[Cherry Heart] Cave of Lost Treasures

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

 

The Cave of Lost Treasures. A grandiose name for something actually pretty simple. The area it refers to is not far from the city of Prunus, located several hours away, and less than an hour from a small town. It's littered with many different caves, most of which don't go very deep. However people have a tendency to lose items and money in these parts.
There's one cave in particular that has been the source of much problems. It's larger, and very much unexplored by the populace. More and more possessions have gone missing around this area, and some have even reported they are losing things near their homes. The town sent several people to search the cave but none have returned. Which is why they decided to hire mages to search the cave and discover the cause. They promised, in addition to this, that anyone who could map out the cave would get extra gold as a bonus reward, and that they can keep whatever treasures they find inside.

 

 

As the group made their way to the ominous cave that is the location of their quest, they would stumble upon a little girl, only a dozen feet from the entrance, sitting on the ground and sobbing. As they got nearer she would look up and speak through her tears. "E-excuse me, b-but could you help me? I was playing and a mean doggie came and took my toy. T-they went into that cave but mommy told me not to go inside of the caves. I-I know I'm not s'posed to be away from the town b-but I just wanted to explore." She would then begin to sob again, clearly inconsolable.

 

As the group got nearer to the cave they would find that the air felt a little different. The darkness inside foreboding, almost hostile. However there was a quest to do, and people were counting on them.

 

[spoiler=OOC]Okay folks here it is, the quest has begun~ As it says, you are meant to go into the cave and find out why people and things have been going missing. There are two optional sub-quests. One being simply to gather what treasures you can find, and the other to map the cave.
Because of how it's set up, to not make it go too slowly, I'd like if, when there's not much information to go off of, and you can't seem to write a decent amount for a post, for you all to ask what changes your actions will bring, so I can tell you and you can add that information to your post.

To start with, here's a bit of the map you'll be able to see upon entering the cave. The walls seem to be older than any of the other caves in the area, and it's fairly damp inside. There are random trinkets and cheap items sometimes strewn about the floor.

[spoiler=map]

This area goes on for about ten minutes before branching off into two directions.

 

For now, have your characters on the road/reach the cave, react to the kid as you will, and enter if you so choose.

 

[cardgameking]

Solomon was not in a good mood. He had wandered the port for most of the previous night, after signing up for the quest, interviewing random strangers in hope of discovering something. One stranger had professed to know something, but had turned out to be a con man. Unlucky him thought Solomon as I really don't think he'll like working on that ship. Solomon had simply knocked the trickster out, after some more inventive questioning, and handed him over to the shadiest looking captain he could find. A suitable punishment thought Solomon irritably. It had wasted valuable time however, and he was beginning to feel the same about this quest. He had taken it under the impression they were going after some fabled treasure, not random trinkets they didn't even know for sure were down there. That particular though forced Solomon's face into an even darker frown. 

That must be the cave up ahead though Solomon. He gave his companions a quick glance to make sure they were ready. He didn't think much of them: some shy woman he hadn't actually got a proper look at yet, and a freakish giant bee that, knowing his luck, was probably some all powerful alchemical mishap. They were probably talking, but Solomon simply blanked them out and it would seem they had extended the same gesture to him. He focused suddenly on something near the cave- something that glinted red. His face growing grimmer still, Solomon picked up the pace to see what exactly it was with such red hair. 

---

"E-excuse me, b-but could you help me? I was playing and a mean doggie came and took my toy. T-they went into that cave but mommy told me not to go inside of the caves. I-I know I'm not s'posed to be away from the town b-but I just wanted to explore." It turned out the red Solomon was seeing belonged to a young girl's head, who was sobbing on the ground and holding some manner of soft bear. Hadn't there been a bearman at the guild? he wondered, in the back of his mind, wonder what he would make of this. The front of his mind, however, was trying not to remember several other incidents he had had, with crying children, in ruined homes and broken settlements. He briefly considered comforting the distressed child, but he doubted she would be too reassured by his pale face and rotting teeth. So he kept his distance and spoke in the most friendly manner he could, hoping to avoid aggravating the situation. 

"I'm sorry for your, er, loss, child, but you may rest assured we will return your... plaything. Now, could you describe the creature who stole your toy?"

[Mr. Hyde]

---

---

 

Leo was delighted while walking towards their destination.  Along with his other two cohorts, a man clad in armor and the slime girl he met at the opening ceremony, the three made quite the odd pairing.  As they approached nearer to the ominous cave entrance though, Leo's buzzing could be heard dwindling down from it's higher volume to a low hum.  He wasn't scared or anything...but he was anxious.  

 

As they drew even closely to the cavern, sobbing could be heard.  It sounded like that of a small child's.  Leo would be surprised that his assumptions were correct.  

 

"E-excuse me, b-but could you help me? I was playing and a mean doggie came and took my toy. T-they went into that cave but mommy told me not to go inside of the caves. I-I know I'm not s'posed to be away from the town b-but I just wanted to explore." 

 

So it was a beast that was taking treasures from people, and hiding them in it's cavernous home.  That helped calm Leo quite a bit.  

 

"I'm sorry for your, er, loss, child, but you may rest assured we will return your... plaything. Now, could you describe the creature who stole your toy?"

 

The armor-clad individual was the first to speak to the child.  His tone was...decent...but not as pleasant to use at a young human child.  Leo approached the crying girl, and patted her head gently.  

 

"My, you are a brave on aren't you.  But like the big man said...we'll get your toy.  Promise."  He stuck out his bug like hand, and extended the outer of his three fingers.  It would be considered a pinkie promise...among humans of course.  However, now Leo was lost in thought.  The beast must not have been harmful...this child didn't look like they had hands laid upon them..or paws for that matter.  

 

"We'll figure out what it looks like once we get inside.  Let's get a move on!"  Leo hovered into the cave, noticing the glints and dazzles of minor trinkets that littered the floor.  "Whatever this thing is...it likes shiny things."  

[cardgameking]

Solomon felt a bit apprehensive as the bug man took the initiative and went over to comfort the girl. I wonder how much he knows about human customs, he thought Who knows what he would consider calming... or for that matter ero- No, not thinking that.   The bug man, Solomon was pleased to see, soothed her gently before speaking.

"My, you are a brave on aren't you.  But like the big man said...we'll get your toy.  Promise."

While he disliked being called the 'Big Man', it was a good sign that this person had been able to deal with the problem efficiently. It seemed that he had a good grasp of social conventions, unlike the druidess he had ran into at the sign-ups. Solomon, letting the bug man deal with the problem, let himself fade into the background as his companion extended his hand to child, before reassuring her further. Solomon noticed a rather glazed look in the bug man's eyes as he offered his hand. He wondered what could have triggered that. Perhaps he sense something with his magic? Or something more... primal. 

"We'll figure out what it looks like once we get inside.  Let's get a move on! Whatever this thing is...it likes shiny things." 

The child sufficiently comforted, the bug man flew upward about a foot, before peering into the cave. The enthusiasm for the job both pleased and rankled Solomon. On one hand, it indicated a good helping of courage. On the other, charging into enemy territory, like some greenhorn captain from the sticks could only be a bad thing. 

"I believe it may be better to form some sort of plan first. At the very least, know what each other are capable of before having to rely on each other in a fight."

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

The girl almost managed to smile as the two strangers showed her kindness. She even completed the unusual pinky promise the bee made her, as well as pet him a bit, in facination. "The doggie, um...I didn't see it very well. But it was ugly, and scared, and big...and I think it was missing fur. S-sorry I didn't get a good look...But thank you all so much!" As the bee went towards the cave entrance, the girl looked in the distance. Someone else was approaching.

---

 

Gabriel whistled as he entered the guild, Cherry Heart. Well now this was not bad, not bad at all, it almost was worthy of him. It took some sorting out, evidently a day was not what most considered being "fashionably late" but he was soon enough 100% a fully fledged Cherry Heart mage. "You guys just hit the jackpot." He had said with a sly grin, before heading to check out what quests there were to be had.

That's when he noticed a girl...a rather unusual girl. One made of slime. Curiosity got the best of him and he went up to introduce himself. He then learned that she was supposed to go on a quest to check out some caves, but didn't feel confident enough to do so. With a charming smile, Gabriel convinced the girl to stay behind and let him do it instead. "After all, I'm Cherry Heart's most talented, this will be a cakewalk."

 

And so it was he found himself heading towards the aforementioned cave, taking his time despite the fact the rest of the group were already there. He had found his Fulad-Zerah in a similar circumstance, who knows what goodies this cave might hold.

He laughed when he saw the two that would accompany him on this mission. "Oh this should be good. You're the other Cherry Heart mages then? Hilarious, absolutely hilarious. You're damn lucky I decided to take this quest. I'm replacing the slime girl, she had a...ah, change of heart." He looked at the...well he certainly wasn't human, but at least he wasn't a damn bee. "Maybe you can show me something worthwhile, eh? I want to meet someone with talent, think you got what it takes?" He then walked past the two and father into the cave, ignoring the child who was staring at him with a strangely concerned look.

 

"This place is pretty nasty, you feel that? Might be a fun trip after all." He turned back to the other two and put his arm out to the side. In a burst of black flames, his red-bladed sword appeared in his hand. He spun it with a flourish and said, "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's get going already."

[Alaina]

As it had turned out, this quest was in need of a fair bit of assistance. And being the person who noticed this back at the guild hall, Neru and another of the guild had come along with him to go aid. He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to expect from this quest and he wasn't quite sure if making something that was already taken was a good idea for a first quest. Nevertheless, he made his way to the mouth of the cave to see something that was a bit interesting. He had clearly gotten here far later then everyone else, and yet everyone seemed to just be chilling about at the entrance. Well, he supposed they were just getting ready to set out and he had caught them on time. 

 

As he looked around at the group of people he took note of each and everyone one of them. That was to say, a rather odd man, a bee, a little girl and someone who he could already tell was one of those kinds of people. Looking at each of them, he wasn't entirely sure which were or weren't his guildmates. The two males definitely seemed to have an explorer's air about them and so he was fairly confident in them being guild members. The other two... well he supposed it all just depended on who it was that went along with them further into the cave, he supposed. So, he decided that it would be good to at least inform these people of what was going on. With a short wave he said, "yo. I'm Neru, a member of your guild who was sent to aid you in this uh," he gestured with his hand towards the walls, "cave hunt thing."

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

This was it. Basia Yanagizawa had decided that this specific cave would be her one stop before traveling from Prunus city all the way back North where she could return to her mountain shrine for training. She remembered hearing rumors that treasure could be found inside one of these caves. Perhaps Basia could sell whatever treasure she could find when she got to the city that she entered before venturing into Prunus. Not that she needed the money for food or water. Gyhanids always revered themselves as excellent hunters, and Basia was sure as hell no exception. After all, how else would one explain how she survived the long walk? However, there was always the possibility of being able to afford something worth purchasing should Basia be able to sell enough items of treasure... or an item of treasure in particular that was valuable enough.
 
However, just as she reached the outskirts of the cave, Basia encountered an issue. She found a man... and if she recalled correctly, he was the same man that was previously shoveling dirt into the crater she saw in one of Prunus City's streets when she was trying to find the manager of the guild at hand. This would no doubt be a problem later down the track, but at this very moment, concern wasn't on the forefront of Basia's mind.
 
'Oh, it's him again,' Basia mused to herself as she watched in the distance, 'I wonder...'
 
Looking away from what would be a familiar face, Basia turned to see an armor-clad zombie, an Insectoid that had the head of a bee, and a human that seemed to have an aura of arrogance around him. Could these men be of the same guild that Basia was put off her attempt to apply for? And if so, how in the hell did they managed to get over this woman walking around in her lingerie like she owned the place? Basia's first thought was that these men were as dense as anything, which might have fit the zombie in particular if no-one else. Though it was just as possible that the men had applied before this foul woman had even taken office.
 
Deciding that she'd furrowed her brow long enough, Basia approached the group that had gathered.
 
"Greetings. My name is Basia Yanagizawa, and I am a traveler from a distant land," she introduced herself, "Since you'll likely find dangerous monsters inside that cave, I can offer assistance, but you should know that I'm only here because I heard that treasure could be found inside."

[Mr. Hyde]

---

---

 

As Leo started to enter the cave himself, he was interrupted by the abrupt ;augh of a new member of their treasure hunting quest.  

 

"Oh this should be good. You're the other Cherry Heart mages then? Hilarious, absolutely hilarious. You're damn lucky I decided to take this quest. I'm replacing the slime girl, she had a...ah, change of heart.  Maybe you can show me something worthwhile, eh? I want to meet someone with talent, think you got what it takes?" 

 

The man walked into the cave, and Leo buzzed with annoyance.  Surely Leo could show this arrogant man that he was capable enough as a mage.  As a flaming blade appeared in the man's hand, he flinched a little.  He had to give credit where it was due...and that surely was an impressive display.

 

"This place is pretty nasty, you feel that? Might be a fun trip after all.  Well, what are you waiting for? Let's get going already."

 

"Uhm...maybee we shouldn't be getting ahead of ourselves...we don't even know your name....mister..?" He tried to coax the mage into revealing at least that much.  However, before he could answer, two more had appeared from behind them, almost scaring Leo within an inch of his life.

 

 "yo. I'm Neru, a member of your guild who was sent to aid you in this uh, cave hunt thing."

 

"Greetings. My name is Basia Yanagizawa, and I am a traveler from a distant land.  Since you'll likely find dangerous monsters inside that cave, I can offer assistance, but you should know that I'm only here because I heard that treasure could be found inside."

 

My my how the quest had become cluttered.  Leo turned to the newest arrivals and bowed humbly.  

 

"Salutations.  I am Leo Honeybuzz!  And the man next to me is Solomon.  It's a pleasure to have you along."  Leo motioned for them to follow him into the cave, behind the...less pleasant individual.  A fork in the cave was obviously meant to throw pursuers off course and Leo stopped beside the unknown man.  "It seems we'll have to split up if we want to best succeed with the quest."

[Yui]

---

This was the place? Looking at the flier in her hand, then glancing at the cave again...yep, this was the place. Some cave that supposedly housed some treasures. Quite the atmosphere to this place; "dark and foreboding" was certainly a nice welcome mat to keep visitors out. And supposedly something in here was killing whoever entered...perfect. This would make a good early test of strength. And there was a bonus for mapping the place out! Reshifu took that idea into consideration as she stepped into the cave, heading deeper in and hearing a voice after a short bit.

 

"...split up if we want to best succeed with the quest."

 

"What's this about splitting up?" Reshifu asked once in earshot. "Reshifu, from the Jade Islands. I was told back in the guild hall that this quest needed some extra numbers after some circumstances, so now I'm here to help the lot of you out." Reshifu then looked at each of her questmates in turn. The green man looked like he'd been quite literally pulled out from an older era. For the briefest of moments, Reshifu couldn't quite help but wonder if he'd met anyone in the past that was in a similar situation as hers; chosen at birth by the Ancients to undergo some great task for the Jade Islands. Other than him, the only people of note were a little bee and a girl with a wolf's ears and tail. Something about the wolf girl's air didn't sit well with Reshifu.

 

"If we're splitting up," Reshifu eventually decided, pointing at the path on the right side of the fork. "I'll go this way. Anyone who wants to tag along should speak up."

[cardgameking]

"Maybe you can show me something worthwhile, eh? I want to meet someone with talent, think you got what it takes?"

"Reshifu, from the Jade Islands. I was told back in the guild hall that this quest needed some extra numbers after some circumstances, so now I'm here to help the lot of you out."

"Greetings. My name is Basia Yanagizawa, and I am a traveler from a distant land,"

"It seems we'll have to split up if we want to best succeed with the quest."

"yo. I'm Neru, a member of your guild who was sent to aid you"

Well apparently this was now happening. Solomon had just proposed they form some comprehensive attack plan when a whole group of people, all seemingly sent separately, arrived. First there was some arrogant guttersnipe who seemed to think that teleporting weapons was impressive as opposed a waste of energy and possibly time in combat. He was followed by a rather less objectionable man in black, who nonetheless didn't really seem to seize the initiative. Thirdly, their were two white haired girls, both wielding blades. The first was yet another animal person, while the other announced herself from the Jade Islands; and he had a good idea of what her most powerful ability would be, knowing this crazy modern world. To make matters worse the bee, Leo, threw out the idea of splitting up- which was enough to actually make Solomon pause for a moment to ensure that the vein he thought he felt pulsing was just a figment of anger-induced imagination. How was splitting up a good idea? First, did anyone bring ANY mapping equipment? Second, there was supposed to be large amounts of treasure down here. They'd need to be together to obtain it. It was madness! But then again... he was getting an ache in his left shoulder, which was usually his most reliable sign for the presence of powerful magic. He could trust that the one from the Jade Islands would be fairly skilled at combat, if his guess at her identity was correct, and the others were at least holding the weapons the right way. Deciding, uncharacteristically, to throw caution to the wind, Solomon gestured toward the leftmost fork.

"I'm more than willing to lead a group that way." Taking a moment to count the people here, excluding the young girl who had been remarkably quite, he continued. "Groups of three seems most practical. We should try for an equal mix of those with offensive and defensive magics." I really hope this place is not nearly as dangerous as it is made out to be, Solomon though gloomily, because I hate splitting forces like this.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Gabriel raised his eyebrows at the influx of low-tier guild flunkies. "This seems excessive. Guess the Guild Leader wants to let you all witness a skilled mage such as myself in action. Ah, it's such a responsibility he gave me, but one I shall graciously take." He spoke in an exaggerated noble tone, with his hand at his face, as if pushing up imaginary glasses. As he did he threw a wink to one of the new arrivals, the male.

"I'm more than willing to lead a group that way. Groups of three seems most practical. We should try for an equal mix of those with offensive and defensive magics."

"Well aren't you just a delight." Gabriel said. "I think I'll go with this beauty here." He strode towards the right path, flashing a charming, mischievous, smile at Reshifu. "Between the two of us I bet we could clear this place easily, don't you think? Ah, and I suppose I'll grace you with my name. Gabriel, Gabriel Desdem." Gabriel continued on, past the girl, without waiting for anyone else to follow.

 

Several minutes into the trip down the path, he heard a click, and suddenly an axe-blade, hanging from a pendulum, swung rapidly at him. The young man raised his arm with startling reflexes and a chain shot out and wrapped itself around the blade, slowing its decent until it was harmlessly hanging in one spot. "So there are traps, I guess." He called out to the others in a bored tone, before gripping the chain that was seemingly emerging from his skin, and yanking, pulling the blade out of the ceiling.

"And looks like we've got yet another split ahead." Sure enough, as the group traveled farther they would find that there were two directions to go. One that lead straight ahead, and another that seemed to be going south. As Gabriel stood at the crossroads, he, and the rest of the group, felt an odd tugging to go down the south path. It was almost an instinctive feeling that something good was down there. And thus Gabriel began to make his way down the path, suddenly silent.

---

The left path was somewhat more twisting than the other. After several minutes it sharply changed direction, and the path started to get somewhat thinner. The first branch they would come across was a path only wide enough to let people go in single-file. But not far from that spot were two more paths. One continuing north, which was only slightly wider than the previous, and the other going east, which was at least triple the width.

From the thinnest, left, path, there was an odd dripping sound coming from within. The northern path seemed even darker than the rest, while the widest path looked oddly harmless, in contrast.

 

[spoiler=OOC]

Alright so I decided to give some information for you all to decide on your direction. Keep in mind it's possible to check all the paths at once by splitting more, or one after the other. If you want more information on what happens when you go down the paths, and what you see, feel free to ask. Otherwise you can just go in the direction and my next post will give more.

Gabriel isn't focusing much on what's going on, but if your characters to look around you'll notice various markings, around waist-level on a human, with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Small trinkets and some copper pieces can be found lying around.

[spoiler=map]

 

 

[Alaina]

As the other member of the guild that was backing him up came in, there was a third person here as well. The beast girl from earlier at the guild, who seemed to be a bit on the abrasive side before, though willing to help now. Looking around, Neru realized that there were six guild members here, and wondered why this place even needed help in the first place. Probably some kind of error in communication was most likely, since it didn't seem to be that hard of a quest given the requirements. Ah well. Given that they were here, they might as well complete it alongside everyone else. With all introductions out of the way, the group came to the consensus that it would probably be best split up in groups of three to find what whatever it was that was down here. So the option came to which group should he go into. As such, Neru started to try and figure out which direction would be the correct one for him to go down. 

 

[spoiler=Decisions]

Tthe groups that were formed right now were of one person who was practically unknown in strength, and two people who seemed to be more of the brutish fighting side. Knowing that his own skill set was more all round, it didn't quite matter which group he ended up in. In addition, with his own magic being geared more towards the defensive side, it would ultimately be better for him to fit into the group with the most offensive power. Though, given what he figured about the giant bee man his magic would most likely be geared towards the supportive, putting him in exactly the same position. Then there was the wolf girl and given what Neru knew about beast people, which was only stereotypes, she was probably geared more towards the offensive. Furthermore, she seemed to find a lack of professionalism to be distressing, and as the purple haired seemed to completely lack any, she would most likely stay clear of him. Which ultimately meant that both groups would probably be completely evenly distributed in terms of power, no matter which one he or the bee went on. As the choice ultimately didn't matter anymore, Neru knew that in order to figure out which of the two groups he'd choose would come down to which of the two females he'd want to look at for the most amount of time. 

 

Neru had to break things down one feature at a time, starting with the one above all else, the head. Or more specifically, the hair, eyes and facial expression. The only similarity between the two was the red eyes that they had, though even those shared differences between a piercing crimson and  a sort of scarlet gradient. Next there was their hair. Basia's was a rather short and silver color, giving her a more tomboyish aura about her. Meanwhile, Reshifu's was a snow white color that was extremely long, tied into a pony tail. That would usually give her a more feminine and girly appearance to her, however, the most crucial aspect, the face, seemed to change up things for them. Basia had an expression and demeanor about her that would prove as an irresistible temptation to continuously poke fun at her expense, and then relish in the adorable expression as she was embarrassed or annoyed by said poking. Meanwhile Reshifu had the kind of expression of a serious and calm beauty, one that was only bolstered by her hair color and style. She the kind of air about her that would turn a man on if she were to ignore him, not quite unlike that of Lingerie back at the guild hall. Of course, Neru found both to be admirable forces of attraction, though he was more a man of beauty then he was of cuteness. However, another problem lied with their height. While Reshifu had the expression that he found more attractive, Basia was by far taller than her and so the chances for him to see said facial expression were greatly increased.

 

As such, Neru had to move onto working out on the next quality. The part of their body that evoked the most sexual draw. For Basia, it was almost definitely the chest. The two buoyant mounds of flesh that they were, were something of a pleasure to look at for most men in the world, Neru being no exception. They were a modest size, not small enough to be considered flat and not large enough to be obnoxious. Not the perfect size, but one that was enjoyable to view nonetheless. Moving on to Reshifu, her legs were easily her most sexual aspect. Being rather smooth and conveying an elegance that only complemented her already alluring aura. Truly these two were worthy contenders in this rather odd competition of his, but ultimately after careful considerations the winner was obvious. 

 

Though Basia had ample physical assets, the issue was there positioning during this quest. Neru would either be behind or in front of her during the majority of this cavern exploration. Which meant there would hardly be a time where he was facing her, and thus hardly a time he would be able to actually see her front. Furthermore, her choice of apparel was one that, while could be considered attractive under the right circumstances, would not do for his current task. Which then lead to Reshifu. Not only did his position in the group not entirely matter in order to see her bottom half, but her choice of apparel also lent themselves to being incredibly revealing of them, making careful observation all the easier. And so with that, a clear winner was decided. 

 

 

 

After a few seconds of thinking Neru looked in the direction of Reshifu and Gabriel, pointing at them. "I'll be going along with them." With that, he left the wolf girl and the bee to go with the man who already took charge the other direction. Keeping the others in full view as he walked behind them, it had seemed that this cave had no shortages of dangers. Already at the beginning of their journey, the group was immediately assaulted by an axe blade flying down towards them. Though, with it pretty easily disposed of by the braggart, they continued to walk down the hall until Neru felt some sort of tug coming from one of the paths in the crossroads. The path that the braggart started walking down was obviously the correct path for them to go down, and so Neru started to follow, until he realized that the man seemed eerily quiet. He seemed like the type that would proudly declare which way was the correct one before choosing it. Thinking that was a bit odd, Neru was a bit more on edge in his approach, but continued to follow down the path regardless. 

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

Suddenly, Basia was left with only two others. Overall, this was fine by her; she'd wouldn't want to be around some arrogant douchebag that would only piss her off in the long run, and with the familiar face gone, there was no longer a guarantee that Basia's party would bring up that... woman, again. Basia shuddered at the thought of being reminded of the woman's presence. However, the opportunity to "compete" with another female swordsman would've been a nice one, and that particular one was quiet too. Basia liked quiet types; they were much less likely to rub her the wrong way than all the other types. However, she chose not to deal with the arrogant one and the familiar face, and she supposed that would be the price to pay. This just left her with the Insectoid, who'd introduced himself as Leo Honeybuzz, and the zombie, who Leo stated was called Solomon. Interestingly, Solomon seemed to know what he was doing... a rare trait for a zombie to possess.
 
As the three of them traveled down the left path, it had split into another three tunnels, all of which were of varying widths. Basia ventured into the one on the very left in order to get a feel for it... only to note that she'd have trouble moving around. It was a good thing she didn't have abnormally large hips, otherwise they'd be constantly scraping across the walls of this narrow tunnel... and that would add up to hurting like a jabroni. But she wouldn't be able to engage her second form if she felt as though she needed to, and she didn't like her options in combat being removed. Dismayed, she stepped back into the main juncture.

"O...K(?), let's ignore this one completely for now," Basia decided, before pulling out three strands of fur that were getting into her eyes, two of which were exactly the same length and the last of which was significantly shorter, "We may have to split up once again, so I decided we should draw strands of my fur. Whoever draws the shorter strand will go through the tunnel ahead, whilst the other two go down the right-hand one. Does that sound fair?"

[Mr. Hyde]

 

"I'm more than willing to lead a group that way.  Groups of three seems most practical. We should try for an equal mix of those with offensive and defensive magics."

 

Leo couldn't agree more!  Besides, Leo couldn't imagine the thought of traveling with that other pack of...less pleasurable people.  Surely Solomon had the most level head in the entire group.  Since he had been with Solomon in the beginning of the quest, it was only fair that he would see it through the end with him.  With that, the three of them headed down the left path together.  The Zombie, the Bee, and the Wolf.  There formation just kept getting odder and odder by the minute.  

 

The tunnel grew thin, and Leo was embarrassed that his thorax was bumping against the cave walls a little too often.  As the cavern split into three paths, Leo watched as the Basia tried to squeeze her feminine frame into the thinnest of the pitchforked path.  

 

"Bee careful!  We don't want you getting stuck in there!"  Leo seemed to fit into the space as well, but he wasn't confident enough to trek farther in than Basia had.  As soon as she had entered, Basia had returned to the original route.  

 

"O...K(?), let's ignore this one completely for now," 

 

"Probably for the best..." Leo hummed in agreement.  He then watched as the girl had plucked her own fur out and held three strands of it in her hand.  

 

 "We may have to split up once again, so I decided we should draw strands of my fur. Whoever draws the shorter strand will go through the tunnel ahead, whilst the other two go down the right-hand one. Does that sound fair?"

 

"T-that sounds fair enough..."  Hopefully luck would be on his side...he was concerned about heading farther into this mysterious cave by himself.  

[Yui]

---

"I think I'll go with this beauty here. Between the two of us I bet we could clear this place easily, don't you think? Ah, and I suppose I'll grace you with my name. Gabriel, Gabriel Desdem."

 

Gabriel Desdem...by the way he carried himself and how he "graced" Reshifu with his name, she could already tell this was one of those sorts of people Reshifu had been warned about back home. Braggarts who would try to gain sway over her with flattery and tall tales. If that was the case, this Gabriel would someday have to come to the unfortunate realization that Reshifu was the Soul of the North; a vessel to call forth the power of such a mighty creature as the White Boar. It would take far more than slaying some bandits or rescuing some fair maidens to impress somebody of her position.

 

"I'll be going along with them."

 

Don't tell me these boys only want to follow me for my looks, Reshifu mentally groaned, following Gabriel down their chosen path. It wasn't far at all before they'd sprung a trap...one Gabriel didn't seem at all impressed by, judging by his tone. To be fair, a simple blade falling from the ceiling, while generally sort of effective, wasn't all that wonderful of a trap otherwise.

 

"And looks like we've got yet another split ahead."

 

Sure enough, as Gabriel said, it wasn't far at all before the group found themselves at a split once again. They could either go straight ahead or turn south, but Reshifu's instinct was telling her to go south. Something was probably down there, be it treasure or a test of her strength. She continued following behind Gabriel, but soon noticed he wasn't speaking now. That was odd. Even more odd were the markings on the walls. They weren't very high up, but they were there, even if they didn't make much sense. In a way, it reminded her of some of the smarter monsters to be found in her homeland. Odd markings in a cave, a suddenly-silent braggart, her instincts telling her to strongly pick the southern path over the other...

 

"This might turn out to be interesting after all," the Soul of the North quietly grinned. It wasn't impossible that the others might have heard her if they were listening; this wasn't a particularly loud cave, and nobody else was saying anything.

[cardgameking]

Solomon walked behind Leo, as their more lupine companion darted away in front. While he had initially planned to head the expedition, he had been distracted by a scratching at waist-level he had first mistaken for some sort of runic writing. However, after a cursory examination the markings were either part of some insane language or simply random. Due to his brief foray into linguistic archeology, his two... companions had gotten ahead. He kept an eye out for traps similar to the one the guttersnipe had evaded at the start of his path. In a way Solomon found unnervingly ominous, there was no sign of a trap. The path they were walking on had the markings at a consistent level on both sides, and Solomon glanced at them on occasion to check they had suddenly changed.

After a few minutes trooping, the path split in three. The white-haired swordswoman, Basia, darted into one of the paths. While the fact she did this without consulting her companions seemed odd to Solomon, he figured she knew what she was up to and scanned the other two paths. If they continued on their current path, they would enter a noticeably darker path, which could easily be good or bad. The path on the other hand, seemed to have no clear abnormalities, bar the width of it. Of the two, Solomon prefered the route to the right, as the thought of walking single file in a rather narrow and dark space was not a tactically sound one.

As he considered the paths, Basia returned from her foray. "O...K(?), let's ignore this one completely for now," she said. Solomon couldn't help but agree. The path looked too narrow for the insectoid, let alone himself in his armour and with the spear, and he wasn't surprised to hear the bee voice agreement. In a surprisingly nonchalant manner, the swordswoman pulled three fine hairs from her hair.

"We may have to split up once again, so I decided we should draw strands of my fur. Whoever draws the shorter strand will go through the tunnel ahead, whilst the other two go down the right-hand one. Does that sound fair?"

Of all the things she could have suggested, splitting up was by the far the worst in Solomon's opinion. Dividing forces was never wise, and they would be unable to help or warn each other in case of danger. Solomon had to acknowledge though, that it would speed up their mission of mapping and looting the cave... Speaking of which, someone did bring mapping equipment right?! To make matters worse, they were basing it off chance! While he was confident he could look after himself, and Basia hadn't proved unable so far, Leo simply didn't give the impression of being capable of carrying out a solo mission himself. Perhaps the whole hair thing was a tradition where she came from, but it wasn't one Solomon was going to abide by at the moment. He opened his mouth to speak, but was beat to the mark by Leo.

"T-that sounds fair enough..."

The bee's brave words were betrayed by his nervous stammer, and Solomon rolled his eyes inwards. While it was all very well to act brave, there was no point expanding lives without gain. Deciding to take charge, Solomon stepped forward.

"Actually, I think it is a bad idea. Splitting up itself is risky, but acceptable, but do we all have mapping equipment? Also, the marks hear indicate something comes round here fairly often. We may need to stick together to confront head on. In my opinion, if we are to split up, either you or me, Basia, should head down the narrower path while the other goes with Leo and takes the mapping equipment." He hoped Basia would accept his offer, and that whoever journied down the narrow path alone was seen again...

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

"Actually, I think it is a bad idea. Splitting up itself is risky, but acceptable, but do we all have mapping equipment? Also, the marks hear indicate something comes round here fairly often. We may need to stick together to confront head on. In my opinion, if we are to split up, either you or me, Basia, should head down the narrower path while the other goes with Leo and takes the mapping equipment."
 
After some thought, Basia could see the point that Solomon was trying to get across. Even considering the fact that she hadn't been with the other two all that long, she could already tell that Leo wasn't all that confident in himself and would appreciate the support. Still, Solomon having asked for mapping equipment for the second time already was something that Basia found herself shaking her head at. After all, she herself had no intention of returning here, and it wasn't as though the others would need to make repeated trips to and from the cave itself, was it? The only reason why someone would was if they were greedy for money.
 
"Very well then Solomon, since you're the one that made the suggestion, you go with Leo. You're probably more capable of protecting him than I if that should be necessary," Basia stated, ​"Oh, and you two may divvy up whatever mapping equipment you brought if you wish. There's no need to give me any; I can memorize any area that I venture into perfectly fine, and the equipment may slow me down enough to make all the difference."
 

With that, the Gyhanid stared down into the center path and started to venture down it.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

 

The farther Gabriel went down this path the...lighter he felt. The group turned the corner and found themselves in a slightly smaller pathway. It was large enough to comfortably fit each person single-file, but it wasn't very long until they could see an opening. Though, it was strange. Gabriel couldn't make out any kind of details beyond the opening. Nonetheless he, as well as the rest of the group, would feel really happy all of a sudden. They all would feel extremely good about their chosen path.

 

And, for Gabriel, as he walked into the room, this feeling would be rewarded.

 

Gabriel found himself in a warm, bright, kitchen. There was a short and kind woman by the counter, peeling potatoes. At the table was another person, a girl slightly older than Gabriel himself. He paused, unsure what was happening. Then the woman noticed him. "Oh, Gabriel, welcome home. I'm about to prepare food, go sit with your sister and wait, alright?"

Any doubt Gabriel felt suddenly slipped away as he went to the table and sat across from his sister. "Alright mom, just hurry it up will ya, I'm starving."

"Gabriel, be kind to mother, don't be such a brat." The girl, his sister, said in a playfully scolding voice.

"Heh, yeah yeah sorry Trish." Gabriel said, laughing. He relaxed back in the chair, feeling safe and warm in his family home.

 

The rest of the group would find themselves, upon entering the room, in a similar circumstance. However it's always different. Both of them would find themselves in a scene depicting their most happy dreams and wishes. Strangely these scenes feel real to them, despite their previous location.

---

As the group to the north split up, they would find themselves in very different circumstance. To the central path, heading north, the adventurer would find herself in a nearly pitch blackness. One that is unable to be lifted by any conventional means. However they can see enough that they know where they're walking. Halfway through they'd hit a wall, and be forced to go to the left to continue. If they were listening they might hear a low rumbling sound, followed by a pillar slamming down from the ceiling, aiming to crush the girl.

 

The other path was a lot lighter, and wider. It seemed to be fairly well kept, however there seemed to be signs of wild animals having lived there. Animal bones, feces, the like. Not very far in they'd find themselves facing yet another split. Two paths, both going south, break off from the main path. The farther of the two paths seemed about as wide as the main path, and went a fair distance. While the other was extremely short. More of a small cove than anything. The end of which had a pile of leaves and dirt, seeming a nest, where suddenly a creature emerged. A large, scarred, wolf rushed at the pair suddenly. Its face was somewhat mangled and ugly, and it had many patches of fur missing. As soon as the attention was on this wolf, from the other path, another wolf came at the pair as well. The two wolves were large, vicious looking, and out for blood. And the two adventurers were trapped right in between the two paths.

[spoiler=OOC]Okay folks here we go, the first events! The group to the south, explained it mostly. Come up with your character's perfect scene. Any questions on how they'd specifically feel, ask away.

The other group. Stalfos, the pillar coming down is large, about four feet long, and covers the entire width of the path.

And for Hyde and cardgameking, the wolves are, well, wolves, but they're quite strong for wolves. And the second won't attack until you're focused on the first.

[spoiler=map]

 

 

[Alaina]

While Neru was tense walking through this path, that tension seemed to alleviate itself the more he walked forward. His hand, which was inching closer to his sword, was now casually at his side as his entire body seemed to lax up. What was once  a feeling of apprehension and caution as he made his way down the tunnel had turned into one curiosity and wonder. While the path itself seemed to stretch on for a short way, Neru couldn't quite make out what was ahead, beyond the area where this path would dump them out into. While normally this would be a cause for concern, it only continued to feed further into his wonder. And as the route finally gave way, Neru felt almost entirely at peace. 

 

What was around him was no longer a darkened cavern, nor were the two companions he was with anywhere near him. Instead, all that lay before Neru was a vast field of grass, with few trees dotting the scenery. Under one such tree, Neru was resting against it, with nothing but his short sword and a piece of wood in his hands. The sun was out, hanging high in the air, with its light completely unhindered due to the lack of clouds that occupied the sky. The only thing to block the rays of the sun was the shade provided by the tree that Neru was suddenly underneath, creating a nice warm and comfortable climate where he was sitting. The wind swept across the area every now and then, creating a cool, gentle breeze that caused ripples across the plain of grass.

 

As he lied there, Neru had simply brought his blade to the wood and started chipping off pieces of it. He wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to be whittling, but something about it was calming to him and so he continued on. "Neru!" The man's focus was broken for a bit as he looked in the distance to see someone approaching him with a slightly annoyed expression on their face. The person was a woman of slightly above average height, long brown hair and rather loose fitting, baggy clothing. As she finally made her way to him, she bent down, looking into his face saying, "I figured I'd find you here. Come on, we gotta get going soon." 

 

Neru let out a slight chuckle, the girl's expression becoming a bit confused as he did this. "Right right. But," he briefly set down the piece of wood and patted the ground with his hand. "It'd be a shame to waste a day like this, don't you think?"

 

The woman's head briefly dropped in resignation as she let out a sigh, only to stand back up with a grin on her face. "Alright, alright. You win for now." Turning around, she kicked her feet off the ground, letting herself land on the dirt below. Resting her back against Neru's arm, she tilted her head upward to look at his face before saying, "five minutes, and that's it. Got it?"

 

With a slight grin on his face, Neru went back to his whitling as he said, "roger, ma'am."  

[cardgameking]

"Very well then Solomon, since you're the one that made the suggestion, you go with Leo. You're probably more capable of protecting him than I if that should be necessary. Oh, and you two may divvy up whatever mapping equipment you brought if you wish. There's no need to give me any; I can memorize any area that I venture into perfectly fine, and the equipment may slow me down enough to make all the difference."

This decision was perfectly acceptable to Solomon, though he did feel doubtful about the swordswoman's capability to remember everything. If she died, at least mapping equipment would have told them something, in his opinion, other than the incompetence of the corpse. With this rather dark thought, Solomon proceeded to take the lead as he and Leo marched down the broader path.

---

The path Solomon and Leo took was, at first, identical to the previous- as in, with incomprehensible markings, and as Solomon noticed, the occasional trinket. One of which in particular caught Solomon's attention. The object in question was a raggedy child's doll, that looked like it was worn both from constant use and, more recently if Solomon had any skill judging this kind of thing, occasional abuse by a large canine. The question that first came to Solomon's mind was whether this was the doll lost by the girl outside the cave. The second thing, he never quite reached as he became aware of heavy growling ahead. Suppose that is what has been chewing this then he thought, bringing his spear round and getting into a more ready position. The first wolf, a mangled and crazed beast, emerged from a den in the wall. Solomon was initially confident this shouldn't be the hardest fight ever- he'd been hunting wolves with other nobles and knights since childhood- his confidence was put down by the appearance of a second canine, equally scarred. Both animals, going off their expressions, weren't exactly going to sit down and beg for treats. Two ferocious animals would be problematic, as he didn't know if whatever weapon or abilities Leo possessed would be helpful here, and he would prefer if he didn't get jumped by one while skewering the other with his spear. I'm going to need finish this as fast as possible Solomon though. Killing one would probably drive the other off, for fear of itself. As they were, the wolves didn't seem ready for a sudden assault. Mentally readying a simple Attract spell, which his condition metamorphosed into a Repulse spell, Solomon sprang forward without warning. Hopefully, Leo would be able to cover his back and his went for the closest wolf. He was going to feint left first, and use the Repulse spell to slam the wolf onto the wall. Thus injured, it'd easy pickings. If all went to plan...

---

[Yui]

---

Traveling further down this path made Reshifu feel...lighter, somehow. In addition, she and her group would soon find themselves in an even smaller pathway, to an extent where they would have to walk single-file, but it was still a comfortable fit. There was an opening ahead, but she couldn't see it past the Gabriel man in front of her. As she stepped in through the opening, however, none of that seemed to matter to her anymore. For a moment she was confused; unsure what had happened. One moment she was in a cave, right? Now, she was at a place she'd seen but once before. The great City of the Four Winds, located roughly in the center of the Jade Islands, was where she found herself. Reshifu's doubts on the matter faded away soon enough.

 

"Aha, look there she ish now!" somebody she'd never met before happily slurred, approaching her in the company of another man. They seemed quite drunk. "Shoul o' the North, you done good kid! But hey, why'sh a hero missin' out on her own party, yeah? Come on, come on!" Before she knew it, the pair of drunkards were grabbing her arms and pulling her around the corner of a building to reveal a cacophony of lights and sounds. All of it at once was a lot to take in, and were it anyone besides Reshifu, the experience would probably be rather humbling. People were filling the large plaza before her, with stalls and stands set up as far as she could see, selling all kinds of refreshments. Festive lights were hung up, music was playing, and the whole atmosphere had a distinct feel of light-hearted fun and praise.

 

Right, of course, now she remembered. Reshifu was the Soul of the North, destined to fix whatever threat lingered to the well-being of the Jade Islands. And now that she'd completed her mission...seemingly the entire populace of the islands was gathered to celebrate her success. "Get out there, champ!" the elder drunkard happily exclaimed, giving Reshifu a firm slap on the back.

 

"Mingle with the people; thish is your night!" the other one added.

 

"...y-yes, of course." Reshifu said. With a courteous nod toward the drunkards that had located her and brought her to the festival, Reshifu made her way onto the grounds proper. It was just like they'd said; this was her night. Her reward for training since she could walk, setting out on a grand quest for her life since, and ultimately restoring peace to the Jade Islands. Now that it was done with, she could take this night to speak with the people she'd served, have fun, and live out the rest of her days in whatever manner she preferred. It wouldn't take a keen observer at all to tell that Reshifu was smiling as she stepped onto the festival grounds, ready to enjoy a festival that only came once every century to its fullest.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

 
Basia ventured down into the center path... and would, sooner or later, immediately regret her decision. It was pitch black inside, but that wasn't a problem for Basia since she, among all the other Gyhanids, had good night vision which allowed her eyes to cut through the darkness with relative ease. However, just as she turned the corner, her ears piped up, detecting a rumbling sound in the distance. Basia instinctively looked above her, and just in time too; at any second now, one of those pillars would come crashing down, and if she didn't move soon, the pillar would collapse right on top of her and bury her. On the other hand, if Basia were to run forward, the path would be blocked behind her, and she'd risk getting trapped inside for a great length of time if not forever.
 
So she jumped backwards, continuing to back-flip until she was in the clear. As the dust settled, it became obvious that the path that she had been traveling down could no longer be explored. In her rage, Basia withdrew her katana, Starshatterer, and slammed it into the fallen pillar multiple times.
 
"WHAT... THE ACTUAL... HELL??!!" Basia yelled at the top of her lungs; her voice echoed throughout the entire cavern, allowing every other person to hear what she was going to rant next no matter how faint, but she didn't care, "I AM A SAMURAI!! I WAS TAUGHT BY ONE OF THE GREATEST SENSEIS TO EVER LIVE... AND I TOOK TO HIS TEACHINGS LIKE ONE WOULD A GOSPEL!! I... SHOULD NOT BE DEFEATED... BY A funking ROCK!!"
 
Many strikes were made onto the fallen pillar, but they were made in vain. Despite all the scratches, it was no closer to being removed than it was ever going to be since the path had became blocked. All Basia managed to achieve was dulling Starshatterer's blade, which would only make it less effective in the long run.
 
"Tch!" with a scoff, Basia diverted from the center path, and retraced her steps back to where she and the others found the left path. It was only a few seconds ago that she announced that the path should be momentarily ignored, but now all of a sudden she found herself having to back on her word immediately. She could only hope that the left and center paths would connect somewhere down the line, or that this left one would eventually widen on its own.

[Mr. Hyde]

 

Though Leo was not in favor of the idea of the team splitting up, it was already too late to put fourth a discussion.  Both parties had gone their separate ways, and Leo tagged along behind Solomon.  Every teeny tiny sound that echoed throughout the cave's innards made Leo jump into the air out of shock.  Each time, his stinger bursted forth from his thorax, and he quickly retracted it with embarrassment.  

 

"Compared to the hive...this sure is a puzzling maze we've found ourselves in."  Leo couldn't have been more right, as they came to a new split in the path.  A rustle of leaves made Leo jump again, but this time, there would be a bigger sense of fear emanating from him.  A wolf emerged from a small pocket hallway and made it's way towards the pair.  When he turned to face the opposite way, hopefully able to flee the beast, another blocked their way.  

 

"Oh sugar honey iced tea..." A low hum could be heard coming from his wings.

 

The wolves looked to be scarred and tattered.  They had seen their fair share of fighting....if only there could be a peaceful resolution to all of this.  

 

"Uhm...who's a good boy?  Is it you?  Please no more growling!" Leo said trying to coax the wolf he was facing into a better humor.  Sadly, it looked to be of no use...he would have to deter the beasts with his magic.  "Well...I didn't join this guild to lollygag about!  I have to show my own worth as a mage of Cherry Heart!"  With his back against Solomon's, Leo raised his sleeves that were obviously too long for his arms.

 

"Pollen Bombardment!"  

 

Specs of a yellowish powder could be seen ejecting from his sleeves.  Although it looked harmless, and danced in the air between Leo and the Wolf, touching a pollen spore would prove to be problematic, seeing as the pollen would burst and explode upon contact.  The pollen didn't seem to float to the ground either, as it continued to hover in that space.  A pollen minefield...hopefully the wolf had allergies.  

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

 

“And then he decided it would be a good idea to try and jump to grab the cat, from the top of a tree.” Trisha said, in between laughter.
“Oh goodness that boy is becoming even more hard to handle.” Their mother said.
Gabriel chuckled as he stabbed his fork into the food his mom had prepared. They were sitting around the table, amicably talking about the neighbors kid, when Gabriel felt a sharp sting on his neck. When he reached up to touch it, he felt a wetness, but soon after that went away. And his fingers came away dry.
“Something the matter, dear?” His mother asked.
Gabriel shook his head and looked back to the food he was bringing to his mouth. He dropped the fork suddenly, and jumped a bit. There was an odd, disgusting looking, mushroom on it. Red capped and with small tendrils waving around and covering it.
“Gabriel! Clearly something is wrong, tell me now.” His mother demanded.
Gabriel blinked and the mushroom was gone. In its place was the baked potato he had skewered. “Nothing, I just...I dunno, not feeling all that hungry suddenly.” What was that? He was sure something...odd had happened, right?

While Neru whittled away at his wood, he too would feel a sharp sting similar to Gabriel’s, and moments later the wood in his hand would grow damp and moist, and for a brief moment change to resemble the same mushroom, but soon after it would go back to normal, with no hint of anything odd.

Similarly Reshifu would feel the same sting, though she also would feel the wetness trickling down the back of her neck, for a moment. And instead of a potato, or a piece of wood, an entire pile of fruit would change into a pile of mushrooms. It woudn’t be until someone took a bite from the seemingly poisonous food moments later that it would revert back into fruit.

---

The wolf let out a yelp of pain as he was slammed into the wall by Solomon’s magical assault. He shook his large head back and forth, somewhat disoriented. Meanwhile the other one didn’t seem to realize what it was getting into by approaching the bee. For it jumped right into one of the pieces of pollen. It detonated, leaving burns on the wolf as it flew into yet another bit of pollen. The two explosions injured the creature, but also enraged it.
Both it and its companion decided to ignore Solomon for now to instead both leap at Leo, moving with speed and a crazed determination.

Meanwhile, Basia would discover that the path was just as narrow for several more minutes, before it began to widen out. The dripping noise from earlier became clear as she ended up in an oval shaped room where the entire floor was covered in several inches of water. It was difficult to see clearly, and seemed a bit murky, and the only way to tell how deep it was was the suit of armor that lay about halfway inside. It was laying flat but not totally covered, leading to the conclusion that the water wasn't very deep. There was, however, several piles of coins laying around the floor, as well as some other adventuring gear. The dripping came from above, where several stalactites had water coming off of it and into the large puddle.

 

Elsewhere in the cave, creatures stirred, seemingly disturbed by a sudden loud shouting from near the cave's entrance...The denizens of the cave were now fully aware something has entered.

 

[spoiler=map]

 

[Alaina]

As Neru continued to recline back against the track, the girl from before resting on his shoulder, and continued whittling away at the wood. However, he came to a brief pause in his carvings as a sharp pain went through his neck. He was a bit unsure of what had happened, and why it suddenly felt wet, before everything seemed to return back to normal. He was clearly briefly disturbed by this, as the he leaned more forward with a slight jerk, and the woman seemed to slide to the side a bit. Catching herself before she fell to the ground, she looked at Neru with a bit of a quizical face. "Everything alright there?"

 

"Hm?" He absentmindedly responded. The odd feeling had quickly vanished as he looked to the woman and said, "oh. No, it's nothing." She let out a bit of a sigh, and shrugged, going to lie her back against the tree now. Neru decided return back to his carving, though was briefly stopped. His eyes widened as a shock went through his system. It was only for a brief moment, but it was definitely not a sight that Neru would just completely ignore. While it was odd that the once dry wood suddenly felt moist, that was not nearly the oddest part of the shock. While bringing his sword down, the wood briefly turned into some kind of horrific mushroom, tentacles writhing every which way. Neru, without much thinking at all, tossed the mushroom to the side, letting out a deep breath once it was out of his hand. 

 

As he looked back at the thing, he was only more perplexed at the piece of wood that now lay on the ground. There it was, looking as it had been before what he had just seen. No evidence of it being any different from a common piece of wood, other than the clear cuts he had made during his whittling. Even more curious, his hand had felt as dry as it was before. Obviously troubled, the woman looked at him again and said, "are you sure you're feeling okay?"

 

Neru was a bit confused, though he stood up from where he was sitting looking around the vast field. "I think I'm just a bit restless is all. Come on Sepia, it's been five minutes, hasn't it?"

 

"Restless? You?" The woman, going by Sepia, seemed to chuckle a bit at the thought before looking a bit more concerned. "Seriously though, you seem a bit on edge. You should probably sit back and calm down for a bit. Being a few minutes late isn't going to kill anyone."

 

Neru didn't really seem to feel like going back towards the tree. "Please, I'm always punctual," he flatly stated. "Besides, getting to work will probably calm me faster than sitting down. So, shall we go?" Sighing, the woman stood up from her spot, resigning to Neru's attitude. As she started to walk forward, Neru looked around and realized that in this vast empty field, he had no idea where he was actually supposed to be going. However, as he followed Sepia, he could only feel that he was going in the right direction.