DUNGEON LOG: KEYSTONE SHORE

[phantasmods]

The morning of the 9th, everyone will get a message sent to their communication devices -

Okay, guys! I think we have enough stabilizers to try and get the shoreline stable. If you want to help out, grab your supplies and come on up to the roof!

When characters arrive at the roof, they'll find Top - with a wheeling table full of many copies of the same odd-looking device - the two exploratory drones, and a ramp down off the roof to the ground. (The latter looks a little hastily constructed.)

"Okay," Top says, picking up one of the devices. "Here's the stabilizers. Stick them to walls and stuff - mostly out of the way places where they're not going to get knocked off - and then press the buttons along the side."

They demonstrate, unfolding the set of legs at one end of the device before showing the buttons to anyone who's close enough. "Go ahead and take a couple, especially if you've got one of those space-saving inventories going on, I know there's like four of you with those? Strange got some first aid kits together, too, if you want."

Sure enough, another table nearby has the med kits... As well as traditional paper bag lunches, courtesy of Bottom. Don't question it too much.

"We'll be staying back here to keep track of the stabilization progress and work the drones," Top says, "but don't hesitate to call if you get in trouble! We'll send one of these guys down to get you an evac if you need it."

And with that, you're free to go down the ramp... Or to make for the beach however else you might choose to go.

Comments

[founderinglight]

I always found the bloody sword-wielding skeltons the worst, personally. The more human they look, the less I like them.

[photoshooter]

Well, I don't like creepy crawly things to start with. But the people-looking ones are. Pretty bad, yeah.

There was a naga who talked one time. She thought I was her baby or something.

[founderinglight]

...Probably some holdover from whoever she was prior to getting the Scourge. That does happen, sometimes.

3/10, night, glitterstone

[founderinglight]

[Hey sup it's Izunia, with a blanket wrapped over his shoulders against the chill breeze. He comes over to Goro's setup and unceremoniously drops himself onto the spread blanket with the food.

What's a king to a nighttime picnic?]

I've some hot soup still, if you'd like to trade.

[riderofcharlemagne]

If we have anything like this on Earth, I haven't seen it.

[He doesn't sound disappointed about it. Instead, he speaks with a tone of eagerness- for all the sights he would otherwise be unable to see back home, and for all that is left to be discovered on Earth, too.

He continues wandering further down, dividing his gaze between the surroundings and Izunia.]

Hey- what kind of place is Eos like? [Apart from lacking horses, as he learnt from Prompto.]

[riderofcharlemagne]

Oh...

[Astolfo's face falls for a moment. The faces in the photo preserved in that moment of happiness...they don't look like they should have to face those kind of responsibilities, or whatever fate befell them.

He perks up soon enough, adopting the warm smile that is characteristic of him.]

Well, when you go back, you'll just have to take another one- right?

[dubiouslychthonic]

I see. [Her professional side wants to press more on that front - dietary supplements? Hormonal support? There are ways to mitigate burnout and fatigue in psychic trolls, she wonders if there's similar for magical humans - but her diplomatic and cautious sides agree that needling him over it on a dark beach is pretty much the worst choice.]

Well, if you're intent on defying your own circadian rhythms, do you want to explore together a bit? My vision's more than sufficient for these light levels.

[founderinglight]

[Hey, at least he's not doing anything with it that would actually have a worse effect than some fatigue. Also it's not like he ever minds talking comparative biology with her.]

Humans are remarkably flexible in that regard. Prompto lent me his light, so I'm happy to explore if you are.

[scarsolderthanyou]

Well, humans don't exist where I come from, so I guess we're even.

[He grins just a bit, showing sharp teeth.]

There's hundreds of intelligent species, but none of them like yours, that I've seen. Or like whatever you are, if you aren't actually human like most of these people.

[scarsolderthanyou]

"Most other Raksura can talk in that form, so the spines just kind of add nuance. It's because I'm so old and big that--" Stone stops, twitches, and looks up immediately at the shadow. He's an aerial predator; the thought of something over his head ready to stoop is a jarring one, and one he'll want to deal with as soon as possible. "The shit was that?"

[scarsolderthanyou]

Stone considers what story to tell, and goes with Moon's. It's one with a happy ending. "My people are called Raksura. We live in colonies in the mountain-trees of the western Reaches-- a thick forest where life exists on the ground, and in a second world up in the canopies. There was a time when many of our colonies flew east, searching for new ground-- some of those colonies were destroyed. One of them left behind a boy, still young enough to live in the nurseries. His name was Moon."

[scarsolderthanyou]

[Stone lifts his head from the pillow of his arms as a cloud passes over them long enough for the warmth of the sun to wear off. He still has sand half-covering his legs, and some across his shoulders and arms. The arrival of another person apparently, this time, didn't elicit him rolling over and curling around the newcomer. Lucky for Izunia.

He is ready to move, though, and find a better patch of sunlight, so he makes a rumble in the back of his throat-- it's quite deep enough to be coming from his other form, rather than a skinny old man-- aiming to wake him up without prodding him. If that doesn't work... well, Izunia will find himself prodded.]

[dubiouslychthonic]

[She's paused a bit before the entrance to the caves proper - and with them, the fissure - to catch her breath and gather her wits. Standing with her back flush to the wall, taking advantage of the minimal cover provided by a turn in the staircase, she tries to listen for sounds of pursuit over the pounding of her own heartbeat in her auditory ducts.

And, well, it's not pursuit that Jetshard hears, exactly. She hesitates a long moment, as alarm wars with confusion, before calling back - ] Stone?

[scarsolderthanyou]

Yeah, it's Stone. The big, spiny monster was me, too.

[He leans over the edge of the deteriorating stairwell, looking down in search of her.]

I promise I won't eat you.

[dubiouslychthonic]

[She accepts the cup with a nod of thanks, and takes a careful sip - careful of the heat, careful of her impressions. After a moment, she nods, eyebrows rising from behind the rims of her glasses.] That's very good. Not quite the same flavors as I would expect, but very good.

[dubiouslychthonic]

A little well done for my tastes, but you know, when we're talking about meat of unknown provenance, slightly overcooked is probably better than undercooked?

[dubiouslychthonic]

I'd argue the point, but I was up well before noon today, so I don't really have a walkstub to stand on here.

[She's starting to feel it, but on the other hand, lately she's spent as much time staring at the ceiling - and listening to the knife roomba rattle around inside the cabinet she's shut it up inside - as she has sleeping, and being outside and moving around is enough to keep her alert for now.]

Just tray and keep the light out of my eyes and we'll be good.

[founderinglight]

Walkstub?

[Okay, he can't not be a little amused at that, if only because he'd expect leg to be a perfectly serviceable translation. The attempt at the Alternian word is passable enough, at least.]

[dubiouslychthonic]

You - what? [Ok it's not the most coherent reply, but come on, that's a lot to throw at a person. Especially a person who just woke up. Especially a person who just woke up in mortal terror.

She is, at least, reassured enough to start climbing the stairs again, cautiously at first, more confidently when she can see that it is in fact just a roughly-troll-sized figure silhouetted against the light - although coming out of the dark stairwell into the daylight, she squints a bit against that light.]

[dubiouslychthonic]

[She smiles, ruefully.] Too much time spent among lowblooded eight-sweep-olds will do a number on a person's vocabulary.

[founderinglight]

I suppose mine isn't likely to be much better, considering. But that's still am interesting one.

[Noctis did not do great things for his own vocabulary.]

March 11

[dubiouslychthonic]

I don't know, I saw something pretty big moving around out there earlier.

[Jetshard's a little more cautious of the surf than he is, but she's not exactly keeping her distance, either, so she's probably not all that concerned about the possibility of sea monsters. That is, she's entirely serious about having seen something in the water - she's spotted a number of the eels. But they glow brightly enough that she's not particularly worried about being ambushed on the shore.]

[dubiouslychthonic]

The current trend seems to be cramming as many syllables into an unsuspecting word as possible. Or maybe I'm just getting old and less patient with deciphering the more complicated ones.

[founderinglight]

Kids these days.

[They're just a couple of old people gently mocking the youth.]

Though that's probably better than indecipherable memes.

[foolishjustice]

[He does give his wings a good flap as his course straightens out, bringing the feathers whooshing past Astolfo's head and feet.]

It's an exciting opportunity. Especially since Up-san has managed to perfect the personal stabilizer.