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Post by jarahamee on Jan 10, 2024 1:49:56 GMT -6
Merit tightened the straps of her pack. The snow-covered crest of the White Fang loomed above her, and the wind picked up, whipping her chapped cheeks. It was cold today, even for midwinter, and she felt it sink into her bones. It had all started with an initial investigation of the supposed ‘warp’ in this area. This led to the conclusion that this was nothing of the kind. The specialists instead found something else. Another type of phenomenon.
Somewhere, within the dense distortion was an item emitting the large and potentially hazardous magical field.
Thus, Merit had been summoned. As an occult specialist who had deactivated, activated, and studied previously known dangerous magical artifacts, she was overjoyed to investigate something novel and charming. An object that appeared to offer infinite possibilities, which appeared to be in harmless hallucination form only.
At least, that was what she was told. The truth, she imagined, was much stranger.
She turned towards her two companions; the Silver Badge Agent, sent to protect her from potential danger, and the tall man who was a nurse, here to render medical aid if anything unfortunate befell them. She imagined she didn’t need them, but the two had been assigned to her as detail, and she had decided to take advantage.
She pushed some of her hair out of her face and took her first step towards the corded off “Radiation hazard” zone ahead of them.
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Post by beastly on Jan 11, 2024 1:46:40 GMT -6
Vincent followed along after the specialist, eyes shifting uneasily around their surroundings as they headed to their destination. It had been months since he'd wandered a place like this- but months ago his motives had been far different than what they were today. Vincent himself didn't fully understand the mechanics of what was happening, but had been informed that there was something that was creating illusions. He was supposed to go with Dr. Nasr and Agent Ashrun to provide medical assistance if necessary. A bit outside his normal job description, but it wasn't bad. He didn't have a lot to say, these women were strangers to him, but he thought things were going well enough.
'Radiation Hazard' raised Vincent's eyebrows, but he kept walking. He wasn't here to be on high alert, he wasn't here in any fighting capacity. His job was to carry the medical supplies and be helpful. If anything awful happened, he would then shift to keeping people alive a different way.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Jan 11, 2024 21:39:47 GMT -6
Agent Ashrun smiled widely when Dr. Nasr turned to look at her, her very white teeth subtly pointed at the canines. Her walk was more of a prowl, each step confident, smooth, her thick-soled boots crunching against the scree.
She was relaxed but alert, her sharp gaze watchful whenever she glanced across the slopes or behind them. The woman rolled her shoulders, glad for her jacket as another gust of alpine wind whipped through the air.
She strode forwards and in front of the duo, lifting the cord so they could duck under more easily.
“Is there any radiation, or this sign is to keep people out?” She asked, smiling at the two of them. They were both serious, focused, but very quiet so far.
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Post by jarahamee on Jan 11, 2024 22:54:20 GMT -6
Merit turned to the other two, hands on her backpack straps. Her eyes twinkled a little as she smiled. From the initial investigation, this was an exciting find, though so far, none had been able to reach the source of the magic (the item) safely.
“Those warnings are just to keep the public away, though they also have a few guards present. It would be unfortunate if a hiker or someone like that just happened to wander into an active reality-distorting magical field and got lost in there. We’re a little concerned that this might have already happened; we have no idea how long this effect has existed since this is pretty far into the wilderness for most people, besides the very, very adventurous.”
She tapped her foot idly, moving under the raised piece of cord as she followed the big man underneath.
Come to think of it, they were both pretty large. She had expected a silver badge agent to be fit and muscular; after all, they dealt with a number of local problems that were dangerous or even just potentially hazardous. The nurse had been a surprise, not because she expected a woman, but because she didn’t expect someone so… big. They both seemed nice enough. Friendly, even.
“We should be careful. Please stay close to me. I’m not sure what sort of distortion effects we’re potentially going to see.”
As they moved farther into the exclusion zone, they could almost see the area of effect. Like a trick of the light, a great dome, shimmering faintly. Translucent. Beautiful even. Not like a bubble, but rather more like the shining sides of a great crystal with many faucets.
She took a deep breath, her dark eyes wide, and put a hand in her pocket, rolling something in her palm there. A piece of Him. She released a shuddering breath, and half-closed her eyes, summoning the strength to step beyond and through the field.
The actual passage both did and did not feel like something. A prickling on the back of the spine. A subtle feeling of dread. A darkness that passed through the center of the soul.
But to their actual eyes, the forest that stretched out before them looked identical to what they had left behind. Nothing looked different. Nothing smelled different, or tasted different, and yet their senses cried out at the strangeness, the wrongness of this place.
“Forward then.”
Merit stepped forward and into the gloom. The trees menaced them, providing shade while also blocking out the light.
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Post by beastly on Jan 14, 2024 21:44:56 GMT -6
Vincent nodded at Agent Ashrun in thanks as she held up the cord, and again when Dr. Nasr instructed them to stay close. It was good to know that there was no actual radiation, and he hoped that it had kept people from trespassing. He knew from experience people would go where they wanted, but radiation was a pretty good reason for people to keep out. Distortion sounded... unnerving.
He stuck close to the two of them, making an audible 'hm' sound when he caught a glimpse of the dome. Beautiful, glittering, only somewhat there. Very strange, very pretty. He'd not seen anything like it before.
He noticed Dr. Nasr preparing herself before leading them in, and he did likewise.
He was glad he had when they entered. The oddness of it all... Felt... like... It felt something like when he'd been haunted, honestly, if only tangentially. Everything looked the same, but something was not right. It made his skin crawl.
He followed his companions on, old instincts kicking in as his eyes kept careful watch on their surroundings.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Jan 15, 2024 2:15:51 GMT -6
“Ah, we will find any humans who have wandered in.” Rika said confidently, and let the cord drop.
As per the woman’s instructions she stayed close, walking right by her side, her watchfulness turning to wariness at the unease prickling across her skin. The dome was beautiful, but she could sense the danger. The wrongness of the area.
She cast a look at Vincent to check he was following, flashing another smile. He was a big man. Very quiet. She almost went to ask him about his scars, but it wasn’t the time. Later. She turned her attention back to the mission.
Even the forest looked off. Familiar, almost. Pale trunks like the trees of her home. Similar shaped leaves, alien to this world. Her nose wrinkled slightly, and she parted her lips to scent the air.
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Post by jarahamee on Jan 15, 2024 4:00:48 GMT -6
There was just something subtly off about the air, the soil, and even the trees within the exclusion zone. To the naked eye, they were identical to the trees outside, but when one really looked at them, there was a certain familiarity that went far beyond that. Shapes, smells, which reached into the depths of memory.
A faint shape, a breeze here and there. A rattling.
As they moved farther into the forest, the sun slipped entirely under the cover of the trees. In response, Merit drew a compass out of her jacket pocket, extending it in front of her. While not a useless gesture, such orientation was usually useless without a map.
Unnervingly, the dial spun wildly, this way and that, before settling on a North. A North that both Vincent and Rika knew could not be the true North. This was some kind of magical device, and it was bringing them closer and closer to the heart of the distortion field.
Her eye roved over it, and she nodded, seeming more certain of their current course.
They waded through the forest for what felt like a long time, but none of them could remember what time they had entered, or even if their watches were still properly tuned. The phones they had brought were still at their sides, but the read ‘no signal.’ While this wasn’t unusual for being far up a mountain, it was unusual for any other cause.
Whatever was happening, Merit seemed pleased by their progress, clutching the compass tightly enough that it became sticky with sweat in her hand.
Eventually, they came to a small clearing.
In the clearing was a neat set of at least three empty tents, apparently abandoned. There were bootprints in the mud and dirt around them. Bags that had likely carried supplies sat abandoned, and the remains of a burned out fire sat in the center.
Merit frowned, putting her hands on her hips.
“What on earth?”
(You are free to investigate)
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Post by beastly on Jan 16, 2024 19:04:09 GMT -6
Vincent attempted to return Agent Ashrun's smile, just to be friendly. If he wasn't paying attention, his face usually settled on a neutral scowl. The smile very quickly faded, however, when he started to notice the surroundings. Vincent had spent a long time in the woods back home, and had spent almost a year camping in the wilderness here in Washington. He was only an hobbyist gardener, but his partner's unique dietary needs required him to be familiar with native trees and foliage. Things weren't lining up. Plants that should've died already were present around the woods, and things resembled more of the Midwestern forests he'd grown up in than the plant life of the pacific northwest.
"Th-things are... wrong here. The trees."
He mentioned it as they walked. It wasn't his job to investigate, not really, but the change was unnerving enough that he mentioned it. Dr. Nasr seemed deeply invested in her magical compass, so he made the comment anyway. And then walked.
And walked.
And walked.
His watch gave him no answers for how long they'd walked.
When they came upon the scene, Vincent jolted. His eyes fell on the tents, then darted over to the fire. People had been here- and they'd left all of their gear. His brow creased with worry as he stooped to investigate the remains of the fire and then the bags, trying to gauge how long ago people had been here.
"Campers?"
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Post by qhostqrowls on Jan 18, 2024 5:01:32 GMT -6
Rika scented the air, her gaze alert and anticipatory as she scanned the clearing. She placed a gentle hand on Merits shoulder, stalking forwards and to the forefront of the trio.
“Their scents are a few days old.“ She stated, pushing back the flap of each tent to look inside. “I doubt we’ll find them by following the tracks, not with…” She waved a hand at the forest. “How it is in there.”
She turned to the bags next, rifling briefly through each, looking for ID’s or maps or anything of use.
“How do you want to proceed?”
She looked to Merit. The woman was the lead of this mission - she was just here for protection.
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Post by jarahamee on Jan 18, 2024 12:30:54 GMT -6
“The trees?”
Merit looked up at the trees. To her, they looked exactly like the ones they had left behind, outside of the exclusion zone. But was there some difference? She studied the leaves, and wondered if it was a trick of the light that every single tree looked identical to her, but rotated in space.
As they stood in the clearing, the trees rustled in a soft breeze. It swirled about them in several directions at once, like the winds preceding a stormfront. The already dark sky darkened further, casting shadow on the three gathered at the base of the trees. The wind was cold and damp.
Vincent inspected the campfire. From the state of the ashes and logs, the fire had been out for at least a few days. Rain and wind had scattered some of the cold ashes about on the ground. The boot-prints in the soil had also been partially defaced by light rain.
His eye recognized the gear as military. Military and modern, but from a mixture of sources, different countries all used by the same person or persons.
There was no food contained in the bags; the people who had been here had taken it with them, it seemed, along with any backpacks or water bottles, but they had let the tents and some of the carrying equipment behind.
Rika inspected the supply bags. Within, she did not find any identification, but she did find a packet with a bundle of papers underneath plastic wrap. The packet had a list of coordinates on it, and another note had what seemed to be a simple map drawn on it that appeared to depict the mountainside. Several points were marked in red ink, and one was marked in blue, further ahead, towards the peak.
The bootprints appeared to peter out into the forest, making their way towards the top of the mountain.
Merit squeezed the handles of her backpack, and frowned.
“We’ll have to keep heading in the direction of our own goal. I’m not sure if we can or should find these guys, but we should report them missing when we can, whoever they are.”
She gestured with her jaw at the direction of the mountain’s peak.
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Post by beastly on Jan 18, 2024 21:26:51 GMT -6
"They had military gear."
Vincent didn't speculate further, letting the statement stand, but his face fell into a deeper frown than the one that normally painted his visage. His worst instincts told him hunters, but he knew that there were other reasons people gathered such things. They could be very invested survivalists. For their sake, he hoped so. He dusted his hands off, straightening himself up and turning his attention on Dr. Nasr.
She was right. They could only keep going. He would be keeping a careful eye out for these individuals, but that was all he could do.
His eyes fell on the silver agent, and he wondered what kind of super she was. Something with a good sense of smell, yes. Beyond that, he didn't know. 'What are you' was a rude question.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Jan 20, 2024 3:58:36 GMT -6
“Military? Hm.”
Rika grabbed the paper packet, rising smoothly to her feet.
“It looks like they may have headed in the same direction we’re going, anyway.”
She held the map out to show Merit and Vincent, tapping a nail against the blue pen mark, standing very close to the both of them.
“As soon as we’re out of here I’ll call it in. A shame there’s no signal.”
She smiled brightly, not seeming particularly worried. Maybe military, maybe hunters, maybe those humans who prepared for the end of the world.
She could deal with a group of humans either way, and she had the feeling Vincent could hold his own in a fight.
“Are you a veteran, Hudson?” She asked, staring intently into his eyes, ready to follow Dr Nasr whenever she decided to return to their route.
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Post by jarahamee on Jan 21, 2024 20:55:17 GMT -6
Merit frowned a little at the mention of the military gear. At a glance, she had wondered if they were another service who had come before, but she had heard nothing of the kind during her report. Instead, they had simply been told that there was a zone of interference, which had been discovered and initially investigated by WDSA Agents, only to change departments when it was found to be far more than that.
“There were Agents here before, but I wasn’t told they left anything behind. I’m not familiar with what kind of gear they usually carry.”
She eyed Rika’s uniform and gear. Predictably, she wore nothing military-esque. Perhaps it might be described as “swat-like” but that would have been a very generous description of their very distinctive gear and weaponry. Nothing like what was left here.
“I feel like this was…another expedition entirely. Hopefully gone…home safe of course… by now.”
The archeologist led them forward, out of the camp and towards the gloomy forest, closer to the peak of the mountain. She eyed the other two, and noticed they were tense and alert. Expecting a fight?
No fight presented itself, only a heavy blanket of gloom that settled around their shoulders. They walked farther. Murmured voices, formed shadows, familiar plants that should not have grown on the mountain.
Merit pulled out her compass, holding it in front of her body as she wandered forward, following her senses. She could almost feel it. Something was both drawing her in and pushing her back at once. Threatening to take her entirely. But what was it?
She glanced upward, only to be met by a yawning crevasse, like a open door, before her. Cold air rushed out and towards them. To the others, the opening seemed unnaturally warm. Like a yawning mouth of some great beast, though there was no other sign of life within.
Had this been here all this time? Or had this appeared only a few days ago?
Vincent and Rika would see tracks, far fresher, scattered around the ground. A crumpled gum wrapper sitting on top of the debris and rubbish.
Someone had been here.
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Post by beastly on Jan 21, 2024 22:13:08 GMT -6
"Hopefully."
Vincent agreed with Dr. Nasr, glancing at Agent Ashrun's map with a slow nod. Hopefully. He shouldn't be so paranoid, but it was built into him. The most he could do was refrain from voicing his worst 'what ifs'.
The scarred man blinked at Agent Ashrun owlishly when she asked him if he was a veteran. What? Ah. He forgot what he looked like sometimes. Being perceived was... not his favorite.
"No."
He briefly looked like he was going to expand upon what he actually was. And then he just didn't. Even the official version of events where he was in a mundane cult where no one was killed and it had been purely religious was a bit of a mouthful.
He dutifully marched along with the other two, keeping an eye out for signs of the other group as he marched through the woods. The woods that were not seasonal or of the right species for their location. The shadows and voices again brought to mind the times he'd been haunted by the phones. His brothers. He didn't care for it. That was part of... whatever it was that was going on here.
When they got to the opening, Vincent paused to watch the expert observe. He himself turned his attention to the tracks and made a disapproving 'hm' sound.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Jan 23, 2024 1:01:21 GMT -6
The circumstances were all that saved Vincent from further blunt questioning - she’d just have to hound him on the way back. She simply inclined her head in a nod, half-smiling to herself as they began to head out. The quiet ones always eventually cracked.
Rika prowled close to Merit’s side, matching her pace for pace. She exuded a kind of laid-back attentiveness that bought to mind the lazy confidence of a big cat.
She barely turned her head at the murmured voices and shifting shadows, trusting her senses would tell her when it was anything more than a trick of the magical-field.
Her pace slowed, and then stopped all together when they reached the crevasse. She was reminded of the caves of her home, the yawning mouths of jagged white stone that lead into the depths of the earth.
She stooped to inspect the prints, scenting the air again. How recently had they been here - did they match the prints by the tents?
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