Mokley

Echo

@Briza Dr Howell seems the type to keep to the shadows until he suddenly saves the day like a badass. :D

Echo

Woohoo! To be honest there's more exposition than I'd anticipated before we get to the mushi-mon battlepet goodness. Gotta ease those zombie characters into what's happening before dropping ghost-monsters on them I guess, haha.

Echo

@Briza@Tojin@TearfulResonant@Vesuvius00 Hey you guys how's it goin'? :)

Unquiet

After a few shoves, the lid gave in enough for him to peer outside, everything was in ruins. it seemed as if he was in the bottom of a enormous crater, lit by last remains of light as the day gave way to the moon, trees on the top of the crater, pillars, half broken statues and the remains of machines that have not worked for very long cast ominous shadows upon the field of rubble in the bottom.

The sinking sun cast red shadows on the twisted wreckage and mangled roots. Water trickled from a broken pipe and splashed into a pond far below. A breeze hushed through the leaves high above. Someone was singing.

Someone else called out from the rubble below.

"Who's there? You aren't one of those Gods are you? I don't want to go another round with the who's going to get my soul game."

Not far above Vin's empty coffin -- clinging to a broken catwalk -- stood a thin, pale girl in a dirty white dress. She had been staring down at Vin, watching as he emerged from his own grave, when the call from farther below drew her attention. She stopped singing, and she stared down at Rain and the half-repaired elevator. Her voice wasn't strong enough to call back.

Instead, she crouched on her perch, and she leaned as far toward Vin as possible, holding tightly to the railing. She was still more than ten feet above him.

"How do I get down?" she asked him, her voice quiet and frightened. She spoke in a thick, lilting dialect that suggested English wasn't her first language. "The gods will come back."

Down among the gears and broken pipes, the metal-man finished reattaching a part of the elevator cord and turned his soulless eyes toward the scene across the chasm, where the singing had just stopped. He crouched atop the elevator and tilted his head.

"That's Nor. The girl. The godkeeper. A snare like me, not a god but gods are afraid. Of her, not of me. I'm just Soul." He lifted his face to the sky, where the remains of Lha-tak's storms scudded calmly across the sky as dark dissipating clouds. "It's getting dark."

Moonfiend

He laid the spear on the sofa in front of the fireplace and whipped his pen out and started writing the sigils required to absorb a soul and improve the weapon. Upon completion of the sigils he prepared Randy's soul and put the entire thing into the spear.

He licked his lips and grinned excitedly. "Thank you for your sacrifice, Randy. How about we go hunting for Grit?"

"I'd rather not," said the spear.

The voice filled the room -- everywhere but nowhere -- and it sounded very much like Randy himself. The spear, counter to common assumption, did not glow, was not warm or cold to the touch, made no significant indication following the initial imbuement of Randy's soul that it was at all different from any other heirloom weapon. Vincent, however, would feel an unexplainable heaviness and a sense of great importance upon holding it.

"I expect you plan on swinging me about like a monkey with a stick, hoping to smack something. I expect you'll feel proud of yourself while I do all the work. I expect you'll get yourself into deep shit and assume I'll dig you out of it. On the contrary, your dad's not around and I have no more use for a paycheck or this job. I quit."

The spear gave no indication that he was in the least upset that he'd lost his body, or that his soul now resided in a piece of wood and metal, or that the city now depended on his cooperation. In fact, he felt much better to have finally given Vincent a piece of his mind.

Something moved in the bushes; Vincent might hear the scratch and slurp of something licking the blood off the outside wall. After a moment, a gigantic snake slid over the windowsill and into the library; it had the disarming and haunting face of a sheep and the black spines of a fish, and its long body was twice as round as Vincent's. It slithered slickly across the floor and ducked between the shelves at the far end of the library; it had not yet noticed Vincent, but was winding its way closer to the pool of blood at Vincent's feet.

---

“With that said I suppose the rest of us had better stick together. Don’t suppose anyone saw which way Vincent ran off to?” Berry was already fiddling with the map as she asked. “Goodness I do hope he’s okay…the other dot is getting very close to…him.” Berry’s voice dropped off into a petrified silence.

“Good heavens it’s right on top of him!”

Roy had been listening attentively, nodding every once in awhile, truly impressed at Berry's assessment of the situation. Find the intruder! Secure the mansion! Keep this area safe for rescuees! He was very much keen on following Berry's leadership, and was on his way to the door closest to the anomaly intruder when Berry exclaimed.

"I'll find him, Miss Berry!" he promised. "Don't you worry." He took a glance over her shoulder at her map, then dashed off across the shining ballroom floor and disappeared through the door through which Vincent had gone.

The door fell slowly shut behind him. The click of the lock echoed ominously.

Everything fell silent.

The statue of the servant on the stage lay pathetically on its side, still clutching the book that he had given his life for. The servant's soulstone was missing.

A flash of lights passed by the farthest window. According to Berry's map, a single grit glided past the mansion and continued on toward the Spire.

Berry could see everything on her map: Vincent's dot was accompanied by a second dot of the same color, which identified that he carried a soulstone with him -- or that someone else was with him. She saw a grit come in through the window and wind haphazardly through the library, getting closer to Vincent's dot, which appeared for the moment not to have noticed the intruder.

Meanwhile, Roy's dot sprinted up the stairs and made a beeline for the library -- but he stopped suddenly in the hallway and didn't move again.

Roy's dot appeared suspended in the upstairs corridor -- the robot was at this moment pinned to the ceiling, caught by one of Vincent's father's booby traps made to protect his secrets -- and the Grit was getting closer to Vincent.

Another Grit appeared on the map -- close to Berry herself -- as if it had just materialized out of nothing. The dot indicated this new threat was on the stage, behind the half-closed curtain. It didn't move.

Everything remained still and silent.

---

The portal closed behind Berry, and the Queen released a slow breath. Her fingers stiffly clasped the ruffles of her dress. She lowered her head, her shoulders slumped, and forbade herself from crying.

She knew what had caused all of this. She knew that most -- if not all -- of her people would never breathe again. She knew all of it was her own fault.

A sound of shuffling and breathing drew up her head again. Someone was still here. Someone had stayed behind while the others traversed the deadly streets where the Grit roamed. A scent like sugar wafted through the empty cold cavern where the floating gems glowed crimson.

She turned around and gave Maria a smile. "Are you all right?" she asked gently, and she took a step forward. Her hands were still secured to her dress, subconsciously stuck there. She tipped her head. "I feel like I've met you before. A candy shop, maybe?" She glanced back at the sigil drawn on the wall, where a softly glowing dot pulsed at the location of Vincent's home. "I'm sure they'll be all right." She wasn't at all confident.

Moonfiend

@Tojin@Dud How's it hangin? :)

We can totally leave Maria to take care of Queenie, who isn't handling the stress as well as she appears to be.

And Moth? ;)

The Tales of Winding

I don't actually mean to move this forward only one post a month -- I'm so embarrassed, haha. I guess I'm constantly hopeful that someone else will drop by. But! We're moving ahead! :D

Thanks for your patience -- I'll attempt to be more on top of this!

The Tales of Winding

"My name is Kahya Tarom. I'm... an explorer? From far south. I don't wish to burden you, Rune Thistlecatch. But I would greatly appreciate somewhere to stay as I recover." She glanced down at her poor wrist. Kahya was kind and gentle, but she wore her pride on her sleeve. "I can work in return."

The mayor noted Kahya's injury with concern, but the traveler was clearly embarrassed by the handicap. Out of respect it would not be mentioned at present. Rune's expression brightened at the mention of work.

"There are plenty of empty rooms at the castle," she urged, enthusiastic at the idea of filling even one of those beds. "More food than any of us could possibly eat -- especially after this season's harvest -- and we've recently lost our tour guide. If you're willing to learn the histories of the marsh and the castle, and to be patient with the tourists, you are most certainly hired." She laughed a little. "Our previous guide quit out of fear of the marsh ghosts -- he said they followed him home each night and drank his goatsmilk. They're lovely, though, once you get to know them."

As they were talking, the cafe had quieted to a concerned din -- the patrons wandered out the doors and gathered among the tables outside, craning their necks to see the plume of dark smoke that tainted the sky. Murmurs arose about the shrine on the next street, the sudden unexplained conflagration, and a sighting of the missing watchmaker. The fire brigade's warning bells clanged in the distance.

The mayor looked back out the open doors, and her mouth thinned to a firm line. She gave Kahya an apologetic smile as she stood. "I'm sorry to leave you abruptly, but I'm needed elsewhere. Please enjoy your breakfast. Take your time to think about the offer, and come by the Castle Willow whenever you like. I'll tell the guard to let you through." She bowed her head. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Kahya. I hope to see you again soon."

She walked with no little hurry to the doors, where the Pooths yabbered and hopped for her attention, pointing at the smoke. A shadow passed over the crowd, and she looked up to see Anzo buzzing on his way to the scene in rare flight. The mayor broke into a run in his wake, suddenly overcome by a deep dread in her stomach.

The cafe was nearly empty by this time, but the clumsy waitress stayed behind with an encouraging smile and a refill for Kahya's coffee. "The healer's place is on the next corner," the waitress mentioned offhandedly. "It looks like a hokey herbology shop, but it's where we all go for our scrapes and sniffles. Louroy will fix you right up. You can tell him Lark sent you." She grinned with a wiggle of her feathered ears.

---

Winding isn't alright. Something was up and Anzo needed to find out what before more shit happens. All of these events must be connected in someway, but right now a building was burning and the fire brigade may need some help.

While the beetle usually doesn't, Anzo extended his wings before flying to the shrine. Hopefully everyone would be okay.

Anzo's flight allowed him a birds-eye view of the gaggles of townsfolk who gathered with curious concern in the town square, and of the small yellow-haired mayor who cut through the crowd in her hurry toward the bells and billows of dark smoke. The smell of burning wood hung heavy on the breeze; as Anzo drew closer he could hear the dull roar of flames, then see the bright flames flashing deep in the smoke.

The shrine was famous as a point of interest in Winding: it was certainly one of the oldest buildings, dating back to the giants and the dragon-battles of the marsh. Its red columns and ornate carvings and peaceful still ponds had secured its reputation as an ancient place of peace and reflection, a favorite of the townsfolk who wanted a little time to breathe and to think.

Now the shrine billowed with dark smoke, and the pond was angry with the reflections of red flames. The fire brigade scurried throughout the shrine grounds carrying buckets and axes; their wagon was parked in the lawn, and two brigadeers worked the pump while two more aimed the water hose at the worst of the inferno. A stained-glass window exploded in a bloom of smoke and fire, showering a flower bed with colored shards. Though the brigade fought valiantly, it seemed clear this was a losing battle.

Anzo's fellow guards held the gawking crowd back away from the edge of the grounds, but their pleas to remain calm fell on deaf ears. A hysterical shriek rose above even the thunder of the flames: "MIA! MIA'S STILL IN THERE! LET ME THROUGH! MIA!"

Faintly, Anzo might hear the terrified scream of a girl inside the shrine.

A few of the fire brigade suited up and rushed into the inferno -- but a blast of heat and smoke sent them tumbling back. Others hacked away at the walls, trying to create a new door through which they could find and rescue Mia -- every minute seemed like an eternity. Townsfolk from the crowd rushed the shrine with their own axes and buckets to the aid of the brigade.

On the empty road -- while everyone's attention was on the burning shrine -- the watchmaker ducked into an alley and ran with long shaky strides toward the marsh.

Lantern

@Vesuvius00@Momolinia32 Awesome! I went ahead and posted for the first three, but please do take your time with your responses -- I'll reply to those separately. :)

Lantern

Bringing his left hand to the symbol upon his chest, he quickly whispered a few words in prayer, but decided not to spend to much time here, he had to figure out where he was, so lantern at his side, Lalna made his way outside the tent. towards the voices.

The green lantern offered bright illumination to Lalna's path -- maybe it was his imagination, but it seemed brighter now that he was holding it. Everything around him sparkled emerald.

Just outside the tent flap, he was greeted by a vast starry sky swept by distant purple galaxies and clusters of pinprick stars. The moon was bright and waning over the edge of a great dark mountain that towered in a silhouetted landscape far below. Faintly, he could see a duality of light -- white and blue -- soaring over the treetops below, toward the towering mountain.

"SQUAAAK!"

A hooked beak and big yellow eyes lunged at Lalna; the gryphon's gray wings flared, and for a moment Lalna's vision was filled with feathers and claws. The beast hissed, squinting in the brightness of the lantern.

A meaty fist gripped Lalna's collar from behind and yanked him back, away from the gryphon.

"Looks like we've got a thief," a low voice rumbled with a slightly sadistic air. The big man had a goatee and a bloodstained smock, and he was smirking.

"That's him! He appeared out of thin air!" the girl squeaked from a few yards away; she kept her distance, her hands clasped at her throat. "Oh don't manhandle him! What if he's a Lord?"

The burly man turned his head and spat on the ground, then set Lalna with a suspicious glare. "What if he's a Kith?" he hissed with disgust.

The gryphon remained nearby, its feathers puffed and its eyes unblinkingly set on Lalna.

---

"Hey, hey," she whispered in a placating voice, "don't worry, I don't want any trouble. Sorry to barge in. I was just looking for somewhere to lay low." As subtly as she could, Artemis moved her legs under her, trying to make sure she was ready to move if this kid tried anything. "If you don't want the company, I can go find somewhere else."

The little girl was motionless and silent for a long moment -- so much that it almost seemed she wouldn't react at all -- and then a smile slowly grew on her soiled face while her eyes remained unblinking, calculating. "You're hiding, too." She jerked her head at the window. "From the Pirate scum." She was quiet a moment longer to gauge Artemis' reaction to her thoughts on Pirates -- and what she saw must have been a point to Artemis' benefit, because the little girl sat down to finish eating her biscuit.

"You can stay here I guess," she said through a mouthful. "Why are you hiding? Are you a murderer?" She grinned at this thought, her eyes gleaming with excitement at the prospect of hiding out in the company of a killer.

A key rattled in a lock in the next room; immediately the little girl leaped to a corner beside the kitchen doorway, curling up as small as she could. She craned her thin neck to see the panel of dim light that played across the floor as the front door creaked open. A strong old sailor shuffled into the house in the next room, carrying an oil lamp. He left the door half-open, and the floorboards groaned as he made his way to the back of the house and started rummaging in drawers, never looking toward the kitchen.

The little girl pressed farther into her corner; she couldn't see the old man from her angle, but they could both hear him. She swallowed dryly, and her lips moved soundlessly: please don't come in here please don't come in here please don't come in here . . .

---

Anise flew with the Eggs of the Dragon onward toward the mines of the mountain. Her face set with grim determination.

The Mountain loomed dark above her, while the Lake glistened bright far below and behind. Occasionally she might glimpse the gray mist of a spirit or the flash of fireflies or the blink of red eyes in the treetops.

Above and to her left was another gleam of light: a bright, steady green point of light atop the next cliff. It pulled gently at the two eggs that accompanied Anise through the cool night sky, beckoning.

The blue egg's power warned Anise of an approaching consciousness before she would hear the soft rush of feathers on the wind. A gryphon flapped closer, to glide alongside Anise at a distance to her left. Its rider didn't look at her, but had all her attention on controlling the beast.

A second gryphon came up from behind and soared along at Anise's right, its rider also focused entirely on his task; the gryphon-riders were flanking her, intimidating her as they decided what to do with her.

A third gryphon flapped after them, a distance behind. It seemed every sentry on the island had taken notice of the two bright lights flying over the forest.