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 Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 12:32 pm
Lysander didn’t want to deal with whatever strangeness awaited in the cove, he didn’t want to deal with anything until he’d taken stock of his situation and figured out where he stood on it all, but for the first time in his life he wasn’t able to do exactly how he pleased and frankly, it was pretty miserable. Melvin, the man who had woken him up was clearly crazy and he could only hope that it wasn’t representative of the rest of the people living here. He couldn’t imagine a world where violence was considered the normal way to make someone do what you wanted and was still traumatised by the whole ordeal. Rather than risk further attacks, he complied with the strange blonde man and made his way down the steps into the cove.
Down in the dank darkness there was a strange sound, an odd mournful sound, like a singing whale. It echoed strangely in the cave, bouncing from wall to wall and giving no real hint as to its source.
"Erm." he said, a little unsettled. "Do you hear that?"
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 12:58 pm
"A sort of flutter?" Roz whispered back, feeling like someone was going to jump them and shove bags on their heads next.
"It sounds like a bird, trapped in the room," his shoulder came up against Lysander's, in an incidental way. The room wasn't very big, and it was all solid, a cave with shelving. There was no rafters.
"At least that...whoever he was was didn't follow us here. Lys, I tried to get him off you. There was something, I don't know how to describe it, wrong with him. When you apply force to a body, even a strong body, there's some measure of give. It was as if something else was there. Not a body, but-" Roz shook his head. "It all feels like a very bad dream."
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 1:09 pm
"Uh. No." Lys said, "Not a flutter like a..." he made a ridiculous sort of sinister wailing noise. "I don't know where it is coming from though, it's too echo-ey down here. And old. And wet. I hate it."
Lysander was rather obviously in a bit of a sulk about being manhandled and not as keen on this whole thing as he had been. "No kidding he was wrong, all wrong. Crazy wrong." he did stop and give Roz a strange look for his comment about the lack of give. "And exactly how many bodies have you been applying force to lately? I think you just haven't woken up properly yet."
Irritable he looked around. "That noise is so annoying!"
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 1:17 pm
Roz fell into a shamed silence at the question about force.
Lysander usually took even the worst turns in stride, and he could tell his mood was soured.
"I can't hear it, sir," he said, leaving that topic well behind and regretting having mentioned it in the first place, "There is a hum. Is it coming from the wall? What are we supposed to do down here, exactly, just...take one and bring it back to him?" Roz had done his fair number of inane rituals.
The flutter was coming from higher, but he reached to take one of the glowing stones at random, and was met with a sharp, sudden, and cold feeling, as if he was doing something very wrong. A pair of mallets was inscribed on the stone.
"I don't...think I like it down here either," he said, taking back his hand like something had burnt it.
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 1:28 pm
It seemed to agitate Lys more that Roz couldn't hear whatever it was at all, seeming to hear something else entirely. This place made him feel like he was losing his mind, the strange dreams seeming more sinister next to all of this. He felt strangely nauseated looking at the tablets, not sure how they were glowing without any source of power in sight.
"No." he said. "Me either."
The noise changed in pitch, higher and more distressing, like the wind blowing through squeaking fencing, scraping steel on something else. He could smell something too and he became concerned he was having some kind of bad turn.
One tablet in particular seemed to keep drawing his eye, a strange twisted sword overlayed with a splayed rune. He felt like somehow the sounds were coming from there.
"Should we go back?" he asked, hesitant. He'd done a lot of rituals and magick and sometimes had believed he'd felt them working, but it had often been after many hours of meditation and sometimes a good bit of ceremonial alcohol. This was different, this was something truly bizzare and it was as much effort to deny this encounter as it had been at home to confirm something had happened from his rites.
"I feel like that one is looking at me. Did they drug us?"
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 1:37 pm
"You...know my feelings, Lys." Roz said. "I know you believe in magick, and that is what was promised here, but, yes, I think we were drugged. There's no telling if we've been here a few days or not, and the whole feeling here is dark. It wouldn't be white magic. If it was magic. Which, sorry, I don't think it is."
Bad feelings could be from drops in temperature, subtle changes in electricity, drafts, settling buildings, and all the things that made people believe a house was haunted but that house appraisers could spot in an instant as having routine causes.
For him, it was the fluttering that was incessant.
"We shouldn't go up empty handed," Roswell decided. "We're supposed to take one. So, I'd advise that you pick your favorite."
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 1:52 pm
"I've taken my share of drugs." and he had, part of his student experimentation with his new religion had involved quite a few smuggled drugs and messing around at one point. "None of them have done this sort of thing to me." He didn't like it, it wasn't unreal enough, it wasn't enlightening enough.
He didn't want to take one at all.
Still, against his better judgement he reached out to take hold of the sword tablet.
And cried out in surprise as his mind changed, a sensation like swishing water in a glass bowl, something slithering into his mind, something slippery and strange, something that coalesced into words, sweet and cute, young.
<> it sung <>
He looked down at the long broad sword he was holding and jerked away from his own hand in surprise, dropping it.
<>
He froze up and gave Roz probably the most wide eyed horrified look he'd ever given him.
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 2:11 pm
Roz rushed over to him, taking Lys's hand and looking to see if it was harmed.
"Did they- how did they... Are you alright, sir?"
The sword was the same, looking like an expensive movie prop, long and wicked with sinisterly sharp steel.
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 2:18 pm
Lys gave up his hand without a fight at all, staring distantly at the sword. "I can hear it in my head." he said shakily. "I can hear it talking."
His hand shook. "It's called Herald. H..her name is Herald."
He stooped to pick up the sword, utterly shaken to the point he dropped it once before he managed it. "Maybe we made a mistake coming here. Are you going to take one?"
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 2:23 pm
"Harold?" Roswell asked, not suspecting that Lysander was having a bit of fun with him, but heavily suspecting the drugs. He sighed.
"Just...be careful with- her." He decided, giving Lysander's shoulder a resigned pat. "You followed the wailing sounds, didn't you? So, I suppose I'm meant to find that bird."
It was up high. He knew it was. He also knew he couldn't reach it.
He tried anyway, feeling himself turn red as he went to balance on the shelves and reach his manicured fingers towards the very top corner of the cave.
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 2:31 pm
"Herald." he corrected, very very distressed. The voice kept talking, in his head.
<>
He ignored it as best he could, beginning to agree with Roz that he was drugged, and whatever it was was probably experimental and dangerous. They needed to get out of here as soon as possible.
"Here." he said, moving to reach for Roz, absently desummoning the sword. "Get it and let's get out of here."
Taking his waist, he lifted him a few inches up towards the tablet he was going for.
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 2:58 pm
"Oh, thank you," Roz said, feeling at least some good was coming of this situation, although it was humiliating to have to rely on Lysander for this.
He could reach the part of the wall the frantic flapping was coming from, at least.
Roz took down the stone with care, and as had happened with Lysander, the tablet changed in his hands, and become a long and ornate staff. Drugs. It was most certainly drugs, and illusions. Roz didn't drop the staff. The struggling sounds of several pair of wings resolved into a clean coat of horse hair, soft feathers, and the rush of a warm, summer breeze.
"Lysander," he said, trying to maintain some semblance of order, "It's, the same sort of trick."
Except he'd seen it, in a dream...
Brainwashing?
A bit of a doubter, I see. A pleasant male voice asked. I'm new to this, myself. We can figure it out together. Who's your friend? Introduce me, won't you? I'm Gilden, but Gil's alright.
"They're saying- Gil. Is his name. This is all...anyway, I think we can go back," He said, not willing to linger here any longer than he had to. He reassessed Lysander.
"What happened to the sword?" He asked with sudden panic, still holding his staff. Without it, their guide was liable to make them stay down here forever.
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 3:24 pm
Lysander almost completely dropped Roz as the staff appeared, staring in deep concern as he set him down.
"I uh." he looked at his hand and the sword was back. "It comes and goes?" he said, he felt like he was in shock.
"I want to get to our room." he said. "And lock the door until this wears off."
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 3:57 pm
"I think that's a very sound course of action," Roz said, holding his head as Lysander's sword appeared in a swirl of what looked very much like magic.
That looks tiring, Gil yawned. [i[But I agree, retiring to our quarters will do us all some good. Where is your boudoir?
Roz didn't know, and he decided not to answer.
Ah, we're both guests, the voice said. Hopefully your accommodations will be better than these. I don't mean to be crass, but it looks like a cave.
"And some water, I think," Roz added.
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 4:08 pm
He didn't want to talk to it. Talking to it would acknowledge that it was there, much like acknowledging the island's weirdness would acknowledge that it was also there.
"Yes." he said grimly, making his way up the stairs, back towards Melvin, feeling very tired already and trying to blot out the young voice which was throwing a small tantrum at him for ignoring her.
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