RP:If Walls Could Talk
Is this some kind of elaborate joke? Many who have stepped into this room have voiced this sentiment, and for good reason. Arranged in the center of the tiny, blue-walled room--seemingly made of solid fluorite--is a large statue of the same material, obviously carved by a master. But it isn't the details of the statue that startle so many, rather what it depicts. If one didn't know any better, they'd swear they were looking at a flawless carving of Frostmaw's queen in all her petite glory, standing regally upon her fluorite pedestal to overlook those that enter the chamber. There is something remarkably fox-like about the figure's features, discounting the vulpine ears and bushy gem-wrought tail, and few can avoid sensing the wily cunning behind those ice-blue hewn eyes set in a gentle, humanoid face. And the source of the whistling music seems to be the statue, the tune subtly shifting with each pulse of gentle blue light emitted by the fluorite of carving and walls alike. Carved upon the pedestal are a variety of characters, looking to be from myriad languages, wrapping around the entirety of the stone. Any that inspect these illuminated words long enough will find one set in the Common tongue, reading simply "Snow Maiden". Ah, so this is a depiction of the Snow Maiden herself. The resemblance between the ancient being and the Lady of Frostmaw is uncanny, and almost unsettling. There is nothing else in this room demanding one's attention aside from the Snow Maiden, leaving only the options of staying to view longer, or depart through the solitary door.
Characters:
Summary: Diggson and Satoshi combine their magic to delve deeper into the catacombs below Frostmaw's Bank.
Satoshi stands in the altar room irritably rubbing at a smudge of soot on her coat, a futile attempt to clean up the battered piece of clothing that's obviously seen better days. Frustrated glances flick between damaged coat and the luminescent statue and, after a surreptitious look over her shoulder to ensure no one's present, Satoshi childishly sticks her tongue out at the fluorite-Snow Maiden. "Copycat," the minstrel mutters, dropping her gaze and devoting her time now to picking at a tear in her sleeve.
Diggson had no doubt that Satoshi already knew that he had entered the room behind her, being that he was fully aware of the wily nature that her kind had a tendency for. Regardless of this knowledge though, Diggson stood in silence and watched with mild curiosity as the cat went about scrubbing at the filth that clung to her coat, which he had soon enough judged to be coal dust given the way that it 'smelt' to him, and then insult the statue that bore the resemblence to her. "Hm." Diggson hummed to note that he had already assessed this situation to the best of his ability, which he had though it was merely an assessment based upon the limited knowledge he had of the situation. And only then would he make his approach to place himself at Satoshi's side, looking up at the statue with a blank stare. His left hand would appear to carelessly brush against the queen of Frostmaw's sullied coat and in doing so, caused the coal dust to be knocked loose of the fabric in a single instant-drawn into a crudely shaped brick of coal in the palm he now held open in front of him. "Interesting that she looks so much like you, being that you and her share a title." He noted, his eyes now examining the lump of carbon that rest in his hand. "If its any consolation you are the prettier one, much more approachable than what she appeared to be." It was a compliment spoken like a father would speak to his daughter, platonically lovingly.
Satoshi can't quite resist the urge to preen, both due to a coat a little less worn after an earlier confrontation, as well as the compliment--and just maybe to hide her surprise at Diggson's presence. Whether they are true or not, Satoshi carries a certain weakness to flattery, and tends to be in a far more amiable state when given such. So it's with a grin that she turns to the terramancer, standing just a little bit straighter. "She certainly -tries- to be me, but your sharp eye pick out the flaws well~. I'm not... entirely sure who she is, aside from claiming the same title as I have. No one here seems to know. Or even knew this place was here. Speaking of," the magus clears her throat, taking on a more business-like tone, "What do you make of these catacombs? They don't feel... foreboding, like other abandoned places tend to."
Diggson glasses up towards the far wall, now looking beyond the altar and the statue of the entity he had come to refer to merely 'the original queen'. His gaze is dull and listless, the expression of someone who has stared at this wall far too many times now to be able to derive any excitement out of the mere act of looking at it. "Frankly, I've seen many ruins during my time as a digger and the thing you come to realize about ruins is that they all look the same. I suppose the ancient world just had no creativity. I mean sure, the stonework my bear different runes and be carved from different stone but when you admire the archecture its self you realize that you've seen it all before in a different shirt." He turned away from the wall to face Satoshi. "As best I can tell from my freelance studies of this room is that there is more laying beyond it. While I do not doubt the existence of a built-in method for seeing what lay beyond, I have yet to stumble upon it. That being said, the room's structure would allow for someone to knock that wall..." He pauses to point at the wall he'd been staring at," down without damaging the integrity of the room. Simply but, you can blow up that wall and not destroy this room in the process." He took a moment to cough, the sound coming forth as hoarse and unpleasant. "Also, could you stop preening? Its...uh...making me feel wierd. Like we are on a date or something."
Satoshi huffs, but obliges with Diggson's request by falling still and following his gaze to the distant wall. "More, you say? I wouldn't be surprised. Apparently, -she-," a sharp nod in the statue's direction precedes a roll of Satoshi's eyes, "has a fondness for hiding important things behind walls. So~." Humming thoughtfully to herself, the kit moves around the carving and stops before the wall, peering curiously at it. "I wonder... how easily we could move this..." Subtly, or perhaps none too, Satoshi allows the jangle of coins to be heard coming from her sleeve as she speaks, possibly alluding to a reward if the digger is capable of safely removing the wall.
Diggson allowed himself to laugh in a truely jovial manner, a noise that seemed quite out of place on the rest of Diggson and alongside his normal demeanor. "I imagine it'd have been much easier to just ask me if I am capable of removing a wall in a swift manner. Especially since we've previously come to an agreement regarding such things." He passively waved a hand as he moves away from the altar to approach the wall in question. As he often did when planning any sort of excavation, Diggson placed his palm flat against the wall as his eyes examined each corner with increased scrutiny. "The easiest method would be to blast the bottom of the wall. I can control the wall's collapse if we place the explosives on each corner and in the middle of the wall itself. This would likely be the least messy way if you'd like to conserve the room's...ah...beauty." He paused for a moment to glance over his shoulder at Satoshi. "That being said, I can probably do it right here and right now though some damage may be done to the room in the process."
Satoshi unconsciously lowers her voice as she replies, hazarding a glance at the statue, "Here and now, preferrably. Explosives... make me wary. I prefer them around as little as possible." The kit straightens a bit, having noticed she's been leaning closer to Diggson while whispering 'behind the statue's back'. "Besides. The less I have to spend on those horrid things, the more I can pay you, non? Re-.. ah, adjustments, in the ruins wasn't in our original agreement, after all."
Diggson nodded slowly even was he was reaching up towards his forehead to readjust the mirrored goggles so that they rested over his eyes. "Lets see..." He mumble to himself as he dragged a single finger slowly against the wall from as far up as he could reach to as far down as he could go without having to bend or kneel. "Pretty seemlessly done on the archetecture, I'll give your predessesors that but...ah...there it is, the fatal flaw in their work is they did not have me around to do it for them. Nor did they take into account that I'd be hired to undo it." At some point, he had called a bit of chalk to his hand from somewhere on his person and was marking the spot where his probing finger had finally stopped with a single X. "You are a frost mage or whatever the kids are calling it these days, are you not?" And before Satoshi could respond, Diggson was talking again. "Good, good. that is excellent. I'm going to need you to listen to me very carefully, got it? It is highly important that you do what I say when I say it."
Satoshi lofts a brow as she watches Diggson, knowing a mage at work when she sees one and knowing better than to intrude--especially when it's a piece of her property at risk, if something goes wrong. So, it's with this in mind that Satoshi merely nods and voices a faint affirmative sound, waiting for whatever it is the digger intends to do and just how she's supposed to be involved.
Diggson squinted, though it would have hardly been noticeable beneath the mirrored surfaces of the lenses of his goggles, focusing upon that exact point where he had the wall with the X. Mana welled within him, being drawn from his core and throughout his body. He let it circulate within him as if it were his own blood, feeling it and understanding it as it coursed through his every limb. It hurt to do this, that familiar pain of his sickness making his muscles burn but the pain was something he had become close to. It was a necessary sacrifice as well for the purpose of maximizing the usefulness of his magical energy. Comprehension was key when it came to magic, Diggson's teacher had drilled that into his skull from day one. Eventually he would refocused the mana, compressing as much of it as he could into the tip of his pointer finger. "Is there enough moisture in the air for you to fill and expand a crack roughly two fingers wide?" As he asked this, he held two fingers up to better illustrate the width that he was expecting this little manuever of his to cause.
Satoshi pulls her own goggles into place while nodding. "More than~." The magus is seeing where this is going already, as it's not too different from how, with the help of Kirien's earth magic, she got through the last wall put in place by the former Snow Maiden. Shuffling sideways until she's standing a pace behind Diggson, Satoshi begins quietly humming, calling up her own source of magic from her frigid core while the tune draws in the moisture resting heavily in the air. In little time the cryomancer has a hefty orb of deeply packed snow in her palms, both waiting on the cue to begin a fast-forward version of water's destructive tendencies upon stone.
Diggson kept one hand elevated, fingers pressed together and extended into a gesture that meant 'hold steady' to most militant organizations. the other hand was lifted and held level with the X drawn upon the wall. And then rather suddenly, Diggson simply flicked the wall, smacking the tip of his finger against the stone in unison with the release of this pent up magic. But for all that mana used, the only visible response that the wall gave was a hairline fracture that measured half as long as he was tall. But the real beauty of this crack was not in its width but in the fact that it extended the entire depth of the wall, which was precisely all that Diggson needed it to do. That same hand that had flicked the wall now grasped for the shovel strapped to his back, clutching it and dropping into the stance of a spearman. The pinky and thumb of his singling hand descended so that only three fingers remained elevated, it was a countdown. One finger dropped and the shovel was lunged forward against the crack, causing it to spread some and give way to the shovel's nose. The second finger dropped and Diggson twisted the shovel against the stone to force it to widen against its own will to do so. And finally the third finger dropped as he yanked the shovel out of the stone, hoping that Sato was slow enough as to not freeze his shovel into the crack but quick enough that the crack would be filled before it compressed shut again.
Satoshi waits with all the patience granted a hunting creature, save that this creature has the calculating mindset of a scholar behind excitedly gleaming eyes, allowing her to pick up those simple cues and know just when to react. As soon as Diggson's third finger drops, even as the shovel is being pulled from the wall, Satoshi's setting lose her own spell. With a crackle, the icy sphere melts, twin streams of water forking around the digger as they plunge into the damaged wall, all to the mazurka-tune whistled by the frost singer. There's a certain irony to the wall being made of fluorite, a gem attuned to Satoshi and known for empowering her enchantments, essentially giving the minstrel exactly what she needs to destroy it. And destroy it Satoshi intends to do, for with each note from her comes a responding crack as the waters harden and spread, forcing their way into every tiny flaw available and worsening it all the more.
Diggson had planted a hand on either side of the crack as it was filled with Satoshi's ice, forcing his will upon the wall and extending his mana into its every pore. This maneuver was nothing at all new to him, he'd done it many times before but the aid of an ice mage made things infinitely easier on him. The strain he would normally feel of trying to seperate a wall into two different halves was greately relieved. "Excellent, excellent. You are doing great. Now, focus on spreading the ice up and down. That'll be the quickest way to do this." Diggson shouted behind him, goading Satoshi on with a tone not at all unlike a teacher who was acknowledging a student's successes. Every so often, he'd pull his hands away and breathe a single long breath before slamming his hands against the wall once more. To the onlooking eye, it would look very much so like he was attempt to push this wall down with nothing but the aid of his own muscle. But there was more occurring here. The crack's expanse imposed stress on the wall, stress that he could take advantage of by forcing his magical influence upon the wall at precise moments. Soon, his final intent would come to fulmination.
Satoshi doesn't need further coaxing, but it doesn't hurt any either as the magus pours more of her energy into spreading the ice out. The chorus of cracks and snaps that play along to her jovial tune become all the louder with each push from Diggson, the fluorite begins to shudder, slightly at first, as its internal crystals fall victim to an attack by dual mancers. The kit takes note of this and, with a crescendo in her wordless song, she urges the ice to spike toward roof and floor in a violent, explosive burst meant to cleave through the center fully.
Diggson had bidded his time long enough, had damaged the wall with enough punishment, much thanks to the cyromancer funding this operation, that it was time. "Ice. Get rid of it. Now!" Diggson shouted even as he was already moving his hands towards gripping either side of the now very noticeable crack that they had inflicted upon the fluorite. He inhaled deeply of the air, breathing in the smell of the ancient fluorite as it was being torn apart. So much magic absorbed, so many ancient spells fed into aged stone but there was no time currently for him to indulge in such things. One last burst of mana, some granted from his own flesh and some borrowed from the wall to be used against it, was released from within him as he gave a ferocious push. He willed this energy into the crack and into the cracks they no doubt inflicted upon the inside of the wall as well. And with that final push, the geomancer gave his final demand to the wall and the wall gave in. It exploded inwards as if tackled with such force that it could do nothing but collapse. Diggson panted, drawing shakey breathes inward amidst horrid sounding coughs. His body burned as it always did after using mana, the sickness making using his gift of terramancy a curse to use. "If ever there is a cure for this blight, I am moving an entire mountain on that day...just to spit in nature's face."
Satoshi readily heeds the mage's words, giving a downward spiral of a whistle to coax a flood of water and slush out of the wall's growing fissure. Obediently, the semi-solid element gathers on her shoulder, settling into the form of a crystalline mole, blinking tiny, pebble eyes in curiosity as it watches Diggson's final assault upon the fluorite. Satoshi's next whistle is one purely impressed, followed by an ecstatic chirrup from the frosty mole. "Now -that- I'd pay to see." Nodding, Satoshi takes a step nearer Diggson as she hums softly, coaxing a small pillar of clear water into her hand. "Drink before we go spelunking?"
Diggson waved the water away not because he did not want it but because he had been endlessly training his stamina since this disease afflicted his body. If the disease was incurable then he was determined to at least be stronger than the sickness. "No, no. I am fine. My lungs just needed a moment to, ah, regain themselves." He staggered for a moment before standing up straight and turning his head towards the opening that they had made, darkness littered with the faint shimmer of purple-sih light reflected back to them by the devistated fluorite. "I'll make sure to send for a team of giants to gather the more substantial chunks of fluorite after we have a look around if you so wish." The digger noted as he leaned down to grab his shovel, gripping it like a war hammer as he stepped towards the opening.
Satoshi shrugs when the water is decline, allowing it to spill from her hands before she turns toward the newly formed 'doorway'. "Well, then. Let's see what we've got hiding back here~." The kit plunges in without a second thought, having no worries for things such as air so ancient and stagnant that it's become toxic, and the idea of trips seems... unlikely. She's yet to encounter anything like a trap within places the former Snow Maiden occupied, merely hidden nooks and crannies. And this particular nook is simply that. A tiny room, barely large enough for Diggson and Satoshi to occupy at the same time, and with no more than a single, hefty block of fluorite as decoration. Unless, of course, you count the large, ornately carved basalt chest sitting upon the block, its golden hinges glinting invitingly in the new light. Satoshi can't help nudging Diggson and jokingly commenting, "X marked the spot this time, hrm~?"
Diggson laughed lightly at the feline's joke as he first examined the room itself, his sweeping gaze making sure that nothing is going to collapes any time soon. He licked his lips as his eyes settled upon the treasure chest, a single hand letting go of the shovel and reaching towards the chest just to feel it. The intricate craft was a delight to the eye and the actual integrity of the chest's design was something wholly enamouring to Diggson as he ran his palm against the metal. "Wow, I have to say. your predessesors must have been great with their hands." He paused for a moment to casually scratch the tip of his nose. "Bet they were...uh..great in bed." Yeah, Diggson totally just went there, Satoshi.
Satoshi keeps a perfectly straight face in response to Diggson's comment and steps toward the chest while offering an offhanded, "I take after them, naturally." Curiously, the kit runs a finger along the top of the box before lifting it to her face. "There's no dust. Aaand... there's no place for a key, either," she adds in disappointment, once she's managed to peek at each side of the chest. It's true, too, the box shows no obvious place for a key, each side polished to a black shine and expertly carved to depict a variety of animals, each trapped within their own hexagon. All the etchings are likewise filled with gold, so perfectly that running a hand across it reveals no joins between yellow metal and black stone. "It's pretty, but how do we open it? I know better than to break open treasure like we did that wall..."
Diggson simply shrugged at the question that Satoshi asked, having honestly drawn a blank as to how one would unlock a chest with no apparent locking mechanism. He could manipulate metal to a degree but not so much that he could manipulate complex locks into unlocking for him. That was a skill for a metalurgist, a very talented metalurgist at that. "Ah, well. I can only imagine what sort of goodies this chest holds if such steps were taken to hide it away even after locking it. It would...uh...be my suggestion that we take it with us to prevent any greedy fingers from obsconding with this find." He then nudged Satoshi playfully against her shoulder. "You'll have to teach me some of your tricks if you are as good as you say, then."
Satoshi shuffles to one side of the chest and runs her palm over its golden handle, even as she nods at Diggson and the other side. "Now, if I did that, I'd have to charge you, and then you'd have none of the gold you've just earned~." Grinning impishly, the minstrel experimentally lifts her side of the chest. Heavy, but managable. "But you're right, we should move this so that it can be protected from thieves and such."
Diggson had sheathed his shovel at his back at some point while Satoshi was admiring the chest again and was now at the otherside of the chest, lifting that side as Satoshi lifted hers. He immediately almost dropped the chest though when she made her comment about charging him. "I can only imagine whomever shares your bed is a very happy man or...uh.." He eyed the feline for a moment before cocking an eyebrow. "...woman?" At that comment, he cracked a slight smile. "I trust though that you have a good place for hiding such treasures. If not, I could probably manage some sort of hidden vault with the right supplies."
Satoshi doesn't miss a beat at Diggson's suggestion, only jerking her chin in the direction of her left hand, and the frost-ring on it. "My husband's quite happy, yes. But I'm sure men and ladies alike wept when I agreed to marry him~. And seeing the way you handle walls and that shovel, I can imagine you don't need lessons. Whoever shares your bed is likewise a very happy man... or woman." Chuckling to herself, Satoshi begins the awkward trek out of the broken wall, weighed down by the hefty chest as she's forced to walk backwards through the narrow passage.
Satoshi's little mole friend is just... utterly lost.
Diggson coughed some though it was not due to his sickness but rather because of the comment that Satoshi made in response. "Oh yes, I've seen a fair number of satisfied men leave my bed of a morning." He replied though, refusing to loose in this battle of innpropriety that they seemed have entered into. He allowed Satoshi to lead the way in carrying the treasure chest. "So, do you rule this territory alone or does this husband of yours act as a king of sorts?" He asked, a tinge of curiosity entering his voice as he shifted his grip on the chest some to adjust the weight felt on his arms.
Satoshi does the best shrug she can while laden down with the chest. "Technically, he's King Consort, but mostly he plays the role of advisor. Political banter isn't my forte. I prefer the fun stuff." Glancing across the chest at the digger, Satoshi adopts a perfectly innocent, curious expression. "So, do you practice on your partners or the walls~?"
Diggson opened his mouth but did not respond for a small moment at this last comment made by Satoshi. "Ah, well, a little of both. As you might imagine, walls do not make as entertaining of noises as a person might. That being said, it has...uh...been a while so I guess I take what I can get." He laughed slightly at his own comment. "I imagine while he is just the consort at the throne, he's the king of the bedroom though. Or would villain be more appropriate a title? I'm willing to put cash on the queen of Frostmaw being a very good hostage when nudity is involved."
Satoshi nearly drops the chest when she starts to laugh, but a quick scrambling spares her toes that particular pain. "I -thought- you seemed a little too familiar with that wall and your fingers back there... Aww, but anyway, even soil has to have a few dry spells~. But droughts always pass~. Although, keep betting like that and you'll dry up on money too. He may be a hero, but I'm no damsel." A baffled look from a passing worker at this point results in another laugh from Satoshi as she merrily trudges along.
Satoshi's not bad. She's just RPed that way. >.>
Diggson smiled as he pulled lightly on the chest just in case Satoshi did lose her grip on her end so that he could at least attempt to spare her a broken foot or two. "Oh, that poor man. I can only imagine the tortures he's endured upon your bed." Diggson replied with a hearty laugh. "Though how someone as scrawny as you could be in charge of such a scenarios as that is beyond me, unless your...ah...hero is an absolute twig of a man." Oh if only to hear the thoughts of the people that these two were passing by admist this conversation.
Satoshi pauses briefly, wrinkling her nose thoughtfully. "Nn. No. I wouldn't say that. He's as much a twig as a tree would be. But, bedroom games aren't entirely about size. There's more subtle ways of holding the advantage." Satoshi's expression is blank and serious as she adds, "And I'm very good at holding the advantage."
Diggson laughed so hard that he actually did drop his end of the treasure chest, hopping backwards as he did only so as to narrowly avoid having his feet pounded into the dirt. "So...so...wait, waaait." He gasped amidst heavy laughter. "You are....you are saying he's,he's not so well endowed below the belt?"
Satoshi narrowly misses having her toes crushed as she likewise drops the chest under the doubled weight. Shaking her head, she eyes the digger. "Didn't I just compare him to a tree? I don't see a whole lot of little trees, really~. There's a damn good reason I swiped him away from another woman~."
Diggson was knelt over, hands on his knees. "yeah but you did just make the standard issue comment about size not mattering. Also, the tallest trees have the smallest branches." He took a moment to wipe a tear of laughter from his eye.
Satoshi blinks, her head tipping to one side. "Who cares about branches when the trunk is a behemoth? Speaking of," the magus gives the basalt trunk a kick, "it doesn't look too pretty sitting in the middle of a dusty hall~. Shall we?"
Satoshi, with Diggson's help, eventually gets the chest above ground where a giant relieves them of the burden and, under the kit's directions, carries it to a safe location. And, of course, Lady Frostmaw remembers to pay her delightful digger.