[火] The Battlements || West Gate

[Royal Taorito]

_______________The Narrator Whispers... ||

The man sighed almost inaudibly, seeming to have hoped they wouldn't have anymore to say. But he had offered to answer questions and wouldn't rescind that. "My name is Cérophán Kigan. Or Céro, if you prefer. I am as human as you are. Take what you will from that." Although Xion had freely supplied her name, he appeared to bear little interest in asking for the other girl's. "We stand in what remains of Hi no Kuni, the Land of Fire in which, depending on when you are from, Konohagakure once lay. Or, for those of you from a later time, where Yougangakure still stands tall, although it is devoid of human life." Céro's face turned skyward as the sound of powerful, flapping wings swept a strong gust through the small clearing.

Above them, somehow nearly silent until that point--though Xion would have 'seen' it a little earlier, a large dragon-like creature slowly descended, flapping its massive wings as carefully as it could, given where they were. With practiced ease, it land just behind Céro, molten gaze boring into the two girls. Black scales that glimmered red in the light covered its body and a series of long horns decorated its skull. It bore no front legs, its wings serving in their stead, and stood upright on thick and muscular hind legs. A long whip-like tail ended in a barbed stinger that was more than likely even more dangerous than it looked. A worn leather saddle sat upon its back.

A deep growl emanated from somewhere deep in its chest, but Céro placed a hand on its side to calm it. "This is Erh, one of the many wyvern you may meet here, as they are the main method of transportation between basins. So long as you do not cross them, they likely will not harm you. Unfortunately, she is only large enough to carry two people, and I must get this man back to his home, or leaving this place would have been easier." That likely wasn't a satisfactory answer to their situation, since it seemed he was still going to make them travel underground to get to... somewhere instead of just having them wait there. Shaking his head, he continued. "Anyway, as for how you got here, I have not figured out how this curse works as of yet. It seems almost no one is waking where they were taken."

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Solas Crua

HeadlessKoko

 

[Aritaryn]

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ M i y u k i F u j i m o t o
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀


┏ n i n j u t s u | p e r f o r m e r | k i r i g a k u r e | e - r a n k | f e m a l e ┓


『 c h a k r a 』215 // 215
『 s t a m i n a 』100 // 100

x" Hanasanai de | Gyutto te wo nigitteite | Anata to futari tsuzuku to itte "



Although he seemed rather begrudging about it, the masked man, Céro, as he introduced himself, answered the questions they provided him. In response to Xion's question about two hearts, he proclaimed to 'be human'--which unintentionally made Miyuki think about the meaning of it, since Jiongu had multiple. Did that mean that she wasn't? After all, she was forced to often do inhumane and grotesque things for the sake of survival, but so did some humans. What exactly made the line between human and monster was a concept that still evaded her. Enthralled by her own thoughts, Miyuki only half listened to Céro's response to her questions. They were in the Land of Fire, where Konohagakure or Yougangakure once lay. Both names rang a bell in her mind, so she wondered briefly if she had experienced both places. They were the same? Regardless, no one lived there anymore.

A powerful gust shook Miyuki fully from her wandering mind back to the present, and she looked with widening eyes to the massive creature that perched just behind Céro. Gaping slightly, she stared in awe at the shimmering red-black scales and its molten eyes while the masked man explained what it was. A wyvern apparently. And many lived in this land. They provided transport between basins, and were mostly friendly... well maybe not friendly but wouldn't attack us on sight. The one here was only large enough to carry him and the injured man back to wherever they were going, leaving Miyuki and Xion to fend for themselves in search of the cavern he mentioned.

Céro finished off his brief speech by explaining that he didn't know how the curse worked, and why it put the recently woken pair where they were. Miyuki jotted down everything that seemed important of the information they were given, just in case. She glanced at Xion, waiting in silence a moment to see if she had any more questions to ask before facing the man and his dragon-thing once more with a bow. "Thank you very much for your help. I don't have any more questions, and if my companion doesn't, we'll be on our way."





" Tsunaida sono te wa atatakakute | Yasashikatta "



HeadlessKoko
Lanfaer
Royal Taorito

 

[HeadlessKoko]

Head turning this way and that, Xion appeared to be quite distracted. However, unlike her companion, she was soaking in every word Cero spoke. Even while she took in the vibrations that formed the picture of a wyvern in Xion's head, she was listening attentively. Xion moved in mysterious ways but her thoughts usually made sense... sort of... kind of...

Ever the same, there were more questions Xion wanted to hear the answers to. However, she understood that by no means was she in any position to hear such answers. She would need to trust in the winds of fate to achieve her long term goal. More immediately, she needed to live. Live and grow.

The best way to achieve those ends, or at least the most straightforward, was to agree with Miyuki. Xion bid farewell to Cero with a neat bow, "I don't have any questions. Thank you and take care." Then, she turned to Miyuki and requested with an outstretched hand, "May we hold hands?".

.

100/100

Lanfaer

Solas Crua

Royal Taorito

 

[Royal Taorito]

_______________The Narrator Whispers... ||

Céro nodded absently, his attention no longer on the pair now that they were focused on leaving. "I wish the two of you luck, then," he said softly before turning away and kneeling once more beside the injured man. With some amount of effort, he heft the man to his feet and then helped him onto the back of the wyvern, who had crouched down for easier access. Climbing onto its back as well, he patted its neck and then tapped its sides with his heels. In a great gust of wind, the dragon-like creature took off again. Two flaps of its wings took it above the trees, and a third launched it into the distance with a sound akin to an explosion. Just like that, they were gone.

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Solas Crua

HeadlessKoko

 

[Aritaryn]

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ M i y u k i F u j i m o t o
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀


┏ n i n j u t s u | p e r f o r m e r | k i r i g a k u r e | e - r a n k | f e m a l e ┓


『 c h a k r a 』215 // 215
『 s t a m i n a 』100 // 100

x" Hanasanai de | Gyutto te wo nigitteite | Anata to futari tsuzuku to itte "



Neither of the pair had further questions, so Céro wished them luck and, after loading his companion onto the dragon, they were gone in a gust of wind. Briefly blinded by the strong breeze, Miyuki ducked down at the sound of an explosion, fearing for a moment the flapping of its mighty wings had set off the fruits Céro was talking about. But no burst of heat, aside from the already scorching air, followed, and she carefully opened her eyes once more. The two of them were left alone in a forest made of metal trees with little clue of where they actually were. Oh, and her companion was blind, so it seemed Miyuki would have to focus and take responsibility. At least she was somewhat sane compared to 'Cheetos'.

Xion spoke, asking if she could hold Miyuki's hand and, at first, Miyuki hesitated. Carrying that man had already worn down her nerves against her fear, and now she had to touch someone else. It wasn't that she didn't want to help Xion, and it wasn't like it was a fear of germs or something. Actually she couldn't explain the fear, and couldn't remember where it had come from. At the same time, she didn't want to be rude. It's just a hand, she reasoned with herself. It's for a good cause. Grimacing slightly because Xion couldn't see it, Miyuki gingerly took the outstretched hand. "Ah... sure."

She wasn't used to being the leader of anything. Her wandering feet got her in trouble enough to make sure that never happened. Of all things, that was one thing she could remember. While they had been given directions, Miyuki didn't realize for a moment she was expected to start off their journey. It made sense because her companion was blind, but she ended up just staring dumbly at the pale-haired girl for a long few seconds before realizing she was in fact the leader for the moment needed to make a decision. "Well, I suppose we should find this cave he mentioned, right?" A nervous grin that, again, Xion couldn't see. "And some water." Even without the sun beating down on them, the air was incredibly hot. It was only a matter of time before the pair of them would start to dehydrate. Since she wasn't focused on it, her grip on Xion's hand became a bit more confident, and Miyuki gently tugged to let the girl know she was moving. With a quick glance around to get her bearings, she started off southward.





" Tsunaida sono te wa atatakakute | Yasashikatta "



HeadlessKoko
Lanfaer
Royal Taorito

 

[HeadlessKoko]

Xion simply smiled and nodded. She complied with Miyuki's tug and followed after without a word. If it was water she needed to keep a figurative "eye" out for, then silence would be ideal.

Exit to The Ash Sea|| Valley of the End
100/100  

[Dopy Grimes]

"Oooooh you can dance. You can dance oh! Havin' the time of my liiiiiife. Oooooooooh watch that ******** how'd that song go again?" Anyone watching from a distance would see a flaming red trail scorching through the forest of metal. This red trail would also be singing very loudly. "I SEE YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!" The boy shouted after the neko girl. She was fast but compared to her he was the feline when it came to speed. A life of running made him that way. Suddenly he felt something odd with his body. "Ah s**t what?" It seemed as if the cookie he had eaten earlier had lasting effects on his body. He had turned back into the beast from before. "Ah s**t you gotta be ******** kidding me!" Chet cussed while running. It wouldn't take long before he caught up to the girl and was running beside her. But until he actually made it she would hear his yelling. "I'm sorry to interrupt your inner monologue you probably have several questions about the world we're in and the changes to your body and yeah I know that's fine but you really ******** up!"

 

[Lanfaer]

_______________The Narrator Whispers... ||

tab When last Chet was here he was the only of three who decided to charge forward atop a boat of gravy towards an insectoid terror. When others told him to stop he continued, and he came to a clash with the creatures shortly after. He avoided them, fled when sanity crept into his skull, but while he fled the insectoids remained.
tab They weren't fond of their prey getting away. And now, dinner had decided to make a return visit.
tab Would Chet notice how the shadows cast here darkened? How they echoed with pulses as the sounds of screeches began again? Would he notice the iron trees humming with renewed life? Would he see the jellies burns with an internal fire as their lives were stoked by the power within the shadows?
tab Perhaps he, and the girl, would notice when some sort of creature that resembled a human torso split down the middle into a gaping maw, with insectoid legs scrabbling about, came screaming out of a shadow to attack Chet.

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magcookie

malavaes

 

[Dopy Grimes]

magcookie

Chet frowned as he watched the girl disappear into the metal wilderness. It appeared the girl had some fight in her after waking up from a coma of 200+ years but that's none of this narrators business. "True that. When I woke up I had to shoot a ********' hoolah dancer to live. Wild." Hopefully one day, Chet would realize that the individual he shot and that he considers 'the hoolah dancer' was actually trying to protect him Xion and the other individual whose name escapes me. "Well s**t now what the ******** am I supposed to do? I ain't gettin' ******** up over no cat lady- oh s**t what the ******** was that?" Chet interrupted himself when that familiar tingle went down his spine. The same feeling from before. The feeling of dread and death. The feeling that something wanted him and not for survival purposes. Not like a lioness hunting for her young. It was malignant. It was something that reveled in pain and suffering. It's existence being the very same. "Ah, s**t man it's that ********' zombie bug thing again!" People ask me. !@#!@$#! your narration has gone down a little bit in quality over the past couple of weeks. In the beginning, there was an interesting dynamic between your long and descriptive narrative with Chet's short and abrasive dialogue. But please comprehend how maddening it is to pour your heart out into detail only for it to be smashed by this idiot's lunacy. "Words hurt, b***h."

The creature from before flew towards Chet but this time the boy was prepared. "b***h!" He shouted aiming his arbalest at the monster and releasing it directly at it.

 

[Lanfaer]

_______________The Narrator Whispers... ||

tab The bolt caught the creature right in the head, pausing its momentum through the air just enough that Chet would be able to step out of its away. The body would jerk back and screech a gargled howl as black blood spewed from the wound like a fountain head, falling to the earth in a heap and thrashing about for some sort of purchase, perhaps to stand. Yet in the end it might well prove for naught as the shadows continued to him, the screaming of the creature drawing more of its brethren out from the shadows they called their home. In fact, if Chet looked closely, he might well see something within those shadows that wouldn't sit well with his stomach. That, or the single minded bloodthirst these things exuded was the origin of the sensation. Difficult to tell, really.
tab That isn't to say that he was the only target, of course.
tab The crystals that hid the cat lady were quite the choice of defense, but so, too, did it put her in danger. The light from the red jellie-like structures produced enough ambient light to see by, but only as much as a candle would. It cast long shadows, shadows that hummed and whispered at the corner of her eyes. Her little alcove against this thicken allowed some movement, and given the facets the crystals had it was always possible she was imagining them, the light refracting sporadically thanks to this strange light.
tab It might also be something...else....

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magcookie

malavaes

 

[Dopy Grimes]

magcookie

Chet didn't cheer at the downed creature. He knew very well from before that the monster wouldn't be alone and wouldn't stay down for too long. Last time he had an ally to aid him against them and even then the battle wasn't in his favor. No matter how idiotic the boy was in most situations he now had to give pause and consider that going further for the Neko was suicide. It infuriated him to go back empty-handed. "s**t s**t s**t!" He cursed as the monster roared for its kin to follow. "Listen here, kid! I ever see you again I'm gonna ********' use your spine as a god damn fly swatter! Good ********' luck out here." He shouted before turning around to head back to the dojo. He looked carefully at his surroundings before dashing away. The flames from his shoes leaving a trail behind him.

 

[Lanfaer]

_______________The Narrator Whispers... ||

tab As Chet blazed his trail into the distance, as the thundering of his feet resonated off of the metal trees, his narrator might notice a sudden [+50 Exp!] box appear above Chet's head, along with a sudden victory theme begin playing inside his head. Perhaps this was the watching gods' way of saying "congratulations on not dying!" in a twisted display of a reward. However his feet are swift, his spirit strong, and the fire he leaves in his wake smolders mightily as Chet retreats into the distance, towards his mighty fortress.
tab That however leaves the cat alone, who lay within her crystal home which even now began to hum. Yet as Chet's insanity traveled into the distance and she remained as quite as a mouse the creatures in the shadows sampled her scent, and found her wanting. In the darkness red eyes turned away from her direction, looking instead towards that which feeds them: greed. They turn and the shadows once more becomes shadows alone, no portals to a place that echoes with voices that know no mercy nor love nor positive emotion at all. Instead the world becomes warm, the cold seeping from her bones, and once more the Hellwrought Forest becomes silent.
tab For the moment, at least.

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magcookie

malavaes