Board 8 > The Notes of Cain, Topic 2 [CYOA]

(+) Yeah! (+)

No worries, your updates are huge and this isn't your career. I'm sure we all appreciate the huge amount of time you're putting into this and won't try and rush you. :)
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What he said
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Seriously, your content is good, there's lots of it, and you finish the projects you start. Complaining would be insane.
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^what they all said
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what those gents said
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Pirateking2000 posted...

what those gents said

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trdl23 posted...

Pirateking2000 posted...

what those gents said

Pretty much.
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Thanks for the positive remarks!

All the more reason why you guys deserve FRESH updates HOT OFF THE PRESS!

Chapter 9: Solemn Remembrance, Parting of Ways, Bright Future

Gloria -- It has been a while since we have last spoken, or since I have seen you at all, and yet I must admit that you have been on my mind as of late. I don't understand it, exactly. It's not that I miss you, or that I think we would do well together. Not after everything that happened. At the same time, my mind sometimes goes to a comfortable place in my past... and my subconscious finds that time to be the days I spent with you.

I had a dream where we were still together and spending time at my aunt's estate, south of Greenfair. It's a place we never went to before, but it was a place that always brought me peace and comfort. I think the intention of my ailing mind was clear. It was trying to put me in a place where I could feel relaxed and safe. And my subconscious mind tells me that was the time I was able to spend with you.

I should say that I am sorry for anything I might have done that hurt or upset you. That was not my intention. You know quite a bit about my childhood from inference, though we never talked about it directly -- think not of this an excuse for any of my behavior which may have been inappropriate but rather an explanation. It took me a long time to understand how troubled of a person I really am. If I had known it at the time I never would have subjected anyone to a relationship with someone like me. Least of all, you.

There have been a lot of thoughts on my mind, lately. Maybe it's better to tell them directly to a person who was on my mind, and who might understand them. You may ignore this letter if you wish. I think it was just better to get it off my chest rather than keeping it in my mind, or writing it down in a journal where no one would ever see it. And...

Owen the Coward woke up in mid draft, as he often did. That was a letter he'd never really have the courage to write, or to send. It was just one of many doubts that was always plaguing his mind. His eyes were heavy but the light was still low. It was early.

It was troubling to sleep, and so he was often one of the first awake.

As he rolled onto his side he reached into his satchel and dug out a photograph that had been stashed away in there. It was not something as expected or sentimental as a picture of Gloria. That was something he had let go a long time ago. It was only in his dreams that he still yearned for her. In reality, he had lost all real and tangible interest in rekindling that romance.

Divorce had suited him well.

He was a sad person who deserved to be alone.

The photograph was part of an ongoing investigation that he had hired to look into the affairs of his family. Owen had always been a coward and a pushover. His family had not treated him kindly ever since he was young. Yet at the same time he still had to be surprised when he got the final results during those darkest of days.

The grief of his grandfather passing hit him in a strange way. A man that he wasn't close to, but he felt kinship for. And the fact that he wasn't so emotionally devastated as one should be, when a family member passed, only made him feel more awful about himself. Then he found from the investigation that his family had been meeting in secret. They had been intending to cut him out of the will, and prevent his inheritance.

It was fine. Owen decided that's when he'd simply leave and make his own way in the world. Being disowned by his family suited him. He was a sad person who deserved to be alone. Yet... somehow... he thought going on a journey would increase his sense of self sufficiency.

All it had done is make him realize how weak and useless he had been all along.
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It was at that time that Owen realized Captain Punch had come to join him. Or perhaps he had been sitting there on that log near the fire all along. Even watching him while he was sleeping. And Owen came to a startling realization as he felt a chill run down his spine. "You saw... all of that. Didn't you? My-... My thoughts...?"

"Yes," Punch said, sounding quite sad. His eyes turned to the firepit which had burned out long ago. "I see the kid's thoughts, still, too. We might have only met not too long ago, but I have all of his memories. I have all of his thoughts inside of me, now. It feels like I've lost someone I knew for their entire life."

Owen pushed himself up to a sitting position and then looked away. He remembered when Punch had put 'something' inside of his head. Was that supposed to change everything? Was he going to be a more assertive person now? Or was he the same guy who had simply walked away when his relatives plotted to steal his grandfather's legacy? The photograph of them meeting together in secret confirmed that. It was all too tangible, all too real.

"Why did you do it?" Owen asked. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. As they were talking, he noted Aaron waking up and moving out of his small cot and overhanging tent that he had set up. The lancer had stripped all of his armor pieces off and was doing sit ups somewhere nearby.

Punch was oddly sincere in that moment. Although, if he had to give a reason why, it was because Owen was the person he most understood in the entire world right now. And that level of kinship and honesty could not be replicated by anything else. Their minds were literally connected by the Moth Parasite now. There was no reason to lie to Owen. "I was lonely," Punch admitted. "I didn't want to be the only one..."

"Then why did we-" Owen started with a demanding tone, but his voice trailed off. Punch knew what he was going to say anyway. Was there any reason why he had to say it out loud?

"Why did we keep it a secret from them?" Punch completed the thought, for emphasis. He glanced around. At Aaron, who was now sweating in exercise. At the other killers and adventurers who were starting to get up and get dressed, and gather their gear. "Look around, you."

Owen studied them as well. One at a time, each. Those who hadn't already left during the night.

"These people came here to kill monsters," Punch told him. "What do you think -WE- are?"

Owen knew the answer to that question but he didn't want to say that out loud either. Punch already knew that he knew. And so they both got up in silence and went to find Torin Gemmason. That guy was already making plans to lead the expedition into the estate, now that the surrounding hamlet should have been cleared. You could never truly account for the fact that more monsters might appear in your blind spot. But, well, Torin had at least reached a level of safety he was comfortable with.

Jennifer Lowell had woken up and was sitting propped up against the wagon. She was wrapped in a blanket to cover the scars on her shoulders and her arms. Leone the Cat was sitting beside her and the two seemed to be talking about something unrelated to the major events that were going on here. Rather, it felt like those two had taken the brief moment of respite to retreat from the mental stress of this situation.

It was something you could only do if you had someone beside you to rely on.

Was that what Punch meant when he said he didn't want to be alone anymore...?
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Torin had already been filled in on Punch's findings from scouting the farmlands and the southern wall. Apparently there was a gap in the wall from that section which was worth investigating. To that end, Torin decided to send Jamison and Punch there to check things out. Since they were both allowed to choose who to bring with them, it ended up in a situation where many of the people from the caravan were going to head in through this entry point.

Only Aaron, Jen, Leone, and the new wanderer Enoch (a man who had appeared the night before) were going to stay here with Torin to help guard the wagons. However, Torin also had a plan to approach the front gate and at least check out what the inner workings of the state looked like. "As safely as possible, of course, accounting for our limited numbers."

"If that's the case, let us help you move the wagon before we part ways," Punch offered. "And don't worry... whatever happens, we will be back."

Owen felt like that was probably true. For better or worse, this guy wasn't some rogue like Dismas and the others. He didn't intend to loot some treasure on his own and then vanish from the rest of the group. Though, realistically, Cain had said in his letters that anyone who found the treasures was entitled to them as long as they helped purge these lands of beasts.

Dismas had certainly done that. Maybe he was just being assertive. Maybe it was possible Owen could have done something like that, if he had a spine. He could find his own fortune and return to a comfortable life. It would make up for the inheritance he had lost along the way, wouldn't it?

In any event, Dismas and the Chained Man had left on their own, not feeling as if they were required to continue acting as the prisoners of the caravan. No one particularly cared enough to try and stop them by force... but this resulted in a chain reaction that perhaps should have been better avoided. Cata Spade decided to go with the two as well, and they had somehow convinced Maria Taylor to go with them as well.

It was unclear exactly what their goal was, but Maria had taken her maps as well as the remaining journal with details on Avel de Countelard. Additionally, Dismas was the person who had the notebooks containing details on the monsters found in the area. Regardless of where that group was going they held vital knowledge that would have greatly benefited the rest of the group.

Supposedly, someone had heard Maria mentioning the existence of ditches that were dug around the outside of the estate which may hold secret tunnels leading into the lower levels. With the map to use as a reference point it should be easy to navigate the inside of the dungeon even from an entry point like this, and it would give them access to some of the more dangerous areas without having to fight their way through the upper floors first.

Owen found himself hanging back and thinking about this as Punch, Aaron, and the others helped push the wagons along the main road and toward the large centralized gate. Things here seemed quiet, and for that reason Punch felt it was probably fine to leave Torin and his group to their own devices.

"If it had been damn battlefield I would've stuck around," Punch said with bravado. "But I think you'll be fine on your own, old man." The two exchanged a firm handshake and then the captain left with the rest of his crew. He made a silent promise to himself that he wouldn't sail away and never return. So far, he had been able to keep that promise. The reality of being lost at sea was all too real, but he had avoided it so far. Only the fact that he survived for so long had made him into a legendary figure.
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After the group left, Torin was left getting his affairs in order. Enoch was sitting at the front of the wagon by himself. He had pulled out his utility knife -- a curved blade with a wide and round shape to it -- and was sharpening the thing. As he did that, he glanced over at Aaron.

Aaron's back was to Enoch and he seemed to be doing light stretches while examining the gate. They were parked not too far away from it. Maybe the man was thinking about what he'd do if killer bees or killer ants or who knows what else crawled out of there right at this moment.

"I see you got most of the dents out of your armor," Enoch remarked. "You must be used to this kind of thing."

Aaron glanced back at him, almost looking surprised. Maybe he wasn't the type that was usually approached so openly by strangers. "Yeah..." He took stock of his weapon in his hands, which had been hastily tied back together. "I'm a bit worried about my weapon, though."

"That thing? Like that?" Enoch smiled slightly to himself. "Bring it over here. If you leave it like that it's gonna snap in half again at the first chance." Enoch waited patiently as the other man brought his broken lance over.

The thing about Enoch is that he wasn't like most other people. Whether you seemed difficult to approach or easy to approach didn't matter to him. That's because he was the type who had an easy time approaching others. Therefore, in all situations, he was the one who decided that. "Why don't you two come over and watch, as well. You might be interested to see this," he offered to Leone and Jen.

Honestly, it wasn't some sort of mindblowing magic trick. Nor was it something they should have been interested in. But the way he sold it to them, and the fact that there wasn't much else going on, drew their attention enough to at least join the conversation.

Right now, Leone and Jen had been in their own bubble separate form the others. But Enoch had forced them to participate in the conversation and start a dialogue with the others. He did it in a way that they wouldn't have even noticed. They might not understand what happened but they wouldn't forget it. That was the core concept behind becoming 'likable' as far as Enoch was concerned. Make people remember that they had a positive experience while talking to him, even if they didn't understand how or why.

"Repairing a broken lance is a lot like repairing a broken arm," Enoch explained. "Why don't you grab one of those steel rods from the back of the wagon? We've got plenty of spares."

"Will this do?" Leone asked. The lithe character with good eyesight had a strong ability to search, and had procured one very quickly. Enoch was sure to smile and give thanks for a job done well and done fast.

"Now I'll take some of these spare bandages and use the steel rod as a sort of splint, holding the broken parts of the lance together with a strong foundation. It's a lot more reliable than trying to keep them together with cloth," Enoch explained. He was careful to avoid words like 'simply' and 'only,' words which would have made it sound like Aaron's way was foolish or wrong.

"Will this hold up in a joust?" Aaron inquired, turning the weapon over and looking at it from different angles. It was a bit more awkward to wield it now that the haft had a second piece of metal attached to it, but the reality is that the weapon had become awkward and unusable the moment it broke. With the blade at the end having been magically forged, this was a weapon that held immense value.

Changing it into a form that could still be used, even if awkwardly, was far more significant than throwing it away or patching it haphazardly so it would only break again. "I'd like to continue using it as much as possible," Aaron explained.
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"It may break again in a direct joust, honestly," Enoch said, "Depending on how hard you hit the enemy and how hard they hit you. But if you fight them at range and use the reach of the weapon to your advantage you should be able to slash and poke them with the tip without much risk."

"Hm..." Aaron thought about it for a moment. His armored fighting style didn't particularly suit that style of combat, but he had mastered fighting with the lance to a degree that he could probably do this... even if it wasn't his typical fighting style. "Leone, why don't you grab another one of those metal rods for me? I'd like to sharpen at least one down to a point. It's something more sturdy I can use in a charge if I need to."

"A nice back up, then," Leone pointed out. The second rod was retrieved and tossed to Aaron without hesitation.

Enoch had succeeded in getting them talking to each other, as well. Not just to have a conversation with him, one at a time. He looked at Jen and smiled softly. She looked a bit sad and a bit in pain, but he felt there was still some way he could approach her... some way he could get her to open up, as well. He just didn't know what it was, yet.

"What about you, wanderer? You use that knife to fight?" Leone inquired.

Enoch's attention was drawn back that way. He turned the knife over and then thrust it into the sheathe. "It is one of my weapons, yes. The other is my wit." He gave a smile that showed he was somewhat joking, but he was also seriously bragging at the same time. "Of course I've brought a few tools with me as well. I can't show off all of my tricks, but..."

As the two of them began talking, he was able to get Jen to make comments or remarks on some of the items he showed off from his utility pouches inside of his coat and on his belt. There were even a few moments where she'd ask questions about something without him needing to prompt it, first.

By the time Torin walked back to where the group was, the five of them had shifted the topic of conversation to the gate, what might lay beyond, and what they should do. Enoch had, in a single morning, completely expanded the level of rapport between his group. And he thought this level of open dialogue and comfort with one another was going to be invaluable in fighting to keep each other alive.

Now, all that was left, was to decide their plan for how to proceed.

[ END ]

9. What will the Gate Smashers do?
A. Proceed in a defensive formation with Aaron in the lead.
B. Send Leone ahead to scout, and then follow with the rest.
C. Slowly advance by clearing one room and then moving the entire wagon set forward.
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B
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C. Slow and Steady and well supplied wins the race.
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B.

I just realized that Punch is now filled with Determination. Thanks to Tristan being dead
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Leone is gonna scout ahead and just as injured as Jenn!
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Leone is down a hand, right?

A seems like the best bet.
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(And so my little Enoch has blossomed more than I would expect. Nice.)

C.
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...Slightly concerned about the enemy surrounding us on C, but that holds with the first two in any case, and with C we're all together...

C.
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Switch to C then. Really, anything but B.
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The other 2 are injured with Aaron having to fight in a way he isn't used to because of his weapon.
Leone is missing her hand but I cant see how that affects her scouting ability significantly honestly, it just make her not as good in a fight.
At least with C everyone is together and moving with more caution.

So, going with C
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Swap C
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chaos259 posted...

Leone is missing her hand but I cant see how that affects her scouting ability significantly honestly, it just make her not as good in a fight

Would probably impact her vertical movement as well as throw her a touch off-balance until she learns to adapt.
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B

I thought it'd be interesting to have a character who was a coward join an expedition to a dangerous monster invested land. Was wondering how you'd incorporate a character like that into the story! I had some ideas (including a woman being involved) but didn't want to give any ideas, just a possible source with the photograph (also wanted to leave that up to you). Liking the direction you've gone in!

Yeah... Leone hasnt even been 24 hours without his hand. It takes people irl months or years to get over losing something so essential. Theres a little bit of wiggle room here since this is fantasy fiction but still.
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C
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Hmm going to go with C for now

I feel A is the worst of the three (though not that bad) as Aaron still isn't used to his weapon changes and if it just happens to break right away then shit falls apart real quick. It makes more progress though

With B it probably makes more advancement into the place faster as Leone's top tier sight will be able to find most problems ahead and allow the group to be prepared. Though this does put Leone at more risk potentially and having recently lost his/her hand most likely hinders them a good deal (as well as in other matters like disarming and such dunno)

C appears slow but safer (which considering this group makeup is probably best for them). Not as much advancement into the place compared to the other two choices (also probably less goodies and may allow hostiles more preparation deeper in), but does potentially offer other benefits like allowing Aaron time to get used to a new fighting approach, allowing the team to gain more synergy and get along with each other (Enoch seems to be helping with that), Leone getting more support, Jen to recover a little more and open up to everyone, Torin getting more comfortable, etc. They will also have more immediate access to the wagon supplies in case they are ambushed or if shit goes south at some point.

Also from an in character standpoint I can see Torin going with this approach as the "captain" of this particular team
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C
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I mean,we are the "shell" group.
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A isn't a great move, seeing as Aaron still needs to get used to his new lance, plus he still is injured with a broken rib.

B isn't a sound move either, Leone has just lost his hand which hinders him in climbing over various obstacles and if shit turns south wouldn't allow him to escape the grip of an opponent easily. The only positive I can see is his excellent sight, which is invaluable in the dark, run down estate.

C I feel is the best option, sure we wouldn't be making as much progress but it's a lot safer, seeing as the group size isn't the biggest, taking it slow isn't such a bad thing.

I'll go with C for now.
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FunnyBusiness posted...

if shit turns south wouldn't allow him to escape the grip of an opponent easily.

Lol
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C. Although Im sure well get to hear in demoralizing detail why we were wrong again. >_> somewhat kidding but i feel possibly sending all the information ahead alone is gong to hurt, ha ha.

Charging in has been one disaster after another so far.
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Eddv posted...

FunnyBusiness posted...

if shit turns south wouldn't allow him to escape the grip of an opponent easily.

Lol

?
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C for this group. We are the Shell party after all.
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FakeAccount3000 posted...

Although Im sure well get to hear in demoralizing detail why we were wrong again. >_> somewhat kidding but i feel possibly sending all the information ahead alone is gong to hurt, ha ha.

Charging in has been one disaster after another so far.

this is a case where I'd say all three choices are fine, they just benefit the party in different ways.

looks like you guys would prefer to go with turtling... which is the safest strategy (but also the slowest).
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FunnyBusiness posted...

Eddv posted...

FunnyBusiness posted...

if shit turns south wouldn't allow him to escape the grip of an opponent easily.

Lol

?

He has no hand!
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Eddv posted...

FunnyBusiness posted...

Eddv posted...

FunnyBusiness posted...

if shit turns south wouldn't allow him to escape the grip of an opponent easily.

Lol

?

He has no hand!

Well, yeah? Kind of hard to escape from a buff fishman when he has your arm with your only hand?
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Well....

Its gonna make it harder to grip things for certain!
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Eddv posted...

Well....

Its gonna make it harder to grip things for certain!

Oh, ok lol. Took a minute to see where you were going with that.
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MariaTaylor posted...

FakeAccount3000 posted...

Although Im sure well get to hear in demoralizing detail why we were wrong again. >_> somewhat kidding but i feel possibly sending all the information ahead alone is gong to hurt, ha ha.

Charging in has been one disaster after another so far.

this is a case where I'd say all three choices are fine, they just benefit the party in different ways.

looks like you guys would prefer to go with turtling... which is the safest strategy (but also the slowest).

Thats reassuring because whenever I read a new entry I keep feeling like oh no, we botched up everything again lol, I should remember my own comment about it being like a Telltale game. There isnt necessarily one answer that avoids all the trouble; and there usually isnt.

Also I was thinking that perhaps Im not the best one to have my magic sandals. If someone else had been up there maybe they could have killed a bee instead of just distracted it.

Is it possible to have someone more competent use my sandals? Because at the moment Im not convinced Me with a magic item is the best use of resources. I dont seem to be smarter, stronger or faster than anyone. >_> note to self: add more detail to backstory if theres another game :3
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MariaTaylor posted...

looks like you guys would prefer to go with turtling... which is the safest strategy (but also the slowest).

*shrug*
our group needs to recuperate a bit
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C
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it's actually probably a good thing that this result has been pretty one sided, since the way I wanted to structure the chapter we should see the result right away.
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lunch now -> update after

also it seems we've officially reached the 'update every other day' cycle. which is probably for the best anyway, don't want anyone falling behind on the story while I'm writing updates every day.
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Entry 10: Above the Laboratory, The Flooded Hall

It was decided, of course, that the group should proceed slowly and to take the supply wagon in with them as far as could safely be done. This would establish a nice center of operations for the full adventuring party once Torin and his group reunited with Punch and Jamison. Whether they'd see Dismas and his crew again was yet to be seen, but... Torin honestly hoped that he would.

Maybe he was old and sentimental, but he had brought those four with him to this place. He felt responsible for their safety, as well. Too many had already died. Torin was just now adjusting to the harsh reality that they likely wouldn't be the last.

Aaron was a bit surprised to hear that Torin was considering the idea of bringing the damaged wagon forward. However, when the logic was explained more clearly, it seemed to make sense to everyone there; This wagon was less able to carry valuable supplies, and it was slower to move. The truth was that if they were forced to abandon the wagon it wouldn't matter how fast it was capable of moving. The most important factor was how much of their supplies they'd be forced to leave behind.

In Torin's mind it was best to have a safe exit strategy possible. They could always retreat to the fully supplied wagon in good repair if they left it on the back line. The only risk to this plan was if brigands wandered into the village and stole it but, well, Enoch laughed out loud at that suggestion.

There was a grand sense of epic drama as the huge, wide doors were pushed open by Aaron and Enoch. The doors moved slowly as if driven by some purpose to drive all mortal things back from these halls. Even the hinges shrieked a warning. Torin didn't listen to it.

The entry hall had a series of side passages that branched off into five separate directions, as well as a double staircase that approached the veranda from two angles. An indoor balcony ran from the veranda across the inner rim of the second floor and gave access to the two upper halls. The condition of the balcony seemed to be less than ideal, and traversing that path might be difficult. Definitely bringing the wagon up the stairs and across those brittle walkways would not be an option.

"Let's go ahead and get the wagon in here," Torin said. "Leone, you and Jen can have a look around. Just don't go too far. This isn't a scouting mission, okay? We should all stick together for safety."

"Sure," Leone replied simply. The two of them went off together. Leone almost seemed to be a bit ambivalent in that moment; likely grateful for not having to help push the wagon but also a bit annoyed at not being asked.

In the lower entry hall, Leone and Jen found a series of odd statues which had been carved in the likeness of estate attendants. Oddly, they had also been placed very casually and yet without much purpose. It almost felt as if they were still here, alive, and at work. It was a bizarre design strategy which Leone had never seen before.

"The use of statues to replicate the feeling of workers in the estate," Leone remarked. A bandaged stump raised to touch the face of a statue wearing a maid's uniform. Instinct would be hard to break. Leone pulled it away and brushed the cheek of the statue with the remaining hand, the one that hadn't been torn off by that insect monster. "I wonder if the real workers were unnerved by this?"

"-I'm- unnerved by this," Jen admitted frankly. "You know it's not too late to turn back, right?"

"There are people counting on me," Leone said. It was unclear if that referred to Torin or to someone else.
---

Even Jen wasn't certain that she knew the answer. She had her suspicions, but it was hard to say it definitively. Leone had always been a person who was impossible to understand in motive or in action. "What do you think these were for?" Jen inquired, changing the subject.

"Decoration, I suppose." Leone didn't want to think about what other cruel purpose these could serve. Perversion? Or something darker? "Enoch, what do you think of these? Bizarre, aren't they?"

"I'm a bit busy here," Enoch said. His back was against the wagon and his feet dug into the ground as him and Aaron were struggling to push it over a slight rivet in the ground. Getting it past that was proving difficult.

Leone walked over, pulled a piece of flat wood off of the cart, and placed it underneath the front wheel. In that moment, the force of Enoch and Aaron was pushed up and over the slope... causing the wagon to JUMP over the rivet with ease. "What about now?"

Enoch and Aaron both stopped for a moment, taking a break. They examined Leone and the statue both with a sense of reserved appreciation. "She looks cute," Enoch said. "Old man Cain must have had good taste. But..." Enoch looks a bit worried at that remark. "I don't remember these being here last time. Nor do I think of him as a man of such perversions."

That made Leone worry, due to the second thought which had risen on instinct. If it wasn't perversion, then what were these things for? Could it really be true that something dark was being done right here in the lobby?

"Maybe he was trying to bring them to life?" Aaron joked. "I suppose it could get lonely here."

Jen looked around the entry hall, and the many different routes one could go from here... each of those leading to large and empty places. "It does seem very large. And very empty."

"Haha... Hm." Enoch smiled to himself. "I guess it seems that way. And maybe I should feel more sad when I remember this, but... what I mainly remember were his kids and his grandkids filling this place with noise and warmth. It definitely wasn't an empty feeling place back then. Now..."

As Enoch looked around he realized the dark implication of his statement had set in for everyone. And even as his amusement at those happy days faded to sorrow, he saw that he had made the others sad, as well. "In any case, let's take a moment to examine these statues, shall we?"

"I almost feel as if they -will- come to life," Leone grumbled. "You shouldn't have put that thought in my head."

Jen got the attention of Torin at this time, drawing him over and into the conversation. "What do you think, Torin? These aren't the only ones, either. Leone spotted some up on the balcony as well."

"Hrm..." Torin examined the nearest statue carefully. "Well, it's not made of any material that I'm familiar with. And that bothers me a bit more than it should. I was a worker at the Lord's Mine for most of my life before this, and had plenty of professional cooperation with various smiths and metallurgists."

"It's just stone, isn't it?" Aaron said.

"There's more than one kind of stone," Torin clarified. "And this is not one I'm familiar with."

Jen was left wondering what could have happened here. Was Cain or one of his sons mining rare materials never seen before, and using them to create bizarre statues? Or had something else happened? Were these statues made from some dark magic or tragedy? It was starting to look increasingly like there was no rational explanation for these.

Leone raised a hand and placed it on the back of the statue. "It feels very warm, doesn't it?"

Jen felt Leone grab her hand and place it on the statue as well.
---

But there was something about this warmth. It definitely wasn't the same as what Enoch described. The estate still felt empty. This was not a comforting sense of warmth. It was giving her some other feeling that she couldn't describe.

//###//

Compared to the small and personable group described above, Jamison had found himself stuck in a rather crowded party. With the addition of Lady Fakeru, or rather, just Fakeru, or just Fah, he was feeling even more stuffy and awkward than before. There were just too many around to witness his embarrassment at that moment. The existence of the confident and brash Captain Punch, and the skilled Gunslinger Kidd, was not helping any; it just made him feel his own lack of manliness by comparison.

Punch had spent the morning leading the crew around to the southern side of the estate, in search of a collapsed section of wall he had spotted the day before. Unfortunately, one thing he hadn't spotted was the wetlands around this area. It almost seemed strange that these wetlands would border the farm, but Jamison got the sense that they hadn't been here before.

Something had changed the landscape.

Jamison found himself watching Fakeru while trying to traverse the muddied and sunken paths. He felt like getting his boot stuck in the mud and sinking to oblivion would be a rather stupid way to die. As for Fah, she was walking along the top of it all, her sandals glowing the entire time. They seemed to be reducing her weight enough that there was no risk of her sinking in.

Matsuda and Zephyr were walking in the rear of the party.

Jamison decided to turn and speak to them, trying to familiarize himself with some of his new companions... and being rather intimidated by the idea of starting a conversation with Punch. "H-... Hello there," he started off relatively strong for his usual self. "So you two... um... You were with the group that found that strange card in the medical clinic, aren't you? I would have liked to have seen that myself, but, I suppose I didn't have time to get a good look at it before, you know, um.... That guy seemed to vanish into thin air." Jamison realized he couldn't remember the name of the guy who had gotten sucked into the black hole.

Zephyr merely tilted his head in a state of half confusion as he tried to make sense of Jamison's rambling.

"You're a cop, aren't you?" Matsuda responded. "No offense but I don't think you and I will really get along that well. I'm more of the type to rebel against authority."

"W-Well, I am something of an Inspector, but, I've d-done a lot of private work in the past, as well," Jamison explained. "Mr. Owen up there was actually an old acquaintance of mine." It was actually the reason Owen had even found out about this place, or this job. Though, looking back at the work he had done for Owen in the past, Jamison was surprised that a guy like that would come to a place like this.

Then again... Jamison had no idea how his superior officer had ever convinced him to do it, either.

Or why they would have chosen a sheepish guy like himself. There were more capable, more confident men in the service to the Censors. Or, hell, they could have sent a Fisher Knight or two down here. He supposed it all had to do with how the government had been completely gridlocked until now. Convincing them to send even one lousy Inspector, with an emphasis on lousy, must have been their idea of compromise.
---

If the Fisher Knights had been sent here in force months ago they likely could have cleaned this place out. Instead, those guys seemed to be perpetually busy fighting corruption within the city. It felt odd for an Inspector because, in a way, it felt like they were doing his job. And almost too zealously. That was why he spent a lot of time doing private work. There was never much to do in terms of official business.

Fah had slowed down her walking, as something Jamison said seemed to have caught her attention as well. Because of her ability to walk on top of the sunken soil, and Jamison being thigh deep in the mud, she was actually looking down at him. "I thought that card looked interesting, too," she remarked. She seemed a bit brighter than she had the day before. Maybe it was just the circumstances. "It had a very occult feeling to it. My little sister was a freak for that kind of stuff, so I guess I have an affinity for it as well."

"Y-You have a sister," Jamison remarked. "She-..."

"But yeah it was crazy when that guy got sucked into a black hole, or whatever that was," Fah went on, not really seeming to care or notice that Jamison was having a difficult time responding to her dialogue. "What was that guy's name again? I totally forgot it." There was an odd sense of unashamed ignorance there.

It was a perfectly natural feeling that someone like Jamison couldn't replicate, because he would always overthink the situation. "His name was very bizarre," Jamison muttered simply. That much was true.

"Up ahead," Punch called out to the group which had begun to lag behind. "Come on now, don't sink into the mud. I've found the hole."

Looking in that direction Jamison realized that the break in the wall was large enough. It should have been visible for some time. Yet, for the last few moments, he'd been distracted with other things. Somehow he had failed to even realize how close they were to their goal until Punch had called out to him.

Matsuda and the others joined him as he went with Punch and the others up a slight slope, taking them out of the soil which had absorbed water, and up to a more dry spot of land that was seamlessly blended with broken stones. There were also collapsed piles of rubble and large bricks which sat to either side of the open portal. The inside was dark and dusty, and it was hard to see too deep into there.

"Well, I don't see anything dangerous inside," Zephyr remarked. "Though it's very wet in there, too. Not much better than out here. And if something is hiding beneath the water..."

"Beneath?" Owen inquired, his face turning white. "How deep is the water in there?"

To answer that question, Gunslinger Kidd brought forth a torch and entered the passage first. As he lit it, they could see the inside of what looked to be some kind of antiques chamber. Some of the display cases had been broken... through strain, or something else. It was hard to say. Others were still intact. And while some of the shelves contained scattered idols and statues and jewelry stands, others had been knocked over.

The entire western side of the room was covered in a thin film of water which seemed to be rising up from below. While, at the same time, the opposite door was blocked off by a broken pile of wooden scraps that had rained down from the ceiling. Going over to that hole allowed Kidd to look directly up to the second floor.
---

"We could lift someone up through the ceiling," Kidd remarked. "Or the girl can fly up there."

"Not until we know it's safe," Punch replied to that, assertively. He glanced around the room and looked to the two exits on the ground floor. "The water there intrigues me. I wonder where it's coming from, and what might lurk below."

"Below?" Owen said, his face turning even more white.

Jamison went to the puddle and knelt down beside it. He put his hand lightly on the surface on the water. "It's only an inch or two deep," he said, his instincts kicking in. When he was analyzing a scene or something like that he always seemed to speak more confidently. It was only in a situation where he had no authority or expertise that his ability to communicate seemed to vanish completely. "But the way the water rises from beneath that section of the floor, and it hasn't flooded the entire room, seems to indicate one of two things. The floor is uneven, or there's something leading below and the water is coming from there."

To that explanation, Punch went to the door and opened it, with Matsuda at his flank to cover him with the shotgun. Beyond the door was a flooded passageway with a few inches of water in it. And, further down the hall, was door on the right hand side which had been smashed down. The water seemed to be originating from down there.

When the party went down the hall and glanced down into those depths, they could see this door held a stairwell that led down into the abyss below. That had been completely swallowed by the water, and because it was filled, the extra water had started filling the rooms above until it had filled as much space as possible.

"Looks like both, then," Jamison observed to himself as he looked up and down the length of the passage. Though it concerned him a bit that a long hall like this one would have uneven ground, it was hard to deny that was the case. The water puddle in the other room was only an inch deep at most, but here, as he went further west, the water was getting deeper. That meant the passage was sloping down in that direction.

Jamison glanced ahead with curiosity. "I'd like to see what is down here," he admitted honestly.

Punch nodded. "Let's go, then."

Eventually the group came across a sitting hall which had sunken into the ground due to its own weight. Perhaps the water damage had added to this but it was also reasonable to say this might have happened on its own. Kidd was getting increasingly anxious due to the fact that they hadn't spotted any enemies, but Zephyr was totally alert as he watched the rear passage to make sure they wouldn't be ambushed.

A lot of water had poured down the sloped passage and into the collapsed sitting hall, and as a result, this room was more than half flooded with water. Jamison was standing at the edge of the open hallway which led to this room, but he was looking straight down into the flooded chamber. Because the ground broke unevenly, most of the water which had filled up from the sunken passages below had made their way down this long corridor and then formed a pool in this room.

There were chairs and dressers and tables floating haphazardly in the space between here and the opposite entrance of the room. Those all seemed water logged in some way or another. The room had a musty smell to it, as well. "It's been like this for quite some time. I wonder if this might have happened right during... well, whatever went totally wrong here."

Now ankle deep in water, Kidd came forward and stood beside Jamison. "Come on, we'll want to turn back now. I doubt there's any reason to go into a dangerous place like this."

"Yes, you're right. I'm s-sorry for my curiosity even taking us this far," Jamison said.
---

"Hey, we're here to have a look around. There's nothing wrong with that," Punch assured him. "It's better to know what lies ahead rather than wondering what might have been down this passage. I leave that to the brainy guys like you."

As the three of them were talking, Matsuda found himself staring at the water. And then, after a time, he realized that the water was staring back at him. "Ah... hm...." For some reason he couldn't really formulate any perfect thoughts, or give a voice to them. He was oddly transfixed by the eyes in the water that were staring back at him.

Or... no... was that fear that had frozen him? 'Not again,' Matsuda was thinking. He couldn't let this kind of primal, instinctive fear rule over him forever. Even if the monsters in this place held a strange power that seemed to chill the bones of humans and paralyze them. He was the only one who saw it, he knew, and he had to act -- he had to speak. It was his duty to do something or warn the others.

The sound of a light splash drew the attention of the others as its wide and massive head rose from beneath the depths.

"Guys!" Matsuda called out, likely a moment too late to mater, all except for the ones who were furthest away from the sitting room and might not have needed the warning. His own eyes widened as he saw a creature unlike any he had ever seen... emerging from below.

Its face and body were somewhat like that of a horse, but far more bulky and massive... and even, he would go as far as to say, fat. Yet that didn't bring down the intimidation factor of the water horse at all as it swam toward the ground with surprising aquatic agility.

Yes, it might have looked like a fat creature, but it certainly didn't look harmless or stupid. It was hard to see its entire body, due to being hidden under the water, but its massive and wide back and shoulders were intimidating enough. It almost looked like a small boulder floating up from the surface and then barreling toward them through the depths.

Now approaching the shallows.

And as its head rose from the water, trails of liquid dripped down from both sides of its snout. Its mouth opened wide. Wider than he'd ever seen a horse go. This thing wasn't like a horse at all. It was something else. It's face opened wide enough to fit a human inside. A pool of water was sitting inside of his jaw, cresting on the inside of his tongue, as he was still partially submerged.

A roar ripped outward from his throat, blasting the four gathered most closely to the edge of the passageway. It seemed to tear right through Matsuda's bones and draw the strength from his body. In that moment he nearly fainted.

The only thing that kept him alive was the surge of adrenaline as he noticed its long and sharp teeth. Two of them, to be particular, tusks on the inside of its mouth, each as long as a sword. And with that massive mouth and the crushing power of those jaws, Matsuda imagined himself being caught inside. He wouldn't just be skewered, his body would be snapped in half with a single bite.

That horrifying image spurred him into action and stopped him from losing consciousness. "Back!" Matsuda screamed. "Back into the depths!" He blasted it in the face at point blank range with the shotgun.

And it kept coming forward.

[End]

10. Welp. Now what do we do?
A. Punch will lead a direct attack on the enemy.
B. Have the front line cover a retreat so the others can escape.
C. Everyone turn and run. Hope for the best.
---