Post by Spus on Mar 7, 2008 0:20:35 GMT -5
The terrain began to change over the five's travels, from the Uzinian grassland to the deserts of Aridia. The road towards the Oasis of Rema, however, seemed all the more silent than usual. Commonly one would see carts rolling down the beaten path towards both Kasios and Zagfey. These trails, however, are dusted over from disuse.
“If I had hair there, the hairs on the back of my neck would be standing up. This ain't right.” Kirin observed.
“Aridia issued a trade embargo to Kasios and Zagfey in an effort to stay the civil war?” Kroitz mused, not thinking his idea was anywhere close to correct.
They continued through the road, with curiosity adding to their sense of obligation as they approached Rema. Usually Rema would have been a break from the long road ahead of them. There would be water, good food, and ...other services completely available to them. Today, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing, just the water and some tents that made up the small village.
“Expecting some tumbleweed to be rolling by any time now...” Kirin nervously commented.
“There's no tumbleweed in Aridia..” Isha was trying to rationalize the irrational.
“This isn't right. There's no one in the tents either. I can just sense it. All the Aridians have just up and left.” Bolgrim gritted his teeth.
“I'd blame the Kasians like we always do, but there's no blood. No one has died here.” Mase looked into a tent to confirm Bolgrim's suspicions.
“We need to speak to Styles. He may know something, and if he doesn't, he sure as hell needs to know about the population of Rema just vanishing.” Kroitz shook his head and kept on walking down the beaten path towards the castle of Aridia. The other four seeing that unless they want to rob Rema blind, there was nothing for them here. Kirin attempted to, but was forcefully dragged along by Bolgrim towards the castle.
The road to the capital was also one that was desolate, and it did not improve when they reached it. It was as if the place was frozen in time, no bodies anywhere. The weapons of the guard had clattered to the ground, and it was of complete silence, except of a faint voice humming in the distance.
“Dear Cuthbert...he finally did it didn't he?” said Kroitz, wandering towards the sound.
“Unless the poison destroys their bodies and whatever their wearing, I doubt he did.” Mase said, explaining his view, following Kroitz with the rest of them. The interior was eerily silent, as the five were used to the people of the city bustling through the halls of the castle. They went down towards the dungeon and found an old friend contently humming a Cy-Tribe War hymn.
“Matwau, what in the world happened here?” Bolgrim barked
at him, grabbing the bars from the outside.
“Can you not say Hello first?” He replied.
“Well then Hello.”
“That was not hard.”
“Now tell me what happened? Where did all the Aridians go?”
“East.”
“For what?”
“I do not know.”
“Did they all just decide to drop everything and spontaneously head east for no reason?”
“No. Some ear screeching song made them do it. First they leave their well so undefended and then they walk towards bad music. These Aridians are quite foolish. I have not learned much from observing their habits.”
“Musical tastes aside, that still doesn't add up.” Kroitz was pondering the hardest among them. “A concert no matter how magnificent would never cause the whole nation to drop everything and leave.”
“Maybe we need to look around and find their note. 'To Whom it may concern – went to bitchin' concert in the east. Be back before dinner. Love, People of Aridia'” The cocky elf giggled at his own joke. No one else really found it funny, the situation seeming too bizarre and potentially tragic.
“We need to find them. We need to get to the bottom of this.” declared Mase. “Besides, if we don't, we're out of a job.”
“We can just loot the place blind.”
Bolgrim's eyes flashed towards Kirin as quick as lightning. “I am no thief, unless I am ordered to do so.”
“I order you to rob the place blind.”
“I don't take orders from fools.”
Mase stepped between them. “We need to focus here, people.”
“How in the hell are we suppose to find people lost in a giant freaking desert? It's not easy in the least.” Kirin crossed his arms, clearly not wanting to put too much effort for no guaranteed money.
“We need to search the castle. Hopefully we can find something, anything, that will tell us where the Aridians went.”
Matwau paced his cell, seeing yet another rat run by. “May you release me? I grow ill of rat meat. It is unfit for a Cy Warrior.”
“We may as well. I see no reason not to.”
“If I had hair there, the hairs on the back of my neck would be standing up. This ain't right.” Kirin observed.
“Aridia issued a trade embargo to Kasios and Zagfey in an effort to stay the civil war?” Kroitz mused, not thinking his idea was anywhere close to correct.
They continued through the road, with curiosity adding to their sense of obligation as they approached Rema. Usually Rema would have been a break from the long road ahead of them. There would be water, good food, and ...other services completely available to them. Today, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing, just the water and some tents that made up the small village.
“Expecting some tumbleweed to be rolling by any time now...” Kirin nervously commented.
“There's no tumbleweed in Aridia..” Isha was trying to rationalize the irrational.
“This isn't right. There's no one in the tents either. I can just sense it. All the Aridians have just up and left.” Bolgrim gritted his teeth.
“I'd blame the Kasians like we always do, but there's no blood. No one has died here.” Mase looked into a tent to confirm Bolgrim's suspicions.
“We need to speak to Styles. He may know something, and if he doesn't, he sure as hell needs to know about the population of Rema just vanishing.” Kroitz shook his head and kept on walking down the beaten path towards the castle of Aridia. The other four seeing that unless they want to rob Rema blind, there was nothing for them here. Kirin attempted to, but was forcefully dragged along by Bolgrim towards the castle.
The road to the capital was also one that was desolate, and it did not improve when they reached it. It was as if the place was frozen in time, no bodies anywhere. The weapons of the guard had clattered to the ground, and it was of complete silence, except of a faint voice humming in the distance.
“Dear Cuthbert...he finally did it didn't he?” said Kroitz, wandering towards the sound.
“Unless the poison destroys their bodies and whatever their wearing, I doubt he did.” Mase said, explaining his view, following Kroitz with the rest of them. The interior was eerily silent, as the five were used to the people of the city bustling through the halls of the castle. They went down towards the dungeon and found an old friend contently humming a Cy-Tribe War hymn.
“Matwau, what in the world happened here?” Bolgrim barked
at him, grabbing the bars from the outside.
“Can you not say Hello first?” He replied.
“Well then Hello.”
“That was not hard.”
“Now tell me what happened? Where did all the Aridians go?”
“East.”
“For what?”
“I do not know.”
“Did they all just decide to drop everything and spontaneously head east for no reason?”
“No. Some ear screeching song made them do it. First they leave their well so undefended and then they walk towards bad music. These Aridians are quite foolish. I have not learned much from observing their habits.”
“Musical tastes aside, that still doesn't add up.” Kroitz was pondering the hardest among them. “A concert no matter how magnificent would never cause the whole nation to drop everything and leave.”
“Maybe we need to look around and find their note. 'To Whom it may concern – went to bitchin' concert in the east. Be back before dinner. Love, People of Aridia'” The cocky elf giggled at his own joke. No one else really found it funny, the situation seeming too bizarre and potentially tragic.
“We need to find them. We need to get to the bottom of this.” declared Mase. “Besides, if we don't, we're out of a job.”
“We can just loot the place blind.”
Bolgrim's eyes flashed towards Kirin as quick as lightning. “I am no thief, unless I am ordered to do so.”
“I order you to rob the place blind.”
“I don't take orders from fools.”
Mase stepped between them. “We need to focus here, people.”
“How in the hell are we suppose to find people lost in a giant freaking desert? It's not easy in the least.” Kirin crossed his arms, clearly not wanting to put too much effort for no guaranteed money.
“We need to search the castle. Hopefully we can find something, anything, that will tell us where the Aridians went.”
Matwau paced his cell, seeing yet another rat run by. “May you release me? I grow ill of rat meat. It is unfit for a Cy Warrior.”
“We may as well. I see no reason not to.”
