The Muck Pond

[El_Skwidd]

Xev nods quickly as he waits for MushBall to take the spear.

[AoM]

Ao grumbled in mindspeak to Tek and Kikkik.

"I have a feeling many bad and foul things go on here with these wizards... I'm not sure it's worth the risk to find out what unfortunate creature is making those sounds... it could just be a wizard trap. Right Kikkik?"

[Fleegle]

(For AoM and Razorlance)

"Not exactly a trick, Ao. There is no doubt in my mind that someone or something is in pain. However, it would still be unwise to attempt to help it. If you choose to follow that path I shall stay here, otherwise we shall continue on to the mountain." Kikkik replied.
A wizard walked by, eyeing the trio. It looked like the wizard they had encountered in the station, but its crest was not as long, and it wore baggy pants and a flowing cape, both in flamboyant colours.

[AoM]

Ao stops his plodding and minspeaks again.

"I don't understand how you could be so sure, Kikkik... But even if you are right, I have a bad feeling about this. I was warned not to underestimate the wizards... that they would have ways to bypass my gifts of strength and durability..." Ao looks at Tek as he speaks, "I cannot guarantee that I can keep us safe if we attempt some foolhardy heroics to spare this unknown being some pain... but if you think we should do something about it, I will clear the way for you."

[Leo Luncid]

The construct returned it's once examining head to it's default position as Ilosep queried his turn of the conversation, it's head little below eye level so that it could lock on eye contact to him. After him it lock on eye contact to Ithicus as he speaks of his name. It could see Ithicus making a brief glance at it before looking back at Ilosep, and seeing it is it's turn to respond, he return his empty face to Ilosep's and only turn it's head from side to side.

[Lumin]

The Muck Pond once again begins to bubble, though with the violent disturbance from the storm the extra motion isn't very noticeable. A moment later, however, something happens which would be harder to ignore. A hand breaks the surface and a smallish figure clambers onto the shore at the edge of the pond, sputtering and spitting rainwater and muck.

The figure, a young woman with a lean, lithe figure and not much by way of curves, climbs to her feet and tries to get a sense of her surroundings. Having just come into the world she is completely nude and still covered in the muck she was born from, though this is soon washed away by the storm. She shivers, crossing her arms and hugging herself for warmth, while the driving rain stings her clear grey eyes and plasters her dark, slightly longer than shoulder-length hair to her face.

"What a terrible world this is," she says to herself through chattering teeth. Then, "Well, Squall, better get used to it. Standing here complaining won't do any good."

Peering around, she sees...not much. The dark and the storm obscure her vision, and a few dim shapes are all she can make out.

Then, perhaps the rain lets up for a moment, or perhaps her eyes begin to adjust, but she notices the tiniest flicker of red-orange light to the southeast. Not seeing any better options, she makes her way towards it.

On the way she comes across a large dark shape that didn't seperate itself from the ever-present gloom until she nearly trips on it, and she grimaces as she catches a whiff of some horrible stench. Not letting it deter her, she steps around whatever it is and continues toward the flickering light, which she now sees is coming from some kind of cave.

[Razorlance]

Still trying to make out any movement in the darkness, he mindspeaks to Ao, "No, there could be many wizards around here and I don't want you to take any risks on my behalf, this is your journey and I would not want anything to happen to you. We should get moving to the mountain."

[Fleegle]

(This will be my last post for the next few days.)

(Global statement)
As midnight approached, the rain poured harder and thunder rumbled. A few streaks of lightning played about.

(For Leo and Pie)

"This storm just keeps getting worse... Urdast must be upset about something. Oh! If you didn't know, Urdast is the sky god. Usually flies around as a great bird, but he's probably sulking in the clouds right about now." spoke the old man.
"I see you don't talk." Ilosep motioned towards the construct. "Well, I should let you in on a little secret I suppose. You can talk to gods or other creatures of the Muck using the power of your mind. Of course it's still up to you whether you use it or not!" Ilosep chuckled. "Well now, should I give you a name or would you like to mindspeak it? No matter, we'll figure that out inside. Come, follow me, both of you."
Ilosep shuffled through the arch.

(For Nixit, El_Skwidd, and Schme)

As the Pink Ones advanced on their position, Felinibis bucked forward, knocking MushBall and Bassus to the ground. Felinibis swatted the foremost Pink One, sending him coursing through the air. He screamed and hit the ground with a thud, lying silent and still. The Pink One behind him used the attack as an opportunity to attack Felinibis while his defenses were down. He tossed a spear that landed square in Felinibis' chest.
Felinibis roared as the spear penetrated his flesh, but it seemed to only make him angry. He charged forward, spear still stuck in him, and brought his jaws together on the attacking Pink One. He shook his head vigourously and spat out the Pink One, who was now missing the head and upper torso.
The group heard a war-cry and noticed five more Pink Ones rushing up from the rear. They stood a distance back, and seemed to raise their arms into the air. As a bolt of lightning struck nearby, one could see that they were armed with bows and arrows, and were prepared to fire.

(For AoM and Razorlance)

Kikkik looked over at the wildly dressed wizard. "How can I be sure? I know what wizards are capable of. If it is a trick, then there is still a creature in pain. Why fake it when you can have the real thing? Come on then, you've made your decision, let's get ourselves to the mountain."
As lightning struck and thunder crashed, a nearby fleshy wizard tore off his clothing, rose his arms into the air and screamed at the sky, shaking his arms vigorously. The other wizards payed no attention to him. He then tore off his robe, revealing his stark-naked form to the elements. He stamped up and down, rose his arms to the sky again and yelled gibberish into the night air. Another bolt of lighting struck, seemingly in response, followed shortly after by the sound of thunder.

(For Lumin)
The inside of the cave was lit by the embers of a dying flame. As Squall enterred, the fire seemed to renew itself slightly, lighting up the cave more. The neat pile of skulls stared at the naked woman who had enterred their domain. A rotting head lay on the ground nearby. Squall could see a doorway leading into darkness.

[Pie]

*Ithicuc gladly exepted Ilosep's invitation to go inside, and enters, ceeping pace with Ilosep.*

[AoM]

Ao just nods and continues towards the mountain.

[Nixit]

Briker looks in fright at the charging Pink Ones. But suddenly, a brilliant idea springs to his mind. Afterall, the Pink Ones did not believe in the gods, and perhaps this would change his mind.

Briker emits his highest, most piercing screech, and mindspeaks to all that can hear him, "Gods, let Justice be brought forth onto these creatures! I shall use my fate against these nasty monsters!"

[Schme]

Although anxious to throw himself into the fray (for without his excellent fighting prowess, where would they be?) MushBall was finding it very difficult to dismount the great beast, espicially without help. He squirmed and shifted, but could not seem to find a good hold where he could climb down without falling.

His problem was solved as he was violently thrown off, smacking the ground like a huge large lump of dough. Picking himself up, he armed himself with the spear, which was the most formidable weapon he ever beheld. Although it was somewhat to large for him, he accepted it readily, as it's sharp metal end was something in which his stick was desperatly lacking in.

Before, he'd been planning to charge at the disgusting skinny pink creatures, but now, seeing the great number of projectiles pointed in his direction, he thought a better tactic would be to stand behind Felinibis, so as not to have his beatiful mushy physique skeward. And so this he did, poking his head and spear out from behind the giant feline.

[Lumin]

Squall pauses in the entrance of the cave, staring aghast at the grisly scene inside. Then she squares her shoulders and walked further inside.

"It's either this or stand in the rain, after all," she tells herself.

The smell is worse here than it had been when she nearly stumbled over the thing outside, if that was even possible, but the cave is dry, and the remains of the fire give off an inviting warmth.

"Hello? Uh...is anyone home?" she asks in a quavering voice, weak enough to be instantly lost in the din of the raging storm outside. The cave is obviously empty, but there's something about the yawning blackness that little door opens into that makes her nervous. She is relieved when there is no answer -- anything that would live in a place like thus is nothing she wants to meet.

Searching about, Squall is able to find a few bits of wood, which she uses to tend to the tiny flame until she's sure it won't go out on her, while every once in awhile stealing a wary glance at the open door. She piles the remaining wood next to the fire, then stands up to take stock of the situation.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try and make this place a little more habitable."

She starts first on the door. Steeling her nerves, she steps forward and slams it shut. Then she begins rummaging through the bones scattered about. Some are quite old by now, and any flesh they once possessed is long since gone. The largest of these she picks up, selecting one to keep for herself and piling the rest against the door, attempting to wedge it shut.

"At the very least anything trying to open it would make a lot of racket," she says, trying to reassure herself. As she speaks she gives the long bone she kept an experimental swing. It seems suitably heavy, and makes her feel better, though only a little.

Then she turns to the bones she's been avoiding so far, the nasty rotting ones, and works on kicking and shoving them to the mouth of the cave, using her new weapon as a lever as much as possible to avoid actually touching them.

"And now for you."

Squall reaches for the severed head, clearly where the worst of the smell is coming from. Grimacing in disgust, she grabs it by its long silver hair and hurls it outside into the storm.

She has no idea where it lands, but a high-pitched giggle rises unbidden to her lips at the sudden mental image of the disgusting thing bobbing in the muck pond, sightless eyes staring into the angry sky.

"Whoever comes out of that pond next should have an even worse welcome than I did. It's only fair, after all."

She giggles again, and then glares at the pyramid of skulls. "What are you staring at?"

Hefting the long bone club she swings it into their midst, sending them bouncing and rolling in every direction with a series of loud clatters that rival the thunder outside. Laughing, she reverses the bone in her hands so that it's facing downward and begins to hit the individual skulls, knocking them out of the cave one by one.

When she's finished she sits down next to the fire, adds a few pieces of wood, and curls up on the hard floor opposite the blocked door, still clutching her club as she drifts off to a fitful sleep.


[OOC: Sorry if this was too long, I got a little carried away.]

[Fleegle]

(I know I said I wouldn't post anything until at least the 5th, but reading your posts has inspired me. I can't pass up an inspiration.)

(For Pie... Leo I'll get to you when you enter the Temple)

A mysterious blue orb hung in the middle of the reception hall, casting its eerie light throughout the room. Rain fell through it like it wasn't even there.
Ilosep stopped before the steps to the podium, where the ceiling was still intact and no rainwater could reach him.
"It's time for you to receive your fate, Ithicus."
Ilosep ascended the steps and took his place behind the podium. The room filled up with the ghost audience, indistinct hum of voices rising in volume. Ilosep waved his arm and the audience fell to a low rumble.
"Ithicus, creature of the Muck, the court has arrived at a decision about your fate! From this day forward, you will have the power of Elemental. You will be able to call up a mighty creature to aid you for a short period of time. What creature it will be will depend on the most dominant element nearby. Use this power wisely, for you can only use it once a day."
Ilosep indicated that he was done, and the voices raised again, only to fade away again into nothingness. The ghost audience vanished in kind.
Ilosep hobbled down the steps and stood before Ithicus.
"So, any questions?" Ilosep asked.

(For AoM and Razorlance)

The shops along the southern road became sparse, fewer wizards walked about, and the road itself turned from polished stone to coarse gravel.
"Someone has decided to pursue an interest in us. I suppose it was inevitable." Kikkik buzzed, indicating that the flamoyant reptile-wizard had decided to follow them. He kept a good distance, but did not attempt to conceal the fact that he was following them.
"Let's keep moving."
Lightning flashed again. The mountain loomed before them, appearing very ominous in the night. Up ahead the road led into a very thin forest of pine-like trees. The only other living things in the vicinity were small thorny plants with few leaves and tiny red berries. The landscape was spotted with limestone outcroppings.

(For Schme, Nixit, and El_Skwidd)

Briker yelled, but nothing happened. The Pink Ones continued to advance. The bowmen let off a volley of arrows. Three of them hit Felinibis, who roared in response. One of the spearmen advanced and thrust his spear deep into Felinibis' side. Felinibis swatted at him, making a gash in the Pink One's side. The Pink One fell to the ground and attempted to pull himself away, though he was obviously in pain and could not muster the strength to get to his feet.
One of the arrows landed not far from MushBall, who had taken up a defensive position behind Felinibis. The other arrow struck one of Vex/Xev's spikes, bouncing off harmlessly, though coming a little too close for Briker's comfort.
Seven spearmen remained. The five bowmen advanced slowly, though they were still out of the range of any weapons.
Felinibis seemed to recognize the danger, and burst towards the bowmen with all of his strength. As he dashed past the spearmen, one of them got him in his right hind leg. Felinibis roared in pain but continued, undistracted towards the bowmen. MushBall was suddenly exposed, and the spearmen had turned their attention from Felinibis to the Muckies and Bassus.
"Felinibis, you must defend us!" yelled Bassus, who did not seem to realize what was going on. He saw the spearmen advancing and dived into the branches of the nearby forest, hoping they would not see him.

(For Lumin)

Squall's sleep was interrupted by a knocking at the door she had just carefully wedged shut. A high-pitched but indistinquishable voice could be heard on the other side. One would have to get closer to hear what it was saying.

[Nixit]

Briker wonders why his fate did not work. But, he decided to try again, perhaps a little differently this time.

"Ilosep! I am calling you! Bring your justice on these this Pink One, over here!" He does his best to motion to the nearest Bowman to him.