Dragons of Lesaria | Log 4

[20:15]	SeianVerian	The hot desert sun beats down upon the caravan, as Nocu and Artyom lead it toward the place they saw the chimera rise from. It's slightly off from the caravan's intended route, but not far, and soon enough a building becomes visible.
[20:17]	Artyom	climbs up to his aircarriage and whistles Nocu up to it. He drops buoyancy close to the ground and pushes the sails forward. ”Mop up time, c'mon!”
[20:18]	Nocu	Nocu is practically jumping as he walks alongside Artyom, tail waving up and down evenly as he strides toward the building. He blinks brightly, grinning-and follows Artyom up.
[20:18]	Nocu	"Oooh, a ruin-these are always fun."
[20:19]	Artyom	looms in low and secures the anchor. ”Circle the wagons, people! No surprises!” He hops down and scoops up Nocu, eager to explore the place.
[20:20]	=-=	Katz is now known as Zib
[20:21]	Nocu	clambers onto Artyom's back, craning forward to keep the load balanced-after all; he's the size of a large dog.
[20:22]	SeianVerian	As they approach, Artyom and Nocu may notice a small figure near what appears to be the entrance to the building. If he looks up, said figure might notice the caravan in turn...
[20:24]	Artyom	hoists Nocu high, heaving Nocu in the figure's direction. ”Take no chances.”
[20:25]	Zib	looks up, and notices the caravan and the approaching figures. The kobold puffs up his chest and yells out in a loud, if shrill, voice. 'Who goes there?'
[20:27]	Nocu	swoops down. Translation...
[20:27]	Nocu	...glides down on stubby wings.
[20:27]	Nocu	"Dragon. That's who goes there."
[20:27]	Artyom	draws his sword, and points it at the figure. ”Let's talk, shall we?”
[20:28]	-->|	LawnPygmy (LawnPygmy@4E131036.7047ECD3.1A7E0F00.IP) has joined #Lesaria
[20:28]	Nocu	"And you, petisse?"
[20:29]	Zib	smackes the end of his staff against the sand, doing his best to look impressive. 'I am Zib the Great!'
[20:30]	Artyom	approaches with a lack of lumbering, despite his towering figure, his movements unrestrained by gravity, his sword free of weight of any kind. He sheathes the sword and saunters over at an easy pace, and looms four feet over the kobold's head, a masked figure in obscuring military garb. ”So many wisecracks, so little time.”
[20:32]	Nocu	The sun gleams and slides across Nocu's gleaming black scales. His bright green eyes are unbli-wait no, that was a blink alright.
[20:33]	Zib	looks up at the large figure towering over him, the little scaled creature giving the best death glare he can through his mask. 'And why have you come here?'
[20:34]	Nocu	"Should we tell 'im?"
[20:34]	Artyom	hefts a femur as big as the kobold. ”Pest control. The beefy kind.”
[20:35]	Nocu	"Yup."
[20:35]	Nocu	"Came from here."
[20:36]	Zib	continues his glare. 'Well, I've already claimed these ruins as my own!' His voice falters slightly, and he takes a step back, his gaze slowly moving down to the femur.
[20:37]	Nocu	"Oh really."
[20:39]	Artyom	gently bonks the kobold with said massive bone. No, not that one, the femur. ”Well then you're in luck! You just got two exterminators, pro bono.”
[20:40]	Nocu	"Yup. But if there's a chimera nest, it's ours. Since the thing we fought was a chimera."
[20:40]	Zib	falls over into the sand, looking rather undignified. 'Ah-oh. Okay then.' He quickly climbs to his feet. 'Very well.'
[20:41]	LawnPygmy	's pearly nose precedes him by some several inches as he peeks around the corner, his huge blue eyes wide with curiousity. Silent except for the occasional ruffle of robes and the soft creak of new leather, he creeps up behind the party, eyes intent on the doorway behind Zib.
[20:42]	Artyom	bonk!
[20:42]	LawnPygmy	is ski-- bonked.
[20:42]	Nocu	whips around...and notices the dragon that happens to intersperse his head between the bone and the kobold.
[20:42]	Nocu	"...you wot?"
[20:43]	Zib	looks around in mild confusion.
[20:43]	LawnPygmy	"Wh-huh?" He blinks, head whipping around. His long snout whops into Artyom's chest and rebounds, sending him tumbling gracelessly onto Nocu. "Wargh!"
[20:45]	Artyom	tries not to trip over Zib. ”Dang pile o' stooges!”
[20:47]	LawnPygmy	picks himself up, one paw rubbing his nose. The skinny kid is covered in pearly scales, overwhich is a simple silk robe bearing the crest of the Dragonettis on the chest. He flares his wings, eyes finally focusing on the group, and frowns at them. "What was that for?"
[20:48]	Nocu	"Oh fine since everyone's gonna come after our ruin"
[20:48]	Zib	pokes his staff at Nocu's nose. 'MY ruin!'
[20:48]	Nocu	"There was a chimera." Nocu says in a tone of effrontery, sitting back on his haunches, sticking his nose in the air and wrapping his tail around his feet.
[20:49]	Nocu	"And we killed it, and it came from here."
[20:49]	Nocu	"Which means it's got loot in there probably."
[20:49]	Nocu	"Which is, by the transitive property, now our loot."
[20:49]	Artyom	"What he said."
[20:49]	LawnPygmy	"0x1dYour0x1d ruin?" he asks archly. "I beg to differ, but this land is claimed by Thessilar and its client cities."
[20:50]	Zib	pokes Nocu again. 'MY loot. Which I might share with you, my loyal minions.'
[20:50]	Nocu	"That is, mine and the big one's. Not yours. Unless you have something to offer in which case maybe we could split it."
[20:50]	LawnPygmy	"Thus all of your claims are moot."
[20:50]	=-=	LawnPygmy is now known as Zosimo
[20:50]	Nocu	There is a sudden burbling and a smell of an alchemist's laboratory.
[20:50]	Nocu	"I am no one's minion, petisse."
[20:51]	Nocu	arches to his full height and spreads his wings, looming over Zib.
[20:51]	Zib	shrinks away a bit. 'Uhm...PLEASE be my minion?'
[20:51]	Nocu	His lips draw back, and frothing acid drips from between his teeth.
[20:52]	Nocu	"Check yourself...before you wreck yourself."
[20:52]	Artyom	palms Nocu's nose.
[20:52]	Artyom	"I have a solution."
[20:52]	Nocu	blinks.
[20:52]	Zosimo	clears his throat and dusts off the front of his robe. "Excuse me sirs, but I just told you that your claims are null and void, as the City of Thessilar and the Free Council have the more legitimate claim."
[20:52]	Artyom	palms Zosimo's nose too.
[20:52]	Zosimo	sputters.
[20:52]	Nocu	closes his mouth and makes a confused noise.
[20:53]	Zib	'I don't see the city of Thessilar around here, do you?'
[20:53]	Zosimo	forgets his noble upbringing for a moment and shoves his tongue against Artyom's palm.
[20:53]	Artyom	"Eugh."
[20:53]	Artyom	baps him on the nose, drawing his hand away.
[20:54]	Artyom	lifts up the kobold by the back of his shirt. ”We go in, we nab the loot, we argue later.” He draws a blade with his free hand. ”That, or we could fight each other for it.” And then comes the murdersmile.
[20:54]	Nocu	Grin. Burble, froth, roil, drip.
[20:54]	Zosimo	growls. "This is infuriating."
[20:54]	Nocu	"This is a desert!"
[20:54]	Nocu	The acid disappears.
[20:55]	Zosimo	"Not once but twice you've hit me! Do you know what the penalty for striking a noble is?!"
[20:55]	Zib	squirms and writhes. 'Put me down this instant!'
[20:55]	Nocu	"Well, if we're gonna talk penalties, we could always remove witnesses."
[20:55]	Nocu	comments brightly.
[20:55]	Nocu	"Acid is great for dissolving...everything, actually."
[20:56]	Artyom	throws Zib onto Zosimo's face.
[20:56]	Artyom	”Cheese it! Thay can't loot it if we do first!”
[20:56]	Artyom	runs into the ruin.
[20:56]	Zosimo	chuffs out a puff of cold. "Acid can be neutralized quite e-ekenkapbbpt"
[20:56]	Zib	smacks against Zosimo's face, and clings to it tightly to avoid falling into an undignified heap.
[20:57]	Nocu	bolts after Artyom.
[20:57]	Zosimo	rolls his head, sending Zib tumbling down onto his back between his wings, and takes off at a run. "Come back here!"
[20:58]	Zosimo	scamper
[20:58]	SeianVerian	Artyom is quickly faced by a door that blocks his entry into the ruin! However, as he approaches, patterns upon it begin to glow a pale bluish green...
[20:59]	Nocu	"Oh. Um. This is a thing, er..."
[20:59]	Artyom	"Neat!"
[20:59]	Nocu	raises a claw to it, muttering something under his breath.
[21:00]	Nocu	"Oh. Um."
[21:00]	Artyom	"What?"
[21:00]	Nocu	"RememberhowIsaidyouwereimportant?"
[21:00]	Nocu	"The...door. Agrees."
[21:00]	Nocu	"Dunno how, uh..."
[21:01]	Zosimo	thunders up behind Artyom, mouth open and energy gathering around it.
[21:01]	Artyom	sidesteps. ”Let the uptights go first, then.”
[21:01]	SeianVerian	As Artyom steps away, the glow fades. It doesn't react to anyone else
[21:01]	Nocu	sidesteps in the opposite direction.
[21:02]	Zib	is clinging to Zosimo's wings still.
[21:02]	Nocu	"...hmm."
[21:02]	Zosimo	's thundering steps slow as he catches sight of the gently glowing runes, and his mouth closes slowly, the energy dissipating. He stares up at them, eyes flicking across them
[21:03]	Artyom	smiles knowingly.
[21:06]	Zosimo	's eyes flick down to Artyom, then roll back, taking his head with them, to stare at Zib. "How long have you been in these ruins?"
[21:07]	Zib	glances up at the sky. 'Around half a day now...'
[21:09]	Nocu	"Artyom."
[21:09]	Zosimo	picks Zib up by the scruff and plops him down in front of the door. "If my calculations are correct..." he mumbles around Zib's neck. "Have you ever seen this door before?"
[21:09]	Nocu	"I think it's keyed to you."
[21:09]	Nocu	"Not you specifically but whatever you are."
[21:10]	Artyom	touches it.
[21:10]	Artyom	”Oh, good.”
[21:10]	Artyom	”Saves us a lot of work, doesn't it?”
[21:11]	Zib	shakes his head. 'I've never seen a door like this.'
[21:11]	Zosimo	mushes Zib up against the door with his nose. "Maybe it needs some specific resonance, like a planar key, or a wineglass."
[21:11]	SeianVerian	As soon as Artyom touches the door, he can hear grinding and shaking, and it begins slowly rising from the base up into the stone
[21:11]	Zib	meeps and wiggles as he's pressed against the door. 'H-he just said the big ruffian is the key!'
[21:13]	Artyom	takes a step back and waves the others back to do the same. ”Watch your fingers, kids. Don't get pinched...”
[21:13]	Zib	pokes Arty's nose with his staff. 'Who are you calling 'kid'?'
[21:14]	Nocu	"You're the smallest of all of us." Nocu comments brightly.
[21:14]	Artyom	waves it off. ”Get with the idioms, Zipper.”
[21:14]	Zosimo	"What?" He looks at Artyom. "...Oh. Well then." He picks Zib up and plops him back on his back. "Alright, then."
[21:15]	SeianVerian	The door opens into darkness, until blue-green runes light up along the walls, creating a gentle, eerie light
[21:15]	Zib	glares at Nocu. 'The smallest, and the mightiest!' he meeps as Zosimo picks him up again.
[21:15]	Artyom	"Oh, swank."
[21:16]	Artyom	takes point and draws his sword, pointing it into the dungeon. ”Platoon, for-waaaaard!”
[21:17]	Nocu	follows amiably.
[21:17]	Zosimo	rolls his eyes and plods along behind them.
[21:18]	Zib	continues riding the dragon. The little kobold doesn't protest too much at this.
[21:18]	SeianVerian	The hallway leads forward a short distance, before turning to the right. And then left, and then a door to the right, with more hall to the left
[21:19]	Zosimo	peers around at the corridor beyond. "I wonder why Great-Uncle Arcibaldo never mentioned the door's secret to me..."
[21:20]	Nocu	"Maybe he didn't know either."
[21:20]	Artyom	goes up to the doorway and stacks up just adjacent to it. He looks for locks, kickable/breakable things, and the like. ”If it makes you feel better, he didn't tell me either.”
[21:23]	Zosimo	gives him a skeptical look. "Great-Uncle Arcibaldo keeps some strange friends, but not even he keeps anyone like you around his manse."
[21:24]	Zosimo	noses at his armor. "What are you, by the by?"
[21:25]	Artyom	chuckles behind his mask. ”Now now, that would be telling..”
[21:27]	Zosimo	"Of course it would be. That's why I asked."
[21:28]	SeianVerian	The door opens to Artyom's touch. It opens into a chamber that slowly lights up
[21:29]	Artyom	peeks around the room curiously, watching for traps and other hazards. ”Of all the literal- it's a secret. Happy now?”
[21:33]	Zosimo	"You haven't told me the answer," he grumbles, swingin his long muzzle back and forth. "Why would I be satisfied with 'It's a secret to everyone'? That is the least helpful answer of all time."
[21:35]	Artyom	"That is the point, my friend." He slowly creeps up on one of the cubes.
[21:36]	Nocu	sits back down and watches.
[21:36]	Zosimo	"I will find out, you know. My research skills are second to none."
[21:38]	Zib	is just slowly looking over the room from the back of the dragon.
[21:39]	Artyom	takes an arrow and pokes a cube with it.
[21:43]	Zosimo	stands up on his hindpaws and conjures a field of winking blue lights between his hands. He sends them out to probe the cube!
[21:43]	Zib	clings tightly as the dragon rears up! 'Hey, hey! Be careful!'
[21:44]	Zosimo	"Don't cling so tight."
[21:45]	Zib	'Then don't stand up suddenly like that!'
[21:46]	SeianVerian	Artyom notices the cube moving just in time to avoid being engulfed by it!
[21:47]	Artyom	leaves the arrow in, whipping his sword forward. ”Cut the chatter, we have hostiles!” He whips his sword at it, using Stone Vise and hopping back!
[21:48]	[ERROR]	You need to be an operator in #Lesaria to do that.
[21:48]	NickServ	Password accepted - you are now recognized.
[21:48]	=-=	Mode #Lesaria +q SeianVerian by UboaServ
[21:49]	=-=	SeianVerian has changed the topic to “Artyom, Cubes, Zib, Zosimo, Nocu”
[21:52]	Zosimo	blinks, the lights flaring in surprise. "What in--?"
[21:52]	Nocu	"New to me too!"
[23:03]	SeianVerian	Though Artyom slashes one cube, another advances upon him as he backs away. Though he delivers it a truly vicious blow, this isn't enough to stop its advance, and it engulfs him entirely
[23:10]	SeianVerian	The other cubes advance, and one lands a hit on Zosimo!
[23:11]	Zosimo	screeches in surprise and backpedals!
[23:18]	Zib	steps to the side, raising up both his hands. He cries out a few arcane words, and a jet of fire sprouts from his hand, engulfing the cubes in front of him.
[23:23]	Zosimo	scrambles back a few steps, then opens his mouth. The air ripples around it, and those with sensitive hearing can hear the grating whine of ultrasound gathering in his throat. He arches his neck, and a bubble of air pops between the cubes, sending ravenous vibrations ripping through them.
[23:27]	SeianVerian	The oozes vibrate apart, and it's clear they're taking damage- However, their simple systems don't seem to be affected that much
[23:28]	Zosimo	curses under his breath.
[23:35]	Nocu	When one of the oozes flows around him without causing any effect, Nocu blinks and takes a step back.
[23:35]	Nocu	"Uhm. Zosimo? I don't think my acid works here."
[23:36]	Zosimo	rolls his eyes. "Then use something else!"
[23:37]	Nocu	"Right! Uh..."
[23:37]	Nocu	Nocu thinks for a few seconds, then gestures and waves a claw.
[23:38]	Nocu	There is a brief flash, and a cat-sized insect appears; its carapace gleams faintly in the light.
[23:40]	Zosimo	arches a brow in between dodging pseudopods
[23:43]	Nocu	The creature lunges through the cube and clicks in satisfaction.
[23:44]	Artyom	rolls out of his sludgey prison, coat and mask sizzling off of his body with the acid. His eyes are ablaze with fury. He liked that mask.
[00:07]	Zosimo	looks over his shoulder and grimaces. Not much more room to move. He turns back to the cubes, mind leaping through the clues to come up with a way to end this quickly.
[00:11]	Zosimo	"Hit after they extend the pseudopods!" he shouts, frost riming his lips. "They overextend and you may be able to take off a chunk!" He opens his jaws again and spits a wad of freezing phlegm onto the floor just behind the two cubes in front of him. It explodes with a sharp 'CRACK'.
[00:15]	SeianVerian	Bits of the cubes freeze, and the most injured one freezes entirely, shattering!
[00:18]	Nocu	Nocu leaps and bites the chilled cube, clawing at it angrily, gnawing before the cube cracks and collapses in a heap.
[00:19]	Nocu	The beetle buzzes, leaps, and punches through another cube.
[00:23]	Zosimo	"Little person!" he calls out to Zib "Another blast of fire!"
[00:24]	Zib	nods, and raises his palm again, firing out a blast of fire across the frozen cube.
[00:24]	Zosimo	rears up and spreads his hands wide, claws weaving through an intricate set of movements, and suddenly a gout of flame bursts out from between his cupped paws! The sudden shock of being frozen and then superheated makes them crack and crumble, and finally explode!
[00:24]	Nocu	raises a claw and licks it.
[00:25]	SeianVerian	As the cubes fade into irrelevance, Artyom notices that there's something sitting in the corner!
[00:26]	Artyom	grumpily shrugs off the rags of his coat, and pokes at it.
[00:28]	Zosimo	grimaces and carefully picks off bits of melted scales and silk, one paw glowing white with healing. He grumbles to himself.
[00:29]	SeianVerian	It seems to be a strange cube, with thick, rough metallic edges that seem dully multicolored, while the centers of the outer squares are a golden color, that seem to have thin lines in a sort of square spiral pattern from the outside all the way to the center.
[00:29]	SeianVerian	There are some barely visible runes carved into the edges
[00:30]	Nocu	pads over to it, raising a claw and tapping at it.
[00:30]	Zosimo	"Haven't you had enought of cubes?" he snarks.
[00:30]	Zosimo	peers at it
[00:31]	Artyom	idly considers smashing it.
[00:31]	Artyom	picks it up.
[00:31]	SeianVerian	Zosimo and Nocu, with their knowledge of the subject, can tell that the cube is definitely magical, and most likely quite valuable. It seems to be some sort of container, but what it holds is unclear. Neither can determine what might trigger it to open
[00:33]	Zosimo	pads over, freshly healed. "So you find a strange thing in the corner of a ruined building and your first instinct is to poke it with your hands," he says with a droll sneer.
[00:33]	Nocu	"It's got something in it!"
[00:33]	Nocu	"Prob'ly."
[00:33]	Nocu	"It's a container.
[00:33]	Nocu	"Artyom! Over here, let's see if your different-being does anything."
[00:34]	Artyom	is holding it.
[00:34]	Artyom	bonks Nocu with it.
[00:34]	Zosimo	shakes his head slowly. "I know. But we don't know what it might be, so in the meantime, let's not go poking at it. Let's get a proper study going, in a contained environment, with proper scientific procedure."