Hooligan Hoe Down II Pre-Game

[Arkash]

34th of Glade, 4622

Through the cool desert air, the chariot sputtered and spurred its way. Three passengers dragged through the night on its back, two of which looked to belong in the tumultuous wastes while the third was dressed for travel somewhere a little more comfortable than the Imperial Badlands.

The red rock separated and granulated eventually into sand on their journey, sure enough soon to become the entirety of their surroundings. Around the larger dunes they cruised as the machine roared with every rev of the engine, all the way toward one if the larger dunes, atop which was perched a rocky formation that looked to be buried deep in the sand.

Until then, they'd avoided tackling the steepest parts of the dunes to conserve fuel, but that final stretch was unavoidable, and the chariot charged the behemoth head-on. They climbed slowly, and Arkash looked over their shoulders at the road to gauge their distance as the machine began to choke on its own exhaust.

It stalled and broke its rhythm at times, gradually slowed, then came to a full stop at the final stretch of the hill with a frustrated grunt from the driver. "Fuck!" she cursed as she hopped the seat to the right. Arkash did the same on the left, and the two dug their feet into the running granule ground to stay the descent of their transportation. "I told you! Needle was on the E!"

"I don't know what that means!" Arkash returned as he began to push.

"E stands for EMPTY!" She called back through the strain in her voice as she too helped in easing the chariot up the last stretch.

As if to dismiss her, Arkash looked over his shoulder to the woman in their company and motioned her to the top of the hill with his head. "Can you get the door?" He asked through the heave of his lungs. "Handle's... In the crack in the cliff face... Hard to reach...! Even harder to see!"

The hill would plateau at the top with a rocky ground to stand on before a jagged cliff face that reached into a sort of natural spire toward the starry sky. The red rock of the formation was littered in cracks that deepened in parts and segmented various-sized sections of the cliff face into their own islands.

All around that, Luna would be able to see the Badlands for miles; an endless sea of sand with a dark storm on the fringes of the horizon.

Image source.

[Sola]

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This was Luna’s second chariot ride this week, and coincidentally her second chariot ride ever. This time was a lot more hectic than the last, especially since the thing ended up running out of fuel. She enjoyed the dynamic between Arkash and his companion, though Luna kept her mouth shut for most of the trip. She was too busy thinking about how she would accomplish their mission instead of worrying about small talk.

“Hmm? Oh okay,” she said when she was spoken to. She hopped off the chariot and jogged up the hill. It was terrain she was still uneasy on so she stumbled and felt her ankles complain about the sand that shifted when she put weight on it.

“Crack in the cliff face, hard to reach, hard to see,” she said back to herself as she approached. She put a finger on her lips to tap them inquisitively while running her other hand along the cliff face. It took her a long time to find it but luckily the people behind her were pushing that heavy machinery so she wasn’t exactly in a rush.

“Found it!” she called back as she turned the handle.

It was at that moment that she turned around and got to see the best view she’d gotten since she came to the badlands. It was still just sand which was a major bore, but there were storms in the far off distance that were truly a sight to behold.

Luna didn’t go back to help push, but instead she just went inside the door and had a look around. She had made a decision to make an Obelisk to assist with their mission so she went over to take a seat on whatever looked appropriate so she could more easily focus. She didn’t start making it just yet though, she’d wait until the others came in first.

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[Arkash]

Both the Rath and the human watched as the girl ran the last stretch while they heaved the heavy machine through the twisting sand. Then, when she was out of earshot, the woman turned to the man. "Just showing her the front door?"

He nodded at her question, and dug in his feet with a little push from his shoulders. "I've got a good feeling about this one," he explained.

She curled her nose as she pushed up on the right handle of the chariot. "You always say that," she spoke disapprovingly. Arkash caught the foreboding glint in her eye as they continued their ascent and shook it off.

"And I'm always right," he asserted with a grunt. "You can drop the accent too... No need to pretend."

She scoffed a little, and turned her gaze forward.

Meanwhile, atop the hill, Luna would find the lever buried in the crevice. The pull was weighty, and cranked into place with a metallic clicking. The moment it was pulled, a large face in the cliff, no taller or wider than ten feet, would grind against the surrounding stone as it slowly sank in an inch or two. Then, after passing a threshold, the stone would steadily sink into the ground to reveal a hidden chamber. Great brass gears mounted four corners of the room, perched upon brass rails. The floor was chiseled and carved to some ornate pattern that was smooth to the touch, if not a little dusty. In the centermost part of the room was a lever that pointed to the right wall, perched upon a half circle that supported it.

There was nowhere to sit but the cold circular floor.

Sure enough, Arkash and his companion reached the top. The clank of metal gradually grew louder as they neared the summit, and sure enough, the grind of sand yielded to rock as they eased the machine onto the platform with a final grunt. From inside the chamber, the front wheel of the chariot would ease into view, shortly thereafter followed by the panting visage of the driver, who was undoubtedly red in the face.

Arkash strolled through the entry while she wheeled the vehicle into the threshold of the chamber with a smile. "You found it!" He called with a clap. "Great work!"

In tandem, Izzy rolled the chariot beside Luna and flicked the kickstand before she let it fall to the side. The vehicle would fall an inch or two toward Luna before the kickstand caught it. "Sorry," she spoke with a tap of her eyepatch. "Didn't see you there."

Arkash cast her a brief glare before he shook his head and took the handle of the lever with both hands. He engaged his back as both arms pulled hard to activate the mechanism with a rolling crank.

As the lever clicked into place toward the left wall, the entire floor jostled and sank an inch. The large gears at the corners of the room rumbled and turned a fraction of a rotation to reveal the indentation of their rails before the platform began to sink. Simultaneously, the boulder of the door began to rise and blocked out the moonlight on their descent.

Moments later, Izzy lit a lamp she'd retrieved from her chariot, and lit the small chamber with enough detail to see the long stretch of hand-carved etches on the walls. The air became colder the further they descended; it was as though the walls were made of ice.

"It's cool, right?" Asked Arkash while he leaned on the brass lever. "I found this thing on my last leg, helped me out of a real tight spot. No one but the people here know about it so... Don't go spreading it around, alright?" Before too long, the mouth of a tunnel opened before them. As the platform sank lower, the path ahead appeared to raise to their level. Finally, the circular stone dropped into place with a sudden jolt and a mechanical whir. Arkash took a deep breath through his nose, then exhaled deeply before he gestured to the crudely cut stone halls, lined with crude iron amber-lit oil lamps. "Home sweet home."

Image source.

[Sola]

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Luna beamed at Arkash with a smile when he praised her great work. She felt like she did in fact do a good job with finding the hidden lever, even if she was told where it was. Shortly afterwards, she scowled at Izzy who nearly caused the chariot to hit her. Luna shuffled out of the way and let out a deep sigh.

Luna shrugged and said, “it’s certainly something alright. I wouldn’t worry about me telling anyone about it. I doubt I could find it given ten years and a map.” Under more normal circumstances Luna would be very impressed, but her thoughts were so focused on what was to come that the mechanical wonder of the hide out was lost on her.

The seductress looked down the hall and said, “what are we doing here anyways? I thought we were going to a camp of some kind.” Given how he’d referred to the place as ‘home sweet home’ she figured they were picking up equipment he needed. The concept of a vehicle being out of fuel was something that made no sense to her given her technological incompetence.

“Anyways,” she continued, “if we have a spare minute I might as well make something with my magic that will help us later. Don’t mind me.”

She stepped off to the side and pointed her palms towards one another, then curled her fingers slightly. She held her hands about foot away from one another then focused hard. The strained look on her face would indicate that she was focusing quite hard. She hadn’t actually made an Obelisk in months. Many months. Making one was something she associated with overstepping because that was usually something that happened. However she was more experienced than she used to be. She knew how large of a stone she could create without going too far.

Unless stopped, Luna would start to create a small purple crystal that would hover between her palms. It would grow larger and larger while rotating slightly. Then suddenly, it would drop. Luna would snatch it from the air before it hit the ground the tuck it into her pocket.

“This will help me keep them… entertained,” she’d say without giving much more detail.

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[Arkash]

Arkash grinned at her praise, a certain glint of pride in the shine of his eyes. "Well then I'm grateful to your sense of direction," he offered with a bow of his head.

When at last they docked and the leading hall of the facility was open to them, Arkash looked on at Izzy as she began to cart the chariot into the dimly lit, crudely-cut stone walls. The machine rattled and squeaked occasionally on its way lower.

"Chariots are fueled by Wurmblood," Arkash clarified. "Our technician manages the refinement process and keeps it ready for us when we need it. No Wurmblood, no movement."

His brow raised as she stepped off the platform to do something with her magic, then stared on at the spectacle of mentalism as the girl created one of those crystals with raw ether. Arkash blinked as he widened his eyes, then nodded. "I knew there was something I liked about you," he declared with a lean against the wall of the elevator. "You're a mentalist, right? That's a... Beacon? No... Compass? No, that's Nightfall..." He pinched his brow in thought, then shook his head. "It'll come back to me. Either way, I'm glad to have a mage on our side. Just don't go flashing it in front of Izzy; she's... Adversarial to mages."

"Oh I'm sure. Hell, if you're strong enough with your magic you might not even need to touch any of them," he agreed with her observation; it would help.

"Is mentalism your only mark or have you been initiated twice?" Came his next question. "They say your chances of survival are higher next time whenever you pass. But maybe some people are just favored by the Gods."

He shrugged with a soft frown before he cast his eyes up at the tall ceiling of the elevator. "You really are quite brave, you know. Signing up for this crazy mission for Gods know what with Gods know who," he spoke in idle thought before he returned his gaze to her. "Do you have any questions? Izzy will be back soon and we'll be off. Our next stop is the camp so it's best you're ready."

Image source.

[Sola]

“Wurm… blood?” Luna thought, but she decided not to ask questions lest she confuse herself even more. She supposed it was more of a physical fuel source, and not a magical one. She had spent some time in Lorien, albeit it’d been a rather short trip. She learned not to question things and just go with the flow lest her brain turned to putty. It was easier for her to think of technology as magic. Take Necromancy for instance. She’d yet to meet anyone who could explain it as anything other than ‘magical tools that do weird stuff.’

She glanced at Arkash with a cocked eyebrow as he commented on her Obelisk. She merely shrugged and said, “yes, I’m a mentalist. And I’m mostly self taught so I don’t know exactly what this thing is called. All I really care about is what it can do.”

When he mentioned Izzy, Luna nodded. She kind of felt like Izzy didn’t like having another girl around, but she got that feeling a lot. Times like these Luna felt like shouting ‘I’m not after your man’ but she figured that’d probably do more harm than good. If she somehow misread the situation then she’d just look like a weirdo.

“I hope it’ll be enough, though I can only affect happiness and sadness. Many emotions are still beyond my control and I have a feeling that there will be… other emotions at play than the ones I can control.” She sighed again, feeling her anxiety build up.

“Any questions? Hmm, not really. What sorts of magic can you do again? You said something about blood before, I’ve never heard of something like that. You got any other tricks up your sleeve?” She honestly didn’t care to pry into people’s business like that but if her life was on the line she felt privy to such information.

After Arkash finished his reply, Luna would say, “well, we should probably be getting going as soon as possible. This stone I’ve made doesn’t last forever. It doesn’t degrade much when it’s not working, but I’d rather it not expire when I’m in the midst of trouble.” She knew it would have been ideal to make the Obelisk later, but it was safest to do it now. It wasn’t something she could conjure on the spot. She fiddled with the gem, wrapping it with some leather to keep it out of view but still securely fastened to her waist. Her testing had shown that it could still work perfectly fine if concealed and could even work if she wasn’t near it. As she went over the last times she’d used it in her head, she felt her anxiety fade away a little.

Created by Moop!

[Arkash]

Arkash shook his head and shrugged at the name of the crystals as it apparently eluded him. "Brain Stones, Neuro Pillars..." He shrugged again. "Not a mentalist myself, but I've met a few. I'll have to..." his smile faltered as he caught himself mid-sentence, and he began to frown. "Oh no, wait!' he resumed with a flash of excitement. "I know a guy in Boghadar that uses Mentalism, he can tell us all about it if you're up for following me into Boghadar once we're there."

He offered a kind smile to the woman, his excitement almost out of place on his usual demeanor.

Arkash shrugged at her self-professed limited knowledge. "My guy is a Veir; nobility here in Daravin. He can probably teach you a thing or two, and he would if I asked."

"For this though? Keeping them happy will keep you safe, I reckon."

He looked off in thought for a moment before he delivered his offer of information to the woman. And then she asked. "Me? Magic?" He puased then to think, then winced at the mention of blood. "Yeah, only one. I'm a Malformist, so I can turn into animals I make a template of as well as a few other abilities. The blood scent is a mutation, my mark reflecting its will over my body, because you know, animals got those strong sniffers." He tapped his nose for emphasis.

"I can turn fully into an animal or partially, both have their advantages."

With that, he took a deep breath through his nose and sighed. "Yeah, we'll get going as soon as Izzy's back... I think I hear her actually so you might wanna hide that... Brain Stone." And on cue, she wrapped it up and tucked it away. He gave her a thumbs up at that, and a nod of approval.

"One last question for you," he began as the sound of squeaking and clanking began to echo down the hall once more. "Where were you headed before you wound up in Rust Bucket?"

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[Sola]

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“Actually, meeting another mentalist might be good for me,” she said, “they could teach me a thing or two.” She absent mindedly stretched out her arms and thought about where Boghadar was on the map. She was going to turn down the offer but when he brought up the fact that he was a Veir she continued, “yeah, I suppose we could go there. It’s on my way back to Amoren anyways. I have obligations in Amoren though so I don’t want to extend my trip by too much.”

“Oh, one of those, that’s neat,” she said when he brought up his magical power. She had seen people turning into animals before and always thought it to be a neat ability. It wasn’t something she ever wanted for herself though. She was a very… promiscuous person and she didn’t think being that way in an animal state was going to do her any favors.

“it’s kind of a long story. I was going to a town on the edge of the badlands to find a friend. Instead of meeting them, I met a strange red skinned woman with horns. She was quite a unique character, and we went to go rob a merchant. Well, I didn’t really care to rob him, it was more her idea. Anyways, she kind of abandoned me in the desert and I just happened to come across a group of travelers. We got lost, yadda yadda, now here I am.”

She didn’t have much else to say so she said, “crazy huh? I’m looking forward to getting back home. The badlands is great with its freedom and all, but I couldn’t imagine living out here in the heat and sand.”

Created by Moop!

[Arkash]

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," he agreed to her notion of being taught. "And I'm blanking on the name of the crystal thing you just made so he can help us both out," he spoke with an obvious smile to his tone while he leaned against the wall, all but swooning. It had been a long time since he'd seen the Veir, it was long due that they caught up.

The woman appeared to accept his lie regarding the one magic he possessed, which he smiled at. Both his marks were considered lost magic, and one of them would see him hunted to the ends of the earth just for possessing it. It was ultimately safer to lie. "Yeah, I only have one template at the moment, one of the local lizards, but I'm working on getting some more."

The story of how she ended up in the Badlands brought his brow to furrow and his eyes to widen. "...This individual, with red skin and horns... Was one of her horns broken?" Surely not. Arkash pressed his index and middle finger to his temple while he considered her. "I'm surprised she's still alive given all her antics. Miki, right?" Arkash shook his head a bit, a foreboding look in his eyes. "You watch yourself with her, she's big trouble, I swear."

With that, he exhaled and nodded as Izzy's shape came into view under the lantern light. "Well, I can take you straight to Amoren once we're done in Boghadar if you're in that much of a rush. All we gotta do now is get my stuff back and we're golden.

The squeaking and clinking of the chariot was heavier now, and Arkash could tell the tank was full from the quiet distinct sloshing of the reserve. "All good, Izzy?"

"All good, thanks!" She returned, evidently a little out of breath from wheeling the heavy machine up the slope of the winding hall.

"Is Bants bringing the cart?" Arkash dismissed her whining.

"...Yeah, I let him know we're doing it."

"Alright, good." With that, Izzy threw some sort of leather-bound bag at the 'guised Rath. Arkash extended a hand and caught it by the strap before he slung it over his shoulder. "My kit! Thank you!" From it, he produced a small silver gun with a vial of milky-white paste attached; a sinew gun. "We've gotta sell it, right? Henceforth, I'm Briomancer Arkash of the wastes." He took a bow.

"You've always been a Briomancer," Izzy reminded, unamused. The chariot was once again on the platform, locked in place on the kickstand.

Arkash shrugged. "A hobbyist at most." Once they were all on the platform, Arkash would crank the lever again, and they'd begin their slow ascent. Only when the platform was at the top did the boulder begin to descend into the cliff face, and the horizon was bared to them once more.

The sun was starting to rise, heralding the start of a new day. Arkash shielded his eyes with a hand as he stepped out into the chilled morning air, then breathed a sigh of relief. Izzy rolled out the chariot, then climbed atop it before she set her goggles down over her eyes.

Arkash did the same, and once the woman was on board, he cleared his throat. "Next stop!" Izzy started the engine with a bellowing roar and a churn of black smoke. "The fuckwits that stole from me!"

And with that, they were off with a rip of the earth and a mad dash onward.

Image source.

[Sola]

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Luna nodded, "yes, the description seems to match up. She's also the only red skinned person I've ever seen so I'm going to go out on a limb and say we've met the same person. I wouldn't say she's all that bad. She only stole about 40df off me when she could've taken much more. Although I suppose leaving me out in the desert might have gotten me killed." She certainly had mixed feelings about the woman, but she felt like they'd connected so she still thought positively about her.

"Okay, sounds like our travel itinerary has been figured out," she said with a smile. She couldn't wait to get back home, to spend half her week living in luxury with her entente customer.

She watched as Izzy did her work and brought the vehicle back. Luna would get on the chariot after the others and prepared for a ride. There was more she wanted to talk about, but perhaps that was best saved for later. She also felt a nagging feeling like something was off. She had assumed the guy was a mage but if all he could do is turn into a lizard she wasn't sure what help he was going to be. She accepted that he might have lied to her, or maybe he had something up his sleeve. Or maybe he was just a regular guy with a death wish. She supposed it was too late to have doubts so she just decided to go with the flow.

Created by Moop!