Testing stuff before the game starts.
JANU FINDS HERSELF IN A ROOM.
WAT DO?
This should go well.
TEST
Felix stares into the dark room, looking intensely into the unknown abyss. He wonders whether he is alone.
"Where the hell am I?"
He wonders.
"Anybody here?!"
He calls loudly.
He waited a few seconds only to hear nothing back.
He shrugs.
He pulls out a magazine and starts masturbating profusely.
I'll just leave then. Sorry to interrupt.
*cough* FREAK *cough*
HI IM A MEATSHIELD
Just separating the bullshit....
Our two heroes, as of yet unaware of each other’s existence, rest peacefully in their rooms on the top level of a relatively fine establishment. Though located on the 4th level of the impossibly huge city of Godsholme, the Moonstone Inn was positioned not far from one of the largest entrances to the 3rd level, and thus boasted large amounts of traffic and trade. As such, it came as a great surprise when Pyralis and Felix, along with the other two patrons of the Moonstone’s top floor, are thoughtlessly and almost brutally awoken by a troupe of guards, led by a low-ranking Spellbreaker. They are accused of witchcraft, an illegality in the city of Godsholme, and given the chance to confess on the spot. Of course they denied such a charge (though they did, in fact, possess some magical talents they were not stupid enough to demonstrate such in Godsholme), though their argument was somewhat weakened when one of the other scared fools jumped through his window, breaking his leg.
Though they managed to gather that a female half-elf, who occupied the room between them, was the group’s primary target, the Spellbreaker would not listen to their cries of innocence, telling them in no uncertain terms that they were to be taken in captivity, tried, judged guilty, and promptly executed before the day was through. Harshly silenced, the unlikely group were taken captive.
Whilst bound and awaiting their “trial”, Felix and Py were fortunate enough to be held together, along with the mysterious young woman, and were given an opportunity to introduce themselves. Felix Corvus; a human rogue with a burning hatred for the Godsholme aristocracy, Pyralis an Ifrit shaman on a mission to discover his destiny, and Nerissa “Dragonheart”, a half-elven warrior at the incredibly young age of 16, who found herself on the run from some group who she would not name. Despite the secrecy, which she did seem ashamed of; Nerissa pleaded her innocence in the situation that led to their capture, claiming she didn’t have a magical bone in her body. Soon enough, the time had come and the party were marched to their trial.
The trial took place in an open clearing, upon a special raised platform, styled the Venefica Judicium, that could be viewed from all sides, so that the citizens of Godsholme could see their taxes put to good use: punishing the wicked and cleaning their glorious city of the filthy stain of magic. As the condemned were walked up on stage there was some commotion from the government officials nearby as a woman pressed her way through the crowd. This woman was Lavinia Nightsbane, a name many of the citizens knew well, for she was the Knight-Captain of the Spellbreakers, respected by many, feared by more. Her reputation preceded her, for she was praised by many as a reason for the cities success in recent years at the abolishment of all things magical, and so it was considered an honour for her to show up as she had done. Lavinia took over proceedings, perhaps simply to display the strength of the church to the public, and promptly judged the lot of them guilty, sentencing them to purification by fire.
As the fool of their group went up in flames, screaming in agony, Felix and Pyralis fell into a despair at what was to be their brutal end. However, as if their fate had something else in store, hope bloomed when a robed, masked man appeared in the centre of the stage amidst a cacophonous explosion. His voice boomed, propelled by some kind of magic, as he proclaimed himself as Jarred. Jarred condemned the church as corrupt, labelling its magic-hating ways as prejudiced and barbaric, and declared his own and his organizations intention of fighting back in the name of equality for those who were magically inclined. Lavinia flew into a rage at the utter sacrilege but, without her usual Spellbreaking gear, she was not equipped enough to deal with the sudden, unexpected threat. Neither she nor the poorly trained local guards could stop Jarred from freeing the group and making a fantastical escape, though a good chase (most single-handedly by the furious Spellbreaker) was put up.
After shaking their pursuers, the group was led by Jarred down to quiet streets and rarely used back alleys to his base, found near an abandoned entrance to the final 5th level. Jarred, after taking off his mask, revealed himself to be the leader of a small shelter for the magically gifted citizens of Godsholme. Here they were protected, fed and housed, until transportation could be arranged to get his refugees out of the city safely. Jarred offered the group food and shelter for a short time, offering more should they agree to assist him in his endeavour to fight the corrupt system. Faced with their new position as wanted criminals, leaving the city would not be as easy as entering it had been. A difficult journey lay ahead of them…
Our heroes are greeted by a crisp morning.Though Summer had only recently departed from the city of Godsholme, Autumn had wasted no time in setting in it's chilly digits.
"Breakfast's ready!" Comes the repeated call of Jarred, who is busy preparing the (very large) kitchen table with old plates and bowls and cutlery.It seemed that not everyone in Jarred's sanctuary had awoken, particularly not the children, and so the kitchen was left fairly quiet, with only the occasional bleary-eyed elf or grumbling dwarf stopping by to take a seat.
"Ah, good morning my friends! I apologize for the early awakening but I figured you'd like to get this mess over with as quickly as possible. Plus, we like to get most people out the door before the area wakes up. A busy building is an obvious one. Anyway... I'm prepared to answer your questions, so if you'd take a seat..." He gestures to the rustic wooden chairs opposite him before taking one for himself.
Felix arrives at the kitchen, his body sore, his mind a little distracted from the previous events. He sits down opposite of Jarred, still wary of the strange man that saved him.
He studied Jarred for a few seconds, before saying anything. The man sitting before him seemed friendly enough. He did save his life after all. If he spoke truthfully, and it seems that he was then when he spoke of his intentions, they are both on the same boat. Jarred will be a helpful ally.
He smiles, leans a little bit, his chin resting on his hand, and says "Good morning to you too. I'll gladly help myself to some delightful breakfast, thank you! As for some questions, I don't want to be so rude to start asking without our friend sitting down and all comfortable."
He looks back at Pyralis with a cheeky smile and gestures , tapping the seat next to him, urging Pyralis to sit close.
Whilst being in the same situation as he was before, Felix does not know Pyralis' true nature and intentions. Perhaps this would be a good chance to get to know him.
With all that happened to him in the past few days Pyralis felt very uneasy, and being ogled by the human that never shut up in their cell did not help.
Putting the table between himself and Felix, Py seated himself and turned to Jarred, "Thank you for rescuing us all Jarred" he said with a courteous smile.
As he turned to address Corvus, the smile faded. "You may ask your questions now Felix".
Felix watched Pyralis as he ignored his gestures to sit next to him, and chose to sit next to Jarred instead. Amused by this, he smirks, stands up and sits next to Pyralis.
"No need to be a stranger, bud! Or should I call you Py? Yeah... I like Py. Pies are delicious."
He turns to Jarred, leans a little towards him, disregarding how Py must feel being literally in the middle of the conversation.
""First of all, thanks for saving us Jarred. A refuge for magic users, huh. Seems like an interesting place. Being illegal and stuff... I like it." He says happily. Felix moves back, looks around the kitchen observing the area and the very few people in it. His smirk disappears as he starts to talk seriously.
"A lot of innocent people victimized by the outrageous laws of Godsholme..." His voice low and a quiet. He thinks about the children that lives within the premises, and all the horrors they must've experienced. The thought angered him. He let out a deep breath to calm himself. He turns back to Jarred.
"Yesterday you offered to help us with food, shelter, and protection and in return we would help you in your mission." He speaks calmly. "The events yesterday were most spectacular and loud. Definitely something the citizens would remember and talk about for days. But it seems to me that your mission is dangerous, possibly fatal, and something that cannot easily done without people of considerable skill."
Felix smirks and leans towards the table, his chin rests on his hand once more.
"So, what did you have in mind?"
Jarred raises an eyebrow at the unusual antics of the two young men. Perhaps they were a couple? He shakes off the thought, thinking nothing more of it; running an orphanage and haven for magical-kin of all shapes and sizes resulted in a life of strange things and odd behaviour.
"Yes, well, we've a lot of work to do and not enough time to do it with. I wan-" Jarred was interrupted by a door being slammed open.
"AH, JARRED! My wonderful friend! It is the best of mornings; and the best of mornings is only started by the best of breakfasts! Let us see: lukewarm porridge, stale bread, bruised apples and..." the new comer stops, staring wide-eyed and mouth open "HONEY!? This is not like you, Jarred! What's the occasion?" The woman sits herself down opposite the group, leaning back in her chair and placing her boots up on the table as she digs in to a bowl of honeyed porridge.
"Good morn to you Aella..." Aella was an intimidating woman. Six foot three inches of muscle that, though lithe, was enough to put most human men to shame. Her skin held the rich tone of dark caramel that gave her away as not from around here, which, in combination with her brilliant amber eyes, made for a real head-turner.
"Yes, wel-..." Jarred gave an exasperated sigh as he was interrupted once more by Aella, though he quickly creased his brow in curiosity. Aella sat forward in her chair, bowl set aside for the moment, as she concentrated in her whistling. The noise was different to what one would expect; focused, a high-pitched lilt that carried a specific purpose. After a moment, the folds of Py's clothing began to rustle, and soon after out sprung a little hawk. The bird gave a chirp, ruffling her crimson mane. She then jumped from her hider's shoulder to glide over and settle upon Aella's outstretched hand.
The warrior beamed as she ran a finger over the bird's head. After a few strokes, she reached into her pocket and procured a scrap of dried meat, which the hawk gobbled up eagerly. Aella laughed, "Haleijah Maht! I thought I saw a hungry beak poking out of your cloak, friend. I'd never thought to see one such as these in a place like this. Haleijah Maht, we call them, "Sky-Kings of the Mountain". She looks but a month old, if that! They normally don't leave the nest until they have seen at least two moons: protective parents... Does she have a name? How did one such as you come to acquire one of these? Especially so far from home..." Aella feeds the hawk another morsel of meat as she looks intently towards Py, her curiosity combating with her delight at meeting a relic from her birthplace.
Surprised by the loud slam of the door, Felix jumped back a little to see who came in a hurry, ready to unsheathe his daggers.
He watched as the hulking she-giant sat infront of them, in the most unlady-like way. Disgusted by her dirty boots on the table, and a little annoyed by the interruption, he took a bite out of the stale bread with honey and decided he wasn't hungry.
He focused his eyes on Aella. 'Interesting' He thought. 'Not my type.' He followed. She reminded him of this odd woman he saw at a tavern once who won an arm wrestling competition. The memory amused him a little.
Noticing her athletic physique, peculiar looks, and quite a good skill in perception, she must be a fighter of some sort, or at least would shape to be a good one. But despite her imposing demeanor, with the lack of total guard with strangers, he figured this lady must be harmless. However, he decided to sit back quietly and observe a little bit more out of caution.
He listened and watched quietly as she whistled and talked...
no- blathered...
no-- shouted, rather, about the bird that hid in Py's clothes. 'Yep. Definitely not my type...'
Felix then fixated on the odd bird that Pyralis carried with him. 'An animal lover huh. A man of the wild perhaps?' Instantaneously he thought of a funny name for his bird but decided to keep it to himself as to not push anymore of Pyralis' buttons. 'Pigeon Pie' He thought as he smirks quietly.
Being on edge as he was, Pyralis almost set the newcomer alight as she flung the door open. Any thought of harming her evaporated, the moment her saw her magnificent form fill the door frame. She emanated strength the like that Py had never seen in any human and would’ve towered over the Ifrit even when he wasn’t sitting, and it seemed as if the glow of her dark skin lit the room. She was a true beauty. Py, seeing a woman such as her, in a place like this, didn’t know how he could pull his eyes away from her. Until she opened her mouth. "Fantastic. Another loud mouthed human." Py thought to himself. Tuning out the vocal bombardment she was assaulting Jarred with, Py began making himself a bowl of porridge with a thick swirl of honey on top.
With all the practice he had in ignoring humans, it should've been simple for Pyralis to completely forget everything and everyone around him. Aella's whistling cut through it all and brought him back into the room. As an Ifrit, Py was a lover of all kinds of music and the strange whistling that Aella emitted, enchanted him completely. To the point that he didn't feel Tana flit from his pocket and into the hands of this strange woman.
Reaching out to take back his precious friend, seeing the joy that spread across Aella's face made him stay his hand. And hearing her talk with such knowledge about his mysterious little friend made him glad he had. "A Haleijah Maht you say? Fantastic!" beamed Py, the knowledge bringing him more joy than he had felt in months. "Her name is Tana. I haven't had her long myself, um - a friend gave her to me...WHAT DO YOU MEAN "ONE SUCH AS I"?!" the Ifrit bellowed, his fleeting joy blown out by that familiar pain of persecution. "Is an Ifrit not deserving of having such a beautiful creature as a pet?" he said coolly, suppressing the anger that had flared up before he could control it. Py then held his hand out and clicked his fingers, a spark almost igniting in his hand, and Tana returned to him with a disapproving squawk.
Jarred's table became substantially less talkative at the flaring of Py's temper. Discomfort settled over the kitchen occupants like a heavy blanket, stifling. Aella, however, not unused to demonstrations of emotion, simply leaned forward, a slight frown tugging at her lips.
"No, friend, you misunderstood. There is no offence intended, I apologize if you saw it that way. It is only... well... this kind of bird is truly only found in one place in the world, at least that I know of." She paused, mulling over how to best say what it is she wished to say without offending. Aella's culture encouraged transparency; a freedom with language and emotion that the warrior had had great difficult in transitioning from. The subtleties and nuances of "modern" speech confused her, though she tried her best to adapt to them. "It seems as though... you might appreciate some assistance in the caring and handling of your Haleijah Maht. Very few of my kin are chosen to bond with such creatures, which leads me to say this..." She crossed her arms and brows alike, donning a serious visage. "She is not, nor ever will be, a pet. She is a companion and a friend, but most of all she is an equal. Do not disrespect your gift." Aella sat back in her chair, her gloomy expression dashed so quickly it was as if it weren't there in the first place. "I shall teach you the call when we have time! Jarred, you may continue!"
The old man let out a miserable sigh, face sinking into his hands as Aella returned her boots to the wooden tabletop. He often wondered for what did he do all this for. If it weren't for the children he would have left the city in his youth. But he was a fool back then, just as the youths in front of him were today.
"Listen close and listen well. I ask this of you as a favour out of kindness and respect, but the importance of my mission... our mission... is such that I will not flinch in invoking your life-debts to me if such a need arises. I trust that that will not be necessary though, as you have experienced injustice first hand. So, here is my request: I need you to descend to the fifth level and make contact with an ally of mine. Rodrigo runs all operations from the west corner of the fifth level, he is usually in charge of deportations and smuggling that can not be done on the third level. The problem is we have not received any report from him in two months. I'm very worried, but I just simply can not justify the expenditure of resources it would take to find him." The man rubbed at his temples, preemptively trying to assuage his frequent stress headaches. "Please: find him. I wish I could tell you where his base of operations was located, but for some reason he thinks moving every few weeks is a grand idea when it comes to avoiding detection. Seems like a waste of time to me. He could last be found at an old warehouse in the center of Queenstown, near the inn; perhaps you should start there. I must warn you it is... dirty down there. Good men, I'm sure, but poverty does things to people... Do you have any questions? Even stupid ones? I'd rather you get them out of the way now." He looked first at the brooding ifrit, then over to the other queer fellow. Judging by the look upon his face, Jarred was certainly expecting some stupid questions.
Felix was surprised at Py's sudden outburst. The once calm and collected Ifrit, angered so quickly by what Felix thought as kind and simple words. Perhaps Pyralis is closer to the element of fire than he thought. A man that could be so warm and kind, erupting into a ball of anger and hate upon such small provocation.
Felix could only guess Pyralis' history. Judging from his reaction to 'One such as I', the man must have been damaged by bigotry from, at least, his race. Felix could not have felt any more sorry; And remembering his own past, Felix was sympathetic to his anger. He wanted to assure him that not all humans are like that of Godsholme. But before he could say anything, Aella turned to Pyralis to apologize. She seemed to have handled it quite well enough that Felix didn't think an additional input was needed.
To him what matters most is the mission at hand anyway, and what Jarred was about to say could be important to his own goals. He turned to Jarred and listened intently as he spoke of the mission. As he finished, Felix leans over, his arms crossed on the table.
"Well now.." Felix laughed awkwardly as he tried to break the tension. 'With all that just happened, I feel like I need to do a few things before we go any further... As to not be so rude..." Felix cleared his throat and turns to Aella.
"Hello darling, the name's Felix, and this dynamite over here," he gestures towards Py "Is Pyralis, or Py for short. Don't be put off by his short temper, he is a kind man I assure you... If he wasn't as such, he wouldn't have been approached and trusted by such a beautiful and majestic Haleijah Maht, right?" He said as he smiled handsomely towards Aella.
"Secondly..." He turns to Pyralis, his smile friendly and cheerful as if to lighten the mood, "Py, friend... mate. We're all friends here. Come'on, this is a haven for people against Spellbreakers! If anything any racism or any of that sort wouldn't exist in this place! We've all experienced a form of discrimination that led us to this place, and if anything, it's what makes us strong and united." He said as he leaned back and crossed his arms.
He then turned his focus on Jarred as he takes a deep breath. "Okay so now, Jarred, as for those questions..."
"From what I've gathered the 5th level is quite the shifty area, high crime rate and definitely not somewhere anyone in their right mind would want to go. As much as I like the challenge, I feel like whilst the escape is still fresh and with the Spellbreakers running about looking for us, we have to be cautious at what we're going to do and what, we..." He quickly glances at Pyralis unsure about his thoughts of the mission, then looks back at Jarred "or, at the very least, I would agree on doing."
He leans on the table again, his brow creased as his expression became serious.
"First of all, if you don't mind me asking and to put it bluntly, what makes you think Rodrigo has not since passed away or has ran away? As much as I am indebted to you, I'm not particularly fond of the idea of risking my life for a mission that we have no assurance of completing in the first place. Should we find traces of migration to a very far away place, or a dead body, what happens then?"
As soon as his temper flared, Pyralis knew he was in the wrong. He just couldn’t help himself. Dropping his head and focusing his gaze on Tana, Py began to push the rage back down into its resting place, just below the surface. It was a process he had done many times before on his journey, and required nearly complete focus. As he began supressing his rage once more, Py heard Aella apologise to him and offer her help with Tana. The kind words she spoke helped to shorten the Ifrit’s meditation. Then Jarred began to speak, and his words floated in and out of Py’s head. Something about a mission to find a “Rodrigo”.
Finally, as he reached the end of his meditation, Corvus began to speak. ”Fantastic. I couldn’t have waited five more minutes?” he thought to himself as Felix started. But once the man had finished, for the first time Pyralis was glad that he had spoken. Felix’s words had helped ease the Ifrit’s state of mind. It was true that, under this roof, Py was not the only one that had been subjected to disgusting acts of prejudice for most of their life and realising that, he knew he would try to help these people as much as he could. And not that he’d let Felix ever know it, but Py was surprisingly glad to have him call him friend.
***
Before Jarred had the chance to answer Corvus, Py had to speak up. Raising his head for the first time in several long minutes, Pyralis looked into the eyes of each of the companions seated around him and began. ”Miss Aella. I am very sorry for my abhorrent outburst. I know your words were not meant to be hurtful, but sadly I can be prone to such explosions of foolish anger. If you can forgive me, I would be very grateful for your help with Tana.” Py said with a sad smile, trying to make certain that the sincerity of his words was clear.
He then turned to Corvus. “Thank you for your kind words Corvus, but never call me dynamite again.”
Finally, he faced Jarred to address the more important topic of this morning’s discussion. “Jarred, I am in your debt, and would like to assist you in your mission. Yet, worryingly, I agree with Corvus.” Py stated, forcing himself to not look at Corvus, for he knew that the man would have that infuriatingly smug grin stretched across his face. “Lavinia and her spellbreakers will be searching high and low for us. We would be fools to step out into her web in search of a dead man. I would like to know, do you have evidence that he still breathes?”
Jarred closed his eyes. He could feel the pain welling up behind them; a pressure in the gaps of his brain that would eventually have him sculling brandy like it was water. The wizard rested his chin upon his steepled hands, mulling over what it was he wanted to say, before opening his eyes once more.
"No," he said, quite plainly "I don't have any proof that he still lives. In fact, if you find him blue-faced in his cot from choking on his own damn tongue I'll be quite relieved. It's certainly not the worst that could have happened. The reason this mission is so important, despite the danger, is simple." He glanced at each person in turn, then sighed. "If he has been discovered by the Church then we would have all been burning upon the Venefica Judicium within the week. Trust me when I say that those monsters have ways of making you talk..." A sadness briefly overcame the otherwise stoic face of Jarred, revealing for a short moment to those attentive enough the vulnerability of his age, and the weight of the many burdens such a man had laid claim to throughout his long life. "The fact that we still remain here means one of three things: the Church is planning something far more sinister than I had anticipated, which I refuse to believe for two reasons; the Church is incredibly powerful, and it can be cunning, but it employs the subtlety of a rock, but if they were to be that cruel then all is lost regardless. The other possibility is that Rodrigo is alive, all is well, and our messages were simply lost along the way." Jarred gave a painfully focused glare to show exactly what he thought of that idea. "And lastly, well... I'm not too sure. Some... other entity aside from the Church has met with Rodrigo. I am honestly not quite sure what that would mean for us. Perhaps he simply got on the wrong side of an uppity cut-purse, or perhaps our whole organization is in danger from something unspeakably evil. But I highly doubt Rodrigo to have been foiled by some mundane group, however cunning... If it was another group of magic-users, how could they have survived in Godsholme without us ever meeting? Perhaps we could be of use to each other, and this was all just a misunderstanding. I do not want to consider the other possibility there..." The man shakes his head as if disagreeing with himself, once more lost in thought. "Either way, something must be done. Oh, and if I forgot to mention, Aella is going with you. Wisdom and cunning you may have, and skill, of course, but sometimes it is heart that is needed to persevere in the face of adversity. And Aella has that in spades." He very obviously refused to look at the beaming woman, who, it seemed, must have been unused to such compliments from him. "Besides," he continued "Neither of you seem like the, err... masculi- I mean muscular types. No offence intended."
Felix grabbed a bowl of porridge and honey, turning his bowl away from Aella and her disgusting boots. He listened as Pyralis apologized for his outburst; his smile unwavering and sincere as Py talked, although slightly disappointed he cannot call his new friend 'Dynamite'. 'Well I thought it was pretty clever. Hmph.' His grin widened as Pyralis turned to Jarred and confirmed his queries about Rodrigo.
***
Felix sat back, arms crossed, and listened intently as Jarred answered. His expression serious with a hint of anger. Mentions of the Church and its monstrosity made his thoughts clouded with vengeance.
Jarred's right though... The Church IS incredibly powerful, and as much as Felix doesn't want to acknowledge it, he's not strong enough to defeat its ranks without any help and further experience. From what Jarred said Felix had no choice but to help, his choices were either die by the hands of the Church, or help out these fugitives and escape Godsholme.
Felix let out a huge sigh as Jarred finished talking, calming himself before speaking.'I suppose it can't be helped.' He let out a slight grin.
He observed the beaming she-giant, and Pyralis' flaming hair and Ifrit likeness. Felix then turned to Jarred. 'Normally, I would suggest trying to blend in but...' He gestures towards the others'These two would stand out way too much. Pyralis, being an Ifrit in a mostly human and prejudiced city...' Felix leaned on the table and glanced at Aella '...and Aella, with her exotic beauty.' He teased, hiding his lie behind an attractive smile.
'My skill lies in blending in and stealth. I can fight when need be, but I am at my best when my enemies think I am their friend.' He continued 'I'd like to know what your plan is. I must add, I like to use my skills to avoid aggression and violence, and if its not necessary I'd like to avoid any sort of clashes with the enemy... Also will you be giving us any sort of provision? Some potions, food, or a little bit of gold that can help us down there.'
The old man pauses to take a sip of his now tea. He looks down, pondering over the small ripples of his disturbance.
"I wouldn't worry too much about Aella. Her people are a touch unusual, but not that uncommon. Pyralis, hrmm," he rubs his stubbly chin and grunts "if it were as easy as casting a minor disguise spell then this wouldn't be a problem. It's hardly noticeable, really, but an astute Spellbreaker who happens to come into close proximity could sense it, perhaps. I'll leave that up to you, then. Should you think it worth the risk, I'll cast a disguise spell on you, nothing major, but it should dull the hair and lighten your complexion somewhat. Otherwise, you'll just have to make do with a heavy cowl and the foresight to avoid situations in which it might easily come loose. It is your choice."
Jarred nods his head in affirmation, mentally moving on to the next point. "As for a plan, well... I know you'd like some assurance, some confidence from my part that all will go well, but... I can't give you that, I am sorry. All I've got for you is the advice I have already given; find the warehouse, see what clues you can uncover there as to Rodrigo's whereabouts. Perhaps you might try with the locals. They like the institution as little, if not less, than we do. Do not underestimate the downtrodden. Damned wretches they may have become, but they remember a time not so rotten. But, as always, I advise caution first and foremost. Turning in some wizard-friend's might be worth the promise of a few gold pieces before they also get burnt for fraternizing with heresy. Greed makes a fool of many men."
Another nod, another memory. "Provisions? Well, I can give you some food. I apologize beforehand but it won't be much better than what you're eating right now... minus the honey. A few gold pieces for what you might need. That is all I can really do, I'm sorry. Is there anything else you need? It is best to leave shortly, the less time we waste, the more lives we might save."
After posing his question to Jarred, Py sat back and started patting Tana, waiting for his answer. As Jarred began voicing his theories, a frown grew larger and larger on Py’s lips. ”Some very worrying possibilities.” Pyralis thought to himself, not wanting to interrupt Jarred. But hearing that Aella would be accompanying them assuaged some of the Ifrit’s worries. ”With that tower of a woman, there’s no stopping us.” and as he looked upon the woman and saw her beaming smile he couldn’t help but do the same himself, not hearing Jarred’s very accurate insult.
Just as Py’s mood was rising, Felix had to go and talk. Py knew that the discussion Felix was having with Jarred was important and so he tried he’s hardest not to tune the man out. But then Felix began to speak of how as an Ifrit, Py would stand out.
He followed that up with an insult to Aella. The bard had veiled his words enough so that few would see his true meaning, unless they had been on the receiving end of such insults themselves. And disappointed to see the grin on Felix’s face, Pyralis gave up out of spite. He then turned his attention back to his feathered friend, feeding her small pieces of meat, as he had seen Aella do.
With the end of Felix’s words, a comfortable silence fell. Feeling the peace return, Py snapped himself back into existence not feeling like he missed much. In fact his timing was perfect as Jarred, one of only two people in the room Py wants to hear talk, began to speak again. As Jarred spoke of how to hide away Pyralis’ Ifrit traits, the frown returned to Py’s lips, though he continued to listen.
***
Py sat for a few moments after Jarred finished. Then the Ifrit felt that familiar feeling, as though the eyes of everyone in the room were on him. It was then Py realised he hadn’t spoken to anyone but himself in quite a while. So as to assuage any fear that he was about to erupt once again, he let a smile fill his face. ” Thank you for your honesty Jarred, a plan will only slow us down anyway. And we appreciate whatever provisions you can provide.” Py then gave himself a breath to think about what words to use next, so he didn’t let his temper fuel them.
”I understand our need to travel with subtlety. But I despise concealing my heritage. So know that I will never hide my true face behind a mask of magic, but when the need arises I will don the cowl of my cloak.” As he said the words, Py looked into the eyes of each of his compatriots, so they could see the seriousness in his eyes but the smile on his face. He needed them to know that what they needed him to do was difficult for him, but that he was not angry with them.
Py then sat back in his chair taking Tana down from his shoulder. The cheeky bird had flown up there to peck at Py’s ear since the moment he began speaking. But now that she had his attention back, the ball of feathers fell sound asleep in the warmth of Py’s hands. ”Now should we go prepare for the days ahead? Or do we need to keep asking questions?” Py turned to look directly at Felix as he said those last few words.
Felix sat back and ate as Jarred and Pyralis talked. Felix was a careful man, and so he did not like the idea of a mission without a plan. Being in an area of which he barely knew anything about was a big risk for him, but he had no choice. But at the very least from what Jarred said, the people of the 5th level has the same spite for the institution as they do, if not more. Their common hatred could be a good enough reason for an alliance or, at least, a better chance of a less violent encounter with the citizens. As Pyralis ended his statement, Felix decided not to dwell too much about the 5th level. It was not only his life on the line, but also those of others and to act quickly is of importance.
'Apologies friend, I did not mean to say anything of insult. It was a suggestion for a more subtle approach, as any sort of harm is best avoided. But I understand where you are coming from...' Felix looked at Pyralis with a most earnest expression. 'Your pride towards your own heritage is admirable, and I apologize for asking to hide it otherwise.'
Felix stood up, taking his dirty bowl onto the kitchen sink.
'I have no further questions about the mission. And with the urgency of the matter then we should be off posthaste.'
He wiped his any dirt and food off his hands and place one hand on his dagger and one in his pockets.
'My daggers are ready when its needed.'
The old man nodded his head, a weight lifting almost visibly from his shoulders.
"I thank you. I don't really have much to give you...
But I'll see what I can do. Go get yourselves ready and assemble out the front in twenty minutes. I'll be with you soon enough." Jarred waved his hand in dismissal and that was that.
***
It was still fairly dark when the group had finally gathered outside. Though the sun wasn't too low in the sky, the gigantic disc of the third layer meant that the morning light could only filter down through the central column and the large gap around Godsholme circumference. Things were as expected: Aella hands on her hips, was smiling widely, Felix was giving grand gesture as he chatted to Pyralis, and the Ifrit was doing his best to seem interested as he looked in the complete opposite direction (though Felix didn't notice this, of course). Py looked immediately the door of Jarred's base as it flung open, expecting the man himself, only to be extremely disappointed as three young inhabitants ran out. One of them gave the group a look as he ran past, only stopping briefly to wave and salute before he was off, the three of them lost around a corner within the minute.
There was a minute of silence as each of them tried to figure out where they could have gone to, but before anyone could say a thing the door opened again. Py's head snapped back towards the entrance only for him to sigh at the lack of Jarred. It was Nerissa, however, that made her way down the front steps. Aella stood straight, mouth open, before she power-walked over to the girl and pulled her aside. The two women held their heads together, discussing quickly and in hushed tones so that Py and Felix couldn't hear a thing. There conversation was over as soon as it began. Nerissa pulled a ring off of her left hand and gave it to a slightly shocked Aella. The warrior looked at the jewelry for a second, studying it, then nodded. By then Nerissa had already started to walk over to them both.
"Hello friends," she said, smiling "It's nice to see you awake and, err, not so afraid for your lives!" The elvish ears of hers gave a little sheepish wiggle as she greeted them both properly. "Jarred wasn't feeling too well - a headache or something he said - so I'm here in his place." The half-elf took off her pack, rummaging through it. She handed out the groups supplies, smiling, as she explained the purpose of the small group that had preceded her. They were to turn away, through mundane or magical means, any passerby who appeared to be coming down the lane. The gate to the fifth level, while not located in plain sight, was decently loud enough that anyone close would hear it.
In time, after everyone was ready, the young woman led them all around corners and through alleyways until the came upon a clearing. Though spaced a little oddly, the are was strangely unassuming. The only thing marking it separate from other areas of the city was a well-like structure in the center of the circle, and the knee-high chain divider that surrounded it. The stone pillar stood at chest height and set into the top, where the hole should be, was an intricately detailed metal door. A sign, carved beautifully into the iron flag, stood before the steps that spiraled up the structure, and it read: "Enterassum et Viorum. Saren's Door."
"Well," said Nerissa, rubbing the back of her neck "This is it, I think. If there's nothing left to be said, then climb the steps. I should be able to open it from here." She stood there, looking in expectation at the group. The stage was set, our heroes must simply take the first step.
Felix takes the potion.
***
Felix stepped out, wearing his usual rogues outfit, a black reversible cloak for disguise, a scarf to cover his head, and a mask at the ready to cover half of his face. It was the usual outfit he wore in his previous escapades, and it felt good to wear it again as the excitement of adventure lifted his spirits.
"And so that's how I accidentally ended up in the palace court as a male prostitute, with nothing on but a loincloth, a meat hook on one hand, and a donkey's mask on the other! I can tell you, the duke's wife was a very beautiful and kind lady.... but her taste was very peculiar indeed! I honestly didn't know how I got there and I just had to run away from--"
Felix was just talking about one of his previous mishaps to Pyralis, giggling as he goes, when the door flung open, disrupting his short yet unimportant story.
After a short while, Nerissa came out and proceeded to talk to Aella for awhile. He was curious about what they were talking about and wanted to ask, but at that point it felt like it wasn't the right time to ask. He was also slightly bothered by the absence of Jarred, but he decided not too think too much about it. He simply greeted Nerissa a good morning, and smiled charmingly.
Without asking any questions he simply just followed Nerissa, observing and remembering the way as ventured forth. Towards the end of their short trip, he notices the strange entrance.
***
Saren is a name, though Felix would not know who specifically. It does remind him of some kind of urban legend. Perhaps he is a local hero of some sort?
***
Nerissa looked around, obviously not quite sure what exactly it was she was searching for. Eventually though, the half-elf found it: a lever set into the gate, seemingly inconspicuous to someone not searching for it. She pulled it and within moments there was a great rumbling. The slab of metal groaned, rusty from so many years of neglect. The moment seemed to drag on, leading to worries that the group may have given away their position so easily, and yet it finally ended and all was silent. The opening was dark and perhaps even a bit intimidating.
"You know I'll have to close it after you, sorry. Good luck and..." she pauses, then turns to Aella specifically "I expect to see you back." Aella only smiled back.
Felix looked into the dark entrance, part worried, part excited.
He decided to step into the opening first, cautiously, not knowing what lies ahead.
After the first few steps, he quickly checks his surroundings and turns back to Aella. "Lead the way, miss." He smiles courteously.
The group hesitated at the entrance. Each looked to the other, a question and a prompt in one, "would you like to go first?" eventually, Felix decided enough time had been wasted and proceeded down into the jaws of the yawning, almost light-less cave. A few seconds passed, and Felix had disappeared into the gloom. Aella looked at Py and nodded, impressed by the rogues bravery. However, the moment was ruined as Felix who, in employing his expert skills of perception, yelled out "@#$%! WAS THIS DOORWAY MADE BY DWARVES?"
Felix' head popped back up, his hand rubbing at a red splotch on his forehead. Aella just rolled her eyes and sighed, pushing past him.
Once inside, the gloom seemed to lessen somewhat as their eyes became accustomed (though Py had almost no trouble with his enhanced vision) to the dark. However, with the horrible sound of steel grating on stone as the entrance way ground shut, meant that their biggest light source was quickly destroyed leaving them to struggle along by the light of Py's hair!
"So," said Aella, in her usual, confident voice "Mister Tall, Dark and han-..." She coughed. "Mister Dark and Handsome, it seems we must rely on your superior eyes to guide us! I could not see any more stairs, so I do not think it is expected of us to walk the whole way down. Can you see another way forward?"
After the inevitable grumble, Py turned his eyes to view the room. It was small, and full of strange turns and dark corners, though Aella was right in her assessment that there were no more steps to descend. Further up was a wall, decorated with patterns, strange shapes and soothing colours. Set into the wall was a little pocket small enough for a hand to fit. Above it, carved into the stone, sat the words: "By command of Lord Faxwührn, the toll for transport is two gold pieces. In honour of Saren, half of such toll shall go to the Poor Man's Society, and the other half is to be donated directly to the Romathian people as a sign of good faith. With unity; comes strength, with strength; power, with power; peace. Praise be."
As Aella addressed him, Py realised he hadn’t spoken a word since leaving Jared’s base and had been silently following his companions as Nerissa led them to the cave. The only sound he had made was a quiet chuckle when Felix, the expert rogue, had his misadventure in the dark. Grumbling to himself over this revelation, Py scanned the room noting all the strange aspects to it, including the inscription carved into the wall.
”By command of Lord Faxwührn, the toll for transport is two gold pieces. In honour of Saren, half of such toll shall go to the Poor Man's Society, and the other half is to be donated directly to the Romathian people as a sign of good faith. With unity; comes strength, with strength; power, with power; peace. Praise be.” Py read aloud, certain he was butchering the pronunciation of several words. Tilting his head and giving the writing on the wall great consideration for several minutes he finally asked, ”Does anyone have a clue what this means?”
Felix rubs his forehead annoyed and slightly embarrassed by his clumsiness . "Ugh, whats this?" Distracted by his own thoughts, he didn't hear Pyralis read the inscription.
He walks towards the wall and squints his eyes as he tries to read the inscription. He quickly grabs Py and makes him lean closer onto the wall as he was the only light source around.
"TWO GOLD?! What am I a bank?!" Felix exclaims. He checks his pouch to see how much he has. He sighs. "I suppose I can pay for us, or we can follow through and walk around to see if we can find an exit. Honestly I'm not entirely sure if this thing works or how it works even." Felix gives the wall a weak kick.
"What do you guys want to do?"
He tries to look around but the room was too dark to see without dragging Pyralis everywhere. That would sure to annoy the Ifrit as well. He grinned at the thought, but decided not to go about it. "Does anyone have a lamp? Or a torch even?"
Aella, with her hands upon her hips, nods her head as she listens to Py repeat the message.
"Yep, yep. I may not be one for be bureaucratic jibberish, but I sure do know a toll when I see one." She reaches into her pouch and brings out a single gold coin. "Well here's my half, you two can p-" Aella falters, glancing between the two. She was not much one for math either, it seemed. "Yes, well, you two can figure it out..." After placing the coin in Felix' hand, the warrior-woman moves off to crouch down on her own near the wall. One plus one DOES equal two!
Felix takes the coin, glad to have someone else sharing the toll with him. He stares at Aella for a couple of seconds, not sure how to comment on her math. He thought it was amusing at best.
"Yep, definitely not my type." He thought as he turned towards the wall.
"If we could have a light please Py, my friend? One's hoping you can conjure fire of some sort."
He takes a second coin out of his pouch and takes a deep breath. "Here we go..." He puts his hands onto the pocket and drops the two coins in.
He quickly flinches back, his eyes closed for a second as he anticipated for something to go wrong.
Felix, already on alert, steps over tentatively towards the wall. Quivering fingers clutch onto two golden pieces as they hover over the small chamber that was set into the wall. He takes a breath, let's go and...
The chamber instantly clamps shut!
Roll Reflex save 15 or take 1 damage for crushed fingers!
For a moment, nothing seems to happen at all. Just as Aella was about to complain about wasting good gold, however, a faint rumbling can be heard from behind the stone walls all around them. Though it may have seemed a touch frightening at first, the source of the noise was soon revealed as the wall in front of them seemed to collapse in on itself and then pull up and away in a flourish of colour.
In front of the group stood a set of elevator shafts. On the right rested an old, wooden cabin. Wooden bars circled around the top half, providing small slits to view with. The wood was rotted in one corner, though it seemed at least mechanically stable enough for a few rides yet at least...maybe. Through the center of the cage ran a set of ropes, from top to bottom, and jutting from the floor a lever.
To the left the shaft was empty of any cabin. Any brave enough to look off the edge could see down the shaft until it ultimately opened up to an astonishing, vertigo-inducing view (from what they could see, at least). Where they had once been below ground, it must have come as a shock to realize that they were, in fact, at the very top of an entire new world.
"All aboard!" Aella stepped right on, ignoring the groaning of decades old timber that seemed to struggle beneath her weight. She turned and looked at the two expectantly.
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Py walked with Felix to the wall and bowed his head towards the opening, letting the flame of his hair shed light on the subject. “I’d prefer not to waste any magic just so you can see your hand get bitten off by the wall.” Py told his companion, his sardonic tone hiding his fear that Felix might actually be in danger. If he got hurt down here, the rogue would never shut up about it.
The Ifrit jumped at the sound of the chamber shutting, but quickly regained his composure. Hopefully the shadows kept the others from seeing him lose his cool. Taking a step back to examine the room with his near perfect dark vision, nothing seemed to have changed. ”Was that it?” Py asked quietly to the room. He got his answer as the wall opened before them, revealing an ancient looking elevator system. Before Py could protest against it, Aella boarded the decrepit looking cabin with a yell of ”All aboard!” When it didn’t immediately give out from the new stress of Aella standing on it, Py started to have some hope. [I ]“An Ifrit riding a rundown wooden elevator? Fantastic!”[/i] laughed Pyralis as he stepped into the cabin, careful not to miss his footing and take a swift trip down.
A hundred curses rushed through Felix's head as the chamber crushed his fingers.
"This place hates me." Felix sighs as he holds his hand tightly, as if trying to suppress the pain. "This place hates me..." he whimpered again.
"Or maybe I'm cursed!" He exclaimed in a slight panicked state. "It's that damn sorceress. I knew i shouldn't have slept with her!"
Felix grumbles on complaining about his misfortunes rubbing his forehead with his good hand, and waving his other hand to try and ease the pain.
Felix halts before he steps into the elevator shafts. He examines the contraption, and all around its surroundings noticing the rotten wood.
"This doesn't feel safe" he thought. He looked at the other two, already in the elevator, eagerly waiting to use the old machinery. He decided not to argue, and hesitantly stepped into the elevator.
"This doesn't feel safe..." The famous last words of many an adventurer; only a fool would ignore a gut feeling this strong.
As the rogue steps foot upon the lift it's door immediately shuts, slamming rather painfully into his backside and sending him sprawling hands-and-knees to the floor. For a short time after - aside from Felix's inevitable whining, of course - there all was quiet. The cabin rocked, but slight enough to be of no alarm. Aella looked at Py, who looked at Felix, who looked to Felix, who was looking at Aella, who grinned and yanked on the lever.
The cabin jolted, dropping a good twenty or so feet in the span of a few seconds, leaving both men sprawling, an angry bird squawking, and even Aella looking a little concerned. However, as the group came to their feet they realized that their descent had slowed quite considerably.
"Hah!" Aella slapped Py on the back once he had hushed poor Tana, sending her into another fit. "You don't need me to change your undergarments, do you? Do not worry, I will catch you if you fall." She stepped over to the edge of the cabin, quite obviously avoiding the corner with the sagging hole in it, and looked out through the tiny slits in the walls. She gasped.
The cabin passed the end of the claustrophobic shaft and descended down in to a sea of open air that left them feeling miniscule in comparison. A dim light flooded in, though it was enough to see by, especially for those used to living in the forever-shaded land of Godsholme. The vastness of the fifth level was always a shock to those who'd never seen it, for it was easy to dismiss "down below" as inconsequential to the grandness of Godsholme.
The fifth level of Godsholme was simply the grounds upon which it was built; a gigantic hole cut into the side of Mount Mirràn. The River Servacium, which bubbled down through the criss-crossing caverns that ran underneath the mountain, surged around the base of Godsholme to plummet out into the Great Lake. Geologists and war theorists alike called it "the most useless moat in modern history."
"I must warn you though, I nev-" THUD It seemed that no time whatsoever passed between the sound and Aella's sword appearing in her hands. All eyes were locked squarely on the roof of the cabin as someone, or some -THING- scampered around on obviously small feet. It stopped somewhere near the middle. "Announce yourself." She waited all of two seconds, just long enough for the three to hear the sound of rope being sliced. Aella's sword thrust upwards, aiming just an inch to the right of middle. The creature let out a howl - and it must have been a creature, for no common race could make a screech so hideous. She pulled back her sword, stopping only to note the black liquid that oozed down it's top, before jamming it straight back up again.
A rain of filthy curses in some unknown, guttural language assaulted their ears, but it was clear her sword hadn't struck it's target a second time. "Do SOMETHING." Once more she stabbed at the mysterious enemy. Time was running out.
Felix unsheathes his daggers quickly, alarmed at the sudden appearance of a mysterious creature.
He looked everywhere, searching for the creature trying to use as much of his abilities to figure out what it is.
Not knowing whether the creature knows the common tongue, Felix somewhat manages pose himself in a slightly menacing way, trying to intimidate whatever plots to attack them.
"Show yourself fiend, if you know whats good for you!" Felix growled, hoping fear doesn't seep through his skin.
"You are no match for us! Surrender and we may show some mercy!" He exclaimed, not knowing whether this was true or not.
Felix looked here and there and all around, but no matter how hard he searched he still couldn't seem to see through solid wood. Unfortunate.
Despite his insistence, whatever the creature might have been, it either did not understand spoken common, or it simply did not care enough to respond.
Aella gave Felix such a terrible, condescendingly hopeless glare that it was likely to wither him into an oblivion of self-shame.
"Something USEFUL!"
Py shook his head as he listened to Felix bluster at the creature that was banging on the elevator roof. ”Good try Felix. I’m sure this thing is terrified now.” Py taunted, grinning at his companion. ”Now let’s try and get some eyes on this thing.”
Reaching up to his shoulder, Pyralis carefully took hold of Tana who had been nibbling on his ear all this time and held her out before him. ”Tana do you think you could help me out? I need your eyes in the sky so we can see what this thing is.” Py cooed to his feathered-friend completely oblivious to how strange he must look to his companions. Pyralis then released the little bird into the air who began to hover above the descending elevator, hopefully far enough away to avoid being struck by the stowaway.
”And while she does that, I’m going to see if there’s anything magical to this entity.” Py said to no one in particular as he prepared his spell.
Felix shrugs at Aella and Py "Well, I DONT KNOW WHAT IM SUPPOSED TO DO!" He exclaimed, his face red. "Well its not like everyday that I encounter some magical creature, do I?!
"I suppose I should just wave my daggers around and try to hit something like some sort of idiot!" Felix waved a dagger around in front of him as if trying to hit something, avoiding Py and Aella along the way. He felt like an idiot doing it, keeping his gaze towards Aella as he waves his dagger around, his expression sour.
Aella stopped for a moment to shake her head. She pondered her life choices and how they had led her to such company.
Tana gave a happy chirp in Py's hands before wriggling out of them. She seemed to understand close enough what was needed of her, for she immediately started searching around. The slits in the walls of the cabin were too small for even her to squeeze through, but, with some intuitive thinking, she soon dove through the rotted hole in the corner. The bird disappeared for a moment, flew up into view, then up and out of sight again. She wasn't long, though.
Tana came back into view squawking and screeching and flapping about like a man on fire. If birds could talk, surely the group would know absolutely everything they needed to know. But birds can't talk. Because that would just be ridiculous.
"We need t-" Fhwip! The cabin began its descent and the resulting lurch sent a monumental storm of butterflies to each of their stomachs. Aella, leaving her sword hanging from the ceiling, grabbed both of her companions by the scruff of their necks. With what remaining few seconds of stability she had, the warrior did the first thing that came to her mind and forcefully kicked open the cabin door.
The weakened wood burst open, leaving the thing hanging by its hinges.
She forced the two near the edge and looked out. The ground was racing towards them sickeningly fast, a sea of dirt that looked to swallow them whole. Hope seemed lost, they were going to die before they'd even started an- no, there!
Not far off, a speck of hope. The cabin from the adjacent shaft hung still, fifty feet in the air. It was too far from either exit to be there for any reasonable purpose, in fact it must have been stuck. It's door stood open, inviting, the only safe haven they had left.
"JUMP!"
As Tana finished her squawking, Py nodded his head several times and lowered his hands, his spell completed. ”Sorry Tana, I was too concentrated on my spell to hear what you said. Could you repeat it?” But before the little bird could make a sound Aella interrupted, who in turn was interrupted by the cabin starting to fall.
”Aella please, Tana was trying to say so-“ Once again Aella interrupted, grabbing Py by the neck and pulling him and Felix towards the now open door of the cabin. Looking out to see the quickly approaching ground made Py’s head spin momentarily, snapping out of it as soon as Aella said the word JUMP and pointed towards a saving grace in the form of a second elevator. ”Oh fantastic. Well… GERONIMO!” And with that, before his companions could say anything more, Pyralis leapt from the free-falling cabin.
Entering the great expanse of sky between the two cabins Py could hear the flapping of little wings nearby. ”Well at least one of us can fly...” Py said with a smile forming on his lips, the words being swallowed by the wind.
Seems there was no other choice but to jump. Hoping that his physicality can take it, prepares himself, leaving all fears behind him. He looked at Py quickly as the Ifrit jumped (kind of awkwardly and clumsy to be honest), and hoped the he would get there safely.
He took a few steps backwards to give a bit of space and leeway for the jump, ran and leapt out of the cabin, his dark hair blowing in the wind.
With a grace that made it seemed practiced, Felix leapt from one cabin to land with a flourish in the next. As seemed to be quickly becoming a common occurrence, however, the rogue followed his expert maneuvers with a display of idiocy.
"Aha, what a rush! Let's do it again!" He turned around, arms outstretched in an extension of his adrenaline rush, only to find no one behind him. Peering over the edge, Felix was forced to flinch back for a moment as he faced the death glare of a very annoyed warrior woman. She held herself to the elevator opening with her right hand, muscles bulging and breaths coming slow and deep as she held a distressed Ifrit by the ankle with her left. She thought of telling Py to not look down, but considering his position it was likely all he saw if his eyes weren't sealed shut.
If only it were just herself, Aella could have easily pulled herself up, but the ungainly burden of Py, flailing around with his cloak and a worried bird both flapping around his head, made things difficult. Still, something had to be done. With a grunt, Aella surged up with her left arm until Py's foot was raised just above the lip of the elevator.
"Pull him up... quickly..." Py had better hope he'd put his boots on tightly this morning, or he might just find himself a flaming pancake.
Felix landed on the cabin safely, and expertly (if he could say so himself), he turned his head back towards Aella, his right had towards her, thumbs up. He quickly rescinded his exclamation pose as he saw Aella looking angrily towards her.
Felix only just realized Pyralis didnt make it to the cabin, missing the jump by a few centimeters. With an "Oh shit!" Felix quickly ran towards the end of the cabin, positions himself so he doesn't fall off the edge, and helps Aella to try and pull Py up.
Pyralis was hanging upside down. He wasn’t sure how he came to be like this. One moment he was leaping through the air courageously. The next he was here, blood rushing to his head, arms still outreached in preparation of grabbing onto the hanging cabin. His eyes glued to the very hard looking ground beneath him, Py thought to himself ”Why aren’t I dead?” Straining against the combined forces of the wind and gravity Py forced his head up, his chin digging hard into his chest. His eyes went wide. Aella was hanging from the cabin, her hand wrapped tight around Py’s ankle. His saviour shouted something into the cabin and a moment later Felix’s head popped out from it, a worried grin on his face. ”I’m never going to hear the end of this.” Py said to the air as the pair pulled him up into the cabin.
Once Py made it safely into the cabin he immediately swung round to help Felix pull Aella up to safety. Once the warrior woman was on her feet Pyralis flung his arms around her. It was like hugging a slightly harder brick wall made of muscle and armour but Py didn’t care he was just so grateful. ”Thank you so much Aella! Thank you.”
After a minute Py noticed the silence and realised he had once again, made things awkward. Releasing Aella from his hug, Py stepped back towards the door and looked out into the open sky debating whether or not he should jump again. “Wow that is an amazing view. I’m glad our life isn’t in immediate danger so we can appreciate it.”
Felix let out a massive sigh of relief after Pyralis was pulled upthe cabin. He smiled, thinking that danger is behind them.
As Pyralis flung to hug Aella in outmost gratitude, Felix was about to protest "Hey where's my tha--", but was cut short as he noticed the awkwardly long...
long...
looonngg hug that Pyralis was giving to Aella.
After a few seconds, Felix gave a slight ahem, and a smirk and Py finally let the woman go.
"Ha! Men of fire. Always so passionate!" Felix exclaimed his arms to his side with a wide grin. "I like it!"
Felix looks around the cabin they just jumped into and the surroundings, hoping to find any traces of that damn creature that tried to kill them.
Aella, not one to turn down displays of emotion, embraced her friend even if to just let him know all was well. When she went to pull away, Py tugged her back in...
...
...
Was this some strange Ifrit tradition? She was blessedly saved by Felix' cough, making sure to take an immediate flurry of steps backwards to gain distance.
Py, with a calmed Tana nestling on his shoulder, turned away from the group to look down below. A frightening display of splintered wood, frayed rope, and a thoroughly destroyed cabin greeted him. Unfortunately there didn't seem to be a smear of red paste or jumble of broken bones among the wreckage, but, looking up, Py was quick to surmise that their adversary likely escaped by climbing up what remained of the rope.
Felix took a look around the cabin, first up to make sure they weren't under attack again, then around to find that the cabin seemed at least slightly more stable than the last, and then finally down. The rogue yelped and jumped backwards (bumping into poor Py as he was looking off the edge). On the floor, in the corner of the cabin, laid a corpse. It was old enough that the flesh had started to slough off the bones, leaving a shriveled, leathery mess that had been left to dry in the sun. The corpse was human-sized, and dressed in what Felix finally noticed were the robes of a city official.
Clutched in his hand was a scroll, and around his neck was a chain with a number of keys on it.
As Py scanned the rope up and down for their attacker, he was nearly knocked out of the elevator by a stumbling Felix. Flinging his arms out to grab hold of the door frame Pyralis prevented another fall. ”What the hell Felix!?” he shouted spinning round to smack the rogue out into the sky. But seeing the look on Felix’s face Py stayed his hand and followed Felix’s eye line to find the corpse crumpled in a corner of the elevator. ”Fantastic.”
Kneeling down to closer inspect the corpse Py cringed as Tana dug her claws into his shoulder and squawked right in his ear. ”It’s alright Tana. You’re safe.” Py returned his attention to the corpse and examined it closely.