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

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

"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.

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

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.

"Sure." Maybe he'll do that. Right now what he's going to do is kick these stupid things in the teeth. "Wish I had my actual sword. It'd be a lot easier..."

"I can't believe how many people on this train know how to fight with swords." Devero's a little incredulous, but a little impressed at the same time. Swords! How cool is that?

"Been training with one since about as long as I could hold one. Maybe five or six with knives, eight or nine with swords." He's not totally sure... a lot of his childhood is just a continuous blend of misery in his brain.

That is significantly less cool! Devero knows he shouldn't say anything, he knows that no other world is like his, but he can't help himself. "Awful fucking young."

"... I guess. Not really human. That's what I always got told, anyway." He's... willing to leave a little room now that he was, even if he isn't now.

Devero squints at him. "You look human to me?" he says, but-- not as certainly as he might have before coming to the train. There are more types of people in heaven and on earth than have been dreamt of in his philosophy, and he doesn't want to make any assumptions.

"What kind of human doesn't feel pain or fear?" He smacks another critter. "A monster. That kind of creature."

"Or someone with a congenital fucking illness," Devero says with some heat, not remotely directed at Otoha, "who deserves to be treated with compassion and have accommodations made for him."

"... I mean from what I know, there's probably a reason why I have it. It's... personal." He's not spilling that information in front of someone he doesn't trust, not yet. "But even if it's not my fault I was born that way, that's still what everyone called me."

"Then everyone around you was fucking cruel, man," he says. He turns to face Otoha directly, his expression solemn. "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that, no matter what the reason for your condition is."

Uh Devero buddy pal maybe don't lower your guard to try and connect emotionally with a stranger in the middle of hostile territory there are several of them closing in behind you--!

"Well, yes That's why I killed a lot of them already. Brother included. ... Shit, I know how that sounds, it's for the best -"

He shifts suddenly, moving faster than he looks like he should be able to go. Devero is shoved aside and the creatures latch onto him instead as he puts an arm up to block. The one on his leg gets a quick smack to get it to let go, but the one on his arm still hangs. Otoha looks at it in faint amusement. "... Are you done?"

He pulls the creature off, ignoring the bites that have already made it through his jacket.

Yeah that does not sound great there pal! Devero actually recoils a little, first wary and then alarmed when Otoha lunges at him. He stumbles and almost falls when he's shoved, and actually has to catch himself on a tree. He whips around and puts his back to it, just in time to see--

The other man intercepting the creatures that had been jumping for him. Oh.

The mongoose that dropped off Otoha's leg crouches to spring again, leaving itself open to Devero leaping over and punting the damn thing off into the forest. "Thanks," he says, turning back to face the other man. He eyes the one Otoha's still holding. "These things are fuckin' nasty, aren't they?"

Ongoing: All Teams

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