Starring:
Date: Unknown (log received November 29, 2012)
Summary:
In an attempt to help the Myobu, Sakuryu finds herself threatened by a Challenge of Intelligence, aided only by her new friend, Yukihana the fox spirit.
"Tales of the Kitsune: Sakuryu's Trial"
RP Room/ IC Location off the grid
The crumbling temple still stood out amongst the forest. The stone temple seemed to ooze a blackness, draining the color from the landscape around it, blackened gnarled roots tearing through the outer stoneworking to seep into the ground around it. It was clear, this once shining bastion for the Myobu, now stood as a great source of the Nogitsune's hold over this land.
Yukihana seemed to shake as she lead Sakuryu closer. "This place… I'm sure I don't have to tell you where the orb is held…" she says, her voice shaking a bit. She seemed utterly terrified of this place, despite the symbolic hope it once held for the Myobu.
Sakuryu walks along with her, adjusting her jacket a little with a soft breath soon nodding and moving faster to keep up with Yuki "Yeah…..it almost seems to want to draw us in…" She says with a low breath, looking the temple over as they approached
As the pair moves closer, the Temple seems to syphon away the light, nearly pulling them in with it's inky shadows. The temples precipice beckoned to them, the door open, giving them a clear path inside. A few of the roots seem to crawl along the side of this place as you get closer.
"This place… it still lives? They've… We must rescue the orb from this place as swiftly as possible." she says hopping up onto Sakuryu's shoulder. " BEware. There will be challenges within. Originally, this temple belonged to the Myobu. We used it as a safe haven, a living home where our ill and injured could rest and be safe. Now it contains the orb, and it will not be easy to penetrate it's defenses." she says, looking up.
The stairs and platform leading upto the main doorway seemed simple enough, but the platform had several large stone tiles making up it's surface. The symbols varied, but when one looked closely enough, there were a grand total of 5 'types' of symbols. A fox with Fangs bared, a fox with many tails fanned out in all directions, an orb held by a fox, a fox calm and stoic, it's gaze always aimed straight into the perspective of the carving, and finally a fox, it's head bowed for whatever reason, it's eyes closed and it's leg held. Some of the last variety looked like they were wounded or in pain.
Sakuryu thinks a little bit. "Okay let's hurry." She says running to the stairs, with a slow look of calculated thought she nods trying to tentatively step on the first step, touching a wounded fox tile and bracing herself in case she was wrong. "I hope this works…."
Pushing down against the first tile seemed not to trigger the trap. "I've not been here before, and things have clearly changed." Yukihana spoke up. "But I was given warning. The traps here are tricky. Often times they will not set off until there is no safe haven. I shall try to protect you as much as I can… but… I do not think that will be much." she says, her ears drooping a bit. If Sakuryu did continue down the path though, she'd be greeted by no traps, so long as she stayed to the injured fox patterns.
Pushing down against the first tile seemed not to trigger the trap. "I've not been here before, and things have clearly changed." Yukihana spoke up. "But I was given warning. The traps here are tricky. Often times they will not set off until there is no safe haven. I shall try to protect you as much as I can… but… I do not think that will be much." she says, her ears drooping a bit. If Sakuryu did continue down the path though, she'd be greeted by no traps, so long as she stayed to the injured fox patterns. The patterns formed a somewhat coherant path to the other side, enough tiles wide to walk on, but the path breaking in a few places, requiring one to jump between the tiles, and others the tiles thinning out, and requiring one to nearly balance beam walk to get passed.
Saku twitches a little bit, taking a slow breath as she continues down the path, making small hops and skips along till she reaches the top. As she gives a little relaxing breath she smiles walking a little closer to the temple, looking around slowly for more traps or trials "Don't worry Yuki, I trust you." She smiles a little and picks her up setting the fox on her head.
The fox can't help but nearly purr at Sakuryu a little, or whatever it is that foxes do to show affection. Regardless, Yukihana nuzzles Saku's head a bit before returning her attention to the task at hand.
Once inside the next challenge appeared before them quickly. A second door lay within, inscriptions reading 'take their future', with an 8x8 grid, marked by a few symbols in the top right corner. Closer inspection shows they can be pressed in, as can any of the squares of the grid.
Saku smiles a little and pets her more before walking along, as the second puzzle appears she blinks. "Hmm looks like a shogi set…" She snickers and just quickly presses two keys to mark the movement of the piece. "Hehe Waaaay to easy." She smiles before looking around waiting for the door to open as she looks around "So how many traps do you think?"
The door separates, stone falling away, and crumbling quickly to dust, only to reveal another locked door, another shogi riddle showing itself before Sakuryu. Yukihana blinks. "Apparently more than two." she says, looking about. "I'm going to look for another way in. I'll see what I can find for you, ok?" she says, leaning down, and nuzzling Sakuryu again. "Be carefull." she says, sounding honestly worried, before hopping off, and flicking off into the shadows.
After a few moments the puzzle resets, and black roots break through the puzzle, roots spearing out towards Sakuryu's arm, stabbing into her, siphoning away some of her spirit to fuel this place before Sakuryu's phasing body slips free, revealing, behind the puzzle now rests a third puzzle. (3 moves to Mate puzzle, same site)
Sakuryu screams a little as she feels the root pierce her, pulling away after a moment, hitting her knees in pain as she shudders before she sees the new puzzle. With a soft sigh she shakily stands up, trying to remember that she wasnt really here soon she looks at the shogi board with a nod, soon quickly tapping the moves with a little sigh."Hope that does it.."
The third shogi puzzle seemed to be solved, as the door parted ways. A pitch black expanse opened up, with what looked like a sphere sitting in the center of the room, the sphere inscribed with a series of riddles, readable from where Sakuryu stands.
1) How far will a Blind Dog walk into the Forest?
2) Until I am Measured, I am not known, Yet how you miss me, When I have flown. What am I?
The inky blackness of the room seems to be crawling, much like the vines outside, and the root that attacked Sakuryu just a moment ago.
Sakuryu chuckles a little bit with a yawn "Half way, Time." She says with a brush through her hair, taking a moment to pet Yuki gently. "I wonder if that's all it takes to open it?"
Yukihana nuzzles into the pettings. "Here's hoping." she says, looking about at the room. The black, inkiness continued to crawl on the walls, barely visible in the lack of lighting.
Saku nods a little bit. "Hmm…..lets try to use the puzzles..She says with a little gulp. "Get ready for the worst." She says as she walks, taking careful steps in, taking her time to reach the middle if she can. "Okay….go halfway then wait for time to fly…." She says as she tries to make the riddles into a discernable answer, tensing up hoping she was right.
The first step into the room triggers the slimy ink to move, flooding along the walls towards the doorway, the walls in the previous room starting to seep the stuff as it crawled forward, reaching for them, trying to consume them. The only place it didn't seem to be coming at them from was the exact place Sakuryu thought to run to, although the curropt slime now seemed to be crawling over the sphere towards her. Nowhere was safe!
Sakuryu gulps a little bit "Damn……I think it's still a trick…lets stay here a moment…" She says as she breathes out, keeping Yuki elevated on her head as she watches the slime swirl around her, her fingers thrumming into her own hands as she hopes this gambit actually worked.
The inky shadows swirled closer, reaching for her, inching closer and closer. Yukihana hopped down from Saku's head, and backed against her cheek shaking as the shadows came closer. They finally surged foward, striking at Sakuryu and Yukihana, as a trapdoor opened beneath the pair, the blackness engulfing the area they were just standing in, as the trapdoor sealed behind them. They landed on a soft bit of bedding, in a fairly softly lit room, that seemed to hold the bottom half of the sphere from the room above. The bottom most section of the sphere held a small socket, the sought after orb resting within the socket, ready to be plucked from it's resting place.
Sakuryu sighs a little bit "Whew…there we go…" She says very very shaky with a little gulp. "Lets get that orb." She grins as she dashes forward, grabbing the treasure with a wide grin. "Hmmm now places like this usually have back doors…." She says with a little look around the room curiously, though of course she was also looking for other traps that might have been sprung
(oocNote:This may not be all of it, there was some confusion with the logs. Sorry. Anyways, here you are!)
