middleofsomewhere | Fissures of Time: Ongoing

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Honestly, it's still a little hard for Inigo to leave everything behind. Even though he knows that this is the right thing to do in the end, even though he knows Taiki needs them, so they have to be there.. There's still a pit of guilt in his stomach at leaving all the fighting and cleaning up of the mess in the camps and the distortions to everyone else right now.

No matter how much this mission has basically drained Inigo's everything - especially two breakdowns and a near-death experience later.

But he's still come along without complaints. Showered without complaints. Made his way over to Taiki's room without complaints.

Though he is quiet. It's easy to blame that on the fact that Tidus already called out, so there's no need for him to do so either, but the quiet lingers a little beyond that. Inigo is just so mentally exhausted, only managing to still stand here rather than collapse into a heap due to the hand holding his own, and the sheer knowledge that Taiki needs them.

Taiki had managed to get back, shower and sleep. He had been sensible, showered before he had went into his cabin, not taking his clothes into the cabin. Everything inside was as blood free as he could manage.

With the train so quiet and empty he had slept a long time and though he was still feeling feverish he felt a lot better than he had at the camp. He's mostly worried. About his friends, about everyone in the camp.

What had happened? Why had the refugees attacked? He has many questions but doesn't want to bother anyone when they must all be so busy figuring things out and helping fix the mess that had happened.

He's very glad to hear Tidus' voice and he moves quickly to the door, or as quickly as he could with shaking legs. The door opens with a press of a button and he is basically falling into his friends' arms, glad to see them and needing to hold them, to check they really were alright.

"Taik--" The name isn't finished as the other young man collapses against him, close to both him and Inigo. His heads are ready around him though, a rising worry as he inhales. He's not touching any particular part of him, but heat radiates off Taiki in that tell-tale way. That way he mostly does after a mission.

"Hey hey, it's okay, we've got you-" Tidus turns his head to Inigo, glancing at Taiki in a meaningful way and then nodding towards the room. Will the silent bro communication work? Will he understand, help me get him inside?

"--Let's get you back into bed. We're coming in. Eaasy does it; we're going together."

With maybe some shuffling and awkwardness, but that's alright. It should take too much to into the room, Tidus holding Taiki around the shoulders and another hand holding an arm.

While seeing Taiki this way tugs at Inigo's heartstrings, it's at the same time not a surprise to see it either. After all, with the way things suddenly turned around in the middle of the mission, the camp of all places suddenly being a place where fighting and bloodshed was happening.. how would Taiki be in any different state right now?

Maybe they were fools for thinking they could keep him safely away from all of that stuff, relying way too much on the assumption that the camps would be safe, no matter what. That they could keep them safe, not knowing the true threat came from within all along.

At least the silent bro communication works here. Inigo is immediately moving to support Taiki's other side, helping Tidus to get the other back into the room, and then onto the bed. Even if Taiki might refuse to lay down, wanting to hold onto them, then Inigo will at least make sure the other is sitting on the bed, rather than standing on his own feet while he's still unstable.

"Yeah," Inigo finally speaks up, his voice a little on the quiet side. "It's alright. We're here now, Taiki. And you're safe here too."

Even though the damage is already done, with Taiki being weakened like this.

He should make more of an effort to walk himself, to not burden his friends like this but now that they are here... It's hard not to lean on them, to close his eyes and let them steer him back towards the bed.

He collapsed onto the bed, reaching out to keep hold of the both of them. "Thank you..."

He blinked his eyes open, trying to focus on them. "Were... Were you attacked?"

They don't smell of blood, but he knew they would have cleaned themselves before joining him. They are very good friends. More than he deserves.

Tidus won't go as Taiki settles, gripping the hand that reaches out. But leaning over the bed isn't any good, so he'll shuffle to one side. He isn't wearing any shoes; not in the mood to clean them, and not about to risk bringing them in when Taiki's already so sensitive.

And he'd answer the question that comes, but he pauses as soon as he's about to begin. Looking over at Inigo, letting him answer instead.

He doesn't want to choose to downplay what happened for Inigo -- it's up to him what's said and what isn't.

Inigo also easily moves along. If Taiki wants to be on the bed but still cling onto them, then they can just sandwich Taiki on the bed, no biggie.

.. though there is suddenly that awkward question. One that's mostly awkward because Inigo really doesn't want to do either of two things: lying to Taiki or telling Taiki about stuff that might worry him or make him feel bad.

And yet he'll have to do one of the two here. Especially as he glances over at Tidus, realising the other isn't about to answer that question - and also knowing why he doesn't.

Inigo knows that the imprints of the fingers that tightened around his throat should be gone, at least, thanks to a quick healing job on Tidus's part.

"Yeah, but you know us." Inigo manages to muster up somewhat of a smile for Taiki, no matter how much he's been stretching himself the past while. "We got out of there fine."

That's not a lie! They got out of there, and right now neither of them is hurt!

"We knew we had to safely show up for you, after all."

They had got attacked. It's clear even before Inigo talks, in the way Tidus doesn't, in the glance that goes between them, in the silence before Inigo answers him. They had been hurt, perhaps badly. Neither smells of blood and neither look injured and so Taiki guesses they have been healed.

But his heart still hurts for them. "I'm sorry." He tries to reach out to hug both at the same time. "Do... Why were they attacking. It's like something just twisted in them, to make them do that..."

It had all been so quick and worrying. He's calm now but he still doesn't really understand what happened or why.

He can't help the pang of guilt that comes. At least, it might be guilt - that or fear, shame, something like those emotions, hearing the casual tone used to dismiss the experience. One that lurks as a discomfort in his shoulders, the back of his throat; but how much worse must it be for Inigo?

Still, it's not enough to stop Tidus from taking Taiki's hand that reaches for him, if the other guy can't quite manage that embrace. We got you, pal. That's an easier thing to answer and accept than Taiki's question. That gets a complicated expression, one that's as unsure as the voice he speaks with.

"Weren't some people saying it had to do with that Kolofi god? The one that's meant to be dead or something?" He thinks? Maybe? "And some blessings the other gods did?"

He really couldn't keep up with the conversations going off in his SCA that early.

It's true that they didn't exactly have a whole lot of time to go around and pick up information. Waking up in that rough way while getting attacked, then going around the place to try and help others, only to hear about Taiki's state and then quickly following him here to the train..

.. well, it sure made it hard to pick up on any information being spread. Tidus is a little ahead of even Inigo, really, since he had been so busy trying to find a way to take back control over the situation that Inigo hadn't even heard as much.

"I prayed in front of those gods," Inigo confesses to the other two. Shifting so Taiki can hug him a little bit more easily, if that gives the other boy comfort.

(He's leaving out some details about said praying, but ssh, they don't have to know, right.)

"I prayed to Naga, in case I might have been able to reach her, but it was one of the gods from this place that reached back to me instead. I could feel their presence with me, during those first few days."

There's an implication in there. One he doesn't quite say out loud, because he doesn't want to further worry Taiki with details of the attack, but he's pretty sure Tidus will pick up on it. Maybe that's why I was attacked. Because he received one of those blessings.

"You prayed to them?" Taiki hadn't even thought of doing so. He had not been brought up religious on earth and though he was the creature of the gods he had never spoken to them, never met them. Not whilst he was conscious anyways.

He's pretty sure they hate him. But Inigo was different, he had his dragon god and that had led him to... feel the presence of another god.

"Do you think that's what they were drawn towards? That presence?"

It was to do with the gods, he looked at Tidus, worried. "Did they attack you as well Tidus? Have you prayed to the gods?"

"Uh-- no?" It takes Tidus a second to answer, to even think back to everything. Brain trying to figure out which question to answer first. "I didn't pray-" he didn't even see where to pray, wouldn't know there was a place if not for Inigo, "but I mean... they started attacking me once me and Inigo went around trying to stop everyone. But..."

But. Now that he's thinking, looking at Inigo, he is wondering, trying to figure out - did they go for him first? A silent question in the way he keeps his eyes on Inigo, if he could remember better than him.

"Inigo grabbed them so I could use a sleeping spell. But, it was kinda hard to tell what everyone was doing."

Inigo isn't sure hot it went out there, really, once the two of them had started to try and suppress the situation in camp. Everything had gone by too fast, and Inigo had been too focused on trying to get it done to really analyse whether they had come for him more often than they had come for Tidus.

But there is one moment he does remember. A moment during which those people had no reason to come for either of them. They had just been sleeping, side by side, and when they woke up, one of them had been strangling Inigo, despite having no reason to do so.

(Hadn't they said something too? Inigo sure doesn't remember, the entire situation hazey in his mind due to how little breath he had been getting back there. If he hadn't been saved by Tidus, then--)

It's not something he can bring up in front of Taiki though, which is why he's shooting Tidus a Look when the other is looking over at him. Bro, they can't talk about details like this in front of Taiki!!

"It doesn't matter," Inigo instead says, trying to shut down this line of inquiry before it goes too far. Before Taiki asks something they can't answer, for his own sake. "The situation seems to get better once people put up equalizers in the camp. So it seems like everything has been taken care of for now."

Fights are complicated and confusing. He doesn't blame them at all for not following exactly what happened. His own attack is a blur of fear and sadness and so he just nodded and looked down when Inigo said it didn't matter.

At least it was taken care of. "I'm glad... I hope not too many people were hurt and everyone realised... That they weren't..."

He trails off because his eyes have filled with tears. The memory of Naoya stabbing the refugee who was attacking Taiki blazing in his mind.

Tidus catches the look and holds his mouth, even though he was already. As he has more reason to, the emotion welling on Taiki's face, in his voice. He puts an arm around the guy, pulling him to him.

"Hey, it's alright now, everything's calmed down. Everyone's protecting the camps -- the refugees too. You don't need to worry."

Reassurance, and he looks over at Inigo briefly; just a share in their mutual worry for their friend before he speaks to Taiki again.

"What about you? I can get some of that incense -- the stuff I used during that big sleepover. You think it'd make you feel better?"

He'd offer food, but that might be too soon right now for Taiki, so what else but what might help his ailment?

Oh.. Sheesh. Inigo isn't too surprised by the way Taiki looks like he's about to cry. Of course the other must have been through a lot. Inigo remembers what he and Tidus witnessed back there in camp, after all, and he can only imagine how much worse it must have been for Taiki of all people, who physically can't bear any form of violence.

So Inigo doesn't say anything, just letting Tidus's words do the work for the moment, especially when Taiki's answer and needs are most important than anything else right now.

All Inigo does is just squeeze the other's hand a little tighter, while Tidus is holding Taiki on the other side.

He nodded, trying to get himself under control. He's trying not to be too upset, after all he doesn't want them worrying about him. It's enough that they are here, when they surely have much more important things to do.

But he can only be glad for their company, especially since it means he can check on them and make sure they at least rest for a moment. He held onto Inigo's hand tightly as he blinked at Tidus.

"It might... But please don't trouble yourself. You two must be very tired."

"I'll get some," he reassures; that it 'might' is good enough for him. "Then- we can all have a rest. We can do with a rest." He looks at Inigo as he speaks, know what difficulty doing that would be on him specifically, but...

"The Ministry guys said they're going in and bringing everyone more supplies, and sorting everything out. We don't know what's happening, but we can get an update later. Let's just...let them figure things out, instead of being out there and worrying right now. We can't do anything 'til they do, anyway."

So what's the point of going back out there, panicking? He doubts it's reasonable enough to work for Inigo, but to his own ears - to his own mind - it makes sense.

It's definitely still hard on Inigo to process - but it's not like he's going to walk out on this anyway. Taiki needs them right now, which means there's no place for Inigo other than at the other's side, just until they're absolutely sure that Taiki is okay again. How guilty he feels about being out there doesn't matter right now, and he's just shoving it down, already determined to not show it for Taiki's sake.. but also not wanting to show it when he can tell that Tidus is saying this for him, because the other doesn't want him to feel guilty.

He'll just do his best to be here for Taiki, together with Tidus. He can try to shove everything else down again.

"Yeah," Inigo adds. Looking at Taiki, as if he doesn't know darn well that those words are definitely meant for Inigo himself as well. "Don't worry about it, Taiki. Stuff is going to be fine out there. And we're fine too!"

T-Tired? Not like Tidus freaked out at having to deal with the undead people, or like Inigo had an emotional breakdown later on. It's cool. They're clearly fine. This is Taiki time.

"We're not going anywhere until you feel better."

Inigo pauses, before glancing over at Tidus, just to ask-- "Do you have the stuff with you?" Only Naga knows what's all in Tidus's band, after all.. "Or do you need to go get it?"

You need him to watch over Taiki for a second or is it fine, bro?

He glances at Inigo as well, because he knows how Inigo gets on missions, how he cannot rest, does not allow himself even pause to eat or sleep. He can imagine in all this chaos Inigo is finding it very hard.

They both are. Taiki knows when people are hiding things from him, to shelter him, to protect him. It hurts, knowing neither of them believe him strong enough to bare their burdens but he is not a child anymore, he won't sulk or hold the sadness in his heart. It is their choice and if they don't wish to tell him then he has no right to pry.

"Thank you both." That is said with sincerity, he is very lucky to have such friends who will come and make sure he is alright. "I think some rest will do us all well."

At least if they rest with him they are resting, and he can make sure they are alright as much as they can make sure he is too.

Tidus doesn't think he does, but he tries to bring one out anyway to confirm it, and not appears in hand when he makes a cupped hold of his hand for it. So he shakes his head, then nods to them both.

"I'll have to go - it's alright, I know where they are." Somewhere, in the armoury, in whatever corner of the locker. He gives Taiki's hand a squeeze, a smile for him. "Promise I'll be quick. You won't even have time to miss me!"

A joking note, to make this difficult air around them lighter, or at least to try. Ignore it - that's all he can do, shove it down and be positive for the both of them.

But unless they have reason to stop him, Tidus will slip off the bed, standing on his two feet. Time to hurry to that dang armoury and get that dang incense pronto!!

Don't worry, Tidus. He isn't being stopped by Inigo, at the very least. He recognizes the need for the other to leave him a little, and the moment Tidus leaves the bed, Inigo just wraps both of his arms right around Taiki, being the one to pull him close this time around. Filling the gap that Tidus might have momentarily left with his departure.

At least being soft around Taiki is never hard. Inigo doesn't even have to think about it. His heart still hurts, even now, but all the same he moves his lips to gently press a light kiss to Taiki's cheek, and continues to hold him.

"Don't worry, he'll be right back."

Inigo hums. "You know, when you think he probably grabbed it, you should just think of him really hard. It pulls him right over to here, you know."

A fun feature Inigo discovered literally just the other day - literally yesterday, that is, when he wanted Tidus near him so badly that he accidentally drew the other over through that Diagad power that still lingers within Tidus.

He misses him the moment he leaves, so there's plenty of time but he has Inigo's arms around him and he hugs him back. His arms are weak but they are strong enough to hug as he falls deeper into Inigo's arms.

"Really?" Just think of him and he would be there? "How..."

How did that even work?

"Better to not think about it too hard," Inigo says - or more like mumbles, really, judging by how softly he's saying it. After all, Taiki is so close in this moment that there is absolutely no need to speak up any louder than that. The other will be able to hear him all the same.

"It was the power he had back during that mission where we all lost our memories for a while. Seems like it returned to him."

As weird as that is. But Inigo has heard other people talk about that, so he's just choosing to accept it as a fact for now without thinking about it too hard. He's already got enough to worry about.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you tried to use it to pull him back here. You know how much he loves you."

"Ah... Yes... I heard that happened."

He had no idea if his has. It would be a strange one to test, purification. But something he can think about later, not right now.

He smiles softly, he did know. He knew how much Tidus cared for him. He knew he wouldn't mind. "We should give him time... So he can get the incense."

He had no idea how much Tidus could control this power of his after all.

Fissures of Time: Ongoing

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