voidtreckermods: (train)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] middleofsomewhere2020-09-21 05:44 am

Adventure On: Finale and Conclusion

Blue

The Mountain

Once they get close enough everything is storm, ice swirls around them, stabbing them like knives. Winds seem to be actively pushing them away, no matter what direction they approach from. Still the crystal wolves walk on, heads down, paws silent, climbing upwards.

The higher they climb the colder it becomes. So cold that ice forms on eyelashes, that air seems to freeze as it leaves their mouths. So cold their chests hurt. They would not be wrong to assume that the only reason they can withstand this at all is because of the SCA around their wrist.

Ice tumbles down around them often, shaking the ground. The crystal wolves know the way and they keep going, steady on the path. They have spaced themselves out, to be in sight of all those who follow.

The Summit

As they finally reach the top of the mountain they reach a calm space, outside of the swirling storm. Domed across the summit is a fire cage, larger by far than any they have seen before. In the middle of the giant fire cage sits a dragon. White and blue, scales that look as if they were made of ice themselves. Their head was bowed, eyes closed but they are breathing, breath escaping in clouds of freezing mist that evaporated in the heat of the cage.

Around the cage itself are ice elementals, outside the storm these can be seen by the snow they whirl around inside them, each is about three feet tall but fly in a whirlwind as they attack. Like those in the storm they try and push people around and attack with shards of ice. These corrupted spirits seem to have no reason to their attacks, they are just as likely to push a combatant closer to the cage then they are towards the raging storm.

They can be fought, fire works well against them just as ice and cold magic works well against the fire cage itself.

A Sovereign Freed

Eventually the cage stops fighting, fading away into the snow before them. The crystal wolves spring forth, nuzzling at the dragon until they raise their head. Piercing blue eyes look over the group and the dragon bows their head once. They take a deep breath and breathe out over those assembled, cold fire washes over them, healing any hurts that they have, easing their fatigue som

The crystal wolves bow their heads too, a thank you. Aerlie flaps their wings, rising high into the air. Another breath of cold fire flies out around the area, clashing with the storm for a moment before overtaking it. Around the mountain the storm calms, the ice elementals stop and seem to sink into the snow or fade into the air. The mountain descends into a calmness.

The crystal wolves will approach all those who helped free them, nuzzling into their hands, a personal thank you before a shimmering gate opens for the adventurers to step through.

Red

Final Siege

It’s been a tiring three days of protecting the crystals from the creatures that sought their power. But now, as their power is fully recharged it is time to return them to the border. That is going to be a tougher job than getting them to the volcano’s heart in the first place!

They thrum with power and that power is a siren call to the creatures of the area, fire dogs, lizards, fire sprites. Just as the mountain attacked inside the heart, here the spirtes join with the rivers of lava to flood pathways, block routes, making it harder to cross already treacherous territory, or even driving them into traps of waiting fire dogs.

The heat is oppressive, heat from around them, heat from the crystals seems to sap the energy from those carrying them and so the duty is best shared.

Eventually though they arrive at the border, a mess of melted ice and frozen lava. Each of the crystals need to be replaced.

Restoring the Border

Replacing the crystals is a little more complicated than taking them was. Each one needs to fuse with the holder it sits in. It doesn’t take any skill, just someone to hold it in place for a moment whilst the two fuse together and the magic is channelled into the ground.

Holding a crystal in place is a little more difficult when being attacked by the creatures. The fire creatures keep up the attack until all of the crystals have been replaced.

The Land Repaired

When the last crystal is in place there is a ripple across the land. An invisible line, an ancient magic, connects the crystals, seperating the two lands. Ice recedes from lava and the melted snow refreezes. The borderlands of slush undergo transformation as the two elements separate from each other once more. A land of fire and a land of ice, with a pulsing magic separating the two.

The firedogs and lizards retreat, fire elementals calm and join with the lava streams once more. A shimmering gate opens.

Orange

An Important Message

The Huma birds have been carrying crystals and helping the harvesters, protecting them from the blighted birds and encouraging them to work hard.

But those returning to the floating islands on the afternoon of the eleventh day of Horseshoe come bearing black cloth bags in their talons, each has a scroll attached. The Huma birds will make it very clear they are to read the scroll first.

DO NOT OPEN THE BAG UNTIL NIGHT FALLS

Inside this bag are rare crystals. When they are exposed to the light of the sun they will cause the islands to sink back to the ground. After the sun has set tonight please distribute these evenly around the islands and then depart back down to the land below before sunrise. The lands natural magic will do the rest but we do not recommend being on the islands when they fall.

Thank you for your hard work.

The Adventurers Guild


With a long night ahead they may wish to rest for the remainder of the day.

Distributing the Crystals

If they do as they are asked then it will be a long night, there are many chunks of islands and a lot of crystals to distribute. The darkness makes it harder and the blighted birds seem even grumpier in the cover of darkness.

The wind sprites also are not resting and indeed seem delighted that playtime has been extended into the hours of night. Placing crystals is difficult when the Voidtreckers find themselves swept up into the air to dance around the trees.

Getting down by sunrise may be a little trickier than placing the crystals, especially if they have used up their flight potions, but hopefully there are enough people to help everyone get to safety.

Islands Fall

The sun rises, as the first rays of light hit the island they begin to vibrate, shudder. Then one by one they begin to fall, rapidly and chaotically. It is perhaps wise to not be anywhere near the crater as they do so.

They land in a crash of dust, which obscures the area. When the dust clears however they will see a perfect undamaged land. The pieces have fit back together, exactly where they should be, despite the chaos. The land is repaired and whole once more. Huma birds call excitedly as they dart through the air, their land restored.

A gate opens, for them to step through if they wish.

Purple

A Cure

It is day ten of Horseshoe when the first Huma birds fly into the village, they carry crystals either in bags in their talons or in their beaks.

The villagers clearly know what is going on for they welcome the birds and take the crystals thankfully. Anyone not currently fighting or purifying crystals is brought in to help distribute cures.

Actually curing someone is easy, it just requires the crystal to be touch an affected person or creature. The crystals are only good for one cure so those curing the blighted will be required to carry a few and run them to the villages.

Others can take crystals out into the woodland, looking for blighted animals to help.

A Final Fight

All but one of the golems have been found, defeated and restored. The final one has been elusive, not approaching the village or even the nearby woodlands.

The restored golems are back to standing vigil in each village, ready to deal with any attack that may occur.

But when an attack comes, it is not on a village, but on the shrine in the centre. A golem, three trolls and a host of animals, some blighted, some just angry. They attack in the early morning, the villages awoken by shouts and sounds of battle.

Luckily the blighted creatures can be healed, angry animals can perhaps be soothed. The trolls cannot be soothed though and will indeed try to rile up the animals again, to cause as much chaos as they can.

Peace Once More

Once the final golem is taken down, the crystal restored and the trolls defeated there is a quiet comes across the villages. Those who were blighted are cured, the golems are back in their place as guardians of the village and thanks to the adventurers the villages have gotten through this time with minimal damage.

The villagers thank the adventurers, tell them to come and visit whenever they are in the area. A gate opens, for any voidtreckers who wish to return to Royal Lake Hill.

Royal Lake Hill: All Teams!

They return to the tavern, each to the inn that they set off from. The town is a little busier now, more areas have recovered from the blight and it has brought more trade into the town. Everyone is still relatively elderly or young, non fighters. But the market is bustling, there is even a puppet show going on in the square.

Around midday a beeping of their SCA will show a dot on their map where the Voidtrecker Express has landed, not far out of town, and a message. You may remain here until sunset.

It is up to them whether they wish to return to the train or spend the rest of the day in the town. For those staying in town they will find word of their deeds have preceded them and they will find no end of young, wide eyed, budding adventurers ready to buy them a drink or two in exchange for stories.
hotheadwarmheart: (Battle ready)

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2020-09-21 11:50 pm (UTC)(link)
The Summit- Blue

It was a relief to come out of the storm into the relative calm of the summit. Less so to see what awaited them there. But ice elementals? Those he could handle easily.

While others dealt with freeing the trapped dragon, Lea engaged the icy spirits with Keyblade and fire magic. "Like toasting Icy Cubes in a barrel," he said with a bit of a grin as another one melted before his flames. Still, though there were a lot of them, and Lea was quickly becoming surrounded.

Royal Lake Hill- OTA

Back in town Lea was using his free time before sunset to do some shopping. He wanted to stock up on some fruits and veggies, as well as herbs and spices for the train's kitchens. A little harder to find were crafting supplies like string and paint, or a tool fine enough to poke a hole in seashells without destroying the shell. He also made a point to look around for unshaped metal and glass that he might be able to use as materials, but doubted he'd find any of that for a price he could afford.
hisblueskies: Blond-haired boy kneeling on a windowsill, perhaps to leap? (Crouching)

The Summit

[personal profile] hisblueskies 2020-09-22 03:21 pm (UTC)(link)
It was quite a spectacle seeing a Keyblade wielder in action! Alfredo thought his own actions to be less so, but even so he wished to help.

With a shout, he intended to distract if not redirect some of the sprites, and let Lea get some breath back.

He really should have asked Piccolo for a shield, though...!
hotheadwarmheart: (One-on-one)

Re: The Summit

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2020-09-26 10:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, he really should have. But the shout did help, distracting some of the elementals nearest to Alfredo and getting them to turn their attention to him, trying to drive him towards the bars of the fiery cage.

Lea, meanwhile, took out another group, destroying some and sending others scattering away from his flames. A quick glance around then led him to notice Alfredo. "No you don't!", he said as he moved, lashing out at the elementals. One or two went down to his fiery Keyblade, but there were still more of them harrying Alfredo. And as it stood, he couldn't turn his fire on them more broadly without risking the boy being harmed as well.

"Alfredo!", he called. "Try and get behind something!"
hisblueskies: Blond-haired boy stares slightly off-center, one eyebrow perked. (Eyebrow-raise)

Can edit if preferred. |D

[personal profile] hisblueskies 2020-09-26 10:24 pm (UTC)(link)
"I have an idea!" he shouted back, doing his best to shake his head and maintain a clear field of view.

Fortunately, Alfredo was all too happy to be chased toward the cage by ice sprites - let them build up speed, then abruptly dive into the snow, letting the sprites hit the bars instead.

"... Does 'in front' of something work?" he asked, suddenly sounding abashed.

It had been a risky plan.
Edited 2020-09-26 22:24 (UTC)
hotheadwarmheart: (Cheeky Dork)

Nope, works for me. :3

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2020-09-27 12:17 am (UTC)(link)
Lea continued to attack the elementals within reach with his Keyblade, but grinned when he saw what Alfredo had done. "Nice one!", he said. "But don't try that again, OK? It was a move worthy of me, which probably means that it would only work once." There was really only so much one could rely on luck like that in a fight, after all.
hisblueskies: Blond-haired boy stares 1/4 stage left, neutral expression. (Frown)

Re: Nope, works for me. :3

[personal profile] hisblueskies 2020-09-27 12:18 pm (UTC)(link)
"It's not entirely their fault they're fighting us, either," Alfredo answered, getting up and retreating from the cage quickly. As brave as that maneuver had been, he still had some fears!

Not that he would be willing to admit what they were, but that was another matter...

"They've been hit by the blight, meaning their ability to reason is compromised! ... Or so I can assume."

He'd hope ice wasn't normally this aggressive on this world!
hotheadwarmheart: (Ready position)

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2020-10-05 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
"Whether it is or not, they're still dangerous," Lea said. He was less inclined to trust their normal natures than he would those of more standard animals, but in terms of what they had to do here it didn't matter much.

He took down another two with a burst of fire magic. "Try and lure some of them that way, if you can." He indicated a large clump of rocks. "That way you can duck out of harms way and I can take them down."
hisblueskies: Blond-haired boy looking off stage left, smiling. (fond)

[personal profile] hisblueskies 2020-10-05 01:03 pm (UTC)(link)
"... I like that tactic."

Both effective, and like a game.

"I'll be right on it, Lea!"

There was a distinct pause where he would have added sir, but Alfredo made up for that well enough in his running.
hotheadwarmheart: (Toothy Grin)

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2020-10-12 02:11 am (UTC)(link)
Lea grinned. "I thought you might," he said. Because even when fighting, if you could have a little bit of fun, why not do so?

Several of the ice sprites followed after Alfredo, while a few more were distracted, looking where their comrades had gone. Lea took out the distracted ones first, in a flash of Keyblade and fire, then looked to be sure Alfredo had ducked to safety behind the rocks.

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Yee! o7 Sounds good to me.

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blitzcheer: (jump into the fight!)

summit

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2020-09-22 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
"Keep off!"

With the warning, more of a call before a spell being initiated, Lea becomes surrounded in a barrier of sea-green, and anything magical the ice elementals attempt to throw at Lea get bounced back. More of an annoyance for them than anything, but it'll have them confused for the time being.

"Keep at it, Lea!"

Tidus will keep up the water spells to break at the cage as he can!
hotheadwarmheart: (Cheeky Dork)

Re: summit

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2020-09-26 10:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Lea felt the telltale tingle of a spell taking effect on him at Tidus' shout, just before the elementals' spells started bouncing back. He grinned. "Thanks for the Reflect!", he called to Tidus.

Now with even more of an advantage over the ice elementals, Lea began to cur even more of a swath through them, before Tidus' water magic gave him an idea. "Hey, what do you think would happen if we knocked a few of these guys against those bars?"
blitzcheer: (prince aliii prince aliii)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2020-09-26 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
The sprites? Tidus lifts his chin to look at the selection, figuring out the best way to pull it off. Some of them might not be too hard to push to the bars, but-

"You got an idea how to knock them there? What, jumping? Magic?"

If there's a better idea, he'll get on it!
hotheadwarmheart: (One-on-one)

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2020-10-05 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
"Magic or good old brute force," Lea said. "They might be some kind of spirits, but they're still solid enough for weapon strikes to have an impact." His Keyblade definitely seemed to be striking something solid-ish anyway, before its fiery nature overcame the ice cpirits.
blitzcheer: (simply pour acid)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2020-10-05 01:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, looks like it'll be some jumping and smacking after all then. Tidus brings out the wyrm talon, a purple blade borrowed from Roland, and he picks out a target; dodging of the way of their ice shards thrown and jumping on a dare, managing to reach it without getting blown over.

The sprite gets smacked into the fire, causing the cage to steam up as the sprite...disappears....

No time to think about that now!
hotheadwarmheart: (Clash)

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2020-10-12 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
Well when ice met fire, the results tended to be pretty predictable. "Nice one!", Lea called out, before dodging a barrage of ice spikes from some more of the sprites. He then lashed out on counter attack, one going down to his fiery Keyblade directly, and another being similarly knocked back into the fire cage and vanishing in a hiss of steam.
faimommy: (la lala!)

Summit

[personal profile] faimommy 2020-09-23 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
Fai certainly won't use his powers to lend a hand - he tries pretty hard to make it look like he's useless, after all. But he does see the swarm surrounding Lea, and grabs for a long, fallen branch that is probably suitable for what he has in mind, and goes in swinging with a wide sweep to attack the fire spirits.

Knocking some of them away, he lands nimbly beside Lea with a smile.

"Didn't want these to get too close to cooking your goose."
hotheadwarmheart: (Cheeky Dork)

They're actually ice elementals, not fire.

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2020-09-26 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey a stick totally counted as a weapon; just ask Roxas and Xion. Either way, Lea grinned as Fai joined him in beating back the ice elementals. "Freezing it is more like it," he said. "But the more the merrier. Want a fiery boost there?" He indicated the stick, which could easily become a torch with a bit of help.
loveandduty: (188)

Royal Lake Hill

[personal profile] loveandduty 2020-09-23 07:07 am (UTC)(link)
Minako was honestly a tiny bit exhausted. She just wanted to go back to her bed as soon as she was able to. She understood with these missions that they did a lot, but she kept finding she would always end up being tired with using her abilities as sailor venus too much or for very long periods.

But that couldn't be helped and she knew to deal with it. So instead she just walked around to see what there was and maybe talking to people. Curiously she soon spotted a faolmiliar face and walked over.

"Going shopping? Finding anything interesting?"
hotheadwarmheart: (Small smile)

Re: Royal Lake Hill

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2020-09-26 11:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Lea smiled a bit. "Hey, Minako," he said. "You doing alright?" She looked a bit tired, and frankly he couldn't blame her. Though this was the first mission where he'd been able to get any proper sleep.

"And yeah, though mostly I'm looking for things to stock the kitchens. Fruits and veggies, herbs, stuff like that. Whether or not you're fond of this month's feature ingredient, people do need a somewhat balanced diet. And I know there's at least one person aboard who can't eat meat at all without getting sick."

"Though I'm also trying to get some arts and crafts type stuff. There's something I want to try, but I'm gonna need string, maybe some paint, and something that can poke holes in seashells without destroying them."
loveandduty: (194)

Re: Royal Lake Hill

[personal profile] loveandduty 2020-09-28 02:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"Tired but that is to be expected, honestly." she still wanted to just act like a normal teenage girl and go to bed, but for the time being she was going to focus.

"For the fruit and veg maybe give the feeds to those who grow that stuff so that it can grow and there you go, sorted for much longer. As for arts and craft stuff I have no idea what can do that to shells but good luck with that one if you find anything here."
hotheadwarmheart: (Dorky)

Re: Royal Lake Hill

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2020-10-05 03:51 am (UTC)(link)
"Ironically, this is the least tired I've been after a mission so far," Lea said. "The fact that this one didn't involve all night monster attacks or crazy nightmares probably helped. But I'll still be glad to be back in a semi-proper bed tonight."

"And yeah, growing stuff in the greenhouse car will definitely be a better long term solution, but that takes time. Unless there's somebody on board with some kind of instant plant growing magic or something." It was entirely possible, after all, since he knew that Marluxia had wielded plant-based magic. "So for the moment, grocery shopping is the way to go."
loveandduty: (65)

Re: Royal Lake Hill

[personal profile] loveandduty 2020-10-08 09:37 am (UTC)(link)
"I mean the all night one I remember and I agree, at least it wasn't that." Considering she was pretending she wasn't around that such since she had been Venus most of the time...

"I mean you never know with the people on the train, I just know a lot of people like that carriage."
hotheadwarmheart: (Small smile)

Re: Royal Lake Hill

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2020-10-12 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
Lea nodded. "I can see why," he said. "It's usually one of the more peaceful and open cars, so people in there aren't all crammed together like they are in some parts of the train. Plus the plants and things are a nice bonus."
loveandduty: (189)

Re: Royal Lake Hill

[personal profile] loveandduty 2020-10-12 09:52 am (UTC)(link)
"I think people are just more careful in there because of the plants. You wouldn't want to be crammed in there or temple peoples hard work." Which wouldn't be very nice now would it. But Minako wasn't the gardening type, but knew it took work at least.

"I don't spend too long in there myself though, I j8ust know that it's beautiful."
hotheadwarmheart: (Attentive)

Re: Royal Lake Hill

[personal profile] hotheadwarmheart 2020-10-22 04:15 am (UTC)(link)
Lea nodded. "Yea I don't spend too much time there myself either," he said. "Might have to change that though, if we want to keep the kitchen stocked with with fruit and veggies regardless of the train potentially throwing us another curveball like it did with the goofy-looking lunchmeat."

Re: Royal Lake Hill

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