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Liz agrees with Maya, "Yes, very beautiful and kinda scary at the same time. What do you know about them?" She's looking into the distance admiring the view. She's curious to hear what Maya thinks about the ley lines. Lysanthra genuinely wants to know the people in her group better and she loves to learn new opinions or facts that she doesn't know. To her, knowledge is power and it's always better to ask questions than to assume you know everything.

"See that?" Maya points towards where the lines are crossing each other,"Where they cross is called a ley line nexus point. It's a convergence of mystical energies and are capable of tearing open into a Rift. A Rift is a portal through space, time, dimension, reality or even universes, or any combination of those. Anyone who enters them is automatically classified as a d-bee, short for dimensional being. Some rifts are two way doorways, Others are one way. And in a lot of cases, they're just windows that no one can pass in or out of, giving us glimpses of other realms, places or times." The air seems to hum as she speaks.

Maya exhales, long and weary. “I took a class on this at Falls University. Rifts are dangerous... catastrophically so. Anything that crawls out should be exterminated on sight. Nothing good comes from them or the ‘gifts’ they leave behind.” Her gaze flicks toward Liz. “But some Native tribes still gather near them, convinced the lines protect them. And now? A quarter, maybe a third, of the human population ends up ‘gifted.’”

The nexus point shivers. A flicker maybe... It's brief, sharp and unmistakable. Maya’s jaw drops. “Oh shit. Tell me you saw that.”

**********************************
Meanwhile, back at camp:

Brad positioned the Mountaineer into the parking circle beside Larry’s haulers, angling it to break the wind. He helps Frank set up the cooking gear. Afterwards, he mark this spot on his map, a solid place to stop if they ever pass through again.

He shakes his head and chuckles at the byplay between Steve and Johnny. Johnny finishes hauling in wood while Sam crouches to coax the fire to life. Off to the east, Liz and Maya have wandered past the far hauler. The ground beyond keeps reflecting flashes of bluish light with quick, irregular pulses.

"Yeah I did, " says Lysanthra surprised. She is mesmerized by the colors. It could be dangerous, but sometimes the most amazing things in nature or on this planet are and also the most beautiful at the same time. She's thinking of some plants and flowers now, exotic and pretty but deadly as well. Liz knows quite well looks can be deceiving.

"Yeah I did, " says Lysanthra surprised. She is mesmerized by the colors. It could be dangerous, but sometimes the most amazing things in nature or on this planet are and also the most beautiful at the same time. She's thinking of some plants and flowers now, exotic and pretty but deadly as well. Liz knows quite well looks can be deceiving.

At that point, the flicker sparks again as the nexus point begins to grow taller and wider, like a cats eye dilating. Liz and Maya watch as what looks like daylight begins shining through the center of it.

"Well, we may have to leave," Maya sighs, "Nothing good will come from that..."
*******************************
Meanwhile, Brad, Frank and the others briefly notice the flickering as they get pots and pans setup with some of the food displayed. Johnny laughs, unaware of the phenomenon, "Well, what's on the menu tonight?"

Brad and Frank hoist the half pot of potato soup still left.

Brad recalls a line from an old children's story, one that had been uttered by a cook and decides to repeat it. "There's four food groups; Beans, bacon, whiskey, and lard!", he quotes with grin and trying to sound like an old man.

Brad recalls a line from an old children's story, one that had been uttered by a cook and decides to repeat it. "There's four food groups; Beans, bacon, whiskey, and lard!" he quotes with grin and trying to sound like an old man.

Frank sets the pot directly over the fire that Sam managed to coax to life. It won’t take long for the contents to warm enough to serve. With that handled, Johnny and Sam start gathering ingredients for whatever they’re planning to cook next.

Steve snorts at Brad’s limerick. “Pork and beans does sound good with hotdogs. Especially with some whiskey.”

Johnny glances over at Frank with a grin. “Whiskey does sound good. Did you bring much? We could add the rest of those meatballs and make pork and beans!” Yet, Frank still seems deep in thought.

Meanwhile, Larry and his crew unload collapsible chairs and sweep the area with their meters. “Rads are clean. Nothing dangerous,” he calls out as the mood shifts. The thin clouds overhead catch and scatter a strange bluish‑white glow rising from the valley, the same direction Liz and Maya went.

OOC: Laura has limited time to post but will when she can and Tyler (Frank) has been in the hospital and I would assume is recovering now, but may be unable to post. I'll push this thread forward with that knowledge.

OOC: Real Life always trumps gaming. *shrugs*

IC:
Once the pot's on the fire, Brad says, "I'll let the girls know," and heads off after them. He is kinda curious what the glow is from. He'd got his vibroknife and his pistol with him just in case. Rads aren't the only possible dangers.

Once the pot's on the fire, Brad says, "I'll let the girls know," and heads off after them. He is kinda curious what the glow is from. He'd got his vibro-knife and his pistol with him just in case. Rads aren't the only possible dangers.

As he gets closer to them, he also gets closer to the cliff ledge overlooking the valley beyond. A nexus point has elongated clear into the sky and continues to grow. Maya and Liz just stare at it in awe as the bottom slowly opens, like a waking eye.

"The rift is opening..." Maya states.

Lysanthra stares in bewildered silence. She is amazed by the sight of this happening. Suddenly Maya's words break through her thoughts and she shakes her head to clear it. "We shouldn't be here," Liz says to Maya. Her heart is beating faster now. She looks around and reaches out to grab Maya's arm. "We should go," she tells her with a concerned look on her face.

Frank looks around at the leftovers. "Wonder if there's anything I can make to have this go down better. Do we have stuff to make some fresh biscuits?" Looking over at Johnny he says, "With our luck I'll start mixing everything up and we'll need to go again. At least this time we checked for radiation. The last place was a bit creepy with zero wildlife around."

OOC: Which direction (north, south, etc) is the nexus point from our camp and which direction will we be heading on our journey? Also, about how far away is the nexus point from us?

IC:
"That could be bad..." he mutters, staring at the growing rift. "Girls, can one of you go get Larry for me? I'm gonna keep an eye on that for a bit."

Brad is thinking furiously. oO If nothing comes through then there's no problem. Even if something does come through, as long as it's not coming towards us or moving into our planned course, that's still okay. And not everything that comes out of a rift is dangerous, a lot of D-Bees are more like refugees than invaders. Oo