1st Dive: Beginnings [Action]

[koiwamizuiro]

[A quiet and peaceful slumber after a long, tiring day in high school for Ai Nanasaki ended up with her waking up in the middle of a forest, her body on the ground surrounded by leaves. Not that she thought she was waking up at first, but that she was in the middle of an odd dream, rather. A particularly vivid one.

It was a bit cold - certainly colder than her room had been - and her body didn't feel as relaxed as it did on the comfy mattress. And she was lying on something else other than the ground.

As Ai leaned forward, her eyes inspected her surroundings curiously, her head feeling a bit dizzy. It resembled the hill her grandfather owned, but... there was something off about it. She wasn't on the route she usually took, either - there wasn't one to begin with.

Still feeling something on her back, she reached over her shoulder and touched what felt like a wing. Also, she seemed to be wearing a peculiar white sundress and not the pyjamas she had gone to bed with.]

Huh...

[This was so strange. And it felt real. It didn't feel like a dream.

Ai continued turning her head around, and it wasn't until her gaze landed on a book right beside her when she stopped doing so.

The girl reached out and inspected both covers of the peculiar object with curiosity in her eyes.

Standing up with the book in her hands, she opened it up, trying to make sense of what was happening. But what was inside of it just seemed to confuse her even more at that point.]

Where am I...?

[Her voice sounded as confused as it could be. It was a good question. And why did it feel like she had wings on her back?]

(OOC: Ai will be walking around the forest while inspecting the book, trying to either find anyone who could help explain what was going on or a sign of civilization. You can catch her there.)

Comments

[gorehowl]

A prison. A foul and deceitful prison where we are given bountiful resources and abundant pleasantries in a village [so people don't exploit those resources, in his mind. But he holds back saying that, because he can already feel the anger welling up in him, and it's causing his voice to grow louder even as he speaks. No need to push himself further.] in exchange for our labor and blood and dignity! Many beings across many worlds have been taken and forced into thsi barrier, and you are the newest.

[koiwamizuiro]

[The tone of Garrosh's voice and his obvious anger alone made Ai flinch before she could even process what he was saying to her. The sudden change in his tone almost made her take a step backward, her eyes widening in fear and foreboding.

A prison? She was trapped? How could that happen, and most of all, why her? It was just because she was needed for labor? Or... did she do something to deserve this?

And what of the worlds he mentioned? The eight foot tall orc certainly wasn't from Earth, that much was clear. Just how many other worlds were there, and what kind of people would she see here?]

But... how was I taken from home? Is somebody behind this?

[If anything, she was more scared now - though some of her fear from the orc was channeled into his revelation of her predicament.]

[gorehowl]

I would like to know that as well. I would like to know what power allows them to manage "Shifts" which can destroy a person's mind. [And he snarls. He pauses then. His anger is more than justified, but it won't at all he productive. He inhales deeply to try to let out his rage. A little] But there is someone behind this barrier and our toils, at least. The Malnosso. I've heard claims that this world itself is what displaces people do it, but either way, they are our enemy.

[And then he snorts, tilting his head slightly. Should he offer to take her back to the village? Go back to checking the traps like he intended? HE doesn't want to babysit some small human girl positively radiating fear off her, but it would be dishonorable to let her aimlessly wander these woods much longer.]

[koiwamizuiro]

[Ai flinched once more at Garrosh's emotional response. It was clear that his anger wasn't directed at her, but she couldn't help it when he snarled. However, she was still able to process what he said in his rage, thinking through what it meant.

"Shifts"? What did that mean, exactly? How could it destroy a person's mind?

From what she understood, it was the Malnosso who were behind them not being to escape - so perhaps they were the ones that transported them here, too.

She waited for him to calm down a little before she replied.]

Do you... know why they have taken us specifically?

[Ai's body quivered in response to a cold breeze that went past the woods.]

How many more people are trapped in Luceti?

[If there were indeed more people like them, then they were probably in that village Garrosh mentioned.]

[gorehowl]

Less than should be expected for a village of its size, but over a hundred. [More like three hundred. But damn if he hangs out in the town enough to know. He inhales deeply and exhales through his nose before he looks down at her properly, to make eye contact]

What is your name, woman?

[koiwamizuiro]

[The fact that he didn't reply to Ai's first question led her to believe he didn't know the answer to it.

If the ones taken were just around a hundred people from multiple worlds, then... she doubted that either her family or friends were here too, or anyone she knew. She didn't want to think what would be going on at home whenever they found that she was gone. Would she ever be able to go back to them?

Her attention was brought back to the present, and the orc's question to her.]

I am Ai Nanasaki.

[She bowed a little as she said it, crossing her arms while holding onto her journal.]

Are there... more people like me here?

[gorehowl]

If you mean human, the majority of the village here is human. [He considers only a moment more before he nods to himself, and then turns slightly, as if the walk off. Before he completes the turn, however-] I'll explain more to you, and lead you back to the village, but right now I am checking my traps. You can follow me if you wish, or you can attempt to find the village yourself. [She's in the forest, but she's not far- in fact-] You're not too far from its edges now.

[koiwamizuiro]

[While hearing that a lot of humans were in the village was also a relief, it still didn't mean she'd find anyone she knew.

Even if being around Garrosh had her be at least a bit cautious, it was her only source of information for now, even if there were others she could find later. Besides, she feared she would get lost and go in the village unprepared.

At the very least, his words seemed sincere, and in all likelihood he would lead her to the village.

What if the things he was hunting for caught her on the path to the village anyway? Just what was there in this forest?]

If you do not mind... I would prefer if I followed you.

[She probably wouldn't have made the same decision several moments ago, that's for sure.

Seeing him turning around, Ai noticed the wings he had on his back, reminding her that she had a pair of them, too.]

Um... Why do we have these wings?

[She assumed that, just like her, the orc didn't use to have wings in his own world either.]

[gorehowl]

[He grunts agreement. He offered, so of course she can come.

As for the wings though-] A liability.

[His own he's tried to keep covered by his cloak or armor, but it makes them sore, hence why it's out now. he gives a long suffering sigh and tries to move them, failing to do little more than tense up his shoulders. He hadn't gotten used to them. ...He doesn't Want to. Now full with her back turned to Ai, he starts to walks down the path to where he set his snare]

If both of them are removed, we die.

[koiwamizuiro]

[Ai looked backward at what she could see from her own wings after the revelation while she followed Garrosh.

Her eyes had widened a bit again. So she did indeed have to make sure that she didn't damage them...]

They look too small for us to fly on them...

[Then why were they there in the first place?

Just like the reason for her being here, perhaps it was the Malnosso again who were behind this, if what Garrosh said before was true. Maybe it was just them marking their prisoners?

She heard the sigh that Garrosh gave out, making her look at him again.]

Does everybody in the village you mentioned have wings, too?

[gorehowl]

They do, as well as strange markings on the back of their necks. [He would crouch to make it easier for her to see the barcode on the back of his neck (he's bald so there's no hair to move back or anything) if he cared. As it is, she can glance up to try to find it on his neck looking up. Buuuut. He just keeps on his way]

They're useless for anything except to shame people and make them easier to kill.

[koiwamizuiro]

[Ai couldn't see the marking in time, but she turned her head around to catch a glimpse of her own, failing to do so as well.

The distaste was clear in Garrosh's voice. She wasn't happy about the predicament either, but the orc was especially angry.

Then again, she hadn't taken it in all in either, herself.]

How long have you been in Luceti?

[Given his knowledge, he didn't sound like a newcomer like her at all. She hesitated to ask the next question, but she did anyway. Spending time with such an unearthly-looking creature and actually talking with him couldn't help but spark her curiosity.]

Where do you come from?... I mean, the world you were taken from?

[gorehowl]

I've been in this prison for two months [Which comparative to the rest of Luceti... isn't long. But it's far too long as far as he's concerned. He takes out his knife now, because he's nearing one of the snares. He growls lightly in the back of his throat and slows his pace] And I was taken from Azeroth. From my people in Durotar.

[koiwamizuiro]

[As Garrosh walked up to the snare, Ai slowed up herself, using this opportunity to inspect the journal in her hands, first checking out the cover once more. She still didn't know what it was exactly, but it seemed connected to her being in Luceti somehow.

The words Azeroth and Durotar were obviously unknown to her. The names alone were not enough to sate her curiosity.]

Are there more of your kind here?

[She still had trouble fathoming that there were actually more worlds out there and the fact that people from each place were gathered together here.]

[gorehowl]

[...] Not in this enclosure. [This, is probably the least angry thing he's said so far. Because he's focusing on the positive that is that there are orcs on this planet. He's not the only one. He's not got nothing to build an army out of.

But his disappointment is there This snap's got nothing in it. He grunts, and then fiddles with it to make sure it's set properly again, moving on]

There's other prisons on this world with other villages. Orcs live in at least one of them.

[koiwamizuiro]

[And Ai noticed the change of tone in Garrosh's voice as he replied, making her raise a brow slightly. So he was an orc, and at the very least, there were more people like him here. He could've been even less lucky.]

I see...

[And then Ai made her own deductions of out the new information given what she had learned so far, but she wanted a confirmation regardless.]

But we cannot reach the other villages?

[gorehowl]

That's right, we can't. The enemy must find it easier to run many smaller groups than to give us the chance to form an army against them.

[Or that's his conclusion. They're "scientists" he remembers in the back of his mind, they might have some strange goblin-like logic going for them]

[koiwamizuiro]

[Given the fact that they were taken here in the first place for one reason or another, it made sense that the Malnosso wouldn't want any successful resistance against them. Separating the villages would be one way to assure that it was impossible to do that.

Even if everyone was brought together, something told Ai that if the Malnosso were able to somehow put a pair of wings on everyone's backs, that they could remove them just as easily if they wanted to. And Garrosh already said that if a person lost both, they would die... And that weakness didn't bode well for them.]

That means you still cannot reach the other orcs... I am sorry about that.

[She genuinely was, if all of this was true. At the very least there were other humans like her in this enclosure.]

[gorehowl]

[He pauses in his resetting of the snare for just a moment. And then he finishes it silently before standing, the knife in hand, and turning to face her fully. Looking down at her, he's looking at her curiously, a brow arched]

You sounded sincere about that, Ai.

[Not her full name, because there's a cultural connotation about that for orcs]

[koiwamizuiro]

[Ai was momentarily taken aback since in her culture people who just met wouldn't use their first names to address each other, not until they actually become at least friends. That made her eyes widen a little at first.

But then she remembered that she was speaking to an orc from a completely alien world, which explained it rather quickly, ending her confusion. At least, on that matter.

She answered him shortly afterwards.]

Well, it looks like we are all unlucky to have arrived here, but at least I can talk with the other humans in the village you mentioned.

[Though she had yet to see the village itself and the people residing in it.]

It would be comforting to have some links to your home while you are here. Especially if we are going to remain in Luceti for a long time...

[There were certainly a lot of odd things about this place already, and the more she heard about it, the more alien it seemed. But maybe she could find at least a little solace in some things...]

[gorehowl]

[...Hurr. Well that, he makes a gruff sound, before turning and heading towards his next snare. He goes slowly, to allow for Ai to follow him effectively despite his stride and not giving her much warning. He also seems to be smiling, now with his back to her again.

[koiwamizuiro]

[Ai silently followed the orc through the forest, easing into his presence more when she saw him relax a little. In a few seconds, she began inspecting the journal that she had in her hands curiously, paying even more attention to it now than before.]

Does everybody in Luceti have something like this, too? I mean, along with the wings?

[She kept her gaze on it as she opened it up to indicate what she was talking about.]

What is it? It seems... sophisticated.

[From what she could tell now, it had functions similar to what an electronic device back home would.]

[gorehowl]

Those journals are a communication... device. A way to talk to to people from far distances. [But they're usually full of useless information. He answers that casually, still marching to the next snare without stopping]

[koiwamizuiro]

[Ai thought as much - from the looks of it, there was a way to contact people either in written form, a voice conversation or even a video.

It was like an electronic device, then, though it didn't look like one. It didn't seem to be charged by anything.]

I see...

[The thought of whether she could contact her family passed Ai's mind, but she had a hunch that it wasn't exactly possible.]

This works just for people in Luceti?

[What she couldn't say with certainty was whether it could work with the other enclosures, though.]

Can you use it to contact the orcs in one of the other villages?

[gorehowl]

No, I can't. Those books only work for this village, or when the enemy decides they want to send a message out to it.

[And it pisses him off. But then almost everything about this situation pisses him off, so while he keeps his voice even, he also still sounds angry. As he keeps going through the forest though, a fair thought happens upon him-]

Which also means the enemy knows everything that happens on them.