Quest Loot Runners 1: Grangomelle's Dark Place

[Kerastrina]

Kerastrina continued to follow her guide, constantly recovering from the mental manipulation, and having it immediately renewed by the blood that still soaked her. Like this, her senses being filled with experiences that she could hardly determine as being either real or fake, she walked around in circles. This went on until one of the stones, that jutted up from the ground, turned to her and welcomed her back. She was wise enough to realize that stones could not talk, but that did not take away from the stones point, she had met this rock before. She looked up, and saw the mother rock, who waved at her. She halted the guide and took a few steps backwards with her hostages. Her suspicion was correct this had been the mouth of a great beast last time, but she was sure she recognized the shape of those friendly teeth/rocks. Her suspicions were all but confirmed when the mushrooms head twisted around and said in a deep voice we have been tricking you.

With a quick flick of her wrist she sliced the guides throat, and watched as a horde of mushrooms came out with large bouncy steps and goofy expressions on their faces(which she was eighty percent sure they did not have when she last saw them). She shoved the dying body at them yelling,

"I don't like being lied to, you could have made this so much easier."

Kera immediately swapped her dagger for a throwing knife, and threw it, continuously doing so as though it were just one fluid motion. With her other hand she released the child just enough to slam him on the head with the butt of her second dagger, knocking him to the ground, before that hand joined in. She watched in almost fascination as flowers, an insects, even a double rainbow, as well as a hawk came out of two. These were humanoids unlike those trolls these did not bare skulls like helmets, merely odd bits of armour, and so this was much more to her liking. She soon noticed that the shrooms were growing, but she just as fast realized they were just getting closer. Smart as ever she used this knowledge to stab them, unfortunately realizing that a spear is a touch longer than a dagger when she found that the now dead fungus' spear was now stuck in her shoulder. The walking puffballs at the very least did think better of continuing the attack, as they retreated carrying the useless guide.

As Kera gathered her knives minus the ones who insulted her, decided they like sheathing themselves in fungal heads better, and the ones that melted when she tried to pull them free, she began to think: how much time had she wasted here? Too long! The trickster might have already escaped. Kerastrina grabbed the child and began sprinting for the exit, barely allowing her paranoia to slow her, she didn't care if it was illusion or real anymore, it tried to get too close to her it was going to get stabbed. Every corner, or gap in the wall, stabbed. The room full of mushroom people in between her and the outside, threats to stab. As she was about to step into the exiting hallway though she paused. Although she needed to get out, and she knew it well, she still thought someone had to let them know how dumb they handled this situation,

"I really just wanted the compass, and you could have handed it over, and no one would have been hurt, but NO! You just wanted everyone to die."

She drew nearer to the exit, but was quite annoyed at all of what had happed, and was feeling a bit spiteful. Sickeningly Kerastrina remembered how flammable the fungus that grew on trees were, and was reminded of the room they stood in's special contents, besides the mushrooms that is. She threw the child at the crowed, and dropped a lit match before running down the rest of the hallway emptying two pouches, a pocket of ball bearings, soon followed by a pouch of caltrops. She ignored whether or not the caltrops were actually spiders or not, she really needed to move it now.

Once she had exited the basement she quickly made her way up. She may have not received the compass at this time, but the game was not over yet. She could still get it after she was done up here, or even after the game. Kera suddenly paused, were all the trolls dead just then? Nah, that would have been impossible. Her suspicions that is was just a hallucination was confirmed when she entered a room, to see a large dance going on consisting of many people, but only two forms. Kera looked to the golem that observed for answers, questioning it while preparing knives for throwing,

"Ummm, could you point out the real ones real quick?"

 

[Alani Delkera]

Alani walked slowly back through the trees and willow leaves, butterflies landing all over her skin and turning it purple. She froze as the smell of smoke reached her nose and a sharp metallic screaming came from up ahead. She began to run, the glittering world around her melted into a panic, the light turning red and the willow leaves crumbling to ashes as knotted thorn bushes clawed their way up the walls.

When she reached the gathering room she saw several new injured Sporetta being tended to. That crazy lady had done this. She handed the child to one of them. (I'm so sorry) She said tears welling up in her solemn eyes. She then turned on her heel and followed the smoke and screaming. She had forgotten completely about Quoril she could have passed right by him without noticing. All she could think of was that all this was the death and devastation that was being met on a peaceful people.

Red smoke spilled from the twisting vines the thorns growing to sharp points some as long as her forearm. She came to the entrance cavern where a group of armed Sporetta huddled in the corners of the room yelling in fear and dismay. Smoak poured from the wine room and Alani could feel a heat coming from it. Everything in that room was very flammable but was verry unlikely to spread beyond that room. The safest way to deal with it would be to wait it out like a forest fire. However, they had also been using that room to store all their food. But there was nothing she could do about it. No way for her to fight it. The smoke billowed out taking the form of various monsters, men in armor with swords and torches, and most of all that crazy lady with the knives.

(I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry) She repeated over and over again covering her face.

(It's not your fault)

Alani opened her eyes, one of the mushrooms she had given her weapons to stood there holding out her sword.

(All things die)

Another held out her hunting knife.

(And return to the earth)

Two more held out her axes. She looked at them, tears shining in her eyes, ignoring the smoky figures that plundered through the room.

(But when a mortal feels it is their right to tip the hand of nature in their favor with no regard for the damage they have done, with no respect, that is wrong) Alani said but she took her weapons. (I'm going to make this right, I don't know how but I will) she said as she strapped her weapons back in their places a new resolve in her eyes. She pushed her way through smokey figures as she climbed up the stairs and walked back into the entry hall.

Light from outside streamed in through the open doors and broken windows illuminating the carnage that decorated the floor. Thorns clawed their way from the decimated corpses of the trolls. Stray bones were strewn among them. The stench of black blood soaking the floor.

(Why? They were just hungry? Why did people feel the need to destroy like this?) she said to herself forgetting to switch back to verbal communication. She wandered among the corpses, small dead black trees growing between them to claw at her with their branches. She ignored them.

She came out into the sunlight, outside where the wizard and the spectators stood staring at her. They gaped at her with hollo eyes and grinning mouths filled with sharp teeth. She stood there at the top of the stairs staring back at them.

"You're all the same!" She cried out braking the silence "Just standing there watching, enjoying as this carnage goes on. So long as it does not inconvenience you all is well. So long as they do not look like you, It's all ok. You're all monsters. The creations of civilized monsters do no deserve to exist." She cried out holding up the compass as she threw it to the ground as hard as she could. There was a gasp and the crowd rippled as a crack was heard from the magical items impact.

Alani sat down on the stairs and after a moment picked up the compass. It was a lot stronger than she had expected, It seemed to still be intact, only the surface of the glass was cracked. She sighed and looked at the needle of the compas as it spun around wildly. Alani knew exactly what she wanted, it was just something the compass couldn't give her.

 

[Seredic]

Harrier

“The Wine of Destiny,”

She came to him in the dream again. The angelic being radiating a dim, foreboding light, wearing a white cloak with a hood which hid her face. The glass full of wine held between her slender fingers. The spirit walked slowly towards him whispering something in a language he could not comprehend.

Seredic lumbered to her, his eyes still stinging from the light she radiated despite its low brightness. The Halfling saw her once before a year ago. Seredic was always skeptical of beings of higher power but this angelic being felt real and was calling to him. But why?

“Who are you?” Seredic wanted to say but his lips did not move it was though they were sewn shut. “She was the reason why I went on this bloody journey,” Thought Seredic. “Could I at least get your name?”

The angelic being knelt down and handed Seredic the wine whispering. “You are its maker. The Wine of Destiny.”

“I am?” Seredic asked in a small pained voice his lips moving freely now though his throat hurt and his head began to throb. “Then where do I go? What ingredients do I need?!”

The Angelic Being said nothing still holding out the cup. Seredic shook his head, scrunching his face in frustration. “Why are you so bloody silent?!” He shouted before holding his head in pain. The ground beneath Seredic began to tilt forward and he felt himself flying towards the woman.

The smell of blood and smoke-filled Seredic nostrils now and the Halfling tumbled out of a brown box. All Seredic saw was a blur of various shapes and colors. He blinked multiple times in an attempt to adjust his vision.

“What did I miss?” He thought looking around

He turned around and to his horror saw the corpse of the bartender who generously gave Seredic free cups of wine last night lying face first on the ground in a pool of his own blood. Four arrows pierced his back.

Seredics stomach rolled over and immediately last nights dinner of soup and meat along with hundreds of cups of wine came out from his mouth. The sheer amount of contents spewing out, force Seredic on his knees

 

[Harrier]

<The first trap lies ten paces ahead. I know nothing of its nature.>

"Thank you. Scout ahead for the animated armour, please."

As the ghost flitted away down the dark corridor, Harrier took seven steps after him and knelt down. She unslung her pack and took out a bowl and two bottles. One fluid smelled harsh as lye; the other smelled like rot. Together they smelled like nothing at all.

Leaving the full bowl, she pulled out a jade pen, ground and mixed ink from a stick, and laid out parchment on the floor. The pen shivered.

"Al-Kaateb, I abjure you by your name and your word. You know what to do."

Harrier tipped the bowl away from her and sloshed its contents down the hallway. Fumes buzzed and hummed in the air, but only in specific places and directions. An incorporeal web took form, tracing the elements of the old wizard's trap-spell. The jade pen began to draw on its own, faster and more accurately than she could. Barely-visible fumes exposed Grangomelle's magic a piece and a perspective at a time, and al-Kaateb captured what he could.

"A thunderstorm in a hallway," Harrier mumbled to herself and her shade-scribe. "I think that's what this one creates. Let's see..."

Rituals on stormy nights all too often required specialized tools. From her pack, she took out a folding metal rod. She levitated it with a snap of her fingers and sent it forward about three paces. Cold wind rushed through the hall. Lightning snapped and vibrated around each end of the metal rod. Harrier watched, al-Kaateb scribbled, and the storm trap burned itself out.

Harrier scooped up the rest of her gear and stowed it haphazardly in her pack. She left the deformed rod steaming in the hallway, took a minute to commit al-Kaateb's work to memory with an old College study-charm, and moved ahead.

Hopefully that was the last pocket thunderstorm. The rod trick wouldn't work twice.


Turning the next corner revealed a bizarre sight: a dead man with arrows in his back, a halfling stumbling out of a box, and vomit pouring out of said halfling. Mathquil, the ghost scout, hadn't warned her about any of this. That might mean he'd run into trouble.

A spare body was always useful in a ruin full of traps. Harrier muttered a handful of incantations and the dead barkeep, arrows notwithstanding, got to his feet with no sign of life or intelligence in his eyes.

"I hope he wasn't a friend of yours," she said to Seredic. "My name is Harrier Wren. There are traps about."

 

[Seredic]

Seredic craned his head towards the dead bartender what was his name? Edd right? A jolly fellow albeit a bit off-balance at times. It seems that he gets drunk off his own products, Seredic knows that all too well the taste of wine is like a lover. Once she embraces you, there is no way to escape her vice. "Oh Sally," The Halfling thought his heart becoming aflutter with the mere thought of his wife. A lovely woman, an intelligent, unkept but an otherwise great woman. Seredic remembered Sally's smile, the way she stroked his hair while he wrote his poetry and the way she sang during festivals.

"Focus," the halfling said to himself. "She's dead and there's nothing you can do about it." The day she died in childbirth however was the day he Seredic stopped being happy. "Well about Edd," Seredic said to the woman kicking the corpse of the bartender. "Edd is dead sweetheart, Edd is dead,"

Not exactly something he should have said but for Seredic only knew the man for only 2 hours. All Seredic recalled was that he entered the room, met Edd and drank 5 cups of Dragon's Flame. A favorite beverage of Seredic's. There was something unique about alcohol that can get you piss drunk and at the same time have a spicy, flaming flavor taking over your mouth.....

"Barely knew the man," Seredic shrugged. "But he's known for having one of the rarest alcohol beverages in the world. I guess that's how I'll remember him. Humans die that's practically the reason the Gods created them. That and create lots of ale."

Now to business, the area was dark, grimy and almost mazelike. Seredic was starting to sober a bit and immediately suspicion befell onto Harrier. It was pretty convenient that she arrived the moment he stumbled out. Was it fate or chance? Who cares at this time, the Halfling somehow ended up in this mysterious place and this pretty little woman is the first person he saw. "Tell me this is a nightmare," Seredic muttered looking around. "If I close my eyes I can change it right now!"

The Halfling shut his eyes tight while clenching his small fists. "I Imagining! Gingerbread houses with chocolate chip cookies as roads! And the rivers are flowing with Rasberry syrup! And you sweetheart is actually is my future wife giving me the Wine of Destiny!"

Seredic opened his eyes and looked around and immediately frowned. "Damn it's real," he said disappointed. "And It seems that trouble always follows me like a battered spouse. So Harrier where are we exactly and do you know how I ended up here?"

Harrier

 

[Amades]

Bards? “Yes. Do the finest quality ah barding.” He cleared his throat, outstretching a hand. While he began a rousing sea shanty about whale riding and driftweaving, Amades attempt at singing did not do the performance justice, thankfully he was soon obscured. Truth be told while she was playing he was mesmerized too and began to lose his voice. Lost in a world of imagination and not, because he could pinch himself and still feel it.

Light poured out and he looked around much like a boy seeing his first ship, shooting an arrow for the first time with his father, or riding his first horse. Kalliana didn’t disappoint.

Now and a tap. “Huh. Oh.” He blinked looking away from the dazzling display of images. Tipping an imaginary hat to the golem and hobbling along to the red carpet. His stubbly grin fixed itself in place upon arrival and their success. Kaliana took the coin and he nodded folding his arms. “We did. Job well done.”

Looking about the floor to the red carpet, and then back to the golem, “wizard likes his showpieces.” Watching the illusions go to and fro, “but you’ve got him beat.” Amades grin tightened, nodded his head to her and extending his hand to shake, “Amades.” After all he’d not told her his name. "May I?" This might be a nail-biting moment of trust, if she let him he looked the coin over confirming something, then handed it back as promised, if not he just shrugged amicably.

Bizarrely as that was going on, there was the slightest pop of air. Out of the corner of the room a small boy in a red tunic walked out with a wooden bowl, the symbol on his tunic that of a pyramid. The Vos Manti human ruffled the young lad's hair, and he reached into one of his many pockets dotted about producing an old peeling coin, which looked like it had little value. It matched the rusting one around Amades's neck. He paid the boy’s bowl who seemed very pleased and ran out into the hall happily. Versed as she was in illusionary magic or things that were not altogether real, Kalliana might spot the telltale signs of it as the boy seemed to leave eyesight too quickly, the golem not even registering him. His eyes were odd, and the lingering smell of sandalwood persisted.

Like it was the most normal thing in the world, Amades just carried on. “Shall we? How long do your illusions last?” He wanted to say ladies first but the fact there was a hulking great golem out there, he decided to step out first and keep to the walls. Hopefully no thieves were around… was that something in eyeshot, he couldn’t tell.

Tags:
Kalliana Romane

 

[Kalianna Romane]

As she heard his name, she nodded, responding back with her own along with a small bow. "Kalliana, but Kali works just fine." She paused briefly as he offered to inspect it, clearly deciding if he really was as trustworthy as he seemed. Her hand reached out to shake his, and as it left the handshake, the coin was in his palm. She figured that fighting harpies and doing a bardic performance was enough to establish some trust in their relationship. Sure enough, Amades handed the coin back shortly after.

Kali opened her mouth to speak, but before any words could escape, her attention was caught by a boy suddenly appearing in the room with them, his eyes off and strange in a way she couldn't place her finger on. She watched the entire exchange go on with a clear face of confusion, her eyes looking between the boy and Amades trying to decipher what exactly was happening. She tried to look after the boy when he began to run away, but as soon as he left her sight, he was gone. The fact that the golem paid him no mind was another oddity of the encounter, oddities that when put together made it seem rather like an illusion. "Who was that? Well, I guess the better question would really be, who's illusion was that?" She asked, taking a glance to Amades before looking out the door. "You did see that too, right? He had the same coin around your neck that you have, too, " she commented, trying to piece together the odd experience.

However, they still had to get going. Temporarily dismissing the topic of illusionary strange boys appearing and disappearing out of nowhere, she followed suite. "Not for much longer, this is a pretty intensive illusion, all things considered." In the large tower, the dance was still going on, filled with twirling dancers and acrobats each carrying the face of the duo. She kept her back to the wall, hiding among the crowd of illusions.

She stopped suddenly as her eyes met another figure enter the room. Another competitor.

The golem shifted in his seated position, turning his gaze slowly from the mesmerizing dance to the bandit. "I'm afraid I can't... They're doing a performance for me," he explained, the sentence taking a good half minute for him to complete uttering it. The dancers continued on, never paying her any mind, eternally enraptured in their own performance.

Kalliana grabbed Amades' shoulder, pointing out the newcomer quickly. In the motion, she also tapped his skin with the coin, slinking it into her pocket soon after. "We need to get going, quick. The coin'll keep us from losing each other, just in case," she explained, her voice hushed and in a low whisper to avoid perceptive ears. The illusion wouldn't last longer, and when that happens, there'd be two people in this room ready to take that coin back. "Follow my lead," she added after a moment of planning, "and I hope you can dance."

Taking Amades' hand, she assumed the position of the other dancers in the tower, trying her best to mimic them. As one pair of illusions passed through them, they dissipated completely, leaving the real duo as their replacements. That made the strain a little easier, but it was getting to her. Copying the illusions, she guided Amades through the congregation, masquerading as a pair of the various dancers. Steadily they made progress towards the entrance, and thus the bandit as well. She tried to keep her face blank, waiting for the right moment.

She willed some of the dancers nearby to begin to circle the bandit, twirling and swirling rhythmically as they continued their ball. Nodding for Amades to follow their lead, the duo joined them, dancing around the potential thief until the hallway was close enough to them. In a flash, while she was hopefully distracted alongside the golem, Kalianna grabbed Amades and dashed inside of the hallway. A moment passed, before the tower-ful of dancers suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving an empty room occupied only by a very confused golem and Kerastrina.

The golem took a moment to process the abrubt end to his performance, lumbering to stand up. "Where are they?" It said, the slow rumbling of obsidian sounding from him as he turned his head to gaze around the room. Eyes of black rock soon landed on the unlocked door. A thick, nearly permeable air of silence entered the room as the golem simply stared daggers at the door. "Ah." Slowly, he glanced back to the hallway, too small for his large form, and the newcomer. "That's a... problem."

Tags:
Amades
Kerastrina

 

[Quoril]

Quoril was confused when Alani stood up and walked out of the room with one of the children in her arms. His confusion only increased when she came back into the room a short while later with the compass in hand. After handing the child off to one of the sporetta, she bolted out of the room.

Quoril couldn’t take it any longer. His confusion and curiosity had gotten the better of him. “Hey! Wait for me!” he cried as he ran after Alani. As he ran, purple glowing vines seemed to sprout from the wall and grab at him as he passed.

He finally caught up with his partner, only to see her turn around and make her way back up the stairs. Emerging into the room they had originally started from, he could feel eyes watching him. Apparently they were the first to return.

“Was it really worth it?” Quoril thought to himself. He reflected on the sporetta that had died in their quest for the compass.

"You're all the same! Just standing there watching, enjoying as this carnage goes on. So long as it does not inconvenience you all is well. So long as they do not look like you, It's all ok. You're all monsters. The creations of civilized monsters do no deserve to exist."

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Alani shouting accompanied by a sharp CRACK! as she hurled the compass to the floor. The audience gasped in shock in surprise as she turned and sat down on the stairs.

Quoril sat down next to her. After a bit, he said “Are you going to be okay? I know it was hard seeing all those creatures die.”


Alani Delkera

 

[Kerastrina]

Kera watched the dancers as she decided what to do. As she had no way to deal with illusions, such as these, the only reasonable way she could deal with this was to ask,

"Excuse me, could I please have a moment of you time? I have a matter I wish to discuss with you."

Kerastrina watched as instead of receiving an answer the dancers began to slowly approach her.

"If you don't mind I would appreciate if you didn't come closer, I happen to be very uneasy around people within stabbing me distance. If you don't turn back do not say I did not warn you."

Kera threw a knife at one of the dancers feet to warn them. They unfortunately seemed undeterred. As they continued to approach she began aiming higher and higher on the dancers. Kera was terrified, between these illusions, and the hallucinations, she could not really tell if she had hit anyone. She tried her best to keep track of which ones had already been hit, but they just continued their dance. Soon the dancers would only need to take a few steps and they would be close enough to engage her. Kera decided before they grew any closer the best thing to do was to not be in their way. She threw the knives in her hands before drawing her daggers, and rolling out of the doorway into a crouched position, making herself small, as well as ready to leap out of the way, or through any incoming attack.

An attack that never came, instead the images disappeared. Kera waited a moment before peering around the corner back into the room seeing nothing, but the golem and the open door behind it. Well, that and a small trail of blood. Good, she had hit something real. Kera turned to the Golem as she gathered her knives,

"Come Golem-bo, there are goods to be had. Why do you hesitate? The exit? Please, you already royaly bunged up literally your only job. If all it takes to stop you is a hallway then you truly do not deserve freedom. Smash through here, and if that doesn't work scratch your way out, here, you can even borrow some of my claws."

Kera threw the golem two daggers as she charged after the blood trail,

"Come on, do I look so scary that you must run, and can not even share a few words with me?"

 

[Alani Delkera]

Alani glanced at Quoril and then back at the compass with a sigh. "I've seen death before. That is the way of nature. But this was senseless killing and violence. That is something I can not understand."

The needle of the compass wavered in it's spinning and then locked on to Quoril. She looked back at him "Here, I want you to have it," She said taking his hand and placing the compass in it. "But you need to promise me never to give it away so it can never be used by bad people."

One thing she could say about herself was she knew what she knew with a conviction. She never had trouble identifying what she wanted and sticking to it. In that way it would be easy for her to use the compass. However, anything that she wanted that the compass could guide her to she could just as easily find using her own senses. The things she really wanted were things the compass had no way of leading her to. Peace was not something you could point to on a map. This made the object useless to her. But Quoril couldn't tack a smell from a mile away and she didn't imagine he had the best sense of direction. Perhaps he could use it for something good. If anything it kept it out of the hands of people like Kerastrina.

 

[Amades]

See what? “Oh, The Piper” Amades joked, and he’d just paid him. Technically that was true, he tapped his own coin around his neck once more for luck. Devil was in the details. “Gets cranky if he doesn’t get his coin,” Amades shrugged. The odd event was so commonplace now he barely registered the arrival, maybe he couldn’t register it fully.

Accepting Kalliana’s prize coin with surprise his grinned pressed firm, “thank you,” He said genuinely. Nodding for her, and "dance? No problem." As long as there was a rocking boat, lots of crowds, good music, and probably less knives. Finally seeing the newcomer through the illusion, or rather her knives. Whispering he smirked, "why is there always knives?" Usually, he’d have applauded the knife display, not so much when they were heading over this wa…. WHACK one landed next to him, phew.

Amades was a steady dancer, heavier on his feet than she was but keeping time well. Leaning them back to avoid another knife, and then moving her to the side firmly when one came close. They moved through the melee of illusion and flying steel. THUD. Of course one hit him, of course it did. “Fetch-it.” He cursed under his breath. It caught the bandage on his already wounded leg and grazed it a bit more. He bit down hard, not having time to seal the wound up again.

Hobbling after Kalliana as fast as he could, a small trail of blood behind him. Not a gushing wound but droplets. He was obviously slower than her at a running hobble, but did well for a one and half legged sailor finding his landlegs again. Just run it off Amades. Run he did heading away from the golem and into the harpy area again at speed. Letting go of her hand a second to catch his breath, “moment.” Amades said pulling the bandage tighter around his leg.

SMASH SMASH SMASH. Came the footsteps behind them. Something, or probably a certain someone, namely Kerastrina had got the Golem moving, or maybe it was just stamping its feet in a tantrum. Who knows.

“Coming?” he joked as he took Kalliana’s hand again to lead her out now, “no standing around now!” Amades gave her a soft yank with him and winked. Passing the harpy area with their half-collapsed roof, a certain birdwoman lay dead on the floor, and his sword was in her stomach. Thankful for small mercies he retrieved the blade. “All to plan,” he grinned, sword in one hand, companion in the other. Golem somewhere behind, flying knives probably in the future.

Stopping, he turned to Kalliana again, “Yeah. Which way did we come in….”

Tags:
Kerastrina
Kalliana Romane

 

[Kalianna Romane]

The golem, almost half as tall as the tower itself, was pacing around the room. A low rumble emanated from its chest, as obsidian scraped against rock and stone. If a rock could glare, that it did, directing an aggravated gaze towards the hallway. The small clatter of knives against the floor was ignored, the weapons more like toothpicks in comparison to its size. Instead, the obsidian golem walked up to the doorway, gripping both sides of it with jagged rocky hands, and proceeded to pull it apart. Parts of the wall were ripped out, as the golem stepped back and charged through, blasting through the wall, behind Kerastrina as they both chased after the coin and its carriers. "Get... Back... Here!"

Meanwhile, the duo were rushing through the hallway, Kalianna noticing partway through the injury Amades sustained. The sound of crashing stone was coming closer and closer, a distant rumbling shout echoing through the chamber. She idly hoped that the golem was just coming over to congratulate them on their achievements, perhaps give them a pat on the back and send them on their way with an amicable giftbasket. That didn't seem likely. She slowed her pace as he tightened the bandage, giving a quick, "Of course," with a wink of her own as they started off again.

As they reached the room with the harpies, she watched him take the blade out of the slain harpy. She took the opportunity to pull out her own rapier, quickly glancing back. "Down to troll town," she answered, taking his hand now and taking him to the staircase they had come up prior. Jumping onto the railing to slide down, she came to a comfortable landing in the lobby. She readied her rapier, preparing for a sudden attack by the trolls, only lowering it when no such attack came. Instead, her eyes came to the corpses that littered the floor, a true bloodbath.

"Nevermind, turns out the trolls were already taken care of," she said, beckoning Amades to her side in the lobby. They rushed over to the entrance, hopping over the occasional deceased troll, before suddenly coming to the doors. Opening them up, sunlight streamed through, lighting up the interior as dozens of watching faces revealed themselves. Kali took a step outside, a grin slipping onto her features as she looked over to Amades. "And so," she began, speaking in a faux-dramatic tone of voice as she regaled the tale, "the two adventurers, renown across the lands for their finest barding and other assorted skills, have returned, treasure in hand." At the end, she quickly added on, "and possibly still being chased by a woman and a very upset golem," before letting out a laugh and a cautious check to make sure they actually weren't there yet.

Sitting down at the steps, she pulled Amades in for a celebratory side hug. "Couldn't have done it without you, Amades. How's the leg holding up?" She gestured to the bandaged wound that had found its way there after the assorted harpies and knife-wielding competitor, letting the hug dissipate. Noticing the other pair sitting nearby at the staircase with a compass in hand, she gave a friendly wave and nod to them. "Good job," she said, not wanting to cause any more trouble with the other pairs than they had with one half of one.

Tags:
Amades
Kerastrina
Quoril
Alani Delkera

 

[Kerastrina]

Kera was at first happy to hear that the golem was coming, but then she realized that a golem that could squash her like she didn't exist was coming up behind her. Suddenly Kera found a bit of speed she hadn't known she possessed, she basically leapt off the railings to get out of the golem's way. The golem let out a deep rumble,

"WHERE?..."

Kera knew what it was asking, and she had a choice: Tell it where they had gone, or lie and use it to try and get the last treasure. The second option might allow her to destroy the golem, while getting rid of traps, or use it to get rid of any opposition that way, and deal with the winner after. This option risked the golem finding out she was lying and likely killing her.

The truth would be much the same with the golem fighting the opposition, the main difference would be if the golem won it would likely take the coin back. Kera also would be free to go after the third treasure while the golem fought for the coin.

Kerastrina looked at the eviscerated trolls, maybe it would be best not to go charging in looking for a fight, even with the golem, against the one who caused that.

Kera pointed towards the large door where the pair had gone, "There!" before running down the last path, maybe this time she'd face less opposition.

 

[Alani Delkera]

There was a deep rumbling sound in the distance and Alani could feel a trembling in the stones following a pattern of massive footsteps. She jumped to her feet as the rumbling quickly grew closer, shaking the very foundations. A wave of fear and discontent washed through the crowd. They could see what was in the mirrors, they saw what was coming. Most of them began backing away from the entrance.

A moment later a massive figure of glossy black stone dwarfed the entranceway. Grabbing the sides of the walls it began to rip open the stone door frame. Alani could feel a rumble and a shift as stones were torn from their place and the structure above it was made unstable.

Some people readied weapons, and Alani could smell the fear and panic rising. Not again. Her mind was racing, the smell of fear flooding her nose, the clamor, and shouts of the crowd filled her ears, the ground trembling beneath her feet. She stood there with her fists balled up and her eyes shut tight but it only intensified the chaos.

She couldn't take it. "ENOUGH!" She cried out stomping her foot on the ground. There was a resounding crack and a rumble as if an invisible golem had stepped where Alani stood.

The golem stopped still in surprise and the crowd went silent. Alani stared at her feet and the massive crack that spidered through the stone beneath her feet. Had she just done that?

After a moment she looked up at the golem who blinked back down at her from it's crouched position in the door frame.

"Could you please not tare the stone apart. It is making the building unstable and if the building collapses a very nice tribe of Sporetta living in the basement might become traped. You might also become buried and that would be most unfortunate." She said.

The golem stared at her blinking trying to process it all. "True... But I need to retrieve the coin." He said.

"Come, sit, we can talk about it. They're right here, there not going anywhere." She said pointing to Amades and Kallianna.

The Golem thought about it for a minute and then sat down in the doorway with a rumbling crack as the stones beneath him cracked. Alani then went over and climbed up to sit on his knee.

"Alright you three, talk it out," She said.

 

[Amades]

"That's... a lot of dead trolls." Being careful to almost tiptoe through whatever caused it. At the mention of chasing golems, he peered behind to see if they had appeared yet. Then came the proclamation, he grinned at her choice of words.

Sitting with Kalliana on the steps, Amades accepted the hug gladly with a supporting arm of his own around her. "Their finest barding," he let out a strong laugh, rubbed her shoulder, "I like you," and let her go.
Gazing down at his bandaged thigh, "nothing a rest won't fix," he nodded. "You come out okay Kali?" looking Kalliana over for any injuries, it took him a time before he was content she wasn't injured. Eventually giving a thumbs up to the other pair that had arrived intact. "Everyone in one piece?"

All seemed well.

Until the golem showed up again, and what looked to be a heated argument with another contestant threatened to flare up. Amades tapped his thighs, pushing himself up, there was nothing for it. Time for one of those bad speeches.

"I understand how much that door meant to you golem. We are the right side of it now, your door stands intact and you got a good show." He walked closer but made a point of staying out of stomping distance.
"When your master returns here, he will give you another task to do, and if he needs you to recover the coin he will ask." Amades shrugged and stayed put, "can't outrun you." He looked down again at his leg.

Sitting up on a step closer to the stone construct, "here," he took a coin from his pocket, the same type he wore around his neck. "This coin is worth more to me than any amount of gold or jewels," he reached over and offered the coin to the golem, "one day I'll need it."

The creature didn't know what to do with it and just sat there. Waiting for instructions from its creator. Amades meanwhile got a drink of water again and offered some to Alani, "thank you." He said genuinely. Not having seen their knife thrower just yet, but likely sure to compliment her on her display before the end, just not the target.

Tags:
Kalliana Romane
Kerastrina
Alani Delkera

 

[Kalianna Romane]

The bard let out a long sigh of relief, finally able to rest and take a seat for the first time since the challenge began. However, before she could fully relax on the steps, a crashing rumble erupted from behind her. Kali shot up, twirling around with a hand at her side, her eyes confirming the source of the noise to be the gigantic golem standing at the doorway.

She readied herself for a fight or a quick getaway, although her mental planning ceased as she noticed one half of the other pair standing up as well and talking to it. She gave a relieved glance of thanks to her once it seemed the golem was willing to sit and listen, nodding along to what Amades said and giving a quick smile as he handed over a coin of his own.

Adding onto what her companion said, Kali stated, "Sorry again for having to put you through so much." A moment passed when an idea popped up, a grin appearing once more. "How's this: To make it up to you, we'll continue that little performance from before. It won't be as flashy, but this one won't end with you having to chase us down, promise."

The golem gave her a stony glare, eventually succumbing to curiosity as it gave a slow nod. Pieces of the surrounding wall fell from his obsidian skin with the movement, as a rumbling came: "I... would not be opposed to the idea."

With the spoken confirmation, Kalianna spun around to Amades and said, "O' trusted bardic compatriot of mine, mind providing the vocals? I heard you singing earlier in the tower." She took the violin from her back, resting it in its proper position and readying herself, sitting down at the steps. She looked to the other pair, adding, "Feel free to join in if you'd like. I think we all deserve a bit of rest after the day's exploits," giving a genuine offer.

With a nod to her partner, she began, an improvised and steady tune starting to be played from the violin. As time went on, embellishments and notes were added wherever they felt appropriate, working alongside the lyrics by Amades. If anyone else joined in, she would work to include them into the overall performance, building upon it all to create a song that, while improvised, was a rather pleasant experience to those who listened.

Tags:
Amades
Alani Delkera
Quoril

 

[Quoril]

Alani glanced at Quoril and then back at the compass with a sigh. "I've seen death before. That is the way of nature. But this was senseless killing and violence. That is something I can not understand."

The needle of the compass wavered in it's spinning and then locked on to Quoril. She looked back at him "Here, I want you to have it," She said taking his hand and placing the compass in it. "But you need to promise me never to give it away so it can never be used by bad people."

Quoril couldn’t believe what he was happening. After all the effort Alani had gone through, all the emotional stress, and all the lives lost, she had handed the compass over to him. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if it was really alright to accept it. “Thank you. And you have my word that I’ll never give it away.” Opening a small side pouch on his pack, he placed it gently inside.

Another pair emerged. One of them waved as they sat down at another set of stairs. Moments later, the resounding thud of heavy footsteps approaching filled the room, and a gigantic stone golem filled the doorway. The walls and floor shook as it tried to push its way through. Quoril and Alani jumped up and the surrounding people readied their weapons. He heard his partner shout “ENOUGH!” followed by a thunderous CRACK! As she stomped her foot on the floor. Quoril blinked in shock. By the time he had recovered, Alani was already off, climbing her way onto the golem’s knee and conversing with it. She was joined by the other pair of adventurers, and after a bit they appeared to have come to an agreement.

The woman sat back on the steps and pulled out a violin, while the man began singing. Quoril tapped his foot and clapped his hands along to the music, a giant grin on his face.

Alani Delkera
Kalliana Romane
Amades
Kerastrina

 

[Alani Delkera]

Alani took the water from Amades and sniffed it suspiciously before determining it was safe to drink and taking a swig. "Thanks," She said handing it back to him. The three of them continued to talk to the golem and she just sat there contentedly on its knee listening to them talk. They finally came to an agreement and Kalliana proposed a song and dance. Alani smiled. That sounded nice. She began playing a toon and Alani nodded her head to the music. She could feel the golem rumble as he hummed along with the toon deep in his chest. Maybe these two weren't as bad as that crazy lady... maybe. For now, they were ok. For now, it was ok to just sit and enjoy some music. She could do something about the crazy lady later.