mapping party mapping party

[rebells]

Who: a bunch of less-than-upstanding nerd boys
Where: along this route
When: Day 8, or thereabouts
Open/Closed: closed to mapping party; pm rebells if your character would have icly asked to come!

[So you may have gotten a telepathic message a few days ago about an expedition to map the coastline . . . or maybe you were invited along by a friend. Whatever the reason, it's bright and early this morning, and it's time to set out!

Characters would have gotten a further telepathic message from Jay with a date and time to meet outside the shacks. They'll be heading east along the "shore," tracking the coast, and then heading directly back towards base camp . . . who knows what they'll find along the way?]

Comments

[p_mortem]

[ Minato's met most everybody here, so he lingers at the side of the group, watching, listening, looking like he hasn't slept for the past two days since Jay asked around for a group of volunteers. If he looks sluggish, it's because he has four bags of beads stuffed into his pockets or hanging off his belt, and a sword in both hands tracing twin trails in the sand where he lets the tips drag in the sand; what is proper sword maintenance.

He knows Dave could probably equip the entire party with swords, but Minato could let one of his go too, if somebody would like one that looks less... sbahj ]

[rebells]

[Jay is equipped--he's swinging a small dagger in his hand--but he looks at the swords with interest nonetheless.]

Do you use both, or just one?

[p_mortem]

Usually just the one, but I could learn to use both.

[ He gives the two blades an experimental swing, trying to think of when two blades might be more useful than one. ]

Usually... I need to keep a hand free to use my other weapon, but it doesn't work here. So I might as well equip both hands.

[rebells]

It's not necessarily more effective, just a different style. Especially if you're learning on your own.

[He's not that familiar with dual wielding, but he knows that much.]

A shield might be more useful for the other hand, if you could find one. What was your other weapon?

[p_mortem]

I've never used a shield before, but I'll ask Dave for one later. My other weapon is used for summoning... [ creatures? monsters? gods? ] ...beings called Persona. But I can't use it here, so it doesn't matter.

[rebells]

Do they fight for you? That's impressive.

[Though irrelevant, at least for now. Maybe they'll end up on a world where it's more useful eventually--?]

There's likely someone here who fights using a sword and shield, but if not, I know the basics.

[p_mortem]

Yeah.

[ Fighting, healing, protecting, they did a lot for him and their absence makes Minato feel so keenly how it's like to be left with only his own power- a length of metal in his hand, the clothes on his back- how he was at the very beginning. ]

It'd be good to learn, if you'd teach me. When we get to a good place to take a break.

[ and proceed to not take that break, because in an island filled with wild boar and who knows what else, he wonders if they'd have that luxury. ]

[rebells]

[Yeah, probably best not to get mauled by boars while sparring.]

Of course. It wouldn't do to be defenseless in this place, after all. How long have you been using the sword?

[p_mortem]

Since April. A little more than half a year. But I can use other things too... bows, lances, axes.

[ It's not very impressive when he doesn't have the technique and accuracy to back these things up; he doesn't need to be when he's fighting monsters that are a large enough target without. ]

[rebells]

[That's either really impressive, or--]

And by 'use' you mean you indiscriminately swing them around, I presume.

[But he says it lightly, more teasing than disdainful.]

[p_mortem]

Yes, that's it. I only miss sometimes.

[ As long as it works, it's fine. ]

...Your weapon of choice is a dagger?

[rebells]

[He shakes his head slowly from side to side, but doesn't otherwise comment on that part.]

Yes, I specialize in hand-to-hand and dagger fighting.

[p_mortem]

Short ranged, but quick and accurate. They're good if you can sneak up on an enemy.

[ Which is harder as a group, so Minato doesn't often rely on such weapons, preferring instead his sword to give him more reach. ]

[rebells]

They are. Or if you have superior speed.

[Which he does, generally.]

[p_mortem]

A good advantage.

[ On a more serious note, though- ]

Are you used to fighting to protect, or to hunt?

[ A warrior or a hunter or both? ]

[rebells]

[Haha. Well. He's trained as an assassin, but you won't catch him mentioning that to Minato.]

Mostly the former. The area where I live has a lot of monsters, so I need to fight to defend myself. What about you?

[p_mortem]

Both, I guess. Depends how strong they are. Sometimes I just run.

[ If they're too strong, he runs. If they're too weak, he runs. Most of the time he's running, unless he's out collecting bounties or if he gets caught in a battle. ]

[rebells]

That's not a bad strategy sometimes. Although there's a lot I wouldn't have been able to see, if I'd just run from every battle.

[He looks Minato up and down, though; he definitely doesn't look much like the fighting type, much less a hunter.]

What did you hunt, exactly?

[p_mortem]

[ It's not a bad assessment of Minato, with 99% of his fights being him standing in place and summoning— his hunts definitely aren't the bear and deer sort. ]

Monsters. Sometimes to scavenge material. Sometimes for money. Mostly because we thought they were a danger to society.

[rebells]

A "danger to society" . . . [Interesting phrasing, for a monster threat.] How come?

[p_mortem]

Because they prey on people's... [ He pauses here, unable to explain it very well, even after seeing it happen again and again and again. ] ...something like their will to live.

[rebells]

. . . That actually sounds familiar.

[The black mist. The way it had affected Norma, and then Chloe.]

[p_mortem]

You have something like that too? Black, like shadow.

[rebells]

[!]

Yes. A kind of black mist that can form small monsters, or make larger ones more powerful.

[p_mortem]

[ Ugh... Minato's expression darkens just the slightest. Having this sort of thing in multiple worlds isn't a comfort; even if they are different, the fact that they prey on people similarly is disconcerting. ]

...I hope there isn't anything like that here. I'll rely on your daggers if that happens.