Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=3#30 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 8/19/2021 at 11:17 AM The closest batch of bushes is on the crest of the hill next to you. As you creep closer, you notice that there's a wide variety of plant life in the bunch. The main component of the collection is a fluffy bush with thick, heart-shaped leaves that are about the size of your palm. Between them are tangles of thorn which sport clusters of juicy, deep purple berries. The grass here grows taller, with some of the stalks having bulbous white tips. Bees drone between the stems of bright flowers, some red with spiky petals, some yellow with round, sunny petals, and some blue with petals folded into bell shapes, hanging from a drooped stem. Movement catches in the edge of your peripheral vision and you quickly duck behind a bush before turning to look. A group of people have just crested a hill a few dips and rises from yours. They ride on horses decked in colourful tassels and ornaments, slowly cantering along the ridges. A few of them bear spears while the others have quivers of arrows attached to their back while a bow rests in a sling on the flank of their steed. The person at the front - dressed in bright greens and reds while the rest of the procession wears mainly browns and muted colours - points to the sky, toward the floating shape. The others follow their direction, all tilting their heads up to see. After a while, the person at the front calls some command, and spur their horse into a trot. The rest follow suit. They stop watching the shape between the clouds and turn their attention forward as they ride. They don't notice you next to the bunch of shrubs. After a while they turn and head away from you, in the direction of the clouds and smoke.

Crystal frowns not liking the idea of following them but at the same time not knowing where she was in her opinion was worse. She would be as careful as possible when following them. Hopefully whatever happened wouldn't be too bad. Not sure what to expect she would try to remain unseen if possible or if someone needed help she might help them depending on what was going on.

Shaking her head she glances at the soliders tracks hoping to be able to follow them at a distance withot getting lost.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=3#29 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 8/19/2021 at 11:04 AM Since you are more or less lying on your side, with one arm folded and splayed behind you uncomfortably, you have to move in able to see down properly. So you do. Slowly, you bring your free arm in front of you and grasp an offshoot of the main branch you're lying on. It doesn't move. You exert force on that arm, trying to lift yourself just slightly so you can get your other arm out from underneath you - it's losing circulation at this point and you can feel a slight static feeling in it. Just as you manage to get both your arms to a useable position, something cracks. Your perch shudders, and tiny fragments of wood tumble down below. Thankfully, you and the rest of the branch don't fall. With a gulp, you notice that the canyon is deep, deep enough that you can't see all the way down. It's deep enough that the shadows darken to almost pure black, and the only indication of something being there is the slight glimmer of faint light bouncing off of water spray. You can't tell the depth of the water, only that it's moving, and it's moving fast. As for other ways to get out, you inspect the canyon walls. Now that you've calmed down relatively, you notice that what had looked smooth from before was actually rough, layers of sediment stacked on each other with tiny ridges between each layer. Are the ridges big enough for handholds and footholds? You're pretty sure not, but you do see some that might be. Those, however, aren't close together. While you stew in your conundrum, a new sound enters your attention. There's a sputtering buzzing that starts off faint at first, but gets louder, and it seems to get closer. Eventually you hear a whir join into the amalgamation of noise. A crunch punctuates the phrase, followed by a short but drawn-out scrape. Then, everything is silent. Or so you thought. Moments later, you hear footsteps and someone's voice from above. It seems like they're talking to themselves, too rushed and quiet for you to make out any words, but the sound of it slips into the canyon and echoes down into your ears.

His situation was so far wasn't looking too good, ignoring the pins and niddles in his arm he looked back up. By now it was clear for Oris that trying to climb up alone was probably not possible, jumping didnt sound too good neather and, of course, it wasnt like living on the branches forever was an option neather. At least it was a beautifull trap that he had landed into.

Hearing the voice above him gave a new hope to the young man, if he could hear the voice, surely they would hear his, he had to at least try. With that in mind he shouted for help as loud as possible to drown any other noises that could muffle his voice. He'll appologise later for it if nead be but right now, not being used in a forced dive test for the river's depth seemed like enough of an excuse to be loud after all.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=3#28 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 8/19/2021 at 10:49 AM You traverse the length of the beach, following the coast next to the hissing waves. The sand is loose and soft, so when you walk, your shoes sink into it, and it takes a little bit of effort to pull your foot out to take the next step. It's fine at first, but soon it begins to wear away at you. You've made significant progress, though, as you look back and notice all the way you've come, the pale slice of sand dotted with shells and driftwood behind you. The sunlight beams down at you. The air is cool with the breeze from the water, but light carries energy and the longer you walk the warmer you grow. It's that feeling where the heat is only skin deep and keeps on getting whisked away by brushes of soft wind. The heat is building up, though, and you feel that if you stay in the direct sun for too long it won't be a simple warmth anymore. You plod on. The beach begins to narrow, tapering out, and grass takes over, trees following suit. The ground slopes upward toward a rocky promontory which you can't see over, but you guess after that there's just going to be forest and no more sand. Well, guess it's time for your second plan. Hiking up the hill, you notice that the top is rocky and full of wild grass. It's flat, and the earth there shows signs of being worn out, as if someone or something has frequented this place. Further inspection reveals a small dirt path nearly concealed by the amount of pebbles and shrub by it leading into the forest. It seems to go in the general direction of the might-be-an-illusion-might-be-real structure, though you can't see far enough into the shaded forest to know if it swerves away. After a moment, something comes to your attention. If the waves had been any louder, you would not have picked up on it, but you hear a soft, airy melody drift through the air toward you. It comes from within the forest, occasionally breaking off as it's overpowered by a bird calling or a branch snapping.

Falcon wipes sweat from his brow, knowing now he doesn't have any alternatives to entering the forest - even if just for some respite from the baking sun. After the treacherous sand, he finds himself glad for the solid earth beneath his feet.

He notes these signs with satisfaction. If this is one end of a path, then he only has to go in the other direction to find something. He wonders briefly if this could have been a nomad's campsite - living on the coast for some time before wandering back along their path to the next spot.

The wispy song makes him pause. He's out of his depth in this strange land he's found himself in, so his first instinct is of wariness. He doesn't know what the source of it might be, or if it's friendly or not.

Falcon heads for the dirt path. He's still not planning on getting lost, so if it starts to disappear into nature he'll stop and make a new plan. He's also looking for a handily-sized branch, which doubles as a walking stick or a weapon if it comes to it. He'll test it to make sure it's not rotten or weak in case he needs to rely on it later.

He'll keep an ear out for that ghostly tune - if things start to get creepy he isn't going near it, but otherwise he'll investigate surruptitiously if it doesn't take him away from the path.

Tailing them is not easy. The procession moves fast compared to you. They are on horses, after all, while you are on foot, and the terrain rises and falls constantly, requiring you to put in more effort to scale hills while controlling your momentum not to fall over as you descend. It's no surprise when you feel your legs grow stiff with exertion and your chest grow constricted with each breath. Fatigue gnaws at your bones and your body shakes as you ascend the next hill.

At this point, you've travelled quite a distance. The shape in the sky has long gone past, floating away in whatever direction it had went. You've passed multiple groves and bush clusters. So far, there's been no sign of any bodies of water so while you feel the beginnings of thirst tickle at the back of your throat, you know you will have to find other ways of quenching it when it becomes a problem.

The riders are now far enough that they have become dots on the landscape, spots of colour prancing along the curves of the hills. Your efforts don't go unrewarded - what you had thought was smoke earlier is indeed smoke, a thin, dark strand of it floating up to the sky, where the clouds, darker now, race toward you. The smoke originates from a group of small, pointed structures on the horizon which the riders are heading toward.

Health status update: Fatigued

You begin shouting, bellowing out your lungs. As you do so, the branch shakes under you, sensitive to the smallest movement, even the vibrations generated by your voice.

Whoever it is, they hear you. A loud 'AHA! I knew it!' floats down, echoing sharply from the rocks. The voice is high and strident, a little on the squeaky side, yet rough like the canyon walls around you. Following the exclamation is a series of footsteps growing louder, crunching against what you guess is sand and rocks.

"There you are!" Someone says, and this time the words are much more clear, no longer echoed into your deep crevice of doom. The words are being spoken - yelled - directly at you from above, so you risk it and twist your head toward it.

Hanging over the lip of the canyon is a head, a small ruddy face framed by short hair the same red as the canyon walls tied into two braids. The girl wears an aviation hat while a pair of brass goggles hang around her neck, seeming a little too large for her size. At the moment, she's looking at you with an expression that is a cross between bewilderment and pleasant surprise.

"Need help there, buddy?" She yells down.

Entering the forest blankets you in cool air. The vegetation around you swallows up the heat of day as well as the sounds of the waves outside, replacing the sounds with its own, birds flapping, animals creeping, twigs snapping, and leaves rustling. It takes a while for your eyes to adjust, but when they do, you feel like you're in a completely different world.

While the forest had looked like a canvas with various shades of green thrown on it from the outside, you now see that it's full of colour. Sturdy trees with bark the colour of wet earth spear past the canopy into the sky, their branches thin and stretched upward, as if reaching for the clouds themselves. Thin, ghostly trees with white bark and shimmering gold leaves wave at you as you pass. Bright red mushrooms with caps that look like cherries stud the soil between the roots snaking across the ground. Pale pinks, yellows, and purples hang from branches like garlands. A butterfly flutters past; it is a gorgeous shade of blue that shifts to iridescent green and purple as a beam of light catches on its wings. Birds of every colour in the rainbow sing from the trees, flitting back and forth. You see a bunny hopping across the path, but it bolts before you can get close.

The branches that are scattered across the ground are either too thin to be effective, too overgrown with offshoots to be held properly, or too springy to be used as a weapon. The lower branches on the trees look promising, though they are a little high for you to reach at your current standing level if you wish to break one off.

The music is still there, eerie as ever, but somehow enchanting and beautiful at the same time. As you creep forward, deeper into the forest, you begin to make out the sound clearer. It sounds like humming from someone with a voice clear and bright as the waters of a mountain spring. Nothing happens as you get closer, so you continue, searching for the source.

Soon, you see a flash of something white between the trees, off the path. The humming seems to be coming from there.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=4#35 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 8/19/2021 at 12:29 PM You begin shouting, bellowing out your lungs. As you do so, the branch shakes under you, sensitive to the smallest movement, even the vibrations generated by your voice. Whoever it is, they hear you. A loud 'AHA! I knew it!' floats down, echoing sharply from the rocks. The voice is high and strident, a little on the squeaky side, yet rough like the canyon walls around you. Following the exclamation is a series of footsteps growing louder, crunching against what you guess is sand and rocks. "There you are!" Someone says, and this time the words are much more clear, no longer echoed into your deep crevice of doom. The words are being spoken - yelled - directly at you from above, so you risk it and twist your head toward it. Hanging over the lip of the canyon is a head, a small ruddy face framed by short hair the same red as the canyon walls tied into two braids. The girl wears an aviation hat while a pair of brass goggles hang around her neck, seeming a little too large for her size. At the moment, she's looking at you with an expression that is a cross between bewilderment and pleasant surprise. "Need help there, buddy?" She yells down.

Now with the knowledge that his only safety net between him and a fall into alot of unnown was sensitive to even sounds he was not as keen on yelling as he was before. At least Oris got the girl's attention out of it even if it was by terrifying himself in the process.

In the precarious position he was in, it was kind of hard not to reply sarcasticly at her question due to how stressed he was feeling tho the branches were a good motivator in this endervor. Instead, he relplied a soft yes, hoping that if the sound wasnt enough she could see it in his face.

She laughs, a loud, boisterous guffaw. "Who am I kidding, of course you need help!" She pulls back and disappears from view. "Hang in there - hehe!" Her footsteps move away, fading, and you are left in silence once more.

There's a few moments of tense silence, the air around you filling with fear of the unknown. More bits of the branch flake off with little crackling noises. The river below gushes and burbles. Your breaths are loud, each inhale and exhale echoing from wall to wall until it's like a whole host of others are trapped in here too, all hearts bounding and breaths quickening.

Then, a loud whoosh blows the echoes away. From above there is a rumbling, followed by crunching and grinding. Something large is approaching. The sound grows louder and louder, accompanied by an incessant whirring. Loose pebbles and thin sand fall from above, dislodged by the vibrations through the ground. Your branch wobbles too; it's difficult to avoid the incoming rocks while clinging onto the wood for life but somehow you manage it.

Something else falls, a long object unfurling from over the edge of the canyon. It nearly hits you, but you manage to avoid it. It jerks to a stop in front of you and you find that it is a thick length of rope, dangling and ending just a little below your branch.

"You come up, or I go down there and bring you up?" The girl from before appears again, peering down at you. She has to shout above the whirring sound.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=4#36 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 8/19/2021 at 12:43 PM Entering the forest blankets you in cool air. The vegetation around you swallows up the heat of day as well as the sounds of the waves outside, replacing the sounds with its own, birds flapping, animals creeping, twigs snapping, and leaves rustling. It takes a while for your eyes to adjust, but when they do, you feel like you're in a completely different world. While the forest had looked like a canvas with various shades of green thrown on it from the outside, you now see that it's full of colour. Sturdy trees with bark the colour of wet earth spear past the canopy into the sky, their branches thin and stretched upward, as if reaching for the clouds themselves. Thin, ghostly trees with white bark and shimmering gold leaves wave at you as you pass. Bright red mushrooms with caps that look like cherries stud the soil between the roots snaking across the ground. Pale pinks, yellows, and purples hang from branches like garlands. A butterfly flutters past; it is a gorgeous shade of blue that shifts to iridescent green and purple as a beam of light catches on its wings. Birds of every colour in the rainbow sing from the trees, flitting back and forth. You see a bunny hopping across the path, but it bolts before you can get close. The branches that are scattered across the ground are either too thin to be effective, too overgrown with offshoots to be held properly, or too springy to be used as a weapon. The lower branches on the trees look promising, though they are a little high for you to reach at your current standing level if you wish to break one off. The music is still there, eerie as ever, but somehow enchanting and beautiful at the same time. As you creep forward, deeper into the forest, you begin to make out the sound clearer. It sounds like humming from someone with a voice clear and bright as the waters of a mountain spring. Nothing happens as you get closer, so you continue, searching for the source. Soon, you see a flash of something white between the trees, off the path. The humming seems to be coming from there.

He's reluctant to admit the forest's charm after his apprehension on entering it. It's also... too much. The forest is just too alive - like out of a fairy-tale. It sets him on edge, and he finds himself looking over his shoulder more often than he really needs to.

Can he climb up to reach the lower branches? Perhaps grabbing the strongest of one of those colourful garlands to get high enough if scaling the tree itself isn't an option. But he doesn't want to injure himself or pull a muscle so early on in his travelling - if the risks aren't worth it, he'll just have to go without.

It's almost as if this fairy-tale forest doesn't want me to have a potential weapon, he thinks with a frown. He knows it's a stupid thought, though - forests don't have minds of their own. At least, they shouldn't.

On the train of thought of fairy-tales, Falcon stops. Who runs around in the forest singing? He's sure he's heard stories about... this... but he can't quite grasp the memories. Maybe he didn't listen properly at the time, thinking it to be idle nonsense, or maybe it's this whole world that seemed to have given him amnesia. But he knows one thing for sure - there is no way he's following that thing.

He's avoiding the source of the humming noise, but the path is still critical to stick to. He tries to find a way around.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=99346&page=4#38 Author: Aphelion Time Posted: 8/19/2021 at 1:14 PM She laughs, a loud, boisterous guffaw. "Who am I kidding, of course you need help!" She pulls back and disappears from view. "Hang in there - hehe!" Her footsteps move away, fading, and you are left in silence once more. There's a few moments of tense silence, the air around you filling with fear of the unknown. More bits of the branch flake off with little crackling noises. The river below gushes and burbles. Your breaths are loud, each inhale and exhale echoing from wall to wall until it's like a whole host of others are trapped in here too, all hearts bounding and breaths quickening. Then, a loud whoosh blows the echoes away. From above there is a rumbling, followed by crunching and grinding. Something large is approaching. The sound grows louder and louder, accompanied by an incessant whirring. Loose pebbles and thin sand fall from above, dislodged by the vibrations through the ground. Your branch wobbles too; it's difficult to avoid the incoming rocks while clinging onto the wood for life but somehow you manage it. Something else falls, a long object unfurling from over the edge of the canyon. It nearly hits you, but you manage to avoid it. It jerks to a stop in front of you and you find that it is a thick length of rope, dangling and ending just a little below your branch. "You come up, or I go down there and bring you up?" The girl from before appears again, peering down at you. She has to shout above the whirring sound.

With how brittle the branche was, he didnt had the time to wait for long, for a moment Oris feared that she would not comeback in time. So of course he was glad when the rope appeared in his field of vew, the moments leading up to it however were nothing short of terrifying as pieces of the rocky wall were falling down around him.

Once the rope was close enough to be caugh, he slowly moved his hand toward it, his mind pleading the branche not to give out until he at least had a firm grip on the new and highly welcomed, adition to the scenary. Until then he didnt dared to reply to the stranger's question, planing to do so once he woudn't be as in danger as he was now.