hugtopia_logs | ♥ April (Lasai) Event Log

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♥ April (Lasai) Event Log

April (Lasai) Event Log
Lasai is a beautiful month. The weather is warmer, the sky is a breathtaking blue again, and with the flowers from Ainir growing nicely, the entire city of Havenwell just feels more alive with every breath. It's a time of renewal, of rebirth, of Ainea's greatest strength as her adherents open the temple gates to invite people and robots from all walks of life to enter and share together. What should be a joyous time, however, is suddenly interrupted as the earthquakes mount day by day through the start of Lasai. Those messages that people have been receiving since Nalom? It seems it's time for the gods to deliver on their promises.

❥ PROMPT I: The Wild Wild West (East, South and North)

side view of a large wall surrounding a city

As Ainir gives way to Lasai, one morning the earthquakes, which had been growing more frequent again, suddenly mount in their intensity. The entire city is shaking and the native residents cower despite their faith in their gods' protection. The guards along the wall shout alarm and abandon their posts as the walls start to shift under the strain. When the last of them are safely away from the walls, the barrier and the wall itself quivers. The citizens cry out in alarm and fear until they realize that the walls aren't falling - they're moving. And they're moving further out. As everyone in Havenwell looks on, the walls and its surrounding barrier fluctuates and expands, sliding through the city streets as if on hidden tracks, avoiding buildings and ruins, pushing the toxic air and the storm further away. They finally come to rest and snap back into place, new walls rising from who knows where to fill in the gaps. The barrier strengthens and the earthquakes stop, and as the dust settles, a cheer rises from the citizens.

"Praise the gods! Praise the off-worlders!"

Among the din of their celebration, however, other cries start up among the newly incorporated ruins. Cries that sound like howls and screeches, and certainly do not sound human. Grab your weapons and steel yourselves, off-worlders, with the addition of this new space comes the need to clear it of anything potentially dangerous that got caught up in the expansion. Not all creatures you'll find are hostile, but some certainly are. Docile ones might just fetch a nice price from the Research Towers and the Conservatory if you can capture a mating pair.

OOC: These are the creatures you can encounter in the city as you go through to clear it. It's not an invasion level of infestation, as the majority of creatures will prefer to remain inside their known territory beyond the original barrier, but you will on occasion need to take up arms and fight. Next to their names are the frequency with which you can find them, ranging from common to extremely rare.

Inky Black Spiders (common - hostile): These relatively small, black spider-like creatures have very basic melee attacks, using their fangs and their sharp legs to bite and claw at people. Those who were around in October when the wall broke will recognize them as the most common enemy back then. Their exoskeletons are hard and when they die, they smash into a black goo. They tend to travel in packs, using sheer numbers to overwhelm their prey.
One-Eyed Lizard (uncommon - docile): An iridescent scaly purple and green lizard approximately 8 to 10cm in length from tip to tail. It has a single eye at the top of its head that can rotate to see 360 degrees around it. This creature's main defenses are its tough hide and a spine on the tip of its tail which it whips at predators to dissuade them from eating it. It's more likely to run than fight, however, and can usually be found sunbathing on exposed rock with its eye closed.
"Bone Giraffe" (extremely rare - hostile): A nearly 20-foot tall, long-necked skeleton of a four-legged creature long dead with a single curved horn protruding from its skull and a sharp snout. It's usually found lying in a heap, as if it laid down and died that way. A black seven-petaled flower sometimes (but not always) grows from the skull and beneath the skeleton is an oily black film. Touching the oil slick activates the creature, which draws the oil up into the skeletal cage. Its main attacks are brute force, using its bony legs and neck to kick and slam against its prey, and its acid breath. It breathes a black fume that sizzles and burns anything it touches.
Rive Talon (rare - hostile - medium): In the past these creatures may have been canines of some form, now they seem to have melded with the detritus of the fallen buildings and creatures of the landscape. Extra spikes, ridges, and protrusions extend from its body at odd angles. Many of them are metal or stone, rather than bone. And some of the bones clearly were not originally its own. (Suggested by Sierra!)
Outskirts Hare (uncommon - docile): A shy creature, roughly the size and shape of an earth hare, covered in fuzzy-looking, curly pink hair and cat-like whiskers. Normally quite timid, this creature's poor eyesight causes it to flee when it feels threatened, and relies largely on a sense of touch to navigate its surroundings. Contact with this creature's fur is markedly pleasant, but its skin discharges an oil that causes mild skin irritation on contact when it's nervous. Active mostly at night time. (Suggested by Mel!)
Ansaurini (rare - annoying): a bipedal feathered bird with sharp claws and teeth good for chomping; some possess flight capabilities, but the majority are prone to a lazy waddle. Mostly harmless and deceptively unassuming until you turn your back- and suddenly it's run off with something it stole off your person! They are excellent at escaping, though they can be traced back to their hoard, and if their collection is raided they will make a lot of noise in protest. Just watch your back- they will try again until you leave their territory. Truly, a horrible thing.

❥ PROMPT II: Welcome to the (Urban) Jungle

Once the creatures are mostly taken care of and the newly revealed area is deemed safe enough to venture into, the city council will put out a call for those willing and able to assist the natives with a clean-up effort. The city outside the walls is badly damaged, left to the ravages of the time and the ever-present storm, which means clearing dust, debris, and flotsam is a high priority before people can begin to repair the new districts and salvage material or live there. Thick brown vines cover large parts of the city, grime from the storm is caked onto windows, rocks and scattered rotted bones and twisted metal can be found in roads and crashed through buildings. The atmosphere in this part of the city seems to mirror the decrepit state of the land, too, feeling heavier and grayer and more depressing than it has any right to be. Going out with people and helping together, taking breaks to lean against one another tends to help clear away any negativity that this land seems to bring to your thoughts, however. Since it's dangerous to go alone, be sure to take a friend.

The biggest concern is the vines, so natives offer to lend machetes to the offworlders to help the hack them away. The vines look brown and dead, the leaves withered and curled up. When characters hack into them, the vines release a puff of yellowish dust. Inhale the dust or get it anywhere near your face and over time, you'll begin to get sleepy - very sleepy. It's hard to keep your eyes open, no matter your resistance to poisons or magic, and eventually you'll find yourself falling asleep wherever you are. And once you're asleep? The vines start moving, crawling toward you at a snail's pace. Hopefully you did bring a friend because you'll need their touch to wake up and stay awake long enough to get away from the vines before they pull you deep within their grasp.

❥ PROMPT III: Take a Load Off

Not everyone can fight or clean or even wants to do it, so while those who are more suited to being on the front lines are off doing their thing, those who remain behind must begin the effort of preparing everything that people will need to live in these new areas. At the temples and in the main square, the priests have set up large rest areas with blankets and pillows, and are busily putting together repair kits for mechanics and explorers to use as they go through the ruins. Those who want a place to rest that doesn't require going all the way back to their homes might find these waystations more convenient.

At each, characters can find hot soups with chunks of hearty replicated breads and both hot and cold drinks available for any who wish it. They're trying to replicate pain medications and bandages for people who have been injured while exploring or fighting off the monsters who were unlucky enough to be left inside, and will ask you to try it if you're injured. Taking this medication might have some unintended side effects, however, like a feeling of euphoria or delusions of grandeur or even something as banal as turning your hair a shocking shade of chartreuse - the effect, if you want one, is up to you! The rest areas also have robots "skilled" in giving massages that are looking to test their newly acquired skills and with four pairs of arms, they can work on two people at once! In fact, they're rather insistent about giving you a free massage if they hear even the slightest hint of fatigue in your voice and will usher people into their curtained off booths regardless of whether they know the other occupant or not. These robots are still learning though, so anyone curious enough to try may need to work with their partner to give these robots pointers. They're trying, but not having fragile little flesh bodies is a major obstacle in learning how to have a gentle touch.

❥ PROMPT IV: That Which Remains

the remains of an abandoned factory with decrepit materials and equipment strewn about

With the opening of the city, there seem to be a lot of buildings that need cleaning. Some are so dilapidated that they're better off demolished than repossessed, and most are residential and commercial buildings reminiscent of the ones the offworlders are used to seeing everyday in the Havenwell they've all known up until now. However, among the ruins of these older sections, those intrepid enough to venture and explore may find a few unique gems awaiting them. Just remember: the first rule of urban exploration is to never go alone. You never know what might be lurking in those abandoned buildings or what obstacles might be in your way. Doorways blocked by rubble will need more than one person to remove them. Frightened (and frightening) animals might be lingering in the dark. And, most importantly, you don't want to fall through the floor and vanish into a basement. There seem to be quite a few weakened floors out there. In the following parts of the expanded city, characters can find these interesting ruins:

Northwest: The Arena - In the northwest of the newly opened area, characters can find what looks to be a ruin of a large open air oval building. The building itself is almost 3 stories tall with walls overgrown with brown vines and dead foliage. There are doorways that have no doors, instead being high archways through which people can access in the interior. Stairs lead up into what looks like worn stone benches and down below is a rubble-strewn open area. Part of the walls have collapsed over time but it's very clear this place was used once as some sort of viewing area. It'll take a bit of work to clear this place until it's usable!

There are archways with stairs that lead downward, but you'll need some help clearing away the rubble to get to what's below! If you're successful in getting beneath the arena, you'll find hallways with empty rooms that vary between large enough to possibly be some sort of training room to small enough to be just enough space for someone to put a slim single cot or bed and maybe a wardrobe to have a small private room. Some rooms have rusted metal that may or may not have been weapons at some point, while others have faded wall paintings, chipped and worn with age. It's hard to make out, but with enough reconstruction work, you may just learn who used to haunt these halls.
Southeast: The Baths - In the southeast of the newly opened area, characters will find a domed building unlike the rest of the architecture around it. It's extremely large, for one, and squat, while the rest of Havenwell's buildings seem to be lean and tall. The walls are made of the same stone, but the dome above is broken glass. There are several metal sliding doors set in the walls, but many are fused shut with grime and years of disuse. One main door, larger than the others is sightly ajar, however, and with some help characters may be able to force it open.

Inside, they find an expansive lobby with white floors that must have sparkled before all the grime, dirt, and broken glass took over. The dome overhead reflects the light, making the interior of the building as bright as outside. At the center of the lobby is a dry fountain with two broken statues - four armed humanoids holding urns. Their heads are missing and many of the arms are broken and lying in the dry basin. From the lobby there are alcoves in every direction and two hallways that lead further into the buiding in opposite directions. In each alcove are low stone seats and round basins sunk into the ground that are either dry with a black film around the inside, or full of a dark oily substance that's nearly coagulated.

Go down the hallways and you'll find identical looking chambers. First, you enter an open area with broken sinks and mirrors, with stone cubbies on the walls. Then when you pry open and push past the metal sliding doors, you'll find yourself in a wide open semicircular area filled with baths of different sizes, shapes and depths. Some are free-standing stone tubs, others are large basins sunk into the ground, and still others are rectangular and just big enough for one or two people to lie down in. Each of these basins are like the ones in the lobby, either filled with that same coagulated black ooze or dry with a black film inside. Looks like it's time to get cleaning because each basin also seems like they might be able to be retrofitted to produce water perhaps.
Southwest: The Factory - In the southwest, closest to the wall, the characters can find an imposing square building. It has small thin windows and boasts a plethora of chimneys and smokestacks on the roof, some of which are crumbling or broken with age and exposure. There are two square doors, both of which are large enough to drive a truck through and made of metal which needs to be pried open before accessing the inside. Once inside, the characters find a massive operation geared toward ore and mineral processing and metallurgical refinement. The machinery is old, but extremely well laid out, as it seems this plant was used to process huge volumes of minerals and ores before being lost to time. There are stations for every imaginable part of the refining process separated neatly so they can work efficiently, but all of the machines are broken or currently inoperable and will need significant work before they can start functioning again.

Explore the refinery and you may still find one or two of the ores lying about. They contain an unknown metal that gleams a slick oily silver. At the back of the refinery is an industrial elevator which is currently inoperational. Peering down through the cracks, however, reveals that the shaft goes a long way down. The view of just how far is obstructed by a shimmering rainbow-colored barrier, not unlike the one that is just outside the walls.

This event will run from April 15th to 30th, although due to the areas and effects not technically vanishing, feel free to continue playing with it for some time beyond. Click on each prompt's title to see the text. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He pauses, finding her scrutiny a little uncomfortable, and rather than respond he starts forward again, reaching for one of the doors to try and push on it. It doesn't budge, as if the world itself is telling him to stop dancing around the subject.]

...I mean... I am, just... opportunities aren't unlimited, is all.

[There's not much time left for that sort of thing. Why waste the chances he has here?]

...No. They are not.

[ She's been suggesting from the beginning that he should hug others and say he loves them, especially for those here. Luna and his father come to her mind. She wonders if he's ever thought of why she suggested this "homework" in the first place. Whimsy? Naive innocence? Being of a purely good heart? The playfulness is a cover, the truth is harsher: she's lost too many, before. She did not appreciate them, she did not show affection, and in the end it was too late. Noctis doesn't need to learn that lesson the hard way. ] So. More hugs from you to others, is that it?

[ Of course, this does come with some discretion and social intelligence. Pyra herself loves so many despite how it conflicts against her nature, but even she knows not to randomly go about and tell people when it's not appropriate. So, she tries to show her gratefulness and appreciation in other ways: in her attempts to be kind, in praising others, in compliments, in pointing out when others have done something impressive even when they might not think so. More: in listening to others' pain, in attempting to be mindful of what they've been through, trying not to cause them more harm...

But none of this is enough. The only way anything will be enough if she returns to her world and finds that end. It's not about her, but about preserving the future for all she holds dear. She cannot plant trees whose shade she might never know herself, but she can at least ensure there will a future there for someone else to plant that tree... for, hopefully, generations afterwards to indulge in its shade.

Pyra's hand unlinks from his to press against the door. ] On three.

[He makes a noise in response that is neither a yes or no.]

More of something, at least.

[Hugs aren't really his main go-to for affection; he disagrees that they're strictly necessary, as long as the feelings can be conveyed in other methods. Not that they aren't useful. He'd given one to her only minutes ago, when nothing else served the same purpose. When he woke up and sense returned to him, he hugged his father like he'd never let go. Sometimes they're useful. But if he abruptly changed his ways, those around him would know he's not okay.

He's not much better with words, most days, but... trying. Always, always trying. He'll grow into that, too.]

One... two... three-

[At the word, they push together; he braces his foot and leans into it with all his might. He may not look like much, but magic fuels his muscles to wield swords mightier than his small stature would allow, and he suspects she might be the same way, now that he knows certain secrets. Regardless of their nature the door creaks and screeches its way open, the base grinding across the floor as it swings. Halfway through its pivot the rusted hinges crumble into dust, and the whole thing pitches forward, catching on a pile of rubble on the other side and hanging at a lean. It's stuck that way now, but there's enough of a gap that they can climb in.

He gestures towards it with a small, teasing bow.]

Ladies first?

[ The ensuing clang of metal against rubble echoes throughout the gloomy interior. She smiles at she catches the tail end of his small bow, entering forward...

Aaaand of course instead of bringing out her own flame, she opts to turning on the flashlight function of her communicator. ]

....Noct. [ She calls his name, and there's a hint of excitement in her voice that accompanies a gasp. ] Come quick--

[He follows her in of course, though at least for now it's more intrigued-hurry than panic-hurry, since she'd sounded happy about what awaited them within. He ducks through the opening and straightens up to find... well, a huge mess, but a somewhat recognizable visual. He hadn't spent a lot of time in factories growing up - duh, royal recluse - but as her flashlight casts around the first open area, there are obvious hints as to what this place must have been in the past. Huge machines laid out in a way that spoke of the kind of industrial processing that had occurred here. The smokestacks rising up towards the ceiling indicated heat used to be funnelled out into the sky. Supplies and tools were strewn about, messily abandoned, but aside from a few obvious standouts, he doesn't recognize what they might have done.

He reaches for his chest towards his jacket, where he'd always kept his light pinned, but- oh, right. Pyra's wearing it now, and he can't recall if he'd even packed it. Instead he opts for the comm light to join her in shining it about, searching for clues.]

It's huge... wonder what they were making here.

[ She's immediately reaching for his hand. ]

This way-- let's follow the production line backwards!

[ Pyra tugs him along after her, stepping over the rubble. And while her excitement at this discovery is readily apparent within her tone and upon her expression, it does get the better of her in how quickly she pulls him along. Hopefully he won't trip.

As they hurriedly walk: ] This facility is huge. There must have been... hundreds of workers here-- ah, if it wasn't fully automated.

Judging by the tools, there had to have been at least a few folks doing manual labour. Looks heavy, though.

[Must've been hard work, whatever it was. He allows himself to be pulled along, though after a few near-stumbles he tilts his light downwards so they can see what they're tripping over rather than going blind. Factories in general aren't super exciting, and he's been to enough ruins that this is nothing to get hyped about in his mind (besides this being new territory after being stuck in a small, quiet city for this long), but her enthusiasm is infectious so he's content to let her take the lead here. May as well give her a chance to have some fun with... whatever this is.]

[ She leads him down a row of machinery. With the tools left out, everything appears abandoned in place, as if it all had been hastily left. Pyra approaches one of the sides of a machine, pocketing her communicator as she places a hand upon the metal, squinting.

She would like more light. ]

This section... If I'm not mistaken, they're smelters. Used to extract ore from their raw form. These furnaces would have been extremely hot. [ And to have so many in one place would mean a powerful source of energy was providing for all of this, and that a sophisticated cooling system had been in place. A part of her is glad to see it's not just some magical system set in place. ]

[With her light put away, he leans in closer, holding his comm over her shoulder so she can see better- and so he can see, as well.]

Smelters? So they made metals here?

[Makes sense, then, why the facility would be so big. And this is only one building- there's still a huge portion of the city left undiscovered. There could be more places like this.]

If they were converting the whole world's population into robots, it makes sense that they'd need a lot of machines like this to build them.

[ Her fingers trail over the plating of the machine. Some illumination is granted upon the crystal adorning her hand, revealing the finer nicks of wear into the surface. Who knows how long it's been since they've last been used-- and who knows if it's safe to refurbish them.

Bringing her free hand back to herself, she looks down the row of smelters. ] ...A supply as well. [ Months ago, she had been wondering if there were any mines to help rebuild the walls from the breach, but it seems that all materials were repurposed from older buildings. She doubts this could be the only factory. ] Let's backtrack from the inflow-- maybe we can find it. [ Whether that be a source or another hangar where supplies might have been shipped in, she'll be interested... but they have a long ways to travel, from how large the facility is. ]

Right. Uh...

[He waits until she picks a direction - because he has no idea where the inflow would be based on the layout of the machinery they're at - and follows her down the proper path, fiddling with his communicator so he can take photos as they go, the light flashing through the area to briefly illuminate their surroundings in fits and bursts. It's something of a map of their progress the further in they go, though he doubts he'll be able to make much sense of it. The machines sort of blur together, especially in the dark.]

We'll have to get in here with way better lighting than this later. Like some kind of big spotlights, maybe? Or if we could get the windows cleared up, let the sun in.

[ It'll take a lot of refurbishing, a lot of labor to restore even a section of this mine.

She lowers her voice. Then, hesitantly: ] ...Shall I... create a fire for light?

[In contrast to her hesitance, his answer comes with none at all.]

That'd help, yeah. Can you direct it to corners the flashlight doesn't reach without burning anything?

[Based on her earlier control with it, he'd guess the answer is yes, but better safe than on fire.]

[ She nods quietly.... And with a blink a few small, fiery, and spherical lights appear around her. She sends them off down the open hall of machinery, and for a few moments it’s all she can do but stare as they hover off. Expression now hinting at wistfulness, she steps over some exposed cables to proceed.

It really has been too long...

If she’s using him as a cover, hopefully what she’s doing with this fire is something of which the Crownsguard are capable.

Pyra turns her head to look at him as if seeking approval. ] Is this sufficient?

Damn.

[He lifts his head to watch them fly, just as impressed as before by her control. She can probably guess by his expression that yes, that's plenty sufficient, before he even answers.]

Yeah, uh. I think that'll do it, for sure. Come on, let's follow the path. Cables always lead somewhere, right?

[In his experience it's usually trouble, but sometimes that trouble comes hand in hand with progress, so it can be a good thing too.]

[ She smiles, pleased with his approval. How quick he had been to affirm that she should use her fire-- just like his comment before, giving a simple solution to her doubts. It's nice, she thinks.

She appears a little more enthusiastic in her walk as they proceed. In addition to being luminous, her light is warm; however, closer inspection might reveal that they're not perfect in their spherical shapes-- two of them appear to wobble upon an angled axis. ] Let's keep watch for any materials that might still be on these conveners, too.

[ Or else they might have to attempt to dismantle one of these machines to check for any materials that had been stuck within during processing. ]If we're lucky, they built this facility above a deposit of raw material. [ Following the equipment, the line of machines begins to come to an end, and their path now marked by cables, wires, and conveyors for transport-- which also all come to an end. Whatever was processed here had to have been brought up from somewhere else by other means. ] See anything?

[He keeps casting the light around, both at the ground for clues and in corners where the firelight may not catch. Most of it is too dilapidated to be much help, but he keeps seeing signs of paint flecked here and there, old and discoloured but still distinct from the floor and walls where it's spotted. Eventually he pauses his step, tugging her to a halt, and shines the light on a half-crumbled section of wall, boxed in a way that left the side he noticed more protected from rot and age.]

That right there... doesn't that kind of look like an elevator sign? It's old, but... I think I remember seeing symbols like that in the research towers in town.

[They'd been invited in months ago (and months more since his return home), so the memory is distant, but seeing the shape of it jogged it to the forefront of his mind.]

[ She lifts her head, looking to where he indicates with the light. A orb of her fire hovers over to illuminate it further, revealing what appears to be a tattered sign. ]

Oh-- you're right! Nice work spotting that.

[ Walking over to the sign with him, her makeshift light hovers over to the side to allow them to pass. Their footsteps echo more here-- there's something hollow nearby. A few more steps over reveals what just beyond marked metal beams: an industrial sized elevator and shaft. With the state of this factory as-is, the mesh fencing around the shaft would be brittle enough to break with any added weight. Pyra is also wary of actually stepping upon the platform, doubting that any brakes upon the cables would hold. She holds his hand just a little tighter as they cautiously approach. ]

A lift? ...A large one, too. The material must have come up from here.

[Noctis is admittedly less wary, though her tight hold on his hand keeps him from trying to march right into it to test it out- it would hardly be the first time. He does pull the mesh away from the frame to get a better look, and the rusted-out material practically crumbles under his fingers.]

...Well, that's useless. Hang on, I'm gonna check it-

[He taps at the button on the console, knowing it's likely pointless but worth a shot anyway, and when nothing happens he tugs at the door, trying to pry it open. That, too, is rusted out, bent in place enough that he can get his fingers in there, but pulling one-handed gets him nowhere. He glances back at her.]

Help me get this open? There might be something left in there.

[If nothing else, maybe they can pull the frame loose and get a glimpse of what this is all about.]

[ To forgo hand-holding to help him out with it, or give away more of her abilities to maintain that hand-hold....? ]

Noct...

[ Still holding his hand, she steps to his side and just slightly forward, giving him a graceful, small nod as if to silently say, "Allow me."

Then she turning her gaze to the door as she steps past him, her free hand lifting to press her palm to it. It begins to glow.... and within seconds the metal turns molten, sinking to the ground. Open sesame. ]

[Noctis blinks in surprise, hastily stepping back and out of the way to avoid touching the metal as it melts away.]

...That's badass.

[What! Useful fire! Yeah, he's totally cool with it, and he offers up a brief grin before it fades to a more serious expression, moving cautiously back to the elevator. There actually isn't much to be found within, just an overturned minecart that looks empty of all but rubble. What interests him a lot more is the rusted-out hole in the corner of the elevator, revealing a sliver of pitch-black beneath it.

He reaches down and calls out his sword to have it ready to warp just in case the elevator shifts suddenly, and hops over the spot where she'd melted the door, bracing himself as the whole elevator makes a hideous shrieking noise at the added weight. Mercifully it doesn't plummet, holding steady despite the sound, so when the echo fades and all seems clear, he gestures at her.]

Can you send a light down that hole? I wanna see how far it goes.

[ Oh. There's a tiny flush from his compliment... And of course this means she'll only be more encouraged to help him out in such ways more. This has helped him, she wants to help him, and her fire has helped him. Who knew.

Pyra steps in after him, noticing the sword he calls to his hand. If the elevator plummets and he'll need to warp with the both of them in contact, she'll be ready to lend him her power. They've practiced enough times for her to feel safe with this set up.

Nodding, she sends a small flare down the hole. The fire falls and expands, illuminating a long shaft that seems to descend for stories on-end. ] What even were they mining, to dig so deeply...?

[ Eventually, the fire strikes something, and she sees a glimmer of a golden sheen reminiscent of the barrier above. ]

This world is lacking in certain resources- I remember that came up in the old records, ores and such. Maybe they got more desperate over time.

[Noctis watches the fire drop, deeper and deeper, quietly counting off the seconds. That's... pretty damned far. He's gone down mineshafts and lengthy dungeons before, so it's not entirely surprising, though it never ceases to amaze him how deep into the earth that people can dig. The ruins of Solheim were hundreds of floors deep, and sometimes the unmarked chasms below felt endless no matter how low they'd delved.

When the fire stops, however, glittering with familiarity in the dark, he leans in further, eyes narrowing.]

Hey, you see that?

[He's no expert, and he can't see in the dark, but something about the way the light flickered...]

[ Drilling so deeply into the ground, scavenging for resources... it troubles her.

In her world, she is not blind to how the Titans are slowly dying, dying by human hands, their wars and corruption of the land destroying resources before the continents can heal. They, too, drill deep into the crust, hollowing out their titans like carving pores into bones for raw materials, if not outright siphoning the rich ether of the earth itself. It’s on a slow decline regardless... she simply does not want to be the one to bring it to a premature end, as if scrapping a failed project.

Perhaps the materials mined here were precious enough to enact such a deep evisceration of their planet, with those who worked here believing it necessary to survive another day. ]

The shimmer... is reminiscent of the barrier. [ Is it possible that it extends not as a dome, but as a sphere about the city? Or is it something else? ]

....Can you warp us down there?

[ He can throw a sword down this hole, can’t he? ]

[Like the barrier... yeah, he can see it now, a glimmering rainbow sheen of mixing colours.]

I could, but I was gonna suggest just going down on my own. [Which- sounds dumb and reckless, so hastily he adds,] Just in case something happens! If I got stuck down there, someone should be here to get help. Unless you can secretly fly, too.

[No judgment if she can! But it's worth asking, maybe. And honestly even with her power, he has some doubts that he'd be able to safely hold on and warp them both without solid ground to drop them down onto if he falters.]

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