[08] video/action - mt. mortar

[purramedic]

[forward-dated to wednesday 7/5]

-- is it always tunnels? Let's crawl into another blighted hole in the earth! It'll be fine!

I'm never setting foot underground again.

[There's just enough glow being given off by a Luxray to illuminate one very lost human and his team in some cave or another. Shot near to the ground, it's a rather hectic scene, half the team trying in vain to reassure their trainer and the other half trying to get their bearings just as desperately.

A Meowstic's cry comes from behind the camera before the view shifts upward and closer to Anders, who's surprised and more than a little embarrassed to see his Gear turned on and floating over to him.]

Flop, what have you -- [He cuts himself off and sighs, taking the Gear and trying not to scowl into it. If it's already broadcasting, he might as well make use of the network's attention.]

Should anyone happen to be familiar with Mt. Mortar, I would very much appreciate some directions.

Comments

video;

[lordofthefries]

[That's a familiar face she hasn't seen in a while, so it gets a nice friendly smile, something Sasha hopes is comforting.]

Mr. Anders, what are you doing down there?

[Honestly, Sasha thinks the guy brought it on himself. Who goes into a cave without a very good torch or three and a map? She might not know much, but that much her father taught her.

Oh well. There's no sense in actually berating Anders. First of all, it's impolite! And secondly, he needs help, not lecturing. Not that Sasha can actually help him from here anyway.]

[purramedic]

[He wants to say "Losing my bloody mind," but thinks better of it. Sasha isn't the one who put him there and doesn't deserve being snapped at.]

It was the only way east of Ecruteak. [Not actually true, but as strong of a swimmer as he is, two straight days of it is a little much.] I didn't expect it to be this difficult to navigate. [His tone certainly implies how stupid he finds that idea now.]

[lordofthefries]

[He wouldn't be the first person who has taken their frustration out on her. Sad to say, she's used to it and wouldn't take it to heart too much if he did.]

Do you have a better light? Like a torch with fire and not those... [Sasha scrunches up her face, trying to remember the name.] ...battery things?

[Which, by the way, she doesn't see the sense in. They end up dying just like a fire does, so why bother paying good money for them when they are just a waste? Bah, technology.]

[purramedic]

[He has only a vague idea of what she's talking about, having never actually used one of those. Why do that when Fire- and Electric-types exist?]

I don't believe it gets much better than Trixie's Flash. [Not that he wants it to be. At least in the dark he can pretend the walls of the cavern are much farther away. Or nonexistent.] Union Cave wasn't nearly as much of a problem. This system is enormous.

[lordofthefries]

[Gods, Anders. Sure, battle with your Pokemon, ride on them, fly on them even, but making them into walking flashlights? That's just too much for Sasha to comprehend!]

But if her Flash isn't helping you find your way... [She's not going to finish that in case Trixie is listening.] Did you make any turns? If you didn't, you can probably try to backtrack and gain your bearings that way.

[11121_assumption]

I remember passing through there. [ Hi Anders, it's Walter! He's travelling himself, and is wearing a long sleeve shirt with a v-neck - finally, the blue raincoat has been checked for now because it is too hot and Walter has finally admitted defeat. He reaches into his bag, retrieving a journal and flipping it open. ]

Have you passed anything that stood out to you?

[purramedic]

A whole lot of rocks. A big one, a little one, a grey one... Oh, there were two rocks back there!

[Please excuse him, this is a terrible experience and he's doing terrible.

Though maybe he has the self-awareness to recognize he's also being pretty terrible, and stop.]

I should be better at this, but it all looks the same. What did you use to find your way?

[11121_assumption]

[ Walter gave him a carefully blank look verging on dry for that response. He had grown up in a forest, so he was used to spotting small details to know his bearings. But also- ]

I marked the walls. [ He found the page he was looking for and showed it to Anders. Alongside sketches Walter had draw of places in Mt. Mortar, such as the large lakes stretching out into the dark and a dark waterfall, there was a key of symbols he had used to navigate. ]

I met Joseph by finding the markings he had clawed into the walls of the Ice Cave. I had him with me and used the skill to mark where I had been. It was a few months ago, but some of the signs might still be there.

[purramedic]

[He looks intently at the marks for a moment before his face lights up.]

You know, I think I have seen one of those markings! I didn't know Pokemon could scratch that well into rocks. A bit silly, now that I think about it. [Considering that Rock type is a thing that can be injured and all.

He gets a notebook and pen out of his bag to copy the symbols down, which still makes more sense to him than just taking a picture of the page. Sorry, Walter.]

Did you manage to get all the way through with these marks? Not that I expect them all to remain.

[11121_assumption]

I was nearly outside when I was... pulled away. [ He could see the exit, when the ground gave way and a Sandslash belonging to Team Rocket had dragged him out, before he could reach his destination. ]

It's a unique trait to Weaviles, from what I've heard. They use markings like this to signal territory or to communicate when hunting prey together.

You will need a water Pokemon that can surf to fully navigate the cave. I used the rental service when I traveled through.

[TEXT]

[bleedingunversed]

Don't die.

Re: [TEXT]

[purramedic]

[Who even is this asshole and where do they live so he can hit them with his staff when he gets out of here.]

Brilliant. I would never have thought of that.

[TEXT]

[bleedingunversed]

[Kiss kiss, Anders~]

I figured as much considering you can't seem to navigate.

Re: [TEXT]

[purramedic]

It isn't my fault everything underground looks the same.

[TEXT]

[bleedingunversed]

It's called a torch or a flashlight, genius.

Some Pokemon can use 'Flash' too.

[video]

[captainash]

You don't have any escape ropes or Pokémon with Dig or Teleport, I'm guessing?

[He guesses, but he hopes he's wrong.]

[purramedic]

[... Well.]

I do have Escape Ropes and the Dig TM, though I haven't taught it to anyone yet.

[He pauses, wrestling with himself about just giving up even in spite of very obvious discomfort.]

I'll lose the progress I've made to get here if I do any of that, won't I? [Then he'd just have to do it all over again when he next tried to go this way.]

[captainash]

You would, but if you can find someone willing to fly or surf you around the loss of progress would be worth it. If not...

[Then it gets tricky.]

Maybe your team could ask the local Pokémon for directions?

[purramedic]

I was hoping to find something I could teach Surf to at the Lake of Rage. [That might be a wash, so to speak. But the other thing...] Can you Fly to places you haven't been? [Because if so, he is DEFINITELY never going in another one of these damn caves.]

I suppose it wouldn't be too dangerous... I have a couple of high-leveled companions. [Honestly, he's a little embarrassed not to have thought of that himself. Too used to everything in tunnels wanting to kill him.]

[captainash]

...You know, I've never tried so I can't say for certain. But someone who knows the way can definitely bring you along for a ride.

[Moral of the story: well-traveled friends with Fly are the best.]

And if you have to have treats or baubles to offer in trade, they might not even need to step in.

Video

[dreamsofahero]

Have you been marking your path as you go?

[purramedic]

[That is... a pretty smart idea. Lucky Sion is getting the most genuine response for catching him off guard.]

How would you suggest I do that?

[dreamsofahero]

*Sion and Ryner once spent several weeks exploring the caves in the Whirl Islands, he has a few ideas how to do this!*

Assuming you have no other tools to do so with, find a loose rock, and use it to make the walls at intersections. Come up with a system to indicate where you've been; arrows, for example, or certain combinations of lines, or even making a small diagram of your path. Make sure it's distinctive so that there's no question which marks are yours and what might be natural or happen from other people or pokemon passing through and bumping or scraping things. That way you can track your progress.

If you have something to write with, you could also keep notes as you go. Keeping an accurate map is difficult underground, especially since elevation becomes an issue, but noting at least the intersections you've passed and in what order should help you form an idea of the area you're dealing with.

[purramedic]

[He would swear they covered something like this in Grey Warden 101, but he'd been too busy lowkey panicking over being trapped under Maker-knows-how-much dirt and stone to really bother trying.

Some things never change.]

You've really put some thought into this. You've done it before? [They're all excellent points -- especially how to make three dimensions of navigation readable as if in two.]

[dreamsofahero]

Ryner and I spent a good deal traveling and exploring when I first got here. The Whirl Islands in particular required some effort to keep track of where we'd already been.