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

[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.

cw mentions of decapitation

[irrationally]

It's obvious from the younger girl's reaction that this is just natural to her. It really must have been drilled into her, even with how young she is. Obey or die. Wouldn't every kid eventually start to listen to that, if not out of fear then just out of sheer length of exposure to it?

But that still doesn't make it right. No way.

"You don't have to." Alice's hands tighten to fists, knuckles turning slightly wide at the pressure applied. "I also met someone who expected her every order to be obeyed at the threat of cutting off someone's head if they didn't listen." Maybe not the ideal thing to say to a kid, but hey, if she's dealt with the threat of being burned to death, it's not like it's that new.. "So you know what I did when she tried to order me around? I took off hers instead."

Or.. well, more like made her explode, but still. Details. The queen did lose her head in the end either way.

Re: cw mentions of decapitation

[knifewithnoname]

Two thoughts entered her head simultaneously. Alice was the coolest person she had ever met. To be able to look at someone who threatened to cut off your head if she didn't listen and instead cut their head off instead. That was impressive. Alice must be incredibly strong and powerful

Alice was the most dangerous person she had ever met. Just listening to her was dangerous. Was this how... Is this how it started. One nice adult who was kind, who spoke good words. Who seemed brave and strong and yet filled your head with such treachery. Such disobedience that eventually she would forget her training, turn against everything she knew, betray her god?

She can't listen to this. She scowled. And if this had been anyone else, even Peter she would storm away. She should storm away.

But Alice isn't stupid. She's not even soft like Peter. She is strong and smart and why does she have to be treacherous and dangerous.

Her glare intensified.

[irrationally]

Alice is very firm in her belief, but at the same time something about the glare stings. It's not as if she isn't used to it. The people who have looked at her kindly can be counted on one hand, after all. But she likes this girl. Her inquisitiveness, her resourcefulness despite being so young. It hurts to be scorned for doing the right thing.

But it is the right thing. She knows it. Something about the thought of people having forced this girl into obeying like that makes her sick. It makes her think too much of Bumby, of all the children he turned into little more than dolls. She can't close her eyes to that again.

"You don't like what I'm saying." That much is clear. "But unlike those who threatened you, I won't force you to obey me. I won't even force you to listen to my words."

It'd make her just as bad. Though rather than making her voice softer, she tries to keep it as even as possible. Strong.

"All I wish for you is to think when people ask something from you. Think it about me too, if you so wish. Who wants something from you? What do they want from you? Why do they want it? And what's best for you?"

[knifewithnoname]

She clenches her jaw, to stop her hands from shaking. She doesn't want to get mad and she doesn't want Alice to get mad at her. But she can't listen to this. It is dangerous. Terribly dangerous.

Even those questions were dangerous. But important. It was good to know who wanted things from her and what they wanted. But what was best for her?

Best for her was not getting killed. "I do be understanding, I will be asking those questions."

At least of Alice. Not of anyone else. It wasn't safe.

[irrationally]

She does hope her message got through at least somewhat, though she's not very much counting on it, despite the girl saying she understands. After all, she has no idea just how deeply rooted the beliefs forced upon her back home could be.

But what else can she do? For now, this is a start. Pushing too quickly and too far isn't any good either.

So after staring at the girl for a moment, Alice nods, then looks around them.

"The mission should be starting soon."

[knifewithnoname]

"It will be." She nodded, her scowl fading a little though she still looked very wary. "I do be wishing you luck."

Despite her very dangerous outlook on life Alice was still brave and she couldn't see anything causing her too much trouble on the mission.

[irrationally]

".. Same to you. Take care."

No matter how harsh Alice may seem at times, she does care. After all, she wouldn't even have bothered to tell the girl to stand up for herself if she didn't care in the first place. So telling her to take care? That comes pretty naturally.

There's nothing more after that though. Alice just nods before turning around and walking off to get herself ready to be dropped off.

[knifewithnoname]

She nodded and gathered up all the equipment before heading off to find the rest of her team. For now she put the words out of her mind. She had a mission to do.