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

[yondu]

"He's a good man, though. Grew up into somebody worthwhile."

He never told him exactly how proud he was of him. Only managed those last breaths of praise, that he was lucky to have him.

"You know, sometimes I get the feelin' here people try to impress the hell out of each other. But I saw my boy hold an infinity stone in his hand. Somethin' that could destroy a world worse than this, right in his palm. I saw him driftin' out in the black just to save a lady, drownin' in the cold like I did. Except he lasted. An' I saw him beat up a god despite not wantin' to, because it was the right thing to do. Not even stretchin'.

"They can perform all they want, try as many big boss fights as they need, but nobody'll ever be as badass to me as what Quill showed off when he had to. An' if he ever shows up an' I ain't around an' you is? You tell him I said that. I never had the chance to when I was breathin'."

[deadwenwalking]

"People died?" Wen Ning hasn't heard of this yet. Everyone's been telling him that not many lasting injuries occur from these missions. He wants to keep everyone safe. Have they kept this from him because they didn't want him to panic and be overprotective?

He shouldn't get upset. Cultivators face creatures all the time that would kill weaker individuals. Maybe they hadn't said anything because they're capable of dealing with these dangers. But just because they are doesn't mean others are. It's his job to look after the people on his team and make sure this doesn't happen to them.

At least the train seems to be making improvements if she's inferring that later missions haven't been like that.

"How do we get more items like that box?"

[inquisitor_lavellan]

"Same," Alley actually holds her shield off to one side to reveal what's holding it. It's not an arm, but instead a black metal bar protruding from the (covered) stump of her arm, from just a few inches below the elbow onward to about the length the arm and hand would have been while making a fist.

Two bolts on the shield have passed through holes on the bar, secured by a large pair of wingnuts.

"Best I could do is hit the blockage, and that could make it worse -- or cave in on us. I'll leave it to the people with two hands."

[inquisitor_lavellan]

"And now you can fight til the last breath for a cause you choose, not theirs."

It's pretty clear from context that the Kree are who enslaved Yondu.

"Have you had to fight them, or do you just steer clear?"

[yondu]

"Yeah, I had one of them 'big damn hero' types help take off my inhibitor- these things they put on the necks of their high quality captives? Whooooo boy, I took real good care of the unit what owned me then." And there's a way that he says 'big damn hero' that suggests that the guy ended up on a pedestal. Maybe even with a big chunk of Yondu's stupid dumb heart.

"I'm wanted in twelve Kree provinces... well, I was anyway. Sorta made a habit of targettin' them first. But I also took to hirin' some of 'em when they wanted out. They fought as hard as anybody else."

[inquisitor_lavellan]

This is just my second. I was here for the last one, too. On the really big hollow world with... monkeys that weren't monkeys and vines that weren't vines.

[ To be fair, it was pretty weird. ]

[myblueskies]

He sat down on the floor nearby, it was good to rest his legs, they had done a lot of walking.

"I come from the heavens, a place called the Far Shore. It's where gods live but I'm not a god, I just work for one as their shinki, which is a special word for a weapon."

He took a penguin himself, biting into it, it really was yummy.

[myblueskies]

Exactly! So we can help make everyone safe and get their home back from the demons!

[He nods at Senku, a determined smile.] Because that's why we're here, right?

[yondu]

Heavens like the sky? No wait, actual location heavens. Alright. But with gods there. He's really gonna have to get used to this shit but he's doin' his best. "A weapon, huh? How'd ya get to be that?"

The kid doesn't seem to have any sort of bad feelings about it. Or maybe he's one of those people that doesn't have much in the way of bad feelings at all. Could be age, could be lack of experience, could be natural disposition.

Just tryin' to work out somethin' about somebody he met twenty seconds ago.

[luckydragonsfoot]

Wild...

[...] Wait y' have a what!?

An' look, I don' need details, I jus' don' wanna get surprised by it!

Or a vision of it, f'r tha' matter!

[luckydragonsfoot]

Orion? [It's a fair thing to miss, since his pokemon look like cartoon animals and tend to wander.]

Anyway, 'f course! 's her whole thing, helps me out a bunch, [he adds, not clarifying why. Instead, he pops the ball open and out comes Kaseri, looking quite glad to be out.] Normally I'd be lett'n 'm roam, but th' issue is, I got no idea what they look like t' these people.

They ain't 'xactly dogs, they're smarter 'n tha'.

[redmeguca]

[Kyoko sighs, and also horses as she begins to speak.]

Alright. Don't tell Mami, but we don't lose our powers or die when our Soul Gems turn completely black. It's so much worse than that. The corruption in our Soul changes it on a fundamental level, making whoever it happens to into one of the very monsters we fight.

[luckydragonsfoot]

[AH! ah.

Ah.]

....

Yeah I c'n see why t' keep tha' close t' th' chest, [he manages, swallowing.] G...geeze...

...Well...upside, I guess...sayin' yer 'dead' ain' far from th' truth as is, so she can keep thinkin' tha'... [He looks quite pale, suffice to say.] ...Fuck.

...

Glad I got her Rosetta, man.

[redmeguca]

Again, thanks for taking care of her. God knows she barely takes care of herself if it's not for someone else. I've already seen one girl turn into a Witch, and I really don't want to see Mami become one.

[comefadeaway]

"I don't really know much about those...but, um, I can make origami shapes." Yoite said with a small smile.

He was actually very proud of that.

[10billionpercent]

He's my Espurr. Eva got him for me for defense but...

[ He sighs. ] She says we're not ready yet.

I know that, or at least, somewhat. Orion has no problem getting tangled up in anything I have going on. [ He sounds fond of his mischievous kitten. ]

[10billionpercent]

You're right. It is. I'm sorry I'm all out of sorts right now.

[ He truly means that but he can try to help. It's the best he can do. ]

[happyends]

Madoka nods. She kind of looks like she doesn't want to talk about it more than that - maybe since it's too sad to talk about it, or maybe since she doesn't want to make him sad by talking about it.

Either way, the girl gladly latches on to the opportunity to talk about anything else at all when he brings up the other question.

"Um, back on the train.. have you noticed the shop yet? You can buy things from it. I don't think that lunchbox Romeo has is on the list, but it's possible that he maybe bought it from back home..? You can get items from back home from the shop too, as long as you have the points for it."

[myblueskies]

"Well shinki are spirits, so we died and then a god gave us a special name." He held out his hand, on the back of it was a red kanji 小僧. "Then if our god calls our name we turn into a weapon so they can fight bad monsters called ayakashi. But I've not seen any ayakashi since coming to the train so you don't got to worry about them."

Hopefully. It would be tricky, since normal people couldn't see them and it would be hard to fight lots of them, if it was just him and Zetta.

[myblueskies]

It's okay sir! You're spirits are just down...

[It's tricky, since Senku is a grown up.]

Sometimes when there's big things in your head it's good to talk about them...

[yondu]

He doesn't seem to mind that he died. But Yondu minds that he died. Whatever role he ended up with, it wasn't one of his choosing (even if he might choose it now) and that's especially tragic. It's not one of the options that should have been available to him.

One of those cases when it looks like someone doesn't feel all that sorry for themselves, but someone feels kind of bad for them.

Yondu reaches out and tossles the kid's hair (Terrans and Xandarians have that so it's fun to mess with). "You seem like they're lucky to have ya around." He says, biting his tongue for once on all the doubtful ideas passing through his mind.

[inquisitor_lavellan]

"Good." To all of it, really. Wiping out his former owners, targeting the empire that had done it, and... yes, giving individuals a way out of the system.

Alley approves of all of that. She's done similar, if without the personal touch of having been enslaved by anyone in the past. But there had been plenty of former enemies among the Inquisition's numbers, by the time Corypheus had fallen.

[yondu]

"So what about you?"

He loosely gestures to her arm.

"Ya seem to handle yourself pretty well, but that don't look like it came from a papercut." A blatant question, but he figures if he told her that much he might as well ask.

[inquisitor_lavellan]

Alley glances down at the stump of her left arm, the sleeve cinched tight around the base of the black metal bar that protrudes from it.

"It's a long story," she grunts, "not one I have a problem telling you if you really want to know, but long."

Long enough to be boring if all he's wanting is small talk. It's not as easy as 'someone chopped it off' or something.

[yondu]

"Depends on how bad it'd trouble you to tell it. I been out here killin' demons for a half hour. This is borin' as shit."

He offers her the last bit of the beer, the song switches quietly in the background. In the meantime he keeps an eye out for any other demons.