Onward: Red

[voidtreckermods]

Travel

The biggest problems on the way to the volcano are, perhaps, to be expected. Years of molten flows and heaving earth have left the landscape twisted and in constant movement, sections of the surface sinking or rising depending on the movement of the rivers of magma beneath. It makes for slow, bumpy going whether on foot or in a vehicle.

The fire dogs mostly prowl in the distance, but a few packs get brave enough to dive in and attack. They attack in their packs of three, though they are more likely to attack those at the back or side of the group, catching any stragglers or those that have decided to go it alone. They are pretty interested in the crystals, singling out those who are carrying them and harrying them with nips and lunges.

As the sun sets, the sky darkens and the earth, in contrast, seems to glow brighter. Faces tinge red in the fires and flows of the Flamewastes, and the volcano spits fire endlessly ahead.


The Firehearted Peak

It only takes about half a day to get to the volcano, which is pinpointed on their SCA map and highly visible besides. The entrance is obvious, a cleft in the rock at the side of the mountain. It’s hot here, incredibly so, the heat draining. But, oddly… it’s bearable, more so than they might expect. The path takes them around tunnels and across exposed streams of lava, over small rocky bridges over partially crusted-over liquid.

The tunnel is only half an hour’s walk, before it opens up into a rough chamber formed by layers of glittering metal and molten rock. In the centre there is a ball of fire, floating freely. It pulses with heat, and for those with any such senses, deep magic.

The crystals need to be held within the chamber, as close to the glowing core as possible, for at least three days. As the days go by the crystals will begin to grow brighter as magic gathers within them; their glow will synchronise with the flickering pulses of the Heart.

This growing power, however, draws in the creatures of the Flamewastes. Fire lizards, having stayed hidden and skittish on their journey, now join the dogs in attacking, pouring through the main tunnel and smaller passages in the layered walls to attack the chamber, intent on reaching and consuming the magic within the barrier crystals.


Fire Sprites

The attack from outside the mountain continues but as the days go by the volcano itself starts attacking, the proximity of living beings to its heart provoking a response. Fire sprites, clusters of sparks and embers and tendrils of fire whip out of the lava towards anyone who draws close. They are drawn to body heat, or to warmth of any kind. Tendrils curl around limbs, burning and dragging them towards pools of lava.

Others form walls of fire, trying to separate people from the main group or render the heart inaccessible. Cold drives them into retreat; water, if it does not immediately evaporate in the heat of the mountain, does likewise. The area directly around the heart, strangely, remains largely unaffected; any sprite or flame that strays into its aura is absorbed into it.

Comments

[rieper]

47 looked over at her with a mild expression. Curiosity perhaps. Interest. "Ask," he confirmed her suspicion that he probably wouldn't mind. On the other hand, if he didn't want to answer the question he would just tell her that he had no intention of doing so.

Or tell a lie. He could always revert back to old habits.

[irrationally]

"You seem to be sticking very close to-- Lightning is her name, right?"

It's a very neutral description - there doesn't seem to be any judgement attached to it. And Alice definitely makes sure to put judgement in her voice whenever she experiences it. She never bothers to hold back with it, which must mean this truly is just a neutral observation on her part.

"Is it just coincidence that you happen to be near her whenever I end up looking in that direction?"

[rieper]

There were several reasons although 47 had to at least admit to himself that he was sticking unusually close to her this mission as compared to previous missions. There was definitely a reason for that yet 47 was still adjusting to it. But he had always preferred to fight at her side than any other while here. She was competent, efficient, and needed little communication to get the job done. That sort of work was ideal to him.

"We work well together," he ended up telling Alice instead. Short and simple, and not a lie. Simply a condensed version of the truth of the matter.

[irrationally]

It's definitely a believable story. What especially works for it - in Alice's mind, anyway - is the fact that it suits 47 so much. The guy always seems so stoic, to a point where it might be ridiculous if it weren't for the fact that Alice is very much used to extreme personalities. Of course his reasons for sticking to someone's side would be something as practical as that.

"Makes sense," she therefore says, nodding very slightly. "I suppose I just never got the impression that you were such a team player. Apparently I was wrong."

[rieper]

47 was quiet for another small moment. Then, "Usually I work alone. But sometimes that's not an option."

He was trained to work by himself or with a partner or even a small group. Whatever was practical for the mission at hand, that was what 47 did. He usually didn't like working with strangers but it wasn't as if he never had before.

By now Lightning was hardly a stranger. They'd worked together too often on Red missions. And now they had their unusual bond together. That was a whole other experience, and one 47 was still adjusting.

[irrationally]

"Because the train forces us into these teams?"

After all, it's not impossible to do your own thing during these missions. If you were stubborn enough, it'd certainly be possible. Alice isn't even with her assigned team, after all, but she cares very little for following some team just because the train decided she's part of it to begin with.

But even so, the structure of these missions does often force you together in some sort of group. Maybe more so than some of them are used to.

[rieper]

"No. Because these sorts of missions require a small army to complete rather than an individual." He easily struck out on his own during most of the missions, especially during the travel parts. But to complete the tasks was more like pitting an army against another small army rather than killing one individual or hunting down one piece of information.

In other words, he couldn't care less about the teams but if he wanted to complete the mission it wasn't as simple as a one man job. Well, not with everyone else getting in the way anyway.

[irrationally]

It's an interesting point. Because Alice can't help but think back to her own.. well, she wouldn't call it a mission, but 'battles' sounds like a better way to refer to it. Back home things were often like this. Just her against mobs and mobs and mobs of monsters. Against things that were much too big for one person to fight against by themselves. And yet she had no choice.

She's well aware that her own care is an outlier though.

"The things you did back home were more suited towards completing them by yourself?" Honestly, it's not her trying to dig into what those things were, since she's pretty sure 47 must have been some sort of.. soldier, maybe? Something along those lines. Alice isn't curious about that part of it. It sounds boring. No, it's more about confirming that her own case is definitely the outlier.

[rieper]

To be fair, the kind of missions he undertook sometimes probably would have been better handled by a small two or three man team rather than one individual. Except that he was quite the individual. Made explicitly for what he did. Made to get the job done in any situation and no matter the obstacles.

"Sometimes I used other people," he said. "A small team if needed." If it was needed. Most of the time he didn't want to put his trust into anyone else. It went against his nature. "But I worked alone."

Not that the missions were suited towards completing them by himself, he didn't use her exact wording, but that he worked alone and that was that.

[irrationally]

"That's what I figured," she says, as if he didn't just avoid directly answering her question by abusing the loophole of not copying her exact wording. It's hard to say whether Alice even notices. Probably not - it's not like she cares that much, and his answer seems to make sense to her all the same. "You seem more like the type to do things alone."

After all, she's sure anyone would be hard-pressed to call this guy sociable. Competent, sure, his ability to stay calm impressive, also true, but sociable? That's kind of laughable. And that's coming from Alice, who is very well aware she is not exactly on the top of the social abilities ladder herself either.

She shrugs slightly.

"I'm the same. It's why I find these missions rather troublesome in certain ways."

Why can't she just smash her way through these things by herself like she's used to, huh. People will only get in the way like this.