The owl hybrid fluffed herself primly. Half-blind gaze was focused forward, though half of her mind, even, was undoubtedly on herself. On how good she was at-... things.

Like seeing, even though her eyes were sheeted in stone; or moving stuff with just her mind. She hardly even noticed the peons around her, probably doing even more work than her. But Azigh's words did register, at least, and she considered them.

Inventors. A bustling city. Creations.

Interesting. Perhaps they could be turned to serve new masters-? Hecate had never flirted with the idea of servants, before, but she had to admit... the idea held an appeal.

Well-... First things first: they had to get there, after all. Another faint twist of her head, and another snobbishly spoken warning; she managed to lace even the single word with flippant arrogance. "Brace." Then another large slab of fallen rock went skidding away--a brief grind and then a low whistle as stone went cascading away.

Hecate ruffled her feathers again, pulling herself up proudly, hiding any sign of just how taxing that had been.

Manticore flapped ahead, squinting against each flash of the orb-lights. It was a fight to keep up with the trolley, try to watch out for things he could help it with, and not get smashed by it.

When his magic failed again to manifest, he let out a furious huff. His inherent chaos, normally tamped down, bubbled to the surface and briefly took him over in a monster's tantrum; he flapped higher, turning toward the tunnel wall and lashing out with talons.

He raked a few scratches on the stone, an angry roar bubbling up from him, but that didn't help his inability to see very well, nor did it help the tram.

Oh, well; maybe next time.

Luckily, the few missed vines on the track were flimsy enough for the wheels to cut through them. But the tunnel still continues on, so Tourmaline can't exactly stop yet.

Even as the magicka enhancing her senses fades away, she does manage to catch sight of a stack of rocks on the rails. With luck, Tourmaline would be able to knock them aside with her magic. Her brow furrows as she focuses, before the stones get shot off into the hotsprings on either side of the tracks.

As they continued to clear the tracks and the trolley rolled along, the view of the derelict, overgrown trolley station bloomed into view. Azigh had done what he could to clear its openings and doorways, but the flickering lights were beyond his expertise. As for the city, he couldn't say, but they would soon find out.

The trolley car creaked to a stop at the large gateway where the tracks continued beneath the giant door; it yet remained closed. It was as tall as the tunnel, bordered by gold and silver metal strips and patterns that raced through its stained but white stoneface, intricate and delicate.

"Beyond this point lies the city of Cassiopeia," he announced, shuffling forward around the trolley to place all of his hands and his front legs braced against the door. "Let us hope it is not in too bad a state of disrepair." With an ethereal grunt, Azigh pushed against the great stone and metal doors, the wheels and gears of their mechanisms groaning against the effort. Normally, they would be opened by turn-wheels inside the station, but he did not know what state they were in and this seemed easier at the moment.

A heavy gust of wind pushed from behind him, his magic lending its aid, and as the doors parted, stale and metallic air rushed through the opening; the shift in air pressure rattled the trolley and rustled his wings. He grimaced at its old and forgotten scent. He pushed now on one door, and the other continued to wrench open as their gears and pulleys worked together.

The trolley began forward without his aid, the power and pull of the city tracks still delightfully intact. As the car passed through the gateway and continued into the city square, he shuffled quietly behind it, taking in the tall metal, stone, and glass buildings, its cobbled streets, and the pop and blink of its lights. Many of the lights lined the streets on tall poles, some hanging off the walls near doorways or down alleyways, and some were elongated or tall signs though many of which were not lit up.

It was a proper city but it was woefully and hauntingly empty.

To be continued in Cassiopeia!

Trolley Snag Check #3 of 3! The trolley reaches its destination, free from the threat of snagging this round because of successful attempts to keep the tracks clear.

The trolley enters Cassiopeia! Your characters are assumed to have "left" this thread if they choose to remain with the party, otherwise feel free to post them taking their leave of the party and venturing off on their own.

@Wilder @Kai (Manticore, Hecate) @Tourmaline @Mossie

Kai watched the city rapidly approach with a strange mixture of excitement and growing trepidation. Something about this place--something undefinable--filled her with a sense of dread. Had she been able to properly qualify the feeling, she might have been able to point out that it was the unnatural structure of it: this wasn't a forest, a field, or even a cave, but towering and claustrophobic sheets of stone carved into the sky, windows that seemed to watch like empty eyes, and shadowed nooks and alleys that her instincts screamed could be hiding predators everywhere.

By the time the tram had stopped, her nerves were cold with fear: a fear she did her best to tamp down. She tried to tell herself that her Prince would need to hear their Knight's report, but... a look past the doors Azigh was forcing open only made her sway with dizzying reluctance. She didn't want to get off the tram.

...But she did, waiting so as not to be the first, following along with a numb, mind-blank fear. She shook her coat out, taking in the scents on the stale air, and tried to evaluate herself: was this fear fading?

The place seemed lifeless, at least. Somehow, that was no better; her fur prickled on end. Haunted, her mind whispered, even though it was only quiet. The flickering lights made her jump, and she shook her head, moving to stick as closely as possible to Azigh.

exit Kai to the next thread, but following on foot

As the tram creaked to an initial halt, Manticore quite clumsily half-stepped, half-tumbled down onto the walkway. At least the space was open, now, rather than a cramped tunnel, though when the tram continued on he'd be just as unable to fit inside. As it was, he looked around and ahead rather indifferently. The place was... pretty, yes. And some part of his Valkhound mind assured him that it would have made a fine hunting ground, were it well-populated with prey or enemies. But as it stood--empty--it was not very interesting to him. Wasted, really, on his relative savagery.

He grunted, shuffling his wings with an embarrassed air, digging claws against unfamiliar smooth stone. "Why is it empty?" he asked at last, plodding heavily along with the two outside the doors.

exit Manticore to the next thread

Hecate remained with the group--and the tram, as it ground to a halt. Her gaze, rather than fear or indifference, was rapt with fascination. Her gaze (half-blind though it was) took in the unfamiliar, towering shapes--shapes that, though she could make out neither details nor color, she could tell were new and strangely uniform. Straight planes and sharp corners slashed their way through this landscape with unnatural certainty.

What did this..? she wondered, excitement thrilling through her.

An unfortunate side-effect of both the exertion and the gemstone at her eyes, however, was the headache now creeping in. A dim throb, she knew (from long and unpleasant familiarity) would intensify, and within a couple hours (were she lucky--sometimes the warning was less) she would need to find a place to sleep it off. Damn it.

She held her place, not even looking back as the doors opened: there was a sort of royal surety there that certainly the tram would continue forward, carrying her to their destination.

exit Hecate to the next thread

Wilder's eyes widened as she took in the sight of the giant metal door before them as the trolley screeched to a stop. Taking advantage of the pause in movement, she leaped out the trolley door and climbed onto the roof to get a better look at the door. It was beautiful - ancient and inlayed with final metal craftsmanship that she'd never seen before. She marvelled at it for a moment, before the door began to swing open under Azigh's strength.

Her claws came out to grip at the trolley (although it did her little good) as she lowered herself down to balance on the roof of the car as they coasted slowly into the empty city, eyes wide with wonder and anticipation. She had never seen a city before, the closest she could think of was Orion, ruined and destroyed homes and buildings left to collect dust. Perhaps this was the same, but Orion didn't have a trolley.

She glanced down at Azigh as they passed through the gate, wondering the same thing as Manticore. "Did something happen? If it was all built so nice, why was it left like this?" Her eyes still held that sparkle as they made their way into the city, her tail thumping excitedly on the roof of the car.

*exit