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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Jun 9, 2016 11:21:13 GMT -5
Following the encounter with their arch nemesis in dragon form, the Trio of Three and Yang Xiao Long had tracked a reverted Sam Goldwyn to the entrance to the caverns. The trip had been relatively short, all things considered, but it soon reached a supposed dead end as the group found themselves lost within the network of rocky, crystalline tunnels.
"Yep... lost the scent." With Sam as far ahead as he was, they had mostly depended on Mickey's sense of smell to track him down. Now there was no clear direction to the trail. "Lion could be anywhere in this den."
"Well, I guess we keep going, then," Cat muttered with a shrug before marching onward through the cave. "We're bound to find something in here eventually."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jun 9, 2016 11:34:19 GMT -5
"I suppose a tracking spell would be appropriate at this point in time, but it would be at the cost of our current advantage..." Even now, Rio was maintaining the illusion spells he had cast upon himself and his teammates to keep them unseen and unheard, which was clearly enough of a strain on the mage. "What's more vital in this situation, speed or stealth?"
He might not have known the answer to that, but it didn't bother Rio all that much. He was far too fascinated with their surroundings to worry.
"This place is exquisite..." Rio smiled a little and ran a finger along one of the many crystals growing from the cave walls. "And strangely luminescent. There's definitely an odd sort of magic down here."
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Post by DMis on Jun 9, 2016 12:08:57 GMT -5
"In this case.... I would say Speed... The stealth is draining you more than one would think," Yang offered as the crystals caught her eye. "Wonder what kind of Dust this stuff is?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Jun 9, 2016 20:27:17 GMT -5
"Yeah man, give your noggin a break," Cat playfully insisted as she gave Rio a noogie. "You might be an unlimited supply of mana, but a guy's gotta take a break now and then."
"Jeff Goldblum begs to differ," Mickey chuckled, strolling along with his paws in his pockets and a calm smile on his face. "It is a nice place, to be fair. Once we beat Sam until he's crapping out his own head, we should thank him for leading us here." He raised his head slightly to sniff the air. "Hmm... Something smells fruity in here."
After plucking off a smaller crystal for study, Cat mused, "Gotta be plenty of scientific uses for these things. I wonder..." She quickly stuffed the crystal in her pocket and started breaking loose as many as she could.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jun 9, 2016 20:40:16 GMT -5
Rio smirked back at Cat and gently, teasingly swatted her paw away. He then lifted the illusions that kept the group hidden, their lack of disguises now evidenced by the appearance of their shadows and the sounds of their footsteps off the cavern walls. "I suppose it's best to get this over with."
As he took a deep breath and readied his divination magic, Rio gazed at Cat out of the corner of his eye and said, "Cat, let's not defile this place, okay? Leave those be."
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Post by DMis on Jun 9, 2016 22:06:54 GMT -5
Yang had broken off a chunk of the odd crystal. "I have a pair of friends that might know about this stuff," she offered before hiding the chunk in the backpack Alex had given her. "But anyways. I'll bring up the rear so nothing ganks us from behind."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Jun 9, 2016 22:46:12 GMT -5
"Oh come on, who's gonna reprimand me?" Cat muttered as she shoved more crystals in her pocket. "Park ranger? Museum security? Who's gonna know?"
Once she had collected an ample supply, Cat joined Mickey up front, raising an eyebrow and sniffing around. "Huh. Something does smell fruity in here."
"I know, right?" Mickey stared ahead thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, I definitely smell Sam's new friend... Based on the potency of their stench, they've been down here for a while."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jun 9, 2016 22:54:47 GMT -5
"Well, we are after both of them, so here we go..." A yellow arcane circle shone beneath Rio's feet as he released his tracking spell in all directions. He kept quiet, eyes closed, as he waited for a signal to bounce back. When it did, he perked right back up.
"Okay, good, we're on the right track." He kept on walking right behind Cat and Mickey. "We just need to keep heading this way and hang a right at the next split in the path. Hopefully we'll find this transmuter on our way to Sam."
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Post by DMis on Jun 9, 2016 23:01:15 GMT -5
Yang nodded as she went to her place at the back of the pack. She kept her eyes open and her hearing alert as the group moved along.
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Jun 9, 2016 23:13:19 GMT -5
"Sounds like a plan, my man," Mickey chimed, shooting Rio a thumbs-up.
Soon enough, the group approached a fork in the cavern, at which point Cat excitedly dashed ahead down the right path. "Alright, here we go! Dr. Cackowski says it's time to take your shots, ya feline sonova-!"
Just as she rounded a corner, Cat stopped dead in her tracks. "Uhhhhhhhh..."
"What?" Mickey followed after her, and once he saw what Cat was seeing, he too came to an abrupt halt. "Uhhhhhhhh..."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jun 9, 2016 23:17:26 GMT -5
"Cat...!" Rio quickly but quietly chased after the two anthros. Sure, he had dropped the illusions so they could reach their target sooner, but they didn't have to sacrifice their stealth entirely! "Guys, slow down! We're trying to-"
And just like his cohorts, Rio rounded the corner and immediately froze up, staring ahead in utter bafflement. "Uhh...?"
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Post by DMis on Jun 9, 2016 23:19:17 GMT -5
Yang skidded to a halt. She blinked and was unsure of what the bafflement was for.
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Jun 9, 2016 23:37:59 GMT -5
Before the group was an open yet cozy space of the cavern, a decently-sized and well-illuminated nook. Within that nook was a tidy and bizarrely out of place living arrangement. A comically large refrigerator stood in the far corner. Next to it was a long counter, well stocked with various produce, herbs, and jarred substances labeled in chicken scratch writing. An intricate fire pit rested right in front of them, embers still faintly glowing.
Closer to the entrance was an arrangement of chairs and a couch, the latter of which had a decorative crochet blanket strewn over it. A picture frame just above the chairs bore a cross-stitch sign reading "HOME SWEAT HOME." A plasma TV hung on the wall opposite the couch, though it was clearly unplugged and had a picture of the Three Stooges taped to it. A shag rug was spread out on the floor beneath the chairs, and in the center was a coffee table, upon which sat a fancy glass bowl of hard candy.
"Um... Wow." Cat was easily confused by the jarring sight, though she couldn't help but wander in further, drifting close to the couch. "This is... kind of a nice pad, honestly. Still freaky, but pretty nice."
"Would explain the fruit smell..." Mickey murmured, scrunching up his nose. "Smells like a whole dang farmer's market in here."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Jun 9, 2016 23:44:51 GMT -5
"Goodness..." Rio couldn't exactly come up with a logical reaction. An arrangement like this was the last thing he expected to find down here... but given what little they knew of Sam's new ally, the scenario wasn't entirely implausible. On top of the various natural scents, this place reeked of suspicious intent...
"Well, whoever is down here is definitely hard at work at something." Rio cautiously stepped into the living space, inspecting the makeshift kitchen.
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Post by DMis on Jun 9, 2016 23:48:09 GMT -5
Yang quietly walked behind them. "Am I the only one that feels like we should have knocked before entering?" she asked.
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