[center][h3]Riventor[/h3][/center] [center]~[@Rune_Alchemist], [@Lunarlord34]~[/center] [quote=Will-O-Wisp][color=F0A485]"Umm before that, what was your name? And her name for that matter. The mayor. I'm Ki-[u]Will-O-Wisp[/u], but you can call me Wisp if you prefer. That's [u]Wu[/u], [u]Ibon[/u], [u]Zasada[/u] and the gloomy one out back there is [u]Dragonheart[/u]! Oh, and if any of the others from the Haynek Institute turn up can you direct them our way please?"[/color][/quote] "[color=green]The mayor's name is Uma Vulront. Her ancestor founded the village way back when. A long time before the forest came and ruined everything. As for me, well, I'm not keen on sharing my name with people I don't really know so for now, just call me the Archosaur.[/color]" The Archosaur boy replied. "[color=green]Don't look at me like that. None of you are using your real names either, right?[/color]" "[color=green]But still, it's a pleasure to meet you all. And sure, I'll keep an eye out for your folks and send 'em your way.[/color]" [quote=Zasada][color=f6989d]"Thanks friend, Hm, if that is the case...take me to your mayor, hm? I'm uninfected so the miasma won't affect me, and I'd like some more information regarding this situation."[/color][/quote] "[color=green]Sure, but, what about your buddies?[/color]" The Archosaur asked. "[color=orange]We'll probably just hang out where the miasma is the weakest.[/color]" Wu interjected. "[color=orange]I'd say we head on over to the Radio Tower but there's an evil forest sitting in-between and I don't think it's a good idea to go to the Radio Tower separately in such a case.[/color]" "[color=green]You catch on fast, Wu. Haha![/color]" The Archosaur was impressed. "[color=green]Very well, Zasada come with me. Meanwhile, you guys can head north until you reach the house that's full of chickens and the burned house next to it. The Miasma doesn't reach that far but it's pretty safe. Err, just don't mind the... broken people over there and everything should be fine.[/color]" [hr] [hr] [center][h3]Riventor[/h3][/center] [center]~[@Rune_Alchemist]~[/center] You and the Archosaur went to the mansion in the middle of Riventor. The mayor's home stood out from the rest of the village, being well-kept and mostly pristine and even having two floors compared to the other houses and buildings in Riventor. Up on the roof was a brick chimney that spewed black smoke into the air, spreading a bit before fading away as it dissolved into the air. "[color=green]Hey, before anything happens, can I just say this?[/color]" The Archosaur began. "[color=green]You're probably looking for a way out of here, right? Well, so am I. I'm not looking to stay here any longer. Whatever this place has going, it's not gonna last. I can feel it. I know it.[/color]" The boy remarked. "[color=green]So I've got a proposition for you and your folks. Show me evidence that you have a way out of here, and I'll supply you with information about the village. I snoop around here a lot so I know a lot of things. What do you say?[/color]" Regardless of your answer, the two of you reach the mansion with the Archosaur leading you to the front doors. "[color=green]Mayor Uma's pretty hospitable but even she's got a stake in this village. You can expect niceties from her but I doubt she'll be... cooperative if you try to dig deeper.[/color]" After warning you with the mayor's limits, the Archosaur knocked on the doors. In a few moments, the door opened and out came [url=https://external-preview.redd.it/idxvjERpblofBK_M43Nd9wi2QOLvOW08nNletnaK3Zo.jpg?auto=webp&s=33311a8b18bc4160a3119be29b62b36c9cb361ce]a Kuranta woman with long, straight silver hair[/url]. Her attire was simple like a common villager's despite being a mayor. She had a nice smile on her face when she answered the door that turned into a frown upon spotting the Archosaur. "[color=pink]Oh, it's you. What do you want?[/color]" She then saw you and raised an eyebrow. "[color=pink]Who's the Ursus girl?[/color]" [hr] [center][h3]Riventor ---> North Riventor[/h3][/center] [center]~[@Lunarlord34]~[/center] You, Dragonheart, Wu and Ibon went north as the Archosaur instructed. The stench of the Miasma grew weaker and weaker until all of you could take in huge gasps of air again. "[color=orange]Ah, this is much better. Man, screw that Miasma. I don't care if it wards off Originium and its dangerous properties. If the Infected is outside of its protection then it can go to hell![/color]" Wu voiced out its complaints. "[color=springgreen]Wu, please, this is an incredible discovery.[/color]" Ibon softly retorted. "[color=springgreen]It's indeed unfortunate that it wards off Infected too but if it can be studied more closely, perhaps it can be harnessed or changed or refined. Maybe it could even be a way to cure Oripathy.[/color]" The Medic Operator was more optimistic. "[color=springgreen]What do you think about all of this, Wisp?[/color]" Ibon then asked. The four of you approached the northern outskirts of Riventor. The smell of poultry filled the air. An unpleasant smell but not as bad as the village's Miasma. [hr] [center][h3]Skies of Kazimierz ---> Swamp[/h3][/center] [center]~[@Travesty], [@Tojin]~[/center] [u]Scathach[/u] and [u]Cardinal[/u] were Operators of the Haynek Institure of Research and aboard the VTOL desginated Raven Two. They were part of an investigation of the strange presence of Originium in a remote village in Kazimierz called Riventor. There were three teams on the operation but originally, there was only supposed to be one. The additional teams were a last minute change by Mr. Haynek himself, and the extra two teams saw the inclusion of [u]Scathach[/u] and [u]Cardinal[/u]. They departed from the institute's mobile base once it reached Kazimierz. The base would soon move away, however, since there was business elsewhere. Fortunately, the VTOLs would keep close by. Once they have delivered the teams, they would refit and refuel at a nearby Kazimierz city and wait there until the teams request extraction. "[color=fff79a]It's a freaking storm out here![/color]" The three VTOLs, however, were caught in a bad storm that seemingly came out of nowhere. Despite the attempts to avoid it, Raven Two and the other aircraft entered extremely turbulent weather. The VTOL violently rocked back and forth, forcing the team to buckle up on their seats. Alarms blared as the pilots could be heard still attempting to evade the storm. "[color=aba000]It's following us![/color]" That was the last line heard when communications to the other VTOLs were broken. The doors to the aircraft suddenly opened as well as the doors to the cockpit. The team then watched as their two pilots jump out of the VTOL, without their parachutes, to their apparent deaths. The situation was so unbelievable that the team took a few moments to process what just happened. The team leader, a Liberi man with short brown hair, ordered an immediate evacuation while he tried to keep the aircraft flying as much as possible. Parachutes were issued to the team and two of the members, a Draco and an Oni, were the first to jump. [u]Scathach[/u] and [u]Cardinal[/u] were next but a sudden rumble delayed the jump but fortunately, they exited the aircraft without much problem. The thick clouds of the storm meant they never saw their VTOL or if anyone else jumped. [u]Scathach[/u] and [u]Cardinal[/u] descended into the the large swamp southeast of the Riventor village. They landed on some solid but moist ground within the wetland but they found themselves surrounded by bodies of swampwater. Fortunately, they could see a trail of dry ground that could lead out of the swamp and towards Riventor, or at least the path to Riventor. However, there was also a trail that lead deeper into the Swamp where the two Operators could see a cabin. The waters that surround sometimes shifted. There were things that lurked beneath the swamp's waters.