Beyond the Steppe -- Ben Arnold

Summary
Ben took to the forest, seemingly trying to find what was at the end of the Steppe. He eventually found a sheer cliff face that went high into the clouds, obscuring the top from sight. Following it along the edge of the forest, he briefly stumbled across a small clearing with a distinct lack of sound and a waterfall that wasn’t moving, before moving on to the mountain range. Climbing up towards the peak, Ben had just begun to succumb to the cold when he encountered a white dragon. Though he tried to run, the cold overtook him, giving the dragon enough time to catch up and deliver a fatal attack.

This exploration was awarded 60 AP.

Transcript
PANDOR. Exploration commenced. Ben Arnold Cronkite, Brokaw, Ben Arnold — regardless of not attempting to get the latest scoop for what was known as ‘The Sammy and Ben Show’, Ben's persistence and journalistic integrity was what kept him going in what he considered to be a hellhole. No matter the dangers and the unknown consequences, he had the drive to find the root of the problem and a way back home to the beloved town of King Falls. There wasn't much that Ben Arnold wouldn't do to solve a mystery, no matter how minuscule — hell, he shot down a UFO just to save the love of his life after slaving over research for months on end with his physical and mental health in danger. Was it worth it? Yes, absolutely. Now, did Ben know that his actions may be futile and could be a byproduct of something much worse? To say he understood it was foolish as it was quite clear he didn't know what he was getting himself into. But that still didn't mean he shouldn't try. With a backpack over his shoulders, Ben cautiously made his way to the city towards the outskirts where The Steppe started, and a sinking feeling hit him upon seeing the open fields waiting to be explored — but there was no turning back now. Cronkite, Brokaw, Ben Arnold. The sound of those he loved repeating that exact phrase repeated in his head as a reminder that this was all for them. Sammy, Emily, Troy, Betty. He would make it back to King Falls no matter what. PANDOR. The Steppe sprawls before you, a vast expanse of gently rolling hills, of tall grass, peppered with trees here and there, the occasional grazing animal, structures jutting up in the distance, all vast and open and nearly begging to be explored.

To the north, a forest blocks the horizon, sparse where it meets the Steppe, but squinting through the spaces between the trunks, you can see it grows denser as it goes further from the city. Southwest, there's an ocean, calm waters glimmering in shades of sunset reflected from the sky above, with only a rumbling storm on the horizon to betray a total sense of serenity. Looking west, you can see tall, towering mountains, nearly reaching the clouds above... or perhaps that's just the snow that tips the apex of each peak. And southeast of the city appears fairly unassuming, with only some ruined cobblestone buildings far, far in the distance.

It takes a bit of time to walk there across the open plains, but you manage to pass without any difficulties or interfering wildlife.

It doesn't hit you like a wall, but appears gradually, starting with a few sparse trees here or there, and gradually becoming a true forest, with towering trees and leaves of golds and oranges framing the sky. The warm light of sunset still peeks through the cracks, though the light is obscured minimally as you enter the area. It's hard to see what lies ahead between the trunks and the leaves, but you hear the gentle chirping of birds and the occasional skitter of a woodland creature. Ben Arnold There had only been a couple of times that Ben decided to even go near Perdition Woods for quite a good reason — forests were generally a hotspot for the supernatural and literal gates to Hell. He would be lying if he said that this place didn't remind him of home which only brought back unwanted memories. Still, Ben inhaled sharply as he began to push through the dense forest, hand tightly grabbing onto the straps of his backpack. PANDOR. Stepping deeper into the forest, you hear the CRACK of a twig to your right. About 100 feet off is a larger creature, sniffing the ground and pacing leisurely between the trees. It appears almost feline, white and spotted almost like a leopard, but with a wild mane of fur extending from the back of its head down towards its shoulders. What really stands out about it, however, is the near-skeletal appearance of its face. It seems all its skin has been pushed back towards its ears, leaving bone, tendon and tooth exposed in a very, very menacing way.

It stops sniffing abruptly, whipping its head in your direction. A few moments pass, piercing green eyes boring into you from a distance...

...before it decides you are no particular threat, and continues on its path in the other direction. Ben Arnold Ben practically freezes completely in his steps upon hearing the cracking of the twig, carefully turning to glance at the possible threat — and his breath hitches in his throat at this gnarly sight of an animal, eyes wide as he stares back. A part of him nearly decides to run from this creature, but it was most likely much faster than anyone could imagine... and less aggressive. Once it turns to continue walking away, Ben allows a sigh of relief as he waits a moment or two before quietly returning on his path as well. PANDOR. Steadily, step by step, the forest grows denser, trunks growing closer together and leaves overhead starting to overlap in a way that blocks the setting sunlight from streaming between them and spilling onto the forest floor. The skittering and chirping of the more docile creatures fades until all you can hear are the leaves and twigs beneath your feet. It's getting darker, getting a little colder, getting harder to navigate.

And then suddenly, the forest stops.

A sheer cliff face marks the end of the forest. You crane your neck back to find the top and only see wisps of clouds obscuring your view. Looking around quickly, you don't see an end to it to the left or right. Ben Arnold Ben is nearly taken off guard at the cliff's sudden edge, pausing his steps to take a quick glance around. If there was any way of getting down there into what seemed to be a valley, there couldn't possibly be any impossible obstacle stopping him. With that, Ben huffs, continuing around the perimeter of the edge, careful to keep his distance in case of loose rock or clumsy footing. PANDOR. Looking to one side, you can just barely make out that the cliff tapers off to the ocean, offering no way of skirting around it. The other direction does not seem to offer so blatant an obstacle to continuing on, however. There seems to be no immediate danger coming from the rocks on the cliff or the area around the base. You do notice that this far in, the forest has gone completely silent. No chirps, no skittering, no snapping of twigs or rustling of leaves. Just the sound of your own footsteps against the leaf-crowned rocky forest floor.

It's hard to say just how far you walk around the perimeter, but you are starting to grow tired. This isn't a small forest, after all, and there is little in the way of landmarks or maps to guide you through the thick foliage.

...At least until you reach a bit of a clearing. Should you continue on, following the perimeter of the cliff, you can see it leads to the mountain range to the west. But in the clearing, you find a waterfall that empties into a small pool.

The waterfall, however, does not move. Ben Arnold There's nearly a sigh of relief once Ben comes across a clearing after parading around through dense foliage for Jack in The Box Jesus knows how long — and even if time didn't work the way it should around here, he could feel himself growing tired with how long he had been out and about. However, there was no chance of him stopping until he was ready to drop from exhaustion after he decided it was far too dangerous for him to camp out, especially after seeing what he did. With careful and thoughtful steps, Ben eventually makes his way over to pool of water, kneeling down to take a glance at his reflection. "What in the actual hell is going on in this place...?" PANDOR. You look into the pool of alarmingly still water, but only see your reflection staring back in startling clarity. With the waterfall motionless and not really churning the water in the pool, it's very nearly like looking into a mirror. Ben Arnold Ben waits a moment before finally standing with yet another sigh, not hesitating to continue down his path now heading towards the mountain range to the west with extreme caution. PANDOR. You walk past the waterfall and pool and towards the mountain range. The further you get from the waterfall, you notice two things: the sounds of creatures -- tweets and huffs and the rustle of overhead leaves -- are beginning to filter back in. And the way the temperature drops the closer you draw to the foot of the mountain. Looking up, you cannot see the peaks clearly. A grey haze obscures the view, though occasionally you can hear the whistle of the strengthening wind and see glimpses of white frosting the rocky tips. Ben Arnold As foolish as it seemed at that moment, Ben continued marching on towards the mountain, still keeping a keen eye out on his surroundings, occasionally glancing behind him. It's clear he's still a bit paranoid from the run in previously. PANDOR. You begin to clamber up the rocky incline, keeping an eye on your surroundings. Nothing seems to be within sight, though you seem to remember warnings that the more deadly beasts lurk closer to the peaks of the mountain. It's getting colder at you move towards the peak, but so far it's nothing unbearable. Ben Arnold Even if the thoughts of the reminders linger in the back of Ben's mind caused the anxiety to continue building up, it only gave him incentive to push further — he was going to find something, even it killed him. Though the cold began to nip at his skin, Ben simply wrapped his arms around himself, rubbing at his skin to cause friction, continuing up the steep mountain. PANDOR. Though the cold threatens to sink through your clothes, chilling you from the inside out, you just barely manage to shake it off, your determination in moving forward keeping you distracted enough to keep from succumbing to the elements.

At the moment, nothing threatens you directly, aside from the cold, the slippery threat of ice and slush on rock beneath your feet, and your own trepidation. Looking ahead, the peak is drawing closer, but it's clear to see things will only grow more dangerous from here. That, in fact, is the only thing that's really clear to see, the peak itself just a dark grey shadow obscured by a howling blizzard. Ben Arnold A couple of quiet curses come from under Ben's breath as he presses on with careful steps, avoiding areas that seemed more slippery than others — living in southern California all his life, Ben hardly had to deal with the cold weather but there was something motivating him to continue. There could be something up here, something that might aid his mission to get home.(edited) PANDOR. The closer you draw to the peak, the harder it gets to see through the swirling snow, and the harder it gets to fight the chill sinking into your bones. Your feet are starting to drag a little, your skin growing numb in some places and burning in others.

Squinting your eyes against the howling wind, you can make out what looks to be the peak... Until it moves. Wings spread from each side of the shadowed mass, and you hear between the whistling gales a sort of crackling hiss. A thud shakes the ground and kicks up another whirling flurry, and though the shape is little more than a faded silhouette between the blizzard, two bright blue eyes cut through the mass of white, locked onto you. Ben Arnold Ben is practically frozen in place when his bleary eyes allow him to finally see just what the silhouette in the flurry, eyes widening as he watches in pure fear for a moment before he books it back down the path he just came up from. No matter how dangerous, slippery and steep the mountain was, Ben knew he had to get away from this immediately. PANDOR. You try your best to run, remembering the path that brought you to where you stand now, but it feels very nearly as though the frost has begun to settle into your bones, freezing your joints and refusing to allow your body to cooperate. You stumble and slide and struggle to find purchase on the slick, snow-laden rock. Whatever fast escape you were planning, the numbness is making it anything but expeditious.

Behind you, the splintering hiss crescendos into a hollow sort of roar, and you can hear something take off, feel the wind around you suddenly shift to swirl in another direction, and suddenly it is all shattered with the deafening thud of the dragon landing not far behind you, the temperature dropping even further in its presence. Ben Arnold Ben doesn't even take a short moment to glance behind him as he continues stumbling his way down the mountain, breath falling short no thanks to the cold air biting at his lungs but there was absolutely nothing that was going to make him stop running. PANDOR. Perhaps it's better that you keep your gaze forward. Perhaps it's for the best you never truly know the size of the beast, what it looked like, what it did, how close you might have come to making a clean getaway. Maybe it's better that you don't see.

Instead, you simply feel an overwhelming breeze, a cold that takes your final breath away....

...And then nothing.

Exploration ended.