Private Isulus Untangling The Bonded

[Vina Skysong]

It was easy to see that Luna was trying to deflect the compliment, but Vina wasn't about to go along with that. The vixen shook her head and held up her own slender arm for comparison.

Being tough enough that you know a big guy like him can't hurt your arm is already amazing Luna~ I wouldn't be able to do anything like that.

Vina's magic ability was very strong, but she herself was a very frail vixen in the end. Luna spoke of blocking the beast's fangs like it was nothing when a single swipe of its claws would probably be enough to break the songstress in two.

I'm glad I've got such a strong and reliable friend~

That last part was said a bit teasingly, Vina unable to keep herself from playing a bit with her easily embarrassed friend.

The tiger reacted well to her soothing song: even when Luna got to work extracting the blood he remained calm, the vixen's humming occupying his mind and keeping the pain away as the tigress successfully pierced his thick hide and managed to fill the vial with his blood. Once Luna had finished the job Vina altered her humming a tad to heal the wound as well, leaving the tiger unharmed, if lighter by a vial's worth of blood.

Slowly standing up Vina turned towards Luna and motioned for the two of them to walk away slowly, still occupied by her humming. The tiger remained in place, lowering his head to rest it between his paws while Vina left him and his prey behind. Given that Vina needed to maintain the song to keep the tiger pacified she couldn't immediately answer Luna's question, but she figured her friend would understand that now was a good time to leave the beast to his meal.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Had she truly known she couldn't be hurt, or had she just been taking an educated guess on that kind of thing? It was hard to say for sure, she hadn't really thought much through for a very long time. In a way, she was still used to receiving orders and having somebody make most of the decisions for her. She'd always been more of a pawn than a player and yet she couldn't help but wonder if anybody even realized that.

Ignoring Vina's teasing for the most part and setting to work at draining blood from the tiger, once the job was all taken care of, the two began to walk away, with Vina still humming, unable to answer her question as a result. Luna swallowed her words for now, backing away until they were out of sight for the predator in question.

Of course, she still remained ready to jump in, just in case the beast decided to wake up and attack Vina some more, or something. Well, perhaps "wake up" wasn't the correct term, but it didn't really matter. Being pacified was kind've like being asleep.

So what do we do now? Mushroom hunting or something?

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

With the two of them leaving the tiger behind the beast would remain in place, showing little interest in their departure until both of them had travelled far enough that the jungle hid them from view. Once they'd walked that far Vina finally stopped humming, the soft song having carried a lot farther than it should've before she decided that they'd reached a safe distance.

After stopping her humming Vina listened for several seconds, but no roars erupted from the tiger they'd just left behind. From what she could tell the beast had returned to his meal, not thinking it worth chasing the two of them after they'd already left him alone. Nodding to herself the vixen turned around to face her friend.

Shimmerspot Caps, yes~ Thanks for reminding me Luna~ (She smiled before looking up in thought.) Where do you find those again... I think we'll have to head deeper into Isulus.

Around the two of them, the jungle was the same as always, and aside from the vial of blood they now had with them it would be easy to believe they hadn't just subdued one of the biggest tigers either of them had ever seen. The druidess tried to recall her knowledge of the aforementioned fungus, azure eyes gazing at the spots of light between the many leafs that formed a roof above the Tangleweaves as if she could read her memories in those gaps.

Like most shrooms they prefer it when it's damp and cold, so we'll probably have to go down as well. The roots of the Allfather Tree make it easy for caves and tunnels to form, so maybe an underground lake?

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

She was just going to refer to them as mushrooms. She assumed it'd be easy to tell if they'd found some. With a name like 'shimmerspot caps' they HAD to glow in the dark or something like that. It would be disappointing if they didn't in all honesty. Though, they already had a few that they'd bought before they left, so it wouldn't be the hardest task in the world to achieve. Again, Luna decided to defer to Vina's expertise with this, as with most things nature. She might have dabbled in Nature Magic in the past, before the server block, but Vina was the real deal.

Sometimes she wondered if Vina was even real, or if the woman was just a tutor NPC or something.

Damp and cold? Underground lake? How do we even find a place like that? I don't think either of us has geomancy, so digging will take a pretty long time.

Luna hummed in thought, a finger pressed against her chin. How could they find an underground lake from above the ground? She wasn't drawing much, though, until she figured one thing out and hummed.

Do you think if we followed one of the roots, we'd find a cave or a lake or something?

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

There's plenty of ways down, so we won't need to dig or anything. (She tapped the ground with one foot.) Just need to figure out where the paths down are...

She hummed as well as she considered their options, until Luna broke the silence and suggested following one of the roots. Vina nodded, smiling in approval as she tapped the ground again.

That'll work, yes~! The Allfather's roots should have gaps between them, so following one should lead us to those gaps. (She looked around.) It'll lead us a bit further into Isulus, because here close to the edge of the Tangleweaves the ground would get in the way.

Motioning towards Luna to follow Vina chuckled as she started walking again, once again heading north to the depths of the jungle they found themselves in.

Come on Luna~!

The ground underneath their feet was clearly soil at the moment, but Vina knew where they could find visible roots from the Allfather Tree. Once they'd completely left civilization behind the forest would reveal its true nature.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Honestly, she had just thrown out the suggestion of following the roots of the trees in the hopes that they might lead them to the water table or something. She'd half been expecting the naturalist friend she was with to start listing off reasons why such a thing was impossible. Being instead given an affirmation that it would work was odd. Certainly, Luna didn't know much about the natural world, in reality or in the game they were playing.

She could only smile and follow Vina, as the beastkin girl led the way to the depths of the jungle, as the soil began to change, becoming denser and more clumped together as the roots became thicker, packing the dirt in. Digging through this kind of dense dirt, near the roots of trees, was quite difficult. Something that was a real problem, even in real life.

You think we'll have to dig, or will we get lucky and find an old root tunnel or something?

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Don't worry, we shouldn't have to dig. That'd be difficult here anyway~

Luna was correct that at this point the ground was more root than soil, which meant that digging would mean breaking through thick and tough tree limbs if they wanted to make any progress. Luckily this wasn't necessary: eventually Vina came to a halt and pointed ahead.

Look Luna~!

Ahead of them... the soil was gone. The druidess had let them to a point where the absolutely giant roots that formed the main body of the Tangleweaves were visible on the surface. The soil gave way to a tendril of wood thicker than any human-built bridge, rising up before curving gently downwards again. The trees around them were bigger as well, and as the ground revealed its secret their trunks also reached further down to find patches of soil there. Only the smaller trees and plants sprouted directly from the massive root that now served as their road, their comparatively minuscule roots clinging to the Allfather's limb or penetrating the outermost layer. Moss was also abundant here, filling the air with the kind of scent which could only be found in old forests and jungles.

This should lead us to where we want to go. Impressive, isn't it?

Vina didn't know how her friend would react, but personally she was still amazed by the idea of a tree so big that its roots would serve as the ground itself, an entire landscape on which a jungle grew. It was like learning that the hill you lived on was actually the body of a giant.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Luna looked, the landscape lacking loam leading Luna's limbs to lift. Her chest rose and fell with her breath as she beheld the sight before her. It was almost as if the roots had conspired to build a bridge here. Part of her was fairly certain that it had been coaxed to grow in this particular way, by the hands of somebody that practiced nature magic and the such. She herself had never been this good, when she'd been a practitioner of it.

Actually, come to think of it, had she ever even used it? She'd focused more on laser beams and having pets than natural practices.

Um, are we sure this is, you know, safe?

She barely felt confident on human bridges in the real world, constructed from steels and metal alloys almost impossible to reproduce here. Putting her faith in some roots was unnerving all the same. Perhaps even more so. What if the roots were wet and slippery?

H-How about you go first? Just so I can, you know, see how it's done?

What if the moss had grown to cover an open gap, like covering a pitfall trap? What if some of the locals had actually created a pitfall trap here? It seemed like the perfect place for something like that.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Where Vina was amazed as always by the sight of the Allfather Tree's roots being big enough to form a landscape by themselves, her afflicted friend appeared to be more hesitant. The vixen smiled reassuringly, stepping forward to leave behind the dirt and let her feet rest on sturdy root instead.

Don't worry Luna, it's as safe as anything~ For roots this big our weight is nothing. (She laughed softly.) Not that either of us is heavy to begin with~

Vina's slender figure certainly lent itself to being a lightweight, and by her estimation Luna wasn't much different. Perhaps a bit heavier thanks to her musculature, but these roots were big enough that they could probably support a house if you built it right.

But that alone wouldn't banish her friend's worries, so Vina nodded and lifted her vulpine tail, the fluffy tip wiggling in front of Luna.

You can hold onto my tail if you want, so you can catch me if I fall~

Regardless of whether Luna would take the offer or not, the druidess would lead the way onto the root, the natural pathway leading onwards with no sign of stopping. As they walked deeper into the jungle the lack of dirt would reveal the depths throughout which the Allfather Tree's roots formed many pathways, sometimes running into each other to form larger platforms or splitting off into more pathways. They were close to the top of the three-dimensional landscape, Vina walking closer to the edge of the giant root they were traversing to peer into the depths.

We'll need to find a way to get onto one of the roots further down. Right now we're above a chasm, but if we go further that way the land should rise up and we'll reach some cave systems.

She pointed to the left and down below, but the rootways made it impossible to see far enough in that direction to spot whatever it was the druidess was referring to.

If we're really lucky we might find some old roots which have hollowed out, but we can't count on that. If you spot a path which leads in that direction I can use my wind magic to get us there~

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

It was less their weight that she'd been worried about and more other factors. Gaps they couldn't see, or slippery parts of the surface. Unless Vina was liberally abusing illusions to conceal a thousand pound body, she was pretty sure they had nothing to worry about when it came to weight. Neither of them was exactly a mountain of muscle, nor were they wearing plate metal armor or anything of the sort, so it was pretty much fine.

Grabbing tail was less fine. She winced at the thought, thinking of every time she herself had been the owner of a tail.

Uh, wouldn't it hurt if you did fall and I was holding onto your tail? You'd be, like, hanging from it and everything.

Instead of grabbing Vina's tail, she just followed, extremely cautious about where she was stepping and how balanced she was at any given moment. The otherworldly area of intersecting roots was hard to navigate. She got lost trying to track different pathways with her eyes.

Spot a path, huh. Easier said than done. This glitched body didn't come with better eyesight or anything.

She frowned as she looked around. She wasn't entirely sure how they could get down. If only she'd stuck with arcanamancy or something, she could have just made them a platform.

Once again, she felt the uselessness of her new build.

Sorry. I don't see anything. You've probably got better senses than I do.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Luna wasn't wrong that dangling from your tail was less than pleasant, although Vina did think her friend might be worrying a bit too much. The druidess gave a nonchalant shrug as she threatened to tickle the tigress's nose with the tip of her tail.

It'd still be better than freefalling, wouldn't it? That, and if you give me a moment to gather my wits I can do the rest myself~

Holding up one hand she wiggled the fingers, a soft breeze sliding up Luna's spine to demonstrate Vina's magic before she dispelled it and made a reassuring gesture with her hand.

But we can also hold hands, I wouldn't mind~

Regardless, with the two of them standing on the giant root they now had to find the way forward. Unfortunately, neither of them managed to do so immediately, the vixen frowning as she peered into the depths below where similarily oversized roots formed bridges and pathways leading from one mysterious location to another. She wasn't having any more success than Luna, which meant they needed to take a different approach.

Say, you're pretty strong, right? Think you can carry us to that path~?

She pointed down at a root which was almost directly below them, forming a bend to have one end bury itself into the same mass of soil they'd just departed from while the other end disappeared into the opposite direction of where Vina wanted them to go. She could probably jump down safely with her wind magic, but Luna's martial arts meant she would be able to achieve the same feat with more precision.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Well, if it were just you freefalling, you'd probably be able to catch yourself with your magic a lot easier than if it were the both of us, I imagine. I dabbled in wind magic myself once upon a time, after all.

Though, that had been before a certain person had convinced her to pick up Arcanamancy, way back in the day, claiming it would be the best offensive option she could pick up. And it had been, back when it was about beams and blasts of raw arcane might. There wasn't a whole lot of that happening anymore, which was a little bit sad.

Even if she didn't miss the feeling of ripping her own body apart to explode violently. She was quite happy to be unable to do that anymore.

As for jumping down to the path that Vina had spotted, Luna looked at it for a moment, feeling a little green in the gills at the idea. Martial arts was fine, but it didn't exactly grant somebody proficiency in parkour or the ability to suddenly tank a large fall and not feel it.

I mean, I might survive that fall, but I'm not sure I could really cushion the impact for you all that much. Martial arts lets me punch stuff real good, not ignore the laws of physics...

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina looked at Luna with a slight tilt to her head, her tail swishing from side to side behind her.

It wouldn't be both of us falling though~ You're strong enough that you can hold onto me without being dragged along I'd say~

However, Luna's clearl reluctance meant that Vina didn't push the issue any further, the playful vixen humming a soothing tune as she considered their options. Getting down onto the different rootways would probably be the best way to start, but even then Luna protested against the idea of jumping down.

Don't martial artists also usually know how to break their fall? I've seen people with the mastery do more than just punch really hard~ (She softly touched Luna's hand.) I can help soften the fall if you want Luna.

A part of her wondered if Luna wasn't being a bit too cautious, but it wouldn't really help to get pushy about it. That, and summoning an upwards gale to help slow down their descent wasn't exactly a tall order either. The vixen closed her eyes as she focused briefly, her humming becoming slower and deeper as she first attuned herself with the winds that flowed through the rootways, then coaxed them into forming a strongly localised upwards flow, strong enough to make her floor-length hair dance around her as she stood at the edge of the root bridge.

So! that should do it~ (She smiled at Luna) Shall we?

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

"Well, as far as I can tell Martial Arts didn't come with any kind of reduction to falling damage, at least for me."

She really wasn't sure where the idea was coming from. She wasn't exactly a dab hand with this Martial Arts mastery that she'd been saddled with. She honestly missed her old scythe, even if she'd barely even bothered using it since it was easier to just blast things with arcane energy, or mana, or whatever it was called.

She also really missed her old Arcanamancy, though it seemed to have been nerfed massively during the downtime. Firing big beams just didn't seem to be possible anymore.

She blinked as a sudden updraft washed up and over her, winds flowing upwards and lifting her hair, as much as it could lift anyway. Well, that would at least make the fall slower and maybe survivable. Luna sighed, looking for the drop and then back to Vina with a tired and worried expression.

"Okay then, climb on and I'll try not to faceplant."

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Maybe that's something you could look into then~ Imagine jumping from a great height and nailing the landing~

Vina didn't share Luna's worries, so even as her friend made it clear that she was rather uncertain about the whole business the playful vixen just nodded and stepped behind the tigress. Jumping up she landed on Luna's back, reminding the martial artist that her bardic companion barely weighed anything in the first place, to the point that it seemed strange even with her slender figure.

Wrapping her arms around Luna's shoulders and her legs around her waist Vina's tail would wag expectantly behind her as she playfully nuzzled into Luna's neck for a moment before laughing softly.

Don't worry Luna~ Everyone knows that felines always land on their feet~

The upwards gale remained steady, strong enough that occasionally the usual arboreal detritus would fly upwards, leafs and dirt but also smaller branches. Vina hummed under her breath to help keep the gale from losing its stability, patiently waiting for Luna to gather enough confidence to make the leap. She herself was confident that her friend could pull it off, but nagging her about it wouldn't serve any purpose... and it wouldn't be very nice either.

Once Luna did jump she'd find that at least Vina wasn't so careless as to hold back with her magic: once the two of them entered the wind tunnel the druidess had summoned it'd almost feel as if they were in danger of being lifted into the sky rather than falling down. Their hair and any loose parts of their clothes would dance and flap about as gravity fought against the current, slowly pulling them down towards the other pathway Vina had pointed towards, easily big enough to hold the two of them.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Luna shook her head. She had no clue how she'd even begin to start developing that kind of skill, and she wasn't about to start diving off of tall heights just to develop some kind of resistance to falling damage. It was better to avoid being in a situation where she could fall in the first place. Even as Vina climbed on, the weight being fairly negligible even for somebody as untalented in raw physical strength as Luna, she still wasn't exactly thrilled about the fact that she'd just be leaping off.

It just dawned on me, but couldn't you have created some kind of vine ladder or something, instead of doing something this crazy!?

She had to yell past the howling of the winds, shaking her head. She was crazy for considering this, for allowing herself to be talked into it. She really had to learn how to say no to people more forcefully, if this was going to be the result every time.

And then she stepped off, the two of them descending through the updraft until they reached the pathway that Vina had pointed out. They landed. Well, Vina landed. Luna tripped as she tried to get her feet under her, planting face first against the root-like pathway she'd landed on with a groan. No damage had been done, aside to the damage to her ego.

Actually, I think I might hate trees...

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina laughed softly as Luna realised that her partner could have used a much safer form of transportation, instead of quite literally encouraging the both of them to just jump off and let the wind soften their fall.

Could've, but why would we do that~?

Even with her friend's hesitations Vina still liked the idea of gliding on the winds, and unlike Luna she was confident that this was as safe as the other plan would've been: she wouldn't gamble with their lives, after all, especially Luna's.

As they jumped Vina took the time to enjoy the sensation of getting carried by the winds, her floor-length hair dancing around the both of them like a silver-white cloak as they slowly descended towards the other bridge. When they finally landed Vina made a face as her friend lost her balance, the vixen managing to land a bit more deftly.

Ehm... (She squatted next to Luna.) Are you okay Luna?

Given how soft the landing had been, she didn't think that the tigress was seriously hurt, but it was better to check than to make assumptions. She gently rubbed Luna's upper back while channeling some healing magic into Luna's body to chase away any pain her friend might be feeling.

The upwards draft dispersed now that it was no longer needed, the forest growing quiet once more without the howling winds throwing dirt and twigs into the air. They were now standing on a thick root-like pathway of which the endings were lost amidst a forest of similar rootways, meaning that if they wanted to return to solid ground they'd either have to follow the root in either direction or find their way back up. Rootways interwove above and below them, with solid ground being far enough down that it was difficult to see between the roots.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

She scowled at that. Vina had a better solution available to her all this time and she STILL picked to just hurl themselves from a height and hope that her wind magic was strong enough to break their fall? What the heck was wrong with the druid? There was very little she could say in response other than to stew silently in her irritation. Sometimes it really did feel like everybody in the world was having fun and they were doing it at her expense.

As such, when she faceplanted into the root that she'd landed on and Vina began to rub her back and start channeling healing magic, she groaned and waved a hand to push Vina's hands away, shaking her head as she rolled her eyes.

Don't waste so much energy. The fall wasn't even enough to do any damage. The only damage that was done was to my reputation.

She pushed herself up from her face and onto her knees, looking around at the strange surroundings. Roots crisscrossed, forming pathways and vanishing into the murky shadows formed by similar roots and leaves overhead.

Where in the actual hell even are we? Please tell me we're getting close to where we need to go.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina pulled her hand away as Luna made it clear that she didn't need the help, the druidess watching as her friend pulled herself up. Sitting back she shook her head, her tail swishing behind her.

We're the only ones here, so you don't have to worry about your reputation Luna~

It was a given that Vina would neither judge nor tell anybody else about it. As the topic moved to where they were now Vina looked up at the rootroad they'd just left behind, then at the two directions they could take following their new bridge.

I'm not sure, but that direction sounds promising~

Standing up she offered to help Luna up as well with a hand. Regardless of whether her friend would accept the assistance or not, the druidess would point in one direction, where the rootroad quickly disappeared behind others.

That way should lead downwards and into a cave system where we can find Shimmerspot Caps. With the Allfather Tree covering the land with roots parts of the land have also been pulled upwards, so there's ways to enter the earth even this high up in the maps~

Leading the way Vina would follow the root's winding path with light steps, unbothered by the gaping abyss on either side. With how thick the wooden path was it would've taken a fumble of heroic proportions for either of them to fall off anyway. As they walked they'd occasionally hear whistling or faint howling when air currents wove their way through the three-dimensional maze of giant roots.

As Vina had predicted the root would quickly head further downwards, its rough surface giving them plenty of purchase as long as they avoided the parts where soft moss had taken hold. The world around them grew darker and darker as they moved further away from the skies above, the canopy of the Tangleweaves no longer the only thing hiding the sun. Even with Vina's sharp ears she couldn't hear many things moving about in this area. That is, apart from the birds: it seemed that for avians this place was like one massive tree, with plenty of branches to perch on and hiding holes to make nests in.

Eventually, however, they'd reach their destination: a wall of dirt rose up before them which their path ran straight into, a dark entrance beckoning them.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Well, Luna didn't hear anything particularly promising. It sounded like every other direction did. At least the sound of a distant roaring waterfall or something would have been interesting. It was likely that Vina could hear things that Luna simply couldn't. Her animal features were all for show, after all. None of them actually offered her anything, which was part of the reason she wanted to handle this de-fusion as soon as possible. It was like having a bunch of extra arms that were all dead.

What was the point?

She trudged up to her feet, not really needing assistance since she was already up on her knees anyway, looking around at the direction that Vina had pointed at. She wasn't thrilled about the idea of descending into a cave, not when her animal features didn't even give her heightened sight or night vision.

She followed after Vina, trudging along just a few steps behind the druidess, their path descending as they had to navigate around moss patches until they reached some kind of wall of dirt and a massive, dark hole. Luna looked at it, shaking her head at the sight and turning to Vina.

I don't suppose you've picked up light magic, have you? I won't be able to see down there.

@Vina Skysong