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ximilialog2022-11-08 03:24 pm
MISSION: THE DARKEST WILD
● ● ● M I S S I O N 1 0 . 0
It’s the middle of the day when the ping! of a new mission file is broadcast across every crewmember’s communications device. Whether you were in the middle of your meal, or occupied in one of the other rooms, you might want to pause for a moment to check on the file and hear what Viveca has to say.
You’ll have the rest of the afternoon to figure out what to pack with you, and it might not be a bad idea to seek some advice from those more experienced with the great outdoors; and when the morning comes, it is time to head to the teleportation platform once again.
It’ll be up and running when you arrive, its’ hum now a familiar sound — and beside the platform, Viveca awaits the entire team to shuffle in. Once everyone has gathered there, she takes a quick headcount and then smiles.
With that, the machine’s hum grows louder and louder, its lights blinding —
And then all of a sudden the lights shut down, the hum of the engine cutting off as if by a knife’s edge. Perhaps you are part of those who are left standing on the now-quiet platform, Viveca’s quiet curses in the dark the only other sound … until sudden laughter is carried into your comms, a woman’s voice echoing in your ears.
Or it may just be that you are one of those that the machine takes with it, suspended in the middle of nothingness with the multiverse surrounding you, waiting to be pulled towards the right direction — in your ears, there is the whisper of many voices, telling you what you must do in order to receive their help.
And then, just before you can open your mouth to shout for help, you find sand beneath your feet.
Somehow, some way, you’ve arrived on Noth 11X8.
The pale yellow skies of Noth 11X8 are dark and storm-filled when you arrive. Rolling thunder booms in the distance, and fat raindrops fall around you, leaving you drenched in seconds. At your feet are the pale sands of the island’s shoreline, and stretching out beyond that are the wild, torrential waves you’re meant to cross.
You might take a moment to gather your wits about you, but it won’t take long to realize there are fewer of your number than you last remember. If you try to reach out to the missing crew, you’ll only find static through your earpiece… similar to the way it sounds whenever you try to reach Viveca or Degar during a mission.
Wherever the rest of the team are, whatever happened to them — those are answers you won’t find in the wilds that stretch out around you. What you do know is this: there is an orb waiting for you on the next island over, and the faster you get to it, the faster you can hope to find your missing people and finally get the sand out from between your toes. (You know, if you’ve got them.)
1.0 Unfortunately, it doesn’t look as if the storm will let up any time soon. (In fact, it won’t until seven hours later.) Those of you who are perhaps feeling antsier than the others might genuinely consider attempting the trip even with the waters raging as they are. Who knows, maybe you’ve got skills and abilities of your own that would make the journey from island to island mere child’s play.
2.0 Maybe you notice the giant turtle dragon peacefully slumbering along the shoreline, whose entire length, as far as you can see, stretches the distance between the two islands. With its tough, armored skin and the rock-like formations along its shell, the turtle dragon almost appears… hikable. It’s definitely a risk, but is it any riskier than braving the churning waters yourself? It doesn’t even seem to notice the commotion happening all around it, so what are the chances it’ll notice a little ant like you crawling along its body?
Of course, you can always choose to wait the weather out. By the following morning, the skies will have cleared, and you can now see the main island in the distance. There, rising right out of its center, is the volcano that houses the orb. Thanks to the mission file you know it is active, but right now it sits dormant, save for a faint cloud of crackling energy floating over its peak. The more you look at it, the more unsettling it becomes, until eventually you find yourself forced to look away.
You refocus. One quick look around you will make clear that the turtle dragon has disappeared, likely sinking back under the cooler waters to avoid the rising heat from the planet’s trinity of suns. The air is thick and humid now, tasting of the previous night’s rains, but the ocean is calm and welcoming. What better time to venture out than now?
3.0 Daylight reveals the smaller island to be rife with natural resources that can easily make a handy raft, should you have the skill to fashion one. The trees alone would suffice: tough wood, sturdy and flexible leaves, vines for rope, and sap so sticky and waterproof it would give any artificial glue a run for its money. (Careful not to get it on your hands! The only way to remove the sap from any surface is to use the juice of the tree’s fruits ... a fine idea of course, except for the rank smell that lingers for at least two days.)
4.0 Further investigation will reveal the planet’s fauna to be just as helpful as its flora. Basking along the shoreline are a herd of irkals. While the males are only about 2 meters long, the females average around 3 meters from the tips of their snout to the tips of their tails. They are friendly and playful when approached, to the point where it doesn’t take much cajoling for the irkals to wade into the waters with you. By that point, why not test your luck? This time around, fortune favors the friendly — any who attempt to get a ride off of one of the irkals will find them agreeable. In fact, they might even make a race of it…
5.0 Should you choose a more direct route, you’ll find the waters during the daytime a tepid temperature, just a degree or two shy of feeling uncomfortable. Swimming the distance will clock you in somewhere under three hours, and the trip will be (miraculously) relatively uneventful. Save for the group of irkals, the waters are quiet. As you get closer to the main island, you may happen across a lone gevvin hanging around just outside of the shoreline. Though it will find you curious and swim closer for examination, it won’t prove aggressive unless provoked first.
Regardless of how you get there, the moment you step onto the main island’s sands, you can feel the difference. The air here is thicker, almost tangible and electric. In fact, the closer you get to the island’s center, the denser the atmosphere around you will feel, as if something invisible is physically trying to prevent you from approaching.
But that’s a problem for future-you. Right now, you’ve still got the rest of the island to get through. Those of you with teleporting abilities or enhanced speed will find they no longer work accurately, and the more you try, the more disastrous every outcome gets. Hopefully you’ve packed some water to keep hydrated, because it looks like you’re stuck doing it the old-fashioned way.
At least the view is nice. Like the island you first landed on, the main island is overrun with nature, with plenty of vegetation and fruit to provide sustenance. Flora of various kinds thrive in vivid, brilliant colors, providing a lush backdrop to your otherwise tenuous trek.
6.0 But as the day wears on, the planet’s suns prove to be an obstacle all on their own. In the middle of the day when the suns are at their highest in the sky, the heat will be so unbearable that only a handful of seconds under direct light will result in second degree burns. It may be in your best interest to find shade and shelter with your fellow teammates until the worst of the mid-afternoon sunlight has passed.
7.0 Nevertheless, the majority of your traveling will probably be best done during the daytime. At night, Noth 11X8’s only moon plunges the planet into a bone-piercing chill. Even if you can withstand the freezing cold, what little moonlight that manages to make it through the tree’s canopies makes for overall poor visibility, hindering any productive travel.
8.0 And be careful not to get too distracted by the scenery either. Many dangers await you on a planet deemed ungovernable by its own neighbors. Apart from the creatures of interest listed on the mission file, the island is teeming with wildlife who may not take too kindly over being disturbed. They may be encountered during the day as you're trekking through the island, or at night when you're trying to rest, so make sure to familiarise yourself with them beforehand so you know what to look out for.
• Dregzeok: Nocturnal. They hunt in pairs using their razor-sharp horns/antlers and the glowing orbs along their body, which gathers energy from the planet’s moon to create concussive energy blasts.
• Bladed Iris: Named for their coloring that matches many of the island’s wild flora, these solitary reptiles main weapon are the numerous spikes along their tail and frill. If that doesn’t work, they can also spit out a corrosive acid the same orange color as their markings.
• Thrilqoils: A symbiotic species, each thrilqoil is host to at least a dozen qoils (miniscule, gnat-like insects). While relatively peaceful, they can be very territorial of their nests found along low-hanging branches of trees. Just one sting can cause the flesh to swell up to the size of a small melon.
• Swamp Boars: Found only in swamps, their tough plating make for good armor. Though these herbivores keep mostly to themselves, they have been known to maul and gore any would-be threats.
• Khulgruns: These giants can be easily confused with the trees found scattered near rivers, but the khulgruns themselves are not actually the wood, but rather the glowing bulbs encased within them. Once fully matured, a khulgrun will burrow itself into a tree, uproot it, and use it as a vessel for its body.
• Oltir: While a useful plant during the evening, ingesting the bulbs of an oltir will cause the eater to feel incredibly intoxicated for the next three hours as it digests.
Despite it all, you reach your destination. By now, the orb’s power is downright palpable in the air surrounding the volcano. Gravity feels stronger, making each step heavier than the last. At its peak, pink-purple clouds swirl overhead like a brewing storm. Maybe you feel a sense of unease at the sight of the omen, but you also know how close you are now. There, nestled into the volcano’s caldera, sits your ticket out of this hellscape — the orb.
Then it happens — a daunting rumble.
9.0 Like a tidal wave, the rumbling ripples through the volcano, making the ground beneath your feet shudder and groan. Without any further warning, scorching lava spews out from the opening, erupting into the air and running down its craggy sides. Riding the fiery currents are magma crabs, looking for an easy meal by snatching up any scorched creature the lava leaves behind. You’ll probably want to get out of the way.
And yet, you know you have to find a way to brave the lava and the fumes of the active volcano, because leaving the orb there is not an option — so it's in your best interest to put your thinking caps on, plan with others, and figure out a way to get to your goal.
F Y I
• If you have questions about any of the prompts or the mission in general, please direct them HERE.
• To submit a suggestion for the orb retrieval, please do so HERE.
• And finally, your soundtrack for this log: ♪ ♪ ♪
8.0
[ she carries her labrys as they move through the jungle, though she did debate the merits of a projectile before going with her favorite. she's also hovering near the front, an old habit that she's not sure possible to break, so she hears the rustling as the tall man does and flexes her grip on her axe. ]
Maybe it's edible. [ please be edible. ]
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[ Traveling new places always runs that risk, especially places without people who would normally warn you in advance. The rustling continues until out pops some type of deep purple colored reptile with orange markings. It's on its own — which is a good sign — but has spikes running down its tail and around its neck. It stands contemplating the threat of the two people there. ]
I'd take rations over that.
[ Whether the bladed iris understands the insult to its deliciousness or not, it responds by spitting out a brightly colored acid right at him, which lands on his pant leg and boot. ]
Hey!
[ He jerks his leg as the acid sizzles and eats at the fabric. His boot fares a bit better. ]
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[ the mystery unravels quickly enough, and andy takes stock of the beast as it stands doing the very same assessment against them. then it spits with very little build up, acid landing on the man's clothes. ]
Oh, these fuckers. Don't let that eat through to your skin. [ she ducks into a roll just as the beast spits another round of acid, and it sizzles in the dirt right where she was just standing. but she does make herself taller immediately and she twirls her axe, hoping to keep the creature's attention on her long enough to give the man a chance to collect himself. ]
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[ He can't exactly wipe the spit away at the moment, but he jerks the pant leg up and tries rolling it up. A bit does get on him which stings like hell, but he's been through far worse so he just grits his teeth and bears it. Most of the problem seems to be folded up so he picks his sword back up and uses Andy's distraction to circle around behind the thing. He's not a quiet man, and before he can swing down the reptile swings its spiky tail at him. He blocks with the sword but notes that the spikes are strong enough to not break on contact with his blade. All right; they'll have to go for more vulnerable areas.
He pushes away with his blade and then darts away in anticipation of another acid spit, which comes along right as predicted. He may be big, but he has great balance and footwork when it comes to battle so thankfully he clears it this time. ]
Can't cut through the spikes. We'll need to strike its underbelly.
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Too bad it's got stubby legs or we could just fucking roll right under it. [ despite the challenge, andy looks vaguely intrigued. she likes a challenge and she likes when things are new. and this bladed iris is certainly new enough to keep her on her toes, literally and figuratively. ]
Think it'll chase me up a tree? [ she'd rather be the target of the spit, and maybe if she goes high enough, it'll reach up and expose it's belly for him to strike. ]
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[ He's no expert on reptiles or what they do, but if they're being blocked from striking a vulnerable area, the solution is to make it expose its vulnerable area.
He stands ready to follow behind them if she darts for the tree and the bladed iris follows, but he's also aware the creature might turn on him if it sees Andy escaping out of its reach. ]
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[ she swings her axe at it's face, but it ducks and swipes the tail at her. she jumps backward and swings again, not aiming to fully strike it so much as keep it attacking her in turn. she keeps stepping back and luring it along with her, and when her back hits the tree, she immediately starts to climb it. ]
[ it spits at her and the acid lands on her leg, only there is no cloth barrier thanks to her shorts, but she only keeps climbing with another loud "fuck!". once she sits at a low enough branch to taunt it, she swings again, hoping to get it to leap at her. the acid is more of a worry, but she hopes it gives the beast enough of an illusion to feel she's in reach. ]
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Joric waits until all four legs are off the ground before he swings upwards at it, slicing against its legs and underbelly which causes it to fall off the tree and onto its back. ]
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[ this one she dodges, and it sizzles in the tree. in her peripheral, she sees the man getting closer but she doesn't look at him, instead once again swinging her axe only with the intent to hold it's attention rather than deal a real blow. ]
[ it finally leaps up and the man's sword cleaves it neatly, impressively. it falls on its back and andy jumps from the tree two seconds later, coming down hard with another swing of her axe - though this one aims to strike for real and the blade slices just above the previous wound. ]
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Oh. It's one of those. At least it can't spit at us anymore.
[ He thinks... he hopes. ]
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[ andy wrinkles her nose at the way it continues moving, her axe dripping with its blood. ]
Don't jinx it. [ she gives the head a kick, rolling it so the mouth is facing away from them both. ] Just in case.
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[ He pokes at the body with the tip of his sword. ]
Still want to try eating it?
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Honestly? Yeah, a little bit. I'll try anything at least once.
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That's what I always say.
[ Because seriously, this man will eat anything. Even if it tastes terrible. ]
Let's bring it back to camp and carve it up.
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We're on an alien planet, why not fucking try new things?
[ she slings her axe over the shoulder. ] Probably don't need to bring the head back. You know how to carve game?
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Yes. Never carved up something like this, but I doubt it's too different inside. Might just have to watch out for some kind of poison sac.
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We could check before we drag it back. [ she squats over and reaches into a little pouch at her waist, pulling out a hunting knife that should not have fit inside and poking around with it at the open, bleeding neck. ] But if it's in the head, it won't matter.
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We could gut it here and just take the meat back.
[ He starts in on it and while it's definitely different from a mammal, it's not that foreign either. ]
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[ at his suggestion, she shrugs and nods, somehow in the same motion. ]
It'd spare some of the more squeamish. Less shit to carry back on our part too.
[ she continues digging around for a poison sack while he starts on another part, some of the bloody dripping down the knife over her skin, but mostly she's scrunching up her face as she looks for it. ] You're pretty new, right? I'm Andy.
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[ He figures the easiest way to do this is to skin it, then carry the meat back in the skin, so he's working on that and giving his knife a real challenge in the process. And really, he's the type who would leave things at that and just not say much, but he's attempting to be more personable; the way he used to be. ]
You've been around awhile?
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A few months, I think. [ it's been over a year. ] Most of the missions haven't involved this level of camping and roughing it. [ she sounds vaguely disappointed. sure there's a volcano to temper with later, but she definitely prefers being here to the last two places. ]
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[ He shakes his head. ]
Here I was looking all over for an orb and it was in a, a VHS tape. I still don't know what a VHS tape is.
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I prefer nature to urbanization. [ it's a fact people come to realize about her fairly quickly. but she grins a little about the vhs remark. ]
It's a form of media entertainment. This level of tech unfamiliar? You got space travel where you're from?
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Everything is unfamiliar. I had to learn what "tech" meant. We do not have space travel, no. I didn't realize it was possible to go up so high and stay there. But I suppose I can take comfort that some people are as lost out here as I am at the station.
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People made it to space back home, but I'm not the biggest technology fan either. It's too much to keep track of and learn all the time.
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