middleofsomewhere | Ongoing: All Teams

The first few days are taken up with solving the problems in the various sectors, all the while getting closer to their goal. The Great-Winter, Great-Summer, Great-Spring and Great Autumn.

On Day 9 of the month of Jelly they will see on their map a clear indicator of where to go. As they draw near it will be obvious what they are looking for.

The Overseers

In the centre of each of the sectors there is a large metal tube, hundreds of pipes lead from it, spanning up to the ceiling above and down below, creating a field of pipes and tubes to clamber over and crawl under to reach the central tube. On the tube itself there is a panel, wrapping around it in a circle. The SCA's of the Voidtrecker show an exclamation mark, if they click on them they will see the message.

Reach the panel, enter the inner systems and give your aid.

As Voidtreckers step towards the tubes it will seem as if the world shifts around them. Instead of metal and wire they will see trees. The Great-Spring is a tree in blossom, pink leaves spreading up across the canopy. Great-Summer has strong green leaves, Great_Autumns leaves are brown and falling and Great-Winter has no leaves at all.

The panel is still there, the only part of the scene that doesn't look organic. As the Voidtreckers move towards their goal the tree begins to move, branches fighting against those trying to get through the roots. The aim seems to be to push intruders away, going as far as flinging them back with higher branches.

The branches aren't the only security measures in place. As they push forwards they will find creatures coming at them from the trees.

Strangely the creatures look like creatures from their own worlds, any creature they would expect to see in a tree. Regardless of species they attack with claws and with lazers from their eyes. They don't move far from the branches, but try and stop invaders from getting close to the trunk.

For those that get through they will find that as they draw close to the 'trunk' the attacks stop, as if they have reached an eye of a storm.

Going Further

The panel is a simple glowing screen, there are no instructions but their SCA's will beep softly and if they press their SCA to the panel they will find everything vanishes, the trees, branches and weird animals.

Or perhaps it is they themselves that vanish as they find themselves in a large white room, everyone is together here. No matter what sector they had travelled through and which overseer they entered through.

There are four tubes filled with liquid, pink, green, orange and white towering over them.

"Our systems have been compromised." The four voices ring out. "Heal what has been harmed, destroy what should not be here. Find the source and purge it from our world."

The overseers and the room vanish and the voidtreckers find themselves in a forest, a forest that is slowly being choaked by red sickly vines.

The Voidtreckers themselves will find themselves looking different, almost like the hard-light holograms of the Helpmates though they certainly feel like themselves. They are carrying a sturdy stick but nothing else and depending how imaginative they are will quickly find they can alter their appearance to fit their wishes.

Heal and Destroy

The voidtreckers will find themselves drawn towards the vines, if they touch them they will be able to soothe, a glowing blue light from their hands that runs down the vine before it fades away, freeing the trees that it held in its chokehold.

There are many pathways, many vines and it will be a long task to clear it all. It is not long also before the first threats find them. Threats that look like mongeese, small creatures that will lunge at them, teeth bared and claws out.

Luckily the Voidtreckers will quickly learn the ability to soothe is not the only power gifted to them.

On the Outside

For anyone who does not enter through the panel it will seem like their fellow Voidtreckers have entered a deep trance. The area they are sat around the tree is calm, no threats enter there. But outside that area there are still threats, the branches attack, the animals attack and sometimes Helpmates try to evict those they see from the area, claiming it 'restricted.'

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nita's expression is distant, and she almost doesn't react to Rich at all; instead, she continues speaking those no-longer-familiar syllables, breath shallowing all the while.

There's a stick in her hand, but that breaks with little more than a thought.

What's going on?What's going on?

Memories swirl, of a darkened forest and screaming trees; of an underground cavern filled with hate and a suppressing pulse-

"Wh-Whoa, hey... Nita, snap out of it..."

He moves in front of her, dropping his branch so he can better grip both of her shoulders, studying her distant face and giving her a slight shake.

Ice shards fall from her fingers - aimed at nothing, registering as nothing - and she trembles.

Not having the peridexis in her head is one thing; she knows how to get along without Bobo.

But without wizardry - well, without due warning, with that memory of struggle and pain and bugs -

Holding her still barely helps her focus; her pupils are still constricted.

Rich looks down at the ice and shivers, but... well, she isn't aiming it at anyone, so that's certainly a good sign. He still keeps his grip firmly on her.

"Nita? I don't know if you can hear me, but this is Rich. Remember? From the escape room? I'm here with you. You're here... you're real, if you need a reminder of that. I-If you can hear me, can you say something?"

He's trying to use what he knows to help, but he's not even really sure if this is a panic attack or not.

There's little to show for those efforts, at first. An abortive grimace, a fraction of a head turn-

Something, some grey blur, comes up from behind Rich-

And is met by shards.

Gasping, Nita sags against the person holding her up, realizing only belatedly she is being supported.

"I... I. Rich?"

She's going to need more than a minute here.

Rich gasps as he sees Nita suddenly move her hands, about to flinch back, when he hears a monstrous shriek behind him. He turns just in time to see the creature fall, and breathes out a sigh of relief.

He's even more relieved when, shortly after that, Nita speaks.

"Hey, there you are. Just try to keep breathing, okay? And if you can, try to tell me five things you see around you. No wrong answers, okay?"

"..."

Nita keeps breathing, part of her mind watching out for more blurs, part still coming to grips with the situation-

And part of her starts trying to answer Rich's request.

"I see... a lot of white walls. Red- wires? I'm not sure what I thought I saw behind you, and there are pipes. A lot of pipes. Do- do you see any of that?"

Maybe Rich had said that thinking there was more to see, and if so, that's worrying. She's not sure who she should be worried for, though.

"Yeah. I see all of that too. Do you see me? And the trees?"

He laughs a little nervously. "I guess maybe I shouldn't give the answers... it's an exercise I learned, to help when you're coming down from a panic attack. I don't know if it's the same as what was going on for you, but..."

Nita shakes her head belatedly, trying to stop herself from scanning out too far into the distance.

"No, no trees. I do see you, though. And... what's that in your hand?"

She pauses long enough to register the rest of what he's saying, her breathing regularizing more and more.

"Thank you, though. It - I think it's helping."

Even if this was by far not a typical setting...

"In my... oh, just a stick, ha. But hey, that's five things! You did it!"

Her breathing is starting to slow, which is enough for Rich to let go of her and leave her be for a moment.

"I'm glad I could help... this place is kind of disorienting. Feels weird."

Like, he's sure he's himself... but it's kind of like he's still been split somehow.

Nita nods.

"I wish my sister was here; she's the one better with computers."

Which she may or may not have mentioned to Rich during their first conversation on the Network, incidentally...

"She'd probably be better able to explain why this whole thing feels off, too."

But there was no indication that Dairine was gone, either; remembering that, she's able to draw a little more strength.

"... So, time to explore?"

"Yeah... I wish I could meet her too."

Though trying to figure out the SQUIP isn't exactly as important right now.

"But yeah. There's no time to worry about that. We should keep moving. It looks like there's a lot of stuff growing out of control..."

Nita will let Rich lead the way, this time.

"Wonder if we're supposed to try cutting things," she remarks, placing her hand on a wire-vine to better analyze it-

And pauses, staring, as the wire turns blue and dissipates seemingly into thin air.

"... What? You saw that, Rich, right?"

"That... what did you just do? You just vaporized that! How does that work?"

Rich leans in to better see the damage. It looks a bit like it was frozen... and then just shattered.

"Did you mean to do that? Is that some more magic?"

"I'm... not sure. But it seems like it's what we're supposed to do?"

Destroy what doesn't belong. Ominous, but apt.

"I- my wizardry's gone, though, Rich. It must be native to the system..."

Dairine would know better what to call it, she has no doubt.

"Yeah... I think that seems like a good idea. Whatever these are, I think they're choking out the life that should be in this place..."

He frowns at what Nita says. He doesn't have his own abilities, but he can sympathize with losing them.

"I'm sorry... At least you have something to fight. Hopefully, if we can do this quickly, we can get back to reality... and get your wizardry back."

Nita tries, visibly, to draw strength from that.

"Let's get to it, then. I'll keep an eye out for... whatever those were, if they come after us again."

Blobs, creatures, whatever.

"If we work together, then I'm sure we can handle this!"

Or, well. She can handle it with the magic. He's not sure how much he can do, but at least he'll be here for moral support.

Ongoing: All Teams

Re: Going Further

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Wrap?

Wrap!