Closed Í Tokuni

[Vicissitude]

Summer 04 year 124 of the third age​

During one of the first of what will become Summer's many storms, a figure approached Paradise amidst the downpour. Paradise's location created a rather unique spectacle, too, as the heat and flames of Veiðrbrand did nothing to stop the weather above– what they did,
however, was create an omnipresent fog whensoever it rained. Still, the strange figure did not seem to mind. Covered from head to toe in hood and dark robes, the water rolled off of the figure anyhow.

When she arrived at the gate, a feminine voice greeted whomever stood guard and asked after one specific daughter of the dragon, Själ. In a voice as sweet as honey and smooth as silk, she claimed that she'd heard the young lady was making quite the name for herself as a mercenary, stating that she wished to inquire after the girl's services. And when asked for more details, the stranger politely declined; after all, such details only really mattered to the one who'd carry out the task, no?

Apparently convincing enough, the stranger was allowed past Paradise's great gates and taken over to wait in a pavilion built around the trunk of a nearby tree– they didn't want her waiting in the rain, though the woman assured them she didn't mind. She did, however, suppose that it would be easier to converse with a roof over their heads whenever it was that young Själ would join her.

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


꧁══════════• ༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Caelum]

Sjal happened to be one of those standing guard at the gate this particular day. She had only just recently gotten wings and was admiring them as the figure approached. It wasn't until Sjal noticed that the figure was alone did she give the woman her full attention. It wasn't normal for people to arrive like this. They either came in groups or through a portal. The last time a lone traveler had come through, it'd been Lakali… and that had been a whole can of worms.

She said, "come on in, let's get out of the rain." There was little point in having this discussion in the rain, so yes, they moved inside and towards a spot shielded from it.

They got underneath a roof and Sjal brought over some chairs before saying, "Actually, I am Sjal. And I would love to be doing literally anything but wasting my life back there in front of a gate. What did you have in mind?" She hadn't been working long as a mercenary, but she could see how a reputation for getting the job done might have spread. But to come all the way out here to request her services… she had a feeling that this had to be something important.

210

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 04 year 124 of the third age​

The stranger's features were largely obscured by her cloak, but Sjal would be able to make out her pale, yellow skin, dark, almost black-emerald lips, and angular, diamond shaped face. Her features were sharp and regal, like those commonly seen on elves or their Sidhe forebears. Still, she didn't look quite like an Æld'Norai and the hood obscured her ears– her insect like, emerald jewels for eyes made her come across distinctly more like a Fae, too. Still, one could not be sure exactly what this odd visitor was.

Her cloak, too, was peculiar. Now that they were sitting out of the rain, Sjal would notice that it wasn't quite black nor was it made of any normal fabric. It was a shade of deep, bluish green, so dark it was easy to mistake as black, but not quite. And her clothing was not uniform fabric, either– rather, it looked like somebody had sewn together large, umbral leaves. Perhaps this woman was a Draoidh?

She smiled when Sjal mentioned that she was already speaking to the one she sought.

"Restless, are you?" The woman asked, bringing her uncannily long fingered hands to her lips as if to suppress a laugh, though she made no sound.

Placing her dainty hands back down on the table, one over the other, she continued. "I'm sure you've had a hand in dealing with the…" she trailed off, as if searching for the right word. "Misfortunes that have befallen Paradise in recent days."

Word of the anomalous events and particularly bizarre monster attacks that'd been assailing Paradise and the world at large must've traveled far, it would seem.

"I know from whence these things come, and I can lead you there– perhaps you'd be able to stop them?" Her voice remained perfectly cordial, despite the strangeness of this proposition.

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


꧁══════════• ༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Caelum]

Sjal took in the woman's odd appearance. She wasn't one to judge, given she had big ol' bat wings sticking out of her back. Still, there was something a bit too odd about the woman. The colors were not what she was used to seeing, and then there were the telltale signs of being a druid. Whoever this was, they gave the impression that Sjal would do to listen to what they had to say.

"Ha, yes I do help when I can. I'm, perhaps, a little too used to the action. On quiet days like this I feel like I'm losing my mind."

She thought about the woman's final sentence for a few moments before responding, "I would like to put an end to it all… but what's in it for you?" She paused then added, "who are you anyways? Do you work for the aelves?"

Sjal felt more questions brewing inside her mind but she decided to hold off on asking more. She thought about whether she had any right to leave or if she should ask her father for permission. She had a feeling that he would want to take on this task for himself, but then again if she succeeded she would have proven herself useful enough to be more than a simple guard.

428

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 04 year 124 of the third age​

The stranger had expected curiosity– rather, it would have been odd to her if Själ had asked nothing at all.

"I am in league with the Æld'Norai, yes," the woman clarified with a soft smile. "I am a messenger of a sort."

"These…anomalous events…aren't unique to your Paradise– Ælheim at large has had many of their own." The cloaked woman sighed, yet this appeared almost performative– it would be difficult to tell how much this elegant stranger really cared.

"Nevertheless, few can be spared to aid you, and so it falls upon you and your father to defend your settlement. I can, however, tell you what I know, but it would be far more…enlightening, shall we say, if I showed you instead." The lithe, willowy woman stood.

"Walk with me, would you?" With an unnaturally long limb, she gestured out towards the shifting fog that lay beyond Paradise's main gate.

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


꧁══════════• ༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Caelum]

Sjal frowned for a moment, her displeasure at the woman's association with the aelves was evident. But then again, basically everyone served the aelves in some way or another. She liked to tell herself she was independent of them out in Paradise, but a part of her knew she would never be able to fully escape their sphere of influence.

"Alright, after you," Sjal would say as she got to her feet. She glanced over her shoulder at the big ol' tree, wondering if she should at least tell people she was going. She decided against it, thinking it better if she left without making a big deal of it. She was sure the news would make its way to Caelum one way or another… but she doubted he would care if he didn't know the details.

"You said few can be spared to aid me," Sjal said as they left the gates, "does that mean there will be some kind of aid?"

591

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 04 year 124 of the third age​

With Själ's acquiescence to follow, the stranger turned, her leafy cloak sweeping behind her. She took a few steps, and if she heard that the other was keeping pace, she would continue forth.

"A fair question, but I cannot say. They might be able to spare an agent or two– but they are covetous of their own, so you might end up with their pets; Fælnir vassals." She paused for a moment. "...but that's not so bad, is it? The Fælnir personally trained by the Æld'Norai are…reasonably competent."

As they walked, it would be hard for Själ to really guess where they were going. The misty fog from the summer rains made for poor visibility, and yet her guide seemed to walk with purpose, as if she knew exactly where she was going. If Själ was good at keeping time, they would've been walking westward away from Paradise for about ten minutes before the stranger stopped. Otherwise, the journey might feel disorienting.

She'd turn once more to face Själ, a subtle, placid smile on her lips. "We've so missed playing with you mortals," she'd say.

Then, in one fluid motion, she'd raise her arm, bent at the elbow, and flick her wrist. The ground beneath Själ would glisten with arcane magic before a portal snapped open, the magic rising to surround her– and before she could react, it swallowed the girl whole.

Where next the dragonborn found solid footing was an alien landscape, even to those familiar with the fey touched landscapes of Ælheim. She appeared in a garden, albeit one that appeared to have been destroyed long, long ago. In the middle lay a broken fountain whose water no longer flowed– it sat stagnant and dark, having spilt into a gross looking puddle that surrounded the main basin thereof.

Winding away from that fountain were four crumbling, cobbled pathways. The flora that surrounded each path appeared to be rotting, overgrown and choked with weeds; and yet these plants were still full of repulsive, diseased life. What should have been verdant green was a blackened, brown or emerald color– not dissimilar to the stranger's cloak– and the flowering parts of the plants ranged from the same to a variety of vibrant yet poisonous looking colors. The vines were covered in myriad accoutrements from sharp thorns to pernicious pustules, and it appeared that Själ would have to be careful when passing through to not get snagged.

Three of the paths lead outward into a similarly sickly forest. If Själ turned back from the path on which she'd appeared, she'd see impossibly large, gray-stone walls, and a tall, open doorway to which that path led. The world around her was otherwise peaceful, though not quiet. The buzzing of insects, croaking of frogs and calls of other small creatures could be heard, not unlike the sounds of a swamp.

But then, that silence would break. From within that doorway, within those gray walls, the loud, fiery battle-cry of a man followed by the slam of a heavy blade into flesh– perhaps an ax?– could be heard.

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


꧁══════════• ༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Caelum]

Sjal nodded, Faelnir vassals sounded about par for the course. "I agree, the aelves know how to pick out the competent humans, that's for sure. Maybe that's why they picked me." She grinned, feeling a little better about herself.

She paid little attention to the time, but being in the fog made her a little nervous. She had no sensory magic so she felt disorientated. She wanted to fly up above it, but something told her she ought to stay with her escort.

"Huh? Playing?" Sjal asked but then she dropped. She flapped her wings once, but she didn't have the strength or experience to take off from a standing position. She fell while screaming, "what the hell?"

Thankfully, her landing wasn't rough because of her wings. Her feet smoothly touched the ground and she took a look at the garden around her. Well, what was left of one. "Where am I?" she asked herself as she walked around and took in the odd scenery. "And why the hell am I here? What does this have to do with the attacks on Paradise?"

She didn't need to be told to avoid the flowers. She'd encountered so many dangerous plants living in AElheim that she tended to avoid anything that looked strange. She was careful to pull her wings in as she walked along and examined the paths available to her. Three of them seemed to lead into a forest while one led into a big open door, from which came a loud sound.

"Well, I assume the door is why I'm here," she thought as she started towards it. She wasn't yet intimidated by the cries or the sound. She would have to see what it was first. She would pass through the doorway, if allowed, and start to look around!

892

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 04 year 124 of the third age​

Själ's confidence in herself wasn't entirely misplaced; the Æld'Norai were adept at picking who was worth taking under their wing– their eyes usually fell upon those with magical talents. Any with a spark of it were carefully watched, and those who were deemed unstable or simply too stupid would be quietly Sundered. They were right to allow Själ's continued existence, then, weren't they? Her rapid mastery of Exodus proved as much.

But did she possess the skill and cunning to get herself out of the spider's web within which she now found herself entrapped?

When Själ made her way through the archway, she'd find herself in a narrow corridor. If she looked right, she'd see a weather-worn, gray stone wall, covered in creeping vines and rotting flowers. To the left, however, a path lay ahead. It was down that direction she'd hear another slam of a weapon into something meaty, as if the wielder was making sure their target was dead.

There was no visible ceiling and though the walls were unreasonably high, the dragonkin might think to try and fly over them. If she tried, however, she'd eventually realise that there was a ceiling– it was just transparent. Were she to try and break it, she would fail– whatever the material was, it was impossibly durable. The only way forward was that leftward corridor.

Were she to take that path, she'd find herself confused, possibly even concerned. The end of it would appear the same distance away from her as it was when she'd started for an uncomfortably long period of time. So long, in fact, that she might wonder if there was a point to keep walking. Before she'd start to tire, however, she would, spontaneously, find herself at the end of the path, in front of a corner, and if she turned right, the corridor would open up into a more open space– a medium sized room.

The room itself was empty aside from a large, ginger man dressed in traditional Fælniri garb and a vanquished beast. The creature was unrecognizable; it was smashed and cut to pieces by the man's oversized ax, though whatever it was to begin with would've been an indiscernible beast of twisted flesh. Upon seeing Själ enter, the man's head would abruptly turn toward her.

"Who're you?" He'd inquire brusquely in booming, accented common, his grip on the handle of his ax tightening.

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


꧁══════════• ༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Caelum]

Sjal wasn't daring enough to try escaping, not yet anyways. She followed the path that common sense told her to take, taking her through the corridor for what seemed like five minutes before she realized that something was weird about it. It was then that she tried blinking forward a few times – not a far distance, but enough to confirm in her mind that she was traveling through space. Alas, she resigned herself to walking for a while longer.

It was hard to gauge time when one had no reference point. She could have been walking for an hour, two, who knew? All she did know was that when she reached the end of the corridor she was sick of walking.

A room.

"Oh thank goodness," Sjal said, turning into it before stopping abruptly. She eyed the man who she assumed was butchering some kind of creature. A flesh beast? Well, if he was killing them then he was probably doing the right thing.

"Me? I'm Sjal. Who are you?" She stretched her wings and yawned before leaning her shoulder comfortably to relieve her feet a little. She probably didn't look entirely human with her bat wings.

"I see you get flesh beasts around here. We get those where I live too. They're a pain in the ass, for sure. What is this place anyways? It's kind of strange."

1121

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 04 year 124 of the third age​

The man squinted at Själ; his eyes narrowed into a discerning gaze, incredulity writ on his features. That gaze flit from her form to the wings on her back and then to her face, lingering in particular on those wings. When she opened her mouth and addressed him with relief, his own expression softened– but only slightly.

He wondered if, perhaps, this was yet another trick. While Själ's accent painted her as another fælnir, the wings certainly did not. He wasn't sure if he could trust her after all the unholy things he'd bore witness to in the time he'd spent stuck here.

Breathing heavy from the exertion of battle, the man answered: "Aric. Aric von'Lundqvist," he said slowly, his voice wary.

Själ would recognize this name– the surname, at the very least. He is the brother of Græntun's Jarl, Hælga von'Lundqvist. All of the Jarl's immediate family were sort of celebrities in their own right, be it for their roles in society or simply their proximity to Hælga. Aric, in particular, was a renowned warrior and hunter, put in charge of organizing Græntun's various warbands, should they ever be needed as a collective.

When she asked where they were, Aric quirked a brow.
"Where are we?" He laughed– loud, boisterous, and almost jolly were it not for how innately sardonic his tone was.

"Who fuckin' knows where we are!" He exclaimed, evidently exasperated.
"A shithole, that's where. How'd you get here?" The man sighed, shaking his head– evidently, he'd hoped that Själ might have answers, but here she was, asking the same things he was wondering.

"I was up in the mountains, hunting some witch that was terrorizin' one o' my villages, and then the next thing I know, I'm stuck in this hideous gray maze," he offered by way of explanation. Every word spoken by this man was loud; one might wonder if it were even possible for him to speak at a normal volume, much less something like a whisper.

And then, in the distance, the both of them would hear the toll of a bell. Long, loud– the metallic din rang for almost a minute before fully dissipating.

꧁══════════• ༺༉ { Aric von'Lundqvist } ༉༻•══════════꧂

꧁══════════• ༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Caelum]

"Aric… what the hell are you doing here?" she asked as she put two and two together. This clearly wasn't any place that he was supposed to be, unless he was somehow special.

"An aelf led me into some kind of mist, opened a portal, and dropped me outside of this building," Sjal explained. Then her eyes narrowed. "A witch? Describe her to me," she said as she tried to think whether or not the same person had led her here.

"In any case," she'd say, "you've no idea why we're here or anything? Ugh." She paused, to listen to the bell. "well that sounds ominous. We must have been sent here for some reason. Although… the woman who sent me here did say something about liking playing with us humans, or something along those lines. Maybe this is all just one big sick game for someone's amusement." She shrugged, indicating that she was clueless.

1276

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 04 year 124 of the third age​

The man appeared annoyed for a brief moment at being asked why he was there, opening his mouth as if to speak; wouldn't what he just said have implied he had no idea? But then, he calmed himself, realizing that snapping at potentially one of the only other sane creatures in this cursed plane (wherever this was) served him no benefit.

"I know about as much as you, it seems like," was all he gave as an answer to that query.

"The witch? She looked like a Fae– one of those Sidhe folk the Æld'Norai're said to be born from or summat," from the disgust in his tone, one could gather that Aric was not the world's biggest fan of the Faefolk.

"She had big wings, those soft, velvety things moths have, but they were folded down an' draped over her shoulders almost like a cape. Pale, greyish skin, horns, an' features an' a figure that would be pretty if they were on a Fælnir lass," he paused, as if wracking his memory for more details.

"Her feet looked like molten amber– like they were composed of sap. Same honey-thick liquid dripped from her clawed fingers, too. I went out to investigate after one o' the warbands reported her harassing– torturing, more like– a local village. When I arrived, she took me an' a few others back here, calling us 'food for father' or some shite," Aric sighed, frustration furrowing his brow. "Nothing 'bout games, only that we looked 'delectable' – a right weird one, her."

"Not one clue what that means or who 'father' is, but I dunnae about you, lass– I've no plans on being anyone's meal." The resolve in his voice was that of a seasoned warrior; he was confident of this– whether that confidence was misplaced or not, however, remained to be seen.

Again, that distant bell tolled– loud enough for the reverberations to be felt through the floor.

Aric paused 'til it was quiet enough not to overwhelm his speech. "You think we should go towards that sound or away from it?"

Other than the corridor Själ came from, there were two other paths– one on the wall opposite of that one, and another to the left of Själ. It was sort of difficult to ascertain exactly from where that bell tolled, but it was definitely louder to Själ's left. One would also be hard pressed to tell whether or not these paths led to the same place, or if they were misleading– perhaps that left path might lead away from the bell and the farther one towards it; who could say?

꧁══════════• ༺༉ { Aric von'Lundqvist } ༉༻•══════════꧂

꧁══════════• ༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Caelum]

"Welp," Sjal said, rubbing her chin and thinking about what the man said, "I guess we're here for their enjoyment. I wonder what would happen if I tried to make a portal out of here." She would wave her hand while thinking about her home and expending a bit of energy. If nothing happened, as she assumed would be the case, she would guess that they had been transported pretty far away.

She might have looked a little silly waving her hands if nothing happened, but afterwards she'd shrug and say, "I suppose we should head towards the sound. It doesn't feel like we're going to accomplish anything by sitting around here. Where are the people that you said got taken with you? Are they around or did something get them?"

She pointed to her left and said, "that way. I think. My post powerful skill is the ability to teleport, but I have no clue whether it even works down here. I'm decent with a sword, and I'm glad I brought one, but who knows what kind of shit we're in for." She groaned, wondering whether she was even going to get paid for being part of all this. If the plan was to get her killed, that would be a pretty good way of getting out of payment.

It was at that moment that she realized she'd never even gotten around to discussing payment. Damnit!

1513

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 04 year 124 of the third age​

When Själ attempted to escape via Exodus, her spell would fail. Whilst Master Exodii were capable of interplanar travel, Caligony was a special beast. Cast adrift in the cosmos with Pelezotz's destruction and the dispersal of its native Metaphor, Malachor, a new Metaphor had crept in to stabilize it– and that Metaphor was interfering with the young master's magic; only a Warpweaver, an Ascendent, could bypass this. Though she had no frame of reference to understand the source of this interference, she would now know that there was no way they were still traipsing along on Antarokian soil anymore. Perhaps it would help to share this revelation with Aric, too; he didn't know whether she was a master or a novice, nor did he know the finer points of Exodus himself.

"For their enjoyment…" he repeated, grumbling like an angry old man.
"Fie! To Helheim with that; let's you and I show them that taking us was a mistake, hm?" He flashed her a large, toothy grin.

"Towards the din it is, then, aye," Aric added, his previously raucous demeanor shifting back to something more serious.

Hefting his ax off the ground and over his shoulder, he turned to saunter over to the leftmost corridor, from whence the bell rang loudest. His posture was confident, steadfast– he was a determined fellow if nothing else.

"I've a bit o' magic myself, but I am best with this ax," he continued as he walked.
"Aqua an' a bit o' Terra," he clarified after a short pause.

But as they stepped out of the room and into the corridor, both of them would feel a wave of nausea as the bell tolled again. Was this because they were going nearer to it, or for another reason? Who could say.

Once that passed, Aric would look back to make sure Själ was still standing, and if she was, he'd continue onward. Wasn't worth stopping over, at least not for him. This corridor led to a winding road ahead of dim, claustrophobic gray halls; right turn, left turn, one after the next after the next after the next– at points, there'd be more than one path they'd have to pick from, and sometimes, they'd run into dead ends and have to backtrack and try again. One could only imagine what would happen to one's sanity if one were forced to wander these snaking paths for any extended period of time.

Frankly, all this wandering was trying Aric's patience; he would talk to fill the air, whether or not his assorted tales of his hunting exploits and myriad battles with varying foes of Ælheim interested Själ at all. After a while, he was becoming visibly frustrated– but luckily for him, they weren't going to be stuck in such an interlude for much longer. Finally, the labyrinthine halls of…wherever this was…yielded; there was a room 'round the corner.

This room was quite different from the slate gray walls they'd likely have come to expect. It was as beautiful as it was vast and imposing; adorning those walls was endless flora, like some twisted reflection of Ælheim or Ælphyne– rather, it looked much like the mythic Lost Woods of Ælphyne. Dark, murky, as if the very trees might reach out and try to eat you. They'd walk a ways into this endless, dark abyss of a forest before they'd spot any sign of life.

In the darkness of the nearest tree's branches, Själ would see the phantom of a face with pale, yellow skin and gleaming, emerald eyes, not unlike the woman who'd led her here. It would quickly recede into the shadows, with movement replacing the visage– a lanky, feminine figure slunk through the boughs of the trees, crawling with all four long, thin, limbs, pale green skin everywhere except the face and a lengthy braid that swung into view for only a second before the apparition escaped fully out of site. No part of this strange woman would linger long enough for Själ to get a good view of her, almost as if what was shown was shown deliberately.

"You seen anythin' like that one before?" Aric asked with one brow raised; this didn't look like his witch, but maybe Själ had encountered something like that before they'd crossed paths.

Själ would have just enough time to answer that question before they were beset upon by beasts from the shadows– suspicious timing, that. They were horrific little gremlins, as if the trap of a venus fly trap had sprouted legs and a head. From the open trap on its back did venom trip, and the rim of each lip was limned with fangs. On top of that, it's proper head had a mouth full of teeth and its arms were tipped with clawed hands. Its limbs and spine were all long and limber, giving it a strange, uncanny flexibility.

First, one jumped at Aric, which caught him by surprise– Själ wouldn't be able to tell how much it'd injured him, however, because as he booted it off of him, another leapt from the darkness to claw and bite at her.

: monsters

꧁══════════• ༺༉ { Aric von'Lundqvist } ༉༻•══════════꧂

꧁══════════• ༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Caelum]

Whatever the reason, Sjal couldn't get them to safety. "Terra and Aqua, eh? Does your magic work properly? I tried creating a portal out of this place but it didn't work."

She tried to stomach the nausea as best she could, though she knew that another few waves of it would probably result in her last meal splattering on the floor. The only thing keeping her mind off of how fucked up this situation was, was Aric's stories. She shared a few of her own, though none were quite as impressive as his.

"We made it!" Sjal said excitedly when they finally made it to another room. "Though I guess I don't know if I should be excited or not," she said when she got a look at the interior.

When the strange creature appeared for a brief time, Sjal would nod and say, "yes, looked kind of like the one who brought me here. Now that I think about it, I think she might be a very powerful exodii. I'm pretty good at making portals and even I can't get out of here. She might be one of the most powerful ones in the country. Could have probably sent me into a volcano if the goal was just to kill me, which makes me think now more than ever that this is all just some sick game. That, or there really is some purpose for sending us here that is yet unknown to us."

She might of rambled for a time longer but they were attacked. Thankfully, Sjal was a spry little thing. She sprang out of the way as one of the creatures came at her. She tumbled on the ground and drew her sword in one fluid motion before squaring up to face the foe.

"What the hell are these things," she asked, rhetorically. They looked nothing like anything she'd seen in the wilds of the forests. She would try to rush at it and cut its head off, or if it tried to bite her she'd try to intercept its bite with her blade. At the very least she could try to occupy it while her companion booted it like he did the other.

1881

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 04 year 124 of the third age​

"From what spells've been forced from my hands thus far, I've not had any issues," Aric answered, sighing at the realization that Själ's portals weren't an option.

"Haven't the foggiest idea why Exodus wouldn't work…but that bodes ill." It took effort on his end not to let his concern seep into his speech.

It did help Aric's sanity that whilst they were stuck in the maze that Själ not only appeared interested in his tales, but that she offered some of her own, even if they weren't quite as grand. He would've told them anyways, as remembering his triumphs helped to ground him, giving him hope that this, too, was just another trial he could overcome– but having an audience that wasn't rolling her eyes helped, too.

Emerging into the dark, enclosed forest was a relief to them both despite the fact that one might argue it really wasn't any sort of improvement. Rather, what gave Aric hope was the fact that their surroundings finally changed– it didn't matter to what, just that they weren't wandering those blasted gray halls anymore.

Aric listened as Själ described her theory about the strange woman in the woods, growing concerned at the notion that the young Fælniri's magic fizzled but this woman's did not. Was she truly so legendary a sage, or did she perhaps possess an Aligned creation powerful enough to weave whatever portal captured Själ? The latter option would be objectively more foreboding, as that would imply she was acquainted with a consummate enough Artificer and that the Artificer knew or had access to legendary Exodus themselves. Any way one spun the possibilities, whomever the ringleaders were, they must be formidable, indeed.

Aric booted the creature away from him with a firm kick, bringing his ax down afterwards; his movement was the smooth, swift reflex of a career warrior– the creature was destroyed before it could even react. His focus was quick to shift onto his ally, and he took decisive action once its jaw clamped onto Själ's blade. With a flex of Aether and a single, powerful word of Sovereignty, a spike of earth pierced the creature's body from below.

However, there were more of them, and the pair of Fælnir were soon surrounded by a handful of those snapping monsters, as well as the sound of movement in the distance– snapping branches, crunching leaves. Something much bigger was lumbering towards them, increasing the urgency of sweeping through the little flytraps before it arrived. "Something's comin', lass! let's clear these out right quick," Aric called out to his companion.

Two little gremlins went after Själ, one snapping at her legs while the other attempted to grapple at her torso. Arik was dealing with three of them, and to do so he was in the process of creating a mud pit in the earth below them.

: monsters

꧁══════════• ༺༉ { Aric von'Lundqvist } ༉༻•══════════꧂

꧁══════════• ༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Caelum]

Aric's performance was impressive. He was proving himself as a seasoned fighter and she felt lucky to be in his presence. To have survived two initiations was in itself an accomplishment. She was jealous because he was carrying her sorry butt. Her most powerful tool had proved too unreliable, much to her annoyance.

Sjal hated to waste aether, especially in a situation like this. Yet, it was hard to be conservative when she was about to die. Her earlier attempts at portals told her that she couldn't leave, but could she still travel within this place? She had tried blinking earlier, in the first endless corridor she came across, but it had seemed endless so whether or not it'd worked hadn't been clear.

She spread her legs into a defensive stance and held her katana out to the side before bringing it over her head and ultimately down in a vertical slash which tore open a portal as the creatures leapt at her. So, portals did open when she made them exit nearby. The exit to the portal was a dozen feet in the air. She didn't know if these things could fly and assumed that a fall from that height would be enough to injure them or at least buy some time.

There was no telling if the creatures would actually run through the portal though, so she leapt up and backwards, flapping her wings to give her some height. Her sword was at the ready to slash at anything that came close.

"Bring it on," she shouted at Aric's warning, "you hear that aelves, or whoever the hell is in charge around here? We can handle whatever you throw at us so show us what you got and let us go home!"

2175

 

[Vicissitude]

Summer 04 year 124 of the third age​

Though these creatures were swift little buggers, they weren't very bright. In so lunging at Själ, they weren't quite quick– or perhaps aware?– enough to avoid passing through the portal she'd created. And while it was intelligent of her to try and kill the flytraps with gravity, it was unnecessary; they fell through the portal twisted, their limbs and joints bent and wrenched ino unnatural positions, some bones clearly broken. Further, they had odd, tumorous growths on different parts of their bodies, some ruptured, some not. They were dead before they'd even hit the ground– a fair warning that she ought not to utilize her own magic on herself, lest such a terrible fate befall her.

Aric's method to deal with their speed worked, too. He'd turned the ground beneath them to mud, their feet sticking into it– they didn't have the strength to pull their spindly limbs out of it. With a snap of his fingers and another word of Sovereignty, the mud instantly dried and hardened, effectively cementing them in place. Helpless, the ax-wielding warrior proceeded to butcher the remaining trio– one arcing sweep of the ax was all it took for all three.

Having dealt with the gremlins, they would have only a few moments to regroup before their next shambling foe would emerge. Aric moved to stand beside his ally again, knowing that something else was approaching from the rustling sounds of its lumbering steps.

"Your Exodus– how'd you use it to break them like that?" He really couldn't help but to ask– he'd never seen a portal have that effect on anything before, and now was as good a time as any, he supposed

Själ would have time to answer him, but after that, their next opponent would emerge from the shadows between the trees. Aric was a tall man, even for the Fælnir. Standing at about six-foot-five, he was roughly half a foot shorter than the behemoth creature that now assailed them. It was a giant, bipedal insect– two arms, two legs, and another pair of intermediary limbs extended from its midsection. The creature's carapace ranged from copper tones to greens that shimmered iridescent when struck by light, and it appeared to be a strange cross between a mantis and perhaps a beetle, though the most repulsive aspect of it were the myriad, swollen, bulbous fluid sacs that hung around its wide head. Buried amongst these pernicious, brightly colored sacs was its maw, and while small, it was filled with numerous razor sharp fangs. One would be wary to allow its head anywhere near them– though its mouth was not large, it would be wise to fear the substance within those vibrant, delicate balloons.

"Oh, for the love of…" Aric grumbled, readying his ax and softening the ground beneath the creature again, hoping to slow it down.

: monsters

꧁══════════• ༺༉ { Aric von'Lundqvist } ༉༻•══════════꧂

꧁══════════• ༺༉ ❁ ❀ ❁ ༉༻•══════════꧂​

 

[Caelum]

Sjal's jaw dropped when she saw what happened when the creatures zipped through her portal. "I have no idea why they broke apart like that," she said, "though I think that's a good sign that we shouldn't be trying to go through any portals. This is… unfortunate because that's my main fighting tactic. If I can't teleport then I'm damn near useless as a mage. That is, unless we can somehow convince these creatures to go through portals… but I think most wont' be as stupid as the ones we just faced."

"Fucking hell," Sjal said as she eyed the monster before them. She guessed she had asked for it. Repulsive was an apt description of it. She noticed how Aric kept using magic and worried about his limits. Surely mageburn was preferable to dying to a grotesque plant monster but it would still suck to overexert oneself.

Sjal scooped up a fist sized rock off the ground and eyed the monster, noting that the sacs that looked incredibly dangerous. She didn't want to get close, yet she didn't see how else she could hurt it, especially if things that passed through a portal got destroyed. She would have to trust that she was quick enough on her feet to dodge if the sacs exploded or spit out some kind of liquid. She would try flying above it to see if the sacs surrounded its whole head.

At worst, her hope was to split its attention so that either she or Aric could get off a good attack on it. At best, maybe the rock she then dropped towards its head would do something to distract it. If it chose to still focus on Aric, she would swoop down and to slash it while passing by, though she would be careful not to slash into the sacs.

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