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Post by Xentus on Dec 12, 2020 13:38:53 GMT -6
It didn't take long before things grew slightly more uncomfortable for the desert dwelling leopard. Snow. Flakes of frozen water began drifting delicately from the dark sky above. Some landed on his eyelashes, irritating him further. A low grumble bubbled in the mammalian's throat. Somehow, the manor seemed to actively try to make him annoyed in some fashion or another. Or perhaps he was simply unfortunate enough to stumble where he was not the most welcomed. At least it hadn't yet decided to swallow his pet up into the unknown. The leopard glanced down at the flaming golem to make sure it was keeping pace, its warm flickering fire being a rather comforting sight to behold. It seemed to sense the unrest its master felt, yet was powerless to do much about it aside from standing firmly with the man. Xentus could appreciate that.. Even though it was simply instinct for the creature.
Dec - 32
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Post by Xentus on Dec 12, 2020 13:43:57 GMT -6
Another chime from an unseen bell sounded up ahead. It sounded.. Closer this time. Was he making progress, somehow? This tunnel couldn't span endlessly. Er.. Well, it hopefully couldn't span endlessly. The thought that there were trapped rooms in this place which endlessly looped as an unwitting victim traveled was something out of a horror novel.. And yet it felt like there was the absolute possibility of such a thing actually occurring within these walls. Admittedly, he was a little unnerved by the very thought. And he dearly hoped he had not managed to stumble upon such a trap. A deep, frosted exhale escaped the leopard as he pressed on. There was nothing to do but walk and try to enjoy the slightly pleasant sights of dancing lights. The golem didn't seem to mind the cold at all, carrying on without much worry aside from the well being of the leopard.
Dec - 33
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Post by Xentus on Dec 12, 2020 13:48:20 GMT -6
The warmth of its flame did help a little, he thought. And its company made this all a little more bearable. The walker did its job. Xentus averted his gaze back to the endless black which spanned all around them. There was only so much he could think of the pretty light show. And at this point, the novelty had worn off. Just as that thought passed his mind, the chime sounded again, and seemed to come from right before him. The mammalian perked up and faced forward. And his eyes met a relieving sight. A door. The end of the tunnel. Strangely, there were no walls surrounding the door. If he could somehow get a look at it from the side, he was sure he would've just seen a continuous tunnel. He hoped this wasn't some kind of trick. With a deep breath in, he reached forward and turned the knob.
Dec - 34
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Post by Xentus on Dec 12, 2020 13:53:21 GMT -6
With a hopeful push forward, the leopard was met with the warmth of the mansion interior once more. Ah, such relief.. The door opened to what appeared to be a dining hall, oddly placed in the middle of the length of the room. Xentus had little time to wonder why, and instead hurried in, making sure the golem was beside him before letting go of the doorknob. Once the pair were safely within, the door seemed to close itself behind them. Xentus held his gaze on it for a moment to see if it would vanish before his very eyes, but it seemed to stay put under his watch. He averted his gaze to look about the room. It smelled delicious in here. The scent of roasted turkey.. Ham.. Warm apple cider. And apple pie. The dining hall seemed to be vacant of any such items, however. This would be strange, but strange was par for the course.
Dec - 35
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Post by Xentus on Dec 12, 2020 13:58:25 GMT -6
Xentus looked about the table and rows of chairs, plates, and silverware to see if there might be any semblance of food around here. He wasn't hungry by and means, but if he spotted something to snack upon, he wouldn't hold himself back from having a taste. Curious, the mammalian walked up beside the table, brushing his hand along the wooden surface as he started to walk down its length. It looked dressed for a large family gathering aside from the lack of food. How disappointing. The leopard ran his fingertips along a plate, then stopped for a moment. The texture of the plate was.. Odd. Leaning in, he took a closer look. It still most certainly looked like a normal plate. But it felt.. Like some kind of cracker or cookie. Light and rough in texture. He blinked, looking at his golem for a moment before reaching down to touch it too.
Dec - 36
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Post by Xentus on Dec 12, 2020 14:04:37 GMT -6
The golem felt normal. The table felt normal. The plate was definitely the strange one. A hum escaped the mans throat, trying to decide his next action carefully. And it was decided in the next second. He was going to bite it. If it was inedible, well, that was a shame. If it was edible though.. He might need to take a piece of plate with him to snack on as he continued to explore. The suspicious plate was lifted, and examined carefully for a moment.. Then he went for it. It cracked under the pressure from his teeth, breaking off a crumbly piece into his maw. It tasted.. Like apple cider? The leopard chewed carefully, then placed down the remainder of the cracker-cookie plate thing. He wasn't sure how he felt about this. Why couldn't this place simply have normal food? A perturbed grumble escaped the leopard as he beckoned for the golem to keep up as he wandered off.
Dec - 37
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Post by Xentus on Dec 12, 2020 14:08:32 GMT -6
The golem seemed to be at a loss for what was disturbing its master presently, but did well stay beside him. This was another time when he wished he had a different kind of company so that he could share in this strange taste experience. But, the golem couldn't eat such foods. It probably didn't know hoe to taste. How would it, anyway? Its only organ was its seed after all, and it doubted that it could taste. What purpose would it have for such a sense? The leopard distracted himself with such thoughts as he made his exit from the dining hall and into another room. This seemed to be some kind of living room. A large rug covered its center, topped with a coffee table which was flanked by some chairs. At the far end of the room was a lit fireplace, which had an archway leading out on either side.
Dec - 38
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Post by Xentus on Dec 12, 2020 14:13:27 GMT -6
This would make a nice little resting point, he figured. The long, cold walk though that tunnel had still left him feeling a touch cold and slightly winded. He only hoped there were no tricks to be had in here. Was a short rest too much to ask for? Xentus took his chances and seated himself on one of the chairs. The rug below was quite plush, making his toes sink in slightly. It was patterned with diamonds, almost reminding him of the back of a playing card. His eyes shifted to the golem. It was trying to get up onto the seat too. With a chuckle, he helped it up onto the space beside him. Once it was settled, he took a better look around. The coffee table had a couple of books on its surface, which seemed to come from the shelves adorning the walls. A series of paintings broke up the decor into sections.
Dec - 39
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Post by Xentus on Dec 12, 2020 14:18:34 GMT -6
The painting above the fireplace was of a beautiful winter scene. This seemed to be the theme of all the paintings in this room. The leopard briefly scanned each, but decided the one above the fireplace was his favorite. It almost looked real. As he blinked, he could've sworn the galabex in the scene moved from where le last remembered. A trick of the light, perhaps? Or the trickery of the manor. Whichever the case, it was both odd and fascinating. And alarming. He.. Didn't want to stay put here for too much longer. Who knew what else might change between the blinks of his eyes. His rest spanned about five minutes before he was up and moving again. Staying still for too long in this place didn't feel safe. It was likely more safe than continuously moving from room to room, but what did he know? He beckoned for the fire walker to come along as he headed toward one of the archways.
Dec - 40
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Post by Xentus on Dec 12, 2020 15:34:56 GMT -6
The creature dutifully trotted after the leopard, bouncing off the chair and stumbling a bit on the rug on the process. How it managed to be so unsteady on its limbs was almost as much of a mystery as this accursed manor was. Xentus stifled a laugh, then turned to look down this new hallway. Frosted glass window panes lined the far spanning hall, letting a gently white light shine in. The vague scenery outdoors seemed to be a snow covered winterscape, though it was hard to many anything in particular out. Down the hall on either side seemed to large wooden doors, framed with wreaths and holly berries. Festive, though indistinct in terms of what might lay beyond them. Typical. If he had to be truthful about it, he was starting to grow a little weary of this place already. Perhaps the cold from before was getting to him.
Dec - 41
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Post by Xentus on Dec 12, 2020 15:39:50 GMT -6
As much as he wanted to continue exploring and bumbling about, having some proper food sounded nice. As did scenery which didn't threaten to shift before his very eyes. His sense of direction was shot now, so which way might be the front or back of this place was beyond him.. And the frosted glass before him had a fifty-fifty chance of showing the true outdoors or be yet another illusion. He bet on the coinflip and started walking again, tracing along the line of windows. Some had unlit candles resting upon their frames, while others had the waxy remains of what once was a candle. How odd. Though he knew better to question the rationale behind the design choice. The little walker trotted alongside him, stepping in the hardened wax drippings on the floor without a care. Before long, the duo were before a large wooden door, with hopefully some semblance of an exit beyond it.
Dec - 42
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Post by Xentus on Dec 12, 2020 15:46:17 GMT -6
The door creaked open as the leopard pushed against it. It was as heavy as it looked, unfortunately. It took a fair bit of effort to push through, and for once, his efforts didn't fruit despair. While he wasn't returned to the grant foyer from earlier, there was what seemed to be a diminutive version of it here. A small spruce tree lit with flashy lights skirted by boxes in one corner, a small assortment of festive decorations along the wall, a small gingerbread house upon a small vase table.. Homely, seasonal, and somewhat normal looking. Though, he didn't want to jinx it. There was a door flanked by tall frosted windows which looked as if it might lead to some kind of side garden or patio.. He couldn't really tell. A wave of nervousness washed over him, which the golem noticed. It clattered in response, as if curious to know what its bonded one was worried about.
Dec - 43
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Post by Xentus on Dec 12, 2020 15:50:46 GMT -6
Xentus offered no words to the elemental being, however. He simply inhaled sharply, then let it out slowly. Well, what did he have to lose aside from more time spent wandering about this place? The leopard skirted around some haphazardly strewn about plush toys and ornaments to reach the door. The golem simply bulldozed through them. The handle was cold to the touch. An actually reassuring thing, for once! With a turn and a push, it slowly opened. He fought against some snow that had piled up behind it, though the light powder was somewhat easy to push through. The cold attacked any exposed part of his body. His toes, face, fingers.. A shudder rippled across his form, prompting the golem beside him to begin lightly spouting flames which might comfort the man. It was relieving to some degree, but certainly not as much as the sight of the true outdoors was.
Dec - 44
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Post by Xentus on Dec 12, 2020 15:56:11 GMT -6
Getting out of the manor so easily was almost.. Concerning. Was he really freed, so soon? Perhaps the manor was feeling generous this time. Xentus glanced around to ensure he was truly outside. The sky lacked an endless look to it, and the surrounding forest seemed somewhat recognizable. He felt that he could vaguely make out the shape of that odd well poking out from the snow as well. All were good signs. He glanced down at the golem to make sure it was still with him and not somehow eaten by the mansion, and surely enough, there it was, peering up at him in return. Their trip here was short, but plenty enough to satisfy his wanderlust for a good while. Maybe a couple days, if he was lucky. But as ever, there was a certain draw to getting lost within the strange confines of the manor. No doubt, he'd be back within those walls soon enough.
Dec - 45 > Exeunt Xentus and F3 (45)
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Post by Xentus on Dec 13, 2020 8:56:34 GMT -6
Adventure #3 - Winter Wiurn's Wayward Walk > Xentus, accompanied by...
Was it wise to bring a giant, winged reptile to the manor? Probably not. Did he do it anyway? Yes, of course. While the beast was still untrained yet to carry his weight, he walked with it to the estate grounds, trudging through the ever thicker snow that surrounded the premises. Alerios was thrilled to bits to be in such an environment, plunging his head into the soft white blanket and flinging it up into the air. It was almost like watching a child playing in snow for the first time. While the leopard was happy to see such energy in his companion, he wasn't having nearly as much fun himself. The biting cold was.. Unpleasant at best. He was dressed in layers in an attempt to conserve his warmth, far from his usual silk-pants-only attire. Clothing was so restrictive.. But if it saved him from feeling absolutely chilled, he'd put up with it for the moment..
Dec - 1
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