voidtreckermods: (train)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] middleofsomewhere2022-01-19 06:02 am

Fissures of Time: Ongoing


FISSURES OF TIME: ONGOING



... POI 10-12

FOR SOME, THE MISSION HAS BEEN MORE MENTALLY EXHAUSTING THAN PHYSICALLY. Distortions sprout around the domain without rhyme or reason, and the camps must be moved every new day to meet them, as well as stopping a distortion from deciding to form under them from their presence.

While there's bare-bones vegetation, at least they have their own resources to help one another, as well as what can be retrieved from the Ministry base during return trips to take misplaced civilians to safety. It's straight-forward so far...

...but that wouldn't be standard for the Voidtreckers, and some in their ranks don't want straight-forward. Starting during the early hours of Poi 10, there will be occasional rumblings throughout the land. They last for a few seconds and then stop, seemingly for hours; but then they return, and as the days go on, so do the tremors increase.

It seems the distortions too have become affected...

THE UNQUIET CITY. (CW: People unable to die/rising from the dead, body horror)

A city of rubble and ruin stretches far out around them, where once there were hills and vegetation. Much of the rubble is still smoking as fires smoulder. The fighting isn't over, heard before it's seen.

It must be connected to the same skirmishes seen in other distortions, and so most of you are prepared to meet warriors on foot and mount. But what awaits isn't only the horror of bloodshed. No: the reason that the fighting still continues even as the city lies in ruin is because fighters fall and rise again, as if death were nothing but a short rest.

Puncture marks litter skin and armour, holes from weaponry and blessed-magic visible in torsos, even the spaces of where portions of one's skull and brain should be.

Yet they cannot stop fighting. They cannot fall to the ground, rest. Whatever drove them to fight this war still inspires them to continue, screaming as much in pain as in some sort of twisted ecstasy. Perhaps they are too shocked to do anything else. A city locked in eternal war, distorted in time, doomed to repeat itself.

It's hard to set the equalisers here. Not much is stable and fights are likely to break out wherever there are people. The people of this city have their factions, but they will not hesitate to band together to fight intruders.


EYE OF THE STORM. They might feel this distortion before they enter it. A spine-chilling thrill, the feeling one might get at the edge of a storm.

—For a storm it is. The moment they enter it their vision will be obstructed, winds howl around them and rain lashes down furiously making a swamp of the ground below them. It's freezing cold and as they walk they will feel something in the storm. Almost as if there are icy hands, reaching out to grab at them, to pull them further into the worst of the weather.

It's hard to know where to place the equalisers, hard to see where the edges of this distortion are. Easier, not by much, to move further in, to find the epicentre and try and take it down from there.

It's a treacherous journey, but the centre truly is calm, water frozen like crystals. Yet temperatures are dangerously low, so it's in everyone's best interests to set the equalisers quick and get out.


MEAN AND GREEN. As the rumbling continues, there comes a strange and worrying distortion. Worrying, as this distortion can be seen from the outside. A hazy blur that seems to move across the countryside, along the left side of the camp you're stationed at. It gets dangerously close at times, and when it does...

Green tendrils of plant life burst out, entangling people to pull them into the distortion. Or chains of flowers spread from the distortion out across the countryside. Beautiful and colourful in the otherwise sparse environment, but those flowers work as anchors, spreading the distortion, expanding it.

To get rid of it they will need to enter, and inside is a thick jungle of vines and bright colourful flowers awaiting them. The foliage is thick and the air musky and sweet. It's easy to get separated, and getting lost is only a matter of getting turned around. The leaves are sticky and vines move seemingly on their own, curling around unsuspecting limbs, trying to trap people in this colourful paradise forever.

And up in the sky above, a woman's laughter can be heard, the heat of the sun bearing down that becomes uncomfortable quick. But don't look up - you may find a large yellow eye - yellow iris, yellow pupil, golden yellow everything - peering back at you, and find yourself being pulled in by the very ground itself by a powerful force.


NO SANCTUARY. Protecting the camps hasn't been difficult, despite it being a Purple task. Other than rowdy refugees breaking out into fights, little else has appeared to disturb them.

'Eiiiiliiifii.... Siiiiliiifiii...
Merios? Herios?
Don't hide... don't hide...

Everything will be so perfect soon...'


People are woken abruptly in the early hours of Poi 11. If by some special sense, or by a grab at their throat, by a body falling on top of where they sleep, someone else stopping the refugee who was about to take a knife to them.

The refugees have become uncontrollable, raving about wanting 'their Gods back'. The ground rumbles as the woman's voice from the hazy jungle - ethereal, so divine - speaks from below. Grass rises and the sky above burns with a brightness like an approaching sun.

Setting an equaliser will calm the refugees, but only those in the camps. Starting from lunchtime, more warriors and civilians will be found appearing from the distance and from thin air, seemingly knowing where to find the Voidtreckers' camps - and after some very specific people.

Those with divinity, control over weather, nature, and death will be especially targeted, along with anyone who received blessings from the Gods.


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

TL;DR: Starting on Poi 10, there will be odd tremors around the domain, and more aggressive time distortions. From Poi 11 refugees will lose control of themselves and start attacking Voidtreckers, in and out of the camp.

It will happen abruptly to begin with, but some keen to reading energy will find that it is shifting; like something is breaking in from somewhere else (similar to the time distortions).

  • Extra equalisers can be picked up from the Ministry base and they will be there to help, but there are also more distortions happening around the domain, so they'll be dealing with those. The Ministry will advise that any non-combatants should stick to the base, and even use the scouting drones to help from afar, if they really need to help.

  • Undead warriors can be found outside of time distortions, and not all of the people outside of distortions will be 'permanent' people. Equalisers can be kept going for a few hours to keep these people away, but will also need go into recharge/cooling mode.

  • Don't worry if you're still busy with the Starting log! Or if you've been meaning to tag, jump in here!
  • mystic_mongoose: (Mina4)

    Re: No Sanctuary

    [personal profile] mystic_mongoose 2022-01-21 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
    “Your other Cards!” Mina said, swinging her sword at another soldier, dropping them. “We could use the extra numbers!”
    ranoutofbuts: (Flustered)

    Mean and Green: A) Entering the Forest

    [personal profile] ranoutofbuts 2022-01-21 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
    So far the clearing of the time distortions was going well, but as all hard work goes, a time for winding down was upon him. Back in one of the recently moved campsites, Faux is walking along the perimeter when he spots something... different.

    He walks up to it and looks down. It’s a bunch of those pretty flowers he’s seen in some of the distortions. But why are they growing here? They were definitely not there before when he passed this way earlier on. Something felt off about this. Hmm. maybe he should go get some equalizers… but they’re already spread thin.

    A scream from somewhere nearby alerts him, and his drone pings off warnings, too late. By the time he looks up, a thickened vine seems to pull from the ground behind where the flowers have appeared and whips up towards him. He instinctively grabs his disk from his back and swipes at the vine, cutting it in half.

    But another pulls out from directly under the line of flowers he’s standing beside, now gaining a better angle that he can’t quite manage to cut away at this time. The flower covered vine drags him further away from the camp, now dangling him above the ground by his tightly bound leg.

    Failing to cut the vine, he sees that something is behind him, just as the drones telemetry tells him of the oncoming distortion. And it’s different. It’s moving towards him.

    Too late, he and the drone are pulled into the unknown, but not before what looks like one of his crew mates running after him. Damn it!

    Somehow it's even hotter than it was outside the distortion, and the world is now a mess of plant life and brimming with flowers. Way to make a program regret their hobbies...

    He hears the voice calling out for him from somewhere, and worse yet, a struggle. Now with someone else's life on the line and renewed determination, he swings at the noxious vines gripping his leg and finally manages to dissect them. Though he has pity on the drone enraptured by vines, it would be of no help. He has bigger priorities at the moment.

    "Hey! I'm coming for ya. Just hold on!" Hoping he can pinpoint his fellow crew mate.
    crouching_sin: (look to the sky)

    No Sanctuary

    [personal profile] crouching_sin 2022-01-21 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
    The tip of a blade emerges from the torso of the attacker, who looks down at it in surprise. His grip slackens as Naoya pulls the man away from Taiki, retracting the demon dagger and shoving the attacker to the ground.

    "Are you unhurt?" His voice is calm - he's glad he remembered to charge his COMP before sleeping last night.
    redmeguca: (Obligatory SHAFT head tilt)

    Part 2

    [personal profile] redmeguca 2022-01-21 03:11 am (UTC)(link)
    [A snap rings out as enormous spears rise up around the camp, chains running between them to trap the rampaging refugees within a makeshift cage. The tallest spear bends down to right in front of Masumi, depositing Kyoko as she just hops off the head.]

    Yo, been a while. How's the whole "keeping calm under pressure" thing been?
    cureofmanyworlds: (Nozomi - Wha...?!)

    Re: Mean and Green: A) Entering the Forest

    [personal profile] cureofmanyworlds 2022-01-21 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
    Oh, good! Someone else is here! But, it seems that they’re far away. Gotta keep shouting.

    “I’m holding, but I dunno how long! These stupid plants are being a little too friendly!”
    najaran: (Elbow Cough)

    Re: No Sanctuary

    [personal profile] najaran 2022-01-21 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
    "I won't attack people with Cards if they don't have their own Cards!" she said, grunting as someone took a swing at them, she ducked.
    ranoutofbuts: (Armoured Blue)

    [personal profile] ranoutofbuts 2022-01-21 03:32 am (UTC)(link)
    Though Faux cannot see much in the way of Mina, he can just pick up the voice. He does however see a green tinge coming from not far beside him. Not knowing what it is, he doesn't question the lessening of the storm in their immediate area. He can now actually hear more than howling wind, and apparently see Mina for the first time since coming in.

    "Dunno what you did, but thanks!"

    He looks out past their little storm break and sees only more vicious weather. This distortion must be big. His drone is telling him that much at least. Their equalizers may not be enough. Can he see anything? "Not much!"

    As if angered by the attempt to curb the raging storm, a heavy icy gust, almost like a clawed hand, blasts through them and blows the drone away. Ripped out out of his control completely, it swirls in the air and is caught up by the cyclonic winds. His data feeds are a scramble, and he desperately cuts his feeds and connections before his code rolls around with the drone.

    Holding his head, and shaking off the dizziness, he tells Mina. "Lost the drone! We're on our own to set the equalizers positions!"
    nutkrusher: (Contemplative)

    Cassie Cage | Team Purple

    [personal profile] nutkrusher 2022-01-21 03:36 am (UTC)(link)
    I. Bad Vibes at Camp

    Cassie's been all over the place for this mission (even if her mun hasn't). Shit, it feels like she's been on every corner of this world. She was hoping to get some rest in when she got back to camp.

    But she's not resting. She can't. Instead, she's seated at the edge, looking off into the distance.

    Anyone else who can sense energy should be able to guess why.

    II. The Unquiet City

    Cassie might be inclined to say that a city infested with the restless dead makes her feel right at home. But that would just be a half-assed joke. She fuckin' hates zombies.

    And you'll be able to see it if you happen to be one of the people setting up equalizers near her. She is not holding back. Green light surges from her body, as do bullets from her gun (when there aren't live people in the way). Odds are pretty high you're in the splatter zone for this one.

    Sorry.

    III. No Sanctuary

    There is one and only one advantage to not being able to fall asleep: no one has to wake you up. She's armed and moving before most anybody else. Being alert to the situation takes only a little bit longer.

    But she's not looking for friends. Right now, she's looking for enemies.

    She stomps hard on the ground, startling the frenzied refugees. In an instant, they all turn towards her - and many of them begin to charge her.

    As soon as they get close, she darts into the air, leapfrogging the danger before dashing footfirst into the edge of the fray.

    "WOOOOP woopwoopwoop woop woop!"

    And if that isn't enough of a distraction, hopefully her Three Stooges noises will help.

    If not, a little help from one of the other Voidtreckers wouldn't be amiss.
    mystic_mongoose: (Mina6)

    Re: No Sanctuary

    [personal profile] mystic_mongoose 2022-01-21 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
    “Wait, what?” Mina said, surprised. She raised up her robotic arm to deflect a spear strike. “I think I understand, but it’s kind of a bad time to do that!”
    mystic_mongoose: (Mina8)

    [personal profile] mystic_mongoose 2022-01-21 03:50 am (UTC)(link)
    “Magic!” Mina said, explaining what she did to give that light. “I’ll explain later!”

    When that gust of wind blew, Mina quickly grabbed her sword and burrowed it into the ground as a brace just in case. Hearing Faux’s warning caused her to grumble.

    “Darn it! Bad time to fly blind…!”
    strings_theory: (ida27)

    [personal profile] strings_theory 2022-01-21 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
    Running from something isn't really outside of her wheelhouse and she'd made sure to keep as close to Emporio as possible throughout this whole mess. The refugees hadn't been a problem for her for obvious reasons, but she wasn't about to let them get a single finger on the poor kid. Especially not while all this other horseshit business was going down. She'd been keeping a keen eye of where they'd been going, noting the various changes and the distortions starting.

    But it isn't until they hit the grass that it fully hits here of what's going on. A Stand, even one like Emporio's, shouldn't be bothered by these distortions, right? She frowns to herself before she takes the words in, glances towards Weather and... well, she's using one of her strings to firmly but gently wrap around Emporio's wrist. "Wait a sec. If we keep running like this, we'll end up somewhere else, won't we?" Sometimes she's observant, rarely, but sometimes.

    "Also check your wrist," it's said as an afterthought, something so innately engrained in her that she knows she'll feel the slightest movements if they do, by some weird way, get separated. As long as it's within the bounds (which she hopes to every god that exists in the universe and outside of it won't be a problem) of her ability to safely unravel, then it should be fine. "Burning Down the House takes on the appearance of shit that no longer exists but occupies the same space, right? Those distortions or whatever, they said that shit was from different times, right? Maybe it's... I dunno, picking up different situations from the same place, if that makes sense?" It made better sense in her head and she's doing her best to ignore that crying or shouting or whatever it is.

    This is bad. She knows it's bad.

    "Gotta be fuckin' kidding me, first time out and it all goes to shit. Sounds about right." Gotta... lighten the mood, right?
    najaran: (Bwyaaaaah)

    Re: No Sanctuary

    [personal profile] najaran 2022-01-21 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
    "Morals aren't morals if you only have them when it is convenient," she said as she dodged another blow. The way she said it made it sound like something she'd heard many times in her life, a lesson drilled into her.

    It was a point her dad and her Master both agreed on.

    A sword swung right at her face and she panicked, lifting Goligan as she cringed back. The staff caught the blade in his teeth, sweating visibly.
    mystic_mongoose: (Mina6)

    Re: No Sanctuary

    [personal profile] mystic_mongoose 2022-01-21 04:02 am (UTC)(link)
    Mina winced at that. Okay, that is a very good point.

    “I’m sorry. I should have known better.” Mina said, leaping up and kicking the soldier in the stomach.

    “It’s easy for me since most of my opponents were robots…”
    najaran: (Sword Girl Naja)

    Re: No Sanctuary

    [personal profile] najaran 2022-01-21 04:16 am (UTC)(link)
    She nodded a bit as She stuck Goligan on her belt and claimed the sword he had caught, since it was a single handed sword unlike her own longsword. "We'll have to survive on our own." Somehow.. .
    mystic_mongoose: (Default)

    Re: No Sanctuary

    [personal profile] mystic_mongoose 2022-01-21 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
    "Don't worry, Najaran. I'll protect you." Mina said, looking back and smiling at her friend.
    najaran: (Sword Girl Naja)

    Re: No Sanctuary

    [personal profile] najaran 2022-01-21 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
    Since the sword wasn't a Card she dashed forward and slashed at an attacker. "We'll protect each other..."
    mystic_mongoose: (Mina5)

    Re: No Sanctuary

    [personal profile] mystic_mongoose 2022-01-21 04:25 am (UTC)(link)
    "We'll protect each other and get out of this together!" Mina said defiantly, slashing at another attacker.
    najaran: (Shield Stop)

    Re: No Sanctuary

    [personal profile] najaran 2022-01-21 04:57 am (UTC)(link)
    "Agreed!" Najaran said as she dodged back from another assault. Someone aimed a projectile weapon at them. She tossed the sword aside to dash in front of Mina, holding the shield up to block them both, staggering at the impact from the blow.
    theverymodel: (Or killing a bad person)

    [personal profile] theverymodel 2022-01-21 04:57 am (UTC)(link)
    It's not new information. But it's confirmation that the problem isn't getting any better. "POssible effect of displacement." They'd been warned that getting pulled out of time didn't leave them with a long life expectancy, but this was still new.

    "May be out of non-combat options." He doesn't like it, but he likes letting them continue like this less.
    mystic_mongoose: (Mina6)

    Re: No Sanctuary

    [personal profile] mystic_mongoose 2022-01-21 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
    With Najaran blocking the attack, Mina turned around and glared at the attacker, holding up her regular arm and firing a burst of green energy at them.
    myblueskies: (ouch)

    Re: Eye of the Storm

    [personal profile] myblueskies 2022-01-21 05:07 am (UTC)(link)
    The wind was so loud, the rain bashed down on his head, obscuring sound even more but through it all he heard a call. A voice on the wind.

    Was that his name? It sounded like this name. He turned but he couldn't see very far at all, water all around, stinging his eyes as it got blown into his face by wind.

    "Yes! HELLO?" Who was it? Where were they?

    He braced himself and tried to walk a few steps, his hand trying to shield his eyes as he peered out into the storm.
    mystic_mongoose: (Mina5)

    Re: Eye of the Storm

    [personal profile] mystic_mongoose 2022-01-21 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
    That sounded like Romeo. It had to be. But, where?

    "IT'S ME! MINA!" She shouted, trying to shout over the wind. That was almost impossible. "HANG ON!"
    myblueskies: (Alfredo is speaking!)

    Re: o boy here we go

    [personal profile] myblueskies 2022-01-21 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
    He sees the refugee and he calms a little, not wanting to interrupt if Ryo is busy. But it seems they are done and Ryo is looking at him already.

    "It's okay! It doesn't hurt much." It hurts quite a lot but he doesn't want to worry Ryo. He got closer so that Ryo could look at it. Romeo knows a bit of how to look after cuts but it's a new skill and Ryo is much better.

    "Um... It's a really complicated story! But can you remember the time we were all in Diagad?"
    nobodys_puppet: (Hooded And Ready)

    [personal profile] nobodys_puppet 2022-01-21 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
    No sanctuary

    She had seen someone going after Taiki and then we weapon against him... there was no stopping to think, no hesitation. She charged at the attacker, a bright light surrounding her Keyblade like an aura. She slashed several tomes, knocking the foe away from Taiki and then she continued to pummel her target until the refugee fell. She stopped then, not finishing for a kill or anything. Just making sure Taiki was no longer in danger. Then she turned back to Taiki and cast Curaga, lifting her KEyblade over her head as she shouted the name of the spell bathing Taiki in way more than healing magic than was really needed. She then moved the Keyblade to one gloved hand, offering the other one to him.

    And he would have gotten her emotions through all that of course, panic when she saw him in danger, fierce protectiveness, fury, fear but... all of that drained away when the foe was down, and once Taiki was healed, relief.

    No pride though. Nothing positive except being glad he was okay.
    ranoutofbuts: (Tank3)

    [personal profile] ranoutofbuts 2022-01-21 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
    Magic? Ok then.

    After watching Mina bury a blade into the sodden ground, Faux knows it's rough. If he remembers correctly though, swirling winds usually have a center. Perhaps it would be calmer there to set their equalizers. But getting there...

    He has an idea. And from the looks of it Mina might like it a tad more than their current situation. "Ah, I have an idea! Just, ah, don't get too close just yet!"

    Faux pulls off his baton. He hasn't tried this yet, something so large, and in such extreme conditions, so he's not sure if it'll work as he intends. He knows digital objects can work in this user place, he's just unsure for how long though. His baton's energy once depleted, is entirely derived from his own to charge it back up. He's going to have to take a chance.

    He releases his light-tank from the baton, and before Mina, a large glowing tank assembles and appears just above the waterline, and then Thunks! into the ground below it. Faux opens up the hatch, imploring Mina to enter.

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