The Will to Fight: Ongoing: Blue

[voidtreckermods]

So Far

It's been a hard few days of cajoling the citizens of the Shining City into and through the catacombs. Many still talk about returning to the comforts of the city, scoffing at the idea of danger. But slowly, as they get further away from the city, more and more of them break out of the illusion. Though some remain lost in the illusion still, the majority are clear-minded by Kazoo 9.

Their mission changes from hurrying stubborn people along to comforting them as the truth dawns on them. The atmosphere becomes more desperate, more angry. More driven.

A plan is offered by the citizens: there is a cavern marked on their maps that opens up to the surface. It can be used as a base whilst any that feel able can go out to join the fight against the demons.

New Allies

Not long after breaking camp on the ninth day of the month of Kazoo they reach the cavern. However, it is clear straight away that something is wrong. The cavern is dark with no exits to be seen, and the Voidtreckers will quickly learn they are not alone. There's a small camp in the cavern, all humans, and after a tense moment they will welcome the citizens and their escorts.

Their story is simple: they were outside the city fighting when they got overwhelmed; they took shelter in the cavern but a gate opened nearby on the surface and caused a cave in. None of the scouts they had sent through the tunnels to the city have returned. Their food is running out and they were on the verge of heading to the city regardless of what they might find there when the Voidtreckers arrived.

Breaking Free

The cave-in is a large one, several metres thick at its weakest and blocking the exit to the outside completely. Those trapped here have made some progress but it's going to take a lot of hands, and potentially some magical help, to clear the blockages.

If they can clear it though, it will mean those who can fight, both citizen and Voidtrecker can begin to head back towards the city to fight, without having to re-enter the range of the illusionary Shining City.

The cavern makes a good staging point, and a secure place for those who cannot fight. Even with the blockage clear it is easy to defend, and holds the same sanctified protections as the tunnels themselves.

Comments

[goingthroughaphase]

Breaking Free

[ Kitty was used to using her powers to help with cave-ins by now, so she got straight to work finding weaknesses in the structure and locating anyone who was injured. It was quite a big cave-in, though, so she couldn't use her powers too much unless she pushed herself too hard. But even when taking a break from clearing out the blockage she was found helping anyone who was hurt.

Once the debris is all clear, she stayed back to help defend the cavern while still helping those who were hurt. She knew she had to be ready, though, in case they needed more people to fight back near the city. ]

[inquisitor_lavellan]

[ For the most part, Alley left the blockage-clearing to others. People with two hands, that is.

But she lurks near the newly-cleared exit once others have left to fight, shield already bolted to the bar standing in for her arm. Ready in case of attack.

Defending is what she's best at, after all.

Seeing she's not the only one hanging back, she offers Kitty a nod. ]

Fighter, or not?

[adropofsunlight]

Breaking Free
[Rapunzel figured to try and help in her own way. So finding a place that was high enough to lift rocks she started to set up her hair.

She made sure she found rocks that she could use before looking over to see who else was around.]

Excuse me? Can you help me please?

[spikelet]

Okay! [She's not really got anything for this kind of work - isn't it normally Purple's job, to clear rubble? - so she and her Vulpix trot over easily enough at Rapunzel's call.]

What d'you need?

[redmeguca]

Breaking Free

[Kyoko smirks and snaps her fingers, making a giant spear appear. It begins to spin as layers of chains spread across the roof of the cavern.]

I've got some experience in clearing cave-ins. Giant spears make good drills in a pinch.

[happyends]

[ Oh god, Kyoko, please. PLEASE. CAREFUL.

Madoka was mostly focusing on helping the people who have been trapped down here - if not just because she knows there's not much she can do to help with a cave in. But she did come over to see how it's going, and to maybe offer some food to their team members who are working hard..

.. but that's when she sees that spear. The huge spear. ]

K-Kyoko-chan, are you sure that's such a good idea?!

[pleple]

That looks safe.

[ Well if the cave collapses further hopefully they all die quickly. ]

[luckydragonsfoot]

Hohhhh...gian' spears huh...

[That's...that's quite a lot of chains, and such...]

...Oi, none 'f th's is gonna fall back on us, yeah..?

[yondu]

Breaking Free and Defense

Yondu helps out with the rock clearing. Not just that, he makes some of the bigger guys get off their asses and help 'cause like hell is he going to watch a bunch of teenage girls break their backs when there are people that walked every bit as much as them and want to sit it out. Hell no! They can get off their asses and come help, thanks. Do not make those girls do that all on their own. Because someone else does not mean you are incapable, y'all lazy asses.

He's been sparse on using those supplies so far. He ate one meal a day and managed his energy the best he could, but once he's fed again after that work he helps himself to a bottle of beer in one of the evacuating local's stores. Then he slings his rucksack over his shoulder, grabs an old wooden chair, and heads out of the cavern.

Some of the citizens are making for the fight, but there are a whole lot hanging back and they need someone to keep this entrance safe. Sure he'd like to be over there where that good time is, but he'd be kickin' himself if one of those demons got down there and got somebody.

So Yondu plops down his chair in front of a rock about mid-shin tall. He opens up his pack and pulls out the smallest of the speakers he was given, does a small hook-up. Ope, wait. In the middle of this he hears little bastard scrambly noises somewhere off behind him. He stalls long enough to kill that demon with a quick whistle and a flash of red. Clear? Good.

He settles in the chair, kicks up his feet on that rock with one leg crossed over the other at the ankles, and pops the cap off his beer. He turns on a song that Quill liked (and he did too) for some quiet background noise. If someone comes up, they're going to find him camped out, easily picking off the occasional demon that comes around the corner with his arrow, enjoying his beer.

[myblueskies]

Romeo has been helping out too, he might be small but he's a hard worker and has been hauling rocks to help open up the cavern.

He's also been helping everyone get food and rest. His bento box has been put to good use and he is on his fifth or sixth round when he approaches the man who is sat by the entrance.

He looks very relaxed and has a drink at least. Romeo approaches with a smile. "You you like a rice penguin sir?"

He holds out a bamboo box, there are indeed some penguin shaped snacks inside.

[inquisitor_lavellan]

"...The fuck is that?"

That's Alley's distinctively rough voice, the Inquisitor having just spotted the arrow murdering a demon as she came into speaking range.

[weifinder]

"Nice arrow."

Wei Wuxian sat down, legs crossed, nearby, hearing the semi-distant thump of another demon body hitting the ground. He doesn't get how the whole of it works, but between the song playing that he recognises nothing about, to the whistle and arrow, and his need for a break from more skyless interiors on the only world he's seen since last platform, here he is. Inflicting himself as company, as every good teammate should.

"Had many of the demons come wandering by lately?"

Recovering energy, he really does want to do something outside the caverns, where his abilities are largely null and void, and also: no skies. He's so sick of ceilings being all he sees overhead.

[achickenformylove]

So Far
WangJi did his best to place himself near the front of the group as they went. Not only because he was trained in fighting, but also because he was the leader of the Blue Team. That was where he should be.

But when either his teammates or the citizens they were escorting needed some support, he would at least drop back to walk with them. Even if he wasn't the best with comforting words all the time, he wanted to show his support.

No matter where WangJi was in the group, he was easy to find at least. Bichen was partially unsheathed, emitting a blue glow as they walked.

Breaking Free
Given what they are facing with the cave-in, WangJi will immediately set himself to work. He'd use his guqin's energy to help break up some of the larger rocks and then hoist them up himself and begin to carry them away, carrying rocks that were far larger than someone his size should be able to carry.

Breaking Free

[yondu]

Yondu's been helping clear rocks. He also sometimes breaks off, goes and talks to some of the citizens. Comes back with the heftiest willing man or woman he can recruit, helps with more rocks.

At one point he takes up station beside of him, watching as WangJi hauls up a boulder that's way too big for him and honestly he's not even surprised at this point. Pretty boy has all kinds of tricks up those sleeves.

"There's a good twenty odd feet between us an' the outside, give or take a big ol' boulder."

Breaking Free

[weifinder]

Look, he knows cultivator strength, he used to have a hell of a lot of cultivation strength, but he's blinking and watching this happen because the only one who manages this on his world is Wen Ning. And that's when extra fueled by the resentful energies that tend to let him break through certain boundaries with minimal side effect, as long as no one else is playing music to disturb his control over his sanity.

As it is, he's blinking at Lan Zhan walking past in surprise, because the rock he's carrying is about the size of his head, and he's just grunting as he crouches down to line it against the wall. Easier to turn things into a careful smaller stack against walls and shore up where needs shoring than cart it all off to some further point.

"So strong!" He is indeed clapping his dusty hands together as Lan Zhan continues on by, because what the hell, Lan Zhan, since when?!

[gundamofthedesert]

So Far
Quatre had no problem with the catacombs that they were walking through. That was the easy part for him. The hard part was all the emotions swirling in the air. Many on the brink of panic, it caused him physical pain as well. So it was in his own interest to do two different things. The first was to find someone who was remarkably calm during all of this and periodically walk next to them for a while.

The second was to find those putting out the strongest emotions and trying to offer them some comfort as they went.

"Hey, it's going to be okay. We'll make it out of this."

Breaking Free
Quatre might not be very strong. That had never really been his advantage. What was his advantage was a very technical mind and even here, it was put to use. There were so many rocks here, many that were balanced on top of each other, but not necessarily at ground level.

"We should try and move that one first," he said pointing to one that was a little further up. "If we can move that, then the ones below it will be easier to move."

Breaking Free

[comefadeaway]

Yoite wasn't sure how strong he was, but probably more than a layperson, at least. He had some combat training, so he had decent strength and muscles.

He would trust that Quatre knew what to do when it came to which one was best.

He nodded and stepped up onto a rock, made sure it could hold his weight and grabbed the one he liked, before tossing it aside. He looked to Quatre.

"Show me what ones you want me to move?"

Breaking free

[azurebichen]

This mission gets hectic as the long day goes by. Wangji looks around the cave-in. It's several metres thick and it's blocking the exit to the outside completely and there are so many rocks in the way.

He observes the scene before him. "We're trapped. We have to clear the way. We should try and move a few. I will help."

He's going to use his strength to lift and move the rocks out of the way.

[pleple]

Break Free

Well, there's not much for Ple Two to do at this point - she doesn't have the expertise or equipment to do much about the blockage, and it seems to be under control. Relatively.

Hopefully.

If someone gets Madoka buried there will be a reckoning. Until then, she's positioned further back to watch for any interlopers or stragglers, a pistol at the ready, but she doesn't really have much to worry about it seems. Guard duty sucks butt.

[inquisitor_lavellan]

Alley absolutely can't help much with clearing the blockage, having only one hand as she does. So she's of a similar mindset; time to guard their flank. She comes up near Ple Two and then kneels down to tighten the way her huge shield is bolted to the metal bar standing in for her left arm, just to make sure it's still secure.

"I doubt we'll see anything, but you know if no one stood guard all hell would break loose."

That sure is a rough, damaged voice the scarred elf has. Like she'd gargled with broken glass.

Senku Ishigami | OTA

[10billionpercent]

I. Muddled Mind

[ No one has been more useless on this mission than Senku, save perhaps Gen since it was entirely their own fault they're in this position. He had to be walked out of the city, the SCA wrestled back onto his wrist.

He's blue team's problem. People are going to be rather thrilled with him, and if he was aware he would know that.

He'd gone back and forth since leaving. He's been going on about how great the city is, how safe it is like one of the denizens and how he can't wait to go back home.

His chatter has quieted though, he's speaking up more often than not for awhile, but every so often he'll shut up, lucid and quietly frustrated. ]

II. Lucidity/Breaking Free

[ The illusion's grip loosens the further he is away from the city and now that a couple of days have passed, he's more lucid than not.

During these periods, he intends on helping.

He's on his feet, trying to lift rocks. His legs and arms tremble, he's breathing hard...the rock's not that big, but he's not going to complain. He has to do something ]

II

[myblueskies]

I can help sir!

[He's been very worried about Senku. He doesn't know what happened or why Senku thought the city was where they should all live now but he had heard him talking a lot, walked next to him a few times and nodded and exchanged worried glances with the others.

But at least he was with them and he did seem to be almost like normal again sometimes. Like now.

Romeo rushed to his side to help him lift it.]

Mudmudmud

[luckydragonsfoot]

Oi....

[Feeling useless is...oddly enough not a thing he's unfamiliar with, but when he catches a flash of someone out of the area, he ends up going out of his way to find them. And...oh, great, he's susceptible to illusions. Rubbing his head, he reaches for the other's shoulder.]

Oi-! L'sten t' me alrigh'..! Yer team blue too yeah?

wen ning | ota

[deadwenwalking]

so far.

Wen Ning is as gentle as he can be with the distressed citizens as he hurries them along. It can't be easy to learn that their recent pleasant existence has been nothing but a lie and there's no going back to it. He knows what it's like to be torn from semi-comfort and tossed into a harsh world that one might not be made for.

Compared to the dangers around them, his somewhat unusual appearance doesn't mean anything to them, and he's grateful for that too.

"I hope no one here is afraid of enclosed spaces," he says quietly to no one in particular. He's spent a fair amount of time in caves, too, and they aren't for everyone.

new allies.

Finding that they're not alone in this cave has Wen Ning on edge. The people seem harmless enough for now, and it isn't as though he couldn't potentially handle all of them on his own if he had to, but he wouldn't want a fight to break out between the two different groups. After all, one had been living in relative comfort until recently and the other had been aware of the illusion from the start. Both had reason to be jealous of the other. Hopefully that wouldn't become an issue.

Staying in this cave long term was never a real consideration to begin with, but now they have a whole new group of mouths to feed while they figure out where to go from here.

"W-What do our supplies look like?" He clears his throat, not wanting to start off timid with his serious questions. "Is there still wildlife nearby that would be safe to hunt?"

breaking free (bonus prompt provided by rakel/weifinder).

Wen Ning gave a slow blink as he stared at the mass of unsettled rock and stone marking the collapsed tunnel through which they were meant to exit. It wasn't so much a problem in handling it; there were enough willing hands, and the locals, free of the grasp of the illusions, were incised enough to want to help. No, what he could see being an issue had more to do with the collapse as a whole suffering a cascading effect and collapsing down over the excavators if improperly managed.

Then again, if the more durable people were handling things from the front...

His thoughts were interrupted by a shift he felt before he saw, and then Wen Ning was in motion, catching the rock that had slid free, pebbles and smaller rocks preceding its roll down the slide's face.

Turning to give a concerned glance to the person who'd been in the absurdly large rock's way, he asked, "Are you okay?"

wildcard.

(Any other scenario!)

new allies

[happyends]

"Don't worry about it..!"

.. Okay, maybe this smile over here on Madoka's face is a little brighter than what one would expect to be greeted with in a situation like this. All of them so far down into the catacombs, now all of them stuck together in a cavern, trying to break out people who've been starving around here..

"Romeo has extra food for the people who've been down there, so we should be able to feed them just fine without going hungry ourselves." Since that'd be pretty counterproductive - especially when some of the team really need their strength in order to be able to break through the blockage that's between them and the outside world. "It's really sweet of you to worry about them, though..!"