✿ OVERFLOW

[journaler]

WARNING. SYSTEM OVERLOAD.| A problem has been detected and the device has been shut down to prevent damage. To prove that you are human please░░░▒░▒▒░░??░▒cont▒nue. How m▒ny?body░parts a??▒list▒d▒░░head░▒▒eyes

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[rebelia]

[The traps are an inconvenience, but he expects no less from CERES and what's effectively a video game. In fact, where there's a challenge, he's always willing to rise up and prove himself. He can't help the wry smirk as he begins to go down the path surrounded by filing cabinets.]

Fine by me. It wouldn't be worth calling a level without some sort challenge. I'm supposed to be a pro ViViD player; this is nothing.

1/2

[journaler]

[Ah--that's the IV she knows. She meets his smirk with a confident grin as she walks beside him. He's right, isn't he? Things could be worse--which is easy to say now, since he saved her back there.

But it would've been fine... probably.

...]

Then let's get some answers.

[journaler]

--Whoa.

[As they turn a corner, she grabs at his white lab coat to stop him without thinking of the blood still staining her hands--or her face. All she notices is a thin blue line streaking across their way in the shape of a heartbeat reading on a heart monitor before disappearing. Then it repeats in rhythm.

A threatening electric hiss follows in its wake each time. It definitely looks like a laser of some sort like one of those security systems.]

And let's avoid those.

[Miss States-the-Obvious... and yes, there are more. Some are low, some are high... and others somewhere in between. Some more annoying than others.]

[rebelia]

[What a strange obstacle. Yet the hospital theme of it makes IV suspect that perhaps they're still in the facility, after all. He twists around to casually slide Leia's hand off of his coat, keeping his gaze on the new course.]

I noticed. Don't you think I would have figured that?

[He says without malice before striding up to step over the lower part of the EKG reading. The next reading is a higher one, and he ducks under it.]

[journaler]

[Without malice though it may be, it does come off as a little defensive. She can't help but return the sentiment, frowning with her hands on her hips.]

That's not why I pulled you back.

[Is he serious?

...Idly, she follows him. Over, under, over again. It starts off easy, it's true, but as they go on, there's a faint sound of a heart beating that starts to get louder. It matches the EKGs and seems like it's coming from all around them; though besides the distraction and adding to the eerie atmosphere, it doesn't do much.

It definitely gives the impression that they're getting closer to something, though--but what is it? Her expression quickly dissolves into curiosity and anticipation. Hand pressed to her chest like she's making sure her own heart is beating, Leia keeps looking on.]

[rebelia]

[IV misses the window of opportunity to ask for an elaboration, as absorbed as he is in making it through their current obstacle. When all seems to be going well, however, the difficulty ups itself; they eventually hit a fork where both paths continue to beep with the lines, the faint sound of heartbeat persisting in the background.]

A fork, huh . . . Which way should we go?

[He looks between the two paths, his instincts leaning toward the left.]

[journaler]

[That seems par for the course with them and ViViD. Leia similarly seems to forget, without realizing that what she said needed any clarification at all. It's as if she didn't say anything when the decision comes, and she carefully peers down both paths.

They seem practically symmetrical. She doesn't know why, but it won't be long before they find out they're standing at the tip of a heart-shaped path.]

I wonder if one's easier to get through than the other. You wanna try the right?

[rebelia]

The right?

[He stops to look off in that direction. It isn't what he had in mind, but he doesn't have a reason to distrust Leia's own hunches. In the worst case scenario, the right will take them to a dead end and they'll have to turn back, and that's not so bad. Who's to say the left wouldn't lead them to that?]

Fine. Let's go.

[Better to try and find out for themselves. IV starts down the right path.]

[journaler]

Okay!

[Well, he doesn't seem disappointed at least, so she'll take his answer as it is. She glances down the left path one last time as they leave it behind, but otherwise doesn't seem to regret the choice.

Yet.

They are met with more of the same EKG style lasers, which aren't difficult, but really test their attention span and muscle memory. The pattern alternates: sometimes there's one, and sometimes there's two. Two become more common as Leia uses her staff more to maneuver around...

And then, as they come to an end of a curve... they're met with a gate that feels very final, EKGs pulsing and disappearing across the way in what seems to be a pattern.]

[rebelia]

[Well, it seems they've taken the right path, after all, if the grand gate has anything to say about it. It figures that he would have gone with the wrong road, considering his trend as far as luck goes.

IV crosses his arms as he studies the pulsating EKG readings. He doesn't know a lick of what it's trying to say, but even he can notice there's some sort of art going on here.]

The lines are making a pattern. What do you think it means?

[journaler]

[She seems to tilt her head. The way lasers move remind her of a harp... or maybe a really, really big guitar being strummed. They do seem to glitch every once and a while, forming weirder patterns like diamonds and X's--but for the most part, it's systematic, and on the surface, predictable.]

"Do Not Enter," maybe?

[She jokes, offering a wry smile as she approaches gate. She wants to look over its posts.]

I'd say we try to destroy it, but that doesn't seem like a very video-gamey way to progress.

[rebelia]

[Despite the joke, she's probably right. It might just be a convoluted mechanism to keep out intruders with a complicated line pattern. Deciding not to think on it any longer, IV follows Leia toward the gate.]

. . . No, it does. Destruction is easier to cause in ViViD than outside of it.

[After all, skills can easily be exaggerated. The question, then, lies in whether or not they should attempt said destruction.]

[journaler]

... [Leave it to him to tempt her towards violence.] Well, what I meant was that if it's some sort of puzzle, there's probably a solution that'll let us pass through without all that.

[But who has the time? The posts look pretty sturdy, but she could think of a few artes for the job.]

Do you think your force field would protect us?

[rebelia]

[IV unfolds his arms, partly out of confusion and then dawning understanding as he lifts his right hand to chest level. He hasn't had need of it for a while, and for the better; he doesn't care to overuse its power.]

Ah, you mean the bracelet. It should mitigate what backlash we get.

[Of course, if said backlash is too powerful, the barrier won't hold. It's also meant to protect him first and foremost, so he'll have to stick to Leia like glue.]

If you don't stay close, it won't work.

[journaler]

Oh! Uh... [She stares, as if this didn't occur to her. Nifty as his force field is, range isn't one of its better qualities, is it...?

She takes a step from the post she'd been examining and carefully moves behind him. He might feel her tug at his coat again, clinging close, but... that would probably hurt him more than help.

She lets go and... kind of doesn't know what else to do with herself, so she just resigns to following.]

Okay! Here I go. Right behind you...

[Hm.]

Ready?

[rebelia]

[Right as he's about to say that she doesn't need to latch on, Leia seems to catch on and he drops the matter. Focusing on the post she'd been examining, he raises his right hand. Then he gives a curt nod.]

Go.

[journaler]

[She'd been expecting a countdown or something (he's probably the only one who'd start from 4 and not 3). When that doesn't happen though, she reacts quickly and follows him, wincing at the sound the lasers make when they come in contact with the protective field.

The good news: it works. She doesn't feel any pain (just heat radiating from the field, likely coming from the disrupted EKGs), and IV seems unharmed too as he leads.

The bad news: the lasers deflect off the shield, shooting off in all directions. Cabinets are damaged; some slam open, others are melted shut or are otherwise destroyed. Parts of the floor are damaged, leaving ugly rubble, and the smell of burning paper (luckily blank) fills the air.

...But they make it through. Leia opens her eyes and gasps as they reach the other side; but just as she reacts, she hears footprints and voices excitedly shouting and getting closer.

She doesn't mean "excited" in the good way, either.]

[rebelia]

[It turns out the lasers aren't too damaging, just hindrances that are meant to set the player back with a minor nick in hit points. Thankfully, the force field generated by the bracelet can take on that much damage, so they make it to the other side without a single loss in HP.

There, on the other side, IV scowls as he strains to hear the oncoming company. He lowers his hand but keeps his arm ready. All of a sudden, a handful of the many cthulhu patients from the hospital floor burst into view. They lumber toward IV and Leia like desperate madmen, and it's clear even form this distance that they're unhappy.]

What are they doing here?

[journaler]

[Knowingly, Leia makes a face as they come, wishing desperately that she had an answer. They don't give them much time to think, either; all she can do is position her staff at the ready and start taking them down.

They're just enemies, right...?

But as a former nurse... even if they're aliens, it's hard to have the same enthusiasm as when she fights other monsters.]

They still think we're doctors! Maybe...

[This is a long shot, but it comes out before she can think otherwise.]

Maybe if we take off our lab coats--

[She whacks one in the head particularly hard and stops, surprised at herself. She watches as he falls, and another rushes her to take its place. It's enough to put her on the defensive as she pushes him back and away from the both of them.]

[rebelia]

[When she goes about doing that, what's the point in not posing as doctors anymore? IV steps aside to give Leia room to swing her staff.]

It's too late for that now, isn't it?

[Nevertheless, he shrugs the lab coat off and tosses it aside. He didn't care to have the bloody thing on him, anyway: It doesn't even give him boosts in stats. There's a flicker of light as he summons the spear he'd picked up not too long ago in another ViViD mission.]

So? Are we just charging through?

[journaler]

[Yeah, she likes the idea of ditching it too; so when he does, she follows suit, tossing the coat like a blanket over one of patients who doesn't react fast enough.]

I think we'd better!

[So she keeps up the assault, ignoring the complaints coming out of their mouths. It becomes easier over time, that's for sure... she doesn't want to hold IV back.]

Nice spear.

[But hers is better. (Also a staff.)]

[rebelia]

[Now is not the time, Leia.

But now that he's got a proper weapon, IV assists on the offensive through ViViD-given skills. He takes the other side of the path, complementing Leia's progress as they charge down the corridor.]

It's faster this way. I wasn't going to play rear support forever.

[journaler]

[It is always the time.

Okay no, she quickly lets those thoughts go, along with any guilt from before. They run as fast as their feet will take them, with Leia occasionally using the cabinet-wall to bounce from and attack. They're well-coordinated, with an added bonus of sharing a similar fighting style this time.

...It's definitely cathartic.]

You're doing great! Let's turn here and-- [whack] see where it takes us.

[Suddenly, their surroundings are a lot more maze-like than just an innocent corridor.]

[rebelia]

[IV doesn't have half of Leia's aerial movements, but he's largely able to keep up with the speediness of her attacks. When she swings into another corridor, he, too, makes the sharp turn after knocking aside an oncoming cthulhu patient.

The surroundings take a dramatic turn for the different. IV grinds to a halt in his run. A look over his shoulder reveals that the patients have stopped chasing them in favor of slinking away for another near target, giving them ample time to take in yet another labyrinth.]

Does this mean we're on the right track? . . . Come on. Let's look around.

[Taking point, IV takes the first left turn.]

[journaler]

[She follows, more slowly now that they're not being chased. She glances back every once and a while just to be sure, but something else definitely seems to have caught their interest. Vaguely, she wonders if there are more of them, but it's around then that she nearly bumps into IV, turning her attention forward.

Did he stop?]

Dead end?

[...Ah. More importantly, some kind of treasure in a chest.]