World Walk

  • So many newbies lately! Here is a very important PSA about one of our most vital content policies! Read it even if you are an ancient member!
Status
Not open for further replies.
"I think I'm ready to head back." Laurelle said. "I've probably seen all there is to see." Except for that peak. She thought, but didn't voice it
"Mhmm." Skye said. "It's probably about time that we moved on with our journey. Let's not keep Magus waiting, or we'll miss the party!"
 
"Then let's get going, yeah?" Demi asked, trying to bring herself back up from the gloomy depths of her hangover. "After all, the battle's just begun, you lightweight! You may have beat me in the first round, but now we see how well you can walk it off!" She playfully punched Skye after finishing up her tea.

Taras, seeming about as well-rested as the rest of the group, was waiting for them at Cygnus's gates when they reäppeared in the material plane. He and Demi being experts at divining each other's dimensions, he'd known that they appeared there recently. "I can already see you'll be a bundle of sunshine today," he said to Demi as he greeted them.
"Hello to you too," Demi replied dryly. "You get that 'business' taken care of?"
"Somehow, yes," Taras said. "Are we ready to set out, then?" He made to lay a hand on Demi's shoulder, but she deftly dodged, holding on to a strap of her pack. It was once again lightened, ready to carry more of whatever she was hoping to find today.
 
"I have a couple things I should do." Laurelle said. "I won't be long." She warped to Prismsphere.

-

When she came back, she had changed into a blue traveling dress and a fresh, clean cloak. In that time Skye had also donned her armor again. "Let's go!" She said enthusiastically.
Their road took them out the west gate of Cygnus, along a path surprisingly well maintained. It appeared that some people, at least, cared. Soon, however, they passed out of the wide, fertile plains and into a rocky barrenland; common terrain in the Fragments. The ground seemed scorched; vegetation was almost nonexistent and wildlife was nowhere to be found. The rocks were dark tones of brown, black, and gray, and stunted mountains could be seen in the distance. The road was a barely visible path beaten into the dirt and rock by many footsteps, and there was nothing in sight to either the left or right of it. What an empty place... Laurelle thought.

They traveled without incident for two days. The wasteland gradually gave way to the slopes of a mountain, and the group was forced to ascend the rocky hillside. The road was now little more than a partially cleared path on the side of short mountain, and soon it was lost in favor of pathways that seemed more suited to mountain goats than people. They had to step carefully to keep their footing, but it eventually widened out again, the terrain's slope also leveling out abruptly. They were still not very far up the mountain, however. Eventually, they found a real road again, a marked path that led further toward west.
It stopped at a cave entrance. Skye and Laurelle had heard of these caves; the were supposed to go all the way through the mountain and emerge on the other side as the terrain gave way to wasteland again. They seemed barren and foreboding in person, however. But the only way around was a trip through a dense forest that would add a week or more to their trip, a delay they couldn't afford.

Laurelle was uncharacteristically fidgety as they reached the cave entrance. Before they entered, she looked at Demi with a pleading expression. "D-do we really have to go in there...?" She asked in a shaky voice, despite knowing the answer.
 
"Aw, it'll be okay," Demi said, draping an arm around Laurelle's shoulder. "What's a light mage like you got to fear about a little darkness?"
"A light mage and a thief," Taras added. "Not your run-of-the-mill combination."
"So let's get going," Demi said, trying to stay positive. "Sooner we go in, sooner we can get out, right?"
 
"I-it's not the dark..." Laurelle said sheepishly, not bothering to shrug off Demi's arm. Although she wouldn't admit it, she was actually grateful for the comfort. "I... I... Let's just go." She didn't bother to explain her affinity for light spells to Taras.

Skye didn't comment. The wasteland they had just passed through had sobered her. She was depressed about the lack of life. Skye was an active person. On her good days, she was full of energy. She enjoyed the presence of active things around her. Flora, fauna, people. She thrived off of the energy of people and events around her; the more that was going on and the larger a city she was in, the happier she was. But this place was...empty. It was desolate, devoid of anything. There was nothing but death, withered plants, and the occasional scrawny mouse scurrying around, scratching out a meager existence. The prospect of caves didn't exactly excite the wind mage either. To spend hours or days trudging around in near-darkness, even if it was a straight shot through (which they had no guarantee of). It affected her keenly. She became dark and brooding, and didn't speak very much. But she knew she'd get through it. She always did.

The tunnel was eeriely silent. There was no sound but the occasional falling of dust and rocks or the drop of water. There were no torches, or even sconces for them, nor were there beams holding the ceiling up. Noöne had ever maintained this place. Laurelle walked almost uncomfortably close to Demi, at the head of the party, casting a light spell around and ahead of them. She constantly fidgeted and avoided looking at anything but the ground, and rarely spoke. It was clear there was something she didn't like about the place. She jumped at every little noise.
 
"Heeeey, Laurelle," Demi murmured, having resolved to help Laurelle get through the caves, of which she was terrified for some reason. "Whatcha thinkin' about?" She looped an arm around Laurelle's arm, squeezing it for a moment before relaxing.
"Whatever it is, here's a good place to do it," Taras observed, his louder voice echoing slightly. "This place is the definition of isolation. It's scary, but honestly? There's probably not a soul around for quite some distance." The clanking of his armor was all too obvious, making a little echoing clink with each step.
Demi glanced at Taras sharply to tell him that he probably wasn't helping. "Hey, is there anywhere like this in Kosma? I bet some of those nobles' castles seem more like caves than actual houses... Who knows? We might even find treasure. Some rare gems, or..." She thought of possible possessions that had been dropped by travelers who could've met their end here.

She decided not to mention that and instead opted to squeeze Laurelle's arm again.
 
"The Kosmoes don't have castles l-like other people..." Laurelle said. "Anyone powerful enough that they could afford one simply creates a dimensional anchor and segments their Dimension into public and private areas, and receives company there. They usually keep token manors around the anchors for people they don't want in their dimension, but you have to get into their dimensions if you want to get at the real loot." The thief had just revealed a key fact of thievery in Kosma: Anyone who wanted to steal from anyone with more status than a small time merchant had to become an adept dimensional traveler. She took a deep breath. "So, n-no, I haven't been anywhere like this since..." She trailed off. A clump of dirt dislodged from the ceiling and tumbled onto her head. She shrieked, her mouth already forming the words of a protective incantation. Realizing a second later that there was no danger, she stopped. "I-I'm just a little...jumpy, is all..."
 
"Wait, Velaria's the place I was thinking of, wasn't it..." Demi murmured as she was corrected about the actual state of things in Kosma. "Well, no worries. You've got me here, right?"
"Grade-A protector, that one," Taras said. "Especially when it comes to her posses—" He cut himself off after another glare from Demi.
"I wonder if I could carry you in my pack," Demi said, making an admirable effort at trying to keep a lighthearted atmosphere. "Like, maybe I could smuggle you into a fortress and then you rob the guys in there blind. Imagine that!" She chuckled uneasily.
"How about you, Skye?" Taras decided to begin a conversation with Skye, if it was even possible at the moment. The wind mage had seemed taciturn lately. "What do you make of this place?"
 
Laurelle forced a weak laugh, for the sake of her companions if nothing else. She was ashamed of the weakness she was showing. I knew we were coming to these too, but...
"...I don't like it." Skye answered after a moment. "This place is dead. It's empty. There's no life here, nothing except the flying mice." She shook her head. "No place should be like that. It's so devoid of...anything meaningful. We're alone with our echoes here."
Her words caused Laurelle to shrink closer to Demi.
Maybe I shouldn't be so pessimistic, The knight thought. For her sake if nothing else...
"...When this is all over, I'm going to plant a garden in Zephyrhome." She announced. "If that's even possible..." She added quietly, legitimately unsure of whether or not she could create an environment in the windtorn Plane where vegetation could grow.
"H-how long do you think we'll be in these tunnels...?" Laurelle asked tentatively. "Not too long, right? Do we have a map?"
 
"As I said, no worries." Demi was determined to do her best at reässurance. "Besides, this is just a tunnel, right? It's probably a straight shot through and then we're at the other side of the mountain." She held up a finger with her free hand. "I bet you didn't even notice the spell of ultra-calming I cast earlier! It should be taking effect right about... now." She hadn't actually cast a spell. But she did care, and she hoped it was visible.
"We can always warp and take a break if we need to," Taras said. "At this point, even snakes would beat this place."
I'm not going to mention the fact that we've taken several turns by now, Taras thought. Or at least, it seemed as though the tunnel wasn't as straightforward as Demi said it was. For the party's sake, Taras hoped that she was right anyway.
 
Demi's "spell" didn't work, but Laurelle decided not to mention that. "N-no," She said to Taras. "I won't let...this...delay the journey. ...We can go back to sleep, though." It's not like we can see the sun from in here anyway.

Something caught Skye's eye. What was that!? She turned her head quickly, sure she had seen something moving at the edge of her vision. She found nothing there, however. There was something there! ... ... Deciding it must have been the edge of the light spell playing tricks on her, Skye decided not to mention it.

A moment later, the group turned a corner and came face to face with a branching path. The tunnel split into two sections, one to the left and one to the right. Both looked identical. Laurelle trembled. "S-so does anyone know what path we're supposed to take?"
 
"Yeah, I guess we're kind of rushing to meet Magus's deadline already... Whenever that is," Taras mumbled.

Demi also turned her head when Skye did, although she did not catch whatever it was her friend saw. She held Laurelle closer, although they were already shoulder-to-shoulder by now. "Whichever one looks more-traveled, I guess," she said regarding the forked paths. She frowned once she realised that it was impossible to discern any sort of footsteps or evidence of prior travelers.
"Maybe we should yell for help," Taras added. "If we're lucky, maybe someone'll hear the echo." He scratched his head awkwardly. "Sorry. Bad joke."
"The important thing is that we just pick one," Demi said, eying both ways. She began pointing back and forth between the tunnels. "Eenie, meenie, miney... skip a few, ninety-nine, a hundred... How about that one?" Her finger landed on the path leading to the right. "Worst comes to worst, we can put a hand on one wall and we'll eventually find the way out anyway. ... Right, Skye?"
 
"Of course..." Skye agreed quietly, knowing they'd likely get confused somewhere along the way if they did that, but trying to be optimistic for Laurelle's sake. She hadn't known the light mage that long, but you developed a sort of cameraderie with someone when you fought beside them. Participating in life or death situations was one of the best ways to bring people together in the knight's experience.

"Right it is..." Laurelle murmured nervously. I just hope it's the correct way.
The right path turned out to be a twisting and turning, crooked tunnel. Skye felt like something else was still around, but she never got a glimpse of it again. Is it my imagination? No, that's what heroes always say, and they're always wrong... Something's got to be around here!

A few moments later, Skye's fears were confirmed when she felt the whisper of a spell being cast somewhere nearby. She drew her sword. Laurelle turned to look at her, a terrified expression on her face. She had likely been too distracted to notice it. "We're not alone." Skye said. "I heard a spell."
Even as she finished speaking, something long and white flashed out of the darkness, whipping toward her. Instinctively, she whisked her sword upward. She saw red liquid spurt through the air before the object withdrew. A guttural, feral hiss pierced the darkness. Something leaped into the circle of Laurelle's light.

It was humanoid, but unnaturally tall, standing at perhaps seven and a half feet. Its skin was whiter than death. Its torso resembled a human's but it was incredibly gaunt, every bone being visible, stretching its thin frame. Its arms were absurdly long--each of them perhaps the height of the creature over again. They hung at its side and dragged along the ground. They ended in crude three fingered hands. The most horrifying part was the underside of its arms--all the way up to its palms, they bristled with sharp, black quills, each several inches long. Its legs were not quite so long, but still tall, contributing to its great height. Its head was bald and its skin was stretched over its face, giving it a grisly, skeletal visage. Its eye were long and thin, just black slits, and its mouth was filled with needle-teeth much like those on its arms.
"What the fuck is this thing?"
Laurelle was too busy screaming to answer.

The creature lashed out again with its bleeding right arm, aiming for Demi, but Skye interrupted it again, diving in with her Focus and deflecting the strike, the indestructable gauntlet nullifying the attack. It warily dashed backwards, not even turning around, until it stood at the very edge of the light. Suddenly the knight heard the surge of a spell being cast, and the creature was encased in an oval of white light. What? That thing can...?
 
Demi's scream sounded in synch with Laurelle's when she saw what had to be the worst living creature she'd ever had the misfortune to lay eyes upon. Even Taras recoiled in disgust before slashing his sword out toward one of the thing's arms and missing.
"Whatever it is—" he started before muttering an incantation— "We're going around it!" He summoned a physical ward, mostly for his head, as well as the spell for a wall of ice to appear between the group and the creature. He just hoped it would be enough to block the thing's freakish arms as Demi followed through to charge it with electricity right after she was done screaming. "I think he's right," she said. "L-Let's just get away from this thing!"

She didn't dare wonder if the creature had cousins lurking further down the tunnel... or if they should've taken the other route.
 
The creature hissed, backing away as the wall came up. Then there was the surge of a spell and the sound of stone clashing against the ice. More dust and rock fell from the ceiling. Laurelle barely restrained herself from shrieking again. After just a second, a hole was smashed through the wall, a chunk of rock sailing through it to roll at the party's feet. A white arm followed suit, its needling hand smashing against Taras' ward. With a frustrated growl the hand withdrew, foiled by the protective magic. "We just need to take this thing rationally." Skye said. "I've never seen a creature that can cast magic, but it can't hurt us very much with wards up." She had cast her own as Taras raised his wall. "Laurelle, Demi, get ready on either side of the wall when it breaks through and hit it from either side to break the ward. Then Taras and I can attack with our weapons."
Laurelle hesitated to go through with the idea, but reluctantly untangled her arm from her friend's at Skye's insistence that they didn't have much time. She dashed to the right side, keeping against the stone wall with both daggers in her hands. Soon enough, the sound of more rocks smashing agains the wall rang out until the central portion collapsed into shards. The creature dashed through the hole, eyes darting from side to side.
 
Demi circled around to the other side of the creature, getting her staff at the ready. It sparkled momentarily before she cast a strong, concentrated bolt of lightning right into the barrier. Concentrated in this space, the sound was deafening and the light blinding, but Taras still managed to follow through with a swift slash of his sword.
 
As the creature focused on Taras as he advanced, slapping against the ward several more times and causing it to falter, Laurelle jumped toward its side, shakily whispering a spell that caused her daggers to glow with blinding light. As they made contact with the ward, the magical energy discharged in a single blast, shattering the shield and allowing the blades to continue unimpeded. The thief stabbed the creature in the back and the front and let go, leaving the serrated blades stuck in the flesh. She rolled aside, but cringed as the creature turned towards her, causing her to hesitate just long enough for its arm to rip across her shoulder, tearing her cloak and producing dozens of tiny, bleeding wounds. She barely registered it, stumbling out of the way to put her back to the wall.

Taras' strike landed just after the ward shattered, but his target raised an arm to defend itself. Instead of finding purchase in its gaunt chest, the blade sunk into the tough, stringy flesh of the arm, inflicting a serious gash but not severing it. Eyes full of hate, the creature pushed back, throwing the weapon aside and flinging its other arm toward the ice mage. However, Skye stepped between them, her ward deflecting the attack, and cleanly ran the abomination through the chest with her sword. It shrieked and flailed, pounding at her magical shield until its screams finally died out and it stopped moving. With disgust, the knight kicked it off her blade with an armored boot, the body sliding lifelessly to the ground.

"Taras," Laurelle said weakly, sick to her stomach despite her usual resilience. "C-can you get my daggers for me?" She would have asked Skye or Demi, but she knew neither of them were overfond of blood, so it would be inconsiderate of her.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Looks like the rope paid off after all, Taras thought regarding his sword. It was a shame that he had to keep his weapon with him at all times, but this was a time when he was glad for his closeness with it. Nodding at Laurelle's request, he fetched the blades from the creature's flesh, even using a cantrip to douse them with a tiny bit of water so that they were very slightly cleaner than before. Despite his abrupt abandonment of knighthood, it was never his intent to abandon chivalry as well as he presented the daggers to her with his free hand.
"I'm seriously sorry, Laurelle," Demi murmured as she doted over her friend's wound, already cleaning it after producing some medical supplies from her ever-trusty pack. "I never knew that something like that..." ... could even exist. She didn't need to finish the sentence.
"Let's not stall," Taras said somewhat obnoxiously, interrupting whatever dramatic moment Demi was having. "Whether we continue down this way or try the other, I don't want to find out if that thing has friends."
 
"Right..." Laurelle said, taking the daggers and sheathing them again. She was shaking visibly, trying to force herself to stay still as Demi bound the bleeding gashes on her shoulder. None of them were serious, but they would have been painful for anyone else. She looked around nervously, as if expecting something else to pop out of the dark.

"I say we keep going this way." Skye said. "Something just as bad could be down the other way."
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Demi nodded. "Yeah; the worst is over, isn't it? I mean, after meeting that thing..." She was shaken herself, and the tremble in her voice was noticeable.
"Let's... Let's just not tempt fate," Taras said with a tired sigh. Nodding again, Demi locked an arm with Laurelle once again as she wished more than anything that they could just be out of the cave, whether or not they ended up on Magus's side of the mountains.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back