ElephantEarwax

Adren glanced at the animal that Althea was studying, seeing that it was hiding, then walked to the forest and pools.

Seeing Corette inspecting them, he decided to look at the trees until she said they were clear or not. 

Taking Jethro off his pack he looks at one of the smaller branches. 

"What are you doing?" Jethro asked loudly "You already beat me against a rock today, and we know this is a stone tree." 

"I was going to look at the tree, but fine" Adren sighed and put Jethro down. 

Speaking to Corette, "Will this water eat me, or cook me, or do both? It looks good from where I stand."
@ZincAboutIt

Adren steps into the golden glowing cavern and immediately walks to a boulder the size of a skull. Hitting it sharply with the back of Jethro, it cleaves in half. Revealing the rock only growing from the outside. 

I am not a narrarator. Cant add me to the plot.

My words are the threads of time, not spoken in it.

As he reached the bottom, Adren paused, holding himself in the rope loop and removed his shoes and socks, tying them around his neck, and rolled his pants up to just under the knees

"GET THOSE SMELLY BOOTS AWAY FROM ME" Mercy screamed in Adren's mind.

"Damnation!" Adren swore. Surprised by the noise he lost his grip and fell into the water. 

"You were right Rig, this is some nice swimming." Adren gasped between breaths. "I'm glad it wasn't any deeper than this. I don't need cold, wet underwear to fight monsters in."

"I'm Down," Adren called to the rest of the group. "Take your boots off before you come."

@TrailRunnin @scouts

19 hours ago, The Last Post said:

So, you’re a Narrator?

Nah. I am a God Mod. 

Butt slurred words back at Sophie. "Use normal words its easier to understand"

17 hours ago, Sorana said:

"Good catch Adren. I am pretty sure, that the the spores affect you first through your lungs, any slower secondary effects can't be judged at the moment."

 

 

"Thank you, I'm glad they seem to have no harmful short term effects, at least I hope." Adren said slightly nervously, "They may be able to put lather things to sleep as well, should we run into anything. I am going to take these, they may be useful later."

"I'll go down" Adren says, striding over to the hole.

Beginning to climb into the hole, holding the rope around him in a loop. Adren looks down the pit and sees Rigs Hair, a glowing speck at the bottom of the cave, slight splashing noises coming from him standing in the water. 

"How's the water down there? Seems like a nice day for a swim." He called down the shaft to the almost spectral figure at the bottom. 

@ZincAboutIt @TrailRunnin @Sorana

Welcome friend you finally made it. 

If you'd like one, we have cookies floating around, sometimes in the address bar, sometimes in the posts.

What is your favorite book?

(P.S. please say "My life to yours, my Breath become yours" P.P.S.pretty please)

Hello and Welcome to the Shard. We are happy to have you. Please have a cookie on the way in, I keep a plate in my signature.

Would you repeat the phrase, "My life to yours, my Breath become yours." for record keeping purposes

What is your Favorite book?

3 hours ago, The Last Post said:

do you even have a narrator?

What do you mean? I am The Narrarator.

Staying in the entrance of the cave, Adren watched as others walked past into the room filled with fungus. Noticing the presumably spores in the air and the people inside growing drowsy. Growing suspicious, he pulls his shirt over his mouth and nose, takes a deep breath and enters the cavern. 

Immediately taking a mid sized sealable bag from his backpack, he collects samples of the mushrooms and spores. 

As quickly as he went into the cavern Adren exited back into the entrance chamber, and took a few breaths. Staring at the mushrooms, sealed in the bag.

Butt Venture threw chocolate chips at Sophie

8 hours ago, Sorana said:

"The plan is, to catch whatever we find next." She replied to Adren. "Although it will depend on what it is as well. We'll just take a look and decide if we want to take a closer look, or not.

 

"Perfect, hopefully if we find another creature we can keep it alive" Adren said. "I've always wanted to start a zoo, and this would be a great start"

"A giant murder monster zoo. That is the best idea you ever had" Mercy squeaked excitedly.

1 minute ago, Voidus said:

Quote

Are you suggesting that someone would be surprised that you were shipping?

 

Quote

You aren't surprised? What! 

Following Althea down the hall Adren asked.

"What is the plan if we do find another creature?"

Quote

Just assume I'll follow you ish Sorana I can't post at work and this moves so fast.

@Sorana

7 hours ago, kenod said:

Karin looked at the newcomer, thinking about his question. "Probably not," she said. "The thing looks like an apex predator. I hope it is, at least. No real reason for those to be poisonous. I mean, the thing would probably still kill you if you eat it, but I doubt it specifically has poisonous blood. No clue why the blood should be corrosive either. It isn't anything that normally occurs with lifeforms in this universe and it doesn't really serve any evolutionary purpose, aside from requiring exotic chemical systems to prevent your veins from corroding away while still allowing proper oxygen transfer to cells." She shook her head. "Seriously, corrosive blood is a giant nightmare to create."

She started walking towards her backpack, which luckily had stayed intact during the fighting. "I can run some tests for you though, if you want to," she called back. "I should have a pH indicator strip in my pack. I'm not sure how to test toxicity though, aside from just slapping some of the stuff on a radiant's skin and checking the reaction. If it's poisonous they can use some stormlight to heal it."

"You're right. I have read to many stories and was hoping to find something useful. But this just appears physically to be a giant worm. Useless skin and blood and  nasty flesh." 

Kneeling in the water Adren brushes Jethro off and dries him by swinging him a few times and running the blade across his pants.

@kenod

Walking over from where had been standing, still shocked by the sudden arrival and appearance of the worm, Adren goes to examine the dead beast more carefully. 

In his mind Jethro and Mercy began complaining they he was going to cut it.

"Why are we cutting into it? I don't want to get tarnished from this unknown monsters blood."

"GROSS I don't want to go near that dead thing"

"Because I want to see if the beast has any useful properties."

Speaking out loud to everyone as he cut into the beast, removing slabs of flesh and large sheaves of skin, "Does the blood of the worm have any corrosive or poisonous properties  to it, beyond that of normal blood? 

@kenod @Sorana

22 hours ago, Sorana said:

Althea took off her sunglasses once they were descending into the dark and the bright sunlight had vanished. "Maybe." She replied and looked at the cleaver. "Given who you define as thief, we are the thieves. We stroll into territory not our own, and I doubt that everybody down there will play nice. So yes, there will be thieves and murderers."

With a shrug she added, "But if you have to be afraid of them, that's a different story."

She stepped out of the elevator and carefully hid her surprise at the cave in front of her. It was beautiful, stunning. She wondered how they had never found it so far. Between TUBA's tunnels and the DA, someone had hidden these caverns, and had hidden them well.

"Thanks" Adren smiled. "You two heard her, we're thieves and murders down here."

"Perfect" Jethro moaned. "Now I'll have to do the dirty work"

"Maybe, but hopefully not"

"Hopefully yes"

"No" he said. Switching pace Adren asks Althea, "Would you like to be able to hear my friends?"

On 10/4/2019 at 0:31 AM, Sorana said:

She inclined her head in agreement and then started to walk over to the elevator. "Yes, let's head over there. The first ones are already down below."

Karin was already gone. Althea continued to try to keep track of everybody, but realized that here with the other ACE employees around it was hard to keep an eye on everybody. She walked carefully over the uneven ground, tried to make sure that she didn't trip, or hurt her ankle. Nothing she couldn't deal with, but still something she'd prefer to avoid. If only to continue to appear strong. It would be hillarious if she stared this journey with brown mudstreaks in her hair. Now that the time was close when she would actually descend into the caverns she felt the knot of anxiety in her stomach. The last times she had been below the surface had ended with pain and destruction, with someone ripping into her mind and breaking it apart. Given that,it was easy for this journey to end up better. As long as nobody controlled again, it would be a lot better. She looked at the elevator waiting for them and stayed outside, waited for Adren to catch up.

Following Althea, a hummed melody to his friends. Trying to remember where he had heard it.

.

.

.

Climbing on the elevator watching as the walls of the cavern grew dimmer as natural light faded,

"Is it dark in caves?"

"Yes and these are caverns here, similar to the ones that the 40 thieves lived in. Giant caves with any number of objects."

"Are there thieves in these caves?"

"Althea, do you think we'll find thieves in these caves? The cleaver is concerned." Adren asked with a joking tone.

On 10/1/2019 at 11:34 PM, Sorana said:

Althea received her equipment as well, looked it over. Technical devices. Well, as long as they worked she was fine with them - if they stopped working she had no idea how to repair them. She knew how to use these kind of things, everything else wasn't really hers. Without hesitating she looked at the overall, and then hung it over her arm for the moment. She wouldn't change in front of all of them, definitely not.

She looked over at him taking out his sunglasses and lifted a finger to tap against her own. "If we wear long dark coats as well, then we look like we stepped out of a movie." Alas, her coat was grey. A hard black usually didn't look good with her pale complexion.

"I don't really have a plan for down there. I figured I could take a look around, maybe see if I can find something interesting." Pausing she looked at him again. "When things go south and you want to escape - hard to imprison can extend to others as well."

She offered, carefully watching his face to observe his reactions.

"I believe I understand what you mean." Adren said, nodding. "Should we go on the secomd elevator to the caverns? 

"I love elevators. They are so cool. And if they break they are even more fun."

"It's not worth the time to fix them. Stairs are much more effective."

Quote

 

"Were riding the elevator eventually, I'd rather not walk down. And it'd be me walking. Jeth."

Quote

It's all good. 

On 9/29/2019 at 1:20 PM, Sorana said:

Althea looked over those assembled. She had been accepted into the team, and she was still trying to sort her feelings in that regard. Without saying something she joined Adren again, planed to finish their conversation. Things had picked up, after the announcement of the members, with the preparations to meet here, to get everything ready and sorted.

"To answer your question." She said instead of a greeting. "Yes, I do have a few watching the company on the surface. What good that will do."

She tried to recognize a few familiar faces, commited those that were already here to her memory. "I have to admit I am a bit unsure, what they expect us to do now." She told him, and watched a young woman receive a tablet and then join another group of people. "But to adress another concern of yours, I agree, the tunnels would be a possiblity to get of us. Thankfully I am hard to imprison."

At least as long as she had access to stormlight. Without, she was helpless as a mouse. Nothing she'd advertise, although she knew, that she had to be careful. If she ran out of spheres down there, the consequences would be grave. As usual she caried a bag of spheres, made sure to do nothing to highlight her bracelet. Devaan's advice was sound. It was better to have two different supplies, one only accessable by her, instead of relying completely on a bag with spheres that could be stolen easily.

 

Adren, walking heavily into the pit, obtains one the of trackers and puts in his pack. Boots crunching across the uneven ground, walking over to Althea. 

"Hard to imprison is A pretty good skill. But can be a hard one to test. I am fairly easy to imprison once I am captured, with almost all my breath in these two and my only other magic being a couple small unlocked goldminds I picked up in case I sprain myself ," He says, gestureing to Mercy and Jethro. "But," He continued, taking off a pair of sunglasses, I have more than my fair share of practice avoiding capture."

"You haven't told me this story. I want to hear."

"There is probably reason he didn't tell us Mercy. Leave it alone"

"What is your plan for down the caverns Althea?" Adren asked without guile. 

On 9/26/2019 at 11:52 PM, Sorana said:

"The last time a new company set up in this city they invaded it shortly afterwards." Her voice turned icecold. "My plan is to try to prevent this."

"Let's check if they accepted us on their little team?" She suggested, when she saw the commotion, heard people start talk to each other about the fact that they had been chosen. She knew, that the decision to take her along was political and not about her skills, or at least not only about her skills.

"You said, you're talking to your earring and cleaver. Did their personalities change? Do they sometimes are in a bad mood and you have to help them?" Brashen hissed at her ear at her question, easily understanding, that she was indirectly asking for a second opinion, maybe a different view on a situation. There was a large gap between an awakened object and her spren, but sometimes changing your points of reference changed the whole picture.

"That is a wise reason to join a crew, but here is a thought. If they were going to invade, they may be trying to remove some of us from the fight before it starts." Adren whispered in a thoughtful tone.

"Lets go see," Adren said. He picks up Jethro and hangs him from a small clip on his belt. 

"Why do you always put me down here, I can never see anything."

"It's because he doesn't want people to see you ." 

"No it's not," Adren mumbled at them. "I don't have a good place to put the clip any higher,"

Jethro makes a sound remarkably close to a sigh for bit having lungs. 

"Your last question is an interesting one. They do have moods, like most other sentient things, but they are very affected by the situation at hand."

"While you are going to the caves, do you have anyone going to keep an eye on the company on the surface?"

16 hours ago, Sorana said:

Her face softened the slightest bit when she accepted his compliment with a grateful incline of her head. "I've often found, that beauty lies in the eye of the one speaking." She stated and looked at his earring and cleaver again. "Maybe the fact that you interact and communicate with them adds to them having a conciousness. Like a mind withers, if it isn't trained."

"As to my bond," pensively she tapped her fingers against her ellbow. The number of her oaths was less important than the fact, that she was an Elsecaller, but if he didn't know, she'd prefer to keep it like that. "I think, you might see that once we're in the tunnels. But as you have been very open with answering questions, I will answer like that: I am very proficient with my surges."

In the end that might be more important than the oaths. At least when it came to judging her threat level.

"Why do you go down there?"

Changing how his feet were placed on the floor and relaxing his arms, Adren replies, "Why do I go down? I had no plans. I've been avoiding most things for a long time. And I decided that this was a good reason to come. To try to get the party back."

Putting his hands on the small of his back, Adren leaned as far back as he could, his back crackling the whole way down. As he was straightening up, he sprung forward groaning slightly, and harshly coughing into his shoulder.

*The woman is right. You should get to a hospital and checked out. 

"Quiet you," Adren turned and whispered at Jethro.

Looking back, Adren asks, "Why do you go down?"

On 9/24/2019 at 11:50 PM, Sorana said:

Uncomfortably she had to fight hard to suppress the urge to turn around and flee when he stared at her like that. Years of practice made it easy to keep her mask, to control her face and her eyes, but they didn't change a lot about the way she felt beneath it. It had been a while since she wished for her sunglasses to hide her eyes, but here in this place she suddenly itched to get it out of her pocket and slip it on. People had stopped staring that openly once she'd been part of the Council and later the Triarchy. Most only whispered behind her back. Instead she forced herself to meet his eyes cooly, look into them with her own. Let him stare. Let them all stare, laugh at her because of her appearance. She was who she was. And there was at least one person, that thought her beautiful.

"I'm an Elsecaller." she replied her voice carefully controlled as well, leaving away her ideal. Let him figure it out on his own. "So I keep around a spren, to use your expression." She lifted a hand and gently touched the little spren on her shoulder. Brashen looked at Adren, and she could only imagine, that he wasn't too amused by the conversation. He'd started to mistrust strangers, almost feared them.

"Your eyes are captivating, the light playing off the red. It is beautiful. I'm sorry if my staring was rude, but I don't want to forget them."

Looking at the small spren on her shoulder, Adren smiled. "Inkspren, such an amazing type of spren."

Adren slightly pulled back from looking at Brashen as her comment Finally registering to him, he replies, "I use the term 'keep them around' endearingly, these two are my friends, we've been together for a good while."

"You could tell me we are friends sometime, I like affirmation 

"Well he just told you. Its like 'as you wish' from that weird book with the 100 pages about wedding makeup" 

"ohhhhh, I loved that book"

"it was boring"

"Quiet you two," Adren whispered at them.

"Sorry about that Althea, they started discussing things in my head. And I had to nip the rose at the bud." 

"How progressed is your bond as an elsecaller?

10 hours ago, Sorana said:

"If you need medical treatment, there is a hospital not too far away. They should be able to do something about your cough." Althea suggested to him, although her voice of her face didn't really change. It was a fact, the hospital was there. And she would be surprised if he hadn't heard them.

"The idea of a living coppermind is interesting. Did you meassure how long it took until something happened, or did the effect manifest itself immediatly?" She asked curiously, glad to have found someone to talk to about investiture. That his weapon also had a mind of his own, that it liked stories. Maybe the interactions between the three of them, had also done something to develop the cleaver's personality further. She'd have to look into that at one point or the other.

Straightening his back, Adren chucked. "It's nice to see someone who cares, but I'll avoid the hospital, I'll live. It happens every year around this time."

"You liar, you always cough like this."

Mumbling under his breath, "I always cough, not always like this."

"I didn't keep track, but it was soon after she was awakened. She couldn't access the memories, and they couldn't be accessed by our archivist after either. So is seems like they were taken and integrated into her innate investiture."

Pauaing for a moment, Adren stares at Althea's features, committing them to memory. "What type of investiture do you keep around Althea?"

Quote

I'm half ignoring this. Oh well.

https://wob.coppermind.net/adv_search/?query=Awakened%2Bcoppermind+

On 9/22/2019 at 11:43 PM, Sorana said:

Awakened objects then. Interesting. Despite the high amount of investiture in the Alleyverse, these were rare. That he spoke so open about them made her wonder if he was telling the truth, or playing some kind of game. Judging his tone, it was possible, but the way he easily included some facts, a more detailed description made her lean towards the fact, that he was telling the truth. Add to that the fact how he mentioned experiments as if they were something usual, daily task. Another member of the DA? Maybe. If he continued to be as openhanded with his information she would most likely find out.

"Were you able to influence their personalities?"

She asked carefully hiding her curiosity.

@ElephantEarwax

"We tried. But the commands given were too ambiguous. 

He chuckled again. 

"Mercy. She began as such a simple idea. A living coppermind. One that could remember and speak for itself. 'Remember' without thinking it seemed good. But the memories in the coppermind did something. Jethro is himself. 'Cleave'. 

"I like stories also. Not just killing "

"I like them too, you have to tell her that." 

"They want me to mention that they like stories as well." Adren added on, "A trait they share." Adren leans on a nearby chair, holding on to keep balanced and fit fully coughs.

Standing up again "That is why they are my burden. They are slightly unpredictable. And I was a factor in their making, so I am sticking with them."