Let's go find a dragon

[Cosmical Existence she/her]

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Another scene of Chrys doing Chrys things. She could join up with the group or something soon. 

Chrys hummed as she looked over the abandoned campsite. It was a fairly empty site, so probably not a civilian caravan, and there weren’t the telltale signs of any of the merchant clans. It’s probably mercenaries. She thought excitedly. If I could only find something… Yes! Her eyes caught something that looked like a rock, but that was perfectly straight. And while nature can have fairly straight lines it is very rare, so it’s always a good idea to check those anomalies out. She knelt by the object and dug the dirt from around it, revealing a wooden box small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. 

“Now what do we have here?” She mussed out loud, turning it over in her hands. It was a simple box, no elaborate designs or symbols, except for one on the bottom of the box. The marking itself was fairly simple, like the box, utilizing only triangles and circles to make a pattern burnt into the wood. Chrys didn’t recognize the symbol, but that wasn’t a cause for worry for her, only curiosity. I will have to see if Father recognizes this symbol. If not, I have something new to discover! She was excited by this thought, she hadn’t had something new for a couple weeks now, most of the things she’d found recently had been commonly known things. Now to see what’s inside. But as she tried to open it, she found that the latch was actually a lock. And not a simple one she could easily open with a little jimmy-rigging. This is going to be interesting. Sure, she was a little disappointed she wouldn’t be able to see what it was right away, but a lock always meant there was something important inside. 

After gathering up the stuff she found and putting them in her bag, taking care to put the right intent into putting away the box, she started back to camp, humming and singing an old song as she went.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Ookla the Empyreal

[+JesterLavorre she/they]

5 hours ago, The Worldookler said:

Gal draws back, uninterested in the way the conversation goes. He marks himself to remind Valzwyn in the evening to make the experiment they agreed about. He then turns to the blonde, short girl with the weird shadow. "Excuse me, what's the story with your shadow? Is it something about your specific race or something?"

@Ookla the Sprinkle

 

“No, I’m human. Memory is a friend. They’ve always been with me, but they weren’t so... physically present until a few months ago. They showed me how to make these.” Ara holds up a small, metal plate carved with a rune. “Without these, I’m basically a battery with no outlet... and that’s how some people treated me at home.”

[Knight of Iron she/they]

Orpheus noticed a town up ahead. They had been walking for a while.

[Tesh Any pronouns]

1 hour ago, Knight of Iron said:

Orpheus noticed a town up ahead. They had been walking for a while.

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Yay! We're going again.

@Ookla's Dice?

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Is now a good time? (Sorry If I am being annoying. If it's not a good time, that's perfectly okay with me.)

 

[Mat he/him]

3 minutes ago, Ookla the Rōnin said:

@Ookla's Dice?

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Now is a good time, actually. Much less busy on the weekends somehow  

As Traige sat, concealed in a bush, he pushed out with his mind, examining the party. It was a strange group, among the most varied he had ever seen. Where were they going? Traige couldn't see them physically, but he knew their proximity because of the brainwaves in the air. It was truly amazing.

He could tell by the way the signals went through the brain someone's mood, or even read specific thoughts, but Traige didn't like to intrude, and had stayed away from it after the first incident after being driven out of his home. Instead, with this much less intrusive way, he could see the leader of the party- or at least the one that thought themself the leader.

The man stopped suddenly, and turned towards where Traige was hiding. He gasped softly, and cursed internally. Could it be a coincidence? 

But no, anyone with Traige's abilities- if there were others- knew better than that. 

He took a deep breath, and- following his instincts- stepped out from the bush, hands above his head. "You got me."

[Knight of Iron she/they]

9 minutes ago, Ookla's Dice said:

He took a deep breath, and- following his instincts- stepped out from the bush, hands above his head. "You got me."

Orpheus started. "Hello there."

[Mat he/him]

1 minute ago, Knight of Iron said:

Orpheus started. "Hello there."

Traige smiled a bit, quickly searching through the man's mind- along with the leader's- for a certain piece of information. It might be careless to do this, but boy was it fun. "Orpheus." he said, nodding to the man. "Talnic." to the other. "The name's Traige. Where could your strange group be heading?"

[Knight of Iron she/they]

Just now, Ookla's Dice said:

Traige smiled a bit, quickly searching through the man's mind- along with the leader's- for a certain piece of information. It might be careless to do this, but boy was it fun. "Orpheus." he said, nodding to the man. "Talnic." to the other. "The name's Traige. Where could your strange group be heading?"

Orpheus was about to respond when his demon yelled abruptly into his mind.

Tʜɪs ᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍɪɴᴅs. I ʜᴀᴠᴇ sʜɪᴇʟᴅᴇᴅ ᴏᴜʀ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛs, ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅɪɴɢ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ, ғʀᴏᴍ ʜɪs ᴠɪᴇᴡ; ʙᴇ ᴡᴀʀʏ.

Reading my mind? he thought, then looked back to Traige. Probably he would hear that. He quickly changed his line of thinking.

"We're on a quest for a dragon," he answered.

[Mat he/him]

6 minutes ago, Knight of Iron said:

Orpheus was about to respond when his demon yelled abruptly into his mind.

Tʜɪs ᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍɪɴᴅs. I ʜᴀᴠᴇ sʜɪᴇʟᴅᴇᴅ ᴏᴜʀ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛs, ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅɪɴɢ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ, ғʀᴏᴍ ʜɪs ᴠɪᴇᴡ; ʙᴇ ᴡᴀʀʏ.

Reading my mind? he thought, then looked back to Traige. Probably he would hear that. He quickly changed his line of thinking.

"We're on a quest for a dragon," he answered.

Traige focused his attention on Orpheus, as he was the one who spoke. What an interesting mind. Traige almost recoiled back upon examining its innards. Almost like... there was an invading substance residing there. 

Suddenly, as if a wall was slammed down, the feeling was gone. Traige now could see that Orpheus seemed a regular man- but that substance had been real. The brief encounter made Traige uncomfortable. But as the man had seemed friendly, he still didn't press for exact thoughts. Perhaps if they got on good terms, he could ask Orpheus.

"A dragon, you say? Aren't those just myths?" The dragon was revered as an ancient beast, thought fiction by many, including Traige himself. There were plenty of other magical seeming creatures abroad the land; if dragons existed it would seem they would do the same. But he, nor anyone he knew, had claimed to have seen one.

Edited December 12, 2020 by Ookla's Dice

[Trutharchivist he/him]

3 minutes ago, Ookla's Dice said:

Traige smiled a bit, quickly searching through the man's mind- along with the leader's- for a certain piece of information. It might be careless to do this, but boy was it fun. "Orpheus." he said, nodding to the man. "Talnic." to the other. "The name's Traige. Where could your strange group be heading?"

Gal looks at the newcomer weirdly, forgetting about what he was about to ask the shadow-girl. he can feel a little pressure on his mind, though he's not so sure about it. "Do you know him?" He asks the prophecy boy - Orpheus? And the Shadow man - Talnic?

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If Traige will try reading Gal's mind, he'll probably feel like he's trying to push through an overgrown forest, and it will be hard to get anything at all. maybe his name

 

[Mat he/him]

1 minute ago, The Worldookler said:

 

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If the pressure on his mind is from Traige, recipients of his mind-reading don't feel a thing.

Also, I'll remember that. Any magical reason?

 

[Knight of Iron she/they]

5 minutes ago, Ookla's Dice said:

 

 

4 minutes ago, The Worldookler said:

"Do you know him?"

"No, he just came out of the bush. What were you doing in there, spying on us?"

[Trutharchivist he/him]

1 minute ago, Ookla's Dice said:

If the pressure on his mind is from Traige, recipients of his mind-reading don't feel a thing.

Also, I'll remember that. Any magical reason?

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So he just asked about whether they know him.

Yes. His kind are kind of created by spiritual beings by messing with their minds, so...

 

1 minute ago, Knight of Iron said:

 

"No, he just came out of the bush. What were you doing in there, spying on us?"

"So how did he know your names? I mean, You haven't told me your name yet, though I guess you told the others. The Shadow must know him, though. He told me he doesn't give his name lightly."

[Mat he/him]

3 minutes ago, Knight of Iron said:

"No, he just came out of the bush. What were you doing in there, spying on us?"

"'Spying' is an aggressive word... 'Hiding', maybe, or 'watching'. I never wanted to be rude."

[Knight of Iron she/they]

4 minutes ago, The Worldookler said:

"So how did he know your names? I mean, You haven't told me your name yet, though I guess you told the others. The Shadow must know him, though. He told me he doesn't give his name lightly."

Orpheus decided to keep his knowledge of Traige's mind-reading skills a secret for now. There wasn't anything too important Owlson could accidentally reveal, right? "I have no idea."

5 minutes ago, Ookla's Dice said:

"'Spying' is an aggressive word... 'Hiding', maybe, or 'watching'. I never wanted to be rude."

"Then... why?"

[Mat he/him]

4 minutes ago, Knight of Iron said:

Orpheus decided to keep his knowledge of Traige's mind-reading skills a secret for now. There wasn't anything too important Owlson could accidentally reveal, right? "I have no idea."

"Then... why?"

"I've been on my own since I was thirteen. I apologize if I'm a bit jumpy, leaping into nearby shrubs whenever I hear voices. Your talking was quite loud, you know." He nodded to the other. "And your name is? I didn't overhear it." Smooth, Traige. He thought, congratulating himself. That was clean.

Out of curiosity, he groomed through the other's mind. What? It felt like he was wading through tar, except it was thoughts. He couldn't get anything solid. First an evil presence, soon blocked without a trace, and now an unreadable sludgy mess? Who are these people?

[Trutharchivist he/him]

17 minutes ago, Ookla's Dice said:

"I've been on my own since I was thirteen. I apologize if I'm a bit jumpy, leaping into nearby shrubs whenever I hear voices. Your talking was quite loud, you know." He nodded to the other. "And your name is? I didn't overhear it." Smooth, Traige. He thought, congratulating himself. That was clean.

Out of curiosity, he groomed through the other's mind. What? It felt like he was wading through tar, except it was thoughts. He couldn't get anything solid. First an evil presence, soon blocked without a trace, and now an unreadable sludgy mess? Who are these people?

"It's Owlson." Said Gal. He looks at Traige curiously. "I guess it wasn't mentioned."

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BTW, there was a reason I thought Gal might feel pressure on his mind - he has some psychic powers. I guess i's better he won't be able.

Not sure if I should mention it, but for clarification - psychic powers can work on Gal, and can mess a little with his magic. You only need to path an overgrown wall of thoughts, when cutting through might alert him.

 

Edited December 12, 2020 by The Worldookler

[Tesh Any pronouns]

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We need to come up with some good curses for this world.

I really wish Talnic had a spren in this scene, by the way.

 

2 hours ago, Ookla's Dice said:

He took a deep breath, and- following his instincts- stepped out from the bush, hands above his head. "You got me."

Talnic cursed, and had to force himself not to bring the person to the ground.

He was a young kid, probably just a year or so younger than Talnic himself, and fairly tall as well. He wasn't carrying any obvious weapons, although he almost definitely had something hidden on his person. You'd be crazy to go out on your own, watching groups from the bushes, without even carrying a knife.

1 hour ago, Ookla's Dice said:

Traige smiled a bit, quickly searching through the man's mind- along with the leader's- for a certain piece of information. It might be careless to do this, but boy was it fun. "Orpheus." he said, nodding to the man. "Talnic." to the other. "The name's Traige. Where could your strange group be heading?"

Talnic froze, feet planted in the snow, hand with his knife motionless in the air.

The words exchanged by the others seemed faint and distant.

Every instinct he had screamed at him to turn and run, leaving the others behind. To hide. 

This person knew him, and now the others did too. They were now aware of Talnic, the person using the Shadow as a mask to hide. They knew that he had secrets. And how long would it be until this person dug them up as well, and shared them? How long would it be until Talnic had no secrets left to keep?

No.

No, he would defend his secrets. He would make sure that no one would be able to find out where he came from and who he knew. He wouldn't let them find anything that they could use against him.

Talnic forced himself to move, lowering his knife a little, but still keeping it at the ready. He edged closer to Triage. 

"How do you know my name?" he asked quietly.

[Mat he/him]

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Ok ok, who's Talnic xD I had no idea he was hidden/Shadow/etc

 

14 minutes ago, Ookla the Rōnin said:

"How do you know my name?" he asked quietly.

When Talnic spoke, Traige froze, and turned his detection to the man. His years alone had taught him to read the tone of voice along with the tone of thought. This was a serious question.

Talnic's thoughts confirmed this. The man was scared, and this hurt Traige. He didn't know the man's name meant so much to him.

He looked over at Orpheus, Owlson, and the others behind. He returned his gaze to Talnic. After considering, he spoke. "Come with me, where the others can't hear." He turned halfway around, looking back to see if the man would follow.

[Knight of Iron she/they]

51 minutes ago, Ookla's Dice said:

 

Orpheus pulled out his hunting knife, still sheathed (as always). He glanced at the others and went to follow the man.

[Tesh Any pronouns]

1 hour ago, Ookla's Dice said:

 

When Talnic spoke, Traige froze, and turned his detection to the man. His years alone had taught him to read the tone of voice along with the tone of thought. This was a serious question.

Talnic's thoughts confirmed this. The man was scared, and this hurt Traige. He didn't know the man's name meant so much to him.

He looked over at Orpheus, Owlson, and the others behind. He returned his gaze to Talnic. After considering, he spoke. "Come with me, where the others can't hear." He turned halfway around, looking back to see if the man would follow.

Warily, Talnic sheathed his knife and followed Triage, keeping a close eye on him for any signs of suspicious movement.

[Mat he/him]

2 hours ago, Knight of Iron said:

Orpheus pulled out his hunting knife, still sheathed (as always). He glanced at the others and went to follow the man.

Traige waved away Orpheus. "Not you."

[Knight of Iron she/they]

Just now, Ookla's Dice said:

Traige waved away Orpheus. "Not you."

"We don't know anything about you," Orpheus stated. He glanced at the Shadow--Talnic, was it?--and then whispered so only the newcomer could hear. "Except you're a mindreader."

[Mat he/him]

6 minutes ago, Knight of Iron said:

"We don't know anything about you," Orpheus stated. He glanced at the Shadow--Talnic, was it?--and then whispered so only the newcomer could hear. "Except you're a mindreader."

Traige ignored the comment. "I said I would talk to... Shadow. Not you. I won't harm your leader, I won't even go out of sight. But I will go out of earshot. Please."

But as he walked away, a thought struck him.

How had Orpheus known?

He turned back. "I'll talk to you later."

Edited December 12, 2020 by Ookla's Dice

[Knight of Iron she/they]

3 minutes ago, Ookla's Dice said:

Traige ignored the comment. "I said I would talk to... Shadow. Not you. I won't harm your leader, I won't even go out of sight. But I will go out of earshot. Please."

But as he walked away, a thought struck him.

How had Orpheus known?

He turned back. "I'll talk to you later."

Orpheus nodded, looking to the Shadow for confirmation.

Edited December 13, 2020 by Knight of Iron