The Will to Fight: Start

[voidtreckermods]

"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.

Comments

Wildcard ; at purple/red camp

[stardustofdawn]

They haven't seen each other for nearly two days not since the discussion before preparation and dropping off at arrival. That because the blue team camp is separate from the others, while orange is between, and the purple and red camp are camped together.

However busy Xingchen is, aiding the common people and evacuating them to safety, and working between orange and blue of the healers, fighting his way through the demons, eventually when his workload lightens and he is able to have a breather, it's on the afternoon of the third day, that he has traveled to the purple and red camp searching for him and waiting for him.

When they finally see each other, both tired and exhausted from everything. With a soft recognition, "Hey." And that's all he said, none worse for the wear.

[xue_yang]

This is exactly the kind of mission that Xue Yang can get behind and enjoy. Fighting things he is familiar with and dealing with darker energies are something he understands and he could do this all day, every day. It has given him a little of his spark back that the previous mission had squashed.

He waves to towards the other man as he spots him, coming off the battlefield for the day. Jiangzai already tucked away and cleaned. "What are you doing here, daozhang?"

He knows that their camp is in a different area. He figures that Xingchen has come to see him.

[stardustofdawn]

He spots him in the busy crowd of the camp, he sees him waving, and he comes closer. His feet is tired from standing for hours and walking all day, and fighting to help defend the city.

"Coming for a rest and spend the night. It's lonely and cold in the blue camp, especially at night." He doesn't care if anyone sees them, he has nothing to hide. He sits next to him and wraps his arms around him for warmth. He does indeed coming to see him and stay with him.

"Have you eat and sleep well?"

[xue_yang]

"I've been sleeping fine. There is a lot to do during the day to exhaust myself with." Xue Yang doesn't lose sleep on a regular day. But a day when he has spent much time destroying things means he sleeps even better.

"if you are hungry daozhang, we can find some food." He relaxes against him, still a little new to this kind of affection but getting easier with being able to deal with it.

[stardustofdawn]

"That's good. You tend to feel cooped up and feel very bored on the train." He's glad he gets some exercise to spend that excess energy.

He hugs him briefly, hoping besides destroying and killing a lot, a hug from him will make his day brighter. He's much relaxed with him than before and then relaxes and loosens up his arms.

"Yeah, I'm hungry. I'll go for a sandwich or a bento box in the lunch boxes if they have any in stock." Then sleep. He needs that.

[xue_yang]

He pushes himself to his feet once Xingchen lets him go. "I'll go grab something. You'll be stuck with whatever I bring back for you." He grins and starts to walk over towards where the food for the camp is stored. He finds a few things and brings them back, placing them in Xingchen's lap.

"Just some sandwiches and bottled water." Not a terribly exciting lunch but it will get the job done.

[stardustofdawn]

He waits for him to go fetch, but once he returns and places the food on his lap.

"This is fine. Thank you." Food is scarce in this world, and he unwraps the plastic to start eating all the sandwiches, after what seems not eating and sleeping properly, and then washes it down with water.

"That's much better. How about you? Do you feel better?"

[xue_yang]

He nods as he finishes his sandwich and picks up the water, "It's not much but I've had to do more on less food." He got used to not having much food as a kid and that stayed with him as he grew.

"Are you going to share my tent tonight, daozhang?"

[stardustofdawn]

"You should eat plenty, Xue Yang. It's good for your health." He finished up his meal and drinks it down with water.

"I come here to take a rest, so that's a definite yes. My feet hurt from walking all day. We can also help each other replenish our spirit energy too if you want to."

[xue_yang]

He snorts softly and looks over, "Replenish spirit energy? Is that a coded way to say you want to have sex, daozhang?"

Probably not but he can't help but tease the man about it. Now that they have been intimate it is easy to joke about it. He figures the man really just wants to rest and meditate.

[stardustofdawn]

"With rest and meditation." He nudges him playfully in the rib with his elbow and pretends to look proper.

"During the mission? Absolutely not. We can't let our passion distract us from the mission."

[xue_yang]

He laughs and gives a small shrug, "I thought that might be a little bold of you to suggest." He knew what the man and it's not like he is so desperate that he has to have it. He is content to wait especially considering how much energy he is using up each day with the fighting.

[stardustofdawn]

With a huff, he's fairly pink across the cheeks. "Do you think about it all time? Sleeping with me?" He's curious though. "I always wonder what's in your thoughts other than missions and your cultivation."

[xue_yang]

"Not all the time, Daozhang. I'm not that obsessed." Xue Yang has plenty to keep his mind occupied.

"I think about whatever I want, whenever I want. Sometimes I don't think about anything at all. Sometimes I'm trying to figure out a new way to fight."

[stardustofdawn]

"Having self-control and freedom is a good thing to have, but I wouldn't mind a lot of passion."

He wasn't sure if he's in the mood after everything they went through for the past few weeks and the busyness of the mission so far. He decides to gently tease him, "If you asked at a good time, I would have said yes. You were curious about it, weren't you? If I recall my teachings in the sect, they call it dual cultivation, but it's a tantric practice. I wouldn't think you might be interested."

[xue_yang]

"I'm interested in anything you want to tell me about, daozhang." He shifts so that he can lay on the grass. It's more comfortable this way. He places his hands behind his head.

"I don't think there will be a good time while we are out here. You're just going to have to hold yourself back until we get back on the train."

His turn to tease him and accuse Xingchen of being the one with the inability to restrain himself.

[stardustofdawn]

"So you say. What if the demons attack in the middle of the night? I rather keep watch. I'm not interested in dying again." That's a lot for him. "That's why it's better to wait."

He feels sleepy and he desires a nap after his legs and feet feel achy. "Where's your tent? I can tell you more about it and talk to you until I drift off for a nap."

[xue_yang]

Xue Yang rolls over and pushes himself to his feet. "It's right over there. You can sleep as long as you want daozhang. I don't mind staying up and watching."

He doesn't know if anything would really attack them at night but he doesn't mind being the watchdog.

[stardustofdawn]

Xingchen got up, walks with him, and entered the tent. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep much, but a few hours is beneficial."

He curls up on the makeshift beddings on the floor and lies down.

"You should sleep too. Weren't you out fighting in the demon realm?"

[xue_yang]

"Pretty much all day." He flops down on the bedding next to him, laying on his side so he can prop his head up with his hand.

He definitely could use the sleep as well. Especially since they have no idea when more demons might decide to make their presence known.

[stardustofdawn]

Softly, "All day...?" Inside the tent, it gives them cover. "Then try to sleep." Once they're on the same bedding side by side, he gives his forehead a nuzzle and slides his arm beneath his head for a pillow.

"Anyway, as I was saying." Since Xue Yang did said he'll be interested in what he wants to talk about. "Dual Cultivation. I wouldn't think you'll be interested." Considering it's reserved for partners who are married back home. "It's a technique between two partners to harmonize yin and yang energies. It's said with practice, it will help to open up your energy flow and build up your core and increase your lifespan." Since the point of the path for daoists is to seek immortality. "It's not the fast way and it will take practice with meditation, but it's one of the many techniques."

[xue_yang]

"Are you saying you want to be my partner, daozhang?" He already knows the answer but he likes to feign innocence and ignorance. If it is what Xingchen wants then he would try it. It would take quite a bit of work since his focus has been on the demonic cultivation for so long.

"Can our lifespans really be lengthened?" Considering they are both dead on their worlds it seems hardly likely.

[stardustofdawn]

He's turning pink across the cheeks. He too feigns innocence and stays focus on the topic, "Dual cultivation requires years of practice. In theory, if you have a core, you might be able to form a golden core even up by one level. Not to mention dedication and devotion for your cultivation partner, because it takes years to cultivate."

At his question, "I don't know. You and I know we're not the types to even dream of living up to one hundred or even two hundred. If there's a reason, it's because cultivation is a spiritual path."

He almost drifts off to sleep, "Anyway, you don't seem to be marrying type."

[xue_yang]

He pouts a little and lays down, placing his hands behind his head. "That's mean daozhang." Though he isn't wrong. Xue Yang has never thought about something like that. he never really planned to be so entwined with someone that they would want to spend the rest of their life with him. He never thought anyone would ever care for him at all. So marriage was hardly something he thought about.

"But we probably don't have that much time on the train to build up our cores before it sends us back to our deaths." He figures this isn't for forever so why try to look forward to anything?

[stardustofdawn]

"Am I? My apologies. I'm celibate when I entered the sect and left it, so I don't expect marriage in my future."

Closing his eyes, "No, we do not." And there's no going back. He might as well say good-bye to Zichen in his heart forever and thanked him for everything he did, but with his sight return, he owes more to his nephew's thoughtfulness and kindness. "I think as long the train is in operation and keep us alive, then we might as well keep going to where it takes us."

After some thought, he is being subtle with his proposal to his question about being his partner, teasing him with the idea, just a tickle, but wasn't serious and flirting around with it. "Anyway, its a good thing we're on the train travelling through the multiverse. What we're doing before any proper marriage ceremony is pretty scandalous back home. It's a good thing I don't belong in a sect, we might be severely punished! We might as well go steady and just study dual cultivation."