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!

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Poi 10 - Never look inward, try not to look upward

So for once, Rich is actually prepared for part of the mission. After a bit of floundering and trying to find his place, Ryo made the call on the SCAs for assistance calming the refugees... and it didn't take long for him to run back and grab his guitar.

He can be found talking to the ones in the camp that seem distrustful, somehow managing not to raise his voice, even if some of them yell at him or blame him for the chaos surrounding this place. He just raises a hand in a placating gesture.

"Hey, don't worry. I get it. I know I'm not the help you're looking for. I won't solve all your problems and I get that."

He lowers his hand then to the strings of his guitar, letting a strum vibrate through the tension in the air.

"But I might be able to just chill with you for a while, if you want? Why don't you sit down?"

Eventually, he's gathered a small group of them to make up something of an audience, listening patiently to whatever songs he can think to sing. He's surprised to find that his music is doing this much to calm them, and he thinks about the conversation he had about Diagad with Ryo for a second before pushing it out of his mind. No sense worrying about that now. He's only going to mess up and piss someone off if he starts getting suspicious.

Rich's music isn't as strong as it was in another world, but if you pass by, it still may tempt you to wander close to listen, rest your weary bones... maybe close your eyes for just a moment.

Poi 11 - Some nights I pray... But usually I'm just trying to get some sleep

It's a scream that wakes Rich, one that he would join if only he had the ability to breathe.

Scrambling into wakefulness, he writhes around in his assailant's grip, eyes wide and panicked as he gasps for air. He doesn't know who this is, but he could have sworn he saw him in the camp. He thought he was calmed down by the time nightfall came... He thought he was helping!

He grunts as he's pushed back against his cot, but when the attacker loosens his grip to reach for a knife, he has just enough sense to take a deep breath, fill his lungs - and shout.

"Get back!" His words are forceful enough, loud enough, that they carry the energy to repel the man backwards, wind knocking him off his feet. Rich grabs his guitar, and though he often prayed since discovering his returning powers that their effects would be weakened, this once he hopes that charming effect is enough.

He rushes out to the camp, looking for fights to break up. He probably looks a little silly with his guitar being his only weapon right now, but he doesn't have much time to reconsider his plan here.

Honestly, with the sheer chaos surrounding the camp right now, it doesn't even really matter what weapon someone is carrying. Anything that can help to defend themselves is a good thing in Alice's opinion - and if anything, the fact that Rich is carrying a guitar of all things helps him to stand out.

It means that when Alice spots said guitar throughout the chaos in this crowd, she knows that it's not just one of these aggressive civilians, but instead someone she knows.

And considering what she knows about Rich, especially the fact that he doesn't seem like a fighter...

She quickly pushes her way through the crowds, over towards where he's standing.

"Rich," she says. Quickly, almost rushed, since chitchat is kind of hard in the middle of everything going on here - but there's a seriousness in her eyes. It's born from concern, though Alice would rather die than ever admit to that. "Are you alright?"

Everything seems to be a mess, enough that Rich isn't sure who's coming towards him until Alice speaks. His hands jerk, a warbling note coming from the strings on his guitar, but he settles once he realizes who it is.

"Alice! I'm fine, someone just tried to..." He swallows and shakes his head. "Doesn't matter. If I can play more music, I might be able to convince people to stop fighting. It worked in Diagad!"

".. I am not so sure if these people can be reasoned with," Alice says.

Granted, playing music at them - probably enhanced by Rich's powers, if the comparison to Diagad means anything here - isn't quite the same as reasoning.. but if they aren't intimidated by the sheer size of Alice's weapon, then she figures there must be something stronger controlling these people.

Then again, who knows? She's just as blind to this situation as Rich himself is, she's sure.

"So be careful while doing this. They might still attack you."

She shakes her head. "So far nothing seems to stop them. It is as if something made them completely mindless."

"Maybe they can't, but..."

Rich grits his teeth and watches for a moment, hands nervously hovering around his guitar strings as he wonders if he should hesitate or just jump right in.

Thankfully, Alice's caution does give him a little hope, and he gives a determined nod to her.

"Hey, that's just so far. Something's got to work to help them. And if not, we can find whatever made them act like this and take it out!"

Alice lets out a slight breath.

It's difficult to place the exact emotion behind it though. It could be interpreted in a lot of different ways. Maybe it's just that she's glad to see Rich acting like the hopeful one for once. It is good to see some determination in him, that's for sure.

"If you have any ideas on how to stop them, I am all ears." It's not said sarcastically either. It sounds like she means it - like she's really willing to give any idea coming from him right now some consideration.

It's still not sarcastic as Alice turns towards one of the people running at them, the weapon in her hands shifting to an oversized pepper grinder. Apparently it's her way of using non-lethal means, since it sprays pepper right into the guy's eyes, making him sink to the floor before he can fully attack either of them.

"If we need to go somewhere to try out a solution, I can help you get there."

Rich isn't usually hopeful in these situations, so it's certainly a nice change of pace. Even he feels like the weight is slipping off his shoulders, even though they're still surrounded by brawling refugees and unrestrained chaos.

"I think... I just think if I can get a second to play..." It's hard, though, to focus on music when all he can hear is screaming, and he has to keep his eyes peeled for sudden attacks. "Is there somewhere we can take cover?"

She quickly glances around them - knowing that she doesn't exactly have much time for that when she needs to keep an eye out for any people charging at them. But a brief glance is all she needs, the gears in her head starting to turn pretty quickly.

Alice may not necessarily be book smart in a lot of ways, but she's used to combat situations. She's used to quickly having to analyse areas to find cover, even while being attacked.

"Near the tents," is her quick answer. Maybe not one of the tents people were sleeping in, since a lot of those smaller ones are being knocked over, but-- "The bigger supply tents."

Those are still standing, after all.

"Then your back will be covered."

And Alice can at least protect him from everything else if it's just coming from one direction, rather than all around them. That should give him a moment to play, right?

This was some kind of mess, and Amaya had been right: they were not prepared. Capable people here, plenty of them, but it could barely be considered organized chaos at this point. Luckily, with the people they did have there was some semblance of success against the original disruption but when shit really started hitting the fan?

Tobirama quickly became less concerned about fighting the battle within the time distortions. There were enough people for that. His concern returned him to the camp, to the people that -- for the majority of them -- could not fight. Quick on his feet and currently settled on the rooftop, enter one sniper for lack of better words. Mind you, they weren't bullets and he didn't have a gun but who needs that when you can shoot water needles from your fucking mouth.

Its at this point, though, that Tobirama recognizes someone below. A description he'd been given not too long ago by Yondu. And down he jumps to the side of Rich, taking down a few oncoming enemies on the way.

"Fighting is useless," he says, noticing really quickly the lack of saying dead that's going on. "We need to get people out." Questions on what the hell kind of weapon Rich had would be reserved for later.

Rich is definitely one of those people in the camps who isn't much of a fighter. He's able to throw a punch, but he didn't really know where to aim amongst all this chaos, and instead, he'd been resorting to gripping the neck of his guitar.\

Strangely enough, he doesn't seem to be looking to run away. In fact, he looks like he's about to not only stay in place, but start strumming his guitar when someone jumps down beside him. The strings make an ugly note as he jumps in surprise before attempting to recover.

"I-I know! I was going to try to lead people out of here! I, I think I can help!"

Trunks has mostly been in the field or around camp as protector and bodyguard. But it's been wearing on him, and while he's more used to refugees than he'd like... This was too much like home in some ways, while still being different enough to be disturbing.

Which meant he gravitated towards Rich as he was playing guitar. Lurking near the back, stance casual and at rest. Just letting himself relax for a time.

Rich catches a glimpse of Trunks, and he lets himself feel a bit of relief. He hasn't seen Trunks in a while, though that's probably due to Rich moping for a while. Still, it's always good to see a friend, and especially to see him relaxed. Maybe thanks to Rich? He's hopeful that his talents actually amounted to something.

Once the refugees seem to have settled enough to talk casually, without arguments sprouting up, Rich hops down from the crates he piled up into a makeshift stage and approaches Trunks.

"Hey, how're you holding up? Looks like you kind of need a nap."

"Just a lot to do, and I promise I'm getting sleep. How about you?" Trunks rarely took the time to relax, although he was good about breaks while on a mission. But a 'break' did not equal 'relaxing' necessarily.

"I'm fine! I mean, for once, I actually can do something on one of these missions." Rich smirks and holds up his guitar slightly. "I don't know if they just like music or if something else is going on, but they usually calm down after I play a couple songs."

Trunks raises an eyebrow. "Rich, I'm sure you do a lot on missions. Even if you don't think you do. I'm glad you feel you can do more this mission, and music is a good way to do so."

Rich is taken aback for a moment, but laughs a little nervously. "I don't know about that... I'm usually pretty lost most of the time, if I'm not actually getting in trouble. This is more my speed, so. It's not fighting or anything."

As much as Trunks has given him pointers along with others, he's still only human.

"Every bit helps. And maybe we can find a way for you to do this more regularly. I know missions often leave those of us from the train tired too. Music would be a nice thing to have regularly. Besides, you could also learn first aid, help run supplies. Lots of things besides fighting."

"You think people would want to listen more? I did a concert once, but I always thought people had other stuff on their mind besides whatever I was trying to pull."

First aid is a nice idea, though. He might be better looking after people instead... though he's probably a little too blunt for emotional help.

"Even if it's just in the background, I think it'd help. It's soothing."

"I don't know if all my music is soothing. I'm a rocker first, you know!" But he doesn't mind playing softer songs... And he seems to have a talent for it, with the way the refugees have settled down today.

"True, but that might be cathartic in a different way." Trunks was still optimistic. "Thanks for playing today."

"Hey, no, thanks for listening! It's nice to see you around again. I'm not going to say no to a friendly face around here." Even if he can usually settle everyone down, it's a little aggravating to be looked at like he's causing trouble all the time.

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Fissures of Time: Ongoing

Rich Goranski | Be More Chill | Orange Team | Camps Poi 10 and 11

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