Quest [Aylasa Caves] The Value of Sentiment

One Zith's trash is another man's treasure.

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Stretching northward along the coastline of the Suvan Sea, the Cobalt Mountains are the home of the Bronze Wood, numerous ruins, and creatures both strange and fantastical.

[Aylasa Caves] The Value of Sentiment

Postby Plume on July 4th, 2015, 8:39 pm

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20th of Summer, 515

Up in the world of Syna's warmth was where bright, green things grew and life moved with both laziness and urgency. Summer had come, but it would just as quickly leave if one wasn't paying enough attention. So the surface dwellers busied themselves in preparation. Hustling, bustling, trading, and making merry whenever they could. 'Twas the usual flurry for those of mortal blood and flesh living above ground.

But down in the darkness of the Aylasa caves, where it was perpetually cool and damp and home to beings both known and unknown, there was no such surge of activity.

After the minor floods of Spring, the caves had settled back into old habits of quiet stillness, marred only by the drip-dripping of water and the occasional pitter patter of things moving amongst the stones. Except things were not as they always where. For the shallow pools and abundant crevices had come to harbor random objects after the floods, and in places where some of Syna's light managed to peek through, a gleam of something other than rock could be seen here and there.

Other things dwelled amongst these pools and crevices, too. But they chose to blend in with the caves instead. Whether to hide or prey, few will ever know. And though the cavernous spaces are usually as silent as a crypt, a recent addition has been punctuating the air with a foreboding yuk, yuk, yuk...

At the entrance of the caves, however, no such warnings could be heard. All seemed peaceful. Harmless, even, as a sigh of wind every now and then would escape from the mouth, almost as if it were beckoning someone to step inside.

Plantlife had overrun much of the trail leading toward it, though one would still be able to see swirls of golden dust filtered with Syna's beams drawn into the mouth. Moths and other insects would wander in as well, along with the less frequent hare or bird, suggesting something of interest may still lurk within the abandoned darkness. Little signs of former life could be found as well. A spoon hidden in the grass, an old, moldy boot stuck in dirt, perhaps even a skull or two sunk to the bottom of a large puddle. Which begs the question, what more might be hidden deeper inside of the caves?

Only the truly brave--or reckless--would find out.


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[Aylasa Caves] The Value of Sentiment

Postby Wrenera on July 5th, 2015, 6:35 pm

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Wren's reflection rippled and became a squelching round mass of oozing mud when she pulled it from the soggy pool. She removed the dripping slop that caked the eye sockets and nasal cavity with her nails. The skull's jawbone did not come intact. She brought it up close for inspection. The Zith judged it to be a human skull, or at least humanoid. She wondered how it had died. What had killed it? She had not encountered anything of consequence as of yet and she had lived in the subterranean abode throughout spring. Wren had explored the caves, but she was far from thorough and the tunnels that fed to lower recesses had felt wrong to her. Causing the hairs on the back of her neck to elevate with an inexplicable feeling of dread. She dared not disturb whatever it was that lived in the bowels of the place.

One of Wren's favorite things to do when she was afforded time betwixt hunts was to go treasure hunting in the rough-hewn maze of passages that was her cave home. The Zith had already collected a respectable pile of curious items. Most of which now decorated her cave home ill set to purposes they were never meant for. This was just an ordinary skull though. Wren gave the bonehead a fierce look before laughing and dropping it unceremoniously back into the muck. Wren had noticed many other new and wonderful items crop up in the cavern. A result of the Spring floods. One whiff of a moldy boot made her hurl it against the cave wall in disgust. Its former wearer lost quite a bit more than the boot apparently.

~

Wren flew down one of the major passageways, larger than most of the connecting tunnels , it was from this massive cavern that she had set her house high up in an excavation behind a monstrous stalactite to shield her possessions and herself from unwanted eyes. So far nothing had wandered into her domain. Wren's clawed feet and hands scrabbled over and eventually clung to a jutting outcrop of rock from which she surveyed the cave floor, below. Her scarlet irises reflected the moonlight that spilled down from a shaft in the cavern ceiling and bounced up from the depths of a pool that surrounded the stalagmite, forming a rock island of sorts where she perched.

The huntress's exceptional hearing detected a splashing noise in the body of water, though she could make out nothing in her field of vision. Then it was still once more, save for the rhythmic dripping overhead. Maybe it was a fish? Her intent had not been to hunt here. Neither had her aim been to return home. She was exploring her cave home yet again and had her mind set on traversing down a tunnel that branched off the main course.

Wren had discovered it a few days previously, partially hidden by a tumble of boulders and rock debris and thick with cobwebs. But the noise had distracted her from her purpose. The Zith's wings folded neatly behind her and she began to climb down the rock mound, her claws biting into natural handholds and footholds in the rock face itself. Farther down, a recess opened up in the stalagmite, offering her a place to catch her breath whilst she peered down once more, much closer to the water's surface now. Wren noted a ripple disturb the inky darkness, but still saw nothing rise to view.

What could be down there?


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[Aylasa Caves] The Value of Sentiment

Postby Plume on July 8th, 2015, 5:03 am

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The sound of claws scraping against stone sent some of the smaller creatures within the tunnel scampering. Little clicks and clacks could be heard as various insects and rodents scurried deeper into the darkness. Though they had spent most of their lives down in the dank, lightless confines of the caves, even they knew to stay away from the likes of a Zith.

One such denizen, however, did not share their instinct to run. It had been slumbering lightly on its feet, having stopped mid-climb upon some of the larger stones. It had been chasing one of the larger creatures and ended up on a set of small boulders amongst the stalagmite, where it had feasted on the squealing animal while it was still alive and kicking. And then, once finished with its meal, the predatorial monster gave a satisfied belch and sank into a contented nap.

While it was sleeping, however, another hunter had arrived. But it remained unaware, moving only slightly in its slumber and sending a tiny rock falling from the boulders into the water below. For the time being, it would remain that way, lest something--or someone--rouse it from its temporary rest.

In the largest pool of the cavern, above which a certain Zith was currently perched, a few strange looking fish swam near the bottom. They fed mostly on the tinier fish and insects that sometimes passed by near the surface. But if one remained focused long enough, one might notice that out of all these carnivorous fish that glided beneath the water, visible as nothing more than medium sized, oval shapes of darkness, none could match the size of the oldest, largest fish amongst them.

This fish in particular swam the slowest, but it was also the cleverest and in possession of a set of rather sharp teeth. Most peculiarly of all, there was a strange object lodged under one of its large scales.

The object, though small in size, would glint now and then beneath what few streams of Syna's light that managed to peek through the cavern's ceiling. And if the fish swam vigorously enough, usually to scoop up its next main meal, one could even hear the faint tinkling sound, as if the bauble wedged between the fish's flesh and scales contained something inside of it.

Such an old and veteran queen amongst fish could prove difficult to catch, but a worthy target nonetheless for those looking for a challenge. Meanwhile, the monster across the large pool slumbers on, blissfully unaware.

For now.


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[Aylasa Caves] The Value of Sentiment

Postby Wrenera on July 10th, 2015, 6:44 am

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Syna's light filtered down through the shaft to penetrate the murky surface, offering Wren glimpses of shiny scaled creatures darting to and fro in a synchronized underwater dance. Wren laughed at the sight. A throaty guttural sound that was partly ultrasonic. Wren whipped her night-blue mane back and renewed her descent, curiosity causing her to redouble her efforts. The Zith hung by her claws precariously at one point during her climb, swung her legs back and forth till she judged her momentum was great enough to make the jump, and released. She arched her back and plummeted through the air, the spotlight from above dimming momentarily when her bat-like wings suddenly unfurled and slowed her fall till she was virtually floating like a feather above the lazy eddy of blackness.

The huntress had noticed a flat expanse of rock ringed by jutting formations that looked like giant spears thrusting up from the depths. Water lapped tirelessly at the stone base, its glistening surface riddled with holes and scarred from whatever animals had traversed the island in search of food. Just as they had, Wren added her own claw-marks to the list when she landed and marred the relatively smooth section of stone upon gaining purchase, reaching out to steady herself on one of the pillars of rock for balance as her clawed-feet attempted to gain footing on the slippery slope.

The light cascaded down upon her now, seemingly more radiant than it had been from above. The light reflected off of the water, transferring the hypnotic design over to the stone in interesting little displays. Wren looked from the water to the jutting rock and back again in amazement. Such beauty in her cave home. Whilst Wren marveled over this, she noticed little shelled creatures with pincers emerge from the numerous holes in the stone. She reached out to grab the thing, but was not quite quick enough. It skittered quickly down to where water met stone and disappeared in a cluster of fronds and algae that liked to grow there. Wren bent down and tore at the plant-life with her claws, trying to draw out the feisty shell-thing from its hiding place. She managed to do so, and even caught it - if only for a moment - before it pinched her hand and slipped from her grasp to plop into the water where it swam funnily away.

Wren was caught somewhere between amusement and irritation, suckling her sore hand, when she spied another school of dazzling finned beauties sweep by. Their scales glittered in the light and she saw when they moved in unison, it was to gobble up smaller fish. The smaller fish, in turn, ate their tiny brethren, and the tiniest of them appeared to digest lifeforms too small for her to even make out what they were. Wren found the cycle interesting and entertaining all at once.

The stalagmite pool became suspiciously vacant all of a sudden. With all its creatures hurrying off as if late for something important. Wren cocked her head, noticing that radiance from above seemed to grow brighter for that moment. A noticeable swell and ripple of the water passed her gaze and she blinked. Upon closer inspection she saw what created the stir - the largest fish she had seen yet!

Despite the inky blackness of the water and how far below it swam, there was little doubt how massive the fish was. Because of how ponderously slow the fish moved, she was able to get a good look at it. Especially when it crossed over into the blob of light where it was illuminated in all of its glory.

Wren touched her own teeth, feeling disappointed and jealous when compared to the pointy knife-filled mouth of the large fish. She squinted upon discerning something irregular about the fish. Something glinted brighter than any scale and made a sound foreign to what fish made. It brought Wren to thoughts of the human city and the ringing noises she so oft heard there. Still, it was very odd for a fish to make such a noise. She was inspired now, beyond what joys even hunting such a magnificent creature entailed. A shiny object had gotten involved....

The Zith leaned out over the edge of her rock outcropping, drew her curved blade in one fluid motion and sent it arcing out to slash at the humongous fish. She only succeeded in slapping water around and almost fell into the pool with the action. Wren let out an ultrasonic scream of vexation seeing her prize slowly swim away and disappointingly out of reach. A different sound distracted her from her missed opportunity then. It made a soft sound, hardly audible to anyone other than a Zith. But it was there! A louder plunk reached her ears ticks after the first sound. Wren saw then what was creating the disturbance. Bits of rock slid down the stalagmite and others rolled off ledges higher up, to deposit into the pool.

Something was coming down from the rock where she had been just chimes ago. She thought she heard a low rumble that did not sound much like stones at all. Or perhaps she was just hearing things? Perhaps she was being overly paranoid and it was the usual cowardly vermin scuttling away after hearing her outcry. Wren laughed then, a cocky chortle that dared any of the foolish creatures to try and test her.

She brandished her curved sword in the light, moving it in patterns she had practiced ever since she had taken it from the dying human's grasp. The Zith was suddenly taken up in the dance of her blade whilst she battled to keep her balance as she moved in circuits over the slippery stone.

Wren soon forgot all about the noises she had heard and to whom they may belong....

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[Aylasa Caves] The Value of Sentiment

Postby Plume on July 21st, 2015, 11:24 pm

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The monster stirred in its upright slumber. Something had been splashing about in the water and making strange sounds that were like screams but not screams. It tickled the creature's ear holes, or what could pass as such, and irritated it enough into wakefulness.

As it awoke and began shifting to survey its surroundings, small rocks rained down from the boulders and into the cave pool. It wasn't the quickest of beings upon being roused but the determination with which it moved suggested strength and brutality not to be underestimated. Like a piece of rock coming to life and separating itself from the rest of the boulders, the monster made its descent to investigate what had disturbed it from its post-meal nap.

The sounds only grew louder and bolder as it descended. Whether or not the source of these sounds could be dangerous, the monster took no interest. It only cared whether it could be eaten or not.

There was another sound. One alien to the monster. It sounded like something smooth and hard scraping gracefully against rocks, only it was quick and slick, ringing with just the barest of zings. It was the first time this creature had heard of such a sound and it cocked its head, rock encrusted mouth opening slightly ajar.

Then, with a speed both clumsy and alarming, it lumbered forward across the cavern floor, past towering stalagmites and around the edge of the pool. It was not an elegant creature, but it was a predator by nature. And a speedy one when it chose to be at that.

So it was that when it saw the dark furred Zith dancing in strange patterns with blades in her hands, the Yukman balked. This did not look like a creature easy for the taking. This particular creature looked larger than what he was used to preying on, and it was spinning around glinting, gleaming things in its hands. It looked capable as well, physically speaking, like it would be a challenge.

Had the Yukman possessed the ability to stop and reason for more than two ticks concerning its own survival when a prey was present, it might have reconsidered. But fortunately or unfortunately for both parties involved, it did not, so it did the one thing it knew best. It charged with every intention of violent, speeding around the cave pool as it loped past smaller creatures scuttling to safety and jumped over low rocks. All the while, it emitted that trademark sound of high pitched, indecipherable yuk, yuk, yuk's....


Moderator Note :
You may RP the fight out to your liking, whether you'd like it to end within one post or extend it over a few rounds is entirely up to you. If you have any questions feel free to PM me!


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[Aylasa Caves] The Value of Sentiment

Postby Wrenera on August 1st, 2015, 6:33 am

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Wren was a creature of passion and instinct. When something caught her attention, she became entirely absorbed with whatever it was. Then, just as suddenly, her interest would ebb and she would forget all about that which had so engrossed her only ticks before. Her fascination with treasure hunting was foremost among the things that captured her interest. The realm was full of wonderful and curious objects of which she took delight in puzzling out their function. There was a possessiveness involved as well. Those things she had found in the forest or along the human road, or even in the depths of her shadowy home, were hers. She would fight fiercely to maintain that ownership. The curved sword cutting the air before her was one item she cherished above all others. It helped her to survive the wilds and beyond that, it had a deadly beauty to it.

The Zith marveled at how Syna's light reflected off the sharp metal edge. A sheen of sweat coated her brow to mark her exertion as she practiced various movements with her blade. Wren twisted and jumped, brought her scimitar in a whirling arc to an imaginary foe. She lunged, pivoted, hopped back and slashed again. Keeping her balance was a fun game on the slick and treacherous rock. But challenging, and she nearly slipped and fell into the water on one particularly daring hand plant, attempting to spring up to a higher place on the rock. Wren glared at the stone for not conforming to her wishes. She then heard noises. To a human, such sounds, if detected at all, would be so faint as to be blamed on the wind or imagination. But to the keen Zith it sounded like a stampede was coming her way.

Wren whirled around, scimitar at the ready, scanning the cavern's dark recesses beyond the smooth surface of the lake. She saw little things scamper away or delve into the safety of holes. Then she saw the reason for their skittish behavior. At first she thought her eyes were deceiving her, so naturally did the thing camouflage with its cave surroundings. But then when it rushed out toward the water, she saw it distinctly. Not much taller than herself and bipedal. Wren saw that it looked somewhat human, but if human it was, it was very deformed. The face was misarranged with one eye lower than the other. The mouth encrusted with rock. It appeared to have noticed her for it made obvious attempts to reach her despite the body of water dividing them. It sloshed in and waded a short distance ahead before the water level deterred it back to the shore. It systematically repeated this process a few times. She decided it was a stupid and ungainly creature. It also emitted a very tiresome noise over and over again that made the Zith want to pull her hair out. Wren's face twisted with bestial rage. How dare the thing threaten her so! She hissed, her scarlet eyes emanating malice.

Doubting the creature would ever find a way to reach her, Wren sought to reach it. She instinctively knew it was dangerous to allow it to persist. Perhaps it could never really get to her elevated niche high up in the cavern, but still, it had no fear of her and that made her furious and more than a little nervous. Without anymore consideration, the Zith sped toward the earthy being at a sprint. Where her island ended in a towering jut of stone, she vaulted up and away, her wings expanding to harness the wind currents and elevate her above the water. The flap of wings could be heard as well as an ultrasonic screech of challenge. Wren delighted in the art of invoking fear. Anything that was terrified was likely to make foolish decisions, and that was to her advantage. To her disappointment, the monster didn't seem all that scared though. In fact, it looked more eager than anything to get the fight started . That was troubling and just a bit irritating.

Swooping down, furry heels of her feet splashing across the shallows. Wren ratcheted back her sword arm, bent on hacking off the persistent thing's blocky head. Her sword swept through the air, but missed the intended target, biting instead into the being's shoulder when it shambled rather quicker than expected towards her. Rock debris flew and Wren was struck a glancing blow as she whizzed by. Nothing remotely painful, but it did cause her flight to go awry. She recovered just in time, landing a bit recklessly, scrabbling for purchase on the rocky floor. With a jerk of her head that sent midnight mane swishing, she saw her attack had not slowed the creature down in the least. It charged her, still spouting that gibberish. Wren's eyes narrowed. She assumed a fighter's stance. "You want death? I will give it to you!" she declared in the common tongue. When it was nearly upon her, she spun sharply away and brought her sword around in a vicious arc at what she hoped was the thing's exposed back.

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[Aylasa Caves] The Value of Sentiment

Postby Plume on August 10th, 2015, 8:55 pm

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Though the Yukman was not an especially slow creature in spite of its appearance, there was no comparison when pitted against the likes of a Zith.

The creature had never fought something so deadly before. It had seen enough years in this brutal world to be called a survivor of the elements, a rightful predator in its food chain. But never had it come to face a being more deadly than itself. Still, the Yukman knew little of fear and littler yet of self preservation when it came to unbridled violence. It became easily fixated with fighting this dark, winged beast of the night. Nothing else would be able to distract it now.

A gleaming, sharp blade flew around it, frustrating the Yukman with its speed. He tried to catch it once or twice but it was constantly out of his reach. Once, the blade bit into his shoulder before rushing off into the air again. It did not hurt the Yukman much, but it riled the creature to a point of gargling fury.

The deadly dance went on for a bit longer before he charged in a fit of anger and impatience. Before him, the Zith said something in a tongue he did not understand, but threats meant little to the Yukman. He just wanted to pin the flying thing down and rip its wings off with his bare hands. And he was convinced he would succeed, too, until the Zith spun away from his grasp and brought that dreaded blade down on his back.

Unfortunately for the Zith, her blade bounced off of a collection of large rocks embedded in the Yukman's skin. Meanwhile, the Yukman himself had created a giant splash in the cavern pool as his large, misshapen hands tried to grab the now re-located Zith. But his efforts had not gone in vain.

For in his hands was the flopping, struggling form of the queen fish. The tinkling sound as it squirmed, as well as its enormous size, left its identity unmistakable.

The Yukman barely noticed his opponent's attempt to strike at his back. His attention, for a fleeting few ticks, were focused entirely on the giant fish. Right up until the fish opened its maw and sank two rows of razor sharp teeth into the Yukman's hand. There was a slight jolt of pain and the Yukman tried to fling the vicious fish off of his hand. He succeeded on his second or third jerk, though not without a price. The fish landed bodily back into the water, a small chunk of rock lodged firmly in its jaw. And where the rock formerly resided was a miniature crater rapidly pooling with blood.

The Yukman howled in pain. It was an awful sound, like nails raking against stones and rocks crashing against one another. And then the earthen creature reared around like a huffing bull and charged again at the Zith, blind in its agony and rage.

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[Aylasa Caves] The Value of Sentiment

Postby Wrenera on August 28th, 2015, 10:00 pm

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Wren felt the impact send a shock up her arm, her sword having bounced off something solid on the creature's back. She grimaced, using the momentum of her initial swing to continue her revolution away from her foe, coming to a stop just out of reach, her sword raised high, poised for attack or defense depending on what the strange thing did. Having got the measure of her enemy, she decided it was far from graceful and barbaric in its tactics. She hissed a laugh to realize the brainless fool was actually trying to catch her weapon instead of avoid it. Still, the insufferable thing had a hide thick and hard, with encrusted bits of rock protruding at various points. Though it was undoubtedly stupid, it was also tough and relentless.

It surprised her to see the creature relent in its dogged pursuit to flail its arm rather comically at the air. Then her ears caught what her eyes at first, did not. The ringing and rattle that now accompanied the monster's swings was all too familiar. It was then she remembered the giant noisy fish that had escaped her on the island. As bizarre as it was funny, the fish now clamped to her adversary's stony hand. The trinket-carrying fish was far more interesting (and shiny) to her than her rigid opponent. Her first impulse was to hack off the thieving arm and claim the fish her own, and thus whatever valuables it held on its scaled body. But before she could act, the blocky beast howled in anguish and flung her treasure back into the water from whence it came......with apparently a good sized chunk of his hand.

The cry the creature made caused the Zith to grit her teeth in agony. She still kept her attention fixed on the splash and swirl where the fish had reentered the water, monitoring the traversing eddies so she could at last take what she had worked so hard for. However, she had more pressing concerns as it appeared the dimwit was not too pleased with having been taken advantage of by a fish and now returned to his previous straight forward agenda of tearing her limbs off. Wren decided she would put everything she had in an attempt to bring matters to a swift end. She feared if she waited too long, her prize would get away yet again.

Wren echoed a challenge of her own and rushed headlong to meet her foe. Her feet made rapid splashing noises, mirroring the Yukman's progress as she raced ahead through the shallows. A grasping swipe of a bloody hand came her way which she ducked. Another hand landed a bruising blow to her ribcage that blasted air from her lungs. But not before she carved a path through the creature's midsection. Her sword eventually met with resistance, halting her efforts. Despite a good deal of blood and rocky guts spilling out from her incision, the thing rumbled out another awful screech that sounded like a hundred avalanches all at once and connected on a backhanded delivery that launched her through the air, blood spraying from her open lip. She flew through the air and landed with a splashing boom that made her wings spasm in pain. She also drank in a mouthful of water as her plunge had taken her quite a distance. And the final thing she realized was a sharp pain in her buttocks. She had landed on something rather uncomfortable.

She winced and dipped her head back into the depths. There was little to see in the murky water. All she saw was silt and various underwater plant life. She lifted her head out of the water and whipped her head back furiously, flipping her midnight hair to the side, a soppy mess. Something bobbed up to the surface right next to her hip. That something gave a little tinkle. To her surprise she found herself staring at a dead fish, the trinket shining spectacularly. Then she realized why her arse had been in such pain. Despite her aching behind, throbbing ribs and swollen mouth, she laughed throatily and gazed over her shoulder to see who else, but the Yukman, wading in after her. She saw he lacked his usual feistiness and the water around him changed to a darker shade as its life essence drained out. It was also making an annoying repetitive grunting noise. Wren suddenly realized she had lost her sword. Not that she needed to worry about the creature. It was slowing down to a creep now and she doubted it would live very much longer with such a wound untended.

Wren pulled the fish out of the water and hurried back to the shallows, sloshing away from the Yukman and then back to where she had been thrown. After a few chimes of searching, she found her scimitar glinting in all its submerged brilliance. She exited a sigh of relief and reclaimed her weapon. The Zith tossed a look back the way she had come and did not see her adversary anywhere. Only an undisturbed expanse of dark water....

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[Aylasa Caves] The Value of Sentiment

Postby Plume on September 14th, 2015, 5:37 am

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The Yukman was dying, but it had no concept of defeat in its rather young mind. It knew nothing more than the base emotions of those sentient but not sentient enough. Something was draining away from it, and the creature felt a growing sense of urgency. No moments spent reflecting or regretting. No final wishes to be made known. Just a word of pain from its wounds and that fierce, primal desire to maim the thing that had maimed him.

As it watched with a growing sense of futility its prey move farther and farther away, the fish in the Zith's grasps remained safely dead. A small legacy had been wiped, but all things had an end, and the tinkling treasure still embedded in the scales would provide an unlikely beginning.

Should Wren attempt to remove the trinket, it would prove an easy but slightly messy task. Over the years, the fish's flesh and scales had wrapped the small, glass pendant rather snugly. All of that ruthless bulking had ensured the treasure's safety, but would also mean it needed to be dug out with something sharp. Once freed from its fishy confines, the pendant's whole form would be revealed. All glass work wrought into the shape of a morning glory, the petals a pale, translucent hue of periwinkle. Sturdier than it appears, the pendant is a work of superb craftsmanship, though an untrained eye would not be able to pick up on the magnitude of its value. Hidden inside the petals is a single, glass pistil, which strikes the sides with clarion tinkles each time there is movement.

Meanwhile, standing outside the mouth of the cave was a serious faced, red headed man. He had both the expression and build of a person one preferred not to cross. Yorick the blacksmith had been en route back to the city from a trip to Mithryn when he heard a terrible racket coming from somewhere deep in the caverns. Normally, he would have much preferred to report this to the Knights instead of getting directly involved, but he knew one of the sounds. It was a Yukman, no doubt, and his conscience would not allow him to simply walk away if some hapless traveler was stuck down there, face to face with one of the nastier surprises the woods had to offer.

But after a while, the noises ceased. Surprised and more than a little worried, Yorick remained frozen in place, straining his ears. He was torn between staying where he was and going in. Perhaps he would find nothing but a lost cause. Perhaps whoever was down there was alive and needed help.

Sighing wearily, the blacksmith took his first steps into the mouth of the caves.


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[Aylasa Caves] The Value of Sentiment

Postby Wrenera on October 11th, 2015, 9:37 am

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Ten chimes later Wren had situated herself on a nice flat rock elevated from the murky lake. She had had enough with water for one night. There on the rock she gutted the fish and began to devour the choice parts whilst half her attention was fixed on the source of the tinkling insanity. It appeared to be a piece of jewelry in the form of a flower. It was a pretty hue, she could admit, if one cared for such things. She decided it looked expensive and would barter it off to one of the traders in the region. If they didn't want it, they could go petch themselves! She'd wear it if it came to that. It was far too satisfying a victory to allow even those thoughts to bother her for long though. Wren snapped her gaze up from her meal and the bauble upon hearing a splashing noise on the lake. But her eyes could detect nothing dangerous emerging. The Zith chuckled at her silly imagination. "Blub blub you fool. I hope you have gills like this fish," she said, remembering her fight with the thing and how it had disappeared.

Wren licked her fingers clean and tossed the last bit of fish bone into the dark water. She stretched noisily and surveyed her wounds. Nothing major. A few insignificant scrapes and bruises. Her bum was tender to the touch. It appeared after her ordeal with the Yukman, it was actually the fish that had landed the heaviest blow. Well....she had landed on it. Wren wasn't quite sure if credit could be rewarded to a fish for that.

Her mirth was quickly silenced when a noise carried from farther down the cavern. She could tell it was in the common language of humans and it echoed making it hard to tell how many of them there were. She stood up immediately, clutching her pendant possessively. Had they finally tracked her down from the great underground city? Evidently killing her sister had not been enough for them. Now they had finally come to finish what they started. Wren snarled at the thought. They would not find her. She knew how to hide well in the caves. The voice came again, now much closer than before. She began to realize that it had been a mistake to believe it was a group of them. She detected only one male now from the sound of it. She wasted no more time with thoughts, climbing down the rock hurriedly and sprinting across the cave floor for a handful of ticks before her wings billowed out to catch the air currents and lift her off her feet.

Airborne, she flew at a high elevation, nearly to the cavern ceiling where many stalactites offered places to perch if need be. Scarlet eyes were bent on any movement down in the cave. But it was her tremendous hearing that allowed her to pin point the location of the trespassing human. It wasn't too long before he came into view. Wren coasted to a halt where she clung to a rock protruding from the cave ceiling. She tucked herself inside a hollowed area in the stone and crouched down to observe the person to learn perhaps what he was doing there. She would not hesitate to ambush the man if such an opportunity arose. It was her home after all.

OOC :
Lovely description of the treasure! Forgive me for my late response. The mean world of work has held me hostage. :P


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Wrenera
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Joined roleplay: April 24th, 2015, 12:52 am
Race: Zith
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