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Post by Tatalia on Jan 18, 2024 4:48:52 GMT -5
The trek into the Marsh Flats went past nightfall, but Tatalia insisted on pushing forward. She seemed to be very familiar with the area, but moreover didn't seem to be hindered by the darkness at all.1 It was a quirk of her goblin physiology, she told Ezra, and she could guide him for an hour or so longer without any problems! Easy as stone soup, she said!
Well, it was easy as stone soup, whatever that was. Tatalia couldn't have known what a horrible place she'd chosen to make camp, though.
"Well, we won't find any place much drier than here!" the goblin declared as the pair arrived at the half-sunken battlements of what once must have been a proud fortress. They'd tread for several long days in the wilderness to get to where they were, first across the desert and then entering the marsh itself just that morning. They'd traded sand dunes and a scorching sun for fetid waters and countless mosquitoes. The battlements, at least, offered a reprieve from the endless murk and muck. Tatalia was able to take a seat on a large block of stone that was dry - a welcome change of pace! - and quickly set about making a fire using some deadwood and her toolkit.2
"It will be a crescent moon tonight," Tatalia mused as she worked, clicking pieces of flint together to create sparks for the fire. "I assume this is your first time in Marsh Flats proper? You've probably never heard the chorus of the wildlife at night, then. The frogs, the crickets, the rumble of beasts, the sway of the water and the wind brushing through the trees... It makes for quite the soothing ambiance, if I'm being honest."
It was just idle chatter, really, but Tatalia seemed happy to fill the silence with one observation or another. She'd spent a good deal of time talking about the plants they'd encountered along the way, quoting one herbalist or another as she did. She'd talked at length about the constellations and how to use them to find one's way when lost. The goblin even seemed to have very strong opinions about what sort of insects were edible (which apparently was most of them if cooked properly) and of course she'd talked at length about the ruins of the Marsh Flats before they entered them. That desire to talk about the ruins was revitalized now that the pair had actually arrived.
"As a historian, I find the existence of the ruins here to be fascinating," the goblin began as she finished starting the fire. She was already getting out a kettle to boil some tea, something which seemed incredibly at odds with the environment the pair found themselves in. "You see, a great detail of Charon's history is simply missing, and the chief reason for this is because of the damage dealt to our world in the wake of the Collapse. The world as it was known then changed, and a great deal of death and devastation was seen across our continent. You know that, of course. That's basic history!
"Now, most scholars would tell you these ruins undoubtedly come from this time period - products of the Elven Imperium at its height!" Tatalia leaned back against the stone wall she was cooking in front of and stoked the flames with her fire poker. "But I daresay it's quite possible that some of these ruins are not from the Age of Wonders, but some time before then. In fact, I'd say it's more than plausible that some of these ruins aren't elven at all!"
Tatalia's voice fell to a conspiratorial whisper as she said those last few words, and she grinned excitedly over at the human, her sharp teeth gleaming in the firelight. The scholar seemed to believe the hypothesis was impressive given how she was practically vibrating as she said those words. Still, she raised her hands, calmed herself down, and went back to tending to the flame.
"I probably should not send myself into a lecture-induced stupor when you haven't even had a chance to have a spot of tea," the goblin mused, pulling the hissing tea kettle away from the fire and quietly pouring a couple cups of a citrus brew. She held one of the cups out to Ezra. "Here, have some of this. It's made from lemongrass, herbs, and oranges; the mixture should make you smell a little less enticing to these insectoid friends of ours buzzing about the marshlands.
"I should ask, what are you interested in talking about? I don't think I'll be able to sleep for an hour at least. And I'm sure you have plenty of questions to ask!"
1. Dark Vision; 2. Tool Pouch
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Post by Ezra Windward on Jan 18, 2024 14:03:12 GMT -5
Travel with Tatalia was difficult for young Ezra. Clearly she was the more experience adventurer and traveler, and Ezra made every effort not to let her know he was struggling to keep pace. He was grateful for every stop and pause for history lessons and descriptions of the different ways to prepare scorpion into different dishes. Each new explanation and fact was an opportunity for Ezra to catch his breath.
When night began to fall, Ezra assumed they would stop to set up camp, but Tatalia insisted they push onward. For an hour they traveled with Ezra holding onto her shoulder with his hand, unable to clearly see anything himself. Luckily, Tatalia was an excellent guide and they arrived safely at the ruins of what looked like a castle to Ezra.
Ezra took a seat, leaning his back against part of the crumbled stone wall as Tatalia worked to start the fire. "I assume this is your first time in Marsh Flats proper?” Ezra could hear Tatalia continue speaking, but his mind was hung up on the words. It was not his first time in the Marsh Flats, but it was only his second. As he recalled the events of his first adventure into the Flats, Ezra’s face lost it’s smile and his expression became blank. His eyes looked past Tatalia, lost in thought. He remembered his fight with the bandits here and the Knight, Sir Leandros, who rescued him after he had frozen in fear at his first real confrontation. This was not a happy memory for Ezra…
Ezra caught himself and snapped out of his daze in time to hear Tatalia explaining her theory of how old the ruins they sat in really were. He managed a smile as he accepted the cup of citrus brew tea from Tatalia’s hands.
"I should ask, what are you interested in talking about? I don't think I'll be able to sleep for an hour at least. And I'm sure you have plenty of questions to ask!"
Ezra raised the cup to his lips and blew over the top to cool it down before taking a sip. The warm tea felt good going down and had a pleasant flavor of orange citrus, with a slight sweetness to it on the back end.
“Oh, me?” Ezra said, lowering his head for a moment. He thought again back to his first adventure into the Marsh Flats… A question burned in his mind, but he was unsure of the proper time to ask; or if he should even ask at all. Doubt flooded his mind as he began to suspect Tatalia may even find the question ridiculous or childish. He mustered his courage to ask anyway.
“Tatalia… In all your adventures have you ever…” He lifted his head to make eye contact with Tatalia and there was a sadness in his eyes. “Have you ever killed anyone?”
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Post by Tatalia on Jan 19, 2024 4:14:46 GMT -5
Tatalia went silent at that question.
The 'chorus' that Tatalia had described earlier began to sound out around the adventurers. The creatures of the swamp each made their individual calls which alone might have been mere noise but together formed what almost seemed like a harmony. Croaks, buzzing, distant growls, rustling leaves, the whistle of the wind, the splashing of water, the hisses of reptiles and the shrieks of bats... It made the air a little tense, sure, but there was a charm to it. And most importantly, it filled the silence that was hanging in the air between the the young man and the goblin.
"My first kill was a gnoll in in the Zeinav Desert," Tatalia began, her fingers shivering just a little bit as she began to recount the story. Her tea sloshed lightly in her cup. The diminutive scholar cracked a thin, pensive smile and stared at the fire. "I was adventuring with a friend of mine - a fellblood bard named Cantio; quite gentle of heart, that fellow - in search of the legendary Sol Stone. We never found it, mind you, but that was our quest.
"Neither of us was particularly well equipped. As he put it, we had little else but bravado, a violin, and a knife between us. We had to sneak past a group of cultists... but their gnoll mercenaries was blocking our exit."
Tatalia took a long, quiet sip from her cup. She set it down, then reached about her legs with her arms and pulled them close to her chest, her gaze never leaving the fire.
"Honestly, it wasn't hard to kill the first gnoll. It happened... really quickly. I had a knife, his back was turned, and I had a running start. I just leapt at his back with my dagger out like this-"
The goblin demonstrated as she spoke, her small blade in her hands. She held it in a reverse grip with one palm pressed against the pommel. When did she pull out the dagger?
"Just like so. I wasn't very strong, but I'm sure you know how much a little mass can be multiplied if given sufficient velocity. Momentum was on my side, and I buried the dagger in the poor creature.
"Things get... kind of blurry then," Tatalia continued, flicking her gaze up toward Ezra finally. She chuckled, adding with a curling smirk, "I actually tried to be a martyr and sacrifice myself to save my traveling companion! I told him to run while I fought the last gnoll since he didn't have a weapon. But Cantio came back with his violin and struck my opponent in the back of the head. The violin made such a miserable noise! But he knocked that gnoll right out. And then... we ran.
"I'd say that it gets less terrifying the second time around, or the third or the fourth, but I'd be lying. Battles are just as frightening to me now as they were before." Tatalia looked back towards the flame once again, her smile turning melancholic. She shook her head. "No, I won't lie about that," she whispered before raising her voice again. "But it does get easier. I'd argue it becomes too easy. When you practice for a fight, you're teaching your body to perform certain motions without command. What was action becomes reaction; what was preparation becomes instinct. And it becomes far, far too easy to kill an opponent, whether by intention or by simply following the flow of battle... And any person's life taken is one life too many."
The goblin sighed. She shook her head again, then looked up at Ezra, her smile becoming warmer if no less sad.
"I'm sorry. You didn't ask me all this. But I suppose if I'm already lecturing, I might as well say... I never stopped being afraid of fighting. But I did learn how to control that fear rather than letting it control me. I focus on the present, on assessing my situation and my surroundings. The more mastery I have over the battlefield, the more likely I am to ensure nobody has to die. I endeavor to do better today and be better tomorrow to make up for the mistakes of yesterday."
Tatalia leaned back against the stone again, still holding her knees close to her chest. She peered up at the sky and squinted at the moon. A shiver ran up her spine suddenly, and the morose explorer reached for a little vial tucked away in her sash filled with an ugly, misty yellow liquid. She popped the cork and took a quick quaff of the horrible smelling stuff, then gagged and coughed, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Awful stuff," she muttered quietly, replacing the cork and tucking the small vial away again. Then the strange goblin hugged her legs once again, peering out toward the vast blackness of the swamp, her glowing yellow eyes seeing things move in the distance that Ezra could not. She inhaled the swamp air deeply.
"I apologize once again for the lecture. I can be rather... opinionated on the judicious application of violence toward monsters and criminals. You, ah... You would probably not be surprised to hear that someone of my phenotype has had some bad experiences with overzealous adventurers in the past."
As if to emphasize her point, the goblin cracked her biggest, most sharp toothed grin across at Ezra, those razor-like teeth gleaming dangerously in the firelight. She even held up her hands and made a mock snarling expression as if she was going to leap at the man. A snort escaped her nostrils, and she lowered her arms, sighing.
"It's one of the reasons I prefer traveling with companions now and then," Tatalia added offhandedly. "A human or elf presence does wonders to legitimize me. Most would assume I'm either a thief or some savage otherwise."
Tatalia did not mention the assumption of thievery would be accurate.
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Post by Ezra Windward on Jan 19, 2024 23:24:41 GMT -5
Although listening intently, Ezra avoided eye contact with Tatalia as she told her story, occasionally taking a drink from his cup of tea. The light from the fire flickered against their faces.
“Awful stuff…” Ezra repeated after Tatalia made the statement.
“There’s no need to apologize.” Ezra said sadly, still looking down and watching the flames of the fire flicker and wave here and there. “You answered what I asked… And I’m sorry that it brought back those memories.”
Ezra raised his head to look Tatalia in the eyes again. They showed a sadness and he suddenly felt a ping of guilt for forcing Tatalia to recall such a painful memory herself and he immediately looked back into the fire. “I…” Ezra choked on the next word. He took a sip of the tea in his hand and cleared his throat before continuing, “I… Killed someone before.” There was a moment of pause. The sound of the night was suddenly so loud. The chirp of crickets, the croak of a frog, and the sound of distant running water…
“It was here, in Marsh Flats. Just off the Flood Roads… My first and only.” Ezra shook his head to get the memory out. “I don’t know if it’s comforting or terrifying to know it gets easier.” There was another pause. Ezra shook his head again before looking back up to Tatalia, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to turn the conversation to anything so serious.” Ezra managed a weak grin in her direction, his eyes were still sad. “I’m glad to have met you Tatalia. Thank you for sharing your story.” His smile seemed just a little brighter after thanking Tatalia for sharing.
Ezra took a branch beside him and tossed it into the fire. He watched the flames dance in the night, listening to the sounds of the marsh. He stared as the branch lay there in the fire until it too began to smoke and flames erupted from it. The memory of his adventure with Sir Leandros came back to him no matter how hard he tried to push it back down. He could see the bandits there and he could feel the dagger in his hands and the warm blood drip down his forearms... He could see the man's terrified eyes vividly even now. His hand trembled as he lifted it to his lips to take another drink. It made Ezra wonder if adventuring was really what he was cut out for. It sewed doubt that being a Knight was within his grasp. He knew he should be stronger. He knew he would need to be stronger if he was to accomplish his goal. But was he up to the task?
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Post by Tatalia on Jan 20, 2024 1:01:12 GMT -5
Tatalia watched the young human quietly as she finished her tea. Young human... She wasn't much older than him, really; a year or two at most. But she had more experience than him in adventure, that much was certain, and it didn't take a telepath to see that his mind was fraught with doubt and trauma. The man was much taller than she was, but Tatalia couldn't help but think he seemed small sitting by the campfire with trembling hands.
A quiet sigh escaped the more seasoned adventurer. Flicking a few strands of wild black hair behind her ear, the goblin stood up and stretched.
"You're a good fellow, Ezra, and I'm glad to have met you as well! I think you should be proud that you don't want killing to be easier," she added gently, smiling across at the young knight. "And I mean that. The world needs heroes of gentler temperament, people that won't put their enemies to the sword except when all other options are exhausted. Death is not a goal, but a tragedy."
Roguish though she was, honesty shined through the little explorer's voice. The green skinned woman popped her back and started rolling out her sleeping bag.
"I do believe I will call it a night," Tatalia managed to mumble through a yawn, then turned that yawn into another of her signature grins. The goblin started getting comfy inside her sleeping bag, wriggling into it like a worm. "You should get some rest, too. Put the fire out when you're ready to go to sleep, and tomorrow I'll show you a few tricks of the trade while we travel. A few dagger lessons, a few sword lessons, and the most important thing for an adventurer to know..."
Tatalia's grin doubled in size.
"I'll teach you how to avoid getting into battles in the first place!"
The goblin tucked herself into her sleeping bag and went to sleep. Little did she know that something in the ruins was watching both her and Ezra that night, waiting for the adventurers to fall asleep, nor did she ever suspect it would catch her by surprise.
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Post by Ezra Windward on Jan 20, 2024 23:37:55 GMT -5
Ezra smiled as he took comfort from Tatalia’s words. Maybe she was right. Maybe the world did need more heroes who were less intent on killing and more intent on sparing those who would oppose them. Maybe he could be that hero…
Ezra smiled at Tatalia as she mentioned the prospect of avoiding combat or sword lessons. She wiggled into her sleeping bag, leaving him to his own thoughts for a time while she slept. He stayed sitting there, looking into the dancing flames. His thoughts drifted to the future. He had a few adventures under his belt now. Could he continue to press on? Could he be like the Knight he had seen in Sol City all those years ago? Noble, brave, and strong? Someone who could end a fight before it even began just by being there. Was avoiding conflict altogether the way forward for him? He imagined himself in so many different scenarios:
He was a lightly armored Knight, wearing only a pauldron on his left shoulder, armor across his torso, and two shin guards. Everything else was clad in leather armor. He took to the shadows, fading out of existence behind the enemy. He moved so quickly it was as if he teleported from the left side of the dark hallway to the right side, narrowly evading the vision of a fully armored guard. He stealthily made his way into the treasure room, where he was able to retrieve a giant ruby that had been stolen by these bandits.
In another image he saw himself in loose fitting robes and a pointy hat. In his tower, a mother, father, and their two children stand afraid of what was coming up the stairs. It was that same fully armored guard. Ezra aimed two fingers at a rope that hung a chandelier directly above the guard as he reached the top of the stairs. Firing a purple bolt of lightning from his fingers, he severed the rope and the chandelier fell, capturing the guard.
He then saw himself clad in full plate armor. A shield in his hand, and sword in his sheath at his side. The blue cape he wore at his back waved in the wind. A knight…
Just as he saw himself as the hero Knight he had always dreamed, the thought invaded his mind of himself, still clad in armor, but darker. The cape on his back was worn and had tears in it. A flash of red blinded his vision for a moment as he saw himself cutting down enemies with his bloodied longsword.
He snapped out of his thoughts as he shook his head. He knew any one of these possibilities were possible for him. Or any combination of them as well. But ultimately the choice was his. He had the power to shape his future and he would do so as best he could. For now, he would need to rest.
He realized that by the time he was done thinking, the fire had died down into smoldering embers. He kicked some dirt on it to quash the remaining heat. He then laid down and slowly fell asleep…
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Post by Tatalia on Jan 21, 2024 5:30:04 GMT -5
Three hours of comfortable rest passed uneventfully for the adventurers. Indeed, it was only natural that it would; they slept in relative safety upon the battlements of an ancient castle, well out of the reach of the snapping jaws of marsh crocodiles. The tea the adventurers had enjoyed warded off the bites of buzzing insects, and they were under good cover to protect them from the light rain that kicked up in the middle of the night. Both of the heroes were safe.
Unfortunately, that was just a misconception that the sleeping adventurers would soon be shown the error of.
One of the many trees of the swamp began to move. It was slow at first, shifting as wind brushed against its branches, twisting from side to side as it tried to pull itself free from the ground. The old willow made one determined tug after another, reaching down with its long and gnarled branches to yank at its roots. Bit by bit, it managed to pry itself free of the soggy ground, and earth fell away from its body in clumps and chunks. Then the tree began to sway across the swampy waters surrounding it, inching toward the clueless pair of travelers nestled atop old ruins.
It was a curious approach the old tree made. Normally, Tatalia's keen senses would have given her some forewarning of the tree creature's advance. She'd woken for quieter foes in the past, certainly, armed and ready in an instant. But somehow the old willow tree was able to move toward the drowsy human and goblin without disturbing them.
It was a trick of magic, of course. The old willow waved her hand-like branches in little arcs, and glistening lights blossomed into being around every wooden digit. Globules of ethereal pollen drifted over the sleeping heroes, drizzling little speckles of light upon them that pulled them into even deeper sleep. Then the old willow tree stepped onto the battlements, reached down with those gnarled branches, and scooped both of the adventurers up like babies in her arms. Then the old tree marched off into the night, wading through sloshing, foggy waters with her captives in hand...
Tatalia couldn't help but giggle as something tickled her nose. She twisted around in her bedroll, swiping her hand lazily at whatever it was prodding at her nostril. Just as she started to drift away again, however, the sensation returned, and she smacked it away a second time only to feel something tugging at her wrist...
Grumbling, the goblin woke up and tried to see what it was she'd caught her clothes on. Some stick was the most likely culprit. Well, she was almost right, she realized, for once her vision came into focus she saw a root wrapping itself around her hand.
"AAAAH!" the goblin screamed, yanking her hand away as quickly as she could to no avail. Her wrist was thoroughly trapped inside a long, curling root, and there were vines rolling up her legs toward the center of her body. Tatalia panicked, and she tried reaching for her belt to retrieve something useful... and then realized that arm was also trapped.
"Oh, this is fantastic!" growled the captured archaeologist. She thrashed in her bonds for a few seconds only to have them tighten. Sighing, she stopped struggling long enough to get a good look at the place she was in.
The goblin was bound to a stone slab - an altar, she presumed - by a number of plants inside the room. All around her were the moss and vine covered ruins of some very, very old place, probably even older than the fortress she'd chosen for a campsite. There was no furniture otherwise, only rubble from the wear and tear on the tower. The walls were crumbling, and there were fetid water pooled below her feet, and she was alone. That was strange. Why couldn't she see...?
"Ezra?" Tatalia called out tentatively. Then she called out a second time, her voice growing more urgent. "Ezra! Where are you?"
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Post by Ezra Windward on Jan 22, 2024 22:52:18 GMT -5
As Ezra slowly came to from his sleep, he felt unusually groggy, as if he had slept too long or as if he had woken when his sleep was too deep. His eyes were still closed as he let out a yawn. His eyelids were still heavy. In an effort to lighten them, he attempted to raise a hand to rub his eyes; but his efforts were met with resistance in the form of something wrapped tightly around both of his wrists. He slowly realized that he was upright, but his feet were not touching the ground. His arms were extended above his head and based on the pressure on his shoulders… was he hanging from the ceiling?
Ezra’s eyes snapped open so that he could take in the scene around him. He looked at wrists, noting the brown roots wrapped around them, binding them together. Another root came down front he ceiling and was wrapped around the root binding his wrists. That root extended from a large crack in the damp, stone ceiling. Small, green vines were growing from the crack and extended along in either direction across the ceiling. As Ezra looked below him, he could see that he was only about five or six feet off the ground. The ground was also made of stone and looked to be extremely old. There were green vines and small plants overgrown into the room, which was relatively small and empty. The floor of the room was spotted with shallow puddles, but directly below him was a small pool of dirty and algae topped water. It extended about four foot in diameter, but it was impossible to tell how deep it was because of the algae covering the top.
“Hello?” Ezra called out and waited a moment for a response. There was none.
“Tatalia?” He called out, hoping that she would answer…
After a moment of taking in his surrounding and discovering that there was no help to be had, Ezra began to devise a plan. His legs were not bound, and by moving them back and forth, Ezra found that he could swing on the vine he was hanging from. The edges of the crack the vine extended from were just sharp enough to begin fraying the side of the root attached to him. For what seemed like hours, Ezra swung himself back and forth, causing the root to drag across the edge of the crack and fray ever so slightly. It frayed more and more until finally, the strength of the root was whittled away enough for it to give way under Ezra’s weight. It snapped and he fell into the water beneath him. As he hit the ground, he fell onto his butt.
Finding himself sitting now in about three feet of disgusting water with his hands still bound in front of him, Ezra quickly scrambled to his feet. He walked forward out of the water and he could see a stone doorway in front of him, but it was too dark for him to see what lay beyond it. Taking an inventory of himself, he found that his dagger was still fixed to his belt on his side and he could now reach it. Using both of his hands, Ezra reached across his body and drew his dagger. He found the driest patch of stone he could find in the room and sat down. He then carefully and awkwardly turned the blade in his hands so that it was pressed against the root and in as big a motion as he could manage, he began to saw away at the root.
After a short time, he was able to cut enough of the root away and break his wrists free of the binding. He sheathed his dagger and rubbed his wrists. He had no idea how long he had been hanging from them, but his wrists were sore and red rings that would surely bruise were left around each wrist.
Carefully, Ezra approached the doorway and poked his head through. Not knowing what he may encounter, Ezra said too quietly, “Tatalia? Are you there?”
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Post by Tatalia on Jan 24, 2024 7:10:11 GMT -5
Help didn't seem to be coming any time soon, so Tatalia had to take her rescue into her own hands. Or... rather, she took it into her own teeth!
The goblin wasn't able to pull her hands free, so she spread her mouth wide open and bit down on the vines binding her with her sharp teeth. The vines actually seemed to screech when she did that, and the sap that came out of them reminded her almost like the taste of blood. It wasn't a very pleasant experience, and it was made all the worse by the fact that she had all sorts of filthy, grainy fibers in her teeth from biting the dang plant.
Spitting bits of plant and weird sap out of her mouth, Tatalia continued tearing through her bonds until she freed her right arm from the vine. With that, she was able to yank her short sword out of her belt and start chopping away at her bindings. Sure, the sword was made for stabbing rather than slashing, but its edge was sharp enough to do the trick.
A few difficult chops later and Tatalia was free from her bonds, though the vines were still moving toward her slowly, reaching out like a thousand vicious tendrils, slithering like snakes across the floor. She grimaced, then checked over her belongings. Thank goodness whoever her captor was hadn't stolen anything from her!
It was at that moment that Tatalia heard Ezra call out. She took a deep breath, then rushed toward the nearest door, leaping with her enchanted boots1 to avoid a particularly nasty tangle of vines that was trying to grab her! She landed in a tumble through the door, cast a quick glance back to realize she had a good lead on the vines, then rushed forward toward-
WHAM! Tatalia busted her nose into someone's leg. She fell down, shook her head, and looked up to see Ezra.
"You're alive!" she squeaked, pinching and bending her nose back into her place. "Ow! You're alive! Well, that's something to be thankful for! Do you have any idea where we are yet? Because I surely do not!"
Tatalia slipped her hand into her sash, removing a black, glowing bottle from inside. It glimmered as if with starlight. She held it out to Ezra.2
"Take this," she told him. "I've one more on my person. Think of it as a wizard in a bottle. When you drink the potion, think of... pretty much any spell you want to cast and you can do so. It's for emergency use only!" she warned.
Tatalia paused. She looked back at the approaching vines, then snapped her fingers.
"Of course! A perfect opportunity!" she mused. Then she flipped her goggles on and adjusted the lenses, activating the goggles' X-Ray vision. She started staring at the walls, searching for the quickest path to the exit.3
"Keep those things distracted while I mentally map our quickest path!" she told Ezra. "I think you're going to get a lesson in avoiding combat after all!"
1. Hoppers; 2. Bottled Stars; 3. X-Ray Vision
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Post by Ezra Windward on Jan 26, 2024 13:07:29 GMT -5
As Ezra slowly continued out through the doorway and into the hall. It was dark and he could only see a short distance in front of him. He reached out with his right hand and touched the cold stone wall, following it along to guide him. Just as he took a few steps, he heard a commotion just in front of him. He froze in place and then almost immediately he was struck in the leg.
The blow knocked him momentarily off balance, causing him to step back a few paces, but it was not enough to knock him over. He looked down and a rush of relief washed over him as he saw the familiar face of Tatalia looking back at him, pinching her nose. Unable to contain his delight at seeing her alive and well, Ezra smiled brightly.
After the two exchanged relief at the other’s well being, Tatalia offered a bottle filled with darkness that was lit only by what looked like glimmering stars. Ezra accepted it along with the warning that this was only for emergencies. He nodded in acknowledgment before stuffing the bottle into the front right pocket of his pants.
As Tatalia then looked behind her, Ezra followed her gaze. He suddenly saw moving vines! The vines looked as though they had spilled out from a walkway behind her and were crawling and slithering their way toward the two of them. A look of concern flashed across Ezra’s face, but Tatalia snapped her fingers and flipped on a pair of goggles.
"Keep those things distracted while I mentally map our quickest path!" she told Ezra. "I think you're going to get a lesson in avoiding combat after all!"
With a look of determination on his face, Ezra gulped and then nodded in acknowledgment again. He had already dealt with these vines before in his own room, they just hadn’t been so moving or so… alive!
“Alright!” Ezra shouted as he lept into action. He drew his dagger from its sheath at his side and ran toward the vines in an effort to intercept them. He stood in front of where they had crept up to and bent at the waist, slashing left and right with his dagger. Some of the smaller vines were left severed, but the larger ones were simply cut and continued forward. There were so many vines, that his dagger could not reach them all and he was quickly left winded. As he paused to catch his breath, he could see that the vines were largely unaffected by his slashing and they had already crept past where he was standing. Some of the vines had begun to wrap themselves around his ankles in an effort to hold him in place. Luckily, he caught them early enough and he was able to simply lift his legs and forcibly free them from the vine’s grip.
“Think Ezra…” He muttered aloud as he looked around for something that could help him tame this mess of vines that was slowly, but steadily, approaching Tatalia. He quickly scanned the area for anything useful.
The hallway they were in was about four feet wide and eight feet tall. The walls and ceilings were made of large stone that had been cobbled together with mortar, and the floor looked as though it was made in a similar manner, but with smaller stones. The erosion of the stone and the mortar holding it together gave evidence that these were built many many years ago. There were puddles of water dotted across the hallway as far as Ezra could see and correlated with wet spots on the walls or ceiling wherever the puddles lay. There was overgrown vegetation and vines across the ground and walls in various places apart from the ones that now threatened the pair of adventurer’s safety.
As he scanned the walls, he saw it. It was a weak point in the wall to his left as he faced the vines. It was close enough to Tatalia that the vines had not yet made it to that point, maybe about three feet from where she was standing. A large bush had grown through the wall and pushed the mortar away from the stone, leaving the wall weakened. Ezra could see loose stones at the bottom of the wall that were likely holding the entire thing upright. Ezra ran to where the weakened wall was, looking to see how far the vines had progressed. He looked back to Tatalia and shouted, “Hang on!” before ramming into the weakened wall with his shoulder. He struck the wall with all his might, letting out an “Ooof!” as he did so.
The wall did not budge.
Ezra glanced over to the vines, still crawling their way over to the pair. He stepped a few paces away from the wall, pressing his back against the opposite wall of the hallway. He charged again, striking the wall hard with his shoulder.
The wall did not budge.
Ezra reached up with his left hand and rubbed his right shoulder. It was in pain now, having rammed into stone twice at full force. He again looked over to the vines and they were almost to where he was standing. In frustration he yelled out and kicked the stone wall at it’s base with his foot. The stone he kicked, shifted and he could hear the stone giving way. He jumped to his left, landing face first onto the ground just in time to dodge the cave in. Stone fell first from the wall itself, crashing and rolling to fill up the hallway. When the left wall had crumbled, the ceiling (with nothing left to support it) came crashing down on top of it next.
The result was was wall of stone in the hallway only a foot from where Ezra landed after his dive. Turning himself and sitting up onto his butt, Ezra looked at the rubble and back to Tatalia. Happy with the work he had done, he flashed a large grin.
As he turned back to look at the cave in, he could see vines start to push away some of the rubble and poke through. “Uh…. Tatalia?” Ezra said in a concerned voice. He only hoped he had bought enough time for her to have worked out an escape route.
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Post by Tatalia on Jan 31, 2024 4:23:24 GMT -5
While Ezra pounded a wall behind her, Tatalia was trying to memorize the layout of the maze she found herself in.
Yes, she was in a maze. That much became obvious after the first twenty seconds of scanning the area. Whatever the ancient ruins' original purpose was, it was obfuscated behind a series of twisting, sharply turning, spiraling passages designed to distract those stuck inside. Trying to maneuver through the deteriorated dungeon without a plan was a surefire way to be lost forever, or at least long enough for whatever sorcery that permeated the place to ruin her day. So numerous and confusing were the corridors, in fact, that Tatalia was pretty sure she couldn't see through all of them. Her X-Ray Goggles were only so powerful!
"You're doing great!" Tatalia called back over hissing vines as Ezra struggled to break a wall down. The busy goblin hadn't actually looked over her shoulder to check and see if he actually was.
Path after path did Tatalia inspect as she tried to ascertain the fastest way out of the maze. Even with the many abilities she had at her disposal, simply moving in a straight line wouldn't get her to the end any faster, especially when the end wasn't actually in sight. She needed a more immediate goal, somewhere to reconnoiter with her companion and draw up a new plan of action. Applying her vast studies to their fullest potential, Tatalia focused on the scene ahead of her, looking for any rooms that might be viable choices, and found...
"There!" Tatalia whispered excitedly as Ezra caused a cave-in behind her. She blinked, turned her head toward him, and saw him barely avoid becoming paste. He'd bought them both time indeed! But the vines wouldn't be held back forever. Already they were poking through the cracks between the stones.
"Quickly, drink this," Tatalia instructed her companion as she pulled two bottles off her belt, each filled with a bright orange liquid and emblazoned with the symbol of a white rabbit. She lightly tossed one of the bottles to Ezra, then popped the cork of the other and swallowed its contents. Immediately, she began to feel energy surge through her body, and the ever-prepared adventurer popped her neck from side to side.
"Haste potion!"1 the daredevil rogue remarked toward Ezra, her voice cheery and excited. "We'll need it. We've got a lot of ground to cover. Come on!"
Tatalia didn't offer any further explanation. She just started dashing down the hall at a breakneck pace.
The manyfold twists and turns Tatalia took would have been confusing in other circumstances, but she had taken the time to prepare herself accordingly. With unnatural speed, she dove from one hallway to the next, skidding to a sharp stop here only to spring there with alacrity. Her heart raced as fast as she did, but there was excitement in the pursuit. Vines poked themselves out of the walls, grasping for the goblin and the human; ageless roots beneath the soil burst out of the stony floors to try and trip the pair, and dirt rained down in places where the ceiling seemed to protest the heroes' passing. But that did not stop Tatalia, not with the magical potion still giving her a rush of energy.
"We're getting close!" the goblin insisted, slicing her way past some ornery plant growth with her sword. She skidded once again to the wall, bumped into it, then found herself facing an ancient stone archway with a solid, reinforced wooden door.
"Hurry over here!" Tatalia told Ezra, beckoning to him. "I'll get the door open. You're on guard duty again! And here-"
The goblin flipped her sword in the air, caught it by the blade, and held the hilt out for Ezra to take.
"You can borrow this for a few seconds," she told him with a wink and a grin.2
1. Quick Speed Potion; 2. Short Sword (Double Strike + Dashing enchantments)
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Post by Ezra Windward on Feb 1, 2024 17:53:19 GMT -5
Ezra caught the bottle full of bright orange liquid that Tatalia tossed him. He had no time to ask questions before the goblin downed her own bottle and bolted down the hall at a speed Ezra didn’t think was possible. Thinking that he would quickly lose track of her, he popped the top off of the bottle she had given him and drank it in one gulp. He stood from where he had landed on his butt and all at once he felt a surge of energy. The feeling was warm; hot even. It felt like the heat generated from the friction of rubbing two sticks together rapidly. It started in his gut and quickly flowed into the rest of his body and down into his legs. He felt great. He felt light. He felt fast.
A playful smirk showed on Ezra’s face as he began to run after Tatalia. The walls and random greenery in the halls flew by in a blur. The smirk quickly faded from his face as he caught up to Tatalia just in time to see her leaping to and fro. Not being quite as agile as the lighter and more experienced goblin, Ezra found himself crashing into the stone walls, tripping over vines that seemed to leap out at him, and bumping into corners as they whipped around them. Each time, he would quickly scramble to his feet and give chase just catching up enough to see Tatalia’s next move before she disappeared beyond the next turn.
“We’re getting close!” Ezra heard Tatalia shout from up ahead of him before being prompted by the same voice, “Hurry over here!”
Ezra turned the last corner and quickly saw Tatalia standing just in front of him. He shifted his weight to lean back as he tried to stop, but his momentum carried him forward. Seeing that he was about to crash into the small goblin, Ezra instead rotated his body clockwise putting himself into a spin around her. His back struck the wall hard and he grunted as he lost balance and ended up in a seated position with his back against the stone wall.
Ezra managed to lift himself back onto his feet and grinned awkwardly before accepting Tatalia’s shortsword along with the instructions to stand guard.
“Here we go again…” Ezra breathed out as he held the shortsword in his right hand. He swung in diagonally to ensure he had a good hold on it and that he was familiar with the blade. It was comfortable in his hand. He then walked a few paces back in the direction they had come from, away from the large wooden door.
He glanced from left to right, scanning for anything that may be a threat to him or his partner. It was the same, damp stone walls and the same random greenery growing from here and there. As Ezra stood ready, he caught a glimpse of something moving toward him from the darkness. He could see only a shadow at first; it was as tall as he was and appeared to be walking toward them in a humanoid shape. As the creature grew closer, Ezra could make out the details. This was a large mass of vines that came down from the ceiling and from the walls. The mass formed itself into the shape of a person about the same size as Ezra. Faceless and featureless, the vines constantly shifted and slithered within the form. As if strings to a puppet, the vines extended from each foot and arm up to the ceiling, where they then disappeared into the cracks between the stone. Each time the creature would move forward past where the crack would allow the ceiling vines to move, new vines would extend from further down the hall while the old vines retracted back into the ceiling. The movements were fluid, like all of the vines were of the same mind and knew what needed to happen to make the creature move without delay.
Ezra froze for a moment, watching the vine creature close the distance. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing and the thought of trying to delay such a creature put knots in his stomach. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. A look of determination flashed across his face and he stepped toward the vine creature.
After closing the distance, Ezra struck first with a cross-slash from his upper right to his lower left. The slash connected with the vine creature’s left shoulder. Or… It should have. As Ezra’s slash reached where it should have struck vine, they separated; leaving an opening where Ezra’s shortsword could simply pass through. As his slash continued through the vine creature, the vines that made up its torso continued to shift and move out of the way of the blade and then reformed into the creature after the blade had passed. The end result was an unharmed vine creature and a shocked look on Ezra’s face as his slash completely missed.
The follow through from Ezra’s attack left him open and vulnerable to one from the vine creature, which it took advantage of. The vines at the end of its left arm shifted to form a fist. It then threw that fist hard at Ezra’s side, which connected. The blow knocked Ezra off balance and he stumbled into the wall to his left and his shoulder struck the cold stone. Ezra quickly recovered and aimed another slash at the creature’s right shoulder, hoping to lop the entire vine-arm off. Again, as the slash would have connected, the vines that made up the creatures’ shoulder and arm shifted and separated so the blade completely missed the creature. It then followed with another strike of its own. This time, a mass of vines extended from the creature’s abdomen, striking Ezra in the stomach. The strike was so forceful, it knocked Ezra back and he fell to a knee.
The vine creature raised its two arms above its head and vines extended from one to the other, creating a large mass between the two. It then brought the mass down hard toward Ezra’s head. Ezra looked up just in time to see the mass crashing down toward him. He quickly rolled over his right shoulder and found himself again in a seated position with his back crashing into the stone wall to his right. As the vines crashed down into the ground in front of him, they kicked up a small amount of dust. Also right in front of Ezra was the marionette-like vine that connected the vine creature’s left arm to the cracks in the ceiling. In a final effort, Ezra grabbed that vine tightly with his left hand. He pulled down on it hard, cutting out all of the slack from the ceiling and he swung with the shortsword in his right hand. The sword cut smoothly through the vine and the part above where Ezra had cut quickly retracted back into the ceiling. The vine creature reeled backwards and the vines that made up the creature’s left arm all fell lifeless to the ground. The creature continued reeling and fled backwards until Ezra could no longer see it in the darkness again.
Ezra then rose to his feet and quickly returned to Tatalia’s side. While still looking back into the darkness where the creature had fled back to he said warily, “I don’t know what that was, but I doubt that was the last we’ll see of it.”
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