mayfield_rpg | event: portal two

Entry tags:

!event

event: portal two | the desert

The second portal will most likely require a double-take to locate: it's found at the end of an alley between the malt shop and the roller rink, and you might glance it out of the corner of your eye while passing by. Drones, as before, don't seem to notice it at all, strolling right by the alley as if it didn't suddenly lead into a great swathe of sand.

Stepping through the portal can be a bit of a jarring experience. One moment you're standing amidst the bustle of downtown Mayfield; the next moment your face is being whipped by sand, the sun is blazing down on your neck, and the only noise you can hear is the distant, lonely keening of the wind across the dunes. Looking back at the portal, you can still see Mayfield's streets through the lens of the alleyway- but don't stare too long, because that portal closes within a day...

As far as the heat is concerned, you might as well have stepped into a pressure cooker. Not only does the sun beat down on you from above, but the heat also rises up from the sand: hopefully you're not going barefoot, otherwise you'll be suffering from some badly burned soles. On that note, unless you brought some very powerful sunscreen, you're going to want to cover up: any exposed skin is going to be suffering sunburn pretty fast. If you were smart, you brought something to drink: there's no water to be found here, only sand as far as the eye can see.

The great dunes rise and fall like unmoving waves. The horizon around you shows nothing, no buildings or signposts, only an endless sea of sand. Unlike the beach, there's no sign of habitation here- any footprints that might have been have long since been swept away. The wind is constant, unyielding, insistent, and focused on one direction alone: east.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

-Heather is realizing it probably would have been an ACE idea to change out of her work uniform first before heading into this abyss of sand. She was hoping for some kind of clue. SOMEthing that made this all seem like a good idea, but...-

Good going, Heather... best idea yet. Sure.

... Where should I even go?

[Lucky for her!... this one hadn't ventured too far. Upon noticing her, he called out to her. She didn't seem to be very well equipped for this sort of travel at all.]

Heather! What're you...

Locke! Jesus christ, you have no idea how glad I am to see you! -Pardon her running up a bit and fighting with her skirt.-

Look, just... don't ask. I came right from work. I didn't think. You can scold me for it later, let's just figure out what the hell we're supposed to do.

[Oh, he would scold her for her bad choice of clothing... but that would have to wait.]

I came in here thinking it might've been some lead... but as it is...

[He shielded his eyes with a hand as he surveyed the area.]

No such luck. Given that you came here, right after your shift... can only tell me you brought no water. Hm... I don't suppose there's a hidden oasis... Shall we?

[... this coming from the guy who's wandered in a desert before.]

... You're kidding, right? We're just going to go off in a random direction and hope for the best?

Hm? No? Well, we can't just stand here and do nothing, now can we?

But there's gotta be a better basis for decision making than picking a random direction.

Hm? Ah, of course.

[Locke removed the dagger from its hilt and kneeled down to the ground. Poking the tip of the blade into the sand, he removed his hand waited for it to fall. ... When it did he stood up and pointed in the direction the hilt lay.]

We'll go that way then~

[Is he serious?]

-East it was then... which was what she was going to suggest anyways. Huh.-

Alright. Let's get going.

Right. If you need to rest or anything...

[He bent down to pick up the dagger and put it away.]

Say, his may sound rather silly, but... why of all places, a desert?

You're asking the wrong person. I just got here.

I just find it odd. You know? Were there any mentions of deserts in any of the books at home? ... Notes?

[He glanced around as they walked. He wasn't even sure what he was looking for.]

I mean, there has to be a reason.

You mean in American history? Not during the Cold War, no. But this kind of looks like the Sahara... during the second world war, this region of the world was host to a lot of battles between Germany/Italy and America/Great Britain.

So, Mayfield then... is that the connection?

[He trotted ahead just a bit to get a better look at things, and paused to look back to her.]

The war, and what you're saying about battles that took place in this... Sahara, was it? Was Mayfield during the time of that war?

I'm not exactly a history major, Locke. I don't know the connection.

[Looking ahead of them, he seemed to stand rigid.]

I... I just had a thought. The wind seems... to be going only east. ... So what's in the west?

Dunno. If this is the Sahara, it's desert in all directions anyways.

[As they keep heading east, the silhouette of what seems to be a town starts to appear...but it's impossible to determine whether it's real or just a mirage without getting closer.]

Well that may be... but...

[He stopped and squinted, shielding his eyes.]

Hey, I think we may be on to something here.

Or we could already be dehydrated to the point of delirium. That's possible to. -But she stuck with him, treading forward towards the barely there shapes.-

Oh come on... where's your sense of adventure?

[He didn't seem to wait up for an answer... as he started in the direction of the apparent town.]

If I'm wrong, you can say "I told you so!"

I'm gonna hold you to that, yanno. -Heather smirked, staying close.-

[How Locke managed to keep so upbeat about the entire thing, was almost a mystery. Needless to say, he kept moving along, pausing now and again to allow Heather to catch up.]

[Eventually a saloon town comes into view. It's entirely deserted, but the buildings are all in tact.]

-... Western buildings?-

Okay, this definitely isn't the Sahara. This looks more like a movie set.

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