Have you ever met one of those people who insisted on walking everywhere? It could be down the road for some pop, or across town to the theater; no matter the destination, he or she would insist every time "C'mon, it's a beautiful day! Let's get outside some!" You'd argue or debate, to no avail, and the next thing you know? You're marching across endless miles through a sun that feels strong as the Sahara. Such was the way of it with Akino. No matter the forms of faster travel that were available, the autumnal-haired youth would stroll across the plains and through the woods. After all, you witnessed more of the world on foot! Sure, there may be grave monstrosities out there! Sure, possibly a horrid death waiting! Though, more likely than anything else, there was great times and mirth out there, waiting to be uncovered. And so he dragged the @The Admiral along. Still, Akino was not used to traveling with company. Up until this moment, he seemed content to tackle the quests solo, and the feeling of traveling with someone humming, strumming, and drumming along with him was absolutely foreign. Not that he did not enjoy working with or meeting others. On the contrary, meeting a kind stranger is one of the many pleasures of life! Simply put, the warrior didn't want to drag anyone down. He wished to carry his own weight. And he still did. However, with the Admiral, a bard and support character, it seemed there was no need to worry of dragging down the team. If anything, there was a balance, as they were both new players in this large-as-life game. Entering Norfova, the felis' very fur began to raise. Like all of this Universe, energy was strong in this place. Yet the energy here, specifically, felt filled with dark power. Death lingered on orange hills and in hollowed trunks, drained of all energy. It was truly as if all strength was being leeched from by the land from the mere presence of the evils. Or had past evils simply taken it this far? To the point of reducing it to a zone of nigh death? Pressing his fingers to his temple, the hand-to-hand fighter studying the area around them immediately, not hesitating to begin their scouting mission. Searching the sands for tracks of some kind, he noted that they were present. So not all life had vanished, of course that was what he was here to track. Find enemy threats, find the dangers. Mark them clear. He remained silent, expecting his companion to speak up when he felt there was a need to speak. Instead, he studying the shape of the track, imaging the beast it belonged to. Nothing small, it appeared. Thrown die: 64
It was surprising still to find how much there was to do in the game. Having enjoyed the leisure of the hills and the excitement of an island to the East, The Admiral had made the arduous journey westward in search of other sights and debaucheries, only to come across an interesting specimen in the form of a cat. Man. Thing? He had not encountered many of the Felis before, so it was with great curiosity that The Admiral introduced himself to Akino Kookaburra Ame. Or… whatever it was. Honestly, he didn’t plan to remember. As luck would have it both were fond of traveling by way of foot. Possibly because both were flat broke, but yeah there was that whole “love of nature” deal too, if you were into that sort of thing. He wasn’t particularly fond of it, though there were an abundance of things that struck his muse upon the path westward, causing an explosion of creativity which he happily shared with Akino every step of the way. Never. Shutting. Up. Among the many masterpieces manufactured in their meandering march towards matters of upmost monument were the genius epics of “Ode to a bird that got snatched by a hawk” and “My god, my god, my feet are killing me, my god.” Nothing quite seemed to phase the other man however, who hummed along and seemed content to join in when he knew the words. It was strange to meet a person who, no matter how hard The Admiral tried, just wouldn’t lose his god damned chill. Eventually the bard gave up on trolling and fell into a long silence, marching as his mind reeled and he worked up a song about this man of heroic calm and willpower with which he trudged and toiled. Apparently they’d joined some sort of quest to yadda yadda hills, something something evil, sneak and don’t get murder-death-killed by the bad things. He hadn’t read the quest description so much as let out a long “uuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh!” of exhaustion, hoping there was something worthwhile to come of it. It wasn’t the mission itself, of course. There didn’t necessarily have to be any sort of problem with the quest for him to take complaint, no… No, The Admiral thrived on ATTENTION! And, when you were meant to be sneaking around, there was very very little attention to be had. None, in fact, if you were doing it right. Still, it was a suffering he would endure for the sake of whatever rewards they might get in the end. To help bolster his reputation, perhaps… Now that was an idea. Write a song about their heroic exploits out here! About their daring investigations, and all the interesting things they saw. Like that dead tree. And that dead tree. And that slightly living but gradually dying tree. And a bunch of rocks. Was that a broken arrow in the dirt? More rocks. It was riveting, glued-to-his-seat action, sneaking quietly through the darkness of the night looking by starlight for something to report. Naturally they were difficult to detect in the darkness, which is why they had waited to come so late! But apparently neither thought about how it’d be hard to actually scout if they also couldn’t see. Still, he kept an eye vigil for campfires or dark figures against the night sky, ready to sing the fuck out of a retreat song if needed. For now, he ought to do something actually useful! Clearing his throat, the bard put a hand on Akino’s shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze to let the man know he was there in the darkness, staring out across the blasted landscape with his party member. “I’m bored, it's dark, and neither of us thought to bring a spyglass or torch. So I'm going to boost our morale by singing, to keep us going through the night.” The Admiral stated in a calm and level tone, as if admitting some dark secret to the man. Clearing his throat once more, the bard took a swig of wine from a wineskin and began to harmonize and hum softly, letting out a hoarse and excited whisper once prepared. It was an original work, composed by him during their march together, and it was definitely not good in any way. In fact… it had been written just to annoy Akino, but nothing seemed to phase the man, so… fuck it. “Akino Ame was a man with a mission; a mission to explore these hills! He crept through the night like a thief cold and desperate, looking for excitement and thrills! So brave and so bold and so handsome was he, With his mane of red fire and ass toned perfect~lllllllllllly. So chivalrous, so charming, he’s not one to brag… So we ought, on his behalf! Yes Akino Ame, He’s the man you want to have! He fights with his wits and fists; he’s got a massive staff Yes Akino Ame, He’s the man to protect your head He’ll fight for rightness by the day, but wrongness in your bed! So gird not all your garters if you be ungentle lass, For tender he’ll be to your heart, yet brutal on that ass And if you be of fairer sex fear not your reputation, For none could blame should you give in the tempting situation Where is one to find a man, a man splendid as he? Who could hope to win his heart? To cure his misery? For love and truth and justice pure are so nobly displayed And blah blah nice-guy other stuff; whatever gets him laid! So if yee be tempted by that fruit that rests within his looms, Just sit you back and ponder this, just rest that knackered broom Love is fleeting, love is false, love is never meant to last, So grab him while he’s near at hand, and take to your repast!” There was no magical benefit to the song. In fact, it probably only hurt his chances of sneaking about, despite the low volume he was attempting. Still... a man had needs, and he needed to perform. Thrown die: 64
Yes, Akino could admit that there was not much in the way of intelligence to gather out here. There were remains of long forgotten camps, empty clearing where beings of life may once have lay. Now, all that lay about them was the dusty remnants of an area largely dismissed as worthless. Perhaps they might find that these tracks Akino was focused on might lead somewhere. Or nowhere at all. None-the-less, a duty was a duty. One could not accept a task, and then dismiss it as non-essential. Every task WAS essential. No matter how small the piece of information, in the right hands it could change the face of a battle to come. Or, mayhaps by knowing that this specific route was clear, they might be given a new tactic to consider. Not everything was always clear in the moment, but such was typically the way of duty. Kokoro's only desire was that Admiral, he dropped the "the" fifty scores back, did not seem to be taking the scouting seriously. For them to actually learn anything, it would be better if they were working in unison. "Still, what I do not see, he will. I am focused, he has a wider view." It was a fine point, and he rolled it over in his mind as they traveled. It was a long score before Akino managed to stop, to rest. He was weary, so were the lids of his eyes. It seemed that all he could see now were the millions of shapes and patterns, strewn over one another as creature after creature passed by. Like leaves in the forest, the bottommost sets were long decayed, and in fragments. However, if one looked closely, he could imagine what the beings might have been. For some time now, he had been working them along an old set of tracks, deeper than most, but also far smaller. In his mind's eye, he visualized it. A being heavy enough to set the tracks more than a finger's length into the earth, yet with a track no wider than two fingers' length. Mayhaps they were not tracks at all? No, but they certainly seemed to be. As he rested with the Admiral for a moment, he was ready to propose the question to him, before the musical one spoke beat him to the punch. "Before you do, I just wanted to-" Nope, there was not a moment left. No notice to propose otherwise, or offer what he had learned. It was true; the Admiral was clearly focused on driving Akino mad. Unfortunately for his friend, Akino was someone who found great amusement in such endeavors. As he could not often find pleasure in someone's displeasure, it was a rare opportunity to get a laugh out of the bard's incessant compositions. It was as if he were watching a child try and throw figs at the back of his head, and each time he did so, the fig would bounce back to hit him instead. A fun game of sheer willpower, a minigame even, if you can indulge the idea. Akino hummed along, stomping his foot and letting out throat laughter as the beat permit it. It was utter perfection, this composition. A being who barely identified with sexual desire, who thought of the emotion love as something far more likely to get him hot under the collar over, and who refused to sleep with a woman before they were truly bonded? Being labeled as the man to claim what most men thought of as a bounty? Oh, what an uproar he let out at the end of the song, tearing up and slapping his knees like an old time film. Irony, delicious irony. Laughing so hard he almost began to choke, he let out the slightest exhale of delight. "Good one, Admiral." Grinning toothily at the fellow, he rose from the dirt and took a glance around where they had come to a halt. It was flatland mostly, but in the distance one could spot a rock wall of some kind. Along its side, some form of caves. That was something to note, and so he lifted his fingers to a still pounding temple and investigated. It did not appear to be man-made, but nor was it natural. "I think we should travel that way." Akino spoke back to the bard, already honing in on the mission once again. He'd relay the information about the tracks when his companion seemed ready. Otherwise, he'd just enjoy the mirth! And oh what fun it was to travel with mirth! Thrown die: 41
It was only mildly bothersome that Akino Kukooburra Ame was so utterly unphased by the performances of an illustrious the "The Admiral." But that was nothing to concern himself over, for he derived just as much joy from a viewer's pleasure as he did from their pain! If Akino was actually enjoying the songs and diddles that he created and recited then that was all the more reason to continue throwing them out. Still, the fuzzy companion seemed troubled by something, apparently about to speak before cut off by the song. Whatever it was hadn't been important as he'd let the matter drop, distracted instead by some caves nearby. Everything had a dark and sinister edge to it, not the least of which those cavernous maws of cold and calamitous cruelty! So in typical horror movie fashion, Akino felt it was a good idea to check them out. Shrugging, the Admiral began to follow behind, doing his best to remain quiet the closer and closet they approached. Despite his affinity for fun and games there actually were times in which he was serious, and this seemed to be one such situation. It would hardly do to upset whatever might lay within, though he took comfort in the fact that he would be able to beat the ever-loving crap out of it with a hammer and a club that looked suspiciously like a table leg, if it came down to it. Frankly a part of him hoped that it did, as he'd had his fill of walking and talking and looking at rocks. But it was meant to be a mission of stealth, and so he would attempt his utmost not to royally fowl that up for the quest-givers. After all, in a game this complicated, there could be interesting political backlash if they were caught! "What were you going to say a moment before?" the Admiral inquired in a soft whisper, afraid to let his voice carry on the wind. @Akino Kokoro Ame Thrown die: 3
Did you know that part of the reason humanity has excelled as far as it has was through their pattern recognition skills? It's true, no matter which way you cut it. Communication skills, tool crafting, and of course science. All creations fed through the power of our mind's innate ability to connect the dots. Lifetime after lifetime of ancestor with these skills being selected over those without gave us minds sharp as a whip! And as it were, most people were simply uneducated, or ignorant, and not simply "stupid". So, it was no surprise when Admiral managed to put it together, realizing that there might actually be danger about. But now, certain connections were finally being made in Akino's mind as well. Lines drawn from the sand to the massive holes within the titian stone began to paint a clearer image as to what they were to expect. Investigating the dirt to confirm his suspicions, he fell lower to the ground and scanned over it more thoroughly. It was true, the same tracks that he had been leading them along had taken them closer and closer to the caves. And now, on one knee and following it with his gaze, he could see similar marring along the stone. Whatever it was they were following had come this way. And it either had enough strength to burrow through solid stone, or it was with something that did. His ears stood at wary points now, twitching at the slightest noise, and his entire body was rigid with anticipation. He rose, motioning to the Admiral as they continued their approach. Moving on the balls of his feet as he went along, the felis carefully followed a wall of natural stone, similar to the ones that jutted out among the rest of Norfova's landscape. It was an excellent, natural cover that gave them plenty of room to move along. Seeing that it broke off into a ledge that overlooked the likely monster den, he nodded upwards, indicating he was taking a higher ground. Hooking his finger tips onto the top of the stone and boosting up, he found himself crouching over a view small canyon, dotted with a couple dozen of the holes he had seen from afar. "I was going to say that something heavy, large, and with more than a few legs was making the tracks we were following. Now, I am thinking that this is where whatever it is lives. It took a lot of power to dig into this stone though..." Akino spoke down to the Admiral from his ledge, relaying the message in a hushed tone that only they would hear. Thrown die: 93
Whatever silence the Admiral had intended was lost as his nerves caused him to cough out his response, proving himself to be as subtle as, say, a mountain exploding. In spite of this he continued to creep along behind Akino as they drew closer and closer to the whatever it was his partner wished to explore. It was about that time he also finally started noticing the odd cuts and indentations in the ground, and how it lead in a more or less straight trail to the mouth of these caves. And then Akino started talking about something heavy, large, and with more than a few legs. That he'd been aware of this. That it was obviously large and powerful to dig through solid stone as it had been. There was surprisingly no reaction from the Admiral, just a silent and incredulous sort of staring as he tried and failed to process what sort of fucking madman he was with right now. This coming from the man who constantly threw himself into dangerous and ridiculous situations in the hopes of gaining some attention and fame for himself, yes. Because at least in those situations when he died it would be impressive and witnessed by others, but if he was to die out here it would not be sung about. Without anybody around to impress there was less bravado, but Akino at least seemed to be calm so... he couldn't let that red headed menace out-hero him. "So what's the plan, then?" he whispered back from his lower vantage. "We just sneak in quietly and count how many there are, then run back to report on it?" @Akino Kokoro Ame Thrown die: 60
((Your collective score landed you guys in the "good but uneventful trip" range for your update. If you guys want me to work with you on a combat sequence, I can do that, but otherwise you're free to go with paycheck in hand after a couple wrap-up posts. Your scores have been added to the individual totals for the prize giveaway, and the total exploration points total. Get at me when you two decide which route you want to take for your wrap-up posts. @Akino Kokoro Ame @The Admiral
Akino was no fool, nor a madman. He had absolutely zero intention of stepping foot anywhere near those caves! The tracks he counted indicated that there was far more than one of those beasties crawling about in there, and the holes just confirmed it! Even if there was only one multi-legged monstrosity within the caves, they would be on their turf! Blinded by darkness, unaware of what lay behind in the familiar cave passages, and unknowing of what dangers lay about any number of those corners! To go in was to invoke suicide! At least, for a hand-to-hand fighter and a bard. Now if they gathered a party... An ally or two would suddenly make clearing out those caves as simple as a snap of the fingers! Alright, that is a clear exaggeration. However, it would guarantee success, not to mention it go along far faster than with two warriors! And if he found a competent beast tamer to join him, mayhaps they might even be able to gather a few of the young critters. Whatever they were, they clearly grew massive! That was assuming their was a Queen, of course... Gulping, he realized a thought with a deathly chill. A Queen was almost guaranteed to lay within, because this clearly looked to be a hive or colony of some kind. A mixture of joy and horror met Akino in a wave, before he tuned to look down at the Admiral. He'd returned to Earth, with a verdict of divine inspiration! "Are you as crazy as you are musical? You want to be haunted by the idea of massive bugs for the rest of your days? We should finish scouting up, maybe see if we can estimate how large the caves are? Take a shot in the dark, literally, at how many might be inside? Then we take the information we gathered, find some rough-and-tumble friends to tag along, and we claim whatever loot is laying down there. As it is, I want an egg of some kind from the Queen. By the way, I think we should go over the top with our estimate, right? Better to be over prepared than not, that's for sure." He shot the words off like fire from his lips, his eyes gleaming with the sparks of possible battle. He was anticipating their return greatly, mind reeling with the possibilities of what they would find down there. He only hope they would find some fighters to join them soon, before their information became stale. Smirking softly and brushing the dirt from his dark pants with his palms, he glanced back over the rock wall once more, before nodding to the Admiral, indicating it was his call. @The Admiral
It please the Admiral greatly that Akino was not actually willing to go into the caves, as it meant they would both live to take flight another day. Wonderful thing, cowardice! Still, the other man had blinked first and so it was now going to be a matter of public record that The Admiral wished to venture on, but his partner tucked tail and blinked first in the game of chicken. Shaking his head at Akino's statement about estimates and scouting, he began walking back towards the east to get away from this whole nightmare. "Look, if we're going to lie about the numbers inside we might as well lie about the rest. At best, we're close. At worst, we tell them they found the wrong caves or something and OUR estimates were spot on." He took his two crude weapons and put them away in his inventory, no longer feeling he'd need them suddenly. "In fact, we would actually have to. They'll ask us to describe the things and we won't be able to, having not seen them, you see? So we just tell a nice story about dark shadows in cold caves, how hard the wind blew and stung our eyes, and that we weren't able to make out any concrete details besides the fact that there were lots of them. Oh also, a fight took place around here recently, didn't it? We should look for a broken arrow or helmet or something that belongs to the NPCs of the kingdom to show as evidence that we actually went exploring inside, and found some dead soldiers. Probably ones who deserted the army, or were injured and sought shelter. I don't know, we'll make it up as we go. We've got a long walk ahead of us..." @evilandlazy @Akino Kokoro Ame
