Expedition Open Log!

[trustycrowbar]

Who: Gordon, everyone who signed up on the board, everyone who DIDN'T sign up too. Feel free to tag around.
What: Going out to locate and procure supplies.
Where: Anywhere on the island. (Major locations in comments below.)
When: The morning after the post on the message board.

"Alright guys, we're headed southward from the mansion. I heard there was a lake around that area; it might mirror the one near the school. From there, if we haven't burned too much daylight, we'll follow the edge of the island--not TOO close, obviously--and see what we can find. We better pair up for safety, and because I only have so many of these."

He produces a handful of... what look like ping-pong balls going through an awkward metal-head phase, each with an antennae attached.

"I made these transmitters, one for each of you that signed up. They don't transmit any sound, but they will tell us how far apart we are from each other. That way it'll be considerably harder to lose one another out there. If you get lost, just follow the signal, and you'll find someone. I also took a few hours and wrote a crude program to map out the island using a relay from my tablet back to the mansion. It's not foolproof, but it'll be better than nothing."

"Everyone ready? Alright, let's go."

Comments

The Mansion: pairing up

[trustycrowbar]

The foyer is dusty and cold in the early morning, but everyone is there. So, who do you choose? Or do they make the choice for you?

[trustycrowbar]

It might be akin to being the weird kid in the class who pairs up with the teacher on field trips, but who wants to pair up with Gordon? He's too busy poking at his tablet at the moment to notice who's there...

[ihateplumbers]

You get Bowser.

You win.

"Beardon," growled the 8-foot-tall dragon turtle that you somehow didn't see standing next to you, so engrossed with your tablet as you are. "Looks like I'm stuck with you."

[mach_n_roll]

Sure, Sonic didn't sign up for this. But since when has something like that ever stopped him? He was curious about the group trip out, and actually had traversed the island himself a couple of times already.

...since it was basically one big green blur, he didn't remember much, but he at least knew a little.

[megabuster]

"Need a partner?" Rock asked Sonic with a smile.

Hey, the blue heroes needed to stick together, right?

Re: The Mansion: pairing up

[tank_rockarms]

A wall of muscles and blue hair shows up.

So many muscles. So very blue. He would be a good partner for you to partner with, as he would be very useful for the lifting of heavy objects.

[birdlady]

A very small princess could use a very large muscleman, don't you think?

[itsjustrats]

Nobody wants to be Garrett's partner, but that's okay, because he doesn't want to be your partner, either.

[will_be_god]

Good because Cyrus doesn't want a partner either and is doing this soly for requirements.

[cool_skeleton_95]

YOU. You attempted to undermine Papyrus' fantastic security! And outrun him!

"SO...WE MEET AGAIN, HUMAN!"

Re: The Mansion: pairing up

[magicdancer]

Well, looks like Gordon is otherwise occupied, so Shantae was in the market for a partner.

Re: The Mansion: pairing up

[garmentgoddess]

Hello Shantae want to partner up with a hyperactive housecleaner?

[cool_skeleton_95]

Papyrus might have missed the sign up deadline, but, there's no way he's about to sit by and not help. He's barely keeping himself from bouncing as he waits for a partner.

The Woods: Random Encounters

[trustycrowbar]

The woods are dense, and scattered with rocks suggestive of old ruins but not really worth any use. Maybe if they investigate just a little mor--

OH NO! Something has lept out of the undergrowth! What is it? An octorok or two? A pack of feral rattatas? A malboro? An angry wiggler? It could be any of these or something else. And whatever it is, IT'S HEADED RIGHT AT US!

Re: The Woods: Random Encounters

[birdlady]

The malboro is big, scary and it's comin' right for them! Clearly the proper way to deal with it is to...run...right..at it? Melia where are you going.

"Shadow Stitch! Hah!" She thrusts the end of her staff into the ground and a black circle erupts around her, engulfing the monster. All at one, it grinds to a halt, unable to move.

"Quickly, while it's bound!"

The beautiful UFO and it's cohorts attack!

[mach_n_roll]

"WHOA!"

Sonic dodges just in time to avoid a metallic blur that dashes across his path. He rolls as he lands, and looks up.

The blur... looks like a UFO. A UFO with a bow.

"Well that's somethin' you don't see everyd--"

Another one charges him, and he cuts off the snark to leap away.

Spiders. Why'd it have to be spiders?

[trustycrowbar]

Gordon's status as queen of the antlions is a part of his past that he doesn't really want to talk about. It involved pheromones, organs that resembled breast implants that he had to squeeze to use, and amorous bugs the size of large dogs. It should be noted, however, that the plating of his HEV suit does make him look a little buglike.

A couple of man-sized spiders have both noticed this fact. Too bad Gordon doesn't have any of his royal insectoid retainers now, because the first thing they great him with is a lunge to the face.

"JEEZFU--" The rest of that is cut off by a shotgun blast and a buglike screech.

[cool_skeleton_95]

Oh, it's just Chilldrake!

"CHILLDRAKE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"Not following your rules, skele-man! .....And looking for Snowy."

The South Lake: A Rest

[trustycrowbar]

It's uncanny. It's almost like something had carved out the lake at the Academy and then dropped it onto the island, surrounding trees and all. It rings with echoes of their old home, so it seems like the natural place for a midday break.

Do you sit by the lake? Climb on the rocks? Put on that bear suit you have with you, and scare the crap out of someone as a prank? If you're the spontaneous type and don't mind the chill, you could even take a dip in the lake! Who knows what you might find down there...

[trustycrowbar]

Gordon had decided to slump onto one of the rocks ringing the lake, still in his suit but resting nonetheless. It's not that he didn't WANT to take the thing off, it's just that he's naked under there it would take too much time, and would leave him vulnerable anyway.

His crowbar at his side, he sits and idly watches the trees surrounding the lake, eye out for anything unusual.

The Crags: Watch your step!

[trustycrowbar]

The foothills of the mountains are pretty forbidding terrain, this is where teamwork really comes in handy. Do you help your partner climb, or shove them off just to hear their goofy Wilhelm-scream on the way down?

[itsjustrats]

Garrett's got this.

He notches an arrow and lets it fly into a dead tree sticking out of the cliff. When it hits, a rope uncoils, allowing a safe way up. Without a word, Garrett grabs onto the rope and starts to climb.

The... Beach? Really?

[trustycrowbar]

Yeah, really.

There's a small sea that perpetually falls over the edge of the island in a waterfall. The bay is ringed with warm sand, and the trees look suspiciously palmish here. Things might be buried in the sand, from pretty shells to canned goods to bits of tech from the school. However, the afternoon is wearing on, and some might be more interested in having a rest in the sand than looking for anything...

Re: The... Beach? Really?

[garmentgoddess]

It had been a long time since Rene had been to the beach. Years in fact. And the lakes in Gallia sure weren't anything tropical!

She wanted to run around and swim and build sand castles and make sand angels, but there would be so much more time for that later on. She could have some fun in the sun anyway.

...wait was that giant shell a music box?

[trustycrowbar]

It was getting frustrating. He was hoping for some raw materials, food, fuel, SOMETHING they could use back at the mansion. However, all he'd personally found were some diodes and capacitors, wire, a fire flower, two health potions, and a physics textbook lousy with margin doodles. Trinkets, basically, and nothing more.

Still, the map program meant that this trip wasn't merely for trinkets and staring at Bowser's big reptilian ass the entire trip... They charted new territory and made this beach accessible, anyway. Gordon's boots sink into the sand as he watches the shortened horizon of the bay and the weird swirling void beyond.

...What was Shantae doing? The thought springs to his mind all on its own, and he has no reason to wrestle it down. Probably planning a beach vacation already, if he knows her. He smirks, and scans the coast for sign of her.