A Hole in the Sky (Malisys)

[Sharth]

Spring 75, 511 AV

Sharth put on his leather tool belt, having finally gotten tired of being inside of Avanthal's walls. He had to get out of civilization, if only for a little while. He saw some small rocky outcrops or mountains or whatever they called lining the Icewall Gates. They didn't look too dangerous or high. He figured he could scale them with ease. He could probably go get some rock to practice sculpting and carving. He grabbed his large backpack and began packing tools. He stowed in his tightly bound Miner's kit, three coils of rope, some flint and steel, two torches, a pint of oil, his Waterskin, and he placed his spyglass on top. He grabbed his spade, pick, and grappling hook, and attached them to his belt.

Satisfied he had everything, he picked up his quarterstaff. He ran his finger along the vine, and said a silent prayer to Caiyha. "May you help guide me to waste none of your creations, nor waste my own potential. Keep all innocents alive. Thank you my Goddess." He stood up and walked out, using his staff as a walking stick. He left the Warrens and checked the weather. He was no expert, but the sky looked clear. He figured he had all day to explore the rocky ridges. As he stepped through the snow toward the gates, his fur began to change from it's standard black to snowy white. The further from the buildings he went, the whiter he turned. He stopped for a moment, stretched his arms wide and took in a deep breath of the icy air, ready to get on with his journey.

[Malisys]

Malisys stretched his muscles against the walls of a nearby building. He was excited for today— he was going to go hunting. At least that was his plan. He strapped on his suspenders and weaved his two shortspears into the straps to hold them in place across his lower back, then made his way towards the gates. The weather was nice today, nothing unusual for Spring time in Avanthal. As it got closer to Summer, the weather kept improving. It was still entirely frigid, but manageable... pleasant almost. A perfect day for hunting. Malisys smiled as he pictured how his hunt would go in his mind. Tracking one of the native land animals to Avanthal, executing a perfect trap, and catching it completely off-guard, leaving an opening. The nature of his thoughts turned into a daydream. As he approached the gates, he suddenly smacked into something big, furry, and strong, knocking the young Vantha to the ground. It was a Jamoura, one that appeared white. "I'm sorry, I did not see you. Your fur is too white." said Malisys in common. "I don't see many Jamoura here. It's rare. Are you traveling?"

[Sharth]

Sharth's stretching was interrupted by a bump in his torso. He looked down and saw a Vanthan man sprawled in the snow. He saw two spears sticking out from beneath his back, and assumed him to be a hunter of sorts. In broken Vani, a few words he had picked up, Apologies. Help. You. He then reached his massive hand down and helped the native man to his feet. In Common he joked, "Perhaps my fur is white enough, for a hunter to not notice." He showed a large, soft smile to ease any possible tension.

"And yes I am a Traveler from Spires. I'm staying in this beautiful smile for a couple of seasons," switching to Vani once more, "I am Sharth. Who is it that you are? It probably sounded forced and odd considering he had a deep, resounding voice and was attempting to speak a very melodious language. Back to common, "Was my assumption correct as to you being a hunter? I am going outside to explore the mountainous ridges nearby, might be something to prey upon." He wondered if the man would accept the offer, Sharth was going out of his way to interact with these colorful, peaceful people.

[Malisys]

Malisys was glad to see the Jamoura offer a hand to help him up. He realized it was might have seemed rude to apologize without standing upright to face the giant creature. He seemed gentle enough. Malisys brushed the snow off himself and checked his spears to make sure they hadn't been knocked loose. The Jamoura introduced himself as Sharth. "I am Malisys. It is good to meet you, Sharth." he said in common. Sharth quickly went on to inquire if his assumption of Malisys being a hunter was correct. He made an offer that made the cogs in the Vantha's mind begin to turn. Having a Jamoura along for a hunt would be beneficial. If the beast was too much, surely a Jamoura could handle it. And carry the meat back. However, Malisys took pride in capturing creatures on his own. This creature seemed friendly enough, though. He figured since Sharth was an outsider he could have some stories to share of other lands, which excited the young man greatly. "You are right, Sharth. I am a hunter. I would like to go explore with you, friend." Malisys said in common, before switching to Vani. "Are you familiar with Vani? Most outsiders that come around here only know common." Malisys knew that Sharth's usage was choppy, but he had no intention of offending the Jamoura in case he was simply trying to make sure he was understood first.

[Sharth]

As the man shifted to Vani, Sharth was only able to pick out a few words. "...you...Vani? ...outsiders...here...Common." Sharth assumed the man was asking about his ability to use the Vani language. He responded in Vani, New. Vani. Learning. Switching back to Common, he gestured out the gates, "Shall we?"

He walked out of the gates and hung a sharp left to the rocky ridge. He allowed his fingers to slide across the Icestone that made up the Gate's wall, while he examined the ridge he was moving toward. As it grew large he began scrutinizing for any places to possibly climb to or any dangers. He didn't know the creatures of the area so who knows what could be up here. He turned and walked along the base of the mountainous ridge. He continued to look for ledges, landings, possible rock falls. He continued along the ridge for maybe twenty chimes.

Due to his proximity to the ridge he failed to notice the clouds coming in from the other side of the ridge. He continued trudging through the snow, when he finally spotted a ledge. His eyes followed the ledge a good ways horizontally. It jumped up and down a few times to other ledges but eventually led to... And there it was. He spotted a cave, maybe seventy, eighty feet off the ground. Just what he was looking for.

[Malisys]

Malisys kept in stride with Sharth, though a few paces to the left to keep from getting caught in the tracks the Jamoura left behind, be they his own or the disheveled snow. Excitement began to brim in his chest, causing his eyes to start to shift to a vibrant, sky-blue color. He always had this look about him when he went hunting for land creatures, as it was extremely rare. He mostly did it for challenge and sport when his Hold had an excess of aquatic food and didn't need him to fish, but the alternative meats were always enjoyed by the Holds. The Jamoura stopped for a moment after about twenty chimes, looking up towards a ledge, high above ground. Malisys looked at Sharth, then tried to follow his eyes to see what he was looking at. There was a small cave towards the end of the ledge, but what would the Jamoura want with that, he wondered? The birds that preyed on the fish in the nearby waters were much larger and hardier than what he assumed were found in warmer parts of Mizahar. "Sharth, you are not from here, so I will try to explain for you what is nearby. The animals are dangerous. There many dire-wolf packs as we go away from the city more. Birds nest on the cliffs to catch the fish in the water near the city. Nothing else should give us trouble together. Do not worry." he said in common. Malisys was glad he paid attention when he was taught about the many animals of Avanthal. The wolves were actually very dangerous if the pack was able to surround someone or cut off an escape route. The birds could do some serious damage as well, even to a Jamoura. He considered Sharth an honored guest of his people and guests are no less important than residents. The Vantha eyed Sharth's belongings, and noticed he had a mining kit and tools with him. He assumed that mining was what the Jamoura wished to do on his own. Malisys had no experience with mining, but he would go with him anyways. The only tool he had that could help was his rope, which he kept tied around his waist under his clothing which he normally used to hogtie a catch, so he had almost forgotten it entirely. He looked around the cliff, figuring where would be the best spot to try and scale it to reach the cave, should they decide to scale it. "I would guess you want to go there? What for?" he questioned in common, then pointed at the cave.

[Sharth]

Sharth heard the man's warning but ignored it. He found the gem he'd been looking for. A cave he had to explore, it was this itch he had. He had to know what, if anything was up there. He looked at his companion, who had been speaking in common, and said in horribly broken Vani, "We climb. First me. Prepare."

Sharth grabbed three coils from his pack and his grappling hook. He began a simple braid using two of the coils until he had one thicker rope. He attached this rope to his grappling hook, knotting it tightly. He then took the third coil and tied it around one of his massive thighs. He tossed the other end to the man, "Tie. Waist. Please." He grabbed the rope connected to the grappling hook and let the hook drop, it dangling by about three feet of rope from Sharth's hand. He rocked it back and forth, like a pendulum. After building momentum, he had the grappling hook swinging around and around quickly. He looked up and let the grappling hook fly. The hook soared up toward the mouth of the cave, bounced off the upper lip and fell back toward the pair.

Specifically toward Malisys. Sharth's first instinct was to pull on the rope to jerk it aside but knew that wouldn't work. He stepped over and attempted to catch the falling missile with a massive hand. He missed however, and the grappling hook bounced off his forearm. It hurt a bit, but would only bruise. He leaned down and plucked up the hook with a simple, "Sorry" for Malisys. He got the grappling hook swinging once more. He launched it once more towards the cave and watched itself bite into the lower lip. He pulled on the braided rope to ensure it would hold. He looked back at Malisys, "Time. Climb."

Sharth gripped the rope with both hands tightly, far above him. He lifted his body slightly, and placed his feet against the rock face. His long, nimble toes found purchase on minuscule ledges. He began to climb, hand over hand, smoothly up the rope, his feet providing support and balance where available. As he continued to climb, he braced himself for the additional weight of his companion.

[Malisys]

Malisys looked slightly annoyed at the fact that Sharth seemed to simply ignore his warning, but he quickly shrugged it off. The cliff face looked pretty steep, so Malisys made sure his weapons were extra-secure beneath his suspenders before tying the rope his companion had tossed to him around his waste. He was about to tell Sharth he was ready to start when he looked up to see a grappling hook careening right at him. His companion blocked it at the last moment, but Malisys, in effort to block his face, lost his balance and slipped backwards, hitting his head on the ground. He rubbed the spot and found it wasn't bleeding, but it hurt nonetheless. "Be careful with that, we don't want to fall." Malisys said calmly. Sharth began to scale the cliff face and Malisys watched. It looked awkward to watch a Jamoura scaling a cliff, to say the least. Malisys worried about what would happen if his companion were to slip, but he quickly drove the thought from his mind. When there was a reasonable distance between them, the Vantha began his ascent as well. It was a long climb and Malisys focused on moving from handhold to handhold without slipping. Snow covered most of the rock, and it wouldn't be that difficult to slip. Sharth seemed to be moving at a pretty quick pace that Malisys had trouble matching. After a few minutes, he began to hear a sound that caused him to freeze in place momentarily: The call of one of the larger species of birds near Avanthal. The young man was sure that his companion had heard what he said earlier, so he didn't want to pester him by bringing up the dangerous birds once again— and these may not even be a threat, just passing by. Nonetheless, Malisys found himself growing slightly nervous as he continued to climb behind his Jamoura companion.