE FOREWARNED.  UNTIL THEN, I WILL BE WALKING INTO THE PUGET SOUND. 

Alex: Uh, ok, why? 

Oracle: i like fish :D 

It turns, walking into the water and out of sight.

Diana: What a cool guy!

What do you do next? 

DISCUSS RE-RECRUITMENT ==>

You gaze blankly at the Puget Sound, watching The Oracle disappear into it. You turn to look at your peers. Sam is looking upward, fiddling with his cracked sunglasses, without removing them from his face. Diana and Wren are talking to each other in hushed, low tones. Alex is... Looking directly at you. He saw you looking around. 

It is clear to you, and the others, you assume, that Ryan is a necessity to your plans, however unfortunate that may be. You decide that discussion of this issue is key. Nobody else seems particularly motivated to speak, so you clear your throat awkwardly.

YOU: So....

You sit down in the sand. The others awkwardly follow. Alex takes his jacket off, laying it  out like a blanket on the sand and sitting on that.

Wren: So, indeed.

Diana:  I know that our primary concern is currently getting Ryan to help us, but to be perfectly honest, I am more worried about the part where any of our parents could be traitors.

Wren: Oh, you don't need to worry about that. It's definitely my Grampa. 

Alex: Yeah, I dunno , that was my thought as well. Jerk, check. Clearly knows more than he's willing to reveal, check.

Sam: I don't know about that. Seems more like a red herring than anything else. To me, at least. 

Wren: What if the real red herring is that he seems like a red herring?

Sam: ...what?

Wren taps a finger to her head. 

Wren: Just think about it, man.

Sam: I am. It's stupid.

Diana: I really did not like the way he treated you, Wren.

Wren: Well, I mean, he's a chaser. Not exactly known for their kindness and sympathy.

Sam: He punched me in the face.

Alex: Yeah, he did. That felt unnecessary.

Sam: Requiem for a face, dude.

YOU: Okay, Ryan. Any ideas how to get him to help us out?

Sam: Enroll him in a sensitivity training course? I don't know, man, but look, the Oracle is still walking away. You can see him.

The ground beneath a Spit is fairly flat, usually, and thus consistently shallow. Also, The Oracle is about eight feet tall, by your, admittedly short, measure. As such, it is still clearly visible. It turns around, waving cheerily, and then resumes marching away.

YOU: Huh. Anyway, Ryan.

Diana: I really do not like him. Will was all right.

Sam: Will is great. I hope he's alright.

Alex: Honestly , he had the most sensible, grounded reaction to supernatural crap I could think of.

Wren: Justice for Will, honestly.

YOU: Let's orchestrate an attack on his house.

Wren: What? 

Diana: :D

YOU: No, hear me out. Make it look like a monster attacked his home, so he has, like, a motivation to, you know. Join the fight. It'd be easy, we live in the same trailer park.

Sam: Dude, I'm gonna be real with you. I'd be totally down with this idea, if not for the fact that Ryan being Ryan, he'd probably start crusading against all, y'know, monsters and the... The ilk.

YOU: Ohhh...

Sam: Y'know? Just because, he's a jerk. And not all monsters or whatever... I wish we had better grasp of the terminology but... Not all of them are bad. That Oracle guy? Top notch. Great... Great guy.

YOU: Nope, you are absolutely right. 

Sam: Yeah?

YOU: We make a good team, Aberdeen.

Sam: Oh yeah, sure, you come up with the plans, and then I shoot them down, without providing alternatives.

YOU: Invaluable, seriously.

Sam: The... The dream team.

Wren: Don't downplay yourself, Sam. One less thing we won't waste time doing.

YOU: Right, exactly.

Diana : We are not alone on the beach anymore.

Wren: What was that, sweetie?

Diana: look!

She's right. There's a middle aged African American man walking down the beach, using one of those metal claw things to pick up trash.

You: Is that Mayor Aberdeen?

Sam: That is my dad :|

What do you do?

hey guys! doing this again, just to keep you lovely people informed.

we are approaching the halfway mark of chapter two of act one. if the current projections for the terminals overall length are accurate, we might be near the halfway mark for the terminal as a whole. which is a scary thought honestly.

i'm officially on summer break, which means a couple things. it means more time for projects (i have four currently :| ) but it also means updates may be slightly more sporadic. i'll be gone on vacation sometimes, and i might not always have access to my tablet. of course, i'll be certain to let you all know beforehand, and update as frequently as possible when I can. (which will still be most of the time) 

about the whole four projects thing, i want you to know that this one is genuinely my top priority. I love these stories, these characters, and especially all of you. (platonically of course.) i have never written this much for a single project, especially in under a year, wow. i intend to see it through to its end. emerald springs and all the people in it are very close to me, in weird ways. even Ryan. huge thanks to all of you for sticking it through. thanks for visiting emerald springs. there's plenty more to see. 

send in commands, ye beloved, or suffer my passive aggressive wrath