At the site of possibly horrid cultish mischief...
Scott abandons this fruitless investigation and turns his attention to more interesting pursuits, such as finding out where Eckledun might be. After giving his sheetlike shape a good spin and emitting a loud beep, Scott realizes he has no idea what he's doing, and considers the alternatives. He could dive down into the ground and try to follow the groundwater to lowlands, or maybe examine the direction the moss grows on a tree. Maybe he could try and justify having a sense of smell so he could discover where the cultists of this place might have gone.
Or maybe, just maybe, you know, he could set fire to this bloody forest. When the smoke clears, it's bound to be easier to navigate. Plus it'll be really fun, and this place looks like it's due a slight pyrokinetic remodeling. Have to ensure the succession of the undergrowth and all that.
Outside the ruins of Eckledun...
Sigmund, fearing shenanigans, puts his phylactery down and tries to enchant a random pebble to help him in his journeys. Bequeathing it with a sphere of influence, thus far undefined in precise function, he tries to empower its ability to prevent any and all fun in the area. Pouring his will into it, he makes it so!
[Will roll: 1]
Sigmund's badger form screams loudly as his soul, rather inappropriately amusingly distributed among several separate bits of flesh, is reprimanded for its poor behavior and pulled out of his body. It hurts rather badly, it should be said, and it's working almost incredibly well!
[Will roll: 4-1]
Sigmund's badger form convulses and shakes as the recently-enchanted pebble continues its attempts to rip out his soul from its bodies and put it into the likeliest receptacle in the area. Whichever one that is, it's clearly not the badger one. He starts to regret making its radius of action as large as he did.
In an alleyway in Eckledun...
Morton decides to give Wilma a demonic hand.
"Here, good mage Wilma, perhaps I can help you across. I've never tried to carry someone while floating before, but perhaps I can help. No friends left behind, no? Although I question our destination... I saw from above this alleyway goes for quite the distances, perhaps a mile maybe? Most strange," he floats over the pond to the place he came from, offering his surface for Wilma to lay upon.
"I'm not so sure about going back, though. It's dangerous out there," she states with unclear amounts of obliviousness, making herself comfortable atop the desk. Morton attempts to ascend, only to phase through Wilma entirely, floating upward unassisted, his shape flowing liquidly around her as he attempts to gain height. Wilma, losing composure at the loss of her seat, falls on her back immediately.
She is, however, amenable to a second try, this time with Morton's hand power assistance - this works out exactly like before, with Morton becoming selectively intangible upon encountering strong resistance. How strange.
"Okay, enough. I'll jump now," says Wilma, her two short spells on the ground giving her newfound courage. She prepares for another go at it, and takes off at a run.
[Wilma's agility roll: 5]
This time, though, she manages to actually make the leap, landing dead-center on one of the lily pads and clearing the entirety of the pond, landing softly and gracefully on the other side right next to the quietly waiting Mark. Standing up demonstratively, Wilma turns around to look at Morton, abject terror in her eyes. She exhales and shivers.
"I... can't believe that worked," she says. "I thought for sure I'd fall in. Negative thinking, I know."
Rejoining his pals on the other end, Morton notes that the alley seems to be ahead. As it appeared from the other end, the alley does indeed go on and on. How far, though, that is altogether more difficult to say.
Outside the Montark house...
Kevin guesses there's no use pestering Edgar much more.
"Oh. Well. I guess I should... go back the way those came, in case there's any more. Goodbye, thank you for your help."
"You're, uh, welcome, goodbye," says the man, and quietly shuts the door. Walking away, Kevin grabs the axe that the guy left. Living here, he sees no reason why the man'd need it more than he does. There's probably not even any bears to chop into bits around here.
With an axe stolen, he moves eastward, along the road that the bridge once seemed to be a part of. His path takes him past many farmhouses and quite a few curious onlookers, until eventually he gets into the woods proper. The road continues, though it's mostly a dirt path, and shows no real signs of leading anywhere in particular. This may be a long walk Kevin's got ahead of him.
In the chamber of the Crown of Flowers...
"That's... That's jacked up," Darren observes upon having the mysteries of death related to him. Feeling defeated, he seems to give in at last.
"Go ahead and do your thing," says he, and heads upwards, not waiting to listen to the ghost's reply. Screw this quest, it's probably not worth it. Ignoring a great many seemingly difficult obstacles, it is in a matter of hours that Darren is on the surface, in the plains he found himself in right as he showed up in this damn place. It's nighttime now, and the stars are clearly visible. Looking up, Darren seeks the eyes of an angry god about to smite him, but sees nothing.
The night is silent on the plains, aside from the brief chirping of a cricket in the grass that cuts off abruptly, leaving only the acute sensation of complete solitude.
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Topic: Life Begins At Death - Epilogue: We Live And Live Again (Read 564363 times)