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Post by Blue Raspberry on Sept 28, 2022 13:50:33 GMT -5
Frost Gale, the farthest north that the ooze had ever been. It was cold and the boat ride had been long, but they had finally arrived and were now headed to a meeting they had been told about in a letter. Blue Raspberry walked down the road, trying to follow the directions they had received from an elderly woman on the corner. Two blocks down, then turn right, then take the next left... wait, which direction is left? Oh, right, it's that one. I really have to remember that. Left and right are very important.
They finally arrived under a sign that said The Winter's Howl. It was the tavern they had been told to come to in a letter from their friend, Edward. The two had worked together to fight some cultists and uncover a clue that could lead to something called a Sol Stone. Apparently, Edward had found an additional clue with someone else and wanted the three of them to come together and head to the location.
They walked into the bar and looked around for a moment before spotting Edward sitting at a table along with someone else. A very tall, dark figure wearing a long purple coat was sitting across from Edward, their back facing away from Blue Raspberry. They walked over to the table and raised a hand to greet them.
"I have arrived! I received your letter." They said as they sat down at the table with the others and looked at the third person at the table. "Hello!" they said with a slight bow.
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Post by Edward Ardent on Sept 28, 2022 14:28:08 GMT -5
Edward sits with his strange humanoid friend, Blank, at the Winter’s Howl. Blank had helped Edward and Charles defeat some cultists while they were looking for the Sol Stone and managed to obtain a map leading to Arid Mesa to where the Sol Stone might be. After that adventure, they decided to stay at this small town to rest and gather supplies for the journey. Charles is at the docks, trying find a ship they could use to travel to Arid Mesa.
Edward is waiting for his friend, Blue Raspberry, who he has met in Moonglade a while ago. A strange man who seems to wear his armor as skin, but that seems the general crowd Edward hangs with. The weird crowd. He was drinking his ale when he sees a tall armored man walk into the tavern. Seeing that Blue is here, Edward motions at him to sit. “Hi, Blue. I’m glad you got my letter. Like what I have discussed in the letter, we found another clue to the Sol Stone and I was thinking that we may need extra help. Let me introduce you to the group, this is Blank, a friend who helped me find that clue to where the Sol Stone is or at least, what continent it is in. As you can tell, she’s not the normal sort and she’s very skilled with the blade. There is one more person, Charles. He’s a scholar, not a fighter, but he’s very helpful. He’s currently trying to buy passage on a ship that’s traveling to the Arid Mesa.”
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Post by Blank on Sept 28, 2022 14:50:36 GMT -5
Great, their target was on an island. Blank hated to sail, from the very depth of her heart. And not just because last time they got attacked. It was all about the water. Every droplet reminded her that she doesn't belong here. Blank was fine with everything else. She was happy to pour blood with Edward again, to meet his friend and to see that solstone everything was all about. Well, it changed when that armored person walked in.
There just was something odd about the figure. While she knew there were multiple races living in this world, and not all of them were always welcomed in public places. She could easily understand that and it wouldn't be a problem with her. But Blank never met anyone that triggered her senses as much as this particular individual. No matter where the helmet turned, she felt constantly watched. She was getting used to that feeling over time, but such dose stunned her for a second.
It was Edward's friend however. He proved himself to be a man of good, and didn't seem easy to trick. Blank decided to put a good face for a bad game. -Nice to meet you, hope we will get along Blank wanted to smile, but somehow she felt it would turn into an aggresive grin. Maybe she just needed time to adapt to the situation.
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Mage's Guild
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Dragon's Cradle
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Post by Blue Raspberry on Sept 28, 2022 15:09:26 GMT -5
Blue Raspberry listened to Edward and Blank as they relayed the plan and gave introductions. They were going to take a boat to a place called Arid Mesa and there was a fourth member of the team that was out finding that boat now. They also felt oddly exposed by Blank's stare. Blank was very clearly not human or any of the human-like races that Blue Raspberry had seen. Their disguise had been seen through before. Was it being seen through again? They really had to improve their abilities to pretend to be human or everyone they meet might just find out. At least Edward didn't seem to suspect anything. Or did he?
"I am Blue Raspberry. Nice to meet you." they said to Blank with a nod. If Blank did find them suspicious, they could at least act friendly to try and ease those suspicions somewhat. It was the best they could do. Blue Raspberry reached a hand into the opening in the top of their cuirass and pulled out the compass they had found with Edward and showed it to Blank.
As the ooze was about to explain about the strange compass, a waiter came over to the group. "Can I get you folks anything to drink, or maybe some food?" he asked, looking around at the group. His gaze lingered on Blank for a moment longer than the others, having never seen someone like that before. They didn't seem to think anything strange about Blue Raspberry other than it was odd they still had their helmet on.
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Post by Edward Ardent on Sept 28, 2022 16:11:05 GMT -5
Edward turns to the group, “Well, we can eat and drink all we want for tonight! This is a celebration for strange companions going on a adventure. We can rest for tonight and hopefully we have a ship by then.”
After a while of talking and drinking, at least for Edward, Charles walks in and goes tot he table, “I finally found a ship willing to travel to the Arid Mesa, it took a bit of time since it’s a pirate haven but one captain is crazy enough to go there, I guess. Apparently, she has contacts on Arid Mesa who can take us to Giant’s Avenue, the place marked on the ancient map we found at the ruined tower, for a fee of course. I paid her handsomely and we should have a relatively safe travel there. Oh, who’s this chap in armor?”
Edward turns to Charles, “This is my friend, Blue Raspberry. He helped me find a temple of Solaria back in Moonglade. He’s gonna help us fight any dangers that we would encounter in the Mesa. I’m concerned about the activity of cultist around the places that would indicate where the Sol Stone is. I was concerned that there might be actual demons and powerful cultists waiting for us and I thought it wouldn’t hurt to have an extra pair of hands.”
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Post by Blank on Sept 28, 2022 16:36:50 GMT -5
Raspberry? Wasn't it a sort of plant? What did he do to deserve such name? That reminder her of her own plant. Blank summoned the pot and a small bottle of water with a pipette. The plant was a small shrub of King's Valley grass, the very first life she encountered. After the pot was gone back in her void pocket, the waiter came to take their orders. -I will eat on our way. Don't worry about me
When the meal arrived, Blank sniffed intensively. She could not be able to taste the food in front, but the smell was delightful, only increasing her hunger. It would take a lot of tike to eat it all, at least for her companions, so she decided to talk with Raspberry. -Raspberry... Can I call you Rasp? How did you get that name? The feeling of being watched was still just as strong as when he entered. If she took her glasses off, Blank would probably attack the armor even if it stood backwards to her.
After the feast Charlie finally showed up with news. Blank remembered one of pirates back on the previous ship call her a demon. Could there be more of her kind around here? Guess it's time to hide in kitchen once again.
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Mage's Guild
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Dragon's Cradle
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Post by Blue Raspberry on Sept 28, 2022 17:11:20 GMT -5
"Hm? It's just what I was called. That's my name, right? Rasp is fine if you want." Blue Raspberry replied to Blank's question. They didn't really understand what they meant. It had been what the gnomes had called them when they had awakened. That made it their name, didn't it? Was Rasp their new nickname? They had been called Blue before. Was that also a nickname?
As they thought about it, the waiter arrived with platters of food and drink. Blue Raspberry started to eat, but remembered when their eating habits had been what gave away their non-humanity before. They ate more slowly and inserted the food into the bottom of their helmet instead of their chest, where human mouths are. The group ate until all of the food had been finished, most of it by Blue Raspberry despite their slower pace than before.
With their meal finished and introductions out of the way, they went upstairs to sleep for the night before their boat trip would leave in the morning. Edward had prepared separate rooms for everyone. Blue Raspberry went into their own room and simply laid down on the bed, still fully armored and relaxed, letting themself stop holding their human form.
They had been practicing changing and holding their shape better. They had found that actively morphing themself into a human shape instead of just filling the armor like a mold made movement much easier. Their walking had greatly improved and they could even run now. In addition, they had figured out how to take the shape of other creatures, like animals. Their disguise worked much better now.
In the morning, the group boarded their boat and started their journey toward the Arid Mesa.
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Post by Edward Ardent on Sept 29, 2022 10:08:28 GMT -5
The group has traveled for several days, with nothing of note happening. The skies were clear and the waves were calm for the rest of the journey. Edward chats with Blue and Blank about the Sol Stone or about life in general. He learns more about Blue, knowing that he seems to be innocent in the ways of the world and can see that he is hiding something since he never seems to take off his armor during the entire journey. Blank is a great conversation partner as they discuss the strange and the mundane of the world.
When they disembarked, they meet with a contact who would help them get to Giant’s Avenue, a dwarf named Ferro. Ferro helps the group avoid the more unpleasant side of the Mesa and leads the group directly to Giant’s Avenue. The dwarf could only help them to the best of his ability and separates from the group after being paid. When the group is resting in a small, rocky field, Charles looks over the map and the compass. Charles exclaims in excitement, “I see! There seems to be a temple to the north of us. This should be where the Sol Stone lies! The actual Sol Stone!”
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Post by Blank on Sept 29, 2022 12:43:06 GMT -5
The travel to Mesa was suprisingly peaceful, with Edward visiting her from time to time. She even once appeared on the upper deck, and once she saw how much water there is around instantly got back to her spot beside armory. Blank avoided Raspberry for the entire cruise. It gave her a couple days of inner peace, without natural alarms screeching inside her half the day. She spent that time thinking about their newest companion. He was different than anyone Blank met. Almost like if he was an outgrown child wearing father's armor in an endless game. But it argued with what Edward said. How a child could be a warrior good enough to impress their knight?
When they arrived, all of them had to gather together again and her mind freedom disapeared like it was never there. All her processing capabilities were used to control herself from tearing that armor apart, to the point of her shivering anytime Rasp got close. And Blank couldn't help that, it was a part of her nature. Willingly or not, she started to hate that armor.
She became more silent than usual, mindlessly following most orders, feeling those unseen eyes drilling into her even during her short naps.
When they could finally see the temple, Blank was mentally burned out so hard she felt like the smallest issue could make her explode.
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Mage's Guild
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Post by Blue Raspberry on Sept 29, 2022 13:21:43 GMT -5
The group rested in a small rocky field just next to the side of a rocky cliff face and a path along it to the mesa on top. Blue Raspberry noticed as they sat, that Blank seemed to be keeping a far distance from them. They had also avoided them the entire boat ride. Did they dislike them? Were they suspicious of them? They had overheard on the boat some people talking about the weird knight who never takes off his helmet or armor. Were they talking about Blue Raspberry? Was it suspicious that they never take off their armor? They felt sad. There was nothing they could do about that. The armor was the only thing that let them look human. There was no way they could take it off without being immediately exposed as an ooze. Maybe they should just tell them the truth.
Blue Raspberry stood up and walked over to Edward before they began to speak with him quietly so that Blank couldn't hear. It wasn't too difficult to do, since she was keeping such a far distance. "Is something the matter with Blank? They seem to dislike me. Did I do something wrong?" they said sadly, though their body language gave no indication of sadness. They hadn't really mastered body language yet despite their new technique.
They also wanted to ask Edward if they would be afraid of them if they revealed that they weren't human, but they weren't sure if that was a good idea. It would be very obvious if they asked that that they were not human. But, Blank clearly wasn't human and Edward seemed to be comfortable around her. Maybe it would be alright.
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Post by Edward Ardent on Sept 29, 2022 14:20:58 GMT -5
Edward looks at Blue, “Well, I’m not exactly sure. I don’t think you did anything wrong. Blank is a strange being so she might view the world differently. Maybe you act strange but you’re your own person. Everyone is different. It doesn’t matter what kind of being or person you are, you are a good person in my eyes.” Edward summons bluish white mist to show Blue, “This power I can control is very dangerous. Does that make me a bad person? I don’t think so. So whatever you are hiding, even if it is dangerous, doesn’t change who you are as a person. If Blank tries to do anything to you, just call me and I’ll deal with her. Not in a fighting way but in a social way. Whatever problems she has with you, we can talk it out. We are together on this adventure, if one member of the group is having trouble, like you, then it is my responsibility as a team member to help you, okay? I don’t mind helping you or Blank but if she is causing problems for you for no reason, then I must find out what’s wrong and fix it.”
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Post by Blank on Sept 30, 2022 3:04:21 GMT -5
Blank saw Rasp talking with Edward and knew it was about her. The armor of course noticed her unusual behavior and talked with Edward to learn more. Maybe this was the solution? Just simply walking to him and asking what Raspberry is?
Their group was climbing the path that led to their target. While it was slightly more than a casual walk, they were easily visible and could be decimated by any archers up in that temple. But if any cultists were present up there, there were no signs of their presence, or any presence actually. The land around them was more dead than a few most harsh places on Zeinav Desert, no birds, no plants, no flies. Each of them had a backpack with supplies, including a lot of water, and even more were carried by a horse following them. But that's basically all the animal could do, it was evidently old and bruised by life.
Around a mile before the temple Blank reached Edward to explain the problem. -Tell me Edward, how well do you know Rasp? I have a feeling like he's constantly staring at me and it is much stronger than if it would be you or other human. I could speak with him myself but I'm worried one of us could get harmed in the process, and I won't hold much longer
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Mage's Guild
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Dragon's Cradle
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Post by Blue Raspberry on Sept 30, 2022 12:58:20 GMT -5
As they grew so close to the temple, their guide finally told them it was time for him to leave. Charles wished them all the best of luck before turning to leave with his horse. He and his horse had enough supplies to make it back to the boat on his own and he would be much faster without them since he could ride his horse. The three watched him go off into the distance before continuing on toward the temple.
Before they reach the temple and face whatever may be there, Blue Raspberry decided to come clean. They had thought about Edward's words that night as they slept around the campfire. They had just been waiting for Charles to leave since they didn't know him that well and didn't trust him with this secret as much as they trusted Edward or Blank.
They stopped the other two and gave a bow.
"I'm sorry. I've been keeping a secret from you. Don't hate me." they said before standing up straight again.
As they stood straight, blue ooze began to emerge from all of the gaps and openings in the armor until it was completely enveloped. With it fully inside the ooze, the armor seemed to just vanish while the ooze warped and twisted itself into a vaguely human size and shape. They stood a little taller than before, now seven feet tall. Their arms were long and thin, though their legs were short. Their torso seemed oddly elongated. It was as if they had tried to copy the proportions of a human, a dwarf, and whatever Blank is at the same time. Their body had no definition of muscles or facial features. They didn't even have a neck, their smooth round head seemed to just be emerging straight from their shoulders. A core of sparking electricity could be seen in the center of their torso.
"I am an ooze. Am I still a good person?"
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Post by Edward Ardent on Oct 1, 2022 11:50:31 GMT -5
Edward can see that Blue is hiding something about himself but hasn’t said anything. People have secrets, including himself, and doesn’t fault Blue for hiding his own secrets. As they come near the temple, Edward can see that Blue has stopped and turned around to Edward and Blank to say, “I’m sorry. I’ve been hiding a secret from you. Don’t hate me.” Edward sees blue ooze slithers out from the gaps of armor and wrap around the armor. Edward can see that Blue is trying to shift its proportions to reach a size that seems suitable. Edward was surprised but not exactly shocked. He knew that Blue was hiding his identity since he has never taken off his armor before but didn’t know why or what type of creature Blue was. Edward looks at Blue and says, “I don’t hate you, Blue. I know you have your response and being a ooze doesn’t change that you’re a good person. I’m half angel and Angels have done some pretty bad stuff in the name of good. You have done good for the sake of good, I can tell. Blank is strange but she is good at heart also. Being a different species doesn’t make you bad.”
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Post by Blank on Oct 1, 2022 16:54:08 GMT -5
Before Edward could respond, Rasp revealed himself on his own. He turned out to be some sort of sentient mass, an ooze as they both called it. How could such thing even stare at her without eyes? Why it triggered her more than usually? It didn't anymore. Once Rasp left the armor, Blank found her mind free. She sighed with relief. -I don't know anything about oozes, from context I pressume they're not very popular. About you particularly, I was blinded by my instincts for a big chunk of our travel, we will have to start our friendship from the beggining. But like I said before, I hope we will get along
Everything was fine again, so they continued to climb. Rasp bothered Blank, but this time more about his nature than her reaction to it. This seemed like a good topic for conversation later on, learning about each other's species. But it could wait until they have somewhere to sit. -About your disguise, Rasp, it failed a couple times, am I right? I've got a story that could help you make it better. Back where I came from, the ruler's guardians all cover their faces, with only family being able to see them. Perhaps you could explain in such manner your unusual clothing Finally they reached the temple's height. And got greeted by two cultists, guarding the path.
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