RP: Elysia [ECV Raven] - Land of Silence

Still suffering sleepless nights and the occasional panic attack from the ship's previous outing, Sofiel had busied herself checking through what logs the annoyed engineers had been willing to pass onto the comfy-yet-stressed-looking-dove - so the white-haired woman had resided to scrolling away on a tablet in the corner for the past... while, time had gotten away from the girl and her tired, large, golden eyes right up until she heard the word spores.

It conjured mental images of a movie she'd seen not too long ago, tucked away on a sofa in the early hours of the morning with only the warmth of her wings keeping her company, memories of cordycept-laden zombies ripping and tearing away at fellow members of her hollow-boned people... she didn't know why she had decided to stick it out, Sofiel had never really liked horror movies to begin with, romantic comedies were a lot less... stress-inducing.

"W-wait, we're not expecting spores and such are we?" she asked nervously, stowing her datapad away and moving over to inspect some of the new gear with a worried brow on her fair features.

Senna also had gotten up after their landing was announced, sucking in a soft breath before accompanying Alexia with a smile. Yet nothing more, the smaller of the two elected to keep her silence. Mayhaps due to a mutual bond of trust that needn't words, or mayhaps there was nothing she found worthwhile to discuss whilst navigating the ship.

A trend she seemed to keep up as Icarus gave his briefing, handing out gear. Though it was the pistol in particular that bothered her. Holding it like a dirty sock with two fingers pinched at the handle. "Is this really nescessary?" She asked no one in particular with a soft frown and a look of distaste still on her face.

Though without protest beyond that, the brown-winged Elysian began to get dressed swiftly. Squirming around in the ballistic vest with the same frown present - it was rather restrictive, not to mention uncomfortable. Though she had no questions in the end, Senna and the others were told to keep them for the planetside journey. Which was a good thing, it gave time to think the briefing through and come up with such.

Icarus nodded as he waited for the rest to pile out of the ship behind him. "It'll filter out any low-level stuff and some of the more deadly gasses but it's not hazmat grade by any means so if we somehow run into nerve gas or other synthetic air-borne lethal substances we will only have a short time to get out of it before it lets too much through. That being said there should be no deadly gasses here, and spores will be unlikely, if we encounter any it's just a matter of figuring out if they're dangerous and avoiding them."

Alexia listened intently as she suited up, she was glad for the slight protection the helmet offered if, for no other reason than the slight comfort it provided the raven-winged sister, the gun was also a nice addition though she sincerely hoped they wouldn't have to use it at any time other than maybe some wildlife.

To address the others the captain spoke up once again. "We're not expecting dangerous spores no, as I briefly mentioned they'll be unlikely and at the most, we expect regular fungal growths within forests. And no, with any luck the pistol won't be necessary, it is simply a precaution and you may leave the safety on and have it secured in the holster the entire trip if you wish." The elysian's features softened ever so slightly as he spoke to Senna, he was surprised when she'd expressed interest in coming back after her experience in the last mission, she was no soldier, her mind wasn't numbed from working in the medical field either, she wasn't used to this kind of thing but she was the bravest of them all for stepping up once more.

Turning back to face the treck ahead of them Icarus pulled out a map and double-checked the direction before setting off. "Try to keep up, if the pace is too difficult speak up and we can take breaks or slow down, the last thing I want is to needlessly endanger you all by going too fast." He called back to the others, Alexia hopping out of the ship next and heading after her brother, experience from the military had helped when it came to getting comfortable in uncomfortable clothing.

======

The planet spread out before them, the plains were eerily silent despite the time of day without a hint of any insects or small creatures, there was no clicking or chirping of a lonely beetle, no rustling or calling out from any smaller predators or herbivores either. The tufts of grass and small bushes stood still like the wind, and when the ship finally closed its access hatch and powered down everything bar communications the plains fell silent. The soft footfalls of several pairs of boots acting as the only sounds to break up the silence, a palpable quiet that felt too fragile to risk even breathing too loudly.

The expedition into the Land of Silence had begun.

Asclepius looked around, confused at the outright lack of sound from nature around them. Grey eyes scanned left and right as he formed up a bit behind and to the side of the group leader. He felt a little on edge with the lack of noise save for that which they made, the thunk of his staff turning from metal on metal to metal on dirt, the sound muffled by the ground. His hand instinctively sought the grip of his pistol. It felt all to unnatural to him and he hated the feeling.

"So... I'm not the only one a little uncomfortable about how there is just... nothing around right?" He asked and looked to his new compatriots as they walked along, confused by the lack of life that surrounded the group.

She offered Icarus a curt nod, but remained silent as she seemed to think something over. A soft frown deepening her facial features as she mulled the question over. Though she kept it to herself for now, after all, Icarus stated it was high time to depart.

As they moved through the eerily silent plains, Senna seemed to share the same thought Asclepius had. Though she didn't vocalize it. She broke in a soft jog to catch up with Icarus to fall into step next to him, sounding the soft scraping of her throat before she finally posed the question she had earlier; "Uhm-... What's a safety?" She questioned with somewhat hushed tone.

Though the deafening silence of these plains was apparently not deafening enough to drown out her hushed question. While she'd rather kept it between herself and the captain, no doubt would the entire crew have heard it.

Definitely not a soldier.

Icarus smiled warmly at the smaller Elysian, he understood why she tried to keep her voice down when asking him, its always embarrassing being the only one who didn't know how something worked. "I understand you don't know exactly how guns work Senna and that's fine. Basically the safety switch stops the gun from firing if it's turned on, it sits next to the trigger, juet here." The raven winged brother said, pointing to a point on his own weapon where there was a little switch. "Don't hesitate to ask any more questions, we're all in the dark on this place and we shouldn't have to use these at all, they're just for an emergency so feel free to keep it holstered for now."

"it's definitely not just you, this place gives me the creeps" Alexia responded, instinctively moving up behind Asclepius while looking around them. In all her travels through the military, she'd never found a world this quiet before and so still. "What do you think we're gonna find?" She asked the doctor as the group trudged onwards.

As the group crested a hill the first sign of ruins came into view, except unlike regular ruins and completely different to what the team expected to find the buildings were immaculate, as though the inhabitants had only left the day before. It could be chalked up to a lack of animals and good plant control methods that it had been preserved so long if not for the way the edge of the district was so clearly defined. Wherever there was an edge of a path, road or building, an almost solid wall of grass and scrubs bordered it, as though someone had walked the edge of the district with a laser cutter and trimmed anything that dared encroach past the line.

Alexia let out a small gasp as she looked down the hill, Icarus' face creased into a slight frown. "We've still got a bit of walking before we get there, if you see any movement call out and we'll take cover and assess the situation further."

"Certainly nothing living outside of plants. It's just... Strange. If these are ruins even some sort of bugs should have found their way back, small animals. But there is... Nothing." Asclepius just shook his head a little as he felt the hair on his neck stand on edge as they finally spotted the ruins. Eyes scanned over what he could see as his wings shuffled a little, but he nodded to Alexia and Icarus.

"I can take point if you want? I've got some experience with it." He offered to Icarus, calling up his military history as he looked back to the man only to turn his gaze back to the wilderness that surrounded them, then back to the ruins. The pathways that seemed immaculate bothered him, how the grass had grown so high along the sides yet nothing on the path itself. Grass that tall should have started to grow into or over the path yet...

"I suggest we stay off the path, we don't know why it's like that, could be some sort of defense system."

"I just don't like this... any of it~" the team's bundle of engineer piped up nervously as her wings remained tucked in tight against her back, pistol chambered and holstered on one thigh as the other was hidden behind her synthetic leather satchel that contained various tools and devices for interfacing with technology she'd undoubtedly need to fix or examine - her golden eyes weren't on the walls of grass that defined their pathway however, no, the civillian engineer that stuck close to Senna's vision was scanning the top edge of the grass as well as the pristine structure beyond.

"Well uh defense might be the case b-but it certainly seems there is some level of automation in the area... it's odd we haven't seen any communications infrastructure though if that's the case so maybe it's all routed underground and rigged to a bunch of sensors?" Sofiel began babbling, hearing her own voice having the effect of not letting the dove's anxiety spike any higher than it already was.

"...that's if there are turrets or... maybe drones? its likely whatever is keeping the place so tidy is just running through predetermined routines but its all.. odd, and that was all just me making an educated guess~ hmmmrr~" Sofiel finally shut-up long enough to take a contemplative breath, hand hovering over the pistol, it was pretty similar to the one her older sister had taught her to use but Sofiel was far from a crack shot~

She wished Ariel was here... Ariel would know what to do~

"Basically... it would be dumb if it wasn't all networked wirelessly to some central system so please tell me if you see anything you think might be capable of wireless transmissions~"

Senna reproduced the same result with her own pistol. A soft click that carried far across the eerily silent plains, repeated once more as the safety was flicked off again. She scraped her throat and couldn't help but bite her lip as she wanted to offer a response. The hesitance on her face was clear - she didn't seem too keen interrupting the silence once more. As if a vengeful being lurked nearby, a horror that would be ill-statisfied with her doing such.

And with that fear of the unknown, she fell back in line. Heaving a short breath and swallowing thickly. As the resident archeologist and historian, her expertise might've come in handy with the ruins before them. Too pristine to be ruins in the first place. Well-kept and maintained was the first thing Senna also noted. Though she didn't seem too eager to pronounce her musings.

Rather, she hefted up the massive tome she seemed to lug around, flipping through the pages momentarily before frowning. Opening a blank page as she produced a small pouch of charcoal from one of many pockets lining her robes. And she began to scribble swiftly, occasionally looking uo, but sticking to the group nonetheless.

Icarus nodded at the doctor, there was 3 of them with military experience here though he still held out hope they wouldn't need it. The group continued along towards the buildings, for the time being they avoided stepping onto the path until they’d managed to give it a proper look over.

“hey, on the bright side there’s no dead bodies or monsters around...” Alexia said quietly as she peeled her eyes for any signs of, anything.

In the distance the rest of the city loomed, tall and intimidating the massive skyscrapers seemed to exude an air of importantance. Like the houses and smaller buildings they passed there was no vegetation within several meters of each building. Each footpath and road immaculately maintained in pristine condition. Icarus stopped moving as they reached the edge of the block, before them the only way into the city was a lone highway.

“I think it’s time we checked some houses, stay as a group until we can be sure its safe. Look around for sticks or rocks to toss onto the path before we step on ourselves.” The Raven captain looked around his feet, the grasslands didn’t have much in the way of trees or shrubs but they were there, luckily for them there was a dead bush nearby and several patches of rocky ground to choose from.

Keeping his head on a swivel Icarus tossed a stick onto the path, the clattering of the dead wood comparatively louder than usual with the absence of other sounds.

Venetian trotted off the ramp of the transport ship, nodding and expressing his thanks to the pilot who was so kind to bring him here. As he stepped away from the ship, the pilot, clearly eager to leave, quickly fired the ship's engines and launched away. Not that Venetian couldn't blame him. There was something... unnerving about this planet. Venetian stood still for a few moments, taking in the scene of the planet.

Plains. As far as the eye could see. It certainly gave the crushing feeling that he was the only one on the planet, despite the fact that there were others on the planet as well. But... there was something else wrong here. Something was.. missing. Venetian couldn't put his finger on it. But there was no time to try and figure it out. He had to catch up the the ECV Raven's crew.

First off, to find the ship. If he could find the ship, he could retrace their steps. Thankfully, the pilot put him relatively close to the Raven, and Venetian could see the outline of the ship off in the distance. He pulled his data pad out of his backpack, and pulled up the rough coordinates that were given to him, before switching to a layout of the area.

Based on the placing of the ship and the coordinates, I would have to head.. this way... Direction found. That was the easy part. Now onto the harder part: catching up to the team. He made sure he had his supplies: his oxygen tank was readily replenished, his mask was on properly, his bedroll and tent, rope, MREs, and the like. But his backpack was a good deal heavier than it should be...

"Alright, ye little hitchiker, get out of there before ye break mah back!"

Out came Asteria. The Drake chirped-it was more like a growl, truth be told- at Venetian a bit reproachfully, and crawled out of the little space that Venetian had made for her. As she landed on the ground, Venetian crouched and made sure to pat Asteria before she got too moody. While Asteria huffed and tried to look annoyed, it was clear she enjoyed the attention. Venetian then commented, "Thanks for coming with me, Asteria. Ah dinnae ken if ah could do this trek alone. It's just..."

At that, he trailed off. Asteria simply growled in reassurance, before setting off in front of Venetian, pausing to turn and look at him. "Ah'm coming, just let me get my stuff..." Thus, the two set off.

As Venetian followed behind Asteria, he began to notice that he got hot rather easily. I'll have to be careful, and make sure I don't over exert myself. Not that he was particularly worried, but he did have to move a bit quickly in order to catch up with the Raven's crew. As his feet crunched the almost dead-like grass, he felt the hairs on his neck rising. He couldn't shake that feeling.

Going up and down the rolling hills, the short grass intermingling with stunted shrubs and small rocks, Venetian tapped his pistol. He'd brought it and his wakizashi just in case there was wildlife that was dangerous, but... Asteria grumbled ahead of him, and Venetian realized: He hadn't seen a single animal. None. It could be that the plains were desolate... but Venetian could hazard a guess that there were no animals on this planet. Barren of all higher forms of life. That...wasn't comforting at all.

A short while later, and as Venetian made his way through a slightly taller patch of grass- no doubt given respite of shade from time to time by the overlooking hill- he noticed something else: The grass wasn't moving. Sure, it moved when he or Asteria disturbed it... but aside from that, nothing. There was no wind. This planet was... getting less and less inviting with each secret it revealed about itself. Venetian would be glad when he caught up with the team.

Speaking of which... a few kilometres later, and Venetian finally decided that it was time for a rest. He was getting close. According to his datapad, he was substantially close to the given coordinates to the ruins. Admittedly, it was a rough estimate of where it was... but Venetian just knew that it was going to show up very soon. In either case, he was definitely in range. He flipped it open, before realizing: He didn't have their number. Blast it.

Well, the others could be in for a surprise.

Plains of Spook

Venetian's other traveling partner, Araena Soriano, was quite an oddity for an expedition of this type. She had the proper equipment: Backpack of MREs and camping gear, a spare canteen of a sweetened and chilled fluid, a helmet she'd taken off and clipped to her backpack - the world seemed safe enough - and its oxygen bottle. Her silvered hair was bunched up messily but, as she was, she didn't seem to care. The most odd feature about her equipment, however, was the parasol-like fixture sticking out of her backpack, casting a generous shade on the Caelisolan woman - and it was pretty clear why she took on the extra weight.

Astoundingly pale skin, much less colored than what would be healthy, was the easiest defining trait for the newcomer woman, raised on the streets of desperation and lost in time. Though she chose to keep her irregular genetics, the albino still didn't enjoy the sunlight all that much. Her alabaster skin tone fit the theme of her outfit, which looked like it was something to exercise in a gym while wearing rather than trek through an abandoned planet... Save the ceramic-reinforced boots.

"You'd think they would have brought animals with them when they built this place," the tall angel mumbled. "How else can they keep the plants alive?"

She could hide it decently well from one stranger, but Araena was actually quite itching to check out the city. She'd never been up in the spires back at home, not properly anyways... And this sounded like a great chance to see things from the sky. Not only that but, as it turns out, this job was going to pay pretty decently which was a good reason as any to take part.

Spooky City

After waiting a minute that felt like an eternity Icarus was satisfied the pathways wouldn't vaporize them instantly, it was almost scarier seeing this immaculate city completely empty and not having any booby traps. Though in the distance he could hear what sounded faintly like an engine, with a lack of other noise it wasn't surprising it reached the trained ears of the starship captain.
"Sounds like our next two members are here, if I had to guess what another ship was doing out here in this place that's the most logical explanation, either that or we'll see a band of mercs or brigands come sailing overhead soon." He said to the other members of the group with him, since they would be waiting for a short time for them to catch up it was good an excuse as any to stop for a break and inventory check. "Everyone take five, then we'll do an inventory check and wait till they catch up, we dont want to burn through our supplies too fast in the event there's no way of getting food or freshwater here."

Plains of Spook

For the two new Elysians who'd begun the short trip to the outskirts of the abandoned city the surroundings and lack of sound and motion was painfully clear just as it had been for the first group. In the grass underfoot if they looked hard enough the footprints from the Raven's crew were still visible in the squashed grass, with no wind or creatures to disturb it they were almost perfectly framed.
"Captain Icarus Asellio to the two newest crew members. If you've got your gear then you should be able to hear me. If indeed you can then we've stopped for a brief rest and equipment check at the outskirts of the city, we'll wait for you here so get a hustle on and follow the marked route you should have on the satellite map. Icarus out."

Several minutes after the communication came through, a low rumbling started in the far distance of the city, something akin to far off thunder in the night despite the lack of cloud cover or evidence of a storm anywhere. For several more minutes of their journey, the rumbling noise increased in volume, nothing overly loud but enough of a change to be noticeable, right at its peak a deep boom sounded before silence returned. There was no further noise, and no visible sign there ever had been some tremendous event at the city, it had simply come and now gone. Bathing the entire plains in sound for a minute before returning to absolute silence

In Fear of Sunlight

"Well, we should pick up the pace then. No sense keeping them waiting," the slender Caelisolan spoke, picking up the pace just slightly. She'd led Venetian to the crest of the next hill as rolling thunder made itself audible. Scanning the city's skyline, she saw nothing. "Think that was some ancient generator going out? I don't see smoke or anything, soo..." Araena's voice trailed off, letting the other hiker have a chance to finish her expendable thoughts.

It all seemed rather off, from the very start. Though Alexia's remark didn't do much to relax her as much as it did ennerve her. A soft hum under her breath as amber eyes scanned their surroundings, before scraping her throat. "There isn't," she agreed, before swallowing thickly, "why? And why is there not even the slightest sign of local wildlife? No crickets, no chatter, no gnats or flies," she mused, biting her lip momentarily. "It's a possibility everyone left - but this place would be reclaimed by nature then," she glanced up to meet Icarus' eyes as he told them to take five and check their supplies, exhaling a shuddering breath. "Nothing makes sense," she hummed, before producing a wistful, almost fatalistic chuckle. "It never does, huh," she finished her sentiment before taking a knee, pulling the pack fro her back to inspect, before padding herself down for the numerous pockets that were sewn in her robes. Pulling up the pistol and placing it to the side with a scowl of disgust towards the weapon, before continuing to check whether there was something extra that could help or added to the count.

And just like that, out of nowhere, was an extra bottle of water, placed on the ground, along with the rest of the rations she carried with.

Venetian Gray
Plains of Spook

At Venetian's companion's grumbling (Who's name was Araena; don't forget that.), Venetian replied abentmindedly, "No, it shouldnae affect the plants too much; the creators would have thought of that. What baffles me is the fact that there is no wind. It's disturbing, that's what it is. No way for the pollen to spread; granted, ah dinnae ken much about plants, but everything about this planet is... off." Venetian looked off into the distance for a bit. Plains were melancholy. They stretched on and on and on, and made one feel utterly alone, even when they were with someone else.

Venetian gave a sideways glance at Araena. Whereas she was dressed like she was prepared for fitness training or something like that, Venetian was dressed in a much more... earthen and..practical? Compare it how you want, Venetian was wearing a sturdy jacket- not quite long enough to be called a great coat, nor thick enough. Thank God for that; Venetian was seriously considering taking it off. Underneath the jacket, he wore a tan button short sleeve shirt, and dark brown leggings. Also very sturdy. For footwear, Venetian was wearing a pair of sturdy boots- while not ceramic or steel-toed, they were padded, and had the benefit of not being as noisy as typical boots were.

That was a really great way to describe his setup, wasn't it? Sturdy.

He gave another sideways glance at Araena, before abruptly asking, "Ye got enough oxygen, right? MREs, water, and the like?" ...It wouldn't be a bit of a stretch to say that Venetian was on edge. He definitely did not want his companion to die from exhaustion or anything like that. She was an albino after all. ...Like that mattered any. Basing off her choice of clothing, she was probably in far better shape than Venetian. But Venetian was a worrier.

"Well, we should pick up the pace then. No sense keeping them waiting," Araena suddenly spoke. Thus ended their rest. As Araena strided over the grassy hills, Venetian scurried to keep up. The tall girl could easily outpace the smaller Caelisolan, but Venetian be damned if he wasn't going to be able to stay alongside! All the while, Asteria trotted back and forth, sometimes going a ways in front of the two, sometimes going behind the two. At times, she was almost a pest, practically weaving between both Araena and Venetian's legs, but all in all, she kept a vigilant lookout. She was a good Drake, if lazy at times. ...best not say that out loud. Asteria would definitely get offended.

Then, the crackle of the communications. "Captain Icarus Asellio to the two newest crew members. If you've got your gear then you should be able to hear me. If indeed you can then we've stopped for a brief rest and equipment check at the outskirts of the city; we'll wait for you here so get a hustle on and follow the marked route you should have on the satellite map. Icarus out." Venetian looked at Araena at that, and said in a dry tone, "Well then, ye heard the man. Looks like we're running a marathon now." At that, Venetian picked up the pace a bit; not too much. There was still every possible chance of heatstroke in this weather.

After cresting the next hill, a rumble penetrated the otherwise stiflingly silent landscape. It was barely noticeable at first, but as the two continued on their journey, it became more and more prominent, becoming deafening at the end. And then, the boom. Venetian flinched at that. The only sound aside from their own voices, and yet.. it was ominous. Like Araena, Venetian kept his eyes on the skyline, only taking his eyes off from time to time to flick it down to check the path in front of them.

"Think that was some ancient generator going out? I don't see smoke or anything, soo..." Araena's question pierced the silence that settled afterwards. Venetian didn't answer immediately, keeping his eyes locked on the city skyline, chewing the inside of his cheek. Finally, he said, "No, Ah dinnae think so. If it was a generator, it would power... something. It's not debris, either. Too long to be an earthquake..." Venetian took a moment to think. "C-could it be... a door?" Venetian read in plenty of books that secure doors often opened and had a sound like that- admittedly, most of the books were fiction books, but he heard a couple of old bunker doors whenever he accompanied Anthony to such places in Neplesia. Could it be that the team opened a door to the city?

"...Come on. Ah'm sorry for rushing, but... it just doesn't feel safe." Venetian said. He looked around for Asteri. ...He realized she was curled around Araena's leg- that being the closest shelter she could find- hissing at the environment around her. Whatever that rumble was, it put Asteri on edge. Not that Venetian could blame her.

Spooky City but now 10 minutes later or something

The new pair soon arrived near the outskirts with the rest of the group and had a chance to sit and rest their bodies for a couple of minutes while Icarus set about putting the rest to work checking packs and each others equipment. The sounds from the city had brought forth no end of questions in each of their minds but he had no idea how to answer them, instead the captain stood resolute with his face of stone and prepared to move out towards their goal.

"Sorry we don't have time for a formal introduction you two but we need to make it to that city and find a site we can camp for the night soon, after that we'll have time to investigate a little more leisurely and catch up. For now both of you know I am Captain Icarus, feel free to introduce yourselves on the walk there but I want everyone on the look out, that noise didn't come from nowhere." The Raven winged brother said before setting off at a steady walking pace, the buildings towering above them moving ever closer with each step forward. As if the planet knew they didn't need anymore freaky events a strong gust of wind ripped across the plains and buffeted the group, flattening grass and blowing the shrubs around. Though as quickly as it hit the gust subsided, behind them it traveled onwards like a shockwave of air moving across the surface.

Alexia squeaked in alarm though it was inaudible in the sudden strong winds which nearly knocked her to the ground, slowly standing from her position kneeling on the floor she ruffled her wings and brushed off her uniform. If there was ever a more disturbing thing than a planet with no wind and no sound it was that very same planet suddenly blowing a gale for several seconds. The raven sisters hand drifted softly across the grip of her gun, somewhere in her mind soldiers instincts told her to fight, that's what she gets for serving in the army that apparently will fight just about everyone, an itchy trigger finger like so many of those synthetic soldiers who could move mountains and survive anti armour rounds.