middleofsomewhere | Let's Get Down to Business

Let's Get Down to Business

Let's Get Down to Business

On day twenty two of the month of Llama a message comes up on the ICP's.

Voidtreckers have many questions about what happened on system #93426194992 and the entity that was encountered. Analysis shows that the entity on system #93426194992 was also present on systems #86525656412355 and #2207385.

Though it is not known what that entity is, it is clear that it possesses some level of mind influence and complex illusionary magic.

There is a void nexus on system #62138 inhabited by a religious order that, due to their close proximity to the void, employ mental techniques to help with such illusions.

We will be visiting system #62138 for three Days. The Voidtrecker express will remain with the Voidtreckers during this time and due to the nature of the void nexus it is highly advisable to sleep on board.

System #62138 is a wet world. All Voidtreckers will be safe but are advised to keep their SCAs on at all times. This should be the standard on all systems.

THE VOID NEXUS
From the windows of the Voidtrecker Express, passengers see the Void Nexus as a vast island surrounded by darkness, punctuated with rivets of colours running through the sky that casts a glow of blues and violets as they descend closer to the surface. The world faintly blurs the way one’s sight does when sinking into the depths of an ocean, the train manoeuvring around tall rocks that rise like digitates, a sea-green hue deepening over the rocky land outside.

The train doors open from each carriage, and luckily it’s not a flood that welcomes them but clammy air cool to the skin. They come out to a section of land sparse of more than tunicate-like plants under their feet, pools of silvery water otherwise sunk between small pathways that lead like bridges forward.

Which is likely their destination, a vast coral-like structure with a high opening awaiting them - and as they get closer, a being far taller than any of the Voidtrecker themselves.

ARRIVAL

They are met by a tall robed figure. First glance will show them to be a deep purple in colour with a domed head and long tentacles sprouting from their chin that sway slightly when they move. Still they nod deeply and their mouth moves into a shape that could be interpreted as a smile.

"Welcome to those of the VoidTrecker Express. Your arrival was foretold and we have awaited you. Please accept our hospitality."

They lead them onwards, explaining that outsiders are always welcome here but ask them to remain within the public parts of the temple. They further explain that their order is for the most part a silent one. There is no restriction on the voices of guests but they should not be insulted if the members of the order do not answer.

Once a small tour has been conducted the Voidtreckers are left to their own devices to train or explore as they see fit.

IT'S A TRAINING MONTAGE
Going through to the back of the temple will lead them outside once more, the gentle sound of falling water greeting them at what seems to be a distance. But yet - faint as it is to see, glistening in translucent silvers and pinks - the water is quite near and wide, spilling from the high mountain cliff that borders in an otherwise enclosed space. The pool takes up a large portion of this garden, of coral reef and circled stone pathways where every step must be considered, unless you’d like a surprise trip and dip.

Fortunately, the silver water here is light. Submerging yourself in it or sitting under its flow, you won’t find the hard rush of its weight over your heads and shoulders, and the same weightlessness follows you going under. You find that you can breathe and when you come away from the lake, your body and clothes are lightly damp at most.

Still, there is plenty of ground to walk along without going over the pool. However, the first steps of learning mental fortitude against illusionary obstacles will take you into...

[ MEDITATION. ] To combat irrationalities is to iron your own reactions to them. You are instructed to sit where you find it comfortable: those unused to mental training should keep to the shoreline, while the more intermediate may find taking the stone steps out to large limpet-shaped shells - sizeable to fit 3-4 people each - a better challenge. Those more daring should sit under the waterfall or to go into the water’s depths, where you at least don’t need to worry about breathing, or even getting that wet.

To get wet isn’t the purpose, fortunately. The purpose comes the moment you close your eyes - for as soon as you do, you feel. You sense. Some other, some thing, a presence your mind decides must be there. This sensation is lighter by the shore, but sitting above the water or submerging yourself inside it brings it stronger against you. In truth there is nothing there, no one but the other Voidtreckers, but the spell of the water - or is it the void within the water? - makes your brain think otherwise, logic not welcome company.

Being in groups can help ease the effects through the SCAs, but otherwise, true control comes down to yourself. Breaks are recommended, as there’s no point wearing down an already exhausted mind. Your mind is your defence. Strengthen it. Wield it as a weapon.

[ Combat. ]

Though not exactly what they are here for Voidtreckers will notice that this order of void worshipers train in a form of martial arts. They train outside, using the watery air as part of their movement. Training is done in large group sessions and without weapons. It has a strong focus of listening to the world around them and fighting in a way that makes them one with the world, using the environment to their advantage.

Even though that might not seem the most useful to people who won't be fighting in an environment such as this world, it is at least a good form of exercise.

Any voidtrecker who is curious is welcome to join in the training and those that show especial interest can take more specific lessons aimed at beginners.

TRAVELLING THE NEXUS
[ OUTSIDE THE TEMPLE. ] While the lake and surrounding temple will help to strengthen one’s mental defences with perseverance and training, there is more that can be done away from the temple, and the island is free to be explored. The Voidtrecker Express is stationed where it dropped everyone off, and returning to it will offer everyone a mental relief regardless of the levels of their ongoing training.

The marshland continues beyond the train, one route mostly made by the natural stone pillars that rise up from the ground like stalagmites. Higher cliffs can be climbed by those who wish to, if just for a higher view, curiosity, or privacy. From wherever you look, this island gives off the same impression as most of it already has: sea-like.

[ PLANTS. ] Underfoot, there is not earth-like grass or flowers, but seagrass, kelp, algae and more. They grow along the stone, idly waving as if submerged in water and pushed by unseen waves. Strange blue plants with purple-tipped tendrils will wiggle if touched, while at the higher levels, small bulbs of some kind cluster around the size of a fist. Types of plankton make the gnats of this nexus, too tiny most of the time to be noticed as more than dots to the eyes.

[ CREATURES. ] Also, don’t forget the fish. As tiny as a pinky finger, as big as a hand, the size of a human; they swim through the air, not particularly caring for the Voidtreckers, but also not looking to engage with them. The larger of the fish travel higher than the smaller, and those as big as whales farther up than even the taller cliffs can reach. For those that have any ideas of hunting, they will know - mysteriously, as if recalling the thought - that they should go for the larger fish, and not harm the younger, smaller ones. Those are tastier, after all.

[ STONE FOREST. ] Travel low or high, the way will take them to what appears to be a forest that spans across a large portion of the central island. But as the rest of the nexus is, this is no ordinary, woody land. Its trees are stone, coral, rising high and jagged, the water in the atmosphere denser in this jungle of rock. It turns the world a sea-green to move through, with plants and coral everywhere to be seen. The air denser, thicker, leaving small droplets of water on skin and clothes.

There are no real paths than the spaces between the ‘trees’, but there are guides to find your way to somewhere: pink jellyfish, or something of the sort floating around. They are the shiri as the monks call them, and looking upon them will tell you they will help you find where you need to go, that they will aid you if you get lost and think of them. And for those whose thoughts lean such a way, they will know that harming them will bring a greater injury to the individual who does so tenfold, and they will find no guidance at all on this nexus until they have repented.

Read: Enjoy being stuck on the train for the rest of the stay.

[ CONCH LAKE. ] For those less destructive, a short travel through the stone forest will lead them to a lake, with what can only be described as a conch shell gazebo accessible in its centre. Bubbles float up and around, balls of water made to linger by whatever strange force controls this place. They can be made to bounce away and around with a touch, and respond to being thrown as a ball might. Just, watch out: They like to burst at random, no matter the force used, scattering as tiny beads all over the air.

The water here is different from that around the temple, its colour more blue, but closer to aqua than what many are used to. Yet diving into it will have the similar properties that allows one to hold their breath for much longer than usual, and to move with an ease, like floating weightlessly. There’s no worry if they close their eyes here, a peace radiating from the pool; like a refuge from the trickery that lurks no matter where you are in this nexus.

Climbing out of the pool will have you damp, more appropriately soaked than the temple’s lake. There’s nothing like towels or a great way to dry off, but you can sit and hang around under the conch gazebo if you like.

Or perhaps messing around isn’t what brought you here, but the four iridescent slabs of stone that stand at intercardinal points at the edges of the lake, that speak of the Trials to the mind when you look upon them.

THE FOUR CAVERN TRIALS

There are four caverns, four trials, with each slab suggesting their test. Upon deciding where you will go, a shiri will come to guide your character through the forest to where the stone trees part, and a half an hour walk will lead Voidtreckers to a vesicular cavern.

You know as you approach the cave’s mouth that the shiri will guide you out if you need it, but they stay outside, leaving those searching for advanced training to journey on in themselves. Passengers descend, dots of light coming through the multiple holes above to illuminate the way as you go deeper into the cave.

And you won’t have to go far to find the crystals in any of the caverns, though there’s many pathways to go deeper in. Attacking the stones to break them won’t do much, but when you put your hand on one…

The illusions start, pulling in anyone nearby.

[ CAVE OF PERCEIVING. ]    Bend deceiving labyrinths into your own path.

What is real? What is not? This cave holds a large underground river flowing through it. The water is not too fast flowing or deep but it is cold enough to be a shock if anyone falls in.

Fall in they might for their task is to cross the river. The river is filled with stones large enough to hold a person as they cross. However not all of those stones are real, some are just illusions and if they step on the illusionary rocks they will fall through to the river below.

It is possible to get by on trial and error but the task will not be considered complete until they force their minds to see through the illusions are perceive the one true path.

[ CAVE OF ENDURANCE. ]    Wounds bleed and skin burns only to bodies that believe it.

This cave may differ between Voidtreckers. Sometimes it is a monster they must face or an environmental challenge to battle through.Perhaps the searing heat of a fire or the low altitude and freezing temperature of a mountain top. Perhaps a lizard with claws and teeth. The important part is not defeating the threat but to neutralise the damage. It's not real and the mind can overcome it.

All the caves are probably best faced in groups but this was especially so. They are unlikely to be able to make the damage unreal to start with and so there is likely to be a fight or struggle before they succeed.

[ CAVE OF HEART. ]    To accept crafted desires is to invite everlasting grief.

Here they are in a beautiful place. A meadow, a forest, a rocky beach. The weather is beautiful, not too hot not too cold. A little further in is something they want, something their heart yearns for.

They can't see it yet but they are sure they will, if only they go deeper into the grass, the trees, the water. It is there, just out of reach.

To pass this test they must walk away. Turn around and leave despite their heart calling to them to go deeper.

[ CAVE OF MIND. ]    Craft a weapon from your own vulnerabilities.

Fear does not have to be a weakness. The cave is filled with a lake and in the centre there is a bubble of water, it contains something they fear. They can't see it but they know it is there. Perhaps a person, a place, an object.

Facing a fear is one thing but this task asks for more than that. To accept the fear as part of them, to turn it into a strength to protect others.

This trial is the most personal and perhaps the most difficult. They must step into that space, knowing that they will face what they fear whilst also knowing that it won't be real and use that knowledge and acceptance to bring down the entire illusion, bubble, lake and all.

art sources: alien / landscapes / waterfall / caverns

OOC Information

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"It's hard to learn to be still. It's less about 'nothing' though--at least in my experience." Trunks replied, but he understood. "And learning new styles is usually not a bad thing. It gives you a bigger arsenal."

"What does your experience tell you meditation should be then? Maybe I'm going about it the wrong way."

It's not admitting he's wrong about something. It isn't. It's just accepting possible alternatives while sort of hinting at a possibility of wrongness. "..Hmh, my arsenal is pretty small. I wonder how much learning can be done in a couple days."

"There are plenty of us on the train who'd help with self-defense and combat training, if that's what you're interested in. Tobias even holds a fight club each month for us all to kind of gather and get to know each other and people to find out who can do what." Trunks offered with a small smile.

"For me, when I meditate, I focus on getting in touch with me. My own energy as it flows through my body, my breath as it does the same, what do I feel like, in the world? What space to I occupy. From there, I work to sensing my environment and things around me."

That is in fact something he's interested in, by the way his expression changes. "I think I'll have to peek in next time he has one of these 'fight clubs'. I've never had much need for combat but if this train does get into trouble as often as everyone says, I should be as prepared as I can be!"

It's almost nice, Trunks isn't bitter or hating him or furious over something, and he can just.. work on finding this beginner's section. "That certainly isn't how I've been taught. I'll have to try it. A settled mind might be most important to these 'trials' we're here to try to tackle." There's a moment's pause and then hesitantly: "Did you .. all of you really fight a rainbow?"

That makes Trunks chuckle. "Honestly? I can't remember, but I believe it if someone told you. We've had some very weird experiences."

"How would you even fight a rainbow, it's just light refracting." That isn't at all what happened but Xehanort is stubborn and it sounds silly to his own ears. "Perhaps that's why we're all here fighting illusions, after all light and illusions are closely intertwined. But I feel like removing the source of light or the rain might be a simpler task than.. these trials."

Facing fears? Facing unspecified anxieties?

"I suspect it wasn't an actual rainbow, but the illusion of one. Or at least that was how it was perceived." Trunks replies with some amusement. "But we have had quite a few missions that involve playing upon our senses, hopes, dreams, and bring illusions in. Sometimes very real illusions, or seeing what's really there vs. what someone is wanting us to see."

That certainly sounds like a pattern. "And now here we are, learning martial arts to try to fight illusions."

It made a kind of sense. On the bright side, it looks like they're headed in the right direction! That looks like it might be a beginner class, with how much explaining's going on. "Hopefully it'll help out at least some of us. If nothing else, this world is ... more relaxing than expected."

"Skeptical?" Trunks asked, though without judgement. More amusement, especially with the little half-grin.

"A bit," he admits easily enough. "But surely if it is effective there will be swift evidence, and I'm willing to accept it if it is so, unconventional or not." He gestures back the way they'd come - or more accurately further than that. "There's supposed to be trials to test ourselves with, it'll be a good way to find out what does and does not work, don't you think?"

"Skeptical that martial arts will help? Skeptical of illusions? or Skeptical of this place in general?" Trunks asked for clarification. "I definitely plan to attempt the trials."

It's all waved off. "Of many things." He ... apparently isn't going to clarify. "But I too intend to pass the trials." Not attempt- succeed. Without actually knowing much about them. If nothing else, Xehanort is confident! "Hopefully with enough time to do some exploring, this is the first world I've ever been to that I can remember, it'll be a shame if all of it is spent meditating."

Trunks is pretty confident himself, but he doesn't know yet what the trials are. He wants to be confident, not cocky about this. The lack of clarification is only mildly annoying, but Trunks just ignores that feeling.

"New arrival, huh?"

Xehanort nods. "As of last train stop. I know we have tasks to perform but.."

He gestures to ... well, everything. THERE'S FISH IN THE SKY. Among other things! "All of this, just letting it pass by because of those tasks... seems a waste."

"You might have to get used to that. Sometimes our mission is so busy that we don't have time to explore or do much of other things but what's related to the mission." It really tended to vary. "There's also always the option to just not do the mission." Trunks himself wasn't one to take that option, but it was there all the same.

Chances are astronomically high Xehanort will abandon a mission in a heartbeat if something distractingly interesting enough comes along. "If it's important enough to be a mission it should be seen to," he says instead of admitting this, "I can't imagine the train selects those who would prefer to just sit in their car and wait til everyone else is done though.."

"And yet, people do anyways. They just don't get off the train." Trunks crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow. "Remember, we're all effectively press-ganged into service. None of us had a choice."

"How often do you abstain from helping others simply because you had no choice of being here?" Oddly enough he just sounds curious, there's a lot less judgment in the question than there could be.

"Oh I'm the type who'd help even to my detriment, probably." Trunks replied amicably enough. "At least when it comes to protecting people. It's annoying that I was essentially kidnapped without a choice, but I'm not one to really leave people in need."

"I take it you don't believe in destiny, then?" To such people, surely this would just be proof they're needed here more! It's fate! Time to see to it! "One might hope you have friends or family along as well, kidnapped victims or destiny, to make it at least a little more familiar."

"I've never had anything that convinces me there is a destiny or not. So I'm not sure." Trunks replied--and it was true. He was also the kind to fight Destiny, if it said something negative.

"I do now, but when I got here I only had one ally--and there were complications of a sort."

Xehanort wasn't either, but he's open to the idea. "I've encountered those who very much do, but I'll reserve some hope that fate isn't quite so fixed."

The future isn't very kind for him either. "..Oh? Well, it's good you have others now, then. Dealing with all of this on your own, these multiple worlds, all this mess.. would be rather challenging, surely."

"It's...different actually, having people to work with me." Trunks said, thoughtfully. "Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity, nothing else." The answer is prompt and utterly guileless. Xehanort might be prone to deceit at some point, but right now... well, open interest might have the same results! "I don't know much about other worlds or what other people have to contend with in them, so the only way to find out is to ask, right?"

"True. You'll get varying degrees of open-ness from people on the train though. Those of us who are more used to it will likely be more open than others."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Let's Get Down to Business

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Mun can't remember, sorry ^^;;;

BEWARE TEH RAINBOWS

Re: BEWARE TEH RAINBOWS

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