Author: Douken, Posted: Mon Jun 5, 2017 6:10 PM, Post Subject: In Pursuit of the Lost Treasure

"Aren't we all descendants of the Ancients?" he muttered to himself quietly before taking note of what Evelyn talked about, stopping for her when she did, eyeing such an ill face on her. Was it because of the "toxic air" she mentioned in her poem? Why was he not feeling inflicted at all? It made no sense to set a trap meant to ensnare a single race of people, especially since humans were not known for any tolerances to, well, anything. Unless…

"Maybe the dragon's stare means both," Douken suggested, looking up. "I mean, why would it talk about a dragon if we see no sign of it?" His suspicions grew more as she slid down, feeling ill. "It seems this illusion is stronger than what I had expected," he suddenly stated, looking up, "and I think there is a dragon here causing it." Drawing out the steel fan on his belt, his fingers on the hand holding the spear charged once more. "I know you are not feeling to well, but I want to be ready for another fireball spell. Just be weary of the bright light…"

Again, his hand traced upon the fan, drawing the same symbol that he drew on his fan… except for one exception. Instead of the curved lines after the fork, they were straight. Once the rune was drawn, Douken was quick to flip the fan around before holding it towards the ceiling, just in time before a massive flash of light filled the room.

It seemed that the pair were inside a tube of fog that ran down the stairwell, but what was more important was the figure of a dragon staring down at the area with smoky gems for eyes. While the light did not last too long, it was hopefully long enough for Evelyn to break the illusion via breaking the dragon's eyes!

Author: chels, Posted: Sat Jun 3, 2017 7:43 PM, Post Subject: In Pursuit of the Lost Treasure

Evelyn seemed to have been lost in a trance herself, not really listening to Douken until he asked her a direct question. She was feeling uncharacteristically sleepy, but her lethargy approached her so slowly that she barely recognised it until now. She must have picked up on Douken's suspicions as he carved a line, suddenly remembering a conversation she had had with an old, somewhat neurotic elvish woman a while ago. "I spoke to this woman, once, who claimed to have been directly descended from the Ancients. She said that her family had passed down stories about these tunnels for generations. I disregarded her at the time, but now I wonder… She told me a poem. But I forget how it went…"

Evelyn considered the seemingly endless stairs, and abruptly stopped walking as she finally remembered. " 'Beware, the unending stare of the dragon's eye… Take care; the toxic air will make you die.' …What if by "stare"; she really meant "stairs"? What if they really are never-ending? And… the air seems more… straightforward…" Evelyn began to feel dizzy and had to sit down. She pulled her cloak over the bottom half of her face so as to minimise direct exposure to the apparently toxic air. But what she couldn't understand was why Douken did not seem to be affected? Was it something as simple as the fact that he was human? Were there some poisons that the Ancients had not wanted to work on humans, for whatever reason? Or was it that only those who entered the tunnel in search of treasure be affected? Or, did Douken have some other rare and strange ability that Evelyn was not aware of?

"We have to… get out of here." Evelyn struggled to say.

Author: Douken, Posted: Sat Jun 3, 2017 9:46 AM, Post Subject: In Pursuit of the Lost Treasure

"As with all other tales about the Ancients," Douken sighed as a response. "Seriously, why are the Ancients so strange with these network of chasms, chambers, and temples? I mean, did they really live dealing with these puzzles on a day to day basis, walking around dangerous beasts and traps as they lived their lives, or was it a case of 'Oh hey, we are going to die off soon. Better make some elaborate system to stop intruders.' I mean, if it was a treasure vault, I would expect the traps and locks be near there, but why place a dart trap in a door that simply leads to a mess hall? To protect food that had rotted away years ago?"

While he did not mean to rant, it did help time pass a bit more quickly as the natural light was no where to be seen, leaving the two explorer's methods of light to fill the small range of space. But still, even then, he would have expected to have seen some type of end to the staircase. What, were they headed down to the core of the world? Were they going to walk into the realm of Death and hang out with the deity? No…. it didn't feel right. So much that he used his spear to carve a line into the stone wall as they kept going doing. As if he had a suspicion.

"So, if you know about the area, how deep should this chasm go?

Author: chels, Posted: Fri Jun 2, 2017 5:41 PM, Post Subject: In Pursuit of the Lost Treasure

Evelyn listened as Douken talked to himself in his tent, feeling a bit awkward about what to do or say. This, in part, was why she usually preferred to be alone. She was relieved to see him return, being careful not to show this on her face but standing up perhaps a bit too quickly. Evelyn nodded as Douken explained he would be leaving his tent behind for later. Although headstrong and focused, Evelyn didn't really give much time or energy to think ahead about practical things like that. She often found herself pulling all-nighters, sleeping in trees for safety, and going days without a proper meal. But she was used to this, and there was probably something about being an elf that made her physiological needs somewhat different to that of a human. Or perhaps she had mildly abused her body for long enough that she never stopped to question whether it would be more helpful to treat it better.

Evelyn followed Douken's lead down the steps. She observed his spell casting light on the tip of his spear. "I know how to walk," She said, a little aggravated by his kind advice - because, of course, kindness was somewhat painful for Evelyn. Still, she took out her torch and held it with her left hand, holding out her right with palm faced upward. She mumbled some unintelligible phrases under her breath, and a small palm-sized flame erupted an inch above her right hand. Evelyn dipped the tip of her torch into the fire until the flames took to it, then waved her right hand to discard the remaining flames. Working with the element of fire was only a recent skill she'd picked up, but it seemed to calm her - to be able to handle something so wild, angry, and dangerous.

The steps seemed to last forever. Evelyn could no longer see the light of the entrance. Suddenly it occurred to her that perhaps Douken had not heard much about these tunnels. It wouldn't be safe to explore with someone who didn't understand what they could possibly be up against. "We need to be careful down here… this place is full of traps, strange beasts… dangerous things that no other person has lived to tell the tale about."

Author: Douken, Posted: Thu Jun 1, 2017 8:15 PM, Post Subject: In Pursuit of the Lost Treasure

Man, was he glad he did not unpack too much when he set up camp… Sure, the tent was an effort in-of itself, but other than that, most items were still in his bag. "Okay, so bag: check," he said, throwing it over his shoulder before tossing his arm through the other loop, adjusting his arm into a better fit. "Next up is my… spear!" He took the weapon in hand, resting it on his shoulder. "That should be every… thing." He forgot his sleeping bag. With a quick sigh, he removed his bag once more to roll up his sleeping sack and strapping it to the top of the bag before throwing it back onto his back again.

After the moment's pass, Douken returned from the tent, giving Evelyn a quick wave, telling her, "All ready to go," before pointing at the tent, "I'll leave this hear in case we get back when it is dark and we can simple crash right away. Unless there is an exit that leads out elsewhere, which in turn would mean  I would need to buy one, but eh. They are honestly pretty disposable."

Douken was the first to begin taking the steps down into the darkness, his fingers glowing green once more as he charged them with mana. "Do you happen to have a light source?" he asked her, placing his index and middle fingers onto the side of his spear, once again sparking against it before he drew an inverted C. However, without lifting, he drew upwards and splitting them apart. Next was a downward curve, as if being sucked back into the center before stopping, preventing them from touching again before straight up once again before lifting. Off. The rune he drew pulsed before slowing fading away, though in term made the spear's tip glow like a lantern. "Be sure to watch your step!"

Author: chels, Posted: Thu Jun 1, 2017 5:31 PM, Post Subject: In Pursuit of the Lost Treasure

As the swarm of bats cleared, Evelyn could make out Douken's figure. She observed the curious metal weapon he had wielded, and underneath the surprise that he had been prepared enough to engage in combat if necessary, she wondered how such a weapon worked. A swell of satisfying pride burst up Evelyn's chest in response to Douken's compliment. She'd had a 'way' with creatures since she was a little girl, but this talent had always been largely discouraged. Despite that, it was her joy to be able to communicate with beasts of all types, even though it had been much more primitive at that time. She, herself, was a bit surprised that she was able to speak to such a large volume of creatures at once. "I work well with animals." She said simply, not being a natural compliment-receiver. Evelyn furrowed her eyebrows as she followed the flock of bats circling around above them. She could tell that they their attacking behaviour had not been natural; they were under some sort of spell or charm, but one that differed from her own skill. Perhaps it was a more ancient sort of power.

The light that sparked as Douken worked drew Evelyn's attention back. She silently watched as the stone slab - that seemed to act as the gateway to the underground tunnel - was secured in place by vines that appeared to have taken on a life of their own. This, again, surprised her. Evelyn's initial impression of Douken had not been too favourable; she never considered that perhaps he could be of some use. "Fine." She said, not being a natural compliment-giver either, "But if you're coming with me - no more voice impressions." It was important to lay down some ground rules - for his own safety, she reasoned in her head.

She watched as the man climbed into his tent, not to sure what he was doing in there… She supposed he was gathering his supplies, but wouldn't put it passed him if he fell asleep instead. Evelyn had to admit that she hadn't quite worked him out, yet: was he a serious and reliable warrior, or an absent-minded liability? She awkwardly sat herself on the ground next to the tunnel's entrance, watching the tent and waiting for him to re-emerge.

Author: Douken, Posted: Thu Jun 1, 2017 12:08 PM, Post Subject: In Pursuit of the Lost Treasure

As the two talked and worked, the sun continued to slowly dip down into the depths of the horizon, the strings of rainbow lights moving them ever so slightly. Had the Elf not been attacking the wall with her blade, exposing the wall behind it, nothing would have happened, just like every other sunset. However, with Evelyn clearing the wall before her of the vines, she had not only exposed the stone wall behind it, but to the few prism shards that pierced through to the other side. With time passing, the reflection of rainbow slowly moved into the placement of these shards, bounding through them into the room inside back as normal light before striking a light-sensitive switch.

With the switch getting enough light, the system triggered, causing the earth to rumble before a portion of the earth between the two sink downwards and shift over to the side. The surprise was enough to have him lose his balance, stating, "What the–" as the air between them was flooded with noise from the shifting stone. When everything drew quiet and still, a chasm entrance laid before them, light shining in to show a staircase leading into its darkness.. though at the same time awakening it, as shirtly after, the air was flooded with a large wave of bats.

The screes and flaps of wings flooded the air, enough to even draw the attention down below., and by being so close to the mass, he could not help but think, Crap! His hand went to the back of his belt, unsheathing his metal fan, but by the time he charged the fingers on his other hand with mana, a whistle echoed through the sky, entrancing the wave and turning the chaotic mess into a calm cloud of black wings. Looking up, he saw the whistle had come from his newest companion, which in turn drew out a whistle from him.

"Impressive," he complimented, "You don't normally see that spell be used on so many targets and succeed so easily… or in this case hear, but that's not the point. The point is that was very impressive… and the Ancients have once again shared their strange habits with us." After all, who in their right mind would use a prism to a prism to a trigger to open a door? Even as a vault, it was really dumb, as it would have only worked for that certain amount of time unless they had direct access to the trigger… in which case why the prisms?

Well, his hand was still charged with mana, so he may as well make some use of it. Returning the fan back to his belt, Douken headed over to where he saw the stone slab slide under to before muttering, "Now let's see if I got this right…" Touching the earth with his charged fingers, sparks flew out constantly before moving his fingers along the earth. A line trailed from behind, carving in a symbol with each movement of his hand, using a variety of swerves and curves before  finally lifting his hand. The crest he drew took a moment before pulsing, the vines that had been cut away slurped back into the earth before spitting out once more, entangling the lines of the cavern, as if to hold back the stone from moving back into place.

"There. Now we can explore the area below with not as much fear as it closing on us without an exit." Proud of his work, Douken have off a light smile before heading voer into his tent, as if to pack up his supplies… or head to sleep during the sun's setting hours.

Author: chels, Posted: Thu Jun 1, 2017 5:54 AM, Post Subject: In Pursuit of the Lost Treasure

Oh no, Evelyn thought as Douken responded to her question, he's one of those… life-enjoyers. She shuddered internally. To simply do as you please, with no ulterior motive, seemed pointless and idiotic to Evelyn. Why waste time just looking at the sunset when you could be using the last hours of daylight to cover more ground towards your next destination? Besides, if Evelyn didn't have some sort of goal or purpose… she'd have an awful lot of time to think. And that's not something she really wanted to do.

She paused when she heard Douken mention "treasure". Wait - was he putting on some kind of wise old man voice? Evelyn turned to face him, eyebrow raised. She walked right into that one: she supposed it was her own fault eliciting that sort of question from him. Still, she was going to try to dodge it. "Nice views… date spots… it all sounds ridiculous to me-"

She was cut off by the sound of sliding stone. A hole appeared in-between Evelyn and Douken as a stone seemed to be pushed aside by some kind of invisible force. For a moment, everything was still and quiet. Evelyn blinked at the hole in surprise, before widening her stance and lightly touching the hilt of her sword resting on her right hip. Suddenly, a flock of bats erupted from the hole like lava bursting through the earth's crust. They quickly surrounded both Douken and Evelyn, screeching in a piercingly high-pitched tone and baring their fangs. In amongst the chaos, the bats began attacking the intruders, biting and scratching at will. Evelyn covered her face with a forearm and ran to the holed entrance, discovering a seemingly endless passage of steep stairs going down. She hesitated and glanced at Douken. Although seriously tempted, she couldn't leave him this way. So she placed her thumb and forefinger in her mouth and produced a whistle that was extremely high, but pure and strangely… pretty? The bats seemed to respond instantly, slowing down from frenzy to lazy glide.

Author: Douken, Posted: Wed May 31, 2017 7:16 AM, Post Subject: In Pursuit of the Lost Treasure

Despite being pretty open to her, it seemed that the elvish woman before him was quite the stern character. After all, it seemed she would rather play the stern character and silent to him rather than vent about the experience. To each their own, he guessed, considering not everyone in this world was the same, and if they were…. well, it would be a really boring world. Still, at the very least, she should not have hesitated on taking the canteen. What, did she think it had some toxins in it? If it did, he would be harming himself, unless there was one that didn't affect human but was severe to elves… and that would only work of he knew of her coming and was racist.

Still, at the very least, he got a name to connect to her - Evelyn - before she took it and took down the water inside before handing it back over. Still, she did not seem to have any potatoes. "A shame, but you are right. Ah well, worth a shot," he commented… though it was more like thinking out loud.

Watching her walk past his tent set up and to the wall, Douken simply smirked before replying to her question, "What, you saying I need to have business up here on the side of a cliff? I came here because it gives me this nice view before the evening. The rain of color was a surprising bonus as well. What about you?" he returned, seeing her hacking away at the foliage that littered the wall. "I am guessing you are not in the crowd of scouring this land for a date spot like the others? Let me guess…" Thinking for a quick moment, he deepened his voice before stroking his chin, as if managing a long beard. "Go… seek out the land flooded with color, and treasure shall be yours," he imitated before returning to normal. "Anywhere close?"

Author: chels, Posted: Wed May 31, 2017 3:44 AM, Post Subject: In Pursuit of the Lost Treasure

Evelyn crossed her arms and leaned on her hip as the man commented on her climbing. She wasn't good at small-talk - or friendly conversations in general - and it made her feel uncomfortable. To combat the discomfort, it was easier to take a posture of attitude than to try and play the 'be nice' game. Besides, who did this guy think he was? Just turning up out of nowhere like that. Was it just coincidence? Or is he actually much smarter and more skilled at treasure hunting than she was giving him credit for… was he a threat?

She eyed the canteen he suddenly pulled out from behind him, and considered it in his hand for a few moments. If he was a threat, then this could be a poisoned fluid. Evelyn lifted her gaze to meet his face once hearing his name. Her eyes dulled in response to being asked if she had any potatoes. He was thinking of cooking food!? At a time like this?? "Evelyn," She sighed and took the canteen from him. He seemed harmless enough, and she actually was very thirsty after that climb. The cool water slid down her throat, bringing some life back to her body. "And I tend not to travel with potatoes. They're heavy." She said, handing the canteen back to him and wiping her mouth.

She proceeded to walk passed him and started looking for something that could symbolise an entrance, not too concerned about Douken's presence anymore. She'd be rid of him as soon as she was in the tunnel. Evelyn came to large rock covered in vines. Perhaps there was some sort of ancient message carved into the rock. She reached for the dagger strapped on the left side of her belt and began sawing away at the thick green tendrils. "What's your business here?" She asked Douken over her shoulder.

Author: Douken, Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 7:04 AM, Post Subject: In Pursuit of the Lost Treasure

`Still, standing on the land as it was flooded with color was quite interesting, seeing the set of colors scattered everywhere from the prism's cut. He could hold out on seeing about making dinner for a moment long just looking at the lights, watching them move and flood in more as the sun continued descent from the world. However, as he watched, he heard the strangle of vines and the roll of small rocks from the cliff face behind him, signifying someone or something working their way upwards, and if he was more honest, he preferred the company of a stranger than random lights.

Turning around, Douken watched as an elvish figure was pulling themselves from the face of the cliff, yet while he would have offered a hand up, it seemed she had nearly gotten up there herself. And her words of greeting were… interesting. WHat, was she expecting someone?" Evening, he told her, reaching for the back of his belt and unclipping a small canteen of water before holding it out to her. "Talk about a climb, huh? Then again, if I saw hints of this from down thee, I would have been curious as well.

"As for who I am, the name is Douken… By any chance you have any potatoes, because a fire-roasted one sounds pretty good, right about now," he chuckled.

Author: chels, Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 3:39 AM, Post Subject: In Pursuit of the Lost Treasure

Evelyn walked along the half-crumbled wall to a column of stone covered in vines, which she used as rope to help her climb up. She paused standing at the top of the column for a minute, her eyes frantically darting to every corner while her body slowly turned on the spot. As she caught sight of the uppermost parts of the ruins, she noticed a brilliant glow of light. She wasn't certain that this was something worth exploring, but it was her best bet. Evelyn jumped from the column and landed on her feet on the ground with cat-like precision, then took off in a bolt. She came to a cliff within what might have been some sort of primitive Great Hall within the ruin, now dilapidated and abandoned - or, so she thought. A brilliant display of colour danced on the edge of the cliff, which Evelyn would have thought beautiful had she not been so surprised by the young man standing in a far too casual manner, holding a bag of jerky and looking at the rainbow with a somewhat indifferent expression.

"What - who are you?" She asked, her voice betraying her irritation. She had spend months researching this place, and two long hard weeks trying to not get fired at her job at the tavern. How was it that someone else beat her to it?

Author: Douken, Posted: Mon May 29, 2017 7:22 AM, Post Subject: In Pursuit of the Lost Treasure

Time was ever passing by for the young explorer, and yet while he did feel limited on his silver right now, he was in no real rush to seek out another job. instead, it was more like he took a two week vacation, simply exploring the land, taking in the sights, and finding interesting routes through terrain, even if it meant climbing and jumping around near the main roads. After all, that had to have been where some of the best secrets were usually located, whether it had been treasures to lore or simply the view of the landscape.

Which would explain why Douken had set up a tent a bit higher on a cliff within the Arcense Ruins. Sure, people could say he was station there to peep on the couples that had roamed the area for their date nights, but without a spyglass like in classic pirate tales, it would have been more like two ants headed to the same area. "Hmm… what to eat…" he muttered to himself, making a quick check on his current supplies. His jerky bag was running low, but at least his canteen was recently filled up. He could always use Create Food as an emergency to do with the sensation of hunger…

However, by looking up, Douken noticed an odd portion of the ruin's ceiling that still managed to stay in tact: a glass window. Sure, the glass itself seemed pretty plane, but it at least seemed like it had an intricate cut in of itself. However, maybe it wasn't the best place too put it, considering it could easily magnify the setting sun's beam of light into a blinding array, but it was nothing to complain about. After all, he could be complaining about this to the dead.

As the minutes ticked on my, the sun moved lower and lower until it soon found its alignment with the ceiling winodw, piercing through not in a massive blinding light, but in a massive splash of color: rainbow refractions littering his location. Looking around, Douken could not help but shrug it pass, simply stating, "Huh, guess it was a prism…"

Author: chels, Posted: Mon May 29, 2017 12:32 AM, Post Subject: In Pursuit of the Lost Treasure

What a horrible display, Evelyn thought as she spotted a couple walking hand-in-hand, slowly weaving through the half-crumbled columns and pillars. To anyone else's eyes, it was a romantic sight: lush vines draped over cracked stone archways, swaying in the gentle breeze. The sky was alight with a spectrum of warm hues as the sun kissed the horizon. The faint sound of a cricket chirped in the distance. The air was fresh: not cold, but cool enough for the couple to progress to having their arms around one another's waist. Evelyn rolled her eyes and lightly placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, wishing she had had the money to purchase that bow and arrow that she was eyeing off yesterday.

Returning her focus to her mission, Evelyn climbed up what must have once been a thick stone wall. It was now only shoulder-high, with enough broken indents to make climbing up be an easy feat. She slowly scanned her surroundings, taking in a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view. The man she had spoken to last night said something about a rainbow marking the entrance to the rumoured underground tunnel. He had emphasised - in his drunken, slurred way - that this would only be seen at sunset. Evelyn had spent the last two weeks working in the local tavern, gathering what information she could about the treasure hidden beneath the Ancense Ruins. There were many tales - most of which were believed to be nothing more than myth, or a good children's story. Indeed, Evelyn had been told such stories during her own childhood. But experience in treasure hunting has since taught her not to discount such tales. After all, they had to come from somewhere, right? And finally, after years of seeking maps and hearing stories and fine-tuning her skills, she felt ready to take on this most mysterious of treasure quests.