Event: Day 268 [semi-open]

[bastionpc]

Who: Zulf, Tobias, Anna, Patchouli, Aradia, Zuko, Aoi, Megaera, others
Open: semi-open
When: Day 268
Where: Skyway => Ura settlement
What: Taking supplies to the Ura, as well as discussing what to do in the long term.
Format: action
Warnings: none

Please post in the threads below. This event is open up until we get eight additional characters besides Zulf. Once all eight spots have been filled, this event will become closed to those who have already tagged in. I will be adding people to the post header as they tag in.

Please only tag in to this particular post if you can be around for the next few days to participate.

IMPORTANT THREADS:

Last-minute organization

on the way there

Comments

[bastionpc]

[Protecting the food is a good idea, but it is agitating the Peckers. They start squacking in return, but they don't attack the cart. They stay with noisily complaining, for the most part.

Whoever is on the tail-end of the cart party will get swooped by one of them, though. They're not seriously attacking, mostly just being jerks and expressing their displeasure at getting yelled at.]

[twinked_witch]

Stupid things, stay away!

[At that particular moment, it looks like it was Megaera. She's fine, though.]

... That was relatively easy, thankfully...

[aprettyred]

Shhh. Don't draw attention to it.

[ Because that's the easiest way to make problems show up! Or so several adults Anna knew used to think. ]

[daughterofursa]

I doubt they'll be the only animals we run into. Let's just keep moving.

[bastionpc]

[Zuko is right, in this case. See, eventually the group is going to come to a marshy area. Said marshy area isn't that great for wagons, and getting stuck is a thing that will be happening.

QUICK POLL: where is everyone in relation to the carts, and what are they doing to help with the progress of cart-traveling?]

[amphibian]

[Aoi's been darting back and forth between the carts to make sure everything's secure and take care of anything starting to look unsteady, but right now she's behind the back cart, trying to help lift and push it along from the back.]

[aprettyred]

[ Anna is walking next to the lead cart. As is Mikoto the larvesta, but the moment the ground gets mucky Mikoto is going into that cart (or just clinging to the back.

Anna has a stick and is knocking mud lumps off of wheels, unless someone comes up with something better for the small child to do. ]

[notachickenhawk]

[Tobias is going to launch off the cart and start wheeling above, checking for any monsters. In land like this he gets the feeling he'll hear things before he sees them.]

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko has been moving back and forth between the two ostrich horses as needed, doing her best to guide them through this muck. Right now she's with the lead bird, trying to keep both it and herself from getting frustrated.]

[emissaries]

[In the marsh, the Emissary opts to venture a little ways ahead of the carts, trying to pick out a dry, sturdy path for them.

Fortunately she decided to wear the more practical of her two adventuring dresses today, so she isn't weighed down by a bunch of lace and ruffles, but mud has nonetheless splashed up to mid-calf on her leggings, whoops. Good thing these boots are waterproof.

Should the carts begin sinking too badly, she is a powerful telekinetic, but here on the Skyway that might not work on the ostrich horses.]

[heptagram]

[Patchouli has been positioned as close to the exact middle of the caravan as possible. Not that she'll be of much use if the carts sink into the marsh.]

[twinked_witch]

[Megaera's near Patchy, at the center of the caravan.]

[fuckthemancers]

[After Megaera's brush with the Peckers, it's Zulf who's decided to bring up the back now. The front seems crowded enough, and there's no need to make the ostrich horses anymore nervous with too many people.]

[Someone needs to be back here anyway.]

[bastionpc]

[Tobias will definitely see this first then, as well as the Emissary, who is a little bit ahead and just slightly above the marshes, due to being on dry land.

From about 10 o'clock on the caravan group, something is tunneling under the ground. At first it seems to just be meandering around, but before too long it turns to head right towards the caravan.

For those familiar with Tama-chan back in the Bastion, the trail of dirt is not unlike what she makes, except exponentially bigger.

The group has about 30 seconds before the dirt trail will reach the front caravan.]

[aprettyred]

[ Anna yelps. ]

Something's hungry and underground!

[ At least, that's what she's picking up.

Excuse her as she decides it would be safer near the second cart. ]

[notachickenhawk]

[Tobias flaps back towards the group as fast as he can.]

<Anklegator at ten o'clock! Coming in fast! It's pretty huge! I might be able to take care of it if you guys can't, but I'll need a few minutes to morph!>

[fuckthemancers]

[Anklegator!? Oh shi-]

Don't take care of it! Quick- we need to just run! Can any one of you do something to get the carts out of this!?

[emissaries]

[Aradia's already on her way back, running at top speed - Tobias beat her to the warning by like half a second, and she decided she's better suited to helping out the carts than trying to fight the graboid. It's a graboid, right? It looked like a graboid.]

I've got the carts! Someone get the animals! ["Everybody else, run" she leaves implied. It is pretty obvious. Telekinetically, she's undoing the harnesses on the ostrich horses before she's even done talking, and within like 15 seconds she's pulled both carts from the mud and gotten them levitating a little ways off the ground.]

[aprettyred]

[ "Get the animals". Anna decides to understand this as "get on one" because she's small and not terribly fast on her feet.

Anna doesn't know how to direct either this or a horse, but she is going to climb onto the ostrich-horse as best she can and.. hold on.

Mikoto is going to climb on a person. Have fun, whoever looks sturdy enough for a firebug. ]

[twinked_witch]

[Megaera, on the other hand, quickly stepped outwards, seeing the pile of moving earth and positioning herself to face it, drawing her sword.]

A couple more people to keep this thing busy would be kinda nice!

[heptagram]

[Patchouli immediately begins drifting in the opposite direction of the creature.]

I have to make this spell count. Some way of guaranteeing that we eliminate this thing would help.

[Maybe using earth magic against something underground? No matter; she's getting ready. This might require some timing for maximum effectiveness.]

[daughterofursa]

How far can you move them like that?

[This is not the time to question how the carts are getting levitated, she just needs to know if they can be carried off like that. Zuko jumps onto the other ostrich horse, but her first action is to wheel it around towards Anna.]

Just hold on tight.

[She gives Anna's ostrich horse a good smack to get it moving. Both birds were already nervous about the rumbling underground, and it doesn't need much incentive to race off in a direction away from that. Zuko holds a hand out to Aoi to haul her up if she'll take it, even as she's shouting to Megaera:]

What are you doing just standing there?

[If Zulf says they need to run, she doesn't think facing it head-on is the right idea.]

[notachickenhawk]

<I've got another idea, but it's gonna have to surface before I can do anything!>

[Tobias just watches them from up above, tracking the anklegator as it gets closer to the group. This is stupid and there's no guarantee that he'll get out without getting hurt, but it's worth a shot.]

[... Besides, having an anklegator morph could be handy.]

[amphibian]

[Aoi's a pretty sturdy-looking person! When Mikoto starts scaling her leg, she jumps, then bends to scoop him up into her arms.

She spends half a moment staring in confusion at Zuko's offered hand—then shifts Mikoto into one arm so she can take it up onto the ostrich horse. Clutching her surprise firebug passenger close and holding onto Zuko's shoulder for stability with her other hand, Aoi twists around to watch the others still behind her.]

B-be careful! [She can't figure out what Tobias is going to do but at least he's in the air, but she really hopes Megaera doesn't try to fight that thing...]

[bastionpc]

[Oh good, its reputation precedes itself! Not that an Anklegator particularly cares about reputation. This Anklegator in particular has just one thing on its mind: food.

So, that spot where the carts used to be? The Anklegator tunnels over there and suddenly bursts out of the ground, chomping at the bit to eat the food-filled carts that are no longer there. It's not specifically aiming for people, not yet, it is more concerned with those tasty, tasty veggies.

If an Anklegator could talk, this one would be saying "HEY GUYS I HEARD YOU HAD FOOD I CAN SMELL IT I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND IF I TAKE SOME HEY WHERE DID ALL THE FOOD GO?"]