Okotan Adventures: Spider Saga

Kryuna peered over the edge of the slope, and took out a small light stone. She dropped it down the slope, knowing there was a chance it would alert the guards, but it was worth finding out how steep it really was.

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Ekimu nods along with Blaze’s narrative. “Indeed, and-”

Ekimu pauses, falling a step behind Blaze as a tingling rush comes over his body. He touches one hand to his chest, trying to understand what would have caused this. One thing is clear: something is wrong.

The elders recoil, first from his scathing words, then from his sudden seizure. They look between each other, unsure of what to do.

The presence looms out of the see below him, the scarlet light seeming to flare and strobe oppressively around him. Then it relents, blind hostility fading to recognition. Memories flicker across the minds’ eye - conversations the former hero and Mask Maker had, the sword of shadows presented to the former, and finally: the mask. Its shape almost seems to take form in front of Erebos, as if he could reach out and grab it from the scarlet waters.

The other Okotans slowly begin to filter back out into the bar, uneasily tiptoeing from their safety. More and more of the crowd leave the back room over the course of the next few minutes, and with no sign of returning danger.

Vohman leads the party out of the city and into the green, following a well-worn path that leads southwest through the jungle. Despite the well-kept nature of the path, no other travelers seem to be present on the road. @Ghid @Tarkur @Toa_Vladin @KAI_BORG

He might see a flash of dull red through the trees, seemingly the source of the light.

Lync hangs back, glancing over her shoulder but making sure to keep Kryuna in sight. @Jcton @Axels

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Blaze stops and turns to face his master, “What is it?” He asked, worried.

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“I… am not sure,” Ekimu looks about, holding his torch aloft and hoping to find the source of the disturbance.

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Jevis continues cautiously toward the red light, his pace began to slowly quicken as he approached.

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He would quickly find himself entering a clearing. On the far end of the clearing is the source of the light - sunlight reflecting off of an Okotan, perched on top of another ancient-looking statue cut to half its original height. The Okotan is clad in red and white armor, dull and worn, and one horn of their mask is broken off. They seem relaxed, two swords sheathed on their back. Blue eyes lock onto Jevis.

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Morrus’ mortified eyes dart helplessly from confused face to confused face. “Th-They- He couldn’t! You couldn’t! It can’t happen like this!”

Swallowing violently, he made an incredibly weak attempt to regain his composure. “I-I d-d-d-don’t know how y-y-you m-managed th-this,” He again painfully swallowed. “B-But don’t t-take my i-i-immed-diate react- react- re- response as any add-d-ddmission of g-guilt-t…”

Half of his body was trying to drag him towards the lift. The rest of him was almost starting to whimper as if he had been caught in an inescapable trap. When he swallowed a fresh wave of green would pass over him, but quickly fade. Bark was peeling off of him as he began shrinking further and further, eventually passing the size of Okotan and shrinking further than that.

Help me… Somebody…


The Lord of the Undying Storm would come unceremoniously crashing into view, sending a cloud of dirt over the fire, almost smothering it. “We need to go. We have to go. We- We need to go.”

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The Elders are on their feet now - how to respond to this is beyond them, but they feel the need to do something. Kiva, the guard from the lift, approaches the Skies slowly. “I-is there something I can do?” he asks.

Ekimu pulls the torch away, fanning it softly to fuel its flame. “What is it?” Ekimu asks, his voice cold like stone. “What is happening?”

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Morrus’ spindly arms work their way up to Kiva’s collar, grasping for dear life as his sunken eyes practically disappear in the rings of wood.

######“You don’t get it. They can’t say I killed him. Don’t let… The…”

And with that, Morrus suddenly sucked in a bunch of air and passed out, random vines on his body curling in the air as if they had some place to go, but nothing to cling to. Randomly his mouth would open under his mask and hiss out some incomprehensible message, but he was clearly in bad shape.


“Sultus.” He said, suddenly glancing at Blaze with a slight twinge of contempt. “The Lord of the Core. He’s dying.”

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“Oh.” Ekimu feels as if a great weight has been placed upon his shoulders, and for a moment there is no room in his mind for Erebos. This… this was a grave situation indeed.

Kiva shudders, instinctively pulling away from the ancient being he had just tried to help. He doesn’t stop until he’s free of Morrus’s arms, by then almost back on the platform. He looks to the Elders for guidance, and for a moment he finds nothing.

“Should we get him a healer?” one of them finally suggests.

“Would a healer do him any good?” another retorts. “Look at him; the monster is more plant than anything else.”

“Well, we can’t leave him here,” a third interjects. “Kiva, try and drag him from the platform.” Kiva, left with no choice, slowly approaches Morrus once more. He hesitantly grabs one of Morrus’s arms, trying to pull the apparently unconscious being from his place.

Jaspar nods, chuckling slightly. “It’s… an experience. A weird one, definitely, but worth experiencing at least once, I’d say. I wouldn’t call it restful, though, so we can wait a bit before flying to the City, if you want.”

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The Lord of the Undying Storm saw the immediate relief on Ekimu’s face, and for a moment he was rather angry that Ekimu was relieved to find it was just someone about to die. Then the painfully obvious hit him: that Ekimu had conceived something much, much worse occurring.

“Well…” He glanced back towards the water. Erebos was still down there, supposedly. The moon was reflecting violently off the lake and any sign of the surface breaking with his departure would be obvious. “Do you think he’s drowned?”[quote=“jayzor17, post:3560, topic:47931”]
Kiva, left with no choice, slowly approaches Morrus once more. He hesitantly grabs one of Morrus’s arms, trying to pull the apparently unconscious being from his place.
[/quote]

At first it seems like the arm would rip from its socket, but Morrus dragged easily enough, lightly scraping across the floor as the vines desperately clawed at the one portion of air they were being taken from.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched from afar. Something was slinking through the darkness, and its eyes gleamed yellow in the moonlight.

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Jevis’s blue eyes seem to light up as he locks eyes with the Okotan. “You should be dead,” he calls to her as his grip on his katana tighten. “just like me.”

The red one tilts her head. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

Kiva pulls the floral lord onto the lift, riding it down to the plaza below. The villagers there recoil, and he does his best to ignore them as he drags Morrus into the city and to a healer.

OOC: I mean, relief wasn’t exactly what I was trying to communicate there.

IC: “Who?” Ekimu turns, looking at the crater and remembering Erebos. “No; no, I would imagine he is still down there. Is he our priority, or is your brother?”

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Erebos taken back by the memories, reaches for the mask, almost expecting to feel it. Erebos though to himself, Makuta…you know why I desire this mask…I know you do…you after all crafted it.

The aro-kati hovered underwater, staring at the mask.


Melody readied herself, these creatures were known to be smart. She gave Xol a look and Xol nods back. Xol pushes his way through the villagers heading for the door, blocking it.


The lightstone fell and fell, reaching a total 32 seconds before hitting more glass obsidian and promptly shattering from the impact.

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“Heh, figures that you wouldn’t even remember. What was it, almost 17 years now?” He said dryly.

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OOC: Sorry, I’m an idiot who apparently can’t read

IC:

The Lord of the Undying Storm gnawed on his lip. Any other day he would have frozen the top solid and make the miserable rat drown. The only reason today was different was because he couldn’t freeze a puddle.

“I…”

He couldn’t guess how much time his brother had left. But at the same time, Erebos was running on a limited supply of oxygen. He had to come up soon or he would die.

The Storm’s glowing eyes glanced back in apprehension at the massive crater. “I…”


Morrus does little to recognize the moonlight beaming down, but if Kiva was paying attention, he would notice the vines pulling and straining towards every source of water they passed.

Inside the healer’s, the vines started coiling around themselves in nervous agitation while Morrus made little attempt at proper consciousness.

He is unable to physically touch the mask, a mental image as it is. Then the mask twists, resembling a far different mask - the Mask of Ultimate Power. I see you are still like the rest of us - a puppet to a symbol of greater power. I can grant you what you seek… if you promise me a favor in return. It’s something you can do.

The others mill about Xol, unsure of what he’s doing. The bartender, meanwhile, gets Melody’s attention. “Now, I believe we were in the middle of a transaction?”

The other Okotan continues staring at him. “You know you’re not ringing any bells. You could give me a name, if you really want me to know who’s trying to kill me.”

Ekimu looks between the Storm and the Crater. “How bad is your brother’s condition? Can it be halted? Should it?”

The healer looks questioningly between Kiva and Morrus. “Uh… what is this again?”

“Honestly?” Kiva says. “Couldn’t tell ya. It came up to talk to the Elders - they seemed to know it. Then it started freaking out and turned into this.”

“Riiiight… and you expect me to do… what with it, exactly?” The healer stares at the mass of vines, perplexed.

“I was hoping you could tell me.” The healer barks a dry laugh.

“I’m a healer, not a scientist. This is beyond me.” An open barrel of water, full just below the brim, is present in the corner.

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Hitora follows along, keeping a keen eye on the road.

“This road seems awfully quiet.” Keya muttered.

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Erebos looks at the Mask of Ultimate Power, Tell me where it is and I’ll do this"favor" or yours.


Melody looks at the barkeeper, tossing a bag of widgets,
“Where is he? Where is that bounty hunter…”

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