A New Platform [Intro Post September]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

"Good morning Voidtreckers, it is day one of the month of Nebula. Points have been updated on the system."

With points updated, everyone can spend the morning shopping. Most people will be expecting the second announcement that comes a few hours later.

"Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." A lurch and a jolt and the windows fill with the fog that means they are at a platform.

The doors open. As usual, those who leave first notice nothing, walking silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. A-Qing, Atem, Beauregard Lionett, Casper LeBlanc Jr, Donatello Versus, Frankie Bacon, Ichiban Kasuga, Kumoko, Lena Sabrewing, Mami Tomoe, Mono, Peter Parker, Reno, Shi Qingxuan, Tobari, Wen Ning; all pass across the platform, not looking back. And then they're gone, disappeared through the barriers and into the fog beyond.

But on the platform itself there are new faces. Wearing hoodies in all four colours, in various states of confusion.

For New Passengers

At first all they can see is steam billowing around them as they come to their senses. As their eyes adjust, they find themselves on a platform. The platform is open to a bright blue sky, speckled with a couple of clouds. It's very warm, enough that they will not want to stay in those hoodies for long. Behind them through the fogs is a set of barriers, set in a brick wall and in front of them is a single set of tracks extending both ways into that same thick fog.

They are standing, in clothes that are not their own and a style they might not even recognise. They are carrying a rucksack on their back. For a moment it seems to just be them, alone on the foggy, blistering hot platform; then the fog begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform isn't large, but it is enough to hold the figures scattered around, all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. Then there is a roaring sound and out of the fog arrives a train. Jet black with gold writing on the side. The Voidtrecker Express. There is a hiss as the doors slide open and out pours a strange assortment of people, over a hundred at least. Some are human, some are less so. Most are wearing the same hoodie in one of the four colours, red, orange, blue and purple, though some are sporting different clothes in a variety of styles.

Behind them, the doors close, and the train is cloaked in the same fog that hides the world beyond the platform.

The Train

After a short time, perhaps ten minutes or so, the fog clears and the doors hiss open again. Those from the train may encourage those on the platform to board. It’s not like there's anywhere else to go and even if there was, you feel a pull. A need to board, a feeling that staying on the platform would lead to something terrible. If that is not enough, there are plenty of people on the platform now, to encourage them onto the train.

Each ICP shows the same message and next to the screens there are stacks of leaflets written by those on the train, with further information (see
'Publications'). They will also find a bunch of posters around the train and might notice the new clock in the standard coach.

The store rooms have been restocked with fresh ingredients, the ingredient this month is a strange meat, yaddon tail.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags. There is a box labelled for purple team containing a stick of rock for each member of purple team, including those who are new. Join in your teams success!

New passengers will find their ticket allows them into their cabins. In most rooms, the occupied beds are obvious, leaving the spotless, empty spaces for the newcomers. Room is tight but there are storage cubbies at the head of each bed, beds fold up and the bottom bunks double as benches for the small table. There is storage under those benches full of spare blankets and pillows.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers taking advantage of the fresh air, and the doors slide shut. Veteran passengers know what will happen next, but they may wish to brief their new companions.

The train sets off, the fog obscuring the view again as it picks up speed.

"Welcome aboard, passengers of the Voidtrecker Express." A female-coded artificial sounding voice echoes throughout the train. "Please take the time to read the passenger information displayed on the Information and Communication points and familiarise yourself with the layout and emergency exits."

The train begins to tilt, leaving the ground and rising up into the fog-filled sky.

"Entrance into Voidspace imminent. New passengers are advised to remain seated. Entry into Voidspace in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

A shudder, a jolt, a lurch to the left. A flash of light, colourful and blinding. As quick as it happens it is done. The train seems to steady itself. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colours.

Welcome to the Void!

Comments

[dnaofahalfa]

"Its always complicated," Razzy said. "Doesn't change what you want matters."

She leans over to take a look at it. She hums. "Not bleeding....still, we should probably treat it, but its not sacrifice my clothes yet."

She looks him over a few moments. He's around her height...but he also fights, which means muscle.

"Yeah, okay, this is the better move."

Then rings appear around her middle and she just fricking transforms herself.

[amnesiadragon]

He jerks back at the transformation, his eyes wide. "You don't feel like another Endless... but how are you..."

Those are the only beings he knows of who transform, after all.

[dnaofahalfa]

"Not an Endless. You're in another dimension. You're gonna meet a whole lot of people with varied abilities," she said.

And then she reaches down, and there will be a weightless feeling for him as she picks him up, her own feet off the ground. "Let's see if we can find something with medical supplies."

[amnesiadragon]

He startles a bit at the weightless feeling but doesn't pull away, looking down to see her feet off the ground. "It's like when I transform..." His hybrid form has always floated, even when he doesn't intentionally do it.

[dnaofahalfa]

"Some similarities like to crop up. Though I'm half ghost," she said.

Because that makes sense as a concept, surely.

Either way, she's headed onto the train to see about medical supplies.

[amnesiadragon]

"Ghost? But -" He stops and stares at the big metal thing. "Is - is that safe to get on? It's like a sandflier, but huge..."

[dnaofahalfa]

"Yes, ghost," she said. "And yeah. Its a train. Its a vehicle. Like a car. Or...cart?"

[amnesiadragon]

'Vehicle' and 'car' get no reaction, but 'cart' does. "Oh... I. I guess... okay." He doesn't pull away from her, but he tries to not put his weight on her either.

[dnaofahalfa]

To be fair, he doesn't have much in weight right now.

"Yeah. And I've met people who were on it, so it'll be safe," she said. Danny would have mentioned if it was terrible, right?

Right?

Either way, inside they go and she's gonna fly around until they get to the triage. "Ah, here we go. This should have stuff." And time to put him down carefully.

[amnesiadragon]

He's just overwhelmed. It's a lot of stuff he doesn't know or understand, a lot of things he wants to check out later, but he's whisked away too fast to be able to tell what things are or to even get enough of an idea to ask.

He doesn't complain as he's set down, though he does look confused. All of the healing he's ever known has been magical. "What... kind of stuff?"

[dnaofahalfa]

"Medical stuff," she said.

Unfortunately, she lost her magic healing item.

"Take off your shirt," she said as she opens up cabinets and drawers, picking out things as she finds them.

[amnesiadragon]

She doesn't need to tell him twice.

He managed to grab his bag and noted the sword sticking out of it, but he can address that later. For now he just peels the hoodie off and the shirt, revealing...

Well, a reasonably skinny man with obvious muscle in his arm and shoulders. Nothing huge, but definite power. His body has several large bruises on the torso, though they're a bit faded. His shoulder wound seems to be the worst injury, and it's thankfully closed up.

There's also flecks of blood across his torso. As he looks down to see them, he wonders whose it is.

[dnaofahalfa]

She looked over and.

Ouch indeed.

She floats over with what's needed to treat the shoulder, wipes, disinfectant, bandages, etc. She also lowers the ambient temperature some, to help with the bruising, until she could get him proper compresses. "You really do get into it, huh?" She asked as she starts cleaning.

[amnesiadragon]

"You're not going to just heal it?" It's more confusion than anything else in his voice. "And... I was trying to save the villagers. That guy... I think the officer called him Rasso? He was... he hurt them... and then he summoned that armored spirit again. I had to help them."

[dnaofahalfa]

"The train took my heal materia, so old fashion way is what we got," Razzy said.

"And I mean, that's fair. You can't ignore people in trouble if you have the ability to help," she said.

[amnesiadragon]

"Mm. And Nina can usually heal things after battle... I bet she's the one who healed up my shoulder." Unless he healed it himself? Everything's fuzzy from around the middle of that battle.

"... Ah -" He turns his head away from his injured shoulder, wincing in pain. "Ow... this way hurts..."

[dnaofahalfa]

"Its possible. Healers are pretty fast," she said. And she's used to healing magic not doing it all the way.

"Huh? Oh, right, sorry. Yeah, it stings. It means its killing things that could get you sick though," she said. "And need some pressure to make sure it doesn't bleed too badly when its open, but doesn't cut off circulation."

On the other hand, she is very well practiced at this.

[amnesiadragon]

He doesn't question her, just winces every so often. He's not sure what 'killing things that could get you sick' means, or what 'circulation' is, but she seems to know what she's doing.

"Ah... okay." He goes silent other than small noises of pain as she works.

[dnaofahalfa]

She is careful to not make it too painful, but sometimes that's what happens.

But she is efficient, getting it cleaned, some stuff to help it heal, and wrapped up. "You should change this at least once a day. More if you bleed a lot," she said.

She then grabs his hoody and focuses and there's a crinkle in the air as she puts a light layer of frost on it. "Put that on. It'll help with your bruises while I look for cold compresses. That frost will be gone in a few minutes anyway."

[amnesiadragon]

He looks at the hoodie and frowns, putting his shirt back on before pulling the cold hoodie on as well. Ugh. Cold. He hates the cold.

"What's a cold compress?" The two words together don't make a ton of sense to him.

[dnaofahalfa]

"Its like this thing you can usually strap onto a bruise and stay there a while. It helps with the swelling and pain," she explained.

[amnesiadragon]

He nods and shivers a bit, resisting the urge to tear the thing off of him. "O... oh. I'm I'm just not... good with the cold."

[dnaofahalfa]

Razzy paused. "Like...elemental weakness not good, trauma, or just hate it?"

[amnesiadragon]

"... Elemental weakness. And I just hate it." So yes, no, and yes. "This level of cold won't hurt me, I just... don't like it. At all."

[dnaofahalfa]

"Well, that's a problem for treating bruising," she said. "The weakness could negate the help it might do..."