Ongoing: All Teams

[voidtreckermods]

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.'

Comments

[subcircuits]

In the middle of things like this, Devero doesn't question that assertion. He knows what adrenaline can do to a body, including overriding those nocioceptic signals. As far as he knows, the other man will feel the hell out of the injuries later.

Well, unless--

He glances at Otoha as his hands move towards his arm, and assuming he doesn't see any objection, he'll lay hands gingerly on the wounded flesh.

Uncertain as he is, as intently focused on himself and his hands as he is, the injuries don't heal up with miraculous instantaniety this time. But after a moment of concentration, he can see that-- yes-- something is definitely happening. The burns heal over with shiny pink flesh; the little punctures from the bite close up.

"Rust and ruin," he breathes. "I think I did that!"

[bakegarasu]

There's a twitch as the hands make contact, but it's more out of general dislike of touch than anything else. He watches the wounds close up.

"Well, would you look at that. That's useful. Definitely not my doing." He hesitates before continuing. "Don't know if it's got limited uses - use it on other people before you come back around to me. I don't feel pain so it won't slow me down."

[subcircuits]

Don't mind him, he's staring at his hands, pretty amazed. He has to force his attention back to the other man, though his head snaps up pretty quick at that last part. "You can't? Shit, man, I'm sorry."

[bakegarasu]

"... Why? It's helpful in a fight." Which is... basically all he does.

[subcircuits]

His brow furrows. "Yeah, but it's a nightmare outside of that-- shit, duck!"

Because there's a mongoose coming in hot from directly behind him. Assuming Otoha does, it's Devero's turn to strike out. He thrusts one of his batons-- that stick, broken in half-- over Otoha's shoulder and straight at the creature. He catches in the chest, then flings it up and away over his own shoulder.

[bakegarasu]

He does so and shifts out of the way, watching the creature go flying. "... Anyway." Rude, creature. It doesn't bother me that much. I check myself for injuries, and ones I don't find usually aren't that bad."

Also, if you're fast enough, you just don't get hit.

[subcircuits]

Devero squints at him for a moment, assessing. "You know," he says, "there's a lot more to pain than just knowing if you're injured or not. That's major neural hard-wiring, brains need it."

Why else program nociceptive biofeedback mechanisms in augments like prosthetic limbs or exos? It's the only consistently effective way to make sure the user respects the equipment's limits.

[bakegarasu]

"My brain works just fine. Signals just don't get there." That's how it was explained to him, at least. Something about some protein... he stopped paying attention when the science got too dense.

Anyway. "Move around fine enough to be a good fighter, and that's what matters. Kept me from collapsing in a fight with other yakuza even when they had guns." His collection of scars... sure is a thing.

[subcircuits]

--That's not quite what Devero meant, but now is not really the time to debate the finer points of neuropsychology with someone he doesn't actually know yet. He shakes his head and lets it go. For now.

"Mm, there's that," he says vaguely. "You know your experience better than I do. But you--"

His eyes focus over the other man's shoulder again, but this time there's half a dozen bogeys incoming. "Heads up!" He slings both of his batons into his hands and backs into a defensive crouch.

[bakegarasu]

Otoha turns and rolls his eyes, kicking the first one that launches itself at them and slapping the second out of midair to knock it to the ground. "Little bastards don't quit. I'd go see where they're coming from but I don't wanna leave the group without another defender."

[subcircuits]

The one that Otoha knocks to the ground immediately writhes upright and crouches to pounce him from behind, only to be swept up and bunted aside between Devero's batons. He steps around the other man-- not as fast, not as smooth, but there's no mistaking the sheer strength in him as he blocks and throws aside the animals.

"Given how many there are," he grunts between breaths when there's a lull, "I doubt we could stop them at the source. Who knows how many of these things this system can spawn?"

[bakegarasu]

Otoha turn and stabs at another one, lip curling briefly. Ugh, he hates how blunt this weapon is. Still... huh. Interesting. "No idea. Just not sure how long even I can keep this up. Longer than my training sessions from when I was younger, but eventually we're going to have to rest."

[subcircuits]

"Yeah, I'm trying not to think about that right now," he admits. "Don't know how we'd even begin to set up a camp in here, much less how to defend it when our enemies are--"

He slaps another one aside with a veritable baseball-swing of a strike, sending it flying. But it seems like another two pop up immediately, both of them spring towards him with claws outstretched and mouths open wide.

"--are like fuckin' this!"

[bakegarasu]

"Sleeping in shifts, presumably." He darts past, smacking the two out of the air and stomping on them to finish the job. "I'd also like to know who designed these things so I can smack him upside the head. They're annoying as hell."

[subcircuits]

"Guess we're going to have to," Devero grunts. "--If we even need to sleep, actually." He's not positive they'll need to.

"Thanks," he says with a nod. Then he laughs. "Fucking hate mob enemies. Give me a boss to fight any day."

[bakegarasu]

"Eh, it can be satisfying. Fighting a boss can be... over quick, if you know what you're doing."

Video game or real life? Maybe both.

[subcircuits]

...Yeah, Dev's going to assume both.

"You and I find satisfaction in very different things, I think," Devero says. (Remembering why they're actually here, he reaches out to the nearest tree and lays his palm across one of the vines. This part, at least, he doesn't seem totally baffled by.)

"--Name's Devero, by the way," he thinks to add. "He/him for pronouns."

[bakegarasu]

"I'm a yakuza enforcer by training. ... Basically my whole life until about a week before I showed up." It's... complicated. He kicks one of the creatures out of the air.

Uh. Hm. "Otoha. ... Why are you telling me pronouns?" Is this something else he has to ask Rich about?

[subcircuits]

"Don't know what that is, I'm afraid!" Devero says, with blitheness that is perhaps a bit manufactured. After all, 'yakuza' may be an unfamiliar term, but 'enforcer' can only have so many meanings.

You know, for how often he's introduced himself with his pronouns since showing up on the platform, Otoha's the first person to ask him why, and it takes him a little bit by surprise. "...Because I don't want to assume?" he says uncertainly.

[bakegarasu]

"Organized crime designated fuck-upper." Is that simple enough to translate, Devero?

He's doing his best to focus on fighting and also on talking. "... It's just one or the other?" Yes? This is probably not the place to have this conversation.

[subcircuits]

Yeah, he thought that might be what the other man meant. He grunts an acknowledgement.

This is definitely not the place to have this conversation, especially since Otoha's question stops Devero dead to stare. "Rust and ruin, are you really from somewhere that thinks there's only two genders?"

[bakegarasu]

He bas a mongoose away from Devero. "... Yes? Why would there be more?" Fuck, why do people keep confusing him abou this shit?

[subcircuits]

"Because gender's a spectrum, not a binary," Devero says, as if it's that simple. He's clearing another tree of its infestation as he says it, head tipped back as he watches the cool blue light travel up the vine.

[bakegarasu]

"No idea what that means." You are talking to someone who did not do well in school, Dev.

[subcircuits]

Devero opens his mouth as if to start trying to explain right there, then closes it again. This really isn't the place. "If you want me to explain, find me after we're done with this mission, yeah?" he says instead. "It's kind of complicated."

It's really not, at least not to someone who grew up with the concept of the gender spectrum, but it's still not something he wants to try to figure out how to explain in the middle of hostile territory.