Intro Log: The Forgotten City

GOOD MORNING NEW ARRIVALS

This time for real!

WAKEY WAKEY.

As the storm finally peters out and characters can once again move above ground it becomes abundantly clear that the landscape has changed. Where vast expanses of sand dunes once laid is now the half-buried remnants of what looks like some sort of...city? Full of structures. It stretches so far it's really hard to tell. But there is one thing characters will notice:

There are more stasis pods.

Revealed by the sandstorm, a whole new flurry of pods can be found scattered on the way to the city (curiously though, not in it. Hurry and wake those guys up!

SPREAD THE LOVE. OR ACID.

With the departure of the storm there's even more new arrivals to be found besides those fellow travelers of yours! The "Seedlings" and "Cactus" are now both available, the former blown in by the storm and the former uncovered.

The Seedlings are generally pretty harmless. They like to burrow into the sand so only their "Leaves" plant-like leaves remain above ground, and they're quite happy to stay that way until surprised. Then they pop up and trip over themselves a little, before slowing down and wandering aimlessly. When they find a patch of sand that looks comfy they begin burrowing back down.

Pull or yank on their leaves though and you'll find yourself with a face full of pollen that makes you want to just tell everyone how super-cool they are. It lasts a while, and then you get a fever and vomit for two hours. Good times.

The Cacti are much less harmless and just...why would you eat them? Everything about this plant is poisonous, and cracking it open causes a corrosive acid-like substance to spill out. It'll eat through everything but...dirt, oddly. Metals and flesh are like hot oil on plastic.

DON'T GET LOST

And last but not least: The Forgotten City. Maybe you want to check out the Hull first for some loot, but maybe that's not such a cool idea anymore? Although it looks like the ship's definitely more powered after draining the suits of whoever went in, now it's started to spread and fill the sinkhole the ship's in. Suits can go from 100% to 0% in just ten minutes--not good!

Lucky for everyone else, it looks like finally there's some sort of civilization up ahead. Go on and check it out!

OR DO. THAT'S OKAY TOO.

Go nuts, have fun, and enjoy! (This is the wildcard option)

OOC

The Flora, Fauna & Resources page has been updated with information on the seedlings, cacti, and crystals! These items are now all available for Discovery, and The Forgotten City will be available indefinitely from now on! Characters can take this time to settle & build up a foundation for themselves, explore the area, and of course, harass those poor little seedlings.

We encourage players to make their own open posts for this setting--you don't need to stick to just this intro log! But make sure to make our newbies feel welcome!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

If you wanna go looking for those things be my guest. From the looks of it they took down something the size of a football field though, so... [ YMMV but he's pretty sure you'd be a gonner Cloud. Just sayin'. But he will wander closer now that Cloud looks a little less sure of himself, amusement written all over Inui's face. ]

You'd probably die.

{If Inui is trying to scare Cloud, it doesn't really work. While some tension creeps down his spine as Inui steps closer, all he does at that dramatic-seeming proclamation is roll his eyes.]

A lot of things could definitely kill me. As long as you have a weapon... you can defend yourself, though.

[A weapon is distinctly something he doesn't have yet, which he doesn't like at all. Not that he'd be threatening Inui with it, but... he'd feel better having one in general. Zack's close, yes, but some sort of proper weapon would make the prospect of delving deeper into the apparently-abandoned city less of an unsettling prospect.]

[ Yeahhhh Inui's noticed the whole "lack of weapon" thing. And while he himself may only have a plasma drill and pistol tucked away in his suit pack, it's still more than Cloud. ]

So where's your weapon?

[Looking plain disgruntled now, Cloud resists the urge to turn and point in Zack's direction. He wouldn't ever do that any way, but right now... After this week, it feels even worse to have that thought at all.

SOLDIERs might be enhanced warriors, but they were people, not weapons. Strong, but people.]

... since it wasn't in the pod, I'll need a new one.

[Reflexively, cloud glances around, but there's literally nothing here (aside from rubble) that could be used as a weapon. But yes, a new one, not a weapon in general. Cloud's pretty well-versed with several sorts, after all...]

[ Ohhhh Cloud you make this so fun. It's too easy almost, and Inui can't help laughing aloud. ]

So that makes you pretty useless huh! Haha~ You won't be any help if you find whatever made those marks!

[ Just sayin', Cloud. ]

[Flushing, somewhere between embarrassed and upset, something which turns to annoyance almost immediately. He refuses to hunch up like he wants to do whenever his failures come to light or he's not strong enough. If it had been Zack, it'd be different, but then, Zack wouldn't have put it like that.]

No one seems to wake up with any weapons.

[It's a defensive huff, yes, but it's true. Has to be, because Zack sure didn't have the Buster in his pod, and none of else of those he's seen coming out of pods seems to have had any either.]

[ Nope! But then again, that doesn't bother Inui--he knows he can't use a weapon, and honestly he doesn't have much of a desire to. He's not a fighter, why would he care about any of that?? ]

Nope~ But we've got a chick who can bench press a car and guy whose chin can probably cut through steel.

[ #supclarkkent ]

[Gonna have to learn, young man!

Cloud blinks at that declaration, but there's no immediate incredulity aside from a slow frown. He's unsure whether your regular SOLDIER can bench-press a car (maybe Sephiroth can, though?), but even so this just sounds... not all that out there, to Cloud.]

... Do their eyes glow? [Actually the fact that there's other enhanced people around mean that they're safer, if nothing else. Cloud tilts his head, relaxing a little from the earlier defensiveness.]

...That's seriously the only thing you wanna ask out of all that? Wow. [ he shouldn't be surprised, but somehow? He still is. Inui's never going to get used to this being normal to some people. ]

Clark's eyes glow when he shoots laser beams out of them if that's what you mean.

He can do... what? [There's your incredulity, Inui. Though more because this is presumably a human that can do this, not for... really, 'lasers being shot out of eyes'. There's probably a monster somewhere that can do that. Shaking his head, Cloud focuses back on the question.]

But no, that's not... what I meant. [It's obvious, though, that Inui... is not from the same planet he is. Everyone knows what the connection between 'can perform superhuman feats' and 'glowing eyes' would be.]

... There's a military group where I'm from, and they can do similar things. The enhancements make their eyes glow.

...You have a military that turns people into cats and you're surprised about laser beams coming out of a hunky nerd's eyes??

[ Cloud. Please.

Also cats is totally a legit comparison, they have eyes lasers at night. ]

[Just staring, now, Cloud's... honestly not sure if he's being made fun of or not. He seems serious enough, but the choice of words is just baffling. With a grimace, he shakes his head.]

They're enhanced, but casting magic without materia isn't really possible. Though I guess... there might be a materia that could give you an ability like that...

[Even focusing on this, it's really hard to let go of the 'hunky nerd' comment. Just... what.]

[ Trust him, you'll know it when you see Clark. "Hunky" and "nerd" are perfect descriptors for that fine piece of man. ]

Whoooa, wait wait--magic??

Edited 2016-11-12 02:32 (UTC)

[If you say so, Inui. Cloud will just keep to the crushes he already has, thanks. He really doesn't need more of them.]

Yeah. [Eying Inui, Cloud shrugs and wonders where the heck he comes from if he doesn't have any sort of magic. Even if it would probably be different from theirs in the case he did have magic.] Elemental attacks, barriers, boosting your abilities... things like that.

We use materia for it, they're like... small, round stones. Look a little like marbles, I suppose...

So....lemme get this straight. Where you come from magic is supposed to be real, and it comes from marbles?? [ Cloud please consider how ridiculous this would sound to your average, modern-day teenage boy. It's like, super-geeky territory. ]

[The tone makes Cloud narrow his eyes, but then he nods.]

Yeah. It's solidified mako, a form of liquid energy. We've learned how to use it for power in the last few decades... But why mako and materia can make the magical effects if you know how to activate it... [Another shrug. There's lots of theories, of course, and Sephiroth had explained one of them for Tifa's benefit while they were trekking through the caves, but that... Inui will probably just be more confused if he tries to add that. So Cloud chooses not to.]

Oh my god, you're serious aren't you? Like, that's how you think that stuff works. Magic carbon marbles.

[ Cloud can he keep you? For like, forever? They can have a Graeco-Roman thing where he keeps you in the corner to say funny shit every now and then ]

Maybe not for you. And if they were carbon, of course they wouldn't be able to... do anything like materia can. [Cloud snaps, stiff now, then rather abruptly turns away and takes a few steps over to the corner of the building, to peer down the next street. He doesn't want to walk too far, especially since Zack's in the other direction, but that would mean having to walk past this guy...

And no, Inui, you can't keep him. Also, you'll have to fight Zack for it.]

[ It's okay Cloud, if you move Inui will just tag along and follow after you, grinning with obvious enjoyment despite Cloud's sour(ing) mood. ]

Soooo, I'm guessing none of those magic marbles came with you right? You don't have any real way to prove they're real.

[Things feel... very familiar when this guy apparently can't take a hint, and follows him instead of... Cloud doesn't know. Walking off? Remaining where he was and not say anything else? Cloud doesn't turn around, and he's glowering at the piles of sand collected all along the walls of the buildings down this new street, then he finally snorts.]

... Doesn't look like anyone did. [But he doesn't need to prove anything to anyone.

... unfortunately, Cloud spent his childhood wishing to prove himself to his village, so it's one thing to think that and another to not be affected by it.]

[ Cloud, Cloud Cloud...You're making this too easy. Way too easy. Inui actually has to work not to laugh as he moves up to the poor blonde's side on purpose and leers over at him. ]

Nope~ Nothing under our suits but skin♥

What.

[He backs up reflexively, stepping aside when Inui leans close, but there's no way to avoid, or hide, the blush that creeps over his cheeks down from the tips of his ears at that comment.

Not that... he hadn't suspected, because it sure felt like he's not wearing anything underneath, but having someone point it out that blatantly was just. Uncomfortable. These outfits feels way too tight and close as it is already.]

What does that... have to do with what we don't have with us?

[Anything to deflect away from his flustered reaction.]

You said it didn't look like anyone arrived with anything, [ Inui grins, obviously enjoying Cloud's discomfort as he gives a shrug ] so I'm saying you're right. We didn't come here with anything, even clothes. Haha!

Great. [That's a distinct grumble and Cloud glowering at Inui, trying to make his blush go away. It's a little hard to resist the urge to pull at the suit, but he just flexes his hands at his sides.]

That just means no one can prove anything that's not... something that comes from their body.

[So Cloud's just... going to try and ignore that mocking he heard earlier. Try, anyway.]

Yup! [ Man Cloud he ain't even arguing with you there. He has literally nothing to prove or try to prove seeing as how he's normal, through and through. There's literally no difference between his world and the real world.

Prior to this? His biggest worry was passing Japanese Literature. ]

So hey, how're you keeping your hair all weird and spiky like that?

[ And again he makes Cloud the centre of attention ]

GOOD MORNING NEW ARRIVALS

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