WAYFINDING: Furnace Mountain (little guys edition)

[truthdecided]

Who: Akechi, Firoza, Ring Spirit
What: Wayfinding in Furnace Mountain
Where: Lavaflow tunnels
When: After his previous mission in Heavy Downmoor
Warnings: LORE. ...wait, that's not a warning?

After the trip through Heavy Downmoor, Akechi honestly expected more hardships to come. Yet, with his familiarity with the region and the combined skills of his teammates, the trek toward the tunnels is startlingly smooth. Of course, his careful use of Tailwind certainly doesn't hurt.

Yet the tunnels are surprisingly cool and dry. The molten rock, aged with time, bears ancient footprints that draw Akechi closer, and he flutters down to the ground to inspect.

"It appears we may be on the cusp of an incredible archeological find, though we mustn't let our guards down."

Comments

[improvking]

The Ring-Spirit shuffles over to get a closer look himself.

"Huh. Seen footprints left behind in the dust in tombs before, never saw a set sunk into the rock itself like this..."

He delicately paps at the prints with the shadows under his disguise.

"...Not warm, at least. They're probably proper fossils, as opposed to recently left by some sort of magma-pokemon..."

[bladeofnymeia]

Firoza crouches down to look at them, too. Proper fossilized footprints, eh...

"For them to be made while the lava was cooling...lava? Magma? Whichever one it is, then it must be something that can resist the intense heat."

So perhaps a Fire Pokemon, or Ground, or Rock? Something that wouldn't be bothered easily by it. Her gaze goes back up to the remnants of civilization around the area, too.

"It's impressive that they managed to make a home here, as well."

[truthdecided]

"Fire and rock types do seem likely. They have the most resilience to heat, and while water types are resilient, I can't imagine they'd enjoy living among lava." Shuffling along, he ventures down the preserved trail.

"I wonder if, perhaps, we may find ruins if we delve deeper. Some form of subterranean civilization isn't impossible." Curious, he turns his attention toward the Ring Spirit. "Though, perhaps this is where your expertise will truly shine."

since they planned to be underground I'm just assuming they brought light sources sgfgd

[improvking]

The Ring-Spirit examines the footprints a little longer. "If you wanted to take a rubbing of one, we might be able to narrow down the identity further. Compare the shape to records in the Archives," he suggests to Firoza.

When they're ready to follow Akechi, he picks up the conversation where the other left off. "Mn. And if there were pokemon living down there, hopefully it'll be less boobytrapped than tombs for the dead tended to be. On the other hand, more likely for the tunnels to get complicated, just like the back-alleys of cities..."

After a moment's pondering, he shakes off the possibilities of what lies ahead and returns to more present concerns. "We should keep an eye on the flames of our lights. The direction they flicker will indicate airflow - or, if they stutter significantly, bad air. Tailwind should help in the latter case, but would interfere with the former, so we should minimize our use of it while underground."

some kind of lil lanterns probably

[bladeofnymeia]

Firoza can take rubbings! She's seen how that's done. Thankfully they brought materials to make a rudimentary map, and more than enough, so they aren't lacking in options. She makes quick, exacting work of it, almost as if she's very used to doing any sort of task that needs doing, when asked.

When the rubbings are finished, Firoza is careful about storing them so they don't get ruined and follows after Akechi and the Ring Spirit, listening carefully. Bad air...that's smart. Damn. She needs to remember that for the next time she goes into a network of tunnels.

"And we ought to find a way to mark where we go, for when we return. If we don't end up at another exit, that is." It's completely possible.

[truthdecided]

A hint of a smirk crawls up Akechi's beak, and he shuffles up to one of the walls. Then, with a chuckle, he uses Hone Claws... on said wall. The pumice isn't too thick to scratch, thereby making it simple enough to mark while sharpening his attack.

"So long as we mark areas of the rock that don't hold interesting prints or text, I believe it should be perfectly doable."

[improvking]

The Ring-Spirit, watching, also chuckles. "I'm used to just memorizing whatever I'm exploring... but it's good to have a backup. Other exits would be a nice bonus if we can locate any, too."

He eyes the tunnel ahead and hums in thought, readying his lamp. "I'll take point, I know what to look for when it comes to potential traps or weak stonework... we must be careful to stay aware of each other, so we don't get separated. Let the others know if you need to pause, that sort of thing. ...And keep an eye out for any recent-looking activity. We might be here primarily to map the tunnels and catalog the past, but if there's still anyone camping out around here I'd hate for us to get ambushed."

[bladeofnymeia]

The idea of an ambush makes Firoza's ears perk up. She wouldn't say she has the best hearing in the Pokemon world...but those Nidoran ears aren't just for show. Even as she walks, it seems her stance has changed, her pawsteps softer to contrast with anything louder. Almost like she'd be ready to jump into a scrap or in front of one of the others at the drop of a hat.

"I can follow behind, if you like - keep my eyes and ears open."

[truthdecided]

"That may be wise, Firoza-san. You likely have the sharpest hearing out of all of us." Humming, he peers into the darkness up ahead, watching his flame flicker and cast shadows on the cavern walls. "My eyesight is sharp enough that I can keep watch."

As they make their way forward, however, it seems fairly smooth... at first. No traps, per se, and it's easy enough to mark the walls and nearby stones, but soon, an ominous rumble bellows through the tunnel.

[improvking]

"Hm. Hold on a bit," the Ring-Spirit warns the others, coming to a stop.

He holds his lantern higher, examining the stone in front of them as ash flecks down from the roof of the tunnel. After giving it a good look-over and some thought, he turns back to Akechi and Firoza. "Mark the tunnel that continues past this point as unsafe - we should head back to the last branching pathway and try our luck with another route. Going any further down this path risks us getting caught in a cave-in."

[bladeofnymeia]

Ooh, yeah, that's a rumble, Firoza can feel it just as much as she hears it, ears flicking in concern. What caused that? A Pokemon? No...mayhap the earth itself, that would be more plausible. A creature had a different rhythm when it made such noise and movement, compared to what lay beneath their feet. Firoza reaches up and claws carefully into the wall as the Ring Spirit directed.

They probably agreed on a key of marks to use for such things, and she'll make sure to mark it down on the map when she gets a chance.

But that's for when they're out of potential cave-in range.

"Alright...that should hold for now." A pause, as a thought occurs to her. "Do we know if this area is still active in terms of...molten earth, and somesuch?"

Or did she miss that factoid.

[truthdecided]

Careful, Akechi flutters over to one of the walls to scrawl in a warning of his own. 'DANGER: DO NOT PROCEED.' Once he's satisfied with his handiwork, he turns his attention back to Firoza. It's a valid question, after all.

"Judging by the temperature and condition of the tunnel, I doubt there's been any recent lava flow. However, earthquakes have far more to do with movements of tectonic plates, barring those beckoned by ground types..."

Which is, of course, a factor to consider in this place.

[improvking]

The Ring-Spirit hums at Firoza's question. Akechi answers first, and he's not wrong, but...

"I think I heard an earlier wayfaring group did find active lava... somewhere. I'm not sure how deeply into the volcanic region they traveled though. These tunnels might or might not reach that far into the heart of things. We should be prepared for surprises, at least..."

He supposes it'd feel a lot hotter if there was molten lava nearby though... right...?

[bladeofnymeia]

Oh yes, it would feel terribly hot. Sweltering, one might say. But it doesn't seem to feel that way now...so maybe they're okay.

So far.

"We should keep an eye out just in case. It's very...well, all of nature is unpredictable. But not all of nature will burn you severely."

Says the woman who has gone into various caverns, dungeons, and the like where molten lava was just a casual hazard.

whoops! This got lost in my inbox. A million years later...

[truthdecided]

"I can confirm that there is active lava in the region, yes. When I last explored the area with Emporio-kun and Akira-san, we braved dust storms and sweltering heat, until w e uncovered a mysterious spire."

But here, down below, it's far more pleasant. Not to mention, the signs of life draw his attention.

He keeps taking rubbings of prints and ancient writing when he can. It's far too enticing to pass up.