Event: Abort! Part One

[voidtreckermods]

Until now there has been one mission in every month. The practice in Apple and since then one for each month. So for those that have been on the train for a while they will be extremely surprised when on the twenty fifth day of the month of Egret their SCA’s glow gold and a hologram appears. Another mission.

Strange or not preparations need to be made, the voidtreckers are needed, strange timing or not.

Preperations

As promised the dressing room is open once again and there is a collection of leggings, shirts and tunics. All are in bold, differing shades of team colours and are made of sturdy material. There are a couple of cloaks, like those they wore in the goblin world they look medieval in style but will keep rain off as well as a modern raincoat.

As usual they have about an hour of preparation time, to gather supplies, get changed and help those who need more help disguising themselves to do so.

Arrival

”We are now approaching world#27462947582. Warning: Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four,” Hopefully even those who are new know to hold on or sit down by now. ”Three, two, one.” A jolt and a lurch and the void from outside the windows disappears to show green grass and a blue sky.

The Voidtrecker Express has landed in a small dip between two hills. Tall enough to mostly hide it and once everyone who wishes to disembarks it vanishes.

The voidtreckers, on climbing the hill, will find they are inside the city walls, just. Here it is mostly farmland still but as they move towards the centre there are more houses and things become more crowded and bustling. The city is big enough that an influx of strangers doesn’t turn many heads.

Their SCA has a map, red team’s has a marker for the northern gate, purple’s show the position of guard posts. Orange and Blue’s shows the main gates that lead out into the kingdom beyond.

Red Team

Getting to the northern gate doesn’t take all that much time and they are let out without much fuss, though fair warnings about the monsters out there. It is clear that though this city is nominally guarded and walled, it has been a long time since there has been war here and people can come and go as they wish.

The desert is, much as can be expected. It is more a scrub land rather than rolling dunes of sand but the land is cracked and dry. They have to move at least an hour away from the city before they come across any monsters at all.

When they do they are strange almost-boar looking creatures. They are vicious and will attack on sight, charging with huge tusks and teeth that are far too sharp to belong to a natural creature. They are clearly intelligent, even if they don’t seem to have language. But they never come across more than five at once and there doesn’t seem to be any movement of them towards the city.

Purple Team

The guard posts are only have a few guards there at any one time. Though questioning any of them the voidtreckers will learn that there are other guards in the city, ready to come to the defence of the walls if the alarm is ever sounded. Those on the walls are there to keep watch.

It might take a little bit of persuading but there isn’t a huge problem with purple team being allowed up onto the walls. As long as they don’t seem to be causing or bringing trouble.

The surrounding countryside is clear. To the north is the desert but to the east, west and south there are rolling hills of green. The kingdom that this city is part of.

For them it is a few hours of tedium and anticipation. Watching the landscape, waiting for a threat. The other soldiers are curious enough that they could be coaxed into conversation or a game of dice.

Blue Team and Orange Team

It is very difficult to convince a city full of people who have not known danger in a long time that they have to pack up and leave.

There are difficult shop keepers, confused farmers, worried parents.

Some are able to be ready quickly and so can follow the Blue team out of the southern gates. It might take more than one group, with a few blue team going with each one. The kingdom isn’t particularly dangerous but who knows when that may change. Keeping everyone together and moving will be the challenge here.

For Orange team there are plenty of logistical problems to get stuck into. Animals need moving, people need help packing or wrangling small children. Older people need help finding carts to ride.

Not to mention the very stubborn ones who will take a lot of persuading. Those who were on the goblin world have had practice in this already of course, and hopefully have tips to share.

(OOC: Information about this event is here)

Comments

[springforth]

"So as long as your stuck here, with us and the train, you'll never get back to yourself?" As much as she doesn't approve of conquering some random world, she does approve of his restraint, if that's what it is.

"It is a pickle indeed..."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

The book huffed. "I have my pride, damn it. If I sacrifice my principles to get back to normal, it's losing!"

[springforth]

"I can understand. You want to do things your way." She gives him another pat on the head. Perhaps it feels condescending but it's not her intention.

"So what are your criteria for this? The principles you're not willing to sacrifice?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Zetta endured the pat, because what else could he do? He was a book, his options were limited.

"If I defeat someone who's at less than full strength -- without it seeming like I'm just kicking them when they're down, because that's totally okay -- then it comes off as me taking advantage of their weakness. That's intolerable. That makes ME seem weak!"

[springforth]

"I don't think kicking them when they're down is any better!"

Hands on her hips, she glares for a moment, then looks away.

"You seem to have some very particular rules to your morality. I mean, fairer rules than one could have but still very particular."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Okay for an evil thing, because I'm evil!" Zetta huffed. Remember the evil? Not sweet! At all, damn it!

"Those rules are important. What's the point of being the most badass freaking Overlord in the entire cosmos if no one believes it? If they think you just won because you took advantage or were clever instead of strong?"

[springforth]

Evil or very insistent on being seen as evil? More reputation nonsense. Nonsense she understood but. Still.

"You say clever like it's a bad thing. Knowing an opponent and their weaknesses and how to exploit them is no small advantage. Better to be underestimated than over."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Sure, and if that's the kind of look you're going for, it works. But that's not mine. I'm the most badass freaking Overlord in the cosmos. No one else can claim that!" Or if they could, he'd drop a swift beatdown on them. But by any objective measure, his mana power really was the strongest in existence.

[springforth]

She refrains from stating that's precisely the kind of look she's going for. Mostly because he doesn't badmouth it and who needs to show their hand so early?

"Feels pretty performative."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Hey, some people combine brains and power effectively. Pram the Oracle came immediately to mind. He certainly couldn't say she wasn't effective, and if she was ever going to throw down with him, it'd be a sneaky clever plan designed to catch him off-guard or something.

"Even the weakest Overlord can ruin his entire Netherworld if he screws up. When you get to my level, entire universes can be casualties. A lot of people just want power, for power's sake, you know? But past a certain point it means nothing. If I smash a planet, it's not any MORE smashed than if Dragon Overlord Babylon does, or Dark Lord Valvoga, or King Drake the Third. At that level, you make your own rules. So breaking those rules is admitting you were too weak to follow the rules you yourself set. Which is pathetic!"

[springforth]

"Sometimes we all do things we aren't proud of to survive. But I understand. It's about being what you see as your--best self? The self you can be proud of, that other people will respect."

She clasps her hands and gives a big shrug, "Or I suppose in your case, fear? Both? Someone that people are scared to cross because of who you are?" And wow that brings up some kind of feeling in her. Hasn't she wished that herself?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Right! Exactly!" Okay, Zetta hated himself for it, but he had to admit she was getting it much faster and much better than most people did, to the point where she was earning some respect from him. "And to be an example. An Overlord is a model of demonkind, after all."

[springforth]

"I understand the concept at least, even if I don't approve of your execution. I mean--the idea is similar enough for gods. Your reputation is who you are. It's how the mortals see you. Though, I find the more important you are, the kings especially, the more you can get away with, not less."

She gives a self deprecating sort of smile, "For instance, I can't really get away with even half as much as a king or queen. Or even an Olympian. At a certain point, your reputation can outweigh anything wrong you do."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Hmm. It's a nice thought, but demons are full of treachery. Soon as you show some weakness, they'll be on you in a second." Which was the only way it could be. How else could you keep everyone sharp? How else could you TRUST your vassals and servants, except by knowing they wouldn't tolerate you at less than your best?

[springforth]

"Sounds exhausting. To never be able to have a bad moment. Doesn't it get tiring to never be able to just be yourself sometimes?"

She knows that he's not just whatever he's supposed to be, that much is obvious now.

"I don't have all eyes on me and it's still exhausting.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"You should," Zetta said, a sly smile on his booky face. Just in case she was forgetting he was a bad person. But more seriously, he continued, "But that IS me. Demons embody ALL the vices, so if I sit around and play video games all day, that's just sloth in action. It's all good."

[springforth]

Eyeroll. They're having a proper conversation, not the time for flirts.

"If you go that way, couldn't you justify doing anything? I don't really understand what you mean by sins but send like you could justify plenty."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

It's always time to flirt!

"Yeah, no. Feeding orphans and working with heroes, you can't spin that sort of thing."

[springforth]

"Maybe you could be feeding orphans to spite someone else. Or working with heroes to ultimately betray them. You read it in books." She laughs, self consciously, and turns away.

"Well you're probably right, you couldn't get away with it. And I certainly couldn't live like that. There's nothing wrong with being soft or kind."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"That's all sort of an 'extenuating circumstances' thing, that all plays out eventually. I'm talking about just doing soft and kind things because they're soft and kind."

Remarkably, Zetta didn't make a crack about 'soft' in any other way. "You're a goddess, though, not a demon. You ever decide to go for the ruling biz, you'd be fine doing it your way. So long as no one took it for weakness that you couldn't handle..."

Uh-oh. He trailed off like he'd thought of something.

[springforth]

"I wouldn't ever get to rule anything. But what couldn't I handle?"

Persephone tilts her head in curiosity, not even crossing her arms or looking skeptical.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Not with THAT attitude," Zetta said absently, still regarding her thoughtfully.

"I was thinking... you could really run the 'iron fist, velvet glove' routine. Think about it. There you are, casually ruling in your sort of 'good, kind, bringing spring' sort of way. And someone takes that as weakness and stalks right up and is all, 'I'm gonna take you down, girl'. And then boom!" The book jerked violently in midair, since it didn't have any other way to gesture. "Suddenly they're surrounded in rose bushes with huge pointy thorns! And bigass trees! And poison ivy all around so even if they try to move, itch city forever! And you're all, 'I'm sorry, what was that?' on them, with a sweet smile that just promises them a bad time if they try anything. You totally win the psychological battle and you don't even actually have to open a can of kickass on them!"

[springforth]

It's an interesting picture. One that stimulates her imagination, the picture of someone in particular caught up in her thorns, fear in his eyes, trembling with it. Her hands curl up into little fists with the tiniest bit of satisfaction, a twist of a smile. Then it vanishes, as she shakes her head, her hands relax, any sheen of red in her eyes vanishing.

"I don't need to--I don't threaten people. I'm never going to need to do that."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Well. THAT was an interesting little hint he saw. Zetta considered his response for a moment.

"That's convincing someone not to do something. Something that would be stupid. If they never came after you in the first place, it wouldn't be necessary, right? But c'mon," he said, watching her closely. "Don't tell me there's not even a tiny part of you that's been sitting around these way older, way more experienced gods wishing they'd give you a little respect. I bet you get underestimated all the time. Ignored all the time. And you don't deserve that."

[springforth]

There's two ways to react. The way she wants to, to blow up, to get angry or offended or just bitter. Of course she gets underestimated. Even by him. He doesn't ignore her but it's obvious why.

But that's not how she does things, that's not how she wants to do things. She's better than that.

"I'm a young goddess of nothing particularly important, why would I expect them to pay me mind until I've done something. I'll take my vows and bring in spring and do something good with my life." And be the dumb village girl forever? Maybe.