DAY DESTINATION

[thecanopycrew]

It's early in the morning when the wagon finally stops, and the adventurers have finally reached their destination after traveling far into the forest. They now find themselves in front of a dark, strange cave, just large enough for them to enter. The rats refuse to move any further, lying down to rest as the adventurers get a moment to check the cave out.

What soon draws the attention is a small gleam from somewhere in the cave, as if a beam of sunlight had been reflected from a metal surface. The light resonates with the ambers, showing the picture of the crystal sword that had been seen on the mirror shard. Breaking apart again, two pieces fade away, showing only the guard of the sword.

When explored, the cave reaches pretty far in before it suddenly splits off in six different directions. Each of these will only fit one person, and if they enter the new path, it will close behind them. It seems they're in for a challenge that might be difficult to handle.

Somewhere inside is a piece of this puzzle.

Comments

General

[thecanopycrew]

Keep the general threads here!

[nullity]

[ nai worries for the rats once they stop and refuse to go any further, and after giving each of them some comforting pats, his attention is on the cave before them. it feels similar to the cave back in niji forest, which makes him wonder if karoku might be standing at the other end, waiting for him. what a lovely thing that would be if it were true.

he doesn't even notice the light shining from his amber, safely in his pocket the moment, because the light in the cave is what grabs him. eyes growing wide with wonder, he immediately begins trotting forward to enter the cave...without the others, oops. c'mon, it looks fun! ]

[hakanai]

[Yoshitsugu doesn't necessarily agree with the 'fun' part, but as he dismounts and looks around his gaze catches the young one heading right towards their obvious destination.]

[...honestly, a brief rest probably would have helped. Yoshitsugu is not feeling all the good right now, his body growing weary, but if the flow says they go straight in then that's what he'll do. Grabbing his baton from the cart first, he catches up with Nai and says:]

Does the bold warrior intend to charge into battle alone?

Before the split

[hakanai]

Where they should go had been made very obvious from what had happened at the mouth of the cave; once their journey takes them to the six splits inside, the next step too is obvious.

"It's not a coincidence."

Yoshitsugu's baton, held out in front of him, offered some extra light to see by as it glowed with magic. It also happened to illuminate the curious look in his eyes as he glanced over what lay before them (and, perhaps, the brief glance he spared Takatora's way in anticipation of his response).

"Each of us must make the next part of the journey alone."

[bestworstdad]

"Right. Stuff like this always ends up with a mid-boss fight and we all come back together for a boss fight."

It was pretty typical where he was from, at least. Splitting up a party was pretty much the most solid action to take if someone was a bad guy.

"Ready for that?"

[handtowels]

Takatora grimaced at Yoshitsugu's words, though he did not deny them.

"I don't like this," he said, frowning. "But Yoshitsugu is right."

He did not immediately depart, however. Instead he waited until he could have a private word with Yoshitsugu. He slipped his hand into his overcoat as he stepped in close.

He didn't know all that he wanted to say, only that he possessed the desire to speak.

"Yoshitsugu..."

[scionoflegend]

At least one person in their group didn't seem terribly put out by this new development. Owain eyed the paths ahead of them, his chin cupped in his hand, nodding in agreement at Yoshitsugu's analysis of the situation.

"Hmm, indeed. Six paths for six chosen heroes. This can only be the work of the power of destiny!" An eager grin spread across his face. "FORTH, COMRADES! Let us face our fate head-on within the Tunnels of Much Calamity! I call dibs on the left one!"

Nai's Route

[thecanopycrew]

[nullity]

"Ah!"

Nai nearly drops his amber slice in surprise when the path closes itself behind him, echoing deeply in the surrounding space. He returns to it and runs his hands over the rock while wondering what had happened. Is he locked in here? This isn't good at all...

He looks over his shoulder. It seems this is the only way forward. But it's okay. He can still contact the others if he so chooses, and more than anything he has hope that he can find some semblance of home at the end of the path, be it his friends or maybe even an entrance to Niji Forest. He could have been close to his old home this entire time. The thought drives him onward, though carefully.

[thecanopycrew]

The road strangely enough does open up into a little forest inside a large cave. It is filled light and warmth, creating happiness and joy inside both Nai and apparently the inhabitants of the forest as well. Here and there, little fuzzy creatures are carrying berries and bowls of cream.

They happily offer Nai some of it, excited to share their meal. Behind them, a little gleam of light shows that the tunnel continues behind the forest - but the nice creatures just wants to be friends, first!

Owain's Route

[thecanopycrew]

[scionoflegend]

So, an individual trial had been prepared for each of them by the mysterious powers of this realm, was that it? Because if so, that was awesome. It was just like something out of the old sagas! Owain was all eager confidence as he strode into the narrow tunnel... although some of that confidence evaporated the moment the path closed off behind him. He spun, his hand instinctively reaching for his sword, and while he didn't yet draw it, he gripped the hilt tightly in anticipation of some attack. He stood still, tense, watching and listening.

When a minute had passed without anything trying to kill him, he sighed and relaxed somewhat. Whatever awaited him must be farther in, and there was quite literally no going back, so he began to walk. His hand continued to rest on the grip of his sword, prepared to draw it at a moment's notice, and its presence was a comfort in the absence of comrades at his side.

"...Looks like it's just you and me now, Mystletainn."

Whatever trial lay ahead, he needed to make short work of it and join up with the others again. And he had no intention of being the last one to finish!

[thecanopycrew]

Owain's deep cave corridor seems to go on forever, dark and silent to leave the young man with nothing but his own thoughts.

Absolutely nothing seem to happen. That, in itself, is a challenge for him.

Link's Route

[thecanopycrew]

Takatora's Route

[thecanopycrew]

[handtowels]

He may not have been entirely happy about splitting up, but Takatora saw the necessity. They were here to complete the quest; failure wasn't an option.

When the path behind him closed off, he spun on his heel, his saiken drawn.

But nor was a victory at any cost.

"Great," he muttered.

He glared at the offending rock before he turned back around. It wasn't himself that he felt a fresh spike of concern for, and knowing that he could do nothing only worsened his mood. What was clear was that there was only one direction for all of them to take: forward.

He hardened his resolve.

As Takatora headed deeper, he kept his gaze sharp and his weapon ready.

[thecanopycrew]

Takatora's tunnel soon open up into a larger cave. The air here is filled with the scent of blood and iron, and the ground is littered with bodies. A huge fight had taken place here not long ago, and the broken moans and cries of pain from those still dying echo through the cave.

A gleam of light is seen at the other end, signalling that the cave would continue if he crossed the battlefield.

...as soon as he puts his feet near the first corpse, however, it will turn to look at him. The dead have familiar faces - everyone who had ever died by his hand, by his failure or by his word; enemies, friends, soldiers.

One by one, they start to curse his name.

Yoshitsugu's Route

[thecanopycrew]

[hakanai]

When the door closed behind him Yoshitsugu wasn't... hugely surprised. He spared a glance over his shoulder at the now-sealed entrance before returning his focus to what lay ahead.

Somewhere in the other five passages there was going to be at least one very unhappy soul; Yoshitsugu could picture his face now. The child Nai was a concern as well. But they had all known that there was risk in taking up that quest and that was that, so right now, every single one of them had no choice but to go with the flow. Using the slight glow of his baton as a guide, Yoshitsugu walked on forwards.

He'd deal with what lay ahead in one way or another, whatever it was.

[thecanopycrew]

Unlike the other routes, Yoshitsugu's does not open up into a larger cave. Instead it continues, curving slightly as if the man is forced to walk in a circle. It starts to become quite dark, the reflected gleam the only promise that there's an end to the tunnel.

Then, somewhere in front of him in the darkness, are sounds of pain. Moaning, coughing. A child is crying. The stench of sickness wafts over from deeper down the road together with dirt and rot. It's a tight, crowded corridor filled with the sick and the dying, rotted body parts left where they had fallen off.

Nagi's Route

[thecanopycrew]

[bestworstdad]

"Guess it's my time to shine."

No sense in holding back. Nagi just dives in, eager to get to whatever boss fight he's sure he has to deal with. And probably completely wrong in that idea. Not that it crossed his mind to think otherwise, he was prepping himself for hard knocks and giving those very same hard knocks.

He wasn't even surprised when backtracking became impossible. Typical evil dungeon, really.

[thecanopycrew]

Nagi's tunnel soon reaches out into a more open cave with a large chasm in the middle. A small, rickety bridge is the only path over it, and on the other side the tunnel seems to continue, the reflecting light calling him further.

...but there's someone on the bridge, waiting for him. A closer look... and it's himself.

The Round Room

[thecanopycrew]

When all the adventurers have finished their challenge, they appear in a huge circular cave with a sharp drop down right into the abyss. There's just enough space before the drop to easily walk around, and there are five other openings evenly spaced around it. Those openings close behind the person exiting them, effectively trapping them inside.

When the last person emerges, a glow fills the room as the guard of the sword appears in the air right in the middle of the room.

Too far away for anyone to reach.

[hakanai]

The arrival of the others entices Yoshitsugu to his feet; the short rest was far from enough for him, really, but there is as suspected one last step in this quest before he can allow himself to collapse. He eyes the sword guard for a few moments when it appears before looking around to the others instead.

Any one of them who spares Yoshitsugu the slightest glance will notice how exhausted he looks. It's notable even on the sliver of his face that shows, which is strange for someone who spends most of the time looking perpetually calm and at ease. If they look a little closer they might also notice that his eyes look somewhat haunted too.

The lack of his outer jackets and sash is probably the most obvious clue that something's up.

"I do not have much left in me," he says, blunt and to the point before they really get focused on this new task. "So if this solution requires physical effort I will be of no use to you."