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Post by starrea on Mar 25, 2020 18:46:03 GMT
Noelani hit the sand hard and was pressed down into it, Saoul’s weight holding her there. She quit fighting as soon as she hit the sand but in the process of falling and hitting the ground, she had managed to breathe in some sand and she started to cough beneath Saoul as her lungs tried to expel the intruders. It wasn’t until Saoul clambered off of her that she was really able to get her breath back and by that time, he had already hauled her to her feet.
Noelani instantly felt a difference between the ship and real, dry land. It was far easier to catch her balance and she didn’t find herself swaying or immediately stumbling. Still, the idea of hiking through a dangerous island was a pipe dream - there was no way she could do it, and even if she could, she would extraordinarily slow compared to her two companions.
Noelani stumbled a couple of steps forward at the shove and shot a seething look back at Saoul. “I’m not going any further. This is a suicide mission and I’ll be the first to die between the three of us.” She hissed. “Lead? I don’t know where I’m going. I’ve never navigated this island on land, all I know is the entrance to the caverns through the ocean. The only thing I can do is get you in, and I can’t do that if I’m dead.” She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring between the two of them. The navigator would get them there, if they survived, but the magic would protect the treasure without someone free from greed.
Noelani took a quick break in glaring at Saoul and Nova to look around the beach. It was calm and quiet now, but the beach wasn’t the part to be worried about. The more dangerous flora and fauna were farther inland and she was sure that they would draw a crowd, whether just based off curiosity or the desire to hunt. Either way, she was defenseless on land and she had no desire to die.
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Post by rightasrain19 on Mar 31, 2020 22:41:47 GMT
Saoul ground his teeth. He couldn't let Noelani get back into the ocean, and they were running out of time. "Nova, can you get a read on anything in the caves?" He questioned, just hoping that they could start making some progress. He wanted to get the treasure, and as soon as they found the way, Noelani was free to go in his books.
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Post by Val on Apr 1, 2020 2:57:11 GMT
Nova sighed and turned away from the two of them, trying to think with a clear mind. She didn't trust Noelani to guide them through an ocean entrance, clearly she would escape the first opportunity she got. Nova knew that her old crew had discovered some sort of entrance; the only problem was that they had all perished upon entering.
"Yeah, yeah," she replied to Saoul dismissively, already preparing herself. She dropped to her knees in the sand and took a deep breath, closing her eyes to focus. It was easiest to locate things she knew or could picture in her mind, so she focused on one of the crew members that she recalled most vividly. Almost instantly, she was bombarded with the vision of a skull, followed by more eerie piles of bones. It was clear that she had stumbled upon the remains of her old friends, or what was left of them, at least. She pushed onward into the cave system and was met with pure darkness. The further she went, the more distorted her vision became, as though something was actively preventing her from seeing further. Her ears began to ring violently and she cursed, her eyes flying open in frustration.
"I know where an entrance is," she announced. Already, she could feel the draw toward the inland destination she had envisioned, as though the directions were suddenly ingrained in her. She stood up and faced the two of them, looking downright irritated, "It- whatever it is- won't let me inside," she turned her glare onto Noelani, "Surely you've heard myths and legends about whatever controls this place. Spill it," she insisted.
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Post by starrea on Apr 4, 2020 17:36:05 GMT
Noelani glared at Nova but after a second she relented. After all, if they realized that this mission was suicide, it only benefited her. “I do not know what it is. Some sort of powerful magic that protects this island and its treasures. I do not know how it came to be. But it doesn’t just protect the treasures left behind in those caverns, it is everywhere. It’s the island. It knows we are here and it will protect itself. I may have given you safe passage to the shores but I will not be able to reason with the beasts who inhabit this island.”
Noelani paused, shifting her weight. It was still uncomfortable for her to stand for long periods of time and the thought of them forcing her to make the hike to the center of the island was not an option. “Whoever or whatever put this magic in place did it to protect this island from the greed and destruction of humans.” She shot a pointed glare at both of her companions before continuing, “It will not allow you to enter the cavern without someone who balances out the flaws of humans. Even then... It is unwise to tamper with such powerful magic. If we make there alive.”
Even as she spoke, Noelani could feel the faint hum of energy of the island beneath her toes. She was sure that her human companions would not be able to feel the pulse of the island but she was very much convinced that the island was alive. Noelani had let her pride allow this to carry on for far too long but she needed her companions to understand the severity of the mission they were attempting to undertake.
She tried to think about what she would do if they really tried to force her to go through with this. It would ultimately end in death either way and the further inland they got, the less of a chance she had to escape.
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Post by rightasrain19 on Apr 10, 2020 1:58:14 GMT
Saoul followed Nova into the dark tunnels, trusting her completely to lead them. As they were stopped, he took a breath, listening to Noelani's explanation. "I understand, but we're here now. We're committed to doing this. This is the part we brought you here for, the part you told us you could help with."
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Post by Val on Apr 15, 2020 21:39:11 GMT
The journey was long, grueling, and eerily silent. Nova had gotten how unforgiving jungle climates were, but she led the earnestly through across the island, eager to be done with the risky mission. Something seemed...off. Not only were there no threats on their journey, but there didn't even seem to be the usual stirrings of animals and the like. It was as if the entire island was holding its breath and watching them.
When they reached the tunnel system that her intuition had led her to, she paused within the mouth of the cave, staring into the black, gaping mouth that awaited them. She turned slowly to face her companions, looking unusually hesitant, "I can't see any further. We are going in blind," she warned them.
Her eyes landed on Noelani and they narrowed slightly, still convinced that the mermaid was being withholding. "Don't you balance out the flaws of humans?" she questioned, "You are part human, part creature. Have any of your kind ever tried?"
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Post by starrea on Apr 22, 2020 15:20:13 GMT
The only thing that finally motivated Noelani to move forward was the tip of a sword at her back. As much of a death sentence walking into the jungle was, she couldn’t bring herself to accept death right there on the beach. So she grit her teeth and trudged after the psychic.
The walk was miserable. She did it without complaining and as soon as the ocean disappeared from view, the threat of the sword was no longer needed because without them, she was lost and helpless on the island. She moved far slower than her companions but they didn’t complain. They parts of the terrain they easily navigated were trickier for Noelani and she was the only one who tripped and fell to the dirt more than a few times.
By the time they reached the caves, Noelani’s arms and legs were red and raw and she was drenched in sweat. She really didn’t understand how humans survived like this - she would kill herself before she was sentenced to spend the rest of her life with legs.
When Nova stopped, Noelani sunk to the ground, exhausted. She didn’t care if they wanted to take a break or not, she was fucking tired.
“My kind can balance the flaws of humans enough to... escort one in. But I can’t just keep bringing people in. There is a balance. If two people enter, two must leave. If I enter with one of you and leave without you and enter again with the other, I can only take one person out again.” She explained wearily, too tired to really put up a fight. “I’ve been in the cave with the treasure before. I assume the underwater passages are not guarded by sea monsters because it would be foolish for your kind to even try. You would drown long before you made it. Since I haven’t actually been through this way, I’ve never seen the beasts who guard these tunnels, but I’ve heard them.”
At that, Noelani glanced the dark tunnels before them. The monsters wouldn’t spare her just because she wasn’t human.
“I’ve also heard stories the treasure is cursed, but I don’t know for sure. Sailors love to tell stories and I’ve never bothered the treasure because such trinkets are meaningless.”
She leaned her head back against the cool rocks behind her and closed her eyes. This hike was literally the worst thing she had ever been forced to do.
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Post by rightasrain19 on May 2, 2020 22:08:29 GMT
Saoul took a breath, listening to Noelani as she spoke, allowing her to rest for a moment while he glanced at Nova and considered what to do. "I'll go in, then. Nova, you wait out here." Saoul instructed, not about to allow Nova to enter the cave alone with Noelani. He had a better chance of coming out alive, curse or not.
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Post by starrea on May 3, 2020 4:17:41 GMT
Noelani wanted to roll her eyes at his chivalry but didn’t have the energy. Her entire body ached and now that she was sitting, it was going to nothing short of an act of divinity to get her up again.
“You’re forgetting about the part where the tunnels are guarded by some horrific beast. And while I wouldn’t mind if you died, I doubt it would spare me. And if you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty much useless in this form and I don’t want to die today. If I die, no one is getting in that cavern. So unless you can figure out a way to get me there alive, we’re shit outta luck.”
Noelani was honestly they made it this far with no trouble. It only made her more nervous for what lay in wait in the tunnel. The worst part was that without them, she was lost in the middle of a freaking island. And while she was sure she could find her way to water eventually, she wasn’t too optimistic she would be able to do it before something killed her or she died from starvation or natural causes. No matter which way she looked at it, she was fucked.
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mao
Junior Member
Posts: 59
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Post by mao on May 3, 2020 5:01:28 GMT
Rosalia has been stranded on the strange island for some time now, she had stopped counting the days and lost all hope of rescue. If anything, she was on the verge of ending it all but something in her spirit burning. She had come across a few monsters that roamed and protected the island, she had managed to escape only due to her power but that did not mean she was completely unharmed. She had scars to show for it. The woman hardly looked like the princess she had been a year ago, she looked wild, afraid and feral. Her dress was nothing but ripped cloth clinging to her form, shoes long lost, her hair matted and eyes wide with fear. Everything on this island she had come across was hostile.
She was in the cave hiding to get some rest, but the faint sound of voices stirred her to attentiveness. Having been used to the hostile environment, she raised her hand in front of her and sent out an angry burst of flames towards the entrance to ward off whatever predator was there. She rose to her feet and stumbled towards the light to see what creature would await her this time. She stood with flames in her palms, ready for whatever came next. Her eyes widened once her eyesight adjusted to reveal the sailors. Part of her didn’t know what to do, these were the first humans she had seen in so long, but she also had last seen the soldiers of Nethilor. She let out a growl before attacking, taking no risk. Only Nethilor knew where she had been all this time, the thought of these sailors being here by chance didn’t cross her mind. She sent a blazing stream at Noelani and Saoul, warning them to stay away from her cave.
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Post by Val on May 7, 2020 0:21:52 GMT
Nova cast Saoul an offended look, clearly not on board with the idea of letting them go in alone. "What makes you think I'm going to stay out here?" she retorted, not about to let that be the end of the discussion. She was prepared to put up a fight when a flash of light appeared behind them, momentarily lighting up the entrance of the dark cave, "Saoul," she warned, quick to wield her knife. There was barely even a moment to react before a blast of fire shot toward them, illuminating the darkness. She dropped to the ground, feeling the stifling heat blast overhead. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to come out of that cave, but this wasn't it. Lifting her head slightly, she swore she could make out the shape of a human charging toward them.
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Post by rightasrain19 on May 19, 2020 17:02:46 GMT
Saoul grabbed Noelani and slammed them both to the ground as the fire ball shot past them, searing his shoulders. He grunted as the breath was knocked from his chest from the abrupt action, but as the heat ebbed, he was back on his feet, a knife in hand. He tackled the threat head-on, not realizing that what they were dealing with was no monster, but simply, a frail woman.
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Post by starrea on May 22, 2020 18:45:38 GMT
Noelani was too wrapped up in her exhaustion to hear someone coming. All she saw was Saoul launch towards her and before she had time to react, his body slammed hers into the ground and covered her.
“What the fuck!” Noelani screeched, enraged that he was attacking her for doing nothing. She tried to kick out but her legs were so exhausted that it probably barely phased Saoul. It was only when she felt the heat from the fire that she lie still, finally realizing that Saoul hadn’t punished her, but rather saved her.
Noelani all but shoved Saoul off of her when the fire ball extinguished and she rolled over to get a good look at the monster. Her eyes narrowed into a hateful glare when she saw who it was and she snarled. She had seen the shipwrecked human here a few times but was genuinely surprised that she had survived this long on such a hostile island. Apparently, she had a little trick up her sleeve. Noelani was starting to realize that she couldn’t assume humans were just humans anymore. More and more of them appeared to have irritating abilities.
“Of course you’re still alive,” Noelani growled. But this was still better than whatever monster was in the tunnels. A human could be reasoned with. “Better fucking stop burning the only damn way you’re going to get off this island!”
Noelani didn’t actually know or care if the pirates would rescue the girl, but she needed to say something to get her to stop before she tried them. As much as she would love to watch the pirates burn, she needed them right now and she would damned if this bitch killed them.
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