Oni’s hopes are smashed as it is not his Arnia 17OCT20
23
OCT/20
Fruit Flies and pineapple bombs:
Oni opened his eyes. He was lying on his mat. His face and mat were wet. He sat up and looked down the corridor. He wiped the tears from his own face. He needed to be strong. He knew time was running out and wanted to just sit here to die. It was the only peace he was going to find. A voice within in his head calmly said, “help her, help them all.” He looked over to Herman on the wall. He was expecting his little buddy to be wearing glasses, but he was just standing on the wall, vibrating his body shell. “Thanks buddy,” Oni silently said to him.
Oni was always the last to rise. David and Sora were already packed and ready to go. Sora was eating a thick piece of camel jerky. Chomping off big pieces as she just stared at Oni. Even with her fierce stature she had had a look that said, “are you ready, or what.” Oni shrugged. Oni grabbed a small piece of meat and packed up his stuff. Sora and David were already moving by the time he was packed and ready. He dreaded this day for some reason.
They slowly moved down the water tunnel and into a plant filled oasis. It was a large room with two giant bowls of fresh fruit. The smell was intoxicating. The humidity was not. The air was thick. None of them had ever been in such water filled air. For Oni, it was hard to breath in. When he took a deep breath, his side hurt.
David reached into one of the bowls to grab a fruit. It had wings and fluttered up into the air, “These things are alive,” he shouted. Sora moved to the other edge of the room to examine it. David started to search the bowl for secrets and traps. Mar’iya moved up a little to search for secret doors. Oni moved his hands through the other bowl to drive away all the fruit. He wanted to cleanly see the bottom of the bowl.
Oni looked into the bowl. How would David and Mar’iya examine this thing. He moved his hand around the inside of the bowl. Oni felt its smooth sides. His was about to close his eyes to see into it, like David when Mar’iya shouted, “Hey I found a secret door over here.” Oni thought he heard the sound “umm,” he was not sure. Sora shouted back, “the stream comes from up here. I think it starts in this next room.” Mar’iya spoke as he does, “I said I found a secret door.” Sora clearly a little miffed and feeling more a part of the team and less a slave, “check for one of the other side, geez.” Oni felt utterly useless.
Mar’iya moved over to the other side of the room. He knew what to look for and found a secret door as he walked up. He moved up to the wall and ran his hand along it for several minutes. “This are disguised very well, there is one over here too.” Oni started to look up to these amazing trees. He was angered at the arrogance of these priests. They made these amazing spaces and reserved them for themselves. He looked up to the pineapples in the trees.
“These are great,” David said. David was chumping down on one of the winged fruit. It was wiggling in his mouth as he ate. Oni thought back. Those looked just like larger versions of the fruity flies they ate back in the oasis. He ran over to the bowl to catch one. He grabbed it and dug his teeth into it. The juices poured down his thought. The taste made him feel strong. He finished it. He looked over the bowl and grabbed another one. He wanted it so much. He longed for it. He devoured it down. As he turned to look at the rest of the group he smiled. Fruity Fly goo dripped from his chin.
Mar’iya ate one as he looked up into the tree. “I would love one of those pineapples.” Oni said. Mar’iya and Oni were both staring up at one. Naga walked up. “I can do it,” Naga said. He moved his figures and spoke a few words. The pineapple broke free but was too heavy for his spell. It fell directly on the ground next to them and blew up. It exploded into a million pieces and spayed them with hot bits.
Oni shifted over to the first secret door. He pointed to it, “Let’s go this way.” They all gathered near the door and headed out into the hall beyond. There was a statue of a humanoid cat on the right and a door straight ahead. A hallway broke off to the left. David and Mar’iya moved up to check the door. After a quick minute the door was open, and they moved through into the room beyond. Oni stared at the cat person. He decided it was a woman, but he was not sure why.
Oni ran in the room to see the Frescoes where David and Mar’iya went. They were looking around. Oni went up to examine the images. Herman came strolling out of his sleeve and walked out on his shoulder. They both looked. Herman seemed to love art. He started to hum in a new and pleasant way. Oni could feel contentment coming from his little buddy. Oni pulled out a little piece of dung. He scanned the fresco until he saw the alter. A priest had his hands upon it. It looked like it was giving off great power. They moved back out into the hall to explore more. David was starting to drive the group.
They find “HER”:
David and Sora moved down the hall. David was starting to move to fast. He was starting to separate the group. Oni was about to say something to him. He wanted to make sure David moved just a little slower within the pyramid. David stopped as if listening for something. Mar’iya moved up to Oni. He looked over to Oni and said,” do you hear that.” Oni shock his head and said, “hear what.” Mar’iya closed his eyes just like David. I hear a battle up ahead. I think it is beyond that door up there. Wraiths, and some woman.” Oni took off running.
Oni ran past David and Sora. He grabbed the door and tried to open it. From someplace outside of time and space a denial buzzer, buzzed. “Mar’iya get over here,” Oni yelled. Mar’iya started to move across the room. Than to Oni’s rage that traitorous piece of shit stopped to kick a bag on the floor. Oni drew up all his power and smashed the door with all his might. The door did not move at all. “Get the fuck over here. Was that not clear?” Oni yelled again. Mar’iya ignored the noise of coins that came from the bag. Sora moved over to the bag and grabbed it.
Oni tapped his foot as he prepared to charge. Mar’iya pulled out some tools and started to work the locked door. Although no one really worried about it, the door was not trapped. A loud click was heard. Mar’iya forced the door open. Oni scanned the room as he charged in. Arnia was there, in metal armor, like a god. She was fending off a room of undead. Oni charged over to her side and started to attack the undead beasts around her. With his great power he destroyed the one behind them. The rest of the group came pouring into the room to help.
He looked over to her to smile. Something was off. She looked just like Arnia and her voice was perfect. But she was older, wiser. She looked like she had aged ten to fifteen years. “What happened to you, Arnia,” Oni said with great concern in his voice. He was pleading with her. She sliced through a creature dropping it at his feet. Towards the end of her swing she looked directly at Oni. “How do you know me?” she said.
Mar’iya and David attacked the bulk of the creature in mass. Sora moved into the room. “Arnia be watchful of Sora,” Oni said as he pointed to Sora. He shifted to look into Arnia’s eyes, “she is a friend but loses control in a fight.” Oni moved to his right and leaped over a swing from another creature. Arnia swung through it and it dropped. Oni looked over as Sora dropped the last of the undead creatures. David moved up to her. He had his hand out to her is a comforting manner as he spoke, “it is okay Sora. We are all friends here.” Sora placed her sword in its sheath. David started walking back to the door. “See, she would never hurt me.” He said as he walked out the door.
The group gathered around the new Arnia. “Who the hell are you?” Sora asked. Arnia looked at her and said, “I am Arnia of Luskan.” Both Oni and Mar’iya whispered, “Luskan.” They both knew that Luskan is what Raam was called about 2,000 years ago. It has not been Luskan in a long time. Arnia continued, “I am a follower of Lathander.” Oni had to know who that was. He was going to come back to the question.
“Hold on a second,” Oni said while looking at Naga.
Naga: “What?”
Oni: “Naga can you wait out in the hall for a minute?”
Naga: “Why?”
Oni: “I think your connection is a threat. Please just wait in the hall for a moment.”
Naga went out into the hall. Everyone else just waited for him to leave. They were all staring at Oni. Even Arnia was staring at Oni. “Our friend there has a connection to Tiamat.” Oni said as he pointed out the door. “I do not think he is a spy on purpose, but I am convinced Tiamat can spy through him. That is why he is here,” Oni explained. Arnia continued to tell the adventures that she came to the pyramid about three weeks ago. She was lost in the lower level for most of that time. She came up to this level about a day ago.
Mar’iya was the first to break into her backstory, “why did you come here?” She had met a seer by the name of Mother Dust. This seer sent Arnia here to find the White Gem. Oni was starting to wonder. He was going back through all his thoughts and the puzzle cat kept coming to mind. He knew he had to find a woman on this level. He could not remember if it was a seer. As she continued her story Oni barely heard it as he searched his own memory. He was shocked; he did not find anything related to a seer. Had he made that up within his own thoughts. His memories did not reference any seer. He wondered if the power of the pyramid could be affecting his own memory now.
She was clearly from the past. Was she stuck in this place within place for 2,000 years or did she get sucked into the future? That was unclear. Normally Oni would have presumed she was insane, but that armor tells the truth of her story. They tried to tell her how things have changed, but she was not open to the news. She did not want to believe Luskan was gone. Oni thought it was likely the news that her family were gone. Although Oni’s Arnia looked so similar that maybe she was a descendant. Maybe he needed to connect them.
Oni still thinking that this seer might be the one he is supposed to help and protect drilled her with questions. It did not go well. In Oni’s zealous, his questions felt like an attack. He wanted to know all about Mother Dust and where she was located. He had to know if she was here within the pyramid. Mar’iya asked her nearly as many questions. He was looking for something too. Mar’iya reminded them that the healing potion they used to help Joe was left by Mother Dust. Oni could not place that correctly in the timeline. She was likely alive along time ago. He wondered if she had new gifts for them. Was this Arnia a gift from Mother Dust.
Oni looked at Arnia. He finally decided she was who he was here to find. “Welcome to the group. I hope we can help you connect to this Lathander,” Oni said to her.
David learns patients, hopefully:
They were researching the areas they had moved through. They wanted to connect all the little paths. David had become inpatient. He started to just move through doors without backup. He was in a panic to find something. Oni watched as he and Sora headed down the hall. Naga and the others were still in the waterfall room. Oni moved in between them. He was hoping to watch both groups. He was becoming nervous that the group was so spread out. “David, slow down,” Oni yelled down the hall.
Sora was moving slower, but she followed David into a new area. Oni shock his head. He could no longer see either of them. He looked back and could only see Mar’iya. He heard a door open. Sora grunted and David screamed a little. “We have a fight over here. David and Sora are in trouble,” Oni shouted back to Mar’iya. He yelled back into the room for Naga and Arnia. “This way, they are south of me,” Oni yelled again. He had his hand in the air waving it down the hall.
Oni wanted to run down to help them, but he had to wait. Arnia ran into sight. That was one. Oni just had to wait for one more person. Like a blur, Naga ran into view and past Oni. He turned to corner and healed David from the other side. Now that everyone had seen him, he charged into the room with Sora and David. Sora was battling a wraith. David as hurt and on the ground. He was alive and still in the fight, but he was on the ground. Oni launched a spell.
Sora pummeled the wraith next to her. Arnia moved into her side. “Be careful Arnia,” Oni yelled. The wraiths were mostly concentrating on David. Oni moved through the entire group to get to the other side of the battle. He wanted to draw all the attacks on him. As he moved through, they all attacked him, but he was able to dodge with ease. Oni looked at one of the wraiths with a smirk, “attack me you beast.” They all still concentrated on David.
Arnia and Sora both dropped the creatures next to them. Sora turned and attacked Arnia. A look of shock popped onto Arnia face. “What are you doing,” Arnia yelled. Naga moved in to heal David again. The wraith seemed shocked as it attacked David again. It screamed. Naga shifted and created a wall to protect Arnia from Sora. Sora shifted to attack the last Wraith on her side. Mar’iya looked over at Naga, “now we are alone with Sora.” Naga moved the wall to wrap around Sora. He looked back at Mar’iya with his little elvish smirk, “we should be good now.” Arnia, David, and Oni finished off the last of the wraiths.
David stood up and headed towards Sora. Naga dropped the wall. Arnia looked at Oni. She was really angry. Oni drifted back to Raam. He had wished Arnia, his Arnia, had felt so free that she would be this angry. “Why did you not tell me about her?” Arnia snapped at Oni. Oni looked at her. He was pleading a little. “I did tell you. I told you to be careful of her,” Oni opened. Mar’iya walked over to them, “She has a cursed sword.” They all looked over to Sora. “What? I told you guys to stay out of my way in a fight,” Sora said with some anger in her voice. Oni gently took Arnia’s arm. “You must be careful with Sora in combat.”
Arnia jerked free and headed into the room beyond.
Clues of Munafik:
Oni watched Arnia walk off. He found himself on the other side of the waterfall. He could see the oasis beyond. Sora moved passed him into the chamber beyond. She must have still been a little enraged as she bashed Oni’s shoulder as she walked by. She almost walked through him. She started to look around the room. She yelled back, “there are more words in here.”
Oni moved in. Mar’iya and the new Arnia moved in next them. Oni looked over to Arnia and smiled. She was examining the words and did not see him. Oni had to remember it was not his Arnia. Maybe his Arnia is a descendant of this one. Oni now wanted to know if she had kids. Oni saw her and Mar’iya looking at the words on the walls. He had let himself get distracted again. “I can cast a spell to read the words,” Oni said in his leader voice. “good idea,” Mar’iya responded.
Oni spoke the magical words and moved his hands to move the magic into his mind and eyes. He examined the words on the ceiling. He read one message. “Great Munafik/ the priest most high studies his tomes / that he might ply that water path/ and lose their fate.” He looked over to the next message. He could not read it. Arnia looked up and started to read it, “Above our thoughts / now master sleeps in dreamy realms /. And sky so deep. The high priest worked / a wonder great and sealed him up / unto his fate.” Oni went from her to the messages above. He still could not read them. He went over how he cast the spell. He must have failed to cast it correctly. He knew he must be missing something but could not figure it out.
Arnia started to read the other messages on the walls.
“Munafik was high priest of Amun-Re and leader of his rites and his religion”
“Munafik, priest, was keeper of the tomes of terabaker, the greatest library in all lands of the golden age”
“Munafik searched too. For life eternal and some say that he sought to rob the pharaohs of their right to that life”
“But through his study of all the books of secret lore, he only sought to serve.”
“In truth, Munafik’s search was rewarded, for the books showed him the way of life eternal here.”
“Now terrible and great in his power, he acts as the voice of Amun-Re to us”
“He cannot die, for his life lies elsewhere”
“Munafik now is second only to Osiris himself, and he has claim on the rules of Amun-Re”
Oni again for the second time today felt useless.
Oni started to head back to the waterfall. He tried to delude himself that the alters were more interesting to him, but he was dejected. He looked at and through the water. It scared him. He had never seen anything so amazing and thought it could kill him. He remembered back to the sword and thought to himself, “you are the most expendable in the group.” He slid his hand into the water. It hurt but it did not seem to do any real damage. He stepped through into the room beyond. He yelled back to the group, “I hurt’s but you can step through it.”
Oni moved over to one to the alters. He still had his spell going and started to read the words on the alter, “Turniin, IOQRA, REQRA, Neq.” Mar’iya walked up to the other alter, “yep this one has the same stuff.” Oni stared at them and reached his hand out to touch one of them. He closed his eyes. “I think Neq means regate,” Oni said. He was about to examine the alter more and was even thinking of placing his hands upon it. He was drawn to it. It was calling him. Oni started to move his hands up to place them upon it. He wondered if this was what Sora felt for her sword.
Aiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Oni and Mar’iya made eye contact. “What the fuck was that,” Oni yelled as they both started to run towards the waterfall. “Sora fell through the floor,” David screamed. Oni burst through the water as the group gathered around a hole in the floor. Mar’iya and Oni were more connected then either liked to admit. “Shit that leads down into the maze below,” Mar’iya spoke Oni’s own thoughts. “Let’s just drop a rope,” Arnia said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Oni looked down. It would cost a lord manor to have a rope that long.
Mar’iya looked over to Arnia, “We only have 20 feet and that cost a small fortune.” He started to climb down the passage to the room below. Sora stood up and with her sword in her hand. Oni could not see her enemy, but he knew they were there. Arnia pulled a huge section of rope out of her back. Oni had never seen so much rope in one place. He pulled his now tiny piece of rope out of his back. Arnia was tying her piece off. She looked over and saw the scrap of rope in Oni’s hand and laughed as she spoke, “I will need that piece too.” She knotted it together and through it down the hole. Naga flew by Oni and down the hole.
Something stuck Sora. A horned beast moved to flank here. Oni now had a target. He was about to send down magics to help her when he noticed the change. The fibers of magic were repairing the floor. It would not be long before the floor would be whole again. “You must hurry, the floor is repairing itself,” Oni yelled down. Oni shifted a pelt out of his back and draped it over the rope. Oni hoped it would protect the rope and stop the floor. It might protect the rope, but the floor was going to complete.
Naga healed Sora and flew back up towards the opening. They all attacked one beast. Once it was killed Sora turned to the other horned beast. Oni launched a ray of force at it. “Again hurry,” Oni yelled down. As Sora placed the final blow into the creature Naga sored by. Mar’iya, like a spider, crawled out of the floor. David grabbed the rope, “we need to pull Sora out.” The entire group pulled the rope out of the hole. Arnia can climbing out with it.
David moved into panicked frenzy. He nearly shoved Arnia to the side and he through the rope back down the hole. He yelled hurry multiple times. As Sora grabbed the rope, he started to pull it out again. The entire group joined in. With Arnia’s help this one went even faster. Sora came climbing back into the room. David finished pulled the rope out. Oni grabbed his pelt. The floor finished its repair.
It was time to rest. The group spread out around the room.
Maybe another dream:
Herman crawled out of Oni’s sleeve. Oni looked at his little buddy, with the truest smile. “No need little buddy,” Oni said to him. He would not need his council this night. He was eager to sleep like never before. He wanted to dream. He wanted to know the truth about Arnia. He only hoped they would talk to him. Oni looked about his companions. Each slow blink for each member of “The Bringers”. His last blink before passing out was for Arnia. He drifted to sleep with his last thoughts of her.
Oni woke.