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.
happyends: (my loving heart lost in the dark)

blue, semi-wildcarding it up here sssh, right after mami arrives

[personal profile] happyends 2020-09-22 11:54 am (UTC)(link)
There's been a bit of a gap between realising some people were gone and Mami - and Mami's friend's - arrival to the blue team. So while Madoka has gotten over the initial shock at that point thanks to having had a little while to process it and to go out and try to look for Maru with some people, it hasn't done much about the sadness yet. About the realisation that so many important people to her really are gone. Temporarily, for now, but perhaps permanently later.

But when she spots a very familiar yellow colour standing out against the background of everything around them being so white, Madoka is quick to run over towards the figure. Of course-- even though some people are gone, and it hurts a lot, at least she's not entirely alone.

"M.. Mami-san..!" She shouts as she runs towards the other girl.
magicurls: (be alright)

[personal profile] magicurls 2020-09-23 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
"Madoka!"

Mami pushes through the snow as best she can, careful to grab Madoka and wrap her in her cloak. She holds tight, a small buffer against the cold.

(And Mami needs that, she's still wearing her volcano dress under that cloak )

"I'm here. What's the situation?"
happyends: (when i look back)

[personal profile] happyends 2020-09-23 09:49 pm (UTC)(link)
What's the situation, Mami asks, and Madoka isn't too sure if the other girl means in general or with her. Selfless as ever, Madoka quickly assumes that it's the former though. It's probably better, anyway. She shouldn't trouble Mami with her own problems, not when the situation here is starting to become more pressing.

"Um.. First.. take this."

It takes some effort to pull it out from her own coat and from under the cloak, but the girl pulls out a scarf, handing it over to Mami.

"If you wear this, it helps keep you warm.. or, um, at least not as cold as you'd usually be around here. The spider made them, they're really useful.."

Mami may have seen it a moment ago before the cloak was around both of them, but yes, Madoka is at least smart enough to wear one of them herself too, despite the amount she's been handing out to just about everyone already.

"Do you need one for your friend too..?"
magicurls: (judgment)

[personal profile] magicurls 2020-09-26 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
Mami snuggles into it, pleased enough to smile. That really does help. She looks over at her friend and nods.

"...Please. Thank you, you're the best."

Once warmed she immediately surveys the situation, mentally preparing for the next step.

"I'm sorry it took me so long, but Mr. Piccolo was a big help. Glad I caught you."
happyends: (i'll explain all i know)

[personal profile] happyends 2020-09-27 06:37 am (UTC)(link)
"I-- It's okay, you came from really far."

Honestly, Madoka is still kind of baffled that Mami headed here for her sake - not because she doubts the other girl's kindness, but just since it's still wild for her to consider someone would do that much for her. That people keep doing so much for her, though she's nothing special.

But that's why she's trying to focus on repaying that effort. By handing over the scarves, for one, and aside from that just generally trying to be helpful.

"Wasn't it too hard..? If you feel tired, or need anything to eat, it's fine to rest up first."
magicurls: (Default)

[personal profile] magicurls 2020-09-30 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
"I'll be all right. I was expecting to hike much longer!"

It's really all right. She smiles and shakes her head.

"I fight for the long term. For...you. Madoka, how are you feeling?"
happyends: (of my frightened hands)

[personal profile] happyends 2020-09-30 08:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, yes. The dreaded question. Madoka was half-hoping she'd be able to ward it off by keeping the conversation on anything but herself. Talking about Mami, about the mission - anything else would be fine.

Because this is a question that's hard to be honest about right now - she doesn't want everything to suddenly be about her when the mission is so, so much more important - but at the same time she doesn't want to lie about Mami.

Even if she'd lie, it'd just be obvious, anyway.

"Ah, well.. R-Right now, I'm.." She averts her gaze from the other girl, staring at the ground. "I guess I'm still not doing too great.. I'm sorry, Mami-san. I know I should be stronger than this.."
magicurls: (questions)

[personal profile] magicurls 2020-10-03 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
"It's nothing to be sorry about."

Mami curls close to her, holding tight.

"I know how much it hurts to lose someone you love. Worse when it's without a word, or reason...."

And she pulls the blanket tight. "You don't have to be strong right now. Okay? You don't."
Edited 2020-10-03 04:30 (UTC)
happyends: (of my frightened hands)

[personal profile] happyends 2020-10-03 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
"But.."

Of course there's the instant protest. It's not a strong one, since it's never a strong one with Madoka, as meek as she is, as much of a people pleaser as she is. But she can't help but give a weak protest, at least. Not that she feels Mami is wrong, necessarily, but.. she just feels like she should be doing better.

Slowly she finally looks up to Mami's face, clinging to the other girl now.

"We're.. in the middle of a mission. I can't--" She frowns, shakes her head, but doesn't avert her gaze again. "I can't take up people's attention. And I need to do my best, even if it hurts.." It wouldn't feel fair to her to let other people have to pick up the slack even more, just because she can't help as much as she'd like to right now.
magicurls: (ribbon time)

[personal profile] magicurls 2020-10-06 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
"You will, but holding it in the whole time...it won't help."

She squeezes her kindly. "Letting it out won't get you back up to a hundred percent...but it'll feel better than just holding it! You'll feel...not better, but have a clearer head after. Right?"

Mami closes her eyes and concentrates, raising up a yellow ribbon barrier around them. It doesn't entirely block the cold and wind, but it'll block enemies, and give her time to mount a response if needed. And she gently pats her friend's hair.

"I'm so sorry, Madoka."
happyends: (of my frightened hands)

[personal profile] happyends 2020-10-06 02:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Thankfully the usage of the powers doesn't surprise Madoka, despite her current mood. She's very much used to Mami by now, especially since the other girl has been on the train with her for a while now too.. So her powers are just part of the package.

Not to mention that Madoka is way too focused on the conversation they're having now.

".. I mean, I'd hope so.." But she can't be sure. Madoka struggles for a moment, trying to think of how honest to be with Mami here. But it'd be better to be as honest as possible, right.. "It's just.. so heavy. It feels like it won't go away, even if I'd let it out.. Like there's a part of my heart that's missing, if that doesn't sound too silly.."