Level 347

You stare out at the overgrown jungle before you, bottle in hand. Vines choke trees canopying the thin path you carved out yesterday, already growing directly through. The sun is setting above, as the kettle-like screaming of the wind picks up in a crescendo. Tones of green, orange, and blue clash just as the birdsong and wind do. In the sea of varying plants, you can make out nothing. You open the steel door to the base, and step back inside. It's strange that you were the only one assigned here. You bolt the door shut, before sitting down opposite it facing a computer screen. There is gray text on the top of the screen: 
You feel it as well. The warm jungle gives way to the cold mountain so quickly,the fog atop it befitting the sea, the beauty of it all. The wailing starts and stops with no warning. I see more abandoned than what we have sent in. 
Something's very wrong. 
Strange message to be sent by HQ. They didn't send any orders, the message must be just to disconcert you. Maybe someone is playing a joke. You proceed, opening up the
Report.
 
Have you ever wanted to watch a sunset? 
Climb a mountain? 
Feel the wind and rain again? 
Have you ever felt the hollowness of being unable to inexperience nature? 
If so, it may be time to move! 
Payment offered in exchange for documentation. 
 
===Description===
The Howling Path is a currently uninhabited level, of great interest for its potential for colonies within the jungle. However, little is known about it due to lack of information. Investigation is currently ongoing.
The level consists of a very thin mud path, with overgrown jungle on one side and a drop on the other. Occasionally, there are small platforms, large enough to safely stand on. Other times the path can become treacherous, almost giving way to sheer cliffs in some areas. In these areas, safety equipment for climbing is recommended.
The jungle is, in some areas, quite thin. However,these areas are few and far between. Many of the undergrowth flora are irritants, and can often lead to itching and pain when stepped on. Proper foot protection is required. Small arachnids, such as ticks or spiders, are prevalent and will often bite.
One type of arachnid entity, colored bright yellow, is known to have a necrotic bite. They will hide under leaves, and so can be easily disturbed by accident. Further classification is still ongoing, and the local scientist has been unable to separate any creatures into species.
Characterizing the Howling Path is it's wind, which is always extremely loud and keening, sounding similar to human screaming. The wind carries colder air from the mountain downwards at all times, towards the path. This leads to extreme temperature variation, as the windchill can sometimes hit up to -10 degrees Celsius whilst the actual temperature of the area is over 90 degrees. Wind speeds can sometimes reach up to 110 mph, making travel dangerous without proper climbing equipment.
Vegetation grows incredibly quickly, and no trail stays the same for long. Landmarks can disappear in a matter of hours, allowing one to become lost very quickly.
Most of the plants in this level are edible in some capacity, though the water is not potable.
There is, however, potable water in seemingly abandoned buildings that may randomly appear.
 You also remember? We need to get you out of here. Head back towards the entrance. 
Some parts of the path have broken off, and been replaced with wood. Do not worry about this, proceed upwards.
The mountainous area is extremely foggy and rocky. Steep drops and holes in the rocks can lead to death or broken ankles. The wind can reach speeds of 130+ miles per hour. It is also very cold. Generally, this area is inhospitable for human life. No teams have reported back from the summit, though some pictures have been taken. There seems to be blurring and distortion on much of the text displayed in images. The reason for this has not yet been identified.has not been explored yet.
However, it is possible to see the larger of the abandoned buildings from further down the path.
From what we know so far, the level seems habitable. If you join us, you may have a chance of going here.
Go up the mountain.
----
 and adding wind speeds you measured today. For some reason, you see it filled in with small drafts and tangents that you didn't write. There's something nagging in the back of your mind,but you can't quite think of what it is. Reading is difficult, especially in the case of some of the sentences and images. Whenever you aren't looking directly at them, the context seems to fade away and you forget what you were just reading. HQ tells you to climb the mountain. Exiting out to your desktop, you see that there is now a file on your computer labelled 
Logs.
Voice: This log is the first in the exploration of the Painting. Conducting it will be Gerard Ryley and Otto Danette, both reporting on the habitability of the level. Step through the painting.
>Ryley: Understood. Entering.
>*The sound of loud wind against a microphone drastically lowers the audio quality*
>Danette (Shouting): THE WIND HERE IS EXTREMELY COLD, FAST, AND LOUD. THE GROUND SEEMS TO BE A THIN PATH OF MUD, WITH TREES FURTHER UP. WE ARE GOING TO TRY TO CLIMB UP ALONG THIS PATH.
>Ryley (Shouting): *unintelligible* ROCK UP THERE, WE CAN USE TO PULL OURSELVES UP
>*Microphone interference, mixture of wind and movement drown out other sounds before wind recedes slightly*
>Danette: The wind is blocked well by the trees here. We seem to be in an incredibly dense jungle, it's difficult to see. Also, a major safety hazard to get up here. I'm surprised neither of us died climbing up, the only way is to climb on wet rocks.
>Ryley: Good that we're up here, but we're arguably even more vulnerable to entities. There's no clear path here, we need cover now.
>Danette: Agreed. I see something gray up there, though. Maybe a building, we're going to check it out.
>Ryley: You aren't doing something like this again, remem-
>Danette: That time wasn't even my fault, and stop bringing it up. I'm going.
>Ryley: Shit, guess I may as well come along.
>Danette: You better, unless your plan is to just sit around and die.
>Ryley: Can we stop? I'm coming, we have work to do, this isn't helping.
>Danette: Fine, let's go.
> * Footsteps on plants, sound of foliage being pushed out of the way and whipping back*
>Danette: See, there's a door to this building. Let's head in, there's nothing to lose.
>Ryley: But our lives?
>Danette: Right.
>Ryley: I'm staying out here. Go in if you want.
>Danette: Seems to be made of concrete, door is open. There's a desk in here, with a computer. It's open to
something, I'll check it out. 
 Please remember, take this with you, whatever it takes. You need to inform them. 
</center>--
I write this to you as a warning. The Painting is not what you think it is. Everyone knows more than they can let on. The hubris of the M.E.G is dangerous.
 The screams of the fallen are loud, yet it is impossible to hear them. The woods are beautiful, yet temporary. Death comes closer each day.
 I first awoke here on the eve of the sixth arrival. It was beautiful. There were no entities, (Too good to be true, the mountain would never let another hurt you) plenty of rations with me, and only the beauty of nature to explore. The sounds of running water, the chirping of birds, the wailing threads of the void working their ways through the leaves, all sounded like music to me.
 I could see the sun from where I was. It shone through, and I crested a hill to get a better view of of my surroundings. It was fantastical. Every shade of green and blue seemed almost unnaturally vibrant, and the mountain looming far away felt incredibly enticing. I wanted to climb it, for a reason I initially assumed was childlike excitement. It was not. 
 
I took this picture at the top of that hill.
 Having walked for several hours, I took a break and leaned against a tree. The greenery stretching out in front of me, its hues creating a gradient of color, relaxed me. I looked for birds and small animals, especially the ones chirping excitedly away, but found none. For the first time since I had noclipped, I felt like reality had returned and I was finally safe. Eventually, as blue in the sky gave way to orange and red, it was time to sleep. 
 I could not. As the sun passed below the ridge, the canvas covered in bright light slowly gave way to a foreboding purple. There was no moon that night, and with none of the fluorescent lights I had dwelled under for decades I experienced true darkness for one of my first times. 
 There was nothing for me but the stars to put my attention on. All was silent, and for the first time I had nothing to distract me from my own thoughts. The tiny glimmers of light, where were they coming from? I did not know why I felt so tiny in face of a canopy of what could have not even been stars, but I felt it regardless. 
 Then, fear set in. Being deprived of my senses in a potentially hostile environment sunk in after a few minutes, and I realized that I had never actually confirmed the lack of entities. I picked up my flashlight, and began excitedly pacing from one end of my clearing to the next. The "wind" picked up, creating a cacophony of sound against my ears joined by many tiny, rythmatic beats. I felt something wet land on my neck, and I swatted at it before dozens more drenched me. It was a rainstorm. I had not previously had an issue with the temperature, however the cold was soaking through my clothes. 
 I could see only black. I could hear only screaming. I could smell only mud. I could feel only cold and wet. My flashlight had stopped working. Too terrified to sleep, but unable to do anything, I simply stood, shivering with cold and fear, through the night. When dawn crested, I finally felt some recourse. Still soaking, being pelted with rain, I noticed that the mountain drew closer.
 I had not moved during the night, and yet the grey altitudes had interrupted the canopy. That which I could see through the fog and rain was rock. At first, this scared me. I wanted to go back. Then, I heard it. It's words were unintelligible but the cadence and encouragement were. The mountain was speaking. It wanted to embrace me, to protect me from the dangers of the night. The path found me before I found it. Simply walking forwards, I found a steep cliff with only a small wooden passageway leading down. Enchanted by the peaks, I took it. It was cold, wet, the wind was fast, and there was nothing but void below. The wood was heavily stained with water, sloughing off from the cliffside above. I suddenly felt a pang of fear, realizing that this would go on for miles and I was unlikely to live. The mountain reassured me. I felt safe again, before both of my eyes were filled with water. I was midstep, and couldn't see. The mountain jeered, knowing it had won. It's words pushed me, careening off of the edge.
 I've fallen down, and down, and down, and down, 
 and down, 
 and down, 
 and down, 
 and down, 
 and down again. 
 The fog gathers around me. The wind buffers my soul back and forth, yet I can still see the above world. I have not been consigned to death, but I have not been given life. 
 We are all trapped in a limbo created by our ambition. 
 The living cannot live without hope, yet their hope is their undoing. 
 Hope is the thing that drives us to the void. 
 There is no escape. 
 
 For your sake, do not hope. 
 Do not strive. 
 Accept. 
> Danette: We need to leave. Come look at this. 
> Ryley: What is it? I'm ready to go. 
> Danette: What are you talking about? I never said anything. 
>Ryley: I'm not stupid. Let me in. 
> Danette:What? Why do you need to be let in all of a sudden? 
> Ryley: I'm not letting you leave me here to die. I'm sorry. 
> *Gunshot* > Ryley: There... 
> Ryley: There's nothing on this computer. 
> Ryley: I did that for nothing. > *sobbing*
TAPE END
 Clicking on it, it's just the report again. You are tired, there's no point in reading if your brain refuses to process it. Standing up, you take a step, turn off your lamp, and then lay down onto your cot. It's very dark, and silent inside. Suspiciously silent, no sound gets through the walls. It's an eerie feeling, but you eventually sleep.
Waking up, you realize that you have written more overnight. The nature of the text is still beyond you. Frustrated, you decide it's time to climb the mountain. Stepping out of the door, there are many plants surrounding you which you have to hack through in order to reach the path. If this trip takes more than a few hours, you probably won't be able to make it back again. This revelation is almost as alarming as the fact that a thick fog has settled in, allowing you to only see a few feet ahead before everything is gray. Even worse, the mountain appears closer. It's almost as if the mountain had climbed itself awaiting you.
Regardless, you need to get going. The path ahead is thin wood and mud, and you are forced to constantly brace against the cliff due to the wind chilling entirely through your clothes. Only a few dozen feet in, you see a gap an entire foot long in front of you leading down into the abyss. It's not worth it, you should head back, except there is no back. Everything that got you here in life has been replaced with the same fog you feel around you. For a moment, you reel from the revelation. You are a newborn being, a Ship of Theseus, thrust onto this cliff with no recourse. You stand there for several seconds, before steeling yourself and stepping across the threshold. 
The moment that you are between the two platforms, the wind threatens to blow you off. You flop forwards, barely getting your entire body past. Sliding up, you're able to pull yourself up as it begins to rain. The ascent upwards quickly becomes rocky, and wet as you struggle not to slip. Staring down at your feet, the constant near-freezing rain and wind numb your extremities, and your movements stiffen. The rain is turning to ice ahead. You look up for a moment, and the rock below you seems to open up, and with a crack you feel a bone break. Trying to dislodge your foot, you slip on the rain and fall, to be forgotten.
Category:Levels
Category:Unconfirmed Levels
Category:Cluster I
Category:Safe
Category:Dangerous
Category:Environmental Hazards