Heaven's Spire

Vaalzys' eyes were gleaming with joy at the thought of getting to play games for once. "OH! We could play..uh..hide and seek! or tag! or....uh..." Vaalzys stopped for a moment, trying to think of any other games he used to play. "Uh... We should play... Mortals...but we'd have to go to my world to play it... I can bring us there if you want!!" His eyes began to glow mint slightly, preparing himself for when he assumed they'd agree. "This will be so fun! I haven't played games with anyone in a long time! Just uh...don't get lost okay... some kids got lost in my world and never came back to play....but I'm sure you wont!!" He said excitedly, his eyes starting to glow brighter.

   Robin observed as Limarah began her tale, nodding as she carried. 

   That many bandits? It was almost hard to believe that a woman who appeared as kind as herself would have so many to try and take advantage of her generosity. However, people were desperate when it came to wealth, which would probably explain half of the fighters here truthfully. They weren't risking their lives for no reason, after all. It was unfortunate to hear, and they hadn't known how to respond appropriately. Though, it was better to try than not to, "Oh, I'm sorry..." they rubbed their hand on the back of their head, rather nervous, "But you've been helpful, I'm glad you came across us." 

   Robin's mind slipped once the woman was in the middle of her story, and had forgotten they were still seated on the ground. Taking their pack and moving it to their front, they gently placed the music box among the array of tools before returning it to their back. Her hand had been outstretched towards them already, and while they hadn't necessarily wanted to accept help on such on a task; it felt rude to decline. Meekly, they gripped Limarah's hand as their legs wobbled under the weight as they stood. For a moment, they stayed very still, before taking a step to confirm their balance. "Thank you again," it was slightly embarrassing to have her see them fumble so obviously. 

Vaalzys frowned as he heard that they didn't know what his game was. "W-well....It's a game where one group is the mortal and the others are the immortals! And then we pretend fight until one side wins! Usually...the immortals win...but I can go easy on you!!" He smiled. His eyes began glowing even brighter as he prepared to send them to his world. The sky and ground around them began to melt away, quite literally, as the sky bled into a blend of red and purple, and the floor beneath them appeared to be made of skin. Suddenly, however, they snapped back into the normal world. Vaalzys frowned, looking to his two new friends.

"I.....have to go.....my dad is here.... We'll play later though! I promise!! Bye!!" And with that, Vaalzys disappeared in thin air, leaving the group behind. The root blocking the road burrowed back into the ground, and the Tree of Zil'Carm closed its eyes.

    The terror that the harpy was struck with as they entered the hellish dimension was indescribable, the woman physically trembling as she tried to hold in all her fear. The sky melted into a reddish purple before their eyes, and her bleary vision now moved down to the floor which appeared to be made of.... skin?? They were in hell. She kept her demeanor as positive as possible, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She needed to keep the kid as content as possible, but she couldn't stop herself from sniffling as she tried to shoot him a a small smile. What are we going to do...??


    She waved weakly with her wing as he disappeared, the tears she'd been holding back finally streaming freely down her face. The path out of the square was now clear, and he was gone. He was gone. Her shoulders heaving a little bit as she started to cry, her horror now finally hitting her full force now that the facade had been dropped. I should've listened to Freyja!


    Rory looked at the small witch bleary-eyed, sniffling as relief washed over her once she saw new faces that weren't wrapped up in that hellish scenario. Her words came out like a flood of rambles, tripping over her words. "T-There was a voice that we heard, and then the tree opened its eyes and stared at Uldrix a-and then there was this child... the son of Zil'Carm?? A-And he nearly transported us to hell, the sky was red a-and there was skin everywhere, a-and..." She gesticulated wildly with her wings as she spoke, tears streaming down her face and her voice peaking in volume and pitch.

    The harpy began to realize how wild and ridiculous her ramblings sounded, quieting down and sniffling softly before hugging Spica. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have run off, coming to the tree was a mistake..."
   
    Taking a deep breath, she let go and stood up straight, taking a deep breath and trying to collect herself. "We should get out of here..."

Alluriae realized she hadn't introduced. Although the kind harpy girl had asked for her name, she couldn't with how quick she left. Now she was back. With the few members that had been in front of her, she excused herself to say her name. "Ah, I'm sorry if this...inappropriate, but I needed to introduce myself. My name is Alluriae Tschvinat, an elf from the city of Ryuiton in northern Shakwen. I understand that we are looking very hard for the Heaven Spire, and I hope we can get along well."

Uldrix followed behind the group quietly, his head hung low and his shoulders trembling from the experience. He gave no indication that he heard or was paying attention to anything being spoken.

Uldrix wandered to the inn, still on edge from meeting with the star child. He approached Freyja, appearing calm although his hearts were beating incredibly fast within his torso.

"I will not be attending dinner." He whispered flatly.

After informing her of this he turned around and swiftly vanished deep within the town, going into one of the abandoned buildings. A faint screech could be heard that was different from the ones he'd displayed before--it sounded almost like weeping, if one were to stretch it.