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Post by hengest on May 20, 2022 16:25:07 GMT -5
"I don't know," he croaks. "It must be like what I said...I thought it was only people..."
You see now that it is holding one of the mushrooms you noted when you first came to this place. The mushroom appears to dissolve into the "lines" and then you see it no more.
It begins moving toward you at a leisurely pace. You see the mushroom again, enlarged and reflected many times across the "surface" of the thing. The image "blinks" twice and then is gone and the thing has its prior appearance. It continues gliding in your direction, apparently without walking as you do.
You see Finny take a step back.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 20, 2022 16:53:55 GMT -5
"Uhh...we should run, right?" I ask Finny as he steps back.
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Post by hengest on May 20, 2022 17:04:18 GMT -5
"Uhh...we should run, right?" I ask Finny as he steps back. "I...don't know. I don't know what...the stories are only about people..." He shuffles back another step but does not turn around or break into a run. The thing continues to move in your general direction, then stops and picks up a fist-sized green ball from the forest floor. "Picks up" means that you see the ball rise to "chest" height. It stops moving toward you and seems occupied with its find. A black extension of the creature extends from its central area, pointing at a tree behind you. Then the green ball rises higher.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 20, 2022 17:19:06 GMT -5
"That's....not good." I mutter in reply to the situation but not directly at Finny.
<thinking> What is this thing doing?
"I'm just as confused as you are. Let's see what it does now." I suggest to Finny.
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Post by hengest on May 20, 2022 19:12:58 GMT -5
"That's....not good." I mutter in reply to the situation but not directly at Finny. <thinking> What is this thing doing? "I'm just as confused as you are. Let's see what it does now." I suggest to Finny. It drops the green ball. Before your eyes, the ball sinks into the earth, is replaced by a shoot that becomes a sapling, showing you years of growth in seconds. At first it grows "normally," then the earth around the widening trunk begins to collapse and turn sandy. The tree grows into a stunted adult tree, its trunk over-wide for its stunted height. You watch as it produces a crop of sickly-looking spheres like the one the being held up, then the leaves cycle a few more times and finally fail to reappear. The now dead-looking body of the tree looks now to be aging but somehow not decaying. The leaves and fruit that this tree produced have now utterly vanished, and all you now see before you is a wide but stunted trunk with branches, leaning almost to the ground in a soft pit of sandy and unhealthy-looking soil. The being seems to be watching you for a reply.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 20, 2022 19:27:33 GMT -5
I watch intently as this is going on and I occasionally change the focus of my sight from the events to Finny and then back again.
<thinking> I've never seen anything like this.
Fascinated by what has taken place before us I ask, "Have you ever seen this before? It looks like it is waiting for us to reply in some fashion. Any ideas?". I wait for his answer.
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Post by hengest on May 21, 2022 23:46:52 GMT -5
I watch intently as this is going on and I occasionally change the focus of my sight from the events to Finny and then back again. <thinking> I've never seen anything like this. Fascinated by what has taken place before us I ask, "Have you ever seen this before? It looks like it is waiting for us to reply in some fashion. Any ideas?". I wait for his answer. "Asking something? About the tree and its fruit." He sounds tense but not cowardly. The being's "surface" flickers. As if all at once, you see flickering across it images of a sky, the sun passing through it rapidly, being replaced by stars and a changing moon. Then you see a wood rapidly changing, covered with snow, then leaves, then snow again. The image freezes and shows you and Finny, but not as you thought you looked: you appear transparent, the wood showing behind you, while Finny looks almost to be made up of leaves, buds, and twigs. The surface goes black and the being moves again in your general direction.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 22, 2022 8:47:47 GMT -5
"Could be. Could be...", I mutter as we continue to watch the being.
Seeing the images flash before us holds my interest and an idea takes form in my head. "I wonder if these images reflect the flow of time. What could be the point of showing this to us." I say as I look from the being to Finny and then back to the being again.
A few moments of silence pass between us and as the shape begins moving towards us, I ask, "I think if it meant us harm then it could have already done so. What do you think?".
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Post by hengest on May 22, 2022 9:39:25 GMT -5
"Could be. Could be...", I mutter as we continue to watch the being. Seeing the images flash before us holds my interest and an idea takes form in my head. "I wonder if these images reflect the flow of time. What could be the point of showing this to us." I say as I look from the being to Finny and then back to the being again. A few moments of silence pass between us and as the shape begins moving towards us, I ask, "I think if it meant us harm then it could have already done so. What do you think?". The shape continues moving towards you and floats up into the air as it comes. It looks like it will be passing over your heads in about two seconds if it keeps moving on this "path"... Finny turns towards you (to his left) and steps to his right, in effect getting closer to where the being had been before. He is now facing generally towards you, but looking up at the being, not at you. You can see his face filled with a mix of awe, wonder, and fright.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 22, 2022 10:07:18 GMT -5
I mirror the movements of Finny in an effort to give the shape a wide berth. After noticing the different expressions on the face of Finny, I decide to look upon the shape to see what he is seeing...
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Post by hengest on May 22, 2022 10:25:25 GMT -5
You both watch as the shape worms its way into what looks like a slit in the air above the ground, just a couple feet above where your head just was.
It vanishes and the slit barely remains, a little crack in the world.
It is still deep night. You are pretty sure the doubletree is right around here.
That rapidly-aging tree is still there, and shifts, sinking an inch deeper into its now-sandy sinkhole.
Finny is still staring up at that spot.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 22, 2022 17:18:28 GMT -5
<thinking> And now this...shape is just...gone.
I notice the remaining small crack that remains.
<thinking> The tree is sinking or is it withering further from age?
I take a glance at Finny as he continues to stare at the spot.
<thinking> Alla! I've still got to find Alla.
"Finny," pausing before continuing, "what did we just see here?". I let my question hang in the air for a brief moment and then ask, "I still need to cross back through the gate if you don't mind...", ending my statement in a mumble just loud enough to be break the silence in the air between us.
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Post by hengest on May 22, 2022 22:26:23 GMT -5
You hear Finny's intake of breath and sigh before he replies. "I don't know. There are stories but...the whole point of the stories is that...the things that happen are impossible to understand. And the invaders have to be removed. I think this one removed itself."
At your mention of the gate, he startles into a more normal state. "Yes. Well. You will see it. Um." He gets his bearings again. "Here." He gestures to a spot not fifteen feet from where you stand. You see that it is indeed the doubletree from before, although from where you stood, it looked like a single tree in the gloom.
"I hope you pass through all right, if that is your choice. I will report what we saw."
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 23, 2022 17:28:14 GMT -5
"Thank you for showing me the way. Good luck with these intruders." I say to Finny as I turn towards the doubletree and take two steps before stopping.
<thinking> Maybe this is crazy but...
Without turning around to face him I say, "Finny. Alla's fate and mine are no longer connected. Alla has proven more than once she is capable. My fate lies elsewhere at this time and," I pause before turning to face him and continue, "I'm coming with you to offer my assistance in this endeavor if you and your people will accept it.".
I hold my hand out offering the grip of friendship waiting for an answer...
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Post by hengest on May 23, 2022 21:21:57 GMT -5
Finny pauses, looking from you to the doubletree in the murk, then glancing back up at that slit in the air.
"It's not for me to speak for my people, but...yes, I accept it. We may yet go through the gate together, but more stealthily than before." He at first begins to extend the wrong arm, then retracts it and shakes your proffered hand. His grip is consciously, almost nervously firm, seeming to be only on the verge of full manhood.
Light flares as the slit above you sends forth large globs of white fire, pale but bright, that vanish before they touch you or the ground. Your eye catches a healthier glow, almost like a burst of moonlight, from the direction of the doubletree, but by the time you look over, it is nothing but a memory of your sight.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 24, 2022 16:38:39 GMT -5
"Understandable. I don't expect you to speak for them. I'll assist any way that I can." I answer to FInny.
<thinking> I think he's a younger fellow like myself.
I look to Finny and slowly ask, "What...was....that?".
I stare at the aftermath of what took place for just a few moments and without turning I ask, "Have you seen THAT before? Should we go report back to your people?".
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Post by hengest on May 24, 2022 21:40:33 GMT -5
The doubletree and that slit in the air are now dark and silent, the slit barely visible now in the gloom.
"No...no. Never seen anything like that. They warn us about the people who may come, how comely and beguiling they can be and that they can somehow...destroy us. But no one has said anything about this, or at least, not to me." He pauses, looking a touch more decisive now that the strange events are fading into a reportable memory. "I should go. We should go." He starts moving off at a half-run in the direction you first chased him.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 25, 2022 2:55:27 GMT -5
"I see." I simply reply and follow after Finny.
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Post by hengest on May 25, 2022 14:51:23 GMT -5
He leads you bumpingly down (it seems) the same path you followed the day before. The light begins to grow at last and you can see some color creeping back into things.
You come to the ledge he hopped down from and he does the same here. You hop down with him. Finny taps a circle directly underfoot with his moccasin, it opens smoothly inward, and he slides down into it.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 25, 2022 17:11:34 GMT -5
<thinking> I'll be! That's how he got away so swiftly once I slowed up!
I let out a short chuckle at my observation and mimic his actions to follow him on his path.
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Post by hengest on May 25, 2022 18:19:27 GMT -5
<thinking> I'll be! That's how he got away so swiftly once I slowed up! I let out a short chuckle at my observation and mimic his actions to follow him on his path. You slip down the hole after Finny with no trouble and find yourself on a quite smooth wooden slide that deposits you a couple seconds later in a pile of soft debris: moss and grasses? You are surprised and a little shaken, but completely unhurt. Finny is already standing beside the "landing area," smiling a relaxed smile for the first time since you first laid eyes on him. You realize he must be laughing at your expression. You are in a tunnel dimly but functionally lit by an unknown means. The walls appear to be made of a mixture of stone and clay. "Come on," he says lightly, not extending a hand to you as you lie, half-seated, in a pile of vegetable fluff.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 26, 2022 21:43:39 GMT -5
I gather myself up and respond, "I'm following your lead.".
I take in the surroundings as we start and ask, "Finny, where is the light coming from?".
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Post by hengest on May 27, 2022 9:46:45 GMT -5
He looks around as if remembering something and begins to explain: "The light...you can see in our tunnels because of...it is a little buttle like rain barrels...I can sh** if w...et permiss... for you to jnnsn us..."
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 27, 2022 10:18:49 GMT -5
"Uhh...something is happening." I exclaim towards Finny and pausing momentarily before continuing, "Some of your words. I can't understand them. It's like the words are slowly changing into some language I don't know..."
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Post by hengest on May 27, 2022 11:06:44 GMT -5
He starts to reply, but his speech is now a complete mess to your ears. Seeing your incomprehension, he stops talking and makes a face of displeasure. He gestures toward your ears and mouth and then makes a gesture of dissipation (?) with both hands.
He motions for you to follow him and set off down the tunnel, moving to the right from where you were facing when you landed.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 27, 2022 11:22:03 GMT -5
I shake my head left to right while pointing at my ears to confirm that I can't comprehend.
I watch his motions and shake my head up and down in an affirmative motion and follow him.
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Post by hengest on May 27, 2022 15:27:46 GMT -5
I shake my head left to right while pointing at my ears to confirm that I can't comprehend. I watch his motions and shake my head up and down in an affirmative motion and follow him. You move down a very well-maintained tunnel that still has that glow, the explanation of which you really did not fully understand. You pass several doors on the left-hand side. Without stopping, you cannot investigate, but they appear to be made of some kind of stone distinct from the stone-earth look of the walls surrounding them. Each has a large central knob or other bulbous item in the center. Finally you come to a larger door, also on the left-hand side. Finny motions you close and points out some strange marks all around the sides of the doorway. Then he appears ready to press the "knob," but gestures for you to let him hold your wrist while he does so.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 27, 2022 15:34:38 GMT -5
As I follow Finny and observe the areas we pass, I'm amazed that all this was below the ground and has been walked over without any hint of it by unknown amounts of travelers.
<thinking> I wonder what all of these doors lead to...
I pause and look at the door and the markings.
<thinking> I bet these are the same "language" that was around those other doors above.
Since I have no reason to distrust Finny, I offer my wrist for him to hold.
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Post by hengest on May 28, 2022 16:28:44 GMT -5
He grabs you tightly by the wrist and presses the large "button" in the center. It sinks into the door a bit, then resumes its former position as the door swings over. Finny pulls you through after him. Passing through the doorway, you feel a kind of tingling force pass through you.
Having brought you fully into the chamber, Finny releases your wrist, makes eye contact, and points back to the doorway, as if by way of explanation.
You are in a large chamber with a fairly low ceiling, but you do not need to stoop. It seems to be lit in much the same way as the tunnel you just came from. There are several areas that look like cooking fires, one just a few feet from where you stand, though you feel no particular heat from it and see no flames. You do see what are unmistakably fish being grilled over a firepit-like area that gives a cold glow.
A couple of these faces look familiar. At first, a woman from the fish-cooking area rises and comes over to you. Her smile is warm for Finny but as she sees you, her eyes show a bit of surprise. She speaks to him in her unintelligible tongue. As you stare at their faces, the man you spoke to before appears and comes over, looking not angry but a touch displeased. He is approaching now.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 28, 2022 18:59:56 GMT -5
"Interesting.", I mumble as we pass through the doorway.
<thinking> Is that what magic feels like? Does is...tingle like that?
I slowly spin around the area and take in my surroundings.
<thinking> Oh, maybe they live down here.
I turn my gaze from face to face watching their reactions.
<thinking> She looks surprised to see me back here. He looks...to be...not thrilled about my presence. I'm going to have to trust Finny in this situation.
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