[closed]

[thaumewturge]

Who: Rhel, Sagi, Akira, Fai, Joss, and Efi | Rhel, Sagi, Joss, and Toki
Where: The ruins
When: At some point this month time is a lie
What: They are finally at Melona! Aaaand Gale's family is missing so that means rescue party go. | After finding her parents, they go looking for her brother.

[This is. So very stressful Rhel's used to having to go into ruins and whatnot, she's a bloody Warrior of Light after all, but she has so rarely been this invested in making sure everyone is okay. The Kings have to be okay. Poor Gale needs them to be okay.

Thankfully, it's not hard to find others who agree to go searching for the missing people, and getting supplies together doesn't take long at all, either.

Still, Rhel can't help but look at the ruins with some degree of trepidation.]

Twelve, I hope we have enough medical supplies...




[Investigation thread]

Comments

[infiltrationtools]

[Ever since that weird encounter in the hospital, Akira's been mindful of Gale and her family, even though Rhel was the one who took unofficial charge of the girl.]

[Still, he never expected them to be in a predicament like this. Akira's fully ready to go... and he's even cracking jokes.]

I've got Berries for almost all situations, thanks to Morpeko.

Just so everyone knows.

[scension]

[Sagi is another volunteer who didn't need any persuading to tag along, not after remembering how lonely that little girl seemed back in Toran's hospital. Wearing the red and yellow jacket he first arrived on Toran in, he looks to be travelling light today, not visibly carrying any bags. This means absolutely nothing. He isn't visibly carrying a radio antenna, either.

He's mostly been quiet on the way here - this is about twice as many people as he's used to travelling with, which isn't a bad thing for a rescue mission, but it's hard to know how to behave. Still, he makes an effort to look cheerful whenever someone catches his eye, and Akira' s joke gets him to crack a wider smile.]

Which ones are the "almost"?

[bythefurry]

[Unfortunately, Joss has no sense of humour and so it's with a feeling of dread that he looks through his own stock of berries. Did he under-prepare? He learned a little about berries in Melona's Pokémon school, but he only really bothered getting the restorative ones.

Well. Maybe he shouldn't stress out about this, if Akira does have the rest covered. He looks through his supplies for other essential items, before turning an interrogative gaze towards his companions.]

Ropes?

[He gestures towards the one poking out of his bag. He has two of them; it used to be three, but he wasn't about to go into an ancient ruin without making sure these "escape ropes" worked as advertized.]

[nyom]

I got some rope!

[ Efi has a small backpack and there is indeed a rope peeking out. Maybe it's alive. Maybe she just isn't organized. Could be both. ]

Could I have a sour berry?

[ She won't eat it. Promise. ]

[partymagician]

[ He's switched out his usual messenger bag for a backpack this time, and he gestures to it as well. ]

I have a couple ropes with me as well. I also brought some water if anyone needs it.

[ There's also a few berries somewhere in his bag too. ]

Hmm... I'm not sure if I have any sour berries, though.

[nyom]

[ Cyndaquil looks up, staying close to Efi's ankle all the time. ]

Are there some sweet ones? Maybe he'll like sweet.

pre-ground collapse

[nyom]

The group is able to remove the rubble and the guide makes sure the entrance is supported again so it doesn't cave in behind them before they head inside. He plans to wait outside to keep an eye on the ruins in case something collapses and he'll be able to help dig them out from the outside, or in case of other emergencies.

The entrance leads down some half-crumbled rock steps, liable to break underfoot if they aren't careful and send them tumbling down twenty feet, until it reaches a hallway wide enough for three or four people to walk comfortably side by side. There is no source of light down here other than what they bring with them.

It's very quiet, and very dusty, and the moment they all reach the bottom of the stairs, a tremor runs though the ruins and a whole bunch of sand rains down on everybody's heads. Pepper chirps in surprise and buries himself deeper into Efi's ribbon, and a louder, more prolonged rumble can be heard further down the hall. This place might be a little unstable.

split (left): fai, akira (+raoul), sagi

[nyom]

the ground continues to tremble as the group makes their way down the hall, and it gets harder to see in the darkness even with a source of light, with how dusty and hard to breath it becomes. At least the walls aren't collapsing in on themselves, and this seems to be the main path most tourists take, seeing as the ground is well packed and largely clear of rock and other debris expected from ancient ruins with no regular maintenance. There are markings on the walls on both side, what looks like symbols or drawings but the carvings are faint, and impossible to read once they get to around chest level. aka about the height hundreds of schoolchildren would be able to most easily reach and touch and rub out the carvings through the years. They don't have much time to admire these carvings, though, because left path is cave-in path! Hope this group has some idea how to either stop the cave-in entirely, or to protect themselves while the hall collapses and comes to a natural stop, otherwise they're getting buried.

[scension]

[When they first split off from the others and take the left fork, oblivious to the impending cave-in, Sagi takes the lead at first without really thinking about it. He's still brandishing his glowing dagger in front like an extremely hazardous flashlight, but as they go deeper down the hallway, all it really illuminates is choking layers of dust.]

Wow, this shaking won't let up... It might just be a matter of time.

[Sorry, if Akira and Fai didn't want a running commentary, they should have grouped up with someone who has a functional internal monologue. That said, it probably makes Sagi's chain of logic easier to follow when, with his free hand, he quietly opens a Pokeball on his belt.]

Sigilyph, can you blow the dust away? Whatever it is, we're going to want to see it coming.

[Sigilyph beeps back at him, a more hushed and reverent variant on its usual screaming - just look at the history they're walking around in! - before sending a small Gust of air down the hallway ahead of them. The floor continues to tremble...]

[partymagician]

[ Fai doesn't mind the running commentary at all, since he thinks it's good to know what everyone is thinking anyway. He touches a hand against the wall.

It's dusty and hard to breathe, and he frowns. That trembling is concerning. ]

I agree. I think it's only a matter of time before it starts to collapse.

[ He can feel it, like something's about to give, and he moves to be in front just in case. ]

[infiltrationtools]

[So you might be wondering to yourself, if this place is rumbling and it seems like it's going to collapse, why are these three people still going down the hallway and using Gust to shake things up even more?]

Meaning we'd better get in and out of here, fast.

[Because they're not very smart, that's why.]

[scension]

Right. But worst comes to worst, just out. We've still got those ropes.

[The Gust attack destabilising something in the structure is a problem for their future selves, about thirty seconds from now. For the time being, the light in Sagi's hand does seem to reach a little further - up to the walls, dotted with carvings, many rubbed out as if a lot of hands have passed over them.]

This must be close to where they came through.

[He tilts his glowing dagger blade down, peering a little closer to check for recent signs of disturbance along the wide, well-trodden floor -

- which shakes, again. And this time, keeps shaking. A small chunk of stone plinks down from overhead. Then another, larger. Then another...]

... Uh oh.

[Uh oh.]

[partymagician]

[ Uh oh indeed. ]

Hurry! Next to me!

[ Fai immediately puts his shield up above the three of them, and the heavy rocks bounce off like they're coming into contact with a trampoline. There may not be rock above them, but it certainly is around them. ]

split (right): rhel, joss, efi

[nyom]

Once everybody is through the hole, they find that the ground starts to gently slope downwards. And then very steeply downwards, and instead of the neatly carved stone that made up the upper ruins where they first entered, the ground here is more crude, fairly rocky and it's easy to twist one's ankle if they aren't careful of where they're stepping. Best keep an eye on the sand as well as the rock, because hidden along the slope are many sand pits dug by Trapinch who will very eagerly nip at people's feet if accidentally step into one of the traps, as well as Galarian Stunfisk half hidden in the sand who will also spring their bear traps around people's ankles. It's a hungry Pokemon den (: There is a lone sneaker lying right in the middle of all the Pokemon (:

[thaumewturge]

Oh.

[Hm.]

Oh, this isn't good.

[nyom]

I think... that looks like a shoe.

[ Hm. ]

Vivi can put them to sleep, if that will help. Is that okay?

[bythefurry]

[That lone shoe is absolutely not reassuring... Joss, his hair still full of dust from dragging his tall frame through the hole, can only hum pensively at Efi's suggestion.]

Good plan. [He retrieves his spear from his back.] Can prod the ground to check for traps, as well.

[thaumewturge]

Sleep and poking for traps may be the best way, yes. If you want to use my rod, Joss, you can.

[nyom]

[ Efi tosses a pokeball, releasing a Vivillon from it. ]

Put them to sleep, Vivi.

[ Ugh!! It doesn't look like it enjoys being in this place, so he does his best to get this out of the way. The sooner the better. He starts flying over the wild pokemon and spreads Sleep Powder. Go to sleep, you heathens. ]

Finding Jordan

[thaumewturge]

[Now that Gale's parents are back, Rhel feels more ready to go looking for Jordan.

And a fair bit poorer, as she did have to go stock up on escape ropes while also getting a first aid kit but honestly, it'll all be worth it.

Rhel looks around at the three who decided to go back into the ruins with a smile.]

Everyone have supplies? Joss, is your Swablu doing alright after putting so many Pokemon to sleep earlier?

Re: Finding Jordan

[bythefurry]

[Swablu chirps animatedly. Well, that's probably as good an answer as any.]

... She's fine.

[He checks through his own backpack, then, which he also restocked after their previous misadventures. Main thing of note is probably the flashlight; it seemed like a very good idea after what happened with Efi and the Zubat, not that Efi is here with them right now.]

All set.

[scension]

[Sagi's bag is nowhere in sight, but if that doesn't bother him, it shouldn't trouble anyone else. He brought a shovel after restocking this time, which is also currently nowhere in sight. It seemed like a good idea.]

Good to go here, but...

[He shoots a concerned look over at "Hien". It's not his first. Hien is supposed to have a calm demeanour and an arm covered in bandages, unless the latter healed up a lot faster than Sagi would have expected. This Hien has neither.]

Are you feeling okay? You've been acting strange.

[At this point, Hien getting his brain temporarily fried by whatever eldritch powers like to mess around with their bodies and minds would be kind of par for the course... But if that's what happened, maybe his help isn't worth it right now after all.]

[yokeye]

[Toki has no idea what they're doing. He couldn't just tell them he didn't know, since they all seemed to think Hien would understand all their vague talk about a missing kid. Maybe that old man Toki and Efi encountered has something to do with this? Like the others, Toki has obtained a backpack full of supplies suggested by the guide, yet he's removed half of them in order to hide Hana-chan inside. She can't give him away again. Along with Hana-chan, Toki has packed other essentials like snacks and a giant roll of duct tape that Hana-chan absolutely insisted on. He looks up briefly at Sagi's question.] I am well. [Inside the backpack, Hana-chan squirms in her Spinda way, and Toki moves around a lot to cover it, not realizing it just makes him look twitchy and draws more attention to himself. He's following the others while watching his feet. These boots seem easy to trip in, and the laces are sloppily tied. Hana-chan did her best. Hien's speech is harder to mimic than Hythlo's was, and he's been trying not to speak much because of the lack of static in his voice. It's a very hard thing for Toki to do, though, and before he knows it, he's babbling again and perhaps giving himself away, because he talks when he's nervous, and he's pretty sure Sagi was already onto him.] So, who's Jason again? Did you guys want some creme rolls? I brought a dozen~!

[thaumewturge]

[There is something very Off about Hien today, but honestly perhaps this is just Hien on a good day? She's only spoken to him the once, after all.]

Jordan. He's Gale's brother--I'm not sure you would know her, but she was a girl we brought with from Toran during the tsunami. He and their parents have gone missing, though we did rescue their parents earlier.

[bythefurry]

[Joss is rather worried about Hien as well. He now knows the man is a lot less scary than he might look at first glance, but today he seems... scatterbrained? Could he just be really enthusiastic about creme rolls? Considering how much that one guy's Pokémon liked them too, maybe he ought to try them out...

But... still. With how out of sorts Hien seems today, perhaps it would be best if he sat out. Joss assumes he feels obligated because of the favour he thinks he owes him, but that's no reason to endanger himself.]

You do not have to come if you do not feel well.

[Though he supposes it may be a bit late, now that they're already on their way...]