(open) mission: hit the beach

[aithinkthereforeaiam]

Date & Time: July 18th-24th, Exsilium Time
Location: Sea Shore during the Late Cretaceous Period
Characters: All! Oh those pesky mandatory missions.
Summary: In lieu of the success of the space shuttle's test flight, all of the Transports have been sent back to the Cretaceous period to gather mineral supplies and volcanic rock, while doubling as a sort of 'vacation' and chance to get Transports out of the Initiative's hair. With well stocked supplies, camping gear, and more burlap sacks than anyone could possibly ever use, the Transports have been set under a protective dome and told to collect what they can... and to enjoy the sunshine.
Warnings: Shenanigans!

The overflow log can be found HERE!

It's almost surreal, the quality of color, of light, of oxygen saturation in the air once people arrive. It's so rich that the Initiative sent people back with respirators, to help ease the transition, and warned those who would listen about the effects of too much oxygen on a system.

What they don't warn for is the sheer alien familiarity of the landscape, the warmth, the roughness of the sand on the beaches. This is not the fine, sandy beaches out of vacation dreams, but a rougher, larger granule sort, with shells that might be recognizeable as ancestors to ones those from Earth would remember washing up on familiar beaches, millions of years later.

Most striking is the lack of abundant wildlife found among the fronds and leaves and foliage, or underneath the surface of the saltier, much warmer waters extending off the beach. While acting as a permeable membrane to oxygen and water, along with the sorts of phytoplankton that kept sea creatures alive, all the larger animals had been pushed out by the Initiative's installment of the safety dome. Along the transparent walls, curious creatures would come close, peer in, tap against the barrier and run off if frightened, but very few were found inside at any size larger than that of a house cat. It was for the better in the long run.

Too bad that the Initiative didn't have ultra-violet blocking technology in their shielding. For all the atmosphere is in much better shape millions of years in the past, the sun is as strong as ever, and the unwary will be burned through and through if they're not careful.

Comments

[of_the_lake]

Berserker had been considerably more laissez-faire than Cao Cao, though only at an odd moment. He stood besides the man, only wearing a fairly tight speedo, emphasizing his complete and utter lack of shame when it came to his own sense of privacy. Rather, he was fairly intent on heading to the beach aside from greeting the general.

"You're inappropriately dressed in the first place," He commented, despite his own state of dress. "All things aside, volcanic rock contains precious materials I believe they find valuable."

[ningwofuren]

It didn't take long for Cao Cao to find the origins of that voice but once he did, he wished he hadn't. "Inappropriately dressed?" He scoffed in annoyance as he mocked the half-naked man's words. "You're one to talk considering your lack of modesty." Taking a moment to wipe away the sweat that pooled upon his brow again, Cao Cao glanced up at the newcomer again with a frown.

He remembered this man briefly from the conversation they had days ago. While he's fairly certain he never caught the man's name, Mengde was at least somewhat thankful to see a familiar face here. Though, he would prefer if Berserker was properly dressed and not in his undergarments. Humility goes a long way after all.

"I fail to see how these stones are valuable."

[of_the_lake]

Such shallow thinking. I've simply decided to rely on what was given to me for this mission. If you're so easily disturbed, then avert your eyes.

[From his glory. Berserker hiked a brow, not even feeling the heat in the first place. Given his nature as a heroic spirit, torture of the body was almost nothing to him. He could bathe in the sun and only slip slowly beneath the surface like the Terminator.

He tilted his head, though--admiring the finery of Cao Cao's clothing all the same.]

Beneath the surface of planets, there are extremely dense and rare metals rarely found on the surface. These metals surface close to volcanoes, which push these molten rocks up. It's only natural that they would be valuable.

[ningwofuren]

A scoff left Mengde but he decided not to speak anymore regarding the man's strange attire. Clearly Berserker was willing to play along with the Initiative's games regardless how shameless they might be. While Cao Cao was indeed offered something similar, the King of Wei immediately trashed the clothes and cursed their very ancestors for even offering them to him. If they had more common sense, they would have offered him something less ridiculous than the attire the others wear. Although, Cao Cao was growing quite fond of the "bikinis" the womenfolk were wearing. Oh, yes. He certainly enjoyed the eyeful he received when he first made his way towards the beach.

Forcing his thoughts not to stray for too long, Cao Cao listened intently as Berserker explained the importance of these precious metals. "Is that so?" He replied as he stroked his beard. "The rarity of such resources could make way for stronger and better weaponry to use against our enemies." A slight smile curled upon his lips as he thought of the endless possibilities. "The army with the best strategy usually wins but finding the proper armaments is difficult." Cao Cao took a deep breath before rising to his feet again.

"Very well. I suppose I see the legitimacy of this mission." Even though he honestly wishes he could be anywhere else than in this horribly humid hellhole. "Come. I suppose we should begin our search."

[of_the_lake]

"I have no qualms with such a measure," Berserker nodded, picking up a simple tree branch from the ground after prying it free of some vines. The world itself had yet to present real danger to him, though he could not say that this man before him was entirely safe on his own. Despite his willingness to let someone else prove their worth, Berserker had been afflicted by Flora's presence long enough. He would be kind enough to protect another soul, even if he scarcely knew them and despite knowing plenty of pride to understand that it could be taken as insult.

Even as he dwelt on the thought, he felt irritated with himself.

"You're correct," He agreed, knowing plenty of war to admit that a musket against a mere knight and sword would be the epitome of an advantage. Even the unskilled could topple the mighty with such an advantage.

"One may only hope it truly is for weapons. I've yet to read into their goals, but I'm under orders to be relatively positive. I must therefore assume that they seek such an advantage."

[ningwofuren]

The only danger that seemed to exist within this realm was the prehistoric sun above them. The land here was scorching hot and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Maybe the Initiative had the right idea offering everyone bathing suits, but Cao Cao is a prideful old fool. He would much rather suffer from possible heat stroke than prance about so exposed.

"They would be foolish to squander a chance to overpower the United Earth." Cao Cao stated as he spared Berserker another glance. While he honestly doesn't shun the young man's company, Mengde couldn't help but wonder why the other seemed intent on assisting him. The two barely knew each other but perhaps the overall threat of the United Earth forced them both to seek aid in others. "I could see the Initiative using such goods to further strengthen their fortress but other than that, I cannot see them wasting their time pursuing other endeavors." Now walking along the narrow jagged path, Cao Cao came to a halt once he spotted a rather peculiar stone-like shell.

"Well isn't this curious." Mengde mumbled as he tapped the tip of his sheathed blade against the shell. "Tell me, what do you make of this realm?"

[of_the_lake]

"It's a prehistoric landscape. I'm unsurprised you've heard of such a thing, but it's the same world as the one you've lived on--only millions of years in the past, before mankind could begin," He swung his branch and somehow, it split vines and ripped through barricades of vegetation as if they were wrapping paper. In his hand, a simple branch was the same as a steel sword.

Shifting his weight, Berserker found himself glancing forward, towards the center of the island. Getting closer to the center of the island, Berserker saw the barrier a bit more clearly.

"I suppose I cannot weigh if you're unfortunate or not. Our predecessors had been capable of growing quite large and interesting."

[ningwofuren]

Mengde paused suddenly when this man spoke. "This is the same...world?" Cao Cao repeated with a look of pure awe within his gaze. "Impossible! Everything so vibrant and quite large." Now tearing his gaze away from the solemn knight, Cao Cao gazed at the world around him with more intrigue than before. Still fanning himself with the large leaf he managed to snag, the King of Wei silently eyed the scenery around them with new appreciation.

"So this is the world," Mengde began as he followed hesitantly behind Berserker. "Before the Goddess Nüwa brought us into existence." He wondered idly if Berserker believed in the same goddess who allegedly birthed mankind. Of course he doubted it since this man hailed from a completely different world, but maybe the two share some sort of commonality. He watched as the knight effortlessly slashed his way through the jungle with little hindrance. Mengde felt fortunate that he wasn't traveling alone.

"Quite large and interesting, you say?" Cao Cao smirked somewhat as he walked carefully behind the knight. "Hm?" He blinked his eyes curiously once he saw the barrier ahead. "Have we come to an end of our journey so quickly or do we press forward."

[of_the_lake]

"Continue on, we'll stop at the edge," Berserker responded somberly. He stepped towards the edge not with the intent of trying to break through it rather than simply continue on and observe as much area as possible. He reasoned with himself that he could likely negate the effects of it, but it would have been a major concern if, as a result of his interference, the entire thing collapsed. That would have been bad.

Instead, he imagined it would be better to find the divide and use it to cover as much surface area as possible.

"We cannot pass it--easily, at least. This may at least be fortunate for you," Berserker continued on, his own assessment not reflecting any amusement on his part. "There may not be any large creatures on our side, though I suppose it would be unfair if you didn't have a chance to witness them given your captivation."

[ningwofuren]

Mengde's gaze shifted somewhat when the knight spoke. The King of Wei was almost dreaded seeing one of those enormous beasts that everyone kept gossiping about. However, he allowed his curiosity to lead him to the edge of the dome in hopes of doing just that. If they're truly monsters that stand as tall as the mountains afar, then Cao Cao wanted to witness their greatness for himself. It would be a shame for him not to see even one.

"I'm not eager for danger." He commented with a small smirk. "Though, I often live quite dangerously. Let us hope that we can see a passing beast or two." More thrilled with the thought of seeing these rare prehistoric beasts, Cao Cao inched towards the barrier in hopes of seeing something worthy of his amusement.

"What say you? Aren't you the least bit interested in these mythical creatures?"

[of_the_lake]

The creatures themselves didn't amaze Berserker. At one point in his life, he stared down a dragon of immense stature that could have easily crushed a skyscraper with its stride. A dinosaur itself would only lend him a brief sense of familiarity and even then--they were mortal creatures, poorly designed and destined to die as a result. Their giant bodies couldn't possibly have lasted too long on the evolutionary scale.

"I would not call them mythical. Merely predecessors. As it was something that occurred before the passage of history I cannot be sure--I can only speculate they died out because of natural disaster or their poor physiology. In most cases, sir--"

Berserker paused, hearing 'stomping' long before the other man could have. The burden of being a monster himself, "The larger one is, the more difficult it is for you to live. Have you heard of great warriors of massive stature dying early, even outside of battle?"