2017-03-28: Return to Linga Aftermath

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<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Some time later...

Even Noeline is looking ruffled as she picks her way through the last of the cave system, and this time that's not speaking in fashion terms - she's rather marked with dirt, and her dress has a couple of unsightly tears cutting through the midst of its skirts, a fact that elicits a breathless and muffled curse from the odd girl whenever it decides to snag on an outcropping of rock.

She's doing better than her compatriots, at least - having quickly slipped away when the first of the owlbears descended upon them, the camouflaged Metal Demon has instead been following a faint metallic tinge in the air. When she can't rely on her own senses, she uses her two pods instead, directing them forward and back to patrol around the other passageways until a soft but intermittent beeping signals that they've found something.

When she follows the noise, heaving herself through the last door, she finally finds paydirt. Clucking your tongue and looking disapprovingly at the scene in front of you is probably not the correct reaction to have when faced with an array of dismembered and damp owlbear corpses, but as far as Noeline seems to care it could be just another Tuesday. "Really, look at this," she huffs to herself in the quiet clearing, a hand on her hip. 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

It would soon become evident that Noeline is not alone. Little could really escape the notice of one of the greatest intelligence agents of the Photosphere, but one man - most certainly ignorant of this fact - makes a good try at the idea of sneaking up on a superb sneak.

Black boots echo footsteps against the rock they tread upon, the silhouette of the mysterious man with the staff put under an eerie light as he might yet, almost theatrically, step into view... still covered in copious amounts of Zed's glitter, which kind of ruins the picture.

It's Ethius.

He says nothing in specific to introduce nor excuse himself to the presence of the well-dressed young woman. He may also be thankful for the bandana that covers his nose and mouth, given the pervasive stench of death all around them.

"There you are." It almost seems accusatory, even when the tone of his voice has not changed from everything else he has said throughout the expedition. 

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Spirit barks and runs over to greet Noeline as though nothing had happened. Kourin merely nods silent acknowledgement. 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline had taken a moment to rest, sitting against one of the pillars of earth she had summoned to face down the owlbears. The wound on her front still ached, along with her head from where she had collided with the hard ground, but the pain had mostly subsided by now. She had her potions to thank for that.

With a grunt she forced herself to her feet, using the pillar as support, and took a look around the area. This was definitely near the place where...well, their expedition had ended last time.

Ethius had departed to do...something, and she hadn't seen Noeline since the owlbears had attacked them. Or maybe it was Zed who had attacked the owlbears...? Well, either way, she certainly wasn't going to stick around here.

One of the pathways leading out of the room bore signs of activity. Recent, by the looks of it. Like as not, that was the way everyone had went.

She followed it, studying the path ahead, until finally she reached a familiar room. As she got closer she heard the sound of a familiar bark. Good, she was close. That had to be Spirit.

"This is...horrible." Jacqueline muttered, stepping into view. She considered keeping quiet, but at the sight before her she could help herself. What had happened here?

More importantly, how were they to find anything in all this mess? 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Fortunately, Noeline is - generally speaking - the least penitent person ever to be caught red-handed. In fact, the grin she sends over her shoulder is remarkably bright and breezy, her eyebrows going up in a mild sort of impressed surprise. "Oh, there you are! Here I was wondering if you were still following along, or rather I was just really lost. I guess I should've expected you to be a tracker, huh? Good boy, good boo~oy," she chimes to Spirit in a talking-to-dogs lilt, reaching down to pet the dog.

"Still, it all worked out in the end, didn't it?" she offers with a easy shrug of one shoulder as she straightens up, the motion pointed in the ever-so-rough direction of the pile of corpses. "I don't know about you lot, but this is what I was here for, at least. You know, historical treasures aren't nearly as interesting as figuring out rumours and news." So saying, she's held out a hand, where a little flame gutters and then builds in her palm to offer some illumination. 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

A foul stench awaited the group in the clearing just outside of that blasted door that shut them out of their finds last time.

Owlbears -- pieces of owlbears, gore and viscera all -- were stacked in a haphazard pile, one atop another, mostly cleaved in twain as if rent by a great cutting force; the rest were in no better shape, and 'diced' was perhaps more of an apt description for what'd happened to the corpses. The spilled blood of the owlbears were, more or less, dry by this point, but the sight of the crimson-red blood that's stained the once-green grass ekeing out from the uneven cobblestones of the Sacred Ground is... dramatic, indeed. 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

"...Miss Jay, Miss Kourin."

Oddly, Ethius' tone of voice gets a little louder at acknowleddging Kourin's and Spirit's arrivals. Wait, he's not angry at them, is he? Did they do anything wrong? Regardless, he speaks with his back turned to the new arrivals. To Noeline's graceful, friendly discussion about the hows and whys of her arrival, it is difficult to gauge the man's reaction, though his eyes have moved a bit to the right - the direction the young ice sorcerer and faithful companion are coming from.

"I see," his gaze centers back upon the young woman, a hand to his face. He does not seem at all disturbed at the sight of the slaughter, in comparison to the apothecary that joins with them now.

He has yet to ask the rest if they managed to overcome that descending door, as he takes a few cursory steps into the dismembered horde.

A hand comes up to the side of his face, as though in thought about what he sees. The other hand, clutching the quarterstaff, points fingers about the landscape as though... counting, maybe?

What has his attention about the picture? 

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

"It was all we could do to hold these things off...but this..." Kourin stares, even as Spirit plays. 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"Well, at least you found your way safely, I suppose. I was concerned." Jacqueline commented, glancing towards Noeline. She appeared to be in one piece, though the same certainly couldn't be said for the owlbears.

She nods towards Ethius when he acknowledges her, but her attention is instead on the pile of corpses. She rummages through her bags, again finding a cloth and wrapping it around her nose and mouth to act as a filter before stepping closer to examine them.

"She...did all this?" Jacqueline whispers, mostly to herself. Riesenlied didn't look like someone who was capable of such carnage. She had seen that blade and felt the terror it instilled in her, but she had never expected it would be capable of this.

Jacqueline shook her head. This pile appeared to be composed primarily of owlbears. She didn't see anything that might help them to identify Riesenlied.

"Have you found anything yet?" She asks, glancing back towards Ethius. He seemed to be observing...something, so she went quiet and waited for him to provide his comments about the situation. She hoped that he wouldn't just keep them to himself.

She glances towards Kourin when she speaks and nods in understanding. Jacqueline was glad that at least one of them seemed to understand how she felt. Sure hadn't been sure if she was the strange one, being disturbed by the sight in front of them. 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Whistling brightly to herself, the strange girl lets the flame build into a sphere - smaller than the size of her machine pods, and certainly a lot more ephemeral - and then hefts it upwards, letting it lift from her hand to provide a little more in the way of illumination on the scene. "Impressive, isn't it? Here I thought someone might need my help, but it looks like they had the situation pretty well-handled, for certain definitions of the word."

"Burning them would be a kindness once we're done, I'd say. Proper send-off, and all. This place isn't exactly conducive to well-preserved meat." The Crimson Noblish has stepped lightly forwards as she speaks, lifting her skirts a little from her ankles to daintily stoop down and scrape a fingernail against the reddened stone, inspecting the residue with a hum. 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

Will he keep silent on his observations? Ethius takes a few steps off towards the left, as if circling the pile like a hound ready to strike might. His eyes follow Noeline's movements for another set of moments before going back to the neutral scanning of a scene that would turn the stomachs of any reasonable individual.

If anything, Ethius is probably the biggest abnormality - his seeming comfort and acceptance of being within a scene filled to the brim with death and, to at least one other here, sorrow.

He takes a step back after another moment to move back in whispering ear-shot of Jacqueline, and shakes his head.

"I see only owlbear," he says in a hushed tone. 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Indeed, there appear to only be owlbear corpses -- decaying ones at that, given that it's been at least several days since Ethius and Jacqueline's last trip. That there hasn't been other predators, perhaps, speaks to the effigy-like power the pile of corpses speaks, in a primal manner, to the other monsters.

On... closer inspection, though, there's a bit of a glint of something where the monster gashes are dealt. A thin layer of something that appears terribly close to blood in color and substance, but discoloring and having a slightly different reflection to the light. 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline appreciates the additional light. Noeline's suggestion gives her some pause, but she nods in agreement. "Yes...perhaps so." She says. There was no point in keeping them around, after all. It would be better that way.

She glances towards Ethius as he steps back towards her, and frowns. Only owlbears? That was...good, right? That meant that she might have made it out, right? Looking at this pile...she would be surprised if any of them had been able to withstand Riesenlied's blade.

She returns her attention to the pile of owlbears and then spots something. She hadn't noticed it before, but thanks to the additional light Noeline had provided, she spotted something...off.

She takes a step closer, then glances back towards Ethius and motions for him to come look as well.

What was that? She'd seen the inside of owlbears before, but she wasn't aware they had anything like that inside of them.

Her curiosity beginning to overtake her disgust, she begins to rummage through her bags again. This time she was looking for her knife and a spare flask. With the objects in hand she moves to take a sample of this unusual layer. Was this an effect of Riesenlied's blade, or was something else at work here? 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

"Miss Kourin, are you well?" Ethius asks of the young woman who has been standing in shock of the sight before her, as he moves to stand to her left. This is an abrupt change of focus, on his part, which might surprise his partner.

If Kourin turns to face Ethius, her back would be to the corpses... while allowing Ethius himself to maintain broad vigilance upon the rest, if not some of the finer details of their actions.

It would seem an attempt to pull her attention away from the ghastly scene - a suspicious kindness, from a man who has been shown to be willing to readily kill another human being in certain circumstances.

"Were you able to retrieve what lied beyond the door?" He asks as he relaxes his stature a touch. Less... formal?

He nods to Jay's gesture, but holds up a finger as if to say, 'wait,' then subtly points to Kourin. It would appear that he is entrusting Jay with some of the finer details, given their current situation. 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

"Well, at the very least, there's no-one humanoid in sight. On the whole, that's probably a good thing, yes?" Noeline prompts aloud with a pleased smile, not terribly worried about sparing anyone's feelings on the matter - though she seems to have come to similar conclusions, based upon the colour and the texture of the dried blood under her fingernails. The girl slowly tilts her head in a show of curiosity, then steps under the makeshift light of her conjured flame to try to get a better view of the glistening material.

"Well, that's hardly natural," she huffs after a long moment, but looks around her at the cave walls. "But then, we're not exactly in a natural place, are we? It's not quite owlbear or human, take it from me of all people, but not quite anything else I've come across either," is her light assessment, as if she were a connoiseur of bloods.

The next moment she's danced to one side to knock lightly at the stone, checking any gashes or signs of fighting. "My money is either on some nonsense ARM doing it, or else something got mixed in when this all happened. Silt or dust might do it, perhaps?" she grins pleasantly. 

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin turns to face Ethius, unaware that his positioning is intentional, though grateful for the excuse. She still doesn't meet his eyes, though by now she feels comfortable enough around him not to be staring at the ground exclusively.

"We were not," she admits in response to his question. "Despite our best efforts, the door's mechanism proved too strong." Failure, again. Kourin is used to it, but it galls nevertheless to admit that she was not good enough, is never good enough. 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline glances back to Ethius and nods. She wasn't sure if the kindness he was showing Kourin was genuine, or just part of being professional. Still, he seemed to be entrusting her with this, so she would continue with her task.

The knife comes in carefully. She goes about it as if she were collecting ingredients for her potions, making sure to avoid doing too much damage to the specimen in question. She eases the substance into the bottle with the edge of her knife then replaces the stopper.

She glances back at Noeline when she speaks then holds the bottle up closer to the light to get a better look at it, now that it was away from the tissue surrounding it and the corpses shading it.

"Hm...maybe. Could be right. Can't quite tell just yet, though. Have to do a more thorough study to be sure." She replies with a frown. The bottle is slipped into one of her bags and replaced with a cloth, which is then used to clean off her knife.

At this point, anything was better than nothing. Beyond this, they'd found a whole lot of nothing. 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

"I see." Is he disappointed? Angry? He's back to his usual tone. In fact, the only time he's raised it since they've all come here was when he acknowledged she arrived at the scene of the slaughter - her name, especially.

"My apologies, Miss Kourin, that I was not able to speak at length at the time as to what I was doing," his speech slows imperceptibly, as though he were seeking to stretch out the amount of time it takes for him to pontificate at length. Which, in those few times he warms up to speak for long, is somewhat lengthy, "I had an educated guess about whether there was an exposed mechanism within the chamber, that simply was not visible looking from the outside in. I had hoped to stall the descent by jamming it, if I were correct about where such could be exposed."

That explains what he was doing as opposed to 'hi, I'm throwing sand, now I walk off' which is still not technically inaccurate.

"You've conducted yourself well, Miss Kourin," now going to praise that doesn't really sound any warmer than the rest of what he's said, a slow nod as he moves his arms behind his back. 

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

"You speak too kindly," Kourin says. It's true, as far as she is concerned. Her failure cost them...well, everything they had hoped to find here. The fact that no one else was able to make the door stop doesn't really enter into her thoughts. The failure is hers, and the blame as well.

Spirit, as though sensing her mood, trots over and nuzzles at her hand. 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

"I have to admit I'm curious myself," Noeline tilts her head lightly towards Jacqueline, counting off on her fingers as she continues. "Maybe beastman, maybe elf? I can't say I've had the opportunity to see every type of blood around, mind you."

The girl fusses at a particularly tattered part of her dress, and lets out an amused little huff of air as she continues her lecture. "Though, I suppose I should suggest it's best to not be too curious, lest you chase shadows too hard. Frankly, it could just as easily be a bullet lodged in the bloodstream and starting to rust, or else one of those ARMs that enjoy exploding into pieces. Nasty things," she crinkles her nose in an apparently genuine distaste."

"The valuable find, of course, is that whoever did this appears to have managed to escape," she adds with a nonchalant and easy shrug. "Safety is a fine thing to learn about. Perhaps we should consider doing the same before this lot's friends return for another round?" 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline studies Noeline for a moment. Just who was this girl, and why was she so apparently well-versed in different types of blood? For someone here following the rumors, she wanted to leave rather quickly. Maybe she just wanted to get paid right away? That sounded about right.

"Yes, well, can't say I'm particularly a fan of those either." She comments with a shrug. She wasn't a fan of ARMs in general, really.

"Still, if it's ARM residue we'll find out before too long." She says. They were near Linga, after all. Maybe she could convince one of the scientists there to let her borrow their equipment.

She nods at Noeline's suggestion, then glances back towards Ethius and Kourin. "What do you two think? Think we've seen everything there is to see here?" She asks, arms folded in front of her. Ethius hadn't gotten a chance to look at the substance himself yet, maybe he'd have an idea that she'd overlooked. And there was no reason to leave Kourin out, after all. Maybe she knew something they didn't. 

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin frowns. "I don't think I want to see any more than I have," she admits. "This is...perhaps more than I was prepared to deal with." 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

"These locations are perilous. Whether by intent, or consequence of time against decay and the elements... that we all appear to have our limbs intact is, itself, as valuable as anything else." So Ethius states, knowing full well the emotional turmoil within the other young woman over yonder who was compelled to find closure for the one who appeared to sacrifice themselves for their sake. Would they have rested well knowing this second trip ended in failure...

...Assuming they even died at all, as Noeline expresses the possibility of survival. He holds a hand to his face, but offers no commentary one way or the other at the fanciful lady's fancies about the matter.

"If I may, Miss Kourin, I have been drifting for the better part of a year," he says, lowering his hand away from his face, "and I can assure you that I have born witness to worse outcomes."

This might be of interest to at least one other here - he's only been at this for a year?! Only a year?

Once his attention is called for by Jacqueline, he looks up.

"Pardon me, Miss Kourin," he says as he stands before them, "if it is not too much trouble, I believe I will take this corpse with me."

...He wants to take one with them? What he says next, with a straight face, is so shocking that the narrative itself is bewildered before it is even said.

"Even expired for as long as they have been... there is a certain recipe I find delectable."

...Given what Kourin and Jay have seen of his cooking, this might be kind of horrifying?! As though unaware of how disgusting this sounds, he moves to try and heft up one of the large bodies upright. 

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin gags involuntarily. She hopes nobody catches it. 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Immediately, Noeline swans back a step 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Immediately, Noeline swans back a step. Her grin starts near the same distasteful expression she started with, but begins to waver wildly between bemused and amused as her eyebrows rocket upwards. "... if you like, if you like. I wouldn't exactly call the meat kosher, but I dare say you've got free reign of it if you really want it," she chimes pleasantly, her arms wide in an expressive shrug.

Her look towards Kourin is almost sympathetic... almost. "Though you could at least find a doggy bag, and I'm not sure that the doggy would help you even then," she continues airily. "Surely there's fresher to be found above, past all the climbs and descents that lead out of here." 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

No. No no no. NO. Jacqueline turns quickly, not wanting to witness...anything Ethius might want to do with that corpse, particularly if it is culinary in nature. Instead she turns her attention to Kourin, walking over to her.

"Hey...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you through this. For what it's worth, you were a big help." She says apologetically. She starts to reach towards her to place a hand on her shoulder, but decides against it. Instead, she reaches into one of her bags and pulls out a rolled up piece of paper, offering it to Kourin.

"Here. This is proof that the job's been done. Take this to the Guild when we get outta here and they'll give you your payment." She said with a nod.

"And, to help you put it out of your mind...there's this bar just off main street that has a rather delightful drink. Might be worth a shot." She suggests. It was, in actuality, the same bar Ethius had found Jacqueline in after their fateful first visit to the Sacred Grounds. 

<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Kourin accepts the paper, but shakes her head. "Alcohol is prohibited by Althena's word," she states, a note of fervent belief in her voice. "But thank you for the thought." Did Jacqueline see the way she instinctively pulled away from being touched? Would the other woman judge her for that reticence?

Spirit barks and noses at Jacqueline, wondering if he gets treats too. He is a Good Dog, after all. 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

"Your understanding is appreciated." His heartfelt thanks sounds... just as plain in tone as anything else he's said. He is unflappable in the face of disgust and amusement, which is easy when half your face is already hidden. He staggers to balance his weight against the large creature he is now hefting.

Why not fresher? It takes a moment for him to give a response to such a well-placed question. There are others, far fresher, a ways back. There are yet other implications to be made about why one of these.

"Perhaps." Perhaps, but he's not putting it down for what sounds like a concession, but it is timed impeccably with Kourin's reminder about her faith.

"I feel this one has aged to my tastes." He digs a gloved hand ever deeper into the TERRIBLE STINKING CORPSE he is now hauling about one of his shoulders. His 'tastes.' More like... tasteless.

Hey, he hasn't asked about Zed's whereabouts... hm. Perhaps the showy, loud, glitter-bearing, masterful swordsman of a dark hero just didn't leave that strong of an impression? 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline, of course, just assumes that Zed's survived. He is the Metal Demon version of a cockroach, if a fair bit more amusing when he musters himself.

Humming gently, the possible vampire tilts her head in the direction of the quiet woman. "No-one said a stiff drink had to be alcoholic," she says to Kourin, in Jacqueline's defence. "Always a lot to be said for curling up with something warm with a book, is all I'm saying. --haaah, I suppose that's my curiosity sated for the day," she adds as she stretches her arms up over her head to work out the kinks. "Not like I've got a paypacket waiting for me, but it was amusing enough to come take a look."

"You know, I wouldn't mind seeing what you find out from taking a glance at that stuff," she adds nonchalantly, dancing a couple of steps towards the way they came in. "Red herring or not, I'd feel like I'm missing the conclusion without it." 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Althena prohibited alcohol? What kind of goddess would do such a thing? Still, Jacqueline nods in understanding. "Ah, sorry. Didn't know that." She replies apologetically. She doesn't find it too strange that Kourin didn't want to be touched. It's a little concerning, but Jacqueline feels its probably best not to pry. Instead, she pats Spirit's head. She didn't have any treats for him, but she supposed he would at least appreciate the attention.

"Honestly, afraid that's what I meant in this case." She admits with a shrug, glancing towards Noeline. Still, she had a point. There were other things one could do to distract themselves.

"Actually, I could get one written up for you once we get out, if you'd like. For you and..." She trails off when she realizes suddenly that they were missing someone.

He didn't run off and get killed or something, did he?

No, no. For the sake of her mental stability, she had to tell herself that he wasn't the kind of guy to die quietly, from what she'd seen. They'd probably know if he was in trouble. She'd just have to track him down some other time to give him his share.

She had intended to pay Riesenlied for her help, but...well...the funds were currently unclaimed, so she might as well give them to someone else.

"Aaanyway...sure, I'll let you know." She says with a nod. And Ethius she had already promised to share information with. She glanced towards Kourin, though Jacqueline assumed she probably didn't want to know after how she'd reacted to everything.

"Shall we get out of here, then?" She asks, looking around at everyone. 

<Pose Tracker> Virginia Maxwell has posed.

A shaded figure that looks suspiciously Virginia-shaped peeks behind the tree as everyone leaves. Heh. Just as planned...*



  • WARNING: NON-CANON)
<Pose Tracker> Kourin has posed.

Spirit runs up to the suspiciously Virginia-shaped figure and barks, tail wagging, looking for attention and treats.*



  • WARNING: ALSO NON-CANON
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