[SD:RtR] Scouts Scouting - Chapter 5

The fifteen-minute break is up soon enough and the raid continues towards the ruins. This doesn’t take long, proving Emrys’ guess right. Though Gem and their team are a bit surprised.

The raid faced a ton of undead, especially that final major battle. And yet? The ruins didn’t look different at all.

There weren’t more undead patrolling. The buildings were all the same. Even those strange soulfire-eyed undead were gone.

Which left the same mishmash of withered zombies and low-tier skeletal freaks. The only reason it ends up taking the raid longer to get to the pyramid is because unlike Gem’s team, stealth isn’t really an option for the raid. But soon enough they make it there and it isn’t even noon yet.

Gem’s group happens to be at the front and so they get a quick look inside the seven-sided pyramid.

Gem scratches their head, “Huh, I was expecting the undead to still be up here.”

From the middle of the raid, a precise order can be heard. “Retreat to the plaza’s edge! The base will be set up first and then teams may delve.”

June, “Well, I guess we’ll find out more later. We should get our area settled and maybe allow a few groups to scout the underground area first.”

The others agree, though when further orders come through it turns out that agreeing or not wouldn’t have mattered. A D rank team was going to be sent in first to get the basic lay of the land.

Gem grumbles about this, “Really? Even more waiting?”

Bell pats them on their shoulder, “Well, least you have something to do this time!”

Gem takes a step away and rubs their shoulder, Bell’s gentle shoulder pats weren’t exactly all that gentle. “If the scouting team is back before we’re set up, I will be genuinely surprised. Oh, I’m sure the camp as a whole will take a while, but I suspect Inky isn’t going to let you all lollygag and us four have it down pretty well at this point.”

Inky walks over, “And why do you think the rest of the raid will take a while? We didn’t exactly bring camp followers along with us. Everyone here is an adventurer so I figure we can manage on our own. Especially given the Guild leader.”

Gem laughs, “If anything, the fact we don’t have people to manage the camp will make it take longer. Besides, the Guild leader won’t help with this, if anything they’ll hurt. Even those going for Order are more free-spirited and that leader will want the camp set up just right. Our group will be done quickly because if you didn’t notice, we are placed on the side where the more chaotic sorts are being quarantined.

“I bet the rest of the camp will all be laid out in straight lines with precise placement. Nevermind the fact that I’m sure many of the people here aren’t actually all that familiar with camping out. The desert doesn’t exactly encourage it. Besides, the players? They’re more likely to stick close to town and not actually rough it out in the wilds. Camping is a fun hobby for us and not something to do every night for days on end.”

Inky growls, “Weakness. I guess it is to be expected. Strength is for those who take it and especially for me and my crew. Being Evil to others is easy, but often it leads to inflicting oneself with weakness. An Evil even those of us on the path there should avoid.”

And of course, Gem’s predictions come true. Gem and Inky’s groups get their camp set up easily enough, though unlike many around them, they don’t make use of an existing building, instead positioned away from anything else. All while the rest of the camp is being put up and re-put up when it doesn’t meet the leader’s standards.

Into this mess, the scouting team inserts themselves, causing even more chaos as adventurers chomp at the bit to start delving. After all, it is now past noon and they’re antsy to get going.

Then, order is restored. By force. The Guild leader puts their foot down, and a wave of magic sweeps out over the camp. Where it passes, the adventurers are forced to settle down and subtle effects appear. 

Sand aligned into geometric patterns that resist the wind. The standing buildings end up having any loose bricks force themselves back into alignment with their fellows. Tents straighten, bunched up clothes become folded, people’s hair falls into place, and other minor cantrip level effects force reality to be just that bit more orderly.

Except right around Gem. There isn’t some obvious point of conflict between Order and Chaos or anything. Rather, the leader’s magic passes over Gem and doesn’t bother. Though in doing so, makes the more orderly nature of things around them all the more obvious. Like a single black dot on a white piece of paper, it makes both stand out all the more. Though this piece of paper was very big while the dot was very small.

The Guild leader steps up and is in front of everyone. “The scout team has arrived. They will now give their briefing in front of everyone so that no one has a head start. And They Better Not Hold Anything Back.”

Sufficiently cowed, the team of D ranks are positioned where the leader had been standing and begin to recount what they experienced.

“So, uh, yeah. Fully undead down there. Bout as spected. Keeps the seven theme too. Bottom them stairs? Splits off inta seven passages. Main one be obvious enough. It’s the big path. Getting mad heeby jeebies from that direction. Guessing that’s why the leaders playing chaperone.”

Another member of the party nods, “We’re a bit more of a sneaking sort of team so we managed to head down another path. Though I’d guess they know we was there. Undead? Yeah, they got that Sense. Knowing when the living be breathing their air.

“Anyway, that down there isn’t a building covered in sand. Though I guess the upper sections might be similar to that. More of a dug-out structure. Hits rock and all. Figure that’s a good thing as the default is stones around you. Not a bunch more passages or gaps. So if’n you sense such things, assume secret passages or ambushes. Likely both.”

Next guy in line nods, “The undead are numerousss. Though mostly skeletal in nature. Seemsss mostly thrown together. Though I’ma guess that further in they’ll be better desssigned. There is also a tendency towards bug formsss. Though all the bonesss ping as human.”

The last person in the team shrugs, “And of course there was Loot. Didn’t grab nothing. Twasn’t the job. Sides, any magic checking and curse finding would have revealed us. Which, given how they responded to some ‘E’s poking around the entrance? Well now, being found didn’t feel like the sane option.”

The four are back in the crowd, and the Guild leader is once again standing in front of everyone. “You heard them. We have a proper delve to experience. Cursed loot and all. 

“Though as a reminder! Cursed equipment does not show up as literally being cursed in most instances! It is simply enhanced to work for beings that exist in a way counter to our own. Just as our healing magic will hurt them, theirs will hurt us. There will be professionals back at the guild who will be going over Every bit of loot we pull out of this place!

“Now, feel free to delve once your camp is in Order. We will be checking, and improperly set up camps will result in confiscation of loot to pay for the fine. Have a nice day and don’t go down the big path. And when you do finally decide to disobey my order, please make sure there aren’t any teams nearby.”

The Guild leader is back in their rent.

Gem turns to June, “So, uh, at what point did we go from being in our camp to standing in front of the Guild leader?”

June shrugs, “When they wanted us to. That isn’t really the power a C rank should have. More like high A to low S-. Though I’m guessing it’s more on the side of being Order-locked. They seem to be one of those who really fit their alignment. Gives you a bit of a boost. That was a little much even then, but I also assume this is about the limit and likely comes from us being under her command right now.”

Gem, “Huh, I’ll have to figure myself out. That seems fun!”

Inky shakes her head, “I doubt you’d get something like that. Doesn’t seem to fit your style. The Guild leader there? They seem to be the ‘everything has its place’ type of person, and they built on that to force things into place as they see it.”

Gem sticks their tongue out, “Bluegh, yeah, I wouldn’t go for that. While things certainly can have their place, to extend that so far? Like, I made a habit of always putting certain things in the same place to finish my using them or I forget where they are. But people? Yourself? Nahhhh!”

Inky laughs, “And thus why I don’t see you getting that power. Maybe some other form of teleportation, but it would be personal. Anyway, we should gather our stuff and head down into the pyramid. I assume the leader will make sure that the central area is clear, so it shouldn’t be any more of a problem than the hike it represents.”

And seeing as Inky is the shot caller, no one else disagrees with this. Besides, they all want to dive into adventure.

Though she also wasn’t wrong about getting to said adventure. They don’t have to wait up on the pyramid, but it still takes them a long while to get down to where the paths are. The spiral down simply went that deep.

Emrys, “I’m guessing the sand goes deeper than we thought.”

Jeff, “Or they might have something down there with mystical significance. It is common for religions to portray the underworld as being literally under the world. Which even if it isn’t true, would put some intent behind it.”

Cris, “Eh, could just as easily have had some crazy guy leading their cult decide it was needed. With the potential life span locals can get, it would just take one. Might even be the reason for the fall.”

Inky shakes her head, “It might have sped up the fall, but in game history shows, depending on the undead leads to a dead end.”

Emrys, “I think they’re just doing it wrong. Or if they did it right, there’s always the simple passing of time. Few civilizations, even in here where a person can live so long, last for the truly long term.”

Gem, “Eh, I think it might be more about depending on one thing too much instead of undead specifically. At the high end, it seems most people end up specialized. Are almost pushed towards it. And so if you’re running the biggest undead empire the world has ever seen, all it takes is someone to come along with a particularly effective counter to undead and you're toast.”

They keep chatting right up until they reach the bottom.

June, “Welp, I guess that’s the way we shouldn’t be going.”

Right in front of them is a gaping blackness contained by carved stone. Over three times as tall as Any of them and almost as wide, the enormous opening extends an unknowable distance. The darkness resisted the magical lights of the party, almost eating the illumination.

Inky gives a resolute nod, “Yep, not going down there. I can feel the Evil and we don’t weigh up to it even a little. Now, what else do we have to work with?”

The group turns to look at the other passageways and joins a few other groups that got here before them. All trying to decide.

Gem doesn’t let their group flounder though. “That way!”

The others look in the direction they are pointing and don’t see anything different from the other five normal-sized passageways. Inky, “Any particular reason?”

Gem shrugs, “Not particularly. They’re all just equally viable and that one felt better. I bet these other people are simply waiting to see which passage has people return from it first. That way they can pick a direction that is more provably safe.”

Inky nods, “A good enough reason lacking anything else to go on. Better than a coin flip at least.”

Traveling Back To The Ruins - Chapter 4

Oats And Bean Soup - Chapter 6