[center][h2] Xiaoli & Hermes & Others [/h2][/center] Ashalla’s blue ocean faded quickly as the red stretches of Tendlepog came into view. The pair began to slow down as the coast disappeared. The sweet scent of the plains took over the salty brine that clung to the pair. Hermes’ eyes scanned the grasslands below, quickly zipping to a flat stone rock. As they landed, Xiaoli couldn’t help but feel a lingering divinity covering the flat heliopolis soaked rock. In the distance cloudlings popped around the flowers of the trip vines, and distant herds of trees stampeded, the Tree-Eaters biting at their heels. Hermes put her hands on her hips and sucked in a long breath, “Home.” Xiaoli dusted herself off and walked over to hug Hermes from behind. “Home,” she echoed softly. She took a moment to cast a glance at the rock they stood on, prodding it sheepishly with her right foot. “Where did you bring us?” “The plains,” Hermes announced, “Something doesn’t feel right about building a house right next to Limbo, but then again, maybe that would be a better place? I never did this before.” Xiaoli hummed pensively. “The biggest threat to our house would likely be the stampeding trees, so we would want to stay out of their migratory routes, I think. Do you know of such a place?” “Only the forests around Limbo, hills and the mountains,” Hermes bit her finger in thought, “Between the mountains and Limbo, I think we can find a spot. It’ll be close but not too close to either the moving mountains or the stone ring. How does that sound?” Xiaoli nodded. “Yeah… Yeah, that can work! Oh! How close is it to a source of water? We need a place to drink from…” She sniffed and giggled. “... And for you to bathe again.” “There are little brookes that cut through the forest and rivers that swivel around the changing mountains,” Hermes nodded, “They have fish, even--” “Bathe?” Hermes suddenly stopped and sniffed her shirt, “Oh my.” Xiaoli’s giggle turned to a chuckle. “It’s fine, dear. We’ll see to it when we find the spot. Maybe I’ll teach you to cook the fish, too, hmm?” She released Hermes from her embrace and put her hands on her hips. “Well, shall we get going?” “I don’t see why not,” Hermes smiled and wrapped Xiaoli back up in her arms before darting off. Their flight was quick, blasting over the grinding mountains and down into the forested valley that conquered the center of Tendlepog. Carefully zipping through the trees, Hermes finally stopped in a shady glade. A babbling brook maybe a meter thick and a third deep snaked the edge of the clearing, and beds of moss covered everything, even the sides of the gnarled trees. Lengths of thread like moss hung from the branches and the entire setting smelt of wet soil, giving the air sort of melancholic yet electric taste. Here and there, little rounded stones poked from the ground like headstones, smoothed and pocked with patches of cold mud. “What do you think?” Hermes smiled wide. Xiaoli admired the glade in awe, her eyes wide and crystalline. She walked over to the sandy-bottom brook and dipped her finger in it. She looked back at Hermes with a grin. “The water is happy here… And possibly a little inebriated,” she mused. “Hermes, this is perfect! I’ll start measuring the dimensions of our house!” With that, Xiaoli got to her feet and zoomed left and right, using lines of water to draw up lines in the mossy grass. She also sampled the various rocks lying around. Hermes watched with a curious amusement, eventually trailing behind Xiaoli and watching her process with big eyes. She eventually peaked over and up at Xiaoli, “What should I do?” Xiaoli, whose arms were now full of pebbles in various sizes and shapes, let out a strained groan, followed by a pensive hum. “How about you, um…” She paused again. “... How about you chop down a tree for us, hmm? We will need wood!” A wide smile broke across Hermes’ face as she hefted her club from her pack, “Of course!” She pranced out of Xiaoli’s view, leaving the river-girl to her machinations. Suddenly there was a loud whooshing sound and then an explosive crack followed by the creak of an angry tree. A soft --yet somehow devious-- laugh sounded accompanied by an impressed popping. Xiaoli looked up from her pile of rocks with a raised brow. “Hermes?” she called out with concern in her voice. “I got us a tree!” Hermes called back, adrenaline in her voice. “Is-... Is that really what cutting down a tree sounds like here?” she asked loudly. “It is when all you have is the God of War’s club,” Hermes teased, “Don’t worry though, only the base of the tree is messy.” Xiaoli shuffled over with careful steps, taking a look at the brutally murdered arborous creature. “W-well… Uhm…” She cleared her throat. “Well done, dear. Now, we may need some sand… Could, uhm, could you be a dear and fly over to the nearest beach or desert and bring back a backpack full of sand, please?” “Of course,” Hermes nodded with a smile, clearly excited over the whole house building idea, “I won’t be too long.” Poppler zipped into Hermes’ hair as the woman took off into a blur. Xiaoli let out a sigh. “She’s like a rainbow when she soars off like that,” she mused dreamily. She then rubbed her hands together and began lining up some stones along the watery outlines in the grass. [hr] Upon Hermes’ return, the outline had been reinforced with stones and sticks to denote material type for specific parts of the house. Next to the early foundations, Xiaoli had set up a wooden board upon which were painted an architectural plan for the finished product: a mansion in the style which she had described to Hermes on Dragon’s Crown. Xiaoli was dabbing the last additions onto the board with an inked brush. “You’re so quick,” Hermes said in awe, placing a sand filled backpack on the ground, Abanoc’s book safely tucked under her arm, “Productive.” Xiaoli finished up the plan and took a step back to observe it from a distance. “I am merely doing my job, dear.” “I guess you could say you’re doing God’s work,” Hermes mused with a curled grin. Xiaoli suddenly let out a snort and a giggle, covering her face with her sleeve. “Oh, by the Architect, Hermes,” she said under her laughter and punched her shoulder playfully. Hermes’ grin grew and playfully punched back. “I got you something,” Hermes pulled some of the scarlet red sweet grass from her pocket, “It’s nothing like the pastries we packed, but I figured a little Tendlepog sweetness was in order.” Xiaoli gasped and plucked a few straws from Hermes’ palm. “Oh, Hermes, you shouldn’t have!” She put the straws in her mouth and chewed happily until her pebble-teeth took on a pinkish hue. “Oh, I love these!” She snatched a few more. Hermes watched happily as Xiaoli devoured the entirety of the sweet grass. Poppler buzzed around the pair, disappointedly before whizzing off to go find a flower or two of his own. Xiaoli let her eyes run up and down Hermes and she furrowed her brow with a wry smile. “You always get so messy when you fly.” She swallowed the grass in her mouth and began tugging and pulling at Hermes’ wrinkly shirt. Hermes cocked her head as she watched Xiaoli fuss, “Xiaoli, are you upset with how I look?” Xiaoli blinked. “Upset? No! No, no, no.” She paused, straightening out the last leftover weariness in the clothing from their recent exposure to blinding speed. “It’s just… You look better when your shirt is all nice and neat - like so!” She took a step back and smiled. Hermes gave a weak smile, “I know, I just -- well lately I feel like I’m always messy to you and I don’t want to be.” Xiaoli’s smile waned a little, too, and she reached out to grab Hermes’ hands. “Well, I could teach you to take better care of your clothing and style, if you’d like. It’s not hard!” “That sounds like something I should know how to do without you telling me,” Hermes smile was gone, but her fingers laced with Xiaoli’s, “I’ll just try to be more mindful.” “It-... It comes with habit, you know? If you just straighten out your clothing and your hair after you travel, you’ll have worked it into your fingers in no time!” Xiaoli did her best to sound optimistic. Hermes gave Xiaoli a half-cheek smile, “I know, thank you.” [hr] After some time, Xiaoli had managed to stack and line all the necessary materials for the central courtyard, with three rectangles of wood placed neatly in the damp grass around a central square of pebbles and gravel. She gave the schematics another lookover, measuring the placements of the materials with her thumb. She let out a pensive hum as she begun to draw up the inner wall with sand. Hermes watched as she shook out the last of the grains of sand from the fabric of her bag. She sat squat on a rock and gave the bag a whipping shake before flinging it over her back, book secured inside. She had been quiet, not wanting to bother Xiaoli too much, but as the minutes went by of doing nothing, she couldn’t help but feel anxious. She squirmed slightly in place, feeling energetic yet useless. Finally she spoke up, “Um, Xiaoli?” Xiaoli seemed preoccupied with the measuring, but let out an absent-minded “yes?” without turning around. Hermes leaned to the side, watching Xiaoli’s eyes until it was clear she had memorized her counting, “Is there anything you need me to do?” For a moment, she made no sound. Then, once she had made a little indentation in the wall-like sand pile, she turned around and brushed her uncharacteristically messy bangs out of her face and gave a wry smile. “Sorry, could you repeat that for me, please?” she asked as she clapped the excess sand off her slightly less sandy hands. “Is there anything you need me to do?” Hermes sat up from her slouch. She let out a pensive hum and rubbed her chin. “No, not that I can think of. How about you relax for a bit, hmm?” She flexed her right arm playfully. “I’ve got this.” “Oh,” Hermes gave a small smile, “I guess I’ll go-- relax then.” She stood up and stretched her arms up, her back popping from sitting. Letting them fall to her sides she gave the scene another look, “I’m gonna go find Poppler, he’s probably by Limbo soaking in a trip vine or two; be back in a few?” “Unless-- you need me before then, then just give me a shout?” Hermes leaned forward expectantly. “Oh yeah, don’t worry about it. This is divine work, after all. Take your time, dear.” She smiled and looked back to the schematic. “Divine,” Hermes blinked, “Oh, of course.” Xiaoli did not seem to notice the shift in tone, being too busy with stacking pebbles. The dreamer shoved her hands into her pockets and slowly slouched away, her feet kicking idle stones as she exited the glade. She mumbled to herself, most of her words not really words. The trees began to thicken and she lost her rock. Her eyes searched lazily until she found a particularly rotten branch to kick instead. “What’s divine if there is nothing mundane to compare it to,” Hermes finally grumbled, “Then again what even is mundane in a divine world.” She kicked the branch extra hard, the small twig exploding into rotten specks, “Useless.” She huffed and kicked another branch, “Stupid.” Sucking in a heavy breath, she stopped, having found the clearing where Limbo sat, her eyes downcast. The words of K’nell soaked in her brain, his praise and philosophies battling her own frustration and anxiety; the argument eventually turned into an eloquent debate fighting against a stubborn denial. A pulse of light caused her thoughts to freeze, and she looked up. Her eyes couldn’t quite describe it to her, but a gentle --yet throbbing-- light hovered over the black platform that comprised Limbo. Hermes’ brow furrowed in curiosity and she stepped past the trip vines with care, her eyes glued to the sight. She approached, her wet sandals leaving tiny marks on the smooth stone platform. Her eyes were thin lines as she squinted at the overwhelming light, the pulsing spectrum mere feet away now. Hesitantly she reached out, her eyes starting to close, and as her fingertips gently brushed the warm light everything changed. [hr] Hermes’ eyes were shut closed, but a million lights pulsed through her eyelids. Her body felt like it was being thrown in every direction possible, and her ears screamed as countless languages yelled at her, and despite this she felt completely alone. She could hear every thought she ever had, see every memory, and ones she never even knew she had were relieved all in an instant. “Stop,” She finally managed to command, and as if this strange existence she now found herself in understood, it all stopped. She opened her eyes, but she couldn’t see anything. She turned her head, but she couldn’t hear anything. Her voice was gone -- she was gone. There was a loud ripping sound, and then all at once light returned. Being flung through an impossibly small speck of white light, Hermes suddenly found herself diving headfirst into a pile of yellow leaves. She stared dizzily as she laid in a sea of leaves, tall elm trees towering above her, sprinkling their foliage atop her head. Birds chirped, insects buzzed, and squirrels foraged. A fall breeze blew between the trees that surrounded her. She went to sit up, but as she did, a great pain formed in her chest. She retched, her stomach convulsing. She heaved, a loud gurgling coming from her throat, and then finally she threw up. A pearl the width of a thumb flew out of her mouth, covered in slimy bile. Hermes watched, her body weak and mind confused as it arched to the leafy forest floor. She clamored towards it, her legs feeling too much like noodles to use properly. Before she even got halfway, a strange creature appeared. It was short and stout, maybe two feet in height. It wore crusty rages that covered a slightly human body, but it stood on cloven hooves, had only three fingers, and the face of a pig. Large cone like teeth grinned at her as it scooped up the pearl greedily. “Hey!” Hermes yelled, her voice hoarse. The Piggut squealed and made a waddling retreat into the forest. Hermes slanted her brow and used all four of her limbs to scramble forward, eventually finding her legs again and standing up, but by then the creature was long gone. She didn’t know why, but she felt devastated, as if a piece of her was missing. She rubbed her forehead in worry, pacing back and forth as anxiety welled in her stomach. Where was she, what was that, what’s going on? Suddenly the sound of creaking wood caught her attention. She turned to her left and began to wander towards it. The leaves crunched under her sandals and the trees began to disperse, and before long she was staring at a wagon, moving quietly along a dirt road, two men walking alongside it. She squinted at the blonde one, “Kalmar?” The men stopped and one of them groaned at the other, a curly accent filling the air, “Have you been using fake names again?” D’Bran opened and shut his mouth, “I-- uh.” Hondros squinted, “Who is she?” Hermes backed away a little. “I don’t know,” D’Bran raised his hands defensively, despite towering over the shorter man, “I don’t remember.” “Good heavens, man!” Hondros growled. A dark haired man peaked from the wagon, the entire vehicle coming to a stop with a simply “hut!” from an unseen driver. Renevin slid from the wagon, “What’s going on?” He approached the other two. “I need help,” Hermes butted in, her eyes wide and scared, her own heart in her throat. The three men looked at each other with incredulous stares. Hondros tapped his black armor, “‘tis what we do.” Renevin hummed in thought, his eyes studying Hermes, “What’s the problem?” “A- pig stole my- thing.” Hermes muttered, clearly bewildered. “D’Bran!” Hondros hissed, the Sandy cheeked man huffed, giving Hondros a knowing glare. Hermes shook her head. “No, sorry. A pig person took my jewel,” Hermes explained slowly. “A piggut stole your gem,” Renevin thought out loud, “I hate to say it, but you may need to count your luck. Once they are out of sight, they are most likely cozy and safe in the foothold they have a few stretches from here.” “Harmony knows,” D’Bran nodded, “Sorry miss.” Hermes looked down at the news, her mind turning a mile a minute in thought. “Well now,” Hondros tapped his chin, “Those cannibalistic thieves have been an issue for a while now.” Renevin looked at Hondros like he had spouted some great wisdom, “We have three bodies, for once, and no other task.” “Well the dragon,” D’Bran began. “As optional as this,” Renevin explained, “We can do both.” “I like it,” Hondros smiled wide. “Me too,” Hermes was suddenly right next to the three men. The group turned to her. “It might be safer if you stay back,” Renevin offered, “We can return to you once we get your object.” “You don’t know what it looks like,” Hermes offered. “We’ll bring all the objects,” D’Bran countered. “I want to come,” Hermes explained, “I’m not useless.” Renevin rubbed the side of his eye and looked at Hondros expectantly, the man pinching his mustache in thought, “Okay.” Hermes’ face glew, “Great.” Renevin looked at Hermes’ massive club and then at Hondros, giving an approving nod. Hondros turned to the wagon, “Hold by, we will be back.” A gruff voiced replied and the vehicle began a slow grind to the side of the road. The mustachioed soldier pointed to the forest, “Follow me, I’ll lead point.” D’Bran shifted behind Hermes and Hondros, “I’ll cover the rear.” Renevin shoved the sandy cheeked man forward with the flat of his gauntlet, “It’s secure; move on.” [hr] Xiaoli stabbed the final wooden pole into the sand. There! The four corners of the outer wall were set! She took a moment to admire her work, only to find that it hadn’t really changed all that much since the beginning, except that the water lines had been replaced by wooden sticks and piled sand. She let out a quiet huff as she wiped her forehead of some moisture. She smacked her lips together a bit and frowned, so she went over to the brook to have a short break. Xiaoli poked her sandy finger into the water and let out a satisfied sigh as fresh, cool water travelled up her arm and into her form. She then realised she was feeling peckish, or more specifically, in the mood for something sweet. “Hermes? Would you like a pastry?” she called out into the empty woods. The calling elicited no response, save for a couple of bird chirps, all of which were telling Xiaoli they were dieting, but would be satisfied with the crumbs. The river-girl pouted and bit into a red bean cake. “Hermes?” she called again. Yet again, no one responded. A frog ribbited something about seeing her walk off in a direction that it spectacularly failed to point towards, losing its balance on the leaf it was resting on with even the slightest movement. Xiaoli sighed and sniffed the air. The familiar scent of her beloved drifted faintly in the deeper reaches of the woods, it would seem. Xiaoli shrugged and began following the trail. The woods once again oozed that feeling of nostalgia, only this time, she was certain she had been here. She reasoned that Limbo was close. Looking down, she noticed skid marks and dents in the dirt, the wavy pattern of woven grass fibers being a common sight in many of them. Had Hermes been sleep walking? How long have I been working, Xiaoli thought in bewilderment. A moment later, she came upon the familiar black platform of Limbo. A sudden flush overcame her body and the river-girl fell to her knees and kowtowed before the holy monument. She took in the scents of the grass and the soil - they oozed an almost nauseating divine scent. She felt herself doubt her right to be here, but this -was- were Hermes said she was going. “H-Hermes?!” she whispered loudly, as if the platform before her was a sleeping beast she under no circumstances wished to wake up. There was no response. Xiaoli cursed under her breath and scuttle a little closer to the platform. “Hermes!” she repeated in the same loud whisper, though a smidge of voice broke out on the first syllable. She grimaced and bowed to the black rock as an apologetic gesture of sorts - only to notice the bright light on top of it. Xiaoli looked to her left. Xiaoli looked to her right. “Deeply sorry, Your Holiness…” she whispered under her breath before she slowly climbed on top of the platform, her dress making the affair rather clumsy-looking. In fact, as she got her left leg on top of the platform, there was a heart-wrenching rip. Xiaoli’s eyes became crystalline saucers with a singular black speck in the centre as she slowly inclined her head forwards to survey the damages. The tear was quite significant, reaching from her left foot all the way up to her knee. “Noooooo…” she pouted. “That was my favorite!” She let out a somber huff as she rolled onto the platform and sat up. She took a minute to examine her dress again. “Great, and of course I left my needle and thread on Jiangzhou - great job, o wise advisor, not planning for clothes maintenance!” she grumbled angrily to herself. “I suppose I could just--...” She shook her head. “No, no, I need my power to build our house. Everything must be saved.” She took a deep breath; then, she took another one. “Hermes, where are you?!” she boomed in frustration. A flicker in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned to face the blinking, alluring orb floating an arm’s length away. “How did I not…” she mumbled, rising to her feet. The light twinkled warmly and Xiaoli could not help but find it just a little… Entrancing. Guided by curiosity, her arm slowly reached out and dipped a sandy hand into the warm light. Her vision blurred in the ensuing flash; then, the flash disappeared. [hr] The chaos that followed shook the river-girl to the core. Never since her creation had so much information been blasted at her, striking at her senses like waves against a small rock. She had no bones, but she felt their groans, her simulated muscles’ cries. After what felt both like an eternity and an instant, Xiaoli finally managed to collect her distressed mind adequately enough to produce a pulse of power from her soul. The bright wave washed outwards from her spirit and body, taking with it the numbing nebula of noise and visions. Xiaoli’s feet finally felt solid ground and she collapsed to the ground, landing on her right hip and balancing her torso with her arms. She let out some distressed pants and looked around. The scenery had morphed from a clearing in a mushroom forest to the deep corner of an elm forest, it would seem, its wildlife oddly familiar, yet frighteningly dissimilar. Xiaoli took a deep breath and got to her feet. “Alright, so His Holiness K’nell has set up a gateway of sorts to-...” Her eyes widened. No, this was no place on Galbar… Yet it was. She looked around with quick movements. There, in the distance, she heard the familiar trickle of a small beck. She rushed over and put her hand into the water. Her hypothesis was confirmed - this water was not from Fengshui Fuyou. It was very real, yet it was evidently fabricated. It flowed through her fingers like a liquid mist, being incredibly close to reality, yet such a colossal step away from it. Xiaoli rose back up. Hermes had to be in here. She would definitely have poked that funny orb, that curious little-... Xiaoli felt her heart bump against her chest and she could not help but smile. That curious little angel. A scent tickled her nostrils. It was not Hermes’, no. It smelled similar to those funny, brown clumps of fur that snorted around in the mud in the Nanhe jungle. Boars, she believed they were called. She followed the smell until she came upon a pinkish humanoid with cloven feet, three fingers and a very frightened face centered around a porcine snout. Xiaoli quickly adjusted her messy bangs and put on her best smile. “Hello there, mister! You wouldn’t happen to have seen a very colourful young lady pass by recently?” The piggut let out a horrible, rotten smelling, belch followed by a curdled squeal. The small beastie dropped a half eaten rabbit to the forest floor and took off in a surprisingly nimble sprint, arms flailing. Xiaoli retched at the stink and felt the pastries from before very nearly come back out, but she persevered. Her keeling forward had, however, directed her eyes to a strange pattern in the leaves at her feet - a puddle of a gross, yet oddly familiar goo. Reluctantly, Xiaoli knelt down and, facing away from the act, stuck her finger into the ooze with a whimpering “ew…” A sensation pulsed through her on contact. In an instant, her nose caught wind of Hermes’ scent, somewhere in the direction that the boar man had headed. She discreetly wiped her finger with her sleeve, let out a sigh, and set off along the trail. [hr] “Where are you from?” Renevin suddenly asked, breaking the silence as the group made their way through the woods. D’Bran looked as if he was suddenly relieved. “I’ve never met someone so -- colorful,” D’Bran added. Hermes, who had been wearing the same color as the leaves in her hair and eyes turned her head to the soldiers, “Oh, Tendlepog.” “Tendlepog,” Hondros mouthed in confusion. Renevin’s brow slanted, “Befurian?” “Befurian?” Hermes echoed, ducking under a low branch. Renevin cocked his head to the side at that, before glancing at the others who shrugged. The group fell in silence once again, each one of them hopping over a small beck in turn. Renevin tucked his scabbard close to him as he squeezed by a few tightly packed trees, only looking behind him to get another look at Hermes, “The north? Charlin?” “Bit short for a Charlinite,” Hondros muttered, Renevin nodded in agreement. “I’m from Tendlepog,” Hermes blinked, “That’s all there is to it.” Renevin raised his brow, “I didn’t mean to offend.” The group spreaded out as the trees became less dense. Hermes shook her head, “No, I’m not offended. This is all just-- stressful. I don’t really feel myself right now.” “Robberies can do that to a person,” Renevin offered. Hermes shrugged, a hollow feeling was next to her heart, the sensation only growing with every beck they hopped. “You know what I do when I’m upset?” D’Bran piped up, causing Hermes to look up at the man. “What?” “I think about all the funny adventures I’ve been on, and then try to slowly make them more and more ridiculous in my head,” He put his hands in front of his face as if holding one, “I twist it here, add a little color there,” He started moving his hands as if moulding clay, “and then bam! A comedy to rival the theatre’s” He laughed to himself, as if a grant joke had been told. Hermes seemed to take the advice more to heart than the others. She stood up straight as she walked, her eyes glazing over as thoughts of Xiaoli popped in her head, along with dancing Shengshi’s and deep voiced Popplers. A tiny smirk appeared on her lips as she slowly twisted the images into crazier and crazier scenarios; Poppler was crowned king of the Cloudlings, only to declare Galbar in a serious state of emergency, needing endless festivals immediately. Kalmar had fallen in love with his own reflection, bringing it along with him to the dances. Suddenly Hondros held up a hand, knocking her from her reverie. In front of them stood a rooted hill, the dangling roots covering the maw of a hand dug cave. All around them the forest was quiet except for the patter of falling leaves. Tiny rasps sounded as the soldiers’ swords exited their scabbards, all save for D’Bran’s. D’Bran simply hefted a mighty spadone from his back, the long sword looking like more of a chisel with a point in his hands. Renevin slipped his shield onto his right arm, and Hondros slipped his to his left. The three looked expectantly at Hermes, who produced her mace and nodded. Hondros and Renevin disappeared into the rooted cave first, Hermes and D’Bran following just behind. Much to Hermes’ surprise, the cave was a lot bigger than she expected. Soil caked the walls and roots held the ceiling in place, but after the initial dip to get in, it was high enough for even D’Bran to stand upright. Hermes opened her mouth, “W-” “Shh,” Renevin quickly silenced her. Pointing a gloved finger forward, sword. Following his finger, Hermes could make out a mass of silently breathing figures in the deep of the cave, their pot bellies rising and falling, emitting a horrible rotting smell. All around them there were bones of different shapes and sizes, some even looked as if they belonged to unfortunate children. She scrunched her nose in disgust and looked expectantly at Renevin. The man gave her a look, as if cautioning her to silence. The group crouched slightly as they advanced, hoping not to wake the slumbering masses -- when all of a sudden a screaming piggut came running in, smears of rabbit gore on its face. The entire cave exploded into violent pig like screams. The small beasts swarmed the group, their evil eyes glittering like the jewels they were sleeping on. Jagged and crude weapons of pain held firm in their hands. Renevin swung his blade, the edge cutting a piggut down mid flight with a horrible rip. He pivoted, catching a chipped axe on his shield with a resounding bang. Pushing forward, he knocked a tightly packed group of pigguts over. Hondros slipped next to Renevin, his blade striking forward and skewing a babbling Piggut through the throat, turning it into a bloody gurgle. “Clear!” D’Bran roared, and the two other soldiers split apart methodically. With a mighty overhead swing, D’Bran brought his spadone down in violent arc. The blade cleaved through the skull of a piggut, splitting the beast in half with a explosion of gore. Following example, Hermes quickly did the same, through gritted teeth she swung, her mace caving in the head of a piggut with a wet crunch. The force vibrated up to her arms, and as she was winding her next swing, a massive piggut bowled forward, splitting the piggut swarm apart like waves. The warlord held a large hunk of metal pounded into a cruel cleaver. With a shaking roar, he charged Hermes. Hermes felt her sandals flutter and in an instant she had burst away from the warlord, falling backwards into a pile of dead pigguts. A hard thwack smacked the side of her head and her vision blurred. She jerked away, a knotted club just missing her face. Pain tinged her temple and she felt a trickle. Heart pounding with adrenaline, her vision quickly returned. She rolled to her feet, but the club holding pigguts who were before her quickly scattered as Renevin appeared. The edge of his shield cracked across the back of one of their necks, his sword swinging at another. Hermes felt a cloud of blood spray across her face as D’Bran’s spadone swung broad, ripping through two pigguts at once. Shaking her head and turning to a fast approach group of pigguts, she held her mace to bear, Hondros covering her flank; his blade dripped with scarlet. The group lunged. D’Bran pushed to the right of the cave, Renevin slamming into the horde with his shield beside him. Hondros covered their rear, his blade shooting like a piston from behind his shield over and over, collecting gurgled squeals with each wet stab. Hermes turned on her heel, the space between the group growing as she focused her mace on a small group. She heaved her shoulder, the mace slamming into a pigguts chest with a loud crack, sending the beastie flying through the cave. She slammed into another, the spikes of the mace ripping their chest open. She went to swing again, but then suddenly a warm sensation entered her left leg and then a shot of pain. The pigguts had surrounded her, cutting her off from the others. She spun, a small jagged knife sticking out of her calf. She brought her mace down on the perpetrator with a loud smack, but then she felt a cut across her back, a shiver growing in her chest as blood streamed out. She spun again, and again. Her eyes grew with worry as she became overwhelmed, her skin tingling as it paled. Renevin gave out a shout, but he was too far away, the mass of pigguts having moved between them She could see D’Brans sword trying to cut a path to her, but her heart was already in her ears. A club slammed into her knee, causing her to kneel in pain. She brought her mace up in time to deflect a rusty meat cleaver. Her sandals fluttered, but there wasn’t any room in the cave for flight. Her eyes grew with worry, the warlord towering behind the pigguts that surrounded her. There was a blood-curdling slice and the pigguts tripped forward, though something was missing - where their heads had been squirted sad fountains of nasty, red ichor. A glinting, flat and thin, straight blade balanced all those heads on its fuller before tilting upwards and allowing them to drop down onto the corpses of their owners. The blade pulled back towards the cave entrance, seemingly pulled by a tendril of water. Finally, it rested in the grip of a clear, transparent, liquid humanoid, and only then did the blade’s sand-like appearance become evident. Xiaoli was steaming, made more visible now from the lack of her sandy skin. “Keep your disgusting fingers off of my woman,” she seethed. Hermes quickly scrambled through the opening with a slight limp, lifting herself to her feet besides Xiaoli. The warlord broke through the now thinning group of pigguts, the tusked beast charging the avatar. Xiaoli let her eyes fall upon the bleeding Hermes for a minute, her face paling in shock. The river-girl’s eyes themselves began to boil and her hair spiked in every direction as she scowled at the stampeding warlord. With a furious scream, she sucked the blade of sand into her wrist, then blast it out through her opposite hand in the form of many, razor-sharp glass arrows. Renevin and the others could be seen, eyes wide as they dove to the ground, shields up. The crystalline arrows glittered for a fraction of a second, the barrage quickly turning into a explosion of gore. Blood misted and pigguts screamed horribly. Flesh tore from the group and holes peppered the body of the warlord, his frame only being held up by the continuous impact of the arrows. The arrows stopped, leaving nothing but a cave of mush, three wide eyed soldiers, and a shocked Hermes. Her gaze was struck in awe at Xiaoli, who immediately knelt down by Hermes and began to inspect the damages. “Hermes, my love, are you alright?!” she said through desperate whimpers. Had she had skin, her cheeks would be awash with tears. Her transparent hands fell on Hermes’ stab wound and she reached one hand to her dress and began to rip off thin and wide strips. She enclosed the stab wound with the knife still in it. Hermes left eye was closed, the blood from her forehead irritating it, but she managed to look at Xiaoli with a twinkle in her right, “I'll be okay, just-- I'm glad you're here.” Xiaoli sniffed and leaned in to give her a peck on her bloody cheek. “Yeah, I’m here. Now brace yourself. This will be painful.” She closed her free hand around the hilt of the knife, looking up at Hermes to acknowledge her readiness, though not really waiting long enough. “Oka-” Hermes’ voice turned into a squeal of pain. Xiaoli ripped the knife out swiftly and closed her free hand around the wound. Then she pulled out a strand of her hair and put it into her water hand. The strand snaked its way to the wound and dug itself into Hermes’ skin in a zig-zagging manner, slowly closing the wound. Finally, Xiaoli wrapped a wide strip of her silk dress tightly around Hermes’ leg. A metal boot landed next to the pair. “What in Harmony was that!?” D'Bran all but barked, Hondros and Renevin running up to capture their red faced friend. The angry man wiped flesh splatter from his forehead and flicked it on the ground, shards of sand sticking in one of his pauldrons. Xiaoli ignored him and placed two careful hands on Hermes’ head, patting her skull gently, yet firmly, to survey the damage. She simultaneously used her liquid hands to wash the blood away from Hermes’ face. “Hey! La-” Renevin shoved D'Bran back, Hondros now kneeling besides Xiaoli and Hermes, watching intently. Hermes gave him little mind, her eyes now both stuck on Xiaoli, happy if not tinged with pain and a mild concussion. Xiaoli wrapped a longer strip around Hermes’ head to cover up the headwound and finally gently bent her forward to tend to the back wound. This one appeared to be superficial, but was still a wound, so Xiaoli washed it and wrapped it in a silk bandage. The river-girl took a moment to survey Hermes’ one final time before placing her hands on her shoulders. “Hermes, I-...!” She took a deep breath. “You-! Why were you-?!” She straightened her mouth and looked down. “Okay, I want to start off by saying I am not-...” Hermes cocked her head, and slowly snaked her arms around Xiaoli, pulling her close into a hug. The slightly delirious Dreamer stayed like that, arms tightening. Hondros looked up at Renevin who shrugged, hands still holding a now curious D'Bran back. Xiaoli stopped her yappering and wrapped her arms around Hermes’ back. “I’m sorry… I just don’t want you to leave me - not like this. I don’t know what I-...” She squeezed tighter, her form soaking through her and Hermes’ clothes. Hermes didn't seem to mind as she kept Xiaoli as close as possible, “You're not going to lose me.” She all but whispered, the adrenaline leaving her body. Xiaoli rubbed her wet face against Hermes’, her cheeks a texture similar to the tongue of a little dog. “So,” Hondros suddenly spoke, his armor painted red, “What exactly -- or rather -- who exactly are you people and what was that?” “Uh,” Hermes trailed, slowly letting go of Xiaoli, “I'm from Tendlepog, remember?” “Yeah,” Hondros tucked his lower lip in and nodded, “Yeah except not only do I not know that place, you, or what your jewel was, but your nymph friend just wiped out a cavern of pigguts with as much as a thought.” “Nymph, you think?” D'Bran furrowed his brow. “Too pretty for an elemental,” Hondros called back, soliciting an evil glare from Hermes and a head shake from Renevin. Xiaoli slowly stopped cuddling Hermes. She rose to her feet and dusted off what remained of her dress. “Maybe,” Renevin walked over, kneeling to join the talking trio, “We find your gem,” he looked at Hermes, “Walk you out of the cave, and split ways.” D'Bran opened his mouth but then shut it, “curiosity tempts the voiceless I suppose.” “Wait, what gem?” Xiaoli asked, folding her arms over her bosom. “And also, I suppose you could call me a nymph, in some senses of the word - oh, pardon me a moment.” Xiaoli strolled over to a corner of the cave and stuck her hands in a bloody pile of sand. The water almost effortlessly pulled the grains over itself until she once again had her familiar exterior, albeit quite a bit redder and dirtier. She grimaced and let out a long groan. “Ugh, it’s like wearing dirt,” she grumbled as the soldiers looked on with bewilderment. “Hermes, can we find a beach or something on the way home, please? Even a saltwater beach will do at this point.” She licked her lips with her flower petal tongue and her face contorted. Finally, her eyes fell back on the soldiers. “Oh, pardon all that, please.” She bowed. “An honour to make your acquaintances. I am Xiaoli, first advisor to His Lordship Shengshi. Who do I have the pleasure of addressing, may I ask?” She smiled, revealing all her pebble teeth of various sizes and colours. Hondros tilted his head, eyes squinting, “We are of the Praxian Storm Guard,” He looked at Hermes, “Contracted to help recover a precious jewel from the pigguts.” D’Bran mounted the name ‘Shengshi’ at Renevin, who gave him a bewildered head shake. Hermes limped up to Xiaoli, “I found them, can you believe it?” There was a slight excitement in her voice, “Dreamers, hidden away.” “Dreamers?” Xiaoli voiced with a hint of skepticism as she eyes the soldiers up and down. “You must have us confused,” Hondros shook his head, “I’m Taranesian, he’s Garthillian,” he pointed to Renevin, “And that guy is-- Void be damned, where are you from again?” “Somewhere North,” D’Bran nodded, “But I grew up here, so.” “Two Garthillians and a Taranese,” Hondros counted, “Don’t get me wrong, I love a good dream now and again, but I wouldn’t define myself as a Dreamer.” Hermes face seemed to shadow at this. Xiaoli noticed Hermes’ face and frowned. “What is your species called, then? You look and act similar enough, so I reckon Taranesian and Garthillian are nationalities, though to my knowledge…” She interrupted herself and motioned for the soldiers to go ahead. “Human,” Renevin kicked aside one of the piggut corpses in search of something, “We are human.” “Human, Hinan, Smooth skin, dark eyes, small ear, round nose,” D’Bran listed what could have been slurs. Hondros sighed. “I just want to say,” The man began, “I’m sorry if any of us seem impolite, but we -- at least I-- am not fond of surprises. If you could tell us now if we are getting involved in something either illegal or way over our heads, I’d appreciate that.” Xiaoli shook her head. “Oh, that’s quite alright, sir. I’ve learned to be patient around mortals throughout my lifetime.” She winked playfully. “As for the risk your involvement poses, we have no requirements beyond recovering this… Gem, that you’ve mentioned. After that, you will likely never see us again - oh, and I mean that in its literal meaning - no murderous connotations and the likes…” She sighed. “Okay, what I’m trying to say is-...” She let out a ponderous hum. “You will be fine.” “Mortal?” Renevin seemed to have been caught by the word, looking up at Xiaoli. He pondered something and then walked over, studying the woman with slanted brows, “You know who we are?” Xiaoli frowned. “Alright, when I said I was patient, I did not mean that as an invitation to oogle, you know.” She pouted. Hermes who had been stuck in thought since the mention of humans suddenly looked up from her reverie, slightly moving between the two. “I’m sorry,” Renevin said, his eyes flickering away and he returned to kicking over the corpses, “I just don’t often encounter people calling other people ‘mortals’.” “He’s religious,” D’Bran rolled his eyes, “But don’t worry, I get it. Powerful wizard” He waved his hands, “Misewell be a higher being.” “Ah,” Hondros suddenly exclaimed, fingers sticky with gore as he held up Hermes’ pearl from a pile of scrap metals stole from local farms, “Is thi-” He gagged slightly as old bile fermented into the air, “This it?” “Yes!” Hermes went to run over but nearly tripped on her bad leg, opting to limp instead. “Don’t strain yourself, dear! Just because I stitched it does not mean it won’t be painful to fall.” Xiaoli then turned to Renevin. “I’m sorry to hear that - the sight of a god is truly magnificent to behold… And terrifying.” “So says the tales,” Renevin agreed as he watched with disgusted face as Hermes took the bile pearl from Hondros. Hermes excitedly held the crusty gem to her face and then frowned, “I don’t know how it works.” “Let me take a look,” Xiaoli said as she stepped over the stinking corpses. She reached out to take the pearl from Hermes; then, just as her fingers touched the orb, there was a blinding flash. [hr] The chaos was familiar - colours of every spectrum assaulting her eyes to the rhythm of a billion symphonies - only this time, she felt a constant sensation in her hand. This comfortable warmth brought her a sense of concentration that let her focus on stabilising the absurdity of her surroundings. Like before, she dove into her spirit and released a pulse that stilled the chaos. The light parted to reveal the familiar mushroom-ringed clearing. They stood upon the black platform, the orb Hermes and Xiaoli had been holding a mere minute ago nowhere to be found. Xiaoli blinked a few times and patted her face and torso with her free hand, just to see if everything was still in place. Hermes had her eyes shut hard, her face clearly portraying the pulsing pain of her concussion. She all but leaned against Xiaoli, “I don’t think I can bring you to the beach.” [i]”ZZT”[/i] A really angry Poppler zapped from the tree line and aggressively swirled around the pair, popping with concern and anger. It seemed to focus on Hermes for a while before gently poking her wounded areas with its fluffy body, the dress bandages collecting dew. Content with the rehydration, the cloudling landed on Xiaoli’s head, crackling with relief. “Oh, Poppler, I’m glad you’re alright, at least,” Xiaoli said with a weak giggle. “As for you, my little adventurer,” she squeezed Hermes and scooped her carefully into her arms with the disproportionate strength of a God. “You can take me some other time.” She gave her a playful wink and a grin. Hermes seemed too weak to protest, her eyes dazing in and out of consciousness. Eventually the woman shoved her face into Xiaoli and just simply stayed there. [hider=The Crossover Episode] Our trepid adventurer lovers (Really, Pioneers of love) had made their way to Tendlepog to make the love shack. Deciding the plains, while pretty, were too rowdy for their tastes and opted for a glade in the Limbo woods. At the glade, Xiaoli nerded over a brook and Hermes felt useless. This frustration was taken out on a tree. Then after that, Hermes felt useless again and Xiaoli reminded her that she was a mortal and not divine, like her, so fuck off (except she didn’t mean it like that). Hermes grumbled and left, off to find Poppler at Limbo. Limbo had other plans, and as Hermes approached she became curious about a glowing sensation atop the platform. Upon touching it she was transported to the dreamscape of Renevin and company. There her “anchor” in the form of a pearl exited her stomach and was stolen by a piggut. In confusion and desperate need of help, she enlisted passer by soldiers to aid her in reclaiming her pearl from a cave of pigguts; The soldiers were none other than Renevin, D’Bran and Hondros. By this time Xiaoli had grown curious to where she left, found limbo, found the glowy shit, and was also sent to the dreamscape. Being an Avatar, she had no issues with anchors or any other gateway bullshit, but was worried about Hermes. She found her bile. Back with Herms and the dudes, they found the cave of the pigguts, got into a deadly scrap and killed some fuckers. Hermes got injured, being unused to mortal kombat, but Xiaoli showed up just in time to save the day and freak everyone out. Confusion ensued between Xiaoli and the soldiers as they tried to grasp the situation, but before any real closure was made, they found the pearl, and upon touching it Xiaoli and Hermes were shot back to Galbar. On Galbar they sustained all the damages from the dreamscape. Poppler found them and was pissed, Xiaoli flexed on Hermes and picked her up. Let’s go home. Goodnight. [/hider] [hider=costs] No might spent. +3 prestige to Hermes, totaling 9 [/hider] [hider=Tunes] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPUzxMnmhkQ]Dancin’ in the ruins[/url] [/hider]