To New Horizons(2nd ed game, game thread)

[Caleb808]

Ulik walks back to the door and throws one of the spheres against the rock blocking the draining of the cavern, hoping it does something to remove the barrier. As soon as the orb leaves his hand, he runs back to the room where he found the backpack and grabs on to the roots in the ceiling in case the area becomes flooded.

[PurpleXVI]

Lorath

As soon as Lorath's hand was inside the opening, it closed around it, fitting him like a glove and holding him still. For a few seconds nothing happened, then there was a stinging pain in his palm, and he had the distinct impression he was being tasted.

This impression was reinforced by the fact that almost immediately afterwards, he was spat loose, being sent stumbling backwards by the door's reaction to him. It didn't seem like he had convinced the thing to open, as it remained in place.

Before he could embark on another brilliant plan, however, he heard a clear ringing in the distance, as though someone had struck a glass gong.


Ulik, Evon

Ulik did not see the sphere impact the rock just under the surface of the water, but he heard it, a tone as pure as a crystal bell rang out, and then the shockwave hit him.


Lorath, Ulik, Evon

It was almost invisible, except as a rapidly expanding sphere of faint motion in the air, like a heat shimmer, which passed through everything, air, walls and living things, completely uninhibited. It was completely soundless except for the initial note.

As it blew through them, they felt invigorated like never before, as though they had just awakened from a restful slumber, inhaled a thousand pounds of stimulants and then been struck by lightning. Any minor nicks and scratches they had healed instantly, and even old scars disappeared.

And they weren't the only things affected by the wave.

Evon's burned and eviscerated beetle suddenly sprang back to life, as good as it had ever been, and swiftly scuttled into a crack in the rocks. Roots that had penetrated the walls and ceiling began to twist like tentacles as they grew frantically, adding several feet to their length in a matter of seconds, even the very stones of the walls seemed to twist for a few seconds as they were touched by the wave. For a few moments, the whole place looked as though it was prepared to collapse on their heads, as the walls twisted and the roots tore apart stone in their growth.

There was no telling how far the wave had gone, as it passed out of sight for all of them within a split-second. As it disappeared, so, too, did it's effects seem to leave. The roots calmed down, the rock was once again still and their sudden burst of energy began to leave them. The wounds and scars healed, however, remained healed.


Bas, Tamora, Anne, Balth

Balth did not seem to notice he was being spoken about, rather, his attention seemed focused on the forest away from the cliff. Whether he was thinking or listening to something extremely faint was hard to tell, but occasionally it looked as though he mumbled something inaudible to himself.

Above them the sky was clear, and the air was already starting to become chokingly warm. If not for a faint breeze that had suddenly sprung up from the west, it would probably already be hard to breathe.

[Man Who Fights Like Woman]

Seeing as how his first idea hadn't worked, well, at all, he turned around and decided to try sticking his new symbiotic tail inside the hole. The wave of refreshing magic that had just hit him certainly made him feel better about having to live with these creatures on him, and it could only improve his opinion of his new friends if they opened the way for him.

[dplax]

Anne

She woke up, her leg as sore as last night, but the pain had lessened somewhat. She was just about to tentatively try to stand up, when Tamora came over, asking her about her leg. Anne pushed herself to a sitting position before replying.

"It still hurts and is a bit sore, but Bas' magic last night helped a lot. I think I'll try standing up."

She gently pushed herself first to her knees and then onto her good leg, before very carefully starting to place weight on her wounded leg. Pain flashed up from her leg, but it was nowhere as bad as what she had expected.

"I think I shall be able to walk. Of course not as fast and not as agile as before, but if the terrain isn't too rough, I should be able to manage."

She turned to Bas.

"You have my gratitude for helping me last night, Bas. I don't know what I'd have done without you around."

She scratched at a particularly nasty mosquito bite on her neck, then removed her hand when she realised that scratching would only make it worse.

"I couldn't help but overhear the two of you talking about Balth earlier," she said, lowering her voice to almost a whisper. "I haven't talked much to him, but from what I've been able to observe, his personality seems to be a bit too forced, and it slightly falls apart whenever we enter a stressful situation, like back at that chasm."

"I'm not one to judge him though. I have no idea how I would act if three strangers from another world came to my world."

She paused, wondering about the number she just said.

"Where is Gan?" she asked, suddenly alarmed having missed his absence the night before, due to her own injury.

[Armen]

Tamora

Tamora’s relief and pleasure at Anne’s recovery was clear to the others. She nodded at Anne’s assessment of Balth and briefly explained her experiences sparring with the Sun Runner the night before. Her mood grew sombre at Anne’s final question. “We don’t know. I decided not to risk splitting us further in the dark last night what with one thing and another so just hoped he had enough woodcraft to survive.” She shook her head. “I am unsure but I fear he might have been changed in the cliffs. It was . . . painful in there and I caught a glimpse of Gan as he was when he first emerged” Tamora paused again and swallowed as if she was forcing down bitter medicine. “It wasn’t pretty.”

She read the expressions on the faces of her two companions and realised that unless she was prepared to share her experience in the mesa it was unfair to distress them by referring to it. She wasn’t sure she could relate in words what had happened to her in any case. She wasn’t even sure of her own memory of the events. Standing here in the warmth of the clearing it seemed so unlikely to have happened to her at all. But as she looked at her hand she stretched her fingers a little bit further than she would have expected them to go and frowned.

“Enough,” she said softly to herself and then more confidently to her companions “I looked at dawn and found Gan’s trail running north.” Gan’s trail had been very obvious – another mystery. Had he wanted to make sure she could track him? Or maybe he was in no mind to care. Well, speculation wouldn’t help them. “If we are to return to the village on the lake it’s on our way to follow . . .” She trailed off, waiting for Anne and Bas to respond.

[ 03-04-2007, 02:59 PM: Message edited by: Armen ]

[dplax]

Anne

Anne stayed silent for several moments, digesting what Tamora had just said.

"Gan travelled with us for several days, and was a faithful companion when it came to battle. In my opinion we should go and look for him. His experience in the cliffs might have changed him, as you say, but if it has, then we should try helping him as much as we can."

She stopped, just about to say something, which she bit back.

What does one life, one destiny mean in the greater scheme of things? How many lives have I interfered with in the past? How many did I unrighteously steal from, just to be able to help my brothers? Why do I suddenly care about one? One I only barely knew? Am I changing?

Her thoughts disquitened her. She had felt so unsure of herself in this new world. Ever since she stepped through that portal so many things had changed. She had changed...

[ 03-04-2007, 06:40 PM: Message edited by: dplax ]

[Kazilan]

Bas smiled at Anne's words.

"I'm glad you are feeling better."

The druid let his eyes search the forest as the two women talked. He wanted to pick a direction, any direction, and immerse himself in these surroundings. The calm of this clearing had refreshed him and he felt ready to confront anything. He refocused his attention on the women as they discussed Gan.

"If we can follow his trail and also head towards the village, then that seems like a good idea. Whenever you are ready, lead the way. And Anne," Bas held his staff out to the injured woman, "if you think it will help you walk, you may use my staff."

[Armen]

Tamora

Anne was right of course and Tamora wondered at her readiness to leave Gan to his own devices. It had been the right decision to stay in the camp last night but today she might have gone a different way entirely and left Gan to whatever fate was befalling him. She had no idea what had compelled her to act so out of character but whatever it as she was grateful to Anne for voicing what should have been her thoughts.

The simple nobility of Anne’s speech on Gan’s behalf had surprised her and was a reminder of how little she knew about the woman. But how open had she been with her companions despite the good reasons for her discretion? She sighed and nodded her acceptance of Anne’s words. “You are right of course, we should do all we can. Learned One, Bas, thank you also.”

She headed over to her gear and packed it away calling to their other companion, “Balth, we’re leaving and we’re going in your direction.” She picked up her spear, checked around for anything she might have left behind and moved off to the north to check Gan’s trail. She would move a few steps into the forest and then wait for the others.

[ 03-05-2007, 03:24 AM: Message edited by: Armen ]

[dplax]

Anne

"Thank you for the offer Bas, but I think I'll manage with this spear the lizardmen gave me at the lake," she said motioning to the staff lying on the ground. "But I appreciate the thought."

She picked up her gear, which had remained on the ground last night, placing everything meticulously back in the pocket they had been in.

She walked after Tamora, stopping next to her, slightly leaning on the spear.

"My openness surprised you, I saw. I've never been very open about my true motivations, and in the past false motivations have been numerous for me. But you and Bas helped me last night, without even knowing me. I think you deserve to at least know some things about me."

She paused, shifting her weight from her injured leg to the good one.

"So...does my story interest you?"

[Armen]

Tamora

Tamora looked quizzically at Anne. “No, not surprised,” she replied quietly, “I admit your words disturbed me but more that I had not resolved myself to look for Gan”. She scanned the vegetation and paused for a moment to listen to the sounds of the jungle around them. Something about Anne’s choice of words disturbed her slightly and caused her to wonder what secrets the woman was concealing. And what would she expect in return? Tamora felt awkward in the face of such an invitation to intimacy and in any case this was hardly the time or the place to stand around conversing.

“I would be honoured to learn anything that you wish to tell me Anne but we have work to do here”. She indicated one of the more obvious of Gan’s marks with the butt of her spear then looked thoughtful for a moment as if wondering whether to say something but apparently thought better of it. She looked back to the clearing. ”What’s keeping the others?” she asked half to herself. Turning to Anne she said, “I need to scout ahead. You can see that the trail is clear and straight. If it weakens or diverges I will wait for you and in any case won’t get too far ahead. Stay here and follow on with the others. Stay close to Bas.”

She turned and moved away briskly. Free of the others for a moment, back in her element, and with Gan’s trail so easy to follow, she allowed herself to soak into the sounds and feel of the forest around her allowing its rhythms and currents to relax and absorb her.