imeeji_frontstage

Who: Exael & the Idols
Where: The Game Tower
When: Day 37, Afternoon

[ It's warm, humid, and rainy in Faukyo today, so the game alert isn't the worst it could be. Hey, an excuse to get inside! Whatever happens in the tower, at least you won't get rained on (probably!) And the last two games were fine!

This one won't be, though, judging by the screens flickering on and Exael's bubbly countenance visible on them.

"It's time to welcome our newest batch of idols! Today's game is one of wit, set your minds to the task and I'm sure you can figure it out! But with the clock ticking, remember, sometimes the smartest thing is knowing when to give up!"

Her hologram winks at the camera as you arrive.

You're not too many floors up this time, the room set with many polychromatic tiles lit up in the floor, with bright cords and fairy lights strung up every color imaginable and draped across the ceiling of the room. There's screens for puzzles to be displayed on podiums scattered throughout the room, and at the center of the room Exael's hologram is on a trapeze swing, waving down at you.

"Now let the games begin!"

Only now do instructions appear on your phone. ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Each round two units will have a hostage.
Each round has a time limit, an escalating threat, and a puzzle.
If the puzzle cannot be solved within the time limit, both hostages are forfeit
Anyone may give the solution to the puzzle.
If a unit wishes to guarantee the safety of their hostage, they may, at any point, cry out, "God in Heaven make it stop!" Upon saying those words, the other hostage will be instantly forfeit and the unit that submitted will have their hostage saved.

[ The cords and light-strings drop from the ceiling in a tangling mass, so it's hard to move, hard to tell who is grabbed until one person from AlcheME! And one from future is now are lifted into the air by cords around their arms and waist. They hostages are held aloft as two of the tiles lift out of the ground to reveal hollow tubes beneath, the top tiles slide aside and the ropes drop B and Shogun inside.

The cords pull up back into the ceiling. ]

[ The puzzle appears on the screens. From above Exael calls down: ]

Your hint for puzzle one: We begin in the abyss, from which nothing rises!

[ Both tanks begin filling with water from the bottom, a slow leak. It will take about a half-hour to fill— you can guess this because on the bottom of the screens visible from your tanks are blinking countdowns currently at 30:00

Hopefully you don't find it too distracting from the puzzle ]

[ you can shout up at Exael's hologram if you want ]

[THAT WAS SCARY OOPS

laughs]

Oh! My!

Jesus Christ.

[oh.]

...

[N didn't particularly mind getting wet on the way to the game tower, but he DOES mind how his first game is turning out to be. Of course they take the cute baby brother. Of course they do. But anyway, frowning up at that puzzle...]