Into the depths? [@Click This][@Crimson Paladin] [hr] “What a dumb question! What don’t I know, is a more accurate one!” She laughed, taking a light, jovial and slightly thoughtful tone. “Its quite more than you’d think! Its rather infuriating, really. All those missing pieces of information...but such is why I always...experiment.” A slightly darker tone as she gave a decidedly non-answer to the question. A non-answer to them, at least, for it had told the truth as far as it knew how. “As for the Bastelian...she’s not here. Not any more.” A chuckle. “I admire her curiosity. Fitting, for a cat, but lets just say I’ve decided to play with her a bit. Don’t worry too much. She’s doing fine...for now. Maybe she’ll be able to shed some light on things.” She rather jerkily turned to Novak, as if her limbs were more snapping into some place rather than moving. “I showed you nothing. Merely shared a bit of my insight.” They replied to Novak. “And one of the few things I don’t know. [i]who[/i] stole it? Who can escape the gaze of a god in their own domain? Certainly not you, I knew exactly what you were doing.” Lazhira frowned, rather defensively rubbing the tattoo on her arm. “But...as for what it is? A key. A seal. A Memory. All three, and yet nothing of the three. The why? Who knows! Greed. Thrill. Maybe they knew doing it would annoy me! Regardless, its important and I must get it back.” She waved a hand, sighing in mild annoyance. “Done with the questions? Good, I’ve gotten bored of answering. Now if you fools will hand over that one I’ll kindly let you go.” “E-eh! I didn’t steal anything though!” “Maybe not, maybe not...but once we find it, you’d do it again. I know. I know exactly [i]what[/i] you’d do even if you don’t.” Lazhira’s expression turned to worry, holding her hands together in front of her chest. [hr] Nobbu and the Fox [@VitaVitaAR][@PKMNB0Y] “You are not wrong, but logic is...difficult to apply to Gods, is it not?” Enli replied with small frown. “Its difficult to say if it is mere metaphor, or he does have some way to simply do as it says here.” He held a hand to his chin in thought. “As well...aside from the forest having gotten more difficult as of late? Focusing on merely surviving is what most of our time goes too.” He sighed, shaking his head. “The only one interested in even attempting the things you mention is Lazhira. Unfortunately...she’s not really...teacher material. She has curiosity but she’s a bit too...well, lets just say her idea of learning is to see if she can rather than if she should.” He gave a thoughtful look to Misaki. “I don’t mean to be rude or pry or ask too terribly much - but you seem quite knowledgeable. I can’t offer much but my own gratitude, but if you want to start teaching it might be best to do it yourself.” [hr] The Roma Mob [@ERode][@Pyromania99] [hr] “Rapier, eh.” The elf would walk over to where one was on display, grabbing it and bringing it over for Isidore to inspect. “You guys planning on visiting the old demon ruins further down or something with all this weaponry?” She questioned as she’d count out the rest of the money. “And...body enhancing magic? You could probably ask Miss Rullphana over at the Tower. She could...probably teach you the basics as long as she gets something out of it.” She would hand him the money and frown slightly. “Not sure what you mean, human, but if you want something more dwarvish or human, there’s a handful of dwarvish gathering houses. My dad visits one regularly, uh...I think its...somewhere near the lake...” She frowned, holding a hand to her forehead. “Nnhn, no sorry, can’t remember. I think the name of it was ‘Rusty Ale Lake’. I don’t get dwarven names. What is even ‘Rusty Ale’.” [hider=Goddess Note] Item received: 8 silver coins, 5 copper. Rubell Rapier: An exquisitely thin blade, forged of Rubell Ore. Despite this, the blade is sturdy and can leverage a surprising amount of force at the point. [/hider] “I heard dwarves prefer meats and bread.” Leuca nodded. “Uhm...are we going there, next, Isidore?” She seemed a little hesitant, no doubt the fact that they had obviously attacked them on the mountain was probably still making her nervous. “O-okay then.” Leuca nodded. “Right. It should be fine...” The elf watching the counter watched the pair leave with the same disinterest she had shown them through the entire encounter. The hammering from the forge just beyond slowed down as a rather short and stocky elf would walk out, a hammer over his shoulder. “Huh? Was that a human? And a Sirithen?” “Yeah, they were.” The other elf would rub his short beard, thinking for a few seconds as he caught a glimpse of the travelers as they left from a nearby window. “Hmm...why don’t you go see if Rullphana needs anything. I can handle the forge.” “Ha? Giving me the evening off?” She questioned, though quickly hopped over the counter and bolted out the door. “No take backs old man!~” Isidore and Leuca wouldn’t encounter much trouble on their way to the supposed ‘Rusty Ale Lake’, aside from a fairly many obviously hostile glances the two were getting from a number of them. Most though, at least didn’t try anything and it was easy enough after some talking or convincing to find themselves at their destination. A lake stretched out, a massive underground hollow. In the distance one could see a myriad of waterfalls pouring from holes in the ceiling above from some unknown water source. The cavern itself was illuminated as much the rest of Gloomhollow was. Twisting mushrooms and other plants growing in dim lighting, bioluminescence serving as the areas only natural source of lighting. Seems they were in an area of the city dedicated to a more seedy sort of company. Walking into the establishment gave a strong smell of alcohol, along with some lively voices from the inside that were quickly revealed to be what were obviously dwarfs, shorter humanoids no taller than five feet, most were stocky and well built and wearing a mix of casual and working clothing. A few shadow elf patrons were mixed in. Seemed like there was a crowd of people near the back around a rather large table cheering and hollering about something, but it was difficult to see what exactly was going on. [hr] Augusta looked at Rullphana with a slightly questioning look in her eye. A court mage, was she? Well, her magical power statistic is likely very high then. And she wanted to know more about Octavia. It was a topic they were both interested in at least, demons. She definitely wanted to know more about them. Augusta bent down to scratch Octavia behind the ears. "My, Octavia dear. You look like you're quite popular right now." The woman said, looking up to Rullphana now. "Now, I don't mind bragging about my precious pup to friends of mine." She emphasized by scratching behind both of the hounds ears. "Isn't it fun to brag about things you love to your friends?" She asked the court mage, wondering if the mage felt the same. “Eh? Really…?” Rullphana gave her a bemused smile. “Well, I suppose I could understand that coming from a Sirithen...though if you were my apprentice I’d have beaten such an attitude out of you.” She chuckled. “Being proud of oneself and accomplishments are fine, but needless bragging...well, if you have time to do that you have time to be doing something productive.” Octavia leaned her head into Augusta’s headpatting, yipping happily. “Regardless, Octavia was it...hm, you’re quite the interesting specimen indeed. Don’t suppose you’ll let me run a few tests? Completely harmless, I assure you.” "Hmmm. Truthfully, we don't know how much we trust you. You say harmless, but how can we be sure?" Augusta said, scratching Octavia behind the ears more. "Between you and me, I've long dealt in the cutthroat world of politics. Lying is part and parcel of any world, you understand." While it was true that it was hard to trust someone they didn't know, especially this highly suspicious woman. "What tests do you have in mind? I won't mind if Octavia agrees to them." “Nothing dangerous. Just a little checkup is all. I would like to know what type of demon she is and what sort of abilities she has, that’s it.” She replied with a smile. “See? Harmless.” "Hmm." Augusta pondered for a small bit before looking down at her pup. "Well, what do you think Octavia? Do you think she's trustworthy?" She asked as she stopped her scratching. Octavia was a smart demon dog. Augusta knew that she was quite intelligent despite her apparent age. Octavia tilted her head, scratching one of her ears with a back leg before barking...and shaking her head. “E-eh? Really?” The demon pup barked again. “E-eh! Come ooon! This is super important to my research!” "Hmm, my dear girl clearly said no though…" Augusta said, scratching the pup behind the ear again. "Octavia's a rather smart girl. Perhaps if she got something out of it, she'd be more inclined to help you." “And what exactly does she want?” Rullphana asked, pursing her lips with a frown. “I get that she’s intelligent to an extent, but to make desires and wants known is not quite how demons work unless they’re high class ones.” Octavia simply barked, laid down at Augusta’s feet, and looked at Rullphana with what seemed to be a mildly impish grin. “I think she just wants to make a fool out of me.” "She has a rather mischievous personality at times." Augusta smiled a small bit. "So that is a possibility." She gave Octavia a nice head pat. "Good girl." After that, she stood tall and gave Rullphana a fairly diplomatic smile. "Now, I might be able to help convince her to allow you to do the check up. It depends on how willing you are to work with us." Like the politician she was, she was ready to negotiate. In her grasp, something Rullphana wanted. And Rullphana had many things Augusta wanted to know. “Ah. I see how this is going to go...” The Shadow Elf’s mouth curled into a small frown. “Well alright...state your terms then, Sirithen. I’m a busy woman, but I’ll see what I can do.” "Now, now. A deal is beneficial for both sides." Augusta smiled that diplomatic smile still. "First of all, remember how I mentioned friends like to brag to each other about things? I was thinking the both of us could be good friends. I think we could get along quite well. What do you think of this first point." Obviously, she was suggesting they share plenty of information and be friendly with each other. Really, not bad for each other. “Well, certainly...I don’t mind being friends, Augusta.” She replied with a small frown. “And obviously, I don’t mind repaying those who help, but you’re asking for quite a lot. What exactly would you even want, hm?” "Information we both seem to have a mutual interest in." Augusta mentioned, her eyes shifted to Octavia for a short time. "Demons. As well as other things, I suppose." “Demons are fine,” She replied. “Its those ‘other things’ that concern me.” Augusta gave a smile. "Tidbits of information of course. Nothing to threaten any secrets your people hold. However, albeit not as an apprentice perhaps, I would love to have someone I can tell is powerful to teach me about magic. I can do a few things but nothing too amazing, I don't think." She summoned forth a healing fire to her finger for a few seconds and snuffed it out. “...curious. The fire had properties of both Heat, and Healing...hm. That’s a rather advanced sort of flame.” The Shadow elf replied with a thoughtful hum. She walked over to a table, where a number of books were scattered about. She would turn through a few pages. “So you wish for my knowledge about demons and magical secrets...and I get to study that pup of yours. That doesn’t seem like a very fair deal, now does it? The libraries I have access too likely hold some information. All it would require is a few nights of reading and cross referencing.” "What? Not curious how me and Octavia came to this little partnership?" Augusta asked Rullphana. "Demon knowledge for demon knowledge and you get to study Octavia without hurting her and teach me a small bit about magic. Of course, this also means that in the future if I learn more, as friends, I'd be more than willing to share it in the future." She paused for a moment, "Unless you had something else in mind." “I teach you both about magic, demons, and share with you my research in the future.” She wouldn’t bother turning back to Augusta, instead walking from the table with an old book in hand to a shelf with various plants, jars, and other similar things sitting upon it. “And I...get to study a single demon for a few hours at most, and potentially learn something from you about them in the future, as unlikely as it is. Surely, this particular demon is not one I’ve seen before, but a demon is a demon. Or have you forgotten our own origins, cousin? Where we lived among them in return for salvation against the unending abyss of the Moonless Era?” She would turn back to Augusta with a frown. “I suppose you’re banking on learning things in the future by yourself? Please, without my aid you’d not even know what it is you’d even be learning or looking at in the first place. So, friend...what can you actually offer me in terms of information for my own, at this very immediate juncture? Otherwise, this particular trade seems to lean heavily in your favor.” Augusta’s sight would inform her that she did desperately want to study Octavia - perhaps there was a little something else she needed to do just to sweeten the deal a little. Augusta put her hand to her chin as she thought. Obviously, she had another card up her sleeve but she seemed hesitant to play it. "I…" She stopped herself for a second and frowned slightly. "I have one thing you might also be interested in but I am hesitant to show it off. But, I planned on researching it as well. I wonder if I can truly trust you." “And I wonder if I can truly trust you, Augusta.” She replied with a small frown. “That road works both ways, you know. After all...a mysterious Sirithen? With a demon pet, no less? For all I know, you’re some demon simply wearing an elf as a skin, seeking something from me and desiring some deal with I.” The Shadow Elf exhaled. “Far stranger things have happened, and its not unheard of for some demons to crawl their way out of the ruins further down and seek something here.” She would smirk. “Luckily for you though, as far as I can tell, at least, “You aren’t a demon...but that just leaves more questions.” “Perhaps we can touch these questions later, for now though…” Augusta smiled. “Alright. I’m trusting you not to spread this information. Aside from my hound, my human companion and I possess a demon flower’s seed. The story has yet to be told nor deal agreed to so I’ll neglect to say more at this time.” She didn’t know what to expect. “Perhaps you would be interested in seeing that.” “A...seed?” Rullphana questioned aloud. “From a demon flower...” A thoughtful voice, glancing at Octavia. “Alright. You’ve piqued my curiosity. A look at this seed and the pup will suffice, and I’ll teach you some things. I do hope, this is the real deal however...I wouldn’t want anything...unfortunate to happen.” “I’m much too invested to lie about this, Madame Rullphana.” Augusta mentioned solemnly. “Knowing roughly the nature of demons, I’m much too afraid to let this seed let itself be planted or something happen to it otherwise. My human companion so happens to hold the treasure at the moment and I personally would like to stay here a few days or so, so I will bring it in the near future." “I see.” Rullphana replied with a nod. “I doubt you understand the nature of demons, else you wouldn’t have easily so bonded with one, let alone be treating it like a normal pup, but I digress.” She would close the book, turning to Augusta. “I wish to see the seed first to verify it. Once I have done so, then I will gladly teach you. I’ll let Vallanur know you are to be...a temporary apprentice and can come and go as you please then.” "That would be much appreciated." Augusta gave a small bow of her head. "Oh, and I would ask a favor. It's really for both of us, but I think it'd be easier for you to study Octavia and me convince her if she had some food when we go about it." This seemed like an earnest request at the least. “Food, hm...alright, then. I suppose I do have something laying around.” She smiled. “Very well then, if there’s nothing else?” "I believe not, Madame Rullphana, I take my leave." Augusta said, giving a curtsy and leaving. She had been rather successful today really. She wondering if there was more time before Sorcha would return. Perhaps… She'd find a tailor? Builder and a Traveler [@Guy0fV4lor][@PaulHaynek] [hr] “...huh.” Mie’s ear twitched in thought as she observed Donovan’s prayer. A mere eyebrow raise as he untied the ‘knot’ which had been afflicting the dwarf. The dwarf in question, merely glanced up at Donovan with a mild bit of irritation as she was accosted for another time that day, but it’d soon pass. An expression of surprise would soon replace it. Donovan could feel the ‘knot’ slowly untangle itself. It was slow at first, he was completely unpracticed in this, after all, but it seemed as though whatever power he was channeling was taking care of most of the work itself, seemingly guiding his own hands. Each pull on the ‘knot’ would slowly start unravelling it. To him it would feel to take quite a while, a few minutes at most as he prayed, until finally the knot would slip free, unravelling and straightening itself out as it should be, flowing and moving fluidly. “Eh...I dunno what you just did to me, human, but stones, I feel great.” The dwarf replied with a roll of her arm. The action however, would drain donovan of stamina, as his breathing would become more ragged, and his body seemed to become heavier. “Hahah, I feel about as good as the day I left the mountains! Before those giants took all my gear...ugh...” “Huh…’Suthainn’?” Mie mused quietly. “Is that a god of yours from wherever your from? You travelers sure are interesting, eh~” A playful inflection in her tone as she’d look over to the dwarf. “Well...I think you’ll be fine now. Still, if you don’t have a place to stay, feel free, but you’re gonna be working with the Oni.” Notably, some of the villagers had taken note of the prayer. Though most simply looked on with mild curiosity, someone who was obviously a hunter had quietly made an exit. [hider=Goddess Note] Ability Gained: Suthainn’s Appeal (lesser) Through some effort and discovery, you have discovered a key aspect of Suthainn’s domain - Time. Though it may possess other aspects, you have at least somewhat learned of and learned to use this. Offer a prayer to the God using words, stating your intent and channeling his might. The effect of this prayer can do many, albeit small things depending on what you ask of your patron - but remember to keep it within the realm of their influence lest you overstep your bounds, and be careful you do not ask for too much too quickly lest your miracle cost your life. Deepen your connection and you may be able to perform greater and greater miracles. [/hider]