Complete Private Lands from Above

[Crimson Ruby]

The invitation for exploration was surprising, as much as Ruby could expect it from @Fina Drago at any moment. The description of what it could potentially be was what made things intriguing- A key, one that would lead to a teleport. Ruby did hear something similar from faerins in the Exploration League, some that mention pocket planes that they can just find at random and need to find the keys before it is too late for them to gain permanent access to it.

It didn't seem like it was the case, however.

With the unknown before her, Ruby made sure to be well prepared for this exploration, equipping herself with every traveling good she could, and some exploration gear as well. As a small guarantee, she also kept a teleporting scroll.

Those were usually fairly random and chaotic, and certainly not reliable. But if things didn't go well, that could be their salvation.

Still, it was no time to think about what could go wrong, but rather about what could go right. And for Ruby, who was resting by a tree near their meeting spot, it already was going to start right, being able to see and meet Fina once again, and knowing they would spend a good time together soon.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Fina fiddled with the small wooden plate in her hand. She never actually though she would be able to find the keyhole that this strange key was made for. And yet, here she was. Or was not, as she abandoned the teleporter to go and meet with Ruby some small distance away, near an easily spotted landmark.

The teleported remained in place for who knows how long so it was gonna wait a few more minutes for the two girls to meet up. Sure enough, it didn't take long for the feline to spot her fellow explorer in the distance, already waving her hand at the red-head.

"Hey there! Sorry to call you out here on such a short notice. I didn't really think something like this would actually happen." It was still somewhat difficult to believe. But she had tried it before and it worked. There was no doubt that this was a pretty major discovery, but she was just not brave enough to go any further my her lonesome.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby grew a smile on her lips when Fina showed up, approaching quickly to the fellow cat beastfolk before wrapping her warmly in a hug. "Hey Fina." She swayed her tail, squeezing her friend softly before letting her go, holding her hands while looking at her eyes with a joy, even if it didn't look as bright as they used to be when they first met.

"You can call me whenever you wish." Her ears twitched. "It isn't like you would know something like that would happen. This was a lucky strike." Ruby reassured, vaguely tilting her head and peeking in the direction her friend had come from.

"The place we need to go is over there?" She inquired, curious.

"I am ready for whenever you want to do it. It is one more step toward our promise, right?" Ruby said, reminding the one thing that linked them together. An ambitious promise, an impossible one, perhaps just an excuse for them to never lack reasons to meet.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Once again, Fina wasn't quite as used to physical contact coming out of nowhere, her body jumping a tiny bit as Ruby hugged her. She would return the embrace in brief before they would separate and get 'to the business'. It was good to see that her companion was excited about this whole ordeal. Or was it perhaps just the fact that they were together? No matter, the silver-maned feline would look over her own shoulder before nodding. "Yeah, the teleporter is that way. I have no idea what could be on the other side, though."

Bringing up the small wooden tablet, she showed it to Ruby. "I found this, well... pretty damn far away from here. A small distance away from a beach in Falderen, tangled in seaweed." It was really quite lucky that someone was teaching her how to swim and dive in that spot, else this item would have probably remained a lost mystery forever more. "It was radiating a faint amount of magic, so I found an expert in a city, and they attuned it a bit. The flow of magic then led me here. Sure enough, it activated the teleporter on contact..."

It was all rather mysterious. But considering the circumstances under which she had found the item, she doubted it was some kind of trap. Taking a step back, she would turn her back towards the crimson cat, beckoning her to follow with a smile. As long as it was the two of them, they would surely be just fine!

Magical Item
Damaged wooden tablet
[ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ]

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby followed Fina's gaze, tilting her head slightly and pondering about it herself. "And there are no hints..? If that is the case, we need to be as prepared as possible to step in." If that was a dangerous dungeon, or any random teleport that was more of a trap than a shortcut to somewhere fantastic.

Her eyes then trailed to the small artifact Fina had with her, nodding along with the explanation and absorbing the information while her mind tried to work on a potential hint. Perhaps a reminder of a book she had read somewhere, or a tale told by a bard on a lively tavern.

However, she couldn't pick up anything in her memories right away, so instead, she looked up at Fina and swayed her tail. "So you were close to a beach without me?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and feigning a hmph.

Sideglancing, Ruby began moving when Fina decided to take the lead, following the girl as she continued to think about the possibilities.

"That item at least doesn't seem cursed, so perhaps there is nothing wrong with it..."

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

It was always good to be prepared for anything when venturing somewhere. Doubly so when you didn't even know where it was that you were going. And if the girl were any weaker, she would have probably not had the courage to do something like this, even with a companion. But as she grew stronger inside of this game, her confidence actually increased as well.

Not that it would help her deal with social situations like this one, when Ruby had her remark about the beach. "H-huh? Well... I just wanted to see what the shore was like and all... then unexpectedly met someone I know there... and things just went from there." She tried to explain with an awkward smile. Was Ruby actually mad about this, or was she just joking..?

Either way, they quickly arrived at the teleporter. A round stone plate in the ground with two short pillars at each side. Fina didn't hesitate and went to insert the wooden tablet into a small slot in one of the pillars. Sure enough, one flash of light later, a floating gateway opened up above the slate in the ground - just large enough for a person to step through. Unfortunately for them, the saturation of magic made it impossible to see what was reflected within the swirl of magic. Not even a glimpse at where they would arrive.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Met someone else you know, huh... And on the beach without me..." Ruby swayed her tail, side glancing at Fina with a half frown, noticing the girl had become awkward due to her previous remark. Of course, Ruby was just teasing Fina, so soon she neared with a soft bump on her arm, letting out a quiet giggle.

"Don't sweat it." She said.

As they neared the place, Ruby held her weapon's grip tightly, just in case. Her tails also swayed, with them swirling and spiraling around Fina's to hold it with hers. A small reassurance that they would actually go to the same place.

The flash of light was blinding, but unlike Ruby was expecting, it didn't seem like they were going to teleport right away.

Instead, the gateway appeared, and Ruby's nose twitched. "Hmm... no smell coming from it... so sensations probably can't go past the portal." Ruby glanced at Fina.

"Maybe I should stick my head in first?"

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

When the issue was dropped, Fina couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. While the two girls were close, they didn't know every single thing about each other. As such, the silver-maned feline wasn't entirely sure what could legitimately upset Ruby. But perhaps she was just worrying too much about it all. It was never good to take light-hearted jests too seriously.

As for the portal, there really was no good way about it, was there? "Uh, I guess we can try that... I've never interacted with a portal in this game so I've no idea how that might turn out." At least there was that physical reassurance, even if the contact on Fina's tail made her jump a tiny bit. And perhaps it was a good thing that they established such a form of contact, as the instant either of them would do as much as touch the portal, they would be sucked in along with the other person.

Floating Isles
The Landing

After a short few seconds of being surrounded by nothing but spiraling, swirling magic that would make anyone motion sick, the two cat girls were spat out on a stone floor, much like the one that was beneath the portal. Though this circle was much, much bigger. Thankfully for them, it was also in the middle of what appeared to be a grassy hill-filled area, one where the gentle breeze carried the song of birds and a fragrance of blooming flowers.

"Why... is it always face-first...?!" Fina complained as she tried to get herself off the cold stone floor, rubbing her forehead which managed to collide with the hard surface when she fell. Everything around her was spinning, making her stumble a bit. All in all, though, she recovered pretty quickly and instantly started looking around for Ruby and whether she needed help getting up as well.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

The sudden teleporting was a bit disorienting, and Ruby only didn't put everything out of her stomach because she was already used to running at overwhelming speeds and switching at quick and short distance teleports thanks to her dynamism. Still, it was rather straining to be sucked and teleported so damn far-- Or at least it felt like she had gone extremely far away.

After the sudden teleport, Ruby could only feel the hard surface she was on, with the only soft thing she could feel being the tail of the cat girl she was holding with her own tails.

"... No idea..." She groaned, twitching her ears and shaking her head, side-glancing at Fina before trying to stand, be it by taking her friend's hand or by simply standing up by herself if necessary.

Recovering, Ruby finally took a glance at the surroundings, with all her senses, from smell to sight and hearing, overworking with all the stimuli it touched.

"What is this place..?" She muttered.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Since Fina managed to get up first, she helped Ruby from the ground before they would start looking around. Surrounded by greenery, the whole place actually looked quite nice! Welcoming, even, with all the birds singing, joined by the calming sound of small waterfalls. "I... have no idea. But it doesn't look like a death trap?" Mainly on the account of them not being dead yet.

There was only one immediate concern. "But, uh... the key stayed inside of the stone where we jumped from. And there is no active teleporter to get us back..." That could definitely become an issue. "No way but forward, I guess..." With that said, the silver-maned feline started moving ahead from the landing area. Slowly and carefully, but since the only thing that was ahead was a small dirt path surrounded by tall grass, there didn't seem to be any issue.

As a matter of fact, what lay beyond was a large clearing between hills. Full of grass and beautiful flowers, it almost seemed like the perfect place for a picnic. Especially with how warm the Sun shined, one could just lay down and take a wonderful nap. "Mm... maybe we could set up a camp here while we gather our bearings? A place we can fall back to..."

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Doesn't look like a death trap for sure. At least not one right away." Ruby agreed, swaying her tails and leaning a bit closer to Fina as she continued to speak, revealing an issue that would certainly prove to be the biggest of the problems.

"Luckily, I brought a teleporting scroll just in case. But that should be our last resource, since they aren't really reliable." Ruby revealed, shifting her gaze around to look at any possible paths before slowing down to look at Fina's eyes, listening to her suggestion and crossing her arms.

"... Hmmm... that does sounds our only option for now." Ruby muttered, side glancing at Fina and feigning a squint.

"It may not be a death trap, but why do I have a feeling this is just a trap from you to have picnic with me." She teased a bit, albeit having a partially serious face while she began moving forward.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Fina looked over and Ruby for a moment after she heard the comment, then chuckled, and finally laughed out loud for a bit. "Sorry, I'm not that resourceful. Though I wish I was..." As she spoke, she wandered around the field, looking it over. A lot of plants she did not recognize, but none of them seemed dangerous in any way.

"So, um... you look like you brought at least some things. I didn't anticipate that we would get stranded, so I didn't take much with myself..." A rookie mistake. It seemed that she wasn't that much of an adventurer yet. Something to work on, perhaps. But if they wanted to make this their base of operation, they needed something. And it was perhaps a bit too soon to sacrifice all of their clothes to make tents out of.

"Alternatively, we could forge on ahead. See if we can find something. Ideally, also construct a map... maybe we could figure out where exactly we are on the continent...!" In that regard, there was a surprise still waiting for them. But not to be revealed just yet. Although the air was strangely fresh and somewhat salty for their sensitive feline noses.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Well. I did bring a few things with me." Ruby admitted, nudging Fina's arm with her own. "Just in case we had some time." She said, looking at Fina with a gentle sway on her tails.

Fina's confession made Ruby frown for a moment, shaking her head. "That is bad. I told you to not forget anything whenever adventuring or exploring. It is good to have the proper gear and equipment to always be ready for everything." She said, shaking her head in disapproval, but not really sounding very scolding at her words.

Rubbing her chin, Ruby considered the options, glancing at Fina. "Despite not picking up the gears, you have the mindset of an explorer, Fina." She said. "Yes, constructing a map would be nice. I'd be down for it." Ruby was a whistler, after all. She knew how to craft maps and that wouldn't be the first time she would do one. Albeit, this one was a bit ambitious in size.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Hold on, in case the two of them had time? Did she perhaps misunderstand and was actually talking about picnic supplies? No, surely not... well, either way, they had to set up something. Thankfully, one of the nearby larger trees was toppled over. Perhaps infested with some kind of bug which weakened it enough so that the trunk snapped in half when strong winds came? No matter, Fina quickly hopped over to it and summoned herself the usual giant arcanamancy axe. "Stay back for a bit!"

As she shouted, she would take a few swings, gradually fully separating the bark and wood. With a strong enough kick, the damaged trunk rolled a bit farther while all that remained in front of the feline was a large stump that could serve as a table or a chair. "Alright... I mean, I never needed proper camping supplies, so it's not like I forgot... just that I thought they weren't super necessary... but I do have some things!" Opening up her menu, it didn't take long before she pulled out a parchment of paper and a piece of coal.

When playing RPGs, Bianca was usually a bit of a hoarder, collecting all kinds of trash in her inventory just 'in case it becomes useful later on' while never actually using anything, even when she could. She tried to curb that habit in TerraSphere as it was surprisingly easy to get encumbered at times, but some of the smaller things were often shoved into her player inventory. And right now, that was quite useful! "I guess we start by drawing this area and then going from there as we explore..?"

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby's gestures halted, taking a step back when Fina told her to stay back. She watched the giant axe being shaped with magic, with ears perking up in her usual admiration to that ability. She waited patiently, as Fina finished setting up a table that would certainly be helpful.

"So instead of bringing gears, you make them yourself." Ruby sighed and shrugged. "And you said you aren't resourceful." She chuckled, approaching and twitching her ears as Fina pulled out a parchment and coal.

"That's more than enough for sure..." Ruby casted a glance around, already trying to pick up the general space that place had, analyzing it all carefully before looking at Fina again.

"In this case, we need to start taking a few points of reference... granted, this one should be obvious." She glanced at the place they came from, being quite a sight by itself, so they didn't need to search too much.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Fina rubbed the back of her head. Yeah, perhaps that was part of the reason why she felt no need to pack up much for an adventure. As far as weapons or even tools went, she could make them on the go as long as she had the energy for it. Of course, there were still some useful things that she should have probably taken with her that she would not be able to create. Ah well.

"Right, I guess the only way to expand that map and make it useable would be for us to explore the area and find some landmarks..." Looking around, there currently wasn't much around them. Only the way they came from, leading back to the landing platform... and then almost directly across, a fork in the dirt road. "We don't have to explore right away, though, if you think we can set up camp here in some reasonable manner."

Once again, they lacked basic materials unless Ruby was willing to pull some out of her unseen inventory or get creative. Fina was still somewhat new to the whole adventuring thing, so she had trouble weighing the two choices... stay and work with what they had or leave in hopes of finding something they could use and possibly run into danger along the way.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby tilted her head to have a glance of Fina, nodding as the girl spoke and showed to know what she meant when she mentioned the landmarks. Crossing her arms, Ruby's ear twitched, showing a small smile to her.

"I am always able to set up a camp. I am a Whistler." Ruby said, flicking the red whistle that rested on her chest. "But I think we should save a camping when we are ready to rest. We need to take the most advantage of still having a sunlight above our heads." Soon the stars would be their roof, and that would be when resting would be worth it.

Turning to face Fina, Ruby offered a hand and swayed her tails.

"Let's see what this place has to offer for us, and hopefully find a way out before we need to camp. How about that?" She asked, waiting for Fina's input.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Whistles, the explorers of the world. They had to be quite resourceful as well, huh? It honestly made Fina quite curious as to what adventures Ruby must have been on before the two girls met for the first time. Under any other circumstances, she would have probably asked for a few stories, but as things stood, she was bound to experience those adventures together with Ruby now. and living through the story was much more interesting than simply listening to its re-telling. "I guess that makes sense. Maybe I'm too used to certain kinds of games that encourage you to set up a base of operation before anything else..."

If they weren't making a camp right now, then that meant only one thing. They would move onward and see what kind of land they were currently present on. "Yeah, sounds good. Maybe we weren't even teleported that far away!" With that sprinkling of optimism, Fina would slot herself right next to Ruby and smile. "Left path or right path? I'd vote right because right is always right, but it's your right to decide as Whistle~"

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Setting a base of operation will be a great idea, but I think that would only be the best choice if we knew where we were," Ruby said, swaying her tail and pondering. "After exploring enough, we can start to think of building our 'base of operations." She suggested, not wanting to take too much effort to build something so ephemeral if they wished to change their position soon.

With Fina next to her, Ruby glanced at her fellow beastfolk, offering an arm while gesturing forward.

"Right sounds like a good idea." She nodded. "Honestly, for a start, we can choose any direction, as long as we keep firm through it until we find something interesting to use as a landmark." Ruby's tail swayed, and she faced forward before starting to move, taking up a path that would hopefully get both of them anywhere interesting.

After all, if they were lost, they could at least try to find something interesting to see.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Taking Ruby's hand with a smile, Fina nodded. "Right. Maybe we'll even find some people soon!" Then they would get offered to stay over until everything was figured out - good ending. Hopeful thinking, probably. That said, it was important to remain optimistic in a situation like this. Together, the two girls went ahead and followed the right road for a while. It twisted a bit, and dirt gave way to pale stone. Still, plenty of vegetation made do, and vines crawled across the cold surface as if enjoying the Sun's gaze they were exposed to here.

A few minutes of walking later, the steep hills to both sides of them would finally give... however, it was not to lead them to a flat spot of land. Rather, they have arrived at a cliff. Washed over by a cool breeze, the expansive view would open up in front of them!

Floating Isles
Stone-paved Road

Past the stone edge of the road, only sea covered the land as far as the eye could see. It was quite the way down, too. So far, in fact, the clouds obscured the view a little bit. Was it because they were in a game that they had no problems breathing and operating normally this high up? Or was it because this place was special? It wasn't even cold at all, especially when one remained in the sun. The drop itself was extremely steep as well, not to mention that it angled inward so even if the two girls peered over, they could not see any more land down below.

Fina was quick to approach the edge, crouching a little bit as she rested her hands on her knees, looking into the distance. "I-is that a landmass way in the distance? Don't tell me we were teleported on some island in the middle of the ocean and that's the continent!" She had no idea how correct the assumption was at the time. But at least the view was nice, perhaps even melting away any worry of being stranded so far away from 'home'?

@Crimson Ruby