The Will to Fight: Conclusion

[voidtreckermods]

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!)

Comments

[theimpatientone]

"Myself," she says. "I suppose there is no sense in sharing grief that you aren't as healed as you thought you were, especially when the wounds are too deep to see, but nevertheless, I wish I was able to help more than I was."

Merwen sighs, a little helplessly.

[irrationally]

It must be a tough dilemma. Wanting to help, yet practically being completely unable to do so at the same time. It's not something Alice is running into here, since she has welcomed violence into her life since so very long ago, but she can still imagine that it must be a hard problem to tackle.

Although she does have a solution in mind. And since Merwen doesn't seem to be all that bad, Alice figures it can't hurt to lend a hand.

"How about you go with a team then that doesn't really do any of the fighting? Sure, there was a lot of fighting at the end, but I believe that the blue team was mostly looking out for the people who evacuated the city, and that the orange team was.. ah, I'm not quite sure, but I do believe they were doing something on the walls."

Look, Alice wasn't keeping track. She was just told to smash stuff, and so she did.

"It's not as if fighting or violence is the only talent that has to be brought to the table. Everyone has their role to play. And even if you wouldn't want any role to play, what's so terrible about that? None of us chose this voluntarily. It's your full right to sit out on it." Alice might have done so too, if it wasn't for the fact that fighting is such great stress relief - and for the fact that she has a hero complex deep down that she doesn't like to think about.

[theimpatientone]

"It shares pain with me that there is fighting to be done at all, whether or not I'm involved." Merwen shakes her head. "Even if my team didn't share in the violence, it still happens. People were injured, people died. I think that is something worth mourning."

She sighs and looks up at Alice. "Though I'm sure it sounds like I am sharing nonsense, to you."

[irrationally]

She inhales a breath, and then sighs too.

"I'd call it more a difference in sensitivity."

Though she thinks they may both be extremes in that sense. Alice, so desensitized to violence that it's basically an anger management technique now during missions. And then Merwen, who's too sensitive to violence, to a point where she can't even function on the train.

"But it's going to bring you lots of difficulty, I can say that much. Every mission is like this. And if even you avoiding the fighting won't do anything, I can't see much of a solution for you."

[theimpatientone]

"Neither can I," Merwen says. "It is an unhappy situation."

She shakes her head. "Still, I have no real option other than to try. I can try to share other options, and maybe hope someone cares to share learning. This is not how we would do things on Shora, not at all."

[irrationally]

"I'm not sure how many people would be able to relate."

She has seen many people out on those battlefields, fighting without any care as to the violence being committed. People like her, too hardened by battle to still care - at the surface, anyway.

But..

"This train has a lot of people on it though. Perhaps there is someone out there who understands. We all come from the strangest circumstances, after all. And I can't exactly say it's fun to see you suffer like this either." Aka: Alice cares, even if she's not very good at putting that in as many words in such an open way.

[theimpatientone]

Ah, there's some awkward affection.

It still means something, though. Merwen sighs a little, and tries to offer a smile, to show she understands. "And there is something that shares wisdom, with so many different people here, so many different perspectives. It's just... difficult."

[irrationally]

Difficult may be an understatement, Alice thinks.

But she slightly nods.

"Do you think you will be able to reach some sort of answer?" Or even any kind of solution, since Alice doubts Merwen can just continue as-is and be in this state after every single mission.