middleofsomewhere | What their Eyes See: Start

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Being pulled down does startle Tidus some, but it's better than the sound of swooping that pasts by their heads, loud in their ears, Tidus not seeing anything until he manages to pull himself back up and the light that shines from Inigo's blade illuminates the street.

There was no being subtle now - but then, the large winged eye flapping in place only so it can turn back to them is far from inconspicuous. Tidus stares at it, stunned in a second of confusion that's dispelled with Inigo's call, and as the fiend - the fiend - wraps it wings back around itself in that called-out rebound.

There's no time to exchange anything else, the fiend swift in its sweep in, this time attempting to knock into them full force. It may be thinking they'll try ducking again, but there's a chance they have with both their blades if they're quick enough; Gibbers inside his blade to activate its water-element, and Tidus slashes out before it can hopefully get its knock in.

Inigo is way too focused on their enemy to notice Tidus's reaction to it. For now he just wants to make sure that there's absolutely no repeat of earlier. He won't just be standing there again as Tidus gets hurt, or he'll never be able to forgive himself for it.

Which is why Inigo stands there right alongside Tidus, slashing with his own sword at the creature at the same time. He only quickly sidesteps when he realise they're practically in the perfect position to both hit one of the creature's wings on each side.

And they do get the hits in, just in time. The creature now barrels past them through the gap between the two of them, crashing down onto the ground.

Without hesitation Inigo runs over towards the creature, stabbing his sword straight into the thing's eye, hoping it'll be enough to make it fully stop moving.

(Why does it have an eye that big? Why only one? Inigo has so many questions, but look, taking care of this thing takes priority.)

why so jugmental, Inigo.

There's a reason for that giant eye - a reason that Inigo won't be able to ponder upon, where an exchange happens just as his sword comes to plummet into the giant target. The eye flashes, bright a burning, a spell of confusion inflicted on the one within its sight. The fiend still screeching, batting its wings, hoping the attack will be enough to throw off Inigo's sense of what he's doing.

"Inigo!" --but he isn't the only one jumping in, missing the immediate beam of the light but jumping in with his blade to stab, eyes squeezed tightly as he sinks in his sword too, shoving it in deeper and deeper until all he has is the hilt to hold onto.

There's a few upsides and downsides going on in this scenario.

The upside: the force of their combined swords hitting that thing right in the eye is enough to make the creature stop. It screeches loudly in pain, flapping its wings wildly, but then it just remains still on the ground, no longer moving, defeated.

The downside: that doesn't mean the spell just instantly wears off. In fact, it doesn't even seem to have time to kick in until after the creature stops moving, since it's then that Inigo just lets go of the hilt of his sword, leaving the blade buried in the thing's corpse for now.

The upside: this means Inigo isn't attacking with his sword, at the very least..

The downside: .. but it does mean that Inigo has opted to choose physical force instead in his state of confusion, most likely unable to tell that the creature is already done for - and also unable to tell that Tidus isn't one of those creatures he has to fight either. Not right away, anyway.

Which means that he suddenly throws his full body weight against Tidus, aiming to knock the other down to the ground and then try to punch him once he's got him there.

Tidus is relieved to watch as the fiend stops moving, giving his sword one last jam-in until he feels secure in yanking it out. It's real, whatever it is, but as Tidus is trying to wonder how a fiend like this could show up, he realises fairly quickly what's wrong here: the body hasn't disappeared.

And then he's getting thrown to the ground. --wait, what?

There's a yelp as it happens, his sword clattering to the ground with him. What thoughts Tidus had about checking on Inigo after that light had been maayybe pushed to the back of his head, not really remembering what the eyeball thing could do. But Inigo wasn't turned to stone, so it couldn't have been that bad, right?!

Alas, no; there's a tussle going on here as Tidus works to keep this from turning into a fisticuffs session, trying to grab Inigo's hands still.

"Inigo Inigo INIGO--opppfh!" No, okay, Inigo got a jab in there. "I-Inigo, it's me! We took it down! It's cool! Close your eyes and count to ten!"

Will that be any help? No, but Tidus doesn't know how to cure mind games, and he doesn't want to get punched again!!!

Inigo doesn't seem quite as invested in stopping these punches. Apparently the words don't seem to mean much to him at all - either that, or he just doesn't even hear them, much too singlemindedly focused on fighting this enemy.

Which means he's most certainly not counting to ten, nor closing his eyes. He just keeps trying to move his fists, but with the way Tidus is trying to stop them, they're very much trying to look like a bunch of elementary school kids fighting on the playground.

Just a bit more oversized than that.

Especially since Inigo gets more and more frustrated at having his fists grabbed after getting in a punch, which means he's just starting to slap at Tidus's hands now.

This is a very normal and mature display, especially right next to a fiend corpse.

the girls are fiiiiiighting

How can he stop this?! This is definitely a battle Tidus is losing when he doesn't even want to slap his friend. But this was Yuna and Lulu's forte, not his, those magic...cool know-it-alls!!

"S-stop it! Heyyyyy!" Tidus is whining no, even more than before. Hissing between his teeth, he goes for the only next plan he has in mind. Only one.

He shoves his hands and arms forward, trying to- "hhhhUG!"

To yes, hug, even while declaring it like a special attack, seeing if he can stop Inigo from squirming and hopefully not just knocking the back of his nogging like this.

"Inigo!! Hug me too!"

This is the stupidest, goofiest idea ever. He's desperate okay!!

Somehow it's the stupidest idea that actually ends up working.

Sure, Inigo still squirms at first, and for a moment it seems like Tidus is going to have to struggle right here in this hug.

But the his movements suddenly seem to calm down, all the way until Inigo stops moving, instead just.. sitting there in the hug. It's as if his brain is taking a few moments to process something while he looks kind of blank, but then he puts his arms around Tidus too.

Right. Hugging. Was he supposed to hug Tidus? Tidus just told him that, right?

.. huh?

Inigo doesn't let go, but he sure does blink rapidly in confusion.

"Tidus, why are we hugging?"

Listen, he doesn't mind, but as he snaps out of his state of confusion, Inigo apparently has no idea what just happened. Which means his memories go from stabbing the fiend right to hugging Tidus here on the floor.

He should have tried this move on Yuna back in Spira......and gotten murdered by Kimahri or Lulu, probably.

(Okay, everyone, but those two are scarier than Wakka!)

There's nothing for a while, or rather a whole lot more nothing compared to what Inigo was doing (and could be doing). Unresponsive in his arms, Tidus's head over a shoulder, squeezing him more like a kid would a favourite teddy bear than a person. But hey, Inigo likes hugs, right?!! And Tidus likes not getting beat up, even if it's the less meanest way to be fighting.

But then arms come around him - safe arms! - and as the question follows in a dazed confusion, Tidus sighs with the relief that rolls through his entire body. Yes!

"Oh. You know. Just glad we're okay."

That's easy enough explanation, right? He'll give Inigo a good ol' pat pat and then loosen his embrace, pulling away so he can look back to where that fiend is.

"That thing...that's from Spira!"

Hey, being glad they're okay is a very Inigo reason to hug, yes, but not a very Tidus reason! (Or so Inigo thinks, anyway, until Tidus ends up latching onto him and Taiki later this mission, for the exact reason he's speaking aloud now.)

But any fussing or questioning he could have done melts away like snow under the sun the moment Tidus mentions that other thing. Inigo's eyes grow wider, dropping his arms back to his side, and glancing in the direction of the odd.. single eyed.. bat thing. Whatever it was.

"From Spira?"

It'd be more surprising if they hadn't seen the Risen already, but it still makes it weird.

"First there was the Risen, then Roland said he saw things from his world, and now something from Spira.." .. what is going on here?

No, more importantly--

"Does everything in Spira look this weird?!"

Priorities.

"Yup." He's not even going to argue it. Was everything weird? Absolutely. "Weird, ugly, and annoying. But fiends...they're supposed to disappear! Like floaty little lights going bye-bye."

And Tidus even makes wiggling motions with his fingers heading upward. Just like that!

"They're not animals. They're just pyreflies! Pretty bad copy if you ask me."

...wait. Give Tidus a second.

"Are these...copies somehow?"

The idea that they're copies feels weird to Inigo. Mostly since the thought of anyone wanting to make a copy of a Risen of all beings is so, so odd to him.

But despite that instinctive feeling, he can't exactly say Tidus's idea is necessarily wrong. What other explanation is there for so many creatures from different worlds to have gathered in one place?

He frowns, staring back at the fiend, as if it might give him some answer. (Oh, crap, he only now notices his sword is still stuck in it too.)

"Should we try to find out? I mean.. we could cut it open."

It'd be gross, but who knows what they might find on the inside. Maybe some sort of explanation for all of this. If it's really made out of little lights, then there shouldn't be anything in it, right?

"...........That's gross."

His tone is more baffled than anything, confused, though not entirely dismissive as he goes on. "Do you just wanna hack at it 'til...what? It disappears? What're we looking for?"

Please explain this thinking to Tidus because he doesn't know what one expects to find by this action. Tilting his head and brow scrunching at what would even be in one of those fiends. ...except a giant eye?

"I just want to see what's on the inside!" Like an oversized child trying to find out what happens if you pull the wings off an insect.

Except this has a bit more rhyme and reason to it. Because Inigo has no idea how to investigate the nature of these things other than doing it in the way he knows best - just chopping something up. It's not like he can perform some fancy magic to find out more about what's going on here. His sword is his only tool.

Besides, it feels much less weird to do this to this thing than the Risen. The latter are - were - human. This thing looks far from it.

"You said it's made out of light, right?" Inigo gestures over at the fallen creature, moving to step towards it. "Then there ought to be nothing on the inside."

This makes sense to someone, right? Maybe a lot of someones, but Tidus isn't really sure what the end result is. Not wholly opposed to it, so as Inigo steps towards the so-called fiend, Tidus is the living embodiment of this meme, if with 80% less frustration.

"I don't know what you're gonna find!" is all he can offer, grabbing as his own blade so he can send it back inside his arms, taking a look up and down the street for anything--

'Hey! You two!'

A red light flashes down the street in their direction, a blinding beam that makes Tidus throw up his arm. Shit-! Was that one of theirs?! Tidus looks between them and Inigo, then grabs Inigo by the arm.

"Yo, let's run!"

Inigo!!! Someone finally appeared because of all our noise in the posh neighbourhood!!

Inigo is just about ready to slice it over. He's grabbed his sword, pulling it out, before looking like he's ready to put it in there more carefully this time so he can get a clean cut down the middle--

But then there's all the sound, and the light, and he instinctively makes the sword vanish back into his band, at least remembering their discreet mission even in the middle of this surprising moment, as he's tugged right along by Tidus.

Not that much force is needed. The moment Tidus says that and runs, Inigo runs right along, not wanting to have to deal with whoever was using that light just now. He's kind of bummed he didn't get to check out that fiend more, but not bummed enough to put his butt on the line for it.

"Why did they have to show up now of all times?!" He whines as they run.

Please, dudes, couldn't you have shown up back when they were having trouble with that Risen?? The police truly is useless.

There's calls that come after them, but Tidus and Inigo are a fit enough pair of boys to outrun whoever it that's arrived - probably not another Voidtrecker by all the shouting. But then, who knows? They're not the most discreet of groups; most of them, anyway.

But it doesn't matter who they are, just that these two make distance from them. Tidus shouting "Stick on your bracer!" to give them that extra boost of speed. And, once they're made enough random zigzag of streets, coming round the wall of a corner, Tidus comes to a stop-

And he swears he can feel the twinges of his earlier bruised muscles as he flops himself against the wall, catching his breath. Ugghhhhhhh -

"I haven't ran like that in ages!"

Man, is there a part of him who misses going on long runs outdoors...!

Inigo, always a little bit more fidgety about things than Tidus, can't help but glance back around the corner a few times. One time initially, right after they show up, but then once or twice more while they're catching their breath. Just to make sure they're really not being followed - no matter whether it's by whoever was chasing them, or some new monster.

But it seems the coast is clear for now, and that fact finally lets Inigo allow himself to rest his back against a wall and try to breathe normally again.

".. probably not since Nion, huh?"

You know. Like during their race when they made Roland eat the jungle dirt.

It's kind of a nice memory, and it slightly manages to tug up the corners of Inigo's lips.

One of them has to be the cautious one, or the current occupant of the singular braincell - and it may as well be Inigo, while Tidus enjoys his running high. But to be fair, he was listening with his ears!! And watching Inigo peering over the corner so many times, Tidus does take the most minimal of efforts to glance down the other side of the road.

Yep, looks all good to him! At the memory shared, Tidus scoffs into his laugh.

"That? That was a mess!" A mess that has Tidus beaming a grin at Inigo for. "Think it'd be weird to do a round two here?"

Mmm, probably. Especially if they start bringing out their toys.

"Let's save that for a mission where we don't have to worry about people yelling or blasting lights at us."

Because geez, Inigo really does not want a repeat of that, thanks. They're helping the people of the city out, keeping them safe from monsters, and this is the thanks they get?

Slowly managing to catch his breath, Inigo releases an intentional sigh.

"Do you think we got it in us to find another monster to take down?" Not that two is Inigo's usual limit. But he is still kind of rattled from having found that Risen here - that realisation took a lot of out of him.

Not that he wouldn't push himself onwards if Tidus agreed to it. That's what Inigo always does. But he's slowly been trying to grasp the concept of resting appropriately, hence why he leaves the decision in the other's hands.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What their Eyes See: Start

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject