[Quest] The Black City - Part I

Water magic, eh? Well, Madhukar certainly knew that.

She came in costume (more like a uniform now), attempting to get the wind to help her with the travel. She never wanted to be gone for long, and yet she always wanted to be gone. Successfully she summoned the gust to herself, feeling soothed by its presence and by the hope that this adventure would err on a more comfortable side.

She still hadn't forgotten about Doug. Or Tahi-shei. Or James, or Comet, or anyone really. She had actually been trying to investigate plants in Pegasus, and rifts in the room of mirrors. Trying to figure out how they worked. Also just... trying to avoid trouble. Saving up for a rainy day, like this one immediately revealed itself to be the moment she got to this designated location and noticed antlers and colorful feathers. They were here, all here, and Madhukar had promised herself (and them, although they didn't really even know it) that she would talk to them, makes things right. Now probably wasn't the time...

Yet again, she felt a dull, cold biting at her heart. Physical, gut-wrenching, twisting something undetectable on the inside. Guilt that haunted her with more vile enmity than any memory or ghost could manage. 'If now is not the time, then WHEN?' She would figure it out. She would figure it out.

She came, wordlessly, and listened. Perhaps she would continue to practice minor magics, occupy her time...

"This is Speaking."
This is Thinking.

Mirac was soon to arrive, Aerie near him. The valkhound had begun to use the scabbard he'd stumbled upon during his hatching, though it was not a perfect fit. Mirac did not care, however, as it meant another sword could not use it. The valkhound was neither an enchanter, nor possessed water magic. But, as a sword endlessly searching for a task, Mirac loved the idea. Having come from Leo, it wasn't a surprise that Mirac learned of the blacksmith's task, a passing gembound repeating it. He had DEMANDED that Aerie and him join. And he went about that by endlessly begging until Aerie would agree. His entrance was not quiet. It began with his booming voice.

"MIRAC and WIELDER, named AERIE, are here, LESSERS! We have HEARD the summons. WEeeh-" Came the shrill cry, ending rather meekly. Mirac's blood red eyes sweeped over the gathered gembound. The valkhound was a little overwhelmed. The most gembound he'd seen was Aerie and Vjira, both at different times. This was certainly more than one Aerie.The gembound's teeth chattered within his (stolen) brass scabbard, his jaws shifting in minute ways. It swung back to face Aerie.

"mmmwWIELDER? There are many OTHERS here. Yet they all TALK! How are they all TALKING! I thought lessers did not SPEAK! And if they SPEAK, why do they not SLAY each other? The two deer and the small DIRT monster are SMALL, easy to KILL! Why do the GREATER things not simply EAT the smaller."

Mirac turned back to the assembled gembound. He squinted at them, feeling stage fright. It didn't last long. "ENGAGE in COMBAT, FOOLS! You STAND whilst you could be FUCKING MURDER KILLING. Mirac wishes to see your BATTLE PROWESS." Mirac lashed out with his magicka, going for any and everyone.

The idea was to force someone into delicious, delicious combat. Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for everyone else, his spell fizzled. Sabotaged by Mirac's own complete lack of target. Mirac growled, annoyed that no one was fighting. Ever the gentleman, Mirac added a word of caution at the end: "When FIGHT, do NOT fucking KILL. When things are KILLED they are DEAD."

"speak" think

For one brimful of impatience, it didn't take much beyond a warm and welcoming environment to tempt Fahl into laziness. Despite the homesickness that continued to gnaw at his gut with needle teeth, Leo had become a vacation spot for the iguana, one that promised calm times carried on the waves. Recently, though, he'd been forced from his usual activities at the bay: the random disgusting leftovers of some creature's meal littering the beach had become almost impossible to avoid. It was due to this necessary move further inland that talk finally reached him of this Blacksmith and his call for help.

He knew not of enchanting and had no ties to water beyond his shape which was well-suited for swimming. Nevertheless, being close by, lending help wasn't out of the question; perhaps, as a selfish part of him reasoned, there'd be an excuse to put what skills he did have on display.

By the time Fahl arrived, limbs moving with far better grace than usual as a result of the heat, a torrent of words smacked him. It was as if he'd run headfirst into a boulder, his head throbbing with the verbal collision. He hissed, the air nearly forming an audible, "Fucking shit!"

The thing making such a ruckus he glared at, eyes dark with displeasure. More than his accursed stone weighed down his tongue now, a foul-mouthed tirade ready for unleashing should stubborn adherence to image succumb to foolhardy nature. Taking a few deep breaths, the source of rage was ignored. For now.

Since getting a word in edgewise proved unlikely when considering his disadvantages, Fahl waited before speaking in his typical halting fashion. "Name's Fahl. No control of water. Or—" He struggled briefly, having not used the term aloud before. "—En... chanting. But. I'm at your service."

Aerie had no idea why she was fond of this stupid sword. It was noisy and bratty and had no understanding or respect of anything.

”They are not lessers, they are greaters,” she said, ”Like you and me. They speak and have magic like us, too.”

She flicked Mirac's blade gently and gripped his hilt, holding him close to her chest, ”Now shut up or risk being kicked out because of your noisy ass. Be silent and observe, you'll gain more knowledge if you watch and wait, scoping out your enemy before forming a strategy. Does this make sense?”

Probably not, but she didn't want to start a fight with so many that would fight back.

”There are too many here to win against,” she mumbled, ”And just as a rule, try to only kill lessers or those who attack you first. Things will end better for you.”

Kaimana didn't know Enchantment or Water magic really, but considering the fact that Levi did and he had been revived by the act of her giving him her own magic, signs pointed to Kaimana having Water magic too. Apparently, considering the amount of people here, many creatures had it, or had learned to Enchant. Kaimana had learned about Enchanting from this Blacksmith, and she probably had Water magic, so technically she should heed this call... it still felt like cheating, though.

She took up the space Levi had saved for her, looking up at him (gosh, that's right, she had to look up at him now) and smiling her big, warm smile. "Thank you, Levi." Comet and James were here, so was James' boyfri-- Tahi-shei. So many people, it would be impossible to keep track of them all. So Kaimana would keep an eye on her own as they waited. Kaimana didn't know it, but she'd been there for pretty much every part leading up to what was coming... hopefully, there would be a sense of fulfillment in witnessing the fruition of it all, even if she wouldn't know why.

Text. "Speech." Thoughts.

They had followed their sibling all the here- despite the fact they possessed neither of the magics the blacksmith had requested. They had simply followed out of curiosity, and the desire to stick close to their 'older' sibling.

They were getting more unwieldy- they were no longer able to fly, though they'd never been good at it in the first place. They walked a slow, shambling walk, occasionally tripping over their own limbs- many of which now stuck out in odd, uncomfortable places. Sometimes it's walk shifted to something more akin to a crawl, finding that it's arms were bigger and stronger than it's legs.

Amongst all the others, they felt out of place. Less so because of it's appearance (though maybe it should've) and more because of it's lack of applicable magic. Or magic in general, really. At Terror's mention of fighting it fidgeted nervously. It didn't like fighting. Fighting always got it's siblings (or itself) hurt. It did not like it when they got hurt.

It shuffled closer to Terror, tucking it's many limbs close to it's body. It looked... surprisingly meek for such a monster.

I let my horns grow longer
I observed my skin get redder

The Blacksmith set down his hammer, and waited. As each of them came, he offered a bow of his head, a murmur of greeting; he was pleased that so many were arriving.

The strange multi-headed creature asked why he had asked them here, and he held up one clawed finger to ask it to wait. And then the Blacksmith listened to the information the others gave, tucking it all away.

Carja had water magic. Tahi-shei knew enchantment. Talys--this one was offering physical help, and perhaps he could make use of that. Hmmm...

Others offered their help--with anything at all, with water magic; the sentient sword shouted and swore, and the Blacksmith stared at it with blinking interest. It was Mirac that he first addressed, approaching a few hesitant steps to examine it from a slight distance. "Fascinating..." he murmured. "I did not know you were alive." What a shape to take-! There were adjustments the Blacksmith would have made, but all in all it was an interesting form indeed.

A few of them had bodies that would do well beneath the waves, and this was a great relief. Others would be... passable; still others might not fare well at all. The Blacksmith looked them over, and began at last to speak.

"I have... a request. A place... locked away. We must unlock it. We must free someone... trapped. Someone--important. This... will take time. But we must hurry as best we can." He hesitated for a moment, as if confused, as if briefly forgetting where he was, who he was addressing; then he rallied himself and went on. "Ahh... You are... kind creatures. Thank you for offering aid. This is what you can do... Those of you who know my magic... might enchant... Those who know of water's secrets... might help, with the magic that allows you... to breathe water. We will need that." Again he hesitated, his gentle, halting speech stretching out for several seconds before he continued on. "Others... may seek those who can fight... beneath the waves. Or learn to do so, yourselves... Or find more who can... enchant these items. And those of you who can... work metal... or find lost valuables... I ask you to create, or seek, things we can enchant. I will work at this myself... but I will need your help."

The Blacksmith paused, again.

"I do not know what I can offer you in return... but this must be done... to help free the one who is trapped. Will you help me-?"