middleofsomewhere | Swirling Consequences Ongoing

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Swirling Consequences Ongoing

SWIRLING CONSEQUENCES: ONGOING

QUICKSAND 11-13 ~ TEAM OBJECTIVES ~ LOCATION INFORMATION ~ OTHER DETAILS
COMMS ~ ASK QUESTIONS ~ SHENANIGANS ~ TEAM PLOTTING ~ MISSION TASKS/REWARDS

OVER THE YELLING HEIGHTS...

As they arrive at their destination, the Voidtreckers are quick to get to work into the various jobs that need them. The Blues have slowly but steadily been doing their best to fulfil all three of their tasks. They've worked to locate locals and to get them aid after being cut off, and have been searching for those from other worlds. A few helped with the dralite work, but took priority in helping people and leaving the dralites to others.

Orange have largely focused on collecting herbs, doing some work to help farmers relocate their animals, but only a few helped the dralite with their nests. At least there will be plenty of potions, teas, and craggy leaves to hand out, with the leaves sure to help the stressed out animals yet located.

For the Purples, they've been working well to clear the roads and ruined layouts of farms and villages to give better access around the Yelling Heights. A few have helped in escorting their fellow team members and the locals in getting around.

As for the Reds, they did what they do best: going on the offensive. They've been working to get rid of the voidblobs, but don't have much interest in setting up safe perimeters. A few voidtears, however, have been located, and hopefully that will help everyone push forward in the next few days of the mission.

Overall, the farmers are thankful for the help so far, and a good decent have been assisted. They will help Voidtreckers as they need it, and have tools on hand that can be borrowed. They will be willing to assist with the voidtears, if only able to push back any voidblobs, or to make sure Voidtreckers get back somewhere safe afterwards.

The storms have increased, changing the spotty but sunny days into more rain and wind. The choral singing can be heard more, even if one isn't near a voidtear, causing an increase in animals becoming stressed and spooked. Fortunately, transgates - quick travel gates - have been set up between the Weary Wanderer (near the forest and scrublands), one in the largest village on in the farmlands, and one can be accessed around the scrublands. These will help with some of the travel.

Animals are scattered around the scrublands and fields between farms, some unfortunately perished over the first few nights, but also some safely brought back to their appropriate farms. Adult dralites will be more hostile around people, spreading out father and bothering farmlands, screeching up a storm that stuns most people even from a distance. Their young can still be found, alive or not, and they will leave with either, though with wails for their deceased child. Even capturing them and leading them back into the forest will do some good.

↪ Prompt: There's a farm not too far from the Weary Wanderer that Albany asks for people to go to - some earmuffs can be taken along to help with the sound, along with earplugs. The reason becomes clear as soon as Voidtreckers approach it, where dralites can be circling around it. A woman greets whoever comes - "Thank ya for coming out here, I know you're working hard" - and leads them to the cause.

There's a ditch where trees have fallen, their farm bordering the forest. The cries of younger dralites can be heard, but the adults are squabbling amongst one another, and people who try to approach the fallen wreckage can thwapped at by the adults.

What will be the best course of action? To bruteforce the paralsying wails and peckings and to get at the trunks? Or to pacify these disagreeable winged things? Voidtreckers can also come here and find a displaced person or two taking shelter. (B2, B3)

While a good portion of the roads have been cleared and managed, there are areas away from the Weary Wanderer that need help, where the Ciyesia mountain suffered its damage and plenty of the farm animals and more secluded farmers have been cut off from help. The great chinchillas and the voidblobs are taking advantage of the ruined roads to kill and take animals (the chinchillas), or just to ruin them as they're found (the voidblobs).

↪ Prompt:"We're gonna need all the hands we can get. Can some of your folks come with us 'round Ciyesia? We're having trouble to getting to some of ours in a tricky part, and the animals that way - oh, they're nasty."

There's a trail - or most of a trail - that goes around the side of the Ciyesia mountain, leading over to a smaller collection of hills. While good work has been done on clearing up, around this area there's still a fine slide of rubble that's scattered over the walking paths. Those with sturdy arms are necessary to clear the wreckage, but also to deal with the voidblobs, great chinchillas, and even the dralites in this area, with the latter preferred to be pushed back to the forest. The farmers coming with the Voidtreckers will help to round the animals, but they'll need help dealing with the trouble along the way.

Doing this will help them gain access to a few farms, grateful to find visitors, though their families will be around, trying to deal with trouble. Find them on the road, with animals or in a troubling situation with a voidblob, and do what you can to help. (P1, B1, R1/R3, O2)

While Voidtreckers have worked hard to get rid of them, larger voidblobs have been spotted, and are becoming a bigger issue across the community. Further perimeters will need to be set up to keep them away from the farmlands scattered around, using good coordination to cover as much ground as possible. The voidtears as a result are easier to find, as blobs can be easier to spot if people are on watch, but are tougher than the result blobs: as tall and wide as a newsagent storefront, they will take more than one or two people to deal with them. Their speed can be unpredictable, and they're sturdier than the smaller variants, having a more gelatinous ability to move - even to rise high or to spread out.

It is advised stronger Voidtreckers deal with these - coming in with little experience or just a blade will be dangerous.

↪ Prompt: "We're seein' some of those big boys out around the fields. I'm telling ya, they're fast bastards. Think you can help us get rid of 'em? Anything you need, we've got your backs."

The locals of these lands are doing their best to help the Voidtreckers, as well as each other. Getting word out to the farther communities is hard, but they have set up a system - flags. Flags made out of any bedsheet that can be found, then put up on wooden logs. They're a call for help, being used especially if they spot voidblobs. It's a desperate attempt at communication, but the voidblobs are troublesome - and more so their larger variant. No fence or barricade works to keep them back, and the best the farmers can do is hope they won't come towards their homes when they roll into their lands. It's also worse if there happens to be a voidtear nearby...(R1, R3)

Finding displaced people will be all the more important, though some have been put forward to aid. Glowing marks around the Yelling Height's forest have been put on the tree trunks to help guide people out of the forest easier from different spots, and another Voidtrecker has been encouraged to create crystal trackers, that can be picked up. These crystals will glow the closer they approach a non-native, nor non-Voidtrecker sentient being - which means both displaced people, and the voidblobs.

Sending people home will require the same anchoring technique used during Jinnjar, Diagad, and similar to the recent events. It only takes one Voidtrecker to return someone to their world, hand in hand they will cross a metaphysical void river, seeing flashes of the visitor's world and life. And Voidtreckers will be just as exhausted as they were getting their own returned to the train... Probably best to share this burden out between as many who are willing.

↪ Prompt: Some displaced people have found their way out of the woods, found around the escorts for those keeping check, or even making their way to Albany's inn or a nearby farm. The locals themselves can't help send them home, but they're used to helping outsiders, warming them up and getting them fed. Some will accept help easily, but others are less keen on approaching unknown houses. (B2)

To approach a voidtear will be a challenge, but as they're found, planning a route straight to them that minimises time will help. Closing a voidtear will require more than one person, a small group even - with each getting under a voidtear and then pressing their anchor button. They will need to focus on keeping themselves grounded and to resist the pull of the void, as they offer their own energy in stitching up the tear. For smaller tears two people should be able to close it but more voidtreckers will be necessary for the larger ones. Colours and music entice them, to just give up, let themselves float into the void... They will need to support each other to keep steady.

OOC NOTES

OOC Post ~ Questions ~ Shenanigans ~ Tasks Check-In & Mission Rewards
Notes: A conclusion post will go up on the 26th. Feel free to put toplevels put up at the end of the start log here! Or to re-use portions and to put up fresh posts here. Or to just link them here, have a blast.

Here is a TL;DR of the above tasks: Dralites are everywhere, more aggressive and hostile; farm animals are more scattered and harder to reach, being attacked by chinchillas and voidblobs around scrublands; displaced people need to be found and sent home, and voidblobs now have a larger variant; the voidtears are becoming easier to find, but the effects of the storms are worsening, closing them will be a priority.

Please have your tasks submitted by the 25th to help determine the conclusion of the mission! We will start to count mission rewards around this time too.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Honestly, the air around them is making Katsuya wonder if they should get backup as well. He's got his earmuffs handy, and his pokeballs just as handy as well, but the closer they get, the more he's grimacing. "Nyhhhhh....prob'bly..?" he offers unhelpfully, before sucking in a breath and putting his earmuffs on. "Gonna see how Kaseri feels abou' it..."

Even if he can't hear any response that well, it'll be pretty easy to spot a gesture. Katsuya pulls Kaseri's pokeball from his pocket, and tosses it down.

"Alrigh' girl...if y' think you can calm things down here, give a nod!"

The ponyta released...doesn't. Have any idea if she can do that, ultimately. She just sort of trots around, getting a sense of their surroundings.

And also trying to suck up to Tidus, because look, she may as well get some attention while she's here.

"Ah- O-Oii, th's is a mission..."

Tidus has no idea what this pony-horse can do, but if she's one of Katsuya's, he figures there's some moves she's got.

Which is the move of approaching him, and Tidus blinks at it, but he'll rub the end of its nose if it pokes it his way.

"H-hey. You think you can help us out?" Rub rub! "Those parents really want to get their kids back."

...can it understand him? Tidus doesn't really know, but he has the desire to talk at an animal like most people. Plus, its nose reminds him a little of Taiki as a kirin.... his one main experience with horses.

Well. Kaseri can tell prettttty quickly that this is a serious situation. She looks from Tidus, then to Katsuya, and with an astoundingly serious expression given that she's a tiny tiny pastel pony, gives a short whinny before trotting forward. To the average person, it looks very much like she intends to just...walk into the chaos. Which for most, would go poorly.

Kaseri however, gives off an aura of calming- which should at least quiet anything in her vicinity down.

...

Katsuya is still waiting to see how well it works before he follows though, watching carefully.

Bold moves, Kaseri.

There's still squawking as Kaseri approaches, the dralites that are flying around still seeming to keep up their patterns. The pokémon is forced to go nice and slowly by the paralysing effects of the noise - poor pony, but it's not entirely bad.

As the dralite don't appear to be going for her - and as she gets closer (or passes) some of the dralite, none of them move for her, and a few do quiet. Even one or two come from in the skies to give her a SQUAAAAAAAAAAWWWKKK, but after their initial huffiness, there's some huffy shuffling, but then it calms.

Give it a few minutes. Not every dralite will calm, given how wide and spread out the space is, but her natural effect does appear to be working on the dralite.

(Her poor ears.)

Bold, indeed. Katsuya keeps a close eye on her though, already pulling out his pokedex and tapping at it to track status. Between what they can see from far back, and what he's seeing on the screen...

The verdict is looking good!

"Welllllll...I think she got paralyzed but....looks like she's got it! We're gonna uh, still need these, but she's calmin' 'm down!" he cheers, pulling his earmuffs more properly on. "'S LONG AS WE STAY NEXT T' HER, WE OUGHTA HAVE A BETTER TIME OF IT!"

...Hopefully Tidus had his on by the time Katsuya said that.

There's a mumbling of talking beside him that Tidus catches, and he realises it's Katsuya talking; pulling aside on an earmuff in time for '-almin' 'm down', and also - for the rest of that.

OW.

"OKAY!" The earmuff gets shoved back over his poor ear, Tidus shouting for no reason than for his own suffering. Dralites squawk at their noise making, but so are a few of the dralites.

Regardless, they'll be having a slow walk catching up with Kaseri - or, maybe it'll be better for her to come back to them. But Tidus still thinks that's approval for him to start walking towards the ponyta, which he is, cautiously!!

Only to have a dralite come down by his feet and start thwapping its wings at him, knocking him back as he has no way to respond. He can't even yell!!

Alright! They got this! Two guys, no ears, loud voices!

And off they go, at a snails pace, before dralites start coming down. Maybe he should've called Kaseri back first. That might have been a better idea though. Instead though they're in this mess, which means Katsuya is (mutely) shouting and running for Tidus.

"I GOTCHA MAN...!"

...Well whatever he said, he's going to try and tackle a dralite apparently, because that's definitely what will help here yes.

Behold: The scene this "rescue operation" has become.

Which is: Tidus on the floor, by the dralite Katsuya has tackled, who is making short-screams that probably aren't that great to hear up-close, even with the earmuffs, but also, that's wrestling with a sheep-sized bird. There are other dralites around, a few who plop onto the ground nearby like YEAH WE WANNA FIGHT TOO, and then.

And then there's one Kaseri, who might have a single braincell (that these two guys lack) to start wandering back over to them to calm the situation down?

Or they can watch this. Tidus is doing his best to join in on the wrestling of the dralite though, grabbing a foot semi-uselessly; but at least it can't try and thwap/smack Katsuya?!

The blonds are being slapped silly, or at least one is while Katsuya tries in vain to pin one down. In all his shouting, his shadow is stretching out to join the fray, and then also getting clocked back and forth by a giant flappy birdy thing.

There are no braincells in this pile, and the dralites have finally been allowed to go apeshit. There is lots of screaming, but really, who could actually confirm that, no one can hear a thing.

And Kaseri......................................

Well Kaseri isn't touching that crap with a 40 foot pole you two can have fun. Instead she just starts looking up at where all the little ones are stuck, and focuses; horn glowing brilliantly as she starts to get some levitation going.

You're doing great guys, just keep their attention a bit longer, or something.

Is a shadow joining this onslaught? Good, then Tidus's higglepal can appear out from his chest and get instantly smacked aside by a NEW DRALITE THAT HAS SCREAMED INTO THE SCENE. There are no rules only here, except the need to Smash. Are the dralites more likely smashing the boys and each other? Probably. But as that happens...

This does leave fewer adults around where the fallen tree is, the babies wailing. Even when they 'calm', there's still excited yips with their parents so close!! A few of the adults are watching Kaseri still, the chicks not immediately moving away from the space that Kaseri's freed up; but a few squawks from the less fighty dralites do make the youngsters start to come out. Particularly, those with the parents not engaging in a brawl in the background.

But even their babies will start to wander out as the other dralite chicks too. They have parents to cry for, loudly or timidly. And at some point, their hardheaded parents will notice the cries of their children, and move away from the scene - even flying to grab their babies into their beaks and to take them away.

Either way, there's going to be a big mess of fluffy feathers where Tidus and Katsuya are, and a few blue higgledies scattered around the battlefield, along with the blue caped wonder.

The true hero today....is Kaseri, the good pony(ta).

Goodbye sweet Hibber-gibber, you did your best-

But, hey- chaos is chaos, and Kaseri is nothing if not pragmatic. While the chaos becomes...visual chaos more than active chaos, chicks are being carefully lifted out and passed to concerned parents. It's one by one, but it's good progress- these chicks are getting rescued!

...And once that's all settled she'll just come over to gloat. How, one might ask, does a ponyta gloat look?

Mostly it looks like bouncing and prancing, and refusing to do anything about the two covered in feathers laying on the ground.

Haha, you two are all messy, haha.

Why does this happen with all of Katsuya's pokémon.

Thoughts that Tidus doesn't get to have, with him a paralysed mess on the ground, who ... has a few bumps, but bumps that were likely more accidental (save for those few wing whacks, HE FELT THOSE, DRALITE). The adults have done their best to get away for their chicks, and now everyone can be happy; the adults chomps their babies - delicately - to fly away with, or to poke at them and fuss over them before eventually doing so.

But indeed, there is a Tidus and Katsuya mess on the ground. Give Tidus... five minutes...

"I never asked to get abducted by a mission train."

Five minutes that includes lamenting his life.

So tired...............so.................so tired..............

"....man....how come we couldn' all jus' end up on Alola again....I c'n feel my everythin'...."

Whinnies echo through the air, not that Katsuya can hear them. Somehow, the earmuffs are still on. ...Maybe he didn't actually hear Tidus then. Maybe he guessed. Foresaw it even? Mystery.

(No doubt with this track record, Tidus is going to personally hunt this fool down when a third pokemon is purchased.)

After a few minutes though, Katsuya groans and manages to reach up and take his off- tilting his head toward their goal while he's at it.

"...Oh hey..................she did it.............."

...Congratulations....

It's cool, people just say stuff to get it out; there doesn't even have to be a true audience. Tidus still has his own earmuffs on, so he doesn't hear anything about Alolans, but he is shuffling to get sat up on his butt. Is that safe? Can he do that? Thanks dralites.

He's got half an earmuff off, just in case. And he can sure see what looks to be a positive sight. But here on the ground, feathers and peck marks all over him...

"Can we ride her back to the inn?"

They should probably go into the forest first and take care of the birds left, or even talk to the people inside the house, but Tidus's five minutes of pointless complaining? Not yet over.

(But he's getting there.)

Despite the fact that Tidus is probably- no, definitely- joking, Katsuya turns his head to stare at the ponyta for a moment.

"Nyyyyhh...maybe one 'f us..?"

Kaseri gives a loud snort in reply.

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Swirling Consequences Ongoing

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