middleofsomewhere | Adventure On: Finale and Conclusion

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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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This isn't about his vortex stomach when they just ate, bro?? That's sus.

"No-" But Tidus doesn't take any offence to it, his gaze lingering on the sweets a second longer before looking back to Inigo. "But do you want to get some? --For us," he explains quickly, "but for the rest of the train too. We should look around more for stuff to get for the train... but I just remembered. Webs made me help her sell her fabric to buy items for the train. And they're always having a party or some together every other month."

If for the teams or otherwise.

"What do you think? We can look around more," he reasons.

You can't throw him out of the airlock, bro.

"Sure!" There's easy agreement. Really, maybe he shouldn't be calling the shots here, since it's technically Tidus's money that they're throwing around.. But surely it can't hurt their budget to get some of these, right? Especially when Tidus seems to have enough reasons to get them in the first place.

Not to mention that they caught his friend's eye, and just that by itself is enough for Inigo to want to let him have some.

He gently bumps his shoulder against Tidus's.

"Treat yourself. And the train, I suppose." There's a beat, some silence, and only then he adds: "Though I have to admit that I have absolutely no idea what this tastes like."

These don't look like any sweets he's had on the train before, and back home there hadn't been any in the first place, so..

"Me neither. That's why we should try some!"

Who cares about if they'll like it or not if they buy enough to share out the rest? But now's the question of how to even begin to purchase it from a stall like this, laid out in boxes. Fudge and toffee sit in cube blocks, milk parfis, and bite-sized snacks coated well in icing sugar.

Tidus starts to figure out the pricing ("How much for bags of everything? How many do you sell?"), finds out what they're even put in and asks for a couple too. Not dissimilar from the bags given to them when they ask for the standard mixed sweets, and he hands them over to Inigo.

... Well, he's about to, until Tidus pays attention to the fact Inigo's still holding those flowers. So first, he'll put his hands on that and...poof! Good bye, flower pot!

Now, where were they. "Here, pick some for us. Pick what you like! I'll sort the money for the rest."

Their snacks are in your hands, bro.

Tidus, he swears to Naga, there better not be anything weird happening to his precious flowers in that messy hammerspace of yours!

Though it's not a thought that lasts very long as his attention is turned towards the snacks and sweets. He does pick out some that look interesting to him, but in all actuality, his mind is only half on it.

Because he looks at the bag Tidus gave him, and a plan hatches in his mind. He waits until the bag is filled and Tidus is busy paying the sweets seller.

"Tidus? Which one do you think will taste the best?"

He doesn't wait for an answer. Because that's not the point. All he wants is for Tidus to turn his head and open his mouth to give an answer.

Which means his mouth is now prime real estate for Inigo to push a piece of fudge right into it with one finger - and even letting said finger linger on Tidus's lips once it reaches them before finally pulling his hand away.

"Here, why don't you try it first, darling?"

REVENGE.

Have you ever seen so many snacks disappear into the nowhere of hammerspace?? Let's hope Tidus remembers them all by the time they become relevant! (hint: he won't)

But there's the start of a syllable that comes out as Tidus turns his head, whatever he was about to say eaten up by the fudge that takes its spot in his mouth. Tidus blinks, looking down at the finger, or actually trying to look at the fudge - and then he starts chewing to figure out the taste, a small 'oh!' as he realises what it is.

The joke goes over his head. Instead, he reaches into Inigo's bag to take another small cube of fudge, holding it up near to Inigo's lips.

"Want a piece back, honey?" he offers, tone dripping as sweet as the pet name.

How come he isn't winning this.

Inigo was so convinced this plan was perfect. He remembers the last time the two of them indulged in a game of gay chicken, and he knows exactly how that went! That might just have been the only time he ever won in a competition with Tidus! How come he isn't budging as easily this time, huh?

Ugh. Okay. You can do this, Inigo. Just take a breath, and take in that honey like it's nothing. You're strong! No weird gay feelings getting in the way of a game of gay chicken here!

He smiles as sweetly as he can right about now, hoping no blush will appear on his cheeks. "Is my knight going to handfeed me?"

That gets a laugh--specifically the mention about being a knight. But he did start this, so he can't be that surprised about it. That's why his smile turns into a grin, his "Sure" the same dulcet tone that Inigo uses.

"Should I say thank you to my prince for feeding me first? --my lord," he thinks to add, last second. Look! He knows how these titles work! "I'll do anything you want me to."

And Inigo can make that into a dare, if he likes.

"Anything?"

His tone slides all the way back into regular levels of Inigo for a second as he repeats the word. Apparently it just startled him that much. Even if Tidus is just joking about it, or it's part of their little game here, that's still a pretty dangerous thing to offer when he can call him out on his bluff.

And considering the severe gay panic Tidus is causing him here, he can't quite resist that temptation.

"Are you sure you want to offer your liege that power?" Okay, now the smarmy tone is back. Because there is no way Inigo can use that word for himself in all earnestness. "I sure would not mind abusing that a little."

"I'm a prince!" Wait. "--A knight," he corrects flippantly. "Anyway, point is, that's what we do, isn't it?"

Isn't this what a knight does, he's pretty sure it's something along those lines. And maybe Tidus just wants to hear whatever Inigo will come up with. C'mon, try him buddy!

Try him, huh? Be sure of what you're getting yourself into!

Because Inigo may not be winning at this game of gay chicken quite as much as he expected to, but he hasn't dealt his last hand yet. His ace. There's one guaranteed move that will make Tidus lose for sure, especially in combination with this odd variation of what nearly seems like that game Roland called truth or dare.

So he reaches out, arms wrapping around Tidus's lower back - bag of sweets still in hand, now idly hanging there - and pulling the other closer.

Usually Inigo would fret a lot more about just how many people browsing the market could see them like this, but this is gay chicken. The shame is off.

He lowers his voice a tad as he speaks up, staring straight into the other's eyes.

"Then why not give me a kiss?"

Come on. That's got to be a bullseye, right?

He wraps his hand around the piece of fudge he's been holding onto, meant for Inigo's mouth, but the subject changed to a different kind of mouth-related activity. A scoff from his throat that leads into the sly curve of his lips. A tip of his head, a quick raise of his brows.

"Alright."

Why not? Tidus takes that balled hand and leans it against Inigo's chest. The sweet seller and its stall of confectionary forgotten, the publicly of what he's about to do about as minded as anything else Tidus does. His eyes settle on Inigo's, flitting down to his lips, and it'll just be a quick thing. He starts to lean in-

And his mouth remembers Yuna.

His lips, his tongue. The last time he kissed her, the times he no longer won't. It's a game, a dumb joke--but the place in his heart she occupied is too fresh of a hole. And quickly, it isn't a joke anymore.

He thinks about anywhere on his face, looking at each cheek, finding his way back to Inigo's gaze. His smile dropping to a sentimental note, along with his hand.

"--Sorry. Can you give me a pass on that one, Your Highness? I might fall impossibly in love with you if I did," he jokes mirthlessly. "I'm a weak guy."

Oh no.

Inigo is experiencing a whole emotional rollercoaster over here. First there's that inexpected leaning in on Tidus's part. Like he's actually going to do it. Inigo refuses to move, because the moment he'd do that, he would actually lose this game. Besides, surely Tidus is just bluffing, right? He's just trying to get him to move and will only back down at the last minute, Inigo just knows it--

And then the shock changes into smugness when that's exactly what happens. But before he can even get to gloating over winning this round of gay chicken yet again, there's Tidus's reaction.

And that stops everything. Even his heart feels like it stops for a moment before sinking right into his boots.

Tidus doesn't have to say a word. Inigo knows exactly why he backed down just from the look on the other's face. From the hollowness of that joke. Yuna. It's Yuna, isn't it.

Guilt hits him like a truck. Of course. There's only so much pretending they can do, right? Only so much they can act like nothing that came before this exists. They can't fully forget their lives on the train. The pain that has taken root inside of them. And Inigo, of course, the dumb idiot, is the one who brought that back. Over what? A dumb game? Them messing around?

He releases his hold on Tidus like he burned his hands on a stove, his gaze turning awkward.

He can feel the rise of 'idiot, idiot' in the back of his mind, like a constantly fast-scrolling Twitch chat making fun of him. But that's fine. He deserves it. He's so dumb.

"N-No, it's fine--" He rambles, awkwardly, a little too quickly. "It's fine. I understand. You've proven yourself enough. You don't.. You don't have to do anything for me, it's fine." Even as he speaks, he realises he's overcorrecting, biting the inside of his cheek. So dumb. Stop talking.

Inigo tilts his head downwards, cheeks slightly red with shame.

"We have enough sweets now, right? Let's go look at those clothes." Get away from this whole dumb situation. Try to fix this somehow, before the hurt overtakes Tidus again.

They both know what stopped him. What entered his thoughts, what sunk him down emotionally, even if he keeps standing, has to. He wanted to avoid this, though the shame, the confusing flutter of not knowing how he feels except for bad, wrong, hits him. Now they'll walk, away but Inigo's going to be letting it dig inside his brain, burrow in deep. It's all Tidus can think about it as Inigo rambles away, reassurances as he beats himself up. Tidus knows. He can see it.

The fudge is sticky in his hand, his heart racing. It's a stupid dare. Inigo didn't mean anything. I'm gonna ruin his day.

He does it, swifter than he moved the first time, without time for pause or any hesitance to hit. His free had gripping the sleeve of Inigo's shirt and the other on his shoulder, still balled, smudging the sweet in his hand as his lips press into Inigo's, make no doubt that they're there or were with how firm they keep.

A second, another--and Tidus breaks off on the third, his heartbeat drowning out everything else than the blood pumping round his body. Turns on his feet, attempting to speak over it anyway.

"Clothes it is! We'll buy outfits, and new shoes-- shoes! We can get shoes for the kids I was watching over on Blue!"

He may be walking, with or without company, but will stop and look back if he has to. But if he does--

"Come on, Inigo! Get moving! The prince wants clothes!"

If he speaks loud and bold and endlessly, then he won't have to think about it. Anything. Nothing at all. Nothing. Nothing.

Inigo doesn't move. Doesn't even realise what's going on. He just stands there, his thoughts still spiralling further and further down into the familiar pit of self loathing, too overwhelming to let him do anything else but stand there as he desperately tries to fend them off before they become too much. Before any of it starts to show.

(Little does Inigo know that it's already showing very much to someone as familiar with his habits and tendencies as Tidus.)

He looks up, ready to try to go, move on from this spot now it feels like it's been cursed by his dumb tomfoolery that hurt Tidus.

But before he can even make a single move, he freezes up all over again.

Because suddenly there are those lips right on top of his.

Completely unexpected. So unexpected that for a moment Inigo isn't too sure whether this is actually happening. If it's not just his brain playing tricks on him, trying to show him a scenario of what could have been in an ideal world where Inigo isn't a total moron.

But it can't be fake. It feels too real. Inigo can feel it all. Tidus's hands gripping onto his clothes. The lips pressing against his own, too firm to not be there.

He doesn't move. He just takes the kiss as it comes, those three seconds that feel like they stretch into minutes, into an eternity. Especially since it completely crashes any train of thought Inigo may have had going at this point, sending all of his thoughts tumbling in the opposite direction as they try to keep up with what's happening.

Tidus is kissing him. His heart swells with the familiarity of a kiss, even though it's been a while since he's last had one. With affection for Tidus, because strong feelings come naturally to Inigo when it comes to the guy right here in front of him. Especially now, after this hellish mission they've been through. The absence of Tidus that only firmly solidified how bad things feel without him at this point. Like something is missing that's naturally there.

It leaves him standing there, dazed, even as Tidus pulls away and turns, Inigo left staring at the back of his head.

His heart feels like it's trying to pound its way out of his chest, even now. Inigo wonders if it's loud enough for the people passing by them to hear it, to notice. It's so strong that it takes over his thoughts, wiping away all selfdepreciating thoughts from a moment ago, instead only being filled by the guy he's looking at right now.

Because.. he realises. The longer he stands there and stares at that blonde hair, at Tidus rambling on, Inigo gets it, now he's no longer distracted by the kiss itself.

Tidus did that for him. Because he didn't want Inigo to be sad. Because he probably noticed what was going on inside of his head and wanted to stop it. So he continued their dumb thing, went along with it, kissed him despite just hugs already being hard enough for him with guys, let alone this. Even though he was just reminded of Yuna. Even though it must hurt. All for Inigo.

How in Naga's name did he ever deserve a friend as good as Tidus?

It awakens many instincts in him. But Inigo also, for once, realises what Tidus is trying to do now. For all their attempts at nonverbal communication, sometimes more succesful than other times, this may actually be the moment Inigo gets everything Tidus is doing the most - or feels like he does, anyway. Tidus is trying to move on, and so, despite the urge to say something about this, or grab Tidus and cling onto his back while crying, Inigo tries to do the same.

It's the least he can do.

He takes a big step when Tidus looks back, and then another, catching up with him until he's right at the other guy's side. Inigo makes sure it's on the side that doesn't have a sticky mess of fudge inside of it, so he can instead grab a hold of the empty hand. Fingers intertwine in less than a second, and Inigo squeezes the hand with such a force that it's almost as if he's trying to break it. As if he's desperately trying to cling on, desperately trying to convey something he feels like he can't quite put into words without ruining it somehow.

Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Despite not opening his mouth at all, it's like the emotion flows out desperately all the same.

Tears spring into Inigo's eyes.

But even as they start rolling down his cheeks, Inigo doesn't look miserable. They're not his usual tears, after all. Well, they're still emotional and dumb, but it's coming from a different angle this time. It's just Inigo feeling so overwhelmed and grateful for this friendship, for Tidus's kindness, that he doesn't know what to do with it other than let it out this way.

That's exactly why he's actually smiling even as the tears stain his cheeks. And it doesn't seem fake. If anything, it makes the emotion in the smile seem more genuine too, in turn.

"Right, right, I won't make you wait!" There's an oddly choked quality to his voice, still overwhelmed with emotion, but he laughs. He hasn't let go of Tidus's hand, but his grip has relaxed enough that he can now just gently squeeze it after those words.

Inigo even manages to put on his usual voice when he's going for obvious formal dramatics as he continues on. Trying to keep their talk light, now even kind of joking, in line with this whole prince talk.

"Thank you for guiding the way, my loyal knight! You truly are the wind at my back, the ground underneath my feet!" Of course it's just the careful wrapping for what he really wants to say-- I wouldn't know what to do without you, my dearest friend.

Fingers fumbling as they weave and twine, Inigo isn't the only one to hold on like a vice. Tidus digs in just as well; unyielding, seeking support just as much as it offers it back. This is tough for the both of them. This life they've been assigned, its hardships, their losses. Losing friends they love, platonically or more- and Tidus knows without a doubt, they love each other too.

And they want nothing else but an unmalleable rock when the other needs it. No matter what the action is, what's necessary to be done. Tidus's throat tight from a gesture made and a lost love remembered. But when Inigo takes his hand like that, it feels as much for him as it might be for Inigo. He's sure it is. And it gives him confidence - it's reassuring. His skin not as burning from some mix of shame from nearly hurting Inigo, the uncertainty of a gesture meant for someone else, to be offered lightly.

But- it's not so bad. Not when he has Inigo here. With him, here for him, as much as he's there for the other.

And that unspoken yet reciprocated understanding eases how tightly they cling to each other, no longer needed. But they hold on, together, side-by-side as friends. Brothers maybe, even - two guys unwilling to let go of the other, no matter what's ahead. No mater what awaits.

Tidus laughs over his own beating heart, the adrenaline of the situation; of what they're pushing through and past. At Inigo's antics matching with his, and more so.

"How'm I supposed to know how to answer that? Hahaha, c'mon-! You're too good at this! You make me sound like I'm about to carry you off on a ride!"

A ride into the sky. He swings their arms once, imagining it -- two seagulls, and a sea-blue sky.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Adventure On: Finale and Conclusion

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ok done there's your fanfic

ty