Blame it on the Rain

[Karuka]

Closed to that fuzzy kitty, Artifex.

I' jus' HA' t' star' rainin' soon as th' sun wen' down, di' i' nae?

Karuka Tida grumbled at her luck, holding her canvas over her head as she sought out a place to shelter from the rain. If it wasn't bad enough, she'd been separated from her traveling companion, Caduceus Grimaldi. War had struck, and come close enough to the village they'd been resting at to force an evacuation. He'd been pulled one way, she another, and she was having no success finding him again.

Her pendulum was on her neck...after all, "dharma can ay wait 'till th' rain stops."

After two or three miles, she spotted a cave, and trudged her way toward it. I'd ay be a merry mess if I hadna gotten th' new clothes an' boots in Radasanth. I'm nae cold like I was in other rains, wearin' jus' th' rags. An' mi feet arenae bein' torn on th' rocks.

She finally made it into the cave, letting out a little sigh of relief as she did so. Her leather satchel hit the ground with a soft thud, and she let herself follow suit. She folded up the heavy canvas poncho she'd been using as a makeshift umbrella and set it beside her, and then brushed some of the water from her new vlince clothes and deep red hair.

'Tis a nice wee cave. Ou' o' th' wind an' rain, an' decen'ly warm. She looked around. It didn't seem that there was anything hostile in the cave...no bears, which was her main concern.

A flash of lightning lit the cave up briefly, and she saw something curled up a few feet away. At first she thought it was a mountain cat of some description...but then noticed that he looked a lot like the pookha from the shop. In any event, he was sleeping comfortably, so she left him be, grabbing her woolen cloak from her pack, wrapping it around herself, and attempting the same.

Translations

>>>It just HAD to start raining as soon as the sun went down, didn't it?<<<

"Dharma can definitely wait until the rain stops."

>>>I'd be a pretty mess if I hadn't gotten the new clothes and boots in Radasanth. I'm not as cold as I was in other rains, just wearing the rags. And my feet aren't getting torn on the rocks.<<<

>>>It's a nice little cave. Out of the wind and rain, and decently warm.<<<

[Artifex Felicis]

The last time Leon had ever decided to sleep in a bed, the entire inn had burned down.

Nevertheless, the cat boy was somewhat shaken by the prospect of something bad happening again. He never got a break when it came to sleeping in what most humans called "civilization" and in a bed. Before that, he was nearly arrested while naked and had to flee the town for a few days until the merchant he pissed off forgot about him. On a completely separate occasion, he got lice from another inn, and some type of bug that he couldn't recognize the next. Less things crawled into his fur and hair when he slept in a tree covered in honey than in everyday inns it seemed.

Still, not to say he didn't invest. He carried around a reasonably thin blanket, as well as too rather large socks. The socks were cheap, and he could probably get a couple pairs for every gold piece. The blanket itself was better, but he did hope the big building he stole it from wouldn't notice that it was gone for a few days. But between the socks keeping his feet warm and the blanket wrapped around his middle he was set. He often used his tail to support his head, though it often was sore after even the shortest of naps.

The sleep was dreamless, and interrupted by someone entering his temporary home. He didn't stir, though he listened with his ears, trusting them to tell him what was happening. He heard nothing that would have generated a threat, but someone else sleeping in his cave would be a problem. A soft yawn escaped him, and the comfort of sleep overruled his razor sharp mind as lost consciousness.

He awoke with a jolt sometime later, enough so he was feeling reasonably refreshed. His eyes had no trouble adjusting to the light, or lack thereof, in the cave. The rain continued it incessant beating on the ground, and the cloud cover ensured any chance of really getting true light into the cave. coupled with the inability to light a real fire and the cat boy was in the shorts. Still, the occasional lightening blot that arced across the sky lit up the cave, enough for Leon to see the small bundle that was in the cave with him.

Leon crawled over, gently prodding the lump under the blanket with his paw. A inquisitive mewl escaped him, human language often was tough for him when he woke up, even if the rest of him was as sharp as a tack. His tongue seemed to stumble around the syllables like rocks as he found the words to speak. "Who're you?" The same questioning meow was heard over the pitter of the rain. He prodded her again, then backed away. He began to slowly clean himself with his paw, much like the house cats that made their home in cities. A careful eye, whenever lightening struck at least, kept watch for the lump to actually move.

[Karuka]

There was a tap on her arm, and Karuka brushed it off, adjusting her cloak more warmly. Outside, the storm was still raging...wind was lashing the rain down in sheets, and the only thing that could be heard over the wind and rain was the angry sound of thunder crashing through the skies. Who wanted to be awake at a time like this.

Not to mention, the floor and walls of the cave poked and prodded her uncomfortably...and she'd long since learned that it was best to be asleep when uncomfortable, because then it wasn't as bad.

"Fi' more minu'..." she muttered at whatever had prodded her.

She was prodded again, and then there was a sound like a cat's Who are YOU demand of strangers. It was only when the WORDS came that Karuka sat up and took note.

The cat creature of earlier was awake and looking at her, while licking off his paws.

Karuka grinned. "Well, 'tis another pookha! Are yer kin' common aroun' here? I've seen another 'un like y', down in Radasanth. I'm Karuka, an' 'tis good t' meetcha," here she paused. "Err...well, I dinna ay know whatcher name is."

Translations. Because they're fun.

"Five more minutes..."

"Well, it's another pookha! Is your kind common around here? I saw another one like you down in Radasanth. I'm Karuka, and it's good to meet you...err...well, I don't know your name."

[Artifex Felicis]

It didn't take long for the lump to move, and less time for the cat boy to decide that whatever the lump was, it wasn't a threat. Even if it was, he was reasonibly sure he would be able to handle anything that asked for five more minutes of sleep. If it was dangerous at all. Still, any thoughts of danger were further dashed when the person arose from the cloak that made her appear like a lump.

He stopped grooming himself, watching with interest for a moment to see her reaction. A smile, as well as a small purr, broke his face as he realized that the girl was harmless afterall, and probably nicer than most people with her speech. Not that Leon understood most of it. Still, he lived most of his life amoung other people like himself, in various levels of animality. The cat boy figured if he could understand a fox mouth speaking common as a second language he could understand anyone speaking his reasonibly native tongue.

"Well," the cat boy began slowly. He fit her sounds around words he knew, coming up with a general idea of what she was saying. He had a gift with understanding people. Not languages so much, but meaning and what they wanted or expressed. The sylables still seemed to cross uncharted territories to make themselves known and understandable. "I'm Leon, nice to meet you."

He moved a little closer, eyes adjusting to the little light that made its way into the cave. He couldn't see features, but a general shape was clearly there. He moved a little closer towards here, trying to look in the general area of her face. "How'dja manage to find yourself in this cave anyway? It's a little far from the road."

[Karuka]

"Hallo, Leon," Karuka said, reaching out to scratch him behind the ears as he drew nearer. He had short, dense fur that was still soft, and the other pookha had enjoyed being petted.

"How'd I find this place? 'Tis a wee bit o' a long story. I were travelin' west wi' a frien', an' we were a' this wee town, bu' then there was a wee bit o' trouble an' we ha' t' evacuate wi' every aon. I los' track o' mi frien', an' ha' been tryin' t' fin' him. 'Tis ay hard t' do so."

She sighed softly. "I'd be walkin' an' lookin' still, if na fer th' rain. When 'tis hard enou' t' fall almos' horizontal, y' know 'tis time t' seek shelter."

For looking like a pookha, this guy acted like a house cat. It was almost funny, really. He even purred like a house cat, and had come forward to be scratched. Best of all, he even seemed to understand what she was saying the first time around.

He speaks ay well, too, fer some'un who dinna ha' lips.

"An' what abou' y'? How're y' here, if th' cave is ay so far from th' road? If 'tis yer home, I'm sorry fer intrudin'."

Translations

"How did I find this place? It's something of a long story. I was traveling west with a friend, and we were at a little town, but then there was some trouble and we had to evacuate with everyone. I lost track of my friend, and have been trying to find him ever since. It's hard."

"I'd be walking and looking still, if not for the rain. When it's hard enough to fall almost horizontal, you know it's time to seek shelter."

>>>He speaks well, too, for someone who doesn't have lips.<<<

"And what about you? How are you here, if the cave is so very far from the road? If it's your home, I'm sorry for intruding."

[Artifex Felicis]

It was a curious effect. On one hand, Leon was about as human as human could get. Aside from a rather strong preference towards meat, he could have passed as a human without much trouble, assuming he woke up with a closed door and shaved often. But on the other hand, when certain situations begin to arise he becomes considerably more feline. It's somewhat embarrassing for the boy, and he often tried to hide it as best he could. Catnip was one such thing that drove him wild.

Scratching behind his ears were another. He purred again, mind focused entirely on the girl's hand. It was a good hand, and the scratching felt great. It also helped that he hadn't been scratched on the ears in a long time, not since he was called the grandmaster by most of the people he knew. He closed his eyes, going from partial to complete darkness. For a moment he lost track of where he was, and rolled a little, aiming to expose his belly. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone, but Leon was hardly more than a kitten in most feline respects.

Despite his roll, he continued, slipping down a slight incline in the cave and sliding on the slippery slope until he stopped against a rock, knocking his shin with enough force to elicit a harsh hiss. "Ow, bugger," he cursed, rubbing his knee and looking upward. He could tell he fell, but the lack of lighting in the cave hurt his eyes. Thankfully, another bolt of lightening arced across the sky, with thunder quickly following and the cat boy could see the top of the slope. He looked behind him, inching his way up the slope as the next spear of the gods lit up the sky and cave, revealing a much larger cave then the cat boy had thought. Then again, he had nearly crawled into the cave, and merely thought the slight incline was the end of the cave. Nothing had responded to his calls down what he now knew as much more than a larger part of the cave at first, so he let it be.

"I'm okay, sorry about that," Leon began. He moved up the slope carefully, not slipping like he did before. Karuka, or a black blob the shape of what he assumed to be Karuka, was near the slope. "But I think this cave might have more than just us in it."

[Karuka]

Karuka grinned as the man-cat started to roll over so she could scratch his belly, but that expression quickly turned to one of concern as the roll continued deeper into the cave.

She edged her way over to the slope, peering downward into the ever deepening darkness. It wasn't long before she heard a hiss and a curse as he hit his leg on something.

"Are y'all righ'?" she called down, trying to find him. When lightning flashed, she could make out Leon clawing his way back to her, and when he was almost up, she grabbed his arm and helped haul him the rest of the way. He wasn't heavy, and she wasn't weak.

She brushed him off as he got re-settled at the stable portion of the cavern. "We're nae alone in here?" The red-head leaned down to try and look into the depths of the cave, but her eyes were not as refined as her companion's, nor was there any appreciable source of light.

The thought of having something else in the cave, like a bear, or worse, a troop of bandits, filled her with apprehension. She didn't like confrontation as a general rule...and confrontation underground...all but two of her spells required access to the open sky.

"What didja see down there?"

Translations

"Are you all right?"

"We're not alone in here?"

"What did you see down there?"

[Artifex Felicis]

"I'm fine, my tail's seen better days though, and I think I need a haircut, and of course the rain is begining to come into the cave a little bit," Leon responded to the girl, not really trying to keep his tongue in check. More than once he had gotten in trouble with answers such as that. It was mostly just his way of venting. For a creature who prided himself on balance, falling down a hill was not the greatest thing for his ego.

"I think we are alone though." The cat boy sat down, reaching behind him and pulling the bag he had towards him. The blanket he left there, it wouldn't be worth it to carry the large sleeping accessory into a cave he would eventually come back from. His face scooped around him, and he found a large rock by touch. He shushed the girl for a moment, then threw the rock down into the darkness below, hearing the rock for a bit before the rain covered it up. "Or at the very least nothing came to eat me for the hour or two or three I was sleeping."

"Didn't see much though, but it's a lot deeper than I thought. Might even be a full tuneel, no shortage of them if you know where to look," Leon said. He grinned at the girl, though in the mostly darkness the most that could be seen were his eyes and teeth. "Still, now it just leaves the question of what to do. Sit here and wait in a stuffy cave until that torrential rain finishes or go down into the cave." The cat boy shouldered his pack, sliding down in a more controlled fashion the second time. "Assuming you want to come of course."

[Karuka]

Karuka grinned as the cat-boy let out his stream of complaints. He probably didn't intend such...but it was funny. She patted him behind the ears as he wound it off, and then watched (as far as the lighting situation permitted) as he dropped the rock down the tunnel. She could hear it clatter for a long way down, and finally disappear from her perception. He could probably still hear it for a while, though, because he didn't speak for several seconds after her limited senses had ceased to hear anything other than wind, rain, and thunder.

He then began by saying he thought it was safe -- that there wasn't anyone or thing else in the cave -- at least, this part, and that was reassuring.

What wasn't reassuring was the fact that he seemed determined to go and explore the tunnel. He grinned at her...and in sunlight, she was sure it would have been cheerful...but in these lighting conditions, his eyes seemed to glow like that of some evil spirit, and his teeth looked predatory.

Tha's...ay scary. An' he wan's me t' go down int' th' dark o' th' cave wi' him...Well, ay, 'tisnae amusin' in th' cave in th' rain, bu' th' rain'll ay en'...oh, c'mon. 'Tisnae like he's a luchorpan that'll lead me t' some colony an' keep me there ferever. 'Tis more like a wee kitten...jus'...bigger.

She glanced nervously toward the cave's entrance. If there was something down there, she only had ONE spell that would be any good underground, at least in any REAL sort of combat situation.

Bu' 'tis jus' a wee cavern system. Th' wors' is prolly nothin' bu' bats, rats, an' bugs. Nothin' t' be scared o'. An' there are worse things than th' dark...

Having convinced herself (somewhat) of the relative safety of the caverns, Karuka grabbed her satchel and started sliding down the dank rocks after the pookha boy.

She couldn't see anything, and there wasn't much to hear. All she could smell was mold, lichen, and fungus...cloying scents, especially in an area with poor airflow.

She heard a little bit of a rustle up ahead, and a rock clattered softly across the floor.

"Le'un, is tha' you up there ahead?" Her voice came out in a harsh whisper. Even though he had said they were alone, there was still the endemic fear of being heard by something hostile, and of then being hunted, caught, and killed.

"Yeah," was the cat-boy's reply. "Put your hand on the wall. It's a bit slimy, but not too bad."

Karuka stumbled blindly toward the tunnel's side, finally finding the wall, covered in mildew, and walking tentatively forward. After a few feet, she bumped into Leon, and backpedaled a step.

"Sorry."

"It's all right. Here." She felt a furry hand grope along her arm and place a warm piece of rope in her smooth hands.

Idiot...'tis his tail.

"Now there's no worry about losing each other!" The cat-boy's voice sounded cheery, even though it was dank and smelly in the cave. Thin again...he probably experienced things differently than she did.

The two began moving forward, slowly.

I was given permission to "bunny anything with Leon so long as he doesn't get that hurt or naked."

Translations

>>>That's...really scary. And he wants me to go down into the dark of the cave with him...Well, sure, it's not like it's fun in the cave, with the rain and all...but the rain will end... Oh, come ON. It's not like he's a leprechaun that'll lead me to some colony and keep me there forever. He's more like a kitten...just...bigger.<<<

>>>But it's just a little cavern system. The worst is probably nothing but bats, rats, and bugs. Nothing to be scared of. And there are worse things than the dark...<<<

"Leon, is that you up ahead?"

>>>Idiot. It's his tail.<<<

[Artifex Felicis]

The going was clow, but Leon wasn't that much of a fool to rush blindly into the cave. The urge to explore lacked any concrete reasoning on the cat's part, but the old cliche was probably going to end up being true in his case. Still, with one hand along the wall, picking off the squishy mildew every couple of steps. It came off softly and easily, more like the wall was wearing the fungas like an easy-to-tear shirt then growing lichen. Still, his bare feet noted that there wasn't much diffrence in the rock ground. Though every once in a while it became soft and his foot seemed to sink in a little.

The girl's hand around the end of his tail was somewhat comforting to him. He was a little worried about whether or not she would follow. If she didn't, and he returned to her hurt by some wild animal, he couldn't have forgiven himself. Having come along would be best. She probably would be good company, and the odds of anything terribly dangerous were low. The cat boy was sure he could take most of the things that would make thier home in the cave.

He stopped suddenly, a sharp pain suddenly coming and hitting his shin. Before even the hiss of pain or the thrashing of his tail his leg shot out, connecting with something small and squishy with the clawed end of his foot. A warm liquid touched his foot, but quickly slipped away as the object followed the laws of physics. The cat boy grinned a little at the feeling of the kick, though he was now a little uneasy.

"Sorry," Leon apologized to the girl. He had a silly grin on his face, though in the darkness Karuka wouldn't see it. Even the lightening didn't reach down here. Or at the very least it stopped flashing across the sky with thunder trailing behind it. "I just hit my leg on something, you alright?"

[Karuka]

Leon stopped suddenly in front of her, and Karuka, simply following where his tail led and trying not to trip on the slick floor, bumped right into his back as a dry little squeaky growl sounded from in front of them. His tail thrashed in her hand, and she stepped back, losing her grip and slipping on the lichen-covered floor.

"Unnh...sorry." Karuka rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. I ne'er slipped a'fore I ha' mi boots...I canna ay feel th' groun'...'tis ay th' point, bu' still...

"I dinna see y' stop," she tacked on, lamely. "I'm a'righ', are y' hurt?"

Before he could answer, a little grabble sound came from behind her, and a collar or something was latched around her throat. She could feel the sharp claws on the end of the clammy little fingers, and her hand lashed out, only to get bitten.

"AI!"

The red-head pulled her hand in, and the fingers went to her neck again, this time grabbing her pendulum and sliding it off, and she could hear the feet pattering as the thing scampered away.

"Oi!" she snarled, bouncing up to pursue. As she did, she heard a tinkle and a soft light lit up the cave, just enough to see the...luchorpan?* But a luchorpan it wasn't, and Karuka was in hot pursuit.

As it tried to shimmy into a small crevasse, she lunged at it viciously, grabbing hold of it and the pendulum in its hand.

"Gimme i' back!" she shouted, wrestling with the little grabby critter. It bit her hands and fingers viciously until they bled, but blood on her hands wasn't new to Karuka, and while it hurt enough to further enrage her, it didn't make her let go.

After a moment of useless grappling, it let go, drawing another collar seemingly out of nowhere and rushing toward Leon, trying to latch the little bell collar to his neck.

Translations

>>>I never slipped before I had my boots...I can't feel the ground so well. It's the point, sure, but still...<<<

"I didn't see you stop. I'm all right, are you hurt?"

* A luchorpan is a leprechaun.

"Give it back!"

[Artifex Felicis]

"I think I'm fine, just I think something hit me in my knee," Leon replied. He supressed a chuckle at the sound of the girl slipping on the "Just be careful, and don't squeze my tail too hard."

He didn't bother to respond, but instead held out his hand for the girl to help her up. He remembered the darkness a moment later, but kept his hand there more as a courtesy than anything. Still, then something he wasn't expecting happened. Namely, the strange noise like a small imp that came from both behind the girl, the cat boy and from their side.

Leon was already falling from a well placed tackle by a small creature, taking out his knees. The thought that they were surronded only came to him after he felt a tightening, and strangely familiar grip around his neck. It wasn't until his hands, careful to not let the rending claws claws scratch him, confirmed the collar that had been placed around his neck. Of course, the snapping sound of the gremlin's fingers was re assuring as well. He hissed loudly, claws extending and finding the small resistence of the gremlins flesh for a moment. Not enough for a kill, but a small wound was good.

It didn't help much for long. As the soft light, which thankfully didn't hurt the neko's eyes, began to spread from the bell that tinkled merrily round his neck, a leering gremlin's face made itself known. It brought up a dart gun and before Leon could move shot a small dart from it and into the cat boy's arm. Another dart followed, and the cat boy tried to rise, a sleepy sensation coming over him. He growled, but it was almost like a purr. He reached out, trying to grab the little gremlin, but fell forward, unconcious before he hit the floor.

[Karuka]

Karuka was hit with a similar dart...and as most prisoners were human, she was affected almost immediately, sinking into a drug-induced sleep with little resistance.

When she awoke, she turned over and vomited, nauseated by the toxin used to subdue her.

"Ghhh..." An' I ay though' tha' there couldna be anythin' in here worsn' bats.

She grumbled, searching for her satchel...which was gone...as was her mother's pendant and her father's sword.

In fact...the only things she had left were her clothes, her runes (worthless pieces of clay, after all), and the strange collar around her neck.

She shifted, feeling a heavy chain attached to her wrist by a manacle, and the bell made its little shimmery sound before providing a soft light.

The cat boy -- Leon -- was still unconscious on the other side of the tiny but steep pit. They'd taken his shirt and chained him down as well.

Karuka looked at him, seeing all the scars covering his torso. He'd had something of a rough life...or at least had gotten into many fights and gotten his fair share of injuries.

Still groggy, the Irish red-head made her way over to the pookha, trying to see if he was all right.

Translation

>>>And I thought that there couldn't be anything in here worse than bats.<<<

And details of bunny described by Artifex.

[Artifex Felicis]

Waking up from an artificial sleep is not something the cat boy wanted to expereance on nearly a bi-monthly basis. It seemed nearly ever other time he stepped foot outside of places he knew, he was drugged or hurt badly enough to need to be put out so they could heal him. The end result was always the same though. He woke up with a blasting headache, grumpy and would probably rip the face off the first unfriendly thing he saw. Course, this was worse then most of the times he had been put out. At leas the other times he wasn't that cold.

Gradually, he became away of the harder ground on his skin, as well as his bare upper body. He preferred it was often hidden. He was in the peak of health, but he was far too self-concious about his scars. Then again, it was mostly out of habit that he wore the coat. As well as it made hard and rocky ground like what he was laying on far more tolerable.

He began to move each of his extremities slowly, testing them and making sure they were all there. His tail seemed to be fine as well, just he had a pounding headache, nearly all of his wordly possessions were gone, an uncomfortable iron manacle was bound to his right arm and leg, each attached to a heavy ball that would slow every man.

There was another tinkling sound, and then warm and soft light seemed to fill up the small pit. It was like liquid, piling closer to the floor and filling up easily. He rolled and a inquisitive mewl came from him, watching the light come from the smaller girl's bell around her neck. Light began to come from his as well, soft so his eyes didn't turn blind from the sudden light. He put his head back down, mewling almost pathetically whenever he exhaled, tired and trying to not make his headache worse.

He curled up slightly, letting his tail droop along the ground. He let the sounds coming from Karuka wash over him, not bothering to respond to them. Every couple of seconds his tail his lift a little, like a small wave down the length of the appendage and then thrumming once against the floor in a sad beat. His leg and arm were already chafed a bit by the weights, and judging from the dull ache in his shoulder they weren't too careful putting him into the pit. He shifted his weight slightly, eyes closed and trying to wake himself back up from the drugged sleep. The after effects were still there, and escape wasn't possible without being completely awake and sober.

[Karuka]

Poor thing...he looks ay so hopeless.

Karuka sat next to him, as close as the chains would allow, and started petting the shirtless pookha gently.

"Dinna worry...'twill be all righ'...somehow. We'll get out o' here."

Never mind the fact that even WITH her runes, she had nothing useful for getting out of a mess like this.

"Y' mus' ay be col'..." she scratched behind his ears, not really expecting a purr. It was a bad situation, and he looked so dejected and groggy.

She was still feeling the effects of the dart, herself. The floor seemed stable, and that was about it, and it was cold in this pit. She could only imagine how cold Leon felt without his shirt, and rubbed him gently along his back, trying to help him warm up.

In the stillness, the light from the bells faded and died down, leaving the two once more in the cold and dark.

~~~~~~~~~
Karuka had no idea how long they'd been in there -- she'd almost started nodding off while petting Leon. Her head had cleared and she was feeling better, but she could feel the heavy chains binding her, and the pookha's demeanor didn't seem to have improved much.

Suddenly, a bright light pierced the blackness of their pit, burning Karuka's eyes. She raised her manacled arm to shield herself from the sudden illumination as she looked for the source.

It didn't take long to find and identify it as one of the grubby little creatures that had taken her pendulum and probably had put them in this pit.

"Ai! Gimme back mi pendulum an' mi athair's sword!" she shouted up at it, forgetting who was in charge and who was the prisoner here. She hadn't been any better alongside Seth Dahlios in the slaver's ship -- she might be captured, but she'd sure as hell die before she admitted defeat. And if she wasn't going to admit defeat to a group of pirates five strong, she wasn't going to admit defeat to a group of ugly little luchorpans.

It glared down at her for a moment, before throwing a pebble at her and striking her with it.

"Get ready, slaves."

Karuka's lips pulled away from her white teeth in a snarl. "Come an' make us."

Translations
>>>Poor thing, he looks so hopeless.<<<

"Don't worry. It'll be all right somehow. We'll get out of here."

"You must be so cold."

"Hey! Give me back my pendulum and my father's sword!"

"Come and make us!"

[Artifex Felicis]

Karuka had good hands, that much was certain. He looked almost lazily at her when she began to pet him like a smaller house cat. He didn't complain as she did it. When she first began to pet the soft light was still there, and it looked more like three different girls with three different arms touching him. He wasn't cold, but it was weird. His mind was fuzzy, and despite realizing the situation, he couldn't think of anything he could do now. He closed his eyes slowly, trying to think of what really happened.

He opened his eyes again as a rock hit the cat boy on the head, beside the soft, white cat's ear he had instead of human ones. He groaned again, a harsh bright light falling down on his eyes. It wasn't nice and calm like the bell light they had round their necks, but mean and unforgiving like a choppy sea. The cat boy sat up, then heard what he could only compare to a long series of heavy clicks. The source came into view as a small platform came down, two gremlins holding wicked looking blades in their hands on top. They gestured towards it, drawing a little bit of blood on Leon when he stumbled getting on the elevator.

Karuka was brought up after the cat boy, though she seemed to be treated a little better then the half naked cat boy. He tried to talk to the gremlins a few times. Mostly to demand where his jacket was and his shirt. Of course, a sharp kick to the back of the knee brought the cat boy down, and the blade across his though made the gremlin''s wish that he remained quiet easily known. It also didn't help he continued to replace words without noticing with a hiss or meow. There were rough blindfold put over the heads of the gremlin's two prisners, and they went on a short walk, taking enough turns to confuse the hell out of the cat boy.

They removed the blindfold, and Leon realized what they were on. It didn't take a genius to see two richer looking people staring at them. They both had darker skin, and pointy ears. It took a second for the cat boy to realize they were drow. They began to speak in their own language to the gremlins, and then one stepped forward to inspect the manacled Leon. He was taller then the slouching cat boy, so he straighted up, surpassing the drow by an inch or so. He saw the drow almost sneer at him, prodding his arms and running one finger across a longer scar on his chest. He circled the cat boy like a bird of prey, stopping in front of the cat boy and grinning in a way that made Leon bare his teeth.

"Bet natha fergin saph dos neitar inbalus ulu xund whol jalbyr rin'ov," the drow said aloud. Leon stared for a moment, then swung his arms up, paws in fists, and smashed them across the elf's jaw with a crunching sound.

[Karuka]

Karuka blinked and shook her head as her blindfold was removed. She and Leon were standing before a pair of svaltair while the luchorpans were jabbering on about their ill-gained merchandise.

One of the two stepped forward to examine the openly hostile Leon, and the other came to prod at the apparently more docile human female.

She let him poke at her slender frame...she was waiting...just waiting. The fellow had sleeves, or she'd have attacked already...but he didn't have gloves. She was going to make him regret that decision. As the svaltar's hand came up to her face, Leon's shackles met the other one's jaw.

The timing couldn't have been more perfect, and Karuka exploited that moment the only way she knew how. She gripped the Drow's hand in her teeth -- more precisely, she took a grip on the flap of skin between thumb and forefinger -- and bit down hard.

Her potential "owner" let out a yell of pain and surprise, turning back to her, and Karuka pressed her attack, smashing her forehead against his face before bringing up her hands to start pummeling him with her manacles.

The gremlins, at first too dumbstruck at the audacity of their prisoners to take control of the situation, now rushed them once more with their sedative darts and whisked them away from their distraught customers.

They were new prisoners, the chief explained apologetically, still wild. But they would be broken in short order, the Drow should have no fear. Perhaps the gentlemen would like to see other, tamer prisoners?

But Karuka and Leon wouldn't know of anything further that happened. Their own sale had been ruined. And Karuka, though stunned for the moment, had no intentions of remaining a prisoner any longer...just as soon as her head stopped spinning.

Note: svaltar are Nordic dark elves. Since the only Drow Karu's met up to this point was a half blood, and he only stuck around for a little while, I think it's safe to say she'd still be thinking of them in native terms.

[Artifex Felicis]

It was almost funny how the cat boy viewed himself. He was almost in peak physical condition, or at least as good as someone like him could get. There were quite a few more who were more fit then the cat boy, and a lot more who could beat him into the ground. However, he was almost overly self concious about how he looked. It was the best example for why he wore his baggy cloths. Then again, they were also comfurtable, and often gave the element of surprise when he fought. For many of the more serious fights, he wore tighter fitting cloths then baggy pants and a large shirt.

Even from someone who wasn't as strong as Leon, the strike would have at least sent them reeling. The cat boy's fists, balled up to make an organic hammer, seemed to have destroyed the drow's lower jaw. At least that's what it felt like for the prisoner. It followed his fists for a few inches before slipping as the drow crashed to the ground. The side of his face was a mess, and Leon's hands stung a bit from the blow. He was certain he could almost see a little bit of the drow's teeth as well, but that could have just been the gremlins' darts with the sedative inside them.

Something hard and very fast collided with the cat boy's legs, knocking him down again. The darts effects were slower this time, though Leon wasn't that surprised. He built up immunities quick to things. However, things were still hazy, and he could sort of see what was going on. Two or three goblins began to carry the cat boy away, not bothering to be gentle with him. They must have came to the cave quickly, because solid ground was soon under him, as well as a second set of manacles around his wrists. He sat up as quickly as he could, greeted to the same soft light from the new bell around his neck, as well as Karuka's. He waited for the gremlins to leave before stirring again, trying to keep his head from the sleeping drugs. It was hard, but he figured with some adreniline he would be fine.

He stumbled at first, listening closely for any of the gremlins above. It was doubtful that the two of them would be taken before any potential buyers now in their right minds. They would sedate them beforehand most likely. Still, they had a chance for now, assuming Karuka was able to move. Leon didn't want to leave her behind, especially since he got her into the mess. He didn't bother to say anything for her, though with the amount of sound he was making, it was obvious he was up to something. It took a minute to get the chain between one fo the manacle sets into his mouth correctly. They stayed there for another minute as the cat boy worked up his courage, then bit through the copper links.

He spat out the metal bits, his jaw sore and in pain. He breathed in and out quickly, then took the second chain into his mouth. It was broken in pieces by his strong bite and stronger teeth. The jarring in his jaw was worth it however, and his claws quickly stripped the remaining links from both sides of the manacles, as well as from his leg chains. He grinned, though his mouth and fingers were begining to get sore. His jaw especially hurt, but it didn't matter so much now. He wouldn't need to bite through metal for a long time he hoped. HE shook the girl, grinning almost like a loon as pain clarified his vision and the sedatives did their best to fog it up.

"Come on, we gotta go," Leon said to the girl., Hs words were slow, and ended in a smaller purr. He shook her again looking up for signs of any goblins who could stop his escape before it happened.

[Karuka]

Karuka was vaguely aware of the sound of crunching metal and the feeling of her wrists being freed through the sedative. While Leon had been able to shake it off, the chemical had been designed for humans and this had affected her much more powerfully than it had the pookha.

The pit was spinning in a dozen directions at once, and she didn't know up from down. The shaking she felt at her shoulder merely sent her ricocheting through an unsteady world, and the cat-boy's words didn't make any sort of sense. The tone suggested some urgency, however, so she struggled to get to her feet, not even getting her hands firmly placed upon the ground before she collapsed. She tried finding stability in a different direction, only to brush against the ceiling -- ceiling? or was it a wall? -- and not have anything to grasp.

Her legs also felt quite a longbow's shot away from the rest of her body, and though she tried to command them to move, they merely laid there languidly.

"Go 'long," she muttered, her own voice ringing strangely in her ears. "I'll catch up when th' dizziness ha' passed."


"Go on, I'll catch up when the dizziness has passed."

[Artifex Felicis]

Leon stared for a moment, then left the girl where she was. He backed up against the wall, breathing hard as he mentallt prepared himself for what he was about to do. He would be able to help Karuka, but not yet. He wasn't strong enough to carry her up the wall, nor could he throw her up at. Even if he did, he had doubts as to whether or not she could even survive such a toss.

He held his breath, crossing the short pit as quickly as he could before scrambling up the wall. His claws scratched along the side of the wall, and he propelled himself up. He missed his grip at the top, and he fell back down on the first try. He was out of the pit on his second mad dash however, and relativly alone. There was only Karuka in the pit below him. The gremlins didn't waste much on light up here, but the bell around his neck provided more then enough for him to see by.

There wasn't much around, but there was a rope. Leon smiled a little, picking up the rope and attaching it to one of the heavier tables. It was probably the same thing that the goblins used to bring the their slaves into the pit. He pulled on it, satisfied with how strong it was. The cat boy let it dangle down, and used it to help climb down the pit.

"Ding, bottom floor. Perfumes, swords, bras and slaves," he said aloud, actually smiling. Things were begining to look up at least. He tied the roped around his drugged companion, making sure it was snug under her arms before climbing up the rope and out of the pit. His muscles ached from so much work, but the two needed to move quickly. "Hold on tight."The boy pulled for a minute, slowly hoisting the girl out of the pit and onto the safer ground. He cut the rope from around her, and helped her up.

"Think you can walk?"

[Karuka]

The lass wobbled dangerously, balanced only by the kitty-boy's hands on her arms. She could feel the ground underneath her feet, but it was shifting under her very feet as she tried to get a feel for where she was standing. The light from the bells made it clear that she was as tall as she'd ever been, but she felt taller, like her head should be grazing the ceiling...or was it the floor? And she couldn't feel her legs.

She tried taking a step, since she thought she heard the word 'walk' through the haze that was this underground world, but she stumbled immediately, grabbing and clinging to her companion to keep from landing face-first on the stone.

"Walk? I canna e'en stan'."

"Walk? I can't even stand."

[Artifex Felicis]

"God I can't even understand you," Leon sighed. She almost smiled at the girl who was clutching his body for support. She was wobbly in the knees and seemed to have water in her legs. He grabbed her arm, keeping her upright. She wasn't part cat, and he had doubts about her reflexes to land safely in a ten foot pit. His confidence was not helped by her continued wobbling despite him holding her up.

"Come on now, hold tight," Leon explained. He heard her garble something or other, but he didn't really have the patience to listen to her. Her accent was cute and funny to listen to, but not when they were on the verge of being sold as slaves. He held her up, lifting her up bodily and holding her on his shoulders. She was a light thing, and Leon could support her easily. He was a little slower then he would have been without her, but at least she would be safer.

He began to walk towards and out of the room where they were kept. It was the only exit, so the cat boy didn't have much choice. He didn't get far before the door opened, and a gremlin walked in. It was the first time that he ever really got a chance to look at them. They looked like a close between an aged midget and an orc. In one hand the gremlin held a wicked looking sword, and in the other a sleeker, crossbow like gun that probably shot the needles that put Karuka to sleep. The gremlins topped in its tracks, and Leon smiled widely and terribly.

He kicked up, as hard and quickly as he could, with his claws extended. The gremlins seemed to shake and shudder until he stopped. Leon let his claws retract into his foot, leaving a single bloody footprint as he left the room and slavery. He wasn't going down without a fight.

"Oi, druggy," Leon said aloud. He hoped upward a little to get her attention, making sure to not get caught by any guards. There weren't any around thankfully. Leon did seem to remember having to wait a while from when he broke the drow's jaw and to when he had come to full senses in the pit. "You remember the way outta here, or am I just gonna have to start running?"

[Karuka]

The jolts of being bumped around were making Karuka's stomach lurch in equal amounts, but it was also slowly bumping her head clear enough to understand what was happening to her.

The truth was, she didn't know the way out, she'd been unconscious when they'd been brought down, and when she reached for her pendulum to guide the way out, her hand closed on air. When her fingers searched the area around her neck desperately, all she felt was the collar as she heard the silver little sound of the bell as it gave off its light. But HER necklace remained out of her grasp...the ugly little luchorpans had her mother's pendulum.

"I dinna know...if I ha' mi necklace, I coul' lead us out, though."

The world was still spinning around her, and she was grateful for the cat-boy's arms beneath -- or above? around? -- her, keeping her steady and safe. He was slowly leading them away from the pit...where to, neither of them had an idea...but it was a way out, however dimly lit by the enchanted slave-bells around their necks.

[Artifex Felicis]

The cat boy moved quickly, peeking his head out into the hallway and checking to see if there were any more of the gremlins around. Thankfully there were not, and it was a short enough walk to cross the hallway and into the open room across.

Leon and his cargo moved quickly, though no gremlin came to see what was the matter. Doubtless they thought he would still be as drugged and helpless on the bottom of the pit. Still, the thought that he wasn't was amusing to him to say the very least. He was shot with nearly three or four times the dosage the first time they captured him, and that wore off at about the same time as Karu's did.

A wide smile came across his face as he began to set Karuka down and onto her feet. They were in the storage room for the prisoners. There wasn't much in there, but there was more then enough for Leon to be happy. He picked up his coat with glee, and quickly made sure everything else was still in there.

"Come on, find your stuff and use the little pendulum thingy to get us out of here," Leon said aloud. He put on his jacket, enjoying the feel of it against his skin. "I don't know how long we'll have. Our little dance number last time probably ticked them off."

[Karuka]

Karuka was able to stand dizzily, and though the room still spun around her, she knew up from down and left from right. She looked around carefully, trying to keep her head balanced as much as possible. When she found what she was looking for, she staggered over to the table, grabbing her satchel and making sure that everything was inside it before putting her father's sword back in place on her hip and picking up her mother's pendulum.

"An' now we'll ay head t' where dharma wants us t' go...gods willin' th' Hel out o' here."

She grabbed hold of Leon's arm again, still trying to steady herself, before she shook her head to try and clear it. Her vision was slowly becoming clearer, and slowly her feet were starting to feel more stable beneath her. That would have to do for now.

She extended her hand, letting the pendulum dangle from between her slender fingers. Gods o' th' north an' south, th' east an' west, o' earth an' water an' sky, show me th' way back int' th' light o' th' sun.

At first there was nothing, a stillness in the air and in the string of the pendant, and then it began to swing in a triangle, as though pondering which direction it should send its wearer through. Finally, it settled between swinging right and left, before choosing to send them left.

"We go lef'."

"And now we'll definitely go wherever we're destined to...gods willing, it's the Hel out of here."

[Artifex Felicis]

Leon stayed in place for a moment, ignoring Karuka until her hand held his arm to steady herself. He missed his old coat a lot more then he would have thought. Being nearly naked for a while kinda did that to him. He never minded it until he was clothed somewhat properly again.

"Alright then," Leon said to her as she worked her magic. He was unfamiliar with it, like most other magic he had seen. He simply acknowledged its existence, accepted it as a hard fact about the world and moved on. The cat boy had yet to really run into many problems with that process of learning.

He watched with detached interest, looking through some of the other stolen goods and selecting a dagger in a small sheath. It was a sturdy looking thing, and sharp as well. It would never fetch a good price at any bazaar, but the cat boy didn't not really feel like going unarmed. As fun as it was, there were indubitably times when a blade came in handy. This may be one of them.

"Let's go Karuka," The cat boy exclaimed as she told him the directions. He helped her walk, and they quickly went in the same direction that was pointed out by the red headed girl's dharma. The word was foreign to Leon, but he had a sneaking suspicion it meant something like a god or fate or something akin to that. They moved without any interruptions from gremlins, eventually coming to the end of a hallway and a closed door. It was not the same way that they went in chains earlier, but it seemed the right way. Part of the journey up involved a little up hill work. Still, they were walking far enough along that he was beginning to worry about whether or not it was the right way.

"You sure about this?"

[Karuka]

Karuka had always trusted her pendant to guide her right. It had been her mother's last wish for her to have it, and she believed that it would obey her mother's will to follow her destiny to whatever end. In fact...Leon's question was one of the first time s she'd ever seen anyone express doubt the trustworthiness of her powerful little talisman.

"'Tis ne'er led me wrong a'fore..." she said, glancing over at the cat. She'd let go of his arm a few minutes before. The brisk walk had cleared her head and helped her process the toxins that had made her feel so sluggish. She still felt a little nauseated from the sedatives running through her blood, but she would push on through.

She looked down at her pendulum, still swinging with conviction. Why weren't they out yet? It seemed a reasonable query. What could make a little walk ever so long? The feeling of insecurity and danger that dragged on time? Or was it just that they'd walked so long?

"Perha'...perha' 'tis nae leadin' us th' mos' direc' route...but th' safes'. We've nae run int' trouble yet...an' gods willin', we'll nae," she hastily added. They'd had good luck so far, she didn't want to jinx it.

"C'mon," she said to the cat-boy reassuringly. "We'll ay be righ' ou'." That said, she continued walking ahead, down the long, branching corridor they were left to. She still didn't like walking through the dank, mildewy caverns...but when you lacked a choice, you walked forward as best you could.

As it so happened, "right out" was misleading. Half an hour later, they were still walking through the winding tunnels. Karuka herself was starting to wonder what, exactly, was going on, since certainly an alarm would have been raised by now. Suddenly, the pendulum ceased swinging forward, and pointed sharply to the right. Less than thirty feet down the new tunnel was a small door -- so small that Karu would have to crouch to get through.

"Looks like 'tis th' way..." She tried opening it, but the door had a heavy padlock...and neither of them had a key.

"It's never led me wrong before..."

"Perhaps...perhaps it's not leading us the most direct route...but the safest. We haven't run into trouble yet. And gods willing, we won't."

[Artifex Felicis]

"Fine then, hope it works," Leon responded to her explanation that the little pendulum was looking at more then simply getting them out of there. It was also giving them the safest and easiest way out, so they wouldn't get captured by flanking gremlins with hard maces and their strange sleeping poison.

Of course, the two walked in silence for a while, with Leon occasionally just kicking a rock ahead of him to help keep his mind occupied. He felt like talking, but the silence hung around him like an overly dense cloud. It was awkward to say the least, especially since Leon began to get jumpy at every extra little sound.

"Finally, we found the rabbit hole," Leon commented, almost grimly with a spark of hope. The cat boy almost skipped towards the door, bending down and inspecting the padlock. It was larger and very sturdy though only the size of his hand, clearly made so the average locksmith couldn't get through it. It was also attached to a door much smaller then it needed to be. It was a passing thought that the average secret door could be picked in under a minute by even the least skilled lock pick.

Leon smiled, staring at the lock with a smile. His touched the metal, realizing that it was too strong to cut through. It also felt like something he had never felt before. He smiled, extending a single claw in his outstretched paw and he inserted it into the padlock. It clicked twice, but did not release it death grip on itself. He paused for a moment, pulling out a ball of yarn. He directed the yarn into the lock, pushing and opening it so it swung outward and away. He pulled the padlock off, admiring the craftsmanship and pocketing the intricate workmanship. It wasn't that good of a lock, but it was cool looking enough to merit taking. He made sure to close it back up.

"After you, my dear," Leon commented sweetly, opening the doorway and quickly checking to see if there was anything dangerous in the immediate vicinity. He didn't see much through the doorway, even with the light of his bell. There wasn't any movement at least, and Leon wasn't sure how long it would be until someone would come by. He waved for her to go quickly, tail swishing with the thought of escaping.

[Karuka]

Karuka ducked through the low door and quickly hurried forward, looking around in the dim light of her little bell at the room they'd discovered. It was a large room, maybe fifteen paces by twenty, with a vaulted ceiling that stretched up to be the height of four men.

Even more impressive than the chamber's size was what it contained. Piles and piles of treasures -- gold, gems, and precious items -- were scattered about in a dazzling display of wealth. The red-head stepped forward, awed and amazed at just how much was gathered here.

"E'en th' king Charles o' Gual an' th' former Roman lands couldnae ha' so much..."

Her boot made a skff against something, and she bent down to pick it up. It was bronze-ish gold, almost metallic, and very hard, but not cold like a piece of metal. It was shaped like the shields she'd seen in France, almost an inverted pentagon, but the edges were curved...almost like the scales of certain fish, and there were ridges on its surface, kind of like a fingernail.

"What d'y' s'pose this coul' come from?" she asked Leon, tucking the thing into her satchel after having shown him, but didn't have the time to answer before a high-pitched growl answered one of the darkest corners of the cave. A few coins and a goblet clattered to the chamber's floor as the owner of the scale made his presence known to the intruders. This was HIS horde, and they weren't welcome to any of it.

When he revealed himself, he spread his wings menacingly and growled again. From nose-tip to tail-tip, he was about as long as two horses, and stood just taller than a horse at the shoulder -- making his head tower above the human girl and cat boy as he glared down at them.

Karuka took a step back, holding up her hands to try and placate the creature. "Ah...easy," she cooed. "Be a good wee 'un. We jus' want t' get ou' o' here. We dinna wish t' hurtcha."

[Artifex Felicis]

The smaller tunnel was somewhat long, and it took the cat boy a few seconds to wiggle through, using his single yarn thread to close the door behind them as best he could. His bell lit the way ahead of him, and his smile widened at it. For in front of him were glittering piles of treasure. Everything from gems to gold to harps and spears. He hadn't seen hoards larger then that, but it gave him considerably more respect for the gremlins to have acquired it all.

He busied himself for a moment, admiring and picking out a spear that was slightly taller then he was. He half expected the wood to be rotted, and the spear-point rusted to dust. He was pleasantly surprised when its heft and sharp tip could puncture a gold coin on the floor with little force. It was even better however, when the spear was still in his hands and he turned, spotting the small object in Karuka's hand. It was like still holding your sword when you foudn out there was more then one bandit.

He swore under his breath as she put in in her bag, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck go up. He had dealt with dragons before, and he was sure that small scale belonged to a dragon. They were fun creatures to hunt and play with, but never to fight for real. He wasn't even sure if he could fight one for real. Still, Karuka was the one who would most likely get hurt, not him.

"Karuka. Run. Find the exit. Then call to me," Leon said slowly and clearly. He held the spear in front of him as best he could. He picked up a coin with his foot, took it in his hand and threw it at the dragon that was before him. The dragon turned its full attention towards him, showing that it wasn't one of the more brilliant sentient beasts. He didn't know if he was ready, but he was sure he could move faster then it for a little while. Long enough to find the damn exit Karuka's god made them go to.

[Karuka]

As the dragon and Leon squared off, Karuka shrank back. To start running while it could still see her meant she'd just attract its attention again, and that would not be conducive to escaping.

The pendulum swung toward the far end of the room, and Karuka rushed toward it, skirting piles of treasure and weapons piled higher than she was tall. When she got to the wall, she didn't see any door or opening. There was just solid wall, and the pendulum had stopped swinging. It was as though she'd been guided by a less-than-helpful Loki just because he was feeling a wee bit vengeful that day and wanted a few innocents to suffer.

Did we ay come here t' die?

The lass's hands searched the stone frantically for a fissure, crack, or anything that could mean a door, but it was a big wall and she didn't have much time. She tripped over gemstones and slipped on gold coins underfoot, which didn't help in her search.

Finally, she took a blind step and found herself standing in a small area that was absolutely free of coin and clutter. She couldn't see anything that marked a door, but it was the ONLY area along the wall that seemed to be clear. She had nothing to lose by trying to push the wall open; nothing but time.

Bracing herself against the floor, the red-head pushed as hard as she could against the wall, and was rewarded by the sound of stone grinding against stone as the wall pushed back to reveal a door -- beyond that, the brightness of the noontime sun.

"Le'un!"

She shouted for her feline companion, hoping he heard and could get away from the dragon long enough for them to escape.

[Artifex Felicis]

The girl did what Leon asked of her, and quickly began to move away from the beast. He had no illusions about how useful she would be in a fight like this. He didn't have any illusions about himself either. Even if there was no magic involved, the great lizard in front of him could easily pick him apart if he wasn't perfect in every movement.

"Nice boy easy boy, we aren't gonna do anything mean to you, just wanna leave," Leon said to it, trying to calm the obviously enraged beast. His words as as much effect on it as throwing the gold coin from earlier. It leap forward, a trick the cat boy himself used on his own prey. It was effective, overhwleming the victim and ending the hunt right then and there.

Leon rolled forward holding the spear point up as it trailed across the dragon's belly. A couple loose scales fell off, but the screeching of metal on another hard object told him he barely did any damage to it at all. The dragon recovered, using its forepaws like it was performing a handstand to blow a rather large fireball at the csat boy before completing its roll. Leon threw himself to the side, hearing a strange sizzle as gold and priceless works of art melted into a gooey substance.

The back and forth game of cat and mouse continued, with Leon retreating more then attacking. He was actually moving as quickly as he could, staying a step ahead of the dragon and hoping to whatever god that would listen he wouldn't slip on a loose coin. As Karuka called out that freedom was their's however, his spear point managed to finally nick through the dragons armor as it attempted to pounce on him again. Its blood fell, several drops hitting the grandmaster's face as its tail thrashed just right, crashing the boy into a large pile of gold.

He groaned in pain, turning over and simply rushing towards the exit with spear in hand. A rib or two felt broken, and a salty, coppery taste was beginning to fill his mouth. The dragon bounded in front of him, cutting off his escape. Leon did what he hadn't done all fight, take the initiative and attack. He swung the spear in an arc while running, slicing through and irregularly through the dragon's claw the reached towards him. He somersaulted again, jamming the spear upward and pushing, loosing a bit of the dragon's flesh from its body. Leon held it in triumph, dodging the thrashing tail as his victim howled.

The door was open just enough for the cat boy to slip through as the dragon turned around. He coughed, a little bit of blood coming into his mouth again. He held the spear in one hand, and a bloody chunk of meat from the dragon in the other. He backed up a little, coughing and some more of his life's water falling on the ground in a little splatter. It seemed like more then a rib was broken when he got slammed by the dragon. He stood though, placing his dinner into his pocket and holding his spear ready, hoping Karu would be coming through in a moment.

[Karuka]

bunny allowed
Leon managed to squeeze through the opening, but although she'd tried her hardest to open the door, it was too heavy for her, and her frame wouldn't fit through quite so well. She had curves.

As she tried to heave the door open just enough for her, the dragon came rushing her, after Leon. Karuka turned her head to see herself being charged, and for a moment, she stood frozen. This thing was going to kill and eat her without so much as a second thought.

Just before the dragon connected, Karuka stepped to the side, and the dragon's head and chest slammed against the door, wedging it open enough for the red-head to dash through and into the sunlight.

"Quick, Le'un, help me t' close th' door!" she shouted, using the whole of her weight and strength to try and force the door back shut. She heard the angry screams of the beast from within, and knew that if they didn't get the door closed soon, they'd have more to deal with than just an irritable baby dragon.

Despite his broken ribs and aching body, Leon moved over to help Karuka close the door. Fortunately, it was easier to close than to open (go figure, with the need to contain a dragon), and after a moment it slammed shut, with the angry screams of the dragon barely audible behind.

Sighing, Karuka collapsed against the hill. The day was perfect...a few puffy white clouds in a clear blue sky, sunlight shining through the trees and letting the leaves make dappled shadows and spots of light, birds singing. It seemed to be the starkest contrast possible to the dank gloom of the caverns.

"I've ne'er seen so perfec' a day b'fore," she said, feeling properly appreciative of freedom after having come so close to slavery. Her pendulum was still in her hand, and she put it back around her neck. It wasn't something the lass wanted to lose. She then looked at Leon with a smile, but her merry remark died on her lips as she saw the state of her companion.

"Are y' alrigh'? D'y' need me t' help y' t' somewhere tha' they can heal y'?"

Genuine concern reflected in the red-head's eyes...after all, it had been her pendulum leading them that had gotten them into the room with the dragon, and therefore hurt. She was sure he could be in worse shape...but it didn't mean he was in any condition to travel by himself.

Spoils:
Silver bell: Enchanted with a light spell that's good for up to 10 feet forward and to either side of dim light.

Dragon scale: From a young dragon. Mod can determine the strength.

Translations:
"Quick, Leon, help me close the door!"

"I've never seen so perfect a day."

"Are you okay? Do you need me to help you to a healer's?"

[Artifex Felicis]

There was something to be said about how often it seemed Leon needed to get medical attention. Nearly every other week he had to find some healer to take care of whatever stupid adventures he had been on. Of course, most of the time the dangers never came from the battering and cutting itself, but the sheer amount of crap he put himself through immediately after. Most of the time he ended up being fine after a couple days rest anyway. He leaned against the spear in his hands, holding it with a death grip so that he wouldn't fall. He coughed again, and spat the copper tasting red liquid onto the hill.

He let himself down as gently as possible, wincing and mewling in some small pain over his chest. He took off his jacket, almost grinning at the wide mark on his chest. The dragon's tail was almost perfectly ingrained on him, and it was already begining to bruise and even bleed in a few spots. He let himself down, closing his eyes and breathing deep besides. They were free, and the dragon wasn't going to eat him.

"Probably not," the cat boy remarked, a little surprised at how weak his voice sounded. He felt better then he looked and sounded, but that wasn't saying much. He grinned, showing wide teeth as he spat a bit more of the red life juice onto the hill in the other direction from Karuka. "Just give me a hand tot he nearest town, I think I should be able to survive."

He paused for a moment as he got up and put the jacket back on, wincing and cursing his hurt chest. He used the spear as a makeshift cane. Karuka stepped next to him, helping him put an arm over her so that he could walk. The two began to move in an almost ungainly way, though with a good speed. His legs weren't too hurt and so longg as he breath easy the pain was tolerable. For a few moments, he thought he should have said something witty, but it hurt too much to speak and walk at the same time. He mentally shrugged, and simply walked towards the nearest sign of civilization.

((Spoilapalooza

Silver Bell - when it jingles and is around Leon's neck, a dim light extends for a about ten feet in every direction around Leon.

Lock - Made of a very hard material, though ugly and not worth much. Up to the mod.

Spear - Mod can determine strength, hopefully delyn and liviol

Dragon Meat - Chunk of Dragon meat, no real qualities, but a nice meal.))

[Letho]

CONTINUITY – 6

I have a feeling that this was one of those let’s-do-something quests that are created mainly for fun and interaction, but no so much for the sake of the storyline. Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with that. But such a spontaneous approach seldom offers opportunity for deeper, character-shaping stories. Suffice to say, you two stumbled upon each other and then went on a capricious adventure and found some booty. Introductions were solid, nothing too fancy, but just enough to give the reader a reason why the characters were where they were. A word of advice, though; next time you stumble upon a cave with no source of light at hand, don’t go exploring the cave. ;)

PACING – 7

Very solid. There was always something going on, first getting in the cave, then getting out. You finished up with what I like to call a “game ending”. In most games you play, there is always some big bad boss waiting for you at the end, and one waited for you at the end of your little escapade. It’s a good way to end it, perhaps a little predictable. I expected some kind of a twist, though, something that wouldn’t make the escape such relatively smooth sailing, but it was still okay. There was one thing that hurt the pacing, however. Both of you have a tendency of sometime rewinding the action back a few steps, so when one character moved forward in his post, the other doesn’t start off where the first one left off. This leads sometimes to silly situations in which Karuka is fighting a gremlin at the end of her post, and at the beginning of Artifex’s he’s replying to something she said prior to the fight. This is usually a bad thing. It’s better to sometimes leave out a reaction to something then to break up the pace.

SETTING – 5,5

Rather difficult to rate. On one hand, you had a rather monotonous setting to work with. Darkness, darkness, and more darkness, with some dim light here and there. In such situations it can be hard to describe the setting. You both tried to focus more on senses other then sight, but that can be tricky. You started off rather good, with all the mildewy scents of fungus and mold and dampness, but later on such descriptions disappeared. The pit was just a round hole, the dragon’s lair was just a room filled with shiny stuff. I think between the two of you, there were two or three sentences describing the larges hoard of riches you ever saw. Which left me seeing the archetype, almost comical cone of golden coins and not much else. Try to avoid this by focusing on certain details that stick out.

DIALOGUE – 6

This is the first time I read/judged anything written by Karuka, so the whole garbled talk took some getting used to. Once I did, her dialogue flowed rather naturally, though there was this one post in which you forgot to post the translation. Not a big thing because most of the stuff can be deciphered with some common sense, but still something to watch out for. Leon was good here as well, though there were times when his playful nature manifested a bit too much in the dialogue. Specifically the part when he descends on a rope in a pit, sounding as if he’s in a mall. Are there malls in Althanas?

ACTION – 7

Once you got yourself in trouble, there was plenty of action and most of it was very believable. Why would you venture in a cave without as much as a match is beyond me, however. And why would Karuka go into the darkness with a complete stranger? Maybe chicks just have a thing for fuzzy things, but even adventurous nature has its boundaries. But then again, if you hadn’t ventured into the cave, it would’ve been one boring, rainy quest, wouldn’t it? :P The battle with the dragon could’ve perhaps been a bit better, with a bit more finesse and more detailed description, but it wasn’t too bad either considering the physical state of your characters. Only one thing seriously bugged me and it was the fact that you haven’t run into a single imp since you escaped the pit. Dharma or no dharma, that was a bit too convenient.

PERSONA – 7,5

I think this is where you both did very well. Leon with his catlike behavior and curiosity that fortunately didn’t kill the cat this time around. Karuka, on the other hand, was pretty much everything a person would expect from a rather amicable 16 year old who can barely communicate with her peers. All in all, a good job, though there’s always room for improvement. Try to focus a bit more on your character’s emotions when they face some difficulty. I’m pretty certain I’d nearly soil my breeches if something reached out from behind in pitch-black darkness and grabbed my neck, and I think most characters would too.

MECHANICS – 6

Typos abound! You both have a good number of them, but Artifex has somewhat more. I noticed this in most of your writing, Artifex, even OOC. You always seem to drop a letter here, a syllable there, or just mistype it. It’s the type of mistake that makes you type Damascas instead of Damascus. Sometimes there are so many that they disrupt the flow of writing. Be watchful of these. Karuka was a bit better here, but far from flawless. Reread your work, reread, and reread again if necessary. I didn’t take away too many points here mostly because everything else was more or less in order.

TECHNIQUE – 5

There’s only one thing I feel I should point out. At one point in your posts, Karuka, you made an OOC note in order to explain something IC (the drow/svaltar thing). You shouldn’t do that. The duty of a writer is to present that information to the reader through narrative, to include it in the story. Making a footnote out of it just seems sloppy. Other then that, I have nothing notable to add. I seldom noticed some advanced literary devices.

CLARITY – 7

Not too bad throughout the quest. There were several places that when I found it difficult to see what was going on, like when Leon carried Karuka and fought that one imp, or when the typos changed one word into another that means something completely different, but all in all, it was solid work.

WILD CARD – 6

For a pair of people that went nosing through underground tunnels with nothing but your hand on the slimy wall to guide you, you two could’ve done much worse. :)



TOTAL SCORE – 63

Congratulations!!!


SPOILS:
Karuka Tida receives 1600 EXP and 350 GP. She also gets the requested items. The young dragon scale is currently as hard as Delyn, but also has a minor resistance to magical fire.

Artifex Felicis receives 2700 EXP and 350 GP. He also gets the requested items. The lock is made of Titanium and the spear is made of Delyn and Livol.



EXP/GP added! Karuka Tida, welcome to the next level.