Dragons of Lesaria | Log 2

[00:19]	SeianVerian	Artyom walks through the desert across the dunes, the sun shining upon him, light reflecting from the sands into his eyes. Yet the heat hardly bothers him. He does not sweat, and his skin does not burn, and he walks onward, approaching the cave.
[00:20]	Artyom	pulls his keffiyeh tighter and marches for the cave. Grumbling quietly at the sense of deja vu, he keeps up the pace, ever watchful.
[00:25]	SeianVerian	The approach to the cave is uneventful, and soon Artyom sees it. The entrance looks oddly small, given the size of the dragon which lived inside it, and kind of exposed. Only the remoteness of the location seems to have been any defense for this place. Blood is still on the ground from the earlier battle here.
[00:26]	Artyom	moves from a march to a jog, counting on his reflexes to carry him should something pointy and/or killy await his face.
[00:28]	SeianVerian	The cave appears to be quite dark inside. Without a torch, going on may be difficult
[00:30]	Artyom	tears a sleeve off his light coat, wrapping the fabric around the end of his spare kukri. Then he takes a phial of alchemist's fire and feels rather dumb for remembering instant fire but not torches in his supply run. It's as good a makeshift torch as he'll have.
[00:31]	Artyom	"Ollie ollie oxen free..."
[00:32]	SeianVerian	As good as he has seems to be good enough! The flame provides some illumination, and he's able to go onward. The cave is damp, and by the smell the dragon most likely wasn't the only thing living inside it. It isn't long traveling through it before he sees a burnt corpse upon the ground.
[00:33]	Artyom	pauses to look it over, then look ahead.
[00:37]	SeianVerian	While Artyom can't see very far ahead, he does notice that the cave wall next to the corpse is drier than the rest, and has notable handholds. It might be possible to climb it- Perhaps that would avoid whatever gave this poor creature its fate
[00:38]	Artyom	places the blade in his teeth and the fire uncomfortably close to his face, setting on the wall. Freeclimbing is one of his strengths.
[00:39]	Artyom	quietly sings to himself. ”Hm hm hmmm... I... walk, dead or a live... I waste my time whenever I like... I'm feelin' okay... with my whiskey hangover...”
[00:40]	SeianVerian	Artyom easily climbs further along the wall, until the handholds start getting too slick again. There haven't been any more corpses since- But he can see one, or what he thinks might be one, at the edge of his vision further on. Perhaps it'll be safe up to that point?
[00:43]	Artyom	eyes it, and tries to go a little further- ”Uh oh.”- and tries to grab one of the slippery handholds.
[00:46]	Artyom	clamps his hands to the rocks and keeps trying to cross over the cave floor via some vertical surfaces. He tries to leap over to the next corpse.
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[00:50]	SeianVerian	Artyom successfully lands next to the corpse. As he does so, the floor lights up, filled with a crackling white energy, and he can see a great, smooth walled chamber in front of him.
[00:51]	Artyom	eyeballs it.
[00:52]	SeianVerian	Artyom notices that there are spots on the floor that don't appear to be lit up, but there are great spaces between them. He also notices, however, that there's a rock on the floor next to him that seems a little odd... It's not the same kind of stone as this mountain
[00:54]	Artyom	gives it a kick, and coils for wherever he needs to place himself.
[00:56]	SeianVerian	The rock shifts as he kicks it- And suddenly, the room in front of him changes. The unlit spots in the chamber suddenly rise up high, creating pillars whose tops don't reach the ceiling, and from the walls and ceiling different devices emerge. It looks almost like some kind of strange training course- But of course, it's a deadly one
[00:57]	Artyom	"...swank."
[00:58]	Artyom	scrambles up to the nearest platform, and backs to the rear edge. A short running start is better than nothing. Tunk-tunk-tunk-leap!
[01:04]	Artyom	sails through the air, grabbing onto one of the bars across the ceiling. He tucks his weight up like a gymnast, making one revolution, two, three, ever faster, until sproing! He whips his weight forward on the upward swing, backflipping onto the next platform. He takes a breath, smiles, and gets a charge of confidence. Run.. and... 0x1dleap!
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[01:06]	Artyom	springs up the notches in the wall with sure-booted jumps, up-up-up-out! He kicks away from the wall, vaults the next hurdle, and another, and one more. Another!
[01:10]	Artyom	skates on his bootsoles across the unnaturally smooth slope at breakneck speed, crouching low, and springing at the jump! Like a ski jump, his body sails into the air, and as he pulls his limbs in, he rotates forward across the emptiness, one, two, three times- and when he splays out, he hits the platform running. There's no ramp for this one! Sprint! Sprint! Push! Jump!
[01:11]	Artyom	's boot slips off the edge of the last platform, not supporting his weight. He whips the unlit kukri forward, slamming the blade into the rock to slow- then halt- his fall. He pulls his body up by his arms, and slithers onto the rock. He takes a moment to pant heavily before he looks ahead to the next challenge.
[01:27]	SeianVerian	After a tremendous display of physical prowess, Artyom looks on, deeper into the cave. Oddly, it doesn't seem to really get darker further on. The passage does twist however, so that he can't see to the next chamber
[01:28]	Artyom	doesn't waste time- he goes for the passage at a full sprint, giving him the velocity needed should things turn pear-shaped!
[01:31]	SeianVerian	Nothing else troubles him. He enters a chamber that looks... Oddly, like a swamp. There's small pools filled with water, and damp, muddy ground. In the center is a pile of coins and a few trinkets, surrounding what looks to be an egg
[01:34]	Artyom	slows to a jog, then a walk, and kneels by the egg. It feels familiar somehow, and he runs a hand over it, curiously. ”Is that a-” he reaches for something that looks like the hilt of a sword.
[01:35]	SeianVerian	As Artyom reaches for the sword, he can feel something inside him resonating with it.
[01:35]	Artyom	clamps his hand on it, and pulls it free, feeling the rush.
[01:36]	Artyom	"Take me to the crush..." he rumbles, whipping the sword high above his head.
[01:37]	SeianVerian	The sword seems to hum with power as Artyom holds it up. After a moment, the sensation lessens, but he can still sense that the power is within it- And within himself.
[01:39]	Artyom	, knowing there is no one watching, gives it a few enthusiastic, almost childlike swings, before he secures it to his belt and scoops the coinage into his bag, egg on top, coated in a layer of monetary armor. He pulls a length of rope he 'borrowed' from his last coworker, and ties his backup kukri again, readying a makeshift grappling hook, if need be.
[01:39]	Artyom	"Time to hustle."
[01:42]	Artyom	feels a couple things drop out of his backpack, along with a trickle of coins.
[01:43]	Artyom	"...damnit."
[01:47]	SeianVerian	Artyom looks down, seeing a few gems and coins, but also a bow, which looks to be made out of the same material as the sword. It resonates with him in a similar manner as well, which he realizes now that it has his attention. When his attention shifts from that however, he will also notice that there's another bag still in the pile. It looks very well crafted
[01:51]	Artyom	sticks his arm into the bag, first. It's empty. His arm also disappears into it. ”What the-” He waves his arm around. He puts the bag on the floor, picks both legs up, and damn near falls in. ”Whoa!” After a moment, a smile creeps onto his face. ”I like this.” He dumps everything from his backpack into this wondrous item, and his outmoded weapons as well. The egg takes more of a rolling.
[01:53]	Artyom	then picks up the bow, and twangs the string. Something appears, a shadow of an arrow. He pulls it taut and the shadow turns to form. ”Oh, yes!” Pull-twang! Pull-twang! He stuffs his quiver in the bag and secures the thing to his back. ”I get paid twiiiice...” he singsongs to himself, marching his haul to the mouth of the cave.
[01:54]	SeianVerian	When Artyom approaches the mouth of the cave, he notices that there's a lot of wind coming from outside. Like a lot. Not to mention some sand to go with it!
[01:55]	Artyom	"...oh. Balls."
[01:56]	Artyom	cinches his keffiyeh down and his goggles tight, keeping his lungs and eyes free of sand. With that in mind, he tries to seek out the allied camp, and bring them or him out of the storm.
[01:57]	SeianVerian	The sandstorm is grand, and seemingly charged with lightning. The wind is incredibly strong as well. Even with protection, the sandstorm seems as if it could be quite dangerous.
[02:07]	Artyom	keeps his coated arm forward, not keen to being sandblasted to death- and makes flank speed back to the cave. He carves a missive in the rock, a simple one (See you in Circle City. -A) and tries to skirt the storm. There's crazy and then there's stupid, and he's not stupid. He takes the path at the foot of the mountains, south and around the storm.
[02:09]	SeianVerian	Artyom successfully makes his way south, and soon gets away from the storm's reach. Even for the next few days, he can see raging stormclouds to the north, that don't seem to dissipate.
[02:12]	Artyom	is an experienced operator in the heat, be it wet or dry, and keeps the storms in the corner of his eye. First the white light from the uptight tuna can, then the crackling charged floors, now this... best to stay well clear until he has a leg up. The nights are silent, lonely, and not very restful. He marches from before dawn to after dusk. Best speed to the city. No dishonor in regrouping.