middleofsomewhere | Fissures of Time: Start

Fissures of Time: Start

"Good Morning Voidtreckers, today is day eight of the month of Poi."
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 appears...

FISSURES OF TIME: START

... BASE CAMP

THE VOIDTRECKER EXPRESS LANDS CLOSE TO A GIANT OF A FORTRESS SAT ATOP A HILL, A RIVER BORDERING THE WAY TO A NEARBY TOWN. 'Please head to the location marked on your map,' the Voidtrecker Express speaks through the intercoms before opening the doors out.

Passing the threashold, Voidtreckers are welcomed to a mild heat, accompanied by a passing spring breeze; the grass underfoot is a healthy wheat-yellow, with a few unfamiliar flowers dotted about. Checking their maps, they'll see they're at the very far southwest, and their their destination is the fortress - or temple - a small walk from way they are. They'll know they're heading the right direction when two figures dressed in their own military gear meet them halfway, neither human.

'Voidtreckers?' One greets with a nod, then jerks their head to the fortress. 'Follow us. We'll tell you and give you what you need; get you ready for the week you're in for.'

Voidtreckers that follow are led into spacious halls, a Grecian-like architecture with columns carved into flowering patterns, statues of idols lining the walls. There's a faint murmur of activity, but they don't see too many people before they're led into a nearby room filled with containers that close in the space. Even as they enter, a holographic map floats visibly mid-air like the one on their SCAs.

The two people go to either side of it, and it's the one from earlier that speaks again.

'This is Kolokifi's domain- most of it, anyway. Down here where we are is Eilifi's land. Another god, but a history lesson isn't what you need unless you ask for it. All up this way-' the person makes a circular motion in front of the map, leaving a visible mark on it. '--is where time distortions will be happening. The easy explan' of them is that points in the past get pulled into the present - echoes of them. Fragments, moments - Time here got well and screwed up, and tries to bring up points in the past to the present.

'Now, some have a problem with getting rid of the slips of the people that come through, so I'm going to get into that now. Thing is, if they can stick around? They will, but most of them can't. All of this is just Time trying to make a copy of the past appear, so thinking you can leave the distortions alone make everyone whole? Isn't going to work as well as you think. It just makes more problems, and that isn't pretty.' They snort. 'They're gonna fight and sound like people 'cause they are - real unfortunate, unlucky sods. If you're gonna have problems with it, don't deal with them. Leave 'em to whoever with you can, or send a signal for us on the maps. Double tap the area and then get out. There's no point gettin' trauma on top of what's already on your plate.'

Finally they nod to the various containers around.

'But don't worry, it isn't all sad shit. You've got fields to deal with too, open spaces. Boring work, but it's what we're here for. So if you're going, let's get you ready. And you come back here when you need anything.'

GEARING UP. They go through the different roles required, what's best to be done, what does what. They'll be shown how to work an equaliser, how to fit and wear the eye and earpieces - with other designs available if needed - to use the remote-controlled scouting drones.

Take the time to open up an equaliser box yourself, try to work a scouting drone. There are also medical kits, with boxes containing herbal medicine 'blessed by the Spring god here - make sure you can take it,' the Ministry worker helping them warns. There's devices in all of the kits, small scanners to double-check that a medicine won't react poorly to whatever it scans. Similar technology to what the SCAs use, but more advanced.

There's no rush to leave, and the group will also be shown where some spare carts and animals for pulling are outside, for packing up supplies on.

STAYING BACK. But people don't need to go. They can stay with the Voidtrecker Express, use a few facilities in the Ministry base, or wander the immediate area, so long as they don't go beyond the river that down the hill the fortress sits on. There's the train itself that people can stick to, take pillows and their blankets outside to enjoy the fresh air.

Or you could be coming back this way during the mission. The Ministry base has a kitchen free to use, water, and every day fresh fruit and vegetables come in carts from the same figure, flour and oats. If someone wants, they can take some of the food, or use it to make supplies for the Voidtreckers to receive if they come back this way, or other missionaries.

How they spend their time is up to them.

... KOLOKIFI'S DOMAIN

FOR A WEEK, VOIDTRECKERS WILL BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE SAME TORN, SCARRED LAND. Despite the skies being a clearer silver-grey nearer to the Ministry base, it keeps close to a blood-red as Voidtreckers wander its terrain. Heat clings to them in the dry air, the dirt as parched as the scenery leaves the eyes.

Those with scouting droners would do well to getting used to their new toys while they travel, watching out for what lies ahead. Though just from looking at it, there's nothing but the same drained landscape. Those who can fly may be tempted to do so, to get ahead. Those with superspeed, what's the point of hanging around? But eventually, everyone will learn what happens if you simply wander around here...

WHAT ONCE WAS. Sometimes, the time distortions are innocuous - a glimpse into peaceful times, a view of the world as it once was. A step, one single move forward into a time distortion, and the world around you changes. Gone is the suffering heat and chalky environment, and the world blossoms. Wild yellow-grass sways every-which way, the sky sits with fluffy clouds against and blushed pink than the blood-red.

You can move around, explore for a little while, but up until a point, the world just stops: you run, you fly, you walk, but it makes no difference.

...It also means you can't leave. Well, good thing your SCA still works to ask for help.

These time distortions will be the simplest to deal with, only occupied by a few wild animals, maybe fish in a stream. A good place to practice with the equaliser, and to watch as the scenery fades to the stark reality of the present day.

UNEARTHED WAR. But then, peace isn't what led this land into the state it is. The skies are a lavender and red, and sometimes:

Mother Nature

'Who goes there!'

'You're no warrior of Kolokifi! Come quietly under her mercy, or suffer her judgment!'

( MOD NOTE: Play these scenarios to whatever degree you like; people can be knocked unconscious or situations can't be helped. Choose what is best for yourself or your character. )

IDYLLIC LIFE. Except, it's not a battlefield that is the hardest to deal with. There are the instances of peace, but when it comes with those more aware than just the flowers or animals - but with people.

Sometimes, they might be moved around: a pair on a picnic, or people with tents by a lake, enjoying themselves. Or, you might get asked what you're up to, asked to join them. Perhaps it's a merchant going to the next town. 'Kolokifi may be a blessed God, but you know Silifi's fields bring their best this time of year.'

They may disappear, without knowing what you were doing - or realise something is wrong, just towards the end. Steel your heart.

The hardest are the towns, sections of them, and moving around them, trying to find the best place to set up.

But if an equaliser goes off too early, doesn't get set in the best place (was it because the best place was in a river? Where a house is, with nowhere to set the equaliser?), then fractions of this settlement will start to disappear - and the civillians will notice, and the panic will be quick.

If it becomes too tough, remember: A marker can be set on the maps and a call made for another group - non-Voidtreckers - to do the job.

HEAVY HEARTS IN REST. There will be enough for four separate camps to be set out from the supplies, the tents wide and spacious to put in simple bedding for the stragglers from the time distortions that do make it out.

It's here where they should be brought. Calm them down, reassure them, until you can find someone to take them to the Ministry base. This will be some work, depending on how panicked they are, distrustful. The less care and stealth used when setting Equalisers and getting rid of time distortions, the less reason these people will have to care about what the Voidtreckers have to offer - and they're already scared.

Kids, adults, the elderly - they'll try to make their escape, and sometimes end up in new distortions.

Voidtreckers will need to coordinate well with the different camps, with where their people are going. There's only so many Equalisers, and it is good to keep moving around.

And very likely, this will be a mission heavier on the heart than the body. Speak with one another, share in the weight of this world's tragedy.

OOC NOTES

OOC post. Ask questions here. Let us know about shenanigans here. NPC requests here, set up a thread here. Rewards go here.

Reminder of goals: Red Team is to deal with the heavier war-time distortions, keeping Orange people setting Equalisers safe, who will also use scouting drones + other methods to locate distortions. Purple Team aids in the smaller, more scattered distortions (includes 'idyllic' distortions), and helping Blue locate misplaced people, keeping them safe. Blue also protects and moves the camps.

NPC fighters: Their skills vary, depending on what you want to come up against. But they have guns, swords, shielding; nature can be particularly vengeful, and even typhoons might be deployed. People will be rewound from where they're going to where they were; and warriors sometimes have their own quick means of healing.

Play with whatever obstacles you want! As ever you don't have to stick to the prompts we write, this is a setting where a lot of wildness can happen so feel free to write your own distortions to take down! Also, again: For anything traumatic, you can have your characters miss anything too distressing for them. There are a lot of time distortions in very ordinary settings.

Further Prompt Ideas: Click!

Blue Team:

You're dealing with a misplaced person, and how agreeable are they? Did they run off on foot? Or use the cart animal in the night? Now you're looking for them - and either with or without them, you've ended up in a time distortion.
The camp's moving, and you're setting up for the first time, packing away for the second. Are you used to the heat? The repetition?
You've got food from the train to work with for meals, but the Ministry has packed everyone a mix too. Some ration foods that you add water to, but also an orso-like pasta and types of chicken breast (at least, it tastes like chicken), cooking sauces, pita breads. Does your character know how to cook?
You just want a change of scenery, and someone in the camp is going to one of the time distortions. Maybe you go along, just to bring out some food, or just out of curiosisty.
There's nothing stopping you from using a scouting drone - actually, being in one place makes it easy. You can speak to people through the drone. How much can you help from afar?

Orange Team:

It's your job to set up Equalisers. How confusing are they to you? Do you get unlucky? Does it jam at a bad time?
You have to set up an Equaliser in a settlement. And if it wasn't bad enough, there's nowhere good to put them except in someone's backyard/right in front of a shop stall. These people aren't pleased. They're going to get suspicious!
This distortion is too big for the amount of Equalisers you and the other person have with you. Do you realise this? Even when it's a peaceful distortion, this can be tricky - you have to pack one up and move it! Or the worst happens when you set them off, and only erase half the place - and people notice.

Red Team:

Fire burns around you as war rages. The equalisers need to be set but to get them in place the fires need put out. Tricky when there are a whole bunch of soldiers currently lighting them.
Red's job is to deal with the obstacles of the more physical-demanding distortions, but that doesn't mean they're easy to find. You end up in scenic landscapes - and you're not the person with an equaliser.
Sometimes - or most of the time - the fighters are not match for your strength. But sometimes, these warriors have skills that can manage to get you defenceless, maybe even nullify your powers.
Do you care about murder? Sometimes, it's simple self-defence - they're attacking first. But not everyone in a war time distortion is an attacker - sometimes they're normal civillians caught up in the chaos. Maybe they even help you, take your side - and you know they're soon going to disappear.
Even Red Team needs a break now and then. Wandering around at random just drops you into distortions that you can find a way to deal with. Or are you seeing what you can do? Maybe there's more that can be done than just waiting on Orange Team.
But even so, there are camps moving around - you should head back to one. Or will you risk sleeping out where a distortion might hit?

Purple Team:

Whilst helping in a town based distortion so thing goes wrong. The market has vanished and people have noticed. Specifically these angry traders, heading towards your team with the intent to stop them in their tracks.
People aren't the only problem. A distortion has spooked a heard of animals and they are stampeding. This makes it very difficult to place Equalisers.
You stumble upon a couple of chatty locals in this distortion. The equalisers still need to be set without causing suspicion so someone needs to be a distraction. How do you make small talk with people you are about to erase from time?
Often it is the terrain that makes things difficult. Clear trees or rockfalls or find a route across a difficult river.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Idia's ready to just leave them to it, though he casts a curious glance towards that vanishing spear of hers, curious to how that worked...

But it was instantly forgotten in exchange for that haul. Oh... it was wonderful. However, "Where did you get all this from?!" Was this hiding on the train somewhere?! Was he missing out on this all this time?! Oh, were those Starshards? He loved Starshards! They were just pure sugar but he could eat so many of them for a near instant effect of a sugar rush. But the pocky! And the little trains! Oh, it's impossible to pick one...

Yondu fully expects that whatever stops they're provided credits on go mostly towards stockpiling snack foods, but he doesn't say as much. He's bought her some dango before (because she said she liked it, he didn't know what the fuck it was).

He grabs a couple of the starshards and pops them in his mouth, before he stretches to open one of the crates and start pouring through the contents. (That's not all he's planning to eat, he's just a not going to start snarfing).

"Thank ya." And there! Now they get some kind of energy boost. Though this is the most enthusiastic he's ever seen Idia.

Idia's reaction may or may not make Kyoko puff up with pride. Oh, alright, it definitely does. She even plants her hands on her hips and snickers.

"Oh, here and there," is all she says at first, as if she's going to leave it a mystery. But when it comes to food, she isn't gonna leave someone hanging, so after drawing out a beat of silence to mess with him a little she explains properly. "I buy 'em from the train. Just a whole lotta whatever, unless there's something specific I want." Hence the gummy trains, honestly.

Oh, that's annoying, Idia instantly losing all enthusiasm for an answer and seeming to instantly deflate from it, his shoulders dropping and mouth twisting to the side. "I see." He muttered out. Why does this all come back to a lack of currency? "I have to get my gear from home first before I can buy any." Though it was quite a choice between a selection of candy and his headphones...

Headphones won out. Barely. This time.

Then his dorm uniform, since he's making a broomstick. The magical fibers in it would help to cancel out weather issues when traveling at speeds.

Maybe after that...

He had been wanting those Starshards, but since Yondu took them... hmm, well, can't go wrong with the pocky, right? Idia reaching out to take them. "Thanks."

"You can probably get a whole box of candy after this..." Yondu says as he goes through the process of unspooling wires again, but isn't in a rush. He takes a break to take a sip of coffee, enjoying an average and perfectly comfortable midday breeze, misplaced in time along with them.

Good thing about missions? The money.

He doesn't take more than the two pieces for now, mostly having asked for the candy because Idia wanted it and otherwise doesn't seem to like the help. But he knows Kyoko likes to share food, so it seemed like the best middle ground. "Train is weird about money."

Kyoko watches the energy drain from Idia with a more thoughtful gaze than one might expect from her given her usual attitude. The train has had plenty of food, and doesn't make them pay for it besides, so it isn't a situation like hers back home. It isn't that the snacks are his only or best option, and he needs them to get by. But having to go without is a big deal to him, anyway, and honestly, it'd be a big deal for her, too. Even knowing there's an entire carriage dedicated to food storage on the train, even knowing there's enough to go around, always having something on-hand and something that's hers -- It's the entire reason why she buys it like this.

"Well, until you can afford it, I'm always willing to trade." Kyoko waggles the end of one of her ice cream cone wafers at him. Not... that there's much of it left. She's already taken two big bites out of it and there's just a little bit left. "I take all kinds of stuff, not just food. I'll even take hearin' 'bout your magic."

She knows how she'd feel about being offered charity. Trade is better and easier.

"I noticed." Idia mumbled back to Yondu's comment about money. He just wants his stuff, is that so much to ask for? He's not even wanting the big things! Just some every day comforts.

Though the offer to trade... well, Idia feels better hearing that with her being clear on the price for it, he doesn't trust those who just do stuff 'out of the kindness of their heart'. Information on his magic was... well, he can offer some stuff, the more generic, everyone knows about it from his world kind of stuff. Nothing overly special to him like his Unique Magic. "What do you want to know?" Better to gauge a good starting point first before just straight up agreeing to this. He's used to dealing with Azul, he knows you always check the fine print before agreeing to anything.

Yondu frowns to himself, and while it might look like it's in careful concentration to what he's doing it's just 'cause he noticed what Kyoko did there. And it's not even a negative, it's just that when his face reacts, it's inclined towards frowning as a generic expression.

Sometimes bartering is the best way. He slips another one of the starshards away and quietly pops into his mouth and says nothing for now, not even following his urge to encourage the bartering.

"The kinds of stuff you can do with it, maybe a little bit about what makes it different from mine." She snaps her fingers and makes sparks of fire, as if she had clicked a lighter instead. "I'm a magical girl. So you can call it a professional curiousity. If we run into each other in the future and decide to work together, it'd be better if we knew what each other can do."

...magical girl? She's a maho shojo? OMG... omgomgomg. Idia freezing as he's biting into a piece of candy, processing what he just heard. It would make sense, right? The clothing, the weapon's ability to vanish and he assumes appear at will, even the attitude towards the more stubborn one of the group to help balance the bright and cheerful youthfulness of the others, no doubt the main character.

OMG.

Wait, he was being asked something. "Ah... ahhh, ahh, ah, um, ah-" Yeah, no, give him a moment to get his brain started again and away from his love of media.

Luckily Yondu is still putting shit together, so it means he's looking down when his face pulls a number. He doesn't say a word there. He just hears the stammer and reacts. But nope, doesn't say nothing. Just continues working.

Kyoko gives Idia a weird look. "What? You gotta problem or somethin'?"

Oh, it was taking so much to not just start going on about how amazing the wonders of magical girl media was. So difficult. But it would be super weird if he did, even more so than normal when Idia gets caught up in talking about his recent media obsession. At least then it was just others not getting what he said, not actually talking to someone who falls into that category of people who is part of it.

He would look like such a weirdo...

Taking a breath to focus his head, shoving all those questions and gushing comments into the back of his mind to deal with later, Idia realized during this he had bitten through the pocky piece he had been eating, chewing on what was left before replacing it with another. "Y-yeah, yeah, I'm fine..."

Focus! "Ah, magic in my world is open to whatever the person is able to imagine they could do, though it still takes training to actually have it work accurately and safely each time. I prefer to use magic in relation to technology, but I'm capable of using the basics just like everyone else trained in it. Elemental magic for fighting, able to move things at will, that kinda thing." Idia had managed to still his tone back to normal, but was still needing an outlet over his excitement, tugging and playing with the edges of his sleeve as he spoke.

He's fine... Yeah... Sure. Well, whatever his deal is, he's telling her about his magic now. She can consider this advanced payment, so... She'd better be sure to order extra snacks. Especially pocky, from the looks of it, though she thinks he might've been making eyes at the konpeito earlier, too.

"Huh. So... You can use any element? You're not limited to just one?" It's probably not all that surprising, especially not after seeing the huge array of different magics from people on the train, but it's still first nature for Kyoko to expect. "Can anybody use magic where you're from?"

Honestly, any snacks he can eat that won't make a mess and he can eat while working or gaming will always work for Idia. Sweets were better than savory, but right now he will take whatever he can get. Energy drinks were also something he's been greatly missing since being on the train. Tea was good to tie him over, but they didn't compare to a caffeine and sugar hit at 3am while he's pushing through the next level of a game or working on complex wiring on a new device.

"No?" After all, "How are you supposed to counter an attack if you don't have access to more than one element?" Really... "No, only a certain percentage of the population can, and even then it will vary between people and races. Faes tend to be able to use magic easier." And more powerful, especially if Malleus was anything to go by. But... Malleus tended to be in his own field all together with how powerful he was...

Kyoko shrugs a shoulder. "Dodging? Running? Doing your research and picking your battles smart?" Listen, it's worked for her so far. ... Not perfectly, shit still happened, but she made it through, okay?

But at least it doesn't sound like people don't have to make deals to get magic where he's from. That said... "Wait, faes? Are you talking about, like, fairies?"

"You know, you could probably pick up some other magic. There was a certain type one of my old teammates used. Ever'body in my universe could use magic, ya just had to have the patience to learn it and the resources to access it. Took monk levels of discipline.

"If ya wanted to pick up some more, might be able to get some resources for ya. At least things real specific, and maybe it won't spend no effort on your soul gem."

He pitches into the conversation idly, really hoping Kyoko can pick up something that won't burn her out again.

"I don't have enough points in agility for that." Idia muttered out, ready to ignore adding anything more... but he did promise to answer stuff, didn't he? "It wouldn't work against the more powerful wizards. There's no way to dodge their attacks if they really want to hurt you. We're trained to use magic shielding, and our uniforms have a level of magic dampening to them to reduce damage."

As for the Faes, "I think they prefer to be called Faes, but yeah, fairies, I guess." Idia would not say that if Malleus was around... better not to go trampling on his toes, even accidentally.

Idia glances Yondu's way as he piped up, then frowned a little at the mention of soul gems. Oh yes, they had briefly spoken about that, hadn't they. Hmmm, "How does your soul gem replenish? Does it naturally regenerate or do you need a key item?"

Learning another kind of magic... A small frown crosses Kyoko's face mid-chew. She doesn't know how that'd work, really. But it'd probably depend on how that other magic worked, wouldn't it? She's so used to associating magic with a cost -- Grief Seeds with food, a darkened Soul Gem with hunger, a positive wish with a negative effect -- that she can't help but feel wary of the thought. "I guess we can look around, see if something looks promising." It wouldn't hurt to look. (It'd better not.)

"Uh... 'Key item.'" Feels weird to call them that, like she's talking about a video game, but it's accurate. "They're called Grief Seeds. They're a magical girl's reward for killing a witch. But with no witches out here..." She shrugs one shoulder. "Not the kind of witch I'm talking about, anyway."

She holds up her arm, allowing her coat's sleeve to fall back to reveal the gold bracer Usagi gave her. Her Soul Gem sits within its cage-like protection. "This is supposed to help if I can't get it clean. But there are a couple of people on the train who help cleanse my Soul Gem when I need it." Still, she doesn't look very happy about it. Not that she doesn't trust Nozomi or Elidibus at this point, but losing Mami -- losing her pet that kept their Soul Gems clean, that Kyoko allowed herself to rely on entirely -- still has her gunshy about relying on other people for such a vital thing.

That whole 'other kinds of magic' was an interesting option for Idia too, though he questions if it could be used with how magic was in his world. He had his own resources that required management; mana use and blot gain, and he does not want to risk overblotting here. That would be a nightmare... "I heard talk about magical items that even those without magic could use, there may be devices or techniques that could be used in a similar manner without a cost to them." It's one of Idia's goals to get his hands on one of these 'wands', planning to test and tear it apart to learn how it worked, and how he can work it into his own projects.

The reveal of that bracer actually makes Idia shuffle over a little closer, still keeping himself within his comfort bubble, but close enough to tilt his head and try and look it over to see if anything stood out to him, mumbling away. It's mostly to himself, but also to her. "If it's an item there may be a chance to synthesize a suitable replacement, depending on what exactly a 'Grief Seed' is. It would depend on what it actually is, how it's being used as fuel, if it's consists of a material only available in your world..." He's just going to keep rambling on, don't mind him.

"The one I'm most familiar with uses light manipulation. Lets you make portals, whips, physical blocks, projections onto the astral plane. But they got chaos, dark, cosmic, some othern's. From what I gather from Wei Wuxian and Wangji it's a lil less risky than cultivation, dependin' on the flavor you go for."

It's what he can offer, anyway.

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Fissures of Time: Start

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