So Firebeard was likely a second-tier, hm? He’ll have to convene with Otti at a latter time then, to get a grasp of just how wide or tall this social pyramid looked like. Another monarchial society though, perhaps with stricter observations of hierarchy than what was within Gloomhaven. It’d be good to visit some time. Perhaps unavoidable if they were to guarantee Leuca’s long-term safety.

Isidore looked towards Sorcha. “My work has been pro bono so far, but now…I’ll expect proper compensation for my services.” He clasped his hands together. “Such matters can be left for another time though.”

He stood up, nodded once towards Leuca, then said to Augusta, “Yes. Shall we?”

And with that, Isidore opened the door for the reincarnated Sirithen, before following her out. He had no intention of being left out of a potentially illuminating discussion with Vasserasa’s advisor, after all, especially not when the matter of demons pertained to them both.

Into the depths?
@Click This@Crimson Paladin

---

Lazhira would start helping Novak dismantle the barricade. It wasn’t really hard. The wooden furniture was rotten, starting to break down already. As long as they were careful they could easily have it done in a few mere minutes.

Donning the mask, would reveal...surprisingly little to Novak. Though, he’d notice a familiar sight. The skull from earlier, shown squeezing through a crack in the bottom of the door. Had it gone in there? What was that creature, anyway? It would also show a few handprints on the door, like someone had been holding it, or beating against it? Odd, that they’d be on this side.

Nothing else could be seen.

Narkissa, however, could feel a light draft of air, but where it was coming from was unknown. Perhaps there was an exit in this room somewhere, but there was also a chance that it was just some...ventilation or something from above, not suitable for human passage...but it was their only lead, so far.

Inside, should they deign to enter, was...quite the sight. The room seemed to be a large rectangle. Cages. Cages would line the walls. About the size of large dog kennels. Were animals kept here? It was easy to assume that at first, but upon closer inspection, the remains of a few human skeletons could easily be seen. Seems like aside from these features, the room was barren. A prison, or holding area of some sort.

At the back of the room, against one wall however, was a some sort of grotesque looking black blob, undulating and writhing as it seemed to be stuck to the wall. It looked fairly similar to the one Narkissa had fought earlier, though it seemed to be stuck somehow, where it was. At the base of it, was that tiny little skull that Novak had seen earlier, it seemed to possess a few tendrils of its own and was holding a small piece of meat up to the larger one. Upon being noticed however, it would give a high pitched shriek as though it was startled, retreat back into its home and scurry into a nearby kennel.

There seemed like there might be a door behind the slime, if they could find someway to remove it. The large slime creature would shudder, unlinking one of its gelatinous tendrils from the wall and attempting to lash out towards the group. It seemed slow, cumbersome almost.

The Roma Mob
@ERode@Pyromania99

---

“Hm. I see.” Sorcha would reply to Isidore. She had expected no less, really, from the way he carried himself. “Worry not. Remuneration will be plentiful from myself, and I am sure Leuca’s uncle would be more than grateful for your services so far.” As much as she’d like to have them help for free...it was, in a way, also comforting. She understood desiring payment for services rendered better than most. Perhaps it was a chance to finally put some of it to use, at least. “Regardless, thank you for your services thus far. Now, Leuca...lets get you out of those rags and into something more appropriate.”

Isiodre and Augusta both would leave the room, with Octavia trotting along behind them and leaving Leuca in Sorcha’s care. It wasn’t hard to find Rullphana, she was still in the same tower she had been in earlier. The guard from before would eye both Isidore and Augusta with some contempt, but otherwise say nothing and allow them to pass.

“Ah. Augusta, you’ve returned...and...my, that’s quite the handsome catch you have there.” She’d chuckle.

“Weh! Its the old hag and the cool dude that was with that other elf!” Off to the side, was also someone who would be familiar to the both of them. The elf from the weapon shop as well as the one from the tailors. “What are you two doing here?”

“Shush, you.” Rullphana would smack the back of Raelzeth’s head earning a pout and a click of her tongue. “Apologies for my apprentice. She can get a little...hot-headed. Probably that dwarvish blood in her. I swear by the sage, she’s more of a handful than the prince was as a child.” She’d lament. “A-ahem, but anyways, what brings you back so soon? And who is your friend here, Augusta? Here to fulfill your deal already? I admire your ethic.”

Builder and a Traveler
@PaulHaynek

---

“I’m...not quite sure what you mean.” Enli replied to Nicholas with a furrowed brow. “I...yes, you came from elsewhere? ‘Earth’? It must be a village very far away, but I don’t see how that is...relevant?” It seemed the village elder may have misunderstood Nicholas’ words somewhat, assuming that ‘earth’ was just some far off village or gathering of people or place.

“Regardless...yes, the Sage has a number of names. I believe those of the mountain chose ‘Urumna’ as it means something in their ancient tongue - while Chaenelith is supposedly the name they were born with...though I can’t say for certain.” He’d pause, humming briefly as he would think over Nicholas’ other words. “There’s mention of a ‘Moonblossom’ at times in some records, although I don’t know what it is. Other than that...I can’t say.” He shook his head. “I apologize I can’t be of more help in this matter.”

---

Send Feet Pics
@Cu Chulainn

“How would they know? Unless the girl...hm, its possible. Fine, then.” The hunter replied with a grunt. “Alright, good of a plan as any. You heard him, men. Start getting wood. Cut down some smaller trees if you need to!” He’d shout. And so the group of hunters would get to work collecting wood. If they weren’t going to come to them, then they’d need to somehow make them come out. The command he gave to his group, too, was soon carried out. They’d grab the torches and other burnable lights that could be carried and carry them to the front of the old temple in order to be used.

And then he would notice the hag. Cautiously, he would approach. The mist surrounding the temple rather thick, here, obscuring most of his vision...but a trap, it did not seem to be.

“Suspicion will serve you well, boy.” She would say, before he even turned the corner of the temple, acknowledging his presence. “But you should know that thing won’t even scratch me. More importantly, your quarry is getting away. Or you could choose to quit the field, but eh. I wonder what the hunters would think of you after that. Maybe they’ll spread rumors of a coward, and it’ll reach other people!” She would cackle. “Seize every opportunity, boy. Those who don’t never amount to anything.”

“Malphas.” A familiar voice. Soyala would approach from around the other side of the temple, a mildly concerned face. “Seems that merchant has taken an interest in our thief. She’s sent one of her...specialists to find them. I tried waylaying her, but the skills those from Chagawa possess are...difficult to deal with...why are you back here, anyways?” She’d ask, taking a quick look around, but the hag was gone, as though she had never been there to start with.

Isidore coming with her wasn't too surprising really. Augusta wasn't the only one curious about the demons after all. Still, it was somewhat insulting having someone call her an Old Hag when she as much as entered the room. Somehow, she seemed a bit visibly irritated with this. "My, my. Madame Rullphana, your apprentice has as loose a mouth as she is cute. Perhaps she should learn to watch it carefully before she speaks the wrong thing to the wrong person." There was a rather intense glare from Augusta toward the apprentice that dissipated rather quickly as she turned her attention back to Rullphana.

The elf quickly cleared her throat before she spoke again. "But yes. I've come to deliver on a part of our deal. This man is Isidore. I believe I mentioned my human partner prior..." She's had a busy day so she can't quite remember if she mentioned it. "Regardless, I figured you'd love the chance for an extended study while we're in town. Isidore, would you be a dear and hand the seed to Madame Rullphana?" She asked the man with a smile. "She's going to have a fun time studying it for a bit." Of course, there was nothing in the deal that said Rullphana got to keep the seed. "In return, she's going to teach me magic and give a rundown of demons. I figured you'd be interested in that as well."

Augusta seemed confident in her choice at least. She was rather excited to learn more about magic, even if she didn't start that lesson today. She wondered if she need to take care of some other things first or not. Well, Rullphana might be excited to study it, guess she'll see.

For someone in a position of power, Rullphana appeared quite young. Perhaps it was simply something he’d have to grow accustomed to however, when Isidore had yet to encounter any Uruthan or Sirithen who looked ‘aged’. He had raised a brow when the girl from the smithery called Augusta an ‘old hag’, and maintained that look of slight surprise when it was mentioned that the prince had been just as raucous as a child. Perhaps it was simply puberty though. Wouldn’t be the first time he’d seen a kid grow from being cheerful and upbeat to perpetually sullen and touchy. Well, dwarvish blood or not, it’d do for Augusta to grow some thicker skin anyhow.

“Don’t mind it too much, Augusta,” Isidore said, his tone light and measured. “Every adult’s old in the eyes of an adolescent.” There was little point in expecting any deference from a youngster, after all. For all their deeds and all they’ve slain, neither Augusta nor himself had any reason in this society to be respected for.

“And yes. I would be interested in some proper instruction in magic. It would be even better if we could observe some of your experimentations with this seed,” he continued, settling his gaze upon Rullphana's own. “However, not that I doubt the word of someone associated closely with Vasserasa, but do you have this…deal cemented upon a written contract? Or is this not done around these parts?”

The dark-haired youth reached within his cloak to retrieve the demon seed but did not hand it over yet.

“As I wasn’t present during this deal, it would be good to have all of us on the same page here.”

I suppose that answers my question of where the skull came from. I didn't think the answer would be this repugnant, though, Novak mused as he beheld the sickening sight of the human skeletons, trapped within what looked like animal cages. What sort of twisted, depraved experiments were these people running? And just where did they get their victims? And what about the hunters? Were any of them involved here? Could they possibly be involved in something similar?

Novak had no memory of every killing another human, but if he ever needed to start, what he was seeing would make for a good motivation. Not that he'd necessarily get such a chance- even without poison or bows, Novak didn't think he'd be able to defeat even one hunter, not in his current, empty-headed state.

At the back of the room was what appeared to be a black slime, and it almost appeared to be stuck to something. On the ground in front of the slime, sat the skull from earlier, tendrils extending out, offering a piece of meat to the large slime. It looked like it might be a smaller slime under the skull. Most curious was how it reacted when the trio drew nearer- it made a sound like a frightened scream and fled into one of the cages.

"Did you two see that? The way it was feeding the larger blob, the way it screamed and fled, it almost seems...intelligent," Novak observed, surprised at what he had just seen. The sparse knowledge within his mind that survived his rebirth told him that this was an oddity, that something like this sort of creature ought to be mindless, its capacity for intelligence closer to that of a plant than an animal. On the other hand, this was a strange new world, and whatever vestiges of knowledge that survived within him might not apply here.

Novak recalled what Narkissa had said, that the slimes could be killed by tearing out or perhaps damaging its core. He wasn't entirely sure how to do that, and in the dim lighting he wasn't sure where its core was in its body. It was a lot smaller than the big one that Narkissa had killed, so she probably knew how to deal with this one. On the other hand, if it was intelligent, perhaps there was another way...

"I wonder just how smart it is," he said as he looked down at the piece of meat that the skull had failed to feed to the slime. Novak drew his sword and inched closer, careful as to stay out of range of the slime's tendrils. Noticing how slow the slime's attacks were, he waited until it lashed its tendril and then moved forward just far enough to skewer the meat on the tip of his sword, then withdrew just as quickly.

"Here..." he spoke softly, offering the meat on the end of his sword to the black blob. He felt even sillier than he did when offering the armadillo viscera to the fox, but he figured it was worth a shot. Even if the slime was unable to comprehend gratitude, it might at least understand satiation, and be less hesitant to attack if it wasn't hungry.

@Rune_Alchemist@Click This

@Rune_Alchemist @Crimson Paladin

They didn’t find anything outright objectionable about the barricaded door, so Narkissa also helped with clearing out the debris blocking the door. She had felt a bit of a breeze, to boot, which was promising as far as things were concerned. Sure, it could be a ventilation shaft, but she didn’t feel like that was something the temple builders had ever thought to build.

Especially when she actually got a glimpse of the gruesome scene that was on the other side of the door. It was a prison… or a torture chamber, even, considering the presence of the unremoved skeletons. More concerning, however, was the black blob that existed against one of the walls in the chamber. Dangerous, clearly, but she had dealt with one before… and this one looked scared, for some reason?

“Sure… the big one I thought had some sort of intelligence too, I suppose. Like an animal’s.” She gave her own observations to Novak, frowning as he seemed to seriously go down that train of thought. “Are you daft? I wouldn’t get so close to that thing like that without your guard up…”

She clicked her tongue as Novak attempted to lure it with the meat, taking up a position to defend themselves with her own sword or some magic if it did lash out.

"Escaping, huh?" Malphas said to himself as he ruminated on the hag's words. To be frank, he didn't care much about the words of these primitive hunters. That wasn't to say he did not care about being referred to as a coward. Instead, he did not expect them to survive much longer with how things are going. If anything, Malphas's decision to remain here and give them aide was one born out of guiding them towards destruction, or perhaps something equally entertaining.

With all that said, however, Malphas still needed to find a way to stop the others from escaping. It would be useful to him if the other reincarnated were... delayed, perhaps indefinitely.

As Soyala finally appeared, Malphas scratched his head. He wondered where she was, but it seems she answered that as well. An agent of the merchant is going after the thief as well? Perhaps even this could be used to their aide, after all...

"Ahh, yes. I've returned because my negotiations with Enli bore no fruit. It seems he was too busy to talk with the likes of me, or what have you... I have instead returned to help in a more direct manner.

"An associate of the merchant is on our midst? Hm... perhaps we can convince her to help us out. I do have a form of partnership with the merchant after helping her retrieve the flowers. We should find this... Chihuahua, was it? And when we do, I can do the talking."

Malphas smiled as things seemed to be folding together, although he was a bit concerned on his current plans, as well as some of the words the hag has spoken to him.

"Does the old temple have any secret entrances you know of? I'd assume they're all trapped, but just in-case, we should sent some of the hunters at every known exit in case they plan to escape right under our noses."

“I...yes, you came from elsewhere? ‘Earth’? It must be a village very far away, but I don’t see how that is...relevant?”

"I, no, it's..." Nick sighed and decided against clarifying to the village leader. "...Never mind. Yeah, me and the others came from a place very, very far away."

“There’s mention of a ‘Moonblossom’ at times in some records, although I don’t know what it is. Other than that...I can’t say. I apologize I can’t be of more help in this matter.”

"Moonblossom, huh?" Well, Nick had no idea what that was either. Although, he guessed it must be some flower or plant based from its name. Did he need this 'Moonblossom' to contact the Sage? Now that would be a problem. Still, it was way better than nothing. "I'll keep that in mind. Maybe I'll go look for... whatever Moonblossom is later."

"Thanks again, Lord Enli. I'd love to help out your village as well as your relationship with Kyrnith buuut, it's looks like there's enough people on that already. So I'm just gonna stay out of there way. Err, sorry." Nick said. "Word of advice, if you want people to approach Kyrnith more often, you gotta make the Elder Beast look welcoming. Invest in paths and trails and maybe some decor even. Of course, nothing that would offend or upset Kyrnith."

"Well, I gotta go again. Say hi to Kyrnith for me." After bidding farewell to Lord Enli, Nick would exit the longhouse and start searching for the obelisk to try and contact the Sage. The 'Moonblossom' was still in his mind and he suspected he would need it but Nick decided to try and make contact anyway. What did he have to lose?

Then again, he could use his only power to find out what Moonblossom was but it wasn't night yet.

Into the depths?
@Click This@Crimson Paladin

---

The slime, if it was intelligent, did at least seem to go for the easiest meal possible - the meat on the end of Novak’s sword. The tendril would slowly lash out, wrapping the meat in its gooey grip before retracting the meat back inside. The body of the blob would shiver and bubble, its surface making a gurgling noise as the meat was presumably digested within. Clearly still violent, but it seemed as long as they kept their distance and maybe fed it, it wouldn’t immediately harm them.

The smaller one inhabiting the skull seemed to peek out from its hiding spot, before becoming motionless again.

“Hm...I think...i don’t think the big one is erm, intelligent?” Lazhira would reply with a measure of uncertainty. “But that smaller one seems to be somewhat. It looks like its...stuck? Or it can’t move for some reason...” The smaller one would attempt to move as far away from the others as it could. It definitely seemed scared of them. "...and is it just me or do I smell something burning?"

The Roma Mob
@ERode@Pyromania99

---

“...I do not think my deal with Augusta extends to her companions.” Rullphana replied with a tone of mild disinterest. “But if you’re curious - I agreed to instruct Augusta and I get to study this rather...extraordinary pup you have, as well as that seed of yours. I think it’s a fair deal. Instruction from one of the most powerful mages in the entire realm is an opportunity most would shall we say, kill for.” Rullphana chuckled, before turning her gaze to Raelzeth. “Sadly some don’t understand the weight of that.”

“...Hey! Maybe if you actually taught me more I’d-”

“I teach you exactly what you’re ready for, and until you can actually read the same amount of words as the time you spend getting up to no good, you won’t be ready for anything else.” Rullphana would turn her gaze towards Isidore once more. “As for a written agreement, well, yes, we have those. Typically reserved for merchants and those in power looking to do things.I really don’t think any of us want to go through that process, especially as I am the one typically settling disputes that arise from them...and we really wouldn’t want to bother the queen with this.” Raelzeth pouted slightly, but would soon set her sights on the pup. She would walk over to Octavia, and start accosting her with aggressive headpats. “Of course...not that I made a deal with you. This was entirely between me and Augusta. If you want something, then what exactly can you offer me, Isidore? I’m a busy woman.”

A Traveler
@PaulHaynek

---

“Aha, making an Elder Beast more approachable is...quite the suggestion.” Enli chuckled with bemusement. “But yes, I do hope your search goes well. Dawn will always welcome you.” And so Nicholas would leave Enli’s house, heading for the cliff where the Obelisk was located - where he had first stepped into this new world that he was now a part of. It was a fairly easy trek, even with the setting sun casting long shadows - it’d probably be night by the time he returned, but that was also the perfect time for him to attempt using this ability of his.

Soon he’d be at the base of the tall, black pillar. It loomed over him like some silent watcher, or guardian. Some sort of testament to some divine power. The quiet breeze from the sea met his nose, smelling of salt and brine. This was certainly the place, but how would he go about trying to make contact with this ‘Sage’ person? He didn’t have a Moonblossom...perhaps he could try praying? Or maybe there was something else?

If perhaps, he was paying attention, he’d still see the two stars he saw last night flickering oddly brightly to the south, just over the mountains as night was beginning to set in.

Send Feet Pics
@Cu Chulainn

“I doubt they’d be our ally.” Soyala replied, hefting her spear over her shoulder. “From our brief interaction...she’s here to make sure at least one of them makes it back alive, but if anyone could convince them, it’d be you...and Chagawa. Its Chagawa.” Soyala would reaffirm as she thought briefly about Malphas’ question. A secondary exit? “...there may be a few routes out, though I don’t know if they’d be possible to go through. I can take a few hunters with me and check if you’d prefer to stay here. It shouldn't be too difficult. We know what traps and other pitfalls to look for.”

By now the other hunters had already made a fairly sizable bonfire at the bottom of the pit that led to the second floor of the temple. They had tossed a number of logs, branches, shrubbery - anything they could find that was burnable into it. The area below was starting to fill with thick, black smoke of burning wood and structure. The plan was working more or less as intended for now, it seemed.

“Unfortunate.”

Isidore removed his hand from the folds of his cloak without retrieving the demon seed. Rullphana was certainly a character, wasn’t she? And Augusta as well, for brokering a deal without going into the specifics. In another situation perhaps, he would have handed over the demon seed without any incident. It was already valuable enough, just to have a knowledgeable individual look over it and to share that information with the rest of them. But now that the queen’s advisor had made it clear that such a seed had a special value, the dark-haired youth had no intent of letting it go so easily.

And perhaps, he was somewhat displeased as well.

“This is a deal between Augusta and yourself,” Isidore said. “But one of the assets to be exchanged is mine. Without my cooperation, this ‘deal’ cannot be completed. You understand, then, that this is not a deal between two individuals, but three.” He paused, his eyes sliding towards Octavia and Raelzeth, before returning to Rullphana. “And as Augusta and I have no plans to remain at Gloomhaven permanently, you should understand as well that Raelzeth’s opinion of your abilities as an instructor doesn’t paint a promising picture of what progress can be made.”

Isidore cradled his fingers, allowing them to rest above his navel.

“But we are all busy people, so allow me to offer a simple amendment, Lady Rullphana. You assess Augusta’s capabilities and talent as a mage and give her specifics on how much she can expect to improve under your tutelage, as well as give us a lecture on the theory behind magic, enough that one can self-study from that point. I only need that one lecture, and in return, your current deal with Augusta and myself can continue as is.”

He smiled with his mouth, not his eyes.

“Still a fair deal, yes? You will gain two rather unique assets, in exchange for what’s largely mundane to you.”

@Rune_Alchemist @Crimson Paladin

“Huh…”

Narkissa frowned as she looked at the slime feasting on the bit of meat that Novak had given it. She looked at Lazhira a bit skeptically. Either way, it still looked like there was a door –and possibly their way out—behind the slime, so the big blob needed to be removed some way or another. The smaller one… she didn’t know much about, but as far as she was concerned, it didn’t appear like a threat nor did it look important at the moment.

“Burning?” She sniffed at the air, frowning again. This time, her frown was deeper. “No, something is definitely burning.” A flicker of concern passed through her face as she thought of what that meant. “The temple was on fire earlier… maybe it never died out, or somebody set it on fire again? Shit,” she vocalized. If the hunters had given up waiting and had entered the temple… or were trying to literally smoke them out, they were in big trouble if they couldn’t find an alternate way out, now.

Narkissa thought about alternative options, but quickly discarded them. If there was a fire, maybe she could put it out with her newfound water magic, but she still didn’t know the full extent of the fire, her own abilities, and her ability to combat it, especially if there was a chance that the hunters had also entered the building. It was too risky.

“Hey… hey. Are there other pieces of meat in this dungeon? Can you lure that big beast out of that spot so we can get to that door?” She looked at Novak. “If we can’t… we’re going to have to break through it, I think. I’ve got a feeling we’re about to be trapped.”

The walk back to the cliff with the obelisk was fairly easy. It was where he and a few fellow Outsiders were transported to after escaping that courtyard with the two giants were fighting. Nick wondered who won that fight. While no doubt that both of them wouldn't have hesitated to harm him, he rooted for the golem thing since it looked less scarier and threatening than the black plant thing.

As for his fellow Outsiders, Nick wondered how Augusta and Isidore were doing in the mountains. Taking a glance over, the two stars still twinkled over the snowy peaks. Maybe he should've went with them after all, but what was done was done. Still, the mountains might be his next destination if nothing changes his course.

It was getting late when Nick reached the obelisk. The sun sank below the horizon as the scent of oceanwater filled his nose again. The black pillar casted its dark shadow over Nick who pondered on how to establish contact with the 'Sage'. Clasp his hands in prayer, just like how he did back in Earth when talking to the Heavenly Father? Well, it was worth a shot.

Nick brought his hands together and closed his eyes. He began whispering his words, "Great Sage. Though I am not of this land, nor this world, nor do I even have a sacred Moonblossom with me, I still pray to you for aid. Please answer my call."

The smell of burning was a cause for worry. If the hunters could fill the place with smoke, they might be able to kill the trio without ever having to swing a weapon. And the tar in the pit...was it flammable? Could that entire room ignite? Narkissa was right, they needed to get out of here.

"Piece of meat? I don't think so, unless there's something in their kitchen, or...wait," Novak paused, remembering a crucial detail. "The Illuminator's mannequin might be err...fleshy enough, but he might not be too pleased with it getting damaged, and he still hasn't released Leannah."

Leannah's disappearance was still a problem. Ironically, as far as they knew she might actually be better off in whatever corner of the temple she had stumbled into than out here instead of out here, desperately trying to avoid getting murdered by a pack of hunters. Come to think of it, what would they do if they found a way out? Surely the hunters would be able to track and overtake them before they reached the village, and even if they did make it, Novak hardly considered that a guarantee of safety.

If only we could turn these...slimes to our advantage.

Recalling Lazhira's words, Novak knelt down, out of range of the larger slime's tendrils, and looked where the smaller slime had retreated.

"You don't need to be afraid of us," he gently assured it, gesturing for it to come closer. "You remember me, right? I didn't bother you when you were following me." Even if it didn't understand his words, he still might be able to coax it out if he was non-threatening enough.

"I don't know if you understand us, but we just want to release your big friend so we can leave," he explained, gesturing to the larger slime, "But as long as it's trying to kill us, we can't help." Novak still felt really silly about trying to communicate with a slime, and hoped for the remote possibility that it had the ability to understand them. If all else failed, they might have to kill the big slime, something that Narkissa and Lazhira would know how to do. Truth be told, Novak would rather avoid killing it. They needed every possible advantage they could get, befriending one of these slime creatures, if such a thing were possible, could be useful.

@Click This@Rune_Alchemist

"Hmm... Yes, yes. Have the hunters cover the rest of the grounds, especially any alternative routes you may know of. Something tells le they might be finding another way out of the temple, traps be damned." Malphas stated to Soyala, thinking more on the temple itself. "We should not underestimate the ingenuity of the other foreigners. I'll see if I can find this Chimichanga, myself."

Once that is all said and done, Malphas waites for Soyala to leave and gather the other hunters before... leaning back on the temple's walls and yawning. He needed the brief reprieve to allow him some time to think of his next course of action. Perhaps this agent of Lady Mie will also find their way to him, as well. Coincidences like that tend to happen, more often than not.

Into the depths?
@Click This@Crimson Paladin

---

The smaller creature would use its tendrils to shuffle away from Novak initially, until it would hit the back of the cage. It would stay there a few seconds, obviously still skittish - but it seemed to at least understand that Novak wasn’t here to cause it immediate harm. Whether or not it was intelligent beyond that, was entirely up for debate, though. It would slowly move towards Novak, resting just at his feet before making an attempt at...jumping in a somewhat irritated seeming manner when he mentioned something about not harming it earlier.

“...Uhm, I think its irritated.” Lazhira replied with a small frown.

The small slime would then scurry over to the bigger one. It definitely looked like the bigger slime was stuck, or at least couldn’t move. The smaller one would move around to its side, and it almost looked like part of the slime had dried onto the wall and door - the part facing away from them seemed to have somehow slowly hardened into being unable to move. It was difficult to tell what that exactly meant, but maybe it’d be a simple matter of cutting it away? Of course, that also meant somehow getting past the big one likely attacking them.

The Roma Mob
@ERode@Pyromania99

---

“Hm...You’re quite the shrewd one, aren’t you Isidore? You would do well not to take Raelzeth’s words too much to heart.” Rullphana replied, lips forming into frown. The Elf would take a few seconds to consider the addendum, a number of seconds passing before she would eventually sigh and offer a small smirk towards Isidore. “But very well. I will agree to those terms. Aside from you questioning my abilities, I would rather maintain a good relationship with the two of you as of now.”

Rullphana would turn her gaze towards Augusta.

“Then lets get started shall we? I’ll need to see a good example of what you can already do if you want an assessment of what you could theoretically be capable of. The most powerful thing you can do. Whether it be skill at manipulating it, or raw power. Go on, impress me.” She probably already had some idea what the two of them were capable of but was choosing to see first hand. As Augusta would start with whatever it was she was going to do to impress her, she would turn her attention towards Isidore’s second request.

“A little history lesson, first. Magic at its essence, is raw power. The raw force of creation that the ancient Gods once made the world and universe out of. That is the way we teach it here, at least. I can’t say much on what it actually is aside from the raw power to create in some fashion, though I have theories.” She would move a bit closer to Isidore.

“There are typically two sources of ‘magic’ power. Those that come from ‘somewhere else’, say a divine blessing, or perhaps a demonic patron granting you power, or those that come from ‘within’ the person themselves using an understanding of the natural world and well, sheer arrogance to be able to twist reality into their favor with the manipulation of it. Effectively, you could say it is forcing reality to bend to your will in some fashion.” She frowned slightly, considering her next words carefully. “As for the theories behind it, that depends on what you are trying to do. Are you trying to bind a creature to your service? Summon a demon or something? Either of those require different requirements than say, simply casting a fireball. And casting a fireball and binding both are a far cry from shall we say, altering the properties of an existing spell. All have different theories behind them, and all are used in different ways. As a general rule however - the more mana you pour into it, the more potent and long lasting the effect as long as you don’t lose control of it.”

She seemed confident, though from her words there didn’t seem like there were many hard classifications or perhaps more perhaps formulaic approaches to magic.

“Oh, and then there’s the abilities of the Elder Beasts and their kin are born with...though its not something normal humans can harness usually.” She would off handedly mention. “They’re a sort of ‘law’ that must exist, if that makes sense. In a way, I suppose you could consider the Elder Beasts and such abilities natural forces of the world. The Steineter, for example - its ability to burrow through rock as though it were clay and split the earth with a mere gaze would classify as They are typically exceedingly powerful - but they can only usually possess only a single set of abilities...though I’ve heard mention the more intelligent ones can apply them in quite creative ways.”

A Traveler
@PaulHaynek

---

So, Novak would start praying. Prayer was perhaps, what all gods wanted in some form. Worship. Faith. The attention of mortals. Perhaps it could be said that Gods were even powerless without someone to believe in them. Was this Sage the same? But would it [i]really[i] be as easy as a prayer, when he had been told they didn’t like to involve themselves in mortal affairs?

Perhaps it would be.

He would become distinctly aware of something approaching him from the side. The footsteps of someone walking across the snowy ground, causing it to crunch underfoot. Opening his eyes, and turning to face it...he’d see a relatively normal looking deer having a leisurely walk some distance away. The most notable thing about the deer, was the fact it looked...well, relatively normal compared to the blue furred deer of the rest of the forest.

Perhaps not, then.

Nothing at all seemed to happen from the prayer alone. Maybe if he kept at it? Perhaps he needed to do something else. The wind would blow gently towards the south, towards the mountains, shifting from its usual path. Well...Enli had mentioned those of the Mountain were likely closer with this Sage, perhaps he could head there and find more answers from them himself...but that meant climbing the mountain, and braving the frigid plains leading up to them. Maybe he could ask the Kyrnith, too, about this Moonblossom.

Send Feet Pics
@Cu Chulainn

"Easily done. Hopefully that one hasn't found them yet." Soyala would reply with a smirk. "If nothing else, we have the home field advantage." And Soyala would run off, and a not long after Malphas would notice her leading several more hunters through the fog, a little deeper into the forests. They didn't seem to have noticed him resting, thankfully. That left him with his own devices, figuring out what to do next.

It might be a decent enough time to run, with the hunters distracted if he wanted to distance himself from them.

Augusta had to sigh a bit. Isidore and Rullphana were rather intense at times. Well, whatever, Isidore would probably want to talk to her later about it. For now, however, Rullphana wanted her to show the most powerful thing she could. Well, it was probably that fire arrow she had performed yesterday. She took a small breath and formulated the arrow above her. She also attempt to summon a second to go along with it so that the both of them hung in the air about two or so feet above her head. She hadn't attempted setting up two at once before but the concept wasn't that hard was it?

Regardless of whether she made the second or not, she held them up and looked to the tower dwelling elf mage. "Hmm, this is about where I'm at I suppose." She wasn't really sure if it were good or not. "I've not really been able to practice too much since I've started using magic." She really did wish she had more time but it feels like it's only been a couple of since they've started... Or, really... It has only been, hasn't it.

Seeing as he would be left alone for the time being, it was likely Malphas's best time to escape. There are two things that were in his way, though: Getting the cultists off his tail and getting back to the village without that beast catching notice. He was able to take care of one of those two problems easily enough, thankfully, clutching one of the arrows from his quiver. He would squeeze his hand on the arrowhead until blood was drawn, letting it drip around where he was seated. For dramatic effect, he would leave a big hand-print on the wall, dragging it downwards to the ground to indicate a sinister fate. Once his artwork was complete, Malphas would prepare his escape, snapping the arrow onto the grass and leaving it on the ground.

With a few squats and deep breaths, Malphas gathered the magical energy within his soul into his body once more. Before he channeled the energy to his legs, he would make the best scream of pain he could muster. Once that was done, Malphas completed his spell, allowing the mystical energies to once more channel into his legs. What was left for him was a mad dash towards the village, heading in a path opposite to where he heard the hunters were going. For good measure, Malphas would manifest his wings if it would afford him a cleaner escape. He already had trouble walking through the woods, after all.

Nick let out a long sigh. "It was worth a shot..." He shrugged.

With the obelisk a dead end, Nick was left with no options but to head south. Establish contact with the people in those mountains and see if they could help him. He thought about going back to Dawn and snoop around some more, maybe even ask Kyrnith about it, but he had bothered the village too much now with him giving little in return. It would be rude of him if he pressed them any further.

Right, Nick would try his luck in the mountains. It was getting late, though, and he was a bit tired from walking all over Dawn looking for clues and trying to help. However, Nick didn't fancy hunkering down on a snow-covered forest with barely anything to use as a bed or shelter. Besides, who knew what could be lurking in these woods. Then again, the same could be said for the road towards the mountains. Regardless, Nick wasn't staying here and his feet were on the move once more.

Nick began his trip to the mountains, following the star that hovered overhead. He prayed and hoped nothing untoward would happen along the way.

@VitaVitaAR@PKMNB0Y

As far as Misaki could tell, the plan for the next few days would require no small amount of work. Knowing that bamboo “paper” existed was good, yes, and fundamentally speaking it would work perfectly for the sake of retaining information…

But there was a reason that it was phased out of use in the modern era. There was most certainly a market to be had in the creation of wood pulp paper, and given that she had no proper combat capabilities (and that such skills could not be obtained without proper time and effort), the next best thing she could bring to the table was the development of technology. The only major problem on that front in terms of safety was trying to not make herself too conspicuous, but all that really meant was that she just had to progress at a measured pace.

As she finished writing a few things in Japanese and sketching out a basic diagram for the frame, the foxgirl found herself startled by the appearance of one of the oni—the same one she had caught sight of earlier today, before she had followed Nobunaga to the Kyrinth’s shrine.

“A-ah… Sorry, I was a bit lost in thought,” she began, standing up and brushing herself off before bowing towards Haruno. “But if you want to speak with me, by all means. Is something the matter?”

“Mm...no, nothing is wrong really.” She’d reply. Her eyes drifted towards the drawings in the sand Misaki was making. Despite her friendly tone, there was the sense she was still on guard, judging from the way one of her hands hadn’t left her blade didn’t do much to dispel that. “I’ve simply been looking for an opportunity to speak with you...though I was hoping you’d turn me away. That would have been more expected.”

Haruno exhaled lightly, frowning.

“Who are you, exactly?” She asked. “You and that human...there’s something off about the two of you, and I can’t quite put my finger on it.” She didn’t seem hostile, but definitely curious and on guard. “And the fact you willingly engage with us Oni, its...suspicious.”

“Suspicious, are we?”

Nobunaga placed a hand to her chest as she spoke, smiling pleasantly. She had been aware their actions could potentially seem strange to those who hailed from the distant land so similar to her own. And indeed, her caution had been warranted. There was little that could be done aside from facing the matter head-on.

“I suppose it’s simply a matter of my upbringing. My father employed a variety of people prior to his untimely death, so I am not unused to interacting with your kind,” she responded, “Perhaps my attitude has rubbed off on my companion?”

It was a swiftly devised ruse. Nobunaga was not entirely certain it would work, but if the oni of this world were employed by Mie, then it was not impossible they were employed by others.

Misaki’s eyes widened slightly at the oni’s statement, pausing for a moment as she realized her blunder. It hadn’t occurred to her that discrimination against the oni had been common, given the world that she lived in. Even so, it wasn’t as if she could act otherwise—it just wouldn’t feel right.

“Ah… I…” she trailed off, scratching the back of her head as Nobunaga chimed in. There was no real way for her to follow up on that, given who she was, but it would have to be addressed… Somehow. Given her apparent inability to readily lie, it only seemed right to try and give a half-truth instead.

“...I’m just… Odd, is all. Unlike my companion here, I’ve just… Lived my life as an academic. Something like where you come from or what your lot in life was just isn’t really important to me.”

It might have sounded a bit odd or hollow, but that was the best that she could do here.

“Hmm...” Haruno frowned, considering the words of the two travelers, eyes narrowing slightly. It was, at least, clear she didn’t entirely believe them. “I...that makes sense, I suppose. If you’re a scholar...the onmyouji do at least treat us with...civility. Though I don’t know of anyone else in Chagawa who willingly employed Oni aside scoundrels looking to cause trouble and people looking for scapegoats…” She shifted her gaze towards Nobunaga as she spoke, the suspicious look turning to one more akin of minor embarrassment.

“A-ah not that I would imply that your late father or that you are such disreputable people! N-not at all! I’m sure he was quite the practical minded man - oh that doesn’t sound any better...” At least her posture relaxed slightly.

The way that the oni had responded to their statements did not particularly sit well with the foxgirl, especially given what she had said. The fact that she still didn’t trust their words couldn’t have been helped—doubly so given how Nobunaga was lying through her teeth—but she had at least been genuine in her excuse. If she was to be frank, their presence as a whole was inherently intriguing enough to ignore any sort of societal pariah status that they may have had, but that was neither here nor there.

Even so… Would it have helped to extend the lie a bit more?

“Ah… Well, I haven’t told Lady Mie this, but… I was actually born outside of Chagawa. I’d rather not be treated as an outcast, so I don’t say that often, but if it makes you feel any better…”

Misaki trailed off, scratching the back of her head with a nervous smile before looking back towards Haruno.

“...With that said, I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell your boss—though, if I’m going to be honest, she probably knows already, given how she was acting with me earlier,” she continued before glancing back to her work in the sand. “Though… Hm. I wonder if I could ask for help with this…? No, that might be a bit…”

Nobunaga paused for a moment. Ah, that was a rather wise choice to cover for Misaki’s oddness in the eyes of those native to the distant land. Having originated from beyond its shores in the first place.

The petite black-haired girl sighed.

“Ah, I suppose my attempts to cover for you were not enough,” she commented, simply, “I apologize, Misaki-san. I guess I never have been at my best when put on the spot like that, but I thought I could do at least a little better.”

She scratched the back of her head, as if she felt mildly embarrassed.

“... As for my father, I suppose I never questioned his dealings too deeply…” continued Nobunaga, faking a confession of her father’s potential criminal activities, “But regardless, to my knowledge he treated everyone in his employ well enough.”

“You were born outside of Chagawa?!” Haruno seemed utterly shocked by Misaki’s words, her gaze turning to one of what seemed to be disbelief. “That...I suppose it could make sense if you were, but then...that would also mean...” The Oni frowned, glancing away from the two other girls with a thoughtful, but troubled expression. “...did some other place have Kin related to the ancient guardian beasts…?” A brief glance back towards Misaki. A gaze of judgement, and determination. A few quiet seconds would pass before eventually the Oni would sigh. “...no, you have no reason to make such a bold face lie to me.” A relieved expression as Haruno would offer a small smile. “It’s not my place to say, but I’m sure Lady Mie would be put quite at ease if you told her this. She may have her suspicions but...she has to err on the side of caution, especially when dealing with her kin.”

Haruno however, would not say more than that on the subject even if pressed by the two.

“I am glad however, at least, there are others that see past the Oni’s heritage.” Haruno would offer a genuine smile to Nobunaga. “I suppose if you aren’t from Chagawa though, Misaki, you aren’t aware of us or our life there, are you? And if you’re heading there...well, I could tell you some things, if you want if your friend here hasn’t already? It would be foolish of me not to aid when you’ve been this forthcoming when it could directly help you.”

The foxgirl could only return Nobunaga’s apology with a sheepish smile; she was not one used to apologies, and hearing one from a figure so famed in history directed towards herself only compounded how uncomfortable that felt. Nevertheless, it was something that could not be ignored; attempting to extend the charade would likely have gotten them in a larger mess.

The oni’s response, though, was a bit less visceral than Misaki had expected; though some reaction was to be expected, the bits she could piece together from what was said did not paint a particularly flattering picture of Chagawa despite its name. If anything, it sounded more like Heian Japan rather than something closer to the later shogunates, which did them absolutely no favors. At this point, though, there was no reason to jump to conclusions—not when someone was so willing to explain the nation’s inner workings so as to allow them a clearer picture.

“Ah… I shall do so when the time is right, then,” she said, nervously scratching the back of her head before nodding. “But if you would be willing to explain, then I would happily listen. Please, by all means.”

“Mhm, t-then I’ll do my best.” Haruno replied. “I can’t...really speak much to how the human clans work really. Only how they view us Oni and our Clans...” She would begin, a look of minor resentment coloring her features. “And erm, I promise I’m not trying to color humans in a bad light here.” She’d cast a nervous look towards Nobunaga before continuing. “I’m not sure...where you come from, or if you have a similar origin, but the Kitsune in Chagawa are all descendants of the ancient Guardian Beast which felled a great evil that plagued the land, once...well, that’s how the humans and they tell it. To us Oni, that ‘Great Evil’ was the ancient Serpent King, and our ancestor. When he was felled by the ancient Beasts fangs, his massive body fell to the earth, shattering it and breaking the land in countless pieces - and as such the islands of Chagawa were formed.” She would glance towards the sea. “After it was over...well, accounts vary and we’re not even sure ourselves. They say his hatred and evil eventually would create the Oni at the place he fell, or we were people warped by his evil into serving him.”

She shook her head.

“The Kitsune would retreat to the mountains, a giant tree growing where it would bloom all year round with the prettiest flower blossoms...the humans, would form several Clans led by warriors and people skilled in several fields. A single clan would go on to deify the ancient beasts and found the Onmyouji and what well...they claim they’re the single rulers of Chagawa, but the clans often don’t adhere to that.” Her voice would turn to a tone of resentment, cool minor anger as she continued. “Us Oni were treated as monsters, and...as much as I’d like to say we’re not, none of us deny that well...I can’t...say its not in our blood to find ourselves enjoying things humanity detests. Even I, if I get too...distracted, I might start doing something unpleasant.” She’d blush a bit at admitting that, seemingly mildly embarrassed by whatever that meant. “A-ahem, a-anyways, Oni are divided into several Clans, much like the humans are...though these clans are always changing in power and leadership constantly.”

The Oni would grimace, showing some mild distaste for what she was saying.

“I can tell you more about the individual clans themselves later. Thinking about them honestly makes me irritated. All you really need to know is that most would attack humans on sight. How Lady Mie got most to treat her in a friendly manner...well, I can’t say I know how she did it...” Haruno would frown, thinking for a moment. “....Hm. I suppose the only other thing of note is that if you’re going there, you’d probably want to keep a low profile. The humans there would likely consider you a messenger from the Kitsune, and the Oni unaffiliated with Mie, would probably just kill you without question.”

Misaki opened her mouth slightly before choosing to close it instead, a more serious expression on her face as the oni detailed to her the history of Chagawa. In many ways, it was structured like a traditional myth, but given the way that the world seemed to be structured, writing it off as just that would be far from the truth. To say that the Japan that she knew was not guilty of similar discrimination would have been a bold-faced lie, but that did not mean that she liked it any more as it was here. In her eyes, such thoughts were far too old-fashioned for the sort of world she would have liked to live in—doubly so on her second time around, where she felt as if she had a chance to make a difference if given the time and right opportunities.

“I… See. Well, stereotypes don’t mean much in the long run,” she said, shaking her head before shrugging. “But your warning is much appreciated. Even so, to go so far as to attack people on sight… Coming from you, that seems more believable than not, but I’d hope that dialogue would at least be possible if the need arose. If your employer could do it, then it isn’t impossible, right?”

Given that she had no confidence in her ability even now to actually fight, avoiding such an outcome would be her ideal course of action. The likelihood of having to parley with those clans in the near future was fairly high—at least, as far as she could tell—which meant that one wrong move could mean the end of her.

Maybe understanding the reasons behind Lady Mie’s ability to reach over those boundaries and make contact with the oni would be worth looking into en route too…?

“Hm, certainly if she did it I see no reason why another couldn’t.” Haruno replied with a nod. “I would erm, suggest if I could, in the case that you do you show either no weakness, or great cunning. There is nothing most Oni respect more than some form of strength or...savagery, though I doubt you’d erm, ahaha, want to do that.” She would offer the pair a smile as she glanced towards the ocean. “Uhm, it is getting a bit late, and Lady Mie is probably looking for me...if...she hasn’t been drinking again.” Haruno would sigh, seemingly mildly dismayed at the thought of that. “I really do think you should try being frank with her, but I realize its not my place to suggest such things. Thank you for speaking with me, its not...often I get to speak with those who aren not Oni. If there is nothing else...then I shall take my leave.” Assuming she wasn’t stopped, Haruno would leave back towards the caravan’s location.

---

[@CrusaderLord]

---

Thankfully, nothing else stopped Leannah on her way out. The parts would be dragged back to the room and rest near what was seemingly an operating table. Everything seemed mostly intact, aside from her stunt earlier, which just left three more rooms to explore from here on out. As she would leave the room, the door would simply...disappear? Fade from existence as she left with the statue and the orb.

Seemed like once she took whatever it was she thought was important, she wasn’t going to be going back.

The catgirl would sigh in relief at not having to return to the accursed room, but all the same she would place the parts of the statue that she’d drug in next to the operating table. From here she’d go with the orb and place it on the operating table for safe-keeping as well. Sure it was ‘damaged’, but...surely it still was functional for what was needed, yes? Besides, seeing the statue parts there was giving her some inkling at things. Were the parts, or some of them at least, needed to be placed on this table? Probably. But since she had all the parts she could come back to this later, as there wasn’t much time to dawdle around.

Leannah winced at the searing pain of the burnt right side of her body, and attempted to run magical energy gently through it to help ‘numb’ the pain somewhat. It was a minute attempt, nothing she’d let go out of control or frankly not shut off if it began to go wild, but all the same it was some means of trying to keep herself moving.

Turning her eyes about the room after the attempt, regardless of however successful it was, the former human walked to go enter the Eastern Room. It seemed simplest in comparison to the rest, though wasn’t likely to be as easy as she in part was hoping, and the lack of presence of obvious places for things to jump at her was perhaps needed after the prior room’s shenaniganry.

However, she would still scout the room from the doorway, and as she then entered she would very carefully watch her steps and scour the room itself for anything...strange. Well, anything that wasn’t obvious at least.

The eastern room, as she could see, was completely bare. The walls were made of the same smooth walls as the rest of the place. It wouldn’t be until she’d approach the suspended statue that she’d notice something engraved into the floor under it.



There was a click, the sound of something releasing from above. The sound of metal sliding against metal. A quick check would see the statue that was suspended from above suddenly having been released from its chains and was falling towards her.

Reacting instinctively, Leannah rolled left and out of the way as the hint of the statue’s movement caught her trained attention. As much as it was annoying that something like that happened, however, at least it was enough of a trope-y trap that she didn’t have an outburst at it. Not that such would do anything, but after the last room she was not a fan of enemies swaming her for the moment...then again she could make things explode in a small supernova. But the supernova also made her crispy in the literal sense. Hmm.

Either way she just hoped to not fall through the floor or something as she basically ‘roll-dodged-leaped’ to the side to try to avoid getting hit.

Leannah was able to swiftly dodge the falling statue, rolling across the floor to the side. The statue careened into the floor. As soon as it hit the floor it would smash right through it, revealing a deep pit below! The statue would seem to fall in a straight line, landing on a small outcrop in the middle of the pit. Upon impact, the statue would shatter leaving just the main pieces intact. From what she could see - the area under the floor was entirely hollow, just a massive that she could barely make out other fixtures in. She could see a few floating platforms if she were to poke her head into the pit, illuminated by odd blue light pulsing from the walls and the bottom of the pit.

A few seconds later, the rest of the room began to rumble as the floor under her feet started shifting slightly. Not enough to fall, but enough to likely give a scare of it being unstable.

Didn’t seem like she would be able to survive just...jumping down. Maybe there was some other way she could retrieve what she wanted.

The catgirl let out a sigh as she looked into the pit, stabilizing herself as she stood up once more near the edge. So an unstable room, a fall that would be rather bad to take, and obvious floating platforms sitting in the air with an eerie odd blue light pulsing from the walls and bottom of the pit itself? At least she’d gotten the blue before having to swipe left at the chance of getting crushed by a falling statue. The state of things did confirm, at least, that the statues themselves were also rather important beyond the orbs. It also confirmed she probably needed to save a princess and wear a pointy green hat whilst playing musical instruments. Ha.

Jokes aside, Leannah dusted herself off and looked about the room once more. If there was anything of note here she’d want to see it if it came out now, but otherwise it seemed the path was clear for what to do. She’d also gotten the word clue along the way thus far: “To learn of the old, the Sage descended into the realm of the dead to plunder the corpses of the past.” So the ‘Sage’, yes, they had been involved in this whole backstory for the Illuminator in some fashion. They seemed to have led humanity out of somewhere, which for the moment she assumed was the prison-lab place, and they had ties to the moon goddess naturally because of all of the chaos that went on back there it seemed.

Blargh. The more she seemed to learn, the more questions arose from it all than answers.

Why did the Sage lead them out of the prison complex? Was it because the others were idiots trying to entrap a goddess there? Why did they seek knowledge in the Underworld? Was he like Odysseus seeking Tireseas to-...wait. That was a potential thing, wasn’t it? She had no idea how old this world was, how much happened before, and if that lab was truly a lab before then likely many experiments or subjects and such had died there. In that vein, seeking someone or ‘someones’ in the Underworld who had the knowledge and such the Sage needed was a simple fact if that was the case. The inscription she was remembering about the Sage, the one she’d seen before, also came from the smirking statue and had been given to the hooded figure.

Wait.

Might the hooded figure actually be the Sage themselves? Mourning the loss of contact with the Moon after Delphiti turned away from humans? Without a moon in that sense, if not also very literally, then the world might’ve gone to hell in a handbasket. Literally. That would be something to mourn. Plus back then she did place the crystal necklace on the Hooded Figure statue, which came from the Tower! Yes, that made sense! The Sage had taken something with them in leaving the Lab with those humans who came along, but even so Delphiti had turned from them or on them and the Sage was weeping. Yet the heavy carved stone necklace from the Hooded figure was placed on the Smirking Statue in turn…

...The transference of a burden, perhaps? The Sage got what had been in the Tower, and the smirking statue got the heavy burden that the Sage had borne. Then the Crystal Orb, that hidden ‘secret’ in the vase of the smirking statue, was given to the Two-Faced Bust. If this represented the Illuminator, which she still felt was true, then that secret...son of a-....no it made sense as well. Was it a breakthrough though? She had to lay out the potential timeline at least.

Delphiti made humanity within the Lab, humans turned stupid and wanted to lock another goddess up there that was the Illuminator’s “Auntie” and at least potentially a or the sister of Delphiti. Said sister could be an ocean goddess, since moon and ocean make sense together. That figure might have been represented by the smirking statue who held the vase that had the crystal orb in it. So after the Sage and co left, Delphiti had turned her back on the mortal world and was likely in this causing immense suffering in the process and at least causing the Sage to mourn the loss of connection between them and the goddess. So the Sage sought out information in the Underworld, potentially to try to figure out how to fix the mess of a situation and maybe satiate Delphiti’s anguish and anger in some manner. So he ‘learned of the old’, and acquired something that someone wanted...maybe that Delphiti wanted actually. If she was the one that wanted the ‘secrets of the oceans’, then did the Sage plunder this information and give it to Delphiti to make amends?

In which case Delphiti, who hadn’t had the secret before and was doing experiments to try to acquire it, came into possession of the ‘secrets of the oceans’ in return for restoring the world that had perhaps been devastated by her rejection of mortals? That and maybe sealing up the way to get into her Old Lab in the first place, to avoid humans and mortals making hte same mistakes the ‘heretics’ there had. That all made sense. And if the Sage was ‘beloved’ by Delphiti, then it would make sense she could listen to him and take the deal he offered. What she desired in return for restoring things and sealing up the path to the Old Lab. In which case, Delphiti in turn also took this knowledge she hadn’t earned but instead received as a gift to create The Illuminator himself. He did note the lab was ‘before his time’ when speaking earlier, so it made logical sense he came about after all of this just as in the inscription the timeline of events was like thus perhaps. Then at the end The Illuminator was finally made by Delphiti, his mother.

In that sense it all gave off the impression that “Knowledge isn’t free, and always comes at a price”. It made sense, as even in Earth’s history there were plenty of horrible things done that were learned from...and some of that information used for good or otherwise had come at a steep price in the process. Whatever the Sage had acquired was “[plundered] from the corpses of the past”, so all that came after was a result of what he did that wasn’t phrased in a rather pleasant manner. Like a tomb robber looting the riches of the past, the Sage had looted the knowledge and secrets of old to save the world at present. Delphiti had kept up her end of the deal, and likewise The Illuminator was created by it. That was how the surgical table also made sense in the main room! The Illuminator’s origins lied in the plundering of the past and the dead, and he was Frankenstein’s-Monster-style pieced together from what the Sage plundered and gave to Delphiti.

But who had he taken it from? Had The Illuminator’s “Auntie” died and passed into the Underworld due to experiments or what the humans in the Lab had tried to do to imprison her? Maybe they had imprisoned her in the Underworld? Either way, death or Underworld imprisonment meant that the Sage going there to get the information and veritable “Secrets of the Oceans” made a lot of sense. Either that or he had found old dead from before his and humanity’s creation, and plundered the secrets of the oceans from studying and basically defiling them.

Argh. She needed to get moving.

“Alright, alright, I get it! Unstable Underworld Journey, taking what had long died and looting the corpse, that seems to be the point of this.”

Speaking aloud, the catgirl lowered her head in and, putting herself in a stable stance and gripping the floor for dear life with her left hand, looked down into the dark hold and cast the Light spell in her free right hand. She would see if this Illuminated anything else in the room, or at least made things clearer. That was step one of her current plan of action. Step two, she would do her best to ascertain the location of the highest-up floating platform underneath the dangerously loose floor of the room she was in. She would go back and forth to the hole the statue made, doing her best to mark out and grasp the correct spot of the platform as she tried to chip away at the specific area she needed to drop down through to land safely on the highest-up platform.

If this plan succeeded, and she saw the correct platform she was going for through the hole she was trying to chip in the floor (magic channeled to her arms alone would hopefully make this task a bit easier), she would do her best to lower herself in and only let herself drop down onto the platform itself to try to land as safe a landing as she could.

If none of this plan of hers worked out as she intended, then she would be looking into the hole again with and without using the Light spell, all to try to find some manner of lowering herself or something that would allow her to get down there safely enough.

The pit was deep.

Unreasonably so. Seemed like it possessed the explicit purpose of making sure someone couldn’t easily just jump down there without some sort of plan to also return to the area above. The platforms didn’t seem to start until several storeys down, though she could maybe feasibly do exactly that and just jump down, though she might not come out entirely uninjuried if so. As for illuminating the area, the orb of light was stable enough, thankfully and would illuminate the room below a bit more.

The closest platform was under the floor a few ‘tiles’ to her left, though it was still a fair bit down. The floor would give way rather easily as she chipped away at the area, as though it had been designed to be fairly weak and easily removed. Now was the simple question, did she have a way to slow her fall?

After a moment of thought, trying to ponder what she could do to lower herself down more safely at least, the catgirl seemed to perk back up as the memory of being back near the suspicious pool of water came to mind. Maybe she couldn’t move whatever was in that pool, whether it was ancient goodies or another ancient trap of some kind, but moving herself was another possibility altogether! It wasn’t a light spell tied to her cute-birb-goddess related gift, but it would still require all the same caution those spells required...if it would work that is. So a test was required!

Leannah began to channel her magical energy to the ends of telekinesis once more, but this time very carefully and in a controlled manner tried to move herself. She was standing on the floor, so something as simple as an inch off the floor and moving herself safely around was the goal. A simple test run to see if the tactic was viable. Then if it proved viable...try to lower herself down the hole she’d made to slowly land atop the floating platform closest to herself.

If it didn’t work...well there was going back to the drawing board before she effectively yeeted herself down a mysterious hole she made in the floor.

Focusing on simply moving her entire body seemed like it could work, in theory. She had felt something being moved by her earlier attempts at telekinesis, so it should be sound to try here...though maybe not over a pit. Moving herself was...a bit less successful than she may have hoped initially. She could definitely feel a ‘pull’ on herself, but it was like lifting an entire body of her own weight for an extended period - not exactly an easy feat. Maybe if she was fast, she could do it, but doing it quickly might also expend whatever energy she had faster, too...There may, perhaps, also be a more efficient way to do this.

Leannah’s brows furrowed in thought as she felt the pull and drain. After a few silent seconds, the catgirl then decided to try to improve on it. If she couldn’t lift herself fully...was it possible to cushion a fall then? Support herself from below using it, rather than try to lift her whole body? Or perhaps lifting herself by a particular part of her body, like her shoulders or mid-torso or both of those limited areas, rather than focusing on her whole body?

Over the safety of the floor, Leannah would try both of these approaches to see if one worked. Just not close to or over a hole in the floor. That’d be bad news. She likewise exercised as much caution and control as possible in her efforts still.

It seemed at least, holding her body in more strategic points was less taxing then say, just attempting to lift her entire body at once. A bit like a harness for rockclimbing, perhaps is a good way to think of it. Control was still slow, but it was at least easier to move, so she would be able to fairly easily move to the top platform.

Once she had decided to make the move, the underground area would reveal no more immediate secrets, aside from a now audible hum of something within the walls. It sounded oddly like a machine, or perhaps, a computer? Odd thought.

Either way, as soon as her feet touched the floating platform, it would shift slightly under her weight, before settling. The moment she did, what could only be described as some sort of ‘holographic display’ would pop up from a small blue light on the floor.



The platform would shift again, as a bridge made of light would extend from it to another. It seemed simple enough to pass through, but...well, it couldn’t be that simple, could it?

The catgirl’s brows furrowed as she watched the path ahead, the fascination of the seemingly holographic display lasting only a moment before her sense of caution kicked back in. If she hadn’t been through what she had been so far, she’d have been ecstatic to just see this much. However, nearly burning herself alive was sobering enough as it was. With that in mind, she would step forward tentatively and lightly touch the light bridge with her foot to test how ‘solid’ it was.

If it was solid she’d begin to walk down it, but all the same would keep her magic ready to...ah...spirit herself forcefully to the next platform using the technique she’d maneuvered herself down to the first platform using. “Telekinetic Harness” she’d temporarily dub it. Still, at the slightest feeling of the path disappearing underneath her she’d essentially push her use of this new technique hard to safely get to the next platform. Otherwise, if the walk was safe for the most part, she’d keep an eye out for other...symptoms. One in no form of mythology simply walks into the underworld for free. Ishtar didn’t, Theseus and Pirithous didn’t, and heck even Setna walking into Neferkaptah’s tomb (might as well be similar enough to an underworld) had been on the short end of the stick and hadn’t come out unscathed by far when meddling with the dead.

The path was...solid. A solid wall of light she could step upon. It was smooth, like glass, but hard as stone. In fact, it seemed fairly stable. She could walk down it no problem, but perhaps she should keep what the above little tidbit of information had told her. Something about only being invited or those that were lost were welcome in the underworld. As she walked down the bridge of light, she’d find the path stable and solid as she moved down, and she’d reach the next platform easily.

Success?

...wait.

No.

Somehow she...ended up back on the one she started on? She could see it, it seemed like the path somehow looped her around to the back of the starting platform without noticing?

The catgirl blinked for a moment. Was this like some sort of video game maze, where she had to unlock the secret to progress? Some kind of illusory trap that-...wait. Wait wait wait. It was then a grin came onto Leannah’s face as she thought back about the phrase the display on the platform had shown her. Or rather, a specific part of it came to mind:



The answer was, if she was right, ever so poetic in a sense.

“Only the lost can enter? So...I just have to get lost to move forward then!”

Leannah then steeled herself, before setting herself before the path downard...and closing her eyes. She would have no idea where the path led if she walked down it with her eyes closed, meaning if it looped back around or if she’d move forward. That was the truth. In that sense, she’d be ‘lost’ since she had no idea where her path would lead. A wanderer, lost along a path they knew not the destination of for a surety.

Maybe it would work, maybe not. Either way, the catgirl was mentally prepared to use her Telekinetic Harness to catch herself if needed.

Thus, with her eyes closed, Leannah carefully began to move forward down the path. She’d use her foot to tell if the path was solid ahead or not, and to be careful in her steps, but that was all she’d do. Not a peep, not a peek, not looking to see where she was going. And if she felt herself on a platform, she’d keep her eyes closed and feel out with her feet very, very carefully for a solid path to walk down. She wouldn’t know where she was or was going by then, truly and well ‘lost’ in a sense.

So, Leannah would close her eyes. It had some logic to it. If one couldn’t see where they were going, then they would effectively be ‘lost’. Would it work though? It seemed like something happened, at least. The path was far longer than she would remember it being, and occasionally her feet would miss the path entirely, before stepping down and feeling another part of the path beneath her. Occasionally the path would seem to turn, and at one point she felt something pass by her face.

In the end though, she would soon feel her feet hit the metal of the floating platform again...and if she opened her eyes, she indeed made it...and was completely on the opposite side of the room, on a platform that seemed cut off from the rest some distance down.

Well, she had no idea how she got here, but she was here. A small hologram would appear with more text.



Perhaps she would need to…’relinquish’ something here to pass?

Well, she’d managed the first part at least, but the obvious ‘something’ that came with underworld myths was staring her right in the face. Leaving something. To pillage what he needed, the Sage had to leave something behind in the Old World he was seeking to take from. A price to be paid, giving up something of herself that had value to it...drat. That was the key to it though, leaving behind something of value in the past in order to take from it. But what? Her own name? Her gift? Knowledge? Past memories? Items? Blargh.

Yet this wasn’t the real underworld, just a recreation. A chance to learn. So if she was to give something up, what would it be?

...She knew just what to give. Even so, she seemed to lightly grimace as she mustered up the strength. It was just symbolic, but if the time came to give it up properly she’d have to be ready. Because this was something that held great value to her.

“If I am to give something up in the same manner as the Sage, or recreate the legend here, then let it be something of value. Something from the past that would be forever left in the past in such a case, yet which is still somewhat dear to me at the same time: ‘Stromhart’. My surname. My family name. A name that in my old life got me so much, by which in my Old World I was identified, and which led me to heights before...and still holds value to me.

So that distinctive secondary badge of my old identity I will relinquish to gain passage. The badge of my heritage, of where I came from before all of this. ‘Stromhart’....

...I also suppose in that sense that’s what the Sage did going into the Underworld. He gave up something to that Old World he went to pillage. His name. His identity, rather, I want to believe. Quite a lot to give for what he seemed to be seeking after.”

The platform would shift after Leannah’s declaration, slowly starting to descend to the lowest floor of the put. Most of the other platforms would start to shift, moving away towards the walls before turning on their sides, connecting with the smooth blackstone before seemingly merging with them and disappearing completely. The one she was on would eventually slowly descend all the way to the bottom of the pit, where she could collect both the orb and the pieces of the statue should she desire.

“Among the ruins of the old, the Sage plucked the corpses of the Old Gods. A body of iron to withstand all. The mind of the universe to know all. The stars of old, to guide all. The hands of the Seamstress to weave the past. All were returned to the surface by the blessing of the Moon.”

Odd. Well, how was she to get back up? It was a pretty long ways and the platforms seemed to have vacated the premises. She could, however, hear the subtle sound of water flowing just under the floor thanks to her ears. Along the edges of the floor she could now see small grates between the walls and the floor around the entire area, and just behind her was a similar statue to what she saw back in the library, of the smirking woman holding a jar with a cistern at her feet.

Hmm. A fascinating verse to be sure, but it insinuated a very much cyclical nature of things. Old Gods giving way to the new in time, the world being reborn as the Old World fell away and died off. It made logical enough sense, and in a mythical sense was even more fitting and sensible indeed. So the Sage gave up something valuable, like their literal name and/or identity alongside it, leaving it in the Underworld with those remnants of the Old World. This allowed them to, if the verse was symbolic and/or literal enough, literally pillage the Old Gods’ remains to gather...pieces...for...and...oh.

A body of iron to withstand all. The mind of the universe to know all. The stars of old as a guide. The Seamstress’ hands to weave the past. There was a surgical table with what looked like body parts all over it in the central room. Each room had a statue. Each statue had an orb. The Smirking Woman Statue was even more likely to be Delphiti now. The Hooded Figure seemed more and more like it was the Sage. The Two-Faced Bust felt more and more like it was The Illuminator himself. The Tower represented the Old Lab, aka the “prison complex” herself and the others had woken up in. Hell, it all sent a literal chill up the catgirl’s spine as she thought about it and some things seemed to ‘click’ for the moment into a new and hopefully cohesive theory that was continuing to evolve and grow as her adventure continued onward.

Delphiti, Goddess of the Moon, created humanity in her lab. Among these was a beloved child or creation of hers, the “beloved Sage” who had been prior mentioned. She was experimenting, wanting to make something but not being able to achieve it…perhaps to ultimately try to create a child of her own, a god. Some of the humans turned and wanted to lock up a goddess in the Lab, however, whether this was some epithet of Delphiti or Delphiti herself or a sister or relation of the goddess whom the Illuminator came to call “Auntie”. Though given his potential means of creation...perhaps they wanted to lock the Underworld Goddess up in Delphiti’s lab? Was she the “Auntie”, given she is the effective ‘mother’ of the dead and he was likely made from the literal corpses of the Old Gods?

Gain mastery of death, as Sisyphus had chained up the god Thanatos to avoid dying, and yet the consequences would have been disastrous if such an event had occurred. The remainder of the humans rightfully rejected the foolish plan, abandoning Delphiti’s lab and the goddess mourning over the loss of the beloved Sage who left with them. She then turned on the world and humanity, or away from them rather, likely bringing about a dark age of untold horrors and bad things without her actions and presence. The Hooded Figure, the Sage, was crying over the matter as his beloved mother goddess was leaving so much pain and terrible ilk behind in her spurned rage. Likewise those humans buffet behind became accursed ‘toys’ in due time for The Illuminator himself. Thus he set out to appease her, doing so in the one way that would bring her presence back to the world: To make her desired goal a reality. Thus he descended into the Underworld, giving up his very name and/or identity to gain access to the literal corpses of the past...in particular those of the Old Gods. The deities who had come before, yet passed away and died somehow anyways. They weren’t perfect immortals. Even so, the Sage had cleverly maneuvered his way down there, and from the dead gods he took their literal powers or aspects and potentially even body parts.

So the burden the Sage took on in plundering this all was transferred to Delphiti herself, aka: The Carved Stone Necklace that had been on the Hooded Figure statue in the Library. A necklace that weighed far more than it should have. A burden of knowledge and power and things that hadn’t been earned but instead plundered and taken. These were handed over to Delphiti, who used these things the Sage had pillaged from the Old Gods to make things better again after having been appeased. Thus “This in turn allowed her to create The Illuminator himself, literally, via these things the Sage had procured for her. Thus: “The moon wept once more, the cistern overflowing, and brought life back to the land”. But this weeping was for joy, perhaps, at acquiring what she’d sought for so very long and being able to do what she wished for after all this time. A selfish thing, but that was a trademark deity behavior for you.

Regardless, The Illuminator was created and, “which in turn gave birth to the desire for the secrets of the Oceans”. The Illuminator wanted to hold the same power Delphiti had, or rather knowledge since it was the “secrets of the oceans” and not the “power of the oceans”, aka: to create life. A natural thing given his very existence as the God of Knowledge. This desire was then granted by Delphiti, sealing something (likely the Old Lab/Prison Complex for all she knew at this time) away as a result of the deal they struck so Delphiti would give The Illuminator would be granted this knowledge he so craved.

In that vein the lesson of “knowledge isn’t earned, it is taken” would seem to be the goal of it all if she were to try to interpret the legend. One gains it or discovers it or ‘earns’ it somehow, and yet it is taken and used by others over and over and over as it is spread about. A cruel and mocking way to look at things in some sense, and yet a practical one if she were to try to look at it from a different perspective. Of course knowledge would always be discovered, but it wasn’t spread only by goodwill and smiles and flowers. Sometimes it was given, sometimes it was stolen, and sometimes it had to be pillaged from the past if the world had forgotten about it. Sometimes one was the person who invented the wheel by genuinely discovering it, and at others one was a Pharaoh who sought to pillage the secrets of the Egyptian Gods from a book buried under a riverbed and written by the God of Knowledge himself.

Leannah would ultimately let out a small sigh, slightly gloomy in tone, before gathering up the statue’s orb and the parts of the statue itself in her arms. She then turned to face the statue of the smirking woman holding a jar with a cistern at her feet, and began a prayer aloud as she spoke.

“Well, Delphiti, consider this a very unofficial prayer and a...statement of thanks to you from a mortal who once lived in another world.

I feel now the reason you sent us here makes a bit more sense, or perhaps I am full of crap and overthinking it all. Either way. A world grown stagnant, for all intents and purposes a dead one like the Old World before it. The mortal races regressed, Elder Beasts doing as they please, the Gods more distant in places perhaps or left forgotten and ‘dead’, and so forth.

So you wanted to make it live again, and sent us here to spice it up again for some reason. Then you had your son help you make our bodies in the Old Lab, but you couldn’t go back on the pact you made with him or whoever that sealed up your Old Lab and such. That’s why, at least in some sense if not for kicks as well, we were left in that Old Lab on our own there. Ancient knowledge, as you noted would be there well enough, weapons, other potential items or such of old were there to get us started. From there, however, we would naturally be on our own.

Heh...hell of an adventure and task you set us on, you know? Not even a few days in at least, and already I’m here playing a learning game with your son and trying not to die so I can get back to my group of current allies...all as my compatriots are out there with heavens-know-what that is going on. Life or Death risks, the journey, the learning, traps and old temples, and so much more beyond perhaps my wildest dreams from my former life. Scary, and yet somehow utterly exciting at the same time. Both. Haha!

So...Thank You, Delphiti, is what I’m saying. For the second chance, and the new life to boot. I mean, never did I think I’d have a chance to be this hot and get a quest for victory over an Elder Beast by a cute Sun Goddess who could kill me at any time with a snap if she wanted to! Not sure if anyone else will say anything, and hell this all sounds too sentimental even for my potentially crazy taste, but selfless or selfish or otherwise or not...Thank You all the same.”

Wow. It really did feel sentimental to say it all, even if it was an oddly somewhat earnest prayer to Delphiti, and so soon at that. Of course if she got the wrong goddess or details wrong and ushc it could mean death for her, but that was the gambit she was taking just by existing and breathing in this new world in the first place! But still, she had to get back with these parts and to the center room. Then two more rooms to go, which would perhaps give more insight and clues by the time she got to try to give her final answer to The Illuminator about what she thought his history and origins were and such.

Still, she gathered the statue parts and orb and went back to the platform before turning back in the direction of the supposed-Delphiti statue.

“Oh, ah, yes. I still need a way out of this, to be returned to the ‘surface’ and ‘by the blessing of the Moon’.

So...ahem...oh statue of the Moon Goddess Delphiti, I beseech thine blessing to return to the surface once more!”

Maybe that would work to get herself back to the proper floor and then the main room from there. The fact the platform she’d gotten to the bottom on hadn’t disappeared felt like a clue to “get on it and ask for the Moon’s blessing to gtfo the Underworld”. Of course if that didn’t work she’d have to try something else. Had to finish that quest and appease her race’s primary deity...and maybe get to talk to the cutie of a goddess again after that or something. She was going to take this one step at a time regardless. That much she knew for sure.

The prayer seemed to work. Whether it was just a trick of this room or the actual boon of the goddess hearing her remained to be seen. Regardless, something deep beneath the room would shudder as water began flowing in from the grates lining the floor. It seemed the chamber was filling with water at an extremely alarming rate, and the statue pieces did not float, nor did it seem like the platform she had come down on was going to be floating, either. It might be easy enough to carry the parts she needed, if she could figure out what she did need, but if she got creative there might be another way.

“Oh hell!”

Well, whether it was her legitimately-said prayer or the statue, things were changing. Fast. The room was rapidly filling with water, and the statue parts would not float. The platform wasn’t floating either. In fact, it seemed to the catgirl that she herself was the only thing that might float in this whole underground spot! She had to think fast unless she wanted to-...hmm.

No, that might work. Or not. It was worth a try anyway.

Leannah would attempt to use the telekinesis once more, though in this case she wasn’t trying to pull some probably-a-trap thing out of a pool. Rather, she was trying to do something better than that. If the water was going to float her back up, she had to get the statue parts and orb back with her. Then why not use the telekinesis to ‘lift’ underneath the parts? Not by grabbing each individually with telekinesis, but using it to push ‘up’ from the area they all were sitting on? Like imagining a circular disk of telekinetic force pushing up from below. Like a platform! Just enough of a push from below in a more general fashion, just enough that the parts would be lifted up on the water rather than sink and would rise back up with her!

Though if this didn’t seem to work in a timely enough fashion, or was too exhausting,...crap. She’d grab the orb, head, and arms and use her telekinetic harness concept to try to make it easier to float back up to the room above.

It was all worth a try at least.

Success!

The effect was almost immediate. After having already somewhat practiced with it, this seemed like a fairly easy feat to accomplish compared to say, lifting a moving target. It seemed a bit counterintuitive - dead weight seemed to be somewhat easier to lift than moving or living things...and while it would certainly be exhausting, it would work. By the time she’d finish lifting the ‘disk’ of telekinetic energy towards the surface, she’d feel as though she had just run a marathon, but return to the surface area she would without much hassle. All she had to do then was bring the parts back to the table and choose where to go next, then.

The catgirl dragged the parts and orb and frankly herself out of the water, huffing and puffing as she moved them all into the main room. Her muscles and body burned from the exertion, begging for relief. Even so the still-dripping statue parts and orb were piled next to the parts of the scorched first statue, which for a moment brought a small smirk to Leannah’s face when looking between the two. Yet after getting the second statue parts and orb in the pile, she unceremoniously lied back on the empty floor nearby and decided to take a small rest for her body. Not sleep, but just not moving for a little bit as she decided where she’d go next.

Western Room: Done.

Eastern Room: Done.

The Northern Room and Southern Room were left. However…

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.

As much as the water would feel good for the burns if she took the Northern Room, unless the water had something funky going on with it that was, she didn’t want to go into there exhausted and try to swim. That was just asking for trouble. Meanwhile the room without light, save for the orb and state being on an elevated platform. That was suspicious as anything, and for all she knew was surrounded by pitfalls and giant rolling boulder traps. .

So naturally she would take the Southern Room next, at least after giving her body a bit of time to rest physically before she moved on. Recoup her strength and all. If she needed a rest after that room before taking on the last, then, it would be a simple enough matter.

Novak wasn't able to get anywhere with the small slime, but he was able to notice a key detail about the bigger one. Part of the amorphous creature's body was dried and stuck to the door behind it. A well-placed swing of his sword might be able to sever the slime from the damaged part, but as long as it was hostile, that would be easier said than done.

The easier solution would simply be to kill the slime, something that Narkissa and Lazhira no doubt knew how to do. After killing that massive slime on the upper level, this pitiful, immobilized blob ought to be pretty simple for his companions to deal with. On the other hand, if they were to cut it loose, it might prove useful to them. It might convince the smaller, more intelligent one of their good intentions, and the big one might be useful for slowing down any hunters who pursue them into the temple.

"I see the problem," Novak stated to his companions. "Part of the big one's body is dried and stuck to the door. If I could get close without being grabbed or smacked by its tendrils, I could cut it free. What do you think? You think you could subdue or distract it so I can get close?" He didn't want to openly bring up the possibility of killing it, which might alarm its smaller counterpart.

Narkissa didn’t really see why Novak wanted to be so friendly with the slime creatures. As far as she was concerned, they were mostly hostile, artificially created monstrosities from the Illuminator. In other words, monsters. To her, did it really matter if they alarmed the smaller slime? Maybe it was smarter, but how much and by what metric, anyway? She didn’t feel like bringing up the point when time was of the essence, though. If they needed to be killed in the end, so be it.

“I could try using magic to cut it from the surfaces,” she offered, nodding at Lazhira. She’d managed to use water magic as a cutting surface in the earlier battle with slimes. Although she got the impression her ability wasn’t as potent then, she was confident she could still conjure up something that could slice the slime from the wall without getting too close.

"If you think you can cut it free, I'd appreciate it." Novak replied. He was a bit relieved at not having to take the risk himself, yet at the same time he was a bit disappointed that he wouldn't get the chance to atone for fleeing them earlier. At the same time, he was a bit curious to see her powers for himself. He was curious to see what his companion was capable of.

"We'd better hurry, if that fire's coming from the pit, it’s possible the tar could ignite and fill this entire level with smoke." There was always a possibility that this wouldn't work, that the slime would remain hostile and they'd be forced to kill it, but things were dire enough that Novak felt that taking a few seconds longer to get through was worth the slim possibility of gaining any sort of advantage.

“Mhm.” A bit of a captain obvious there, but Narkissa didn’t want to waste anymore time here. It was true, after all. “Okay, let me see.” Coming in closer, but not so close to the slime that it would feel a direct need to lash out at her, she conjured up some volume of water in her hand. Focusing her newfound magical energy into it, she let it shoot out in a thin blade of water in an angle between the struggling slime and the surface it was affixed to. A slime, being a slime, hopefully it shouldn’t take much for the highly pressurized water to cut the creature off from the wall and door to give them proper access to what hopefully was an escape path.

The water would wobble in her hand, much less together than it had been in the previous encounter with the slime above. She could still hold it, but it was like holding a ball of jello, and like it was about to slip right through her fingers. Forming it into a shape was just as tricky as holding it. It being water, wanted to simply let gravity do what it was supposed to and send it crashing towards the ground.

It seemed at least, to still be able to kept together well enough to launch a thin blade of water, though not nearly highly pressurized as she had used before - but it was definitely effective. The blade would slice through the part of the slime’s squishy surface between where it had somehow managed to dry and the door, cutting a hole in the creatures flesh, but far enough away it didn’t just simply cling back to it. The slime however, did not seem to take too kindly to this. The slime would rumble and attempt to lash out at the two of them, while the small one would seemingly scurry back into the cage and watch, trembling.

The lack of skill she’d previously shown annoyed Narkissa, but she managed to accomplish what she set out to do. Annoyingly enough, the slime didn’t appreciate it. “Bloody seriously? Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, I could have killed you instead!” She spat out, before shaking her head as she tried to dodge the creature. Then, she shoved Novak towards it.

“Your project, your problem, now.”

"What?" Novak spoke as Narkissa pushed him into harm's way. As quickly as he could, he drew his sword and swung it at the slime's incoming tendrils. It seemed that Narkissa was intent on making Novak fight this one, instead of using her powers and knowledge to kill it herself. No doubt it was revenge for fleeing the earlier fight and not letting them just kill the big one right now.

Novak needed to act quickly. After striking at the slime's tendrils, he gripped his sword with both hands, took note of where the slime's core was, and thrust the sword into the creature, once again using the same technique he had copied from Nobunaga (and the only technique he knew). His goal was to skewer the slime's core on his sword like a shish kabob, and if that didn't kill it, he'd yank the sword upward to pull the impaled core right out of the ungrateful blob.

Novak’s sword would easily pierce the gelatinous blobs skin, yet also would not have quite the required force to break its core. It would clink against it, the slime grumbling complantatively as the blade would be thrust upwards, cleaving a large gash in its flesh. In response, the slime would use one of the bones within its mass to form another tendril, striking Novak right in the gut with the blunt object. The impact would at the very least, wind him as the slime would soon lash out with another, this time aiming seemingly for his head.

It still wasn’t moving from its spot - it seemed like half of its body was still dried to the door, but its temperament wasn’t making it easy on the travelers.

Novak stepped back as the slime struck his gut with a bone, pained by the blow. It appeared the core was too sturdy to skewer. He raised his sword to block the slime's incoming tendril, or more specifically, block the bone that the slime was using as a bludgeon. With all his might he pushed the tendril back, then swung his sword to cut off the makeshift appendage and deprive the monster of its bone. Whether the slime would attempt to retrieve its bone or continue fighting with one less solid object to use against him, Novak hoped that it'd provide an opening.

Novaks sword easily cut through the slime, slicing cleanly through the makeshift appendage as it would clatter uselessly to the floor some distance away as the creature would struggle, attempting to seemingly free itself now that half of its body was now pulled away from the door. A slimy appendage would attempt landing another body blow on his torso, shooting forward from its surface.

Not this time, Novak thought as he dodged to the side, having gotten wise to this particular attack. His footwork was imperfect and nearly caused him to lose his balance, but he managed to gain his footing quickly enough to swing his sword upward through the slime's appendage. With every severed tendril, the creature ought to lose a bit of liquid and solid material, but it'd take too long to deplete it this way. Novak noticed how it strained to pull itself free- perhaps its own desperate exertions could make it easier to dismantle. He swung the sword horizontally at what passed for the slime's midsection, hoping that it could be cut in half or at least disrupted by the sword shearing through its body.

The Slime gurgled as it was sliced, a deep gash being left in its gooey body. The sword had cleaved a clean wound through its body, exposing what was also obviously its core very briefly to Novak and the rest of the group. It would re-seal fast enough, but if Novak was quick, he could very likely just pull it out or damage it now that he didn’t have to swing through the slimes gunk to do so.

Novak moved quickly to act on the opportunity. He wasn't sure how durable the slime's core was, so he dropped his sword and stepped forward, seizing the core in his hands. Summoning all of his strength, he pulled the core away from slime, not wanting to give it a chance to recover. It was risky to put his hands anywhere near the thing after seeing it digest that piece of meat, but he didn’t trust his sword to cut through it. Besides, an undamaged core might be useful.

The slime gurgled, its body rumbling as it would attempt to latch onto Novak’s hand, preventing him from pulling out its core - but it could not muster the strength to do so. With a mighty pull, Novak would easily pull the core from the creature, freeing it with a wet squelch as it was pried free from the slimes body. The creature would then shudder, its gelatinous body attempting its best to maintain shape, a few more pathetic lashes out at the group as it would soon lose form, its body losing cohesion and spilling onto the floor and quickly dying.

The wooden door beyond could likely be opened easily enough.

Narkissa offered a small clap for Novak’s accomplishment. “Well done,” she offered, neutrally. “I did the same with the core.” Her comment and a pat on the shoulder was the most amount of praise he’d get out of her today. She stepped forward to try the door. “Now shall we?”

"You go on ahead, there's one last thing I want to take care of," Novak replied.

After recovering and putting away his sword, he knelt down by the cage where the smaller slime had retreated.

"Sorry you had to see that," he apologized, gesturing at the mess that was once the larger slime. "We wanted to help, truly, but it left us no choice. Would you like to come with us as we leave this place? I promise to do what I can to keep you safe."

The small creature would hiss, slapping away Novak’s hand. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but it would definitely sting as the creature would scurry on past the group, retreating back into the temple where they had come from. Seemed like it wanted nothing to do with them, now. Lazhira would frown at this, seeming a bit disappointed it ended the way it had, but ultimately didn’t say anything.

The door would easily creak open after a bit of force was applied to where the slime had dried between it to the wall. On the other side...well, was a quite odd sight. A black fox - one Novak would certainly be familiar with. The room beyond seemed to be a long hallway, with a number of other rooms split off to the side, though most had been covered with debris...more importantly, was a breeze from further in at the end of the hallway.

“...eh, a fox?” Lazhira would question. It would turn its head towards Novak, before scurrying down the hallway. No doubt it seemed to want them to follow it - and should they so choose...they would soon find a collapsed section of the temple, with an opening above ground just big enough for someone to escape through.

@Click This@Crimson Paladin@Cu Chulainn

---

And so the trio would at least, somewhat safely leave the temple no worse for wear. It would only leave the question - where was Leannah? They couldn’t linger however, the fox they were being led by would lead them urgently, as though they were on some sort of unseen timer as they climbed from the old ruin. It would lead them further into the woods, before taking a sharp turn back towards the village - circling around the range of what was likely the rest of the hunters.

The hunters in question would arrive only minutes after the group had left the secondary exit. Clicking her tongue in annoyance at realizing she had just been a bit too late, Soyala would frown...only to swiftly look back in the direction of the temple upon hearing Malphas’ scream. Swiftly, she would run back - only to see what was assumedly a grizzly fate that had befell him...it was rather suspect, all things considered. The Huntress would take a few moments to look about the area...for what Malphas had forgotten - was that she was an extremely skilled hunter, which meant one thing.

Tracking prey and animals in a forest was childs’ play.

Thankfully for Malphas, though, she did not immediately pursue. Instead, she’d heft the spear in her hand, resting it on her shoulder and consider that perhaps, he was not worth putting faith in whatsoever. One who ran from something so simple...pathetic, really. He would arrive back in the village fairly quickly, his wings able to in fact, allow some fairly decent acrobatics, and there was no deer that seemed to want to murder him this evening…all that was left was to perhaps, find lodging for the evening that wasn’t with the hunters. No doubt they would call into question this entire plan of his.

---

@Crimson Paladin@Click This

---

The black fox, as one might have assumed, seemed to belong to Mie. By the time they had made it out of the forest, it was well into the night, the moon already starting its ascent into the sky. The merchant in question, was waiting patiently in her tent - if one could call nearly passed out drunk from the amount of alcohol she had drank waiting patiently. Upon entering, the fox would hop on top of her head, raise its claws...and bap her right on the forehead, immediately waking the merchant from her drunken sleep.

After scolding the presumed pet, she’d greet Novak, and seeing their somewhat ragged and tired looking selves, would only offer Novak a place to stay for the evening having not forgotten wanting to have spoken with him previously. Lazhira and Narkissa though, were not welcome despite her amicability. Lazhira would take Narkissa back to her home. Novak too, if he declined. Mie would ask to see Novak first thing in the morning, however.

---

Nobbu and the Fox
@VitaVitaAR@PKMNB0Y@Click This

After their meeting with Haruno, Nobbu and Misaki were free to do whatever it was they wanted for the duration of the night - likely though they could probably use some food and then some rest back at Lazhira’s place. Maybe ask her some questions, too - but they would have to wait a bit longer. It’d be a few hours into the night by the time Lazhira would return with Narkissa and Novak if he declined Mie’s invitation - but no Leannah. She’d explain briefly what occurred at the temple, if Narkissa didn’t, though she’d also leave out the part about taking things from the slime and the ‘tear’ that Narkissa had from the Goddess. She’d make everyone some simple food if they desired - some sort of stew with fish and berries quickly warmed over a fire.

The night would pass more uneventfully, but perhaps the group had other things they wanted to do before bed.

---

A Traveler
@PaulHaynek

---

So, Nicholas would set off for the mountains without barely even a fire to keep himself warm. Really, what sort of dumb idea was that? Did he simply think he’d be fine? Wandering off into the unknown without any sort of help? Well, Augusta and Isidore did it supposedly. Maybe they were fine? But Augusta could use magic to keep them warm. Him? What did he have? Nothing at all to his name.

Yet still he would persist.

Perhaps it was due to this new body of his, or maybe it was just his dumb luck, but despite the biting cold winds the night brought, he would find his legs able to carry him despite the weariness. At least the storm from the previous day seemed to have settled, too, meaning he could travel mostly unimpeded. Yet even so, that could only go so far, in the end. As the moon loomed overhead, and he’d keep his eyes forward across the vast plains towards the mountains jutting into the heavens, he’d maybe not notice a shooting star heading far to the east…

---

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@VitaVitaAR@PKMNB0Y@Click This

---

The rest of the night for the group at Lazhira’s house would pass uneventfully...though it seemed like Lazhira didn’t get too much sleep, spending most of the night pacing back and forth and seemingly nervously going over things in her room as though she couldn’t quite settle down. She would however, still help those that needed it with any sort of magical sparring or advice. If asked, she’d merely say she was worried about Leannah not returning yet - though it was a bit obvious she was dodging questions as always.

Once morning came around, as usual, she would make food for everyone though it seemed a bit less extravagant this time, and a simple meal of berries, a few cuts of meat enough for everyone, and a number of fish, and just like the last morning she would not be initially in the house when everyone would wake. It wouldn’t be until after everyone had well woken up, eaten, or went through other morning routines would Lazhira return to her home looking even more worried.

“...Uhm, guys? Temples gone. And the mist is seemingly spreading more now.” She would say, once she was certain everyone was in the room that was going to be. Whatever that meant, it couldn't be good. “The only thing left is a giant pit where it used to be and some sort of...large altar at the bottom of a sinkhole that’s filled with water. A-and I think I remember what was weird about it yesterday...uhm...” She’d shift uncomfortably, rubbing the mark on her hand. “...it wasn’t real. Well, it was, but it wasn’t. Erm, it was like...him sort of imposing part of his divine realm over the area. The real temple well...I don’t know where it is any more. I can’t remember.”

---

The Skill Seeker
@Crimson Paladin

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Novak would find the bed he had been given for the night fairly comfortable, all things considered even if it wasn’t a proper bed. The cover was seemingly made of fur of some sort, and the pillow was soft, plush, and the room quiet. The only mildly disconcerting thing perhaps, was that he was sharing Mie’s tent, and the black fox from earlier decided his head would make a comfortable pillow. When next he woke, Novak would be greeted by a pleasant smell of cooked food. Fish, rice, a faint scent of alcohol, and fresh fruit.

The fox from earlier had seemingly vanished, off to do whatever it normally did, but Mie would greet him warmly, sipping a cup of alcohol and fresh food prepared for the morning. Across the table from her...was also a blue haired small person. She was dressed as one may expect a typical traveler or adventurer might, with armor, a sword and shield.

“Oh, yer the other one miss Mie mentioned, eh?” She would say. “Nice to meet ya. Names Eirhild. Dwarf, if ya couldn’t tell.”

“Sorry if Ayumi kept you up. She was hoping you’d feed her some more.” She’d chuckle. “She ran off somewhere though. Anyways, come, have a seat...I’m sure your curious about why I wanted to see you last evening.” Mie would point to a place across the table from her. “In short...I want to hire you. Consider the money I gave yesterday a bit of an advanced payment.” She’d continue, a playful smile forming on her lips. “If you want a reason - lets just say I know talent when I see it, and you, and all of your friends really...are extremely talented...interesting. I can offer work, Haruno would likely very much like someone of some skill to spar with...and all I ask for, is loyalty in return. No need to decide now, of course...but just keep it in mind. I offered the same to Eirhild there.”

“You look pretty strong for a human.” The dwarf would say with a smile. “Since when did humans get so tough, eh? Ran into another one of ye yesterday. Stout fellow, and also kinda weird. Likes manhandling dwarfs too much.”

The Roma Mob
@ERode@Pyromania99

---

Rullphana would watch Augusta’s show of her skill with mild interest. The arrows would form easily, hovering in the air without much trouble as they would wait for a target - but soon they would fizzle out after not being used.

“That’s the best you can do? Really? I think you were holding out on me a bit, I was hoping for a bit more. Even my dumb apprentice can do more than that.” Rullphana would sigh. Raezel would look up at mention of her name, and quickly perform for the two. A stream of pure magic would flow from her hand, and into one of her others. She’d weave the brightly colored energy around her hand, before channeling it towards the ground...where’d she’d falter for a second, a small rumble would follow as the ground beneath her feet would heave upwards, completely knocking her off her feet with a startled yelp.

“Its...not very impressive, though the fact you can weave it so easily is remarkable. Very well...you have talent and control, you just need practical practice it seems, and a bit of guidance. Both of which, I can thankfully offer. Now, then...I will first examine Octavia, as that will take the shortest amount of time, then I will teach you at the same time I teach both Raezel and Leuca tomorrow.”

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Send Feet Pics
@Cu Chulainn

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Malphas would return to the village without issue...that left him with the issue of finding some place to stay for the night. No doubt the hunters wouldn’t want to see him again after that little stunt. Thankfully Enli would be amicable as always, if he went to ask for a place there he would accept without much questions, though the older gentleman would be seeming to contemplate something.

Whenever morning came, he’d be free to do as he wished. He had cut ties with the hunters, and they’d no doubt be looking for him in the morning should he show himself. Better hope he could talk fast if they found him. Otherwise, there was not much stopping him from doing what he wished. Maybe it’d be a good idea to leave the village. Seemed like after all, it may be unsalvageable.

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@Crusader Lord

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Leannah would step into the southern room after placing her bounty with the rest. As expected, the room did not light upon her entering, but something else did happen. A voice resounding from everywhere in the room, echoing upon the walls. The voice was soft, gentle, if somewhat bored or perhaps, disinterested.

”Child of another world, I welcome thee to this realm. I apologize for his rather...crude behavior...and for the Moon’s rather abrupt tangling of you into her whims.”

It would pause for a moment before continuing. The room would slowly light - silvery light shining down upon the far platform from above as it would gently illuminate the room as though by bright moonlight. A few platforms would rise from the ground nearby, making an easy path up to the statue.

I was asked by him to be a test...but I have no interest in such things. So go on, take it and be done so I can get to doing other things that much more urgently need doing.

Far above the room, Leannah could see a figure standing on a platform jutting out from the wall. It was difficult to make out their features from her position, but it was definitely the figure that was talking.

Or take your time. Its not like it matters much in a divine realm like this. In fact, take as long as you want. More time for me not spent fixing someone else's messes.

(and because I forgot earlier)

---

A Traveler
@PaulHaynek

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It would be early morning by the time Nicholas reached the foot of the mountains. The sun, just starting to peek over the horizon. By now he was hungry. Tired. His muscles would ache from exertion and cold. In fact, he had started losing feeling in most of his limbs. Definitely not a good sign. He probably should find a place both to rest, and some sort of food soon otherwise he was going to die before he even got a chance to meet the people of the mountain. At least by the end of it all, he could tell he was getting used to such cold temperatures.

As he would start to ascend, or otherwise move around the mountain, he’d start hearing something - harsh cries and guttural yells. The entire ground would shake, causing him to lose his footing wherever he was standing.

“Yahooo!~”

Before he had a moment to contemplate what exactly was yelling with such joyful glee, something massive came sailing through the air, tumbling down the mountain side and slamming into the ground below as it would settle in the snow. It was vaguely humanoid - but incredibly massive! It was some sort of giant! Something, had quite literally, just tossed a giant humanoid down the side of a mountain!

“Ahahah, I thought giants were supposed to be tough! Man you guys are pathetic! Some world-enders you’re supposed to be, ahaha!~” More gleeful laughing from a distinctly human voice from above as the ground shook again, more guttural yells and harsh crying coming from the direction.

If he so happened to look, he’d see the source of the commotion.

A human dressed entirely in red. A large sword was at her side, though it was currently going unused. She was surrounded by a group of three giant humanoids, all wielding various spears or axes as the looked at the human under them cautiously. Despite the somewhat precarious situation, it didn’t seem like she was in much danger. If anything, it looked like she was right where she wanted to be. Thankfully they hadn’t noticed him yet-

The ground would rumble again. The giant that had been knocked down the mountain was getting up, and it seemed to have noticed Nicholas! It was using one of its giant hands to make a grab for him!