Help Me | Drew -- Archaleos

She did not look at Archaleos as she replied, instead only shaking her head as she idly tapped on the tablet in her hand.

“That’s just like you,” she said, tone tripping with disgust. “Blame something else. Make excuses. Does it matter whether this is a dream or not? No; it does not change the fact that you are a disappointment to us. We give you every advantage, every chance to succeed, and what do you have to show for it? More failed hunts than successful ones, no promotions, no awards… Every advantage, and yet street rats perform better than you, and even magi are stronger.”

It was now that Archaleos’s memories would feel fuzzy. He couldn’t really remember his hunts with detail, nor his time in the guild other than vague details and enough sense of time to know how long he’d been there. No matter his reply, his mother would not acknowledge him, or look at him. And then, suddenly, the ground would shake, short and strong, enough to knock him to his feet. The key around his neck clattered against the floor. It was then he’d notice that the floor was wet, and water was quickly rising in the room, coming up from the many drains inside. His mother was gone, and the dripping water from the ceiling increased in speed.

He could go through the automatic door, and though his mother was nowhere to be seen, there was a locker there, with his favored sword and a different version of his normal dressy clothes; they were white, and with an unfamiliar logo, unless he recognized the symbol of the Axiom corporation. The water was still dripping and rising here, and the rushing sounds of water behind the walls were increasing in intensity. Besides empty lockers, there was nothing in the room besides another automatic door.

Inside the locker, a note was pasted, in his mother’s handwriting.

Archaleos-
If you’re not a failure, find your way out of the lab. We don’t expect you will.

Drew would find himself waiting for some time, without any further instruction over the loudspeakers. The room would, like Arch’s, slowly fill with water from the drains below, and the dripping from the ceiling would increase in speed. If he waited long enough, ‘til the water was at his ankles (or about five minutes), three lab techs would enter the room; one bore a tray of syringes, one had straps and restraints, and the other had a charismatic smile.

“So patient! Thank you, AE2466513, apologies for the delay. Now, if you would be so kind to go back and lie on the table. We’ll secure you down and apply a few sedatives; nothing major, but necessary for the next experimental drug! You’ll only be out for a few hours.”

They made no mention of the water rising, and assured Drew that he was just hallucinating it. If Drew did not wait for them to enter, and exited the room into the next (which was just a bare hallway with another door at the end), he would come face-to-face with the same three techs, who would say the same thing, though would call him “Impatient, brash, and quite the worrier.”

If asked about Lilith, they would calmly assure him that she was okay, but not give him any more answers. In fact, they were not intent on giving him any answers, and did not panic if he flew off into a rage. In either room, the water was rising, the water drip-dropping, and the sound of rushing water was growing more intense.

As well, both Archaleos and Drew may notice that the entire building seemed to be rocking gently to and fro, though it was still subtle for the time being.

W O R D S
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M U S I C
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T A G
Archaleos Durant | @drew

N O T E S
Once more, either of you can post once when ready, as neither of your actions affect the other yet.

“I agree,” Lilith said, raising a foot from the water with a concerned look. “Let’s not waste time, then, Archaleos. Oh, by the way…” She reached down the top of her shirt and withdrew a key that was hanging on a necklace. “Do you have one of these, as well? None of the techs I saw had one.”

She flashed him a pretty smile and lead the way down the maze of hallways. Each time she came to an intersection, she paused, and considered her options for a moment. She moved with certainty, but the water was rising.

“Drew?” She would call periodically. “Drew, are you there?” They would not hear a response except for her echo.

Drew would find his experience much the same. He could hear Lilith’s calls, faintly at first, but if he could figure out where they were coming from, and get his bearings on where he’s already been, he’d be able to hear it more clearly. If he called, there would be no response, and Archaleos wouldn’t hear him, either.

Following Lilith would be a direct test of patience for Archaleos. She wasn’t the fasted mover, and the water didn’t help the case any. The place was a labyrinth of same-looking walls and fog; he would be unable to tell the difference of any intersection. The water would rise. Knees. Waist. Abdomen. Halfway up his chest.

If he was patient, and followed Lilith, eventually she would lead them to a wonderful sight; stairs! Although there were only a half dozen steps currently above the water, and they acted as mini-waterfalls for water’s flow, the land above seemed to be drier than the rest of the place.

If he expressed fear, Lilith would try to calm him, assuring him she would get them out; the assurances would come on a little strong, as if she was comforting a small child rather than a full adult. If he lost patience and went his own way, she’d beg him to reconsider, and he’d have to hope he could find his way by choosing paths at random.

Drew would also have to choose at random, or based on Lilith’s calls. Eventually, when the water was up to the bottom of his chest, he would find a similar set of stairs.

Both men would notice the now-definite sway of the building, rocking back and forth, causing the water to tilt to and fro. It was not yet enough to throw them off balance, but if either was prone to motion sickness, they may start to feel the effects. The stairs would lead to an extremely foggy room, but as the leaking in the ceiling started to come down like rain, the fog would slowly start to dissipate.

W O R D S
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M U S I C
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Archaleos Durant | @drew

N O T E S
Trying not to cram too much in one post, honestly. We’ll have Arch post first. No, it is not the same staircase; they’re separate, just similar-looking.