So Keep Pace, How Slow Can You Go

[tyrants_son]

WHO: Felwinter and you I guess
WHERE: Temba
WHAT: A warlord returns from his explorations
WHEN: Mid-July
WARNINGS: N/A
NOTE: Will match tag format/preference!


It's strange when you come to realize how acutely different it is to be traveling anywhere without company. True, with just him and Felspring, it had been easier to cover more ground. The old paranoias had never left, but it had been somehow easier to weather with even an additional two, even when one had needed more looking out for than the other way around.

These were thoughts that the warlord turned over in his head during his venture. Felspring had detected strange disturbances in the southeast, the source of the tremors, and they had gone to investigate without a second thought. It had been quite a distance to cover, but for an Exo who needed no food nor really any sleep, it was more than manageable. The terrain was certainly more forgiving than some of the wastelands and rugged mountains he'd crossed.

He took his time out there. He'd even taken a page or two from Dustin, gathering samples, not that he personally had any use for them, but at least someone would find them interesting. Plants. Rocks. Dirt once he and his Ghost had arrived where the newly formed mountains had begun to push up. Concerning, that. Mountains didn't just come into being, especially in such a span of time.

The return trip had been made as hastily as his departure from the city.

But now the warlord is back in the city, a bag over his shoulder, still wearing his helmet and greatcoat in spite of the sweltering temperatures. He starts back towards his tower, well, the communications tower, that is, but he'll be on the look-out for Dustin.

Even so, he can't help but keep casting distracted looks back towards the wilderness he had just come from.

Comments

[newmemorywhodis]

Perhaps if Link had been available, he'd have offered to join Felwinter on his expedition. He'd certainly like to go and look at the mountain. But Link had instead been stuck in a very, very boring set of rooms, so...he couldn't do that.

But now Link is out. And as he's running around through the city, generally enjoying being able to get out and move, he spots Felwinter. And more importantly, Felwinter's bag.

"You found things?" he says, running to up stare at the bag. What mysteries does it hold?

[tyrants_son]

Unfortunately Felwinter had made the decision to leave without warning, and even before the plight of the Calibrations confinement. It had not crossed his mind to inform anyone of his decision.

Seeing Link, there is still some strange sensation of...relief? Ease? He's not sure, it's not something he's keenly aware of experiencing very often. He makes a sound that might've been a snort. The bag. Of course the little hoarder's focus would be on the bag.

"Nothing by way of treasures," he's quick to clarify. "Samples of plants, some rocks."

[newmemorywhodis]

"Plants?" Link says, still eying the bag in a way that suggests he very much still wants to see inside. And why wouldn't he? Plants are absolutely treasures.

Especially if the plants are edible. Felwinter clearly doesn't know what he's talking about.

[tyrants_son]

At least Felwinter isn't surprised that Link's interest is even more piqued. He pulls out, of all things, a bound book, carefully flipping open its pages to show some of the plants he had set between its pages.

Leaves. Flowers. He has some other specimens that wouldn't keep well when pressed flat, but the majority that he'd gathered had been kept in the book.

"These are for Dustin," he says, just in case Link decides to get grabby.

[newmemorywhodis]

...Oh. So Link can't have any of these.

He deflates, just a little, at that. But he still wants to see them - so after a momentary disappointment, he eagerly looks through them.

And since Link does have the Agriculture Datapoint, he's able to identify them - he as he looks through, he tells Felwinter a few of their names.

Usually the ones that, oddly enough, are also good for cooking.

[tyrants_son]

Felwinter hadn't taken very much of any, at most one or two samples of any given specimen. But he is not impartial to the identification that Link offers as he allows the Hylian to peruse them.

He has no use for cooking but it's probably no surprise that Link would be specific of those after he'd seen him at work each time they set up camp.

[newmemorywhodis]

Pity, that Felwinter didn't take more. Maybe if he had, then Link could have had a few...

Maybe next time Felwinter takes a trip, Link could ask him. Or even better, some along. For now though, now that Link's finished looking through the plants, his eyes drift over to the mountain.

"Did you find anything?" he says. It's clear that this time, Link's not asking about things - he's asking about the mountain. The one that shouldn't be there.

[tyrants_son]

Felwinter had no use for handfuls of leaves. If he were asked formally to gather something however, then he wouldn't disagree to it, especially if they had some uses.

He closes the book, returning it to his bag before looking out in the direction Link does.

"Unfortunately nothing to explain the cause for something so abrupt," he says. "I do not trust such a sudden appearance of a mountain." Even if it isn't quite 'sudden', it's still far faster to have formed than what should be natural.

[newmemorywhodis]

It was sudden enough for Link. Mountains were mountains. You didn't just...get new ones.

"It is...the storms?" Link still has yet to see any of those. But they're meant to have strange effects. Had some occurred while Link was in Calibrations? Could a storm cause a mountain to appear?

[tyrants_son]

"...no, I don't think so," Felwinter says carefully after considering this suggestion. "The storms are...different. At least the ones I have experienced. They have a set purpose, and normally when they occur, one loses access to the abilities they might possess. This was not the case when I neared the site."

He'd know instantly if he were cut off from the Light, both he and Felspring. It's not a sensation one easily overlooks.

"It is unclear if it is just a particular natural phenomenon of this planet or if it was instigated somehow. I cannot say I would be surprised if it were the latter."

[newmemorywhodis]

Link frowns, trying to make sense of it all. A set purpose? Losing abilities?

He really needs to see one of these storms. They, maybe, he'll understand.

As for whether the mountain was instigated...

"By what?" Link says. "...The Agrii?"

[tyrants_son]

"...no," Felwinter says, his tone heavily suggesting a frown. "Possibly the Atroma. Dustin mentioned them briefly during our previous excursion. It has been theorized that they may be the ones ultimately responsible for the Agrii's troubles and the ones who also make sport of us and the plights we must face."

[quark_assassin]

Dustin isn't an easy person to just stumble upon; in general he prefers to keep out of sight, not draw too much attention to himself if he can get away with it, and quietly move out of people's way when he sees them get too close. Even the people he's more comfortable with are not an exception to this rule. Dustin is aware that Felwinter is in a similar sort of boat, so the fact that he hasn't seen the warlord wandering around the abandoned city until today doesn't surprise him.

What does immediately catch his attention, however, is that bag. He knows Felwinter generally travels light. Whatever he's carrying around, then, must be important - plus he's moving awfully slow for an Exo on a mission. It's like he's looking for something.

Curiosity has been piqued. "Felwinter," Dustin's voice calls from a nearby building, moments before he inelegantly clambers out of the remains of a window he'd been spying from and into the street. The oppressively hot weather has forced him to dress down, shedding everything except the innermost long-sleeve shirt and rolled-up pants, but he doesn't dare pull up his sleeves; aside from drawing unwanted attention to how frail he is, Dustin knows any of his exposed skin will be fried to a crisp in the afternoon sun. He's even found a new use for his green-checkered shawl, which is now tied around and over his forehead in an attempt to give his face some shade. "Where have you been?"

[tyrants_son]

While Felspring can detect movement on her radar, she can't pick up specifics usually. She however does alert Felwinter even though by that point, Dustin's come out of hiding to greet them.

The Exo slows and turns, watching as the boy slips out, noting the difference of clothing. Ah, the weather. Hopefully looking at the still fully-clothed Exo doesn't inspire him to sweat more.

"Dustin." He nods before turning his head slightly towards the south and the distant but not so distant mountain that had virtually formed during his journey. "I went to investigate," he says, raising a hand to point. "At the first tremors. They have risen much too quickly since."

[quark_assassin]

Felwinter's state of...well, lack of change just makes Dustin wonder how efficient an Exo's internal cooling must be to keep them from overheating. If they're built anything like Cayde's hoverbike engine, which has done nothing but purr in spite of the sweltering heat, it must be pretty damn good. Dustin's actually kind of jealous. If only he could hook something up like that for himself - some kind of external liquid coolant system, biologically compatible...

Not important. "Ah," Dustin murmurs, twisting to follow Felwinter's hand in spite of already knowing exactly what he's referring to. How could he not? The rise in the ground, subtle though it was earlier in the month, was already pretty obvious to Dustin when he returned to the surface, and has only gotten more apparent in the couple of weeks since. The little earthquakes, too, have been hard to ignore. Having never experienced one personally before now (that he remembers), Dustin's had to adjust pretty quickly to their now ubiquitous presence.

Felwinter going on a personal expedition to look for himself is also not at all a surprise. "Did they start last month?" Dustin asks, turning back. "Didn't feel any underground."

[tyrants_son]

The span of development and structure between Exos and a hoverbike are probably not even on the same level to start. Exos had been designed to be humanity's solution to immortality. Most of the knowledge of that suspicious study was long lost.

"Early on," Felwinter confirms with a nod. He pauses then. "Underground?" What was the boy doing underground?

[quark_assassin]

Dustin blinks at him.

"You didn't...?" Know that Calibrations was happening? Didn't notice that a significant portion of the population disappeared overnight? Didn't care? Dustin squints, a little perturbed now. "We were walked to an underground bunker, in the mines. White walls, no doors out, forced to experience each others' dreams and memories? The old guard made it seem like this wasn't the first time this has happened."

[tyrants_son]

That clarification makes the warlord stiffen.

"...Calibrations," he practically spits, and despite the helmet, one can imagine the narrowing of those burning optics. There is no questioning his opinion of that place. He hesitates, knowing it pointless to ask such things as 'are you all right.' He'd been there once before. Once is certainly enough.

"I was gone before then. I have only just returned." And yet he lowers his head, clearly feeling some guilt for it. Perhaps he could have kept them from entering, although he'd heard the tunnel couldn't be sealed off. Would he have been able to hold people back?

[quark_assassin]

Dustin's stare narrows further with empathized distaste. Calibrations - right. That's what was painted on the wall, wasn't it? His memories of the layout and his experiences are annoyingly hazy, in that way that they have been when he loses his abilities and tries to recall events when the come back, but that doesn't stop him from being profoundly, emotionally and physically affected by the process anyway. The greasy strands of hair matted to his forehead and kind of feral look in his eyes probably communicates that well enough.

"Lucky," Dustin mutters. It's almost a mirror of what Felwinter said to him last year - You are lucky to have avoided confinement. You would not have liked your information exposed as it was. - which is on purpose. The word Calibrations brings Dustin's memories of that conversation forward in a rush. "It was basically what you described. Hallucinated an Agrii promising a way home, followed it, stuck in the mines. No malicious Atroma voice to taunt us though. Not that I remember."

He glances away, looking very uncomfortable.

"What did you find?" Dustin continues abruptly, with a quick gesture at the sack. "At the mountain, I mean."

[tyrants_son]

"An Agrii...?" Felwinter raises his head at that. "...another trick. They must employ different methods to lure people there.

He raises a hand towards Dustin as though to set on the teenager's shoulder, hesitating before he withdraws it, instead dropping it towards his bag.

"It was still in the process of forming. I'm not sure what the cause is, but nothing should be causing such a rise in the terrain so abruptly. I don't know whether this is something to be expected of this planet or if it has been caused by some other means." He shakes his head before slipping the bag off his shoulder, holding it out to Dustin.

"I took samples while I was out. I...noticed you doing so the last time and wondered if they would be of any use or interest."

[quark_assassin]

Looking away and otherwise preoccupied with his own thoughts, Dustin misses the aborted gesture. It's hard to say if this is a good thing or not; he's just relieved to talk about something else.

Only to be struck by a very different pang of emotion, one much harder to place. "You..." Brought back stuff just for me? Dustin doesn't voice the thought, but his eyes glitter when he looks back at Felwinter, only for a moment, before he drags them away to focus back on the bag. He clears his throat. "--Yeah, uh. Soil samples could be useful, especially if new rock is being formed or existing minerals are being shocked into new states. I'd predict some kind of caldera forming, but..."

Dustin shakes his head pensively.

"...The rate is way too fast. It should be centimeters of elevation per year, not per day." His brow furrows. "Screams of artificial interference."

[tyrants_son]

"I have brought such samples. Soil and rock. I have noted approximate mileage from the city. Plants...I was not quite sure how to store, but most of the specimens are pressed in a book."

Felwinter nods slowly in agreement with Dustin's observations. "I have considered the same. They have formed too fast. It would not be surprising if this was from an external cause. In that case, the concern should probably also be as to what the purpose is."

[quark_assassin]

Dustin nods back. "Agreed," he murmurs, frowning. "Could be a new underground complex - the Atroma seem fond of using those. I had assumed they coopeted existing structures, but it's not outside the realm of possibility for them to make their own."

He pauses, then shakes his head again, more dismissively this time.

"--Enough speculating," Dustin sighs. "You were planning on unpacking your samples first? I can come back with something to transport the ones you don't want to keep."

[quintet]

Felwinter's heave feet are unmistakeable; Quintet hears him a long way off in the oppressive silence of the ruined city. Or, she assumes it's ruins. From Quintet's perspective, the edifice is still mighty, and well-apportioned for civilized dwelling-places.

But even on her daily excursions, once or twice every week, she'd be lucky to spot him on his way in or out. Outbound, she had missed him. This time, she is lucky.

"Felwinter!" Quintet shouts, dropping from low rubble-wall to tussocked pavement, trotting with purpose across the boundary between city and wilderness, seeing little enough division between them, "You're back! I missed your departure, how was the journey? You want some spider? I had a good hunt this morning."

[tyrants_son]

The warlord casts a look towards the feline at her call, allowing for some deviation from his earlier path of intent to meet her half-way.

"Quintet," he greets, his helmet dipping in a nod of acknowledgment. He's unsurprised that his departure had been missed, although it's more of a surprise for him to find himself missed at all. There's a headshake at her offer, but at least he's trying to be polite about it.

"Surprisingly uneventful. Since the first tremors, the woods have been still. But perhaps that isn't so unusual. Most creatures have sharper senses than we do." And have likely cleared out to avoid being anywhere near the forming mountains.