Not your Typical Meeting (Mao, Ora, Puck)

[Mao]

The kelvic was well aware that time was being wasted in her attempt to exact revenge. And indeed, she wanted revenge far more than she wanted the Konti, but at least she knew if she found the woman she would find the man. And once she did… The Akalak had shoved her roughly aside, perhaps, having been impatient with her feeble attempts at entrance. She wasn’t annoyed, on the contrary, she was glad the champion was generous enough to give her his precious attention on the quest for vengeance. The Kelvic had no idea why such an important man would have bothered with her, but knowing the laws of instinct, she didn’t question it, Mao merely followed suit. “I sense this is an inconvenience to you.” She replied to his rather vehement statement on the whereabouts of the Oathmaster and his “dog”. “Would you kill him if you saw him?” When Woredev kicked the door open, Mao quickly slipped through, taking no notice of the rows of beds and cabinets, as they held no konti girl and the culprit at hand. Instead she paused at the stairways leading both up and down. None of them held the scent of any individual, familiar or not, and what she knew from the Sanctuary, stairways that led down always led to dark places. Places that held secrets. Mao descended the flight of stairs and when she came upon an iron door, she pointed to it. “Break that, maybe there are men inside we can finally dispatch..” It was unclear whether her last sentence was directed at Woredev or if she was speaking of herself. Then she paused, “Wait… Take off this damned thing.” She pulled at her collar for emphasis.

[Baku]

Mao Consumed by the Hunt Woredev gave a quick spit to the ground and the sound of a scoff as Mao mentioned an inconvenience. “It’s a personal issue. You don’t need to know.” Woredev simply grunted, resting the mace along his shoulder. “And he hasn’t given me the reason. As much as I might like to, he has a high status in the city. He’d have to be dragged to the Arena by order of the Council for me to get my hands on him.” As they began descending the stairs, Woredev gave a grumbled sigh. “I can’t tell you how much excitement I am having on this spelunking expedition you’re leading me on.” Woredev said, his voice thick with sarcasm as they rounded a corner and came to the next door. As Moa instructed him to break that door, Woredev gave a little sneer, looking down at the Kelvic. “You’re having me break a lotta shyke.” Woredev suddenly said. “If I have to pay for repairs, I’m taking the cost out on you.” Woredev then stepped forward, getting ready to swing his Mace. His motions stopped as Mao suddenly turned around, offering the ties to her collar to him and requesting he take it off. “Jeeze, you’re a high maintenance pet.” Woredev scowled before slipping the mace under his arm as he began to undo the straps to the collar. When the collar was finally dropped, Woredev stepped forward again, once again taking the Mace out and giving a heavy swing. A loud crash was heard as metal collided with metal and another lock had been broken. With a slight grunt, Woredev then kicked the door in. “Well, at least breaking stuff is a little fun.” Woredev said as he began stepping inside. “It’d be better if they fought………back” When Mao finally stepped in behind Woredev, she found his standing over three individuals. Two of them were humans. From marks, smell and equipment carried, Mao could discern what Woredev already know. The humans were either raiders, or slavers. Wounds in their body suggested that they had been killed by either arrows or bolts. The third was a woman, her skin tone and certain facial features and body markings suggested a Benshira to Woredev. Mao, having traveled from jungles originally, likely would have seen one or two along her way as well. Bruises and marks over her body suggested that the woman had been used in a manner that wasn’t entirely appropriate, most likely by the two humans she laid dead near her. Despite such, a single bolt wound was seen at the center of her throat, suggesting that even she was not spared by whoever passed by. “Well what the hell are they doing in here!?” Woredev said, crouching down over the two humans as he yanked on of the corpse’s head up by the hair. “These are the type of shykes usually brought to me in the Arena.” Woredev slowly looked up to Mao, his eyes narrowing for a moment. “What the hell are you dragging me into?” Woredev said before he suddenly dropped the head, letting it bounce along the stone floor for a moment. “Actually, forget it, I doubt you know anyhow. Let’s just find where the marksman is. He’s got to be pretty skilled to fire such shots in such tight quarters. Try and follow their blood.” Woredev pointed down to the victims, indicating which scent Mao should now follow. Considering the bodies themselves were still somewhat fresh, Mao would pick up the scent rather easily, as traces of it lingered in the air, leading to another door, behind it, another set of stairs leading down. _________________________________________________________ Ora Consumed by the Earth The Akalak stepped forward, his boots heavy along the ground as he remained silent to Ora’s question. When he was a mere five feet away he stopped, his eyes narrowing as he studied Ora’s face. “You don’t even know what it is that hangs around your neck, do you?” He said in a deep, but soft toned voice. “It’s interesting how you say how willingly you are to throw your life away, but can you really do it?” The Akalak took another step forward, his grip tightening along the hammer as his gaze momentarily shifted to the notes that had been blown out of the void. His skin color had then began to change back to its usual shade of blue. The cause of the change was unknown, and it didn’t look like he was revealing it either as he took another step forward. “Can you?” He then said, a slow smirk sharpening the corner of his mouth. “You’ve come so close to meeting your father already, and still have that likely chance. Are you really willing to throw that all away? Out of some misconstrued need to be informed?” He took another step forward. “Let’s get something strait. You may be a bargaining chip,” he finally said, now only three feet from Ora, “but there are others as well. So don‘t be deluded into thinking that threatening to let yourself be killed or to kill yourself gains you any leverage.” “Try and keep a otherworldly thing as some companion, but remember that it holds no allegiance to you.” He then said before suddenly turning and making his way back out the door, pausing within the doorway itself and looking back. “If it tries to slip out again, however, it will find my hammer falling down on it.” The Akalak finally slammed the door as he exited the room. A series of clicks could be heard once again, noting that the door had been locked. Finally, the creature’s trembling stop as it continued to hang around Ora’s neck, it’s moisture brushing along the skin of her neck and collar bone as it seemed the fluid nature of it remained in constant nature. “He mad, mad, blue guy. Try to kill Niku he did.” the creature did, offering it’s name to Ora. “Niku thanks you. Niku……” Then the creature’s trembling started up once again as it let out another shrill scream, its voice almost reverberating like someone screaming with water in their mouth. “The ring! The book!” Niku screamed, suddenly vaulting from Ora’s neck. “Niku no go back to the cold! You have notes! You no need send Niku back now!”

[Ora Sa'vina]

Ora held her breath as the Akalak stepped forward, his voice was soft and low, and his words were serious. ”You don’t even know what it is that hangs around your neck, do you?” It was true, the young naïve Konti knew nothing about the strange creature she was protecting. “I know that he is less of a threat to me than you.” Her words came out clear, but shaky, even she was unsure of her own answer. “It’s interesting how you say how willingly you are to throw your life away, but can you really do it?” The young womans breath caught in her throat. Was she? Of course not, at least not in this instant, she was so close to finding him! How could she throw all of this away? “You would not let me, you need me for something, otherwise I would not be here.” The words rolled from her mouth with much more confidence than her previous statement had been. The blue man took a step forward. “Can you?” Another step. “You’ve come so close to meeting your father already, and still have that likely chance. Are you really willing to throw that all away? Out of some misconstrued need to be informed?” Ora could smell him, his breath was hot against her face, and the small creature around her neck could have felt a slight tremble as the Akalak took one more step forward. The small woman’s heart was pounding as the man continued to speak to her, his words were cruel and uncaring. Through his words Ora remained still and steadfast in her stop, trying not to waver and show the man her fear. With the slam of the door, Ora took a deep breath, her right hand pressed against her chest. The small creatures constant trembling had finally stopped and the scared creature began to speak, allowing Ora to hear his name. “Yes, he is… Quite displeased it would seem.” The woman’s attention shifted suddenly as the creature let out a shriek. “What? No! No, Niku… I will not make you go back there! I promise you, please calm down; you have nothing to fear from me. Violet eyes moved around the room, looking at all the small scraps. [color=blue] “Notes?” Ora kneeled down, leaning towards Niku. “Niku, this is very important, what are all of these pieces of paper? Why were you put in that place? I need you to tell me everything you know.” Ora’s voice was suddenly rushed and concerned, it was clear that she wanted answers, and the small creature seemed to be the only one who would even possibly help her.

[Baku]

Mao Consumed by the Hunt… As Mao shifted into her animal form and began to follow the scent left behind by whoever attacked the criminals found in the room before, Woredev simply kept a casual pace behind her, the heavy mace being tapped lightly along his shoulder while the other dangled at his waist. Stairs continued to spiral downward as Moa’s nose caught the scent of the attack growing stronger still, her senses becoming sharper as she came to the realization that they were getting closer. As they approached the door at the end of the hall, Mao could hear the faint sound of a voice from within, her sense of smell picking up the scent she had been following since finding the murdered prisoners. That scent would be replaced by Woredev’s however as his leg nearly brushed up against her lower jaw when he stepped up to the door as well. A faint sense of excitement finally crossed his features then when he heard the voice on the other end of the door. “Finally.” Woredev whispered as he nudged Mao aside with his leg and took a step back. Woredev then reared forward on one leg, kicking the center of the door using all of his strength. The door broke inwardly, crashing to the ground as Woredev stepped through. “What’s all this then?” Woredev yelled out in a battle cry that sounded as though he had been in the process of creating while aimlessly walking to the pits of the tower and breaking down doors. As Mao entered the room, she could see on Akalak standing nearby in the dimly lit corner of the room. His scent was what she had been following, and a scent that still lingered of certain flowers found near the first place that Ora and her had been attacked confirmed this Akalak to be one of her aggressors. “Tilvak?” Woredev suddenly said, a hint of confusion entering his voice. “Weren’t you killed by the previous Arena champion?” The Akalak in the corner grit his teeth slightly, hunching in a aggressive posture as a hammer was pulled from his waist. “I got better.” Tilvak said, raising it as he began to step forward. “Better?” Woredev replied almost humorously, pulling his other mace from it’s place at his hip, giving both of them a quick twirl, motioning Mao to stay off to the side. “What are you, an undead or something now? Never killed me one of those. “ “You always were a punch drunk idiot Woredev.” Tilvak said as he began to rush forward, raising his hammer to strike. “So’s your face.” Woredev said with a smirk before raising his mace to defend. Their weapons clashed as Tilvak’s hammer slammed hard along the shaft of Woredev’s mace, the collision echoing loud enough in the room to make Mao’s ears twitch slightly wither her heightened sense of hearing. Before he could raise his hammer to strike again, he yelled out in pain as Woredev’s other mace slammed into his knee. Woredev continued his attack as he shoved Tilvak’s hammer off to the side with his own weapon, the brought his mace down along Tilvak’s clavical, shattering it in five different places. Tilvak stumbled back, blood being coughed out onto the floor as Woredev stepped forward almost as Mao might have approached her prey for the kill. “That don’t look like ichor Tilvak.” Woredev said, resting one of his maces along his shoulder. “Looks like somebody wasn’t doing their job around here.” “You’ll never figure out the whole truth. You don’t have the intelligence.” Tilvak said, spitting blood along Woredev’s chest as his hammer dropped to the ground, Tilvak no longer having the strength to carry it. “Not my job anyhow. I just clean up the what the Council sends me.” Woredev then said, kicking Tilvak’s hammer aside. “I’m just satisfied with being able to kill something out of this trip.” As Tilvak slowly backed away, he found his back hitting the door to Ora’s cell, giving a couple of coughs as he continued to look at Woredev in silent defiance. Woredev simply smirk, twirling his two maces once more before finally bringing both down at Tilvak’s head. _____________________________________ Ora Consumed by the Earth…… Niku shifted back and forth, painstakingly trying to avoid the papers, and especially the book. The gelatinous creature was visibly shaking as it shied away. As Ora uttered her reassurance that Niku would not be sent back, and then questioned Niku about the notes. The creature then just remained still. “They are the map, the key.” Niku said. “They make gibberish words in book real. “Niku was sent there to watch over them, but Niku do job. Niku not want to go back now.” Before Ora could utter any further words, a loud crash could be heard in the next room. It wouldn’t be long before muffled voices were heard after and then the sounds of a conflict as shouts of pain echoed through the door. “Ahh, Niku no want to go back!” Niku yelled before zipping out of the room, once again sliding beneath the door and finally out of sight of Ora. Even if Ora had decided to utter Niku to stop, or chase after the creature, it would have been entirely too late as she heard the sound of something first hitting the door softly. Then, with a thunderous crash, the door was broken inwardly as the Akalak Ora had conversed with earlier fell to the ground, his head visibly caved in. Looking up, she saw the large Akalak holding two bloodied maces in hand stepping into the room and inspecting the corpse for a moment. Woredev then slowly looked up, seeing Ora there as a single eyebrow lifted in slight confusion before Mao came walking in. “A Kelvic and a Konti,” Woredev said, shaking his head slightly. “I should claim both of you for baby carriers right now.” Woredev then looked over both of them silently, an expression of contemplation crossing his features. Finally, Woredev slipped his maces back to their resting place at his hips before shaking his head. “Nah, considering what both of you went through today, I’m thinking it’d be too big of a headache to try and get you to bear my children.” Woredev finally said, bending over as he grasped Tilvak by his ankle. “You two should scram, I have to report this twice dead man. Investigations will be ran, especially to see if the Oathmaster had any involvement. They find out I helped you out for certain, you’ll have silver bracelets slapped on your wrists and your stay in Riverfall will be more permanent.” With that, Woredev began dragging Tilvak out of pits of the Oathmaster’s tower, leaving Mao and Ora to ultimately wonder why they had been attacked in the first place. The only thing that Ora had to go on currently was the book, the ring, the notes that flew out of the void, and the possibility of finding her father one day soon. Thou has written, and thou has completed, so I award thee the following.... Ora: +5 Observation, +5 Rhetoric, +3 Investigation, +2 Intelligence, Lore: Solitude of the Gardens, Dangerous Thoughts, Perspective Views, Chance Reunions, Confusing Confrontations, Sedative Bolts, Drugged Perceptions, Being Held Hostage, Heirlooms: The Book and The Ring, Scattered Notes, Creatures from the Void, Unexpected Ally, Unanswered Questions and New Possibilities, Mao: +5 Observation, +5 Rhetoric, +5 Tracking, +2 Negotiation, +1 Interrogation, Lore: Misconceptions, A Common Desire, A Prison Without Bars, Sedative Bolts, The Desire for Payback, Interrogating the Injured, Woredev: Seeking out the Big Guns, Convincing Woredev, Touring the Oathtower Undergrounds, Losing the Trail, Following the New Trail, Special Notes: Ora - Now in Possession of a book. Title on the Front Reads “The Black Prophecy”. Inside text does not appear to be written in any known form of language. When the book comes into contact with the Ring (also garnered in this thread), a small void opens up. Little else is known by Ora at this point. Additional Notes: May have taken a short while, but this thread is hereby finished. Injuries received during the thread will be healed up simply enough by healers or time and proper medicine.