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Jul 1, 2017 13:38:29 GMT -7
Post by Aphaerla Suir on Jul 1, 2017 13:38:29 GMT -7
Today was the day. Aphaerla had been training for weeks for this moment, and had been training hard enough that her hands had several new blisters and callouses. Her arm had mostly healed up from her last serious excursion, which meant it was time for another. This time, she wanted to challenge the ruins themselves. They were filled with monsters to fight and useful things to pick up, but most importantly monsters to fight. She wasn't sure whether they'd be any stronger than what she was used to fighting, but she intended to find out.
Navigating the jungle was no problem for her. Her body glowed, lighting up the area around her, so the darkness wasn't a problem. Darkness would never be a problem. Aphaerla was agile enough that she typically explored from the tree tops instead of slashing her way through the underbrush. Her spear was sturdy enough to use as a pole to help her with jumps, or to effectively extend how long her arms were. She could wrap it around a branch when there were no foot holds to help hold her up, or stab into the side of a tree to fling herself over to the next one. This was nothing new for her, she'd come to the jungle and moved around since she was five. Her movements had the occasional hiccup, and she wasn't always graceful, but moving like this was easier than dealing with the underbrush. The lights on her body changed colors rapidly, not because it did anything, but because she liked the way it looked. There didn't need to be anyone else around in order for looking cool to be worthwhile.
It didn't take long for the soaring ball of multi-colored light to reach the center of the jungle. A quick jump between the huge center tree and some of the vines covering it made the climb down easy enough until the plant growth was too thick for her to fit through. Aphaearly started to wildly stab at it until she could slither through an opening and reach the stairway to the ruins. This was a spontaneous trip, so she wasn't expecting or waiting up for anyone else. Maybe it would have been smarter to ask the Surveying Association if there were any expeditions forming, but that would require waiting and that wasn't going to happen. Aphaerla wanted to explore the ruins RIGHT NOW! She was strong, so it should be fine.
((Because the site just opened, the time to join this thread has been extended from 2 days to 7 days. Take your time!))
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Jul 2, 2017 13:19:49 GMT -7
Post by Tristan Carter on Jul 2, 2017 13:19:49 GMT -7
Tristan always kept a close eye on activity at the Surveyor Association. The Twilight Jungle was a dangerous place when you had backup. Going alone severely increased the odds of things going wrong. However, he generally wanted to delve into the depths of the jungle as much as was healthy. As such, he preferred to have meatshields company in the hopes of making each trip less hazardous to his health. It had seemed he had dropped the ball, though, as the expeditions that were planned either had already filled their quota of meatshields or were venturing into the wasteland. Neither option was particularly useful to him.
He wasn't entirely certain what had driven him to go to the other side of the wall to lament the odds. Once there, though, he found himself debating on whether or not he should risk a trip on his own into the ruins. He knew his limits, after all, and had enough of a sense of direction to retrace his steps. Just grabbing a couple things would more than make up for time spent, and one person traveling alone could possibly be less prone to monster attacks. The only problem would be that, if he did find himself in a situation that he couldn't handle, he'd have little chance to escape with his life. Ultimately, he decided that it was probably the smarter move to simply observe the environment for a time.
It wasn't long before something of interest caught his eye. Something bearing a striking resemblance to a light show was moving through the trees at a relatively high speed. In that moment, Tristan decided that the odds were against it being an animal. It made some sense that the animals in the jungle would be born with their mutations, and anything that made their presence as obvious as that likely wouldn't survive long enough to be able to move that quickly. It seemed reasonable to assume that the multicolored lights was a person. If it was a surveyor, then he'd be able to have the backup necessary to be willing to venture into the ruins. If it wasn't a surveyor, then it was plausible that he had stumbled onto a member of Flourish that didn't quite grasp the necessity of stealth on their way to a meeting, and then he'd be able to possibly obtain some valuable knowledge. Either way, it seemed like a good way to find something profitable with minimal risk. Onwards he went.
It took him a bit more time to follow the light than he expected. Still, one of the benefits of following a beacon of light was that it wasn't exactly easy to lose track of it, and he was still making good progress. When the light started to descend and then disappeared, he wasn't too far behind. Luckily, he knew enough about the area to have a good guess as to where it went. He didn't give the mysterious light show much time to disappear before he made his own entrance from scene left.
The first thing that caught his attention was, obviously, the lights. They were showy, glaring, and perfect for a potential distraction should the worst come to worst. The second thing he noticed was the spear. He had had his suspicions when the lights disappeared into the ruins, but the spear confirmed that the person definitely wasn't Flourish. From what Tristan had heard, Flourish members would never take anything resembling a weapon into the jungle. That meant that he was dealing with a surveyor.
"Aren't you a little short for a surveyor?" Tristan asked jokingly as greeting as he stepped forward. "If you're planning on taking a look around in here, I'd feel bad if I didn't tag along and lend a hand."
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Jul 3, 2017 18:33:18 GMT -7
Post by Clark Amasteros on Jul 3, 2017 18:33:18 GMT -7
Clark Amasteros technically had the week off, starting today. The government had requested to take control of his tram line for a moment, for reasons unclear. He was told he could decline, but he wasn't sure what the consequences further on would be. He decided to cooperate for now, giving his staff, among others, plenty of advance notice. He trusted the conductors and even many of the regulars enough to make some noise if something more underhanded was going on. He was sure he would get his line back at the end of the week with no problem.
That didn't mean he was just going to rest. There was still plenty he could do ensure the future ran as smoothly as possible. At the very forefront of his curiosity was the jungle, as usual. He prepared for the trip in exactly fifteen minutes, and arrived at the walls at exactly 1:05 pm. There was minimal security at this particular gate, just enough to for those in charge to claim ignorance. Clark passed the security camera with his particular mutation. You could never be too careful. Afterword, he was in.
Everything was so different just past the wall; the dense green sprinkled with bits of color from various flowers and fruits contrasted the titans of steel and glass behind him. It was enough that he even stopped for a second, just to take it all in. During his pause, which was no longer than precisely 3 seconds, Clark could have sworn he saw something glowing in the distance. That was new, and certainly worth investigating. The man made his way through the foliage, following mere glimpses of light for quite a distance. Whatever it was, he was being led deeper into the jungle. He stopped once he was close enough to make out the shapes of two people.
Well that was a disappointment. The glowing merely came from an ordinary mutated person, likely a surveyor. Already tired of the inefficiency of the situation, it pained Clark to stay at this distance. Unfortunately, until he could confirm that the two weren't hostile, the distance was safer.
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Jul 4, 2017 5:58:06 GMT -7
Post by Iris Pires on Jul 4, 2017 5:58:06 GMT -7
On the tram ride from the edge of the city, Iris had given some considerable thought to how to best sharpen her talents to help the city. She hadn't really ever been a physically-active person, even before she had begun wearing the blindfold, and the last few years had seen her moving around even less often than usual. It was rare for her to leave her room, let alone move at any pace faster than a hurried walk.
The Surveying Association did offer classes to help people like her, but she wasn't allowed to remove her blindfold inside the city, and accommodating for a blinded student would certainly be a hassle. Iris didn't want to impose.
The next best thing would be to experience the jungle firsthand. The edge would be relatively tame, and it would be easy to flee back to civilization if the situation proved to be beyond her abilities. She could slowly work her way inward over a matter of weeks as she became more confident in her abilities.
That plan went out the window the moment Iris entered the jungle, took off her blindfold, and saw the dazzling lightshow moving through the treetops. After a bit of quick mental geometry to estimate the phenomenon's speed, Iris determined that it seemed about right for a person traveling across moderately-challenging terrain.
Iris was briefly conflicted on whether to follow, considering that she wasn't supposed to approach people too closely without her blindfold. But on the other hand, the help she could give in the jungle might actually result in people being safer with her than without. It was a very pleasant thought.
So, Iris briskly walked after the glowing light, detouring occasionally to find some high ground in order to get her bearings and confirm the direction in which the light was traveling. She quickly confirmed that it was headed toward the very center of the jungle, which meant she could continue in that direction without needing to worry about keeping her eyes on the light. But more worryingly, the light seemed to be traveling faster than Iris was.
It might have been more sensible to give up the chase as beyond her abilities, but Iris was determined. She had decided to lend her help, and giving up now would be unforgivable. Iris picked up her pace to a jog despite the burning protest from her legs.
The grueling trek seemed to last forever, and when Iris finally saw the familiar light filtering through the leaves in front of her, she almost collapsed in relief. There was still some dense vegetation blocking her path, and Iris broke into an all-out run in the home stretch as she desperately searched for a way around.
Finally, Iris arrived. She noticed that there were a couple of people here, but she was too exhausted to even raise her voice in greeting. All she could do was bend over, palms on her knees, as she gasped for breath. Hopefully her intention would be clear enough, at least. With her blindfold removed, the glow from the shapes where her eyes should be made her magical nature obvious.
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Jul 8, 2017 14:09:02 GMT -7
Post by Kitten4u on Jul 8, 2017 14:09:02 GMT -7
Expedition of day 8 The decent into the dungeon is steep and precarious. The gray stones of the stairs are chipped, cracked, and broken showing their age. Nature has reclaimed much of the structure, with tree roots slicing through the stairs and other plants sprouting up through the cracks. Despite the stones only being gray, the whole area is quite colorful, even if it's difficult to appreciate plants that could make any explorer trip and tumble to their death. The stairs down twist and turn in odd directions, quickly making it difficult to tell which way is north. The dungeon itself is pitch black, save for any light the explorers have. Even the darkness of Twilight Jungle doesn't compare to the absolute darkness of the jungle. There are crumbled stone slabs, covered in foliage, the remains built in such a way that they could have easily been the remains of a heavy stone door. A feeling of disorientation passes over the explorers as they pass through the gap in the foliage and enter the dungeon proper. The walls are covered with flowers and fruits, the paths bisected by large tree roots leaving large cracks in the stone. There are signs of murals carved into the walls, but they're too faded and covered with foliage to make anything out. As the explorers move, the only things that can be heard are the sounds of their footsteps and the distant sound of stone grinding on stone. --- The party has 100 energy. No one is injured. You can go to the left, further into the dungeon. You can go to the right, further into the dungeon. You have 48 hours to submit an action.
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Jul 8, 2017 19:44:34 GMT -7
Post by Aphaerla Suir on Jul 8, 2017 19:44:34 GMT -7
Aphaerla wasted no time in starting her decent into the dungeon. By the time she heard some rustling in the distance she was already two steps down, and by the time she could turn around to see what causing it, someone walked into the open and started talking to her. It was fortunate that she was used to not stabbing at every sound in training, and that he was out of her weapon's reach for now, or she might have stabbed him. She frowned and lowered her weapon as she relaxed. What kind of moron just snuck up on someone in a place like this anyway?
She missed his first few words because of that nonsense, but she got the gist of it. Her cheeks flushed red, her lowered her chin, and her eyes narrowed. Aphaerla let out an indignant huff and started talking faster than any tongue should be capable of. Her words were only half understandable.
"I'm like half way underground, so duh obviously I can't be like giant and stay above the trees and grasses and stuff because most people don't even get to be that tall. You'll be a--"
Her rant was cut off by another person coming out of the underbrush looking like she was about to keel over. Aphaerla's arm tensed until she could confirm it wasn't some weird thing coming out of the bushes. She frowned as she looked over the person. Obvious newbie, obviously saw her and wanted to tag along - because seriously who wouldn't - and now was going to make this annoying. She turned around, slamming her spear on the ground once her turn finished and continued down the stairs.
"Yeah, whatever. Just don't slow me down."
---
((NOTE: As I know far too much I will be taking suggestions as to what I should do. If I get none, I will RNG my action. My action can be changed if plans change, so don't hesitate to talk to me!))
Skill: Strike
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Jul 8, 2017 20:12:15 GMT -7
Post by Clark Amasteros on Jul 8, 2017 20:12:15 GMT -7
The two people were actually in the ruins. While Clark didn't have the entire schedule of the Surveyor Association memorized, he was under the impression that he knew enough to predict it. This didn't seem like an official expedition. If he wasn't suspicious before, he was now. Part of him wanted to turn back, but this whole situation was immensely curious. Clark followed them into the ruins, trying to stay hidden in the shadows. He picked up a little bit of dialogue, and found out that the group wasn't getting along. In fact, they didn't seem to know each other. That ruled out a lot of his fears, and raised others.
"Waauugh."
Clark tripped on the uneven ground. Perhaps he wasn't as agile as he thought he was. There was no going back now, either these people were hostile or they weren't. He quickly stood up and put one hand under his jacket, behind the pocket.
"Excuse me, my mistake. For the record, we're all surveyors, and that's all I know."
---
Skill: Ward Against All Odds
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Jul 8, 2017 22:45:18 GMT -7
Post by Tristan Carter on Jul 8, 2017 22:45:18 GMT -7
Tristan quickly realized his mistake. Lightly poking fun at someone was all fine and good, but every once in a while he'd stumble across an insecurity. It seemed he had done so again, if the disdain radiating off of the girl was any indication. He had no doubts that the flurry of words was an angry, defensive rant of some sort, and he was almost willing to bet that there was at least one insult towards him in there somewhere. If there wasn't, it would have been had she not been cut off by new arrivals, one shortly after the other.
One look in the new girl's eyes made it clear that he was in the company of at least two magic users. The guy was a wild card, at least as far as that was concerned. Still, even if he wasn't, there were worse groups than three magicians and a clumsy ungifted. Satisfied with the impromptu expedition group, Tristan offered a friendly wave to the others before turning back to the human glowstick. "Sorry, kiddo, didn't mean to offend," he said cheerfully, if a bit quiet. "Just an attempt at good cheer, maintaining morale, all that good stuff."
Checking his belongings, he discovered that he hadn't brought along a flashlight or anything else of the sort. He supposed that meant it was a good thing that the girl was trying to be first in line. "Alright," he said towards the group as a whole, in the hopes of trying to get some semblance of organization as quickly as possible. "Lightshow seems to be taking point, which luckily doubles as a light source for the group. I'll follow behind her and keep an eye out for anything of interest. Miss, you'll be behind me, mmkay? And, sir, we'll be counting on you to bring up the rear and keep an eye out for anything coming from behind." He nodded to himself after a brief moment, certain that nothing obvious suggested that a different formation would be more beneficial, before doing his best to catch back up the first girl while maintaining sure footing.
"Oh, and by the way," he added as an afterthought, "my name's Tristan. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
---
Skill: Guide Movement: Right
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Jul 10, 2017 8:02:18 GMT -7
Post by Iris Pires on Jul 10, 2017 8:02:18 GMT -7
"Right, got it," Iris gasped. "I'll try to keep up."
"And, um, likewise," she added in response to Tristan's introduction. "I'm Iris Pires."
She was relieved that she seemed to be in the company of people who knew what they were doing and were willing to incorporate her into their plans. Furthermore, Tristan's proposed marching order suited Iris's power pretty well, so she hurried to her spot in front of the taller man and did her best to match their pace.
Iris would have preferred to take a few minutes to get to know her companions a little bitter, but since the other girl seemed eager to charge directly in, there wasn't really any chance to do so. Iris couldn't even really get a good look at them, for fear of having her eyes pointing in the wrong direction once a monster showed up. It was probably for the best, since she wasn't sure what the proper etiquette in these sorts of situations was.
Instead, she just marched forward, keeping her eyes focused on the upcoming areas illuminated by the other girl's power, and trying to blink as little as possible. She was ready to activate her power on a moment's notice.
---
Skill: Ward
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Jul 10, 2017 14:10:58 GMT -7
Post by Kitten4u on Jul 10, 2017 14:10:58 GMT -7
The entrance feeds into a complex maze of tight hallways. There are few branching paths, but it winds around in ways that seem impractical. Several of the paths lead nowhere, and look like every other path. The deeper in, the less nature appears to have reclaimed the ruins. After a few turns, torches that are still burning line the walls. Every torch looks identical, down to how the flame flickers. Around each of them are some completely identical looking plants with a single flower right below the torch.
As the explorers walk past a group of torches with no plants around them, the fires in them flare up until the flames completely engulf the section of hallway they're in. The flames aren't any hotter than a fireplace, but they're still more than enough to cause burns.
---
The injury trap in this room was successfully bypassed. Loot from this room: 6 Total loot so far: 6
The party has 80 energy. No one is injured.
You can go backward, returning to the surface. You can go to the left, closer to the surface. You can go to the right, further into the dungeon.
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Jul 10, 2017 14:41:06 GMT -7
Post by Iris Pires on Jul 10, 2017 14:41:06 GMT -7
Iris had been expecting hazards of a more overtly monstrous sort this deep in the jungle, so her gaze had been fixed firmly up ahead of their party's point woman. By the time she noticed the torches flaring up, it was almost too late.
But fortunately, Iris's power had a property that she had been quite surprised to discover, back when she was first experimenting with it. Because heat was nothing more than chaotic movement on the molecular level, suppressing movement also suppressed heat. Thus, Iris activated her power immediately, the shapes where her eyes should be immediately spinning to a blur.
"Run! Get away from the torches!" Iris's voice was distorted as the air in front of her face resisted the vibrations. As for Iris herself, she was slow to follow her own advice, focusing all her attention on slowing each the nearest flames as much as possible. The heat and light made her squint, but she kept them just barely open with all her willpower.
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Jul 10, 2017 16:59:00 GMT -7
Post by Aphaerla Suir on Jul 10, 2017 16:59:00 GMT -7
Once again, Aphaerla had to quickly turn around because of some sounds, only to see that it was some other moron that thought hiding and not making their presence clear in a place like this was a good idea. Seriously, what was with these people? She just puffed out her cheeks and continued walking. Given how obvious his so called 'information' was there wasn't any need to acknowledge it. If he was going to follow he would follow. Otherwise he'd do whatever he was going to do. It didn't really matter, she was here to challenge the ruins and who else tagged along didn't mean much.
The nickname however she couldn't let stand.
"It's Aphaerla! Not Lightshow, Aphaerla!" she repeated for emphasis. "And you really suck at 'keeping up morale' so you should just be quiet before you ruin everything."
This was supposed to be awesome, but so far everyone around was making everything noticeably less awesome. How was she supposed to get into this with people hiding and saying stupid things? Aphaerla tried not to let it get to her, but given her heavy stomping down the stairs it was clear that she wasn't succeeding.
There was no need for her to bring any light because she was the light. She didn't stop cycling the colors, but she kept them in the brighter color range, cycling between white, yellow, and orange. Aphearla expected the dungeon to be a bit more exciting than this. The growth in the entrance was boring as she had no interest in flowers, but it's not like it got better the further they got in. Nothing but a bunch of rocks and torches. It didn't even occur to her that these torches had probably been burning for a very long time, an impossibly long time even, because it just seemed so normal to have lights in a place like this.
It wasn't until the torches attacked that she realized they might be a little magic, and even then she only assumed that the ones that attacked were magic while the rest were just boring fire. Aphaerla went with her first instinct and stabbed at the fire. Given this was a place with stabbable liquid and light, having stabbable fire didn't seem that unreasonable to her. Sadly, it seemed like this was just fire and her spear went right through it. However, the fire didn't burn her hands for some reason. The reason was quickly revealed and she nodded.
"Got it!"
Aphaerla wasted no time in running away, moving as fast as her legs could carry her. She was pretty fast, so getting away from the fire didn't take long at all. Somehow, she even resisted the urge to keep moving ahead of the group and waited for everyone to catch up.
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Skill: Strike
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Jul 11, 2017 17:10:51 GMT -7
Post by Clark Amasteros on Jul 11, 2017 17:10:51 GMT -7
Thankfully, everyone seemed to go along with his statement. Whether everyone actually was just a surveyor or not would stay hidden, and nobody resorted to violence. The worst of his worries were finally put to rest. Furthermore, everyone assembled into an impromptu expedition. Clark found this marvelously serendipity. The chances of finding new resources or new understanding had just skyrocketed, and his little sojourn into the jungle wouldn't be a waste of time. He made sure to pay attention as everyone divulged their names. Clark stayed anonymous for the moment.
Tristan took the initiative to give out orders. The businessman complied. It was felt strange, taking orders from someone else, but not unpleasant. He was normally under pressure to be the one in charge, to be the energy that keeps everything moving. It was nice to let someone else shoulder that for the moment.
His train of thought was interrupted by the fire that erupted from the torches. Being in the back meant that he was mostly clear from the flame. Clark watched intently as Iris oppressed the flames with her mere gaze. This was someone to watch out for. For now, though, he was just thankful to have her on the team. He obediently ducked and ran under the torches, following the rest of the group.
---
Move: Right
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Jul 12, 2017 9:44:08 GMT -7
via mobile
Post by Tristan Carter on Jul 12, 2017 9:44:08 GMT -7
Action: Guide Move: Right
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Jul 12, 2017 15:44:00 GMT -7
Post by Kitten4u on Jul 12, 2017 15:44:00 GMT -7
Still burning torches line the walls, each tightly wound hallway managing to look exactly like the last. Once the explorers round a corner there's a huge boulder blocking the path. On closer inspection, it appears to be alive, just not moving. Whether it's simply sleeping or there's some other reason it's not doing anything isn't clear, but its huge body is completely blocking the path. The shell is hard as any rock and equally as difficult to break apart. Even if only pushed, it doesn't want to budge.
---
The exhaustion monster in this room was successfully bypassed. Loot from this room: 1 Total loot so far: 7
The party has 60 energy. No one is injured.
You can go backward, returning to the surface. You can go to the left, closer to the surface. You can go to the right, further into the dungeon.
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