Lost and Found [Moop]

[Salen]

4th Searing, 4622

Salen had traversed the desert with two gnome ladies, although it appeared that they were going around in circles. Their journey had almost been painstaking and Salen was beginning to run out of water; however, they had to keep going. Surely they were close to the hideout, or atleast that's what Salen had thought. He was getting impatient, all he wanted to do was to find the hideout that Tiberius was in, but traversing the desert without knowledge or mapping had been a challenge. Maybe that was the reason why Tiberius had scolded him. Was it because he strove too far towards danger? Only he could know and trust his instincts.

"Moop... the map please!" He shouted, almost feeling dry due to his dehydrated state. Salen could only hope that the two gnomes would know their way around the badlands. He knew they mentioned navigating such an area, but they may also be amateur cartographers or worse, clueless about the badlands. He was counting on them for hope as he flopped to the ground slightly, weakened and thirsty. The sweat poured off from him, making the fragrant scent of his stronger.

This was bad.

The scent could range for miles if Salen continued perspiring, perhaps drawing in badlanders or worst. Wurms and other predators that lingered the badlands. Although, Salen was very much unaware of this current trait, he still wanted to push on further "I think the first place we stop at we should go get water... If we stop at one, I'm fucking dry, I'm lucky to be blessed with such beauty, or I might have shriveled up like a prune..." He looked to the gnomes, assuming they were following behind.

[Moop]

¤

Moop was bored. How long was this going to take?
"I thought he knew the way..."
Joop said in Kaedic to Moop quietly. Moop responded in the same language,
"I'm really not sure, I think he's lost?"
Joop sighed,
"What else is new with this infernal Badlands, as they call it. Does no one know how to read a map?"

That was when Salen insisted on seeing the map. Joop stopped the ponies trek and Moop hopped off the wagon to give him her map, which was in Kaedic. She listened to him speak and snickered, she knew what he meant by beauty keeping him from shriveling up like a prune. This time Moop spoke in common.
"Yes, I know. Here, let me show you on the map, I believe we are here."
A small, tan finger pointed about a days worth into the Badlands, though there were no markers or identifiers on the map in that area at all. Moop took the small resting moment to wipe some sweat off of her brow with her scented vinegar.
"Because none of my people have been through the Badlands, there is nothing here on the map. I can't be much of help unfortunately."
'Which is why I wanted him to put his hideout on my map, but alas, they cannot read Kaedic.'
"Anyway, I think if we head this direction we might, it looked like the other day he was headed northwest....?"

Salen hadn't warmed up to them in the slightest but Moop didn't mind, yet. Though something had been on her mind, something he had said before. It made her want to confide in him. "Suicide mission", that's what he called it. Could this be one too? She felt, no, knew in her bones she would find the lost city but knew not how-- yet. This was her best lead so far, who knew what that dimp could be hiding. Still, the echo of his previous words that day they met ran through her mind like a gong over and over. She started to speak up when something on the horizon caught her attention, smoke on the horizon. Taking her map back from him she excitedly pointed,
"DO you see that!"

[Salen]

Salen took the map and tried to decipher the meaningless runic text, or what it seemed to be like jibberish to him. Did the gnomes even know how to read their own map; his frustrations began to get the better of him as he growled under his breath, before taking a deep breath "I don't know how a pair of idiots like you survive in the desert... I can barely read this fucking map..." He said with somewhat venomous anger, the words cut through the air, creating a tense atmosphere as it appeared he was being catty and spiteful. The fact is he was being honest, what was the journey with just an illegible map, two stole away gnomes and a mad killer on the lose.

At this rate, the badlands should've claimed them. Although, they weren't that far from the hideout that Tiberius had sent them to, however that wasn't going through Salen's mind, when Moop pointed on the map he sighed, shaking his head "Well, you can point as much as you like... I can't understand your shitty mapmaking... It's like someone put a pie in the pantry, forgot about it and let the fucker burn... Ahh ce putain de désastre vous baise tous, les gnomes et leur putain de nature titrée. Putain d’aller en enfer!" His Gentevarese appeared to be aggressive as he was unimpressed by the perceived incompetence of the gnomes as he appeared to be having a temper tantrum.

It was more like a nervous breakdown he was going through.

However, the smoke on the horizon caught his attention, before he started to laugh like he was about to lose his sanity "Great, we're gonna die... We're all going to die, isn't that terrific, all because of someone's shitty mapmaking skills. Ha! You call yourself explorers, more like jokes, the pair of you. You won't outlast Daravin, if you don't grow yourselves a thicker skin... It's a wolves den, and the wolves are surely coming" He said as his laugh became more maniacal as it turned into somewhat of an bout of anxiety

"We're fucked, so fucked..." He said emotionally as his mood became more somber, poignant, like he had failed them. Perhaps, he was being somewhat melodramatic, it was clear the hope had been drained from him.

[Moop]

¤

The wizard started losing his shit, as Moop had heard it put before in the Badlands, and thought the description was apt. Before she could put anything into motion Joop steadied her hand her own and shook her head "no". Moop let the man go on more before finally wrenching the map from his hands. She climbed into the wagon with Joop and said nothing to him as the two rode off towards the smoke on the horizon. When he was far enough away Joop spoke again in Kaedic,
"Some adventurer he is."
She shook her head in disappointment. Moop laughed, they were on the same page.
"Can't handle the turn stay out of the cogs."
He would catch up at some point, maybe, if he was smart enough to follow their trail straight to a ruined campsite with the fire smoldering from whoever left it previously. Joop bent down and inspected the area, saying in Kaedic.
"They're not far gone."
As Moop got to work checking for anything left around the site. It would seem whoever was here before left in a hurry, as there were rations and water left to spoil among the wreckage. It was clear something had attacked them here, but neither of the two girls could tell what. The coils of her mortality felt strong here, she knew if they lingered they would be in danger.
"Maybe we should get back to Salen."
Joop cautioned but Moop would hear none of it.
"If he's going to insult us like that you know I'm going to send him running back. Maybe he will bring more wine this time."
Joop snorted, replying,
"Please. You know all he's got is us out here and the shoes on his feet. Though I do admit he's very crass. There's something off about him, constantly scared of dying. I wonder what's got him so frazzled, but really?"

That was when from inside a tent that had yet to be inspected a loud chirping noise could be heard. The two women readied their weapons and looked at each other, then the monster which was beginning to show itself. Not a monster, as Moop had first thought, but a large bird which resembled an ostrich with red stripes and a blood red beak. Upon breaking free it ran straight towards them, each woman getting ready as they knew how to do. Joop loosened an arrow from her hand bow and struck it in the side, which did nothing to stop it. Moop began constructing the weave around the bird in order to throw it back, as hard as she could. Purple glitch like strands began to wrap around the bird until she had it right in her mind, that was when she released Impel on the creature and tossed it back a matter of feet. It didn't hurt the bird but disheveled it, giving Joop time to reload and loosen another shot in its side. Moop then grabbed her staff in both hands and ran up to it, knocking it as hard as she would with a sweeping assault onto its head. The bird was disoriented but not giving up just yet. It swung its sharp beak towards Moop, barely missing her as she threw herself back and rump-first into the dirt.

[Salen]

Salen looked at the Gnome as he wrenched the map out of his hand; he appeared to have insulted the gnome for pointing out something that would have been completely obvious; however, his meltdown didn't exactly help him "Don't you want honesty? Well fine, I'll just lie to you shall I?" He laughed knowing that if he couldn't read the illegible map, then perhaps Moop and Joop wouldn't have been able to. He narrowed his eyes as he saw the gnomes speaking in a different language, wondering what they were saying. Their voices appeared to be high-pitched and annoying to listen to each time.

He sighed as he watched them go into the distance, for which he followed their trail shouting behind "Ok! Well, I take back those things I said... Except the fact that the map is illegible! You can't expect someone to read a language that's unknown to them. Who do you think I am!" He said as they continued on further. It would seem like they would ignore him as he would continue to follow their trail further, until he eventually came up the hill amongst the ruined campsite that they found themselves upon. He sighed as he didn't mention anything at first, for which he watched them for a distance for a moment, thinking about something for a moment.

The first time in years which Tiberius and Salen had had ridden together on a chariot together. He began to ponder.

"What if..." He asked himself.

Suddenly he began to think it was a stupid idea, wondering if he should ever make a chariot to get Moop and Joop back. Perhaps he had been around the Entente too long and never around the culture of the people outside.

Maybe it was time to embrace it.

He took a deep breath and made his way into the campsite as he noticed Moop and Joop were fighting an ostrich-like creature with scarlet stripes and a crimson red beak; it was relentless and aggressive so that Salen watched, although he didn't laugh, after all that would make things much worst, knowing he needed to be calm no matter the situation, perhaps being in one setting at once made him realised what he had done.

He was a dick!

Not once.

But twice.

He figured they would need his help, he channeled his ether and proceeded to cast Phantasmal Reckoning, looking into his own mind for a memory of a cage, deep in the back of his mind. He proceeded to project the cage on top of the ostrich creature, watching Moop dive back into the dirt.

He could feel the strain from magic as blinked and grimaced from the strain he had initiated on himself "I assume you still want my help?"

[Moop]

¤

Just when things were about to go from bad to worse, a light in the darkness. Moop flinched back expecting to be devoured or pecked to death by the beast but instead watched in awe as a cage was placed on top of the bird. It fought and squawked with great might but could not break free from its chains. Moop unceremoniously got to her feet and dusted herself off, appraising Salen and the work he had done. With her hands on her hips she watched him. In a turn of events, Joop loosened another arrow and got the bird directly in the eye, blood poured from its face as it went crazy trying to escape-- but could not. Joop spit on the ground and frowned at Salen.
"We could have handled that."
She told him with a cold prickle in her voice. Moop walked up to Salen, a wizard in his own right, and looked him up and down.
"Disregarding Joop's words, thank you. Though I wonder, what's gotten into you. If you can't read a map you could have told me. Instead you seem to be constantly afraid of dying. I wonder, why bring us here if you have so much pain and fear, ser? We can surely hold our own but you.... You are something of an enigma to me. Even those in Daravin's street in Dagrun aren't as rude and vile as you have been to me. You think I have never met your kind before and yet you are ignorant to my ways, my homeland, and my people. I know of yours, it's part of my job to collect intel. The Entente, hm? They must have wronged you for you to be so afraid."

The bird had stopped fighting and was merely watching them now, exhausted from its previous attempts at escape.
"That also leaves, this fellow. When I saw him I named him Dinner. Would you like to do the honors, Salen? How about this, you take a step back and realise what you've gotten yourself into, I'll share my story and you tell me your own. If we can find some common ground, my sister and I will see this adventure through. If we cannot, well, I must apologize but you need to know I will leave you here in the desert to be eaten by Dinner's friends. Haha! Dinner's dinner then?"

[Salen]

Salen raised an eyebrow and looked at the other gnome "Hmm? Do you think I'd be willing to find out if I didn't? No, not really looking for an effective way to turn someone's stomach." He asked, looking downwards at the gnomes as if he resounded another presence, their voice may have had a cold prickle, but it appeared that he was using them to lay low

"You really wanna know? You wanna know what I've been through, what I've experienced growing up in this corrupted mess of a shithole? Do you?" He asked as his expression grew much more serious.

"I'll reveal my story, but you'll understand when I show you the inner workings of my mind, maybe if I show you, you'll understand." He frowned for a moment, as if he felt some kind of remorse for being rude to the two gnomes, even though he is technically stranded without them "I can be distrustful of people, wondering if one day there would be a knife pointing out of my back, the fact that a mage can find a great deal about you just by one single drop of ether scares me." He paused for a moment, sighing as his gaze narrowed at Moop and Joop "I know, I'll be one of those mages fully fledged one day, a Remnomancer; a grasper of knowledge, I travel through the thoughts of other people only to find out every last little detail about them, I can even alter or change your mind and play with peoples dreams, lift them from the realities of the Reverie." He paused again as he pointed out the cage from his reality "I wouldn't be able to create such a structure if it didn't exist in my mindscape, although I relied on books to get that far, consider it my own source of solace away from a cold, dark and lonely cellar, leashed like a dog."

Salen looked at the two more seriously, narrowing his eyes as he crossed his arms, although strangely coming across as somewhat intimidating; perhaps a wrong move on Salen's demeanour "Perhaps a trip into the Reverie tonight if you wish to know more, think of it as a solution to my problem and maybe it'll help you in the future to remain cautious when dealing with the likes of these people."

[Moop]

¤

Considering all that he said, Moop spun the weight of the words around her head. Wizards in the Badlands, so common, yet, such a mystery. How could she trust him when he speaks of meddling with people's minds, that he wouldn't do much the same to her own? After all, she blatantly struck the first stone with that-- the best she could do was nothing in the face of stepping into the man's Reverie. If she understood him correctly he was jaded, essentially, and the darkness of the Entente was gleaned in her studies in Dagrun, which described them merely as obstinate and rude people. In fact there was even some Entente who took vacation homes in Dagrun, though under Dagrunian law seemed to let loose from the awful confines Salen described himself under. After a long time, still Joop said nothing. Finally Moop spoke, carefully weighing her words.
"If I come to your Reverie, you will also manipulate my mind?"
In the gloves her robotic hands clasped together, held in front of her traveling outfit shyly. Though she looked shy in her mind she was watching him, waiting to hear him speak, clinging to his every breath reveling in the danger. She knew either way she would say yes, whether he next lied or told the truth. Something about the inherent danger made the trip more real, although she knew she couldn't trust him and any fight there would be a fight for her life. The decision was based around whether or not Joop insisted to come, but Moop had an idea about that, possibly leaving Joop behind as part collateral, but also because the giant chicken would need cooked and started drying while Moop was gone.
"I will come with you."
Moop finally told Salen,
"As long as my sister can stay behind and tend to the ostrich in the cage. That's good meat, feathers, and hide. We can camp here until we can find our bearings, but I'll follow you to see what you need to show me."

[Salen]

Salen rolled his eyes at Moop as he asked the question, once again; who could blame her for not trusting him for the way he treated her. If it wasn't for his careless words, he would've received a better and more amiable response for his recent outburst, made only by mixture of anger and annoyance. It was lying to her that was going to make her worst so he would come clean on his intentions "We're not going to your Reverie... Well we could, if you wanted to show me? A fair exchange, I'll show you mine, you show me yours... After all, you don't have any secrets you wish to hide right?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her, knowing some of the mindscapes he journeyed through had an ounce of debauchery and sin within them. It was perhaps daunting to Salen, the fact that he could pick up on large details of a memory palace.

"Call it a fair trade of knowledge, if you will." He shrugged again, taking a glance at Moop, diverting his gaze towards Joop, then back to the ostrich "I guess although, I don't think its a good idea for me to leave that cage, if I leave the illusion will disappate; it's a Phantasmal Reckoning after all, noone knows how long it will last." He winced for a moment as he watched the illusion disappate slightly as if it was crackling. He smiled apologetically as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment "I'd brace yourselves if I were you..." He shrugged.

The ostrich would break out from its illusory prison and immediately dart away at Joop in an angry rage, before it could peck her; An invisible force lifted up the ostrich and snapped its neck, dropping it on the floor.

"Well, that's dinner for tonight..." Tiberius got off from his chariot and sighed, shaking his head at Salen, crossing his arms as if he was about to scald him. He looked at Moop and Joop for a moment and sighed "The hideout's just over the hill, you idiots get lost or was Mr. He Who Goes the Wrong Way, diverting you into some sort of badlander dungeon."

"That wasn't the plan, it was an accident." He cussed back at him. Salen became defensive as Tiberius had brought up dark times from the past from previous jobs, working with Dahlia, only that resulted in both their asses getting kicked. It appeared to be the comeuppance that Salen had gotten for treating Moop and Joop with such disrespect. After all, it wasn't his fault he couldn't read their map.

It was illegible!

Salen huffed as he appeared to be even more pissed and angry at the current situation, maybe he wished that he never got involved in the Gnomes' business, but at the end of the day it didn't hurt to pay an ounce of kindness to outsiders of Daravin "You had to bring that up, ugh just whatever let's get inside..." He said with a sigh, rubbing the back of his shoulder as if in embarrassment.

After a small argument, it appeared that they were already there.

It was clear that Salen was just the dumbass in this situation, something which his vainglorious ways didn't want him to admit.