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+---- Thread: [se] the infernal version (/showthread.php?tid=8204)
[se] the infernal version - Deimos - 05-02-2023
After discussions with others, and the telltale pull of curiosity, the Warden hadn’t abandoned his notes or intentions with contemplating darklings and making additional scribes in journals, but he’d certainly wandered. But there was eternally a purpose in mind, even if it was for things clustered in between walls, and likely taking home some obnoxious animal in a hunting exploit, figuring either Belial or Micah would appreciate it.
Turning down another length of the Climb’s vast halls and route systems, with the aforementioned peryton close on his heels, he thought he saw some obsidian glimmer, sunken into the stone. Eyes narrowed, he placed his hand along the hot, infernal features, unbothered by any heated, molten predilections, and began prying with earthen incantations, seeing if there was anything to be unfurled.
RE: [se] the infernal version - Alys - 05-04-2023
Alys had heard the rumors, just as everyone else seemed to have, and she found herself drawn to the Climb as a matter of curiosity about their source. She wandered through the Burrows: a hot, molten cave system that was as dangerous as it was beautiful. Dressed lightly in a loose blouse tucked into dark pants, Alys trod on leather boots through the halls of hell, trying to ignore the heat that plagued her at every turn. She'd grown used to Halo and its chill, and the warmth of the Climb was nothing to be trifled with.
She rounded a bend in the caverns to find Deimos digging in the walls with his earth magic, and she paused for a moment to watch with envy. When she'd come to the Climb, it had been with the knowledge that she'd have to work hard for any rubies or obsidian she came across (with her preference being the latter). To see Deimos pulled at the rock so easily was salt in the wound. Still, perhaps she could work with him to find something they both could use. So she wandered forward, tilting a head to one side as she watched, and said, [say]"Hello, Deimos."[/say]
RE: [se] the infernal version - Deimos - 05-04-2023
Prying the bit of rock out of the wall, he turned it over in his palm; recalling, remembering the way gems had been picked and snagged from other portions of the cavern. When he found nothing of note in this one though, he merely placed it back within the confines, tethering the earth back over its brethren, as if it’d never been touched in the first place.
Only thereafter did he hear boots shuffling across the floor, and turned his head back over his shoulder to find the familiar Abandoned nearby. A rogue smirk contorted along his features, immediately feeling the urgency to tease and taunt, while Belial skittered around and made hooting noises; wisely staying put, due to the last episode with Fox. [say]“Alys,”[/say] the monolith rumbled, before his long strides took him further ahead, piercing gaze sliding from her and back to the rocky surfaces, tilting his skull in a vague study. [say]“Enjoying the Climb?”[/say]
RE: [se] the infernal version - Alys - 05-06-2023
Deimos pulled at the rock so easily, picking out a section to remove and analyze before replacing it and knitting the stone back together again. Alys watched, envious; he could search and search, and no one would be able to tell he'd been there at all. She on the other hand... well, that was what the pickaxe she'd brought along was for.
[say]"It's hot,"[/say] said Alys flatly. And dark. And dismal. But then, a quest such as mining for precious stones wouldn't be easy, so she shrugged. [say]"Found anything good?"[/say] she asked, peering at the rock on the opposite side of the cavern where Deimos was working. She pried at a crack with her pickaxe, not entirely sure what she was looking for. She knew that rubies would be dull and brown in their unpolished form, and that obsidian should be black and shiny, but where to find it... well, she supposed she had to start somewhere.
RE: [se] the infernal version - Deimos - 05-06-2023
While Belial lurked around his legs, as if begging to go offer his own brand of greetings, he snorted at the Abandoned’s remark. Another enticement and lure to tease lingered in the back of his mind – because there were far worse places (like Hak Etme), and he found he didn’t mind the heat here. The Climb didn’t feel nearly as oppressive as the sand and dust amidst the desert, and the memories here were far more pleasant (if one erased sicknesses and leviathans from the equation). [say]“Vastly different from Halo,”[/say] he offered instead, pondering if she’d already gotten used to the cold, didn’t care due to the Academy’s abilities, or to confirm the rumor he’d heard circulating through – that she’d settled amidst the summits.
Thereafter though, he repeated the process from earlier, except he took several more portions of rock, rubble, and earth. Ensuring none of his motions and incantations affected the structure of the wall, he coolly investigated, breaking apart edges of stone to decipher anything within. [say]“No.”[/say] His eyes drifted towards her pickaxe, brow arching, intending to see how she got along. [say]“You?”[/say]
RE: [se] the infernal version - Alys - 05-09-2023
Alys knew nothing of deserts, or sicknesses, or leviathans. As it turned out, she knew very little at all, particularly of the wide variety of landscapes around Caido. All she really knew for certain was that she'd grown used to Halo and its chill, and to be thrust out of that into somewhere hot and humid was unpleasant in a way she had not anticipated. She hadn't thought herself so acclimatized, but being in the Climb had convinced her that Halo was well and truly home.
As Deimos shifted and sifted rock and rubble with his magic, Alys began to chip away at the cavern walls with her pickaxe. It was hard work - harder than she had expected - and she realized quickly that she would have to put a great deal of effort in for any fruits of her labor to be revealed. [say]"Nothing yet,"[/say] she all but grunted in response to Deimos. [say]"Do you know what we're looking for? Any tips or tricks?"[/say]
RE: [se] the infernal version - Deimos - 05-09-2023
[say]“Thought I might snag some obsidian or ruby. Seen enough of it before.”[/say] Within these parts, resting amidst the rest of the rubble, ruin, and rock formations. The sheen of the sable and onyx stone might give leeway to more of his creative, crafting abilities, as he wasn’t much of a crimson person; blood upon blood upon blood.
Listening to her chip away almost made him laugh again, but instead, he maneuvered onward a few more steps, where she wouldn’t be able to see his snicker. [say]“Mostly trial and error,”[/say] he noted, for it had been, even amidst points of conversation, meandering, and concentrating. The Sword could do both though, prying another portion out of the wall, intending to break it apart across his palms. Rather than just stroll around the topic, as he was more of a precise character, his rumble persisted along the walls. [say]“How are you finding Halo?”[/say]
RE: [se] the infernal version - Alys - 05-10-2023
[say]"Is it common here, then?"[/say] she asked as she continued to hack away at the stone, to no avail. It certainly didn't seem like it. [say]"I was looking for obsidian."[/say] Looking and decidedly not finding, as it turned out. Alys sighed as Deimos confirmed her suspicions: this task would be mostly trial and error: a game of luck. It was her least favorite kind of game.
At least she'd found someone to spend time with while she looked, though. [say]"Halo is nice,"[/say] she admitted, swinging her pickaxe a few more times, then checking the growing hole for any sheen of blackness. [say]"I have the Academy protection against the cold now, and Hotaru has been... almost infuriatingly kind."[/say] Her voice softened a little when she mentioned the other woman, though, so the almost-insult was transformed into something almost affectionate. [say]"Are you from Halo originally, or did it grow on you, too?"[/say]
RE: [se] the infernal version - Deimos - 05-10-2023
[say]“Yes,”[/say] even though he hadn’t had much fortune or luck yet. Opening the portion already in his palms revealed a very tiny sliver of obsidian, and he gestured for her to see. [say]“Small portion over here,”[/say] which meant some larger contortions might be nearby. With the piece not big enough for any crafting he intended to embark within, maybe Alys would find better favor with it. Turning back, he began to unearth more from the same vein, careful once more not to startle any proportion of the walls.
And he listened still, eternally observant and calculating. Alys might’ve been amidst the first, besides the Naturals, to say Halo was nice, but he smiled just the same. Nor could he help the barking laugh that ensued from the statement about Ru. [say]“Are you suspicious of her kindness?”[/say] In other lives, people would’ve had every right to be.
The inquiry snagged at him as he plucked another seam from the cavern, turning over his shoulder with a shake of his head; the scars not so residual any longer. [say]“I am an Outlander. Many of us landed in the Hollowed Grounds, originally. When there was nothing left for me there, I came to Halo.”[/say] In a bout of sickness and compulsion, but it led him there regardless. [say]“But my home before was very similar.”[/say] To mountains; the Aurora Basin thriving beneath pinnacles of summits, stretching out its expanse with every dominion imaginable.
RE: [se] the infernal version - Alys - 05-10-2023
Alys came closer when Deimos gestured, pointing out the sliver of obsidian. The young woman considered it as Deimos moved on. It was a small vein, to be sure, but she didn't need very much. Maybe, if she could just work around the stone and get a big enough chunk... She began to chip away at the stone around the obsidian, being careful not to accidentally strike the shiny rock.
When Deimos laughed, Alys smiled wryly. It was much the same reaction she'd gotten from Tal, when she'd said something about Hotaru to him. [say]"No,"[/say] she replied. She thought of the reading she'd done for the other woman, of how sad and lonely she had seemed. [say]"She seems to be genuine. I like her. I wish I could repay her, though."[/say]
So Deimos wasn't from Halo, either. It was nice, knowing that she wasn't the only outsider who had decided to make their home among the ice. And Deimos seemed to have done well for himself, as Warden - so perhaps, if the people of Halo could come to trust him, they could come to trust her, too. [say]"Do you ever miss it?"[/say] she asked, thinking of her own home. She could honestly say that she was happier away from the Hollowed Grounds, but she knew that some people were attached to their homelands.
RE: [se] the infernal version - Deimos - 05-10-2023
He dug inward, tracing away from the smaller seam, intending to find a larger one. The crackling proportions came away in his hands, pried off the walls as if they weren’t ancient and primordial themselves. A kinship then, with the elements and the fixtures laden in between, and he began examining, scouring, for the traversings of the materials needed.
Not without minor distractions in conversations though, his eyes flickering briefly to Alys, and then back again, considering the right answer. Ru’s past and present were marked with triumph, but significant losses, all dotted, marred, and scarred with brutality and tragedy. And while he considered her family, he knew it wasn’t enough for the Valkyrie, despite his endless support. [say]“She really needs lasting friendships. She has endured a lot,”[/say] and his grin faltered away slightly. [say]“You can repay her in that way.”[/say] By simply being another confidante and comrade.
The question made him furrow his brow though, lost in thought. [say]“Yes,”[/say] but he’d died and been buried in cavern walls, sunken in and lost to eternity, time, shadows, and whatever memories he, Kiada, and Hotaru still managed to carry around in their souls. [say]“But it is gone now.”[/say] So all his melancholy didn’t much matter – there was no going back.
RE: [se] the infernal version - Alys - 05-11-2023
Alys continued to pick away carefully at the rock, her attention divided between her task and her conversation. She nodded in response to Deimos's instruction regarding Hotaru. She had gotten a general sense of suffering and loneliness when she'd read the cards for the woman; she remembered advising Hotaru to open herself to feel again, to allow new relationships into her life. Perhaps it had been fate that they had run into one another that day. If Alys could repay her even a little by simply being her friend, well, that wouldn't be difficult for the young woman at all. [say]"I can do that."[/say]
Alys continued to chip at the rock and was pleased to find that her efforts seemed to be bearing fruit. Fissures of her design had begun to open around the small seam of obsidian; she just needed to continue to go deeper, and perhaps she could pry the piece of rock loose. She was so wrapped up in her work that she missed the furrow of Deimos's brow, but she glanced up as he admitted to missing his home. Somehow, that simple acknowledgement made him more human. [say]"I'm sorry,"[/say] she said softly, offering a modicum of sympathy for what he had lost.
RE: [se] the infernal version - Deimos - 05-11-2023
With the potential for friendships brewing for the Valkyrie, Deimos nodded, permitting the topic to veer away, and for Alys’s attempts at finagling that together on her own. The larger, promised seam opened before him moments later, a shiny tracing of the dark, onyx obsidian, allowing a vague grin to collect over his features again. Prying it apart and out of the wall wouldn’t be a difficult factor, given his Mastered Earth, and provided a distraction while other thoughts roamed.
And it certainly wasn’t as though he didn’t have dreams of the Aurora Basin frequently, or figments and images of the Moonlit Tides like ghosts and wraiths beneath his feet. Past lives segmented easily into this one, with hollowed portions and their echoes, casting lines and drawing fragments into tangible conditions; things he couldn’t have any longer, but could still claim in between ribs and bones. The beast didn’t share any more though, keeping it contained and to himself, instead yielding her inquiry in return. [say]“Do you miss the Grounds?”[/say]
RE: [se] the infernal version - Alys - 05-12-2023
As Deimos opened a larger seam, Alys glanced over to admire the shiny black rock revealed by the man's ministrations. It was indeed much more than she had in her own seam, though it would, perhaps, be overkill for what she needed, and it seemed silly to take more than that when this small piece would be plenty. So she turned her attention back to her pickaxe and swung it a few more times, chipping away even more at the stone. When it seemed like she might be able to pry the section of obsidian away from the wall, she paused, scrubbing sweat from her brow with one hand.
[say]"No,"[/say] Alys said softly in response to Deimos's query. [say]"I was not sad to leave at the time. I am not sad to be away now."[/say] She shrugged. Halo felt more like home to her than the Hollowed Grounds ever had, the friends she'd made in Halo more like family than her own had been. It was sad, perhaps, that she felt no ties to the land of her birth, but it bothered her very little. It simply was what it was.