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Post by RedLenai on May 23, 2020 16:32:11 GMT
More like drownin' on my own pain... - The Queen confessed to Lom. She glanced at the poor girl who was completely done for the day, now that the scent of blood was coverying her, almost covering the one from necromantic magic and death, Elatha could notice that Cherry wasn't evil or someone that shady, at least that was what she thought, she'll have to apologize later for assuming the worst out of her scent - A rose-water bath would be nice for wounds, skin care... everything - She said as she tried to ignore the pain. She wasn't tired, but the aching was too much for her.
Then she heard the voice of the poreal, the boy was crying and flying right towards her. She couldn't help but smile, but the pleasant moment vanished in the second the boy hugged her. The pain increased tremendously in nothing, she was past beyond the point of passing out, no, this was worse, she was fully conscious. Then Leor began to ask her about her condition, as her body was paralized by the pain she couldn't even return the hug, but a strange sensation began to arise from her stomach.... Then she had to escape from the boy's embrace to move towards a place a bit far from the others and puke.
After a few second she began to cough, and slowly, her breath returned to normal - Oh God.... Oh that was so painful... and awful
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Post by TimePuppy on May 25, 2020 21:32:43 GMT
Elatha was clearly not able to proceed without a lot of rest. "It's okay, you can rest. The villagers need to be informed the village has been liberated anyway. I know time is of the essence, but resting a bit until they're gathered and I get Spears back would be for the best. If they've got dragons, we need to be at full power." Melin assumed Onyx had already sent a few soldiers back to inform the villagers, so he could relax.
"I'm fine, thank you for asking, Leor. You should be gentler with Miss Elatha and Miss Cherry, though. They seem quite drained." When Elatha started dreaming of a rose-water bath, Melin chuckled. "I'm sure the villagers can help you draw a bath, but I don't imagine they have fancy bath products like that. Although, perhaps their craftsmanship involves chemistry and alchemy. Miss Lom, perhaps they at least have nice smelling herbs?"
While he pondered how to help the women relax, Cutter got in contact with him and, using only the nicest words a sailor could think of, kindly asked him to meet her and help her. Hobbling on one leg with a sword as a crutch was not her idea of a fun time. "Excuse me for a minute, please." He left to reacquire his soldier.
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Post by HungryHunter on May 26, 2020 2:01:14 GMT
Cherry blushed when Leor called her “my lady”, not that anybody could see under all that blood. “N-none of it is mine, goodly knight.” She tried to smooth out her skirt, really just spreading red goo around. “Oh yes, a bath would be brilliant. Rose petals, that would improve the situation, would it not?” She had been looking into potential scents for her baths that might get out the smell of the undead she worked so closely with, but so far no options had seemed effective. “Herbs… for a bath?” Lom looked confused.
“They’d just get washed away by the current.” “The current? In the bath?” “In the river. Did you think we would take water out to bathe in it? That’s a lot of effort for nothing! Topsiders are weird!” Lom chuckled. “...I think perhaps I can wait until we get to the surface.” Cherry mumbled. A river in a deep, dark cave, ice cold and full of who knows what miserable creatures? She could think of few more appalling places to cleanse her body. “You have time.” Onyx said, rounding the top of the hill. “You and Elatha need to regenerate your mana and Melin needs to get his team member back. It’s best to go on at as full a strength as we can manage. Your clothes are going to be heavy and stiff as they dry out. Might as well clean off while you find something else to wear. I’ll treat you all to a hot spring when we’re done here.” He turned and Cherry was left sputtering.
“In a river!? I am not some wild animal or camping fool to throw myself in the cold water of the wild! What if there are fish!?” She complained. “There aren’t many fish, and none of them are dangerous. I can join you if it makes you feel better. You’ll need to be flown down anyway.” Lom said. “I… don’t, uh…” “I guess Leor could carry you, since he flies now.” “...please carry me down to the river. And, uh, find new clothes.” Cherry mumbled. “Quick with that. I want us gone in 40 minutes. You’re putting those back on if you don’t have anything else. Or travelling naked if you prefer.” Onyx shrugged and Cherry shuddered. “Please find something good.” She begged.
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Post by othus on May 27, 2020 6:54:57 GMT
"I...see"- Leor replied, unsure if that made things any better, the sight of blood was not uncommon to him, but that did not necessarily translate to him being comfortable with it. He looked elsewhere until Lom came with another of her great ideas. *carry her? but she's covered in blood!*-He thought as he went pale, not daring to challenge their desires as usual.
"Y-yes my Lady...right away"- He replied in an anemic tone as he walked behind her and carefully hugged her by the waist, he slowly began to float and headed towards the river, the humidity in the air relieved his nose from the stench of a necromancer covered in blood, at least enough for him to avoid puking all over her. The young poreal set her gently on the ground and walked a few steps away as he coughed, then took deep breaths of fresh air, his transformation faded back into the pendant he carried and he finally managed to relax for a second.
"I'll be going ahead my lady, if there's anything you need please let me know, I'll be close"-He said as he took off his clothes and jumped on the river.
No matter how bad things were, having this much water around for the taking was nothing short of a blessing, compared to the dry desert lands of Pors, rivers were something pulled out of fantasy. Had he died and gone to the afterlife? he could only wonder as he floated around, being gently carried by the current downstream.
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Post by RedLenai on May 27, 2020 15:10:01 GMT
A nice bath in the river isn't bad - The Queen commented as she walked. Feeling a bit better after puking her guts out - The cold water can numb pain, its good from time to time. I also got spare clothes for ya' - She told Cherry before moving a bit afar from the rest. She didn't want to be seen, her whole body had as many scars as Leor's back. The worst one was the one caused by the King's Sword when the other paladin tried to defeat the devil incarnated that was possessing her body, he couldn't blame Vladimir for having to do it, he was protecting the newborn prince.
She let the water embrace her legs first, who also had many scars, not as notorious as the one she was so concerned about, but she could never pull the clothes she saw on magazines or even the TV, those short shorts, skirts, dresses... they all looked really pretty but a body as wounded as hers... it wasn't that she wasn't proud of the meaning these scars had! She was proud of the adventures, battles, fights and even dumb childhood rough plays she went through, she just didn't feel confident. And more than ever since she couldn't hide her back after she had to cut her hair back then when the grue was attacking them.
She still needed to find Vladimir... she wondered if he was all right... Was he eating? Was he frustrated? Was he happy with a free life outside the Kingdom? Did he start over? She didn't knew... and even if she found him... there could be a chance that he could have settled down, made a new family and moved on... believing like she died like most believed, if the guardian angels believed such a thing... then what could believe the man that pierced a blade on her? He probably thought she was dead long time ago, and that Derek was also dead, like everyone was dying back then 22 years ago. She sighed and threw the cold water of the river on her face, hoping it to freeze the doubts that arised from her heart
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Post by TimePuppy on May 29, 2020 11:30:29 GMT
With Cherry, Elatha, and even Leor leaving for a bath, Melin didn't see much he could do to pass the time. At first he looked through the bodies of the fallen, seeking strong souls. Plenty of strong soldiers littered the battlefield, but none seemed particularly special until he found one of the goblin dragoons. His body saw crushed and twisted like an aluminum can and covered in blood, most of it from the blood golem that grabbed him, but his soul was strong. He wasn't a great warrior of legend, but he must have had some big exploits.
With his forces bolstered, Melin figured he may as well go back to the village and collect Spears himself. He found and informed Onyx, then he asked Lom to write him a letter since he didn't speak their tongue, before setting off into the tunnels he came through. He couldn't fly or shrink himself down for the other two paths, but with Bowie's help, getting through the tunnel and its steep climbs wasn't too difficult. Once he reached them, he would first find Lom's parents. He hoped they would spread the word around and lead him to wherever Spears and the witchdoctor were.
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Post by HungryHunter on May 30, 2020 2:38:20 GMT
Lom did her best to help Melin out. Her tribe didn’t actually use a written language, so she scribbled out some pictograms. They seemed to work. The goblins and dwarves who saw it quickly began to pour back down the tunnels, returning to their homes. Finding Spears was easy. She was still with the shaman, bundling the last few bodies in tight wrappings. He looked up when Melin approached, simply nodding. He looked tired, but he smiled and patted Melin’s leg as he passed, leaving him with Spears.
“Oh, thank you! Yes, I will gladly accept those!” Cherry bowed to Elatha before suddenly being scooped up by Leor. “W-wait, I wanted Lom-” Her protests were cut short when he took off, carrying her down into the canyon. It was embarrassing. Leor held her so sweetly. It made her think of indecent things, like him carrying her over the threshold as a bride. She occupied herself by rummaging around in her purse until she caught hold of what she was looking for. She pulled loose a mummified hand, coated in a thin layer of wax, holding it like a touch. A tiny spark of her power was all that was required to activate it. The wax hissed and steamed, and a tightly curled fist unfolded, revealing a hovering flame that only she could see.
It wasn’t much, just a little brighter than your average candle, but she couldn’t see a thing without it. When Leor set her down, she gratefully bowed. “Thank you, kind sir. I appreciate your- what are you doing!?” She gaped as he stripped himself, pale silhouette burned into her vision even after she slammed her eyes shut. God, what was that between his legs!? That was what boys had!? She felt weird in every way, good and bad. She tried to purge the thought, and by the time she opened her eyes, he was at least in the water. “You cannot undress in front of another!” She called out to him. “People will think you uncouth, and I know that is not true!” Advice given, she waited for him to be beyond the range of her candle light to begin wrestling with her clothing.
It was a miserable process, everything sticking and clinging in the worst ways. Her lower layers were hardly any better, catching on bloody skin and their own dampness that had soaked through. Even her bare skin was clammy and reddened in spots, where every layer had protected her. She wasn’t disgusted by the fact it was blood. She had been covered in worse, digging around in the guts of hundreds of bodies over her life. But the sticky feeling over her body was hideous. She braced herself and stepped into the river, up to her shins.
She held back the gasp that forced itself onto her tongue. It was even colder than she expected, instantly making goosebumps erupt all over her body. Whining dramatically, she flopped the rest of the way in, knowing she’d never do it otherwise. Were she at full power it wouldn’t matter. She could just cast half-life upon herself and lose her body’s requirement for heat. But lacking in magic, she was forced to shudder as she scrubbed. It would all be worth it, when they made it to her aunt’s place. And maybe if she looked cute enough, Leor would pay attention to her! That would be nice.
Far above, in the village, Onyx sat atop the hill. He watched smoke spiral from buildings he had burned, corpses he made, a town destroyed. “We will rebuild.” Lom said, landing at his side. “You will be vulnerable until you do.” He grumbled, unwilling to let her assuage his guilt so easily. “I think our enemies will turn away when they see that.” Lom pointed at the blood golem that still stood at the base of the hill, infinitely flowing into itself. “You are seeking reasons to feel bad.” She sat next to him, hugging her knees to her chest. “I don’t need to seek them. I attempted to kill a man for simply speaking the truth to me. I am a tyrant.” Onyx considered, as he so often did, throwing the ring away. If he tossed it into the canyon, let the river claim it, he would never have to think about it again. “Moping won’t make it better. Improving yourself will.” Lom said.
“You don’t hate me for what I did today?” Onyx asked, increasingly surprised that she sat here with him. “No. I will hate you if you do not learn from it. You are a very brave man and I think you are a hero, but neither of those will prevent you from becoming a monster. Sometimes, they make it easier. I will stay by your side, and if you fall, I will help to stop you.” Lom leaned over and kissed Onyx’s cheek. He could feel it through the layers of bushy beard that lay there. “Thank you.” He said, standing and pulling her to her feet. “We should be gathering the others soon. Will you fly over the canyon and fetch them? I will await Melin’s return.” He asked and Lom nodded, hopping over the edge to fly down, approaching Elatha first. “Hello, Miss Draichota queen! You had clothes for Cherry, right? We don’t want her to be naked. Lots of pointy things down the tunnels.”
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Post by othus on May 30, 2020 22:18:03 GMT
Leor turned around in the water to hear what cherry was saying, had he done something wrong?! uncouth?!
"I-I'm sorryyyy!"- He said as the current dragged him out of sight, leaving the Poreal alone to his thoughts again. Maybe he should put a bit more effort into learning the rules, he didn't want to make people uncomfortable. her words stayed in his head for a while, had he betrayed her expectations of who he was by being naked? it was all too hard to process, maybe he should go back and apologize...unless that would also be wrong? what was he to do?!
No,no, he HAD to apologize, it was only natural he should. but, perhaps later, the people of this world seem to have some sort of negative reaction at his lack of clothes. Coming back right away would not be wise, after all, she could get angry if he found her naked as well.
Leor finally got out of the river and wiped his body clean. He felt great again, and the signs of any recent wounds were basically gone. He should thank Elatha and Melin for that as well. The young Poreal would wait a few more minutes for Cherry to get ready before he went back to her, hopefully she would be fully dressed by then. he in turn had the ancient gear to cover his nudity, surely that would be enough!
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Post by RedLenai on May 30, 2020 22:54:59 GMT
Elatha's first instinct was to cover with her hand the scars on her stomach, after all she couldn't cover her body by showing her back, she had many scars there too! - S-Sure. I'll give them to you
She said as she came out of the river and steam exhuded from her body, the water was being evaporated by her raising her own temperature, a quick way to avoid feeling cold or getting sick. From her pants she grabbed a small box and grabbed something really small before with blue flames it expanded to Cherry's size. Pants, shoes, underwear and a shirt. The clothes may be different from what she wear... these were quite bright, light blue and white. She gave them to Lom, so Cherry could dress.
And after she left, The Queen dressed as well. For herself she had also underwear, black leggins, a shirt, sweater and long boots. She was comfy on that. She was also feeling better, so she could help anyone again! As she stretched she noticed something at her feet. It was the follet that sacrificed itself! It was a rock follet now!
Hey! I thought you ended up a statue! - She said as she recognized the small creature. It began to squeal happily before blue flames began to escape from small cracks on its tough surface, it began to fall apart and the follet was a fire one once again.
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Post by TimePuppy on Jun 11, 2020 20:57:56 GMT
Melin saw the lines of resting goblins and dwarves with their wounds dressed, the satisfied shaman, and even Spears, content and with a sweaty brow, and he knew she'd earned him that dagger. He thanked the spearwoman and congratulated her on work well done. He wasn't sure what different combinations with the dagger would produce, especially combined with the new soul he'd taken, but it was bound to be useful.
Melin stuck around until she was completely done. Then she escorted him back to the village where the previous occupants were probably already trying to calculate all the necessary repairs.
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Post by HungryHunter on Jun 13, 2020 6:04:56 GMT
Cherry had managed to turn her skin back to a healthy pink before Lom came fluttering in. Going back to red, she quietly covered herself, nodding at the rocks alongside the stream. Lom seemed to get the idea and put them down there. Cherry groaned in frustration when she realized that meant Lom could see her perfectly well in the darkness. These people needed a serious talking-to when it came to manners. Well no. A conversation. One should always understand the cultural prerogatives of others, so long as they did not harm people. Even if they frustrated her to no end. More goosebump than girl, she stepped out of the water, doing her best to wring water out of her hair. She dug in her purse, drawing out a sponge and a few other absorbent products.
She managed to reduce soaked to damp before getting dressed. In the light of her mystic candle, she examined the outfit. It was a little odd. Soft and a little tight, it emphasized her figure more than her preferred outfit, but honestly the pants bothered her more. She liked skirts. It was weird wearing full pants instead of tights under a skirt, but this was what she had to deal with. She was glad at least for the scarf. It was chilly in these damp caverns. Having regained a spark of power, she took off, rising from the canyon floor with a dull green glow. She landed next to Lom, already regrouping with Melin. “I can’t believe the shaman let you keep that. He loves that thing. Good job!” She was saying, hovering over him. It seemed whatever magic she used to fly didn’t wear on her like Cherry’s.
Cherry whistled and her remaining undead came scurrying. Her zombies were gone, but she still had a ghoul and both skeletons, although one skeleton was missing an arm and a portion of its ribcage. Sherry came up in front, cartwheeling right up to her. She was no worse for wear, of course. Few things could put Sherry down, and Cherry would never let her get near them. “Find the body of the fallen ghoul and eat it if it has not been taken already.” She said to the ghoul and it loped off. “Gather me unclaimed dwarven corpses. Only those wearing armor.” The skeletons turned on a dime and went walking, unwavering focus on the ground as they went.
Cherry sighed and stretched, feeling out the limits of her power. She would have a chance to recharge soon with any luck, and she wanted to make the most out of her power before then. The time her creatures took to gather up bodies didn’t stress her too much. She was letting everybody gather. Everybody was there by the time she had 8 mostly-intact dwarven bodies to work with and her ghoul came shambling back, body swelling and steaming. He had consumed the cursed flesh of his companion and begun to ascend. Muscles pulsated, bulged, tore grey skin to create red stripes across his body. Extended jaws became like a toothy beak, shadowed by a steeply hunched back. What once were hands were now twisted, bony claws, all flexion gone in favor of rigid, sharp blades.
He nuzzled her as he passed and she ran a hand down his back, careful to avoid the sharp ends of his spine jutting out of his back. She had lost one, but now her other was more beautiful, more perfect. He could reach his pinnacle. That was the beautiful thing about the undead. They took the grim nature of a corpse and brought to it a new life, a real life. They were pure creatures. Without thought of tomorrow, without pain, without hate. Animal souls in rotting skin. Unfortunately, she could only grant the simplest of lives to these dwarves. A touch opened their eyes, green light within. Perhaps there was some special undead unique to dwarves that she could research, but there was simply no time. Today, they were zombies all. They rose at a command, gathering her forces. The ghast stayed back, air sizzling around it. It had a corrosive aura that would harm her allies as much as her enemies. Speaking of her allies, it was time to speak to them. “Onyx! About my granny!” She called. He seemed to take a moment to catch on to what she was talking about.
“Ah yes. The lich.” He didn’t sound excited to see her. “Yes. She is very close. Just another stretch of tunnel to her home. She could present us with a lot of aid. She is an expert necromancer and surely has gathered many artifacts that could be useful to us.” Cherry felt that her voice was going into the territory of pleading. “Please, my granny is a good lady, I promise.” “I don’t think you’re lying, not after helping us with… that.” Onyx gestured to the blood hulk that still loomed over the hill. “But a lich is not to be trusted under any circumstances. Are there any other ways down?” He asked Lom. “Well, the canyon has an opening to the lowest levels we know, but it is extremely dangerous and nearly entirely unknown. I really would rather go through the known route, even if there is a lich. But we can ask for input.” She looked back at everybody gathered, letting them weigh in.
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Post by othus on Jun 17, 2020 6:34:59 GMT
Leor came flying back just in time to see people gathered. Good, that probably meant it was okay for him to finally be back. As Lom suggested listening to everyone's input Leor stayed quiet, it was only natural she meant the opinion of actual people and not his. He looked around as he waited for someone to say something. In the meantime, Leor walked next to Elatha and hugged her arm while trying to stay as quiet as possible, he had worried a lot about her well being, but it would seem she was fine. Leor looked at the follet with curiosity, completely lost in the look of the flames.
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Post by RedLenai on Jun 18, 2020 16:19:01 GMT
Elatha reunited with the rest, with the small follet on her shoulder, she still had a lingering pain on her body but it was tolerable now, the water has helped her along with her magic that was directed to healing her once again. Cherry seemed all right with the clothes she gave her, despite it was entirely different to what she was originally wearing. Elatha didn't had anything that matched her tastes so she had it hard as well. But better something than nothing, right?
As she listened to the mention of the Lich, Leor was hugging her arm, he looked adorable while doing that. But as well, she noticed the interest the boy had on her small companion. The follet stood up on the woman's shoulder and jumped to the boy's head, curious as well about him.
Seems you are really interested in each other - She said with a big smile, the follet responded with a chirp sound - You can keep it if you want it, Leor - She told Leor before speaking to Lom and the rest - Maybe we should take a route that everyone can fit in... and guess I owe the girl an apology for my prejudice... So I rather accompany her to her granny's - She said with honesty and truth, she felt bad for her prior behavior outside the mountain.
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Post by TimePuppy on Jun 23, 2020 21:57:37 GMT
"I think he expects the dagger back when we're done solving this problem," Melin told Lom. "But I'll use it as best I can in the meantime." He went with Lom until they were all gathered together again and discussing their next move. It was quite a conundrum, though not for the same reason the dwarves thought. Melin had never met a lich and was curious about how one would act. The issue came in the form of the speedy route or the safe route.
"Considering the predicament, going the faster way seems tempting, but I think the safer route is a better option." Melin said. "If we rush through the danger, we could be weakened too much to do what we need. On the other hand, taking the safer route might get us the aid of a powerful magician. So I agree with Miss Elatha. Let's take the longer path."
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Post by HungryHunter on Jun 24, 2020 1:52:56 GMT
“It seems you are all on the same page. Cherry, stay up with me and direct us with your map.” Onyx grumbled. He didn’t like it, passing through the lair of a lich. But after the disaster in the village, he had to trust in the judgement of his people. Well, most of his people. “Leor, can I talk?” He hung back for a second as Cherry began leading them out into the rugged terrain, stumbling over mushrooms and stubby stalagmites.
“You are allowed to have an opinion on what we do, Leor. I want to know that everybody is okay with what we’re doing.” He paused a moment to piece his words together right. “I am aware that I have not been a good leader, but it is easier to improve when you tell me what you want. Do you understand?” It wasn’t long before they were headed downwards again, the great plain becoming an uneven slope, pits and crevices everywhere.
“Everybody who can’t fly, hold onto somebody who can!” Onyx called out, taking Lom’s hand as he skirted around a fathomless crack, a mere couple feet wide but ineffably deep. Cherry glanced back, blushing. “Leor… I can hover, but I’m saving my magic. Can I hold your hand?” She asked, making Sherry look up at her. “Oh yes, climb up.” She said and the tiny skeleton sprung high to land perfectly on her shoulders. “Rest of you, follow directly behind me. If I fall, halt.” She said to the undead. The zombies especially would have a difficult time here. They were not intelligent enough to not simply walk off a cliff, and only followed simple orders. She would likely lose several going down. It nearly brought a tear to her eyes. She wanted to experiment further! She was sure there were cool dwarven zombies to make!
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Post by othus on Jun 24, 2020 4:00:55 GMT
Leor was confused, keep it? as in, becoming his owner? The Poreal reached for the Follet and looked at it, giving it a big smile.
"I don't want to own you, but...would you like to be my friend?"- He told it as he put the Follet on his shoulder.
"Feel free to jump off whenever you want, alright?"
Before he could do anything else, Onyx called for him. Leor's smile faded, he stiffened as he paid attention to the dwarf
"Of course my lord, what can I do for you?"- Leor listened to Onyx, trying his best to reply adequately
"I will follow you anywhere without complaining, my lord, I have learned questioning your decisions is...unwise"-He said as he reached for his lower back. Leor walked away, soon to be met by Cherry.
"Alright, please leave it to me!"- Leor said with a gentle smile. he reached behind Cherry's ear and gave her a small kiss, he then offered her his hand.
"If it hurts please tell me, I could instead carry you like last time, Cherry."
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Post by RedLenai on Jun 24, 2020 4:12:42 GMT
The small Follet chirmed, its light increasing for a second, it seemed happy. Climbing back to the top of Leor's head it just sat there chirping from time to time. When Leor approached Onyx, it only waved its tiny hand greeting him, despite the dwarf scared it before, follets were creatures without resentment. It waved Cherry as well when Leor went to her. It tilted its head when she noticed the creature Cherry carried as well, without understanding Sherry was a skeleton.
Elatha stretched her arms as she listened she went ahead but despise of that she couldn't help but to listen to Leor and Onyx, the kid seemed to need to learn new things... but well, with Onyx losing control before anyone would doubt if they were on the poreal's position. Whatever Leor did after the mission, would probably be him being swallowed by the world... Elatha's motherly instinct was kicking, a really loud voice on her head told her to take the boy with her. As they went near the dead end, she raised her voice - I can make pentagrams if that makes everybody feel a bit safer - with a hand movement, a light blue pentagram appeared, celtic symbols and ornaments decorated it.
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Post by TimePuppy on Jun 24, 2020 21:45:23 GMT
The ruined ground probably presented the most challenge to Melin. It wasn't a matter of athleticism for once, it was just that he had no flying partner. Onyx had Lom, Cherry and Leor stuck together despite both being able to fly, and he didn't remember Elatha being able to fly. Cherry's horde of zombies also wasn't very helpful, crowding the already patchy ground they were supposed to walk on. Luckily, Elatha was nice enough to make barriers with pentagrams to stop people from falling, for which Melin thanked her.
"Are lichs usually found in caverns like these, or did your grandma specifically choose this place for some reason?" Melin asked Cherry.
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Post by HungryHunter on Jun 25, 2020 7:12:33 GMT
Onyx grimaced when Leor responded. It was grim, but accurate. He deserved that. He looked to Lom for advice, but she just shook her head. “Alright.” He said, face going stiff as he turned back to the path ahead. He could see perfectly well in this darkness, but the road ahead was foreboding, two great bone-white walls rising ahead, only a narrow gap between them. “My people don’t enter that. No life.” Lom pointed, showing how the mushrooms very suddenly stopped growing on the precipice of the entrance. “No food and it gives us the creeps.”
Cherry wasn’t ready to direct them just yet. She was too busy gasping when Leor kissed her ear. Was that true love’s kiss!? No, that was on the lips! “Ah, uh, thank you!?” She mumbled. “Huh? Oh, liches live wherever they want. Simply disguising themselves as humans is easy enough when going out into the world. We have a little settlement of them under our HQ back in Scotland, kind of a retirement home. My granny though, she was always a recluse. She probably chose this spot so that she would be left alone. And maybe for research potential. I’m sure there’s a lot of neat things down here for a necromancer.” She shrugged and began to lead again.
The walls here never totally cut them off from the black sky above, giving the impression of jagged teeth about to close overhead. It was a maze in there, but not an inavigable one. There were symbols scratched into the walls, clearly intended to provide some sort of direction. Cherry checked them against her map, nodding and pointing at each turn. It was a surprisingly short time before they emerged into an open space. It was a courtyard of sorts. An ivory canopy stretched overhead, held up by skeletal arms the size of trees. The space around them was thoroughly decorated with statues, seemingly carved from the glittery white stone of the maze. None of them were particularly good, with rough features and lacking detail. They all held trinkets. Portraits, porcelain figures, and other decorations decked them.
Onyx had a passing familiarity with the material culture of humans, and they looked Eastern European for the most part. Past the statues, there was a garden surrounding a humble cottage, pieced together from bones and rock. Skeletons tended a bumpy mass, mostly dwarves and goblins with a few other races thrown in. Onyx leaned in as they passed the pale field, gagging when he realized just what it was. “That’s genius! She’s found a way to cultivate raw flesh, all the way down here!? Think of the implications!” Cherry called out. The noise caught the attention of the bony attendants, and they were surrounded in an instant, more skeletons coming together from hidden bones laid on the ground to join the mob. “So you bastards got in here, eh!? I suppose I’ll have to send your bodies back and kill a few more of your buddies as a message!” The voice from the cottage could barely be called as such. It was a force. Sand whipping over the pyramids. The feeling you were being watched. The smell of an old closet. It was impossible to sound like those things, and yet she did.
Wrapped in gauzy layers of cloth, the lich stepped forth, eyes glowing with an unnatural light, scarves and robes floating from the thrumming magical energy her body gave off. “Granny Evita!” Cherry called, seemingly not concerned about the skeletons at all. “...Cherry? You got my letter! Come here girl, give your grandmother a kiss!” The skeletons parted and Cherry ran giggling to her great great grandmother, hugging her tight and kissing her zygomatic bone. “These are all my friends! We’re trying to stop the Uranium Elemental crawling up this mountain. And whoever sent it, it’s looking now.” “Ah yes, that. Come in, come in, we can discuss that over tea.” Evita pulled Cherry inside and Onyx quickly followed. He half-expected the cottage to be larger on the inside, but it wasn’t, really. A single room, crowded with shelves and a desk scattered with papers and lab equipment.
“Tea, tea, I must have tea somewhere…” The lich mumbled to herself, head swiveling back to look at Melin. Her eyes flared and one dimmed, giving the impression of a raised eyebrow. “You are followed by souls. Another necromancer? My, hasn’t Cherry found herself a grand party. Your freshest one doesn’t seem thrilled I must say.” She chuckled, a sandpaper sound that scoured the ears.
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Post by TimePuppy on Jun 27, 2020 20:52:23 GMT
The perforated floors soon gave way to an artisanal garden of bone and flesh. Melin was accustomed to death, but this location was unnerving body horror. Yet it was also intriguing. Giant bones and farmed meat. That someone was capable of creating this was impressive. The unsettling feeling prevailed when the voice boomed through the garden and the skeletons turned their attention toward the group.
The lich looked about what Melin imagined it would. Her behavior when she recognized Cherry didn't match the image at all. She went from a horrifying being to a horrifying yet sweet grandma. Melin followed her into the cabin with Cherry and Onyx. There she proved just how in tune with the dead she is, sensing the souls he was carrying.
"An animancer," Melin corrected her before she warned him about the goblin he acquired. "The newly dead tend to be rowdier. He should settle down when he gets used to his state." He patted the belt holding his souls. "You must have some quite a bit of experience dealing with souls if you could notice it so quickly. I imagine that was a necessary field of study to remove your own soul?" Melin couldn't see Elvida's soul. The way he understood it, putting your soul into a phylactery was an important step in becoming a lich. And then hiding it so you couldn't be killed was the most important step. Though the thought now occurred to him, could a lich's soul be used by an animancer? That would be an interesting experiment to perform, though he imagined it would be quite rude to ask someone to be a test subject.
"You must be quite well learned in general, considering the achievements we saw outside. Did you write all of those?" He pointed at the paper-filled shelves and desk.
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