"Bird. Hmp," Bjorn stiffened, and went about gnawing on his own morsel of bread. He hadn't eaten since he met Willow, unless one counted the tongueberry.
Noble laughed.
"You are an outlander," he said, the centaur's manner of speaking that of someone much older than he looked, "Odinkine do not like to be referred to as birds, it's like calling someone like you an ape. Outlanders are rare. I am witness to many travelers, and none look like you."
His hands rested on his rifle and leveled it to the cave entrance, "Unless you are Creative in one of his many disguises, then you are a cruel fellow for being so beautiful."
A small moment passed, where he waited for his suspicions to be true. When it seemed apparent that Willow was just Willow, he shifted uncomfortably. In an effort to stifle embarrassment, he kept his eyes on the cave entrance. Then, awkwardly, he laughed, and changed the subject.
"Who doesn't know the Lord of the Land? He is all powerful, wise, and above all, fair-minded. There might be many lands in the Elementalia Magicus, but all those that live in those lands are of the Artisans, and each of the Artisans were children of the Lord. None of us are so bold as to call him Father, but we know none else."
[The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
Willow’s lips pursed and her eyes strained in a sidelong gaze back towards the entrance of the cave. Amid the peculiar circumstances, the teen had odd deja vu to a social between St. Bernadette's and Cheltenham’s. It was astounding how fast confidence could pendulum towards sheepishness. If Noble had kept his composure it might have been flattering, but instead awkwardness permeated the air and Willow was left with the mental image of Creative wearing drag.
“For what it’s worth, I did get this coat from Creative, but still best to avoid comparing lasses to lads; fyi,” Willow offered with a placating half-laugh. “But again, outlander. I’ve been here for less than a day. Treat it like someone who was born yesterday knows more than I do. Since I’ve been here I’ve been berated by a doll, harried by wraiths, and been unpleasantly reminded about the fragility of life; I’m properly under the cosh. Amid all of that this is the first I’ve heard of a Lord. Slumberer? Yes. Lord? No. Assume I know nothing. What’s more, if this Lord is all powerful, why does he allow…”
Willow lifted a hand toward her face and clenched a fist before relaxing again.
“It’s been a long day. I’m looking for a girl about my age, probably dressed as a clown. Have you seen her, or the suspicious group of spriggans that might have taken her? Creative suggested they might have been heading to the Slumberer. My heart bleeds for ya’ll and this wraith situation, but unless Vengeance is in cahoots with the Slumberer then I am afraid I have places to be.”
“For what it’s worth, I did get this coat from Creative, but still best to avoid comparing lasses to lads; fyi,” Willow offered with a placating half-laugh. “But again, outlander. I’ve been here for less than a day. Treat it like someone who was born yesterday knows more than I do. Since I’ve been here I’ve been berated by a doll, harried by wraiths, and been unpleasantly reminded about the fragility of life; I’m properly under the cosh. Amid all of that this is the first I’ve heard of a Lord. Slumberer? Yes. Lord? No. Assume I know nothing. What’s more, if this Lord is all powerful, why does he allow…”
Willow lifted a hand toward her face and clenched a fist before relaxing again.
“It’s been a long day. I’m looking for a girl about my age, probably dressed as a clown. Have you seen her, or the suspicious group of spriggans that might have taken her? Creative suggested they might have been heading to the Slumberer. My heart bleeds for ya’ll and this wraith situation, but unless Vengeance is in cahoots with the Slumberer then I am afraid I have places to be.”
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
Noble's grim mask appeared again as he considered Willow's words.
"Slumberer? Why would he… Ah. No, I see it now, you are looking for the Dreamer. She who continues to languish in the nightmares. The Spriggans worship her in her repose, seeking to find offerings to lay at her feet, but… Creative, the troublemaking illusionist he is, has not imparted the gravity of your goal."
The centaur kept his eyes on the dark hole into the outer world, the faint light of the moon giving shape to the trees. Flickering flames from the burning fire seemed to ward away the encroaching fingers of gloom trying to claw its way around the edges.
"Vengeance is the bound shade, the blight of our world, and her rot grows above the Dreamer. From her sprouts all the darkness you have seen. The death," as if for emphasis, Noble's wings spread a bit, to bring mind to the odinkine that survived the attack. "Your friend could not have been taken, because it is not in the nature of the Spriggans. They are scavengers, sometimes thieves, but they are incapable of treachery. Moreover, they lack the strength. They would have needed to convince your friend to come willingly."
Noble's eyes dipped to the ground for a moment, "The only ones of their kind that are capable are the foregone wraiths, and of she fell into their hands, she is already dead."
"Slumberer? Why would he… Ah. No, I see it now, you are looking for the Dreamer. She who continues to languish in the nightmares. The Spriggans worship her in her repose, seeking to find offerings to lay at her feet, but… Creative, the troublemaking illusionist he is, has not imparted the gravity of your goal."
The centaur kept his eyes on the dark hole into the outer world, the faint light of the moon giving shape to the trees. Flickering flames from the burning fire seemed to ward away the encroaching fingers of gloom trying to claw its way around the edges.
"Vengeance is the bound shade, the blight of our world, and her rot grows above the Dreamer. From her sprouts all the darkness you have seen. The death," as if for emphasis, Noble's wings spread a bit, to bring mind to the odinkine that survived the attack. "Your friend could not have been taken, because it is not in the nature of the Spriggans. They are scavengers, sometimes thieves, but they are incapable of treachery. Moreover, they lack the strength. They would have needed to convince your friend to come willingly."
Noble's eyes dipped to the ground for a moment, "The only ones of their kind that are capable are the foregone wraiths, and of she fell into their hands, she is already dead."
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
The teenager huffed as she flopped onto her back. There was always a lot to take in, it seemed, on these kinds of adventures. The kinds of things that Drysi would probably have kept notes about anytime a new tidbit came in. Willow on the other hand simply stared up at the cave walls as she considered her experiences.
“So,” she started, more in general to the room rather than directed specifically to anyone present. “She showed up randomly, citing avoiding our dorm counselor; chatted for a time, lotta heavy stuff about moms and emotional inadequacies; went to sleep, dreamt about beating up a cookie; woke up to make tea and saw her bundle of blankets acting weird; there was a ding dang spriggan under the covers looking for something; it threw a shoe at me head before darting off… with that file Manon had brought with her…”
A monotone hum emanated from her for a moment.
“If Spriggs MacKenzie didn’t take her then they were looking for her, and they still stole something she had felt important enough to bring with her when on the lamb. I figured they had to do with the disappearance, perhaps to use her ocean of power to do something with The Dreamer.”
Willow sat straight up with a sudden jolt.
“And did you say we need to wait until sunrise?”
“So,” she started, more in general to the room rather than directed specifically to anyone present. “She showed up randomly, citing avoiding our dorm counselor; chatted for a time, lotta heavy stuff about moms and emotional inadequacies; went to sleep, dreamt about beating up a cookie; woke up to make tea and saw her bundle of blankets acting weird; there was a ding dang spriggan under the covers looking for something; it threw a shoe at me head before darting off… with that file Manon had brought with her…”
A monotone hum emanated from her for a moment.
“If Spriggs MacKenzie didn’t take her then they were looking for her, and they still stole something she had felt important enough to bring with her when on the lamb. I figured they had to do with the disappearance, perhaps to use her ocean of power to do something with The Dreamer.”
Willow sat straight up with a sudden jolt.
“And did you say we need to wait until sunrise?”
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
"Unless you are a peerless warrior, incapable of death," answered Noble, swiftly and naturally, "you will find it safer to shelter in the warm light of the campfire, lest the wraiths come en masse. The Floating Islands fester at night with them, and they are more aggressive in the dark."
Punctuating that statement was another far off screech. Noble stared for a while, before looking at Willow warmly. "I admire your dedication. Your friend sounds troublesome, but you are still willing to take great risk to help her. You called her an…"
With a small stick, Noble stoked the fire, before lobbing another log on it.
"An ocean of power…"
A silence began to wash over the knight.
"I have only ever known the Lord called such a thing," Noble murmured, not looking at the Allomancer. "I can only doubt that spriggans could do something so heinous as kidnap someone… But someone… someone who is an ocean of power… Lured… To the Dreamer."
His voice went low, "To Vengeance…"
Noble searched for a solution in the fire, but it was clear to Willow that the fire would remain taciturn. Despite an apparent apprehension, and a weariness from wounds and a tough watch, he gave her a warm smile.
"At dawn, I will take you to the Lord of these lands, in Navipolis. When he hears of this, he will know what to do. He may even help you find this friend of yours."
Punctuating that statement was another far off screech. Noble stared for a while, before looking at Willow warmly. "I admire your dedication. Your friend sounds troublesome, but you are still willing to take great risk to help her. You called her an…"
With a small stick, Noble stoked the fire, before lobbing another log on it.
"An ocean of power…"
A silence began to wash over the knight.
"I have only ever known the Lord called such a thing," Noble murmured, not looking at the Allomancer. "I can only doubt that spriggans could do something so heinous as kidnap someone… But someone… someone who is an ocean of power… Lured… To the Dreamer."
His voice went low, "To Vengeance…"
Noble searched for a solution in the fire, but it was clear to Willow that the fire would remain taciturn. Despite an apparent apprehension, and a weariness from wounds and a tough watch, he gave her a warm smile.
"At dawn, I will take you to the Lord of these lands, in Navipolis. When he hears of this, he will know what to do. He may even help you find this friend of yours."
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
Heartrate increasing, Willow momentarily felt as though she might have a panic attack until a flare of Pewter stabilized her senses along with her pulse. Even still, her mind was racing over this new realization, and while she was aware of Noble speaking and what he was saying; her mind was locked on the thought of the coming sunrise. That timeframe would push her to the limit of keeping metal reserves stored. Meaning she had failed to meet her goal, and she would need to expend her metals before then or risk the metals leeching into her system and making her sick. She hadn't experienced it before, but the stories Miss Caoranach had told her about early allomancers made it an aspect of her powers she wasn't eager to explore. Come morning, she'd either be without her powers, or racked with pain while puking. It was remarkable how quickly she'd become dependent on those metals, Willow thought to herself, but she was at a loss for how she could help against wraiths or seemingly terrifying entities like Vengeance without the augmentations.
With her mind calming once more, Willow began to rationalize and work through the issue while listening to Noble. She had twenty-one nuts of that Clever alloy left, but those were useless on their own; there were berries or whatever Clever had mentioned that contained trace amounts of iron, copper, and tin that she could use, at the expense of consuming petroleum and some non-burnable metals; and if Noble's cartridges were brass then she could eat one of those; plus, if they were going to see a lord she could probably schmooze some metal out of him. She'd be fine, she could do this.
"That's that, I guess," Willow said to the room as she once again settled against the wall. "I can take watch if you want to get some rest. I've got stuff I need to do before I can sleep."
Willow had a lot of metal to burn off before she could rest.
With her mind calming once more, Willow began to rationalize and work through the issue while listening to Noble. She had twenty-one nuts of that Clever alloy left, but those were useless on their own; there were berries or whatever Clever had mentioned that contained trace amounts of iron, copper, and tin that she could use, at the expense of consuming petroleum and some non-burnable metals; and if Noble's cartridges were brass then she could eat one of those; plus, if they were going to see a lord she could probably schmooze some metal out of him. She'd be fine, she could do this.
"That's that, I guess," Willow said to the room as she once again settled against the wall. "I can take watch if you want to get some rest. I've got stuff I need to do before I can sleep."
Willow had a lot of metal to burn off before she could rest.
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
"Your offer is gracious, but I have already taken a neversleep draught," answered Noble wearily, nudging an empty vial next to one of his hooves, "I had already resigned myself to keeping awake through the night. Rest yourself, you are an outlander, a guest to a further extent, and, at the very least, I can be a good host to you. Should the night be uneventful, I will ensure that you are given a proper welcome in the city."
At that, he uncorked another vial from a belt of clips and bottles, and knocked back the contents. The vial tinged, bouncing on a rock and rolling a small ways away. His eyes, which were beginning to give way to green color, began to transition back to a golden hue, the pupils becoming cat-like.
"Agh, a hero's welcome," Noble cleared his throat, "Whatever you did to the wraiths, it spared us even further disaster."
At that, he uncorked another vial from a belt of clips and bottles, and knocked back the contents. The vial tinged, bouncing on a rock and rolling a small ways away. His eyes, which were beginning to give way to green color, began to transition back to a golden hue, the pupils becoming cat-like.
"Agh, a hero's welcome," Noble cleared his throat, "Whatever you did to the wraiths, it spared us even further disaster."
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
"I'll be up a little longer, in that case. Just do me a favor and talk softly for the next ten minutes, and warn me if you're gonna fire that gun," Willow told Noble as she began to flare all of her remaining metal reserves, save for the Clever metal as she wasn't sure what would happen is she flipped the hyper switch on all of her metals at once. Immediately the light of the fire became blinding and the crackling ambience deafening, eliciting a visible wince from the Brit. Her senses and nerves became packed with immense potential energy as her well of Pewter turned her body into coiled steel cables; she'd burnt off most of the chunk she'd been given over the course of the day, but she guessed she'd have a long few minutes of being an electric wire. All of this compounded the mélange of pulses that washed over her from the flared Bronze; the odinkine, the centaur, the distant wraiths, and even the island itself. Blue lines traced away from her, highlighting the various nearby sources of metal via Iron and Steel. Zinc sat as an inert cloud unless she felt like overloading someone on enhanced emotions; which currently she did not. Similarly Copper burned in its own unnoticed cloud that in turn left the cave unnoticeable to magic detection; at least for the next minute or so.
"One of my abilities allows me to suppress the emotions of others, so I quashed the rage those wraiths were feeling. I can do it by eating pieces of Brass. Speaking of, don't s'pose your carbine cartridges are brass, are they?"
"One of my abilities allows me to suppress the emotions of others, so I quashed the rage those wraiths were feeling. I can do it by eating pieces of Brass. Speaking of, don't s'pose your carbine cartridges are brass, are they?"
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
The combination of tin and bronze made for an intense feeling, as each pulse from the ground below was like a metal heart beating inside her brain. Each thrum seemed to strike more loudly than the previous. It could have been the tin, but it was becoming evident Willow was nearing the source of the land's power.
"Brass? I could see why," said Noble, matter-of-factly yet gently, "but no, it's too heavy. My rifle cases are cast from mithril. I normally try to gather them back up when I can."
In the meantime, Bjorn scuttled down and minced over to the other odinkine, cawing to them quietly. They struck up a conversation, Bjorn speaking gently, but the other squawking more normally, and loudly.
Noble, not wanting to pry, but curious, asked, "Are you going to be fine? You seem like you've only gotten worse since you sat down in this cave."
"Brass? I could see why," said Noble, matter-of-factly yet gently, "but no, it's too heavy. My rifle cases are cast from mithril. I normally try to gather them back up when I can."
In the meantime, Bjorn scuttled down and minced over to the other odinkine, cawing to them quietly. They struck up a conversation, Bjorn speaking gently, but the other squawking more normally, and loudly.
Noble, not wanting to pry, but curious, asked, "Are you going to be fine? You seem like you've only gotten worse since you sat down in this cave."
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
“I’ll be fine. ‘M jus’... mad…” Willow said as it looked like she was managing a migraine with her hands over her ears and her eyes screwed shut. Realizing the interpretation of what she’d just said she quickly added. “At myself.”
A few moments passed by as she focused on the temperature and texture of the stone against her back. Disappointment mingled with the flood of sensory signals, mostly at how underwhelmed she apparently was at being close to honest to goodness mithral just because she couldn’t eat it.
“My abilities come with a number of drawbacks that are inconvenient to deal with. Usually its a non-issue, but I’m finding I’m not really prepared for long excursions like this. What with fast ability drain and most of my abilities having less than an hour of consistent usability. Needing to physically carry more metal like its ammo, which, of course, I didn’t do today because I’m a leap before I look kinda lass. And being unable to keep my chamber loaded for more than a day without facing metal toxicity.”
“That last one brings me to my current position. I’m burning them all off at a high rate right now, because sleeping with them ingested similarly would make me sick. Coupled with the fact that I have no back up metal, save for a metal I’m guessing only works in tandem with others, I am effectively kneecapping myself right now when all I want to do is find Manon. Its a lot for me to take in, come to terms with, and deal with. So I’ll also apologize if I’ve seemed curt. It’s honestly nothing personal.”
A few moments passed by as she focused on the temperature and texture of the stone against her back. Disappointment mingled with the flood of sensory signals, mostly at how underwhelmed she apparently was at being close to honest to goodness mithral just because she couldn’t eat it.
“My abilities come with a number of drawbacks that are inconvenient to deal with. Usually its a non-issue, but I’m finding I’m not really prepared for long excursions like this. What with fast ability drain and most of my abilities having less than an hour of consistent usability. Needing to physically carry more metal like its ammo, which, of course, I didn’t do today because I’m a leap before I look kinda lass. And being unable to keep my chamber loaded for more than a day without facing metal toxicity.”
“That last one brings me to my current position. I’m burning them all off at a high rate right now, because sleeping with them ingested similarly would make me sick. Coupled with the fact that I have no back up metal, save for a metal I’m guessing only works in tandem with others, I am effectively kneecapping myself right now when all I want to do is find Manon. Its a lot for me to take in, come to terms with, and deal with. So I’ll also apologize if I’ve seemed curt. It’s honestly nothing personal.”