The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/R.D./Rib/Closed]

Orup grunted, trying to squeeze the rope he called a belt a little tighter past one of those small tick marks he had made a year ago when he had solemnly vowed to try and lose weight. He had been so sure that after his last couple of excursions his waistline would have receded a little bit, but it didn’t look like it was doing very much good in that department. He certainly felt a bit younger after them, though, even if his bones creaked ominously every time he tried to rise quickly. Settling with just tying off the belt at the usual, adequate place, the man mopped his balding head with a handkerchief. That small workout of trying to get his belt on had already caused him to break into a small sweat.

With a rumbling sigh, the heavy man unfolded a piece of parchment he had in his vest pocket, glancing at the contents for the fourth time in the hour. He had begun planning a trip to the west, after his last engagement with Rua, though he wasn’t completely sure if the boy was on board with going, yet. Still, Orup found himself in the throes of adventure, all of a sudden, smelling of youth. The stench of his past memories wafted in with that smell, but he did his best to ignore that.

Tucking the list away again, Orup nodded to himself, quickly checking his pockets to make sure he had everything. It would likely just be a quick foraging trip to gather all the basic herbs he would need for an extended journey; his supplies had been running a bit low anyway. With a grin on his face, the man slipped out of his shop’s door, flipping the sign to say that he wasn’t doing business at present. All but skipping his way through the caves, he headed toward the eastern exit of the caves.

Several polite but relatively fake conversations later, Orup had made his way through those in the caves who were already up this morning and found himself in the fresh air of the outside. It really was much nicer out here, and every time he exited the caves now seemed more exciting than the last time. Indeed, though, going to have to be careful or he’d end up like some youth with eyes full of adventure. It’d likely get killed him killed like all the rest of them, if he got caught up in it. Orup put the thought aside, though. Within the hour, the man would likely be far enough away from the caves to start finding the resources he needed.

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Ven moved through the dunes as swiftly and quietly as the scorpions that shared those sandy hills, a light wind pushed sand into the scarf she wore over her face; this place was more a home to her than any city, any shelter. As a testament to her resilience in such an environ, the dunes seemed to grow ever larger, with only the occasional snake emerging to hunt. Such venom would be quite valuable to the right party, but getting it from it the fangs that were all too willing to give it is an endeavour beyond dangerous, even in the best times. Best to simply the snakes to their task and leave with yours.

Before long, a wagon entered her view, a clean ox skeleton at it's head. Most would simply ignore, believing it picked as clean by looters as by vultures. The fact that the cover was mostly intact and still being above ground meant the wreck had been so for less than a week, still ripe for a prospecting looter.

The back hatch even proved to well oiled and, after stepping to the side to allow a corpse to fall, she climbed in, glad that her nose was covered from the stench. Within lay a few more corpses, their clothes tattered even before the failure, and the chest proved just as barren as the hills around it. Her parting gift to the caravan was an ember seed to deny the victory within from the wasteland she had been forced to call her home, and the prizes from those that she had been to call equal.

Forward was her only escape, toward the western caves that many believed as myth, but the rumors were true and they were as populated as the "great" capital of Hyrule. There were few she cared about there, and those were only to die and burn, instead the surroundings offered plenty of new challenges and toxins to discover and recover...

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

With a grunt, Orup bent down slowly, trying to get a closer look at the ground without going all the way down. Given his weight and center of gravity issues, though, it was all the man could do not to simply fall down, and within a moment he was sitting on the grass, already tired from the heat of the sun. It was no matter though, what he'd stooped down to get now would be worth the time. He'd found a decent sized patch of several of the basic herbs he used, some for medicinal purposes and others just for taste, but they were all useful. The next half hour or so could be spent peacefully picking up the plants, careful not to damage them, and placing them each in their own containers. This was the good part of the job, really, once you were on the ground.

Twenty or thirty minutes passed, and the older man crawled his way across the grass of the hills, flicking off bugs whenever he saw them. For the most part, it was just as relaxing as he had hoped, though his knees were starting to hurt. As he crested a small rise, though, he caught sight of quite a bit of a view. It wasn't particularly spectacular, but he could see for a good ways. What was curious, though, was something he could see, perhaps a quarter of a mile out: a large swathe of the grass seemed to be dotted quite intensively with a very dark plant he didn't recognize.

Squinting didn't help at all as his eyesight was failed already, unfortunately, but interest had caught hold of his attention, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of following another strange plant down a rabbit hole. It seemed to be headed away from the road after all. Perhaps the day would be more interesting than he had intended it to be.

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Ven crested yet another hill as a horizon came into view, her destination a mere half-hour's walk from her present location. She knew that the inhabitants of the caves were not so stupid as to use trail signs or landmarks to find their way home, such knowledge would allow Ganon's forces to track and attack the poorly armed refugees. As the land around it was as unremarkable as the vast desert, instead the residents leaving must learn to navigate back on instinct.

Such a skill is invaluable to one who lives her life entirely on the shifting sands, and a single visit before was all that was needed. Although, something seemed off, a field of flowers had grown densely around the odd field of grass but these ones were known to kill others nearby. The grass should've been dead, the flowers wilting from the competition and the sand once again ready to claim it's fill. Instead they persevered together, the sand apparently held at bay by their roots.

The alchemist approached the strange sight, the white contrast of the pistil missing from each and every flower; yet it seemed all the other characteristics were there, the thirteen petals, the curve of the vine-like stem, even the strength that every part of the plant held was present. Had it mutated to form a less competitive version? No, it couldn't, the poison gave it it's color, a poison so weak that adventurous chefs had used it for seasoning (and some even lived).

As she bent to collect a few samples, a single figure appeared in the distance.

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Orup lowered himself to his knees again, slower this time. After a handful of minutes walking he'd reached the black patch he had seen, and it certainly seemed larger now that he was actually at it. As it turned out, the black dots he had seen covering the hillside were not black at all but rather a deep purple. They were mushrooms, but unlike any other he had seen before, and they seemed to shrivel at his touch, when he began to poke them. But what was more curious was that everything surrounding them seemed to be dying, covered by the spores of the mushrooms that had lifted off the foul smelling fungus.

With care, the man cut the stem of one of the mushrooms, laying it out on the grass away from the edge of the infectious patch. Upon giving the small parasite a vertical cut, though, what seemed to be an acidic compound leaked out of the stem and onto the grass, searing everything it touched with a deadly sounding fizzle. Swallowing slowly, Orup repeated the process in a few different ways before he was satisfied with his results, sealing off as many of them as he felt safe into several different containers.

So they were both poisonous and seemingly infectious. Orup had no clue what the cause could be, malicious or natural, but the effects were clear. Perhaps the growth would taper off, but the man had a nasty feeling these were bred to destroy. Left unchecked, these poisonous little devils could perhaps wipe out an entire section of plant life in Southern Hyrule, and that wouldn't be good for business at all. Perhaps even more driving, though, was the intrigue these little mushrooms brought to the man. If he were to follow them... there was the distinct possibility of uncovering some new secret at the bottom of this; he was learning how much there was to learn every day, now. What was more, perhaps the citizens of the caves would be so appreciative that... his mind rambled on in his head for a good while, but it came to a jarring halt as he realized he wasn't alone in the area. He couldn't see them well enough to know if it was friend or foe, though ultimately it wouldn't matter even if he knew in advance.

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Ven stuffed a few samples into her pouch, trying to find other species nearby to sample. The extreme change in the species over such a short time as well as the similarity of conditions made it a curious abnormality.

She reached for another, perhaps the roots would hold the answer? Just as she began pulling the stem from it's earthy refugee, she noticed a slight gleam on her gloves, something that couldn't be just sweat from the sun, and rubbing her fingers together felt...oily? That was it, the plants had overproduced their poison, likely by at least a hundred times! That's why the pistil was missing, it had poisoned itself! Yet this wasn't a lone flower meant to kill then die, it had spread despite being sterile; that left a single option: dagger in hand she stabbed the ground around one and her suspicions were confirmed. It is sterile, it hadn't reproduced, it was just one massive plant...

Then she remembered the man from earlier, and jarringly lifted her head above the grass, finding him to be much closer than before, but at least he appeared as cautious as she was. There was no use hiding now and she couldn't just abandon such a valuable find.

Keeping her dagger up her sleeve and out of sight, she started slowly toward him, hoping not to startle him. Ven noticed a few mushrooms cut expertly as she passed them, he seemed to an alchemist too; common ground at least, something to exploit...

"You seem interested in these plants too. Fascinating aren't they? I've seen nothing like them anywhere else, even here a year ago. But sorry for rambling on, I'm Talia."

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

As the figure came closer Orup squinted as best he could, deciding first that she was a woman, and then secondly that she was extraordinarily tall, especially in comparison to himself. A tan woman, now that she had come even closer, though Orup was trying not to stare particularly hard. Perhaps this woman could be a Gerudo? There were a fairly distinct race of people, always turning out relatively the same despite breeding with every sort of man. At least, that's what the stories said. While some of the younger men would joke about wanting to be 'captured' by a pretty, young Gerudo, Orup was long since over such desires. He had no reason to trust them, and they seemed swarthy to boot. It was time to play this game he had learned so well over the last few years, though.

"Ah! Good to see a young person with such an attentiveness to the art. It seems we're a dying breed, you know? Orup Mepple, at your service," he said smoothly, sweeping a bow but also closing in on her to offer handshake. He was no expert with different cultures and their formalities, but it seemed like a better idea to just try them all and be taken as a fool rather than do none and come across with no manners. It usually worked, anyway.

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Ven extended her empty hand toward the strange old man. Bowing and shaking seemed redundant, so either he was starting to lose it or his mind was in another place; either way, as an experienced alchemist he could be useful.

"I agree, I've only met one other person in my travels who practices, and most seem to believe it a dead end, but we both know the wonder it makes possible. In fact I've had the please to see one so powerful, a single dose rejuvenated and healed an entire army! It's the only way forward!" she spouted, trying to appear eager to talk about her craft. "Sorry for rambling, it's just rare that I get to talk about these things. But don't you think these plants here are just... incredible?"

She smiled apparently pleased with how the conversation was going, perhaps he could stand to give up some knowledge and techniques, as well as stock; to her, this day was becoming better and better.

"Ummm... you've taken a few samples as well, should we go back together and try to figure them out?"

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Orup beamed at the younger woman after she took the handshake, though he seemed oblivious to any apprehension at it. As she spoke more to him, too, he seemed even more and more inclined to not just have a polite five minute conversation and never talk to them again. Other alchemists could be a tricky bunch, as it was with any somewhat secretive trade. On the one hand they might actually prove to be useful and mutually beneficial to each other, but on the other hand Orup wouldn't put it past another alchemist to sabotage him for his secrets. The only thing that really mattered out in these wastes was keeping yourself alive and feathering your own nest, so people were willing to do whatever it took to make it by. He knew he was, if it came down to it. There was some merit to the company of others though.

"Go back?" he questioned her, slightly confused, "to the caves, you mean?" He looked in that direction apprehensively, not sure if he should. On the one hand, it was the safe, easy alternative. He'd be able to study this specimen and perhaps talk to another alchemist, perhaps gaining some secrets he hadn't known before. It certainly seemed like she was knowledgeable or at least experienced in that regard. But he still wanted to find out where these mushrooms would lead him; he almost laughed at how familiar it all felt. Two months ago he would have immediately decided to return to the caves. Should he be unsettled by that, or perhaps excited? Maybe he'd leave it up to her. Another alchemist could be invaluable to speak to.

"Perhaps we could find out where this leads? I'm not overly fond of finding it in my back yard, if you know what I mean."

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Ven looked toward the sky and closed her eyes as she thought about her choice carefully...

"Well, what do say? I think we should try to find a few more of these plants before dissecting them? I think the grass is adapting to the spores, we might want some to find an antidote." The girl spoke cheerfully, as if she weren't talking about some new found botanical horror or scientific breakthrough.

She lead the way to the fields: collecting grasses in various stages of death, taking samples of the ichor seeping from the mushroom stumps and recording the various parts of this strange flower.

However, slowly she began to feel unnerved, as if watched; yet time she looked around it was only her, the plants and- then it hit her, every flower in the field had turned to face them, they weren't alone anymore...

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Orup nodded, following her closely but keeping a keen eye on the surroundings. He hadn't noticed the other plant, a flower of sorts that seemed to be missing some parts. Was it chance that these two had shown up right next to each other? If it was, what would they do if the patch of mushrooms and the other flower separated from each other? Right now they seemed relatively intermingled, both of them quite poisonous. Orup was truly at a loss for the both of them; he had never seen a species like either. As the Gerudo woman stopped every once and a while to record things, Orup followed in suit, finding out as well that the flowers seemed to be sterile, though it didn't seem to surprise the other woman. She did seem quite attentive after all.

To be sure, though, Orup was quite certainly enjoying himself, despite being thoroughly baffled by the entire thing. The roots in the caves had been strange enough, but at least they obviously led back to a source. This? Who knew where it might take them. Trying not to slack off in front of this Talia, he made sure to document as much as he could.

The sense he carried as Hylian, though, was beginning to trigger, and he wasn't completely sure why. So engrossed in his documentation, he tried to shrug it off, but it continued to crawl back on him. As it struck him, though, it seemed Talia was having the same thought. Were the plants... no... they couldn't be! As Orup looked around, though, the hair on his neck seemed to stand straight up. Were the flowers looking at them? Even the mushrooms seemed to be leaning in their direction.

The area they had arrived in was somewhat of a meadow, if you could call it that, covered in these poisonous twins as it was. A little ways out from them, visible now that they had crested another hill, was a large pond, not terribly uncommon in this part of the land though he didn't remember it ever being here. Besides a small shack on the side of it, the body of water seemed relatively untouched except for one major blemish: the poisonous species surrounded the thing, and the water was all but black. Not dirty, tainted was a better word.

Orup realized his walking had slowed to a halt, and his eyes caught on the plants again. Were they... swaying? He didn't feel a breeze... Suddenly his heart jumped to his throat and he hastily grabbed two handkerchiefs, shoving one in the direction of Talia, "Cover your mouth!" The mushrooms, at least, were certainly shaking, and a moment after the words had left Orup's own mouth, poisonous spores erupted all around them.

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Ven noticed the shaking just after her companion, and throw her scarf back over her mouth just as the spores released their toxin into the air, creating a mist around the two alchemists. "I-I think it's trying to keep us away from the lake, what do you think is there?" She spoke, with but a hint of fright. She let a out feigned breath, before continuing "We need to find out what's there..." and without even waiting for a response moved toward her goal, hoping the obvious explanation would hide her true motives.

Thankfully, the spores couldn't get through the scarf or into their eyes, but it still heavily obscured their vision. Seeing far became difficult, even the ground lacked detail...

Though, perhaps the ground was something that should've been concentrated on, as vines criss-crossed the ground right below their feet, far to often to be natural.

How many traps did their enemy have?

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Heart throbbing, Orup tried not to feel any social awkwardness from the Gerudo ignoring his handkerchief. He was much more concerned about surviving after all, of course. It seemed Talia had the right notion, though the thought hadn't occurred to him until she mentioned it. Yes, it would make sense that this surrounded, blacked out lake could be important. There was nothing for it but to go for the roots once more. If he hadn't been so concerned with not inhaling these deadly spores, he might have laughed. As it was though, he tried to muster as much courage as he could before running after the woman, his vision filling up fast.

For Orup especially, the situation was quite deadly though. With his out of shape body, running produced a tremendous strain on his lungs, and while he tried to do his best, he couldn't help but take in huge gasps of air as he ran, hoping he wasn't inhaling to his death. His eyes began to fog up though, and he suddenly felt dizzy. The water seemed so close now, the shack not too far, but each step felt more impossible than the last one. Orup felt a vine snag his foot, and the heavy-weight man fell flat on his face, now barely away of the handkerchief flying out of his hand.

As the vines wrapped around him, Orup could feel the spores filling his lungs and his body trying to cough them up. A fiery sensation filled his chest, and the man lost consciousness, hardly three feet from the water's edge.

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Ven carefully surveyed her surroundings, the vines filled the ground beneath her and choked out any life that might have been there. Only luck seemed to place her foot in a rare, empty spot It seemed that the man had managed to find a patch where the vines were far less dense; either that or she grossly over-estimated what the vines do. Still not a chance she was willing to take with something as smart and deadly as this, that left only destruction and flight as option... she choose the former.

She lunged off the ground and toward a dying tree, the poison worked that fast? Even on hardy palms? That left her companion in a deadly predicament, and his only hope Ven... There lay a certain irony in that isn't there? A poisoneer charged with saving a life? This day seemed to be among the strangest of the young alchemist's life...

She rebounded off the palm and just on the other side of the vine patch and raced toward the old man, dragging him a short distance to the small boat shack. Inside was crowded with just the two of them and a canoe in there, still the air was better than outside, and at least she could rest and keep the clean handkerchief on his mouth.

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Orup's eyes suddenly opened with surprise. Well, he was surprised anyway; he hadn't been expecting to ever open those eyes again. Perhaps not the first time he'd faced death, though maybe the closest. The first moment his eyes were opened, all he could seem to fathom was being able to see, but a moment later his lungs reminded him that they had, indeed, been filled with poisonous spores. The fires rekindled in his diaphragm again, and the man sat upright, coughing and hacking as hard as his body would let him. His airway burned as the garbage came back up, but every cough was less painful than the one before it. It seemed the spores hadn't been as instantly deadly as he assumed, though he would need a round of antidotes before the day was over, in case anything was left. Slowly, the coughing calmed down a bit, and he paused to wonder for a moment. Where was he?

A dingy little shack with hardly anything of worth except for the cleaner air. Only a moment later, though, he realized his savior was in the small area too. Orup's cheeks colored slightly, despite everything, as he realized the woman had hauled him all the way from where he fell to this little shack. He checked to make sure his pants hadn't fallen off or anything; he was not a light man, after all.

The coughing finally slowed enough for him to get a few words out, "Thank you, miss. I would've died out there." He did his best to collect himself, pulling his body towards one of the walls of the structure slowly, trying to take in the whole of it all. Why was this thing even here? It had seemed like the wardings had gotten more ferocious the closer they got to it, but why? Something caught his memory though, recalling the last root trail he had followed, and he got on his knees quickly, fingers fumbling across the floor until they caught on something. He groaned as he realized the rabbit hole was going deeper still. It wasn't humorous anymore, after nearly dying, it seemed.

Clearing the trapdoor, Orup raised the handle slightly, ready to remove the covering over whatever might be below them, but he paused to look at the Gerudo woman solemnly; no sense in that clerk-store-cheer he always tried to carry, right now. "Well, I don't suppose we've come all this way to stop now, have we?"

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Ven was starting to overcome the effects of the miasma these plants had released; after all, the air was poor in here but far better than the chemical soup outside. Then her "friend" started to awake and thank her, examining the shack they were and apparently finding a trap door. Ven tried to her alias up, but stress was taking it's toll and she wasn't sure that it worked.

"But, ummm... What are going to do? I've been thinking and for it to be smart, it needs a bundle of nerves, like a brain, but we have no idea where it is. We don't even know if there's only one or how they work or anything. We could go back and get a lot of herbicide and dump it here, but then we'd have to carry it all back and that could kill us too, not to mention where are we gonna get that much and people will get suspicious and track us or arrest us. If we brought it to the guard they might do something if they believed us, but then it grows and if we go down there now than there could be more traps or poisons or even monsters or something. And what if it something like a mage doing this or if this isn't the only one or... Sorry I just... I think should have a plan."

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Slowly Orup released the handle of the trapdoor as the Gerudo laid out her worries about the whole thing. Not surprising she wouldn't want to run headlong into the unknown. But coming from the person who had just nearly died to save a stranger? Well, he didn't have her figured out, and he doubted he ever would, but there wasn't much else to it but to go with what you had. The older alchemist relaxed his posture, slightly, leaning back on his haunches to speak with her, "Well, the way I see it we don't have many other options. I doubt we'd make it further than the lake if we went back out, with the mess that's out there... If this thing, whatever it is, wanted us away from this pond and shack, then maybe it was concerned about us going further?"

A seed could have a hard shell, to protect it, but once you got through that, the insides were vulnerable, prone to weakness. Had they already broken that far in, or was it about to get worse? The woman was right, though, a plan would be welcome if they could come up with it, though Orup was not sure if that was possible. To him, it seemed the only course of action was to stick your hand in and hope you didn't lose all the fingers before you found out what you were up against. It had worked in the past, anyway, though perhaps that would be all for luck. Anything was more welcome than that, so long as it still involved going ahead. Orup wasn't quite sure if he would turn back, even if he could. He reminded himself to worry about that later.

"If you have any suggestions for a plan, miss, I'm all ears."

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Ven thought for a moment, she had a plan that could work, that could get them into it's heart without setting off any traps, needing to brave the newly toxic air. They could get in and out without any more trouble, mission complete.

On the other hand it is border-line suicide that would most likely cause them to die in horrible agony while failing miserably to even warn someone else about it...

"I-I think I have an idea, but it's not very good..." Ven spoke quietly, feigning concern but altogether unsure of it herself. "It doesn't attack itself, and the plants overlap so... What if we disguised ourselves? By covering ourselves in poison?"

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Orup considered the Gerudo woman for a minute, wondering if she was actually serious about the proposition. It seemed even more likely to be their murderer than the plant itself. Perhaps any plan, though, even if it seemed almost suicidal, was better than not having a plan at all. At least with this they could have some control over the circumstances, and they would know what was coming a bit more than before. The older alchemist released a thoughtful noise, dropping his backpack onto the ground and rummaging through it until he found the cloak he carried. He had a feeling he would have to replace it once he was done here.

Pulling out a jar of powdered resin, the man sprinkled the stuff all across the exterior of the cloak, watching the powder react with the fabric and stick, just as it was meant to do. "If your thought is correct, that the plant will not attack itself, then perhaps this will work? Hold your breath, lass, I'll only be outside for a moment." Orup stood up carefully, still somewhat lightheaded from his near death encounter. Careful to hold the cloak by the inside, the man cracked open the door of the shack.

A moment later, Orup returned, the cloak covered in the spores and poisonous dust that had erupted all around them. The attack seemed mostly to have stopped, but his reappearance outside had triggered some of them. Going back still seemed out of the question. Besides, he now possessed a cloak that had poison practically sealed over the entire exterior, an excellent gift for any birthday or social gathering, of course.

Re: The Weeds of Preparation [Raz/Closed]

Ven was thinking heavily on how she would disguise herself, she didn't have resin or anything similar; just some basic alchemical reagents, general antidotes and samples. Well, she could always just soak the cloak in the lake, couldn't she?

What the hell, her plan was suicidal as is, so putting the poison on her skin and her lungs was just another danger right? Best not to think of it. She took her water-skin and soaked her scarf in it, just for a little extra protection. And without another word covered her mouth tightly with the scarf and ran outside to the lake.

Then came the third suicidal thing she decided to do in the last five minutes and dived into the lake head-first; eyes shut tight.

Clamouring out of the lake, she moved to the shack in a sprint; she may be tougher than an old Hylian, and resistant to the occasional poisoning; but this was beyond reckless.

"Let's just go alright, I don't think I should be in these clothes any longer than I have to."