Fantasy Cursed Island

[Deadwood Deer]

Lyak looked around at the splatter, "You two are strong..." The bear underneath the goblin only shook her head as they came back to the split and took the other path, stopping to mark it before continuing on.

-------------

"Should we go looking for the others?", Emfa asked eventually.

"Go looking for more of you to wreck my workshop?", came a shrill voice from one of the tunnels, accompanied by a ball of light. A fairy, and it wasn't Niudisa.

 

[Fangs9090]

Niudisa smiled. "You know it. Why would those things chase you to that pit though? Unless they're working for that mimic, somehow."

----------

Jerry and Turac were still down, so Asta was on the defensive, taking a step forward as the others looked to the light.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

"I don't know," Lyak shook her head, "But I don't like this place." They came to another split, this one with markings on it, indicating someone else had come through. And they could hear voices down it.

-----------

The little light cleared up somewhat the closer it got. There were crystals floating around it, Jerry might have called them Ioun stones. This fairy was covered up more densly than Niudisa had been, only her wings were visible, which were much brighter than Niudisa's. And she was holding her hands out with two crystals spinning before her palms as she entered the workshop, aimed at the party. "How did you get past the worms?"

 

[Fangs9090]

Niudisa checked the markings. "That's a good sign. Come on, let's regroup." She headed on ahead.

----------

Corona shrugged. "Well, we fought them and some of us got luckier than others. If you want more details than that, you'll have to act like less of an enemy."

Emil spoke up. "What she means to say is that we'd rather not fight if it can be avoided. But we will defend ourselves if necessary."

 

[Deadwood Deer]

Niudisa, Nalla, Shuffle, Fia, and Lyak eventually came into a large workshop, where the rest of the party was. Jerry and the dragon turtle were passed on a table, with Raine still clutching her own injuries. The rest of the party was facing off with another fairy that seemed to be using crystals for weapons.

"If you want me to act like less of an enemy than you better act like less of a tresspasser," the fairy hissed, "Get out of my workshop!"

 

[Fangs9090]

Emil gave a nod. "We have intruded, and for that we're sorry. Had we known someone still actively used it, we wouldn't have just walked in. But three of our members are recovering from their fights and they need to rest."

Niudisa raised an eyebrow as she fluttered into the room. "Maybe try installing doors? That could help keep people out."

 

[Deadwood Deer]

"I don't care how you got in or who is hurt," the fairy sneered, "I have guard dogs for a reason."

"I assume you speak of the sickletails?", Joanne asked, "They are efficient but they are ultimately the reason we are unable to leave at the moment. If you would call them off we would be able to leave safely."

 

[Fangs9090]

Niudisa nodded. "She's got a point. Your 'guard dogs' are keeping us in, pretty much." She paused before bringing the magic hand with the slime cores forward. "Off topic, but I don't you know anything about this?"

 

[Deadwood Deer]

The fairy seemed surprised that Niudisa had that box, "How did you get that?"

 

[Fangs9090]

"Hm... Long story short, part of our group was attacked, then I stepped in. Now I have this."

 

[Deadwood Deer]

"Well you need to give it back, that's not yours."

 

[Fangs9090]

"Mmhm. Well, you clearly know what it is and it's obviously important. But I'm not about to do anything could backfire on me or this group. I don't know you or your intentions, so just handing this over is a risk I'm not willing to take."

 

[Deadwood Deer]

The fairy crossed her arms, "You're not in a position to refuse." Inside the box, the bell started jingling, and the party could hear the clicking of the bugs in the surrounding tunnels. "Because unless I get that back, you're all gonna die here."

 

[Fangs9090]

Niudisa glanced at the box before she scowled. She hated getting backed into a corner. She knew she could handle a few bugs, but she didn't know how the others were able to handle it. Three of them clearly couldn't. "Fine, take your stupid box." She tossed the box towards the other fairy, keeping the magic hand summoned in case she did need to smash something. Bugs or otherwise.

Poli had been staring at the box since Niudisa brought it in, and they kept watching as it went by.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

"Thank you," the fairy caught the box and the jingling stopped the clicking fading. She pointed to a tunnel, "That tunnel will take you back to before the labyrinth."

 

[Fangs9090]

"Well, that won't do. We're trying to go deeper into the ruins, not back the way we came."

 

[Deadwood Deer]

"I don't care," the fairy replied, she whistled down one of the tunnels and a familiar golden blob came oozing along. "Here." She tossed it to the blob.

"Hey!", Lyak protested.

"Shut it."

 

[Fangs9090]

Shuffle, immediately triggered by the sight of her lost prey, shot across the room at the blob. As she charged, she knocked the cube aside with her horns, focused entirely on the golden blob.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

The bell in the cube jingled when it hit the ground, and the bugs returned, anxious for orders as the golden blob squeaked and darted back down the tunnel.

 

[Fangs9090]

Shuffle continued her pursuit, disappearing after it.

"Damnit, Shuffle!" Niudisa pointed at Fia. "Go after her. Someone else silence that bell!"

Fia nodded and flew off down the tunnel where Shuffle had gone.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

"Dumbasses," the fairy rolled her eyes as the pursuit began. "You retards made this happen, I gave you a way out." She shook her head and collected the box, taking out the bell and setting the box on the table.

The worms descended on the partyin the tunnels as Shuffle gave chase. They ignored the golden blob, but were eager to feast on Shuffle and Fia as they chased them down.

 

[Fangs9090]

Shuffle took note of the worms, but her only response to them was activating her acid cloak as she kept chasing. Fia similarly burst in flames as she tried to avoid losing track of Shuffle.

Niudisa turned to the fairy. "Call them off or this gets ugly."

 

[Deadwood Deer]

"No," the fairy crossed her arms, "I gave you a way out of my labyrinth. You refused to take it, and then your companion decided to hunt my associate. The situation you're in is of your own making."

"You will call off your worms, or you will-"

"What? You're gonna kill me?", the fairy laughed, "If I die, there's no one to control the worms except Lenna, and she's not going to be very keen on showing you dumbasses mercy after what you've done to her." Lenna was apparently the name of the creeping coin. "The sickletails will descend on you in force, and you'll become part of the swarm." She shook her head, "Your best chance of getting out of here is in not pissing me off anymore than you already have."

 

[Fangs9090]

"What makes you think I can't figure out that little bell myself?"

As the fairies were arguing, Poli was slowly slinking over to the box of slime cores, keeping an eye on the other fairy.

 

[Deadwood Deer]

"Oh, it's quite simple," the fairy replied, "That bell responds to two mana signatures, and you're not one of them. Until I or Lenna stop it, it's going to keep ringing, and it's going to keep calling worms." She looked over the party, "You lot are going to make amazing nests."