Session Start: Fri Mar 22 19:15:14 2002 *** GMAmy changes topic to 'Grandia: New Horizons | Chapter 22.0: The Broken Path | Location: Toroli Pass, morning, June 30 | Session Start' ==Session Start== Morning finds our heroes camped in the Toroli pass, just north and west of the river they crossed the evening before. Not long after dawn, the sun shines on their bedrolls and the birds chirp loudly, waking them... * Nathan yawns and groggily preps his gear for the road * Erellisae snoozes, her head resting on her pack. -- * Dylan wakes up, and stretches Lily yawns and sits up, stretching. Noting the low slant of the sun, she mutters. [Lily] Beastly hour to be awake...but I suppose we'd better hit the road. * Nathan lazily reaches over and smacks the path with a free hand Done, let's go back to bed Lily chuckles. [Lily] Okay! *Lies back down and pulls the covers over her head* * Nathan chuckles, and wonders about breakfast * Erellisae waves a hand lazily in the air, otherwise unmoving. "I vote for that..." -- * Jalanda sits crosslegged in the grass, fiddling with her crystallline sphere and mumbling several inaudible words... Lily peers at Jalanda. [Lily] Jalanda, what are you doing? If I may ask. * Dylan packs and wakes up Mitsuo, who also do so. * Jalanda waves a hand over it as it vanishes into nothingness soon after. "I see ahead of us... a broken path, cracked by obstacles. Feena has met it's ways, as so we must as well in her wake..." Lily nods seriously. [Lily] Still no sign of my son, hm? :/ * Nathan stretches, and drops his pack for a moment, heading back towards the river * Mikari rustles inside one of the tents. Mumbling can be heard from inside. * Jalanda lowers her head, and begins rubbing her temples. "I can still find no trace of his pattern... but I have felt the passing of arrows of ill will flying towards him." * Erellisae looks up from where she is, rubbing her eyes blearily. ><; Lily regretfully extracts herself from her blankets and goes over to last night's hastily constructed firepit, poking the banked coals with a stick and adding fresh tinder. Lily sighs, nodding at Jalanda's words. * Feray's loud squawk can be heard from the same tent as Mikari!...followed by a loud thump. I apologize I cannot be more encouraging at this point in time. Most yet remains clouded, but he is not lost forever. Lily shrugs. [Lily] You tell me what you can; I understand that. Thank you, Jalanda. *Small smile* Lily looks up at the tent and blinks. * Jalanda looks to the tent as well, her thoughts interrupted... ^^ * Erellisae slowly gets up, stumbling a little sleepily over to the side of the firepit, before plunking down there. ^^; "Owow... don't worry. He saved the world! What could take him out?" ^^ Lily smiles. [Lily] I hope you're right, Erellisae. *Getting a nice blaze going, she rummages in her pack for cooking spices and a her mess kit* * Mikari can be heard talking incomprehensibly from inside, following the loud noises. * Nathan returns to camp, soaking wet, but grinning expansively as he hold three large fish in his hands * Feray is quietly, hurriedly speaking back to Mikari....her voice growing louder...until she bellows the end of the rant. "...I MISS THE NAKED!" * Erellisae nods, watching the flickering of the fire absent-mindedly, occasionally helping to fan the flame with a small breeze of wind magic. * Jalanda raises an eyebrow faintly. * Erellisae then sweatdrops, hanging her head to hide behind her hair. "Not gonna ask... not gonna ask..." * Nathan blinks at the shout from the tent * Nathan sniggers and starts skewering the fish on stucks and placing them by the firepit * Mikari snorts from inside and blurts back. "Heh! You're tellin' me!" * Feray storms out from the tent.....in Mikari's clothes. Lily blinks. [Lily] Dare I ask....? * Nathan leans back a bit, sees Feray, and topples over o_O| There was a bet. I'm not quite sure who lost anymore. * Erellisae keeps her head down. (m) "Not gonna ask... not gonna ask..." Lily looks at Nathan, who is preparing the fish for cooking. She holds up a couple packages of spices. [Lily] May I? * Nathan blinks again at Feray, and nods in response to Lily * Feray crosses her arms over her chest, Mikari's shirt creaking warningly. Mikari! Get out here! * Jalanda looks at Feray, rubbing her chin slightly... * Mikari mumbles from inside and rustles the tent flap. [Lily] Thank you. *Begins to season the fish to taste as they roast over the fire* ^_^ Don't make me collapse the tent on you. * Nathan raises an eyebrow Okay, I'll bite. What's going on? * Mikari stomps out of the tent herself, wearing Feray's blue loincloth and small blue top. The top isn't so small on her, though, and she has to correct the left shoulderstrap twice before it stays up. She attempts to keep her gaze down, but it's not quite clear whether she's embarrassed or hungover. Or both. We had a drinking contest. I won, of course! The bet was that if she lost, she'd have to we--...well. You see for yourself. ;) * Erellisae stifles a giggle as she bites her lip, then returns to tending and lightly fanning the flame before she starts laughing. ^_^ * Nathan blinks, sniggers, laughs, guffaws, and falls over howling with laughter! * Feray grins at Mikari, her good cheer suddenly returning ;) An interesting way to bond, to be certain... So, let's get some breakfast ;) * Nathan rights himself and wipes a tear from his eye Lily tries to hide a chuckle * Mikari snorts and grins, slightly indignantly. "I tell ya, you better not rip any'a my clothes before I get 'em back." * Jalanda smiles at the corner of her mouth, and goes to inspect the fish Lily is preparing. No need to put her two gold about fashion this time. Not my fault you're so...so...eensy weensy. ;) * Feray heads for the fire and carefully sits down, the clothes creaking warningly again. Its an interesting look for you both ^_- Why thank you, Nate. ;) And that's as far as I dare go with that line of conversation. So who here likes fish? ^_^ Nah, I'm jus'... trim. Haven't got any'a that excess weight, an' all. 6*grins in such a way that reveals she's not really all that serious, but enjoys the jab.* * Erellisae is staying silent with her head down, hiding behind her hair, but her shoulders are visibly quaking as she holds in the laughter. ^^; * Mikari blinks at Nathan. "Mebbe you'd like t' try the same bet next time, eh?..." * Feray eyes Erel and wraps an arm quickly around her shoulders. "You shouldn't be laughing! If I had lost, I'd be wearing YOUR clothes." * Mikari smirks at Nathan challengingly. I wouldn't say I'd kiss them, Nate, but fry 'em up and I'll eat them * Erellisae stops, and blinks. o_O "Uhm... see my height? Or lack of it?" ;) Sorry, but I'd have to bet Dylan on that one. Can't fit into either of your outfits. Same with Mits and Erel. I don't have that 'desert rose' thing that Jalanda does, and Cassidy would brain me for even trying it ^_- Yeah. I might be able to get the shirt around one arm... * Feray looks down at the pants. ....pants. I'm wearing pants. * Erellisae grins mischievously at Nathan. "But I'm sure Nathan would enjoy trying to get into Feray's clothing." ^_~ * Feray blinks O_o Yer worried about clothes fittin', and you wanna bet DYLAN? O_o * Nathan howls with laughter again! Can you really blame him? ^_- Lily serves up the fish and starts in on hers Meanwhile, Nathan in a loincloth.. * Erellisae sticks her tongue out at Feray and giggles. "No betting my clothing!" ^_~ HMm.. ^_- * Nathan crosses his fingers at Erel, "Shame shame, such thoughts" ^_- * Feray nudges Erel's shoulder and avoids the fish. * Dylan eats the food, glad for a distraction. * Erellisae mock-hmphs at Nathan. "Hey, I'm allowed to try to freak Feray out! ... except when it backfires and she /enjoys/ it..." ^^ Ha ^_^ Takes more than that to freak me out. ;) [Lily] You guys, if you're done gawking at clothing, better eat breakfast. ^_^ ...Eh, those ain't pants Feray... Yeah, we need all our strength to cross dress Mitsuo.. * Feray blinks at Mikari. Lily almost chokes on her fish. o_O; HA! ^_^ Nah, he's diddy, I'll hand him down no problem. Just give the word. Gradually, a sound off in the distance becomes audible and slowing grows louder... I just strap 'em on t'protect from brambles an' the like. But they're not pants. ^^; * Erellisae blinks, looking up from the fire. * Mikari cocks her head and listens in the direction of the sound, furrowing her brow. * Nathan perks at the sound What's that? ...? * Erellisae shrinks back towards the rest of the group a little, her hands starting to glow a dull red as she looks around carefully. :/ I hope it doesn't mean to interrupt breakfast *gulp* As the sound grows closer, it seems to be coming from the sky, a low and distant rumble that gets louder. Finally they see a small kite clearing the tops of the mountains behind them. It isn't Mikari's plane; it's a beige kite with a blue lightning bolt on it. * Nathan watches the kite pass over .... * Feray points at the kite. Kite. Ms. Cassidy? The kite slows and descends, finally landing carefully in a clearing a little ways from where the group is camped. It idles there a moment, then takes off again, heading back the way it came. There is a crunch of footsteps from the direction of the clearing. Maybe * Erellisae blinks at Feray. ^^; ... you're not awake yet either? ^^; No. This skirt thing is cutting off my oxygen. ...Not sure whether this's a good thing or a bad'n... It's making things different colors. :D I do hope you'll change back before we leave, walking long distances might pop a strap.. or a vein. * Erellisae starts charging her spell in earnest at the sound of the footsteps, the dull red slowly becoming a brighter one. * Cassidy makes an appearance, emerging out from the underbrush and shrubbery. * Hi guys, miss me? * Mikari rolls her eyes a little at Feray. "Tunic! Geez, girl, Y'wear a curtain all yer life?" * Nathan grins, and waves Cassidy over * Erellisae erks, and dissipates the spell a little quickly. ^^; * Cassidy grins a sort of Rion-ish grin, before blinking a moment.. * Look down, Mikari. ;) Just in time for breakfast ...Ah, good. S'just Cass. Heya, Cass ^^; Spirits above.. what's the scoop with you two? O_o * Erellisae waves. "Just... don't ask. It's much easier." ^^; We were roleplaying. * Nathan represses a snicker I got to be on top! * Feray waggles her eyebrows. * Nathan laughs! * Mikari is diverted for a moment, then turns back to Feray. "Yeah, thanks for loanin' me the napkin. 'ppreciate it." ^_~ * Dylan points at Feray and Mikari * Feray bursts out laughing. ;) Ms. Cassidy, this is why you shouldn't drink with Feray. I, uh, admittedly hadn't planned on it, actually. Anyway, come, sit, eat. The fish is good. Lily points to the fish sizzling over the fire. "Morning, Cassidy. Help yourself to breakfast." * Feray calms down a bit and smiles wryly as she watches everyone eat. * Cassidy nods a bit, courteously, and willingly complies. * * Dylan points at some vague point on Feray and says "Are you sure you want to be showing that?" Ack! * Erellisae eats, occasionally rubbing her eyes to rid herself of sleepiness, her ears drooping as she yawns. ^^; * Mikari pulls Feray's loincloth down uncomfortably, even though it doesn't really need the adjustment. She just wonders, though, how to run in this thing. And wishes she'd picked up some of those newfangled "boxers" in Talachia. * Feray sits up quickly and pats her stupid skirt tunic thing down. * Nathan grins at the antics of Feray and Mikari, gnoshing on a fish Lily cleans up her breakfast mess, rolls up her bedroll, and goes to sit down against a large boulder. [Lily] Let me know when you're ready to go. *Closes her eyes* * Feray backs her ears, blushing lightly, and crosses her arms over her chest, the tunic creaking. "I'm ready whenever." * Mikari grabs a large piece of fish and bites into it heavily, then grins evilly at Feray. "Least I didn't make ya go reg'mental..." Reg...mental? Regimental... er. Ne'ermind. ^_~ * Dylan swings his pack onto his shoulders, yawns loudly and points in the direction he vaguely remembers as being onwards! * Erellisae looks up the path, then scans around the local scenery, looking off roughly towards the west. She sighs a little wistfully, before getting to her feet and stretching. "Sleepy..." --; Forward.. too... *yawn* stuff. * Nathan finishes his breakfast and recovers his pack * Cassidy mumbles something about needing rest, but about how she'll make do. * Lily opens one eye, sees that they're getting ready to move, and reluctantly gets up. * Feray stands, the tunic giving another mournful creak. She grunts something about tiny women. After cleaning up the firepit and dousing the coals, Lily looks around. [Lily] Ready? Let's go. ^^; You know, maybe you two should switch back before you have a moment of indescretion? ^_- * Erellisae shakes her head as she hefts her pack onto her shoulders, nodding. Like you would mind, fishboy. ;) Yeah, sure. No offense, but I doubt you go anything I ain't seen before. Merfolk usually run around naked ya know ^_- Mmm.... * Mikari fixes her left shoulderstrap for the umpteenth time, grumbling. * Feray gets a daydreamy look for a moment. * Feray shakes her head. Nate, they have legs. I've seen legs before ^_- This may be true. But they are cute legs. Feray ain't got gills, that's fr'sure, at any rate. * Nathan sticks one out at Dylan as emphasis Lily starts to head off to the northwest, at a slow pace so the others can catch up. I'll change if Mikari says that I am the queen of everything. What do you think this is, a liver? ^_- Actually I assumed it was an illusion and that you were an exceptionally god hopper. * Feray starts out after Lily slowly as well. * Mikari snorts. "Fat chance!" ^_- * Nathan hops to his feet and hops off after Lily ^_^ Then walk on, Ms. Breezy. ;) * Dylan crosses his eyes and sticks his tongue out. * Erellisae follows after Lily, sweatdropping. "I don't know them. Really. I'm just in this pass with then by coincidence..." --; * Mikari starts to fasten her weapons onto the loincloth's makeshift belt. The dagger is no problem, as Feray obviously uses the same weapon, so Mikari sheathes hers on the right side. The grappling hook is not so easy. it coils just fine, but weighs the already frumpled loincloth down to the point where it threatens to fall off her hip. O_o * Dylan follows Lily, humming * Mikari attempts to compensate periodically as she walks. * Feray keeps an eye on Mikari and her clothes as she walks. * Mikari grins back at Feray. "Don't worry, they're all here. Not like'm gonna be strippin' anytime soon." After about a half hour's walk, Lily comes to a halt. The path inexplicably stretches out before her, and then...stops. Right at the bottom of a cliff. * Cassidy yawns and stretches at the prospect of a break. * * Nathan looks down the cliff Hmm... * Feray opens her mouth but whatever she was gonna reply fades out as she stares down the cliff. Unsettling trend * Erellisae looks around. "... tall." ^^ Mr. and Mrs. Obvious, folks. ;) * Nathan sticks his tongue out at Feray ^^ * Cassidy looks unphased by the surroundings.. but then again, she's been kinda tired all day. * So.. what's the plan? * Feray gnashes her teeth. Big, Rock, Up. If I were a poet, I'd make a haiku for the occasion. So... Dylan... Can you toss me up there? :D * Nathan looks for another way * Dylan looks up * Erellisae sighs, sweatdropping. "Joy.. more climbing." ^^; Eh, what's the problem? s'just a cliff. ^^ Lily searches around. Further examination shows that the trail actually veers to the south along the edge of the cliff, but the trail is hidden by brush. However, the path is rocky and overgrown, and leads away from the direction they need to be going. ^^; I suppose saying that you clothing makes you too heavy wouldn't work? The cliff appears to be about fifty feet tall. Anyone up for rockclimbing? * Feray snorts. And I'm just a frail magegirl - I couldn't make it up a city wall without help, remember? ^^;; * Mikari releases the grappling hook she had just attached (was getting to be a pain anyway) and prepares to attempt record climbing time. I could get naked but I'd kill you all. Let's climb! :D * Nathan checks for a good place to climb If this was underwater this would be such a non-issue * Cassidy looks up. * Pfft.. this isn't an issue at all. Pfft. Yeah and you'd have to give us all mouth to mouth to keep us ali--..... If this was underwater this would be such a non-issue. * Nathan laughs Shush Feray, climbing, then flirting. Yes sir! Ms. Mikari, think you can make it? * Mikari snickers at Feray. "HEH." * Nathan starts his climb carefully, not sure how the cliff will react to it 'Sure as carros chew 'lectric cables! * Erellisae sweatdrops, still looking at the cliff. "And plane engines." ^^; Then get up there an drop a rope back down, if you would. Do you want catching if you fall? * Feray reaches up to grab the back of Nate's waistband. Wanna wait for Mikari to get up there? She has less chance of going splut. ;) * Mikari, however ready she is to scale, waits for Nathan to lead off in case he needs help from below. This is also because she is realizing the reality of a loincloth. Options enter her head telling her to let the men go first here for other reasons... * Nathan is grabbed, and stops climbing for a moment 'Eh. ^^; Well, Mik? Use that grappling hook of yours! * Mikari looks down at her clothing. * Mikari looks up at Feray. ...Feray, you planned this, didn't ya? Me? Never. ^_- * Dylan covers Mitsuo's eyes. * Nathan holds out a hand to Mikari, indicating for the grappling hook Shall I? ...Feh! * Nathan grins and winks at Feray, "Didn't you get a good enough look this morning? Or do you still miss the naked?" ^_- * Dylan taps his foot in a poor rythym * Feray gets a daring grin. "I always miss the naked." * Nathan laughs * Feray releases Nathan's pants. ^^; * Mikari looks at Nathan, then pulls the hook away, indicating she'll go up first. This time, though, she begins to tie some straps around her hip region and attaches them to the line. * Nathan shrugs and lets Mikari have her way * Erellisae sweatdrops. "... I think we need to head back to that river, get everyone an ice-cold bath..." ^^; Aw, we're just messing around! That sounds even worse, Ms. Feray Breaks all the monotony between all that vigorous climbing. * Nathan chuckles ^_^ * Mikari looks a little silly with a harness tight around a rumpled loincloth, but not as embarrassing as letting it flap free in the breeze. She lassoes the grappling hook above her head and lets it fly straight out at the cliffside, anchoring part-way up. * Dylan finds something to sit on to one side, and appears to doze. Geez, you folks... get a room. Or... 6*looks around* er, a cave, I guess. * Mikari hefts herself up and shoots up the mountain like an experienced climber ^_^ * Nathan leans against the cliff, and waits ^_^ The grappling hook appears to have caught solidly, supporting Mikari's weight well. * Mikari reaches an outcrop after a few minutes. She hefts herself onto it, a few feet below her original anchor. She gauges whether she can go all the way up the cliff this way and still have enough rope to extend her line to the others on the ground. * Erellisae wanders over to where Lily found the path onwards, and peers down it a little way. ^^ * Feray flops down onto the ground to wait...and is met by a soft tearing noise. ... * Feray pales. * Nathan raises an eyebrow at Feray * Erellisae giggles, unable to resist the joke. "That's torn it?" ^_~ . o O (I won't say I told you so...I won't say I told you so...) Apparently, there will be enough rope to do as Mikari wishes... * Feray coughs behind a closed fist but it comes out sounding suspiciously like a swear word. * Mikari assesses, then nods to herself and... adjusts her shoulderstrap ^^; THEN scales the rest of the way up. After two more grapples, she reaches the top. A length of rope, consequently, drops over the edge to the rest of the party at the bottom. I think that's our cue * Mikari shouts distantly... " 'LRIGHT, GOIN' UP!" (s) Oh goody. Wow. Rope. Up you go peoples. * Erellisae nods, walking over and grabbing the rope.. ^^; * Nathan looks at Erel. "Think you can make it?" * Erellisae smiles a little wryly. "Not gotta lot of choice." Tugging on the rope a little, she starts to climb, mumbling as she goes. ^^; * Cassidy is already on top of the face of the edifice, propped against a wall catching a quick nap. * Zzzz... * Feray sighs and stands. * Nathan stands by and waits his turn * Feray has a rip across her shoulderblades ^^; * Nathan tries his best to ignore Feray's recent tailoring alterations ^_^ * Erellisae slowly makes her way up the cliff, taking her time and still mumbling. Suddenly, she stops mumbling, a light breeze ruffling those at the bottom of the cliff as Erellisae's speed increases considerably. o_O; Hmm...nice trick :) Next? * Erellisae pulls her way slowly over the cliffedge, having trouble but getting there with the added updraft. She disappears from sight as she climbs over the top, then peers over the cliff with a smile and a thumbs up. ^_^ Lily looks up the cliff at Mikari, Erellisae, and Cassidy, then grabs the rope to make the ascent. * Nathan continues to stand by * Feray sighs a bit to herself and shifts from foot to foot. Lily scales the rope easily, having years of experience climbing ship's rigging. ^^ * Mikari sits down with her elbow resting on her knee, looking over the edge and waiting for the others to come up, or for something else interesting to happen.... Guess I should go face the music... ^^; Reaching the top of the cliff, Lily dusts off her hands and joins the others. She blinks at Cassidy. [Lily] When did you get up here? * Erellisae looks around the region on top of the cliff, wandering just a little way further along the path. * Feray reaches out to grab the rope and begins her climb upwards, grumbling some more. ^^; * Nathan tries his best not to smile at Feray's difficulties * Cassidy opens an eye, sitting up. * Me? Well.. when you were all bein' silly down there, I figured I'd get this unpleasant cliff out of the way. * Feray reaches the top and stands. She eyes Mikari. ....let's change back! Next? * Mikari waves with an amused grin to Feray. C'mon! Let's get changed! ^^; Lily chuckles at Cassidy. [Lily] Good thinking. *Sits back and waits for the others to scale the cliff* * Nathan claps his hands together and gets climbing Eh? You're backin' out already? ^_- I kinda like this outfit now... Nice'n cool. Please? ^^;;; * Mikari throws a suspicious look at Feray. * Dylan looks around at the bottom of the cliff.. C'mon, woman! Time's a wastin'! Up you go Mitsuo! * Dylan prods Mitsuo into climbing the rope. Bing! Mitsuo up rope. Jalanda? * Nathan hangs out at the top of the cliff, waiting for the group to finish assembling ...Er, hey, you didn't tear anythin' on the way up the cliff, did ya?... Uhhh...uhm...nope. Look! Convinient bushes to change behind! * Feray grabs Mikari's hand and starts to tug her towards the bushes. ^^; Ah well. Nate, you next. * Dylan climbs the damn cliff. * Mikari grabs a look at Feray's back while she tries to rush them. "...Hey! I'm not wearin' that now!... Not 'til you fix it!" >< * Jalanda doesn't hesitate to take Dylan's offer, ascending the cliffside. ^^ I'll pay to get it fixed, I promise. Girl, if we don't change suits back, it's gonna get ripped even worse, I promise ya that. ^^; ...Ugh. You got a point there. ^^; Need a needle and thread, ladies? * Jalanda pauses to regard Cassidy with a knowing nod. [Lily] Well, if you two are going to change, better head into those bushes and do it so we can get moving. ^_^ * Cassidy piques an eyebrow. * Right! Bushes! Now! We'll take that needle and thread in a few moments! Agck ^^;; That sounds so wrong.. * Feray dives behind the bushes and drags Mikari with her. The bushes rustle violently for a few minutes. * Nathan stands by and waits 'Lright, 'lright... *Mikari is dragged off to the bushes.* * Erellisae sits down, sweatdropping. ^^; * Dylan shakes his head sadly and rummages in his pack for a shirt and needle and thread * Mikari rustles too, and woe be the male who tries to get a closer look. Apologies for our slow progress... but several unforeseen trouble hasd arisen. *looks somewhat dubiously at the rustling bush* ^^ * Dylan compares the neck width on his shirt to Mikari's estimated shoulderbreadth, and puts it back. * Feray pops out first, wearing her old duds....she sighs in relief. Perhaps someone would lend Ms. Mikari a shirt to wear as she sews up her tunic? All better now? ^_- * Cassidy takes advantage of this additional delay to rest some more.. * Ohhhhh yeah. ^_- Lily pokes Cassidy's shoulder. [Lily] You okay? Hmm? Yeah.. just tired. Sorry, ma'am. * Feray stretches happily in her loincloth and skimpy top. Her spine pops painfully. ^^; * Mikari remains in the bushes, having put all her old clothes back on, but her head shows above the bushes as she looks dubiously down her back at the damaged garment. * Nathan chuckles Mikari? ^^; Lily smiles. [Lily] It's all right, Cassidy. But if you need a break, just let us know. * Cassidy returns the smile. * I'll be okay. I'm trained for this sort of thing, after all.. * Jalanda sighs a bit and tilts her gaze a bit westward. Eh... Dylan got somethin' I can use? ^^; Hmm, ready to catch? * Erellisae is sitting towards the west, having taken out her diary and working on writing something down. ^^; So have we learned something from his exchange of personage? ^_^ I enjoy nakedness rather than being clothed? * Nathan laughs! * Dylan throws Mikari a spool of thread, with a needle stuck in. * Mikari snorts at Ferays conclusion. "Then why'dya need my clothes?..." Or hers? * Mikari eyes the Dylan's thread with a look that says "are you nuts?" It'll sew it up fast enough. * Feray coughs and doesn't answer. ^^ * Nathan politely declines to comment ^_^ * Dylan raises an eyebrow to Feray. Lily goes to scout around down the path ahead....she cocks her head, hearing a strange sound. ...fainter still... Er. Nevermind. We've been held enough as it is. *Mikari pulls her cape around her shoulders.* I'll fix it next time w'rest. Anyway, your legs are long enough to catchup, we'll be further down teh path. * Cassidy looks up, her eyes following Lily.. * [Lily] ...There's something funny up ahead. I hear a rumbling noise... Lily? ...? * Erellisae puts her diary away, standing up again to watch down the path. * Mikari conveniently ignores the embarrassing remarks. ^^; Hmm..now what? [Lily] I'm going to go check it out. * Jalanda begins to move down the path in Lily's direction. * Cassidy gets to her feet, and draws out her sword.. * Let's go have a look, shall we? * Feray gets all seriousness quickly. "We're going too." * Cassidy strides off to discover the source of this disturbance.. * Lily nods, and with Cassidy at her side, carefully approaches the noise through a stand of trees... ...I don't sew. *turns her head up towards Lily as she leads ahead towards the noise* * Nathan follows quietly, his curiosity piqued * Dylan follows people slowly. * Feray treads lightly along, ears backed once more.. * Erellisae follows the others, her hands faintly glowing with magic as she sticks toward the rear of the group. Past the edge of the brush and trees, the path crosses what looks like a road leading downhill...but the road is very steep, and a loud rumbling is approaching from further up the road. ^^; Hmm Suddenly, a large boulder rolls down the road. A squirrel eeps and barely manages to make it out of the way in time. ! .... More boulders quickly follow it, of varying sizes. A large mass of rock seems to be coming down the hillside. Nathan! Feray! Want to catch it? Oh hell. [Lily] ...This is interesting. How are we going to get across? ^^; <.< >.> Ah. Poot. Lots of them * Cassidy sighs, and looks irritated. * * Mikari looks around suspiciously as well. * Erellisae watches the boulders for a while, losing herself in thought. Unsettling trend :\ Hm. Ugh. Damn natural disasters. We'd better back up so no one gets flatten'd. We could just run across really fast? The tumbling rock is by no means uniform, sometimes sliding in great masses, sometimes spread out into a line of boulders rolling down one at a time... * Jalanda concentrates on the sounds... seeking a pattern, but it is meant with little success, the chaos of nature afoot. * Nathan takes some time to take all this in * Feray gazes at the rocks... Hmm. It is moving too fast and irregular to say how to cross... * Mikari looks down at her hand, by her side, and considers the possibility of a stone umbrella Is there a way to stall or divert those rocks? * Erellisae steps forward a little, still within safety, her hands glowing slightly. "If this works I might need help." ^^; * Cassidy steps forward, and casts Rumble, conjuring up a great spike of rock to stand in the path of the nearest rolling boulder. * Let's see if this can stop one! Well, if Feray got across, and we held a log across the path? Whatcha gonna do, Erel? Blow 'em up? * Erellisae grins, thinking along the same lines as Cassidy as she touches some Earth magic to the ground. ^^ I'm for Dylan's plan if Cass' thing doesn't work. ^^; Ahhh.... 'zactly, Cass. Want me t'help? * Nathan waits for the mages to do their work, and seeks and avenue to make it across as fast as possible Hey, the more the merrier. At least on non-stealth missions. * Mikari puts her hand to the ground as well, and follows Cass's lead. Her stone obstacle looks a little different, but does the same trick. * Dylan holds his hands together, chanting a quiet mantra, then clicks his fingers. Earth! RISE AND BLOCK MY ENEMY! * Mikari finishes her muttered incantation, then looks over at Dylan and squints. "Damn, boy, y'gotta be so noisy?" >_< * Nathan stands by, ready to sprint across when the moment is right The stone spikes rumble out of the ground, effectively blocking the avalanche of rock. Boulders and rubble strike the spikes, making them shudder, but they hold...for now. ^^; Lily shoulders her pack and dashes across the road. * Cassidy makes a break for it. * Let's roll. * Nathan explodes across the road! * Erellisae hurries across as fast as she can. ^^; * Jalanda watches silently, pulling out a Tower card, and scanning the treeline as the flow is diverted for the moment. They may yet need insurance... * Jalanda spurs to motion across as well. ^^ * Dylan runs across full-pelt, having to grab a tree and spin around it to slow down. Mitsuo hurries across, panting as he follows Dylan. * Feray pauses, eyeing the rock. * Feray then sprints off across the cleared path! * Nathan skids to a stop on the other side * Mikari waits until they get a good headstart, then ensures her own safetly, and follows them across at a healthy sprint. * Jalanda makes sure to get safely across as fast as her pace will allow, looking back... After each of them has crossed, they see the stone spikes shuddering. A few moments later, they give way against the fall of rock! A huge rush of rubble and stone slides down the hillside. Well, uh... that was... risky. Well, that was envigorating ^_^ It got the job done. Lily nods, then points to the path, which winds away down to their right. [Lily] Shall we go? Let's presson shall we? And so goes the first... * Feray grunts softly and rubs her arm. Onwards to glory! Or something * Erellisae blinks at the stream of rocks. "I wonder how it keeps going...", she mutters, before she shakes her head and follows the others. Yeah, let's go ^^; * Jalanda replaces her readied mystical card back into the void of her sleeve. Boulder Imps, Erel. I hear they're common in these parts. * Cassidy grins and heads onward. * Birds call pleasantly as they walk down the narrow trail toward the bottom of the rocky hill. It's a steep path, but not so much as to be dangerous. It winds and twists in on itself several times... * Nathan follows along quietly * Erellisae follows after the group, humming at the scenery. ^^ It's pretty here. It kinda feels like a song moment. * Mikari nods and heads on. Finally they wind down to the bottom of the hill, where they meet the previous road again. It ends in a dead end against a cliff face, the path they are on crossing the first road and continuing on to the west. Unfortunately, the rockslide has left a huge mass of rubble in their way, about fifteen feet high. ^^; Uh... if you break out'n song, Feray, I think I'll have'ta strangle ya. ^_~ Ooh, kinky! I mean, look! Rubble! * Nathan laughs! ... A few pebbles bounce down the hill and land against the side of the mass of rock. ^^; * Mikari snorts lightly and laughs a little. ... * Jalanda stops on a dime, looking up at the imposing pile of debris. Great. Another 'n. * Erellisae grins, looking rather mischievous, her hands glowing silver. "Mind if I try the obvious way through this?" Lessee... Can we climb this one? [Lily] (m) Uh oh....duck and cover. I was gonna say, we could probably just climb here.. * Nathan steps back a bit ...Er. Careful there Erel. Explosions sometimes come BACK, y'know. * Erellisae blinks at Cassidy, then droops. "But... aw..." There's a time and place for big explosions. Trust me, this is a fact, I know. But I don't think this is one of those times. ^^;; * Erellisae pouts, but dissipates the spell. ^^; * Cassidy goes to try and clamber over the stone barricade. * As she tries to scale the side, the rock shifts and slides underneath her, a section of it collapsing. ^^; ... Cass! Careful! * Cassidy wobbles a bit.. * * Feray dashes forward to help Cass if she needs it. * Cassidy sweatdrops a bit, and proceeds forward still, if somewhat more careful.. * The higher Cassidy climbs, the more rock slides down, carrying her with it, until she really isn't making any progress at all. ^^; * Dylan hmms If.. uh.. this doesn't work, maybe some.. uh, hmm.. * Cassidy abandons her attempt.. * * Nathan considers the pile for a bit Come back Ms. Cassidy! We must find another way. Maybe if it were iced over, or somethin'. ...hmm. Come ooon... you know you wanna throw spells at it. It's stress relief! :D Be a bit slippy then. Yeah, because then you could SLIDE. * Mikari frowns disapprovingly at the pile and tries to figure out how to do two things at once. And that's ten times more fun! * Feray crosses her arms and shakes her head. ^^; Uh, cass... heh, yeah, that'd make it harder t'climb, to understate it. [Lily] Hmmm. ^^; * Jalanda gets a vague notions. "If you wish to force the way forward..." * Nathan paces a bit and thinks * Erellisae points toward the pile. "Aiming a few Howl spells a few feet nearer us than where the pile is should mean that it all gets thrown backward, and keep us safe. It might get it out the way, too." ^^ Well.. I still don't think the ice thing would be such a bad idea.. or water, if anyone can do water.. erode it, or cause it to settle in better. Something like that. A pity we can't just tell it to return to the deep earth.. sigh Yes... weaken the foe you face. * Jalanda lifts her pale right hand from the robes that hide it, as it begins to gather an ivory magical aura. "O, Spirits of the Arctic..." * Jalanda casts Freeze! upon the rockface with a touch, the ice spreading out in all directions. Eh, worth a try, I guess. If it doesn't work, I c'n always melt it again. * Erellisae sits down on the path, taking out her diary again. ^^; * Feray crosses her arms and eyes the commotion. The rock is frozen together...but very slick. ^^; I have an idea if this doesn't work It should prove much more brittle now. * Cassidy goes to see if it's carefully scaleable.. * * Jalanda lowers her hand, and steps back, again waiting in her usual patient way. her role has passed... Cassidy can climb up a little ways, but soon her feet slide against the rock, making her lose her precarious hold. ^^; * Mikari pulls out her handy grappling hook again, and determinedly lobs it up at the icy surface, attempting to throw it hard enough to break through the ice and anchor itself. * Cassidy hits the ground with a thud. * ><; Are we done with the ice skating now? ^^; * Cassidy gets back to her feet, rubbing her behind and grumbling. * Lemme give it a try, Feray... The grappling hook hits the ice, but though it breaks off a few pieces, it doesn't manage to lodge in it. ^^; ...mmph. ...Agh. Well, so much fer'that. Nate's turn. ^_- This is fun. We're bonding. Hmm. Could try to cut footholds in, but the ice doesn't look strong enough for it. * Nathan cracks his knuckles, and closes his eyes * Nathan glows blue, until he is only a solid blue shape. Then his form starts to deform and shrink. The blue glow fades, and a small blue-shelled crab has taken his place. * Erellisae watches the others idly, looking amused as she writes in her diary. .... * Feray stares. If you mean th'ice is bonded to th'rock, cuz that's about the extent of it as I see it. ^_- * Erellisae giggles. "Aww. Cute lil' crab." * Nathan clatters over to Mikari and snaps a claw at her grappling hook Impressive, Nate, care to take one end of a rope? * Mikari turns around to see what they're staring at. * Cassidy blinks. * ..Nice trick. ...Gagck!! Lily blinks, then mutters something and shakes her head. O_o Nate? Agh... .... I don't know whether to be amused or disturbed. * Jalanda bows her head, looking at the small crustacean with a slight smile. "I see the mer powers of body transmutation are quite flexible..." * Nathan snaps at the grapling hook again in Mikari's hands * Mikari blinks a few times, then holds out her grappling hook blankly. ^^; You... ah... want this? I dunno, he don't look that limber with that shell and all.. I think he just wants to hold your hand, Mikari. ^_- * Nathan snaps again I think he's hoping to drag a rope over, so we can use that to pull ourselves across. * Mikari snorts and smirks. "Very funny, Feray." Oh for crying out loud, give me the damn rope already! * Mikari turns around a lets him have it already. O_o Wow.. you can talk like.. uh.. that. ^^; * Nathan takes the rope in claw and advances on the pile Of course I can. I'm a merman after all ... ... ... * Nathan clambers up the rock, trailing the rope behind him Talking crabs, the fear of men everywere. ..... Guys. I'm sorry. But this is the cutest thing ever. * Feray points at the crab with the rope. * Erellisae appears to be snoozing slightly, her diary closed on her lap. ^^; ...If you've gotta thing fer crabs, Feray, I ain't sayin' anything. * Jalanda pulls out a few shurikens from her robe, running one over in her fingers in case Nathan requires a little help with a foothold. * Feray snorts and grumbles. ^^; * Nathan continues to climb up the rocks without too much difficulty Lily is trying valiantly not to giggle at this whole situation. * Feray watches and chews her lip furiously in an attempt to also restrain her giggling. * Nathan finishes the climb and dissapears over the top * Mikari watches Jalanda look all foreboding in the corner. * Nathan peeks over the edge at the group, in human form again Anyone want up? ^_- (m) Jal, if you know how we're gonna get 'cross 'lready, dammit... I wish ya'd just tell us. If it's all slick, how 'bout we sled it? ...Er. Nevermind. o_o *looks up at the top, incredulous that a crab could scale a wall like that* * Feray looks up at Nathan. .... * Feray's eyebrows threaten to hit some clouds. * Jalanda stows the projectile weapons back into their place, running her eyes over Mikari. "I don't always have all the answers... there is greater wisdom in overcoming trials yourself." * Mitsuo speaks up for the first time in a long while. ...Wow. * Nathan waggles the grappling hook at the party, "Bet you'd like me to affix this somewhere so you lot can climb up, right?" ^_- Eh, yeah. Sorry Jal. ^^; *Mikari hastily returns her gaze back towards the giant crab atop the wall of ice which seems to have somehow become part of her routine today.* Uhm.. * Mitsuo is still in gaping mode. ^^; * Feray shakes her head furiously. * Jalanda nods. "If you would be so kind, Nathan." Please stick it somewhere, Nate! ^_- * Nathan chuckles, and goes to find a good spot to set the hook Be right back! It would be nice, Nathan. ^^ Unless you wish to leave Feray's further cloth ripping escapades to your imagination? * Feray sputters. ^^; * Mitsuo's own eyebrows raise. ;) * Nathan looks back down the pile of rocks at the party and gives them a thumbs-up Ready to go Er... is it just me, or is climbin' up a pile of frozen boulders with only a rope not a good idea? * Erellisae watches the group, eying the pile of iced rocks and the rope trailing over it warily. * Feray shrugs and grabs the rope. Well.. it hurt the first time.. but I'd do it again. Hey, let's find out! Come on folks, this isn't gonna get any easier ^_- * Feray starts to climb. There is one other way if all else fails... * Mitsuo starts to climb as well, trying not to slip. ^^; * Erellisae shrugs, sitting back against her backpack and watching the attempts. * Dylan takes off his cloak, and lays it on the ice. Easy way. * Dylan sits on cloth and pulls himself up on the rope * Nathan heads to where he secured the hook and decides to hold it in place, just in case Lily waits her turn. * Feray reaches the top by grace of the GM! She wobbles and raises an eyebrow, socking Nate gently in the shoulder as she follows him to his spot. * Nathan grins at Feray ^_- * Mitsuo is still climbing up the wall, making sure he doesn't have a klutz attack ^^; So...you're a little tiny crab? Do you go good with dip? Slathered in melted butter? ^_- I might ^_- When it's her turn, Lily grabs the rope and shinnies up it as she did before. ^^ * Feray licks her lips ;) If you can crack my shell ^_- Girl like me loves a challenge! * Mitsuo ...actually manages to make it up to the top without falling off! Amazement! * Nathan chuckles ^_^ Phew.. ^^; Way to go Mits! ^_^ I didn't fall off! Awesome! ^^ Guys? * Mikari shakes her head at the clumsiness of this method, but decides to view it as another challenge. She waits until the person before her is done, and then grabs the rope herself. She puts little stock her her foothold, though, and pulls herself up mostly with upper body strength, which isn't quite as hard as it looks, considering her light weight... * Dylan pulls himself to the top, then stands on drier ground, and puts his cloak back on. * Nathan looks at Feray Hmm? * Erellisae watches everyone slowly make their way up the rocks, shaking her head a little. ^^; * Mikari reaches the top with effort, but without slipping. She exhales heavily. "...Next time...we lay off th'freeze spells." Erel isn't coming. * Feray points. * Erellisae stands up, hefting her backpack on her back. "I'll go last. You go, Jalanda." ^^ * Mitsuo frowns a bit. * Jalanda looks at the mage girl. "I know what you are thinking... it may yet be so." * Jalanda begins the ascend hand over hand. One of her arms wobbles slightly as she goes, but she does not falter too much... If anyone wants me to pull them up, just ask, okay? * Nathan waits patiently once again * Erellisae watches Jalanda make her way up the cliff, chewing on her bottom lip slightly. * Jalanda hefts herself to the summit of the pile. Welcome, Jalanda. ^_^ Erel, you gonna be able to climb up? * Erellisae grins a little. "You guys go on ahead, and get out the way. I'll get through /my/ way." ^_^ * Jalanda chuckles faintly beneath her hood. ...Uh oh... ^^;;; * Mitsuo steps back a bit. * Feray peers at Erel, something flickering in her gaze. ...Oh, hell... * Erellisae looks confidently back up at Feray, grinning slightly. "Trust me!" :D ... * Mikari darts away from the pile, and around to the safe side of a rock outjutting. >_< * Feray turns and heads away. ^^; * Cassidy sighs and rolls her eyes. * Lily makes tracks away from the barrier. ^^; * Nathan steps WELL away * Mitsuo hmms, thinks again, and steps even FURTHER away. * Dylan steps away from the rubble. * Erellisae moves away from the barrier slightly, then turns, charging a howl spell in her hands. ^^ * Jalanda does her best to slip off the pile before things get a bit dangerous. * Erellisae tries to take stock on when everyone is safely away, before letting the spell rip, aiming it a little way away from the wall on her side. The wind spell tears into the side of the frozen rock, shattering a section of ice and rubble. * Erellisae eyes the wall carefully, wondering if that was enough... :/ * Erellisae grrs slightly under her breath, charging another Howl spell between her hands. * Mikari sits behind the rock, rolling her eyes. 9_9 Erel... * Jalanda does a half twist to a safe distance, and waits, watching the rock pile shake from the first spell... ... * Mitsuo frowns a bit further, "..Magic can't solve everything..." * Erellisae flings the second spell at the rock wall with a shout. I am going to have a stern talking to with her. * Feray crosses her arms, a rare look of seriousness on her face. * Mikari mutters. "And boy does she need it, Feray." A large section of the barrier collapses outward, rubble and ice bouncing away beyond it. The barrier at the spot Erel aimed her spell is now about four feet high. * Erellisae looks a little more satisfied, aiming a smaller Howl spell at the last part of the wall and letting it go. ^^ The barrier breaks down to a low ridge, allowing Erellisae to squeeze through to the other side. ^^ You okay, Ms Erellisae? Isn't that tiring? * Erellisae grins, and picks her way through. "There..! A little, but I'm okay." :D A brightly colored bird flies down and perches on the branch of a nearby tree, watching the group with some interest. ... ...Erel... Probably drew alot of attention to us, too... .... *grumbles* ...nevermind. * Jalanda pensively considers something. * Dylan shrugs Who'll be watching out here? * Nathan notes the bird, as it stands out from the otherwise drab surroundings The bird opens its beak and lets out a loud trill. * Cassidy points.. * Well.. that bird there looks kinda out of place. Let's carry on. * Mitsuo blinks a bit at the bird as well, "...Pretty." * Feray looks up at the bird, furrowing her brow. It's a bird. It's in a tree. What do you expect? It hops down to a lower branch and trills again, this time more musically. The sound is lovely and entrancing. ....? Shall we move on? I expect some big behemoth to come lumbering around the corner, actually.. The bird flutters down to sit on Mitsuo's shoulder. * Mikari looks at Cass. "Ugh. Somebody throw a rock at it." * Mitsuo blinks. O_o ...Uh, hi? ^^: Mitsuo...that thing might have fleas. The bird trills at Mitsuo happily. * Nathan chuckles ^_^ ...I dunno, I think he likes me. ^^ * Erellisae walks up to the group, blinking at the bird. "Aww... wait, do birds even get fleas?" * Feray looks annoyed. Let's go. * Mitsuo rubs his head a bit. * Dylan shrugs * Nathan starts off again * Dylan starts walking * Mitsuo follows the others. The bird trills in Mitsuo's ear again. * Feray keeps an eye on the bird... * Jalanda looks up at the bird on Mitsuo's shoulder chirping happily. * Erellisae follows after the group, grinning at the bird slightly. * Mikari eyes the bird distrustingly. * Cassidy silently treks along.. * ...this feeling. * Feray steps closer to Mitsuo. * Erellisae follows alongside Mits, occasionally reaching up to try to get the bird to land on her finger. She blinks slightly, watching it. ^^ * Jalanda shakes her head once, and follows along. * Mitsuo rubs his head again. ... * Nathan presses on down the road, more concerned with more immediate things * Erellisae shakes her head. "Ugh... next time we have to escape a city that are after us, can we do it in the daytime so we don't lose any sleep...?" Mm. ... Break time. Something seems to beckon to Feray, Erellisae, and Mitsuo from one side of the path. ^^; ...Yeah. * Feray squints towards the side of the path and heads for it... "Rest now." * Jalanda slows. * Erellisae barely seems to notice, instead silently turning and heading for the side of the path, her head tilted to one side in a not-quite loll. Ermm.. Feray? ...mmmm... It's a bit early to stop.. No.. stop now. * Nathan turns around and blinks at Feray * Cassidy turns to regard Feray. * Why, what's up? What's up back there? * Feray has a somewhat dreamy, distracted tone. ^^ The side trail they follow is unusually still... Feray! No taking the young 'uns off to one side! We can't trust you with them! * Jalanda looks to the bird again, narrowing her eyes. She pulls out a shuriken wordlessly, and hurls it right at the bird on Mitsy's shoulder. * Mikari snickers at Dylan's remark. * Feray says nothing and continues moving mindlessly. Hmm. No retort, somethings wrong. * Mitsuo's eyes are half lidded and he looks tired and dreamy, "...Need to stop...Tired..." Come back! ...tired... The bird squawks and flutters away from Mitsuo! Suddenly Feray, Erellisae, and Mitsuo find that their heads feel a bit clearer. ^^; * Mikari stops walking and looks behind her questioningly, at Jalanda. * Nathan narrows his eyes * Cassidy draws her blade. * I...huh? O_o That bird! It's a trap! .......ggnnhh? I knew that thing was bad luck. ...enchanter, leave here. * Erellisae blinks, almost stumbling forward but catching herself in time, blinking around. "What the..?" * Feray becomes aware just in time to FALL OVER A LOG. ....Agh. ...OW! F***! Feray! O_o Hey! * Mitsuo helps her up, "...What just happened?" * Mikari goes over to make sure Feray is okay. * Erellisae shakes her head in an attempt to clear it. ><; The bird flies around in a circle above them, shrieking angrily. It dives at Jalanda, attempting to slash her with its beak. You lot went off to sleep by the side of the road You got suckered by that bird. Nnhgg. There was that bird. Then the pleasant fuzziness. Then tiredness. And.. Watch out! ...Jalanda! O_o Behind you! * Dylan lashes out a fist at the bird! ...woah, Mitsuo, your bird is going psychotic O_O * Cassidy moves to intercept it, taking a swing at it while it dives. * Duck! * Jalanda tries to turn away from the deadly areiel threat... ^^ * Mikari pulls out her dagger and attempts to "snipe" the fowl! The bird dodges the blows aimed at it, managing to get in a shallow slash on Jalanda's cheek. * Erellisae blinks, taking in where they are and what's happening, before looking around worriedly for any others. * Feray growls and looks annoyed. * Jalanda closes an eye, holding her face. * Dill leaps from Jalanda's hood! Puuuuf! Jalanda...are you okay? * Dill flaps at the bird, angrily! The bird shrieks and flies away from Dill, circling to avoid the puffy. It seems afraid of him. * Nathan snarls at the bird * Mikari eyes Dill to make sure she doesn't hit him, and lobs her dagger at the bird! * Dill chases it, growling! * Feray rubs her neck and grumbles. The dagger strikes the bird in the base of its wing as it tries to avoid Dill. Shrieking still, it falls from the sky. What the heck is that bird's problem? * Erellisae keeps looking around warily for any other birds that might appear.. Us, now. * Feray heads for the bird, drawing her weapon. A low, rumbling growl essays from the side path the others almost headed down. A few rocks tremble in answer. ^^; * Cassidy sets upon the fallen creature. * ...Uh oh. ...great [Lily] Maybe we should leave. Quickly. ^^; * Erellisae backs away from the side path, heading back onto the main path. ^^; * Jalanda tries to regain her composure. "It was charming you..." Feray and Cassidy quickly finish off the bothersome bird. Time to go. Now Let's hurry away from this place! * Dill goes back to Jalanda.. and licks at the scratch ...always with the running. * Mitsuo runs back to the main path. Puf! *flexes wing* Puff! Today just hasn't been a good day... * Feray idly grabs a colorful feather from the bird's corpse. * Nathan starts herding people in the direction of away * Feray tucks it behind her ear. * Erellisae hurries down the main road. "And then it leads you into pointy teeth areas, right?" ^^; * Dylan beings to herd people back to the main path.. * Cassidy turns, and begins to dash back.. * * Feray heads back for the group... * Jalanda smiles weakly. "yes Dill, yes. He was very frightened of your mighty strength..." She backs off the path whilst she can. ...You know...everything is trying to charm me. First Mermaids and now...Hey, if anything tries to charm me again, can you just slap me? Really hard. I'd appreciate it. Heh, less talk. More move ^_- I'm moving! ^^: * Erellisae hurries along with the others. "Maybe it can't move? Maybe that's why the bird has to lead the prey there. Otherwise it could just sit at the junction..." * Mikari shakes her head at all this crap. First bird, then other threats. Let's hope so. * Dill hides back in Jal's hood. Come on people! * Dylan starts to walk on Up ahead, they are hurrying down the path to get away from the nameless danger when Lily slides to a halt, making those behind her crash into her back. ^^; Oof! Gack! * Erellisae skids to a halt, arms flailing. ^^; Ow! Erk! O_o Nice stop ^_- You need some flashing lights or something... * Dylan falls flat on his face. * Feray rubs her nose. [Lily] Shhh! Rmpg! ? * Dylan sits up.. quietly.. Lily gestures vehemently toward an outcropping of rock right above them. Nearby sits the biggest mountain cat they have ever seen. * Nathan shushes * Feray brightens. What now, Lily? ^^; ...Oh. Grr. (w) Oh wow...that's a beauty. Unsettling trend :\ * Mitsuo pales a bit, glancing up. It seems half dozing, lazily, in the sunshine, but every now and then it flicks its tail. Its eyes are half open, watching the path idly as if waiting for a possible meal to approach. * Mikari assesses the cat.... * Feray stares at the big cat as if it's a pile of gold. ^^; * Mikari draws her dagger once again, having pierced one animal today... Can we go around? * Cassidy speaks lowly.. * You think it'd attack a group of us? * Feray reaches out to still Mikari's hand. Lily frowns and whispers. [Lily] That's a jinsa. It would attack if it saw us, yes. *Hunkers back into the underbrush* * Erellisae whispers quietly. "Might not be an 'it'... we can only /see/ one..." (q) Joy. The next trial... *reaches up to her face to assess the wound as they assess the threat of the cat* The path appears to be blocked on both sides by rock walls. ^^; * Mitsuo remains very quiet. [Lily] It'd be a very, VERY bad idea to try to fight that thing. We're going to have to figure out a way to sneak by it. ^^; I'll cause a distraction.. lead it away.. ... * Erellisae looks around, keeping her voice low. "What about going quietly under the outcropping?" * Cassidy casts Cloak of Invisibility, and starts towards the large feline.. * [Lily] What kind of distraction? I don't like the idea of it catching you by accident... [Lily] Oh. That. *Blinks* I'll be fine. It can't hurt what it can't see.. ..I hope.. It might be able to smell you, so be carefull * Mitsuo gulps. The feline continues to doze, apparently unaware of Cassidy's approach. * Cassidy leans down to pick up a rock, which appears to float towards the cat.. * * Cassidy begins to sing a little tune, waving the rock in the air! * o/~ Look at me! I am a delicious meal! So tasty and good! Low in fat! o/~ .... * Erellisae sweatdrops. ^^;; * Nathan stifles a laugh * Mitsuo bites his lip. The cat opens its eyes, glancing about to see the source of the sound. Languidly it rises, licking its lips. * Cassidy waits to have the attention of the cat, and as soon as she does, throws the rock as far as she can, disappearing behind a large rock! * * Mikari waits silently watching. * Cassidy stands deathly still.. thinking to herself, pleasefollowtherock... pleasefollowtherock... * The cat hears the sound off to one side, pricks up its ears, then bounds off after the rock Cassidy threw. Lily mutters. [Lily] Go! Quickly, quietly! *She dashes silently across the path. (w) All right! * Erellisae rushes across the path as fast as she can. ^^; * Mitsuo follows Lily as fast as he can! * Feray shrugs, lamenting the loss of a beautiful pelt, and sprints lightly across. * Dylan follows with as much speed as he can. * Jalanda kneels low as she makes sure her cheek is well, then looking up. Seeing the ruse's success, she starts after the group into the pass. * Cassidy falls back, stealthily heading to rejoin the rest of the group, dispelling the Cloak. * Mikari drops to one knee to prepare herself, then sprints after the rest. There is a sound of crunching underbrush, but it gets further away as they run. Apparently the ruse succeeded. * Cassidy phews. * Well.. that wasn't so bad now, was it? No...thank you, Cassidy ^^ * Erellisae nods, looking around. "As long as we don't meet another." ^^; * Mikari nods. "Not bad. Still all'n one piece." Suddenly, the crashing in the underbrush returns! There is a low snarl, and the big cat comes flying out of the trees and knocks down Feray, pinning her to the ground! ....Strike that. * Cassidy spins around. * Awww crap. ...rrggh!! Grrr... Feray!! O_o * Feray slides a little and bares her teeth back at the cat! * Mikari leaps at the cat's back with dagger in hand! * Cassidy acts immediately, charging in to attack! * * Dylan growls and runs to the cat! * Jalanda darts her head to the side. "Feray!" * Erellisae gasps, stumbling back, before starting to charge magic in her hands. "Go me and my predictions. ^^; Feray! Are you okay?!" * Mitsuo gets an idea, and begins to chant! C'mon, kitty! Let's play! The cat leaps off of Feray and backs up, readying another strike, wary of the group's weapons... * Nathan snarls! The cat growls low at Nathan, then dances out of his way and charges at Feray! * Nathan advances threateningly on the cat The cat dodges Feray's rush, but suffers a knife swipe to its flank. It closes its teeth on Feray's wrist, attempting to wrestle her to the ground or to knock the knife away. Feray, back away! * Feray growls and pushes back against the cat, trying to wrestle it back! * Mikari skids, circles a little, then rushes the feline from the OTHER side. * Nathan waits for a chance to attack without hitting Feray The cat swipes its tail at Mikari like a whip! * Dylan starts to chant, a soothing lullaby of a chant. * Erellisae hangs back, knowing there's very little she can do without catching the others in it. ^^; Come on......c-come on.....I've wrestled....worse.... * Mitsuo joins Dylan, chanting something similar. * Jalanda considers the options. "...the thrill of the hunt... who is the prey here?" * Feray grits her teeth, snarling. * Cassidy presses the assault.. * * Mikari grabs at the tail and prepares to wrench it free from it's owner! ;) Blood trickles down Feray's arm. Finally she manages to get one hand free with her weapon... * Feray utters a low laugh and draws her knife towards the cat's throat! The cat sees the knife at the last minute and releases Feray, leaping sideways. Her knife draws a long gash in its muzzle. * Jalanda either seems to be delaying an action, or she has a strange trust in Feray's grasp of the situation. * Mitsuo finishes his incantation! * Feray glares at the cat, blood running from her mangled wrist. * Mitsuo closes his eyes, and opens his hand to the enemy. He slowly closes his fingers, and drops his hand in a hypnotic, soothing way. Let me tuck you in... * Mitsuo closes his fist, and tiny bubbles waft lazily up and around the enemy party. The bubbles snap en masse, and its lights out. Mitsuo and Dylan both cast Snooze at once! The cat drops in its tracks as it prepares to leap at Feray again, collapsing to the ground and beginning to snore. * Mitsuo lets out a shakey breath, "Thank the spirits." Let's go before it wakes! Mitsuo, fix Feray's arm! Whew * Feray takes a soft breath as the cat collapses. She beams and heads for the cat, intent on slitting its throat. * Mitsuo nods, and hurries towards Feray! ...Feray, come on! We need to go! * Erellisae lets out a breath. "H-hey, Feray... you okay?" * Feray blinks and pauses, looking towards Mitsuo. She frowns. ... * Mikari stops with her dagger an inch from the sleeping cat's throat, then sheathes it to let the cat sleep. Come on...we need to go! Mmmph. Alright. Lily heads off down the trail, making urgent motions to the others. ^^; * Erellisae looks back, worried, then heads off down the trail after Lily. * Dylan follows * Feray shakes her head a little and heads away from the cat... * Mitsuo nods, and grabs her good hand, intent on fixing her injuries once they're far, far away from mister kitty. * Cassidy withdraws.. * * Feray cradles her arm against her body and smiles wryly. . o O (Sheesh, what else is gonna stand in the way today?) * Mitsuo glances at Feray, and chants once more. «ooc: here's another incantation! » Pure waters...restore! * Mitsuo claps his hands, and a thin blue line crawls along the ground towards Feray. The line curls up and around, then dissipates, taking the wounds with it. Thanks, handsome. ^_- Feray's arm is healed almost as good as new. After a while Lily signals a halt, sighing. * Feray flexes her hand and nods appreciatively. * Jalanda withdraws, looking at Feray as she passes and is tended to. She looks like she wants to say something, but refrains from it. ...what now? -_-; .o( Who should talk to who when this is all over... ) * Mitsuo looks away from Feray, his eyes dark. * Mikari phews and wipes her brow. I'd really be earnin' my wage today, if I were gettin' one. Lily frowns, looking around and sweatdropping. Sorry that ruse didn't work quite as well as I had hoped.. It's okay. No harm, no foul. ^^ * Jalanda turns her attentions to what next fate has thrown in their way... ...And Feray too, f'r that matter... ...Right. I'd be earning enough to feed my mom for two weeks if we had bagged that cat, Mik! Wooooeee.. * Feray whistles lowly. Anyway, what's the deal, Lily? Heh. ^_~ Trick is, th'cat IS yer pay when you're huntin'. I'm surprised you didn't kill it, actually.. Lily shakes her head. [Lily] There will be more of those cats, Feray. I'm afraid they're quite common in western Talachia. Anyway...ummm... *She sweatdrops again* I think we're lost. *She gestures. The path splits...into about five or six different directions. ^^; Wanted to, Cass, but it was time to go...so I went. ^^; ...Great. :/ ... Marvelous * Jalanda looks to all the paths one by one, trying to pick out discerning features of each if possible. * Erellisae grins. "No problem, right? We just enlist Jalanda's help!" :D * Dylan pulls out la mappe. ...If there're more of those, we'd better hav'a better plan ready next time. Pfft.. as long as there's a path, that means it's been travelled before. Paths gotta go somewhere, right? Lily peers over Dylan's shoulder at the map. [Lily] See anything familiar? * Nathan flops down in the middle of the road As long as it's not into the gaping maw of death, sure. ^_- * Feray blinks at Nate and pokes him. Hmm. * Dylan reads the map carefully * Nathan is poked at Yes, consult the map first... Ja? * Erellisae sits off to one side slightly, watching the sky for any other of the birds. You alright, sailor? Right. Already met Feray's maw, a real'n would be worse. ^_^ * Feray snorts idly at Mik's comment. ^^; Lily points to an area on the map. [Lily] This looks familiar...but I don't see these paths anywhere here. Maybe they aren't marked... Yeah, just a bit frustrated Ah. Fair enough. ^^; * Mitsuo looks around. Hmm. Not much use. * Dylan carefully rolls up the map I see... then perhaps I may yet hold insight into the path ahead. * Jalanda reaches out into what appears to be empty space, the water vapor in the air beginning to gather and coalesce into a globe of pure crystal where nothing was a moment before... * Jalanda holds the sphere between her palms like a magnifying glass almost, viewing each of the paths through it. "Show me the truth among the lies." Jalanda casts Scry. Peering deeply into the crystal, she feels a resonance echoing back at her from the direction of one path, off to the northwest... * Mikari nods with approval at the useful skill... * Jalanda points to the northwest, looking up. "This one." Great... * Erellisae looks up, getting to her feet. ^^ * Nathan stands up again, ready to go ...Then let's go. * Jalanda takes a few steps in that direction, testing her own theory out... * Mikari prepares to get goin'. ^^ They continue on their way. The afternoon is wearing on now, and the sun is sinking lower toward the horizon. After a while, Lily sighs with relief. [Lily] This looks vaguely familiar. Dylan, can you find where we are now...? * Nathan follows along Hmm. * Dylan unrolls the map and looks around. * Mitsuo begins to look tired, and rubs his eyes a bit. * Jalanda lets the misty globe fade slowly away upon the air as she walks on with the others. Mmm... how many more steps to climb. Ah yes.. the great Stairwell of Life... where would we be without it. 21 paces. X marks the spot. * Mikari smirks as she heads onward. Not sure.. this map.. is more of a guide than a accuarate distancer.. The path finally curls away down out of the mountains, crossing a narrow ravine and then winding down into a rolling plain of dry grass and golden light. As they reach the edge of the ravine, however, Lily stops, muttering under her breath. ...Lily, what is it? Lily points, and they can see that the rope-and-wood bridge is out, dangling uselessly from the opposite side. -_-; ... ... Hey! I've got an idea! ...We came all this way for...nothing? * Nathan looks to Feray Yeah.. it really has been one of those days. :P Let's fling ourselves into the ravine and die horribly! * Jalanda stares questioningly in madam Lily's direction. Even she has to seem vaguely preturbed by this chain of events... Let's not! Let's throw a temper tantrum instead! It's just as useless and we live that way! Was a joke. Ha....ha. Right. Kay. * Nathan blinks at Feray, and then starts to laugh * Mikari nods sarcastically at Feray in agreement. Hmm. Is this where we throw crab-Nate with a rope? ... Ooh. Why not? We've tried everything else today? ^_^ Lily throws her hands in the air in disgust. [Lily] There's got to be a way across. I might make a good frizzbee :D * Mikari laughs. "Heheh!" That's an idea, Dylan. Can you sprout wings too, Nate? ^_- Our very own living grapple * Erellisae peers across the ravine gently, then looks down into it, taking care not to get too close. Sorry, but wings ain't my style ^_- Hmm. Flying fish? [Lily] No, Feray, we don't have any pixie dust, so that won't work. ^_~ Drat. Well... if not Nathan, then Dill can fly, and carry a rope in his mouth, right? ^^ * Mitsuo hmms. ^^ That's also a plan. ^^; Although he might have trouble tying it. ^^; Oh right. Hm. * Nathan thinks Could you throw me that far, Dylan? * Jalanda takes a few steps forward, inspecting the scene... You, Cassidy... possibly not... ^^ Lily thinks... Hmm... [Lily] Hey, Mikari! * Mikari is already inspecting the scene, Jalanda will find. Not that she's come to any conclusions. * Erellisae looks pensive, and fidgets slightly. * Mikari turns around. "...Mm?" [Lily] Do you have a special battle technique with that grappling hook of yours that might come in handy here...? Eh? Battle technique? What're ya getting at? ... well.. what about me, Dylan? I might be lighter than Cassidy... :/ If we could reel it in... it could be reaffixed with some work. Lemme know what I can do for ya, and I'll do it. * Cassidy looks Erel up and down. * You lighter than me? Probably not. ^^; You have no idea what all those crepes and waffles and sausages have done to you, Erel. ^^;; I don't think I can throw a person that far.. * Cassidy grins. * * Erellisae sweatdrops. "H-hey now..!" ^^; ...If you were wonderin' whether I can make it across there, I might, with some twists'n turns... a powered-up jump might do it... * Jalanda looks a little suspicious of this all though, uneasy. Powered up, huh? * Mikari fingers her chin and looks over to Cass. "...Yeah. Not t'brag, but I think I'm the best jumper here. I'd need a boost for this'n, though." Lily nods. [Lily] With all the wind-based spells this group knows, there must be something we could use. Let's try this.. * Cassidy casts Runner on Mikari. * Mikari feels her speed go up as wind energy whips around her. * Mitsuo watches for now. * Feray sits down and rubs her wrist.. Is that gonna be enough? :/ ...That'll do it. o_o Whoohoo... * Mikari grins, enjoying the rush this spell always gives her. She jogs back a ways from the edge of the ravine, and gets a running start... * Mikari wields her grappling hook in one hand, and sprints towards the edge! She confidently leaps out and lets the grappler out about 2/3rds of the way through the jump towards the tallest tree at the edge of the other side. It catches in the nick of time, and she comes swinging towards the ground on the other side, her shoes skidding into the dirt. Mikari makes a nice, neat landing, sending up a spray of dirt under her feet. * Mitsuo whoos. * Erellisae looks more than a little relieved. ^^; (m) ...Ow... glad I don't go barefoot 'at times like this... *ties the line around a large tree, a dozen feet from the edge* ...OKAY, READY!! * Nathan applauds lightly ^_^ * Mikari puts one hand on her hip and waves back with a grin. Impressive. Hand over hand, or do we set up 2 more lines? * Dylan gives Mikari a thumbs up Either or. Whatever you're more comfortable with'll do. * Mikari puts both hands on hips and nods back at the party, waiting for them to give her a yell for further instructions. I'd be happier with at least 2 lines. And it would help fellow travellers. * Jalanda nods... * Mitsuo nods a bit ^^: * Mikari shouts back. * Erellisae nods, sweatdropping. ^^; [Lily] Shall I try taking another line across...? (shout) Do you think you can run another line Ms. Mikari? Hey, whaddya want here?? Want me t'lash a bridge for ya?!... ^_- (shout) Yes! Bridge Good! * Mikari replies loudly... "Sure!! ...Eh, the bridge was a joke!!" * Dylan facepalms Geez, they 'spect me to spend all day o'er here... Well, anyway... * Mikari unreels the spare line and ties it to a medium-sized rock. She then walks over to the edge and swings it over head until she gets it to a suitably velocity. * Mikari then yells "BOMBS AWAY!!" and lets it rip. The rock goes flying to the other side and lands just to the right of the group, in the bushes. * Jalanda keeps quiet, though she still seems a bit troubled by something or another. The rock landing snaps her out of it. Lily, you're the best with ropes, if you'd tie it off? Lily nods. [Lily] Sure. *Quickly, she lashes the rope securely to the nearest tree. Testing the weight of it, she walks out onto the lower rope, holding onto the upper rope for balance. [Lily] Looks good! Okay, people, time to cross * Mikari nods and leans against the anchor tree to spectate. * Cassidy goes to casually meander across. * Lily makes her way easily over to the other side. ^^ * Mitsuo starts to make his way over to the other side. * Mikari considers that someone should've tied a rope around Mitsuo's waist for this... * Erellisae looks a little nervous, but starts in turn to edge across the ropes slowly, taking care not to look down. ^^; * Nathan waits for his turn * Mitsuo once again manages to get across without killing himself! Wonder of wonders! * Erellisae follows shortly after Mitsuo, relieved to be able to step away from the ravine and onto firmer ground. ^^; * Dylan puts on heavy gloves, and with one rope in each hand, shuffles acorss * Nathan shimmies across the rope * Jalanda carefully finds purchase on the rope, and advances along as best she can... her right arm shakes a couple more times in it's grip of the rope. ^^ * Mikari sits at the base of the tree now, resting her chin on her hand, and her elbow on her knee. So, onwards? * Mitsuo begins to look very tired, but nods, "...I guess." Sheesh, yeah, once again. Onwards ^^; Lily points down the path. [Lily] We're out of the pass now. If we hurry, we should reach the town of Nendasa by dark. * Nathan heads off, looking forward to some downtime Inn food sounds good. Full speed stroll everone! * Erellisae glances around, rubbing her eyes a little. "Provided we don't get anything else in our way." ^^; * Dylan goes in what he hopes is the right direction * Mitsuo trudges behind everyone else. * Erellisae sets off after everyone else. What can get in our way this close to town? Don't say that. Something will crop up * Erellisae looks around wistfully, and starts idly counting off on her fingers, her voice trailing off as she keeps thinking. "Bandits, monsters, storms, snow, sleet, hail, earthquakes, getting lost..." Lily claps her hand over Erellisae's mouth. ^^; * Mitsuo moans softly at Erel's comments. ^^; * Jalanda reaches the other side, looking weary. She touches her wounded cheek again, advancing forward. "Best not to tempt the Fates." * Erellisae nods, sweatdropping. ^^; * Mikari waves to each as they each arrive on the other side. As the sun drifts toward the western horizon ahead, the group makes their way down the road, heading for the town of Nendasa and the promise of food and beds that waits there. ^_^ ==Session End== *** GMAmy changes topic to 'Grandia: New Horizons | Chapter 22.0: The Broken Path | Location: Toroli Pass, morning, June 30 | Session End' Session Close: Sat Mar 23 00:31:14 2002