|
Post by blackghoulmon on Dec 7, 2016 16:39:11 GMT -5
((This is it for now, Flutter.))
"She's right, we'll get it all taken care of," Urasina reassured the villagers. "And for now, there's no wraiths left in the village," Pyoga cut in. "Get yourselves organized while you have this lull." Urasina took some of the supplies on her back, leaving some for Doe as well, before lowering her dome. "OK, we're all set now?" she asked. "We have to be sure."
|
|
|
Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Dec 7, 2016 16:49:42 GMT -5
((I've gotta go after this response, too- so this actually works out )) Doe grinned, feeling the need to say something stupid but lighthearted. "We'll certainly find out if this is enough in the tomb. Ruin. Thing." Her metal plates formed semi-solid saddlebags to contain enough food and water to sustain them for what could, likely, be a few days. She wasn't pleased with Liin's assessment of how long this was going to take, but knew from prior experience that she was probably right. She usually was. She let out a long sigh, took in the sunlight. "This is going to suck." There wasn't really a glimmer of hope there, she thought to herself. Liin double-checked the meager supplies, bemoaning the fact that there wasn't more variety. She liked bread and everything, but most of the desert bread she'd had in the past looked rather similar to sand and tasted much the same. "This is going to have to do, for now, unless Chupe feels the need to pop in. It probably won't because I don't even think it's in this realm right now, but we're just going to have to grin and bear it." She forced a smile on her face and Simi rolled her eyes. The pastel mare also sighed. "I'm with Doe. This is going to suck."
|
|
|
Post by blackghoulmon on Dec 8, 2016 16:58:11 GMT -5
((Gonna be poofy. RL stuff, ya know...))
"Even deep in an old tomb, my connections can get supplies to us," Urasina grinned again. "Portals, and all that fun stuff." With that, the five mares headed out of the village. "We never really had a chance to introduce ourselves properly," Urasina went on. "As I said earlier, I'm Urasina, one of the Lost Desert's best mercenaries and boss of a Unis-only battling circuit. My sister here, Pyoga, is a former lady of the court of Brightvale Castle, and now one of my apprentices. My magic is Light magic, which I can tell is also yours, Aerliin. With some extra-dimensional dragon magic tossed in for good measure. Pyoga's is telekinesis and dream-reading." She looked at Doe, not bothered at all by the other mare being taller than her. "Is your magic metallurgy or something? That armor you've got is constantly changing shape and consistency. Pretty cool."
|
|
|
Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Dec 8, 2016 17:14:42 GMT -5
((I'm poofy because of the other RP I've got going and drawing and also RL stuff. XD))
Doe grinned, as well. "Our demon bird friend is also one of the portal-making types." She looked at her armor as she walked, unimpressed with it. "I don't really think there's a name for it. It's as much a part of me as my mane and hoof feathering, or your wings are to you." She thought of it, bitterly. "I'm a shapeshifter, though. If something has substance, I can borrow its form. Scared the crap out of Liin, once, when I made myself a pretty close replica of her."
"No, that wasn't even close, because I'm not blue and silver. Doe doesn't lose her colors when she shifts, so she's pretty recognisable in any form. Really lights up a room, sometimes." Liin chuckled.
"Shut your mouth!" Doe hissed. "I thought we agreed to not talk about that again!" She regained her composure. "My friends here and I travel through different realms and time and space. I guess you could call us mercenaries, but honestly, most of our problem solving involves someone causing rifts in the time-space continuum."
"Doe has some... experience with these things. We're not a hundred percent sure on what her life was before, but sometimes she says stuff that makes you realize she's not only smarter than she lets on, but also is about as native to Neopia as Dreamsever," Liin added. Doe didn't object or react to the accusation. "Simi is a master with that spooky blade you've probably noticed tied to her leg. Or didn't notice. It's hard to explain."
|
|
|
Post by blackghoulmon on Dec 8, 2016 17:59:51 GMT -5
"Magical armor that's a part of you? Sounds cool," Urasina remarked. "I have magical armor, but I have to summon it. And shapeshifting? Now that's an ability I'd enjoy, but Light magic is no good at that. Sure, Light magic can create illusions and affect the very magic around a Neopian, but it won't let me transform." Then she looked very concerned. "Dimension-hopping? It can be done so... casually? That's worrying." She stopped, realizing she needed to clarify. "In case you were wondering about my appearance, several years ago a dragon from another dimension appeared here in the Lost Desert. She caused catastrophic damage before I managed to kill her, single-handedly. In doing so, I absorbed her essence, which changed me into what I am now, as well as gave me access to a lot of her magic and skills. The fact that you three can travel across the dimensions so easily worries me... What other creatures from unknown worlds could invade Neopia, if it's that easy?"
|
|
|
Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Dec 8, 2016 18:21:32 GMT -5
Doe shrugged. She never thought much of the armor that weighed nothing, but at the same time, felt like a certain psychic weight was on it. "I don't really know the cost of getting it. I remember being a filly, and then a decade ago I woke up with this armor and everyone I ever loved had died of old age." She smiled to offset the depressing nature of what she'd just said. "I've gotten better. But as for dimension hopping, ha! While the dragon picked the wrong mare to mess with, obviously, I think we're all lucky it was just a dragon. Most interdimensional portals are guarded by gatekeepers. Our own supply source is one of these gatekeepers."
"But it definitely wasn't Chupe that let the dragon through- he's the guardian of my realm," Simi interjected. "It doesn't let anything through unless they answer a ridiculous riddle." She flicked her ears back.
"My husband told me about the riddle you had to answer, Simi. The answer was 'towel.' One word, and you wouldn't let Kin help you." Liin was almost indignant. "Gatekeepers have one job- keep things where they're supposed to be. Simi had trouble with the riddle because she wasn't actually meant to go through the portal. But my love saw her plight and helped her through. He's not allowed back in the realm of Dreams, any longer." She spoke wistfully and gently about her husband. Doe made a gagging sound.
|
|
|
Post by blackghoulmon on Dec 8, 2016 18:29:09 GMT -5
"This certainly had nothing to do with a gatekeeper," Urasina replied, feeling a bit better, but still concerned. "It was due to... to... oh gosh... Pyoga, how did Kouren put it?" The Peophin thought for several seconds. "I think she said... magical particulate disintegration?" she said at length. "Yeah, that sounds about right," the Uni agreed before turning back to Doe. "The way I was told, Neopia and potentially millions of other dimensions brush up against one another, separated by barriers that normally can't be crossed. The barrier between Neopia and wherever that dragon came from disintegrated for some reason, and the dragon came barging through it. It promptly reformed, so nothing else got through, but that also trapped the dragon here. Clearly there wasn't a gatekeeper holding Neopia and that realm apart... yet, the dragon didn't use a portal, so who knows. It's a mystery. I certainly wasn't going to ask her what the heck she was doing in my homeland when she was trying to kill me."
|
|
|
Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Dec 8, 2016 18:58:26 GMT -5
Doe nodded. "These portals are... meshed together, like a very fine net. Something presses against it even a little too hard and there's a fire-breathing dragon razing all the little villages. Not the first time it's happened- just the first time it's happened in the Lost Desert." She paused, correcting herself. "Likely the first time it's happened in Neopia. Bigger things push harder against the veil."
"It's lucky that the rift didn't last long. Things tend to not push on their own- there are scarier things out there that were probably pushing your Jill-dragon," Aerlliin surmised. "If there are any other complications from the rift, it'll be hundreds of years out. The Jill was like a stone thrown into a puddle." Liin squinted, sensing the life force that once was the Jill but was now also Urasina. It was interesting. "I suspect you already feel the ripples, considering you were at the very center of it."
"There are only gatekeepers at proper portals- you've probably seen them, but didn't recognise them. A rabbit that stays in the same area for way too long. An obscure rock that is untouched by weather and time. For all we know, we could be walking into a pocket dimension," Simi said crassly. Liin's ears shot up.
"We are not walking into a pocket dimension! It's just a magical labyrinth, I can feel it. Look- we're already here." Liin pointed to a rather unassuming tomb entrance. Were she a less-educated mare, she would have thought it was a cave. Claw marks that looked suspciously like the Scorchio's lined the entrance.
|
|
|
Post by blackghoulmon on Dec 9, 2016 16:12:56 GMT -5
Urasina gave Liin an incredulous stare. "So... you're implying that there will be another invasion from that dragon's realm, a few hundred years in the future?" she asked. "Oh brother... At least that will give me something to look forward to after the rest of my family dies off." That last line was delivered with enough sarcasm to crush rocks. Pyoga felt the need to explain. "Urasina became immortal late last month, and she's really struggling with it," she said sadly. The Uni in question grunted, then turned her focus to the tomb entrance. "OK, there could be traps. Let me take a look." She fired a solar ray through the entrance. Nothing happened. She fired another one. Same result. She fired two in rapid succession. Again, nothing. She grunted again and fired a whole flurry of them at different angles. And once more, nothing. "Seems safe, but you can never be too careful," she admitted. A brilliant ball of Light magic appeared, floating above her back, and with a silent command she moved it in front of her and sent it through the opening, carefully following after it.
|
|
|
Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Dec 9, 2016 17:18:14 GMT -5
Liin flinched a little. "My mother in law was born immortal- she's only now realizing how bad loss can be. Before, she didn't care to love. It's a demon thing, I'm told. The last year has been... difficult for her," she offered. "I know it's no consolation, but there are other immortals out there to befriend. I think that's really her only solace- she married a mortal. Most of her children were mortal. We know her youngest is immortal-"
"As often as that filly blows herself up, she better be," Simitra interrupted. Liin flicked her ears back and glared, displeased.
"The jury's still out on my husband. He wants to be there for his mother. I'll have to make a choice, too, but I'm leaning towards the whole aging and getting old thing. Rayneance is just ancient and bitter." She thought of her mentor, who might have been bitter once, as well, but now seemed to take life as it was. She wasn't certain if Jariev was actually immortal or if tree sprites were just demi-gods, and that wasn't a question you wanted to ask.
"Ance is bitter because she lost half of the people she loved in one fell swoop," Doe said. "Not all immortals are bitter, angry shut-ins nursing grain alcohol bottles by the gallon." Doe was impressed by the multiple volleys of magic. "Life, even eternal life, is what you make of it. Love while you can and who you can." She shifted uncomfortably when both Simitra and Liin stopped walking into the ancient crypt to stare at her, mouths agape. "Now let's go obliterate some curses, my horn is feeling twitchy."
|
|
|
Post by blackghoulmon on Dec 9, 2016 18:13:09 GMT -5
Urasina huffed. Pyoga, however, shook her head sadly. "She understands, and she knows you mean well," she said apologetically to Doe and Liin. "She's just... struggling. Thankfully, her husband is immortal as well, so they'll always have each other." The Light ball lit up the first room well. It wasn't very large, but it was empty. There was an unsealed door on the other side of the room. However, the door was upside-down AND instead of touching the floor, it was touching the CEILING. "Now how in Fyora's name are we supposed to get up to, and through, an upside-down door way up there?" Urasina huffed again. "...What's that?" Pyoga asked, gesturing towards a large and VERY obvious symbol on the floor. "There's another one on the ceiling." The Uni looked from one symbol to the other and back again. "I'd call TRAP, but traps aren't usually THAT obvious..." She muttered something under her breath and a column of solidified Light magic appeared, hovering vertically over the symbol on the floor. Then it THUMPED down on the symbol with significant force... and nothing happened. "Well, here goes nothing," Urasina grumbled, stepping onto the symbol. In a flash, she was suddenly standing ON THE CEILING.
|
|
|
Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Dec 9, 2016 18:46:15 GMT -5
Liin nearly rotated her head in an effort to grasp what, exactly, was going on with the room. "Gravity magic!" she squealed with delight. "I'd join you up there, but I think there's probably a method to this." She glanced at the tiles on the ceiling, noting a shimmering effect on some of them. "I think you're going to have to do some puzzle work up there. It's a little cliche, but it appears that not all the tiles up there are the same. Step on the wrong one and the rest of us down here might be in for a world of hurt." She tested her wings, but all it did was move the air around the dank room. "And flight magic is out. I'm actually jealous, I usually get to do these things," she said with a pout.
Simi stepped off to the side a little, jumpy even though there were no wraiths to be seen. Doing so triggered what could only be described as a screeching alarm, and she hit the floor. "Oh, butternut, how are you guys not hearing this?!" Doe walked over to the square, careful of where her massive hooves landed.
"On the plus side, any 'wrong' tiles you step on seem to only trigger the effect for you. That's actually really cool. So yeah, unless you want to be curled up in a ball like Simi, I'd still watch your step. But you don't really need to worry about hurting us." She noted, with humor, that even though she herself wasn't affected by the magical alarm, her armor was. It rippled with an almost furious rhythm, dancing and glittering under Urasina's light. Doe replicated the spell, quickly sending six sparkling balls of magelight around the room. One side revealed a spike trap, and the other looked scorched. Doe's eyes widened so much they almost lit up. "On second thought..."
|
|
|
Post by blackghoulmon on Dec 9, 2016 19:00:02 GMT -5
"Ugh, puzzles are NOT my cup of tea," Urasina huffed yet again. Still, she knew that it was up to her to figure this out. Using solar rays to trigger the various tiles was her preferred method of figuring these kinds of things out, but she wasn't sure what was going to happen if she tripped the wrong one. Then she glanced at the door, noting that there was some kind of diagram above it. She squinted to get a better view, not wanting to move from her spot. It was a bunch of tile marks, and some of them were darkened. After a minute of studying the markings, she realized that they corresponded to the tiles on the ceiling. The one she was standing on had a red mark on it; none of the others did. So that marked the gravity tile. The tile directly to her left was darkened on the diagram, but when she looked down, she saw that one hind hoof was already on that tile, and nothing was happening. It took her another several seconds to realize that the diagram was mirrored. "OK, nobody down there move," she called to the others. "I THINK I've got this." With that, she began to fire solar rays at the non-darkened tiles. After hitting every one, there was a rumbling sound and the gravity tile on the floor lit up. "That should do it. Come join me up here and we'll move on."
|
|
|
Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Dec 9, 2016 19:13:43 GMT -5
Liin, a little too happily, stepped on the gravity tile. She giggled when she was turned upside down, but was still upright. "You've got to hand it to the ancients- they really didn't want to make this sort of spelunking easy. Well. At least the second time. Though I don't think they expected the puzzle to be solved in quite that way- perhaps a group of mages did it, not suspecting it would be mages come to the rescue." She still watched where she put her feet, however.
Simi whined, still hearing the echos of the trap she'd stepped onto. "Yeah, and if that's the case, the next puzzle room is going to be twice as hard and will likely require a sword, not a spell." Mostly, she wanted to make up for her own folly, but knew puzzles were definitely not her thing, either. "Actually, I think Doe can take the next one. That metal makes her pretty invulerable to- what the hell is this." The next room appeared to be a chasm, far longer than it was wide. Dreamsever tensed in anticipation. "No wraiths down there, but there is... something. Dreamsever feels hungry."
"You and that spooky sword. Gimme a second-" the large unicorn sent six more sparking magelight balls down at once- revealing a spike pit and what appeared to be thousands of glowing eyes. "Oh. Well, this should be fun. Don't pull the chains on this side of the room." She spoke of several wall chains that looked like any one of them could raise a bridge that wasn't there- and one on the opposite side of the chasm that was rusted and looked rather bloody. "Clever. But not in my magical repertoire."
|
|
|
Post by blackghoulmon on Dec 9, 2016 19:19:40 GMT -5
"I don't think the ancients had anything to do with this," Urasina commented. "This is the wraiths' doing, remember?" She eyed the chasm warily. "Well, since my flight is not powered by magic, I could fly across. Maybe that chain over there will open the way?" "Is... is that blood... all over it?" Pyoga whimpered. "Looks like it," the Uni admitted. "Well, if we'd rather not take any risks, I can fly across and then open portals to get the rest of us across."
|
|
|
Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Dec 9, 2016 19:32:22 GMT -5
"Fair enough," Liin stated. She walked along the edge of the chasam, nonplussed when whatever was below began hissing. "Oh, they're mad. Yeah, let's not risk making them angrier. Flight might just include that- there's not really anything to land on, on that side. You might be immortal, but the rest of us are very squishy and prone to, well, mortal things. Those things probably have poison scythe claws and spit acid or something." She walked back over to the rest of the group. "Simitra, you might be right. This might actually require a sword. How good are you with throwing that thing?"
"Huh? You're crazy, right?" Simi raised an eyebrow. "I saved your butt with him, didn't I?" She unwrapped the gruesome blade for the first time. "You want me to do, what, with Dreamsever?" Liin bit her lip again.
Doe hunched slightly, to where her eyes were even with the chain. "Huh. There's a finger attached to that chain. I think we're not actually meant to pull any of them- obvious things being too obvious and all that. But you see above it? There's a button. Simi needs to hit that with the dream thing blade and bada bing, bada boom, nobody gets hurt. Probably." She grinned, and then sat down on her rump. "But it's totally up to you guys."
|
|
|
Post by blackghoulmon on Dec 9, 2016 19:40:39 GMT -5
"If you think she can hit that button by throwing her whatchamacallit at it, then I'm game for that," Urasina remarked, "But if she can't, I'll thump it." Pyoga shuddered when Doe mentioned the finger stuck in the chain. "I hope I'm not going to be sick..." she groaned. "I don't want to know what happens if you barf when your personal gravity is reversed and you're standing on the ceiling..." Urasina snorted in amusement. "Will you throw up, or throw down?" she quipped. Pyoga groaned.
|
|
|
Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Dec 9, 2016 19:51:52 GMT -5
Simi snorted. "You can bet your last Neopoint I can hit that! Mostly because if I don't stick it, we're going to have to call Chupe. And its magic never comes without a price, so I'd rather not miss." She aimed the blade, watching as it writhed and twisted over itself. "Prepare to be amazed, this is actually going to be really cool." She flipped herself upside down, balancing the blade on her fluke. "If I don't counteract the gravity spell properly, I have to beg a demon to please get my scimitar back." She exhaled and closed her eyes, and then launched her fluke- and the blade- forward. It had, at some point, reversed itself and stuck cleanly into a slot. The pastel mare righted herself, grinning. "Told you I could do it."
"Yes, and now we'll never hear the end of it. And it's probably a good thing, because I'd rather not actually see someone throw up- or down or sideways. Has anyone ever done a study of vomitus in situ?" Liin puzzled. "Oh hey, look at that. A bridge is coming up. Or down. I don't like this game," she admitted. Doe let out a hearty laugh.
|
|
|
Post by blackghoulmon on Dec 10, 2016 11:29:11 GMT -5
"Nice shot," Urasina commented. Once the bridge had appeared, she placed one front hoof on it to test it. It seemed sturdy. So she placed both front hooves on it and stomped. It held. With a shrug, she hurried across. Whatever was down below hissed angrily, but didn't attack. No sooner had Urasina crossed the bridge than Pyoga rocketed across it, coming to a stop of the other side, quivering a little. The Uni nuzzled the Peophin, attempting to calm her down, before moving into the next room. This one was very small, and the only thing visible was another gravity rune. This one was glowing, so it was active. Urasina cautiously examined it, then stepped on it, winding up back on the floor. Pyoga followed suit. Once the other three mares had joined them, she pushed into the next room. It was large and appeared empty, but in the light cast by her Light orb, Urasina thought she saw something shimmering. She stopped in her tracks and guided the orb around. What she saw worried her. "NOBODY go past me," she warned the others. "There are multiple mono-filament wires strung across the room at various angles. You don't need to have read any adventuring guides to know what will happen if we trip on a wire. We need to find a way through them."
|
|
|
Post by Flutter (Frosty) on Dec 10, 2016 14:24:07 GMT -5
Simi let out a loud sigh. "Mono-filaments. Magnificent. Considering I don't feel like being blown up, anyone have any idea how to get past this without setting off all the others?" She set Dreamsever back into its sleeve, letting it wrap around her leg again. "Doe, those are metal, right?"
The big mare sighed, and would have rolled her eyes if there had been any visible effort. "I'm a shapeshifter and you think my most interesting quality is my metallurgy. For shame, Simi." She was unsurprised when Simi showed no shame. "Must be nice to not have that little voice in your head," she murmured. "I'll shift into something smaller and see if there's a way we can get around this without triggering a KT level extinction event." She whispered a couple words and appeared to have vanished.
"She's a fly. I don't know where she picked that form up," Liin stated, "but it's more useful than one would think." She cast a singular ball of light, but not of her own accord. "And Doe, can you get out of my ear? I can hear you at any size. Just because you're a fly right now doesn't mean you need to act like one. Ball's all yours, flylady." She sat down, fearful of any movement at all. Her ball of light wasn't as bright as one of Doe's was, but it was small and allowed Doe to carry it through the room. "Doe says she can't use her own light in this room- because it's metal-based, it's apt to ignite something rather than actually light something."
The ball of light (and the fly) moved about the room, as though the light were the creature studying the filaments. Simi thought the whole thing would be really pretty were they not in peril if the fly hit something she wasn't supposed to. "This is getting intense. She give you any updates?" Liin shook her head.
"She does say, however, that if anyone sees anything interesting while she's moving through the room, please speak up. Her vision is pretty fragmented right now."
|
|