An In-between

[i]He's done well for himself.[/i] [i]Good. Good.[/i]

[i]What Beef'd said when Aust'd walked in:[/i] [i][b]ALCOHOL IS AMAZING! FUCK YOU SIR!!!![/b][/i]

[b]i. still[/b][br] Beef looked at the gray splotch on his arm, stone coating his scales like molten lava over rock. The skin beneath felt dulled and distant, as though someone had silently severed the nerves connecting it to his brain. It was surreal, seeing it gradually crawl up his arm; a living infection, textured as anything but. [i]So this is how it ends. [/i] This was how his story would stutter, slow and unremarkable, over the finish line. Killed within the confines of a claustrophobic, spiralling cavern, trapping him in his own rocky prison. Cruelly ironic, how one of his few ambitions had been to avoid dying in a mine. He’d always hated caves. Always had. Possibly always will, depending on what strange sort of living this infection would lock him into. He’d never been good at taking a stand for himself. Deciding that this, now most importantly of all, would not be his end. Deciding he wouldn’t become a simple footnote, a forgotten character, another disposable soldier to be left behind in the shadows of the true heroes. So perhaps that’s what quickened the rate of the infection. His easy nature, giving into what he thought would be his final injury. [i]It isn’t all bad,[/i] he considered. [i]At least it's just me.[/i] Lids lowered, grip weakened. Green glazed over with indifference, acceptance, then nothing. Then, finally, stillness. [b]ii. sorry[/b][br] When he awoke, he’d been surprised at the briefness of his entrapment. Further still that everyone– bar one, of course– seemed to be packing up their things, ready to continue on their journey. “Welcome back,” Aust’d said. His monotone was a peculiar sort of comforting. Sun’s absence was somewhat expected. What little he could grasp of what’d occurred while he’d been… frozen? It seemed that the bard had returned to the town to stay in far more luxurious lodgings, leaving the others to sleep within the caverns. At least, that was how Artemis’ had put it, arms crossed and looking strangely huffy. Beef’d apologized then, in place of the likely unremorseful water genasi. Though this time it was not a decision the dragonborn himself could fault him for. Unlike purposeless deception, abandoning him would’ve been ideal if it meant safer sleeping conditions. It was a move completely strategic in its nature. And, unbeknownst to him, both he and the water genasi’s thoughts aligned on this particular matter: It wasn’t as though he could complain. Still, Artemis felt as though he’d been wronged, and that in and of itself deserved consolation. If he’d been upset by it, then it was only polite for Beef to help soothe his worries. Arty’s responding apology towards [i]him,[/i] however, had been rather amusing. It did not occur to Beef, at least not in the moment, to consider why they’d decided to stay behind for him. Even when doing so provided no benefit. [b]iii. sluggish[/b][br] As Artemis clambered up the rope, Beef– in all his lethargic, lobotomized glory– acknowledged what was going to happen next. Heavy-footed and barely able to lift his hand from where it clutched at the bruise coloring his side, he knew he wasn’t going to make it. 25 feet up a rope would’ve been no problem in his normal state, but he wasn’t in his normal state. He was weakened, exhausted. His muscles cried out in pain with every breath. His vision was blurred and dark, little assistance coming from the clouds of dust that the quickly collapsing cave system behind them kicked up. Beneath a breath, he chuckled. To think he would die in a cave-in, as he’d been so afraid of for so long. What a waste. A self-deprecating smile came to his face, eyes pinched with humor when he turned to Hazel. [i]Go ahead,[/i] he gestured weakly, waving to the rope. Pebbles began to drop from above. [i]You don’t have much time.[/i] Instead of beginning his ascent, however, Hazel simply grinned. Amber eyes twinkled with delight as he locked arms with his draconian companion. Beef almost crashed into him, barely gripping onto the last vestiges of his strength to keep from crushing his smaller friend. Through the haze clouding his mind, he managed to give the human a quizzical look. “Up we go,” Hazel sang. And they were off.

An In-between

Well, this is new. I don't think I've ever written here during a period of time that [i]wasn't[/i] moments before slumber, but I suppose it's always good to try new things! That, and [Meidei] has stared at that... disconcerting creature for quite a length...

12:34 pm - 11.03.2023

Play-ing!

Guess what I've learned today, Yvelda? [Play-ing]! Or... [improvh]? [Akting]? I'm not certain of the proper terminology, simply that it was rather enjoyable! At least, more enjoyable than the combative showcases back home. What's even better is that I was...

11:49 am - 11.03.2023

Alive

He’s alive. They’re both alive. Everyone is alive. By the spirits, Yvelda, you have no idea how… [i]scared[/i] I was. At first I was quite perturbed at the presence of those many-armed… ‘monstrosities,’ but when Mayday got pulled ...

12:32 am - 11.03.2023

Yuja

What do I do, Yvelda? [i]What do I do?[/i] They're destroying it. Burning it. Artemis, his home, they're I can't. I couldn't. They were my people. They still [i]are[/i] my people. Aren't they, Yvelda? I'm not sure if I can. If I even could....

03:26 pm - 08.01.2023

Once again, scribbled in the journal are clumsy approximation of Common letters. There is not much of note here, nothing that'd warrant a full journal entry. Nothing, except for a sentence tucked into the corner of the page, written neatly in Draconic... [i]May the spirits protect you, Marros. May your journey be safe.[/i]

Maros?

[i]Written in Draconic...[/i] The day started simple enough, journal. Waking up early to the sounds of excitement from Rio was to be expected (he does still regard us as heroes, after all), but what was not was the note left on the room table. Altho...

07:04 am - 30.09.2022

[i]Well, looks like more drying was needed. In hindsight, Beef probably should’ve waited until they were already out of the watery underground coffin to dry out his precious journal, but oh well. I mean, if those angry guards were anything to go by, Beef probably won’t need to worry about drying out his journal over and over anymore…[/i]

[i]Yup. Definitely a pain. Beef watches the dripping book with pain in his eyes, praying to the spirits that through some miracle it would remain dry throughout the rest of this dungeon crawl. However unlikely that sounded. Oh well, at least it didn’t get the harpoon treatment…[/i]

[i]Beef's poor, poor journal. Had he known the party's next destination was under the lake, he would've at least tried to keep his journal somewhere safe. But then again, when you're dangling off a cliff-face having almost died from said cliff-face, you tend to forget what's in your bag and what isn't. Drying his journal out is going to be a pain afterwards, though.[/i]

[i]Once again, the journal is empty. Nearby sits Beef, leafing through the children's book with a small smile.[/i]

[i]For once, the page is completely bare of the usual Draconic scratches, replaced instead by the clumsy attempts at common lettering. The a’s are overly sharp and the i’s are dribbly. They looked more like the drawings of a child than that of a full-grown dragonborn, yet Beef still looked at them fondly. Shutting the book close, the copper reptile yawned as the sun finally rose over the horizon.[/i]

[i]Written in Draconic...[/i] I yelled at one of my party members today, Yvelda. I know you always told me to try and work things out if I’m able to, but I I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. [i]Beef tucks the bound book away. He’s camping outside of the cart, claimed he’d keep watch even though he knew Artemis was perfectly capable of keeping watch himself. He leans against the small wooden structure. The stars watch him.[/i] [i]He was not getting any sleep tonight.[/i]

[i]Written in Draconic...[/i] Today was simply wonderful, journal. I met someone new, I helped out a friend, I was given the opportunity to continue on my travels with the others- Ah, I’m rushing aren’t I? Allow me to start from the beginning. The tale continues on from the afternoon at the circus area, with Hazel and I leaving. As we were, however, a peculiar man in a fine suit approached. He was rather nice, complimenting Hazel’s… results… before offering us a job. He said that the circus was going to travel to yet another town, and he wished for us to accompany him there, stating that we seemed like strong fellows, and ones certainly capable of guarding a travelling tent to its destination. He also mentioned in passing that we were free to invite any other members, and I’m sure you’ve already guessed it, journal, but the first people that came to my mind were Artemis, Mayday and Roly-Poly. Artemis was a rather obvious choice. From his eagerness to take the job offered to us by the pumpkin effigy once tempted with the reward of trinkets, I thought he’d be happy to tag along with us. Mayday and Roly-Poly on the other hand, well… I must admit journal, I did have rather devious intentions when those two came to mind. I’ve grown attached to Roly-Poly, and I’d hate to see him go, but I also had yet to hand Mayday his reward from the last quest. And, well… I wished to talk to him more. Perhaps it was rather selfish of me to wish to drag them along on another quest, but… I won’t ruin the surprise for you journal, but I will say that my wish did come true ;) So, Hazel and I took off to the bazaar where we knew Artemis had gone to, and to my surprise, we found him rather easily. Along with… Roly-Poly. Which was rather unusual, but from our pumpkin quest near the graveyard and from our repeated interactions, I knew the little guy wasn’t exactly a robotic companion chained to Mayday, forced to obey his every command. Roly-Poly is, in actuality, quite independent! Truly a little marvel, I wonder where Mayday- Ah, I’m getting side-tracked again. As I was writing, I caught Artemis up on the plan. Hazel had wandered off to talk to a rather strange man (they were saying something about craftsmanship…?), before the snow-haired male wandered off once again. After he hadn’t reappeared, I started to get rather worried, but the human eventually emerged from behind one of the tents. The three of us headed back to the inn. Artemis was even so kind as to ‘foot the bill’ as it were, helping me pay for my food. The rice I ate was plenty delicious, and it seemed the others enjoyed their meals as well, which I am oh so happy for. I must admit, journal, sitting with those two at the table was rather… warming, in a strange sense. It was not the soaring feeling of freeing a caught rabbit that I felt, nor was it the tight yet relieving elation of success. It was… something else. I find it rather funny that I can’t find the word for it in my own home tongue. Oh, and I almost forgot! Journal, today I spoke with someone in Draconic! It was a wonderful person, another reptile like me, and he seemed just as surprised when I responded to him! I will tell you a little secret though, journal, and that is that I may have… tried to use the beast tongue ritual that she taught me. I know, I know, I was plenty flustered as well when I realised he understood me just fine, but the feeling afterwards when I chatted with him? Wonderful. Truly wonderful. I believe this is what Gribalsh spoke of when he meant camaraderie. We were both very excited at the prospect of meeting each other the next morning, and I look forward to formally learning his name once he tells me. It was rather embarrassing as well when I realised I hadn’t asked his name but, uh… Ah, did I tell you of how me, Hazel and Artemis reunited with Mayday and Roly-Poly? After saying my goodbye to the polite reptile in the cage, Artemis, Hazel and I met up at the circus’ entrance when we heard a piercing scream coming from the food hall (or the tent version of a food hall, I suppose). I immediately rushed over, and after pushing past the thinning crowd, saw the blonde half-elf confronting two rather burly men, with one of them holding Roly-Poly under his foot. The sight of Roly-Poly did make me rather… angry. While it was tempting to simply attack the man, I didn’t want to cause an unnecessary scene, not to mention the repercussions of starting a fight in the food hall might’ve done to the poor workers left to clean up the leftovers. Thankfully, it was easy enough to intimidate them down. With Artemis’ help and Hazel… trying, the man holding down Roly-Poly eventually stepped off, allowing the robot to return to us intact. The two men then left, going to the circus tent and leaving us to make conversation. Once they were gone, Mayday informed us of his search for some messenger, and the three of us readily agreed to help him. One of us suggested the messenger was likely in the circus tent, seeing as both his escorts had entered said tent, and the party agreed the man was probably in there with his guards. All of us entered the show, and although we were keeping a lookout for the men, I couldn’t help my curiosity and watched the performance from the entrance, standing across from Mayday to make sure the men didn't quietly sneak out. The show itself was marvellous, a wonder of entertainment indeed. Apologies if my words seem insincere, but I simply cannot find the words to describe it. It was just so… different from the shows at home. Did you know a human can breathe fire? I certainly didn’t! I just… it was wonderful, journal. It truly was. I’m so glad I managed to see it. After the show was finished, the four of us lingered near the entrance to see if the three men Mayday was searching for would leave, and surely enough they did. Mayday immediately engaged them into conversation, asking questions about a kingdom of sorts. I assumed it was his own, judging by the way he seemed to fret over it, a Laralissi I believe? The messenger told us of a war being raging in the kingdom, started by mysterious people in airships, and he said that many more messengers were sent out, requesting help and arms from all those willing to give them. It was at this point he mentioned losing a number of scrolls, and, well, ah.. that was a rather awkward moment in the conversation. Ahem, anyways, the three men eventually left the circus, and it was at this point that Mayday asked us for something (how surprising!). He requested we contact who we could to help in the battle, and I mentioned the Qyxpahrgh clan to him. This, I believe, was when the ringmaster approached us. He was quite happy to see us, and he seemed happy to explain the quest he gave me and Hazel to Mayday. I don’t know what made Mayday want to join our quest this time, but I am happy he did. Maybe I am just getting sentimental over a few exchanged words, but our conversation after the encounter with the half-beast men felt… nice. Things slowed down afterwards, the four of us agreeing to meet up in the morning to escort the circus. And, journal, I finally handed Mayday the idol I got as a reward from our previous quest. I wasn’t as… elegant as I may have liked, but it was done. Now, laying underneath the falling stars and writing what might be my last entry in Altamira, I find my heart beating wildly in preparation for the rising sun. I am oh so excited to finally have a travelling group, journal, and I do hope this one is… [i]The writing trails off. Beef snores quietly beside his journal, curled up with the bedroll Mayday returned to him. A smile lingers on his face as his heart gradually slows.[/i]

[i]Written in Draconic...[/i] I am relieved to say, journal, that I did not perish during the pumpkin parade. Despite my initial, ah, 'strong reaction,' it turns out the pumpkin effigy and its companions weren't malicious. In fact, they were rather welcoming, even offering us trinkets in exchange for our service. It was rather unfortunate that Mayday chose not to join our quest, although I suppose I would do the same in his boots were I to listen to our rather absurd story. Still, the quest itself was rather tame. We did manage to put the bones of those people to rest, with the help of the... creature...? That was hiding underneath the tree. I truly do hope those people, the skeletons we encountered as well as the people at the parade, find peace in their slumber. As for the rewards, I myself wasn't all that interested in the choices presented. While I do currently have one of the trinkets in my possession (a rather beautiful ivory elephant), I think I will pass it on to Mayday instead. If I do see him, that is. Ah, but I shouldn't mourn over lost companions. After all, it was Mayday himself who wanted to leave since last night, and although I am rather saddened by this, I can see why he would not trust us just yet. I suppose I can hand the elephant off to one of the others. The rest of the day was rather enjoyable though, even if Mayday was not present for it. Artemis managed to open the lock on the chest from the camp, and within it were scrolls, clothes, a weapon and a small box of sorts. Artemis tucked away the scrolls and the box while Hazel took the clothes, and I do not think any of us were particularly interested in the sword. After that, we reached the town of Altamira and went our separate ways, with Artemis going to the bazaar and Hazel and I going to the circus. I do not think the circus itself was open, but the tents that were set up around it had a plethora of games and interesting things to look at. I even managed to spend some of those coins that Shipworth gave us, though the experience with the box of weirdness was rather... Never mind. It was unimportant. With the day finally drawing to a close, I do feel like I have reached the end of my stay here in Altamira. Although my time with Hazel, Artemis, Mayday and Naivara was certainly enjoyable, I find my legs growing restless once again. I may spend another day in this town, I may not, but I am assured by the fact that the memories of my time here will always be tucked away in my mind; vibrant, colorful and chaotic as they are.

[i]Written in Draconic...[/i] What the fuck.

Written in Draconic... Today was rather eventful, wasn't it? The fire-starter Hazel joined our party, we managed to clear out a nest of spiders, I found a pendant and I received 100 gold coins... whatever those are worth. Though sleeping under the stars may make an uncomfortable rest, I would rather save a silver piece than spend it on a room. It's just too bad I gave Mayday my bedroll, haha! Not that I regret it, though. He seemed rather uncomfortable sleeping on the ground. Oh, I almost forgot- it turns out Jonathan can shift between bear and human form! It was a pleasant surprise to see him wield that greataxe beside me, and fighting alongside his blade gave me a wonderful sense of camaraderie. I do hope he and Suzan find peace in their newly spider-free home, although I feel quite bad having destroyed Altamira's main tourist attraction. Star of the Evening: Mayday! His teamwork with Roly-Poly was exceptional, and working out the secret to the Heartstone was very clever on his part. I hope his fear of me will subside someday, because I believe we would make good friends. One last thing; Hazel gave me a slice of cake today! How wonderfully sweet of him! I just hope his sweetness will continue from now on, and that he will try to be less... destructive in the future.

[i]Written in Draconic...[/i] I met some wonderful people today! Jonathan, Suzanne, Mayday, Artemis and Naivara all seem like lovely people. Though I fear Mayday may not enjoy my presence... Other than that though, we learned of a spider camp beside the Heartstone. Suzanne and Jonathan told us about how the spiders have been acting more... unusual... and I fear some spider cleanup may be in order.