Bloody fuck, this was tiring. Did all the time he spent chilling and fishing and doing nothing in the real world turn him into a weakling, or was it simply normal for ten straight hours of bushwhacking to kick his ass? Wiping the sweat off his brow, Cain leaned against a thick trunk as he caught his breath. Deep in the Acedus Forest (or was it Adecus? He could never get it straight), the sunlight that streamed through thick evergreens cast individual beams of light, like a dozen miniature spotlights, while the fresh scent of pine was quite pleasant to the senses, but that alone wasn’t good enough. For the last couple of days, the midnight haired muse and his hunter-ing companion, Destiny Divebird, had been trekking through the woods in search of the truth behind a rumor. Pulled out from the drunken spiel of a former hunter, Cain was chasing the shadow of a destitute amusement park, the remnant of an ancient civilization that may or may not have survived the trial of time and erosion. It was too fantastical to be true, of course, but even if there was some natural formation of rocks that somehow created a rudimentary roller coaster ride, he was willing to give it a go. Astorea, despite its military strength and technological advancements, lacked true centers of entertainment and amusement, after all. There were no places where children could smile, no troupes that could entertain the masses like they had in Falderen, nothing but misery and survival. So if they were to find a place with pre-existing facilities for crazy-fun rides? Even if they charged only 10 gp per entrance ticket, they would be stinking rich! And that’s not even considering extra royalties such as carriage fees, food vendors, and so many other things! Cain didn’t know what the hell was up with Tertoria, but Astorea and Falderen both had their fair share of NPCs who had never gone on a roller coaster ride or a hellevator or a spinny thing that spins them very fast or a log ride that wasn’t horrifically fatal before. Boost Hope, reduce Discontent, and increase Gold? Yes please! Reinstating all the good things that could be gained with success, Cain shook off lethargy, tied his long hair back into a ponytail, and took a deep breath of the fresh pines. This was a good spot too. They could cut a trail through the foliage here and make a pleasant forest stroll that becomes a test of courage when night comes. But that all came later. First, the attraction, the hidden technological gem that survived three thousand years. Focus, focus, focus. “Alright,” Cain said, giving up in a flash, “It’s been way too long, and at this point, I’m getting pretty close to just wanting to completely flatten this part of the forest with a nice magical spell. But I’m not a total hater of nature, and I don’t wanna get into trouble with Gwyn for nuking her hunting grounds, so….any bright ideas for finding that amusement park, Destiny?” Just the fate of a thousand cute forest critters on the line. No pressure at all. The thrums of his imaginary veins had already begun, magical core burning with energy as an azure light pulsated gently beneath his skin. @Destiny Divebird
Hell, seemed like a gal couldn’t be a hunter (in game or in real life) without every other goddamn hunter wanting to tell you about how much bigger their fish was or how much more they knew about homemade jerky. Old Man Mitralus spouting tales of his fantastical wanderings like some kinda landlocked Odysseus wasn’t new. What was new was Cain Darlite in the drunkard’s audience. Whatever spark of truth the music man had heard in Mitty’s tale, it was evidently enough to incite yet another days-long journey with—cue the dramatic music—yours truly, Destiny “Do-Gooder” “Dumb Luck” “Dipshit” Divebird. Far as rangers went, Ol’ Mitty could probably have held his own against some bear or giant slime or two-headed pegasus better than Des. Far as exploring went, however, Destiny had an edge that no passive Inquisitive Eyes ability could top—actual experience. That was the theory, anyway. She was starting to feel like Cain shoulda dragged the old hunter out of the tavern instead of her, because they were ten hours deep in pine needles and she’d just pulled a swollen tic off her ankle, and that always made a gal feel sorry for herself. “Aw, Cain, if you were just gonna wreak destruction on the natural ecosystem we shoulda just called in the federal government from the start,” Destiny said, mopping damp strands off her brow. She flicked the tic away (trying not to think about lyme disease) and squinted at the sexy, ponytailed male. “Damn. We shoulda tried to find it drunk, that’s how the old guy did it.” For finding new things that nobody else had staked out already, you had to go off the beaten path. That was just how it worked. Trailblazing, bushwhacking and all. “Hold on, hold on!” She held up her hands as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up in response to the buildup of magic under Cain's control. If he knocked down all these trees, there was no tellin’ what ancient relic might go down with ‘em and hell if Destiny knew how to reconstruct a goddamn log flume. “C’mon, we know we’re gettin’ close. Where else could this stuff come from?” She waggled the only two promising clues they’d found since starting to scour this damn wilderness: a bent metal Restroom sign (handicap accessible) and a faded plastic toy (which Destiny had to scale a tree and snatch from a bird’s nest, getting pecked in the process.) It was the toy that she found most promising, even if it looked like something out of a happy meal. Hell, even glass decomposed over time, but plastic? That stuff lasted. And if that kinda lousy carnival-booth consolation prize was still around being used as bird nesting material, the lost amusement park couldn’t be far behind. @Cain Darlite
