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!)

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As people begin the task of packing down the camp, folding tents, gathering equipment and returning everything they might see a figure approach. It is one of the citizens of the city, one who returned from the caverns with the fighters of blue team to fight in the final gate battle.

She's wearing simple leathers and has her cloak hood pulled up over her head, she looks dazed, rather confused and a little unsteady on her feet.

"Excuse m..."

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

Some of the purple and red team came across a small droid in their camp earlier in the week. Some of them may have thought they had contained the tiny saboteur but apparently it is an escape artist because here it is, skittering through the camp, potentially tripping people up.

It makes a beeline for her, clambering up her leg and back until it is sat on her head under the hood, metal limbs holding her face.

She staggers slightly, if anything looking even more confused. But now there is a woman with a droid hat, walking through camp.

(OOC: Anyone is welcome here, you don't have to have met beep boop before to join in here. Forming groups is helpful but feel free to approach alone as well!)

Edited 2021-03-26 05:42 (UTC)

1. Aftermath (try and limit to 4 if telling her to go rest)
[(will do prose as well, whichever works best for you.)

As soon as all of the fighting is done, Willow is exhausted. A lot of her magic has been expended, and although it'll quickly return, she's physically wobbly on her feet. She'll be fine soon, but she's too busy hurrying to others who look like they've been put through the ringer.]

Let me take a look at that, I can heal it. Do you have any injuries elsewhere?

[She really should rest instead of work herself into the ground.]

2. Wildcard
[throw me a wildcard if you have something else in mind]

Edited 2021-03-26 05:32 (UTC)

The Train

Nozomi felt like crap. The fight, the lack of sleep, the lack of food. What tore her up the most was that those demons turned her against the others. If it weren’t for Trunks, she might have hurt someone!

She’s finding the comfiest chair she can find, pulling it close to the doors and going to sulk in it for awhile.

Wildcard

(OoC: Need her for something else? Hit her up for it! :P)

[Knowing that she's one of the better off people post mission, Masumi takes to helping wherever needed, whether it's running supplies to anyone who needs them or just trying to convince people to rest.

But eventually Masumi herself needs to rest, and she doesn't have the energy to drag herself back to her cabin on the train, instead just sitting down somewhere out of the way to get some rest.]

Edited 2021-03-26 09:02 (UTC)

Jessie took a bad fall mid fight and twisted her ankle. And to be honest she's craving a smoke. "Just slipped mid fight.' but its Jessie so she is white fibbing like crazy, others are worse off.

Willow has heard many excuses and attempts to get out of things, so she just sighs and shakes her head.

"Sit. If you are hurt, then allow me to heal you."

It doesn't matter at the moment who has things worse, everyone was getting healed up or so help her.

Jessie sits, she's licked and knows it. But she fishes out her lighter to light up,"I'll aim downwind." she could only offer to Willow.

Vexen is, honestly, not at all surprised at the machine's escape. It seemed a stubborn little thing, but harmless enough that he hadn't bothered contributing to its detainment. What he'd been more interested in was locating its missing person, which it seems to have finally done.

She's not the only one who's seen better days, as Vexen is visibly tired. His black coat hides the damage done to his uniform in the final battle, but fatigue is written into his movements as he approaches the woman with her electronic hat.

"Would you be our new friend's missing companion, then?"

By the end of the fight, Vexen is exhausted. A healing spell deals with the injuries inflicted on him, though not the damage to his clothing. In the time before Red team returns from the far gate, he does his best to keep the tears in the front of his shirt and hoodie aligned so that they hide the severe burn scars on his stomach, but the gashes are large enough that some might see them anyway.

After Red team's return, he's back in his signature black coat, but still lingering around camp. He doesn't enter the town at any point, but he does keep an eye on those coming and going, offering healing or medical attention to anyone who looks like they need it. Of course, he looks like the only thing keeping him from collapsing is sheer stubborn and way too much coffee, so...

[Siebren spends much of the day of the fight in a subdued state. He's exhausted, much like the rest of them, though he has sustained far less battle damage. Attempts at conversation will not get much further than pleasantries, as he does what he can to help pack the camp and make sure the injured are taken to the medical facilities.]

[The subsequent day sees Siebren in a much better mood. He has returned to the city itself and can be found helping however he can: using his gravity powers to move rubble out of the way of renewed construction; ferrying supplies to people who need them; assisting injured city dwellers to find medical care; and on one memorable occasion, looking for missing livestock. Chickens, as it turns out, are crafty bastards; chickens who have survived a demon-infested war zone even more so.]

[He always has time for a teammate, though whether he stops what he's doing to help you or simply ropes you into the task at hand is something of a coin toss.]

(OOC: I'd prefer to have threads mostly on the latter day, unless you've got a good prompt for the former; also, if you're Orange team/were inside the city during the battle, feel free to have your character have seen him as Sigma.)

Ken trudges back to camp, spotting Vexen and pulling off the coat. He hesitates a moment before pulling his hoodie up to hide the ugly blackened patches of skin where the anti-life balls hit him the most. As he approaches he spots the way Vexen is holding his clothing and digs into his bag to pull out a Medicine, folding it into the coat as he continues on.

There's a particularly ugly smell around Ken, something more than the foul stench of the miasma around the demons. As he comes into focus it's clear that there's been at least one step back for Ken - there's more darkness around him than there was before. Frustration. Hopelessness. Pain - a lot of it. Anger, enough to start hollowing him out from the inside, leaving him hurt and blank.

He stumbles slightly as he approaches Vexen, but shoves the coat at him and makes to walk away. He's aware he probably won't get too far, but... well. He has to try.

[Camp]

Ken heads back to the camp along with the others, hood of the black coat he's borrowed flipped up over his head. It doesn't stay there for long though, as it's quickly handed back to Vexen. Any further shuffling around camp is done with his orange hoodie, similarly drawn up over his head.

It takes a bit for them to evacuate, but as soon as they're allowed to Ken does so. Anyone who wants to catch him before might want to move relatively quickly.

[Games Carriage]

He notes the rush towards places like the kitchen and spa and the sleeping quarters in general and decides on a different approach. Anyone entering the games car will find Ken in a corner table as far away from the bustle as possible, looking through his Duel Monsters deck. The tournament's going to be soon... and this is something that he can focus on other than the mission.

He just has to not... fall asleep at the table.

[Dining]

Once the fuss has died down a little Ken does eventually go to get something to eat. He grabs a few sandwiches - not peanut butter this time - and finds an out of the way corner to eat at.

Or... nearly faceplant at. It's a tossup.

[Wildcard]

[???]

I. Morning After - Luggage Car and Train - CW claustrophobia and panic

The luggage car is quiet, first thing in the morning, at the point when the train usually wakes up passengers. That is, until one formerly-dead supersoldier wakes up suddenly in a dark, enclosed place and gives a hoarse, terrified little scream until they manage to batter the lid of the trunk open and prove they are not, in fact, back with HYDRA.

Find them panting, unfortunately naked, pressed to the opposite wall of the luggage car, trying to get over the panic attack from the moment of horror. Or find them digging around in their cabin for clothes, since the train didn't see fit to give them any, as the tac gear is back with the team on the ground. Or find them taking a short, scalding hot shower, or making a quick breakfast in the kitchen car.

II. Emerging - Outside the train

After the shower and meal-- the former making them long desperately for a proper bath and the latter for Misty's mother-henning-- Soldat finds the train's exit and steps out into the thin sunlight. They're all in purple again rather than the kevlar, leather, and canvas from the mission, and their lantern is thankfully not the crushed, broken thing it had been in the demon realm.

They shut their eyes and stand there for a long moment, listening to the noise of a waking city in the distance, smelling the remains of the local battles, and preparing for whatever's down there to deal with next. Hopefully they won.

III. Helping - In the City

Soldat gives the ruins of the city a little prowl to orient themselves, before asking after what building needs to be habitable first and setting about clearing it of rubble and starting to repair the roof. A metal arm and super strength, and memories of construction work in Brooklyn and experience repairing buildings in Beacon, make them good at this sort of work.

Besides, they'd always rather be doing something, and this is tangible work that will help people. Better than killing, even killing demons. One day isn't much, but it's one day where they can help. "Want to toss me that hammer?" they call down to someone passing below. They've got enough planks for the roof, but somehow neglected to bring the tool to fix them in place.

Well. They could just use the metal hand, but it's seen enough work this week, and there are tools.

I. After the fight

Senku was tired, less from actual combat although he'd managed to do some of that too - but it was lingering, clinging fatigue from the negative results to his experiment early on and for some reason having his mind taken over wasn't all that fun.

It bothered him.

However, Gen got hurt and that wasn't alright either. He would probably spend some time looking after him.

II. Who needs sleep?

It didn't look like Senku rested at all, which was a good guess. He hadn't. He did, however, head back out into the city once he was satisfied that Gen was going to be fine to do some help.

He looked like he wasn't paying attention so much to what he was doing, which was scooping up debris and moving it. He was also ignoring the fact his body was being pushed to the limits. He was thinking.

III. Back on the train

Once they were all getting back on the train, Senku made no movements to stop moving. He didn't sit down, he didn't give into exhaustion, he just kept going.

He could be found in the kitchen, working on chocolate finally. When he ran out of chores there, he could be found making bone knives in the training gym.

Senku probably looked like he could be knocked over with a feather by then, but he also didn't seem like he was slowing down any.

[Yondu's helped this one particular family get their things back home. A child followed him most of the way back and now he knows this child's whole life story. He likes the color blue. He likes dogs. He made Yondu hold his stuffed dog for twenty minutes before he wanted it back. He wanted Yondu to carry him instead for ten. Then he went to sleep and he gave him back to his mama.]

[And now it is time for a break. It's not moving rocks, but the child and moving the family's things have sapped the dead last of the energy out of him. He's not so giving that he didn't take a chance to ask the father for a few drinks to put in his rucksack since the train is so short on them.]

[So he's just leaving and watching a giant man chasing a chicken. A few days ago Yondu wouldn't even bother and sent Madoka to the task. Now he easily puts his foot out and shoos it back towards the coop.]

Looks like you're havin' fun, Stretch.

[He leans against the railing to the coop, reaches into his rucksack and offers a beer towards him.]

'Cmon. Take a minute off. Ever'body needs a breather, even if they tell the laws of physics to fuck off on the regular.

That stench is indeed worrying. While his nose is nowhere near as sharp as Ienzo's, he's gotten quite familiar with the scent of Ken's darkness...and as he looks at the boy, he confirms his suspicions. It doesn't look the same as when they first met, but the darkness around his heart has deepened since the start of this mission. He takes the coat in one arm, the one where his sleeve is covered in punctures and small tears, and reaches out with the other to grab Ken by the shoulder.

"You don't plan to run off on your own in that state, do you?"

He stiffens at the touch, taking a deep breath so he doesn't snap. He doesn't want to go off on Vexen, of all people.

"It's fine." His voice is hoarse, injured from his yelling. "I'm not hurt." As long as his hood isn't pulled down...

[ a-Qing has had an exciting day; it'll take a good few hours for the adrenaline to wear off and her limbs to stop their tremors. But until then, she grabs Willow's wrist before she can lunge for another person. ]

Still trying to work? Big sis, no one will care if you sleep first.

Edited 2021-03-26 09:08 (UTC)

Yondu had heard by the time he runs into Soldat, but he hadn't seen him yet. It's when he sees them up on a roof, working away like nothing happened, just helpin' like nothin' at all went wrong.

Seems like somethin' they'd do.

"Sure, Hero..." Yondu calls back up, picks up the hammer, and rather than tossing it up to them he pulls out his arrow, holds it up, and straight-up Mary Poppins's it up onto that roof. Better privacy up here.

He offers out the hammer once he's situated.

"Hey uh... thought I should say somethin'. I'm real lucky the train brought ya back. Shouldn'ta give you such a rough time before." Because it's been decades since anyone put so much effort as Soldat has into his being his friend. Even if he lets them down eventually, it's only right to acknowledge that Soldat's done better than most.

She's used to not entering cities in the aftermath by now. Enough worlds have big 'WE DON'T SERVE SPIDERS' signs that she isn't even surprised when she sleepily bounces off a ward outside the gates.

Fine. It's not like we saved you or anything! It's totally fine!

She could just go back to the train, but... There's cool plant stuff happening, and people are coming and going. Wouldn't it be a shame to just go back inside on a free day?

It's with a mixture of exhaustion and spite that she begins spinning and casting, thin pillars of rock and sheets of soft, insulating silk slowly forming a large, pavilion-like tent far enough from the walls that the wards don't make her eyes wobble. Close enough to the train that its facilities aren't a trek away.

Inside, she makes the comfiest bed she can think of, pauses, makes it much bigger, until the tent is just one big bed and a pile of blankets, and then promptly passes out in the middle of it. She wakes once, to spirit a pile of snacks and a stack of comics out beside her, and then continues to lounge.

'DEMON' HOUSE, reads the banner outside the tent. NO HUMANS ALLOWED.

Edited 2021-03-26 08:59 (UTC)

Otoha is there outside the train, soaking in the fresh air - and then he spots Soldat. He looks to his bag on the ground, Soldat's gear tied to it. Thanatos had grabbed the bag, since... roommates. He takes a deep breath, and then another, before approaching Soldat. There's an anger in his expression - he really wants to punch the other man, but he doesn't want to trigger anything.

Outside of his armor he's strong, but Soldat has the advantage in sheer strength over speed.

Instead he reaches out to grab the other's arm, just staring him down for a moment as his grip tightens.

"... Don't." His voice is quiet and almost shaking. "Don't you dare do that again." He swallows hard and takes another deep breath. "I can't lose someone else."

Entrapta's sitting cross-legged in the middle of one of her hair chairs, working on a map of theoretical irrigation systems the city might be able to use in the future, oil lamp held up by a lock of hair (She is not at all scared by this) and working by late light.

She sees Senku passing, and offers a "Hi, Senku!" with surprising late-night energy. To her credit, it's less energy than usual, but it's still there.

Then adds a, "Oh! When I was in the towers there was a room that had number puzzles. You were off conducting mystery experiments so I knew I couldn't show them to you, so I wrote them down and saved them in case you'd want to try for fun."

A good friend thinks of their pals when they see number puzzles, right? Never mind asking about their well-being. If he wants her to know he'll tell her. She pulls her journal out of her hoodie pocket with two big locks of hair and tears a page out of it. All the while her hands stay busy.

Casper pauses as he passes the tent and tentatively knocks. "Um. I look human but I'm not really fully human. Am I allowed?"

He's fine if not, he just... wants to know.

Casper spotted Senku from afar and headed over, vaguely ambling towards Senku. He finally managed to catch up to Senku, watching him for a minute. Wordlessly, he held out a water bottle to the other. Take a break for a second, Senku.

There's a sign, bro. But she lifts her head, pushing hair from her eyes to squint at the tent door. How is he making that sound with his hand.

"Dunno," she grumps. "Do the wards hate you?"

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Page 1 of 100

The Will to Fight: Conclusion

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Willow | OTA

Nozomi | OTA

Masumi Sera | OTA

Re: Willow | OTA

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Siebren will be along later

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Siebren | OTA

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Ken Amada (AU) | OTA

Bucky/Soldat | OTA

Senku Ishigami | OTA

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bagsies a rest slot

III. Helping - In the City

calling all demons left outside in the cold smh

II

II. Who needs sleep?

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II

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