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

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Well, she wasn't wrong, so long as she understood that Zetta was to be judged far more by his actions than his words.

"Divinity's a hotbed of politics where you're from?" This was his first thought, not, 'hey people around 20 can be turds'.

[springforth]

"Oh it's nothing. I just have trouble figuring people out sometimes. And I--I guess I know where I stand with some, it's just not where I want to be. It's complicated. And not really important."

It's a little bit of both. Politics and dumb 20 year olds.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Yeah, it did sound complicated, but -- "Not really important? That's the same as saying you're not very important! And if you're not important to yourself, you're totally screwing yourself over!"

[springforth]

"Oh my gods, can't something be not important without it reflecting on me personally and how I see myself? I didn't say it was unimportant to me, just not for this conversation." She flicks a little sand at him.

"I'd have to explain weeks of nonsense and I'm just not going to do that."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"If it's important period it's important period!" No, Zetta was going to double down.

Of course, now the Sacred Tome had sand on it, which all the twitching it did couldn't dislodge. Thanks for that.

[springforth]

Persephone lets him rage, finding a shell nearby and picking it up to look it over.

"Is there a point to saying that? I just said it wasn't unimportant to me. I'm not going to recount all my troubles to you to get judged for how I reacted."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Well how the hell else am I supposed to get to know you than by hearing this stuff?"

That might be the least self-absorbed Zetta had ever been, even if it was entirely focused on him.

[springforth]

"You could, I don't know, try asking me things in a way that doesn't imply you're looking down on me for not being some--some super confident adult who has all her stuff together. I was stuck in the mortal realm with flower nymphs following me everywhere every moment until earlier this year. My mom tried to keep me from moving for University because I shouldn't want more than I had in her paradise. I'm just now getting to be in the real world and now I'm--I'm here."

She gestures out to world around them in general and the train in the distance specifically. Not what she was after in life.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"I wouldn't have known to ask stuff like that!" About a billion things in that sentence came out of nowhere, so far as he was concerned. And hey, he'd just learned a whole bunch from what she'd said. "Okay, how about, do all gods have a human-ish shape, or is there variety?"

[springforth]

She winces. Right. This isn't really the same as anyone back home pushing their expectations on her. He doesn't know better. Doesn't mean he's not pushing some sort of expectation on her but it's not the same.

"Right. I'm sorry." She twists at her wrap. "I guess you could say we're human shaped. Some have wings or things like that. Fins. Generally human shaped. But in way more colors than humans. They're all brown tones."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Well, Zetta was predictably loud and yelly and pushy as a rule. That's what happened with an oversized ego and self-centeredness that had more pull than a black hole.

"Heh, I did notice that." Her own particular shade hadn't escaped him. "Demons are a lot more diverse, but obviously there's plenty of us that don't look too far from human. You can always sorta tell."

[springforth]

"I'm going to assume you fall on the more human looking than not?"

She toys at her hair for a moment.

"I'm the exact shade of a flower nymph. On purpose, I'm pretty sure."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Back up a moment." Zetta was quickly losing his ability to fake understanding, to his annoyance. "What exactly IS a flower nymph?"

[springforth]

"Oh--right. Um, okay, a flower nymph is a being that is created and tied to a flower of some sort. Mostly the ones I know work with me and my mother in the fields, helping with flowers and springs. Similar powers with flowers as me, just...less?"

She pauses, "Daphne got out of the mortal realm though. She's doing commercials and things, very popular on Olympus. She's such a sweetheart. But most live in the mortal realm. And we were always together. They're like... my sisters."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

This just kept getting more confusing, though Zetta thought he had the basic shape of things. "Sisters in a good way or sisters in a sibling-rivalry-unto-death way?"

[springforth]

"Why would it---not everything is a rivalry to the death."

Persephone digs her nails into her legs, the conversation is getting a little off where she'd hope to go.

"As in I was around them my whole life, they helped raise me, they helped with my chores and bringing in spring, as in we had fights but they'll always be someone I care about. They--it's complicated." She doesn't want to put words in her mother's mouth. Her mom was good enough at that sort of thing as it was.

"They were ordered to be my companions by my mother but it didn't stop me from caring about them."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"I have brothers." Biological ones, in a demon society. Of course a 'fight to the death' mentality came into play. Never mind that they lived in his Netherworld, in his castle, even.

"And they care about you?"

[springforth]

"Of course. We slept in a big pile, bathed in the lake together, spent all our time together. We may not be related by blood but we're plenty close."

She turns to look at him, finally taking pity on him enough to brush the sand off him and help him upright.

"Are you not close to your brothers? More the death feud type?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Uh. Those mental images were really distracting. He didn't fight or even complain about the pity-help, because his mind had wandered away for a moment.

Then he pulled himself back, and made something of a 'duh' noise before clearing his throat. "Absolutely! We're as different as can be. If they had a fraction of my strength, they'd be trying to kill me for my title and power constantly!"

Hopefully Persephone could filter that declaration through the profound haze of demilogic that was Zetta's worldview.

[springforth]

It's not nearly as salacious as his imagination might provide. It mostly gave her a love of casual affection and few glaring blind spots with clothing. She shifts to her side, all the better to talk to him and not away from him.

"But they don't? So are you just not close or is this a thing where admitting a close relationship is weakness among demons?"

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Of course it wasn't! 'Sephe didn't seem to have a dirty bone in her body, or if she did he hadn't found it and not for lack of effort looking. But why let reality get in the way of the imagination?

"We demons don't HAVE close relationships, because it's TOTALLY weakness!" 'Obvious' might be an understatement. "They just don't have the power to war on me, is all. They just hang around the castle raiding the fridge and hogging the TV!"

[springforth]

They certainly exist but she's very good at hiding them.

"This sounds like such a contentious relationship. Hogging the television is a serious offense."

Is she biting her lip because she's being very super serious or trying not to laugh?

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Exactly!" Oblivious to any sign that she might not be 100% serious, Zetta nudged forward slightly like he was trying to nod. "They made it so Switches can just undock, for Magog's sake! Take the damn console and go play in your room! You don't need to hog the TV when SOME of us have freaking pure consoles to use!"

[springforth]

"I'll admit, I don't understand a word of that. Is this about some kind of game? I've never gotten to play the kind on televisions." She tilts her head, "But I think it's nice they stay with you."

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"You're just using that word to get my goat," Zetta grumbled -- before the first part of her comments sank in, and he reared back in horror. "You've missed out on video games?! This -- this can't be allowed! Tell me you've at least used the VR stuff in the train!"