I'm not a Researcher, I'm a Relic!

Heathen

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Survival is awarded to the worthy
[Image: i4Q4Hfy.gif]

There wasn't much that led Heathen here other than a hunch. What did forges and lava have in common? Heat, and lots of it. They had not been here before, but any gembound they had come across along the way heard 'lava' and immediately pointed the way towards Leo. Where else would a blacksmith reside? The Blacksmith, if his hunch was correct. Surely there were others who had taken up the craft in the caves, but others who could have been around as long as the Dreamer? Unlikely.

And so Heathen dumped his metaphorical crown (but not his physical one) and donned a metaphorical detective's cap, stalking through the Underforge of Leo. The remnants of equipment, nothing more than scrap, inspired an idea. An idea within a head always swarming, full to bursting. Heathen was a creature who knew now what he needed, and there was nothing that could stop such determination. Not in their mind, at least, as there was no room for failure in their grand design.

They needed... fodder. Trades. What self-respecting gembound would offer the kind of information he was after for free? He wouldn't. Given the heat, Heathen could only hope that something caught their eye soon. Its humidity almost made it worse than Hydra. He would have to fix that.

"Spoken words!" And thoughts Compared to actions!

OOC Notes:

RE: I'm not a Researcher, I'm a Relic! - Heathen - Jun 30 2024

Heathen

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Survival is awarded to the worthy
[Image: i4Q4Hfy.gif]

I mentioned I wanted to find something quickly didn't I? I am a busy beast. Heathen grumbled mentally, shoving aside rusty scraps that hid nothing beneath. A hiss followed, and then the thumping of angry paw steps towards the next bench. The caves liked to taunt him, he found. They liked to play games with chance, testing his patience, making him wait. He hated to wait.

Heathen approached another promising-looking workbench, a table carved into stone near one of the many trickling lava rivers. Similar piles of rough-looking scrap were scattered about, long-forgotten bits and bobs that were once intricate trims or offcuts from other projects. Some were even just bits of stone that had been chipped off the table, which were quickly discarded into the lava. A slow-moving terror, it was. The only ones it had hurt fell into it, yes? Ah, but he was not a slow-moving terror. He could be slow, of course. He could be quiet. It was dreadfully boring, like the lava, so he returned to his search with little mind to the idea. It was useful, sure, to be stealthy, but it was so much more fun to see the terror as something ran from you. Not that lava would care, he supposed, but it should.

Show it to me, now. Don't be shy. Something pretty for the smith, yes? He did not plead with the caves, Heathen did not plead. He demanded. The cave did not take politely to his demands, this time. He had become too comfortable, they decided, as Heathen swept aside all that they had given him. Perfectly good little bits of metal, waiting to be moulded into something new, something precious, now lost forever to the searing heat of the lava. The caves scolded him the only way they knew how, by giving him just what he asked for. Something valuable, if he could collect it. A lesser blessed with a gemstone, with both eyes trained on his offending paw.

A basilisk.

"Spoken words!" And thoughts Compared to actions!

OOC Notes:

RE: I'm not a Researcher, I'm a Relic! - Game Master Dark - Jul 02 2024

A Basilisk was generally a relaxed sort of creature, tolerating and ignoring nearby Greaters. This one, however, had been startled. It reacted as typical of a venomous predator suddenly frightened for its life: it struck for Heathen's paw, fangs snatching in a blinding leap for purchase.

An injection, if it came, would immediately be painful but quickly build to agonizing: a burning like the hottest peppers had been inserted into his flesh, lasting for potentially hours. He could, of course, avoid being attacked; catlike reflexes were called such for a reason, after all.

But luck was ever a factor.

The serpent, upon lashing out, would at once recoil and attempt to flee. Heathen could also allow himself to be bitten, and instead kill the beast with a single strike of his claws or jaws. It would not be hard, really. Or he could try and dodge, and then attempt to chase the basilisk down.

Either way, there was no visible gemstone: but as any predator of the caves knew, these things could always be internal.

@Heathen

RE: I'm not a Researcher, I'm a Relic! - Heathen - Jul 02 2024

Heathen

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Survival is awarded to the worthy
[Image: i4Q4Hfy.gif]

There was no thought to the action, only instinct as Heathen registered the sight of fangs. It did not know what this creature was, but he was not about to find out by being bitten.

Narrowly avoiding the bite before the creature turned to make a hasty exit, the adrenaline spike shifted to anger. It dared to try and attack, only to run? What a cowardly display of weakness. Maybe he should have taken that bite after all, to bite its head clean off while it was occupied with his paw. Ah, but again, venom. He would rather not have to crystallize. He was here for one reason alone, after all. He could only hope that the caves weren't playing with him, and that the creature would be worth something if he could hit it with something before it got too far.

"Spoken words!" And thoughts Compared to actions!

OOC Notes:

RE: I'm not a Researcher, I'm a Relic! - Heathen - Jul 09 2024

Heathen

____________________________________________

Survival is awarded to the worthy
[Image: i4Q4Hfy.gif]

Heathen wanted to make it hurt and suffer for the caves' attempt at a joke. He wanted to make its own body turn against it, to let it writhe in pain until its only release was the mercy of a swift death. He wanted this, yes, and yet he would not let the caves ruin his chances at a trading token. He saw no stone, not yet, but there was one. He knew it. It just had to be inside. Much like his own mostly internal stone, it had to just be hidden. He could not risk it getting away.

Heathen focused his attention on his new trinket, currently in necklace form, sitting so nicely alongside his gem. He had to move quickly, before the damned thing managed to hide. It was the perfect time to try out this new toy.

"Spoken words!" And thoughts Compared to actions!

OOC Notes:

RE: I'm not a Researcher, I'm a Relic! - Heathen - Jul 09 2024

Heathen

____________________________________________

Survival is awarded to the worthy
[Image: i4Q4Hfy.gif]

A streak of electricity burst forth, either from Heathen or his necklace, he couldn't be sure. The only thing he could be sure of was the tingling of static that made his paws feel numb, and the twitching of the basilisk in front of him. He used the opportunity to catch up, keeping carefully out of bite range. He just needed to make sure it couldn't run away further.

One more, just to be safe. Just to make sure its dead, yes? It would be such a shame to lose it now. Such a shame not to see what lightning does to a lesser. He needed that stone.

"Spoken words!" And thoughts Compared to actions!

OOC Notes:

RE: I'm not a Researcher, I'm a Relic! - Heathen - Jul 09 2024

[Heads up: minor gore at the end]

Heathen

____________________________________________

Survival is awarded to the worthy
[Image: i4Q4Hfy.gif]

"Now that is more like it." He smiled at his prize, the tingling of static and numbness only feeding his ego. Electric. Powerful. He had harnessed the power of lightning with this trinket, and there was no way in hell that it would be pried even out of his cold, dead paws. Not that he would die, of course. He had already conquered death.

His eyes gleamed in the cave light as he watched the basilisk twitch, once, twice, and then stop. Death was such a powerful thing to control. To take something's life was such a permanent thing. The end and the beginning... Maybe he would some day find a stone worthy of reviving, if only to see what would one day become of it. To see what lengths it would go to, all for the sake of 'family'.

Ah, but that was such a distant thought. Now, they only needed a stone for one thing.

A single, careful claw dissected the snake from head to tail, laying it bare to the world. He tried to ignore the growing roar of hunger at the smell of blood in favour of his task. Now, where was it?

"Spoken words!" And thoughts Compared to actions!

OOC Notes:

RE: I'm not a Researcher, I'm a Relic! - Game Master Dark - Jul 10 2024

Within the now-deceased reptilian beast lay a stone: a tiny ruby heart, its magic pulsing now ended. It was beautiful, in a way--at least, it would be, once all the blood was cleaned from it: perfectly-formed, all those tiny arteries and veins starting their branching outward before being taken over by true, living flesh.

It was only faintly translucent, a sheen shining through it when it was held up to the light.

this stone was rolled on the initial encounter! And kept hidden by crafty GMs

@Heathen

RE: I'm not a Researcher, I'm a Relic! - Heathen - Jul 11 2024

Heathen
I wanna be the Messiah, Pariah
The one who never dies

It's a little small, don't you think? He scolded the caves with a huff, but took the prize with neat cuts and a gentle pull anyway. Better than nothing. Heathen used the meat to fill his stomach, removing the head first and batting it away carefully, just in case.

Once he was finished, the leopard focused back on the task at hand, ruby held awkwardly under his tongue. Not the best way to carry it, sure, but he didn't really have another choice. It helped, in this case, that the gem was so small. His eyes scanned the surroundings quickly, the efficiency of a hunter's gaze picking up the occasional skitter of a lesser but not much else. Odd, that the blacksmith would not be here. It seemed such an obvious place to find the gembound.

Heathen continued forward, passing by more tables and benches and scattered tools, most unusable after going cycles without maintenance. He paid less attention to them now that he had a token, but he still kept a lazy eye out for anything interesting. Movement, mostly, as he progressed towards the volcano.

"Hello?" He called into the emptiness, prepared to meet the one who once shackled the Dreamer.

Notes: Table update in the middle of a thread? Couldn't be me!
All hail GM craftiness!

RE: I'm not a Researcher, I'm a Relic! - Game Master Dark - Jul 12 2024

The Blacksmith was not here. He wasn't, not always; he spent much of his time not in the Underforge but the workshop up above. That wasn't to say he didn't visit here--but the one who visited here more often was actually his brother.

The Collector didn't know if this one was looking for him. He knew that he was kicked back, leaning on an old anvil, his back to the pleasant warmth of a lava flow. One hoof was crossed over the other, his horned head tilted downward with the flop of a hood covering his face. Gray, hairy hands tipped with black claws were spread on the anvil to hold him upright, and his tail was draped around one calf, its hair visible beneath the cloak's rim.

His glance up at the voice was followed by a mild shift in demeanor: he pushed upright, turning toward Heathen with a tilt of his head. "Now isn't this interesting," he crooned, studying the leopard. "What an impressive predator to find stalking this abandoned place. Truly... you are pristine." Heathen hadn't called out a name, yet; he didn't know for whom the leopard might be searching. But his interest was piqued. "Tell me, are you here in search of power?" he asked, glancing around.

His tone of voice was faintly mocking: not of Heathen but, as his gaze swept over all the broken implements and rusted tools, clearly of this place.

@Heathen