[Quest] From the Depths [Closed]

[Tabarnac]

69th Fall, 510 A.V. They were each of them blindfolded when they met upon the Road, but nary a stubbed toe was allowed by their guides, who ushered them carefully through the darkness. When one sense goes away, though, the others sharpen to compensate; the human animal is adaptive that way. And so, apparently, are most humanoids, Ethaefal and Konti in any case. Of all of them, Master Mero had the most experience in that area, having mined and been spelunking for what passed for the Denvali government. The horned son of Leth might have felt the stars on his skin, orienting him without sight. Or the Konti may have been granted a sense of herself with regard to her surroundings be far-sighted Avalis, but even granted such allowances, having a vague idea of where they were, they were taken to someplace they had never been. At some point, they were taken into a cave, or someplace where the stone walls threw back each sound like a bat's echolocation. Then they were truly underground, and the journey continued. When they stopped, the blindfolds were removed and the first sight to grace them was that of the Captain of Denval, her hair lit up like a flame in the golden lamplight. They were also all but surrounded by guards, but there was no sense that anyone was in trouble. Likely they would already be dead in such a case. Astrid smiled. "Thank you all for agreeing to help," she said, her voice a rich, throaty alto that seemed at odds with her sword-like frame. "Each of you has been in Denval for a while now, and each of you has been spoken for, else you wouldn't be here. You might have noticed that we are hospitable, at least, I hope you have. However, it is only after certain risks are taken for the good of Denval that people are truly accepted as our brethren. But I would not ask anything of anyone that I would not be willing to undertake myself, and so I shall accompany you." There were vague sounds from some of the guards; Astrid had not yet begotten an heir, and though her captaincy was militaristic in nature, it was an office passed down mostly by primogeniture and they trusted her blood to lead them. Packs were brought forth, thoughtfully filled with all sorts of tools and equipment they might need underground. There was a medical kit for Adalia, and more specialized spelunking tools for Marius. Extra rope for Aeden, the sailor. And Sitkanis, she had been told by one who would know that he possessed a magical sort of perception. "You will have heard, I'm sure, of pre-Valterrian ruins and other wonders kept hidden from the average citizen, and duly from foreigners..." "Oleg can't keep his fat mouth shut," muttered a man-at-arms nearby. "Well, the rumors are true, of course. We have some missing miners and a dearth of able spelunkers. Other teams are already searching, and we will take another route. There is always danger in such endeavors, so you should feel free to opt out now. But now is your last opportunity. "Now is also the best time to ask any questions before we go down there." She pointed past them to the beginning of their journey.

[Sitkanis]

OOCI was not sure if it was night or day so I'm just putting him in his night form. If it is wrong I'll change it. I know it is tedious having to point out the time of day all the time for me XD

A protective arm was around Adalia's waist as Sitkanis walked forward to where ever the three people assembled were being taken. The protective stance was mostly in order to make sure the Konti did not trip and fall. If she had even a scratch on her beautiful scaled body Sitkanis would have not been able to forgive himself. He understood that this action was a bit overprotective but he cared deeply for the Konti. Even if he was blindfolded he would defend Adalia to the death. As the two walked he nudged Adalia. "How are you doing?" He worried about her. He did not want any mishaps or some random person rushing by an stabbing her. In reality that thought was absurd but that did not matter to Sitkanis. After a while of walking the group stopped walking. Once again a protective hold Adalia close. When the blindfolds were taken off Sitkanis' eyes were met with a red haired woman standing before him. He knew that the woman standing before them was Captain Astrid. Still, he could not help but gauge her emotion. It was more of a nervous habit than anything. He did not know what he would do without his autistics. Leth forbid he would have to actually wait for someone to let on about their emotions without him knowing before they told him! He focused on the red haired woman and saw at first what seemed like small little purple lights skipping around her. They seemed to look like little fireflies skipping and jumping around her torso. The lights left streaks of purple in their wake that faded as the light continued to move. It was in interesting aura. He had never seen on like it before. Of course he had only seen Adalia, Chyla, Marius, Adolian, and Zahari's auras. There was bound to be some differing ones out there. As Sitkanis focused more on the dancing lights they grew a bit bigger and were joined by a faint midnight blue color. "She seems to be calm. Even a bit happy and there is a faint but present sense of closeness. I wonder what she is planning." Sitkanis often wished that his power in reading auras made him able to read minds. Yes, reading emotion gave a hint to the mind but it did not tell of plans or actions. One could say that Sitkanis had become a bit spoiled by his ability to read auras. There was comfort in knowing the hidden emotions of others but there was also danger in it. The hunger to know more. Luckily for Sitkanis Astrid explained the situation and quenched his thirst for knowing what was going on. The situation posed a bit of an issue for the Ethaefal. He had no problem helping with the journey. In fact he really wanted to help. He was itching for some excitement and danger. He feared for Adalia though. He did not want her to go down into the ruins. She could get hurt and what if he could not save her? He could never forgive himself. He looked at Adalia and held her close. "To be completely truthful with you I do not want you going down there. I do not want you getting hurt. If you died and I could not save you… I do not know what I would do." He looked down and then back at the Konti in his arms. He felt bad about what he said. Adalia was in her thirties and she had reached Denval all on her own. She was a capable woman. "I'm sorry Adalia. You should do what you please. I'll protect you no matter what though." Sitkanis' lilac eyes then focused on Astrid. "I am willing to go. I've been hanging around this town doing nothing for too long. I'd love to help any way I can." One question burned in his mind though. "Captain, what exactly is waiting down there for us? I mean, what are we looking at down there?"

[Marius]

“I think you made a wrong turn, Marius said to his guide, frowning beneath the blindfold as they continued to walk in what he was certain was the wrong direction. It hardly seemed necessary to take such precautions, but then again, the locals were a peculiar bunch. In the course of the past season and a half, as he began to comprehend their language, their customs had only become more peculiar to him – not less. As he strode through the caverns, Marius began to hum a little tune, relishing the reverberations that swam through the honeycomb of passages. In a sense, being underground was much like being at sea, apart from that fact that you didn’t drown. “I hate boats,” he muttered, and kept walking. When the blindfold finally did come off, Marius found that he was standing in an unfamiliar cavern. Oh, the nerve of these wretches – how dare they keep this secret from me? It is intolerable, simply intolerable. I shall not stand for this, he resolved, and opened his mouth to make a peevish remark – only to receive a prod from one of the guards. Marius was not the most perceptive man, but he swiftly decided that it would be imprudent to disrupt the captain’s introductions. As he listened to Astrid speak, alternately studying the contours of her body and the even shapelier stalactites that hung from the ceiling, he recalled that he had, in fact, offered his services for this task. I musn’t be so forgetful, he chided himself as one of the guards pushed a pack into his hands. It contained tools – ropes and carabiners, a harness, spikes, and a dozen other things that brought a flush of exhilaration to his face. Not long from now he’d be venturing into the darkest corners of the earth, his heart bursting with the thrill of discovery. Perhaps there were be bats. Marius was so excited that he barely recognized the words that sprang from the not-dead-man’s lips. “Come, we must make haste,” he exclaimed to the gathering, “we’re wasting enough time as it is! Last one down is a rotten apple![/b] He surged forward, his face twisted into a roguish grin, only to be halted by a guard. Marius stared up at the man, a curious look on his face, and sniffed the air between them. “Have you been eating beets?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

[Aeden]

It had been some months since Aeden had arrived in Denval, months spent helping the fishermen repair their boats and an occasional mending of sails now and then. But really it had all been quite dull, that is until Astrid stopped by his cottage. When she had offered him the chance to come along on this... mission, expedition, whatever you wanted to call it... he'd eagerly volunteered to go along. He needed something to do after all.

It was several days after the visit that the guide arrived and blindfolded Aeden. He was kin of surprised by the security around the endeavor. He had thought he might have built up enough report in Denval to be trusted, but it seemed that they still didn't trust him entirely. After all, he was an outsider. Having lived in Denval he had come to learn of some of their quirks, so he could except their caution for now.

Time passed and he heard others joining up with them as they walked on. Evidently Astrid had convinced others to join in, he just hoped that they had better qualifications then he did for this expedition. As they were walking along he heard someone nearby, another male, speaking in a mutter, saying he hated boats. Aeden found himself chuckling then commenting back, "Well I hate horses, so I guess we all have our quirks."

As they walked on Aeden noticed that the sound of birds and other animals became less and less prevalent as they walked downward. It was evident to him that they were going underground. It wasn't long before they came to a stop and his blindfold was removed. Thanks to the blindfold his eyes were already fairly acclimated to the darkness around him. He glanced around and saw that there were three others like him, who had been lead down here. But before he could observe them much, Astrid began to speak and his attention turned to her. He listened intently, taking in everything, nodding slightly. So, they were looking for some lost miners.

Aeden took the pack given to him and opened it up, looking at what was inside. Rope, some gear he didn't know, but what he found more interesting was the cutlass that was in their as well. He removed the blade from the pack and put the belt that it's sheath was attached to around his waist. He then moved his dagger to his right hip and attached his knife sheath to the back of his belt. As he did this he spoke to Astrid, "Well, what can we expect down there? Also, are you going to make introductions or leave us to our own devices?" Instead of waiting for her to answer his later question, Aeden looked around the group, nodding to them all. "I'm Aeden."

[Adalia]

Adalia felt empty, maybe even slightly abandoned, without her normally ever-present companion by her side. It felt like a part of her was missing. The Ivaski had been by her side ever since she had left Mura, never out of sight for more than a few moments. Now that she was gone, left behind due to the order of their escorts... it just didn't feel right. Fortunately, these thoughts were lost, forced to the back of her mind as the man whose arms were around her spoke. Even though she was blindfolded, she looked at him out of instinct, looking for his eyes for a moment or two before she recalled that she was rendered blind for the duration of their journey. Her head rested on his shoulder, a feat she could only achieve when he was in his night-time form.

"I'm doing just fine," she whispered softly, trying to keep the quiet conversation private, which was near impossible, considering the fact the only sounds that surrounded them were those of breathing and footfalls upon the rock. Maybe she would get lucky, and none of their escorts cared enough to listen. Maybe, just maybe. The arm around Sitkanis's waist tightened in an attempt to bring herself more comfort as she followed behind the guards.

Finally, sight returned to her. Blue eyes squinted tightly to protect against the assault of light the torches performed upon her eyes. Finally, when here eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she opened them fully, looking Astrid over. So this was the Captain of Denval. Her gut told her that she had seen her in passing before, though she had never really spoken to her. Undoubtedly, though, the Captain had heard of the fish-scale dotted women that had settled down within her city, offering medical aid, free of charge.

Sitkanis's comment broke her from the chain of thought that had occurred after listening to Astrid's voice. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, then turned to him, placing her hands on his hips. When her eyes met his, she spoke in a soft tone, once more trying to keep the conversation between them. "I've traveled from one end of Mizahar to the other, and have not yet perished. I have seen thirty one years fade into history through these eyes. Your concern is touching, Sitkanis, but I can take care of myself. I do not intend on letting anything harm me or you, for that matter. All right?" she waited silently for his response, then raised herself up slightly on her toes, locking lips with him. Oddly enough, she could care less about who was watching them when she committed to this action. After a few seconds, she backed down, separating their embrace. However, her webbed and scaled hand wrapped around his to the best of its ability. It was, after all, hard to intertwine fingers with someone when your own fingers were linked together by thin flesh.

Finally, she turned her attention to opening and examining the contents of the pack. Someone had indeed told Astrid that she was a medic by profession, the pack held a kit, which in turn, held a slew of supplies. Lovely, she could dress anything from small cuts and bruises to fractured and broken limbs with these supplies. Well, the last bit was a stretch, but let's forget about that. Eyes darted up to Astrid, and the Konti spoke once more. "I too, am willing to go." They then proceeded to fly over to Aeden and the other man who had been brought down with them. "I am Adalia," she informed him, smiling formally.

[Tabarnac]

Note to SitkanisIt is night, hence the darkness before going underground and the clue about feeling the stars on his skin.

As the quartet of volunteers looked through their packs and offered minimal introductions, Astrid considered them all again. Some of them she knew personally, and others from information garnered by Oleg or Mihai or other village busybodies whose assessments had a habit of being accurate. Adalia and Sitkanis' affection for each other might perhaps become a hindrance, but with any luck, it would not. "Yes," she said slowly, cool as a cucumber. To Sitkanis untrained Auristic eye, he would see mostly calm and determination in her aura. As for the others, none of them knew her well enough to recognize her tells; and everyone had tells. "Sitkanis is a son of Leth, whose abilities might prove an auspicious wild card in Semele's bosom. Master Mero has proven himself a more than able spelunker -- you would all do well to defer to him in matters of underground safety. Master Aeden has a habit of surviving against all odds, and will be our lucky talisman. Mistress Adalia, our healer. Should we find injured miners, her abilities will come in handy. "Perras, Zagary, and I will accompany you below." Two soldiers stepped forward, the lither of the pair with a short bow slung diagonally across his body, the larger with heavy vambraces and two large daggers in his belt. Clearly the Denvali would be providing security should they discover anything they oughtn't, though the man with the bow had grappling hooks and the like, as well. It could be his bow was meant for such utilitarian purposes. "Different branches of the mines lead toward different veins. Our path leads to copper. I am assured that they mines are structurally sound, but of course one cannot account for everything. To some extent we are going in blind, otherwise we would know what has become of our miners. But take heart. We are as prepared as possible." Strangely enough, her very presence seemed to inspire hope, and soon enough they might notice the faintly glowing marks on her hands, gifts of Priskil. Astrid, at least, would never need to worry about light in the dark deep. As she approached the guards blocking Marius, they parted and she patted his shoulder, indicating he should lead with her. Perras and Zagary took up position behind the rest of the group, and each adventurer was handed a lantern to light their way. As they passed through the aged columns, they would see ancient masonry, mostly intact. Their path took them on a mostly unremarkable journey until they came to a crack in the walls that had obviously been widened by generations of Denvali miners. Once they passed inside, the walls began to reflect a greenish color, and the tang of copper permeated the damper air. Along the way, Zagary, the larger soldier, glanced occasionally at the lovers, their appearance still eldritch to Denvali eyes, while Perras glanced at the cutlass in Aeden's hand. "Do you know how to use that?" he asked, in accented Common. There was a bit of a friendly jibe, but he clearly meant no insult. Meanwhile, Astrid turned an amused smile on Marius, her dark eyes, as ever, unreadable. "I hope you will enjoy our caves, Master Mero."

[Sitkanis]

The more Astrid talked about the ruins the more Sitkanis felt worried. not for him bit for Adalia. Adalia's rebuttal to his comment about her staying behind took him a bit by surprise. Although he knew that Adalia had a wide range emotion (as all women do)he had never seen Adalia get upset. Although it was a very normal reaction to a man doubting the survival skills of a woman it scared him a bit. He kissed her on the cheek and smiled. "I'm sorry, I should not doubt you. You made it here to Denval on your own. You deserve my faith." Althought Sitkanis claimed that he believed in Adalia he still held a little fear that she would get hurt. Next, Sitkanis' eyes grazed over the rest of the people assembled. He often forgot the existance of others when Adalia was in his arms. He recognized one of the men, Marius Mero. He had been quite the interesting man when the two had first met. Sitkanis waved to the miner although he tended to be a little frightened of the man's talkitive personality. It was not that Sitkanis disliked Marius. He actually found the man quite interesting. He was often taken by surprise when the man's rush of words came spilling out. Sitkanis was a bit of a shy man, although at first glance he would not seem like one. "Hello Marius!" Sitkanis was not sure what else to say to the man. He trusted that Marius would fill in the silence though. Walking with the group Sitkanis saw someone he has not met before, Aeden. Sitkanis gave him a polite nod. "Hello sir. I'm Sitkanis. You might have seen me around town although I look a lot different durning the day." He hugged Adalia's waist and then smiled. It was only in contact with Adalia that he felt comfortable enough with himself where he could smile about his... predicament. Although he did not exactly like being an Ethaefal in this situation it would prove to be a bit helpful. Ethaefal who fell from Leth's domain had slightly better sight in the dark than others. Of course their vision was not as good as say a cat they did have a bit of an advantage in the dark. As the group walked on Sitkanis pressed his nose to Adalia's head. "Once again Adalia, I'm sorry." He honestly felt bad for the remark. "I am glad that we get to do this togather." Sitkanis head Adalia closer as they walked farther through the ruins. He wanted to know her feelings, her true feelings but he had to save his Djed for when it got darker. Although he was not too practiced in the magic he could still see the colors dancing or waving around his companions. In the dark it might be the only way he would be able to tell people apart. Their emotions would of course take a back steat to their actual locations and their idenities. This was proving to be quite the test of his skills in Auristics. He was nervous, as most people would be. He had to be brave. If not for himself, for Adalia.

[Marius]

“Quite right!” Marius exclaimed after Aeden – the scruffy fellow who preferred ships to schist – expressed a desire for introductions. “I believed such formalities to be superfluous in light of my vaunted reputation, but perhaps you have partaken too heavily of the sea breezes?” He winked at the sailor, not offended in the least, for he understood that seafarers were more susceptible to hysterics and lapses of memory than regular people were. It might be that the man had slipped his moorings, so to speak. “Marius Mero is my name, and minerals are in my blood! I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Master Aeden, and I sincerely hope that we shall become friends. I could use a good fellow to help scrub my back. It is dreadfully hard to reach – but I expect you’re well aware of that fact. I would reciprocate, of course,” he added. “As for you two,” he smiled at the not-dead-man and his fishwife, “I must say that you make a splendid couple. It would be a shame if either of you perished during the course of our little expedition,” he spoke without malice, not seeming to understand how his words might be misinterpreted. Marius would have continued to speak if not for Astrid, who seemed to be all business as usual. He did frown a bit when she called him a ‘more than able’ spelunker, as he would have preferred ‘prestigious’ or ‘legendary,’ but he remained silent. It seemed a pair of the local constabulary was to accompany them into the depths of the earth, and Marius rejoiced at their presence. Why, the more the merrier! he tittered. In fact, he was so excited to delve into the caverns that he completely forgot to leer at the others with his customary vigor. It would be a shame if those miners had perished, but was not this the way of things? If the earth had swallowed them up, then surely they must be at peace. Marius was disturbed from his thoughts by Astrid, who seemed to want him at the front of the group – if not because of his expertise, then surely to keep him from staring at her sublime posterior. He would surely need all his wits for the perils that awaited them. As he walked, Marius kept up an incessant chatter, speaking of the various types of rocks and minerals, the techniques that must have been employed to carve the pillars, bats and spiders, his family, bricks, the treachery of washerwomen, and in particular – bacon. “I don’t understand the point,” he shook his head, “it shrinks!” It was fortunate, perhaps, that they soon entered a wondrous cavern. “Oh, I say,” Marius exclaimed, “now this is more like it!”

[Aeden]

Aeden had noticed the closeness of the two of non-Denvali that Astrid had chosen for the expedition. It was quite evident to anyone who had a sense of such things that they were lovers. Aeden didn't listen as they spoke to each other, instead focusing on checking the gear provided to him. He removed a ten foot coil of rope, unsure what they might run into as far as climbs were concern, but he wanted to have something on hand. The pack was then put on his back and cinched tightly, to make sure he didn't lose anything.

As the rather queer fellow replied to Aeden's jest, the sailor nodded. It wasn't long after that that introductions amongst the group began. The lovers were the first to introduce themselves and he nodded in their directions, "It is a pleasure to make an acquaintance of you both." Then his attention turned to the boisterous man, who introduced himself as Marius Merro. He was about to say it was a pleasure to meet the man, but the comment about back washing made Aeden furrow his brows. This one was certainly a little odd. "Well met Marius," he said after a few moment.

Then Astrid cut in again. He listened, his eyes scanning the others in the group as she shared everyone's particular skills. He had traveled many places in his lifetime, but he did not understand what was meant by Sitkanis being called a "son of Leth." Perhaps he was a priest or something? Although he didn't act like the few priests Aeden had known. The other woman, Adila, was a healer, which they hopefully would not need. Marius was skilled at, something, Aeden didn't have a clue what the word "spelunking" meant. But evidently it involved being underground, so he would be useful. It was his own use that Aeden was the least sure about, for it illustrated his inexperience living on land. Already the past few months had been the most time he had been on land since he had left his homeland.

It wasn't long before they began to get moving. Aeden was handed a lantern, then slowly drifted towards the back of the group. Already he was cringing a little within himself as they began to move, lead by the oh so boisterous Marius. Didn't the man realize that sometimes silence was needed? It wasn't long before one of the soldiers, Perras if Aeden remembered his name correctly, spoke to Aeden, asking if he knew how to use his cutlass. Aeden glanced at the other man, noting how comfortably he carried his own weapons. He smiled a little, "I am not overly skilled. The bosun on my ship trained me a little, but I'm not very experienced." He patted the dagger on his right hip, "I'm far more used to using this, but I realize that's not much use in a real fight." He just hoped that, if they did indeed run into anything, he could make a good account of himself.

[Adalia]

"Don't be. You did nothing wrong," was all Sitkanis could evoke from Adalia on the matter. Her arm stayed wrapped around his waist as his was around hers, as if to reassure him that she was not in the slightest annoyed or angry with him. When his nose nuzzled her head, she reached an arm up, and, after carefully avoiding his horns, tousled his hair lovingly. Once more, she returned to silence. As they descended into the ruins, Adalia allowed herself to be pulled closer to him, until they were literally up against each other's sides. Not a word left her lips as they walked together, following the Denvali guides without question.

Marius broke her silence with his comment. Oh, how touching. The woman looked at Marius with a silent, neutral expression for a few moments, trying to hide the offense she took to the comment. He had only meant well. He simply was not... eloquent enough to express it without tripping over his own tongue. The woman decided to let the comment slide. This time. She replied quietly and simply, albeit slowly. "Your concern is touching Master Marius. It would be a shame to have you perish, as well," her tone was level, and a curt, respectful nod was offered in his direction.

As they descended deeper and deeper into the cave, Adalia became more and more distant from Sitkanis. It wasn't that she was angry at him, or annoyed, or anything, it was simply that she felt that if something was to jump out and ambush them, she felt like she should have as much room as possible to maneuver out of the way. When she became so distant that they could no longer keep their arms around each other in their loving embrace, she laced her fingers with his. Well, as well as a Konti could, considering the webbing on their hands.

"Such expansive mines... I'm amazed that people can maneuver in these and remember the way. They're enormous. One mine could span the entire Konti Isle. One could pick a direction and walk that way forever, never stopping until Dira claimed them from exhaustion..." she was exaggerating, of course, but she felt she had a point. The mine seemed to go on forever to the Konti whom had never been underground before. To her unexperienced body, every step felt like a mile, every moment like an hour, and the dark expanse before her seemed infinite.