castleinthemist | [open] 1st -- where the sword's light gathers

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[open] 1st -- where the sword's light gathers

He was no stranger to waking up to the feeling of stone. Nor was it different for him to wake up exhausted and aching, but the darkness-- that was new. No matter how much time passed, it was always light when he awoke. And as much as he always wished to keep sleeping, there was still work to do, as there always was. But the Dormin was no longer speaking to him. He couldn't hear the tell-tale sign of an idol collapsing, nor the sound of Agro's hooves on the temple floor.

There was no time to think about what was going on now. Wander pushed against the wall of his container, pausing a moment and then rocking the vessel until it was dislodged from its spot, and smashed on the floor and he along with it. Still dark. He wasn't used to non-natural light.

But something else was more pressing and apparent-- not the dark streaks and dirt on his skin, not the scrapes, cuts and bruises that had accumulated over his last fight, not the fatigue in his limb or the dizziness he felt-- no, something else.

The sword. The sword was missing.

The thought sent Wander scrambling off his back in a panic, brushing through the remains of the sarcophagus for any sign of it. He sprung to his feet, disregarding the vertigo, looking around and investigating the room for any sign of the black blade.

It had to be here somewhere. It had to be

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Perhaps going back over his tracks had been a bad idea. Nonetheless, he was here once more searching for a hint or clue. Going over the same things again and again was proving frustrating, but his mind urged him on. Maybe there was something he had missed, or someone had dropped an item that could prove useful if regained. Minor details were what prodded him along the stone, looking across the walls.

It was the sound of footsteps that caused him to look up and tense, fingers curling into fists out of sheer instinct.

He pursued, broke into a run after it while keeping light steps. Someone helpful, not hostile? One could hope after all, with what he could figure out from this place.

It had been awhile since he last heard them, but once he picked them up, there was no doubt; those were definitely human footsteps.

Wander's hand immediately went to his waist, but of course, his sword wasn't there. His hand twitched and he grimaced, but immediately switched gears to grab the bow off his back and string it with an arrow, turning and pointing it at where he heard the noise in the same motion.

He didn't shoot yet though; it'd been too long since he'd seen another human, though it could easily have been a monster in disguise or someone come to stop him. So for now, he simply narrowed his eyes and watched.

When the movements that is he is following suddenly halt and shit, he knows he has been caught, and curious has been struck about his own identity. He refuses to stop and continues instead, slowing down his pace just so he can figure out what to do from there. A hand moves up and settles on the end of one of his throwing knives just in case the other intends hostility.

Finally, he grows closer to where he last heard the footsteps, and upon seeing the stranger, this assassin relaxes slightly, takes in a breath. If there is no need for violence, why provoke it?

"Friend or foe?" The question comes without skipping a beat.

So they spoke human language; that was a good start. The bow remained pointed for a moment after though, and only after some thought did Wander slowly lower his aim and slack his grip on the string.

"Friend, I should hope," he answered carefully. It was clear that this was someone human, but what wasn't was who they were and their intentions. For that reason, the bow and arrow remained out, though the bow was no longer strung. At the least perhaps this person had information.

Fingers still hovering over the handle of the knife, he stepped closer to the other, enough to reveal himself and see the stranger better. He timed it, relaxed his own muscles as the other did his grip on the bow.

"Then that is something we share," was the reply. A breath in and he thought about it. If the other wanted an explanation, he had little with the one conversation he had shared with another previous to this meeting. "Along with a want for answers."

"I have none," Wander replied, relenting after a moment and putting the bow and arrow away. "I've just arrived, though I do not know how. I am searching for my sword, and then a way out of here."

It was weird, in retrospect, talking so much; and he'd be lying if he said his throat didn't hurt a bit. But he had to get out of here, and soon.

"The way out is this way-- of the area, anyway." He made a motion, dropping his hand to the side. Turning his back to the other (strange, he reminded himself), he began to walk, casting glances around the area. Yes, this had been a familiar place but he still had little answers for whatever questions the other may have possessed.

He would have to talk, explain: avoid riddles. "As far I know, we have been brought here along with others. From what I was told, no one knows why." It sounded frustrating to even admit it, but he kept his voice level.

"What does your sword look like?"

Wander watched the other man carefully, glancing around at the room one more time before slowly moving to follow him. Wherever they were and whatever this room was, getting out of here was probably going to be more productive than sticking around.

"Black; both the hilt and the blade," He explained simply, pausing a moment before continuing. "It seems at first that people are being collected for some reason."

Listening to the description, he lowered his head upon realizing he had not seen such a weapon around. Quiet for a moment, he considered the second statement, turned around and down onto another path.

"It appears to be that way, with how people turn up and do not leave." He paused, making his way to the door that led into the rooms. "Some have been here for longer than a few days, weeks even."

Wander simply followed, giving only a cursory glance to the scenery as they went. There were much more important things to think about right now after all.

"They gather and do nothing?" That couldn't be right. There had to be some reason, after all.

"They gather-- explore the castle for a way out if there is, a reason as to why." Leaving the room, he exhaled and looked back to the other, made a motion for him to lead the way as he liked. After all, he had just gotten here and it was better for the other to see what was here for himself.

All there was to this was exploring then? He thought a moment, even spacing out a bit until he realized that the other man had stopped walking. He blinked and looked back at him; was he expected to lead now? The concept was almost foreign to him.

Wander almost looked a bit lost for a moment, before turning forward again and carefully taking more steps forward, glancing around for some sort of clue or sign.

Following after, he kept quiet for a moment and tried to think of anything else that he could say to the other for advice. A breath in and at thinking of nothing, he just watched as the other lead the way. A moment and he stepped forward to follow.

"That is-- about all I can think of to say, about this place. I have no been here very long."

"I have explored many places without guidance." This would certainly be no exception it seems. Still, he had at least know what he was doing. To be taken somewhere without any advice or goal? No one telling them what they must do?

He walked absent-mindedly for a bit, before looking back once more. "Is there anyone here that might know?"

"This is a similar situation then, except you are not alone." He nodded, looking up to raise a brow at the other once he heard the question. His shoulders almost rolled in a shrug but he caught himself and instead looked around.

"From what I have seen? Not so much. Still, it would not hurt to pose questions."

Even when he went to the Forbidden Land, there was at least the Dormin to consult should something be needed. Now there were many people, though uninformed? It was the exact opposite of what he was used to. Quite concerning.

"If there are natural inhabitants around here, it would be best to find them. They may be able to tell us what to do."

"So far, no one of this realm has been discovered, to my knowledge." He clarified for the other, a breath in then out quietly with his frustration. "Hopefully they are not hostile towards our presence, and can answer questions."

A pause as he looked over. "What is your name?"

Ratchet should have known it was useless. This room didn't have any clues as to how they got here or who was doing this. But he couldn't just give it up. He wanted to believe there was a clue here, some sort of small hint that would lead him forward. They all appeared here in the same way, the sarcophagi. They had to play some sort of part in all this. How did they get inside them from their homes? And how could they do to him what they did. They had no interworks of technology that he could find. He dug through piece after piece of every broken sarcophagus he could, hoping that somewhere there was a circuit or a microchip he could find. It always ended the same though, with disappointment.

He was searching the walls today, trying to find a brick or stone that could move or come undone. Nothing yet, no matter how hard he smacked his wrench into the wall. He was about ready to give up when he heard movement and then the sound of something breaking behind him. He spun around, wrench up and at the ready...only to see the newcomer. He paused and watched him for a moment until he got up and started scrambling. Looks like another new confused recruit of their rag tag exploration team.

"Hey! You okay?" The Lombax asked as he approached the human.

Wander jumped at the voice, withdrawing from his current searching to face the source. The source however, was certainly no creature he'd ever seen before, and that just made him even more confused and surprised.

It seemed capable of human speech, but his hand still lingered back, ready to pull his bow out if it turned out to be a threat.

He watched suspiciously for another moment or so, before cautiously speaking a single word of confirmation. "...Fine."

Ratchet raised an eyebrow at the one word answer. He sure didn't seem fine.

"You lose something?"

"...."

Wander simply stared for a moment or so, seeming to debate something. "My sword. I had a black sword before arriving here; it's gone missing."

"A black sword huh? Well...hate to break it to you but it might not have come with you. None of my weapons came with me either. So we're stuck here without them."

He certainly didn't seem happy about that. At all. He didn't look angry, but he definitely looked disconcerted. "It's important. I need to get it and leave this place."

"That's...another hiccup. None of us have found a way out of the castle yet." Ratchet sighed and stepped closer to the human. "But your sword might still be here. Let's search for it together, alright?" More friend's wouldn't hurt, right?

Wander stared at the....Whatever they were for a moment. He looked pretty obviously unhappy at the news that no one's found a way out yet. But then, he couldn't let some castle walls stop him.

So, after a moment, he nodded. "If there isn't an exit yet, one will have to be found." A bit impersonal, but he's not exactly used to teamwork.

Ratchet nodded to him. That wasn't the answer he was hoping for but it could have been worse.

"You will need to explore the castle with a partner though. Turns out some of the doors only open if you have two or more people." And time to give the guy even more bad news.

Oh that...that garnered quit the stare. A mix of surprise, confusion, annoyance, and a tad more confusion.

"Two people? Why?" The size of it? Some sort of locking mechanism? They were simply doors after all.

"I'm not too sure why. But unless you have two the doors don't glow and open. One person just isn't enough. Pretty sure it's magic or something." The Lombax shrugged. He could go into how it might be sensors of some kind but this guy doesn't look to technologically advanced so not going there.

Wander continued to stare blankly; he was no stranger to the kind of magic that existed in the world, but a body requirement? Simply an instrument like the sword would have sufficed from what he knew.

Nevertheless, it would have to do. "Very well. Can you show me one then?"

"Sure. Follow me." Ratchet motioned for Wander to follow him. He took him out of the sarcophagi room and down a long hallway until they came to a door with the statues in place. He stepped up to them and motioned for Wander to do the same.

"Like this. Just stand by me."

Wander followed when the other walked off, looking down the hallway at the door when they arrived. The statues were certainly different than what he had seen before; though perhaps not unlike the Idols he had come to know?

He looked at the ground for any indication, but nevertheless followed Ratchet's instructions and stood next to him, his attention fixed on the door.

Light sprang from the idols when they both took their place. It surged around and into the idols before they seemed to move on their own, sliding to the side and revealing another normal door. Once they settled the Lombax turned to Wander with a bored expression.

"And that's it."

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[open] 1st -- where the sword's light gathers

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