12-15-2015, 04:30 PM
Brooke stepped up next to Baldur, looking out at the massive cavern. The heat was plastered against her face, causing her to sweat profusely. She took a deep breath as she glanced over to the Goron, only to see he was completely unphased by the temperature. Figures.
Lava filled the underground cave they had discovered, and it was fortunately well lit. There were rocks and boulders sticking out across the lake of magma before them that would serve as the only means to cross this mess. The molten lake appeared to be running, and sure enough, she spotted a lava version of a waterfall off in the distance, dropping to an unknown location below.
"So the droid is in here?" Baldur sounded skeptical as he crossed his arms and slightly tilted his head.
"Yea," Brooke confirmed with a confident nod, but then hesitated for just a moment. "Somewhere."
Baldur looked unconvinced, but he forced up some conviction anyway.
"Which way, then?" the Goron asked his human companion.
"I don't know, to be be honest," Brooke admitted. "We'll just have to look."
Baldur nodded in silent agreement, then broke into a short sprint and leaped from their relatively safe ledge to a small rock amongst the lava. Brooke watched in amazement as he landed with a decisive thud on the rock, then stood and looked to her. The Goron waved the adventuress down, but she simply laughed and shook her head, walking down a small trail and hopping to the platform from a much more reasonable height.
The Goron watched all of this silently, but could only let out a sigh. He knew he shouldn't expect her to be as skilled or comfortable at crossing this terrain as he was, but he was hoping they'd be able to traverse this dangerous cave at a reasonable rate. Instead, as they began hopping from platform to platform, he decided to get a little more answers.
"So, tell me about this droid again," Baldur said as they moved, glancing back to the young woman.
Brooke landed on the island, having to focus significantly more on platforming than the surprisingly agile Goron. Because of that, she didn't answer immediately.
"It's something personal, something left behind by someone very dear to me," Brooke explained, just as Baldur became acquainted with the silence.
Baldur frowned in confusion. "I thought you said it was Imperial."
"It is," Brooke said, but then hesitated. She started speak several times, before finally giving up on a proper wording and explanation. "Look, it's still hard to talk about."
That was enough for Baldur. He looked over to the woman to see the conflict in her eyes. He didn't want to pry too much, but he did want to know exactly what they were braving this cavern for. Still, it wouldn't be right to force her to relive anything too terrible. She obviously couldn't speak of whatever was going on yet, so he was happy to do what he felt was his duty and help a girl in need.
They continued to cross the pool of lava, scanning the area and searching for any signs of the ruined droid Brooke was so desperately seeking. They were careful and calculated with each movement, both understanding that the slightest misstep could have fatal consequences. Before too much longer they were climbing onto a ledge that circled around the lake, nearing the lavafall. Brooke stepped over to the cliff's edge that overlooked an entire lower lake that was at least fifty feet below them. She reached into her coat and pulled out a small pair of binoculars from one of the back pouches on her belt..
The Goron watched the human woman curiously as she scanned the entire lower area with her telescopic device, and noticed the very small, but excited twitch as she spotted something.
"There, there it is!" Brooke said, pointing down to the lava with one free hand while looking at the ruined droid that rested on one of the many rocks littering that lake of lava.
Baldur narrowed his eyes and frowned as he tried to look down there. "Where? I don't see it."
Brooke tried to hand him the binoculars, but Baldur awkwardly fumbled with the foreign object. The Goron tried his best not to destroy them in his rocky grip, but found it difficult to handle the fragile device. Instead, Brooke stepped on top of a nearby stone and reached her arm up as high as she could, holding the focal device to Baldur's eyes for him.
Now, with little difficulty, Baldur was able to spot a ruined bi-pedal droids. It's gray limbs were scattered across the small stone platform that served as it's final resting place, and he could see what resembled a skeletal head barely attached to a mutilated body. It looked like a grim fate even for a machine. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was just a little bit off, though. What possible reason could this girl have for tracking down a robot in the middle of a lava filled cauldron, personal or not?
He once again brushed the thought aside, watching silently as Brooke put the binoculars away. The adventuress moved over to the edge of the cliff and began to scale it downwards. Baldur crossed his arms and watched, impressed. The girl was out of her element and completely unequipped for this lava wasteland, as evidenced by her collapsing in the mountains earlier. Still, the way she moved showed a level of grace and skill that seemed to be masked by the apparent clumsiness in her motions. The Goron realized that he couldn't tell if she was skilled at masking her abilites, or simply perpetually lucky. Indeed, every movement and each descent to the next foothold looked like it might be her last, yet she traveled onward without fear or hesitation.
Baldur realized that he, too, would have to descend to the lower level. The small cracks that Brooke was utilizing as footholds to scale down the cliff were useless to him, so instead he spotted several large outcroppings. Those would work best, so he leaped downwards and landed on the first one with ease, noticing the surprised yelp from his companion as he dropped past her. He leaped between each clearing that could hold his weight, completing the downward trek in very short order.
Brooke, meanwhile, grumbled and complained to herself as she watched Baldur hop downwards with ease. It would be nice if she could do that, but she knew better than to turn herself into a mangled heap at the base of this cliffside. She continued to slowly descend downwards, fumbling with each crevice and blindly hoping they wouldn't give way. She had the feeling that even if she fell, being caught by Baldur would offer little difference than simply colliding with the ground. The proximity of the falling lava didn't ease her conscious either, because each time she found herself climbing unbearably close to it, she had to retreat to another section and slow her descent considerably.
Finally, she reached the bottom. Brooke hoped there would be another way out of this place, so she wouldn't have to climb back up that rock face, but didn't worry about it too much for now. She moved past Baldur and leaped to the next rock platform in the lava, and her Goron ally jumped after her. They continued to traverse the platforms, but they only made it halfway to the droid when a voice suddenly called out to them.
"Well, well. Brooke," the male voice came from their right side.
Brooke and Baldur both stopped and turned to see a man dressed in clothing far too casual with this particular location standing on an adjacent rock from them. Separated by an easy to cross section of lava, the man had his arms crossed and an amused smirk across his face. Brooke looked bewildered for just a second, then gave her own grin.
"Davin," Brooke replied, calmly announcing the man's name. She reached under her jacket at the same time, and rested her hand her revolver. "I'm genuinely surprised to see you."
"I'm just as stunned you made it this far," Davin responded, uncrossing his arms and reaching for his belt. "You must have used the same means I did to get here."
Baldur frowned in confusion. He didn't know what was going on, but this man appeared unarmed and unprepared for this place. Still, Brooke was treating him very seriously, as evidenced by her defensive posture.
Brooke laughed aloud, now smiling even wider. "You don't have any looks, charm, or intelligence to speak of, so I know that's not true," she taunted.
"Same old Brooke," Davin shook his head. "It's too bad I have to kill you and your buddy, here."
"Now hold on, friend," Baldur finally interjected, holding a hand out. He didn't know what was going on, and that was a pretty serious word to be tossing around to strangers. "There's no need for violence. I'm just helping this lady find a misplaced belonging."
"Is that it?" Davin chuckled, clearly amused. He didn't dwell on the Goron for long. "It doesn't matter, pal. You're in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong person."
Baldur scoffed. He may not know exactly what was going on, but this land was his home and domain, and no feeble looking human was going to march in and talk to him like that. He paid little mind as the man drew three red and white orbs from his belt, small enough that he was able to hold one under a finger each.
"Sorry, Baldur," Brooke suddenly said, shooting a sideways look to the Goron. "I was hoping you wouldn't get involved."
"Don't worry about it," Baldur boasted, clenching his right fist and smashing it into his open left hand. "Little rat doesn't get to talk to me that way. I'll be expecting an explanation, though."
"Fair enough," Brooke nodded in agreement.
"Adorable," Davin mocked, but then tapped the white button on all three of the balls and tossed them forward.
Brooke stepped back as she watched Davin release his Pokemon. She cursed herself for not just shooting at him, but she'd hoped to have a little more time to try and talk her way out of a physical conflict. The pokeballs traveled through the air and expanded before opening up, releasing three very different monsters.
She recognized each one as they appeared. The first one revealed a brown rat looking creature that was over two feet tall called a Raticate. The second released a blue creature with arms and legs, but two eyes that bulged from the top of it's head and a white and black swirl pattern on it's circular body. This four foot tall Pokemon was called a Poliwrath. The final one, however, was what caused Brooke and Baldur to retreat backwards a few steps. A towering snake made of several boulders chained together emerged with a loud roar. The Onix was nearly thirty feet long, so it looked down at the unlikely duo as if they were lunch.
Baldur knew he shouldn't have been as excited, but it was nice to see an opponent he hadn't battled before. Maybe that was the wrong mindset, but he couldn't help it. At the same time, though, he was overwhelmingly curious about what he'd gotten himself into.
"Yea," Baldur reaffirmed out loud, his eyes already narrowing as he watched the giant rock snake's every move. "I'm going to need a full explanation in just a few minutes."
Lava filled the underground cave they had discovered, and it was fortunately well lit. There were rocks and boulders sticking out across the lake of magma before them that would serve as the only means to cross this mess. The molten lake appeared to be running, and sure enough, she spotted a lava version of a waterfall off in the distance, dropping to an unknown location below.
"So the droid is in here?" Baldur sounded skeptical as he crossed his arms and slightly tilted his head.
"Yea," Brooke confirmed with a confident nod, but then hesitated for just a moment. "Somewhere."
Baldur looked unconvinced, but he forced up some conviction anyway.
"Which way, then?" the Goron asked his human companion.
"I don't know, to be be honest," Brooke admitted. "We'll just have to look."
Baldur nodded in silent agreement, then broke into a short sprint and leaped from their relatively safe ledge to a small rock amongst the lava. Brooke watched in amazement as he landed with a decisive thud on the rock, then stood and looked to her. The Goron waved the adventuress down, but she simply laughed and shook her head, walking down a small trail and hopping to the platform from a much more reasonable height.
The Goron watched all of this silently, but could only let out a sigh. He knew he shouldn't expect her to be as skilled or comfortable at crossing this terrain as he was, but he was hoping they'd be able to traverse this dangerous cave at a reasonable rate. Instead, as they began hopping from platform to platform, he decided to get a little more answers.
"So, tell me about this droid again," Baldur said as they moved, glancing back to the young woman.
Brooke landed on the island, having to focus significantly more on platforming than the surprisingly agile Goron. Because of that, she didn't answer immediately.
"It's something personal, something left behind by someone very dear to me," Brooke explained, just as Baldur became acquainted with the silence.
Baldur frowned in confusion. "I thought you said it was Imperial."
"It is," Brooke said, but then hesitated. She started speak several times, before finally giving up on a proper wording and explanation. "Look, it's still hard to talk about."
That was enough for Baldur. He looked over to the woman to see the conflict in her eyes. He didn't want to pry too much, but he did want to know exactly what they were braving this cavern for. Still, it wouldn't be right to force her to relive anything too terrible. She obviously couldn't speak of whatever was going on yet, so he was happy to do what he felt was his duty and help a girl in need.
They continued to cross the pool of lava, scanning the area and searching for any signs of the ruined droid Brooke was so desperately seeking. They were careful and calculated with each movement, both understanding that the slightest misstep could have fatal consequences. Before too much longer they were climbing onto a ledge that circled around the lake, nearing the lavafall. Brooke stepped over to the cliff's edge that overlooked an entire lower lake that was at least fifty feet below them. She reached into her coat and pulled out a small pair of binoculars from one of the back pouches on her belt..
The Goron watched the human woman curiously as she scanned the entire lower area with her telescopic device, and noticed the very small, but excited twitch as she spotted something.
"There, there it is!" Brooke said, pointing down to the lava with one free hand while looking at the ruined droid that rested on one of the many rocks littering that lake of lava.
Baldur narrowed his eyes and frowned as he tried to look down there. "Where? I don't see it."
Brooke tried to hand him the binoculars, but Baldur awkwardly fumbled with the foreign object. The Goron tried his best not to destroy them in his rocky grip, but found it difficult to handle the fragile device. Instead, Brooke stepped on top of a nearby stone and reached her arm up as high as she could, holding the focal device to Baldur's eyes for him.
Now, with little difficulty, Baldur was able to spot a ruined bi-pedal droids. It's gray limbs were scattered across the small stone platform that served as it's final resting place, and he could see what resembled a skeletal head barely attached to a mutilated body. It looked like a grim fate even for a machine. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was just a little bit off, though. What possible reason could this girl have for tracking down a robot in the middle of a lava filled cauldron, personal or not?
He once again brushed the thought aside, watching silently as Brooke put the binoculars away. The adventuress moved over to the edge of the cliff and began to scale it downwards. Baldur crossed his arms and watched, impressed. The girl was out of her element and completely unequipped for this lava wasteland, as evidenced by her collapsing in the mountains earlier. Still, the way she moved showed a level of grace and skill that seemed to be masked by the apparent clumsiness in her motions. The Goron realized that he couldn't tell if she was skilled at masking her abilites, or simply perpetually lucky. Indeed, every movement and each descent to the next foothold looked like it might be her last, yet she traveled onward without fear or hesitation.
Baldur realized that he, too, would have to descend to the lower level. The small cracks that Brooke was utilizing as footholds to scale down the cliff were useless to him, so instead he spotted several large outcroppings. Those would work best, so he leaped downwards and landed on the first one with ease, noticing the surprised yelp from his companion as he dropped past her. He leaped between each clearing that could hold his weight, completing the downward trek in very short order.
Brooke, meanwhile, grumbled and complained to herself as she watched Baldur hop downwards with ease. It would be nice if she could do that, but she knew better than to turn herself into a mangled heap at the base of this cliffside. She continued to slowly descend downwards, fumbling with each crevice and blindly hoping they wouldn't give way. She had the feeling that even if she fell, being caught by Baldur would offer little difference than simply colliding with the ground. The proximity of the falling lava didn't ease her conscious either, because each time she found herself climbing unbearably close to it, she had to retreat to another section and slow her descent considerably.
Finally, she reached the bottom. Brooke hoped there would be another way out of this place, so she wouldn't have to climb back up that rock face, but didn't worry about it too much for now. She moved past Baldur and leaped to the next rock platform in the lava, and her Goron ally jumped after her. They continued to traverse the platforms, but they only made it halfway to the droid when a voice suddenly called out to them.
"Well, well. Brooke," the male voice came from their right side.
Brooke and Baldur both stopped and turned to see a man dressed in clothing far too casual with this particular location standing on an adjacent rock from them. Separated by an easy to cross section of lava, the man had his arms crossed and an amused smirk across his face. Brooke looked bewildered for just a second, then gave her own grin.
"Davin," Brooke replied, calmly announcing the man's name. She reached under her jacket at the same time, and rested her hand her revolver. "I'm genuinely surprised to see you."
"I'm just as stunned you made it this far," Davin responded, uncrossing his arms and reaching for his belt. "You must have used the same means I did to get here."
Baldur frowned in confusion. He didn't know what was going on, but this man appeared unarmed and unprepared for this place. Still, Brooke was treating him very seriously, as evidenced by her defensive posture.
Brooke laughed aloud, now smiling even wider. "You don't have any looks, charm, or intelligence to speak of, so I know that's not true," she taunted.
"Same old Brooke," Davin shook his head. "It's too bad I have to kill you and your buddy, here."
"Now hold on, friend," Baldur finally interjected, holding a hand out. He didn't know what was going on, and that was a pretty serious word to be tossing around to strangers. "There's no need for violence. I'm just helping this lady find a misplaced belonging."
"Is that it?" Davin chuckled, clearly amused. He didn't dwell on the Goron for long. "It doesn't matter, pal. You're in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong person."
Baldur scoffed. He may not know exactly what was going on, but this land was his home and domain, and no feeble looking human was going to march in and talk to him like that. He paid little mind as the man drew three red and white orbs from his belt, small enough that he was able to hold one under a finger each.
"Sorry, Baldur," Brooke suddenly said, shooting a sideways look to the Goron. "I was hoping you wouldn't get involved."
"Don't worry about it," Baldur boasted, clenching his right fist and smashing it into his open left hand. "Little rat doesn't get to talk to me that way. I'll be expecting an explanation, though."
"Fair enough," Brooke nodded in agreement.
"Adorable," Davin mocked, but then tapped the white button on all three of the balls and tossed them forward.
Brooke stepped back as she watched Davin release his Pokemon. She cursed herself for not just shooting at him, but she'd hoped to have a little more time to try and talk her way out of a physical conflict. The pokeballs traveled through the air and expanded before opening up, releasing three very different monsters.
She recognized each one as they appeared. The first one revealed a brown rat looking creature that was over two feet tall called a Raticate. The second released a blue creature with arms and legs, but two eyes that bulged from the top of it's head and a white and black swirl pattern on it's circular body. This four foot tall Pokemon was called a Poliwrath. The final one, however, was what caused Brooke and Baldur to retreat backwards a few steps. A towering snake made of several boulders chained together emerged with a loud roar. The Onix was nearly thirty feet long, so it looked down at the unlikely duo as if they were lunch.
Baldur knew he shouldn't have been as excited, but it was nice to see an opponent he hadn't battled before. Maybe that was the wrong mindset, but he couldn't help it. At the same time, though, he was overwhelmingly curious about what he'd gotten himself into.
"Yea," Baldur reaffirmed out loud, his eyes already narrowing as he watched the giant rock snake's every move. "I'm going to need a full explanation in just a few minutes."