The North Sea

[xinoehp512 he/him]

Nogard nodded. "The island is alive, and intelligent. You can talk to it, I suppose; it might listen. It's obviously taking an interest in us, for whatever reason." He looked around at the faintly glowing walls again. "Don't expect it to answer, though- at least not directly. It can't speak to your mind without a link."

He heard Araha mutter something about the spren of the island. He turned towards her.

"You are correct, of course. The islands do have spren. A very specific sort of spren, in fact.

"The spren of the Alleycanes."

[+Ark1002]

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*wonders how Nogard knew all this*

Araha mumbled on, not paying attention. She walked along the cavern, trailing her hands along the walls. It was almost like she could feel the island, it's heartbeats. She smiled, then lashed away a rock. "If it's alive, how come rocks can come off..." She continued mumbling, looking around the cavern. It just didn't make sense. An island could live, yes, but this much progress in seventeen years... "Something doesn't add up." She tried breaking a bit, and it came off. "How does it work?" She was confused, but she couldn't seem to find the answers. "Yes, it just doesn't make sense..." She wandered over to Damaya. "What do you make of it?"

@Sorana

[xinoehp512 he/him]

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Nogard's connected to an island, remember?

Also, it's been a lot more than seventeen years here.

Rekaerb appeared from nowhere. Sometime. Anytime. He didn't know.

He pointed what looked like a laser pointer at a figure in front of him and pushed a button.

There was a flash of green light, and both figures disappeared.

Edited December 30, 2018 by xinoehp512
512TH POST!!!

[+Sorana she/her]

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Thanks, Archer!

@Archer

Damaya smiled at Nogard.

"That's fantastic. I never expected to find something like this here. I only came, because..."

She trailed of, shook her head.

"I needed a change in scenery. The opportunity to proove myself that I can be more than my spren, than all this lightweaver stuff, I have no idea how to do it."

She followed the two of them listened when their conversation switched to a spren. The island had a spren. Well it could keep it. One was more than enough for her.

"I don't know. I have no idea what to make of this, but it's beautiful, and peaceful. I like it here."

She answered Araha and then a thought struck.

"Do you live here, or did you simply arrive a lot earlier than the rest of use?"

@Ark1002

@xinoehp512

Edited December 29, 2018 by Sorana

[xinoehp512 he/him]

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I'm going to assume you mean "live here" as "live in the North sea" and not "live on this island".

 

[+Sorana she/her]

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She meant the island.

 

[xinoehp512 he/him]

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She was there when Nogard arrived, though. Back on page 2.

 

[+Sorana she/her]

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I know. That's why she thinks you could live here somewhere.

 

Edited December 29, 2018 by Sorana

[xinoehp512 he/him]

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Oh... I misunderstood what you were asking somewhat. I see what you mean now.

Nogard shook his head. "I'm not from here. Not even from this planet, really." A wistful look came into his expression. "I thought, coming here, that maybe..."

He blinked and shook his head. "No, I don't come from this island. From what I understand, very few islands have intelligent creatures living on them. It does... interesting things to their psyche. This island does actually have natives, but they're a bit strange." He scooped up an interesting looking rock from the tunnel floor and rolled it between his fingers. "Human, I think, but I'm not sure. I don't know as much about the actual flora and fauna of the islands."

@Sorana

@Ark1002

Edited December 30, 2018 by xinoehp512

[Archer he/him]

Klasten paused to massage his leg. He had not run so much since his third grade Fitness Day was strafed by a mid-sized dragon. As he did, he reached into his bag and retrieved his Sony Walkman. When he put the earphones in, a track was in the midst of playing.

...as of yet unexplained. The range of cytonic communications has never been definitively measured. The Vox-Handel Report suggests it may vary by-

He thumbed the 'pause' button. When he did, a dull ache blossomed in the back of his head. He tried ignoring it, but that just made it increase in pressure. 

What am I missing? Klasten wondered as he began playing one of his favourite tracks: the theme song of Amazing Brock's Travelling Circus, his favourite show to watch preformed on his home-world. But what's wrong with this picture?

Annoyed, he cocked his head, listening to Nogard's explanation as it continued. That guy talks too much. 

[+Sorana she/her]

Damaya followed Nogard and looked down the tunnel. Plants grew on the rock, glowing softly, similar to those she had seen earlier.

"But we aren't hurting it, by being here, do we?"

Not asking what he had hoped to find. They all had their reasons for heading to an unexplored place.

[xinoehp512 he/him]

Nogard shook his head. "You would need a link, and that takes time. Usually." He tossed the rock up in the air and caught it. "I am worried, however. Those people we saw earlier? The ones with wings? They're not from around here. And they've been here long enough to form a link." He shook his head. "This island wouldn't have been the most stable to begin with, but now..."

[+Sorana she/her]

"It's unstable? It will change? What does this mean for us?"

[xinoehp512 he/him]

Nogard looked up and met her eyes.

"I don't know."

[+Sorana she/her]

Damaya smiled at him and then followed the tunnel.

"I guess we'll see."

[+Ark1002]

Araha followed. "I hope we can protect it."

[xinoehp512 he/him]

2 hours ago, Sorana said:

Damaya smiled at him and then followed the tunnel.

"I guess we'll see."

Nogard smiled back and followed after her.

~~~~~~~

Kodeka hovered far above, frantically trying to get through to Nogard. Something was blocking him. It wasn't breaking the connection; it was just blocking communication. He could only guess, but he was becoming more and more certain of his conclusion.

And it wasn't good.

 

[Archer he/him]

Klasten nodded at their altruistic sentiment, and smiled agreeably. We're all going to die, he thought frantically. The hills are literally alive, but the only sound we're going to hear is the blood rushing to our ears when it eats us all.

Klasten practiced his carefree walking, using big, dramatic strides. If it senses panic, it will be emboldened to strike. Must keep it together. Feigning nonchalance, he waved at the others. 

It's controlling the short one. His brain is probably mush already, but if I can get him in the bag, maybe there will be time to get him to a hospital. He edged closer to Nogard, his bag held loosely in his hands. 

But is is magic or tech? Klasten shrugged. He didn't know what to do either way. Moving quickly, he reached forward with the bag. Unfortunately, his toe caught on a root he could have sworn wasn't there before, sending him tumbling towards Nogard on a directory that would push both of them around the final corner of the tunnel if he connected. 

[xinoehp512 he/him]

Nogard toppled backwards under the invisible force, falling around the last corner into a large cave. He hurled the offender off of him and stood up. Suddenly, he realized that it must have been the poor invisible guy. He must have tripped, or something. His mouth opened to frame the apology when he suddenly realized where he was. He turned around slowly.

In the center of the cave, a pillar of stone rose up from the ground. And on the pillar a silvery gemstone glimmered.

Nogard took a step towards the stone, mesmerized by the swirling patterns of light that ran beneath the surface of the gemstone.

The party had reached the gemheart cavern.

[+Ark1002]

Araha ran forwards to catch up, she had scene them fall. She stopped short, and her breath caught in her throat. A massive gemheart. It was about as big as she had ever seen. She walked forward cautiously, laying her hand on the cool gem surface. She tried to transmit her thoughts to the great beast, the island. We are your friends. We don't want to hurt you.  She backed away, hoping it would be fine. When she got form enough, she screamed like a happy little girl. "Damaya, Damaya, I touched it!"
@Sorana

 

[xinoehp512 he/him]

The island felt the touch of the woman. She reached out and formed a link just as the woman pulled back. She reached out to the link, calling across it.

Hello, little one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kate the storm raced across the waves, shortly ahead of her first-brother Michael. She relished the thought of the upcoming battle. Those birds would pay.

[+Ark1002]

Araha screamed, with joy. "IT LINKED WITH ME!!! IT TALKED WITH ME!" She smiled tentatively, trying to send across a sense of the reverence she felt. Greetings, elder. She looked around, almost panicking. "What do I do, what do I say? Oh, Kelek's Breath, this isn't helpful. I think. WHAT DO I DO???" She was almost going to scream. Instead, she sent across to the island. How are you? "Okay, okay, I've greeted it. What do I do now?" Her face held a trace of panic, but not too bad. She had started to get a grip on her emotions, controlling them instead of them controlling her. "Okay, I need to think about the situation. Giant island, talking to me." She shook her head. "Damaya? Invisible guy? Nogard? Someone else?"

@Sorana @Archer @xinoehp512

[+Sorana she/her]

3 hours ago, Ark1002 said:

"Damaya? Invisible guy? Nogard? Someone else?"

Damaya had stopped at the entrance when she had seen the gemheart, observed how Araha touched it and then claimed she was talking to it. Asked for advice. She asked her for advice.

Damaya hastily thought about something. About anything.

"It's name. If we can help it. Why it led us here."

She brainstormed.

"If we are hurting it, if we need to leave. Who these birds were. I don't know. What is it saying?"

[xinoehp512 he/him]

The island spoke through the link.

Tell the others... touch the heart. I wish to speak with them.

[+Ark1002]

Araha smiled again. "Oh, oh!" She made sure everyone was near. "She told me to tell you she wanted you to touch the heart so she can tell you something." She colored slightly. "She want's you all to touch the heart." She grinned. "Come on!" In the meantime, she sent a message to the island. Do you have a name? She was grinning happily. The island could talk, the island could think, the island was alive. And to a level she hadn't expected. "Damaya, come on! Go!" She grinned, jumping around a bit. She sent another message. What can we do to protect you?