Re: The Golden Idol

[Fëdyei Brambleglow]

When Sedg snatched up the spear out of her hands, Fëdyei did not move or even look at him.
She let out a low, miserable howl "I thought I could... I thought.." She whimpered to no one in particular, staring at the mutilated bandit on the ground and watching the blood pool and collect in the small of his back. "I.. I just..." She relapsed back into her mournful sobs. Through her trance she heard Trey's voice. His voice sounded soft and reassuring, but she couldn't focus on what he was saying. She just rode out the ups and downs of his sentences without attaching meaning to them. All the while thinking of what Sedg had said and how right he was. But he would have done the same to you. A part of her tried to reason. "No.. no.." Fëdyei looked up at Trey when he laughed, and felt herself pulled into and embrace with the both of them. She felt the tense muscles in her back relax as she let herself fall into the gesture. Their bodies were warm. She breathed in deeply and tried to regain her composure. Her wet face pressed against Trey's chest, she finally choked out the words "I've never...", "killed anyone before." between two heaving sobs.

Fëdyei realized how tightly she was gripping them and swiftly let go. She looked around and took in her surroundings. She gave an apologetic look to Sedg and then turned around and walked towards the animal she had looked so forward to impressing them with. She kneeled before it, gently removing the arrow from it's neck. It released itself now without any difficulty. She unsheathed her whittling knife and started to fiercely carve at it's arrowhead. Her hands moved fluidly over the surface of it, and soon the symbol that had graced it's surface looked very different. After a while she stopped and languidly tilted her face towards Sedg and Trey. She smiled weakly through her listlessness and whispered "This," she readied the arrow on her bow and aimed towards the sky. "Is the coolest trick I know."

She looked up and took a long, labored breath. "Vesieau." The symbol threw off a faint blue light. The arrow ascended, the glow trailing and fading behind it. She sat staring for a few minutes, bow still raised, waiting. The air around them began to feel thick and foggy. Warm, wet winds began to move and ease gently around them. And suddenly, there was rain. She lowered her arms and closed her eyes.

"This should help. With the fire." She opened her heavy eyes again, taking turns gazing into both Trey's and Sedg's.

[Allanon Creel]

As Trey forced the embrace and the girl turned to do something with the deer, Sedg felt a heaviness inside that took him a time to identify as guilt. "..I am sorry Fey, for how I snapped at you like that- I see how poorly I phrased and handled the situation, and acting a lone wolf is no justification. You didn't know about the spear- how could you possibly know that?" He said apologetically, feeling foolish for having raged at a traumatized minor. He sighed inwardly at his poor communication skill at times, especially regarding juniors as on top of his rusty skills he rarely spoke to others to even attempt at correcting the issue.
He shook his head in dissatisfied reflection on the minutes just passed, looking around at the pockets of charcoal-like trees, "I spoke to you as if you were but another soldier in my group; that you'd been calm of mind and knowing the consequences of your actions. You're but a youth, having not killed someone before should have been as plain for me to figure as the time of day, and I should have worded it better."

As Fey turned and fired her arrow to the sky, bringing rain and looking at the two of them for reaction, Sedg couldn't help but smile at her shift in moods from one of the haunted to something resembling her normal self. He had to give the child one thing if nothing else; even possibly feeling her worst she still tried to aid in whatever fashion she could."Lass, that's a nice trick you got there- you'll have to teach me that'one some time, as that could come quite handy next time I find myself facing a dragon. Now, let's pack what we can, scavenge whatever there is to grab and leave." He posed to look as though pondering something he'd forgotten for a moment, before adding, "Oh, and as repayment for the teaching of such a feat, I think a few lessons on how to make secret leftover stew would equalize things, don't you?" He added with a smirk he hoped showed more confidence he felt that he'd smoothened things than he really did. It was after he finished saying this did he slightly colour at the cheeks when he remembered Trey was standing directly beside him having only listened, and stopped himself from palming his face at what he assumed the man would perceive as weak sentimentality. Ah well, it's done with and I ain't gonna worry any further.

[Yeorl Oakenleaf]

Trey left the two, seeing that the mood had become less sombre - he opened his pack and threw a few of the bandits discarded weaponry in there; it would possibly come in handy later. He dropped the sword he'd been using before the fight onto the ground and replaced it with one of the bandits axes - after wrenching it free from a body. "Well we should probably get a move on - could be more of these dullards; besides we wouldn't want to keep them waiting. It's getting cold in the frying pan, let's jump into the fire." He said chuckling, throwing Sedg his pack as he began walking off north. They left the site of the battle and their old camp fire - the three travellers: or in Treys mind - Heroes.

[Allanon Creel]

As they put distance between themselves and the forest, they found path Sedg remembered having traveled once, some time ago. As the walked its length and the sun reached it's peak, they had a brief lunch and were happened upon by a tinker who seemed to almost appear not 400 feet from them up the road, though there were no obstructions for quite a ways around. Before the man was within ear shot Sedg looked seriously at the two, "Whether you know already or not; whether you want to or not, the man coming is to be treated as if a warm, distant great-uncle that you like to please, come to pay a visit. Keep the chat to general topics, should he converse and above all : Once you've observed both he and his mule once, you do not stare at him and especially not his mule again, despite how curious or unordinary either may appear."

He quickly ate half his lunch and placed the rest on the ground where the man would sit, and quickly motioned the others to sit to either side of him and began to fidget with his brooch as the old man approached."Ho there, tinker! Come join us, as I am not very hungry and have some to spare!" Sedg called out warm and invitingly. The small man tugged at the reins as he walked beside his packed mule to signal its stop and it did so almost immediately, as the man took off its burden and laid his supplies upon the ground.

The man himself wore a tattered ranger's, cloak, wore glasses that lacked a lens on one side, a clockwork pocket watch with chipped glass and wore a boot of Mortulian colours as well as a northern-desert styled sandal while his mule was an unusual rusty orange furred colour with stark teal eyes, and its mouth seemed to be turned to a sort of smirk. "Ooh, I'd be delighted, thank-you! Oh my, Sedgwed Dysdenath this looks wooonderful!" He said in a cheerful elderly voice. He waited a moment, then coughed, "Well Sedg? Aren't you going to introduce me--" He looked over to Trey and thumped a fist to his chest and grinned, "-- To the bold and..somewhat impulsive Trey Sepulcha? He who looks to the future so bright!" He said, encompassing the sky above him with a hand, before kneeling and covering his face with the other hand, in an ominous tone finishing, "Yet sees not the darkness he shall perhaps tread to get there.." The tinker was silent a moment longer, before jumping to his feet and looking to Fey, continuing as if never having stopped to talk about trey "-- Or to the sweet,-" He bent and kissed her hand gentlemanlike, "And youthful Fëdyei Brambleglow?" His voice dropped to a whisper, "Who's heartwarming smile could perchance vanish as swiftly as her innocence? Who's quest to so desperately find the herbs she needs could end in vain?"

He looked again at Sedg again, with a smug smile playing on his face. "Noo, you would neeever do such a thing! Not, at all. Well, that was delicious bread, Theodore seems to have loved it!" The Tinker thought for a few moments, then seemed to have struck an idea. "Aah yes, I do recall something that may help you adventurers out, a little tid-bit of information about my good friend Maxwell Cunningsworth and his band of brothers, who have taken to calling themselves.. The.. Wide-eye'd thieves? No... AH yes, the Blind Eyed bandits. Follow this trail into the Chavlarus mountains, travel up the northern-most of the mountain chain known as The Fangs of the Land and along the way up you'll find Maxy and his men cozying in a cave. "

Sedg looked around and saw that some time during the one-sided conversation, the donkey had indeed eaten the half of his food he'd left for the man as the Tinker had yet to so much as look down at it. On top of the strange occurrence, as Sedg looked to the sky briefly, 4 hours seemed to have passed, as the sun was well into its descent. "..So if there are any further questions, comments or statements, I really must be off. You have proved good company but you are all too inquisitive for me at the moment, as I really MUST be off." With that the Tinker tipped his hat, and grabbed the reins of his donkey, which had somehow managed to strap all the man's equipment to itself and started to walk away.

[Yeorl Oakenleaf]

Trey looked up at the man incredulous, he had no idea how the man knew their identities - but he was quite amused with the whole ordeal. The 'tinkers' attire was what got him the most, he looked like a man who'd been rolled across the world. But when the 'tinker' mentioned 'darkness' in his future his amusement was quick to fade, he didn't know why - but he believed the man. Trey decided he'd remain silent through out the conversation; lest he offend the stranger, he didn't want to find out what would happen - there was something mystic about him. It was one of the odd moments in Treys life where he displayed restraint. His interest was once more piqued, when the man mentioned where they could find their quarry: within a cave in 'The Fangs of the Land' mountain range. While he knew a little bit about it, finding a specific cave within a whole mountain range would be.. Well harder than finding a needle in a haystack.
"Thank you for your company.. I rather enjoyed the.. Mystery." Trey grinned, he wanted to break company away from the strange man as soon as possible - they'd sat there in indulgent silence for what he could tell had been hours; but it had flown by too fast for his liking. The man smiled at his appeasement, as if he were used to it. He wondered if it had been a coincidence that the man happened upon them; but with Sedgs luck and knack for attracting the supernatural, it was hard to say. He saw Fey had been as silent as he had and wondered if she'd been using the same prudence.
"Well, if there is anything left unsaid -" He suggested. "Otherwise, we'll leave you to it stranger."

[Fëdyei Brambleglow]

Fëdyei spent the time in the company of this stranger abiding carefully to Sedg's warnings.

She allowed herself one look and the man and his mule, but not another, and busied her eyes with the red ribbon she had taken off of the bandit leader they had encountered in the forest and had tied to her wrist.
She forced herself to sit calmly and smile as he spoke, fidgeting with it and stopping only when the man took her hand to kiss it. She enjoyed his praise, a genuine smile playing across her face, but it dropped into something pensive and solemn when the man had said her quest could end in vain. She had not taken into account the chance of herself failing. Be it naivety or confidence, she had seen her quest as something of a duty. One that would be arduous and trying, but not something she could fail. She spiraled into a deep daydream, playing over and over herself the ways she could fail. She fidgeted. She could not bear it.

She hadn't asked many questions to Trey and Sedg about which bandits they were hunting and why, and their walk thus far had been peacefully quiet. Not that she minded, she loved being able to take in the sights of the trail and she had been a little too overwhelmed from their last encounter to want to talk much anyway. So when the stranger had mentioned the "Blind Eyed bandits" and she looked down to see the initials "B.E." crudely marked on the ribbon, she almost looked up into his eyes again. She bit her cheek instead to keep her from doing so, and continued until the strange man decided to take his leave.

When the stranger was well off in the distance, and Fëdyei could sense the air between the three untensing, she turned her curious eyes to Sedg.

"Who," she breathed, "was that?" and before he had time to answer she released the flurry of questions that had been resounding in her head. "And Trey's going to tread.. darkness? How did he know our names and- Why was his mule such and odd colour and what was he doing out here? Why couldn't we look at him? Was he a mage? An oracle? A... no.. Sedg- how do you know him? And wait a minute, why are you searching for the Blind-Eyed bandits in the first place? And what does he mean my quest could end in vain- Sedg, who WAS that?" She was practically pleading now, so unaccustomed to mystery that it almost hurt her.

[Allanon Creel]

Sedg let out a breath of air he didn't know he'd been holding, and allowed Fey to voice all her curiosity as well, he presumed, as some of Trey's questions as well; he doubted many people actually realized when buying wares on the road they were a single insult away from a life of irritation or torment. He himself only knew of them as he'd been offered what at the time he'd felt was an amazing deal of an enormous tome for the price of a single mitten on his way back from a skirmish a decade past, to later realize he'd opened the door to another group he'd rather avoid as since that time he'd been visited by the resident Tinkers, among others, as often as he had bandits- too many to count."That was..Geiael..I think? I met him once upon a time,--" He paused, as Fey rattled torrent of questions, until he raised his hands to signal a stop for a moment, "Easy, easy Fey, I did ironically bring that book just in case,-uh, a book on the 'Tinkers', you can have Trey read it to you later and most questions should be answered."

A distant and small flash on the horizon signified an oncoming storm, yet Sedg figured it was too far to worry about and went about laying out his bedroll and spear. "Never ceases to amaze me after all this time how the day slips by so quickly in certain parts." Sedg stretched, and looked around at the fast moving and dark oncoming clouds; closer now, and realized he'd gravely misjudged how far away it was. He figuring there was nothing much cover to be found when something caught his eye- a battered yet still standing megalith, or what seemed to be one to his eyes in the darkening gloom "Oi! Over there, look, that'll be where we make camp, not here-- in there in' the lees of the stone since its gettin' to be pretty drafty. That'n the storm comin' straight at us like a giant Cair Wolf" He said concerned, pointing to the old rune inscribed circle a short ways off the trail on a small rise.

"Well'll get back onto the road first thing tomorrow and --" A ripple of lightning lit up the dusk skies accompanied by the roar of thunder, "Screw it, this'one's comin on fast! Right now let's get there before those clouds get us!" He said close to a yell, as rain started coming down fast. He hurriedly packed his equipment and clothing and frowning at the thunder he could hear fairly close. "Now, ain't those different ruins..Don't remember those.. No. Sedg don't think it, we need to go, now.." He muttered to himself, starting to jog towards the circle.

[Yeorl Oakenleaf]

The rain started to batter down the three adventurers and they huddled together and quickly sought shelter, underneath the towering stones of the mysterious rune inscribed circle. The stones each stood about ten feet high and were about four feet wide, they normally wouldn't be good cover from the rain - but for some reason none entered the magical boundaries of the stone circle. In colour, they were a jet black; Trey found something familiar about them but when he stared deeply into the stones, trying to remember what it was that tugged at his mind - he felt an urging to look away: before it was too late. "Too late for what?" Trey mumbled out loud to no one in particular, as he wrenched the water out of his cloak. The group after setting up camp in the circle, due to the taxing nature of the previous events of the day were quick to fall asleep; within the eerily quiet and dry confines of the stone circle.

Trey rubbed at his eyes and sat up, his back in pain in numerous places due to an unsettling sleep. He yawned and surveyed the camp site and his eyes opened wide in surprise. He immediately recognised the stone circle - it was a 'Boarding Shrine', built by magisters thousands of years prior, used for temporarily teleporting to other dimensions. With a quick glance at the twisted nature of the trees and the purple hue of the land - the sickening green colour the sky; he realised they had done just that.

[Fëdyei Brambleglow]

When she came to, a violent upset in her stomach made her need to vomit. She turned her head away from the group and heaved out a mouthful of bile. She looked back at them, hoping she hadn't woken them. Her allies lay motionless except for the steady rising and falling of their chests. She pulled herself to the edge of the circle and pressed her face into the soft grassy ground, closing her eyes for a bit of respite. It smelled sweet, not earthy at all. The fragrance wafting up to her reminded her of the smell of a bakery she used to visit early each morning when she and her father snuck off for an early morning treat. Odd. She sat up and glanced around.

Taking in the surroundings, she nibbled on her cloak. It was a thing she did to quell her nervousness, but when she looked down to see the patch of darkened cloth that could have only been left by an unfortunate bandit, she lowered it from her mouth. Looking up she saw the runes inscribed on each of the tall, black stones. Her breath caught raggedly. She was hard pressed to describe how they made her feel. Small. Like a child. Though by all means she was a child, she often had trouble realizing such. The stones felt heavy and authoritative. They told her to rise, and she rose to touch one. Only then did she notice the odd coloring of the sunrise, the purple hue of the land, the way the trees twisted like crooked snake spines. "Oh." She mouthed before suddenly vomiting again. She didn't really know where she was, but she could guess the megalith was what what brought her there.

She heard rustling behind her and turned around. Her allies were stirring.
A fleeting desire to run over and ask them where they were came over her and quickly faded. Instead she leaned herself up on a stone and watched them stir.

On the horizon opposite her, something colossal and dark approached. It glinted sharply in the sun. As it got closer, it appeared more humanoid in shape, finally taking the form of what she could only assume to be a golem. Like the stones, it beckoned her. She stepped over the sleeping forms of Trey and Sedg, towards the creature. Towards the spindly snake-spine trees and fields purple grass. She walked quite a distance to the giant, looking back every so often to the megalith. The creature stopped as Fëdyei approached it, and she looked over it carefully. Indeed, it was a golem. It stood thrice her height and girth, made of the same lustrous black stone as the ones keeping watch of her allies. Obsidian, likely. She decided. Deeply carved runes ran up and down it's body, matching those on the stones, as well. It had a hulking frame, with a powerful chest and gigantic hands that were balled into fists. It's joints grated loudly when it moved. Fixed in it's chest was a round, glowing stone that bore one symbol. One she could read. Life.
She was not afraid. She knew golems were often created for a single, unchanging purpose and it was often not to harm or destroy, but to create or protect.


"I am the Gatekeeper." it's voice boomed and shook her frame.

She stared at it for a moment, then offered her hand.

"I am Fëdyei."

[Allanon Creel]

Sedg dreamt his first dream in what seemed years that wasn't some quick passage to other dreamscapes for minor or Demi-gods, demons or users of magic. He dreamed of a simple life at home with his wife Tyielle- she was with child; they were hidden away in a safe island they couldn't remember nor care how they'd gotten on, or cared to think of- they were content to be together.

Sedg, almost distantly, heard the trampling of grass, a grating sound, a familiar creeping sound, yet quickly discarded any notion of fully coming to, so he may re-enter his cozy utopia-in-dreams.

They were secluded from the world and its events going on around them. Time jumped ahead to the child's delivery, they still couldn't believe that the event was happening- a full 9 months without him being called to aid some faction, or fend of other lords from his own wife, so still hadn't chosen a name for the child. Yet it was too late to plan as the first sight of the head was visible, and as he helped with the procedure and the face came out what he stared at was a hideous rock faced monstrosity, with eyes of a metallic orange hue which caused him to shudder and nearly drop the child. "Wh..What do we call..-" He didn't have to finish his sentence as the baby and Tyielle stated in cold unison, "I am the GateKeeper."

Sedg awoke with a cry, jumping to his feet, looking around in fear, before realizing his dream had been tarnished, again. He was stopped mid-grumble as his gaze fell inevitably upon the golem and in its shadow, Fey. A mix of uncertain fear for Fey and anger upon seeing the creature started his march to their standing point, heedless of Trey and determined to keep the same pace should Trey outpace him. "Fey, I want you to get.away.from.my.Son-."

He checked himself and only got angrier, embarrassed and disdaining mornings in general for their lead ons and disappointments, marching faster yet slowed by a pulled hamstring and soar back, giving him and oddly paced soldier's walk. "-ROCK.I want you to get away from that.. That elemental, that home-wrecker that 2-tone HOME-wrecker until we know why it even pulled us here, I know I sure as Hotryeal's wit didn't ask to get thrown into another where-ever the damn we are!" He had to stop a ways off the two as his back and leg protested being so quickly used after such bad posture to lose consciousness in. He massaged his back with a hand and rolled his ankle in slow circles to ease the tension in his leg while throwing glares towards the golem after craning his neck to meet its eyes he hoped it understood were as venomous to it as it seemed from him.

[Yeorl Oakenleaf]

Rannick rubbed his palms together, they were dusty and covered in alchemical components - he had not had to cast a powerful spell to deal away with the adventurers. The dream stone had only needed to be turned on, much like the wick of a candle being lit by a small flame for hours; his little spell which had done nothing but burn a solitary blade of grass to cinders, set off the dream stone. The three had been cosily snuggled up, making their camp within the stone cropping of the Dream Stone and they'd been entirely unwary as to what it was. He adjusted the white mask in the shape of a cats face which he wore tightly to his face, it was unlike the black masks his followers wore - his seemed almost to mould into his features as if he were one of the cat tribes with a human body; of course he was a peruser of arcane texts. Rannick was a hedge wizard and he led the bandits who had stolen the statue.
The darkly garbed man in the mask drifted away from the stone circle, he had come to be rid of those who came to steal the idol from him - the golden likeness had magical power hidden deep within it that he wanted to harness and the three who came to stop him weren't exactly good for business.

Trey stared up at the behemoth Golem that stood silently after introducing itself as 'the gatekeeper', he didn't know what to make of the scene exactly. Something nagged at the back of his mind, this whole thing seemed somehow familiar to him - as if he'd read on it before. "Sedg is right Fey, back away from that thing slowly now." Trey said echoing the previous warning, he didn't know if he should be afraid of the stone man but it never hurt to err on the side of caution. She stood there with her hand outstretched before the giant waiting for him to take her hand, Trey held his breath - hoping that it did not seek violence. He didn't know if they were capable of dealing with it if it came to that.

[Fëdyei Brambleglow]

Fëdyei stood, hand out. The golem raised it's arm towards her. "See? He's friendly. Perfectly friendly. I bet we can-" The Gatekeeper's massive hands unclenched and lifted her up with ease. "Woah-ahh ah! Hey!" The sudden movement made her lose balance and she slipped backwards and smashed her head against the solid obsidian palm of the Gatekeeper. It turned it's massive head from Trey to Sedg and turned away from them. It strode off into the snake-spine forest, it's huge strides making it surprisingly fast. Soon, it was out of sight.

A shrill ringing filled her ears and her vision faded as she struggled to stay awake. She was lulled gently into unconsciousness by the melodious steps of the giant.

"Oh honey, you're awake." Her mother cooed gently.
"Mother.. what happened?" Her mother stroked Fedeyei's face. "You ran away from home, sweetie. Some travelers found you unconscious by the river. Mar has been waiting down in the cellar for you, why don't you go say hello and let him know you are okay? He's so sweet, he's been so worried about you." "Sure." Fedeyei murmured, absent-mindedly. She found herself tiptoeing down the mahogany steps of her parent's wine cellar.
"..Mar?" she called out.
Fed stumbled downstairs into a dimly lit cellar. Air thick with dust and mold and sour wine filled her nose and made her eyes sting. As she adjusted to the dark, she saw six large objects hanging from what seemed to be meat hooks.

A figure smiled and waved from unlit corner. "Glad to see you're back, Fed. We began to think you might not ever come back."
Fed stared blinkingly into the darkness. "Mar, what're you.."

A human boy came into the dull light, raised two hands and gently caressed her face. He was considerably taller than her, with a friendly face covered in freckles. He bent to her, and kissed her on the lips. She stood, rigid. "Glad to see you're back, Fed. We began to think you might not ever come back." he repeated. "But I'm afraid you're too late. You couldn't help us after all, could you?" As he pulled away, he grinned, coughing a little- then an awful choking gurgle rumbled from his lips as a frothy dark red liquid bubbled from his esophagus down the sides of his gaping mouth. The blood flowed swiftly, and smelled of bile. His eyes were glazed and pleading, looking right into her as he collapsed, clutching his throat. She did not attempt to catch him. After a moment, she dropped to her knees and flipped him on his back. His skin was cold, the blood was gone and his face ceased to look familiar. An orange firefly clinked along the edges of a gas lantern. She didn't know anyone named Mar. She lowered his body slowly and raised her eyes up to the hanging figures. There were seven, now.

Fëdyei looked back at the cellar door, and then to the figures. She rose, grabbed the lantern and edged towards the back of the room. She let the light fall on each of them. Hanging were bodies. Her mother. Her father. Gurdor. Ranion. Trey. Sedg. And finally, the boy who may or may not have been named Mar. All of them were smiling through rotted gums. And they began to buzz. A surreal rumble sounded from within all of their bellies. And then a light, a soft buzzing orange light, shone through their mouths, through those rotten gums, and out spilled endless waves and waves of orange fireflys. All the bodies bellowed in unison and said with the deep voice of the Gatekeeper "Fedeyei, beware the dreamscape, leave it at once." Fëdyei screamed, tripping backwards on a wooden bucket and hit her head on the floor where Mar's body had been not ten minutes ago.

The shrill ringing filled her ears and everything again went black.

The first thing she smelled was wet earth. Her head began to pound. She raised an aching arm up to the back of her head. It was warm and sticky. She opened her eyes with some trouble. The grass was green and the sky was a light blue, accented with an orange sunrise. The world no longer smelled like sweet bread. She looked at her hands and saw that had blood stained her fingertips. Beside her were the still bodies of Trey and Sedg. She crawled over them. Cold, but they had a pulse. "Hey, wake up." She shook Sedg. "Wake up, wake up, wake up! Something was terribly wrong wherever we were." She paused to talk to herself. "It felt like a vivid dream, but if it was just a dream why did I get hurt? And that.. that part in my house... Some of my worst fears.. " Her eyes welled up.

"I wonder what they're seeing in that awful place." She frowned and gave a swift kick in the ribs to Trey. "WAKE UP."

Across the plain, she spotted a flash of black fleeing into the distance.

[Allanon Creel]

Sedg watched, horrified, as the Golem took off with a limp Fedyei in its grasp for a moment before limping after it as fast as he could, " C'mon Trey, run ahead or stay behind or whatever he ain't screwing with my dreams and taking Fey all in one go, no he is not!" Sedg gritted his teeth and started to run despite the protest in his legs and back, yet despite his best efforts and his winded state by the end the Gatekeeper was out of sight, he figured now both he and Trey were lost and the footprints of the giant seemed to go on forever. "Well shit, he probably thinks he won this round, but it isn't over yet. We'll find that oversized boulder and roll it down a hill yet." He said, looking around at the trees, all of which were bleached white in colour with no variety in appearance that he could note. "Strange, it's so quiet I can't even here the buzzing of insects an' I don't like that. Let's keep movin' then, this place already has me on edge and we've just entered- just this time when we go out we're walking, I think my legs're gonna fall off.." He said wiping his mouth on his sleeve before taking another look around and involuntarily shuddering. They followed the trail for what felt like an eternity in the dead silence of the forest before the scenery changed slightly, as the footprints eventually led them to an area to the side of the forest, skirting a large teal mountain and continuing on back into the forest. As Sedg walked ahead following the trail in a daze he felt compelled to start conversation to kill the oppressive silence, "Well, we can look at it this w--" He belatedly heard the rumble of the ground beneath him giving way, yelped in alarm and grabbed for something, without purchase and tumbled in darkness through the air before crashing through a lot of something that broke his fall. He laid there for a time he couldn't tell regaining his senses before opening his eyes to see a sliver of light from high above where he must have fallen from, before looking around to see what had broken such a fall, only to blanch at the realization a mound of assorted skulls had taken the impact of his fall though that made little sense to him because that still should have caused him harm. "Trey!!" He yelled, causing a chorus of echoes to reverberate throughout the cave, which appeared to run on behind him and to his sides for an unknown ways. "TREY!!!" He tried once more, met once more by his choir. He waited to see if he'd receive any response, and was about to move to get up when he heard voices approaching from what seemed like all sides due to the echo, so he burrowed into the mound of skulls and attempted to move as little as he could.

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