Complete Private Lands from Above

[Crimson Ruby]

The hope of finding people was also one thing that an explorer should keep in mind. Safety existed in numbers, and if they found a civilization when they were lost, it increased their chances of survival drastically. Of course, Fina and Ruby were just exploring for fun, and they could log out at any moment they wished.

Path continued smoothly, at least until Fina brought their attention to the edge of the place they were walking on.

Ruby frowned at the setting, noticing the unnatural shape the edge formed, along with the clouds that were on the bottom of their sight rather than on top. She crouched next to Fina, actually going a bit further and stretching half of her body after the ledge.

"... I think it is more complex than that, Fina." Ruby's nose twitched, and she leaned away. "I'm not sure what is happening, but this place's geography doesn't make any sense whatsoever." Ruby stood, shaking her head in confusion.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Even if Ruby was far more experienced at exploration than Fina, the feline still had that knee-jerk reaction of reaching her hand out toward her partner when the crimson-maned cat started peering over the edge so much. Not that she would be able to do much even if Ruby did somehow fall over... not to mention that it was the other cat that had dynamism and could probably easy leap back up. What she said was of great interest, however.

"Um... what do you mean it doesn't make any sense and that it's more complex than it seems? Looks like a fairly regular cliff to me, even a rather large one..." Taking another look, she shook her head. She had no idea what the other girl meant, but it definitely was curious with how high up they were. Although Fina just choked that to this being a game. No one had to worry about things like altitude when you had magic involved.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

The way Fina tried to reach for Ruby as soon as she stretched herself out of the ledge made the crimson cat chuckle faintly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She paused, with eyes dropping half narrowed, looking at the fall in front of them.

"You see, we can't see the base of this cliff. And coastal cliffs usually make a wall across the coast. It is strange that we can't see the wall or the base at all." Ruby looked at Fina, tilting her head. "And as you can notice, the ocean doesn't move, so it isn't making any waves to hit the base of this cliff." She crossed her arms, frowning at the amount of evidence that showed how weird that situation was.

"This is a fantasy world, of course, so this is probably something unique about this world." Ruby, peered at Fina, turning to face her.

"Well, not that it helps us to get home, but reaching the ocean so we can maybe use a boat to go back to a mainland, in case this is an island, would be good."

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

"Y— No, you didn't, it's fine." Yeah, there was no way a nimble cat like Ruby could ever be afraid of heights or be in any danger of randomly falling over the edge and plummeting to her doom. Fina just wasn't used to be in places that were... so high up.

"Err, maybe the sea is just calm at the moment? Maybe it normally does hit the rocks, and it slowly eroded them over time. So if the bottom of the cliff is now positioned behind us, then it would make sense we can't see it." Even though she tried to justify it, the silver-maned cat didn't really have much reason to doubt her partner. This whole place was strange, and they got her by the strangest means, that was really the summary.

"Well, we can just keep going and see what else this place has to offer. Unless you want to try to get down somehow... though I'm not fond of either one of us free-falling or getting stuck in some awkward position where we can't help each other." She had seen far too many rock-climbing fail videos on the internet for any of this.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Fina's suggestions were valid as well. Perhaps Ruby was overthinking, but she couldn't just ignore the evidence. Still, they were there to explore, so they should take as much time as they needed to figure out what was wrong with that place.

"Perhaps it is. It could be." She wondered, then looking at Fina with a warm smile, gently nudging her arm on her friend's. "Don't worry, we are in this together. I don't want a plan that will separate us." Ruby said, leaning in playfully.

"It would be a waste to not have you around." Her tail swayed, and she began pondering, taking a glance at the right.

"How about we follow the coast then? We should be able to find some answers if we figure out the outline of this... Island?" Ruby said, with an ear flattening against her head as she tilted her head. She wondered if she could call that an island, but for now, she would consider it one.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

"Never split the party, that's the first rule of any adventure or a horror game, right? Better follow that rule here as well." Terrasphere was basically both an adventure game and a horror game at the same time, so it was all the more important. Since they had yet to run into any kind of monster or even a predatory animal, there was no way for the girls to assess how dangerous or 'high-level' this place was.

With the nudging and a conclusion that made sense, Fina would nod and the two started following along the stone path again. Although they wouldn't walk for too long before it would start fading back into green pastures that led more inward into the island. A thick jungle-like forest surrounded the area as well, somewhat limiting where to go unless they wanted to wade through the green hell.

Although... Fina stopped, her hand extending in front of Ruby to stop her as well before she would crouch down and move a few more steps forward. "Hold on... do you see that?" Between all the trees, there was something in the distance... a wall and a gate! "Is that a village? Looks kinda primitive, all made out of wood..." The apparent simplicity of the place aside, there was one very important question - were the inhabitants friendly?

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Now we are talking." Ruby smiled softly, following her friend's steps, side by side with her as she decided to try and appreciate the sights in the surroundings. As weird as that place was, beauty was certainly a word that could describe it, and with a company like Fina, it was the cherry on the top.

The sudden interruption, however, caught Ruby by surprise. She casted a glance at Fina, then following her gaze.

"Very primitive..." She muttered, quietly as she swayed her tail, brushing on Fina's as she pointed with her chin toward nearby hidings. "We can risk a stealth approach. Or one of us try to communicate and the other stay hiding, just to cover and support in case things go wrong." Ruby suggested, glancing at Fina and pondering about it.

Both ideas felt valid for Ruby, making sure to both of they have each other's back no matter what happened.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Fina narrowed her eyes as she looked back at Ruby. "The way you say that makes me feel like you want me to attempt said communication." She was hardly a talker. Or a... communicator. Diplomacy? Who needed that when you had a giant magical axe that you could conjure up from pure nothing!

Letting out a sigh, the cat girl would get up from her hiding spot and take a few steps into the open. "Well, um... I'll try not to die?" With those perfect words of confidence and reassurance, she would start marching forward to the wooden perimeter. She figured that Ruby could probably take her spot here if she really want to, but it was good to face challenges head-on for the sake of growth.

Unfortunately, her confident stride was rather shortlived as the girl managed to step on something hidden beneath the leaves. A snap could be heard as a torn rope suddenly sprung from beneath the foliage. One trigger lead to another, and soon, a bell that was hung near the wall started ringing and alerting everyone nearby to the fact that something was happening. "O-oops?"

In the next instant, the inhabitants of the strange settlement started popping off from behind the wall. They were... strange and presumably furry feline creatures hiding beneath a concealing set of robes, about half as tall as the girls themselves, yet armed to their fangs. The noises they produced were fairly high-pitched and not resembling human speech either. At least they weren't advancing at Fina just yet?

​

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby tilted her head. "No, that wasn't what I meant." She said, half opening her mouth to correct Fina, but the girl was already standing and getting ready to move after slipping a concerning sentence, pausing and making Ruby smile confidently. "Well, I got your back, I can't let a cutie as you die." Ruby teased with swaying tails.

Her confident smile soon faded, however, as soon as Fina stepped on a 'trap' within about a few seconds of the girl moving toward the 'civilization'.

"Tsk... That's no good."

Ruby's ears perked up, and she was quick to take a step forward as well, moving closer to Fina and deciding to give up on the idea of staying behind to hear. The big... Small troop, as cute as it was, had weapons and could be dangerous.

They were clearly well trained, so if they decided to attack Fina and had the iniative for it, they could overwhelm the two girls quickly.

Glancing at Fina, Ruby stayed closely next to her, using her Primal Aura to tell the fellow cat she would get the two of them out of there as soon as things proved to be too dangerous.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

The swarm of small cat folks grew larger and larger on top of their wooden wall. And while the two girls might have stood their ground briefly, that did not last long as the the earth beneath their feet suddenly shook, as if a brief earthquake swept the entire place. Mere moments later, sharpened spears and arrows flew through the air!

But not on the feline duo. They flew well behind them and hit their mark, causing cracking and rattling sounds. A rather strange noise to be hearing, quickly prompting Fina to look over her shoulder to spot was the tremor from just a moment before really was. Undead. A large group of reanimated skeletal remains that rose from beneath the soil, weapons in hand.

"Ah- em- err... did we just manage to put ourselves in the middle of a conflict we had nothing to do with?" Their position was rather peculiar. One way was blocked by the wooden wall and gate, not to mention to small cuddly occupants with their sharp sticks. But the way back was now also blocked by the undead who were drawing closer, many managing to keep moving even after being struct by the thrown weapons.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

As soon as things seemed to escalate and arrows flew high on skies, Ruby took a step forward and drew her blade protectively in front of Fina-- But the fight seemed to trail elsewhere, and Ruby tried to follow it with her eyes, before an ear twitched at Fina's words.

"... Right..?" Ruby blinked, but noticing the undead did bring an unsettling feeling to the catfolk.

She sure didn't expect that development. But at the same time, one shouldn't expect anything after walking past an unknown portal.

"They are sure brave for cute kitties though." Ruby turned her gaze to Fina. "Do you want to help them out?" She asked, being ready to charge in to fight if the silver haired girl would. They could probably earn some points with the kitties, getting more info and help to venture through these lands.

And maybe, just maybe, they could pet these cuties to their heart's content.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

The attempt at protection from Ruby was much appreciated, even if it didn't end up being necessary in any way. Considering the whole situation, Ruby's reaction was also surprisingly mild. Well, she was a whistle, so she was probably used to danger like this. "Looking at our position, we don't have much choice, it seems... unless we want to be literally squished between those spears and the skeletons."

Saying that, the girl made a quick gesture that swirled arcane energy around her body, conjuring up several magical daggers that hovered slightly behind and above Fina. One of them ended up being used rather quickly as it suddenly pointed downward, shooting out and severing a skeletal hand that suddenly burst out of the ground beneath, grasping at the girl's leg.

"C-cold-!" Leaping back slightly afterward, she assumed a more battle-ready and feline-like position as she started looking over the enemy. There were quite a few. Many with swords and shields, a few with bows, and even some with large staves that could manipulate basic elemental energies and spells. "Be careful not to get hit by the attacks from those cats, okay?"

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Seems like it." Ruby said, shooting a glare at the hand that dared to touch Fina and stomping it with disgust before leaping back and assuming a defensive position.

"Remember the Blade Dancing? Yours is fairly offensive." Ruby said, casting a glance at Fina.

"I can distract them and leave you all the openings-" She said, darting off and dashing through spears, arrows and magic blasts, quickly shifting her rush to stagger skeletons and try to bait attacks.

One or another skeleton attempted to strike her, and Ruby was quick to sweep their feet as they pushed their balance off for an attack, clumslu going for their fall.

"Let's go!" Ruby called speeding up even more, nearly becoming a blurr on the battlefield, slipping and dodging the friendly fire barely a few times, and trying to leave as much targets as she could for the silvery haired girl.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

"Wai-" Fina couldn't even finish her call before the other cat moved in. Sure, she was fast, but that still felt rather reckless. The undead might have been slow, but she just didn't like seeing others risk things like that. Gritting her teeth, she would summon her axe and do an overhead swing. It was different from anything Ruby might have seen before, however.

The blade made contact with the ground with so much force that everything shook, a shockwave that tore rock apart swiftly moving forward and sending all of the skeletons in the way flying apart. "Fine, I'll just crush them all then!" Dashing forward, she didn't hesitate to grab one of the skeletons by their smooth skull and forcing it directly into her knee, shattering it completely and with sheer brutality.

But Ruby was right, the 'Blade dancing' they practiced before was powerful. Numerous blades were already forming behind the felis and starting to spin, creating a small zone around her where bone and sinew would be cut apart and shredded. Hopefully Ruby herself didn't get too close to that madness herself.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Like a blade hurricane, Ruby danced through enemies and allied blades, sometimes being forced to deflect an incoming blade to the direction of an undead, making a combo with Fina's abilities as they forced their way through. With the girls help, the small animal were getting the upperhand fairly quickly...

Perhaps way too quickly...

Ruby casted a glance at Fina, echoing a Primal Aura.

'It is being too easy, something is wrong-'

A subtle rumble then happened, but it was enough for the cats that were fighting to become agitated, quickly retreating in a particular war stance.

Ruby, who now remained on the vanguard with Fina, slashed through but noticed the strange behavior of the cats, albeit- it was too late.

The ground suddenly opened, making Ruby's feet miss a solid ground and fall- But as quickly as she fell was as quick as she abruptly was held. A squeak escaped her lips as her blade escaped her grip, and soon she saw the ground becoming more distant, being lifted high up above.

"Wh-What?!" She squirmed, trying to release herself from a giant skeleton, with the size and anatomy of a cyclops.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

The strange felines retreating was not necessarily all that strange. What was happening in front of them must have been one strange scene that they were not used to in the least. Hell, the two girls didn't even know how strong these beings might have been. Even if the undead fell quickly to the blades of a Starcalled, it might not have been the same for those that existed only within this world.

Unfortunately, Ruby's intuition was correct on this one as the earth split apart, and a titanous skeletal hand grabbed the crimson feline. The tremors made Fina stumble as well. That said, as Ruby's attention was trained on what in the world was holding her, the entire hand would suddenly be forced to the side as something suddenly collided with it. Then again and again - several greatswords digging into the bone and marrow.

The pale-haired feline followed her throws by jumping on the white hand herself and driving her giant axe into it as well. Not a single word was uttered. However, Fina's eyes were wide open with a glare of anger that someone dared to do something like this.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby clenched her eyes shut when an impact suddenly made the grip that was around her falter as if the creature that was holding her hostage could fall at any moment along with her.

Her eyes opened, seeing Fina's anger and the greatswords sinking into the giant undead. "F-Fina!" Ruby called for her, in relief for her help, but also in concern for her health. Gritting her teeth, Ruby struggled, putting all her strength into trying to free herself from the grip of the undead, which was thankfully possible thanks to Fina's attacks on its arm.

Slipping from the grip, Ruby instantly slashed her Jian's blade on the monster's wrist, severing the giant hand that fell along with the crimson cat, which acrobatically cushioned her own fall as she rolled.

A brief gasp escaped from her lips, and she braced herself for another attack. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" Ruby said, glancing at Fina before darting off toward the ankle of the giant, nearly getting hit with a stomp before shifting her position and slashing her blade on its heel.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

There was really no need to worry about Fina. Especially when they were fighting a single enemy like this. As the hand got cut off, the skeletal cyclops would try to use its other hand to slap the pale feline off, only for her to fully withstand the force and remain on the damaged limb. And as the monster got forced down a bit with its ankle getting damaged and chipped by Ruby, the weaponmaster would take the chance to take a leap.

She landed straight on the edge of the singular eye socket that lined the skull and created something akin to a bo staff in her hand.Only, it kept extending... and extending and extending even more. The two ends would run into the upper and lower walls of the socket only to keep on trying to move. What pressure this was creating, the skeleton obviously did not enjoy as it tried to crush Fina one more time. A bit of a difficult task with her hiding in such a place, however.

And as she kept on feeding the arcane staff, cracks would eventually start forming, perhaps hinting at the possibility that the weapon would eventually manage to quite literally tear the enemy's head in half.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

With Fina rendering the giant undead mostly helpless on the ground and with the staff nearly snapping its skull in two pieces, Ruby circled the skeleton and slashed her blade against its surface once again, except this time, the swings and thrusts ran through its whole body, surrounding it with strikes after strikes, wearing it out inch by inch, second by second, hoping to weaken its composition and protecting Fina from any third strike that could come, especially when she severed one of the joints from the remaining working 'hand'.

The cracks only grew more, and eventually, a deafening snap, followed by shattering bones scattering everywhere sealed the deal, and the giant undead slowly became inanimated once again, laying and becoming something akin to a giant skeleton statue, a mere memory of what it used to be.

Halting her rush, Ruby eventually halted her run, breathing heavily and looking up at Fina, darting off to near her.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Keeping on feeding the staff with her magic seemed to have paid off. Joints eventually weakened, bone snapped, and deafening sounds filled the air. Didn't take long for the enemy to fully collapse from there. A few moments later, the girl emerged from the file, climbing out of what used to be the eye socket, now merely an indentation in a shattered skull. Her golden eyes darted all over the place before she spotted Ruby, who seemed to be winding down from her dynamism rampage.

"Are you alright?" Her voice was loud but also somewhat held back? Uncertainty aside, the fact that the crimson feline did not have any obvious injuries did manage to put some calm into Fina, who merely sighed, eyes narrowing. Dangers were to be expected when exploring an unknown location like this one, but somehow, she just did not see herself fighting something like this. Especially when there was just so much uncertainty in the air.

@Crimson Ruby