Chapter 7: Cryptic Map
Azrael: *stops at Black's Potion Shop and looks back at everyone* Well, this is it.
Garnet: *noses around the building* Doesn't look too out of the ordinary.
Jillian: *looks around* No, but a red forest hopefully will. Look for that. *looks out the windows only to see the sides of other buildings* *thinks to self - Stupid cat and her cryptic map..*
Azrael: *nonchalantly looks at the books and potions lining the walls*
Roxas: *moves quickly through the store, knocking over several potions onto himself*
Garnet: ROXAS! BEHAVE!
Roxas: *turns green*
Garnet: AAH!
Shopkeeper: *limps over to Jillian* Can I help you find something, miss?
Jillian: *jumps a little, startled* Oh! Well.. not unless you know where to find a red forest.
Shopkeeper: *smiles a crooked smile* As a matter of fact.. I do. Wait here. *limps off into the back*
Garnet: *grabs Roxas by his neck scarf and drags him over towards where the shopkeeper was*
Roxas: *turns blue*
Garnet: Augh!
Azrael: *yawns*
Jillian: *looks down at Roxas* *opens mouth to say something, then closes it and just look at Garnet, confused*
Shopkeeper: *limps back to were the two girls stand* Here we go. *sets a book down on the closest shelf* The Book of the Fire Forest.. Some say it leads you to everything you hope to find.
Jillian: Well it sounds perfect then. *smiles politely and begins looking through the book, whispering to self "blue statue, blue statue"*
Garnet: *to the shopkeeper* Um, excuse me, I'm sorry, my dog caused a bit of a mess and it seems some potions got spilled on him. Do you have anything to cure it? I'll pay for what he broke and the remedy...
Roxas: *is red*
Shopkeeper: *smiles his crooked smile once again* Of course miss. *turns away to a shelf of unlabelled bottles, turning back a moment later with bottle in hand* You must bathe him in this oil, and the color will go away. *hands her the bottle as well as a slip of paper with the total price*
Jillian: *flips past a page then quickly looks back to it* Look! *reads* One example of an area taking on the color of the auras surrounding it is the Statue of the Elven Guard. This statue, despite it's black stone texture, has been seen to emit a blue glow just after sunset! *turns to the rest of the group* Hey, does anyone know where the Statue of the Elven Guard is?
Garnet: *smiles* Thank you so--*looks at the price* Ahhh... *frowns*
Azrael: *suddenly appears behind Garnet and gently grabs the slip of paper, looks at it and casually hands the shopkeeper the correct amount*
Garnet: *smiles* Thank you, I--
Azrael: *turns attention to Jillian* I know where that is. It's not too far from here.
Garnet: *sighs*
Roxas: *is yellow*
Jillian: *nods* Good. Let's go. *waits to follow him out of the door, looking confused at Garnet and Roxas once more*
Azrael: *walks out the door, towards the back of the building and through a gate*
Garnet: *following Azrael* Roxas, I'm gonna stop taking you places if you keep getting yourself into things like this. *examines the oil remedy*
Roxas: =(
Garnet: *glances at Roxas* Don't look at me like that, it's your fault your a clumsy dog.
Jillian: *walks next to Azrael* Have you visited here before? Do you know where Callie might be?
Azrael: *looks straight ahead* I've been here before, but I really can't tell you where your friend is.
Garnet: *walks along with Roxas, points up ahead* Is that it up there?
Azrael: *nods*
Jillian: *walks up to the statue and looks around to see trees and other plantlife surrounding the area* How the hell are we going to find the second bush here? *looks disappointed and let down*
Azrael: *sits down calmly on the base of the statue and swings one of his blades slowly back and forth*
Garnet: *looks around the statue* Maybe there's something we don't see...
Roxas: *barks, looking up*
Garnet: *looks up* It looks like the statue is pointing to something...
Jillian: *perks up a little and looks in the direction that the statue is pointing* To a... *tilts head a little* ..sort of straight row of bushes... *walks towards the second one*
Roxas: *runs over with her, sniffing around the bush*
Garnet: Do you see anything?
Jillian: *kneels down and begins brushing away some dirt* Well, only if you could grass torn up and branches tied back.. help me, I think there may be a door or something under the dirt.
Garnet: *walks over to the door and kneels down, hears something above her, looks up suddenly*
*a small minotaur falls out of the tree above and hits the ground, an arrow sticking out of its chest*
Fiona: *walks towards us with Bartimaeus, Baku and Aiden* I thought I heard voices over here.
Garnet: Good shot, Fiona!
Jillian: *smiles at her* It looks like we may need someone out here to watch the door. Especially if they have one of their spies out here.
Bartimaeus: Fiona and I will guard the door, the rest of you should investigate further.
Baku: Since when do YOU give orders? *stomps towards the middle of everyone* I feel somewhat responsible for all of us, so Fiona and Bartimaeus - watch the door, I will go ahead with the others.
Bartimaeus: *crosses arms and sighs* Okay, Baku.
Aiden: Garnet, why is Roxas plaid?
Roxas: *is plaid*
Garnet: Oh, heh heh, I'll explain later...
Jillian: *lifts open the door* Let's go then. *begins climbing down into the ground*
Garnet: *climbs down into the ground after Aiden, Baku and Azrael*
Roxas: *tries to follow*
Garnet: Oh no no no! *pushes Roxas back up* You stay up here, you glow in the dark now, you'd give us away!
Roxas: =( *glows...*
Garnet: *disappears into the ground*
Jillian: *watches as Garnet steps onto the floor* Careful.. apparently this isn't going to be some easy task. *points ahead a little ways where small glints of light can be seen reflecting off of a bunch of metallic things*
Aiden: *picks up an unlit torch on the wall and creates a small fireball in hands, lights the torch and looks ahead, the light showing off tall posts standing in a sea of spikes* Ehh...
Garnet: Oh, you're kidding me, right! We're gonna have to cross on those posts? *looks over the edge, noticing how sharp the spikes are* Ow...
Jillian: Unless you want to be shishkabob.. *looks over the posts then very carefully steps to the first one, using the naginata to help her balance*
Azrael: *moves past her, effortlessly crossing the pit to the other side, turns around and crosses his arms*
Garnet: *huffs* You couldn't carry one of us, could you?
Azrael: *just smirks*
Baku: Seeq aren't very good at balancing...
Jillian: *jumps from the last post to the opposite side, looking around before looking back at the others* Luckily it's not very far across... I think I see a staircase over here as well.
Garnet: C'mon Baku, we'll help you! *takes ahold of one of Baku's hands and leads him across carefully*
Aiden: *takes ahold of Baku's other hand and leads him across*
Garnet: *steps to the other side along with Baku and Aiden* See, it wasn't so bad!
Baku: *looks back at the pit with a look of disgust on his face* I might just have to turn back now. *brushes himself off*
Jillian: And go back over the pit now that you've gotten to the other side? *smiles a little* Shall we continue? *motions towards the stairs leading deeper underground*
Garnet: *walks down the the next level, sees self and screams, gets startled and runs right smack into something else, falls backwards and rubs nose*
Aiden: *points and laughs, his torch reflecting off what seems like a room of mirrors*
Jillian: *turns around slowly, looking at all of the mirrors* Is this a dead end..?
Baku: *goes to touch a mirror, but hand goes right through it, along with the rest of him*
Garnet: Ahh, Baku! *looks in the mirror he fell through*
Mirror Garnet: *pulls down eyelid and sticks tongue out at the real Garnet*
Garnet: HEY! *sticks tongue out back*
Azrael: *looks at the mirror* Some of these mirrors are illusions. Perhaps the trick ones show us the way. *steps through the mirror and over Baku*
Jillian: *follows him through to another room of mirrors along with Garnet and Aiden* *looks around at all of her reflections*
Mirror Jillian: *holds the pole of the naginata, spinning around it laughing* *stops, flips hair back, and winks at the group*
Aiden: Ooh, I like that Jillian! *smirks*
Fat Mirror Garnet: *eats cake and stomps around*
Garnet: Ahh! *covers face* I'm huuuugggeee!
Aiden: *looks at the mirror* Hey, that's the splitting image of you, Garnet!
Garnet: *yells* IS NOT!
Azrael: *pops out of the mirror* What are you three doing? We need to keep moving. *grabs Garnet's arm and pulls her through the mirror*
Garnet: *stumbles through*
Jillian: *whaps Aiden on his shoulder then steps through the mirror, into yet another room* How many of these are there? *spies a mirror image of Baku running in circles chasing his curly tail* *laughs and points to the mirror*
Azrael: *brushes Garnet's hand with his as he lets go of Garnet's arm*
Garnet: *turns slightly red, looks away* Azrael, I don't see any reflections of you in this room...
Azrael: *ignores her comment, reaches the end of the room towards another stairway*
Baku: *pointing and laughing at a Mirror Aiden dressed as a woman running around*
Aiden: That's awful! I'm so done with this room.
Jillian: *also laughs at the mirror version of Aiden* It's called karma. *grins and follows Azrael towards the stairway*
Aiden: *huffs* Not funny... *follows her along with Baku*
Garnet: *looks into the next room to see a wall filled with vines going up* Are we going to have to climb?
Baku: This doesn't make sense! *throws hands up in the air* These rooms are useless!
Jillian: *glares at Baku* Anything that we have to go through in order to get Callie back is NOT useless. *takes a deep breath then begins climbing, carefully finding footholds*
Baku: Whatever, missy. *begins to climb as well*
Aiden: Go ahead, Garnet, I'll follow behind you!
Garnet: Ohhh no, I don't want you creepin' up behind me, looking up my shorts! *kicks him towards the vines*
Aiden: Ow, okay already! *begins to climb*
Garnet: *looks at Azrael who is already beginning to ascend*
Jillian: *slowly and steadily continues to climb* *glances back at the others* So.. if we're climbing up, does that mean we're getting to the surface again? It doesn't make sense..
Baku: I guess we're just going to have to find out. This climb is way too long...
Aiden: I'm getting tired already!
Baku: *loses footing a little, accidently bumps into Aiden who bumps into Garnet*
Aiden: Ow, hey!
Garnet: Whoa, I almost fell there! *gets startled by a hand in her face, grabs it*
Azrael: *boosts Garnet up a little next to him, continues climbing*
Jillian: I think I see the top.. *continues climbing slowly and carefully and finally grabs onto the ledge at the top and pulls herself over*
Azrael: *pulls himself up, pulling Garnet up as well*
Garnet: *smiles* Whee!
Aiden: *grumbles, pulls himself up at the same time as Baku*
Baku: I don't want to do that again. *looks down over the edge*
Jillian: *steps through another door and into a room in complete black* *looks back towards the door only to see black surrounding her* H-hello? *holds up hand in front of her, only to realize she can't see it either*
Garnet: *wanders around in the pitch black, bumps into something* Ow, what's going on? I can't see a thing!
Aiden: *tires to create a fireball, but to no avail* It seems this room as a spell block on it!
Baku: *flails around* There has to be an exit here, somewhere! *feels around*
Jillian: Where are you guys? I don't think we should seperate if we're going to get through this.. *reaches out hand and feels a flat, solid surface* Hey, I think I found a wall..
Garnet: I can't find any of you!
Baku: This is impossible!
Azrael: If we all calm down, I think we can just rely on our voices to get out of here...
Garnet: Good call! But where do we begin? I can even tell how far I am from the entrance!
Jillian: Well, I found a wall.. maybe if we follow it we can get to a door. Everyone come over here.
Garnet: Where's "here"?
Aiden: Well if SOME people would be quiet, we could listen and find out!
Baku: SHHHH ALL OF YOU!
*silence falls*
Baku: Jillian, yell something so we know which direction you are!
Jillian: Umm.. okay... *begins to softly sing a song in an unknown language, slowly getting louder so that everyone can hear and follow the noise*
*everyone manages to find their way over to Jillian, squashing her in the process*
Garnet: Ahh, Aiden, move!
Baku: That's me, Garnet!
Jillian: Eep! *gets squished* Okay, so ummm... I guess hold hands? I don't know how else to stick together.. *keeps one of her hands placed on the wall*
Aiden: *grabs onto her hand and grins* *reaches out, hoping to get Garnet, but gets Baku instead* Aw, man...
Baku: *grabs Garnet's hand*
Garnet: *very happily grabs Azrael's hand, giggles*
Aiden: *does a very loud mocking-Garnet giggle*
Baku: *laughs hysterically*
Garnet: Stop it!! *frowns*
Jillian: *giggles a little* Alright, let's go. And Aiden, no tricks, otherwise I'll start cracking your fingers. *begins moving along the wall*
Aiden: Fine, fine, I'll behave... *moves along with everyone else until the other side is reached, suddenly the lights turn on, but the room is just empty*
Garnet: Oh that's so strange, I swear I ran into things... *looks towards the next stairway*
This chat was completed on Tuesday, July 3, 2007.