Vault Hunters (Finished~)

[Zer0]

- Shattered Golden Dome -
"Barad Eithel, Morning, January 1, 600"​

The air shimmered like a mirage, the roots and trees of the grove warped as space twisted, and from the blue window slit bloomed a dark starry sky, ethereal, spreading ghost-like through the white trees. Intricate golden frames twisted into existence, as ebony bars branched out into loops and curves, forming a half wall like a gilded cage, pushing the night sky away. And in the center, the golden frames flowed down into a door, and a seam appeared in space. Outwards flowed a floor of black onyx lined with gold, and before the door rose an ornamental staircase, with steps on the right and left leading up to the gate. Right in front of the golden stairs was an arrow like pillar with the rune of Zosimos.

Liliana had her mouth open the whole time.

Katsuya

- Katulu Camp -
"Windshear, Morning, January 2, 601"

Spoiler: Snow

Lysanthir nodded. "Be careful, I'm sure they've seen us already." he stuck his head back in the way gate, and quickly a handful of warriors came through taking a defensive formation immediately.

As Charon flew high in the sky, he found the reason why the mountains had their name. The wind was strong, the cold cutting through the bones, whipping his feathers. Through the curtain of heavy snow he saw the obscured remains of a great battle. There had been a camp around the portal, but it was utterly destroyed. To the south he glimpsed the vortex of mad sky of the Thousandcut Badlands with its ghoulish black clouds of grotesque forms, a mere two days hike from the portal. To the west was a vast snowy valley where among the ruins, blue giants sporting what looked like armor of giant bones were herding herds of mammoths. To the north was a ravine and more mountains, and to the east, the edge of the badlands crept forward, its brooding mountains dark and purplish against the noxious sky.

As someone who lived in the Badlands, Charon would know that it is possible that demons may have ravaged the camp, though the putrid smoke smelled like the flames of those squid monsters.

At the portal the drows started coming through, Lysanthir shouting orders as they swiftly began securing the area and hastily creating a defensible position closer to the wall of the mountain they were on and higher up. Suddenly his voice spoke in Charon's mind. 'Master Charon, carefully fly north to a ravine of ruins with arching ice bridges. It is the main Khlul′-hloo camp and the ulitharid was last there in the northernmost ruin. '

Sisyphus Happy

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Isa let’s himself be washed over by the illusions, closing his eyes as he felt the change. Then he opened his eyes. He looked around before stopping at Liliana and snorted. Going on one knee, reaching out, and gently pushed her jaw back up with a single index finger.

”Ya gonna lose yur jaw like that.” He stood up, taking slow steps to observe the details. How the gold decorated the floor and doors. Then he looked at the rune with a bland stare.

Zer0

 

[Sisyphus Happy]

Health: Healthy
| Toughness: Background Ability (10) + Armor (1) [11] | Spell Power: Background Ability (14) + Knowledge (4) + Equipment (1) [19] |Manna: Background Ability (4) + Knowledge (6) + Spellslinger (4) [14/14]
Condition: 3 | Roleplay Points: 2

Χάρων ​

Though he had access to a form more suited for this sort of weather, that of the great beastly bird, of which he possessed himself for this trek, was suited well enough for the intense winds. Indeed, with natural ease, his form ebbed and rocked with the torrential winds with little trouble. However, there was a constant flow of tears from his eyes which froze to its face, sticking and stinging accompanied every blink. The beast was well enough constituted that it provided no incredibly blinding effects, but paired with the deep gnawing pain of burning razors gripping his bird feet and the odd thumbs hanging off of his wings' joints, he was in pain. But it was worth it. The grey sky yawned endlessly over him, its wispy whiteness was nothing but a canvas, its listless expanse only highlighted the diverse scenes fighting for his attention. The demonic clouds, roaming giants, whom he wished to know -- he had a mission. Forcing the wailing clouds and deep blue skin out of his mind, his beastly eyes cracked a dozen tiny patches of ice forming at his eyelashes to blink and focus on the task. Ruin all around; his heart sank. The hours before the city became breached by these horrid things, at the behest of Theosebia, began playing out. All of the dead. Do these creatures, too, have souls?

Lysanthir's message came through and he turned his vision to that direction to begin his search.

 

[Zer0]

- Shattered Golden Dome -
"Barad Eithel, Morning, January 1, 600"​

Usually Liliana would probably squeak and go red from Isa being that close to her, but she just continued to stare, and then a wild happiness overtook her. She dashed past Isa, up the stairs and slapped her palms on the space of night sky that seemed to have solidified into the door.

To Isa, he saw that within the space of the night sky the white grove became the illusion, while at the edges it was this strange gate that was ghost like. Somehow without the intricacies of the way gates of Leor, this door could exist, bounded, stable, summoned, almost like his dimension doors.

A sliver of green light cut through the dim grove as Liliana slid the doors open. A green shimmer of magic unlike anything they've ever seen lay behind the door. She looked back at Isa, excited, determined, her eyes shifting from emerald greens and bright blues against the backdrop of night sky.

"I'm going in." said her voice and Larc's at the same time, and she stepped through the shimmer and out of sight.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Isa stared at the closed doors for a minute. Pondering before clicking his tongue. “Okay- Okay! I won’t leave her alone.” He spoke out loud, feeling his guilt prickling his chest for even thinking of leaving Liliana and Larc alone. He walked towards the door and pushed it, following behind the gnome duo in one form.

”L! Wait up.”

The door thudded shut behind him.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- ? -​

Isa stepped into an echoing silence, broken only by the excited patter of Liliana's feet on a marble floor.

They were in a high vaulted chamber of ivory and gold that, surprisingly, was lit by golden braziers, though there was something strange about the flames. The way they flickered seemed to repeat like a pattern. The exact pattern, again, and again. Behind him: the doorway to the outside hidden behind that shimmer of magic where the ancient words: 'In Alchemy Truth, in Art Honor was carved at the top of the frame; to his right and left: two looming arches where clockwork gears silently turned around ever spiraling staircases, the left going up, and the right going down. In the center of the chamber was a giant gold hour-glass shaped frame, where the bottom was a caged platform with an opening facing him. It had circular dials within made of rings that could be turned, each ring with its own runes that could form different words depending on how one turned it, while above this platform were two rotating cylinders made of extruding black crystals of some kind.

The far end of the room was an even larger double door of gold and marble, on it was the rune: Sanctum. And if he looked down, Isa would see an entire machination of clockwork gears, brass pipes, shadowed here and there by statues of shield and spear warriors wearing robes. There was a hole in the center shaped exactly like the center platform, and he glimpsed another chamber beneath it, and another one right below. There were many floors beneath them, and none above.

Liliana was going, "Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"her voice echoing loudly, staring at the statues in wonder. There was something about the ruby eyes of these stone warriors and how their robes, though they looked like marble, seemed to make faint clicking and whirring sounds from within, as though there were machines within them as well. "Where is this place?! This is exactly like Panopolis architecture! But no dust! No plants and no ruins! I can't even tell if we're underground as well, the air feels . . . too cozy!"

Katsuya

- Katulu Camp -
"Windshear, Morning, January 2, 601"​

Charon beheld a deserted mining camp around ancient ruins very similar to the ruins in the valley to the west, though more decorative and extravagant, as though in the past this was some sort of temple? Plaza? Not a soul stirred under the snow, but here and there were also mounds, standing spears, remnants of a few skirmishes. Among the wreckage he saw deep gouges in the snow, like three prong slash marks, but they were too colossal, like the talons of a great bird.

To the north was a wide wooden bridge that crossed a ravine. There was a long drop beneath where an icy river snaked its way through towards the south. Beyond this bridge was a great open door built into the mountain. Here Charon saw the snow disturbed the most. There were the tracks of many boots, drag marks, odd gouges that reminded him of the sandy imprints of the mechanical spiders in Barad Eithel, and there was a frozen green sludge here, it's trail coming from within the darkness of the door. The foot prints of the great bird covered this spot a lot. And to the side of the door, there was a frosted mound of dead bodies. They had charred steel armor bearing the emblem of a white tree. It was all silent here too.

High up the mountain there was a great splatter of that frozen green sludge, and then less than a mile away to the north, Charon spotted the same thing hanging from the side of another mountain, though there were no dragmarks nor footprints around them.

Sisyphus Happy

 

[Sisyphus Happy]

Health: Healthy
| Toughness: Background Ability (10) + Armor (1) [11] | Spell Power: Background Ability (14) + Knowledge (4) + Equipment (1) [19] |Manna: Background Ability (4) + Knowledge (6) + Spellslinger (4) [10/14]
Condition: 3 | Roleplay Points: 2

Χάρων ​

Charon's giant bird eyes closed and he suddenly rolled widdershins, his forward progress stopping entirely when he turned and began falling toward the ground. Wind whistled past his ear holes and he opened his eyes again, the ice melting away from them in a stream of water. He tucked his wings just a little and dove toward the camp. A feeling of exhilaration filled his chest while the ground, white and black, littered with signs of battle, rushed up toward him. When several feet above the ground, he fanned out his wings behind him and his beak opened as his head and rear were thrust forward by the sudden change in velocity. He beat his wings once or twice before landing with a powdery thud on his outstretched claws. In a swift motion, he took a rapid step to the right, and a humanoid foot landed in the snow before him, his form shrinking rapidly and feathers melting away. Making quick progress, he attempted to duck into any kind of cover in the camp while relaying a quick message to Lysanthir. During his trek, he had to summon to him the oar which he seemed to pull from his sleeve to use as a walking stick, his footsteps were clamoring and clumsy.

"There's a mining camp which seems clear. Giant talon-marks everywhere focused at a large door. Frozen green ichor leading from camp to further mountains. What am I looking for?" came the whisper. He hugged his arms around himself and tried stepping into some kind of tattered tent to sit down and hide.

 

[Zer0]

- Katulu Camp -
"Windshear, Morning, January 2, 601"​

'Khlul′-hloo. Likely guarding their ulitharid inside the northern most ruin with the last Templars and our kin that they control. Ulitharids live in pools of sludge. Did they move it?' said Lysanthir's voice.

Sisyphus Happy

 

[Sisyphus Happy]

Health: Healthy
| Toughness: Background Ability (10) + Armor (1) [11] | Spell Power: Background Ability (14) + Knowledge (4) + Equipment (1) [19] |Manna: Background Ability (4) + Knowledge (6) + Spellslinger (4) [9/14]
Condition: 3 | Roleplay Points: 2

Χάρων ​

"There are trails of this ichor leading away from the cave and through the mountains. I do not know the nature of these creatures. Can they be reasoned with?" He asked hopefully. Anger stirred and died in him. The creatures did indeed kill him but he had the knowledge that they were under some kind of compulsion by this Theosebia character. Perhaps some sort of accord can be strung together. A cold wind blew into the tattered, flapping tent, once grey but now black with repeated freezing and thawing -- and possibly blood. He hissed and drew his cloak around his face, shutting his eyes against the cold blast.


He hasn't had much time to stop and think about the environment. Peering out from his quivering cover, he cast his gaze around the fallen camp. Weak shafts of sunlight broke through the grey and flakes of ice tumbled through his vision. All of the fabricated structures around were ruined and unsightly but there was something pristine about this blasted desert and its gloomy passing. Something like a static movement, unchanging somehow, and in the process of claiming it stark beauty, by force.

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

His boots thudded calmly compared to Liliana’s excited pitter-patter. Walking inside as he looked around in his slow pace. He wanted to scream in his excitement— the piece of history! Perfectly conserved in this one place where not even dust dares touch the beautiful architecture and graceful paint job! Which ancient culture did this design come from? Meir? Barbodos? The sinking temple? The ruins in Windshear? NONE OF THE ABOVE?! Why didn’t he bring his camera?! Wait! He should check his pockets! There’s a chance! He stood still in the middle of the black and golden glided room, reaching into his back pockets to see if he brought his beloved machine before freezing. Indigo eyes intently staring at the flames.

It . . . It felt weird. He squinted his eyes. Right, left, left, swirl, then right again- it’s dancing to a pattern. A repeated pattern. “ . . . Illusion.” Illusions can’t mimic lights by flame nor by ragnite lamps; it’s not organic and the illusionist can’t bend light either. It’s why most illusionists chose to avoid using lamps or be near flames when using illusions. The one who made this illusion— Isa wondered if they knew they couldn’t exactly copy the fire’s unpredictable movements and had to pick a certain pattern to have some sort of light. Now that he thought about it clearly, this whole illusion is impressive. To include some sort of shadows underneath their feet, sounds of this footsteps, and the fire—- it’s almost flawless. Meticulous even, like the person who created this space had thought long and hard to create this space and include real-world things inside like shadows. The redhead took out his camera and took photos of the room. Thinking mindlessly that Moss would like to see them later while also wondering on the oddity of this illusion.

Because that’s what this room is: an illusion . . . A really really good illusion. Right? Unless . . . It’s a-

“It seems like we’re either in an impressive illusion or somehow transported to an unknown realm created specifically for something . . .” He concluded, replying to Liliana’s excitement. Isa took a picture of the statues. Then he leaned in a bit, hearing the odd clicks of the statues- He snapped back, eyes wide. “ . . . That’s a machine.” What’s with this place? Why is this place so realistic?!

The redhead became cautious, putting his camera away now that he had enough of fawning over this place. “It’s almost like it’s designed to keep someone in here . . .” Liliana was right: this place is too cozy for it to be empty. What’s going on? Liliana can see that Isa is weary from his slow movements and his back straightening. Was there something that hinted this theory? Is someone living here? Or . . . forcibly kept inside?

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Katulu Camp -
"Windshear, Morning, January 2, 601"​

'They . . . can.' admitted Lysanthir through gritted teeth. 'But do not trust them. They are evil. We will arrive in the camp in half an hour. Be careful, Master Charon.'

Sisyphus Happy

- ? -​

"How can this be an illusion if we can step on it?" said Liliana rushing to the large door, staring at it, then looking back to the ever spiraling stair cases.

"I'm checking upstairs! Maybe someone is still here? Hellooooo! We're friendly!" And she began calling out in different languages, as she hopped on to the left stairway, marvelling at how it was just twisting by itself.

Katsuya

 

[Sisyphus Happy]

Health: Healthy
| Toughness: Background Ability (10) + Armor (1) [11] | Spell Power: Background Ability (14) + Knowledge (4) + Equipment (1) [19] |Manna: Background Ability (4) + Knowledge (6) + Spellslinger (4) [9/14]
Condition: 3 | Roleplay Points: 2

Χάρων ​

"Unless you are familiar with a creature in area possesessing talons the length of my forearm, there is possibly an unknown danger in this area. I will investigate the cave," he offered, narrowing his eyes at the surrounding area. Briskly, he rose from his hiding spot and, peering around with a pitiful clumsiness, like a confused tourist, pushing his way toward the bridge. He strained his ears to the surroundings to listen for any noises above the keening, howling wind, the flapping of derelict fabric in it, and ominous creaking of the bridge before him, which he eyed accusatorily as he approached. Smoky wisps of powered snow trailed off of the icy, greyed planks of the bridge and tumbled in a wispy haze over the ropes, and it listed repeatedly in the direction of the wind, never really resting in the middle. Icecicles jutted from the discolored planks and ropes at a slight angle in the direction it blew. This wind, which was unexpectedly intense in and near the gorge, worried Charon deeply. He burned almost half of his energy for the day already, the prospect of being forced to use more made this endeavor less appealing.

So he wanted to try to stir the initial meeting between forces -- should it happen at all -- in the next half hour or so; the forces being him and any of the squiddies left lurking around in the mines. With ginger steps and bated breath, Charon reached out and clasped the freezing ropes tossing in the breeze with the rest of the bridge and stepped forward, testing the nearest slat with his foot, gradually applying more and more pressure and trying to survey if the bridge would be sufficiently sturdy to hold his weight without trouble using his knowledge of construction and whatnot. Nerves tickled the back of his spine and the wind whistled in a strange way, and his head snapped around to look for some imaginary predator stalking him but he found nothing and looked back forward, his eyes trembling at the bridge before him.

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Annnnd Liliana has a point there. This space. It’s too . . . Real. Except for the fire. Curiously, Isa looked up at the brazier and raised his staff that he unconsciously took from inside his usual sleeveless jacket. Aiming it at the magical lamp and- it changed color. The light changed from clear to blue. He changed it several times until he couldn’t change it to red, which was odd. He didn’t think on it much, believing it might be just a choice from the creator of this place. He left it in a dim golden color, feeling comfortable now. Then he looked at the only familiar thing he recognize; the rune. Sanctum. A sacred space or a place that people can’t normally reach.

He wonder if he should open those doors. If he did, would the statues react to him? Would they stop him? He decided to wait on that and instead search around. Perhaps he can find the ‘key’ to the door or a method to open the door without the statues trying to kill him.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- Katulu Camp -
"Windshear, Morning, January 2, 601"​

The way was clear from the swaying bridge to the frozen sludge trailed open door. Charon noticed something from the frosted bodies, though. The same wounds. A bloody front from a slit throat, or a caved in skull with a hole through the eye or nose with bruisings splayed across the face the shape of tentacles. And nothing left inside the skull. The bodies that had these faces were on neat piles or fallen lined up within old tents where Charon saw wretched living conditions, chains, and belongings labeled in the same language Lysanthir used to write. The tents were near what familiarly looked like better made drow forges at the end of the bridge.

There were also still mechanical contraptions of strong clockwork bulls frozen upright next to construction piles of wood and salvaged metal and stone.

Here and there he spotted a drow corpse, but most of the bodies here were Templar. And there was not a single katulu body.

Sisyphus Happy

 

[Sisyphus Happy]

Health: Healthy
| Toughness: Background Ability (10) + Armor (1) [11] | Spell Power: Background Ability (14) + Knowledge (4) + Equipment (1) [19] |Manna: Background Ability (4) + Knowledge (6) + Spellslinger (4) [9/14]
Condition: 3 | Roleplay Points: 2

Χάρων ​

The plank he rested his foot on and pressed against offered sturdy support and moved very little under his weight. The material, it might have been wood, the covering of ice and snow made difficult the task of determining what it was, held against his forcing, even as frozen and battered as it appeared. The same seemed true of the ropes, which held him well against the whipping winds. Charon made quick progress across the bridge to behold the alien carnage waiting for him on the other side. His palms felt sweaty in the fur gloves. He could just as easily imagine himself in that armor, under this snow, forever. Tearing his eyes away from the mortal scene, he found evidence of life. Destitute life, but life nonetheless; he found it disconcerting, not having the full picture. Were these creatures found in the mines, did they operate the mines, were the Templar the ones who made use of these chains? Charon couldn't help but feel the presence of them to be condemning, to any party, when paired with the sort of horrors around it, corpses aside. After all, these things are evil, and yet equal or greater evil lurks in the hearts of all creatures, especially those with imaginations.

Moving next to the mechanical bulls, he looked them over briefly. Such things could certainly be useful, but he was not familiar, a priori, with the functions of such an automaton. They could operate from code-words, or he might require some kind of sigil, although he wished dearly to fiddle with them. He might divert himself by tinkering with them once Lysanthir arrives with his party. Of course, if he were still alive by then. His gaze drifted down and rested on one of the puncture wounds in the heads of the dead present, and it lingered there for a few moments.

"Hhhh," he began his next message to Lysanthir, a grimace stuck to his face, "if they suck out my brain, do know that I found you and your kin very demure and dignified and I wished to be as socially commanding as you," he lamented, glaring ahead and striding up to the great door. With a little fear, he stood bye the entrance, cupped his hands over his mouth, and loudly yelled into the entrance, "helloooooooo!"

 

[Zer0]

- ? -​

The robed statues did not move as Isa explored the chamber. He did count a number of eight within this area alone. Looking below among the revolving gearworks, he spotted what looked like air vents bolted to the walls, and one hatch where the gears looked most bulky and complex, a kind of entrance perhaps to the inner workings of the machinery. He also noticed that the main rune lines snaked through the wall leading from the Sanctum.

Through the large hole at the bottom he could make out that the next chamber below seemed to contain alchemical apparatuses and a few garden beds of odd looking plants.

Suddenly, there was a grinding sound as the cylindrical crystals above the hour glass cage twisted open, and the stone bust of a woman hanging from golden chains, carved so realistically with wide metal golden eyes and an open brain, that was like the artificial pulsing one of the goliaths, slowly descended from the crystal, unmoving. She too had faint clicking and whirring sounds coming from within her and her eyes too seemed alive.

There was a small metal shuttering sound at the top of the hour glass, and there a hole slid open, revealing a black crystal ball mounted on a brass machine.

Then her mouth opened. "What does this light mean?" spoke Liliana's voice from the statue. Isa could hear her voice resounding in the chambers below as well, as though they were coming from there too. Suddenly the statue started going up again. Paused. Then went down. Went up. Then went down. "Hello? It's saying to speak, but well of course no one is saying anything back . . . " said Liliana's voice once more. "I don't remember this rune. . ."

The statues' eyes suddenly blazed to life and a beam of light shot out from the black crystal ball and Isa saw a huge illusion of Liliana against a blurry lantern lit background portrayed against the marble wall right above the great Sanctum doors.

"Oh! I see the portal chamber, Larc!" yelled her voice. And the statue twisted its head around, looking. ""Amaaaaazing."

Katsuya

- Katulu Camp -
"Windshear, Morning, January 2, 601"​

There was no answer. The interior was empty and dark, and the green sludge smelled of sour putrid decay that stung the nose.

'Please do not have your brain eaten, Master Charon. They will use you first before they dispose of you, and we do not wish to fight you.' said Lysanthir's voice.

Sisyphus Happy

 

[Sisyphus Happy]

Health: Healthy | Toughness: Background Ability (10) + Armor (1) [11] | Spell Power: Background Ability (14) + Knowledge (4) + Equipment (1) [19] |Manna: Background Ability (4) + Knowledge (6) + Spellslinger (4) [9/14] Condition: 3 | Roleplay Points: 2 Χάρων ​

"Cool indeed," he muttered nervously while glaring into the cave, stood in the doorway. Fear. The doorway sucked him into darkness. His eyes roamed the areas restlessly like a lingering ghost. Especially the dark corners, their ambiguity drawing his gaze repeatedly. He searched for slick glinting from their odd skin and adornment, or that of a metal wire, which he would trip over and then eat and suffer an explosion or inhale poison again. A loud rasping noise drew his attentiom from the cave, the images of rocks falling and sickening gas filling his lungs were cast from his mind in an instant when his gaze surged over the scene again. Nothing. It occurred to him at once that the rasping noise was his very own breathing.

He turned away and faced toward the howling landscape around him. A deep sigh wracked his body and he leaned tiredly against the great stone slab. What a horror this dank maze could be. It could be his tomb, too. Though merely a mile away, Eithel and L, Isa and Moss, a few opportunities for him to be rescued from permanent death, they would have to cut his grey matter from the guts of a squid beast. They too would have to brave the horrors. Maybe they would even do a better job.

"So you want to live after all," a cutting revelation cleared the misty trepidation cloying his thoughts, not unlike the frigid wind blasting him in that very moment. That moment closely resembled another recent one; perhaps sensing one's own mortality so often is cause for concern. Something about the clarity of it catalyzed his courage, what all he has, and sent him back into the cave with some sense of focus, if not courage. He was moving carefully, searching the vicinity slowly, looking not for a fight, but at least an enemy.

 

[Zer0]

- Katulu Camp -
"Windshear, Morning, January 2, 601"​

It was much too dark to see.

Suddenly something cold and sharp slid under Charon's neck as a filthy hand clapped over his mouth and pulled him into the shadows. The grip was expert, he could neither move nor speak.

"Don't. Struggle." whispered the calm and exhausted voice of a woman behind him. She had the same accent as the Templars and smelled bad. Her other hand started patting him down; she pocketed his wand, and then she brought up the mask, staring at it for a good long second. Her grip on Charon tightened in anger.

Sisyphus Happy

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

Isa focused more on the hatch than the air vent, wondering why is there an air vent before wondering if he could go inside the hatch. Curious as to what sort of machinery will he find while his eyes trailed the main rune lines. Then he stared at the bottom of the hole, noticing that there’s a room full of plants . . . He got curious again. Wanting to check that spot out first-

The gears moved, cranking echoed and bounced on the walls, making his ears ring in pain. He quickly cupped his ears in hopes to muffle the screeching sound. Too many times did Isa suffer through loud noises!!! He glared at the source of the grinding . . . Which was a bust . . . Of a woman . . . Being lowered from the ceiling and- did she just unhinge her jaw? Oh- Ohhh~ That’s new. He raised a brow high, listening to Liliana’s voice coming from both the bust and from below . . . She must have found a communication room.

He snorted and chuckled as he decided to sit on the floor, watching the bust go up and down as Liliana was trying to figure out what’s going on. “Lili.” He spoke up, grinning in his amusement. “Lili, you were controlling the- hm?”

Suddenly her figure appeared as an illusion from the crystal ball; he saw that the statues woke up with their eyes blazing, making him weary. He tightened his grip on the staff, in case the statues start moving their limbs. “Hi Lili~ Hi Larc~ You were speaking from a bust of a lady and now you’re an illusion from a dark crystal.” He explained, wondering if they can hear him. Either way, his attention went back to the garden room . . . He wanted to go there for some odd reason.

”I’ll be back.” Isa chimed up before standing back again and lazily walked towards the herb-smelling room. Ashes swirled around his disappearing figure, taking his last step in midair, just by the edge of the hole.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

​

- ? -​

"Oh! You can see us, Isa?! Is that what this thingamajig did? Whoaaaaaaaaaa! --- Okay, but where are you going? Because I think I found Zosimos' bedroom!" squealed Liliana, still in awe.

When Isa teleported to the edge of the hole, he looked down on to a gold and marble platform similar to the one above, except this one had garden beds, and instead of a vast open space to the sides, there was an aquarium wall circling the platform where ocean flora swayed above a stream of bubbles, the glass green with grime. The flora were still alive though overgrown, and he recognized various alchemical herbs including extinct ones he had only ever seen as diagrams in ancient books and there were a couple of odd looking ones he definitely knew was not of the realm of Leor. For one some of the ocean flora looked like thick glowing feathers with stalks that turned yellow or purple at the tip.

This platform too had a hole in the center just like the first and he saw that the next chamber below had even more greenery and a hint of trees.

Back to the current aquarium walled chamber, there were four other connecting chambers branching from its center platform, each with two robed statues flanking their thresholds. Two had closed double doors, one was an open library, the other . . . an open laboratory under a glass dome where night stars shone down from outside, down on to something giant and otherwordly that was standing in a liquid filled tube.

And beating inside the thing's open chest was a worn heart.

Katsuya

 

[Sisyphus Happy]

Χάρων Health: Healthy | Toughness: Background Ability (10) + Armor (1) [11] | Spell Power: Background Ability (14) + Knowledge (4) + Equipment (1) [19] |Manna: Background Ability (4) + Knowledge (6) + Spellslinger (4) [6/14] Condition: 3 | Roleplay Points: 2 ​

Charon is not much of a physical specimen. The hand which commanded him into the corner probably had very little trouble holding him down. A pitiful squealing sound began emanating from his covered mouth, traveling over all kinds of pitches, none of them lower than the previous. However, something vague defused in his chest, that it was not a slick slimy hand, or cold and smooth, and there were no tentacles tickling his neck. Oh god, what is that smell? Pressed up against his face was a putrid hand. Is this what he smelled like yesterday? Man, that's awful, and after a few moments the pitiful squealing faded and he tossed the oar he was holding, sighing and waiting for a moment for her to figure out what she wanted to do with him. A few spells were on the tip of his tongue, but hopefully she had no wish to open him up, as it were. Wait, though the squid people can be reasoned with, in his experience, humans could possibly be a little more difficult to reason with, and she found his wand so she knows that even though he's unarmed he could be dangerous. Well, alright, Charon gave an irritable sigh.

The sound of rushing water emanated through the cavern for just a moment. Perhaps she would sense the odd ringing of manna, a primordial pattern which reminds one of the influence of the fragment of Titan trapped in the well, which could make flesh into stone, alien and disorganized like a tribal dance. While the sound of water echoed through the chamber, this manna echoed from his center and his form trembled like a tuning fork under its influence for just an instant before, without ceremony, and with a great whooshing sound, like a giant thing dropped onto a giant bush, his form exploded outward into a mountainous white beast which seemed to be made mostly of snow. There was no skin visible, just a round white, towering body with few angles and limbs comprised of snow-dusted evergreen trees. Nearly nine feet tall and six feet across, his form glistened from the minuscule facets of snowy texture bracing his body and at his arms, two great log-like appendages with strange thick fingers which seemed to be evergreen fronds thick with needles, three at the end of each club-like mitt, opening and closing experimentally. Its eyes, huge and slightly purple, seemed to form a glower over top of a moustache-like skirt of snow-dusted fronds over the top of a mouth. In this form he lumbered with his short, thick legs to face the woman and put the gigantic arms up in front of him, a low 'shh, shhhh shh shh," coming from a wide mouth with the snowy fronds draped over it. While he made that odd noise, he made a placating gesture with his arms, gently wobbling them up and down while holding the thick fingers up toward the sky and making a nervous motion to step back, away from her.

 

[Zer0]

- Round 1 -
"Katulu Camp, Windshear, Morning, January 2, 601"​

Charon turned to find the woman not there, before an instant later arms choked him from behind.

"You will pay for everything!" she spat. "You will tell me where Lorenzo is or by Shiva I will do to you what I plan to do to him!"

Sisyphus Happy

Spoiler: Battle

Charon
-2 Toughness (2 rounds), -4 rolls + Don't Move (until grapple is ended)

Templar
Toughness 14
1/1 Hp
+4 to rolls, +4 from grapple

 

[Sisyphus Happy]

Χάρων Health: Bruised | Toughness: Background Ability (10) + Armor (1) [11] | Spell Power: Background Ability (14) + Knowledge (4) + Equipment (1) [19] |Manna: Background Ability (4) + Knowledge (6) + Spellslinger (4) [6/14] Condition: 3 | Roleplay Points: 2 ​

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMHMMMMMHMmmm" came a pitiful wail from the beast as it flailed its arms helplessly, a wail which continued in a much higher pitch when the beast vanished with a light puff of powdered snow to reveal Charon, a blithering face wrinkled with anguish, the transformation was very simple so her arm would land right back onto his throat, "aaaaaaaaa, blease don't killl meeee," he wailed, tears weren't yet falling, but his pitiful struggling, he flailed his arms and tried with utter terror to wiggle with his childlike strength from her deadly grip, "buh, buh, I didn't do anythiiiiing~~AH," he cried, "the katulu are deeaaad, I just came back wid duh DrrrooowwwwUH," he sobbed, quickly giving up on the struggle and quietly sobbing in her headlock, "I don't wanna die again..." he whispered hollowly, his head laying to the side in defeat, his weak grip hanging uselessly off of her forearm. The scene was petulant and utterly disgraceful, he certainly wasn't doing a very good job if he was telling the truth about wanting to be as cool as Lysanthir.

Charon's wan and weak body was obvious from her tight grip which cut right through his thick clothing to the bony interior. Though it may seem unbelievably childish and stupid, he tried in earnest to break free from her grip, his stick legs pushing against the ground, his baby arms pushing and pulling on her vise-grip, his neck turning and his body twisting, but she would feel it all like butterfly wings, what with all the armor she was trained to operate in, and swinging a sword his weight or better like lightning. Unfortunately, he was not trying to deceive her. After a moment of pointless struggling, he slackened in her grip, trembling and breathing heavily, as though from exertion, and quietly sobbing, mumbling things like, "not again..." and "I shulda waaited, buh," and "boo hoo hoo." His legs barely seemed to be holding him up.

 

[Katsuya]

- Isa Bianchi -​

“I’mma go see his botanical garden.” Isa replied before his voice faded away, ashes left behind on the edge of the hole. His lanky figure appeared in the (now that he had a better view of it) aqua garden area, his eyes roamed around in silent awe. Staring at some of the plants longer like the seaweed-looking plant that’s waving gently in the water with the glowing tip. It reminded him of the coral that Moss talked about before and showed.

He took a picture of them, wondering if Moss will recognize them.

That’s when he noticed the other sea plants. The ones that were extinct- “Oh gosh, is that lemon snakes? Dragon’s jaw- Arrow spear!?“ Isa practically cling to the cooling glass as he watched with sparkly wide eyes of wonder. “I’ve only seen them in the books—- there’s so much of them— ohhh~ the implications of potential medical research in one room.”

”Woooooow~” Isa started to nerd out, taking pictures as he resisted the urge to take anything from the aquarium. As soon he was able to stop nerding out, the redhead searched the room and found out that this room is connected to five other rooms. A hole in the center with more forestry, then there’s the four paths branching out from this aquarium. Two had closed doors While the other two were open. One of those doors is what caught Isa’s attention.

He carefully approached the laboratory and to the tube. Taking a deep breathe to calm his racing heart. There’s . . . There’s a heart in a large tube and floating—

It’s so . . . “Geez, it’s like someone piked it with bone, stitched it wrong-like, and mess with it more with gears.“ He took a closer look to see if it will take a beat. “. . . What stories do ya have, ya poor thing?”

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- ? -​

It was beating excitedly.

'My friends, you have found me!' said the familiar feeling of the heart beat from the vault key Isa heard only a month ago.

Katsuya

- Katulu Camp -
" Windshear, Morning, January 2, 601"​

"What do you mean they are dead? They flew on Avian after killing everyone uncontested! They took the drows to Barad Eithel. How could the drows be here, they probably . . . they probably ate them . . . Where did you come from?! How did you come by Lorenzo's mask?!" she demanded, though she had stopped choking Charon and was just keeping him in place.

Sisyphus Happy