What their Eyes See: Finale

[voidtreckermods]

It’s been a weird mission. The Voidtreckers have been busy investigating, making headway in mapping and saving citizens from the video games and strange illusionary creatures. Those in the fourth tier have made contacts, followed leads and gotten close to the high and mighty of the criminal underworld.

Yet what exactly is happening here is still unknown. Their new found ally Anan is as stumped as the rest of them, but even so, the hackers and technological knowledgeable voidtreckers have been successful in isolating the virus to study and make an anti-virus. A netpoint network has been set up across the city, and enough access data stolen that they can start throwing everything into the systems and networks across the city.

While the illusions remain a mystery and how they got there, finally the world is purged of the strange virus as the anomalies begin to clear up by noon of day ten. Spectura victims wake up in hospital beds, dazed and confused, while no more sightings of the impossible plague those on the other tiers.


On the morning of day eleven, the once housebound and terrified citizens leave their shelters with the first tendrils of light reaching through the fog surrounding the enclosed city. An exodus of people, from fighters of tier four to elites of tier one, are making their way into the streets...and heading down into lifts and outside, out into the smog-filled wasteland.

“It’s so beautiful,” is heard, a rumbling through the crowd as people smile, laugh or wave into the fog.

”I won.” Fighters from tier four look around in wonderment. Other exclamations, about a blue sky, a greeting to a friend fill the air.

There is a pull. The voidtreckers will feel it too, though to them the world looks and feels no different. This pull is easy to resist, or they can follow and investigate it, attempt to lead citizens back inside the city. It’s not safe in the smog, no one has canisters, but none will heed the warnings.

Nor is there time for better efforts when a crackling sounds in the air, light and colours flashing in the smog, everywhere at once and too quick to get a hold on.

“STOP THWARTING ME!” booms out, and a great force pushes them back while pulling the citizens farther into the wasteland, sand and dirt kicked up in a frenzied storm. The voidtreckers can hear the civilians in the smog, but getting to them will prove harder than they may like.

Grabbing an air canister is highly recommended for those who prefer life.



CIRCLE ONE: THE MAZE
No matter where one leaves the city from, they will find themselves in a maze of walls, of metal sheets, each blending into each other. It feels surreal, as if nothing is quite real, nothing quite solid.

But it is solid. For those voidtreckers who cannot see illusions it will look like they are merely stood in the wasteland of the world. But when they begin to move they will learn those walls are tangible, and those that look close enough will see the same almost-light as the creatures that purple team have been fighting as the source.

For those who are not immune to illusions it is a strange place indeed. No smog to be seen, just high unyielding barriers. The pathways are different colours giving off hues of brightest pink, red, purple, neon green, glowing white, darkest black. Sometimes there are symbols on the walls, Capsule Corp, royal insignia, ravager flames, HYDRA, marks of royalty. They are emblazoned on the walls, the floor, sometimes even in the sky. And the deeper in they get...

➤ WINDING ROADS
It's noisy as they move around. As well as the distant noise of the citizens in the distance they can hear an acoustic guitar, erratic piano playing, the sound of bamboo on stone. Or perhaps an eagles cry, a lullaby or a song is heard as they move their way through the maze.

Objects stand in their way, blocking paths and needing to be moved or destroyed. Larger than life playing cards, red apples, flowers. Spears and daggers hang in the air as does the moon and the sun. Water often cascades through routes, making it difficult to move through or fire creeps up walls, nonthreatening but ever present. There are clouds of butterflies and ravens perched on walls, watching their every move, and the smell of sugar often hangs in the air.

But it’s better to navigate these turbulent passages with perseverance than violence. Daggers and apples will shatter and slice apart to attacks, creating a way through to begin with - but those that try the method of destruction to solve their problems will find these walls crowding them tighter, rising higher, becoming all the harder to destroy than they were before. They will become trapped, and will need assistance from the outside to untangle them from webs or jails made from crystal.
➤ STALKING THE STREETS
It isn’t just the Voidtreckers or locals who wander the maze. Wolves, dogs, zombie sheep and ghost animals mostly mind their own business, sometimes inclined to growl or bahh, but easy to pass. But other times, you may sense that you’re being followed, a presence hovering over you...while another companion will see as well the large shadow shrouding you before a decaying hand grabs at you from above, threatening to send its victim to some other part of the maze if not stopped.

Monsters also stalk these paths from various realities. The dead will be met in robes of white while others in armours from medieval times. All are fast, unrelenting in their attacks, unconcerned with pain or stopping without being properly slain. Ghouls of all shapes and sizes search for prey, and many more seek victims.

How they act and how to defeat them may be known to some, but not all. Is it worth the effort to stay and fight illusions, however? Sometimes those illusions don’t give a choice, but in other instances, a person from the city may be found on the ground unconscious, the smog air getting to them. They’ll need help, and fast.

CIRCLE TWO: IS THIS HOME?
Voidtreckers will realise they’ve left the maze when they find themselves in an open field. It spreads out far with vineyards in the distance, a campsite, all of this leading into a forest of childrens board games. While the campsite is not a true campsite as many will realise, it is the first moment everyone will have to come together, to perhaps plan ahead. Air canisters are essential in this environment, and locals have been found needing, unconscious. Backtracking through the maze is a death wish for many, but with the talents of the voidtreckers, setting up a checkpoint here may not be that impossible before going on ahead.

And then, when they finally do…

➤ FAMILIAR
It is almost dream-like as they walk, areas changing without them fully crossing the distance needed. One moment they are in a shopping malls food court, the next the interior of a spaceship; streets of palaces, temples, and mansions line up as a mish-mash of glamour, while others offer more humble abodes, taverns, family homes, bakeries. Medieval structures blend into tech bases, maintenance bays and dark rooms. Beautiful gardens, beaches and dusty souks all share space. But as they move through it, they will be tempted towards what is theirs.

And these can be anything. Ships, palaces, home, and even singular rooms: all of these are seen, doors providing access, doors that draw your character towards it, as if they know what’s on the other side. Spaces personal to the viewer, and with the constant pressure of these illusions, somehow draining to be around, they will find it harder to doubt what they see. Even if their bedroom leads towards a volcano, a blacksmith housing hospital beds right beside it, it will not seem so bizarre to find these natural.
➤ DEARLY BELOVEDS
But it’s not only structures that exist in this labyrinth of streets: there are people, animals - family, friends and pets. Beloved mentors, a smiling loved one. The night sky will wash over, the ocean within view; your favourite plush rabbit, a worn jumper. Your favourite song playing, losing you inside this new reality.

Even people from the Voidtrecker Express are around, whether or not they’re still passengers. Feanor, Zetta, Noctis, Cassie Cage, Jin Ling; Elfnein, Link, Mami, Gyousou, Duo; Senku, Jiang Yanli, Olivia, Bucky Barnes. They walk this plane, friends and lovers of the voidtreckers, coaxing them further into the illusions. Assuring them everything is alright, offering reasons to give in.

Over all this though, they can still hear the citizens in the distance; their voices sounding more confused, frightened even. To push on the voidtreckers must walk away, ignore these temptations and push on to the third ring.

CIRCLE THREE: TWISTED HEART
For those who manage to get through the second circle, pushing away the temptations of home, they will find themselves back in the smog filled wasteland. But through the smog they will see more, always more. Once again the scenery blurs into impossibilities, from testing labs with padded beds, to other imagery associated with asylums of old, to dark cramped spaces, to hallways raging on fire. They sense fear itself, and even the most stoic will find apprehension digging into them as they make their way forward. Is this their fear? Or is it your own?

It may be hard to discern in this twisted reality.

➤ MISERY LOVES COMPANY
This time, as the scenery shifts around them, so does their own sense of self try to match what these places mean. The despair of being lost in darkness, the belief that they can’t be seen by others, all sound fading from their ears. They are on the moon, trapped there for years; at the edge of the vast ocean, on the bank of a river of lava, despair in their hearts. In a wrecked city, their own city destroyed almost beyond recognition. By opposing forces, by weapons of mass destruction.

They have lost everything. There’s no fixing this.

A Pandora box of fears have been unleashed, with seemingly no hope. Your worst enemy has been granted a second chance, family stumbling towards you on the verge of death before your eyes; forces that you were meant to be dealing with back home have found you, surely leaving your own world in ruins, from titans to ayakashis.

Or they might stumble upon a graveyard, stretched out as far as they can see where every name is someone they care about.

There are even voidtreckers of now and old opposing you: Danny Fenton, Lan Xichen, Darth Vader, Vegeta, Xue Yang. Kerry stands pointing a gun straight at a fellow passenger while shadowy ravens and terrifying dragons swirl in the sky.

All this emotional turmoil will do a number on the voidtreckers, but there is strength in numbers. More civilians have fallen unconscious at this point, and those willing to aid them can take them back to the city. But no matter how the voidtreckers move, they must keep their nerve and hold onto hope as they cross the final hurdles.

Comments

Circle Two

[flowersinmyparadise]

At first, the illusions almost pull Tobari in - Sayuri, mom, Reimei... Even the Magatoki he once knew so long ago. Lucky for Curufin, Tobari is more resistant to illusions. Thanks to his own powers of illusion, he knows better. But when he sees another VoidTrecker following his own illusion, Tobari is quick to reach out to grab Curufin by the shoulder, giving the Elf a smile.

"Hey, you shouldn't follow them right now. We have other people we have to look for, right? The one you're looking at... they aren't here right now."

He tries to say it as gently as possible, but he's prepared to handle this a different way if Curufin shows resistance to the truth.

Re: Circle Two

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin jumps when his shoulder is grabbed, and he looks a little baffled. He has powers of illusion and these give him some resistance to being fooled himself, but not as much as he needs at the moment. Still, he's an intelligent Elf man and his mind is telling him that something isn't right. And so he isn't averse to being advised not to follow this illusory father.

"My father isn't real? Yes, I guess he can't be. He was on the train for a while but he left, and logic suggests that no former Voidtrecker can suddenly appear on a mission planet without coming back to the train first." He'd resist the truth if he could, but his mind won't let him.

He appreciates the gentleness and tries to smile back. "I'm Curufin Feanorion. And you are. . . ?" At this moment he is so confused that he doesn't know whether Tobari is a new passenger or has been on the train for some time.

[flowersinmyparadise]

Tobari's ears perk up as Curufin tries to smile back. At least he's willing to listen to reason, that's the most important part right now. He gives a nod to him.

"I'm Tobari, nice to meet you."

So the illusion was this man's father. He pats Curufin's shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze to show his empathy.

"I'm sure you'll see him again. Don't worry. But you got to make it through this in one piece, right? I'm sure your dad would want you to stay safe."

Just like he's sure his own mom would want him to stay out of harm's way, even if she may not know where he is right now.

He holds his hand out to Curufin.

"We have to save the others. Don't worry, I'll be right here. You won't be alone."

He's not sure if that's the reassurance that Curufin needs, but he imagines it must be better than just being jostled from an illusion and left all alone.

[so_dark_a_road]

"Pleased to meet you, Tobari! And thank you so much for coming to my aid."

He smiles when Tobari pats his shoulder. "You're right. My actual dad would want me to be safe. He'd even tell me not to follow the illusory Feanor. Did you have visions of your own family members?"

He takes the offered hand. It is exactly the reassurance he needs, as it underlines the difference between what is real and what is not.

"I'm glad not to be alone. Which direction do we go?"

[flowersinmyparadise]

"Yea, I had one of my mom, and some of my friends too." Even a friend that he knows is long gone. He smiles a little. "I miss them a lot, too. But I have something important I have to do."

This mission holds a lot of purpose for Tobari - he gets to learn new things he hopes to bring back home to make his world a better place, and he knows that Reimei and his mom will be doing their best to keep things in order back home. So, it's okay that he focuses on the here and now. He won't let himself fail.

He perks his ears as he listens, looking around for sound, a way to people. This is a maze, but he's going to do his best.

Finally, he points with his freehand towards his front-left.

"This way, I think."

And he's happy to lead the way, determined to get there, but not moving so fast that Curufin might fall behind his pace. He's going to make sure to get Curufin and the others out safely.

[so_dark_a_road]

"At least we both saw relatives and friends, and not just monsters or some nonsense like those giant dancing cards. I can well believe you miss your people. What is that important thing that you have to do? If it's okay for me to ask."

He's curious about the hopes and dreams of others. And Tobari looks like someone who would have some, and who would be concerned about friends and family and others as well.

He looks in the direction Tobari points in, seeing the vineyards and the forest still. But something about that direction feels right, so he follows Tobari.

[flowersinmyparadise]

Tobari gives Curufin another smile.

"I have to help the people here. It's what I was brought here for, right?" His tails give an excited flick. "And when I get back home, I have to finish making a paradise for humans and yokai to coexist. So I hope I get to learn a lot here to make that happen back home. If it's possible here, then I'm even more confident I can achieve it back home."

At a fork in the path, Tobari's ears perk up again, listening carefully for those who need help. He takes a right.

[so_dark_a_road]

"That's what you were brought here for, that's true. That's why we're all here." He glances down when Tobari's tails give a flick. "Are you a yokai? I've heard the word before, but humans seem to think it means demon. I think humans can be fairly demonic, so no point in labeling somebody else. And I like your aspirations: the creation of a paradise and coexistence. And I also like your idea of the train and these missions as a learning experience." Curufin pretty much sees it the same way, except he never expects to return to his own world.

Curufin follows Tobari when he turns right at the fork. He, too, is listening for cries for help.

[flowersinmyparadise]

Tobari was about to happily answer that he was, indeed, a yokai. But when Curufin says that humans can be demonic, Tobari's step stops with a jolt. His eyes narrow and turn red and he spins on his heel to look at Curufin. Though there's a smile on his face, there's nothing friendly about his body language.

"What did you say about humans?" His voice practically drips in venom, and the glare in his eyes shows he's ready to start a fight. "Humans are not demonic. Just because Yokai terrorise them, they have every right to defend themselves."

And back home, that might be true. Humans are just trying to keep themselves safe, and yokai constantly torment them. Who can blame them if they misjudge an actually-nice yokai's behaviours?

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin is startled by Tobari's reaction. He stares at him, seeing the eyes turning red and the body language turning unfriendly.

"I said that humans can be demonic. I didn't mean anything by it. In my world, the word is used in a pejorative sense, but it means humans attacking other humans for terrible reasons, not humans attacking demons. Sorry about that, I should have thought before I spoke. If humans in your world fight back against the Yokai who terrorize them, then of course they have the right to defend themselves. And you have the right to seek a way of solving the problem."

He lifts his hands in a gesture of peace. "I don't want to fight you, Tobari."

[flowersinmyparadise]

"A pejorative sense? Humans are treasures! Their lives are so short, like a flower's. Why would you regard them with disdain like that? If they attack each other, I'm sure they have their reasons."

And Tobari absolutely will fight for that. He pulls back from Curufin.

"Take back what you said. All of it. Humans are good."

And he'll stare Curufin down until he says it.

[so_dark_a_road]

"I don't regard humans with disdain. In my world, we call them the mortal race, and they have very short lives, usually less than a century. We respect them, and we have a history of forming alliances with them. There is also a tradition in the Elvish culture, a tale of the origins of Elves and mortals, that says that we Elves were meant to be the first teachers of the mortal race, and we have strven to fulfill that role."

Curufin looks back at Tobari, refraining from becoming agressive himself.

"When I said hunmans can be denmonic, I didn't mean mortals only. I used the word humans to refer to Elves, mortals, and anybody else in Middle-earth or elsewhere who are senient beings. But I think I can say honestly that I believe that humans are good at heart. That seems to be their essential nature, and they are always capable of returning to it if they have strayed."

Will that content you, Tobari?

[flowersinmyparadise]

"Humans are not, cannot be, demonic. It's never their fault. If you're supposed to be their teachers, then isn't it your fault for failing them? Doesn't that make you the demonic one?"

While most of what Curufin says keeps him from outright turning this into a fight, he's still not satisfied.

"Take it back. I mean it."

This is Curufin's last chance. Unless he gets the answer he wants to hear, this will turn into a fight that was not the original intention, but he will damn well die on this hill.

[so_dark_a_road]

"In your world, apparently mortals are more reasonable than they are in mine. I don't mean that they're all unreasonable. But you have a point there. Maybe we Elves erred, in that we didn't succeed in teaching them well enough. And as for me and my family, we made some terrible mistakes and did a great deal of harm in our world, and maybe we deserve the epithet of demonic. But I've offered reparations to some of those I've harmed, the ones I've met outside my own world."

He gazes back at Tobari. "All right. If that's what it takes to satisfy you, then I take it back."

He really doesn't want to fight. And since it's obvious that Tobari is not willing to have the sort of discussion that Curufin was hoping to have, then it's not worth Curufin insisting on his own truth.

[flowersinmyparadise]

"Good."

Tobari finally lets it drop, but the red from his eyes takes a little longer to fade, still angry at Curufin's words. But, despite all that, he reaches to take Curufin's hand again.

"Try not to get lost, okay? We still have the others to save."

Despite it all, Tobari is still a forgiving, benevolent demon, even if he disagrees with them. Curufin took it back, and that's all he wanted. He still wants that world where humans can find peace with demons, and even demons, or elves in this case, deserve another chance.

Thanks for the thread! Good place to end?

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin takes the offered hand. These days, he is all for peace -- at least with other Voidtreckers -- and he'll let it go, that moment of disagreemnt and anger. So very different than the Curufin of the First Age of Arda!

"I'll do my best not to get absorbed in any illusions. Yes, let's go where you were indicating. We have other people to save, I'm sure. I'd be pleased to make that effort along with you, Tobari."

And he starts heading in that direction. Like Tobari, his ears are alert for the sounds of people needing help.

Thank you, too! This is a good place <3

[flowersinmyparadise]

Tobari gently clasps Curufin's hand and leads the way, heading towards what he hopes are those that need saving and not another dead end.

Either way, he and Curufin will work together. They've got this.