2017-04-25: The Exhausting Berry Cave
- Log: 2017-04-25 The Exhausting Berry Cave
- Cast: Sorey, Alisha Diphda, Ida Everstead-Rey, Rose, Seraph Ragnell
- Where: Berry Cave
- Date: 2017-04-25
- Summary: The Shepherd leads a party into the Berry Cave to harvest berries, but it turns out to be a task for brutes, not Drifters.
=================================<* Berry Cave *>================================= The Berry Cave once held an underground grove, where the curative berries found throughout Filgaia grew. However, monsters moved inside of it, which made the cave dangerous. The tenders of the Berry Cave relocated to Surf Village, located nearby. Since then, the cave has become a nest of the monsters known as Wels. The locals advise against entering these cavernous depths, but nonetheless, the Berry Cave's namesake lures people in: those berries still grow on vines in the depths and sell for a pretty penny. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C55flOnlXMg DG: Sorey has created a party! To join, type +party/reset and then type +party/join Sorey. DG: Rose has joined your party! DG: Seraph Ragnell has joined your party! DG: A party led by Sorey is now entering Berry Cave. DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
======================<* CHALLENGE - Militia Checkpoint *>====================== |Type: Entry |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- One of the local men from Surf Village is assigned to watch the entrance of the Berry Cave. He has been told to not let anyone pass -- especially those Drifters. But, he seems to be dozing off, and he is certainly bored. Maybe you can find a way past? =Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
Sorey had spoken with Rose recently about making another expedition into the Berry Cave. Their last venture into the area had been less than productive - while they had found a few Berries, they had been chased off by a dangerous monster in the furthest depths.
Sorey hadn't actually seen the rumored hidden ruins deep within the cave for himself, and Rose had expressed an interest in collecting some of the rare healing berries as well. So it seemed like a good joint venture!
As a result, Sorey had placed an advert for a Berry Cave expedition in the Adventurers' Guild, looking to pick up some additional help. Edna had declined on account of 'You were pretty hopeless in there last time', and Mikleo was generally willing to help, but Sorey was wanting a bit of extra backup for this expedition.
And so their little caravan had rolled out, arriving at the overgrown entrance to the cave without too much trouble. Of course the last time they had been here, there had been a guard at the cave, and Sorey wanted to make sure they could sneak past without having to inconvenience the man.
And so he had brought along a bladder fitted to a long string, and with a weird sort of whistle Sorey had carved shoved into its neck. It was dropped a modest distance away from the cave, and Sorey had put a rock near the bladder supported by a stick. A pull of the string makes the rock fall over, which would drop it on the bladder and create a strange groaning sound.
Back where the group is hiding, waiting to make a break for the cave, Sorey double checks the Celestial Record to make sure the design looks good and thumbs up. "I think we're about ready. Anyone have any other ideas if he doesn't take the bait?"
DG: Sorey has used his Tool Sorey's Celestial Record toward his party's challenge, Militia Checkpoint.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Alisha Diphda, for her part, had agreed wholeheartedly with another trip into the Berry Cave. She left the advertisement to Sorey -- and to Rose, who she had a chance to talk to. She walks a little behind Sorey, and peers over hs shoulder as she gets closer. She stopps, though, as she watches Sorey do his weird... little... fishing trick. Her eyes turn from him to the others, before she looks at Rose.
"I normally do not approve of tricking soldiers," she says, quietly. "But when I informed the militia of Surf Village that I was a princess, they... laughed. This may be the only way."
Then, she slips out her Celestial Record... and opens it up to the back. She squints down at it. She isn't aware that Ragnell is here -- which may be for the best. She stops on one page, which has pictures of birds, and a few notes. Then, she sticks two fingers in her mouth.
And whistles. Or, rather, warbles. Like the red-feathered Hyland warbler.
DG: Alisha Diphda has used her Tool Celestial Record toward her party's challenge, Militia Checkpoint.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
The last time Ida was here, her only encounter with anything horrible and sinister was watching something chase Claude and his party out of the depths of the cave. Since then, she's heard tales about the cave--stories of things lurking in the depths to devour unwary harvesters, things with rotting flesh and insatiable hunger. The last time Ida tangled with something like that, she ended up all but bedridden for a few months; nevertheless, the thought of things like that this close to a human settlement is horrifying.
The Reapers are widely-feared for a reason, after all.
Ida kneels beside Sorey, reading a page of notes she tucked into a section of her mother's journal. She is officially here in the capacity of "naturalist", and informed Rose that there were several varieties of berry in the cave that look edible, but are really deadly poisonous. Having ensured the fellow merchant knows of her value, she feels empowered to give other advice.
"Sometimes the rocks shift," Ida says, gesturing at the wall alongside the cave. "We found an opening to crawl through over in that region." She gestures at a perilous-looking stretch of tumbled-down rock. "If you feel air, there might be an entrance there." She's whispering, of course, but as Sorey and Alisha proceed with their distraction, she crawls out from the hiding place and starts to inspect the rocks for signs of airflow--a breeze, blowing vegetation, that sort of thing.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Flora's Notebook toward her party's challenge, Militia Checkpoint.
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
Sorey grins at Alisha's commentary about tricking soldiers. "Well, this is just part of the whole experience of being an explorer. People try and keep you from investigating the interesting places, and you need to find a way in!"
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"I doubt he'd be able to keep whatever's in there from coming out, if it's what I suspect," Ida murmurs, looking up from the rock wall to glance at the others.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
It was extremely important for Rose to get the most out of this venture. Healing items are at a premium and even if they only come out of there with the regular berries, not the rumored high-quality super berries, they'd still be ahead of the metaphorical curve. And so the merchant isn't just fielding your expenses for being here, she's also provided bags! Your task is to fill them whenever possible. Ragnell does not get a bag because Rose is a dirty Seraphist. That is to say she is blissfully unaware there is a Seraph with the party.
Driving the caravan is Eguille, and there's a couple more Sparrowfeathers in there. They are here for moral support, mostly, and to watch the caravan while the party heads inside. You don't want to leave horses unsupervised, do you?
Their first obstacle turns out to be a sentry, sadly. Rose reaches into one of her pouches, pulling a small bag of gella out. "I could just pay him! I'm a merchant, he'd probably let us through for a fee. It's nothing compared to what we'll earn when we're out!" An alternative is also offered, in the form of: "Or I could tell Eguille to make weird bird noises off to the side over there." Eguille, now a ways back, stares at the party like he can just sense Rose offered something terrible.
Idle chitchat is then offered to Alisha: "You do look more like a knight than a princess. It's probably the armor! Do you always wear that?"
It's also time to meet new people! Rose grabs Ida by the hand and shakes it with vigor. "Hello, by the way! Name's Rose, of the Sparrowfeathers! Come see us in Adlehyde, we've got a store open for as long as the festival's happening!" This is what you call aggressive marketing, by the way. Rose is, at any rate, very happy to have a berry expert along so they don't pack the wrong ones.
DG: Rose has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Militia Checkpoint.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
When Ragnell had run into Sorey the other day, they'd had a long talk about this and that, including Sorey saying it was okay if she tested him from time to time but chiding her not to do the same to his travel companions anymore. Given that Ragnell a) had gotten what she wanted out of that encounter anyway and b) has no desire to alienate the Shepherd, she'd agreed readily enough, saying back that while she's no fan of humans on the whole, she does respect the Shepherd, so she'd be willing to give him the occasional help.
That includes today. Ragnell may or may not have invited herself to see Sorey and Alisha working together for herself--see how they deal with challenges. She doesn't know Rose or Ida, but that doesn't stop her in any way. She's mostly kept quiet so far on the way to the Berry Cave, opting instead to watch the others, and so Alisha isn't thus far aware that she's here. In the same way, when Sorey sets up his distraction and asks the others for ideas, Ragnell gets a thoughtful look, then winks his way and lopes on over to the guard--and past, into the cave proper, a thing she can do because she's invisible and inaudible to most.
A moment later, spooky noises sound within the cave. They might be bird noises, if birds were the size of your head and wanted to peck your eyes out of your skull to devour the tender meats within. It might be best not to ask how, exactly, Ragnell is making those noises.
DG: Seraph Ragnell has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Militia Checkpoint. DG: The party led by Sorey 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> Sorey has posed.
Sorey grins at the aggressive marketing that Rose is performing here. Well, it was to be expected after all. But he isn't sure that a bribe would work all that well, if only because of the fact that a guard fooled isn't giving them tacit permission to venture inside. "They are supposed to keep people out, so I'm not sure paying them off world work. Also this way, the guard doesn't get in trouble if we sneak in and something bad happens to us - if he took a bribe, then he'd be responsible, and I wouldn't want to put that on him."
The Shepherd does keep an eye on Ragnell - while he hadn't had any real trouble with the Seraph during their last meeting, he did know what had passed between her and Alisha previously, and Sorey had expressed his... displeasure with that meeting.
But it seems that their trick works well enough. The multiple noises are enough to confuse the guard for a moment, and he starts out into the woods to try and figure out what is going on. Sorey waits until he's out of immediate sight of the entrance of the cave, and points forwards. "Alright, let's go!" he states. And then makes a dash for the cave.
So far, so good.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has drawn a new Challenge.
======================<* CHALLENGE - Blocked Passageway *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- A large boulder has fallen down inside of the cave and rolled before the passageway leading to the next room. If you want to keep going, you need to do something to get rid of it. =Dungeon Conditions: Weaken===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida endures Rose's gladhanding with a warm, genuine smile and a firm handshake that most assuredly does not speak of a similar background in business, whatever would give you that idea. "I'll be sure to," she says, though she glances a little nervously at the guard. Fortunately he seems to be moving off--and that gives Ida the chance to dash into the cave, following close on Sorey's heels. "That rockslide looked rather recent," she says, glancing back at her companions. "I just hope it didn't--"
Oh, it did.
The rockslide Ida identified has also collapsed part of the cave ceiling; a particularly large slab of rock forms an impressive natural barricade. It looks big enough to lift, but...
Ida is not content to just sit around for this one. Determination glimmers faintly in her eyes as she walks up to the boulder, and does her best to assist with the inevitable moving-large-stubborn-rock exercise. To her credit, she's actually gotten a little better at it.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Blocked Passageway.
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
Another one of these rock falls. Sorey looks at the collapsed boulder for a moment, and thinks back to his training. Because Edna had been having him lift rocks to try and deal with just such an occurrence. No, Sorey wasn't going to be held back by a rock this time!
"I guess we don't have a choice. We're just going to have to push this thing out of the way!" he declares.
"Sorey. You're like the only guy actually here. Wouldn't it be better to try and find a better way?" Mikleo asks with a chuckle. Of course, he's also putting his shoulder against the rock alongside of his old friend, and helping to put some pressure on it to commence with the rolling.
"I'm... not the sort who is going to say 'hey, just sit back and let me handle it!" Sorey replies, straining against the rock. "...I mean even Ida's trying to help out! I think we can do this!"
Of course, he hasn't adventured with Rose before, and Ragnell... may not do rocks, being a Thunder Seraph and all. Still they gotta try!
DG: Sorey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Blocked Passageway.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Oh, yes! Well... usually," Alisha says, with a look back at Rose. She smiles at her, then nods to emphasize her point. "If armor isn't appropriate, I will. But I am a knight. I consider myself more of a knight than a princess, if I am being truthful."
She blinks, though, at the spooky noises that Ragnell makes. She still doesn't know that the Seraph is there. Alisha shudders, but then she nods at Sorey. She dashes after him, bolting into the cave.
With an apologetic look to the guard.
And then they slide their way down to the boulder. SHe frowns, as she looks at where it fell -- and then at Ida. She nods, once, to her. "Miss Ida," she says, "please allow me to help." Then, she pulls her arm back. The dim light her glints off her plate mail gauntlet -- and the steel-like crystal threading it.
"HYAAAH!"
She cries, and punches it mightily!
DG: Alisha Diphda has used her Tool Crystal Gauntlet toward her party's challenge, Blocked Passageway.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
Rose is hot in Sorey's shadow! She's fast on her feet, though when they come upon a very large boulder she kind of slows down. "Geez, Sorey, I wouldn't worry so much about it! It's probably standard for them to take cuts from merchants. Aaah, well! I guess that's why you're mister Shepherd. Is there something someone could do to make you want to hurt them?" It's an innocent question!
Rose is about to move in to help Ida move the very tiny rocks she CAN lift, when Alisha steps forward. Rose turns, ever smiling. "More of a knight than a princess? Howso?"
This question is quickly answered.
Rose takes a mental note to stay on her good side, and maybe to apologize to Rosh for laughing about Alisha giving him a black eye.
... nah, it's still hilarious.
DG: Rose has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Blocked Passageway.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Ragnell waits inside for the arrival of the others. She kind of has no choice, since the way further in is blocked off by a giant boulder. Although she's a competent combatant, brute force is not really her forte, so just shoving these rocks out of the way seems like an exercise in futility.
That's what Ragnell packs some extra surprises for, though. She gives Ida a thoughtful look as the classy-looking lady immediately gets her shovin' on and Sorey and Mikleo help out, then dips a hand into her poncho and pulls out an egg-shaped device. She pulls a pin on the end, then chucks it towards the far end of the cave, where there's the slightest of gaps between the entrance and the cave-in...
A moment later, it'll explode, coincidentally in time with Alisha's punch. (That gets a grin from Ragnell, who is conscientious enough to stifle an outright laugh, though this is as much at the way Alisha answers Rose's question than anything else.) Theoretically, between Ragnell's grenade and Alisha's gauntlet smash, it might help crack the grenade into smaller, more easily shoved pieces.
DG: Seraph Ragnell has used her Tool Electric Grenade toward her party's challenge, Blocked Passageway. DG: The party led by Sorey 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. DG: Rose has drawn a new Challenge.
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Tangled Vines *>========================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | ----------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------- The open archway leading into the next cavern is, unfortunately, covered. Thick vines run from the ceiling and dig into the loose gravel below -- and they prove impossible to simply yank aside. These need greater force to clear the way. =Dungeon Conditions: Tire=====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida and Sorey manage to shift the rock a considerable fraction of an inch. The rubble above it rumbles as it resettles itself into a slightly more stable position, as most of its weight is no longer resting directly on the blockage. Rose scoops up some of the smaller fragments as they work, but before long, Ida's bad shoulder starts to chastise her for her exertions with its favored punishment: stabbing pain.
As a result, Ida is relieved when Alisha steps in. "Of course," Ida says, immediately assuming Alisha is going to try and push with them. She glances over her shoulder, sees the Princess pulling back a fist, and scurries out of the way. The tiny little electric grenade goes 'tink' against the stone a moment later, before lodging itself in the crack a split-second before Alisha's punch connects.
Ida blinks. What was that?
And then the rock explodes, shattering into fragments with a thunderous crash! Pieces of it fly everywhere, but most of it goes further down the tunnel. Sparks of electricity play across the now-open cave mouth. "Impressive," Ida says, as draws her arms away from her face and gets a good look. "Was the, ah, electricity yours as well?"
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
What WAS that electricity?
That's a great question.
Rose takes the lead, perhaps out of curiosity for what the cave contains next, but also maybe to avoid saying something about understanding why the guards would laugh when Alisha introduces herself as a princess. Better not give Alisha something else to punch!
This is unfortunately exactly what the cave does, as the group is halted by vines and plantlife that's decided it needed to block the path. There's quite a lot, far too much to just walk through casually, and Rose wonders idly if setting it all on fire wouldn't be the simplest solution. The smoke might make that a problem, sadly.
"Darn, was it like this last time you came too? It's like someone doesn't want us to get through. On the bright side we haven't run into any of those... what were they called again, Wels?" She does not entirely remember what those are, but she understood the gist of the rumors surrounding the place that they are monsters of some nature or another.
Experimentally Rose tugs on a vine, finding it sturdy enough even putting her full body weight behind the pull she only barely manages to rip it out. She then actually REMEMBERS she has knives, pulls one out, and starts cutting through the green ropes one by one. "Does someone have a better idea? Maybe another royal punch?"
DG: Rose has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Tangled Vines.
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
The boulder behind them, Sorey does give Ragnell a look. "Not a bad trick, but a little warning before you decide to throw something out like that would be appreciated," the Shepherd comments absently. Which is probably a bit weird for the others given that he is speaking to thin air.
He then smiles at Alisha, and gives a thumbs up. "Great job!" he declares. He wasn't sure that rock was going to yield to their efforts, it was feeling a bit too heavy for him before all the punches and small explosions started going off.
But the vines are something that are going to defy just pulling on them - Sorey looks as Rose pulls out a knife, and reaches to his belt and pulls out one of his own. "I think we don't have a lot of choice but to cut through. On the up side, we should start seeing some berries soon as well! These are the sorts of vines that they grow on."
And so the Shepherd starts sawing, his knife cutting back and forth to try and clear a path. "I think..." Pause. "We may need a bit more punch to get through here..."
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
That, really, wasn't the answer that Alisha had in mind to Rose's question. But it works, too, and she is happy to lay claim to it. She pulls her hand back, dust rising from where her punch struck, and smiles in that always polite-yet-friendly way of hers. Even if the punch was, perhaps, a lot stronger than she thought.
She wonders about that, but she can wonder again later. She walks with them, until they reach the end of the line --because of those vines. She frowns at them, wheels her fist back, and nods. "I don't think that's necessary. Here, let me help."
She clutches a fistful of vines, then sticks a foot on the rock, and yanks.
DG: Alisha Diphda has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Tangled Vines.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Success indeed. Ragnell grins in satisfaction as her magic grenade lodges in just the right place to help shatter that boulder to nothing. And Alisha helped too she guesses. (Kidding. That *was* a good display of brute force. More knight than princess indeed.)
But Sorey makes his comment, and Ragnell shrugs. Can't please everyone--and that's the sort of thing that can't go by without her saying something. Ah well; if Alisha gets upset that she's here, that's her own problem.
"Will do," she says, easygoing enough. And since she's spoken *now*, that means she can speak going *forward*, which she absolutely does once they travel deeper inside only to find the path blocked by a tangle of vines. A snort of amusement follows at Rose's suggestion. "Don't think a punch is gonna get through these," she remarks.
Though Ragnell really can't talk. She has a survival knife, but these look a little too thick for it to be very useful... Ah well, it is what it is. She pulls the blade from its sheath on her thigh and attempts to saw away at some key points among the vines.
DG: Seraph Ragnell has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Tangled Vines.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"No," Ida says, frowning in dismay at the vine wall. "We came in through a side-passage. Then again..." If those things are here, who knows what else has gone wrong? Ida exercises stiff-upper-lip once again, responding to the obstruction in much the same way Sorey and Rose do--she reaches into her pack, pulls out her little camping knife, and starts sawing at the branches.
And then Alisha steps up, which is once again Ida's cue to scoot out of the way. At least it will save her a little wear on the blade!
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Tangled Vines. DG: Sorey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Tangled Vines. DG: The party led by Sorey has failed this challenge! The party gained 17 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> Rose has posed.
It's a long and painful several minutes of cutting, apparently. Plus royal yanking. Ragnell makes it easier on the party by cutting weak points here and there, but it's still a lot of manual labor. The vines never seem to end, either! Rose regrets not suggesting out loud to just set it all on fire. Maybe she's distracted by the fact Sorey keeps... talking to no one? That's weird. Maybe he's talking to Alisha or Ida and she's just not paying close enough attention to him.
One sluggish session of gardening later, at least, and people can proudly claim they've made it through, at the cost of sore arms and dulled knives.
"There's more than one entrance? ... why didn't we just use that one?" Rose replies to Ida, unless she meant side-passage in another way. Time to keep progressing, though! "So! You said these were berry vines, where're all the berries?"
DG: Alisha Diphda has drawn a new Challenge.
=====================<* CHALLENGE - Frightening Screech *>====================== |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- A terrifying, loud screech echoes through the walls! Something makes the ground shake and thunder! In the darkness, you see golden eyes burn hatefully! It approaches--but what is it, and is there truly any reason to panic? Time is short, before whatever this beast comes! =Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"It's you!" Alisha cries, turning to look at Ragnell. Her eyes widen, and then they narrow. Except, she doesn't look. She merely faces in her direction and is slightly off. "What--what are you doing here!"
This may not be any help to Rose.
But Alisha goes back to yanking on vines in short order. And then, in long order, as it goes by -- and then she lets her arms down, breathing hard. "This... is quite absurd," Alisha says, and that may be as close to a complaint as the princess comes. She wipes at her brow.
And frowns at where she thinks Ragnell is.
But she stops, as she spots something ahead of them. A pair of golden eyes look out at them -- and then a terrifying shriek echoes through the halls, bouncing off them. Alisha starts to cry out, before her eyes narrow. "Wait!" she says. "The Celestial Record mentioned something like this. It may not really be a monster!"
It shrieks again. A few rocks come falling down from the ceiling. Really, Alisha?
DG: Alisha Diphda has used her Tool Celestial Record toward her party's challenge, Frightening Screech.
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
"She's been following us around for a bit," Sorey explains to Alisha, although... it's hard to say, given that she can't quite see where he is. "I told her that what she did before wasn't welcome, and I don't think we should have any more proble-"
And THAT explanation is cut off by a terrible, ear piercing scream. Sorey stops for a moment, and then pulls out his copy of the Celestial Record. And points. "I'm pretty sure it says that when there is a horrible shriek from the darkness, it's a good idea to keep moving!"
Sorey points to another path out of the room, hopefully this one having fewer vines in the way. "Rose, Ida, come on! We need to get out of here! It might be that thing we ran into last time Alisha, Edna, and I came here!" Which had been fairly bad news.
Mikleo glances at Ragnell as he turns to run past, and comments to the Thunder Seraph, "You're welcome to stay here and fight it if you want. But I'd get moving - the large monsters in here can be pretty crazy."
DG: Sorey has used his Tool Sorey's Celestial Record toward his party's challenge, Frightening Screech.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"... I don't want to sound like I'm nitpicking, but that looks like a monster to me!" Rose says to Alisha, perhaps because the princess is now also talking to thin air and putting her extremely on-edge. Also because between the glowing eyes and the screech that REALLY looks like a monster to Rose. Could this scaredy cat really be an assassin? Perish the thought.
Sorey luckily confirms that if it has large glowing eyes, can shriek, and cause the cave to rumble in its wake, it is PROBABLY a monster. Rose is far too happy to oblige, and even reaches in one of her pouches to throw a small smoke bomb behind the party as they flee. Anything to make it harder for that thing to follow them!
Don't ask why a merchant has smoke bombs. For all you know they were dirt cheap or Rose got stuck with a crate she can't sell for whatever reason. Probably handy in the event of bandit attacks on the road too.
On the bright side having to run for her life is a great way to keep her mind off people's suspicious behaviors.
DG: Rose has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Frightening Screech.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
After an inconveniently long period of hacksawing, Ida has a dull camping knife and sore arms. At some point, she realized that branches were breaking on their own, but Sorey's presence goes a long way towards explaining that. The only reason Ida doesn't speak up is that the whole episode with Edna in the saloon was regrettable and awkward and she has no idea if it's Edna. Or how she's supposed to be polite with someone she cannot see or hear. The whole idea effectively causes a logjam in the social routines she uses for civilized interaction.
Ida glances at... something, specifically the patch of space Alisha is glowering at. She says nothing, and nods once, in acknowledgment. Then she squeezes through the opening they've collectively hacked through the knives.
As the group regroups, Ida has a moment to reassure Rose, sort of. "It might not still be there," Ida says. "You saw that cave-in, Rose." Come to think of it, it seems that cave-ins are as big a hazard as whatever's lurking inside--at least in the outer portions. But then--
Ida's eyes shoot open. One quick glance into the darkness, and she's in motion, locating a side passage behind Rose. By the time Sorey cries out for them to run, she's already darting past him, the color drained from her face. Alisha, ironically, has given her doubt--so instead of Devil's Due, she draws her mother's journal, and opens to a page she prayed she'd never have to actually use.
REAPERS
As she stops to gain her bearings, Sorey and anyone else behind her can see... drawings, of strange, misshapen things. Ida frowns, shakes her head, and starts digging through her mental file on wildlife. "Get down," she says, her voice barely louder than her breath. "If it's not a Reaper, we merely look foolish. If it is..."
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has used her Tool Flora's Notebook toward her party's challenge, Frightening Screech.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
"Helping," Ragnell tells Alisha. Helpfully. She even smiles winningly at her, a gesture that goes lost and unappreciated since Alisha can't see it. She also gives little salutes to Rose and Ida when they give blank stares in her general direction, mostly for the sake of her own humor.
That said, where 'helping' is concerned, the key word is ATTEMPTS. As much as Ragnell attempts to cut at them, she can barely make a dent in them, though in fairness it's a slog for everyone, too. They at least eventually get through, and once the task is done, Ragnell sheathes her knife and rotates her arm in its socket. Apparently Seraphim get sore shoulders too. Who know? (Probably Sorey and Mikleo.)
But once that trial's out of the way, another comes in the form of golden eyes and a horrific SHRIEK that bounces off the walls, cutting off Sorey's explanation that Ragnell probably won't cause any more shenanigans, or at least, not any shenanigans like the ones Alisha personally experienced.
"Well gosh, it's awful chivalrous of you to offer to let me fight a big monster all on my lonesome while you and your friends book it," Ragnell drawls to Mikleo, running along with him. "In fact, I'd call it downright sweet!"
As they run for it, Ragnell glances over at Rose and her use of a smoke bomb. Hmm. The particles in smoke make it similar to clouds, which can help electricity jump in the air... Ragnell takes a moment to conjure up a piece of lightning within that cloud of smoke and hopefully further deter the monster from following them; then she's off with the rest of them.
DG: Seraph Ragnell has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Frightening Screech. DG: The party led by Sorey 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> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Alisha certainly cannot see the smile from Ragnell.
She frowns, a little, as she stands in the dark -- and then hears what Sorey says. She would, ordinarily, agree. Except--
She pulls out her copy of the Celestial Record, and keeps readings, even as she moves. "No," she says, "hold on. Here, watch!" Then, she turns. The monster comes out:
A rabbit, with vastly oversized and adorable yellow eyes. They glow with otherworldly light. Its fluffy tail thumps against the ground, and then it opens its mouth...
...and shrieks so loudly that it blows Alisha's hear straight back. The princess stares down at it, before she turns and looks at the others, utterly delighted. "You see?" she says. "A shriekbun! I heard a Drifter sharing stories of these and made notes in the margins of my copy!"
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
Sorey just looks at it for a long moment. Really. A bunny rabbit. "That is a *very* impressive defensive adaptation, I gotta say."
He looks at Alisha for a moment. "...it might be helpful to actually catch one, but where would we keep it?"
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"How novel," Ida says, her fear dissolving into polite amusement. "You find such strange things in the wilderness." She turns to Alisha, smiling as though the whole thing were just one big joke. "May I see your notes when we're finished here? I'd known several creatures that use eyes like that to deter predators, but not one that also..." That. That thing that just happened.
It would take a very perceptive person to realize that Ida is still on edge beneath the polite, cheery public face. There is something in here, and she knows it.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Ragnell skids to a halt, turns around, and stares at the shriekbun.
And then she *roars* with laughter. "A *bunny*! Good goddess! I love it!!" They were freaked out over a bunny!! You can't get better comedy gold than that!
DG: Seraph Ragnell has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* CHALLENGE - Crate Barrier *>========================= |Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 1 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- Sometimes, Surf Village's militia tries to block people from entering certain sections of the Berry Cave. From floor to ceiling, they have piled heavy wooden crates up. They aren't empty, though - rocks, abandoned material, and more make these heavy and hard to deal with. =Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
At least with the threat of a monster gone and the vines hacked through, the group and move onwards. And onwards they move, until they can't anymore, due to the militia having blocked off the way forward with wooden crates. This would seem to be a simple enough pushing mini-game, save that they're all loaded up with rocks, junk, and other heavy material, meaning what would be a delightful romp of a mini-game is yet another muscle-requiring slog.
"Really? *Really*?" Ragnell complains to the air at large. She reaches into her poncho again and tosses up another lightning grenade. "So, yeah, I'm usin' another bomb here," she tells the group at large, and by 'the group at large' she means 'the people who can hear her.' The rest are just gonna have to fend for themselves. "Head's up."
Then she turns back to the wall of overstuffed crates and tosses the grenade at it. A moment later, it'll explode with lightning, hopefully clearing at least some of the junk and make it easier for the others to move what remains out of the way.
DG: Seraph Ragnell has used her Tool Electric Grenade toward her party's challenge, Crate Barrier.
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
"I'd get back," Sorey states. "Ragnell is gonna try another one of those lightning bombs - we can try and clear things out after she's done," Sorey states, looking at the blockage. "We saw this last time we were in here, and if we're going to run into that monster again, it's probably a little ways beyond here."
It means things are getting a bit more exciting, and Sorey hopes they can either sneak past or defeat the beast they fought last time. He was really curious to see what was in the ruins deeper into the cave. His sincere hope is that they can find a way back to Lunar - to allow his friends to go home, and to provide a point where he knows the Lord of Calamity will have to come to him.
After the blast, Sorey throws himself into clearing the blockage. He grabs a crate and pulls it off, before going back in for another. "Getting closer..." he grunts. And then waits for Alisha break out her gauntlet. He wants to be out of the way when she swings it, because it will probably make even more of a mess of this blockage.
DG: Sorey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Crate Barrier.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"WHY would you want to keep one of these things!" Rose protests, so much so it isn't even a question. "This is the kind of animal you hide in someone's room to keep them from sleeping at night, not something you keep as a pet!"
At least, Rose thinks, it wasn't a monster.
Just a monstrous rabbit.
Part of her even goes back on what she said and muses the benefits of setting up alarm bunnies in hideouts. Weeeee are going to revisit this one later, probably.
For now, barricade! Rose does not see this as an opportunity to despair, merely an opportunity to loot. Maybe they stashed useful things in those crates? Let's find ou--
Suddenly, lightning bomb.
Rose tumbles back and falls onto her rear next to Sorey and Alisha, and to say she looks panicked is doing a disservice to how agitated she is, pointing accusingly at the exploding crates and all. "S-S-Sorey, what was that?! And who's Ragnell?!" Oh no. Oh no no no no. "SOREY DID YOU BRING GHOSTS WITH YOU?!"
DG: Rose has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Crate Barrier.
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
Pause.
And Sorey rubs the back of his head, looking a little embarassed. "...um... no? I mean they're Seraphim, not ghosts..."
This isn't going to help.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Ragnell snickers and rests a hand on her hip. "Sorey, your friend's cute," she remarks, nodding towards Rose.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"THAT DOESN'T HELP AT ALL!" Rose confirms, full of life and also screeching. "So this... Ragnell has been just... watching us the entire time? And only you can see and talk to him? ... her? It? SOREY, DO GHOSTS HAVE GENDERS, HELP ME OUT HERE!"
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Isn't it adorable?" Alisha asks, with a grin. She looks sideways at Rose, then, and she looks down at the shriekbun. She tries to pet it -- but it quickly hops away. She sighs. "Well... maybe it isn't meant to be..."
She follows after, and she starts to step forward -- gauntleted hand coming up, ready to deal with the crates -- when Sorey instructs them all. She stops. She remembers what those weapons that Ragnell wielded could do. And, of course, Rose is in a panic. "Oh, Rose," she says. "He is the Shepherd. He can see Seraphim. Like Lady Ragnell."
She still calls her by that title.
She waits for the explosion -- and then she moves forward, and then grabs a crate, and throws it back over her shoulder. The wooden crate smashes to bits.
"Everything will be fine, Rose!" she tries to reassure her. "I can't see them, but I can hear them."
DG: Alisha Diphda has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Crate Barrier.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ragnell? Oh! Ida seems to understand what a Ragnell is, at least, because she nods to Sorey and backs away from the barrier. This also explains the incident with the vines earlier, though it still does not explain why Alisha was clearly so upset at one of Sorey's spiritual helpers. Was there a fight, or some bad blood of another type? She backs away, wisely letting Ragnell and Alisha explode the crates without interference.
"Madam," she says, to the panicking Rose, "you are travelling with a holy man from your world, and you're questioning the presence of spirits and miracles around him?" I mean, this could be the con of the century, still, but the odds of that are getting slimmer by the day.
Keeping Rose from getting too close is her contribution to this, more or less.
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Crate Barrier.
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
"Well..." Sorey pulls another crate out, and tosses it back down the tunnel. "She's not as much 'watching' as much as 'providing witty commentary'..."
"And that's my job. I'm feeling like she's honing in on my schtick." Mikleo is clearly not entirely pleased.
"I mean Mikleo is also here helping out too, so it's not like there's just one Seraphim here or anything."
Sorey pauses, and lokoks at Ida. And then looks at Alisha. "What DID you tell her?"
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"THERE'S TWO?!" This is not helping calm Rose down in the slightest. Alisha and Ida have more success at it, if only because Ida gives her something to reply to. "I'm a merchant, I sell things, I don't travel with holy men! Except that one time with the priest but that was a one-time deal! It's my first time really adventuring with Sorey, I didn't know he was being completely serious! I also didn't think he'd just bring Seraphim along!" Hey, she didn't say ghosts. Step up? They're still ghosts, though.
She gets back up, awkwardly. "This is spooky. At least warn me next time! So what do I... how do I... no, you know, I don't want to touch that right now, let's pretend this never happened." That's much saner.
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
"Ida, I'm not..." Sorey sighs. "I'm just someone who is doing an important job. Calling me holy isn't..." Is she even listening? ...probably not.
DG: The party led by Sorey has passed this challenge! The party gained 27 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. DG: Sorey has drawn a new Challenge.
========================<* CHALLENGE - Rotted Corpse *>========================= |Type: Final |Dungeon Ability: Brute |Challenge Rating: 2 | ---------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------- The Rotting Beasts that call this place home are rare. Sometimes, some unlucky Drifter finds one and kills it. Here, towards the very lowest levels of the Berry Cave, one was felled. However, the Drifters who came before did not clear its corpse away. Now, a pile of rotten meat, mighty bones, and the sickening remains of the Rotting Beast's victims are blocking the way into the final chamber of this route. This is grisly work, but must be done to continue. =Dungeon Conditions: Bad Luck=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
"Are you sayin' there's not room for two wisecrackin' Seraphim in this group, Meebo?" Ragnell asks Mikleo with an air of totally sincere innocence. "I wouldn't mind wrestlin' ya for the position, but I don't think your friend would appreciate that." She grins and winks at Sorey.
Rose's continued freaking out only gets her more laughter. "Man, what's she think the Shepherd *is*?" she remarks, amused. "For that matter, what's she think *Seraphim* are? Fashion accessories? Though," she adds, looking Mikleo and his outfit up and down, "I bet *you'd* make a great corset. Me--" She dramatically sweeps her poncho outwards. "I'd make a killer drape." She grins at Mikleo. "Right?"
Meanwhile, once Ragnell's grenade goes off, Sorey shoves and clears crates, Alisha straight-up hurls them over her shoulder, while Ida makes sure she and Rose don't get in the way. Between everyone's efforts (Rose provides levity so the work isn't as difficult, maybe?), they make short work of the would-be wall. Now it's time to move onwards!
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
The cleared crates make for easy going once they break through the blockage. Sorey banters with the others, trying to calm Rose down as well as convince Ida to stop calling him a holy man... although he doubts that is going to work all that well. But they arrive at a large cavern, one filled with...
...meat.
This smells disgusting!" Mikleo comments, holding his sleeve up over his nose.
"I wonder if it died after we fought it last time...?" Sorey asks, walking forward and kneeling down near the fallen creature. He's doing his best not to gag - this really just smells terrible. "But it's in the way... I don't think we're going to be able to get beyond here without clearing this thing out."
He pulls out a cloth, and holds it over his mouth. " And we better hurry," the Shepherd adds. "The gases coming out of this thing are making me dizzy - there's probably enough sulfur and ammonia that if we can't get past it quickly, we're going to start passing out."
"I don't mind carrying YOU out of here. But I'm not going to be able to haul everyone back to the entrance!" Mikleo mutters, as Sorey starts pulling one he claw of the beast away from the door further in.
DG: Sorey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Rotted Corpse.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida is listening. The problem is that she has already slotted poor Sorey's job into the faith she was raised in, which describes a Manichaean struggle between a god of light and a god of darkness. If this isn't Granas and Valmar's influence on a planet that isn't Filgaia, then what is it?
Nevertheless, Sorey seems to be getting annoyed, and it's not Ida's place to tell him what he can and cannot answer to. "Alisha told me you were on a mission to destroy a dark, destructive entity, and that the invisible presences around you were spirits. Therefore, I--" A familiar stench wafts upwards on the breeze. That smell...
Still remember the smell. Like rotting meat and blood and sulfur and bile. Don't think I'll ever forget it.
Ida trails off mid-sentence, her look of mild consternation dissolving. Her eyes widen, and her lips pull back from her teeth; her hand whips around, grabs something from the small of her back, beneath her jacket. That 'something' is a firearm that looks like it started life as a rifle, made of strange-looking stuff that might be tarnished metal. "Reaper," she hisses. The group turns a corner, Ida perched on a razor's edge of terror--
It's dead. Ida fights down the immediate, nigh-overwhelming urge to just vomit at the sight of it. Instead, she forces herself to take a step closer, and inspect the remains. "This one was enormous," she says, all but forcing her eyes open as she looks at the grisly sight. "But it didn't absorb all these... these victims." There is no way to tell if this is the same thing that almost got Claude. "Don't touch it more than you have to, don't breathe any in, and for Granas's sake, don't eat any of it in your mouth."
DG: Ida Everstead-Rey has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Rotted Corpse.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
Every moment is now suffering. Rose keeps looking left and right, trying to see what isn't there. Are they watching her? Are they judging her? What are they saying? How much do they know? Or see? Can they go through people! Does it hurt them when you accidently move through them?! No, no, bad brain! Stop thinking about it! Focus on the cave! Berries! Profit! Horrible smell!
Wait, what?
"Oh lord that's... disgusting," Rose complains, and suddenly misses the topic of ghosts, which was a thousand times easier to deal with than all that rotting meat. Ida advises they don't eat it, and a dumbfounded Rose stares. Who in their right mind would look at that and think, boy, I'm hungry, I wonder what THAT tastes like.
She just thought about eating it.
WHY.
Rose shakes her head, trying to steel herself. She isn't very good at it. "I'm not touching that! Go Sorey, you can do it!" she says, from the safety of the back row.
DG: Rose has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward its party's challenge, Rotted Corpse.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
With the pride of a job well done, Ragnell accompanies the group down to lower levels, until at last they find themselves confronted with a task of monstrous proportions.
"Oh goddess, I'm gonna gag," she grouches, pulling her bandanna up over her face. "Times like this make me wish I was a Wind Seraph." It wouldn't help with getting the crunchy bones and rotting meat out of the way, but at least it wouldn't smell as bad!!
She snorts at Ida's recommendations; they're common sense enough to Ragnell, though who knows? Maybe this group needs the warnings. More interesting is how Ida keeps mentioning something called a 'Reaper.' With context, Ragnell can only surmise it's something bad and awful; beyond that, she's got no clue. Still, it's not relevant right now, so she considers what Sorey has to say about the gases overtaking them.
"Wouldn't be as bad if it were cooked some, though, yeah?" she suggests to Sorey. "I got one last bomb left. If nothin' else, it oughtta make smaller pieces that're easier to drag away. Ugh, when's the last time I had to use all these up...?"
But with that, she pulls another egg-shaped device, purportedly the last one, and hurls it for the heart of the dead beast. "Oh yeah," she adds as an afterthought, "and y'all might wanna cover up on top, 'cuz we might be in for a shower."
KABOOM. MEAT. SIZZLING, ELECTRIFIED MEAT. And also a side of side-eye when Rose complains and tells Sorey to deal with the monster corpse himself. Why, yes, Rose, the Seraphim *are* judging you!
DG: Seraph Ragnell has used her Tool Electric Grenade toward her party's challenge, Rotted Corpse.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Gh--that smell!" Alisha says, sharply, and she pulls up some of the fabric from her uniform. She has a black mask drawn over her mouth and nose in short order. It may be used for riding, ordinarily, but it serves as a filter for the stink. She stares, though, and frowns. "This--this is what we fought last time. Did it expire? or..."
Or, did something kill it.
She nods, weakly, to Ida. Then, she looks sideways at Rose. Her sympathetic smile is hidden behind the black mask of cloth. "Don't worry," she says. "We can clear this of here. I can't blame you for not wanting to touch it. Now, let me see..." She pulls her gauntlet tighter, and she waits -- she can hear Ragnell's warning -- and stands back as chunks of burnt rotten meat come raining down.
Then, Alisha steps in, and grabs on a piece of the monster's body. Her gauntleted fists dig into it -- and she yanks, hard, trying to tear some of it away.
DG: Alisha Diphda has used her Tool Crystal Gauntlet toward her party's challenge, Rotted Corpse. DG: Sorey is too exhausted to continue! DG: Ida Everstead-Rey is too exhausted to continue! DG: Rose is too exhausted to continue! DG: Seraph Ragnell is too exhausted to continue! DG: Alisha Diphda is too exhausted to continue! DG: The party has failed this challenge! All party members are now Exhausted. Your party can no longer continue and is forced to retreat! DG: The party led by Sorey has been fully Exhausted by Berry Cave!
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
The monstrous mountain of meat is a rather horrifying obstacle for the party. And the Rotting Beast has been rotting here for quite a while - so when both Alisha and Ragnell unleash their fury upon it, the thing starts to break up.
And the rotting gasses inside erupt forth, venting from spaces inside of the things body. You can actually see them coming out, as green and yellow jets that erupt from within like small geysers.
The blast of sulfur, chlorine, and all other manner of unpleasantness from within the creature slams into Sorey like a battering ram. He falls backwards, collapsing on the ground and alternately coughing and gagging. He waves one hand, trying to breathe in as shallowly as possible as he calls out: "Get back! The air's too toxic! We can't stay here!"
All that is left to do after that is to drag himself from the room, with Mikleo helping Sorey and anyone else nearby to escape. Which leads to the poor Water Seraph dragging both his best friend and several girls along, despite his claims that he wasn't going to try and do so.
None the less, this is going to finish off the Shepherd for the day. This much gas will take a while to recover from.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"Guys, I can SEE the poison gas," Rose says, as a statement of how awful the situation is. As if that wasn't enough, it smells even worse now that it's in chunks. How is that even possible? Judging by the look of disgust on Rose's face, she does not even care to find out right now.
On the bright side she has completely forgotten about the Seraphim.
A hasty retreat is in order, and it's probably fine that way. This is a LOT of trouble for berries, Rose thinks. It might discourage her from trying again... at least right away. This isn't over, money cave!
Looks like today's being written off as a loss either way! People are still getting their money at least, because Rose isn't a jerk and has a fair amount to throw around. The silver lining of this entire adventure is that at least the Sparrowfeathers caravan is still waiting for them, so they won't have to WALK back to Adlehyde.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"Reapers," Ida says, after taking a deep breath of less-foul air, "have been known to attack and devour each other. They'l eat anything living, but I can't be sure if--" Lightheadedness starts to set in. Combined with the overwhelming nausea, this is not a pleasant state to be in. She barely manages to stagger behind an outcropping before Alisha and Ragnell explode part of the corpse...
But this monster is as awful in death as it was in its miserable sort-of-life.
Ida looks up once the meat-shower finishes. "I think I may be ill," she says, in what is the understatement of the century. Thankfully, she's far enough back that she doesn't get overwhelmed--but she is well aware of how toxic gases can build up in enclosed spaces! She rushes to Rose, whom she's already sized up as the one most in need of assistance, and--holding her breath--offers her a shoulder as they stagger out.
It's safe to say this is the most viscerally unpleasant dungeon episode in Ida's recent memory.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Ragnell's grenade goes off. Alisha tears off parts of the corpse.
And the gooey, rotting bits inside just come pouring out.
"Oh goddess," Ragnell says just before the waves of stench hit her.
On the one hand, Ida's interrupted lecture on what Reapers are would've been interesting! On the other hand, corpse gas on an unsurpassed level!! And look at it this way, Rose: if the Heal Berries weren't so much trouble to get a hold of, they wouldn't fetch as good a price. But that's no comfort now as they all have to RETREEEEEAT, trying not to gag and spew as they go. Ragnell, at least, can carry her own weight, but that's not much comfort until they make it outside to the sweet, sweet, fresh air.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Alisha turns about as green as some of the gas and guts coming out of the corpse. She stumbles back, and stammers out: "I think I... I am going to be sick--"
The lecture on the Reapers is, in fact, fascinating. But she can't very well focus on that. She stumbles away, nearly falling over, and her hand slams into the wall. She takes a deep, shuddering breath before she nods at what Mikleo says. Her steps are plodding.
But she manages to move along, for the exit.