Under the Sea: Conclusion and aftermath

[voidtreckermods]

Ritual

The jellyfish is no more and as red team take stock of their injuries, or collapse from exhaustion the lights zip around them, singing their song of joy. They gather around the light that had been inside the jellyfish and now that it has been released it is obvious this light is different. Stronger. They surround it and the song gets even louder as they begin to move towards the plinth.

In the caverns where the purple and orange team are there is a stillness. For those in orange team still in the cavern they can only hope that the instructions they gave out had been followed. Luckily for them they have been, Purple team have done a remarkable job of defeating the crabs and cleaning the temple. The priests gather around the shell on the alter, arms linked together in prayer as they seek to re-sanctify their temple. As their prayer begins they will invite the voidtreckers to join them, though no one is forced into taking part in the ritual. They suggest that they use their strange wrist jewellery to open communication with their friends in Bui.

The monster on the beach is defeated and though the fight is still raging against the crabs, a beacon has been built and lit. The islanders who are not fighting gather around it, linking arms, drawing any voidtreckers who don't object to joining them into the circle.

The song begins hesitantly, almost as if everyone has forgotten the words and only half remembers the tune. The SCA translates, the prayer is simple, a blessing on the land and its people, deliverance from the darkness and hope for the future.

The light from the jellyfish reaches the plinth and is set upon it. The song heightens and the light shoots upwards, blinding in its brilliance.

Through the dark storm clouds a light streams towards the island, most of it towards the beacon on the island though there is a break away light that goes towards the train, where some of orange team have set up a second beacon. It swirls around those on the train roof, singing a song of happiness and bounces back towards the island.

The light reaches the main beacon and hits it with a strength that lights up the whole sky. The light splits more solidly into two and speeds off over the ocean. Light pours into the underground caverns, not caring about the ocean and rock in the way, the light pools into the shells, the caverns glow warmly.

Outside the storm calms, clouds roll back, the sun shines. The sea stills. The wind stops. The sun is rising, a beautiful dawn. Any monsters left scuttle away, vanishing into the ocean, away from Bui.

Those with any powers that they couldn't reach before find them returned in a rush. Those who can sense life find this world teeming with it. A song that dances between every plant and creature.

Some of red may have evacuated to the train but those who stayed to see the ritual through, the world around them seems to melt away and they find themselves back next to the rock pools. Among their number there are some confused looking islanders who intrinsically draw closer to those who helped free the lights.

Orange and Purple

Down underwater there's noise and a babble of voices as the citizens of Bui wake up. There's a shimmering around the city now, like a shield though they can pass through easily. Parents scramble to locate their children and all check on loved ones and friends.

The familiar voice of train announcements is heard through Orange team's SCAs. Orange return to the VoidTrecker Express. Once everyone is on board it flies low over the ocean, skimming the waves.

In the underwater temple the priests finish sealing the ritual and then it is time to begin the return trek. There are no monsters this time and after a few hours, as they emerge onto the first of the sandbanks they will find the VoidTrecker Express is waiting for them.

Red and Blue

The monsters gone, those of the island gather everyone from the rock pools and for a few hours everyone sleeps.

At about noon the islanders begin to stir, begin putting things to rights. Wood is moved from the strategic points to more communal campfires on the beach. Any dead monsters that haven't been gathered for food have been washed out to sea, disappeared into the depths. They begin to prepare food and won't turn away any helpers. Though those who have been fighting are encouraged to rest.

The islanders bring blankets and start to gather. Everyone is exhausted but the children, in the way of children find the energy to play in the sea and the sand.

Beach Day

Early afternoon the train lands on the beach and everyone gets a holographic message to their SCA.

Mission successful. Well done Voidtreckers. Enjoy the rest of your day. You will find suitable clothing in the dressing room. A new recipe has been added to the kitchen information points.

The dressing room is indeed open once more, this time it holds swimsuits of every style, shorts, t shirts, wraps and beach skirts. Sun hats and sunglasses can also be found. It's a bit of a mush mash but they should be able to cobble together something other than their uniform wet suits.

Time to laze around on the beach or for those who still have energy swim or play. A few hours later a ripple across the water brings some of those from Bui and they swim or lounge on rocks to talk.

Food and stories

Food is cooked and shared, the islanders will happily try the voidtreckers' offerings and share their own. As the sun begins to set they gather around the fires. Stories and songs are shared and there's even some dancing for the brave.

Voidtreckers can choose whether to sleep in their own beds or spend one last night on the island before the train flies off into the sunrise and into the void.

Comments

[marriedanidiot]

Nerdanel chuckles.

"Maybe it is." She smiles.

"Well enough! Better now I can hear the Song again. Ai! Tis a good thing my Makalaure was not here, I think, he would not have done well."

[mtsilver_conquor]

Eva nods with a small smile. "The same Song that sung your world into being, right? I'm glad you can hear it again. Um... Maka...lau...re-san?" She tries, but the name still comes out a bit mangled and Eva groans.

She feels like she's never not going to trip over some names.

[marriedanidiot]

"Well, in this case, this world's Song!"

She smiles. "Close! Maglor, he was here, and you would probably find that one easier to say. My second son. He sang before he spoke, my golden-voiced bardling."

[mtsilver_conquor]

"All worlds have a Song, then?"

Gods, she wonders what Arkea's would be. Probably something peaceful and harmonious. "Ah! I spoke to him a few times. He was nice enough, but I think that's true of all elves."

[marriedanidiot]

"More correctly, everything that lives, that is has a Song, and together they make a world's song, the great Music of life."

[mtsilver_conquor]

Her face lights up in excitement and awe. "That's... Legends and Myths. Can you tell me what this world sounds like? What yours does? Please?"

[marriedanidiot]

Nerdanel shakes her head apologetically. "You would need a Bard for a true telling! And sadly, my Makalaure has left us now. I can barely touch the edges, and mostly that of rock and stone, which are my calling. I can tell you taht the world here is joyful, now, released from a prison. But more detail than that I cannot give you."

[mtsilver_conquor]

Eva grins as she scoots closer to the woman. (her... mum figure, if she's honest). "A true telling is what you can tell me, Nerdanel-san. Joy means so many things to people, and really, it's what you make of it that means something. Yet it's good to know it's happy again, that it's free from whatever fate had awaited it."

Yet for all her happy words, there's a little sadness, too. Eva's more or less aware she's caught in the jaws of the Fox, a plaything to Fate and that, no matter what she wants, the fox will find her and yeet her into what it wants.

That a world can escape is bittersweet on her end, but she is happy for it.

[marriedanidiot]

She smiles fondly at Eva.

"Well, when the Song was silenced... it was as if all the world was holding it's breath, and now it is laughing."

She reaches out to brush strand of hair back from Eva's face.

"I don't know if it has escaped entirely, or if this is only a breath of peace before the storm. But for now, there is joy here, and I am glad."

[mtsilver_conquor]

"It should be laughing. It escaped the Fox."

It's easier to accept than anything else, and Eva blinks at the hair tuck, wide-eyed - and then Nerdanel ends up with Eva hugging her, much like a child who desperately wants their mother. "I want to think it has. I don't care if it's wishful thinking. It has."

It's easier to accept than the idea of a whole world being one of Fate's damned toys to be yeeted into whatever the Fox wants.

[marriedanidiot]

"The Fox?" She cuddles Eva close, since it seems to be what she needs, runnning a soothing hand through her hair.

"May it be so." She murmurs, comfortingly.

The Eldar know that the world is Marred beyond all repair, but they fight what they call the Long Defeat anyway, in hopes of the day when the Second Music will be sung, and the world made aright. But that is not what Eva needs to hear, and so she does not say it, only humming softly, the low comforting lullabies of long ago.

[mtsilver_conquor]

"Fate. We call it a fox," Eva says with a small sound as she makes herself comfortable. "Because it's clever and tricky, but also cunning and vengeful. But this world's escaped it, so it's safe and will continue to be safe."

There's a small sigh, eyes half-closed at the humming. "Not everyone's so lucky to escape it, though..."

Case in point, the Voidtrekkers.

[marriedanidiot]

"Ah, I see." Nerdanel tucks Eva's hair back behind her ear as she settles.

"In ours, Fate is a person! Lord Namo is the Doomsman of the Valar, and his wife is Vaire the Weaver, who I suppose is History."

[mtsilver_conquor]

"A...person? Why...?"

There's a look of utter inability to even start to comprehend that Fate can be thought of as a person. "That... Is? I don't understand. Why a person and not- not an animal or force of nature?"

[marriedanidiot]

"Why not?" She laughs.

"Well, he is more than Fate, I suppose, although we name him that. He is the Judge, and the Guardian of the Dead."

[mtsilver_conquor]

"It's weird, though I guess that I worship pokemon as gods would be weird, too," Eva says with a sheepish smile.

"I'd say that's a lot of responsibility for a god, but hahaha... can't really say it is, not without making the ones I follow look like overachievers."

[marriedanidiot]

"Oh they don't like being called that. They are created beings too, after all." She shrugs. "They prefer being considered our teachers and guardians, although Namo is less known to us than his more... mm, sociable breatheren."

The problem with being Doom and Fate and Justice is that you're not good fun at parties.

[mtsilver_conquor]

Eva blinks. "Even if you know they were created, a god is still a god, aren't they?"

She really doesn't get it. A god is a god and that's all there is to it in her mind, yet at the same time... "Though, it must be nice to have gods you can actually hold a conversation with. You can't really do that with the gods of Arkea."

[marriedanidiot]

She shrugs. "Perhaps. But they dislike being considered such, so we do our best not to make them too uncomfortable."

She laughs. "Truly! Lord Aule is something of a family friend, and it was not until I was a little older that I realised that father's friend was the Lord of the Mountains."

[mtsilver_conquor]

"I think I would too if our gods were like yours." Eva shrugs at the end. It's not exactly something she's really thought about, if she's honest.

"Oh, that must have been an interesting revelation to have. Hopefully without too much of a brain-break."

[marriedanidiot]

"It was definitely interesting!" She laughs. "But I was so used to him that it was also not as odd as you might think. Not all the Valar were so easy to understand, but Lord Aule loved us dearly."

[mtsilver_conquor]

"Gods shouldn't be easy to understand."

They wouldn't ve gods otherwise. "What is he like? Lord Aule?"

[marriedanidiot]

She laughs softly. "Well. They aren't gods, as they are wont to remind us. Lord Aule is... as if a Mountain or a Forge took form. He is Rock, and Fire, and Craft."

[mtsilver_conquor]

"And he's person-shaped..."

If she's a bit dubious, it's because she is and her brain is breaking, just slightly, with this. "It's just... well. It's strange to hear of a person described like a literal force of nature."

[marriedanidiot]

"When he's dealing with us, yes! Easier, you see. His Lady though, Kementari usually remembers to be people-shaped when she's talking to us, but not always. I suppose being the Earth Queen she has the care of so many types of 'people' that it's not easy for her to remember to be one particular type!"