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: (Mmmmmaybe)

[personal profile] fivemilesdeep 2021-03-12 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
The second that weapon comes into view, Ryo is a good four feet away - out of arm's reach, weapon's reach, and (hopefully) danger. It's a hell of a startle reflex, but he has it for good (terrible) reason.

...except it wasn't needed, as Tidus topples over backwards. Well. Doesn't he feel foolish.

He takes a moment to steady himself before responding. "Please go take a nap. You obviously need one."
blitzcheer: (head scratch)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2021-03-12 07:18 am (UTC)(link)
He's risen off his back to be able to see anything, hands at his sides to lift him up. His back is disagreeable to the events that just occur (his head, too), but Tidus blinks at Ryo for a second, then laughs, just lightly. A sheepish thing that carries in his voice as he shifts his weight to something a bit more comfortable - like getting his feet over his legs.

"Yeah, I will." Eventually! "That demon...realm...world place sticks with you. I could drop off anywhere these days."
fivemilesdeep: (But if we try this)

[personal profile] fivemilesdeep 2021-03-13 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
I will has a bit too much leeway for him to be satisfied with it as an answer. "How about right over there in that tent?" He nods towards one of the empty tents not too far from where they are. "Sometime within the next ten minutes. I'll bring you some food in the meantime."
blitzcheer: (hide your true intentions)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2021-03-13 08:50 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm alright," he urges, hands coming up in front of himself in an extra show of reassurance. ...though, he doesn't really just want to leave his sword on the floor there either, so he leans to pick it up, speaking as he does. "I've got some people I'm waiting for, and I already ate! You just gotta be careful about startling a guy, you know? I've been jumping those gates for days."

If that's even the reason for the fuss -- but Tidus says it lightly, with a chuckle in his words. The blade gone with a plume of gold dust that disappears as quickly as it shows.
fivemilesdeep: (Really. *Really.*)

[personal profile] fivemilesdeep 2021-03-14 03:51 am (UTC)(link)
Ryo sighs. Tidus' words aren't matching his actions here, and he honestly has no idea if he'll be able to convince Tidus to rest, but he needs to try. He folds his arms and fixes Tidus with a look. "You fell asleep sitting up." For gods' sakes, Tidus. "Tell me who you're waiting for, and I'll let them know you're resting when they arrive."
blitzcheer: (and we spoke fondly)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2021-03-14 08:52 am (UTC)(link)
The intensity of the look, the pressing and the whole act of it. Tidus meets it with a bewildered knit of the brow that's unexpected, shaking his head.

"Ryo, I'm gonna be fine. I said later, alright?" He's going for less joking, trying for reasoning here. Please guy. "I'm not gonna drop over for real or sneak back out there. I'm staying put."

Honest. Honest!
fivemilesdeep: (Really. *Really.*)

[personal profile] fivemilesdeep 2021-03-17 10:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Reasoning works out a little better if said reasons are solid. "But you did just drop over. Right here. Just now." Unstoppable force, meet immovable object. "Please go take a nap."
blitzcheer: (mrhrhrhrhrhgghgh)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2021-03-17 11:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Whatever point Ryo might have, it's the pushiness that's making Tidus uncomfortable, the fact that Ryo's just rounded back to telling him to take a nap, even with his reassurances or meet-halfways. This really isn't what he wants to be dealing with right now, and so Tidus starts to stand onto his feet, taking a hold of the straps of his duffle bag, and picking it up with him as he straightens.

"I'm gonna go and stand at another part of the camp. Okay?" Said as peaceable as possible here, taking a feeew slow steps away. "I'll nap later, soon later, annd my friend's on his way back. Won't be long. Cool? Alright?"

Please? Please????