"Yes, no harm at all. I simply have no impulse control."
Yeldrid smiles wide.
Ding-dong-dang-deng-clunk. The skeletons drum their skulls as they watch the party with dark, empty eyes. "Better ssssstill to purge myself of those who seeeeeek to walk the path. I w-w-w-w-watch as DEMONS and SSSSSTYGIAN CASTAWAYS crrrrrawl through me like beeeeeetles. What just cause h-h-h-have you that j-j-justifies your disrespect towards a GOD? W-w-w-what is it that justifies dealing with the STUMP WIGHT, who was sealed within my shadows for GOOD REASON?"
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"Any disrespect was from ignorance," Isamu states, warily watching the skeletons back. Was this voice speaking true? It knew something of what they'd done, true, but that scarcely made it a god, or even the spirit of the entire forest.
It might, after all, just be dangerously insane.
He let no trace of these thoughts color his voice. "Most of us are not from these lands, and so have no knowledge of this place. Which is, of course, why some of us became lost and encountered the Stump Wight, who we knew nothing of."
"As for our cause, it is a mission of mercy, to find one carried from their home against their will and rescue them. Rescuing an innocent from a pursuing demon has become a second mission. And demons being what they are, I'm not certain our deaths would stop said demon's pursuit."
"Iiiiiignorance is the third-worst of crimes," rasps the voice from the treetops. "After innocence and insolence."
Ding-dong-dang-deng-clunk. "Your d-d-d-d-deaths might ssssend it into hunger for a few nights. Th-th-th-this demon is H-H-H-H-H-HUNGRY."
Cappy lays a hand on Trin's shoulder. "Are you saying that demon needs to eat?"
"...iiiiiit likes to eat."
Lily shudders for a moment at the strange entity's whispers before collecting herself Wow, no amount of sparring in the woods compares to fighting a god As her thoughts spiral out a bit, she thinks about her idol, the crimson avenger, and the sorts of trials he went through. hmm...
"Well, beetles are not worthy of the attention of a god" Lily gives an exaggerated curtsy,"surely leaving us to deal with each other is the better option; in the best case both your problems are dealt with, and in the worst case one is and the other weakened. Why not let us continue?"
Rex nervously gripped his weapon as the skeletons spoke in their strange a capella nightmare of a voice. Insolence, innocence and ignorance were the worst crimes? That was enough to know it was evil. That and it's use of the dead. He cocks his head curiously as the words sink in though. Stump Wight. Shadow. Demon. "Are...you the giant that pinned the stump wight to the log?"
"What's a Stump Wright?" Yeldrid attempts to say with a file between her teeth. She is half-following the conversation going on, more concerned with the state of her firearm.
Rex nervously gripped his weapon as the skeletons spoke in their strange a capella nightmare of a voice. Insolence, innocence and ignorance were the worst crimes? That was enough to know it was evil. That and it's use of the dead. He cocks his head curiously as the words sink in though. Stump Wight. Shadow. Demon. "Are...you the giant that pinned the stump wight to the log?"
There is a strange hiss that runs through the leaves overhead. After a moment, Rex realizes it is laughter.
"No, it was n-n-n-n-not the Writhing Wood. The Ssssstump Wight was chained by a force I... I am n-n-n-n-not... ALLOWED to name." The voice sounds vaguely cross. It pauses a moment longer, then continues, "Oh, v-v-v-v-very well, then. I do not care to t-t-t-trifle with beetles. Be off! You wiiiiiill never slay the demon. I would gamble anything on it!" The hissing laughter returns.
"Right..." Isamu says, not wanting to voice any of his thoughts on just how insane this voice seemed. Or, at least, amoral and arrogant. Just how far down its list of sins was murder?
"We'll keep moving, then." He matches words with action and starts walking.
"Agreed." Yeldrid fixes the gun with a clack, and puts the weird vial of 'hair dye' inside her belt pouch.
After some time walking after the encounter, Yeldrid stops, "Wait, did that thing call itself the Writhing Wood?"
Lily sighs in relief, and smiles at the animated corpses,"How about safe passage for us, and anyone else from the town of Barlily through your wood?" Lily can't resist trying to push the wood a step farther. It's a very small gamble after all, and if we do slay the demon, perhaps we could be useful in the future as well... Lily plays coy, wriggling her multiple appendages and doing her best to entice the wood.
Ding-Dong-Dang-Deng— The tune cuts off.
"You would make this wager?" The hissing laughter arrives again. "I will accept! Foolish spider. But if the demon remains within alive this forest when you leave, be of understanding, little spider: Your little tree fort will become my new place of residence. Deal?"
Lily tilts her head for a second I'd hate to lose my fort.... but if I can't protect the town I guess I'm not worthy of it anyways. Lily smiles bravely before again dropping a deep curtsy before the skeletal beings. "Deal"
"Are you sure that's wise? Wagering your home is a risky gamble." He puffs up his chest and tries to look confident as he says, "It would be an honor to slay a demon and make the forest safer but if we never find it you've lost a home."
"That would not be nearly so entertaining for the forest though, and besides...the way our luck runs he'll show up before long. Lily thinks for a second You seem to have a nose for such things Rex; how would you deal with this demon?
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As Lily and Rex speak, it begins to drizzle. Trin gives an annoyed yell; Cappy's hat seems to deflate as water weighs it down and kills its perky attitude—and, to some extent, Cappy's. With newfound urgency, the group works to select a good campsite. They find two potential sites, both odd but workable:
One site is located beneath a massive rotten log, which fell against the side of a hill and would offer good shelter from the wind and ran. Glowing yellow mushrooms cover the remains of the stump in a curious spiraling pattern.
The other is located on the other side of the hill, in a strange cave. Those with darkvision are fairly sure it's not inhabited, and Rex and Yeldrid don't smell signs of any recent occupants aside from the odd badger or mole.
Isamu is suspicious of both, truth be told, but he has a preference.
"I don't trust those mushrooms at all," he states. "I'd rather go for the cave."
"Agreed. Cave it is."
Lily looks over at the mushrooms curiously, but shrugs; "Cave sounds fine to me."
"We should up a watch," Cappy remarks as he watches the four adventurers work at making the campsite livable. The goblin seems fairly content to strum his lute rather than help—at least, as long as nobody is rude enough to ask him. "You can never trust a that leads down. Closer to the Underworld, know."
Trin is wandering slightly deeper into the cave, marveling at the strange texture of the cavern walls. "It's like something clawed this whole hole out years ago!"
"Yes, we should certainly keep a watch. I can take the first or the last watch," Isamu volunteers. Privately he hopes that the moon is visible tonight--he always feels better with Ysidar's Beacon in the sky.
He stays close to Trin as they walk deeper in. "Let's not go too far, now," he says, eying the marks worriedly.
"I'll take first. I'm keen for a nights sleep. I'm pretty exhausted from all that legwork today..." Yeldrid curls up into a blanket, picking splinters out of her fur and flicking them into the back of the cave.
"We having a fire tonight, or...?"
"I'll take middle then, and a fire sounds lovely."
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"That would not be nearly so entertaining for the forest though, and besides...the way our luck runs he'll show up before long. Lily thinks for a second You seem to have a nose for such things Rex; how would you deal with this demon?
"That is a fair assessment. If you are expecting some great strategy or advice I am sorry to say Corgyn have few. I would deal without as all our warriors do. We stand fearlessly before it and charge." In a more conspiratorial whisper he says, "Usually the adorableness of such an action throws them off enough for us to get in close."
At first, the cave sounds like a much better option. Dry, dependable, good coverage. But Trin's comment sets him on edge. It did look like something came out here. "The strange mushroom log isn't sounding so bad now," he says to himself. But he toughs it out and accepts it. He is tempted to keep his armor on but knows that will only leave him exhausted in the morning. "I can take the last."
"I can split a watch," Cappy offers, strumming a few strings on his lute. "My eyes may be little, but they keen as the eyes of crows, and these ears aren't for show." He taps his left ear with a grin.
Trin comes back with Isamu, though they continue to study the cave walls as the group lays out their bedrolls and tries to get to sleep. Cappy stays awake later than most, whether or not anyone accepts his offer to split a watch, gently retuning his lute.
Trin, on the other hand, is asleep the second their head hits the bundle of furs they seem content to use as a pillow. It has been a long day for the young aasimar.
Yeldrid watches the fire. Almost transfixed. He's had some ill fortune lately with the Rider, and he's beginning to wonder if he did something wrong.
That said, inscrutable chaos gods with a tendency to explode, both figuratively and literally, are not going to have very rational explanations for why they do what they do.
Seeing that Yeldrid is taking the first watch, Isamu goes to bed.
The first hour of Yeldrid's watch passes slowly as he contemplates recent events. Cappy is still awake, but his eyelids are plainly drooping.
So it is only Yeldrid who hears the heavy scraping sounds coming from deeper into the cave. He estimates them to be perhaps a hundred feet off, though even with his keen ears, the cavern echoing makes gauging distances difficult.
Yeldrid sighs. Never a moments rest, it seems. Yeldrid draws their dagger and pulls a torch from Samson's saddle bags and shakes awake the closest person.
Yeldrid shakes Cappy awake, saying quietly though sharply,
Cappy takes Yeldrid's torch and, with a crackle from his fingers, lights it. He stares off into the depths of the tunnel. "Should we go and check out?"
"Get everyone up first." Yeldrid pulls out their gun in their off-hand and watches the back of the cave.
Cappy obediently nudges Rex, Isamu and Lily awake. "I'll here with Trin," he suggests, shouldering his lute. "This might be a trick."
Isamu wakes with a start. It takes him only a moment to catch on to what's going on.
"I'd feel better if we all went as a group, just with Yeldrid, Cappy, and Trin in the rear," he says, standing up and drawing his blade. "That way we'll all stay close enough to each other to support each other. After all, if it's a trick, it could easily enough be something outside trying to make us think it's something inside--there's plenty of magic that could do something like that."
Some other kitsune back home had been fond of such trickery, after all...
"Sounds like a plan to me."
Rex raises his head, eyes still unfocused as he's roused from sleep. He quickly rolls over and onto his feet as the seriousness of the situation permeates his still hazy thoughts. "What? What is it?" He gropes for his blade and pulls it closer. No one need answer as he easily hears the scratching sound. "It'll take me a few minutes to get my armor. I'll watch Trin and follow when I am done." Rex then dives in to the cuirass and starts belting and buckling a plenty.
Lily yawns, blinks slowly and stretches "Is it morning already? she looks around blearily before noticing the sound and coming fully awake. Lily looks around concerned "Does anybody know what that sound is?"
Yeldrid nods at Rex and asks Isamu to lead the way.
Isamu cautiously advances, rapier at the ready.
Isamu, Yeldrid and Lily make their way deeper into the cave, Isamu's torchs searing away the darkness and casting shattered shadows onto the strange walls. It does look like something clawed this tunnel out—the marks are highly distinctive.
The cave curves deeper and deeper down, growing steeper and steeper. And it is around this point that the group starts to hear the clattering. It's coming from up ahead, and it is rapid and hollow. As they get closer, it gets louder. It seems to be in time with the scratching noises, though it echoes less.
BEYOND HERE HEARTBEATS DARE NOT TREAD
FOR THIS IS ONE PATH OF THE MERRY DEAD
The Merry Dead are a slightly different group. Though still considered undead, they have been to the Underworld. They then, according to folk songs, got bored and left. The Merry Dead dwell adjacent to the Underworld, holding eternal celebrations, but occasionally do carve routes to the surface. They use these routes to steal, borrow and sometimes even kidnap things from the world of the living that tickle their fancy—such as fine drink, pigments, and dance partners. Sometimes they even leave the underground realms for good through these paths, seeking to sample the delights of the surface world firsthand.
This appears to be one such path.
"I think these are some of the Merry Dead," Isamu whispers to the others. "We'd be better off not drawing their attention."
"Douse the lights? Or just make a break for it? We only just set up camp. We can do so elsewhere without losing too much time in the morning."
Lily nods, Ok, I did like the look of those mushrooms earlier---they had such a pretty glow.
Rex thanks Cappy for the aid, though he had to readjust some of the straps the goblin cinched, and takes up his sword. He takes a spare torch too, lights it, and shoves it in his mouth. Now with his hands free, he bounds down the tunnel after his friends. He comes to a sliding halt behind Lily Shadow, transitioning from four to two legs with ease. "What's happening? What did you find?"
Isamu puts a finger to his snout. "Quiet, please, Rex. We don't want to draw their attention. It looks like we might want to go somewhere else to rest."
Isamu sees the upper skeleton pause, cocking its skull. "Hello, hello," everyone hears. "Do I hear something?"
"No," replies a guttural grunt.
"I could swear I did."
No."
"Hm!"
Isamu waves the group back and starts to sneak away, though he tries to bring up the rear.
"Oh," Rex says quietly, ears going flat with shame. He slowly begins to work his way backwards, moving as little of his torso as possible so as not to cause his armor to scrap or jangle. With fuzzy feat and a fur coat as padding underneath, he made surprisingly little noise.