[Quest] From the Depths [Closed]

by **Sitkanis** on January 9th, 2011, 5:36 am

An uncomfortable look spread across Sitkanis' face at Perras' offering. He was thankful for the thought but he could never accept swimming help from another man. It was already strange enough that he could not swim at... what ever age he was. Still, he needed to be polite. The people of Denval had been so kind to him even though he did not act as though he deserved it. He simply gave Perras a glance and nodded. "Thank you Perras. Very considerate. I would not want to impose on your duties. I'm sure my skills in swimming are not as important as your duties to Denval." He tried to hide his discomfort about the offering. He just did not want to be in that vulerable of a position around another man. He was far too prideful for that.

The lilac eyes of Sitkanis drifted over to the water. He could not help but think of Adalia when he looked at it. He saw the water sparkle a bit as he stared into it's depths. It was strange because the sparkles came from under water. It was very faint but from it he felt this warm feeling from it. It seemed to shine of opal and ocean blue. These sparkles were an aura and he could feel it. "Thiis aura feels familiar. Opal and blue... Who would be... Adalia!" Sitkanis' heart raced as he thought of his lover finding her way to him. He felt a wave of dread though. What could be hiding under the water? These mines had been untouched for so long. What if there was some beast dwelling under the waves that could hurt her? He stood there lost in indecision. Should he go save her? No, he could not swim. He fought in his mind about what to do until a shoe hit him. He turned quickly to see Marius talking seeming not to care that he just chucked a shoe at Sitkanis. He simply looked at him blankly and listened to his confused chatter. He picked up the shoe and looked it over. "We cannot move on. There is something in the water." He was pretty sure it was Adalia although his auristics could have been wrong. The aura was extremely faint but he had a feeling. "Just wait a few chimes. If it is nothing we can move on." He walked over to the edge of the water and looked down at the waves. He kept his eyes on the faint shine in the water like a loyal dog. "Please Cayiha, bring her back to me. If you have a beast below the waves leave her be. He poses no harm." He was worried. The water was full of the unknown. A memory came to him as he stood there.

The fields were vast with long grass as far as the eye could see. Beside Sitkanis a horse stood proudly. It was larger than the horses found in Denval. The air was warm and Syna shone bright above him. "Dad, is this really the Sea of Grass?"

Sitkanis stared forward with wide eyes. "What was that? I cannot have a son. That was the land I keep thinking of though." He fell to his knees at the edge of the lake. "I am... was a father?" He had never thought himself as a father, at least in this life. The boy looked scarily like him though. Same dark brown hair and eyes and tan skin. Granted many Drykas carried those same traits. Still, he could not deny he connection he felt thinking back to the boy. "I wonder if he is still alive..."

by **Tabarnac** on January 10th, 2011, 7:01 am

Below
Zagary nodded to Adalia, wide-eyed and somehow reverent. The Denvali loved foreigners, but most of them were not rapists. There were always a few bad apples in the barrel, though Zagary and Perras both had been specially picked for this by Captain Astrid. Where he would normally have protested, offering to dive into the pool to search for a way out, he now saw scales as part and parcel of her exotic beauty. He thought he loved her even more, but instead he held the lanterns over the pool as she finally submerged herself, offering as much light as possible until he could no longer see her.

Then he sat down next to Aeden and dimmed the lanterns down to barely anything to conserve their fuel.

"I think she likes me," he confided in the unconscious man, then laughed. He had to cover his mouth finally for fear that his laughter would bring down the house.

Oblivious to this down below, Adalia's gills were doing their duty as best they could, though the water tasted strange, as if it had all sorts of extra minerals, but perhaps not quite so much oxygen as it should. All the same, she wasn't exactly light-headed and so she followed the snaking tunnel in the darkness, feeling her way with a hand against the rough wall. Without sight to distract her, sound muffled, she began to sense other things that might or might not have actually been there: something that wanted them to leave, the faint presence of her goddess, other, less clearly definable things.

Finally, that flicker. Was that a light or was the oxygen-poor water playing tricks on her mind?

Above
The four of them idled there for a few moments, torn between following Marius' crevice and staying to appease Sitkanis. They were silent, expecting whatever he saw to appear quickly, both Denvali with their hands on their weapons. Finally the moment stretched near to a breaking point, and Astrid put her hand on Sitkanis' shoulder again. Warmth seemed to flow out of her hand, hope.

"What did you see, Master Sitkanis?" she asked gently. Before he could answer, Perras was pulling them both back from the edge.

"Captain!" he said in terse alarm.

Just then the water erupted a few feet from them, spraying upward and arcing backward as Adalia whipped her hair back out of her eyes like some sculpted mermaid, naked skin reflecting back their light almost as brightly as the strange crystal matrix. At the same time, shouts rang out from somewhere in the cave, direction difficult to gauge with all the reflection of sound as well as light.

"Help! Help us! Aquiras be praised!"

Across an inlet in the underground lake, dirty men and women began to appear from another crevice in the wall.

by **Marius** on January 13th, 2011, 2:20 am

Marius, not waiting for his comrades, strode several paces into the crevice… and walked into a wall of solid rock. “Semele, you tease,” he wailed, “why are you doing this to me? I implore you, spread your legs to me. I wish to venture into the depths of your womb.” He rubbed at his nose, his voice becoming petulant. “Have I not been your most devoted servant? I am completely yours, so why do you play these tricks upon me? Do you see these hands? They have bled for you, Semele, although not with such a great volume as, say, the slaughtering of pigs. Marius Mero is getting upset!”

With that declaration, he stepped from the crevice and returned to the lake’s edge, where there appeared to be some sort of spectacle. Nearing the others, Marius saw that Adalia – that saucy, if unnatural fish woman, who would probably taste good in a stew – emerge from the water. In fact, apart from the revelation that he was famished, one of the first things he noticed was that the woman was stark naked. “Is it naked time already?” he peered at Astrid, one hand dropping to the laces of his tunic. I should’ve know this was your plan all along, my sweet. I do love a good romp in the bowels… of the earth,” he finished after a pause. It seemed that other people were calling from across the lake. Human people, not the ones that pretended to be human, like the orange things he saw in his dreams. I am done with those discourteous buffoons, he thought, scowling. It’s intolerable how they cheated at cards, and forced me to drape rugs over their heads.

“Rugs belong on the floor,” he said to Perras, “Not on your head. Also, who are those people over there, and why are they spoiling our naked time? I will not suffer this insult to my posterior. I mean, posterity,” he stopped undoing his tunic, and licked his lips. “Is that word even appropriate in this context? It seems irrelevant at this point, but the scholars shall win out in the end. It was thus in my own city, where the great Zorphiran – or was it Zurphan? – wrote this splendid treatise on the properties of basalt. It was most enlightening,” Marius remarked. He scratched his head, and then glanced at the stalactites. “Piggles, have you noticed any traces of bats in the vicinity?” he asked, looking down at his tunic. “And another thing, who’s been trying to disrobe my person?

by **Sitkanis** on January 15th, 2011, 9:44 pm

The strange words of Marius would have earned one of Sitkanis' easily given out glares but the shimmer in the lake had taken up all of his attention. As he looked upon the water the glimmer seemed to grow a bit stronger and gained a bit of color. The sweet, familiar color of opal. The color of the healers, the color of protection and Adalia. Another inclination of opal tugged at Sitkanis' awareness but he did not give it time to sink in. Adalia was approaching. It had to be Adalia!

The captain's words barely made it past Sitkanis' love struck stare. "There is a glimmer in the water, an aura. It feels warm and it shines of opal." Sitkanis rarely spoke so poetically, especially around others. He was in a trance though. One only lovers knew. "She has come back to me." Sitkanis spoke in a low but excited tone. "Praise you Caiyha and Leth. Thank you Lhex and Semele. Even Laviku, thank you for bringing her back to me." His lilac eyes glazed upon the water as the glimmering light inched closer to the shore. With each inch the shimmer grew stronger and glowed with Rak'keli's light until a form burst up through the water. It was Adalia standing completely nude in the lake's water. Naturally Sitkanis would have marveled at the sight of seeing Adalia naked but now all these eyes were upon her unclothed body. His eyes darted to the rest of the party and stopped upon Marius who was grabbing at the laces of his tunic. "I would prefer if you kept your clothing on Mero. I'm sure Adalia is not naked for sport. No reason to get excited." There was a sharp edge to Sitkanis' words as he glared at the man. He knew that Marius was a joker at best but he was a possessive man and although Adalia was loyal he did not need some miner undressing in front of her.

The waves seemed to radiate around Adalia and Sitkanis but his lip as he looked down at them. He wanted to run into the water and grab his beautiful Adalia up into his arms but his fear of water froze his legs in place. He cursed himself for being too scared to run out into the lake and see her. All he could do was call out to her. "Adalia, I'm right here. I'm so glad you are back with me." The aura around her seemed a bit unsettled but who could blame her for not feeling comfortable. She stood naked in front of a group made up of mostly men. Her aura seemed to stick close to her scaled body, glowing with a yellowish purple color. Her aura could try to cover her but as ironic as it was, it only covered her body from Sitkanis.

by **Adalia** on January 17th, 2011, 9:45 pm

Scaled fingers trailed across the rough, water-washed wall of the cave, gills separating oxygen from the cold, mineral-rich water. Blue eyes peered silently ahead into the inky darkness of the water. All she had to guide her was the feeling of her hand on the wall. All she had for comfort was the feeling of water on her skin, a feeling she had felt millions upon millions of times, back in the safe embrace of Mura, and thoughts of the Freedom and Salvation she would soon reach. All through her silent trip, worried thoughts held court in her mind. Would Zagary be able to make it through these tunnels? Even if he could make it through these tunnels, could they get the unconscious form of Aeden through? Or would they have to leave him behind?

Her gut told her she would never be able to sleep comfortably at night again if they were forced to leave Aeden to die in these caves. To cheer herself up, her mind turned to happier thoughts. Memories of Mura, her home, Thoughts of Sitkanis, her lover. A silent sight left her lips, air rising to the top of the cave, collecting into a small bubble at the highest point. Wait a second...

That was it! She could create an air pocket halfway or a quarter of the way down the tunnel! Enough for a quarter of a draw of air, enough to give the man just enough air to make it to the end of the tunnel! She was a genius! With glee, she kicked her feet, webbing pushing the water aside, sending her through Laviku's home quickly and effeciently. The problem would be marking it, so that she could find it for him... She spent minutes circling the same area, trailing her fingers along and hands along the roof, feeling out the lay of the roof, the lay of the cave tunnels in general. She had to remember where this spot was. She has to collect air here for Zagary to breathe. She had to get Zagary through, or his and Aeden's deaths would weigh on her conscience until the end of her days.

When deprived of all senses, the human body, and by extension, the Konti body, began to imagine things that weren't really there to fill the void left by the deprivation of sensory experience. She could hear something near her, something that spoke to her without words, in much the same way her faithful Ivaski would. It filled her gut with primal tugs of emotion. In this case, it was a demand to get out of the tunnels. But she felt something, something more than the rough stone against her fingers. She felt the presence of something greater than her, the presence of something larger than her. When she focused in on it. she found the feeling familiar. It was an energy she felt inside her every time she healed someone, and an energy she had felt when she met Alodian the Vantha, who was also marked by her Mistress. That was her energy. She was truly watching over her from the Ukalas, even if it was only a portion of her Being watching her. Her lips mouthed in silent prayer. I fear no Evil. I fear no Hardship. I fear no Death. My Mistress protects. She is watching over me now, seeing me through the darkness that is this cave. She cares for me. Whatever it is telling me to get out has no power over me while I am under her watchful eye. Just like that, the unwanted presence was banished from her mind, leaving her alone yet again in the inky blackness.

Her eyes caught something that stood out against the stark blackness around her. A light! Was it her mind putting things there again!? It didn't matter to her at this point! She swam to it like it was her last hope for survival, like it was her last hope for freedom! Powerful strokes of legs and arms brought her ever closer. Inch by inch she closed on the light source. Nothing else mattered to her. Swim! Swim! One last powerful pump thrust her out of the water, her head arching back, long blonde hair throwing hair back in wild, tendril-like whips as she scanned her surroundings. Her head arched in the air, the party could see as her gills tried to strip oxygen from the air, failing, leaving her light-headed until a gasping breath passed through her lungs. The feeling of freedom had been so euphoric that she had forgotten to breathe. Her lungs took the stale air in steadily now, and eventually, her eyes settled upon the one person in the party who really mattered to her.

Sitkanis.

Blue eyes watched him as he hesitated at the water's edge, breath coming in quiet gasps. She watched as the water rippled around his thighs, soakings the legs of his pants. His melodic voice rang out to her, confirming his existence, confirming that they really were reunited. The Konti sprang forward, running through the water to the best of her abilities. She closed the distance in a few powerful strides, wrapping her arms around Sitkanis's shoulders, her momentum literally sweeping him off of his feet, taking them both down to the ground, his body on top of hers, hiding her exposed form from the party. Quietly, pressed up against him, she whispered into his ear, one hand dancing up his back, placing itself on the back of his head. Delicate fingers wrapped his hair around them. "I missed you," was all he heard from her before she pressed her lips against his, kissing him passionately despite the fact that so many people were watching them. Water washed around her exposed back and shoulders, lapping up at her ears, but she ignored it all, one tattooed and scaled arm rubbing between his shoulder-blades as the other clutched his hair in her fingers still.

"My Mistress saw us together again," she whispered softly, her lips brushing against his as she spoke, her eyes closed. "She will not see us parted again for a long while. I can feel it."

by **Tabarnac** on January 19th, 2011, 7:29 am

While Adalia and Sitkanis dry humped -- or perhaps it was wet, but at least over one set of clothes -- Perras unslung his rope from over his shoulder, and Captain Astrid did the same. She held her hand aloft and there were some grateful, relieved cries from the refugee miners, but they fell silent, knowing that there was always the risk of a cave in with loud noises. She handed the end of her rope to Perras to tie them together. Apparently they had a plan.

"Master Mero, unless you plan to swim the safety line across to the miners, I would suggest you keep your pants on. While I'm sure your physique would impress us all, Master Sitkanis seems like the jealous type. Perhaps later. But now would be a good time to hand over your rope. Mistress Adalia, could you report on the status of Zagary and Aeden? Once we have retrieved these people, they will be our next objective."

by **Marius** on January 19th, 2011, 9:32 pm

“Swim?” Marius paled. He didn’t like the sound of that. He could thrash around for a while, but he’d eventually sink like a stone and when there would he be? Dead, that’s where, he thought sourly. Having come face-to-face with a familiar terror, the plight of the miners across the lake began to sink in and before he knew it, his entire world was crumbling before his eyes. Marius’ saunter, his manner of speech, even his impish grin seemed to slough away, and for one of the rare occasions in his life, he breathed the stagnant air of reality.

“Of course,” he said curtly, handing his coil of rope to Perras. “If that’s not enough, I’ve got more on my person,” he lifted the bottoms of his trousers, revealing the two lengths of cord he’d wrapped around his ankles. “Captain, is my strength required for the rescue? If not, then I will search for an escape route.” Marius stared across the lake, trying to gauge the distance between them and the stranded miners. He needed to ensure that his brethren saw the light again, not to mention their families. So far, in the span of his twenty-four years, he’d seen too many souls lost to collapsed tunnels, lung diseases, or sudden floods. It would not happen again. Not on his watch.

by **Sitkanis** on January 23rd, 2011, 3:11 am

"Leth and Cayiha have answered my prayers. Adalia has come back to me!" Sitkanis felt his emotions trying to pull him into the water. Sadly, his fear kept him on the shore. He could do nothing but count down the chimes until his love was in his arms. He blushed as he looked at her. She was completely naked in front of three men and one women. He did not care too much that Astrid saw her naked. The two both had the same parts, at least in the simplest sense. He did not like the fact that Marius was viewing the beautiful konti's nude body though. He knew that Adalia would not stray from him but the man worried him at times. All Sitkanis could think about was getting his girl clothed. He was sure his shirt would cover a good portion of her. He was a bit taller than her. Of course that was during the day.

When the konti's arms were around Sitkanis he could finally relax. She was back in his arms, back home. Sitkanis did not have a home anymore except for her. Maybe the land of grass and horses was his home but Leth only knew how far it was from Denval. His eyes widened as he fell down into the water. He layed there on top of Adalia staring into her blue eyes. "I missed you baby. I'm so glad you returned to me. Thank the Gods for that." He smiled and kissed her. He did not like having grand displays of intimate affection in front of others but he could not help himself. It was not honorable for him and even less for Adalia. She was not a harlot and more than anything he wanted to get the girl covered up. "You are okay right? How did you get over here?" Sitkanis kept kissing her between breaths like he was scared he was going to lose her again. "I'll never let anything like that happen to you again. I'm sorry I could not protect you." He pushed her blonde bangs away from her face and smiled. "Let's get some clothing on you. I hate having to share your beautiful body with all these people." He stood up in the water and held his hand out to Adalia. He could not help but smile when he looked at her. She was so tiny and in Sitkanis' eyes, perfect.

On the shore Sitkanis reached into the bag he kept with him at all times. It held his set of clothing at he wore when he shifted forms. At the moment the pack was holding his clothing for the day time. In a way that was good because his day time shirt was longer and could cover more of the small girl's body. He pulled a black shirt out of his bag and handed it to Adalia. "You can borrow my shirt babe. I won't need it until the sun comes up anyway." The shirt was a big large because Sitkanis was a bit of a large man. He was six feet fall and muscular when the sun was out. When she was covered Sitkanis felt much better. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead. "I'm glad you are with me."

After Sitkanis' reunion with Adalia the rest of the world seemed to seep back in. Astrid was asking about the others in the tunnels, Marius was doing... whatever Marius did. Things were back to normal now. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked around him. Although he was happy he silently reminded himself to remember where he was. He was still in the mines and in said mines there were still dangers.

by **Adalia** on January 26th, 2011, 2:56 am

In his arms, she was oblivious to everything going on around them, the struggle to get the trapped men and women back from the other side of the river. She was too ecstatic, too pleased that the man she loved was finally reunited with her, finally returned to her tender embrace to pay any heed to the plights around them. All of her attention was devoted to Sitkanis, to the feeling of his smooth, flawless skin beneath her fingertips. Whereas he was concerned for his honor, she could care less. They were reunited. She had been fearing for her life, and her Mistress had delivered her, healing the gap in her mind, reuniting her with the one thing that truly mattered. Ever single one of of his kisses was met with one of equal affection, fingers still in his hair, eyes still closed. When his barrage of questions began, she lowered her head back into the water, looking up at him with bright blue eyes, gazing into his lilac eyes. When she responded, it was slowly and measuredly, her voice lilting in the familiar, mesmerizing tone.

"I am fine, Sitkanis, I am glad I have found you," When some people had tales of devotion to share, they did so sparingly, but not Adalia. No, she flung straight into her tale with whole-hearted devotion, looking him straight in the eyes as she spoke. "My Mistress brought us back together, Sitkanis. I prayed to Her, I asked Her to as my Mother, the Mother of all Konti, Avalis, to grant me the Sight to See the way out of the caves, and she did. I found a submerged path, and I swam through, and I found you," with her tale out of the way, one more kiss found its way to his lips, and when he lifted himself up from on top of her, she eagerly slipped her hand into his, pulling herself up, pressing herself against him, ignoring the fact that her backside was exposed to everyone as they made their way back to the shore. Iridescent scales and pale skin alike sparkled in the pale, inadequate light, making her almost dazzlingly blinding. When the couple made it to shore, she slipped into his shirt, letting its hem dangle down around the pale, milky, scale-emblazoned white of her thighs. "and I with you, Sitkanis," she whispered quietly, kissing him once more, this time, only a soft peck, as the world seemed to have other plans than letting them enjoy a loving reunion.

It was then that she responded to Astrid's question regarding the condition of the two men who had been stranded with her. "Master Aeden is unconscious, but stable. Master Zagary is conscious, and has been carrying Master Aeden on his back. The tunnel is too long for either of them to traverse, but I have come up with an idea. I can form a pocket of air about halfway down the tunnel by exhaling before reaching the edge of the tunnel. A few trips down, and then back up should make it big enough for a breath or two. The should be enough for the both of them to make their ways through the exact same way I did, with me as their guide. The only problem is locating the air pocket. I tried to memorize the area by touch, but I'm not entirely sure I'd be able to locate it while guiding two oxygen hungry men, one of which may or may not be conscious. I need light," Adalia's desperation began to peek through her voice ever so slightly, clawing at the edges of her tone in the form of uncertainty, maybe even slight panic. "Zagary also has my clothes." She then added, somewhat awkwardly, looking at Sitkanis, as if to assure him that it was not sexual.

With that, the healer spurred into action, looking at the men and women across the inlet from them. With a curious voice, she spoke out to them. "Are any of you wounded?" she asked, her voice just loud enough to carry. "I am a Healer of the Opal Order, initiated in the ways of Healing, both Goddess-Granted and Mortal-Driven. Rak'keli has sent me here to aid the people of Denval, and I shall do so. Report any wounds to me, so that I may treat them accordingly!" Adalia requested, her tone calm, but also somewhat urgent. She knew how important it was to treat patients quickly-- especially if their wounds had gone unattended for periods of time beforehand. Hopefully, nothing would be too far beyond her skill...

by **Tabarnac** on January 27th, 2011, 7:57 am

While Perras relieved Marius of his extra cord, and everyone of their stowed rope, tying them together end to end, Captain Astrid took charge, as was her right as leader of Denval and this expedition. She was already calculating goals, risks, and most likely outcomes, as well as arranging the logistics of her impending orders in her flame-haired head.

"Master Mero, please return to the rockfall and assess the situation. We are going to have to dig them out. Perras, attend him. Sitkanis and I will remain here to help the miners across," and Sitkanis would be able to keep an eye on his pale lady all the while, "while you begin work. Once we herd the miners out, we will have help from above with the excavation.

"Mistress Adalia, please swim the rope across the water to the miners so they can tie it off and make their way across without risking the chill of the water and their likely malnutrition and weariness. Once that is done, please return to Zagary and Master Aeden, retrieve your clothes, and let them know that help is on the way. I do not want to risk an unconscious man to long submersion in cold water.

"Master Sitkanis, once she has returned to share the good news, please retrace your steps and help Master Mero and Perras clear the rubble."

The game plan was laid out, and now it was merely left to execute it. As if to hurry things along, there came a strange cracking noise, a faint shudder tremoring through people's feet.

"Time, I think, is of the essence."

OOCI'm thinking the next will be the last round of posts, so feel free to do what you must to earn a bit of extra XP before I wrap things up. I would like to have this done before I start a Winter adventure or three. You may god-mod a bit with regard to the situation, but not each other's characters. Game on!