Dun Loireag. While it was not one of Senna’s favorite places, her natural dislike of it was buried for the moment in confusion and curiosity. For while it was not the hub of activity that Mac Anu was, there were usually some people around, but today it was still and silent. Even the wind seemed to have vacated the place.

Senna walked to the first bridge, half-crossed it, then crouched and stared down into the depths. While her stomach did a double left roll at the sight of the mist that obscured the ground, she didn’t freeze up. She was afraid, sure, but something was happening up here, something bad, and she wanted NOT to be HERE even more than she wanted not to fall. And falling, it would be the best option. It was fastest. She might get out of here before It noticed she was around. Grabbing her sword in one hand, she straightened up, then gathered herself and jumped.

For the first few seconds, she was falling through clean air, bordered in all directions by a forest of stone pillars, then she plunged into the mist she’d seen from above. Everything was blotted out in a wash of white then, and an unnatural chill that came from the constant application of a thin layer of water. Her sword tried to strip itself out of her hand, but she reached up and wrapped the fingers of her other hand around it as well. If she lost her sword, she’d be dead. She’d have no way to protect herself.

As abruptly as she’d entered the fog bank, she left it, and this time she could actually see the bottom. Filling the space between the pillars, still a good couple hundred feet below, blue water filled the horizon. And directly below, barely more than a speck, a schooner floated on the waves. While she could see little more than a darker spot on the lighter water, she was SURE it was a schooner.

Speaking of expectations… who would have thought that at the bottom of the towering spires of earth that made up Dun Loireag, one would find a vast sea?

The ship was looming closer and closer, and Senna braced for impact. Five… four… three… two… one…

AS she landed, bending her knees to cushion some of the impact, she felt a white hit bolt of pain run along all of her limbs. Landing after a long fall was jarring. She just held the bent-kneed pose for a moment, giving the pain time to subside, then straightened up and shook out each leg in turn.

The deck of the ship looked deserved, and no one came running at the sound of her hopping onto the deck, but she felt sure there were people. The sails were half-trimmed, enough to keep the ship moving, and as she stood there, she could hear the creak and clank of the tiller being moved. So, there were people, they just weren’t on deck. Which made sense, now that she thought about it.

After all, the only one who should be on deck in this ashy pre-dawn light was the lookout, namely her. She would keep a lookout for It – for she felt that just leaving the city was not enough to lose It – but she expected that the morning, at least, would be peaceful.

The ship creaked and rolled as whoever was manning the tiller brought them left around a sizeable spire and heading for more open waters. Amused, Senna sheathed her cutlass and scaled the ladder leading up through the web of rigging to the crow’s nest.

It seemed the space had been recently used for some sort of nest at any rate, she found as she crested the lip of the space. She checked the bundle of twigs and mud for any sign of bird or egg. Finding none, she dumped the thing over the side, letting most of it scatter into the breeze. Then she leaned her elbows on the railing and started scanning the horizon.

They had somewhere to get, after all, and they needed to get there and take care of things before It found them.

OOC
Something random. Yeah, I know Senna’s a Long Arm. This, however, is a dream. If anyone’s interested in joining up and being part of the dream world, for the whole thing or just for a post, to make something happen in the storyline, contact me. Only real rules are your character can’t know it’s a dream and at least one unusual thing (in view of The World’s rules) must happen each turn. This thread is intended to be completely not for rewards.

Breathing was hard, and the girl could feel a constant tense feeling inside her chest. When she breathed, it would rattle, causing quite an uncomfortable feeling. Why was she feeling this? What did it mean, or did it mean anything at all? Was she scared? Nervous? Anxious, or was it normal? But then again, what was really normal for this Long Arm? It would seem that answer would never be found, and she didn't know why it would never be found, hence leading to a never ending circle. Usagi hated running into those constant circles. It would cause her to get bored...quickly.

As she sat on a cliff in the city server of Dun Lorieag, she sighed to herself. This was a nicer area than Mac Anu, she thought. Calmer, prettier, cooler. It seemed to be a bit warmer in Mac Anu than it was here, and Usagi liked that. It was also a bit brighter here too, and that was nice. Usagi didn't really like sunset, because she didn't like to be in the middle of light and dark. So she didn't like twilight? Well, that would be the answer, now wouldn't it. Twilight made her feel some what tense and nervous...so why was she feeling that way here, in Dun Lorieag? That didn't make much sense to her, but she stopped questioning it. All these conflicting thoughts in her head was giving her a slight headache, making her start to feel a little ill. She sighed, and then looked over the edge of the cliff she was sitting on. Something was moving down below the mist; a dark shadow seemed to be moving about. Usagi stood, following the shadow as she walked the cliff. It would seem that her mid left her for a moment as she was coming to the ledge of the cliff, and her foot slipped, causing her to slide down the siding of the cliff.

As she slid, Usagi couldn't say that she was feeling pain, but more of an awkward feeling. She could feel the bumps, and even the burn of her skin sliding against the rocks and dirt, but she didn't feel the sensation of pain. As she was coming closer and closer to the end of the cliff slant, however, Usagi did begin to feel a sort of fear wrap around her stomach now. The feeling made the feeling from before a bit more defined and familiar. It wasn't quite as foreign and strange now, which in a strange sense, was almost comforting.

At the end of the ledge, Usagi met cold water. What was this? Water at the bottom of Dun Lorieag? That was strange, and it made Usagi mad! She hated getting wet when she wasn't in the mood, ESPECIALLY when it was cold! As she reached the surface of the water, Usagi went to take her breath and while doing so let out a sort of yell. It was in between a scream and roar, her emotions running on high. It was amazing what cold water could do to you; it could change your emotions in an instant... Well, it could for Usagi at least. She wasn't too sure on other people.

As Usagi began to panic, trying to find a way out of the water, the feeling of fear and anxiety became bigger as she saw the shadow she was chasing only seconds before make its way towards her. Looking around for her spear, Usagi spotted it a few feet away from her. It was floating, but she could tell it would start to sink any minute from the blade at the top of the weapon. She swam over to it as quickly as she could, catching it before it sank into the depths of the freezing water. Now that she had her weapon in hand, she turned her attention towards the shadow and noticed it was a boat. It was a small schooner. As it sailed beside her, Usagi took her spear and stuck it right into the wood. Luckily, Usagi got enough height on the boat to where she could lift herself out of the water and begin scaling the side of the boat. Scaling the boat was no easy task, and Usagi gave a loud grunt from the pressure on her muscles. Finally, she reached the top and fell onto the deck.

“Ow.”

The Female Spear Wielder stood up groggily, almost as if she had just awoken from a deep sleep. She felt sleepy too, which was weird. All that struggling with the boat must have worn her out. How lame. But that was done and over with, so Usagi took this opportunity to investigate the ship she managed to sneak on to. As she looked around, she noticed that there was no one around, leaving the boat completely silent. Odd, where was everyone? Was it just a random boat floating throughout Dun Lorieag?


“Hello?” She called out. Where was everybody?

((Sorry for the sudden end for the post. I just wanted to get it up. Oh, and I will NOT be accepting rewards for this quest, just as Senna said.)