[THE CRYSTAL CITY] The First Doorway (Shamus, Taban, Boris, & Valkir)

[Lakhesis]

Brave adventurer, you have chosen the first doorway. May you keep your wits about you, for great wonders and perils lurk ahead.

. . . . .

Beyond the first doorway upon the highest bridge sprawled a vast majority of the crystalline city. Encircled by a tall wall that had hidden many of the more squat buildings from view, the aerial city was beautiful to behold. Spiraling towers sharply jutted up into the air, cupolas topped magnificent buildings, and silver bannerets fluttered in the cool breeze.

It was a dazzling, majestic site. A glittering field of crystal wonder.

Shamus was the first to discover this aerial city of crystal, and so was the only one to witness a fleeting shadow which quickly disappear around the corner of a building that was at the end of that particular stretch of street. It was perhaps at this point that Shamus would take note of the street in particular, for it alone was not made of crystal.

The street was crafted in a mosaic of colored stones, spreading out beneath the man's feet a virtual rainbow of every hue imaginable to the human eye. Even standing upon the street it was obvious that some picture or symbol was meant to be created by the varying arrangement of colors, but just what this was meant to be was yet a mystery to Shamus.

It would not be until a higher vantage point had been obtained that the intended message created by the mosaic street would be discovered.

The echo of the clip-clop of horse hooves soon reverberated through the otherwise deadly still crystal city, and before long Banni was riding down the very same street that Shamus was - or perhaps had been - on. There were a myriad of streets to take, the entire city forming a type of maze, with the central tower being the end, the goal, of this strange maze.

Soon behind Banni came Captain Darissa and the rest of his company, holding within their hearts the will of Dimesca. They were here for drastically different reasons from either Shamus or Banni, and whether this would prove for good or ill fortune for all would not be revealed until the very end.

So had the first doorway been breached. So was the beginnings of a great peril unleashed.

[Shamus]

This was the city that had been hidden behind the door.  Shamus wandered in awe, his breath caught in his throat.

Thinking little of finding safe cover, he padded down the middle of the street with his eyes cast upwards in wonder.  He could hear the soft tread of his own boots.  Everything else seemed quiet and still, save for the banners rippling high in the breeze.  They seemed the only moving thing in the city of crystal, aside from himself.

It was much cooler here.  Shamus had put on his coat and buttoned it tightly all the way up to his chin.  His breath misted faintly in front of his face.  But he was too thrilled to feel the cold.  This was a magnificent place.  It seemed a place of fantasy and legend.  But who had built it?  Who had lived here?  And was there anyone who still lived here, perhaps keeping a lonely vigil high up in one of these crystalline structures?

He turned in a slow circle to take it all in, walking backwards.  There were great towers that spiralled aloft like nautilus shells and beautiful, stately domes.  Even the largest buildings looked graceful and airy.  Light seemed to sleet off their glossy surfaces.  He could see tiny motes, of dust or moisture, drifting in the air, glowing at times with illumination.  

And when he looked down the even the street gleamed bright.  Shamus pivoted, admiring the colourful stones beneath his feet.  Like fish scales, he thought.  Only they were tiles instead, cleverly knitted together to form a mosaic.  Or was it an image?  He frowned thoughtfully and looked further up the street, trying to determine a pattern.

Instead, he saw a shadow flicker.  Something had moved.

His heart nearly stopped.  He had been so caught up in gawking that he had forgotten to be wary.  He was not alone...!

"H- hey...!" said Shamus, without thinking.  Then, realising that it could be very foolish to let the shadow know that it had been spotted, he shut his mouth and dashed after it, running lightly.  When he reached the corner he put his back to the wall and carefully sidled around it, peering nervously ahead of himself.  

He had seen the shadow disappear here.  But where was it now...?

[Boris Darissa]

As Boris and Brinks lead the small company of men through the main city gate both of their faces lit up, Boris assumed the others were in just as much astonishment. The roads were even made of some type of crystals, the entire city gleamed as, Zhaeves and Aeltha, the two suns beat down. To Boris’s amazement it seemed as if it was even cooler inside the city. It felt too good to be true and he knew more often than not, it usually was. He kept his eyes focused and listened carefully. The city seemed rather quiet, until he heard another person speak. It really wasn’t speaking, it was more like he wanted to say something, but realized perhaps he shouldn’t. It was too late, Boris and his men had heard them. Brinks perked up,

“Captain Darissa, did you hear that?”

Boris gave him a stern look. Idiot. He should have known better than to speak. They didn't know who that was or what their agenda may be. Instead of taking his frustration out on Brinks he just simply nodded at him, he began to dismount his horse and quietly suggested that Brinks did the same. Using hand signals he gestured for him and Brinks to go forward, while the other men stayed behind. He knew the voice wasn’t very far away, it was semi loud at first, then he was practically whispering.

[Taban]

The bard gazed around in wonder atop Baritone.  The clip-clop of the gelding’s hooves echoed in the seemingly deserted city.  This place was truly something else.  He had never thought he’d see a place more beautiful than Cadmia, but alas, he was mistaken.

A feeling of being watched itched at Banni and he instinctively tightened his grip around the quarterstaff.  Turquoise eyes searched all around for any sign of a living being.  Something had to have opened that door he entered.  It wouldn’t have just opened itself, would it?

As if to answer his question a voice came from not too far ahead of him.  It was only a single syllable, but it carried both fear and curiosity with it.  The bard could tell it was intended for him.  His near-translucent eyes were just able to catch sight of someone disappearing down an alleyway. 

Well, no doubt the person wanted Banni to follow him, or possibly her, down that alleyway.  The disguised prince knew better than to do that.  Chase some stranger down an alleyway of an abandoned city and find yourself at the tip of a sword, if not worse.  No way, Banni would continue down this colorfully stoned street.

It was then that he heard a voice come from behind and he realized that he had been hearing other horses’ hooves as well.  It hadn’t registered because Baritone’s noise had masked it at first.  Now, he knew better.  Had the city’s inhabitants flanked him or was it some newcomers who had followed him in through the entranceway? Banni couldn’t be sure which the answer was.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw no one.  Good, that meant they didn’t see him yet, either.  Turning Baritone in the opposite direction that he had seen the person ahead run, he heeled the beast into the nearest alleyway.  Getting the gelding deep enough within the buildings shadow he quickly dismounted and pulled his quarterstaff with him.

Allowing instinct to guide him he padded silently away from his horse.  The poor animal would have to play decoy until he assessed the situation.  Without making a noise and with quarterstaff at hand, Banni turned around the next corner and hid himself, waiting for whoever it was to discover his horse and belongings.

[Valkir]

The false Mage Priest followed the Captain and his men from behind, taking care to remain silent and unobtrusive. The ancient spirit decided that it would have been more productive to allow Captain Darissa to retain control of this little trip of theirs. He might have had orders from Dimesca, but such things meant little to the parasitic Pha'tar; only because their goals were the same, to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding this great city of crystal. And he knew it best, that common causes made for common allies. Only up to a point, at the very least.  These humans, they would cut a path ahead through this crystalline urban jungle. And he? He would follow them as long as they remained valuable, then once they ceased to be productive...

Well. He would have to move ahead on his own. It was just a pity that none of his favored agents could come with him. They would have been difficult to hide, and they wouldn't have been able to fit in at all. Not that it mattered, for there were others here already. Valkir could feel numerous presences all around them, several nearby and resonating out to him, and many more far away, all of them faint. In times like these, it paid well to be a parasite, being able to sense any source of vitality. Such an ability made it easy to find others...

And to hunt them down...

The tawny-haired youth weighted his options, and decided whenever to allow the young Captain to make sure of such an ability. It might have been a bit risky and might prompt some questioning from the Captain, but he felt the benefits weighted more than the risks. That, and he felt confident he could dissuade the man from trying to get some answers. A Mage Priest, even though the body he used was young, were still quite a power in the land, and he would bank on their reputation to get him through without his treachery being discovered too early on. Keeping his voice quite low as he approached the young man, Valkir spoke. "Captain Darissa, your caution is admirable but I only sense several beings ahead of us, too few to give your men any trouble." With that, the spirit went on to explain that through the holy gifts bestowed upon him by Zhaeves, he could sense others, an ability that had been among the reasons why he was sent along with them; He, however, took care to allow nothing else to be said except that, not wishing to give away any more clues than was necessary.

[Shamus]

Startled, Shamus turned.  In a heartbeat he forgot all about the shadow he was following.  His ears strained instead.  Had he just heard something...?

Voices?

With his back to the wall he gently edged back to the corner.  When he peered around it he saw the street he had just walked along.  It looked, well... glittering and empty.  Quiet.  But for a moment he had thought he had heard voices in the distance.  Perhaps this city wasn't as uninhabited as he had thought.

That was a bit of an unsettling notion.  With his breath held, Shamus slowly ran his eyes over the street, taking in the colourful stones and the bright crystal buildings.  Nothing moved, nothing stirred.  Except for the horse, all was perfectly still.

Shamus froze as his brain caught up to his eyes.  The what?

With a jerk of surprise he leaned forward, squinting.  The alley shadows were deep and difficult to penetrate, but there was a horse there.  A real flesh and blood horse, fully tacked up with its gear still fixed to its saddle.  It seemed to be standing very patiently.

Where had it come from...?

After casting a wary glance around himself, Shamus slipped back into the street.  He trotted across it quickly and made his way to the entrance of the alley.  With some trepidation he padded towards the horse, feeling very certain it was a bloody stupid thing to do.  If there was a horse here, its rider was likely somewhere nearby.  Perhaps that rider was armed.  But his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

"Hullo, horse," he said softly.  He lifted his hand towards its muzzle to let it sniff his fingers.  Shamus liked horses.  He didn't like riding them, but they were nice animals.  Aloud, he wondered, "Where did you come from...?"

[Boris Darissa]

Boris didn’t trust this Mage Priest, he also didn’t care if there were only a couple people ahead or just one. He was going to take all the necessary precautions to keep his team as safe as possible, it was his responsibility. Although Valkir’s ability was rather neat and if it showed that it was true and reliable ability then he would use it to his advantage most likely later in the mission. He waved his hand for Brinks to keep close, he paused as he heard shuffling up ahead. Either the person or persons that they were following didn’t have a clue about be stealthy, or perhaps this was a lure …

Brinks peered his head around a corner of one of the beautiful buildings, he almost had a hard time taking his eyes off of them. He hadn’t see anything like this in all of his days, and he had been around quite some time. He grazed the scar on his face, gentle reminders of life’s moredifficult times. Brinks silently slid his sword out and kept it close to him, no way was he going to let another person, or something else take him for surprise ever again. He hadn’t always been with the River Guard in the city of Dimesca. He was a realm drifter, and the RG took special consideration of his abilities. His bobble of a nose began to itch, he rubbed it. Without realizing his blade had hit his nose as well, he grunted heavily. He hated when he did that, his nose became numb and had a slight blue look to it. He looked over at Boris, who was shaking his head.

Boris tried to hold in his laughter of Brinks using his own weapon mistakenly on himself. He really was with specially trained men wasn’t he? He too brought out one of his swords and again waved his hand for Brinks to follow. They neared around another corner and hear someone speaking … to a horse? He peered around the corner and saw a man, talking to a horse. What the hell was he doing?! He was obviously no threat, this was a rediculas. If this was all the mission was Boris was going to be infuriated. Was he one of the people that lived in this city or was he an outsider? Boris stepped out, keeping his sword down,

“You! Who are you and what are you doing here?”

Brinks stepped up next to Boris, he too kept his sword down. His nose began to tingle as it defrosted. He sneezed.

[Taban]

Turquoise eyes peered carefully around the corner of the crystal wall.  The bard cautiously watched as the blond-haired man moved closer to Baritone.  The poor horse merely stood there quietly, patiently waiting for Banni to return.  His hands tightened around the wooden shaft of his staff.  If Blondie decided to do any harm to the animal he would have to answer to a staff-wielding bard!

The disguised prince felt slightly relieved when the man began to speak calmly to Baritone.  Well, perhaps this person didn’t mean harm to the gelding, which was good to know.  Still, he didn’t know the man’s intentions and thus stayed hidden where he was.

It was a good thing he decided to stay there since a challenging voice called to Blondie not two seconds later.  Two figures came into view following the words.  Well, this had just gotten even more interesting.  Those must’ve been the sounds he had heard behind him.  However, he had heard the sound of horses as well but these two men didn’t have any animals with them.  That meant that there were more behind; whether simply out of line-of-sight or far back, he couldn’t know for sure.

The bard’s near translucent eyes then caught sight of the crests adorning the men’s armor.  Those markings labeled them as members of the Dimescan guard or as they were locally known, The River Guard.  If they had made it here that meant the Grand Council knew of this city.  It made Banni’s presence here all the more important.

Patience was required right now.  He waited quietly out of sight, watching and listening.  The bard would see how this played out and perhaps learn the intentions of these men before he made his own presence known. He made sure to check around himself so as not to let anyone take him unawares while he waited.

[Valkir]

Valkir watched as the two men drew their weapons, smiling in slight amusement as the Realm Drifter's enchanted blade tinged his nose with some of its icy magic. The tawny-haired man remained amused as the two went on ahead. There was also something to worry about; the presence of magical sword such as that would normally have called his attention to the growing hunger within him. And the parasite disliked being hungry, for it made him weak. No one liked being weak. But for now, he knew he would be able to contain it until he could get alone... With someone of no concern. Then the parasite could feed all he want until there was naught left within the body. Such things had to come later, though. It wouldn't do to arouse suspicions around his person now. Perhaps, though, he could sneak a touch or two from magical items to stave off the growing weakness... All this, he pondered as he followed the two from behind, taking care as not to tread too closely to them. The parasite then settled himself behind some sort of crystalline object, remaining hidden just in case... But close enough to join the Captain and Brinks.

Wait... Shouldn't there have been more other than the few signs ahead of him? Valkir decided against leaving it to Captain Darissa and left the safety of his current position, coming out to join the young Captain and Brinks, who then sneezed. Ignoring the two for now, and taking in account the man and the horse past them, the enigmatic man pondered at this. He was quite sure he had sensed more than these two ahead of them... The parasite began looking around to the sides, scanning the landscape around them for further signs. There were still only faint ones... Unless the crystals interfered with that particular ability of his. It wasn't impossible, though. Just improbab- No! He could sense it now, another pulsating source of vitality not far from here. Perhaps it was a friend of the young man before them. Perhaps it was yet another person come to investigate. Whatever the case, it was only one man. He didn't see any reason to alert the Captain to that... But he would be keeping his eyes open. After all, the Captain and his men couldn't remain useful forever, and he might need other allies to press on with.

[Shamus]

When he heard the authoritative voice calling from the street Shamus jumped.  He whirled around in time to catch sight of the two men approaching him.  When he saw the swords they held his eyes widened, and he hastily lifted his hands into the air to show that he was not carrying a weapon.  The men wore armoured uniforms that he did not recognise, and they had the purposeful air of guards about them.  Or policemen.

Shamus' heart sank.  Had someone from the city sent them to investigate the city?  Or were they here on other business?  And now there was a third guard walking up to join them.  This man looked faintly distracted, as if his attention was turned elsewhere.  Something about his manner struck Shamus as being familiar.  His heart sank a little deeper.

Then, one of the guards sneezed.   

"Bless you," said Shamus, without thinking. 

Then he grimaced, realising what he had just said.  To Boris he meekly added, "Sorry, I- I'm just an explorer, sir!  I was following the river, and then I came across this city.  I'm only here to poke around a bit.  If you're worried about any looting, sir, I swear I wasn't going to nick anything..."

[Boris Darissa]

Boris listened to the man speak, he seemed rather nervous, but obviously was of no threat to his team. Brinks and Boris kept their swords out, this could still be an ambush, no need in risking it. Brinks ignored the nice gesture of the man and kept a stone face while looking at him. Boris stepped forward and spoke,

"What is your name sir? Let me see your Celestial Tattoo. Are you travelling alone? Is that your horse you were talking to? Have you seen anyone or anything in the city yet?"

Brinks kept his eyes open for any movement around them, so far nothing. He felt like it was quiet, perhaps a little too quiet. His fist tightened on his sword.

[Taban]

The bard watched from his safe vantage point as the Dimescans spoke to the other man.  He noted how they had left their weapons out, even when this unarmed and obviously scared man didn’t show any threatening signs.  It was clear who the leader was when he delivered a barrage of questions to the blond man without giving him a chance to reply before the next question was spoken.

Banni knew that he couldn’t keep hiding here.  Even if they didn’t look for him they’d most likely take Baritone wherever they were going.  Glancing around himself Banni tried to figure out what to do.  It was then that the most unlikely idea struck him.  It would be dangerous but it would also be something fully expected of a bard.

Stupid. Don’t this. Banni couldn’t help but repeat that thought over and over in his mind as he stepped around from the wall where he had been hiding.  His walking staff made a clack sound every time it came in contact with the ground.  The bard continued forward at a steady pace, carrying himself with the confident swagger that only a performer could have.

“Hey!” he called ahead of himself, “What are you doing with my horse?!” The bard didn’t slow his pace, no matter how big of a mistake he felt he was making.  Banni visibly looked the men over, confirming the crests now that he was closer, “River Guard, eh? This isn’t Dimesca, you don’t have any jurisdiction here. Get away from my horse.”

The bard didn’t hold himself in a threatening manner but rather that of a man being interrupted by a nuisance. He walked passed the swords without giving them a second look; if they were to strike out now it would be all he could do just to block.  He stopped, standing in front of the blond man and his horse eyeing the River Guard leader levelly.

[Lakhesis]

That fleeting shadow that Shamus had first seen upon entering the city had not strayed far. It lurked near the group, its muzzle low to the ground, its ears twitching slightly as it intently listened to the various voices. Blue eyes glowed within their socket, and long crystal fangs glittered in the pale sunlight. Its fur was a dusky gray, and held a faint shimmer to it.

As the entire group at last converged, the creature strayed nearer, though adeptly remained hidden from sight from around the corner of a nearby building. Its bushy tail raised as its Master suddenly appeared beside it, a black gloved hand gently stroking its head. The Master could be cruel, but the Master could also be exceptionally caring. For now, the Master was pleased with the creature, and therefor the Master's touch was filled with tender approval.

A soft whine escaped the throat of the creature, and then abruptly lowered its head in shame at voicing its hunger for affection. It was impossible to tell what - if any - emotion flickered across the Master's visage. A black veil was dropped over the lower portion of the Master's face, allowing nothing but the Master's eyes to be seen.

"Go now," the multi-tonal voice of the Master said, being neither feminine nor masculine. "Let the blood of those who dare interfere be spilt this day."

With that the Master was gone, presumably back to the tower that stood at the center of the maze of streets. Quickly, all too quickly, the creature had left its hiding spot and was standing in the center of the street, before the group that had gathered. It's fur bristled, and had an almost crystalline quality to it. It was a creature of the city, and it was as a wolf that had somehow grown to the size of a bear. It snarled loudly as it took a menacing step forward, saliva dripping from its maw as bloodlust took over.

[Valkir]

Sighing, the possessed Mage Priest couldn't help but be somewhat irritated at the fact that there was a stand-off already, when they've only had barely begun to explore the mystery of this great city of crystal and mystery. But at the very least, he was satisfied to see that the elusive bard had finally revealed himself; it was still disconcerting now and then to lose track of people. But that didn't make matters any better, for he was already sensing more faint signs approaching them, and these weren't like any he had seen so far which left only two explanations left... One, they were Kythers as well, or two... They came with the crystalline city.

The parasite merely stood by, listening to the soft clacking of the staff as the bard approached the group, recalling countless memories that came with the stimuli, as if it was a retrieval cue that echoed across all of his memories, into the very depths of his shadowy past... and the pasts of all the people he had drained dry, their life forces stolen, their experiences and knowledge and memories a part of him. The tawny-haired young man snapped out of his reverie as quickly as he had slipped into it, taking notice of Banni standing by the horse, which he revealed to be his. Funny... Why would a mere minstrel care about where these fools went? Why would he care about the jurisdiction of the River Guard? Unless he had a problem with them, perhaps?

But such questions were pushed aside as the faint lifeform only became stronger and stronger as it approached, and then he could see it as it came into view, in the middle of the street. 'Strange, I've encountered many creatures across many worlds, and yet... I've never seen one that was crystalline... Nor a canine that big...' Clearing his throat to interrupt the group before they went on any further, the Mage Priest moved past the two men and positioned himself in the middle. "I apologize for interrupting this little tea party of yours," Valkir spoke as he looked around before looking back at Boris, "Captain Darissa, I also apologize for this but damn your protocols for the moment. I believe you've something to deal with, and I suspect it won't be pleasant nor simple to work around unless we all work together." At this, Valkir pointed past Shamus, at the crystalline wolf-bear-thing. "Unless we're satisfied with getting torn apart by that beast? Because if that's the case, then I would appreciate it if you all could slow it down long enough for me to get away to safety."

[Shamus]

Though he was grateful to see the strange bard step forward and boldly confront the guards, Shamus was even gladder for an excuse that would allow him to dodge out of answering their questions. He whirled around to see what the mage was pointing at.  Immediately his gaze latched on to the beast looming in the street behind them, bristled and bare-fanged. 

It was a wolf.  Shaggy and grey, with gleaming crystal fangs.

The scars on his jaw burned.  Without thinking, Shamus clapped his hand over them.  His eyes grew wide.  The creature was also as big as a bear.

That was the shadow he had been following.  Suddenly, Shamus was very glad that he hadn't pursued it any further.  It likely would have torn him to shreds.  Now he was standing in the midst of a group of well-armed guards. They had armour and swords, and their mage likely had magic of some sort at his disposal.  They could fight it, and if not the beast could have its fill of them!

"I don't object to working together," he stammered.  He stepped away and reached around to the small of his back, where his knife was concealed on his belt beneath his coat.  Though he gripped the handle he didn't draw the blade.  Not yet.  A knife was no weapon to use in a mad charge against a beast that size.  Instead he circled warily towards its flank, to wait for a chance to strike, and to give the others more room to act in.