brave_kreyu | OOM All Skate Skellig Dream Magic Weirdness -Part Three

The lost city is carved into stone, even into the earth itself in places. A small oasis remains, and that's where Kreyu lands in her dragon shape, Skellig on her back.

An entire PRIDE of lions was asleep here, this place a den, but Kreyu's arrival sends them all fleeing in terror. THEY know who the most terrible predator in the area is quite well, thank you!

"A bit of luck. Nothing too big should be here, if they had made this place a den." They won't be back while they can still smell her scent.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

brave_kreyu

"We will remember," she tells him. "And perhaps carry tales of this place to others, that it is not lost again."

They spiral down deeper into the rock, passing through streets carved into rock, homes, shops. There are no words written anywhere that he can see, but the walls are brightly painted. The places that seem to have been shops are decorated with paintings of what merchandise they once offered.

They pass by what was once a sculptor's shop, and something hidden among the debris catches his senses. It's a small statue carved from the stone that makes up the city, a figurine of an owl that's mostly finished, except for one of the owl's talons. It's small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. Was it a practice piece for something larger? Something meant to adorn a memorial? It's hard to say.

From:

27_53

Whatever it is, he finds himself drawn closely to it, and takes the time to fetch it from the pile of debris, wandering briefly away from her - she is also wandering, checking other shops and doorways.

It is a small owl.

A tight smile pulls at the corner of his mouth, as he mutters a silent thank you to wherever it may have come from before he rejoins the direction she is headed with the figure tucked neatly away into a pocket of his pack.

There is a set of openings ahead of them, beside each other. Nearly identical. And he has no intention of splitting up.

"Where calls you stronger?

From:

brave_kreyu

"Left," she decides after a moment.

The passages beyond the opening on the left are grander, more ornately decorated. Designs carved into the rock as well as painted.

The street dead ends in what MUST be a palace from its size and ornateness. It would have taken AGES to carve so much of the stone, such complex patterns, scenes of battles, gods, and monsters. Here and there, gold leaf glitters on the stone carvings like highlights.

"Heka's ego is big enough that he would DEFINITELY put his treasures in the most ornate spot down here," Kreyu states, staring up at the palace.

From:

27_53

Kreyu may have seen such a building as this before, such ornate carving and complex artworks surrounding them - but Skellig has never seen such a thing, and he is clearly taken aback by the grandeur of the space, the palace in front of them.

For a long moment, he is simply speechless.

When he does find words, it takes a moment.

"I...I would say I believe we have found the correct place," he says softly, still awed. And still on edge, for if they have arrived here, there may still be wards or spells, even if Heka has only recently died. Skellig reaches for her hand, as they walk towards the palace itself.

(Does one simply walk through the front door? He doesn't know - this is all new to him...)

From:

brave_kreyu

She smiles softly at his awe. "It is a wonder," she says. "Hidden here, beneath the ground. The kings must have been wealthy, powerful, secure, to have built such as this."

She holds his hand as they approach a massive doorway. The great bronze doors that stood there for countless centuries are torn from their places, torn by something Kreyu's size with dreadful claws. The scenes shaped into the bronze of the door all feature a particular dragon, their scales coated in gold leaf, their eyes polished emeralds. The dragon's image has been defaced, over and over again, by those same claws.

From:

27_53

"I have not sensed anything of that size within this space," he offers as a reassurance, though it is clear that he knows he is out of his league when it comes to Things With Dreadful Claws. Perhaps he is reassuring himself, more than he is reassuring her? "But I realize there is magic here that I do not understand fully."

Translation: I do not want either of us to end up a snack.

There is a definite edge to his mood as they walk through the doorway, a wariness and caution to his senses - but he trusts her.

"Have you art like this, of your form?"

From:

brave_kreyu

"Heka's claws, I think," she says, staring at the door. "That spot there, where the claws aren't quite aligned properly, his are like that. I got to see more of them than I cared to."

"There is some, near our lair," Kreyu admits, flushing. "Our humans, they worship us as gods. Worship me as a goddess of magic, of healing." For all that Kreyu is not comfortable with her own divinity, that 'our' is still there. "When I was there last, there was an image of me with scales of obsidian and amethyst eyes."

From:

27_53

"I have been called an angel," he says, shrugging one shoulder (one wing). "Mostly by those who I have helped. Though there have been a few other instances. But religion is...complicated."

There is still a haze that clouds his memories, but he can hear some of the voices in his head, echoing. Angel of mercy, angel of death, not an angel but a demon, maybe just a beast? He doubts there is artwork as fine as this to show his form.

(But somewhere out there, in some space and time, there is a child's scrawled drawing in colored pencil, a man with wings.)

"I take it amethyst is purple," he says, questioning. "I know of obsidian."

From:

brave_kreyu

"Angel, I haven't heard that word before," Kreyu muses. "It is complicated, very much so." She shoves her own complicated thoughts aside for a moment.

"It is purple, although the shade of purple varies widely."

They pass into a grand entrance hall, the walls adorned with scenes of lion hunts, battles between armies, great masses of peoples bearing gifts, tribute, to a man seated on a throne. She turns away sharply from an image of a man on a throne with throngs of people genuflecting before him.

"You could say that Revenen and I had a fight about religion, right before I left," she offers, voice quiet. "He meant well, I think. My brothers do not share my appetite for sex, but they knew that it was something I craved, that I wanted. That I was unhappy."

She looks away from Skellig for a moment. "He suggested that I let my hunger be known to our humans, that there would be no shortage of men eager to please their goddess. That they might injure one another competing for the privilege, even." Her face and her energy reflect the revulsion, the disgust, the horror, that the idea of taking partners in this way prompts in her.

From:

27_53

"You deserve to be happy," he says simply. "And if the act of sex is something that you desire, then it is something you should feel no shame in seeking. It is not fair to judge one for merely desiring pleasure."

His attitude is blunt, matter of fact.

"I will admit that my own appetite for sex, prior to finding myself here...was less." He glances towards her. "But that is more due to the fact that I have had to spend my time hiding my true form away from any partner I have had. You are the first who has truly seen me for...me."

However, it is obvious that he agrees with her feelings.

"But you are not a...conquest, or a trophy to be won."

From:

brave_kreyu

"No, I am not," she agrees. "And what we have, it has satisfied far more than my body." She squeezes his hand gently.

"I would see you truly as often and in as many ways as you desire," she tells him. "Would treasure every facet of your being that you care to share with me."

By chance, they have stopped in front of a wall painting of a king, holding the hands of a woman equally splendid. The artist has captured love and longing in their faces.

From:

27_53

"I am very grateful for your acceptance," he replies honestly. "It has healed my heart in ways that I cannot truly even explain."

He studies the painting of the king and the woman - Skellig supposes it is the image of his queen, whom clearly was adored and treasured deeply.

"I know the look in his eyes," he comments. "It is the same way that I feel when I gaze upon you."

From:

brave_kreyu

"I'm glad," she says, smiling softly.

She flushes in pleasure when he says that he knows the look in the king's eyes. "And I you. I hope they left here safely, together."

Instinct sends her left again, past rooms that might have held servants or supplies. The less glamorous underpinnings of the palace that made the place run.

Something prickles across her skin, like an electric charge, and she stops. "A ward here, failing but not entirely gone. Will take me a while to disassemble it." It is a sign that they are probably on the right track.

The rooms are simpler here, the designs on the walls simpler, less maintained. He'll find a few treasures, if he pokes his nose into rooms as she works. A flute carved from a heron's wing bone sits abandoned on a shelf in one room. In another room, a cracked pot, delicately painted with lotus flowers in a blue glaze sits in a corner. In the smallest room, a tiny wheeled cart and horse made of pottery, the paint worn, scuffed, a well loved toy of some child of long ago.

From:

27_53

While she works on disassembling the ward, he does indeed wander off on his own - staying within earshot should she speak, but with the quiet her voice would carry regardless of his hypersensitive hearing being turned 'up' as it is - to explore the nearby rooms.

It is the mundane that interests him the most. These were the things that were used, by those that were considered 'lesser' in the eyes of society. These are the things (and the beings) that he connects with easier. (Less chatter in the echo.) Her light spell only carries so far, but with his eyes it is simple enough to see what he needs to.

(Most items he takes note of but he leaves where they rest without touch, not wanting to disturb them (or their echoes) and leave evidence of his being in the room. But the child's horse and cart is wrapped carefully in a piece of linen, and placed beside the tiny carved owl.)

It is clear that those in this city had time to prepare for their exodus. This is not a rush-job, no panic. But he knows the pain that comes with having to leave one's nest, and it is not an easy feeling to deal with.

He is clearly a bit bothered as he wanders back out to check on how she's coming with the ward, his jaw set firm as he goes back to looking at the designs on the walls as she continues to work.

From:

brave_kreyu

The ward gives way with a snapping sound not long after he reaches her again. She smiles brightly, pulls him into a hug.

"Heka was good, but I'm better," she tells him, slightly smug.

Kreyu can feel an echo in the air. "There's an area with enhanced karma close by, I would bet that's where he put his treasures."

From:

27_53

His mood brightens slightly when she pulls him into the hug, her smug attitude giving him a boost.

"You are a far greater mage than most I have known," he says. "I am not surprised to know you are better than he was."

With her able to sense the karma (this he has not yet fully tuned into), he steps aside to let her lead on past the ward and towards the 'treasures'.

From:

brave_kreyu

Kreyu is even smugger when he says she is a far greater mage than most he has known.

They duck through a passage and into a small entryway off of a room with a large, grand, door. The servants would have needed access to the rooms here, so a shortcut was provided.

THIS door, Heka left intact, perhaps because it contains no dragons. The scene displayed on the bronze is elaborate, an intertwined couple in a garden, leaves, flowers, and the couple made of semi-precious stones set into the bronze. The intertwined couple are clearly the king and queen from before, the same look of love and longing on their faces. Both of them are naked, the queen astride the king in the same position Kreyu was when she drove Skellig to ecstasy the other night. But her hands trail over the king's face, his hands gently touch her arms.

Kreyu blushes, complexion going quite red. "I feel as though I'm intruding on something private," she confesses.

From:

27_53

Out of all the things that Skellig had considered they might discover while on this exploration of the lost city...this was absolutely not one of those things on that list.

"This is..." He clears his throat, stepping forward slightly to better look at the details of the inlay work. "This is quite well-crafted. A true artist created this. It is...quite refined."

His ears are also burning, and it is not from the sun.

"I can see why perhaps this work was kept further from view." Laughing under his breath, he touches his fingertips to the bronze and to a portion of the leaves that cover the more 'sensitive' parts of the image. "Clearly this would caused quite the fuss if it had been in the great hall. Though it makes me wonder...what exact is behind this door."

From:

brave_kreyu

"I would bet it was their private chambers," Kreyu replies. She's glad she's not the only one blushing.

They push the door open, step into the karmic zone. (Weaker than the one in Kreyu's home, but stronger by far than the 'background' of the world.)

It's a SMALL hoard, as far as dragon hoards go. Heaps of coins in bronze, silver, and gold lay piled on the floor. Weapons and armor of bronze, decorated with gold, intermingling with the coins. Pieces of Jewelry, goblets, and statuettes in a variety of materials are distributed around the edges. In the center of the treasure looks to be a space DESIGNED for sprawling -furs of exotic beasts, silk cushions, tapestries, and a large sheet of silk over them all that matches the colors of his eyes.

Kreyu is investigating the various pieces of jewelry, hoping for an item with power like that of her necklace.

From:

27_53

This level of Karma, Skellig can sense - and combined with the surge that he feels radiate off of Kreyu at the sight of the hoard as the light fills the room, his energy also shifts strongly in the positive direction.

She wanders off to investigate jewelry. He wanders to go look at the 'nest' itself, in the center in the room. The silk sheet intrigues him - he has not felt a material this fine beneath his fingertips, so carefully spun and woven, and he is almost hesitant to even think of touching it. But he can hear Kreyu carefully sorting through items, so he knows that touching won't hurt...

Another surge of energy radiates off of his dragon, and a different sort of thought (very wicked, he'll blame the 'art' on the door if she asks) jumps into his mind. He smirks to himself, and then carefully climbs up onto the pile (it's so comfortable!). Soundlessly, he sprawls himself out on his back, his wings outstretched, hands folded loosely behind his head.

His kilt might be slung a little low on his hips.

And then he whistles at her, the sound sharp - a hey, look at me! call designed to clearly get her attention.

From:

brave_kreyu

Her head snaps up at his whistle, startled. But then she sees him, sprawled on silk that matches his lovely eyes, an item from HER hoard around his arm, sprawled out like the most sensual of visions.

Her eyes shift to violet, her energy surges with WANT, with Desire. Her tongue darts delicately across her lips, an unconscious motion of hunger. "Such a fine sight you make," she says, voice rough with desire. Her wings shiver, rustle, as if she's about to pounce.

She stalks toward him, slow. "Heka gave me hours of pain. I can think of no finer revenge than for my mate to claim me with pleasure atop his hoard before I take it for myself."

She leaps, wings moving through the air to help her move quickly toward him. Then, she's on all fours over him, wings spread. "Would you have me?" she whispers, voice rough with want. "Here, now?"

From:

27_53

"I would gladly aid in such revenge," he growls, wrapping one arm up around her body, fingertips toying with the base of her wing where it meets her shoulder. "I would have you here. Now."

And then he grins, a little wild and feral.

(Her dragon energy is primal and raw; mixed with the Karma of the hoard, he has no concerns about 'draining' it, allows himself to bleed a bit of it off and mix it within his soul, his own Light surging.)

"Repeatedly."

Skellig leans up slightly, pressing his mouth to hers in a searing kiss. If she relaxes her wings, he'll make an effort to flip them in a show of dominance, but if she'd rather be the one in control (for now), he will not complain. For she is not a trophy, or a conquest to be had.

From:

brave_kreyu

She folds her wings and laughs delightedly when he says 'repeatedly'.

She meets his searing kiss with one of her own, hungry, but more than willing to let him take control. She eases her body down onto him, lets her whole weight rest so she can touch him with both hands, caress.

From:

27_53

With her hands roaming over his body, it is easy enough for him to 'cheat' a little and roll them over, with plenty of room for them both to stretch out on this pile of exotic furs and silks. If he wasn't already burning with such desire and want for her, he would be most tempted to curl up and sleep - and he would sleep very well, in such a fine nest!

But this is not the time for sleeping.

He has other plans of what he would do with her, in this place. They start with kissing at her neck and throat, teasing the places her knows give her shivers down her spine.

From:

brave_kreyu

She's pleased when he 'cheats' and rolls them over, her grin wicked. She sprawls beneath him, her body warm, soft, familiar under him.

She moans in pleasure as he kisses her neck and throat, tilting her head back to give him more access. The shivers down her spine are delightful, make heat coil in her gut. "Going to wrap me in your wings, cover me and claim me as your own?" He DID mention that idea before, after all!

Her hands caress his torso, his sides, tease his wings just a little.