[IC] Escape the Night :: Season 4.5 [M]

[Lady Celeste]

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1326/6043/files/escape-the-night_1296x.jpg?176

You hear a knock on your door one day...

...and as you answer the door, you see none other than Mark Edward Fischbach, a.k.a. Markiplier, dressed in a black and gold Greco-Roman outfit complete with helmet and sandals. He exchanges a few greetings with you before giving you a scroll and a wooden chest, urging you to look through both items as quickly as possible and promising to explain everything.

While Markiplier waits outside, you go back inside and set down the chest, then open the scroll and begin to read it.

The Society Against Evil needs your help!

You may have heard of us through Joey Graceffa’s show “Escape the Night” on YouTube Premium. While it is true that Mr. Graceffa has been involved in some of our most recent missions, the Society lost contact with him during an assignment at the Museum of the Dead earlier this month. Efforts are currently underway to locate Mr. Graceffa, but a far more urgent situation has recently come to our attention.

Those of you who are familiar with “Escape the Night” may have heard of a being known as the “cursed god”, and the Society has learned of a prophecy dating back to Ancient Greece saying that he would escape from his imprisonment in Tartarus and bring about the end of the world as we know it, unless certain mortals from the future travel back in time to stop him. To that end, given each of your particular skills, we are now reaching out to you to help us with this mission. If you succeed, you will have saved the world and earned a place among the ranks of the Society Against Evil. But if you fail... believe us when we say you don’t want to know.

One of our agents, whom you may recognize as Markiplier, will take you by chariot to a ship that will transport you to Ancient Greece, where you will begin your mission. You have also been given a chest containing clothing that corresponds to a specific persona from ancient times. When you are ready to depart, you must be wearing this clothing and cannot carry anything with you from the modern era, or else the chariot and the ship will both remain hidden from your eyes. Mark will answer as much of your questions as he can, and more will be explained to you in good time after you arrive.

Farewell, and best of luck.

The names “Joey Graceffa” and the “Society Against Evil” sound vaguely familiar. Weren’t they part of a show on YouTube Premium that was kind of like this, with several YouTubers being invited to parties in different time periods? And come to think of it, didn't those parties always somehow lead to everyone taking part in different challenges that resulted in all but a few of them being horribly murdered?

But maybe you're overthinking this. That was all fake, after all... wasn't it?

Markiplier still stands patiently at your doorstep, awaiting your response.


ACTUAL NAME: Mark Edward Fischbach
YOUTUBE SCREEN NAME: Markiplier
AGE: 30
PERSONA: The Charioteer
https://networthbuzz.com/uploads/biography/2019/4/19/Markiplier%201-1555665009202.jpg
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wjRJ6UioUP4/TsxUHKYL9LI/AAAAAAAAj4c/fFDsIEuAQWs/s280/StephenBoyd%2BBenHur%2BChariotear%2Bcostume.jpg
OTHER NOTES: Markiplier is best known for his indie/horror game playthroughs; among Five Nights at Freddy’s fans, he is often still hailed to this day as the King of Five Nights at Freddy’s. He is especially famous for his comically over-the-top playthrough style and reactions to different events and scares in games.

COMPOSURE :: 7
FOCUS :: 6
MASTERY :: 5
STEALTH :: 6
GRACE :: 3
SPEED :: 3



ACTUAL NAME: Isobel Munro
YOUTUBE SCREEN NAME: Green Pharma
AGE: 21
PERSONA: The Herbalist
https://mymodernmet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/redheads-brian-dowling-10.jpg
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0073/2590/9050/files/celtic_grande.jpg?v=1526112075
OTHER NOTES: Isobel’s YouTube channel focuses primarily on herbalism and home remedies, but it's a little-known secret that she enjoys reading (including various literature and mythologies) and writing as hobbies. She's also surprisingly shy in person, despite her more open and cheerful persona on YouTube.

COMPOSURE :: 3
FOCUS :: 5
MASTERY :: 5
STEALTH :: 7
GRACE :: 4
SPEED :: 6



ACTUAL NAME: Greg Edwards
YOUTUBE SCREEN NAME: Wisecrack (Thug Notes)
AGE: 28
PERSONA: The Scribe
https://thumbor-forbes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/ii/w1200/s/thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/711x400/https://blogs-images.forbes.com/michaelhumphrey/files/2015/08/2S3C3136-1940x1091.jpg?width=960
https://images.halloweencostumes.com/products/26545/1-1/mens-toga.jpg
OTHER NOTES: In real life, Greg Edwards plays the role of Sparky Sweets, PhD on the educational web series “Thug Notes” on Wisecrack’s channel. In the series, Greg’s character summarizes and discusses various works of classic and modern literature, using informal African-American Vernacular English in a parody of traditional literature study guides such as CliffNotes, hence the name of the series.

COMPOSURE :: 4
FOCUS :: 7
MASTERY :: 8
STEALTH :: 4
GRACE :: 4
SPEED :: 3



ACTUAL NAME: Silvio Fuentes
YOUTUBE SCREEN NAME: none
AGE: 22
PERSONA: The Diplomat
https://previews.123rf.com/images/rido/rido1009/rido100900071/7889526-young-smiling-latin-man-looking-at-camera-isolated-on-white-background.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/03/37/43/033743005094631236372fd784998cb6.jpg
OTHER NOTES: Silvio won a contest hosted near the end of the “Escape the Night Escape Room” event, and his prize was being signed up as a guest on Season 4.5.

COMPOSURE :: 5
FOCUS :: 6
MASTERY :: 4
STEALTH :: 2
GRACE :: 6
SPEED :: 7



ACTUAL NAME: Mina Rosewood
YOUTUBE SCREEN NAME: The Foodie's Guide
AGE: 27
PERSONA: The Vintner
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/610396654780284948/611198863310716928/Why-Black-Leads-Other-Colors-In-Fashion.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/610396654780284948/611199265565310986/dda1bed9bbfeef7f7bf5d622fb71b152.png
OTHER NOTES: Food is her passion, She loves to experiment with old recipes to make them even better and create new ones along the way for food and drinks. She hopes to create a recipe book in the future if she get popular enough. Currently dating Aaron and sometimes appears on his channel.

COMPOSURE: 5
FOCUS: 6
MASTERY: 7
STEALTH: 3
GRACE: 5
SPEED : 4



ACTUAL NAME: Aaron Chadwick
YOUTUBE SCREEN NAME: Oceans of Knowledge
AGE: 29
PERSONA: The Sailor
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/610396654780284948/611194338763997194/5a07553bad730e7b0b062048a1352d12.png
http://img.fruugo.com/product/3/98/70834983_max.jpg
OTHER NOTES: With a larger than life personality people would say he was made to be a YouTube personality. He's a the definition of an extrovert and being rather positive even when life gets tuff. Also he has never drank, smoke, or done drugs at all. Currently dating Mina and also appears on her channel.

COMPOSURE: 6
FOCUS: 6
MASTERY: 7
STEALTH: 3
GRACE: 2
SPEED : 6



ACTUAL NAME: Nijah Amari
YOUTUBE SCREEN NAME: Starlight Mystic
AGE: 22
PERSONA: The Seer
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/610396654780284948/611185862327271435/0c2801dbd8c9eaf03dafb7c5c7805ae6.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/610396654780284948/611186381728776205/1.png
OTHER NOTES: Known for her soft voice while giving tarot reading for the month or special occasions making her easy to listen to even if you can't focus on the video. She rarely see shows her feeling insecure with the negative stigma towards people of middle eastern descent. Even so she's a rather outgoing person striving to be positive regardless of the negative comments.

COMPOSURE: 6
FOCUS: 5
MASTERY: 7
STEALTH: 4
GRACE: 6
SPEED : 2



ACTUAL NAME: Sayuri Nguyen
YOUTUBE SCREEN NAME: Psych2Go
AGE: 20
PERSONA: The Handmaiden
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/610396654780284948/611274917387829278/0992ce1680c4bfb44e9528d90caac2c7--medium-asian-hairstyles-woman-hairstyles.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/610396654780284948/611275134866685962/carnival-woman-costume.png
OTHER NOTES: Known for her gentle and kind nature. Very quiet and doesn't speak too much unless she feels it to be necessary.

COMPOSURE: 6
FOCUS: 5
MASTERY: 5
STEALTH: 6
GRACE: 5
SPEED : 3




ACTUAL NAME: Malissa Sander
YOUTUBE SCREEN NAME: Mally1478
AGE: 18
PERSONA: THE PHILOSOPHER
MODERN APPEARANCE: Malissa (https://i.imgur.com/uYCjvio.jpg)
PERSONA COSTUME: Lady Philosopher (https://i.imgur.com/VZfwG3F.jpg)
OTHER INFO :

COMPOSURE :: 7

FOCUS :: 5

MASTERY :: 6

STEALTH :: 4

GRACE :: 4

SPEED :: 4





ACTUAL NAME: Brandon Daniels
YOUTUBE SCREEN NAME: none
AGE: 24
PERSONA: THE GLADIATOR
MODERN APPEARANCE: Brandon (https://i.imgur.com/frPTeuj.jpg)
PERSONA COSTUME: Brando the Gladiator (https://i.imgur.com/Ygn2qKW.jpg)
OTHER INFO :


COMPOSURE :: 7

FOCUS :: 6

MASTERY :: 3

STEALTH :: 2

GRACE :: 5

SPEED :: 7





ACTUAL NAME: James Baptiste
YOUTUBE SCREEN NAME: Baptiste Blacksmiths
AGE: 35
PERSONA: THE BLACKSMITH
MODERN APPEARANCE: James (https://i.imgur.com/VHsVA81.jpg)
PERSONA COSTUME: Janos the Blacksmith (https://i.imgur.com/TIR0Mfo.jpg)
OTHER INFO :

COMPOSURE :: 6

FOCUS :: 8

MASTERY :: 6

STEALTH :: 3

GRACE :: 5

SPEED :: 2





ACTUAL NAME: Eleanor Salazar
YOUTUBE SCREEN NAME: none
AGE: 30
PERSONA: THE MERCHANT
MODERN APPEARANCE: Eleanor (https://i.imgur.com/3gcfMN0.jpg)
PERSONA COSTUME: Merchant Queen (https://i.imgur.com/MBy00Cf.jpg)
OTHER INFO :

COMPOSURE :: 8

FOCUS :: 7

MASTERY :: 7

STEALTH :: 2

GRACE :: 3

SPEED :: 3

[Lady Celeste]

Greg the Scribe ::

“You’re kidding me, right? You gotta be kidding me.”

Greg’s first instinct was to look around the immediate area for any signs of cameras. Had Joey teamed up with Mark for one of those hidden camera pranks? Or maybe this was all Mark’s idea?

“Nope; it’s all real.” Mark said. “We gotta go back in time, save the world, probably get horribly murdered along the way, but hopefully not.”

“Damn; this is some nasty shit.” Greg said to no one in particular, hurrying to put on his outfit and get on the chariot.

————

Isobel the Herbalist ::

“Coming!”

Isobel had just finished uploading a video on making a homemade antiseptic when she got her invitation. Fortunately the garlic smell had just been washed out of her hands, but she was definitely not expecting to see Markiplier at her door.

“Hi there, how you doing? This is for you...” Mark said, holding out the scroll and the chest.

“Thank you...” Isobel replied with a polite smile, though she was already debating whether or not it would be rude to ask what this was all about, or why on earth Mark was dressed like that.

“You probably have a ton of questions right now, #1 being ‘what the hell are you doing here, Mark?’” Mark said with an oddly cheerful bluntness. “Well first of all, I’m filling in for Joey Graceffa on this little adventure. The rest is explained in that little scroll.”

Opening and reading the scroll, Isobel immediately remembered that web series Joey Graceffa had on YouTube Premium. Maybe this was all part of that show? Reassuring herself on that note, Isobel took the chest inside, re-emerged in the outfit she was given, and boarded the chariot with Mark.

————

Silvio the Diplomat ::

Unlike most of the others, Silvio had been expecting his visit, having already cleared out his entire schedule accordingly just in case today was the day.

He hadn’t expected Markiplier to be the one to show up, but it was certainly not an unpleasant surprise.

“Hey, Silvio!” Mark beamed, shaking hands with him. “Heard you got the fastest time on the solo challenge of the Escape the Night escape room event. Congratulations!”

“Oh, well thank you!” Silvio said with a slight Spanish accent, though it was a bit more pronounced in his more flustered state.

“Now I know what you’re thinking; you were probably expecting Joey to come out here like this, weren’t you?” Mark asked rhetorically, becoming slightly more serious, though the cheerful tone never left his voice. “Well, something came up, so I’ll be filling in for Joey on this little adventure.”

Mark gave Silvio the scroll and chest.

“The details are all in here.” Mark said, though a small pause followed. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go get ready!”

“Right!” Silvio said, rushing back into his apartment. After reading through the scroll and bracing himself, Silvio wasted no time getting ready and hopping onto the chariot with Mark.

[CrimsonLady180]

Mina the Vintner & Aaron the Sailor :

"So what are you cooking today? Anything special?" Aaron asked sitting at the breakfast bar editing a video he was uploading. Meanwhile Mina was whisking some homemade buttercream frosting in a bowl taking sips of her mimosa when she shifted around the kitchen until she was finished.

"Not really just making some simple cupcakes, felt like something sweet with my fruity drink," Mina replied with a smile then she returned her attention to the cupcakes to decorate them with frosting and caramel sauce. Aaron finished up uploading his video then swiped one of Mina's freshly finished cupcakes. "Hey! You could of at least asked," she pouted teasingly at Aaron with a small whimper.

"Come on! Don't look at me like that!" Aaron said immediately feeling bad making Mina laugh.

"You know I'm joking," she said as they both heard a knock on the door, "I don't think we're expecting anyone are we?"

"Nope... I'll go check to see who it is," he said hopping out of his seat to answer the door as Mina put the cupcakes away and followed behind him. They opened the door to find the one and only Mark at their door dressed in ancient looking costumes with chest on either side of him as he presented them each with a scroll. They both looked at each other then opened the scrolls to read what was on the parchment. Once they both read the notes Aaron looked at Mina then with a big smile asked, "Looks like we have an adventure to go on, shall we?"

"I hope this is just an elaborate colab invite of some kind," Mina said with a sigh but agreed to go along then offered Mark a cupcake wile he waited. With fresh cupcakes in their tummies and dressed in their outfits they set out on their chariots wondering what was in store for the them.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Nijah the Seer :

The young middle eastern woman was shuffling some tarot cards when she heard a knock on the door, "Hmm... I don't remember ordering postmates or anything," she muttered to herself as she set aside her cards on the coffee table before getting up to answer the door. She stopped for a moment checking the peephole to find a guy dressed in a Greek costume, but it looked better than a run of the mill party city costume. Nijah open the door with an eyebrow raised at the man that stood before her, "Um, can I help you with something?" Nijah asked reluctantly when she realized who stood before her and greeted her as he presented Nijah with a scroll describing what all this was and that if she didn't go who knows what would happen.

"Whoa... This is really heavy, but if it's a save the world mission I'm looking forward to being of some use," she replied to Nijah with a shrug feeling uneasy about the situation, but never wanted to turn her back people were in need. After a moment of letting everything sink in she put on her outfit and followed the rest of the scroll's instructions then got on her chariot hoping that luck will be on her side during her quest.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Sayuri the Handmaiden :

Sayuri was doing a but of research and light reading to prepare for the next video she was planning to make with the other Psy2Goers when there was a knock on the door. After finishing up what she was doing Sayuri shut down everything and headed over to her door. When she opened it and gave casually glance at the gentleman that stood before her, they seemed really out of place considering it wasn't Halloween. "Mark? What are you doing here?" Sayuri asked softly he handed her an old looking scroll with the parchment feeling unlike any other paper she has felt before.

After a moment she unrolled the scroll to see it was a request for her to go save the world from an ill-fated end as well as Joey if she could find him. "What could he have possibly gotten into...? Just a moment, I'll be ready soon," she replied then went to get ready in her new outfit which seemed to fit rather comfortably. Once she saw that her look was in order she got onto the chariot feeling a twinge of worry for what she said yes to.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Malissa the Philosopher

"And remember friends, be the voice in the dark and bring it all to the light. Have a glorious day." With her signature sign-off Mally clicked off the webcam and sat back in her comfy leather chair rubbing her eyes and jaws. She hated doing live streams, but she had promised her fans one if she got up to 100k subscribers.

Lots of good discussions and questions tossed around. And the usual scuzzs who troll her comments didn't show up thankfully. Standing up she pulled her sweater off and tossed it onto her bed as she adjusted the straps of her black lacy bra beginning to head into her bathroom for a shower. She had just pulled her slacks off when her doorbell rang. She's been expecting some books to help her study for collage. She contemplated asking her mom to answer it, but then she remembered both her parents were out on date night. So with a sigh she pulled on her purple bat robe and answered her door. What she expected was to see a box full of heavy books or the cute UPS delivery man. What she got was none other than Mr. Markiplier. She gasped lightly holding her robe close about. What was a big time YouTuber doing at her door dressed like someone from an old movie. He didn't say anything, just handed her a fancy scroll and a box of clothes. The scroll made her quirk her eyebrow the very idea filling her head with all kinds of questions and thoughts. But seeing as she was going to shower and change anyway. She asked Mark to wait outside while she took the few minutes needed to get herself dressed and presentable before joining him outside.


~~~~~~~~~~

Brandon the Gladiator

Heavy metal music played in the sub-basement of a basement apartment the heavy clank of weights barking up behind the ripping guitar riffs. Brandon had just come home from a long shift at the gym dealing with angry idiots who couldn't understand why they didn't look like movies stars after running for ten minutes on a treadmill.

As much as he would want to just knock them all out with a kettle-bell. He needed to smile and keep reminding them that it takes work in as many nice words as he could. But as soon as he was out the door he was done and ready for the weekend. One of the perks of being the top trainer is that Brandon gets to choose his days.

So he punched his time card and booked it home. Planning to get in a good work-out, meet some of his friends at a local wing joint have some beer, and maybe find himself a roommate for the night. The idea made him grin and pump out his reps even harder and quicker. He wounded up working himself into a lather after two hours and called it quits and hit the showers. He spent some extra time getting himself shaved and cleaned up when a series of texts came through putting a bullet through the foot of his plans. All his friends canceled just as he was getting his cologne ready, a low annoyed sigh escaped his lips and he dropped his phone onto the counter just as a knock came upon his street level door. Already trying to think up some way to salvage his night he answered the door simply glancing up seeing some scrawny dude dressed like a fruitcake holding some paper and a box for him.

The man stood smiling as if expecting Brandon to know who the hell he was or why he was here smiling like a possum eating peach seeds. They stood staring for a few seconds before the smiling guy's face faltered. "Hi I'm Mark Edward Fischbach, A.K.A Markiplier from YouTube."

Brandon nodded then shrugged expectantly. "Good for you now why the hell are you darkening my doorway dressed like you fell outta Game of Thrones or some shit?"

Markiplier chuckled and bit his lip a little before handing the scroll and box to Brandon. "You're gonna be a fun one. You look like you could use something to do. Take these and join me for something to do."

Brandon thought about tossing this Fishplier guy and his box out into the street. But he didn't have anything to do, and he was quickly losing his desire to bother with anything else. So with a shrug he took the box and checked out the remarkably authentic looking suit of gladiator armor. It wasn't too involved in getting it on so he was ready shortly there after and followed this Fichfuck outside making sure to lock his door before he left.

~~~~~

James the Blacksmith

The hammer banged upon the anvil and sparks flew out in an orange shower upon the bare concrete floor of the blacksmith shop. The red hot metal glowed in the glass of the welding goggles, the basic shape of a seax was forming upon the anvil. James has been working on this beauty all day, it was his last order for the week and he was eager to get it done. It would be worth at least three grand once it was said and done.

Working at his usual steady skillful pace he wrapped up just around dinner time. His wife and kids were off visiting her mother so the smith was already thinking on his dinner for the night. He was feeling like chili mac, he put the final touches on the new weapon and set it on his wall to be wrapped and mailed out later. Whistling a happy tune the man began washing his hands and face when a knock came on his forge's door. Hmming softly he reached for his heavy smith's hammer and headed for the door. His forge was in his backyard and no one came back here easily. Looking through the peep hole he saw the YouTuber Markiplier at his door smiling big carrying a box and dressed like a LARPER. Placing the hammer on a bench he opened the door and looked at the young man questioningly. "How did you get back here? I make sure to keep everything locked up when I'm in the shop."

The YouTuber shrugged and smiled. "You forgot the backgate this time, but worry not I locked it after me. I am here with an invite and a wardrobe change!" He handed the box and scroll over and James took them both eyeing it all up suspiciously. But he had heard of this competition, but never signed up for it so why he was getting this was a mystery. But his kids were fans of the show so them seeing him on it would get a kick outta them so he agreed and quickly changed thankful his many years of wearing heavy smith cloths giving him a little edge in the heavy fur and armor.


~~~~~~

Eleanor the Merchant

It was a busy day in the aisles of the Salazar Family market. Fridays are usually like this so it wasn't anything the employees couldn't handle. But behind the scenes it was a much more hectic time, the owner Eleanor was buzzing around her office getting things sorted out before she went on her week long vacation. She recently got an invite to partake in some game show, at first she wasn't going to say yes. She had to keep her business going and as a very hands-on boss she liked being as close as possible.

But her family as well as her employees were nagging her everyday to accept it and eventually she caved and has been making ready to meet some YouTuber who was acting as chauffeur. She'd heard of the kid, but never saw any of his vids. She at least knew what he looked like and soon her store manager came knocking on her door. Taking a breath and giving her home away from one final good bye she headed for the door and greeted the young man dressed like an ancient Greek. He gave her a scroll and a new outfit. It was unusual, but she trusted in her family and employees who said this would do her good.

[Lady Celeste]

By the time Mark arrived at the harbor with Eleanor, the other ten recruits had already been waiting by the ship mentioned in the scrolls they’d been given: a relatively simple transport ship with white sails, oars protruding from the sides, and a flag bearing the emblem of the Society Against Evil (https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/escapethenight/images/6/66/Cult_logo.png/revision/latest?cb=20190709002034).

Silvio was admiring the ship and taking every chance he could to mingle with the rest of the group while they waited, at the same time taking a moment to size up each person in his mind. Beating the escape room event was one thing, but now that they were all here, he needed to be prepared regarding each person’s strengths and weaknesses, so that they would be that much more effective as a team going forward.

Isobel recognized more than a few people from their respective channels, especially Greg, Mina, and Mally. Before long, she had struck up more than a few conversations with some of them, having decided to just take this whole save-the-world mission in stride for now, if only so she wouldn’t panic and make a fool of herself.

Greg wasn’t much of a conversationalist, but he gladly chatted with anyone who approached him, including Isobel who turned out to be a fan of Thug Notes. This was all still some crazy shit, but at least most of them seemed pretty nice, at least for now.


Once everyone had been assembled, there was a sudden clanging of the bell near the gangplank of the ship.

“All aboard, bitches!” Bretman (https://escapethenight.fandom.com/wiki/Bretman_Rock) called out to the group, continuing to ring the bell until everyone was onboard the ship.

Isobel rolled her eyes in annoyance at Bretman’s language, while Greg looked more than a little miffed, but they both decided it wasn’t worth getting into a fight over and simply boarded the ship as requested. Mark, meanwhile, lagged slightly behind the others to briefly talk to Bretman, after which Bretman left the harbor and Mark boarded the ship with the others.


As they began to set sail, Mark’s famously cheerful persona faded for the time being, becoming more serious now as he gathered everyone together below deck. Meanwhile, in the sky above, the sun appeared to begin setting in the east instead of the west, slowly at first yet gradually gaining speed, all the while the ship was gently shrouded in a cloud of silver mist.

“Alright, everyone listen up.” Mark said out loud, waiting until he had everyone's attention before he continued.

“Now, as you can see, this ship is taking us back through time and space as we speak. So now that we have a few minutes, I’d like to take a minute to give you all a quick briefing on anything you may not know yet; that way you’ll all know what to expect when we get to Ancient Greece. Okay?”

Mark paused only to confirm that they understood, and then continued again, pacing across the room.

“Okay... for those of you who don’t already know, the Society Against Evil is dedicated to fighting evil, especially supernatural evil. Hence the time-traveling ship.” He explained. “In fact, we've had to deal with this 'cursed god' a lot lately. Obviously we're winning so far, but the thing is, we've only ever had to fight a few of his lackeys up until now, because he can't do any damage himself as long as he's still in his prison. But this prophecy could change everything, because we don't stand a chance if the cursed god breaks out.”

Mark stopped directly in front of the group and turned to face them.

"We don't know much about the cursed god himself, but the Society's research division managed to dig up some clues on how to stop him from escaping." Mark continued. "Apparently at one point, the cursed god tried to overthrow the Greek gods and take over Mount Olympus. And he almost did; the Greek gods were getting beat so badly that everyone except Zeus had to go into hiding, and even Zeus got taken down at first until the others came back to help him out. It took some doing, but eventually the Greek gods won, and they all got together and locked up the cursed god in Tartarus."

Mark paused only to make sure all of this was sinking in, and then he continued one more time.

"I know that's not a lot to go on, but if we can find out how they did it, then we can retrace their steps and make sure you-know-who stays locked up, and that way he can't destroy the world." Mark concluded. "So... any questions?"

[SikstaSlathalin]

Malissa the Philosopher

Everything happened so fast Mally's mind was spinning. So many new face so much going on, the girl simply needed to sit down for a little bit. She'd do a meet and greet later most of the people she recognized from Youtube others not so much, but they seemed like cool people.

She listened to Mark's explanation of what's all going on. Sounds pretty far-fetched to her, but the world is full of weirdness. She just hoped she wouldn't die before her next birthday. But as the sky changed and a silver mist began surrounding them, fear sunk into her heart and at the mention of a time traveling ship the girl let out a small squeak of fear. "Wait this is all real?" She stood and shouted at Mark. "I thought this was just a show!"

Brandon the Gladiator

At least there are pretty girls to look at. Brandon thought as he leaned against the bulwark fidgeting in the armor he got put in. It certainly felt real, so he began wondering how the fuck gladiators lived in this stuff. The straps needed tightening so that was what he was busying himself with and Fishpliers began explaining things. He was expecting some bullshit about scripted interactions or something. But the mist began rolling up he heard the words "time-traveling ship" he joined the first girl in her reaction. "The hell do you mean time-traveling ship nerd pants?" He said getting up close to Mark's face.

James the Blacksmith

If James had known they'd be taking a rickety old boat to this contest he would've sent this Mark guy back where he came from. But it's too late now they were at sea and the rocking and rolling of the ship had the Blacksmith seated on the deck holding his head in his hands groaning lightly. He heard the outrage but was too busy keeping his lunch down to join in on the yelling.

Eleanor the Merchant

This is the first time she's eve been on a boat. It looked old and quite beautiful, no doubt it cost a pretty penny. Her parents often joked about buying a ship like this when they retired. Even know she couldn't picture them living on the high seas. Mom would get as seasick as the blacksmith fellow was right now.

But her peace was quickly ruined by a couple of angry passengers jumping at the Mark boy. Seems sometimes being a boss never stops. Walking up she got between the two angry contestants and hushed them. "Ok calm down there, I'm sure there's a good explanation for all this."

[CrimsonLady180]

Mina the Vintner & Aaron the Sailor :

Mina thought quietly to herself as some people looked like they were ready to go home, others quite shocked, and a couple ready to get into a fight. "Why us? Do all of us have a special purpose to be here or was it just a random coincidence that we were all here? I just don't understand," she replied in disbelief as Aaron hugged her gently trying to calm her down a bit. She shook her head in response just trying to get her bearings, "I'm fine, this is just a lot."

Aaron nodded then asked, "Does anyone know how long until we get there? Maybe that can give everyone time to mental prepare at the very least, so everyone should try and ease off of Mark. There's no turning back now anyway..."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Nijah the Seer & Sayuri the Handmaiden :

"Well I knew something big was coming, but nothing like this," she said with a sigh to herself. A small part of her almost laughed considering her was supposed to be the Seer and her tarot card reading just that afternoon would have showed a glimpse of what was to come. The young woman dressed in the simple white garments walked up beside her giving a subtle nod then turning to the mist surround them taking it all in with what little information they have. "I noticed you hardly spoke to anyone... How are you holding up?" Nijah asked softly trying to make conversation. The woman barely gave her a side ways glance simply for acknowledgement, but nothing more. "Can I at least get your name? I rather not just call you lady or whatever," Nijah replied with a sigh.

"Sayuri. I figured me taking shouldn't be a big deal, so I don't often," the young woman replied with a shrug meaning no offense but didn't wish to talk much more. It seems Nijah accepted this and had remained quiet along side her.

[Lady Celeste]

“Hey, whoa!” Mark held up his hands, immediately backing away from the people who started getting pissed off at him. “I know this is a big shock for all of you, but 1, the time-traveling ship thing was specifically mentioned in the Society’s message, and 2, Aaron is right; no matter what we each thought going into this, there is no going back now.”

Isobel was just as shocked as everyone else was, but something else quickly got her attention. James looked like he was getting seasick, and nobody else seemed to even notice, so Isobel almost instinctively went straight toward him.

“Hey...” Isobel said quietly, tapping James’ shoulder to get his attention. “Do you need some air?”

“You know what? Everyone just back off, because this really isn’t helping.” Silvio said, finally getting fed up with all the arguments. “If we’re gonna be stuck here, we should at least have some kind of game plan.”

Greg had tried to tune out all the arguing by looking out the window, but during a brief lull in all the yelling, he thought he could hear something and immediately shushed at the rest of the group, motioning for everyone to take a closer look.

—

Only after everyone had finally quieted down could the sound of voices singing be heard from overhead. Something resembling a large bird flew past the window, one of the singing voices trailing behind it, and Greg watched it fly above deck...

...but as he did, something much more urgent caught his eye.

“Yo, what the hell?!” Greg pointed up ahead. “We’re headed straight for those rocks, man; we’re gonna crash!”

Mark looked out the window and saw that Greg was right. Up ahead was a narrow inlet filled with large, jagged rocks, protruding from the water surface like knives aimed directly at anything that might try to pass through.

“That’s not good; we’re not supposed to be headed that way!” Mark said bluntly, but still tried to keep everyone calm. “I’m gonna go find the captain and get this all figured out. In the meantime, everyone try to stay calm.”

Without another word, Mark wasted no time rushing up the stairs leading back above deck. Meanwhile, Isobel, Greg, and Silvio all caught sight of a book with the words S.A.E. NAVAL EMERGENCY HANDBOOK emblazoned on the front, and soon Brandon, James, and Eleanor found it as well. Pointing out the handbook to the rest of the group that hadn’t noticed it, Greg and Silvio immediately seized the book and started flipping through it, while Isobel paused only to make sure the seasick James was more or less okay before following suit.

“Ohhh crap, we got sirens!” Mark announced as he hurried back. “We’re completely surrounded, the whole crew’s hypnotized, and now they’re trying to make us crash!”

“Is there a section on... yes! Siren Attacks, Page 97!” Isobel said, pointing to the corresponding line in the table of contents. She was still adjusting to this whole saving-the-world then, but had quickly realized that they would have to roll with it for now if they wanted to survive, let alone save anyone.