< Tea and Old Wives | Ex Pulp Preludes | Chasms Beneath The Earth >
ST Myrrh is given a very comfortable side-cave in Crystal Fountain's cave-palace to sleep and rest in while Rivers and the goddess get "re-aquainted" after their five years of angry, wrathful seperation.
ST In the morning, after a wonderful breakfast of blindfish and some type of cave-eggs as well as fresh mineral water and cave-berry wine, Myrrh is summoned to meet Rivers and Crystal Fountains in the Throne Room of the Cave Palace
ST There, Myrrh finds himself in a fantastic natural cavern of towering crystal-sheet walls and hanging cave-drapperies of fragile, wafer-thin stone that gleams brightly.
Myrrh finding this a refreshing change of pace from river water and trail mix, heads for the Throne of Cave!
ST Rivers is sitting on the transparent rock quartz throne with Crystal Fountain in his lap.
Myrrh "Good morning you two!"
Crystal Fountains? has taken on the form she uses when not attacking trespassers and such. Her rocky armored skin has transmuted to wet-looking crystal that reflects the light into myriad rainbows, and the only 'boulders' in sight are those on her chest. Her hair makes soft trickling noises, like a bubbling brook, as it flows down her back.
ST runs a large, calloused hand through her hair as he sits, smiling. "Good morning, Anathema Myrrh."
Myrrh rolls his eyes. "You know I don't call you "Elementaly attuned essence being Rivers..." Then shrugs, soon to be inside the temple!
ST "Well that's good. Are you ready to go to the Manse?"
Myrrh "Of course! Assuming we aren't smashed by any large traps or eatten by any rampaging mutant bats."
Rivers "None of that on the way. Once we get there, it's just the temple's natural defenses."
Myrrh "You didn't say no to the bats.." He smirks and wonders just what's ahead of them...hopefuly not any more shocking golden slabs...
Rivers "Well, there aren't any. Pebble-cakes, are you coming?"
Crystal Fountains? "I wouldn't dream of staying behind."
Rivers "Then we'll be getting started now. C'mon Anathema."
Myrrh mouths Pebble-Cakes and then shrugs and follows Rivers.
Rivers stands up, carrying Crystal Fountain in his arms. "I'll get you to the Manse, Anathema or no."
Crystal Fountains? looks over at Myrrh, grinning, and wraps her arms around Rivers' neck. "You know, you don't have to carry me the whole way, dear."
Rivers smiles and kisses her forehead. "I know." Proceeds out of the cave-palace, still carrying the goddess.
Crystal Fountains? gives Myrrh, a 'thank you,' look, and ascedes, letting him carry her
Myrrh nods at Crystal and continues on, grabbing his equipment on the way out. Who knows if they'll need a bow...
Rivers walks in the lead for the fairly short trip to the Tomb-Manse. In fact, it's less then four miles from the cave-palace of Crystal Fountains?. There's nothing there but a lane of twelve solid diamond collumns three times Myrrh's height.
Rivers "We're here." He sets Crystal down, valiantly hiding a twinge in his back muscles.
Crystal Fountains? stands delicately, surveying the diamond columns. "It used to be much more beautiful." she notes.
Myrrh "Well a thousand years in the deep jungle will do that...
Myrrh "Although i'm surpised the geomantic lines haven't shifted..."
Crystal Fountains? "Stone endures."
Crystal Fountains? "It is the rest that has been destroyed."
Myrrh "Hmm...so how do we get inside exactly?
Rivers "There's this big hole in the ground at the end of the lane."
Rivers peers that way.
Rivers "You just jump in."
Crystal Fountains? chuckles
Crystal Fountains? "It's a little more complicated than that. Luckily, we are acquainted." she gestures to the pillars.
Myrrh "...how complicated?" Glances down at the shaft.
Rivers "Well, last time I was here there were diamond-bodied men that leap out of the pillars and tried to rend my flesh."
Crystal Fountains? walks slowly down the lane of columns, singing softly to them. At each one, she stops, touches the crystal, and addresses it by name, waking it. The pillars begin to glow, outlining the crystalline men within, who each incline their heads to her.
Rivers "Dear, is that going to work?"
Myrrh "I hope so..."
Crystal Fountains? laughs, the voice of the raging river of yesterday now the twinkle of laughing water. "Of course it will. Why do you think I... oh, nevermind." She blushes a little, and returns her attention to the men. She inclines her head back to them, and then very deliberately walks forward toward the hole. As she steps out into the void, there is a flash of light from the pillars, and an ephemeral disk of paper-thin diamond exists beneath her feet.
Crystal Fountains? paper-thin diamond exists beneath her feet.
Rivers "Dear, he has to go in alone."
Rivers "I mean, I was going to go with him when I thought he was a mortal, but then it would have been alright. But since he's an Anathema, he has to go alone."
Myrrh "What? Why? You're the one who knows all the traps..."
Crystal Fountains? "Well, if you're respectful to them, they might not make the disc disappear when you step on it." she grins.
Rivers claps Myrrh heavily on the shoulder. "Don't worry! You'll do fine, boy!"
Myrrh "Well...if you're sure...wait what disc?"
Crystal Fountains? points at her feet, and steps off of the waiting disc
Rivers puts a heavy arm around Crystal's shoulders. "You'll be fine, I'm always right about that sorta thing."
Myrrh "Well...alright.
Myrrh steps onto the disc!
Crystal Fountains? "Good luck, young one."
Rivers waves as Myrrh descends out of sight. Then he leans over and whispers to the goddess "Think he'll make it?"
Crystal Fountains? whispers back "It would take a miracle."
ST Within the hole, Myrrh finds himself standing on stone, from the hardness under his feet. And in the dark. Once he stepped off the stone disk that Crystal Fountains had summoned for him, it vanished and so did the sunlight. The hole is still visible as a bright circle above, but it gives no illumination. He can see nothing.
Myrrh "Well I can't go on in the dark." Tries to focus his anima to brighten up the room.
ST Myrrh, for a moment, wishes he had not. There are several human and animal skeletons scattered around him, likely victims of a fall into the hole above. Under his feet is broken stonework carved with intricate abstract patterns. In front of him are the remains of a spiral stair case that, apparently, once ascended to the surface. It has been cleanly sliced halfway through.
ST The cave around him, as he turns his attention to the walls, is unnatural. Through centuries of limestone and dirt encrustation, he can barely see brick-patterns. This is a giant built-thing. Primative and hurried in construction, then ground was piled atop.
ST He can only assume the collumns above are actually many, many times larger then he thought. They must extend to the "real" ground, down here somewhere.
ST Beyond the staircase, the pseudo-cave extends back toward the collumns
Myrrh looks up at the spiral staircase shaft.
ST The stairs remain solid, carved of the living rock. But they are sliced cleanly of at an angle, halfway up the staircase.
Myrrh "Hmmmm. I guess they didn't want easy access after all." Heads down towards the pseudo-cave and collumns.
ST At the end of the brick-patterned walls, Myrrh comes to a huge slab of stone, covered in pictographs. They look Old Realm, but they are obviously in some sort of code, since he can't make sense of what they say. One memorable phrase is "The duck ate the golden puffin."
ST There is no way to get around the slab, none that presents itself. The stone extends to the top of the false cavern, to each side. It provides a complete blockage. Aside from the coded messages there is only a single, very very large ruby set at eye-level.
Myrrh studies the ruby...maybe it's some sort of scanning device?
ST The ruby glows faintly with internal power.
Myrrh touches the ruby
Ruby "Who are you?"
Myrrh "Uhhh...Myrrh."
Ruby "That name does not fit parameters. Identify correctly or face countermeasures."
Myrrh thinks for a moment. "Nellen's Myrrh of the uh blessed isle?"
Ruby "Name does not fit specific parameters. State purpose."
Myrrh "I'm here to claim lore to aid in the opening of another tomb, there's information inside it that is vital!"
Ruby "Define information."
Myrrh "The locations of other tombs. we must keep the various artifacts inside out of the hands of the vile anathema that have recently risen!" has to wonder how they got a ruby to talk.
Ruby "Accepted. Provide proof of nature to enter."
Myrrh "Uh...clarify?"
Ruby "Provide proof of intent to destroy Anathema."
Myrrh "What other than me being really angry?"
Ruby "Provide proof of intent to destroy Anathema."
Myrrh "Um...I pledge myself to destroying Anathema?"
Ruby "Proof insufficient."
Myrrh "Sorry?" Shrugs and heads for the stairway. Maybe he can climb up...
Myrrh "Oh!
Myrrh "You want proof?" Takes one of his arrows and, with a bit of hesitation, jabs his forearm with it, drawing blood.
Ruby "Present proof."
Myrrh tries wiping the blood on the ruby. "Anathema blood!"
Ruby "Proof accepted." The ruby absorbs the blood after making its announcement. A small hole appears in the stone slab, opening into the interior of whatever is behind the stone.
Ruby "Enter as you will, but be warned. The Anathema have placed deadly defenses within."
Myrrh "I'm prepared for their...uhh..trickery!"
Myrrh tries to go through the hole.
Ruby goes dark and silent
ST Through the hole in the stone, Myrrh finds himself standing in what must have once been the Manse proper, now burried underground in a brick cavern and blocked off by a giant wall with a talking ruby for a guardian. The place is shining white curves and arcs with no straight lines or angles in sight.
ST He stands on an up-curing bowl covered by overlapping white stone parasails and domes. There is a half-column rising to chest-height on Myrrh that stands in the middle of the bowl. A small statue is atop it.
ST Beyond the small column are two archways that lead deeper into the Manse.
Myrrh examines the statue., not sure how he'll keep his footing.
ST The stone is slick, to be sure, but the bowl's curve is gentle and footing will be no problem if he doesn't start running pell-mell across the floor.
Myrrh carefuly walks out into the bowl to get a close look at the statue.
ST The statue is made of ivory. A single block of ivory carved into a foot tall nude woman of immaculate proportions and heart-tugging face. Yellowing with age the ivory is creamy-golden-white and the woman stares at Myrrh with an open, loving expression no matter how he moves.
Myrrh "Rather odd decorations...very pretty though..I wonder how it's stayed in such good shape over the past thousand years."
ST As Myrrh studies the statue he finds it's hands are so well crafted that, even as small as they are, he can see the tension and pain in the way she holds them. Her tiny little eyes hold a sea of long-suffering martyrdom and a hope that peers out like a lighthouse. In every nuance of the statue is the longing for someone to care for her, to take her and love her. And the knowledge that it won't come.
Myrrh glances at the base of the statue, I mean it's a trap of some sort...if he moves it, steam monkey demons will try and rip out his eyes or some such.
Statue has a totally normal-looking base, just a slab of ivory on to which her bare feet are attached.
Myrrh "Hmmm... I'll come back for you later...assuming you don't summon steam monkies." Heads deeper into the manse!
Myrrh "Wellllll..." pauses and then takes the statue carefuly.
Statue is taken away from its resting place with no visible ill-effects!
Myrrh heads deeper into the manse, statue resting carefuly in his pack.
Statue Before Myrrh reaches the edge of the bowl the statue was at the center of, he notices the slope is steeper then it was coming down. It doesn't bother him until he notices that he's walking a much greater distance then he should be.
Myrrh "That...it's right."
Myrrh tries to trudge on some more.
ST Myrrh is now walking up a very definante curve. In fact, he's walking up a wall. A wall that is growing taller as he watches. Curving ever-inward...towards...well, if it gets much taller, it will meet the rest of the walls.
Myrrh "Oh I knew it!"
Myrrh "Still...no steam monkies..." Starts heading back to the plinth...or pillar. He's not too sure what you call those.
Myrrh RUNS back to the pillar.
ST The walls, well, now ceiling, continues to converge upon itself.
Myrrh tries to make it out of the room before he becomes the man in the bubble, he leaps with all of his might while running up the wall...ceiling.
ST Saddly, Myrrh's aborted attempt to return the statue cost him the time he needed. And as he sprints and leaps...he smacks his face into the white stone that has only moments ago sealed itself into a perfect sphere. A sphere with no exit.
ST And limited air.
ST Inside the sphere, the only sound is Myrrh's breathing. It echoes strangely inside the closed space.
Myrrh deciding to not waste any air talking to himself he tries to calm himself and think...clearly the statue triggered this...maybe replacing it would help? he heads back to the stand and carefuly replaces the statue.
ST There is no change in the sphere. The statue however, is looking at Myrrh. He's fairly sure he had to bend down to look in it's face last time.
Myrrh leans over to look it in the face.
Statue winks at Myrrh.
Myrrh "Uhhh....could you please let me out?"
Statue raises an eyebrow. "Why would you want that?"
Myrrh "Because I don't want to suffocate?"
Statue "Oh, that won't happen. I'll never let you suffocate."
Myrrh "Well I don't think there's enough air in here...so the only way I won't suffocate is if I get out of here."
Statue "Well. I could let you out. If you do me a favor."
Myrrh "Alright...what do you want me to do?
Statue "Take me away from here. I have to escape! But only you, my love, can help me! Also, you must marry me."
Myrrh "...but i'm already married."
Statue "I will remedy that! Never hear!"
Myrrh "What?"
Myrrh "Er..alright..i'll get you out of here. Don't worry...but I need to get out of the room."
Statue "When you take me home, simply place me in the place where she sleeps. In her rest, I will come upon her and take her body! Then she, not I, will be trapped forever in this ivory prison!"
< Tea and Old Wives | Ex Pulp Preludes | Chasms Beneath The Earth >
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