Arc 3 - Glimmers in the Dark (Main Roleplay)

[Kowsauni]

As Ilikan attunes himself to the cavern, his supernatural hearing does hear something in the darkness. It is very quiet--even with his magical hearing, it is barely audible to him, but shortly after Irene leaves the camp he does hear the sounds of a scuffle. It ends very quickly, and is followed by the sounds of something eating, teeth scraping against bone. And then, strangely, he hears a moan of pleasure in a soft voice that he recognizes as Irene's.  

[Psychofish]

Hearing the sounds, Illikan would start to roll over, grabbing his hammer and shield, coming to his feet- starting pointedly towards the worrisome sounds without a word, catching Revenge's eye with a look that clearly broadcast concern- before he heard the other sound, and paused in his tracks.

"Was worried for a moment, but I must have misheard. She's still fine."

He took his hammer, hitching it to his belt, out of the way, and gave Revenge a dismissive wave. "Why don't you keep the watch, I'll check on her. Can't see anything embarrassing with these eyes. Besides- you said it was my job,"

((I can roll persuasion or deception if Rain likes, not quite sure which is more applicable here since Illikan is hiding things but not technically lying. Letting Rain respond before I have him follow up on her.))  

[Rain Yupa]

"I didn't hear anything," Revenge would initially say to Ilikan's comment of mishearing. Irene had barely stepped away it seemed, when Ilikan got up and came over. Apparently, these humans liked to drink too much water before bed. What did they expect to happen?

"Irene's actually not in her tent, she stepped away for a moment. Everything's fine here," Revenge would assure the Warden.

"You're being a little paranoid. I'd say to call out to her and you'll see she's fine, but you'd wake the others. Still, I don't like her wandering off; I can't be in two places at once. If you're volunteering, by all means, but try to announce your presence first so she doesn't think you're some sort of pervert."

...

"You're not some sort of pervert, are you?"  

[Psychofish]

Illikan snorted, and gave a lazy half-grin as the paladin fussed. "Eh, who knows. No voyeur though. I won't take her by surprise," he said, waving off the paladin's concern, and picked his way slowly into the dark.

He wouldn't bother with a light, just focusing on listening carefully, and moving quietly more as a consequence of that and taking his time than of trying particularly hard to sneak up. He'd just move close enough to hear the sounds more clearly- or perhaps see a vague silhouette- before relaxing into a squat, elbows resting on his knees as he listened to the girl.

"Good hunt?" he asked quietly into the darkness.  

[Kowsauni]

As Ilikan wandered into the darkness the light from the campfire behind him grew dimmer and dimmer until her could barely see his own hands in front of his face. The sounds he heard earlier at the camp fade to silence as well once he gets close to their perceived location. Soon, Ilikan is left only with the sounds of tumbling rocks and the occasional drip of water from a stalactite.

After calling out to the darkness Ilikan is answered only by the echo of his own voice. But then, after a few moments, he hears a spell being quietly cast. He recognizes Irene's voice an can tell its the spell she casts to clean up. She finally responds to Ilikan and he could sense a bit of annoyance in her usually cheerful voice. "Jeez, can't a lady get a bit of privacy every now and again? I told Revenge I'd be fine. I hope he didn't wake you up just to come check on me."

Ilikan would just begin to see perceive the small frame of Irene approach him through the darkness.  

[Psychofish]

"Oh, I can't see much, nor hear anything I couldn't from the camp. I'm just here so Revenge doesn't fret," he sat back, looking at her approaching, as he started to see the shape in the dark, but just cocked his head. It wasn't ENTIRELY true- he was quite curious. But it wasn't his business to pry into. Whatever the the answer to what he wasn't able to see here was, it made her guards' concern a bit amusing.

It seemed even he'd been underestimating exactly how much she could look after herself.

"You can finish up. After all the food you've prepared us, it'd be wrong of me to deny you whatever your quarry was, I'll wait here while you do. Safer to move in two's in hostile territory. Call it an old soldier's caution."  

[Kowsauni]

"Quarry?" Irene at first seemed confused by Ilikian's comment but then it dawned on her he must have heard something and she immediately becomes embarrassed. She stammers out. "Oh, Uh y-yeah I might have snuck in a bit of a midnight snack while I was out here. I'm all done now though. We can head back."

Irene would return to the camp with Ilikan. She still seemed a bit flustered as she walked with the warden but did not engage in any further conversation. Once back in the camp she would retreat to her tent.  

[Rain Yupa]

Upon seeing Ilikan return with Irene, he'd give a little smile of approval, though it would quickly fade.

"By Sehanine's grace, you two do realize there's a barbarian trying to sleep, right? What part of not keeping your voices down strikes either of you as a good idea? Sheesh."

Revenge would wait for Irene to settle into her tent and Ilikan to return to camp before he too would return, wrapping his torch and returning to his devout prayers and dutiful listening.  

[Kowsauni]

After everyone returned to camp Revenge's watch would continue without further incident. Ruin would find his time on guard equally uneventful. Irene would be the first to rise and begin to preparing breakfast. This time it would be nothing unusual, only what was produced by her basket of everlasting provisions. She also would avoid pulling out her ever-flowing cask so the barbarian wouldn't get drunk first thing in the morning.

Irene would bring a bowl of food over to Ruin containing some fresh baked bread and some cured ham. "Good Morning! I hope it wasn't to lonesome standing watch by yourself."

((Everyone benefits from an extended rest!))  

[PupSage]

Kuori stretches and starts to put on her armor. "So, the Kuliak shrine will be between here and there probably. I don't honestly know, I never really paid it much mind back then, but they tend to be outside the city. Past that is Lightlost."

She will grab some food.  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

"Thank you," Ruin spoke as he accepted the bread and ham. "But, I had Vi re-tale about the time he was used as bait for a large trout-like fish in the Snakeway River. So, I would hardly call it lonesome."

"You ready for today's track into the unknown?"  

[Mongooseh]

Valac would wordlessly go about sharpening his swords and eating his breakfast.  

[Kowsauni]

"You betcha!" Irene would respond enthusiastically to Ruin. "I've already gotten way more than I could have hoped for out of this trip. Though, I don't think is it is that unknown." Irene would gesture to the Goliath. "Kuori has been an excellent guide."  

[Rain Yupa]

((Surges, HP, powers reset; Action Points set to 1))

"So, how far would you say it was to this Shrine then, Kuori?" Revenge would say as he walked up to her, securing the gauntlets for his own armor as he did so. "Beyond the obvious foes we expect, should we expect the local fauna to get more or less dangerous as we near it?"  

[PupSage]

Kuori shrugs, "Like I said, its a guess, I could pray on it and see if I get guidance, but back then religion didn't matter to me." She ponders on the second question for a bit, "I imagine that the scavengers and the more intelligent things have probably taken up residence in the remnants of the city. Up to there though it is likely on par with what happened thus far."