thebastion | Day 276 [Action, Open]

Entry tags:

dropped: jane crocker

Day 276 [Action, Open]

Who: Jane Crocker and YOU!
Open: Open
When: Day 276, in the morning
Where: Around the Monument
What: How exactly does this Skyway thing work? Jane wants to know!
Format: Action
Warnings: None

[Donut trees, entire buildings, chocolate jerky cows...it was entirely ridiculous, and yet all of it Jane had seen with her own eyes. Their existence and the powers of the shards had bothered her more with every new thing she came across, and now she wanted to test it out for herself...but to do that, she'd need her own shards.

From the Skyway.

Though she'd come from there, just like everyone had, it was safe to say that she was hesitant to return for any amount of time. She knew there were supposedly monsters, and that the amulet she'd been given would help make paths for her to walk on, but that wasn't much to go on. If Jane was going back into that place, she wanted to be prepared, and where better to find folks who frequented the Skyway than the Monument that turned their shards into things? So that's where she is, approaching all who pass by to ask,]

Excuse me, but what do folks usually bring along with them to the Skyway if they want to look for shards?

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[Ahah! Another face Jane knows!] Oh, hello!

[Food, water...very basic supplies. Rope? Yes, she supposes that could be useful.] Yes, I know how to fight. I've got...well, it's sort of like a big trident, but I'm quite proficient in it.

Good, that'll serve you well.

[He grins.]

Don't see many people who fancy spears of any sort any more. Dad would love you.

Anyway. Yeah, those are the big three. You can get real tired out there, too. So it's best if you don't go alone. Several groups usually go out every day to bring back salvage or shards.

Obviously, a bag of some sort will help too. Really, it's going to depend on where you're going.

Hoo hoo! Well, it started out as more of a fencing-type weapon, but as things went on, it sort of ended up getting longer and longer - not on its own, of course, that'd be silly, but you know how it is, moving up and changing equipment...

[A bag? She frowns a little.] Wouldn't a sylladex be much easier?

Hey, if you're comfortable with it, that's enough for me. Too many people here are still learning how to handle their weapons. It's nice to have someone along who can handle their own in a pinch.

And I can't say I'm familiar with that word. What's a sylladex?

Really? Huh...I guess, I assumed since gathering shards and such is so important, more folks would be able to fight on their own.

[Augh, that's right - different worlds.] Um, well, it's sort of like an inventory system. They were, ah, quite ubiquitous where I'm from, some bordering on the absurd, but they can hold far more than just a plain old bag. I can show you, if you like.

Oh, like a dimensional pocket or a bag of holding?

[A pause, and he sighs.]

I want to smack the wizard that came up with that name...

We sadly don't have access to much in the line of expanded storage space. We've got sacks, backpacks, carts, and crates. All very exciting.

Hoo hoo, sort of!

[Here, Colin, suddenly Jane's holding a red book with a white spoon on it. When she opens it up, all of the pages are blank, save for one at the front with trident on one side and a few different combinations and what look like material costs on the other.]

Mine is a little odd, since you can physically flip through it...but it's meant to function as a sort of recipe book. See, here, you have the item, and it stays in here until you want it. Then, when you don't need the item, it goes back into the sylladex.

Interesting storage medium.

[Colin's looking at it intently, his mind already racing through the possibilities of how it could work.]

Can you make them, or is that a special skill set where you're from? It looks very useful.

I'm not sure how anybody would go about making them. They were a fairly ubiquitous, manufactured commodity where I'm from. There were even kinds that are much more complicated than this one - I've had particular experience with a modus that used the Fibonacci sequence, and that was certainly no walk in the park.

[Sorry, Colin, she can kind of get the excitement vibes you're putting off.]

I'm certain it would be quite useful here, though.

[Colin sighs then, and he smiles.]

Lots of things would be useful here, but we're lacking a lot of it. Gotta make do with what we can scrounge, scavenge, and buy. Hardly ideal, but if it were ideal, I'm sure we'd all be a lot less stressed out.

No use fretting about it if it's not accessible.

So I've come to learn. But I suppose that's why folks go out and gather shards - to make things easier.

Quite so.

[Colin nods.]

The biggest thing you need to know if you're going out on the Skyway is never go alone. Typically, ten or fifteen of us will go out in a day to explore and scavenge. Latch yourself onto a group, and you should be fine.

Just don't go out alone. There's lots of hungry, angry critters out there, and the stuff that's still alive out there is the stuff that's tough enough to survive in a harsh environment.

Ten to fifteen - that's a big group! Are things really so tricky out there?

[Colin laughs.]

Sorry, sorry, I misspoke.

Typically, it's groups of two or three. I meant that a little over a dozen of us typically go out there on any given day in small groups.

Crona, Paar, Alucard, Rob, and I are definitely always going out there. Usually a handful of other people too. Shards are just way too useful for us to sit around on our butts.

Oh! You meant - oh, goodness, you gave me a fright!

[There were only three other people with her in the game, and THAT had been a struggle in and of itself. She didn't want to think it was even WORSE here...though it being the end of whole worlds, it'd make a lot of sense.]

Um, well, I can't say I've met anyone in that list of names other than you, but I'll keep my ears perked, I suppose.

Don't worry. Things are bad out there, but they're not so unmanageable that we need to send out a full squad for every little errand.

Anyway, Crona's the skittish little thing that constantly suffers golem-abuse. Don't be surprised if the name is unfamiliar, Crona avoids a lot of people.

Alucard's the Dhamphyre that lives over at the big Japanese-style building. He keeps to himself, but he's reliable if you need him.

Rob's the mousey guy who's been working as our carpenter. He's good people, but he's also a little nervous around people. Huh... gosh, that really does paint out away teams as a squirreley lot, doesn't it?

Anyway, Paar's the big dragon out on the Dragonfield.

[He points off in that direction with a smile.]

If you haven't met him yet, you should. He's basically grandpa for everyone here. If you've got a problem, he'll be glad to hear you out and offer advice. He's good people.

I've just had a lot of experience with very difficult, stubborn enemies is all - and I wasn't given much of a heads up on them. It's nice to have an idea of what's out there for a change.

[Golem. Dhamphyre. Squirreley. And...dragon? Oh, gosh. Those sure are some interesting words you're throwing out there, Colin, Jane needs a moment to process them.]

I...see. And where is Dragonfield, exactly?

[Unbeknownst to her, she's already been there.]

It's easy to find, just cross the river. Paar is often lounging out there, you can't miss him.

As for what's out there... the biggest threats are angry Gasfellas, and Peckers. Gasfellas are the big, hovering, cloaked figures with weapons. They were basically slave labor before the calamity, and I think they're pretty unhappy about it. But they're not always mean. You treat 'em right, you can get a tentative peace with them. They don't bother me much since I treat them and the squirts well.

Peckers, on the other hand, are the hungry birds you'll see everywhere. Not much more to be said about them. They're big, they're hungry, and they're territorial. Easy enough to shoo off, though.

Oh! Across the - where those trees and foxes showed up? I've been there, but I can't say I saw any dragons.

[But let's set that aside for a moment, there are monsters to talk about.]

So these Gasfellas, they can be reasoned with?

[Colin nods in answer to her first question, then he pauses and considers her second question.]

Not immediately, no. But at first, they can be bribed. Food. Tools. They need supplies, just like everyone else.

We don't share a language, so we can't really negotiate with them. Yet.

That said, you can convince them you shouldn't be bothered. I've been making tools for the squirts and Gasfellas, and bringing some food with me every time I go out. I don't get hassled any more, though some squirts are starting to realize that they'll get something to eat if they see me.

[He smirks faintly.]

[Ah, that makes sense. She'll have to check Dragonfield out more thoroughly next time.]

"Yet"? Is communicationwith the Gasfellas something people here have been working on here?

[She chuckles about the Squirts though.] Hoo hoo! You've got the little things trained!

It's something I've been working on.

[Colin smiles.]

I don't believe we've gotta kill everything out there. Everything is suffering after the calamity, everything's trying to survive. But there's no reason we should make something else's life harder just to make ours easier.

[That smile twists into a grin.]

I think humans call it Pavlovian training? I show up, I usually bring food, the squirts know that I'm quick to feed them... The story writes itself.

I see! That's a very interesting way to consider it, especially when you don't necessarily have to always kill everything. I think I like that option a lot more than having no choice but to fight.

["I think humans"? Huh. That's an odd statement. Jane just puts that in the back of her mind.]

Yes, that's the word for it, Pavlovian.

People always have choices. It's just that they often can't see them.

[His grin widens just a little, he enjoys this topic very much.]

Never let anyone tell you any different.

Out there? There's a lot that's going to try and kill you. I won't say that I've never decided to kill something, but I usually try to find another way. Everything out there has to make those same choices.

My trick's just showing them that there's another choice out there, if I can.

I suppose...but in many cases, if there really is some other choice, it's definitely hard to see. Either that, or it's extremely difficult to put into practice, but that's just in my experience.

[It was either kill skeleton monsters or be killed by them. Defeat threats for resources or break down possibly necessary items. Choices aren't easy in Sburb.]

I think I could get used to the idea of proposing choices to the things out there, though. Goodness knows it's a less exhausting option.

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