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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Nov 26, 2022 7:11:43 GMT -5
As a researcher herself, she was familiar with the idea of researchers finding themselves into trouble too great to handle. They were really good at that, sticking their noses where they shouldn't have. But more than helping a fellow researcher, the idea that they had been researching Mount Drakolt caught her attention it's been a while she had wanted some excuse to visit the Ashlands. It was far from home, and she's never been there. Not long ago, she found an old scroll buried beneath a pile of dust and empty flasks that held some interesting legends to the volcano, and while Kamille was wise to not believe all of it entirely, her curiosity was already picked.
It would be interesting if she had gone ther just to meet the same fate, though.
Kamille threw her feathery cloak over her shoulders, and almost imediatelly, Mischief flew by and landed on her arm.
" CAWWW! Where?!"
" This is going to be a long trip, Mischief. We're going to the Ashlands. "
The Witch grabbed both her satchels and threw their straps across her body, one at either side, covered by her feathery cloak. Her comfortable travel garment in place, she liked to travel light. Maybe she should have planned ahead a bit more, but experience told her that the more she planned ahead, the more weird and unexpected things happened along the way. With all the Black Quills set on their own missions, she chose to go alone as alone as she could be with Mischief perked up her shoulder.
" We'll need t- GAH! "
And true to her experience, the first surprise happened as she opened the door. Kamille almost bumped into the man that stood at her doorstep, his hand up and ready to knock. She gasped loudly as she barely stopped herself from walking out and into his personal space. Once the initial shock wore off, to her surprise, she recognized the man - the swordman had seeked her help before, and she couldn’t help but flash a broad smile that made her eyes sparkle with joy.
"Killian! What a surprise! I hope your not in need of some healing, no? I'm on my way to the Ashlands, will be out for a while.... Are you still searching for a job? I got something perfect for you! Come, I'll tell you all about it on the way.... Also, thank you for the basilisk, I knew you could do it. Indeed, I was able to get some interesting stuff out of it."
Kamille closed the door behind her, leaving the key below the pot of a plant nearby. The Witch's house was very unassuming from the outside, even imposibly small for the spacious interior he had already seen - which was evidence that there was magic bending and stretching that small piece of land she called home.
"CAWW! Hello!"
Killian didn’t have time, during his stay, to meet the raven now perched up her shoulder - but he would have to do so another time, because Kamille casually and gently took his arm, like a lady would accept a gentlemen's lead. The difference was that she was the one gently leading him down the stairs and into her adventures, making a knot out of a drop of water with her words.
"There is a researcher, you know....... Something always happen when a researcher goes out on their own without an escort.... I know this because I guess I can call myself a researcher too..."
Should Killian accept her lead, there was no doubt he would be rewarded handsomly by the Witch, who was famed for her generosity. That is, if he tolerated her for long enough.......
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Post by Killian Glae on Dec 1, 2022 20:38:16 GMT -5
Killian Glae was a man of few words. He was often cold and seemingly emotionless, but in truth, there did lie a beating heart beneath his breast. And when he realized he would be passing near Kamille's house, that heart started beating faster. Should he pay the Witch of the Moonglade a visit? He hadn't seen her since he had uncharacteristically opened up to her the night they met. As he debated whether to stop by her house or not, he found himself walking along the path leading directly to her. 'Traitorous feet.' he thought.
He approached the front door and raised his hand to knock. Then he froze, and lowered his hand. 'What am I doing here?' he thought, and turned to leave. Then he promptly turned on his heel and faced the door again. 'Well, I am here already.' He raised his hand again, but didn't knock. He just stood there, thinking what to do. The decision was made for him as the door swung open and Kamille stepped out, almost bumping into him.
After the initial moment of surprise for both of them, Kamille took his arm and began leading him down the steps. Killian followed in a daze, unsure of what was happening. And what was with the raven? Did it just talk? It was a full minute of walking before he realized she was asking him to accompany her on an adventure. Killian swallowed hard, and thought for a moment. He had planned on heading back to Sol City, but he didn't have any real plans...
"Me?" he finally asked, quietly. He stopped walking, causing Kamille to pull up short, her arm still linked with his. As she turned to face him, he looked her straight in the eye. "I'm not good company, my lady."
In truth, he thought the idea of travelling with Kamille a pleasant one, enjoying her company for such an extended period of time. But he wouldn't force anyone into the uncomfortable position of having to deal with him.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Dec 4, 2022 12:28:47 GMT -5
Kamille was unfazed by his remark, instead waving it away with a gesture of her hand.
"Nonsense! Consider this another job of yours. My interest lies on what this researcher has to tell, rather than the money involved. And the volcano itself. So I'll leave the reward to you. What do you say? Would you leave a lady to travel alone?"
The last part was clearly a jest, since she had always traveled on her own, mostly without an issue. She wouldn’t pass the opportunity to have company, though, and even if Killian didn’t think highly of himself, the Witch seemed to have other opinions. She smiled a pleading smile at him, urging him to follow along with her.
It would've been easier to just go fetch the researcher on his own, no doubt. Escorting Kamille had several layers of complexity, the first one being keeping her on track: while they were on foot and heading towards the boat that would take them to the Ashlands, the Witch had a knack for wandering off the trail because "she remembered there's some good Silver Thorn here, somewhere". And while she did so, she paid no mind to any kind of danger that might lie ahead. She clearly knew Moonglade very well, for she knew all the spots to collect her herbs, all the places that were safe(ish) to spend the night and where to buy the best suplies. The mage and alchemist sure was a curious one, but for the time being seemed to avoid asking him questions about his past life. That didn’t mean she would shut up either: the moments of silence were rare, as Kamille would chat up about every and anything that came to mind.
While the days were filled with iddle chat, nights were calm, silent and warm. And contrary to what her luxurious house would indicate, the Witch had no problem sleeping on the ground, on the forest or any hay beds they could find. She didn’t have a problem with mud or insects or most of the usual issues that troubled travelers.
Then, there was also Mischief. The raven would be off for most of the day, scouting ahead and searching for his "shinnies". Sometimes he would be back with a ring or something, nothing useful, but always shinning and sparkling. Up until they reached the boat, Mischief had already learned Killian's name and even more, as a sign of affection, gave him a piece of retorted metal that may have been a head ornament some day in the past, but still held some part of its original, lustrous sheen.
Their trek was far from uneventful, but relatively quick, and as soon they reached the coast, Kamille got themselves into a boat, never asking for him to pay for his part. While not luxurious in any way, shape or form, she did get them a bunker bed in some kind of communal dormitory. If Killian expected the boat trip to be a little bit calmer, he would be dissappointed. Kamille wouldn’t impose her presence to him, but if he chose to remain close to her, she would be trying to teach him some dice and drinking games, which would lead him to a horrible conclusion: she was nowhere near a lightweight when it came to drinking, and could hold her ale remarkably well. At the peak of her drunken annoyance, she gently nudged him to learn some dance, and was still able to pull it off pretty well. There were some times she would softly ask for more stories of his adventures, but she wouldn’t insist if he didn’t want to share - at the same time, she was quick on sharing stories of her own.
Kamille had a hard time sleeping on the boat, much more than on the forests. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she would slip away to remain on the deck for a while, starring off into the great wide darkness. There seemed to be some anxiety regarding being surrounded by water, but while it didn’t stop her from traveling, it made for a couple sleepless nights.
Hence, when they finally arrived on solid land, her relief was palpable, and her happiness contagious.
"Finally! I've never been to the Ashlands before.... Hopefully, when we're done with this, we can go check my friend's place. Zarius said he owned a place here - from all places!"
She tried to sound surprised - after all, the Ashlands was one hell of a damned place.
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Post by Killian Glae on Dec 7, 2022 15:48:18 GMT -5
Journeying with Kamille was every bit as pleasant as Killian had expected. True, there were some downsides; Kamille would constantly break from the path to collect herbs, mindless of the dangers lurking in the underbrush, and more than once Killian had to kill a python or other small beast disturbed by her trespass. But he didn't mind, and Kamille's near-constant supply of chatter was pleasant to him. To be honest, most of the time he ended up zoning out, not quite listening, but simply enjoying the sound of her voice and her presence. Killian also received a lovely little present from Mischief, and unsure what to do with the piece of metal, stuck it in his travel bag, mentally making a note to throw it out when he got a chance.
When they finally got on the ship, Killian was shown another side of Kamille: The fun-loving, dice-playing and ale-swigging side of her. Killian himself drank wine, and was slightly tipsy when Kamille tried to teach him to dance. He had never danced before, but it came naturally to someone who had spent his whole life perfecting swordplay; footwork and movement were equally important in both swordplay and dancing, and there was a reason he had picked up the nickname "Sworddancer."
When she gently asked him to tell her stories of his adventures, he found himself willing to comply. He thought for a moment, and decided to tell her a more fond memory of his as opposed to something more dramatic. "I met this girl once, Astrid. She had this metal companion, but that's not important. I ended up offering to buy her breakfast. That was big mistake. I've never seen anyone eat so much before..." He went on to also tell her of the fight He and Astrid got into with a Minotaur and some thugs, and eventually, after some quiet contemplation, told her another story.
He told her of the time he and his sister Velaru went fishing together, despite neither one of them knowing how to fish. Or indeed even having a fishing rod. They ended up just splashing in the river together, "accidentally" pushing each other in. When they got home, their parents wanted to know where the fish was. Killian and Velaru had been speechless, totally having forgotten that's what they had set out to do. When Killian was finished this story, he was quiet for a very long time. "Of course," he suddenly said brusquely, "They're all dead now." and he turned and walked away.
When they finally arrived in the Ashlands, he and Kamille made there way towards the research camp at the base of Mount Drakolt. Kamille mentioned someone named Zarius, and Killian felt a tingle go down his spine at the name. He had never heard the name before, but he couldn't help but feel like the name should mean something to him. Like this "Zarius" was someone he was destined to meet... Killian pushed the feeling aside, and followed Kamille into the research camp.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Dec 9, 2022 9:21:18 GMT -5
Kamille looked pleasantly surprised to see Killian oblige to her shenanigans, and even more to see how quickly he was to pick up a pace. She certainly came across a good partner for this quest...
Speaking of his past still was painful for him, so she wouldn’t press. Though more recent adventures did bring a smile to his face, and she couldn’t help but smile wide herself when he mentioned a name she held close to her heart.
"I can’t believe it! So you met little Astrid?! She's such a darling, isn’t she? Sometimes I worry for her safety, with her knack for running towards danger.... Then I saw her smash a dragon's head... I guess she'll be fine."
Unlike their travel around Moonglade, traveling the Ashlands was much different. Maybe it was the unfamiliarity of the terrain, but Kamille was much quieter, observing and careful. She still ran off the trail a few times to see some plant or another, but without knowing what kind of dangers might lurk around, she didn’t go without the proper amount of care. Sometimes, she even went as far as collecting some soil samples, though it was hard to know what exactly she saw there that could grab her attention.
It was a big difference: from the lush forests and rich soil of Moonglade, the Ashlands looked particular sterile and... hostile. It reminded her of Dragon's Craddle, a damned place that saw a pompous Witch arriving with a jump to her step and humbled her down until her face was to the ground. She didn’t see herself making the same mistake so soon, but still, here she was. At Dragon's Craddle, the Gods had sent her a one-armed warrior to help her - now, in the Ashlands, she arrived in the company of Killian.
Since she had a general idea of the direction they needed to follow, they didn’t have to ask for directions much. Also, it was kinda hard to miss the volcano cutting through the grey skies. More and more, and specially as they approached Mount Drakolt, Kamille remained closer to Killian, without running off the trail, her curious eyes taking in every detail of their surroundings. "If you had to guess, what do you think this was about, Killian? Do you think this researcher just tripped and fell into the lava? Or do you think that maybe he found something he was not supposed to find?"
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Post by Killian Glae on Dec 10, 2022 21:31:17 GMT -5
"Yes." Killian responded. "I imagine one of those two options is likely." He wasn't prone to conjecture without any information; The more one theorized, the more surprised they were at the truth, and Killian didn't like being surprised.
The closer the pair got to the mountain, the less frequent Kamille's off-road excursions became, and something about her more restrained attitude made Killian wary about the path ahead of them. He loosened his blade in it's sheath, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice. "Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to sound... sarcastic. I don't know what could have happened. But if this researcher is still alive, my first priority will be to get them to safety."
He hesitated for a moment, then continued. "Of course, I've got your back too. Don't worry about that." Killian had no doubt Kamille could take perfect care of herself, but he felt he should reassure her anyways. Then he felt like an idiot for saying it. He looked off at the mountain to hide his discomfort.
As they approached the base of Mount Drakolt, he could make out the research camp. As they got closer, he could make out 4 smaller tents set up, and a much larger one in the center. Two large, muscular Goliaths stood guard as they drew nearer. The female stepped forward, hand on the hilt of her greataxe. Behind her, Killian could see a few people he assumed were researchers, sitting down to a midday meal around a low cooking fire.
"Who goes there?" the female guard called out in a raspy voice, a suspicious look on her face.
Killian raised his hands to show that he wasn't reaching for a weapon, and called out a response. "We're here to help. We're supposed to find..." Killian hesitated, the turned to Kamille. "Actually, I have no idea. What's this researcher's name?"
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Dec 12, 2022 18:11:24 GMT -5
"Oh, don't worry... I just like to think of the possibilities..."
Diametrically opposed to Killian, she seemed to find it a fun exercise to think of what could have happened there - and even if she wasn't much of a planner, it was interesting to have some options to base herself off. There was a soft giggle to his last comment.
"I'd say you're doing an amazing job already keeping this researcher here on track. Finding another will be easy..."
The Witch remained close to Killian as they approached the camp, but instead of following his own gesture, she took out what appeared to be some kind of letter or scroll.
"His name is.... Mr. Lamithor. I received this. Came as fast as I could."
....probably a bit of an exageration. Kamille walked forward to present the letter to the guard, paying no mind to their careful demeanor.
"My name is Kamille, and this is Killian. We came to help searching for Mr. Joe Lamithor."
For a moment, the guard looked skeptic, even as Kamille offered her to see the letter and some recognition passed before her eyes. With a sudden "Come", the guard turned to guide them into the camp. They were led to the presence of someone who seemed to be the leading researcher there, working before a table with several alchemy glassware, much similar to the ones Killian had seen at Kamille's house. He was a tall, bald orc with a surprising delicate touch, as he messed around with his vials and reagents. He barely acknowledged their presence.
"It was about time someone would come..... Honestly? Myself I don't hold much hope for Joe...... It is not unusual for people to dissappear when going so deep into Mount Drakolt, and the mad lad said he was sure there was something good down there.... Humpf... I wish you both good luck. He took that path ahead, and said there was a small cave hidden to the northeast side of the volcano. He said the lava had carved up some tunnels, but since the volcano is active, I can't guarantee those tunnels will be safe..."
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Post by Killian Glae on Dec 14, 2022 1:39:08 GMT -5
"That's all right," Killian replied. "I'm the guarantee of safety."
The Orc finally looked up at them. He snorted. "You serious, boy?"
Killian looked at him steadily, displaying no emotion. "Generally."
He looked at Kamille. "The day is young, my lady. I'm ready to go now, if you want."
Leading the way, hand on the hilt of sword, Killian started down the path the Orc had indicated. The first 100 feet or so was relatively smooth, but the path quickly turned rough, though Killian had little problem keeping his balance despite the treacherous footing [Cat's Grace]. After about 5 minutes, the path started winding around the mountain and upwards towards the right. The higher the pair climbed, the dryer the air became, until Killian found himself constantly swallowing just to ease the discomfort. The path eventually evened out, and as they rounded the northeast side of the mountain, the cave came into view.
To call it a cave was generous, as Killian and Kamille had to duck down to enter, and moved forward in a crouch. The walls were smooth, almost like glass. A result of the lava? Killian wondered. He ran his hand along the peculiar walls, then shook his head and focused on the tunnel ahead of him. Still moving in a crouch, Killian called out behind him to Kamille.
"I don't like this. If something attacks us, I can't draw my sword."
Before Kamille could respond, there was an ominous rumble all around them, and the ground beneath their feet started shaking violently. Above them, through miles of stone, Killian heard the sound of an explosion. He twisted in his crouched position and looked at Kamille, eyes wide. He had an unpleasant feeling he knew what that was. He also had a feeling this tunnel was about to be filled with molten lava.
"Move, move!" He shouted, then started scrambling forward, still unable to stand in the narrow tunnel. He could hear Kamille behind him. He just hoped there was an end to this tunnel, and he hoped it ended soon.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Dec 14, 2022 20:31:12 GMT -5
Kamille looked away as she tried to hide a smile. Killian sure was taking his job seriously, and she appreciated it so much. Maybe they should team up in the future as well, depending on how successfull that quest would be...
"Yes, let's go..."
Unlike Killian, Kamille certainly didn't have a drop of ability in her feet, except for dancing. The treacherous portion of their trek seemed doubly difficult for her, that advanced carefully and slowly, sliding a little bit more than a few times. She was panting rather quickly as they made their way up, her heart racing uncomfortably both out of the several frights she took and out of the height. When they finally arrived close to the cave, she let out a sight of relief - but her relief was short lived, as she heard Killian.
"Well..... We'll have to handle it some other way then."
Truth be told, she was more worried about the inconstant nature of the volcano than if there was something there that could attack them. They could always find a way to defeat a creature, but to beat a volcano... She didn't want to learn if it was possible, actually. She ducked to enter, and remained rather uncomfortable as they pressed on, though probably not as unconfortable as Killian looked. Kamille still seemed to admire the walls of the naturally formed cave as they went, taking a good look at the marks and shapes it formed along the way.
"Killian, do yo-"
Kamille felt the ground rumbling before the explosion, and whatever she was going to say got lost in the moment: the ground started to shake even more, and even if they didn't know exactly what was happening, it was clear it was something bad. Kamille's eyes widened as she saw Killian's expression.
"Go go go!"
Kamille rushed after Killian without wasting any more time, but clearly having much more trouble than him. They could hear another explosion behind them, and as they made a natural curve in the cave, they were able to spot an exit right ahead. The tunnel was already getting warmer by the minute, and they could almost feel, as the ground shook more and more, that they had very little time until the lava met them.
The exit led to what looked like a big, naturally - or not? - formed cave, with several smaller tunnels that sometimes spat lava, just like the one they came from. It was ungodly hot in there, as it was expected from being inside a volcano. But they were not in the main, bigger tunnel that led towards the crater of the volcano, probably in one of the secondary tunnels formed along the years.
And apparently they were not alone.
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Post by Killian Glae on Dec 19, 2022 0:09:54 GMT -5
Killian scrambled out of the tunnel mouth and into the larger cavern, finding his footing on a thin ledge that ran along the wall. He glanced into the tunnel, and saw the lava rushing behind Kamille. “Kamille!” He reached in, grabbing her arm as she dashed past, and used her own momentum to swing her around himself and onto the ledge next to him. Lava shot out of the tunnel to his side, blasting him with heat, but for the moment, they were safe.
An arrow clanged off the stone between them, and Killian’s foot slipped out from under him as he jerked back in surprise. He fell the ten or so feet to the cavern floor below, and landed half on stone and half in the lava river that was fed by the very tunnel he had just come from. He quickly scrambled onto the stone floor and could feel the heat engulfing his legs. Before he could do anything, the flames caught on his cloak, and soon he was completely engulfed in fire. He could feel the intensity of the heat, knew that his legs were already severely burned, could feel the heat start to lick at his face. He knew he had to put the flames out, start rolling, but before he could do anything another arrow took him on the shoulder.
He collapsed, and the flames burned at his clothes, eager to get to the flesh beneath. He could feel the blood from the arrow-wound bubble from the heat as it rolled down his arm. A large figure appeared before him, reached down and grabbed him by the neck, heedless of the flames, and lifted him up into the air.
"A sacrifice!" the figure roared out, and Killian could hear a responding cheer from others beyond him. The flames continued to burn brighter, and as the pain began to increase across his body, Killian did the only thing he could: He thrust his foot into the figures stomach, and as the figure bent slightly from the blow, Killian threw his body weight back, dragging the figure- and himself- backwards into the lava.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Dec 22, 2022 5:13:21 GMT -5
Her heart pounding on her chest, if not for Killian grabbing her arm, she would have probably fell down the ledge. Twisting around him, she felt her face against the rocky wall of the cave, smudging her with ashes and dust. Kamille barely had time to turn around to take a good look at the room around them, when she felt Killian sliding the ledge by her side.
"Killian!"
The situation escalated fast. Looking around, she got a general layout of the place, but it wasn't favorable in any way. The only exit she could spot was on the opposite side of the place they were now, and she didn't have time to think of an elaborate plan when Killian was literally on fire. A group of people, all wearing the same kind of sleeveless, black and red robe, was between them and the exit. That place looked like some kind of... church? She couldn't think of a better word for it, as it was a large room with nothing but a few places to sit and a few alcoves to the sides - and, of course, a river of lava cutting through. Her fingers quickly reached to her pouch, where she took a chess piece in the shape of a gargoyle rook. A few whispered incantations later, she tossed the piece towards the place Killian fell and now was being dragged by this tall, dark figure.
What hit the floor wasn't a chess piece, but instead a six feet tall, stony gargoyle with sharp claws and fangs that made the ground shake when it started trotting. Another arrow stuck to the wall to her side, as her presence was already noticed, but with the gargoyle already on the ground, her image shimmered and vanished, only to appear on the ground once again, besides the stone gargoyle [1].
"Sir Prize! Help him!"
Kamille pointed the swordsman to the gargoyle which, despite showing no emotion, could clearly look happy as it charged forward. Once on the ground, Kamille focused on the flames that ingulfed Killian, hoping that she was not too late: with a gesture of her hands, the flames spiraled downwards and off of him in a fading, fire tornado[2].
But even if Killian was safe from the flames, he was not safe from the gargoyle: gentle as a stampede of angry minotaurs, the gargoyle reached out for both the figures that were about to fall on the lava, yanking Killian by the arm while the other figure was held by the neck by a massive, stony hand. Killian was gently shoved to the side like a ragdoll as the tall figure turned its attention to the gargoyle.
"Kilian! Are yo-"
As her spells took her focus, she didn't notice as another figure approached her, holding her by the wrists, at least twice her own size.
"I got the mage!"
[1] Blink [2] Control flames
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Post by Killian Glae on Dec 26, 2022 2:34:30 GMT -5
Killian fell to the ground, and although the fire may have been gone, there was no doubt that he was covered in severe burns. Yet when he heard someone cry out that had gotten ahold of Kamille, he struggled to his feet and looked around. A large man stood behind Kamille, and was holding onto both of her wrists.
Killian reached for his sword, stumbling forward. Every step hurt, but he didn’t let that stop him as he moved closer to Kamille. He weakly pulled his sword out as Kamille’s captor noticed him.
“Hey! Don’t you move any closer!”
Killian froze. The man had switched his grip on Kamille, and was pushing a small blade up against her throat. Killian gripped the hilt of his sword tighter, but let his stance relax, loosening his muscles despite the pain he was in. He locked eyes with the large man, keeping the other man’s focus on his own gaze, keeping him from noticing…
Killian shot forward, almost as if propelled from a cannon, and before the other man could react, Killian’s blade slashed across his neck [Dashing]. The man stumbled back, releasing Kamille, his blood splattering over her. Killian dropped to his knees, overcome with the pain of his burns. Behind him, he could hear screams as the gargoyle Kamille summoned tore into other enemies. For a moment, everything went dark. Killian collapsed onto his back, and stared up at the roof of the cavern.
‘Damn it… everything… hurts…’
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Dec 27, 2022 18:24:19 GMT -5
Everything happened so fast! One moment she was reaching and focusing for another spell, and then a blade was pressed against her throat. And she had barely time to think of what was happening when warm blood splattered all over her, the pressure from her wrists released and the blade that threatened her throat gone. The gargoyle was able to get a few of the people there stomped, kicked and clawed, but the majority of them - including the tall man that had caught Killian - had actually fled the scene. They were probably still out there.
But other than the destination of their enemies, she had other things as priority on her mind. Once her daze wore off, Kamille went over to Killian as he fell to the ground, shoting a glance around to make sure there wouldn't be any random person interrupting them. In moments like that, she let it show how much she was used to tending to the wounded, without letting the nerves or desperation hit her. Kamille knelt by his side, gently pulling him in a more or less sitting up position.
"Can you hear me, Killian? Please, stay with me... If you faint, I can't take care of you. Hold on just a little longer..."
As she tried to have him distracted with her voice, she was looking for something on her satchel. With a victorious smile, she took out a Massive Healing Potion, took of the lid with her teeth.
"Here, take this... This will help you..."
Her potions have never failed her before, and she was positive most - if not all - of that damage could be reverted with the healing potion. Even so, there was always a small hint of anxiety as, sometimes, the process could be a tad painful and the person could reject the potion. With a hand on his scruff, she tried to gently raise his head so that she could press the potion to his lips.
While he drank and she could safely take a look at the place around them, more and more it resembled her to a church or temple of some sort. There were some formations to the sides of the chamber that she had to squint her eyes at. Were those....... eggs?! Big ones, with thick skins, cracked open and... empty. She had a bad feeling about that.
And they still had to find the researcher. Hopefully, being inside the place, it would be easier to find him. Hopefully.
One step at a time...
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Post by Killian Glae on Dec 28, 2022 19:13:46 GMT -5
As Kamille’s potion got to work healing his burns, Killian took comfort in her voice, gentle and calm. Caring.
But gods, this potion hurt, as his flesh crawled like a thousand needles were punching into his skin over and over again. Where the arrow had struck his shoulder, it felt like someone was pouring acid. His vision went dark again as he healed, and then it was over, and Killian gasped in relief. He was being held in a sitting position by Kamille, though she seemed to be distracted by something off to the side. Killian took a moment to stare up at her, and felt that same emotion he had locked away on the night they had met. Killian cleared his throat quickly, and started to shift out of her arms. “Thank you.” He said hoarsely.
As he got to his feet, he glanced over his armor. The light leather that he wore was mostly intact, though in some areas, such as his legs, they were completely burned away. His cloak was in tatters as well. But his wounds were healed, and that was what mattered. He looked around the room, noting-similar to Kamille-that the cavern looked almost like a church. He walked slowly over to the cracked eggs on the side of the room, and gave them a once over. “What type of creature lays eggs like this?” He asked Kamille.
He glanced further along the wall, and noticed what looked like shipping crates. He made his way over to one and glanced in. Pieces of egg were placed inside, resting on flax to keep it cushioned on its journey. “They were… sending the eggs away?” He murmured. “Or the shells, at least.”
He turned away and faced the front of the cavern. The river of lava flowed through a small opening in the wall, and around the opening were carvings of… Damn it. Those were definitely dragons. Cushions were lined up on either side of the river in front of the opening, almost like… pews. Killian’s eyes narrowed. What had that man said when he’d picked Killian up? Something about a sacrifice.
“I’m thinking they were some sort of cult.” He called out to Kamille.
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Post by Lady Kamille Verlithax on Jan 1, 2023 4:32:11 GMT -5
Kamille helped Killian up, looking fairly relieved the healing potion worked as intended. Not that she didn't have faith in her potions, but there was always some mild anxiety, when the wound was severe, that the potion wouldn't be enough.
"Are you sure you are okay?"
Once she was assured that Killian was well again, she stood up and looked around, fairly concerned. It did look like a cult. It did look like something was being shipped. Kamille walked over to the crates, taking a piece of what was inside.
"These.... These are dragon eggs....... Why would someone want dragon eggs?"
There was not much surprise in her voice. After all, she did know beforehand that the researcher's specialty was draconic knowledge. That he would've actually found some dragons was the surprise. Kamille had been meaning to talk to someone like Joe ever since she and Astrid battled Frok, The Snow Storm. There was a chance he was going to condemn them for killing a dragon - but hey! He attacked them first! - but what really got her interested was the possibilities of dragon's blood as a reagent.
Her daydreams were cut short when she started to hear some noises ahead, from the tunnel she saw most of the cultists use to exit. She hastily grabbed Killian's hand.
"We should be moving!"
With a loud, grumbling noise, Kamille looked back in time to see Sir Prize, the stone gargoyle, shrink back to its original size of a chess piece. With an extended hand an a slight flourish, the piece jumped back from where it was to her hand [1], and she quickly stuffed it into her pouch again.
"Come! Uh.... This way!"
There weren't many good choices, but she pulled Killian to a small opening to the side of the main chamber, which would have almost gone unnoticed. There was no way to go out from the same way they went in. Those tunnels were a bit more comfortably large, and by the looks of it, weren't usually swarmed with hot lava. At this point, Kamille wasn't quite sure she wanted to try and find this researcher anymore, but maybe just find a way to escape that damned place. The thought barely was finished in her mind when she stopped abruptly enough to make Killian bump into her. As they made a turn and another big chamber came into their view, they got graced with a scene she would need a moment to process.
Much akin to a dungeon, the next chamber had several, large cells. The prisioners were noisy, rattling and growling and making a huge fuss as they approached them: scaly, full of teeth and spikes covering their spine to the tip of the tail, the hatchlings were as ferocious as an adult dragon would be - minus the impulse control. Kamille looked too dumfounded to answer for a moment, her eyes wandering through the room with the surprised, wanting look of a child who had found a Winter's Crown gift. She barely even noticed one of the cells didn't have hatchlings, but rather a human, that extended his hand beyond the bars to wave at them to get their attention.
"Hey! Heeeeeeeeeey! Over here! Help!
[1] Telekinesis
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