DUNGEON LOG - TELOVIA MINES

[phantasmods]

The day dawns bright and early - the same as most every expedition. The only difference is that you'll need to take the teleportation pad to Lodestone as a starting point - the gliders and drones are already there. There's clouds on the horizon, though, so if you're going to take a glider and go, you'd better get going.

There's some new additions, though, to the usual group of androids seeing you off. Tau is checking over the drones ready to carry those who can't or won't use the gliders, and Muon is practicing opening and collapsing the wings of a glider with bright yellow sails. She grins at anyone who approaches, shooting them a thumbs up.

"Don't worry about getting lost or falling behind! As long as Tau's here, they'll keep us all together."

And with that bit of bright cheer, it's off towards the mountains you go...

----

From the air, the remains of the mining town are almost impossible to tell from any other part of the forest. The trees - especially the old ones - are much thinner, and that's really the only sign of what's below.

But Muon's bright yellow glider, leading the way, dips down into the treeline before landing in an open space, and anyone who isn't paying enough attention to follow will feel their glider being herded in the same direction by Tau's power - control not outright taken, but more of a nudge, like, hey buddy it's this way. The group lands just beyond the border of the Fissure - a tiny stable spot in whatever's left of this world.

And a good thing, too, because landing in the Fissure itself could prove quite difficult...

Comments

main tunnels

[zweihandler]

[ Even with the crystals lighting the way, it's definitely a hell of a lot darker in the tunnels than it is outside. But surely, it's not dark enough to explain the way Erina's walking when she comes around that turn in the tunnel. She's going at a slower pace than one might expect of her and she's dragging a hand across the cave walls as she goes.

What? It's her first proper mission out of the station. She's not going to let a little blindness stop her.

She does come to a halt though, once she rounds the corner and tilts her head like she's listening to something. Then she speaks up. ]

Hey – somebody there?

[redmeguca]

{Oh, hey there you two. By the way Erina is stumbling, I'm guessing you lost your sight? Zweinter, you lose anything?}

[There's that familiar telepathic voice of Kyoko, as well as the sounds of chains from above.]

[zweihandler]

Got it in one, my guy.

[ As you can imagine, she's not exactly delighted by this. Zwei, by contrast, sounds more contemplative. ]

If I have, it's not anything I've noticed is missing.

[redmeguca]

{It was my voice for me. This place really sucks.

Don't think you're safe yet, Zwei. People have been losing a lot less obvious things then the five senses.}

[zweihandler]

Even if I did, I wasn't doing much with them in the first place.

[ Zwei's tone is light, like she's sharing a private joke with herself and Erina huffs out a laugh through her nose ].

Sure as hell weren't.

[redmeguca]

{Well, you are a sword, so I guess not.

Anyway, it's probably a good thing you two ran into me. I've been working on making the mine safer to be in. Preventing cave-ins, fixing machinery, that sort of thing.}

[zweihandler]

Oh shit, I guess it'd be pretty busted up down here, huh? It's been like, what, at least a couple decades since anybody else was down here? The wear and tear on this place has gotta be nasty.

[ She can't exactly see anything to back up those claims, but she feels it's a fair assumption. ]

What's it actually like down here, anyway? Is it gross and grimy or what?

[redmeguca]

{A lot of stuff is broken or close to, yeah.

It's not actually that bad in here. It's not only not gross, it's actually kind of beautiful. The gems in the ground sparkle like stars. I could show you an illusion of it when we get out, if you want?}

[zweihandler]

[ A dismissive hand wave. ]

Nah, I'm good. Me and Zwei can come back here and check it out once the place is stabilized.

[ just take your sword on a date... just do it. ]

I'm just aiming to get out of here without breaking my neck.

[redmeguca]

{I don't know if Zwei can see without eyes or what, but you can borrow mine if you need them.}

[zweihandler]

Ssssort of? It's not exactly seeing like me and you see stuff, it's sort of...

[ Erina idly scuffs her heel on the ground as she mulls this over. ]

Okay, so you know how bats can't see but they get around with radar or sonar or something?

[redmeguca]

{Yeah, Mami-senpai called it "echolocation" when we fought a Witch that used it. Zwei does something like that?}

[zweihandler]

Yeah, yeah, that. Except she's not really hearing anything? It's more like, uh...

[ She trails off and then shrugs. ]

Man, I don't know, it's like trying to explain the colour pink to a blind guy. If Zee was here, she'd be able to tell you.

[redmeguca]

{What about you, Zwei? Think you can explain it better than your wielder?}

[zweihandler]

[ That gets a thoughtful hum from Zwei. ]

I could explain it, but I'm not sure I'd be able to make you understand it. From what I understand, it's not a sort of sense regular humans have – or Synchronics. It's only something I can share with Erina because we're connected like we are.

[redmeguca]

{Huh. Well it seems to be coming in handy, so I won't give myself a headache trying to understand something my brain isn't wired for.}

[zweihandler]

[ Erina snaps her fingers and gives Kyouko a thumbs-up. ]

Keeping yourself to yourself. That's what smart people do, kid.

[ Erina you're like two years older than her. ]

[redmeguca]

{Kid? I'm like, a year younger than you.}

[zweihandler]

Uh, no? I'm nearly seventeen. It's more like five years.

[redmeguca]

{I'm fifteen! So it's two years!}

[zweihandler]

Wait, seriously? I thought you were like, twelve.

[ for god's sake, erina ]

[redmeguca]

{How the hell do you get twelve from five foot two?!}

[zweihandler]

What the hell does your height have to do with it? Maybe you just went through a freakish growth spurt or maybe that's how tall twelve year olds are where you come from. I don't know your life.

Someone just got their panties in a twist when I was making dick jokes on the network once like "ohh, Kyouko's gonna see" so I assumed you were a literal infant.

[redmeguca]

{A what joke?}

[zweihandler]

A dick joke. As in, a joke about dicks?