The Hollow Blade
Isra caught up to Cornelius, who was waving frantically from the top of the ridgeline. They'd been climbing all day, careful to avoid the many beasts that roamed this area -- particularly the Kaiju. They seemed drawn to the Devourer's Nest, but they were also afraid to get too close, and thus created a formidable barrier around the broken mountain. She spotted Merrygold further down, keeping an eye out for trouble while Isra finished her climb.
The inside of the mountain was hollow, like a giant hand had reached in and scooped it out, leaving soil and stone behind. Over the ages, the jungle had risen up to meet it, but the trees were smaller here, barely taller than the ones found in the metro parks on Absalom Station. She spotted shapes moving about in the shade of the forest, but nothing noticeably dangerous, mostly small game and their mundane predators. But that's not what Cornelius was pointing at.
There was a clearing in the middle of the valley, filled with leafy greens and thorny vines. The flora was clearly created by magic, and didn't match any of the other plants she'd seen on Safarae. Cornelius chattered again, and turned into a pair of binoculars in her hand.
Isra blinked.
Isra: "How long have you been able to do that?"
Binoculars: "Cheep." (Forever.) Isra didn't take the bait, and raised the binoculars to her face. There was a girl lying in the middle of the clearing... She was sleeping. White hair, pale skin, little horns all over her brow. Humanoid, but certainly not Human. Little red bugs were crawling all over her, but they didn't seem to be malicious. More curious, she was holding a sword -- a big sword, nearly three times as long as her body. The System forced a quest item in front of her face... The Girl Thrice-Abandoned, and the Hollow Blade. Isra sighed, and waved it away. If only Tesin were here... But she couldn't wait for that. In the background, on the far side of the clearing, a great black mass was slumbering. The aspect of the Devourer. Isra was certain -- the girl was why it was here. Either that, or the blade. Maybe both. But for whatever reason, it couldn't take them, not yet. She heard a scuffling to her right as Merrygold finished his ascent, coming up to level with the two of them. Merrygold: "Shepherd preserve us... It's massive."
Isra: "I'm not worried about it's size..." Isra looked up to the miasma in the sky, which was covering the entire planet. It seemed thicker here, as if it were concentrated around the beast. It probably had all manner of magical defenses, and a number of supernatural abilities besides. Isra passed Cornelius to Merrygold, and pointed out the girl. Merrygold: "We have no legends of her. Is she important?"
Isra: "Very." Merrygold gulped. Merrygold: "You're about to propose something crazy, aren't you?"
Isra: "Yeah..." Cornelius returned to his original form, his face intent, looking out into the valley. It was going to take a long time to pull this off, and equipment they didn't currently have... But she needed to save that girl, and that sword. And she needed to get off this planet. Isra: "We're going hunting."
Binoculars: "Cheep." (Forever.) Isra didn't take the bait, and raised the binoculars to her face. There was a girl lying in the middle of the clearing... She was sleeping. White hair, pale skin, little horns all over her brow. Humanoid, but certainly not Human. Little red bugs were crawling all over her, but they didn't seem to be malicious. More curious, she was holding a sword -- a big sword, nearly three times as long as her body. The System forced a quest item in front of her face... The Girl Thrice-Abandoned, and the Hollow Blade. Isra sighed, and waved it away. If only Tesin were here... But she couldn't wait for that. In the background, on the far side of the clearing, a great black mass was slumbering. The aspect of the Devourer. Isra was certain -- the girl was why it was here. Either that, or the blade. Maybe both. But for whatever reason, it couldn't take them, not yet. She heard a scuffling to her right as Merrygold finished his ascent, coming up to level with the two of them. Merrygold: "Shepherd preserve us... It's massive."
Isra: "I'm not worried about it's size..." Isra looked up to the miasma in the sky, which was covering the entire planet. It seemed thicker here, as if it were concentrated around the beast. It probably had all manner of magical defenses, and a number of supernatural abilities besides. Isra passed Cornelius to Merrygold, and pointed out the girl. Merrygold: "We have no legends of her. Is she important?"
Isra: "Very." Merrygold gulped. Merrygold: "You're about to propose something crazy, aren't you?"
Isra: "Yeah..." Cornelius returned to his original form, his face intent, looking out into the valley. It was going to take a long time to pull this off, and equipment they didn't currently have... But she needed to save that girl, and that sword. And she needed to get off this planet. Isra: "We're going hunting."
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