[Quest, part 1] Deviance is part of a perfect world

[Jette]

Jette listened intently on the exchange of words between the pilot, the nuit, and the captain, all of whom seemed to be hiding a great deal from her and the other visitors. Talk of the golems and a device to subdue their actions caught Jette's attention, and she pondered just how she would be able to deal with magic users. Having little magic herself other than the gnosis mark gifted to her to strengthen her in battle, she was not reimancer or hypnotist - she was raw knuckles and flesh. Jette fingered the material of her skirt with one of her hands in thought, initially aching to know what was going on in the mutinous group below decks, but then more eager to discover the mysterious elements of what little Chacha referred to as the breezes. A storm on the seas was brewing, and apparently someone had angered the gods. Little Chacha looked worried, paranoid as she stomped away from the area where they had been sitting with the Captain and Lahumni. "I wish to find a lavatory before we dock." Jette averted her eyes from the pair, bowing from where she stood and trying to be as gracious and inconspicuous as possible. She intended to follow the pilot and get the real story out of her, even if she had to coax it from her lips. The pilot looked the strong silent type, but there was something there she feared far more than the Captain's wrath and Jette was keen on finding out before they left the ship.

[Panna Cotta]

Chiasuelmi had white knuckles from holding her fist too tight, but it was not in her nature to flare up on impulse. She was being quiet, the calm before the actual storm. She decided that it was better to bring her case to Starspeak, for the old man listened to reason.

After few steps before the stairs up to the stern, she noticed that Jette was following her. Or rather, the winds told her that one of the adventurers was trailing behind her. She turned, her hands on her hips and arched her brow. It was enough for Jette to know that Little Chacha acknowledges her need to speak with the pilot.

[Eris]

Eris’s gaze darted around the map as Starspeak pointed out he “hotspots” for danger. Well, at least he knew exactly where danger lurked… Frankly, that didn’t comfort Eris very much. Her eyebrows rose slightly at his defiance against referring to Varubict as Master. How deep did this dislike go? And was it likely to affect their performance during this expedition? Eris didn’t have much appreciation for inside quarrels that had the potential to jeopardize a mission. Then again, she was getting a bad feeling about this Varubict just from the way Starspeak has been talking about him. Which is exactly what he wants you to do, of course. Don’t go forming opinions about things you haven’t seen with your own eyes – Joel’s voice chided in her mind. Eris wrinkled her nose at the man’s pretext for his obvious cowardice. Of course, she would be lying if she said that she didn’t feel uncomfortable at the prospect of facing this dangerous, erratic type of magic. Still, she decided that she didn’t particularly like Starspeak. She glanced at Sturlin, who would be the one with the most experience in magic. After all, they met for the first time when she had happened upon him practicing his craft in the forest. “So, if they’re so deadly, then it should be quite alright for us to go up against them?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Isn’t there some way to get past them without getting ourselves blasted by magic?”

[Panna Cotta]

OOCWe move onward!

Baradbal finally docked in Sahova, a place where time appeared to have stand still. There was nothing in Port Silence, as some of the crew had referred to the silent harbor, that made the place inviting. The constant crashing waves to the shore were the only noise. The sun was still atop the sky, but most of Baradbal's crew had their hearts sank in the bottom of the ocean. Everybody was lined up in the deck, and everybody waited anxiously as the First Mate descended from the ship.

"Who else is going?" She asked, as if the nuit was meant to make this voyage alone in the first place. Peonie gave the adventurers a hard stare, but it was nothing compared to the icy hatred she threw at Starspeak, the Konti, and Chiasuelmi.

After the adventurers came forward, Chiasuelmi trailed behind. She gave a hopeful glance towards everybody and smiled faintly. If only she could unburden what she knew, she thought.

They were greeted by a man in black velvet cloak with a crow perched on its shoulder, "Welcome to Sahova. As you can see, I gave you guys the honor of being petched." He corrected himself, "Fetched. We have been suffering from a few golem malfunctions, nothing serious so you need not worry, but we need to start our journey and we need to start it now." He stepped forward and address Lahumni with a camaraderie that would have been unusual for the undead. "I had hope you would bring many."

"Sometimes, there are far more enticing things to do than sail on a ship and embark on a treasure hunting mission." Peonie looked away, taking off her pirate hat. The First Mate turned to the willing volunteers. "Introduce yourselves."

But the Master was clambering into a horseless wagon. "Come and ride along my - shall I say - hearties? There is a lot to talk about and to reach our camp before nightfall, we will need to leave now."

Chiasuelmi was behind everybody else, carrying a rather large box. Food, supplies, and other necessities for the Pulsers. Had the Pilot decided not to go, the adventurers would have been left with nothing but sand and res water to survive the mission.

Chiasuelmi carried the box without effort into the wagon, praising herself as she did it. She sat across Varubicht and said, "My name is Chiasuelmi, but they call me Little Chacha." The Windmistress nudged her companions to talk to the wizard politely. After introducing the whole adventurers, Varubicht smiled at his visitors, eyes focused from afar.

"Ask away," Varubicht said. For an undead, he seemed too polite, too animated, too human.

[Eris]

Eris felt just a tad disconcerted by Varubicht’s manner. She would’ve liked to say that it was because he was a nuit, but she knew that was not the reason. She had met a fair share of nuits lately and she had grown rather…accustomed to them. If one can ever grow accustomed to a walking corpse, that is. Once she had climbed into the wagon, Eris settled into observation mode. If she were to be working for this Varubicht’s, she would need to find out as much about him as possible – his manner, his sensibilities… And yet she felt strangely unnerved by him. After making her introductions, she stayed silent for a few chimes. She felt distinctly uncomfortable in the wagon. She was used to traveling on horseback in wide open spaces. This-this was almost claustrophobic. In the end her curiosity prevailed over her desire not to address the nuit. Besides, it appeared that he had offered to answer their questions… “And what will be our first order of business once we reach the camp site? When will we set out on this…quest?” she asked. It helped to have some idea of their schedule ahead of time. Eris had no problem with beginning their mission during the night; in fact, she rather preferred it to the glare of daylight. The better she knew what Varubicht’s plans were, the sooner she could begin making her own.

((I'm sorry for the super late reply. I was away on vacation for a while and then I developed this misconceived notion that I had already posted a reply. I'll be more prompt from now on.))

[Jette]

When Jette was discovered by Chacha, her hands on her hips questioningly, she dropped her stealthy act and stalked up to the woman. "Its not safe to talk here, too many ears. We'll meet again when the time is opportune, I want to know what has you squirming in your clothes." She narrowed her eyes curiously at her before leaning back and asking out loud where the lavatory was. After being pointed the way Jette departed from the pilot's company, holding her gaze for a moment as an affirmation that Jette would pursue her for the information later. ---- "Jette" Were the words that mechanically left her mouth - the obligatory introduction amongst humans that took up more time than it was worth. Nevertheless, names had to be discovered somehow and to this Jette put on an acting face and smiled charmingly at the enigmatic Varubicht. She could see from Eris's behaviour that the girl would be silent but would listen intensely to every word said around her. Jette knew then that her role would be to draw out the information they needed from Varubicht. "Varubicht, a pleasure to be in the company of such a distinctive character such as yourself." Jette smiled and looked the Master over, her eyes falling on the ring encircling the raven's leg. At first she thought perhaps the shine from its body attracted her eye but it was the bird that really caught her attention, the way it tensed its neck uncomfortably, like it was about to burst into flight but couldn't muster the strength to. A mental note was taken, to keep her eye on the bird. She turned her eyes back onto the Master, addressing him with polite interrogation, "Theres just something that has been nagging at us this whole trip. What are we trying to achieve on this mission, we know that we have to subdue some erratic golems but what else? There is something else we are not being told. Are we being sent to retrieve something.. or someone?"

[Panna Cotta]

Varubicht smiled at Jette and Eris, his current body was in a state of mild decay, the dark rings around his round eyes prominent. His white hair was a fluffy crown. By appearances alone he looked like a kind grandfather, at least what your grandfather would look three weeks after he died. "It is an honor to work with two beautiful ladies," his tone was dead-pan, he might as well be dishonored to find the two female adventurers by his side.

He addressed Jette's questions first, "Well, what did Peonie say to make you come all the way here?"

The female voice answered, "Told them we were out to find treasure."

"And...?" The Master asked, implying that there was something else other than treasure hunting.

"And that we pay them 100 gm for this task, together with the promised profit of 10,000 gm divided equally." Peonie was looking ahead, as if she was specifically ignoring Varubicht's stare. Whatever air of authority as the First Mate she had on board Baradbal, she seemed to have left it there.

"Ah, but you did you tell them the risks and the possibility of combat?" Varubicht asked. He continued without waiting for Lahumni's reply. "I am not sure what she said to encourage you to come, but it is truly very dangerous out here, perhaps not for her, since she is a Nuit. But you, you, you." He craned his neck to face the three pulsers, "You're alive. On top of that, there are truly very dangerous creatures out there. And beyond that, our mission is to find an old outpost with dangerous Nuits." The Crow perched on his shoulders started crying, squawking madly as flapped its wings. The Master paid no heed to his pet and was silent for a long time. The adventurers had nothing to do but to take in the vast fields of dry trees and summer grass as the Citadel started to appear from the horizon. Even with the presence of foliage, Sahova looked like a no-man's island.

Chiasuelmi was, as usual, muttering to herself (to the winds, actually). She had not removed her eyes from Varubicht, as if her sole duty was to keep tabs on the Master. The wagon rocked gently as it rolled past the Citadel. It had a looming facade that was surrounded by great big walls. One look at it and you knew it deserved it be called a Citadel. It was a giant fortress that sat within the rugged mountains of the island, a structure that looked like it rose by itself from the rocks. The wall was just as magnificent, if one took the time to appreciate the magnanimous rampart that stood through the test of time and weathering. There were signs of weathering and big marks of explosions here and there. It would be an understatement to think that the wall could stay for another five hundred years. It could probably last a thousand more.

Varubicht started to talk again this time, offering a concise story of Sahova and the urgency of their mission. "Sahova was built before the Valterrian, a magical research facility with undead wizards and scholars who are dedicated to find a way to overthrow the once mighty Suvan empire." He talked very slowly, with a deep captivating monotonous voice. "The Valterrian happened before Sahova accomplished what it was supposed to do - have Alahea rule the world. The brightest minds of pre-Valterrian Alahea live together on this isle, tirelessly continuing its mission for the last five centuries. But of course, one would surmise that five hundred wizards sitting inside the same place for five hundred years would not get along well. The Archwizard, Zarik Mashaen had done a great job to hold the place together, until recently of course."

Out in the distance, golems of all shapes and sizes wheeled passed them. A few defensive golems, threatening with their big barrel shaped bodies armed with dangerous glyphs, had followed them as they exited the Citadel's area. If the entrance to Sahova was well-guarded, its perimeter was just as tightly-secured.

"A standard procedure," Varubicht assured her lady companions. "Here in Sahova, the Master's authorities come first, but if none was present, it would be safe to assume that the Golems will take over." Lector Qiao would have a fit if he ever heard Varubicht talking about golems that way. "My presence, of course, alarms them that they need not fire at us. I'm just hoping we won't get too much trouble from them, we need to get there by sundown."

Finally, the Master went back to the quest. "Once we reach the Testing Grounds, we shall..." Then very, very slowly, his blank face changed. He looked surprised, even if he took a while to get the expression right, "Oh dear, there will be a change in plans. How did I overlook this?" Crow cackled triumphantly, as if it was trying to say 'I told you so, but you would listen!' It flapped its wings and jumped towards Peonie's head.

Peonie, who had been sitting still like a statue, finally moved. "You have assumed we would be able to work around the clock?" A sad smile and then a nod from the Master. "That almost sounded silly, Master Varubicht. I hope you were not thinking I would recruit undead for this mission?"

Varubicht looked a little forlorn, like a grandfather who was suffering from senility. The Master almost looked... sorrowful. He continued, "I am under the direct order of Lector Qiao - second-in-command in the Citadel - to root out a group of Nuits who have been suspected of worshiping the god of the Undead, Uldr. Their congregation have risen to an unconfirmed count of 12, too many a number. We also have information that they seem to have laid their hands upon an artifact which was supposed to be locked up in the Vault." Whatever the Vault was, it sounded really special and important. Somewhere in the island was a place where they store other artifacts. Priceless artifacts, if you take into account that Sahova had existed for more than five centuries. "We are to retrieve the artifact and subdue the... followers. Lector Qiao sees their faith as dissension, whereas, if you ask my opinion, it is merely an act of practicing your faith. You can't blame a Nuit who had long ago stop believing in Gods and Goddesses, however. The Citadel is suffering from political tension, too. Qiao is trying to show everyone how much power and influence he has. And of course, I am but a servant. I will do what I have to."

Their escorts (or guards) have now left their tails, and they entered a barren field. Scattered trees can be seen far in the distance, and Syna was slowly giving away her place to Leth. It didn't seem like anybody was going to elaborate on the quest any more than Varubicht did. They stopped, and the Master said, "Sleep then, I need to talk with Peonie in private. We'll be back in roughly... five hours. I hope that's enough time for you girls to rest, we'll continue our travel when we return."

Chiasuelmi finally spoke once Varubicht and Peonie were out of hearing distance. "I have enough to make a small tent for four inside this crate. But, making camp might take us an hour or so, and I believe you should rather take the beddings and find a comfortable spot to sleep on. Lucky us it's summer and we don't have a freezing night." While Lahumni and Varubicht didn't really venture a great distance away from the wagon, the Master left the Crow behind. The bird was keenly observing the three passengers. Little Chacha shook her head ever so lightly at Jette and Eris, and her small voice resounded in their heads.

"We can't talk." It was more for Jette than Eris. Little Chacha flicked an angry side glance to the Crow, indicating that it was listening. "You may sleep if you want to, I shall wake you up if there's anything suspicious." Her expressions softened a bit, but the storm warden was certainly cautious of the bird. The two of them would hear her warning, "Not bird, not human." She then pretended to be reading the stars and continued whispering to herself.

[Jette]

Camp was set up and bedrolls unfurled. Curiosity that burned like fire kept Jette's head spinning, listening and observing and feeling her environment to get a handle on what she was dealing with. The golems presence made her skin crawl - their magic driven mechanical limbs and glowing features boring into her soul, reading her mind. She needed air! She needed to calm down. Paranoia and distrust had been haunting her for the entirety of the trip. Everyone around her and Eris seemed to know more about the situation than they did. They had been lead by their greed into the position of a slave, commissioned to subdue these golems. They might die just attempting and questions clawed at Jette's mind - why would a city filled with wizards hire a pack of competent warriors? Because they were expendable. The realization injected butterflies into Jette's stomach and she fought a change of facial expression at the thought that there was a high possibility that they were being thrown to the dogs - dogs being dangerously unpredictable automatons. There was no way Jette would allow anyone to use her in such a way. Danger motivated Jette to strategize and as she stood before the campfire, its heat dried the surfaces of her eyes until they watered and she wiped at them and smiled. She was one of the few humans in the group and she relished in 'feeling' what it was like to have blood pumping through her veins and water from her pores. In a matter of minutes her heart rate lowered and she gained a sense of composure of her emotions, but she was ever vigilant - pulled taut beneath the surface of a relaxed Jette. She could keep her body slack and her mind tense - a good way to throw off incoming attackers thinking to catch her off guard. She had learned to live this way for so long she barely knew how else to live. And golems or not, she was not about to go down without a real fight. Chacha's warnings were heeded but Jette still considered pulling out a small scroll and graphite to write their conversation, could the bird read? It might swoop down and steal the paper but what if they entered the tent? She could burn the scrolls. She digressed, and opted for laying on her back on the bedroll. Her head was swimming again and she felt satisfied that at least she communicated to Chacha that they would talk, she seemed to say what she had to when she felt necessary, this left Jette with a feeling that she would find out when the time was right. She squirmed at the idea of not knowing all the facts of the situation but began to drift off, hoping that she would not be killed in her sleep.

[Eris]

Eris unrolled her bedroll hesitantly, her gaze constantly darting around the camp. She didn’t like the feeling of knowing so little – it left her powerless. More than anything else, Eris disliked being powerless. She had yet to understand her own motivations for choosing to go on this mission. Of course, the mizas had a lot to do with it. Ever since became more selective in the mercenary jobs she took on, her purse had grown emptier each day. Now, her savings were almost depleted. Still, even the want of money did not seem enough at the moment. She was surrounded by Nuits and people she knew next to nothing about. The only other human who appeared to be in the same boat as Eris was Jette. But even she could not be trusted. Eris finished unrolling her bedroll and climbed into its warmth, wrapping it tightly around her. Once her hands were hidden safely under the fabric, she pulled out her dagger and pulled her hand up to her chest, her fingers curled around the hilt of the weapon. Should some danger creep up on her during the night, she would be ready. Eris never slept much anyway, especially not when she was surrounded by so many people. Her eyes closed and her breathing evened out, but it was a long time before she was truly asleep. Stray sounds constantly rose her from a comfortable daze. Once or twice, she could have sworn she could hear footsteps next to her head. But every time, it turned out to be nothing, until she was finally lulled to sleep by her own paranoia.

[Panna Cotta]

Little Chacha woke them up early the next morning with a few nudges. They quietly crossed a large field of nothing before being asked to leave their possessions behind with the wagon. The two Nuits always gave meaningful glances to each other, and Little Chacha had not said a word (spoken out loud nor delivered to their minds) since the left their camp, when she commented that it was wise of them to rest. Something may have put the Stormwarden at ease. Whatever it is, she was not telling.

Little Chacha gave both of them a curt nod. "Bring your weapons with you, and follow behind the Master. I shall be covering the rear and bringing our food."

Master Varubicht, they found out, was quite an amiable person. There was nothing suspicious about him, save for the details of the quest. He led them into the forest, which he referred to as East Zayan. They constantly encountered an unnaturally jumpy, brown, furry creature that had six insect legs, which they had to fight off. Varubicht performed Voiding, Lahumni, to everyone's surprise, could do Projection. Occasionally, one or two pony-sized creatures passed the two Nuits, and Jette and Eris was left to fight these by themselves. Although lithe and jumpy, the creature's strongest attack was the headbutt, which it performed by springing from its legs and then bowing its head to attack with its horns. Its bill, which it did not hesitate to use against them, had flat teeth but a strong grip. A bite hurt in the sense that it was painful, and would likely result from a bruise later on. The creature's neck was long and it moved its head constantly, snapping its bill and biting at any weapon that might attempt to harm it. Its legs and horn were invulnerable to common weapons, but its neck and soft furry back was exposed and quite easy to target.

Should Eris or Jette fail to properly assault a creature, Little Chacha was quick to aid with her Reimancy. She commanded the wind, hurling devastating invisible whiplashes at the enemy. The would notice that beside acting as a bodyguard, Little Chacha was also "clearing their way back". Whatever animal carcass they left quickly attracted strange horned reptiles big as alligators. Varubicht, who could Void the bodies, was too busy in moving forward and protecting Lahumni, who seemed to be exhausting her energy.

The journey was only for a mile and a half, and it was barely noon when they broke out into a clearing. The crow came flying back at their group. If they hadn't notice, they would realize that it was not around for the duration of their journey into the forest. Come to think of it, the crow wasn't around during the morning earlier. An observer could even carp at the fact that the band on the crow's leg was also gone.

Quickly, Little Chacha became alert once more. Although she walked behind them, they heard her voice. "Careful, be vigilant, guard each other's back. Don't count on the three Nuits in front of you. I'll be very busy protecting everyone from behind."

From afar, they could see the silhouette of a hilly terrain. Varubicht paused and took his time in checking if everyone was alright. "Are you okay, child?" He would each ask Jette and Eris. He would even have the audacity to pat them in the shoulder for a job well done. His friendliness was contrasted by Lahumni's silence. Of course, Nuits were silent, cold and calculating at best, but they saw Lahumni back at the ship - her lack of authority and unusually meek personality was quite noticeable.

"You have had your rest, and though I would like to accommodate a pulser's needs, we must hurry on." He sounded really sincere, "We will have to press forward. Hopefully there would be less of those vile mollacks. Good job, for keeping away the woggies, Little Chacha." He waved at Chiasuelmi, who was taking out food for Eris and Jette. Strips of dried meat and fish and pieces of bread were wrapped in aromatic leaves. There was enough meal to satisfy their craving. Chiasuelmi had to summon their own water, which she placed in three bottles. She could provide them as much as they wanted, although requesting for too much might tax the Stormwarden. Chacha requested that they finish up the amount of water they asked for, so that she will not need to carry the weight of the water when she placed the bottles in back in her rucksack.

The heat had started to become quite an inconvenience. The master, wearing clothes that probably protected him from the hot winds, did not bother to walk under the shade of trees. Soon, the trees thinned and they had to walk uphill. The trek became steeper as the day progressed. Varubicht would fall back and help Jette or Eris in climbing should they ask, and he engaged them in conversation to keep them entertained. Mostly, he asked them what they thought of each other - silly questions like, "Who is more beautiful?" or "Who do you think is a better fighter?" or "Who looks younger?" Although unnecessary, it did break the tension from the earlier battle, and gave Eris and Jette time to warm up to one another.

OOCThere are two things I want to see in your next post. Fighting together and bonding with each other. You're both free to do as you want, and make the most out of your liberties.