New Beginning 21: Awesomeness Revisited

[Zaleramancer]

Marv the Miscreant wrote

"Thank you, narrative voice in my head."

I make my way further down the path. Expecting another event to halt my progress.

On the other side of the river a swampy forest grows, with the path leading directly into it.

[Mik_Hael]

Yep.

[Philote]

I follow the two down the newly made passage. I think through what abilities I have that would not activate the felines. I still retained my Correnian physiology as well as the data reading abilities of my eyes. If things turned out for the worst, I could still activate my powers and find some way to subdue the felines temporarily until I could leave this room.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Well, you can answer questions." The ape said. "I say that makes you pretty alive. Blast, looks like tam gets his time out after all."

The ape pulled out a cane, the head shaped like a key, a twirled it one for flourish before pointing it at the golem.

"I'll be blunt, sir. You are a fascinating creature, a priceless artifact of untold value. I am here to offer you eternity. And not just the kind you have now, where you'll eventually fade away with the stars if you last that long! A real eternity, a chance to survive the death of all universes and see the birth of the next set."

"All you have to do is be part of my collection."

[Zaleramancer]

"While I am hsss honored by-y your offe-crck-r, I am merererel-chnk animating-ng this body."  The head of the mechanical creature tilted and a plume of steam burst from it's back.

"If-f-f you wish to a-csh-quire it, you-you-you would ne-ed to spe-chsh-ak to it's owner."

[Zaleramancer]

The grassy and viney passage winds and twists, going upwards and downwards.

"So, did the sphinx give you a choice of doors?"

[Zaleramancer]

The faceless person gestures towards the rocky shell containing them.

[Philote]

"Yes, I followed my friend here into the door to this room. The others disappeared elsewhere."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Ah, capital! I suppose the owner would be behind that door, then?"

[Mik_Hael]

...........(does it want out.)

[The Junkyard Cat]

Strange wonder why these parts of the woods are empty. Still continuing forward to find whatever I needed to find I wandered a bit aimlessly.

[Zaleramancer]

(YES)

[Zaleramancer]

"He-e-e is.. Ah. Some-chrsh-one awaits. The-y-y may better HSSS explain."

The enormous door creaked open.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

(Zale, I think I'm following that lady character somewhere if you want to respond to that. And another quick reminder to skim over Evolutionist's Stone. Oh, and two announcements. 1) Bug's back! Yay! And 2) The "Play Games!!!" section of the forum has been re-separated into its own sub-section, rather than a folder in Internet Awesomeness)

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Excellent. And might I say, my complements on the door. It's a fine one." He says, swinging his cane and moving through the door, the boy hop on his heels."

"Sir, what about the Eternity and everyone on it?"
"Oh Sherman, don't worry. It's not as though anything can happen to them on that ship. Besides, this is an adventure we're embarking on."

The boys eyes light up as he leaps onto the apes back.

The Ape in the suit shut the large door behind him.

[Zaleramancer]

A long hallway opens up into a large open area.  

Sprawled on the floor is a shivering and decidedly green looking sphinx, with a cloaked and robed figure standing before her.

"Silly little sphinx. You know better than to try and stop me." Laughed the cloaked figure.

Will.. Kill.. When.. Feel.. Better.. The sphinx spoke shakily.

"Oh you big baby. The toxin will flush from your system in a few hours."

[Zaleramancer]

"Someone's going to have to talk to that Sphinx. She keeps dumping people in random places, someone's bound to get hurt."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

What an unusual scene to walk into. scene to walk into.

Sherman and the ape looked from the mysterious cloaked person to the Spinx on the ground. Silently, they conversed.

"Sherman, what on earth do you think is going on here?"
"Looks like that shifty person and that Spinx fought, and the man won."
"Ah. Should we help."
"We have to. We can't advance without passing them."
"Quite right... Who do we help?"
"Well, that person is really shifty. I think they might be the villain."
"Ah, to right. To right. Shiftiness is typically the purview of the villain."

"Hold it right there, villain!" he called, pointing his cane at that suspicious person, accusingly. "I don't know what we've stumbled onto here, but we've come to speak with the master of the house. Cease all your villainy and step away from the young woman."

[Zaleramancer]

"What? Villian?" The figure's voice shifted, becoming low and raspy. Pausing to think about what the ape had said, it asked "You are here to speak to Zale?"

It walked forward, hands claspt together and obscured by long sleeves.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Yeah! You!" shouts Sherman from the apes shoulder. "The one doing the schemey villain thing with your hands."

'"Schemy villain thing?"', asks the ape.

"Yeah, that thing evil scheming chancellors do. Also, royal viziers and bunko salesmen."

The ape nods in sage understanding, and turns his attention back to the figure. "My ward makes a very compelling case. You are quite shifty. But yes, if this Zale is the master of this place place I would love to speak with him. He has something that I want."