thebastion | [Day 206] Set my sail

Entry tags:

[Day 206] Set my sail

Who: Colin, Zulf, Tris, and Tobias
Open: Closed
When: 206
Where: On the Skyway, close to Terminal territory
What: It's time to make an offering of peace... Step one is finding the Ura group, however.
Format: Action?
Warnings: None planned, will be updated

The plague may have been taken care of on the Bastion's end, but there's still something that's been bothering two residents of the Bastion. The fact of the matter was that there was another group of survivors out there. Ura survivors. Considering the recent incident between them and a group from the Bastion, however, and it's clear that careful steps need to be taken.

That's why the group gathered for this recent expedition more or less looks rather harmless, which is just as Zulf prefers it, but can still take care of themselves, which is how Colin does. All the necessary items have been packed along with them, including a set of spare clothing for Tobias just in case and some of the cure for the plague. It's been a bit of a journey, but, well... here they are. The same place that the cure recovery group once was.

Instead of his usual attire, Zulf is wearing the outfit which a couple of the group might remember from Night's funeral. It's not his preferred wear, but... it's the most Ura kind of clothing he immediately has on hand. He'll have to rectify that for later... But for now he turns to the rest of the group. "Everyone's doing alright so far?"

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Zulf gives a thoughtful nod. "Since they used an explosive trap in that one house, they would have to had put in another trap although I can't promise if it's the same or different. If they're truly a small inexperienced group... Then that would just make them unpredictable.

"One of the closest things we'll get is what I'm wearing now." Zulf makes a gesture down to the clothes he's wearing. "The Micia Sect is highly regarded back in the Terminals. It doesn't feel entirely honest to wear it myself like this, but it's recognizable." He pauses, unhooking something that's been a constant of his outfit and hasn't changed even though his clothes have. It's a small spade, and he holds it out to Colin and Tris.

"The Tazal Spade is the symbol of the Terminals. If they see it on one of you, hopefully it would give them pause long enough to not start anything. It's not something you'd ever find in Caelondia, after all. I brought mine with me from the Terminals... One of you should hold onto it for now. Tobias, come down and I can show you some sketches I made before we left."

Edited 2014-07-08 03:47 (UTC)

Tris waves for Colin to take the spade. "You're taller, they'll notice you first." Even if she has coppery hair, tall people are a bit more noticeable. ~~And maybe it will keep one of Colin's hands occupied so he doesn't do anything too rude~~.

"I'll see if anything useful comes on the wind." With that somewhat awkward sentence, Tris slips her glasses off her nose and blinks into the breeze. If the wind passes over anything interesting on its way to her, she might catch it.

Colin looks at Tris. For a moment, he debates telling her to take it, because he's more likely to survive getting shot. But she is the weather witch, and if she wants him to take it, she surely has more faith in herself than that.

"All right, I've got it," Colin says. "Zulf's got lead here, though. So I wouldn't worry too much about whatever you're worrying about me carrying a peace-offering for."

He smirks between both Tris and Zulf then, setting down his case to take the spade and fix it to his shirt.

Tobias spirals down and lands on the ground so he can look over the symbols.

<Let's see.>

He's never been great at languages, but he'll do his best.

With that figured out, Zulf pulls some scraps of paper and lays them on the ground for Tobias to look over. Some of them have a clear sort of lettering and are obviously words of some kind. There are a few others, however, that are basic sketches of people in different kind of clothing. He points to one which features short sleeves, an overskirt split up the sides, and strips of cloth which seem to loop around the back from the shirt. "A member of the Garmuth sect." The next one features a long coat with a deep V of a collar, gloves, and a belt full of pouches. "Jevel sect. I'm not sure if any of their number are with the group of survivors, although it would be for the best if they were.

"The Jevel sect were the ones in charge of health and medicine in the Terminals. They also were responsible for making the cure in the first place. If one were there and knew we had more of it, then I'm certain they could convince the rest of the group to listen to us. Garmuth's sect often dealt in being ambassadors along with some of the other sects, but they're also known for being the most open minded.

"You already know what the warriors look like, and my outfit as well. When it comes down to it, they're the ones most Ura would look to in times of trouble. The symbols I've written down are what they might use to help guide one another back to wherever they've set up camp... But I wouldn't doubt if they had something more subtle after the last time. I doubt it needs to be said, but keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary."

With that all said, he looks up to Colin and Tris. "With that information given, until we actually find the group, I leave myself in your hands. I'm no tracker, after all."

"So those specific outfits are the better outcome." Tris puts her glasses back onto get a better look at them, and then they go right back off.

"At the moment, starting at ambush point is the best bet, as far as I can tell. I'll keep an eye out."

"Also, Tobias... It should go without saying, but be careful," Colin adds, his voice a little worried. "Given how hostile the Skyway seems to be, I'd rather not see you take gunfire just because someone may be hungry for roast bird."

He turns his attention back to Zulf and Tris then, and he nods. "That's probably the best idea," Colin says. "If they're carrying explosives with them, I can track that at the very least. Chemical residue from explosives, even undetonated ones, tends to stand out if you're able to look for it."

He reaches up to tap his eyebrow above his artificial eye then. "And if there's one thing I always keep my eyes open for, it's any sign of explosives," he adds.

He looks around then, and he sighs quietly in disappointment. The Skyway was usually a reminder of things that had gone horribly wrong, but in this case, it was more a reminder that the devastation of the Calamity would actually make tracking a things like explosive craters and scared soldiers running to relocate a little more difficult than normal.

Tobias laughs bitterly at that statement to him from Colin, and directs a private bit of thought speech to him. <I've survived worse. And I got shown an alternate reality where someone... important to me roasted me and ate me. A few hunters don't scare me.>

He takes off again and heads towards the camp. It'll be better if he can get an idea of what the situation ahead will be like before they get within shooting range.

"Considerably so," Zulf confirmed to Tris, putting away the sketches and getting up properly again. "If nothing else, it would give us a good starting point in who to talk to."

And with that said, he'll now be letting Colin and Tris take the lead. Even if it does worry him very much, he does know that if there's anyone he'd trust around an explosion, it's colin.

Considering that this is several days after the previous encounter, and how Zuko pretty much threatened them into standing down before, the camp of Ura soldiers is long gone. They may still be out on the Terminals, but they're not in the same spot they were before, and they're definitely hiding.

That said, it is possible to track them, if anyone in the group knows how to track people. Starting from where they were before, there is a clear trail back to what looks like it used to be a base camp of sorts. It's been abandoned for days, but clues might be there!

Or maybe traps. Traps could be there too.

"Nothing interesting moving. But there's a used campsite... somewhere that way." Scrying the wind isn't exactly specific, but it does give a direction.

Colin gives Tobias a briefly worried look, wondering if he was okay with that little glimpse into alternate reality. But for now, there was nothing to be done about it.

"Gods above and below, I wish I could see things like you do Tris. My scanner will tell me all I need to know, but I have to be in the proximity of the area," Colin says, looking between Tris and Zulf. "Let's head towards the campsite, for now. Odds are very good it's been trapped, since they had a nasty encounter with some folks a few days ago. But if you don't rush into things, we should be fine. I can disarm just about anything they can throw at us."

Colin starts in the direction that Tris indicated, running active scans for explosives and black powder residue. He didn't have much faith in this world's level of industry, but they had plenty of surprises that he didn't want to get caught by.

Tobias flaps back towards them, doing as best he can in the dimmer light of the area. Tracking... okay, sure. He can do tracking. He might want to switch into a different morph, though. Going by scent might be better than just going by sight in this case.

<They're gone from where we saw them, though it looks like there's a trail back towards what might be a base camp. Are you guys good for tracking, or should I morph into something else?>

Zulf stays quiet as the rest all look into it, the only reaction from him being the slight tensing of his shoulders when a camp is brought up. When Tobias finally comes back, confirming what Tris has said, that's when he speaks up.

"It might be useful. What would be good for this sort of thing?" He's trusting that Tobias would know his own morphs best.

As he circles down, he thinks. <Racehorse, elephant, and polar bear would probably be best. I can carry someone on my back if it's not polar bear, though.>

None of them are traditional tracking morphs, true, but it'll work.

Tris raises an eyebrow at Colin. She disagrees with you there, but that isn't important right now.

"I think a horse would be least likely to alarm anyone, with those other two options."

"How are a ragtag band of Ura militia liable to react to a horse, Zulf?" Colin asks. "Will a symbol of Yudrig put them in better spirits, or worse? If it's a good thing, I say horse. If not, I say elephant."

Even as he's asking that, Colin is making his way towards the campsite. He's keeping a wary eye out for trip wires, and debris that could be housing a contact plate. Improvised traps always were unpleasant...

Edited 2014-07-14 02:07 (UTC)

<I haven't really gone around acquiring morphs from this place. If horses are the only one of those native to this place then horse might be the better option. If we're expecting trouble though... elephant might be better if only because I can shield you guys with it.>

Self-preservation? What's that?

"I'd like to at least go into this looking as though we're not wanting for a fight." While Zulf isn't particularly certain just exactly what elephants or polar bears are, the first sounds like something intimidating just by the way they're talking about it.

"At the very least, it should give them pause even if they are feeling more nervous and inclined to pull a trigger." Considering their connection to one of the Pantheon, well, it's not a good thing to recklessly hurt a horse or bull. They'll at least need the time to aim properly so they're shooting at the rest of them and not Tobias. "All I need is a pause to start talking with them."

"Sounds like the best pan then." Tris looks over Colin, then Zulf and Tobias the soon to be horse.

"Zulf, you should probably walk with Tobias when he shifts. Colin and I can be on either side of you. A horse with an Ura would be a better sign, right?"

Colin wanted to argue that he should be on point, but he knew she had a point. A couple of extra feet wouldn't make much of a difference, and though he could take a gunshot if it came to it, he was also carrying several devices that would react poorly if a trained sniper were to target them...

"Just don't get too sure of yourself, Zulf," he says warily. "We're taking all the precautions we can, but if they're as scared as it seems they are, they may not stop to answer questions..."

<All right. I'm going to head back a bit to morph - it's really gross-looking, you don't want to see it. Colin, can you keep track of time? I only have two hours in morph at a time.>

He adjusts his course and lands a little ways behind the group. It doesn't take much to start morphing, though it's incredibly unnerving as the hawk instincts slip away and horse instincts take their place. It also takes a few moments for him to adjust to the different eyes and ears, but finally the morph is complete.

Tobias doesn't usually morph horse, and so it takes him longer than he'd like to suppress the horse instincts well. The horse does want to run though, and so he rears back and lets out a whinny, before charging towards the group and stopping just before he barrels into them.

<I forgot how much they like to run...>

Tris seems to be catching on quickly, so there helps ease some of Zulf's worry. Colin? Just gets some eyebrows raised in his direction. "As a change of pace, I thought I'd try optimistic for once. I can always go back, if you'd prefer." Zulf knows his only real skills are in talking, however. If he starts doubting those in a time like this....

At Tobias' recommondation, Zulf firmly keeps his eyes away. It's only the sound of hooves stomping at the ground that has him nervously jumping out of the way before he sighs. "Horses are like that, I've found. Are you certain you're ready...?"

"No, no, just jump behind me if it looks like shooting's about to start," Colin says warmly. "I won't be happy about being a bullet sponge, but odds are I can handle it far better than you can."

He gives Zulf a grin, and then he nods at Tobias. "I think we're all set," he says. "It's all on you, Secretariat."

He hoped that he'd picked a reference that Tobias would get...

The name sounds vaguely familiar, and he snorts in amusement. He lowers his head towards Zulf. Yeah. He's ready.

<Funny enough this actually is a racehorse. I didn't bother to check the name, though... Cassie ended up being mistaken for one of the actual racehorses and ended up running the race. And winning.> That whole mission had ended up completely ridiculous. Thankfully he'd been out of some of the weirder parts.

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TRIS DIDN'T JUST BECOME A SIX SOMETHING MAN SUDDENLY, HONESTLY NOT

Sure, I believe you. You're a shapeshifter, aren't you?

No that's Tobias. :|

Seriously, pay attention to who does what, gosh

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