(D2, EM, Closed) Sometimes It's Worth Sleeping On It

[Dai]

The monks tended to rouse everyone at dawn, anyway, but Dai did not need the assist this time around. On one hand horrific dreams of clicking monsters chasing you endlessly through twisting, repeating, mazes of ruins did not make for the best sleep. But on the other it did serve as amazing inspiration.

Thus the dawning sun saw Dai feverishly finishing up the final edit for the newest show and it was a damn fine specimen indeed.

(D2, EM: Perform: Storytelling/Awareness - video narrative take 2 - VP for +1k1+2 (WW) | 5k4+2 ⇒ 30 (TN: ?))

[Dai]

Click. Click. Doom! (A TN30 story)

The episode starts with a standard intro - the holorecorder handheld to face Dai with a backdrop of the barriers and guards around the Dark Zone. The ronin had done this dozens of times and knew his angles and lighting. His wardrobe, of course, prominently displaying the White Wolf logo.

Konnichiwa Delve Devotees! It's your favorite, Delvin' Dai, back again for another deep dive into the Desolation!

Now I know that some of ya are clamorin' for me to see if Wailin' Watanabe manifests durin' daylight, and I'm sure we'll get to it, but today's delve is a special order. So let's see if we get some glimmer or if the gaki get me!

And remember, Devotees, I couldn't outrun those nasty spirits without our favorite spirit: White Wolf! White Wolf: It steadies the nerves but still gives you that boost of energy to get you through any situation. Awooooooo!

Now let's get ready to dive!

A voiceover on top of a few seconds of footage, hand picked for more stunning and impressive vistas of ruin as he passes through the Desolation and into Ground Zero.

I won't be wastin' your time with much travel footage this time, Devotees, as we've got a hot one! If you're a new viewer jonesin' for more reach out to to the communicator address encoded in the file and see about orderin' some previous episodes.

The b-roll clips fade into live action as Dai carefully makes his way through Ground Zero. A strange blue-white glow slowly begins to illuminate the ronin as ephemeral insects start to flit in and out of the holorecorder's view - slowly growing in numbers.

The voiceover is a smoothly edited whisper that one could easily mistake as Dai speaking while recording as opposed to having dubbed it in afterwards... not wanting to actually make any excess sound in the heart of danger. Similarly the ronin sounds confident as if speaking from deep personal knowledge when it's just confabulation based on observation and experience.

Longtime Devotees are well acquainted with these beautiful assholes - Spiritflies. We're not sure if they're mutations from the blast or from another realm entirely but they're no fully in this one either way.

More footage of the butterflies flickering around him. On repeated watches those knowing what to expect will hear the faint clicking in the background slowly growing louder and nearer. Dai had pondered editing it, looping it on itself or adding a reverb, but eventually had to admit it worked better and was far more ominous in its natural state.

They seem harmless, and on their own you'd be right in thinkin' so, but they congregate around the livin' and their light can be seen far... and through the realms. A lure to anything huntin' for mortals brave or foolish enough to dare delve the depths!

By now the clicking has grown from audible into unbearable and the butterflies disperse in a panic. The voiceover again takes on a hushed, panicked whispered tone to add immersion even though the ronin hadn't even dared breathe while all this was happening let alone speak. The smooth flow of filming changes to, somewhat choppy by necessity but with zero special effects trickery, cuts from between his two holorecorders as they fortuitously record snippets of his encounter with the monster. Not only was he lucky enough to escape with his life but he was lucky that unaimed holorecorders managed to snag enough footage of the creature to work with while he hid and ran.

Had he edited it the clicking would have risen to a crescendo then dropped off to background noise as the monster appears but, again, he found it more effective to keep it natural and untouched a constant disturbing noise in various volumes.

Hunters... such as this!

I've never seen anything like it! I think it might be tryin' to track me through echolocation and I sure as hell know I don't want it catchin' me. I'm always warnin' you all not to try what I try unless you're willin' to die... and this is why. I can only pray I escape to delve again... let's hope this trick ain't one it already knows cliche as it might be.

Dai's hand comes into view picking up a large piece of nearby debris and can be, briefly, seen throwing it hard in one direction before the holorecorder runs from cover to cover in the opposite. For a moment he splitscreens the footage as the backup holorecorder at his hip manages to catch a few seconds of the creature turning in the direction of the thrown rock as Dai is moving away.

Angles suggest Dai is plastered tight against a crumbled down wall for a minute as the clicking slowly recedes into the background growing fainter and fainter.

We did it, Devotees, we did it! We're not safe yet but we at least have time to breathe.

The holorecorder sweeps back and forth as Dai is clearly being extra cautious as he moves deeper into Ground Zero until he finally comes across a mostly intact building.

As I said today's dive is a special order so we're lookin' for glimmer. It acted kinda like shrapnel in the blast so we're going to be lookin' around outside this time... plus I think we tempted fate more than enough to go headin' into the creepy buildin' this time. But I'll be addin' it to my map for the future that's for sure. The trick with glimmer is to not get too fixated on the ground... the blast was big and most of the buildings caught the debris.

The holorecorder traces the outside of the building as Dai circles the perimeter eventually zooming in to a small, strange rock impacted into the side of the building. A deft, experienced hand comes into view and carefully plucks the glimmerstone from its place and holds it up in front of the holorecorder for a few seconds from different angles.

It wasn't an amazing specimen, he had larger and clearer finds in the past, but it was of a caliber one would expect to find on the market... if they knew where to look.

I won't say 'Jackpot!' not after the risks we took gettin' here but we found our target so this dive was a success... if I make it back out alive.

Another travel montage this time designed to elicit tension. Lingering on deep shadows, strange outcroppings, and pauses at strange and disturbing noises.

We're almost home free... but, wait, what's that....

This time the sound is an unearthly moaning and keening as a translucent, indistinct figure can be seen floating around in the distance - passing through debris as opposed to moving around it.

Well, here's one for you folks askin' about Wailin' Watanabe. It ain't him, he stays in his spot, but it could be kin...

The holorecorder dares to draw closer to the ghostly figure though still keeps a fair distance as it circles around recording from multiple angles as Dai passes the ghost by.

Thankfully the mournin' dead ain't the greatest risk if you leave them alone. The trick is knowin' which type of dead they are before lettin' them get near to you. Let's take a moment to give a prayer that this one eventually finds its way back to the land of the dead and it's proper fate.

The holorecorder captures the ghostly image for a minute of silence before it returns to the travel montage exiting Ground Zero and the Desolation around it.

Once outside the barrier and past the guards Dai once again pulls the holorecorder around to face him as he records his outro. It's incongruent with the 'in person' narration of the voiceover but at this point the tension and immersion have already done their job and it isn't too jarring to be pulled out of it as he wraps up.

Wow! Did ya hear that Delve Devotees? Here's hopin' I got a few clean shots so you can see it too! In all my time divin' and delvin' I ain't never seen somethin' that ugly that close. Thought this might be the final signoff - whatever that Clicker was here's hopin' it leaves this realm soon.

But, hey, we got a glimmerstone out of the run and I'm still breathin' so that's a win!

Again remember to comment and share... and enjoy the refreshing, invigorating taste of White Wolf! White Wolf - the greatest rush that won't risk your life!

Awoooo!

[Dai]

More than satisfied with his finished product, and rolling the two glimmerstones across the palm of his hand, he again stows them carefully away before taking out his densai and a business card and sending a message to Miya Nishida.

I have found the gift you were inquiring about. When and where would you like to meet? ~D