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.
mynameisallen: (Smile ★ Sometimes I wear normal clothes)

2

[personal profile] mynameisallen 2021-03-12 10:27 am (UTC)(link)
[Well Allen didn't know what to actually expect. But this made the underworld seem much nicer in comparison. But that also lacked demons when he thinks about it. But that wasn't something Allen was going to focus too much on right now.

No what was going on in front of them was his main focus. He could think of a few things he could do to help, but he couldn't be sure how effective it could actually be.]


Did you want me to try and bind them so they can't move?
adregem: (i will be your father figure)

[personal profile] adregem 2021-03-12 08:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Just be careful. We don't know what kind of abilities they have too.

[ Roland readies his blade, waiting for the opportunity Allen will present to him. It's a group of ugly looking demons, screeching high into the air, running full speed ahead on all fours. ]

On your mark.
mynameisallen: (Chibi ★ Crowned Clown)

[personal profile] mynameisallen 2021-03-14 03:38 pm (UTC)(link)
When am I never not careful.

[He actually wasn't saying that at all seriously because the answer is he never really is careful a lot of the time. But he does at least try as to not annoy a good few people here. As he looked over to give a small but firm nod. Once he was ready he extended his arm and unleashed some of the cowl which came out and found it way around the legs.]

Got it!
adregem: (danger from above.)

[personal profile] adregem 2021-03-14 06:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Keep 'em steady!

[ Roland runs immediately, a sprint to give him momentum to jump high into the air, his sword glowing red in full energy. It stabs the demon Allen captures straight into the ground, but it doesn't quite die yet, and Roland has no time to finish off when he has to evade the claws of two others who rush him as soon as he finds his footing. He defends from their melee with a sword up to his face and chest, glancing at Allen. ]

Got anything else up your sleeve there? [ Calling for an assist! ]
mynameisallen: (dgm-016)

[personal profile] mynameisallen 2021-03-16 12:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[As much as Allen was one to want to understand the situation and help the demons find common ground, he was also aware that odds were very likely that was never going to happen. Considering they are still attacking and all.

Sending out his cowl again in an attempt to grab another but failing he soon moved his right arm back stopping that idea for a moment as he switched from his claw and changing it to a sword that was nearly bigger than he was.]


I have one thing. Not sure if it will help. [And one would think he would use the sword as intended, but nope. He's just going to throw it and pinning one of them down. Well it was at least unexpected enough that it actually worked. But now Allen just seemed to have no way to defend himself. At least from appearances.]
adregem: (run back to the light.)

[personal profile] adregem 2021-03-16 05:03 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not picky! Go for it!

[ Anything'll help, at this rate. Roland sees the maneuver Allen throws down with slightly widened eyes, wondering if he should jump in to cover his back. He tries to at least, moving in a few long strides to cover ground as his sword swings in a combination of five motions, clearing his path and pushing smaller demons away. It's not enough to kill them just yet but it gives Allen time to perform...whatever it is he needed to. ]
mynameisallen: (rommipullo-dgm013)

[personal profile] mynameisallen 2021-03-18 10:29 am (UTC)(link)
[Allen kept his eyes on the positioning of others. Once he was confident that he could at least get a couple more he held out his right arm, hand open wide as the sword which had a demon pinned started to move before turning around and flying towards him. but unlike the last time Allen tried something like this, he moved out of the way avoiding getting hit himself and instead managed to pin a couple more.]
adregem: (of freedom and of pleasure)

[personal profile] adregem 2021-03-18 05:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ They're clearing the area, which is all Roland needs to find some semblance of reassurance. He falls into a steady drumbeat with Allen leading the charge, recognizing he'll have more to offer this skirmish than Roland's melee moves alone. So whenever Allen swings his blade and his cowl to attack multiple enemies at once, Roland pivots behind him to either shoot with his pistol or to rush with magic, Flatliner slashing the air with charged magic that can disorient foes still conscious to take it. ]

We're pushing them back!

[ But he speaks too soon. A smaller demon, more crazed, faster than the others, emerges from the thicket. It's roar is thin and loud at once, and in his clawed hand is a sickle chain seething with blackness, dark energy. Roland's eyes widen. They're going to get hit. ]

Allen, look out!
mynameisallen: (allen32)

[personal profile] mynameisallen 2021-03-20 08:36 am (UTC)(link)
[It was at least a good thing that they were for the most part pushing them back. Though Allen also knew this was really early in the mission so it only begged the question of where this will lead later on.

But for now, he was at least taking the positives as they came. As he grabbed his sword to handle a couple more.

But at the yell, he turned the sword as a way to attempt to block from behind without wasting time to turn around. It seemed to work as Allen then used his cowl as spikes to strike the smaller one. But they didn't seem to stop more coming, however.]


How many more do you think are left?
adregem: (good thing you're a cute kid huh)

[personal profile] adregem 2021-03-22 10:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ Watching Allen shrug off an anti-life attack like that makes Roland a little bit more confident that he's in good hands. At least, it staves off some of that naturally worry that comes easily to him when thrust into situations like this.

He looks around - between the two of them, there was just the smaller demon and three other minions left. ]


Go for the leader. I'll handle the small fry.

[ He nods to Allen before getting ready for a final push, catching the three in his periphery, charging up his sword for a blow that could hopefully take them all out at once. ]
mynameisallen: (Glance ★ A soldier I will be)

[personal profile] mynameisallen 2021-03-25 11:17 am (UTC)(link)
You sure?

[Allen would be okay for it either way, but considering they were the leader of purple team, he figured that it should be okay at least. So he went to move to get in closer towards the leader before glancing back briefly to see what the other was doing.]
adregem: (it's nothing personal.)

[personal profile] adregem 2021-03-26 05:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Sure as can be!

[ He's glowing brighter than ever, ready to let loose. Roland nods to Allen. ]

Go now!

[ Roland's confident he can take this on, in favor of covering Allen's flank. He's got more skills to offer; it's gotta be on him. ]
mynameisallen: (Stare ★ They still say I'm a dreamer)

[personal profile] mynameisallen 2021-03-30 09:28 am (UTC)(link)
[Allen nodded slightly as he went to move towards what was assumed to be the leader, sword in hand as he moved forward, but the battle was not going to be an easy one.

The first swing of the sword was blocked, cuing Allen to take a jump back and a moment to think a few things over. While he did he looked back.]


How are the small fry?