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Jul 12, 2017 21:53:55 GMT -7
Post by Aphaerla Suir on Jul 12, 2017 21:53:55 GMT -7
Once everyone caught back up, Aphaerla went right back to charging forward at full speed. She didn't bother to see if everyone was okay or not. They were still moving and following along, so they were probably fine. If not, based on their track record so far she expected someone to complain. Thus, charging forward was the only logical thing to do. She was the appointed leader after all.
It was a good thing she was in the lead too because there was a boulder in the way. Everyone else in the group looked pretty scrawny and like they barely worked out, if they did at all, so clearly it was all on her and her obviously superior strength. At least, she thought it was a boulder until it started making the floor sticky so it'd be harder to push it out of the way. It was hardly an insurmountable challenge, but it was really annoying. Fortunately, she was still the right person for the job here and it still required her obviously superior strength.
"Don't worry, even the strongest of enemies has a weak point somewhere!"
Aphaerla readied her spear and looked over the creature for the slightest fault. Eventually, she did find a small crack in its armor, likely so it could actually move, and thrust her spear through that. She wasn't sure if she hit it until the boulder started deflating and more sticky fluid started oozing out onto the floor. Fortunately, it was easy enough to step around, even without complicated wall jumping.
With a satisfied nod, Aphaerla carried on with her head up high. She was clearly in a better mood already.
---
Skill: Strike
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Jul 13, 2017 22:03:35 GMT -7
Post by Clark Amasteros on Jul 13, 2017 22:03:35 GMT -7
Clark watched with intense curiosity as Aphaerla attempted to push the strange creature. Instead of brute strength, he was trying to figure what kind of creature it even was. The rocky exterior might have been some sort of exoskeleton, but he was forced to conclude that he simply didn't know enough. With a shrug, he started walking up to help push it.
He regretted not acting sooner. With complete and utter disregard for the scientific potential, the surveyor killed the poor creature.
"Miss Aphaerla, was that completely necessary?"
Clark tried to keep the condescension out of his voice. He took a small glass tube out of his pocket, and stooped down over the sticky ooze to take a sample.
"If anyone else is interested, it smells sharply bitter, and could be a mild irritant. A proper expert might get something useful out of it."
After filling half-full with the viscous green fluid, he put a stopper and put the tube in his opposite pocket.
"Well, best to move on."
Move: Right Skill: Ward Against All Odds
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Jul 14, 2017 11:06:28 GMT -7
Post by Tristan Carter on Jul 14, 2017 11:06:28 GMT -7
Bad news was that somebody was clearly taking themselves far too seriously and acting as though they were indisputably the top dog despite being roughly twelve. Good news was that the rest of the ensemble didn't seem as full of themselves, though it wasn't as though there had been plenty of personality-defining moments. So far, all that could be said about the guy was that he was a bit clumsy and not overly forthcoming with his name. Iris needed to work on her cardio, but was polite. The only thing more obvious than the Northern Lights' mutation was her lack of manners.
Still, Tristan was not about to let his personal distaste towards Aphy's actions disrupt the expedition. "Sorry, Aphaerla," he said indifferently, "not trying to upset you. Between Iris and yourself, we had two young ladies who were unnamed at the time. I needed something to refer to you as that wouldn't possibly cause confusion, and that was simply what I came up with first." Whether or not she actually understood was, unfortunately, ultimately irrelevant. What had been had already been done, and there was no undoing it. Far better to just accept it.
Tristan's musings on other things in life that were best accepted was interrupted by the sudden attack of torches. Torches that seemed to be putting off an unsettling lack of heat, despite the size of the flames suggesting that the room should be hot enough to fry an egg. Still, reflexes kicked in, and Tristan was out of the immediate area before Iris' command even registered, curiosity about magical flames be dammed.
It didn't take long after regrouping for the party to encounter another obstacle. This time, instead of something outright aggressive, it seemed to be a large, stone creature simply sitting in the way. Aphy stepped forward and tried pushing it, much to Tristan's amusement. He considered offering to help before the unnamed man decided to do the same, just before Aphy found a way to murder the problem away. The only thing Tristan regretted about the situation was that he hadn't brought anything to collect fluid samples with, but even that problem was solved, thanks to the man.
"Alright, great work so far, everyone," Tristan said happily. Aphy's mood seemed to have improved, so he decided it was probably best to leave it at that. Angering the young girl with a spear some more would likely do little to help the group out.
---
Skill: Guide Move: Right
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FRIENDSHIP:
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Ophiuchi
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Jul 14, 2017 12:57:28 GMT -7
Post by Iris Pires on Jul 14, 2017 12:57:28 GMT -7
Iris was panting as she kept up with the brisk pace Aphaerla was setting. She was ashamed to be having so much trouble handling something the rest of the party was having no difficulty with, but she tried to set that aside for the moment as she focused on any possible threats.
She pulled up short when she saw the strange monster ahead. Iris had never seen anything like it. At least she should be able to rest for a moment while the team took a moment to study it and examine... Never mind, it was already dead and the team was moving on. Maybe it was for the best, since it could've been hiding some dangerous ability up its sleeve.
Iris didn't pay much attention to the ongoing conversation except to be glad that everyone was more or less taking Iris herself for granted. She wasn't inclined to draw attention to herself, especially since it seemed so easy to prick Aphaerla's ego. It was nice that Tristan was being positive, but Iris wasn't sure she believed his praise considering that she had no point of reference for how these things usually went. In any case, her eyes remained fixed on the path ahead.
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Skill: Ward
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Jul 14, 2017 15:14:47 GMT -7
Post by Kitten4u on Jul 14, 2017 15:14:47 GMT -7
Still burning torches line the walls, each tightly wound hallway managing to look exactly like the last. Eventually, the explorers come across a wall with a mural with a torch on either side. The patterns on the lower parts resemble several trees growing on floating islands, humanoid shapes with wings, or fins, or other odd features, and clouds and rain. Archaeologists might be able to do something with these pictures.
Room has no hazard. Loot from this room: 18 Bonus from loot room: 6 Total loot so far: 31
The party has 40 energy. No one is injured.
You can go backward, returning to the surface. You can go straight ahead, further into the dungeon.
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Jul 15, 2017 3:04:40 GMT -7
Post by Aphaerla Suir on Jul 15, 2017 3:04:40 GMT -7
"You talk way too much."
It was all she could say to the guy trying to explain away his dumb nickname because she started tuning him out after the first sentence or so. She didn't care about his reasons at all, she just wanted to set the record straight. She was NOT Lightshow. Right now, she had more important things to do than to worry about some guy. Like making sure the walls were actually walls and weren't going to eat her or something.
And then someone complained that she actually killed the monster. Aphaerla blinked a few times, unsure if she heard correctly. Was someone seriously complaining that she killed the monster right in front of them? Seriously? For a moment all she could do was stare in disbelief before speaking in an exasperated tone.
"Uh yeah? It was in the way. Is this your first time in Twilight Jungle or something? Because you don't let the monsters live. It's just not something you do."
She couldn't even explain it better than that because it was just so obvious to her. Kill the bad things before they kill you. They would definitely kill them if given a chance too because the monsters were a lot stronger than the average human. There was no reason to give them the opportunity. Still befuddled, she continued down the path, lighting the way as she walked. Aphaerla didn't even acknowledge the mural. She was here to beat up monsters, not stare at art! Lingering here was not conductive to that, and thus was a waste of time.
---
Skill: Strike
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PASSION:
12
BRAVERY:
11
FRIENDSHIP:
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Tragnario
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Jul 16, 2017 11:07:04 GMT -7
via mobile
Post by Tristan Carter on Jul 16, 2017 11:07:04 GMT -7
Skill: Careful Appraisal Move: Straight
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Ophiuchi
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Jul 16, 2017 12:24:51 GMT -7
Post by Iris Pires on Jul 16, 2017 12:24:51 GMT -7
It was a pleasant surprise when the next room didn't seem to have anything hostile. Of course, Iris didn't let her guard down completely. She wouldn't normally have considered torches hostile either, and that had almost turned out very badly. Even so, she paused briefly to study the mural, more to distract herself from the increasingly awkward conflict of personality happening around her than anything.
Iris checked her pockets and was grateful to discover a pencil and a piece of old scrap paper inside. It had been years since she had any use for this sort of thing, but she hadn't cleaned out her pockets since then either. She hurriedly tried to draw a copy of the mural, then frowned at what she had drawn.
It really looked like nothing more than a childish scribble. Iris was the furthest thing from an artist. At least it might possibly help her remember the details so she could describe them later. Maybe she could have drawn a better picture with more time, but the team was already moving forward. Iris hurried along with them.
---
Skill: Ward
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Jul 16, 2017 17:29:34 GMT -7
Post by Kitten4u on Jul 16, 2017 17:29:34 GMT -7
Still burning torches line the walls, each tightly wound hallway managing to look exactly like the last. The narrow hallway expands into a spacious room, completely devoid of light. Just entering the room makes anyone with magic feel a little sluggish and like their powers are weaker, though those without magical abilities are unaffected. The walls are still made of the same gray stones the rest of the ruins are made out of, but there are a few other types of rocks sticking out of it. They're all crystalline, and shaped like quartz. They're either a very dark purple or black in color. It doesn't look like they were placed here, as there's no structure or consistency with their placement, and they even cover the floor and ceiling. It looks more like nature overtook this part of the ruins, though there is no plant life in the room, just these strange rocks. There's a few loose ones that can easily be picked up. By the time the explorers reach the end of the room, the ones with magic might feel a bit tired, potentially to the point of feeling out of breath. In the distance an odd wail can be heard. Loud enough and forceful enough that every time the cry echoes through the corridors the walls vibrate. --- Room has no hazard. Loot from this room: 3 Bonus from loot room: 7 Total loot so far: 41 Tristan Carter has been injured due to the room's difficulty The party has 20 energy. Tristan Carter is injured. You can go backward, returning to the surface. You can go to the left, closer to the surface. You can go to the right, further into the dungeon.
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Jul 17, 2017 5:14:41 GMT -7
Post by Aphaerla Suir on Jul 17, 2017 5:14:41 GMT -7
Aphaerla wasted no time in moving forward and never hesitated. Some people might call it reckless, but with all these narrow hallways it was really easy to tell when something was there. Unless the walls were going to try to eat them or something, but that hadn't happened yet, so that was a good sign.
Then her lights started to dim.
She never worried about bringing an additional source of light into the jungle because she was all the light she ever needed. However, right now for some reason, she could barely see more than a foot in front of her. Normally it was really difficult to keep her lights this dim, and the'd return to their usual brightness on their own, but it's not like she was trying to dim her lights for one, but more importantly, they weren't bouncing back.
Her pace slowed a little bit as she thought about what to do, but she quickly realized she had no idea what to do. Aphaerla went with the one strategy that seemed to work pretty regularly and started randomly stabbing at the room. She wasn't picky on targets, going for the floor, the walls, and the ceiling only making a point not to stab anything behind her. Her allies could take care of any freaky thing back there probably. By the time she got to the end of the room she was panting and her lights weren't any brighter. There didn't appear to be anything stabable in this room.
---
Skill: Strike
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PASSION:
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BRAVERY:
16
FRIENDSHIP:
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Ophiuchi
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Jul 18, 2017 1:44:18 GMT -7
Post by Iris Pires on Jul 18, 2017 1:44:18 GMT -7
The low visibility was both more and less troublesome to Iris than it might have been for anyone else. On one hand, she had a lot of practice navigating without the use of her eyesight. But on the other hand, being unable to see meant being unable to direct her power. Iris moved forward with deliberate, careful footsteps, following the clanging of Aphaerla's spear and listening for any signs of more serious trouble.
She still breathed a sigh of relief upon reaching the end of the room, though it came out as more of a groan of exhaustion. Her eyes were starting to ache and her legs felt like jelly. But she couldn't give up just yet, not when she was the one to invite herself to this expedition in the first place.
"Good thinking," she gasped, more to distract herself from her difficulties than anything else. "Using your spear to make a noise the rest of us could follow."
Then, the wail from up ahead caught her attention. She tensed up and began looking around.
"Is everyone else alright?"
---
Skill: Easy Ward
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PASSION:
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BRAVERY:
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FRIENDSHIP:
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Jul 18, 2017 15:08:29 GMT -7
Post by Clark Amasteros on Jul 18, 2017 15:08:29 GMT -7
Clark had been examining the murals for quite some time. He noticed Iris trying to draw it, which was a good idea. He'd have to remember to bring paper and a pencil the next time he made it out here. For now, he was stuck attempting to commit the whole thing to memory. Clark let the party move on without him for a while. It would be easy enough to catch back up to them.
When he eventually did catch up, it was just in time to reply to Iris's question.
"Still good, although something in this room is giving me an ill effect. Aphaerla too, it seems. I wonder if that noise has some sub-sonic components to it. There were some studies done on that in the past."
Clark was referring to an infamous series of Gnosis papers published a few years back, in which they explored ultra-low sound waves as a potential weapon. It was never practical, but still drove many unfortunate test subjects insane.
"We should get out of here soon, actually."
His voice took on a sudden sense of urgency.
Move: right Skill: Ward at all costs
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PASSION:
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FRIENDSHIP:
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Jul 18, 2017 15:53:32 GMT -7
via mobile
Post by Tristan Carter on Jul 18, 2017 15:53:32 GMT -7
Despite the interesting image portrayed on the mural, Tristan's first thoughts went towards potential profit. Whether there was possibly any truth to them was better left to others to decide, but he was willing to bet there was a decent chance of it. After all, people with wings weren't exactly unheard of in New Sumatra. However, either way, he knew for a fact that there were people willing to pay top dollar for such an intriguing discovery. As such, he dislodged one of the pieces with a more complete scene and went on his way, expecting Clark to be following along soon.
Shortly after, another fascinating discovery was made. Strange crystals lining a dark room, coincidentally just as Tristan started to feel unusually exhausted. Judging by Aphy's lights dimming, he wasn't the only one suffering. It didn't take a genius to link the two together, and there were plenty of chunks that seemed to have broken off of the main veins. Somebody, somewhere, would find such stones valuable. Hell, Tristan himself was already wondering if it might possibly be used against the creatures in the ruins. It was unlikely, but all discoveries seemed unlikely beforehand. He pocketed a few larger chunks and made his way through the room, becoming acutely aware of the effects worsening as time went on. By the time he made it to the end (Aphy banging the spear on everything made for a wonderful guide), his legs were about ready to give out from underneath him.
"Oh, yes, I'm fine," he said in answer to Iris' question. "Probably just need to catch my breath is all." He really hoped that he was right.
Move: Right
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Jul 18, 2017 18:06:46 GMT -7
Post by Kitten4u on Jul 18, 2017 18:06:46 GMT -7
The hallways continue for awhile longer until the ruins suddenly open up. Instead of narrow hallways, the explorers come across a massive room, large enough that the other side can't be seen in the dim light. There are no torches in the room, so the only light in the area is the light the explorers brought themselves. The room looks completely different from the rest of the ruins as well. Instead of being full of gray stone, the walls are colorful, covered with several different types of stones in various colors. None of the stones look like something found near New Sumatra. They form patterns and pictures, mostly depicting large trees, flowers, and floating islands. However, some of the pictures are difficult to make out because they're full of scratches and other marks. Some of the scratches are large and deep and suggest that whatever creature made them has claws significantly larger than a human head. The wail is getting louder, and the vibration in the walls more intense. In the distance, there are frequent loud thuds that sound like foot steps from a massive creatures. What ever's causing it is getting closer. It sounds like it's coming from the deepest part of the dungeon. --- Room has no hazard. Loot from this room: 7 Bonus from loot room: 3 Bonus loot from appraise: 4 Total loot so far: 55 The party has 1 energy. Tristan Carter is injured You can go backward, returning to the surface. You can go to the left, into the deepest part of the dungeon... You can go to the right, closer to the surface.
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PASSION:
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FRIENDSHIP:
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Jul 19, 2017 5:55:28 GMT -7
Post by Aphaerla Suir on Jul 19, 2017 5:55:28 GMT -7
Her lights dimming didn't stop her from moving faster than she probably should have. Just because it nearly made her face plant into a wall doesn't mean that she should go slow though! Aphaerla was far too excited to see the next thing despite her tiredness and the strange things happening to her power. None of that was going to stop her from checking out what was further in the ruins, and it especially wasn't going to stop her from challenging a strong sounding monster. It's the entire reason she was here.
Iris' comment made her slow down slightly, only because it's hard to move and think at the same time. It wasn't her intention to have things work out like that, but they did didn't it? There was no way to tell if the floor would try to eat them or something, so it was a good idea regardless, but it ended up being better than expected. Aphaerla grinned and gave everyone a thumbs up behind her.
"Yeah!"
Granted, some other comments made her a bit pouty, and that everyone was starting to get tired and slow down was also really disappointing. Aphearla turned around and continued running backwards as fast as she could manage.
"Come on, you didn't expect there to be no monsters in here did you? It's like the best part! Let's go, let's go!"
---
Skill: Strike Move: Right ((The RNG demands it))
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