What their Eyes See: Start

[voidtreckermods]

"Good Morning Voidtreckers, today is day five of the month of Llama." The voice echoes through the train as passengers wake up in their beds. Not long afterwards their SCA’s glow with the colour of the void and a holographic image will appear.

Preperation and Arrival

As usual they have a couple of hours before arrival to ready themselves for the mission ahead. As promised the dressing carriage is open for them to find suitable clothing. Trench coats, a lot of leather, a lot of black with neon colours thrown in here and there. There is a lot of choice in a variety of sizes so everyone is bound to find something to fit. Hopefully something they like, though some passengers may be more comfortable with the fashion choices than others.

A couple of hours after the announcement of the mission the voice speaks again. "Shortly arriving in system #93426194992. Arriving in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." The train shakes as it leaves the void, colours fading to be replaced to a grey thick smog outside the windows.

The train bumps slightly as it hits rails, snaking its way towards the city before entering a tunnel. A few moments and they come to a stop, the doors open onto a platform. Stepping out into the station the first thing to hit them is noise, it sounds like there are ten different advertisements blaring, someone or something is playing loud music. There's a lot of flashing signs, screens with advertisements, bright lights that change colour for no real apparant reason. Heavy on the senses as they make their way to the gates.

They will find that their SCAs allow them through the barriers and into the wider train station, which is somehow even louder. It is busy as well, people hurrying from place to place. There are signs declaring this to be Tier Three, Home of Manufacturing. as well as signs pointing the way to lifts, to take them to other tiers.

Tier One

Mapping

For those travelling up to tier one the first thing they will notice when they leave the lift is, it is a lot quieter up here. Peaceful even, there are people around, all looking official and busy. None will pay the Voidtreckers any mind unless they are acting particularly suspicious.

The air feels better here, probably because the whole tier is encased with a dome that they will be able to see as they enter, coming from a lift near the edge of the tier. The buildings are all harsh dark metal, almost uniform in design. The streets are clean and there has been an attempt at greenery with some shrubs and simple plants.

The buildings all need to be accessed using their SCA's. Their SCA maps show them where the buildings are but give no information about them, nor do they have maps of inside. Once the voidtreckers enter they will find that their maps fill in as they explore.

There are plenty of different buildings, offices, labs and meeting rooms. There are also a lot of security staff and anyone acting too suspiciously will be approached and questioned. Hopefully they have a plan, blend in or sneak around.

Flickers

Sometimes though that is a little harder, they might enter a room to find themselves on their old street, in a world they have visited before on the train or somewhere else that is decidedly not here. These illusions get more common as time goes on and people will begin seeing the illusions of others or find the two scenes merging together.

Voidtreckers who are immune to illusions will not see these strange visions and those who are particularly strong willed will be able to fight them off. Once people know they are illusions they can focus through them to see reality even if it is overlaid with what their minds want to see. It will take a lot of concentration to stay focused and get an accurate map.

Tier Two

A Mystery

The lift here brings them out into a glass covered corridor. Outside the glass the air is thick with smog but the filtration systems means that the air seems fine inside, especially with their SCA's helping out. Outside the tunnels they will be able to see the lights of hovercars zipping around and the silhouettes of buildings. Office blocks and large houses make up this sector. Large billboards blare out advertisements at all hours, neon lights shining through the smog.

The atmosphere of the sector is one of fear, people hurry about their business, keeping an wary eye on their surroundings. The newcomers won't get too much scrutiny but people are likely to be very wary if approached or questioned.

But they will talk once they guage them to not be a threat. Murders. Six people dead, from inside their own houses. Locked doors, security systems, all for nothing. Is it a serial killer? But the reports suggested an animal attack? From what animals?

Getting access to the houses will take some negotiating or breaking and entering. The bodies themselves have been cleared by law enforcement, caution tape still up to keep out any nosy public.

The rooms the bodies were found in were all rooms that used holograms as decoration and the voidtreckers will realise when they enter them that these holograms seem a lot more realistic than some of the others they might have seen in their stay in the sector so far.

Creatures

As they talk to people, or overhear gossip they will hear more about animal attacks. Someone swears they saw a lion prowling the streets. A hovercar crashed and the driver swore they had been attacked by an eagle. Neither of those creatures live in the city. Neither of those creatures exist on this world anymore.

But the Voidtreckers will quickly learn there is something to these rumours, especially as dark falls, the feeling they are being hunted. A paw tread, a tail disappearing around a corner. As days go on they may get attacked by a bear, a tiger or perhaps a creature from their own world, one that should not exist here at all...

Tier Three

A Crisis

Leaving the station brings them into crowded streets, air thick with smog, Up above them is the floor of the plate above, set with bright lights to offset the lack of natural light getting through. Billboards and screens blare advertisements, traders yell their wares. Life is fast and swirls around them as they step out into the streets.

Here also there is an air of worry. The talk is all of Spectura, kids unconcious after playing video games, hospital overflowing. Spectura's fault, there are calls for accountability, claims of sabotage. No person gives the same story and it becomes clear that most people don't know what has happened but almost everyone knows someone who has been affected. Fear, blame, tensions are high.

But life must go on, the factories never stop, people can't not work and with so many people unconscious people have to pick up the slack. The whole sector feels at breaking point.

If they try and buy Spectura systems they will not be stopped though they will need to sign a waiver, to take on all responsibility for what might happen to them if they go into the system.

Spectura


There are a whole range of games to look through, though the two most popular ones where the majority of players can be found are an open-world farming MMO called AgriTopia VI Ultimate, with bright landscapes and calming diegetic music, and Aegis Force, a tournament team shooter with short battle scenarios and smaller maps.

Those entering the system will fall unconscious in the real world and as they enter the problem will be pretty obvious straight away. Red vines, covering everything, tangling trees, creeping up buildings, coming straight for them to attack.

Anyone who gets overwhelmed by them will be stuck, unable to move or progress. It is possible to fight them off and for those voidtreckers who have faced the vines before they will find their soothing powers will work here as well.

People are tangled throughout many different games and once they are freed will need some help to find the next save point or exit. They need to help plant the final hundred potatoes, or team up to take down the level boss or solve the next puzzle, keep the vines away and free as many people as they can.

Tier Four

A Way In

As they leave the lifts they will find this tier is dark, dim lighting barely penetrating the smog. Homes are makeshift and all on top of each other. The streets are crowded, loud and people don't stop to chat. It is incredibly claustrophobic, with large support columns, exposed wires and large pipes running alongside and over the 'roads'.

Here there are plenty of stores selling anything and everything, certainly not above board. Credits are sometimes accepted but more often store keepers will prefer to trade in barters, food is popular. Anything that isn't nutri slime or the even worse unbranded basic version.

Bars and other seedy establishments are open all hours, neon signs beckoning. It is here that they will find the entry points to the fighting rings.

People don't talk about it openly but you look big enough, mean enough or dramatic enough then it will be slipped into conversation. Have you heard? Winners get a dream come true.

The fights are a mix of one on one and group fights. All terms are negotiated before hand with an overseer and fights are to the yield. The crowd wants a show and so dramatics are encouraged.

What was that?

The rumours about people going berserk are spoken in whispers. No one really knows what has gone on. A few fights have gotten out of control, a couple of fighters broke down after fights, at least one has quit for good. Most spoken about is The Crimson Fist. The best fighter in the ring who two days prior just left. Left the city with no protective gear, no word to anyone. No one knows what happened to them.

As the voidtreckers get further into their fights they will begin to realise something strange is going on. That opponent you are facing? They now look like your worst enemy, or perhaps your best friend, your lover. Sometimes you're no longer in the city but in a place of fond memories or your worst nightmares. Fights can very quickly go south when your opponent believes you their greatest foe.

Advancing the ranks now seems like it might be more difficult than first it appeared.

Comments

Ken Amada (AU) | Red on Blue | OTA

[miseris_socios]

[Prep]

Ken's read over the missions and... ugh. A kid at a fight club would draw attention, even if he were allowed to fight. And a spear is a weapon that's hard to hide, and he's no good at hand to hand...

Something else, then.

He settles on Blue's mission, looking through the clothes in Dressing to try to find something that'll fit in. He doesn't have much of a sense for fashion, but he's not a bright colors person outside of the orange. He pulls out a dark jacket that looks like it could be a school jacket and a darker orange shirt, pairing it with some dark pants and somewhat more sensible boots.

The rest of packing is easy - he stuffs food and supplies into his bag, his Evoker shoved where he can find it easily but it's not a visible shape from the outside. He briefly considers taking the Suppresors with him, listening to Nemesis whir angrily. It's easy to stumble on him staring at a bottle of pills, muttering under his breath.


[Landing]

That settled, Ken gets ready to land with everyone else - and starts coughing into his jacket when they do. The air here is worse than the busiest street in Tatsumi Port Island on a hot summer day, and he immediately pulls his shirt up over his mouth a little to filter the air slightly. He starts heading after the blue team, but he's got a moment to chat if someone needs.


[Interlude]

Sure, he's aware of the mission. He's aware of the fact that people on this level don't have much, either. He's not going to take a lot... but when someone is busy with a clerk at a store Ken clocks where the security cameras are and finds a blind spot. It helps that he's grabbed a face mask to cover most of his face, obscuring most of his features.

It's mostly essentials he stuffs into his bag over the course of a few stores - there's not really candy bars, but he'll shove in tape, scissors, some random magazine with the Spectura printed on it, a ball of string for some unknown reason... other passengers might catch him doing this - or maybe they're the one keeping the shopkeeper busy.


[Setting Up]

Ken flops on the floor of their rented room, staring at the ceiling. He doesn't care if the floor is dirty - he's slept on worse. He's not so great with tech, so he's leaving it to the others to get the systems up and running. Nemesis is whirring uneasily, and Ken turns his head to look at the motley group.

... He doesn't like the looks of most of them either, but this is the team he's picked for this mission. He'll make do. He tracks anyone who gets too close to him, just being aware of them in his space.


[Game On]

Ken doesn't stick to just one game. For the shooting game, he's not got a lot of experience in shooting anything, but this is a game - there's some aiming assistance built in. It doesn't much matter though - these stupid red vines aren't responding to a lot. Some well-placed shots free a few people, and he's really frustrated that he doesn't just have Nemesis with him... tch.

The farming game is a lot easier - he cuts through some of the vines with determination and sharp objects, at one point just flat out grabbing some things and setting a fire so he can use torches to drive the vines back.

He hops through a few other games, including a fantasy game with a variety of different races, a soccer game where he ends up kicking a ball into vines over and over until they release people, and at one point a fighting game where he finally gets to have a spear again, electricity sparking off of it as he jabs it into a vine.

Interlude

[sos_pilot]

Once Ken's got his pockets full and gets out of the sore, he'll run right smack into Della - and judging by her expression, she's clearly seen what he did.

She doesn't say anything right off the bat. Just raises an eyebrow, waiting to see if he'll explain himself.

[miseris_socios]

He shrugs a little bit. "Only have so much in money. We need some supplies."

He'll save money for things like food or stuff to do with the investigation. He's not taking things like food.

[sos_pilot]

"A lot of people need them." Della pointed out, gesturing around them. "Dunno if you noticed, but the classes here are super divided and super unfair."

[miseris_socios]

“I noticed. I can’t really get up to the other levels though, can I?” He’s got shit to do.

[sos_pilot]

"No, but you can help the people here." So she's not against stealing, per say...

[miseris_socios]

"If you could get me up top fast, maybe..."

[sos_pilot]

"Focus on here and now, buddy." Della pointed downward. "There are people HERE who could need this stuff more than we do."

[miseris_socios]

He gives her the stinkeye for a moment before turning towards the store.

"'m keeping the magazine."

game on

[happyends]

Madoka does spot Ken at work while she's in the farming game as well. It's hard to not notice him, after all - even though his methods may be a little.. rough around the edges (look, she's certainly fussing when she spots a fire!), she realises that he's working hard to help out and do his part.

Which is why she can't help but approach him after a little while, when she's cleared out her own little section she was working on.

"Um.. Do you need some help with the vines?" Not that he doesn't look like he's got it covered, but Madoka figures two people can work faster than one person.

And she still has her powers to help with the vines from the other mission.

[miseris_socios]

“If you can get them to back off, yeah!” He kicks at a vine creeping towards his foot. “They’re really persistent, and I can’t find a source for them to dig out, either!”

He growls as one grabs his wrist, yanking him towards some other vines.

[happyends]

"Don't worry-- here, look!"

Madoka quickly rushes the last few steps over to him, covering the remaining distance between the two of them. She reaches out to the vines, and for some odd reason they seem to stop tugging on Ken when Madoka's hands land on them.

A moment later they even start to pull back entirely, releasing the boy, as they start to shrink back to their origin.

She realises how odd that most likely must look to him, so she figures she ought to explain.

"Um, I've dealt with these things before.. That's why." She gives him a slightly sheepish smile. "Are you okay?" With the way those things were tugging on him.. Madoka would have been scared if it had been her!

[miseris_socios]

... Well that's not fair. He glares at the vines as they retreat, trying to soften his severe expression as he looks back at Madoka.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've faced things that look a lot scarier than these things." Some Shadows are just gross to look at. "If we follow them all the way back to the roots, do you think we can maybe burn it or get rid of it?"

[happyends]

Despite his age, Madoka instantly believes his claim about having faced things scarier than this. After all, she has faced things scarier than these vines as well. So she just nods, even though she feels a little sorry for him that he had to deal with that..

Though she's trying to not focus on that too hard right now. Instead she focuses on the mission in front of them right now, and starts walking.

"Let's go see!" All they have to do is follow the vines back to their root, right? "I'm sure that as long as we find out where they're coming from, we can find a way to get rid of them together."

[miseris_socios]

"If you can keep them off of us long enough, we might be able to find it. I mean... we've got farming tools, right?" Hoes aren't just good for bashing things with.

[happyends]

"Uh-huh. Though I'm not sure if I can calm them all at once.."

After all, there do seem to be quite a few of these vines in some locations. And Madoka - unfortunately, in this case - only has two arms and two hands. That means there's only so many vines she can get to back off at once.

"Do you think you can give me some backup with those farming tools..?" That might just make it work. If he holds off the parts she can't handle, then she can work on driving them back, bit by bit.

Not that she knows Ken well, but.. they're both here on this mission. There's no way she's going to assume he's here to do anything but his best.

[miseris_socios]

"Yeah. These things are stupid." He turns the hoe around and uses it to stab into the vine. He seems much more comfortable with it that way.

"How come you can make them fall back?" And why can't he do that?

Setting up

[myblueskies]

"Are you ready, Ken?"

Romeo hadn't got too close and he flops down too to sit nearby. This world was a very strange one and he's a bit nervous about going into the game, since everyone hadn't woken up.

But this was their job, so they had to be brave. He knew Ken was brave, so that wasn't a problem at all!

[miseris_socios]

"I think so." He fiddled with the visor and shrugged. "It's like the games in the game car, right? Just more advanced. Which game are you going with first?"

... He could make a guess, but he was trying to make conversation.

[myblueskies]

"I think so!" Except no one had ever got trapped in the games in the games car.

It would be alright though, they were going with lots of brave and strong people!

"I think I might try the farming one. I never really fought with a gun before." Or with any weapons at all. He's not sure how well he would do even in a game!

"How about you?"

[miseris_socios]

"I haven't used a gun, but I use other weapons... I might switch between them, if I can. There's a few other games too... I might check them just in case people need help."

Also because between guns and farming, there's nothing in either game that personally interests him.

[myblueskies]

"Yes it looks like there's lots of different games! I wonder if there is one with football. My friend Joss once had a football game on the computer."

If they could help people and play football, that might be something they were both better at.

[miseris_socios]

"I think I saw one... there's soccer multiplayer games where I'm from, I know that." He sighs and takes a deep breath.

"It'll take a while to do this. Make sure you use the bathroom before you go in."

[myblueskies]

"I will." He grinned, "You too!" It was a smart thing to think about.

"Good luck! Though I think you will do really well and we will manage to help everyone!"

[miseris_socios]

"Yeah, we will. ... Oh, drink some water too. Staring at a screen for a while can give you a headache... being dehydrated will make it worse." He may or may not have experience with this.