Serious Plots 7: Why so srs?

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

"Yes, I get it. Now let's just pick a door and... weren't there more doors earlier? Which one vanished?" Tethrik looks to see which door is missing.

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

Armonia moves towards the main entrance of the room and takes a look. "It looks like the center left door is missing....huh.....that's weird" Armonia looks at Tethrik and shrugs.

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

"Let's keep going." Tethrik slips into the nearest door.

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

Armonia watches Tethrik curiously. He takes a seat on the raised step as he watches the Water tunnel, waiting for Tethrik to return from it

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

Tethrik comes back out and heads to the nearest door that they haven't been through yet. "Oops."

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

Armonia smiles his big goofy grin as he follows Tethrik into the next tunnel.

The tunnel is a soft green color that makes the stone seem less solid. A gentle breeze can be felt coming towards them. Armonia doesn't bother looking back to see if the tunnel closes behind them, but a thought does come to his mind.

"Tethrik....I just thought. You know how the tunnel closes behind us when we start a Trial right?" Assuming Tethrik confirms this. "Well, what if there was one less door, because someone else is doing that Trial?"

Before Tethrik can answer, the roar of wind can be heard as they approach a room. This room is much bigger than any of the other rooms they have seen so far. In the center sits a hole 20 ft wide. If they were to look into it, they would be unable to see the bottom. On opposite ends of the room are two smaller holes. Unlike the center hole, these holes have a torrent of air blasting out of them at high velocity. Looking up, Armonia sees no ceiling, but no sky either.

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

" IUVENUS COULD HAVE FOLLOWED US HERE! IT MIGHT BE HIM IN THERE!" Tethrik shouts over the roaring wind. NOW WHERE DO WE GO!

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

Armonia ponders for a moment, then pulls out a gold coin. He walks over to the left side air geyser and flips the coin into it. The coin hovers for a moment before being shot straight up into the air. Armonia waits a minute to see if the coin comes down. When it doesn't, Armonia nods his head then turns to Tethrik. "WELL TETHRIK, YOU KNOW THAT OLD SAYING! WHEN YOU'RE DOWN ON YOUR LUCK, THERE'S NO PLACE TO GO BUT UP!" And with that, Armonia jumps into the torrent, quickly blasting into the air and out of Tethrik's sight.

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

"WAIT FOR ME!" Tethrik does a running jump into the gap after Armonia.

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

Tethrik is immediately blasted into the air, traveling hundreds of feet before seeing what appears to be a floating boulder in the distance. As he approaches the mass, the air starts to slow down, growing calmer the higher he goes. When he gets level with the flat top of the rocky platform, the air feel as if it is barely keeping him afloat.

On top of the platform he sees Armonia standing, reaching his hand out to help pull Tethrik in. Beyond him, Tethrik may notice a pure white statue. It is too far to make out clear details but it appears to be two humanoid shapes standing back to back.

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins
"Well, we're here. Let's wake them up and start the challenge." Tethrik walks up to the statue and blows on it,

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

Tethrik blows fiercely on the statue, and the statue.....doesn't react at all.

"Umm....isn't it supposed to, I don't know, come to LIFE when you introduce its element?" Armonia says

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

"Yes, but how do you introduce air? It's in the air already." Tethrik tries to lift the statue and throw it off the island.

[Deathkeeper]

[Riverside Ruins]

Eschelle takes a few steps forward and examines the brass plate. It is taller than she is. "Do you fancy this is the door to the vault?" She passes her gaze over the featureless surface.

Jim can divine that the wands probably have something to do with illusory effects. Sticks is quite talented with them, and the quavery, erratic energy of the magic inside the wands speaks to Sticks' glamours. They likely do something grand and colorful... and perhaps dangerous.

Eschelle, after a few moments, goes to search the adjoining chamber on the left.

[Riverside Ruins]

"It'd surely be my first candidate," Michalson says, as he crouches down next to the plate. "Catch a skeg around this place while I see just what it is."

He'll examine the plate closely, first through his magic-sight visor and then normally, to spot any enchantments, traps, locks, mechanisms or other surprises.

[Riverside Ruins]

"I can't quite figure out what these old gadgets do. Do you think we should take them anyway?" Jim asks, inspecting them again. The vessel and machine do seem a bit heavy...

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

When Tethrik goes to grab the statue, his slight touch ends up knocking it backwards off its stand and, as Tethrik was aiming for, off of the island. Armonia walks over to the edge and watches it fall down, until it can no longer be seen. "Uuuuuuuuuuh.......WHAT?!?!?! TETHRIK! How are we supposed to get the challenge now?"

If Tethrik or Armonia turn around back towards the 'entrance' at any point, they will discover two floating 'humans' waiting completely silently. One appears to be dressed in fine robes that shimmer like the morning sun. The other is dressed in impressive armor decorated to look like the moon at the dead of night.

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

"Hello there. Are you our first guardians of air?" Tethrik greets the "humans"

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

"Aaaaaw, you didn't 'fall' for it, haHA get it? Fall for it?" says the sunrobed guardian. "I told you, Brother, that they would not be amused." says the moonarmored guardian. "Forgive my brother, he does not know when to take things seriously.""And you have a stick up your arse!" "We are indeed a Guardian of Air.""We are the Twins!" Both crystals from the previous trials shoot out a beam, which hit the twins. "Aha! BOTH Fire and Water, rare to see those two out of the way already.""Our challenge will certainly have to be worthy of such strong Trial goers."

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

Tethrik actually laughs at the twin's pun. "Haha! That's a good one! I didn't expect that!"

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

"Aha! See Brother! Some beings have good taste!""Please don't indulge my Brother, he is unbearable enough without the encouragement." "Fine, Fine. Let us just begin the challenge then.the two beings separate from each other, floating at the edges of the platform. "TRIAL GOERS, OUR CHALLENGE IS A SIMPLE ONE, BUT MANY HAVE FAILED." "WE ARE NOSTALGIC FOR OUR PAST AND WISH TO BE SATED."SO WE ASK OF YOU, SPEAK OUR TRUE NAME, AND YOU SHALL PASS!""TEN QUESTIONS ARE FREELY GIVEN TO HELP YOU FIND WHAT WE SEEK""ASK AWAY BRAVE WARRIORS"

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

It almost seems too easy. Tethrik recognizes the astrological symbology that has been behind the guardians this whole time. He knows what question to ask. "Is there a relationship between you and your fellow guardians and the zodiac signs of the planet Earth?"

[Terumitsu]

[Vampire's Lair]

Val, disheveled and exhausted after some hours of hunting around, finally finds what he was looking for in Westside. He looks uncertainly at the rather elaborate home he's approaching. When he first started asking around, this isn't exactly what he was expecting. But can he expect anything from a rogue vampire? Taking a steadying breath, he walks past the columns and knocks on the front door.

[Vampire's Lair]

The door is heavy and the knock elicits a dull *thunking* noise. It was the sort of sound that didn't really echo but still made itself known. For a long minute, there was nothing. And then, the clunk of a heavy lock followed by the sound of an equally heavy latch as the door quietly opened just wide enough to slide a foot in the gap. There didn't appear to be anyone actually there on the other side but there weren't exactly any windows that would be convenient to peer through to check that at the moment either.

From inside, there was the sound of something.. Rolling perhaps? Like something hard on a wooden floor rolling around constantly yet never slowing down or speeding up. The sound itself was a bit distant but at least audible now that there wasn't anything directly in the way of it's propagation.

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

"Oh yes indeed, they are our...""BROTHER! You know the rules. Yes Trial goers, there is indeed a relationship between our humble temple and the cosmic Zodiac." "FINE....ugh, no fun......anyway, whether or not they are exclusive to Earth, we do not know"

"What are you getting at Tethrik? I thought it was pretty obvious that was the 'theme' going on here."

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

"I was confirming that. The fact that they're out of order threw me off. You are Gemini." Tethrik conjures fire in the air forming a symbol, ♊.

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

"Ooo! It has been a very long time since soneone called us that."the moonarmored one rolls his eyes at the sunrobed one"Assuming you meant that as a question, Yes, that is indeed Our title, spoken in the Old tongue.""two questions down, 8 more till your defeat! What will you ask next I wonder?"

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

Tethrik looks at Armonia expectantly. If Gemini is wrong, he doesn't know what to say.

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

Armonia sees the look Tethrik gives him. "OH! Uh, are you.....Castor and Pollux? I think I heard somewhere that they were the Gemini."

"A good guess!""An educated guess. No, we are not Pollux and Castor, though they were indeed the original Gemini"

"Hmmmm...."

[Gullara]

[Vampire's Lair]

Val hesitates before the door. "Hello?" He calls. Assuming he gets no immediate response he touches beleath one frilly sleeve, steels himself, and then makes to push the door open. "I'm here to speak to Ghoul." He announces himself.

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

"Will you answer any question asked truthfully according to the intent of the question?" Tethrik is putting some of his other skills to use, like quibble.

[ChaoticHarmony]

Cyclopean Ruins

"If you truthfully ask a question, it is our intent to answer it." "HaHA, look at him trying to quibble with us, it's adorable."

An idea pops into Armonia's head. "Will you answer open-ended questions?"

"Why yes, yes we will." "I appreciate the straightforwardness of that question"

[bc56]

Cyclopean Ruins

"Alright, you'll answer open-ended questions. What are your names?" Tethrik laughs inwardly. Either it will work, or it won't, but it is still funny to him.