Forgotten Faces

Post by **Drake** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 4:12 am

Drake hopped down off the tall rock. "I hope so. It does make sense that the man would keep the immediate area of his home clearer than the path leading to it."

Drake walked cautiously amongst the large rock formations. They did all have a ring of thirteen stones, perfectly spaced. None of them, however, held and entrance to any cave. One of them did have a large clump of berry bushes at its base.

The berries on the bush were like none he had ever seen. They were I deep, almost black, purple and had stiff bristle peeking out from between the little spherical pieces that made them up. He plucked some of them and smelled them. They seemed alright. He wasn't sure though.

"Hey Cody, could you come here." Cody having been a horse for stretches of his life might have come across berries like these. He would know if they were alright to eat or not.

Cody · Post by **Cody** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:18 am

Cody moved over to Drake's side and tilted his head to consider the berry in his hand. "They look good." Actually he wasn't positive but Cody was almost always willing to try something new. Cody let Drake keep the berry he had grabbed, and took a careful look at the individual berries on the bush itself. Squatting down he sniffed at the different berries till he found one that looked and smelled fresh. Cody popped the berry into his mouth and started chewing slowly, considering its taste. It seemed to have a mild taste at first, but then left a stronger long lasting sweet taste in his mouth. If there was a danger to eating them, it wasn't anything that struck right away. "They arn't great, but they aren't bad. It's food either way, and kind of moist...which I like."

After saying this he seemed content to start plucking and popping berries into his mouth. "I was hungry anyway." He did quit squatting down after he'd ate a few berries, willing to be less picky in the berries he plucked and just grab casually.

Post by **Drake** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:33 am

"Good," Drake said, a satisfied smile crossing his face, "I'm hungry too." He knelt down and started to pick berries off the bush one at a time and pop them into his mouth. They were sweet and moist, but Drake didn't think that they'd be very filling in the long run. "I hope we find this place soon." He was now plucking berries and eating them without paying much attention. Suddenly his eye was caught by a very plump one. He reached to pluck it, but it fell off it's stem and rolled to the back of the bush.

"Come back here," he said jokingly as he stuck his head into the bush in an attempt to see where the berry had gone. He used his arms to push the leaves and branches apart a little more and found not the berry, but the narrow mouth of a cave.

"Hey Cody, there's an entrance to a cave behind here." He pushed his head through the opening and looked around. "The hole's a little small, but it's pretty big inside." His eyes roamed across everything that was visible in the half light. All he could see were the bones of small animals, and he was about to give up when something caught his eye. On the far wall small magical runes glowed a soft blue light. "This is it," he said somberly.

Cody · Post by **Cody** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 4:44 am

In truth Cody gave little attention to Drake's actions, including when the berry rolled off the bush. The berries seemed more a temptation than anything that would really fill his belly. Still when he heard Drake say he found the cave he paused his current action of putting a handful of berries in his mouth.

He peered through the bushes at the hole and looked at it distrustfully. "It would be hard to get out of that fast if you were chased...." Did Drake really want him to go into that little entrance? It was...small. The inside did look larger but...the entrance scared him.

Cody then decided he wanted 2 free hands, and finished putting the berries into his mouth, talking as he chewed. "We don't know anything about the man, what if he isn't nice? Why does he live in the little cage? Do you really think this is safe?"

Post by **Drake** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 4:59 am

Drake laid down on he ground and slid into the cave up to his chest to get a better look inside. The floor of the chamber of the cave was only a little over four feet below the bottom edge of the opening. The floor sloped downward beneath the rock and ground to the rune encircled doorway. "No, not really, the floor isn't that far beneath the opening." He slid the rest of the way into the cave and turned to look at his friend through the opening. The bottom of the mouth of the cave was almost even with his chest.

"See it's not that bad," he told Cody. "I think that this sorcerer or whatever he is lives in here to protect himself from the outside world. It doesn't look too fondly on practitioners of the art after all. I don't think he would have any reason to harm us either. What reason would he have to do something like that? I only want to ask him a few questions." Drake walked a little deeper into the cave, small hallow bones crunching under his feet.

Cody · Post by **Cody** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 6:16 pm

Cody was once again not happy. Amazing how it seemed his emotions got to be a roller coaster around Drake. Either things were going great and he was thrilled or content to have a friend or things seemed bad and he had to be nervous, terrified, or at the very least wary. Cody sighed watching Drake go down and had to except the fact that unless he wanted to stand out here alone he had little choice but to follow Drake.

He wanted to trust Drake and believe it would be safe down here but the cave was not filling him with confidence. Still he followed after Drake, lowering himself down into the cave and looking at the small hole he came in from with distaste. His eyes moved down to the bones that Drake had earlier steped on.
"He might want to consider keeping the place a little cleaner...." Bones in a place you reside somehow also hit Cody as a bit creepy.

Cody moved up along side Drake, warily looking around the cave searching for any form of danger...paranoia may stress you out but it might just keep you alive!

Post by **Drake** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 2:51 am

"Magic users are normally very single minded, so I doubt he even realizes how much they've built up in here." Drake walked a little closer to the doorway with the runes and peered through it. The next room was pretty narrow, but not to the point of making one closterphobic. It sloped gently down further under the earth, like the room he was currently in, but it curved smoothly to his left. "Come on Cody," he called over his shoulder and stepped through the doorway.

As he walked down the hallway type chamber a strange smell started to drift into his nostrils. It was a little like a mix of ozone and dead flowers, but not ghastly enough to disgust. Drake stopped were the room started to twist and looked around. He hadn't noticed before the the top edge of the walls were also lined with runes, as well as a few stones in the floor.

Figuring that the runes were for warding off enemies or demons or something, Drake continued to walk. The dust started to thin a little as they went further into the place, as if this area was used more often.

Cody · Post by **Cody** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 3:14 am

Cody followed Drake, in fact he was staying as close to Drake as possible. They were under the earth, surrounded on all ends except a small hole they were walking farther away from. It was quiet with no sky to tell time, or gentle breeze to feel the stirrings of life.

At the scent he made his soft snorting noise as if trying to clear the scent from his nose. "What is that?" He saw the runes but gave them less attention assuming Drake would know if they were dangerous. Cody had no knowledge of magic, only that it existed and could do just about anything.

Cody liked the curving even less, he disliked not being able to see where they came from, and not knowing what was ahead. The dust on the floor also showed that no wild animal thought this was a good place to hang out. He wanted to shift into his form where it would be easier to run away, but that form would never be able to make it through the hole. If not for Drake, Cody would never come some place like this. What could he do? Drake already knew this place was bothering Cody so it was pointless to tell him again. All he could really do is follow and try to keep a grip on his fear. It was probably silly after all. Most humans aren't afraid of being in closed-in spaces. Cody should get over it, but thoughts like that made him want to run out even more. Cody's hands would clench and unclench every few seconds in a way of trying to relieve tension. A small head shake of fighting his urges and staying with his friend. He didn't want to lose Drake, so he dealt with this....

Post by **Drake** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 7:43 am

Drake sniffed at the air again, trying to identify it's source. I was pointless. He had never smelled anything like it. "I'm not sure," he said simply and continued walking deeper into the cave.

At the end of the hallway was another rune ringed doorway. This one led to a wide chamber though. It was so wide, in fact, that Drake could barely make out it's outer reaches. He stepped through the door.

The strange smell was very strong in this room, and there was a faint scraping sound. Drake looked around, the source of the noise was somewhere to his right, but it wasn't coming any nearer. The hand he hadn't even noticed moving unclenched from around the hilt of his weapon.

Cody · Post by **Cody** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 2:31 am

Cody followed Drake in, staying quiet as he listened to the instinctive side of his mind saying that he shouldn't be here. He shook out his head again in frustration. Logic fought against his instincts, his body trembled as it refused to give in to the sense to turn around and run.

Stepping into the room he jerked his head up high as the smell increased. A smell he couldn't recognize in a place they shouldn't be, it was time to go. He paused and turned to look at the doorway. His muscles tensed up, all it would take was a second to give in to the urge and he would run from Drake without ever looking back. Cody jerked his head up again and turned it to look back at Drake. "Maybe he's not here, maybe we should just wait outside he'd either come in or leave at some point..." The silence of the room demanded he keep his own voice quiet.

Post by **Drake** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 2:52 am

Drake turned to speak to Cody, and froze in place as he did so. A loud click from beneath his feet warned of trouble. The door they had just entered through slammed shut in the blink of an eye. Even Cody couldn't have made it through the door it closed so quick.

Drake jogged over to the door and pressed his hands against the slab of stone that now held it closed. It wasn't going to be pushed open like a door, so he attempted to slide it back to where it had come from. No luck there either. "Looks like we're moving forward." He patted Cody on the shoulder. He couldn't see enough his friends face to tell, but he was sure that it was marred with a look of extreme panic.

Drake began walking in the opposite direction from their original entrance. He stopped again something was different. He held out a hand to make Cody stop moving behind him. A little later than he would have liked, he realized that Cody wasn't moving, it was something else. He spun around and was greeted by a creature from nightmares.

Cody · Post by **Cody** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:06 am

Cody's eyes widened as he stared at where the entrance was, his body was quivering, no one part managing to stay still. He snorted, took a step backward, watching as Drake moved to the door. "Out..." It took work to say the first word, but others followed easier, uncontrollably. "We have to get out...we need out.." Panic was fueling his blood now, sending waves of energy demanding to be used.

Cody watched Drake walk the other direction, then looked back at the door for another moment as if this would somehow cause it to open. He shivered then turned to look back at Drake. Oh shii...

"Drake!" The scream wasn't uttered until Drake had already turned around. Cody lunged at the door slamming his shoulder into it. Of course the door didn't budge, Cody backed up and repeated slamming his shoulder into it, inwardly trying to will it to move. All he was getting was a sore shoulder...his back suddenly reminded him angrily it still didn't feel that great after his fall and it was well aware of how he was now recklessly slamming the body against the door. Out...out...out...

Cody spun around and jogged two steps thinking of running the other way but stopped as he couldn't make himself cross pass the ...the thing that was standing in between him and Drake. "Drake..." the name came with a soft whimper, and a foot stomped on the ground in panicked frustration.

Post by **Drake** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:20 am

"Some kind of guard dog," Drake muttered as he stepped back. He was being confronted by a skeleton wielding a rusty broad sword, and it looked pretty angry for something that couldn't show a facial expression. He wished that Cody would stop doing things that might draw attention to himself, but the creature obviously had its priorities sorted out. The person with no weapons is less dangerous, kill the other first.

The skeleton lunged at Drake with a mighty swing of its weapon, Drake barely avoided it. He kicked the hand that held the sword and the creature dropped its weapon. Angered even more, it barreled into Drake and forced him back into a wall that Drake hadn't even known existed.

The two struggled against the wall. The skeleton's fingers tore at the skin of Drake's neck. Drake tried to force the thing's arms away from himself. He eventually managed to get a foot onto his adversary's rib cage and pushed it back. It hadn't been much help though, as the creature was right back on top of him in no time.

"Cody...a little help....please," he managed to say between dodging swipes at his face.

Cody · Post by **Cody** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:30 am

Cody felt like his feet were bound by invisible chains, unable to move but only whimper in helpless terror. Was Drake going to die? Was he going to die? Cody whimpered again watching the fight scene before him.

Help? Was he insane? Cody stared at Drake dumbfounded at the idea of attacking the thing. No no no...he wanted to keep Drake! Cody snorted, taking a step forward with all intention of helping, then his traitorous feet took him back three steps. Help...Drake wanted his help. Cody stomped his foot angrily again, frustrated with his own fear and sense of worthlessness. "Drake..."another whimpered word.

Cody charged at the skeleton, mindless unplanned charge. It was suddenly easier, running was what he'd wanted to do from the beginning. THe skeleton wasn't the point he had wanted to run to, fear clouded his vision he only saw one thing, could only focus on the skeleton, the rest of the world no longer existed.
Once he was up close he twisted his body to ram into the thing with his shoulder. He screamed at the last moment as he went to collide, it was a release of all tensions of fear, anger, and the energy being offered full force into the solid object he forced his body to crash into.

No thoughts were willing to come to mind after this action was completed, instincts alone would help him live or die at the moment. If Drake needed more help it would be a moment, if the skeleton didn't go down Cody was in serious trouble.

Post by **Drake** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 4:01 am

Drake watched in shock as Cody charged into animated corpse that was attacking him. The two of them fell to the floor with a clatter, but not before the angle of Cody's charge caused them to slam against the wall. Cody stood up from the tangle of bones as the dust settled, and backed away with a look of terror on his face. Drake saw why soon enough.

Out of the dust crawled the upper half of the skeletal being, its legs still lying motionless on the ground behind it. Its jaw worked furiously as it's pointed fingers scrabbled for purchase on the stone floor. Drake stepped forward and slammed his foot hard into the top of its head. It ceased moving.

"Thanks," he said to his friend. A new sense of appreciation for his friend rose up in his stomach.