The Werebeast checked through her pack, making sure everything was in order while the others talked. She was glad of her natural ability to see in the dark now. A tree in the mountain seemed a bit odd, but so was a magic door on the side of a mountain. Hopefully the rest of the group would be reliable.
Stilia handed a flashlight to the boy with... the cat? Did he have a cat with him the entire time? Regretfully Pandora had not paid too much attention to him to know for sure. What good will a pet cat be inside a cave she wondered, but guessed she'd find out soon enough. Stilia began her walk into the cave, and Pandora took her place behind her and followed her in. She stopped once inside just for a minute to check out her surroundings and get a better idea of the area.
Post by Linette Nerissa on Feb 28, 2015 20:07:30 GMT -5
"Awwww it's a kitty" Linette gushed at the adorable ball of fur on Apollo's shoulder. Linette loved small fluffy animals: they didn't try to eat her and they were just adorable. " Play with the Kitty later Linette, you need to focus now" she refocused herself. Regaining her composure Linette noticed Gram looking at her out of the corner of her eye;it was kinda awkward, Gram didn't know that she was a mermaid and she wasn't originally planning on telling him. Flipping the top of her satchel; she pretended to be inspecting her things in hopes of avoiding him see her blush.
After waiting for a brief moment she shifted her attention back to Stilia who was handing her a flash light. Linette probably wasn't going to need the item but she figured it may be useful to someone else. " Thanks Stil..." she said with a smile. The only thing left to do was follow her friend into the dark emptiness of a magical mountain..
Post by Apollo Lion on Mar 1, 2015 19:52:18 GMT -5
Bayla found herself staring into the eyes of everyone who looked at her. She never dropped eyesight until they did, almost as though she was testing their will. Every eye contact made was a threat in her eyes, and she did not like threats.
Stilia gave a flashlight to Apollo, telling him to watch the rear. He agreed to this, a little confused as to why Stilia would trust him with watching everyone's back, then waited for the group to all walk in before he followed. When everyone entered the cave, Apollo placed Bayla off of his shoulder then gathered his material. He walked slowly into the cave with his dark kitty by his side, but turned around slowly to see what the door would do. Would it close right after them, locking them in until this quest was complete? He didn't like the idea of being locked inside, but he also didn't like the idea of leaving when he was needed, if he was even needed.
Reluctantly, he continued, turning on the flashlight to get a good idea of where he was. Currently, there where two people he believed to own a flashlight, Apollo and Stilia. Maybe the others didn't need one? Apollo did not see Stilia hand another to someone else. His duty was to watch everyone's back, make sure that nothing came up from behind maybe? Stilia had told very little, probably because she knew very little, and when Pandora had asked Stilia a question she had seemed to blank out onto something else. How much did this woman know other than she was saving her ancestors?
Apollo Bayla telepathically said to draw his attention. His companion was near, but the darkness of her fur hid her well in the cave. Any shadowy area could be made her sanctuary from any attacker. She asked him a series of questions, mostly to make him recall his knowledge on the subject of Gorgons.
Who are the three Gorgon Gods? was her first question. He remembered, Stheno the warrior, Euryale the crier, and Medusa the beautiful.
Euryale the crier?
I can't remember everything about them Bayla! Apollo pouted.
If we are going to meet those Gorgons you mentioned, it would be best not to call Euryale that, Bayla teased.
A full conversation went on with the two as they made their way down the path. Both trying to recover as much knowledge about Gorgons as possible. Cuthroat mentioned little of them in his hunter lessons. Out of Angels, Demons, Werecreatures, Vampires, and Fae, Gorgons was never a topic that needed to come up. All he ever said was, "they stay in a colony and make little trouble. Meet a Gorgon in the real world and it's probably got something wrong with it."
So what was wrong with Stilia? Apollo wondered as he looked at her back. Absolutely nothing Bayla answered with much truth than she could know. Stilia had no problems with any part of her, and she was as beautiful as her true form allowed, if not even more. I'll be watching her, Bayla said with animosity in her voice. She really trusted no one but Apollo, and wasn't ashamed to show it, but only Apollo could tell. You watch the others, especially the one with the gun.
I will keep my eye on all of them, Apollo said to her, and she found herself satisfied with this. The conversation ended, and Apollo began to keep his word. His eyes stayed on everyone, listening and watching their every words and action, but he also made sure that the back was well protected, listening out for any commotions within the darkness, any not caused by Bayla.
Post by Nathaniel Graham on Mar 2, 2015 15:42:30 GMT -5
As they entered the cave, Gram frowned inwardly. He didn't like the idea of being trapped underground in an environment he could not control. If they ran into confrontation, and the young man fully expected that they would, there was too much that could go wrong. Luckily, he'd planned for many situations to maximize his chances of success on this journey.
The young man reached into his pack as he walked and pulled out a some relatively compact, high tech goggles. Gram put them and activated them. As a human, he possessed poor low light capabilities and no significant senses that would allow him to navigate his way through the complete darkness of underground. These goggles would allow him to see well, no matter the light conditions. Expensive, but worth it, he believed.
With little communication, the group seemed to have started falling into a formation. The other young man would be bringing up the rear with his kitty while Stilia would lead. Gram gravitated towards the center where he felt his abilities would be best utilized.
Although Stilia is usually in a human form, it often mimics her true face. She has large, round eyes, but otherwise her features are quite sharp. She smiles much more then she used to, but usually only out of politesse.
Post by Stilia Medusa on Mar 2, 2015 20:09:48 GMT -5
Stilia lead the way into the cave, not bothering to hesitate as many of the others had done. Not a word was spoken between the members of the motley crew. Stilia assumed it was due to a mixture of emotions, possibly including fear, anxiety, wonder, and confusion. Stilia herself had felt a mixture of those emotions when she had heard the voices in her head, calling from afar. She had certainly been hesitant to undertake the quest, uncomfortable with its location and uncomfortable in taking the lead. But the Goddesses had reasons for choosing her, and Stilia did not bother trying to reason with the Goddesses’ logic. She let the blind faith she had in her ancestors to guide her here.
Stilia looked back to ensure everyone was following. Gram had a ridiculous looking device on his head, and she felt like it was folly to wear it now. They had flashlights, after all, and a regular set of night vision goggles would cause pain to look at them. Plus, the cave stayed open, letting in a fresh breeze and sunlight. Stilia had a feeling the cave would never be closed again, the entrapped Goddesses probably thought it as symbolic or something. Stilia sighed lightly, scolding herself for trying to piece together what the Goddesses thought. The mortal gorgon turned back to the tunnel in front of her. So far, the cave had no turn-offs, and remained as a singular tunnel. Occasionally it curved and turned, but that was all. It was pretty straight forward, and even when they lost the sunlight, they had the flashlights.
Stilia felt a bit liberated. She caressed the snakes surrounding her face, relishing having them alive once again. The snakes certainly hated being turned to hair, and Stilia had gotten a few nips at her ears as they expressed their dislike. But they calmed down, and the bites healed quickly without a problem. Adjusting to slithering was strange, almost as strange as when she had had to first learn to use legs. Stilia made a mental promise to try and stay as a gorgon a bit more, it was a lovely feeling.
Post by Apollo Lion on Apr 8, 2015 14:18:46 GMT -5
Apollo yawned profusely. The cave had darkened in light which had begun to make him sheepish. He was still aware, however. If he found himself dosing only a little then Bayla would scream his name thunderously in his mind. If a scary dragon woman yelling loudly in your head did not wake you up, then nothing would.
Apollo took another gander around the cave, breathing in all that it was. So far, it was just a cave. He couldn't see it as anything but. Everything was the same to him. The pathway was still straight, it did not narrow nor grow in space, and there was not a signal to tell whether they where getting closer to their destination or not. This cave seemed nothing more than a cave. Maybe he wasn't looking hard enough?
Apollo turned his head around to notice the shrinking light of the doorway. The opening was still... Open. So they could still leave if they wanted to. However, others could enter if they wanted to as well. Apollo imagined a bunch of mundanes flooding through the cave. News crews, adventurers, every day people discovering a new entrance to Mount Olympus. The world would go crazy if they found out half the truths of this world.
He turned to Stilia, who was at the front, slithering about with the same grace she had when she walked. She was a gorgon, a gorgon! No matter how much he looked at her now he still could not picture that being her true form. To Apollo, she worked the human look so well.
Are you disappointed? Bayla asked. She was a step behind him surrounded by shadows. Apollo couldn't see her, but he could definitely feel where she was, as she could him.
I am not disapointed... Apollo responded. At this Bayla silently chuckled. Apollo could feel the happiness within her grow. This irritated him.
You had no chance with her anyway, she said. She's too older than you.
You know, you're just the right size for me to kick you and do damage, Bayla.
She snickered again, and Apollo ignored her. He placed his attention on Stilia again, then thought about the reason he was with this group. To save her ancestors.Medusa was one of them she mentioned. She didn't say the others, but who else they were to save was clearly implied. Apollo was happy to be able to help Stilia with a large task like this, but there was still a lot of things about this quest that made Apollo feel uneasy.
"Stilia?" Apollo called out to her and started an echo. The vibrations weren't very surprising to Apollo, he knew that the structure of the cave would cause an echo, as it did when he scraped his feet against the ground.
"Um..." he said a little quieter now, not trying to cause an awakening echo. "Sorry if I am bothering you, but I have another question."
"You are familiar with Gorgons," he said. "I don't know about the others, but I am not. I have no clue the type of people we are saving. But the legends... The legends do not make out your race as kind beings. Do you mind informing me on what your race is really like? For example, does your race hate humans? Is Medusa really evil, or does she hate humans too?" His voice was formal, but a little timid too. He wanted to come out as a professional but he did not want to insult her race as well. So, every word he said was picked carefully and every sentence had a little hesitation.
Apollo kept his mouth shut as he awaited her answer.
Everyone seemed to get into place as they moved in a line through the cave. She hadn't looked to see who else followed the Gorgon,but she heard the footsteps following her. That was the only sounds she could pick up. That and their faint breathing. It was like a scene out of a horror movie, when you know something has to happen soon but there is that suspense. It was too quiet. Pandora had to look around to be sure her ears weren't deceiving her.
The Werebeast listened in on the conversation Apollo started with Stilia about her race. Pandora knew enough but was no expert. He had good reason to ask in her opinion. Who knows what will happen when they free this Gorgon. They might all be on their way to death. Pan didn't add anything to the question and waited for Stilia's response.
The flashlights were definitely needed at this point. The entrance to the cave was no longer visible. Thanks to the lights, she was able to see much more clear with her own night vision. It seemed like they had already walked in the darkness for hours.
Although Stilia is usually in a human form, it often mimics her true face. She has large, round eyes, but otherwise her features are quite sharp. She smiles much more then she used to, but usually only out of politesse.
Post by Stilia Medusa on May 28, 2015 12:50:54 GMT -5
Well, it seemed the Goddesses had been a couple of flakey people. Of course, Stilia would never question their judgement, but she quickly noticed when Linette and Gram both disappeared. She knew they were safe, the tunnel had only been a single line. Perhaps they had gone off to… canoodle or something. She didn’t know, she didn’t really care. Stilia had always been too entranced by her own studies to be interested in romance.
Everything seemed to be going well. Quite well, in fact. Yes, it had gotten darker, due to the twisting nature of the tunnel, but Stilia dreaded what was ahead. The Gorgon Goddesses wouldn’t have had her summon others if all she had to do was follow a tunnel with a flashlight. Although they hadn’t been specific in their tasks either.
Apollo’s voice made her jump a little, her imaginative mind focused on all sorts of monsters. She’d even seen creatures from other worlds, having traversed across the Khyper-Diorem and been one of the few who survived. Apollo spoke again, a bit quieter this time.
She laughed, very lightly, a small tinkle that bounced off the walls. “No, you may ask whatever you wish. I cannot help but indulge a curious mind. But yes, I am familiar with my own species. But no, the legends are false. I was not there myself, but time has a talent for twisting truths. Medusa and her sisters, Euryale and Stheno, were once human themselves. They were bright, they were powerful, and they caught the eye of a God. From what I understand, it was he who turned them into Gorgons, but it was also what made them Goddesses. They chose to create more in their image, and there have been three ‘families’ since. We love our Goddesses, and they are no more evil than I am.”
Ok, perhaps she didn’t actually know if they were evil or not. But years of worship had always made the Three Goddesses sound like wonderful beings. Plus, the voice of Euryale in her head had promised reward, and had picked who should come. If she hated humans, Stilia doubted Apollo would have been asked to undertake such a sacred journey.
Post by Apollo Lion on May 29, 2015 12:30:26 GMT -5
"Interesting," Apollo chimed when Stilia spoke. This was his first time hearing accompaniment words to the three Gorgon sisters from a child of the Gorgons perspective. The most he was given were vile belittling discredits on how cruel they were. Of course, there was really no telling if her words were true. Apollo could only trust that these powerful creatures were nice, and have faith in Stilia's words. Whether they were nice to humans was unknown, but he trusted Stilia, so any word of hers was the truth.
However, if all that was true then why did Apollo have a horrible feeling? It was a feeling he had kept since the beginning of this task; it was a feeling that he seemed he couldn't get rid of; and it was a feeling that warned him of noxious danger. Never ending thoughts continued to swarm in his head. Why was it taking so long to get to the end of this cave? What had been so powerful that it could lock the Gorgon sisters who were goddesses in a trap? Why couldn't they get out? What waited for them at the end of this passage way? This situation that Apollo was in was perpetuating, yet the real danger had not even come.
"Well, actually Stilia... I was wondering something else..." Apollo took in a deep breath. "Where is your pack?" He asked more confidently than before. "Are you traveling alone? If I remember perfectly, Gorgons were grouped in nests and enclosed from the rest of the world. Will we meet some of your friends along the way?" Apollo sounded calm, surprisingly more than he actually was. The whole reason he was talking now was to settle his throbbing chest. He commended himself for keeping his exterior far away from his interior.
It seems like they had been walking through this mysterious cave for an eternity with no real change now. She had stayed quiet and listened to the conversation between Apollo and Stilia patiently. It bothered her that the boy seemed to be more interested in conversation than looking out for any possible enemies like he should be doing. Why was it taking so long to get to the end, Or anywhere at all really?
Somehow two of them managed to vanish. One male and one female. It figures that the one who remained besides herself was the crazy cat guy. Pandora let out a sigh of boredom. She still had that feeling that something was about to happen, but she sure as hell wished it would happen already.
Pan was still positioned in the middle. She would casually glance around and behind her regularly. It was mainly because she didn't quite trust these people with her life. How could she trust people she had just met? As she looked behind her and seen Apollo with his "cat", for a second she could have sworn she seen movement behind them. It made her stop and look past them some more, but seen and heard nothing else and figured it was just her imagination. She kept her guard up just in case she was wrong.
Post by Nathaniel Graham on Aug 12, 2015 23:15:08 GMT -5
Whistling to himself in his head, Gram thought about the task ahead of them as he fixed his laces, his goggles returned to his pack. One of his shoes had come untied at some point and, well, he couldn’t just leave it like that, could he? What if he’d tripped? That would’ve sucked.
His task complete, the young man climbed to his feet and dusted off his trousers with his hand. Observing his handiwork, Gram grunted his satisfaction with the quality knot he’d tied. He looked up and realized he’d been left behind.
The young man cursed to himself as he ran to catch up with the group, hefting his pack back onto his shoulders as he took off. Nate felt slightly embarrassed about the entire incident when he’d finally caught up so the young man didn’t say anything, hoping that no one had noticed his brief absence.
Gram managed to catch the end of a conversation upon his arrival that didn’t particularly interest him but he listened in anyways.
Post by Linette Nerissa on Aug 23, 2015 22:44:05 GMT -5
Linette fumbled looking for her flashlight. She had been admiring the darling little kitty and the next thing she knew the ground and her face were like best friends catching up on old times. "Dang it" she scolded herself. The last thing she needed was to get left behind in these dark cryptic caverns; she could only imagine the horrors that lurked further within.
With a little luck she had managed to find her flash light and turn it on; luckily there was only one path to follow. " At least I'm not completely lost" she said feeling defeated. Pooling water in her hands Linette ran them over her scraped knees; despite the rocky start she had to help Stilia. Letting out a sigh "I really wishing that she could just swim through through these tunnels, it'd be so much simpler". Feeling a little more relaxed she began her journey to catch up with everyone else.
At first approach it seemed that everyone was amidst an interesting conversation; Linette only hoped that she hadn't missed any important information.
Although Stilia is usually in a human form, it often mimics her true face. She has large, round eyes, but otherwise her features are quite sharp. She smiles much more then she used to, but usually only out of politesse.
Post by Stilia Medusa on Aug 24, 2015 10:52:09 GMT -5
The cave now echoed with the small talk of the members, as if caution was slowly dissipating. They seemed like a nice bunch, the young human was very curious. Although, he did look as if he may be classed as an adult by human standards. Stilia was still a baby among her kind.
Pandora remained quiet, perhaps she was wondering why they were now a trio. But if she had concerns, she did not voice them. Stilia paused for a moment, slowing the group down. Two scents began to approach, and Stilia recognized them quite well. So they hadn’t completely abandoned them. That was good, as Stilia had begun having blasphemous thoughts of Euryale picking the wrong people.
First the human arrived, followed by the mermaid. They were silent, not explaining their disappearance. A withering look was cast their way by the Gorgoness, but she did not question why they had left and began walking forward once more. She still held the assumption that they had been canoodling.
“Where is your pack?” Apollo asked. At first, Stilia had thought he meant her backpack, but that was on her back, like every day. No, he was questioning what happened to her family. Her heart tightened slightly.
“No.” She replied, a bit curtly. “Gorgons do live in packs, away from the world, but I… left mine. It is my greatest mistake, and my most profound indulgence.”
Stilia thought back to that night, secretly sneaking out of their home, to admire the moon. She had been incredibly naïve, her senses dull, and had been captured by hunters. Put on display like an animal, and rescued by others. She’d been gone so long, she was afraid of returning. She was afraid of being accepted, and never getting to leave again; but was also afraid of being rejected, and permanently cast out blind and hairless.
She stopped talking, her words echoing lightly across the cave. However, there was a change in the sound, and the group finally came up to a location where the tunnels split. Here was the real maze. Stilia paused for a moment, as if listening to a silent guide, before taking her sword and easily drawing an arrow in the rock. “We’ll head left.”
Post by Apollo Lion on Aug 26, 2015 0:47:23 GMT -5
It was Gram first who suddenly stopped to tie his shoes. Thinking that it was nothing, Apollo moved onward, knowing that Gram would be able to catch up with everyone at a later time. When Linette fell, Apollo also left her. Despite how desperately he wanted to help her up and be a gentlemen, Apollo knew that that role was for Gram only. So, Apollo passed Linette and continued his talk with Stilia. After 5 minutes had passed, the two returned together, side by side. When Apollo saw them, he smiled at them and asked, "Did you two have fun?"
"No," Stilia answered back to Apollo's former pack question. “Gorgons do live in packs, away from the world, but I… left mine. It is my greatest mistake, and my most profound indulgence.”
Touchy subject, Bayla pointed out to Apollo when she noticed how Stilia answered that question. He had many others to ask, but she seemed to be more lost in thought than able to speak to him right now. So, Apollo left Stilia alone. When the tunnels began to split, though, Apollo suddenly lost his voice as well.
Stilia etched something into the stones, then said with the greatest of confidence after talking to her snakes, “We’ll head left.”
"Alright," Apollo said. "I hope we are getting closer..." Trusting in Stilia, Apollo walked forward and to the left, lost in his thoughts of what he would do once he met the first Gorgons, the leaders of an entire race. He would probably bow down to Medusa first, since she was the most notable one in old-folktale stories. Maybe he would try to kiss Eyurales fingers. The promise of meeting three powerful women both excited and frightened him.
As Apollo and Stilia continued on with their conversation, the two that were left behind decided to show up again. Pandora made a note not to trust them either. The Gorgon was the only one so far that hadn't done anything stupid, which was a good thing considering that she was the leader. "Nice of you to decide to return." she said in a sarcastic tone.
Apollo was making Stilia uncomfortable with his questioning and never ending conversation. "Maybe you should pay more attention to where you are going." she said to Apollo. Pandora was beginning to lose her temper with him.
The group hit a split in the tunnel, and Stilia informed them that they'd be going left. Pandora couldn't help but wonder what was to the right. A dead end, or maybe danger? The curious cat inside her wanted to go and find out for herself but she knew better than to separate from the group, even if most of the group seemed pretty useless so far.
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