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

"It might not be, but it's the only thing I can think of. First I saw was a room with white walls, and wires, and drone-things. Now I see a forest instead." Raven shrugged.

She nods a little. If anyone could figure out that sort of thing, it'd be Raven. Her mind-powers are very amazing to Madoka, after all.

"Is there any way to notice that's happening..?" Madoka figures not, especially for a relatively normal girl like her, but it can't hurt to ask. "I-- I could keep an eye out too! Especially if we don't know why it'd be happening.."

And if it'd be happening for any malicious reason, they may all be in really big trouble.

"I haven't figured out how yet. It depends on what kind of mind control it is. Mass Hypnosis, or magic based, or something else." Raven replied, with only a hint of annoyance. Not at all directed at Madoka though. "Just be on your guard, even if we don't break it."

"Okay.."

She can do that, even if she may feel a bit more unsure about the whole situation after what Raven said.

"I'm not sure how much on guard I can be though.. I don't have my bow with me anymore." She's only holding this stick they all were given, and that hardly seems like something to fend off true danger with!

"Just be alert, Madoka, and you'll be alright." Raven encouraged, holding up her own stick too. "It's all I was given, but it's better than nothing." A pause and smile. "I believe in you."

Madoka smiles, though it's thin, unsure. There's a genuinely grateful 'thank you' mumbled right after it, but on the whole, Madoka still looks very unsure. It's nice that Raven believes in her - kind, even - but she can't help but suddenly feel way out of her league in a situation as unfamiliar as this one.

"The tree, or, um.. whatever that was.. it told us that we should destroy what shouldn't be here.. What do you think that is..?" She guesses they should figure that out first before getting to fix what's going on here.

"Look for something out of place. Something that seems wrong, either in this illusion, or like it doesn't belong here." Raven guessed. "At least, that's the best I can think of for now."

"I've never seen anything like this before.."

So how is she supposed to tell what's out of place? If you'd ask Madoka, she would say that all of them are what's out of place right now, but she knows that voice can't have meant that.

"Maybe it's something like those animals on the outside.. Those really didn't feel like they belonged. I mean--! Of course there's usually birds in a tree, but I've never see any fire lasers from their eyes!"

"That would be unusual and something that didn't belong, yes." Raven confirmed. "Squirrels shouldn't have laser eyes either."

Madoka nods. "Right."

So even in Raven's world, where some people can have special powers that aren't magical-girl-related, laser-eye-squirrels would still be an oddity. That's at least good to know.

"But.." Her voice trails off as she looks around them, at the forest sprawling out in front of them. "I haven't seen a single squirrel or bird here yet.. Earlier they just jumped out at us." And yet now there doesn't seem to be anything. (Yet.)

"That's unusual on it's own. We should've seen some sign of them."

"Do you think they may be hiding somewhere..?"

Of course it's not like Raven knows more about this place than she does - not when both of them only just showed up here, really.

But she can't help but want to ask the other, to rely on Raven a little. Because it always just feels like Raven may have a better idea of these sorts of things than she does.

Ongoing: All Teams

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