Sunflower—Toadstool and Spire (Active thread) (EG_003)

[hengest]

As you head off to the fruit stand, Alla continues swinging her makeshift weapon a bit. The young man from before, who cut himself, speaks to you from a little ways away. "I heard you talking," he says without a hint of apology. "I know the paths they will take when they come. I felt it all this morning as they retreated. I can show you."

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

<thinking> Alla is getting pretty comfortable using that.

"Oh really? That would be most useful.  Let me pick up this fruit first." as I approach the fruit vender.

<thinking> Next I will talk to that young man.

[hengest]

The fruit vendor seems to be closing up shop; they all and disappearing into the city. But he lets you have one of his remaining pieces: a very large purple-red ball that seems somewhat tough. It looks at least possibly edible. Before you can say anything about payment, he is already waving you away, saying only "Night is coming!"

The sky is beginning to darken a bit. It seems unlikely that you can accomplish much else in the way of preparation for whatever lies ahead.

You realize you have been operating in a not very wide space since you entered this place.

The man who cut himself on your sword is still there. Having overheard your talk, he seems a little eager but a little fearful. "Come, come. You have your thing for defense. He gestures to you and Alla, leading you out a little ways. The air is different out here away from the structures. More wild. Even the wind is strange: rather than only a steady blowing, you also feel many little bursts of air from different directions.

You see that same set of stairs that you noted before. Your guide gestures towards it. "I can tell that you can enter that way, but also..." He pauses, as there is a noise coming off from your right. Almost upon you already are the King and Queen. He is injured in some way. You can tell by his manner of riding. The same gates open noiselessly and admit them and their retinue, smaller than before.

The sky is indeed growing dark.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

<thinking> I made it to the fruit vendor just in time. Night sure does seem to worry these people.

I watch the King and Queen return with their reduced forces. I notice the King's injury and wonder how bad it is.

"Alla.  Preserve your strength for a bit.  I have provisions from the fruit vendor.".  She stands by my side as we listen to the young man and see the King and Queen riding through.

"Thank you for the information so far. Please, go on. What is out there standing in in opposition to the royal forces?".

<thinking> The sky grows dark. A grim sign.

[hengest]

"Out there, where they rode to...only beasts, I think. Frightening, they must be, but not like what happens underground. The true chaos must be there. I felt them in retreat as we woke up in the morning. Do you not feel it?"

The sky is getting dark enough that the two moons, one similar to the one you knew, and one larger and yellow, gaze down at the world you now inhabit with amused indifference.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

<thinking> Rumbling....underground...maybe that's what we heard in Bottleton.

"The more I learn, the more I think there must be a connection between what's happening her and what's happening back in Bottleton. The noises back in Bottleton must mean the same things are happening there. I can only assume they are approaching Bottleton while they are HERE now.".

<thinking> Fascinating. This place has two moons.

"Let's see what we're up against."

[hengest]

Almost as you speak, a deeper darkness falls so quickly it seems as if you have been plunged underwater. The young man cries out and leaps back into the town, quickly disappearing as he does so. You look after him and see that the town looks different, almost featureless. You can see silhouettes of some of the populace standing at the border, their eyes faintly aglow. They are perfectly still and show no sign of being aware of you.

Turning back, you see how unpeopled most of this land is. Lit only by moonlight, the total absence of fires or human artifacts of any kind shows you that, whatever else is true, this place is truly wild.

The earth shifts and two large fissures appear, opening slowly, on either side of the stairway leading down. They pass you on either side and move towards the two, reluctantly stopping at the border. A very faint and sickly light can be seen deep inside each.

You can see Alla's face in the moonlight. She looks steady enough, but shocked.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

<thinking> This place has taken on a grim atmosphere.

"Alla, our fate awaits us down these stairs.". I pull out my sword as I talk to her. "I'm going forward. If you choose not to do so, then now is the time. Turn around and I will not think less of you.".

I step forward and stop at the top step so I can look down before proceeding. After a brief moment, I begin my walk down the steps.

[hengest]

"Fate, fate, fate," Alla says to herself, seeming to grumble for the first time since you saw her ghostly form high "above" what is now this place. 

No force stops you and you step true. 

Alla follows, barely behind you, almost crowding you, awkwardly holding her "club" in one hand as she stoops-you both need to duck a good bit to get past the overhang.

Once you do, you move carefully down a few more unworn stone steps. The air on your face tells you are in a fairly large area, still in contact with the atmosphere aboveground. You hear her breath not far from you, to your right. Before you is utter darkness.

As you look around in your field of non-vision, searching involuntarily for light, you notice a bit of light from below.

Your boots are glowing.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

<thinking> Alla is handing this pretty well. She seems but not sure. That's good. Overconfidence can give you a false sense of security.

Looking up with a smile I say to Alla, "This was certainly unexpected, but it will come in handy for us.".

I look down to the boots and then back to Alla.

"This place is full of surprises so far. Oversized fruits that restore your strength, boots that provide a light in darkness, what's next? Maybe those rings have some sort of special power also?".

I meet her gaze and we both look down at her fingers.

"You're doing good so far. Continue to be observant. Let's continue.".

[hengest]

You can see your feet and the area several feet around them. If you let your eyes adjust to the darkness at eye-level, you can barely see a glimmer of Alla's face. Her voice sounds so normal and familiar, even in this gloom, as she says "The rings must be special. I can feel it. I heard of such things in stories, but I never touched them with my own hands before." You hear a touch of excitement, despite the circumstances.

As she speaks, you hear a wind aboveground rushing, then almost screaming. It must be cutting against the top of the stairway you came down. And as that sound dies down a little, you hear and then feel a kind of sniffing. Before you can react, there are a few and then it seems dozens of tiny...noses? all around your body. But even as you look down, you see nothing. It seems the air itself is sniffing your person from top to bottom. Alla must hear it, too, as she asks, "What is that sound?" a note of serious concern in her words.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

<thinking> What is that sound? It sounds like...sniffing?

"Alla..." pausing momentarily before continuing, "this is going to sound weird.". I look all around my body at the air around us.

"Does it sound like sniffing to you? Like the air is...sniffing us somehow?".

[hengest]

Alla says "I hear it...from over there where your voice is. But I don't feel anything."

Quick as they came, the 'noses' take one final sniff and rush off, to where, you cannot tell.

There is a sound of activity from a ways away and deep below. Before you can think what to do, you see a touch of colored light moving towards you from three directions. The light grows. It it concentrated at ground level, like the light from your boots. But it grows much "longer," as if there were many low lights coming your way. You hear the sound of many tiny footsteps, as if many children were walking with excited but measured steps.

Soon enough, you are surrounded at boot-level. You can see dozens and suspect hundreds more of tiny, multicolored imps at your feet. They glow with a medium light of various colors that seem to move over their bodies. From all their many bodies, there is now enough light in here to see Alla's features much more clearly. You are in some kind of area hewn from rock. You can tell from the "columns" of these creatures that there are three tunnels or passages out of here, as well as they way you came in, which now seems so long ago.

The imps stand no higher than your mid-shin. Their bodies are humanoid but unusually wiry, their eyes large. You can see those closest to you clearly enough as they gather round your feet, but their features seem somehow uncertain. They "run" a bit along with the colorful patches that move and drip over their bodies in all directions, mixing but not blending.

One gives your leg a sniff, then looks up at you. "You are not like this place," he says uncertainly. "You are of no concern. Everything else but be returned to chaos tonight. The night must not end. It will begin now. We will begin with her. She is of this place." He looks away from you. As you look over at Alla, they begin swarming her. Immediately she defends herself, plucking them off and hurling them about.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

[In case it isn't obvious, the following takes place at the appropriate moments in the post above.]

<thinking> What is going on with these lights?

"Alla, I have no idea what these lights are."

I watch the lights come up to our bodies at boot-level and see they are imps!

<thinking> I wonder what this is all about?

"No, I came here from Bottleton and...", I see the imps attempt to swarm Alla and I shout, "Alla!" as I jump into action and move to help her defend herself.

[hengest]

They crawl up Alla's person with no apparent effort. It is all but impossible to know how to hit them. Alla drops her club. She begins by almost beating herself, then switches to plucking them off and hurling them. You follow suit [I assume], pulling them off her and hurling them. 

But there are many, more than you could count. There are plenty for Alla and plenty more left...the others begin to rush out the way you came in, moving towards the stairs that you came down. As you pluck the creatures off Alla, you see that there are the three columns moving into this immediate area, some continuing to swarm her from the floor, and the bulk of them are now moving out the way you came. You can see them all glowing clearly in the otherwise gloomy chamber.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

[You assume correctly.]

<thinking> There's too many of them!

"Alla, there's too many of them! We have to figure out something else to stop them because this isn't working." I exclaim excitedly while continuing to pull off the imps.

<thinking> There's gotta be something we haven't thought of.

"Have you tried clicking those rings together or trying to touch one of them with a ring?". I wait for an answer.

[hengest]

They don't seem to be killing her exactly, and you can't evaluate this while hurling them and trying to figure out what to do, but you feel tiny claws sometimes as you hurl them. Likely they are scratching her as they scramble up her person, but you cannot stop to see any injuries or their depth. Alla's "fighting" ability sems undiminished so far.

None of them makes any deliberate contact with you. They are all around your feet but are not climbing onto you, even once you are "in the fray."

You see Alla trying to click her rings together. She slows down on the imp-removal long enough to fold her hands together, almost looking like she is in prayer, yet her face looks panicked and tormented  as the creatures crawl up now onto her upper body, despite your efforts. 

Nothing happens, then there is a click of metal on metal. 

A burst of...something radiates outward a ways from Alla's hands and fades away. Within this burst, the creatures (and all those that had been clinging to her) become stiff and fall to the ground. You see that they become dark as well, but cannot tell more without stopping to investigate them. Alla falls back for a moment, almost collapsing to the ground, but recovers. You see this but less well and cannot tell how her face is reacting, as the light in her area is now suddenly diminished.

The remainder (still endlessly many) of the imps stop for a second or two, but no more. They now ignore Alla and all head for the obvious exit (the way you entered). There is a river of imps pouring in that direction now, as you assume, towards the "city." They are paying no attention to either of you.

[It is likely Alla will follow your lead. If you want to discuss with her, no problem, of course, but if you have a plan or want to try something immediately, describe it and we can deal with her response and how to resolve it at once.]

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

"There's so many of them!" I shout towards Alla.

<thinking> What are we going to do to stop these things?

I watch as Alla finally clicks the rings together. I stop to examine the fallen imps that have turned dark.

"Give me a moment. Try your rings again. Then we'll try to put an end to this."

<thinking> Surely, there HAS to be something we can do.

"Let's go to the stairs and see if we can block the exit out of here. Maybe we can knock down some rocks or find some other way to block it."

<thinking> We may block ourselves in down here, but we have to stop this assault.

[hengest]

[I'm going to explain this because it's our first thing like this.


If you and Alla rush back there, you will be running in the same direction as the imps, on the same surface, when they are basically covering every inch of the floor. Hundreds are already pouring out that way, what may be thousands more are right behind them. So this is already abnormal locomotion. There are several possible outcomes that will be determined by a die roll. It's not an insane thing to attempt, but is riskier than you might think--"we just go back over there." Go? Or change plan as you see how many there are?]

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

[Sounds good.  Brainstorming...]

<thinking> That might not be a good idea after all.

"Wait, Alla.", pausing to look around, "There's too many of them going that way.  Let's continue the way that these creatures are coming FROM.  Maybe we can cut the rush down or figure out if they're running from something?".

I say, "Let's go." as I start going in the direction of where the imps are coming from.

[hengest]

[I neglected to say that Alla followed your instructions, but failed to get the effect to repeat.]

[They are coming from three directions: left, middle, and right. Which way do you try? You will now be moving against the creatures.]

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

[hmmmm.... ]

"Let's go straight up the middle to see what we find!"

[hengest]

Alla, looking somewhat ashen after her imp experience, rushes with you down the middle passage, or tries to. You are both moving against the flow of foot traffic. The creatures continue to ignore you, but it is difficult to move among them, like walking against the current in a moderately raging river.

The light of your boots is swamped among the tiny imps.

You both make it, stumbling and half-falling, about twenty feet. You are entering a passage lit by nothing but the imp-light. There is no end to them in sight. At around the same time, you both fall, although you are able to get up again. When you look to Alla, you see she is struggling to stand and the creatures are running over her. You cannot see her club.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

"Alla...I didn't mean to get you into this mess. Give me a moment and I'll try to get us out of it." I proclaim loudly hoping that my voice isn't drowned out by the rush of the imps.

"Try to scoot over against the wall. Hold onto your club if you still have it."

"Push yourself up with your back against the wall. If it's too much to continue forward, then we'll go back and do something else."

[hengest]

Slowly, Alla struggles up to sitting on her haunches, the imps parting around her form as it rises. In their light you can see that the back of her clothing has been damaged, though not yet ruined, by their tiny claws. Her face is scratched, but less than you expected. Perhaps it was protected by her lying face-down. She looks frightened and exhausted, but still not overcome. 

She must have understood your instructions, as she "wades" over to the far wall on her knees and pushes herself to a standing position. You were right: it looks a bit easier for her to press forward. She begins doing so, not looking over at you much. (Alla is on the right-hand side of the corridor).

She no longer has her "club."

Looking back, you can see them pouring into the chamber from which you came. Looking ahead, you see more of what you see here, as far as you can see clearly (not that far).

[hengest]

[I assume you press on, but will wait to hear.]

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

Pausing briefly to collect my thoughts.

"Alla. Any idea where your club is at?".

<thinking> We might give it a few moments to see if this passage clears. If not, we should press on.

[hengest]

She looks over at you, then looks back to where she fell. The creatures are teeming, as they were before. If her club fell to the ground there, you might be able to find and fetch it or you might not. There are not many landmarks in here and the creatures are really covering the floor.

The flow of them shows no sign at all of stopping, although up ahead from where you are now, it looks a bit different. Is their light somehow...subdued there? You can't tell.

Alla looks moderately impassive, considering where you are and what just happened.

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

<thinking> I'm not giving up on the club that easily.

I glance at Alla and the imps and make my decision.

"Alla. Stay there and steady yourself for just a bit longer. I'm going to see if your club is still there.".

I ready my sword and advance towards the location I think her club would most likely still be.

[hengest]

It's like walking through rushing, tickling, somewhat scratchy water, now flowing in the same direction you're trying to walk.

Alla looks back at you, incredulous you seem to be trying to get her makeshift root-weapon back. "Don't...I don't know if it's worth it. They were...all over me." She sounds weaker than she looks.

You come to where you think it should be, not far off. 

[What do you do?]