voidtreckermods: (voidtrain)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] middleofsomewhere2021-03-11 06:00 am

The Will to Fight: Start

"Good Morning Passengers, today is day six of the month of Kazoo." The voice echoes through the train as passengers wake up in their beds. Not long afterwards their SCA’s glow with the colour of the void and a holographic image will appear.

Preparation

They have an hour or two to prepare. Enough time to read their briefs, make decisions, meet in their teams and gather anything they may need. The dressing carriage is open with tents and other basic camping equipment.

"Shortly arriving in system #86525656412355. Drop order is Orange and Blue followed by Red and Purple. Orange and Blue to doors, arriving in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

The train lurches as it exits through the void, before descending smoothly to the world below.

Blue and Orange

Arrival

If anyone peeks through the windows as the train lands they will see a glimpse of cracked and crumbling walls, a city on its last legs. As they exit the train, however, any passengers who aren't immune to magics influencing the mind will find themselves looking at grand, sturdy walls, flags with a blue field and golden tower fluttering from the ramparts.

They aren't too far from a gate, depending on where on the train they exited, and the gates are opened and unmanned. Inside, people are going about their business, selling their wares, while children run around playing among dogs and chickens.

The newcomers don't get too much attention, even though their hoodies and combat trousers seem very out of place in this city.

The Towers

The towers stand in each corner of the city. They are solid stone, no windows all the way up. The ground floor is the largest, grand doors leading into a functional yet beautiful foyer, and from there into smaller chambers. Wide, curving stairs lead up into the tower proper.

As they climb the towers they will come to the different levels which are all trapped, to dissuade intruders and train their disciples. They will be able to descend the towers and exit and enter again as many times as they like as they work their way up to the top.

The City

It will soon become apparent that persuading these people to fight isn't going to happen. The war has already been won, the demons were defeated. The world is safe once more. Welcome, travellers, to the Shining City.

Their SCA's show them the locations of the entrances to the catacombs. There are a handful, scattered around the city, clearly designed for quick evacuation should the city defences ever be breached.

Persuading people that the city needs to be evacuated might take a good while.

The Catacombs

The catacombs are cold and dark, lamps having gone unlit for months. Those that are sensitive or can sense magic in any way will be able to tell that at least here the wards hold: no demons will be able to enter.

The tunnels are narrow, able to fit two people side by side at their widest points, but more often than not they must move single file to avoid collapsed walls or leaning pillars. Or, sometimes, piles of bones spilled from the tombs set into the walls. Side tunnels extend out into the darkness, signposts or symbols marking old, unused storerooms, bunkers for temporary shelter, or private tombs and crypts.

At points the tunnels widen out into large chambers, rooms or galleries that have been used as cemeteries for centuries. At other points the tunnels have collapsed or become almost impassable. People will need to wriggle through the gaps or find ways to stabilise the tunnels in order to pass through.

Purple and Red

Arrival

"Red and Purple to doors." The train flies back into the air after dropping Orange and Blue at the city gates. It doesn't go very far; it's less than a minute later that they're landing again. The doors open and they can step out into the destroyed countryside.

They don't get much time to get their bearings as the train flies off again, because coming over a nearby hill is a band of demons, a gate crackling behind them. The band is mostly footsoldiers, with several of the larger breed interspersed.

It's hard to say which side is more taken by surprise, but the Voidtreckers will only have moments to ready themselves before the demons rush in.

Defending the City

It's a wide area to cover, surrounding the city, and there is plenty of work to be done. Bands of demons roam around, most headed towards the city. They run, claws digging into the ground, leaving a trail of destruction behind them. Sometimes they will have a larger demon or even two with them, armed with toxic whips that they use with dangerous accuracy.

Other times there will be smaller demons, carrying ornate daggers, whispering foul spells to drain and bind their enemies. These demons become more regular as the days progress as it becomes obvious that taking the city will not be as easy as they first thought.

Closing the Demon Gates

The gates nearer the city are smaller, and easy enough to find, but the SCA's of the red team pinpoint more and more gates as they open in the areas further out. Triangular markings on their SCA maps indicate distance and direction.

The gates must be closed from the other side, so the first thing is to enter them. Entering the gates feels strange, uncomfortable, as if something were tugging and clawing at their very being, trying to pull them out of their own skin.

That feeling lasts for a moment, albeit one that feels stretched, and then they are in the demon realm: a monochrome world devoid of life, where every step taken tires the body, where even existing is exhausting.

The gates are guarded, so adjusting will need to be done in combat. Smaller gates have fewer guards than the larger, but all will fight savagely to protect the keystone.

The keystones are smooth black obelisks about a foot high, usually stood on a plinth or set above the gate location as a centrepiece. Each can be destroyed by blunt force or any other ability able to shatter stone, and once it is they will have a short amount of time to leave before the gate closes. Their SCA will helpfully start a timer indicating this.
fivemilesdeep: (But if we try this)

pls rest

[personal profile] fivemilesdeep 2021-03-11 09:24 am (UTC)(link)
It's been a fairly consistent cycle since base camp had been set up: exhausted combatants would arrive, and those present at camp would make sure they were fed, healed, and rested before they threw themselves back out into the fray. To that end, Ryo has this down to a routine at this point.

"You need more than that," he says firmly, tone brooking no argument as he ladles a cup of bone broth out of a pot and grabs a slice of bread, bringing them over to Peter. "Eat this before you do anything else."
hashtagparkerluck: (491)

Absolutely Not.

[personal profile] hashtagparkerluck 2021-03-12 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
"Nah, I'm good." Peter tries to wave it off. He's got super powers and he recovers fast-he's got this, really! He takes the bread and bowl being handed to him though and glances down at the soup. Well, maybe he could eat a little little. It'd be bad if accidentally starved himself again.

"Oh, uh.. thanks."
fivemilesdeep: (Really. *Really.*)

8|

[personal profile] fivemilesdeep 2021-03-12 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
"You're not good, you're tired," Ryo says flatly, "and you need more than five minutes' rest so you don't collapse in the middle of a fight and get yourself killed. Now, have you eaten today?" A beat. "Aside from this, that is."
hashtagparkerluck: (495)

[personal profile] hashtagparkerluck 2021-03-13 06:27 am (UTC)(link)
Peter makes a weird face at that because he wasn't exactly expecting to get called out like that. "I'm fine, I'm heal fast and have like... a super fast metabolism." He explains before taking a bite of the bread. He's never been that big on just bread but beggars and choosers and all that.

"And yeah, of course I've eaten-have to or uh.. my powers don't work quite as well."
fivemilesdeep: (Really. *Really.*)

[personal profile] fivemilesdeep 2021-03-13 06:55 am (UTC)(link)
Peter is not the first person Ryo's dealt with who insists that they're Absolutely Fine when they are Absolutely Not, and gods know he won't be the last. Ryo has some experience in the matter.

"Which means that you burn through what you eat quickly, which means you need more food, and rest." Ryo is not going to let either of those go. "I'm going to get you something more filling. Stay there." He does his best to meet Peter's gaze and make for damn certain that Peter has heard his instructions before turning heading further into camp in search of heartier food.
hashtagparkerluck: (2B075lJ)

[personal profile] hashtagparkerluck 2021-03-13 07:09 am (UTC)(link)
Peter huffs his indignance and the idea to just leave while Ryo is distracted crosses his mind but since he's specifically left to get something for Peter it'd probably be rude to just leave and truth be told he is still a little tired. A few more minutes of rest won't kill him.

He glances in the direction of all the portals and considers leaving again but instead he sits back down and runs a hand through his hair.
fivemilesdeep: (But if we try this)

[personal profile] fivemilesdeep 2021-03-14 06:44 am (UTC)(link)
Ryo's Sense tells him that Peter isn't going anywhere while he gets a bowl of stew - which is good, honestly, because he probably wouldn't be able to track Peter down himself.

He returns with the bowl of stew and sets it down in front of Peter. "Here - this should be better."
hashtagparkerluck: (207)

[personal profile] hashtagparkerluck 2021-03-14 08:40 am (UTC)(link)
Peter hasn't left but he did fish his DS out of his backpack. The battery won't last much longer but it's something to do to keep him from getting bored so there's that. He pauses his game when Ryo returns and sets it aside.

"Oh-wow! Thanks!" He says, grabbing the bowl and not hesitating to take a huge spoonful. That is much better than basically a bunch of bread.
fivemilesdeep: (A good idea)

[personal profile] fivemilesdeep 2021-03-15 05:56 am (UTC)(link)
The enthusiasm is a nice change from the arguing, and Ryo allows himself a smile. "You're welcome. Let me know if you need more." He hasn't forgotten that super fast metabolism comment.
hashtagparkerluck: (3xrmhm2)

[personal profile] hashtagparkerluck 2021-03-16 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
Peter offers a nod and quickly devours the stew. He does kinda want more but he also doesn't want to deplete resources because he needs more than the average person.

"...Um, how much of the stew is left? 'Cause I don't wanna like... take some from someone else that needs some."
fivemilesdeep: (A good idea)

[personal profile] fivemilesdeep 2021-03-16 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
"Enough for you to have another bowl." They've been keeping track of supplies and accounting for those who may need to eat a bit more than others, and his borrowed arms band is absolutely stuffed full of food. "If you want one, I can get you one." Given how quickly Peter had eaten that bowl, he's guessing the answer will be yes.
hashtagparkerluck: (491)

[personal profile] hashtagparkerluck 2021-03-18 06:40 am (UTC)(link)
The answer is definitely yes-now that he's actually eating he's reminded just how hungry he is. However, he still has hang ups about taking extra food when food is a limited resource. He didn't even like eating that much back home because he knew money was tight already without May having to buy more to keep her superpowered-teen fed.

"Really? 'cause I really don't-I mean if someone else needs it more I'd rather they get it."
fivemilesdeep: (A good idea)

[personal profile] fivemilesdeep 2021-03-21 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
That definitely sounds like a yes. "Yes, really. Finish that one, alright?" He gets up as he asks, heading back into camp to get another bowl. If Peter's as hungry as he looks, odds are he'll be done with the first bowl by the time Ryo returns.
hashtagparkerluck: (thumbs up)

[personal profile] hashtagparkerluck 2021-03-24 12:09 pm (UTC)(link)
He is done with the first bowl when Ryo returns and has already set it down in a place he thinks it it least likely to get trampled on and broken. He looked up at the other guy returns and offers a small smile. He's still not so sure about eating another helping of soup but he also knows what'll happen if he doesn't get enough to eat so it's a double-edged sword, really.
fivemilesdeep: (A good idea)

[personal profile] fivemilesdeep 2021-03-25 05:07 am (UTC)(link)
He hands Peter the full bowl with a smile, picking up the empty bowl and taking it back into the camp. There will be dishes to do, but he'll worry about that later, when he's off shift and there aren't quite so many people to worry about. He drops it off and returns to peter. "How are you feeling?" Is he still hungry?