Chimera's Dominion [Chimera & Zadi]

The flyers went about their business, seemingly 'accepting' Zadi's words. However, their tone and facial expressions said otherwise. To jump in or not? That answer cannot be answered by anyone but Chimera, the one that Zadi is assisting. Zadi didn't care what her goals are for the power and wealth within this dungeon. All he knew was that after having gotten this far, Zadi wouldn't just stop helping. Anyway, after the flyers did an alien ritual, Zadi translated the message to Chimera;

"This portal will lead us deeper into the dungeon. There we will face the results of our choices. What do you say? Go for the visible portal? See what's waiting in the waters below?"

Zadi would follow behind Chimera no matter the decision. A reckless choice for Zadi to make with a 'stranger', but having already confessed a handful of 'secrets' to her built up Zadi's personal trust within this woman. Unfortunately, Zadi hadn't taken the time to get to know Chimera all that personally. No secrets shared just yet, but he may get there one day. If Chimera jumped into the portal, so would Zadi.

[entered oval portal if Chimera does so]

Chimera could see the jumpiness of the pixies as they travelled past herself and Zadi. Just their anxious and fearful nature made Chimera want to go full-predator on them. However, she restrained herself as best as she could. Her eyes carefully observing the ceremony they performed for their fallen. Paying attention to the lock of hair that had been taken.

She dismissed it, but she would speak to them despite the language barrier. "The lion does not hunt the mouse. Remember that." They seemed to explain more things to Zadi, which was quickly relayed to her. "I'm not really liking what's going on with the water here. If they say it goes deeper into the portal, we don't have much to go on. Lets just hope the result of our choices isn't that failure that those soldier who had experienced a mind-numbing amnesia. Anyways, we might have to catch up to the other people who might still be in the dungeon, or keep a solid lead from those who have entered after us. There were tons of people gathered around it." Chimera lost no more time or worries on the pixies and dived straight onto the portal.

Chimera and Zadi both found themselves standing before two large trees that somehow grew atop of humongous stone structures. These stone structures had engraved upon them an ancient text linking to the Torran language, with each letter easily being the size of a man. All across these structures was a variety of the words made by the ancient race. Zadi's Memory Addict would work excellently in this situation, his Tongue of the Torran would find foundation from the experience even though he did not have time to truly analyze the words before him.

No traversing within the roots of the tree from before, light filters through the canopy and shows a lone pathway ahead. Fireflies flit about, here and there, and large mushroom heads can be seen growing from the sides of the trees. In the distance a building with a strange glow can be seen... But before they can reach that building, they must first cross the narrow bridge ahead. Yet even before they are able to pass the twin trees that sat on either side of them, they would see a pair of Root Hounds round the side of each tree. If it was just one each, the sight of the two creatures wouldn't be too frightening... Yet the ground shook slightly as roots and vines began to intertwine and a being emerged from the forest floor directly behind the two Root hounds; a Spriggan.

The two Root Hounds immediately bounded forward, snapping their jaws as they did so. They were clearly hostile, and Zadi would have the feeling that diplomacy would not be possible with these creatures due to his Cautionary Sense. If the distance between the two were to be allowed to be crossed, they would find themselves on the other end of a Hounding. The Spriggan moved behind them, leaving a distance of 10 meters between itself and the two Hounds. The Hounds had just 3 meters between each other.


OOC:

Opposition:

Zadi's paranoia came flooding towards him when he jumped into the portal. He just felt like a trap was read and waiting for them behind it. However, upon opening his eyes, Zadi could see what looked to be the next area. It wasn't long until Zadi breathed out with all his might as if he had been holding his breath this entire time, "OOOH man. I thought we would die for sure! Not that I didn't trust your decision! Just...that...portal. So ominous. Well, no point dwelling on the past. Survival of the fittest! The world's rule! We've come this far. Only something with greater survival instincts can defeat us."

Zadi rambling eventually came to a close which prompted Zadi to look around and take notice of the large symbols everywhere. They looked interesting, to say the least. Zadi definitely took interest and memorized them using his skills as a detective. Perhaps he could find someone to translate them? Only time would tell.

"Alright, I guess we need to head towards that building over there- uh?"

Zadi noticed the root hounds not too far from the pair. They seemed a bit hostile actually. They may not have been charging immediately, but they had this bloodlust that Zadi's skills as a Dungeon Runner could pick up on. However, the troubles didn't end there. Roots started to come together and intertwine. They eventually 'created' a being the likes of which Zadi had never seen! He had read tales of forests haunted by creatures made from bark and moss with muscles of the strongest wood and eyes glowing the color of enraged fireflies. Not much on their skills, but assuming that these creatures 'haunted' forests, it was only natural that they, too, are hostile like the root hounds. Though intimidating, Zadi actually stepped foward, Rukh Slayer and Knight's Defender drawn. Zadi was about to put his wand in his mouth before he paused and said to Chimera, "Dibs."

Zadi's wand, Pointed Prism, in mouth. Sword in right hand, shield in left. Zadi felt he could really test his training since the last dungeon. The death on the Shrouded Isle and his trek through the Forgotten Desert better have paid off, otherwise he'd be S.O.L. against this mysterious set of creatures.

The root hounds charged! So did Zadi using 4, 1.25 meter Flash Steps in order to get between the two root hounds, half a meter from the right (Zadi's perspective) and 2.5 from the left! Underneath the left root hound, Zadi created Ball and slammed it against the underside of the creature at 20 m/s, hopefully. Meanwhile, Zadi activated his Red Faced spell, coating Rukh Slayer in a wave of heat, and Deep Pressure Shell, coating his shield in magoi. The shield blocked the right hound's Hounding while Rukh Slayer was Thrust Forward at 10 m/s, aiming for the root hound's center (chest). The left hound's Hounding was blocked by Zadi's borg if Ball wasn't quick enough to deal its blow.

If everything worked out, Zadi would have taken 4, 1.25 meter steps such that he was between two defeated root hounds and in the middle of Chimera and the Spriggan. However, Zadi didn't stop moving and continued using 4 more, 1.25 meter Flash Steps. If the Spriggan attacked, Zadi would use his shield for a block while countering with Sneaky Crab Pinch and Ball which had been moving low on the ground next to Zadi, 2.5 meters away. Sneaky Crab Pinch moved at 25 m/s and aimed for the Spriggan's left leg (Zadi's perspective) while Ball, moving at 20 m/s, was aimed for the Spriggan's right leg. Zadi kept Rukh Slayer coated in Red Faced while striking with Sneaky Crab Pinch, just in case.

The end result, in a perfect situation, would be Zadi standing where the Spriggan once stood, exhausted yet satisfied with his training since the last dungeon.

"Alright, let's go."

---

Item(s):

Tech(s):

110 magoi/stamina (well sh*t...)

Chimera observed the two large trees that towered above them, and the structures that formed their base. Her first instinct was to travel and check out the foreign characters. They were as big as her, so she was quick to imitate their shapes with her own body, in quick succession almost as if it was a dance choreography, but grew tired of the actions, and some of the shapes were more difficult for the human body to mimic.

She could see beams of light coming through the sky, as she naturally put her hand through the light ray amusedly. Chimera still followed behind Zadi towards the bridge. "I see." Chimera was quick to notice that Zadi wasn't even going to attempt to rationalize with these creature. Perhaps the mantis' had been a lesson for him, which was ideal for her. She had been wanting to fight for quite some time.

"Dibs."

Zadi spoke but a single word and then got into a weird pose with a wand in his mouth, equipped with a sword and shield in his arms, then he bolted into the fray and started a flurry of moves as he attempted to dispatch the mobs. Chimera panicked, she didn't wanna miss out, but his speed was superior to hers. He had already unleashed a move as she was trying to figure out his target but apparently they all were. She tried to adjust to this with her own shortcoming in strength by lining up the root hound and the spriggan. Using Slaver's Whipcrack to strike at the houndling on the right if it was still standing. If not, following through with her attack into the spriggan.

Ability:

Zadi's movements were quick and masterful, shooting to the blindside of the two beasts as he let out his flurry of spell slinging. The left hound's Hounding was intercepted by Ball, and the beast yelped as the spell overpowered its own attack and it crumpled to the ground, unravelling. Meanwhile, Zadi's shield guarded against the right hound's Hounding, and the thrust not only pierced the creature's chest but shortly thereafter set the creature ablaze with the flames of Red Faced.

While Zadi was performing these actions, however, the Spriggan was not idle. The light magician's attacks were strong enough to instantaneously kill each hound, so it did not pause to attempt a healing spell. Instead, just as Zadi finished placing a blow on the second Root Hound, it prepared to shoot a Thorn towards Zadi after he had finished dashing forward. Subsequently it called forth Nature's Wrath and summoning a new Root Hound behind Zadi, facing off 6 meters from Chimera. It would charge towards Chimera, attacking her with a Hounding.

Sneaky Crab Pinch clashes V.S. Thorn:

Thorn strikes Borg:

OOC:

As Chimera did not bold any of her attacks, and did not update magoi/stamina, the attack did not actually occur in the prior post. Keep in mind to bold and update your information.

The two spoilers are scenarios based on what Zadi chooses to do. If he chooses to not defend with his Borg, or clash, he may find his 2 arms struck with sap and immobilized/unable to perform actions.


At this moment, 1 Root Hound is running towards Chimera with an attempt on using Hounding.

Zadi has done 1 B-Tier and 1 C-Tier damage to the creature; B-Tier from Red Faced and C-Tier from Ball (it was clashed against earlier, losing half of its effectiveness). This means it has C-Tier HP left.

Chimera was completely paralyzed with indecision and was unable to follow through with an attempt on her strategic thoughts. However, a new hound formed behind Zadi, attacking her like a savage dog, its teeth aiming for her throat. In those few meters between them and its lunge, she transformed her right arm using Right Serpent Scales. She would attempt to her forearm into the beasts jaws, jamming it into the beasts mouth.

As she, hopefully, blocked the beasts attack, her hair would dynamically shift as she utilized Slaver's Whipcrack . The hair coiling overhead as if it were a scorpions tail and piercing through the hounds body.

Stamina: 130

Ability:

Zadi's Sneaky Crab Pinch was struck with the Thorn sent out by the Spriggan, slowing down his advance on the creature. The being of the forest did not relent on its attacks, even though it seemed Zadi was slightly stunned from the push-back. Taking advantage of that short span of time that Zadi was working to recover himself, the Spriggan once more unleashed a bolt of wood from its body, creating a Thorn that would fire off to the Magician's chest. It seemed to want to keep distance from Zadi's sword, which was burning with an intense heat. It would step back a little more than a meter, making the distance between the two 4 meters in total.

Meanwhile, the Hound attacking Chimera bit down on her arm with Hounding. Expecting to get a good grasp upon the arm, it immediately attempted to penetrate the skin but instead found an insurmountable force pushing back upon it; Chimera's Right Serpent Scales. The follow-up from Chimera cleanly pierced the creature, slaying the beast before it had a chance to continue any attempts at harming either of the two.

The once-tranquil location had turned into a battlefield littered with the corpses of the Root Hounds. Chimera would be able to note that Zadi seemed to be having some minor troubles with the Root Hounds before him.


OOC:
As Zadi hasn't posted, I'm assuming the first of the two circumstances occurred. Missing the post when not in combat isn't too big of a deal, but be careful when missing posts in combat x.x

So far, nobody has taken any damage (due to the Spriggan healing) and next post the spriggan will be able to summon another hound if it does not die.

Chimera had a better grasp of the situation, and it seemed even Zadi was struggling with the wooden humanoid before him. It was an entrancing creature... something she admired. With her abilities and that form, she felt she would be unstoppable, but now it was time to take care of the one before her.

Chimera reminded herself that this dungeon was about proving herself and passing trials as Zadi had mentioned. She started to jog as she reached and pulled out her glowing egg. Her steps grew faster until she was running, now formulating the breadth of her plan, until she broke out into a full-blown sprint in the matter of seconds. She was charging directly at the spriggan, revealing the secret in her right palm and using the Glowing Egg to blind and burn the spriggan to create an opening.

She would continue at full speed, as her left arm transformed via Left Lion Paw. She lept as she closed the distance, following full force as she struck at an downward angle from her left to the spriggans collar. She utilized the momentum and the claws to throw herself past the spriggan and pivot, respectively. As she got behind the spriggan, she screeched and let out her fury "AAAAARRRRG!!" Her mouth morphing and distorting her inner fury as she sunk her Shark Teeth into the back of her opponents head.

Stamina: 90

Spoiler:

OOC Note: It was found out that Zadi is moving and has no net currently. I have elected to not have him as a target for the spriggan and hopefully he'll be back before I get myself killed.

Chimera's battle had grown more desperate as Zadi's presence seemed to fade from battle. Whether he was exhausted from the sudden outburst of might, or if there was some other reason as to his reticence, Chimera now found herself fighting alone. The display of strength that single-handedly laid waste to half of their opposition at the beginning of the fight did not look to be something Chimera would be able to continue to rely upon at this very moment.

Her actions were quick, and she immediately rushed into battle. The Light Bomb was effective; its bright light did not truly blind the Spriggan, but it did hide her follow-up movements while the explosion punished the creature. The Left Lion Paw successfully pierced the beast, which let out a simple grunt as its vision was regained. The vision came back just in time to see a widened jaw sink into its head; the Shark Mouth causing a rather uncomfortable amount of pain.

A green ooze dripped from the wounds that Chimera inflicted, and a strange, pungent taste filled her mouth as the sappy life force of the creature dripped from her jaws. It let out a roar of its own, enraged, and swung its right fist down towards Chimera's head.

Shortly after the fist was swung, it also attempted to punt Chimera in the gut with a left kick.

OOC:

Zadi's Borg still takes a B-Tier ability, but I will not target him anymore until he returns and makes his first return post in this thread.

Bleed damage will happen on the post of the creature/player that controls the individual in question that is bleeding.

The Spriggan is attacking with Basic Attacks.

Damage: B-Tier to Spriggan.

Chimera let go seeing the large swing coming at her, the heft trunk arm seemed dangerous enough for her to do her best to avoid.  With her mouth now unhinged from the beasts head, she raised her right arm, utilizing Right Serpent Scales to block the downward strike. It must have been only attacking with its limb to buy time to use its power again. She would have to take it out now before it would summon even another Root Hound, or worse. Chimera now had a leg coming her way. She aligned her body and clashed against the foot with his Left Lion Paw, taking the brunt of the force against her left hand, and smacking it down. The opening it afforded her to take a second Shark Bite out of the spriggan, preemptively chomping up its arm to stop another swing from coming her way. Holding her body up with her mouth, she pressed her feet against the spriggan and KICKED off its abdomen, propelling herself back and mid-air she would reactivate the Glowing Egg aiming it at the spriggan hoping to burn it to cinders before it could heal up and summon more reinforcements, because otherwise, she was a goner.

Stamina: 65

Spoiler:

The sudden burst of power from Zadi was seemingly spectacular, but not something that Zadi's stamina was accustomed to. His physical stamina was rather good for a warrior-magician of his caliber. He was able to physically exert hims limits during training, but Zadi never trained his stamina and magoi reserves in such a way that would allow for a sudden, extreme burst of energy like the one he just displayed. Therefore, the mage instantly passed out. Simple as that. He was unable to react to oncoming attack but thankfully his borg was active at all times, unconscious or not. Passing out wasn't all bad though. Chimera was sinking her teeth into the battle as if her AND Zadi's life depended on it, more so her own life obviously. Though, technically their lives were at stake. All the same, a great learning opportunity. However, Zadi still wanted to get that 'revenge' on that Spriggan for damaging his borg.

Friggin' tree creature stopping my movements and going in for a cheap shot! If Chimera doesn't finish you off, THEN I WILL!!!

As Zadi's thoughts indicated, if Chimera's 'final assault' wasn't enough to defeat the Spriggan, then Zadi's Blade Dance would be as Zadi tilted his head towards the ground with Pointed Prism still in his mouth. A shot of magoi hit the ground at 20 m/s and created an area of influence from which Zadi created a blade of ground behind the Spriggan at 20 m/s, half a meter away from the creature. The blade would be 10 meters long, angled away from Chimera while still aiming from the Spriggan's midsection.

All of Zadi's other spells were either deactivated or not sustained. The stress of casting another spell was enough for Zadi at this point in time.

Tech(s):

90 magoi/stamina

The creature would have narrowed its eyes in frustration if it could as its first hammer-strike slid down Chimera's right arm. The Right Serpent Scales did the trick just fine, defending against the brunt of the blow and redirecting it away from her body. Even so, the kick was coming up next, and it was confident it was going to land this one. When Chimera countered this with the Left Lion Paw, the creature felt both pain and frustration at its continued loss of both advantage and life force.

Once the Shark Bite sunk its way into its body again, the creature immediately cast One With Nature. Its wounds were quickly healing up, even after Chimera followed up with a kick to push off of its chest and strike it with the continued efforts of her Glowing Egg.

The Spriggan continued its hostile actions, or so it had wanted to before finding itself beneath the concentrated efforts of both Chimera and Zadi. Even with calling forth One With Nature the healing was not nearly enough to keep up. Zadi's Blade Dance formed from behind the creature, which turned just in time to see a large size blade pierce its chest and create a final blow. The creature let out a low and rolling cry of pain as it folded down upon itself, crumbling to the ground in splinters of wood. Zadi would be able to see a certain glint within the remains of the creature, close to its core...

If Zadi picks up the item:

With the threats being eliminated, all that remained before them was a stone walkway which wound back and forth off into the distance. The building beyond that route flashed a purple light, and a distant yet welcoming warmth radiated from within it. The two would find the remainder of their traveling through the room to be rather uneventful, other than being able to view the sights at their own leisure. When they did decide to cross their way to the building, they would see the portal sitting upon the ground as if it were a wellspring awaiting them to jump directly into it.

OOC:

You may change/edit the image 1 time for Spriggan's Call, but you may not change the type (it must remain a ring). You both are free to advance to the next room by touching the portal.

Chimera was ecstatic with her performance with the spriggan. The beast that had given Zadi trouble was clearly not unbeatable by her, even if Zadi did help her out and baited the beast. She had done her fair share for the battle. Now they would continue on. She assumed the next portal would be the end. Chimera couldn't imagine something stronger than the creature that they had just taken down.

Thankfully Zadi recovered as well to finish the job off, otherwise she wouldn't have survived. Now that the adrenaline had worn off and finally noticed she was exhausted and starving from the dungeon. She had reached into her sack and pulled out a pair of apples that she had stored from the gate in preparation for this moment. Her provisions were lacking but this experience would help her prepare for the next dungeons.

"Hey, Zadi, you've been to a few dungeons before, right? What were they like?" Chimera walked towards the portal and hopped inside before Zadi could give her a reply, unable to stop for a moment, anxious to the final bits of the dungeon.

The spriggan lay in ruin, defeated. Zadi felt he gave a poor performace considering all the healing that the creature performed on itself. It survived for a very long time and knowing that, Zadi knew that this wasn't the last creature that this dungeon had to throw Chimera's and Zadi's way. It was tough to imagine a creature stronger, but Zadi's senses could tell that a beast, living or ideological, was waiting within the next room. If not, then Zadi needs to fine-tune his senses later on. Perfection is an ever changing idea, after all.

Zadi attempted to follow Chimera into the gate while answering her question, but Zadi noticed a glint within the ruins of the spriggan. Zadi could tell it wasn't something dangerous and decided to pick it up. Good thing Zadi was right about it not being dangerous for the item was of strong power! A ring seemingly forged from the living remains of the spriggan and root hounds! Zadi could feel the power radiating from within the amethyst and immediately put on the ring, specifically his rightmost middle finger. Not only is this ring powerful, it is beautiful. Nice colors and textures.

Anyway, with the ring within his possession, Zadi could finally follow Chimera into the gate from which she already stepped into. Zadi touched the portal and hopefully went into the final area of the dungeon. Being now within the next area, Zadi answered Chimera's question as simply as he could, "Nothing like this."

90 magoi/stamina

Both Chimera and Zadi would experience a sinking sensation as they entered the portal to the next area. The sinking continued to be felt until each individual experienced a complete submersion within the portal, no longer seeing the prior room; instead, their sight was welcomed by a darkness that could not be seen through. Shortly thereafter was another feeling, though this one was more along the lines of disorientation as it felt they were turned upside down and then right-side up. The sinking feeling turned into a feeling of rising, and soon their sight changed. A watery feeling touched their chins as they arose. Looking down as they continued to rise from the 'ground', they saw that they were within a small stream of water. Their clothing became wet as they continued to rise, all the way up to the point where they had completely risen, standing in the ankle-deep water.

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Before them was a grand tree, and the thought might have occurred to either of the two that this tree could perhaps be the tree whose roots they were traveling beneath just moments before.

The lush landscape rose upwards until meeting the trunk of the tree, and a golden glow of light shew behind the humongous tree. Though this source of light is from behind the tree the light has brightened the entirety of the room. As Zadi and Chimera travel throughout the room they would find plenty of rabbits, squirrels, deer and other herbivores drinking at one of the many streams that collected at the location they had risen from.

Behind them was a waterfall that traveled downward. They could not see the ground from where they were, as a mysterious mist covered their sight. Where the water went would be anyone's guess.

Chimera got past the disorientation from the portal. She was growing accustomed to the vertigo-like symptoms. Emerging from the stream effortlessly, however, her gait was uneven as she wasn't used to travelling in soaked attire. Her optics were focused like lenses on the tree with the heavenly glow emanating in the scenery. Her footsteps intermingled with the roots form the tree as she traveled, finally looking back to the depths.

"I'm tempted to say we should split up, but I'm not quite up to it at this point. If the luminescence behind this doesn't lead us to the end, we should come back here and head down. Could be fun too."

The disorientating trip through the portal left Zadi gasping for air as he thought the portal was actually burrowing Zadi and Chimera. Obviously that wasn't the case in the end and Zadi breathed as if he lived through a traumatic drowning.

"Yup, never been in a dungeon like this before. Eha- eha- eha...Phew."

Zadi looked around and could see a gargantuan tree with a light wrapping around the whole space. The light was probably the place to go or maybe just the base of the giant tree. If Zadi counted correctly, this was very likely the final room, the resting place of the Djinn. Chimera's idea was fine for a beginner, but Zadi knew what to do;

"HEEEEEELLOOOOOOOOooooooooo!? DJIIIIIIIIN!? WHEEEEEEERE AAAAAAAAARE YOOOOOOOOOOU!?"

Zadi voice didn't seem to echo as he thought it would. Rather, only the nearby animals scattered while the trees and shrubs absorbed the faintest of sounds, therefore stopping any significant echoing.

"Woops, scared away the animals. Just cause my voice is translated doesn't make me any less frightening, as it would seem. All the same, this should the be final room if I counted correctly; the chamber. That is, if this dungeon isn't structurally different than all other dungeons that I've ventured into. So far the ecosystems within each room have been drastically different since all other dungeons so I'm not sure at this point."

The babbling finally stopped and Zadi would give Chimera the reins again, "So, which way captn'?"

90 magoi/stamina

The first thing of note would be that there was no response from Zadi's shout out to the room. It would only take a moment for Zadi's memories to come back to him, and for his count to be recalled properly; his prior visits in dungeons have never before been this long. Each of his prior dungeons had only been 3 rooms each, and Zadi was able to understand that both Chimera and himself were now within a fourth room.

Zadi's voice did indeed scare off a good degree of the animals, however they seemed to be fairly at ease and relaxed as they watched both Zadi and Chimera from afar. It was as if they were unused to anything preying upon them. This fact would shortly be reinforced by the lack of any sort of carnivore in the area. The two would continue to speak for a short period of time, but the dungeon was at peace and nothing approached them. They would need to make a decision on where they would like to go in order to continue moving forward.

Chimera was hesitant. Her body couldn't take the strain of using her abilities in rapid succession. Unconsciously, she was stalling just in case there were more encounters, but if there were, she would have a chance regardless. So there was a sense of futility that entered her rational thought process. Her shoulders slunk. The dungeon was harder than she could have even imagined, and who knew what was still in store for them.

"Yeah, lets head to this light. We can take the waterfall route if we're wrong. Maybe use that levitation spell you used earlier so we don't die."

Chimera slogged her way towards the tree, getting a feeling that this tree was the host of the network of roots that they had been traveling beneath just moments ago. She continued to approach the light as she walked.

Zadi's skills as a detective needed some fine tuning as he was unable to recall just how many rooms there where within his previous dungeon encounters. However, Zadi's subconscious must have deduced that another portal from within a third room that looked nothing like the exiting portal from the previous three dungeons' final rooms was a portal to the final room. Again though, Zadi was tired from this dungeon. His borg was dented and his magoi was drained. He even blacked out during the fight again the spriggan and root hounds. However, Zadi wasn't done using magic in this dungeon. He lifted up Chimera and himself using the Social Group Gravity Lift that he had used at the beginning of this dungeon. Not only is Chimera tired of walking and running, so is Zadi.

While flying by the 'stupidly relaxed' animals, Zadi thought about using his Wildman Charm in order to get some information out of the little critters. However, upon further inspection of the creatures, they seemed too enthralled by their predator-free living situation to answer a legitimate question about their all-too-peaceful home. In fact, Zadi became suspicious that these beings aren't all that they make themselves out to be. Perhaps THEY were the predators in this habitat. Perhaps THEY are the source of utter turmoil in this dungeon? Up to this point, the challenges were somewhat 'basic' by Zadi's standards. Pretty much just negotiation and battle, more or less. Not as though the pair of dungeoneers were tasked with solving a riddle up to this point...right?

As the pair levitated a foot off the ground at 5 m/s towards the light behind the tree, Zadi kept his caution high so as to prepare for oncoming danger. His sense of caution may be rhyming, "everything is alright, these creatures won't bite~", yet his paranoia was yelling, "these creatures will rip your face off and feed it to you out of amusement!" Which one was right? Only time could tell...as usual.

Spell(s):

90 magoi/stamina

As Zadi lead Chimera around the corner of the tree with his flight spell they would be assaulted by a golden light of the place's riches. As their eyesight adjusted, they would see mountains of gold and impressive looking weaponry, jewelry and accessories. As if taking on the life of the treasure, there was a field of golden flowers that grew all about the tree on this side, all the way up to the gold itself. There was enough funds here to give any person the ability to retire and live a high-class life. There seemed to have been some disturbing of the room from the past; clues and tell-tale signs of others having been here before them.  A mystery presented itself as the following; if there were others who had gotten here before, why didn't they take more of the treasures? Or perhaps they did, and this is what remained?

Either way, Zadi's experience with dungeons in the past allowed him the luxury of knowing that the most important thing within this dungeon had not yet been taken. The Djinn. When a Djinn left the dungeon, those within it were transported back to the real world and the corresponding portal that once existed would no longer be there when they returned. There was another mystery that was brought to the forefront of the scene. Where was the Djinn?

This was not a mystery for long. A pair of arrows shot down from above, flying past them at an incredible rate and striking the ground before them. The sudden onset of battle caused Zadi to lose his control on his flight, bringing them down to the ground. From the holes left by the arrows grew two blood-red roses with thorns that seemed unimaginably sharp. Above them there was a woman covered in plant growth as if she wore a gown of nature.


There was no scorn or hate upon her person, simply a serene visage that conveyed a delicate readiness. There were two more arrows notched upon the bow, aimed at both Zadi and Chimera as the woman jumped to the ground from the branches that were impossibly high. Her adjustments in mid-air showed her skill in handling a bow, as the sightings of the arrowheads never left Chimera or Zadi.

When she hit the ground, landing upon her feet, a large burst of pollen shot up as if her weight and landing had displaced a great deal of the flora. Yet a pulsation of magoi from the being before them would sweep across that flowerbed, and it would be as if she had never disturbed it in the first place. "I am Buer, and you two now find yourselves within my home. Tell me, what brought you to this place?" The arrows were still knocked, and the woman seemed intent to hear their words.


OOC:

Opposition..?!:

The little creatures stayed away and continued to be peaceful in nature. There didn't seem to be anything odd about them aside from their carefree attitude. Zadi's mind felt a little at ease until he saw the source of the bright light from behind the tree; piles and piles of wealth were stacked high with flowers that looked equally wealthy, as if their nutrients is the wealth. Quite an impressive sight, but Zadi tried to concentrate of the flow of rukh towards a specific object. The sight of a bloodbath stirred Zadi a little which kept his find focused on the task at hand.

"The Djinn's object, the one in which it resides, should be around here somewh- UH!?"

Zadi was interrupted as two arrows were shot and while Zadi's levitation was canceled. Thankfully Chimera and Zadi were only a foot off the ground, not enough to injure unless already injured. Zadi looked towards the source of the arrows and noticed a blue-skinned being with clothes made of twigs, vines, leaves, and bark. A wild look for such a fair skinned beauty which ended up being contrast to her pure skill in archery. Arrows were notched which kept pointing towards the pair of dungeoneers, even while flipping off the high branch from which the figure fell. It seemed impossibly high for anything to survive without injury so Zadi could tell what this thing was being it saying anything!

Must be the Djinn. Blue skin. Obvious Power. Attire matching the surroundings. DO WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY FIGHT HER!?!? Better get mentally prepared to use Vassago.

Zadi did not look calm thinking that the Djinn was 'the final trial' of this dungeon. Not only was there an extra room, the creatures within this dungeon were smart and tough all around. This was one ridiculous dungeon! However, Zadi's mind became a little more calm as Buer, the Djinn, started to speak, asking a question. Zadi felt the need to talk first because his reason may not be the greatest...or the most detailed;

"Uh...power and wealth? Yeah, rather typical. Though so far, this ring I have here seems to be powerful and so the wealth over there is most likely my final objective."

Zadi pointed to the appropriate objects when mentioning them. He made relatively slow movements in order to keep his guard tight. Who knows what Buer might do after everyone has answered!?

Staring in awe of the golden flowers, remembering the golden bear statues from when they first entered the dungeon, making the deliberate choice of not taking them. Chimera braced herself as she saw the flowers snap into the ground, and quickly went into free fall. Fortunately, they weren't far from the ground, and she plopped onto the ground, disturbing the flowerbed, as the pollen spread as a mist into the air, settling in moments.

Chimera got into her feet, now her eyes searching for the source of the arrows. These arrows were just as strong as Lexi's but the woman was able to shoot out 4 arrows. The difference in power was easy to measure, and even Lexiara was too much for her to handle. Then the following act showed just how easy it was for the djinn, perhaps she was still holding back more of her power.

Then the woman revealed her named. Now that she was closer and could see her attire, she looked quite beautiful. A woman of nature, Buer. "Buer, I'm Chimera. I only know of dungeons as I have heard of them in hearsay, rumors and stories. That the men who conquer them are destined to become kings with great power. That power... I need it. When I was younger, a man purchased me and changed me. He had done things to me, that I haven't heard other people do to one another. The most heinous crimes of Helio seem to pale in comparison to the atrocities I have suffere-"

Chimera winced and let out a small groan of pain as she had a flashback of the incident. Being strapped down to a table, her nostrils were filled with the scent of blood of the last meal she had eaten and her lips glazed over with old and caked blood. She was partially unconscious as she could feel her leg being cut open and operated on. Her own bones being removed and replaced with similar ones, not belonging to that of a human, only sustained by life magic.

Chimera cleared her throat, "I want this power. I have heard rumors that the ruler of the dungeon wanted someone who was lived for the land and knew the law of the jungle. That isn't really me..." Chimera begrudged perhaps giving up her chance with the djinn. "But I'm willing to sacrifice what I must."

Buer listened to Zadi speaking, as he was the one who had offered up his reasoning first. The human was straightforward while talking to her, though his reasons were less than what she expected.

Buer listened to Chimera's words intently. She closed her eyes, letting out a held breath that was assisting her in the steadying of her bow. As the breath was released, she allowed her bow to point towards the ground, and removed the arrows that were once held in the ready position, returning them to their quiver. "I see. Now, allow me to ask you a few things, so that I might better understand those who have come looking for my power... Why did you not steal from the bears? Why were the pixies killed in that magical attack, and why didn't you finish the rest when they seemed to block your way? Lastly, what was your reason for fighting the Spriggan and the Root Hounds?" These were the last questions Buer was going to ask of the two, before making her final judgement based on what she would then know.

As she asked the questions, she was neutral in her tone. Those who were knowledgeable of the nuances of a person's face while talking (both Chimera and Zadi, in this case, for their work with people required them to be able to understand others) could tell she was holding something back. These questions were tests, which the answer of which could cause a shift in her attitude towards them. Perhaps the most important factor was how much she actually knew about their travels thus far.