The Muck Pond

[AngelSpice]

As the sun sets, Audirda uses her Radiance to keep the shiny object in sight and goes and picks it up and studies it.

[AoM]

Ao remains motionoless, his eyes unblinking as Ilosep speaks.

"How can this be? How can any creature stop believing in the gods? Couldn't you just reveal yourselves to them and demonstrate your powers for all to see?"

[Fleegle]

(For AoM)

Ilosep raised an eyebrow at Ao's inquiry. "We did that once before, ended up sending an entire city into the ocean. Once they stop believing they become blind to the gods. They start to think that everything is random, that nothing happens for a reason, except what happens because of their reason. It seems the same thing that happened to the Old Ones is happening again all over the land. This time I don't think we'll take such drastic measures."

[El_Skwidd]

Xev leans back down to Briker. "Sounds like a plan. Although we're very slow, you're very small. We'll leave after the sun sets."

[Snake_byte]

"Riches?" He answers overhearing the two-headed creature.
"what are you going to do with riches? Riches are for the weak and powerless. Ones with power have no need for riches".

[Fleegle]

(Global statement)
The sun had how set and was no longer visible above the horizon, though the sky was still dully lighted. The moon had not yet made its appearance, and the clouds were starting to roll in much thicker than before.

(For AngelSpice)

The object Audirda picked up turned out to be little more than a shiny bit of metal, essentially trash. It had no recognizable function. But as Audirda lifted it, the sand beneath her seemed to shift. All of a sudden a coarsely weaved net rose out of the sand and enveloped her. It wrapped so tightly about her that she could not move her arms or tail.
After about half an hour of being stuck in the net, Audirda noticed three pink-skinned creatures dive below the water. One of them pointed at the net and then pointed at one of its companions. The first two to enter the water began to swim towards the trapped Audirda, while the third moved much slower, a thick line in its hand.
As they got closer, Audirda could see that at least in general features, they looked a lot like her above the waist, though their ears were rounded off, not pointed, and their skin was smooth and pink, not scaly and green. All three of them appeared to be males, though their male parts were covered by strange looking cloths.
The two nearest men grabbed ahold of the weighted parts of the net, and the third attached the line. He tugged on it, and the net began to pull towards the surface of the water. The man who had attached the line swam at the front, holding onto the line, and the other two held on to the net from either side.
The net surfaced under the pale twilight, though Audirda's Radiance made the area about the net glow brightly. A fourth male standing on the shore beside a winch stared at the glowing Audirda with a look of what might have been fear, or just surprise on his face. The net had stopped moving. The man who was holding the line yelled something in a strange language at the man on the shore, who promptly returned to cranking the winch. The net continued to move towards the shore.
Upon reaching the shore, the first two men examined the net, poking and prodding at the mermaid inside. One spotted the seaweed pouch that Audirda had fashioned, and started to talk excitedly to the other man. The other man said something in a much slower, methodical tone, in response to which the first man pulled the pouch through the net and sliced it with a knife. The artefact and the magic oyster fell out upon the ground, and were promptly gathered up by the knife-weilding man, who made a series of rapid, high-pitched noises.
Looking around, Audirda could see that she was now on the other side of the river. She could see the deep, dark forest to the south, and hilly pastures to the west. The men placed long wooden poles through the net and carried it off down a sandy path to the west. Audirda noticed that in several of the pastures, a number of curious land animals grazed, munching at the grass. Up ahead, she noticed smoke rising up from a collection of odd structures, apparently a village of some kind. As they enterred the village, a number of villagers gathered about Audirda, pointing at her and talking to one another. A small group emerged from a hut and ran towards the scene with angry faces. A female in the group picked up a small rock and whipped it at Audirda, hitting her in the side and leaving a bruise. One of the men carrying the net yelled at the woman, at which point an unburdened companion chased the small group off with a spear.
The group made its way to a small shack. The shack smelled of fish, and contained a variety of hooks and tools used for catching, killing, and gutting. It also contained a hoist upon which Audirda, still in the net, was hung. One of the men lit an oil lamp. The men then left the shack, locking the door behind them. The net seemed a bit looser now, and Audirda could move around a little bit.

[Debsy]

Erake eyed Bassus. "Sweets?" She frowned. She didn't know what exactly he meant by that, but she didn't like the sound of it anyway. "And what do you mean fun?" Erake had never had fun a day in her life. It wasn't her fault really...It was those stupid creatures she'd tried to talk to...They didn't want to talk, didn't want to become friends. Not that she'd really wanted them to, but still...She didn't know the meaning of fun.

[Fleegle]

"Ynknoww, a lil of the ol'..." at this, Bassus made a crude thrusting motion. He then broke out laughing as if he had said or done something terribly funny.

[AngelSpice]

Audirda repositioned her arms with much difficulty. After thinking for a while, she tries to see if one of her sharp fins on her arms would be able to cut through the net, but unfortunately, they weren't sharp enough. She tries to wriggle out of the net, but it's securely fastened to the hoist. She sighs and looks around at the tools in the shed.

"I think I'm about to become someone's dinner."

She looks up at where the net hangs from the hoist. She starts the net swaying, to see if she can free it from where it attaches to the hoist.

[Razorlance]

"Ah, yes the small creature that was with Kikkik, I think I will try to speak to him, to test how it works." Tek concentrated on the ant he had met before, then tried to mind-speak to him "Briker, can you hear me, it is Tek, we met at the muck pond earlier today"

[Nixit]

Briker hopped right on, and said, "Alright, let's get on-" he stopped short, hearing something in his head, but soon realized someone was speaking... it was Tek! "Oh wonderful!" He thought, but he then wondered how he was able to speak to him. Briker looked all around him, but could not see Tek anywhere.

Still, Briker responded, "Why hello Tek! I can hear you just fine! But how are you able to talk with me?"

[Razorlance]

Tek smiled to himself at Brikers reply, or at least an approximation of a smile on one of his round orifices. "That is my fate, enhanced communication. Anyway, what are you up to, how many other creatures of the muck have you met, besides Ao and myself?"

[Nixit]

"An interesting fate," Briker thought.

"I have actually met one other, a two-headed creature, and an amusing one at that. We are off to set out on an adventure for riches quite soon, in fact." Briker responded cheerily to Tek.

[Fleegle]

(Global statement)
The sun was now well below the horizon and twilight was fading. The moon began to peek its face up over the horizon, but the thickening cloud cover obscured part of it.

(For AngelSpice)

As she swung, Audirda got closer and closer to reaching some of the tools on the wall. It seemed that the pink creatures had underestimated both her strength and intelligence. A small scaler was almost within reach, and it would only take a few more swings before she could reach it.

(For El_Skwidd, Nixit and Snake_byte)

Urdast passed overhead as the beings spoke amongst themselves. He circled a couple times then continued on in a northerly direction.
"Oh dear," Resuso began. "It seems that one of your splendid fellow creatures, one that I did not have the pleasure of meeting, has fallen into the hands of the pink creatures. If any of you are feeling adventurous, you could try to rescue her. I would hate for anything to happen to any of you, but if a few of you travelled together I'm sure you could use your powers collectively to rescue... Audirda! That's her name... and avoid harm from those hateful creatures."

[El_Skwidd]

"The Pink Ones?" Vex said. "I thought we were supposed to avoid them? And aren't they afraid of us?"

Xev added, "Well, if they're afraid of us, that should give us an advantage, should it not?"

Vex countered hastily. "No. Their strength doesn't really have anything to do with how scary I am."

Xev, indignant, says, "You?! You're quite the pansy. I'm the ferocious one."

Vex mutters and turns around. "Briker, what do you think? Should we go find this Aurdida and the Pink Ones? Or go get rich?" At the second option, Vex widens his eyes and speaks more excitedly.