Southbound: Relics of the Past

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y7h65
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Southbound: Relics of the Past

#1 Post by y7h65 »

Outside the city of Rune
Half an hour outside the city, situated far off the beaten path, was a pond. Located in a small clearing and fed by a small waterfall, it was barely of any note or value. However, this location suited the girl and the purpose she had for it. It was remote so it was unlikely that anyone would stumble into the clearing without having been contacted in the first place. It was also far from the city which should give anyone who was contacted plenty of time to become aware of any potential tails. Of course, personally, she found the clearing appealing to her personal taste. From the tropical sun blazing down from above and the gentle babbling of water to the way the sun coming through the rain forest canopy caused the pond to be tinted an emerald green; there was a certain air of serenity in this clearing that was missing in the hustle and bustle of Rune.

This was the untouched part of the island, the part that civility had yet to reach. Despite man’s long standing stance that Rune was the greatest trade city in the region almost half of the island it was situated on remained untouched. It was in this half that live flourished unbound. It was a literal jungle filled with life never silenced and growth never ending. That hand of man had yet to know this place; a simple fact that had quite possibly preserved them from the things that the girl knew roamed this area. Just as the top of the jungle was the pinnacle of beauty unmatched, the shadows in these lands were as every bit as dark as those on the jungle floor and filled with proportionately similar dangers. Still, man had time to continue their life blind to what laid below the surface.

With a content sigh, the girl glanced up at the sun from the rock in the middle of the pond that she had claimed as a throne. It was almost time for her chosen to return and to see if they were really up to the standards that had been set before her. Tapping into the power within her, she focused for a moment before releasing a small pulse of psychic and magical energy. The pulse was barely powerful enough for anyone with magic or psychic abilities to detect but unique enough that anyone that had been contacted before would be able to track down with ease. It'd be a feeling that they had to go towards where she was and the slightest scent of a sun-baked desert. With that, she leaned back and relaxed. In less than a day, she’ll know if she was doomed to fade away or if she would be able to return to her rightful place.

The Crypt
As Ir lunged forward, halberd in hand, memories not quite his began to bleed through. Battles from a civilization long since gone, techniques used that have never been rediscovered, and monsters that have not wandered the realm for centuries untold filled his mind as skills burned themselves into his mind. The halberd itself drank the magic cast on it and the runes on the blade pulsed blue. The simple thrust, in a moment, became more than that as instincts from warriors long since passed filled Ir. Moving faster than what Ir could think himself previously the thrust became a hundred thrusts, a torrent of blows all aimed at a vital spot on the masked man.

Eye narrowed, the masked man valiantly attempted to deflect the wave of attacks but one could only do so much against so many attacks. The first two thrusts were parried skilfully, the next four were evaded, and another three blocked by the masked man’s blades before they shattered before the force of the blows that Ir was putting out. Without a whisper or a noise, the masked man fell back onto the cold stone ground, the red light around the body dimming while blue rushed into the void left behind.
As blood began to pool around the masked man, the voice in Ir’s mind made itself known once more though with a slightly different tone. Meanwhile the blue pulsing of the runes dimmed and slowed before vanishing completely.

"Well," The voice was clearly masculine with a gritty quality to it. It was the voice of an older man, one who had spent their lives on the fields, either that of battle or agriculture. "That was easier than expected. Here I thought he would have put up a slightly better fight. I suppose he had let himself go in the years since my entombment." The voice chuckled at that, finding something inherently amusing about the situation.
"Well partner," The voice continued, addressing Ir. The sound of someone shuffling around and sitting on a wooden chair made itself present as the voice spoke. "I suppose we should move on. There’s nothing for us to gain by lingering around."

Coughing filled the room as the voice finished talking, clearly coming from the masked man. Turning his head to face Ir, he spoke. His eyes remained impassive and he kept his tone neutral even in the face of imminent death.
"Fool. You have no idea what you have done. " There was no condemnation in the man’s voice, no trace of malice or hate. Just the tone of one too tired to continue on. "That weapon… will be your downfall; And when you fall, I shall rush to greet you in hell itself. "

With that, the masked man fell silent and limp. For a second, the body remained just another cooling lump of flesh on the floor. Then, slowly, the body and the cloak started to turn to ash and dust. Within a minute, all that was left of the masked man was some badly rusted metal plates, a badly aged steel mask, and a vaguely human shaped mound of ash and dust.
"I think we should go. Time flows differently here, you don't want to be here long." The voice was solemn and contemplative, the scratching sound of someone running rough hands over stubble audible in Ir’s mind. "Feel free to look around but I have doubts there is anything of value in here."
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Re: Southbound: Relics of the Past

#2 Post by MrFlyingAmoeba »

"Another adventure?" Nathaniel exclaimed, crossing his arms with a resigned sigh. The innkeeper and friend shook his head. "One sword in the belly was enough for me. Thank the gods that spirit of yours didn't pull me along too."

"I'll try to keep myself from becoming a temporary sheath, then." Valentine chortled. "Don't worry so much. If I discover any ancient seals protecting the land from some forgotten hellbeast, I'll keep my hands off."

Nathaniel sighed again, clasping his friend's arm in a firm farewell. "I packed the lot of you enough for a good while, but you really should be taking horses or mules. Foraging and hunting won't work everywhere."

The summoner adjusted his bulging pack, glancing at his kitsune familiar Naoko devouring a large ham under the amused care of Nancy, one of Nathaniel's workers. "I'd agree with you, but that's not something I can do."

"If it's money, I-"

"It's not something that can be helped. Don't worry, Nathaniel. I'll be back before you know it." Adjusting his wide-brimmed hat, Valentine cleared his throat to draw Naoko's attention. The two-tailed kitsune hopped off the smooth wooden chair and made her way to his side, still chewing on the sizable piece of meat.

Nathaniel rubbed the soft grey fur behind Naoko's ears for a moment, kneeling down to her level. "Watch out for him, would you? Make sure he remembers to avoid walking into trees and setting his clothing on fire while trying to dry it 'faster'."

She managed to mumble a bright and completely unintelligible agreement, both of them ignoring the summoner's half-hearted objections.

The two twitched as the spirit from earlier touched their minds again. "That's our summons, then." Valentine lifted a hand as they left, Naoko scaling his back to assume her usual spot around his shoulders and neck.

The two passed through the city gates uneventfully, a bored pair of guards checking off their belongings. Not as many left through this gate, as it faced into the wilderness and not the far more populated port. A fortunate thing, since neither had any desire to wait behind a stench-ridden pack of animals carrying untold amounts of goods.

Several minutes passed in relative silence, Naoko occupied with her meal and Valentine with his own thoughts until he spoke, thinking out loud. "I need a walking stick." Valentine thrust out his right hand, imagining how it would feel. "It would make me more...official. An official adventurer."

Glancing up at his passenger earned him a food-stuffed shrug.

"It would make bandits less likely to come after us, at least. With a walking stick, no, a walking staff, we go from innocent, harmless travelers into seasoned adventurers who can dispose of dozens of our enemies with nothing more than our wits."

"Mmrfgh?"

"Good question." Years of listening to his familiar's voice day and night combined with their emphatic bond had trained him to interpret her various modes of communication. "Running isn't disposal. I'll have to rethink this plan." The gentle pull on their minds was closer now. Stepping off the grassy path, Valentine pushed aside the foliage, nodding to himself when he saw the spirit from earlier lounging on some rocks in the center of a small pond fed by a stream. He was the first here, unless someone else was out of his view. He took a few steps towards her, a small swell of his own magic forming within him in the event that he needed Cyll and Thrawn. Not that they'd be very likely to help him, claiming that if he couldn't defeat something on his own at this point then he didn't deserve their power.

"Greetings, spirit." Naoko remained where she was, waving a greasy hand. "Is this the place for our reunion?"
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Re: Southbound: Relics of the Past

#3 Post by isstmich »

Ir looked down at what once was a man capable of killing him with ease, but now he is hardly even a shell of his former self a pile of dust that would be scattered on the slightest breeze. his eyes fell over the hole he crawled out of when he first arrived in this tomb and then he lifted the Halberd a little while looking at the hole thoughtfully. there was no way he would be leaving the same way he came in. Speaking and thinking aloud because he wasn't completely sure how to communicate with the consciousness of the weapon he held. "so spirit to whom i owe my life, i doubt i would be able to burrow out the same way i got with you in hand. My question to you is, do you know of a way out, one different from which i came in?"

"Well..." The voice started, the slightest hint of sarcasm evident in his tone. "As a weapon without any actual way of interacting with or getting information from the environment, I'll have to say that you might want to begin with searching for a door."

Ir sucked his lips into his mouth and chewed on them lightly while nodding his obvious agreement. "This is very true. he continued while he walked around the room. "if what you say is true. time is not what it is supposed to be here. we will make an exit immediately. Ir searched the room finding an archway leading up hidden in the shadow of a large column. "i would very much like to study this area of time abnormalcy but it must be a hazard. So Spirt, what were you called in life when you were alive, if at all. If you were always a weapon to what name do you desire to be called. you are a most intriguing artifact and i seek to know much about you.

The spiral stair leading up was much longer then Ir had first though but in time he found his way into a large abandoned chapel.

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Re: Southbound: Relics of the Past

#4 Post by Ketzal »

"I know for a fact salted pork doesn't run for that much."

The small man behind the stall shrugged his shoulders. "It's imported. Castam merchants take big cuts for transportation."

Isaak sighed. He only had so much gold left, and was trying to buy enough food to last the trip he was supposedly going to take. The spirit hadn't hinted at how far the location was, so he was trying to furnish himself with the right balance of supplies. Getting them for a fair price was turning into a chore all its own, however, and the time that he had been given before the departure was coming soon.

Sooner than he thought, in fact. Before he could say anything else to the vendor, a strange sensation overtook him. It was almost like someone had tapped him on the shoulder or whispered in his ear. He turned, having a sudden feeling that that someone was calling for him. The air changed as well: it was warmer, dryer. Instead of the spices from the various meats at the vendors stall, Isaak started to smell something else...like...

Like a desert.

Isaak's eyes widened. The signal! He turned back to the man. "Okay, fine, give me four strips."

The man stared at him. "At full price?"

"Yes, at full price, please hurry! I need to be somewhere."

In only a few moments, the vendor had the meats wrapped and packed in his travel bag, and soon Isaak was setting foot outside of the gates, a path further inland laid before him. He stared at the path, leading to a jungle canopy further off, then looked back at the city.

Well, no turning back now... With conviction, he turned to the road ahead of him and headed for the source of the psychic calling.

****************************************

Walking along the trail, Isaak had plenty of time to mull over the circumstances of this job he would be working. In all honesty, he was still not very sure about it: a spirit asking a mercenary for help? It was definitely different from his usual clientele, and he really didn't know what to expect from what the ghost girl had told him alone.

Still, he knew what he was doing this for. If what the girl said was true, then she would be able to give him something that would cure his father...He could return home, he could fulfill his promise, and finally see his father leave his bed again. He sighed.

Just one more job...

Despite his reservations, he knew he had to try. He wouldn't be able to return home empty-handed. He had to try, this one last time.

****************************************

It wasn't very long before Isaak came to the dense jungle that occupied the other half of the island that Rune was situated on. He looked out into the foliage with equal parts amazement and amusement. It seemed ironic that an island such as this could host the two most extreme environments in the world: a jungle of green and a jungle of stone. Unsheathing one of his blades, he cut through the plants and made his way through the jungle, following the dry, sandy smell that contrasted with the humid odor of the plant life around him.

It wasn't long before he came up to a clearing, with a small pond fed by a waterfall and three figures by its edge. Isaak immediately recognized the spirit-girl from earlier, but the other two caught him a bit by surprise.

Is that a Crimson Sharp? No, the outfit's all wrong...and what's that on his shoulders?

As he came into the clearing, he realized that it wasn't a what, but a who...with fox ears, anyway. The sight of the fox girl took him even more by surprise, but he figured he should've realized there would be some fantastical creatures involved with this journey. It's not as if Isaak never came across such creatures, but his line of work more often than not dealt with pirates and thieves looking to loot the bulging merchant carts and ships that frequented the island.

He wasn't really sure how to gauge the man in the red attire with the fox girl, so he simply sheathed his blade and strode forward. "I take it you're one of the other candidates for this job?"

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Re: Southbound: Relics of the Past

#5 Post by MrFlyingAmoeba »

Allison

Allison considered her situation as she walked down the trail towards the source of the summons. Bedroll, sword, two daggers, some traveler's dried provisions, clothing, a few copper. Food wasn't a concern, she had kept herself alive with far less for months by foraging. That aside, she had companions this time around. It would be a first as far as she could remember, but she didn't mind the change. There hadn't been enough time to form solid opinions about any of them-and she was still thinking over the spirit's words. Same blood. A Phoenix, and a spirit. Was she of family, or did the spirit have a similar source of power as she did? Hopefully the spirit would answer her questions at this new location.

Speaking of which...she was close now. The dry scent of sandy dunes was stronger, and she could hear a few muffled voices through the thick plant life and animals rummaging throughout the jungle. The heat was nice, the humidity not as much. Pushing her way past the last of the jungle, the diminutive woman glanced at the small group. There was that summoner, referred to by the spirit as Sir Oak. His familiar, if appearances meant anything, was resting on his shoulders. No sign of his other friend, perhaps servant. Strange, she didn't recognize this other person, and surely those with wings would have arrived sooner.

Placid, gentle expression not revealing any of her thoughts, Allison nodded at the spirit, stepping to the side of the pond to wait for an explanation.
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Re: Southbound: Relics of the Past

#6 Post by y7h65 »

The Clearing
Waving back at the familiar, the girl smiled and responded to Valentine's question.

"Indeed," The spirit said, voice energetic and amused. "This is where you will meet with the rest of that of my chosen, Sir Oak. Rest, they will be here soon."

As the other two of her chosen arrived, she waited for them to settle down and introduce themselves if they deemed to do so. After all, it might be a good idea to learn more about those around you, especially if they were to fight side by side. It was also possible that they might have to die next to each other but that was only a small possibility. After introductions were said and done and all was settled, she vanished and reappeared on the edge of the pond in front of them with a quiet pop.

"It is a pleasure to me..." The girl began, only to pause and stare behind Allison. Standing behind Allison, with a sword longer than she was tall, was a rather petite blond girl. The blonde waved happily to the girl before nodding to herself contently and waving to the other members in the clearing.

"Hello~!" The blonde said, voice full of energy. The blonde seemed to be doing everything in her power to not bounce in place as she swayed back and forth on her heels. "I'm Ashley! But you can call me Ash, Stump, or anything of the sorts! Well, except for Drift. Don't like that word. Any~ways, I'll be joining you guys! I mean, adventurers need a heavy attack person and I'm pretty sure I fill that role fairly well. Unless one of you guys can hide a giant sword somewhere. That'd be cheating but whatever."

With that the blonde, Ashley, sunk her sword into the ground and proceeded to lean against it, using it as a wall to rest again. The girl was not quite sure what to do with this situation. On one hand, she couldn't contact the last of her chosen. On the other, she could barely feel this 'Ashley' with the powers at her disposal. The blonde could be a liability for all she knew.

After some time, the girl sighed. There wasn't that much of a choice. The blonde was already here and had seen her and killing the blonde would be a waste of power. If her combat abilities were strong enough, she could replace the missing chosen. There wasn't enough time to hunt for a replacement after all.

"Yes, as I was saying previously, it is a pleasure that you have all managed to make it, those of my choosing." She said, voice soft before quietly uttering "and Ashley." underneath her breath, despite apparently communicating telepathically. "We must depart at once so do try to remain close."

With that, the girl began walking away from the pond and into the jungle leading away from Rune. Walking towards a rather dense section of trees and underbrush, she soon began to disappear into the jungle. The call of birds and life seemed to quiet as she entered the jungle but remained in the background. Furthermore the girl seemed to glow slightly in the darker underbrush, apparently to aid others in following her.

The Chapel
The chapel was clearly abandoned by those religious a long time ago though the footprints in the dust showed that there had been activity recently. Whoever had been there was gone but only for an hour or two. Outside, the afternoon sun was beating down on the city of Rune, the hustle and bustle of the city was in full power as merchants offered wares to passing people while people crowded the streets. The scent of spices and exotic goods scented the air and mixed with the moist tropical air, giving the city a sense of life and energy.

Back in the chapel, the voice fell silent as a contemplative air surrounded it. After a moment, the voice spoke again, sounding slightly amused.

"What do you know, they built a chapel over this holding point. I didn't think it had been quite that long yet."

A gruff chuckle and the sound of more creaking wood could be heard.

"Well partner, mind walking around? I can sense things through you and I'd like to see how the world has changed since my entombment. Feel free to ask questions, I might answer them if I can."
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Re: Southbound: Relics of the Past

#7 Post by MrFlyingAmoeba »

Valentine and Co.

Valentine arched his eyebrows in surprise, glancing back at the others still in the clearing. This was it? The chapel had held several others, and of those, only the one who had been told she had a connection with the spirit was here. The other girl was unusual. There had be some sort of enchantment in the sword for her to be so nonchalant about its weight or some hideously powerful strength hidden in her slender body. The last one, the fellow who had asked him about his role, seemed to be some kind of archer if his bow was any indication. Odd weapons. The summoner wondered how he would keep them from slicing into his own body if stuck with a heavier weapon. Another enchantment? Ah well, no use standing around here. The spirit didn't seem too worried about their reduced number, and he wasn't either.

Still...Where had Ash come from?

Shaking the potentially worrisome thought from his head, Valentine leaned forward a few inches into a small bow at the only other male in the area, careful not to disturb his passenger. "As the spirit said, I'm here because she chose me. And the adventure. Things like this don't happen very often. I'm Valentine, call me what you like."

Naoko waved at the others as the duo began following the spirit's trail. The ham bone was dropped on the jungle floor, cracked and well-gnawed for the marrow with small bite marks marking her enthusiastic meal. "Naoko. Call him Valentine." The owner of the name sighed, shoulders slumping in mock despair-he was not overly fond of his full name.

Allison

Managing to keep her usual expression of calm unruffled warmth, Allison turned to face at the woman she had seen guarding the weapons merchant's wares. I didn't see her when I left the city. I suppose she's better than I thought.

"Hello, Ashley. If you don't mind, let's talk while we walk; I don't want the others to be held up by any delays." She inclined her head to Isaak with a friendly smile, glancing over his odd equipment. "If you want to talk with us, I don't mind."

Is that a lute? It must be hard to keep it clean and tuned with the amount of traveling he seems to do. And those weapons, can't say I've ever seen those before.

(y7h65, assume she follows Ashley around for the purposes of the conversation, so long as it wouldn't take her into a tarpit or something.)
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Re: Southbound: Relics of the Past

#8 Post by isstmich »

they had time to build an entire church over where the weapon was entombed? just how long was this weapon sealed away. Ir thought back to when he made that lunging strike the memories he saw, the moves he preformed. he had never knew about any of them they were defiantly nothing of this era. the halberd he held in his hand must be ancient. not only was it an artifact any scholar would give both their legs to see let alone own, it was alive or at least sentient. a living weapon, those memories who did they belong to? is the weapon doing the same thing with his memories, cataloging them, will the more time Ir spends around the halberd allow it to leech more and more of what he knows into it making it stronger? all of these questions were filling Ir's mind along with countless others in time he would find out as many answers as he was able but for now he would have to get to know the being he held in his hand.

"indeed i have many questions for you"he spoke out loud. "the first being what to call you, but after some thought i find a more important question is, must i continue to speak aloud or will my thoughts reach you as i think them" as Ir left the chapel he shielded his eyes with his free hand and waited a bit for his eyes to adjust to being back in bright light. when they did Ir looked around a bit and noticed that the chapel was a good distance from town thinking back Ir might have overdone it a little when he burrowed in.

turning back to get one last good look at the chapel Ir had the sudden thought how did no one go into the basement of the chapel and find this weapon before i did. it must have been there for..... he didnt really know much about this town so he didnt have anything to base aging the halberd off of. it could easily be thousands if not tens of thousands of years old. but none of the fighting styles it used anyone even knew about so he had no base for the weapons age. it was then that Ir had a sudden sickening thought, if time worked differently in the tomb maybe the weapon is from the future." NO! that's impossible" he accidentally said out loud.

turning his back on the Church he left departing back towards the Inn he rested outside of the night before maybe he could find something to do for someone back in town.

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Re: Southbound: Relics of the Past

#9 Post by Ketzal »

Confused, Isaak turned and followed the spirit's gaze, and was met with the sight of a woman with long, red hair. Admittedly, her appearance was enough to make him gape a little, but what really shocked him was the girl behind her wielding the biggest sword he had ever seen in his life.

What the hell?!

He watched dumbfounded as she introduced herself and stuck her blade into the ground, as if lifting a solid piece of metal larger than her was no obstacle at all. He couldn't help but shake his head. I just hope I'm not within ten feet of her if we have to fend off anything...

Turning his attention away from the girl and her impossibly huge weapon, he nodded to the red-haired girl and faced the man who addressed himself as Valentine. He couldn't help but chuckle a little at the fox-girl's quip, and replied, "Well met to you both. I'm Isaak." He nodded his head in return. "I just hope this journey of ours isn't too adventurous for us." Especially given what I'm here for... He thought idly.

He turned and joined the other two as they ventured into the foliage, fixing his travel bag and lute slung over his shoulder. He watched the two women for a minute, taking a more detailed look at the girl with red hair. It didn't seem like a natural red, more like a crimson. Something definitely seemed different about her...she wasn't all human, something was definitely telling him that. Maybe it was her walk or her presence, he couldn't be sure. Isaak sighed. Am I the only one who doesn't have something abnormal about me? Still, he knew it would be best to get to know this group. After all, they would be the same people he would be side by side with when they came across this sorcerer that seemed to be the root of the spirit's problems. He waited for a minute, then decidedly sped up a little to walk by in line with them.

"Um, I'm sorry, but I don't believe I caught your name. I'm Isaak," He said, addressing both of them but focusing a little on the crimson-haired girl.

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Re: Southbound: Relics of the Past

#10 Post by Kisuke »

Seth sat at a table in the lobby of the inn he stayed at the previous night, staring into space while holding a mug of coffee. Absentmindedly he took a sip of it and instantly realized that this brew was much stronger than the others he’d had before. “Not bad, usually this stuff is too weak for my tastes, even when black. I’ll be sure to leave a bigger tip than usual.” As he sat there, drinking his coffee, he found himself once again thinking about that mysterious woman in the street the day he was cursed to this weak human form. She seemed normal enough, and he was sure he had seen her in the city before, but upon asking the other residents the next day, none of them had even seen him talking to anyone matching her description that day, which was even odder given that he was in a crowded area. Surely someone would have seen them, but no one could seem to remember. Since then, he’s been searching all over for someone or something that can break this curse, having completely failed thus far. He heard rumors of a halberd with a magic signature similar to the one on his medallion and his search lead him here, though he seems to have just barely missed his chance to claim the weapon as his own as the innkeeper said he heard of someone who had just recently left for the crypt containing the halberd. Instead of risking his only chance to learn more about the magic binding him by racing off to the crypt and possibly missing that person, he decided to wait an extra night, hoping they would return to this inn after either failing or succeeding.

Seth let his mind wander some more as he drank, recalling his days as ruler of his land. He was a kind and benevolent dragon, still was, but evidently someone powerful didn’t like the idea of a dragon ruling, and cursed him. As he took another sip of his drink, he caught a hint of something in the air, something unusual. He sniffed the air for a moment and caught the faint scent of freshly turned soil, but that wasn’t true, it was less of a smell and more of a feeling. He felt like he smelled that, but there wasn’t actually any smell other than the coffee, the inn and the people within. This scent/feeling gradually grew stronger and soon he felt something else, something hidden by the earthy power, something vaguely familiar. They’re back, and they brought the halberd…
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Re: Southbound: Relics of the Past

#11 Post by Doom114 »

As the caravan approached their destination, Dominic let out a tired sigh. Another job done

At the gates, as the caravan's wares were checked over by the guards, Dom accepted his pay and was about to start away from the town when he realized that he had been running low on supplies the last time they had set up camp. With another sigh, he turned back to the town, noting that there were no caravans leaving, or vendors outside. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he headed back towards the gate, soon entering the city.

Wandering the streets, ear pressed firmly against his head in an attempt to block out some of the noise, Dom searched for a place where he could spend the night, not planning to head back when night would fall that much sooner. By luck more than anything, he happened across an inn.

Heading inside, he was mostly presented with the combined smell of the other guests and assorted food and drinks. On his way to see about getting a room for the night, a distinct new smell caught his attention. Pausing for a moment, head tilting slightly up as he sniffed the air, he followed the smell around the room a bit, drawing some strange looks from the other patrons. He shortly came up behind a young looking human man, draped with a dark purple cloak. He quietly stood behind the man, sniffing at him for a moment.

The man looked up from his coffee, slowly turning to face Dominic, giving him an odd look. Umm, can I help you?
Dominic moved to crouch in front of the man, snout close to his face, sniffing at him again. You smell... odd...
The man tilted his head slightly, looking at Dom inquisitively. How so?
Dominic pulled out another chair at the man's table, sitting leaned towards him, trying to figure out the smell. I've never smelled anyone like this before.
The man backed up, leaning into his chair slightly. Maybe you're smelling my homeland?
Dom leaned back in his chair, tail sliding under the seat a bit to avoid being trampled. Maybe, but you smell like these lands too... Dom stays seated, seemingly forgetting his original reason for coming to the inn in the first place. Extending a hand, claws retracting slightly, Name's Dom.


(With IMs from Kisuke)

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y7h65
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Re: Southbound: Relics of the Past

#12 Post by y7h65 »

The Jungle
"Nope, ain't a problem!" Ashley responded; her voice still energetic as she ripped the blade free from the ground, tearing a patch of dirt out of the ground. "What do you wanna talk about? I kinda like talking about books, travelling, art, the thirty eight ways to use a single wood pole as an anti-magic item, and food."

As the group moved through the jungle, following the faint light given by the girl, the jungle seemed to close up and swallow the group. Soon, it would be difficult if not outright impossible to figure out the path were it not for Ashley who had managed to end up at the front of the group. When the group had started, she had taken it upon herself to leave marks every fifty meters or so on the trees they passed by to remember the path they took. Which usually took the form of her spinning the massive blade she used like a baton and striking down a tree, the blade easily pulping and cracking most of the trees she preformed this on.

It seemed that wherever that the spirit was leading them was a fair bit away as the spirit had yet to slow down or show any signs that she was going to halt.

The City
Another gruff chuckle at Ir's question followed by the creaking of wood once more. "Son," The voice started, mirth still in it's voice. "I ain't had a name in forever and a bit. I guess you can call me Angra though, that's what a part of me used to be known as."

Clearing it's throat, the voice sighed contently as the city came into line of sight of Ir.

"Seems this place has gotten a lot more civilized since I last saw it. Good to know. Answering your question, partner, I can read your thoughts perfectly. It just amuses me to have you speaking out loud and looking like an idiot. If you'd do an old blade a favour, continue to do so. You might get some points for humoring me, never know when that's gonna be handy."

At Ir's thoughts, the voice chuckled softly as the sound of wood creaking filled Ir's head again. It seemed that however the spirit within the weapon visualized itself, it involved a wooden chair of sorts. "It's simple really. I'm not just hidden by a door, I'm hidden by a one way door. You somehow must have triggered the transport runes or dug up into the shift room. Bottom line is, if you try to reenter that room from where we left, you'll find a normal basement. The door only leads to the church from the inside, not the outside. Bit confusing but the people that sealed me up knew what they were doing when it came to magic like that. Also, time only flows forward. Ain't seen anyone reverse it yet."

Oddly enough, the city wasn't as far as Ir had originally feared, only about five minutes away from the town. As the blade and Ir stepped within city bounds, the voice spoke up once more. "Well, will you look at that. I'm feeling magic of my time around. Someone must have gotten their hands on one of the artifacts that got left behind. Mind searching for it? Looks a bit like a medallion and the magic in the air will die out a lot."
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MrFlyingAmoeba
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Re: Southbound: Relics of the Past

#13 Post by MrFlyingAmoeba »

Allison

She looked up at the taller man, smiling. "Allison. How did you happen to be drawn to the spirit?"

Watching the swordswoman clear their path, Allison tilted her head. If nothing else this trip promised to be an amusing one. "Ashley, isn't the merchant you were with going to miss your presence? That aside, how do the two of you feel about this whole affair? I don't have a great deal of personal investment in this myself."

Valentine and Co.

From their position at the rear of the group, Naoko watched Ashley effortlessly spin the metal monster she called a sword in disgruntled silence. Despite the near-certainty of her becoming a creature powerful enough to break kingdoms on a whim, that was several centuries away at best. Her two tails twitched as the young kitsune willed them to split. Nothing was accomplished except a very quiet vibration Valentine felt on his neck caused by the frustrated growls of a futile effort.

"Ah...Naoko?" Valentine had a handful of things he could claim to be, but being insensitive to his familiar was not one of them. Time for a distraction. "Perhaps it's time for another life consultation?"

"Mrfgh."

"Don't be so grim, what if I slipped into corruption and darkness because you weren't willing to help?"

"Fine." Despite her irritated tone, Valentine heard the strength of her foul mood lessen. "What do you do if you could save a stranger, but had to die by using the knife in the room on yourself?"

"Oh, well that's simple. Kill the stranger after torturing them slowly so the other person knows that I'm coming for them next. Ow! Hegh!" He tugged on Naoko's arms, trying to stop her sudden facial attack.

"What kind of answer is that?!" Naoko pulled on Valentine's cheeks harder, stretching his face and mask into a distorted grin with strong fingers into a painful punishment. "I told you yesterday that torture is bad! And the last twelve times!"

"Alh! Naowko! Lef go!" The mage staggered forward a few steps, waving his arms in a staged act of panic. He could have easily dislodged her, but that would have restored her ill temper. A bit of pinching wasn't much to trade for that.

"You're lucky Cyll isn't here! Take your punishment!"

"Awgh! Not sh mashk!" Maybe. She did have very strong fingers...
Red Mage Statscoski wrote:That is not how we do things around here, buddy. First we have to argue incessantly over semantics.

isstmich
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Re: Southbound: Relics of the Past

#14 Post by isstmich »

Ir nodded "Angra it will be. So Angra you say it is only a part of who you used to be. if the subject is open to discussion i would like to know about the other part that you no longer are."

In his mind Ir was imaging Angra to be a slightly older man, mid 60's with short white hair and a board chest and large arms. why Angra voice made him think this was a mystery but if he focused on the mental image he had made for Angra the man in his mind had a scar on his chest near his left shoulder, the oddest part of his mental image was he literally had never met someone that fit that description in his life.

The room he imagined Angra to be in was one with a bear skin rug, an old but study wooden rocking chair, a fire with a gentle bed of coals keeping the room warm, opposite the rocking chair was a large arm chair that looked plush and comfortable.suddenly Angras voice pierced his thoughts the word "PARTNER", Angra says it but it sounds like some kind of command. After he noticed his mind was wondering he led his mind away from his mental images of Angra but he did wonder what the Old voice looked like.

"why do you say 'Partner' Surely in my mind you have found my name, im sure i have thought it at least a dozen times since i picked you up?" He nodded at the words in his mind. "if me talking aloud is what your prefer i can accommodate that." Ir smacked him self on the forehead. "a one way door, GENIUS!" he exclaimed excitedly."that would explain why me burrowing up from under ground allowed me to find you." Ir's mind started to wander again and he began to think about what Angra did to be entombed in that time skewed room. he also wondered who the masked man who turned to dust and why he said Angra would be his death.

"what? magic your your time! does that mean that whoever has it is also from your time? also what time ARE you from, that is a question i deeply want answered." Ir was passing though a small market. he needed reeds to make another shoe and while he was here some leather to make a holder for Angra would be nice." i will gladly search for this amulet Angra, but first i have a small matter i need to attend to." he focused his thoughts on the leather holder he had planed to make so Angra knew what he was talking about. "OH!, if i put you in that holder im planing on making can we still communicate like we are now, or do i need to be holding you?"

Ir found a stall that sold Reeds and leather then the bartering began. for someone without money Ir was in a very tight spot, but he managed to talk the stall owner into letting him had the reeds and some lower quality leather in exchange for filling a barrel with 'magic water' and for creating a chair of sand and stone for the Stall keeper to sit on. which to Irs surprise the chair was actually very comfy.

"ok, with that settled lets find this magic. is it gonna be like you? like will it be talking to whoever owns it?" Ir reached out in his mind feeling for an area with a flickering magical field. the magic he was looking for was supposed to be easily noticed but not there at the same time. magic from the ancient times was interesting."i think ive found it."

Together with Angra in hand He and IR crossed out of the market and made their way back to the Inn, Ir had spent the night sleeping in front of from the day before."The amulet is defiantly in there. now that im closer i can tell what you meant about the magic in the air dieing out." Ir went into the Inn and looked around for people wearing amulets, there were 3, of those 3 only 1 of them had the flickering magical field that Ir was looking for. "i think we found him"

Ir approached the table 2 men were sitting at. "excuse me gentlemen, room for one more?"

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Ketzal
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Re: Southbound: Relics of the Past

#15 Post by Ketzal »

Isaak watched with a slack-jawed expression as the girl with the giant blade carved a path for them, clearing the foliage like they were straws of wheat being reaped at a farm. He was beginning to feel like his own means of fighting were grossly inadequate compared to the impossibly strong girl.

Since when have you compared yourself to others? He sighed. It wasn't like he was in a competition. He had a goal in mind here, a quest that he'd been pursuing for seven long years. It didn't matter what others' abilities were compared to his; what mattered is that his skills were enough to return home and save his father.

He looked back at Allison. Despite the good nature that these people seem to express, he still didn't know much about them or the spirit even. He doubted any of them had any harmful intentions in store for him, but he remained guarded. "Well, it was more that the spirit came to me than anything. As for my reasons being here..." He paused. "Well, they're personal. I've been trying to find help for someone very important to me. This spirit might be that help, once we help her with this problem of hers." After a minute, he frowned in thought, trying to properly word his question. "Pardon me for my rudeness, but there seems to be something different about you. I can't really place what it is...Do you use some sort of magic on yourself?"

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