Contract: The Don's Request
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Next: Battle of the (Weak) Wills
#Team High Turnover Rate stepped out of the Turhalu Point Aiudara first thing in the morning to oppressively hot and muggy air. You went into the small outpost and found the cafeteria. Once in there you started asking the local scientists if they had seen Professor Solstarni. The thought he had seen her in the group that had come through about a day and a half previous. He recommended you go talk to Dr. Khair al-Nuaf, the outpost's head scientist and administrator. The administrator's hab building was evenly divided into a clean high level administrator's office and a messy in-use scientist's lab. The doctor was leaning over looking into his microscope when you arrived. It took a bit to get his attention and he asked you to wait just a few since he finally had the organism he was studying in the display.
Once he was finished, al-Nuaf turned to you and sked how he could help you. After spinning a tale about being part of Solstarni's group but being delayed you asked if he has any clue where to go to catch up with them. He said they mentioned something about a Rune Obelisk. He pulled out some old recordings from the days Turhala Point was a military outpost. They showed a white stone pillar poking out of the top of the jungle about 40 miles from the base. He allowed you take photos of an old paper map of the area.
After some more back and forth he calls the security force to ask them to give you a ride out to the perimeter. While they were assembling, he also was able to convince some of his colleagues to sell their environmental clothing that they weren't using any longer. The security contingent was waiting for you when you exited the building. They escorted you to the perimeter while there was a barrage of texts back and forth on whether to eliminate them. Jerzac successfully kept the crew's bloodlust in check long enough to realize the downsides of acting recklessly.
They took you 10 miles out from the base, leaving you about 20 to the jungle edge and another 10 to the obelisk. You marched 10 miles through the brutal heat. Realizing the resource constraints you may be operating under if the Rune Obelisk is not your final destination you decide to force march through the night to both make up time and conserve your environmental protections. Sleeping through part of the day (we need to account for the hours used) you started your march into the jungle. After a couple of hours, while Zuri of House Du'Mansia was scouting ahead, she stumbled around a corner to see a moot of several dozen Yaruk. They were milling around the path you were following so Zuri climbed a tree and travelled through the jungle canopy to get to the other side of the moot. After descending she cast around the area trying to find the trail again. She just found it again as the rest of the party arrived. Realizing that the majority of the party wasn't dexterous enough climb over the creatures, you decided to weave your way through. Zuri climbed up again to observe. While the group was halfway through Zuri saw a muzzle flash out of the corner of her eye as one of the Yaruk reared up and bellowed in pain as it was hit in the hindquarters.
The crew scattered as they raced for their lives. Jerzac Scarlewe spent the whole time dodging and hiding behind trees, Bash and Roquesta (Rocket) Strauss kept stymieing the Yaruk following by scrambling and squeezing their way around obstacles, while Roswell Mogul and Zuri kept trying to distract the Yaruk. With a final squeeze between some boulders, Zuri found a fallen tree that you could use as a bridge to cross a steep narrow ravine. Just as you all stumble across the lead Yaruk took a few steps onto it before the log started to shift. The Yaruk all lined up at the ravine edge and trumpeted angrily across at the creatures that hurt one of them.
Taking stock of your surroundings, you saw a clearing with a large stone pillar across the way, clearly the Rune Obelisk. Zuri cast about again for tracks but as she stepped into the clearing her posture changed and she rapidly moved across the clearing towards the spire.