[KQ] What Lies Beneath

D e i m o s

Send a heartbeat to the void that cries through you
Relive the pictures that have come to pass

Their notions were something mired in his gratitude; because at least he wasn’t the only one incapable of leaving the unicorn behind. But there was no time to speak over the sudden onslaught sliding around them, walls shaking, careening, visions of the Spire pressing against his mind. An ominous rumble, a scope of uncertainty, and a nuance tightly set along his jaw. This was a warning, an ultimatum, one of those streamlined efforts logged and bogged down in decisions. Before he could truly think of the alternative, besides running, besides going back the way they’d came, besides doing something intelligent and wise for once in their lives, Jigano asked for his assistance. In an instant, there was nothing else in his psyche but glowing palms and desired steel – bridges of support launched beneath the opening, striving to remain strong and sturdy, anointed, consecrated, to ensure there was enough time, enough space, for them to hopefully journey through. The arch reached, imploring, intending, to embark upon Atlas mantles; and his motions were simple, no complexity to them but the slightest of calculations into design and what would work best; allowing everyone the opportunity to sojourn along tempests. Zuriel would be a tight fit, but too prideful, too haughty, too damned superior to even listen otherwise, she scraped her shoulders and hind along the rocks, trying to squeeze her way through. The Sword waited, allowing others the opportunity, before he shifted – eagle and plumes and feathers, talons gripping his bag – to ensure he’d be able to slip his way within. -- Deimos attempts to create a supporting arch to allow everyone, including Zuriel, through. He then shifts into an eagle to ensure he has space to move freely through too. For now we stand alone, the world is lost and blown And we are flesh and blood disintegrate with no more to hate

Amalia

she wants the silence but fears the solitude

she wants to be alone and together with you

The cavern seems determined not to give them any choice, and Amalia stops her musing as the rocks around them shake, threatening at any moment to fall onto their heads. As Jigano and Deimos take the lead the baker tries to take stock of the decisions, looking back to Kiada with a nod for Auni and Isuma as Jyoti trills unhappily, unusually anxious in the face of these events.

Amalia, too, is quite uncertain, not sure that the unicorn will make it through the little gap. But she is willing to try anything to reassure Deimos, and so she sends the staff sliding forward with Jyoti and her pack before shifting down to otter form and fitting easily under the arch, shifting back and working from the opposite side to stabilize the space with her hands and staff.

---

Amalia otters through with all her stuff, then tries to stabilize the wall from the inside

she ran to the lighthouse, hoped that it would help her see

she saw that the lighthouse had been washed out to sea

KIADA

do not misunderstand me when i call myself a shell

i mean a used up bullet casing

At Jigano’s behest, once the walls and ground begin to shake, she sends her request to Auni – the Luxere drifting from the entrance, from before the ROUs in silent agreement with Isuma to follow the trail to the beginning before nodding to Jigano quietly, a grit to her teeth as she spreads her legs a bit further to retain her balance. “He’s on his way.” She informs them as Deimos attempts to strengthen the hole to make it so they can pass through safely.

And with it, as everyone shifts into smaller forms, Kiada shifts too – into her vulture form, with the weapons Deimos had recently made her in her talons, slipping through the hole as well, nothing but grim determination in her at this point.

---

Kiada sends Auni with Isuma telepathically, then shifts into her vulture form with the two weapons Deimos made her, and goes through the hole as well.

as in, the aftermath of something lethal

as in, an echo of inflicted evil

Things to bring with you when cave exploring: lights, rations, rope.

Things not to bring? Unicorns, probably.

Lithe and lucky as the Sage was, Jigano scrapes through the opening unharmed. The widening of the opening however is unstable at best as the eagle slips through followed by the unicorn honestly heather I never want to hear about luck again because somehow Zuriel made it. Though the Sword is unharmed, in an attempt to find her footing, Zuriel tweaks a muscle in her shoulder as she heaves her hooves across the slate and stone, bruising a pastern. Physically she appears unharmed, but hopefully no one asks her to run anytime soon. Amalia 's small body easily slinks through, but as the structural integrity of the arch-way begins to weaken under the strain, the final and much large avian is not so lucky. Rocks pour from the ceiling, shattering the arch-way and hitting Kiada as she hops through, bruising shoulders and wings alike.

But you've done it. You're through, and with the rockslide behind you having closed the opening, there is only one way to go: forward.

Ahead, the tunnel is narrow, lined with numerous reliefs etched into the wall of stars and galaxies and planets. There is a face with large and looming teeth, a waterfall, and what looks like a series of bifurcated rectangles.

---

REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding, but dangerous. This quest may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters. You can try to escape at anytime. Please try and respond as quickly as possible. Shit posts allowed (and preferred) leave a summary.

Your random initiative order is: Kiada, Amalia, Deimos, Jigano

ENDING HP

Kiada: 49
Amalia: 234
Deimos: 138
Jigano: 270

KIADA

do not misunderstand me when i call myself a shell

i mean a used up bullet casing

Well, she thinks she might make it as successfully as the rest of them, but as she slips through the hole in her vulture form, there’s nothing left but a shaking arch and rocks falling here and there. A few of which have impeccable aim that nail her on her shoulders and wings, that she croaks her amount of discomfort and annoyance.

But she makes it through, looking for the rest of them as she shifts back into her person and partially shifts her eyes to the vultures, to see better in the lowlight. Immediately, she scans the walls and spots the etchings. Turning to the rest of her group and rubbing at a sore shoulder she gives them all a small smile. “Ready?” She asks them, before grasping the weapons she had carried through with her talons and making her way down the tunnel.

---

Kiada goes forward through the tunnel!

as in, the aftermath of something lethal

as in, an echo of inflicted evil

Amalia

she wants the silence but fears the solitude

she wants to be alone and together with you

Amalia fits through the tunnel unscathed, though she cannot say the same for all of their group. As she shifts back to human form she, too, keeps her animal senses, the leopard's keen eyes and sensitive ears giving her a better perception of the small, enclosed space. Jyoti wastes no time in coming to her side, the little whale tucking herself unhappily upon the baker's neck, and the girl winces at her bonded's unhappiness, a rare and terrible thing from the usually jubilant creature.

Silently the Shield gathers her bearings. Fidgeting with the amulet in her pocket she surveys the others for damage, noting the way Kiada winces and walking to the girl. "Here," she murmurs softly, pressing the amulet into her hand. "There's healing magic in here, in case you need it." With a comforting smile she presses ahead of the Harpy protectively, her staff and Jyoti casting an almost unworldly light, fingers skimming over the beautifully carved reliefs. "Keep an eye out for writing," she calls back quietly. "And traps."

---

Amalia gives the amulet with Loren's mastered healing magic to Kiada, then takes the lead through the tunnel, keeping an eye (and hand) out for anything interesting on the walls and/or traps.

she ran to the lighthouse, hoped that it would help her see

she saw that the lighthouse had been washed out to sea

D e i m o s

Send a heartbeat to the void that cries through you
Relive the pictures that have come to pass

Zuriel, for all her intents and purposes, doesn’t appear as if she was injured at all – too proud, too smug at thwarting the damned walls, muzzle drawn in a vastly defiant range. But he could feel the slightest twitch of pain through their bond, the nettling of a bruise along her pastern, and he wondered if this had been wise at all – Not that it mattered. They were in. He shifted back to his human form, bag tucked over his shoulders, eyes catching at Kiada’s wincing. “Let me know if you need Zuriel,” because there was a note of self-regard in her existence too, and he wouldn’t press, wouldn’t hover, wouldn’t harpoon along unless she made note of her taxed, laboring form. She’d wanted space and confidence, and despite walking behind her, he’d grant what he could. But, much like Amalia offered her a healing device, he dug through his bag and produced portions of armor, holding them out to her in the silence. While there, he also procured the chalk, keeping them close by in pockets in case they needed them quickly. The darkness was something irritating; and the depths of his eyes gleaned to a more feline existence – intending to utilize their wares to view the depths of the underground in a better light. His glances scanned over his compatriots, and then the walls, noting Amalia’s instructions, either attempting to catch notion of traps and snares, or writing, intriguing notes sketched and etched upon the walls. -- Deimos walks behind Kiada, offering her some armor and Zuriel's healing services, and using his partial shift for tiger eyes, hoping to see better in the dark. For now we stand alone, the world is lost and blown And we are flesh and blood disintegrate with no more to hate

Deimos was an eagle now?

Of course Deimos was an eagle now. Jigano would have liked to have time to consider the ramifications of that, but the world was shaking and threatening to fall down around them and the General’s new duds would have to wait for another time to envy admire. The eagle was followed by the unicorn was followed by the otter was followed by—

”Look out!” he called, trying to hold the stones back with the force of his will, but alas he was no Abandoned with telekinesis magic. He winced in sympathy as Kiada took a bruising, sending a pulse of apology through the Attuned link that he hadn’t been able to prevent it.

Well. One upside to Deimos’s new feathers was that they wouldn’t need to talk out loud as much?

He turned his attention to the walls, reassured by the stars and galaxies that he hoped indicated Safrin, but far less comforted by the face with its giant teeth and the strange rectangles - flatter teeth? – nearby. The waterfall brought back memories of the cave-in at the Crimson Cataract, and he grimaced faintly as he made a few quick notes in his journal about the reliefs. By the time he looked up the others had already started moving, and his heart gave a little beat of protest. He had led them down here, it should have been him in front, looking out for dangers and traps and taking the brunt of any unstable stonework.

But he was also so proud of Amalia for so easily taking the lead, taking command in a way it would have been hard to imagine a year ago. Compared to that his petty protest wilted to nothingness and he drew in a breath, raising his head and his lantern to cast light for Deimos and Kiada from the back. He shifted his eyes towards a fox’s and let his ears grow up to furred points as he extended his senses ahead – and behind - as far as he could make them reach, seeking any sign of movement or life that might have been stirred up by the collapse of the tunnel. His eyes were drawn to the reliefs on the walls, though, comparing them to what he had seen before on their last journey through the dark. Keep an eye out for cross tunnels, too, he added to Amalia’s commands. We’ll need to find a different way out, unless Remi can shift that rockfall for us. And there was no guarantee that Isuma and Auni would be able to find the alchemist anytime soon, so best not to count on that until they had no other choice.

---

Jigano takes a few quick notes on the reliefs, then brings up the rear with his lantern. He shifts his eyes and ears to a fox’s senses and keeps an eye on the writing on the walls, and an ear listening for any creatures the rockfall might have disturbed.

Well then on you go.

Those looking at the wall will see the pictures are crude, but possess a certain rhythm. It isn't quite a narrative, but they are connected in a strange way. There is something building, it seems, in the reliefs. It seems to have been laboriously carved by hand rather than magic means, which seems interesting in itself. But on and on the pictures continue: rectangles bifurcated in the center, though now they are oddly skewed. The water fall has faded into a river and wouldn't you know it, there are sharks within, because of course there are.

The sound of rushing water ahead prickles at your senses, and those paying attention will notice the air has grown moist and almost humid.

Below, the ground you are walking on groans, but not loudly. It is like the call of a blue whale, miles and miles and miles away. The decibel level is so low you'll feel it in the cockles of your heart rather than your ears.

Hurry up or don't. Who's to say what the better choice is.

KIADA

do not misunderstand me when i call myself a shell

i mean a used up bullet casing

The Harpy only pauses when Amalia’s voice reaches her, and she turns to look at the Shield with a focused smile. “Thanks.” She says, taking the amulet and pulling the chain away from it to slip over her head. She hopes she doesn’t need it, but based off the bruising of her shoulder and the quiet ache of it all, she realizes she might not get so lucky. And she lingers just enough to let Amalia take the lead, slipping back beside Deimos, to offer him a nod about Zuriel.

As the Sword offers her the pieces of the armor he had made her, she makes a quick note to slip them on without deterring the group too much. She can hear the water rushing below, the hum in the fibers of her heart, and she focuses with her avian eyes to the drawings on the wall – spotting sharks and rivers and waterfalls (oh my!) “It seems like it’s a straight shot to water.” She offers to Jigano and the rest of the group unhelpfully, knowing they can all hear it too.

---

Kiada continues on, taking the amulet from Amalia and putting the armor on that Deimos gives her, and keeps going straight!

as in, the aftermath of something lethal

as in, an echo of inflicted evil

Amalia

she wants the silence but fears the solitude

she wants to be alone and together with you

As the caverns continue the images shift and change, a story engraved in the crude but beautiful images, creatures of the deep laid out in stone. More incredible, more entrancing: a low, distant, rumbling song that the Shield and her companion instantly recognize as belonging to something sacred and incredible.

"I think... I think there's a whale somewhere." Even Jyoti is excited at the sound, rousing from her anxiety to swim up toward the sound, her own song resonating down the corridor as he calls out to her kin, Amalia following closely, the trail of starlight illuminating the space ahead. Bright eyed, the baker turns back to her friends, her eyes vibrant and enthused, excitement crackling through the Attuned bond. "Come on!"

---

Jyoti hears the whalesong and attempts to call back to it while leading the way. Amalia follows her, still in the lead and still admiring the art on the walls.

she ran to the lighthouse, hoped that it would help her see

she saw that the lighthouse had been washed out to sea

D e i m o s

Send a heartbeat to the void that cries through you
Relive the pictures that have come to pass

Eternally curious with a penchant, with a mind, eager to take hold of any information he could utilize for later purposes, his feline eyes immediately drift over the walls. There were pictures contained, not quite a tale he could recognize, but something there, brandished across stones. The waterfall rampaged until it lingered along the throngs of a river; and the floor below them kept something within, reverberations and pulses sent through his presence like refrains, anything and everything unknown. He waited though – a speculative process built upon machinations and calculations, and experiences with chaos, with bedlam, with rushing into things without some sort of preamble. He caught the nuances of either a whale, prospered by Jyoti and Amalia’s excitement, or another thing altogether (perhaps where the water gathered, rushing, rushing, rushing, and he wondered if that could be problematic or a blessing too). While they crackled with excitement, he remained calm and composed, seemingly waiting for the inevitable. Zuriel was the same, even slightly less inclined to view the water. Then they followed after starlight and constellation patterns, patchworks vivid against the walls. -- Deimos stares at the art, then follows Amalia and Kiada with Zuriel. For now we stand alone, the world is lost and blown And we are flesh and blood disintegrate with no more to hate

Jigano studied the story, trying to understand the bifurcated rectangles as he lagged a little ways behind, then hurried to catch up. Waterfall to river… sharks in the river? The precursors to landsharks? Or is this a saltwater river that leads to the ocean?

The sound of rushing water ahead and the feeling of dampness on his vulpine ears had him tilting his head, frowning at the familiarity of the noise. His frown lightened to a brief smile at Kiada’s words, the smile warming at Amalia’s eagerness. ”This… I know this sound,” he said slowly, raising the lantern high one last time to study the pictures on the wall, looking for a tall, narrow rectangle, unbifurcated and pointed at the top. ”This is the sound beneath the Spire. The underground river I’ve heard down there twice now.” Did the river lead to the Spire? Would it be another way to reach the serpent and the portal that had been blocked by the falling masonry?

”Deimos, can I store this on your bag?” the bard asked, lifting his lantern with a wry smile. ”I’d rather not risk losing it, and since our eyes don’t need much light…” Even the General’s orbs were cat-pupiled in the dancing shadows. With Deimos’s permission, Jigano tucked the lantern safely away before falling back to transform into a snake while he followed in the wake of his friends, seeking to glean what information he could from the low rumble his serpentine senses were better equipped to interpret.

---

Jigano tries to figure out what those bifurcated rectangles are, then stores Ludo’s Lantern in Deimos’s bag of holding (with permission from Heather) before turning into a snake to try and get a better feel for the low-decibel ground noise/vibrations around them.

Jyoti will feel...panic. The whale song is dark and deep. A warning. Not ...? Not what? The message is slowly delivered. You will have to wait..

The rectangles look like {see group chat}. Curious and curiouser..

Along the walls, the following appears.................., but farther down the rushing water is much louder and more pressing.

What do you do?

---

REMEMBER: KQs are rewarding, but dangerous. This quest may cause death and/or permanent changes to your characters. You can try to escape at anytime. Please try and respond as quickly as possible. Shit posts allowed (and preferred) leave a summary.

Your random initiative order is: Kiada, Amalia, Deimos, Jigano

ENDING HP

Kiada: 49
Amalia: 234
Deimos: 138
Jigano: 270