Post by Kolava on Feb 2, 2004 16:18:09 GMT -5
The first thing Aiden would feel as he and his captor faded would be an intense feeling of vertigo, as if the entire world had turned upsidown. The comfort of solid ground spilled away from the suddenly widened gaps in Gaea's grasp, and he would feel the presence of the great Mother, the one from whom his life had sprung, grow more and more distant. As one force became distant, however, another, opposite force grew closer. It was familiar, structured with the same omnipresent embrace as Gaea, but in all other ways it was starkly different. It was sickened and vacuous, feeble with the oppressive weight of impious mortal parasites. Aiden's druidic sense would be both shocked and offended by its condition, but also awed by its stubborn tenacity.
The genie, with his living trophy firmly restrained by two bindings of conjured metal and a meaty, bejeweled fist, seemed to suddenly share the sickness of this force as they approached it. The incredible power he had demonstrated against those who opposed him had been leeched from Gaea, but this local force seemed too weakened and callous for such a stunt. At last, the "overlap" of the two worlds was entirely crossed, and Gaea's light was no longer felt by the two across the vastness. To the genie, this was a complete and total lapse, as though the power had never been. To Aiden, however, the wonderful being born from Gaea's light itself, some druidic power remained in his heart. It wasn't much, and there was no way of replacing it once used, but it might come in handy later.
Around the two was a blurry nothingness, a landscape shrouded by Ethereal mists and unformed mass. In the reversed manner of their disappearance from Goldenmyst, they appeared from the air of this strange place, and the blurs gained distinction and became recognizable. Nearby were lush trees, hugged by a humidity that was unmistakably subtropical; in the air, the lizard would note the pungent aroma of the jungle. Before those eyes could observe any more, the Pleep would be brought along a narrow path of smooth-fitting stones. The genie, still lamenting the taste of the power he had left behind, was walking with normal legs towards a grand structure ahead. If Aiden tried to keep a mental image of the overlap point for future reference, he would find his mind dwelling on single, peculiar clue: a solitary flower blossom of singular beauty, crumpling into a dried husk on the trodden jungle floor.
Overhead, the cloud blanketed sky was a ghastly shade of gray, so thick that it was a marvel any sunlight came through at all--it was difficult to tell night from day here. This didn't seem to keep the grand structure from glistening proudly, but it did cast a gloom over the jungle canopy that mirrored the dreadful condition of the world's druidic pulse. As they approached the structure, the jungle gave no signs of relenting. Upon closer inspection, the structure seemed to have been constructed without leveling even the smallest of clearings; the walls rose from the dirt with trees sprouting mere feet from either side, and the untamed vines explored every window and skylight. The material itself was of glorious luster, likely with some sort of mica or quartz mixed right into the plaster that hugged the masonry towers. There were several entrances, each a wide, yawning gateway that seemed almost completely unguarded from any intrusion.
Indeed, as the two moved into what passed for a courtyard, monkeys swung overhead and a leopard sat on a rock no more then an arm's breadth away. The genie adjusted his flamboyant clothes to cover the signs of battle which had not completely regenerated. His greed drove him to keep what had happened a secret, since he didn't want his brethren to swarm to the overlap and drink that refreshing power--not yet. Knowing Aiden would also draw questions, he quickly traveled, with a poof of teleporting magic, to the regions were interesting pets were contained. A mere cage was unbecoming of a genie, who believed they had no reason to fear nature and thus invited it into their home, but, sometimes, an enclosed room was necessary to keep fascinating creatures in an easily observed place. After a suitable one, with magically barred doors and skylights, was found, the Pleep would be tossed in and the conjured bindings removed with a magic gesture.
"You just stay put for now, you hear?" the large humanoid chuckled, his many body piercing jingling along with his jewelry. "I'll bring you some lunch when I think of it, long'as you don't try anything funny now." And with that, the being disappeared in another poof of acrid smoke, off to get himself seen so no one would ask questions and ruin his chance of keeping the overlap to himself. Aiden would be left on that hay-strewn floor, weakened by the shock of the whole thing and the lack of Gaea's light. The room was mostly featureless, but there was an overturned bucket off in one corner and a small metal door with no visible means of opening.
The genie, with his living trophy firmly restrained by two bindings of conjured metal and a meaty, bejeweled fist, seemed to suddenly share the sickness of this force as they approached it. The incredible power he had demonstrated against those who opposed him had been leeched from Gaea, but this local force seemed too weakened and callous for such a stunt. At last, the "overlap" of the two worlds was entirely crossed, and Gaea's light was no longer felt by the two across the vastness. To the genie, this was a complete and total lapse, as though the power had never been. To Aiden, however, the wonderful being born from Gaea's light itself, some druidic power remained in his heart. It wasn't much, and there was no way of replacing it once used, but it might come in handy later.
Around the two was a blurry nothingness, a landscape shrouded by Ethereal mists and unformed mass. In the reversed manner of their disappearance from Goldenmyst, they appeared from the air of this strange place, and the blurs gained distinction and became recognizable. Nearby were lush trees, hugged by a humidity that was unmistakably subtropical; in the air, the lizard would note the pungent aroma of the jungle. Before those eyes could observe any more, the Pleep would be brought along a narrow path of smooth-fitting stones. The genie, still lamenting the taste of the power he had left behind, was walking with normal legs towards a grand structure ahead. If Aiden tried to keep a mental image of the overlap point for future reference, he would find his mind dwelling on single, peculiar clue: a solitary flower blossom of singular beauty, crumpling into a dried husk on the trodden jungle floor.
Overhead, the cloud blanketed sky was a ghastly shade of gray, so thick that it was a marvel any sunlight came through at all--it was difficult to tell night from day here. This didn't seem to keep the grand structure from glistening proudly, but it did cast a gloom over the jungle canopy that mirrored the dreadful condition of the world's druidic pulse. As they approached the structure, the jungle gave no signs of relenting. Upon closer inspection, the structure seemed to have been constructed without leveling even the smallest of clearings; the walls rose from the dirt with trees sprouting mere feet from either side, and the untamed vines explored every window and skylight. The material itself was of glorious luster, likely with some sort of mica or quartz mixed right into the plaster that hugged the masonry towers. There were several entrances, each a wide, yawning gateway that seemed almost completely unguarded from any intrusion.
Indeed, as the two moved into what passed for a courtyard, monkeys swung overhead and a leopard sat on a rock no more then an arm's breadth away. The genie adjusted his flamboyant clothes to cover the signs of battle which had not completely regenerated. His greed drove him to keep what had happened a secret, since he didn't want his brethren to swarm to the overlap and drink that refreshing power--not yet. Knowing Aiden would also draw questions, he quickly traveled, with a poof of teleporting magic, to the regions were interesting pets were contained. A mere cage was unbecoming of a genie, who believed they had no reason to fear nature and thus invited it into their home, but, sometimes, an enclosed room was necessary to keep fascinating creatures in an easily observed place. After a suitable one, with magically barred doors and skylights, was found, the Pleep would be tossed in and the conjured bindings removed with a magic gesture.
"You just stay put for now, you hear?" the large humanoid chuckled, his many body piercing jingling along with his jewelry. "I'll bring you some lunch when I think of it, long'as you don't try anything funny now." And with that, the being disappeared in another poof of acrid smoke, off to get himself seen so no one would ask questions and ruin his chance of keeping the overlap to himself. Aiden would be left on that hay-strewn floor, weakened by the shock of the whole thing and the lack of Gaea's light. The room was mostly featureless, but there was an overturned bucket off in one corner and a small metal door with no visible means of opening.
