DUNGEON LOG: KEYSTONE REEF

[phantasmods]

Expedition day dawns, as usual, with an android mass text -

Okay, so, this time we're aiming to go out and stabilize the Fissure in the reef you can see up a little to the north of here. The waters are usually pretty calm this time of year, so if you can swim instead of needing to take a boat, that'd be a great help. We only have a few of them.

Also, I know that last time was a mess, so I'm just gonna say this: If you need to get out for any reason, just send us a message and a picture of your location. We'll get a drone out to you as soon as we can and bring you home. No questions asked.

( ﾟ▽ﾟ)/ Stay safe out there! When you're ready to go, meet us down at the beach. The rocky, sparkly one, not the sandy one.

Unlike previous expeditions, this time there's no rooftop sendoff - instead, as Charm noted, the tables are set up on Glitterstone beach, along with a series of boats pulled up on the sand. Two rowboats that could maybe sit six people but probably better suited for four, a trio of inflatable rafts (with motors attached to the back, all mismatched) of about the same size, a two-person dinghy and a long canoe that could hold two or three.

Besides the little fleet, there's also the usual bagged lunches (in gallon ziplocs this time, and other such watertight containers), and every boat is equipped with a large number of those chepa dollar-store water bottles, all with their airtight store seals. There's also a selection of life vests and other floatation thingies in a box next to the table. Strange hovers over the setup, checking watertightness of a handful of first aid kits with a spritzer and a bucket to submerge things in. They give a little wave to anyone passing by headed to the boats.

For those who opt instead to swim, everything seems perfectly normal until you reach the border of the Fissure... When, very suddenly, it isn't.

Comments

[serrata]

Oh! Right, now I see.

[ so it basically is princess training. wild. ]

I'd sort of assumed that all just came naturally to you.

[daughterofthemark]

Goodness, that would be convenient! But no, only after spending significant time gaining experience have I been able to accumulate enough skill points to master all that I have.

[video games]

[serrata]

Practice really does make perfect then, I guess...

[ video games... ]

Does that mean anyone could learn to use those powers you have?

[daughterofthemark]

Not all of them, and not with the same effectiveness, unless they dedicate themselves to it specifically. But yes, it is possible for others to learn Order skills. I believe it is actually a common practice among monks living in Armoroad, in fact.

[serrata]

And they definitely still work here, don't they? Have you managed to try them out?

[daughterofthemark]

Not all of them, but I was able to use several of them shortly after we arrived.

[serrata]

That's good. It's silly, but knowing everyone's not... missing anything, I guess... it's reassuring.

[ You know exactly why. ]

[daughterofthemark]

[She sure as heckity does.]

Do you suppose we'll find more people here, as the others found us?

[serrata]

I'd be shocked if we didn't. Everyone so far's made it sound like we should be keeping an eye out, just in case.

[ She looks out over the water, like she's expecting to see an unfamiliar face just pop up from the sea. ]

It's not exactly the best place to arrive, is it?

[daughterofthemark]

[I mean it could.]

It might be better than the forest. We can see quite a lot further here, so we're more likely to find them.