Okay, well, can he go around it?

There's a lot of Riverside. The fence seems to go on forever. Though more in the east than the west.

There's a few breaks in it, a few little tunnels. Obviously people ignore all the warnings, at least occasionally. He doesn't see anyone except as lookouts on upper levels nearby.

He didn't prepare Delay Poison, and even if he did he also didn't prepare the spells he'd want to ride out an attack of poison that patiently hit at a more convenient time. He will continue trying to go around, bearing west.

The mostly unguarded toxic waste site steadily transitions to fairly guarded riverfront. Barbed wire, steel barriers, drones flying about. A sign warning of 'land mines' (which were mentioned in the WWII book) and a big arrow pointing to 'EXIT THROUGH APPROVED CHECKPOINT ONLY'.

...inconvenient.

He will stop for a bit and workshop a few sentences to offer to the guards. He will approach the checkpoint. He isn't supposed to lie but if he says he's going into the badlands to start a church maybe he'll just sound crazy and be under no obligation to correct anyone.

At the checkpoint, there's a big 'ol gun on the roof, like the tank turrets from the book illustrations, and a huge line. People are antsy, bored, grumbling, but nobody wants to start trouble right in front of Tower Group's face. There is definitely casual bribery happening- Twenty bucks and you get to skip a good portion of the line.

They have him pass through a scanner. They ask for name, age, any mutations to declare, and ask him to show his border pass at the exit gate.

He's got Comp Lang up and he has learned his numbers so he can tell them his name and age, shake his head about mutations, and... spread his hands helplessly at the border pass question.

The guy sighs and asks him if he understands he will not be permitted to re-enter the city of Cincinnati without a pass. And the fee for a 'lost pass' (said with sarcastic emphasis and an eye-roll) may be up to $200.

"I do not speak good English," he says. "I understand I think."

Great, he can go through. Put the bag through the scanner and retrieve it on the other side. Cross the bridge and don't try any funny business.

...Bordertown, just outside the checkpoints, is like the favela-ish parts of the slums but worse in every way. The dust is getting everywhere, without the river and the concrete barriers to stop it. Lots of people driving around, trading, sitting in shitty bars or just sitting around.

Cool. He's looking for someplace with rocks. Can he find rocks?

There are... Unattended cinderblocks in a couple places? And mud. And here and there old crumbling roads, if asphalt counts as a rock. There's a hill, it has some rocks and a big encampment on top. Looks like they're healers, maybe. Otherwise, he might have to keep going past the densified area a bit.

He's not actually sure if asphalt counts as a rock for Stone Shape purposes. He'll check out the healer encampment on the hill with a closer pass.

The Mercy Crew is treating all comers to the best of their ability. Their ability is...... Limited. The workers seem exhausted. There are people with bones where bones should not be and other Bad Stuff. The nurses and doctors all look harried and exhausted. A few people wearing their armband-symbol patrol with guns, just keeping order and helping out in little ways- Oh look, one of them is threatening a guy who was shouting about 'getting his girl back' and marching him down the hill at gunpoint.

..........can Blai get into the middle of things, channel discreetly, and get out again with a really clear route that will hold up to a little alarmed shifting around?

It's not exactly a high security perimeter. He could duck out between those two tents there and then run down a gully on a steep bit of the hill.

Yeah. He heads in, makes sure he has line of effect to the worst-injured, makes sure no one is looking right at him, channels, and then hustles out.

There's the predictable alarmed shift in activity. One person shouts after him, but doesn't actually pursue.

Does the shouting have content or nah?

It was just a 'Hey you!'

Yeah he's just gonna keep going.

Bordertown gets rapidly less dense out past the Mercy Crew's hill. He sees an old highway overpass in the distance, stretching far off to the west. Closer to hand there's a set of rusty train tracks and an old rusty car in the distance, or endless rolling dry hills in every direction but those three.

The overpass looks promising! It might be made out of rock! Is it occupied?

Nobody is visible on or near the highway overpass right now.

Oh good.

It's been a long walk and he prepared Create Food today, not Stone Shape. He will go set up a camp under the overpass and make himself a feast.