The Fe'gan Mountains are the highest, coldest mountains Lambastia has to offer, with the highest peak recorded at 8589 m (28,179 ft). Only the toughest creatures survive here, and the trek to get to the Basantha Shrine lays through these harsh conditions. (+3 Endurance)

Moderator: Retired Staff

Return to Fe'gan Mountains

Tell Me Why You’re Here, Again [Caving] [H by C]

Postby Kestrel » 09/14/2017 3:01 AM

Image
ImageImage


The cave entrance loomed up above them, a yawning black gash torn out of the side of an otherwise lovely mountain. Nimue let her gaze wander up to the top of the opening, taking in the giant black stalactites that hung down from the edge. She shot a glance behind her to find that Ty and Crit had, for once, fallen silent, the two of them staring up at the entrance looming before them. If only they could stay like that for the rest of the trip, then things would be perfect. She turned back to face the cave, feeling the excitement shiver up from her toes. This would be an adventure, and she'd love it.

[3][1][1]
User avatar
Kestrel
Celebrity Specialist
Celebrity Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 50
Donate
Joined: 01/16/2008 8:29 PM

Re: Tell Me Why You’re Here, Again [Caving]

Postby Kestrel » 09/14/2017 3:03 AM

They made a strange trio, the three siblings. Nimue stood out in front, closer to cave, wearing a headlamp, a sturdy pack on her back, and old thick boots that protected her feet from the pool of mud that happened to blanket the entrance. Her clothes were a bit rumpled, a bit old. Perfect for getting dirty and for having adventures.

Ty and Crit hovered a good distance behind her, striking undoubtedly lovely figures. Their wings—gorgeous, feathery, angel wings—were spread wide and the hilts of their swords gleamed in the sunshine. Their shirts were plain, but neatly pressed and incredibly clean. Their pants hugged their hips tightly, tracing down their long legs to end just above pairs of fancy, shiny black shoes. They looked like they were settling down for a casual game of cards at a rich friend’s mansion.

[4][2][2]
User avatar
Kestrel
Celebrity Specialist
Celebrity Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 50
Donate
Joined: 01/16/2008 8:29 PM

Re: Tell Me Why You’re Here, Again [Caving]

Postby Kestrel » 09/14/2017 3:03 AM

As she glanced back at them, Ty and Crit switched their gaze from the cave mouth—impressive to them even, surely—to frown down at the mud slurping at Nimue’s feet. Regretting their choice of foot wear, no doubt.

Nimue rolled her eyes. "Come on, boys. Can’t be standing here all day," she said, stepping out of the mud and onto the solid rock that made up the entrance.

Identical expressions of thiny-veiled disgust on their faces, Ty and Crit flapped their wings, lifting up a few feet and clearing the mud puddle with ease.

Nimue rolled her eyes again. "You do realize you might not be able to do that in the cave, right? Low ceilings and all that."

[5][3][3]
User avatar
Kestrel
Celebrity Specialist
Celebrity Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 50
Donate
Joined: 01/16/2008 8:29 PM

Re: Tell Me Why You’re Here, Again [Caving]

Postby Kestrel » 09/14/2017 3:06 AM

Twin scowls cut into their beautiful faces.

"Goddamn caves," Crit said, nearly spitting out the last word. His red eyes had turned back to the cave entrance now, but whatever awe or excitement might've been there before had been wiped off, replaced by annoyance. "C’mon Ty, cast something to deal with it."

"Yeah, sure," Ty replied. Nimue watched as he lifted up his arms, throwing a handful of silver sparks over Crit’s head. They settled down onto his clothes, sunk into his skin, dusted his white wings. Then they twinkled and vanished.

Nimue nearly winced to see it, even as Ty drenched himself with the same sparkles. What a waste of magic. Just to keep off a little mud?

[6][4][4]
User avatar
Kestrel
Celebrity Specialist
Celebrity Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 50
Donate
Joined: 01/16/2008 8:29 PM

Re: Tell Me Why You’re Here, Again [Caving]

Postby Kestrel » 09/14/2017 3:30 AM

Crit caught her expression. He grunted and turned away from her, striding into the cave. Nimue bit back a sigh. The boys were overly sensitive to any criticism about their magic; she knew that. But Crit's statement was far from the truth.

She watched as Crit blew across the tip of his finger, starting up a small ball of light that hovered there, delicate and shimmering and perfect. Ty volleyed back with a floating ball that drifted around his head--though this one not as pretty as Crit's. Crit grinned, baring his teeth as he added thin spires, twirling up from the surface of the ball to end at another set of lovely little lights.

[7][5][5]

[Processed up to here]
User avatar
Kestrel
Celebrity Specialist
Celebrity Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 50
Donate
Joined: 01/16/2008 8:29 PM

Re: Tell Me Why You’re Here, Again [Caving]

Postby Kestrel » 09/14/2017 9:52 PM

Ty and Crit had incredible magic potential. At the limits of their abilities, they could move mountains, stir up the seas, slow the Earth's rotation--even if only just for a moment. But they hadn't combined their strengths, hadn't tapped into all that potential in five years, and there was no indication they would any time soon. And separately? Nimue watched as they continued to conjure up fancier and fancier little lights, laughing uproariously as they strove to outdo each other. Well, on their own, their magic didn't amount to much. Even these small displays of power would tax them enough that they could be in serious danger if something unexpected showed up in these caves with a taste for winged-human flesh.

[8][6][6]
User avatar
Kestrel
Celebrity Specialist
Celebrity Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 50
Donate
Joined: 01/16/2008 8:29 PM

Re: Tell Me Why You’re Here, Again [Caving]

Postby Kestrel » 09/14/2017 9:57 PM

Well, Nimue supposed that was why she was here. To get them out of any stupid, dangerous situations they found themselves in due to their own carelessness. It hadn't ever been necessary yet, as far as she knew. For all their failings, Ty and Crit could get themselves out of a jam. Gods knew they got themselves into plenty.

"Come on guys," she called to them, a smile flickering around the corners of her mouth. "Where'd your thirst for adventure go? These caves aren't going to explore themselves."

She pulled out the mostly-empty map out of her bag and waved it at them. They glanced at each other, shrugging, but headed down one of the tunnels branching out in front of them with her.

[9][7][7]
User avatar
Kestrel
Celebrity Specialist
Celebrity Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 50
Donate
Joined: 01/16/2008 8:29 PM

Re: Tell Me Why You’re Here, Again [Caving]

Postby Kestrel » 09/21/2017 11:22 PM

They walked in silence for the next few minutes, the sound of their footsteps clashing with the steady drip, drip from the ceiling. Nimue glanced up at the rock just a few inches above her head, and was rewarded by a drop of water falling into her eye. She hurriedly rubbed it out.

"Pretty cool, right?" Crit asked, gazing about at the pitted walls and the stalactites above them. His voice was hushed, breathing out into the cool cave air.

"Mmmm," said Ty. Nimue thought--with just the slightest feeling of triumph--that a tiny bit of wonder had crept into that one sound. The caves were getting to them, after all.

[10][8][8]
User avatar
Kestrel
Celebrity Specialist
Celebrity Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 50
Donate
Joined: 01/16/2008 8:29 PM

Re: Tell Me Why You’re Here, Again [Caving]

Postby Kestrel » 09/21/2017 11:25 PM

The tunnel kept going, and a few minutes later, Ty spoke up again.

"But." He paused. "I mean, it's cool and all, you know. Like the spikes." He waved vaguely towards the stalactites and Crit nodded in agreement. "But where's the adventure, you know? The monsters and weird traces of past inhabitants and...stuff, you know?"

Nimue stopped and looked at him, brows drawn together. "Wait, wait a second. Is that what you thought you'd find down here? Secret labs and cave worms? Really guys?"

[11][9][9]
User avatar
Kestrel
Celebrity Specialist
Celebrity Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 50
Donate
Joined: 01/16/2008 8:29 PM

Re: Tell Me Why You’re Here, Again [Caving] [H by C]

Postby Kestrel » 09/21/2017 11:38 PM

Ty had the audacity to look affronted. "Well...of course! What else did the old coot mean by 'adventure' if not that?"

"First, don't call the professor that. It's rude. Second, of course this is an adventure! You don't have to go around killing things to have an adventure! We're exploring!"

Ty and Crit exchanged glances. Crit snickered. "Come on, Nimue, exploring? I mean, it's pretty chill, I guess, but it's no adventure. We're just walking through dirty puddles of water in the dark. That's not adventuring."

[12][10][10]
User avatar
Kestrel
Celebrity Specialist
Celebrity Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 50
Donate
Joined: 01/16/2008 8:29 PM

Re: Tell Me Why You’re Here, Again [Caving] [H by C]

Postby Kestrel » 09/22/2017 12:09 AM

Ty grinned. "Yeah, sis. We gotta take you with us some time on a real adventure if you think this counts."

Nimue rolled her eyes. "Whatever kids. Let's keep going, hm? Maybe you'll get lucky and there actually will be some cave worms down here for you guys to hack to pieces."

A few more minutes of silent travel passed before the tunnel widened out into.... Nimue frowned, dipping her head to direct the lamp down. There was a huge stalagmite in front of them, blocking their way. Around it, Nimue could see that the tunnel opened up into a larger cave, but a few other large stalactites and stalagmites stopped her from being able to see anything else.

[13][11][11]
User avatar
Kestrel
Celebrity Specialist
Celebrity Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 50
Donate
Joined: 01/16/2008 8:29 PM

Re: Tell Me Why You’re Here, Again [Caving] [H by C]

Postby Kestrel » 09/23/2017 12:51 AM

"Aw shit," Crit breathed from behind her, craning his neck to peer at the stalagmites. He sent out his small ball of light--now flashing multiple colors and twisted into intricate, elaborate shapes--around the large stalagmite. It illuminated even more stalagmites. They stretched up towards the roof, spike upon spike jutting out from the ground. There was barely a foot between each stalagmite--sometimes even less. The majority of them were taller than the three of them, some even combining with stalactites.

"Guess we'll try one of the other passages back there?" Ty asked, jerking a finger behind him.

[14][12][12]
User avatar
Kestrel
Celebrity Specialist
Celebrity Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 50
Donate
Joined: 01/16/2008 8:29 PM

Re: Tell Me Why You’re Here, Again [Caving] [H by C]

Postby Kestrel » 09/23/2017 12:59 AM

Crit nodded, recalling his light and turning around.

"Wait...wait a second," Nimue said, holding onto the stalagmite for balance as she stretched to see towards one of the corners of the cave. Around the edges of all the stalagmites, there was a darker spot on the wall. "I think there's a passage over there, guys. Can you send your light over, Crit?"

Crit obliged, sending his pink-and-purple-flashing light weaving through the tips of the stalagmites in the direction she was pointing. Sure enough, he stopped the light to hover right inside the entrance of what was certainly a hollow in the wall, if not a full tunnel.

[15][13][13]
User avatar
Kestrel
Celebrity Specialist
Celebrity Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 50
Donate
Joined: 01/16/2008 8:29 PM

Re: Tell Me Why You’re Here, Again [Caving] [H by C]

Postby Kestrel » 09/24/2017 9:05 PM

Nimue straightened up immediately, one foot already starting to twist around the huge stalagmite.

"Wait. Wait," Ty said, hovering several feet away from the cavern entrance. "You really want us to go in...there. Through that crazy spiky cavern?" He twitched one of his wings, the soft red feathers shining from the light of his own little light ball.

"Of course we have to go down that way," Nimue replied, now holding onto the stalagmite for balance as she squeezed herself into the cavern. "Who knows what's down that passage? We can't say we explored the caves if we didn't actually explore the caves."

[16][14][14]
User avatar
Kestrel
Celebrity Specialist
Celebrity Specialist
Pets | Items
Keystones: 50
Donate
Joined: 01/16/2008 8:29 PM


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests


cron