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Post by ★|Sayu on Mar 15, 2018 15:32:31 GMT -7
Summer is always hot here on this continent. One would hate to imagine how hot the east was in comparison. But today of all days felt the worst in a long while. Of course being somewhat near the coast meant the mornings were desceptively cool, comforterable even. And naturally despite the young doctor making what she assumed at the time to be realistic preperations before leaving the nearby village she found herself rather beat down with the building exhaustion. Still, Sam has nearly made it to the thicket that will provide her a well deserved break from the unrelenting and unforgiving summer heat. She raises a hand above her head in order to shield her eyes from the sun and stares at the mountain range behind the forest. Somewhere ahead is what she is looking for and with any luck no one else has been brave enough to enter these unexplored ruins.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Mar 18, 2018 11:48:50 GMT -7
Sam takes the last few heavy steps to a nearby tree. “Lord it’s hot as all get out!” she exclaims, wiping her brow with the back of her hand as she takes a seat in the shade. “Where’d I put the dang thing” she mutters, rummaging through her backpack for her water. “Got it.” The doctor finally pulls out the container, and immediately begins drinking from it. Unfortunately, Sam had made a slight misjudgment in regards to the weather, and the afternoon’s blistering heat had already taken its toll. It slowed her progress somewhat, but the biggest issue was keeping herself hydrated throughout the trip. Not that she was worried, she shouldn't be in the heat for too much longer. For now, it was time for a short break.
After a few minutes have passed, the short doctor puts her canteen up and begins heading further toward her destination. The idea of exploring ruins by herself was somewhat frightening. If she got incapacitated... Sam shakes her head. No sense in thinking about it like that. Prevention is the best cure after all. She'd just need be careful! To keep her spirits up, she begins singing a song she couldn't remember the name of, humming when she didn't know the words. “...why why why don't I... a lot forever!~”
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Post by ★|Sayu on Mar 25, 2018 17:31:26 GMT -7
Sam moves away from the tree and towards the forest. The recent rainfall and the salty air carried in from the sea help to compliment the sweet nature-y smell of the forest. Most of the trees were various families of pine, and occasionally she could see the odd birch tree or two. The bright sun above shines through the thicker growing tree-tops like a shower of soft light bathing the inside of the forest in a warm dimness that acts as a pleasant change of pace for the eyes.
Already Sam can see the signs of civilization away from civilization. Economy away from economy. Tracks of animals leading here and there. The berry bushes that show signs of distress that was some Cervidae's luncheon. The undisturbed nests of birds in the trees above. She even manages to catch a squirrel jumping elegantly from one branch to another as it makes it's way to the nearest hidden cache of nuts and berries.
Fortunately the heat divvied off a little here and while it still remains generally uncomfortably hot, she can feel the immediate relief of the coolness of the forest start to calm her sweating a bit.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Mar 28, 2018 22:37:41 GMT -7
As the day went on, Sam approached the forest. Here under the tall canopies of the thicket, she received continuous respite from the direct sunlight. Although the sun was beating directly down on her, the air told a different story. It was humid to say the least. A hint of salt mixes with the smell of the forest creating a scent that could only be described as 'natural'. It was the first time Samantha had really paid attention to her nose today; the heat had greedily drawn her attention elsewhere.
This was her second home. Although she had never been to this place, the sights were familiar all the same. A brazen squirrel leaps from branch to branch, and various insects scurried amongst the ground. Nature’s nuance was breathtaking to the young doctor. All living things balanced on a tightrope to oblivion. She of all people knew the fragility of life, after all. “Ta' think how much we get from the natural world... “ Yes, for all things garnered an equal and opposite reaction. To take now was to give later. In the back of her mind, she always wondered just how civilization would repay its debt.
Continuing on while enjoying the pleasantries of the outdoors, Sam keeps her eyes peeled for the staircase that the gentleman from the night before had mentioned. If she can find one, she will attempt to pick up a fallen branch to use as a walking stick.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Mar 29, 2018 1:29:22 GMT -7
Sam continues through the peaceful and welcoming forest, finding her desired walking stick fairly easily along the way. There was plenty to choose from here and the perfect one was just in sight. She picks it up and uses it to help her scale the hilly forest a little better.
She is unsure just how much time went by walking through these woods, getting almost lost in the harmony around it. It wasn't getting dark yet, and quite frankly Sam would have been a little surprised if it had given how early in the day it is. But eventually after some time she comes by a curious sight in the distance. There is a small tent set up in a particularly thick area full of bushes. A small fire remains unattended right infront of the tent. It's properly set up, fortunately. With all the precautions taken. Dry leaves and branches cleared, rocks around the burning wood to keep the fire in check. It shouldn't have any effect on the forest, but stands out as an odd contrast to today's heat. Then again given how small it was perhaps the fire has been here for a little while.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Mar 29, 2018 23:45:16 GMT -7
After spending an immeasurable amount of time frolicking to her destination, Sam stumbles upon something she hadn't expected-a camping site complete with a lit fire. She stops moving a decent distance away, crouching low as she examines the grounds. She was all alone out here, so there was no telling what kind of person she'd come across. A tinge of fright creeps into her mind, but she does her best to dismiss it. It was all likely just an overreaction anyways.
“Looks like tha’ fire’s set up rig-” Sam suddenly stops muttering under her breath. “A fire, ‘n this heat!” It baffled the doctor, that anyone would leave their fire unattended, let alone have one at all. Surely they must be somewhere nearby… Maybe she should introduce herself? Hopefully they were friendly, or at least not too malicious. Besides, it probably wouldn’t look too good if she was caught prowling around like this...
Sam spends a couple of seconds collecting herself before deciding to call out to anyone in the vicinity. “Hello?” she hollers, “Is anyone home?” She clutches the stick in her hand nervously as she begins walking toward the small campfire.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Apr 5, 2018 12:00:30 GMT -7
Stick firmly clutched Sam makes her way closer to the small campsite. She doesn't receive any answer to her call so she examines the place a little more. She checks out the fire - it is lit via catalyst so it could have been still lit from night time which would definitely explain it's odd presence on a hot day such as this. The tent itself is empty, save for a bedroll inside. A wet one, actually. Not soaking but definitely somewhat wet.
And on that note she can now hear the distant rushing of water. It's not exactly loud but also kind of noisy suggesting not just a stream of water but a waterfall. Waterfalls meant a place for water to fall from. Mountains, and possibly mountains with mysterious steps carved into them.
She gives the campsite another brief glance and notices faint foot prints and broken twigs making their way in the direction of the water, so whoever this camp belonged to was most likely over there as well.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Apr 11, 2018 22:50:53 GMT -7
"What kinda camper am I dealing with here…” Samantha ponders as she steps out from the tent. Curiously enough, the sound of running water reaches her ears soon after. “Water? How’d ‘a miss that the first time…” She thinks, wiping her wet hand on her shirt. It didn't really matter in the end though; running water meant the steps to the ruins were likely near.
Looking around the campsite once more, Sam notices footprints and other telltale signs of the absentee camper. Much to her delight, they headed in the direction of her own destination. “Good! Solvin’ two mysteries at the same time!” With that, the young doctor eagerly follows her new trail.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Apr 15, 2018 0:04:05 GMT -7
Sam follows the sound of rushing water. If lucky enough the crashing sound would indicate a waterfall that could potentially come from a source in the mountains. That would always prove to be useful should she somehow run out of water later. Not the best of course, but springs were usually cleaner than the dirty rivers. The second part to that also being the face of the mountains she would be looking for anyway.
It doesn't take her terribly long to find the river. It sparkles in the summers heat, even through the trees, and small fish and insects can be seen making their way past here. Fish was another good sign as if there were any bigger ones to be found here they could serve as reserves should she run out of rations. Mind her, the chances of that happening were few and far between but-
At that point she spots something odd in the water. A soaked leather bag is floating down stream alongside a few items and some soggy papers.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Apr 15, 2018 20:21:58 GMT -7
Samantha takes a moment to marvel at the river before her. The sound of the river’s rushing water was soothing to the doctor. It brought a sense of peace to her that even the previous scenery could not. To the young doctor, the area before her looks untouchable by time. A seemingly endless current barreled by, as more wildlife went about their business. Sam makes note of the fish in particular, figuring some would make a decent emergency food source.
As she takes a step in the mountain’s direction, Sam eyes a leather bag making its way downstream. “A bag?” she mutters, looking upstream to see where it came from. People usually don’t just throw their belongings in the water, especially since some of it looked important. Did someone fall in? If that was the case, where are they right now and why didn’t she hear any commotion?
Sam watches the bag continue for a fraction of a second before she makes a decision. “Can I reach it?” Sam takes the stick in her hand and extends it as far as it can go, in an attempt to coax over whatever she can. Regardless of whether or not she manages to get what she's after, Sam will head upriver with a quickened pace in search of the bag's owner.
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Post by ★|Sayu on Apr 16, 2018 13:19:49 GMT -7
Sam reaches for the bag with the help of the stick. It seems to be just barely out of range as the first few attempts to grab it barely fall short. She leans a little further in, trying her best not to fall into the water herself and eventually manages to grab hold of the strap of the bag.
She reels it in although some of the contents continue to float down stream helplessly. Upon inspection the bag contains a few but important items of note that give her a little bit better of a clue who or what she might be dealing with. There are some, now useless, notebooks with runny paint obscuring most of the contents. Between what little is legible and the images that remain roughly sketched in she can tell that most of these notes are on various biology, animals, and general wildlife. As well there are some soggy broken up rations and some empty catalysts.
With pack in hand she continues upstream. It takes her a little while but she finally manages to find the waterfall and a steep rock-side near it. When she was told there was a stairway carved into the side of it this wasn't what she imagined. The "stairway" was a collection of slants and slim walkways leading higher up. She can't immediately see any entrance but the thing that catches her interest is a dead tree leaning off the side of some of the more stable ground. A jacket is hanging off it, liberally flapping about in the wind. This is going to be a tough climb for sure.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Apr 16, 2018 16:26:06 GMT -7
“G-Gotcha!” Sam exclaims, as she finally manages to get a hold of the backpack. “Let’s see what we’re gettin’ into here,” she says, still plodding along to her destination. Most of the items were largely useless now, but she could make out a few documents about local flora and fauna. “‘nother biologist out here, eh?” she muses, placing the papers in their original pack.
The thought of meeting someone that worked in the same field excited her. There was always new information to share, and techniques to lea—Samantha realizes she's getting ahead of herself. She had no idea what kind of person they were or where they were for that matter. She scratches the back part of head, as she chastises herself mentally. She needed to keep focused, there was no telling what could happen.
Not too long after, Sam finally comes upon the entrance to the ruins. It wasn't quite the smooth grand entrance she had imagined, but why had she expected anything else? In place of gradual steps, a steep combination of paths lay before her. The doctor’s heart begins to sink. Heights were not her thing, as with most perilous situations. The thought of succumbing to a slow, miserable death made for slight hesitation. Thankfully, or perhaps not thankfully to Sam, she eyes yet another sign of the MIA camper. Grumbling with the vocabulary even a sailor would blush at, Samantha prepares herself to climb to the jacket.
After taking another swig of her water and performing some small stretches, Sam attempts to carefully make her way up. “When this’s over, next drink’s on them fer sure.”
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Post by ★|Sayu on Apr 16, 2018 17:14:37 GMT -7
Sam nervously begins the climb. The first stretch isn't too terrible as she lifts herself up to the first set of "stairs" and moves along the wall. A moment later she uses a small portion of rock jutting out to boost herself onto the next section. The dry sandy texture of these first few sections act as a strong reminder of the summers heat. That means the possibility for parts of the wall to come loose. She continues on and before long, although with some considerable effort, makes it to the first resting place; A solid natural platform with the tree leaning off the side of it. Sadly the wind picks up and the jacket is caught in a draft, pulling it off the tree and sending it flying off towards the river.
It won't be much more of a climb before Sam reaches the tree tops and up here the trees were becoming more and more scarce due to the sheer verticality of this part of the mountain. She spies up ahead and sees another, bigger, platform with clear signs that large chunks of rock had been forced off the sides of the wall. That area looks a lot more stable, but the climb up will prove even more difficult and possibly more dangerous than what came before.
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Post by ☆|Dazai on Apr 16, 2018 23:26:12 GMT -7
"Well ‘a hope they won't be needin’ that…” Sam says aloud as she watches the jacket glide toward the river. It was mildly disappointing to watch it go, though she had to admit it wasn't the end of the world. It served its purpose after all. Samantha figures whoever this person was, they’re almost definitely headed to the ruins at this point. Why else would they—she looks down and then immediately averts her gaze back up—climb this way?
Sam spends some time rest her muscles and keep hydrated. Although the wind took the jacket, it supplies a nice breeze that helps cool her down. She was “Sweatin’ like a dog,” her dad would say. She didn't mind. A bit of work never hurt anybody. To label the doctor a tomboy was an understatement. She may not turn heads in refined courtship, but one has to admire her physicality.
Sam takes the bottom of her top and pulls it up to wipe the rest of the sweat off her brow. Looking up to the next checkpoint of sorts, she prepares to make the ascent once again. This time taking even more precaution, seeing that the slopes were visibly steeper.
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Post by ★|Sayu on May 2, 2018 18:44:04 GMT -7
Sam prepares to climb the rest of the wall. Though still a bit frightening at least here the supposed stairs begin to show themselves. The crudely chiseled steps form a somewhat manageable way up aside from the occasional missing parts anyone might imagine were specifically designed to remind them of the height and verticality of this wall.
It takes a bit of time but with some good effort and a keen sense not to look down too often Sam manages to climb to the very top. Looking back... the path doesn't look nearly as bad as it did climbing up. But then again they never did.
Now she finds herself in-front of the entrance. Sure enough she can see the section where the lightning hit the rock wall and loosened the entrance. A huge chunk seems to have fallen out of the side leaving a sharp edge where one half of the entrance used to be. In hindsight it's rather surprising nobody had found this place before. The terrible climb aside the entrance can't have been hidden very well even with the previous rock formation. Not based on what little rubble was found next to the river. The entrance itself is carved straight out of the mountain's rock and with a rather strange design. It's not eastern but it doesn't remind Sam of some of the gothic designs found in older ruins. No this was more Mesoamerican as historians would describe it. A cold breeze is coming from the incredibly dark inside and Sam can hear the gentle flowing of water within. And actually- on that note. She can hear splashing. Rather rapid splashing and the panicked gasping of a man inside echoing through the darkness.
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