Fantasy Cursed Island

[Fangs9090]

Poli got up and crawled over. "I thought you were just going to give me what we intend to offer up and send me on my way."

 

[Deadwood Deer]

"That would be impossible to carry," Jerry paused in her conversation with the turtle, "The gold alone weighs more than Joanne and Emfa combined."

 

[Fangs9090]

"Well then let's make sure I know what I'm supposed to give, because I'm not sure."

 

[Deadwood Deer]

Adran took the bag back and rifled through it, pulling out a piece of gold, a piece of silver, and a gemstone. "Anything that looks anything like this," he explained. Coins, jewelry, gems, weapons, anything vaguely shiny.

 

[Fangs9090]

Poli gave a nod. "Got it. I guess I just keep pulling stuff out until she's satisfied?"

 

[Deadwood Deer]

"Pretty much," Adran nodded, "Or, let Joanne handle that, since by then you'll probably run out of air."

 

[Fangs9090]

"That might be better, honestly." Poli reached up a pseudo hand to receive the bag, turning the rest of their body into a more mobile form with a few legs to walk on. "So, who's gonna show me the way?"

 

[Deadwood Deer]

Beri padded up, "I can get there the fastest of our group, if you cling to my collar."

"She's getting impatient, guys," Jerry called. The turtle was starting to get bored with talking, taking lazy snaps at Shuffle for entertainment.

 

[Fangs9090]

Poli nodded. "Let's go with that then." They scurried over and hopped on, making sure to get a good grip on Beri and the bag.

Shuffle, of course, moved to avoid getting snapped each time. Even if she was really trying to get her, she didn't want to take any chances.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

Once Poli was secured, Beri oriented himself and took off like he was chasing something. That wasn't too far off, actually. With Beri sprinting as fast as his paws could carry them, the two were at the water's edge much, much faster than the normal walking speed that was accomplished. Beri skidded to a stop just at the edge of the water and jumped back like he'd been bit. Kitty didn't like water.

 

[Fangs9090]

Once they arrived at the water, Poli hopped off and worked on changing form again. A good bit of it was making a hollow orb, the rest being used for legs and a tendril to hold the bag. Once the air bubble was sealed, they headed on into the water, floating on top from the air. Since legs weren't needed anymore, that part turned into a dense weight to pull Poli down under the water, a spinning fin forming to propel them forward.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

When Poli got down to the group of undead, Shuffle, and the Paladin, the turtle was still taking snaps. She stopped when Poli, appeared, cocking her head at the strangle little mechanism jerking around. "What is this?"

"That's my mimic, she is carrying a bag of holding containing the treasure," Jerry explained to the turtle.

 

[Fangs9090]

Poli puttered over to Joanne and held the bag out to her, assuming she heard their previous discussions through the mirror.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

Joanne handed the mirror to one of the thralls and took the bag, beginning to make her way up to the mound of treasure to begin depositing their trade. She was moving slowly, due to water resistance. "What do you think you are doing?", the turtle hissed. Jerry acting as the translator, conversation was possible.

"I am going to place the valuables on your island," Joanne explained, "It would be difficult to retrieve them from the bottom of the pool, would it not?" The dragon turtle narrowed her eyes, but didn't respond, following Joanne up to the mount, the turtle's top half out of the water on the mount, while her bottom half was still submerged.

 

[Fangs9090]

Shuffle started to follow but was a little too close when the turtle turned, getting a fin upside the face. With the way her fangs poked out of her mouth, she accidentally nicked the fin sucking in some of the drawn blood as she gasped from the surprise of the hit. She shook her head as she recovered from the hit, opting to stay where she was instead before she paused. Everything was so salty already, she almost didn't notice the taste of blood in her mouth, but she was pretty familiar with it by now. She looked at the turtle and hoped she hadn't noticed.

Poli turned and headed back the way they came, not wanting to risk running out of air.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

The dragon turtle's fins were sensitive, they had to be in order to do their jobs, so she was well aware of the prick she just got, turning her head and hissing, but seeing Shuffle sent tumbling by her fin more than made up for the miniscule cut on her tail fin that would hinder her none, especially with the sedentary lifestyle of the turtle whilst waiting for her eggs to hatch.

Joanne braced herself for attack as the turtle moved to hiss at Shuffle, but when it was made clear the turtle's hostility was towards another, Joanne finished her slow trek up the mound and onto the treasure island. The returned turtle egg hadn't been hidden with the others, yet, laying open on top of their hiding spot as Joanne began reaching into the bag and scooping out treasure. Gold, silver, and jewels being scooped out of the bag and onto the pile. The turtle cocked her head, cooing softly at the loot. Apparently, she liked what she saw.

 

[Fangs9090]

Shuffle put her ears back but stayed quiet. It was surprisingly difficult to not hiss back. Maybe it was time for another drink of healing water already. As she thinking this, she seized up, putting her hands to her throat. Her rasping and other noises were muffled by the water.

Poli eventually resurfaced back where they'd left Beri, crawling up onto land as they switch to a vague quadruped form.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

It took Joanne some time to retrieve the entire treasury the party had collected. Considering that Jerry had, in the beginning, spoken so vehemently against collecting any treasure, it was weird that they even had this much. Joanne would have liked to think it was the influence of the gem trying to make Jerry into a dragon that was causing the rogue to hoard so much, but there was also the possibility that the party members that had joined the group later had added their own collections to the pile. In any case, the mound Joanne added was taller than she was, and wider than if the entire group stood shoulder to shoulder. Gods, that was a lot of coin!

 

[Fangs9090]

Shuffle eventually settled down, coughing a few times with the last cough making ice crystals form in the water. She watched as they floated up past her face. After being scolded for pretty much every other transformation, she decided to just not mention this to anyone.

Poli looked around as they stepped away from the water, hoping Beri had stayed nearby to carry them back.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

The dragon gave a nod and a command in draconic, but both mirrors were too far away for Jerry to hear and translate, so Joanne had no clue what was being said and just walked back into the water. The turtle followed, and when they got within earshot of the mirror Jerry caught the tail end of "Where do you think you are going? I am not done talking to you! Where have you gotten such treasures! I want your sources! Where are your mines! Answer me!"

"Madam!", Jerry shouted over the mirror, "My paladin friend cannot understand draconic, she cannot understand you! I will answer your questions if I can!"


Beri was hiding from the water beind the remnant of a goblin fortification. Kitty was scared shitless of deep water.

 

[Fangs9090]

Shuffle looked up as Joanne and the turtle returned. Thankfully, any evidence of her new power had melted away already.


Poli looked around a bit before finding the cat and walking over. "What are you doing?"

 

[Deadwood Deer]

Jerry and the dragon turtle had a conversation and made some negotiations, eventually Jerry getting the turtle to agree to let the party to pass through unhindered, but only if the turtle could see each of them coming through her den, which Jerry relayed to the others.


"I cannot fight a dragon turtle!", Beri hissed, "My abilities are entirely negated by water!"

 

[Fangs9090]

Erina spoke up first. "Can we even manage that? We still haven't figured out a way to get everyone through the water, and there's no telling how much further past the den will be flooded."

 

[Deadwood Deer]

The others nodded in agreement, except for Emera, who just hovered and watched, amused. "Jerry, Emil, Poli, Joanne, and Shuffle are the only ones that can even swim, I think," Adran pointed out.

"And I don't think you'll be able to recover from the nerve damage if you go swimming in saltwater with your tail," Veo added, "Poli might have to cover that and make a bubble for you both."

 

[Fangs9090]

Niudisa paused at the word bubble. "I might be able to expand my bubble spell. If everyone groups close, and maybe the smaller ones ride piggyback, I might be able to fit everyone. But, I've never tried that before, so I don't know how long I could hold it. It might give out halfway and drown most of us." She shrugged.