The Mole Man and the Magic Chalice

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Starfire Skaar Aspect Lunair Seikatsu _2015 _July _none

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July 19, 2015:

The Outsiders investigate a crop of growing crystal caverns. (Emits by Lunair)

Somewhere down under

Characters

NPCs: The Mole Man, Moloids

Mentions:

Plot:

Mood Music: [*\# None.]


Fade In…

It's been a bit after the investigation at the missing forest ranger's cabin. Turns out that there were shards and footprints matching those in the cave they explored prior. There was no trace of the forest ranger, but then there was at least no sign of foul play. Eventually, the man would turn up confused and lost, rambling on about strange, slightly bulbous headed humanoids in loin cloths. It's all a bit much for the fellow, who was quietly shuffled off to some sort of care by his peers in order to keep the Earthly tabloids from having a field day. That's how it goes.

So far, things were quiet, aside from odd sightings - usually from hapless tourists and the odd geologist (be they full fledged scientist or eager to escape teaching lab TAs). Crystals, tools, footprints. Over and over, these tan skinned, tiny folk are reported. Even one sighting of a man in slitted sunglasses and a cape of some sort (NOT Prince or Kanye). Nevertheless, all of those things pale in the face of a newly appearing crystal cave. The crystals are unearthly beautiful, large and lit with rainbows. Fungal growth glows gently at night, mimicing the stars. Fortunately, it's newly appeared enough that most accounts are written off as drug induced misadventures (Remember what the door mouse said!). This leaves it nice and open for our Outsiders to take a peek before the human tourists start tromping through. Rumors of crystal tools, shards and footprints are whispered, but who knows? Anyone can post anything on the internet. Lunair wants to see the cave, curious about such a newly appeared thing.

"I can't believe that a place full of crystals, glowing fungus and rainbows just pops out of nowhere for no reason in the middle of an ancient forest."

"Maybe you're not supposed to believe it." Seikatsu, aka Reese offers up. Just like last time, Reese takes position at Lunair's left, her hand clasped against her elbow as she follows at the womans pace. Max would have had a field day here, while he wouldn't have left any of the Outsider's side, his tail would have beaten the crap out of anyone who stood near him. He was a little distraction either way. Though his nose? It would have worked in this scenario.

"What if it was here all along and everyone has just now seen it?" She didn't know. She was slowly becoming used to being apart of a team, being a magical being, and these last few months she's suffered a lot. "What if I do actually take a piece of crystal from here? Would it disappear?"

"That's fair mystery…" Jericho is on the Starfire's bridge with some of her crew, networked in through the ship's communication array to several nearby weather and communication satellites. He's not trying to jack the Starfire's sensor suite. For one, he doesn't know how to work it. For two, that'd be rude and he'd want permission before doing it. For three, K'tten might try to take him apart, literally, if he messed anything up. "I'm doing some deep radar scans now and going over collected weather and climate data for the area, but nothing unusual so far. How does it look on the ground there?"

There are moments where Starfire is all over the place, off the hook, and others where she is stoic, and then there is now.

"Beautiful." In response to Jericho. The one word from Starfire seems almost bespelled, she had wandered from the team's cluster formation and was striding through a self-made path, the crystals touched, brushed by tawny fingertips that slowly light up with the Starbolt power, but not to strike them, to heat and reflect the hue through them, bouncing it off fractal faces. A small smile tic's a corner of dark purple lips as she moves from stone to flora, her hands lovingly cupping over the yielding life and peeking within.

Stepping away she plucks one from its bed, a dingle digit aglow with the Bolt's perse hue she dances it around the bit, hoping it does not fade when she uproots it, but it is apparent some of this is a reminder to Starfire, one that hits very close to /home/.

Since Skaar is an alien, he is going to quietly accept that crystal caves are strange in Earth. At the least they are a welcomed distraction from his unfruitful search of the weird putty critters that attacked him. "Interesting. But someone must have been opening ways into these caves." Pause, "or maybe creating them." They don't feel old to him. "Yes, they don't feel right."

Poor Skaar. Lunair is genuinely sympathetic. There are some trails and hints of water, gentle drips from a wall or coursing along the fungal life that dangles and clings to the parts of the cave that are not crystalline. She hms softly at Reese, keeping alongside her. She looks thoughtful. "Could be, humans haven't been everywhere possible on earth, but still…" They do tend to like finding things.

"I don't know," Lunair admits. "We can probably take a few, if you'd like," She considers. Thefts near the fringes of the forest and caves have ramped up a little, but isn't that usual during tourist season when sheep and wolf alike are out more? Rises in crime during the summer is hardly unusual, as almost any Earthling who has watched crime would tell you.

Nevertheless, the cave is welcoming in its stark, unearthly beauty. Geometric speckles and patterns of rainbows, soft, gentle colors and glimmering lights. It's peaceful feeling, really. Cool breezes stir gently from below, a reminder that the sun brings heat, but subterranea is limited in its heat.

The caves run pretty deep, actually and this one is far more accessible - big enough to fit even Skaar, strangely enough. Lunair smiles at Starfire's reaction. She looks happy. The crystals do seem to play magically with lights, and it's remarkable how light they are. But wonderment may turn to concern when a crystal knife is spotted on the ground near some footprints. Is that shreds from a canvas backpack? It is. There's even a /path/ amongst the crystals, strangely enough. Skaar's senses serve him well. This is a created place, a purposeful place. Shards are littered along the way, too. Lunair herself falls quiet, looking around. There's a cool breeze coming up from below, too. Odd.

Reese had to get used to wearing a comm within her ear. It was noticable that she was uncomfortable with it, for she expected Jericho to be right there next to them instead of on the bridge. It was almost eerie. Her hearing was so well that often times she could hear a drop in the distance, or someone breathing. And if her senses were attuned enough? The flutter of a heartbeat. Starfire's description causes her to smile a little, wishing she could see the beauty that everyone else could see right now.. and perhaps, the dangers that loom ahead.

Such as the broken shards of crystals and the shredded cloth of a backpack. Reese lets go of Lunair in that moment to tug the sleeves down upon her all too plain shirt. She wishes she had a shaw to wrap around herself. "What do you see, Skaar?" Reese asks, if he didn't think it felt right.. maybe she should know what he was looking at. But it was then that she draws her hand back to pull out her cane, unfolding it to press the roller ball onto the ground. She wasn't going to hinder anyone for now.

Jericho chuckles, something Reese can easly hear the tones of in her ear thanks to really hi fidelity alien sound tech. Sometimes having extraterrestrial friends is a real bonus. Okay, well, no all the time having extraterrestrial friends is a real bonus.

"Glad to hear it Kori. Alright, well, I've got a good look at the shape of those caves. They go down further than the deep scan radar can get. Starfire's sensors can probably do a bit better but it's looking like you can go down at least… mmm… two and a half miles? Maybe more. Lunair you'll need to be careful. Oxygen turns toxic pretty quick. Wierdly… it's not nearly as hot as I'd expect it to be at those depths. There must be something moderating the temperature." He pauses as he checks a couple of things.

"Skarr, Reese, what about you two? Anything you're sensing?" He's since learned they have very good, very unusual senses.

You paged Lunair with 'Is there anything up ahead? Like, if Reese uses her gift, it acts as like heat vision.'

Starfire looks to Reese and pauses, it is not hard to forget her disability, but it is easy to know that sometimes those things hinder only until you let them in and understand. The flower she plucked she keeps cupped as she walks it to Reese and holds it to her, brushing it over the fingers holding the cane to let it be known it is there. "You remember the lights we made for the people after dark times? When we first met? The lights you create are ones you see right? It has that look."

Give Starfire a gold star for effort because that is the only way she can word it to the blind to let them see. Touch and words. Stepping back she turns in time to see what has brought everyone else to pause, the blade looked from and then the path from it followed. There is no words further, but Starfire is heading down and into the direction, the breeze only serving to push that mane of long red hair back and up, the small flame tips igniting, casting their own glow now in the heat that begins to spread upward.

"Jericho, see if you can hone in, the climate is unnatural… But is there life, a shift in temperature, vibrations, anything?" Leave it to alien number two to find the only thing unnatural being the crime andpath from it, the rest she would keep if she had her way.
From afar, Lunair thinks. Well, there's a path along the way. The fact that there are breezes is unusual, and it drops the temperature a bit. If she sees with heat, there is the traces of heat of something that was once there and left. A warm something way ahead. It ran away, likely.
"I do not… well, not with my eyes," replies Skaar, glancing at Reese. "But the Old Power tells me this place was made recently." He is definitely not letting Lunair go first. He will go first, he can skip breathing as long he is in contact with the land, and regenerate almost any injury. "Two miles is too much, it is too large," he observes.

Lunair looks quietly concerned. "It's no bother to stay beside you," She offers quietly. She is a fragile earthling, and sort of the squishy one here amidst it all. She stays towards the rear, especially on hearing news about the odd atmosphere. She looks to Reese, peering down at the ground, too. She smiles as Starfire shows Reese the flower. Well, 'shows'. But life is full of relatives and different perspectives. Sight is just one facet of life's sensory inputs.

There's fresh air, and that in itself is odd. The moderate temperature is, too, as research showed the structure in Mexico requires protective gear on account of heat and cold extremes. Extreme beauty in the face of stark danger, an ancient assassin patiently smiling. While there are only traces of stolen goods (that backpack's shreds!), odd bits of shards that might have been chipped away to form tools, and so on, there is even a partially shredded map of the area. Are they wanting to venture out more…? It would seem so. Even a sneaker, and soon enough, the soft shuffling of /someone/ or something darting away far ahead. Padpadpadpadpad, soft feet scampering away in fear. The warm presence of a mind with sharp spikes of terror and surprise. Reese's heat vision would show far up ahead that something darted swiftly away. footprints and soft echoes bear this out. There are denizens not too far ahead, as the cave and crystals widen and widen. Signs of habitation increase, too. Just a moment, just a moment and weirdly, the cave is getting wider and wider, and wider and … is that a small, crystalline sort of gazebo, perhaps meant to act as a gate?

Reese was ready to 'turn on' that little gift of hers, until Starfire approaches with the flower that gives a slight tickle to her hand. If anyone could bring out the old emotion in the girl, it would be her. Starfire, to her, was young and innocent and it was always a blessing to have. "I remember.." She manages to squeeze out, her fingers drawing from the cane to carefully take by its stem, keeping it tucked against her hand to make it look as if it belonged with her walking stick itself.

It was then that she finally draws on her lines, her eyes opening wide.. the unnatural glow of blue sinking into the world as she darts her eyes left.. right.. then down. It was like heat.. life leaves behind a signature and it was there in the form of a mist that heads further down. And this was not Starfire, for she burns bright. This one.. its old..

"The old power.." Reese echoes, then slowly takes a step towards Lunair, grasping at her arm again to hold and be led.

"Oni-chan.." She addresses Jericho. "There was someone here. I do not know if they left or not.. but there is something or someone far.. far ahead. From this distance, it's small.. and it's alive.."

"I will be alright further down the road.. Lunair, you should wear a mask.."

Jericho is silent on the other end while he processes Kori's request. "Radar agrees with Skaar, no surprise there. The air is definitely being recycled but I can't find any evidence of tech… hang on a sec… wait. Residual heat. Looks like the area was used recently. Maybe within the last… four or five days. Might be abandoned or just a migrant camp, hard to say without knowing who we're dealing with."

The camp was abandoned fairly recently, if the heat signatures are any indication. Lunair lets her arm be grasped and help Reese along. She listens, and the exchange between Reese and Starfire makes her smile a little. "I can make myself some armor or a mask, if I need to," She remarks quietly. Or she can sit this one out. The young mutant is not terrible ruffled. She listens to Jericho's words. Hmm.

"Could be that, too. Little incursions. That would explain the maps and stolen goods, anyway," She considers. Rumors of small, sandy skinned men with slitted sunglasses stealing here and there. Serious Kanye fans? Who knows?

For now, the little 'camp' is abandoned. There's small footprints, little bags of subterranean food, bits of fungus, a fire pit and various odds and ends. The camp is indeed for a race smaller than humans and a good deal smaller than a Skaar or Starfire. The ground is firm, though one may wish to watch and not step on bits of crystal. There are some news clippings left, although they are gathered in such a way that it seems to be preparation to be given to someone and not read. Someone among them can read English. Someone is possibly guiding them. How odd. And the footprints lead through and past, but the craftsmanship amongst the crystals is remarkable. The place might even be comfy were anyone the right size.

But the denizens have scampered, probably alerted by the chatter on the way in. If anyone can spot it, there is a path forward, even. How far do they wish to go? But it seems they grow closer and closer to the root.

Reese was cool with the quiet, until she hears Jericho again, which causes her to jump ever so slightly.. "D'ah.. Oni.." She murmurs quietly, clutching onto Lunair's arm as that glow within her eyes continue. "I will watch then to make sure that none of us are being poisoned. If anything, Lunair would be the first to feel it, she was a human, after all. Which makes it a good thing that she clings to Lunair's left.

"Skaar.. I can tell you with great faith that since my birth we've been invaded over a hundred times.." Reese chuckles quietly, but then remains silent.

With Starfire, Lunair and Skaar with her, she felt relatively safe. But there was a lingering regret of not begging Jericho to come along as well. More firepower, less for her to heal. "Jeri-brother.. mind preparing me dinner?" Weird request but.. she was feeling a little strange about this.

The crystal village /seems/ deserted as far as anyone can tell. There are footprints and shards leading in deeper, while the team chats and figures out what they want to do. But it seems, amidst the otherworldly beauty and quiet, cool breeze that flutters through, that something is coming towards the group. A soft rumbling at first, and then several groups of sandy skinned humanoids emerge from deeper.

They point frantically at the group, as if to go, SEE!? SEE!? Tattle tales! Heat vision, computer senses, all of it goes off, as they emerge, mole-like. Speaking OF moles, a man in a green cape and outfit with slitted sunglasses emerges amidst the sea of smaller humanoids. "What?! What is going o—" Stare. They might notice he's holding a silver chalice that seems to radiate magic energy. Those with magic senses will pick this up. Geologic magic, an item that moves earth. "INTRUDERS!" He lifts his staff and the Moloids scamper at the group.

Skaar looks the crystal huts with some curiosity. But they are okay. Small. Not the problem. He drops to one knee, a hand on the floor. "We are going to have visitors," he grumbles. A bit too late, since a couple seconds later the mole people begins to appear.

Skaar stands, folding his arms. "Intruders, yeah! But you are digging tunnels above, so you knew someone will come. Who are you? TALK. Or I will bring the whole cave down your head!" He raises a fist and the ground shakes, as he makes the crystals tremble with the Old Power.

As it stood, Reese and Lunair remained at the back. They were the most squishiest. Even though Reese was immortal, everything still hurt, and she needed her better senses about her so that she could properly heal if need be. Those little heat-signatures she could see with her lifelines? Yeah.. they were popping up everywhere. Tiny little heads from the ground, along with a larger person in the backdrop.

"Guys." She muttered quietly, holding onto that stick she held as well as Lunair's arm in attempts to pull her back.

"Guys.."

Once again, another step back, and the little things began to move..

Reese couldn't outright run. She couldn't leave them there. She wasn't a runner, she was just.. Reese. But Reese? She had a battle cry, but it came in the form of adrenaline which was immediately summoned up at the palm of her hands, stick discarded (for now), as the blue lights shoot like rockets from her fingers to plant and pelt her teammates back.

SALLY FORTH!

Starfire had a moment of ADD, though when the people began to emerge, their gestures and motions directed to the group she finally resurfaces.

One tawny hand runs along the surface of a crystal, the other spinning a new piece of flora, bringing it to her nose, and seeing as how removing it from the earth did not wither it she applied more of her solar fueled light to it, bringing that light to a heartier shine that the caves negate. But that does not mean she is not wary. This far underground and out of touch….

When the Mole man cries and the hoardes surge forth, a single hand rises and that perso glow surges forth, though just one sliver of what she could do to reflect it off of surfaces and have ot sweep in front of the charging mass. "We have meant no harm. Explain this..!"

It is apparent, one warning shot, that is all that was before the small jolt becomes much much more.

Lunair is staying in back, although she's more working on dodging projectiles and making sure Reese is okay than actively fighting. Lunair will stay nearby, but she's distracted. The small humanoids are rather primitive, prefering to swarm and beat down more than advanced tactics. The Mole Man seems terribly upset. "No one was supposed to come. We chose somewhere quiet. My people need more resources, so-" He's interrupted as the crystals tremble. He's trying to counter the Old Power with the chalice's power to move Earth, but it's a losing fight, a butterfly in a hurricane.

"Smother them, my children!" He calls. It's all he can do to try to turn the tide. But Starfire, a Reese and her pieces, and Skaar are going to be more than a match even with the tan-skinned humanoids confusedly jumping onto and at them. Hopefully no one stumbles and get dogpiled.

Skaar snorts as the humanoids jump on him, trying to protect the squishier Luna and Reese. "Bah, you can't hurt me," he notes, shoving them off him rather forcefully. Poor guys are probably being tossed several yards, but at least he is not using his fists.

He is also noticing the Old Power is being countered. Which feels odd to him, because it is not being countered by someone else with the Old Power. Regardless, he wasn't going to crumble the cave with his friends inside, so he lets it go and concentrates in preventing that any Outsider gets buried under piles of crazy tan-skinned midgets. "Someone gets that cup, I think it is the device to dig caves."

"..so why not ask!" Reese calls out, asking is what's nice, right? As the little people begin to swarm, Reese lets go of Lunair to put her hands up, ceasing the glow with a quick squeeze of her fingers, batting away at the little people with no real means to hurt them. Basically, she was pushing down toddlers, and while Reese felt truly horrible at feeling that way, she didn't want to be smothered or hurt.

"Get. Off.." Skaar takes a few of them. Which is a lot less than what she's had to deal with, thank god. She was smooshing faces, really, and honestly hoping that none of the little people were killed. "You gotta stop this! Please! We don't mean any harm!"

The small shots from Starfire go unheeded. Warnings not taken and that is when the ends of hair ignite in her rise, a quick path taken behind them, landing behind the cloak and goblet bearing man, a cluster of crystals now formed as a pedastal for her to lean upon, her hand pressed upon the surface. "What you single-handedly sought, you destroyed with hasty reaction. Train in war and let this be a lesson!"

That perse glow castsinto the crystal bed, shooting from her hand to hit the surface in a loud and resounding hum of energy that shoots out in broken fractal omissions much like a crystal hit by the sun as it dangles before a window. Flight is gained and her bosy maneuvers around that hold to send the reflective beams of Starbolts out and into the fray, taking aim!

Like asteroids, but… Not on Atari!

Lunair is grateful for Skaar's protection. She really is. But she's doing her thing. Moloids go flying as Skaar tosses them off. They seem startled by the immense green fellow's strength. The Mole Man stares evenly at Reese, "Do you seriously think the surfacers would-" He's cut off. "You'll ruin EVERYTHING!" He yells. "Smother them!" But his minions are catching on and a lot of them look fearful. Some are bolting deeper into the tunnels, wanting approximately none of this.

But they've worked SO HARD. And then suddenly there's beams and Starfires. The attacking force is scattering. "No!" He was trying to drop more earth on them, but the chalice is draining. "Retreat!" They are fleeing. Mole Man does seem to care about the moloids. Though, they may want to grab that cup or knock it over.

Skaar encourages the Moloid retreat with a few extra shoves. He is not sure if he should consider stupid or brave they tried to attack Starfire and himself unarmed. Then he realizes no one went for the green-clad guy's cup. "We should get him, we still don't know what is going on." He jumps, trying to reach the Mole Man before he escapes.

Roy Harper comes into FRP Room #3 from FRP Ready Room.

Reese would go for the cup if she could see, but she couldn't, so for now she was content of pushing the little things off of her. But with the earth moving, she stumbles and tries to hang onto the walls of the cavern, even drawing up her foot to push the little minions away with her foot. At least with her lines of life still active, she was able to see that none of the little creatures weren't hurt.

"Well I can't get him! Someone else has to get him! And try not to squish the little people! They're innocent!" In fact, for purely selfish reasons, Reese wants one. She wasn't good at this heroing business..

Seeing as the masses are beginning to flee or Skaar is handling them, she turns those bolts to become less life threatening to bark pock marks at their heels in their retreat to make it faster, but the vibrations of the earth they are burrowed deep beneath does concern her, the show of it being the flash of emerald gaze towards the caves tops and back to her team.

The Mole Man though is now approached in a speed that if he is not prepared will sweep him off his feet, a single jerk attempting to not only wrap him in his cloak but hang him in it a few feet from the ground. In her other hand she holds the chalice, sloshing around its contents in debate before drinking them!

….

"Vintage wine in an archaic cup of times when humans used stone and fire. Update yourself silly little cave dweller." She says before she attempts to bean him with his own old cup that might be magical, but Starfire sees it as useless and an antique. (If he isrunning it will be a lobbed beaning!)

Well, the moloids don't want to be squished. They were mostly enjoying all the goodies and extra space. They will flee Skaar and his friends. And Mole Man is no mass murderer. He genuinely cares about the Moloids. He's even herding them out and away a bit. One sort of politely gives Reese back a crystal before bolting.

While the Mole Man is somewhat cunning and formidable in his element, he is suddenly swept off his feet and wrapped in his cloak, dangling.

"Well, no, most wine is considered more precious as - OW!" DONK! Spot on aim. He is wrapped up, so they may turn him in or let him go as he wishes. But ow! He got beaned.

Skaar was curious about the cup with the earth-moving powers, but well. He figures there must be others like that on Earth, right? He will check the Wikipedia later. "They weren't good fighters," he comments. "We better get their chief out, he seems a human… right?" He glares at Mole Man for a few seconds. "Well, I have questions for him. But outside."

Starfire is already one step ahead. She wants out, not to argue the deets in regards to vineyards and haiku's. Haiku's rock, but not right now, not when they have descended into depths untouchable by any light other then what she reserves or is fabricated. Close enough to anxiety but it is not yet showing on Starfire's features when she zips passed Skaar and snatches up Reese as well as Lunair after football passing the Mole Man to Skaar.

"Ask away when he wakes! I'm out!" And with that the comet's tail streak of radiated light leaves a path behind her and with Skaar to get them all out of the caverns and back to the surface.

"Will the people be okay? This did not seem bad, not in comparison to what this couldhave been. Skaar, they seem to just be looking for a place like home." Those final words easily ones that show a hint of emotion.

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