[Ristage Caverns] Revenge à la mode (Keido)

[Zlakalia]

11th of Fall, 511AV Zlakalia was irritated. Ever since the incident with the towers and the lightning just a few weeks ago, she just felt lost. Alvadas toyed with her more than usual, no animals found their way into her traps. She hadn't even seen Belaya in a while, and was growing more and more anxious. The entire universe had her on edge, it seemed. And Kali didn't know why. Part of her hoped it was a sign. Maybe the gods were doing this, trying to dissuade her from her quest. She couldn't be stopped, they'd have to know that. Maybe something was coming? No, that didn't feel right. It was more like she was waiting for something that only she could do. Waiting for herself. Which was even more frustrating because Zlakalia didn't know what she wanted herself to do. For the fifth time, Kali stood before the entrance of the Ristage Caverns. The city kept leading her here, forcing her path to weave into the mix of the caves. It had to be a sign, she told herself. No way this was dumb luck again. Zlakalia left the busy streets into the echoing caverns, noise of training and other various sounds calling out like ghosts through the stone. Zlakalia wandered through the stone a while, staying silent and to the shadows, just watching. She still didn't know what she meant to do. But she hoped she'd find out.

[Keido]

Keido just had that fight with Miro and the tsana just yesterday that he did not feel like doing any practices. Instead he decided that he would just explore the city and see if there was anything else he could do like shopping. Unfortunately he got lost yet again and suddenly found himself deep underground in the Ristage Caverns. A place he had come for quite a number of times for his own reasons which today there was none. But because he recently learned that the city likes to lead people around he decided that he would see what was its reason today.

Entering the poorly lit cavern Keido looked around. He knew that it housed quite a number of citizens of Alvadas and also the Womiyu but today it looked like no one was around. He might either be too early or too late in the day that everyone else was busy with their business. Underground he could not even tell the time with the sun.

With nothing else to do, Keido took his own time to truly marvel at the magnificence of the cavern for the first time. All those other times he was here was to train by himself. Slowly walking down an archway, Keido was looking at the carvings and was learning about how Ionu was perceived even in the past.

[Zlakalia]

Zlakalia no longer knew the hour of the day the further she walked. Time seemed to warp and morph for Kali in the same way that sights and sounds did for the city around. The cave walls were all the same, a single stretching mix of tunnels and turns and stone. The rooms she passed rarely had occupants, just another repeating feature to this featureless landscape. It was madness, a featureless landscape she moved through in every direction. Zlakalia quickly found herself lost. She was already mad. The city was forcing her to waste her entire day in these caves. There was so much to do! So much to learn and so many things left before she was ready. Zlakalia hugged her cloak tighter, her rage building. "Gods be damned!" She screamed out, her little voice echoing around her. The way her voice warped and shifted in the caves, however, came back as a joke or a laugh, mocking her tone. Zlakalia slumped to her knees. She felt so weak, so tired curled up on the floor of a cave, not the way to the exit nor entrance, surrounded by useless training stuff. It was so frustrating. Zlakalia felt her legs split, the weight shifting below her frame. It was... comforting. The humanoid legs shifted to a set of six, the thinner new legs dancing to gain balanced of her from and lift her up. The spider-like legs complete, Zlakalia rose from the floor. 'I'll get out of this cave. This is a challenge. When I get out, I'll train all night. I'll get stronger. Ionu is a coward, hiding behind a million faces. His city won't hold me down anymore.' And, as though on cue, or perhaps Fate's queue even, Zlakalia spotted a familiar body moving through the empty halls. The way the man held himself, the way he walked, it was him again! The do-gooder from the marketplace weeks and weeks ago. A chance at revenge. Perhaps that is why she was here, rather than just escaping the tunnels. With a smile, Zlakalia followed after Keido. Her six legs made less noise than just two, supporting less of her weight. Her hand pulled her blade free and she called out, "You there!" She was excited. oocSorry it took me so long to reply, I was sortof waiting until I knew what had happened at the end of the other thread

[Keido]

The things that were shown on the wall. Like Alvadas and its god Ionu they made no sense except to maybe those that were used to it. They were still a sight to marvel and behold but age has worn them down a little bit. For those parts Keido could not see he placed his hand on top of and tried to feel the carvings. He could not tell much but he can feel power and admiration both from how they were made by those who have lived in the cavern centuries ago.

"Yes?" he asked in response to the call turning around.

Keido saw the spider first unable to recognize the pycon that he met in the marketplace the season before. The new form that she gave her legs helped to mark her true identity in the darkness. While trying to identify who is was, the dim light reflected on her blade, alerting Keido of this new threat. He would not have enough time to pull out his own weapon to defend himself but if he did nothing, the blade would surely get to him.

"I'll give you a chance to drop your blade and surrender" he growled in a deep voice hoping to scare his would be assailant into submission.

The pycon was small even if she was considered big among her kind. Big enough for Keido to beat but with the blade in her hand it will be a hard task. He took a stance, more on the defensive side to try and block the blade should she attack first but hands in a position where he can switch to the offence if there was a chance. A chance was all he needed and he started to move to the side, trying to circle the pycon for any opening that he can use.

[Zlakalia]

Zlakalia was still running forward, her features angry and quivering. Something caused her to slow, though, something about seeing Keido again. He was stronger, his weapons ready to be pulled against her at any moment. He was a lot bigger than her, a giant. He could hurt her easily, before she could do anything to stop him. She was weak, alone. Perhaps this isn't what she needed to do. She froze a few yards away from Keido. He took a cautious sidestep, but the tunnel wasn't really big enough for him to get around her without getting closer. Her blade shook in her hand and she clenched it tighter and tighter, her hand warping as it stretched taut around the knife handle. Zlakalia dropped her head, her blade going limp and leaning towards the ground. She felt a row of sharp teeth emerge from her mouth for an instant, to push against each other as the doll stood before him. She couldn't fight him one on one and it hurt. She needed... She needed more. Zlakalia glanced back up at Keido, eyes angry, giving him a good look at her face. "You." Her hand clenched the blade tighter but she didn't move. "Why did you interfere those weeks ago? What makes you think you're strong enough to do whatever you want?" Her tone was bitter, angry, and everything in her wanted to stab this man. But she knew she couldn't, not rationally. She just was no match. She was weak.

[Keido]

What did this tiny pycon mean by interfere those weeks ago? The only run in Keido had with a pycon was during that time with the merchant that ended up dead. If this one meant that incident, it would also mean that she was the one he was unable to turn over to the Womiyu. It was not everyday Keido would have a chance to catch a criminal which slipped away but perhaps this would be a good chance to find out what was really going on.

"By interfere you mean when I tried to apprehend you for your crimes right? The merchant deserved punishment too but not death. I believe that assault would have carried a lesser penalty than slavery, It is not too late for you to surrender little one."

Keido meant no offence by calling the pycon little but he has trained himself for a reason. There was no shame in admitting that he was strong when he has worked for it however he did not agree with the pycon. He did not do what he did because he was strong. He did it because it was right.

"Justice." That was what allowed him to do what he wanted. "If you were in the right then the truth will be out and the Womiyu would release you but if you were wrong then you would have been put into a cell somewhere where you belong and if that merchant was still alive, he could have kept you company."

The pycon should know what right and wrong were no matter how perverse her ideals were but everyone had their own opinions of justice. For her it was the gods. Ironic that they are now in the Ristage Caverns where the previous generations lived to hide from their wrath known as the Valterrian.