[quote=@FunnyGuy] [Center][Img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/210628/cfce51fcf4c36cec3d7a6f249285fcd6.png[/Img] [Color=gold][b]Location:[/b][/color] Sealed Tower [Color=gold][b]Interaction:[/b][/color] [@Thinslayer] The Witch [/center] [hr] Lex's eyebrows rose with the first inhale of his cigarette as he watched the mysterious woman remove her hood. Her strands of hair caught his eyes. Silver and wispy… a great difference from gray and thinned. When her hands reached for her mask, he kept his eyes fixed on her. Enya stared too, remaining quiet to respect their conversation. It's not like she had anything to add. In fact, she desired to learn something from this interaction, from both the Witch and Lex. He exhaled out of the side of his mouth as the mask was removed, and beneath it, a face was revealed. [B]Her[/b] face. He blinked a few times, staring straight ahead while the woman took a seat beside him. His mind briefly flashed to the partially drawn sketch he worked on just before [I]this[/I]. What really did this world mean to him? What did this woman mean to him? He met her gaze and smiled back at the Witch. Her proposal seemed fair enough. [Color=violet]"I'll trade you the story, the plan, and my name for a cigarette."[/color] [Color=gold]"Deal. Nothing like a cigarette with company."[/color] He did wonder about the value of a single cigarette in this world. The woman knew what it was, sure, but maybe it wasn't a luxury here. [Color=gold]"Good company."[/color] He added, still smiling as he passed her a cigarette. He held up the lighter, prepared to charitably light her cigarette with it. [Color=coral][i]Ha! I picked the coolest reincarnation ever! He might fight for us for sure! I just have to make sure he remembers who he's made a pact with. ME! I mean the Witch is great, but she has to come second. It's just the way these things work.[/i][/color] [/quote] She leaned closer to him to receive his offer, and the tip of the cigarette lit up with a soft golden light. When she took her first drag, she nearly burst out laughing - only to break out coughing instead. [color=violet]"Wow. I haven't had one of these in [i]centuries[/i]. Hoo! I almost forgot how much it burns the first time. Ha ha!"[/color] She took another drag and closed her eyes to savor the taste of it. [i]And I don't even have to worry about the adverse health impact. So nice being immortal.[/i] She shot Lex a sidelong glance and a pleased smirk. [color=violet]"My name is Ru. Ru Bain. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lex."[/color] Ru took a moment to breathe in the aroma of her cigarette while she collected her thoughts. [color=violet]"As for the 'crisis,' I suppose the easiest way to explain it is to show you."[/color] She rose to her feet and led Lex and Enya out of the tomb. They emerged onto a walkway inside a [i]staggeringly[/i] vast tower. Doorways to tombs just like theirs stretched for almost a quarter mile in either direction and looped around the corners of the tower until they hit the entrance, a set of imposing double doors. Layers of these tombs and walkways stacked up as far as the eye could see into the earth and sky to form a hollow interior. The wide walkway they emerged on formed a "bridge" over this abyss of tombs. She escorted them to the middle of the walkway, where was found a magic circle in front of a central elevator. Goblins occasionally popped in and out of the magic circle carrying supplies. Ru withdrew a knife, cut her elbow, and dribbled blood on the edge of the circle. When the last drop struck the floor, they found themselves inside a smaller stone room. [color=violet]"This is my fortress in Nazir. Dreary, I know. We won't stay long."[/color] As a pragmatic installation, the fortress had little in the way of decoration. The scorch marks, broken arrowheads, and dried blood in the cobblestone walls told of a place suffering constant warfare. Ru glanced back and grimaced a wordless apology. When they found themselves at seemingly a dead end, she pressed in a stone, and part of the wall trundled aside to reveal a hidden passageway. Even before they saw the creature, they could feel their hairs standing up on end. Tightly chained up in a suspended steel cage, the shadowy visage of a creature resembling a man stared down at them, its murderous eyes glowing a faint crimson in the dim torchlight of the room. It made neither movement nor sound, and seemed for a moment like a just a creepy statue until its gaze shifted to someone else. [color=violet]"He was once a young swordsman named Hallim Chaom,"[/color] said Ru softly. And so began her tale: [hr] [@Scarifar] [color=f7976a]"Not too long now. With any luck, we'll find Cho and be out of here before you know it,"[/color] Afki said, and flashed a reassuring smile. "Okay. I'll do my best." Hallim released a hollow sigh and continued his dragging pace behind her, hunched over a little from nausea. A scratching sound behind them drew their attention. Budam drew his sword and turned to face it. If the torches around the hive weren't still burning, they couldn't have spotted the shadowy creature trailing them at a distance. It resembled a black six-legged tarantula, bigger than two human hands laid end to end, whose shadowy aura and crimson eyes marked it as something [i]other[/i]. Budam breathed a sigh of relief. "It's only a Voidspawn," he muttered, and promptly cut the thing in two. Its body dissolved to ashes and blew away. Hallim gulped hard and gathered his strength. "Do- do we normally- see them down here?" he gasped out. Budam gave a negative tilt of his head, and raised an eyebrow at Afki to request an explanation. Voidspawn, according to current wisdom, were believed to be "chaotic evil sprites," since they dematerialized like incarnated sprites and exhibited a similar kind of violent, reckless behavior only found in such hard-to-kill beings. Thus, it was thought that manablades and magical attacks, which could kill sprites, could dispatch them. Voidspawn typically attacked any surface-dwellers foolish enough to be caught out in the open, and would occasionally form packs to attack the roads. Whenever a nest was discovered, the Adventurer's Guild would post a quest to have it exterminated. A party of 8 novice adventurers was usually enough to handle the job. The creatures were almost never found this far underground, let alone in the West Pelinor Labyrinth.