sageofdawn: (Default)
th'shtola rhul ([personal profile] sageofdawn) wrote2018-09-21 06:04 pm

godly dungeon - theta caverns

[ zenos had offered them a game. either way, who knew who'd be the viceroy of dalmasca after this? celcus was awoken. celcus was unsafe. all that thancred knew is that he needed to save him from awakening inside garlemald - and y'shtola had come with him.

before the two could set off to rescue celcus, there was a semi-familar clicking. though gaius had begun to live in the shell of the primal alexander, he often used those fully under his will, those in the onemind, to communicate. after all, he couldn't just go out there. he was a monster, bug fused with garlean. he was less willing to be seen then even regula and his tiny sahagin, who could at least pass as au ra (like y'shtola) if he needed to go out there.

but the mechanical gnath let out a few clicks, and began to explain. there were mountains near to garlean territory, with many passages. a few of his men had gone to investigate, to see if he could see the state of the country he died for. a small bit of him wanted to see how he had been remembered. however, a strange machine had greeted them. it looked almost like the dormant omega, but... smaller. and redder. this small omega had destroyed those bugs - squashed them, and absorbed their very aether. if it was eliminated, the path would be a safer one then heading there from the doman side, where men were still fighting and alert. he still was curious about the burn, about areas where aether was drained from the land, but that was not the point of this mission.

they had a loyal soldier to save. primal or not, secret spy or not. though he was loathe to admit it, gaius was on their side now, and was acting as the leader he was. he would lead in that buggy form, hoping that the strange child omega hadn't altered the caverns too much... or that the ascian had not begun to move, playing their games with mortal men.

odder still, lahabrea had wished them luck as they left. it was becoming clear that he was disliked by most of the other ascian, and clearer still that he was slowly adapting to being mortal. adapting to being mateus, and their ally. he had even begun to garden again, though his fingers werent as apt as ascian ones. igeyorhm had also wished them luck, and given them some potions and other drinkable items she'd slipped from a client or two.

it had taken a week for y'shtola, thancred, and gaius to get to the entrance of the cavern. even with y'shtola having a second sense for navigation, and thancred being able to feel the mountains though his very essense, the territory was dangerous. thancred would still be able to sense the caverns, sense how things were - however, there were blind spots, full of queer aether.

(the fact that thancred and y'shtola had sex a few times on the trip also made gaius feel awkward, like he was taking care of teens. their curse still was not cured.) ]


Once you have found and eliminated the puer Omega, there will be nothing preventing us from retrieving and returning your Goe. As long as it patrols these caverns, it may attack when we are carrying the compromised soldier.

[ ah. so thats the rank that gaius thinks celcus is... or deserves? its not clear, as the gnath shakes a little, cutely. ]
wordsinthesoul: (out and about)

[personal profile] wordsinthesoul 2018-09-21 10:39 am (UTC)(link)
[A different approach had sounded like their best plan. Maybe they'll visit the Burn another time- but right now there's something of a time limit. (And- well, there hadn't been time to get the curse cured with it, either.). It was strange to be wished luck by Lahabrea, but… he's glad of it, and of the provisions Igeyorhm gave them.

He wonders if it's the small omega that's caused those strange pockets in the caverns. It doesn't seem as though those would impede their trip too much, but… he's concerned. If they end up cornered, they'll be in just as much trouble.

He nods.]


Were you able to tell whether there were any areas where the Omega patrolled regularly?

[that is cute! And Goe…. A supervisor, or ruler of a territory- it makes sense.]
theblackawoo: (5)

[personal profile] theblackawoo 2018-09-21 11:08 am (UTC)(link)
I didn't. [ Gaius said. ] However... there was something I noticed. [ a beat. ] An absense of something.

There were no beast who was alive in there. However, there was a cultivated garden - devoid of edible plants. That may be our first clue.
wordsinthesoul: (conversational)

[personal profile] wordsinthesoul 2018-09-21 11:19 am (UTC)(link)
Then it's been… eating everything in there? A garden…. That seems odd for Omega, but- it's somewhere someone would go. I think- what if we took a look?
theblackawoo: (14)

[personal profile] theblackawoo 2018-09-21 11:26 am (UTC)(link)
I can lead you to it. [ he clicks a little, as he begins to scurry - y'shtola following, quietly. ] I doubt it's Omegas'. Before your Calamity, there were those who were annexed from Garlemald and had no rank, but had been brought to the capital as slaves.
wordsinthesoul: (conversational)

[personal profile] wordsinthesoul 2018-09-21 11:38 am (UTC)(link)
All right. [he's going to move carefully as well, then, watching out for anything strange.] Ah…. And they might have grown these to help feed themselves?
theblackawoo: (7)

[personal profile] theblackawoo 2018-09-21 11:45 am (UTC)(link)
They may have. Resourceful Spoken like that should have gotten a title and a right to survive - but Garlemald is corrupt.

[ the tunnels seem fine right now! a bit of the walls seem to be stripped of even moss, however. slightly shimmery, slightly... slimy? ]
wordsinthesoul: (out and about)

[personal profile] wordsinthesoul 2018-09-21 12:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Corrupt? I didn't think I'd hear you say that. What makes you say so?

[he rubs a finger along one wall, curious.]
theblackawoo: (Default)

[personal profile] theblackawoo 2018-09-21 12:35 pm (UTC)(link)
My Vath have heard disturbing rumours. [ click, clink. ] Use of augmentation to control their own men, and desires to simply destroy Eorzea. Not just that, but using fear to keep the populace in order.

[ But as Thancred would touch it, it would... sting. Almost acidic, it seems the thing on the wall is trying to dissolve stuff. It's spread too thin to hurt anything, but still...! ]
wordsinthesoul: (examining)

[personal profile] wordsinthesoul 2018-09-21 12:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Augmentation- altering them? That's… despicable. [he hisses.] Well. I'd far rather not have that.

[he makes a startled sound, pulling his hand back.] That- ah. That was a bad idea.
theblackawoo: (Default)

[personal profile] theblackawoo 2018-09-21 12:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes - stealing their minds. [ gaius scratches himself again, until thancred pulls back. y'shtola moves to examine him and it. ]

...This isn't natural. A side-effect of Omega?

[ But as she said that, the group finally arrived at the garden. The room was circular, kept bright by weird glowing orbs in the air. Plants that weren't eaten? More of that odd slime coated the walls, but not the floors. The room itself also seemed slightly foggy, the air heavy. Vines tried to climb the walls, but were killed - at least, over most of the wall. Some of them had grown over and up the walls... at least three bundles of vines.

Footsteps echoed. But the stems of the dead plants seemed familiar as well - at least, would to Thancred. There's a bundle of soft grass that seems to be untouched in the very middle of the room.

But as they entered, the passage they came from seemed to vanish, seemed to not be there anymore. ]
wordsinthesoul: (out and about)

[personal profile] wordsinthesoul 2018-09-21 01:43 pm (UTC)(link)
How does that make them any better?

[he holds his hand out to her.] Perhaps…. I thought it seemed more mechanical, but perhaps it adapted…?

[He's rather impressed by the setup! It's unusual- although the plants do look familiar, and he ventures forward, kneeling to take a look at them.] These seem… like some of the ones Lahabrea's raised…? [also strange.

…ah. That's not good news, is it.]
wordsinthesoul: (out and about)

[personal profile] wordsinthesoul 2018-09-21 02:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Right. It probably still has a way to grow…

Yes. They're… being looked after, I think. But it's odd- did he come here before? Or after?

[ah. He's going to come closer, and crouch down to take a look at that, too.]. That's different. Let me see…

[let him poke at it with a stick or something- this time he won't directly touch it!]
wordsinthesoul: (something strange)

[personal profile] wordsinthesoul 2018-09-21 02:16 pm (UTC)(link)
No. It would probably have been safe enough, before Omega arrived here.

[It's a very good staff!

Thancred yelps when the tentacle reaches up, taking a step backwards. He takes a tight hold on the cane, pulling backwards- it's Y'shtola's, after all, he can't lose it.]


Most of his plants aren't like that- could Omega have had a hand in this?
wordsinthesoul: (examining)

[personal profile] wordsinthesoul 2018-09-22 09:03 am (UTC)(link)
So we wouldn't be able to disturb it. Or him.

Ah! [It's…. Actually kind of cute? He pulls one glove to try and protect his hand a little reach, reaching out to try to help.]

I didn't expect it to change like that… It looks like it. It looks like this dug here…. Could it get up onto the walls?
wordsinthesoul: (examining)

[personal profile] wordsinthesoul 2018-09-22 09:47 am (UTC)(link)
It looks as though it's absorbing what it takes…

In other words- what's left of them…? Did it devour them? …Ought we keep it, to track to track Omega- or tell what's down there?
wordsinthesoul: (out and about)

[personal profile] wordsinthesoul 2018-09-22 10:27 am (UTC)(link)
All right.

[He's concerned about where it might be going, but he steps forward as well- dropping down to examine the grass, digging his fingers in a little to see what's under there.]
wordsinthesoul: (examining)

[personal profile] wordsinthesoul 2018-09-22 10:32 am (UTC)(link)
[They don't feel very nice on his fingers, either. He makes a surprised sound.]

There's a way down- a set of stairs. I can go ahead.
wordsinthesoul: (examining)

[personal profile] wordsinthesoul 2018-09-22 11:02 am (UTC)(link)
[he gives Gaius a quick smile.]

Stay safe.

[He starts down, glancing at the walls, before putting one hand to to it to keep his way. …of course it gets dark further down.] Y'shtola- are you all right?

[actually- was there something Igeyorhm gave him? He fusses through his pockets, looking.]

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