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The World Tarot: Nadine

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#1Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:29 am

Decima
Eruptions were a constant feature of the Fieros Girdle. It was an unforgiving land that radiated strength and hostility, and answered to no one as it choked you with the very air itself. Nadine found the region charming in a strange way, admiring its untamed aspect. With all the activity below ground she vaguely wondered how the Fieros Girdle hadn't torn itself apart yet, but hopefully she might find an answer to that soon.

Earthquakes and fissures had opened a crack in one of the larger volcanoes, and an academic expedition had gone missing during its exploration. Supposedly they had found ruins of some kind, but the demi-human was skeptical of that. However, a job was a job, and maybe she'd even come across a new beast to hunt. If the researchers had been taken by anything here no doubt such a creature would be a good fight, and hopefully even better eating.

She stood at the entrance the team had used, and pointed a flashlight into the cave beyond.

"Alright, wait here," she said as she slipped on a backpack with some extra gear, "if anyone else goes in and gets lost, I'm going to charge you again if I have to go looking for them."

The trio of people who had brought her here shared concerned looks among themselves before nodding towards Nadine. They were all dressed in serious outdoors gear purchased from the finest shops in Magnolia. Even with all the new outfits on them though none of them looked like they should be this far away from their libraries and museums.

"We shall wait right here, Ms. Archambault," promised their leader, a young looking wood elf. He had to speak through a handkerchief over his nose to prevent from coughing in the unapologetic air. "Please, do be careful!"

Nadine nodded in reply before heading into the cave.

#2Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Thu Aug 19, 2021 6:45 am

Decima
The heat from outside was begrudgingly tolerable, but in a confined area with no airflow Nadine felt like she had just walked into an oven. Despite being on the side of an active volcano as this cave was, she couldn’t see any glow of magma ahead. The coarse floor showed signs of travel at least. As she slowly panned her flashlight around while walking she caught sight of drag marks scuffing the ground. She guessed it was from equipment being hauled in since they seemed to travel in a straight line towards the back of the cave. Minutes later she came across a point in the floor that sloped down at a not so gentle angle.

A lot of climbing gear had been hammered into the floors and walls at that point. Metal stakes with circles and ropes. A pulley system for slowing the descent of heavy objects. There were even a couple lanterns hanging from hooks at the top of the slope, but they had long since burnt out. Seeing no other way down Nadine grabbed onto a rope and steadily walked herself deeper into the volcano. Once she reached the lower level she could see more equipment spread out into a makeshift camp of sorts.

“Hey!” called out Nadine as she searched around with her flashlight. Silence answered her.

#3Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Sat Aug 21, 2021 11:57 am

Decima
The woman rifled through the camp, but found little to help her immediate objective. A portable generator was connected to a bunch of lights and other equipment, but she only refilled its empty tank with fuel she found and then left it alone. Even if the thing ran she figured she’d better just conserve the gas for now. Other than a couple extra water bottles she didn’t bother taking anything else with her.

The tunnel on this level wasn’t very long as her flashlight easily reached the far wall. At the end she could see more climbing gear mounted to the floor and leading down a black space. She frowned as she got closer before carefully leaning over the edge of the hole to peek down. The hole was almost a straight drop down, and the telltale glow of nearby lava lit up another chamber below but she couldn’t see the source. With no other option Nadine slowly descended down a rope. She didn’t bother trying to measure the descent as she went along, but if she had to take a stab at it the drop to the floor below was maybe seventy feet down. Probably more. It was hard to tell without any references.

Feeling more heat rising up through the vertical shaft Nadine clenched her jaw as she felt sweat beading on her skin. She was going to hate the climb back up, but at least her job was to find the missing researchers. If they were still alive they could haul themselves back up to the top.

#4Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Sat Aug 21, 2021 11:57 am

Decima
The chamber she slid down into was larger than the one she had left up top. Taller, and much, much wider. Geometrical shapes carved from the rocks were quick to catch her attention, and the peculiarity made her stop before she lowered herself to the ground. From her higher vantage she could see over the first row of what looked to be monuments of some kind spaced out evenly from each other. Each were perfectly cut cylinders roughly two stories tall and half as wide, and beyond the first row she could see the tops of more. More than she wanted to try counting. Steady glows throughout the uncanny shapes suggested that more lava flowed between them.

All the surfaces she could see however looked to be covered in a layer of volcanic ash, even the floor below her. The pale grey powder contrasted starkly with the natural black rock.

Once she was on the ground she found out that she was only in an alcove of some kind. A pocket of what waited beyond. The chamber’s walls were perfectly smooth and rounded, and a thin stream of lava followed the wall’s curve at the floor. The ash where she was had a mess of footprints in it at least, so that was one good sign. The researchers had definitely been down here leaving disorganized trails going into the strange maze of monuments. She was about to continue further until she noticed a large build up of ash with a boot sticking out of it.

#5Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Sat Aug 21, 2021 11:58 am

Decima
The body she pulled from the dust was gaunt and desiccated. With how she had spotted the corpse she hadn’t held out much hope before, but seeing a person in this state had shocked her. The expedition couldn’t have been missing for more than a week now, but this body looked like it had been down here longer than that. There was dried blood on the man’s clothes where two puncture wounds were visible, but the warping of flesh and skin made it impossible to tell what caused it.

“What happened to you,” muttered the demi-human out loud as she glanced back to the large rock formations for any clues. She would find no answers, though. She ended up dragging the body next to the rope she had used to climb down before leaving it there. Then she cautiously made her way towards the cylindrical obelisks.

Nadine kept between them not knowing if they were safe to touch. Now that she was closer she could also see they were riddled with thin cracks, many of which were filled with more ash. She had tried to follow one of the trails, but as she got past the third row of these short towers the footprints got fainter until no trace of them remained in the soot. Kneeling down the woman brushed away the dust with her hand thinking whoever she was following had fallen into a sinkhole, but all she found was solid and smooth rock.

Backtracking to follow other trails only proved to be an effort in futility. None of the trails lasted for too long, and Nadine was forced to just make her own way deeper into the volcano.

#6Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Sat Aug 21, 2021 11:58 am

Decima
Like the rounded chamber she had climbed down into lava being used as almost decorative lighting seemed to be a common theme among the towers. Some had small moats around their base. Others weeped magma from their cracks. Lava cascading from the top was also one of the more common themes. For how desolate the area seemed, it sure didn’t feel abandoned to Nadine. The mana below the earth that kept the local eruptions roaring could be felt strongly here. Magical power practically resonated between the towers, and the invisible energies seemed to muffle any shouting she tried to do.

The woman stopped to take a rest from the oppressive heat after walking nonstop for what felt like half an hour. Although the air somehow felt cleaner down here it had gotten far hotter. Since she came into this underground abstract art gallery the size of a small town she hadn’t stopped sweating, and that made her think back again to the dried out corpse she had found earlier. As she drank from a water bottle she glanced back in the direction she had come, letting her mind wonder.

It took her a few moments to notice it, but when she did she lowered her water bottle with an apprehensive stare. The trail of footprints she had left in the ash were gone past a certain distance from herself, covered up by a fresh layer of grey dust. Returning her water bottle back to her bag Nadine continued with an increased urgency, calling out again for the missing scholars.

#7Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Sat Aug 21, 2021 11:59 am

Decima
As she pressed forward the terrain seemed to shake as if a strong earthquake was happening beneath her. She watched in confusion as the giant cavern shook almost spitefully. Nadine braced herself against one of the monoliths as dust fell from the trembling pillars. What had her most concerned is that the tremors made no noise. She could clearly hear the soft gurgling of lava and her own heavy breaths.

She remained where she was until the quakes ceased. Nadine breathed out a sigh of relief, uncertain if she wanted to continue this job or not. Finding one body would be enough to warrant a proper search and rescue team to come out here, surely. That was if she could find her way back, at any rate. Her footprints were still disappearing, and after the quake she wasn’t sure where she had come from. The demi-human rubbed her eyes with a soft groan, feeling a slight pain behind them. Thinking it was simply the heat and stress getting to her she shook it off.

A startled gasp was released as she felt something strong pull at her from behind. The straps of her backpack yanked at her shoulders and pulled her off her feet as her bag was shaken violently. Nadine was dragged through the dust a short distance before finally slipping free of her backpack.

#8Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Sat Aug 21, 2021 12:03 pm

Decima
Nadine rose to her feet with a furious look in her eyes, although secretly she was glad. Something had attacked her, and that was something she could fight with her fists unlike the ash and earthquakes. What she saw mauling her backpack looked to be a large predatory cat, but its body lacked any organic material. Sleek obsidian rocks formed its body as a maroon colored mana glowed between the cracks. The same baleful color shined from recesses in its head where its eyes were. Two large fangs jutted downwards like daggers from its upper jaw, piercing her bag and holding it hostage to the creature’s whims. A barbed and cruel-looking point capped off its long tail.  Once the creature noticed the demi-human watching it, it dropped the tattered bag and its shredded contents to the floor and growled.

“Finally, something to punch,” Nadine said with a smirk as she glared back at the feline golem. She unclenched a fist as a green magic seal appeared over her hand, and then she snapped her fingers. A surge of mana and adrenaline flowed through her body pumping up her confidence as she could feel herself get stronger. “Come here!” challenged the woman as she put her fists up, “prey that fights back is always more entertaining!” She was no bookworm, and she was no office drone, either. Her tail anxiously swept the ground behind her in a hasty flick, kicking up a small cloud of ash behind herself.

“I said: come here!” she shouted commandingly.


Spoiler:

#9Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Sat Aug 21, 2021 12:04 pm

Decima
The golem roared back at her provocation and charged. Whether it understood her or not Nadine found herself not caring. Sentient or not, it was a threat that needed to be ended. As the creature raced closer to her she cocked a fist backwards with a slow inhale of breath in preparation. When it lunged, so did she. Hitting above her rank had always been her strong point, and she spared no expense for this occasion. There was no reason to hold back at all against something that wasn’t alive.

Forcefully shouting out the breath she had been holding as her fist swung forward and impacted the cat’s snout. The sheer momentum from the creature still caused it to barrel into her, but her blow had deflected its teeth. The pair was sent tumbling into the ash together, and Nadine kicked the golem away as she felt claws rake against her arm. Their encounter was only kicking up more ash as both of them found their footing after their fall. She ignored the feeling of warm liquid trickling down from her left shoulder as red droplets fell to stain the grey dust on the ground.

Her fists rose up again as she eased into a ready stance, chest exhaling smoothly to help control her breathing. Still, she couldn’t deny the heart racing satisfaction of seeing that she had chipped off one of the cat’s fangs. If it could be damaged, it certainly could be killed. Nadine couldn’t help herself either as she smiled assuredly. With fists still raised she was the one to move forward first this time with slow deliberate steps.

Spoiler:

#10Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Sat Aug 21, 2021 12:05 pm

Decima
They clashed once more in a heated melee, Nadine managing to land another solid blow on the golem’s head before its jaws clamped down on her forearm. She retaliated by jamming a thumb into one of its eye sockets, using it as a hold as she grabbed onto its head. Nadine pushed the head back as she forced her captured arm down attempting to pry open the golem’s jaws. Teeth dug into her arm from the effort, but she’d take the pain over a mangled limb. Once pressure eased up enough she quickly yanked her arm free as the jaws closed again. Keeping her hold on the cat’s head she then brought her knee up to smash into the golem’s chin. The cat reeled from the blow and pulled away with a defiant snarl.

With a quick spin in place the golem lashed out with its barbed tail and swept the woman’s legs out from under her. It then pounced with its jaws opened wide aiming to bite her head. Nadine barely had time to put her hands out defensively, grabbing onto whatever she could get a hold of. One of her hands latched onto the golem’s remaining prominent fang while the other clutched onto the creature’s throat. As she held the cat at bay Nadine yanked and twisted at its fang until it snapped off. She then used it to stab the golem in the side of its neck over and over, wedging it in viciously whenever she found one of the cracks in its hide.

Once it got deep enough the creature shuddered before falling limp on top of her, the maroon mana glowing from its body slowly fading away.

Spoiler:

#11Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:08 pm

Decima
After shoving the lifeless body off of her Nadine stayed on her back to catch her breath. Her injuries were minor enough, but she did worry about infection setting in with all the ash she had been rolling in. No sooner had she tried to get up on her hands and knees though did the silent tremors start up again, shaking the world around her. Staring down at her hands she felt pain behind her eyes again as her vision hazed momentarily. A feeling of vertigo and nausea threatened to punch the water Nadine had drank earlier straight out of her, but she shut her eyes and curled up on herself. She focused on steadying her breathing. It was all she could hear, but her mind told her the earth should have been roaring like a giant with all the shaking going on in the cavern.

She waited until her anxiety passed before slowly opening her eyes again. The burning behind her eyes had ceased, as did the tremors. After standing up she took a moment to survey the area carefully. The golem was frozen in the pose it had taken when she had pushed it away earlier. Behind her were the scattered remains of her shredded backpack. The woman’s eyes widened a little as she spotted one of the water bottles she had brought along sitting in the ash. Nadine immediately scooped it off the ground and drained the container of its contents greedily, barely giving herself time to breath between gulps. Warm as the water was, it was still a blessing against her throat unlike the cavern’s hot, dry air.

#12Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:09 pm

Decima
There was little else she could salvage from her belongings, but she at least managed to clean the scratches and bite marks on her arms. Proper medical care would have to wait until she made it back out to the surface. For now she would continue her search through the mysterious cavern. This time she was sure to look behind herself every now and then to try and prevent another ambush, and much to her chagrin she found that her footsteps were still disappearing in the ash covered floor behind her.

She kept wandering until she came to the epicenter of the rings upon rings of towers. A few dozen meters of empty space separated the inner ring from the center, where one lone tower stood reaching all the way up to the cave’s ceiling. Tentatively Nadine stepped out into the barren space, wary of being attacked again. Nothing happened for the moment, so she continued on towards the final tower. As she got closer she could see doorways cut into the base of the monument, spaced out evenly like the surrounding towers. Peering into one from just outside its entryway Nadine squinted into the dimly lit chamber within. The room was almost as wide as the tower itself, and she could see the other exits clearly around the walls.

In the center a plinth or altar of some kind stood alone rising almost ten feet high. Floating just above it was a large ring of some kind, black and smooth like the rest of the cave, and cracked with glowing crevices of maroon colored mana. It was a meter in diameter, and did nothing but bob in the air for now.

#13Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:10 pm

Decima
Cautiously she stepped into the chamber. It was obvious that the strange circular band was important somehow, but that wasn’t for her to know just yet. Nothing else was in the chamber so she gravitated towards the artifact. She studied it for a moment wondering if it was the cause of the strange quakes outside, as well as the strange properties of the volcanic ash in the cavern. With no other way to find out, the demi-human climbed up the tall altar to retrieve the oddity.

Only when she was able to reach out and grab its bottom half did it finally react.

Mana pulsed from its cracks as its inner space glowed with maroon light. A vertical space in the middle was left devoid of color, but Nadine found that she couldn't see through that portion. The vertical slit then moved from side to side before shifting down towards the woman. It was then that Nadine realized she was looking at an eye, and it was staring back at her.

With a startled gasp she released the object and fell to the ground, scrambling backwards on her hands a short distance for good measure. The eye’s gaze trailed after her silently. Nadine wanted to look away from it. Some base primal instinct told her that this was not a place she should be. Not as a demi-human, but as something mortal and cosmically insignificant. She couldn’t pull her gaze away, though. The black slit pupil continued to draw her attention, until it seemed like its darkness expanded and swallowed her whole.

#14Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:10 pm

Decima
She awoke with a start, rousing from a nightmare that she couldn’t remember clearly. When she saw where she was, the woman exhaled in sad acceptance of her situation. She was still in this damned cave, baking alive in this impossible search. Seeing the plinth again made Nadine freeze still as she tried to sit up. The ring that had been floating above it was gone, broken into pieces on the floor. Had she done that? She couldn’t remember much before her blackout.

Seeing nothing else in the chamber made her decide to leave the central tower. Before she could step outside it though, she stopped to stare at the large field of ash isolating the monument. There were bodies scattered randomly through the dust. A few dozen at least. Why hadn’t she seen them before? None of them had come close to reaching the central tower, though. Stepping out to investigate a few of the closest ones she found that they were all dried up husks like the first body she had found earlier. All of them had punctures and injuries as well, from what Nadine could only assume was the feline golem that had attacked her too. The cadavers looked to be old as well, their appearance worn by age and the cruel environment. These bodies had been here long before the recent expedition had gone missing.

She could also see footprints in the ash now. No longer did the dust have the smooth appearance of freshly fallen snow. There were disturbances everywhere. As she walked closer to the innermost ring of surrounding towers she could see footprints going in every direction. There were even more bodies as well.

#15Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:11 pm

Decima
Nadine massaged her temples as she sighed. She trusted that she wasn’t having a heat stroke or suffering from any other physical illness. Was it an illusion then that had stopped her from seeing what was in front of her, then? Thinking back to the strange artifact she had found she could only guess that it was behind everything. Mana and heat still hung heavily in the air even if they went unseen, and even as a D-Rank mage she could feel the energies radiating off of the many monoliths. She could only take a guess at things, but she was certain that the rings of outer towers served to amplify whatever effects the central tower emitted, like sound waves bouncing off trees in a forest to make noise seem everywhere at once. She wondered if the earthquakes and tremors were also an illusion too, since they all happened without so much as a peep of noise.

She didn’t want to think about what kind of magic she had disturbed by coming down here. She had already found one body outside the rings of towers and their infernal influence, and surely that would be enough proof for the researchers to get a proper team to investigate this cursed place. Leaving would be a long walk, but at least now she had her bearings and a sense of direction. Once she found the spot where she had been attacked she was certain of where she needed to go.

#16Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:11 pm

Decima
The climb up the vertical shaft was as painful as she thought it would be. It wasn’t until she had made it to the top however that she noticed another peculiarity. She had needed a flashlight exploring this part of the cave before, but this time she could see everything perfectly. Maybe she was just imagining things. Stopping to rest at the camp the missing researchers had set up on this level Nadine tore into sealed food rations she found and powered through another bottle of water. She even found some medical supplies to bandage her arms. Taking a nap on one of the cots was tempting, but she wanted to get out of this heat. It dawned on her that she hadn’t stopped sweating since she had first entered this place.

Making her way out from there was a cakewalk compared to the earlier slog through the lower cavern. The three people she had left outside were all present and accounted for, and they were all ready to bombard Nadine with questions. The demi-human took a seat on a large rock with a heavy sigh as she gathered her thoughts. Although she was a little refreshed by the food she had found in the cave she still wasn’t sure what to say exactly.

#17Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:14 pm

Decima
“How many of them were there, again? The people who got lost?” asked Nadine finally.

“There were five in total,” answered the current leader, a wood elf named Luca.

“Right, right. Well, I found more than five bodies down there. I don’t know what your team looks like, so you’ll have to go down there yourselves. It’s a straight shot, although there’s a vertical shaft going down that you’ll have to descend with a rope. That’ll take you to where the ruins are. Or whatever that place is. That’s where the bodies are, but you’re going to need more mages just in case.”

“Goodness, what happened to them, and to you, Ms. Archambault?” asked another researcher, a human this time.

Nadine thought she had forgotten his name, but after looking at the man she remembered it clearly. ‘Jules Allard. What’s he even doing here? His kid is still only two.’ Dismissing the random thought with a shake of her head the woman frowned.

“It’s a mess down there. The bottom chamber is huge, and has rings of cylindrical towers that.. Well, I can’t be certain, but it really feels like the mana underground gets amplified there. It makes illusions happen there. I also encountered a golem in the shape of a predatory cat. I killed it, but it probably got to your team while they were exploring. There might even be more than one. There were… a lot of bodies. More than the five of your team, so there’s probably another entrance somewhere, too.”

#18Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:15 pm

Decima
The more she thought about her theory regarding the underground cavern, the more it made sense to her. Who built it, and why though, were mysteries she didn’t expect to solve. Trying to think of any more details that could help Nadine wondered if she should mention the artifact she found.

“But was there anything else?” asked Luca insistently, “anything in the lower chamber that you found odd?”

“Luca please, we have to figure out what to do about the others first! That can wait!” hissed Jules in protest.

“There was something, yes. In the center tower was a tall plinth or altar. I’m not sure what it’s for, but I didn’t see anything else inside it.” Nadine shrugged as she glanced at Luca. Staring at him made her irritated, though. This man didn’t care about the first team that got sent here. He had also been at odds with the first team’s leader Tomas, too. Office politics surely was the pettiest of affairs. She paused as she realized that Luca had never told her his relationship with Tomas. Or maybe he had, and her exhaustion was just messing with her.

‘That must be it. I guess Jules told me about his kid on the way here, too.’

#19Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:16 pm

Decima
Jules and Luca started to get into a heated argument about what to do. The former wanted to go back to Magnolia to organize a new rescue effort, while the latter wanted to start another exploratory expedition. Either way all the noise was starting to irritate Nadine. Standing up from her seat she walked over to the two men and clapped a hand down firmly on their shoulders to get their attention.

“What you’re all going to do first, is pay me,” she said firmly as she glanced from Jules to Luca with a dead set stare.

The wood elf had the audacity to smirk at her before shrugging off her hand from his shoulder.

“Pay you? We hired you to find our people and explore the ruins. You really haven’t done either!” Luca stood his ground with a defiant expression.

“Luca, stop and think-” Jules started before he was cut off.

“No, it’s fine,” stated Nadine calmly as her sharp gaze remained on the wood elf. “I think it’s fair that he wants proof of my work. Come this way, Lucas.” She didn’t wait for a debate. Instead she grabbed the wood elf by the front of his shirt and pulled, dragging him kicking and screaming behind her as she started to walk back to and into the cave.

#20Decima 

The World Tarot: Nadine Empty Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:18 pm

Decima
When Nadine reappeared again she did so alone, having thrown Luca into the vertical shaft leading down to the lower chamber in the cave. If he had the wits and strength he would have grabbed the rope to save himself. With Nadine’s perfect vision in the dark she knew that he wouldn’t be climbing back up, though. The two remaining members of the academic firm that had hired her were at a loss for what to do.

“Keep your money,” growled the demi-human as she walked past them and back towards civilization. She no longer cared about any of this and simply wanted to go home to sleep, her reputation be damned. She was a fool to think these idiots knew what they were doing to begin with.

“M-Ms. Archambault!” called out Jules as he took several steps after the woman, “I’m uh, I’m concerned about Luca? Where is he? Without him we can’t authorize your payment.”

Nadine stopped to glance over her shoulder at the man.

“He’s exploring for himself. You should worry about your own blood before his, though. Get out of this cursed land, and get back to your daughter.” With that being said the demi-human stalked off again.

“My daughter? But.. How does she know?” muttered Jules as he was left speechless.

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