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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on May 25, 2023 18:37:40 GMT -5
For once, Fish didn't mind so much having a partner on a job. They had read up on origin matter a bit and it did not sound like something to take on alone. Tracking something like that would be easy, but capturing it? Fish imagined it would be hard to capture energy.
How would that work? Could they condense it long enough that they could force it into a bottle of some sort? If it just consumes matter, then can it even really be contained? Fish had many, many questions that likely wouldn't be answered anytime soon.
They stood at the edge of The Flood Road looking at the flat expanse ahead of them. At the very least there weren't a lot of places this thing could hide......It would also mean there weren't many places they could hide either. With as sour a look as they can muster, Fish looks to the muck and mire of the Marsh Flats again. Last time they were here it was not a pleasant trip. The Marsh Flats as a whole was a far cry from society it felt like, something old and ancient about this place.
Maybe that's why the origin matter was here. Fish tilted their head in thought. It wasn't often they let their mind wander to the more philosophical thoughts, but Cyran and Del were asking a lot of odd questions and it was seemingly rubbing off on them. Now Fish sometimes thinks or asks odd questions. They look up to Del to quietly assess her thoughts.
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Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on May 28, 2023 21:24:46 GMT -5
Del finds herself standing, once again while standing at the precipice of something that felt terribly, terribly old, and was not thrilled about having interlopers nearby. The aura of the place was threatening. And that was due in part to their current location, no doubt. Del remembered vividly the warnings from Beist about the Flood Road, that it was so called as it would sometimes fill up completely, drowning whoever was so unlucky to be trapped inside. It was a dangerous place all by itself.
And yet. Here they were.
She had been in the area anyway, taking a package across the Marsh Flats on behalf of a friend. It was far easier to keep such things on the down-low here, where society took a backseat to nature. Exhaling slowly, Del drops her gaze down to Fish. She had mainly agreed to this as a means of offering some safety to Fish in what was most definitely a dangerous venture, otherwise, this would have been a mission Del would have otherwise avoided simply due to location. Not to mention the... quarry involved. She had no main plans of how to capture it, but if they could subdue it, that might present the opportunity they needed to collect what they needed to, and whatever dark secret the thing might harbour. By its very nature, this thing was a danger Del could not begin to comprehend.
Nonetheless, she exudes a measured confidence. She gives Fish a small, encouraging smile as she turns to speak to them. They had asked her here, and the trust Fish showed in her was not something she would neglect. "Alright. So, what I know about this place is that it can fill with water at the drop of a dime, so we should be prepared and be careful to pay attention to where we are. Secondly, we don't know where this thing precisely is, but it cannot be too terribly deep within, if the intel is anything to go off of. We can't expect this to be easy, but between the two of us, I think we can manage. What are your thoughts?"
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on May 29, 2023 21:55:32 GMT -5
Fish's eyes once more look around the area before deciding to speak. There really wasn't a whole lot to go on at the moment other than it was somewhere out there. They start hopping forward along what counts for a road in the Marsh Flats, sticking to that for now.
"From what Fish understands of this thing is it is really capable of being anywhere. With its ability to absorb matter and method of locomotion, it has the ability to go places we might not be able to traverse easily. Fish is not sure of the intelligence of this creature, but if it has the capacity for thinking this could be tricky.
Continuing their march forward, the pair would come across an upturned cart and the signs of a scramble. A perfectly shaped hole seemed to be carved through the side of the wagon, the sudden failure of the cart and fear of whoever was driving likely led to the chaos.
The bird hops forward picking through the things to see what the cart could have been carrying that maybe made it a target. Fish sticks to the shadows where it is harder to be seen in case the thing returns, some things idly being tucked into pouches.
Eventually their head pops back up above the tattered canvas, "Fish is only finding food, perhaps it was hungry."
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Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Jun 8, 2023 0:30:18 GMT -5
Del levels an amused look at Fish as they go about putting things in their pockets, finding it endearing... and also wondering whether they were up to their old tricks, or if this was something new. They had mentioned their alchemy; were they gathering ingredients or reagents for that purpose? She decides not to broach the subject at the present moment. The caravan was destroyed, and it wasn't as though Fish was causing anyone direct harm.
"Better we overestimate it than under," Del reasons with a thoughtful hum, before she kneels to examine the things that were spilled by the cart. It was odd. No bodies. Just food and wares, a couple of torn and waterlogged mailed packages, some wares. She tucks the least damaged of the parcels into her satchel, to ensure it could get to where it was meant to go. What was here wasn't what was odd; it was what was missing.
A chill runs up her spine. Maybe it was hungry.
"Well, it is concerning," Del sighs, straighetning up and turning her gaze back to Fish. "Proceeding with caution seems the way to go. All of this on the ground seems relativey fresh; I dont think it's gone very far, but as you said, how it moves is a bit of a mystery."
How they were going to capture an amporphous thing's energy, she had no idea.
"If you're done, ah, investigating," Del chuckle fondly, "What's say we head up the path? Or we can try and lure it back here for an ambush?"
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Jun 8, 2023 18:36:48 GMT -5
Fish tilts their head curiously now at the wound left in the cart, the cleanness of it catching their attention. A talon gently scrapes against the wood and grain. No residue left behind, no char marks, no splintering......An odd bit of destruction to be sure. Was this thing absorbing or destroying matter? Fish would be curious to find out.
At Del's call they hop out from the wreckage to follow after. "Fish would assume it has some sort of flight abilities given that it doesn't seem to leave a track, but it flies low to hit something like a wagon....The angle suggests it wasn't a diving attack....more straight forward."
Fish does scan the surroundings again as they walk. As the dead trees stretch towards the skies, the empty canopies seem to be doing just fine. A few cracked or falling branches, but it doesn't match what happened to the cart, so this likely wasn't a high flying creature.
"If Fish is to believe the dossier....Fish does not believe the creature can be lured. Energy does not want anything, it just is....Unless this one is an anomaly which would explain the strange behavior."
A trusty notebook is whipped out as Fish starts to jot down some of their theories to check back on later when the time is right. More data needed to be collected before Fish could start to hypothesize anything concrete, much more data. They follow quietly after Del and keep their ears open to the road.
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Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Jun 17, 2023 17:28:26 GMT -5
Del watches Fish sign with a growing look of consternation and worry. She had never seen or heard of any creature that could move like that-- in a straight forward line, but flying? Hovering? The more they extrapolate about this creature, the more uneasy she becomes, a steady and persistent prickle of the small hairs on the back of her neck. Truly, she hoped that this creature wasn't actively hunting. It was made of energy... what would there be for her to listen to, to alert them? What tracks could they find?
She supposed, looking around at the destroyed caravan, that these were as good of tracks as any.
"So that just leaves for us to find it, then." Del nods, and starts heading down the road. Her pace is slow and careful[1], stepping silenty as they make their way down the path, and into the Flood Roads proper.
The Flood Roads are a series of interconnected caverns that run under the Marsh Flats, made all the more dangerous because of the tides that flooded the tunnels... hence their name. Many unfortunate adventurers went missing here, and by way of the strange and ethereal creatures that lived here, or by the sudden rising of flood water itself. It is with that in mind that Del descends, feeling a trickle of ice trace down her spine.
Being able to see in the dark is easy for her, and she is aware that Fish themself is no slouch. But they are in unfamilliar and dangerous territory, pursuing a creature that behaves in a manner so strange, that people were finding it difficult to locate it, much less ward it off. She pauses at one intersection of tunnels, and gestures to Fish to look; a piece of stone in the wall was missing, carved out in a similar manner to the damage done to the cart above ground.
[1] Pass Without a Trace
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Jun 17, 2023 20:40:55 GMT -5
It shouldn't be any secret that Fish is equally used to working in the dark as they follow after Del. Having a firm belief that ghosts and such don't exist prevents Fish from feeling much fear as they start the descent.
They hop past Del to get a look at the hole left behind. A taloned finger traces the rim before the bird pulls it back to inspect it. This is similar to the caravan....no residue left behind so it is not as if this thing is melting through objects. The boring in the hole is also to smooth and uniform for it to be some sort of mechanical drilling action.
Fish looks both ways along this intersection to see if there are any other clues.....but it was just empty caverns. Fish furrows their brow as they try to think through this. There's little motivation to what it is doing from what Fish can tell.
From the looks of the holes, Fish has an idea for what is happening, but that can't be tested until they find it. "Fish says we follow the tunnels."
Fish hops into the smooth-bored hole and begins to follow the trail. The path winds a bit, but it follows like the walking path an animal might take. They just had to hope it didn't stop in the tunnel and would now turn around giving them no exit.
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Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Jun 23, 2023 20:52:32 GMT -5
She nods mutely, not daring to speak. If they really needed to communicate, Del could sign as well, but at the moment, silence and stealth was their greatest ally-- and a strength they both shared. Grimacing, Del follows closely behind Fish; the hole is big enough for her to walk through in a crouch, where Fish could likely walk with no problem. It wasn't uncomfortable, either, as the shape was quite... consistent. Uniform as they followed it down. Eerily so. The whole thing felt deeply wrong, to be in a tunnel within a tunnel, a space that shouldn't be there made by something that shouldn't be here. And why was it here to begin with?
Whatever the creature's motivations were, they were certainly beyond Del. And maybe it was better that way.
As the tunnels wound and looped, again Fish and Del come into another intersection of caverns, peering through a wall that entered into some unknown part of the Flood Roads. Where it should have been dark as pitch, the walls and ceiling was lit by a bioluminescent lichens and fungi, glowing gently in the humid caves beneath the Marsh Flats. It was entrancingly beautiful, and eerily still. All was quiet, and there was no immediate trace of the creature.
It could have gone down any of the three paths that lay before them. Del looks down to Fish, and signs to maintain their silence. A couple of paths here. Do we scout ahead together to see if there;s any more of those strange holes to follow, or should we stay in the caverns proper?
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Jun 26, 2023 18:16:18 GMT -5
Fish, the ever industrious little bird, does not slow their steps as the enter the more lighted area. Whether it be lack of fear, experience, or both, this area held little interest for them as it didn't seem to lead to clues about their quarry.
They look around the area a moment before hopping forward a bit more before stopping, their entire body becoming incredibly still. Beady eyes point directly forward towards the opposite end of the cave.
Against the wall of glistening wall of lichen there was some sort of distortion. It was hard to see at first, Fish had the benefit of their specialized to pick up on the very subtle way it seemed to bend light at its edges. Was it hiding? Planning an ambush? This was certainly more clever than Fish had anticipated, especially given they had done nothing to alert themselves.....Was it then just....curious about the fungi? Either options is a bevy of questions in and of itself.
"Straight ahead, unmoving, it may or may not be away of our presence. Fish cannot be certain until either it or we move."
The bird wasn't sure exactly which option would be the better one. They could see if they have the drop on it and launch attacks, but they also don't know what works. It could all be for naught and they lose the element of surprise. It clearly had some sort of matter destroying capabilities given how it traveled, but did that mean no physical attack would work?
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Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Jul 3, 2023 16:22:53 GMT -5
The closer they get and the longer this goes on, the more Del feels uneasy. Unsure of how they are even meant to capture the thing, she settles with Fish, lost in thought, until they point out their mark further down the hallway, floating near some bioluminescent lichen.
Maybe we should stay still, then, and think of a way to ambush it? she signs back. Del looks down the hall at the strange distortion in the air. It was so odd, so unlike anything she had ever seen, and... hypnotic. She can feel a tugging in the centre of her chest the longer she observes it. It was alien, mysterious... familiar?
There was no possible way that could be. She had certainly never seen any creature like that before in all her life.
That you can remember, a quiet voice reminds her.
It frightened her, that some element of this creature would be familiar to her in some distant way that she could not properly recall. With great effort, she tears her eyes away from the void-like mass down the hall and slowly signs to Fish again, trying not to call this creature's attention to them. What sort of device do you have that we can use to ambush this thing? I have many abilities that can help to keep its attention, but capturing it seems... ill-advised.
Even though she's not looking at the creature, she knows it is there, at the periphery of her eye. She resists the urge to look again.
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Jul 4, 2023 18:01:34 GMT -5
Scientific progress is not made standing idle and just looking at a thing. Fish had a hypothesis to test and they were going to test it. The bird stays tight to the shadows as the slip a small arcanatek disk from their pocket and seem to adjust it. As they do a shadowy version of Fish rises from the shadows[1] and pitter patters out into the open.
The clone picks up a rock and just hucks it at the orb. It's a good shot, the rock hits the Origin Matter or at least it would have if this thing was normal. With a quiver the orb seems to rotate to "look" towards the clone.
Unlike most animals, it doesn't seem to be looking at it with any malice or aggression. It certainly can feel when it is physically interacted with, but the creature simply doesn't feel pain from physical attacks. The rock was likely absorbed into the creature and either taken to another plane or destroyed.
Curious.
"It doesn't seem impacted by physical stimuli.....Perhaps magical would work?" They look up to Del, unsure if she knows any magic. Fish's own knowledge outside arcanatek is somewhat limited. Most of what they knew just enhanced mundane weapons, not much was physical attacks.
1. Shadow Clone
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Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Jul 9, 2023 17:58:52 GMT -5
Del watches with bated breath as Fish pulls something from their pocket, fiddles with it, and casts it. She braces as the Shadow Clone picks up a rock and throws it at the orb... only, it doesn't shift or move towards them, only... looks, if that was even the right word, in the general direction of the Shadow Clone. Ambivalent, vacant, voidlike.
She shivers reactively.
Her eyes drift to Fish, watching their signs with a faint grimace. I don't really have the ability to cast magic-- she starts to sign, and then catches a glint of the ring on her hand, the one that bound her to Cyran. Del did not have the ability to utilize magic in a traditional sense; but she did have access to the arcane ability of someone who did. She grimaces slightly and then looks to Fish with a quiet nod. One moment.
Tapping into that energy of Cyran, Del curls her fist towards her chest, rooting in the crisp, cool wintergreen energy and touches the part of his mind that understood the way the spells were crafted, how to mold the energy. Drawing on his power, she unruls her hand, casting a bolt[1] of purple energy that strikes dead centre on the orb.
...Well, she wasn't entirely sure what the spell would do, but it certianly has an effect, striking home and rippling across the surface of the creature, beginning to dissolve part of its membrane. And now, it seems to be paying attention.
[1] Chaos bolt
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Jul 9, 2023 18:50:48 GMT -5
Seeing Del start to prepare something, Fish suddenly melts into the shadows to hide in another pool of darkness. They didn't want to be anywhere near her when it charged...if it did. It worbled and wobbled, but didn't seem to move for the moment, so Fish returned.[1]
"It seems magic impacts it, but physical attacks don't....Curious...." As Fish studies the orb it seems to jitter before suddenly bursting forward. It clearly hovered above the ground, but had a surprising forward moment. How was it propelling itself like that?
The orb moves quickly to envelope the shadow clone, the only thing it can currently see in the room. Thankfully it was not Fish out there because it looks as if the clone is entirely obliterated. Fish looks at their device and sees it flicker out meaning the connection they had with it has been severed. Not ideal.
They look at their device again, moving some of the parts around to adjust the equations etched into it. Fish toss the disk out beneath the Origin Matter and tendrils of shadow spring up in a net around the orb. The shadows pull it down, their magical nature seemingly holding it for the moment.
"Objective secured." Fish confidently hops from the shadows only to be immediately tossed against the wall with a squawk.[3] The shadows remain in place, but the bird lays face down in the rocks as the orb strains against the shadows.
1. Shadow Walk 2. Shadow Binding 3. Origin Matter used telekinesis
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Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Jul 12, 2023 1:28:35 GMT -5
She inhales sharply as the orb abruptly moves. It's disorienting to observe, how it warps the space around it as it simply apparates closer. It engulfs the shadow clone without any change to its exterior. No emotion, no sign of intellect or understanding. Only an alien need to absorb.
It is then that Del is certain that they are in terrible danger.
It happens so quickly, there is no time to react. One moment, Fish is signing at her confidently, and the next, faster than she could blink, they were striking the wall behind them and landing face down on the ground. Her stomach bottoms out, replaced with bitter-cold dread.
"FISH!"
Del is running before she realizes her feet are hitting the ground, only to skid to a halt by Fish's prone body, to feel if they were breathing, if their heart still beat. She heaves a small sigh of relief-- they were still alive. Unconscious was not good, but it was better than the alternative.
But they were not yet safe.
The creature pulses within it's cage of shadow, straining to break through the binds. It ripples and moves, trying to warp around the bars, tendrils straining from beyond its membrane towards the fallen kenku, and the arcanatek that housed them.
With a combination of her fear and her desire to protect Fish superceding any need she might have had to be careful, Del gets to her feet. A grayish, translucent energy swirls around her arms and legs, drawing on the ability of her soul, her own body's energy as she grits her teeth[1]. The anger grounds her, drives the tremble from her hands and the waver in her voice as she faces the creature down.
"STAY AWAY FROM THEM" Del seethes, pulling her hand back, and then forcing it forward. The translucent beam of spiritual energy from her body fires out at the shadow bound creature. Force fed by this sudden powerful influx of energy, the orb expands suddenly, stretching its shadowy bars to its absolute limit, before collapsing in on itself, shoving out a wave of energy as it diminishes in size and power.
But as it partially implodes, parts of the matter that make up the creature go flying. She turns reflexively, to protect Fish, when a piece of it strikes the back of her neck, singing her with a cold beyond reckoning... and jarring something loose, if only for a moment.
Screaming. An endless font of harrowing screaming that seems to go on for ever. Struggling. A moment of light. Falling.
The thoughts fade and Del shakes her head. The migrane that swept over her was immediate and debilitating. But she could hear water, terrible water, down the tunnel opposite where the smaller orb now hovered in its shadowy cage, and did not want to linger if they could help it. She absolutely, unequivocally hated that thing.
But her focus shifts to the little kenku on the ground. So terribly small and fragile. Tears of pain and frustration burn at her eyes as she bends to touch them again. She was supposed to protect them. Keep them safe. Her eyes burn with the tears she tries to hold back. "Please be okay, Fish, please. Come on, hon, I've got you, let's go." she murmurs indistinctly, lifting Fish up carefully into her arms, cradling them close.
[1] Art of the Soul - Beam ability used, ended early. The orb cannot use magical abilities for the next round of posts.
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Post by Fish the Tinkerer on Jul 12, 2023 20:42:58 GMT -5
The minute or so that Fish remains unconcious is likely difficult for Del to bear. If the bird had any emotional werewithal they might apologize afterwards, but that was unlikely to happen. At least not any time soon.
The time spent like this isn't entirely comfortable for Fish either if it is any consolation. The bird spends their life in constant motion, so to be forced to be still in such a way was agony. What was more strange to them was the flashes of memories, Cyran making them dinner in King's Valley.....Kvasir teaching them medicine and horticulture.....Morrigan teaching them little sleight of hand tricks....Izzy teaching them to shoot...Zarius showing them the finer points of shadow work...Del talking to them about clouds.
It was strange for a bird who seemed so obsessed with gold, science, and the truth to drift to more....typical thoughts. Perhaps it was the first time they've been forced to be still and think about these thoughts, process the emotions in them.
Feathers ruffle softly a moment before the bird springs up in a flurry of movement. They combat roll out of Del's arms with their crossbow at the ready, firing at where the orb used to be. They look around the room with a wild daze in their eyes as the reality starts to slowly kick in and the adrenaline fades.
Fish stands in the middle of the room in silence for a moment before holstering their crossbow. "Fish has enough data for today." They sign and start to hop towards the hole they came in through.
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