2017-02-28: Black Wolves in the Sult Ruins
- Log: Black Wolves in the Sult Ruins
- Cast: Leon Albus, Lily Keil
- Where: Sult Ruins
- Date: February 28, 2017
- Summary: Having escaped Kislev, Captain Leon and Lieutenant Lily find themselves working as Drifters -- and enter the Sult Ruins.
================================<* Sult Ruins *>================================ ======================<* CHALLENGE - Guards at the Gate *>====================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- It seems that whatever mysterious military force is investigating these ruins has deployed guards to keep any stray Drifters from entering the ruins. They are wearing unremarkable clothing with no identifying marks, in no way betraying their identity. While fighting them is an option, it will take far too much time and slow the exploration of the ruins considerably. It would be better to find a way to trick them or lure them from the entrance, thus allowing the party swift entry without raising the alarm. =Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
Leon really shouldn't have been surprised by this.
They ran away from the military only to run into trouble with /a/ military. The path to Adlehyde wasn't so hard, aside from some bandits, but life as Drifters meant always staying active -- and pursuing money. But they pursued something else, too, and hearing that soldiers on Centalo Island were investigating a ruin...
He couldn't ignore that.
Now, Leon Albus is crouched down behind a rocky ridge -- and looking at the strange soldiers that patrol the entrance to the ruins. His brow furrows, before he looks sideways at his ever-present companion. He lifts up a small, explosive charge -- a small bomb, with a long fuse, liberated from some bandits.
"I'll try to distract them by throwing this. Let's see if we can make sure they stay occupied, Lieutenant," he says. Despite the hint of a command, he has a smile on his face. It's like old times.
...But not too like old times.
He lights the fuse with a single match. The spark starts down the wire, burning across it -- and then Leon hurls the dynamite. The stick flies high into the air, then explodes with a large fireball!
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Guards at the Gate.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily shouldn't have been surprised either, but she was. And here they are.
She wsa happy to stay active though, was willing to keep her eyes open and look into these soldiers here. Maybe she can't identify where they're from, but she can make guesses as to where they're /not/ from, and that's good enough for the moment.
So with Leon crouched behind the ridge, Lily is watching the soldiers beside him. She's mostly trying to work out their patrol pattern as she glances back to him sidelong. Of course she's present here; where else would she be?
"Aye, sir," she says, smiling back.
Leon hurls the dynamite, and Lily has her eyes down upon a well-worn book in her hands, teeth together as--"A-/ha/--!"
Lily throws out a hand, and smaller explosions lay a trail down the other path. "Standard procedure for /us/ at least would mean..."
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Kislev Field Manual toward her party's challenge, Guards at the Gate. DG: The party led by Leon Albus has failed this challenge! The party gained 12 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
Leon's lips curl back into a smile. He looks sideways at Lily, before he nods. "Right. By the book, then."
The secondary explosions go off, and it seems like it works beautifully at first. The soldiers shout in surprise -- the series of explosions make them run directly towards the path, and the gaping mouth of the stone head that leads into the ruins is briefly unguarded. Leon books it, then, running across the ground. He does a quick glance to see that Lily is right behind, before his silver eyes look ahead.
He clears the lip with a jump, and then he hesitates. Voices come from behind them, and Leon sucks in a sharp breath at that. "I heard something back that way!"
"Move, move!"
Leon looks sharply to Lily, before he starts down the stairs leading into the depths as quick as he can. "Lily," he says. "We have to get in there fast."
And down the stairs they go, only to find--
DG: Lily Keil has drawn a new Challenge. ================================<* Sult Ruins *>================================ ======================<* CHALLENGE - A Slime Most Green *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- A slurping, watery sound is the only warning the party receives before a slime erupts from a nearby crevice and attacks the party! The semi-transparent goo lashes about with its entire body, attempting to engulf anyone it can lay itself upon. The acid it uses as a weapon is painful to the touch, leaving anyone struck weakened and sapped of vigor - best to drive it off or slay it before it can do too much damage. =Dungeon Conditions: Weaken===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
The book goes right back into Lily's satchel and then she watches, seeing the surprise of the soldiers. A long time ago she'd have held her breath watching something like this, but not this time; Leon books it, and Lily's legs take her after, her bootfalls bringing dust up from the ground as she goes, topaz eyes forward and to the side until she jumps--
She clicks her tongue and looks back at Leon, "With you!"
"Leon, this way!" Lily pulls ahead thanks to a quick slip along the stairs, and heads right down the stairs, leaping to the side to get through the bend and tumbling towards the bottom.
...Only for there to be an awful, slurping sound beside her, the Slime lurching directly for the Lieutenant with acid at the ready. She throws out her hands and a burst of fire fans out from her fingertips, as she tries to ward it off. "Leon! Look out!"
DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, A Slime Most Green.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"Gh!" Leon cries out, as he lands. His feet hit the rock and slide, but he keeps his footing nicely. He turns to look at Lily -- and he sees the flash of flame from her fingertips before he sees the Slime lurching at her. That, alone, is concerning -- and he is close enough to be at risk.
He resists the urge to shout. It could give them away to the soldiers above. Instead, he lifts up a short, fat-barreled gun in his left hand. He fires, a flare shooting up above the slime, and exploding with a bright flash.
It covers what comes next. Argent Divider flies off Leon's hip, still in its shotgun mode -- and he takes aim. Two slugs fire, pumping into the Slime while, he hopes, it is good and distracted by the flare's flash of light.
DG: Leon Albus has used his Tool Flare Gun toward his party's challenge, A Slime Most Green. DG: You pass the challenge, and take 1 Exhaustion! You have 11 total Exhaustion. DG: The party led by Leon Albus has passed this challenge! The party gained 12 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Both of them were at risk from this green, green slime. But they're already at risk from the soldiers above; Lily's in a worse position as the slime rushes her, though Leon's next along the path. it hits, as her fire doesn't slow it down, biting down with gelatinous jaws on the arm she throws up to try to defend herself. As it starts to move into her occupying space, though, the flare hits, and the slime screeches and looks up.
It is indeed good and distracted, and melts into nothing under those slugs.
Lily lets out a breath, shivering despite herself, and pushes back up off of the wet ground. "Thank you. ...We'd better move quickly. If we make it far enough..."
Lily looks to the doorway at the other side of the room, and takes up position with Leon on their way to the same.
DG: Leon Albus has drawn a new Challenge. ================================<* Sult Ruins *>================================ ==================<* CHALLENGE - Mysterious Floating Floor *>=================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- There is a rather unusual feature to this next room. The first is the floor, which appears to be filled with some horrible, syrupy goo that probably would not be healthy to step in. The second are the two pillars that rise from the muck, each a third of the way across the room from the door. And then there's the floating panel that is slowly making its way about the room. Its path seems somewhat random, and there is a button atop each of the pillars. Is there a trick, or is reaching the other side simply a matter of patience? =Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"How is it?" Leon asks, quietly, looking down at the arm. "You took a hit."
He can't help but notice that. Leon's eyes drift away from her arm, though, and back to the door. He nods -- and he doesn't have to elucidate further. If they get in far enough, they can break away from the soldiers. If they get in far enough, they can find more out. And, maybe, this one will ahve some clue about Gryndille. That thought makes his silver eyes fill with steel, as he strides forward and opens the door.
The inside is intimidating, to say the least. They walk through to find themselves facing a floor that soon has a green sludge, like a faded version of the slime they just dispatched. Except, of course, for the two pillars that rise up, and Leon can see the buttons on them.
And the oh-so-slow moving floating panel. His brow furrows, before he reaches into his coat. He pulls out a long spool of rope, before he uncoils it. Then, he tosses it -- and tries to loop it around the floating panel. He pulls it in close, before he steps onto it.
He extends a hand for Lily. The panel barely fits both -- and it may topple. "When we get close enough, see if you can make some ice," he suggests. "Maybe we can trigger those buttons. They must do /something/."
DG: Leon Albus has used his Tool Climbing Rope toward his party's challenge, Mysterious Floating Floor.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"It's not bad," Lily answers Leon, looking at his eyes rather than her own arm. "There's no need to worry." She puts on her reassuring voice, and finishes standing up. She knows he won't worry too heavily over it with the pressing matters at hand, not under these circumstances. She knows they're thinking something of the same thing as she strides on behind him.
...'Interesting' is one word for what thye see; Lily's eyes reflect green as she casts her gze about the room, remembering the lime as well a these... pillars. Her assumption, immediately, is that the only way is patience.. which isn't ideal, given their possible pursuit.
Except...
"You..." Lily looks down at the rope, and to him; she isn't sure of hr own balance here, but with him leading the way...
"Right." A beat, and in not quite a joke she says, "Don't drop me."
She'll do exactly as he's suggested; once she's closer, Lily will use her ice to press some buttons.
DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Mysterious Floating Floor. DG: The party led by Leon Albus has failed this challenge! The party gained 4 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
It isn't easy, though. For one, the floating platform isn't quite big enough for them both. As a result, Leon is constantly shuffling and adjusting his feet to make sure that they do not fall off it -- and that may keep them out of the green, syrup-like goop below, but it hardly makes the act of aiming easily. As a result, the platform keeps tilting when Lily tries to aim.
Ice shards end up smashing against stone, but never buttons, and send ice chips and frost into the air. In the end, the floating platform floats out of range.
Leon sighs.
"Damnable ancients," he says. "Who designs these things?"
It takes a good five minutes before the tile floats its way to the other side of the room. Leon leaps off, then shakes his head. "No matter," he says. "We can manage. Let's push on." His eyes turn towards the doorway -- and whatever lay beyond.
DG: Lily Keil has drawn a new Challenge. ================================<* Sult Ruins *>================================ =================<* CHALLENGE - A Brutally Simple Challenge *>================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Some puzzles require wit and skill. Some of them just require a lot of strength and leverage. This is one of the latter. The room itself contains a large pit, upon which floats a huge stone plug. There is a very large ramp leading up to a higher platform. There is a closed door upon this platform. And there is an exceptionally large rock near the top of the ramp. The party merely must decide how to muscle this problem into submission. =Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
It's best if Lily doesn't shuffle as much; she's more likely to fall /off/ than be helpful. Nevertheless, as she fails to aim, she sets her teeth, frustrated by her ice going off-track and more frustrated by the floating platform going out of range.
"Damn--"
But Leon is sighing, and Lily doesn't much like the smell of this thing. She mostly finds tilting around on this platform while she's still soaked from the Slime to be tiring and unpleasant, but there's nothing she can do about it until he hops off and she hops after.
"Finally. I'll be glad to see the end of this room." She movs ahead, and Leon may be the first to see this next room, but she isn't long after.
Before them stretches this... plug, atop a pit, a spiraling ramp higher above, and a closed door there. There is a large rock, and one must imagine a simple solution to all of the above. Lily startainly does.
"...Aha. This one's going to be simpler." She reaches into her satchel and pulls out a couple of charges, moving up immediately the ramp towards the other end of the boulder as she begins to set them in just the right order. "Once you're ready, I'll set them," she says, and steps back towards the door once /she's/ ready, hand out and ready to light the fuses from a distance.
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Explosive Charges toward her party's challenge, A Brutally Simple Challenge.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"It looks like," Leon says, with a slight grin.
After all, he is confident in Lily's ability to contend with this sort of thing. He has seen her use explosives before -- and with a far finer, more precise, and still quite destructive touch than he ever has. He steps back, at first, as she sets the charges. True, he could get in there and push.
But that could only make things complicated. Instead, he waits for the explosives to fire -- and then he can step in, and give the rock any additional shoves it might need.
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, A Brutally Simple Challenge. DG: The party led by Leon Albus has passed this challenge! The party gained 7 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"A woman can appreciate a good explosion," Lily says over her shoulder as she moves, and then not over her shoulder as she sees him in position for any further changes they might need. She sees him there...
A circle in red grows before her hand and turns to puffs of fire that igite fuses. In a brilliant, crackling flash they hit the detonators and blast away. The boulder starts to shift, and there's Leon's chance to nudge along the right way, a good shove to keep it onto the path rather than tipping towards the ramp's edge.
And so roll it does once it's there, thundering down along the edge until it crashes into the middle of the platform at the bottom, where there's a loud 'click' as it stops moving and rumbles its dusty path into place.
"Ha! Much better." Huff.
DG: Leon Albus has drawn a new Challenge. ================================<* Sult Ruins *>================================ ========================<* CHALLENGE - Swarm of Bats *>========================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- A nest of large carnivorous bats has made its home within the ceiling of this chamber of the Sult Ruins, and they rouse with a chittering frenzy as the party disturbs their slumber. The creatures might simply be attacking to protect their young, or for a darker and more bloodthirsty purpose, but the swarm descends like a black cloud to engulf the party in a matter of moments! =Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
Leon dusts his hand as the boulder slams down into the plug, sending a rumble through the entire chamber. He dusts his hands off, and then he looks at Lily, with a proud nod after the click. "Show them how the Black Wolves do it, eh?" he says, before he turns.
His foot is out for a step when he hears it: 'SKREEEEEE'
And then the bats descend. Leon's eyes widen sharply as he looks straight up at them, and then he reacts instantly. He doesn't go for the flare gun, this time. Instead, Leon swings up Argent Divider and starts firing. Once, twice, thrice; shotgun rounds fly up, and shoot into the winged bats, trying to cut down as many of them as he can in a moment.
"Where the hell did they come from?" he yells.
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Swarm of Bats.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"That's right," Lily says, flipping her hair with a hand. But then....
SKREEEEE
The bats descend, and Lily is right next to the door /out/ but there's no time to move closer nd through it given that they'd only likely follow the two of them. She reacts just as quickly, throwing up her hands and bringing forth a small cloud of mist populated by chunks of bright blue ice to attempt the same goal.
"I can't tell!" Lily shouts back. "Watch your eyes!"
DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Swarm of Bats. DG: The party led by Leon Albus has failed this challenge! The party gained 2 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
The bats descend, even as shotgun shells and ice slashes into the swarm of them. Leon yelps, quickly stepping back -- and then a bat swings in, claws slashing into his shoulder and leaving a gash there. He hisses, stepping backward as fast as he can. He stumbles, then, and slams down against the ramp -- and nearly loses his footing.
"This isn't good!" he yells, as he fires his gun again. Then he looks at Lily, as she takes a spill. He shouts a wordless, hurried warning out, before he looks up and realizes: /more/ bats. Dozens of them, and no end in sight.
He looks at the opened door and decides to depend on the better part of valor, today.
"Lily!" he calls out, before he reaches out -- to pull her up to her feet -- and the he starts to bolt away. "Run! There must have been an entire nest up there!"
DG: Lily Keil has drawn a new Challenge. ================================<* Sult Ruins *>================================ ======================<* CHALLENGE - Blocked Passageway *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- There seems to have been an accident on the way to this chamber - rubble blocks the area, and there are signs of some of it having been shifted and moved as well. The discerning eye can see the telltale signs of explosives having been used to try and blast through a wall here, but the instability of the structure caused the entire roof in a small section of the tunnel to cave in, rather than simply open a new passageway. A path must be cleared to squeeze forward, although attempting to clear too much in the wrong section of the passage could be a tiring and back breaking waste of time. =Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily doesn't answer when Leon says it isn't good; she's too busy trying to cover her eyes against the swarm of bats, and then falling, falling, coming far too close to the edge of the ramp and hanging precipituously over the part that would send her tumbling down the entire ramp in one go. he's doing badly, to say the least.
But Lily can be picked up by Leon, and he stumbles to her feet, running after him and panting her breathes all the way past the doorway, which she /slams/ behind her.
"Ah.. That..." There's a pained look on her face as she steps forward, looking about the room with its sign of debris and rubble all over. There are the signs both of them recognize as explosive signs, a whole roof in a small section caved in, leaving...
"Explosives. ...But I don't have a shovel..." A shake of her head, "Ah..." She sucks in breath, "Right. I'll... do this very carefully."
Lily moves to start plcing explosives, one half-measure at a time.
DG: Lily Keil has used her Tool Explosive Charges toward her party's challenge, Blocked Passageway.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"That was a mess," Leon says. "I didn't think we'd encounter those up there." He walks into the next room, with her, and looks down at all the debris -- and frowns at it.
He nods, as she starts to set charges. Then, he rolls his coat sleeves up -- and using his bare hands, he grabs some of the rock, and starts moving it to the side. He puts it away, carefully moving each rock to get it out of their way. Leon looks sideways at her, for the occasional piece of guidance.
After all, he wants to make it easier for her to blow a hole through the rubble -- not cause it to cave in or weaken the effect of her charges.
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Blocked Passageway. DG: The party led by Leon Albus has passed this challenge! The party gained 16 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"You said it was a whole nest... I'm sure you were right." Lily shakes her head. "At least I'm not out of disinfectant yet." Lily moves further in, looks to Leon on occasion to direct him to move this rock or that rock or open this place, after which point she'll place a charge there.
"Good work. Now it's just time to..."
She nudges him bak with her, and puts out both hands, throwing out her hands and letting loose a small explosion that erupts into a larger. Dust goes up everywhere, and Lily instinctively throws up her arms for more bats... but there are none.
There is, however, a new chamber opened up, that's ripe to explore.
DG: Leon Albus has drawn a new Challenge. ================================<* Sult Ruins *>================================ ===================<* CHALLENGE - Rodents of Unusual Size *>==================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Old ruins have a number of creatures living in them, but nothing is quite as ubiquitous as the mutated giant rats that appear throughout Filgaia. When driven into a frenzy by extreme hunger, these beasts will leap from the shadows and attack whomever is in their path! Many a party of novice adventurers have been sent fleeing in terror from the horrible squeaking of rodents that happen to be the size of large dogs. =Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
He moves back at Lily's urging, and then Leon watches as the explosion rips through the hallway -- and the rubble is cleared. That makes him smile, nodding proudly at her. His silver eyes turn, looking at Lily thoughtfully for a moment, before he looks ahead.
He hears the squeaking, next. It isn't cute; it has a snarl to it, and then he sees the shine of red eyes, before he realizes what this is. These are far too ubiquitous in Filgaia's ruins.
"Rats!"
He also knows what to do. Leon fires, his shogun pumping rounds into the midst of rush of rats, trying to blow back as many as possible. His teeth grit together. At bare minimum, he can be sure they could push their way past if they had to.
DG: Leon Albus has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Rodents of Unusual Size.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily is pleased with Leon's smile, with his pride, and her golden eyes cant to his silver s he looks at her. But too quickly, there is squeaking, and Lily's fingers shift almost to her pistol. Only almost though; they come quickly, and she sees those eyes as Leon says--
Rats.
"Damn!" Her hands shift up and suddenly she's holding a greatsword made of magical flame, held together by force as much as anything, and /hacking/ in a broad arc at the rats coming up towards her.
"Can we push through!?"
DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Rodents of Unusual Size. DG: The party led by Leon Albus has failed this challenge! The party gained 2 exploration! If anyone needs to use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"No choice!" Leon shouts. He flips up the shotgun, turning it into a one-handed broadsword. The double-edge, long blade flashes out in tandem with Lily's greatsword of magical flame. Rats are hurled back, and he starts to push forward. Bloodied, torn rat corpses are left in their wake -- but so are bites and scratches, and bruises from where rats shoved past.
By the end of it, they have forced their way through -- but Leon is breathing roughly, and he has a limp. He comes to a stop at the end of the tunnel, and stares up at the next door.
Best to take their chances, he reasons. He reaches his hand out, and gives it a shove. The door swings open...
DG: Lily Keil has drawn a new Challenge. ================================<* Sult Ruins *>================================ ==================<* CHALLENGE - The Endless Shifting Floor *>================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Agility |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The moment the party enters this room, it becomes obvious that there is some strange force at work influencing these ruins. The floor immediately begins to shift and move around, each two by two foot panel moving in a different direction, sliding past, around, under, and over each other in a complicated pattern. The door on the other side seems a lot further than the thirty feet that it is, although there is a red crystal in the center of the room, encased in a clear sphere of some material with an opening in the bottom. Crossing to any point in the room is an act of daring, requiring nimbleness and speed before the floor drops away or slides off in some strange direction. =Dungeon Conditions: Slow=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"Then through it is!" Lily hacks away as best she can, dropping the sword for an icy shield as she takes another rat to the chest, throwing out more flames in an arc like her sword again... and they make it through eventually.
Lily's breathing is a little strained, though she's hiding it well. She stops after him, staying upright as much from stubbornness as anything; she certainly wants to lean. "Mm..."
Lily steps through the door, and there before both of them is some sort of bizarre moving, shifting floor, each panel moving around and working on a pattern that seems strange to Lily for certain. Lily looks out towards the red crystl, looking toward that central area...
"All right... Lead the way, Captain. I'll follow."
DG: Lily Keil has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Endless Shifting Floor.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
Leon stares at the shifting floor -- each panel moving, and a threat of falling through -- before his eyes drift towards the red crystal. He considers, then realizes. If they could get to that -- or perhaps otherwise hit it -- then maybe they could stop the ever-shifting floor. That seems wise, he determines. Leon looks back at her, before he considers how to approach this.
"After me, then," he says. He steps on a tile as it comes. Then, he takes another cautious step -- and another. His feet nimbly move across plates, but he feels himself slip sometimes. The former soldier almost spills off once.
But then, he gets close to where the crystal is. He pulls out his climbing rope -- and spins it over his head, before he swings hard for the red crystal!
DG: Leon Albus has used his Tool Climbing Rope toward his party's challenge, The Endless Shifting Floor. DG: Lily Keil is too exhausted to continue!
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
So after Leon Lily goes. Keeping her vision steady she can do, but keeping herself steady here is harder; it's not whether there's a pattern... it's whether there's a pattern she can use.
But Leon is faster, and Leon is better at spotting those patterns regardles, so Lily steps on the tile right after, the next, and the net. She isn't nimble in the same way that he is, but she keeps up.. at first.
Only at first.
They reach the crystal and she tries to follow where he's swinging his rope, before she--
Slips--
And bangs her knee hard. "Uh--" She starts falling, "Leon!"
Disappearing quickly under another platform, Lily ends up through a tunnel that's knocking her outside.... and knocking her around with her uncontrolled fall in the meantime, until she is swept and lands against rock.
By the time Leon makes it out, she'll be almost doubled over, hissing and coughing.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
He hears her bang her knee, rather than see it. Then Leon turns and sees Lily fall -- and shouts, as something more primal, tapping into all of the fears of the last few weeks takes over. He already lost the rest of the squadron. There are, of course, the things that are his fault. The ways their lives have been changed that rest on his shoulders.
And seeing her fall like that reminds him of Roanie. His eyes widen, as she drops down, and then he doesn't even have to think. His rope still in hand, he leaps down after her.
He shoots through the tunnel, knocked side-to-side, and comes out into a roll, falling down the hillside. He lands a distance from her with a thump. Then, he stirs, sitting up, and looks at her for a moment.
"Lily," he says, trying to catch his breath. "Are you all right? Anything broken?"
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily looks up when Leon tumbles out of the tunnel. Moments ago in the room, she remembered his shout, and she feels guilt even now for voicing her fear the way that she did. It would be shame under some circumstances, but knowing how Leon feels...
"Fine," she says, with a strained voicetaking a deep breath and lowering her knees a little bit. "I'm sorry. Nothing's... broken." Lily forces herself to move at that point, sitting up and stretching out both of her arms to demonstrate the truth of what she said. "I'm just going to be sore. Those ruins really did a number on me."
A shake of her head, as she winces again making herself sit up the rest of the way. "I think I'm done for the day if I don't want to seriously injure myself, though. That... could have gone much better. I was just... Entirely unprepared for much of it."
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
Leon looks sideways at her -- and then shakes his head once. "Good. Nothing is broken," he says. "We were overwhelmed. I didn't expect the soldiers -- or half of what we found in there." Truth be told, there were parts of life as a Drifter that he wasn't used to. Ruins could be unpredictable in ways he never expected. He leans back, then, and nods.
He has to think for a moment. "We should fall back to Saint Centour," he says, "and then regroup. I think... there must be something within there. Some reason those soldiers are guarding it."
He frowns. "We should see if we can find some assistance," he concludes.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily thought Leon might want to see a little bit of clearer proof; she knows he's aware that she'll hide her own injuries, given the chance, because she did it regularly. Now, however...
"Agreed," she says about what they found, and then looks over to him thoughtfully. "Yes," she says after a moment. "Saint Centour it is. Then we can figure out that reason."
A pause, "...I guess other Drifters might be a valuable resource here after all. I think I can remember how to be sociable." She gives him a small grin, and then reaches out a hand. "Your arm, Captain," she says with some ceremony.
"...I guess we had to try to trust someone a a bit. I'll watch your back regardless."