"Indeed I do," Nobunaga replied, nodding in response to the Kyrinth's query, "The village elder already desires to restablish a relationship with you. Simply informing him of your willingness and the proposed conditions should go a long way to beginning further discussion and negotiation."
It was not as if this relationship would be formed within a day, after all. Considerable work would have to be done to establish it.
"It may be prudent to offer an idea of the knowledge you possess to teach, and how it could be of benefit," the petite girl continued, "I would avoid offering too much, of course, as the purpose is to make them desire more. The wisdom of one who is one with nature could provide them with so much, and... well..."
A small smile on her lips, Nobunaga gestured to the faun.
"I believe winning the children over may be remarkably easy. Certainly, my companion seems to have been won over."
Putting a face to natural concepts, especially quite an endearing one, could be quite useful for these endeavors.
"But as you mentioned, those who wish to work against you in service of this foolish 'God of Knowledge are still an obstacle," she began, with a wave of one hand. After a moment, the black-haired girl glanced towards the other person who had arrived.
How foolish he was. This matter was hardly so simple.
"Punishing, or even killing them, will not solve the problem at hand," Nobunaga continued, "It is impossibly naïve to think belief in a god would cease because of that. Faith, even when it is self-destructive, is hardly so logical. No, rather... It's not simply the believers we must target."
Nobunaga's smile twisted into a smirk.
"Our goal is simple: We must slay the God of Knowledge."
Killing a god was no easy feat, much less accomplishing it in five days. However...
"It's not as if I believe we can achieve this outcome with violence," the small girl added, "Hardly. Rather, there's more then one way to kill a god, is there not? If worship of a god becomes undesirable, if people suddenly find no reason to pursue what a deity offers... is that not death as well?"
At the very least, it would be death within this village... and a god of knowledge without wisdom or care was a reckless threat to any society that attempted to worship them. The complete loss of such a deity, replaced by those who pursue knowledge with their own capabilities rather then listening to a god, or at the very least learning from someone who possessed wisdom as well as knowledge...
"Rather then simply striking down the cult dedicated to this fool, we must strike down the idea of him in the first place. We much make it so he is utterly without appeal. This is no easy task, but if it can be achieved, then his influence here will fail."
Eroding confidence in a leader was an excellent way to collapse his support, after all.
"But in order to stand a chance of achieving this goal, I must know everything I can about this God of Knowledge," Nobunaga said, "And I must be able to exploit this knowledge and craft it into a weapon with which to slaughter him. At least in the minds of the people of this village."
Novak wasn't sure what that thing was in the lit room, but he knew it wasn't Leannah. Being unsure how dangerous it was, he opted to avoid confronting it for the time being, moving back away from the light emanating from the altar room. There wasn't much else he could do in the laboratory, not unless he wanted to risk drawing that thing's attention. If he were to try and remove the barricade that held the other door shut, that thing would likely hear the ruckus of heavy furniture being moved. Thus it seemed like the best option was to backtrack to the tar room and see if the others had made it down here. Novak put his sword away and quietly made his way out of the laboratory.
The skull- or whatever was inside the skull- didn't give him any trouble as he made his way back the way he came. He had a bit to think about from what he had seen. The diagrams and illustrations on one of those texts suggested that the laboratory was used to create some sort of ooze or slime. That'd explain the pool of tar-like substance at the bottom of the pit, and the slime-like creatures, he thought. Most worryingly was the fact that the diagram depicted what looked like a human heart as an ingredient. Just what had been going on in this temple? And why does it look like it was hastily abandoned?
Well, not entirely abandoned. Something's still down here.
Novak turned around the corner to see Lazhira and Narkissa in the tar room. He could not hear what they were conversing about at this distance, but he did notice the rope sticking out of the opening in the ceiling, which meant they now had a way back up and out of here. He didn't need to worry about startling them, with the light cast by the glowing crystal chunk he carried, he was probably seen coming even before he turned the corner.
"It's good to see you two here. Just as I got down here, Leannah went into a room on the left and and it shut behind her. I couldn't find any way to open it from this side, so I've been exploring this level. What happened up there? Are those slime things gone?"
“Yes yes, I know all that! I helped mother make those bodies of yours!” He impatiently replied, though soon shifted to a rather amused tone with a light chuckle. “The old tower...the old Lab...it was before my time, but she lets me play with the inmates every now and then. Really, poor sods the lot of them. All because they wanted to lock auntie up. Ah well, mortals will be prideful and foolish mortals...that’s what makes them fun.” A dark chuckle followed. For a moment Leannah would feel something...odd. Like a prickling sensation on her skin. It passed quickly, but it was noticeable enough for her to register it as odd.
“How is the old Deer anyways? Still hates me for that prank, I presume? Ah well, no matter no matter that. Bury the hatchet as they say. Or bones, in that case.” He didn’t elaborate on what that prank was, but what little information she had it was probably only funny to him. Another feeling of something odd. This time she swore the stone in front of her would...warp slightly. As though space was starting to bend somewhat.
“Alright then! If you’re so eager to learn, fine then! Lets see how willing you actually are, Bastelian. No better place to learn than my own home.” The voice replied. Leannah would blink...and the wall behind the pillar suddenly wasn’t there. Infact, it was almost looking into something entirely out of place. Like someone had stitched two places together haphazardly.
Gone was the trappings of an old temple. In front of her was a long, pristine hallway of smooth white floors and ceilings...made of Marble? They were definitely smooth, white stone of some sort, but it seemed as though the entire structure was carved into it rather than build. It stretched until it slowly started to curve, Leannah being unable to see around it. It was conveniently brightly illuminated, Illumicrystals creating an almost fluorescent bulb like lightning. The areas where the floor and ceiling were connected, were colored grey.
Several hallways jutted from either side corridor, though some doors seemed to be locked tightly.
“Go on then! I’ve not had visitors in quite some time, not even mother visits these days. I have one of my servants making a delicious cake right about now if you make it to the end. Just don’t ask what’s in it, if I were you.” A pause. “...of course you can refuse, too if you're boring...and I really, really, don’t like boring people.”
...she would get the distinct feeling if she walked through there, there was a very good chance she might not come back for a while and despite the hostility in his voice, there was a good chance she could refuse, too.
“...I see. You are quite cunning.” The deer replied with a slow nod. “Killing a God truly is nearly impossible without the aid of another divine...but ‘killing’ in the sense of rendering him obsolete...that may indeed work. I doubt it would keep him away for long he takes great pleasure in meddling in mortal affairs...but it could avert catastrophe here. Starting with the children would indeed be beneficial...though there are few in the village these days for a number of reasons...I would start with that one by the name of Lazhira.” He said with a nod. “She has not visited in a while, but she would visit this grove from a young age in the past.”
He glanced towards Nicholas.
“...your words are naive, but perhaps some are not entirely without merit. It is true that this grove is sequestered away from the village...but the reason is simple. It is not a place for most men to tread…perhaps constructing another nearer would be beneficial.” It would turn its attention back towards Nobunaga and Misaki. “You may tell the Chief I will agree to meet and build a relationship with him, should he desire. I can not say much about the God himself...but I’m sure the Chief can help in that regard. In the meantime, I shall determine what it is I could teach these humans.”
It nodded.
“If that is all, it is best you work as swift as a stormy wind. With the involvement of those touched by the moon, I fear things will only hasten towards a conclusion.” It would turn its attention back towards Nicholas. "...you should start sooner, rather than later. The Sage is known to only appear to those who they deem worthy to guide, whatever such a thing means. Many have gone their entire lives searching, without seeing."
“The...dwarves did what?” Sorcha narrowed her eyes at Augusta, observing her for a moment.
“U-uhm...” Leuca hopped down from Sorcha’s arms, frowning as she would hug herself tightly. “They...wanted to take me...we don’t really know why...”
“...I see...” Scorcha said coolly, casting a glance towards the mountains, in the opposite direction from where they came. “Firebeard, firebeard...If I remember correctly, he’s a respected warrior, and the captain of the Iceguard...hm.” She frowned, shaking her head and bowing towards Isidore and Augusta. “Once again, you have my thanks. I’ll withhold judgement until I speak with him personally, but for now its best to avoid the Dwarven city it seems...”
Sorcha would tug on her cloak the cloak around her neck.
“Stieneter shouldn’t be an issue. It shouldn’t bother us, and the Apostles...well, they’re not equipped to heading to Gloomhollow.” She’d start walking. “If you’re coming with, we got a bit of a ways to walk so get moving. Slow down, and I’ll be leaving you.”
And so the group would head further into the mountains, the storm oddly seeming to abate the further they headed up. Leuca kept close to Sorcha, and Octavia hung constantly behind Augusta, obviously terrified of Sorcha. So much she she didn’t even look at her, keeping her head low and tail between her legs, almost as if she was fearful of offending Sorcha.
Eventually, Sorcha would lead them to a small tunnel carved into the rock. Barely noticeable from the outside, hidden behind a rock and nearly buried under some snow. It would be now, Sorcha seemed to feel comfortable with speaking more freely when Isidore would bring up the first of his questions.
“Its not magic.” She replied. “Not in the traditional sense...it was a talent I was born with. In simple terms I can control and weaponize certain energy. It lets me do some...neat things with metal.” It was a decidedly non answer she gave, but Isidore could probably make a few assumptions considering what he saw earlier. Soon they would find themselves beneath the mountain entirely, the rocky tunnel they were in gently sloping downwards. “Watch your head...but keep quiet. Nothing should bother us but lets not tempt fate.”
Thus the group would travel further in, eventually the sloping tunnel opening to a large cavern, illuminated only by large clusters of bioluminescent fungi growing on the walls. Several small creatures skittered away from them, though none like the large insects from before.
“What? You expect me to fight thirty men myself?” Sorcha scoffed with a light chuckle. “...perhaps I could but I achieved my goal. Leuca managed to flee, and fighting could happen after I reunited with her. I don’t know morgan, though he’s not one I’ve heard of. I only know Railey because he rightly has a personal vendetta against me. I’ve done some things in my history I’m not proud of, and let's leave it at that.” She was being awfully honest about that...perhaps she was simply too trusting.
Sorcha would lead them deeper into the mountain, the mushrooms and fungal growth on the wall growing with each chamber they passed, a clear sign that they were getting closer and closer to Gloomhollow. They had been walking for some time now, and Sorcha would stop by a flowing river of water, letting Leuca take a break and for the party to rest.
“O-oh I can answer that one…!” Leuca replied excitedly. “Uhm...the Fey are the oldest beings alive!” She smiled. “Uhm...the Elves like me have been worshiping and living with them since before the Moonless era, supposedly. They’re the reason we managed to survive.”
“She’s not wrong.” Sorcha would reply. “While they are perhaps close to dietes, they aren’t true deities themselves, nor are they beasts. I’m not sure where they come from, that history has far been lost, but while they don’t have the overwhelming force that the Gods or Beasts do, they have much more subtle influence over the world.”
They would continue on again, traversing past the large pool of water and further into the bowels of the earth. They had to be quite far down, now. Further than any natural cave suitable for human travel had been on earth, at least. A fairly long walk later, and they would finally reach their destination.
A massive, underground cavern with a ceiling so large one couldn’t see it. The ground was oddly covered with grasses and moss, instead of the usual rock one would expect to see underground. Large mushrooms and other fungi rose from the floor to the ceiling, their bioluminescence serving as the basis of most of the areas lighting. It was a sight they certainly wouldn’t have seen back on earth. Seemed like there was a whole ecosystem here...and in the distance they could make out what seemed to be the trappings of a city, with a large mushroom serving as the city's centerpiece with its roots seemingly having grown into a large stone building beneath.
“...that depends on if I can trust you two or not.” Sorcha would reply to Isidore’s final question. “This was supposed to be a peace deal of sorts. We can talk more about this once we meet the queen.” Sorcha would move towards the city, and soon the group would find themselves in the heart of Gloomhollow, and thus their first look at the Shadow Elves.
Rather than perhaps the dark skinned people they may be expecting depending on their fantasy interests, the Shadow Elves were starkly pale and grey skinned, typically with white hair and lightly colored eyes from the look of them. Most were dressed in light garb woven from likely mushroom fibers and other things found in the hollow. A few armed people milled about, wielding swords with a red colored blade.
Understandably, they would attract some attention, though most would simply go about their day. Most of the buildings here seemed to be built from an odd combination of mushrooms and traditional stonework, the two styles blending together fairly fluidly.
“...Mhm, alright. It is odd there is no one here to greet us...” Sorcha would stop in front of the large building, the long luminescent tendrils hanging from the mushroom swaying in some unseen breeze. “I’ll inform her majesty of our arrival...I would however, suggest that unless you’re willing to see whatever is happening here through to the end, you leave now. I doubt the Shadow Elves would give either of you much trouble as long as you kept your heads down. Either way, I would like to trust Leuca with you until I return.”
From here the group could see a few people moving about, and a few notable locations. One was a particularly ornate building. Lanterns glowing with pale yellow light hung from various spots as its roof gave way to a large bluish green colored mushroom. Several people seemed to be moving about...notably there seemed to be...quite a few scantily clad women around it. Another less questionable building was nearby. Smoke billowed up from a chimney, and the clanging and hammering of metal could be heard within. A group of what seemed to be guards was standing nearby, exchanging a few glances towards the group, too. Otherwise, the only other place immediately noticeable was a large tower, jutting up into the ceiling high above, illuminated and surrounded by numerous plants and foliage that live in the environment.
"Shite!" Don cursed as he and the dwarf tumbled across the ground, and out of the woods. Gathering his bearings quickly, a low grunt escaped Donovan's lips as he climbed back to his feet, cracking his neck on both sides before turning his head slightly to the dwarf as she spoke. "Aye lass, I aint th' lyin' type.... Aye'll treat yer wounds after weh get this thing back in ehts damn pen-- just get whatever tha hell et wants offayah so weh so eht'll calm the hell down!"
Turning toward the rampaging animal rapidly approaching, he raised his shield, ready to fend the creature's initial assualt off.
Donovan didn't have to wait long for the beast to break from the treeline. The weasel like beast would slam into the ground, having leaped after them. Its powerful muscles left deep impressions in the snow. It would first notice Donovan, halting a moment as it would paw lightly at the snow under its paws.
"I dunno what ye mean! I ain't got nothin on me this beasty would want!" The dwarf replied hastily, quickly gettin' back to her feet. The Oni by now, realizing that the beast was angered or agitated by something quickly shouted orders in their native tongue to each other, one running to Lady Mie's tent while the others seemed to hurriedly find some things to restrain the beast with.
The beast wouldn't take much longer to lunge towards Donovan, the beast slamming its forward weight into the mans shield - but he would be able to hold against its weight as it would make an attempt to bite at Donovan's face over it.
Firebeard, the captain of the Iceguard? Isidore raised a brow. He had taken those short, stocky men as duplicitous but also pragmatic. Now he knew they had a sense of humor as well. Interesting as well, that Sorcha seemed to consider her magical abilities more of a talent than a technique. A repulsive electric blast, was it? Suppose it makes sense that someone as attractive as her would have skill in repelling undesirable individuals. Most interesting, however, was the explanation of the Fey as a third ‘existence’ in the trinity that was now Diety-Beast-Fey. Powerful, immortal, and most importantly, knowledgeable of a previous era. As the group walked through rows of massive, glowing fungi, Isidore slowed his steps a bit, matching his pace with Augusta’s.
“It’d be good to pay the Sirithen and their…Fey a visit. Storytellers are good liars,” he said, keeping his eyes ahead and alert. There were plenty of features within the mountain that made it conducive to extended living, from accessible water to presumably edible vegetation. Hard to keep track of time without the sun though, especially when his extranormal stamina meant that he couldn’t even judge the length of the hike by the exhaustion of his legs. Their journey came to a close after some time though, opening up into a cavern so expansive that Isidore stopped just to take in the sight. In the twilight of his life, he had possessed enough wealth to enjoy all the sights that had been denied in his youth, but even the most grand hotels in Europe could not compare to the beautifully alien landscape before him. Then, a quiet chuckle shook out of his chest as a vague memory resurfaced, of the village of Smurfs that he bought for his daughter, of all those mushroom huts.
The Urutha weren’t blue though, sadly. Just as pallid in complexion as one would expect out of a primarily subterranean race. Some were armed, and some were unarmed, but most importantly, some were prostitutes. Isidore gazed over towards the lantern-adorned building, at the well-proportioned women who slipped in and out of sight. After all the monstrosities and atrocities he had witnessed and partook in, the fruits of civilization was certainly a sight to behold. Earthier smells, savory and enticing, pulled his gaze towards the many mushroom-buildings that looked to be cooking a whole new culinary genre. Otherworldly food, with otherworldly theories. It’d been a good long while since he’s had a decent meal, and really, Isidore suspected the same for Augusta and Leuca. It almost spurred him into action, but…
Alas, he would not resort to thievery or thuggery just yet.
“Certainly a wonderful place, this Gloomhaven,” Isidore mused, for once looking genuinely relaxed as he addressed the others. “Though the queen may provide, I reckon some proper exploration shall be at hand once the politicking is concluded. I’ve no money, but a chunk of silver couldn’t be an unwelcome material for the smiths here, right Leuca?”
Augusta listened to Sorcha, though her interest didn't lie beyond the information on Lord Firebeard for the most part. It didn't stop her from soaking up the information the woman gave them. "It may be good to visit them, though I wonder how much my ears would prove problematic in the situation." She responded to Isidore's thoughts with her own musings. If they were looking for an elf than there may be some more problems than meets the eye.
Regardless, she was highly intrigued by the layout of this elven city called Gloomhaven. Everything seemed so alien to her with these giant mushrooms growing everywhere. Sure the zombie-like wretches and her ever-faithful demon dog were fantastical in their own right, but this mushroom filled cave inhabited by elves was beyond what she could have expected.
She felt comfortable moving about here with her hood down since there likely wouldn't be members of the Apostles around and while these elves were allowing them here at the moment, it felt more like they had a neutral opinion of them than a friendly one if the gaze of the guards were anything to go by.
After Sorcha spoke of leaving Leuca in their ever so capable hands while she went and spoke with "her majesty" Augusta watched her walk off before grabbing the small elf girl's hand and looking around at the nearby buildings of interest. There was an odd tower that reminded Augusta of something in a game once. There was also what she assumed was a blacksmith or something of the sorts. Then, there was this overly ornate and quite possibly gaudy building with lanterns and other goods that made it look interesting to look at. At first, started to walk that way until she noticed that there were some rather skimpily clad women moving about. "A broth-" She cut herself off, not really wanting to give this child holding hands with her a thought about it.
Instead, she turned to Isidore who had mentioned selling the chunk of silver to the smithy. "Ahh, yes. A good idea. While you do that, I'm going to go check out the odd tower over there. Leuca, would you like to join me?" She was curious if the girl would rather join her to the tower or Isidore to the smithy, though she was hoping the girl would join her.
Well, even this brief exchange had granted her something of value in information. The Illuminator's "mother", literal or otherwise, was the goddess who'd brought them here. The same goddess who had their bodies custom if not tailor-made to certain specifications, which her "son" had helped her create. Likewise that 'thing' in there had at some point perhaps been toyed with by this god...made sense with how twisted it was...she almost pitied it a bit now for the briefest glimmer of a moment. Plus now it was more than likely at this venture there were or had been more of those things like the one she'd killed back there. Not to mention the chances of other creatures lurking about that place at the behest and perhaps 'creative spirit' of a toying, playful, mad god of knowledge.
But the whole complex was seemingly made to lock up The Illuminator's "auntie", which if she had a guess was likely Delphiti based on her limited information thus far. Which would make his 'mother' the 'sister' of Delphiti, not the daughter or child of her thereof. Well...potentially at least. It was all speculation at best. For all she knew Delphiti was that white-eyed child dropped into the ocean, and the goddess she'd seen was just usurping Delphiti's stuff or something. Again simply another wild theory, but a theory with even the tiniest potential evidence and grounds to exist in her mind at the moment nonetheless.
Plus there was that journal page. Yes. Someone who had infiltrated this place before it was left to the elements, specifically getting into this god's cult to seemingly get revenge. It had reminded her of some plot in the prequel movies for some space opera back home, one which her father had been rather the fan of rather intensely actually. It was one of his few passions that didn't involve her training for hours and days and more at a time with some martial arts masters around the globe. Ah. But she was getting away with her thoughts there. She had no idea how long ago the journal page was written! Yet considering Lazhira was able to get to the temple and back so easily despite the fog and danger, especially with some of markings on the temple were eerily similar to what she'd seen on the cheerful girl, she had growing suspicions about how well Lazhira was acclimated with this place in reality. It was all so...convenient. Too convenient. She didn't think the girl meant them all ill-harm at least, but one thing was for certain in the catgirl's mind: Lazhira was potentially connected to this place somehow. Connected to The Illuminator and his worshippers here.
More than that, apparently the Kyrinth was not just a creature but a deer. Sentient, based on context and inferring things from that context, and it being ancient even more likely given a deity called it an 'old deer'. Then again it could be some ancient deer beast roaming the woods, but based on what she'd heard the strange guy ask Lazhira earlier things like 'sentient' and 'ancient' and likely 'powerful' were applicable to it. Like some fickle woodland nature god from that "Princess Something" movie that studio in Japan had made years ago. She'd liked the movie, really, just not remembered the name after so long was all. Still it was a more solid inference to make than some prior things she'd theorized or assumed back in the trapped library.
This in the end left her with a few more worries and a very distinctly-toned offer before, the latter due to her 'big mouth' in this particular situation. Not that she'd had time to think about it, but who ever could have had the time under the same accidental and rather pressing circumstances with literally zero experience talking to a crazy knowledge god?! But that theoretical argument could be saved for later...much much later in fact. Right now she had to decide.
Throughout The Illuminator's words with her so far, odd pricking sensations that seemed unnatural or at least 'off' after he noted he knew about her and the others and a dark chuckle about mortals, a warping hall before her appearing in full, and the shifting between joyfully reminiscent and heavily hostile left her with a definite impression. No choice was safe, and no outcome was certain, and for all she knew the cake was going to kill her or turn her into a kookaburra and she'd be damned for eternity.
Yet the god's desire to 'play games' and toy with mortals seemed to be the more sure thing of all right now. That was what she could rely on, what she could at least work with, aside from the fact this being was otherwise unpredictable. That and if this deity had read her like a book or similarly during the 'creation process', which was a big potential there among other side things, there was danger of being played like a fool in a poker game to boot. Heck, she wasn't even sure if there was some kind of 'rules of hospitality' around here or if the god was just prodding with his lure to get her hook-line-and-sinker.
Was this how the legends of ancient myth felt, like when Oedipus faced the Sphinx with the threat of death?
Was this how Neferkaptah felt, knowing he was digging up the Book of Thoth and likely to face divine punishment? Or how Prince Setna, foolish son of the greatest Pharaoh as he was, felt when he played that dangerous game in Neferkaptah's tomb?
There was only one way to find out for herself, and the god's attempt at bullying with a hostile tone at the end wasn't going to impact her decision...even if she was going to be going along with it by virtue of her own judgement and a still-lingering curiosity otherwise.
Curiosity had better not kill this cat today though! That she'd do her best to ensure. But if she was to face the Labyrinth...she'd have to channel her inner Theseus, and she'd have to gamble like Ptolemy I Soter heading out to steal Alexander the Great's corpse.
"How could I refuse such a hospitable offer to enter your home! It would be far too dull to not take up such an opportunity!" Leannah said with a beaming smile, gently placing her chunk of crystal on the center of the room floor (this one she had originally stepped into from the pool of water area) before walking forward to enter the winding hall and such before her that seemed to be made of some kind of marble-like smooth stone, "I must say, you have me quite excited! And terrified. Kind equally both things really, and that's the best part~"
She did silently pray to the Bastelian goddess in her mind, however, for some guidance and wisdom where moving forward through this place. It wasn't a serious prayer as much as a silent coping mechanism, but if it reached the cute bird sun goddess safely then all the better potentially. She at least wasn't sending some lunatic prayer in the middle of a fight with big stupid birds, if nothing else!
“...your words are naive, but perhaps some are not entirely without merit. It is true that this grove is sequestered away from the village...but the reason is simple. It is not a place for most men to tread…perhaps constructing another nearer would be beneficial.”
"I'd say that making a trail would be easier than constructing another shrine, but since your grove is just a couple of stone slabs sitting atop each other then I suppose making a new one's definitely the easier option." Nick agreed with the Elder Beast's idea. "We should probably include, like, a board with a list of directions on how to meet you and all."
"...you should start sooner, rather than later. The Sage is known to only appear to those who they deem worthy to guide, whatever such a thing means. Many have gone their entire lives searching, without seeing."
"...That's reassuring." Nick sarcastically replied. "I'll try to go as soon as I can, but I'm going to stick around and help take down this God Of Knowledge guy as well as build your shrine for the village of Dawn. I mean, fair's fair, right?"
Nick then looked toward Nobunaga and Misaki. "So bottom line, we starve out the God Of Knowledge by essentially replacing him with Kyrnith, right?" He then sighed. "I doubt the Knowledge God's followers will just roll over and let us do this, though, so we'll have to watch out. Say, since we'll be working together, mind blessing me with your names? I heard that people work together better if they know each others' names."
Malphas looked down at the flower, then back at the foxy merchant once more. He simply needed to hand over the flowers to the merchant, but given the circumstances, perhaps he could use these as leverage? There were more things he needed to ask her, after all, especially given this turn of events. An explanation of the flower's effects could be lovely, but he was pressed on time, so he instead went to make a different proclamation: Insurance. Malphas revealed the flower to Lady Mie, but kept it just out of reach as he cleared his throat.
"Before I hand you this flower, I'd like to add to our agreement. Make this transaction sweeter for the both of us, if you will." Malphas grinned, stroking an imaginary beard. He would stroke his own chin if not for fear of the flower's residue ending up on his hands. "I actually had a much easier time retrieving these herbs than I had initially surmised. Perhaps I can get more for you before you leave? In exchange, I wish for your protection. More specifically, I wish to continue to be under your management, and hopefully under your protection. I may not look it, but I am blessed with quite a few talents you may find useful, just believe me! It'd be nice to be out of this village and in the hands of a group who knows the world much better than I... So, what do you say?"
Malphas offered the flower to Lady Mie with a grin. As much as he pondered about becoming a leader of these cultists and mused about his new role as Torchbearer, Malphas was not as pleased to learn he was surrounded by more potential enemies than allies in this village. The Illuminated's clandestine nature also did not seem to have much good outcomes as far as longevity was concerned. He did not want to be landlocked to such a primitive place, after all. If his fate is to be stuck in such a fantastical world where he is destined to rule, then he shall choose a much more lively and exotic place to rule over!
All that aside, while Malphas wished to assure his safety in this arrangement, what he really wants is a way to get a more refined version of these poisoned flowers for his own use. Such opportunities were worth him being employed by someone else. One cannot make it to the top without first starting at the bottom. Malphas learned this lesson in his past life. While he may have had a head start due to his inborn advantages in the past, would this not be the same thing here with all these gifts given to him by the Goddess?
Despite her apparent silence as she continued to pet the deer at her side, Misaki almost instantly snapped to attention the moment she heard Lazirha's name mentioned by the Kyrinth. Rather than worrying about any diplomatic relationships between the two groups in question, the fact that she had been called out by name emphasized that there was more to her than she had initially thought. Of course, it had been Lazirha who had set them down this path in the first place, so a relationship between the two was already possible, but that didn't make it any less noteworthy.
"I thank you for your time in speaking with us," she finally said as the conversation concluded, standing up and bowing towards the Kyrinth before giving the younger deer one last scratch under the chin. As much as it seemed to have taken to her, bringing it back and away from the forest it called home didn't feel like the right thing to do. If it followed her on its own accord when they returned to the village then by all means she would keep it as a companion, but ultimately it was still a wild animal.
Or, well, 'wild' by a modern definition of the term, at least.
The foxgirl's move to start leaving with Nobunaga was paused by the person who had abruptly entered the conversation in the first place, and Misaki had no desire to deal with him after seeing how he had acted thus far. She could not deny the intent he seemed to have, but the way he carried himself and spoke...
It just rubbed her the wrong way, and that dislike only seemed to intensify once he attempted to sidle up to them. As much as she would have preferred returning to town and speaking with the other team that had left with Lazirha (because this was most certainly relevant to them), not speaking up about the way he was acting now would be difficult at best.
"What do you mean, 'we'?" she finally asked, breaking the awkward silence that had come about as a result of the young man's assertion. "Our goals may be similar, and I cannot speak for my companion, but I have no intent of working with someone so flippant as you."
There was a variety of reasons for leaving things at that, but speaking bluntly about all the reasons why she didn't wish to associate with him wasn't something she would do unless pressed for that information.
With that, Misaki nodded towards Nobunaga before starting down the path back to the village, come what may.
"Excellent, o Kyrinth," Nobunaga bowed her head, "Your wisdom has exceeded my already high expectations."
It wasn't empty flattery. The elder beast's apparent wisdom and understanding of her intent made everything about this negotiation far easier then it could otherwise have been. It was natural to expect an ancient creature of nature such as this to have wisdom born from age, and the fact that the Kyrinth understood her intentions quite well confirmed that. Nobunaga had no doubt she could mend the relationship between the Elder Beast and the villagers, but it was the matter of destroying the worship of that fool god of knowledge that would be most complex.
"I expect you shall soon hear word from the village chief. For now, farewell."
With that, the petite girl turned to depart... only to be stopped by the boy who had intruded on them. He came close to outright insulting their host, and on top of that acted as if he spoke for them...
"... I am disinclined to work alongside one who assumes they speak for others without asking," Nobunaga said, without facing the boy, "Nor do I care much for one who clearly runs their mouth without a single moment of consideration towards their words. Spare some thought before you speak next time, or don't speak at all."
With that, she departed for the village alonside Misaki.
"Think Lass!" Donovan hissed as the beast crashed against his shield; his stance (though holding fast) tearing up topsoil as the sheer force of impact forced him back, "Herbs, spices, furs, fruit-- nuthin? Are yah sure???"
Snapping jaws forced Donovan to retreat lower behind his shield, the creature's forward weight leaning almost entirely on the shield arm. Don grunted forcefully, his eyes darting about the surrounding area as he quickly assessing the situation. The Dwarf seemed clueless about what may be aggravating the beast, and the damn thing's claws and teeth were likely to rip him to bits before the Oni workers could do anything to aid him if he didnt do something quick. If he used his hammer, he'd likely kill or cripple the creature. If he used his magic, that'd draw too much attention-- and folk would start asking questions, while tipping off the hunters that he may be a threat.
In a sudden motion, Don stuffed the sack of fruit he'd been given into the open jaws of the massive rodent. Gritting his teeth, Don crouched low, his back foot pivoting as he would wrench his shield out from between himself and the animal. "Arright Beastie--" he bellowed as every muscle in his body; from the tips of his toes, up his calves and into his thighs, hips core and arms, all fired in a synchronized motion-- all leading into a devastating superhuman uppercut!
“Ah, excellent, wonderful!” He laughed. “I think we’ll get along just fine, you and I!” So she’d step past the threshold. A large crystal left at the place where she had stood in front of the engraving. Perhaps left there so someone could find her? Such an action seemed like it might have proven useless, though. The moment she would step into the hallway, there was the feeling of something shifting again. The grinding of stone this time, too. A quick look behind her - and she’d discover the hallway behind her had simply vanished. Rather, it was as though it was never there at all.
Just an impossibly smooth wall...seemed like going back the way she came may not be an option, now.
““You want to learn about me, alright then. Just keep walking. I’ve already got something in mind.” And so Leannah would be urged to move forward. Despite the seeming expansiveness of the labyrinth, it also seemed...fairly small? Or linear. The more she moved, the more it seemed she had less and less of a choice on where to go. A distinct feeling that the Labyrinth was moving around her as she walked, perhaps.
Regardless of the oddness of this space, she’d eventually find herself in a large room.
“I’ve devised a series of...chambers, if you will.” He’d speak up again “Each chamber relates to me, in some fashion! If your a clever little fur coat, you’ll be able to put two and two together. At the end, if you’ll able to recite each room and what each room means - I’ll let you ask a single question, whatever question it is...and I will answer it truthfully and completely. Or, I shall give you information on something you want. Whichever you want.”
By now the first of the chambers seemingly have come into view.
“I’ll leave a few hints behind, of course. No fun if you don’t have any clue at all! But I won’t be helping at all from here, only watching. Ta-ta, I have some tea to get to.”
And then Leannah was alone.
The terms of the little game had been set, then. Each chamber was supposed to be related to the Illuminator in some way then...but what exactly did that mean? The room she was currently in seemed simple enough. An operating table had been situated in the center of the room. A small note in messy writing had been left upon the table.
”Knowledge was birthed by The moons demand, but it was knowledge stolen.”
Taking a further look around the room would reveal a few things. There were various offshoots to the room, with a few more rooms within. Around what seemed to be the door at the top of some stairs on a raised platform were four slots for some round spheres. The rooms seemed to extend to the North, East, West, and...South? Wait hadn’t she come from that way?
Seemed she was now trapped in this little room, but she had more places to investigate now.
“...Hm. Boy.” The deer would address Nicholas as it would watch Nobunaga and Misaki depart. “If you truly wish to antagonize these followers of this god - then the hunters within the village may be where you wish to start.” It would say simply, before turning back towards the forest. “I will return tomorrow, to this grove, and should the wind tell of the village’s cooperation, then I shall grace it with my presence...but for now, I must take my leave. The winds grow restless to the south...” And with that, the Deer would return to the forest, eventually vanishing among the trees and leaving nearly no trace of it behind. Only a cool, refreshing breeze.
The fawn would follow Misaki for a little ways out of the grove, cautiously trailing along behind her. Eventually though, they would once more reach the edge of the forest and the deer would pause at the treeline, watching the two leave, not following Misaki beyond the edge of the forest, and soon they would find themselves back in the village. The sun was well on its way sinking on the horizon.
Seemed like there had been a small commotion over where Mie was, but looked like it had been resolved fairly swiftly. So the pair would make their way back to Enli’s longhouse, and would quickly be welcomed in. The older man seemed in a bit brighter spirits since the last they had seen him, and the scrolls from before seemed to now be scattered across the floor in front of the shelves.
“Oh! You two, you’re back.” He’d greet them in a friendly manner. “I have to say, I feel like I’m ten years younger at the moment. Another fellow arrived in the village recently...Donovan, I think his name was? He went to visit lady Mie, but I believe he may be able to help the two of you in this endeavor.” He offered them a small smile. “That aside, how goes things? I’ve been scrutinizing these scrolls a bit more than I have in the past.”
“O-oh...uhm...s-sorry, I think I’d rather go to the smithy...” Leuca said a bit hesitantly. “Uhm...I-I know I’m here to learn from them, but...I’d also like erm, a proper weapon...” There seemed like she had a few more reservations about that, but she wouldn’t voice them unless pressed.
The group would end up splitting. Augusta headed to the large tower, with Isidore and Leuca heading towards what seemed to be a smithy. The earthy, savor smells of nearby cookhouses and gathering houses would be tempting to be sure. Leuca would end up scrunching her nose up in a mildly uncomfortable manner though, as though she wasn’t quite fond of them. Most of the grey and pale skinned elves paid them no heed as they approached, though Leuca got a few odd looks, and the building itself was just a bit less fantastical looking than others, though that was saying little. It was built in a more traditional style, with stone work and masonry rather than the plants. Perhaps a fire hazard otherwise? Didn’t stop a large mushroom from intertwining itself around the building's chimney and claiming it as its roost. Its roots spread across the surface, until they pierced the cavern floor beneath, anchoring it in place.
Upon entering he was greeted with a warm air, the clanging of hammers and what was very clearly the front of a store. The interior was rather simple. Works of shadow elf craftsmanship hung on the walls, mostly seeming to favor simple arming swords of various makes, as well as armors of the lighter sorts. A few shields were seen, though they seemed to have some manner of dust suggesting not being well maintained or perhaps not popular. No ranged weapons, but perhaps that was to be expected. Bows and arrows didn’t seem like a good idea in underground areas.
“...a human huh. And a Sirithen. You’re the most interesting thing that’s walked in here in years.” A rather tired, bored sounding voice would greet Isidore. A young looking Shadow Elf was leaning against against a counter, wearing a simple dress and looking like she’d really rather be anywhere else but her current location. A yawn. “Make it quick so I can get back to staring at the ceiling sooner.”
Behind the counter was a large open area, separated only by a thin wall likely to help block out most of the noise from the storefront. A rather bulky dark skinned male was hammering away at metal.
“U-uhm...oh these blades are all so different than ours...” Leuca would say, taking a look around the weapons.
“That right huh. I heard Sirithen weapons tend to be more for power, eh.” She’d comment idly at Leuca’s comment.
“Mhm...well, that or spears...swords like these are mostly for beginners to familiarize themselves with.” Leuca would still look around the finely crafted blades, as though perhaps she wanted something.
Augusta would meanwhile find herself heading towards the tower - unlike Isidore, now that she was alone she could feel quite a number of gazes on her. Many of the Shadow Elves seemed perhaps, a bit too interested in her...but at least, for now, no one did anything or attempted to approach. The tower itself was quite the grand sight indeed. Vegetation grew around it, intertwining and seemingly engulfing the tower in various places, no doubt having been hollowed out in places to allow for people to live or move about within. It extended all the way into the ceiling above, though how far up it went was a question in and of itself.
The entrance was a set of large double wooden doors, though she would be stopped at the entrance.
“Dunno what you’re here for, Sirithen, but this towers’ got nothing special for you. Get lost before you end up being turned into a toad.”
“...hm? Did I hear that right? A Sirithen of all things?” Before the rather irritable guard could say anything else, a voice from within the tower interjected. The wooden doors would open, and a rather…loosely dressed elf would step into the street. A bit shorter than Augusta, with violet eyes and long white hair and the typical grey skin of the Shadow Elves. Violet eyes studied Augusta for a moment before a small smile crept slowly across her lips. “...Let her in if she wants.”
“E-eh?! Seriously? This milk-skin?!”
“You heard me. Unless you want to be on the receiving end of an unpleasant experiment, let her in.” If Augusta desired, she’d be allowed in with no problems after the words from this Elf, whoever she was. The interior was a far cry from what it appeared outside - or perhaps it looked to be exactly as one would expect. The interior was well lit in cool colors, illuminated by lanterns with blue flame and bioluminescence from plants growing within. Plush luxurious carpets covered the floor, the walls covered in vegetation, walls crammed full of shelves full of magical and alchemical apparatus’. Oddly, there did not seem to be ways to move upwards. Surely this entire tower wasn’t reserved for this entire room.
“Rare that your kind venture down here. Most think us as, ah, undesirables. Now...why don’t we start with names, my fair skinned cousin. Don’t worry, no one will harm you here, unless I tell them too...or I want too, of course.” Of course, she could choose not to follow and this exchange would never happen, but maybe it was safest to not wander too much, though perhaps judging from this ones demeanor she may not be entirely safe here, either.
Octavia would curiously peek out from behind Augusta's legs.
Name: Rhullphana Varoeth Race: Shadow Elf (Urutha) Physical Attributes: ??? Magic Attributes: ??? Weakness: The Shadow Elves', unlike their above ground dwelling cousins, possess a far greater capacity for magic. However, they also tend to lack great physical strength or stamina. Abilities: ???? Special Attributes: Path of the Sage This one has begun walking the path to becoming a Sage, following in the footsteps of the first sage.
One of the subterranean Shadow Elves, the youngest and often enigmatic people of Gloomhollow. Friendly to all but their cousins the Sirithen due to many years of conflict and a difference in beliefs. Her name is ------. She is amused. Something is preventing you from knowing more information.
Mie raised an eyebrow, tail swishing thoughtfully behind her.
“So...you wish to work for me, is that it? In return for protection and a bit of knowledge.” She pondered. “Truthfully, I don’t really need any more of these...I needed one for a...special order, but...” The fox smiled. “If you wish to make a trade deal, by all means then. I can always find uses for these. Though, I’ll have you do a few more...managerial tasks, in return I’ll allow you to stay here. Should be a few extra beds around here in some tents-” Mie’s ears perked up, her nose scrunching lightly as she would sniff the air, head turning towards the tent wall. A small commotion from outside.
“Lady Mie!” A worker came running in. “The Kamaitachi is enraged. The forest might have-”
“Its not the forest.” She quickly cut him off. “Nothing would quite so easily scare one of them.” She would turn back towards malphas. “We can discuss more details later if you want, but for now, you may take rest in my tent for me to return. I need to see what is going on out there. Just let Ayumi know you’re there or she might think you’re a thief.” Of course, Malphas could see what was going on, too or head for MIe’s tent. It wouldn’t be hard to find if he asked some Oni. She would then take the flower from Malphas and leave, supposing he’d let her have it - not that he was in any position to refuse giving it to her. A few Oni were eyeing him with suspicion. He could also choose to follow her, if he desired.
The commotion outside, was Donovan’s struggle against the weasel-like beast that was currently attempting to gnaw his face off. He reacted fast, his goddess given strength and body holding fast against the creature's weight. He put his weight on his back foot, gathered power in his fist…
There was a muffled impact. The sound of something breaking as Donovan’s fist slammed into the Kamaitachi’s jaw. It gave a shrill, pained wail as it was knocked off balance, its weight being suddenly redirected and its body quickly rolling over onto the ground. It thrashed, rolling a few times - but it was stunned long enough for a few Oni workers to attempt lassoing the beast with strands of rope. One was tossed arounds its neck. Another was wrapped around its tail, while a small group would toss a net over it.
“Eeek?!” A sudden shout from the dwarf would perhaps draw Donovan’s attention. “G-get yer hands off me!”
“Hmm, hold on, looking for something~” A quick glance would leave Donovan discovering that his dwarvish acquaintance was being accosted by Mie in a rather comical fashion. “Hmm...nope, nope...not it...”
“I dunno what in the name of the stoneblight yer doing, but get-off-!” The dwarf attempted to pull Mie off her, but the fox was surprisingly sturdy apparently. “Geh, why are you so-bweh!”
“There we are~” Mie would pull something out of one of the Dwarfs bags. A small sack of some sort of, foul smelling organic material covered in some orange substance. “You wanna tell me what this is? Because its making my animals a bit agitated.”
“That? Its a bait we use to lure away those blasted centipedes in the mountain!”
“These centipedes wouldn’t happen to be kin to an Elder beast would they?”
“Aye, they are!”
“Haaa...well, that explains this.” Mie tossed the sack to one of the Oni. “Put this in my tent would you? I don’t want any more of the Kamaitachi getting agitated.” She turned to Donovan. “You and that dwarf should come with me. These things are kin to an Elder Beast that live on one of the mountains in Chagawa. I need to check you both for injuries.”
“I’m not goin’ anywhere with you! I’ve been manhandled twice! Twice! In the span of an hour! You surface dwellers are crazy!”
Augusta was visibly disappointed that Leuca decided to go with Isidore instead, though she made sure the elf girl didn't see it. She wondered if Isidore caught sight of it though. It was only for a couple of seconds before she turned to go towards the tower but, it was what it was. "Dug my own grave there didn't I?" She mentioned as she turned and headed toward the tower.
She tried to keep her chin up, however. And she didn't let the stares get her down. In fact, she was taking it in stride. Yes. She would allow these subterranean elves the chance to gaze upon her as she walked. Though, the slightly ripped dress she was wearing might have been part of it. Still, she gave a smile to those that quite obviously looked at her. Then, she finally came closer to the tower and it loomed over her. She started to get cold feet about talking to anyone that might have inhabited here. Perhaps they lived in an ivory tower and had little idea of the outside. Well, perhaps. Though if she could share in their knowledge that would be wonderful.
Her expectations, however, were correct at first. As the guard of the place basically told her to scram. Of course, to this provocation, Augusta scowled and was about to say something rather rude right back, but then another voice spoke up. Her scowl faded into a look that clearly said she wasn't entertained with what was going on. A general confusion would do that to an individual.
This other voice belong to a fairly beautiful elven woman with an outfit almost skimpy enough to think she belonged across the street at the brothel. Though, she had to wonder if beauty was a good metric to measure for elves since they all seemed to be so. Perhaps she was biased. Either way, the woman had told the guard to stand down with... A fairly dangerous threat. And she believed her when she said it too. How bizarre this world was.
She looked the guard in the eye before heading in after who she assumed was the master of this tower. She pondered the term "milk-skin" as she entered. Well, she shouldn't be surprised about any slur or things of the sort. The place was quite amazing. An odd cross between what she had thought reading Harry Potter and some warlock's abode in any fantasy material. She couldn't hide her amazement as she looked around. As the woman suggested starting with names and low-key threatening her, Augusta quickly looked at her for her information. Of course, yet another lack of information. Perhaps it was dealing with Sorcha, but she felt a lot more composed. Perhaps, it was due to the fact that her information told her there was something blocking her from getting more information. Might as well start talking with her.
"Yes, well, I didn't feel you were going to harm me or else you would have just nabbed me off the street and done what you would." Of course, the woman saying that meant to imply that she was either just that powerful or that she had a great handle on this place. Either way, it meant not poking the bear. She might as well start.
"Regardless, you are right. My name is Augusta.." She paused for a second. She had never gave this persona of hers a surname. Was it necessary? Railey nor Sorcha had one. Still, it was better to have one than not. "...Aquilonia." She considered using just the word Aquila. Eagle. But that alone with Augusta felt odd to hear. So rather, she went with Aquilonia, based from a battle of the same name during the ending years of the Third Samnite War.
"Augusta Aquilonia, yes. Just Augusta is fine." The Sirithen looking woman mentioned, trying to give a show of being friendly. "My companion here is Octavia." She added, motioning to her demon pup before her. "It is a pleasure to meet you..." She didn't have a name to fill the gap with so her voice trailed off, hoping to be filled in from there.
Isidore was just as surprised as Augusta when Leuca spoke up, though his own expression didn’t change when the small Sirithen decided that she wished to head for the smithy. It was a misinterpretation of his own intent: he had planned on scouting out Gloomhaven after the business with Sorcha, the Urutha queen, and the rest of the politics was concluded, as Sorcha had already proven herself…less capable of easily locating her charge. The cavern was large, and the people were many; he had been prepared to simply wait where the Fae-blessed swordswoman had left them. But Augusta already had plans to split off, and now Leuca was feeling antsy too…
It was unfortunate, that he ended up winning a fight he hadn’t even intended to pick. The man shrugged slightly as he caught Augusta’s eye, before saying, “Don’t get lost on the way back.”
And with that, he took Leuca by the hand and brought her into the heat of the smithy. The savoury aroma of cooked food fused with the stink of sweat and the sting of heated metal, reminiscent of the industrial area that bordered the home of his childhood. No oily fumes to choke out the throat though, nor any fat-fuck security guards to spit in your direction. Charming, that such a homogeneous society didn’t immediately treat foreigners with suspicion. Or perhaps in a world with such extremes of beauty and ugliness, these slight differences weren’t all that significant?
Nothing within the smithy particularly called out to Isidore though. Already armed to the teeth as he was, the man came here with the gaze of a fence, trying to gauge the value of the goods while masking his own relative ignorance with a veneer of calculating cool. Shields didn’t gleam, and there were no sign of projectile weapons. Swords mostly, and mostly of a uniform size as well. The armor looked to be of a sparser construction compared to the Apostles, but it could be worth considering regardless. He glanced over at Leuca again. She would’ve been frozen if not for the fur cloak, and even then, her outfit was hardly presentable.
Well, considering the state of his own clothing, bloodied and cut up as it was over the course of three days of rough travel, Isidore shouldn’t be too judgmental about it.
“We’re here for trade,” he spoke, retrieving the hunk of silver from his backpack. The ore settled on the counter with a definitive thunk, Isidore’s hand still resting over top. “Give us a fair price for this, and there will be more in the future.” A pause, a crick of the neck. He couldn’t fault her for wanting a weapon of her own; the longsword didn’t suit her frame. “And Leuca, pick whatever you’d like. From my experience though, a knife has more use than a sword, especially when you’ve two.”
One to throw, one to stab. One to attack, one to defend. And both for cutting up anything from wood to meat to vegetables. Small as she was, the Sirithen may be better off point-blank than in one-step.
"What do you mean, 'we'? Our goals may be similar, and I cannot speak for my companion, but I have no intent of working with someone so flippant as you."
"... I am disinclined to work alongside one who assumes they speak for others without asking. Nor do I care much for one who clearly runs their mouth without a single moment of consideration towards their words. Spare some thought before you speak next time, or don't speak at all."
Nick watched as the two girls departed, too shocked to reply to the thorough rebuff. "...What just happened?" He asked Kyrnith although he never expected an answer since he very well knew what happened. It was a shame, and Nick thought that maybe he should have been more careful with his words, but what was done was done.
“...Hm. Boy. If you truly wish to antagonize these followers of this god - then the hunters within the village may be where you wish to start. I will return tomorrow, to this grove, and should the wind tell of the village’s cooperation, then I shall grace it with my presence...but for now, I must take my leave. The winds grow restless to the south...”
"Alright, I'll... see you tomorrow, I guess." Nick bid farewell to the Elder Beast.
The team-up was a bust, but Nick did get valuable information from Kyrnith. The black, diamond stone was still in his hands which he promptly pocketed now that it was no longer needed for now. The Sage in the mountains, Nick remembered Kyrnith's words. He should definitely look up who this Sage guy was and see if he or she could help. Maybe the people back at Dawn knew about the figure, or at least knew about the mountain folk that revered the Sage.
Well, such plans were for the future. Right now, Nick went to find Donovan again to let him know what happened.
...This was concerning. It helped her keep evolving her theories, sure, but the test was concerning. Yet its similarity to some big puzzle-filled adventure-action game with a mute elf-eared guy pushing block and yelling 'HIYAH' was enough to put her at some minute sense of ease. Well, a minute bit more at ease was the better way to phrase it, really, as she was still dealing with a puzzle from a seemingly-mad God of Knowledge that she'd managed to get in am upbeat mood by suggesting a 'game'. Perhaps otherwise it was a bad idea in hindsight, but at the same time it was not as bad as other potential outcomes when she was having to ad-lib on the spot to keep her furry tail and hide intact.
Well, if Lazhira knew this temple well enough then perhaps she'd find where that crystal had been left. Not that it was connected to this place at all, if anywhere else was connected to this place at all beyond these rooms, but it'd be a hopeful sign that Leannah had been there and that something was 'up'. Hopefully Narkissa and the other guy were also ok for that matter, not that the latter had ever been introduced to her. Wait. She hadn't even asked him in the first place!
The catgirl slapped her forehead lightly with the palm of her right hand, before letting out a sigh and stretching her arms and legs. It was a moment or few to think for a second before acting this time.
'Well it seems I was wrong about his mother...Delphiti was his mother then? So the other 'goddess' is his 'Auntie' then perhaps? That would explain the moon thing when I first saw her, and the hooded person dropping the white-eyed child into the ocean.
Plus if that place was meant to lock her up, or whichever goddess of all things, then the whole cracking glass, moon turning red and all stuff when I first met her was maybe like some prison alarm going off or something? Maybe something Delphiti placed on her or did to keeps tabs on her?'
It was a another big leap to take, and like anything else prior was potentially far from being right (or alternately far from wrong) in some fashion or another.
But all the same she would walk over, putting the note on the operating table to be held in the picture book with the journal page in her 'inventory' as it were.
'Right...let's get started with this then!'
If the operating table was one clue, though, something was literally 'taken' from another, if 'Knowledge was birthed by The moons demand, but it was knowledge stolen' was any indication. So when the Illuminator mentioned his 'mother', did that mean his 'birth' mother or Delphiti taking him and acting as his 'mother'? The latter currently felt more likely, and if this god was indeed 'mad' enough then a lunar connection was perfect. 'Lunacy', after all, was tied to the moon and madness back in Earth mythology...at least somewhere or another.
It could also mean taking knowledge from the mortals races, or at the very least humanity, and coalescing it into a god perchance? Either that or Ms. Ocean was his Auntie who had some aspect of her stolen by Delphiti and used to make a god of knowledge. All incredibly rough and unrefined guesswork at best on the fly, but it was what she initially had to go on when working on her feet.
From here she would investigate the rest of the main room some more.
Around what seemed to be the door at the top of some stairs on a raised platform were four slots for some round spheres.
Yes, there were those slots on the door that seemed to be slots for some kind of orbs that would act as keys then. That was the most easy assumption to work from initially, so she'd do it. After this would come taking a doorway-side quick glance at each of those four rooms.
The northern room -
Seems to be a rather simple room. A large stream of water runs through the middle of it, and one of the aforementioned statues is submerged pretty far in the stream. The stream moves fairly slowly from one end of a wall to another - a grate at one end while there's one at the other end. You'd need to enter it to see more of it.
The southern room -
Seems to be a room without light, save for the orb in one of the statues on some sort of elevated platform. Hard to see anything else in here as of now.
The eastern room -
Seems to be a completely bare room, except for the statue which is being suspended above the floor by metal chains.
The western room -
Seems...completely out of place. Large glass cylinders line either side of the room with a large black slab of stone against the far wall that pulses slowly with blue energy. A statue sits in front of it. The room reminds you lightly of the prison and the cylinders the things Leannah and the others came out of.
Hmm...interesting.
Notably, you can see what is likely the objective. Various statuettes holding several spheres. The statues also have distinguishing features - one has extremely long, gangly arms. One is standing on some rather tall, slender legs, another has a head with horns similar to the motifs you've seen through the temple, and the fourth has a torso with a large hole in it.
Ok, context clues here were going to be key to figure it out correctly. Likewise the correspondence of the orb-holding statue in each room in turn to something back in the Library puzzle was especially useful. Would she overthink it? Likely. But having solved the Library puzzle she knew this:
The stone necklace upon the vase holding the statue. The crystal sphere on the outstretched hand. The Crystal necklace on the hooded figure's neck. Immediately upon placing the last object upon where it last rested, there was an audible click.
Yes. Ok. So she had some stuff to put together first so she could build her knowledge base, then she could try to apply what she'd learned thus far to the room with some context clues and so forth.
One-
A statue of what seems to be a woman in a flowing robe. She is holding a vase in her hands, and is sitting upon some sort of pillar. Water flows from the vase into a cistern below. The statue smirks knowingly. Its centered at the back of the room against the wall. Bookshelves flank either side of it.
“Thus, the exodus was made. The beloved Sage led from the place of birth, the heretics cursed to remain. The moon wept once more, the cistern overflowing, and brought life back to the land. This, would in turn give birth to Knowledge, which in turn gave birth to the desire for the secrets of the Oceans. Desire turned into actuality, and thus a seal was made by their accord.”
-...this was the statue with a 'knowing' smirk and inscription back in the Library. Aka: The Smirking Statue. It got the heavy carved necklace upon its neck, which came from the Hooded Figure.
A robed statue is kneeling at the other end. Their face is covered by a hood, arms outstretched towards a carving in the wall. The carving is of a crescent moon, a star situated in the empty part of it. Tears seem to flow down its face into a basin below, where the water collects and flows away under the front wall. Upon their neck is a carved necklace that seems to detach from the statue.
Said Carved Necklace was far heavier than it should have been. Like a great burden, and if the crying part of the Hooded Figure was right then it was a burden like unto mourning and crying or guilt or such. Like something had been lost. This burden was then removed from the crying Hooded Figure, being placed on the Smirking Statue who had been holding the vase that had the Crystal Orb in it.
This led to the Crystal Orb's end location, as it was taken from the Smirking Statue and given to-
Another statue is tucked away on the wall opposite to the door you had walked in. A rather macabre thing this one is. A two faced bust statue that seems somewhat to resemble a pair of theater masks, split down the middle of an old man angrily shouting and a woman laughing manically. Atop the head, some sort of claw is reaching up, many tentacles and appendages reaching for the ceiling as though its trying to grab something.
...The Two-Faced Bust, which had a hand reaching up for something.
She still assumed this one was The Illuminator. A two-faced mad god, at one time happy and jovial and at others full of anger and hatred. Just like he'd been in front of her in their short experience around each other. If not that, then Delphiti herself was the mad goddess, given the associations of the moon with lunacy or madness.
Right or wrong, the hand had received the Crystal Orb, which if it was the "Secrets of the Oceans" in any capacity was so desired by the hand. So whoever it was had wanted to get those secrets, whichever deity it was anyways, and had achieved this somehow.
Then the final object: The Crystal Necklace.
A final statue, this time on the same wall as the one you walked in on. Rather than a person, it seems to be some sort of carving. Of a tower. You might vaguely recall the same tower you saw off in the distance in the prison you woke up in. Seems as though it might be hollow.
Said necklace came from the Hollow Tower, which had been a prison for the Illuminator's 'Auntie' if he was to be believed. This had been placed on the Hooded Figure statue.
So what did this all mean in the end? What did it translate to, which might help her in this new puzzle about The Illuminator's origins and history?
The Smirking Statue was holding a vase that contained what could be the "Secrets of the Oceans" in it, which was to be given to the hand reaching out from the Two-Faced Bust.
The Hooded Figure bore a great burden, in the form of the heavier-than-it-seemed Carved Necklace, which was given to the Smirking Statue and ultimately put into the vase it held.
The Hollow Tower contained the Crystal Necklace, which was given to the Hooded Figure after breaking open the Tower.
Ok. Now to try to make a story out of it.
The Prison she and the others were formed in was made to contain a goddess, The Illuminator's "Auntie" as it were. Likewise he had noted he helped his 'mother' make herself and the other world-jumping peoples' bodies, and he knew they were reincarnates. A crescent moon was on the dark pillar that 'sealed the way' to the prison. Also 'Knowledge was birthed by The moons demand, but it was knowledge stolen'. Like it was 'foolish mortal pride' that maybe led that...'thing' in the prison to be that way.
“The old tower...the old Lab...it was before my time, but she lets me play with the inmates every now and then. Really, poor sods the lot of them. All because they wanted to lock auntie up. Ah well, mortals will be prideful and foolish mortals...that’s what makes them fun.”
Yes. That as well.
Time to theory-test then.
A goddess, Delphiti, made the lab to create life, but eventually most of the humans she made there left. The remaining humans wanted to do something horrible, aka: lock The Illuminator's aunt. A goddess. Delphiti mourned this, as well as how those that remained sought to chain up a goddess...her sister...potentially an Ocean Goddess. So for this they were punished, doomed to be eternal toys for The Illuminator and his mother's permission Likewise that statue golem killing machine thing was put there to prevent them from escaping. That lattermost bit was the small part that made a lot of sense and seemed more grounded. Foolish mortal pride, thinking they could contain if not chain-up a goddess on a goddess' turf no less.
If running the place was the 'burden' that the Carved Necklace represented, then Delphiti handed off the 'Warden' position there to The Illuminator's Aunt. It was a great weight to her to bear all the crap from there thus far, so she simply handed it off without giving up dominion of the place itself. After all, The Illuminator had noted that he'd helped his mother make her and the others' bodies, as well as being allowed to toy with the 'inmates' there. But why hand off Warden-ship to the goddess who others were trying to lock up in there? That was a big question.
Still, the Crystal Necklace had gone to the Hooded Figure she had assumed was Delphiti in the Library puzzle. So did the mantle of Ocean Goddess get taken by Delphiti in exchange for making her sister the warden of the prison? Either way Delphiti was, if Lazhira's tale about the legend was true it meant Delphiti owned the oceans and manifested life from them after that. It 'brought life back to the land', and she had abandoned the use of the now-prison. This also led to the birth of The Illuminator himself, whose existence led to a desire for the 'Secrets of the Oceans' or what potentially was analogous to 'how to create life'.
If Delphiti, his mother, held these secrets and power, then she'd likely stolen it or the secrets of how to create life from her Ocean Goddess sister in their 'trade', forcing her burden on her and using those Secrets of the Oceans to birth new life from the Ocean. Maybe she even made the lab with her sister's help, before or after stealing that knowledge. Regardless, in turn The Illuminator desired this knowledge from his mother. So she gave it to him, the "Secrets of the Oceans" as it were, but this deal was a pact to hand over this knowledge in return for sealing away the prison complex forever. And even if the sister goddess wasn't a 'Warden', per-say, the 'Secrets of the Oceans' were stolen from her.
In other words, Delphiti made a lab to create humans with or without the help of a potential sister Ocean Goddess. In time a division of opinion happened among the humans, and most left whilst the 'heretics' stayed to try to lock up her sister...also a goddess. This failed terribly, resulting in Delphiti mourning not only being abandoned by her creations but also how some of them turned on the gods in their vanity and 'foolish pride'.
Having had enough of the crap, Delphiti took the "Secrets of the Oceans" represented by the Crystal Necklace and left. She took this knowledge from her sister, who the 'inmates' had attempted to lock up, and used it to take control fully over the oceans and birth new life into the world. Thus 'The moon wept once more, the cistern overflowing, and brought life back to the land' made perfect sense, as once again life returned to the lands of the world by her actions. This making of life by Delphiti would lead to the birth of The Illuminator, her 'son', who would in time desire the 'Secrets of the Oceans' for himself. So Delphiti made a deal with him, a pact as it were, to satiate his desire for this knowledge but also clean up her 'old messes' in the process. He helped her seal away the 'old lab' in return for the knowledge he so greatly desired, which he so desperately wanted. In that sense Delphiti and The Illuminator were kind of 'Wardens' of that prison then, not another goddess.
Then, however many centuries or millennia later, a goddess had gotten ahold of the souls of herself and several others from Earth. Either it was a facet or side of Delphiti, that Ocean Goddess sister theory proved true, or someone else. Had Delphiti snapped and split herself into two goddesses, by thus making a hot mess of things? But that goddess made the bodies, and The Illuminator had helped her by his own words...as well as calling her 'mother'. Then, in essence, was Delphiti a damaged, broken goddess who had lost herself in making life, stealing the secrets to create it and not being in a rather good spot?
Ugh. She was making her own brain hurt. For a second, then, the catgirl lied down on the operating table to rest her head. Whilst she did she'd look for anything suspicious or so forth, if it didn't clamp on her like some trap, and whether something was found or not she'd ultimately get off of the operating table.
From here Leannah would scour the main room, from the door the the operating table to anything else in there as closely and as detailed as she could in a similar process. Ceiling, floor, slots, weak tiles, breakable things, inscriptions, etc. Anything she could get. Yet whether anything was gained or not from the efforts she would eventually wrap up her investigation and enter the Western Room...the one that looked like the prison complex she and the others had escaped from.
While Mie was preoccupied with beasts, shorties, and Donovan of all people, Malphas snuck away for a moment. He pondered the idea of just tuckering out for a moment especially since he was more-or-less free from obligations for the night. Still, he was curious about the progress of the little cult of the Lightbringer or whatever it was they were called again. Definitely not his problem anymore, but still a group he has some ties to. There was also the matter of them gathering more of those flowers, perhaps one that Malphas can take for himself seeing that the fair lady didn't need anymore.
Whatever the case, Malphas made his way to the temple once more, armed with his poisoned dagger. If there were any creatures to pop out at him, all he really needed to do was swipe, run, and let the poison do the rest of the work. However, unlike before, he did his best to stay quiet as he traversed the woodlands. Avoiding conflict was always a good thing, after all. Still, with no huntress to swoop in at a convenient time, Malphas wonders just how well he would fare against the next beast he comes across.
Assuming his trip was uneventful, Malphas would make his way to the secret entrance once more. With all his scheming, he realized he forgot to speak to Enli! Ah well, he'll just come up with some excuse as to why. They've no reason not to trust him, after all... well, aside from the fact he's new to this world and is an absolute stranger.
"Then I believe you shall grow younger by another ten, perhaps twenty years with the news we bring," Nobunaga began, a smile on her lips and one hand placed to her chest as she regarded the village's chief, "The Kyrinth will be happy to meet with you and negotiate tomorrow, provided you come to the Sacred Grove yourself. I believe you may be quite intrigued by the details of the new proposal."
She clapped her hands together.
"However, I believe those are best kept waiting until you have the opportunity to speak with the Elder Beast itself. I should hardly like to make it appear as if I speak for it, after all."
It was far more wise to ensure that the Elder Beast was able to lay out the terms of the new agreement itself, even if the terms had been suggested by Nobunaga herself.
"Along that same vein, however... I'm afraid I need your assistance on some matters," the petite black-haired girl continued, "Firstly, I would like to speak with Lazhira, so if you know where she is that would be excellent. Secondly... I must know whatever information you have about the God of Knowledge."
"Nonesense Lass!" Don exclaimed with a chuckle, giving the dwarf a firm pat on the head. Though he couldn't really put his finger on it, the large man could 'sense' the little needed some help, "Ain't no sense in turnin' the Ladeh down. Least any of us can do fer yah!"
The man looked to Mie, rubbing his knuckles, "Sorreh bout yer beastie. Heard somethin' break when aye hit et.".
Donovan let out a deep, heaving sigh; his necklace slipping from his shirt, "Right then, waht's next?"
“No thanks to you.” Lazhira replied with a small huff, pouting slightly. “Narkissa managed to kill all of them though! It was pretty impressive, heheh.” Not that she’d mention what else happened up there. That was not information Novak needed to know.
Narkissa clicked her tongue in annoyance at the uninvited guest.
“Yes. They’re gone. No thanks to you indeed,” She mirrored Lazhira, with a little more bitterness in her voice compared to the younger girl. After all, she had more than a few reasons to be cross with the still nameless male, with a new, additional reason being added just by virtue of approaching here and now. Still, Narkissa briefly shot Lazhira a look. There was a bending of the truth in their words there, but for her and Lazhira’s mutual benefit, and she wasn’t going to break that promise, especially when it had been made mere seconds ago.
It’d been a long shot, but she nonetheless somehow got Lazhira to open up and talk. She’d already suspected it, but now she knew for sure that Lazhira was part of the Illuminator’s Cult. And she was going to probe further and ask what was up with that, until brave, brave Sir Robin rode forth from the depths of the dungeon dark.
“I trust you’ve explored the catacombs and found them perfectly safe and sound?”
“What did you expect me to do, hit them with my sword and hope that it doesn’t get stuck in them? Stand around to distract them and hope that they don’t manage to kill me?” Novak asked defensively. After a moment, he continued with his voice lowered, still wary of making too much noise. “Unlike the two of you, I don’t know any magic, there was nothing I could do beyond perhaps making them wobble slightly. I assumed you’d be following right behind; I had no idea you had the power to harm them. Speaking of which, just how did you kill those things?”
“Well, yes,” she retorted, a flicker of annoyance on her face. Narkissa hadn’t really been hurt too badly during the melee, but it was still obvious enough that she’d been in enough of a fight. “As we so happened to find out, without your help, they do in fact die if you hit them enough times.” Not quite a lie, but not quite a truth, either. Either way, if the big bad slime could be killed by ripping out its core, whacking the smaller slimes with a sword probably would have worked.
“Don’t make assumptions. You might get somebody killed next time. Now, have you explored this place or not?”
Novak paused. He hadn’t actually considered that the slimes could be killed with a sword, but Narkissa did it. He actually felt a little bad for jumping into the pit so quickly. After a few moments of contemplation, he composed himself and gave his answer.
“Yes, I have. This hallway has three rooms. The two ones on the right are a kitchen and dormitory. There is- or at least, was- a doorway to the left. Leannah went in there but the wall sealed up behind her and we got separated, and I haven’t found a way to get it open again.”
Novak pointed to the end of the hall. “At the end of this hall and to the right, there’s a small room with an empty pedestal. The passage to the left leads to some kind of chemical or alchemical laboratory. From there, there’s two doors, one being barricaded and one being ajar, leading to what looked like an altar room or chapel, but it’s...well...I saw someone or something moving around in there, and it’s not Leannah. And...” Novak turned to Lazhira. “If I may pose a question of my own, what do you know of this place, Lazhira? What do you think- or hope- we’ll discover here?”
“I was hoping for something to read myself...but most things here are pretty old.” She replied with a sigh. “And well, something to help with whatever’s...happening. Some proof or something that proves without a doubt the illuminator is behind whatever this is...or just something that stops the forest from being clouded by that fog.” She frowned, narrowing her eyes at Novak. “I hope Leannah’s okay...you said you saw someone moving further in?”
“Yes, I saw someone moving around in the room beyond the laboratory,” answered Novak, shooting a nervous glance back at the hallway. “I wasn’t able to get a better look, not without alerting them to my presence, but I’m certain it wasn’t Leannah.” Whoever or whatever I saw, I didn’t want to blindly confront them alone, so I returned here in hopes of meeting back up with you two.”
Ah, so brave Sir Robin continued to bravely run away. Although, this time, Narkissa had to concede it was probably a more prudent decision. Thankfully, he did seem to have explored a decent bit, which was some welcome news, but the information about Leannah was worrying.
She shot another look with a slightly raised eyebrow at Lazhira at this extra bit of information, but decided to focus on the more pressing matter at hand. “I’m not going to pretend I’m still not unhappy with you, whatever your name is, but I’d like to rescue Leannah. But first, we need to deal with whoever is in that altar room you say is there, if they need to be dealt with, so at least you’re right on that.”
“Oh, and there’s...one other thing,” Novak spoke up somewhat hesitantly. “Since we’re risking our lives down here together and I haven't been the most helpful person, there's something you need to know." Novak took out the mask he had taken with him and showed it to Narkissa. "This mask I found on the upper level, when I put it on, it shows me things. Whispers things to me. In the pedestal room, it showed a memory of people stealing an object from the pedestal. On the upper level, it told me to jump into the pit." Novak opened his mouth as if to say something else and briefly glanced at Lazhira, but decided against it. Bringing up what he saw with Lazhira might cause more trouble and tension than it was worth. "I suppose you might think me crazy, but it's the truth."
“Hmm?” Mildly curious, she looked down at the strange mask that Novak had produced, frowning a bit at the object. “I saw you pick that up earlier. I wasn’t aware that it had magical properties,” Narkissa finally said. It sounded like a cursed object to her. Strange objects whispering sweet nothings were not to be trusted however, especially when it told him to abandon her. On the other hand, the memory was interesting. “I’m not sure I would trust it, but what object was being stolen?”
“Let’s see...” Novak spoke, thinking back on it. “It looked like a brightly glowing sphere, or orb, floating just above the pedestal. Perhaps a magical stone, or gem of some sort. I saw these...phantoms grab it and run deeper into the temple, and following them took me to the laboratory. I also saw some sort of humanoids peeking at me from around the corner, but it must have been the mask because when I entered the laboratory, there was no sign of them, except perhaps whatever was milling around in the room beyond.”
“Hmm.” Narkissa’s eyes briefly flicked over to Lazhira to see if that got any sort of reaction from her.
“Hmm...I think those masks used to be worn by the worshippers. Something about limiting ones senses to hear the Illuminator directly and see things otherwise that people can’t.” Lazhira replied with a nod. “I don’t think anyone does that any more, but I could be wrong...dunno anything about that stone though.” She replied with a frown. “A crystal sphere was stolen, huh...” A thoughtful hum was all she offered on that subject.
“Wait a minute,” Novak responded, recalling what the mask had spoken to him. “I never specified it was a crystal sphere, Lazhira. But it was, wasn’t it, because that’s what the mask said as I explored the laboratory.” Novak had known something strange was going on with Lazhira ever since he had beheld her through the mask, and it seemed that she was more involved with this place than she had let on. He watched and awaited a reaction to the slip-up from either Lazhira or Narkissa. He didn’t want to press Lazhira for information, but if she continued to withhold important information from them, they could find themselves in otherwise avoidable danger. Not to mention Leannah, who still hadn’t turned up after triggering a trap.
“...W-well...ahah~” Lazhira chuckled in a nervous manner. “I just figured it was ya know...tsk, no, you wouldn’t buy that would you.” The girl said with a sigh and a slight pout. “...Don’t suppose you could just overlook that little slip up could ya?” She asked, narrowing her eyes and. “I’m on your guys’ side, promise. I really don’t know much more than you do. I just...happen to take legends and stuff a bit more seriously than most.”
“Hmm,” Narkissa intoned again. The slipup was obvious. It took her a moment to work through the implications after comparing it with what Lazhira had told her earlier. If she was a guessing woman, she was speaking to the girl that had stolen said crystal orb. She kept her face schooled with careful composure, though; dimly aware that Novak had looked toward her much in the same way as she had Lazhira, she wanted to hold her cards tight at the moment. Narkissa still didn’t trust that man. Still, a slip was a slip, but at least she trusted Lazhira more than Novak. The fact that he didn’t offer his name after not-so-subtle hint did not help.
“I suppose,” she leniently replied. “I’m sure you know more about this temple than you let on, though, so it would be helpful if you know anything that can get us into that room and Leannah. Anything short of blasting open that wall with high explosives, that is.”
"Look, Lazhira," Novak softly spoke, looking her in the eyes. "I truly want to help your village. If I didn't, I wouldn't have come here as unprepared as I am, and I certainly wouldn't have taken a headbutt to the chest from that armadillo beast. I understand that my interactions with you have not been sufficient for you to call me a friend. But I'd like to think that Leannah has proven herself worthy of that honor. And right now that girl, whose blood was shed protecting you, is lost in this literally godforsaken place, while the village you call home is menaced by an incensed elder beast. I won’t pry as to why you know what you know, but there's anything you know that is important to the well-being of the village or of your friend Leannah, or anything that'll prevent us from getting killed from stumbling around ignorantly, please tell.” It was clear that Lazhira did not trust Novak, and between his relative lack of interaction with the enigmatic girl compared the much more interesting-seeming women who had bunked with her, and the situation with the slimes, it wasn’t unjustified. He hoped, however, that the girl cared enough about her village and her new feline friend that she’d be willing to reveal anything that might be important.
“I dunno, do you have some way of lifting a slab of rock? I sure don’t.” Lazhira replied a bit sardonically. “Its her own fault for running off and not waiting for us anyways! Not that I can really blame her, eheh, I’d probably have done the same.” She fell silent, realizing that perhaps levity wasn’t going to help her here. “Look, there’s sure to be some sort of exit though, I doubt its one way. That’d be dumb.” She would start walking, towards the area Novak had come from. “All I can say...is that this place doesn’t feel right. Like, something is off about everything.”
“A hydraulic jack?” Narkissa offered.
“A hydraulic jack? How will you manage that?” Novak asked, curious as to where Narkissa’s line of reasoning was going.
Narkissa coughed. She’d intended it as a flippant comment, but it wasn’t entirely unviable. Just ambitious. Very much so.
More interestingly, he was able to follow her logic and understood the term, so her suspicion that the man was also from her world was confirmed. “Uh, I’ve been thinking about water magic since we’ve got here, and if there’s anything that can lift a slab of rock with a force multiplier without being destructive, it’s hydraulics. With enough control and a carefully crafted spell, it could work. Maybe. But I digress, what exactly feels off about this place, Lazhira?”
“...It doesn’t...feel right.” Lazhira replied with a huff. “...remember what I told you earlier Narkissa?” She paused walking, turning to face the other girl. “Might sound weird, but it feels kind of like...its too...clean? No, not that. Like there are little things that are here and there that seem off. Like you’re trying to recall something from memory but only remember vague details.”
Narkissa scrunched up her face in thought. “Like… passively, as a part of the environment, or something more active, like some sort of temple-wide illusion magic?” They’d all pretty much agreed earlier that the temple was kind of creepy, but now that they more or less had confirmation that the temple wasn’t exactly some long abandoned ruins, the implications were more… concerning. Especially if the three of them, plus Leannah were not the only people in the temple right now, which was looking more and more likely.
“Well. I feel like we’ll talk ourselves into circles unless you’ve got some additional information, Lazhira, but I think we should check to see what man? Thing? That what’syourname noticed. I feel like it might be connected.” She stared at Novak.
“That’s a good idea, if it’s even half as dangerous as the fauna around these parts, I’d rather not risk that thing wandering out of its room or overhearing us. While we’re in the lab you might want to look at what they were doing. Those slimes on the upper level...I think the temple’s former inhabitants may have been making those things. Oh, and before I forget again, my name is Novak. Sorry for not telling you sooner, I suppose I’ve just been too distracted for a proper introduction.”
"Not an illusion. If it was, it'd be easily breakable." Lazhira replied with a frown. "Its...like someone dumped a memory of the temple here, but that can't be right..." She would say, shaking her head. "Sorry, my heads hurting a little...lets just keep going." Lazhira would hurry off down the corridor, to where the main altar of this underground level of this temple seemed to be. Novak could take note that his little stalker friend seemed to have moved from the corner of the hallway, and on top of one of the tables, seemingly having only stopped moving after it had heard them approaching.
So they would head into the main altar.
The movement of the thing within hadn't stopped, and the moment they would enter, even if they tried doing so stealthily, it seemed as though whatever this thing was seemed more aware of them...and from the way they carried themselves, it was clear this might have been someone they didn't wish to meet.
"Ah, welcome, welcome! Sorry for the mess, this place has reaaallly gone to the dogsm haha! Or cats, rather! That Bastelian was quite the treat." In the dim lighting, the rough, cronish amused voice of the figure could be seen. Silver eyes seemingly glowing dimly. Her dirty robe and long, thin fingers bent as though they were clutching something. And what exactly, was she doing? Dancing with a mannequin. Indeed. Dancing. With a mannequin...wait no, taking a closer look it seemed to be some sort of horrific stiching of mannequin stuffed with very recent human parts. "Hm...you are there aren't you? Yes yes, don't hide. You'll put me in a bad mood, and that Bastelian certainly put me in a good one!"
"...You're..."
"Aye, aye, I'm the one you seek, girl. Iva'Krorh. The Illuminator. He who would enlighten mortals!...but why are you three here? You're not who I was hoping to find. No no, no theives among you. Just scavengers...and someone who hides what they are, and would have been a thief." A loud chuckle. She would stop the quick waltz she was doing with the Mannequin and send it falling to the ground. "But that's fine. Everyone has secrets, especially I! How is it? Find what you're looking for?"
"...I've nothing to say to you." Lazhira responded, shuffling a little closer to Narkissa.
Well, this might have been unexpected. Or was it expected to find what was now claiming to be a god in a temple dedicated to it.
"Nothing at all? Come now. Surely your still looking? I can help, you know. I know everything...about you." A point to Narkissa. "You. An...you." Her finger would move over all the gathered people until it landed on Novak. "Ah, nothing in that head of yours but empty space now. Pity. Sad. I could almost cry if I wasn't amused that someone would do something so utterly foolish."
“Ah? Truly! That is certainly wonderful news you bring. Its certainly a start...” He thanked Nobunaga and Misaki, before quickly getting to the questions he was asked. “Well, Lazhira has yet to return from the forest with those she set off with.” Enli replied with a nod. “She’ll likely be back before night, and as for what I know about the Illuminator...” He would open a few scrolls with enthusiasm, aged hands, gliding over the worn paper. “I’ve been going over some things again, and I can say with certainty I can give at least some insight. We know very few things about him in truth - only what we’ve written...and most certainly, they came directly from him. Considering his nature, I doubt everything we were given is truthful, or complete insight into something. If you don’t mind a bit of mythology, I’ll start at the beginning.”
Enli would breathe in, and begin.
“No one is quite sure when Knowledge first was birthed in human minds. After we were cast out from the place of our origin due to the ire of the moon, she no longer watched after us, nor guided us. In that moon drenched era without a sun, humanity barely scraped by. Unlike the Elves or dwarves, we had not the protection of any deity or fey. It wouldn’t be until some time after the Sun was rekindled did he first arrive.
What I could find, says that somehow Delpithi ordered his creation. Whether she did so himself, we do not know. I found records saying she ordered one of her most ardent followers to aide in his creation, but its a fragment or two at best. When he rose from the sea, he spread his arms across the land and when humans beheld his pure white visage they, for the brief instant, saw every single possibility reflected in it. Every secret of the world, everything they had forgotten.
“They say also, he gave two things to his followers. One...a key. A key that was said to ‘keep the path to the old sealed’. And two, the ‘secret of the ocean’s tears.’ The Kyrniths appearance is...undocumented. I can surmise at least, that he agreed to protect the village once the Illuminator left for some reason...but the date on that is lost. Its difficult to say when exactly that happened, as the scrolls simply...stop, at some point some generations ago. I believe it was my great-grandfather who had distant memories of it when he was a child, at most recent.”
Enli would look to Nobunaga and Misaki, having finished his little story.
“...I apologize. I do not have much in the way of facts. Suffice to say, people still believe in him simply because...well, they’ve never had anything else believe in.”
“...that’s Silver. Dwarven.” She replied, expression unchanging. “Well, I won’t ask how you got it. Dwarves don’t like sharing their ore.” She would look to Leuca. “Can you even use a sword? You hardly look like you can lift one.”
“I can, yes.” Leuca replied, either oblivious to the other girls mildly antagonistic tone or simply taking the higher road. She would glance towards Isidore though, frowning somewhat thoughtfully. “...I-I suppose, they would be good for fighting other people. But a sword doesn’t really help against beasts if they’re twice your size and the forest we call home is swarming with them...”
“Rubell Ore. The swords, why they’re that color. We make most of our weapons from it. Good. Sharper than most other metals. Excessively boring. Also decent at holding magic at higher purities, if you want to shell out for one. They’re locked up in the back, though, or you can find it in the mines further down.” She looked back to the silver. “You wanna buy something I’ll make it easy and just give whatever’s left from selling that thing.”
“W-well...if you don’t mind isidore…?” Leuca would walk over to some of the swords. Most were unfamiliar, and most were fairly light, unlike the normal blades, spears, and other things she was used to back in the forest. “...if you don’t mind me asking, you don’t seem like you like being in here.”
“...I dunno about you, Sirithen, but swords are boring. They just do one thing. Magic, can turn a sword into a stick.” She boredly replied. Seemed like she didn’t like working here.
“...I see.” Leuca frowned lightly, looking up at a pair of red blades. She would take a moment to look over most of the weapons. From daggers, shortswords, arming swords, though nothing that seemed suitable for two handed use. Eventually her gaze would fall upon a longsword and what seemed to be a small red dagger set.
“If it wasn’t for my dad being way too into rocks because he’s half-dwarf, I wouldn’t even be here.” The Shadow elf grunted.
“Uhm...I think these would be fine.” Leuca nodded
“Dagger...and sword, eh. Anything else?” She’d say as dispassionately as ever. If there was nothing else, she’d hand over the money after deducting the payment for the blades.
Leuca received: Rubell Sword and Dagger A pair of blades forged from Rubell ore. Popular in Gloomhollow for their lightweight, ease of use, and ability to dispatch enemies quickly while still allowing for fairly easy spellcasting.
Received: 10 silver coins, 5 copper. Common currency south of the mountains which split the continent. Rumors are that the Fey are the one who started using it, and it hails from Era’s before the Moon.
“Hm...that’s quite the odd name. More of a human ring to it, than elvish or fey.” She responded with a hum. If Augusta was attempting to blend in, as it were, she didn’t exactly seem to have done a good job of it. “Rhullphana Varoeth.” She would reply with a turn on her heels, walking further into the room. “And I, am the court mage for her highness as well as the foremost authority on anything relating to Sage Urumna...and you are both quite the rare specimens indeed.” She would say, glancing to Octavia.
“Quite a beautiful specimen, too. Oh, and she even considers you to be her master. Now that’s a surprise.” She commented. “You don’t look like you have even the basic knowledge of demons, and yet...hm...well...how did you manage it?” Perhaps this Rhullphana might be helpful in knowing more about Octavia, and demons in general? “Don’t suppose you could tell me? Or are you going to be stubborn and I have to break out some...persuasion techniques?”
"Don't worry about it." Mie replied with a nod. "These things are tougher than they look...that was some funny power you used there, though." Her mouth curled into a smirk. "Wouldn't mind sharing at some point would ya though?" She would say, turning to walk back to the camp. It wasn't a long walk, and Mie would explain a bit about the situation. The dwarf would grumble a bit, but at least she would acquiesce to the request of Mie to come along. Not like she seemed to have much of a choice in the matter.
"Sorry about that. The Kamaitachi can be difficult to deal with if you fight one." She said with a frown, holding open the flap to her tent for them. Malphas didn't take her up on her offer, huh? Shame. Oh well. "Sure, they can bite and claw like any other beast...but aside from flesh wounds they can also hurt someones 'time.'" One of her ears twitched in thought. "Its...a bit difficult to explain, but when you fight one you may not always be injured immediately even if one claws you or a blow seems lighter than it should be."
"Eh? That's...I don't really get it."
"Hm...I've only heard rumors about it, but I've heard some say the Steineter that lives on the mountain of dwarves can 'Split the earth with just a look' its similar to that. Rather than just physically injuring something, it hurts its 'existence'."
"...Look am I just gonna fall over and die or not."
"Gonna have to look. You seem fine though, Donovan...which is kind of weird, but you'd probably be best staying with me tonight." Perhaps if they injured someone's time, then the Diety watching over Donovan helped protect him in some manner?
"...Ha, alright. Suppose I could do worse then this for tonight."
"Don't need anything else, Donovan, I'll watch the dwarf and make sure she's fine. Why's a dwarf out here anyways?"
"Tch, some dumb politics and grudges. The scholar class are leading some sort of dumb coup against the smiths. I'm not gonna be there when they bury themselves in the stones they love so much."
"...Eh?~ That sounds interesting." For a moment Donovan could swear he saw dollar signs in Mie's eyes, but for the moment it seemed his presence wasn't needed any more. Perhaps he could press the issue further, but he also should maybe see what was going on elsewhere now that this little job was done. It was about this time Nicholas would eventually find his way to Donovan too, either pointed in the direction of the tent or running into him as he left, whichever would happen first.
Malphas moved through the forest. Slowly through the forest, careful to avoid any of the forest creatures. Oddly, though, there didn’t seem to be any. In fact, the forest seemed oddly...quiet. Eerily so. About halfway between the camp and the hidden temple, Malphas would become aware of something moving very close to him.
The wind would still itself.
A cold, stifling wind would blow past him.
The call of a deer in the distance.
He would see it soon enough. In the distance. He would have imagined it to be a tree first, given its tall nature and lanky legs, but the moment it moved would quickly dash such a reality. A large deer, much larger than the one that he had poisoned earlier. It moved slowly, hooves lightly pressing into the snow laden forest ground.
It didn’t see him, but there was clear hostility in it. If it saw him - it would very likely attack.
