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+--- Thread: Desolate like the Dunes (/showthread.php?tid=4029)
Desolate like the Dunes - Jak Mar - 04-06-2018
Ashelin remained silent for what seemed for a short time before turning back at Rick "Don't worry, I just needed a short time, but I'm fine now."
The ride through the Nexus seemed extremely uneventful except for Ashelin, who winced at the whiteness of the verse and Rick playing it cool. After passing the fountain, they moved to the Endless Dunes. The main verse where Ashelin's mission was and where Rick would be taking them.
As soon as they crossed the portal into said dunes, or Wastelands, as Ashelin insisted on calling them, they began to feel the rush of warm air blow both of their hair back.
RE: Desolate like the Dunes - Rick - 04-06-2018
A short sigh of surprise escaped from Rick's mouth as the heat wave hitted his body, like going outside on summer noon from a perfectly climatized office. The vehicle shackled a little, the smooth purring of the tires crossing through the flat surface of the Nexus turned into a jarring noise; the many pebbles and particles of sand making up the rough, uneven ground below. A thin carpet of sweat started covering his exposed body, now cold with the hot wind blowing it. Even with his shades on, he could already tell the sun was as radiant as it'll get.
"Well, here we are," said Rick, breaking the awkard long silence that accompanied them for most of the ride. "Where were we heading to, again?"
"Nippur", was Ashelin's response. "The map Jak left me marks Nippur as where Damas should be". She took out the map and spreaded it out for both of them to see, grasping it with care against the strong wind passing through, and pointed at a black spot highlighted with red marker. "Here"
He glanced at the map as much as he could while still keeping his eyes on the road. There was a weird circle near the bottom of it, with a pointed line going from it to the biggest black spot on the map.
"I suppose those big marks are Carrefore and the portal we just passed, right?", Rick said.
"These two?" She pulled up the map a little, lowering her gaze to meet the points he just mentioned. "Yes, that'll be correct"
He concentrated once again on the road before him. On the horizon, the silhouette of a city could be discerned, smudged by the blue and diluted green of the landscape far into the distance. Carrefore, probably. So, thinking again about the map, situating Nippur on it, and calculating roughly how long it'll take to reach the city in the horizon...
"So, a few hours from here? And I thought It'll take days to reach our guy", he said.
"We have suplies to last for days if we needed. Be thankful that won't be the case."
"I am. But I hope we're both right. Not that I'd mind such a journey, though". He had plenty of country-wide trips under his belt, from the time where he used to travel with his friends in search of new experiences, before settling up almost exclusively on racing. Adding a few more could be exciting.
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
RE: Desolate like the Dunes - Jak Mar - 04-09-2018
The former governess brushed her dreadlocks out of her face, taking the time to stare out at the dotted city line from a distance.
“I’m actually surprised nobody’s tried to kill us yet, here.” Ashelin blinked, and then sighed “Then again, i hope I didn’t jinx us.”
"Are we supposed to expect people trying to kill us?" He glanced at her with a frown.
Ashelin frowned "Not exactly. It's just the Wastelands back home were full to the brim with Marauders out to kill someone or giant metal head beasts out there."
"I hope that's not the case here..." He looked down. “And if it is, well..."
Rick turned the wheel as the car spun up some dirt along the way.
Ashelin held on as the car’s wheels seemed to be stuck in the sand for a bit until a bit of revving pushed it out. Rick felt like he was part of the good ol days of racing. But something seemed to be missing, where was the excitement, the fun in the adventure?
Other than the colored dots speckling the distance, there was sand.. Lots of it.
But oddly the trail seemed smooth sailing for now.
The trip wasn’t too full of adventure for the time being but what happened to the mad-max like ride, you say?
Ashelin seemed to be digging through her pack for something and found what she was looking for, an oversized weapon. Something that came directly out of Ashelin’s world’s creation, but only something Tess, a known weapon maker and Daxter’s girlfriend would create.
The tattooed woman looked over at the gun for a second and then turned back to Rick “Hopefully you know how to defend yourself if we get into a bad situation. Luckily I packed a second gun from my world for you to use.”
“Man, Jak came up with everything.”
“Woah woah hold on! I’m not a soldier or anything like that!”
The woman stared in disbelief, almost shocked “You came unprepared? What if…”
“I told you, I’m a racer – I drive fast cars and ships. What did you expect?”. He was grabbing the steering wheel a little too hard.
She worried about Rick now. “I’ll do what I can to protect our asses”. She looked confident from the outside but a bit scared from the inside.
Rick fell silent, now a perpetual frown on his face, not daring to look at Ashelin. And this remained the case for the rest of the trip.
Ashelin’s own mood had turned quiet for the trip but she hoped she and Rick could get Damas and go.
RE: Desolate like the Dunes - Rick - 04-09-2018
What the fuck was he doing, anyways? Rick knew that this desert was dangerous, why did he thought they wouldn't face anything like that here? Because he didn't think about it, that's why! If they really had to face some "marauders", as Ashelin called them, then they sure would be screwed. Rick had nothing to offer to a real fight – nothing! Not even his driving would help them. He could already see his arms losing their strength, trembling as his head couldn't see nor hear anything, the gravity turning upside down, and all that while running away from bandits...
A "tsk!" escaped his mouth. Goddamit! This trip wouldn't be as fun as he thought, ugh?
But... He wanted it to be! That's why he came in the first place! There was nothing else for him to do anymore – at least he could go out and explore the world. But no, it turns out, that also had to be beyond his posibilities.
Fuck his body. And fuck that useless doctor for not fixing him!
He heard something.
"Rick? Hey, Rick!", Ashelin said. "We're here"
He raised his head. Tall walls of sand colored rocks were upon them, presumably the city of Nippur; a few more minutes and they'll be there. When did he stop paying attention to the road? He lowered his head again, now looking at his hands – they were hurting already from the tension. And now that he was paying attention, he realized his whole body was stiff from it too.
... Or maybe it was because he's been driving for hours now. At this point, he couldn't care less about the reasson behind his ignored discomfort.
He sighed. "Yes, I think we are..."
He parked the car near the entrance of the city, at the side of a street in front of a random house. Without even taking off the seatbelt, Rick stretched his arms and torso, and then said "So, what do we do now?"
"Sadly, my instructions end here. Let's go separate ways, see if we can find Damas, then meet here before nightfall", Ashelin said. "Do you remember him?"
He tried to recall the guy from the photo she showed him at the start of the trip. Same species as her, long ears, tanned skin, bald in the front, grey dreadlocks, similar weird clothes... "Yeah, I think I do"
She gave him the same photo of Damas he was thinking of. "Here, just in case. Good luck". She left the car and started walking, following the street. A few meters later, she glanced back at him. "What are you waiting for?", she shouted.
"Just give me a moment". His whole body was still stiff from the trip, but the heaviest part was on his mind. For some reasson, it refused to command his body to move, as if he was waking up in the middle of the night, when one doesn't even have the strength to leave the bed. Still, and against any bodily protest, he took off the seatbelt and left the car. Once he did, Ashelin resumed her stride, while he turned to the side street at the right.
Now that they weren't moving on the car anymore, the desert started to feel like the burning hell it was supposed to be. Not even under the shadows the houses casted one were safe from the heat.
A shower would be so nice.
RE: Desolate like the Dunes - Rick - 05-25-2018
It'll be a lie to say that Rick spent most of the afternoon looking for Damas. To his defense, he did ask a few people around, but none of them had any leads. Instead, he found a good sit under the tent of a bar, asked for some alien beverages, and proceeded to pretend to enjoy the hot afternoon under a more passable shadow. Most people here seemed to know each other, flocking together and filling the ambient with loud chat and drunk laughter. The bartender, on the other hand, didn't talk with anyone in particular, prefering to keep his head low and only answer to what his job demanded of him. Even those who pushed for a warmer interaction were met with simple and cold answers.
Maybe someone like him would know about Damas. Just maybe. It wouldn't hurt to ask anyway.
Once Rick finished the weird acid but surprisingly sweet drink, he called the bartender, who right now was on the other side of the counter after just dealing with another client.
"Yes?", he said with a stern frown, which emphasized the many wrinkles on his middle-aged dark skin.
"I'm looking for this guy". Rick took the photo Ashlein gave him and showed it to the bartender. "Do you happen to know something about him?"
"He came here like a week ago. No idea where he is now."
Oh? "A few days back? Guess I came to the right place."
"I never forget who comes here. Anything else?"
"Do you know who I could ask for more information?"
"Barthor. He's a regular client – tends to come here at night. I saw him talking to your guy the last time I saw him. That's all I know."
"That'll be enough, then. Thanks."
The bartender returned to his bartending duties.
So, Rick would have to wait until nightime to look for this "Barthor" guy. Good. Now he had an excuse to do nothing for the rest of the day. Just as he wanted.
And that's exactly what happened. A few minutes later, he payed for his drink and left. The sun was starting to set, but he still had a solid hour at least to wander around. Likewise, the temperature wasn't as soffocating, but he knew that was only the beginning for the deathly cold that accompanied the desert at night. A quick trip back to the car to retrieve his longcoat, and then he proceeded to aimlessly wander around the town, save for a quick stop to eat something at a restaurant.
Back to the bar. There were now more people, even more drunk than earlier. Many small lamps decorated the tent, giving it a slim orange tint to everything, but still bright enough to see clearly. Rick glanced at the counter, where the bartender was whispering something to a big guy sitting there, both eyeing him.
Rick sat near the big guy. He smelled of alcohol.
"So you're the guy looking for me! Man I knew I was famous, but for a foreigner to seek my help?", the man laughted.
"You should thank the bartender for your seeming fame then", Rick said.
"I know I know!". He hitted Rick with a single powerful pat, which would have thrown his whole body to the counter if it weren't for his arms countering the force. His shades almost fell from his face.
"Anyways...", Rick accomodated his shades back on place. "I'm looking for this guy." He showed him the photo.
"Ah yes! That old crazy Damas elf! Very grumpy, but I did convince him to take a drink with me before leaving! The guy wants to re-build his original home in the middle of the desert, which is crazy, but his courage is admirable! For a prime it'll be a piece of cake, but a secondary? I hope the raiders didn't kill him already."
"So here's not here in Nippur?"
"No. But anyways, want something to drink? It's on me." And before Rick could answer, he continued. "Hey, Garrs! Two beers here!"
"Back to the original topic," Rick said. "Do you know which direction he went?"
"Damas? I think it was east, but don't count on me. He said there would be a sandstorm before leaving, and you know what? He was right! The absolute madman! If you see him, tell him I think that was impressive!"
"It sure is."
"Anyways, what was your name?"
"Rick."
"Barthor here! But I'm sure my friend Garrs already introduced me," he glanced at the bartender "Am I right?!"
The bartender did a thumbs up to Barthor, before bringing the two beers to them.
They continued chatting, mostly about Rick's life, then followed by Barthor's own adventures. He was very pushy about Rick's personal life, but nowhere close to being mean spirited. Leaving aside a few overly powerful and unwecolme pats on the back, one could say it was a fun night.
When Rick came back to the car, the night was already settled. Ashelin was sitting on his seat, unmoved by the cold air with her exposed clothing. Besides her, another guy, probably of the same kind as her, was on the passenger's seat.
"What took you so long?!", she said, with a defying tone.
"That's how much time I needed to find a lead", Rick answered.
"Do you know where Damas is?" The other guy said. He looked surprised.
Rick leaned to the car, resting his elbow on it. "Some guy seemed to know him. He told me he headed east"
"Good. Let's go." Ashelin said.