Inconceivable Cheese

Mahgin ended up sleeping for only a half an hour, due to all of the creepy sounds. That was okay though, she didn't need much sleep. She stepped out of her room, and to her surprise, there was a flaming lizard. Oh great, more weirdos. She nonchalantly walked up behind him and spoke in her usual bland voice, "Uh, excuse me sir, but you seem to be on fire."

Nakion looked down at the short girl, distinctly unamused. Abruptly the rest of his flames went out and he braced himself for the cold. He sighed heavily. “Who are you anyway?” he asked. Scenting the air he could detect faint traces of the Thukr creature on her, but she was not her. Surely Thukr did not go under a metamorphosis while she slept?


Valliance was relieved Wev wasn’t angry with him for accidentally waking him. He was however the slightest bit antsy to get out of the room and out of the castle. The courtyard yesterday had seemed friendlier. However, he didn’t want to go outside alone. He looked over at Shade in the corner who wasn’t moving at all, and wondered idly what he looked like without the hood. In his experience, people who wore hoods were trying to hide. Voices sounded outside the door, catching Valliance’s attention. Right. There were others here.

“What do you think is going on out there?” he asked, to no one in particular. He opened the door and peeked out.

Vessyr leaned against the wall next to her door, watching everyone else slowly come out of their rooms.  She noticed Lellis at the end of the hall, and wondered how he had not noticed yet that everyone was up.  "Hey!" she barked in his direction, "you with the book!"


Shade got up and walked over behind Valliance, listening in on the conversation outside.  'The grumpy people are awake,' he told Wev and Valliance, 'and the new one, and Lellis.'  He wasn't too excited about going back out there, but maybe they could find a way to get back home.  They certainly couldn't from Wev's small room.

Mahgin recoiled so subtly that no one would notice. "My name is Mahgin Bahst. And you are?" Mahgin could tell that this person wasn't going to be too happy, mostly because he was a freaking flaming lizard. The fact that he held a gun at his side also told her that he wouldn't be too interested in her insight spell. People don't usually compromise to accept both magic and technology. It's always been a struggle with non-deathcapps.

Wev stood up and walked to the door alongside Shade and Valliance, and then sat back down with an unceremonious thud and rubbed his eyes. He poked his head out the door and saw Lellis sitting in the hall reading a book. Wev foud his sudden calmness unnerving.

Lellis looked up from his book. To anyone standing close by they would’ve seen he was wearing a pair of half-moon spectacles, which somehow rather complimented his overall appearance. He marked his page with a line of cloth and closed the book. He then stood up from the stool and looked at his guests curiously, tucking his hands behind his back.

“Ah,” he said quietly. “I’m glad to see all of you are still in one piece. I would like to apologize for my behavior last night, I’m sure you all found it very unsettling.”

“Try insane,” Nakion mumbled.

“Yes, that would be more accurate,” Lellis said, his tone unchanging. It was evident his hearing was better than Nakion had given him credit for. “I’m afraid I have a confession to make,” he continued, “and I better do it now while you are all still here and I’m still sane.” He paused for a moment, to make sure he still had everyone’s attention. “I am a magician, a sorcerer if you will, and unfortunately I’m not a very good one... At least by my home’s standards. Because of this, I was exiled to this castle to live out the remainder of my days. As you can imagine, that long-term isolation has consequences on the mind.” Again he paused, this time to pick his words carefully. “I have been in this castle for two thousand years. It is only through one of my spells that I am able to talk to you at this moment. Long story short, I remain sane during the hours of daylight, but as soon as the sun fades, so too does my mind. That is why I locked you in here last night while I still had some grip of my senses. I am not a very pleasant person during the nighttime hours, and I did not wish any of you to come to harm.” He fell silent for a moment, taking in each of their faces. “I know this is a lot to understand at once. Are there any questions you have to ask of me?”

Vessyr stared at Lellis for a long time, irritated and disbelieving. "Right," she said, "that doesn't make any sense to me, but arguing about it isn't going to get me home. Which is what you're going to talk about next." She gave him a look that said she would accept no other turn of events.


Shade, on the other hand, understood completely. It was hard for him not to. He hadn't just spent his life around magic; in some ways, he was made of magic. That, combined with the fact that he could simply tell the difference, made it hard for him not to believe Lellis. He sent, only to Lellis, a simple message. 'I understand.'

Wev didnt know what to think of all of this. He seemed sane enough now, but how could someone regain their sanity quite literally overnight? Wev decided to belive him, but still not follow him into any dark closets for the promise of candy.

“Ah yes,” Lellis sighed. “Home. Here’s the catch: this place we’re in was not meant to be escaped, but I think I have devised a way.” He paused. “That is where all of you come in. I cannot leave this castle, for I am bound to it. But you… You could go out into the forest and destroy or deactivate the spellstones keeping me here. It would in turn also send you back to your respective realities. I think.”

“You think?” Nakion grumbled. He, like Vessyr, was not buying the magical fantasy crap. He just wanted to get back to his princess and his Guard. His home as far as he was concerned, was destroyed. “I don’t want maybes.”

“I can’t guarantee anything,” Lellis admitted. “I told you, I am only a mediocre magician back on my home plane. This is the best plan I have come up with, being that this place isn’t really a planet. Just a box to stuff people in. If we dislodge the support beams, so to speak, it will collapse and free us… Or destroy is from all reality.”

“Destroy us from—!” Nakion spewed. “Are you mad?!”

“…Not at the moment,” Lellis sighed. “Any other questions?”

Vessyr rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said, "Assuming what you just said is true, and that's a big assumption, then we'd have to go out of the castle and break some stuff, right?" She paused, giving Lellis a look of distrust, "or is there something you're not telling us?" She shifted her weight slightly, impatient, but not willing to leave with such little information.


Shade was unsure what to think of all this. He didn't really want to be 'erased from reality,' though he also wasn't completely sure what that would entail. But he did want to go home, and if Lellis was right, that would be his only chance. He didn't say anything for the moment, but waited for Vessyr's questions to be answered.

Wev frowned. Even if he had his room, or at least a very exact replica of it, he wouldn't want to stay here long. There was just this inherent eeriness shrouding the entire castle. He didn't know if he thought the chance of leaving would be worth the risk of dying, but it was seeming more worth it the longer he stayed here.

Lellis pulled his cape uncomfortably. “There are certain, things, in the forest,” he said, “specifically guarding each spellstone. The people who sent me here did not want to take any chances. They are immune to my magics. You however should have no issue harming them, if it comes to it.”

“How will we find these places?” Nakion asked, anxious to be doing something. He didn’t care what was in the forest, already itching to shoot something.

“I have already arranged for a guide for you,” Lellis replied. “He awaits you near the edge of the forest. Simply follow the path.”

Mahgin glared at Lellis, "What are these things in the forest that you mentioned?" She rudely mimicked Lellis as she spoke of the things in the forest. "Monsters or something? Do they have specific names? I need those names to do my sorceries on them. Insight spells can only do so much for you." She summoned her oracle device so she could take notes. She assumed she had to take them manually, but to her surprise, the AI had rebooted itself.

Sulfr, as the AI was named, was still somewhat glitchy from being teleported via seed tongue. The AI's voice wasn't robotic at all, and seemed to break the mold of how lifeless artificial intelligence seems to be. She spoke with an occasional freeze and repeated certain words, all due to the glitch in the system, "Mahgin, I cannot connect to the cloud, would you like me to-"

Mahgin interrupted, "I know. There's no WiFi here, nor will there ever be until we get home. Just take out the notes."

A holographic blue screen appeared in front of Mahgin, but there seemed to be a few malfunctions in the visuals.

Mahgin looked to Lellis, "Any ideas?"

“I’m afraid I don’t know what they are,” Lellis admitted. “I do know there are four of the larger ones, as there are four spellstones. I do not know what kind of minions they may have spawned in the woods.” He stopped, his expression suddenly lightening. “Though if you stay on the paths nothing should harm you with the guide around.” He looked at Maghin strangely when she held up her obviously malfunctioning device. “Dear, how would I know how to fix that?”

“I ssay we leave immediately,” Nakion rumbled. “As I ssee it, we must destroy stones and kill beasts. This does not sseem hard a task.” He paused a moment, looking at the creatures assembled before him. “That is… only if the rest of you are up for a fight.” His eyes glinted ominously.

Valliance perked up. “I’ll go!” he chirruped excitedly. “I can fight!” Nakion nodded at him approvingly. While the little blue-gray thing definitely did not seem to have much strength, perhaps he would be easy to train.

Vessyr nodded, "I will go too.  The sooner I get home, the better."  She didn't really care if anyone else went, but she didn't see any harm in it as long as they didn't walk too slowly.  She did wonder about their supposed guide, though.  She had not seen anyone else the night before, though she supposed the guide could have been somewhere else.


Shade was somewhat less happy with the idea of an 'adventure' with the group of strangers, but he decided he would rather be helping than sitting around in the castle.  'I will go too,' he answered, looking forward to leaving the castle.

Mahgin shrugged, "Sure, why not." Despite being a bladewitch, she had little fighting experience. The whole point of being a bladewitch was to use witchcraft for the sole purpose of harming others. Supposedly, she was so good at utility magics that she didn't need to fight at all; she could simply immobilize the target, or strengthen her allies to the point where they could utterly destroy the enemy.

Wev had no fighting experience whatsoever. Vithian was largely peaceful, so there was no need for any fighting forces other than law enforcement. Dispite how nervous this was making him, he'd always liked a bit of adventure here and there. He thought about some of his other adventures like the one time he got stuck in a hole for a while. He realized he was in way over his head.

"I'm willing to help, but I dont have any fighting experience...' Wev shifted his weight back and forth a few times.

“Fantastic,” Lellis said happily, clapping his hands together softly. “Before you leave, take these.” He then handed each person present a small pebble with a u-shaped engraving on it. The mark glowed faintly a bluish-green color. “They’ll allow me to contact you outside the castle and will also prove useful in other ways.” Making sure everyone had a stone, he then escorted the party out of the castle and back into the courtyard.

Valliance was excited. He’d never been on a real adventure before, though he’d wanted to. His sister had on numerous occasions suggest they sneak down to Rathor, but Valliance had always managed to talk her out of that. Going to Rathor, his father had told him, was not an adventure. It was a punishment.

Nakion was feeling better about his whole predicament now that he felt he was doing something to get out of it. Staying the night in a creepy castle while his men faced destruction felt cowardly and low. Soon. Soon he would see his princess again.

When they entered the courtyard Lellis stopped, his cape flowing in the wind. “This is where I leave you, I’m afraid,” he said apologetically. “I can’t go past that wooden gate.” He pointed with a thin arm at a thick, oaken door. It was weathered, but still sturdy, and hung open at an awkward angle. “Farewell, and best of luck to you travelers.”

When the party had all slipped through the gate into the morning light, they were faced with the ominous forest not too far away. A path lay before them, winding and disappearing into the foliage. From a distance away the ocean could still be heard, waves crashing against the shore.

“Well,” Nakion stated. “We’re off.” He went down the path into the woods, trying desperately to shrug off the cold.

Vessyr blinked at the forest ahead of them, concerned. She saw no guide anywhere, and she didn't like the idea of navigating the woods without any kind of help. Still, she supposed the guide would turn up, and if not... Well.. They'd manage. She pocketed the stone Lellis had given her, unsure what good it would do. Though, she had spent the night in a room that didn't exist, it was probably time for a little faith.


Shade was not so concerned about the woods. What he didn't like was the amount of people, and the supposed fact that it would be a bad idea to split up. His one chance to be alone recently had not ended well at all, and he doubted this one would either. He would just have to stick with the group.

Mahgin stared at the stone as she approached the forest. She wondered if she could reverse the communication so that she could contact him, instead of the other way around. Now probably wasn't the time for her to be wondering these things. She didn't need to contact him at that moment anyway, although it would be nice to see what happens to Lellis during the hours late into the night. Then again, it might just work like a phone, and only work if the opposite end picks up. Nevertheless, there was always the possibility that she could learn a thing or two from what happens to him, so maybe contacting him really did have its benefits. She pondered what Lellis could really do with his magic; surely it wasn't anything compared to hers.

She had never experienced someone more powerful than her, although that was mostly because she stayed in the cusp of the 28th and 29th districts of Hlome; that was the most civilized part of the Deathcapp empire after all, and even then, it was still brutal making a living there.

Wev put the odd stone in the satchel on his belt, and followed the rest of the group along the long winding path. He had no idea what to expect from this. Hed never done anything this dangerous, or exciting. He realized he was actually enjoying the thrill of it all, though his enjoyment may have only been possible due to several armed indeviduals in the group, including a Flareling with a rather intimidating gun. Wev decided there was nothing much better than having a large tempermental flaming lizard on your side to make you feel safe. He did make a mental note to stay on his good side though.

The party wasn’t more than twenty yards into the woods when the path, suddenly and sharply, split off into opposite directions. A single, triangular-shaped stone sat in the middle, with two arrows carved into it pointing in the directions the paths diverged.

Nakion stopped, looking both ways. He wondered if Lellis had lied to them about getting a guide. If so, he was prepared to lead the group, but he would have opted for some better directions. He grumbled under his breath and examined the stone in the path.


Valliance was enjoying the time out in the woods. He had not seen so many trees before, being born and raised on a space station within a small moon. “Which way do we go?” he asked when the group had stopped.

Vessyr stared at the stone in the road, unimpressed. She looked around, trying to find the guide they were supposed to have met, but saw nothing. She rolled her eyes and shouted into the woods, "hey! Is anybody out there, or are we just going to have to wander around the woods on our own?"

Shade winced at Vessyr's yelling, but did not comment. Instead, he set to checking the area for any unfamiliar life. Surely he would be able to sense the guide before he could see them...

Wev decided to take this moment of confusion to listen to the forrest. It sounded different from the ones he knew on Vithian. Chirpier and a bit more rustly. Wev listened to the faint rustling for a while. He started pinpointing its sources. Something small in that bush to his left, something a little bigger in a burrow to his right. Wev paused a moment. And something rather large right above him...

In a sudden flurry of flapping and branches cracking, a large, yellow-brown bird fell from the treetops and landed rather ungracefully on top of the triangular rock in front of Nakion. It picked itself up and turned to face the party, its large green eyes sizing them up. It had disproportionately large wings and small legs, and seemed almost rectangular in shape. It did have an odd pair of pointy ‘ears’ that almost looked like small horns. Anyone with a background of earthen creatures would have recognized it as a large species of owl.

Startled, Nakion whirled to face the creature and in a flash had the muzzle of his blaster pointed in its direction. The bird, to its credit, didn’t even blink. It calmly looked at Nakion, and in an oddly high-pitched voice, asked, “What?”