Venturing into Nasiim's Tower - Ch. 1 (Quest)

[Rickter]

For a time the wolf saw only blinding light enveloping his surroundings, but before too long there were others he came to face within that bright void. Utter confusion was evident across his face when he witnessed the arrival of others, his eyes immediately fallen directly toward Talon as he recognized only that in particular. There was a girl who's eyes held a ghastly manner of calmness, something about her scent gave Rickter the chills as well, with his stomach immediately feeling anxious as a response to his instincts. This poor woman, he could only wonder what she'd been through.

The others that followed in appearance were a Lysanrin with a slightly gilded horn, as he reeked of the industrial air the wolf had known to hang over the city. Rickter immediately speculated Zaichaer but never had the time to process it in one go. As he'd glimpsed the other guy who was a couple of heads shorter than Rickter, the wolf found that the rest of his observation became cut off. Rickter felt his sense of perception spiral for a moment, feeling as though he were flung into yet another astral projection. Though this didn't feel quite the same as that initiation into Traversion, there was a certain displacement to it that Rickter could not outright grasp.

In the blink of an eye, and a hard blink at that, Rickter felt his stomach no longer wrench after a stiffening of his muscles. He might've clenched everywhere, even his jawline as he cursed teleportation magic. How he loathed the idea of getting used to it. But as he relaxed to move his arms he found that he wouldn't be able to and that immediately gave him pause for concern. Next, when he realized that he could not even move his head about very well, he quickly jerked into the reality of the situation that they had all found themselves within. They were... where again? Though the wolf was caged and shackled, so too was the Bondmate he had sworn to protect. A sheer flush of concern overwhelmed Rickter as he gazed about reactively, a desperate need to grasp at whatever the fuck was going on around him.

I have to calm down! He quickly reminded himself as he focused his eyes immediately on the cuffs and chains that bound him. As he regained his other senses through regulated breathing, he suddenly realized that the air had a mix of moisture and salt that stung his nostrils. It was also far warmer wherever they were now than Kalzasi, as the wolf's natural body heat had already made him feel like a furnace in his cage. Bearing that in mind he focused on what he could see as it were, having felt the collar around him in a snug form. Somebody knew what he was evidently. Obviously, he growled a bit since he didn't like that, but a flick of his eyes shifted from the bindings he could see, to the dark iron bars that surrounded him as well. He could see the faint glimmers of Talon's runes within the cell next to his, the wolf bearing his own several runes around his upper body. Okay, I have to think at what this is. What's happening exactly? Another flick of his gaze and he could see past the cage around him, at least, enough to see that Talon and the other human were in his line of sight.

The sight of Talon had honestly alarmed the wolf, and immediately, Rickter felt the emblem on his forearm burn as an itch heavily into his skin. Talon's in danger! He realized in some form or fashion, quickly dreading the situation they were in, while two guards seemed to keep a tight watch on them. Though... they seemed to be as confused of the situation as Rickter was alarmed, and that led the wolf to speculate that maybe they were the other two who he'd seen before. The salt in the air made it difficult to tell, so Rickter ruled that off for once and focused on observing instead. He needed to figure out a way to break the chains on him first, and if magic still worked while he was in them as well.

Talon spoke out, however, after one of the guards finished her inquiry of the situation. She had mentioned the Warrens and that did make Rickter narrow his gaze for a moment, but ultimately, he focused on his Bondmate when he heard the man speak out in turn. Talon wasn't just shackled but also prisoned with naught but a few rags, grimy as the wolf felt himself within the confines of his cage. He could see and feel the discomfort that Talon experienced and it filled him with seething rage, apparent enough that Rickter quickly ground the left side of his jaw in desperation to find a way out. The sway of the ship led his stomach to briefly roll, and then Rickter remembered something he'd desperately tried to grasp at before. What is this place?! He realized with widened eyes.

Is this a trick? Or a puzzle? When he thought about how he got here, it didn't make a lick of sense at first as he felt naturally stuck here. Yet before that, he remembered that displacement he couldn't fathom earlier, and that certainly led him to question where in Ransera they had wound up. Regardless of whether there was a means of a puzzle in this strange event or not, the other guard which turned out to be the Lysanrin had decided to actually release those who were in their cages. With his eyes wide as he watched the horned guy undo first his cage, then the rest of his bindings, Rickter gave the man an appreciative bow of his head before quickly closing closer to Talon. He wasn't going to wait to prepare for his Bondmate's safety, and with the removal of his chains he felt sure he'd be able to use his magic.

"Rickter." The wolf plainly answered after Florian introduced himself, which he also mentally repeated a few times to bear that into memory with his face. For someone who reeked of Zaichaer, he didn't come off as the bad sort. And with Talon present the wolf saw fit to allow the prince to introduce himself. There was also the brown-haired individual who'd had been gagged when he was brought here, the poor fellow likely having a time of his life in all this as well. And the question of this Jieun he struggled to grasp at. There wasn't anybody else along, just the gentle rock of the ship with each crest of a wave.

"I'm not so sure about the tower anymore, unless this is a place hidden within it." He pointed out with careful consideration, considering out real this very setting felt to him. Whatever this was it somewhat unnerved him, as he wasn't able to anticipate anything at this point, therefore had no real way of being proactively reinforced with Talon's personal defense. "...Something tells me there's a trial in this, either that or a trap." He probably would've and yet rather didn't default to trap. Regardless he stuck close to his Bondmate enough to where Talon felt comfortable, and started to focus on channel aether through his Negation rune.

"Common" "Synskrit"
"Rickter"

[Aegis]

And so, those who were in chains were released by the jailer. And yet, the chains didn't seem to be finished with one of them. Like snakes, the chains that bound Nathan Cross snapped at his limbs, binding him up once more, albeit without the gag and blindfold this time. Should the jailer with the keys attempt to use them to free him once more, Florian would find that all of the keyholes he'd previously used had disappeared, leaving nothing but the metal surface flush and smooth behind.

Then there was a large bobbing in the room, and it yawed to the prisoners' cells side hard, adding a slope to the room, and sliding people and contents downhill. That is, except for the five chests in the locked cell opposite them. They stayed right where they were. The room appeared to no longer be bobbing or moving at all, and now, little streams of light were sneaking through the cracks of the hatch above the ladder, soft, blue light.

Nothing more had changed since those who had been summoned to the Tower had entered it. The cells were still damp, the air still hot and humid and smelling of salt. Though now, the stench of seaweed was a bit stronger, particularly so to Rickter and Florian. With the room at its steep angle, the jail cell doors were closed against their cages, though remained unlocked. Nathan would be hanging back from his chains following the incline as well.

And nothing more happened, at least as far the group could tell from their cozy little room.

Mod Note - Group

► Show Spoiler

I will post again on the morning of November 12th, unless the four members who posted in this last round all post again at least once, at which time I may post earlier. You may post as much as you want so long as Florian, Talon, Euripedes, and Rickter have all posted at least once.

Mod Note - Nathan

► Show Spoiler

This is first and final warning for a delay of posting without giving a heads up to me. More severe consequences and/or removal from thread may follow if the next round of posting is missed.

[Euripides]

Several of the others acknowledged her, but mostly seemed content to introduce themselves. How could she do the same when there were more pressing matters at hand? Jieun was missing. She saw not the sidelong glances sent her way, and the barest reach of Florian’s Who’s Jieun? She sucked in a breath, tried to steady herself. But the ship rocked and sent her stumbling forward.

“Jieun is my —” What did she tell them? That she was her ghost, her sweet phantom of a woman? That didn’t matter and they wouldn’t understand. Or care. Those previously imprisoned were released from their shackles, until one of them wasn’t. She didn’t scream often — perhaps that was a lie, like all others that she told herself — but she did as she watched the chains slither back over the last prisoner. It was reminiscent of the way the wraiths had slid into the unwilling hosts she had delivered to them. Both intentional and not.

The short outburst forced spots into her vision, legs trembling as they began to give way. They were in the Warrens. That was the only explanation for why something like that could even happen. At least, that she knew of. Or one of them were behind it. Primal and unrelenting fear crept into her like the predator that it was, leaving her hyperventilating and wild-eyed. More so than she might have been before.

“Jieun? Where are you, my love?” The other had loved her games. Was this just another of them? “Are you hiding? Are we playing?” Her gaze flitted about the room, surveying spots someone of her size could hide. Neither of them had been very tall, or wide. Tiny things that find themselves hidden away in any nook they could find.

“I don’t wanna play this game anymore, please.” Jieun had been what had lead her here. Did she know she would leave Euripides? Her hands smoothed over the bars of the last cell, where the chests remained still as the rest of them were forced about the cabin. Yes, maybe she’d hidden in one of those.

She turned on Florian, breath quick and eyes wide. “She’s stuck in there. Give me the keys! Jieun’s fucking about again and I have to find her and bring her home or her mother will kill me. Kill us. Like he killed her. Give me.” She blinked, as if calming down, but turned her attention to the others around them. What if they had planned this and it was a ransom? Did they think she had any money? Certainly not. None to her name and no one to ask for it from.

She merely had to show no fear. To be strong. Yes, that was it. If this was a game or if this was a ransom, she had to play the part that Jieun had always had her play. To be the stronger of them, the knight in shining armor with a head full of song and mouth full of desire.

As firm as her wobbling, cracking voice could manage: “Give me the fucking keys.”

[Talon]

T A L O N

As the Lysanrin set about freeing him Talon felt relief. As soon as the shackles fell away, he rose to his full height as much as he could. He spread his feet and stretched, expanding his wings slightly so that he could get them flexed and out of the cramped position they’d been in. He rolled his shoulders, looking at the Lysanrin, Florian, with a steady gaze.

“I am Talon.” That was all he offered. His first instinct was to inspect his bondmate. When Rickter was free, Talon went to him. He rest a hand on Rickter’s shoulder giving it a reassuring squeeze. Through the bond, he opened himself up to Rickter, allowing the Rathari man to find comfort in his presence as much as he could. He did a quick once-over of Rickter to make sure that he was going to be okay before returning his attention to the questions that Florian was asking.

“I entered a tower. Yes. I remember…” He searched his memory but the thoughts leading up to just before he awoke in chains were fuzzy at best. He furrowed his brow as he tried to concentrate but when nothing was forthcoming he shook his head. “I remember entering but then I woke up here. I do not know how I ended up in this predicament. I assume that same is true for you?”

He posed the question generally. If any of them remembered things more clearly than he did, he would welcome the information. Hearing Rickter pose the possibility of some sort of trial or a trap, he had to agree. He passed his agreement to Rickter across the bond but otherwise made no comment on the matter. Moving so that he was positioned close to those that were gathered, Talon observed their little group. The waiflike woman. The Lysanrin named Florian. Himself and Rickter. There was one missing however.

When the ship rocked, Talon quickly extended his senses across the aether flux and grasped a hold of his and Rickter’s aether flow. He anchored both of them in place, enacting Seeming, so that the two of them could stand and move across the surface of the floor without difficulty. He extended a wing to brace Florian so that the man did not fall and could use his wing for support. At the waifish woman’s shriek, Talon winced. His ears taking in the shrill sound. Looking to where her attention was directed he watched as the chains that had fallen away from the formerly gagged and blindfolded man jumped back to life, wrapping around him.

When the room did not return to what could be considered a normal position, and noting that the five chests had not moved at all, Talon was immediately suspicious. He looked at the woman.

“Given that most of us were in chains moments ago, I do not think anyone here wants to hurt any of us.” Her words made little sense. Talon looked to the waifish woman who seemed out of her wits. He opened his senses up to the aether, channeling his awareness through the Rune of Semblance. He beheld the aura of each and every one of the people in the room gauging them carefully in order to get an assessment of what their current state was. The biggest emotion he saw overall was that of confusion, which was to be expected. In the woman, Talon saw a touch of something off. It was not her mental state so much as he saw a staining of darkness in her aura that he was all too familiar with. It was the touch of the Warrens. He had worked to purify it many times over his career as a runesmith. It was a hard thing to miss once one became familiar with its twisted nature. He spoke to Rickter in Synskrit.

“Rickter, extend your Aether Sight. Look for deviations in the flow of the flux, look for suspicious movement, or if there is a collection of aether that is denser than others. It may reveal traps or perhaps observers outside of this room.” With that in mind, Talon took hold of his own aura, the impression he made upon the aether flux around them. He winnowed the impression of his aura down to merely a few inches around his body so as not to blind or cripple those with the ability to perceive such things. He had learned his lesson already after having to correct his presence around Finn and even that elven man in the Low-City. He switched back to Common.

“Florian, was it?” He looked to the Lysanrin. “Examine the chests, if you can. There are five of them. There are five of us. Our belongings might be in them.”

He glanced at the woman as he moved toward the still chained man.

“Breathe, ma’am. If your companion is to be found in those chests, we will find them in short order.” Talon moved to the chained man. He had to stoop a little bit in order to move effectively around the compartment but once he had made his way over to him, he inspected the chains holding him. There were no key holes. Which meant using the keys was not an option at all. Moving so that the two of them were eye to eye, Talon spoke calmly.

“I am going to see if I can break the chains binding you. Hold still.” Reaching out across the aether flux, Talon felt for the vibrations that came from all things. The flux was in constant motion, even within living people. It was rarely stilled but if he could bring the flux of the chains to a standstill, he could dissolve them by breaking apart the forces that held them together. He looked to take hold of the aether flux within the chains if he could. If successful, the halting of their flow would see them fall harmlessly to dust as he ceased the vibrations of their movement.

[Rickter]

The wolf was all the more relieved when he felt Talon check on him, investigating to make sure that he too hadn't suffered anything injury related since their arrival. Whatever this place was it definitely acted strangely, Rickter himself showing uncertainty with how he approached the idea of this being a trial or test. As Talon investigated things the wolf could smell the ozone on his Bondmate intensifying for a bit, as he also channeled his aetheric reserves into that of two blue orbs that faded within his palms. With two anchors prepared he stored them away for now, determined to keep one in reserve for his Bondmate the moment he'd need it.

The ship rocked from another wave crest as the others gathered about and Rickter shifted, feeling his balance thrown before a hand caught his shoulder in time. Within a moment he felt Talon's aether enarmor him, the air around Rickter coaxed by a pressure that merely kept the wolf grounded. Well, floored technically, as the waiflike woman he'd observed earlier yearned to find this Jieun of hers, her behavior somewhat erratic with a dash of earnest as she observed the locked cell with the chests. There were five of them within there from the looks of it, and though the three prisoners were released, only two of them were freely roaming about the dimly lit room of the ship. At least he guessed it to be a ship, the wooden planks gave the impression well enough.

His bondmate did his best to talk the woman down, of course, when she started to demand the keys to try on the cell with the chests inside. The wolf bit his lower lip in response initially, but seeing Talon get a handle on the situation, he felt at ease enough to evaluate the situation from where he stood. Before too long, the words of Synskrit hailed his ears as he looked sharply to the Synnekar. He had been prompted to investigate their surroundings with the use of Aether Sight, a notion the wolf quickly agreed to carry out as he shifted his gaze away from Talon. With the lull of his eyelids, he carefully gauged the area around them, before their complete close had him feeling left in the pitch dark. Though he had practiced it off and on, Aether Sight was still somewhat a bit overwhelming for him to get a handle on.

When he felt a fluctuation in the air Rickter briefly opened his eyes, his gaze on Talon again as he realized that the ozone scent thinned out considerably. He hadn't realized that Talon possessed such an outstanding aura as it were, then again, he had never really tried observing it through Kinetics either. Curious as to what he'd find he closed them once more, focusing his senses so that he could perceive the flow of aether around him. It was comparatively looking into a dark room at first, before his eyes opened once more with an ice-blue glimmer to them. The surfaces of what he could see were fuzzy as if still in a blur, but as his gaze gradually swept the room, he found that nothing would stand out from the ordinary within this place.

He could see the members of the group he was with, Talon obviously possessing the thickest aura of the bunch, enough to where Rickter winced a bit just by glimpsing it. Even with the prince masking his own aura it was almost like looking into the sun, while the Florian the Lysanrin had a robust but clear aura emanating from him. That intrigued the wolf since he detected no magic on the horned man, his nose even so much as deceiving him as he picked up other scents on the creature as well. Confusion clearly welled within him that his Bondmate would be able to feel, but Rickter didn't linger on it since his focus was to scour the place for anything out of the ordinary. The woman who was the other guard had a fluctuating aura, however, her's was more like a dwindling flame compared to the other two.

And when he focused on the chests and the bars surrounding them, he took a minute longer to make sure he wasn't overlooking anything. Nothing. Their surfaces just emanated with a soft residual layer of aether over them, the currents in the air simply swirling about as nothing disturbed their flow. "All clear," the same language rolled from his tongue as well, "I don't detect anything strange or abnormal within the room, love." He confirmed as the aether within his eyes finally lessened, the glow within his irides lessening back to their deeper blue as he turned about once more. Talon was helping to release their final member of this team.

An unusual team Rickter would give them that, and while he was curious as to whether the chests did contain their possession, he pondered more about what this possible 'trial' was that they arrived in. "I can help with the bars keep us from the chests, if none of the keys go to the door that is." He offered toward Florian as the wolf grasped one of them, the air around his hand turned cold as he started to channel aether through it as well. He hadn't ever really frozen metal before but if it grew cold enough... Then maybe it could just snap apart under the stress of force. It was only an offer though, for the wolf waited to see how his companions carried out.

"Common" "Synskrit"
"Rickter"

[Florian]

Florian did not give the woman the keys, instead holding them closer to himself and away from her. She did not seem to be entirely there, and he was not so eager to give up the small semblance of control he had over the situation to a woman who made no sense.

Talon's introduction was far more off-putting. The irony was thick and present only to him; that he had freed the very man that he knew some in Zaichaer would rather dead or captured. That he just so happened to end up in the same place and same time as him, someone who was a major part of the reason that he had ventured into the Warrens to begin with at the beginning of the season, was a cruel trick of fate. He didn't know how to handle this. He wondered what Eitan would think about this, but he wasn't sure if he'd have the chance to tell him about it.

"Ah." Florian looked at the chests, and the way they didn't move even as the floor tilted. He was less concerned about their contents and more with the state of the floor, and his eyes moved from the chests to the ladder. Coupled with the now obvious use of magic between Rickter and Talon, and the humidity, smell, and cramped space of being below-decks, he wanted to get space. His own eyes turned from blue to a reflective silver that obscured the pupil as he used his own aether sight. The overwhelming smell of roses and a subtler, familiar-but-unplaceable scent that assaulted him before he dared to even look at them was enough to make him nervous. They seemed intent on proving the stereotype that Kalzaserns did not know how to do anything without magic to assist them.

He could see the aether channeled by Rickter into his hand, though the glow of aether from Talon's existence was actually less glow than just inexplicably bright. He blinked away his aether sight and took a few careful steps to the ladder, the keys held out for Talon to take.

"I will check the deck and see what's happened to the ship." After exchanging the keys, Florian would climb up the ladder and attempt to push open the hatch.

[Euripides]

Oh, they were — this was just like the Warrens. She sucked in a breath as Florian stepped away from her, clutching the keys closer. Talon; the crown prince? The heir-apparent, the ruling power that had stuck her in the maw of hell. The first well of emotion she felt was a hatred that had her bearing her teeth. If the skyguard had been trained right, done their jobs right, the true killer would have been put behind bars. Not her. She blinked. The prince told her to calm down, tried to assure her that they meant her no harm.

“I am calm.” Not quite a lashing out, but decidedly not a level-headed display. She paced a moment, turned sharply on her heel. “I’m so calm! I couldn’t be calmer if I tried, you overgrown peacock! You feather-brained turkey!” Her frame shook as she turned about aimlessly for a moment, sniffing. Not quite in tears, but liquid collecting at the corner of her eyes. Never mind that she had just insulted the crown prince. The worst he could do was kill her, but then — she wanted that at one point, hadn’t she? Even then, he didn't have the power to do so here, so maybe he would just send her back to the Warrens. But they were already back, weren't they?

Harm had already been done. There was no getting around that in her mind. No getting under, no sidestepping it. Jieun was missing — gone from her again. The prince had to be aware of something concerning it. Why else wouldn’t they be giving her the keys? The prince and his companion slipped into Synskrit while the other man fiddled with the man covered in snake-like chains. Fuck them, and their nonchalance. Fuck them, and this place that was the Warrens but wasn’t the Warrens. Fuck her for getting into some mess following Jieun and playing her stupid games. Fuck Jieun for playing games in the first place.

“I don’t wanna play this game anymore.” She repeated the utterance in Sildandris as she crouched down, rocked back on her heels. Swayed a bit like the room had only a few moments before. Her hands gripped at her hair tight enough that if she pulled, it would have been dangerously close to ripping the strands from her scalp. “I want to go home.”

She shot upright, pushed past Talon to the chained man. “Nothing, nothing!” Though she struggled to, she attempted to turn the man over. The crawl of her skin touching the chains — the same that had slithered like snakes to cover the man — was willfully ignored as she tried to make her point. They had to open that last cell, and get to the chests inside. Get to Jieun and bring her home. “No locks! Why don’t we just open the things that do have locks, like the cell with all the chests, yeah? Leave him. Whatever put us in here will take him and while it’s full and busy we can run.” And she could go back home with Jieun.

“May Lyren show you the truth. We just need to open those chests and get out. That’s it! Isn’t it? It is. I’m right. I got out of the Warrens once without anyone and I can do it again.” This was all said more to herself, though she turned wide eyes on the prince.

[Talon]

T A L O N

His attempt to dissolve the chain seemed for naught. The magic had no effect on them and from what he could tell the man bound by them was unresponsive. Talon furrowed his brow, turning to Florian as the Lysanrin extended the keys. He noted the nervousness that seemed to flutter about the young man but he said nothing of it. Accepting the keys just in time, he pulled them in closer as the pale woman suddenly went into a fit. He stepped away from her so that she could vent her frustrations. Looking upon her, Talon beheld her aura once more. In it he could see obsession. He could see that at the forefront of her emotional state was a need for something. What that was? He did not presently know but it was clear that she was obsessed with opening the chests. Stepping away from the still chained man, Talon gave those shackles one last look. He sighed. Perhaps there was something within them that could help him free the man.

“I will not leave him if he can be helped.” Stepping past the frantic woman, Talon moved to the cell where the chests were located. He opened the door, stirred his aether into motion and examined the chests with his most heavily scrutinizing gaze. He peered into the structure of the chests searching for mechanisms other than locks. He touched upon their essence to discern whether there were arcane traps lying in wait for himself or others. He peeled away the layers of the chests auras to extract as many details about them as was possible for a Semblance master. The whole exchange perhaps took no more than a few seconds before he knelt in front of one of the chests in preparation to open it.

“Rickter. Keep on guard.” He glanced at the woman following her muttering. She was clearly unwell. With that, provided nothing stood out to him as suspicious, Talon would find the first key that might open the chest he was in front of, inserted it and opened it. Maybe there would be something in them to free the chained man. Maybe it would be their belongings. If anything, he hoped it would leave them with an answer.

[Rickter]

The wolf's eyes had fallen onto Florian since he had been the one with the keys, and while it seemed he had been ordained their jailor prior before releasing them, he event so much as went out the way to hand the keys over to Prince Novalys instead. Well, isn't he a gentle soul. He thought to himself even if his nose suggested something else about the Lysanrin was off, apart from the industrial reek that clung to his natural air, whilst lessening the aether he channeled through his hands in return. While the bars had collected frost for a moment, Rickter did nothing more than linger aside to grasp the situation as it unfolded.

Heavens forbid it still felt hotter than hell to him right now, and it still concerned him to see Talon and him both without their armaments. What unnerved him more was the waiflike woman though, as she seemed caught up in her own mind even as she spoke to the lot of them. She spoke of games apparently, and given she tied them to this Jieun in connection, the wolf could only wonder if the girl were truly mad or perhaps afflicted by something else. It made him evermore nervous about her in general, as Talon made it clear that he wouldn't leave any behind if he could help it anyways. That was the Talon that the wolf always knew, and deep down, the remark sparked a genuine smirk of approval from him.

For now though... He needed to see where he could be helpful, since the chests were soon to be inspected by Talon, and Florian seemed ready to investigate the rest of the area. "Wait," He called to the horned one as they continued walking, "before you wander too far off." While he wasn't sure what dangers may lie ahead, he felt it practical to at least provide their newfound benefactor with at least some small protection.Thus with a gentle brush of his hand out, Rickter released one of the two anchors he'd created earlier, the luminescent sphere shimmering through the air like the northern lights until it came to rest wherever the Lysanrin allowed it to. "It's purpose has yet been decided, so if anything threatens you... Reject it." He instructed to Florian as Rickter set in the tasked perimeters of the anchor, the aether within hummed in response as he allowed the Lysanrin to carry on.

The woman on the other hand... She spoke nonsensical regardless but there was a change in her dialect, suggesting to Ricker that she was flamboyantly tossing up another language within her conversations. When Talon then warned him to keep on guard in turn, the wolf looked sharply to his Bondmate with a firm nod. "Nothing will come close to hurting you, my star." He guaranteed to the prince as he mentally readied himself, watchful of the room in general, and specifically the woman whose air hung heavy with despair... according to his nose anyways.

Though he didn't ready it quite yet, Rickter kept the other anchor just within spiritual grasp, ready to administer its protection to Talon at a moment's notice whenever necessary.

"Common" "Synskrit"
"Rickter" Rickter

[Aegis]

Talon's gaze upon the chests told him there was life in these chests. They were just as alive as the people around him. They were exactly as alive as the people around him. The chests gave off identical signatures as the people there. The chest on the far left felt like Rickter. The chest to the direct right of it shone just as brightly as Talon himself did. The chest in the middle felt of the man in chains. The chest to the right of that felt of the woman touched by the Warrens. And the far right chest felt the same as the one known as Florian.

And then Talon would feel his magic activating, delayed, later than expected. The magic he'd attempted to cast on Nathan's chains.

Talon's efforts to turn the chains that bound Nathan took far longer than expected, but nonetheless was successful. The chains instantly turned to dust and rust and fell away. But it didn't stop there. The magic went beyond the bounds of what Talon had sought to do, beyond his control. He would feel the extra Aether pulled from him, ripped from him, he would feel a guiding hand that was not his own pulling it from him. And he would, for a moment, feel a connection, just as strong as the one with Rickter, he would feel it with Nathan. And he would feel the agony as the magic moved through where the chain had touched Nathan's right wrist. He would feel as the magic stilled the living flesh and bone and muscles and nerves in that that two inch band around Nathan's wrist. And he would feel as that section oxidized, much as the metal had. And it he would feel the burning as it burst into flame, severing the hand, which fell to the floor in the pile of rusted metal dust.

And then the connection was gone, and with it, Nathan Cross was gone, completely and utterly. And as he disappeared, so did the middle of the five chests.

The moment Euripedes uttered the word 'home' in Sildrandis, the third chest from the left, just to the right of the empty space from the disappeared chest, the chest opened. It called to Euripedes. She would be able to feel it. She would be able to hear Jieun's voice, calling for her to come and claim what was rightfully hers. This chest, this open chest inside the locked cell, was truly hers. Truly connected to her, just as Jieun was.

Talon was now knelt before the chest that felt the same as his beloved Rickter. He stuck in a key, turned it, and the lock clicked. The chest opened slowly of its own force, bathing Talon in Rickter's essence. Sharp, canine teeth extended from the mouth of the chest and along the now open rim. A large, damp tongue was tucked within, and the mouth started to lunge forward in what could only be described as a vicious biting motion.

But it stopped. The mouth closed. The chest was now moving as though alive. It sniffed about. Sniffed at Talon's hand. It sniffed some more, as if investigating. And then it opened wide, the teeth recessed and the tongue gone. And inside the chest were Rickter's missing belongings. All of them. The chest was large enough inside, far larger than the outside, to hold all of it.

As Florian pushed on the hatch, he would find that it swung open easily. Sunlight streamed in, bright and hot. It was followed by a wash of fresh, ocean air, with ocean spray mixed in, accosting Florian's senses with the smell of seaweed and salt and heat. What didn't join the scents and the feel of wind and water was sound. There was no noise whatsoever. There was nothing, there were no sea gulls crying, no waves lapping, no sailors calling orders. There was nothing at all.

The deck of the small vessel was devoid of life. There was all the usual trappings of a ship; riggings, sails, barrels, anchor, the whole lot. There was nothing unusual whatsoever upon the deck, aside from a lack of personnel. If Florian ventured up fully onto the deck, so that he could stand at his full height, he would notice something that was quite out of place. Something that would explain why the ship was stuck at a slant.

All around the ship was nothing but wet sand, algae, fish flopping desperate to breathe. What wasn't around the ship was water. There was no sea or ocean in any direction. The sun was overhead, leaning to the north. Due north, there was more of the same wet sand that the ship was lodged in. To the east and south, all the same. To the west, many hundreds of yards away, there was a harbor. Small ships were stuck in the sand, piers stuck out. There were tiny dots moving about very rapidly on the piers, on the ships, and on the shoreline. Past the shoreline, there were small buildings, no more than two stories tall. It was a picturesque harbor town.

And that was that.

Mod Note - Group

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I will post again on the morning of November 28th, unless the four members who posted in this last round all post again at least once, at which time I may post earlier. You may post as much as you want so long as Florian, Talon, Euripedes, and Rickter have all posted at least once.

Mod Note - Nathan Cross

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Nathan Cross has been exited from the thread. You may not post again in this thread. You will receive appropriate thread rewards upon the review of this thread. The following consequences will be applied to one of your threads following the date you entered Nasiim's Tower.

Nathan's right hand has been removed, cauterized at the wrist.