voidtreckermods: (train)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] middleofsomewhere2020-07-19 06:11 am

Final: Blue and Purple

Blue: A Call to Arms

On the sixth night (G10) since arriving in the Gry coves the fighting is the heaviest than it has been all week. What’s more anyone who tries to sleep that day or night will find their dreams are the clearest yet. Darkness, downward tunnels, fear yes but a clear calling. A draw. A call for help. A cry to arms.

The caverns are a flurry of activity but by the morning (G11) the elders address the cove. It is clear. The Burrower wishes them to descend. Furthermore if the aliens have been having dreams as well then it is clear that they are invited.

Not all can go of course, the caverns still need defending. But any who wish to may. The morning is spent preparing for the descent, or rather making sure that there are still defenders of the caverns and that everything is in order for them to descend.

Purple: A Plan for Aid

The fighting is still thick and fast but the morning of the seventh day (G11) brings another flurry of activity. The teenagers who had been growing restless all week can be found gathering in groups.

If approached by anyone who isn’t a Terran adult they will let them in on the secret. The Gry were going down to the dweller. The Gry dream forums have been full of Gry teens talking about this, worried their god is in danger. Worried they are in danger and going down there will mean certain death.

So of course the Terran want to help and their adults have not been listening. They have found one of the entrances that they believe will go down into the dwellers domain. They plan to strike out by noon and won’t say no to any one who wants to go with them.

It’s a steep entrance, going almost vertically down into the darkness below. They are pretty certain it leads to the dweller.

Meanwhile the monsters are still attacking the city with increasing numbers and almost every Terran is engaged in some level of fighting.

The Descent (Please specify team colour.)

The tunnels down from both the Gry coves and the Terran tunnels are steep. Even the Gry and Terran themselves struggle with the descent and voidtreckers will definitely need to use climbing equipment. It takes most of the day and into the evening to climb down. The air is dry and thin the further down they get but their SCA keeps them going.

The Terran and Gry have no such technology but they are better acclimatised. It’s a long climb down through the darkness.

Meanwhile... (Please specify team colour.)

For those that don’t descend there is still plenty to do. Monsters are still attacking, though as night falls they dwindle, as they begin to rush down to the cavern below. Still there are pockets of monsters around that need dealing with.

Parts of both tunnel systems are in need of repair. Down in the Terran tunnels the areas that had been collapsed still need a lot of work, though all the citizens have been rescued. The Gry systems are less structurally damaged but they are a mess and the clean up operation will take a while.

Deep Dweller

Finally the dark downward descent leads into a huge cavern. In the centre of the cavern there is a large, grey creature easily filling the space. It looks almost like a grub, if a huge one. It is hard to ascertain if it has eyes or a mouth even but it moves, slowly up and down as if it is breathing.

The elder Gry make respectful gestures towards it, the younger ones follow suit, a little more hesitantly. The Terran teenagers mostly seem some mixture of horrified and amazed.

There are four large entrances to the cavern, the two that the two groups came down and two other large ones from elsewhere. There are also numerous small ones, high and low in the walls. The two groups arrive at roughly the same time and it is not long before they have company…
deductiongeek: (is that so)

[personal profile] deductiongeek 2020-07-28 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
Conan had silently snuck back, but it had taken him time. Too much time.

It was difficult to see in the darkness, even with the night vision on his glasses activated. But Ran was hurt.

He knew she wanted him to stay away, but he needed to do something. He quickly releases a ball from his belt and kicks it straight at the creatures head, hoping that it would reach its target before it could hurt her again. And immediately afterwards, he follows up by shining his light at the creature.
singlefaith: (getting up again)

[personal profile] singlefaith 2020-07-28 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
The ball makes solid impact with the monster's head as Ran reels back from the slash, slamming into the skull with nearly equal force to one of Ran's kicks. Half up on its hind legs, the monster loses its balance, crashing back against a boulder -- only to be hit with the light from Conan's SCA. It isn't enough to kill it, but it's apparently enough to be uncomfortable; with a screech, it scrabbles backward, edging away from the light.

"Conan-kun!" Ran's pulling herself back upright, pushing off from a boulder of her own. Her shirt is slashed, streaked with red. Fumbling for her own SCA in turn: "I told you to go!"
deductiongeek: (pic#7682545)

[personal profile] deductiongeek 2020-07-28 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
"And you're hurt!" He scrambles down from the pile of rubble where he had been hiding and grabs her hand.

"Come on! We need to get out of here before it recovers!"
singlefaith: (getting up again)

[personal profile] singlefaith 2020-07-28 01:58 am (UTC)(link)
"We need to drive it back." She doesn't let him pull her, remaining where she is, hand again going for the SCA. She's forgotten about the flashlight function; she could have been using it . . .

"Keep shining your light in that direction; I'll get mine on--"

Hopefully between both lights, they can drive it off, make it decide that they aren't worth the effort.

If not, she's getting him out of there even if she has to throw him.
deductiongeek: (watchlight)

[personal profile] deductiongeek 2020-07-28 02:08 am (UTC)(link)
He holds his light, aiming it towards the place where the creature was barely visible in the shadows.

"And you're hurt," he points out. "Wouldn't it be better to get help?"

He knew his own skills, and knew that he'd be useless if it came down to fighting again.
Edited 2020-07-28 02:23 (UTC)
singlefaith: (drawn)

[personal profile] singlefaith 2020-07-28 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
"We can't lead it back to the others," she says shortly. "I'm okay; I just-- there!"

Having fumbled with the controls of the SCA, light blossoms from the face. Immediately she turns it on the creature, combining Conan's light with her own. There's a snarl . . . but apparently the monster decides that it's more light than can be contended with. Backing up, it darts away, whisking back down the tunnel.

Ran releases a quiet, shaky breath, not daring yet to lower the light, her opposite hand pulling free of Conan to check her ribs. The connection was likely long enough, though, for him to catch the shiver.
deductiongeek: (is that so)

[personal profile] deductiongeek 2020-08-01 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
He keeps his attention on the shadows around them, keeping his light ready in case it came back.

"You're hurt," he says, far more upset than he was letting on. "Ran-neechan, are you really okay to keep fighting like this?"
singlefaith: (bandaged)

[personal profile] singlefaith 2020-08-01 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm okay." The words are automatic, but having checked the wound, she follows it up: "It's shallow. It's okay. I'm okay."

Maybe the last two sentences are as much for herself as for him. She can't hold back, can't give into the fear that's lurking in every shadow for her right now. She has him to worry about -- has to get them both out of this mission and back on the train.

Her fingers move up to her cheek, wincing as she feels the cut there. That doesn't seem to be deep either, thankfully, though she smears the blood without realizing it. "H-Hopefully it's gone? And I was hoping by following the others that there wouldn't be as much fighting."
deductiongeek: (paying attention)

[personal profile] deductiongeek 2020-08-08 01:43 pm (UTC)(link)
"We should join up with the others as soon as it is safe," he insists. Ran couldn't fight another one of those by herself again. Not when she was already injured.

He fishes through his backpack and pulls out some bandages. He'd learned his lesson from past missions, and made it a priority now to always pack first aid supplies.
singlefaith: (hand wave)

[personal profile] singlefaith 2020-08-09 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)
"I think it's as safe as it's going to be." Her eyes flick periodically to where the creature had been -- quick glances as though she expects it to suddenly be there again. She doesn't turn out the light on the SCA just in case, as though it can be kept at bay.

His movement catches her attention. "Ah, really, it's not bad--"

Probably still something that should be cleaned and covered over for the time being, but usually it's her that's supposed to be the fussing, not him. She doesn't settle easily into the role. She reaches for the bandages, aiming to do it herself.
Edited 2020-08-09 17:14 (UTC)