Spirit Tracks

[sauerfacedcyborg]

Who: Ziggy, Nekane, Kisara, Minako, Serena, Bai Lin, Doreen, Keith, Ryuji, Ren Amamiya
What: Trying to calm a train, possibly via suplexing
When: June 10th
Warnings: Death-related stuff, possible stirring of traumatic memories

[Boarding the train is easy, perhaps surprisingly so, given how many of the mission group are fully alive. Once on board, however, they'll find that the cars don't even passingly resemble the outside structure of the train, arranged in a confusing mess of doors and cabins. The ghostly passengers drift about, passing easily through walls as they move through the train, mostly indifferent to the boarding team.

Mostly. Some of the spirits will try to approach the living, wearing the appearance of people they know to have died, and try to convince them to settle down and join them in the ride to the afterlife. Their arguments can be compelling, especially to those who have lost loved ones, but not supernaturally so. Conspicuously, they don't try to touch the targets of their arguments, and move away from attempts by the living to touch them. If someone should make contact, the illusion breaks, and the ghost is revealed to be nothing more than an unfamiliar interloper.

To anyone not immediately distracted by the dead (or the valuable cargo), something is obviously amiss as soon as they board. Sigils are painted on windows, or chalked onto the walls and floors of the cabins. They radiate obvious magic, and those with the knowledge to identify it will recognize it as a form of necromancy.]

Comments

Pre-boarding

[sauerfacedcyborg]

[Before boarding the train, Ziggy looks around at the assembled students, doing a brief headcount to make sure everyone's here.]

This hopefully won't be a combat mission, but be cautious regardless. The dead are often buried with a number of defensive spells and curses meant to deter grave robbers, and we have no way to be certain who or what aboard the train may have defenses of that nature. Keep focused as well; be aware of the possibility of painful memories arising, and try not to let your emotions overcome your better judgment. Focus on logic and planning, and you will be successful.

If anyone has anything they'd like to say or ask before the train arrives, now is the time.

[marmoron]

[From somewhere towards the back of the gathered group, standing with his arms folded and wearing a bit of a scowl on his face:]

If a ghost attacks what's the best way to repel it?

[sauerfacedcyborg]

The average ghost can't do physical damage, but if there are any poltergeists aboard, salt will repel them. Throwing it at them will cause pain, while a line of salt acts as a barrier against incorporeal beings.

[fistsofchange]

[Lin has had her monk robes nicely washed and repaired from years of bad treatment in the Outlands, and actually looks sort of priestly.

She wasn't actually a holy woman, and she couldn't repel the undead like a Candle might be able to, but dressing as a monk instead of a warrior monk made her feel more ready to face the dead.]

Anything that is actively powered by magic that gets in our way, I can probably deal with. Magic has trouble sticking to someone with my training.

Ghosts...we'll see.

[ahew_kha]

[Oh boy, Kisara's been insanely quiet on the trip over to this place and is just sighing softly and smoothing down her clothes for a moment.]

Don't touch anything remotely Egyptian looking, those tend to hold curses for anyone that dares to move such a thing. If you're not sure, just... ask, I'm more than familiar with them, obviously. [No, stop.]

On-board

[sauerfacedcyborg]

[The train is a maze, and ghosts passing through walls rather than using doors only seems to add to the confusion. What's more, going in a straight line can sometimes loop you right back to where you began. The team is going to have to apply some clever thinking if they ever want to reach the engine room...]

[marmoron]

a. exploring
[Well they're all on board now and trying to find this damn engine room, but the train sure isn't making it easy for them or anything. After a few missteps and going around in circles, Keith just stops altogether They need a better plan than just blindly walking through a labyrinth.

He pauses by one of the sigils drawn in chalk on the floor, squiting at it before leaning down -- possibly to touch it. Stop this fool. Alternatively, catch him eyeing what looks like a ceremonial blade that's been sealed with ofuda while everyone is strategizing on how to proceed.]

b. ghost tag
[He's not entirely fucking sure how he got separated from the main group cuz he thought he was going in a straight line along with the rest of them, but it looks like the train's pulled a fast one on him and he's in a cabin that appears to be filled with stashes of gold and jewels... though that isn't really what catches his attention. Towards the rear, a figure bearing a fairly strong resemblance to Keith stands alone, and when Keith notices, it's like all the air's been sucked straight out of his lungs.]

... dad?

[He chokes out the word, tensing up visibly as the ghost smiles at him. It's been a long time, he says in a voice that's so familiar it aches to hear. The train rumbles onwards, but for just a moment that stops mattering. He steps forward, then looks confused as the ghost takes a step back into the next cabin.]

Dad, wait!

Exploring

[sauerfacedcyborg]

[The sigil doesn't respond to just being touched. Would he like to do something else?]

[marmoron]

[HM. Alright, what if he attempts to smudge the chalk / erase the sigil?]

[sauerfacedcyborg]

[It erases as easily as you would expect of chalk, possibly even easier. How good are you at telling when there's magical energy around, Keith?]

[ahew_kha]

A. Exploration

[Staying in one spot? Nah, she's not doing that shit, she's pretty sure she knows how to be respectful towards the dead at this point and she's looking for whatever signs she can to help her piece together what the hell is going on right about now. Anything that might look remotely familiar to her in the form of symbolism or Arabic properly. Or just a sign that might give her a small hint to follow after.]

B. Obligatory ghost

[Should anyone be paying attention to Kisara's nosing about, they might catch sight of what looks like someone very out of this timeline by a good number of years. She's pausing for a moment as she's merely watching him stare and turn away, something feels familiar but she can't quite place it just yet.]

Who... [She's muttering softly to herself, in Arabic properly. But with that moment of hesitation she's bolting after him as he's turning to leave, not seeming to notice her chasing him down. Probably not the smartest idea.]

B

[fistsofchange]

Wh- Kisara wait!

[Oh hell there she goes. Lin took off after her.]

[ahew_kha]

[She's barely hearing her, focused on this mission in particular. Which, uh, is probably not going to lead them anywhere good as it seems this guy is always a good distance away from her and moving through what seems to be different cars.

Sorry, Lin, this isn't going to end well for anyone.

Until he's finally stopping and leaning against the wall of this cabin to watch them. And Kisara's slowing down to stop a few steps in front of him. Just... ignore the speech in a language you probably don't get, Lin.]

You should be part of the passengers, though you're as alive as if nothing ever happened.

[Kisara's quiet for a moment and shifting a little uncomfortably.]

I don't... know what you mean? [Oh, a hand is immediately going over her mouth. That's not Arabic, that's something that doesn't sound right in her ears and yet came out so naturally. What the fuck.]

[fistsofchange]

Lin was followed by a gaggle of ghosts. A tall man smoking a cigarette with an assault rifle slung over his shoulder and a haunted expression, an even taller woman who looked like she'd just wandered off a farm but also like she could lift a cow over each shoulder without sweating, a cruel arrogant looking man surrounded in an aura of regal command...All people she'd known in life, however briefly. All dead.

She did her best to ignore them, but they kept accusing her of letting them down. Eventually a confrontation could not be avoided if she actually wanted to get anything DONE around here. So, Lin turned around to face her undead posse.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't able to save you. From your enemies, or from yourselves. But...you're dead, and I am alive. We do not have anything to do with each other anymore. You should not be concerned about me, you should be concerned about moving on to your next life. Let go of your worldly attachments and move on, for your own sakes."

[partiallysquirrelblood]

<And if you don't leave her be and move on like you're supposed to, you're getting an army of squirrels in your pants.>

[The chittering comes not from Tippy-Toe, but from a ghost squirrel standing near Doreen's feet.]

There's more than enough ghost squirrels here. Monkey Joe could pull it off. Leave it be. You can't change the past. The only thing you can do is move forward.

[fistsofchange]

[Lin blinked. Undead squirrels were not the help she had expected.]

Y...yeah. That.

[opheliaafterdeath]

[A - exploring]

[In Nekane's line of work they have long since learned to never expect anything to go straightforward. Getting on the train had been the easy part. Trying to find the damn engine room? A whole other story.

After walking through a few doors with no luck in getting anywhere fast, Nekane busies themself with studying the sigils drawn on the floor. It is fairly easy to run across them - they're standing in the middle of the walkway - but what may be interesting is Nekane is muttering quietly under their breath in a variety of different languages. English, French, German, and even Latin and Arabic. Nothing is happening but it is not stopping them.

Alternatively, they're digging through the boxes of cargo. No, they don't give a damn if they're cursed by anything inside. Next question.]


[B -From the past]

[It really isn't a surprise that someone from Nekane's past has shown up. Frankly it's the better option.

It doesn't mean they're not annoyed.

Nekane is making their way through the train, stopping to mark the door with a knife that looks to be made of shadow along the way. Apparently they're going for the 'mark the door' option to tell the difference between areas.

Meanwhile they're being followed by an older gentleman, a rather shady looking fellow in a trench coat and hat. He has not actually said anything to Nekane yet and the detective hasn't either...but Nekane is slowly looking more and more annoyed the longer the man is around.

They were at his bedside when he died. This is pointless.]

[ooc: prompt B may contain references to torture.]

[moonlitdancer]

Exploring
[Serena is using the old "left hand on the wall" trick to go through the train, smudging the paint on the windows while she's at it. Cat Dancer follows with her, erasing the sigils on the right side. Neither of them seem particularly interested in disturbing the belongings of the dead.]

Feeling like a Ghost

[Serena's single-minded determination has managed to separate her from everyone but Cat Dancer, something she's only just starting to notice. She does a double take when she notices one ghost in particular, and stares at it confused.

Is that... my Mother?

[prisoneroffate]

[ Joker is mostly keeping to the shadows. The ghosts seem rather disinterested in him - he doesn't appear to have much in the way of dead family to take the form of, so he's more or less fine. He is, however, helping his comrades who seem to be having issues. And beyond that, he's just exploring. Checking doors, mapping routes, trying to figure the place out]

Engine Room - Boss fight time

[sauerfacedcyborg]

[However the group reaches the engine, they will find it covered in an array of sigils matching those in the cars. These, however, are far more concentrated and powerful, and stir the train to violence. As soon as the living enter the room, it lets out a shrill whistle that calls the interfering spirits from before to its aid. Though they can't harm anyone, they can distract...and the train's engine has no such limitations.

Fire and hot steam jets from the engine at the students and their supervisors, passing harmlessly through the ghosts but potentially burning or scalding the living. Complicating the battle even more, the train's movement has become erratic, abruptly shifting directions in an attempt to knock the unwanted passengers off balance to become easier targets. When the ground starts to rattle, hold on to something tight, because the ground might just become a wall, or even the ceiling...fortunately, such tilts require the train's full attention, and the engine will be unresponsive and vulnerable until it returns to moving upright.]

[wassup_persona]

Shit-!

[ Hot steam sucks, especially when it's hitting a pretty sensitive part of the body. Which is to say it got this guy almost right in the face. Thankfully, the mask protects a majority - so it's just the lower part and his neck that got unpleasantly burned.

Skull barely has time to recover before he's getting knocked onto his ass, too.

There's a frustrated sound as he narrows his eyes, scrambling to pull himself upright, making full use of upper body strength for this endeavor. ]

Screw this train, man!

[ahew_kha]

[This is why you keep to the back of the group, like Kisara absolutely has done and is just jolting and backing up more the second that steam decides to pop up. Good grief, maybe it would be a good idea to use her actual ability in this place. Not that... enclosed spaces are really good for that.]

We just need to stop it, so maybe there's an easy way to do so? I'm... not much use here as far as powers go since, um, this is way too small for me?

[partiallysquirrelblood]

[Doreen flips and lands on a wall as the train tilts.]

It's not the train's fault, it's these sigils.

[She takes the opportunity to scrub off a few while Tippy Toe wipes away a chalk one with her tail.]

It doesn't have any control over what it's doing.

[marmoron]

[Keith would be eyerolling over the semantics, but there's a time and place for that and it's not when the engine is trying to give all of them third degree burns.]

Already on it.

[He's got a knife in hand, scratching off parts of the painted sigils.]

You don't have to wipe off the whole thing, just disrupt it a little and the magic dissipates.

Aftermath

[sauerfacedcyborg]

[Once the engine is dealt with, one way or another, the mission team is able to safely disembark at an old, unused train station in France. It's not immediately obvious where they are, but fortunately GPS functions normally, it's easy enough to contact the school for a pickup.]

Is everyone alright? There should be medics arriving soon, but I have emergency supplies in case anyone is in need of immediate first aid.