Slowing down but not stopping until she is about 10ft from Sequoya, "Ingabe ulungile? Wafika kanjani kude kangaka?" This place makes my skin crawl.
More acrid yellow smoke and an annoyed hiss from Ssuh-Luhss.
"Tell your damn slaves to speak the common tongue, not their slave babble!"
"Siphelile. Nakuba lokho kwakunzima kakhulu. Kubonakala sengathi ibanga liphakanyisiwe lapho sidlula .... mhlawumbe ayithandi umnikelo wegazi." Sequoya replies, shooting a glance toward the snakes as they hiss something venomously to Ibinu.
Smiling at the idea, "Ngokuqinisekile abazange kodwa lokho akuyona inkinga yethu. Kufanele sibuyele kwabanye ukuze sikwazi ukuphuma esheshayo."
"Kuvunyelwe, ngiyayonda le ndawo kakade!" Sequoya with a hint of a brief smile before gazing around in distaste, and heading towards the others alongside Kallik.
Ibinu moves over and with a practiced slab of Oread, spits out a statement to the two.
"Yeka ukuthi lolu lulimi lusibheka kanjani, futhi bacabanga ukuthi uyisigqila. Ingabe ufuna ukuba ngilwe nalo mpi manje noma kamuva? Uma kamuva, vele uhambisane nayo manje."
Glancing towards the new oread and companion as Kallik takes off, Inam frowns. 'This probably isn't the place to fight just yet...if it comes to that it'd be better to at least see this leader first...'
Glancing towards their guides as they blow smoke, she smiles. "Please forgive them, this place is a bit strange to us. I'm sure they'll be along any moment."
"So which way is it to your master?"
Sighing and shaking her head in the negative, "I don't want that. Sorry." I loath this place.
As you cautiously make you way back to your guides, Ssuh-Luhss' two heads look around, darting to each of you, then at each other. The snake beckons to all of you impatiently, clearly frustrated at your presence. As you turn to leave, it glances back at the hole you have created in the gate, but the expression is unreadable.
Greeneyes--the left head of Ssuh-Luhss--gives a piercing whistle between his two fangs. Several one-head slaves crawl toward the group, bearing large steel tubs upon their backs. The slaves move ahead of the masters, dipping their tails into the tubs as they crawl. It is a clear substance - some kind of thick oil or grease. They slather and smooth it upon the iron streets, paving the way for the two-heads and their iron armor.
All the two-heads slither slowly along the path, ignoring you for now. They seem much calmer here, back in the city, gliding along oiled iron, gray smoke with a contented blue tinge streaming from all.
"Fine" Sequoya mutters sheathing her weapon. As they follow the serpents, the huntress finds herself constantly shifting her weight on the slick surface, adapting to the slick surface. Mishipeshu doing so much more easily.
In an elen city, there is the subconscious truth that nothing is perfectly orderly- paintings, buildings, roads, and sculptures are all made by elen hands and shaped by elen errors.
To see the imperfections of el washed away, and to glimpse a city of symmetry, of squares and cubes and spears - it is atrocious in a way that is difficult to articulate, even in your own mind.
Incus is a city of alien order. Tall slabs of granite buildings, eerily cubic, loom over the greasy iron streets. The granite and basalt monoliths block the sky - all but a narrow band of angry red cloud streaked with jagged white. There is absolutely no deviation from the pattern of cubic buildings and regularly spaced smaller buildings in between.
For the most part, every building you see is blank stone and polished metal - not a hint of individuality. The only irregularity is a recurring snake image, like the ones you saw on the gate. The faces are infrequent and without pattern - on a granite building here ; reflected in the gleaming streets there ; even printed on the weapons that the slaves carry.
Only a minute or two past the gates, the 'foot' traffic thickens. First a trickle, then a river of snakes, surrounding you-
You walk in a reptilian flood; hundreds of one-heads stream around you, naturally diverting their flow around you without quite ever touching. The ophidian currents carry ingots, weapons, tools, and stone, the city of Incus hungry for more fuel, more metal, more war.
The two-heads do not look back as they unctuously undulate toward the golden heart of Incus.
Slipping and sliding across the road, Inam glances towards the fluttering phoenix with envy. 'Would be pleasing to not have to walk on this goo...'
Her eyes scan her companions. 'They make this look easy...'
As they pass the numerous buildings and enter the sea of beasts, she whispers "Ibinu, it seems the hierarchy is head related. Think their master is a 3-headed snake?"
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Ibinu channels his mastery of fire into his feet to super-heat them, simply sizzling away the oil and leaving flaming footprints as he walks along.
He whispers back, "that is a good observation, I would say we should hope the master is ONLY three-headed, and not nine-headed." He continues musing quietly, though this time about the off-putting architecture, "At least it won't be hard to flee if necessary, everything being on a straight grid means as long as we don't consciously turn in circles, we will make it to the wall eventually."
He also tries to memorize their path as he goes.
"Valid point...though would the wall 'let' us back out?"
Uneasily glancing at the number of creatures within sight, she forces a stern face. 'Gotta look the part. The Warrior won't let us fall in such a place! Have faith.'
Glaring at the slick ground and doing her best to keep things smooth and steady. That is easier said than done. Though she manages to not end up laying on the floor the handful of times she starts to slide.
Keeping a few paces behind Ibinu and Inam, "I left a hole but I doubt we would make the run."
You come upon one of the Towers of Incus - up close, it seems less a building and more a phenomenon like a mountain or an ocean. Beyond the scale of elen minds. It is obviously made of metal, a strange orange alloy that reminds you of brass and bronze, but more vivid.
Only as far around as a house, the spindly tower stretches up to such a height that defies easy calculation - you are unsure if you truly see the top or if the orange alloy simply blends with the crimson clouds. It is composed of segments, like the different parts of a finger...or different parts of a bug.
A two-head approaches you from the base of the tower. Four glaring red eyes watch you. "Pay your treasure to pass the Tower!" Bellicose red smoke pours from its mouth.
Ssuh-Luhss and the others use their right head to extract something from a sheath at their sides - small trinkets clatter to the street, ting, ding. A dagger, a bolt, two scalpels(?). Ssuh-Luhss simply puts down a gold coin.
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Ibinu pulls out three extra bolts from his pack and hands them off to Kallik, Sequoya & Mishipeshu as tribute for them to supply the guard. He then steps up and tosses a simple dagger to the ground.
Raising an eyebrow but remaining silent, Sequoya tosses the bolt among the other items of tribute.
Watching the situation unfold, Inam nods to Etrah before dropping a single platinum piece in the pile.
"So, is your master inside then?" she inquires.
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Sighing heavily, the phoenix plucks a feather and drops it to the ground before taking flight again.
'Interesting game the male sylph plays....I hope it pans out.'
Sighing and since the boat should not be rocked anymore than it already has been. Taking the bolt and mumbling, "Thank you."
Tossing the bolt in pile and biting back a smile at the over the topness from Inam. Is that the least valuable thing she has?
The belligerent two-head gathers up the tribute - one head sweeps the items into the second head's mouth, which then spits it all into a side compartment in the armor near the upper neck. It then ignores you and continues patrolling the perimeter of the tower.
Ssuh-Luhss lets off a bit of annoyed yellow smoke at Inam's question, but quickly stops. It says, "Yes. Come."
Green-eyes reaches down and touches a nearby slave with the side of its head. Ssuh-Luhss looses an ugly barrage of hissing and screeching,
and the slaves stiffens, as if shocked or paralyzed. Ssuh-Luhss whispers a few words to the slave, and the one-head darts off, quick as a flash, toward the orange tower.
Sequoya watches the exchange with the wariness of one expecting an attack at any given moment, both herself and Mishipeshu ready to erupt into violence at any given moment.
Closer to the tower, you are finally away from those streaming ranks and files of snakes. The thousands of slaves are oddly quiet on the greased streets, making no extraneous noise. Slightly removed from the commotion now, it sounds like the susurrous of wind-blown wheat fields, with the occasional scrape of metal.
The amber-eyed two-head, who stared at Inam so brazenly after her show of healing magic, shouts in a strangled reptilian voice, "Stop, Ssuh-Luhss! You ask too much! Emissaries and slaves of such worth should have an audience with more than just one Lord!"
Ssuh-Luhss does indeed stop, and quickly surveys Ambereyes and the others. "How many of you are willing to die, just to contest audience rights?"
"How many masters do they have?" whispers Inam.
Stepping forward, she watches the events before her. 'This is their issue. I shouldn't step in...at least not yet...'
Ibinu steps up and whispers to Inam, ”We have a large and captive audience, it might be wise to take advantage of the situation. Plus, we might get to deal with more of the lords this way,”
Ambereyes opens his mouth wide, fangs dripping. "You cannot keep this for Sshunss-Lak-Sa!" Its eyes gleam with inner fire, and the eyes of several nearby slaves gleam in response. The one-heads move with purpose, surrounding their master with unnatural precision.
Ssuh-Luhss waits for a moment, looking for an escape. Then, he gives a brief backward bow. "Of course, that is only proper. Extend an invitation to your own master to our tower."
Ambereyes slaps one of the slaves with his left head and shouts, "You heard the gracious host! Bring tidings to our lord at once!" The slave slithers off in the direction of a distant tower.
Looking at Inam, Ambereyes says, "My master will be most eager to meet you, white magic." He gives a curved backward bow.
Keeping near to Inam and Ibinu but in-between the them and the possible threat. Glancing back, "Not sure that sounds safe."
Biting the inside of her mouth to keep quiet. Great they want her magic. This will end poorly
With a nod, Inam smiles at Ambereyes. "Oh, good. Glad to hear it."
'Well...with the nature of this place and it's emphasis on sacrificing...that could be a bad thing...I wish they'd stop bowing like that though. It's...unsettling!'
"Yes, yes. The more the merrier. It would be best to discuss with all available masters at once. We'd hate to have to repeat ourselves. It's inefficient and we're only here for a short time."
Glancing towards Etrah, she ponders 'Have I made a mistake? Are we in trouble?'
Landing on Inam's shoulder's for a moment, Etrah whispers "The Warrior knows the path. Trust in it. He offer's his aid for your meeting."
Briefing the phoenix glows brightly as a charge surges through the sylph. Her pale features flash with a crimson light for a fraction of a moment before it fades.
Sequoya watches the exchange with wary tension.
They acted like they were starving when they encountered her healing. They'll try to drain her dry
After several minutes of tense staring--which feels like several candles--between snakes and elens, the same slave comes slithering back. It hisses to Ambereyes. Ambereyes turns both its heads up and around in an opaque gesture. "My master has accepted your invitation."
Ssuh-Luhss does not respond at first. It turns toward the entrance of the tower. "We will wait no longer. Your master will be taken inside upon arrival."
Moving toward the wide entrance, one of Ssuh-Luhss' heads looks forward, while the other keeps a close watch on all of you. The entryway is simply a wide hole in the structure - no doors, no ornamentation.
Inside, it is dark, loud, and close. The smells of snakes, oil, and some metallic odor invade your nostrils. Clanging hammers, painful in the tight hall, reverberate in your skull. As you all enter, the unseen hammering stops for a moment, then starts again in a frenzy of noise. The two-heads around you seem to preen and bask in the cacophony.
There is only one narrow, tall hallway forward, made of the same not-quite-brass as outside. There are many alcoves to either side, revealing forges and kilns by the dozen. You catch glimpses of slaves holding hammers with their mouths - even red-hot swords are held between their jaws, showing no sign of pain. The one-heads work with surprising coordination, for appearing all but mindless.
You reach the center of the tower, and find not a throne, but a twisting bar of steel that spirals all the way to the ceiling. With no explanation, the two-heads begin ascending the pole- you see now there are knobs and perforations in the metal to allow fangs and tails to grab hold. The snakes' climbing is oddly graceful; fang, fang, tail, swing.
Their ascent is rapid - only Ssuh-Luhss is left. "Do the softskins require slaves to aid their climb?" A hint of light laughing yellow smoke.
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Glaring at Ssuh-Luhss with open disdain, Sequoya takes a moment to stare up at the spiraling poke. Reaching within, she calls upon the power to mimic the wild creatures of the forest.
With a smile she jumps up to take hold of the first handhold, effortlessly making her way up with staggering grace.
With a low growl, Mishipeshu looks up as Sequoya climbs before jumping onto the pole, claes digging in as the mighty tiger works his way up.
Ibinu glares at the snakes pretending to be good at climbing. Without a word he scurries up the easy-to-climb tower. No snake will ever out-climb a sylph.
Rubbing her holy symbol, Inam smiles. "The Warrior holds his own."
Without another word she starts climbing the spire with her companions.
Sequoya, Mishipeshu, and Ibinu are all naturally excellent climbers - they make it up in short time.
Kallik takes a bit longer. Krz seems to pulse once or twice at her side as she works the anytool. The result is very similar in appearance to the snakes' fangs. Strapping the spikes to both of her wrists, she makes her careful, determined way up the strange, twisting pole.
Etrah aids Inam in her ascent. The sylph and her phoenix are the last of the elens to finish the climb.
From below, Ssuh-Luhss observes each of you, heads cocked askew. When Inam is finished, it moves to the bottom of the pole, its green eyes glowing brighter and brighter. Ssuh-Luhss climbs just a few feet onto the pole. A flash of green and-
Suddenly the giant bar of metal moves like a thing alive, thrashing and bending and groaning. Coils of steel wrap around Ssuh-Luhss. Then, in a strange, peristaltic motion, the coils writhe around the pole, carrying Ssuh-Luhss quickly and silently up to the top.
The green eyes dim, and the pole returns to its former shape.
The room above is open, with a high ceiling. It is empty, save for a creaking...nest? of iron and steel that hangs twenty feet above you. Amidst the cables, wires, and beams, you see three pairs of emerald green eyes. As you suspected, the Lord of Incus have three heads. As they slither out, you see the unarmored heads of this Lord are covered in brilliant orange skin, patterned with red diamonds.
The heads speak in turn, from left to right. "We are Sshunss-Lak-Sa. You are welcome here. What would you have us call you?"
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Ibinu smiles and starts speaking in common, "Ah, introductions then." He switches to underdragon and introduces himself, "I am Ibinu Kemish, herald of The Cauldron Lady, the better half of Volcano."
He then points at the two oreads, "I believe there was a translation error earlier, these two stone people are allies, not slaves. They are..."
Inam steps forward, drawing comfort from Ibinu's confidence. "Inam Smithrock, Champion of the Warrior. And this is my companion, Etrah the Phoenix." Etrah spreads his wings and gives a small bow.
Kallik is about to say something, but Sshunss-Lak-Sa interrupts. "What did this In Am mean by 'smith rock'? Is it claiming to be able skilled in the use of hammer and anvil? And so small?"
Sequoya watches the exchange in silence, waiting until the snake's attention turns her way.
Inhaling though her nose while biting her tongue. I suppose I will just wait as I am a slave.