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Post by Bippwatt on Oct 25, 2016 6:14:32 GMT
Eliora looked down and saw the funky ocean and tilted her head to one side. "Huh.", she deadpanned.
She looked up and inhaled. "Weeeeell. Now where?"
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Post by Spartan 999 on Oct 25, 2016 21:46:18 GMT
Hakim had knelt and made a small circle in the dirt by the time Eliora spoke. “...We start searching the islands--if we can reach them. We need to find or make something like...a boat or bridge, or figure out a way to fly...” He looked over his shoulder at the others before standing and facing Calida and the Knight yet accompanying her. “Would you be gracious enough to lend your aid for our transport from island to island as well, Lady Calida?”
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Post by recoveryfive on Oct 26, 2016 1:59:26 GMT
Gerlach glanced out at the water, admiring its unusualness. He wondered if it would be possible to obtain a sample and keep it in one of his bottles, but thought better of it. This water could have any number of unusual properties that he wasn't ready to handle. He instead glanced at the circle Hakim had made, internally agreeing with his assessment. A flying method of transportation would allow them to cover a lot more ground than a land-based transport AND help them avoid any unwelcome terrain.
Bonnie quietly whistled a tune as she waited for Lady Calida's answer. She hoped that there was at least something dangerous to kill here, but she unfortunately wasn't betting on it. She drummed her fingers on the ground a bit to the rhythm of her whistling.
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Post by Bippwatt on Oct 27, 2016 23:23:26 GMT
Calida thought for a second. "I suppose I could provide you with one of my personal airships. Though if I do that, I'm sorry to say I would have to terminate the remainder of my aid. The airship ought to keep you safe enough and I'm confidant of each of your skills. If Eliora gets killed, I'll simply direct Eris' ire towards one of you. Assuming you all don't get killed." Calida smiled. "Ah. My airship comes even now." No sooner had she finished than the aforementioned airship appeared in a wink of light. "I presume you'll find this acceptable?
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Post by Spartan 999 on Oct 28, 2016 1:25:55 GMT
Hakim's eyes widened at the...quite large airship's sudden appearance. It drifted closer to the edge of the cliff edge and halted there, hovering above the churning sea far below. He stepped closer to it, curious gaze examining as much of it as he could from where he stood.
“...Uh.” Hakim shortly snapped back to reality and turned to the Summer Maiden. “Well, I'd have to say that it's more than acceptable.” He gave Calida a low bow. “We accept your graciousness and shall see that it is well cared for."
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Post by recoveryfive on Oct 28, 2016 1:39:45 GMT
"...Yyyyyyup. That's a very big airship." was all Bonnie could say, mouth open a bit in awe. "You're the best, Lady Calida. This airship'll be more than enough." She wondered how many armories the ship had, and how many she could fit on it if there weren't any. The growling in her stomach reminded her that she was still hungry as well, which broke her train of thought a bit.
Gerlach was making internal high pitched sounds of excitement, trying to contain his wide-eyed expression and failing. "That's amazing!" he exclaimed, having never seen anything like it. "I read about airships in books before, but I never thought I'd see one in person...thank you very much, Lady Calida."
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Post by Bippwatt on Oct 28, 2016 2:16:25 GMT
Eliora raised an eyebrow. She, of course, knew a lot about Sidhe Airships. For one, they had some bizarre property that if the owner of one permitted you to use it, but did not come along with you, it became yours. Which meant, if they accepted, they would effectively have their own Fey Airship.
For two, she could tell from it's design, that, while mildly dated by mortal standards, it was probably virtually brand new . No more than five mortal years old. Which was nothing for the Fey, who designed things to last for thousands of centuries.
And finally, while not one of the massive flagships of the airships the Fey had, it wasn't a piddling little schooner either.
So, needless to say, Eliora was...suspicious.
"And what is the price of this magnificent vessel, Lady Summer?"
"Nothing, child. No cost. Thrice I say it. You owe me nothing for this. The look upon Eris' face when she learns that you fly a Summer Court airship is payment enough."
Eliora relaxed minutely. Realms aflame, the Sidhe were spiteful and petty people...not that Eliora dared say that aloud.
"Then, in that case, I accept, Lady Calida. You assistance has been most useful."
"Indeed. It seems only fair. Ever since you left Eris' side, the Sidhe realms have been buzzing with excitement over Eris' actions and mood. It tickles me to see her so flustered by a mere mortal!" She giggled, sounding for all the world like a schoolgirl. "I bid you all adu. See you at another time and place..."
And with that, she and her Knight were gone, leaving the gleaming airship behind.
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Post by Spartan 999 on Oct 28, 2016 18:15:18 GMT
“A strange example of a Fey if ever I met one,” Hakim muttered after Calida vanished. “But come, let's board and be away.” He strode up the gangplank that had been extended for them and made his way up to the wheel. He didn't take control of the helm, but instead examined it and everything in that area closely.
Hakim rose to his feet and looked over at the white-clad girl. “Eliora, do you know how to fly one of these things? I might be able to, but I'm guessing you're much more familiar with Fey things than I.”
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Post by recoveryfive on Oct 28, 2016 19:07:35 GMT
Bonnie went up the gangplank after Hakim and Eliora, with Gerlach bringing up the rear. The wizard-in-training wasted no time in visually inspecting the contents of the ship, looking thrilled by his surroundings. "Anything you need us to do, Ellie?" Bonnie asked her friend, watching her walk up to the wheel of the airship. "'Cause if you don't, I'm gonna have a bite to eat and make sure Magic Boy doesn't accidentally blast us out of the sky."
"Hey, I'm not going to touch anything!" Gerlach pointed out defensively, admiring the sails flying high above them. "It's just that I've always wanted to go on an airship ever since I was little. And now I'm on one that's heading out on a potentially dangerous adventure, no less."
"...Fair enough, I guess. Just don't get too crazy with yourself."
"I won't."
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Post by Bippwatt on Oct 29, 2016 2:56:57 GMT
"Well, that works.", Deidre said sardonically. "Why does this feel like transport as the plot requires?", she said as she boarded. As she did, she watched a crew member taking a lamp across the deck to the bow.
Eliora shrugged. "I did pilot Eris' personal airship for a few months. That was when she couldn't trust a fey to do the job. But that was a Winter Airship. No clue if I can...wait. Who came aboard first?" The former lady-in-waiting stiffened. "You went first, right Hakim?"
"Uh...no. You went first."
"Shit! Eris is gonna kill me...or Calida. Or both."
"Why? What's up, Eliora?"
"Well, it's some stupid Fey thing, but a Fey airship freely provided without it's owner present becomes the property of the first person to step onto it. As long as it was freely provided to that person. So, since she freely provided it to all of us, any of us could have owned it....but I went first..."
Eliora froze. "DAMN IT! I KNEW SHE WAS PLAYING AT SOMETHING! I think she knew I'd board first! Which now means I own a Summer Court Airship...and I'm bound to the Winter Court. Oh, Calida won't let me hear the end of it...assuming that I live through Eris' rage."
She stomped aftward, ducking under a hatch and reached the "bridge", if you will. It was a smallish room with an enchanted sheet of glass set in it's bow-ward bulkhead. This sheet of glass could show any number of views around the ship, allowing the pilot to navigate freely.
She sat in the seat that was on the centerline of the ship, but it was set forward in the room. There was a table with several chairs around it behind this station. The chair that Eliora sat in was nestled in between several controls. The first was a smallish ship wheel, directly in front of the chair. The second was to the chair's left and was a myriad of levers and knobs. The final control panel was to her right and has a few levers and knobs, but was mostly dominated by what looked like a small version of the glass sheet on the bulkhead. This seemed to be displaying important information about the ship, like altitude, bearing, speed, lift, power, fuel, and so on.
Eliora tapped a button on the chair itself and it slide down a track to come to a rest next to the table. As it had moved, she'd spun the chair around so it faced the other way.
"Okay. So. This is the area we're in." She slapped a hand down on the table and the surface, which also appeared to be the same kind of glass on the bulkhead, rippled and turned into the terrain of the nearby area, in full on 3D topographical representation. "This is us." A tiny little model of their ship, about half an inch long, appeared floating slightly above one island.
"Any ideas on where to begin?" There were dozens of moderate sized islands, which covered the range from about half a mile across to almost two miles across...and dozens more tiny ones. The tiny ones would take maybe a day to search using one person. The low range of the moderate sized islands would take a few days to search using a handful of people. The top range? The entire crew could search it for a week and still not be done.
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Post by Spartan 999 on Oct 30, 2016 21:23:08 GMT
“Sounds like you're screwed,” Hakim muttered with a somewhat-suggestive arched eyebrow, but he didn't say any more on the matter of Eliora being royally boned. He crossed his arms and studied the map intently. “...No idea,” the Ash Lad finally admitted. “According to one of the stories, the Death Needle was hidden in a cunningly-trapped chest beneath a tree. If that holds true here, we just need to dig beneath each and every...'tree'...in hopes of finding something.”
The young man sighed and hung his head. “...Of course, it's probably not that simple. Maybe...we can try to locate it somehow? A magical form of triangulation or GPS? But it's probably warded against detection...” He was pacing now and muttering things under his breath the others couldn't hear. Basically, it consisted of “But what about...?” and then was swiftly followed by “No, it probably has countermeasures in place...”
Finally, he came to a stop and stared intently at the map of the islands. “...This whole area of the Wyld is dangerously unstable,” Hakim stated. “The island chain remains, but not like it is now. It's been stabilized by Calida's presence, but otherwise it would be even more chaotic and unpredictable. And Koschei presumably took measures to ensure that his Death Needle remained safe and secure.
“Thing is, he had to do something to make sure the unstable nature doesn't inadvertently destroy it. It will be subtle, difficult to detect, but I think that's our best lead. He probably...'stabilized' more than one hiding spot, but regardless, it will narrow down our search by a lot.” He paused and tapped the edge of the map table. “...Assuming we actually can figure out a way to detect the stabilized spots.” Grey eyes flicked up to regard Eliora, then Gerlach.
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Post by recoveryfive on Oct 30, 2016 21:54:15 GMT
"I think I know something that could help us. My sister taught it to me so I could find things if I lost them." Gerlach said, putting down his pack and pulling a rather big book out of it. "Let's see...ah! Page 601, Detection Spells!" He put it on the table and pointed to the spell in question. "It's got a lengthy radius, and I know the spell by heart!"
"You lose things often, then?" Bonnie playfully ribbed him.
"No, but it certainly helps to be prepared." the wizard-in-training explained, pulling out a bottle and some ingredients. "Just like how I'm preparing for our quest by creating a potion that will make it a lot harder for wild animals and some magical creatures to smell us."
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Post by Bippwatt on Oct 31, 2016 0:33:28 GMT
"Well, that'll be helpful.", Deidre said with a roll of one shoulder. "Wouldn't wanna get eaten by something now..."
Eliora nodded, looking at the spell Gerlach had pointed to, slowly at first, then more quickly, but not freneticly.
"I'm not very well versed in mortal magic, but I think that would likely work. My biggest concern about it is the distances involved. It says it gives only a direction of the object within twenty-four furlong...that's only three miles. Quotes around the only, because that's pretty damn good for a detection spell. And it also says that the duration of the spell varies from 10 minutes to one hour, based on the...accelerator?"
"Yeah, but look here." Gerlach pointed to a small handwritten note. "My sister found a better casting for it."
Eliora looked at the elegent writing and read it out loud. "Using two pinches of an equal mix of gold and lead dust as the accelerator gives you four hours duration. Using a pillowseed flower stem as the focus gives you four times the range. When used together, it gives you a six hour duration and an eighteen mile (or 144 furlong) range."
Eliora's eyebrows would have hit the overhead if they weren't attached to her forehead. "That's...impressive. Remind me not to hide from you."
Eliora nodded then. "Okay. We have a plan of attack. Let's make it happen!"
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Post by Spartan 999 on Nov 1, 2016 3:18:03 GMT
“Great!” Hakim clapped his hands together and rubbed them in anticipation. “So, who has gold, lead, or a pillowseed flower stem?” He patted his pockets and quickly searched through them. “...I...think...I have...there we go. Gold.” He set a small pouch on the side of the map table and peered inside. “I've got...about a gram or two of gold dust,” he said, pulling out an even smaller pouch from within and weighing it in his hand. “I don't have any lead dust, but...if Bonnie or I can find a way to grind a bullet up, we can get it that way.”
The Ash Lad rubbed his nose and looked around at the others. “So, that just leaves the flower stem. Anyone have that? If not, where do we get it from?”
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Post by recoveryfive on Nov 1, 2016 18:17:38 GMT
Gerlach dutifully pulled out a flower stem from his bag of ingredients, placing it on the table. "There we go." he said, working on the harder-to-smell potion. The potion in question was already becoming a dark blue color, although it wasn't bubbling yet. "I'll get to work on it as soon as I'm done with these, although it obviously might take a while."
"Don't look at me," Bonnie said, shrugging helplessly as she took out an empty bullet. "I'm useless at that kind of stuff. "I'll grind down the bullet, though. You got a mortar and pestle in that bag of yours?"
"Yes, I do."
"Alright, lemme just reach in here and...holy crap, how many things do you have in here?"
"A lot." was Gerlach's only answer, focused on making the potion as Bonnie pulled out the mortar and pestle.
"Like a cave or something..." Bonnie muttered, putting the bullet in and beginning to grind it down with help from Hakim. "Alright, this should only take a minute or two. Is anyone else here besides Gerlach qualified to make potions?"
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Post by Bippwatt on Nov 2, 2016 4:22:19 GMT
"I can do it.", Deidre said. "I'd say it's my specialty, but that would be cliched and also not true."
Eliora pushed a button on the chair, which took her back to the controls. "I'll get us all squared away for fast flying. Shouldn't take much. Judging by the engines and sail plan of this thing, it's gonna be a speed demon."
She started pushing and pulling levers, turning knobs and flipping switches.
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Post by Spartan 999 on Nov 2, 2016 5:38:20 GMT
“And I'll just stand here,” Hakim deadpanned.
Soon, Gerlach had the spell underway. A magic circle was drawn on the floor, and the focusing items placed precisely within. Fortunately, the items wouldn't be consumed during the spell's casting, so they could repeat it as needed.
The young wizard closed his eyes and concentrated, focusing intently in an attempt to locate a location stabilized by magic. Abruptly, he lifted his hand and pointed. “Three-hundred seventy-seven feet that way, one-hundred twenty-one feet down.”
And they were off!
...Eliora's enthusiasm about being able to fly an airship of her own caused them to massively overshoot their destination, but she quickly corrected and brought them down to the right island. It was sandy and had several palm trees poking up into the air.
On Gerlach's instructions, they headed out and began digging under the smallest tree. A large chest about four feet long and two feet tall was shortly uncovered, and as one they backed away from it before unlocking it.
Good thing, too, because the fiery explosive trap that activated turned the sand for a foot in every direction around the chest to glass. As for the contents... The chest was filled with barbecued food. Kebabs, grilled corn, steak and chicken... Even most of a duck on a spit. The food looked fresh and certainly smelled appetizing, but no one was willing to do so much as take a taste.
That being said, rummaging around in the food in search of an egg and/or a Death Needle didn't help their hunger levels. As for the needle, the only thing they found close to it was a small, pointy bone that broke in half upon being uncovered. So...that probably wasn't it.
Stomachs rumbling and mouths watering, they hastily left that island, washed their hands of it (literally) and flew off for the next closest stable spot.
The next island was...less idyllic. It had a disgustingly...bio-organic look to it. Bone trees with quasi-fleshy leaves that had what looked like blood veins running through them. Grass disturbingly similar to hair. “Dirt” that seemed like a mix of ground-up bone and keratin, and muscle mass.
After a couple nauseating minutes, they uncovered a small-ish chest that looked like a cousin of the Necronomicon. Bound in skin, flesh, and bone, it looked like the ultimate evil artifact for any big bad. When they opened it...nothing happened.
For about five seconds.
Arms, spectral in nature but bloody and cruel, rose from within. Hands curled into claws, and before they could react... The phantom arms closed and began tickling them remorselessly. Even those who didn't think they were ticklish ended up crying from laughter as they were sent to their knees, and after a long, long couple minutes of struggling, Eliora managed to drag herself over to the chest to look inside.
An empty pumpkin-themed bucket with a bunch of candy wrappers sat inside, with a paper sign with the words “TRICK OR TREAT” written on it in Sharpie crudely taped on the side of the chest.
The group beat a hasty retreat from those tickling arms and went far away.
“...Maybe third time's the charm...?,” Eliora mumbled to herself under her breath.
The third stabilized hiding spot was on one of those smooth marble-and-glass islands. Digging was a bit tougher there, but they managed. Unlike the last chest, when they opened it, nothing actually did come out. The only thing inside was a small plaque with a short sentence engraved on it: BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME.
“This asshole's a cheeky fucker, isn't he,” Bonnie grumbled as they boarded the airship.
“It certainly seems that way...,” Hakim sighed.
And they were off to the fourth spot. This island was extremely bizarre and difficult to describe, with a landscape that hurt the eyes and put Escher to shame. The chest they dug up looked almost like a tesseract, but they tried not to think about that too hard. Or look too closely.
Once more they backed up. Once more the chest opened. Once more nothing emerged.
Until suddenly it did.
A hissing, roaring, spitting...thing stepped out. Well, “stepped”. If it even had anything so mundane as feet for locomotion. All they knew was that it was big, it had far too many eyes and pointy gnashing things, and it was angry. Whatever it was, the entity radiated so much rage it was palpable, and it focused all of its fury on them.
“...Well fuck me.” Bonnie always had a way with words.
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Post by recoveryfive on Nov 2, 2016 8:22:06 GMT
The creature's eyes blazed with what might have been intelligence, which was at the moment dulled by its anger. It charged towards the group almost immediately, letting out a loud roar that would have scared lesser men and women witless. "Oh, fuck me in the ass it's coming this way-" Bonnie managed to babble frantically, pulling out her gun and unloading on the beast. Unfortunately, this did nothing to stop it, and it rammed into her headfirst while knocking the rest of the group aside. The red-cloaked girl was knocked onto her posterior as the monster singled her out and closed in. Defiant to the end, Bonnie reloaded and took aim before firing at its many eyes, which didn't help that much seeing as it had a large amount of them. Swearing, Bonnie pulled out her knife and waited for an opportunity. The creature's fangs bared and its eyes glaring down at her as it raised its fist to smash her into the dirt... "Hey, ugly! Over here!" the creature suddenly heard behind it, an arrow thudding into its back. It turned around to face the source of the sudden sting to see Eliora standing there with the rest of the (now standing once again) group. It rose up a bit and snarled at the new challenge to it, all too ready to fight. "...Uh oh." - - - - - - A few minutes later, the group was in not very good shape. They had thrown nearly everything they had at the horror and it was still standing. Not even repeated uses of Gerlach's fire potion combined with Eliora's arrows had put it down. Eliora herself was currently in the process of being flung into the chest, which broke upon her slamming into it. Pain coursing throughout her body, she groaned as it advanced upon her still as angry as before. Suddenly, the monster stopped and spoke to her in a deep voice that sounded akin to the rumbling of a volcano. "FOOLISH MORTAL CREATURES!" it said, watching Eliora scramble for something to use as a weapon. "You dare to imprison me?! I shall see thee and thy wretch'd master answer f'r this folly!" Eliora looked up at it, unconsciously grasping the lid of the chest. "...Er, d- did you just talk?" "Aye!" "Oh. Uh...oh god, I am so sorry about this. We didn't know you were in there, and when you came out all angry-like we kind of, y'know, panicked, and-" "Coystrill! Nay mortal finds the mighty Helvetica by misprision! I-" All of a sudden, it froze. "Damnation! Thee has't fopped me again! Wast yond part of thy plan as well?!" "Hey, now! I wasn't tricking anybody!" Eliora tried to calm it down, lifting the lid defensively. "If you'll just hear us out, we can fix this!" But Helvetica wasn't listening, already preparing to pounce upon her and crush her. Eliora raised the lid to shield herself as he lunged forward, closing her eyes and waiting for the end. It never came. Her eyes opened again, and she saw that the creature had moved backwards, now trying to tear the lid off of his face. A lid that looked an awful lot like a mask. It seemed to be stuck like glue as far as she could tell, but how was a mystery. "What the hell...?" she muttered, staring at the sight before her. "Eliora, I recognize this creature now!" Deidre yelled from a good distance away next to Bonnie. "It's a Demon! A creature not native to this world! We need to bind it, now!" "What? How?!" "Give it a name! It's already revealed its power name to you and a mask's attached to it, but you have to give it a particularly long name for the ritual to fully work!" Eliora looked back at Helvetica nervously, watching him roar in discomfort. "Alrighty, then...how about Kilroy? You look like a Kilroy, huh? Then Robin, Allison....shit. Guys, a little help!" "Tolkein!" Deidre yelled. "Prachett! Spielberg!" Hakim hollered. "Ryan!" Gerlach shouted. "King!" The suggestions poured in quickly from all as Helvetica struggled, clawing blindly for the source of the noises around him. Finally, Eliora decided a proper order to all of them and stood up. She walked before the demon, now much more confident about what she was dealing with. "From this day forward, Demon, you are bound to me now! I name you... Kilroy Robin Allison Tolkien Pratchett Spielberg Ryan King Catherine Lawrence Smeckledorf Bitchface Granger Bonnie Rachel Brandy the 1st!" Helvetica let out a terrible scream as a tornado of energy enveloped him and obscured him from view. The rest of the group watched as the tornado intensified, reached a climax...and stopped, slowly dying down with a final burst that swept over everyone and everything in a five mile radius. Eliora waited with bated breath as the dust settled, squinting to get a better look at what was revealed. A boy with purple-ish skin sat up from his spot on the sand, sharp teeth still present and accounted for as he made a pained hissing noise that suggested he was having a headache. "Uggghhh...what happened to me?" he groaned in a voice that was higher pitched and raspy with a slightly audible Irish accent. "I feel like I was struck by a-" His eyes snapped opened as memories flooded into his skull. "Oh, for the love of Zaeilor. Oh, for the love of Zaeilor." he growled, looking particularly annoyed but much less enraged than before. "Of all the names to be given during a First Hand binding..." The boy, who Eliora now assumed was none other than Mr. Kilroy Robin Allison Tolkien Pratchett Spielberg Ryan King Catherine Lawrence Smeckledorf Bitchface Granger Bonnie Rachel Brandy the 1st, noticed her watching him. He quickly clambered to his feet and marched over to her, eyes narrowed. "You!" he proclaimed, looking determined to verbally tear her a new one despite being an entire foot shorter than her. "You were the one that named me, yes?" "Yyyyyup. That was me. Well, technically it was all of us, but..." "Then I suppose I'm now unfortunately bound to your service. May I ask what exactly you are?" "I'm a girl?" "No, I know that. I meant what member of the Fair Folk you are. I've never seen any of your kind before."
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Post by Bippwatt on Nov 2, 2016 22:18:46 GMT
"Well, shit. That was a thing." Deidre said, releasing her magic's to fizzle out, the shards of stone and rock around her falling back to the ground. "Thought we were going die."
Eliora's eyes were wide with the realization of what she'd just done...she'd heard of demons, of course, from Eris. According to Eris, though...they were nasty, nasty things. Which she could easily match to the nightmare they had been fighting.
But this thing? This tiny, little, harmless-looking thing? It was just too much.
She managed not to laugh, but it was a close thing.
"Umm..I'm not one of the Sidhe. I'm human.", she said, keeping her amusement in check.
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Post by Spartan 999 on Nov 2, 2016 23:35:54 GMT
Hakim sheathed his Ash Sword and gingerly walked over to the now-shattered chest. He made sure to give the Demon Formerly Known As Helvetica and Eliora a wide berth. Truth be told, he was too rattled to even think about commenting on the now-bound Demon. He'd seen some...weird, bizarre, and terrifying things during his travels, sure, but being in a pitched battle with a rampaging Demon of all things was a different experience entirely. And it wasn't as if he actively sought out the more horrifying types of Others.
While the tiny, bound Demon talked to its new master--he didn't envy Eliora that role--the Ash Lad knelt to examine the remaining pieces of the chest, much as they made his head spin. The lid had definitely been the crux of the chest's containment magic, that much he could tell.
...There had been something else in the chest. Brow furrowed, Hakim brushed a few splinters of fourth-dimensional (or higher) box away and picked up a stuffed rabbit. It was white and fluffy and soft. And, after careful examination, he discovered that it had something egg-shaped inside of it.
As it turned out, it was actually a Cadbury Creme Egg. And there were no needles inside of it.
...Still smelled good, though.
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Post by recoveryfive on Nov 3, 2016 0:31:17 GMT
"I see." Kilroy said, crossing his arms and appearing deep in thought. "That is a rather odd name for a species, but I suppose I've no right to judge. Apologies for my brief fit of madness, human. I wasn't in my right mind after I had been trapped in that loathsome chest for so long."
"Understatement...of the goddamn century." Bonnie wheezed, making her way over to her friend alongside Gerlach. "We're looking for an egg that has a needle inside it, it's part of our quest to find a guy named Koschei. You know anything about that, cutie?"
"I am not a 'cutie'!" the demon answered her indignantly, stamping a boot-clad foot on the sand (which didn't really help his case). "But yes, I think the person that trapped me in the chest mentioned a needle in passing when he thought I couldn't hear him. That is most likely the one you're looking for, is it not?"
"Sounds like it." Gerlach said, using his stick to prop himself up as he applied a healing salve to a cut on his cheek and a wound on Bonnie's arm. "So how did Koschei find you? I can't really imagine a demon would just wander around a place like this for no reason."
"....Igotlost."
"Sorry?"
"I got lost, alright? That happens sometimes." Kilroy grumbled, looking a bit embarrassed.
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Post by Bippwatt on Nov 3, 2016 8:19:14 GMT
"Lost, eh? Don't worry. Happens to me all the time." Deidre shook her head in mock shame. "I open up a Way and walk over to where I think I'm supposed to go and open a Way back...and I'm lost."
Eliora couldn't help it anymore. It was too much. She started to laugh.
It was snickers at first...then it grew into giggles. Then she started chuckling.
Before anyone could realize what had happened, Eliora was literally rolling on the ground, clutching her stomach, laughing.
Kilroy was unamused. "My plight is not a source of entertainment!"
"Oh...but...but...it is! It....so very...much is!", Eliora said between panting laughs. She finally managed to wind down and stand up...only to look at Kilroy again and fall back down laughing.
Finally, she composed herself. "Sorry. That was a long time coming. There's just been too much shit going on and too much of it has been so fucking funny or weird. But this just took the cake."
"I'm sorry, Kilroy. I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at the situation." Eliora snickered again. "Though...I can't believe I actually named you Kilroy Robin Allison Tolkien Pratchett Spielberg Ryan King Catherine Lawrence Smeckledorf Bitchface Granger Bonnie Rachel Brandy the 1st."
"Ugh...don't remind me."
"I'll try not to. Anyway. You said Koschei mentioned a needle? Did he happen to let slip anything about where it is?"
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Post by Spartan 999 on Nov 3, 2016 19:33:14 GMT
“...It depends what tha means by 'let slip.” Kilroy's head tilted back a bit to put his nose in the air. “I remember that dastardly sorcerer’s...,” he struggled to find the right word, “scent. And that of his prick of a needle, too.”
Hakim snorted, despite himself. “Wait, so...how do you know what the Death Needle 'smells like'?” He tilted his head as he looked the bound Demon up and down. “Did Koschei have it on his person when he imprisoned you?”
“...Nnnnno.” Kilroy bared his teeth as he took several deep sniffs. “I could smell...power, a bond, on him. Visiting the needle, hurm...” Again, he searched for the right way to describe it. “It left a residue on the sorcerer. Musty. It is unique and attuned to him in some manner.”
“Do...you still remember what the needle 'smelled' like?,” Eliora asked, just to be on the safe side.
“Of course!,” Kilroy exclaimed. He planted his fists on his hips. “I could never forget a scent such as that!”
“Can you smell it right now?,” Hakim led up. “If so, could you lead us there?”
The Demon hesitated, then closed his eyes, scrunched his nose, and began to sniff loudly and rapidly. His head twitched to and fro, which made him look rather reminiscent of a bloodhound.
Eliora and Bonnie exchanged a look, the former trying to not chuckle at the...amusing scene.
“The needle is there!” Kilroy pointed off into the distance...at roughly several dozen more possible islands. “I believe.”
“Alright.” Hakim nodded...and paused as he looked in that direction. “...I hope you can lead us there while flying on an airship.”
As it turned out, Kilroy could. Traveling at speed didn't seem to hamper his tracking attempt, at least regarding this. The Fey airship came to “dock” next to a mid-sized island, which Gerlach had confirmed was indeed home to one of the stable spots. It was covered in snow, pine trees, other trees with leaves still attached, rocky boulders, and the like. There were also snowflakes aimlessly swirling around the place, though from where they originated the group had no clue.
As they walked, the snow lifted into the air and swirled around even more, akin to a snowglobe. Flakes parted from the ground and trees, uncovering them for all to see as they joined the lazy whirlwind-that-wasn't-actually-a-whirlwind.
Finally, they stopped before a massive oak tree. Its leaves were vibrantly green, its bark healthy and whole.
“This is it!” Kilroy pawed at the dirt between two of the tree's roots with his foot. “It smells strongest here!”
“Then let's dig this bitch up.” Bonnie was the first in to start shoveling dirt.
A few minutes passed before they hit it. A large chest, heavy and made of iron with inlaid gold and crystal. It took their combined efforts to haul the heavy item out and set it a few meters away from the oak tree. As one, they backed up, braced themselves, and unlocked it with a loud click. Slowly, ever so slowly, the lid began to rise...
A huge swarm burst forth from within the chest. All kinds of hares and rabbits, an inordinate amount considering the chest's size, sprung out from the chest and raced away, scattering to the far reaches of the island.
“Those aren't real animals!,” Hakim called to the others over the din of thousands of paws thumping incessantly against the ground. “They're constructs of some kind!”
A hare tried to race between his legs, but he snapped them closed, trapping the animal-construct between his calves. The Ash Lad leaned down and quickly snapped the hare's neck. It went limp, allowing him to lift it up and inspect it.
...And then a flurry of feathers caught him right in the face. Somehow, a mallard emerged from within the hare, reducing the rodent to a few shredded pieces of fur. No blood, though. The mallard smacked him in the nose as it batted its wings, trying to fly away.
Bonnie instinctively swung her shovel and whacked the waterfowl out of the air, sending it crashing to the ground in a crumpled heap. The shovel's head came within a few inches of Hakim's own, however, which left him wide-eyed and momentarily frozen.
“...Uh.” He snapped out of it when he spotted something slithering forth from the mallard-construct's body. The Ash Sword sprang to life in his hand and he cleaved the snake in two.
Nothing else emerged from that creature. Upon inspection, he found out that its body was hollow-ish and contained a soft-shelled egg. Tearing it open revealed a blunt needle made of wood. But, given how Kilroy was staring in another direction and sniffing the air in...something just short of a frenzy, that probably wasn't the needle.
“...Well. This is going to be a pain.” Hakim stood and pocketed the wooden needle, just in case.
Whenever a hare/rabbit/bunny was struck down, a waterfowl of some kind would spring forth from within its corpse. It would fly as fast as it could, attempting to escape the island and go far away where they could not follow. If the waterfowl was struck down, a serpent or small reptile of some kind would slither or scurry away, seeking to locate a small, dark hiding spot where the humans (and Demon) would never find it. If the snake or lizard were struck down, they could be searched for an egg of some kind, with a needle of some sort held within. The needles were made of numerous materials and all were made in different styles. Bone, plastic, wood, horn, tooth, scale, numerous metals...the list went on. Each and every needle was uniquely made and different compared to others formed from their material.
Fortunately for the group, what would have been an infuriating, nigh-impossible task was made considerably easier (if still frustrating and tedious) by the assistance of Kilroy Robin Allison Tolkien Pratchett Spielberg Ryan King Catherine Lawrence Smeckledorf Bitchface Granger Bonnie Rachel Brandy the 1st.
Eventually, the desert rabbit was located and chased. Upon being struck down, a speckled, multicolored goose burst from its body. When that feathered construct was filled with several bullet holes, it tumbled out of the air and crashed head-first into a tree. A small brown lizard scurried out and went beneath the tree's protruding roots. Some ice magic, courtesy of Eliora, drove it from its hidey-hole...just in time to be caught by Kilroy.
The Demon pounced on the lizard and bit off its head. Evidently, lizard-construct didn't appeal to his palette, as he spat it out and made a face. However, when Hakim took the headless construct and squeezed it like a tube of toothpaste, its body swelled surprisingly large...and out popped a mottled egg about the size of a chicken's.
“This is it, right?” Hakim gingerly held the egg as he lowered it to the bound Demon.
“Aye!” Kilroy nodded. “The needle lies within.”
“Fucking finally.” Bonnie groaned and tipped back. She fell upon two rabbit constructs, trapping them under her weary, aching body. Eventually, they wriggled out and bounded off.
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Post by recoveryfive on Nov 3, 2016 20:09:38 GMT
"Blech." Kilroy mumbled, pawing his tongue in an attempt to get the taste of lizard off of it. "Everything about that lizard tasted wrong. Like someone filled its head with diced peppers..." He shook his head. "So! Why do you all seek this Koschei? Did he offend you all in some unforgivable manner?"
"Nope." Bonnie said, eyeing the true egg. "We're gonna get him to grant a wish for each of us by threatening to shank him with the needle if he doesn't cooperate."
Hakim blinked at the bluntness of the girl's answer. "Wow. No sugarcoating from you, huh?"
"Hell no! Brutal honesty is the best policy...except when it isn't, in which case lie like a motherfucker."
Kilroy found himself giggling at Bonnie's response, even though he didn't quite know why. Eliora shook her head at her friend's advice, but grinned all the same. Gerlach looked as if he disagreed with the latter half of it, but politely decided to say nothing.
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Post by Bippwatt on Nov 4, 2016 5:57:15 GMT
"Okay...so let's crack this egg open and hope we've got the right needle!", Deidre said with an exhausted sigh. More than once, her services had been required to manipulate gravity to bring an escaping waterfowl down hard. And she was getting more than a little worn out at this point. "Cause I don't know about y'all, but I need a ten hour power nap."
Eliora nodded. "Indeed, let's get this show on the road."
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Post by Spartan 999 on Nov 4, 2016 21:44:49 GMT
“I can't exactly argue with that.” Hakim then looked at Deidre and nodded. He gently broke the egg open and peered at the needle within. It was made of bone, bleached and weathered by time. Small, intricate, impossibly-precise designs had been carved on it, but what exactly they meant or signified, none of them knew.
The Death Needle was still sharp, too, as Hakim discovered when he gently poked it into a piece of tough leather. It pierced the leather easily, with barely any resistance.
“...Yeah, this is definitely it.” Hakim wrapped the Death Needle in the leather and a piece of cloth before pocketing it. “Should put it in a box for extra safekeeping...,” he muttered to himself as they walked back to the ship, animal constructs still hopping and flying around them.
“At least locating Koschei will be easier than this fucking timewaster.” Bonnie made a sweeping gesture indicating the entire island chain. “...We do know where he is, right?”
Hakim nodded. “Somewhere in a small mountain range to the northwest,” he explained as they ascended the gangplank. “Not too far outside Validor's borders in an airship.” He paused, hesitating somewhat. “...That's his last known location, at least.”
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Post by recoveryfive on Nov 4, 2016 22:24:41 GMT
Soon, everyone was onboard and ready to go to their next destination. "Onward, to Validor's borders!" Bonnie proclaimed in an imitation of a pirate's voice, hands on her hips. "We have a sorcerer to find, lads! Let the wind be swift in our sails and...other pirate stuff! Yaaarrrr!"
"Bonnie, I'm fairly certain you just committed some form of crime against actual pirates by stereotyping that hard." Eliora snarked flatly, taking the wheel of the ship yet again. The ship began moving and picking up speed as Bonnie jokingly frowned at her best friend, but said nothing.
"I don't think pirates would mind, actually." Gerlach pointed out. "Strictly speaking, I can't really see them being bothered by something so insignificant and trivial."
"Then you haven't met real pirates before." Kilroy chimed in, having surprisingly good sky legs in comparison to Bonnie and Gerlach.
"I thought you said you didn't know what humans are."
"Not human. Faerie pirates. Very unpleasant wretches, although not as bad as Koschei."
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Post by Bippwatt on Nov 5, 2016 17:39:56 GMT
"It could be worse...you could have dealt with vampire pirates." Deidre suppressed a shudder. "Those guys are just downright mean-spirited."
Eliora rolled her eyes and moved to the flight controls. "Alright. I need to get some altitude to be able to slice open a portal back through to Validor, so hang on to your hats!"
With that, she cranked a lever down and turned a few knobs. Then, she opened up the throttle a little, the turbines on the sides of the airship spinning up to a dull roar. They began to rise, slowly at first, then faster. As they went, the nose of the ship began to point upward more and more, till the ship was rocketing upward at a fifty degree angle.
"Okay, hang on! We're about to hit twenty thousand feet! I'm opening the Way in about thirty seconds!" About 20 seconds later, Eliora hit the airship's "intercom" "All hands, brace for realm transfer in ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five!"
Eliora reached out in her mind's eye, found the focal crystal at the airship's heart and poured magic into it. This crystal would help her amplify the power she needed to make a portal large enough to encompass the whole ship.
The crystal projected the power through the small lens at the front of the ship and it hit a spot in the air about a thousand feet in front of them.
"Four! Three! Two!"
The power swirled around that spot as the airship tore across the remaining distance. And then Eliora directed that power commanding it "Oscailte!"
"ONE!"
The airship hit the glimmering globe of energy...just as it burst apart, rending the barriers between the worlds apart. The vessel slid through the portal and out of the Fey realms.
If the trip through Calida's Way had been disorienting, this was downright confusing and sickening. Rather than a feeling both weightless and like gravity pulled in all directions...it was as if gravity pulled, but did so in no direction. Weightlessness had no meaning in this strange in-between land. It wasn't a simple "Which way is up? Which way is down?" question...for all ways were both up and down. And left. And right. Simultaneously. Inner ears spun and spun and spun trying to find the direction that was right, yet could not. This was the ultimate expression of vertigo.
The Fey crews paid it no attention. Such things were normal for them. Eliora, experienced with the Fey worlds, also managed to mostly ignore it. Hakim and Deidre tolerated it, though they likely stumbled as they exited the portal, their balance all out of whack. Kilroy, of course, couldn't have cared less about it. Gerlach and Bonnie, though...they lost their lunches.
Finally, the airship descended to a more sane altitude and slowed to a crawl while the more human members of the crew got their feet back under them.
"Ugh...I always hated going through Ways on an airship.", Eliora said, looking slightly green. "We have got to come up with a way to smooth that out more."
"Where are we?", Deidre asked.
"Let's see." Eliora brought the piloting chair back to the table behind the controls and slapped a hand down on the table. With a twitch of mental effort, the table rippled and showed a topographical map of all of Validor. A tiny green dot then appeared over the Westmarch Ocean. Which was about as far from the mountain range that Hakim had specified as they could get and still be on the same world. "Ugh, great. That trip will take probably about a week in a speeder airship...this isn't a speeder airship, I would like to point out. We'll probably take somewhere between two to three weeks to make that trip."
"Yay...", Deidre said with massive sarcasm.
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Post by Spartan 999 on Nov 6, 2016 1:04:15 GMT
“And Minotaur pirates are just downright terrifying.” Hakim shook his head. “Minotaurs are scarily good sailors when they put their minds to it,” he muttered as he took a seat and strapped himself in. He braced himself for the trip through the Way, eyes shut as he gripped the armrests tightly.
The journey back to Validor definitely made him queasy, but it wasn't anything new. That being said, the sensation wasn't one he enjoyed, although he didn't vomit like Bonnie and Gerlach had. He stomached it and began to take slow, steady breaths as he waited for his equilibrium to return.
Once it had, he undid the restraining seatbelt-like straps and rose from the seat, legs wobbling slightly as he approached the map.
“...Seriously? All the way out here?” Hakim groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “That's just ludicrous.” He sighed and looked around at everyone. “...So, anyone have any ideas about getting there faster? I'm not bad at travel through side, mirror, and shadow dimensions, but applying those principles to a ship with this many people on it is practically impossible for me; that kind of magic is far out of my league.”
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Post by recoveryfive on Nov 6, 2016 23:27:22 GMT
"I can open a path to the astral realm of swift travel." Kilroy volunteered, immediately seeing a solution to the problem. "A day in there is said to be a week's worth of time outside of it. It might be the best chance of reaching our destination quickly."
Hakim frowned a bit, uncertain as to if Kilroy's idea would work. "Alright, give it a shot." he finally decided, stepping aside as Kilroy made his way to the front of the ship. The demon inhaled and exhaled, assuming a meditative stance on the floor of the boat.
"I will now recite the incantation of Z'gothur, the realm's guardian. It may take a minute, but it is almost always guaranteed to work." Kilroy explained, closing his eyes. He then proceeded to wordlessly sit in this position for the next ten seconds, completely still. Then he spoke again.
Eliora nearly recoiled at the harsh and guttural language that met her ears, as did Bonnie and Deidre. Gerlach was trembling a bit, but he oddly enough stood firm. Each of them instantly knew that this was the Demon tongue that they were hearing.
Eventually, Kilroy stopped as a crackling rift slowly opened before the boat. It grew much bigger than it, the other side a void where various ships of differing sizes and origins zoomed around to destinations unknown. The sky was a deep shade of crimson, and two gigantic avian creatures flew in a circular motion over the ships.
"There it is...the realm of swift travel. Do not be afraid of Mir and Vrall, they are merely present to enforce the one rule of this realm."
"Which is?" Bonnie asked curiously.
"No attacking other ships. But we will be fine as long as we don't do that."
"They don't look that terrifying." Deidre pointed out, squinting to see the beasts against the dark sky.
"Trust me, we don't want to push our luck. I've seen what those two can do to ships that break the rule, and I never want to see it again."
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