Verona Auer
Well. Verona had asked for proof. And that was certainly proof. No doubt about it.
Holy shit. Literally.
Verona'd been inclined to follow Sigi's lead when she had gone to leave. Having her accident brought up hadn't exactly been appreciated, and it had reminded her too much of her altercation with Freana the day before to be comfortable. Considering the direction of her thoughts, she'd almost jumped out of her skin when Freana's hand had landed on her shoulder.
Can she read minds now, too?
But then she'd realized Freana was totally focused on Rizilia, and was trying to...provide comfort?
What?
And then, well, the absolutely bonkers light show. Which was almost more offensive than before, because, hey, what weakness? But Freana was shaking in pain, and Rizilia was saying some (admittedly extremely cool) shit...and she was gone.
Throughout the whole scene Verona's gaze had been fixed unerringly on the most extreme display of magic she'd ever seen, completely free of any allergic reaction.
It was a lot to process, but Verona shouted the first thing that had come into her mind, assuming Rizilia could still hear them.
"I'm telling Maya you did that!"
Edited by furnacedoor on Jan 7th 2021 at 12:01:29 PM
Breath of the Sun
Pick
Rizilia's response was far more intense than Pick had expected. The world stilled, and Pick could feel the build-up of magic as Rizilia prepared a potent curse.
Pick's immediate response was to leap at her head, intending to lop it off with one Rift-enhanced slice. His sword passed through her neck effortlessly... to no effect. It was as though she wasn't real.
Swinging a few more times to confirm that she was immune to physical harm, Pick muttered a curse and instead tried to focus on her magic. It was immense, almost overbearing. To interrupt her spell would be like lifting a mountain.
Pick tried anyway, poking and prodding her energy with his own. Predictably, nothing happened, and Freana was left marked. Pick's tiny hand tightened around his sword, angrily slashing at Rizilia's ghost once more before she vanished.
When it was over, Pick looked downcast, and was quiet. But on closer inspection, one would note a slight trembling, and when he looked up at the others, they would see an emotion in Pick that he had never shown before.
Anger. A cold, quiet hatred, smoldered behind his glowing eyes. Then he closed them for a second, and when he opened them the look was gone.
"I am sorry, Freana." Pick said quietly. "I was unable to stop her. But rest assured I will find a way to undo this curse she's placed upon you."
He looked down at his sword for a long moment, before slowly sheathing it. "Even if it means killing a god."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Freana
Before Freana could snap back or get out of dodge, the world around her was frozen as a sickly green light show take over. Chains ensnared her, keeping her in place. No matter how much she strained or struggled, she couldn't break free. Couldn't even reach for a lockpick. Even as the scales flew towards the back of her hand, she couldn't so much as twist herself out of harm's way. She howled in agony, the brand searing the back of her hand as everything went black.
By the time she came to, the light show was over. The world was back in motion, and that sickly green hue had vanished without a trace. Even the pain she felt was gone.
And yet, something wasn't quite right.
Suddenly remembering the scales, she held up the back of her hand. Her eyes didn't deceive her. A black set of scales had been seared onto her hand, scorching her fur as it left its mark. Any pain had vanished with a passing thought, but the mark had remained.
She remembered everything. She'd been branded like cattle. All for giving that bitch a piece of her mind. Like, okay, sure. She had spat in her face. Anyone would get pissed at that. Hell, she'd be pissed. But this?
"Uh, I think so? It's not hurting or anything. Like, it hurt like hell, but now it's gone. But..."
...but something was off. She wasn't sure what was off, but she could feel it. Down to the bone.
"...what the hell did she do to me?!"
AKA Nixer
Sieglinde von Brandt
“Cursed you. I wrote it down,” Sieglinde said simply, casting her eyes over to Pick and handing him the notebook for him to look over. “From what I got... anything bad you do will make bad stuff happen to you. Might be... vice-versa, but I'm not sure...”
Her expression softening, she moved to give Freana a delicate hug, seeming almost tearful as she began to mumble anxiously into her fur.
“...a-are you actually gonna be okay? That was really scary... I-I wanted to do something, but she's a god, and I wouldn't be able to–”
At least I wrote that down. We can study it now. Maybe see how it works. Or...
...
I'll leave revenge as a fantasy for now. A fun one! But far-off. But we'll see.
Edited by Enirboreh on Jan 7th 2021 at 10:03:51 AM
bork
Up on Melancholy hill.
Zyan Zyat
"Alright, well that happened." he said after a momentary pause as he watched the little stunt with Lucius, cocking an eyebrow and stepping up. "So, weapons won't work. Then I guess we'll just need to try some good old fashioned-"
Pap.
He looked down at his fist in his palm, and was certainly not expecting the pathetic little "pap" that came from it. He KNEW he swung it with all his might, but...
Pap. Pap. Pap.
With a frown, he threw a punch and felt as though he was trying to swing through pudding. Looking at his extended hand, he grumbled a bit and pulled his hand back.
"O Kay." he said casually. "This presents a problem."
Is it selfish that I'm happy as we pass the setting sun?
Freana
As Sigi hugged Freana, she felt the strong urge to hug her back. Not just because she always wanted to hug her, but because she wasn't okay. She thought she was okay. First thing she wanted to say was she was fucking pissed. Whatever that bitch had done to her, she'd get her to take it off and pay her back with interest.
But that wasn't what came out. As soon as Sigi started tearing up, Freana did the same. For the first time since she was taken off the streets, she felt... sad? Like, really, really sad. And maybe a bit anxious. It came out of nowhere, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hold it back.
"...i don't know. Like, I thought I was, ya know? But whatever she did to me, I..."
...wait a minute.
She did do something to her, didn't she?
"May all your causing of misfortune and sadness be caused unto you in balance."
...by Bhastur's fucking anus.
Sigi was sad. Sad because of Freana. Of what happened to Freana. She had made Sigi sad. So because Sigi was sad...
"Fucking hell."
...she was sad.
"Sigi, you... you gotta stop, okay? Remember the thingy about the sadness and misfortune crap? If... if I make someone sad, then I'm sad! So if you're sad because what happened to me made you sad, then... oh gods, someone make it stop... you get me?"
Edited by kkhohoho on Jan 7th 2021 at 6:36:16 AM
AKA Nixer
Sieglinde von Brandt
“...oh. Oh, oh, oh! Right! Okay, I'm sorry...!” Sieglinde realised, clearing her throat and pulling back in order to wipe away her tears; frowning slightly as she considered this a moment. “Well that's not fair. Ugh. Still, I got it written down. We can check up on it at least...”
This was serious now, as this curse was now undermining her and presumably anyone else who'd be upset over something even tangentially Freana-related. Which caused a lump to form in her throat; a nausea due to the injustice. She clutched her bow firmly, before adjusting it to be more secure across her form—and after a second's consideration leant back over to Freana and stood on her tiptoes so as to kiss her on the cheek.
“There we go~! Don't know if that'll balance out or not but... c'mon, guys! We gotta keep moving!”
That, and that god said we'd meet up again sometime later. Maybe we'll get there faster this way...
“I wonder what the Principal's thinking right now...” she wondered a moment before they headed inside the tavern, doing her best to keep her mind distracted (which was a lot harder than one would think, even though being distracted was her normal state). “Think he's made it by now...?”
bork
Verona Auer
Verona looked between Sigi and Freana, feeling awkward in the face of the unhealthy feedback loop they had begun to create. She glanced at Pick, who had just been handed Sigi's notebook, before sighing. This kind of comforting thing never went well for Verona, but she at least had to try.
Besides, Freana had maybe tried to be nice earlier? So Verona could probably afford to let her hackles down at least a bit. And Sigi seemed to be recovering, but she could at least try to hurry it along.
She bounded forward and clapped hands on Sigi and Freana's shoulders, nudging them a bit so she could look at them both.
"Well, that was...interesting!"
Leaving one hand on Sigi's shoulder, she reached down and grabbed Freana by the wrist, holding up her branded hand.
"At least you got a cool new tattoo out of the deal! It's basically a war brand, right? Like, you tangled with a god and made it out alive. That's gotta be the start of a legend."
Verona's eyes darted between the two, an expectant look on her face. As Sigi moved away her eyebrows furrowed.
"I thought we were meeting the client? And Alexander later? But I wasn't really paying attention, so.."
Edited by furnacedoor on Jan 7th 2021 at 4:57:34 AM
Breath of the Sun
Pick
He silently took the offered notebook and began to read over the words. He'd heard them himself, of course, but it was nice to have a visual aid. Pick hummed to himself in thought as he did.
"While not explicitly stated, given that Razilia was supposedly a goddess of balance..." Pick nodded, handing the notebook back to Sigi for safekeeping. "I believe Sigi is correct. It is likely that because this curse is focused on 'balance', then the inverse is true as well. If you act altruistically, Freana, then it is likely you will receive boons. This may be exploitable. In fact, hypothetically, were you to do enough good, the curse may reward you by breaking itself."
He took a breath, calming himself. "Though we can experiment with good deeds later. For now, I believe we have a job to do."
Pick lead the group into the tavern. As they walked, he continued speaking: "I don't know if any of you caught it, but before she through her hissy-fit, the 'goddess' mentioned she could not summon any information on Principal Alexander. Given she knew all our names, and apparently our histories, I find that odd. What do you suppose the significance is?"
Edited by kagescorpionakki on Jan 7th 2021 at 9:21:29 AM
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
AKA Nixer
Sieglinde von Brandt
“O-Ohhh... right! Hehe... sorry...~!” Sieglinde blushes as Verona jogs her memory, scratching the back of her neck in an embarrassed fashion before shrugging it off. “Anyways... damn. Sorry, Freana, I was thinking we could've asked him about all this but I remembered wrong... okay, look. If we can power through this for now, we can go tell him about it once we find the client. And listen, Freana. That was a really really mean thing for her to do to you, but if you can get on her good side by going along with this she might be pleased with you. Alright?”
She'd almost said ‘might bless you’ but she didn't want to get Freana's hopes up, and encouraging greed probably wouldn't help the situation she assumed Rizilia was intending for. Then again... it didn't seem Rizilia was intending for much of anything other than petty revenge. Holier than thou indeed...
Though Sigi herself probably wouldn't have been very tolerant if someone had spat in her face, so she supposed she could at least partially sympathize with the deity. Albeit, only if she noticed any regret in her once they met again.
We better meet you again. You've not only cursed her, you've cursed us as well, she thought to herself, though she had little faith that Rizilia was listening. Perhaps this would give Freana an opportunity, too. She hoped so.
She merely sighed and smiled gratefully as Pick gave her back the notebook, and after reading it through a few more times she put it someplace safe on her person and stretched her arms above her head with a wide yawn; not seeming to care much about her image as she stepped into the tavern.
“...I like you, Pick. You're smart. I wasn't listening properly, though, but... if what you heard is true... either they're lying when they say gods are omniscient, or...” she paused, thinking it over as she took a temporary seat at a vacant table and crossed her legs. “...or there's something else going on. Maybe the Principal's got some kinda secret magic spell that's hiding him! I don't know what kinda magic could block a god, but... it's that or something else. Probably not as awesome...”
Edited by Enirboreh on Jan 7th 2021 at 2:46:16 PM
bork
Verona Auer
Verona grinned down at Pick as she moved to follow them into the tavern.
"You're right, she did say that! Huh. Maybe she misheard you, Sigi? Looked up the wrong name in her celestial library?"
Verona trailed after Sigi to a vacant table, where she pulled out a chair for Pick to stand on. Verona herself remained on her feet, leaning precariously over a chair back as she craned her head to look around for the client.
"Although," she remarked offhandedly, "if something is off about Principal Alexander, are we sure it's a good idea to tell him about the whole curse thing?"
Edited by furnacedoor on Jan 7th 2021 at 7:30:06 AM
Freana
Freana knew everyone was trying to cheer her up. Tell her 'Hey, it's not so bad, you've got a wicked tattoo and a cool curse thing and shit!' 'Oh, maybe it works both ways? That's good, isn't it?' Ooo, maybe if you start being a straight-arrow, you can game the system! Isn't that fucking great?!'
But all she knew was, she was fucked. It didn't matter what she did or how much she appealed to some higher power that probably wasn't even watching. If it wasn't a saint or a goody-two-shoes, or if she made anyone remotely upset, she was gonna suffer.
...by Bartshut's ass. It didn't even have to be good people she hurt, was it? If she raided some bastard's home and took everything that wasn't nailed down, would the same thing happen to her? Hell, what if the owner was sensitive or something? If they got in a mood because she stole their stuff, she'd be in a mood too. Heck, she could maybe upset some random person in the street without even knowing. Shove them aside or not give them the time of day. She could feel anxious or break down sobbing without knowing why.
How was she supposed to live like this? Was she gonna have to rethink her whole life? Go straight? Keep her head down? Be as passive and demure as possible and not step on anyone's toes?
The hell was she supposed to do?!
By the time they entered the tavern, she was barely listening to any of them. All she could think of was how screwed she was. They had to think of something fast, and they had to—
"HEY!"
Dammit! She'd been so lost thought in that she'd bumped into another patron without thinking. They'd been wearing a tailored silk dress and carrying a flagon of mead, but now it was soaked with the stuff. Somehow, half of it had gotten on her fur, and she had a pretty good idea why.
"Ugh!" Watch where you're going? I spent weeks sewing this thing together! Seriously, what am I gonna do now? Damn Frenir! Seriously!"
Any other day, Freana would have told them off and given them a piece of her mind. Sure, maybe she should have been paying better attention, but that didn't excuse them for being a racist ass. But all she could feel was the sadness and frustration of her fur getting soaked, with none of her usual confidence. "Uh, sorry! Didn't mean it or anything! I, uh, kinda have a lot on my mind I guess. Man, how am I gonna get this out...?"
Perhaps not wanting to press the issue, the patron left in a huff, cursing under their breath as they fretted over the state of their dress. And the longer they kept fretting, the longer Freana was anything but a bundle of confidence. She slumped down on her chair, pounding her first on the table and near cracking the surface.
But only just.
Edited by kkhohoho on Jan 7th 2021 at 10:47:21 AM
Omega Overlord. Or superjwren329. Either or.
Elliot.
"Eheh...sorry about that. Thought you would've used a bit of magic or had a torch to light things up." Elliot remarked as the light shone brightly from both the lantern in his right hand and reflecting off the buckler on his arm. "I'm glad you're alright, though."
...Okay, the sound of his voice was pretty obvious that probably wasn't the case as they started walking by Shard's side, one eye on him and the other on the path ahead with the lantern to light up their way. Although considering both of them seemed uneasy...well...he couldn't exactly be like Alec with a tower shield if things went poorly, but best to try and reassure his normally optimistic friend.
"We'll be alright. If there's anything really dangerous down here, something definitely would've been done about it by now." Elliot remarked, glancing around with a smile. "And I suppose even if this doesn't lead us anywhere amazing, it'll still be a story to tell when we get back! Definitely not boring as it could've been!"
Edited by TheRealWren on Jan 8th 2021 at 6:24:17 AM
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.
Xera
Xera's sword fell to the ground with a thud as she attempted to take a battle stance. She looked over at Zyan and Lucius, noting they were having similar problems. She sheathed it onto her back, looking unsure of what to do next.
"Indeed it does," she concurred with Zyan. "Perhaps if we could somehow lure them out of this room, we'd be able to attack them. Not sure how we'd do that, though."
Secret Passage
As Shard and Elliot went down the long corridor that seemed to span on forever, the air slowly began to grow more musty and aged, then fresher. A few errant drops of water briefly fell on their heads at one section, joining in unison with the echo of their footsteps. The walk must have taken near an hour, it was hard to tell, before the passage ended right at...a stone wall. A dead end, apparently.
Though, secret passages rarely continued on to go to nothing but a dead end, and a few of the stones on the wall, rough as they were, seemed intentionally ill-fitting. There was a definite draft coming from this wall, and the air was still somewhat comfortably breathable.
Cathedral of Phiiren
"I think that if even our fists aren't going to work, the slimes can't hurt us either. At least, that's the working theory, since if this place is stopping us from attacking because it's a place of refuge, we should be safe from them too."
Lucien scratched the back of his head, before giving a shrug. He took a few steps outside the cathedral, pondering as he put his hands on his hips.
"Perhaps we should follow it? Figure out a plan for dealing with the infestation? You all do know how to fight jellies, right?"
The Poison Apple
Well, at least Freana, Sieglinde, Verona and Pick wouldn't have to worry about trying to find their client. This early in the morning, and in a place like this, he stood out like a sore thumb. With finery that marked a patrician, a human servant, fine clothes that were not quite as extravagant as the man he worked for, standing nearby with their hands behind their back, the bald Terran noble seemed to be exactly the type who would have written the sort of notice they had seen on the notice board.
"My lord, I think some adventurers have just entered the establishment. They look to be young enough to have come from that academy that the town is gossiping about." The manservant bent over and spoke close to his master's ear, prompting the Terran to wipe down his mouth and put aside the crispy golden-brown chicken drumstick he had just been eating, taking a delicate sip of wine.
"Tell them I request their presence." The Terran waved him off, getting around to straightening himself out and looking presentable, wiping the grease and wine from his mouth with a handkerchief. The human servant walked up to the group, looking down at their youth with a look of disdain over the bridge of his pointed nose.
"Lord Scaro requests your presence at his table. Please, follow me."
As he led them back to the table, Lord Scara rested both his elbows on the table, looking over his clasped hands at the posse of young adventurers with a bored expression on his face. "Let's hope you're a group looking for an easy job. You're the third bunch to walk in today, and the lizard bastard interrupted the meeting with the last when she saw that strange woman. Threw an embarrassing fit. Probably had some money owed to her from another town or something, you never know with them." He unclasped his hands, holding one hand out for a handshake.
"Lord Decius Scaro. If you don't mind, I'd like to get down to business."
AKA Nixer
Sieglinde von Brandt
“Ooh~!” Sieglinde cooed upon the manservant requesting their presence, giving him a polite nod before hopping up out of her seat and moving over to the man in question. “Hehe, sorry we didn't notice you straightaway~! Something just happened outside, is all– ahem, anyways...~”
The man seemed the posh sort, which in Sigi's mind probably meant privileged too. She gave Freana a look that expressed caution, tapping the equivalent hand of her own that the Fenrir had been branded with—before moving to sit in a lotus position on a spare seat near the Lord's table; notably not sitting at it directly. Absentmindedly tugging through her hair with her fingers as he spoke, she nodded to him with a somewhat oblivious smile.
“That was Ms. Maya~! She's a teacher at the academy; sorry about her doing that! But anyways... nice to meet you, Lord Scaro! We're happy to help out with anything. Principal Alexander said something about a ring, right...?”
bork
Omega Overlord. Or superjwren329. Either or.
Elliot.
With the drops of water dropping from above them, Elliot adjusted the buckler on his arm so they wouldn't land on the lantern as it going out would be...less than ideal as he kept walking. Hopefully they weren't underneath a river or lake and that the stones and bricks held.
Especially as the dead end loomed in front of them.
Holding the lantern up towards the uneven stones to see if there were any gaps for the light to shine through. He didn't want to hastily push or pull stones even if odds of a trap were unlikely, thinking on what'd make it open and if it actually lead outside somewhere.
"...Wonder if it's less of a secret passage and more of an escape route..."
Edited by TheRealWren on Jan 11th 2021 at 12:59:11 AM
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.
Verona Auer
Verona sprawled casually into a chair, throwing one elbow over the back of it, seemingly completely unaware of Lord Scaro’s outstretched hand.
At the Lord’s surprisingly vitriolic opening words, Verona was momentarily confused.
You never know with...who?
It took Verona a second to realize what the man was talking about that could have caused him such frustration, but Sigi apologizing on Maya’s behalf made it click in Verona’s mind. She glanced furtively in the direction of the bar, where they’d met the Dragonkind proprietor the last time they were at the tavern.
Has he been talking like this the whole time?
She turned her attention back to Lord Scaro, addressing him chipperly.
And loudly.
“Glad we found you! Now, let’s talk business before the bartender notices you hate Dragonkind and throws us out on our asses!”
The Light That Blinds
Shard
They walked. And walked. And walked. And walked. And walked. And—
Okay, you probably get the picture.
Fear was quickly replaced by boredom. "Are all secret passages this dull?" Shard groaned, feet aching from how much walking they'd been doing. "The most interesting thing that's happened so far is the dripping water!"
And then they came across...a dead end.
Boo.
"How could anyone enter through this thing?" Shard muttered, reaching out to poke and prod at the wall. "Unless they knew how to get through this wall...or were a ghost...or could somehow fit through the cracks...or..."
He paused, noticing how ill-fitting some of the stones were. "Oh, that's how you get through!" He reached up and pushed the closest loose stone, hoping to activate some sort of mechanism that would cause the wall to slide open.
...or just cause the whole wall to fall down. Either way, they'd get through the dead end.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Breath of the Sun
Pick
Pick hopped up on a stool at the man's table, taking his outstretched hand and shaking it. "As my teammate says," Here he nodded at Verona, "We have no objections."
It was fairly obvious this man had something against dragonfolk. Which was odd, since most dragonfolk had some manner of breath weapon that could easily kill him. Lord Scaro did not strike Pick as much of a fighter. Regardless, Pick was able to put aside personal feelings for business.
"If you would, please give us all pertinent details of our mission."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Omega Overlord. Or superjwren329. Either or.
"Yeah, I guess it is a little dull...Seems more like a boring tunnel from a book rather than a secret passage. I'm just surprised we haven't run into anything. If the thieves responsible for all this are down here, where are they...?"
...To be fair, he hadn't noticed the jellies escape behind the bookcase earlier, so Elliot was a little behind and with Shard pressing one of the rocks, well...hopefully that was the right stone.
Elliot slowly span around with the lantern to make sure nothing had crept up on them in the meantime while waiting for the wall to react.
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.
Cathedral of Philren
"I've never actually fought one," Xera admitted. "I've practiced fencing before, but my experience in real combat is... minimal. Are blades effective again them?"
Up on Melancholy hill.
“We used to get them back in the farm.” Zyan mused quietly, stroking his chin. “Dad would always handle them. I think most of the time he used a trowel to kill them but more often than not he’d pay me and my brothers to load up em and carry em out away from tbe farm and deeper to the country side. So I’m not used to the NON-lethal approach to slimes BUT....open to other more violent ideas.” He said as he unfurled his claws from his fingers.
Is it selfish that I'm happy as we pass the setting sun?
The Poison Apple
At Verona's little outburst, however unintentional it may have been, earned their table a few surprised glances and a scowl from Lord Scaro. His manservant brought his hands out from behind his back as if ready to escort them away, before Scaro waved him down with a shake of his head.
"Was that really quite necessary? I hold nothing against Dragonfolk, just that that one was being rather loud and disruptive when I'm here trying to enjoy a quiet morning. No sense of public decency, up and throwing a fuss like that. But I'll overlook it since I'm in dire need of some help."
The nobleman took a sip of his drink, before leaning back in his chair and looking at them over the brim of his glass.
"Some twenty odd years ago, my twin sister had a prized family ring given to her, marked with our family crest, and moved to Etruria. Of course, when the last war between Vandia and Terraforma happened and Etruria was raided by the Vandians and abandoned, she fled without bringing the ring. She has recently passed away, and one of her last wishes was to be buried with said ring. As her closest relative, the responsibility of ensuring that falls on me, as per family custom. Of course, I'm ill suited for traveling to the middle of nowhere where who knows what has made their home."
With that, he gave a snap of his fingers, and his servant produced a jingling pouch from a bag at his lord's feet, placing it firmly on the table. Loosening the strap, he tipped it over, sending a small pile of pristine golden coins cascading down onto the table, with more still in the bag.
That's why I want to hire some adventurers to go on my behalf and locate this ring, if it's still there at all and not looted long ago. This should cover an advance payment and travel expenses, with the rest to come on delivery of the ring. My sister lived in a small villa at the top of a hill in Etruria, it shouldn't be that hard to find if it's still somewhat intact. It'll be the most patrician-looking place in that backwater frontier town. So what do you say? Looking for some easy money?"
He leaned forward again, propping up his head on both hands clasped together. He seemed almost...bored and disinterested about the whole affair. His eyes were sharp, however, carefully scanning over the group's faces and body language, his own face occasionally giving a subtle errant twitch.
Secret Passage
As Shard started poking the out-of-place bricks and stones, eventually a small click sounded, and with a great rumbling and shaking, the wall began to slide open, rock grinding against rock, revealing a dark, barren basement. Only a few chairs and bare bookshelves dotted the spacious room, and a few scattered, loose pages from books that had long been looted littered the floor. On one of the walls, a mural of a knight with both hands resting on top of a kite shield planting in front of them stared back, passing silent judgement. At one end of the room, an old metal ladder led up to an old, rotting trapdoor, letting in a few errant rays of light. As soon as they stepped over the threshold, Shard would feel a force weighing down on him, like the Rift portal from the day before, although less wild and unstable. Elliot, meanwhile, would feel his weapons weighing down on him, as if gravity suddenly hated him. A voice echoed from somewhere just a distance away from them, coming down from a trapdoor.
"What was that?! Who's there?!"
Cathedral of Phiiren
"Well, any weapon is effective if you know what to do with them. The thing with jellies is that nothing is really effective at killing them if you don't know what to do. You have to aim for their little solid core that they're formed around. Hitting that core is the surefire way to kill a jelly, otherwise you're only just mildly hurting and scaring it. Turns out jelly-like things are hard to cut, bash or pierce."
Lucius curled one hand into a ball, striking it with the edge of his other hand as if to demonstrate. With his explanation done, he motioned for them to follow him as he made his way outwards, only to be stopped in his tracks when the entire cathedral shook under their feet, a great yawning rumble coming from beneath them. This was no earthquake, given how quickly things retreated to silence again after a minute or two. Lucius turned back, eyes wide as he scanned over the empty cathedral, moving closer to Xera and Zyan to group up in case of attack.
"What was that?! Who's there?!"
Shard
...well.
This place was...dark.
Shard's excited run slowed as he reached the bottom of the staircase, the grin slipping off his face as the shadows grew deeper. His stomach started twisting into knots, and he swallowed, feeling a bead of sweat roll down his neck.
No one's there. No one's there. But he found that hard to believe. The shadows seemed to form the shapes of monsters, waiting for the right moment to devour his skin from his bones. Shard swallowed hard, a cold wave running through his body and his muscles tense with—
"AAAAAH!" Shard shrieked as Elliot came in out of nowhere. He let out a gasp, putting his hand over his heart. "Oh...y-you scared me, is all..."
He turned back towards the secret passage. "Y-yeah, I'd like to...stick together, just...just in case..." Shard let out a nervous laugh. "L-let's keep going." Forcing his legs to work, he started heading deeper into the passage.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."