[centre][h2]Longsight[/h2] 
[b]&[/b]
[h2]Badboy[/h2]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/Kskn8GF.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/pcXVo2n.png[/img]
[/centre]
[hr]
Though Longsight was ill for some days, he did not die. Songster and Tentongues were quite proficient in the ways – or rather, theories – of medicine, and so were able to implement some of what they had understood on the boy. Despite the lack of materials, a basic cleaning out of his wounds, meat broth (there was no point wasting all of that perfectly good outer beast meat), and plenty of rest meant he was on his feet within days. It was a rather quick recovery by all means. Tentongues suspected that it had very little to do with the meat broth.

The cave they had found transpired to be quite immense. Badboy and Horntusk had set to exploring it, but it winded almost endlessly and split into multiple tunnels. Horntusk was certain that if they explored deep enough they were bound to find a cavern safer and more suitable for residence than the cave mouth. They did not think it worth searching for such a gallery while Longsight was still ill, however, and so opted to wait for his recovery and see to his command then. Badboy did not heed them much though and continued to venture off on his own into the depths. When Longsight at last awoke, Badboy had not returned for an entire day. It was certainly unusual, but Longsight – perhaps still strained by his illness – paid the matter no heed. He ventured out of the cave with Saboteur and they explored the surrounding area. The cave was nestled in a descending hillside, though not quite at the bottom of the valley. Every nearby crest permitted one a view of the sea on one horizon and the blackwall rearing up against the other. As they trekked the rocky terrain, Saboteur informed him that a few spybats had been spotted over the last few days, though no other beasts were seen. The waterskins the gobtrotters had with them were swiftly emptying and they would need to find a source of water as soon as possible. “I don’t doubt that we’ll find something deep enough in the cave, we’ve just not had a good chance to explore.” The greatgoblin noted.

They returned to the cave several hours later as dusk was setting in. Songster had started a fire and was roasting some meat while Horntusk stood watchfully at the cave entrance. He nodded to them as they passed. Longsight scanned the cave briefly and frowned to find that Badboy was still not back. He turned to Tentongues questioningly, but the gobtrotter simply shrugged. “Barbtongue has yet to return, Timesworn.” Longsight hefted his war hammer and gestured deeper into the cave, clearly desiring they go search for him. Tentongues nodded. “I expected you would wish to go and look for him. You are still weak, however, so let Saboteur go search in your stead. I think you will be better able to join the search in the morning if he is not returned by then.” Longsight considered Tentongues for a few seconds and then, ignoring his words, swept past and gestured for Horntusk to follow. The greatgoblin was swift to, grabbing a branch from the flame to light their way.

They made swift progress through the caverns. Though still ill and worn out from the day of trekking, Longsight was difficult to keep up with. It was not long before they realised that something was moving in the tunnels. Echoes could be heard. Straining their ears, the boy and the greatgoblin made quick progress. On a few occasions they paused, realised they had lost the sound, and doubled back until they found it again. Soon enough they saw a light in the distance and the sounds became louder and louder. Longsight gestured for Horntusk to snuff his torch (which was by this point so short that it was becoming quite untenable to keep alight in all cases) and they approached the light with great caution and silence. Hugging the ground, they found themselves standing where the tunnel very suddenly opened into a great chamber. In the heart of the chamber was a writhing pool of chromatic fluid, though the trickle of what was no doubt water could be heard from further off. It might have well been a subterranean river. Stalagmites rose from the ground, stalactites hung above, and on one such pillar-like edifice hung Badboy, tied by an odd rope that glistened metallically.

But it was not the pool or Badboy that caused them to stare silently into the writhing cavern. It was well-lit, strange fires floating everywhere, and beneath them was a cacophony of beasts – many monstrous, but most taking on grotesque humanoid forms. A glance upward confirmed that amongst the stalactites above hung winged beasts, part monster and part man. The greatest of them all, however, was a wyvern curled up beyond the lake. Longsight swallowed and glanced at Horntusk, who was staring grimly at the scene. There were hundreds of beasts in there, and Badboy hung right in the middle of them all. Longsight crawled away from the chamber’s entrance and, once the two of them were far enough away, they both got up and beat a hasty retreat. Once safe enough away, Longsight stopped and squatted, hand on his chin and brows knotted. Releasing a breath, he rose to his feet and paced up and down before the silent Horntusk. Abruptly, he paused before a crevice in the wall. If he squeezed himself he could just about fit in. And yet it was small and deep enough that one would not have noticed it if they were moving past quickly – as, indeed, they had been earlier. 

The boy cocked his head and glanced at Horntusk, tapping the wall of the crevice. He pointed to himself, and then back to the crevice, and then gestured to Horntusk and the distant entrance of the chamber. He leapt up and down in a show of drawing attention to himself and then mimed running. Once done, he looked at Horntusk expectantly. The greatgoblin raised an eyebrow and shrugged in confusion. Longsight rolled his eyes and gestured once more at himself. “You.” Horntusk said, and Longsight nodded and then gestured to the crevice. “Uh, in there?” Longsight nodded vigorously, then pointed at Horntusk. “Me?” Longsight gestured to the light of the cavern. “Go there?” Longsight smiled in satisfaction and then, pointing once more at Horntusk, made a show of jumping up and down and gesturing to himself. “Dance? You want me to dance?” Longsight paused, pursed his lips, and then sighed and nodded. Then he pointed at the chamber. “Dance over there?” Horntusk asked in confusion. Longsight nodded, and then mimed running away once more. “And then run…” Horntusk mused. After a few seconds, realisation dawned. “Ah… you want me to draw them out. To draw attention to myself and then run away…” he paused and looked at the crevice, “and… you will hide in there…” the gears in the greatgoblin’s mind turned once more, “so they don’t see you.” Longsight smiled and nodded, and then pointed at himself and the chamber and mimed himself sneaking towards it. The greatgoblin accepted the plan with a surprising stoicism, despite his rather dangerous assignment.

Hidden away as deep in the crevice as he could put himself, with the spiked butt of his war hammer ready in case he needed to stab his way out, Longsight strained his ears and listened. Before long he heard Horntusk shouting and striking at the cavern’s rock with his blade. It was immediately as though he had poked an immense nest of hornets. The caverns exploded into a fit of noise. Longsight gulped and wondered if he had just killed the greatgoblin – and perhaps himself too. The screams of the beasts overwhelmed any sign of Horntusk, but before long Longsight was just about able to catch his shadow as he sprinted by. Not very long after, a mass of the beasts swept by – entangled in a great mass and slowing themselves down as a result – in their pursuit. He heard them shouting words in that foreign tongue of theirs, but simply kept his eyes peeled in case one inadvertently found the crevice. His hands grew very wet with sweat as the dark flood pressed by, but his heart was hammering and he did not dare change his grip for fear that Bonebreaker would slip and clatter against the rock.

It felt like hours before the last of the beasts finally swept by and there was stillness in the tunnel. He waited for ten heartbeats, frozen in place, and then lurched forward. In a great panic, hep turned and sprinted towards the light. He had no idea how many beasts remained in there and what he was about to face off against, but he did not even consider – for fear that the monsters may at any moment return – to slow down and attempt to sneak in. He flew into the chamber, leaping downwards with his hammer swinging. A shocked humanoid beast looked at him slack-jawed when he landed on firm ground, but its head quickly exploded as Longsight swung Bonebreaker with all his might. A spray of bileblood showered the air and he continued forth with eyes only for Badboy. Monsters shrieked above and shouts sounded from all over the cavern, but it was clear that the number remaining was tiny compared to what had been present before. He dodged and rolled as flying monsters swept by him, twisted from the reach of those attempting to catch him, pierced the skull of a furred snake or worm, he could not quite tell, and was soon at the stalagmite from which Badboy hung. A quick glance upwards confirmed he was awake and grinning. It was a large stalagmite, but Longsight hammered it even as he ran around it while fending off what beasts got too close. It did not take more than three strikes for the seemingly solid structure to crumble, and Badboy descended amongst its ruins. The strange metal rope loosened about him and he picked it up as a makeshift whip. The monsters seemed no longer interested in them, however, but had backed away and were looking deeper into the cavern.

Slowly, Longsight and Badboy turned to look with them. Beyond the chromatic lake, the giant wyvern had awoken. With wide eyes, Longsight nudged Badboy and gestured for him to run. Badboy grabbed his wrist and pointed towards the lake. Frowning, Longsight looked closer and, after a few moments, spotted Headsplitter lying on the ground there. Gritting his teeth, he glanced at Badboy and shook his head. There was no way they could reclaim it. Sadness swept across the other boy’s eyes for a few moments. Then he grinned, released Longsight, and with a sprinting turn flew off towards the pool and his macuahuitl. Longsight felt his heart fall into his stomach. Mouthing a frustrated groan, he leapt after the other boy even as the wyvern roared terrible words and half flew and half waded across the chromatic pool towards them. Longsight watched it approach even as his feet carried him after Badboy and [i]fucking towards[/i] it! Even the watching beasts seemed decidedly flabbergasted by the display.

Taking Headsplitter up as the wyvern loomed above him, Badboy raised the weapon and braced himself. Rearing its head back, the monstrosity struck forth. Just before its maw was upon him, however, Longsight hammered into Badboy and both boys went flying into the chromatic pool. And all was silence. The variegated viscous fluid flowed about the two boys, and they sunk into it. Longsight immediately felt – in the very core of his being and in his one blue eye – that the fluid was as abnormal as its appearance had suggested. He could feel it flowing on his skin, over his mouth, into his nose, could feel it tracing over his eyes. It ran through his hair, through the sinews of his flesh. It burned and whispered. Visions flowed over the eye of his mind – fields, forests, blades in a sure hand, magicks harnessed, little strange folk. Grandfathers he had never known and grandchildren he could not comprehend. None of it made any sense, and the burning sensation across his body seeped into his head so that terrible fevers wracked his mind and form.

When he thought that he could no longer bear it and that his form was about to shatter, he broke through the surface and found himself ejected from the pool in a spluttering heap. Badboy was not a moment behind him. Or, at least, he had thought it was Badboy. A glance over revealed a man he had never before seen. He was a veritable wall of rippling muscles, his hair long and wild. His eyes, however, were familiar – they had an all too familiar craziness, his grin too. And, of course, he held in his hand Headsplitter.

[centre][img]https://i.imgur.com/op6cgP7.png[/img]
[i]Badboy Sculpted Anew[/i][/centre]

The other boy – well, man – turned to him with equal awe. It was only then that Longsight realised that they were of equal height. A glance down at his own form revealed an equally muscled form of tremendous build. He looked up in shock. The pool – whatever it was – had changed them both!

[centre][img]https://i.imgur.com/kfevP4y.png[/img]
[i]Longsight Reborn[/i][/centre]

The growled words of the wyrm drew them from the moment’s surrealness, and they both found themselves instinctively leaping away as it struck down at them once again, this time with a tail. Gripping Bonbreaker with a sure hand, Longsight struck out at the waiting tail. His muscles rippled as the hammer crushed it into the rock. Badboy had already leapt atop the thing as it started moving and, with incredible balance, sliced his way up the tendrilous extremity. The wyvern flapped its wings and screeched in pain, but Badboy was now on its back hacking and swinging. Now he struck at the base of a wing, now at the ridges of its spine, now at its neck. Even as the beast flailed and screamed, he ascended its neck with remarkable – surreal! – dexterity until he was on the monster’s skull. Grinning there, he raised Headsplitter and did what that god-made terror did best. The wyvern, with sundered head, fell to the cavern’s ground and was silent and still.

The commotion in the chamber had clearly drawn the attention of all those beasts that had left, for Longsight could feel the earth rumbling as they returned. The other monsters in the great chamber, however, either stared at them from atop stalagmites or from a distance on the ground. Whether they were beastly or humanoid Longsight could see in their eyes that they knew well to fear them. Even so, as the world rumbled and monsters began to stream from the tunnel opening from which Longsight had come, another rumbling – perhaps even greater – came from behind, where a second tunnel opening lead to wherever the trickling flow of water had been heard before. The rumbling grew to such strength that Longsight thought it may well have been an earthquake. He batted monsters aside as the chamber became increasingly crowded and began to weave and carve his way towards the entrance. He had not made much progress before a great roar ripped through the cavern and, turning, he saw a truly enormous iron-grey wyrm tear through the rock and emerge. In fact, it was not only the colour of iron, but seemed to shine as though it was made of metal. It took one look at the monsters gathered all around and began tearing into them with vigour. It was clearly not a friend of theirs.

With Badboy soon by his side, they took the raging chaos around them as an opportunity to make a mad dash for their exit – which, for whatever reason did not seem to be something the outer beasts had yet considered. Bisecting or flattening whatever beasts made the mistake of getting in their way with ease (at one point Badboy swatted one aside but found that it fell dead!) the two men had soon clambered to the tunnel and were sprinting through the darkness. Behind them, the screech of the outer beasts as they battled the great rock-busting wyrm echoed and seemed to shake the foundations of the world.

[hider=Summary]Longsight wakes up and is still a bit ill, but he’s healed remarkably quickly all things considered. Badboy has gotten to exploring the cave, but for some reason hasn’t returned in a while. Longsight doesn’t think it odd and goes off for an exploratory trek of the area outside the cave with Saboteur. Returning at dusk, Badboy is still not back. Tentongues suggests that they go look for him in the morning. Longsight ain’t doing that – he calls Horntusk and they go off immediately. They explore and stuff and eventually come to a chamber deep in the cave that has lottsa outer beasts, a wyvern, a goop pool, and Badboy tied up. There’s also the sound of tricking water beyond the chamber it seems. Anyhow, Longsight comes up with a clever plan to distract the beasties and get them to follow Horntusk out of the chamber while he goes and rescues Badboy. All goes well, but the wyvern wakes up and attacks them. They fall into the goop… AND THEY TURN INTO HEROIC MUSCLE WALLS, OH YEA. Heroism and all that. So they beat up the wyvern and the other outer beasties are really quite scared. Then one of Sylia’s wyrms comes crashing the party and, in the chaos, the boys – men – make their escape.

Characters featured or mentioned:
-- Longsight: our lil hero. After running his mouth at Sylia and being imprisoned beyond the wall, he is now a glorious war hammer-swinging chronomancer hero of the lord of time! After a quick dip in some outer beast goop, he has become a more goodlookin Arnold Schwarzenegger.
-- Badboy: our very own blood-streaked, headsplitting madboy. Longsight’s close friend and co-conspirator; absolutely battle-demented. After a quick dip ni some outer beast goop, he has become a veritable wall of adult muscle and crazy hair. Oh boi. I think he's done enough to have naturally ascended to heroism now. >.>
-- Songster (formerly Fee): A goblin librarian assigned by Galaxor the task of teaching the lads to read and write; does not like fighting.
-- Tentongues (formerly Fi): A goblin librarian also assigned by Galaxor to teach the lads. He appears to have a degree of diplomatic charisma. Though he also does not like fighting, he can still keep a calm head when under attack.
-- Saboteur (formerly Fo): A greatgoblin who, having destroyed the foodstuff looted by Badboy from Galaxor, becomes the target of the lads frustrations. He doesn't much like Badboy. A skilled archer, and likely a skilled melee combatant too.
-- Horntusk (formerly Fum): A greatgoblin warrior and archer, and part of Longsight's party. He very bravely acts as bait for a veritable army of outer beasts; it is not known whether he made it.[/hider]