First Rune
General Summary
"Guys, I have an idea, but I need your help," Dinu urgently said in our minds, "You know what we did to show Master Erol? Help me do that-"
We did, pushing on the fleeing man. After a moment, we connected.
It felt wrong, not at all like the minds we'd felt before. It felt cold, precise. Reptilian. It felt proud of what it's done. Proud of its ability.
I stood behind Dinu, as did the others. He was leading things, pushing through the mind, trying to seize the creature where it stood. He seemed just as unsure of how to do that as any of us, but still he pulled at the mind, trying to unravel the part connected to its limbs. He pulled one thread, then another, and another- A low moan came from the entryway, and then a 'thud' as the creature collapsed. Dinu pulled away, leaving us behind. He reached out instead to the door, telling it to close. I took hold of the mind as he slipped away, trying to do as he had. If only I could completely unwind it, I thought. Leave it behind an empty shell... I pulled the nearest thread. Bright lights flashed in my vision, and strange scents filled my nose. I tried to reign in my fascination; there would be time after poor Kara was safe. With each tug of a thread a new sensation filled my mind, but still nothing seemed to affect the creature... I could tell it was confused. Angry, too. I tried to grab the confusion, to tie it to every other connection, to- Something snapped, and I was thrown out, a sharp pain in my own head. Davina let out a moan, and Octaviu shook his head. Dinu stood staring at the stairway. I tried reaching out to the creature again, but it was gone, and the way we came would no longer open. We stood in silence for a moment. Dinu snapped out of it first. He told Octaviu to try and find a way to bring the stairs down, then turned on his heel for the rope. He returned to the room above without waiting for an answer from Octaviu. Davina went right after him. I shook off my... hesitation, and followed, Davina helping me up again. The room was the same, but for Ya'Rubu, who'd sat next to the mechanical. Dinu had just joined him, questioning the mechanical. I left him to it, and returned to the plinth. I had a niggling idea forming. I took the figure, and tried for different runes, trying to remember the ones I've seen on the doors before. It was a long shot, but I'd hoped it might be connected to the rest of this place, and the stairs especially... I tried a few, but none reacted. Then, on my sixth rune, I noticed a panel on the wall twitching. I tried the rune again, and again the wall twitched. It must need something else... Maybe a second rune atop the previous? But which... "Stairs're stuck," Octaviu's voice broke my thoughts, "Can't find any way to bring em down again." He pulled himself up through the grate, and sat on the floor. Maybe...
"Octaviu," I pointed to the wall, then traced the rune once more, "I think there's something there." If any of us could open it, it would be him. "On it," Octaviu pushed himself up and set on the twitching panel. He pried it back slightly, then took his tools out to poke at the internals.
I glanced away for a second, only to look back as an echoing clank rang through the chamber. A puff of reddish dust spit from the wall, engulfing Octaviu. He coughed just as a spark shot through the cloud, and was thrown back, the panel still clasped in his hands. Davina ran first, diving to catch him before he could fall through the grate. Octaviu let out a strained sound of thanks as she helped him back to his feet. His face was covered in the red powder, and he was coughing. I pulled a rag and wet it, handing it to Octaviu, but the water did nothing. "This might help," Ya'Rubu got up and offered a pouch to Octaviu. There was a greenish powder inside, and he poured some into Octaviu's hand, directing him how to use it. Octaviu followed along and rubbed it over his eyes. The red dust clung to the powder, clumping together and falling away until Octaviu could see again.
How interesting... Must be some sort of alchemical reaction... Never would have thought that adding more dust to the equation would...
"That looks pretty useful," Davina said, "Would it do anything for my head?" "Eh, maybe? Not really actually..." Ya'Rubu answered without mind to my assertions. He tucked the pouch back away, and shook his head, "This is for cleansing... Hangovers... They're a whole other beast." I turned my attention back to the wall. Now that the literal dust had settled I could see the place where the panel had been removed - A small alcove lay behind it, big enough for several books but not much else, though at the moment it seemed completely empty. I moved closer. That couldn't have been for nothing? Octaviu was nearly... Then I saw the one thing inside - A small black marble sat on a small platform. It hummed, and then I realised the source of the humming in this room - This small marble. I wanted to examine it closer, but something in my gut told me touching it was a bad idea.
Dinu's voice came from behind me. He was speaking with Ya'Rubu again, "...I think the thing that took Kara might be a Red Eye, because it had red eyes. You're an expert on them, have you ever heard of them having reptile-like scales?" "No... Not that i've heard of..." Ya'Rubu said, his voice tinged with confusion, "Though I suppose they do worship the black crocodile..." That is... A totemic god the Exiles worship down south, I believe. "Unless the Red Eyes sent their god after us, I don't think that was a Red Eye, Dinu," I said as much gentleness as I could muster. Dinu sighed, and closed his eyes. He told us he wished reach out to Taharjin, and asked for our help. I obliged, somewhat reluctantly, as did the others, much less reluctantly.
We were abruptly pulled from our minds into a space that was becoming unfortunately familiar. I felt everywhere at once and no where, overwhelmed yet again by the endless mindspace. If I had a stomach here, I think I would have vomited. For now that could wait until we returned, I supposed. As I gathered myself, I realised the avatar of Taharjin had materialised before us. She looked down on us, expectantly. "Uh..." Dinu said, "Oh great Taharjin-" I bit back a snort at the grand opening. This was serious. "-We're in need of some assistance. We think we've found an obelisk, however we've been locked in by someone..." Dinu projected his voice as if reciting a prayer, "If you have anything about the people that might be after us, that would be helpful... He had red eyes and scales, and black blood."
"Ah yes, you have discovered the Ilentur," Taharjin answered, "This is a bad omen that they are on this planet." She paused, and her head tilted every so slightly, "I can see you are also in the presence of a vokun artifact. It is a greatly powerful one, that will give you much aid if you are able to unlock its power..." The marble...? As if she could hear me, she nodded, "Be wary. Only one among you is able to unlock its power for the moment. It must be tested, and there is a high chance that if the wrong one accesses it, it will go poorly for all. The room can only have one bearing. It is a matter of genetics." 'Genetics'...? Genetic... Genesis... Origin? Our origins? So our backgrounds, then? I hummed in my own thoughts.
"Poorly?" Dinu asked, "What do you mean?" "It will be catastrophic," Taharjin said, and in my mind's eye we could feel her meaning. Explosive, beyond a level we knew possible.
"Right, so we don't want that, but..." Davina raised her hand, "Is there anyway to figure out which of our... 'genetics' match?" "Uncertain. A vokun ruin is much more complex than your genetic makeup," Taharjin answered, "There are too many probabilities to track. Too many potential outcomes." I frowned, "I don't know whether to be insulted." Taharjin watched me. I chose to take that as an insult, then. "It is regrettable, but I cannot interact with the world outside," She continued, "You however, are connected..."
As her voice faded we did too, falling back into ourselves. I was right, I was nauseous. "Okay guys, I have an idea," Octaviu said. I looked up from my deep breathing to see he had the panel again. He walked over to the alcove and used the panel to lift the marble. It rolled lazily into the middle, and he told told us to stand on either side of the panel. Davina gave him a curious look, but did so. I followed after, and then Dinu. Being so close, I could feel a slight, highly compressed magic in it. Volatile. "Okay, so it'll react to us if we touch it, yeah?" He said, and the panel jostled, sending the marble rolling a bit too close to the edge. I stepped back slightly, but he caught it with the panel, quickly righting it again. "And that reaction will be really bad if it's the wrong one of us, right?" Octaviu continued like he hadn't nearly caused a 'wrong reaction', "Well maybe we can just have it tell us which of us it's drawn to for the *right* reaction." I saw what he meant. If it's linked to one of our 'genetics' and it's so advanced, would it really be such a stretch for it to know which of us is the right one? The presence of magic made me more sure that it was a possibility. I placed my hands on my side of the panel, and Dinu and Davina followed. We held it steady, and the marble fell still in the middle. Each of us watched it, and at first it seemed like nothing would happened, but then, it jerked. It began rolling in place, then into patterns. I could feel a slight pull on it.
"You guys aren't moving it, are..." Davina trailed off, a frown on her face, "Wait, are you guys feeling this? It's a bit tingly-"
The marble froze in front of Davina. Then it started expanding... No, it was dissipating. It turned to a mist that rose up around her. It glowed, and then shot forward *into* her.
Davina fell back, but didn't move to stand back up. She sat frozen, staring at nothing. Her jaw clenched and her hands turned to fists. Dinu dropped the panel and went to help her, but stopped before touching her. He gave me a look, as if to ask if it was safe. I had no idea if touching her would cause a 'bad reaction'. I was going to tell him to wait but then Davina blinked.
"What the shit..." She said, then moaned, "Ughh my head..." Still, she quickly pushed herself up and pet Dinu's shoulder a few times too many, "I got good news, she's okay, she's okay, she's okay until we go to her. Don't ask me how, but I saw it. What the *shit* was that." "I can't say I understand..." Dinu blinked, "But alright." "Yeah. Yeah," Davina said with the intensity of a man on the strong stuff, "There was something else, there's something we need here... I hit things, I don't normally deal with this. But there's something we need here." She shook her head and took some deep breaths, then walked over to the plinth. She quickly drew several symbols that I tried to remember, and then another wall opened. She moved forward like a woman possessed, not even waiting for us to catch up. I quickly followed after her, and Octaviu behind me. I heard the mechanical apologising to Ya'Rubu and Dinu for being 'such a bother' as they helped carry it forward. The room Davina had taken us to appeared the same as the one before it. She approached the plinth and made more quick drawings, only for another door to open. This room was much bigger than the last. There was a well in the middle, filled with dark shimmering waves. It looked like a portal. The air felt different here, less like a tomb and more like a den.
Whatever had come over Davina left as soon as it had come, and she fell to the ground again in a slump. She moaned again, "Okay just give me a minute."
After her moment, Davina looked to us, "What was that? What am I doing?" "You seemed in a trance," I said. "Must be the marble..." She shook her head, and muttered something. She looked up at the room, "Maybe this is the spire?" Maybe... I gazed into the well. The black waves appeared to be water. I didn't try and take a sample. Looking into it, it felt *wrong*. There was a pull, like the marble, but reversed. Something in the back of my head said I should jump in. I felt sick. I silenced the l'appel du vide and pulled myself away from the well. I was to give the well a wide berth as I looked over the rest of the room. There was a door at the other end, but not much else of note.
"You all look pretty beat up..." Davina said from her spot on the floor, "We should rest." Dinu looked conflicted, but slowly sat down.
"Ya'rubu, you have any more of that stuff for Rianemi, she looks half dead," Davina called out to him as he helped place the mechanical down. She added, looking over to me, "He said it wouldn't work for me." I shook my head, "I am fine." "This isn't really for injuries either..." Ya'Rubu said, paying no mind to my protestations, "I have some bandages-" I waved Ya'Rubu off as he attempted to poorly wrap a bandage around my head, and stressed again, "I'm fine." ...Even so, some rest would be nice... I took off my bag and laid it against the wall facing the well. Davina said we should take watches, just in case anything was 'creeping about'.
"Alright. I'll go first, with the mechanical," I said. "Are you sure? You look a bit..." Davina bit off her words as I sharpened my gaze. "I'll be fine. I wanted to question the mechanical a bit, anyway," I said, "If anything were lurking in here it had plenty enough chances to show itself, anyway."
"I'll take second, then," Dinu said, lying down. Ya'Rubu said he'd help. "So that leaves me and Octaviu, alright," Davina nodded, "See you in the morning."
I stood behind Dinu, as did the others. He was leading things, pushing through the mind, trying to seize the creature where it stood. He seemed just as unsure of how to do that as any of us, but still he pulled at the mind, trying to unravel the part connected to its limbs. He pulled one thread, then another, and another- A low moan came from the entryway, and then a 'thud' as the creature collapsed. Dinu pulled away, leaving us behind. He reached out instead to the door, telling it to close. I took hold of the mind as he slipped away, trying to do as he had. If only I could completely unwind it, I thought. Leave it behind an empty shell... I pulled the nearest thread. Bright lights flashed in my vision, and strange scents filled my nose. I tried to reign in my fascination; there would be time after poor Kara was safe. With each tug of a thread a new sensation filled my mind, but still nothing seemed to affect the creature... I could tell it was confused. Angry, too. I tried to grab the confusion, to tie it to every other connection, to- Something snapped, and I was thrown out, a sharp pain in my own head. Davina let out a moan, and Octaviu shook his head. Dinu stood staring at the stairway. I tried reaching out to the creature again, but it was gone, and the way we came would no longer open. We stood in silence for a moment. Dinu snapped out of it first. He told Octaviu to try and find a way to bring the stairs down, then turned on his heel for the rope. He returned to the room above without waiting for an answer from Octaviu. Davina went right after him. I shook off my... hesitation, and followed, Davina helping me up again. The room was the same, but for Ya'Rubu, who'd sat next to the mechanical. Dinu had just joined him, questioning the mechanical. I left him to it, and returned to the plinth. I had a niggling idea forming. I took the figure, and tried for different runes, trying to remember the ones I've seen on the doors before. It was a long shot, but I'd hoped it might be connected to the rest of this place, and the stairs especially... I tried a few, but none reacted. Then, on my sixth rune, I noticed a panel on the wall twitching. I tried the rune again, and again the wall twitched. It must need something else... Maybe a second rune atop the previous? But which... "Stairs're stuck," Octaviu's voice broke my thoughts, "Can't find any way to bring em down again." He pulled himself up through the grate, and sat on the floor. Maybe...
"Octaviu," I pointed to the wall, then traced the rune once more, "I think there's something there." If any of us could open it, it would be him. "On it," Octaviu pushed himself up and set on the twitching panel. He pried it back slightly, then took his tools out to poke at the internals.
I glanced away for a second, only to look back as an echoing clank rang through the chamber. A puff of reddish dust spit from the wall, engulfing Octaviu. He coughed just as a spark shot through the cloud, and was thrown back, the panel still clasped in his hands. Davina ran first, diving to catch him before he could fall through the grate. Octaviu let out a strained sound of thanks as she helped him back to his feet. His face was covered in the red powder, and he was coughing. I pulled a rag and wet it, handing it to Octaviu, but the water did nothing. "This might help," Ya'Rubu got up and offered a pouch to Octaviu. There was a greenish powder inside, and he poured some into Octaviu's hand, directing him how to use it. Octaviu followed along and rubbed it over his eyes. The red dust clung to the powder, clumping together and falling away until Octaviu could see again.
How interesting... Must be some sort of alchemical reaction... Never would have thought that adding more dust to the equation would...
"That looks pretty useful," Davina said, "Would it do anything for my head?" "Eh, maybe? Not really actually..." Ya'Rubu answered without mind to my assertions. He tucked the pouch back away, and shook his head, "This is for cleansing... Hangovers... They're a whole other beast." I turned my attention back to the wall. Now that the literal dust had settled I could see the place where the panel had been removed - A small alcove lay behind it, big enough for several books but not much else, though at the moment it seemed completely empty. I moved closer. That couldn't have been for nothing? Octaviu was nearly... Then I saw the one thing inside - A small black marble sat on a small platform. It hummed, and then I realised the source of the humming in this room - This small marble. I wanted to examine it closer, but something in my gut told me touching it was a bad idea.
Dinu's voice came from behind me. He was speaking with Ya'Rubu again, "...I think the thing that took Kara might be a Red Eye, because it had red eyes. You're an expert on them, have you ever heard of them having reptile-like scales?" "No... Not that i've heard of..." Ya'Rubu said, his voice tinged with confusion, "Though I suppose they do worship the black crocodile..." That is... A totemic god the Exiles worship down south, I believe. "Unless the Red Eyes sent their god after us, I don't think that was a Red Eye, Dinu," I said as much gentleness as I could muster. Dinu sighed, and closed his eyes. He told us he wished reach out to Taharjin, and asked for our help. I obliged, somewhat reluctantly, as did the others, much less reluctantly.
We were abruptly pulled from our minds into a space that was becoming unfortunately familiar. I felt everywhere at once and no where, overwhelmed yet again by the endless mindspace. If I had a stomach here, I think I would have vomited. For now that could wait until we returned, I supposed. As I gathered myself, I realised the avatar of Taharjin had materialised before us. She looked down on us, expectantly. "Uh..." Dinu said, "Oh great Taharjin-" I bit back a snort at the grand opening. This was serious. "-We're in need of some assistance. We think we've found an obelisk, however we've been locked in by someone..." Dinu projected his voice as if reciting a prayer, "If you have anything about the people that might be after us, that would be helpful... He had red eyes and scales, and black blood."
"Ah yes, you have discovered the Ilentur," Taharjin answered, "This is a bad omen that they are on this planet." She paused, and her head tilted every so slightly, "I can see you are also in the presence of a vokun artifact. It is a greatly powerful one, that will give you much aid if you are able to unlock its power..." The marble...? As if she could hear me, she nodded, "Be wary. Only one among you is able to unlock its power for the moment. It must be tested, and there is a high chance that if the wrong one accesses it, it will go poorly for all. The room can only have one bearing. It is a matter of genetics." 'Genetics'...? Genetic... Genesis... Origin? Our origins? So our backgrounds, then? I hummed in my own thoughts.
"Poorly?" Dinu asked, "What do you mean?" "It will be catastrophic," Taharjin said, and in my mind's eye we could feel her meaning. Explosive, beyond a level we knew possible.
"Right, so we don't want that, but..." Davina raised her hand, "Is there anyway to figure out which of our... 'genetics' match?" "Uncertain. A vokun ruin is much more complex than your genetic makeup," Taharjin answered, "There are too many probabilities to track. Too many potential outcomes." I frowned, "I don't know whether to be insulted." Taharjin watched me. I chose to take that as an insult, then. "It is regrettable, but I cannot interact with the world outside," She continued, "You however, are connected..."
As her voice faded we did too, falling back into ourselves. I was right, I was nauseous. "Okay guys, I have an idea," Octaviu said. I looked up from my deep breathing to see he had the panel again. He walked over to the alcove and used the panel to lift the marble. It rolled lazily into the middle, and he told told us to stand on either side of the panel. Davina gave him a curious look, but did so. I followed after, and then Dinu. Being so close, I could feel a slight, highly compressed magic in it. Volatile. "Okay, so it'll react to us if we touch it, yeah?" He said, and the panel jostled, sending the marble rolling a bit too close to the edge. I stepped back slightly, but he caught it with the panel, quickly righting it again. "And that reaction will be really bad if it's the wrong one of us, right?" Octaviu continued like he hadn't nearly caused a 'wrong reaction', "Well maybe we can just have it tell us which of us it's drawn to for the *right* reaction." I saw what he meant. If it's linked to one of our 'genetics' and it's so advanced, would it really be such a stretch for it to know which of us is the right one? The presence of magic made me more sure that it was a possibility. I placed my hands on my side of the panel, and Dinu and Davina followed. We held it steady, and the marble fell still in the middle. Each of us watched it, and at first it seemed like nothing would happened, but then, it jerked. It began rolling in place, then into patterns. I could feel a slight pull on it.
"You guys aren't moving it, are..." Davina trailed off, a frown on her face, "Wait, are you guys feeling this? It's a bit tingly-"
The marble froze in front of Davina. Then it started expanding... No, it was dissipating. It turned to a mist that rose up around her. It glowed, and then shot forward *into* her.
Davina fell back, but didn't move to stand back up. She sat frozen, staring at nothing. Her jaw clenched and her hands turned to fists. Dinu dropped the panel and went to help her, but stopped before touching her. He gave me a look, as if to ask if it was safe. I had no idea if touching her would cause a 'bad reaction'. I was going to tell him to wait but then Davina blinked.
"What the shit..." She said, then moaned, "Ughh my head..." Still, she quickly pushed herself up and pet Dinu's shoulder a few times too many, "I got good news, she's okay, she's okay, she's okay until we go to her. Don't ask me how, but I saw it. What the *shit* was that." "I can't say I understand..." Dinu blinked, "But alright." "Yeah. Yeah," Davina said with the intensity of a man on the strong stuff, "There was something else, there's something we need here... I hit things, I don't normally deal with this. But there's something we need here." She shook her head and took some deep breaths, then walked over to the plinth. She quickly drew several symbols that I tried to remember, and then another wall opened. She moved forward like a woman possessed, not even waiting for us to catch up. I quickly followed after her, and Octaviu behind me. I heard the mechanical apologising to Ya'Rubu and Dinu for being 'such a bother' as they helped carry it forward. The room Davina had taken us to appeared the same as the one before it. She approached the plinth and made more quick drawings, only for another door to open. This room was much bigger than the last. There was a well in the middle, filled with dark shimmering waves. It looked like a portal. The air felt different here, less like a tomb and more like a den.
Whatever had come over Davina left as soon as it had come, and she fell to the ground again in a slump. She moaned again, "Okay just give me a minute."
After her moment, Davina looked to us, "What was that? What am I doing?" "You seemed in a trance," I said. "Must be the marble..." She shook her head, and muttered something. She looked up at the room, "Maybe this is the spire?" Maybe... I gazed into the well. The black waves appeared to be water. I didn't try and take a sample. Looking into it, it felt *wrong*. There was a pull, like the marble, but reversed. Something in the back of my head said I should jump in. I felt sick. I silenced the l'appel du vide and pulled myself away from the well. I was to give the well a wide berth as I looked over the rest of the room. There was a door at the other end, but not much else of note.
"You all look pretty beat up..." Davina said from her spot on the floor, "We should rest." Dinu looked conflicted, but slowly sat down.
"Ya'rubu, you have any more of that stuff for Rianemi, she looks half dead," Davina called out to him as he helped place the mechanical down. She added, looking over to me, "He said it wouldn't work for me." I shook my head, "I am fine." "This isn't really for injuries either..." Ya'Rubu said, paying no mind to my protestations, "I have some bandages-" I waved Ya'Rubu off as he attempted to poorly wrap a bandage around my head, and stressed again, "I'm fine." ...Even so, some rest would be nice... I took off my bag and laid it against the wall facing the well. Davina said we should take watches, just in case anything was 'creeping about'.
"Alright. I'll go first, with the mechanical," I said. "Are you sure? You look a bit..." Davina bit off her words as I sharpened my gaze. "I'll be fine. I wanted to question the mechanical a bit, anyway," I said, "If anything were lurking in here it had plenty enough chances to show itself, anyway."
"I'll take second, then," Dinu said, lying down. Ya'Rubu said he'd help. "So that leaves me and Octaviu, alright," Davina nodded, "See you in the morning."
Report Date
08 Nov 2024
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