Under the Sea: Mission start

[voidtreckermods]

After fleeing the strange shapes in the sky the voidtreckers are perhaps not looking forward to yet another mission and indeed the first few days of Fiddlesticks go by without any strange dreams, no warning that another mission might be nigh. Yet on the morning of day five their SCA's will glow with the colours of the void and a holographic message will appear.

Preperations

The dressing room is open once again, though the clothes this time are simple in choice. A wet suit for each void trecker as well as a pair of flippers, a helmet and a breathing pack. It at least has instructions and there will be a little bit of time for them to figure out how to use them. Apart from that there are some waterproof packs for supplies to be packed in.

They will have a couple of hours to get ready for their mission.

Arrival: Blue and Red

"We are now approaching world #7625000129523. Drop order is Red and Blue, Purple then Orange. Red and Blue team to doors. Arrival in world #7625000129523 in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

The train shudders and lurches as they exit the void, the view from the window goes from the ever shifting void to a beautiful deep blue sky. They fly through the air and swoop down to land on a sandy beach. The doors open allowing those who are taking part in the Blue and Red missions to debark. The doors close and the train swoops up into the air.

The beach stretches from one side to the other, in the distance as the beach turns into sloping green hills they can see a village. Beyond that there is a jungle. Any red team who check their SCA will see four points, the rock pools.

The villagers have noticed the huge train sweeping down onto their island and so contact is made quickly. They will be quite accepting of the help and explain the situation. They will help any of red team to the rockpools if asked.

Red

The rockpools are built up and indeed made so the water will reach a persons waist if they stand in them. The water is cold but not overly so. When the water shoots up anyone in them will shoot up also.

They will find themselves in a vortex of water, with anyone else who enters that rockpool. The water itself seems to be fighting them, tendrils of water reaching out of the whirlpool to try and drag them further into the chaos. It takes a whole lot of willpower to stay in the centre, the water can be fought with weapons, even with fists. They feel as if they are falling or flying, perhaps both. Surrounded by the pure chaos of the ocean.

Blue

Hopefully they spend the day helping with preparations because when night falls the monsters emerge from the sea. Terrifying twisted creatures. The villagers only have simple weapons but will tell them that fire is helpful against these water creatures.

Hold off the monsters and keep the people safe.

Purple

The doors close and the train flies off into the sky, flying over the island to the other side where it lands on a rocky bay, near tall towering cliffs.

"Purple team to doors." The doors open, allowing the purple team to disembark before flying off once again.

In the cliff face there is a large cave entrance, over the entrance there are symbols, translated by their SCA's. Clear mind, clear heart. Come those who seek to serve.

There are six people stood by the entrance, looking quite surprised at the new arrivals. One, a woman with silver hair recovers enough to speak first. "Ah. Void warriors. We are honoured by your help."

Once introductions are made the spiritual leaders will happily accept the escort and their adventure can begin.

Orange

They fly up and out across the ocean, a longer flight than before but eventually they descend and there is a slight juddering before they land, floating on the ocean.

"Orange team disembark, please use luggage or dressing carriage doors only."

They will step out onto an inflated platform that streches around the train. Down below are the depths of the water and their SCA's show them at the point of Bui. It is below them so all they need to is dive.

The dive takes a while, and depends on their swimming ability but hopefully with a bit of teamwork they arrive at the silent city of Bui.

Comments

Re: preparation

[knifewithnoname]

"They do be making us be looking very stupid." She wrinkled her nose, "But half the worlds do no be wearing normal clothes at all."

Even the worlds were the clothes were recognisable were different than what she knew. But that was better than flight suits and wet suits.

[irrationally]

"I suppose that's the nature of other worlds. Any that aren't your own are always going to seem odd to you."

She doesn't even want to know what most people would think of Wonderland if she saw it. Their opinions aren't important.

Alice picks up a pair of flippers herself, staring at them. "You'd almost look like a seal wearing these."

[knifewithnoname]

"Yes, just like a seal." She grinned and waggled her bare feet in an flapping movement.

"But seals do be being good swimmers, and Curufin did be saying these do be helping you swim. So they better be working." She wrinkled her nose, "I do no be wanting to be looking stupid for nothing."

[irrationally]

Well, from the looks of it, they should probably work. She's pretty sure seals or fish being shaped that way is what helps them move well through water. But even so..

"I doubt you would look stupid." Sure, she gets why the girl would get that idea. "Looking stupid is much more about your attitude than what you are wearing. People with strong spirits can look great or intimidating even while wearing something that may be considered utterly ridiculous."

Trust her, Alice has seen some ridiculous-looking things that no one would dare say that to since they could crush anything in mere moments.

"And from what I've seen, you have an incredible amount of spirit for someone your age, Buttercup. I'm quite impressed by it."

[knifewithnoname]

More about her attitude than what she wore. She thought about that, frowning at the flippers and then smiling at Alice's words.

Alice seemed like a very strong person and so her praise meant a lot. So she would trust her, as long as she acted like she wasn't stupid, she wouldn't look stupid at all.

Despite her smile she isn't actually sure what to say to a compliment like that so she just went grabbed the breather and started fiddling with the pipes that attached it to the helmet.

[irrationally]

To be fair, it's not entirely a surprise that there isn't an answer to that. Buttercup isn't quite like a normal child, after all - no normal child would offer to just help put someone in their place or even get rid of them. But Alice happens to like this particular kind of child.

So she just lets Buttercup fiddle for a few moments while Alice tries on a pair of flippers just to make sure they're the right size.

It's after a few moments that she looks at the breather and offers: "Need any help with that?" She keeps the offer light, open. The young girl rather seems like the independent type, after all, and Alice wouldn't want to trample all over that and be patronizing.

[knifewithnoname]

She is a very independent child, but even she knows when it is good to get help. And when planning to jump into an ocean without knowing how to swim it might be best to get someone who knows more to check your breathing equipment.

"Do this be being right?"

[irrationally]

"Let me see."

It's not as if Alice has often worked with breathing equipment before - in Wonderland breathing underwater was entirely natural, after all. So she won't pretend to know it all in an instant, instead taking a moment to study it as she leans over.

Thankfully playing with toys and puzzles a lot when she was younger has made her quite clever when it comes to putting things together, so after a moment she reaches out to twist one part the other way.

"There. You got quite far by yourself already. Like this it ought to work."

[knifewithnoname]

She watched as Alice moved the tubes, twisting one to make it click into place. She grinned, "I do be thanking you."

She frowned at the set up but she picked up the helmet and breathing box, hanging the straps over her shoulder before putting helmet on.

She tentatively took a breath and looked almost surprised to feel air.

[irrationally]

The surprise on the girl's face tells her everything about whether it's working or not.

"Quite a strange contraption, isn't it? I assume it will work like that even underwater, unless it's this train's intention to drown us all."

.. okay, maybe that's not something you ought to say in front of a kid, but this girl in particular seems capable of handling that talk, so Alice won't mince her words.

[knifewithnoname]

"It would be being the longest and most patient murder attempt I did be seeing." She pulled off the helmet to speak and grinned.

She could think of much quicker ways to kill people than kidnapping them, holding them for months whilst feeding them and dressing them just to drown them.

[irrationally]

"You'd be surprised what some people are capable of."

It's said a bit dryly, like she's just going along with the joke, but.. honestly, she's being kind of serious about it all the same. Considering the things she's seen back home, Alice is well aware some people really don't mind putting a lot of effort into a very specific purpose. Although said specific purpose would probably have to be a bit more elaborate than simply killing them in this case.

"Are you going with the red team?"

[knifewithnoname]

She nodded, that was true. People were capable of a lot. She wrinkled her nose at the question.

"I do be wanting to yes. Mister Stark do be thinking I should no be because I do no be knowing how to be swimming."

Which was stupid, there was no guarantee she wouldn't have to swim wherever she went.

[irrationally]

Mister Stark, huh. Alice may not have met Tony yet, but she's sure heard that name around the train enough. Sounds like a bit of a control freak, huh? Although she does have to admit he has a bit of a point. Throwing kids who can't swim right into the water is just a bad idea. Even Alice knows that.

"It sounds like most teams will have to deal with swimming to some degree though. Unless you plan on going with the blue team instead. I think it said something about patrolling beaches for them?"

[knifewithnoname]

"I will be going with red." She pulled a face, "I can be learning quick, I do no be being a baby."

Frankly having grown up by the sea it was ridiculous her guardians hadn't taught her to swim. If she drowns in a far away world it is all stupid face Taiwin's fault. He was meant to make sure she was ready to complete missions.

[irrationally]

Well, this is a slightly more complicated situation. Alice may have more trust in this girl than most people would give someone her age, but.. you know. Learning how to swim usually isn't really an instantaneous thing. Then again, they do have these breathing devices, and quite a chunk of the people on this train seems weirdly nice enough that they would save a drowning girl.

So it'll probably be fine.

"I know you're not." It sounds surprisingly sincere, considering it's just the truth. "Just make sure any initial swimming problems don't distract you from whatever is on the other side of those.. rock pools, it believe it said. Fighting underwater can be terribly inconvenient, and even moreso when you're not used to movement underwater."

[knifewithnoname]

She nodded, taking in the words with a serious expression. She would have to be very cautious, swimming and fighting at the same time. She would just have to figure it out and not get distracted.

"Will you be going with the purple team?"

She thought she would, it sounded like they would be fighting too and Alice would be a good fighter.

[irrationally]

"Yes. I've traveled underwater before, so that journey it spoke of shouldn't be anything too difficult." She says it as if she's just going to take a stroll through the park. Like she's not about to probably fight off whole hordes of.. whatever may be waiting down there. "I just hope these.. 'spiritual leaders' won't be too annoying."

Monsters? Alice can deal with that, sure. People? No way. Please no. People are the worst.

[knifewithnoname]

She pulled a face at that, "If they do be spiritual leaders then it will no be mattering if they do be being annoying."

Religious leaders were allowed to be annoying, it was one of the perks of being a priest.

This world might be different of course, many do.

[irrationally]

".. It won't matter?"

That seems to surprise her. Not like there's been much time to deal with religion - let alone religious figures of any kind - in Alice's life back home, so she doesn't have much of an idea. She gives the girl a curious look.

"Why?"

[knifewithnoname]

"Because you do be needing to be doing what they do be saying. Even if they do be being the most annoying person you did ever be meeting." Such was the way of those with magic. Especially those with magics favoured by gods.

It was just the way it was.

[irrationally]

Alice frowns.

"Who told you that?" Probably the spiritual leaders themselves in the place the girl comes from, Alice bets. People always love to act like they have to be obeyed no matter what, after all. Even when most of the time that's just a lie they use to manipulate others. Sure, Alice has had to hear that from different people than spiritual leaders, but she figures those can't be too different. Rotten people are the same no matter the place, no matter their occupation.

[knifewithnoname]

"It do just be being the rules." She shrugged. Everyone knew that. She can't remember even ever being told it. It is just something she knows to her core.

"And if you do no be obeying they can just be being burning you to a crisp so it do be being stupid no to, really."

She of course didn't need such threats to do as she was told.

[irrationally]

"They threatened to burn you?"

She shouldn't be surprised. She's seen children being threatened with worse. But at the same time Alice just can't help the instinctive emotional flare up it gives her. It's so gross. It makes her feel sick to her stomach.

"If they do that, then they are terrible leaders. People shouldn't expect their every single order to be followed out of a fear of death. They should earn that trust through respect."

[knifewithnoname]

"No me personally." She shrugged, "It do just be being something everyone do be knowing."

Priestess Elena wouldn't threaten her. If she misbehaved badly enough to be killed she would just be killed. No warning would be given.

But she wasn't stupid enough to be burned. She wrinkled her nose at Alice. Of course they should expect every single order to be obeyed. "That do be being the meaning of an order. You do be having to be obeying it."

Trust has nothing to do with it.