One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

[Tassadar]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Spoiler

Anthriel: HP = 71, PP = 71, EP = 148, Status = Fine, Pregnant

"Looks like it, yeah!" Dori exclaimed in response to her fairly rhetorical question. Though he moved with somewhat greater trepidation than the awestruck half-angel, Dori followed Anthriel into the forest of fungi while glancing around with some interest of his own. The gigantic mushrooms proved to vary in type as well as size, different colors and shapes and patterns appearing among the unusual flora. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the chaotic variations present around them, but as the naked duo trailed inwards they encountered nothing that seemed more dangerous than what might occur if either of them were foolish enough to try to eat any of the mushrooms themselves.

"Indeed," Dori would say thoughtfully, examining a strangely breast-like mushroom complete with a poisonous looking black top. "How do you think all this got here? I mean, I know the faeries grew it, but.... How did it all get so big?" he asked curiously, but thankfully no cryptic answer came from the shadows to taunt them. They proceeded onward, assuming that Anthriel hadn't grown bored of the mushroom garden at least, and encountered fungi of even more bizarre shapes and sizes. Some of them weren't even recognizable as relating to any sort that they had seen before, but it would be a ways in before they came upon the sight of the first of the inhabitants of that strange garden.

A pair of fat, pale, fuzzy spiders were hanging from a web just above their heads as they passed through an archway made out of some thick, plaster-like fungus, their myriad eyes closed as if the two were snoozing. Both lay motionless and silent as well, a rare thing among the friendly and talkative spiders, so it was likely that they were in fact sleeping. Beyond them and the arch in which they hung was a long winding path between rows of softly glowing green mushrooms that seemed to be leading somewhere, but where that might be was difficult to tell from where they stood. Dori once again looked dubious, and glanced between the giant spiders and the pathway with open suspicion in his eyes.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Truly in awe of the odd fungal garden, Anthriel spent a small portion of her time chasing the moving vines around, wondering where they went, before she spotted the path. Dori was all but forgotten, she loved him, but... But giant mushrooms... And apparently giant spiders!

GIFTS! Anthriel had never met a GIFTS, but she wanted to... but these 2 were sleeping, that was depressing. Far from bored with their recent discovery, Anthriel just wanted to see more of it, and was already heading down the path without a care in the world as she continued to try and take everything in. Dori would follow, she knew it in her gut.

Though, when he truly seemed hesitant about seeing where the path under the arch went, and that got in the way of her seeing more of the crazy garden and anything that lived within, Anthriel would turn "Come on~! This place is amazing! Either that, or you can stay with the giant spiders for company, I'm going, move your scaly butt!" She called teasingly, heading down the path again. Curious was an Understatement.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Spoiler

Anthriel: HP = 71, PP = 71, EP = 148, Status = Fine, Pregnant

"My butt isn't scaly!" Dori protested, but then hurried on after the fleeing half-angel as she proceeded deeper into the mushroom garden. On the naked duo went, past another archway with a pair of sleeping spiders a short while later, and then a long line of intertwined fungi that looked to be parasiting off of one another. A third gate followed shortly, its arachnid guardians once more asleep, and a short while later Anthriel and Dori stepped out into a wider section of the garden that resembled a glade. A bed of tiny mushrooms formed a pleasant surface upon which to walk, but in the center of it stood a titanic mushroom the likes of which Anthriel had never seen before.

It was smooth topped and a deep red with large white dots splotched across it, its base as large around as a large house and its cap a good bit large. And, most odd of all, it had windows. Glass windows that shown with a flickering light from within. And a hinged door too.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Anthriel laughed at Dori's protest, turning to stick her tongue out again as she continued her mad dash into the fungal forest. Under more archways, passed more sleeping spiders, Anthriel was shocked into speechlessness, when they found the house.

She was certain it was a house, door, windows... Yup, that was indeed a giant mushroom house. Tilting her head with a puzzled expression, the beauty of the rest of this clearing was lost on her for several moments as the gears in her brain tried to piece it all together, and failed horribly.

Looking back at Dori, Anthriel shrugged and pointed.. "What?" She said simply, starting to carefully approach the strange building, more curious then anything else. Who in the name of all the Gods would live in a giant fungus? You couldn't have wood furniture.... the mushroom would eat it... Also, where were all the badgers!? There were mushrooms everywhere, but no badgers... Badgers and Mushrooms were always together.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Spoiler

Anthriel: HP = 71, PP = 71, EP = 148, Status = Fine, Pregnant

There were indeed no badgers, at least not as far as Anthriel would be able to detect through any of her numerous senses. Dori, in the meantime, would shrug when glanced at and say; "Iunno... It's a house made out of a giant mushroom. Why are you looking to me for answers? I'd set something like this on fire if I ever had to live in it by myself."

Approaching the strange structure, Anthriel would be able to glance inside to a pleasant living area that was visible through the window next to the door, a room with a fireplace that presumably let out into the chimney sticking out of the top of the gigantic mushroom and a collection of furniture that had seemingly been sculpted out of the mushroom itself. There was a plethora of light inside, including that shed by a lightstone hanging from the ceiling, but no movement was detectable from that particular window. Whether she wanted to proceed any further or not, Dori was right behind her, at least slightly curious about this strange place himself.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Anthriel, peaking into the house, found some of the strangest things she'd seen yet in this strange place, most notably... Mushroom furniture. In all honesty, this shouldn't have surprised her, given that she was in a mushroom forest, looking into a mushroom house, guarded by giant spiders. But come on...

Wandering around the house, with no intention of stopping now, and all thoughts of personal boundaries abandoned awhile ago, Anthriel moved to the front door, and simply... let herself in. "Hello? Does anyone live here?" Anthriel called out, as she stepped through the door, assuming of course that she could open the door in the first place.

Upon entry, Anthriel would look around at everything curiously, inspecting everything in the strange house from floor to ceiling, even if she did find the owner of the place, she certainly wouldn't stop being more curious then she'd been in quite awhile. "Dori... This place is amazing..." She breathed to her lover softly, running her hand over one of the chairs.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Spoiler

Anthriel: HP = 71, PP = 71, EP = 148, Status = Fine, Pregnant

The door would prove to work as intended, and despite a look of alarmed protest from Dori Anthriel would be able to push it open without any trouble more severe than some light squealing from the hinges and call out to any potential residents of the strange house. No answer would be immediately forthcoming as she made her way inside, finding herself in the living room, and Dori quickly followed. “Yes… And also NOT ours to mess around with!” he said nervously as he glanced at the two exits from the room, a door leading into another part of the house and a set of mushroom stairs leading up to a second floor.

Just then, the former portal opened to permit an odd fellow, a fairly normal sized man with brown hair, browner skin, and oddly dewy looking eyes of a mottled blue color, and a lyrical voice that could only belong to one of the sidhe said; “Yes… Somebody does live here. Forgive my bluntness, but… What do you want?” He looked over disguised dragon and curious half-angel in turn, both of them nude and the latter just then fondling a mushroom chair that proved both soft enough to be comfortable and strong enough to bear a person’s weight without losing its structure.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Anthriel chuckled at Dori's restraint. "We're wandering around a Grove completely naked, exploring. And you certainly didn't stay outside." She pointed out as she inspected the chair... This was soft... Strange, but it seemed it would be very comfortable.

As a voice announced that someone did indeed live here, Anthriel jumped and turned, a blush on her face as she gestured around. "I'm sorry, this was just all too incredible, suppose I should have knocked... I didn't even think about it though" She admitted sheepishly, smiling at the odd Sidhe that lived in a mushroom.

"Still, this is amazing, I've never even heard of something like this, and all the GIFTS on the archways coming in, this is a special place and I had to see it all. But... Umm... Could you tell me what it's purpose is? I mean, I've never seen mushrooms and fungus like this before, I wouldn't even know where to begin looking for a place like this, aboveground or otherwise, but here it is" She said, looking curious but ready to bolt for the door if the owner wanted them gone.

"I'm Anthriel by the way, This is Dori." She hastily added as an introduction, bouncing on the balls of her feet a little, nervous.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Spoiler

Anthriel: HP = 71, PP = 71, EP = 148, Status = Fine, Pregnant

"Yeah, well... What if you get hurt or something!? And it wasn't my idea to start wandering around with no pants on! It just sort of... Worked out that way! It's not like I even know what Sanya did with my clothes anyway... You know I really ought to try and get those back, they have all of my money..."

Dori's inner thoughts would end only when the strange man showed up in the mushroom house, and after a lengthy pause, Anthriel's introductions, the dragon's sheepish wave, and another length pause the dark skinned man ended his frowning and said; "Greetings Anthriel, last of the free incomplete. Greetings Dorincrolniox, youngest of the brood of the White Star. I am Nameless, and this is my home. Its purpose is to house me and what I need in my work, and to ward away those who would come to disturb me without reason. The spiders were sleeping again, weren't they?"

Should Anthriel suddenly bolt for the exit, Nameless would raise a hand and cause the door to gently close before quickly amending; "Fret not, you can do no more harm than you have, and in truth it was only a minor hurt. If you would stay and indulge your curiosity further, I would invite you to tea and biscuits."

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Anthriel, perking up as.. wait.. did he say his Name was Nameless? In what way did that make any sense in any language. Shaking her head a little as she tried to figure out THAT riddle, Anthriel returned her attention to the host when he addressed them. He knew their names... and their families... Well...

Poking Dori in the ribs, Anthriel leaned in and giggled into his ear. "Ha! You're the runt of the litter!" At his expense, teasing him before she realized what She had been called, which brought her back to Nameless, the Sidhe.

Letting him finish speaking, Anthriel raised her eyebrow and nodded. "I'd very much like that Nameless, and thank you for being so welcoming.. But what did you mean... Incomplete? I've... Never been called that before..." She said, a little confused and wary at the unexpected title.

Well... This was promising to be more interesting then she'd originally thought, and she'd made it all the way through a fungal forest without being molested by anything, her luck was holding out today... not that she would have minded overly much...

 

[Tassadar]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Spoiler

Anthriel: HP = 71, PP = 71, EP = 148, Status = Fine, Pregnant

Dori would do nothing more than shoot an annoyed look at Anthriel for her quip regarding him being the youngest in his family, but there was the indication that she would pay for that remark in some way later.

Nameless, in the meantime, would turn and go through a doorway into another room without answering Anthriel's question. When she and her lover followed, they would find themselves in a modest, homey kitchen very similar to the one that had been at Dori's own home but a decent amount larger. They would be gestured towards a table with four chairs by the sidhe man as he tended to a stone stove with a fine brass kettle hanging over an open flame.

"You don't mind green tea, I hope? Amazonian, very difficult to get here but so very sweet... The biscuits are in the oven already, but help yourselves to the apples if you're hungry," their host said, and even though it hadn't been there when they had walked in there was suddenly a wooden bowl full of apples in crimson, green, and gold sitting in the center of the table to which they had been pointed.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Anthriel, staring after their host, her question ignored, let out a held breath, her eye twitching in annoyance for a moment before following after Dori into the kitchen. Nodding and grabbing an apple, Anthriel sat down and regarded the odd mushroom man.

"So.. You live in this Grove... In a house I have to assume was grown, not built, protected by GIFTS, all on your own... You know both me and Dori though, not only us, but our families... and our heritage." Anthriel started to say, falling off as she went over what Nameless had called her. Last of the Free Incomplete.

She couldn't tell if it was simply another way to call her the last halfbreed, or if there was deeper meaning in his words, and it was gnawing at her insides. Sitting there, Anthriel grew quiet as she took the time to quickly finish the apple, hardly tasting the fruit before eating every scrap of it, core, and stem, only the seeds carefully picked out and set on the table. You didn't waste seeds in a Grove.

She'd wait for Nameless to sit, or serve tea, or both, but Dori had faded into the background as Anthriel continued to grind over his words. "I'm sorry Nameless, but I must insist... What did you mean by that... Free Incomplete... " She said looking into his eyes, convinced this man knew more about herself then she'd ever been told, and that bothered her... a lot.... How many others among the fey, and especially her own people knew something about her that she didn't...

 

[Tassadar]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Spoiler

Anthriel: HP = 71, PP = 71, EP = 148, Status = Fine, Pregnant

"Mmmmm," their sidhe host grunted noncommittally to Anthriel's appraisal of his lifestyle, waiting until he had served their tea and sat down before he began to speak, though again he waited until Anthriel had moved on to her most pressing question before saying anything. "I do live in this grove, and in this very house, yes. I do not, however, set the spiders to guard me. They do so on their own, to warn curious ones of the dangers of this place. There are things here that would no be as harmless upon a mortal as they would be upon you two, you see. An angel and a dragon, however.... You had nothing to fear here, so their warnings would have been needless."

He paused to take a sip of his tea, and then continued; "I do know about you, yes. I know much that some would think hidden, and perhaps more than those who would keep it so." Again he paused to take a sip, but then did not speak further. A silence stretched, briefly, before Dori inquired; "Well? What do you know?" Nameless shot the impatient dragon a flat frown, but rather than reply he rose and walked over to the oven, quickly pulling out a tray covered in flaky, buttermilk biscuits that he transferred to plate and then brought over with a knife and a container of butter.

"Have a biscuit," Nameless said calmly, but Dori seemed to lose hold of his temper at being ignored, and sharply said; "If you aren't going to answer our questions, you might as well just tell us! It'd save us a lot of frustration if you would have told us that you would waste our time and tease us with hints at information from the beginning! I haven't the patience for your games, faerie!" Dori's anger and glare washed off of Nameless like so much water around a smooth stone, but that only seemed to enrage the dragon further.

Fortunately, as Dori opened his mouth to speak further, Nameless replied; "I am not teasing you, dragon. I am merely answering you at my own pace. You have come to our glade to rest, and because you have no destination nor any source of urgency beyond your own curiosity, no haste is needed here." Mollified slightly, Dori snorted and then sat back with a frown and waited for Nameless to continue, which he did after taking another sip of tea; "Your father is who you fear it to be, and he will learn of you soon. Your mother cannot and will not protect you over her favored offspring, your elder sisters."

Whatever that might mean, it left Dori paling visibly, but then Nameless turned to Anthriel and said; "You are Incomplete because of how you were conceived, of the union between a mortal and an angel. It is not my place to tell you why that is and what that means, but I can say that you are wrong to think that you are the last of your kind. There is another, long sealed away, but I can tell you no more of that either. It would be improper."

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Anthriel hid her own discomfort at the situation, she agreed with Dori, she was impatient for information, especially about her own heritage, she had always known there were things she hadn't been told, but had never pressed out of fear, both of reprisal and what she could possibly learn. Regardless, here was a being with that knowledge, and although Nameless was a bit slower then she would like, he was still answering.

"I'm sorry, both for our attitudes, and for simply barging into your home. You don't owe us anything, nor do we have any true right to demand anything of you. You've shown us hospitality that you didn't have to, and for that I thank you Nameless." Anthriel said, after he'd answered both Dori, and herself.

Sighing, Anthriel sipped on her tea slowly, finding the taste crisp and relaxing, and did indeed take one of the offered biscuits, eating as she mulled the information over...

The Angels had told her she was the last, repeatedly, everyone had... So... The Demons? Something else? That was entirely possible... Sealed though... Mortals? The Fey? The Destruction that had been wrought during the Nephilim Incident had been a thing of legend, and an admittedly closely guarded secret... Guarded by having others simply write it away as an old story.

But apparently another like herself existed... Now Anthriel truly was torn, and in more then a few ways. She wanted to protect her child, she wanted revenge on her family... She wanted to be with Dori, and she wanted to protect Dori from what was apparently haunting him from his own past... What came first? Did any of it? did she simply handle it all as it came? Short of the other Courts, there was nowhere she could truly take refuge from Michael except by going into hiding completely, which had admittedly been her plan.... But now she could very well have a sibling that needed her help... She didn't want to think about other possibilities... She knew full well how dangerous her kin had been when they'd lost control... Though how that had come about was kept secret from her... Something about Hunger.

Sighing softly, Anthriel looked at Nameless properly, and asked rather then demanded. "Nameless... If it's possible, what else can you tell us? I know it may not be what you wish to speak of, but you've been the first I've ever met to know anything and be willing to tell me of it... If you can't, or wont... Well... I'll drop the issue if you'll simply tell me where to find the truth... I'm sure Dori has similar feelings. Among other things, I'm also still very curious about your home! This place truly is amazing, I've never seen it's like, where are all these mushrooms from? I mean, I recognize some of them, but the giants and the archways.. All of it is beyond anything I had ever known, If you feel like sharing a story, perhaps you could tell me how this beautiful place came to be... I'd appreciate that as well. 5000 years and I've never even heard of such a magnificent place...." Anthriel said, speaking slowly, even haltingly as she asked her questions, gesturing both at herself and Dori, as well as Nameless' home and the mushroom grove beyond.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Spoiler

Anthriel: HP = 71, PP = 71, EP = 148, Status = Fine, Pregnant

"It is not for me to tell you more than I already have," Nameless replied somewhat coldly, but then he would adopt a more even tone as he continued; "Besides, I could not speak more of the history of your kind with the knowledge of one who had lived through it. Another has reserved the right of such revelations, and they are one who has such an assurance. As for you," he turned his head to Dori, "you I cannot be of further help to with words. A warning is all that I can offer: beware. Danger follows you."

From there he would turn back to Anthriel, sipping some of his tea and taking a nibble out of a biscuit before speaking in a somewhat more jovial tone in comparison to the gravity with which he had addressed their other concerns; "From? Why, they are from here of course! What, do you think these giant mushrooms were carried or something? Please.

"As for the history of it, I have been its caretaker for centuries. Some of the fungi grown here are older even than that, including the mushroom that makes up the body of this house. This one is even older than you are, and yet it still lives and grows even now, and without any magic but the ambient power of the grove to sustain it. It was begun long ago, in the aftermath of a great cataclysm in the early years of the world. It was born before humans or elves or angels ever walked this world, and I am merely the next in a long line of caretakers. It has grown constantly since then, and expanded as more kinds of fungi evolved.""

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

"So... Damn." Anthriel muttered at their host's answer, thinking about what it meant and not liking the answer at all. That wasn't a very big list of people, and many of them didn't like her....

Still! Now they had Dori's father to run from, someone she remembered being called The Tyrant. That just sounded bad all around. Finishing her tea, Anthriel stood up slowly and looked around, running her hands reverently over the fungal walls of this kitchen, just to feel it.

"Well Nameless, you've done a fine job in my opinion, for what it's worth." She said quietly, before turning and bowing slowly and politely. "Thank you for the hospitality, Would you mind if we spent some more time in this part of the Grove? There's so much to see and I'd very much like to, but I don't want to intrude any further then we have already... We did just... walk into your house..." She continued sheepishly, laughing and scratching her head.

Once she had her answer, Anthriel would head for the door, Dragging Dori if she had to, though she doubted it, it looked like Nameless' news had hit him like a brick. If allowed, Anthriel would look around this strange part of the Grove, floating up and poking one of the GIFTS in it's fluffy rear and giggling.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Spoiler

Anthriel: HP = 71, PP = 71, EP = 148, Status = Fine, Pregnant

"As good as I am able.... But thank you for the compliment regardless," Nameless replied while Anthriel bowed. Dori, sensing that it was time to go, stuffed another biscuit into his mouth and stood up as well. "So long as you stick to the paths, you may go as you see fit. Don't mind the spiders."

Her dragon would follow Anthriel to the door, leaving silently until the door shut behind him, at which point he gave a tired sigh. "Welp. That was good news all around," he remarked dryly, and then glanced down with a scowl at his own nude form. His gaze would shift back up as the angel swooped up to deliver a fierce poke to the carapace of one of the sleeping spiders. It swiveled in place on the chord from which it hung, and Anthriel would be able to watch its eight shiny black eyes blearily open and stare at her.

"Nnn.... Oh... Aaaaahhh! Hi!" the spider said, stretching out most of its legs all at once and then flailing a forelimb at her in a wave. "You're not supposed to be here! I think! But that's okay!"

Dori, giving another sigh, would say; "Well, as I'm not likely to get back to my pants anytime soon, I think I'll slip into something more comfortable." With a loud electric crackling and a roar, Dori seemingly began to change into his dragon form only to remain at the same rough size, adopting a sleeker form more reminiscent of a drake than of a dragon, but with all four limbs still even if they were longer proportionally than they had been in his true draconic form. He was still covered in black armored scales that were no doubt still stronger than steel, and after giving a huff and shaking his horned snout the spider that Anthriel had prodded said; "Oooooh scary!" The miniature black dragon gave another huff, this one decidedly prideful, but then waited for Anthriel to decide to do something else.

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Anthriel, waving back at the giant Spider, watched Dori transform into something like his first form, but much smaller. It was a handy trick. Giggling as the GIFTS said he was scary, Anthriel giggled before glomping the Spider and hugging it fiercely. "You're just so cuddly!" she said happily, tickling the spider under two of it's many legs.

"Yup, we're not supposed to be here, but we found our way in anyway, and we met Nameless, he said it's alright. Besides! I've never met a GIFTS before! Not properly! So this is amazing for me anyway! That's Dori, bitesized. He's a sweetheart though.

"Why does this place need guarding though? I'm curious, and Nameless didn't say, and Sanya never even mentioned it! Though he did say to stay on the paths... What happens if we leave the paths?" Anthriel asked, tilting her head to the side as she released the spider and floated in the air, hrming thoughtfully as she looked around from her slightly higher vantage point.

 

[Tassadar]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Spoiler

Anthriel: HP = 71, PP = 71, EP = 148, Status = Fine, Pregnant

"Gah! I... I need an adult!" the spider that Anthriel had hugged said, and then burst into a fit of giggles and flailed its many limbs as she began to tickle the helpless creature. "Lucky bastard..." the other spider muttered as it watched, having awakened and stretched while the angel conversed with its companion.

Once Anthriel had untangled herself from the spider, it would endeavor to answer her questions just as soon as it had stopped giggling; "We have to guard it to make sure that no hapless mortals get lost in here and end up eating the mushrooms! A lot of them are poisonous! Well... Pretty much all of them are poisonous, actually. And if you wander off the path you might never get back to them unless the glade lets you, which it very well might not! So stay on the path!"

 

[Courage Wolf]

Re: One in Three Thousand (Courage Wolf)

Anthriel looked at the other GIFTS, which apparently was jealous of all the attention, or something. Giggling at his reaction, Anthriel floated over to the other spider, poking and prodding before finally just laying on him bodily and hugging him as well. "Don't be jealous, I think you're both amazing. Besides, you're a spider, why are you being silly? Or are you just jealous because the naked woman got to your friend first~" Anthriel teased, giggling as she continued looking around.

"Dori! They said stay on the paths... So... Want to head off them and see Everything here?" Anthriel asked, gesturing at the other Spider that he/she/it was to get it's butt over here so she could hug them both. "I mean, not like Sanya is gonna let us get lost forever in here... Nameless might... But Sanya likes how you taste too much" Anthriel continued, grinning as she bit down another laugh at the Dragon's expense.

"Come on guys~ What's in there anyway?" The half angel whined at her spidery cuddlebugs, "I wanna know!!! Tell me, or I'll just... Poof into a bunch kittens or something, and charge into the mushroom forest~ Promise I will." She continued, wondering what would happen if she went all Mini again and tormented the stuff here...