Isamu thinks a moment, then grins a bit. "How about the two of us have a contest to see who can turn into the smallest animal?"
"I...I mean, that doesn't seem fair." The turtle creature scratches his head. "I mean, I'm already a little turtle, and you're a giant human, which is only barely an animal at all. Seems like I'd win by default, by my reckoning. But sure, I'll let you give it a shot." He yawns. "Which contest should we do first?"
Rex looks up after just placing his breastplate on the ground. "Oh, uh, you two have it."
Isamu shrugs slightly. "I'd be fine with going first. What happens if I lose? I simply can't cross?"
"Eh." Daguen shrugs as well. "I'll just go back to the wrestling match. I never get to throw anyone in Neragu anymore." He bows. "It's your turn. Let's see your shape."
Isamu bows back. "Very well, then," he says, and then promptly turns into a small fox.
He looks up at Daguen with a vulpine grin.
Daguen looks down at Isamu, chewing his lower...well, beak. "Hm. Well-played. But have you considered...THIS?!"
Daguen drops to his knees and wraps his arms around them, pulling himself into an impossibly tight fetal position. He squeezes tighter and tighter, until it almost seems like he is disappearing into himself, like a snake eating its own tail. He grunts and groans, clearly struggling, and finally, with a loud pop, disappears into his shell.
The shell falls over into the grass. There is a short pause as the onlookers register what has just happened.
"Nope," Cappy says, whistling. "Still a bigger than the fox, I'd say—a hair bigger."
Isamu yips something that might be a laugh, though given that he's currently limited to fox sounds, it's hard to tell for sure.
"Well." Daguen's voice comes out muffled initially as he 'unfolds' himself from his shell. "That could have gone better."
The turtle creature stands up again. Notably, he has carefully kept his head straight and upright the entire time, preventing the bowl from spilling. "I will race you, dog and spider. And..." His gaze falls reluctantly upon the goblin, who grins winningly. "Fine. And you, 'Cappy'. From here to the Smiling Stone." He gestures to a large boulder about three hundred feet off. "First to make it there wins. For every racer that makes it from here to the stone, you get one person across. But if I win...I take the dog's heart."
There is a short pause as it waddles back into the stream, then yawns. "Just kidding. Ready?"
"Ready I'll ever be!" Cappy grins, adjusting his hat. "Yeldrid, why don't you fire us off?"
Trin looks on, wide-eyed. They look between Yeldrid and Isamu. "I'm not sure about this!"
"It'll be fine, Trin. Worse comes to worse, a few people get chucked into the river." Yeldrid chuckles and pats them on the shoulder.
Yeldrid is a little surprised Cappy knew what her gun is, but she reckons she'll talk to him about that later.
Yeldrid loads a blank shot, waits for everyone to line up, and calls out
"Alright. ON YOUR MARKS. GET SET."
Isamu shifts back to this true form just in time to flinch as Yeldrid fires her gun.
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Lily throws a dagger at the turtle as a distraction
"You'd better....oh snapdragon, sugarflies..." Lily begins taunting Daguen as part of her attack, unfortunately the ground near the river is a bit muddy, and she falls in an embarassing heap as she tries to distract the turtle.
Non-plussed, she deftly begins ahead---vaulting, tumbling, and climbing parkour-style to make the shortest path to the Smiling Stone and hopefully make up for that initial gambit.
The First Six Seconds
Cappy is the first to take off, springing from the path and racing along the river's edge. Only about forty feet in, though, the goblin seems to trip on a root and fall facefirst, vanishing from sight with a, "Oop!"
"Ugh," Daguen mutters from the stream. " That's unsporting..."
Rex had just removed the last piece of armor when Daguen casually mentions possibly murder, specifically his. "What now." His claim of joking does not alleviate Rex's mind but it is too late to think of that for long. He misses the beginning of Yeldrid's count down and barely has any time to hope out of his greaves before the gun is fired. The sound is loud and terrifying as always but Rex leaps into action a breath after Daguen. In the water the turtle is fast. But on land, Rex is faster and he quickly gains ground. Like a squirrel, he dodges around obstacles and over fallen logs, tongue flapping in the breeze. This was going to be fun.
Lily Shadow vaults from stone to stump to tree to riverbank, sprinting with all the agility of a hungry jumping spider. But her throw has sent her off-balance, and she finds herself lagging behind the others.
With a startled hiss at the dagger, Daguen takes off down the river, jetting against the current with the speed of a startled crayfish, or perhaps even a spooked octopus.
Trin runs over to the side of the creek and reaches in, retrieving Lily's dagger. They hold it with a mix of reverence and unsure-whether-they-should-be-holding-thisness.
At six seconds into the race, Rex is in the lead at 250 feet, bounding on all fours towards the stone as if chasing the world's most ill-mannered squirrel. Daguen is a fair ways behind at 160 feet, more than halfway to the stone. Lily Shadow trails at 120 feet, though she does have a slight edge in momentum. And Cappy is...nowhere to be seen.
Seeing Trin pick up the dagger, Isamu jogs over to them.
"Trin, why don't you let me hold that?" he asks. "I could show you a few things about it."
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Rex charges down the dirt trail. He looks over his shoulder at the others and smiles at being ahead. When he turns back, a log appears in his path. He panics and leaps as hard as he can.
He realizes his mistake mid flight.
He hits the chest first and flops over like a fish out of water. He recovers as only a canine can and keeps going with a wheezing yell, "I'm okay."
"Yeah?" Trin holds up the dagger for Isamu, excited. "Cool!" They glance at Yeldrid. "Yeldrid, Isamu's gonna show me how to use a knife!"
Lily sees herself lagging far behind the others, and shakes her head, dashing into an all-out sprint, while still avoiding obstacles
As she sees rex charge chest-first into the log ahead, she grimaces, and shouts some encouragement "Don't worry Rex, just keep your eyes in front of you, you have this!"
"Ha, that's not a knife," Yeldrid grins, reaches into her boot and pulls out her dagger. "This is a knife."
She hands it to Isamu with a wink.
As Rex rams into the log, flips over it, and slams into the Smiling Stone facefirst, Lily Shadow feels a tap on her elbow. She looks down and realizes that Cappy has somehow closed with her. He grins, easily keeping pace. "I know a shortcut, Miss Shadow, if 're open!"
It's the last few seconds of the race. Daguen is surging towards the finish line, practically skipping across the water like a stone, but he'll need to get out of the water to complete the race. The red-hatted goblin grins, offering his hand.
Isamu takes both daggers, puts Lily's away for the moment, and starts telling Trin about the different parts of the knife and how to use one safely.
"That would be most welcome Cappy, please lead the way."
Temporarily stunned, Rex lays there completely still. Once he is sure all his faculties are barking in the right direction, he springs up to watch the rest of the race.
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Cappy grabs Lily's hand, and Lily feels a strange sensation rush through her. She suddenly becomes aware of a small wooden trapdoor in the grass up ahead of them. Was that there before?
With a whistle, Cappy slides into the trapdoor, kicking its brass handle open, and yanks Lily inside.
Less than a second later, a trapdoor opens from the ground right next to Rex, and Lily and Rex emerge. Daguen's eyes widen as Cappy (and, presumably, Lily) slap their hands on the Smiling Stone with moments to spare.
Neither trapdoor can be found upon later inspection. Cappy seems quite pleased with himself.
Lily looks around astounded after leaving the trapdoor, belatedly realizing she should slap the smiling stone, which she does with gusto. "That is a very handy shortcut Cappy!"
Yeldrid whistles and yells out "You beauty! That's how ya do it!"
Cappy gives a low bow. "Was my pleasure!"
"Well," Daguen says, with a low sigh, "I suppose that's that. You'll all be on your way, then." The turtle stretches and yawns, turning and waddling back into the stream. He doesn't seem disappointed so much as he seems tired—physically, that is.
Isamu looks up from his demonstration. "Time for us to go, then, Trin," he says, handing the daggers back to their owners.
Yeldrid calls out to Daguen, "Take care, Daguen. Do the Guild proud."
She strides across the newly created bridge, happy as can be.
Cappy follows Yeldrid across the bridge, Cappy as can be.
Rex shakes himself from the dazing hit on the rock and pants as he looks around. He cocks his head at Lily and Cappy then over at Daguen. "Did we win?" Daguen confirms and Rex nods in satisfaction. That was indeed a fun run. He takes a more sedate pace back to his gear and starts donning the armor. "Thank you for letting us cross," he says to Daguen. "And it was a pleasure to meet you Cappy," he says to the odd goblin. "Unfortunately we have a mission to get to so far thee well." He crosses the bridge gingerly, testing each step, before hoping on the ground on the other side. "Well made."
Daguen nods curtly as he drifts back into the water.
"Oh, thee well as well!" Cappy nods happily, keeping pace with the party. He strums his lute casually as he walks along the path, right next to Yeldrid. Trin eyes him uncertainly. The goblin seems entirely oblivious to their—and anyone else's—odd glances.
"Where are you headed, Cappy?" Isamu asks as he subconsciously places himself between the goblin and Trin. "It might be that our paths mingle for a while."
"Oh, yes!" Cappy smiles brightly. "There is only one path, after all, and only two directions down it!"
"I suppose you know where you're going, then? I suppose that makes one of us!" Yeldrid chuckles to herself.
"Oh, yes." Cappy plinks a few notes on his lute. "I'm west, naturally!"
"Have you ever been this way before?" Isamu asks.
"Well it'll be nice to have some company on the journey then; someday you'll have to teach me how you find those shortcuts."
"Oh, a long time ago." Cappy shrugs. "But it's a long time. Roads change! It is good to the journey with friends, eh?" He winks at Lily. "Finding a cut is easy—it's knowing how to follow that tricky!"
The band continues onwards through the forest, now with one additional tagalong. Trin is cautiously curious towards the goblin, who seems to handle every question—even the more insensitive ones, like, "Did someone squash your face?"—with great humor. Soon, Cappy is merrily strumming his lute and whistling loudly to entertain Trin along the trail.
Perhaps, the group notices, as the sun approaches a branch-obscured horizon and the forest grows darker, a bit too loud.
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Isamu's hand hasn't strayed far from his rapier all day. The forest had proven itself dangerous enough. As night approaches, he hopes fervently they'll be able to see the moon tonight. He'll feel better if Ysidar's light shines on them.
"We'd best quiet down a bit," he says to the group but especially Cappy. "We've had enough trouble in the woods without attracting more attention."
"Yes, this wood is very strange. Gangles, water-turtles, voices in the night, ghost children and a very hungry politician. Very strange indeed."
Cappy frowns, but stops whistling and stops playing. "Well, we're strange travelers, Rex."
He is silent and subdued as the group travels through this part of the Writhing Wood. Trin fiddles with the clicking device Yeldrid gave them, the ghost child seeming similarly ill-at-ease. This area is dark, and smells of mildew, and the light filters awkwardly through the branches like it's embarrassed to be there. But the moon does shine, at least. And those beams of moonlight are all that prevent Isamu from tripping right over the first monolith the party encounters.
It is an old and wild thing, covered in moss and hairy lichen, a great gray stone roughly Trin's size, shaped like an arch. The etchings are marred by wind and water and mud, and the earth before it is covered in gaudy yellow mushrooms. A winged skull is carved in the top.
Nobody buries the dead anymore. The dead are set in boats, or, if need be, burned. It is more respectful. And it is safer.
Gravestones are not a common sight.
There are more of these carved stones around—some in the path, some next to it. Some mostly worn away or broken, some almost fully intact. This unpleasant part of the forest seems almost full of them, in fact, now that the group knows what to look for.
It is a skeleton, covered in moss and fungi and thorny briars. It seems lifeless now that Yeldrid has a clear look at it—just strewn across the branch. But Yeldrid could swear she saw it shifting a second ago.
"Boneboy above. Get down."
Yeldrid spins her gun into her hand and shoots upwards at the shifting skeleton.
There is a sudden bang, and the entire party is showered in glitter. Yeldrid's gun has seemingly splintered down the middle and is leaking a multicoloured substance. It smells of licorice.
"Ummm....looks like I've got some more hair dye. So, go get 'em boys and Lily. I'm gonna go fix my gun."
Yeldrid walks over to the side of the path and starts pulling apart her gun. She siphons some of the weird substance into a pot.
As Yeldrid is occupied fixing her gun, Rex spots a skeletal figure scrabbling in the branches. No sooner has he done so than Cappy is pointing out and hissing, "There!" Lily and Isamu notice it as well.
As well as the four others scrambling out of the brush and scrubby briars, approaching the path.
The corpses are covered in moss and fungi and thorny vines, and there is little flesh remaining—just brilliant red roses that emerge from their eye sockets, their mouths, their ribcages. The plants seem to be all that hold them together.
"Iiiinterlopers," rasps the skeleton up above, with a grinding, yet somehow nasal voice that sets Yeldrid's and Rex's ears on-edge. "Trrrrespassers..."
Cappy's head tilts quizzically, and he takes out his lute and starts to play. Every plinking note seems to resonate strangely, and everyone who hears it can swear they hear other distant instruments, some strange to them—fiddles and panpipes, cellos and harmonicas, organs and steelpans. The music is discordant, but something about it puts a skip in the listener's step.
Lily starts a moment at the sharp retort of the gun, suddenly taking notice of the strange figures creeping around in the darkness above. She shakes her head quickly, collecting her thoughts as the figures speak.
"I apologize if we have trespassed on your important site," she calls up towards the trees, "We are merely travellers through the woods, and mean no harm." She glances over at Yeldrid, fiddling with her gun, "Surely we can find a way through the forest without disturbing your..." She looks at the stones uncertainly ...shrines??...
There is silence for a moment.
The response does not come from any single skeleton. It seems to emanate from the ground, the trees, the moss and ferns. Every now and then, it releases from one of the five skeletons, seemingly at random. But the voice remains the same—grinding, nasal, grinding.
"IIIIII need no shrrrrrines, girl. The forrrrest is my shrine. The ssssssky, my cathedral. The corpse-filled grrrround, my offerings." The skeletons each rap their knuckles upon their own skulls, each producing a slightly different tone. The result is a strange, discordant five-note melody. "Toooo travel through my woods iiiiis harm, girl. And TWO of your number..." The skeletons perform the melodic drumming once more. "...have spoken with the STUMP WIGHT." When it emphasizes words, the speaker does not grow louder. Instead, its voice turns echoing and distant, as if it is screaming down a long, narrow cave.
"If travel is harm," Isamu begins, hand on his rapier-hilt, "Then would it not be best to let us travel quickly, that our journey may pass beyond the boughs of the forest sooner?"