Complete Eastern Brisshal Lost Runes

[Crimson Ruby]

A faint smile crossed her lips at Kyra's words, and she couldn't help but nod briefly. "I love exploring. It makes me feel... Very alive." It was an adventure after another, uncovering the unknown and learning new things, not by reading a book, but by seeing, touching, and feeling it. Wasn't it the reason she severed her connection with her family in the real world?

Yes, Ruby... Yuhan was an explorer at heart.

"You weren't too different yourself. Your eyes were sparkling in curiosity when we were near that door." Ruby twitched her ears, then tilted her head.

"Not all of them. The previous ones were unexplored, but they were quite easy to walk one if you ignore the death traps." Ruby slowed down her steps, almost halting at some point so Kyra could catch up with more ease.

"Want to hop on my back then?" She asked, turning to look at Kyra, swaying her tail while she continued to keep her balance.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She listened as the other explained their interest in exploring. The way they spoke, the energy that came to their voice; Kyra had no doubt this was why they played the game. It made Kyra wonder, for a moment, why she played. What was she getting out of this, other than some serious pain?

Her thoughts were interrupted as Ruby explained the light in her own eyes, making Kyra consider the possibility for a few moments. A number of steps later, she decided she had her answer, albeit not the best one she likely could've provided.

"I don't know that I'd say I'm as thrilled at the whole explorer thing...not like you are. This is clearly something you love doing, but for me...I think it was just the idea of figuring out the puzzle, solving a mystery. That's where I find my excitement, figuring it out and having the answer. At least, that's what seems the most fun to me..."

She shook her head at the offer, smiling in return to Ruby. She kept her hand on the sidewall, but watched as the other seemed to use their tail in order to maintain their balance.

"I should be okay...still getting used to walking, I think. But it's coming along. Besides, if I let you carry me everywhere, how am, I going to learn to do this myself?"

Her grin widened as she pushed herself along behind Ruby, trying to quicken her pace slightly - although not enough to cause her to lose balance. She wanted to show her worth, but not cause more problems for them.

"Did your runes tell you how far this tunnel should be going before we make our escape back to the world beyond?"

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"So you are a puzzle person, huh-" Ruby pondered, tilting her head.

"There is this sector in Explorer's League that would be very interesting for you... But also MIT would be a fun deal, they have their own way to solve problems in the world, and that itself is a puzzle." She said, subconsciously wondering where Kyra would belong the best. Though, if she was going for bias, she would certainly try to bring a friend closer to her- But that would be selfish on her part.

When Kyra rejected the help and gave her reasoning, Ruby's lips quirked in an interested smile. "Now that's something I couldn't agree more." She said, nudging Kyra's arm with her own, looking up at the girl with a warm expression. "I like that, but just to make sure, I will be near." She said with a grin.

"How far... Not really, just how many areas we are away from the exit. But I do hope it isn't as far as the previous one, that corridor was so long..." Ruby sighed, continuing the path and trying to walk close to Kyra to help her in case she had any trouble walking.

The path continued for just a few more minutes before it started becoming more regular, and eventually starting to open up...

Open up way, way too much...

Soon, the two girls found themselves before a giant and wide open space, with stairs going to all directions. Bizarrely, it didn't seem like that place had a ceiling or a floor, everything was seemingly infinite and even without a horizon. It was unsettling and hard to grasp, something that twisted the mind if analyzed.

That could even make one wonder... Was that exit on the ceiling of the previous area a real exit? One couldn't be so sure anymore.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She shifted her eyes up, then down, trying to find some sort of end to the infinite darkness that spread in both directions. The only thing she confirmed was what her mind refused to believe - no end in sight; no bottom, no top. She glanced over at Ruby, before asking her question uncertainly.

"So...up, or down? Logic would dictate up, because out. But...this place doesn't seem entirely logical does it? What if the purpose is to go down in the hopes of getting up? Like one of those old riddles where you had to do the exact opposite of what you would expect, in order to get your results - that sort of thing..."

She wasn't confident in...well, anything here, really. But it was a better start than nothing, and it was all Kyra really had to offer. She felt her ears twitch as she suddenly heard...nothing.

"Hey...do you hear anything? Or is it unnaturally quiet to you as well?"

Something about the whole area felt unnerving to Kyra, as if there was some unseen force causing her spine to tingle at every opportunity. The whole area seemed to cause alarms to go off in her head, and she felt herself on alert even without any sign of danger nearby.

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby stared intently at the infinite stairs, with her breath holding for a moment until Kyra's voice caught her attention. "Up or down... That's a good question..." She muttered, glancing around. "There are no hints either, so we will probably only find something when we go through it. Maybe I could try to find tracks of anything or anyone that possibly had passed here." Though, she honestly doubted it.

When Kyra questioned about listening to anything, Ruby could only shake her head.

"I can't hear anything... It is so quiet all I can hear is our breathing and our heartbeats." Ruby said without any exaggeration, with her sensible ears twitching at the sound only their bodies released.

"Kyra..." She muttered, glancing down and then looking at the girl. "Let's go with your idea. We will go downstairs. I doubt the idea of a riddle, but that does look like something that is trying to trick our minds. Ideally, we would be going upstairs, so probably it is like you said, we are meant to go downstairs to find an exit." Ruby said with a nod, averting her eyes to look at the stairs and starting to walk through them.

"Be careful though, it is a long fall and there it seems like they forgot to put handrails on it."

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Ruby seemed hesitant, as if she was unsure of which way they should go. Kyra couldn't blame her, her own guess had been...well, a guess. She had nothing to go on other than a feeling, as if there was something tugging her in the direction she'd suggested.

Shrugging, mostly to herself, she gave a wave of her hand towards the stairs, smiling broadly at Ruby as she did so.

"I'll let you lead...that way if the stairs suddenly gives way I can pull you back, or know which way not to go."

She gave another of her beaming smiles as she finished her joke, hoping that Ruby didn't think she would actually simply let the other fall to their eventual death.

"Although...if I were to let you fall, I guess that would leave me here all alone, and that doesn't sound nearly as enjoyable. So I think you're safe. I'll make sure to catch you if you stumble!"

She gave a quick jerk of her tail, her ears twitching as she held her beaming smile, a small glint in her eye hinting at the joy she was getting from teasing the other.

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Kyra's words made Ruby's ears twitch for a moment, with an initially startled stare before she softened her gaze, realizing that was a small joke. Something that should be clearer.

"Oh? So you want to let me fall? I promise you I am much more interesting alive." Ruby looked behind her shoulder, swaying her tail and leaning her head back to get a closer look at Kyra. "I prefer when you catch me in your arms though. Maybe then I will fall in a different way." She teased back with a wink, then giggled as she looked forward, a bit more relaxed after the silly exchange.

On a more serious note, Ruby frowned when she noticed that the stairs they were going down to eventually ceased existing, being a few feet away from others, some from far below, others within the level of the current one.

It was a distance that was within reach of an easy jump, but when the possibility of a failure meant certain death, it was a complicated choice.

Ruby crossed her arms. "Hmm... I'm worried that we may end up getting in a spot we won't have a way to come back." She said, looking at Kyra. "Do you have any way to fly or something like that?" She asked. "The best I can do is short-distance teleports, and they take a lot of energy."

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She'd stuck her tongue out at Ruby's flirtatious commentary, although a part of her was giggling inside. The girl clearly thought she was funny, with the jokes she was constantly throwing Kyra's way. She was just about to comment on the other's jokes, when they turned serious; Ruby's eyes seemingly scanning the area and coming to a conclusion. Kyra shook her head as the other questioned her ability to fly, amazed that was even a possibility in this game.

"Fly...? No. I didn't even know you could do such a thing. Let alone teleport...or well, anything of that sort. That is kinda cool...although I guess being cool doesn't really help us right now if we can't do it, can it?"

She glanced back up the stairs, wondering if she'd made a mistake in her choice to continue downwards. It had seemed so logical in the beginning - well, in that weird, trapped in a cave underground in a magical world, sort of logical. Now though, she was wondering if the answer really had been simple - go up.

"Maybe...maybe we should head back and go up instead? I mean, I could've been wrong...could be that we just need to go up and then we'll find the exit? It was just a guess, after all...not like I knew anything about this place..."

She shuffled her feet, wondering what the other would say. She doubted it would be negative in any way - that didn't seem like Ruby's style - but perhaps she'd have some sort of witty commentary, something to relieve the stress of the situation.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"Honestly, maybe we will go upstairs and the same will happen." She rubbed her neck, closing her eyes and frowning when noticing that Kyra was almost putting herself at blame for their dead end, even though that was no one's fault.

Ruby glanced at the stairs going down, still endless but at the same time still being a chance of being the right path.

"... There is something that I know, that is walking a straight path without averting from it will never make you walk in circles," Ruby said, casting a glance at Kyra. "I know it sounds obvious, but I mean... The idea is that maybe we should stick with this a bit longer. But for this, I think I will need to try a trick that I haven't had the chance to practice too much." She looked at Kyra with a serious expression.

"I can make our bodies become phantasmagorical for a moment, using my Dynamism and my Spirit Magic. I'm not great at magic, but it is our chance." Ruby said.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She perked up at hearing the Ruby had a new idea, something fresh to try. Something that she hadn't tried before, that might be the answer to everything. Something...Kyra's face twitched in confusion as she tried to figure out what the other had suggested, the words almost foreign to her. Phantasmagorical?

"You're...turning us into ghosts? Like pulling our spirits from our body so we can drift down and see what's ahead?"

She wasn't entirely sure if she understand the plan correctly, and she could tell that the apprehension was showing on her face, and in her body. She didn't doubt the plan itself, simply her understanding of it, and she rushed to explain that to the other.

"I...think that's what you mean, right? I'm just...trying to picture what that would do. It sounds like something that would project your...body...or spirit...or mind or whatever, in a way? And then like...we could just float on down quickly and see what's what? And if it seems like this isn't going the way we want, we could go the other way?"

Her words started to blend together as she spoke faster and faster, her nervousness at not understanding the situation, as well as not wanting to upset the other by making them think she was doubting them, likely only making matters worse. Behind her, her tail swished back and forth, twitching in response to her nervous behaviour; the appendage once again giving away her true feelings.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby watched the other girl's expressions and voice growing in desperation, allowing her to go on and vent all her questions and fears.

Eventually, Ruby lifted a finger close to Kyra's lips, not touching it, but signing her to be quiet before smiling. "Calm down, I won't take your spirit out of your body. I don't even know if I'm strong enough for that... I mean to make your body phantasmagorical for a moment." Ruby cleared her throat, taking a step backward, maybe a bit too close to the 'ledge' of the stairs.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her hand in front of her face, between her and Kyra.

Focusing for a moment, the tip of her fingers slowly became vaguely translucid, with a faint bright teal tone. The effect slowly overtook her whole fingers, then her hand, and then half of her forearm.

She opened and closed her hand, looking up at Kyra and offering for her to hold it if she wanted, and all it would feel if she dared to touch would be as if she was touching a dense cold air.

"Ironically, turning into something that can fly or float is cheaper, energy speaking, than trying to make a body unable to fly to do it." She explained.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

The finger, so close to her lips, caused her words to trail off, her very line of thought lost as she felt the closeness. Staring intensely at the finger, she missed the first few words that Ruby had said aloud, tuning in just in time to watch the girl suddenly shift her own form.

Kyra's eyes went wide as the girl before her suddenly shimmered, the form turning into something else, as the light began to pierce through. It took Kyra a moment to realise that she wasn't just seeing a trick of the light, but that Ruby had entirely become see-through; the cliff beyond her visible through the torso as if she was nothing more than a mere image projected in front of Kyra.

"Well...that's somewhat unnerving...in a way...entirely, encompassingly, unnerving..."

She shook herself, fighting off the shiver in her spine as she tried to shake away the feeling of unease that had been building up within her. She knew she should feel safe - Ruby wouldn't do anything to bring her to harm, willingly. Or so she thought. She's done nothing but try and keep you alive, I'd say that's a safe bet...

"Alright...so...what's the plan here? We turn...this, and then just kind of float down? Or...what?"

She waited patiently for the other to explain, unsure of what to do - whether they would both scout ahead, or if Kyra would await Ruby's return. Either way, she felt ready for whatever was to come.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

The hesitation was concerning, but also very understandable.

Ruby watched while Kyra was on the verge of snapping, allowing her to voice everything she thought about it.

"Pretty much. We will be able to 'ghost' our way through things. It isn't as quick as flying or teleporting, but it will get the work done and we won't risk falling-" As long as magic worked all the way through. If it stopped midway... Ruby didn't want to think about it, albeit she was certain it wouldn't.

"I will just use it when we need to get past this sort of obstacle, so we can save energy. It will make things a bit slower than simply teleporting or flying, but at least it will be energy efficient and it will get the work done." Ruby said, still not casting any spell on Kyra, not until she had the full consent of the other girl. She was already too scared about the situation, and Ruby didn't want to make it worse.

"If you want us to go upstairs though. We can do it. I wouldn't want to force you to take this spell, after all." She smiled. "I can also try to scout ahead by myself, it will take a bit longer since I will need to come back, but honestly it would still take longer if we had to turn back."

The plan was to keep her safe, after all.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Her gaze shifted back up the stairs, wondering what her options truly were. She had considered just turning around, moments ago. Yet Ruby had presented another option - one that Kyra wasn't entirely sure she understood, but one that seemed logical, enough. At least what she could decipher of it.

Her ears twitched as the other girl mentioned giving her the option - and for a moment she almost pounced on it. Wanting to do nothing other than to stay here, to let Ruby go forth and be brave. But Ruby was also right, it would take time. Time that they didn't necessaily have. Time...

"Alright...fine, let's do it...you'll have to guide me through it all though. I've never done anything like this before, it's kinda my first time."

She gave a shy grin towards the other, before stepping forward so that Ruby could do what was necessary. She closed her eyes as she waited, taking a deep breath.

"Definitely hoping we're out of here soon..."

The words seemed to echo around Kyra, and it took her a moment to realise she'd said them aloud. She thought about correcting herself, saying something to make the other feel better, before realising it was futile. They were stuck here, and Kyra clearly wanted out. she'd had enough of the adventure - the danger. The only good thing to come of it, was Ruby.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

With the trust given, Ruby smiled. "It won't hurt, I promise you."

Ruby reached for Kyra's hand, and even though the touch didn't really connect, the cold breeze touched the fox girl's hand, echoing through her body and slowly taking over her. Kyra would be able feel if she allowed the effect to take her, a numbing across her body. As if she had completely lost the feeling of tact, she would become completely phantasmagoric.

Looking up at her energy meter, Ruby pursed her lips. It had spent more energy than she anticipated, but of course, she had never done it with more than herself.

"Okay, let's hurry now, alright? Just follow my steps and nothing should go wrong." She said, peeking at the girl for a moment and smirking. "After all, I have no intentions of letting you fall." Ruby took a step toward the certain fall, though all that happened was that she took a phantom step midair, soon floating toward the next stairs, gesturing for Kyra to follow before continuing to move down, down, down...

There would be other similar situations, and Ruby would repeat the same process. It was a test of endurance, but soon it would prove to be vaguely fruitful, with the two girls eventually reaching a single line of stairs that went straight down with no other following.

A strange singularity that went deeper and deeper until they could spot a door by the end of the stairs, on what seemed to be the 'ground' of that infinite place.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

A single moment of hesitation as the other stepped out into the air, nothing to support her should everything fail. She'd felt the cold numbness course through her own body, the feeling foreign and not entirely pleasant, but neither was it painful. The first step, however, had been.

Not wanting to waste time, or hinder themselves in any way, Kyra quickly followed - silently praying they wouldn't fall to their doom. Her own steps were less sure than Ruby's own, and she found herself stumbling slightly as she followed the girl, careful not to bring attention to herself, and always able to right her movements on her own.

"I see...something up ahead. Is that a door? An exit?"

She tried squinting, as if focusing her vision harder on the object ahead. In her chest, she felt her heart begin to beat with excitement, wondering if they had finally come to the end of their exploration. She was glad to have met Ruby, and for the adventure - but she was definitely ready to make her way back to the safety of more civilised locations, and perhaps keep this dungeon as a fond memory.

"I hope this one opens better than the last one!"

She called out before skipping forward, heading for the door. She gave a quick glance back at Ruby as she passed the girl, smirking widely in a taunting manner - daring the other to race ahead of her.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

As they started approaching the exit, Ruby noticed Kyra speeding up and hurrying ahead. Ruby smirked playfully, knowing very well she could just blast off at full speed with her dynamism... But where was the fun in that? Instead, she ran with her own speed, blasting off and running alongside Kyra. "A fox or a cat, who is faster?" She laughed, a bit breathless while forcing her to march forward, not caring who would actually win that race.

It didn't matter, all it mattered was that Kyra once again had a smile on her lips.

Crossing the opening by the end of the stairs, the duo would be surprised, stumbling out on a 'cave' exit that was surrounded by shrubs and bushes, perhaps losing balance but managing to go past it.

A soft moonlight bathed their faces, and after a moment of getting used to it, the wind and the fresh air would remind them of the outside world... Albeit now dark because of the time.

"We... We are outside." Ruby said, widening her eyes and looking behind her back. The small and timid entrance was magical, hiding its true size of it behind a small facade.

Her eyes then shifted to her UI Menu, having her log-off button released.

Eyes brimming, Ruby turned to face Kyra with a wide grin. "We are outside! We did it, Kyra!" She beamed.

@Kyra Vashtana (Wrap up on yours or on my next? :3)

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She found herself giggling as Ruby raced alongside her, the joy of the moment catching the two up as they rushed towards what was likely another false-exit. Kyra braced herself as they rushed through, her eyes scanning for anything of danger...

Only to find the outer world. Lush trees, bushes, moonlight - and most importantly, a happily shocked companion at her side. Kyra's foul mood seemed to slip away entirely, as if left in the caves behind them. She grinned at Ruby, mimicking the excitedness she saw in the other.

"We made it...took you long enough!"

She couldn't help the jest, giving Ruby a soft punch on the arm as she beamed her smile once more. Her eyes looked across the area before them again, taking in the freedom...the expanse. She breathed deeply, her ears and tail twitching in happiness as she smelt fresh air - something she was beginning to wonder if she'd ever come across again.

"This...this is nice. I like this. As...interesting as the cave was, nothing beats nice, open air where you can breath and not smell musk and dust. Even if you're with the best company available."

Suddenly, she realised a question she should've likely asked earlier - something that should've come to mind almost immediately. She knew that she was new to the area, and had no idea just how big it could possibly be, but Ruby should know - she hoped.

"Err...not to question things once more, but uh...do you know where we are? Or how to get home? Cause...I'm lost."

She punctuated the words with a sweet, innocent look - playing off their first meeting once more, remembering how she'd stumbled across the catgirl to begin with. It seemed like nothing had changed, and she'd be once again found herself having to follow Ruby - this time, hopefully not into the depths of darkness...

@Crimson Ruby (You can close it out if you want!)

 

[Crimson Ruby]

The jest and punch from Kyra made Ruby giggle, rubbing her own arm and shrugging slightly. "What can I say? Even the most experienced explorers can be caught off guard... This dungeon was much more complicated than I expected. Good thing we managed to get out." A sigh escaped from her lips, and she looked at Kyra, feeling a bit warm and happy when she spoke of 'best company available'.

She wasn't entirely sure if Kyra was suggesting she was that, but still, the fact the girl was still smiling along was enough to let Ruby know that she didn't hate her for anything that occurred during this whole day.

"Don't worry I can get us home." Ruby said, looking up at the sky to see the moon and the stars. Guiding them back to town wouldn't be hard now that they were actually outside.

Beckoning for Kyra to follow her, the crimson cat could guide the purple fox through the forest, hoping to get back to Honeyhome as fast as possible, and hopefully logging off before anything bad happened...

@Kyra Vashtana End~!