voidtreckermods: (train)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] middleofsomewhere2021-05-09 06:48 am

What their Eyes See: Start

"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.
so_dark_a_road: (many secrets of craft)

Preparation

[personal profile] so_dark_a_road 2021-05-16 08:40 pm (UTC)(link)
In the dressing carriage, Senku will meet Curufin, who is dressed entirely in black, black leather jacket, black shirt, slim black pants, and black boots. He looks like a biker. He's just finished collecting his tools and stashing them in his rucksack.

"Senku? Ready for this mission?
10billionpercent: (Neutral)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-05-17 12:27 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, I think so." Senku said, looking less like a biker maybe, and more like himself, or at least some kind of version of the clothes he wore at home that were ambiguously gendered, but much more comfortable. Minus the boots, they were going to be a pain.

"Did you get a bundle of food? I made plenty for orange team, and of course, anyone else who needs it."
so_dark_a_road: (among the contending princes)

[personal profile] so_dark_a_road 2021-05-19 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
"I haven't collected food yet. I'll have go to the kitchen and do that as soon as I'm finished stashing my tools. Thanks for cooking, Senku! You've done it often in the past, and your dishes always taste great."

He observes Senku's clothing. "You've chosen an interesting outfit, and it seems to suit you."
Edited 2021-05-20 02:10 (UTC)
10billionpercent: (Avoiding Emotions)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-05-20 10:21 pm (UTC)(link)
"I made some fish jerky this time, some onigiri and bread of course for the emergency food kits, in case people get separated from people who have the meals on them, apart from that it's stir fry and rice, or fish curry and rice. We're out of bear meat so we're back to whatever the train provides for now." Senku hummed thoughtfully. "But it should be pretty tasty."

All of that was relatively easy to make, but when you're making enough to feed roughly forty people or so for a week, it had to be.

"Ah, yeah, I'd wear it without the shorts but I think people might find it too short if I did that. My usual clothes are longer." He hummed. "I'm just fussy about fabrics touching some parts of my body. This isn't too bad though." He wasn't going to apologize for his unconventional fashion choices. He was way too old to care about that.
so_dark_a_road: (rainy day in the forest)

[personal profile] so_dark_a_road 2021-05-21 03:27 pm (UTC)(link)
"That all sounds delicious," said Curufin, nodding.

"I think that's a good choice of outfit, and if it makes you happy, who could object?" Conventional or unconventional, what did it matter?

"So, any thoughts about the mission, from the train's description?"
10billionpercent: (Sentimental)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-05-21 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"Not anyone I've met in a long time." Senku chuckled lightly. "I wouldn't care if they did. I've reached the point in my life where I'm pretty much going to do what I want and if they have a problem with it, well, sounds like that's their problem."

He considered the latter question with a tap of his fingers to his hip. He had a tendency to do that when he was thinking.

"Well, it definitely sounds like something's going on, considering there's problems with some kind of game and the information hub. I'd guess that might be connected at a first glance, with how computers work. The murders throw me a little bit. And a fighting ring..." Senku hummed lightly. "The description alone suggests this is going to be a light, but localized mission for the teams but I can't guess how true that is. Part of me wonders why they need us."
so_dark_a_road: (Default)

[personal profile] so_dark_a_road 2021-05-23 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
Curufin laughed softly as well. "We have that in common, we do what we want to do, and if anyone has an issue with that, then it's their problem."

He nodded. "Something's going on with that planet, all right. And if it's a computer-related problem, then I, too, wonder why they need us. Don't they have experts of their own? They must. But we've experienced some pretty strange missions, and murders and fighting rings just advertise the strangeness. Well, we're about to find out. And considering the vision I had a few days ago, I wouldn't be surprised if the problem on the planet had something to do with illusions."
10billionpercent: (Avoiding Emotions)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-05-23 02:41 am (UTC)(link)
"People have far too many things to worry about over my fashion choices." He smirked slightly. "And so they should."

"You would think especially if it's a high tech place, there should be local experts but what troubles me is that none of the tiers seem to be related? I don't know. It's a sense I'm getting. We won't know more until later, but from the basic instructions...something feels off."

He couldn't put his finger on it. He was tempted to tell Curufin about his own warning, but they were going to play that close to the vest for the moment. He might explain it later, if something came to fruition.

"I'm not sure I heard much about your vision, but illusions again? We just had that." Senku blinked. "We're definitely going to play it careful then." His experiment would wait until the end of their time there, and he had a new tool to help with that.
so_dark_a_road: (by the laws of our people)

[personal profile] so_dark_a_road 2021-05-24 09:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Curufin chuckled. "Your fashion choices won't cause anyone death or injury, which is more than I can say for some of the other choices we Voidtreckers have to make."

"I read the train's description of the tiers, and I had the same feeling as you did. Something is off."

If Senku received a warning of some sort, Curufin would like to hear about it, even if later. As a receiver of prophetic visions, he's always interested in those of others.

"My vision included the occurance of an illusion, which was one of my memories. Before I could react, I woke up. We've had visionary events before on the train, and I'm thinking I may have missed one while I was gone from the train. But yes, we'll see. And we'll be as careful as we can."
10billionpercent: (Huh?)

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-05-25 07:23 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, can't pinpoint it. Usually the tiers are all linked together so either we don't know the link or there isn't one, and both of those are concerning prospects." Senku responded as he thought more about what he didn't like.

"You didn't." He shook his head. "We stopped at that world to send messages to loved ones through some rocks that are made of the same thing the train is." He pressed his lips together.

"If someone else had a vision, I don't know about it. I'll admit, it's not something I'm terribly aware of in general." He'd been pretty busy leading up to the mission too.
so_dark_a_road: (they came in the dead of winter)

Want to wrap this thread?

[personal profile] so_dark_a_road 2021-05-26 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
"I'd describe that as concerning, too." Curufin couldn't pinpoint the reason for his unease, but the tier links or lack thereof might be one cause.

"Oh, right. And you've already told me about having samples of those rocks that are made of train-material. You were going to test them in various ways and see what you could learn."

"I guess visions aren't your thing. Of course, they don't have to be, since you have so much else going for you in the way of knowledge and skill."
Edited 2021-05-26 03:59 (UTC)
10billionpercent: (I Sense A Plot)

Yeah, they'll catch up later, as we know! :D

[personal profile] 10billionpercent 2021-05-26 07:48 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's right, although with a densely populated world that doesn't seem very likely for this place." He sighed softly. "Next mission I suppose."

"I'm not sure about visions, I have no aptitude in that area. I'll trust your expertise." He smiled. "I don't mind following your lead on that."