Into the Dark

[Rushu42 she/her]

Myriad's spanreed began blinking, ready to write the following message.

Myriad,

Do you have any information for me about the state of the caverns? I'm particularly interested in unusual investiture, as well as anything we might write in a newspaper article. Have you found the first expedition yet?

Aln Sheneth

@AonEne

Quote

I don't know why this isn't letting me tag. I'll edit it in a bit.

 

[+Sorana she/her]

Talk to the cleaver. Hear its voice in her head. Althea hesitated. She was curious, incredibly curious. A type IV awakened object and she had a chance to talk to it. Her hand tightened around her jacket when she tried to convince herself to do it, to say yes and to give it a try. Another voice in her head. If Adren said the truth, then it was onlya conversation, just a harmless, time-limited conversation. If he lied, she knew what a voice was able to do, knew how much damage someone playing with her mind might cause.

Althea had to force herself to stay calm and project her usual neutral face. She wanted to jump, to take the risk and to give in a try. Such an opportunity would most likely never come again. A new voice in her head. She swallowed at the thought and closed her eyes for a second.

"I'm sorry." She started slowly. If she trustedhim, really trusted him, then it would be different. She could only do this with - Max. Theonly person she trusted enough was Max. "I'm not too fond of voices in my head." She added as a weak explanation. "It's personal and has nothing to do with you, or with you offer."

But it would be personal. Now that she'd declined she most likely ruined their relationship. It was diffocult enough with their guild affiliations, declining such an offer could be interpreted in so many harmful political ways, or he didn't take it as a political statement and simply accepted it as a personal decision.

"Thank you." She added. "It's an honor that you offered, especially as you name the two your friends."

@ElephantEarwax

[AonEne he/him]

52 minutes ago, Rushu42 said:

Do you have any information for me about the state of the caverns? I'm particularly interested in unusual investiture, as well as anything we might write in a newspaper article. Have you found the first expedition yet? 

Myriad, who had gotten out of the hot spring some time before, studied the words on her page before writing back, There is a giant worm, the name of which is undecided, that can Soothe its prey. We also discovered this absolutely adorable little mouse thing, looks a bit like a jerboa...er, like rodents from Earth. They can Seek, we think, and have been dubbed Kalea. We came across some mushroom spores that put us to sleep, and there’s been a lot of bioluminescent moss and lichen of different colors. We’re currently in a large cavern; the main group has caught up to the scouts (I have traveled with the scouting group so far). There is a forest of petrified trees here, and a hot spring with a waterfall that outputs much steam. 

Myriad stared at the page for a moment, then shrugged and went on, The scouts also discovered that one wall of the cave, beyond the forest, has paintings on it that appear to depict the people who came down. The paint is dry and they believe whoever did it predicted the future. She wished the spanreed was a phone so she could send Aln pictures, but made do with describing everything in detail. 

- Myriad 

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

Corette moved through the cavern, finding the scouting team grouped in twos or threes, chatting and resting. It could have irked her, being sent around by Stancel like just another underling, but the rounds allowed her to watch and listen, catching snippets of conversation as she passed along the news.

She circled around the center of the camp, winding through the outskirts at first, talking to the stragglers. Whisper sat curled up under one of the stone trees, face inscrutable, eyes watching. Corette gave the girl a nod, told her they'd be moving on and where to assemble, then moved away. Some of the people resting near her seemed oddly jumpy, more nervous, more... isolated. Corette forced her curiosity downward, away from the girl and her machinations, and went on to find the others. She spoke the same message to Sarah and Allri, then to Karin, when she found her. 

There was a larger group at the center of the camp, and she could see Adren speaking with Althea and Wes. The boy was anxious as a new initiate, all quick glances and poorly-concealed second guessing. He clutched the glass cage containing the tiny creature they'd found, and Corette suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. This was no time to be collecting pets. But, well, it was hardly her problem. 

She stopped beside the group, meeting Althea's cool, ruby eyes. The Ghostblood leader was a slender rod of ice, frigid and unreadable. But also brittle, Corette guessed. Keeping so much of oneself covered, tucked away - she probably considered it a strength, and to an extent, she would be right. Only a fool wore every emotion plain on their face. But her total lack of emotion was a tell in and of itself. 

It was entirely possible that Althea genuinely didn't feel much of anything - Corette had met plenty of people like that, in the Alleys. But she'd already shown concern, kindness, alarm, and worry for the people around her. Maybe not on her face - but through her actions. She protected these weaker ones like a mother hawk. So, not unfeeling. Distrustful. Afraid.

Distrustful of others, sure. That was wise. Corette wouldn't trust three quarters of these people to tie her shoes for her, let alone watch her back. But hiding one's own joy, hiding a simple smile, a look of interest, a caring glance, even when her behavior betrayed these emotions plain as daylight. That spoke of a distrust of herself as well. A fear that she shied away from. Like so many others, Althea was afraid of what she could not totally control. A brittle kind of strength, indeed, and easy enough to crack should someone find the right place to snap.

"The Director wants us to scout the next few caverns," Corette said, voice cool, but pleasant. "We are to assemble at the far wall, where the tunnels begin. Judging from the map, the next cavern will be the Mirror Cave. From there, we'll go on to The Well."

The Well. Corette kept the hunger from her voice and her eyes, though she allowed some excitement to color her face. She was growing tired of sitting around, waiting. The image of her and all the other crowded around the deep blue of The Well tugged at her like the pulse of Allomancy. 

"We'll be meeting there in fifteen minutes. Gather what you need, and get ready."

@Sorana @kenod @I ♥️ Rashek @I think I am here. @Rushu42 @AonEne @everyone else

Quote

We will be moving on soon. Please assume that Corette has come by to deliver the message to your character about moving on to the next cave. I can no longer tag more people.

 

[+ElephantEarwax he/him]

9 hours ago, I think I am here. said:

“That must have taken all lot of time to collect the Breaths and Awaken,” Wes said to Adren. Not one BioChromatic metal entity, but two? It must have cost far more than Wes had beer seen in his life.”

 

6 hours ago, Sorana said:

"I'm sorry." She started slowly. If she trusted him, really trusted him, then it would be different. She could only do this with - Max. The only person she trusted enough was Max. "I'm not too fond of voices in my head." She added as a weak explanation. "It's personal and has nothing to do with you, or with you offer."

But it would be personal. Now that she'd declined she most likely ruined their relationship. It was difficult enough with their guild affiliations, declining such an offer could be interpreted in so many harmful political ways, or he didn't take it as a political statement and simply accepted it as a personal decision.

"Thank you." She added. "It's an honor that you offered, especially as you name the two your friends."

"Well it was a sponsored experiment by the DA, Wes. So I didn't have to gather them. The initial Idea was an awakened coppermind, which is what Mercy is, but no one thought to check the coppermind's contents. Which I believe explains her Shalashian temperament"

"Whats that mean!" Mercy interrupted his thoughts

Shaking off the interruption with a quick shake of the head Adren continued, "Because the investiture in the coppermind, it took less breath than anticipated to Awaken her, so I decided to try with a cleaver I had. Jethro was born." 

Adren took a bite of the other cookie and a swig of water. Smiling, "Althea, don't feel bad at all. I've had my share of voices. Eventually I found it nice to have some with me that I am in charge of. Should you ever want to talk to my friends, the offer stands." 

"Why do you keep offering for them to touch me and read my mind?" Jethro complained.

"They seemed interested and you are less abrasive than Merc, plus she yells a lot and we don't want to scare them." Adren mouthed back.

"I DO NOT"

"You're right. She needs to take a few drinks."

As they argued back and forth in his head, Adren began to pick up the camp he had made. He gathering the rocks he had split and some more small ones that were nearby. 

[+Sorana she/her]

10 hours ago, ElephantEarwax said:

Adren took a bite of the other cookie and a swig of water. Smiling, "Althea, don't feel bad at all. I've had my share of voices. Eventually I found it nice to have some with me that I am in charge of. Should you ever want to talk to my friends, the offer stands." 

His reply was kind and it almost surprised her. She had taken all kind of political consequences into account, had tried to come up with words that were the least harmful, but in the end he simply understood. She had come here to stop another invasion from happening, but she had hoped, secretly she had hoped for a few days without politics, without all the complicated problems that tended to control her life. And yet, she was the one always refering to them, hiding between them. Althea suppressed a sigh at herself. No politics, not until there was the need to. That felt better.

Pensively she replayed his words in her head again, analyzed them for a hidden meaning, for a threat she might have missed, but there was nothing. He'd simply accepted her decision, despite the fact that she had declined to talk to his friends. And he smiled. Althea replied to his smile with one of her own, small and easy to miss, but unmistakingly there. She was grateful for his understanding, that he simply let the matter slide and didn't push her into territory that would leave her in the need of explaining something she wouldn't explain to him. "Thank you." She told him sincerely and when he stood up, started to pack the camp, she looked away, the smile vanishing again when she resumed her usual mask.

Wes was still holding on to the cage and she considered to say something more that might help him along a little, that gave him a bit more self-assurance, that made him view his skills with pride. Thank him for helping them during the invasion? No, that was too much. It would only most likely only cow him again. Offer to organize a position, no that stressed her position in the guild, and that was the last thing she wanted. She lacked information about what he wanted and if she guessed wrong she might do more harm than good. So for now the Kalea was enough.She turned to him and placed a hand on the cage, turned the glass into strong and durable plastic, changed the shape a little and it looked like a typical cage for a rabbit, and added a handle as well, so that he could carry it easier. Usually these cages were metal, but as they had met two life forms able of imitating the allomantic arts already, she considered plastic a safer choice. The Kalea perked up at her use of Stormlight, stood on his legs and sniffed the air curiously. When she stopped it resumed to nibble at the mushroom.

Corette walked up to them, watched her for a moment and Althea calmly looked back, made a mental note to remember that she had obviously caught this woman's interest. No real surprise here. If she were in Corette's place she'd have already organized a spy to keep an eye on Althea. "We will pack our things and come over to the far wall. Meeting is in fifteen minutes." She repeated the instructions to avoid any kind of missunderstanding and got to her feet, started to pack her belongings together.

"You can stay with us, if you want to." She offered Wes, careful to phrase her words as a suggestion, and not an order. A thought crossed her mind and she considered the idea. In the medieval ages on Earth late at night, once every official business was finished the highest noble would take of his hat and officially announce chaos. Basically it meant, that for the rest of the evening all titles, all formatilites could be discarded. Maybe she could do something like that, make it easier for him to interpret her words. She continued to consider this while she packed the remaining food and shouldered her bag. "I'm interested in the mirror cave. Especially what these mirrors show. Judging the caves so far there has to be some kind of active investiture." She stated, carefully kept her excitement out of her voice and waited for the other two to get ready.

@ElephantEarwax @I think I am here.

Edited November 5, 2019 by Sorana
changed some things to make it fit better

[+ElephantEarwax he/him]

22 hours ago, Sorana said:

His reply was kind and it almost surprised her. She had taken all kind of political consequences into account, had tried to come up with words that were the least harmful, but in the end he simply understood. She had come here to stop another invasion from happening, but she had hoped, secretly she had hoped for a few days without politics, without all the complicated problems that tended to control her life. And yet, she was the one always refering to them, hiding between them. Althea suppressed a sigh at herself. No politics, not until there was the need to. That felt better.

Pensively she replayed his words in her head again, analyzed them for a hidden meaning, for a threat she might have missed, but there was nothing. He'd simply accepted her decision, despite the fact that she had declined to talk to his friends. And he smiled. Althea replied to his smile with one of her own, small and easy to miss, but unmistakingly there. She was grateful for his understanding, that he simply let the matter slide and didn't push her into territory that would leave her in the need of explaining something she wouldn't explain to him. "Thank you." She told him sincerely and when he stood up, started to pack the camp, she looked away, the smile vanishing again when she resumed her usual mask.

Wes was still holding on to the cage and she considered to say something more that might help him along a little, that gave him a bit more self-assurance, that made him view his skills with pride. Thank him for helping them during the invasion? No, that was too much. It would only most likely only cow him again. Offer to organize a position, no that stressed her position in the guild, and that was the last thing she wanted. She lacked information about what he wanted and if she guessed wrong she might do more harm than good. So for now the Kalea was enough.She turned to him and placed a hand on the cage, turned the glass into strong and durable plastic, changed the shape a little and it looked like a typical cage for a rabbit, and added a handle as well, so that he could carry it easier. Usually these cages were metal, but as they had met two life forms able of imitating the allomantic arts already, she considered plastic a safer choice. The Kalea perked up at her use of Stormlight, stood on his legs and sniffed the air curiously. When she stopped it resumed to nibble at the mushroom.

Corette walked up to them, watched her for a moment and Althea calmly looked back, made a mental note to remember that she had obviously caught this woman's interest. No real surprise here. If she were in Corette's place she'd have already organized a spy to keep an eye on Althea. "We will pack our things and come over to the far wall. Meeting is in fifteen minutes." She repeated the instructions to avoid any kind of missunderstanding and got to her feet, started to pack her belongings together.

"You can stay with us, if you want to." She offered Wes, careful to phrase her words as a suggestion, and not an order. A thought crossed her mind and she considered the idea. In the medieval ages on Earth late at night, once every official business was finished the highest noble would take of his hat and officially announce chaos. Basically it meant, that for the rest of the evening all titles, all formatilites could be discarded. Maybe she could do something like that, make it easier for him to interpret her words. She continued to consider this while she packed the remaining food and shouldered her bag. "I'm interested in the mirror cave. Especially what these mirrors show. Judging the caves so far there has to be some kind of active investiture." She stated, carefully kept her excitement out of her voice and waited for the other two to get ready.

@ElephantEarwax @I think I am here.

Seeing the hint of a smile on Althea's lips Adren smiled again. "The naming mirror makes me think of the painting on the wall, almost a mirror of the trip. I have no ideas as to what it could be."

[Voidus]

Laurelai watched the last of the damage in the moss heal over, the glowing pulses of light faded back to their previous rhythm. She watched a few more cycles of light course through the moss before gently placing it back down where she'd found it again, turning towards Lita with a sparkle in her eyes. The implications of what this could be were beyond what she could imagine on her own, but she knew people in R&D who would kill for a new species like this even without the possibility that it was actually generating its own Stormlight.

She was halfway through an excited exclamation when she saw Lita's curious expression, saw what she was standing in front of. Laurelai's own curiosity peaked further, was this moss some kind of carnivorous plant? They hadn't seen any motion or other indications but it might have some other predatory strategy.

Keeping a cautious eye on the moss, Laurelai crossed the cavern and crouched down next to Lita, looking over the pile in front of them. At first she'd thought they were simply bundles of clothes, possibly discarded from corpses that had been consumed. But taking a closer look, the entire pile was made entirely of shoes. Her expression dropped, curiosity fading and giving way to confusion. How did a pile of shoes and nothing else end up here? And only one of each pair by the looks of things.

She looked over towards the other side of the cavern, where it seemed the tunnels continued. Was there some pool of water or something that people travelling through hadn't wanted to soak their footwear in? But that wouldn't explain why only one of each pair, or why they hadn't carried them. Why leave them here?

"There must be dozens in there." She commented, leaning forward to get a better look at the pile. "So either fifty or so people with one shoe each, or thirty with mismatched pairs?"

She shook her head over them, unsure of what to make of this oddity. She'd heard that some strange things had been discovered in these caverns, but she was expecting Invested creatures or plants, not a mysterious pile of footwear.

"Either of you able to see any tracks or footsteps?" She asked the other two.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whisper nodded as Corette told her of the assembly point, keeping an eye on the other woman as she moved on to speak to others. Whisper stood up, tucking her book back away and out of sight before reaching up and supporting herself on the tree she'd been leaning against as she stretched. After loosening her muscles back up she gave herself a small nod and moved over to the scouts who had been trying to catch some rest, gently shaking them awake one by one, drawing back the little remaining Stormlight she'd left on each. She smiled inwardly as she saw them all flinching as they awoke, eyes wide and rapidly scanning their environment. In spite of having gotten some sleep they all seemed even less rested than they had when they'd arrived, but that was helpful in its own way.

Kemmeth awoke with a start, feeling a small pressure against his shoulder. His eyes snapped open and fastened onto the small limb that was holding him, he saw a deep black that sucked in all light. Darkness itself forming a long amorphous limb that would drag him with it back into an endless abyss. He drew himself back, hand scrabbling at his waist for a weapon but as he blinked he saw only a young girl, drawing back at his reaction and looking a little hurt. Her small arm was still held out after being drawn back from Kemmeths shoulder.

He blinked in confusion, looking around and seeing the other scouts, a few of whom were glaring at him for scaring someone who had just been trying to help him. He was surrounded by people and stone trees, not the giant monsters and obelisks of horror that he'd been imagining. Confused, he raised one hand to his eyes to try to rub some sleep out of it, relaxing a little as his fears proved baseless. But still he looked at those surrounding him with confusion, he offered no apologies to the young girl as she drew back, simply gathering his supplies and moving in the direction she'd pointed and following the others who were moving to gather there. A few of the other scouts that he knew came up to walk with him but quickly retreated under the dark, sullen looks he kept shooting them.

Unseen, Whisper followed some distance behind him, a sly smile on her face as she kept an eye on the lonely form trudging along ahead of her.

[+Sorana she/her]

On 6.11.2019 at 7:11 AM, ElephantEarwax said:

Seeing the hint of a smile on Althea's lips Adren smiled again. "The naming mirror makes me think of the painting on the wall, almost a mirror of the trip. I have no ideas as to what it could be."

"I wouldn't call the wall a mirror." She disagreed, although she could follow his trail of thought. "They speak of events that haven't happened yet and they spoke of them long before we even considered to enter the cave." She shifted her weight to her other foot, still waiting for the two of them  to get ready to walk over to the meeting point.

"A mirror, yes, but one able to predict the future and in an impressively accurate way." Her hand made a small gesture  outwards to stress her next words, "I wouldn't call that a mirror, but I'm not sure what to call it-" She hesitated considered to tell him about the spren sitting in the wall. But she didn't know what kind of spren, had only suspections and she didn't want to talk about her suspections loudly before she had confirmed them. There were many possibilities but the power to predict the future as accurate as that - interesting and dangerous if it ended up in the wrong hands.

"The mirror cave could be anything." She changed the topic. "From real mirrors, to a species mimiking what we do, or how we behave. Maybe like the animals that imitated our voices."

[+ElephantEarwax he/him]

On 11/7/2019 at 6:47 AM, Sorana said:

"I wouldn't call the wall a mirror." She disagreed, although she could follow his trail of thought. "They speak of events that haven't happened yet and they spoke of them long before we even considered to enter the cave." She shifted her weight to her other foot, still waiting for the two of them  to get ready to walk over to the meeting point.

"A mirror, yes, but one able to predict the future and in an impressively accurate way." Her hand made a small gesture  outwards to stress her next words, "I wouldn't call that a mirror, but I'm not sure what to call it-" She hesitated considered to tell him about the spren sitting in the wall. But she didn't know what kind of spren, had only suspections and she didn't want to talk about her suspections loudly before she had confirmed them. There were many possibilities but the power to predict the future as accurate as that - interesting and dangerous if it ended up in the wrong hands.

"The mirror cave could be anything." She changed the topic. "From real mirrors, to a species mimiking what we do, or how we behave. Maybe like the animals that imitated our voices."

"In any case, I'm ready to see what it is. Should we go to Corette's meeting and see?"

[+Sorana she/her]

8 hours ago, ElephantEarwax said:

"In any case, I'm ready to see what it is. Should we go to Corette's meeting and see?"

"I've been waiting for you to finish packing up." Althea replied and slowly waked over to where Corette was.

"Did you think about a plan, an order you want us to keep while we continue exploring?" She asked the scoutleader, curious to see if Corette wanted to change something about the way they had acted to far. It had worked, but it also had ended up with a rather lax order, leading to the fact that they regularly left a few members of their group behind. If they faced another creature like the worm, this could mean a high number of losses, especially within those unable to escape quickly.

@ZincAboutIt

Edited November 11, 2019 by Sorana

[I think I am here. he/him]

Wes paused, and as Adren and Althea began to walk he moved with them. It hadn’t seemed like an order, the way the Righthand has said it, but Wes was sure he’d be safer with the group than alone. Still, it felt weird. Had this been the first time a superior hadn’t given Wes an order? Well, not counting Mike, since Mike didn’t like being called Wes’ superior anyway. Although he was a leader to Wes. And a good one, too.

“The mirror cave?” He asked. An interesting name.

“Maybe it’s a cave that clones us. That would be cool.”

[+ElephantEarwax he/him]

16 hours ago, I think I am here. said:

Wes paused, and as Adren and Althea began to walk he moved with them. It hadn’t seemed like an order, the way the Righthand has said it, but Wes was sure he’d be safer with the group than alone. Still, it felt weird. Had this been the first time a superior hadn’t given Wes an order? Well, not counting Mike, since Mike didn’t like being called Wes’ superior anyway. Although he was a leader to Wes. And a good one, too.

“The mirror cave?” He asked. An interesting name.

“Maybe it’s a cave that clones us. That would be cool.”

"I would love to meet me. We'd have a lot of catching up to do."

[+Sorana she/her]

"I'm not sure about that." Althea admitted. The thought to meet a clone of herself was disturbing. And dangerous. It lead to the question what said clone might do, how they might act and if they were able to leave the cave. "Too many political problems with two Altheas around." She specified, "Although I agree, a discussion with myself, of a clone to send off to some of the official appointments would be great. It adds the question if we are able to perceive what our clones see. It's unlikely, but if we are, then you could use that clone as bait, or you had literally the chance to be in two places at the same time." Such a connection was difficult, well it depended on the information that was transfered, but in the end, as a theoretical opportunity it offered so many possibilities.

Pensively she looked at Wes. The boy was bright and asked good questions. A little bit too scared, but that could change when he grew up.

"Where do you work, when you aren't with your squad?" She asked him, made sure that he voice showed nothing but mild curiosity. He should know, that she could look it up anytime, but to ask was more polite, and if offered him a chance to deflect her question - which he wouldn't do.

@ElephantEarwax @I think I am here.

[I think I am here. he/him]

6 hours ago, Sorana said:

“Where do you work, when you aren't with your squad?" She asked him, made sure that he voice showed nothing but mild curiosity. He should know, that she could look it up anytime, but to ask was more polite, and if offered him a chance to deflect her question - which he wouldn't do.

Wes looked to the Righthand. It seemed a little comforting to know she didn’t know everything about him, though maybe she didn’t just feel like taking out her device and searching him up. Wes had almost an identical device, he thought, but he had much lower access, only to basic info. But still, she was asking. That meant something.

“Engineering,” he said, fiddled with his cloak. “They give me projects, to work on, some lights or or some small part of a machine they’re making. Lots of walking, to places they are building things and to help. Sometimes it’s with another person, but mostly it’s by myself. Building things.” He shrugged, it was mundane work for the most part, but he didn’t want to complain to the Righthand herself.

“Anything to be of use to the Ghostbloods,” he recited from one of the posters he remembered seeing from his dorm window and thought back to the mirror cave. A clone of himself would be cool. Fun. Maybe he could be friends with his clone. But on the other hand... what if the clone took his place? Hung out with Mike, Seom, and the others? And then Wes would have no one. It was terrifying.

“I don’t know if I want to go to the mirror cave any more,” he said quietly.

[+Sorana she/her]

4 hours ago, I think I am here. said:

“Anything to be of use to the Ghostbloods,” he recited from one of the posters he remembered seeing from his dorm window and thought back to the mirror cave. A clone of himself would be cool. Fun. Maybe he could be friends with his clone. But on the other hand... what if the clone took his place? Hung out with Mike, Seom, and the others? And then Wes would have no one. It was terrifying.

“I don’t know if I want to go to the mirror cave any more,” he said quietly.

His sudden change of mood surprised her and she replayed his words in her head, but wasn't able to follow his line of thought from work back to the mirror cave. "That's fine." She replied and wondered what to do with him now. She couldn't leave him behind on his own, not in an unknown place. She carefully covered her irritation at his change of mind and added. "Until we know what awaits us in the cave, all speculations are nothing but that - speculations. The decision itself is the same. Go to a unknown place and risk finding something uncomfortable or not."

She left it at that, returned to her earlier trail of thought. "I could use an engineer for Oasis." She told him, without specifying for what exactly. She took her time to consider her wording, again as an offer, not as an order. "If you are interested, I could send you the details afterwards, you look them over and you agree or decline. No matter how you decide, it's fine. You are smart and inventive, I think we could use someone like you on the team."

Edited November 13, 2019 by Sorana

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

On 11/10/2019 at 11:59 PM, Sorana said:

"Did you think about a plan, an order you want us to keep while we continue exploring?" She asked the scoutleader, curious to see if Corette wanted to change something about the way they had acted to far.

Corette pursed her lips, then looked over the scouting group. She pointed towards Allri.

"Allri behind me at the front - we'll want her Tin on at the very least. Between the two of us, we should catch any surprises. Researchers and those with minor combat experience in the middle of the line. Easier to keep an eye on them that way." She nodded at Althea. "You can stay with them if you wish, it would probably be wise to keep a Radiant with them anyway, unless you want to place yourself elsewhere. Fighters or those with defensive experience should either be up towards the front or in the back. We should keep everyone all going the same direction. No stragglers, no one gets lost." 

Quote

For the life of me, I can't seem to tag anyone. I'll edit this later to hopefully get some tags in. Edit: finally got it to work! Let's get this party movin'

@I ♥️ Rashek @Rushu42 @TrailRunnin @I think I am here. @Oduim’s Chmapion

Edited November 18, 2019 by ZincAboutIt
Tagging finally worked! :D

[+ElephantEarwax he/him]

4 hours ago, ZincAboutIt said:

Corette pursed her lips, then looked over the scouting group. She pointed towards Allri.

"Allri behind me at the front - we'll want her Tin on at the very least. Between the two of us, we should catch any surprises. Researchers and those with minor combat experience in the middle of the line. Easier to keep an eye on them that way." She nodded at Althea. "You can stay with them if you wish, it would probably be wise to keep a Radiant with them anyway, unless you want to place yourself elsewhere. Fighters or those with defensive experience should either be up towards the front or in the back. We should keep everyone all going the same direction. No stragglers, no one gets lost." 

 

"This sounds like a solid plan" Adren said, "Lets move like Kalad's Phantoms are running after us."

[AonEne he/him]

Quote

I’m going to say Myriad heard that, I didn’t make it clear on where she was standing before so it works. 

“Fun, I’m in the middle,” Myriad said nonchalantly. “What are Kalad’s Phantoms?” @ElephantEarwax

[+ElephantEarwax he/him]

6 minutes ago, AonEne said:

“Fun, I’m in the middle,” Myriad said nonchalantly. “What are Kalad’s Phantoms?” @ElephantEarwax

"Kalad's phantoms are a Folk tale in T'Telir. Recently shown to have actually been an army of lifeless, that were presumed to be statues around the city." Adren responded. "They are now a strong force in the hands of Susebron, the God-King."

[AonEne he/him]

20 minutes ago, ElephantEarwax said:

"Kalad's phantoms are a Folk tale in T'Telir. Recently shown to have actually been an army of lifeless, that were presumed to be statues around the city." Adren responded. "They are now a strong force in the hands of Susebron, the God-King."

“And that’s in Hallandren, on Nalthis,” she clarified. 

[I think I am here. he/him]

On 14/11/2019 at 2:19 AM, Sorana said:

She left it at that, returned to her earlier trail of thought. "I could use an engineer for Oasis." She told him, without specifying for what exactly. She took her time to consider her wording, again as an offer, not as an order. "If you are interested, I could send you the details afterwards, you look them over and you agree or decline. No matter how you decide, it's fine. You are smart and inventive, I think we could use someone like you on the team."

Wes nodded and continued waking towards the cave. She was right, it was all speculation. Just because everyone it was called the ‘mirror’ cave didn’t mean it would clone Wes. If it did, maybe it would be called the ‘clone’ cave. ‘Mirror cave’ could mean anything. He was chiding himself inside for letting him get so worried when he heard the Righthand’s offer.

“I, that would be good, I would be interested in that,” he said, looking up at her. Why him? There were engineers who, at least in Wes’ opinion, were better than him? So why him? Was it just because he was here right now? But, she’d offered him a job, and Wes was eager to accept. Hopefully that would mean his current assignments would have to be allocated to other underling engineers.

“Thank you,” he said at the smart and inventive part, compliments were nice, it wasn’t often Wes got one, let alone two.

[+Invocation]

Eos rubbed her hands together. That bath in the hot springs had been refreshing, but she itched to get onto the exploring. People needed to move! Stagnation helped no one. She grabbed the nearest person to her, who happened to be Myriad. "Hey. Let's get moving. The rest of them want to drag their feet, fine. We should be moving. You down for an advance scouting party, just the two of us?"

@AonEne

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

On 11/6/2019 at 4:07 PM, Voidus said:

"Either of you able to see any tracks or footsteps?" She asked the other two.

"Aside from ours?" Lita said, sweeping her eyes over the ground. She shook her head. "Nothing."

Lita was no tracker, but Tin made it obvious that no one had been in this cavern for a long time - if ever. "There are depressions in the moss beneath the shoes," she said, pointing. "But nowhere else. It's almost like they just sort of..." Lita waved her hands. "Appeared there, or something. That sounds ridiculous, I know."

She cast one more look at the shoes, then stepped lightly towards the end of the cave and looked down the next tunnel. Some of the green moss had grown along the walls here, giving this tunnel more light, which was fortunate, as Lita didn't want to burn through all of her Tin so fast. 

Don't you? 

Lita frowned, pushing the quiet voice away and moving back towards Laurelai. "Maybe we'll find the other shoes somewhere further down," she said quietly, suddenly worried about being overheard. "Perhaps the moss simply regenerates itself fast enough to cover all evidence of a passing group."

Maybe. Perhaps. The words were an ill-fitting coat over the growing discomfort of this place. Lita did a quick count of the shoes - sixty-three of them. The number felt oddly familiar, though she couldn't place it. She rolled her shoulders, trying to work out the shivering tightness that had nestled between her shoulder blades. Her fingers slipped into her pocket, and she touched the cold face of the Coin. Some of her unease bled away, replaced by excitement at the prospect of unraveling another secret. 

Pull yourself together, Lita, she thought. A few hours in a cavern, and you want to undo all your good work? You want to be weak? You want to waste your gift?

Her other hand strayed to her right side, pressing against the steel that kissed her ribs. Lita stood there for a moment, feeling her mind sink into the metal. Metal was her whole life, her power, her warmth, her sight. Tineye. Pewterarm. Firesoul. She was a woman of metal and blood, and she was not going to be undone by a rusting pile of shoes.

"Let's go on ahead," she said. "We can always collect a sample of this moss for R&D on our way back."

@Invocation

[AonEne he/him]

20 hours ago, Invocation said:

She grabbed the nearest person to her, who happened to be Myriad. "Hey. Let's get moving. The rest of them want to drag their feet, fine. We should be moving. You down for an advance scouting party, just the two of us?" 

“Oh,” Myriad said, surprised. “Sure.” She’d been behind on all the wonderful discoveries so far; one of the last to enter the mushroom cave, sitting aimlessly while the worm rampaged. If she was going to find interesting things for the Scholar’s Guild and learn about the world, she had to step up her game.