#level 15

⚔️ Ancient White Dragon token on Patreon

I am creating special frames for paragon enemies like this one. They look really pretty *n*

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This is the translation of the another post from Russian to English. I understand English, but it is very difficult for me to write in English, so I asked chat GPT to help me. I have corrected some parts, but there still may be mistakes.

I thought the inspiration had run out, but no! I am so glad about this fact! Glad that I have the strength to continue drawing and writing the story.

At work, I often have to work overtime, so after the shift, there is only time to eat and sleep. There is hardly any time for researching the wiki and drawing. It doesn't sound very good, but the work itself is not difficult, and I will have money to live 🤷‍♀️

I have read quite a few levels recently. I see that a lot has changed since the last time I was interested in this topic.

I continue my experiment with marking the test from the perspective of different characters =)

Level 5 was not bad. In the sense that it was still a place of indefinite size with a random set of rooms. But they were all getting used to liminal spaces, and the elegant expensive furniture and designer interiors pleased the eye. Especially after the faceless rooms of the previous levels. The only thing that was not pleasing was the presence of people nearby. They were not visible, but the mere thought of them did not allow relaxation.

🌙 For Nightmare, this place was valuable as the first convenient crossroads level. He also hoped to meet the Society of the Lost Hall, as mentioned in the knowledge base. This meeting could bring interesting information if Nightmare could interest them in something. But at the same time, he did not want to encounter the local devil. This meeting did not bode well for his wards. It remained to be hoped that the creature only visited semi-mad loners (Nightmare looked at the thread that made his team part of Error in the eyes of the Backrooms, and calculated the overall level of sanity that resulted. The result was not dismal. He had everything under control).

It also became evident that this world leaves its mark on his wards. They changed in the same way as Nightmare. Gradually. Almost imperceptibly. He tried to ensure that this did not harm their common goal. Indeed, in Dust's case, these changes turned out to be positive and did not cause concern (Nightmare feared that Dust might return to babbling with hallucinations). Moreover, Deathmoth met often and was intelligent enough to slightly fuel Nightmare's negativity. Insects did not possess strong emotions, but they were easily provoked by external influences.

🦴Dast felt a strong fatigue and fell asleep the moment he sat in one of the comfortable soft chairs. The insects snuffling under his clothes no longer bothered him at all, and the tickle of their legs became pleasant and comforting. Butterflies peacefully floated above his head, flying into his skull like dreams.

Rest had a good effect on his morale, awakening hunger. Dust realized how irregularly he had been eating. This explained his profound exhaustion and weakness. Due to stress, he had not been listening to his body's needs and had been hungry for quite a while.

Horror generously made him a sandwich, and Killer (who also had a sandwich in his hands) shared a handful of sweet Flowey Seeds. Dust hadn't felt this good in a long time. But looking at the Almond Water still made him nauseous. He drank very little, giving the remaining liquid to Deathmoth, who followed him in a pack.

The fur at the base of moth wings resembled cat fur. Dust indulged himself in running his fingers carefully over it.

⛔Error decided to delve into studying the code surrounding him. If on the early levels the code didn't seem too complex (was it a warm-up?), now it seemed that some parts became inaccessible to him: links led to empty memory cells, variable values were taken from nowhere and unpredictable changed within loops (it didn't look functional). Understanding what was happening became more difficult. It required focus.

Engrossed, Error didn't immediately notice the danger. At first, it seemed as if someone had touched him. He was already preparing to erupt in anger when he realized that no one was nearby. It wasn't "Someone," but "Something." Another strange impulse passed through space, brushing against the scattered blue strings in the surrounding area. Nightmare seemed to have felt it too, judging by the ripples on his liquid covering and his wary gaze. Error sent more strings around the room (he snapped at the others' attempts to find out what he was doing. The group immediately became wary, and Horror woke up Cross), trying to gather more data on the vector of this impulse. It felt like a growing wind, but it didn't interact directly with objects. The same sensation can be felt during a rapid descent. A tickling sensation in the gut.

When he opened the code editor, something strange was happening with the coordinates (not that these constants were in order before). Right before his eyes, an unknown programmer was creating a loop to calculate the equation for... Wow. Right now, another space was passing through their room. Or rather, not even the room, but one of the points on its plane. Like an infinite silk scarf through a small silver ring. And this point was moving, expanding, as if an invisible tornado (actually an invitation). Theoretically, this should move everything it touches to another place, but the objects in level 5 space remained in place. Several blue strings snapped.

Before Error could warn the others about the danger (you're exaggerating), he fell into a ...0%...

🪓Horror saw Error go into a reboot, typical for transitioning to another level, and managed to grab onto his black jacket. Then his damaged skull rang from hitting the white floor. The Destroyer crashed into his chest a moment later. Cross screamed in surprise nearby, and Dust cursed. Killer behaved fairly quietly, although something loudly cracked after his fall (it's not bones, is it? God, please, no). Horror tried to turn his head to check, but shut down.

⚔️ Cross, perhaps for the first time during his entire stay in the Backrooms, managed to find a comfortable place to sleep. Previously, he always had to sleep on the bare floor or leaning against Horror's massive figure, which was warm and didn't mind frequent tactile contact.

When his rest was interrupted, he had too little time to grasp the situation. He noticed the tense Nightmare and Horror next to Error. In the next second, something seemed to drag him through a bottle neck (the short path felt similar). He plummeted down like a cannonball.

Cross gathered himself and thanks to this, landed on his feet. In contrast to the rest of the group.

Horror fell quite awkwardly, pinned down by the unconscious Error. Cross hurried to drag the Destroyer away and inspect his friend. But everything seemed fine, no serious injuries. His damaged skull hadn't shattered further, even his HP was almost full, just a couple of scratches and bruises. Cross turned to see the others.

Nightmare was found in the distance, looking disoriented. His outlines seemed blurry, and he slumped against the wall (is he in pain?). But as soon as the Keeper of Negativity caught someone else's gaze, he straightened up and quickly assumed a composed demeanor.

🔪Killer fell onto one of the Deathmoths accompanying Dust. Its chitinous wings cracked loudly and finally detached, with several legs bent in the opposite direction. The insect thrashed in agony, and there was little that could help it. The skeleton itself was unharmed and contemplatively watched its "safety cushion." Dust tensely froze, watching the injured butterfly. But before he could come to any decision, the Killer's knife plunged into the Deathmoth, instantly ending its suffering.

Dust was definitely ready to kill him (too bad he held back). Well, that will make the Killer's life more interesting until Dusty cools down. It used to be difficult to provoke him into a fight, but if the lives of a couple of butterflies allow him to capture his attention... the Killer will consider this option in the future. It's interesting, will their group find any more Strange equipment? That would be nice. It seems these items allow for some amusing tricks.

Nevertheless, Dust took the lifeless body of the insect. Was he going to bury it?

---

The group allowed themselves to stay in place until all of them regained consciousness, and then moved forward. Mostly, they encountered empty white corridors with occasional locked passages leading to laboratories and production areas. According to the records, they were on level 15. And it was unpleasant. There were no clear exits on this level, and the way they got here was hard to describe as... reproducible. Seriously, what the hell?

One of the laboratories was open. Inside, there was futuristic medical equipment that Dust immediately tried to use. Surprisingly, it worked! The dead insect came back to life, but its coloration changed (these colors triggered unpleasant memories).

The next significant event was the appearance of a human.

If you love Cute Clothes as much as me, these are very much for you. But if you don't really care what your character wears (or the color it is), these are completely optional.

Unlocking

You may as well do them both at once as they unlock at the same time and are both given by the same person and neither takes you out of Vesper Bay

[Image ID: screencap of Swyrgeim in Vesper Bay, to the left of her is a selection box that lists the options of two quests; Color Your World and If I Had a Glamour, Small Talk, or Nothing /end ID]

These unlock in Vesper Bay out in Western Thanalan aaallllll the way to the west, past Horizon but before the sharp turn north. you'll be out here a lot for MSQ later so remember it's location. If you get here at or around level 15 she should be the only quest marker, if I recall correctly.

[Image ID: two more screenshots of Swyrgiem, these two with quest synopses next to her. On the left is Color Your World; "Swyrgiem wants to show you a whole new world of colors." and on the right is If I Only Had a Glamour; "Swyrgiem wishes to impart to you her knowledge of glamours." /end ID]

Like the queen she is she sends you to get her drinks. If I Only Had A Glamour marks on the map who to talk to, but for Color your world you need to go to the Merchant & Mender that you can see in my caps just above the quests and the orange juice will be under Purchase Items. don't worry! it's only 7 gil.

[the rest under cut because this is Long]

The Natural Disasters Level 15+ 

[L-R: “The Flying Tiger” Odagar Rua, Aoife Pelterre, The Enchanting Salem Starlark, Sinai Seirisis, Zoraphane Calamity, and Alpine Omega]

Featuring: Wildfire, Hail, Thunder, Lightning, Cyclone, and Stampede