[Quest] Ignis Fatuus - Printable Version

The dog looked between the stag and the spider, wondering what the stone said. He didn't dare try to look, his head already beginning to throb, fearing causing an attack--and that would be horrible timing. Yoosung grimaced, bared his teeth, and pressed his skull against the side of the tunnel, hoping the pressure would ease the pain.

And then the stag was leaping, the hybrid gliding down. So Yoosung straightened up, stumbling to the edge, and began to make his way down, pawsteps weak and unsure, brow furrowed. His head was killing him.

A pit lay before him, and it glowed. He tilted his head--what was that? Despite himself, he trotted forward. The dog peered into the pit, a low gasp spilling from his throat. Dogs, dogs everywhere! Their tails wagged, and they smiled, calling out to him in that odd tongue that he knew by heart, yet had never heard elsewhere in the Caves. they were friends, family and he wanted, but--

it wasn't right. No one else spoke his tongue, was this another trick? Were they the same as the dogs in the lake? And the dogs faded away, until he was staring into a pit full of spikes. His fur stood on end, and he snarled, shaking his head as he balked, backing up. "Don't! It's a trap, they're not real! There's spikes in there!"

I've been on a lonely tripdragging along a lonely shadow

The darkness was absolute and her little orb of light vanished into darkness not far down the pit. She tried to make it brighter for a moment but when nothing happened, she cut off the magic. Breathing deeply, she knew that there was only one option. She couldn't go back - she needed to go forward. Into the darkness, just as Pride had done just moments ago.

The little kitten mewled with fear and shrunk. She didn't want to do this. She wanted to go home. She wished that she had never stepped into this cave, never fallen for a foolish promise of a prize. No magic in the world was worth an experience like this. Her breathing was speeding up and she forced herself forward. The longer she waited the worse it would get. She plunged into the abyss.

And...her paws touched solid ground. It was dark and impossible to see, but they were surrounded by walls, she knew that, at least. And before them was a gap.

Carefully so that she wouldn't fall in, Wilder approached the edge of the gap and peered down, letting out a small gasp at what she saw. There were others down there, friends. They looked up at her and their faces lit up in grins. They called her name and she knew that if she went down there, she would be welcome. They would share stories and laugh together and play so many games. There was no need for magic in a place like this. Only happiness, fun, and love.

All the darkness of the cave, all the fear, it seemed to melt away for a moment. It didn't matter now - if she just jumped into the pit she would succeed. She would reach her goal. She would be home, finally, and she would never need fear again. A purr started deep in her chest that was only paused when, distantly, she heard the dog calling something about it being a trick.

"No..." she crooned, not looking up from the cave. "They're all so happy down there. We did it - we won. I want to be happy." She leaned forward further, the purring beginning again and she looked like she was ready to jump at any time.

Shango peered down as he glided. It was strange, really; the black gave way to the ground beneath without a gradual shift. One moment there was only nothing; the next, the ground. It hadn't become visible slowly, as if through a mist, or the like.

Weird. Scalefeathered wings tucked more closely against his back, faint wisp-light glinting over the thorns sported by his hide. The pit--and the Gembound staring down it--drew his attention at once, so over he trotted: and down there he saw what appeared to be a rainforest, shimmering with lightning.

He scrunched up his nose at once. Thunder makes noise, he thought, disdainfully. He didn't see a trap--no spikes--but the trees here and there seemed... off, and the creatures scurrying below had no definition to them, no detail. This was a result of his own lacking imagination, but he didn't know that. He just knew it wasn't all... right.

Yoosung's warning, then, rang true. He turned and eyed the dog, then the pit.

"Thunder makes NOISE," he informed them--unaware that they could not see what he was seeing, and so his "information" might not make all that much sense.

as a maiden she tiptoes shy with her light...

Thothaga spun the tablet back to her drape once they were done.

It appears she was correct, there was a drop. "Careful now." She warned the others as she descended, a silken tether trailing behind her. Her allies were no good floating down a river, or worse, dead. The darkness was in penetrable, even the blue glow of her wisp became faint. Then, there was solid ground. Her paws landed quietly on the smooth surface.

Her eyes focused on the pit, or rather, the familiar blue light shining from it.

What--?
It was Spire, and horned silhouette stood beneath it, framed by its blue glow. She noticed the red pinprick eyes and immediately knew. It was him --Collector? What is he doing here? Had he known all along?

Thothaga felt immense power beneath her, knowledge of the past, present, and future, magick lost to time, it was all hers for the taking, but, there was another desire, and it was becoming stronger than the last. It was always there, deep down. The Maiden guarded it jealously, but now, it was being dragged into the light.

The Collector; he was all of these things.

I want... to devour him.

He looked delicious. Venom dripped from her fangs. --No! Not like that. Eating his flesh would be a waste. The Maiden wanted more, so much more. She wanted to tear into his soul and see what spilled out, because, he represented everything she desired; an enigma to unravel, prey for the huntress, power to consume. To her, he was worthy.

And as she peer down into the pit, she sensed that she was worthy for him.

We will make something magnificent together...

She approached the edge, legs dangling. Her heart's desire, it was just within reach, all she had to do was jump...

It's not real! Her mind shrieked. Thothaga snapped back, remembering the Collector's, the real one's, warning of mind games. The light illuminated large spikes at the bottom of the pit. She pulled back, disturbed that she almost killed herself like that. However, something else cut deeper. Everything this place showed her, it was a lie. Was this vision a lie too?

"STOP!!" She cried bitterly to the others. "Tis nothing but a cruel lie!" Thothaga snapped away, expressing frustration through her flexing fangs. She wanted the illusion to end already so she could go ahead and claim her stupid prize.

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

Miru followed along in silence, allowing the others to provide light for now and keeping her eyes open for any sign of the next trap. Misfortune strikes in sets of three... she felt like she had overheard that at some point in her life. Whether that was true or not they all needed to be careful in this eldritch land.

After a while of walking they came upon another ledge, one that according to the stone map was safe to jump down. Too much time had passed for her to question it, no point in trying to go back when the path only moved forward. She followed after without a sound, descending into the darkness below.

A surface appeared below her quite suddenly, though by all logic such a landing should have caused pain. The fox lifted a single paw, then another to confirm that all limbs were intact- this was no return of the curse of inability to feel sensations from the outside. Even more confirmation came to view as an unusual scent wafted past her nose. Cooked meat- a rare and delectable treat occasionally scavenged from the remains of fire user's kills. It was coming from further ahead, from a narrow pit that emitted a comforting light.

Other gembound! The pit below, by an amazing turn of fortune, housed a great feast for what were no doubt the noblest members of this realm. Canines and felines and dragons and anomalies of nature all sat around masterfully prepared platters of delightful food. Could it be that this darkness she resided in now was the outer shell of a much more beautiful place of living? Had these sages expelled all the darkness within to the outskirts as a form of protection from the outside world? Were these the individuals who would teach them the art of controlling the wisplight?

The figures below paused and all looked up, their eyes sending out a unified impression of empathy and kindness, of wisdom and dreams. They would hear the plight of the weary travelers with sympathy and welcome them with open arms no doubt.

Wait... all of them gave the same impression? Miru paused in her tracks just as she was ready to look around for a way down. Even in a strange place as this wouldn't it be strange to encounter a group of individuals so alike that their eyes all told the same story? The fox looked at her companions for a second before locking gaze with the residents below one more time.

Though the eyes all still tried to give off the same impression something was off about it now. Instability... loss... separation from that which is beloved... physical harm. Now that she looked even closer the brightly colored eyes were not eyes at all but sharp points attached not to a gathering of noble gembound but deadly stone spires.

In a single instant the spell was broken and Miru scrambled back, horrified as she realized that half the others were as enthralled as she had been a second before.

"The feast is set upon a table of death!" she called out loudly, near panic welling up as even the wild one teetered on the edge. With a feral screech she rushed back and practically screamed in the cat's ear "Do not. Seek. The treasure!"

Though my thoughts are my own
"This is my greatest tool to hone"
Notes: RWQC5P

Everyone was gathering around her and staring into the pit. She looked up and smiled, knowing that they would see them too. The friends in the pit, their smiles and their gentle voices. But as Wilder watched, they acted strangely. Pride said something about all the knowledge in the caves but that wasn't what was down there. There were friends and stories and love! And Shango, what he said made so little sense that Wilder couldn't shake the feeling that it was wrong. Thothaga's cry that it was all lies disturbed her further and she shifted uncomfortably, looking back down into the pit. They were all still there and they were laughing. It looked like so much fun!

The desire to jump in grew stronger and Wilder would have done it if Miru hadn't screamed in her ear. She trusted the fox more then anyone else here and for her to say that, for her to warn so desperately not to jump in, it made her hesitate and think again. Were they real? Was such a dark and evil place even capable of conjuring such a wonderful place?

The hesitation grew into doubt and that was all that was needed to break the spell. A blink and the image was gone. The friends weren't friends but stone spikes sticking cruely from the ground. The kitten's eyes widened and she screamed, scrambling away from the edge of the tunnel. She had almost jumped down there. She had almost killed herself.

Yoosung continued to snarl at the pit, baring his fangs. This was horrying! Surely, surely the others would see through it too? He was not the brighest Gembound, and yet he had seen through it.

He... had no idea what the hybrid meant, but agreed in a growl "Thunder makes noise," even as he looked, first, to the spider (she, thankfully, saw through it), and the fox, who saw through it as well. The kitten scrambled back with a scream, and his glaze flickered to her, "You are okay."

But the stag... the white stag was walking towards the pit. His eyes widened, and he yelped 죄송 해요! as he lunged forward, attempting to sink his teeth into the stag's leg.

I've been on a lonely tripdragging along a lonely shadow