Underground Bloodspots - RPLOG
Participants
Date
13/12/475
Log
It was a strange day of hunting, when Arimia practically tripped over a concealed hatch in the ground. Curiosity overcoming self preservation, opening it reveals a set of stairs descending into the darkness.
Arimia stares curiously down the hatch, before getting a bit of cloth and wrapping it around her staff. She digs about a bit through her items before pulling out a tinderbox, using the flint and steel to light her makeshift, and large, torch. Once that's done she starts to make her way down those stairs, showing a further lack of self-preservation.
Kilsa is currently out hunting herself as she has a small bundle of dead skriths slung over her shoulder, "Stupid evil sucking Dark night and magics..... I mean does EVERYTHING have to be forged in the blood of this creatures or the charred remains of that creature." She grumbles before seeing the open hatch in the ground, "Oh? Hmmmm a hidden place, Treasure or Monsters..." She tosses the bundle to the side and decides to make the climb downward, after hitting the darkened bottom she notices a light and prepares her hammer for a fight as she sneaks up on the lightsource.
And so the two bump into one another at the base of the stairs. The walls are rough, clearly dug by someone, but with no brick and less supports, leading off into the depths of promise further on ahead. A dim point of light can be seen in the distance.
Arimia reaches out to touch one of the rough walls, musing to herself, "Hmm. Probably not the thieves guild. Seems a bit far out... But someone dug this." Any further musings are cut off as she's snuck up on by Kilsa, which prompts a yelp from her. She launches herself into the air with a burst of air magic, intending to fly away, it seems, only to strike her head on the ceiling and fall back to the ground with an exclamation of "Ow!" She sits stunned on the ground, rubbing her head, and looks toward the badger, letting out a soft, slightly embarrassed, "Uh... Hi."
Kilsa sets her hammer in front her before looking at the strange raccoon, "Um... Hi." She bends over and offers a hand to the tiny three foot tall female, "I've never seen a combat tactic that involved brain damage. I am going to hope for your sake your an amatuer at exploring." She smiles and gives the female random candy from her pocket, "I'm Kilsa Ironsoul, Master Blacksmith, Orpahnage owner and Noble." She offer a hand to shake, "You are?"
Arimia takes the hand, accepting the help to her feet. "You surprised me!" She exclaims, before following it with a mumbled, "An' I forgot I was underground." She grabs her staff from where she dropped it upon striking her head, making sure it's still lit, then accepts the candy. She turns it over in one hand, looking at it, before eating it. Not bothering to wait until she's done with the candy she says, "I'm Arimia. Just Arimia. Freesword. An' certainly not Noble."
Kilsa smiles, "Arimia..." Kilsa looks deep in thought for a moment, "I like that name and you certainly don't sound insane, If we live through this how would you like a job working for a noble." She smiles widely and stands to her full seven feet of height. "I have a thing for getting commoners like myself into higher stations." She look into the darkness before kissing the cheek of her fathers side of her hammer, "What is down here? I'm voting on monsters and possibly treasure."
Arimia tilts her head back as the badger stands to her full height, over double that of the raccoon. The job offer prompts her to give a shrug and she says, "If you pay me, maybe. Depends on the jobs." She glances back over her shoulder, before turning fully to face the dim light in the distance. "I dunno what's down here. I... Cleverly discovered the entrance, an' decided to find out." After saying that she starts toward the light, though not moving all that fast as she's keeping an eye on the ground where the light from her makeshift torch reaches.
Kilsa looks down at Arimia, "Cleverly....hmmm..." She keeps a small smile on her face, "Well my clever friend shall I lead the way? I am amrmored after all." She smiles and stands up to her full height and flexes a little just for fun, "I've been out of the wilds for a while and this seems like fun, keep to my side so we can both see."
Proceeding down the tunnel, Kilsa spies a flash of something across the tunnel, but it's already a bit too late. Twang! goes the trip wire, and the roof suddenly caves in, dirt falling across the two in a small avalanche. Surprising, dirty, but not that painful really. Strange security.
Arimia gasps with surprise as the dirt falls from the ceiling. A mistake, as it causes her to inhale some and start coughing. When her coughing fit dies down and the dirt settles she lets out a soft huff and whines, "I just bathed! This had better be worth it!" She starts to squirm and struggle, pulling her arms free, then working on getting the rest of her small form out as well.
Kilsa coughs and looks around, "Are you ok, Arimia?" She says before reaching down to coon and pulls her out with one hand by her arms, "I would suggest a bit of caution on our part." Kilsa simply steps out of the small layer of dirt. "Had this been a divine math base trap one of use could be missing some body parts." She says with a smirk. "Shall I lead the way?"
Arimia half-climbs and half-wades until she's free of the dirt, closer to the light. She spits to one side of her and grumbles, "My mouth tastes like dirt." She looks at her staff, the flaming cloth smothered by the falling dirt, and starts to fish about through her things, searching again for her tinderbox in the near dark. After a moment she gives up with some uttered rudeness, and instead simply sets it alight with fire magic. Once that's done she gestures ahead of her and says, "Sure! Lead on! But I don't think being armored would have helped me much with dirt falling on my head."
Onwards, into the tunnel, and approaching the light, which seems to be set on the left side of the hallway just before a split going leftwards and rightwards.
Kilsa smiles, "Yes but this time its dirt if next time its spears, arrows, bone dragons, rabid skriths, shadows, or any of the millions of things that would love to eat a fat badger or a tiny raccoon, you'll thank me." She chuckles and looked at the left path, "I don't trust it. Its illuminated which means someone may have set traps but at the same times it might be a marker of safe points. "Lets take the left." She says before walking left anyway.
Arimia glances between the two tunnels, not immediately following. "It's illuminated, which means it's the one most often traveled. It also means that's where we're likely to find the one who dug all this out, if they're here." She looks down the right path, still not moving, trusting the fact that her voice would be growing slightly more distant, and that the light from her torch would be fading would alert the badger that she's not moving on. "The right one isn't. Which means that whoever comes here carries their own light source when going that way. An' that means it's most likely where something is stored. Not living quarters. Could be a mine, I suppose. I say we should go that way."
Agreement is secured, and the duo proceeds. It feels like the tunnel is sloped downwards, progressively steep, but it's not too hard to keep one's footing on the dirt path, at least until flowing is heard. A glance over the shoulder shows a foot of water is sweeping down the tunnel from up above.
Arimia sighs and follows the badger, not wanting to let the other get too far into dimmer light, lest there be more traps. Her ears flick and she glances back over her shoulder to note the water. She idly pings a claw on Kilsa's armor before saying, "We might want to move a bit quicker. No telling how quick that water is going to start to come, or if it's going to start coming in much larger amounts." Saying that she picks up the pace a little, abandoning a bit of caution to keep ahead of the water for as long as she can.
The water is quite fast, rolling downhill as it is. The rapid 'coon is forced to dart ahead of the badger to hope to stay ahead of it. When it reaches the badger, all footing becomes impossible as the dirt becomes slick mud in short order, turning the tunnel into a water slide.
Kilsa screams as she slips uttering the most profane series of words her mind and string together, She tried to grab the raccoon as she nears her so that they don't get seperated. "Thiiiiiisssss suuuuuuuccccckkkkksss!" The armor folk screams as she continues to slide.
Arimia does her best to stay ahead of the water, though as she notes that the badger has fallen into it, she sighs and says, "Bugger it! I need a bath now anyway!" She surrenders herself to the flow, though in hopefully a more controlled manner.
Yoink! The coon is caught by Kilsa and they both rapidly descend into the darkness, all going dark and wet before they emerge, air borne for a moment before coming down towards a well lit area to collide with the ground with a nice bump and get all the more wet as the muddy water finishes flowing out of the tunnel they just emerged from. It looks like a tiny arena, seating included. Seated up there is a female mouse. She's too far away to pick out any clan seals, but the big round ears and short stature give away the species quickly enough. She's dressed in deep royal blues and bedecked in gold jewelry that shines even in the dim light.
Kilsa stands up covered in mud and wet, "Whew that was fun!" She says with a bigs smiles before noticing the bejeweled mouse and whispers to Arimia, "Hey armmy, There is a mouse up there. I would say that we have probably reached some people that might hostile, Get ready for whatever may come." She warn before picking up her hammer slowly.
Arimia climbs to her feet and sighs softly, doing her best to scrape mud off of herself. At Kilsa's words she looks up at the mouse, but only briefly, going back to scraping the mud off, apparently more concerned with her clothing than her fur. "Told ya we should have taken the right path," she grumbles, before bending down to pick up her, again doused, staff with a sigh. "An' this place really doesn't want me to have a light."
The mouse brings her hands together, clapping lightly as she rises to her feet, "What spirit," she says, "Are you here to entertain me today? I trust you will do the job quite well. Do tell me when you're ready to begin then."
Kilsa looks at the mouse, "Sorry I've recently smashed my head and have been losing my head, What kind of entertainment do you need?" She graons a little expecting the mouse to be insane. "What is your name, Miss?"
Arimia stares at the mouse as she speaks, then offers a much simpler reply than Kilsa. "Nope," says the 'coon, before turning around to examine where they'd come from, looking to see if it's climbable. After examining that entrance she looks around the arena as well, to see about other possible escapes.
Not much in the way of available exits, with smooth stone leading back up to the pipe, and a few portcullises, closed, leading to other dark places, and that mouse, looking on from above, "The sort that involves you dying, or not. Either way should be great fun."
Kilsa groans, "Yep.... insane." Kilsa doesn't waste anytime before drawing her hammer, "I don't really like dying, Miss." She charges the mouse while roar out a loud battle cry. She attemt to strike her hammer as hard as she can into the mouses side to break arms but not kill her.
Arimia lets out a soft sigh, following it with muttered curses. She watches as Kilsa goes charging across the arena at a mouse elevated in the seating above them, and flicks her ears slightly in amusement. She takes the chance to switch one chakra gem for another, however, relying on the badger's bellowing, at least, to provide distraction enough.
The mouse bursts into cheerful laughter as Kilsa charges, but she is up in the seats, safe from any direct charge. She reaches and depresses something beside her, causing the portcullis to the left to start grinding upwards and a loud rattling hiss to come from behind as something moves back there.
Arimia casts spell after spell to help Kilsa bring the creature down, finally managing with an explosion of sheer force. She walks over to the thing's remains, or what she hopes is it's remains, and rather roughly kicks it, muttering something about stupid games and wanting a reward. After that she walks over to examine the wall of the arena below where the mouse is sitting, wondering if she can use earth magic to shape stairs, or at least hand holds.
Kilsa looks at the creature and pulls a hammer out of the remains, "Hey Armmy? You think if I toss you up you can use that math of yours to knock our benefactor down here?" She smiled evilly, "I would love to bestow some of the Creator's love upon her." She look at the raccoon and then at the area the mouse is at trying to judge the distance.
The mouse looks giddy, absolutely delighted at the performance, "Marvelous! What will to live you both have. Can you get through all three rounds? You get a prize then," She waves a hand, "And I don't just mean living, don't be silly."
Arimia glances back at Kilsa, replying, "I dunno. I was thinking about making a way up there. An' I dunno about being thrown." She opens her muzzle to continue to speak, then pauses with a sigh at the mention of more rounds from the mouse. After a moment she looks back at the wall and asks "How do ya feel about holding whatever she's sending out next while I try to make us a way up?"
Kilsa nods to Arimia, "Sure, I haven't had such fun in a while I just wish I would have been aske if I wanted to fight." She huff but is smiling the whole time, "Hey Crazy Mouse. Send the next one, I'm getting bored here." She taunts the giddy looking mouse, "Also too much jewelry makes you look like a windchime with ears." She shouts up after a short pause.
The mouse presses a new switch, and the portcullis opposite the first rattles open. A tremendous boar charges out with a figure strapped to its back. How did Jera get there? Maybe he got snared earlier, but he doesn't look happy, being strapped to a big, also angry, pig.
Kilsa growls an smashes her warhammer against the side of the impressive war hog, "Don't you DARE!!" She screams and continues to strike at the creature, She watches as the creature is felled by Jera an looks at the fox curiously, "I didn't take you for someone that liked to go boar hunting underground." She teased, "Are you alright?"
Jera manages to wriggle free enough to stab the large pig a few times with an arrowhead along it's rampage, but not too much, not wanting to fall off along the way. Once it finally skitters to a halt though, he waves to Kilsa with his tail and struggles more. "I'm alright, Kilsa." He blushes a little at the teasing, naturally shy, and more used to taking the back row. "Don't ask why I'm here, really. Out shooting targets and conk. Out cold. You're lucky you didn't smell the pen."
The mouse is practically doing a dance of excitement at the battle, distracting her from an incoming threat until the coon is already cresting the side and charging up the steps at her. "Ah! Cheater!" she shrieks, pointing accusingly at Arimia's charging form, "No reward for you. Penalty round!" And off she goes, but not far, just diving for a lever.
Arimia does her best to catch up to the mouse, though she doesn't try grapple with her. Instead she shifts her grip on her staff, grabbing one end then swinging the other at the mouse, like an over-large club. She does not aim for the mouse's body, knowing she probably lacks the strength to do any real damage, instead aiming for her legs, to try and trip her up.
Down she goes. The mouse trips, slides, bumping into the lever with a loud 'Ow!' "You're gonna pay for that," she says, half sniffling as she grabs onto the lever and gives it a solid wrench. The roof of the place grinds open as a huge goop falls from above, threatening to crush the two in the arena with its mass, "Get em Bobby, get em all!"
"Can I ask what's going on here?" Jera rubs his sore limbs as he finally cuts himself free, then oh-ohs and grumbles, not having his bow with him, and having to make do with wind magic!
Kilsa looks annoyed, "That is what going on here..." She points to the very large goop, "There is a mouse covered in jewelry up there and she is trying to kill us. All you need to know is that when I get my hands on her she is going to be very very sorry mouse." Kilsa growls and prepares to climb up the stairs to help Arimia and kick the crazy out of that weird mouse.
As the gop is struck down, it splits into two, equally irate, quivering masses, trying to feed from the reluctant food sources.
Arimia does what she can to help the other two fight off the gop. She turns to the mouse after the fight with the gop(s) with a snarl on her muzzle. "Dirt. Muddy water. And now that bloody ooze! My vest is RUINED!" The 'coon practically screams this last, swinging her staff at the mouse as hard as she can.
Kilsa growls at the dying goop and stomp over to the mouse picking her up by the collar. "Hello. How about we try this again." She smiles sickly sweet at the folk in front of her, "My name is kilsa, I have a big hammer and the love of the Creators in my hear, please tell me why you tried to kill me and my friends and I might not let my hammer kiss you." She grin and holds the mouse high into the air. "I'm waiting..." She chuckles.
Jera tries his very best to do combat without his bow, then changes tacts halfway and uses the wind to attack the large goop instead, far more effective. Then he clambers along the path of earth made, but stays back and watches. Too many cooks ruin the broth, the fox maintains, and up there, he keeps a lookout for anything that might come in and flank them, an arrow at the ready.
The mouse flails in the air, "Cheaters, the lot of you. You were going to win the big prize, I could feel it in my bones. Now you're just a bunch of bad sports," she complains, "Put me down or I won't show you the way out. You can rot down here if you prefer."
Arimia crosses her arms and glares at the dangling rodent before saying, "I'll just make a way out." She sticks her tongue out at it, and turns her back, letting Kilsa deal with it as she searches about this section of seating.
Kilsa smiles, "Well a funny thing about the Creator church is that they teach you to be good to other folk, even those that have lost there way such as yourself. Well you see my friends here are good folk..." She slam the mouse to the ground stomach first before sitting on her back. "Now I'm open to asking and I alread asked once but not I'm going to asked ten more times." She reaches for the mouse folks hand and grabs a her index finger before snaping it to the size. "Where is the exit?" Snap! "Where is the exit?" Snap! She breaks three more fingers before pausing. "Would you care to answer?" She smiles very sweetly, "I could always get creative."
Petulant complaining turns fairly rapidly into shrill sobs. Better at watching violence than being party to it, the mouse becomes source for little more than wails and half incoherent words that sway between disbelief and panic in no particular pattern.
"T-That's going a bit far, Kilsa...." Jera chimes in unhelpfully, compassion jolting in his heart. "Can we at least keep this to non-permanent damage?" He sighs and turns to Arimia. "Well. You can move the earth. Any idea how we might tunnel out of here?"
Arimia turns around as the mouse starts wailing, then wanders over and kneels down to poke the tip of her nose before saying to Kilsa, "I think you broke it. Shoulda stopped after one. Saved the others for when it didn't answer." She doesn't sound, or seem, all that broken up about it, as she stands up and walks over to Jera. She lifts a hand and points to the pipe that she and Kilsa came down through. "We came in there. It leads to the exit. There was a fork, the other path might have lead to another door here, but I'm not the best at seeing secret things, so someone else may want to search here for it." She pauses and wrinkles her nose, staring at the pipe. "I could try buildin' stairs up to it, but it's a bit higher. An' then there's the water. If it's flowin' strong... I'm not as good at manipulatin' water."
Kilsa smiles at Jera and stops, "I'm only dislocating her fingers not breaking them. If I wanted to really hurt her I would have just went into my medical kit and made a show of it but I'm not that crazy I just don't like her and wanted to see if she was at though as he weakling creatures." Without setting the fingers back in place she reaching into her medical kit and binds the females fingers together. "I am not into torturing creatures but my dad taught me to be tough so I had to learn along with smithing." She shrugged and stood up before flopping the mouse over her shoulder like a sack of potatos, "I'm up for anything plan but I say we take wind chime with us." She pats the mouse on the but for emphasis.
A section of the wall opens, and a male mouse emerges, "Tabby?" he asks, "You down here again?"
The voice makes the female bolt, running into the arms of the new male and sobbing into his chest, attempting to speak but doing little more than blubbering against him. The male looks rightfully confused at the whole thing, "What's the matter? Are these people treating you poorly?"
"I can't work water, no. A boat maybe, but air's all I'm good for." Jera frowns and primes his arrow at the male that just entered the room, keeping a tab on him. "Your dear Tabby tried to kill us. We're just trying to figure out how we can get out of this place. Do you want to trade? The girl for the exit." He points to Kilsa. "Or the big angry badger here will leave a twisted pile of bone..."
Arimia turns around at the sound of the voice, then smiles and gestures toward the opening in the wall. "Hey look! Our exit!" She hums softly, if poorly, then turns and makes a face at Jera. "I'm not much for the idea of a trade. An' I'm kinda thinkin' he knows what she was up to, if he knew how to find the place an' all."
Kilsa smiles at the male mouse, "I am in favor of being diplomatic with you, you seem sane enough while your friend Tabby just sicked angery monsters against us. I hope your not so foolish as to do the same thing." She smiles in a terrifyingly sweet grin of hers. "Are you?"
"What a dangerous lot," speaks the male, "If this is how you tend to greet strangers, I can see why you have such difficulties." He gestures to the hole he emerged from, "Be gone then. Take a left, then a right." His free hand holds 'Tabby', who's sobbing has died down to muffled sniffling against him.
Arimia shakes her head at Kilsa and says, "Nope. I say we take 'em both with us." She pauses a moment, then says cheerfully, "Hey! Remember that time I said we should go right, an' you went left, and we ended up in a pit of crazy with things trying to kill us? 'Cause I think that speaks in favor of maybe listening to me. 'Course, somethin' to consider is someone had to _catch_ the beasties for her. So he's probably stronger than they were. Just somethin' to be aware of."
"You really think we have any problem beating anyone?" Jera quirks a brow, but is quick to look towards the exit. It would seem that he's not the most comfortable underground, possibly because the air doesn't flow well. "Let's take this chance though...don't wanna risk any injury."
Kilsa grumbles, "My manners are much more tolerant when I haven't been attacked." She look at the mouse and sighs, "Sorry Tabby, I know your probably insane and didn't deserve the treatment I gave you." She look at Arimia, "Alright. What is your choice I'm open enough to listen now that Curiosity has been sated." She smiles warmly at the little coon.
The male gently peels the bindings free of Tabby, inspecting the damage before drawing out a small rag and pressing a bottle to it, spilling something on it, "Breathe deep," he instructs, placing the wet rag over her face, and she's out like a light, slumping against him.
Arimia gives a small shrug of her shoulders, banded tail flicking. "We restrain 'em an' take a look around for... I dunno. Anything we want. Like a new vest. Then 'em to the guard. An' then they're their problem." She turns to Jera then and asks, "Really just want to leave? When one of 'em, probably him, is the one that knocked you out an' stuck you with that pig?"
"Revenge can be a horrible thing. It's ruined many people. Why let it sully us?" Jera fidgets with his fingers and lets the arrow fall back into his hands, and he keeps it in his quiver to show his intent. "In any case, I owe you two a favor for rescuing me, so I'll go along with anything you have in mind. Promise." He's watching the intimate scene below and feeling a little bit disturbed and intrigued at the same time.
Kilsa looks at Arimia, "I swear you just suggested we tie them up and steal from them.....Do I look like a bandit?" Kilsa put a hand over her face and counted to before look at the male mouse. "I would like to not make this situation and more messy than its about to become, please indulge me on why your friend here thought we were gladiatiors and why your both hiding around down here instead of leaving with other folk?" She smiles normally and leans against the wall, "We are already having trouble with kindcraft I would hate to bother the guard about some crazy operation starting with another faction. So lets start over Mr. Mouse, I am Kilsa Ironsoul, Priest, Blacksmith, Drinker, Orphanage owner and lastly Noble, I wish we could be speaking over friendly circumstances."
He sets the female down, much more peaceful now that consciousness has fled her, "She requires my attention. If you want to have a more civil discussion, ask around for Barton in the merchant district, they know me well enough there. For now, if you don't mind, I would rather see to her than entertain potentially violent visitors."
Arimia gives a small shake of her head and says a bit slowly, as if thinking through her words. "Nnnooo... I suggested we tie them up an' reappropriate goods they have likely stolen from others. Or looted from corpses of those less able to overcome the beasties they had here. 'Sides. Even if we don't look around an' just go then we still need to take them to the guard. Willing or not. 'Cause if she is mentally unstable enough to do somethin' like this she needs supervision somewhere safe. For her an' others. Something that guy there, obviously, can't provide."
Kilsa shrugs, "I'm with on this Arimia but no reappropriatin' ANYTHING understood?" She smiles at the male mouse, "sadly you've fail convince me of anything but you being a threat. I would like to ask that you join us on a trip to the Firmament. I am taking you into custody, I hope you will come willing so that we can have you friend treated as well." Her tone is no nonsense.
"No. This is our home. You were not invited, and yet here you are, attacking us. Any discomfort or injury you suffered is through self defense. Press the matter and I will see you before the council and press for proper recompensation," he states, "This is your final warning, if you are as law abiding as you claim, you will depart my home this moment."
"Look, I woke up here, tied to a boar. Unless you are suggesting that I tied myself, exotic, but unlikely." Jera snarls a response, watching the male, then tugging on Kilsa's sleeve. "Lady Ironsoul...might be best to leave...we did hurt her. Perhaps the place really is an arena..."
Arimia narrows her eyes slightly and gives a small shake of her head. "First off, your tunnel was in the wilds, and not so well hidden it can't be found. And it was unmarked with anything indicating it was private housing, not a bandit lair. As a Free Sword one could say I had an obligation to ensure it didn't contain any dangers. Which it did. Second, without any warning or offer to leave the premises peacefully we were set upon by someone in obvious need of mental help, with intent to harm, and, according to her very words, kill for her entertainment." For some reason her accent seems to be gone.
Kilsa looks at Arimia, "An open trap door in the middle of the woods is not a home, At best its a trapped filled ruin at with all things considering but I think we shall leave for now." Kilsa turn and begins to step away. "If I stay anyone longer this won't turn out pretty, I going to return with as many guardman as I can pull if this isn't a legitament operation and have this place dismantled then I'm going to have your insane friend seen about and you can enjoy a nice trip to court. See you in a few hours." She said as curtiously as she could muster before turning and leaving her large boots stomping with each step.
