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[img]https://i.imgur.com/C7nwoGY.png[/img]
[b][color=ea590c]wordcount:[/color][/b]  1,695 (+3 exp)
[b][color=ea590c]Edward Portsmith: Level 6 (16 cells) [/color][/b][color=ea590c]///////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color]/////// (55/60)
[b]Location[/b] Frozen highlands - Krat Zoo
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Edward’s instincts had been correct: the giraffe had been entirely not what it seemed, and he was very glad they’d found that out before it had had a chance to go after the Reindrix. Of course, the man who’d done so had gotten into quite a mess as a result of springing the trap, though fortunately a mostly harmless one. 

[color=ea590c]”Much appreciated, Geralt”[/color] He told the trap springer in question upon his return, before getting them moving once more.

There was a slight bit of concern about the continued sounds of explosive violence coming from around the bend, but the copper golems he sent ahead found it to be directed at some sort of blighted crocodile by a fiery stranger. She, along with the two seekers that had raced ahead, dealt with the thing by the time they rolled around, putting his concerns to rest.

[color=ea590c]”I only saw the end of it, but good work you three”[/color] he called out as he steered the stagecoach their way, and bringing it to a slow and addressing the short woman who may or may not have been a particular lithe halfling. 

[color=ea590c]”Quite the display of pyromancy that”[/color] he complimented her, before inquiring [color=ea590c]”I don’t suppose you’d be willing to lend us some more of it while we travel through this blighted place? It could do with a bit of cleansing flame”[/color] 

The next part of that trip was fortunately just dead rather than undead, though in a way that just heightened the tension and had Edward remotely poking the frozen foliage with his copper golems' spears in case anything was hiding in there. There wasn’t, but he refused to feel silly for his paranoia. Better to stab the suspicious bush than to find out too late it had an assassin hiding in it.

Speaking of suspicious, there was the do not disturb sign tree with the out of place living birds on it. Naturally said birds would have a better time evading the blighted fauna of the zoo than the giraffe, but it was still eyebrow raising. After all, what was there here to eat but blighted beasts?  

Fortunately they could give this a wide berth, and so Edward did so, and had them head for the foodcourt with post haste. There, however, they stopped, at their leader’s request (and Edward saw no reason to naysay it) in order to have a poke around. Edward sat tight in case they needed to quickly get going, of course, but had some of the golems head into the wreck of the place to have a poke about, doing the drudgery of shoving debris around with their spears to see if anything of interest was to be found underneath.

Mostly he found [url=https://i.imgur.com/JhFexcv.png]rotten food[/url], but there was also, inexplicably, a [url=https://i.imgur.com/b2V5e6y.png]Comically Large Spoon[/url]. After pausing work to stare at it for a few moments, Edward guessed that it surely must have been some sort of painted prop, only for it to give a metal clang when he had a golem stab it with its spear.

After sending this to the armory (for its metal content if nothing else) he also found a broken news stand with one barely intact paper on it that turned out to be interesting. He’d hoped to find maybe some insight as to what had happened here, but instead all he found was a personal tragedy. The front-page story of the paper was 'COLONEL LITTLE DEAD - BETRAYED BY ANIMAL FRIEND' with the sub line 'World-famous gentleman explorer killed and eaten by 'eternal friend' Rex the Crocodile" which was a sorry end for the proprietor of the venue.

At first he thought that maybe the man had thought the crocodile to be more friendly than it truly was, as people did tend to over-personify things and that could be a fatal mistake if the thing was dangerous and not nearly as empathetic as it was believed to be. However with a second thought, he noted that given that this was the paper presumably written on the eve of the disaster, perhaps Rex had fallen victim to the blight, and this death was but the first, missed, sign of the total twisting of the zoo’s creatures (and guests) that would come before a new edition of the paper could be published.

A theory worth reporting, he thought, and as Sandalphon was conveniently sticking around the stagecoach, it was easy enough to do so

[color=ea590c]”I believe that the infection that took this place may have taken a day to take hold, given they had time to report what I think where the first signs of it occurring before it was too late”[/color] he informed her, having had the copper golems bring back the paper to show her, before suggesting [color=ea590c]”Best we keep an eye on every one for increased signs of aggression, just in case”[/color]

Sandalphon paused her decryption to examine the newspaper given to her by Edward. "For me, the amount of evidence provided so far is not enough to solidify any definite conclusions about the nature of the blight affecting the zoo or its inhabitants. Take the two men we've encountered so far. Our friend here, Erik, has been hiding here for several days, but shows no sign of infection." She nodded at the rescued viking sitting in the stagecoach with her, who gave a somewhat uneasy wave. "On the other hand, the hunter that Geralt found, Eryk, was here less than a day, but spent it slaughtering carcasses and gathering ergo crystals. He evidently imbibed what he believed to be a cure, only for it to greatly exacerbate his symptoms."

She shook her head, her pupils in the shape of stress marks. "Still, heightened vigilance is a very wise course of action. I will continue scanning for any sign of status affliction, and once we're out, will use Angelic Wings to purge everyone to be sure. We should continue to search for informational materials in the meantime." She did not seem outwardly bothered by the fate of Colonel Little, but inwardly she couldn't help but feel aggrieved by the sorry twist of fate--provided that the paper was accurate. After all, in her experience publications often embellished the truth at the very least, and some in Midgar had stooped to outright falsification.

[color=ea590c]”As you say”[/color] he agreed, having not kept on top of the varicose reports of the state of affairs due to focusing mostly on getting their transport through the difficult terrain that was the blighted zoo, and glad their leader was fulfilling her role in doing so. At least he did not have to worry about Rex himself, as he assumed he had just seen it turned to ash by Fujiwara no Mokou and company.

He was wrong.

When the absolutely enormous gator emerged from the waters beside the boardwalk a little while later, he could only curse and then reply to Heismay’s shout [color=ea590c]”Rex, I believe”[/color] with forced sardonic calm.

He was also wrong about this.

Regardless of the crocodile’s name, Sandalphon’s orders to go would have been the same, as would Edward’s response to them. He whipped the reins and had the leading inferno steed pull forwards with all its haste and might, the best he could do to make sure the Reindrix started running forwards right away rather than panic and try and split despite forward really being the only option.

They more or less trampled one of the copper golem squads in the process of this, but the rest were sent to help with the fight, including the one he had hauling the barrel of fat. Only a human body weight’s worth, but it was probably their best bet of being any help

[color=ea590c]”The barrel! Burn it!”[/color] he called out as he moved the barrel carriers move into the way of the drooling hungry mouth of the beast, before having them give tossing it in there their best shot. The other spears, meanwhile, moved to the edges and started stabbing. Their weapons wouldn’t do much good, but perhaps they might annoy it enough to be targeted instead of someone important, or stack a few armor sundering or burning debuffs on it via sheer volume of attacks. Before they were left behind that was

As this occurred, Edward focused more or less entirely on getting them to safety, which involved doing a loop around the entire outside of the enclosure, giving Tom ample time to swim across the pool to intercept. With the Reindrix themselves also focused on this, there’d be no fire support from them, and so if it was going to have any fire power protecting it the other seekers would have to put their backs into keeping up with it if they weren't riding along.

At least the Mandrils were dealt with, he thought, as he turned the first corner, right before a soggy blighted mass of monkey pulled itself out of the water, right in the way. 

[color=ea590c]”Charge! Charge forward!”[/color] Edward demanded before the Reindrix could even think of panicking, sending them surging forwards, and prompting the front two to lower their freezing horns. That left the slight issue of the frontrunner having so such weapons, and so Edward had to swerve the inferno steed to the side at just the right moment to get one of the two sets of horns to impact with the mandri’ smashing it down, after which it was trampled under hoof.

The swerve, the impact, the poor footing, all of this slowed their course, and let the crocodile catch up, the beast surging forwards to lunging out of the water at his prey (the left back Reindrix), and leaving Edward with no way to intervene other than to cast Designate Target on it and to then pray someone violently deviated it from its course. 

If they did, they’d be turning the final bend and heading down the straight line the sprint to the finish. 

If not, there’d be no more stagecoach unless the chains attaching it to the Reindrix snapped.