Conclusion

[voidtreckermods]

Thank you.

For those inside the system the voices of the Great-Seasons ring out around them once the red mass has vanished and the blue plinth it was smothering is freed once more. They don't have all that much time to reflect on that before they find themselves waking up once more in their bodies around the tree trunks.

Or at least, around the tube that is the Great-Season they entered through. All illusions have vanished now, all that is left are pipes and metal.

The Great-Seasons allow them passage out from the centre, no sentries or pipes attack them this time. Everything seems to have been put to rights, the walls in the Autumn sector have stopped moving, there is no strange weather effects in the Summer Sector, no engineering problems in Winter and all the camaloid creatures in Spring are calm. Any Helpmates they come across are doing their jobs and no longer malfunctioning.

After a small amount of time, enough to check that all is well, their SCA's light up. All Passengers are to return to the Voidtrecker Express.

Considering the vast distances involved it is probably best that they use the evacuation function to return to the Luggage carriage.

Once all Voidtreckers have returned the train returns to the Void once more.

Comments

[controlsthedie]

There's a long period of silence, almost like he's not going to respond. Something like a spirit... but something made... Perhaps like those helpmates, but Thanatos still isn't sure he understands those.

However, Thanatos realizes that there is something from home he can draw a comparison to. "... Like Talos? He was a giant of bronze forged by Hephaestus to protect the island of Crete."

[subcircuits]

Well. That's not a lot to go on, now is it? Devero's acquaintance with classical Greek mythology is passing at best, given that he didn't even recognize Persephone's name as that of a goddess when he'd first met her. So he doesn't get a fourth-wall bending cheat.

But based on Thanatos' description, he feels comfortable enough to nod. "Probably something very similar. Say that Hephaestus put a set of instructions inside of Talos, telling him how to act. 'Do this when that happens', like that. Those instructions would be the A.I.."

[controlsthedie]

And so they are at the mercy of something that can't think for itself very well, just following directions without any real consideration to who it's affecting. Thanatos doesn't like how... familiar that sounds.

"So, the train is a lead by a simple AI. And... what exactly? We're just along for the ride? For however long this takes?"

[subcircuits]

"Apparently," Devero says sourly. "Presumably it's programmed to work with a captain or a conductor of some kind, but it doesn't have one right now. If one of us could figure out how to assign ourselves that status in its system we might be able to get somewhere with it, but until then? Yeah, we're just along for the ride."

[controlsthedie]

That... isn't very encouraging. They somehow still have missions despite that. Thanatos would almost liken it to being lead by the Three Fates, but... then at least his sisters are the ones weaving their threads. There's some kind of direction there.

"You've given me a lot to think on." Maybe the train isn't as cruel as he previously believed. Although, it ultimately changes little. He still here, and his world is suffering for it.

"Thank you, Devero."

[subcircuits]

"You're welcome," Devero says. "If you need any help with any of the other technical aspects of all this shit, feel free to ask me, all right?"

He doesn't seem to need much of an answer to that, though; with a nod and a wave, he leaves Thanatos to do that thinking, and continues on his way.