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mabee the sucker went inside the shell for protection and is stuck inside. Brutus suggests somehow using someone elses magic to counter the magic in the shell. Brutus has a strong feeling sucker is trapped in there. or someone talk me out of it with a more sensible tactic
Right, due to pressure on MSN (*cough*Shane*cough*) Tarein will enter the shell first, the dagger held ready but not in a threatening way.
Brutus will follow with wired reflexes on the ready. any danger and Brutus will be there GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
(Message edited by swanaldo on July 22, 2008)
Chapter 5
Tarein approaches the huge shell, steps through the entrance and vanishes€¦ Brutus follows moments after
Inside the finds the same place as Brutus described - a cave with torchlight, but given that they has more time to look than the troll€™s previous visit, she also sees the full picture.
Up a slight slope and partially hidden by a rock directly in front of her, is a village. It currently seems to be in the midst of some kind of celebration - the whole village is covered in banners of black and gold just like the pole outside, and in the market square there appears to be some manner of feast going on. The whole place is deep beneath the ground and everything is illuminated a fierce orange through the torches that provide most of the light, though Tarein also glimpses neon-lights, a hovering orb of light and numerous different electric light bulbs - it would seem that whatever lights here is not in steady supply€¦ There seem to be three shops that they can see offhand - a supplies shop, some kind of pawn shop and a clothes shop.
The pungent smell they had smelt outside seems to come from the feast in the market square. The beings here are mixed and varied - a fair number of humans are present, a troll like Brutus lumbers by, a being 12 foot tall seemingly made of solid metal and with eyes that seem to burn with white fire strides by, a weary look on its face. Three ape like creatures with grey fur converse in the corner, one holding a book with its foot. What appears to be a floating armoured orb drifts away, seemingly just an eye that rearranges floating sections of armour about itself. There is a huge black eel in a tank on legs that speaks through a small speaker at its base. There is what appears to be a meter long Chinese dragon with a face like a pug covered in pale blue fur that seems to ripple as if it was water.
They notice one of the creatures approaching them - it resembles a large blue ringed octopus in all ways except that it is wearing a top hat and a golden mayoral medallion and carries an ebony cane.
€˜Grrrrreetings strangers!€™ it exclaims in a voice that sounds something like Lloyd Grosman if he was speaking through a jelly. €˜Wwwwwelcome to Underton!€™ it pauses for an instant€¦. One of its strange eyes stretching towards them both, peering from one of the companions to the other€¦.
€˜Ohhhh€¦.. you must be Fallers! Ohhh, I€™m dddrreeadfully sorry, I should have realised, you must be hhhhooorrribly confused. You are in luck, we had another faller just ttttoooday, we can explain to you both at the same tiiiiime€¦. Do you have annnnyyyone with you at all?€™
********************
Outside the magic fish raises its squeaky little voice:
€˜Errrr€¦ Excuse me sirs, but may I point out I€™ll need to remain here so you best ask your questions before you go anywhere, I€™m afraid that hanging onto me for use later is considered €˜cheating€™ by the guild€¦ Oh€¦ they are ever so strict these days€¦but you must ask me here€¦€™
After chatting with Tarein Brutus heads back to tell the others.
Tarein: *looks to Brutus, then back at the octopus thing, sheathing her blade* Yes we do...err...weve lost one of our company...this, er, faller youre talking about, it wouldnt happen to be our missing groupie, would it?
Im gonna ask the golden fish what happened to Sucker!
Ill hang around and listen to the question/answer session first while Brutus and Tarein come out and invite us in.
Once invited, Ill head in using my electric form and the first thing Im going to do is look at what theyre eating. If theres anything catfish shaped, there will be an electrical apocalypse.
The Octopus manages to look confused for an instant, then works out what you are asking
Ohhh no no, a Faller is a word for someone new to this world.... you see, this world is something like.... errr... lets see.... well its like we are the very bottom of the multiverse, and anything that somehow manages to fall out of somewhere else, usually ends up here.... its a little difficult to explain... but the presentation will help do a better job than me
*******
When asked the question, the fish goes into an odd little trance, muttering to itself for a minute or so.... then, in a uncharacteristically clear and ominous voice
The fish has been taken into shadow. He is not dead. Not yet. But do not seek him, for that would bring about both is doom and yours. If it is meant to be, you will find him in time.
The fish snaps out of it....
Ooh that question must have touched a nerve with a higher power, I dont usually get to do that voice... hmmm... well it sounds like he was taken by the shadow thigns, I assume you must have witnessed them yourselves, they arent very subtle... well I suspect there are other people who can fill you in on them better, and from more personal experience
next question: what are the motives of this higher power?