Day 229 [EVENT]: Search the Skyway

[bastionpc]

Who: Nathaniel, Zahi, and everyone who wants to participate
Open: Open
When: Day 229
Where: Burstone Quarry
What: The Bastion needs a core. Badly. So what better place would there be to search than the place cores were mined from before the Calamity?
Format:any
Warnings:here be monsters

[After a few days of rest and organization, Nathaniel and Zahi finally lead a good portion of the Bastion residents to the quarry to look for a core. Fortunately, it doesn't take long to reach the quarry, thanks to the extended reach of the Skyway. Unfortunately, the quarry is very large, which means that everyone has to split up into small groups to cover more ground. But is the risk worth it for the reward?]

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OOC:

Due to the nature of this post, there will be several threads happening at once. When your group is ready for some more NPC/setting interaction, put a note in the subject line of your comment, and a mod will jump in to further the thread.

Also, several groups can be at one location within the quarry, but each group will still have their own thread in that location.

Finally, if you did not sign up for a group, you can still participate. Any group of 2-4 participants can start a thread in here. If you need to find someone to make a last-minute group with, jump in on the most recent plurk on the mod plurk, or on the OOC post here.

Comments

[daughterofursa]

[Not wanting to waste her firebending, and knowing it wouldn't last long enough anyway, Zuko lights a torch as she leads her group into the tunnels. In her other hand she carries one of her swords.

Calem seems to be a trainer like Red, but neither he nor Aoi themselves are fighters, and she expects to have to protect them if they run into anything. Hopefully she isn't putting them at too great a risk, but going deeper seems like their best chance of finding a core. She's less worried about the other group; Toph should be in her element here.]

Watch your footing, and don't fall behind.

[chosenbylife]

I've gone through many a cave and tunnel before. You might even refer to me as an expert in such a scenario.

[ He was tempted to snap his roller blades down to prove just how swift and agile he could be even with all these treacherous rocks around but a glare from Lucario who was at his heels like always prevented him. Zuko looked like the type to start yelling at people if they got out of hand. ]

At the very least we should be glad this one is not swarmed by Zubat. They are quite annoying and I haven't any Repels with me. In my world you walk three steps into a cave, sometimes even just two, and you are assaulted by one.

[amphibian]

You got it! [Aoi's pace is much more quick than it is careful, but she seems confident enough in what she's doing, anyway.]

Really? Bats? I didn't think they were so aggressive... [She nearly skips over a few stones in her way as she speaks. Aoi, no, this isn't hopscotch.] Ah, but there's probably something living around here, right? So we should still be careful!

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko just gives Calem a flat look. She's sure any earthbender would find that "expert" remark laughable, but he's probably lucky Toph is with the others and can't jump on him for it.]

Aoi's right. [Even if she... doesn't actually seem like she's being careful.] There might not be any wolfbats, but I get the feeling we're not alone down here.

[She's trying to listen between words to pick out anything from ahead of them. They're more likely to hear something first than see it.]

[chosenbylife]

[ He has the sinking suspicion he's not being taken very seriously from the fearless leader with the torch there. At least he knows Lucario thinks he's cool! Probably. ]

Though you'd think if there was any life down here we'd see some sort of sign of it. It's so silent it's almost eerie.

[ He shivers despite himself. ]

Perhaps we'll discover some sort of legendary beast who's been slumbering for centuries.

[ It's actually more common then you'd think where he's from! ]

[amphibian]

[What are you talking about? She's the absolute pinnacle of caution. Look at the immensely heedful way she bounds over a shallow crevasse and skips along to stay alongside Zuko.]

What kinda legendary beast picks a mine to take a long nap in?

[daughterofursa]

One that likes the dark. [Zuko's not on board with the "legendary" part, but there are plenty of huge ferocious beasts in her world and some of them do live in caves.] If we run into one, let's let it sleep.

[It is awfully quiet besides them. She wonders if whatever (or whoever?) might be down here has heard them coming and is instead waiting for them to come to it.

Despite her warning, she's the first one to stumble, though she quickly catches herself and holds out an arm to stop the others.]

Did you hear something?

[chosenbylife]

[ Calem shakes his head. ]

Only you tripping.

[ He's not poking fun. His attention had been focused on the sudden sound of of sliding stone and gravel when she lost her balance. Now he peers out into the darkness of the tunnel beyond the torch's glow. ]

Maybe it was water you heard? Underground streams and rivers aren't entirely uncommon.

[ Still... he feels oddly on edge. ]

[bastionpc]

[It's not an underground stream! Throughout the tunnels, little shards have been strewn about, forgotten by the miners that have dug them out. However, in this dark corner of the tunnel, all of the nearby shards have been dragged into one pile. Something appears to have burrowed into said pile, too, leaving only its beak sticking out, so it can breathe. All in all, the pile goes up to about knee-height, and is about two feet in diameter.

Whatever is in the pile, it is currently sleeping. But it is just one monster, and there are easily two-thousand shards (if not more) just sitting right there.

What do you do?]

[amphibian]

There's your legendary beast. [Who knew Aoi was capable of whispering? The little giggle that follows mostly ruins her attempt to be completely quiet, though.] It's got a real good stockpile, huh...

[daughterofursa]

[Well, it looks like that sound might have been a few shards slipping down the pile. Zuko creeps a little closer, keeping her own voice low.]

It looks like one of those snake birds.

[She means the rattle-tails that Zulf has. Judging by the beak anyway. She glances ahead down the tunnel, then back at the pile. She doesn't like the idea of leaving an enemy at their back, but she's not interested in provoking it either.]

We're here for cores. If we don't find one farther down, these will still be here on our way back.

[chosenbylife]

[ Calem WANTS to argue a little here. Because do you see? Do you see how MANY shards there are? There are a lot of shards. More then a few. But at the same time... She was right. They were here for a core and if they got in a fight with Beaks here and the tunnel collapsed... well it wouldn't be a good thing. And if they didn't find one? Well there's the consolation prize right there. ]

Very well.

[ His voice low too, and he throws his hands up in the air in a bit of annoyance. ]

Assuming our legendary beast has friends around we should probably be even more cautious from here on out.

[amphibian]

Right, cores... [BUT...BUT HOW MANY DONUTS COULD SHE BUY WITH ALL THOSE SHARDS...... IMAGINE ALL THE POOL FLOATIES SHE COULD GET] But it is weird to see something like this all on its own, right? So let's be careful!

[And she's right back to hopping over debris along the way.]

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko must not have as much on her wishlist as you two because she just saw a potential way to power the Bastion a little longer. But they can come back for it and then Aoi can buy her waterslide or whatever.

And she's quick to follow Aoi so the other girl at least has enough light to see where she's going if she insists on skipping.]

The ones in the Bastion tend to flock, but I don't think they can do that down here...

[Still, there probably are more.]

[chosenbylife]

[ Cores are good but cores + self presents are even better. ]

...Wait for me!

[ He was still musing on it when Lucario tugs his sleeve and points to the light that's beginning to move away. He hurries to catch up to the other two. ]

Maybe this is some sort of special nesting ground for them.

[amphibian]

Pick up the pace! [Aoi's got no time for slowpokes!]

Hmm... Maybe, but I hope not. Running around in something else's nest can only lead to trouble... [She still remembers the last time that happened—the spring falls from her step and she trots alongside Zuko.]

[daughterofursa]

All the more reason not to disturb them.

[If Zuko seems any more solemn it's difficult to tell because it's Zuko.]

We'll do better if we don't move so quickly. [Hint hint Aoi please actually be careful. She's going to slow her own pace so Calem can catch them up.]

[chosenbylife]

I'm coming!

[ It only takes a moment to get back in pace with them luckily. ]

I wonder if they all sleep in piles of shards like that though...

[ A sudden thought hits him and he snickers a bit. ]

It reminds me of that cartoon, the one with the really rich bird who swam around in piles of money? It had such a catchy song... Life is like a hurricane...

[ He can't remember the next bit and ends up humming and mumbling 'something something something' ]

Might solve a mystery...

[amphibian]

Eh? I dunno that one... [She giggles and makes an attempt to hum along to the melody; given that it's entirely new to her, she fails completely.]

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko looks between the two of them like they've gone insane. They're supposed to be searching for something crucial to their survival and keeping an eye out for things that could kill them, but instead they're singing songs about... a bird that swims in money??

Even Team Avatar wasn't this weird. Maybe she should have come alone.]

What's a cartoon?

[chosenbylife]

[ By now he's used to certain people not knowing things he's talking about. Especially in relation to technological things. But still... it boggles his mind that there are people who were deprived of cartoons as a kid. ]

It's uh... a bit like a moving picture? Have you ever seen a flipbook?

[amphibian]

It's liiiike...a comic! Only the pictures move around and talk. [Look, Aoi's helpful (and too distracted by her attempts to piece together a decent explanation to focus much on her path; oops).]

[bastionpc]

[NERDS

By the way, there are shards embedded in the walls of the tunnel, but there's nothing big enough to be a core. Not yet at least.

But over there, there's a nest! A nest with eggs in it. Momma-Rattle-Tail can't be far behind, but she's not in sight yet.]

[daughterofursa]

[Comics and flipbooks actually go over Zuko's head, but she has seen Star Wars thanks to Colin.]

Like a "movie." [But about a bird instead of metal people. You guys come up with some strange entertainment.

She goes solemn again as they come across the nest, then glances at Calem.]

You don't have one of those pokemon that puts things to sleep, do you? I don't want to kill anything's parents.

[chosenbylife]

[ Zuko you are such a deprived child. He'd probably go on about them, however the unattended nest captures his attention. Very concerning. He knows how protective pokemon can be of their eggs and he can only assume the monsters here are the same. ]

Agreed.

[ He nods, serious for a moment. ]

Lapras can use Sing, however it's not the most reliable sleep move. She's also rather large, and can't move on land very well so this would not be a very ideal place to send her out...