The Western Mountains

[Olvelsper]

"Places and people were dragged to this world. Spirits were too, most likely."

[Dracos]

To Leets/Jan:

"I mean he should be long gone to peaceful rest or reincarnation by now."  Yomi retorted.

[Olvelsper]

"Could be unfinished business." Jan replied. He looked at the image of the legendary hero that proceeded them. "Maybe the demon's awakening caused him to come back. Or he always knew that it'd come back and he never went through to the other side."

The negotiator privately let out a sigh of relief. At least no worrying about nothing coming after death now.

[Dracos]

"Possibly...  if so we really should find out what he's saying...  though Leets seems right.  It'll probably take all five stones."

Dracos

[Olvelsper]

"Would the stones be destroyed if we used them on the Towers beforehand? I'm not too confident in leaving the world fraying at the edges."

[Shukuen]

"Either way you slice it, we still need the five stones," Leets said pointedly. "We can debate what to do with the stones after we collected all of them."

[Dracos]

To Leets/Jan:

"Probably.  Maybe we could do it with less."  Yomi responded, agreeing.

Dracos

[Dracos]

[22:43] <Jan> "Can you sense the whistle, by any chance?"
[22:46] <Drac-oblivion> "Nope...but, if it's buried with anyone, it'd be buried with him...try digging there." Yomi suggested.
[22:47] <Leets> "So, Yomi. What can you tell us about Ark?" Leets asked as he removed the starstones from their skull mounts.
[22:48] <Jan> Before the spirit faded out, the negotiator apologized for digging up his possible grave as he went to do so.
[22:54] <Drac-oblivion> "What do you want to know?  I was with him through most his journey.  But not beyond or before that." Yomi responded.
[22:55] <Drac-oblivion> Digging there...he found it!  Among the bones, a silver flute.
[22:56] <Leets> "Well, I guess I'm kind of curious on whether he succeeded or not."
[22:58] <Drac-oblivion> "He did."
[22:59] <Jan> "Demons don't go down easily. Organized religion tells us as much."
[22:59] <Leets> "Did you see how?" Leets pressed on, hoping to learn what gave the last hero the advantage over the demon.
[23:00] <Jan> The negotiator took an extra moment to pay his respects to the remains before taking out the silver flute. "I'm sorry, but the wolves need to be pacified." He spoke to the hero.
[23:01] <Drac-oblivion> The hero had faded away already, Jan's words to the absence left by his presence.
[23:02] <Drac-oblivion> "The demon manifested and he fought it with a spear of light cloaked in the garb of heroes."
[23:03] <Leets> "Spear of Light? Garb of Heroes?" parrotted Leets. "Don't suppose you happened to keep either of those?"
[23:03] <Drac-oblivion> "He took them with him," Yomi glared at the parroting.
[23:04] <Jan> "Well, we'll have to make due with our own natural gifts."
[23:04] * Leets returned Yomi's glare with his own flat look, wondering what he did to offend the being this time around.
[23:04] <Jan> The man carefully covered the remains of the hero with sand as he reburied him.
[23:08] <Drac-oblivion> Yomi stays in the glaring contest!
[23:10] * Leets refunds the glare yet again!
[23:14] <Jan> "Cut it out you two. At this rate the wolves are going to pounce on us and you two are still going to be at it."
[23:15] <Drac-oblivion> As if by answer, the howl of the wolves rang up, seemingly nearby.
[23:16] * Leets turned to Jan. "Well, what are you waiting for? Use the whistle!"
[23:18] <Jan> "It won't do much if it's still filled with sand. Give me a minute."
[23:20] <Jan> The negotiator calmly cleaned the whistle, ignoring the howls of the wolves for a moment.
[23:20] * Leets sighed, then turned back to Yomi, wondering if he got over whatever it was that got his wings in a twist.
[23:22] <Drac-oblivion> Yomi was floating around Jan, watching.
[23:23] <Leets> Satisfied that he won't get a hole burned into his head, Leets stoodby and waited, keeping an eye out for the wolves incase they arrived before Jan finished cleaning the whistle.
[23:24] <Drac-oblivion> And arrive they did...almost as if in anticipation...the graveyard was soon being circled by a dozen wolves.
[23:26] <Leets> "And a wonderful capper to a perfect evening this is," Leets muttered, drawing the only weapon on his person that seemed to have an effect on the wolves. "Don't suppose it's cleared enough to blow yet?" he asked Jan hopefully, sparing a moment to glance at the whistle in the negociator's hand.
[23:26] <Jan> "I'm sorry it took so long for your souls to find peace." The negotiator started as he swiftly raised the whistle to his mouth. "Rest in peace knowing that we'll use Pandora's Box for good!" He began to play the flute.
[23:28] <Drac-oblivion> The flute was a shrill noise...  the wolves howling at it...and fading away before their eyes.  Soon though a brief glimpse of villagers watching them could be seen, standing ghostily where the wolves once were...and then nothing as they too faded away.  A sense of peace filling the graveyard.
[23:30] <Jan> "Ah..." The negotiator's exclaimation sounded tired, yet satisfied. His stance slumped slightly as he stared at the whistle in his hands.
[23:32] * Leets sighed, unsure whether it was relief or the adrenaline leaving his body. "Come on. Let's not keep the others waiting too long," he said to Jan as he picked up Pandora's box and headed back to the car.
[23:33] <Drac-oblivion> Yomi vanished, slipping into the box.
[23:34] <Jan> The negotiator slowly nodded as he followed the youth to the car.
[23:39] <Leets> "So how are you holding out, Jan?" Leets asked, dropping Pandora's box into the back of the car before sliding into the driver's seat.
[23:43] <Jan> "It's done. I repaid what I owed those people." The negotiator responded as he buckled up and sat in the passenger's seat.
[23:44] <Jan> "Still, I have many more contracts I need to fulfill before this is all said and done."
[23:45] <Leets> "No offense or anything, but you looked like hell back there." Leets grimaced, shifting the car into gear and starting to drive off. "We need a bloody vacation."
[23:47] <Jan> "Not yet." Jan replied.
[00:09] <Drac-oblivion> And so they made their way back to the village as twilight was beginning...

[Dracos]

OOC: Sorry for the delay.
IC:

And so Jan and leets made their way back to the village.  The group was invited to join in the celebrations of the night, the festival of spirit.  Around the center of the village dozens of colorful wood and cloth decorations had been build, seeming to represent various spiritual figures, many seeming to be exotic takes on animal totems.

In the center, a large bonfire had been built, using apparently cacti from the nearby desert mostly and getting it to burn in a strangely orange and neon green fashion that was really quite etheral to look at.

The village chief and elders were at the north end of the outer circle around it with food set out on wood benches and tables, though really food and drink was easily acquirable anywhere with said tables arrayed all around the circle.  Towards the center, many villagers, both men and women, were dancing around the fire, singing some odd song that none of the adventurers could really follow.  A few villagers  towards the east end set the beat, drumming along in a fairly primal rhythm.

Dracos

[Olvelsper]

Jan wandered through the festival, keeping an eye on the fire as he went to ask what significance there was to these events, and if he could do anything to help.

[Shukuen]

Leets mainly kept to himself during the festivities, enjoying the sights and sounds as he soaked up the experience.

[Dracos]

There wasn't much to help with, but there was plenty of drink and food to go around.  They were a pretty lively sort.

Dracos

[Olvelsper]

The negotiator went to talk to Gallows. "Do you think that you could help me see the elder tomorrow? I want to show her some maps and talk to her about something I saw up on the mountains earlier."

[Dracos]

"Why not now?" A red faced gallows responded with a laugh after he finished another drink, gesturing at the elder towards the top of the 'circle' eating as she sat on the wood seats.

Dracos

[Olvelsper]

The negotiator weighed things in his mind, and reluctantly agreed with the man. He didn't show it on his face, though. It'd be bad if the tipsy man got annoyed with him because of all the booze.

"I'll try a bit later. She's eating, afterall. Where's the drink?" He looked about with a keen eye.