Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
X nodded and slowly made his way over, trying not to seem a threat. "Those are edible? I didn't know that." They sat near the feline and extended their hand. "I'm X, by the way. What's your name?"
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Taking X's hand, Savannah introduced herself. "Savannah, sorry if I scared you earlier." Looking at the others, Savannah asked. "Who are they?"
Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
X shrugged. "Eh, they're just some people I ran into, they killed a huge slime and all these smaller slimes exploded from it." His eyes were wide as he remembered being pursued by the monster. They shook their head. "Anyways, have you been into the city yet? I have no idea how to interact with the commoners of this world."
"I don't care much for civilization. I have a tendency to leave a bad impression wherever I go." As she explained, Savannah licked her claws. "I much prefer staying out in the wild, living on the edge. If I happen to meet a cute girl with similar taste to myself, I'd definitely consider myself lucky."
Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
"Heh, sounds cool." X grinned. "Now that you mention staying in the wild, though, I should probably tell you something about me. I haven't really spoken to anyone since I got here, and I've just had this primal energy flowing through me every time I get angry or defensive. Do you know anything about this?"
"Like acting entirely on instinct, no higher thought or morality to interfere with whatever you happen to be doing?" By now, Savannah had begun nonchalantly licking her arm, demonstrating what she was talking about to X.
Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
"Kind of. Sometimes it happens without thinking, like running on fours, and sometimes I have the conscience to withhold the instinct." X tried forming what he was talking about in the air with gestures but could only make out a few waves. "Do you get what I'm talking about though?" They looked back over at Savannah, head tilted.
"Believe me, I know exactly what you're talking about." Combing through the fur on her face with her claws, Savannah continued. "To be honest, it doesn't inconvenience me in any way since I was able to survive this long. The only thing that sets my feline side on edge at the moment is the scent of two other felinoids in the area."
Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
X blinked and lowered his voice. "Wait, really? There's more than just the four of us in this vicinity?" He looked around a bit. They were suddenly alert, their ears flicking to any stray sounds. "Sorry, instinct again." He scratched the left side of his head with his foot. "I'm not sure why but I feel more primal around you, maybe it's a shared adrenaline thing?" X immediately backed off again. "Sorry-"
"Like I said, I'm not into guys so don't be getting any ideas." Savannah then looked in the direction of the scents she mentioned and continued. "Also the two I mentioned are actually located deeper into the forest. From what I can tell."
Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
"Not what I meant. Really bad at communicating. What I meant was basically the fact that you have the same instincts which made me feel more comfortable or something. Besides that, alright. I hope they aren't hostile." X knew that they probably should stop talking at this point, so they did.
"He-- I-- y- yeah,,," Raven stuttered, choking back tears and furiously blinking up at Hecthor as he hurried over to offer her a hand. The dogs were stunned into silence when the slime king exploded, hearing the single loudest thing they had ever experienced in their short, incorporeal lifetime, and were now cautiously sniffing at the jelly drops that had scattered everywhere. Raven got to her feet, coughed once, smoothed out her hair and shirt with one fluid motion and was okay, fear and uncertainty back within check. Her heart rate was still racing, but her now stony exterior betrayed none of it.
"That was... quite something. Thank you for saving me," She arched her eyebrows at the end of the statement, giving Hecthor a grateful but straight-faced nod, as though she didn't quite know how she should feel about it. It was almost awkward, her suppressed gratitude, and she coughed again, trying to hurry onwards. "Better get collecting, looks like we'll be back in the tavern in time for that special drink after all,"
"That was... quite something. Thank you for saving me," She arched her eyebrows at the end of the statement, giving Hecthor a grateful but straight-faced nod, as though she didn't quite know how she should feel about it. It was almost awkward, her suppressed gratitude, and she coughed again, trying to hurry onwards. "Better get collecting, looks like we'll be back in the tavern in time for that special drink after all,"
Hecthor
"Alright, let's go turn these babies into potions. Speaking of babies, is breeding for us even possible in this world?" Hecthor said out loud, more so talking to himself, but an answer would be appreciated. "So Raven, how about we head back, then I go turn these into gold and you prepare that one special drink. Dinner is on me, we need to celebrate this victory and my fancy new power. Did you see it? I can basically control lightning, but I don't know how. Oh and watch out for dogs, some were jumping around during the fight, besides yours."
He walked with Raven out of the forest and to the safety of the village, making sure she was okay before taking off on his quest. He went to new vendors this time, trying to avoid the shopkeeper who seemed to want a stable relationship with the horned individual. He couldn't though, life was giving him a second chance in this world and he was going to take it. He knew these people needed entertainment, and he could provide that to them. But first, he needed to learn about the world and maybe that was his next step. After walking around thinking and selling the drops, Hecthor made his way back to the tavern.
"Next round is on me!" He called out as he walked in and tossed a couple of coins to the bar as he took his sit. "Ready for more adventure Raven, if we found a big Slime, we can maybe find an equivalent to a wolf or goblin, of course first we need to get better armor and weapons, maybe polish our skills. Whadda you think?"
"Alright, let's go turn these babies into potions. Speaking of babies, is breeding for us even possible in this world?" Hecthor said out loud, more so talking to himself, but an answer would be appreciated. "So Raven, how about we head back, then I go turn these into gold and you prepare that one special drink. Dinner is on me, we need to celebrate this victory and my fancy new power. Did you see it? I can basically control lightning, but I don't know how. Oh and watch out for dogs, some were jumping around during the fight, besides yours."
He walked with Raven out of the forest and to the safety of the village, making sure she was okay before taking off on his quest. He went to new vendors this time, trying to avoid the shopkeeper who seemed to want a stable relationship with the horned individual. He couldn't though, life was giving him a second chance in this world and he was going to take it. He knew these people needed entertainment, and he could provide that to them. But first, he needed to learn about the world and maybe that was his next step. After walking around thinking and selling the drops, Hecthor made his way back to the tavern.
"Next round is on me!" He called out as he walked in and tossed a couple of coins to the bar as he took his sit. "Ready for more adventure Raven, if we found a big Slime, we can maybe find an equivalent to a wolf or goblin, of course first we need to get better armor and weapons, maybe polish our skills. Whadda you think?"
Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
X decided that shortly after shutting up he would move elsewhere, since he felt he could not continue the conversation. They moved towards a farm-like land of flat plains, discovering a small shack in the distance. Finding refuge in an abandoned fox-hole, X slept soundly for the first time in what felt like ages.
Raven was happy to let the archer take the lead again, both in the way out of the forest as well as striking up a conversation, which he effortlessly carried alone, like the other roleplays he's in. A few of his questions got an eyebrow arch out of her, but to err on the side of caution, she hmm'd and haa'd through most of them, politely congratulating him on his newfound power and straight up ignoring the babies question. What was the man up to when they weren't adventuring together? She was afraid to find out, at this point. Either way, she was gratefully dropped off safely at the tavern, pups in one piece, and she hurried to uncork the alcohol she'd set to ferment - the distilling equipment was all set up and thankfully the brothers had only looked at it curiously, deciding to not actually disturb whatever the strange Dreamer girl was up to these days.
She made a point to have a hot dinner ready when Hecthor arrived, having finished his other business - no way was she letting him pay after she very literally owed her and her dogs' lives to him - and set down a small cup of the alcohol. Hecthor was a big drinker, sure, and she wanted to get his unbiased opinion on her finest creation yet. She sat down with her own plate, ignoring the dogs begging for scraps at her feet. "Big wolves and goblins? They seem likely, yes. I've heard there's a tribe of gnolls off to the west, and I feel like the cave off to the southeast would definitely have atleast a few kobolds. They're... significantly more dangerous than slimes, though," Raven bit her lip, remembering how the adversity rose tremendously, even with mere slimes, the minute they got overwhelmed with numbers. Humanoid monsters like goblins and gnolls were known for teamwork along with banding in groups or tribes to stay safe. She idly pushed her food around the plate, deep in thought, watching Hecthor for his reaction. If he was deadset on this path, she would support him in it - she glanced down. If she was to do that, she had to get better at, well, everything. Much better.
(Time skip?)
She made a point to have a hot dinner ready when Hecthor arrived, having finished his other business - no way was she letting him pay after she very literally owed her and her dogs' lives to him - and set down a small cup of the alcohol. Hecthor was a big drinker, sure, and she wanted to get his unbiased opinion on her finest creation yet. She sat down with her own plate, ignoring the dogs begging for scraps at her feet. "Big wolves and goblins? They seem likely, yes. I've heard there's a tribe of gnolls off to the west, and I feel like the cave off to the southeast would definitely have atleast a few kobolds. They're... significantly more dangerous than slimes, though," Raven bit her lip, remembering how the adversity rose tremendously, even with mere slimes, the minute they got overwhelmed with numbers. Humanoid monsters like goblins and gnolls were known for teamwork along with banding in groups or tribes to stay safe. She idly pushed her food around the plate, deep in thought, watching Hecthor for his reaction. If he was deadset on this path, she would support him in it - she glanced down. If she was to do that, she had to get better at, well, everything. Much better.
(Time skip?)
Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
Six months later...
X stretches on the rafters of that old abandoned shack, looking up at a sort of a tarp patched on the old roof to prevent rain from getting in a lot. "Hey, Zance, what should we do today?" He rolls over, jumping onto the dirt floor and facing his large reptilian comrade. The bulky alienoid crouched and stretched their bones and huffed. "Eh, we might hunt some'n in the caves off to the east." X's ears twitched. "The caves...?"
Zance's left four eyes blinked in succession, then squinted at the hybrid. "Or we could go into the city, risk bein' killed." X sighed. "Fine, just let me get my gear.." Hopping back up into the rafter with a small electric pulse radiating from their feet, X grabbed the iron shoulder pads and shin guards that he had salvaged from an enemy force a few weeks prior.
Zance simply shook the dust off from themselves. "Alright, kid, let's head out."
(real quick Zance is just a character I already have but here is a picture of what they look like)
X stretches on the rafters of that old abandoned shack, looking up at a sort of a tarp patched on the old roof to prevent rain from getting in a lot. "Hey, Zance, what should we do today?" He rolls over, jumping onto the dirt floor and facing his large reptilian comrade. The bulky alienoid crouched and stretched their bones and huffed. "Eh, we might hunt some'n in the caves off to the east." X's ears twitched. "The caves...?"
Zance's left four eyes blinked in succession, then squinted at the hybrid. "Or we could go into the city, risk bein' killed." X sighed. "Fine, just let me get my gear.." Hopping back up into the rafter with a small electric pulse radiating from their feet, X grabbed the iron shoulder pads and shin guards that he had salvaged from an enemy force a few weeks prior.
Zance simply shook the dust off from themselves. "Alright, kid, let's head out."
(real quick Zance is just a character I already have but here is a picture of what they look like)
Six months after
After becoming more known in the community as a local business man, adventurer and reason for divorce, Hecthor was mainly focused on what was next. The slime and fur business was steady, allowing the dreamer to have a good life. He constantly visited Raven, using his money to buy rounds for everyone, improve the ladies and get angry stares from some. Yet he didn't fear for his safety, word had gotten around that he was able to shoot lighting bolts with his bow and he didn't deny it.
His bow skills were pretty great, his basic attacks were quick and accurate and although it was a lighting bolt, he was able to charge an arrow with electricity before shooting it. His skills weren't thet great but for some reason a rumor had spread that they were and again, he didn't deny it.
"Raven!" He burst into the tavern, throwing a few coins towards the bar, "What you cooking up today? Whatever it is, make it two."
"Whoa this place is like so cool!" A high pitch voice followed after Hecthor. A girl who seemed to have based her character on the popular Harley Quinn but with fox ears and a tail, was wrapped around the horned man's arm. "Do they have apple martinis here?"
Hecthor laughed, "Even better, Raven makes the best everything."
The blonde girl followed Hecthor's eyes and met Raven, a look of rivalry took over her face. "Oh you're just being nice." She said, rubbing up against Hecthor's side. "So when are we going on this great adventure you mentioned? I'm bored."
Hecthor laughed and leaned on the bar. "Can't go without my business partner, right Raven?"
After becoming more known in the community as a local business man, adventurer and reason for divorce, Hecthor was mainly focused on what was next. The slime and fur business was steady, allowing the dreamer to have a good life. He constantly visited Raven, using his money to buy rounds for everyone, improve the ladies and get angry stares from some. Yet he didn't fear for his safety, word had gotten around that he was able to shoot lighting bolts with his bow and he didn't deny it.
His bow skills were pretty great, his basic attacks were quick and accurate and although it was a lighting bolt, he was able to charge an arrow with electricity before shooting it. His skills weren't thet great but for some reason a rumor had spread that they were and again, he didn't deny it.
"Raven!" He burst into the tavern, throwing a few coins towards the bar, "What you cooking up today? Whatever it is, make it two."
"Whoa this place is like so cool!" A high pitch voice followed after Hecthor. A girl who seemed to have based her character on the popular Harley Quinn but with fox ears and a tail, was wrapped around the horned man's arm. "Do they have apple martinis here?"
Hecthor laughed, "Even better, Raven makes the best everything."
The blonde girl followed Hecthor's eyes and met Raven, a look of rivalry took over her face. "Oh you're just being nice." She said, rubbing up against Hecthor's side. "So when are we going on this great adventure you mentioned? I'm bored."
Hecthor laughed and leaned on the bar. "Can't go without my business partner, right Raven?"
Six months.
Six months had passed, life had carried on almost as though Raven had never gone missing from her original world. As though the last memory she had before this world wasn't playing cards with her friends. Her friends... she wondered how they were doing, as she sat in her new surroundings, peeling potatoes. Six months since her last adventure, or as she not-so-fondly remembered it, her near-death experience when she went slime hunting with Hecthor. That was the closest she'd felt to shattering the veil cast upon her and this world. She was close to the truth - about what really happened after you 'died' in this videogame-esque world. And yet a human can grow used to anything - with each passing day, this world became her new normal. Hunting slimes and boars for meat seemed like an every day chore, learning magic at the library seemed like what any student would do, brewing potions and exchanging them for tiny golden coins seemed like the reasonable and usual thing to do. The human mind is startlingly tenacious - if she even was human, anymore. There had been a smattering of new feather growths on her shoulders--
A familiar face burst through the door just as she got up from her perch to open the icebox. An even more familiar loud voice wafted through, attracting a few tired glances from Ra'ed and slightly more amused ones from Ra'geb. The brothers had begrudgingly accepted the presence of the troublemaker horned elf, even though he was giving the bar quite a reputation by stirring up his usual homewrecking tendencies. Raven had found him loud and frighteningly social at times, but over time, his infectious humor had rubbed off on her and she'd learnt to take things less seriously. She'd even started laughing at a questionably shaped vegetable right in front of Ra'shoud the other day, who'd raised an eyebrow at it, but carried on without question. On this note, she'd been getting along better and better with the rambunctious energetic man, who seemed all too keen on reciprocating by frequenting the taverns and singlehandedly driving up the brothers' alcohol sales. In turn, he was slowly getting turned into a guinea pig for all her culinary adventures, which were slowly getting more and more experimental.
Raven had grown used to seeing a new girl attached to him every time he swung by, and this time was no exception. A pretty little thing was wrapped around his arm, with a swishing tail and perky ears. Raven politely met the girls challenging gaze and welcomed her in as she would any other customer - the matter of fact being, she and her simply weren't competing for the same spot in Hecthor's little menagerie. Thankfully the girl seemed more focused on warming up Hecthor's side than participating in any other pleasantries, and ignored her altogether, and Raven followed up on it by ignoring her from thereon.
"Hec, perfect timing, look what just finished setting," Raven grinned as she brought over a small wooden bowl full of a white substance. It was the same bowl she pulled from the icebox and was full of what looked like liquid, shiny and glossy, but it didn't slosh around in its bowl like any liquid would. Raven procured a plate and skillfully flipped the bowl onto the flat plate, giving it a couple of firm thumps before separating the two vessels, revealing a perfectly semicircular mound of white jelly. She gleefully pressed on two little sesame seeds and behold, a tiny little jelly that looked like a little white slime.
"Isn't it cool? First batch of vanilla milk pudding, from the batch of gelatin I showed you last week," Raven proudly presented the plate to the man, drizzling the jelly with a helping of honey. With another polite smile at the girl, she turned away to start cutting up some apples for the aforementioned apple martini. Just in time, the two menaces, Knife and Fork, stalked through the kitchen, eliciting some annoyed grunts from Ra'ed.
The two brats had grown tremendously, both in terms of size and strength as well as intelligence. It seemed that summoned magical creatures didn't age like normal creatures did - their knowledge seemed to compound on top of her own, and so they had grown exponentially. They had also far outgrown Raven's perception of what a dog was supposed to grow to, and she had been doubting for a while if they really were dogs or some kind of freaky horse with extra fur. The bigger of the two siblings already reached her waist by his shoulder, and was annoyingly enough, tall enough to sneak things off the table when she was cooking. The smaller of the two was far more dog-like in expectations, and made up for her stature by being quite the speedy little nuisance. When she had first begun their serious training in the slime fields, they'd quickly arranged themselves in appropriate roles - Bread was the bigger juggernaut, the brute who bullied slimes by sheer weight, and Butter was the smaller assistant who was happy to play fetch with the little slime drops, and to occasionally snap at any slime that looked too difficult for her brother to handle alone. Remarkably however, the female was the more aggressive of the two when it came to defending Raven - once a customer had yelled at her and slammed his plate down, breaking the entire thing and showering her with food. He was on the floor and the canine-demons were at his throat quicker than Ra'ed could hurry to the counter. The Stagnant was banned from the tavern and Raven had been given the day off to unwind, and while Bread spent the entire day patrolling the tavern and guarding her door, Butter had hardly left Raven's side.
They'd also begun pulling their weight in terms of the strict training Raven expected of them - they were quick learners, and Raven ever so eager to keep pushing them to improve. Already they were experts at sniffing out rare herbs, would chase prey for miles before bringing it down and back to the plains for Raven to cart back, and even learnt how to herd for the one time Ra'shoud had needed her to gather some sheep. The sheep... were not Ra'shoud's, and she wasn't quite sure what the old witch needed them for - she never even looked at them, let alone take any wool or any other components for magic. Regardless, a job was a job and Raven followed unquestioningly. They'd grown fond of the crochety old woman and always greeted her in the morning with panting smiles and wagging tails, and she in turn would grumpily pat them and complain loudly when the massive wolf-dogs would block her path by lying around where they shouldn't.
"Ah, Hec, watch out, the do-"
But for some odd reason, the number one in their eyes was unfailingly and always - Hecthor. Raven's warning came too late - even now, they came bounding out in huge strides to greet the man - the smaller Shine skittered around the side of the table to welcome him but the bold Rain took a mighty leap clear over the counter to unceremoniously crash into the man in their typical greeting - the boys played rough and Raven was always worried one would end up bitten (she wasn't sure which one since Hecthor seemed more willing to bite the dog than the other way around). The girl raised her eyebrows high, shielding her delicate dessert from the boisterous dog and with a little gesture, cast one of the simpler spells she'd learnt lately - a spectral hand appeared and continued chopping the apples as though the knife was still controlled by her hands.
Six months had passed, life had carried on almost as though Raven had never gone missing from her original world. As though the last memory she had before this world wasn't playing cards with her friends. Her friends... she wondered how they were doing, as she sat in her new surroundings, peeling potatoes. Six months since her last adventure, or as she not-so-fondly remembered it, her near-death experience when she went slime hunting with Hecthor. That was the closest she'd felt to shattering the veil cast upon her and this world. She was close to the truth - about what really happened after you 'died' in this videogame-esque world. And yet a human can grow used to anything - with each passing day, this world became her new normal. Hunting slimes and boars for meat seemed like an every day chore, learning magic at the library seemed like what any student would do, brewing potions and exchanging them for tiny golden coins seemed like the reasonable and usual thing to do. The human mind is startlingly tenacious - if she even was human, anymore. There had been a smattering of new feather growths on her shoulders--
A familiar face burst through the door just as she got up from her perch to open the icebox. An even more familiar loud voice wafted through, attracting a few tired glances from Ra'ed and slightly more amused ones from Ra'geb. The brothers had begrudgingly accepted the presence of the troublemaker horned elf, even though he was giving the bar quite a reputation by stirring up his usual homewrecking tendencies. Raven had found him loud and frighteningly social at times, but over time, his infectious humor had rubbed off on her and she'd learnt to take things less seriously. She'd even started laughing at a questionably shaped vegetable right in front of Ra'shoud the other day, who'd raised an eyebrow at it, but carried on without question. On this note, she'd been getting along better and better with the rambunctious energetic man, who seemed all too keen on reciprocating by frequenting the taverns and singlehandedly driving up the brothers' alcohol sales. In turn, he was slowly getting turned into a guinea pig for all her culinary adventures, which were slowly getting more and more experimental.
Raven had grown used to seeing a new girl attached to him every time he swung by, and this time was no exception. A pretty little thing was wrapped around his arm, with a swishing tail and perky ears. Raven politely met the girls challenging gaze and welcomed her in as she would any other customer - the matter of fact being, she and her simply weren't competing for the same spot in Hecthor's little menagerie. Thankfully the girl seemed more focused on warming up Hecthor's side than participating in any other pleasantries, and ignored her altogether, and Raven followed up on it by ignoring her from thereon.
"Hec, perfect timing, look what just finished setting," Raven grinned as she brought over a small wooden bowl full of a white substance. It was the same bowl she pulled from the icebox and was full of what looked like liquid, shiny and glossy, but it didn't slosh around in its bowl like any liquid would. Raven procured a plate and skillfully flipped the bowl onto the flat plate, giving it a couple of firm thumps before separating the two vessels, revealing a perfectly semicircular mound of white jelly. She gleefully pressed on two little sesame seeds and behold, a tiny little jelly that looked like a little white slime.
"Isn't it cool? First batch of vanilla milk pudding, from the batch of gelatin I showed you last week," Raven proudly presented the plate to the man, drizzling the jelly with a helping of honey. With another polite smile at the girl, she turned away to start cutting up some apples for the aforementioned apple martini. Just in time, the two menaces, Knife and Fork, stalked through the kitchen, eliciting some annoyed grunts from Ra'ed.
The two brats had grown tremendously, both in terms of size and strength as well as intelligence. It seemed that summoned magical creatures didn't age like normal creatures did - their knowledge seemed to compound on top of her own, and so they had grown exponentially. They had also far outgrown Raven's perception of what a dog was supposed to grow to, and she had been doubting for a while if they really were dogs or some kind of freaky horse with extra fur. The bigger of the two siblings already reached her waist by his shoulder, and was annoyingly enough, tall enough to sneak things off the table when she was cooking. The smaller of the two was far more dog-like in expectations, and made up for her stature by being quite the speedy little nuisance. When she had first begun their serious training in the slime fields, they'd quickly arranged themselves in appropriate roles - Bread was the bigger juggernaut, the brute who bullied slimes by sheer weight, and Butter was the smaller assistant who was happy to play fetch with the little slime drops, and to occasionally snap at any slime that looked too difficult for her brother to handle alone. Remarkably however, the female was the more aggressive of the two when it came to defending Raven - once a customer had yelled at her and slammed his plate down, breaking the entire thing and showering her with food. He was on the floor and the canine-demons were at his throat quicker than Ra'ed could hurry to the counter. The Stagnant was banned from the tavern and Raven had been given the day off to unwind, and while Bread spent the entire day patrolling the tavern and guarding her door, Butter had hardly left Raven's side.
They'd also begun pulling their weight in terms of the strict training Raven expected of them - they were quick learners, and Raven ever so eager to keep pushing them to improve. Already they were experts at sniffing out rare herbs, would chase prey for miles before bringing it down and back to the plains for Raven to cart back, and even learnt how to herd for the one time Ra'shoud had needed her to gather some sheep. The sheep... were not Ra'shoud's, and she wasn't quite sure what the old witch needed them for - she never even looked at them, let alone take any wool or any other components for magic. Regardless, a job was a job and Raven followed unquestioningly. They'd grown fond of the crochety old woman and always greeted her in the morning with panting smiles and wagging tails, and she in turn would grumpily pat them and complain loudly when the massive wolf-dogs would block her path by lying around where they shouldn't.
"Ah, Hec, watch out, the do-"
But for some odd reason, the number one in their eyes was unfailingly and always - Hecthor. Raven's warning came too late - even now, they came bounding out in huge strides to greet the man - the smaller Shine skittered around the side of the table to welcome him but the bold Rain took a mighty leap clear over the counter to unceremoniously crash into the man in their typical greeting - the boys played rough and Raven was always worried one would end up bitten (she wasn't sure which one since Hecthor seemed more willing to bite the dog than the other way around). The girl raised her eyebrows high, shielding her delicate dessert from the boisterous dog and with a little gesture, cast one of the simpler spells she'd learnt lately - a spectral hand appeared and continued chopping the apples as though the knife was still controlled by her hands.
"That looks really good, went from hunting slimes to eat-" He fell to his back as the magical dog things jumped.
Hecthor wasn't about to be taken down though, getting into a wrestling match with the big brute to show who was still in charge. Meanwhile, the unique and different girl that was with him stepped away a bit, looking a bit confused but decided to agree with whatever was happening. "Oww so adorable!" She called out before leaning on the bar and looking at Raven's new creation, "Is that like magical also? I am so confused in this world, but it's to not be alone you know? Anyways, my name is Cherry Blossom, I hope we can be friends!"
Hecthor finally stood up, shaking the dog's head playfully before finally getting back to business. "Okay, let's eat and then go, I've been itching for something new you know? If I keep doing the same thing over and over I lose interest." He didn't notice but Cherry gave him a suspicious look as he said those last words.
Hecthor wasn't about to be taken down though, getting into a wrestling match with the big brute to show who was still in charge. Meanwhile, the unique and different girl that was with him stepped away a bit, looking a bit confused but decided to agree with whatever was happening. "Oww so adorable!" She called out before leaning on the bar and looking at Raven's new creation, "Is that like magical also? I am so confused in this world, but it's to not be alone you know? Anyways, my name is Cherry Blossom, I hope we can be friends!"
Hecthor finally stood up, shaking the dog's head playfully before finally getting back to business. "Okay, let's eat and then go, I've been itching for something new you know? If I keep doing the same thing over and over I lose interest." He didn't notice but Cherry gave him a suspicious look as he said those last words.
Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
-about an hour later-
X took a flying leap onto the orc-like beast and flexed his arms, sending a shock into the large brute. A roar erupted from its toothy mouth and it shook X off. They had just encountered it pretty far into the cavern. Zance took a few swipes at its lower spine. The monster spun and slammed its large fists into the ground, Zance just barely rolling out of the way. "Hey, kid, get that club you got earlier, it may come in handy!" they shouted at X, ducking under the beast.
X jumped over a boulder and grabbed the twisted purple root. Swinging it in a circle, he came in direct contact with the Achilles tendon on the creature, causing it to trip and fall. Zance took this opportunity to charge up and flex each scale, before sending a laser-like stream of fire directly at its left eye. It screamed in pain and shielded its eyes before getting up and hitting its head on the cave walls. It was knocked unconscious and fell on its back, the impact making a few rocks fall onto it.
X wiped their brow, panting from the adrenaline. "That was close." Zance patted him on the shoulder. "Not bad, for your first time with a club, but you don't seem like the strength type." They both went over to raid the pouch of the brute, finding a few strange fruits and a silver and ruby ring inside. "Huh, I can't read what it says on this. Can you, Zance?"
Zance brought the ring up close, their pupils dilating. "It roughly translates to 'Those who wear shall gain control over their ability.' Maybe this might help ya." X cautiously placed it on his left middle finger. The ring glowed, then turned black. X felt a pulse of energy travel through them, and they felt their hair spike up slightly. Looking at his left arm, he saw black markings resembling lightning strikes present.
"Nice." was all that could come out of their mouth. Zance, seeming bored, stretched their left arm, flexing their large talons. "C'mon X, let's head back."
(X will be stronger now, but not that much stronger.)
X took a flying leap onto the orc-like beast and flexed his arms, sending a shock into the large brute. A roar erupted from its toothy mouth and it shook X off. They had just encountered it pretty far into the cavern. Zance took a few swipes at its lower spine. The monster spun and slammed its large fists into the ground, Zance just barely rolling out of the way. "Hey, kid, get that club you got earlier, it may come in handy!" they shouted at X, ducking under the beast.
X jumped over a boulder and grabbed the twisted purple root. Swinging it in a circle, he came in direct contact with the Achilles tendon on the creature, causing it to trip and fall. Zance took this opportunity to charge up and flex each scale, before sending a laser-like stream of fire directly at its left eye. It screamed in pain and shielded its eyes before getting up and hitting its head on the cave walls. It was knocked unconscious and fell on its back, the impact making a few rocks fall onto it.
X wiped their brow, panting from the adrenaline. "That was close." Zance patted him on the shoulder. "Not bad, for your first time with a club, but you don't seem like the strength type." They both went over to raid the pouch of the brute, finding a few strange fruits and a silver and ruby ring inside. "Huh, I can't read what it says on this. Can you, Zance?"
Zance brought the ring up close, their pupils dilating. "It roughly translates to 'Those who wear shall gain control over their ability.' Maybe this might help ya." X cautiously placed it on his left middle finger. The ring glowed, then turned black. X felt a pulse of energy travel through them, and they felt their hair spike up slightly. Looking at his left arm, he saw black markings resembling lightning strikes present.
"Nice." was all that could come out of their mouth. Zance, seeming bored, stretched their left arm, flexing their large talons. "C'mon X, let's head back."
(X will be stronger now, but not that much stronger.)
DevVoid
Previously Deathstalker62
Half a year later..
Six Months. That's how long he'd been here now, in this strange dimension full of fantasy creatures, magic and the like. Though it was difficult to adapt at first.. he had called it his home at this point. Having gotten used to his current way of living, the only thing Null craved was power and companionship. Being a summoner helped with the latter, but not so much with the former. Which is exactly why he had started learning more.. immoral magic. The art of the dark arcana. Curses, Demonic Magic. Like a Warlock would have them. This half year was more than enough for the magic-proficient changeling to learn what he needed to. And his newfound skills were put to good use very much so.
With his head leaned against his left fist, the Dreamer sat upon his own personal throne of wood, fur and bone. On his head, there sat the top half of a Giant Rat's skull, bound by rope to the collar of his outfit. A scarf and muffler combo made of animal leather and fur covered his mouth, neck and throat, while on his shoulders there was a cloak of giant bat skin perched, lined with more fur. His own armour now consisted of various animal bones and leather, sewn together with strings, some tied together with ropes. While it gave an ominous look to the Dreamer, it did not look to be very protecting, given the relatively weak materials it was made out of. Rest be assured though, it got the job done, at least for the time being.
The room was lit up by wooden braziers by either side of him, four small, malformed creatures stood besides his throne. Goblins. Armed to the teeth, they guarded the room, scanning each and every corner multiple times while they slowly paced around. Despite being larger than normal for a goblin, they still were shorter than the one sat on the throne. And stood behind the throne, leaning against the back of it was another figure. Semi-tall. Humanoid, even. It had some abnormalities to it also, just as the goblins. Yet, it strangely looked more human than homunculi. And to boot, it had much the same fashion as its master. This was of course Xyr, the loyal familiar of the Dreamer.
So, how did he get here, again? It was quite a thing, really. Dropped into an unknown world in one moment, learn strange magics the next.. and half a year later, become the leader of a small goblin camp. Well, were it not for his innate ability to form into his summons, Null likely would have not gotten this far in the first place. Taking on the guise of one of them, Null had summoned himself a pack of three goblins as backup. Then, after some hard negotiations, he managed to secure trust. And with two special things, too - the two books he had taken with him. The creatures were handy, for sure, but they had not seen magics like this. And well, the beastiary was also handy to have, too. So, Null worked his way up the ranks, building trust and eventually succeeding the short-lived life of the king's heir, having become enough of a friend to be deemed worthy of being their leader. After all, it was him who he had introduced them to magic. It was him, the outsider, who was showed to be the furthest of an enemy to them. They could have just slain him.. but why? This figure.. it was like nothing else they'd seen. It could have proven useful.. and so it had been kept alive. And lucky them that their guess was proven right!
Null on the other hand was astonished that things went by so quickly. Here he was, teaching these creatures magic, aiding them in their daily lives and during battles. And alongside a polite attitude, they had crowned him. ..well, maybe not crowned as in put a crown on him, but it still worked nonetheless. Only a shame that he had no mere army to his name, but just a gang at best. Still, it was nice being the leading man for once. These creatures, they trusted him to move them in the right direction. And he would not disappoint his people.
Standing from his seat, Null had grabbed the weapon on the small table besides the throne - which did not seem like a weapon at first. It was a pair of metallic gloves, set with chains, leather and metal sockets. Inside these sockets, there were crystals. Crimson red, each socket set at the base of the finger digits and one larger in the center of the exterior hand's side, while the spaces between the digits had bone claws extended to beyond the fingertips. Though they just seemed like normal, albeit slightly fancy attire, they were not in the slighest. The bone claws were sharp enough to match the likes of those found on the giant animals roaming the wilds. The crystals, however? ..They just looked good. Not a good reason admittedly, but he would likely find a use for them soon enough.
Now exiting the tent, Null found himself atop a hill, overlooking the camp. Surrounded by more tents and huts, wooden logs fashioned into spikes surrounded the camp in the form of a barricade. The sound of hammers hitting forges, goblin chatter and the like stumbled through the air. It was quite pleasant, really. Heading on down to the makeshift village, Null greeted his few citizens out and about with a silent wave as he headed towards the gates. With a quick flick of his wrist, a magical circle appeared beneath him and Xyr was the gates were opened for him. And now, mounted atop a gigantic rat, the two rid out into the wilderness to explore the area and potentially discover some previously hidden secrets of the overworld.
Six Months. That's how long he'd been here now, in this strange dimension full of fantasy creatures, magic and the like. Though it was difficult to adapt at first.. he had called it his home at this point. Having gotten used to his current way of living, the only thing Null craved was power and companionship. Being a summoner helped with the latter, but not so much with the former. Which is exactly why he had started learning more.. immoral magic. The art of the dark arcana. Curses, Demonic Magic. Like a Warlock would have them. This half year was more than enough for the magic-proficient changeling to learn what he needed to. And his newfound skills were put to good use very much so.
With his head leaned against his left fist, the Dreamer sat upon his own personal throne of wood, fur and bone. On his head, there sat the top half of a Giant Rat's skull, bound by rope to the collar of his outfit. A scarf and muffler combo made of animal leather and fur covered his mouth, neck and throat, while on his shoulders there was a cloak of giant bat skin perched, lined with more fur. His own armour now consisted of various animal bones and leather, sewn together with strings, some tied together with ropes. While it gave an ominous look to the Dreamer, it did not look to be very protecting, given the relatively weak materials it was made out of. Rest be assured though, it got the job done, at least for the time being.
The room was lit up by wooden braziers by either side of him, four small, malformed creatures stood besides his throne. Goblins. Armed to the teeth, they guarded the room, scanning each and every corner multiple times while they slowly paced around. Despite being larger than normal for a goblin, they still were shorter than the one sat on the throne. And stood behind the throne, leaning against the back of it was another figure. Semi-tall. Humanoid, even. It had some abnormalities to it also, just as the goblins. Yet, it strangely looked more human than homunculi. And to boot, it had much the same fashion as its master. This was of course Xyr, the loyal familiar of the Dreamer.
So, how did he get here, again? It was quite a thing, really. Dropped into an unknown world in one moment, learn strange magics the next.. and half a year later, become the leader of a small goblin camp. Well, were it not for his innate ability to form into his summons, Null likely would have not gotten this far in the first place. Taking on the guise of one of them, Null had summoned himself a pack of three goblins as backup. Then, after some hard negotiations, he managed to secure trust. And with two special things, too - the two books he had taken with him. The creatures were handy, for sure, but they had not seen magics like this. And well, the beastiary was also handy to have, too. So, Null worked his way up the ranks, building trust and eventually succeeding the short-lived life of the king's heir, having become enough of a friend to be deemed worthy of being their leader. After all, it was him who he had introduced them to magic. It was him, the outsider, who was showed to be the furthest of an enemy to them. They could have just slain him.. but why? This figure.. it was like nothing else they'd seen. It could have proven useful.. and so it had been kept alive. And lucky them that their guess was proven right!
Null on the other hand was astonished that things went by so quickly. Here he was, teaching these creatures magic, aiding them in their daily lives and during battles. And alongside a polite attitude, they had crowned him. ..well, maybe not crowned as in put a crown on him, but it still worked nonetheless. Only a shame that he had no mere army to his name, but just a gang at best. Still, it was nice being the leading man for once. These creatures, they trusted him to move them in the right direction. And he would not disappoint his people.
Standing from his seat, Null had grabbed the weapon on the small table besides the throne - which did not seem like a weapon at first. It was a pair of metallic gloves, set with chains, leather and metal sockets. Inside these sockets, there were crystals. Crimson red, each socket set at the base of the finger digits and one larger in the center of the exterior hand's side, while the spaces between the digits had bone claws extended to beyond the fingertips. Though they just seemed like normal, albeit slightly fancy attire, they were not in the slighest. The bone claws were sharp enough to match the likes of those found on the giant animals roaming the wilds. The crystals, however? ..They just looked good. Not a good reason admittedly, but he would likely find a use for them soon enough.
Now exiting the tent, Null found himself atop a hill, overlooking the camp. Surrounded by more tents and huts, wooden logs fashioned into spikes surrounded the camp in the form of a barricade. The sound of hammers hitting forges, goblin chatter and the like stumbled through the air. It was quite pleasant, really. Heading on down to the makeshift village, Null greeted his few citizens out and about with a silent wave as he headed towards the gates. With a quick flick of his wrist, a magical circle appeared beneath him and Xyr was the gates were opened for him. And now, mounted atop a gigantic rat, the two rid out into the wilderness to explore the area and potentially discover some previously hidden secrets of the overworld.
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Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
X, riding atop Zance on the way back to the shack, caught a glimpse of something moving in the distance. It was coming in their general direction, along with a wave of magical energy. This could mean something. He tugged lightly on one of Zance's cheek spikes to get their attention, to which Zance followed suit and slowed down so they could hear X. "Zance, there's something about the size of you in the distance, and it's heading towards us. Can you see what it is?"
Zance slowed to a stop and turned their head to the side so they could see better. "Seems like a big creature, maybe a bear or a large wolf." X gave Zance a slight surge of energy through their front head spike. "C'mon, we should see what it is. Maybe fight it." The two of them started off, keeping slightly lower to the ground than normal. X gripped Zance's upper cheek spikes so they could lay flat.
"It looks like a rat," pointed out X, "a huge one, and there's someone- or something- riding on top." His ears turned a bit, listening carefully for any sound. None came except for the sound of rat claws on the mossy terrain.
As if on cue, the sky grew grey and muddy, and it started raining lightly. Each raindrop hit X's left arm like oil on a hot pan, immediately evaporating. Zance stopped about 30 yards away from the creature, standing up on their back legs somewhat for a height advantage. X examined the rider, who dressed like a witch doctor or necromancer. Zance remained rigid, tense, ready to attack if one came at them.
Sitting beside the rider was a small humanoid, with strange proportions, and it simply stared at Zance.
"We mean no harm." X tried to look harmless. "I sensed your magical energy and want to know: who are you?"
@DevVoid
Zance slowed to a stop and turned their head to the side so they could see better. "Seems like a big creature, maybe a bear or a large wolf." X gave Zance a slight surge of energy through their front head spike. "C'mon, we should see what it is. Maybe fight it." The two of them started off, keeping slightly lower to the ground than normal. X gripped Zance's upper cheek spikes so they could lay flat.
"It looks like a rat," pointed out X, "a huge one, and there's someone- or something- riding on top." His ears turned a bit, listening carefully for any sound. None came except for the sound of rat claws on the mossy terrain.
As if on cue, the sky grew grey and muddy, and it started raining lightly. Each raindrop hit X's left arm like oil on a hot pan, immediately evaporating. Zance stopped about 30 yards away from the creature, standing up on their back legs somewhat for a height advantage. X examined the rider, who dressed like a witch doctor or necromancer. Zance remained rigid, tense, ready to attack if one came at them.
Sitting beside the rider was a small humanoid, with strange proportions, and it simply stared at Zance.
"We mean no harm." X tried to look harmless. "I sensed your magical energy and want to know: who are you?"
@DevVoid
Raven let out a nervous giggle as Hecthor, as per usual, didn't take too much offense at the rowdy dogs, and got right down to wrestling with them. "Right on my tavern floor...." Muttering, she shoveled the rest of the jelly into her mouth and went back to preparing the apples, cheeks bulging with the dessert. Immediately she wished she hadn't done that, as the girl leaned over and made an enquiry about the dessert. Making wide-eyed panicked eye-contact, she began furiously chewing and choked the sweet down, clearing her throat as she brought over the elegantly plated martini for her rare female customer.
"Oh, ah, no, no, it's not magical. Just a regular milk jelly. I have made magical food before, but I don't make it on the regular, takes too many resources and the Stagnant don't need them either," She trailed off, smiling at the girl's apparent change of heart. She followed her gaze down to the man on the floor and her heart went out to her. Hecthor had a magnetic charm that drove girls to him in droves, and left behind a line of broken hearts. Hoping Cherry would be the exception, as she always did, she smiled sympathetically at her and did the only thing she could for her. She conjured up a little illusion of a cherry.
"Sorry," Raven chuckled, as the floating image rotated slowly in her open palm, "Real cherries are hard to get by in this world, but I'm positive they exist somewhere. Maybe not in this town, but somewhere. But until then, here's something from back at home," She clenched her fist and opened it again to reveal a proper cherry blossom this time, a perfect little five petaled sakura flower projection. Illusion magic, pretty cool and a very harmless magic to practice. It wasn't real enough to confuse anybody, not even the dogs (much to Raven's chagrin when they would pointedly ignore her little floating image of a rat. No need, there were plenty of rats in the basement for them) and was a fun pasttime, just turning a little 3d magical render around in her hands.
"Right, Hec," She called, dispelling the illusion and turning to the man, "I do actually have something for you. Found a cave off in the hills. Not too long of a hike, about a day's worth of walking. It does seem to be somewhat sacred to the people living nearby but no one has been able to crack the puzzle to get in. Yeah, there's puzzles. I poked around at it and it seems pretty safe but," She paused, swallowing nervously, "W- well, I figured it would be better to go together anyway," She cleared her throat, wondering how much about her Hec had told Cherry. After six months, Raven still had little to no magic she could use to defend herself if things went south. Really, the only thing keeping her safe were the dogs, and the best they did was scare off rats who got too bold when she went to collect some beer.
"Oh, ah, no, no, it's not magical. Just a regular milk jelly. I have made magical food before, but I don't make it on the regular, takes too many resources and the Stagnant don't need them either," She trailed off, smiling at the girl's apparent change of heart. She followed her gaze down to the man on the floor and her heart went out to her. Hecthor had a magnetic charm that drove girls to him in droves, and left behind a line of broken hearts. Hoping Cherry would be the exception, as she always did, she smiled sympathetically at her and did the only thing she could for her. She conjured up a little illusion of a cherry.
"Sorry," Raven chuckled, as the floating image rotated slowly in her open palm, "Real cherries are hard to get by in this world, but I'm positive they exist somewhere. Maybe not in this town, but somewhere. But until then, here's something from back at home," She clenched her fist and opened it again to reveal a proper cherry blossom this time, a perfect little five petaled sakura flower projection. Illusion magic, pretty cool and a very harmless magic to practice. It wasn't real enough to confuse anybody, not even the dogs (much to Raven's chagrin when they would pointedly ignore her little floating image of a rat. No need, there were plenty of rats in the basement for them) and was a fun pasttime, just turning a little 3d magical render around in her hands.
"Right, Hec," She called, dispelling the illusion and turning to the man, "I do actually have something for you. Found a cave off in the hills. Not too long of a hike, about a day's worth of walking. It does seem to be somewhat sacred to the people living nearby but no one has been able to crack the puzzle to get in. Yeah, there's puzzles. I poked around at it and it seems pretty safe but," She paused, swallowing nervously, "W- well, I figured it would be better to go together anyway," She cleared her throat, wondering how much about her Hec had told Cherry. After six months, Raven still had little to no magic she could use to defend herself if things went south. Really, the only thing keeping her safe were the dogs, and the best they did was scare off rats who got too bold when she went to collect some beer.
DevVoid
Previously Deathstalker62
His mount came to a stop, as two creatures stood in its path. Its rider kept his head down, as he examined the strangers. One large, lizard-looking thing and the other who was definitely another one of the people cast into this world. Hell, the lizard could also be one of them. One of him. Then, an idea came to him. He wasn't sure about directly showing that he was one of them.. so instead, as the rider stood up and reared their head, the visible parts of their body changed in the blink of an eye, making it look like only perspective made him look humanoid.
His size decreased slightly, his skin turned olive-green if a bit pale. His teeth became jagged and crooked, while his eyes became yellow and more like a goblin's. With a prideful stance, the creature now pointed its clawed left glove at itself. Its meek, snivelling voice spoke up, befitting of its appearance and seemingly certain species.
" YOU STAND IN THE PRESENCE OF THE GREAT GOBLIN KING, GINBLO! "
The creature now pointed a claw at Zance and X.
" WHO ARE YOU TO STAND BEFORE ME? VOICE YOUR INTENTIONS! "
@Sol the Lycanroc
His size decreased slightly, his skin turned olive-green if a bit pale. His teeth became jagged and crooked, while his eyes became yellow and more like a goblin's. With a prideful stance, the creature now pointed its clawed left glove at itself. Its meek, snivelling voice spoke up, befitting of its appearance and seemingly certain species.
" YOU STAND IN THE PRESENCE OF THE GREAT GOBLIN KING, GINBLO! "
The creature now pointed a claw at Zance and X.
" WHO ARE YOU TO STAND BEFORE ME? VOICE YOUR INTENTIONS! "
@Sol the Lycanroc
Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
X's ears folded back slightly as the rider yelled at him and Zance. "Huh, royalty. I had no idea." Zance stood their ground, just in case. "Well, either way, we are looking for allies, and we currently have none. Is there any way that we could help you out?"
X seemed visibly calm, but on the inside they were a little bit nervous. This was the first non-Dreamer (other than Zance) that didn't want to immediately kill him. However, the fact that Ginblo (he now realized the anagram of goblin) had appeared like a humanoid before was strange, maybe just a haze had gone over them.
Zance's eyes shone, breathing lighter now that the rat didn't have much of a means to attack them.
"If you need any direction or guidance around the area, I know it like the back of my hand." Zance spoke up in their deep, alien-like voice. X adjusted his position on Zance, giving them more movement space.
@DevVoid
X seemed visibly calm, but on the inside they were a little bit nervous. This was the first non-Dreamer (other than Zance) that didn't want to immediately kill him. However, the fact that Ginblo (he now realized the anagram of goblin) had appeared like a humanoid before was strange, maybe just a haze had gone over them.
Zance's eyes shone, breathing lighter now that the rat didn't have much of a means to attack them.
"If you need any direction or guidance around the area, I know it like the back of my hand." Zance spoke up in their deep, alien-like voice. X adjusted his position on Zance, giving them more movement space.
@DevVoid
Hecthor nodded and sat down at the bar. "Ready to go when you are, after my beer of course. I brought two potions for each, red and blue. Cherry here is pretty good with her giant hammer, so you won't be alone this time Raven. Last time the Slime King wanted to get too close to her, it was kind of funny looking back now, not so much during the actual fight."
Cherry raised one eyebrow and laughed, "Wow you never told that story."
"It's going to be a classic when we become legends in this world. You taking your kids?" He said referring to Raven's summons, "Might need two more potions for them just in case."
He finished his beer in one big chug and slammed the mug on the counter top. He sighed loudly and placed his arm around Cherry, "We'll be outside."
He stepped out, removing his bow from his back and checking the strings on it. He had gathered fifty arrows for the mission, turns out they were simply made from wood and stone, so the local blacksmith made them quickly and cheap. Cherry had left her giant metal hammer outside, something that was easily three times her weight and almost twice her size, yet she picked it up with little effort and swung it over her shoulder.
"Why do we bring Raven with us?" Cherry asked, looking at the tavern entrance.
"She's my business partner and friend, can't go on an adventure without her. It's like, going to a party alone, you just feel out of place."
"You're not alone though..." Cherry whispered to herself as she leaned against the wall.
Cherry raised one eyebrow and laughed, "Wow you never told that story."
"It's going to be a classic when we become legends in this world. You taking your kids?" He said referring to Raven's summons, "Might need two more potions for them just in case."
He finished his beer in one big chug and slammed the mug on the counter top. He sighed loudly and placed his arm around Cherry, "We'll be outside."
He stepped out, removing his bow from his back and checking the strings on it. He had gathered fifty arrows for the mission, turns out they were simply made from wood and stone, so the local blacksmith made them quickly and cheap. Cherry had left her giant metal hammer outside, something that was easily three times her weight and almost twice her size, yet she picked it up with little effort and swung it over her shoulder.
"Why do we bring Raven with us?" Cherry asked, looking at the tavern entrance.
"She's my business partner and friend, can't go on an adventure without her. It's like, going to a party alone, you just feel out of place."
"You're not alone though..." Cherry whispered to herself as she leaned against the wall.
Blissfully oblivious to the struggle of the hammer wielding girl, Raven shut the tavern back door behind her, grip on the two leashes in her hand tightening. The dogs were excited to get going, but Raven had been strict with teaching them to not pull on the leash, and so Hecthor and Cherry were greeted with furiously wagging tails as she came out from around the side. "Of course I'm taking them. Who'll take care of them otherwise? Next thing I know, I come back to the tavern on fire... Anyways, shall we? I think you guys will find it interesting..." The girl murmured, pulling on a cloak - the windchill was particularly crisp today - and pulled up the hood for good measure. The canines too, despite being incorporeal, were growing out a thick and furry mane to match the change in weather. Summons were really beyond her understanding, and Raven had taken to dealing with the pests on a day by day basis.
"If we make it quick, we'll reach there by night time. I've told Ra'ed I won't be back tonight, we can camp in a temple nearby. It does get cold at night but I have a little butane burner in my bag, so we should be fine. We can start walking back by daybreak." Raven was crisp with her instructions, patting her bags before pulling out a map. Glancing regretfully at the surprise addition to the party, Raven chewed on her lip for a moment before hesitantly offering Cherry what was clearly her personal copy of the map. "Just in case we get separated," A tiny shudder ran through her body, and her nose scrunched up in apparent disgust, the memories of the Slime King far too vivid for the girl's liking, "this is the way back. I hope you still have your compass, Hec, I imagine you would after the weeks of grinding it took us to afford the two," As though to cement her statement, a compass hanging on a hook clacked against the waterskin accompanying it.
The trek upwards to the cave was without much ado. All excitement for the new trip simmered down slowly into a steady determination to keep going and complete the rather hefty hike. It was a lot of walking and rock climbing and maneuvering tricky terrain, but for the most part, the roads seemed to be atleast somewhat traversable, even if by a group or race long ago. It definitely didn't look frequented, but nevertheless, the road did exist, shaped by a thousand footprints trodden on before the trio.
They did infact make excellent progress, and reached by twilight, with the moon palely peeking out behind some clouds. It was a crescent moon tonight, and Raven felt much more at ease with the company by her side. The cave was a wide inlet in the side of a mountain, tall and wide enough to fit many more than just the three of them. The passageway led inwards for barely twenty steps before they were greeted with a solid blank wall, firmly embedded in the craggy exterior and looking quite out of place there. "Okay, shield your eyes, guys. This happened last time too. It flashes bright white for a second," With fair warning, Raven pointedly looked at both of them before reaching out to touch the wall and-
As promised, a tremendous bright flash of light flooded the passageway and several feet beyond the lip of the cave. In the approaching darkness, Raven wagered the light would have travelled quite far, attracting the attention of any nearby adventurers curious enough to come take a look. (Hint hint, Dev and Sol) The Stagnant, from what she could tell, were quite indifferent to the entire matter, and the priests she had spoken to before seemed unaffected by the flash of light. She wasn't the first to stumble across the cave under their supervision and she wouldn't be the last, clearly. None had gotten in so far and the pale grey humanoids seemed uninterested in even attempting. To be unburdened by curiosity is a great boon, Raven contemplated, eyes firmly squeezed shut before slowly opening them. The light had died away, replaced with glowing runes and patterns on the wall. They seemed to be comprised of dots and circles.
And below the line of glowing little dots was a significantly larger mural, glowing white all the same, but the mysterious light emanating from the door seemed to flicker from the words. Raven stared at it for a moment longer, worried. It hadn't done that the last time she'd come here.
"Well? What do you guys think?" Raven finally spoke up, turning to the two. Magic was, of course, an everyday necessity in this world, and even Raven was shocked at how nonchalantly she was able to digest the fact that there was a magical door with magical words on it. She tilted her neck to the side, stretching the ache of the day out, and took a seat, still looking up at the inscryptions on the door. Her 'kids' as Hecthor had put quite succinctly, peered curiously at the words, but all excitement of the light was gone - naturally, after they'd gone absolutely bonkers barking their head off at it the first time Raven found it.
"If we make it quick, we'll reach there by night time. I've told Ra'ed I won't be back tonight, we can camp in a temple nearby. It does get cold at night but I have a little butane burner in my bag, so we should be fine. We can start walking back by daybreak." Raven was crisp with her instructions, patting her bags before pulling out a map. Glancing regretfully at the surprise addition to the party, Raven chewed on her lip for a moment before hesitantly offering Cherry what was clearly her personal copy of the map. "Just in case we get separated," A tiny shudder ran through her body, and her nose scrunched up in apparent disgust, the memories of the Slime King far too vivid for the girl's liking, "this is the way back. I hope you still have your compass, Hec, I imagine you would after the weeks of grinding it took us to afford the two," As though to cement her statement, a compass hanging on a hook clacked against the waterskin accompanying it.
The trek upwards to the cave was without much ado. All excitement for the new trip simmered down slowly into a steady determination to keep going and complete the rather hefty hike. It was a lot of walking and rock climbing and maneuvering tricky terrain, but for the most part, the roads seemed to be atleast somewhat traversable, even if by a group or race long ago. It definitely didn't look frequented, but nevertheless, the road did exist, shaped by a thousand footprints trodden on before the trio.
They did infact make excellent progress, and reached by twilight, with the moon palely peeking out behind some clouds. It was a crescent moon tonight, and Raven felt much more at ease with the company by her side. The cave was a wide inlet in the side of a mountain, tall and wide enough to fit many more than just the three of them. The passageway led inwards for barely twenty steps before they were greeted with a solid blank wall, firmly embedded in the craggy exterior and looking quite out of place there. "Okay, shield your eyes, guys. This happened last time too. It flashes bright white for a second," With fair warning, Raven pointedly looked at both of them before reaching out to touch the wall and-
As promised, a tremendous bright flash of light flooded the passageway and several feet beyond the lip of the cave. In the approaching darkness, Raven wagered the light would have travelled quite far, attracting the attention of any nearby adventurers curious enough to come take a look. (Hint hint, Dev and Sol) The Stagnant, from what she could tell, were quite indifferent to the entire matter, and the priests she had spoken to before seemed unaffected by the flash of light. She wasn't the first to stumble across the cave under their supervision and she wouldn't be the last, clearly. None had gotten in so far and the pale grey humanoids seemed uninterested in even attempting. To be unburdened by curiosity is a great boon, Raven contemplated, eyes firmly squeezed shut before slowly opening them. The light had died away, replaced with glowing runes and patterns on the wall. They seemed to be comprised of dots and circles.
And below the line of glowing little dots was a significantly larger mural, glowing white all the same, but the mysterious light emanating from the door seemed to flicker from the words. Raven stared at it for a moment longer, worried. It hadn't done that the last time she'd come here.
"Well? What do you guys think?" Raven finally spoke up, turning to the two. Magic was, of course, an everyday necessity in this world, and even Raven was shocked at how nonchalantly she was able to digest the fact that there was a magical door with magical words on it. She tilted her neck to the side, stretching the ache of the day out, and took a seat, still looking up at the inscryptions on the door. Her 'kids' as Hecthor had put quite succinctly, peered curiously at the words, but all excitement of the light was gone - naturally, after they'd gone absolutely bonkers barking their head off at it the first time Raven found it.
DevVoid
Previously Deathstalker62
How curious. Him, needing guidance? Well, he didn't really. Null's been around long enough to know where it is he's going. And even if he didn't, his goblins already mapped out the area for him, so there was that. Now then, what else could he possibly want? Maybe this guy is just a lone traveler, maybe-
A light shone in the distance, catching his attention. Whatever it was, surely it was worth investigating, at least a little bit. And so, Ginblo had to make a parting speech, as so he can head back the way he came and join a small batallion of goblins to explore what just caused that shining glare of light to glow.
" KYEH-! Ginblo does not NEED guidance! These woods are under Ginblo's territory! ALL OF THEM! But Ginblo can not stay! Need talk with goblin people! Stranger best not follow - Ginblo does not accept uninvited visitors to camp! No, no, no! HIYAH, Beast! To the camp! "
Null pointed back the way he came, with the giant rat now promptly turning around and skiddering off, disappearing in within the cloaking covers of the underbrush.
A light shone in the distance, catching his attention. Whatever it was, surely it was worth investigating, at least a little bit. And so, Ginblo had to make a parting speech, as so he can head back the way he came and join a small batallion of goblins to explore what just caused that shining glare of light to glow.
" KYEH-! Ginblo does not NEED guidance! These woods are under Ginblo's territory! ALL OF THEM! But Ginblo can not stay! Need talk with goblin people! Stranger best not follow - Ginblo does not accept uninvited visitors to camp! No, no, no! HIYAH, Beast! To the camp! "
Null pointed back the way he came, with the giant rat now promptly turning around and skiddering off, disappearing in within the cloaking covers of the underbrush.
Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
X simply blinked. "Well, alright, just unfriendly I guess." Zance scoffed. "Ya think?" A faraway flash then alerted them. "Hey, X, there's something over there, maybe it's one of those puzzles we were looking for." X simply nodded. Zance reared back and started into a run, which turned into a bound quickly.
Once they reached the cave they saw a few explorers, which X promptly recognized two of them from the slime incident. The other one, a hammer-wielding girl with animal features, seemed unfamiliar. Zance lowered to let X hop off. Scanning the pattern on the wall, X immediately saw a similar kind of jagged pattern on his left arm. Zance let a small click to get the travelers' attention without trying to scare them, then turned their front claws up to show harmlessness. "Y'all need help with this? Me an' X are good at this kinda thing."
X waved a little at the horned man, just in case he recognized them.
@Hecotoro
Once they reached the cave they saw a few explorers, which X promptly recognized two of them from the slime incident. The other one, a hammer-wielding girl with animal features, seemed unfamiliar. Zance lowered to let X hop off. Scanning the pattern on the wall, X immediately saw a similar kind of jagged pattern on his left arm. Zance let a small click to get the travelers' attention without trying to scare them, then turned their front claws up to show harmlessness. "Y'all need help with this? Me an' X are good at this kinda thing."
X waved a little at the horned man, just in case he recognized them.
@Hecotoro
Hecthor just sat there and enjoyed the light show, smiling while crossing his arms, letting out a small whistle and looking over at Cherry, "Told ya this was going to be fun."
Cherry didn't seem that impressed though, she had no clue what was really going on. "I guess, when do we fight?"
Hecthor shrugged and looked at the symbols displayed before him. He rubbed his chin, as if that technique would help him solve it quickly, but his mind began to drift to other places, like, would Cherry smash him with her hammer when he breaks up with her? Are there other girls who came to this world like he did? Could Raven make pizza? Before he could go any further though, he heard a clicking sound.
"Oh, it's you." Hecthor said as he recognized the familiar face. "Been a while huh? You guys after some treasure also? Cuz we got dibs on this one."
Cherry didn't seem that impressed though, she had no clue what was really going on. "I guess, when do we fight?"
Hecthor shrugged and looked at the symbols displayed before him. He rubbed his chin, as if that technique would help him solve it quickly, but his mind began to drift to other places, like, would Cherry smash him with her hammer when he breaks up with her? Are there other girls who came to this world like he did? Could Raven make pizza? Before he could go any further though, he heard a clicking sound.
"Oh, it's you." Hecthor said as he recognized the familiar face. "Been a while huh? You guys after some treasure also? Cuz we got dibs on this one."
Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
"Eh, we just like puzzles, you can have the treasure." X said. "We're just bored and need somethin' to do." Zance added, and scanned the wall for clues.
X kept glancing between his arm and the wall. They took Zance aside and mentioned it, to which Zance just shrugged. "Could be a power ritual, or a combination puzzle needing a key." They gestured to the ring as they spoke. X followed close to the wall of the cave, running his fingers along the grooves in the rock. Finding a loose part, he pulled it out, finding a symbol on the other side. "Hey, I found something that might be useful." They held the rock out to the others.
X kept glancing between his arm and the wall. They took Zance aside and mentioned it, to which Zance just shrugged. "Could be a power ritual, or a combination puzzle needing a key." They gestured to the ring as they spoke. X followed close to the wall of the cave, running his fingers along the grooves in the rock. Finding a loose part, he pulled it out, finding a symbol on the other side. "Hey, I found something that might be useful." They held the rock out to the others.
Raven raised her eyebrows at the sudden visitors but chose to say nothing, instead peering at the rock the elf held out, who seemed to have a knack at showing up and causing trouble. Truth be told, she was still kind of shaken from his sudden appearance that made the Slime King fight all the more chaotic, and it left a bitter taste in her mouth even now. But if he was here to help... who was she to disagree? She frowned, looking at what he held though. The rock did indeed have a symbol, but it didn't match any of the ones on the wall. "Looks interesting, uh, um, you," She paused for a minute, blinking awkwardly as she realised she didn't actually know his name, or his lizard companions', "but it doesn't look like it's related to this one. Look, these are all dots and circles, and that's a different thing. Maybe hold on to it, though, maybe it will be useful later," She shrugged noncomittally, turning away to study the door again. "It really looks like everything we need to solve this puzzle is right here," She mumbled, tilting her head.
"I got it!" Hecthor slammed his fist on the palm of his hand, "Cherry, bust it open with your hammer."
Cherry smirked, lifting the big weapon and raising it over her head. She took a few steps forward towards the wall with the symbols, ready to strike it down, when Hecthor stopped her. "Wait wait!" He called out, "Might be booby trapped. We should try and figure it out instead."
Cherry sighed sadly and dropped the hammer, the weapon landing with a heavy thud and cracking the ground underneath it. The horned man crossed his arms and looked at the wall once more, he looked concerned for a while and then quickly turned to face Raven, "Do you know Braille?"
Cherry smirked, lifting the big weapon and raising it over her head. She took a few steps forward towards the wall with the symbols, ready to strike it down, when Hecthor stopped her. "Wait wait!" He called out, "Might be booby trapped. We should try and figure it out instead."
Cherry sighed sadly and dropped the hammer, the weapon landing with a heavy thud and cracking the ground underneath it. The horned man crossed his arms and looked at the wall once more, he looked concerned for a while and then quickly turned to face Raven, "Do you know Braille?"
Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
X examined the large mural, trying to understand the message within it. He held up the rock to it, and a small number 1 appeared on the rock. "This could be the first letter of an answer... but I've no clue.." Zance searched in the higher parts of the opposite cave wall, finding several more marked with other symbols. X opened their bag, and placed the rocks in it.
Afterwards he stayed quiet, to let the others converse.
Afterwards he stayed quiet, to let the others converse.
DevVoid
Previously Deathstalker62
Reaching his camp again, Null cast away his disguise and shouted up the specific word used to identify those who belonged to his kingdom - a certain word in the language that these Goblins have made for themselves, known only to them and those in their tribe. There, Null had discussed the manner and decided to take four of his men- er, goblins, to journey with him. Two rangers, both with a crude bow and two warriors, one with a spear and the other with a shield and axe. Just like he had, these goblins got on their own giant rats and followed their leader out into the wilderness.
Once the destination was reached, Null put on his Ginblo disguise again before signalling his extra troops to stay behind him so he could do the talking. Unsummoning his steed, as soon as the Goblin King walked into the cave, he had announced his arrival to the others with a loud throat clear and a stomp.
" ATTENTION, ATTENTION!! The glorious goblin king Ginblo has arrived to provide aid in your journey! ..potentially, if the reward is good! KYEKEKEKEH! "
With his snivelling voice, the green, seemingly egotistical creature walked onward, his soldiers now moving up to guard the entrance so no more strangers could jump in unannounced without getting through them first. Of course, since he had to keep the act up, he had to continue speaking such manner, even if he had felt a bit of embarrassment doing so. Anything to keep up the disguise, after all.
" Kyeh! Now, what have you found here? A puzzle? What a bother! Fine, Ginblo, will help you solve this! Ginblo better get a share outta this, though! Ginblo will not go empty-clawed back to camp! "
Once the destination was reached, Null put on his Ginblo disguise again before signalling his extra troops to stay behind him so he could do the talking. Unsummoning his steed, as soon as the Goblin King walked into the cave, he had announced his arrival to the others with a loud throat clear and a stomp.
" ATTENTION, ATTENTION!! The glorious goblin king Ginblo has arrived to provide aid in your journey! ..potentially, if the reward is good! KYEKEKEKEH! "
With his snivelling voice, the green, seemingly egotistical creature walked onward, his soldiers now moving up to guard the entrance so no more strangers could jump in unannounced without getting through them first. Of course, since he had to keep the act up, he had to continue speaking such manner, even if he had felt a bit of embarrassment doing so. Anything to keep up the disguise, after all.
" Kyeh! Now, what have you found here? A puzzle? What a bother! Fine, Ginblo, will help you solve this! Ginblo better get a share outta this, though! Ginblo will not go empty-clawed back to camp! "
Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
X flinched at the shrill sound of the goblin's voice, his ears folding back. "Oh, you again, hey." They gave a small wave. Zance scanned the others, standing at attention.
"Okay, hear me out for a bit." They grumbled at the small fiendish creatures. "They're tryin' to focus and yellin' isn't gonna help. So if I were you, I would help by stayin' more quiet." X nodded a bit, then looked back at the rocks in his bag. What significance do these have? They could be a red herring, but then again, why would they match that well with the mural?
"Okay, hear me out for a bit." They grumbled at the small fiendish creatures. "They're tryin' to focus and yellin' isn't gonna help. So if I were you, I would help by stayin' more quiet." X nodded a bit, then looked back at the rocks in his bag. What significance do these have? They could be a red herring, but then again, why would they match that well with the mural?
"Huh?!"
With Hecthor already giving her a usual shock by commanding Cherry to break the door down with her hammer, Raven jumped to scramble out of the way. She hadn't seen the fox girl in action but she had no doubts the girl would flatten her, no questions asked. Whether on accident or on purpose remained to be seen, or not, in Raven's case - she preferred to be whole, today. His next question was no less surprising; braille? On closer inspection, the first row of dots did indeed look like braille, but Raven obviously did not know it. And to the extent of her knowledge, neither did the Stagnants. It all seemed a little fishy, a cave in a world with a different race, but the puzzle locking it was a language from back on Earth? How could the Stagnant create a cave and then lock it with a mechanism that they had no records or understanding of? There was much to think about--
"H- huh?!?!"
And the next big surprise - a giant rat. Just. Appeared. It just showed up. It was right there. Raven felt sick. Even her dogs were stunned into silence before going nuts, barking up a storm and lunging at their leashes trying to get at the rodent that was far, far larger than them. The girl was just undergoing war flashbacks, thinking of all the nasty critters she had to stave off in the cellars, day in and day out. The nights she had to sleep listening to their nasty tiny feet skitter on the stone floor, and how once she awoke to find a rat on her-- her vision blurred and the girl stepped out of the cave, taking in deep breaths of the fresh air, pointedly looking away from the crowd into the darkening forests far off in the distance.
Hell no, she wasn't doing this. She needed to get this done with quick. But... how? The rat had just- oh, it was being ridden by someone. Raven's face twisted into the slightest of grimaces as her eyes wandered up and down the odd humanoid creature. It spoke strangely, but she imagined you had to be a little strange to be riding a giant rat anywhere. Strange, it called itself a goblin, or a king, but it was a person? She squinted closer; she'd met all kinds of curious characters the day they've been brought into this world, and she wondered if this was one of them. Either way, the odd demeanour of whatever it was under the odd armour and dark cape spoke most unflatteringly, and signed off its greeting with a cackling clatter. Words escaped her, and she simply looked helplessly at Hecthor, allowing the man to take the lead on the social front.
With Hecthor already giving her a usual shock by commanding Cherry to break the door down with her hammer, Raven jumped to scramble out of the way. She hadn't seen the fox girl in action but she had no doubts the girl would flatten her, no questions asked. Whether on accident or on purpose remained to be seen, or not, in Raven's case - she preferred to be whole, today. His next question was no less surprising; braille? On closer inspection, the first row of dots did indeed look like braille, but Raven obviously did not know it. And to the extent of her knowledge, neither did the Stagnants. It all seemed a little fishy, a cave in a world with a different race, but the puzzle locking it was a language from back on Earth? How could the Stagnant create a cave and then lock it with a mechanism that they had no records or understanding of? There was much to think about--
"H- huh?!?!"
And the next big surprise - a giant rat. Just. Appeared. It just showed up. It was right there. Raven felt sick. Even her dogs were stunned into silence before going nuts, barking up a storm and lunging at their leashes trying to get at the rodent that was far, far larger than them. The girl was just undergoing war flashbacks, thinking of all the nasty critters she had to stave off in the cellars, day in and day out. The nights she had to sleep listening to their nasty tiny feet skitter on the stone floor, and how once she awoke to find a rat on her-- her vision blurred and the girl stepped out of the cave, taking in deep breaths of the fresh air, pointedly looking away from the crowd into the darkening forests far off in the distance.
Hell no, she wasn't doing this. She needed to get this done with quick. But... how? The rat had just- oh, it was being ridden by someone. Raven's face twisted into the slightest of grimaces as her eyes wandered up and down the odd humanoid creature. It spoke strangely, but she imagined you had to be a little strange to be riding a giant rat anywhere. Strange, it called itself a goblin, or a king, but it was a person? She squinted closer; she'd met all kinds of curious characters the day they've been brought into this world, and she wondered if this was one of them. Either way, the odd demeanour of whatever it was under the odd armour and dark cape spoke most unflatteringly, and signed off its greeting with a cackling clatter. Words escaped her, and she simply looked helplessly at Hecthor, allowing the man to take the lead on the social front.
Hecthor burst into laughter when he saw the proclaimed goblin king step up, unlike Cherry, who seemed ready to attack the new arrivals, but Hecthor's laughter made her think twice. "Goblin King? Dude, come on." He shook his head, "I mean, not a bad idea, but goblins? Whatever, welcome to the party I guess."
Cherry lowered her weapon, it seemed Hecthor was okay with some new people, even if she wasn't, since it meant splitting up the reward even more. She waved at Ginblo and smiled, "Sup, I'm Cherry."
Hecthor was about to turn towards Raven for advise, but it seemed she had to step away, he nodded at her and smiled, before turning towards the others. "Alright, X, was it? Put that away and focus on the actual puzzle we have here. Goblin King, you too. Any of you know how to read this? Come on, it was even in Pokemon games."
"You played Pokemon?" Cherry's eyebrow rose, her attention on the horned man.
"Um yeah, who didn't?"
Cherry lowered her weapon, it seemed Hecthor was okay with some new people, even if she wasn't, since it meant splitting up the reward even more. She waved at Ginblo and smiled, "Sup, I'm Cherry."
Hecthor was about to turn towards Raven for advise, but it seemed she had to step away, he nodded at her and smiled, before turning towards the others. "Alright, X, was it? Put that away and focus on the actual puzzle we have here. Goblin King, you too. Any of you know how to read this? Come on, it was even in Pokemon games."
"You played Pokemon?" Cherry's eyebrow rose, her attention on the horned man.
"Um yeah, who didn't?"
Sol the Lycanroc
Previously Ember Wolf
"Uhhhhh." X only blanked at the memory of Pokemon. Something clicked and a rush of memories came to him. "Oh yeahhh.. It's been a while." They stuffed the rock back into their bag and looked at the smaller mural. "I only remember a few characters from the alphabet of braille, but I'll see what I can do here." Zance simply looked at them, puzzled. "What" was all that they muttered.
D__A_S ___N _O N__H_MA__S
That was all X could figure out for the time being.
"Shoot. I can't remember any other characters."
D__A_S ___N _O N__H_MA__S
That was all X could figure out for the time being.
"Shoot. I can't remember any other characters."
Perched on a tree branch out of sight of the ever growing group, Savannah silently growled to herself in frustration. "Damn light! Scared away my prey!" Having adapted to nocturnal hunting, the leopardess was less than pleased with the invasion of her hunting grounds, even less so with the arrival of giant rats and the goblins riding them. Securing her spear to her back, Savannah jumped from tree to tree via the branches, getting closer and closer. Once she was within earshot, she roared.