songerein | closed ⚡🌠 where the pulse of the land offers no respite

[Between the two of them, it takes no time at all until the last bat finally falls, only the sounds of the crackling ice, the buzz of electricity still in the air, and the whips of flame remain.

Eustace will scan his eyes around, but he'll slowly relax his stance.]

...I think we got them all.

[Tifa, too, gives the cave one last scan before her eyes fall to the pile of large bats on the ground. It's crazy sometimes to think about how quickly the pair of them can make work of anything, and this is no exception. She allows most of the flames to die down, but the vines remain firmly in place until they are ready to leave, and she slowly approaches his side, a flicker of fire following her to help light them up.]

Looks like...

[Up her gaze goes to the ones that remain struck by the ice spikes above, then down to the ones that lay lifeless on the ground all around them.]

What do you wanna do with them now...?

[He had said he wanted to investigate them, but... how, exactly?]

[...Hm.

He glances at Tifa for a moment before he walks towards the nearest one on the ground. Crouching down to one knee, he holds up a lightning orb to more carefully examine it.]

...Strange.

[His brows furrow as a frown sets, a hand reaching out to touch the hide of the dead creature.]

I feel nightmare energy from them, but it's not as concentrated as a noctaere. Given how long their corpses are remaining, I can conclude these are just creatures who have adapted to living in this area.

[But he's still concerned.]

[And she can hear that concern laced in his voice, and as she steps up and kneels beside him, she sees that frown there, too.]

So then... why so aggressive about the crystals? You think they need them for something, too?

You would...or at the very least not bother with them. Not to mention the destruction of the crystals seem recent. If they have always felt threatened by them, they would have had this issue long before now.

[It's then that Eustace notices something on the bat's leg, and he frowns as he moves more of the fur to reveal...

...?]

This...

[He reaches out and yanks off something that was attached it. Opening it in his palm, there is a metal black circle with what looks like numbers engraved on them.]

...A tag?

[She shuffles a little closer, her hand coming up with flaming fingertips to help light the thing in his palm a little more. That is most definitely a tag... but for what?

With her free hand, she searches around for the leg of another bat, wincing slightly as she pulls back the fur on its leg to reveal another, the numbers different from the one that Eustace is holding.]

Were the Orkilins keeping track of them? Using them for something...?

No... They were as confused about the bats behavior as anyone else. However, that doesn't mean someone else could have been without their knowledge.

[He looks again at the bodies.]

Let's take a few more... And we should hold onto at least two ourselves. Just in case.

[In case there really is someone on the inside sabotaging things. Having had such a thing happen back in his world, he is much more sensitive about the prospect, no matter how long it's been.

If they can have the team at the Observatory launch an investigation as well, that should help cover bases. And they can hold onto the last as the final safekeeping.]

[...

....

Tifa watches him look over the bodies before—]

Wait. Take the bats!?

[What—]

No, the tags!

Edited 2023-10-06 23:12 (UTC)

[A terrible, embarrassing misunderstanding, and there's just the tiniest, flustered 'oh' from Tifa before she's hurriedly tearing off one of the tags from the bat's leg.......]

Er... right... the tags.

[She hands it to him, hiding the way her cheeks have coloured.]

Wonder what this has to do with the crystals, though... It's not totally impossible that these are chipped with something, but I guess there's only one way to find out.

[Her imagination is probably running away from her, but if the behaviour was new and surprising to even the people who worked down in the mines, then there must have been something to set them off?]

[Wife what were you thinking... But her words make him look up in some confusion.]

Chipped?

[Help, he's still from ye olden medieval fantasy with just some sci-fi things so he doesn't know that terminology.]

[Oh. Right. It's so easy to forget these days that they both come from completely different worlds.]

Yeah.

[A heavy shadow falls over her expression as she remembers some of the experiments that she had seen first-hand... It's sort of the same thing, and she shudders to think that this could be what happened here. It's unlikely, but not impossible.]

I saw it a lot with Shinra. Experiments and that sort of thing. A chip, or a tag, or something that was either implanted or around them that could control something. An animal, or...a monster. Could be something with sound, or sight, or in this case, magic.

[There's a drawn-out pause, her eyes going distant, before she returns.]

... I mean, I doubt that's what's happening here, but...

[The first place her mind had gone was, naturally, the thing she was most familiar with.]

Edited 2023-10-07 00:26 (UTC)

[He thinks for a moment...]

Control... Implants... I think something similar happened in my world somewhere. Only crystals were used... Regardless, I think I understand.

[Another frown as he looks at the corpses.]

In that case, it would be better if we could take one back to be examined.

[Now her nose crinkles.]

I guess we could... Maybe freeze one in ice before we do.

[To... preserve it... or something.]

You think the researchers at the Observatory could do something with it?

I think so.

[Now which one to freeze... The least damaged one...]

Just a matter of transporting it.

[Although large, they are still small enough to carry, so after picking out one he extends his hand to encase it in ice.]

Edited 2023-10-07 02:07 (UTC)

[She just gives a nod, but she knows that it isn't going to be as simple as just getting the bat out of here. There were other things, too...]

And what about the crystals? All the dust that we found outside... We can't just leave that, can we?

No. We should be able to leave this with some others instead...

In fact I think there are some researchers from the Observatory here who wanted to study the city and their technology. We can leave our findings with them and return to continue our own search.

Could maybe use a break...

[They have been walking a long time, and she hasn't used her dreamotion that much in months that maybe a breather might do them both some good before they journey any further into the mines.

Though, now that he mentions it—]

They're not all the way back up at the surface, are they?

[A small nod. While he's feeling less winded, a break after this discovery wouldn't be a bad idea, especially as the noise could have either attracted or scared off additional attention.

With the bat now hefted over his shoulder and a few more tags collected, he'll make for the entrance.]

No, I believe some arrived a few days ago so they should still be here.

Think they'll have something to eat over there?

[A sheepish smile as she walks alongside him back to the entrance that is still blocked by the vines, and she exchanges a cautious look with him before she very slowly starts to pull them back with her magic, one by one peeling away to reveal the larger part of the cavern on the other side, only because she doesn't want any surprise attacks coming at them if any of the bats had lingered.....]

[...

Cute.

After checking to ensure the coast is clear, he steps out first and then gestures for Tifa to follow. With the lightning orbs once more floating around him, he smiles a little at her.]

I would say so. Won't be as good as what you make, though.

[Teasing and complimenting his wife~]

[At his signal, she'll let the rest of the vines fall away, most of them burning to ash as flames eat them, and she jogs to catch up, her eyes scanning the ceilings again first and then the icy bat that's slung over his shoulder before she lets herself relax again... just a touch.]

Really should've thought to bring more than just a few snacks for the trip. I've got some veggies in the bag, if you want them? ... But nothing that could sustain us for a whole lot longer...

[Speaking of food, her stomach gives a tiny little grumble.]

[...Veggies.....

He'd eat them but he'd prefer meat—]

It's fine, let's save those for when we really need them. I can hold out until we reach town...

[And then another teasing grin.]

Though you're welcome to them if you need.

[A wolf through and through...]

No, I'll wait... You're right. Better to save them for when we really need them.

[Embarrassing as it is that her stomach protested like that in the first place. But maybe she'll find something with the researchers when they get there.

And she's just going to take this opportunity to walk a little closer to him, her eyes cast to the ground where they walk over the crystal dust that shimmers in his light.]

Never know what might happen when we go further down.

...Mm.

[He can't help but wonder what all this could mean... Or what else could be out there.]

Whatever left those marks. These bats certainly didn't.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject