Beyond the Boundaries

[tyrants_son]

WHO: Dustin, Felwinter and Link
WHERE: Westward, ho!
WHAT: Felwinter finds himself in...interesting company as he finally sets out for a long put off expedition beyond Temba's city limits.
WHEN: Later this month
WARNINGS: N/A


Organic beings needed preparations, supplies, for a trip. Felwinter remembered these things when he contacted Dustin. 'Star roof', probably wasn't much of a message, but he knew Dustin would understand. He left a more detailed message there, penned and folded under a rock: 'I plan to set out in five days' time. If you wish to join me then pack accordingly and comm your confirmation. Several days out and then back, unless we find any reason to extend our venture. If you have anyone you trust to come along, then so be it.'

He wondered if he was being too generous.

Link would once again find himself under much scrutiny by the helmet-wearing warlord. This time they're at least not on a rooftop, but the mood is probably very much the same. Again, there are questions, and again, Felwinter isn't certain where to even begin. Or rather, he knows what to ask, but he has a feeling that he's better off not knowing. That unseen gaze shifts to Dustin with the impending sense of a query and yet none forthcoming.

And then finally, Felwinter turns, shouldering his pack as he starts on towards the city's outskirts, pausing to cast an expectant look at the two as it seems he's going to accept this extra company after all.

Comments

[newmemorywhodis]

Bold of Felwinter to assume that Link needs things like preparation in order to stride out into the wilderness.

Though really, Link had far less in the way of supplies than he would like. But without his korok-enchanted pack, he was sadly lacking in ways to carry said supplies. He had to assume that he was going to need to find what he needs as he goes.

He had nice warm clothes, thanks to Lark. A piece of broken off wooden door, now carried on his back as a makeshift shield. A small mobile cooking set he'd managed to find. A large, very complicated looking compound bow that Dustin agreed to make for him. And, of course, the sword.

Link always had the sword.

As he arrives silently however, Link shows no sign of being bothered by or being paying much attention to Felwinter's scrutiny. He just shows up, says "Hi," and then waits for them to be ready to go.

[quark_assassin]

Dustin is a little more prepared.

Okay - a lot more prepared. This is one of those situations where Agrii-sized equipment is actually quite useful. The backpack slung over his shoulders is half as big as he is, and Dustin has made full use of the extra volume. A blanket and pillow, ten days' worth of dried foods, a backup jar of potable water for the one currently strapped to the outside, climbing gear, jars and vials for samples, assorted tools, the bare minimum for medical supplies, so on and so forth. If there's any question as to where Link got that bow, the crossbow dangling from Dustin's hip looks just as overengineered. They're far cries from the makeshift compass he'd attempted to make Felwinter all those months ago; Dustin's had hundreds of hours to find better materials and tools since then, and several months of replicator rations to burn through for everything else.

He's not at all surprised when Link shows up, which should also say something.

"Should be everyone," Dustin remarks, not bothering to greet Link back as he pushes himself away from the scraggly tree he'd been leaning against while they waited. A wry smirk flashes across his face for an instant. "Didn't I say I'd find a replacement for that compass, Felwinter?"

[tyrants_son]

Felwinter's own pack contained a few tools and spare ammunition for the shotgun he always carried. There were also some things he'd packed for the children organics, some jerky and packaged cookie things- mostly things Cayde had shoved at him after realizing the warlock probably had no idea what to bring along for people who actually needed to (or liked to, in Cayde's case) eat. He had a large knife strapped to one boot.

Dustin's words while not explaining anything still confirm that the invitation of the strange hoarder is his responsibility. The warlord does look back at the boy though, head tilting just slightly. "You did..." he says, but the question mark is there, even as he turns his head in Link's direction as they move on towards the forest's edge.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link says nothing as they walk. Felwinter's question isn't directed to him, after all, so he feels no need to answer. (Though Link hadn't realised that he was here to replace a compass...?)

He does, however, pay close attention to their surroundings as they walk. When they're into the forest a little ways, he'll climb a tree and get his bearings - but for, he just looks for anything interesting. Curiously shaped trees. Mushrooms before. Bugs. The usual.

[quark_assassin]

Dustin trails along, footsteps quick to keep pace with Felwinter's longer stride, but he doesn't make any special effort to keep track of Link. He's probably got a process, and attempting to interrupt it would just hold them all back. Dustin's own methods are a lot less active; his eyes flick around, absorbing their surroundings and processing anything unusual in retrospect as he sifts through his short-term memory, including the all-important task of internalizing landmarks so they can find their way back. That's the primary job Dustin has given himself on this mission. Everything else is just to sate his curiosity.

None of this keeps him from carrying on a conversation. "Next best thing," Dustin clarifies with a shrug. "He seems to know what he's doing and is eager to help, as long as you spell shit out for him, and..."

He rolls his shoulders a few times, looking a little uncomfortable.

"...He's trustworthy."

[tyrants_son]

Adjusting his pace to match that of his traveling companions is unfortunately not something Felwinter has taken into account just yet, and likely won't until something is said. He's used to being on the move, driven by paranoia and the fear that staying out in the open too long is invitation for making himself a target. He also wants to cover as much ground as he can with the burning curiosity in what might be waiting beyond the wilderness, prepared for the possibility that it might just be nothing but.

"Hm..." is his response to Dustin, his attention drifting from Link to focus back on the way before them. Trustworthy. He knows this isn't a light admission from the boy. It seems to be enough. Felwinter doesn't ask for further explanation.

At roughly a half kilometer, he removes his knife to mark the nearest tree, with the intent to do so at every given interval at Felspring's notice. There really isn't too much of note just yet. The trees and shrubbery have started to brighten with fresh growth with the turn of the season, the ground still soft in some parts from the snowmelt with fresh patches of grass and moss.

[newmemorywhodis]

Felwinter might be taking the slower pace of their companions into account. Link does not.

Both of Link's traveling companions will soon realise that Link is active as they move through the landscape. He's constantly running ahead or to the side, to look at whatever has caught his interest. Sometimes he's climbing tall trees, getting a look at what's around them. Sometimes he's picking up small bundles of herbs that he finds. Sometimes he's picking up rocks, looking to see if there's anything underneath.

(Alas, he finds no koroks under the rocks. A few beetles, though.)

Fortunately though, Link doesn't ever forget about his companions entirely. He never stays too far, and always wondering back to where they are to walk for a while. At least until the next distraction.

[quark_assassin]

Good enough, then. Satisfied, Dustin lets the discussion drop, focusing all of his attention on the task.

And so they continue in silence for quite some time. None of the group appear to be talkers, and Dustin isn't at all disappointed by this; he actually appreciates the companionable silence as they all do their jobs, without the grating interruptions of small talk or other distracting nonsense. It's kind of pleasant, even.

...Until a couple hours of straight walking later. Felwinter is a literal machine and Link seems to have the fitness of one, but Dustin is a miserably unfit seventeen-year-old with the constitution of a wet piece of bread. He's breathing hard and his shins are burning, and although he refuses to complain about it, he's starting to noticeably fall behind.

[tyrants_son]

The quiet is actually nice. Felwinter's been stuck with other traveling companions before, if on rare occasions. Particularly he recalls Gryphon-11, a chatty Exo that made him question himself as to why he wasn't nearly as animated or had any such urge to small talk.

How Link has so much energy to spare is beyond him, but he's not too much of a nuisance and hasn't found any trouble, so the Exo is fine letting him be.

It's Felspring who notifies him of their lagging party member. The warlord slows to a stop, turning to glance over his shoulder as Dustin tries to catch up.

[newmemorywhodis]

It takes longer for Link to realise someone is lagging. Mainly because Link was off running ahead, climbing trees to get a look at the landscape ahead.

It’s only when he heads back to the others that he realises they’re further behind than Link was expecting. He stops. Looks at them a moment.

Dustin’s stamina is really bad, isn’t it? Even worse than Link’s has been after waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection.

Fortunately, he saw something that can help nearby. So Link runs off - again - before reappearing later with a handful of berries that he holds out to Dustin.

“Naro berries,” he says. “For stamina.”

[quark_assassin]

It takes a moment of Dustin's gaze methodically scanning his surroundings for him to realize that Felwinter has come to a stop, and a couple seconds longer to determine that this is because of him. His face, already flushed from exertion, somehow manages to turn redder.

Felwinter doesn't even have to say anything. "I can keep going," Dustin puffs, limping right past him - only to have Link intercept several steps later. He stumbles to a halt with a flustered scowl.

"...You're sure?" Dustin narrows his eyes at the offending handful of small, blue berries. He's familiar with them from the 'Dictionary,' but without the Agriculture data point, he's never quite trusted his ability to tell wild plants apart to forage for himself. These are no different. "How can you tell?"

[tyrants_son]

"Forcing yourself will not do you any favors for the journey ahead. If you feel you must rest, then we will rest," Felwinter says, even as he watches Dustin continue past him.

He looks to Link when he returns with berries. Not having the Agriculture data point himself, he isn't sure what the Hylian brings, but can only assume that it's what Link's picked up if he can provide a name. He walks over to where the two are, glancing between the two before he steps a bit farther to continue to watch their surroundings as they work out the validity of these berries.

[newmemorywhodis]

How can he tell? Well, there was the knowledge from the datapoint, there in Link's mind. It told him what the berries were, what they could do.

But there was only one way to really tell.

Link takes a few of the berries. Shoves them into his own mouth. And then runs in circles around both Dustin and Felwinter just to demonstrate.

When he comes to a stop again, he holds out the berries once more.

"...Or we can rest," he adds. If less enthusiastically than he offered the berries; Link would much prefer to keep going than rest. Especially since he just ate two berries.

Fast-forwarding a couple days

[tyrants_son]

The journey beyond proves uneventful through the next day, if mostly for lack of anything interesting by way of terrain shifts. Shrubs taper off into vast meadows, alternating between shrubbery and meadowlands for most of the day. It's monotonous, and that's perhaps what makes it a difficult trek. As much as Felwinter hates the thought of camping out in the open, there isn't much choice, and he knows he can't push the two organics too much, even if one seems to have boundless energy and the other won't admit defeat.

As they resume the following day, things start to feel damper, perhaps even a touch humid. The ground is less firm beneath their feet the farther they traverse, trees that have been sparse begin to grow more densely in odd patches. At some point the Exo's foot sinks deeper into the ground than one should be comfortable with, giving them all some time to assess things, though at this point it's probably more than clear that they've come across some sort of swampland.

While the forest and fields they'd earlier traversed had been relatively serene, there's definitely more noticeable activity here. Sounds of foreign creatures echo around them. It's difficult to see very far past the plantlife, much less navigate when sometimes it's hard to tell whether your next step will end up in water or actual ground.

[newmemorywhodis]

By this point, Link is already well past the point where he can reasonably carry all of the things he's collected. He's still running around and picking up whatever is new and interesting, of course. But now when he finds something, he has to make a decision - leave it, or drop something else to make room?

It's a bit frustrating, honestly.

Now Link's climbed up a tree, trying to get a good vantage point. Unfortunately, he's not getting the kind of results he'd hoped for.

"Can't see much," he admits, before he dropping back down. "Too many plants."

[quark_assassin]

"No shit," Dustin mumbles, frowning at the spot where Felwinter had started to sink into the marsh, and the way the unstable mush is starting to slowly close in on itself to mend the hole. These are the only places where the thick swamp undergrowth doesn't seem to choke out the ground, but he can't imagine any of the creatures making the noises they're hearing could stand on these patches, either.

...Well, that's not entirely true. He can imagine it - some kind of alien specially adapted to the swamp, light-boned like a bird with sprawling feet, that uses sharp claws or venom to kill its prey. He'd just prefer not to think about it.

Too late for that, of course.

"We should grab some walking sticks," Dustin says, trying to shake that unwanted image out of his head. "Need to travel slower, test the ground ahead of us."

A suggestion that he doesn't want to make. It feels like they've been traveling slow enough, and Dustin can't deny that a lot of that has to do with him. Yes, he's young enough that he's managed to spring back from the first day of hiking-related exhaustion and is managing a lot better now, but he definitely doesn't have the raw stamina of Link or Actual Robot Felwinter. They're wasting time because of him, and that's annoying.

[tyrants_son]

Felwinter wasn't going to put any blame on anyone for holding things up. He knows reasonably that he can't expect them all to travel continuously, and although he hasn't said it, it's probably good for him to be forced to take breaks, and even better that he hasn't gone off alone on this venture.

Dustin's suggestion is given a nod. "Agreed," the Exo replies, still scanning the area. There have been multiple pings on Felspring's radar, but nothing has made any move to approach them, and some have made it a point to distance themselves from the trio's position. Curiously, there is something concerningly close, and as his Ghost brings it to his attention, Felwinter looks up towards the entwining tree branches just above the tree Link had just vacated.

"There's something-"

His shotgun snaps up just as something drops down, but given it's come down right at Link, the warlord holds his fire.

[newmemorywhodis]

The only warning Link gets is Felwinter's shout, and a faint rustle from above as the creature drops from above him.

His head snaps up. He grabs his makeshift shield - nothing more than a broken-off piece of door - and flings it in front of him. Just before the creature strikes, a transparent, red crystalline sphere flickers into existence around him.

The shield appears just in time, as the animal hits, with a vicious snarl as it's teeth and claws try to gore into the sphere. For a brief moment the ghostly spirit of a goron appears from the sphere, pushing back the beast and giving Link the chance to step back.

Only now, does Link get the chance to actually draw his sword.

[quark_assassin]

It's been a little too quiet on their journey so far, hasn't it? Dustin had started to get complacent, even. Maybe the dangerous shit was just restricted to the cities - maybe Agra 10's natural wildlife was more placid, without the external factors and the storms to mutate and agitate them.

He was wrong, of course.

Dustin is not a fighter, nor has he ever been trained to use a weapon, but that doesn't stop him from recognizing that this creature is a problem and he has an efficient tool to solve it dangling from his hip. The crossbow is in his hands, tugged away from the quick release, and raised ahead in the span of a moment.

"Shit--!" Dustin hisses. He also holds fire, but his reasoning is more to reposition; next to the bog that Felwinter sunk partway into, his footing could easily be compromised if this creature forced him somewhere he doesn't want to be. Thankfully Dustin remembers the path they took to get here and simply retraces his steps - identically - back into the trees.

Then he shoots at the animal. Honestly, he doubts Link is in any real danger, nor is Felwinter, but he doesn't want their unexpected guest to figure that out and go for him instead.

[tyrants_son]

Not that Felwinter would be inclined to let that happen. But Dustin's relocation does force him to stay his hand. His shotgun while its most optimal damage was done closeup still had range, which at farther distances made it difficult to contain, and he isn't going to risk the safety of the others by making use of it.

He tenses as he sees Link shield himself, or rather the strange figure that briefly coalesces. Some conjuration of Link's? It does not seem to be an additional problem, so he won't make it one.

The creature scrabbles to its feet as it meets the resistance of the shield, only to screech as Dustin's shot finds its mark, revealing pointy teeth. It definitely bears similarities to familiar creatures, and now that they have a better look at it it's clear how it had managed evade immediate notice for the lichen and moss that have become part of its already greenish coat. It growls as it whips its head about between them before once again throwing itself at Link, but it's clearly lost its advantage now that it's on the ground.

[newmemorywhodis]

The creature might be lunging for him, but Link lets his makeshift shield - and the glowing red sphere - drop.

Mainly so he can strike back, with a vicious sweeping strike of his blade. It carves into the creature, the force of the blow pushing it back.

Link doesn't hesitate. He darts forward, perusing it swiftly as he jumps after it. As he lands, he swings the blade down.

"Hyah!"

[quark_assassin]

Dustin's bolt lands, and there's a moment where the realization that he's just shot an animal, its obvious shriek of pain, makes his gut twist with remorse. He hesitates - but only for a moment.

Then it lunges for Link again and his brain switches back on. Movements are unoptimized, even considering the injuries, Dustin realizes. It's arboreal - must use ambush tactics to ensure quick death of its prey. Fights shouldn't go on this long. Starving? Sick? Territorial? A distraction?

The idea hits him suddenly; the creature on the ground is already dead, probably, but they haven't ruled out the possibility that these things hunt in packs. Dustin's eyes widen and he sharply look up into the nearby trees.

[tyrants_son]

Dustin's assessment is right on the mark. The marshbear doesn't have much of a chance, really, disoriented by Link's first blow before being finished by the next. It falls without further resistance.

Felwinter still has his hand pushing back the length of his greatcoat, settled upon the grip of his shotgun, but with Link dispatching the creature on the ground, he's already glancing around the rest of the area. He catches Dustin's look.

"...Felspring does not detect any further creatures in the immediate area," he offers. "But that does not mean that there won't be more."

[newmemorywhodis]

Link nods, taking the information in stride. They'll just have to keep an eye out, and fight anything else that tries to eat them.

Now that the creature is dead, he moves over to crouch right next to it. Looks it over. Is there anything he can salvage from the corpse? Maybe some meat they can cook for lunch? And...what about those teeth?

He reaches out to poke at one of the large canines, pushing back the animal's lips to get a better look. He considers them a moment. They do look impressive...

[quark_assassin]

Dustin doesn't seem to believe him. Keyed up on adrenaline and general paranoia, he keeps looking around the treetops for a few more moments, eyes dancing as he tries to pick up on similar patterns to the creature's moss-covered fur, signs of movement or disturbances from the last time he scanned the area. But, much like Felspring, Dustin finds nothing. He takes a shuddering, steadying breath.

"...Right," Dustin murmurs. Another bolt is loaded into his crossbow, unconsciously but with shaking hands. "Link, do you know what it is?"