Mokley

Lantern

Don't sweat it! We're not going anywhere! :D

Wings Askew

Rahna turned back to Gaius, "Gaius, you think y--" Her question was interrupted by a loud crash noise and a flash of light... like a fire, accompanied with some human voices. 'East shall burn the darkness..?' The 'poem' ran through her head as she noticed the sounds were coming from the East. "Are you able to keep going Gaius? I think we should go see what's happening over there."

"It isn't a question of can, I must! Come, Rahna!" Gaius ordered, overtaken by a sense of duty. Was the flash caused by their allies? Just what the hell was going on over there? "There's no time to waste!"

The going was not easy; the curtainlike leaves, thick bramble, and alternately muddy and rocky ground did not make running an easily accomplishable thing. Meanwhile, shouting rang out among the rumble and slam of falling rocks. They passed by a recently moved boulder, its mud-wet end turned upside, laying among crushed saplings. At least the boulders had cleared a semi-traversable path.

Something small and bright red went stumbling past their feet, running in the opposite direction. It looked like a wide-capped mushroom with legs, wearing a loincloth and tribal paint. It scurried into the hollow of a dead log and hid there from the noise and violence of the clearing.

From over Rahna's shoulder, a furry creature leaned forward and sniffed at the air. Its ethereal form was finishing its final shape, ears flicking and tail swishing. Familiar herbs grew on the creature's back, and its eyes seemed to notice things where there was nothing to be seen.

"Now!" Blank shouted aimlessly, and not a second later a furry white shape launched itself out of a patch of brush, landing on the back of one of the birds and sinking it's teeth into the joint where the wing merged with its back. The Ice Wolf's magic lent it's bite the chill of winter, and the beast hung on with its jaw, refusing to let go. Meanwhile, Blank was moving in for his own attack, depending on the bite to cripple the wing and keep the beast grounded so he could finish it off.

The monster's hollow eyes tracked Blank, completely unaware of the wolf's presence until it was too late.

Fangy jaws clamped down on the beast's wing; immediately, the bone and feathers crackled and smoked with an icy chill. With a crack and a shatter, part of the frozen wing fell in broken splinters from the ice-wolf's grip.

The beast did not feel pain. Just as Blank rushed in with his own attack, the monster spun like a whirlwind; its sharp bony claws caught the ice-wolf in the muzzle, dragged long deep gashes into the newly born flesh. Its back was now to Blank, and its fate was sealed.

With one crack of the blade into the monster's spine, the bones lost their will to animate. Its head rolled and dropped to the ground; its remaining wing dissolved into feathers; its body collapsed into a heap of splintered and mismatched bones. Spotted feathers lifted on the breeze and rolled away along the ground.

At the center of the bones, something shimmered. It was a silvery key, as big as Blank's palm, in the style of the locks in the old ruins on the island.

With a swift motion a smallish stone left Sera's hand and with this initial inertia already moving the stone forward, Tomo only had to whck it hard enough to pepper the creature with incoming stony ammo. "Take that! And that! And this!"

Blin thrust the broken ended staff up into the membrane and attempted to rip skin asunder. If he could, he would make sure it couldn't fly away. He just hoped Blank could provide backup if and when it turned on him.

Nikki dashed towards a likely-looking trunk, jamming her folded glider in the ground and using it to vault upwards so she could grab one of the lower branches. Once off the ground it was a trivial matter to climb higher, and then all she had to do was quietly venture out along one that hung above the bird Blank wasn’t fighting. The feathered lizard on her shoulder dropped first, going for the beast’s eyes, and the young lady followed, aiming to tackle the thing and drag it to the ground.

smack smack smack crack clatter smack

The monster flinched every time one of Sera's pebbles bounced on its bony head. It raised itself up tall and raised its wings, but just as it was about to raise a boulder, another cascade of pebbles sent it staggering backward. It chimed and clattered, annoyed and growing impatient -- and so completely distracted that it didn't notice Blin running at it from behind with a broken staff.

A boulder was just beginning to shudder when Blin's staff struck through the monster's wing in a shatter of bones and feathers. The monster retaliated by spinning around toward Blin; its good wing caught his neck and flung him forcefully to the ground with a flurry of small cuts left along the side of his throat. It raised its sharp foot to stamp down upon him -- but the monster was suddenly crushed under Nikki's velocity.

Nikki's knee cracked something in the monster's chest just as it slammed into the ground beneath her -- she had hit something vital, an instant death for her opponent. The monster collapsed into an inanimate shape made of mismatched bones and piles of flurrying feathers, and the smooth bony skull lying ominously among the scattered bones.

Among the bones, at the center of what had once been the monster, a sword shimmered in the dappled sunlight.

"Woohoo! Weehee! Yee-haa!" a small squeal of delight rose up out of the bag on the ground. A little mushroom man crawled out of the bag on the ground where he had been hiding, and he raised his little fists in victory. "Death to the chimes! We did it! Wahoo!"

Wings Askew

This is next on my posting radar! Last call!

Who's lurking who plans to post? :D

Unquiet

"Uhhh... Hello bigger than life firey bear of doom. You, uhh, interrupted my conversation. I mean, not that I think you care about that or anything. You, uhhh, you're just so... fearsome! I mean you just scared him off."

The beast's bright tail flicked impatiently, drawing a streak of yellow light in its wake. Its shining eyes stared down at Rain -- through her -- with a sort of intelligent purpose that should have been impossible for beast or human.

But this was neither.

It leaped to the ground beside her, silent as death; and when it raised its head it was as tall as Rain herself. Those bright eyes examined her, and silently it paced around her -- but there was no indication that it thought of her as prey. No, Rain was not in danger of anything but this god's judging stare.

Finally, it sat down on its haunches in front of her and yawned widely, showing its long teeth and pink tongue. It closed its mouth and stared at her with bored sarcasm. She would do, but it was far from thrilled. A powerful thought entered her head -- not a voice, but a sudden hot knowledge, like something roiling at the heart of a volcano: its name was Ngubrath. It would be pleased if she said its name aloud.

Rigby's voice echoed across the chasm: "Whoooaaaa wooooo!"

A great flap of brown wings emerged out of the forest, and an enormous, three-eyed owl landed softly at the edge of the chasm, clutching Rigby in the long claws of one foot. Rigby was laughing.

"Hey, mechanic-chick! Ya like my new friend? WAH!" He suddenly tumbled onto the ground, tossed like trash by the owl-god.

The owl ruffled, all three of its eyes glancing enviously between the fiery bear-panther and Rain. Compared to Rigby, Rain was a most desirable catch. The owl spread its majestic wings, a threat of a fight.

Ngubrath's attitude toward Rain changed immediately. It grinned with a fangy challenge, and it sidled close to Rain, claiming her and defending her against this new contender.

The owl stared deep into Rain from across the chasm -- and a new thought battled in her mind. This one was cool and quiet, like the hush of a breeze at night: its name was Th'ctu, and she would do best to speak it.

Ngubrath and Th'ctu stared each other down, a standoff to see which of them Rain would choose -- and if she chose instead to run, they would take more violent measures to decide which of them deserved her.

^{art by Jacob Atienza}

Her fingers skillfully shaped the living stone into a familiar shape, one she had used countless times and could recreate from memory. Already, a simple statue of a dog was taking shape under her careful guidance.

“I don’t understand...what’s happening? Are...those things. The ones behind the wall. They’re really gods?” A thoughtful pause followed. “How do we fix it? You can fix it, right?”

The singer smiled down at the girl, exhausted and in pain. She spoke in the same fleeting language, the one only Amune would understand. "They are gods, yes. They are the gods that created this world, and the gods that wish to destroy it."

She took Amune's hand between her own thin, cool palms. She seemed as fragile as porcelain. The holes in her arms where the tubes had been were healing before the child's eyes.

"A long time ago, we locked them away from people so their wars couldn't harm us. But the wall has crumbled, and they are returning." Her eyes shone with tears. "I only kept the wall strong, I didn't build it. I don't know how. But we will find a new way to live, won't we? Not in fear." But she was afraid, and she despaired despite her words. The gods had returned, and their wills and their wars would tear the world apart.

She looked across to Grace, and her eyes watched with uncertain fascination as a sculpture took shape out of the rock that had been so strangely removed from the wall of the cavern. She spoke to Grace, but all Grace would hear was a string of flowery syllables that meant nothing. Amune, however, would hear her meaning: "What will you do with it?"

Grace, meanwhile, would feel a familiar power in the rock that she sculpted -- only far more powerful than she had ever known. It was as if the core of the magic she used to create her golems was distant, just out of reach, and watching her closely. She would know, instinctively, that if she welcomed that power closer she might work spells and golems more powerful than she had ever dreamed.

As Grace worked, the entirety of the cave began to feel charged with energy -- as if the walls themselves were watching and judging the trio that took shelter there.

The singer looked up, and around at the cavern, searching but not finding the source of the uncomfortable feeling. She turned her smile to Amune again. "My name is Nor. Please, Amune, let us look after each other."

"Yes. I'll do it. Just show me the way, and I'll do it." Her former exuberance was gone, replaced with muted despondence. Her ever-present grin was also gone, mouth now a hard line.

She would not enjoy this.

Lha-tak's expression never changed. Its eyes stared through her. Its intent was not malicious or evil -- it was logical, calculated survival. There was nothing of emotion or empathy in the god of natural disaster; everything was as it would be, destruction was as necessary as creation, death was as necessary as life. It assured Rose that she would understand, in time. It told her this without words.

She knew, then, that the one that threatened the survival of the god was hiding in a cave behind the Stone, beyond the well and the brush. She knew that the girl was being sheltered by another god -- a stupid god, a weak god, a god that would betray its own and hide underground from the results of its actions. She knew she had nothing to fear from this frightened god. Lha-tak assured her of this, and so it was true.

A roiling, rumbling power grew in Rose's chest and trembled in her stomach. An electric tension raised the hairs on her skin. She felt a kinship with the wind, the clouds, the rain, the thunder. At her fingertips were the hurricanes, the tornadoes, the hail and lightning storms.

She was free to do with this power as she wished -- as long as her task was done.

Mirror, Fox, Key

The crossbow lowered at the sight of long hair and feminine features.

The portal above shimmered and dissipated into gray sky.

The ashes of the demons swirled above the heads of Ronken and Meryn, and the smoky air began to clear of all but the stench of burning oil and flesh.

The crossbow raised once again.

"That's a nasty bite," the fairy said, flitting over Ronken's ankle. "It's probably poisoned. You're probably going to die now. Don't worry, death isn't so bad, it --" The fairy suddenly dropped like a stone into Ronken's lap, one wing torn to shreds. A crossbow bolt had whizzed past, and plunked into the roof beside Meryn's hand.

The barrier was gone; there was nothing between them and the hooded figure that notched another bolt.

Outside the city, the beam of light disintegrated, and the portal was completely gone. The bombs had stopped erupting; the guns had stopped shooting. Somewhere in the distance, a woman sobbed. Fire crackled in the window of the next building over. The demons on the clock tower were gone, and so was the girl.

The bell that hung from Meryn's neck grew warmer, and it shimmered with a gentle glow. Meryn would feel a distinct pressure in her skull, like a foreign thought trying to force its way in. North, it said. There was a desperation behind the thought -- an abstract knowledge that the world, teetering on a precipice, could collapse at any moment.

The crumpled and soggy letter still lay unopened between them.

---

"Hey what?" The kid sloshed back, his head craned to see where Emma had gone. "No -- hey what's wrong with you, not that way!" He grit his teeth and chased her down. "You're gonna get caught by the Cabal!"

He skidded to a stop just as a statue appeared out of the gloom ahead: a man standing on a short pedestal, with a staff in one hand and a book in the other. Atop his head was a sculpted stone crow, its wings splayed and contorted into a strange headdress. The man's eyes had been painted white.

The boy refused to pass that statue -- as if the darkness beyond it were a certain death. "Come back!" he hissed, frightened of being heard.

The compass lit the way forward.

Should she continue to venture into the dark past the statue, the slick slush under Emma's feet would turn to a carpet of thick grass.

The slimy stone walls slowly gave way to strings and coils of roots, and then leaves appeared as Emma walked. Soon, she was moving through a green growing corridor, filled with rich leafy vines, strange white blooms, and dangling violet flowers that clung to the ceiling. All of it had been growing in complete darkness.

A light flickered ahead: a small room at the end of the corridor and a clearing in the forested sewer. A wide oil lamp sat on a bed of stones at the center, burning brightly. A crucible was set in a metal frame above the flame; a purplish liquid bubbled inside that filled the leafy room with a scent like oranges and honey.

The next barren hallway stretched away to the right. At the end of it shone a glimmer of sunlight.

No one was around.

Mirror, Fox, Key

@NorthernGR I could've sworn I'd answered this. How is this not answered? Oops. I must've read it while at work and couldn't answer.

*cough*

Anyway. No, there are no signs of infection right now. There might not be, for awhile. It's not definite that he's infected at all. Don't you just love the uncertainty? :D

Wings Askew

@Acromantula Hi! Welcome back! :D

I'm not sure what you mean? At this point it's been a couple rounds since Lee's last appearance, so it might be beneficial to set down what she's been doing -- I can work with you directly on that, or edit you into the latest mod post.

The most basic info I'd need is whether Lee would be going off on her own or with Gaius, or if she'll try to meet up with the others. :)

Moonfiend

It's infodump time! :D

Let me know if anything doesn't make sense. >>

Those of you who have characters familiar with sigils and runes (Vincent and Moth, mainly) will automatically know the absorption rune the Queen is talking about. It's the same rune the Grit boy used to absorb a soulstone into himself to get more powerful.

It is also the same rune that one could, theoretically, draw on oneself in order to absorb a soulstone, and thus gain strange and awesome powers.

Moonfiend

She was admiring the intricate design on the shield (a maze-like design etched into the front, spiraling outwards into a design that looked similar to a stylized set of bull's horns), when the lights suddenly went out. She looked up indignantly, and got out "Hey, who turned-" before catching sight of something that made her heart stop.

Dozens of eyes, belonging to almost that number of Grit. All looking directly at her.

A chorus of fury snarled in Maria's general direction.

Capture the live ones. Bring them to have their souls extracted. None were supposed to have escaped, this was a travesty that must be corrected.

Such was the motivation behind the fangs and claws and muzzles and hot foaming breath. More or less. Some were just hungry.

Scales and fur and a stench like rotted fish and cinnamon squeezed through the doorway, and a cascade of sharpness and death surged down upon Maria -- but they did not touch her.

The Grit flowed angry around Maria like chaotic water over a stone, and herself unhurt and unmoved -- she and the shield she was holding, and the bull-horn sigil that slightly glimmered under her touch.

"Milady!" the enchanted robot called over the pew pew pew of his flashing laser gun. "Give me your trust, I'm coming for you."

The robot broke through the throng of Grit, and in one swoop he scooped up Maria and her new shield into one mechanical arm. Together they shoved through the chaos, blazing a trail through fur and feathers and enraged screeches. The robot broke a line on the teleportation sigil, and just as the portal was closing leaped through.

“Your Majesty.” Berry stepped forward, holding her chin up high and hands held neatly by her hips. “I do apologise for how rude this may sound but I must ask; Do you have any idea what is happening?”

"So, how are we going to deal with this problem?" Vincent immediately asked with a serious tone. "Hiding clearly isn't going to work. The effort put into the Wall was clearly wasted since the Grit cleared it so easily and are already working on getting the grounded Grit inside. From what I've seen our current pool of weapons to fight back are very much lacking." He then pointed towards the ceiling. "And what in the Hell is going on with the sky out there?"

The mile-high cave was obscenely beautiful, once Moth actually took notice of it, and the combat boots were damn comfortable. His stomach vibrated angrily. If the Queen was granting requests, Moth planned on first asking for lunch.

The Queen looked from one face to another, her hands clasped tightly, her expression strained in fear of the answers to their questions. She gave Berry a smile that was both encouraging and grateful for her kindness, her eyes glimmered with humor to see that Moth had a more human concern, and she straightened properly to tackle the barrage of questions and criticism that dropped in Vincent's intelligent voice.

Before she could answer, a metallic clatter announced the arrival of the sharpshooter robot, who had leaped with Maria through the open portal only a millisecond before it snapped shut behind him. He knelt and carefully put Maria to her feet while the Queen rushed to take Maria's hands in hers.

"I'm glad to see you've made it safe. Thank you, Roy." She looked up to the robot, which stood and made a motion as if to tip an invisible hat.

The Queen scanned them all once more, and she bit her lip. "I was under the impression there were more of you." She glanced hopefully to the teleportation sigil -- but she had a sinking feeling that the Grit had been more successful in their pursuits than she had been.

She looked between Berry and Vincent, and she took a breath. "I will try to answer all your questions to the best of my ability. I hope I won't bore you, but I'd like to be fully honest with you all -- since we may be all that is left.

"Since the Grit first appeared during my father's reign, there have been . . . scientific endeavors . . . committed to understanding them." She winced a little -- it was a description much too kind for those amoral experiments. "About a year ago, one such experiment failed. If you will remember the sudden deadly explosion at the plastics manufacturing plant in winter -- that story was a coverup. Our research had been stolen and teleported out of the city. The Grit got ahold of it. Shortly after, rumors began to spread that the Grit had learned to fly. They've learned so much more than that, I fear."

The Queen stood rigid, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She looked from one to the next of the survivors, summoning all her courage to continue.

"I don't quite know what has happened to the sky; I'm told that it only appears split to us, here within the walls, and nothing is wrong outside the city. I am not personally familiar with the research that was stolen, but it must have to do with it. But the sigil of protection that has kept us safe -- the shape taken by our roads, powered by all of us who live here -- ceased to function the moment the lightning struck the Spire. The Spire itself is the center of the protection sigil and the source of its power. This,"[/b] she spread her arms to indicate the entirety of the glimmering cavern, "is the power that had been keeping us safe. And now . . . I believe it is also the power that is to blame for the statues that now stand as gravestones throughout the city."

Her eyes flashed determined, and she raised her head higher, though her voice was still meek. "But all is not lost. The stone people can be returned to their former selves. We only need to draw a rune on the statues and place a soul stone on the rune, and the person will breathe again. It is a simple rune, I will teach it to you, if you don't know it.

"But the bigger problem is the electricity hovering over the tip of the Spire that continues to nullify the city's protection. I believe it is being controlled and powered by something outside the city, near the mine. Something flashed there just before this happened. The enchanted robots and their databases agree that in order to restore the city, a company should be deployed to the mine -- to find and destroy whatever is holding the city hostage."

She looked to Vincent, at once apologetic and willing him to understand. He was the frank and hostile voice of the group. "The Grit can be defeated, as long as they have not absorbed soulstones. Their only advantage is that they can use a sigil to resurrect their fellow Grit after death. We need only ensure that their resurrection sigils are destroyed, then proceed to destroy the Grit themselves."

The Queen released a slow breath, and she paused to allow all of this information to sink in. The people could be resurrected, the city could be restored -- if only.

"My only soldiers now are robots, which are incapable of activating sigils and runes on their own. They cannot revive the cityfolk. I have sent a squad to the mine, but I have not heard back yet whether they will be able to complete their mission. I suspect they will not be able to, for the same reason. I know it is a lot to ask . . ."

Her voice faded, and she looked each of them in the eye -- hopeful, desperate, yet somehow confident that they could and would succeed.

Moonfiend

@Tojin Oh dear, hope things get much better for you both soon!

In the meantime, I can totally deus-ex-machina you out of there and over to where everyone else is, unless you think Maria would for any reason not make it to the portal and go her separate way. :)