Difference between revisions of "Quicksilver Quest - RPLOG"

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The bear leads the way to a tall crevasse in the side of the mountain. It looks like there was some kind of rockslide recently.  
 
The bear leads the way to a tall crevasse in the side of the mountain. It looks like there was some kind of rockslide recently.  
  
&quot;This is the place,&quot; he announces, &quot;This is where our information says the elementals were seen. They like hot places, I guess. You just let me know when you&#39;ve done your thing and I&#39;ll come gather the stuff!&quot; The burly bear gives a wave and turns to walk back to the cart.<br> <br>Mal blinks as the Bear just...leaves. &quot;...&#39;Kay, that&#39;s cool,&quot; he says after a moment, turning back to the yawning crack in the Mountain. &quot;There&#39;s (Quick) Silver in them thar hills,&quot; the Coyote says, with an accent likely to be found on a backwater hick. The Rogue steps into the fissure, turning back to look at his partner-in-crime. &quot;This way&#39;s as good as any, I suppose,&quot; he quips with a grin.
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&quot;This is the place,&quot; he announces, &quot;This is where our information says the elementals were seen. They like hot places, I guess. You just let me know when you&#39;ve done your thing and I&#39;ll come gather the stuff!&quot; The burly bear gives a wave and turns to walk back to the cart.<br> <br>Mal blinks as the Bear just...leaves. &quot;...&#39;Kay, that&#39;s cool,&quot; he says after a moment, turning back to the yawning crack in the Mountain. &quot;There&#39;s (Quick) Silver in them thar hills,&quot; the Coyote says, with an accent likely to be found on a backwater hick. The Rogue steps into the fissure, turning back to look at his partner-in-crime. &quot;This way&#39;s as good as any, I suppose,&quot; he quips with a grin.<br> <br>The mention of golems does get a curious look from Lidara, but... he&#39;s not an engineer by any means, so he simply gives the bear a nod in response to his explanation.  In any case, the the feline offers Gavin a wave as he leaves before simply turning his attention to the cavern before them.  He does give a quick examination of what they can see from the outside of it -- partially hoping that they&#39;ll get lucky and the living silver will be waiting there for them -- but the accent the &#39;yote puts on manages to make the cat giggle even now.  He quickly move to stand behind Mal once more as he steps forward, the feline&#39;s ears attentively perked and his eyes carefully watching their surroundings.  &quot;I doubt that we&#39;d easily find another path, anyways.&quot;<br> <br>The path is clear, if rather dim. The light from outside penetrates a long way to the cavern, though how long that will last is anyone&#39;s guess. Gavin said that this path had only opened up recently, but the floor is smooth and sandy, and the air is warm and muggy. If there are elementals here, they must be farther in.<br> <br>The Coyote continues along the linear path, grunting at the heat of the air. &quot;Ugh.&quot; Mal nudges the floor with his foot, before looking further down the cave. &quot;...Did you bring a light?&quot; the Rogue asks, not looking at Lidara. &quot;Because I think we forgot torches.&quot;<br> <br>As they get further and further into the fissure and the light likewise starts to get dimmer and dimmer, Lidara does start to stick a bit closer to Mal.  The muggy heat gets him to adjust his backpack and robe uncomfortably, and the cat even brings a hand up to wipe a bit of sweat away from his forehead already.  Once the &#39;yote brings up the subject of torches, however, the cat pauses for a moment... before letting out a quiet groan.  &quot;I don&#39;t think I did, honestly....&quot;  He swings his backpack a bit closer to his front, reaching over to dig around in a few of its pockets for a moment before he simply shakes his head.  &quot;Nope....  I suppose I shouldn&#39;t have packed lighter after all.&quot;  Though in his defense, a heavy pack wouldn&#39;t be nice in a fight.  He does reach forward to gently grab the back of the coyote&#39;s shirt now, ensuring that they don&#39;t get separated even if things do get a bit dark.<br> <br>As the pair move along the fissure, it does get darker and darker, but not for long. After a short walk, remarkably free of debris or other obstacles, the pair of freeswords find that the cavern is growing lighter. And hotter. While the light from outside was clear and bright, this dimmer light is a lurid red. Amar DID say it was a volcano, didn&#39;t he? Up ahead, the tunnel takes a sharp turn to the right.<br> <br>Mal clears his throat as the heat picks up, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. The Sellsword, for a moment, contemplates taking his shirt off, before finally deciding that the worrisome lack of defense outweighs his discomfort. As they come to the turn, Mal holds his hand out to Lidara, stopping the Feline. &quot;Hold up,&quot; he murmurs, peeking around the corner. You never know where the Elementals might be...<br> <br>That very same thought goes through Lidara&#39;s head for a moment, but... he ultimately ends up even less in favor of it.  His armor is part of his robe, after all, so he just needs to deal with having the fabric on.  One hand adjusts his robe a bit and wipes away some more sweat while the other continues to hold onto Mal even despite the light returning, the cat simply ensuring that they stayed close together for the moment.  The kitty quickly stops when the canine gestures for him to -- if only because he&#39;d bump into him otherwise -- and while he checks around the corner, the feline&#39;s own attention turns to survey the cavern behind them.  His hand slipping down to grab the hilt of one of his daggers, ready to draw it at the slightest sign of movement....<br> <br>Peering around the corner reveals a large chamber half filled with actual magma! The black rock of the rest of the chamber seems stable enough, though. Beyond this chamber, the tunnel continues deeper, but unless a being has a way to go boating in molten rock, it is impassible.
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On the far side of the rocky area, there seems to be a small pool of some kind. It shimmers in the heat, haze rising above it.<br> <br>The Coyote squints, hesitantly stepping into the chamber, cautious of the Magma, his eyes on that mysterious, shimmering pool. &quot;...I think I&#39;ve found what we&#39;re looking for,&quot; the Merc saying, throwing his words back to Lidara as he watches the hazy puddle.<br> <br>Lidara doesn&#39;t actually peak into the chamber until after Mal starts stepping forward, but what he does see... manages to make he cat&#39;s eyes go wide.  He pauses and eyes that magma for a moment before finally mumbling out, &quot;It&#39;s a good thing Amar is paying well for this job, because otherwise I would&#39;ve turned around the moment I saw that lava.&quot;  In any case, there&#39;s not much sense in complaining about that further, so the cat&#39;s attention likewise drifts over to that shimmering puddle.  &quot;If that living silver really is here, that does seem like the only thing in this room that could be it...,&quot; he glances around the chamber and adds, &quot;How should we do this, then?  We probably want to stay as far away from that lava as possible, at the very least....&quot;<br> <br>&quot;Uhhhh...&quot; Mal says, quite helpfully. &quot;I hadn&#39;t thought that far ahead.&quot; The Coyote flashes Lidara one of his patented grins before making his way towards the puddle, albeit with a bit more caution than he&#39;d normally show, the Scoundrel on alert. Might as well confirm that it is, in fact, the object of their search...<br> <br>Even now, Lidara can&#39;t help but grin himself once he sees the &#39;yote&#39;s smile.  Not having a plan wasn&#39;t the best thing, sure, but... after a moment the feline does add, &quot;...For what it&#39;s worth, I didn&#39;t really think this far ahead either.  I&#39;ve been too busy worrying about how effective our weapons will actually be on enemies like this....&quot;  Plus he wasn&#39;t much of a plan either, really.  Regardless, as Mal starts to slowly move forward, the feline continues to follow behind him, his own footsteps light and just as tentative....  He has also released his grip on the canine&#39;s shirt by this point, both of his hands now instead going to rest on the hilts of his daggers.<br> <br>As the two adventurers move forward into the cavern, the distant pool ripples strangely. After a moment, a tendril of molten silver slowly raises itself from the pool, blinking glowing blue eyes lazily. It looks like a snake. Or, like an amateur attempt at molding a snake, anyway. The silvery serpent lowers itself to the floor and starts to slowly ooze forward, even as a second head rises from the puddle.<br> <br>Mal immediately puts and arm in front of Lidara, crouching slightly as he backs up a bit. &quot;Eeeeeeasy, there,&quot; the Coyote murmurs, eyeing the Quick Silver...snakes, his other hand stretching out to the Elementals, in a soothing manner. &quot;Easy...&quot;
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Has the &#39;Yote finally lost it? Survey says...<br> <br>Lidara drops into a stance much like Mal&#39;s own, slightly crouches with his legs tensed, the cat ready to start moving at a moment&#39;s notice....  Unlike Mal, however, the feline already has his weapons drawn, apparently much less intent on trying to reason with these creatures -- especially since he wasn&#39;t even sure they&#39;re intelligent enough to be reasoned with.  Still, the coyote putting his arm in front of the cat is enough to get him to hesitate and hold still for the moment, even if he gives the canine a rather confused look.  &quot;Be careful, Mal,&quot; he whispers, a hint of worry in his voice, &quot;We don&#39;t know how these things are going to react to us....&quot;<br> <br>The things don&#39;t seem overtly hostile, and they are moving in a slow, languid way, oozing along the floor toward Mal and Lidara. The red light of the volcano reflects hypnotically off their silvery hides, and soon they are stretched in a long, half circle, moving together, both still watching the freeswords. It appears that the pool was made up entirely of these two creatures.
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But they are not animals. They move like syrup, rather than snakes, and their featureless, blue eyes do not blink. They begin to circle around toward Mal&#39;s back. . .<br> <br>...Survey says yes. The Coyote turns to follow the Elementals, watching them cautiously. &quot;...So, that didn&#39;t really work,&quot; Mal comments, attempting to slowly back towards the exit. &quot;I don&#39;t really know what else I expected, honestly.&quot; The Coyote&#39;s brow furrows as he wracks his brain, trying to think of a simple solution to this ridiculous mess he&#39;s quickly finding himself in...<br> <br>&quot;Indeed it didn&#39;t...,&quot; Lidara gives, and as Mal starts to back away, he does much the same, &quot;Letting them circle us is probably a bad idea, even if we do just end up running.  So... keep moving.&quot;  The cat himself likewise keeps his eyes on the serpents even while they&#39;re backing towards the exit, and although he does take quite a bit of time wracking his own brain... the feline eventually takes a deep breath and settles on trying something, at least.  &quot;Stay close to the exit, alright?  I&#39;m going to try something a little... strange, and we need to be ready to leave if it doesn&#39;t work.&quot;  And with that... he tucks his weapons away and roots around his back for a brief moment.  From inside, he procures a flute and... something hidden in a closed fist.  He adjusts the collar of his robe a bit, before bringing the flute to his lips and beginning to play.<br> <br>The two silver serpents rise up into striking position. . . and stop. The two elementals sway, seemingly confused by the flute playing. They slowly lower themselves to passive positions once more, oozing slowly into separate pools, stopped short for the moment.<br> <br>Mal pauses, listening to the Feline&#39;s music as well, closing his eyes for a moment as he gets caught up in the tune as well.
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The Coyote reluctantly turns his focus back to their reason for being here, pulling a small gun from...somewhere (seriously, where does he put these things), and aiming at one of the Elemental Serpents, glancing at Lidara, ready to pull the trigger as soon as they give a signal. After all, this is the Feline&#39;s plan now.<br> <br>It&#39;s unfortunate that the plan is Lidara&#39;s now, because he didn&#39;t really have one!  The cat starts to run through quite a few different possibilities and potential actions while he has the opportunity, taking slow steps backwards all the while... right up until the point that he sees Mal with his pistol out, anyways.  The feline glances between the &#39;yote and the serpents for a moment, that song of his echoing through the cavern all the while....  But, it wasn&#39;t long before he played one last note... and then he springs into action.  He nods to Mal and quickly reaches up to adjust the collar of his robe once more, tucking that flute away as he does so; once that&#39;s done, he draws his blades again and... for the moment simply darts backwards.  Hopefully out of reach of the serpents.<br> <br>The impromptu concert ends with a BANG! And a well timed, well placed bang at that. Mal&#39;s shot lands squarely between the shimmering blue eyes of one of the elementals, which flicker and go out. The serpent slowly sinks into a spreading puddle on the stone floor.
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The other elemental suddenly springs into action, moving in a silvery blur to cut off the freeswords? escape! If it gave the impression of being lethargic before, now it moves like liquid lighting, streaming along the floor and rising up to strike!
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Fortunately, both Mal and Lidara mange to lead agilely away. Unfortunately, the remaining serpent is between them and the exit!<br> <br>The Coyote cackles as his shot fires true, and he&#39;s still laughing as he rolls out of the way of the other Quick Silver Serpent. &quot;Well...at least we know why they call &#39;em QUICK Silver...&quot; Mal calls to Lidara, grinning wide. &quot;Excellent performance, by the by; you&#39;ll have to give me an encore later!&quot; The Rogue pulls the trigger of his gun again, making a face when all he hears is a *click*. &quot;Oh. Right,&quot; he mutters, throwing the gun at the Elemental before darting forward and, continuing the theme of bad decisions made by Coyotes, moving in to PUNCH A SNAKE IN THE FACE.<br> <br>As terrible as that joke was, it still manages to earn a giggle from the cat as he likewise dodges the serpent, and he even offers a glance and a smile to Mal once they&#39;re both back on their feet.  &quot;If you keep cracking jokes like that, I might start to suspect you were a jester at some point.&quot;  Whether that&#39;s a good or a bad thing is... open to personal interpretation, really.  &quot;Oh, and that was a pretty good shot on your part, too!&quot;  With his own praise given, however, the cat drops into a fighting stance once more.  His feet and hips alike are kept constantly moving despite the fact that he&#39;s not walking, and although he does wait for the &#39;yote to act first... he doesn&#39;t hesitate to dash forward when Mal does the same.  As the canine goes to hit the serpent in the face, Lidara darts forward and twists so that he can slip between them, a blade held out to behead the elemental while Mal&#39;s punch -- hopefully -- connects.<br> <br>Both the coyote and the cat connect, though the elemental moves with lightning speed. It seems that by trying to dodge Lidara&#39;s slash, it turned directly into Mal&#39;s punch. The coyote&#39;s fist impacts with a splat into the thing&#39;s poorly formed snout. The splat is followed by the sound of sizzling meat as he finds out that the elemental was not, in fact, at room temperature.
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That punch, ill advised though it may have been, is exactly what Lidara needed to land his own blow, swiping his blade through the snake&#39;s neck and severing it from the rest of its liquid body.
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The serpent loses its cohesion as its eyes flicker out and it begins to spread out on the floor. Hopefully, Gavin has some burn ointment.<br> <br>The Coyote yelps, hurriedly tugging his glove and waving his hand through the air, attempting to cool off the afflicted digits and muttering a string of Thera&#39;Dorian curses. Nevertheless, Mal grins triumphantly, despite the pain. &quot;Ahah; another *ow* Job well done!&quot; he says, grinning at Lidara before gingerly picking up his gun with his uninjured hand, checking it for damages before tucking it away. &quot;Let&#39;s get Gavin in here to do...whatever it was he was going to do.&quot;<br> <br>Lidara lets out a triumphant laugh as he tucks his weapons away, but the moment that he hears Mal yelp and swear, the cat&#39;s ears perk and he hurries over to the &#39;yote&#39;s side.  &quot;Are you alright?&quot; he asks, his tone gentle, and the feline even reaches out to tentatively take and examine the canine&#39;s injured hand.  Considering the lighting and temperature of the room they&#39;re currently in, however, he doesn&#39;t try looking for long before reluctantly releasing the hand.  &quot;I&#39;ll... take a look at that once we&#39;re out of here.  I&#39;m sure it&#39;ll be fine, though....&quot;  He gives a glance to the &#39;yote&#39;s injured hand then around the chamber as he adds, &quot;That sounds like a good idea....  I think that if we stick around any longer then I might melt too, anyways.&quot;  He wipes away a bit of sweat for emphasis, but afterwards he simply takes Mal&#39;s uninjured hand and begins leading the way back out.<br> <br>The walk outside does not take long, and is uneventful. It is actually rather amazing how little time has passed since the pair entered the cavern. Gavin is unloading a dolly from the cart with a sizeable tank on it, and he seems surprised to see the pair back.
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&quot;Weren?t the elementals there?&quot; he asks.<br> <br>&quot;Yeah, a big ol&#39; puddle of &#39;em,&quot; Mal says, gesturing back to the Fissure with his good hand. &quot;But we didn&#39;t have any bottles. I know, I know; I really let you guys down this time, but I left my vodka at home.&quot;<br> <br>Lidara is ready to respond to that question, but Mal manages to beat him to the punch!  The coyote&#39;s retort manages to make the feline giggle, and he reaches back to snatch a rag from his bag while he speaks, &quot;Just like Amar said, there were two of them in there.  I&#39;ll admit that it was... worrying at first, but all things considered, it went rather well.&quot;  The cat reaches up to dab that wrong along his forehead, wipping up a bit of sweat... as he suddenly remembers something!  &quot;Oh, your hand....&quot;  He turns to Mal and gently takes his injured hand once more, giving it a proper examination now that they&#39;re outside.<br> <br>&quot;Wow!&quot; Gavin says, breaking into a grin, &quot;Great job! Usually this stuff ends in cave ins or wildfires! Color me impressed!&quot; The bear starts wheeling the tank toward the cavern. &quot;Back in two shakes!&quot; He says, &quot;Just let me collect the stuff and we&#39;ll get you back to Firmament. Master Amar has someone real good with ointments and stuff. We&#39;ll call it part of your fee!&quot;<br> <br>Mal leans over to Lidara as the Bear heads into the Crack in the Mountain. &quot;They usually do, though,&quot; the Coyote says with a grin. &quot;We make a good team; we didn&#39;t either one of those things.&quot; This Coyote has gone [1] Job without everything going wrong.<br> <br>Lidara blinks in surprise at the mention of cave ins /and/ wildfires -- in fact, the cat even glances to the cover over his shoulder just to make sure nothing suddenly goes wrong.  &quot;I guess we managed to dodge a bullet, then,&quot; he gives with a grin, and that smile of his only further brightens up once he hears those ointments mention!  With his worries dealt with, the cat finally releases Mal&#39;s injured hand, the &#39;yote&#39;s comment earning another one of those giggles from him.  &quot;We did fight pretty well together, didn&#39;t we?  I&#39;m not sure what I would&#39;ve done if you hadn&#39;t been there to fire while I was playing that song....&quot;<br> <br>Gavin is not gone long and soon returns with two tanks sloshing with their prize. True to his word, he gets Mal and Lidara home and treats the two to a great night, courtesy of Amar![[Category:RPLogs]]

Latest revision as of 15:04, 27 April 2018

Participants

Date

27/4/481

Log



Among the dilapidated mansions of Longtail Square, one stands out. Amar Widestripe has done good work on his shop and home. Rather, he has paid others to do good work.

The ornately twisted wrought iron gates stand open to a finely paved walkway leading to a wide porch. The store, Amar's Wonder Emporium, is closed today. A pair of servants in clean, white robes stand to either side of the door to welcome guests.

A Coyote wanders up the street, looking around before spotting Amar's residence, cutting a path across the road to the house. He looks at the shop and blinks. "Huh, never knew this was here," Mal mumbles, before looking between the two robed servants and tipping a non-existent hat. "Thank ya," he says, stepping inside...hope his boots are clean.

Luckily, that coyote wouldn't have to wait long for the other adventurer that's going to be joining him! A lone cat wanders through the streets of the semi-rundown looking area, his head on a swivel while he tries to find the building he's searching for.... Between the servants out front and the familiar face that's already heading towards the building itself, it isn't particularly difficult for him to pinpoint it, and once he does he calls out a quick, "Mal, wait up!" and jogs on over. Once he's there, he simply falls in step alongside the 'yote. "I'm glad you could make it too," he gives with a grin. In addition to his normal robes and backpack, the cat now openly has a shortbow and quiver on his back, as well as two daggers at his sides. At least he's come prepared.

One of the servants, a tall, thin feline woman, bows to the pair of Freeswords as they arrive. "Welcome," she says, "Master Widestripe awaits you inside. If you would please remove your shoes?" She points out the other servant, a willowy male feline that could pass for her twin, who is holding soft slippers for wearing indoors.

"What, and miss a chance to get paid? I've got habits to feed," Mal says with a grin. "Do you know how much crafting tools cost? Too much!" The Rogue shakes his head, taking note of Lidara's weapons.

The Coyote grumbles as he's asked to remove his boots, but...reluctantly takes them off, taking a knife out of each boot as he does and setting them aside. "If you insist..." Mal pulls on the slippers, wiggling his foot as he looks at his new footwear. After a moment he looks up to the Servants. "Lead the way!" he says, grinning.

"That's a fair enough point! I might not craft much myself, but I do know very well that paying for such things can get.... rather expensive," Lidara says, glancing down to his daggers and adjusting his bow. There were his instruments too, but he doesn't have those on him at the moment. In any case, the servant quickly gets the feline's attention when she speaks up, and although the request earns a curious look from him, he certainly doesn't put up any argument. He slips his own boots off and eases into the offered slippers; unlike his companion, he doesn't need to take anything out of his shoes beforehand, either. He likewise simply waits for the servants to lead the way afterwards.

The two servants wait for the two freeswords to change their shoes, stowing them in a little shelf by the door. Once that is done, they open the double doors wide and lead the way into what looks like a large, indoor garden.

The floor is made up of some kind of dark wood, with a wide, open area in the middle where bamboo and other, leafy plants grow. The sound of trickling water and the occasional clonk of a deerscare come from an unseen water feature.

Off to one side of the open, garden area, well within the shade, Amar widestrip lounges on a low, wide couch in a sea of cushions. The purple tiger is utterly massive, he strokes his wide, soft belly idly with one huge paw while the other is attended by another white-robed servant. He dismisses the servant with a wave when he sees the freeswords, stroking the short, pointed beard that hangs over his prominent double chin.

"Only two of you?" he asks, "Ah, well, ah well, fewer ways to split the reward, yes?" The fat feline waves a beringed hand and a large grizzly bear in fine, leather armor steps forward with a small box. "This is what you are looking for today," Amar says as his bear opens the box to reveal a vial filled with a silvery substance set on a velvet cushion.

Mal leans in, staring quizzically at the Vial. "Shiny," the Coyote states, before following up with a question, "What is it; some kind of liquid silver? Caaaan I hold it?" The Rogue stands up straight and grins at Amar. "Amar, I've worked with you before; you know I can get the job done on my own, if I need to." Luckily, he doesn't have to prove that statement; he's got a Cat to lend a helping hand!

Unlike Mal, Lidara's attention is more on the pretty garden they're currently in rather than the vial, but he does remember to commit the look of the substance to memory. Especially once he sees exactly how shiny of a liquid it is. There is another important question that comes to mind in addition to exactly what the substance is, though.... "Where are we going to be searching for it, exactly? I imagine it is going to be quite as simple as walking somewhere, grabbing it and then leaving." After all, one likely wouldn't hire mercenaries for such a thing.

Mal's braggadocious attitude does earn him a glance from the feline, a smile forming on his muzzle as he adds, "From what you've told me, it sounds like you would've been in trouble during a few of those jobs if you didn't have people with you, though." His tone is more teasing than anything else, at least.

"I'm sure you can" Amar says, "And no, you may not hold it." The purple tiger reaches out and lifts the vial out and holds it between two sausage fingers. "Very good, very good. It is silver, of a sort. It is commonly called quick silver, or living silver, not to be confused with mercury, rare though it might be. This material is very rare and very useful. It is incredibly responsive to mathemagic, and while it is naturally in a liquid state-" he pauses and closes his hand around the vial.

"Its uses are beside the point," Amar says, shaking his head, "The point is, I have discovered a rather remaekable deposit of living silver in a small firemount near Firebough. I simply need you to subdue it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, miss," the Coyote says with a huff, returning the grin before looking back to Amar and blinking at the fat cat's explanation.

"...Subdue it?" Mal asks after a moment, commenting on Amar's...interesting choice of words. "Amar, Quicksilver isn't normally a thing you...subdue..." The Rogue leans towards Lidara, whispering, "I mean, am I wrong? I'm not wrong, right?"

Lidara shakes his head in response to that huff, but he can wait until after the job to tease Mal further! Instead, his attention turns to Amar, the cat's ears perking up to listen to his explanation of its properties... and especially the explanation about where they're actually going. Just like his companion, however, there is one part of what the purple tiger says that he gets hung up on. "I'm... just as curious about that. You did say it's also called living silver, but it isn't actually... you know, alive, is it? Although, I guess if we have things like elementals then that certainly isn't impossible...." He trails off to think for a moment, offering a shake of his head in response to the 'yote's whispers.

"Not quicksilver," Amar sighs, "Quick Silver. Like I said, Living Silver is very reactive to mathemagical energy, meaning that in large enough quantities and in proximity to beings, it will form itself into elementals. I need you two to 'kill' a pair of these elementals in order to collect the material." The fat feline raises an immaculate eyebrow at the pair. "You think you are up to the task?" he asks.

Mal blinks. "Right. Sounds...reasonable enough," he says, shrugging. The Coyote nods to Gavin and Amar before stepping back, waiting for Lidara. "...I need to invest in more Mathemagic..." the Coyote mutters under his breath, shaking his head.

Lidara isn't... quite as quick to accept the challenge, really. He thinks for a moment, glancing between that vial of living silver, himself and then Mal before finally nodding. "We can certainly give it a try, at the very least," he gives with a nod and a smile before turning around and falling in line next to Mal once more. "I'll readily admit, I don't know much about mathemagic either. I'm sure that we'll be able to manage without it, but... I've never fought elementals of any kind before. I'm not really sure how easy it will be," a short pause, "Not that I mind the challenge, but I'd prefer that nothing bad happened to either of us." He offers the coyote another smile, but beyond that he simply waits for them to be lead elsewhere.

"Of course, of course," Amar says, waving a hand, "I have no doubt that the two of you will manage just fine." He replaces the vial in the box that his manservant is holding. "Gavin here will accompany you," he says, "He will be able to collect the materials once you have done your part, and your reward will be ready when you return." And with that, it seems the Freeswords are dismissed.

Gavin, the bear, leads the duo outside to a waiting cart. It is a bit of a journey, but at least they get to ride in relative comfort.

As the Coyote climbs into the Cart, he turns to help Lidara in. "How've you been, Gavin?" Mal asks cheerily as he gets comfortable in his seat. "Done any good...guarding?" he adds, trailing off as he realizes he knows...not a whole lot, about the Bear. "What DO you do for fun, actually..."

Lidara happily accepts the offered help, slipping his backpack off once he's inside so that he can properly settle in. The cat isn't... quite so casual about things throughout the cart ride, however. Hearing the coyote so cheerful does manage to keep a smile on the feline's muzzle, but rather than talk, his own attention is devoted to giving his equipment a last minute check. The cat examining the blades on both of his daggers as well as a few of the arrows, making sure they're clean, examining them and... generally wondering if they'll actually even be able to hurt what they're going to be fighting.

"I'm not really a guard," Gavin says, keeping his eyes on the road. He sounds surprisingly young. "I'm more like Master Amar?s assistant," he explains, "Yeah, I do the bodyguard stuff while he is out in town, but mostly he teaches me stuff. I guess I'm like an apprentice? I'm kinda with Master Widestripe all the time except when I'm out on errands like this one."

The journey passes quietly, and the sun is high and hot in the sky when Gavin pulls off the main road on the way to Firebough. A bit later, he pulls the big, shaggy draft animals to a halt and hops down to tether the animals.

"This is as far as the cart goes," he says, "Can't let anything happen to the stuff in it." He nods to the foothills of a nearby mountain. "That?ll be the place, right there," he points.

Mal blinks in surprise; whatever he was expected from Gavin, it wasn't that. "Oh. Huh," he says. "Well, good luck with that."

As they reach the end of their journey, the Coyote checks himself for all his weapons, before hopping out, once again offering his assistance to the Cat. The Coyote turns to look in the direction that Gavin gestures to, nodding. "Then, let's get to it," the Rogue says, following after Gavin. "What's Amar want with this, ah, Quick Silver, anyway? Doesn't seem like an oddity to me; normally he's got us Freeswords off chasing treasure. Or Hill Wyrm eggs."

Lidara once more accepts the offered assistance, quickly hopping out of the cart, surveying the area... and then the cat is almost immediately left wishing that he had brought something lighter to wear. It's too late for that now, in any case, so the feline simply adjusts his backpack and weapons alike, then follows behind Gavin and Mal. Now that they're actually out in the field he doesn't quite move at the pair's sides though, instead stepping slightly behind them so that he can cover their rear. "I imagine that he'd either want to use it for some kind of mathemagic or sell it to people who want to do that. He did say that it's pretty reactive to that sort of thing, after all." Plus it being rare would skyrocket its price.

Gavin nods at Lidara?s explanation. "Usually, you would be right," he says, "Master Amar collects both rare objects and rare commodities. But this time he's after somethin' High Lady Longtail is needing for some big golem thing. I don't really understand the specifics, but they?re trying to make some new kind of golem and they think this stuff?ll help."

The bear leads the way to a tall crevasse in the side of the mountain. It looks like there was some kind of rockslide recently.

"This is the place," he announces, "This is where our information says the elementals were seen. They like hot places, I guess. You just let me know when you've done your thing and I'll come gather the stuff!" The burly bear gives a wave and turns to walk back to the cart.

Mal blinks as the Bear just...leaves. "...'Kay, that's cool," he says after a moment, turning back to the yawning crack in the Mountain. "There's (Quick) Silver in them thar hills," the Coyote says, with an accent likely to be found on a backwater hick. The Rogue steps into the fissure, turning back to look at his partner-in-crime. "This way's as good as any, I suppose," he quips with a grin.

The mention of golems does get a curious look from Lidara, but... he's not an engineer by any means, so he simply gives the bear a nod in response to his explanation. In any case, the the feline offers Gavin a wave as he leaves before simply turning his attention to the cavern before them. He does give a quick examination of what they can see from the outside of it -- partially hoping that they'll get lucky and the living silver will be waiting there for them -- but the accent the 'yote puts on manages to make the cat giggle even now. He quickly move to stand behind Mal once more as he steps forward, the feline's ears attentively perked and his eyes carefully watching their surroundings. "I doubt that we'd easily find another path, anyways."

The path is clear, if rather dim. The light from outside penetrates a long way to the cavern, though how long that will last is anyone's guess. Gavin said that this path had only opened up recently, but the floor is smooth and sandy, and the air is warm and muggy. If there are elementals here, they must be farther in.

The Coyote continues along the linear path, grunting at the heat of the air. "Ugh." Mal nudges the floor with his foot, before looking further down the cave. "...Did you bring a light?" the Rogue asks, not looking at Lidara. "Because I think we forgot torches."

As they get further and further into the fissure and the light likewise starts to get dimmer and dimmer, Lidara does start to stick a bit closer to Mal. The muggy heat gets him to adjust his backpack and robe uncomfortably, and the cat even brings a hand up to wipe a bit of sweat away from his forehead already. Once the 'yote brings up the subject of torches, however, the cat pauses for a moment... before letting out a quiet groan. "I don't think I did, honestly...." He swings his backpack a bit closer to his front, reaching over to dig around in a few of its pockets for a moment before he simply shakes his head. "Nope.... I suppose I shouldn't have packed lighter after all." Though in his defense, a heavy pack wouldn't be nice in a fight. He does reach forward to gently grab the back of the coyote's shirt now, ensuring that they don't get separated even if things do get a bit dark.

As the pair move along the fissure, it does get darker and darker, but not for long. After a short walk, remarkably free of debris or other obstacles, the pair of freeswords find that the cavern is growing lighter. And hotter. While the light from outside was clear and bright, this dimmer light is a lurid red. Amar DID say it was a volcano, didn't he? Up ahead, the tunnel takes a sharp turn to the right.

Mal clears his throat as the heat picks up, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. The Sellsword, for a moment, contemplates taking his shirt off, before finally deciding that the worrisome lack of defense outweighs his discomfort. As they come to the turn, Mal holds his hand out to Lidara, stopping the Feline. "Hold up," he murmurs, peeking around the corner. You never know where the Elementals might be...

That very same thought goes through Lidara's head for a moment, but... he ultimately ends up even less in favor of it. His armor is part of his robe, after all, so he just needs to deal with having the fabric on. One hand adjusts his robe a bit and wipes away some more sweat while the other continues to hold onto Mal even despite the light returning, the cat simply ensuring that they stayed close together for the moment. The kitty quickly stops when the canine gestures for him to -- if only because he'd bump into him otherwise -- and while he checks around the corner, the feline's own attention turns to survey the cavern behind them. His hand slipping down to grab the hilt of one of his daggers, ready to draw it at the slightest sign of movement....

Peering around the corner reveals a large chamber half filled with actual magma! The black rock of the rest of the chamber seems stable enough, though. Beyond this chamber, the tunnel continues deeper, but unless a being has a way to go boating in molten rock, it is impassible.

On the far side of the rocky area, there seems to be a small pool of some kind. It shimmers in the heat, haze rising above it.

The Coyote squints, hesitantly stepping into the chamber, cautious of the Magma, his eyes on that mysterious, shimmering pool. "...I think I've found what we're looking for," the Merc saying, throwing his words back to Lidara as he watches the hazy puddle.

Lidara doesn't actually peak into the chamber until after Mal starts stepping forward, but what he does see... manages to make he cat's eyes go wide. He pauses and eyes that magma for a moment before finally mumbling out, "It's a good thing Amar is paying well for this job, because otherwise I would've turned around the moment I saw that lava." In any case, there's not much sense in complaining about that further, so the cat's attention likewise drifts over to that shimmering puddle. "If that living silver really is here, that does seem like the only thing in this room that could be it...," he glances around the chamber and adds, "How should we do this, then? We probably want to stay as far away from that lava as possible, at the very least...."

"Uhhhh..." Mal says, quite helpfully. "I hadn't thought that far ahead." The Coyote flashes Lidara one of his patented grins before making his way towards the puddle, albeit with a bit more caution than he'd normally show, the Scoundrel on alert. Might as well confirm that it is, in fact, the object of their search...

Even now, Lidara can't help but grin himself once he sees the 'yote's smile. Not having a plan wasn't the best thing, sure, but... after a moment the feline does add, "...For what it's worth, I didn't really think this far ahead either. I've been too busy worrying about how effective our weapons will actually be on enemies like this...." Plus he wasn't much of a plan either, really. Regardless, as Mal starts to slowly move forward, the feline continues to follow behind him, his own footsteps light and just as tentative.... He has also released his grip on the canine's shirt by this point, both of his hands now instead going to rest on the hilts of his daggers.

As the two adventurers move forward into the cavern, the distant pool ripples strangely. After a moment, a tendril of molten silver slowly raises itself from the pool, blinking glowing blue eyes lazily. It looks like a snake. Or, like an amateur attempt at molding a snake, anyway. The silvery serpent lowers itself to the floor and starts to slowly ooze forward, even as a second head rises from the puddle.

Mal immediately puts and arm in front of Lidara, crouching slightly as he backs up a bit. "Eeeeeeasy, there," the Coyote murmurs, eyeing the Quick Silver...snakes, his other hand stretching out to the Elementals, in a soothing manner. "Easy..."

Has the 'Yote finally lost it? Survey says...

Lidara drops into a stance much like Mal's own, slightly crouches with his legs tensed, the cat ready to start moving at a moment's notice.... Unlike Mal, however, the feline already has his weapons drawn, apparently much less intent on trying to reason with these creatures -- especially since he wasn't even sure they're intelligent enough to be reasoned with. Still, the coyote putting his arm in front of the cat is enough to get him to hesitate and hold still for the moment, even if he gives the canine a rather confused look. "Be careful, Mal," he whispers, a hint of worry in his voice, "We don't know how these things are going to react to us...."

The things don't seem overtly hostile, and they are moving in a slow, languid way, oozing along the floor toward Mal and Lidara. The red light of the volcano reflects hypnotically off their silvery hides, and soon they are stretched in a long, half circle, moving together, both still watching the freeswords. It appears that the pool was made up entirely of these two creatures.

But they are not animals. They move like syrup, rather than snakes, and their featureless, blue eyes do not blink. They begin to circle around toward Mal's back. . .

...Survey says yes. The Coyote turns to follow the Elementals, watching them cautiously. "...So, that didn't really work," Mal comments, attempting to slowly back towards the exit. "I don't really know what else I expected, honestly." The Coyote's brow furrows as he wracks his brain, trying to think of a simple solution to this ridiculous mess he's quickly finding himself in...

"Indeed it didn't...," Lidara gives, and as Mal starts to back away, he does much the same, "Letting them circle us is probably a bad idea, even if we do just end up running. So... keep moving." The cat himself likewise keeps his eyes on the serpents even while they're backing towards the exit, and although he does take quite a bit of time wracking his own brain... the feline eventually takes a deep breath and settles on trying something, at least. "Stay close to the exit, alright? I'm going to try something a little... strange, and we need to be ready to leave if it doesn't work." And with that... he tucks his weapons away and roots around his back for a brief moment. From inside, he procures a flute and... something hidden in a closed fist. He adjusts the collar of his robe a bit, before bringing the flute to his lips and beginning to play.

The two silver serpents rise up into striking position. . . and stop. The two elementals sway, seemingly confused by the flute playing. They slowly lower themselves to passive positions once more, oozing slowly into separate pools, stopped short for the moment.

Mal pauses, listening to the Feline's music as well, closing his eyes for a moment as he gets caught up in the tune as well.

The Coyote reluctantly turns his focus back to their reason for being here, pulling a small gun from...somewhere (seriously, where does he put these things), and aiming at one of the Elemental Serpents, glancing at Lidara, ready to pull the trigger as soon as they give a signal. After all, this is the Feline's plan now.

It's unfortunate that the plan is Lidara's now, because he didn't really have one! The cat starts to run through quite a few different possibilities and potential actions while he has the opportunity, taking slow steps backwards all the while... right up until the point that he sees Mal with his pistol out, anyways. The feline glances between the 'yote and the serpents for a moment, that song of his echoing through the cavern all the while.... But, it wasn't long before he played one last note... and then he springs into action. He nods to Mal and quickly reaches up to adjust the collar of his robe once more, tucking that flute away as he does so; once that's done, he draws his blades again and... for the moment simply darts backwards. Hopefully out of reach of the serpents.

The impromptu concert ends with a BANG! And a well timed, well placed bang at that. Mal's shot lands squarely between the shimmering blue eyes of one of the elementals, which flicker and go out. The serpent slowly sinks into a spreading puddle on the stone floor.

The other elemental suddenly springs into action, moving in a silvery blur to cut off the freeswords? escape! If it gave the impression of being lethargic before, now it moves like liquid lighting, streaming along the floor and rising up to strike!

Fortunately, both Mal and Lidara mange to lead agilely away. Unfortunately, the remaining serpent is between them and the exit!

The Coyote cackles as his shot fires true, and he's still laughing as he rolls out of the way of the other Quick Silver Serpent. "Well...at least we know why they call 'em QUICK Silver..." Mal calls to Lidara, grinning wide. "Excellent performance, by the by; you'll have to give me an encore later!" The Rogue pulls the trigger of his gun again, making a face when all he hears is a *click*. "Oh. Right," he mutters, throwing the gun at the Elemental before darting forward and, continuing the theme of bad decisions made by Coyotes, moving in to PUNCH A SNAKE IN THE FACE.

As terrible as that joke was, it still manages to earn a giggle from the cat as he likewise dodges the serpent, and he even offers a glance and a smile to Mal once they're both back on their feet. "If you keep cracking jokes like that, I might start to suspect you were a jester at some point." Whether that's a good or a bad thing is... open to personal interpretation, really. "Oh, and that was a pretty good shot on your part, too!" With his own praise given, however, the cat drops into a fighting stance once more. His feet and hips alike are kept constantly moving despite the fact that he's not walking, and although he does wait for the 'yote to act first... he doesn't hesitate to dash forward when Mal does the same. As the canine goes to hit the serpent in the face, Lidara darts forward and twists so that he can slip between them, a blade held out to behead the elemental while Mal's punch -- hopefully -- connects.

Both the coyote and the cat connect, though the elemental moves with lightning speed. It seems that by trying to dodge Lidara's slash, it turned directly into Mal's punch. The coyote's fist impacts with a splat into the thing's poorly formed snout. The splat is followed by the sound of sizzling meat as he finds out that the elemental was not, in fact, at room temperature.

That punch, ill advised though it may have been, is exactly what Lidara needed to land his own blow, swiping his blade through the snake's neck and severing it from the rest of its liquid body.

The serpent loses its cohesion as its eyes flicker out and it begins to spread out on the floor. Hopefully, Gavin has some burn ointment.

The Coyote yelps, hurriedly tugging his glove and waving his hand through the air, attempting to cool off the afflicted digits and muttering a string of Thera'Dorian curses. Nevertheless, Mal grins triumphantly, despite the pain. "Ahah; another *ow* Job well done!" he says, grinning at Lidara before gingerly picking up his gun with his uninjured hand, checking it for damages before tucking it away. "Let's get Gavin in here to do...whatever it was he was going to do."

Lidara lets out a triumphant laugh as he tucks his weapons away, but the moment that he hears Mal yelp and swear, the cat's ears perk and he hurries over to the 'yote's side. "Are you alright?" he asks, his tone gentle, and the feline even reaches out to tentatively take and examine the canine's injured hand. Considering the lighting and temperature of the room they're currently in, however, he doesn't try looking for long before reluctantly releasing the hand. "I'll... take a look at that once we're out of here. I'm sure it'll be fine, though...." He gives a glance to the 'yote's injured hand then around the chamber as he adds, "That sounds like a good idea.... I think that if we stick around any longer then I might melt too, anyways." He wipes away a bit of sweat for emphasis, but afterwards he simply takes Mal's uninjured hand and begins leading the way back out.

The walk outside does not take long, and is uneventful. It is actually rather amazing how little time has passed since the pair entered the cavern. Gavin is unloading a dolly from the cart with a sizeable tank on it, and he seems surprised to see the pair back.

"Weren?t the elementals there?" he asks.

"Yeah, a big ol' puddle of 'em," Mal says, gesturing back to the Fissure with his good hand. "But we didn't have any bottles. I know, I know; I really let you guys down this time, but I left my vodka at home."

Lidara is ready to respond to that question, but Mal manages to beat him to the punch! The coyote's retort manages to make the feline giggle, and he reaches back to snatch a rag from his bag while he speaks, "Just like Amar said, there were two of them in there. I'll admit that it was... worrying at first, but all things considered, it went rather well." The cat reaches up to dab that wrong along his forehead, wipping up a bit of sweat... as he suddenly remembers something! "Oh, your hand...." He turns to Mal and gently takes his injured hand once more, giving it a proper examination now that they're outside.

"Wow!" Gavin says, breaking into a grin, "Great job! Usually this stuff ends in cave ins or wildfires! Color me impressed!" The bear starts wheeling the tank toward the cavern. "Back in two shakes!" He says, "Just let me collect the stuff and we'll get you back to Firmament. Master Amar has someone real good with ointments and stuff. We'll call it part of your fee!"

Mal leans over to Lidara as the Bear heads into the Crack in the Mountain. "They usually do, though," the Coyote says with a grin. "We make a good team; we didn't either one of those things." This Coyote has gone [1] Job without everything going wrong.

Lidara blinks in surprise at the mention of cave ins /and/ wildfires -- in fact, the cat even glances to the cover over his shoulder just to make sure nothing suddenly goes wrong. "I guess we managed to dodge a bullet, then," he gives with a grin, and that smile of his only further brightens up once he hears those ointments mention! With his worries dealt with, the cat finally releases Mal's injured hand, the 'yote's comment earning another one of those giggles from him. "We did fight pretty well together, didn't we? I'm not sure what I would've done if you hadn't been there to fire while I was playing that song...."

Gavin is not gone long and soon returns with two tanks sloshing with their prize. True to his word, he gets Mal and Lidara home and treats the two to a great night, courtesy of Amar!