Signs in the Mist: Part I: TEAM SURVIVORS

[Archelon]

*Clack* A sound could be heard just above the waters in front of Shai. The sounds of shifting gears, an altogether odd sound for anyone of mizahar these days. Sections of the bridge in front of her rose and fell, other parts moved at random to create ramps going down into the water, or raising high into the air as if to allow something through the gaps they created. All of it propelled by the hidden wheels within the water, being pushed by the river's flow. *clack* It was chaos. *clack* It was almost unpredictable as the mechanical menagerier of moving parts provided what had to be one of the stranges obstacle courses the spider had ever seen. *clack* Just one wrong move, one wrong leap or jump might get her crushed, and only a trained acrobat could dare hope to make it through. Even the attempt would require climbing upon moving sets of platforms as the bridge split its partitions apart before bringing them all back together. *clack* Indeed there was a prevailing thought in Shai's mind that this indeed could be something that might get her squished... The sounds of the machinery echoed over the waters to the figure disembarking from a boat waist deep in the shallows waters near the island's perimeter. Below the swelling froth of the river, Zandelia would feel a slimy slithering past the skin of her thigh, a sure sign of a snake wending its way towards the overgrown island. The watereeds seemed sharp and full of thorns and to push her way through she would have to brave many a scratching briar in the mists... not to mention the painful things which might lurk within. Her instincts might scream that it would be best to keep a dagger close at hand. But oddly enough... a vision of sorts to her final destination would appear for just a few moments as the mists parted, giving her a clear view of the topmost part of the island. A place where the light hinted at the edifice of a stone circle, a large shadow waiting at its top. Immobile, yet vaguely in an upright shape... A glint of light would be reflected to show its metal exterior, and her mind would wonder what that thing was for just a second before the mists closed again, indeed becoming thicker about her, as if it was protecting her. This was not ordinary mist, nor an ordinary night at all. But what of the two who had accompanied them which had been lost in the mist? They had not faired so well from the altercation with the daggerhands. Indeed Tikon, though he had slipped away in the shadows had recieved a quarrel to the upper arm, and a broken leg from a swung javelin, leaving him a hobbled wreck from the pain as he was turned around. At least he could walk to a doctor's if he chose, though it would take some small miracle to save the arm... and his life from the blood loss... And what of Lyth? He suffered much as Tikon did, yet with worse results due to his nature for at least the Isur had bones and an arm hardened by years of training as a youth. The half-symenestran had foolishly tried to climb as well as his forebear's fullblooded virtue and the sight of him in the daggerhands eyes was enough for the clubbing to begin. A knee was shattered, an arm was broken, and still it was not enough for the laughing men who decided that the only good spider was a squished one, and the final blow would come at the head of a mace, crumpling his skull in a heavy blow sent his vision spinning towards darkness. But he didn't die there. No the mists attempted to cloak his escape, indeed a few of his aggressors seemed to be struck by several unseen blows, driving them back. But alas, his poor frame, and the frailty of his mixed race would have him collapse upon the river's sides as his body began the long spiral towards death. Who knew if he would survive this night at all? Perhaps his next incarnation on the wheel of life would fair better if none could help him... in the mornings ahead, perhaps the crows would peck out his eyes and feast on his corpse. But such a thing concerning the halfblood was a mystery and no longer a necessary part of this story... indeed it was left in the hands of Dira and Lhex for now and who knew what the gods would fathom in such regards? Whatever the case, the night, the city, and indeed the mists themselves were dangerous, the ghosts in the mist had not chosen those who could help them vainly, and there was always the possibility of death for those who strived to do the greatest good this night...

[Zandelia]

As Zandelia began to wade towards what she could only hope was land, her feet feeling the gradient of the silted mush beneath them rise up slightly, step by fought for step, she found that her evening had far from improved in standing. Sodden, shivering and sure that if whatever dangers in the mist didn’t expunge her life then illness from the chill would she felt the telltale slithering of reptilian flesh whip past her ankles – all but slapping her from her precarious footing. She whirled around with a growl bordering upon a fearful scream as she pulled her daggers from their sheathes. She would not be found face down in the water next morning, nor find her way into the belly of some scaly little beast if she had her damned way – and she had a gift for getting her way.

Sadly, I don’t think seduction would work upon the bastards she shudder to herself as she took yet another tentative step upwards and forwards.

It was not that Zandelia was afraid of snakes, it was that she found them to be unsettling. Something about their leathery, slimy skin set her teeth grinding and a shiver up her spine. Her hair raised upon the back of her neck as yet another serpentine body slithered past her boots. She tried to fight back her revulsion and stay her meager blades from lashing out in futile self-expression as another step was taken and further progress made. She knew from the tales of the unfortunate that many snakes were poisonous and that lashing out and angering them was so far beyond the concept of foolishness as to be almost suicidal. It was then that the mists miraculously cleared, the air around her opening and sending in a much appreciated salty breeze to fill her nostrils and lungs. She let her gaze wander and found the small strip of land she had been aiming for as metallic screeching filled the air and flooded her sense. This was strange enough to her, but the vision of the island itself was far more enigmatic. Fr a brief second she saw ruins, ancient by look from her distance, and a large figure that flashed briefly before the mist closed around her once again.

“What in the petch?” she muttered as she took another step, not looking where she was going and blundering straight into a patch of barbed reeds, nipping and razor sharp as they penetrated her clothing in several places, thick as her layers were, and caused her t try to jump to the side – only to fall straight into another patch.

“Mother of a-“ was all she got out before salty water filled nth her mouth and nostrils and the world went under a blanket of glunking sounds, her hearing now submerged.

As her head lifted back above the water and the myriad of cuts and pricks began to sting across her body her rage reached breaking point and was unleashed upon the unsuspecting flora of Sunberth. She cared not for the damage she took now, her anger masking the pain, dulling it momentarily as she slashed her way into action. Her daggers lashed out viscously as if at a personal enemy, hacking this way and that at the barbed reeds, lopping them off to float away into the ebbing tides. In truth, as she made her way, step by grudging step, towards her destination she could not be sure which combatant came off the worse for wear. Dozens of reeds were culled but her hands began to sting most assiduously as adrenaline and anger began to fade. It was an exhausted woman that finally made berth upon the silt of the island’s edge, safe from the snakes and rushes for now but knowing not whether her strength would be tested – or broken – by yet another trial.

“Fucking….bloody….mad….ghosts…and their….little…tasks” she panted to herself as she fell to her knees, ever so tired for her ordeals.

Looking around she saw no sign of Shai, no sign of anything. To her right she knew was the land strip she had glimpsed previously, but whether anyone would come up it she could never know. She was truly alone as she took stock of her situation. She knew not what the island held, what the mysterious ruins would punish her with nor what the metallic sound had been. She gravely suspected it had been the sound of weaponry and could have wept at the prospect of fighting heavily armored guardians. But she would not break, not now, not when she had made it this far. As she tried to hold back the tears, slat blending with salt, she pushed herself up before finding it much easier to crawl at first.

Towards the ruins, always towards the ruins.

[Shai]

Shai gave the gears time to rotate and observed the effects. It was a pattern and that’s what mattered. The clicking, the obnoxious clanking was what had originally halted her progress. It was so foreign that at first she had assumed it was some sort of strange mist creature stalking the area, but as she watched she began to match up the sounds with the moving parts. It must have been magic though, Shai could think of no other way they might move of their own violation. Even the pulleys in Kalinor moved because of the power of Symenestra arm. She couldn’t dally long the Craven would find her again surely. Taking a deep breath the spider closed her eyes and listened, while not precisely musical the clacks had rhythm and that would be the key. The first platform would be simple but from there.... Shai refused to consider it, thinking more would only force her too far into her mind and make her thoughts the reason for her failure. The thief sprinted forward and made the first leap. The second was also in quick succession, but from there she skidded to a stop. Nearly sliding off the platform she gripped it with her microcilia and scrambled back on to the center as the next platform moved. From her new vantage point the path seemed infinitely more complicated. The beat was still there though and she followed it. Her chance for the next leap spurred her on; it was a strange gut feeling. There was no calculation in her movements; she waited for the clanks to feel right and then a clear path seemed to appear before her feet and she’d make the next jump. It was some trick of instinct and ingrained timing and Shai was grateful for it. It wasn’t until her fifth platform that she encountered trouble. Fully half way across the mechanical monstrosity of a bridge, Shai stood on a platform waiting patiently for her next opportunity only to have the platform spilt in two and begin moving away from each other. With one foot on each platform the spider panicked, if she had reacted immediately it would have been fine. But her base of balance was askew by the time she thought to jump to one island. Sliding her feet progressively closer to the edge of each platform she found herself in a split with her feet on the very edges, thankfully the platforms seemed to not go any further apart. Who knows how long they would stay in this position though? She could not hold the split posture long; her legs were already beginning to shake. Time to gamble with fate and machines. Shai pushed off hard with one foot and attached herself to the opposite platform’s machinery. She had to get out of this position soon though; everything was moving it and she couldn’t keep up this constant repositioning for long. Scuttling to another face of the machinery she leapt to the workings of a nearby island that was already moving away. Clambering up onto this island she looked around, finally relatively safe from the gears below. She had moved to a completely different section of the bridge now. “How will I ever make it back with this ridiculous key?” She lamented to herself. When the moment of self-pity passed, Shai jumped to the last island and then onto the soft loamy shore. Breathing a sigh of relief she looked back the bridge once more before quickly running off down the shoreline, keeping her feet on the less muddy sections to avoid get her foot in the mud and causing undue noise. Padding along the shore Shai came upon a large patch of brambles. She was no tracker but even she could see that someone had crushed several trying to get through them. It could have been days ago, the spider had no way to know. But when she looked towards the inland of the island she noticed a figure making its way to the ruins. Quietly the Symenestra followed; from this distance she couldn’t see any defining features. But there was a small chance that it might be one of her party though certainly not Tikon.

[Zandelia]

It was with both a weary heart and a weary body that Zandelia finally made it fully out of the surf and sodden sands at the edge of the island, her clothes soaked almost to ruining and her strength all but hanging by a thread. She was able to lever herself back to her feet after a good few moments of pushing, eventually having to go to one knee first and pushing upwards from there as hard as she could. She still had no idea why some foolish immaterial woman wanted her where she was, what she expected Zandelia to do or even if Zandelia was meant to survive, but she knew one thing with every damned fibre of her being as she began the slow shuffling towards the ruins upon foot now, water running in rivulets to the ground as she pushed her hair from her eyes and soldiered onwards.

I’m going to find that bitch and kill her again, somehow and someday, to make sure she can’t come back and mess up my life again she thought to herself vehemently, step after aching step taking her ever closer to her ultimate destination.

It was then that her anger started to rekindle itself, its flames dampened and extinguished by the waters and thorns before flaring back into life as heated rage coursed through her very veins. It heightened emotion, accelerated sensation and it grew, encompassing her in its entirety – for once she felt just one, singular notion within her. It was only made worse by the fact that the dozens, perhaps even scores of scratches, punctures and lacerations that littered her skin from the thorns became deliciously excruciating in their caused pain, webbing across her body and helping to feed the rage with what it needed so desperately to keep her body moving forwards. It was likely all that gave her energy by that point, her body low on reserves already but having gone several hours without food and water, the wounds though minor still draining her further as they attempted to close themselves naturally.

It was then that she became aware that the ground was moving, dozens of snakes flowing across the ground in their undulating motions, their scales glistening despite the dampened light and grey mist. Her temper flared and found its outlet, directing her to one, unavoidable outcome.

“Bastards!” she growled as she pulled her tonfa from their sheathes and shifted her gaze around, her single eye able to penetrate the fog by a few feet but able to see the ground within that space nonetheless.

So it was that she lashed out at any number of snakes upon her continuing journey, how many she would never be able to remember. Some she merely annoyed as they then dissipated into the mist and avoided further grievance. Other she crushed the skulls of, stunning them with a well-placed flicking out of her weapons before stamping on them several times, just to make sure. It was strangely cathartic to feel them burst underneath her boot, little sausages almost as their insides were smashed and squirted out of their bodies. At any other time she may have been horrified at her wanton killing spree, however she cared nothing within the throws of her emotions. No, she slapped, stamped and kicked her way towards the ruins. At the very least she would have left a very easily followed trail for any who might make it to the island behind her. She had already given up on them being there already.

Would be too lucky for me she thought as she finally made it through the snakes, or at the very least they learnt not to bother her in her passing by.

“That’s right, petching slither off!” she muttered as she slipped her weapons back into place and was happy to note that her clothing, at least, had begun to dry off with her exertions.

It was then that she finally made it to the bottom of the hill upon which the ruins were placed, as far as she could fathom from her shrouded vantage point. Faced with the incline her hopes dropped once more, plummeting back down to what they had been before, at the water’s edge. It was a tough climb from the start, starting with single steps up the gradient and once again the mission forcing her into a half-crawl as she used both hands and feet to drag herself to the top. She lay there, panting and rolling onto her back as her ears picked up the sound of crunching footsteps – light and yet definitively repetitive. A face hoved into view above her and it took her a few seconds to recognize it as Shai’s as she blinked, exhausted and battered, up at her. It was then that she pulled on Shai’s leg to drag her down so she was on the same level as her.

“I swear to Akajia Shai, if I ever get out of this I’m going to red your arse so mu-“ she growled but was forced to stop as the mists parted and her gaze took in the full picture of the ruins.

“What the…? A metal…man?” she whispered as she let go of Shai and all else was forgotten in the wonderment.

[Archelon]

Above the pair of squabbling ninnies, the midnight mists parted by the moon's light to reveal a partly untrenched golem. Armored by a rusted red metal standing lone guard amidst the stones atop the hill. Wrapping it in a sanguine grace was the form of a large snake, a female constrictor to be exact wending its way in a twisted knot about the construction's knees. Trying to break that which it held captive from the night. It's head rested upon the golems shoulder pauldron, it's snakely tongue testing the air as it's fearful gaze swung left and right. Below the creature, after about a hundred foot climb of brush and brambles it eyes could be seen to wander, rolling in their sockets as it searched for something, as dark grey mists seemed to evaporate from its coils and nostrils like steam. Oddly reminiscent of the many bar room cigar smoking men of the city. Only this did not seem quite as clear a threat as it continued its slow serpentine hold over the creation the pair of survivors had come for. Around it's visage, an ancient ring of weathered heavy stones dwarfed even this strange spectacle as they formed a circle. Allowing the pair to see many a means of hiding amidst the pylons as they skittered too and fro to achieve their aim. The weathered stone held alcoves, and strange shadows, each one pocked with dense twisting vines and brambles. "Hissss.... Assmodddeusssss..." would carry from the resonating gray mists breathed from its nostrils. The sounds floated strangely upon the midnight air , mixing with the lapping sounds of the rivers whater as the dhani creature perched upon the vessel of the pair's prize oddly. It's body seemed almost in the throws of bliss. It's eyes half lidded and milky white from its second eyelid as it seemed ever quivering and happy to squeeze the golem even tighter. "Assmmoooddeeeuusssssssss." the sound came again as the pair seemed to take a single step forwards towards the large monstrousity. But such things would come for naught as Zandelia slipped upon a piece of scaled spent skin. A cord of fibrous parts of the dhani that easily stretched twenty feet long towards the hill side, merely resting half in the water. It seemed there were several shed pieces alongst the way up.... as if the snake was getting larger , and larger... Perhaps, if they stopped to think, one of them might wonder and see that which was really there. The golem was still a ways away, and perhaps perspectives were skewed. But if they took a moment to think, that snake, that dhani was really close to twenty eight feet in length by now. A terror to behold... and yet, it was there, coiling upon its prey. Merely seeking to like all snakes to bask in its warmth for now. Still, the forked tongue tested the air. Daring any to approach it, or the pile of writhing smaller river snakes beneath it as the gordian knot of a reptiles hissed every so often... what would they do? It was all up to them now though to decide their next moves."Assmmooodddddddddeeeuussssssssssssssssssss."

[Twister]

.

Experience Award

Zandelia

Grade :

Experience: Acrobatics 1, Dual Wield: Tonfa 3, Endurance 1, Stealth 1, Unarmed Combat 1, Weapon: Tonfa 1

Lores: Your Tonfas' futility versus the Incorporeal, Sunberth overrun by Ghosts, Ghosts: Can they get tired?, Craven: Murderous Returnees, Shai deserves a rump-kicking, Assssmmmodddeeeuuusssssss

Miscellaneous: N/A

Comments: This was a very confusing thread. Half the time I wasn't entirely sure what was going on so I tried to be as fair with the grading as I could considering those circumstances and the fact that most of the players in this thread aren't around anymore. Whew.

If you've any questions or concerns about your grade, drop me a PM!
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[Avarice]

Succumb to Your Desires . Shai : Skills: Observation +3 Running +2 Stealth +1 Unarmed Combat +1 Leadership +1 Climbing +3 Acrobatics +4 Tactics +1 Navigation +1 Logic +1 Loot: N/A Consequences: N/A Lores: Fighting in the Mist Leadership: Taking the Initiative The Insanity of Ghosts Ghosts: Heralded by Cold Craven: Deadly Hunters Platforming is an Art Gambling with Fate and Machines Comments : This was a very interesting quest. I especially enjoyed how Shai handled the various challenges thrown her way! If you have any questions, concerns, or things that you'd like to throw at me regarding this grade, please do not hesitate to shoot me a PM! Furthermore, please edit your post in the request thread to reflect your having received a grade. Thank you!