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Night 60: Underground Lake

Dec 28, 2011 11:40

[From here.]Just like the last time, Guy's feet hit the uneven sand as he took in that unmistakable smell of dampness. This area was almost dead quiet when compared to the hallway that they'd just come from, but he still could make out the lapping of water and the creaking of the dock. All of those sensations just reminded him of the fact that they ( Read more... )

s.t., claude, guy, scott pilgrim, anise, peter parker, depth charge, two-face, indiana jones

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gald_digger December 29 2011, 01:26:05 UTC

The first time they teleported to the underground beach, Anise had been thrown off her feet. This time, she was ready for the shift to more uneven ground, and managed to keep standing with only a slight wobble after the transition. She looked around with a small smile, glad to see the others made it safely too.

Guy's words were answered with a firm nod, and Anise started walking after him. So it was already time to meet the skeleton...

"It's my turn, right? I should probably go with..." Her voice trailed off. With her flashlight still tucked under her arm, she was able to bring her fingertips to her throat. It was going to be weird for someone as talkative as Anise to go a whole night without talking. But sight was out of the question, and hearing would make it hard to follow group plans or notice danger. "Well, it's just for a little while, so I guess it's okay!" she quickly added on a lighter note.

full_score December 30 2011, 02:32:34 UTC

As nauseating as the sudden shift could be, the transition wasn't as jarring this time around. Claude's feet sunk into the sand as he quickly regained his balance, and his eyes readjusted to the dark, moist cavern. He had a feeling they'd warp here several times more in the future, so it was probably just as well that he was starting to adjust. Glancing at both of his friends, Claude was relieved to find they'd made it here along with him ( ... )

razing_phoenix January 1 2012, 03:04:13 UTC

It didn't take them long to cross the sandy area and reach the docks, although Guy made sure to move his flashlight around them in case the ferryman decided to ambush them again. It didn't seem like the skeleton meant them any true harm. Instead, he just liked to string them along and trick them. That didn't mean that Guy wanted to be startled, though. Still, the ferryman was their only way across, which meant they had to be at least somewhat polite. It was a good thing that Guy had some experience with being civil toward people he didn't like ( ... )

gald_digger January 2 2012, 05:13:46 UTC

Anise turned to face Claude when he voiced his objection, looking a little surprised. "Huh? But..." She'd fully expected to be the one to pay the toll this time, but now that he mentioned it, she could understand where he was coming from. They didn't even get across the lake last time, did they?

She pressed her lips together, reluctant to agree. Anise felt like she needed to pull her weight more, especially after they rescued her before. But he had a point, and Anise couldn't come up with a good argument against it. "... Okay," she eventually agreed with a sigh, then looked over to Guy. "Yeah, it can't hurt to ask... probably." There was no telling what that creepy skeleton might do, but she could always have hope.

Speaking of whom... where was that creepy skeleton? Anise checked over her shoulders. Maybe he was trying to sneak up on them again.

full_score January 4 2012, 00:54:18 UTC

So far neither of them had any strong objections, which would hopefully make negotiating with the skeleton go smoother. In the meantime, they couldn't do much until they found him. Part of Claude feared that maybe he'd decided not to man his post tonight for whatever reason, leaving the three of them stuck in a lurch. But they'd found him twice before, at least, so maybe their luck would hold out a little longer.

"Mister Ferryman?" he called out as he took a few more steps onto the wooden dock. "We'd like to talk to you!"

Hopefully he wouldn't play games with them with this time, but Claude knew that was probably wishful thinking on his part.

trolltaker January 4 2012, 01:59:12 UTC

"About time," came Charon's gravely voice from further up ahead. The torchlight illuminated his white bones as he rose from the gently rocking boat. "I was just about to get ready to see if I could find someone to play a game of cards with -- or to push into the lake, either one." With how ill-tempered a lot of the creatures here were, any game inevitably ended with someone falling into the water.

"Kind of flattered to see you back again so soon," he chuckled. "But I guess you three didn't come just to look at my pretty face." Gazing at the group with a pair of hollowed eyes, Charon continued speaking. "Anyway, you know the drill. Who's it going to be tonight?" Placing some of his weight onto his staff, he eagerly leaned forward. "The cute one?"

razing_phoenix January 4 2012, 20:00:11 UTC

As it turned out, the skeleton had been hiding in his boat after all. Guy hadn't spotted him until he emerged, which seemed strange. On the other hand, something that was just a bag of bones could probably hide pretty easily. It was still bizarre to see a skeleton walking and talking; sometimes it almost felt like the ferryman could make expressions, even though it was just a talking skull ( ... )

gald_digger January 5 2012, 04:57:37 UTC

The skeleton's voice sounded ahead of the group while Anise had her head turned, and she snapped her gaze back just in time to see him rise from the boat. At least he didn't catch her completely off guard this time...

When the skeleton leaned closer and mentioned the toll, Anise frowned in return, scrunching up her face in disgust. "Boooo. You don't have to be so creepy about it." While she enjoyed being 'the cute one,' the skeleton's words were sounding less flattering and more disturbing with each night.

Fortunately, Guy went ahead and started negotiating, and Anise kept quiet while he did. He was usually good at this kind of stuff, though she was a little skeptical about how cooperative the skeleton would be. He didn't strike her as someone who cared that much about what was fair.

full_score January 6 2012, 02:43:29 UTC

While Guy had a valid question, the more Claude thought about it, the less giving up his sense of touch sounded like a good idea. As a front-line fighter, he needed to rely on his ability to wield a sword. If he couldn't use his body to gauge how much force to throw into an attack, where would that leave him? Without something so crucial, he'd easily become a burden if they fell under an unexpected ambush -- and, judging by their first night in here, the odds weren't in their favor ( ... )

trolltaker January 6 2012, 03:18:03 UTC

Before anyone had a chance to add anything else to the conversation, Charon cut in. "Pleasure doing business with ya', Blondie," he said with an unnatural, grating laugh. Then, as if to seal the deal, he knocked his staff against the dock. The sound echoed off of the damp cavern walls ( ... )

razing_phoenix January 7 2012, 07:23:28 UTC

Guy hadn't really been ready for Claude to change his mind at the last minute like that. Giving up his voice? It seemed like it would be a tough burden to bear, but in the end Guy could understand Claude's reasoning pretty easily. So long as he could still nod, shake his head, and gesture to them, they would hopefully be fine.

Not that they really had a chance to reconsider, since the ferryman took his toll almost right after Claude made his offer.

Guy's gaze remained on Claude for a moment. This wasn't as bad as if he had lost his sight or something, seeing how that would have had some terrible memories associated with it, but --

Then the skeleton spoke up again, and it was with a voice that most certainly didn't belong to him. "What--?" Guy's head whipped over to stare at the ferryman, his shoulders stiff. While he'd realized beforehand that the skeleton took their senses for itself, this was the first time that it had been quite so obvious, and it was bizarreWhile Guy didn't really want to hear it in Claude's voice, he still ( ... )

gald_digger January 7 2012, 07:51:56 UTC

Claude's reasoning was sound. In fact, Anise had considered that too, back when she was thinking up objections to him going before her. Being able to feel was vital to swordsmanship, and she needed a voice for fonic artes. This way, they'd all get to stay in good fighting shape.

The sound of the staff's thud was as ominous as ever, but what was even worse was the sound that came out of the skeleton's mouth after that. Anise was taken aback for a moment, flinching at hearing her friend's voice coming from the ferryman. She took a moment to absorb both that and the information he was giving them, and then sighed. "Now I'm really glad I didn't pay tonight ( ... )

full_score January 7 2012, 17:17:45 UTC

Oh, hell, was the ferryman seriously using his voice now? Claude grew stiff at that realization. Really? Well, at least this beat paying over his sense of touch, although for a fleeting moment he wondered if such a price was worth not having to hear that skeleton talk like him. But, no...last night he'd realized he'd made a mistake by not quite thinking things through, so he was glad to at least get a chance to set things right this time around.

At any rate, thankfully the skeleton decided to clear up some of the confusion about how tolls worked. With that done, they were ready to be on their way. But, first, it looked like Anise had thought to bring along a pen and some paper just for this very scenario. Claude wordlessly raised his eyebrows at the offer before taking them with a grateful smile. Thanks, he mouthed, and he tried not to let the lack of sound unsettle him too much ( ... )

trolltaker January 7 2012, 17:46:42 UTC

Once everyone sat down, Charon took his usual position at the back of the boat and pushed them away from the dock with his staff. The water gently lapped against from their movements, sending small waves across the dark lake. It was quiet -- and, thankfully for the group traveling with him, the skeleton wasn't in the mood to shatter tonight's relative peace. Considering how long he'd been stuck here alone, it almost surprised even him, but maybe that was what laziness did to someone.

Well, whatever. If they didn't wind up like the unfortunate creatures scattered across the sand, they'd likely be seeing him again anyway. Their luck was bound to run out sooner or later.

Charon chuckled. "Since there's nothing new to see this time around, try not to jump around so much, all right? I can't guarantee safe passage every time, and carrying on like a bunch of banshees like you did before won't help you."

razing_phoenix January 8 2012, 08:08:28 UTC

As it turned out, Anise had possessed the foresight to bring some sheets of paper and a pen along with her. Guy watched as she handed those over to Claude, smiling at the sight. That was bound to come in handy at some point, though he also realized that they should probably rely on it as little as possible, seeing how they were going to probably be forced into situations where they wouldn't have the time to wait for Claude to write things out ( ... )

gald_digger January 8 2012, 14:57:01 UTC

Aside from the short exchange between the skeleton and Guy, the ride across began quietly. Knowing what sort of things could await them on the other side, it was almost like the calm before a storm... though with Claude unable to speak, it was possible that the whole night was going to be much quieter than what Anise was used to ( ... )

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