ORIGIN - [Quest] The Black City

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Bedlam, unlike Madhukar, would absolutely risk its lightning magic down here if 1) Blight was hurt and 2) it had actual useful lightning magic. Instead, it only had high-risk energy magic. It also happened to have a lot worse roll thresholds than Madhukar did, but that wasn't stopping it. So it was probably not a good thing for it or anyone else that Blight was swimming right into the danger zone, and it was realizing that.

HEY! it thought, with a rather alarmed tone of thought-voice. Hey- come back! What are you doing-come back, didn't you hear there's a kraken-

Probably not a good thing that it still wasn't a big fan of names, either. Its smile turned into a grimace of sharp teeth. Yes, it would be cautious. If only its dragon friend would be cautious, too. Were dragons somehow missing their inherent sense of self-preservation? It had the sudden urge to dissect a dragon's brain and find out, but it didn't know if there was anything special it could identify about the self-preservation part of the brain, what it looked like, or where it could find it if it could even manage to crack open one's skull. Wait, had it just-

(All Pattylink speech is bolded. Bedlam rolls to continue sending out good vibes. It's also telling Blight not to go into the danger zone, but it'd follow at a distance if he did and just hope that its magical cuteness is enough to endear itself to nice strong nearby Gembound.)

Electrum

The nerves has his fins opening wide and posturing, and so when Deep Dark the... something shows their face, he almost bares his teeth in preparation to fight them.

Alas, they aren't the target, and seem battle torn - so not someone he should do battle with here and now. They might even have information on this Kraken, and so he keeps even with Haven, and nudges against her occasionally as they move. The mention of battle buddies get a pointed nudge from him to Haven, and then a flick at Telesto with the tip of his tail.

As much as it pains him to think this, as well as taking note of his mates request, they run the best bet of someone in their family surviving by splitting up, and so he addresses them as best he can via Pattylink - We run the nest odds of making it home splitting up. I can draw attention to myself, Haven, you're more built for stealth. I... don't want to let you go. So hopefully all of us large dragons can keep an eye on each other. Uh, he tilts his head, and looks about for Carja and Blight. Blight, and your friend there- we're the largest and easiest targets, and you seem to have the appreciation of the Guardian, so maybe your magic will be a boon. Do you care to come in with me first? Hopefully we can spearhead the effort and cut this off at the pass. The others can ride my current in from behind, but with my magic, if I use it it's best I stay distant and close only to the Kraken.

Here, he turns to Telesto. The look he gives his daughter is pretty clear- stay safe, and don't be stupid. Especially after the... thoughts that little squishy white and glowing this is putting out. Reminds him of those blasted lizards. Adorable against all common sense.

ASCENT

Yet another creature appeared in the darkness, and Ascent's heart rate spiked before they realized it wasn't hostile. But it seemed to be leading them to something hostile. Something that might... kill them, even. Ascent fidgeted endlessly with anxiety, twisting at their water-breathing ring and picking at their feathers. Yes, Deep Dark made sense. It was always better to face a challenge together than alone. They were stronger together--strong enough that maybe none of them had to die? Hopefully?

They were not a soldier in a dare-to-die corps, marching toward certain death singing a proud national anthem. They had no interest in becoming a hero and a martyr who died to free Farina's leaf. They were only a dragon, barely on the cusp of adulthood, just trying to do some good for the world and hopefully stay alive in the meantime. They were terrified.

"Mom?" they thought-whispered through the link. "He said krakens get pretty large. As large as the trees at home, or the person who saved you from getting eaten...?" If there was one thing they were thankful for, it was that thoughts didn't tremble or waver like voices did. "... Mom, please be careful. I'm keeping an eye out... could we get the guardian on our side, like we did the last one, if we talked to it and brought it something? Maybe a gift could avert a fight. People are thinking about fights, but I don't want to fight..."

All dialogue is bolded and through Pattylink. Ascent is sticking with Carja, whether that means following Deep Dark into whatever hole the Kraken's in or hanging back should Carja decide to. They also roll for perception, partially to watch out for danger and partially for something giftable to potentially bribe the guardian into not attacking with.

Wow. That's certainly not ominous at all. They thought, watching the head of Deep-Dark peak through the crack in the door, listening to their stuttering, slow thoughts. Had it ever even thought before? It seemed new to the creature. The idea of fighting a Kraken of all things made dread sink into their gut. They didn't know what exactly a kraken WAS, but judging from the tattered appearance of the creature now disheartening back into the dark, it seemed like quite the opponent.

The thoughts of others echoed through the link, but they paid the most attention to those they (was pretty sure, anyways) belonged to their parents. Big Dragons? What was that supposed to mean? I'll be careful.. but I'm not a kid! I can fight and I WILL fight!"' If they were being pitted against a Kraken they'd probably need all hands on deck.

More.. macabre thoughts coming from someone makes them bare their teeth. You're going to dissect WHO'S brain? they thought pointedly, lashing tail sending currents tumbling through the water. Just a reminder, you're supposed to fight WITH us, not AGAINST us. Water hissed through their gills in the underwater equivalent of a huff. True anger piled on top of what'd been mild frustration, urging them forward despite the (pretty solid) plan Electrum had concocted.

They'd cast a glance at Electrum and Haven before quickly swimming towards the door, aiming to be one of the first inside (out of a perhaps wrongfully earned spite than anything else.) They'd squint through whatever darkness the new room held. First step of fighting a kraken- FINDING the kraken.

Telesto is following DD and trying to spot the Kraken.

Big, big, big. The big door. The big monster. The big—whatever a Kraken is—that lies beyond. Anxious terror makes his fur stand on end, tail twitching in the water as he leans into his father and gives a worried chuff in the back of his throat.

The group's reactions roll through him like a tidal wave; fear, anticipation, but above it all, a sense of unity. A sense of: We need to stay together. We need to fight together. We've got this together.

For a moment—just a moment—Astéri marvels at the wonder of the link. This thing, this one thing that keeps them together down here in the dark; their lifeline. How nice would it be to have that for other things? The depths aren't the only dangers in the caves, after all...

And then Attikias is pushing up through the door, and he's dutifully following; noting, with a shudder, just how thick the material the door is made out of seems to be. How—how big is this thing?

How are they gonna fight it? How are they going to kill something so utterly colossal?

He hopes the others are enough.

Following Attikias in, he pulls at the fire in his core once more; wincing in preparation for the internal pain that usually follows. The pain that's worth it, if they want to see what's down there in the dark.

Astéri is following Attikias past the doorway and casting Torchlight. He has not said anything via the link.

From beyond the door, from within the depths—a creature emerges.

And it is one of the most beautiful things it has ever seen.

It—has not held much stock in the idea of beauty before this. Did not think it had such an idea of beauty, before this.

But the creature, flashing with bioluminescence, its cloudy eyes regarding the group with a slow kind of intelligence; a gorgeous, trickling kind of thought. It can hear the weight of each great thought settling on its own mind, and it takes every word in with reverent awe.

This—this is a creature of the depths. This great dark thing flashing with light, inky skin smooth and camouflaged against the waves, the current passing through the gap in the door and washing up against its front paws just enough to tell it that the creature is big. Powerful.

Magnificent.

It hears, dimly, the thought of others around it, advising to stick together. That only in a pack would they be able to defeat the great danger that lies ahead. And yes, it agrees that a pack would be best for its survival... but at the same time, the group will catch up soon enough. The abyssal beast that swims deeper, deeper into the City, on the other hand—

—well, it would be remiss if it did not follow a glorious creature such as that.

It shoves past the other beings of the group with little fanfare, eyes set straight upon the gleaming-green spots of the form of the beast in the water; following in its wake without hesitation.

This, then, is what perfection looks like.

It does not bother to peer into the depths, not yet; surely it will feel the current of an attack coming, anyway. It is relying on the abyssal beast's light to see—for now, it prepares for battle, willing magic to pull paralytic venom into its many mouths.

Blood, finally, after so long without...

Terror is following Deep Dark and casting Ephemevenom in preparation.

When they stopped just outside the doors, Dragon ceased all movement. It was habit; a life spent in the water (conserving energy, as a lazy reptile) left him drifting, hind end slowly dropping downward, like a statue.

He observed Deep Dark, though--he didn't need to move to do that. Listened to its disjointed speech, eyed its massive size-... It's talking to itself, he realized, and then mentally corrected: Ahh... I suppose it's just thinking. Thankfully, Dragon did not broadcast this thought in horrible irony.

When the creature swam in, he followed--a slow sweep of his tail, then another, bringing him back to the horizontal and into a smooth glide. He 'spoke' along the shared link, primarily to his children: "Brandle, Skein. Stay behind me if you can, and stay close. Let's see what we're dealing with." Someone had asked--he wasn't sure who--if they weren't waiting for a key, and he snorted. "It looks like someone decided they didn't need keys," he answered, and then slipped through the crack to vanish into the shadows beyond.

He tried to send out his senses, and found the whole room still pitch black; puzzled, he 'spoke' to the group, intending to inform those behind him. "I think this room is empty," he told them; "I see nothing at all."

Blight stayed close to Carja, for the most part--and Bedlam, a little, too. When he started to move forward, Bedlam's mental cry for him (was it for him?) to stay back gave him pause, and he paddled awkwardly at the water in an attempt to look over his shoulder. He was halfway to formulating a response when another message came along the link: 'dissect a dragon's brain and find out...' Jaw froze in the half-open position, and he looked around, baffled.

'Crack open one's skull-' "What the fuck?" he broadcast, strongly, "Can we not fucking do that? -Who said that?!"

Then he turned, curling his way in sinuous undulation around the crack in the door, wriggling his way through. He moved slowly, cautiously sticking close to the wall, trying (and failing) to grip the stone with his claws so he wouldn't get lost in the dark miasma beyond. But his magic went with him, reaching out, looking to see what might lay within.

THE BLACK CITY

"Go on, go on! No time to waste! Master Farina won't want any delays!" Patrick encouraged them, perched now off to one side.

They did not, however, need to wait. Maybe it was the sound of movement in the waters--maybe the mere vibration of it.

The predator slipped forward in the dark, and for a mere moment those reaching out with their senses would be able to touch upon it: something enormous, something sleek and long and swift in the water, something that navigated perfectly in the pitch black. Something with a body writhing, swarming, infested with a dozen illnesses, virus and bacteria thriving throughout.

And when it crashed into sight, this was obvious: along with its ancient scars there were pustules, running wounds, some of its too-many eyes milky with disease. This did not seem to slow it down: it came like a train, some fifty feet long and all tentacle, crashing for the ones in front.

BOSS ENCOUNTER: THE KRAKEN

[THE INFESTED, USURPER OF THRONES]

500 / 500 HP 100%

______________

Gembound who have followed Deep Dark into the chamber may choose to roll to avoid being smashed into, and potentially infected by, the infested Kraken--or they may be struck, and take nine points of damage, choosing to then roll for an attack (or any other action) instead.

Gembound outside the chamber may enter (or not) and roll for any action they wish.

Gembound will have 20 HP.

This quest is closed to new entrants. As a reminder, characters will need a minimum of three posts in this thread to claim rewards.

Code:

<SPAN STYLE="text-shadow: 0px 0px 8px #ef78ff;color:#deb8ff;"><b>accidental thoughts font code</b></SPAN>

@Forgraves @Electrum (Garnet-Episilon) @Attikias (Cerilaine, Deep Dark) @Hunter (The Orarian) @Khavur (Madhukar, Kaimana) @Bedlam (Ascent, Pelt) @Haven (Carja) @Indigo @Hestia @Fahl @Whale @Galleon (Skein) @Beast (Friend) @Telesto (Brandle, V-Labradorite-One) @Esther @Dragon (Blight) @Terror (Astéri)

It could hear them in the back of its mind. They were talking to it- had they read its thoughts? The creature scoffed in the water as it twisted, listening. 'Must fight the Kraken,' it stormed into everyone's heads, ancient voice booming in tone. 'Fight with Magic... Fight with Body... Kill the Kraken.' Its fins curled in place as it regarded those entering, teeth bared for the briefest moment.

Would it be enough?

Dissecting a dragon's brain brought another coughing laugh from the being, and it grinned. 'Dissect...' and it rattled again, clearly amused. 'Many... chances, to do so. Brain... Very good.' It grinned and licked its lips, imagining the taste--

The kraken's advance wasn't unfamiliar with the being, and it stiffened once it recognized it. Lights flared to bright yellow- its own electric hide was in full swing, and it was prepared to damage the beast, in case it tired to grip it again. Its life would not be extinguished.

'It is awake!' And its growling laugh rose again as it ducked away, one powerful surge of wings carrying it out of the splash zone. 'The Challenge begins!'

Oh, how wonderful- its grin made it look mad, along with the scars and tattering all over its body. How much was credited to the kraken? How long had it been waiting for this day?

(DD is avoiding the attack and setting its electric organs to full blast)

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27