Closed Creeping Darkness

[Vicissitude]

Summer 03, year 124 of the third age​

For the citizens of Bahn'Shei, the day had proceeded as any other thus far– it was as quiet as the so-called 'city of anarchy' was capable of being, at least.

For Wulfnoð, this meant fulfilling whatever work orders were left for him by his found family, be they simple repairs, reconstructions, or new crafts. He sat conducting his work within a small encampment located on the city's outskirts, though it was still well tucked away from both the forests of Ælheim and the unforgiving desert sands that lay beyond the other side of the mountain. Per the perception of most, this location was a safe one– that is, if one ignored the wild, mutating magic that inhabited the very stone within which Bahn'Shei was built.

Such relative normalcy, however, was not to last– the first sign that something was amiss was the alarmed, but mostly frustrated, yell of a Trow. It was muffled, indicating the man was some distance away. From where Wulfnoð was seated, he'd then hear the padding of both paw and foot outside the door of his workspace, then that same Trow and another man began to bicker amongst themselves.

"Somethin' in the cavern bit me an' then scuttled off–..." one voice said.

"Yeah? And why should any of us care? Maybe you ought to have been more careful," another voice answered, this one low, gruff, and belonging to a human.

"No," the Trow hissed, "...it wasn't like any of the standard fair 'round these parts. It was…it was touched by some foul magic, like somebody'd sewn together four different animals and set it free–"

"The mountain's own stone has caused plenty strange changes to the local beasties. Unless you mean you think the thing's venomous?" The man sighed. "What're you yellin' about it for, then? Go bug the medic," the other responded, sounding a combination of annoyed and dismissive.

"No," the Trow snapped back, clearly annoyed he kept being cut off. "What I'm after is somebody who'll come with me to go look for it. Beast looked awful, like it was rotting and in pain, I'd like to put it down 'fore it spreads some foul disease! I'd just rather not go alone– what if there's more of 'em?"

The other man snorted, "...sounds like a waste of time to me."

It didn't seem like anyone else outside the workshop was chiming in, either, leaving the Trow to think he might actually have to go after the thing by himself.

꧁══════════• ༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Wulfnod]

---

---

Wulfnoð, being himself, often listened in on conversations that were carried by the wind. That, and he often used his magical abilities to make the wind blow longer, literally hearing the words on the wind. Sighing softly, he took his time to finish up some armor, using his scaled hand as a backing so that the thick gauged needle didn't penetrate his skin, instead skating across those bright green scales. Setting it down and standing up, he stretched a bit and allowed his right sleeve to cover up his arm once again, calmly walking out.

"I can help, if you need. A beast like that, whether it's evil or not, needs to be put down to escape its own suffering. So lead the way, and I will follow."

Many knew Wulfnoð as a very big wildcard. While he wouldn't kill anyone who was from Bahn'Shei unless they deserved it, he often did things his own way, which usually meant rather sadistic methods to either kill or extract information, in the case of raids. He was already prepared as well, having enough food for two days of travel. Besides, he had enough skill in magic to be able to get some more quickly if needed. Zephyr was not the only magic he used, but it was the only one the city really knew about.

---

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 03, year 124 of the third age​

When Wulfnoð emerged from the workshop, he would see a few figures standing in the cavern before him. The cavern itself had been a natural part of one of Bahn'Shei's many cave systems, though to fit all of the encampment's structures it'd been expanded and reinforced by the machinations of Terrari, earth-shaping Galdr. It had two paths out; one cave leading towards the sprawling city of anarchy and one that led out, deeper into the depths of the mountain– or out of it, depending on which of the myriad, labyrinthine forks one took.

And, in this case, the workshop from which Wulfnoð emerged was situated close to the mouth leading into the depths, from which the distressed trow must have come. In front of him was a human man, tall and burly– one of the metalworkers– and around them stood a few onlookers of mixed race; a couple more humans and a gnoll. Their faces read from curious to incredulous, but it was apparent none of them wanted to abandon whatever their current task was to assist the trow.

The trow in the center of this spectacle was an older fellow named Vuzembi, with turquoise skin and almost fish-like features. He was a tall fellow, even for his race, and cut a formidable figure with long, strong limbs– proportionally correct for trow, but notably lengthier than the limbs of a standard human. And though his age was starting to show on his rugged features, Vuzembi was known to be able to keep up with those much younger than him quite well. He recognized Wulfnoð, though the two were, at best, acquaintances, as they'd only really interacted with one another in passing.

He did, however, know of the young fælniri man's reputation, and Wulfnoð would know of his, too. Vuzembi was what he called a 'spelunker.' Which, around these parts, was a colloquial term for a sort of cave treasure hunter. Folks of such a nebulous trade were wont to do many things, from quarrying rare and valuable minerals and metals to slaying beasts for various useful reagents and even some more…nefarious tasks, for the right price. Vuzembi was known to be one of the more prolific spelunkers, so for him to be kicking up a fuss about some creature he saw was notable. He'd likely have seen a lot of strange things in his time, hence why most of the gathered onlookers were gawking at him with utter confusion at his behavior.

Further, among spelunkers, cave diving alone was an uncommon practice– hence why Vuzembi was intent on asking if anyone 'round would accompany him. The caverns held many hazards one simply could not predict, from predation to simple accidents; those who went alone were generally seen as having a death wish. Usually, however, they'd help one another, so him asking must've meant that he hadn't planned on spelunking that day.

"Ah!" The old trow's features lit up at the sight of the human man and his spoken interest in helping. "Perfect! Perfect," he replied with a jovial laugh that echoed through the caves. "Deathbringer like you'll make quick work of that oddity once we find it again," he continued, nodding after his rolling laugh subsided, trowish accent heavy in his words.

The other onlookers almost appeared unsurprised at this development, but what was most notable on the human metalworker's features was that he was relieved that somebody had offered to help so that the rest of them could get back to their business. "'ave fun with that, then," the human said, almost dismissively, before turning away.

Vuzembi rolled his shoulders, gestured with his head into the mouth of the cave, and shrouded in darkness though it was, began striding towards it, expecting Wulfnoð to follow him as he said he would. The trow had a lit lantern at his hip, allowing them to see well enough, but the flickering flame caused distorted shadows to dance on the walls as the walked past various rock formations and cavern flora– those of skittish disposition or lacking in experience would have trouble discerning what movement belonged to living creatures and what did not.

"You spend much time in tha less…ah…civilized parts of the caverns?" Vuzembi asked, his previously boisterous voice toned down quite a bit now, as if not wanting to disturb their surroundings.

Vuzembi walked with confidence and intention, as if he knew where he was going– and he probably did, experienced tracker that he was.

꧁══════════• ༺༉ { Vuzembi } ༉༻•══════════꧂​

​

꧁══════════• ༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Wulfnod]

---

Wulfnoð seemed to grimace a bit at the word "deathbringer", not liking that his reputation was essentially tied to his mental instabilities. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy raiding or helping out his group, but he tended to black out when the violence started, coming back when it was done, often covered in blood. He wasn't quite sure if it was due to the curse of his draconic arm that only he and his adoptive "father" knew, or if it was something else entirely. Remaining silent as he walked with Vuzembi, the question that was posed to him did make him speak up finally once again, quite intrigued by the sudden drop in his voice.

"When I am either not wanting to be bothered by others or just need silence for a moment, I do find my way deeper in the caves and tunnels of Bahn'Shei. But not deep enough to get into the bowels of the mountain. So yes, but not enough."

Glancing around at the stone walls of the cave, he continued following Vuzembi, matching the shorter and older man's footsteps as not to outpace him or lose track of him. The silence of the caves did wonders for the psyche of the Bahn'shei resident, often calming him down in moments of great stress.

---

---

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 03, year 124 of the third age​

Under more normal circumstances, Vuzembi would be unafraid of maintaining his normal volume even in the caverns, powerful shaman that he was. However, in this case, he was going after something that he'd never seen before, and for that reason, he decided that throwing away their potential for an element of surprise would be folly. Wont as he was to hum or even sing songs as he walked, now was simply not the time.

To Wulfnoð's response, he would nod his head– though that might be hard for the other man to discern as the older, slightly hunched trow did not turn around when he did so. "I used ta do that when I was young– but then I just kept goin'. These here caves an' caverns captivate me, even ta this day," he responded, almost sounding vaguely nostalgic.

They continued along in relative silence for a time, with only the dim light of fluorescent mushrooms and crystals guiding them through the mountain's snaking tunnels. It might make one wonder– did Vuzembi know where he was going? Or was he wandering blind, intent on uncovering a mystery the scale of which he could not comprehend?

After a time, however, the old shaman's footfalls abruptly ceased. Again, he did not turn to face the young man trailing behind him, rather, he simply raised one hand in warning– a silent command to stop. They were at the mouth of a cavern, a room of sorts (or perhaps just a far wider corridor?). The pair would hear the thing before anything else, but near the distant wall one could spot something strange in the glow of the mushrooms.

It was a horrible hybrid of fur, flesh and scale about the size of a large dog. The thing looked as if somebody had stitched an alligator and a bat together, but with its midsection having ballooned– taut and bulbous like a sated tick's. It had too many limbs, too, further granting it an insect-like or arachnid-esque appearance.

And though it was difficult to see what exactly it was snacking upon, the tearing of meat and sinew and breaking of bone made it obvious the beast was feasting upon some sort of quarry. If Wulfnoð stepped forward, he would be able to tell that the pile of ravaged meat had once been a man. Average in frame and devoid of scales or fur, it was in all likelihood a human, fælnir or otherwise, with a very low chance of being a foreign elf– it lacked the colors or flair the Æld'Norai had.

Wulfnoð had a few choices. He could attempt to kill the thing outright, not knowing anything about it or its capabilities– or if there were more. He could wait to observe it more, see if it would skitter off again after it ate, but what information he'd glean from doing this might not be useful, and waiting might rob him the opportunity to surprise it. Alternatively, too, he could indicate to Vezumbi that he'd prefer the old trow make the first move.

꧁══════════• ༺༉ { Vuzembi } ༉༻•══════════꧂



꧁══════════• ༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Wulfnod]

---

Stopping dead in his tracks, the fælnir's breathing ceased, holding his breath as he glanced at Vuzembi. Holding a finger to his lips, Wulfnoð very slowly shifted his weight in order to peek around the corner more and gaze at whatever this thing was, his eyesight by now having adjusted to the darkness of the cave system. Watching this creature for a while, he could definitely tell it was eating what was once a man rather than some kind of cave creature or otherwise. A silent prayer went up to the deceased before Wulfnoð made a dome of silence around both himself and Vuzembi, making sure no sound could exit their immediate vicinity.

Turning to the trow rapidly, his voice rose into a sharp whisper, not quite reaching normal volume in case his arcana ran out. "What the fuck is that thing? THAT'S what you saw while exploring the caves?"

Looking back at the creature, he rubbed his face and allowed Vuzembi to reply at least. It was clear that Wulfnoð would have to either end this creature's life or figure out a way to incapacitate it so that those more versed in fauna or arcane creations (or both) could figure out what this thing is. Looking around for anything metallic near it, he wanted to quickly gauge to see if it could in fact destroy metal. No sane man would come down here without at least a mining tool or weapon of some kind, so he figured any damage to it would definitely tell Wulfnoð what kind of strength or speed they were dealing with.

---

---

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 03, year 124 of the third age​

From their vantage point, Wulfnoð would be able to see that he had been a spelunker of sorts. The softly glowing crystal growths around here were useful; they were a durable, natural light source– far safer than fire– and whatever dim Metaphor created this effect lasted months before waning. Whilst Terrari had capitalized off their popularity and sold the crystal grown from their Aether, the demand for products made from them was far higher than what could be produced by mages…and thus, men like the unfortunate soul splattered on the ground before them still mined the crystals manually.

Overall, the state of the dead man's equipment was dire. A trolley of crystals sat untouched a few feet away, but his bag lay torn beside him, with his chisels and finer tools haphazardly strewn along the cavern floor. What remained of a hand still clung to his pickaxe, illuminated forebodingly by a shattered, red-orange crystal. Wulfnoð would note that the pickaxe appeared to be greatly disfigured– dissolved partially by an acid of some kind, which would also serve to line up with much of the man's missing or melted flesh. And from the man's prone positioning, one wouldn't be far fetched to assume the miner had been taken by surprise.

Only daring to speak because of Wulfnoð's barrier, "I saw tha thing scuttle by in passin'– but I've neva seen anythin' like it before, not a day in my life," Vuzembi responded, his voice smooth but wary. The old trow's posture was tense, still and statuesque, as he evaluated the sight before him.

"Sufferin' that thing ta live would be a grave error, I feel– hit it with somethin', I'll back ya up," he'd continue after a moment's pause. There was a grave determination in now present in the trow's dark gaze.

꧁══════════•༺༉{ Vuzembi }༉༻•══════════꧂



꧁══════════•༺༉❁ ❀ ❁༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Wulfnod]

---

Keeping silent and still for a moment as he gazed over the creatures form, he watched how it was bloated and how the pickaxe had basically been melted away via some type of acid. To Wulfnoð, he figured that it was something like the creature's stomach acid or a separate acid pouch. But either way, he figured that aiming towards the back half of the creature would be safest to injure it, especially since if its acid was strong enough to melt tooled metal, it might be strong enough to melt its own body since not all creatures with acid or venom were immune to their own bodily fluids.

Holding a finger to his lips for a moment, he never let his voice go beyond a whisper, so that only the older trow could hear him. "If what I'm about to do doesn't kill it and makes it angry... fucking run back to the entrance of the cave. I'll find my way back, okay?" Not waiting for a response as this was more of a command rather than a request, Wulfnod closed his eyes for a moment and channeled the power of Zephyr, taking in the first lessons he learned: shaping the wind via Aeromancy. It was such a simple but complex part of Zephyr arcana, but currently he was channeling it to form into a sharp point, like throwing a javelin of wind at the creature.

Stepping out from behind the wall and casting Zephyr, he sent the bolt of sharp wind hurling towards the back half of the creature in question, watching carefully. As the wind current cut through the stagnant air of the cave system, the last few inches before impact showed the air sharp enough to gouge out the earth slightly, Wulfnoð putting in the maximum amount of power he could into this to try and end this strange abomination's life.

---

---

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 03, year 124 of the third age​

Vuzembi wasn't a defenseless old man– he was quite a bit more powerful than his world-weary appearance might suggest. Still, he intended to heed Wulfnoð's command insofar as keeping himself away from unnecessary risk if ought went awry. If the man wanted to preserve his safety, then he'd honor that much.

As a Mystic, Vuzembi was able to watch the Aether within Wulfnoð swirl and surge as he began to cast. This afforded him the ability to time his own spell in order to go off in tandem with his companion, and just as the fælnir released that spear of condensed air, the shaman would cant a phrase foreign to Wulfnoð's ears in a commanding tone– likely the trow's mother tongue– and simultaneous to the wind's impact would the earth beneath the beast crack and split, spikes of stone bursting forth intent on impaling the thing. The tick-like creature with its webbed appendages would attempt to jump upward and flap, as if trying to fly out of the way of the rumbling earth. And though it was certainly quick, it was not fast enough to dodge the two-pronged attack.

Its swollen abdomen would burst, splattering the cavern floor with a noxious mix of blood, viscera and bilious acid. Luckily for Vuzembi and Wulfnoð, they had attacked from far enough away that the foul, congealed mess of a substance did not reach either of them. The sound of their attack, however, did appear to attract the attention of something else scuttling about in the darkness. It was dark, slimy, skin colored similarly to an oil slick, with a body that resembled an oversized monitor lizard about the size of a wolf, and it was charging at the pair of intrepid explorers fast.

꧁══════════•༺༉{ Vuzembi }༉༻•══════════꧂



꧁══════════•༺༉❁ ❀ ❁༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Wulfnod]

---

Wulfnoð kept his cool surprisingly, only marginally disgusted by the initial creature's explosive death. The appearance of the second creature however, did throw off his rhythm a bit. But he had to react, no time to think. Channeling his Zephyr again, this time he created an X-shape of sharp wind with both hands, this kind of aeromancy being a bit more complex that the one he did initially. Successive casts like this did tend to leave those who did it more winded, but he needed to keep that creature away if it was similar in any regard. Which is why regardless of the damage the X-shaped attack caused, Wulfnoð then sent a general wall of wind outward to either slow the creature or outright knock it back, looking over at Vuzembi.

"We need to run, NOW."

Since the creature could see and/or hear them now, he didn't bother whispering, beginning to run with the trow. Exhausted slightly from the constant use of arcana, he still had a trick up his sleeve. While running, he began channeling his other Galdr, one that he almost never used around the people of Bahn'Shei. Glancing back at Vuzembi every so often to make sure the old man was following, he took the 10 agonizing seconds it took to use his Teleport ability at a lower level, a doorway sized portal opening up as he kept it open. On the opposite side of the arcane doorway sat Wulfnoð's dwelling, the scent of treated wood wafting through.

"Come on, hurry!"

---

---

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 03, year 124 of the third age​

Though Vuzembi knew himself capable of slaying that which came next, he was wise enough to realize that this entire scenario was an unknown– never before had he seen creatures like this. As such, he made the snap decision to follow Wulfnoð's lead; fleeing was the easy option as opposed to facing an unknown threat head on. For all they knew, there could be even more monsters skulking about in the shadows.

Wulfnoð was quick enough with his casting that both he and Vuzembi were able to dive through the portal unscathed. The slavering worg of a thing after then came close to nipping at the trow, but ultimately failed. He was quite a bit more agile than he looked– the frailty put on by the old man was evidently a feint.

Before the portal would snap closed, if Wulfnoð were to look through it, he might see a humanoid figure on the other end if only for a second. The figure was mutilated and dressed in black, but stood tall as if it paid no mind to the strange injuries it bore. The figure was likely commanding the more mindless monsters, but just as one might be able to lock eyes with it, the portal would fizzle out and close.

Vuzembi, trying not to appear as rattled as he was, righted himself, took a breath, and looked to the other. "We need ta' warn anyone that might want to wander fer any reason that tha' caverns are even less safe now," he'd say.

꧁══════════•༺༉{ Vuzembi }༉༻•══════════꧂



꧁══════════•༺༉❁ ❀ ❁༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Wulfnod]

---

The appearance of a humanoid figure temporarily stunned Wulfnoð, staring at the space where his portal had been only moments before. He kept replaying the recent addition to his memory over and over again. He had seen this person, this... thing, and it had seen him and Vuzembi. The idea that they might be targets now caused the Fælnir to shudder in a mixture of worry and anger, a unique emotional pairing that helped him clarify his thoughts before looking to the older trow male.

"Don't just tell them about the creature... there might be something down there controlling them, or at least has a relationship with them to where they aren't harmed." Looking to Vuzembi after some time of speaking, his eyes seemed to almost glow with emotion as Wulfnod truly realized for the first time that Bahn'Shei might be in actual danger, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. "You are terrari, yes? Gather others who share your galdr and extract EVERYONE from the caverns, and collapse every entrance that you can. We need to limit where they can come out from, and if they have an intelligent mind helping them, this needs to be done as soon as possible. I'll come with you to confirm the story that you tell, but we need to go NOW."

Immediately beginning to leave his home, he opened the door and quickly beckoned Vuzembi to follow, breathing heavily as the emotions changed more towards anxiety and the need to protect his people. Before Vuzembi could really follow, Wulfnoð flew out of his dwelling, both metaphorically and literally.

---

---

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 03, year 124 of the third age​

"If only Bahn'Shei did set things right–" the Trow began, a breath of bitter laughter punctuated the sentence.

"Mobilizin' so many Galsterei at once be a tough ask, 'cause we…disorganized, ta' say the least." He would pause, thinking for a moment. "…but I've 'nuff contacts, so I can at least target an' collapse that cavern system an' spread the word. But yuh think others will listen? Can they look past their daily struggles enough ta' take what we say seriously? I can't tell."

"Yuh start with the warnings – I will meet yuh back 'ere when that cave system's collapsed," he'd conclude, his voice and features mirroring the grave determination of Wulfnod.

The Trow would, over the next few minutes, turn to stone and then sink into the cavern floor below. Traveling through the rock like this was facilitated by both Terra and Apparation, granting him the ability to move through the caverns quickly. Whilst he could not see like this, he'd be able to detect vibrations, mineral composition and so forth, and had dedicated the time to memorizing several key locations, including the homes and common areas of other explorers and Galsterei alike.

Now alone, it would be up to Wulfnod to navigate the borough of Bahn'Shei outside his home in an effort to keep people away from the area where they'd had that fateful encounter. His borough was on the city's edge; it was industrious and busy but far from wealthy. Because of that, he might struggle to convince those who rely on foraging or mining resources for their livelihoods to avoid the neighboring unsettled caverns– especially those dealing with demanding bosses and steep quotas.

꧁══════════•༺༉{ Vuzembi }༉༻•══════════꧂



꧁══════════•༺༉❁ ❀ ❁༉༻•══════════꧂​