"Well looks like making all that new gear was a waste of time."
Luna helps Neri out of his armor before steping down into the pit to follow them.
The voice never get's a chance to respond, the warm burning sensation in the back of Neri's head vanishes as he touches the wall, leaving a void where it was. A chill goes up and down Neri's spine.
...gotta be sneaky now...they're watching... And then the slippery presence in the back of Luna's mind fades from the senses, leaving a small void where it used to be.
"What's the matter, Id, Cat got your tongue? Thanks, Luna," Neri nodded to her as he started stripping off the dragonhide. "It'd be kind of nice if it didn't turn me into a rock. I don't know whether to bring it with me, or leave it here. I mean, clearly, leaving it here means less weighed down, but I don't exactly know the rules for the armor. Speak up anytime, Id."
Neri also took in the new surroundings while he got the breastplate off.
The forest and trees look the same to Neri. Things do appear to be avoiding the wall as well on this side.
Neri is alone with his thoughts.
The trees and bushes here are subtly different from the other side of the wall. Nothing that sticks out, just... different. Leaves slightly different in the way they cluster, colors slightly different.
The trees and grass and bushes here aren't as healthy as the ones on the other side of the wall... but... they seem more natural as well... less... off... than the vegetation the group has been living in and exploring.
Looking around, and taking it in...
It's...different, here...sings are...not ze same.
Once everyone is through the wall, the group faces a choice, they can continue south along the mountain stone walls, or they can go back north along the edge of the shimmering wall, or they can head out in some direction of east (nne, ne, e, se).
"I'm thinking follow the wall," Neri suggested. "If we're the only things that can move through it, it stands to reason that there would be places only we can reach along it, which means we'd probably find something interesting along the way. It's also a lot safer, if the animals aren't going to go near it."
"That seems reasonable to me. "
Kong shrugs.
I sink ve need to find vater. People live near bodies of vater. Maybe go high, vere ve can zee.
Waterways more specifically Kong. A city is always based on some sort of commerce. A river or a coastline would be a good bet. Depending on developement, a roadway is the best bet. If there are active 'humans' close by he says with air quotes. They would see this barrier as big medicine. There should be a shrine, if not pilgrimage area close by.
The speaking Neri was doing to .... seemingly nobody seemed to make sense now: Jacob had his own "Id" to contend with. Maybe I'm just going crazy...
Either way, it seemed the other men had figured out the key to the wall. Like them, Jacob summoned his outfit, pushed himself through the breach, and looked around.
"That felt kind of final, you know? Like we're here now, not there." He looked around as lumpy spoke, nodding. "Remember though - there might be people like me who can make their own, so places could survive without a river. But I'd agree it's likely. If we're not going to stay by the wall, we'll need shelter." The suggestion was merely that - Jacob didn't care for this new jaunt.
He concurred with Kong's expression. "Maybe the herbivores over here are actually herbivores now."
Luna sizes up the wall wondering if she could walk up it, she touches it lightly with her hand ready to jump back if something goes wrong.
If she thinks she can make it up the wall and nothing goes wrong at her touch she'll inform the group.
"I could try to reach the top and see if anyone is up there."
Sterling shoots back at Jacob. I am correct. I was talking about a city, not a hunter gatherer culture. There could very well be none, but based on what I've read; It seems likely that a city exists
How much do you weigh Luna? says Lumpy as he rummages through his backpack
noticing that her hand went through the wall safely "That's a nice touch. We get to go back to a safe zone. I have a feeling most other critters won't be going through that wall in one piece. If we managed to scare up some trouble, we can always run through it. "
Luna pulls her back through mostly to make sure she could and still had a hand.
"I don't know, one Thirtyish?"
Lumpy almost says 'That much?' but then thought better of it. He pulls out a buoyant balloon. He places it on the ground. He hands Luna an infused bottle of liquid. He smiles at her with great joy. You are so going to love this. Man, are you going to have fun. The potion I gave you will make you small, and I'm going to tether you to the balloon with this rope. You are going to float up and get a birds eye view. I assure you it's perfectly safe.
Infusion: Reduce Person
"You are going to shrink me then tie me to a ballon. How long does that thing last?"
Ten minutes, but you won't be up for more than a couple. Just enough to get a layout, maybe a point of interest.
Hmmm...I sink that's interesting. A kite vould have more lift...maybe...a zimple sled...zhould be controllable, too. Ven ve get ze chance, maybe I could built von.
Kong watches with interest, considering the possibilities...
"Maybe someone lighter would be better?"
As far as I know you're the lightest. I'd go myself, but I'm too heavy. Believe me it will work.
Luna seemed relucant but agreed.
"Alright, Guess it's all we really have."
Luna placed her bag on the ground and drank the potion.
"What happens if she or the balloon touch the high gravity wall..?"
Sterling tethers Luna to the balloon. He wraps his arm around the end of the rope. He twists the handle on the balloon that breaks a glass nodule. It quickly fills with air. Luna rises quickly.
Guys grab the end of the rope, when I say pull her back as fast as you can.
"Right. So we're skipping the part about what could go wrong, nevermind safety and precautions." Neri, nevertheless, grabbed on to the rope.
Luna only get's about 80 feet up (between tethers and slack to hold onto), and most of the trees are taller than that. But it does get her up enough to where she can see a bit of the horizon, and she thinks she sees smudges that might be smoke to the ENE from the party's current position.
You have alot to say on precautions, when you come unprepared. Bring some tools for hiking the unknown next time. Besides, with no wind, and no harm to come to us from the wall...Are you just screwing with me?
After about 30 sec, Lumpy gives the order to pull Luna in. He lets the rope coil beneath his feet. So how was it? Did you see anything? he says to Luna
"My -job- in the old world was to do what you just sent her up to do, and you sent her up as if it were just something that you do every day. You acted as if her life did not matter, and that taking precautions was something you didn't have time for. For all we know, there are giant eagles that were going to fly in and snatch her. As for 'no wind', no wind on the ground means -nothing- ten feet up. We know nothing about this area, but you're happy to just volunteer someone else to risk their life. And -I'm- the one screwing with -you-? Likewise, I came prepared with everything that was available to me. Weapons and armor that I helped to make while you stayed in your mansion digging for whatever untold riches were openly available to you. Not everyone had that, some of us actually had to do something with our time while we prepared."
Neri looked over the tiny Luna, "Everything okay?"
Lumpy get very upset. His face gets red with anger. I do care about her you a$$hole! The risk was minimal. But she is braver than you, I didn't hear you volunteer, you coward!
"Do you -really- believe your little balloon could carry me in -this-." he motioned to his armor, "I'd have been the -first- to suggest I go up, if it didn't easily quintuple the risk. The barrier would -destroy- me without the armor. You're barely wearing anything and you know it can't carry you. You said so yourself."
You are full of excuses. Nothing but unknown dangers await us, but dont' worry, we'll take all the risks and you can sit it out. You useless lump
Neri just closed his eyes and let it rest. It was funny how far off the man was about him. It was as if the man were projecting, he instead looked to Luna, her report, and what had gone on was far more important than arguing with Sterling.
Luna ignored the bickering, it was bond to happen and she'd rather just not be involved.
"Looks like smoke east-northeast but it's hard to tell, couldn't see much."
Good work. East Northeast, it is. Lumpy packs up and gets ready to move. He seems completely emotionless, as if the previous few minutes didn't happen. He heads out.
Kong stands there for a moment, lost in thinking about kite design, until he hears the others arguing.
Freaking children.
Kong growls and walks away.
"Where there's smoke, there's fire. But I wonder what caused it?" where Jacob was from, smoke in the distance meant forest fires, but as destructive as they were, you could usually outmaneuver them. Yet there was a volcano by where we appeared...
The bard walked up to Neri. "Don't let him get to you. Us bunch have a variety of personalities. Some," Jacob says with pointed inflection, "are more rude than others." He gave the young man another look-over; before, he'd heard him talking to nobody and thought him a touch crazy. Now though... [b]"Your blue hair looks nifty. How long have you had it like that?"
IOh yeah, fun crowd. Meh, I've led worse. City boys who thought the wood were just a big park.
"Let's get a move on, cutting a path through the woods isn't a trivial chore. We want to get somewhere before night, we've got to hustle. "
"Two years, ever since I started standing in for the trapeze work, it makes the flier more noticable with the right lighting. Not sure it'll still do that since I'm using magic to keep it this way, now. But don't worry about it, I think I went a little overboard, too." he shook his head. "There's just something about him that's -grating-. Probably the face." Neri kept the ruby-red armor on, which slowed him significantly. He wouldn't be sneaking around but he was still able to outmaneuver most anyone here for now.
Jacob grins slightly. "With my magic, I seem to be able to color things temporarily. If you need a touch-up, let me know." He nods to Henry's request to keep moving. "Trapeze? I bet you're quite flexible then."
The trek in the direction Luna indicated is not done in a day. The trip to the wall, and getting through it, ate up much of their day. That night they have another meal of venison and horse.
The next morning, they get up and continue on, the wall being visible and visibly curved actually makes navigation rather easy, since they can see it whenever they come to a clearing and correct course.
The next afternoon, they stumble over an old road. At least, it looks old to them. It's overgrown with weeds. But then, perhaps this is just what a road looks like here. It's obviously being maintained by someone, as the trees along the edge show marks of being hacked off regularly.
You smell something that smells like smoke, and perhaps cooked meat on the wind. As well as something else that smells like rotting sewage.
"Looks like we've found someone! HELLO!!!" Jake gave the welcoming shout his all. "If we announce our presence, maybe they'll greet us instead of thinking we're some assassin beasts come to kill them" He looks at the path. "Either way, we'll run into these people before too long."
"A bit, yeah. Though that was more from the great escape practice. I've done a little of everything with the circus, except strongman and the like. Anything that took a lot of endurance was off the table, but wits or mobility I was good for."
Neri was always amicably chatty when he wasn't actively trying to hide. And the fire-engine armor kind of made that seem impossible, even if it wasn't, so he would chat with anyone who showed interest in chatting.
"Good call. The last thing we need is a face full of buckshot for looking in someone's henhouse."
"Sure stinks like civilization. "
I'm guessink a poorly kept camp...
Kong stays behind those with armor, having learned a difficult lesson.