All I Wanted

The last thing Terofin sees as his body falls through the swirling, ethereal plane is the tainted ice blast from Murmaider’s massive spear coming directly at him. Faint side profiles of Yelyah Rose and Ellinor Moore quickly disappear as a thick sheet of ice covers the view looking back to Gothel’s Tower. As he turns his head to look forward, he sees distant objects that stand out amongst the chaotic Essence that could only be his companions. What seems to feel like both a lifetime and an instant, Terofin quickly falls into what can only be described as a contorted mess of his friends already piled onto a wooden floor.

“Usually have to pay a lot extra for that kind of experience!” Blocus shouts excitedly, followed up with coughing from having his fragile body crashed into all the others. Hitomi, both sore and relieved, says “You know, I normally wouldn’t say something like this, but I feel like I should be getting paid a lot more considering what just happened.” As the rest of the group moans and picks themselves up from their harsh fall from exiting the portal, Orbod quickly lends a hand to Terofin to help him up. “My King, are you alright? Are you hurt?” “I’m only pained by the fact that we left our allies behind.” “Fucking fishman; I think if we took a better stance we could’ve finished him” growls Earl. Disappointed and a little less angrily, Qaplowski agrees, “Aye, we probably could’ve. But for the moment; where the hell are we?”

The group collects themselves and takes a quiet moment to examine their surroundings. In front of the area where they all landed, is a door; dark walnut finish, very large, simple in decorative carvings but obvious of high craftsmanship. “I see Ellinor was in fact, able to imagine a door” Orbod quietly states. The rest of the dwelling follows suit; a large but quaint living space, furnished with elegant fixtures in a variety of dark wood finishes, many comfortable rugs and blankets, a large and cozy stone fireplace, and many other necessities in a more luxurious fashion. “Someone’s been *cough cough* living a comfortable retired life. I’m sure there’s some good booze around here somewhere” mumbles Blocus. Before he could finish the word “here”, Qaplowski and Earl are already heading towards what seems to be the kitchen area, in search of such refreshments. Hitomi offers to tend to Blocus, helping him sit in a very plush rocking chair near the fireplace. Terofin, giving a glancing look and nod to Orbod, indicates they should search their surroundings to look for any clues as to where they are. Terofin heads over to what looks to be a study area, filled with books and a plain looking but solid wooden desk covered in papers and pens. Orbod examines the walls nearby and it hits him like a brick. Picking up a photo sitting on a plain shelf, surrounded by trinkets and wares, he recognizes the one person in it, as they just departed ways with her. “My liege, look; we must be at some residence of hers.” Terofin, looking up and grabbing the photo, examines it intensely. “Good eye Zagovor. This is no doubt a personal space of Ms. Rose aka “V”. With that being said, I’m sure she sent us here indicating this is a safe space to regroup. But with THAT being said, we probably shouldn’t linger. If that monstrous ice demon found us, there’s no telling who else may be looking to do us harm.”

Qaplowski and Earl, having found a stockpile of drinks and food, quickly take comfort near Hitomi and Blocus to decompress and check their old and new gear. Qaplowski, running her hand around the Shield of Legend, “This shield… It feels as if it’s something ancient yet made with some kind of cutting-edge tech. This will certainly help us if we run into anyone else that’s looking to kill us; AGAIN. How’s that purse treating you Earl?” “It’s fuckin’ nice; don’t hate. It looks better on me than jealousy does on you” quips Earl. “Wow a witty sentence without drooling, I AM impressed.” Qaplowski, Earl and Blocus share a hearty laugh while continuing to drink their ales. Terofin, now armed with knowing they’re in a residence of Yelyah Rose, quickly pursues any clues as to where they might be in relation to Cypress Hill. “Orbod, continue searching for any other clues and here, take this ring over to the rest of the group. See if you can all start examining it.” “Yes my liege!” as Orbod swiftly catches the ring tossed from Terofin. As Orbod starts to look at more personal artifacts around the living quarters, it becomes clear that this space was a retreat of sorts for Yelyah Rose. Pictures and notes involving her and what appears to be a lover of sorts. Books, both in fictional and non-fictional sorts, show there was both leisure and something of a more serious type of reading going on here. More types of comforts scatter about; solidifying this is a place of relaxation and escape, but also a safe place to study and prepare

“Heh heh, hey greeny! Get over here, share a drink, tell me how you came to meet such fine friends” Blocus asks of Orbod. “*Ahem* Excuse me for appearing rude but we really mustn’t waste time. King Terofin needs us to keep moving forward. Perhaps you all could take a look at this and see what you think? I’m still running through the rest of the living quarters.” Orbod confidently, in hopes of gaining trust from a fellow who clearly appears to NOT belong with the group but said group went out of their way to save him, gives Blocus the ring and continues on. “Eh, not much ‘n the mood of reading; ‘plowski why don’t you eh?”. Blocus hands the ring over to Qaplowski. The gold is dull but hiding the fact that it is more the opposite. This ring gives a sense of being worth more than shiny gold. She holds up the ring, squinting at the writing within the ring. “Down by the river, a pool weeps tears on the eye of the end.” They pause. Qaplowski chugs the rest of her ale, then declares “I don’t know if I’m up for another one of these stupid riddles. DBTR APWTOTEOTE??? Doesn’t sound like a place to me.” “Zephyr will know! I like that guy” Earl shouts. Hitomi can’t help but shake her head. Orbod, overhearing the conversation while examining the stove in the kitchen, yells out “I’m sure we’ll figure it out! We were very close last time.”

Terofin remains vigilant on digging through the various notes and books in the studious area. Finally piecing the clues together, he figures out they must be outside of Cypress hill, the far eastern side of Mythbreak, near what locals call “Copperhead River”. He also discovers various notes on the Black Souls Artifacts. He knows for sure that he’s been seeing two different writing styles while shuffling through all the papers, and these notes on the artifacts have a more masucline touch to them. He thinks to himself that it must be from the man in the picture with Yelyah Rose. Since he’s made such a mess searching, Terofin begins to tidy up some of the papers and books in the area. In the corner of his eye, he notices a red flashing. Slowly looking down, finding and opening a hidden compartment of the desk, he sees a button. A silent, red flashing button. Contemplating what the button is for, Orbod makes his way back to Terofin. “King Terofin, is everything alright? I noticed you quickly slowed your pace as if something was wrong.” “Nothing is wrong; at least not yet. I’m inclined to think this button is to unlock something, yet the flashing red usually means for emergencies. Do you concur?” “Aye, I do concur my liege.”

Earl also slows himself to a stop as the group continues to laugh and converse. He sniffs the air. The rest of the group notices and stops as well. Suddenly, the entire cabin is filled with silence. As they all look around and at each other, they don’t hear anything. But as the silence continues, they notice that they don’t hear ANYTHING. Earl, in anticipation, reaches for his weapon…..