The Unknown: A Game of Fear, Ignorance, and Adventure

[Sporky111]

Kadeam put up his hood as he walked out onto the beach. He felt he may have insulted the satyr by declining his help, but it didn't concern him too much what the beast thought of him. Especially after the way it had "treated" his foot.

He was headed toward Deslock, hearing the call for a search party. As he arrived, he heard a few mumblings about a murder and looked around the assembled faces. There can only be so many people on this island. This murderer had better not make a habit out of this.

"I can join your search party." the ice elf announced.

 

[Nukey]

"So, what about the blood loss? Should I go back to the ship to rest, or am I fit to do as needed?"

"Fuck, I dunno. Th' hell do ye think I be, a doctor?" Cecia shrugged, a puzzled look plastered on her face. She, despite being a healer, hadn't a clue about anything related to physical injury, only how to fix said injuries. It was something that had been bugging her for awhile, but she figured knowing such things would be like learning the anatomy of a dragon; pointless, after all, the only thing you can do with a dragon was shot at the fucker and hope you didn't get killed in the process. The same went for healing, you didn't need to know what was wrong, only how to fix it, the only difference between the two is that it's far less likely for an axe wound to start shooting flames.

Then again, that wasn't impossible, so perhaps studying was something she would be looking into.

"However, I'd go t' th' ship an' get a drink if I be ye, although I'd still do that if I weren't ye, but ye at least be havin' an excuse...lucky bastard." Cecia muttered. "Anyway, I'll be seein' ye later, I'm gonna go look fer yer matey, Darrel, or whatereis horkin' name be." The shadow elf patted Royka's shoulder, then made her back to Deslock, smiling.

"Th' horker's all fixed up, sir. An' if ye dasn't mind, I'd like t' go wi' th' search party if possible, I be already bored t' tears o' this freakin' beach an' would enjoy gettin' aft in me element."

 

[MintyNinja]

"However, I'd go t' th' ship an' get a drink if I be ye, although I'd still do that if I weren't ye, but ye at least be havin' an excuse...lucky bastard."

"Sound advice if I've ever heard it," Rokya replied as he stood shakily. The earlier pain had completely vanished and the only signs he'd been injured moments ago was a slight chill in his extremities. He had lost a lot of blood and at the moment returning to the Cepolada seemed the safest course.

"Anyway, I'll be seein' ye later, I'm gonna go look fer yer matey, Darrel, or whatereis horkin' name be."

"Thanks, I owe ya one," he said as the red-skinned elf patted him on the shoulder. As she turned towards Deslock, Rokya turned to the longboat and a sailor lounging nearby. After a moment of talk detailing the strange healing magic employed by the elf, the sailor agreed to row Rokya back to the ship.

 

[ThePuzzldPirate]

And with that, Rhee took off towards what was supposed to be a private boat. She jumped on without asking sitting near the front. She only waved to Rokya and Larissa not to interrupt them.

 

[MintyNinja]

"Room for one more?"

Rokya started to answer the woman in black but he was interrupted by a familiar woman jumping aboard and taking a seat. Rhee only waved to him and turned back to stare at the glittering ocean. "I guess I can't verily say no after that," Rokya said to Larissa as he gestured to an empty seat. "Please, have a seat."

Taking a cue from Rokya the sailor pushed them off the beach and started rowing towards the Cepolada.

 

[MintyNinja]

"So...you've been with these guys from the start, what's it been like?"

Rokya was lazily watching a gull of some sort fly in circles as Larissa got his attention. "I've never said that," he said groggily. Seeing the slightest tint of confusion he explained himself, "I joined in about a week after the start. In Tyb, and there's a hell of story in that alone. By the time Rhee" -he gestured to the tall Illarym woman who was studying her compass intently- "and I joined, there had been a murder, ransacking, pirate attack, theft, attempted assassination, undead abominations, and kidnapping.

"On our way here we've faced an island of hostile animals, smugglers, and a fucking dragon." Rokya stopped as the memory of the great golden beast consumed his thoughts, his calloused hands tingling slightly. "And now there's a godsdamned volcano. If we aren't sitting face to face with one or more gods at the end of this I'll be sorely disappointed."

Seeing that Rhee wouldn't ask the question, for she had no idea what the conversation around her was about, Rokya pressed on, "So, what can you tell me of the Osprey and her unfortunate journey?"

 

[MintyNinja]

"Well, on the bright side, at least you lot are heading in the same direction"

"Yes, there is that," Rokya mumbled as he too let the conversation drop. For a moment there was a serene peace broken only by the splash of the oars as the sailor diligently ferried them out to the Cepolada. If he could forget about all the danger, Rokya would have thought it relaxing, even enjoyable. But alas, all too soon he was clambering onto the deck of the massive ship and, with a wave to a crewman or two, making his way to his room.

 

[Yorgmiester]

A murder?

Now that was interesting. He hadn't understood a good amount of the talking going on, but a few words did stand out. Murder was one of them. Prithis turned away from the other's conversation and looked up at the broken hull of the Osprey, in which supposedly lied the body of some poor victim.

Daltomas?

Could be possible. He hadn't seen much of the old man since "landing". The satyr's lips wiggled back and forth vigorously as he pondered the possibilities. He already knew first hand that at least one of the people on this island was a killer; it was very likely that more of them were. Most of them, even.

Prithis glanced once more at the others, who were attempting to form some kind of search party. Pulling a cluster of orapes from his pouch, he munched on them thoughtfully for a moment whilst staring hard at the group, then turned and started up the hill towards the Osprey.

 

[ThePuzzldPirate]

Rhee reached the ladder last, which didn't surprise her. She waited patiently as Larissa climbed while her eyes followed her sword. Rhee had too look down in disappointment to her tattered hilt and decided she needed to do better. When she finally made it on deck, it didn't take her long to find her bedroom and the only haven she had at the moment.

 

[Zemalac]

"Right," said Deslock, watching Larissa leave the beach. "Not one of my guys. That's good, I suppose." He spotted Prithis slipping off to the Osprey. "Satyr! Check out the murder, please, I'm sure Mr. Lynch would appreciate that. And if you see Mr. Thrace, please send him to me, all right?" A pause, during which Prithis kept moving. "Oh yeah," muttered Deslock. "He doesn't understand me. Fuck. Well, whatever."

He turned, presenting suddenly the appearance of the complete professional. "Three volunteers for the search party. Good to have you all, though I don't actually know any of you...you're all from the Osprey, yes? Okay. If we could get one or two more people, that would be good, but if no one else volunteers we can get this done ourselves." He glared at those assembled on the beach. "We've got an orc with a hammer, a healer, and a swordself. Should be enough to deal with most threats, but I don't deal with 'most.' Let's make this certain."

 

[Peteron]

" Okay. If we could get one or two more people, that would be good, but if no one else volunteers we can get this done ourselves."

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I want to get out of this shithole as soon as possible!" The brute cupped his hands around his mouth shouted, "We're goin' to look for the others! Any more volunteers?" After waiting a minute, the Orc inhaled some air, then dropped to the sand beneath him. There was a thud as the brute's body crashed against the ground.

Tulgrog laid on the ground, his arms crossed over his chest, watching the sun with a rather bored expression on his aged face. "I hate sand so much...I'm just too damn lazy to stand and wait for these guys...Well, anyway, if anyone else is comin', we should know in a minute or so."

 

[Zemalac]

Deslock looked at the sun, now partially obscured by smoke. He looked across the beach, full of busy, scurrying figures. And finally he looked to the trees. In his eyes they held a dark and brooding atmosphere, full of menace, full of dangers that swallowed half his crew. He would have to do in there now, to find out what had happened, to rescue his men from whatever they'd gotten themselves into and to try and find their bodies if he was too late.

He realized suddenly that he was looking forward to this.

"All right, gentlemen," he said, "and lady, yes. We've got...uh...Tulgrog, Cecia, and Kadeam. Can't say I know any of you, but that doesn't really matter much." He turned and pointed randomly into the crowd of sailors. "You, you, you and you! You're coming with us. Let's go."

Deslock set out towards the treeline. "We've got a few people still missing. Mr. San Ristow, Mr. Garril Rasput, and that elf. Derlan. They're all absentee. We need to find 'em. Let's go."

"And James, sir," said a sailor. "From the Cepolada. Friend of mine. Haven't seen him since we landed."

"And James, apparently," Deslock agreed. "Come on, let's go." He turned to face the mountain to the north. "Towards the volcano, of course."

 

[Sporky111]

As they climbed the mountain, Kadeam made certain to be careful of his steps. The last thing he needed was to get hurt again so soon after being healed and risk the rage of Deslock again. The man seemed unstable to him, and in such a small group so far in the wilderness, he wasn't sure how he would react to another injury. His first reaction had been plenty extreme on it's own merits.

But, the ice elf also kept an eye out on the surroundings. They were a search party, after all. Part way up the volcano they started to encounter evidence of the eruption and earthquakes. The ground was torn open in places, rock slides had created long ditches and large piles of debris. A morbid thought crossed his mind about having to dig to find their missing people.

They were forced to climb over a particularly large pile that was blocking their path. Kadeam noticed that a large portion of the ground had been sheared away, leaving a stark cliff face behind.

"Wait, up there." he said, pointing at a spot midway up the cliff. It appeared to be a door frame, bowed outward and filled with boulders. "Listen . . ."

They all fell silent for a moment. As their ears tuned to the silence, a faint noise could be heard from the direction of the cliff. It seemed metallic and was repeating regularly.

"They could be in there." he said, approaching the source of the sound without waiting for acknowledgement.

 

[Zemalac]

"They could be in there."

"They could, at that," said Deslock, looking up at the cliff. "Did you hear something? You elves have got better ears than me, I think..." He frowned at the doorway. "No, wait, I can hear it now. Yeah, that's not a natural sound. It's someone, at least."

He began picking his way through the rocks at the base of the cliff, following Kadeam, shouting back to those following him. "We need to get up there somehow. Did anyone bring--ah, good, you've got a rope. Someone get a line up there. Move, people!"

[sub]Well, he thought, at least this means one of them is still alive.[/sub]
​

There was someone alive up there, someone who had survived the volcanic eruption while inside the volcano. Lucky bastard, whoever it was. Now all that remained was to get them out and away to safety before the mountain decided to spew fire again.

Easier said than done.

 

[Peteron]

Tulgrog examined the cliff before him, the rugged structure of stone was nearly completely vertical. About halfway up the volcano, a cavern entrance was visible, and by the sound of it, it was also the location of survivors.

"We need to hurry and scale this thing, I for one am not comfortable about being this close to a volcano!" He cupped his right hand over his eyes, but even without the sun's rays glaring in his face, it remained difficult to see the top of the volcano. He walked up to the cliff before him, and began attempting to conquer the first few feet of it. To his disappointment, it was nearly as vertical as it had appeared, and he stumbled, falling back to the ground. The brute landed on his rear, and there was a thud as his body contacted the ground.

"Fuck, that hurt...." The orc pressed his massive arms against the rock beneath him, and rose back onto his feet. "Who has the rope? It seems this will be rather difficult to scale without it. Anyway, I suppose I should go last, seeing as I am the largest of us."

 

[Nukey]

Cecia looked up at the cliff, her single eye squinting to make out the shape of the volcano with the bright sun shining overhead. It was a difficult process, making out all the cliffs and random drops with all this light, her lack of depth perception did little to help the matters. She was however, able to notice that besides a few jagged rocks, the cliff face was pretty much vertical, so climbing it would be impossible without using a robe, at least for the others, in order to get her up there one would acquire a ladder, which the team seemed to be lacking at the moment. She looked at the orc, than at the explorer, then finally back at the cliff, an idea suddenly popping in her about how to get her up there without the use of explosives.

"Shit, fellas, I think one o' ye arr gonna need t' carry me arse up thar!" She said, chuckling weakly. "Canna climb a rope wit` jus' one hand, right?"

 

[Sporky111]

Kadeam sighed and gave his temple a rub as the orc attempted to climb the wall. He didn't have much hope for the orc to make it, and as expected crashed to the ground moments later.

One of the sailors, the one holding the rope, seemed to be trying to throw the rope up. He had it looped nicely, but each time he threw it it slid right back down. And then there was the crippled elf already making complaints; a valid complaint, but a complaint nonetheless.

"Incompetent." he muttered under his breath. Without asking, he approached the sailor and took the rope. He quickly coiled it into a wide loop and slung it over his shoulder, then looked up at the cliff. There was no way to climb, but he was confident that he'd be able to make it with some help.

"You, um . . ." he said, pointing to the orc, "Tulgrog, [small]right[/small]? Can you stand here for me and give a lift?"

To demonstate, he put his back to the wall and cupped his hands in front of him. Tulgrog came over for him, and Kadeam gave him a nod and moves several paces in front of him.

With a roll of his shoulders, he sprinted three steps toward the orc, then stepped into his hand and leaped upward. He felt a strong push under his foot, lifting him up. The agile elf scraped his feet against the wall for two steps, and was just barely able to grab the ledge.

He groaned a bit, still scraping his feet looking for purchase. Finding none, he pulled himself up and hooked his arm over the edge, then kicked his leg up and rolled to safety.

With a shake of his head, he took the rope and tried to find a suitable anchor. There was a large looking rock nearby that was sunk into the ground, and had a convenient hook-like section. He tied the rope around it then tossed the end down to the others.

Spoiler: Peteron

I hope you didn't mind my taking control of Tulgrog. He seems like the type that's happy to help, so I didn't think it would be a big deal.