[Northeaster Forest ~ Trail to Mountains (Wagon)] (Oswald, Gwion, Iraal, Nemaforte, Scents, Teri, Wolfe)
Several seconds passed after Nemaforte had finished speaking. Oswald didn't respond. For all anyone could tell from the view of his backside, he already was asleep, and content to remain so. But, surely enough, he stirred at his leisure, shifting slightly and turning his head until he had one eye fixed on the witch. His eyes had become red around the edges long before, and the dark eyelids certainly weren't new, yet his gaze seemed more weary than ever. Not a vacant stare, but one longing to be vacant and begrudgingly trapped where it was. This too lasted several drawn-out seconds.
He blinked. Thin bristly hairs around his mouth moved this way and that as it trembled to life. He closed his eyes and finally spoke.
"Nemaforte," his voice came slow and deliberate, rising out of him like a hulking creature digging it's way through a pile of rubble, "I can't begin to express my appreciation for what you've done for me. But it couldn't have come at a worse time." He opened his eyes again, gazing at Nemaforte for a moment before he turned back away. "There are some things I've wished never to see in my life. Maybe it's a childish want, but... mmn...well," he paused, "now I've seen them."
He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, his brow and the bridge of his snout wrinkling in a wince. "I need not sleep," he said a second after reopening his eyes. "I fear I may see them again."
[Southern Desert ~ Old Mine] (Connie, Joseph, Amy, Aubrey, Maya)
"All right then," Connie smiled back at the man, her face becoming more visible with each step, "we'll keep that avenue open."
Looking past Audrey to Amy, she said, "Rip, yeah. He's... um- I guess you could call him the head honcho, although Davey would disagree. They're partners, like, business partners, but Rip tends to be the one who decides what happens next. He left this morning to take care of some 'business', though he didn't give a time that he'd be back. I wouldn't get my hopes up about being friends though. If you're lucky, you might feel tolerated."
Up ahead, Joseph—who was busying himself between keeping his hands splinter-free, staying warm, and minding that he didn't accidentally clobber anyone with his tail again—took notice of Maya. He stirred his thoughts, trying to recall what she had said earlier. So much was happening from moment to moment that it was difficult, especially for someone who spent so much time in his own head, to keep it all straight.
Regardless of what she was referring to, he shrugged—as he was often wont to do—and said, "Don't worry about it. I'm fine. I'm... mostly I'm just happy to be getting out of here. And I don't blame you for wishing that, you know, it's-" he hesitated, trying to sort out his phrasing, "if I had known everything we know now, I wouldn't have wanted to come here either. I mean, obviously, but y'know, I didn't know, and if you three hadn't showed up, I'd still be blindly playing along with whatever that... that guy had in store." He shook his big head, "Dumb and clueless... I've been really lucky so far. I mean, just in the past week or two I've come nose to nose with a crazy number of awful things and dangerous situations, and I've managed to scrape through. But any one could be my last, y'know? I'm glad it wasn't this one." He raised his head up, staring at the rocky ceiling. "My life might be a complete mess right now, but I'm not keen on giving it up. This thing is all I've got."
He reached the top of the stairs, where the light filtered through bright enough to read a book by. The footpath and railing merged back into a single tunnel, ultimately leading to a small opening covered by a few boards that had been nailed on from the outside. The light from beyond glowed with a inviting—even divine—warmth. Even though Joseph had gotten his shivering under control, any means to dispel the rest of the cold were welcome means. He couldn't keep the smile off of his big dumb face as he turned back towards the others and pointed. "We've got a way out, right up ahead!" Certainly there was the matter of removing the boards and... well, they would get to that.
every little word and every little step
[Mountain Trail: Wagon (Teri, Wolfe, Gwion, Nemaforte, Iraal, Scents, Oswald)]
Iraal clambered into the back of the wagon. The number of times she had actually been in situations like this was far smaller than some of her acquaintances believed it was funny to imply, but she certainly had enough experience to not waste any time. She directed Scents towards the robot with a quick hand gesture.
Scents moved quickly to Student's Lament and, with an audible whirring from her armor's mechanisms, lifted it entirely into the air. She carried it back to the wagon and set it down inside. One eye glanced at Nemaforte talking to Oswald, who still appeared to be in a traumatized state. She didn't quite get it - he hadn't known Zuri that well - but maybe he was just an exceptionally nice person. Still, as long as he was on board, no problem now, right?
Her ears twitched with surprise as Nemaforte began to explain her behavior for the first time - but there was no point dwelling on that, either, until they were out of here. At least it proved that the orenyan was basically rational, which was kind of important right now.
"Doc," she began.
But that was all she had time to say before even more instruments inside Lament activated, one of them starting to emit a deep bellowing alarm. She waved an arm at the remaining members of their expedition. "Get in the cart now! And the minute they're, Matt, we are leaving!"
Iraal turned where she was sitting to face the direction the bizarre near-jump signals were coming from, and connected to the rest of the instrumentation stored inside the robot. She didn't bother to object to Scents assuming the lead; that was why she was here. "This," she said, "is fascinating, but better observed from a safer distance." It was hard to guess what that distance would be without knowing what exactly the artifact was doing and how large it was, but the town seemed like a good idea.
Is the Dead God visible over the mountains yet, KC? How high in the air is it rising?
edited 10th Oct '16 7:42:20 PM by nrjxll
[Cave-Southeren Desert]
Maya smirked. An optimist like Amy...I like that. Keep that up, alright.
Like Joesph said, freedom was just moments away. Amy hugged Joesph again in excitement, letting out a squeal.
"We're almost there!" she said, "I can't believe it! We're almost to my plane and town!"
Maya's smirk never left her face. Whoa there, tiger. We're not out of the woods yet. We still gotta walk out that door. She looked down, Hey! Hurry up, slowpokes!
Attitude is prohibited
[Bed & Breakfast] (Main Hall) (Cynthia, Rin, Davey)
"I see..."
Cynthia sounded like a woman on a mission, Rin reflected as she walked over to her. A mission she knew nothing about, involving people she didn't know. On one hand, would it really be appropriate for her to abandon her duty as Hana's bodyguard and go off on some strange misadventure? But on the other hand, she really didn't want to go back to sitting around and doing nothing in that hotel's lobby.
"I suppose I could help you with that, if you'd like," she offered.
And then a rather short, dapper, white-furred creature walked in. Partly covered in blood, no less. It was a rather bizarre sight, and she couldn't help but stare for a few moments, having never seen anything remotely like it. She wanted to say something, but found herself at a loss for words. Instead she cleared her throat, nudged Cynthia and gestured to the new arrival.
edited 12th Oct '16 7:36:24 PM by Blackfire667
Not entirely dead.
[Town ~ Bed & Breakfast (Main Hall)] (Cynthia, Rin, Davey)
"Oh, excellent!" Cynthia clasped her hands together as she beamed a smile at Rin, "It's no fun doing things alone, never know what might happen!"
Rin nudged the young woman to get her attention. Noticing the well-dressed Davey, Cynthia waved at him. "Hello, Mr. Otter!" Then she noticed the blood on Davey's outfit. She rushed over, nearly hitting Rin with her pack in the process. Dropping the bag down beside a chair, she started to pull out the first aid kit, "You look terrible! Are you okay, mister?"
Crazy Kiwi
Mountain Trail - Wagon
[Iraal, Scents, Oswald, Nemaforte, Teri, Wolfe and Gwion]Gwion was pleased to see Scents, as Iraal's personal and primary body guard and therefore de facto Chief Protection Agent, take charge, hefting the robot into the wagon and - when it started emitting an ominous-sounding alarm - ordering everyone to get aboard and move out forthwith. It was exactly what Gwion would have done if he were the CPA on this job. He glanced across at Teri and Wolfe and was pleased to see them quickly swing themselves up onto the back of the wagon. Iraal, Oswald and Nemaforte were already safely aboard, so Gwion vaulted onto the back of the wagon with a speed and grace that suggested lots of practice and a person some thirty-or-so years younger than he appeared to be.
Teri gave Gwion a puzzled look. Wolfe, she knew, was fit from years of outdoor life and could be quite spry when the occasion demanded it, but the cyborg - who appeared to be around the same age - moved like he was still in his prime.
Matt, who had heard Zuri's final warning, the alien elf-witch talking about a strange energy wave, the robot's strident alarm and the furry alien's urgent tone, didn't need further encouragement. The moment he saw that the others had complied and were on board the wagon, he snapped his head forward and gave the reins a couple of urgent shakes.
The cart surged forward suddenly as the horses abruptly took off - whether this was due to Matt's urging or their own sense that something was seriously fucked up or both, was anyone's guess. Matt had to work to keep them down to a safe pace on the winding uneven trail - it wouldn't do to overturn or damage the wagon or jolt someone out.
Wolfe clung on to the side of the wagon as it bounced rapidly back towards town and looked back at the mountain with regret. He had been looking forward to exploring it and he couldn't help but fear that their premature abandonment of their search might have disastrous consequences.
Teri followed his gaze and risked taking a hand off the side of the jouncing wagon to place it on Wolfe's shoulder. "Perhaps this was a dead end anyway and James or Karl is in the right area."
Wolfe nodded. "We can only hope."
Desert - Ritual/Picnic Site
[Rip, Hazel, Mari, Vicky, Yamiko, Lupin, Kaitlyn, Kris and James]As angry as James was about the lies and omissions on the parts of the students, he was also mindful that they had just suffered a great loss, which softened his demeanour somewhat.
Vicky and Lupin's shocked disbelief was quite predictable but Yamiko seemed unmoved by the news. Perhaps she wasn't a close friend, he mused, they're school-mates, not comrades-in-arms.
"I assure you, I'm telling you exactly what I was told and I trust Wolfe implicitly - he wouldn't claim she was dead if she weren't."
There was discussion about getting back to town and, in principle, James agreed. It would mean abandoning their search for the day - as Wolfe and Teri were forced to abandon theirs - but it was important to get these people back to town, preferably before the other team arrived with the body.
There was discussion around the "how". James didn't want to ask Rip for assistance as they had already interrupted the man enough for the day. Then Lupin, seemingly a propos of nothing, mentioned the horses. Thinking aloud? Or was that in response to an unheard suggestion?
He turned to Lupin. "Actually, the horses can carry two apiece if we don't drive them too bloody hard - if keep it at a walk, all six of us could get back to town. As to your provisions, you might have to dump anything you don't need and..." he turned to Vicky. "You say you haven't got the energy to lift the three of you and your provisions, but do you think you could lift the provisions? Especially if the load is lightened?"
Old Mine
[Maya, Amy, Connie, Joseph and Aubrey]When Joseph gave the welcome confirmation that there was a way out just ahead, Aubrey's already lifted spirits soared. A few more steps later he, too, could see the opening letting in fresh air and daylight. There were a few boards across the entrance - presumably to keep people from blundering into the mine and hurting themselves, but if they were as old as the rest of the fixtures, they probably wouldn't take much effort to remove.
Amelia was vocally thrilled at being close to getting out - though Aubrey thought that she couldn't possibly be more thrilled than he was.
As soon as they got to this town, he'd get onto sorting things out - food and clothes first and then try to make contact with Pearl and the relevant authorities. He wondered how far from home he was. The others, as new arrivals, were unable to give a meaningful answer - but there would undoubtedly be someone in town who would know.
Not even the thought that his abductors might be out there somewhere could dampen his spirits,
edited 13th Oct '16 4:03:36 AM by Wolf1066
[Northern Desert - Ritual Site (Camp)] (Rip, Yamiko, Vicky, Lupin, Mari, Hazel, James, Kris, Kaitlyn)
Mari squinted at Lupin, "Yeaaaah, lets not go throwin' more fuel on the fire right now. I'll tell you about it later."
Mari decided to attempt to verify the news that Yamiko, Vicky, and Lupin's friend had died. Focusing on using her ki like a radar, she started sweeping the landscape, searching for sources of power. She noticed a cluster of individuals to the south, most likely the town. There were fainter signatures further south. Next she encountered a small group of people rapidly traveling in the direction of the town. And then—
"What the bloody 'ell is THAT?!" She stumbled backwards, alarm spreading across her face. "That is either some Lovecraftian horror, a Nazi superweapon, or aliens." Calming herself down, she turned towards the students, "I just did a search for your friend, and unless she's not a psychic, I can't sense her. If she got caught up by that thing..." She shuddered.
Listening to what the others were planning, Mari sighed, "Looks like I'll be walkin' t'town, then... Hmmm." She looked back towards where the Dead God was, "I 'ope that that thing decides to stay put, otherwise we're in for some serious shit."
Crazy Kiwi
Desert - Ritual/Picnic Site
[Rip, Hazel, Mari, Vicky, Yamiko, Lupin, Kaitlyn, Kris and James]Kris heard what Mari had to say and cast a worried look in the direction of the mountains, hoping that the others would get safely out of the danger zone of whatever the fuck it was that elicited that sort of reaction.
She turned to Mari. "Not necessarily," she said, referring to the comment about walking to town, "I don't know how accustomed to walking you are, but James and I generally walk everywhere. You can ride one of the horses and James and I can take it in turns to walk."
[Northern Desert ~ Picnic Site] (Rip, Hazel, James, Kaitlyn, Kris, Lupin, Mari, Vicki, Yamiko)
The flurry of strange reports and the current nature of the conversation left Rip more appreciative than ever that he had something to chew on. Kept his mouth—if not his mind—busy, and excused him from trying to find anything to say about whatever the hell was going on between these two groups. Indeed, one of the few things more annoying than having someone butt-in on his own business was getting dragged into someone else's sordid affairs.
According to James's message, someone had died and some cryptic thing had awoken. Going off of the reactions from Lupin's group, it was someone they knew, but beyond that he was in the dark. Even by the standards of mumbo jumbo he was familiar with, it sounded like a lot of mumbo jumbo. The other redhead having a sudden conniption fit didn't help matters.
Rip glanced at Hazel for a moment, feeling overwhelmed by people operating on completely different wavelengths. Hazel was hardly sans mumbo jumbo, but she at least seemed to have a sense of self-awareness about it.
Soon, he was out of johnny cake, and took the opportunity to ask something that—while not quite the elephant in the room (if only for the overwhelming competition)—he thought might at least move him to square two on the board of understanding anything that was going on. "So what the hell is a 'Dead God' anyway?" he asked, looking around at the others while retaining his air of near-disinterest, "The only gods I've ever heard of don't exactly have a great propensity towards dying."
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)] (Davey, Cynthia, Rin)
To Davey's surprise, he was greeted by the sight of two strangers upon reentering the bed and breakfast. He'd assumed that it would have remained empty in their absence, or that he might find Connie or perhaps even Rip inside, not a pair of young women he'd never seen before. But then again, it was a bed and breakfast, and this particular brand of surprise had proven itself to be fairly common in what was still a relatively short stay in that town.
There were a few things he wanted to say upon stepping in, plus a few more when he was referred to as Mr. Otter, but the blood was probably the most pressing matter.
"No no, please, spare yourself," he said, putting up his hands, "It looks bad, I know, but it's not mine. Oh, that almost makes it sound worse, doesn't it?" He tapped a stubby finger against his mouth thoughtfully, "It was a friend of mine, she was shot, but managed to stabilize her and now she's on her way to somewhere safer. But, yes," he glanced down and gestured at his shirt, conceding, "it was a mess. Unless you happen to be a very capable washing machine, I'm afraid that there's little you can do for me."
Turning his eyes back towards the other girl—who had shockingly colorful hair—Davey continued, "If you two are trying to get a room, I'm afraid you may have quite a wait ahead of you. The lady in charge disappeared this morning and I've yet to hear from her since. I think you might just be better off investigating that hotel down the way."
[Southern Desert ~ Old Mine (Exit)] (Connie, Joseph, Amy, Aubrey, Maya)
Joseph gritted his teeth in a half grin, half grimace as Amy hugged him; neither of them were close to being dry, much less warm.
Connie herself felt immensely relieved. She'd done her best to keep confident throughout their escape without anything but necessity and a bunch of "maybes" to bolster said confidence. But at long—or at least long-feeling—last, they had a way out. One that most probably wasn't being watched, to boot.
She smiled as she walked past Joseph and onwards to towards the way out. The smile faded when she saw the boards, failed to mention those, eh lizard boy? Still, with the condition that the rest of the mine was in, it was hard to believe that boards—exposed to the wind and weather—would stand to keep them back for long.
She stepped closer and pressed her hands up against them, slowly increasing her force and trying to feel for something—anything—giving way. They held pretty firm, and though she couldn't imagine not finding some way to bust their way out, she still felt a slight twinge of panic worming it's way back into her gut.
"Looks like it's gonna take a bit to pop these off," she began, "but-"
Before she could finish, Joseph marched up and declared, "I got it." Without another word, he took a deep breath then jumped up and kicked out with both his feet, while balancing on his tail, much like one of the kangaroos in his magazine from earlier. The force was enough to knock two of the biggest boards out of position, sending them flying into the dirt outside. Joe, however, was no kangaroo and almost immediately lost his balance following the kick. He flailed his arms out uselessly as he tipped backwards and fell to the ground.
"Well," Connie blinked, looking down at Joseph, unsure of whether to be simply confused or impressed, "that was something."
every little word and every little step
Crazy Kiwi
Old Mine
[Maya, Amy, Connie, Joseph and Aubrey]Aubrey watched Joseph's efforts at dislodging a couple of the boards and managed to keep a smile off his face. Even more light spilled in from outside, better illuminating the area and making freedom feel that much closer.
Having spent eight days in a hostile environment in the company of people who had found ways to solve practical problems with whatever they had to hand, and a further two years in a place with its own unique daily challenges, Aubrey was sure that there was no problem that couldn't be handled with a bit of thought.
He cast his eyes about the area and, amid the random debris near the closed-off entrance, found a length of iron bar. He picked it up; it was rather rusty but seemed solid enough.
Turning to the entrance, and hampered only slightly by only being able to use one hand, he jammed the metal bar down between one of the boards and the wooden frame to which it had been nailed. He gave a heave on the free end of the bar and his makeshift crowbar did its job - the end of the board came away from the frame with the tortured scream of rusty nails pulled from wood.
He pushed on the end of the board - a far longer lever than his length of metal - and the nails at the far end screached as the other end came loose.
Aubrey felt immensely pleased with himself. His former companions would no doubt be pleased with how he had taken the initiative.
He actively grinned as he jammed the metal bar down to loosen the next board. It gave way as easily as the previous one.
He removed one more board and dropped the bar. With the five boards removed, there was a large enough gap through which to escape.
will leave it to others who know more about the "Dead God" to explain it to Rip
edited 15th Oct '16 3:42:04 PM by Wolf1066
[Cave-Southern Desert]
Wow. Maya signed, her face stoic, Good job.
Amy tried her best not to laugh at Joesph's attempt to get them out. He did manage to move some of the boards, but not enough to get them out. Thankfully, Aubrey showed that despite being in that room for a while, he still had enough strength to move the boards out the way to make a hole big enough for everybody to leave.
"Ok!" she said, "Time to leave!"
She sidestepped out the way to let everyone else though. All the while, she leaned to side and tapped her ear, trying to get some water out of there. It sucked that she wasn't dry yet, but at least she was close to freedom. Hopefully Bed and Breakfast would have some towels where she could dry off.
Maya also stepped aside so everyone could get through. She had a deep seated worry, though, that the moment that they stepped out, they would be ambushed. She worried that Omar would give some sort of "you fell into my trap!" kind of speech like most villains do. She didn't voice the concern, though; she was armed, and she could take on whoever would get in their way.
None of her friends (especially Amy) were gonna get hurt on her watch.
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
Northern Desert - Ritual Site (Vicky, Yamiko, Lupin, James, Kris, Kaitlyn, Mari, Rip, Hazel)
If anything, Yamiko was a bit dismayed at hearing that the six of them might fit on the three horses after all. Well, that means that we won't get the chance to go through with Lupin's idea. A shame, as I really would've liked to get revenge on Mr. RIP there. Heh, I like that name for him. Especially since I keep getting vague thoughts about death from him. She was gazing thoughtfully at Rip now, but decided not to do or say anything, especially in front of all these people and especially with Hazel and Mari around. Amanda may have been malevolent, but she was no fool.
Vicky, meanwhile, perked her head up at James's question about the rucksack. "Well," she spoke in a suddenly excited fashion, "of course I'd be happy to carry the rucksack! I don't think I'd be able to fly these two lovebirds back to town, but I can certainly take care of myself!"
"Just be careful not to overdo it," Lupin suggested. "Especially since just a couple of hours ago we all completely exhausted our powers."
He looked to the side in Mari's direction, and almost jumped back in surprise. Her aura looked very frazzled and a similar dark purple to that of his own aura after he had that flashback. Yes, this was the colour of fear. And when he looked in the direction she was looking, he could see a definite dark presence over in the distant mountains, though he couldn't make it out too easily. If the Dead God gave off such a presence that could be detected from this far away, it must be a powerful presence indeed.
And then she heard Mari's exclamation about it, followed by a remark about not being able to detect Zuri's presence. Lupin was puzzled by this - this couldn't have been the dark ability Mari was mentioning before. Could she see auras as well? When he took a brief look at Yamiko, he thought of this question too.
Well, it's not quite aura vision, but seems to be some sort of power gauge, Yamiko thought back to him, while gazing at Mari. And you're right, there's definitely something... unearthly about her. Kinda reminds me of those demons from Japanese myth - yokai, I believe they were called? I dunno - I don't know much about them despite being half Japanese myself. Suddenly she smiled... if there was some sort of demonic presence in Mari, that meant the two of them were just about in the same boat, even though she herself was perfectly human (as was Amanda).
"Hmm, well, if you couldn't sense Zuri's presence," Lupin said to Mari, "then that means she is dead after all, as she wouldn't even have an aura anymore." He was about to mention the Dead God, but then Rip conveniently spoke up about it, eliciting a smirk upon Lupin's face. Clearing his throat, he moved a little closer to Rip so that the older man (as well as Mari) would be within earshot of his notoriously quiet voice. "As far as we know, the Dead God is an entity of evil that may or may not be the cause of nightmares. It may not even be a god at all. One thing we know for sure is that it is capable of blocking psychic communications, as our classmate who has the power of astral projection had gotten trapped by its very presence. That's the reason why we're out in the desert in the first place, in the hopes of investigating it."
"Yeah, maybe it could've contained more clues to how psychic abilities work too," Vicky quipped, her perky voice sounding like shouting compared to Lupin's glorified whispers. "But didn't James say the Dead God was awakening?" She took a quick glance at Lupin. "Well, if it's that powerful, that would do a lot of damage. Especially if Mari's all freaked out about it."
And then there was talk about Mari possibly walking alongside the horses, though Kris offered that she and James could do that instead. Vicky jumped into that talk too. "Oh, there's no need! Tell you what. I'll fly myself back to town and you guys can catch up with me later! This flying is really good practice for my powers, after all. And since we're heading back to town immediately, I'm sure Rip and Miss Yoon wouldn't mind taking some of our provisions off our hands!" She looked over at Hazel and winked.
"Okay," Yamiko thought out loud, "so then we should decide who rides on which horse. I'm thinking Lupin with James, myself with Kris, and Mari with Kaitlyn - and if we give those two some of our stuff, then I'll take the rucksack since our horse will have less weight on it." Well that made a strange amount of sense. One horse for the two gentler girls (sans possession), one for the badass flashy-haired girls, and one for the Brits. Vicky and Lupin agreed with this idea as well - though Vicky was kind of jealous, for she probably could've thought of the same thing herself more quickly than someone who was so emotionally unstable.
I heard that, Yamiko thought, with a dirty look at Vicky. Remember, one wrong move and you're in for a world of pain. Same goes for the others as well. In fact, the reason why she proposed riding with Kris was because she seemed the least likely of the three to quarrel with her. It helped that she was Wiccan (just like Zuri was), as she knew that that "religion" centered around karma and respect for all things, as well as some understanding of supernatural phenomena, which she seemed to exhibit more so than the others with regards to her powers.
While Yamiko was thinking this, Lupin and Vicky rummaged through the rucksack, taking out things they wouldn't need back in town. This included the tent they brought along, which accounted for almost half of the weight. Also water, as that took up a lot of weight as well (though they left some for themselves). Plus a couple of blankets, a pair of flint rocks, and most of the food they brought along, out of courtesy for Hazel and Rip since they didn't have much. While taking the food out, Vicky once again took out the bottle of Cosmic Potion, which was now about two-thirds full. Nemaforte had certainly been generous with how much she gave them - though she might have misjudged herself, being not quite right in the head and being used to ingesting large amounts of it at once.
"Hey, do you think Miss Yoon can use this?" Vicky asked Lupin.
"I think we need it more," Lupin replied. "I think it would be interesting if we shared it with the others back at home - I know Merlin especially would want to try it. Speaking of which, we should probably have a little more before we go - especially you if you're flying." Vicky hesitated as she handed the bottle to him, though presently the possibility of enhancing her powers outweighed her worry about alcohol consumption, especially since this was a magic potion first and a liquor second. Lupin poured a small amount for Vicky and himself in a bit of a hurry followed by water, and as the mixture clouded and fizzed, they held up their glasses simultaneously.
"To Zuri," Lupin said to her.
"Yes, to Zuri!" Vicky confirmed, and then coughed as the first sip she took went down the wrong way. Meanwhile, Lupin put the remainder of their stuff back in the rucksack, which was now so light that even he could carry it. As the feeling of confidence and lucid pleasure filled him once more, he at one point took a side glance over at the mountains - and was immediately surprised at the dark presence over there suddenly seeming much more foreboding. It definitely had a vibe similar to a bomb about to explode - perhaps a nuclear bomb given the sheer scale of the thing. Plus the whole thing seemed strangely mechanical - it might just as well have been a very large spaceship about to take off over there.
After finishing the potion in her glass, Vicky got up and started running off towards where the horses were, pausing along the way to wait for the others to follow, and jumping up and down while waving her arms up and down as she spoke.
"I believe I can flyyyy..." she sang, notably off-key. "I believe I can touch the skyyyyy... I use my powers every daaaay... and to the town we fly awaaaay..."
Desert Trail - Wagon (Nemaforte, Iraal, Scents, Teri, Wolfe, Gwion, Oswald)
At last the wagon was moving again. But Nemaforte was not focusing on that just now - instead, right as she had settled into the wagon, she saw some distress in Oswald's aura. Oswald confirmed it when he spoke (she really had to focus on his words due to how slow they sounded to her), mentioning something about some apparently frightening things he had seen before, fearing they may show themselves again. He certainly did seem legitimately afraid... and for a brief moment Nemaforte thought of the notoriously agonizing nightmare experienced by people who ingested the drakima herb that she was now holding in her hand... and promptly placed back in her bag at the thought of it. Thankfully, the time-slowing effects of the Mushroom of Time also helped to dull her response to emotion, especially to fear. She wondered for a moment if she might have fainted just then had she been more sober.
"Always I am in a feel to help," she remarked, placing her hand on Oswald's forehead (he might feel a tiny vibration on the impact) in an attempt to calm him. "When first I came here I thought of everyone as maybe customers. But everyone here feels more like family. Zuri maybe have been the sister I never had, and you the brother, the humans the mother and father, Gwion the uncle, Iraal the annoying aunt, and Scents and Lament the pets." But she was digressing. "I too have lived through agony and had my soul nearly ripped apart, yet I don't remember it. Seeming you need to forget, to relax." From her viewpoint, it seemed as if her words were tied to her very heart, which seemed kind of strange given how stoic she sounded even now. "I know exactly the help."
From her bag, she withdrew a few things. One, a little round bronze container with holes in the top, connected to a box at the bottom. Two, a rectangular metal object that looked a lot like a battery. Three, a bag filled with pieces of what looked kind of like a lichen, with its very pale green colour and thin frilled appearance. She filled the contraption with this herb and placed the battery inside the box below it.
"Hachiwani. Soothemist."
She placed the contraption at the very front of the wagon, and when she turned a knob at the back of it, it began to heat up. "This is just an incense," she explained to everyone present. "Like it is to the herbal sticks these two were sucking on before," and here she gestured at Teri and Wolfe, "though not burned. Often it is used as a meditation aid, but also just for relaxing, which after the worry with the Dead God, all we could use I think. First heat it needs to bring."
Meanwhile, she turned back to Oswald, positioning herself until she was eye level with him, and gazing right into his eyes. "Tell me what it is that you fear," she spoke to him in an almost endearing way, while at the same time seeming almost distant. Although she did not speak after that, her narrow flesh-pink eyes seemed to communicate for her, entrancing him in her very thoughts, while not even blinking. He might find it impossibly hard to look away, and also it being surprisingly easy to think of worrying thoughts without fear, for she instilled within him a sensation of trust and openness, while forming something of a link into his mind. If his will was strong enough or his fear deep and painful enough he might be able to break free of it, but until then, Nemaforte awaited a response, whether voiced or even thought, for with this link in place, thoughts could be freely transmitted. note
After that, the bronze device (which might have looked similar to an incense burner - or vaporizer in this case since there's no fire) heated up sufficiently, and a thin mist was trickling out of it, spreading out across the wagon on a flat plane like clouds seen from outer space. It had a warm, grassy aroma to it, and also induced a sense of calmness and even focus, without hindering the ability to think or speak. note
edited 16th Oct '16 10:43:56 PM by ladytanuki
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
Crazy Kiwi
Desert - Ritual/Picnic Site
[Rip, Hazel, Mari, Vicky, Yamiko, Lupin, Kaitlyn, Kris and James]James watched the students in silent disbelief as they went about preparing to leave. Vicky, it seemed, completely misconstrued what he had said and took it to mean she was to fly herself and her groups provisions rather than - more sensibly - ride on the horse and use her ability to move just the provisions. Typical bloody kid, scarcely listens then goes off half cocked. Still, it meant that no one would have to walk - not that walking would be a problem; he and Kris typically walked much further in the course of a day's hunting.
Yamiko's choice of riding companions seemed fair enough - none of the horses would be overloaded for the walk back to town.
James started packing up the cooking utensils and Kris joined in, making extremely short work of the task. With their haversacks once again packed they picked up their rifles and made their way to the horses to prepare them from the journey.
Once the horses were fed and watered and their riding tackle checked, they removed the hobbles and led them over to the group.
Kaitlyn got to her feet, picked up her pack and rifle and managed to mount the horse without too much difficulty this time.
James turned and bid farewell to Rip and Hazel, wishing them a pleasant day, then turned to address the two remaining students and Mari. "Does anyone need assistance in mounting up?"
take it as read that Kris and James will help people get up onto the horses then mount up and start heading out whenever everyone's ready.
[Northern Desert - Ritual Site (Camp)] (Rip, Yamiko, Vicky, Lupin, Mari, Hazel, James, Kris, Kaitlyn)
Listening to Lupin's explanation on the Dead God, Mari busied herself with putting her two ceramic cups away. After making sure she had all her stuff, she decided to comment on their decision, "It's supposedly evil, and you decide t'investigate it..." She shook her head slowly, apparently, no matter the universe, humans love poking their noses in everything. End result: people die.
Mari agreed with the plan Yamiko created. "Well, I'm glad we managed to figure things out," she indicated towards the singing Vicky, "though, allowin' someone to fly pissed... might not be such a wise idea." She shrugged, hoping the young psychic wouldn't accidentally fly into the ground or something.
Heading over to the horse that Kaitlyn was now riding, Mari politely declined James' assistance. Saddling up behind Kaitlyn, she gripped the horse with her knees, readjusting her accouterments to not interfere too much with Kaitlyn. Crossing her arms, she tilted her head towards James, "Well, I'm ready t'go."
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
Northern Desert - Ritual Site Camp -> Northern Desert (Yamiko, Lupin, Vicky, James, Kris, Kaitlyn, Mari)
"I could certainly use some help," Lupin said to James, who had offered to help him get onto the horse. "I've never ridden a horse before, after all." Just as he was saying this, Yamiko helped herself up onto Kris's horse, causing Lupin to look at her and raise an eyebrow. "And when did you learn to ride a horse?"
Yamiko put on a mysterious smile in response, but also transmitted a thought to Lupin: Remember when we were in Mystrica? Remember Phoebe, that cowgirl from the Midwest? She had that Pegasel, and I rode with her a couple of times... though granted, it was a bit more like getting on a carousel horse.
"Ah, I see," Lupin commented with a small smirk on his face. "You used your telepathy to figure it out." Although, he did seem the slightest bit sad... thinking back to that virtual world Yamiko mentioned was like looking back on an old video game that either had a tragic ending or had its online servers shut down.
"Tch, really," Yamiko scoffed, slipping her arms into the straps on the much lighter rucksack to hold it in place. "Riding a horse isn't nearly as easy as mounting one, provided the horse behaves of course." Lupin could only roll his eyes, for for some reason he very much doubted that was true.
Lupin then heard Mari's comment about investigating the Dead God. He opened his mouth to speak, for there was in fact a reason why they had to investigate it... but he didn't quite feel like going on a tirade about Nightfright at the moment. So instead he simply remarked, "Actually, we were given our powers for the explicit purpose of investigating ill-willed supernatural entities. Well, that and for science." Nearby, he could hear Yamiko snickering and sarcastically muttering "yeah, for science".
Vicky was humming the rest of the song she had been singing since she didn't know the rest of the lyrics, but she stopped when Mari spoke to her - something about allowing someone to fly "pissed". Vicky turned towards the redhead and smiled. "I'm not pissed - I feel very content in fact!note " She certainly was speaking in a calm and almost ethereal tone, which was most certainly an effect of the cosmic potion.
Alright. I can do this. I know I can do this.
Vicky knelt down for a moment and closed her eyes, preparing herself mentally for the flight. She found it remarkably easy to calm and focus her mind, which was quite a feat as she was used to having a lot of thoughts buzzing around her head at once at any given moment. Recalling briefly the profound excitement she had felt upon first obtaining this power, she filled her every being with that excitement, to the point where she could feel a tingling sensation all around her, a sense of great power and exuberance. And with that, she leapt forward and took off.
Lupin was paying close attention to Vicky's aura (which had a vivid magenta hue) the entire time, especially when she knelt down and concentrated and it suddenly became thicker and brighter. And when she left the ground, she saw that energy stream behind her like the entrails of a rocket, and also directly below her in waves. So Dr. Savant was right - telekinesis does in fact involve extension of the aura.
And behind Vicky, the horses took off - though in walking rather than in flight, and Vicky grew further and further away ahead of them as they went.
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
Crazy Kiwi
Desert - Ritual/Picnic Site
[Rip, Hazel, Mari, Vicky, Yamiko, Lupin, Kaitlyn, Kris and James]Kaitlyn immediately understood Vicky's confusion and laughed. "She means 'drunk'," she yelled after the retreating Vicky. Then she turned around in the saddle as best she could to give Mari a wink. "Bloody 'septics', eh?"
James grinned as he mounted the horse. Both usages of "pissed" were later than his time, but he had become well acquainted with them. "What Teri would refer to as 'Oliver' - or 'Brahms'," he commented. He pulled his foot out of the left stirrup and held out a hand to Lupin. "Grab my hand and put your left foot up in there," he pointed at the stirrup, "then swing yourself up behind me."
Once Lupin was safely settled on the back of the horse, he urged the horse gently forward at a walk, striking out towards town with Vicky flying in the lead.
James, too, was rather concerned that Vicky was flying whilst "pissed" - or otherwise affected by the strange potion that had previously been shown to have a strange effect on the young students. Back on Terra Nova, being in charge of a car or motorcycle - or even a horse and cart - whilst drunk was punishable by heavy fines due to the inherent dangers - and none of them were likely to fall out of the sky onto anyone. Bloody teenagers, eh? What was that phrase Wolfe liked to use? "Ten-foot-tall and bulletproof." That was it.
Kris nudged her horse and it started forward and Kaitlyn found that hers followed without any prompting on her part - almost like a robotic car, in a way... if a robotic car were prone to freaking out at zombie donkeys and taking off in random directions.
At least now the horse seemed calm and content to follow its... friends? back to town. She risked turning and waving back at Rip and Hazel.
[Northeastern Forest ~ Trail to Desert (Wagon)] (Oswald, Gwion, Iraal, Nemaforte, Scents, Teri, Wolfe)
Oswald's gaze was slowly drawn back to the witch as she continued on in her strange, sometimes rambling way. For the most part his expression remained dulled—perhaps forcibly so—but there was the faintest twinge of amusement in his eye when Nemaforte attempted to compare the wagon's odd posse to a family. Then she described—in rather plain terms—her own experience with suffering, suggesting that he forget what he'd seen, and the amusement faded like an ancient memory.
"Forget?" he asked, propping himself up a little more against the side of the wagon. His voice, though not as weak as it had been earlier, remained subdued, unwilling to commit to much emotion at all. "Can you forget that? Can you forget watching someone die?" He frowned, breathing slow, deep breaths. "I'm known to be... naive at my best, and even I have to wonder, is it a good idea to forget? Might I..." he looked down at his hands, at his fingers as they interlocked and came apart, "...might I not be better off with a harder heart, to brace myself for the future? The future... and all of it's inevitabilities."
Again his expression shifted, twitching slightly, as to betray more feeling than he was willing to show. "I'm not one to linger. My life, as it stands, is rigged around staying in motion. The bonds I might build with others... they're ephemera. But even so, I can foresee a day when I'll witness this... passing... again. For someone I know well. For someone quite a bit, closer, hmm? Death, it's... it's... nature. It rules in an unforgiving world, I know, I know," he sighed, turning his head until he could look at the body from the corners of his eyes, "but the burden it places on my chest to see someone young snuffed out for a single mistake, it weighs me down. It may strike you as odd, but I see a reflection of myself in it. If you hadn't found me, I may have walked myself to exhaustion. I wouldn't have been long for this world. And... to take my perspective, there remains so much for me to do before I am fit to die, and yet so little I can do to stop it, if it comes for me. This hunger. A curse. A tumble. A bite. Poison. A bad bet laid on the wrong person's word. My faults."
Oswald had at some point, perhaps without even noticing it himself, locked eyes with Nemaforte. His mouth was open only slightly, but his tangential stream of words no longer escaped his mind. My stupidity. The pain I can cause. I am wasting time. I am trouble. There is nothing at the end of the road. I will die soon.
[Southern Desert ~ Old Mine (Exit)] (Connie, Joseph, Amy, Aubrey, Maya)
Connie watched as Aubrey finished prying open a hole large enough for them to properly climb out of. She could even see the ground outside, still alight by the sun, if not for much longer. After what felt like an extended eternity inside a cave, then a dusty old survival shelter, then a even dustier, creaking, cold, wet mine, the outside looked like paradise.
She reached a hand out to Joe, who was still rubbing his back, recovering from the aftermath of his little stunt. He didn't look all too pleased that Aubrey had to finish his work. "Eh," she shrugged, helping to pull him onto his feet, "I'm sure you loosened up it for him."
Joe returned a cursory smile, though it disappeared once Connie moved on ahead, replaced by quiet muttering and self beratement.
As Connie passed by Amy, she suggested, "Try moving your jaw around with your head tipped, that usually works for me." She paused, frowning a small, thoughtful frown for a moment before adding, "And you don't always have to let everyone else go first, you know. It's not like you've got a door to hold open. C'mon." She put her hand on the other girl's shoulder and nodded towards the exit, where Joseph was already halfway through.
Joe could barely keep his big eyes open as he ducked through their escape, greeted by the still-bright light of that day's sprawling afternoon. Still, he found himself smiling before he'd even climbed all the way out, and nothing—barring maybe a jagged splinter straight into his tail—was going to bring him down. For as much as he'd been excited to go swimming back in the mine, he was now—wiser for his troubles—much more enthusiastic about being out in the warm air again. There was something about the simple pleasure of drying off or being dry that one neglected to appreciate without a soggy shakeup, but it was a wonderful sensation.
He looked around, shivering one last grinning shiver as the wind hit him. The scenery wasn't all too different than that outside the cave at the other end; the desert was still the desert a half mile or so away. A little ways out, there was a two story building that looked about as decrepit as the mine itself, with lots of broken windows, destroyed wood, and even what appeared to be a collapsed portion of the roof. The mine tracks—where they were still intact—ran close to the building, and even without that, it wasn't difficult to tie the two together. Beyond that, it was mostly spacious desert, desert shrubs, and distant mountains. No goons with weapons. No men on motorcycles. No tanks. It all came as quite a relief.
every little word and every little step
Crazy Kiwi
Old Mine —> Southern Desert
[Maya, Amy, Connie, Joseph and Aubrey]After a moment's thought - after all, a bad weapon was better than none - Aubrey retrieved the rusty bar he had recently dropped and followed Joseph out through the gap they had made. The old courtesy of "women first" only applied when entering social engagements or evacuating burning buildings, not when stepping out into potential danger - even if the women were probably just as capable of looking after themselves as Teresa, Kristina or a number of other women he had met in recent years.
To Aubrey's great surprise, the bare earth visible just outside the opening didn't stop and seemed to be part of a vast desert. He stared around, speechless, while his brain tried to make sense of what he was seeing. There were no deserts anywhere that he knew of... how far from home was he?
The sun beat down on him but the wind and evaporation of the water in his clothes chilled him; he barely noticed in his shock at the unexpected terrain. It took him a moment to even notice the building, so stunned was he at the lack of woodlands.
The mountain range in the distance had a dark hue that suggested that it was forested - perhaps home lay in that direction.
He shook his head to get a grip on his thoughts, somewhat chagrined at allowing himself to be distracted from more important matters. The area seemed devoid of any hostile people - unless they were hiding in that dilapidated structure, which didn't seem likely unless they were feeling particularly suicidal - so that was a blessing, at least.
He pressed his fist against his stomach and limped forward, feeling the heat of the sun-drenched ground through his thin socks and fighting to marshall his confused and conflicting thoughts. On the positive side, he was free, no longer locked in a dark room. Sure, he had no idea where he was or how far he was from home, but this was not the first time this had happened to him. He was not alone and his companions apparently had transport and the knowledge of a nearby town - as if the existence of the mine and building weren't sufficient proof of nearby human habitation. That, at least, was more reassurance than he had had on the previous occasion.
He deliberately put a smile on his face and started "singing" Fight Song in his head to remind himself that he had agency, here.
[Northern Desert] (Yamiko, Vicky, Lupin, Mari, James, Kris, Kaitlyn)
For science. Mari cringed slightly. Those two words were the cause and solution of far too many problems to count. They could create grand innovations, horrifically fantastic weapons, and turn men into terrifying monsters. For science.
"Yeah, just make sure you don't lose your moral compass in the process. You'd be surprised at 'ow easy it is t'do so." She recalled the many instances she had been on the receiving end of some variety of 'science'. Her train of thought, however, was derailed by Vicky misinterpreted what she meant by 'pissed', causing her to laugh. She nodded in agreement with Kaitlyn's sentiments, "Yup. Americans, they're always amusing." She paused, remembering a few things from her own experience, "Except when they're not."
As the band of doubled up riders, lead by a drunken flying psychic college student, began heading towards town, Mari sat amusing herself with the effects of the cosmic potion. By focusing her power sensing with less effort than it normally took, she could see the trails of her shadowy power, the pulses of neutral gray emanating from each of the horse's footsteps, the shimmers of silver coming from Kaitlyn... and the radiating ball of light that was Vicky.
edited 18th Oct '16 11:29:41 AM by WillDeRegio
[Cave-Southern Desert]
Amy tapped her chin. "I'll try that! Maybe my ears won't get so clogged up after all!"
Even though Connie did have a point about not having to wait, she still felt like it was polite. Besides, she wasn't the skinniest person in the group, and she worried about space. Still, there was no point of worrying about it. She decided to go through, and to her surprise, it didn't take long before she made it outside. Maya followed suit.
To make things even better, there were no ambush, like Maya had originally feared,
"We're safe!" Amy said cheerfully. "We're safe! No ambush! So we can go to my plane!" She turned to the others, "It shouldn't be too far from here!"
[Southern Desert ~ Near Mine] (Connie, Joseph, Amy, Aubrey, Maya)
Joseph's attention was drawn back to the mine's entrance as the others began to reemerge. Aubrey was first, followed by Amy and Connie, with Maya taking up rearguard. It was a bit of a relief to see them, even just a handful of seconds after he'd last laid eyes on them. If nothing else, it confirmed that he hadn't climbed out into a desert miles away and a hundred years into the future.
"After all we went through to avoid it," Connie began, clicking her flashlight off and shielding her eyes slightly from the sun's glare, "there damn well better be no ambush."
"No tanks either," Joseph chimed in cheerily.
"Excellent," she said, pointing to him, "Very astute. But we're not home free yet; the town is still a ways north, which is..." Connie paused and closed her eyes, trying to summon up a mental image of the path they'd traveled, routing from the cave entrance to where they had emerged. Finally, she pointed to the right of the mine, "That way, I'm pretty sure. Ninety percent positive."
She paused for another brief moment, quietly debating over whether or not there had been another turn down in the mine that she was failing to account for. It was difficult to be certain either way, which maybe should have been more worrying than it was, but she had other things to take care of.
"Amy, Maya, how far away was your plane from the cave, and how many people can it fit?"
Joseph, meanwhile, had turned his attention to Aubrey. Besides offering him a pair of soggy shoes, he hadn't paid the man all that much mind since they'd found him. He didn't even know much about the guy, having become hopelessly lost in his own head upon the man's discovery. But seeing him out in the daylight for the first time caught his attention in a curious way. The man had spent the past however many hours—maybe days—trapped in a horrible pitch dark room, awaiting an unknown fate and the likelihood of anyone finding him without guidance had been slim to none. And hell, he himself might've been on that very same path before the girls showed up to complicate things.
He watched the man solemnly. He watched the man limp and smile, in spite of everything. He watched Aubrey and wondered, why?
every little word and every little step
Crazy Kiwi
Southern Desert, near the mine
[Maya, Amy, Connie, Joseph and Aubrey]Aubrey noticed that the girls - women - had managed to make their way out of the opening while he was lost in confusion about his surroundings and felt bad for not having offered to help. Then he wondered if offering to help would have been the right thing, anyway - he had met a number of fiercely independent women, lately, who would be mortally offended at the notion that they needed any assistance at all. None of them seemed to be annoyed at having to extract themselves unaided, at least.
Their conversation was confusing - why was Joseph so pleased at the lack of tanks? Then Aubrey remembered another, more modern, meaning of the word, spoken of by those who had fought in either of the world wars - self-propelled armoured artillery. If that was what Joseph meant, it raised even more questions about the recent history of his newfound companions.
The other meaning of tank, however, got him thinking. He looked in the direction that Constance indicated was ninety percent likely to be North; there seemed to be a lot of desert in that direction. "What shall we do for water?" The water down in the mine had been disgusting and they had no means to carry it even if it were potable.
Aubrey sincely hoped that this "plane" was close. It occurred to him that in this wind and heat, his saturated clothes would dry very quickly and loose their cooling effect - it would not be long before the chill was replaced by unbearable heat.
If Constance were right about the direction of north, or even close, the position and angle of the sun suggested some time in the afternoon rather than morning. Aubrey felt rather pleased with himself at being able to determine that - once, he wouldn't have had a clue without his watch to inform him.
He looked at his companions properly in the light, noticing how young the women appeared - Constance looked to be in her teens. As for Joseph, the poor chap looked like he had endured a lot of hardship and Aubrey had no clue as to how old he might be.
"If you don't mind me asking," he said to Joseph, "whence do you come and how did you come to be here?"
edited 20th Oct '16 11:09:43 AM by Wolf1066
[Southern Desert-Near Mine/Cave/what are we calling it ya'll are confusing me lol]
Amy scanned the area, before stopping and pointing ahead.
"That way!" she said, "Do not worry, there should be room for all! Connie can sit in the front with me, and Joesph and Aubery can sit with Maya! I hope you guys aren't afraid of heights, though. Follow me, adventurers!"
Maya walked up to Amy, smirking, Are you still trying to hit on Connie?
Amy's cheeks turned red, and she pushed Maya (though not roughly). "S-Shut up! You're such an ass!"
You still love me.
Amy groaned, then power walked away from her. Maya still smirked, walking behind her.
[Southern Desert ~ Near Mine —> Heading North] (Connie, Joseph, Amy, Aubrey, Maya)
"All five?" Connie asked, raising her eyebrows. She wondered whether they had a bigger plane than she'd previously imagined, or if Amy was, as usual, being optimistic about their seating conditions. "Well," she said, taking a breath, "I've always wanted to fly a plane from someone's lap."
She shaded her eyes with her hand and shook her head, chuckling a quiet, airy laugh. "All right, uh... lets get going, and be careful around the main road. If anyone sees or hears anything like a motorcycle, call out and find a place to hide." With that, she followed behind the other girls, leaving Joseph and Aubrey to hold the rear.
Joseph rubbed at an itch at the corner of his mouth, turning his eyes back to Aubrey when the man addressed him. He blinked, his face wrinkling slightly as he tried hard not to snort at the man's completely genuine use of 'whence'. Still, at least it wasn't a full 'whenceforth.'
"Me?" he asked, as if there was any doubt. "I... sure, I mean," he shrugged, "I don't really mind. I don't know how much it'll mean to you but if you're curious... hrm... where to start?"
He walked a few steps, fixing his thoughtful gaze at the ground, searching the particles of sand and dirt for a good starting point. "Washington?" he said, looking towards the other man for any sort of recognition. "State? Twisp originally, but we moved to Issaquah five years ago. Uhh..." he began dragging a hand down the side of his face, "planet Earth, United States, North America. Oh- oh yeah, the year is-=or I guess was—1992."
He paused, then looked ahead and took a deep breath. "As for... how I got here... how I came to be here, it, that, is a longer story. I've got a problem. A really, very unusual problem. Well actually I've got a few of those, but this one is the most, uh, problematic. I don't understand it myself fully, but to explain it in a few words, I sometimes move... uh... move from one place to another, very far away place. I'm transported, like instantly almost, I'm in one place one second, and then suddenly I'm hundreds of thousands of miles away in a different place, maybe even a different time. Maybe a different planet or dimension or whatever. I don't really know what triggers it, and I only sort of know how to keep it from happening, and... well, I've got no clue how to make it stop."
He closed his mouth and shrugged, breathing slowly for a few seconds. "It's been going on for maybe a month. I've been to a lot of places besides here. This is just the latest one." He was silent for a few more seconds before perking up suddenly, adding, "Despite everything, it's still better than the last place I was. But never mind that."
every little word and every little step
Forest Trail - Wagon (Nemaforte, Iraal, Scents, Teri, Wolfe, Gwion)
Leave Oswald to the humans... more like to the sunestre.
Nemaforte watched stiffly as Zuri's life left her, and even removed her sunglasses to take a good long look at her. For a second she shook her head. "So astral projecting you were... all to give us a final warning... a great sacrifice it is. Seeming now... that..."
She paused, as she felt a very odd feeling in her stomach, soon spreading through her entire body, a feeling that everything around was moving in one wavelike motion. Images blurred and sounds stretched out, but yet she could see and hear them with as much clarity as ever. For a while she watched Wolfe walk a few steps, a few very slow steps, with a notable motion blur trailing behind him, phantom images of himself. And within herself, a profound clarity of mind, similar to the effect of the cosmic potion she had drunk earlier, but with more awareness of reality than on the abstract, without all the fantastical thinking that Zuri and the other psychic college students had experienced when they tried it.
Turian-wishta... now I am within time itself, Nemaforte thought. A shame it is that we are turning away from the Dead God, as if we were to encounter danger of some sort, I would have been better able to react.
After all, the Mushroom of Time that she had eaten earlier had the effect of, among other things, slowing down time perception, making it one of her favourite herbs to use. Although it also made her own movements seem slow, it didn't slow down her thinking as much.
Having forgotten all about Zuri for the time being, she hopped off the wagon with a satisfied smile on her face, for to her she glided slowly down from it. Once she landed, she picked up a nearby pebble on the ground and then dropped it, watching it fall. This was something she had made a habit of doing when ingesting these mushrooms in the past, for the purposes of gauging how slowly time was flowing. At the same time, she heard Wolfe and Matt talking in the background - though she wasn't paying enough attention to what they were saying to understand them.
But then she heard a scream, which to her slowly faded in, but at its full volume it was very loud to her rather sensitive ears, and its sheer volume startled her so much that she staggered backward and bumped into one of the wheels, while pulling the brim of her hat down against the sides of her head to cover her ears. She barely even heard what Iraal said after that, deciding instead to look up towards the sky...
She saw something very peculiar up there, in the same place where she had seen that giant white aura cloud before restoring Oswald's sight. There was a similar aural disturbance, but this time it looked more like an aurora, undulating rapidly outwardnote . Moreover, it was strangely jagged, and although it was darkly coloured, it seemed to be glowing very brightly, almost blindingly so. To Nemaforte it seemed to be clearly coming from an energy source rather than anything living, and she knew that a brighter aura indicated a stronger energy source. Her still-exposed eyes widened in surprise.
"Seeming Zuri was right," she remarked, speaking more quickly than usual. "Know I not if it's the Dead God, but I see a very strong energy wave emitted from over there."
And then she looked at Iraal at last, and saw that she was very clearly frustrated... frustrated with her in particular, as there was an air of apprehensiveness to magic or magic-users that she could read in the orl's aura. Scents seemed to also feel the same. Nemaforte was not fazed though - she was quite used to people being appalled by her behaviour, and especially back on Orenya, her lack of emotion. She knew what caused it, and sometimes wondered why she was allowed to even function in society. She recalled the one time she had been taken in for psychological evaluation, which she didn't remember much of because due to how afraid she was, she kept losing consciousness while there. All she knew was that they let her go because she didn't seem to have any tendencies towards violence or self harm, much to their surprise.
"I am sorry that there was nothing I could do to save Zuri's life," she spoke to them both as she hopped back inside the wagon, though without any emotion behind her voice. "Astral projection involves separating the soul from the body, which can be very dangerous to the body if the soul too long stays out or is trapped. With the Dead God being so powerful, it maybe have put lots strain on her when she went near and saw it awaken, like to the damage of next to an explosion. That much peril while projecting would do lots damage to the body... like the body loses its will to live. No herb or spell can fix that. I very much wanted her to live too, and I do feel very saddened by it." Despite her words though, there was not even a trace of sorrow in her voice or behaviour.
She didn't even seem sad during what she said next, this time more to Scents who she felt deserved more attention. "The drakima herb I past mentioned, which Yamiko had an aura akin to and made people incurably insane... I by mistake ate it a long time ago, and as people on Orenya had said, I maybe am the only person who had the long nightmare of doom to not have to be killed or locked up because of it. If my manners seemed to been odd, if emotion is absent or harmful in me... that is why." And she looked down and promptly turned away from them.
As before, she decided to sit right next to Oswald, who was lying down and seemed distressed. Scooting very close to him, she laid a hand on his shoulder. "Sen Oswald... sad it is to say, but Zuri is no longer with us. I would have very liked to know her more it is true, maybe to converse about the ways of magic more." As she said this (again notably without much emotion), she took off her hat and bowed her head, making it the first time anyone would see the entirety of her wide, flat face (her sunglasses were still off). "But later there will be time to mourn, for now we must heed Zuri's warning and leave this place. Even I can sense a powerful energy up there that was not there before. If you like, I can help you to sleep... and by that I do not mean to die."
She let out a very soft chuckle as she turned aside and rummaged around in her bag... but promptly stopped when she felt a cloth bag containing that very same herb she was just talking about with Iraal and Scents - a gnarled and woody-looking black root.
"Drakima. Root of doom."
Northern Desert - Ritual Site (Yamiko, Lupin, Vicky, Mari, Hazel, James, Kris, Kaitlyn)
Yamiko was uttery perturbed at Kaitlyn having figured out her new ability - or was that another thought she had accidentally transmitted to her? And now she was sounding like a wise gal, going over Yamiko's state of being and then asking her to verify it? "Well obviously if I said no you would call me a liar," she sassed.
And then she heard Mari's comment about her ability, and turned her head around towards her. She would have glared at her if she wasn't starting to like her, though another accidental glance at her cleavage at least turned it into a look of disdain. "You know, the definition of 'reckless' is kind of subjective," she remarked sardonically. "Though I'd think a dark ability suits me, since my name after all does mean 'child of darkness'."
Meanwhile, Lupin took a brief glance at Mari while she was speaking to Yamiko and saw something rather odd about her aura. It had taken on a sudden shadowy quality, kind of similar to Yamiko's, but much bolder and, in a way, brighter, even though it was practically black. It had an almost... otherworldly quality to it. Beneath, it was more of a yellowish-orange and more ordinary looking... and judging by Mari looking to be panicking somewhat, he made a mental note to attribute that colour to panic or worry... maybe not to fear, as he remembered associating that with a darker shade. Quietly, he edged closer to Mari.
"Speaking of dark abilities," he said to her in his usual quiet voice, "it seems like there might be one affecting you as well. I can see it in your aura." Ugh, now I'm sounding like Merlin.
Then he and Yamiko and Vicky saw James take out his radio. Immediately Yamiko felt anger flaring up inside of her - was he about to contact the other group to discuss more details about the wagon incident?
She was just about to use her new ability to stop him... but when her intent was just about to reach him, she read a thought that shocked her right out of it. Something not right over at the mountains... Zuri being in some sort of trouble... The Dead God awakening... a sense of urgency and having to turn back...
And then James told them the bad news. Lupin and Vicky simultaneously jumped to their feet upon hearing about Zuri's death, whereas Yamiko stayed seated and only looked mildly surprised.
"WHAT?!" Vicky shrieked, the colour draining from her face. "A-a-are you serious?! That's not a joke, right?"
"Pretty sure he's telling the truth..." Lupin told her, sounding quite worried himself. There was a definite air of graveness about James, made even more prominent by the solid state of his aura. He remembered Merlin mentioning in class how the aura wavers or changes colour when one is lying - there was certainly no such behaviour in that around the Mad Bastard.
"That... that just can't be..." Vicky was shaking her head incredulously at Lupin, but quickly turned back to James. "How did it happen? She- she couldn't have gotten her astral projection trapped by the Dead God, could she?"
"But last night when she tried to project there," Lupin hurriedly commented, "she said she ran into a barrier at the valley, like she hit a wall."
"Well maybe when the Dead God awakened, it grew stronger and was able to trap her all of a sudden!" Then to James she said, with much urgency, "We've got to go back to town! It's not like there's much to do here anyway!"
"We should, at least..." Lupin glanced around the group a bit. "There's no reason for any of the others to come along, and I'm sure Rip and the Corporal want privacy."
"What about transport? I don't think I have the energy to fly us all the way back to town... not sure if the cosmic potion will help any either."
Suddenly Lupin got an idea, though he dared not mention it or glance around to hint at it, closing his eyes instead. But Yamiko perked her head up when she looked at him and read the thought he had, although she too did not change her facial expression otherwise.
Of course only you would think of such an idea. But how do we pull it off... unless you could somehow share your cloaking ability with Vicky and me. And I bet Mari would want to come along too.
Lupin shook his head slightly and opened his eyes again. "I'm not sure... I doubt all six of us would fit on those three horses." Or would they? He and Yamiko and Vicky were pretty light (interestingly, Vicky was likely the heaviest of the three despite not being particularly chubby), but then there was that rucksack that was likely as heavy as Yamiko, so it technically counted as a fourth person.
edited 9th Oct '16 3:55:01 AM by ladytanuki
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.