bottlecaplogs | Exploration: Red

Entry tags:

Exploration: Red

Who: Akechi, Emporio, Akira
What: Exploration: Red
Where: North of the outpost
Warnings: Environmental hazards, probable combat, and overall peril.

The shift from forest to sweltering heat happens instantaneously. Even knowing the risks, Akechi winces as the temperatures spike. The glaring light hardly helps, hindering visibility severely when combined with the smoky haze. Grateful for his Safety Goggles, Akechi flutters forward. The glow of lava veins shines eerily through the blackness of the smog, and a towering structure beckons them...

But it's not long until a dust storm sweeps over them, the force of which knocks Akechi back. Desperate, he clings to the top of Akira's Shellder helmet to steady himself.

Gasping for breath, he reorients himself and peers down at his teammates. "Are you all right?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He's ground type, he's ground type!!

And to be entirely fair, it does have to be a constant rain. Akira isn't far from the mark with his guess about being 'washed away'- it's basically like being under an acid rain for the poor kid.

"Hm. Good question? I don't know if we should experiment too much with it... ...Oh, uh, thanks for the reassurance though!" he adds honestly to Akira. At the very least, the Slowking's bedside manner is leagues better than Anasui, and chances are pretty high the espartha will have him cornered the minute they get back.

Emporio squints through the haze though, as another distant glow from a lava bubble meets his eye. "...It looks like we're a lot closer to that shadow at least...Do you think it's some kind of tower? It definitely stands out..."

"We're surrounded by lava. The tower is distinctly black..." The further they travel, and the more Akechi beats his wings, the clearer its shapes become. Shiny, far smoother than pumice... "I believe it's made of obsidian..."

Squinting through his goggles, something seems odd. "...And I believe we may want to take a closer look at its surface."

They just have to get there in one piece.

There's no doubt in Akira's mind that they'll make it. They've already found their method of surviving the elements. All that's left is carrying on.

Once the group's closer to that towering structure, once the texture pointed out on its surface is clear even through the storm,

"Oh? Hold on, what sort of exciting new thing is this, carved into it!?"

Curiosity piqued, there's little to keep him from rushing forward to find out. With the glass covered in so many symbols, he just has to look over each and every one!

"It's too organized to be art, so is it something to read?" Eager as he might be to try, though, he can't understand it, as a slight tilt of his head easily lets on. Maybe the locals can translate? Except, given the circumstances of the journey out here, that would have to mean...

"What kinds of intelligent Pokemon were here before the ones who greeted us? Do you think we'll meet any?" His musings grow a bit louder, now finally directed at his teammates. No, of more immediate importance while he's involving them, "I might have made an oversight in only studying our biology since arriving. Have either of you seen anything in this script before?"

"You can tell it's obsidian from this far..?"

That's Emporio's main question as they make their way closer of course. And eventually they make it so close that the storm is entirely absent. Emporio looks around, curious at the cleared air, and in the meantime the others surround the pillar.

From here it looks almost alien. A towering, crooked thing, inhuman in its design and yet wholly unnatural as well. Eventually walking closer, he slowly reaches into his pouch for a roll of parchment he'd brought with.

He's quite relieved that it's so thickly made, now. "I don't think there's anyone here, at least...but it is clear that there were Pokemon before us here. The writing looks entirely unfamiliar though."

The etchings are certainly fascinating. So fascinating that Akechi moves closer to try and discern what they might mean.

It's difficult. He's yet to find anything in the archives that match these symbols.

"We should jot them down for future reference." Reaching into his satchel, he also takes out some parchment to get started. "If it didn't risk the integrity of the structure, I'd almost suggest breaking off a piece to bring back with us."

But that would disrupt the site, so it's far from ideal.

They can't read it either?

Between that confirmation and seeing the two prepare to take notes, Akira only becomes more excited. He could do the same, but where's the progress in that? He'll leave them to it! Instead,

"No, don't worry! Breaking it should be fine as long as we copy the text accurately first! Looming over the whole volcano like that, it's too blatantly ominous not to try. If we've found some kind of magical seal, isn't that the fastest way to learn what it's holding back? Even if it's only a sign or a story, we can still preserve a piece in the archives!"

Well, and any resulting shards if the break isn't clean could prove valuable in other ways. New information and new medical supplies? He can hardly wait!

Clearly struggling with patience around the matter, he moves to at least feel the surface of the spire. It's fine if it burns him a little in this heat! He'll just--

...

All the Slowking can manage is an intense burst of laughter as he backs away, unharmed but almost stunned. After a moment, blushing heavily,

"That's great! Did either of you hear them too? Ahh, this really demands further study..."

Or possibly someone to stop him from trying again.

"Right." They're all in agreement then. Emporio follows after Akira with his slate, raising a mitt to the side. "Okay, let's see if I can feel out the shapes best, and-"

And Akira just...did. That.

"Uh...What?"

Cautiously, he puts his hand to the stone.

And immediately pulls it back. SCREAMING??

"UH- Maybe that's a bad idea actually!?"

That's... concerning. Very concerning. Judging by Emporio's reaction alone, it seems touching the structure is unwise.

"So touching the structure directly causes some sort of mental reaction?" He really shouldn't. It's like sticking a hand in a bear trap, but curiosity gets the best of him, and—

"Gah!" He wobbles back, cringing at the cacophony of voices. "...This is clearly no ordinary volcano. We should... report this to Mightyena-san."

But he is not directly touching it again. That was a mistake.

There's no sound as the others attempt the same? Hm...

"I wonder if it's another telepathic system like ours, or if it's more like a gathering of lost souls! What I wouldn't give to examine it with my own eyes..." A strange statement while they're already there in person, maybe.

His Shellder's eyes have already opened as if going through the motions, but even so, it's just not possible to see what sort of magic's behind any of this. Then he'll press his hands to the glass again and focus, tying to make out what he can among all those voices. Trying to understand, even as they drown out everything else around him.

"Th- That's not what you need to be doing at all!!" Emporio protests, rushing to try and pull the Slowking back. "Listening to that for more than a few minutes could leave us deaf...or worse!"

This is a difficult act, given the size of the other compared to him. "We'd end up having to drag you to the clinic if you touch it too long!"

Desperately, he looks at Akechi for help.

"Akira-san, I understand that you're intrigued, but you mustn't place undue stress on your mind when we need to return to the outpost." He glances at Emporio, nodding. "And seeing how neither of us is particularly large, it would be rather inconvenient to transport you, were you to lose consciousness from over zealousness."

No, deafness shouldn't have anything to do with it when the noise is bypassing his actual sense of hearing. But.. stress? Right, the mental toll of taking in so much information at once could be a problem, if he could only manage to pick it apart to learn from it. What would that feel like, anyway? Right now it's just kind of...

Disorienting...

He's not sure, when he finally snaps out of it, slumping down to just sit there instead, how long he may have spent trying to listen. Seconds? Minutes? Is the Cubone still at his side? Whatever the case, there's an urgency to Akira's voice once more when he speaks up.

"Ah!! Right, we can't leave before we've copied the text down!"

If that's the most concerning part of all this, he's.. probably fine.

That's super bad! That's super not fine!!

Emporio trades an anxious look with Akechi, but ultimately chooses not to address anything about what just happened aloud. Instead he just....nods.

Slowly.

"Y...yeah. Let's just copy what we can see, and then head back. ...I'd say we could take rubbings, but paper would burn up here, so we'll just have to use the wax slates..." he mutters, pulling out his own.

"It's better than nothing." So, naturally, Akechi follows suit and tries his best to gather as much of the text as possible. "No doubt we'll be well regarded by the other guilds for our efforts, even if we leave without a complete picture."

It's still a major breakthrough. Something they can build upon with time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Exploration: Red

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

look up ancient greek wax slates they're so cool...

no subject