Quest - Terra-Drift [Brisshal Completionist]

@Nyancy @Chris Seenter

Stokbon Outskirts, a sprawling suburbia rapidly filling in with adventurer apartments and neighborhoods for those who couldn't afford the city. It was a place of substantial growth and player culture. There were also quite a few npcs here as well, though those types tended toward the sort of people that adapted to adventurer culture best----and typically sought to make a profit out of it. Merchants, Blacksmiths, Grocers, and Entertainment, things like that. Like this, Outer Stokbon South was gradually becoming its own little sub-ecosystem of a burrow. And here, Kepler leaned against something rather special while tapping her foot.

A few days ago, she had put in an ad on the Terasphere Online Board looking for some fellow sightseers to accompany her on a little expedition. Though she had wanted to keep it a surprise, this was actually going to be Terrasphere's first All-American Road-Trip, ala Route 66. Because of this, Kepler was absolutely giddy to get going, in fact, even after buying some complimentary supplies she was still a whole hour early. Checking her watch, Kepler simply shrugged. She was the instigator after all, being early was simply good manners.

Leaning against her contraption, Kepler took a deep breath to take in the scenery. Adventurers and Landers alike were milling about in the 9am morning shuffling to get to work or just plain get their day started. Behind where Kepler stood in the gravel road, and just beyond the sidewalk, was a quaint adventurer diner. Turning around, she looked through the large glass windows to see the various walks of life ordering their breakfast. Kepler considered leaving her prize to go fetch a cup of coffee for the long road ahead but decided against it.

What Kepler was leaning on, and beneath a tarp to shield against any over-curious eyes, was what Kepler called her "Model K." It was an honest to goodness automobile that she had jerry-rigged herself. Though some might debate the 'auto' portion of her claim---the iron wagon had no engine to speak of since it was run by Kepler's personal energy supply---The alchemist was going to stick to her guns. It was the closest approximation in the world so far, or so she figured, so why confuse people? It's not like her contraption could be sold without her first devising an engine anyhow. And once she did, at that point, the name would be beyond debate!

"Ah~ I was getting a little lost in thought there! I need to keep an eye peeled for my fresh new companions! Diligence! Diligence! They only sorta know what to look for anyway, even if I did give them the coordinates after all~! Oyo? Speak of the devil~!"

Seeing one of the people who had responded to her ad on the Terrasphere Message Board, Kepler waved.

"Haaay~! Over here~! Over here~! Good morning~!"

Kepler smiled.

 

Chris found himself walking the road towards the Stokbon Outskirts. This was the first time he had ever made it to the city, and he was curious about the buildings that were created for new players to 'live in'. It was an interesting concept, as most of the other immersion games he played players either had to carry their own houses; or were forced to pay gold and use the game's inns.

As he walked Chris thought about the message he had responded to. It was from an option he never explored until late evening yesterday, and he found it accidentally while exploring his Palm Menu. It was under 'Communication' with another option for 'Message Board' inside. He scanned a few entries and figured it was a way for complete strangers to come together and meet. He had to leave before selecting anything to read however, as his parents were going to call him shortly.

Today he logged in after his last class and decided to explore the Palm Menu more. He found the option to respond to messages, and selected one that seemed simple enough. The one on the other end of the message told him to meet them at Stokbon Outskirts, apparently a place where new players had started setting up their own community. It took him longer than expected, and several times asking for directions before he found himself on the right path. Now he could barely see the buildings in the distance.

Another 10 minutes brought Chris into the outskirts of the Outskirts. He looked around trying to find who it was that sent him the message. "Haaay~! Over here~! Over here~! Good morning~!" He turned to see a young woman standing in front of what appeared to be a crude vehicle of some sort. It looked almost like it was thrown together at the last minute. The figure in front waved him over like she was expecting him. He raised a hand in greeting and walked over. "Hi. Are you Kepler?"

 

"Well, lookah hea!"

Nyancy adorably strode out of the forest carrying her fishing pole. A small bag had been tied to the end of the pole where she presumably carried some of her things.

"I come ova hea to see what all tha commotion is, and what do I find but ahn honest tah goodness cah! Well ain't that somthin'! Nevah thought I'd find somethin' driveable out hea in tha forest an' what have ya'! Say one ah you twos the ownah of this fine vehicle? Where'd yah buy it? I could use oneah these things! Sure beats wearin' out my cute little toesies walkin' all ova tha fahrest like I've been doin'! Picture me, adorable, tiny, little Nyancy driving' past all these scrubs in my flashy new convertible! I'd pay some schmucks tah paint it hot pink tah give it that special Nyancy flayah! In case yahs was wonderin', that's my favorite colah."

Nyancy turned to the two adventurers. She had met various people in the fahrest but seeing as how she spent most of her time doing simple things, like fishing, or fighting boars that tried to steal her fish, or beating up bandits that also tried to steal her fish, she hadn't done much of the way of exploring. As she was still new to the game, she was also hesitant to go out by herself knowing that she was probably fairly weak as far as adventurers went.

"Oh, look at me ramblin' and not even introducin' myself. Silly Nyancy and 'er bayd mannahs. Well, if the two of yahs couldn't guess, my nyame's Nyancy. I'm still pretty new hea, but I make a livin' catching and sellin' fish to people in tha village. I also got ah wicked uppah cut, so don't try nothin' funny! Hah! Well, whateva, you two seem like ah payah of upstandin' types. So, who ah yah's? Goin' on an advencha ah somthin'?


@Kepler @Chris Seenter

 

@Chris Seenter @Nyancy

Whoop! Lucky me~ So I got the right guy! That would've been totally embarrassing otherwise. First thought best thought I guess?

"Guilty as charged!"

Kepler laughed while giving a peace sign.

"Chris, I take it? So glad you could make it! As you can see~ I'm just getting set up, though our third companion seems to be lagging behind a bit.... Ah~well~ can't expect everything to go smoothly I suppose! Like Craig's List, maybe~?"

Kepler scanned the crowd looking for the missing third companion, however, the young girl was approached instead.

"Oyo? Ahahaha what the heck?"

Brushing her skirt under her, Kepler crouched to get a better look at the cat demon.

"Now that's cheating stranger~! Now you've gone and ruined my surprise~!"

With a wide grin, Kepler held a single finger across her mouth in a 'shhhh' motion.

"Your perspective must have all kinds of advantages. Hmm~ or maybe that just isn't it at all, is it? You're a pretty savvy cat now aren't ya Ms. Nyancy~?"

Cupping her hand in a mock whisper, Kepler winked and playfully lowered her voice----but it was still plently hearable.

"Say! Say! It's not hot pink, but ya wanna come on an adventure? It looks like our third buddy isn't gonna show. Frankly~ if it's just me and a guy I might start feeling a little shy!"

Turning around, Kepler gave Chris a thumbs up.

"Just a little though!"

Rising, Kepler placed her hands on her hips and nodding, WHIPPED the tarp off the Model K. where it promptly disappeared into her inventory. Nodding, she looked her vehicle over as a crowd of people began to turn their heads as they walked by. Some of them were slowly stopping. A crowd would be forming soon.

Placing one hand on the hood, Kepler hopped up and sliiiiiid across the hood and landing, threw open the driver's side door and got in. It was a maneuver that seemed like it had a considerable amount of practice behind it. In fact, Kepler had rehearsed that stunt for an entire hour the day before. Snorting in satisfaction, Kepler leaned over and popped open the passenger-side door. The car wasn't pink, sure, but adhering to Nyancy's tastes, it was in fact a convertible. And currently, the hood was down for a nice summer drive. Reaching, into the back seat, Kepler fumbled with a record player while calling over her shoulder.

"Hop in Chris~! Ahaha~! Time for our gettaway~! Gettaway~! Wanna come Nyancy~? I promise it'll be fun! Come on!"

When everyone had action movie'd in----or maybe confusedly fumbled----Kepler stepped on it.

*ARUUUUUUUUGAAAAHHHH!*

Hitting the horn, Kepler weaved this way and that as the Model K. flew off the curb and out into the street.

"Looks like this contraption working wasn't just a dream! Buckle up everybody! We're getting this show on the road! Hm~hm~! Just leave it all to the resident genius behind the wheel!"

Laughing, Kepler took a hard corner and drifted while maneuvering around a pulled over horse-drawn carriage. The young girl was handling herself surprisingly well, but if Terrasphere had vehicle violations, she'd probably broken every single one of them in the first three minutes.

"Whoop! And just like that we're home free~! Ahaha, guess renting The Fast and The Furious: Complete Decade Collection was worth my time! Those were some long hours spent studying ya know~"

Leaving South Stokbon and flying out onto the open road, the rollercoaster car ride finally quieted as Kepler removed some sunglasses from the dash and equipped them. There was nothing but the sound of the flapping wind and rolling wheels as Kepler hummed.

"My bad on the sudden departure though Chris~! Little Nyancy here blew my cover and I still wanted to keep everything a surprise..."

Kepler sheepishly shrugged.

"With our cover blown, well... I wanted to save this kind of thing for Terasphere's first World Fair, ya know~? I'm the kinda gal who just hates showing off a work in progress..."

Motioning with her nose, she pointed at the car's glove compartment.

"Tell you what! To make it up to you Chris----How about you pick our first destination, okay? I've included a map and a checklist of our objectives in there. Awaiting your orders Captain~!"

Hidden: The List

>Honeyhome Village.
>Brisshal Skytree.
>Brisshal Lake.
>The Kobold Border Checkpoint.
>The Adventurer's Commune.
>The Brisshal Chili Bake Festival
>The Brisshal Candy Rapids
>Early Lunch (Picnic)
>[Make something up]
>Beginner's Dungeon

With a one handed playful salute, Kepler adjusted her mirror.

"Right! So while Captain Chris reviews the itinerary, I suppose we should play introductions..."

One hand on the wheel, Kepler tapped the dashboard as she thought.

"Well then, hmmmm. Soooooo~ I'm not -exactly- a new adventurer, okay? I've actually been playing this game for awhile now~ I've just been kinda sorta laying low. See---I like to make things and because of that~ Adventuring isn't really totally, exacccttttllly, my style.... My hobbies are reading and learning new things, and my favorites snacks are anything with sugar..."

Kepler snapped her fingers.

"Ah~! That reminds me! I packed us a whole lot of snacks! Hey Nyancy, see that cooler chest next to you? Please help yourself, okay? Everything's super delicious, genius' guarantee, I promise! Hm~Hm~! Oh, yeah, and could you fetch Captain Chris anything he wants as well? It's probably a tough reach from shotgun."

The cooler was filled with sandwiches, candy, Dr. Kepler sodas, jerky, dried potato chips, and pretty much anything one might find in a convenience store, only, it had a bit of a fantasy vibe to it.

Feeling she had prattled enough, Kepler waited for Chris to make his choice for their first destination. The Record player was right next to Nyancy if she wanted to decide the next song.

 

Chris turned to find a short catgirl coming towards them from the forest carrying a fishing pole and bag. He was a bit surprised at first, though he wasn’t sure why he’d be surprised at seeing someone of his race. She had a strange accent that made it hard for Chris to understand her, and she played her character like a stereotypical cute catgirl. He had to resist the urge to reach over and pat her head. Ya, that would be a good first impression.



He wasn’t quite sure what to make of her. She didn’t appear to be carrying any weapons other than the fishing pole, unless she kept all her equipment in her inventory. But if she did that, then why doesn’t she store her fishing pole there as well. Maybe there’s a pond on the other side of those woods. He didn’t hear any running water among the din of the community, so no river. The other didn’t seem to carrying a weapon either. Was he the only one that walked with his equipment ready to go? He mentally shook his head at the thought as Kepler asked the little catgirl to accompany them. He tried not to blush at the mention of traveling alone. She was a bit young for him, even if this was a virtual game.



Kepler whipped off the covering to the vehicle behind her (he guessed it because of the wheels poking out under the wrapping), and revealed what looked like a convertible with the hood down. He wasn’t sure how he felt about a modern vehicle being in a medieval setting. It almost ruined his illusions about the game. However the equally hyper Kepler jumped inside and had opened the door for him. He got in with only a little hesitation, and immediately regretted his decision. Kepler punched the gas, and he found himself hanging on for dear life.



”Woah! Holy shi-“ Chris’s curse was cut off when he felt a jolt from the car hitting a rut in the road. They were not designed for modern cars, and it felt like this one didn’t have much in the way of suspension. Maybe it will get better away from the city. He really hoped it would. "Whoop! And just like that we're home free~! Ahaha, guess renting The Fast and The Furious: Complete Decade Collection was worth my time! Those were some long hours spent studying ya know~" He really hoped she was joking.



"My bad on the sudden departure though Chris~! Little Nyancy here blew my cover and I still wanted to keep everything a surprise..." Chris only nodded as he realized with horror that the young ‘mechanic’ forgot to install seatbelts. It’s ok, this is a virtual world. I won’t actually die. That did not help his fear. "With our cover blown, well... I wanted to save this kind of thing for Terasphere's first World Fair, ya know~? I'm the kinda gal who just hates showing off a work in progress..." She motioned with her head towards the glovebox. "Tell you what! To make it up to you Chris----How about you pick our first destination, okay? I've included a map and a checklist of our objectives in there. Awaiting your orders Captain~!"



Taking his death grip off the door handle and dashboard Chris reached down and fumbled with the latch. He waited until another bump passed before quickly opening the glovebox and pulling out the contents and shutting it again. He nervously opened the map and looked at it for a moment before turning it upside down. As soon as the map was corrected little dots appeared on it indicating cities and locations. A blinking dot indicated where they were, and he looked closely to see which direction it was moving.



"Right! So while Captain Chris reviews the itinerary, I suppose we should play introductions... Well then, hmmmm. Soooooo~ I'm not -exactly- a new adventurer, okay? I've actually been playing this game for awhile now~ I've just been kinda sorta laying low. See---I like to make things and because of that~ Adventuring isn't really totally, exacccttttllly, my style.... My hobbies are reading and learning new things, and my favorites snacks are anything with sugar..." Chris looked up and studied the young woman. That makes sense. He looked back down at the map as Kepler mentioned snacks. He traced the line they were traveling on and which of their destinations was in that direction. ”Alright. I think our first stop should be Brisshal Tree. It’s going to be the first right on this road in about….” He watched the dot moving and the location of the turn off. ”20 minutes or so.” He was never good at measuring distance with his eyes.

@Kepler
@Nyancy

 

"I'm in! Shotgun!"

Without knowing or caring if someone else had already called shotgun, Nyancy jumped in and secured her fishing pole under her. Apparently, shotgun had already been called, but since Nyancy was tiny she fit in-between the driver and the adventure.

"Thea we go! All ready! I ain't puttin' on no seatbelts neithah! I don't need nuthin' craympin' my style! Oh, didja say yah had a coolah?! Now wea talkin'!"

Nyancy reached down under her seat for her bag. Undoing the knot, she pulled out a couple of cold beers. Reaching back to the cooler, she put one in then popped the second one. She took a swig and made an 'ahh' sound.

"Now thayt's tha stuff right thea! Can't go fishin' without a coupleah cold boys tah steady tha haynds yah know? Ain't no open containah laws out hea in fantasy world neitha! Hah!"

Nyancy turned towards @Chris Seenter and gave him a 'what's up' head nod.

"Yo! You want somthin'? Yah look a bit young for a beeah, but I think thea's sodas and some othah stuff in hea if ya want."

Before he could respond, Nyancy noticed the record player.

"We got us some drivin' tunes eh! Nyice! Let's see what yah got in hea!"

Nyancy dug through the records and found an old classic.

"Ahhh! Now weah talkin'! Look at you with a taste fah the classics and what not! And hea I thought you'd only have that weahd Japanese cartoon music all the kiddies listen to when thea puttin in thea red contacts and what not."

Nyancy grabbed a record and put it on.

Hidden: Let's Ride

"Nyahaha! Let's ride yah chumps!"

Nyancy cranked the volume. Apparently, Kepler was feeling the song because she peeled out, and begain driving the car like she had something to prove.

"Okay, maybe we put on ouah seatbelts."

Now strapped in securely, Nyancy motioned for Kepler to punch it.

"Let's do this! Nyaha! Watch out woyld! Hea comes Nyancy and her crew!"


@Kepler @Chris Seenter

 

@Chris Seenter @Nyancy

"Aye Aye Captain! But I think I can make it in ten!"

Shouting that, Kepler stepped on it to the accompaniment of only the sauciest of musical licks.

VwwwrrrOOOOoooooooommmmm

On the side of the road, a Jackalope watched the iron wagon zoom by as it nibbled on a carrot. Nose twitching unconcerned, the animal observed the advent of Terrasphere's first Doppler Effect.

****
***
**
*

-----Brisshal Skytree.

True to its name, it's a massive tree that seems to scrape the very dome of the sky. It is, however, hollow. Running one's hand over the expansive bark, one would also discover that the tree is petrified. Its origin is unknown, but common consensus points to the skytree being an ancient druidic tower... or temple. Looming before the 3 adventurers arriving at the first leg of their journey was an entrance that could easily fit four people walking side by side. Inside the tree was a winding stair case, and it seemed to go all the way to the top.

The wind blew rustling the surrounding canopies of leafy trees, it was quiet and peaceful. For those who made their living from the forest, The Skytree was a sacred site with a purpose long since forgotten, it was a place of reverence regardless, and visitors were asked to show respect for the ancient structure.

*pahm*

Kepler shut the door of the Model K. and took a deep breath...

"ahhhh~ good choice Captain~ this place is something else..."

Shielding her eyes with her hand, Kepler followed the trunk of the considerably sized tree up and up and up with a quiet fascination. Nodding, she checked her watch...

"Well we made it in 15 minutes instead of ten, but even so~! I can't help but love being ahead of schedule, hm~hm~!"

Deeply satisfied with their journey so far, Kepler turned toward her two companions with a grin. She wagged her pointer finger with a wink.

"Now then~! Somewhere, someplace, there should be some kind of shiny crystal medallion----that's our goal for this stop. Buuuuut~ I don't see the point in a journey where we don't actually take in the scenery, ya know~? So let's not break our hearts over it, okay? Just, if you see something that fits the mark, say 'Oh look! There it is!' or something."

Nodding, Kepler placed the tarp back over the Model K.----This one had a camouflage pattern---- and turned to Chris.

"Still up for playing Captain big guy? Hmmm~ or maybe it's Nyancy's turn~? Well~well~ whaddya guys think we should do? Climb to the top~? Check out the perimator of the tree tower? Just remember to be careful what you touch, this is something like a world-heritage site after all~"

Revealing something that looked like a Polaroid Camera, Kepler snapped a picture.

 

Once the vehicle slowed to a stop, about the only time it went slow, Chris all but flew out of the passenger side door. He fell to the ground on all fours struggling to get his stomach, and his nerves, under control. Out of all the immersion games he had played, even the ones with racing in them, none of them had terrified him as much as this. Those had been designed for the vehicles in them. This one wasn’t designed for anything that went above 20 miles per hour. And if she had made the speedometer correctly he didn’t think it dipped below 60.



Taking deep breaths to calm himself Chris finally rolled to a sitting position with a groan. Even though this was a simulated body in a simulated world he still felt sick as if it was all real. Which made sense since this game was made without the normal restrictions. The entire drive he was too terrified to even take in the scenery. Now that they had stopped he couldn’t help but appreciate the detail and scale of the tree before them. It was beautifully done, and the surrounding area only helped to magnify the majesty.



"Still up for playing Captain big guy? Hmmm~ or maybe it's Nyancy's turn~? Well~well~ whaddya guys think we should do? Climb to the top~? Check out the perimator of the tree tower? Just remember to be careful what you touch, this is something like a world-heritage site after all~" Chris shook himself out of his stunned silence and focused on Sydney. She mentioned something about a crystal medallion before while he was distracted and he almost missed it. Struggling to his feet he looked around before glancing at their companion. ”I-I think I need a moment to recover. Let’s let Nyancy lead for now.”



After a few deep breaths to calm his nerves Chris began to look around trying to determine where a medallion might hide. And realized a second later how pointless it was. The area around the tree was huge, the tree itself was enormous, and the inside looked like it was just as big. The best they could hope for was to look in the obvious places and hope they got lucky. He waited for the short catgirl to take the lead though.

@Nyancy

 

"Well, thayt was a riot. Okay, let's hop off and get stahted."

Nyancy hopped off the the seat, picked up her fishing pole and bag, and exited the car. It was a nice day in Brisshal. Blue skies and bright eyes as it were. Nyancy took a deep breath as she took in the area. This was one of the reasons she had never really left the Brisshal forest starting zone. It was a nice place with just enough adventure when you wanted it, not to mention the fishing was great.

"That trees ah real lookah ain't she? I ain't nevah been tah this side ah tha fahrest before. Nyot bad. What was it yah said we was lookin' for? Ah Crystal necklace ah somethin'? Well, I'll tell the two of yahs this, if it's at the top ah ah that tree, Nyancy's gonna be mayd as hell. Hopefully, it's just undah a rock ah somethin' though."

Nyancy began walking around the area a little to get her bearings. The area was heavily forested, so she figured either two things would happen. One, the necklace would be gleaming brightly and would be easily recognizable due to that. Or two, it was buried or hidden in a tree or something. She hoped it wasn't two. Making her rounds, she returned to Chris who looked a little green.

"Cah ride a bit too much for yah? Yah gonna have tah get better with yah equilibrium chaymp. The area look peaceful now, but I heard theas all sorts ah monsters and things in the deeper parts ah tha forest. You might have to ride one rodeo style someday, so best tah get used to wild rides. You want ah fish? I got some extras if yah think it'll make yah feel any bettah. I can grill 'em too with moy fiyah magic ah whateva."

Then Nyancy noticed Kepler's camera.

"Heyyyy you gotta camerah too! Whea you gettin' all these toys?! I got an ideah ova hea! Why don't you use that camerah to take a pictcha ah Chris all sick and laid out ova hea! I'm not typically one fah kickin' a mayn while he's down, but it would be pretty hilarious if I say so. Nuthin' like a little shame to toughen yah up.


@Chris Seenter @Kepler

 

@Nyancy @Chris Seenter

Snapping the camera's latch to reload it, Kepler considered Nyancy's suggestion but decided against it. It seemed a little mean spirited... Actually... Kepler was feeling kinda bad about Chris's condition. Low-key approaching him she kinda sorta apologized.

"Ahaha.... Sorry Chris... I'll try and take it easier in the future okay? Here, maybe a mint will help...I read that they can help with car sickness, have one, okay...?"

Giving a pained smile, Kepler offered the young man a peppermint.

"It'll help, really~"

With that settled, Kepler eyed the tree and nodded.

"Sorry Nyance, but no two ways about it, we prolly gotta go up~"

Giving a light shrug, Kepler approached the tree and peeking inside, gave a thumbs up at the two behind her.

"Coast looks clear and the up-ramp looks sturdy enough~ I suppose? Well well~ It's not ideal, but once we're at the top, we should be able to map out our surroundings maybe~?"

Waving the two adventurers along, she began her long ascent.

***
**
*

At the top was a circular room with pillars---all made of the same petrified oak. And it all seemed to somehow support the rest of the smaller branches of the structure above. In fact, they looked as though they had grown quite naturally from the trunk/floor of this strange and giant tree. Kepler wiped her brow, she was a little winded, but the sight outside beyond the railings of the current platform took her breath away...

A sea of trees in every direction, the sun still in its ascent, birds upon the horizon, and the quiet howl of the sort of wind that confirms being at a very high altitude... She hadn't noticed, but there was a faint, harmonic vibration ringing out, almost like a fluted wind instrument around them.

"Oyo~? Hey guys! Hurry up and check this out~!"

Kepler's brows rose in surprise as she called out to the adventurers behind her. In the center of the room----there was an alter, and just above that alter was a floating medallion hovering in a faint emerald light. Kepler's face deadpanned as she pointed at the item.

"That's a trap. It must be a trap. No way that isn't a trap, right?"

Scrawled along the walls were a number of runes---which Kepler couldn't read. There was, however, an interesting mural made solely of moss growing in a circle from the floor up on to the alter. It depicted...

"A mask~? Orrrrr....it sorta looks like a sundial, maybe~?"

Kepler tilted her head. It was currently 11 o'clock am.

 

Taking a deep breath to steady his stomach Chris looked up to glare at the small Felis. Just because she was having the time of her life riding around in a death machine does not mean she should delight in the suffering of others. He began to reconsider going on this trip if this was how he was going to be treated. However Kepler made him forget that thought. At least she seemed genuinely concerned for his welfare, and even offered to take it easy next time they drove. As long as she was around he figured he could at least tolerate their questmate.



Chris took the mint gratefully and ate it. The nausea instantly disappeared, and he managed to stand to his feet. Even the removal of status effects were near instantaneous. Letting out a sigh of relief he finally took in the absolute scale of the tree before them. It was the biggest tree he had ever seen in any immersion game, and that was saying something. The inside was hollow with what looked like stairs leading up the inside of the trunk towards the top. He agreed with Kepler’s assessment that what they were looking for was at the top. He followed the two into the tree and up to the top.



Once they reached the top Chris took the time to catch his breath at the long climb. His character was built for magic, and in the real world he wasn’t exactly in long distance shape either. To mask this from the teasing Nyancy he focused on the view out the windows. They were beautiful enough that he didn’t need to fake being out of breath. The view took his breath away.



After a moment he turned to view the rest of the open room. It was ornately decorated with an altar sitting in the center. On the alter a medallion made of crystal floated in an emerald light. Around the altar moss grew in a specific pattern that was familiar to him. When Kepler mentioned a sundial Chris figured why it looked familiar. It was arranged as if the symbols along the edge were numbers on a clock. He looked at the moss on the ground, and then at the runes along the wall. They looked similar in design, but none matched the ones on the floor. Except those. At the end of a rune sequence a rune that looked similar to one of the designs in the moss was carved in. ”Maybe each line of runes say something different will happen at different times?”

@Nyancy
@Kepler

 

Nyancy hurried over to see what the other two had discovered. Until now, she had been busy looking upwards to see if she could spot a glint of a crystal hanging from the tree limbs. She hadn't, and after a while her neck was starting to hurt from looking up. So, she had decided to take a break by having a nice lie down in a sunny spot with soft grass. After all, Nyance was a cat. As she laid on her back looking up at the sky, a butterfly. fluttered over and rested on her nose tickling her.

"Look at me ova hea, like a Disney Princess with all these fahrest creatures and what have ya. I'll skip the prince though, just leave me tha caystle and tha treasury and we'll call it ah deal."

As she lay on her back comfortably warming in the sun, Nyancy suddenly heard the others. It sounded like they had found something. Turning lazily, Nyancy called out to them. As she did, the butterfly left to find another place to rest.

"Ehh? Did yah find it ova thea? Is it worth me comin' tah see? Ah hell, alright, one sec, I'm comin' ova."

Nyancy lazily picked herself up, then slow jogged over to see what the other two had discovered.

"You guys up all these stayahs? My adorable little legs ain't built fah runnin' up stayahs ya know?"

Nyancy sighed then began walking up the the stairs to the group. When she arrived, she acknowledged what the other two had described.

"Alright, well the two of yahs ah right. Thea's some glowin' things ova thea and whateva. So what, mayd dash? Sounds good tah me. Nuthin' venchad, nuthin' gained amirite?"

Nyancy prepared to rocket herself at the crystal necklace.


@Kepler @Chris Seenter