AChapter 8
Where last we left our heroes they were beneath the Rose Chamber, Queen Ashe's child-hood home within the grounds of the Palace of Rabanastre. They are in the den of the red scaled creature, servant of Diabolos who guards the way forward to the Tomb of Lady Ashe and the Obsidian Hand Mirror. He is lounging indolently on a cushion looking around at everyone as he waits for them all to get comfortable. "So you all ready to be tested on riddles, fail and end up being my meal?"
"As ready as we can be, sir," Silmeria says, slowly oiling down her gunblade's broad edge. "The testing part, at least. I'd prefer none of my friends ended up on your plate, of course, begging your pardon... What say you all?" Looking up from her work, she looks to each of her companions in turn, a bracing smile on her tanned face.
Marduke offers a half hearted smile at this point as he finds himself a seat to take. Eyes still looking around and shaking his head, "As ready as we will ever be, we really can't turn back at this point I suppose." Sighing softly as he reaches up to rub his head thoughtfully. Lee tips his hat back as he looks from their host to Silmeria, himself seated indian-style upon a cushion, "Aye, we really can't. So, let's 'ave these riddles, then, an' see 'ow we fare, be it fair or ill." He turns his gaze once more to Ainsley, "What say you, luv? Ready t'tempt th' fickle whims o'fate?"
Ainsley gives an incredulous look around, and then a sad frown, and then a sigh. She settles into her seat some, and clasps her hands in her lap. Her eyes look off toward the red-scaled creature, but she's briefly distracted by Lee's inquiry. "Too late, already tempted it long before we got to this point," she replies, quietly, smiling at Lee, and then she looks off toward the guardian and replies, "I'm ready." And watches patiently for the riddle.
The kobold stretches and yawns and sits up and shakes out his tail a bit then bounces back to his feet, "Very well this way then." he hums and pads off toward a wall that rumbles open revealing a dark passage. He glances back and quirks a brow, "Come on you lot stop sitting around."
Silmeria blinks as the wall opens, eyebrows rising. Giving her gunblade one final swipe with her rag, she gets to her feet, slipping the heavy weapon back into its place beneath her backpack. "Well, then," she murmurs, "let's be on our way, hm?" With an almost eerie calm, she follows the kobold into the darkness.
Marduke moves back to his feet and grabs his staff to start following after, "My my." And with a shake of his head, glances to the others and shrugs his shoulders. "Shall we?" Turning to keep a eye on their hungry host. "You know Silmeria, the most curious thing to me so far is how he has said he has only been here a year."
Marduke moves back to his feet and grabs his staff to start following after, "My my." And with a shake of his head, glances to the others and shrugs his shoulders. "Shall we?" Turning to keep a eye on their hungry host.
Lee whines, "But I jus' got comf'table..." Not that his whining, the grin he wears giving hint to the less-than-serious nature of it, stops him from getting to his feet to follow along, offering Ainsley a hand up as he does, "Aye, shall we indeed."
Ainsley looks confused as he gets up again and turns to leave. Her mouth opens, and then closes, her gaze flickers to Lee and the others uncertainly... then she just stands and turns to follow the kobold. She sidles up to Lee and reaches to grab his hand. And hold onto it as they walk, for comfort.
The kobold walks along, the corridor is narrow and dark, humid too and the only light is the odd glowing sphere. The short scaled creature passes in and out of the flickering lights and then weaves this way and that humming and hissing to himself. Minutes pass and still he is walking, leading the way, tail bobbing from side to side slowly.
Silmeria clasps her hands in front of her as she follows along, glancing occasionally at the spheres that struggle to light their path. "...So," she says, breaking the silence long past the point where it will have gotten unbearable, "How far, then, to the riddle, mh? Only I'd thought you'd be asking questions, and the like. But if it's anything like the Imps' little challenges, you *might* find yourself going hungry sooner than you thought..."
Marduke walks along the tapping of his staff offered with each step of his left foot. A raise of his eyebrows to Silmeria and a shake of his head, "I suspect these will be much harder my friend. Though I to did expect riddles of words, and this is proving quiet the walk." Tilting his head over to the Kobold and hmming a moment, "Though I suspect we are walking to the forbidden zone right now."
Lee follows along behind Marduke, Ainsley's hand in his, and crimson eyes glowing faintly with a light of their own in the long shadowed stretches between the passage's lights. A grin splits his features as he sniggers at a thought, after Silmeria's comment and Marduke's response, "It's a riddle o'tha feet, sez I! Y'know, "How many roads mus' a man walk?" Th'answer t'that one's forty-two, o'course, so guess our 'ost can't use that riddle on us, eh?" "Silence is best, I believe, while we think about this," Ainsley notes, in a quiet tone of voice, looking around as they walk. Her eyes glance at the spheres of light as they go. A few minutes of walking is... kind of strange. Where they were going is fairly distant. Was there some nuance to what Thompson had said to her that she had missed? She ponders it to herself and tries to look for further clues. Still humid... She listens for footsteps, too.
"Good thing I am not an imp then," the kobold says turning around and walking backwards, arms up behind his head, maroon chest plates glinting dully as he strolls backwards, "And who said the riddle hadn't already started hmmm?" He nods at Lee as he speaks after Marduke, "Though that is wrong actually, the roads a man must walk are not numbered it is simply "As Many as he wishes." As Ainsley listens there are foot-steps echoing in the corridor, their, claws, his on the stone... walking, deeper, the passage swaying and curving."
"A riddle is a puzzle, sir," Silmeria notes, as much for her party's benefit as the kobold's, as she looks more closely at the lights they pass. "If it's already started, then the pieces to the puzzle are few; the stone, the lights, the path itself, and of course you. Now then... what sort of picture would this make, hm?"
"Or it could be as simple as walking backwards with our hands above our heads, clues that could already be given." Marduke offers watching the Kobold and squinting his eyes a moment. Shrugging his shoulders and smiling, "We have been walking a while, the endless path." Turning to glance back to Ainsley and nods, as he to goes silent and works on just listening, and well walking backwards for a bit!
Lee chuckles, cocking his head a little, "Th'picture'd look a bit like a maze, t'me. Endless path, indeed, could be walkin' circles s'far as we know. An' how does one find their way in a maze...?" He eyes Marduke with a chuckle as the summoner walks backards for a spell, an eyebrow arched, while he himself reaches his free hand to the nearest wall of the passage, trailing his gloved fingers along as he walks, "Ains, luv, do me a favor an' reach t'tha wall? Might be I can see well enough in th'dark, but there's plenty that can fool th'eyes, an' it'd be a shame if we walked by a doorway o'some kind in these long spaces 'twixt lights."
Ainsley looks off toward the others and looks around as they go. She's not really offering much verbally to it, but she does show she's being observant. She nods at Lee and moves to reach out toward the wall carefully to touch with her fingertips. She keeps her attention on the Kobold, however, as he's leading them, and losing track of him would be Very Bad if it /were/ a maze.
The party walk along like that for a ways, Ains and Lee tracing their fingers along the walls finding nothing but smooth stone. Marduke walks backward and sees nothing extra or interesting and the Kobold just grins at the party and shake his head as he walks along. "It really is very simple.... yer all trying out good methods but its even more simple then that. We all sat down for riddles, which are questions. Think about what I did after we all sat down hmmm?"
"Ah," Silmeria says, brow furrowing as she tries to conjure up the memory. "Hmn... Thats a good question, sir." Continuing to rack her brain as she walks, the Esper falls silent, but for the clomp and creak of her boots on the stone.
Marduke turns around and starts walking right, not wanting to bump into the walls anymore really. He raises his eyebrows to the kobold and shakes his head, "We sat down, you got comfy, yawned a bit. Asked us a question about ready to take the riddles, We all answered, then got up and started following you. What are we missing." Reaching up to tap his chin, still following along.
Lee cocks his head in thought as well, frowning, following Silmeria's and Marduke's mussings with his own, pretty much repeating what Marduke said to himself, in his own way, "Wot, you... asked if we were ready, then got up again an' started leadin' us down this 'ere 'allway?" He looks at Marduke and hmms... "Missing... Yawned?" His gaze turns from Marduke to Ainsley, "Bugger all, y'don't think he put us asleep d'ya?"
Ainsley is completely bewildered, visibly, by what the Kobold has said. She shrugs her shoulders faintly, and tries to recall anything that might've been out of the ordinary, her hand dropping down. She keeps her eyes on the guardian for all of her pondering, though. That one hand holds Lee's own more tightly. She tilts her head at Leee's words, and quirks a corner of her mouth.
Shaking his head at Lee and smirks, "Good guess but nooo that's not it," he bounces on his clawed feet and turns around, tail swaying back and forth, "No one ever gets this.... I am going to enjoy eating you. I bet you roast up good. Not had meat like you guys in forever!" He glances back and smirks, "Think... we sat down... we had a chat, I got up to lead you this way. Think..."
Silmeria said you remember are "Questions..." He asked you all a Question... you all answered it. He got up and started to lead you someplace else. Almost now you think about it as if he was "Done" with the reason you all sat down. You all answered that "Yes you were ready to put your lives on the line and answer his riddles... maybe... Just maybe that was the answer to the Riddle... the riddle was... will you die to get into the Tomb. Diabolos is nothing if not obtuse in his ways after all..... and this is his servant." to Ainsley.
Silmeria shakes her head slowly, still combing over her memories... but the thought that the kobold might have put them to sleep, or some other manner of mental trickery, sticks in her mind like a burr, keeping her from any fresh insight.
Marduke just walks along still and holds a hand to his head and sighs, "Were being led around by the tail I swear." shaking his head slowly as he considers, "I got nothing coming to mind here, any of you got something?" Glancing back to Lee and Ainsley, then over to Silmeria and sighs. A touch of frustration entering into his voice.
Lee shakes his head, rubbing the back of his head under his hat before fixing his hat, pushed askew by the action, atop his head, "Nah, I got nuthin'... Never 'ad much of a 'ead fer mem'ry games, truth be told." He gives Ainsley's hand a small squeeze, looking to her, "What 'bout you, Ains? Any ideas? Please say you've an idea."
Ainsley looks off toward the others, and furrows her brows. It's obvious her thought process is churning. Something lights up in her mind. "The important question, that we would risk our lives for this, was already answered," she tells the rest of the group, sounding bright and amazed about it. "That was the riddle. That we could answer that, and that we could see that his was the important part." She shrugs, and the more absently says, "Or something to that effect."
The kobold stops and shoots Ainsley a look then mock sigh, "Well fuck, now I don't get to eat you when you drop dead from exhaustion or try and attack me out of manic insanity! How rude of you," he tosses his head in mock indignation then turns and opens a door that wasn't there, "Well done though, no ones ever seen through it before, Come on up," He hums and starts up a HUGE marble staircase, there are tall windows that let in streaming sunshine and the air is crisp and refreshing as he leads the way up...
Silmeria stops dead as the kobold does, turning around to cast a sunny, proud smile at the scholar. "*Clever* riddle... And *clever* Ainsley! It simply didn't occur to me... Well *done!*" Following behind the kobold, the Esper makes her way up a marble staircase, likewise humming to herself, but a rather more upbeat number she'd heard in Emberstrand, not long before the party left.
Marduke rubs his head some more as he comes to a stop, "To see that we had already answered the riddle that was given. Clever, very clever, and good to see through it Ainsley. It was simple." Shaking his head and smiling back to her, then turning to see what is through the door and stops again for a moment. He then starts to follow after Silmeria, "I am going to lose count of the sights that take my breath away in the course of my life I think."
Lee hmms at Ainsley, then blinks as the Kobold stops and declares the riddle solved. He seems at a loss, making like he's starting to say something several times, and gesturing with his free hand this way and that, but the only sounds he makes are a series of "Wh" and "Bu-" and the like. It only lasts a moment before he's past that, though, and huffs, "Clever, aye... I fink I was 'spectin somefin' more... grand, though." He leans down and gives Ainsley a big kiss on the cheek the next second, though, smiling at her, "Well done, luv." He lets go of Ainsley's hand only long enough to take his sash and wrap it about his head, beneath his hat, to protect from the sunlight, then offers his hand to her again, prepared to follow Silmeria, Marduke, and their disappointed guide up the stairs alongside the scholar.
"Take them all for what they are, then, and they'll all be amazing," Ainsley suggests over at Marduke. She takes off her coat first to offer to Lee so he doesn't immediately light up like a match, though, before they go up the stairs. She puts her robe... coat thing back on when he already has a solution. "It's what I do, Marduke. I always imagine the work architects or spirits have to put into imagining these twisting structures and elaborate traps. The mathematics, the resources, the magical and mechanical ingenuity..." Her eyes almost start to sparkle. "Ah... err. It's all very good," she murmurs, embarrassed by herself. She seems to be much more cheerful now, whether it's the praise or the actual success that did it is unclear.
Bouncing up the steps the short creature's scales glisten in the sunshine streaming in through the windows, he turns right at the top landing and stops before a great big pair of doors and looks up at them. He look at Lee and smirks, "That is the thing you see, no one ever expects thing to be simple like that, now then," He turns back to the doors and bows to them. "It's me... Vikris, let me inside I have some visitors Your Majesty." The doors go CLUNK and slowly, slowly part... swinging open to reveal a beautiful hall. The walls are marble, there are carven pillars depicting noble looking figures each with a name inscribed around the base and set between the inner four is a large bier with a carven stone lady lying in repose upon it, her carven hands clutching a large book and inset atop the book is a long handled obsidian object that glimmers with light that is reflected through the tall arching windows that let in the sun. At the far end of the hall a Massive Rose window catches the sun directly as it moves toward the Sunset, the light setting the hair of the tall figure depicting in the window aflame.
"My advice," Silmeria breathes as the doors open, staring in unabashed awe at the room beyond, "is that you *never* let it stop taking your breath away... Oh my word..." Wandering toward the side of the hall, she crouches, examining the name at the base of the nearest pillar. "It's *amazing* what mortal hands can do, isn't it...?" It reads Basch fon Ronsenburg
Marduke glances to Ainsley and offers her a dead pan look, and shakes his head finnaly smiling a moment, "We all appriciate things in different ways." Turning he glances around and offers a soft sigh and smiles a bit more, "I must say Silmeria." Eyes looking around, "I never plan to. It is one of the things I love about my trips, the sights." Moving along the hall looking at things as he passes, "This is amazing, though I wonder what our next riddle will be now." Eyes turning towards the mirrior and book and blinking, "Oh my."
Lee lets out a small whistle as the doors open to reveal the stunning architecture, his expression, what can be seen of it through the sash covering it, one of being definitely impressed, though his comment seems contrary to that, "S'nice... A bit bright fer my tastes, but def'nitely nice." He gives Silmeria a glance, and a small chuckle, "Yeah, them mortals, they're handy like that." Nevermind the fact that he fits that definition himself. Marduke's mention of more riddled causes Lee to glance at the Kobold, "More? Are there gonna be any more? There aren't gonna be any more, are there?"
Contrary to the idea of everyone else, Ainsley immediately breaks away from the group, and walks around looking for clues for what they're looking for. She does have a good reason to be gungho about it after all. The obsidian object catches her eye, and she steps over slowly and carefully. She hums a gentle song as she goes, too, apparently in a good mood. "It should be fine... should be..." she says toward Marduke, distractedly.
Vikris laughs and shakes his head, "No.. no more riddles, he pads over to the tomb and clambers up on it, "Sorry yer Majesty but we need this now," he takes the hand-mirror from its place and there is a soft chime as he picks it up and then he pads across the marble floor, claws a clicking to hold it out to Ainsley, "Well done, this is yours to keep and this" he holds out a square of puzzle... black with two stars on it to Ainsley, "Well done... I can put you back outside to the Temple of the Imps and I trust I can have your discretion not to talk about me to anyone if you do I get to come eat you," he grins showing off all his fangs, "And you really do look tasty."
"Basch fon ROnsenburg of Dalmasca," Silmeria murmurs, touching the base of the column with a soft smile, "it's a pleasure to meet you..." Rising to her feet, she turns to face the kobold, chuckling quietly. "I'd say it's a fair price of course, sir... What else could we expect from a sevant of secrets, hm? But again, thank you. I'll not speak of you, but I will remember." Lee has reconnected.
Marduke eyes pull off the book with a shake of his head slowly keeping quiet for a while. Then nodding, "It is good then we are done with the riddles." Looking over to the kobold and then around to the others and then back to the kobold, "What about what I asked about, or should I try to stop by another time? As for keeping quiet, of course. I will not pass any words of any of this." Lee has dropped a connection.
Lee follows along behind Ainsley as she explores; he doesn't seem overly interested in what the rest of the tomb holds in terms of it's architecture and such, and it doesn't appear there's much lying about that he could lay claim to, assuming he'd even be allowed. Hands in his pockets, yessir, hands in his pockets. In any case, even if he doesn't keep Ainsley's pace, he follows along behind her, coming up beside her after Vikris gives her the mirror and puzzle-piece, smiling under his make-shift mask, "I've got no reason t'be sayin' anything, m'self... But, some things're nice t'know, I think." He looks to Ainsley, "So, we've anything else t'do 'ere? Or should we let 'im send us off?"
Ainsley shows a sparkle of her eyes when handed the mirror, the first piece of her salvation, a palpable sign of progress aside from the star map. She takes that, speaking of, and tucks that away somewhere safe. She nods at Vikris, and smiles at him softly. "Thank you for your patience," she murmurs, "I don't plan on talking about you again. If it's one thing I'm catching on to during this ordeal, it's the sanctity of a secret." She reaches up to tap her head, her tongue sticking out. She probably means Shemhazai's tomfoolery. "... oh. What did you do to freak out those followers of Shemmessy, anyways?" she asks, as a final aside. Disparaging nicknames for the Lucavi spirits amuse her. Smiiiile.
He grins at Silmeria and grins at her and saunters over to peer up at her and then giggles and plicks the red stone out of his necklace and hands it to the Esper. "You'll need to remember me, when the Howls Rattle your bones throw this down and invoke my name..." he smirks and turns away his necklace Silmeria would notice has a new red stone in it. He eyes Marduke then looks at the book, "You know its location, come see me when you know the secret of the Rainbow Drop, you know where I am, come call my name from the Rose Chamber and we'll talk about the book." Looking over at Lee the kobold grins wider, "Wen you all get back to Emberstrand, you'll need to find someway to to go after the Starsong Key, remember its Location and ask Cancer for a suggestion. I am sure someone in Emberstrand or even in this room can tell you were he hangs out." He turn back to look at Ainsley and grins, "That's between me and them, after all that is their secret, now Good luck..." he whispers and then his eyes flash and the party find themselves in a heap on the floor of the Ice Shrine back in the main Palace Building with a very confused Kal'Tano peering down at them with his ears raised. "Well that was unexpected ready to go home are we?"
"Well," Silmeria says as she tucks the stone away in a sleeve, "*that* doesn't sound like a certainty or anything, now does it? Until then, Vikris..." Falling silent as the kobold goes on to give instruction to each of the rest of the party, she blinks when Cancer is mentioned. "Oh... You mean I--" and whatever else she was going to say is cut off, as the kobold's eyes flash, and she stirs on the floor of the Shrine of Ice. "....Uh," she observes, before blinking up at Kal. "...Yes. Yes, I think we *are* ready. Thank you, sir."
Marduke reaches down to pull out the Rainbow Drop where he had it safely secured. He looks it over and smiles a bit more to himself, "Clever clever imps." Not even noticing at first they have moved to a new location and putting the drop back and blinking around for a moment. "Err well that was quick. Hey Kal, yea ready to head back." A look over to Ainsley, "As far as..." Shaking his head, "They will find you when the time is right I suspect. Lets get going."
Lee cocks his head in mild confusion as he's grinned at by the Kobold, but he listens and takes note of Vikris' instructions, nodding slightly to himself afterwards. And then, he's on the floor of the ice shrine! It takes a few seconds for the change in location and position to register, but when it does, it comes with the pain of a banged elbow, and he hisses to himself in pain, cradling the offended joint with his other hand, grousing to himself, "Bloody 'ell... Ready'r not, a bit more warning woulda been nice..." He climbs to his feet, first thought being to help Ainsley up next, "Y'all right, luv?" He looks over at Marduke, then to Kal'Tano, "Um, actually... Might we linger a bit? There's somewhere 'ere I need t'visit b'fore we leave properly. Or, leastways, b'fore I leave properly."
Flump. Ainsley lands on the floor in a heap, though more or less unharmed. She stares into the air. And then she just starts giggling. She looks into the mirror, without getting up, examining it, and then tucks it away on her person. She gathers herself up to her feet as Lee reaches to help her, and says, "I need to train my mind. I can't have another incident like we had during this trip." She reaches up to run her fingers through her feathers, turning her gaze off toward Kal. "Yes! Yes, I am." She glances off toward Lee, and nods faintly... "I could stay for a bit, too, if Lee has business here..."
Kal nods and bobs about in mid air, "Well welcome back then," he glances at Lee and nods, "It's sunset here so we'll head back to town in the morning. That should give you time for your business. The rest of you can all rest up here and maybe have some baths in the water shrine and freshen up." he points to a door, "Then it is two days of travel back to the city. So the sooner we leave in the morning the sooner we should be back in Emberstrand."
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