< Late Night Lessons | Ex Pulplogs | Further Talks With Sixth >
ST With the comatose Xar'Rex loaded onto Jaks, Corve and Myrrh trek into the maze. For reasons known only to her, Carmine refuses to accompany them and strikes off on her own direction, shooting down any attempt by Corve to get her to stay with the group or let them follow her. Her sunblade in hand, she disappears down a twisting lane of greenery.
ST Myrrh and Corve are left alone with their sleeping friend and Corve's suddenly-appeared dinosaur. And Snuffles, who is roving around Myrrh's feet, sniffing at the ground.
Corve is not happy about this developement. He could always, he supposes, follow her without her knowledge, but that would mean leaving Myrrh, Xar, and Jaks to fend for themselves, and would make Carmine incredibly angry, he's betting. Not to mention that she can take care of herself- as everyone takes delight in reminding him every other second.
Myrrh wishes Carmine well in her hunt although it should only be more plants. I mean what's so dangerous about a hedge maze they can just jump out of when they want to?
Corve sighs and continues walking into the maze, one hand on the back of Jaks' neck, patting the dinosaur silently as they walk. His rifle is in his other hand, held firmly, ready for any sudden occurence.
Myrrh examines the plantlife as they go along...so many new and interesting botantical discoveries! "She'll be fine. The last time she was captured by anything she bounced right back. And it's just an overgrown hedge. She's got the biggest shears around."
Corve snorts, eyeing his friend and then looking forwards again. "Doesn't mean I have to like it any," he murmurs, grinding his jaw.
ST The maze has degenerated from the once-pristine corridors of green that it was intended to be. In some areas the overgrowth is so thick that Corve and Myrrh have to blast their way through the hedges to make any progress at all, in other places attempts to do so result only in agitating the local plantlife so that it releases a cloud of spores at them.
ST Snuffles is some help, guiding his master through the worst of the unblastable obstacles. Jaks manages to plow through most of them, or he simply climbs atop them and waits for Corve to get him down somehow.
ST After making their way through an area where the local conditions have produced a sort of stunted fruit tree that, every time they jostled it to get past, would rain down foul-smelling rotten fruits upon them, Corve and Myrrh reach an area where the overgrowth has been beaten back by a blight of some sort. Possibly a sand-garden at one point...
ST ...the clearing they find themselves in now is a mixture of sand and stones spread far apart with a few weeds growing tenaciously in the sand. While none of that is unusual, the fact that a small creature of some sort is letting out piteous cries of fear and protest as it sinks into the sandy center of the clearing is somewhat distracting.
Myrrh frowns and reaches into his bag, getting a pole to reach out to the small critter...if that doesn't work there's always the net he had brought along for capturing rare fish!
Corve frowns worriedly. Poor critter. Then again, it could be another trap. "Careful, Myrrh- it could be some sort of trap or ambush," he says, flipping his rifle at the ready.
ST Saddly, neither Myrrh's pole nor his net are long enough to reach the small creature foundering in the sinking sands. With the nearest stones being more then 20 paces from the creature, it will be quite difficult to extract the animal without being captured by the sands.
Corve sighs for a minute, and then holsters his rifle. "Watch my back," he says, and Essence courses through his being, making his limbs lighter- his bones feel hollow and the air is thicker, almost as if he could walk on it. Breaking into a sprint, the Night Caste rushes through the sand, reaching down to grab the creature, and making his way back with utmost speed.
ST As Corve sets foot on the sands, they roil under him and some shape moving too fast for him to get a good look at it, launches itself from under the sands and vaults for his face, screaming!
Corve twists in the middle of the sand-trap, his agile footwork allowing him to spin and turn, flipping like a feather in the wind as he moves away from his assailant.
Xar`Rex yawns.
Myrrh draws his rifle but can't get a clear show at the screaming monster! Better get the poor thing before it gets et up!
Xar`Rex rolls over sleepily, wondering where the nice flower went, and why he's on Jaks' back.. and...what is everyone so excited about?
ST The sand monster misses Corve as the nimble Night Caste ducks out from under its leap. With a yowl of unhappiness, the monster retreats back into the sands, vanishing.
Corve flips to his feet over the dipping sands, sprinting towards the drowning creature.
Xar`Rex blinks, "What is Corve doing?"
Corve turns his head only slightly to catch a glimpse of an awakened Xar. "Xar! Help me out a second, buddy!?" he says, still balancing over quicksand as he heads for his target.
ST This time the sand-dweller has summoned his family. A sudden storm of flying sand showers Corve as many of the hidden monsters leap at him, all trying to grasp hold of his fast-moving body and pull him into their sandy home to feast on!
Corve "Ah crap!" the Night caste calls, leaping into the air with thin air as his only foothold, his body, nimble and light, twisting and flailing in mid-air as he becomes as a shadow, fleeting from inch to inch to avoid the gaping maws of the creatures attacking him.
Xar`Rex yawns hugely once more, as he rolls off the lizard and spreads his wings, launching himself into the air, and lobbing fireballs at the hidden monsters trying to grab Corve!
ST Having succeeded in landing only a single vicious bite to Corve's face the sand-creatures are burned away by Xar's well-aimed fireballs. Now nothing else visible stands between Corve and saving the small creature struggling in the sands
Corve rushes forward, skidding to a stop over the sands and scooping up the creature. He turns, and kicks off, a cloud of sand left behind him as he sprints back towards the nearest stone to gain a foothold quickly.
Myrrh frowns and tries to fire at one of the worm monsters but...this place is insane! The ecology just seems so bizare. And yet there's no wyld zone...
ST Corve returns to solid ground, carrying the small creature in his arms. No more then a foot long the creature is covered in wet sand that clings to its mottled cream and brown fur. It looks up at the Circle with wide, frightened eyes of a deep brown and pants, its pink tongue lolling from its tiny mouth. It looks like some kind of small dog gone feral.
ST Its ears are long and floppy, covering most of its face, the legs are stout and the body elongated. Its tail is a puffy plume that wags slowly as it peers up at Corve. Xar sniffs at it, his belly rumbling. It smells good.
Corve pets the creature, pushing wet sand off it as he inspects it. "He looks alright," he says. "Not that I'd kmnow what 'alright' is with something like -this.-"
Myrrh "Amazing...a mammal. I wonder how it's been surviving down here...eatting the plant animals perhaps?" he examines it.
Corve "Maybe. I don't know."
Xar`Rex "He smells like plants."
Myrrh "Well if anything he'd make a nice present for Sun..."
Myrrh "Well maybe he eats them...or maybe he's some sort of synthesis."
Corve smiles and nods. "Once we figure out if he's dangerous..." he says, though for some reason he doubts it.
Myrrh "This was a first age city after all.
ST The little animal does what most of Sun's pets do to Corve when he pets them. It bites his fingers and chews on them hungrily.
Myrrh "Awwww! He likes you! I mean atleast he hasn't peed on you like the penguin..." Rummages in his pack for some jerky.
Corve twists his jaw and looks at the critter with narrowed eyes. "... are you fucking insane, Myrrh? We dont' know if it understands us... don't give it any damn ideas," he says, wrangling his finger free.
ST Jaks makes his way over to inspect what new treat his master has gotten for him. He looks at Corve and at the creature, mouth open.
Xar`Rex tries a few languages to see if any of them spark the puppy-thing's understanding
Corve shakes his head at Jaks. "No Jaks. This is like Sun's penguin. Not for eating."
Myrrh offers Jaks a bit of jerky as a reward for not charging and eatting the trapped dog thing.
ST The raptor looks sad, but he takes the jerky from Myrrh and chews it thoughtfully, still eyeing the dog-creature occasionally.
ST In response to Xar's attempts to communicate with the creature, it barks at him.
Xar`Rex barks back!
Corve rolls his eyes and pets Jaks softly. " 's alright, buddy. When we get back home we'll get you some calve or something- would you like that?"
ST Drooling meaty saliva down Corve's shirt the dinosaur nods happily, cuddling Corve as much as a giant dinosaur can cuddle.
Xar`Rex "Where are we?"
Corve grins and pets Jaks' head a little. "Good. But you have to promise to take care of this critter, alright?" He shows Jaks the dog-thing and gives him the 'not for eating' look again.
ST Jaks makes unhappy grumbling noises, but nods understanding. The dog-thing, still barking at Xar, ignores the dinosaur for the moment.
Xar`Rex picks up the dog thing, and pets it
Myrrh gives the dog thing some jerky.
ST Quieted by the task of eating the jerky the small animal allows itself to be petted by Xar, even wagging its tail vaguely as the Dragon-King pets it.
Corve "Save the damn thing and I get bitten. Xar barks at it, and he's the thing's new best friend. No frickin' appreciation," he mutters. "C'mon, let's keep going."
Xar`Rex "Going where?"
Myrrh "Well it is an animal, maybe if you rubbed his belly?"
Myrrh "Oh, right. Xar, we're headed to the main control room from here.
Corve "Myrrh, will you fill Xar in," he asks, rubbing his head softly. He's still worried about Carmine.
Myrrh "So we can see if we can find what the cult is afraid of AND turn off the ball guardians."
Xar`Rex looks around, "Where is Carmine?"
Corve "She went off to think on her own," he says, rather dejectedly.
Myrrh "Carmine went off on one of her jaunts and Corve is worried. But she'll be fine. I mean it's just deadly worm monsters. Nothing she can't handle."
Xar`Rex "Oh."
Xar`Rex "How will she know where to find us?"
Corve "Something I asked- and got no answer to."
Myrrh "Well the blown down path might be a good trail...and if nothing else you can fly off to go and spot her."
Xar`Rex looks around some more. "Oh, well you did leave a very big trail. Let us go on, then." He yawns again, and sets the little dog down. heading onward.
Corve scoops the little dog up and sets it into one of the packs on Jaks with some clothes, so that it's comfy. Then he leaps on Jaks, petting the dinosaur. "Let's go, buddy."
ST It takes a few minutes after the Circle gets going, but eventually Myrrh realizes that both Snuffles and the dog are missing..
Myrrh "Huh? Wait a moment...where's the dog? Snuffles! Here..er...boy!"
Myrrh listens for Snuffles familiar snuffle!
Corve stops Jaks in his tracks, looking around and raising a brow. "Oh crap." He checks the pack for the dog-thing.
Xar`Rex looks around, sniffing and poking through the plants
ST The pack contains the clothes that were originally inside, warmed and clawed at by the dog...but no dog. In response to Myrrh's calling, Snuffles appears from the underbrush, bearing a bunch of orange berries in his "mouth".
Corve "Jaks, find our new friend," he says, slipping off the dinosaur. "And don't eat him!"
Xar`Rex "Maybe he went back to the sand."
Corve "I don't think it'd be that stupid..."
Myrrh "Well why would he do that? He just got out of the sand..."Listens for the sounds of struggling dog
Corve "Animals usually don't go bvack to places that are deadly to them. Instincts and what not..."
Xar`Rex "They lured him in there once."
Corve "Still..."
Corve begins to look for the critter, searching for any clues that might lead him towards the thing.
ST Jaks attempts to follow Corve's orders, putting his nose to the ground and sniffing, wandering in circles trying to find a trace of the small dog..but he returns to Corve's side making unhappy noises. He can't find a trace of the creature.
ST For all Corve's own attempts to find broken underbrush or spots of urine, any sign of the dog-like creature he comes up as empty as Jaks. There is simply no sign, beyond the warmth of the clothes in the pack where he'd placed it, that the dog was ever with them or even that it ever existed.
ST The lack of evidence is SO complete that Corve is left wondering if the dog was ever actually there...he can certainly find nothing but his memories to support the fact that it was.
Corve thinks it obviously existed, or the clothes inside the pack wouldn't be scratched up.
ST Even the teeth marks on his fingers are gone and there aren't even traces of fur on himself, Xar or in the clothing inside the pack.
Corve "This is... bizzare..." he says, checking again and seeing the scratches gone... his own finger is fine... "Very very bizzare."
Myrrh "...maybe he...blips around like Jaks?"
Xar`Rex "Well, it lives here, it will be fine. We must go forward."
Corve "Doesn't matter. If Jaks bites you, you stay bitten, at least until you heal naturally. I don't have a scratch on my finger, and he gnawed on it pretty good."
Xar`Rex "Jaks has much bigger teeth."
Corve "I don't heal scratches and bruises in mere minutes, Xar, Exalted though I may be."
Myrrh thinks for a moment and then heads back to the sand pit.
Xar`Rex "Does it matter?"
Corve follows Myrrh, calling for Jaks to come along.
Corve "Yes. Something bizzare is going on, and I'm curious now."
Xar`Rex "We should turn the spheres off first."
ST Back at the sand pit's location the Circle is confronted by a vast tree that stretches as far up into the sky as they can see. Under its roots there is no trace of anything but...more roots. At least as far as any of them can see. Head-sized fruit in a shade of obnoxious orange hang from the lower branches. In some of the roots' convoluted twistings, pools of clear water have formed.
ST Small fish occasionally swim in some of the larger pools.
Myrrh "What the..."
Xar`Rex "Some creature of illusion."
Corve "Apparently..." he says, scratching his chin. "Bizzare."
ST Corve isn't so sure. His face is still sore and painful from where the sand-monster bit into his cheek and neck and dried blood has crusted in his stubble.
Corve "I'm still hurt from the sand-creature, so I don't think they were illusions," he says.
Xar`Rex "Not all illusions then. But one to hide the small ones from their prey
Myrrh experiments and dips a foot into the "pools"
ST Myrrh's boot becomes wet as he sticks it into the water. One of the tiny silver fish swims over to investigate.
Xar`Rex finds himself much more interested in the obnoxiously orange fruits
Xar`Rex yawns again, shaking his head a bit. "I am hungry."
Myrrh "Maybe it's...some sort of vision system? For entertainment or meditation during the first age?"
Xar`Rex eyes the fruit
ST The fruit sways on the branches.
Xar`Rex "Or just a trap. One that smells wonderfully tasty. I'm so hungry..."
Myrrh "Well I still don't understand where my jerky went..."
Myrrh offers Xar some of the various greens, berries, and fruits that Snuffles has been brining him. "You want some? Snuffles brought them!"
Corve "Whatever happened, it's weird beyond what we've seen so far... well, maybe not being inside the behemoth's stomach- but that was surreal."
Xar`Rex "Thanks..." he casts a sidelong glance at the fruits, and settles for the stuff Myrrh gives him
Myrrh looks around the walls of the garden for some obvious essence channeling device.
Myrrh "Hm. Maybe once we come back and clear the place out we can find what's causing it. Maybe put the poor dog projection on steady ground."
Xar`Rex "It was a lure, only."
ST For a long time the three explorers and their Familiars wander through the overgrown maze without coming upon any further mysteries. But eventually they come to a massive wall of greenery that seems determined to forbid them any further passage. An attempt by Xar to scale it simply results in it growing taller as he climbs until he is forced to give up and retreat to the ground.
ST Standing next to Myrrh and Corve, the Dragon-King finds himself suddenly faces with a stern-faced man made of leaves, peering out at the three from the wall of green.
Leafy Man "Why do you seek to pass the Green Wall?"
Xar`Rex looks to Myrrh... he's been asleep and still isn't entirely sure where they're going.
Myrrh clears this throat, puffing up slightly to look impressive "We seek the control center to the city! We have come to retrieve an object of great importance to strike against a vile cult!...please?"
Leafy Man "You wish to steal something from the Solar's Tomb."
Xar`Rex "Six whatsits?"
Leafy Man ignores the babbling Dragon-King.
Myrrh "Steal? No, however we are in desperate need of whatever it is the cult so fears to sink the whole island! And we have a feeling it's something inside this tomb."
Leafy Man "You intend to take something that does not belong to you."
Myrrh "Only for a little bit..."
Myrrh "And how do you know I didn't make it? I mean I could be the reincarnation of the guy who owned it."
Leafy Man "Your hands have never touched anything within the Green Wall. That is sufficient. You do not own anything within."
Xar`Rex "That is likely. Moreso that it was Corve's."
Xar`Rex "There are many statues of him here."
Corve raises a brow at the Leafy Man. He doesn't even smile at the man- instead, he simply crosses his arms and stares.
Leafy Man "If you would enter within, you must sacrifice something of value before passing beyond. If you would steal from the Tomb, you will pay far more when you challenge the dwellers."
Myrrh "The dwellers?"
Leafy Man "Those who live within."
Myrrh "What exactly lives inside? Isn't it a command center?"
Leafy Man "The dwellers live inside the Tomb."
Corve "This is getting ridiculous," he says rather flatly.
Myrrh "So you're saying the dragonblooded came HERE too? How odd...you would think they would try to use it again."
Xar`Rex rummages around in his packs and extracts something shiny.
Myrrh "Who made you?"
Leafy Man "The builders of the Tomb."
Corve "Blossom."
Corve "Or the Dragon-Blooded?"
Corve tilts his head and flits his eyelashes slightly, as if disconcerted, and then smiles slightly- something sneaky about his grin. "Dragon-Blooded then."
Myrrh "Ummm...what's the matter Corve?"
Corve "Hmm? Oh, nothing," he says, still smirking. "Blossom didn't build this tomb. She wouldn't. It was most probably the Dragon-Blooded."
Leafy Man waits patiently, ignoring the chatter.
Corve takes a step closer to the leafy man and scratches his chin somewhat, raising a brow. "Are you going to move aside, or do we have to find another way?"
Leafy Man "If you wish to pass, you must first give up something you value."
Myrrh "hmmm...well I have some coins I suppose..."
Xar`Rex offers said shiny thing, part of an artifact he had been building, and would now have to start over from scratch
Corve isn't giving anything up. This is ridiculous. He's sick of fucking conditions for everything.
Myrrh offers his trips luxury allowance...not ALOT but dammit, it's worth SOMETHING! They'll just have to cut into the food budget...and that should be easy with a master forager like Snuffles!
Leafy Man accepts the partially-constructed artifact from Xar'Rex. When myrrh offers the coins, the leaf-faced man looks affronted. "You can not bribe your way past. Money is insufficient."
Corve thinks for a moment, and then lifts his rifle. "How about some bullets. I treasure them."
Myrrh "Welll....I suppose you could have this." Rummages into his pack and pulls out an ornate looking half finished mundane pistol of some sort but what IS there is magnificent craftsmanship! The handle is some sort of whiteish material that looks like pearl. "I know it isn't quite done but you have to admit it does look pretty! I haven't decided what to chamber it for. I mean it IS only a side arm but you can't skimp on the look!
Myrrh "And the intimidation factor! Well I know you aren't supposed to CHAMBER a pistol for the kind of blast powder they use for shore canons but that's just for MORTA Ls?."
Myrrh "I haven't had alot of luck with the testing though...as you can tell from the fact that it doesn't actualy have a barrel per se...interesting story there!"
Leafy Man absorbs Myrrh's gun just as it did Xar's offered artifact-in-progress. Having done so, the leafy face turns to Corve."
Corve raises a brow at Myrrh. He looks at the Leafy Man, and then takes a step over, facing its face with a raised brow. "Something I value? My word whatever I do is for the better good of all of Creation." Corve values his word, his promises have always been kept, unless someone's death or something's destruction prevented it. But he's always done everything he can.
Leafy Man considers Corve intently. "If you break your word, the consequences will be dire."
Xar`Rex "You mean, in here, or ever?"
Leafy Man "Ever."
Corve "I never break my word- even if it means I go." he replies, stoic.
Xar`Rex wishes he'd thought of that!
Corve "If my word doesn't get fulfilled," he says, leaning towards the vegetation. "It means I did everything in my power to make it happen- and couldn't. Not wouldn't. Not didn't want to. I always try my -hardest.-"
Leafy Man "You offer your word as a sacrifice to enter beyond the Green Wall. It will bind you as shackles. You may offer something else if you prefer."
Corve "It already binds me. It always has."
Leafy Man "I accept your Word as your Sacrifice." So saying, the leafy man disappears and where he was now stands an open archway that passes through the Green Wall and into a courtyard nestled at the base of a vast tower...
Myrrh "Well...that was easier than I expected..." heads through the archway into the great unknown
Corve "Easy for you to say. You gave up a piece of metal," he says, walking into the tomb with a grimace.
Xar`Rex "It was your choice, Corve."
Corve "And like Carmine's choice, that doesn't mean I have to like it.
Myrrh "Hey, that gun was a work of art! It had pearl powder..."
Myrrh "Speaking of Carmine I wonder where she's gotten off to. Usualy if she's captured we have big booming threatening voices telling us."
Corve "Then I guess she's fine. C'mon, let's get this over with."
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