middleofsomewhere | The Will to Fight: Conclusion

The Will to Fight: Conclusion

The battles rage loud and ferocious at the gates of the city and off in the ruined wastelands of Erda, and on the walls a struggle of a different kind occurs. The team who stayed behind at the towers are small but determined as they move stoically across the walls to right the stones that have become misaligned, even as their friends battle not too far away.

The city begins to hum. It's a quiet hum, not loud enough to be heard out where the others are fighting but it vibrates even through stone. The recovering monks assure them that it is done, the wards are back up and no demon will be able to enter the city.

Eventually the battle is won, all three battles. The demons fought back and killed, a major blow to their gate system that will keep them back for hopefully a long time. Those waiting in the caverns return to the city and by the time they get there the illusions are gone. Everyone can see the world for what it really is.

But despite the ruins of their world the people are relieved, the adrenaline of the fight coursing through their veins and the mood is one of hope. They will build again, their people will survive.

All Voidtreckers please return to the Voidtrecker Express. Departure will be in a few hours

It has landed not too far from the city, cloaked to make it unnoticeable to the citizens, for all the good that does. No one has been particularly subtle this last week. People can begin regrouping, packing up the camp and getting any wounded not already healed to the train.

However roughly half an hour later another message appears on their SCA.

Passenger Persephone has requested we remain on system System #86525656412355 for an additional day to further assist the people of Erda. The Voidtrecker Express will depart on the morning of Day Fifteen of the month of Kazoo.

The train remains where it is, so the voidtreckers can use its facilities. There is definitely a lot that can be done to assist those of this world and the citizens will welcome any helping hands.

After an extra day they finally depart, returning to the void once more.

(OOC Note: Once the wards are up any characters who are demonic in nature will not be able to enter the city either!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"... Yeah. We did a lot of fighting. ... I need to get my spear back first, but after that I probably need to restock on healing items. There go my points." But what else is he going to use them for?

"Some of the demons could throw out anti-life energy spears. My Persona is light-resistant and weak to Dark. It... wasn't a great time."

"Anti-life..."

Kaiba makes a face. He can start to imagine how painful that must have been.

"We have a sizable train stock of healing items that people can share. Coordinate with the others, you don't want to spend all your points if you don't have to. But...that's how it goes around here. Some missions are all right, others are total disasters. Mostly the latter."

"... I guess. I just... worry about stocks running out. Medicine, food..." He pauses and looks at his bag. "... I. Mm."

He's quiet for a few long moments. "... I was on my own for a year and a half. I got used to only relying on what I could get for myself. Even after my team found me..." He finally looks up at Kaiba again.

"I heard a little of what you said on the network after people stopped being kids. I never knew my dad. My mom was murdered and it got covered up by the huge corporation in town. My relatives didn't really want me. So I escaped from the hospital and went to go hunt the guy down." He lets that sink in for a minute before... "I was nine. And I couldn't rely on anyone else or they'd try to send me away, or put me in an orphanage. And that would have been worse than being on my own."

At least he was free to hunt Aragaki down. At least he was free from people who wouldn't believe him.

Kaiba listens, his face settling into a neutral expression. He knows pity won't be welcome, but he does understand.

"...I've been there. Sometimes I wonder if my life would've been different if I'd done something like that. It took me years to take action, and by then...the damage had been done."

He sighs. "I understand the need to be self-reliant. It's usually a good instinct. If I knew how we earn points that'd be one thing, but....do what you have to to keep yourself safe."

"... I'm trying. I'm just... I can't help being so jumpy." A survival instinct is hard to shake. "... I just... I still don't feel totally safe here. No one's been... no one's been a dick to me, really. It's just... I keep waking up feeling like I have to run."

Run from Shadows, run from other people, just run away.

"...right. We were essentially kidnapped, and we've seen from past incidents that not everyone the train chooses is necessarily trustworthy."

Kaiba shakes his head in wonder.

"But from what I've seen, most of us are working toward a common goal---or at least, not actively sabotaging each other. It took me a long time to start to relax, but...there are people here I can rely on. I hope you can eventually find them too."

"... I'm trying. There's a lot of nice people like Vexen and the other Ken and Wormmon and you... then there's people like the blue guy." He pauses. "The stuck up blue guy. There's two blue guys."

"...Jack," Kaiba fills in automatically. "I hear he's entering the tournament. But he's a self-obsessed idiot, so I'm sure we can crush him."

But there's more on Ken's mind than that. "But that's later. For now...just don't rush it, we should have a few weeks before things heat up again."

"I'm not worried about him. And he knows I can cause him to glitch out whenever I want. I think he's some kind of computer thing... he kind of got locked up when I hit him with electricity."

Something good for you to keep in your pocket, Seto.

But there'll be another mission, that's true. Another chance for him to prove himself. He pauses and takes a deep breath, trying to drive the image of the demon picking him up. He leans against the table and scrubs at his face with his sleeve.

Kaiba takes note of that information, hoping he won't need it...but he likes to know. He takes a breath, sits quietly with Ken.

And he notices, of course he notices.

"Hey. You're not still hurt, are you?"

"All my wounds got healed up... some of my skin on my neck is a little discolored from the anti-life spheres but those should clear up soon. At least that's what I was told. No, I just..."

Deep breath. Deep breath. Okay. Seto's been safe so far. It's okay.

"The monster the guy summoned... it was a Persona like mine, but it was out of control. He busted into our place and his Persona picked her up and... and I don't know if you saw some of the biggest demons there but I got picked up like that and... and my arms were pinned and I just..."

He drops his head to the table with a solid 'thunk', trying not to cry.

Kaiba listens. He hadn't seen much of the battle from his spot on the wall searching for stones, but he's heard bits and pieces. Enough to know that that was bad.

"Resurfaced some awful memories..."

He scoots around the table, leaning a little closer...not touching, but an invite.

"I've been there. You try to forget, most days you can...but it's there when you don't expect it. And you get angry at yourself because you thought you were past that..."

He keeps going, gentle. Unsure.

"You're not alone in that feeling."

Slowly, carefully, he scoots a little closer until he's almost touching Seto. He keeps having to remind himself to breathe.

"... I know I'm not past that. I didn't do what I set out to do." He swallows thickly, closing his eyes. "I couldn't... do much against the demon. I couldn't kill someone when I'd meant to. I couldn't... I can't do a lot of things. ... And I froze up. I've never frozen in a battle before, definitely not since I could summon Nemesis. It's..."

Breathe. In, out.

"It's hard to not feel like... like I'm a failure. I..." He sinks his fingers into his hair, holding his head. "I... I'm scared... if I can't do what I need to do no one will take me seriously..."

Seto finally closes the distance, pressing against Ken's side. It's feather-light, in case he wants to back off. But a feeble attempt at comfort.

"Failing one time doesn't brand you a failure. I've failed in my main goal countless times, but I'm still going for it...because I only need to win once to set things right."

He sighs and gently touches Ken's shoulder, uncertain. "I know it's harder for you, because more is riding on the line...but I promise no one's going to be thinking of you as an idiot compared to some of the spectacular decisions I've seen around here. We're all here to protect and support each other---and you're going to get even stronger."

He leans back, calming slightly. He's not very good with touch, but... he trusts Seto. So it's okay. He's okay.

"I'm... I'm trying. I just... don't really know... what I'm good at. I can fight okay, but I'm..." He cuts himself off. "... I'm trying. I just... a lot of people write me off because of my age. I... I hate it." Not so much here, but at home? Yeah. Even his own team, to some degree. He knows why they don't take him and Koromaru on certain missions, but it doesn't help when he's sitting in the warehouse.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The Will to Fight: Conclusion

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