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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 11, 2019 9:49:09 GMT -6
With the spleen back in her backpack, nestled amongst the other odd pocket pets, Fiera was ready to go. She zipped her backpack back up and resettled it on her back before standing up. She gave Victor's leash a few brief tugs. He looked at her and sighed, stretching before he got back up. It looked like he was feeling fully recovered too, and began sniffing around again for their next... adventure. Or weird spleen monster. Whichever. She looked around at her area one last time. The gap leading back to the trail they came in through was still behind them, and ahead of them was a forest covered in giant spider webs, mist seeping through the gaps between them. There wasn't much she could see in the twenty feet that was visible, and there wasn't really a clear direction to go in or path through it. She'd just have to start walking.
Fiera 5 Victor 7.0/9.0 65
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Post by Jack on Oct 11, 2019 10:02:35 GMT -6
What's this thrumming you can feel in the area?
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 11, 2019 12:50:32 GMT -6
Thankfully, Victor seemed to have more of an idea on where to go then she did. The moment she started mulling over what direction to go in, looking one way and the other, he was off like a shot, putting his nose to the ground like he was on to something. As before, he yanked Fiera forward, but seemed even more excited than usual, wagging his tail madly. Had he finally scented something of interest in this webbed area? Was this what he had been pulling her toward the whole time? Something felt... off about the area they were in, but not in a way she could place. Like a breeze without the movement of the wind, or a bass beat without the music. She couldn't really place the sensation and while it didn't feel hostile (or friendly for that matter), she couldn't help but be a little scared of it.
Fiera 6 Victor 7.1/9.1 66
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 11, 2019 14:11:20 GMT -6
The fear that Fiera was feeling was more from her not recognizing the sensation more than anything, but her rakai sarane kept dragging her inexorably further ahead. Thankfully, she did at least have some small amount of curiosity bubbling up inside her, and didn't take the opportunity to drop the leash and run. Finally, he stopped, and barked at one of the webs ahead of them. She approached him carefully, trying to see what it was he was making a fuss over. Sure enough, there was something caught in the web- and it resembled something that she'd dig out of the mines more than anything. She gently reached out, brushing her fingers against it. The thrumming sensation blossomed in her head the moment she touched it, making her leap back. Well, that explained where the sensation was coming from, at the very least. Fiera reached out again, more hesitantly than before.
Fiera 7 Victor 7.2/9.2 67
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 11, 2019 15:48:35 GMT -6
When her fingers touched down again, the sensation was thankfully less intense. Victor seemed to have calmed down a bit now that the shock had subsided as well. He was still sniffing at it, but not barking or trying to hurt anything. She wasn't entirely sure how a crystal could hurt anyone anyway, but she knew this place well enough to not say that out loud. Instead, she plucked it out of the web. Was this thing... magic? Was that what the sensation was? The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. She had heard that magic was supposed to give off a physical sensation when strong enough. Furthermore, Victor was a magical creature, and he had been attracted to it enough that he dragged her all the way here, and had a clear reaction to it. It occurred to her that she had found something quite special.
Fiera 8 Victor 7.3/9.3 68
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 11, 2019 16:43:28 GMT -6
Physically, it resembled a clear crystal. Were it not for the effect it had on her, she could have easily mistaken it for a shard of glass. Upon closer inspection however, it became apparent that it was slightly luminescent, with a tiny band of light racing through the center. Whatever this thingy was, Fiera had the feeling that it was her most valuable find yet. She was quick to clean it off, removing the layers of dust and webbing that had built up on it before shuffling her hefty backpack back off of her shoulders. She found one of the deepest, innermost pockets of it, and slipped the crystal in. Whatever it was, that would hopefully keep it safe until she could get it home. She zipped it back up and found herself looking around conspiratorially, as if someone was going to run up and snatch it from her grasp.
Fiera 9 Victor 7.4/9.4 69
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 11, 2019 16:52:30 GMT -6
There probably wasn’t any use in being THAT paranoid, she thought. If something in here wanted it badly enough to try assaulting her and taking the crystal... well, they could have it. She didn’t know what it was yet, no point in losing her life over it. Regardless, there didn’t seem to be anyone else around anyway. Victor had calmed down considerably after they found the crystal too. He wasn’t trying to yank her arm off anymore, and instead seemed pretty aimless and curious about his surroundings, like any other dog. She guessed then that the crystal must have been what he was looking for this whole time. She’d have to pay attention- Victor was pretty sharp, and it looked like his behavior changed depending on if there was anything magical in the area. For now though, it looked like Fiera was free to pick their direction.
Fiera 10 Victor 8.0/10.0 70
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Post by Renathan on Oct 11, 2019 16:57:31 GMT -6
Just what was the mansion, anyway? Everything was eerily quiet now, perhaps now that the crystal was removed. Only a strange whistling wind could be heard, but that's normal for Autumn. Right?
[Nothing Happens]
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 11, 2019 20:16:38 GMT -6
The webbed area felt... too quiet now that she had taken the crystal out of it. Like it had been what was fueling the unnerving atmosphere of this part of the mansion. She would almost come to the conclusion that these crystals were what caused the magic of this place... but that didn’t feel quite right either. After all, just a few months ago this area would have been a sunny beach, and now it was a webbed wasteland. If she had removed all the magic from it, wouldn’t the illusion have faded? Wouldn’t she see... whatever the mansion really looked like? But no- it was just a forest of huge, abandoned webs still. The only thing that had changed was the atmosphere of it all. The pale, glowing crystal she plucked out must have been only a very small part of what made the mansion tick.
Fiera 11 Victor 8.1/10.1 71
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 11, 2019 20:30:35 GMT -6
Of course, this was all still conjecture on her part. She would likely never know what made this place work- if it was anything human minds could perceive at all. Fiera’s job was just to observe and, if she could, enjoy. And of course rob it of all its riches. That part was important. Now that she had a method for finding good stuff however, all she had to do was... keep doing it! Soon she’d have a veritable treasure chest of goodies. All she had to do was let Victor take the lead... when he felt like it. The arcane rakai sarane seemed quite happy to just sit there for now- likely because the magic in this immediate area had been removed. Fiera would have to take the lead now- literally, as she picked up his leash to drag him off somewhere else on the mansion grounds.
Fiera 12 Victor 8.2/10.2 72
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 11, 2019 20:34:53 GMT -6
There wasn’t any sort of path here, and Fiera realized the sky had gone blank too, due to the mist. The moon and stars that had been shining down so clearly before were now nowhere to be seen. Though, she doubted that the astral bodies would be much help in navigation anyway, with how this place worked. As a result, Fiera just picked a direction opposite from where she came in and started walking. As she did, she heard a faint whistling in the air- the wind? No, it couldn’t be. After all, the fog was thick here, so she would notice the breeze. It could have been a person but most likely it was just another mansion illusion, letting her know it was keeping an eye on her. Well, two could play at that game, and Fiera started whistling a jaunty tune right back into the air.
Fiera 13 Victor 8.3/10.3 73
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 11, 2019 20:39:25 GMT -6
Victor was walking quite politely now, letting Fiera take the lead. She was glad for it- her shoulder was incredibly sore by this point, and she still needed to get him home after this. For a moment, however brief, she could pretend he was just a regular dog- albeit huge, bright blue, scaly, antlered, and perpetually on fire. But you know, practically a real dog. The more she walked, the thicker the webs got, and soon she had to wind quite the circuitous path to avoid getting stuck. She was sure she could break out of one- spider webs weren’t THAT strong, no matter how big they were- but the damage to her sense of hygeine would be incalculable. No, instead she awkwardly ducked beneath branches and shuffled around bushes, determined to not get any more dirty than she already was from her... previous adventures. She was going to need a shower after all this.
Fiera 14 Victor 8.4/10.4 74
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 11, 2019 20:59:30 GMT -6
The forest was kind of pretty though, now that it wasn't filled with an aura of dread emanating from the crystal. Theoretically, her backpack could be radiating an aura of dread right now, but Fiera certainly couldn't feel it. But she digressed- the trees were tall and pale, nearly white, and statuesque. The bushes were equally pale, but they had a fractal complexity to them that the humanish could appreciate. And finally, the spiderwebs were surprisingly untouched- instead of being tangled, dirty lumps like most cobwebs were, they were clearly abandoned but still in fantastic shape, creating lacy arcs throughout the branches of the plants. So long as no actual spiders showed up, Fiera could appreciate their attractiveness. Still... she'd rather hustle along, just in case one of the spiders here was a bit late in leaving the web. She picked up the pace a bit as a result, tugging Victor along.
Fiera 15 Victor 9.0/11.0 75
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Post by Ashe on Oct 12, 2019 5:13:40 GMT -6
A lonely leaf blows across the ground.
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 12, 2019 8:49:00 GMT -6
As she passed by another web though, a bright flash of red caught her eye. Her ears flicked up and her head whipped around, curious about the dash of color amongst the greys, browns, and whites. It was only another wax leaf however, caught in a web. She frowned slightly, perhaps a little disappointed, but she had the feeling these were important somehow and that she was collecting them for a reason. So she plucked it off, flipping it over in her hand as she kept walking. At least this one was prettier than the others- she had found only one other dull yellow one, and then quite a few brown wax leaves. This one by comparison was a bright, vibrant shade of red. Certainly a herald of autumn, even if it wasn't a real leaf. She moved to take her backpack off, to put it with its fellow leaves.
Fiera 16 Victor 9.1/11.1 76
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