Falling Is An Option?
X-ExperimentsIndex:
(DH) – Daehyun speaking
(L) – Myungsoo speaking
(BY) – Yongguk speaking
(S) – Sungyeol speaking
(YA) – Yoona speaking
(J) – Jessica speaking
(JI) – Jieun speaking
(LJ) – Joon speaking
(MZ) – Mayor speaking
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In order to spread the influence of the Resistance, it was important to help everyone with any sort of problem that they may have. The more support they can get, the better. It would make it easier to overthrow Prince Mak and Himchan's evil tyranny to finally create a world that was meant for the people, not just the ruler. It was just a matter of playing the right cards... wasn't it?
Entering the city’s main building, Joon took a moment to look around before walking forward. He had been here a few times, so he did know where the mayor’s office was. It was just a matter of whether he would actually get to talk to the mayor with little to no appointments set. It was also a matter of saying the right words, but that can wait until after he actually got to see the mayor. Was it even the same person that he met a few years ago? As he made his way through the hallways, he made it seem like he was supposed to belong there in order to avoid any questions that other people may have. Upon entering one of the doorways at the very end of the hallway, he soon found himself looking down at a woman whom seemed to be completely engrossed into her work. Joon assumed that this was the secretary, but he wasn't certain. “I’m here to see the mayor.” (LJ)
“Please wait in the waiting room until you’ve been called.” Joon nodded before turning and heading through a pair of doors that the secretary had motioned towards. The woman hadn't even looked up nor had any sort of reaction towards him, but it didn't really matter. He noticed that the waiting room was fairly empty, but it looked rather comfortable regardless. Taking a seat in one of the more comfortable looking chairs, Joon grinned a bit as he got comfy. He could definitely get used to traveling if it meant constantly resting in comfortable areas like this.
“Sir. The mayor is ready to see you.” What could have been a great idea had quickly been dashed to pieces, or at least cut short. Letting out a small sigh, Joon got up from his seat before making his way back into the room with the secretary. Giving a brief nod, Joon then walked past the secretary before making his way into the mayor’s office.
As he entered the mayor’s office, he took a moment to survey his surroundings. The office definitely has had some changes since the last time he was here. The carpet, that had once been a pastel green, now held a rich red color to it that was only slightly subdued due to the royal blue circular rug that lay on top of it. Although it wasn’t an outrageously big room, the circular build that the room contained seemed to somehow make the area intimidating to those who didn’t know what they were doing. The walls were white, almost as if it was made out of marble speckled with crystals that helped light up the area. There were about five pillars total that kept the ceiling up and in between two pairs of pillars was a bookcase that was filled with books and décor. Two large windows were between two of the pairs of pillars in the back of the room, allowing natural sunlight to brighten up the area. In front of the middle pillar was a wooden desk, seemingly handcrafted with intricate designs that allowed the table to add a touch of elegance to the room. There were neat piles of papers on top of the desk and behind that desk sat a woman with long black hair that had been neatly braided and draped delicately over her right shoulder. From what Joon could see, the top portion of her outfit consisted of a white top that showed off her delicate shoulders. There was a thin, see-through layer on top that seemed to enticingly enhance her shoulders for a seductive, yet powerful look. Her eyes showed someone with a longing for something, but they also showed determination.
This was definitely not the mayor that he met before.
“He-” (LJ)
“I assume you’re here because of the problem we are having with the animals. Am I correct?” (MZ) Joon opened his mouth to respond, but her sentence had completely caught him off guard. How did she know what he was here for? Okay, sure, they had just drove in with a flock of birds pecking at their vehicle, but that didn’t mean that she would have known that he was part of the group that had just come in. “I’ll assume so. Look, I appreciate your attempt to create a more peaceful civilization, but unless you have a plan to deal with these animals, I am not about to send someone on a suicide mission because you decided to traverse the mountains unprepared.” (MZ)
Wow. It seems like someone was a little cranky today. Regardless of what miss mayor had to say though, Joon wasn’t going to back down just yet. Byunghee would be quite impressed if he ended up getting this city’s support and maybe then, he would get a promotion. Well, he already had one of the highest positions and he didn’t really need money, but just getting Byunghee’s attention made everything worth it.
“Ma’am, I promise I can handle my own. In fact, I’m here to talk about taking care of your bird problem.” (LJ) This seemed to catch the mayor’s attention, but she also seemed to have a look of doubt on her face as she sat up in her seat. He didn’t really know if that was a good or a bad thing, but Joon somehow convinced himself to believe that having her attention at all was a good thing.
“What makes you different from the guards here?” (MZ) That… was a very good question. How was he going to convince this woman that he was better than any of the guards here? For all either one of them knew, his ability to fight was probably worse than any of Prince Mak’s soldiers. Of course, if that were the case, then he probably wouldn’t have survived any of the missions he has been on.
“Stealth.” (LJ) A single word, but it seemed to prove effective as the mayor took a moment to think on his word. Okay, so the word only really applied to him, but the mayor didn’t have to know about the group that he was transporting. One way or another, they would get the job done.
“Fine. If you can handle the threat, then the task is yours. Find the source of why these animals are not only attacking us, but also mutating, and you will be rewarded handsomely. Fail and… well, you’ll receive nothing of course.” (MZ) As nice as a reward sounded, that’s not exactly the reason why Joon was doing this. Since he didn’t know the stance that the mayor took when it came to the resistance, it would be terribly risky to mention anything at the moment.
“Don’t worry about a reward! My… friends and I will take care of the problem without any compensation.” (LJ) The moment he finished speaking, Joon could see the look of suspicion on the mayor’s face as she sat up for a brief moment. He was mentally cursing himself for saying anything other than okay, but it was a little too late to take back his words.
“You want something else then. Here’s the deal… if you do manage to take care of our problem, then I will listen to your request once you come back. I’ll then consider your request and decide then and there whether to accept it or not. You may leave now.” (MZ) The mayor picked up a pile of papers in front of her before neatly stacking it on another stack off to the side. Joon didn’t really know how to feel about this, but he merely nodded his head before turning around and making his way out of the office.
Whether this was a good idea or not, he would just have to wait and see once the task has been completed. This probably would have gone better if Byunghee had been the one to talk to the mayor, but at least he was able to get the mayor to consider taking any of his requests! If the mayor accepted his request, then they would be that much closer to liberating their people.
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“There’s so much information on the cryston! It’s telling me so much about these clothes. It’s said like fashion… not fah-shh-ion. Talking is weird…” (J) The other two nodded as they each continued looking through whatever they had been browsing. Originally, since they had been told to stay in their room, they had started watching the holoscreen since the option was there. When they saw what people could really do with the cryston, the trio decided to mimic the people on the holoscreen and thus, they were able to search up all kinds of things related to the real world. Of course, while one looked up society itself and the other looked up the kinds of food out there, the last person had looked up the different kinds of animals located within the mountain region.
“Oh! I found the animals attacking Meindol! … I... I think these are the animals anyway…” (JE) Jessica and Yoona had their cryston's retract before they quickly made their way over to Jieun. It took a moment, but once Jieun was able to figure it out, she had the cryston create a holoscreen to display the information that she was looking at. “See? I saw some of these birds in that group, but I couldn’t find anything on the um… the bigger birds, so I think it’s the same thing.” (JE)
“But how can the birds change a lot?” (J)
“I saw on my cryston that food can make someone grow bigger, so maybe they ate a lot.” (YA) It didn’t make any sense to the other two girls, but since Yoona had looked it up on the cryston, it must be true… right? “If we make the birds stop eating too much, that means that they’ll shrink, right? Should we try it out?” (YA)
“What if it doesn’t work though? We should look on the cryston first.” (J) Yoona nodded as she began looking through her cryston once more. If this was the right answer, then that meant that they had just found a way to help the people here! Then, everyone would be happy with how everything worked out, right?
“Should we tell the others?” (JE)
“We have to wait for Joon to come back first.” (J) Jieun nodded as she had the holoscreen disappear before she continued searching through content on her cryston. Regardless of the wait though, all three girls were proud and rather excited of the possibility that they had found the solution to the problem before the others could.
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“What’s taking him so looooong?” (L) Myungsoo let out an annoyed groan as he continued to stare up at the ceiling above him. Despite the fact that they were watching the holoscreen and also searching through the cryston, Myungsoo and Daehyun were waiting impatiently due to the fact that they wanted to just go and defeat the evil birds to save the people of this city. Of course, since they had to follow what Joon said, they were forced to just sit there and wait until Joon finally made it back to the inn.
“Maybe they were talking a lot.” (S)
“Does it take long to ask someone if they could beat up the birds?” (DH) Sungyeol thought on it for a moment before shaking his head. If it was just simply asking a question like that and getting an answer, then it really shouldn’t have taken too long. Unless they decided to stop for a chat as well, then Joon probably should’ve been back by now.
“What if the building is too far?” (S)
“It’s still taking too long…” (L) Myungsoo to his side before pulling the nearest pillow and placing it over his head. It was annoying having to wait, but maybe he could at least get some sleep to pass the time. At least, that’s what he’s heard from a few people back in Arten City.
Daehyun wished that Myungsoo had talked more. Having a conversation of their own would have been nice to pass the time. However, with Myungsoo’s boredom and Sungyeol focusing on what was happening on the holoscreen, it was difficult to hold a conversation. Of course, Daehyun didn’t really know the first thing of doing that, so he merely got up from his seat before making his way over to the window.
Or at least, he thought it was just a window. When he moved the curtains, his eyes instantly landed on the handles that had been placed. Out of mere curiosity, Daehyun took hold of one of the handles before turning it and pulling the door towards him. A gasp escaped his lips as a light wind entered the room and gently touched his cheeks. “Wow! It leads outside?!” (DH)
“What does?!” (L) Daehyun’s words had instantly roused Myungsoo and Sungyeol’s interests as they now made their way over to where Daehyun was. They stared for a moment at the outside world, awed by the fact that their window was much more than just a window. “Can we go outside?” (L)
“But Joon said to stay here.” (S)
“But we’ll still be here if we don’t go too far, right?” (DH) That seemed to be more than enough for Myungsoo as he stepped out onto the balcony with little to no hesitation. When nothing bad happened, Myungsoo couldn’t help but grin as he gripped the railing.
The other two followed Myungsoo’s actions, though Sungyeol was a bit more hesitant than his two friends to step out into the outside world. They were supposed to stay inside their room, but Daehyun did seem to have a point. It’s not like they were leaving the immediate area or anything, but Sungyeol couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about this.
“HEY! What do you three think you’re doing?!” (LJ) All three men looked over the railing before seeing the man whom had been calling out to them from below. Although he didn’t look angry, they still knew that they were currently in trouble. “I told you guys to stay inside!” (LJ)
“But there’s nothing to do!” (L)
“Why don’t you do what men usually do to pass the time?!” (LJ) Joon had expected an answer, but none of the three men seemed to know what he was talking about as they continued to stare at him, each with a confused look on their face. With a small sigh, Joon shook his head as he decided to forget that he even brought anything up. He hadn’t realized that they didn’t know about that kind of stuff just yet and he definitely wasn’t about to be the one to explain it to them either. “Just go get the girls and come out! We’re going on a mission.” (LJ)
“What’s a… mission?” (DH)
“Just go!” (LJ) The three boys ran off with little to no hesitance as glee practically filled them up. Joon couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as he shook his head. Would it be a good thing or a bad thing that he was bringing the group that he was supposed to be protecting? Well, regardless of the outcome, he couldn’t exactly do everything on his own.
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“It’s coming from the mines! I know it is. Everyone says it is.” There hadn’t been any people who would willingly come with them to help and when all hope seemed lost, this kid came charging at them before volunteering to show them the way. Joon had turned the kid’s offer down three, maybe four times, before deciding to bring him along. They couldn’t just go charging blindly in an attempt to find the source of where the madness was happening, so all they had to do was hope that they were able to play things out carefully to keep the kid safe. Of course, safety was the last thing on the kid’s mind right now. “So, what kind of people are you? You’re really powerful, right? I can watch you fight! Oh MAN, that’d be so COOL!”
“Why would it be cool? Do I need more clothes?” (YA) Joon was going to explain it, but he decided to let the kid do the explaining since he had already started talking once more. Plus, he wouldn’t really know how to explain it in the first place since he, himself, didn’t understand how the phrase worked all that much.
“There! THERE! That’s IT! That’s where everyone says it started.” Joon nodded as he brought the vehicle to a stop a few feet away from the mine’s entrance. As they each filed out of the car, Joon took a moment to survey his surroundings.
Meindol Mines currently overlooked a cliff, so it technically wasn’t the safest place for anyone to be going mining. Of course, if it wasn’t for the fact that all of the vehicles used crystals to hover, there wasn’t any real danger for the miners if they were to move off of the cliff. Of course, if one looked past the dangers that the mountains had to offer, there was definitely a nice view of the river that led to the plains off in the distance. It was said that it would have a nice view of the sunset, but they would just have to wait until this was over to see it.
Until then, they had a bit of trouble to deal with.
“Come on, come on! Let’s go!” Joon was instantly pulled out of his thoughts as the feel of tugging somehow got him moving towards the entrance. Well, at least someone was keeping their head focused on the task at hand. As long as this kid didn’t end up getting into any trouble, they wouldn’t have to worry about anything too much.
As they entered the cavern, Jieun let out a small whine as she tightened her grip on her lantern. She would’ve voiced her complaints, but she knew that there was no point since they had to go in here whether she liked it or not. Jieun just wished that they could at least go somewhere that didn’t always involve rocky and dirty places like this.
“It’s down here! I saw a bunch of ‘em when I was on a scout mission!”
“You saw them by yourself?” (LJ) The kid hesitated for a moment, but he let out a nervous laugh in an attempt to make it seem like it was an okay thing to do. Of course, his laugh was clearly forced and it only served to confuse everyone but Joon. Though, if that had been his intention from the start, then his plan probably would have worked out.
“Of course not! I, uh… I had my friend with me!”
“And this friend is…?” (LJ)
“Hey now! Don’t get distracted from the mission!” Joon shook his head, but he decided to not say anything. If he thought back to his own childhood, he probably would have done the same thing. Sure, he would have actually had his friends with him at the time, but that was beside the point.
Something from the corner of his eye quickly pulled him from his thoughts as his eyes refocused on whatever it was that had shown up. He barely caught a glimpse of it before it disappeared into the walls, leaving only confusion. “Uh… Did… anyone else see that?” (LJ)
“See what?”
“I saw it! It was um… the same color as the walls.” (JE)
“Really?! Where?! I wanna see!” (DH) Daehyun moved past his friends with Bartholomew riding safely on his shoulders. Thanks to the light that Bartholomew was emitting, the group was able to see further into the cave. Daehyu’s eyes practically lit up with joy as he saw exactly what Joon and Jieun had seen just mere moments ago. “There! What is it?” (DH)
“That’s a… mole…?” (LJ) He couldn’t entirely be certain since these things continuously popped out of the ground, only to go back into the holes they made a second later. Though, even if his guess was right, the moles they saw definitely outsized any moles he’s seen or read about. These things were about the size of a small child, maybe two or even three feet in height. The claws were much longer, reaching about a third of the mole’s size, or at least, he assumed it did. Any other details were lost the second these things disappeared. “Are these what you saw?” (LJ)
“Yeah! No, wait… Yeah! No, um… Yeah! I think so!” Joon would have further probed the kid’s mind, but he instantly went silent as he saw a number of moles all suddenly look their way. They froze in their tracks, some scared, some curious, but before these emotions could be acted upon, the moles all suddenly disappeared back into their holes. The only thing that gave away the moles’ positioning was the sound of digging all around them.
“What are they…” (LJ)
“Are they going to attack?” (S)
“Just be carefu-” (LJ) The rest of his words were cut off as the sound of crumbling rocks echoed loudly throughout the tunnel. No matter where they looked though, there was no sign or hint of wherever that sound was coming from. Before they could find out where the sound was coming from, the ground beneath them quickly gave way.
Gasps and screams bounced off the mine walls as the group suddenly began falling. Had it not been for Daehyun trying to think of a way to save them, Bartholomew probably would not have reacted fast enough. The little puppet’s body expanded just as before. This time, however, its body didn’t inflate. Instead, once it reached a certain size, its arms and legs continued to expand until they each had hooked onto the walls of the hole. It slowed its descent, allowing the group to gently fall into its hold before stopping the descent altogether. A sigh of relief escaped from a few as they laid there. Joon looked over the edge, a lump getting stuck in his throat as he stared at the endless darkness that continued below them. “Wow… How the… how’d those moles make such a big hole so quickly?!” (LJ)
“They dug reeeeally fast!”
“Are they still digging?” (J)
“What does it matter?! We were almost killed!” (L) Although a bit shaky, Myungsoo managed to get to his feet before looking upwards. They had fallen not too far down, but it was still far enough to where they couldn’t just pull themselves up to safety. They were going to have to climb out of there, but considering the fact that they had no knowledge of how to scale walls, climbing was nearly out of the option. “How do we get out of here?” (L)
As if on cue, Bartholomew started to slowly inch upwards. It may not be the fastest mode of transportation that Bartholomew had to offer, but it was the only safe way that it could get everyone back up in one piece. Myungsoo wasn’t necessarily satisfied, but as long as they were moving, then there wasn’t really much he could complain about. “Why did those moles make this hole though? What did we do to them?” (L)
“Invasion of territory is usually the case. I don’t know much about moles, but most animals would do anything to protect their territory.” (LJ) Joon nodded, though he wasn’t even sure if what he said was even remotely accurate. Looking around at everyone else though, he noticed that he only managed to make them even more confused than they were before. “I mean… we came into their… home without them saying if it’s okay, so they’re angry and trying to… keep us out.” (LJ)
Instantly, enlightened expressions came onto everyone’s faces as they began talking all at once. Joon shook his head a bit, but he was glad that they could at least understand the most simplest sentences he could come up with. He just hoped that they caught on a little faster so that he could stop treating them literally like little kids. If he had wanted to take care of kids, then he would have just gone and worked at some sort of facility that deals with kids.
Once they were firmly standing on the ground once more, Bartholomew reverted back to its original state and the group was on the move again. They didn’t see anymore moles along the way, but they weren’t going to let their guard down just yet. After nearly dying by their hands once, no one in the group was ready to let it happen again. Of course, the little kid didn’t necessarily grasp the situation as well as everyone else as he seemed much more fascinated in what everyone was capable of after seeing what Bartholomew could do.
After walking for a while, they decided to take a break mainly for the kid’s sake. As they sat there, Joon brought out the food and the drinks once more before handing it out to everyone. Keeping up their strength for the challenges ahead was important, especially when they didn’t know what they should be expecting. Sleep was a good way to help as well, but that was going to have to wait until they were in a completely safe place.
“Hey! I’ve never seen that tunnel before.” Joon looked over to where the kid was currently pointing at. Down a ways a bit, there was something that stood out in this mine. Unlike the jagged walls that were currently surrounding them, the tunnel’s entrance held a smooth look to it. Had man worked on this tunnel, it would have taken them long periods of time to chip the walls smooth enough to not even leave a dent or even a crack in the wall. Walking up to the tunnel, Joon was certain that a device of sorts had probably melted, evaporated, or even disintegrated the stone away. The question was… why?
“Uh… I think only some people should go through. We need the entrance clear in case anything bad happens.” (LJ) As the group gathered their things and made their way over to Joon, they each marveled at the huge contrast between the different tunnels. This tunnel didn’t even seem to care if it crashed into any minerals, considering the fact that even the crystals embedded in the walls seemed to have been smoothed away as well. “The tunnel’s pretty small… so I don’t think I should go with my weapon. Uh… so… I think Daehyun, Myungsoo, Yoona, and Jieun should go.” (LJ)
“Why can’t I go?” (J)
“Because you rely on your drawings and unless Jieun is next to you at all times, you won’t be able to see what you’re drawing. As for you Sungyeol, you’re ranged like I am, so you’d only end up having difficulty fighting in a cramped space.” (LJ) Jessica didn’t necessarily understand Joon’s explanation since she wouldn’t be able to see out here without either Bartholomew or Jieun, but she decided to remain quiet about going. Sungyeol, however, understood completely what Joon meant, though he hadn’t asked for an explanation in the first place.
“Wait. What if we get into trouble out here? Won’t we be in trouble?” (J) Joon scratched his head as he tried to think. Jessica did have a point. Unless they saw their enemies ahead of time, they wouldn’t be able to do anything. It also didn’t help that Jessica couldn’t draw without a light source, but then again, he didn’t know how Jessica’s abilities worked.
“Okay… then… do any of you want to stay?” (LJ) The four that had been named looked at one another before looking back at Joon. It was clear that all four of them wanted to go, so it made the choice much more difficult than it should have been. With a sigh, Joon took into account what he knows of each person’s abilities before looking at Daehyun.
“Daehyun, you should stay.” (LJ)
“What?! But I wanna goooo!!” (DH)
“But you’re the only one here that can successfully provide a light source while protecting us. Jieun can provide a light source and both Myungsoo and Yoona are capable fighters… I think. So you’re staying and that’s that!” (LJ) Daehyun folded his arms as he turned away from Joon. Joon shook his head a bit, but it was to be expected. Turning towards the other three, Joon walked up to the three before checking their crystons individually. “Okay… So your crystons are still working, so if you come across any trouble, just contact any one of us. The cryston also makes a map as you make your way through the mines, so don’t worry about getting lost.” (LJ)
“It can?” (J) Joon turned towards Jessica and gave her a simple nod before looking back at the other three. Okay, so he probably should’ve taken that into account earlier when they had gotten separated, but it’s not like he was thinking all that much at the time. Regardless, that was all in the past and it was time to continue moving forward.
“Okay. Good luck you guys.” (LJ) With a look of determination on their faces, Myungsoo, Jieun, and Yoona began making their trek down the tunnel. Jieun led the trio, holding her lantern high as the light illuminated from it. Unlike the usual paper lanterns that gave off a yellowish light, Jieun’s lantern gave off an ethereal green light. Although the light didn’t really mean anything, it at least gave the three some comfort as they progressed forward.
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[[ My Own Thoughts:
A bit of writer’s block hurts, buuuut…
I’m glad I’ve had notes to keep me moving forward.
Anywho~
Another character has shown up!
Can you tell who it is by the initials?
She’ll make an interesting change later on.
Comments are loved!
I love talking with everyone.
It’s also nice to know how I’m doing with each chapter. X3 ]]
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