Arc 2 - Heart of a Monster (Completed)

[Mongooseh]

Valac would stand up once he felt ready and would look down at Twyla seeing if she was ready to go.

"I hope we'll be sleeping here again tonight the beds are the best sleep. Beats sleeping in forests and caves constantly." Valac commented obvious looking forward to more rest.

(If twlya goes valac will follow if she isn't going valac will go on without her.)  

[AlphabetFish]

Twyla finished her song, the last note fading away as the servants entered the room. "I'm ready!" she said, and she hopped up, feeling fit as a fiddle again.

"I know," she said to Valac, "I had a whole big bed to myself! It was like swimming in a pool full of pillows!" She went with him, following the servant girl to the arboretum. Its warm, green atmosphere made her feel relaxed and sleepy. She could definitely go for a longer rest... but first...

"Miss Abby, Miss Petra, we're back! We defeated the dragon plant, and Mister Araethos is working on the wand we talked about. All in all, a pretty successful--"

She stopped when she heard that Kuori was asking them a question. The goliath was right--they WERE all women, at least so far. Maybe the magic only worked on women? Or maybe the men were on stricter lockdown, made into bigger and scarier things...

Suddenly Twyla had to know. "Were there men in with you? What were they being made into? Did they get out? I'm so curious!"

((Twyla spends 3 healing surges and heals to full.))  

[Kowsauni]

As Kuori came over to the group, Basidia quit speaking and began to shyly look away. Abby let out a sigh of relief at Kuori's words. "That sounds like him. I'm glad everyone is all right. Thank you again for your helping my husband. I know you have really nothing to gain from this. I hope we can repay your kindness in time."

At Kuori's second question, Abby would look down at the ground. "Only one that I know of." She responded sadly. "We were lucky to encounter him as he was being transported down a hallway during our escape. They kept the men and woman separate and the break out happened on our side. Fumiyo, our leader, went in to try and get more people out... but I don't know what happened after that, or if she was successful. I wish we could have done more to help her..." Abby would trail off as Twyla and Valac entered the room.

Twyla sudden barrage of questions flustered the already saddened Abby as she tried to recall what she knew from her fractured memory. "Uh, there were men, but, uh, I don't know what they were doing with them. I, uh, only met one, you see, as we escaped. They kept us separate. He's the only one I know who escaped. I didn't get a chance to talk to him. I-I don't remember much else... everything happened so quickly that night."

Petra would suddenly stand up and cut in. "It's ok, Abby, let me answer. The reason why you have only seen women is because Fumiyo was the one who broke us out. She figured how to escape her confines and released us from our cages. I don't know how, but she figured out how to teleport through shadows and used that to get us outside. I know they must have been using men in their experiments as well, though... at least when they started off their experiments. When they brought me in, I was brought in with several others. They seemed to have selected us specifically for their little program, but I don't know by what criteria we were being judged. The gender was split fairly evenly in my little group, but then they separated us. The only people I saw after that were those kept in the cells around me and when they took me out to do... experiments. I never saw anyone else who I came in with again... I... I think I might have been the only one to survive."

Abby would sit back down, now in a funk of her own. Recalling memories of their experiences still seemed to be quite painful for them both. Basidia continues to stay quiet and shyly avoid eye contact with the addition of so many new people into the room. She does however glance at Valac one or twice.  

[Rain Yupa]

Revenge's post-mauling maintenance would probably take some time (with surges spent). He will tend to his injuries, and his player will continue to read along until sufficient time passes.  

[Mongooseh]

Since it sounded like they were speaking about science and magic Valac begun looking around the room for distractions. After doing a scan of the room Valac noticed Basidia glancing at him and walked over to her to tower over her.

Looking down at her Valac grinned at her and asked, "Yes?"  

[AlphabetFish]

Twyla felt awkward. This was apparently a very painful thing for them to both recall, and here she had just brought it up so unceremoniously.

"Hey, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to dredge up old memories... I guess I'm just wondering how I can help? Is there any way to find Fumiyo, or the one man that escaped? It sounds like you're being hunted, and if we can help you stay away..." She trailed off, unsure of what sort of help to offer them.

"What I mean is, how can we make sure you and everyone else who escaped is safe from Aria? Where do you think would be good?"  

[Kowsauni]

Abby would frown. "I... I don't know the answers to those questions. I don't know where Fumiyo is or even if she is still free... And a place where we will be safe... I... I have even less of an idea. I think what is best for now is to unpetrify those guards and explain the situation so they don't tell anyone about seeing Petra. After that... I'm still trying to figure it out."

Petra would interject again. "I would like to head to the port town of Angin after this... if it is all right. T-there is someone there I would like to check up on. I think if we stop by briefly, we will be okay. I think staying on the move is the best thing that will keep us safe for now."

Basidia would shrink away from Valac as he approaches her. "Ah... ah... I'm sorry. I--I didn't mean to stare. It just that... that tattoo on your chest, its sealing...Uh, never mind me! I better go see if Master Kail needs any help." the flustered looking mushroom girl stands up and begins to run away deeper into the Arboretum.  

[Mongooseh]

Valac would touch the sigil on his chest when Basidia referenced it but by the time he looked back up she had fled. Raising an eyebrow quizzically Valac was then distracted by something Petra said.

"What's a Port town?" Valac asked as if Petra was making it up.  

[Kowsauni]

Petra would turn to Valac and look a little dumbfounded. "...its a town...with a port in it. A port is where ships come in to dock and due business. Don't tell me you have never been to a port before? The whole reason Angin exists is the port there."  

[Rain Yupa]

After a little bit of time passes...

Revenge would soon find his way to the Arboretum, moving at his full gods-given speed of 6, since he wasn't in his armor for a change. Dressed in normal clothes that disguised the bandages beneath, he would enter.

"Sorry I'm late," he would say upon seeing the others. Looking to Abby, he would force a smile. "Are you well?" he would ask her, not having a chance to confirm the archmage's examinations didn't do more harm than good until now.  

[PupSage]

Kuori would sit wherever cushiony type things could be found, "I know that we have already asked Kail for a lot, but I really do think that we need to go the political route on this. I was thinking we could get a letter from him saying that he has verified that you two were experimented on in an inhumane way by a known mage of Aria. Then we go un-petrify these guards and make our way to the local leaders of the surrounding lands. Get them to pull their support of Aria and get an army on our side. If Angin is on the way to that, sure, but if not ..." She looked at Petra with some regret in her eyes, "Beyond that, I think our priority is to both assist and gather the escapees. While it benefited you to divide Aria's search efforts, you would be stronger together, watching out for each other like you two do now."  

[Mongooseh]

"Well I've not seen a ship either so if that's where they are then I haven't been there. Only saw them talked about in notes." Replied Valac to Petra.  

[Kowsauni]

Petra seemed a bit surprised by Valac's response. "Oh... I see. Then you will learn a lot in Angin." It seemed at first Petra thought Valac was joking with her, but now she seems a bit embarrassed by her assumption.

Upon Revenge entering the room, Abby would rush over to him and envelop him in her arms. The paladin would once again be reminded of his wife's inhuman strength as she squeezes him. "Thank goodness you're all right! I was so worried! The others told me you took quite a beating, but looks like it was nothing my husband couldn't stand up to." Abby releases Revenge and looks up at him with a wide smile. "I'm perfectly fine. Petra even let herself be examined as well. Basidia hung out with us the entire time. She is such a nice girl. You really should meet her. In a way, she is kind of like us."

Abby would then turn her head towards Kuori and speak, the cheerfulness she held for her husband vanishing from her voice. "I... I don't think we have enough evidence to try and bring this to the light... at least not yet. Doing so now would only put us and everyone we talked to in danger. We have nothing directly linking this to Aria yet. We have a name of one of the wizards who transformed us, but nothing concrete linking that what she did was on behalf of Aria, besides my own and Petra's words. I don't think our words alone will hold against the most powerful nation in the region. Everyone already fears them. From what I understand, already, there's only a loose alliance between the three surrounding kingdoms and the untamable forest to the northwest that keeps their power in check."

Abby would let out a sad sigh. "I fear that even if we had the proof, it is more likely they would turn us over to Aria than risk having war with them. We would have to convince the other nations of not only what Aria is doing, but that failing to stop Aria would be ruinous to their own nations, as well. I feel that is beyond our capacity right now. But I think you are right about one thing. We should find our other sisters. I don't know where anyone else went, but if we could get back together, our combined monstrous powers would be quite the challenge for Aria to confront, at least, to confront quietly."

"I think that Mrs. Abby is right." Kail would suddenly chime in as he came around some bushes to come into view of the party. In his hands he held a wooden wand. It glowed faintly with the same hue of the Dragon Plant organ it was made out of. Behind him stood Basidia, who looked out nervously from behind Kail's cape. Her eyes did linger a bit longer on Valac, in particular the tattoo on his chest. "Trying bring this Illegal experimentation to the eyes of the surrounding governments and convincing them of the situation before Aria makes you vanish is indeed beyond your capabilities at this point. You would just tip Aria off to your location. Though, if what these ladies say is true, and there are more like them out there, gathering them together would make it all the harder to make your band disappear. Aria's need to keep this secret is its own double edged sword. Use it against them and keep on the move. I will still write you a letter detailing my findings, though I'm afraid it will take another Archwizard to understand it. Perhaps it will still be useful to you in the future. Now, who shall I entrust this wand to?"  

[PupSage]

Kuori began to fiddle around in her bag, "Well, we physically have the two of you, if they really want to chance it, we have a dryad witness, we would have the word of a powerful and respected wizard and ..." She pulled out a Mas of tightly rolled papers and a coin pouch.

She smoothed the papers out on her leg and revealed the wanted posters. "I would venture a guess that every one of these lines up with a missing person. All we would need is to find the cooresponding loved ones in a place to increase our witness pool. AND" She hefted her coin pouch, "I bet at least a few of these were minted in Aria."  

[Mongooseh]

Valac begun to stare down Basidia's unwanted stare going so far even to bare fangs at her like a dog about to growl.