|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2024 1:06 pm
Fog had descended on Dering, slowly moving like a milky river through every inch of forest. It felt thick and heavy and though Dering fanned the air in front of him, it did little to improve his vision. He could hardly see anything in front of him.
If he hadn’t been powered up, he might not have even known that Stirling was right next to him.
He’d summoned his lute for comfort, and its steady weight calmed him. At first, he kept both arms wrapped around it but when he realized they’d have to navigate through this, he blindly reached out until he found Stirling’s arm and gripped her sleeve.
“I’m sorry about this, it does this sometimes.”
It was far from the first sea of fog he’d seen billowing through his Wonder but he wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen it this bad. At least it seemed to be light out.
A small wave of panic flooded through him when he came to terms with the fact that finding his Code piece suddenly felt impossible. It was hard enough to navigate through the the dense forest when he could see but already something felt different.
He felt smothered. He could smell Earth, and it was cold.
When he reached out a hand to try and find something familiar, he found only empty air. So he stepped forward.
There was nothing there, either.
In his surprise, he released Stirling’s sleeve, but he still yelped as he tumbled down the hole. He’d hit the wall a few times on the way down but it was mostly soft. Something tugged at the fabric of his uniform on the way down, and he was snagged and scraped a few times. It would have been easily avoided if he’d just known he was going to be jumping down a hole.
He hit the ground–dirt–with a solid oof.
The fall had been shorter than it felt, it was only the surprise that made it feel like a long tumble. If he’d been more careful, he could have even taken the steps down.
“St–Stirling! I’m okay, um.” He hit his head, he was a little dizzy but he was fine. His lute wasn’t; he’d crushed it beneath him when he landed. He was winded and coughed but was quick to call back up to her, “I think–there are stairs…”
He’d hit at least six on the way down.
“It’s–it’s dark down here, please be careful.”
She was more prepared, maybe she had a flashlight or something.
He meant to get up but…maybe just a moment was okay.
Dering laid on his back and coughed. Stars danced in his vision and his head hurt but he was already starting to feel better and his heart was beating with less aggressive intensity now that he realized he wasn’t falling to his death.
Despite the darkness, at least the air was fresh, and smelled distinctly sweet, like a flower he could almost recognize.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2024 1:59 pm
It felt right. Being back on Lysithea. From the moment the arrived, even in spite of the fog, she didn’t care. Stirling felt safe...and like she was home. “Don’t ever apologize for your Wonder, Dering. It’s perfect, just like you are.”
She was quick to reassure, but felt a moment of panic as her friend fell. Down…what appeared to be a hole. “Are you okay? Is anything broken?”
There was a flashlight in her subspace pocket and she quickly fumbled it out, turning it on and pointing the beam down the hole. There were stairs, just as Dering had said, and after thinking for a moment, Stirling brought out a water bottle and a small bottle of tylenol. It was better than nothing, it couldn’t repair any bones if he had broken them, but it could help him get through this part…help him get his Code piece all right again. “I’m coming down, I’m going to be careful, I promise.”
Carefully, Stirling began to make her way down the stairs, careful not to slip, as the fog had made them more than a little slippery. “I’m coming! Almost there now. I have some water and some pain pills just in case you got hurt, just stay where you are!”
She kept up the talking until she finally made it to the bottom, and as she shone the light around, she gave a sigh of relief when she saw that Dering was still breathing.
“Hey! I’m here. Can you get up? Can I help you up? What can I do?”
There was obvious, unapologetic worry in her voice, and she reached out for her friend, both to help, and to offering him the flashlight and the water with the medicine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2024 6:41 pm
Stirling had so much positivity sometimes, Dering didn’t quite know what to do with it. If he hadn’t been at the bottom of a hole after a good tumble, he might have laughed. She knew him well enough to know he wasn’t perfect but he didn’t think she was teasing him.
“Um, my lute might be broken. But I think I’m okay. I might just need to lay here for a minute.” He’d knocked the air right out of his lungs and the little wheeze that followed some of his words gave him away.
“I want to just lay here for a minute.”
He knew he couldn’t, he knew they had things to do, but even without seeing he was a little dizzy. He was still in good spirits though, as if the tumble hadn’t even hurt that badly.
“If that’s okay? Oh. I can get up,” he said suddenly, like he’d just realized how inconvenient it was for him to just lay on the ground. With a soft ‘oof’ he sat up, and even if he was still a bit off balance, he pushed himself to his feet. He swayed slightly but in the darkness it might not have been easy to see. He’d missed her hand entirely but it was dark and the fall had left him a bit disoriented. He was okay! He just needed to get his bearings. “Thank you, I um–I might need that, yes. The water, definitely. The pain pills–I don’t know, I shouldn’t. Sometimes they make me sick. I’m still learning what the good ones are.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2024 7:00 pm
“Lay there as long as you need! If you want a pillow you can use my lap, if you’re comfortable with that, no sense in laying on the hard ground all the way!”
She took a moment to open the bottle and then held the water out to Dering, using her other hand to gently steady his shoulder for a moment.. “The Lute will be okay, I’m sure it will. If you desummon it and bring it back, that should fix it…or…”
Stirling trailed off and chewed her lip. “Or that’s how things are normally, but when we fix your Code piece! It’ll get all better.” She had to believe it, or she would absolutely crumble. “No worries on the pain meds, I understand that, but if it starts to really hurt, let me know and we can take a break. There’s no need to rush this. Your safety and comfort is the most important thing.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2024 7:30 pm
Dering held up his hand instinctively, as if to politely decline. “No, I couldn’t, but thank you! I don’t need to lay down, I’m fine. Thank you,” he said again, and accepted the water. He sipped it carefully but he didn’t want to be too greedy or take up too much time.
He felt a little overwhelmed and flustered–falling down the stairs was embarrassing, and he supposed the heat in his face was more from that than from laying down in the strange position he’d been in.
His lute would probably be okay. It had been through worse in the past week even without him landing on it. He missed it, but he didn’t know if it was wise to expend the energy to try and fix it. It might just break on its own.
Still, he dismissed it to subspace, because in his heart he was worried about losing a piece and never getting his lute back in the same shape.
“I feel okay,” he assured. He’d steadied a bit on his feet and he held the water bottle between both hands as he slowly turned into the darkness. He hadn’t taken the flashlight; he left it in Stirling’s hand, but he didn’t need lights to see. He could feel something deeper in front of them.
“...Do you think it would be okay to keep going? I don’t know what this place is.”
Or if there were more holes. But they could be careful! He could go first. Just in case.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2024 7:34 pm
“Of course it’s okay to keep going! This is where you’re thinking that the Code piece is, right?” Stirling withdrew her hand from his shoulder and turned the flashlight on, moving it in a wide, slow arc along the floor. “I’ll make sure that we don’t fall down any more stairs, they were super slippery too, so we’ll have to take our time going back up.”
“I’m glad that you’re feeling okay, just tell me if you start to get dizzy or anything like that, like…if you hit your head we’ll just have to keep an eye on you, just in case.”
It had been a long fall, and she was just glad that he was up and walking. “If you change your mind about laying down, the offer isn’t just a one time thing. I’m okay with waiting, just so you’re okay.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2024 2:18 pm
Dering nodded when she asked about the Code piece but after a few seconds had to chirp, “I do think it’s down here,” when he realized that she probably couldn’t see him.
Beneath the dirt that had collected down here, it was clear that someone had paved a path with stone. It looked like it might have been intentionally hidden; the stones were there for support and purpose, not aesthetics. From the flashlight he could see that someone had worked very hard to carve out a path while still making it look like it was of natural doing. Small roots protruded from the dirt walls and seemed like they had been carefully woven together to help create an additional support to keep from cave-ins.
There was too much effort in this for him to think it was just an accident that they arrived here.
“But I promise I’m okay,” he insisted. “I’ve hit my head way harder than that, I have a thick skull!”
He didn’t feel dizzy but he did feel a bit sore and winded. It wasn’t anything he didn’t know how to navigate though, so after a few seconds of brushing himself off he began the careful trek down the hallway. Or–
He wasn’t really sure what to call it, when there were no walls or ceiling or floor. No decorations except that which nature made itself.
As Dering began to walk down the path he couldn’t help but feel like something was calling to him even down here. Stirling’s light only spread so far and it seemed like there was just an unnatural darkness the deeper they got.
He rubbed at his arm warily as the temperature dropped. The ground crunched quietly beneath them but that was the only sound for a long time–until a soft, ghostly whistle echoed softly around them. He went rigid immediately and stood upright; goosebumps peppered his skin and he wished now more than ever that he hadn’t crushed his lute on the way down. Even if there wasn’t something to fight at least he could have hidden behind it!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2024 2:29 pm
Stirling fell quiet. This was such an interesting place. A little spooky, but it felt…magical too…and she couldn’t help but like it.
She kept herself close to Dering, glancing at him in the gloom and hesitating as she felt the chill too. There…wasn’t really…
“Oh!” Her exclamation was hardly louder than a whisper, but she reached up with her free hand and yanked the veil off of her hat. It would come back, and at least…it could be used as some kind of a blanket. “Here! It’s chilly, and when you get hurt the shock can make you colder, but this should help at least a little bit. It’s not very thick but…”
It was what she had. Carefully, she draped the fabric over his shoulders. “It’s all right.” Stirling murmured, feeling her own goosebumps at the strange noise. “I’m here. You’re not alone…and I don’t think anything would want to hurt you at the place that you protect…”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2024 3:56 pm
When Stirling first exclaimed, Dering thought something was wrong and nearly gasped himself. He turned to face her but he really couldn’t see anything except the flashlight bobbing as she moved. Thankfully, she draped it over his shoulders, because he had no idea what she was offering him until he could feel it.
“Shock?” He blinked at her but he could only imagine her expression, especially in the unnatural darkness. “Um–I’m not exactly sure how that works, but really, I feel okay!” he insisted. “Thank you for your…” he didn’t know what she’d given him so his voice trailed off. He was glad it was so dark that she probably couldn’t see how red his face was. He doubted she would shine the flashlight in his face to see.
“I’ve heard of some Wonders having defense mechanisms, though. Or safeguards in place. I don’t want to trigger any traps. I don’t think I’m prepared for that,” he confessed, tugging at his sleeves nervously. He had to remind himself to stay focused and be braver, so he forced himself to stand up straight–even if it hurt a bit–and he held the makeshift cloak closed with one hand at his chest.
“Do you think Lysithea knows the stories about Wonders? Why any of them were chosen?” he asked. The whistling had faded, but it came back again as ghostly as before. It didn’t seem to have much sense to it. For as human as it sounded there was something more than that. He couldn’t place it. It might have been wailing as much as it was an instrument.
He was torn between wanting to go further and wanting to keep his distance, but…
The Code needed him. He couldn’t give up.
The flashlight began to dim as they walked, not because it was ineffective but because a thick black fog had begun to gather. There was something bitter, something ashy about it, and yet it didn’t seem unwelcoming or dangerous. In fact, it curled around them and even seemed to beckon them forward.
At first, Dering was alarmed; he didn’t know what to make of it but he didn’t fight it either.
Except, the fog seemed to push him right into a wall.
He made a startled noise and held out his hands to soften the collision–which wasn’t very hard, anyway–but suddenly vines wrapped around his hands and pulled him–
Right into an open cavern.
Inside, in the center of the room a bright silver orb flashed. It was blinding, especially given how dark everything just was. The room would have been beautiful, but the black fog hung low on the ground, making it difficult to see anything from the waist down.
A few seconds after Dering had been pulled through, Stirling was, too.
The new room was fairly wide, roughly sixty feet wide and a perfect circle. It had a domed ceiling, but vines completely covered it. While they were a faded green at the top, as they wound down to the ground they seemed brown or grey, and appeared like they were well withered. Once, lush flowers had grown down here. Dering couldn’t see the ground to examine the grass but he could see where the ground met the wall and sloped upwards, and he could see colorless, withered flowers aplenty.
The petals had fallen off of many of them, leaving a sad, unimpressive view.
He flinched as the Code pulsed again. The light felt like it was searing his eyes and he raised a hand to cover his vision. It was floating in the center of the room, over something he could hardly make out with all of the black fog. He only noticed here that it glittered from the light of the Code, like the fog itself was carrying a million tiny sparkles.
“Are you okay?” he blurted first, because while they had only been gently pushed into the room it was still so bright.
The whistling was louder here but he couldn’t tell where it was coming from. It didn’t seem to make noise in tandem with the Code piece nor could he see any source of it. He shuddered again; it was warmer here but he felt uneasy, almost sick, with the disturbance of the Code.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2024 6:34 pm
Stirling had wanted to shout out when Dering was suddenly gone, but a moment later she was in the same room, and her eyes were watering from the sudden brightness. “I’m okay! I’m absolutely okay! Don’t worry about me, I just…it surprised me.”
Surprised them both, she was sure. “I think…we found the Code Piece…that’s a really good thing!”
She wanted to be optimistic, wanted to empower him, bring him courage! This…maybe she should try and put up her shield? Would it even work? But if she could get some of the fog to go away, he would have an easier time…could she blow it away with her sleeves maybe?
Swallowing. “What can I do to help? I’m not…I know we’re like. Doing this blind but…if I can do anything I will.”
The question about the Wonders and Lysithea was filed away…she wanted to answer and it did seem like something that she would know! Or…at least learn at some point.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2024 3:15 pm
There wasn’t a guidebook for how to do this. The Code had said they needed to find the Code piece on their Wonder and resonated with it. Clear their mind. Meditate.
Honestly, Dering was afraid. He didn’t want to do this wrong.
He didn’t know how to clear his mind, he only knew how to bury his problems and package them up in a neat little box. Lock them up and throw away the key. It had gone well enough so far.
Stirling was doing okay, and he breathed a little sigh of relief to have her there and okay!
“I don’t know,” he admitted, and slowly approached the glowing orb. If it was the Code piece it was supposed to be working with them, right? It seemed like it was ready to lash out, but when the Code pulsed again, right at him, it didn’t hurt. For a split second, Dering thought it felt like someone was reaching out to him.
He held his breath and winced but he gathered the Code into both his hands and–
It felt like time stood still. The fog was frozen, the Code didn’t swirl. Dering stood there with it, transfixed by the brightness. If he peered into it, he could almost see someone. More than that, he heard the whistling again–louder, as if it were right behind him.
He was frozen. Cold, and unmoving, he was transfixed by the almost image in the Code piece. It was like it was trying so hard to show him something but it couldn’t seem to choose any one thing. It flashed rapidly, desperately.
Dering didn’t know what it was trying to do; it seemed frantic, like it was desperate to say everything at once.
He couldn’t understand.
There was too much going on, and his head started to hurt immediately–probably not from the fall–but he wasn’t going to be discouraged.
“It’s okay,” he said–maybe to the Code, maybe to Stirling.
It was going to be okay. Dering was here now. He was going to do whatever his Wonder needed. He was going to make this right, even if he didn’t know the first thing about it.
The Code stayed still for a moment, and then it began to slowly, peacefully, turn. It was like the gears had started moving again. It looked far more stable but Dering had been holding his breath for nearly half a minute when he finally seemed to realize that a strange feeling of acceptance had descended on him and spread across the room.
The fog had thinned somewhat but it looked like it had collected more sparkles in the process. It was more beautiful than before, and the flowers already seemed to have a bit more life to them.
Dering seemed like he was still trying to process this, but slowly, he placed the Code back down. He felt something, but he couldn’t really place it.
It felt right, though.
The Code seemed placated.
He felt refreshed, and despite a faint throb in the back of his mind–and a few strange flashes he was struggling to decipher in the information overload–he felt good, like all of his aches and pains had faded, too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2024 7:11 pm
Stirling had kept quiet, hardly daring to breathe as Dering took charge of the situation and very clearly did something. It was interesting to watch. How the place seemed to change just because Dering was there. Because he had his Code piece…and he was doing something.
She nodded when he said that it was okay, even if she wasn’t sure just who he was speaking to, she felt as though she had to reply with something. Even if it was non-verbal. But when everything seemed to end, when he put the now spinning Code piece down, and the fog seemed to shimmer, and the flowers looked as though they would live…
She gave a small sound of joy. “Julian! You did it! It’s lovely here.” Stirling was proud, proud that she was able to be here for this, and proud of her friend.
…If she could be so successful, it would be good.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 6:01 pm
Dering swallowed, maybe a little overwhelmed and a little flustered. He didn’t think he deserved any credit for how beautiful it was down here but he had to agree. “I’ve never seen a place like this. I don’t know how to get here again.”
It had been so foggy above, and with the stairs so well hidden…
“I wish there was some way to put a marker so I could come back. There’s so much of my Wonder that I haven’t explored yet, but…”
He looked at the Code piece. His brows were knitted together, apologetic but determined.
“I want to. I want to come back and I want to explore more. I want to be a good Knight.”
He said it for the Code more than anything, and if he could promise it this then it might be able to help him come back. He wanted it to know that he was trying. He was going to do his best, and if the Code Piece–if his Wonder–could just help him a little bit…
The Code pulsed easily, patiently.
It didn’t say anything but Dering felt a sudden calm wash over him. He felt like he could breathe, like his worry had faded. Even without a voice, it seemed to be consoling him.
He found strength in that. He found hope.
He spoke to the Code again, “My friend is trying to get to her Wonder, too. It’s really important to her. Would it be okay if I came back later, after we get her home and settled?”
Once more, the Code didn’t respond, but Dering felt the reassurance again. A weight had been lifted from his chest and he sighed in relief. It felt like a blessing, so he smiled. “Thank you,” he said, and turned to Stirling.
“Are you ready to go to your Wonder?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 26, 2024 3:30 pm
“You are a good Knight, Dering.” Stirling said softly, trying to figure out a way that he could put up a marker, and finally. “We could rip the veil, it’s already off of my hat anyway, why don’t we put it in strips and like…tie them to the trees around here? So that at least…it might be a little bit more visible and you won’t fall into the hole again?”
It seemed like a quick fix, maybe they could find some…more reflective material later…or lights. Battery powered lights…but…
No, those wouldn't really last...but. There had to be something.
“This place is amazing, Dering. I’m so glad that I was able to come with you…and yeah…yeah I’m ready to go home…”
She just hoped…
That she could figure this out too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2024 7:26 pm
“I’m glad you could come too,” he said, and though he thought he might be able to stay down here and just soak it all in, he could wait. There would be more time to do that. Stirling had been away from her Wonder for long enough.
“Thank you, I appreciate it. I just hope it’ll be faster getting up,” he admitted. He adjusted the makeshift cape she’d made out of her veil and now that she’d offered it seemed like a good idea. He could only hope that the fog would clear up sooner rather than later so he could make his way back here.
There was so much about his Wonder that he didn’t know. He wanted to learn. He just needed to figure out how.
But, later!
He smiled at Stirling, reassuringly.
She needed to get back to her Wonder, first.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
