2017-12-26: The Early Cucco Gets The Worm
- Log: The Early Cucco Gets The Worm
- Cast: Riesenlied, Lee Knight, Noeline
- Where: Gunsmoke Desert
- Date: 26th December, 2017
- Summary: In the midst of a hunt, Lee encounters Riesenlied, in trouble with a sandworm. Noeline comes to her aid as well.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
The Gunsmoke Desert, a vast and seemingly endless landscape of cracked and parched ground; not too far from November City, along a path most travelers take due to its open nature and lack of crevices for bandits to ambush them...
... the ground begins to tremble and a large sandworm emerges from underneath the surface! There's a yelp, as the giant, scaled creature hisses and roars, seemingly agitated. There's a woman in a dusty capelet trapped underneath some of the rocks where the sandworm's emerged, oh no!
What's a Drifter to do in this situation?!
<Pose Tracker> Lee Knight has posed.
Lee, on the other hand, was walking along, leaving November to continue his hunt. While doing so, he'd feel that tremble that on loose sand is much worse. Watching the giant wurm burst out of the ground had him shift that boulder forward, grabbing the haft with both hands to hold it in front of him. "Eh? Guess it's time for practice.. huh?" Lee pauses as he'd hear someone yelp. Looking from the wurm to the location of the yelp, Lee groans. "Great.." Taking off in a hard run, Lee would beeline for where the yelp came from. Ok.. so step 1. Rescue the person. Step 2. Go a few rounds with the wurm.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Over a nearby dune comes a rather muffled swearword, and then a somewhat short young woman comes sprinting over the crest of it, immediately leaning into the slope as she skids her way down the sand and leaving a plume of dust behind her.
She stands out against the burnt yellow of the horizon, a bright shape in white and red and a little too finely-dressed for the desert - not to mention she's using the blade of what appears to be an ornamental scythe in crimson to steady her descent.
She's kind of fixated on the worm, which is a pretty obvious attention-grabber - especially when she yells out "Riese!" in an urgent sort of voice.
<Pose Tracker> Lee Knight has posed.
"Bah. It's just a big beast wanting a hug. It's fine." Lee would grunt as he'd skid to a stop next to Riesen. That boulder that he was carrying? it's casually dropped, a small crater from it's impact against the ground as Lee glances towards the other person coming and starts picking up and chucking the rubble like it's virtually weightless. He did make sure to not throw it Noeline's way. "Ya hurt? Can you move? I'll keep it busy ifn you can run. Otherwise I'm guessing you're Riese and your friend should help you out.." Lee watches the big wurm as he talks. Sure, he might be treating it casually vocally, but there's definitely a healthy respect for the beast in his actions.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied does look surprised at how casually this man treats the sandworm! He's clearly not someone who would be in over his head, then... and she winces just for a moment as the sandworm lurches again--
--but as Noeline comes closer, she raises what appears to be a small gem affixed to a thin silver chain at her necklet, and it shimmers with a coalescing rainbow of colours. A moment passes... and then the worm's agitated movements stop as it leans its 'head' down nearer towards the two.
Riesenlied does appear mildly injured, with how her legs were pinned under the rubble, but she does still reach a hand out to pat the sandworm at the side of its 'cheek'. "Shh... it's okay. You were just frightened..."
Well, now it's literally a big beast wanting a hug. There's a tired look as she smiles up to say, "Thank you for rescuing me. I'm--" she winces. "I'll be okay... Noeline, can you help me out, please?"
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
It takes the odd twintailed girl a few moments to size up the situation, not that she's got any real way to stop her downwards slide, and that time is enough for Riese's gem to do its thing. Noeline's clearly bunched up and ready to pounce, but when the worm slows and stops she simply hits the ground jogging instead, the scythe in her hands seemingly melting back into-- her?
"... honestly," she mutters as she nears, immediately stooping to offer Riesenlied a shoulder of support, pulling one of the woman's arms across her shoulders as she gives the other Drifter a nod of recognition and then an wry sort of grin. "Well-- I dare say that would be an appropriate description," she shoots back, given how docile it seems to have become.
<Pose Tracker> Lee Knight has posed.
Lee pauses in his work when Riesen raises the necklace, looking at her, then the wurm with an honest look of surprise. "Well.. I'll be." Shaking his head a little, he'd chuckle and finish clearing the rubble to let Riese get up with Noeline's help. Picking up his own boulder, he'd settle it on his shoulder again as he'd walk over to pat the wurm's side. So much for step 2, right? "That's a nice trick. Could of used it the other day. Oh well. My name's Lee. I'd offer to escort you two.. but I suppose you're able to handle yourself just fine, eh?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied lets out a pained little sigh, and leans against Noeline as the darker-haired girl pulls her up and wraps her shoulder around her arm. She limps on her better leg for a moment, before smiling faintly to say, "My name is Riesenlied... thank you. Your help is appreciated..."
She looks towards the sandwurm for a moment, before it lets out a little howl and it digs itself back down towards the wasteland and burrows away with just as powerful a rumble as when it first came in.
"The wildlife around this area are restless and agitated... they're starving, they told me," Riesenlied quietly admits.
Speaking of, the woman's face looks somewhat familiar from a bounty poster -- if Lee's the type to look into those. If he was, Riesenlied is known as the 'Deceiver'. She's worth more than half a million Gella! Certainly one of the higher bounties around the region.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
For her part, Noeline looks more like a rich kid who doesn't know her way around the desert; her clothes are too fine to really stand up to the sands without a significant amount of care, and she's missing that worn kind of look that comes with desert living. Still, she moves with assurance, and from the look of her, a bit more strength than she shows at first glance.
"Noeline. More or less... I suppose," she answers the Drifter with another nod, though her eyes stray towards his rather odd load. "Not that I much fancy the trek back, but Trouble will be along soon enough."
... if there's something to explain there, she doesn't; instead, she looks to Riesenlied with a frown. The wanted posters have mentioned a 'consort', but... what an odd pair. "I'm not surprised. Even the oases we picked out originally are receding. I'm hoping the Statue isn't part of that, at least from what the Princess said, but still..." <Guest> Slime Guest disconnected.
<Pose Tracker> Lee Knight has posed.
Lee frowned a moment, eyeing Riesen, then glances at Noeline, nodding at her greeting and raising a brow at her statue comment. Shifting on his feet, he'd muse before nodding finally. "I'll escort you then. If trouble is coming, it's not fair to have you hurt when facing it. Bounty hunters or otherwise." Yep.. seems Lee did indeed know. But he wasn't a hunter of that. Lee would look at Noeline steadily. "I would ask that you talk more about the statues. Are they what's causing the sand to spread?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied looks towards Noeline, then towards lee as she expresses, "... the sand to spread? Ah... the desertification..." She frowns for a moment, as she begins to limp and move along towards the city in the background. She bows rather thankfully at Lee's offer to escort them.
"Noeline speaks of the Guardian Statues, a crystallisation of power for the beings that sustain this world... but-- as far as this goes, I do not think it is because the Statue shattered. This damage has gone on for many, many decades... I'm not certain there's any one cause, to be frank. The many wars that have gone on for decades have taken its toll on the world."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline pauses, her eyebrows raising as she shoulders Riesenlied's weight on her shoulder. "... to be clear, the statues would - if they did anything at all - halt the spread of the desert. The one that we know of is the Statue of Water, recently broken... but I am told that does not strictly affect the underlying Guardian, so who can say. I am not terrifically up on spiritual matters. As far as history goes, it just seems as if the world is winding down ever so slowly."
Another pause, and this time she chortles. "Ah, trouble is generally always on its way. It isn't bounty hunters that we have to fear most, I can say that at the very least," she snickers quietly.
<Pose Tracker> Lee Knight has posed.
Lee nods a little in response and would fall in, walking with the two women. While Noeline supported Riesen, Lee simply carried that boulder over his shoulder by that one hand on the haft. "So.. war has been causin the spread.. But the statues helped keep a status quo?" Lee looks over to Noeline and nods a little. "Hm. So who would break it? And is there a way ta put it back together?" Lee smiles a little at Noeline. "Well.. I was tempted, I'll be honest. And this is prolly the best chance I'd ever get.. But.. people with bounties helping to protect wurms? Nah. Something is off there to me. So I don't think your bounty is legit."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied looks a little guilty, lowering her head as she expresses, "In this region, there are two countries that have been at war with each other for a long time -- Aveh and Kislev. They hunger for more power, and frequently dig deep beneath the ground to find ancient weapons to wage their war with..."
She lowers her head further. "Many of these weapons are capable of causing untold damage to our world. Five hundred years ago, it was said that our world collapsed to the way it is now due to the actions of a single Gear..."
Something she's kind of had a taste of, being born in the wake of it.
She looks towards Lee to advise, "Maybe not for -- 'deceiving', but there is danger in being involved with us, I am afraid. I would not want you to invite undue attention just because you helped us."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"Hard to say if it's /just/ the war, mind you, even if that isn't much of a 'just'. Filgaia has more enemies than it really knows what to do with, and any of them could be helping," Noeline notes, a rather wry smile on her face--
--though she does pause as Lee asks his questions, her expression faltering a little. "That is... quite a large question. And one that might also depend on your faith, I suppose. The simple answer is that they help represent the Guardian's power, and forces intent on Filgaia's fall are aiming for them. The complex answer involves Metal Demons, and our split from them, and a few other things besides."
She says it lightly, but-- well, she's watching that weapon over his shoulder, still, apparently naturally the wary sort at a time like this. Still, she speaks pleasantly. "The Baskars would be a good first point to learn about both topics, if you ask me. Come to think of it, we should visit as well," she notes out of nowhere to Riesenlied.
<Pose Tracker> Lee Knight has posed.
Lee grunts at the response, walking in silence for a few moments. Finally, he'd shake his head a little. "Well.. if they come? So be it. I told you I'd see you to the city safe. I meant it. I'm from Aveh.. Dazil. My family farm got buried in sand.. my parents killed. So yeah. I want to see this power struggle stopped." Lee glances over at Noeline, then Riesen. "Lookit. I know I'm new to this whole treasure hunting business.. But I am a man of my word. As for anyone else? They'll probably underestimate me. Most do. If we can figure out how to stop the sands.. if that means restore the statues? Then I want to help." Lee would flash a wry grin then. "One thing I've found.. sometimes all it takes is havin the right amount of strength and the proper place ta apply it, ta tip a balance. Sounds like it's tipped one way.. and someone has to tip it back."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Dazil... I see..." Riesenlied nods very quietly, expressing, "I'm sorry to hear that of your farm." She bites her lip as she expresses, "We are from a village far in the valley of the Gunsmoke Desert, called Wayside. We are trying to find a home for our people, that they may live free of the oppression of my brethren..."
A pause, as she places her hand to her opposing elbow. "You... might know of them as Metal Demons, the way they're described at large."
She tilts her head as she smiles warmly, saying, "Your immense strength and keen mind would be of great help in a Dig. In order to stop the desertification... I'm a firm believer that there are many answers in the Ruins -- whether through a technological device, or to understand why it happened in the first place..."
She does hesitate a little as Noeline floats that idea. "... perhaps with Asteroid or the others' vouching... I don't believe they would receive us too warmly otherwise."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline pauses again - then lets out a quiet breath as Riesenlied relates a large part of their identity, closing her eyes throughout before she breaks into a slightly fanged grin. "To be honest, I'm not certain if the statues /can/ be repaired. The current human effort is to attempt to seal as many as possible - doing so prevents any harm to them - by means of some Baskar relic. A couple of shamans I'm aware of likely have spares, though--... I must admit that I don't actually know the ritual they use," she admits with another light grumble.
She does nod at Riesenlied's final comment, though immediately clears her throat. "--I should point out that our village are also defectors. Most Metal Demons would be thrilled to see the end of the Guardians, while we have declared we wish to understand them. ... you can imagine that would paint a bit of a target on our backs."
<Pose Tracker> Lee Knight has posed.
Lee shrugs a little. "I thought ya'll were a little different. But.. well.. I've seen odder." Like a stuffed doll turning bigger than he is. Lee shakes his head a moment, looking between Noeline, then Riesen. "So that's where the bounty is actually from? Hmm.. Well.. I'm kind of excited to square off against one. I've heard a lot of rumors about metal demons. But honestly? From what I see they're all the same in the end. Got their point of view like everyone else. We just need to quit using the planet as a way to spite enemies, I think."