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+--- Thread: Now Please, Hear What I Hear (/showthread.php?tid=8164)
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Now Please, Hear What I Hear - Ashtoreth - Jun 30 2020
Ashtoreth had spent the last cycle pacing from Canis to Polaris, always drawing close to returning to this place, and in the same breath, always failing to convince herself to take just one more step beyond the door. It wasn't an impossible task laid out before her; she had found out from the rest of the Bonebound that Aure had succeeded in Transcending, and whatever that had entailed. If he could do it, so could she.
The problem wasn't the test in the first place. On a rational level, she knew she was a talented magic user; she used magic almost every day, to speak and fly and to avoid having to chase down rats (sunlight wasn't nearly as tasty, to be fair). So, the magic wouldn't be a problem either.
It was her own crippling self-doubt and worries that gnawed at her, and kept her at a safe distance. If she spent a whole day hardly able to clean the dirt out of her wings, then, shit. How did she actually expect to impress some freak locked behind a billion magical rings? She was more terrified than she would admit that she would fail, and it would simply prove everyone who ever doubted her right. She really didn't want to be right.
She wanted to be wrong, in the most spectacular way. So she walked up to the once-door now turned doorway for the fourth time that week, and sucked in a breath. Today, she felt good. Today... Today she wasn't going to turn back until she had at least spoke to Emuh.
The feathers about her wings rustled, and the air about her vibrated into a perfect, crisp imitation of Emuh (she may have practiced back home, shh) except for her own name, which took on its own musical intonation;
Too late to turn back now.
RE: Now Please, Hear What I Hear - Game Master Dark - Jul 01 2020
The dark shaped thumped down as the last of Ashtoreth's words faded into echoes. Massive claws slowly tightened over the stone underfoot as the glowing green eyes narrowed. What had been a pulsing shimmer of hot air around Emuh changed, after a moment--adjusted from heat to a strange sensation as though wind were constantly shifting around the owl-beast's black form.
"WHO-WHO? YOU--I remember you, and here, eyes narrowed.
Emuh leapt back and away, winging into the gymnasium-sized cave--which seemed to twist and warp at his passage. Suddenly what had been plain rock was turning into tall and crooked spires, deep chasms, and platforms, here and there: treacherous terrain, with much room for falling and failure... at least, if Ashtoreth could not fly. Surely, wings would be an advantage, here-?
A howl began, then: something low and roaring, that switched pitch into a whistling screech. Wind-! Wind sheared along the outcrops, churning through the gullies. Traversing this would be treacherous, at the least. At last the sound died down: but the wind did not, hurtling here and there and occasionally hissing as it brushed a few grains of sand to fall dozens of yards down into the black depths of the pits.
"COME, little thing, TEST YOURSELF!" Emuh crowed--and then began to cackle.
"WHO-WHO? YOU--I remember you, and here, eyes narrowed.
Emuh leapt back and away, winging into the gymnasium-sized cave--which seemed to twist and warp at his passage. Suddenly what had been plain rock was turning into tall and crooked spires, deep chasms, and platforms, here and there: treacherous terrain, with much room for falling and failure... at least, if Ashtoreth could not fly. Surely, wings would be an advantage, here-?
A howl began, then: something low and roaring, that switched pitch into a whistling screech. Wind-! Wind sheared along the outcrops, churning through the gullies. Traversing this would be treacherous, at the least. At last the sound died down: but the wind did not, hurtling here and there and occasionally hissing as it brushed a few grains of sand to fall dozens of yards down into the black depths of the pits.
"COME, little thing, TEST YOURSELF!" Emuh crowed--and then began to cackle.
@Ashtoreth
RE: Now Please, Hear What I Hear - Ashtoreth - Jul 26 2020
Ashtoreth did her best not to flinch as the giagantic owl landed before her, talons a touch too close to her whiskers for her liking. As the heat shifted to wind around them, she managed to raise her head with pride, feeling a thrum of excitement as Emuh recognized her.
She raced after the owl down the dark tunnel until the world seemed to open into a huge chasm, spires and platforms dotting an endless void. Wind roared through her ears, and as she dug her claws into the ledge, she realized this was going to be one serious challenge. While she had wings, they were situated farther back on her body compared to most creatures, leaving her front heavy during flight, and while she could fly, usually it was with the aid of magic.
Her anxieties were forgotten in favor of the blood-pumping adrenaline that filled her veins. It was time to impress. With a leap of faith, she spread her wings, pulling at her magic to push and redirect the wind underneath her wings. She guided herself past sharp cuts of wind that would easily overpower the current she was making to fight it, diving toward the first platform among the dozens.
Was the test to get to the other end of this obstacle course, or something else entirely? She swept her wind around her like a loose shield, redirecting any sharp cutting wind away from her as best she could-- she was small, after all, and one strong gust could sweep her into one of those pillars and down into the void bellow.
RE: Now Please, Hear What I Hear - Game Master Dark - Jul 27 2020
If Ashtoreth looked back now, she would find the exit... gone? Covered by stone, indistinguishable from the rest.
The test had begun.
In the near-quiet, the wind now whispering softly over stone--but with ominous, impossible drops below--a new sound became audible.
It was a twittering, a squeaking, and slowly the ceiling began to spread with darkness--not shadow, but the skittering wings and limbs of dozens of Batcat, Jr's. Ears twitched at very rapid speed, fangs bared as a few snapped at one another. It wasn't clear how they'd gotten here, or even where Emuh had gone, but Ashtoreth was now in a cave of holes and sucking wind and dozens of Batcats, seemingly alone.
One of them sniffed.
As did another.
In seconds they were all smelling, and then their high-pitched supersonic chittering filled the air as they tried to locate their prey by sound alone.
The test had begun.
In the near-quiet, the wind now whispering softly over stone--but with ominous, impossible drops below--a new sound became audible.
It was a twittering, a squeaking, and slowly the ceiling began to spread with darkness--not shadow, but the skittering wings and limbs of dozens of Batcat, Jr's. Ears twitched at very rapid speed, fangs bared as a few snapped at one another. It wasn't clear how they'd gotten here, or even where Emuh had gone, but Ashtoreth was now in a cave of holes and sucking wind and dozens of Batcats, seemingly alone.
One of them sniffed.
As did another.
In seconds they were all smelling, and then their high-pitched supersonic chittering filled the air as they tried to locate their prey by sound alone.
@Ashtoreth
RE: Now Please, Hear What I Hear - Ashtoreth - Aug 29 2020
Ashtoreth slowly looked up, just like a protagonist in a horror movie. Beady black eyes stretched wide, pelt puffing up and feathery quills going stiff.
Okay, yeah, this was going to be quite the test. Her ears twitched as she inched one paw forward on her platform, eyeing the nearby stalagmite that she would make a jump for in just a moment. She didn't want to agitate the whole swarm of inky cat-bat-things... The sound they were making-- they were trying to figure out where she was with that? They had no eyes to see with.
Well, she tensed, and clicked her teeth together again, spreading her wings out behind her. Her feathers ruffled and she twisted the air, and the incoming sound, using air pressure to change the sound to different pitches, volumes, and directions; canceling out some, amplifying others. She did so rather carelessly, putting little effort into trying to stop the sounds entirely and instead making it a jumbled mess as she leapt.
The air filled with the echoed sound of clicks and clatters, her own sound rippling and shifting with the effect, and hopefully enough to keep the batcats confused, rather than... uh, hopefully raining down on her like she was their next meal. She landed on the stalagmite, claws digging into stone and wings sweeping to balance her as she figured out her plan. There hadn't been much direction, but she was pretty sure the test was to avoid the swarm and... maybe find the exit?
RE: Now Please, Hear What I Hear - Game Master Dark - Aug 29 2020
The batcats were certainly momentarily confused: their chattering rose up, screeching at one another, looking this way then that. It might buy time for Ashtoreth to further investigate her surroundings safely.
Emuh's cackle came from somewhere farther in. "Not strong enough..." was all it said, mockingly--and, indeed, the first of the Batcats were already clearing their heads from the sound.
Ashtoreth would need to move fast--or find another way to stop them.
Emuh's cackle came from somewhere farther in. "Not strong enough..." was all it said, mockingly--and, indeed, the first of the Batcats were already clearing their heads from the sound.
Ashtoreth would need to move fast--or find another way to stop them.
@Ashtoreth
RE: Now Please, Hear What I Hear - Ashtoreth - Aug 29 2020
Was that some sort of hint? Ashtoreth's muzzle drew back into a disgruntled sneer; she didn't need the gamefaq's walk-through to figure out Emuh's weird puzzle room. She swung her head this way and that, seeing if she could spot the massive shadow of an owl, but no-- just more rocks and endless void below.
Either way, she was running out of time. If the batcats weren't agitated before, being thrown off by her spell-casting wasn't going to help. She grunted, shuffling up to the point at the top of the stalagmite, and turned her head up toward them.
They wouldn't be able to hear where she was if they were deaf. Emuh wanted strong magic? She'd show it. Wings spread again, and she tensed, ready to bolt. As she gave another flap of her wings, the air
Wasting no time, she pushed off of her perch and took flight, diving further into the room. Just a gut feeling, but she wanted to know what lay at the center of all of this. It had the added benefit of giving her more space to maneuver, theoretically, as long as she didn't run into the dead end of the other side. Last thing she needed was to get swarmed by those clicking abominations.
RE: Now Please, Hear What I Hear - Game Master Dark - Aug 29 2020
The thundrous crack that resonated throughout the cave eclipsed the hiss of pain that came from Emuh's hidden location. It did nothing to hide the agonized screech of the batcats, however, who swept out into the open in panicked streaks of black trajectory, striking walls and, in some cases, careening into the abyss below.
It did nothing, too, to hide the reverberation that came with it: a ringing chime, like some deep gong had been struck. And indeed, if Ashtoreth peered upward, toward the noise that echoed even past the sonic boom's fading, she would find a brassy disc still swinging overhead.
Beyond, however, lay only the crevasses and sweeping winds, and the shadows hidden within each. It seemed she would need to explore further to uncover her goal, here.
1/3
It did nothing, too, to hide the reverberation that came with it: a ringing chime, like some deep gong had been struck. And indeed, if Ashtoreth peered upward, toward the noise that echoed even past the sonic boom's fading, she would find a brassy disc still swinging overhead.
Beyond, however, lay only the crevasses and sweeping winds, and the shadows hidden within each. It seemed she would need to explore further to uncover her goal, here.
@Ashtoreth
RE: Now Please, Hear What I Hear - Ashtoreth - Aug 29 2020
Ashtoreth's ears weren't spared much, the chiming of the gong above still ringing in her ears long after it had faded. She tried not to wince as she saw shapes falling down into the void at the corner of her vision, and instead pressed forward. She wasn't particularly familiar with batcats as a whole, but hurting a swarm of regular old bats to that degree would have made her feel just as bad.
She pressed onward, sweeping and skimming past crevasses and trying to swoop through on helpful winds without running headfirst into ones that would slam her into the walls, pillars, and spikes. She really didn't want to see what was in the void bellow.
Once again, however, she was left somewhat aimless. Keeping her guard up, she tried to keep the air thicker underneath her with her magic while she flapped along. Almost immediately after drawing her magic out to aid in flight, however, she swept into an updraft. The air pressurized, as was her initial intention, but the strong rush of air didn't cushion underneath her. It slammed into her, and with a wheeze she was sent tumbling head over heels through the air, wings thrown out in every which direction.
Well, this wasn't good.
RE: Now Please, Hear What I Hear - Game Master Dark - Aug 30 2020
It was an unfortunate accident--the thud of which prompted a few quiet screeches, a series of clicks, farther back.
A timer had been set ticking by this fall.
On the plus side, however: a distant glint of dusty brass in the distance, high upon the rock wall; and nearby, lower down, a door. Upon this door lay three small, brass seals, and one had sunken in, rotating as if triggered.
Locks, perhaps? It would be up to Ashtoreth to find out.
A timer had been set ticking by this fall.
On the plus side, however: a distant glint of dusty brass in the distance, high upon the rock wall; and nearby, lower down, a door. Upon this door lay three small, brass seals, and one had sunken in, rotating as if triggered.
Locks, perhaps? It would be up to Ashtoreth to find out.
@Ashtoreth