Candleblight Story
Spark in the Abyss
It didn’t take long for both parties to achieve their goals, with Angea’s team successfully finding a way to round up all of the rampant ink critters and keep their amorphous forms sealed within various containers. Meanwhile in the inkwell, Ctenos’ crew managed to wear out the dalon enough to where Cteno was able to pop a makeshift collar onto the thing with only a minimal amount of protest from the beast. Seeing a kitbull fearlessly wrangle the dalon and then walk the massive wiggling monster as if it were a dog was quite the sight!
With the work now done, the two groups converge back at a meeting spot just outside of town to take a break and continue on with the now reignited festival. Angea's crew is already sitting around enjoying some food and drink from the nearby shops as an exhausted-looking Cteno approaches with their squad and, more surprisingly, the dalon following behind with a skip in its step (but it was still careful of getting too close to any lights).
Angea stands excitedly to wave them all over, her motion catching the eye of the dalon. It jerks suddenly, swinging Cteno into someone from the crowd with enough force to send the two of them to the ground. Upon having the wind knocked out of them, Cteno's grip on the leash slips enough for the beast to run free. It races towards a dumbstruck Angea, and at the last possible moment she is able to duck out of the way to avoid what she assumes will be a trampling. Rather than continuing on another path of destruction, the creature stops in front of her and stares down at the startled browbird intently for a full minute.
The creature lifts one of its front claws and turns it upwards, making a "hand out" motion. Angea, not sure what to make of it, simply mimics the gesture. Once she complies, the creature leans its head down close to her extended hand and opens its mouth. Keeping her brave face on, she doesn't pull her hand away and is met with a glob of gooey ink hacked up straight into her open palm. Angea makes a clear sound of disgust as she quickly moves away to try and shake off the slime, but something stops her. Looking down at her hands, she finds that there was something hidden within the goo.
"What... What is all this?"
Within her hand are several valuable coins and pieces of stargold dirtied by the ink of the creature. She tilts her head in thought and then looks to the inky serpent again with a questioning expression. It keeps eye contact for a moment without blinking before looking towards everyone and nodding. After confirming its nod was seen, it takes off again, leaving a small trail of ink behind it. Cteno looks in utter distress at witnessing this.
[@!#?@! #&@!?]
"I am not translating that."
Once it reaches the end of the street it was racing down, the creature stops completely and looks back towards the group.
"Hey uh... Why's it stopping?"
[Perhaps the fowl thing wishes simply to mock me! To mock those of us who did all we could to stop its disasterous rampage, yes. Adding salt to the wound!]
"I don't think that's quite it. Maybe it wants something? Should we try following it again?"
Cteno heaves a shake in response, though they don't seem opposed to the idea. As Angea, Cteno, and the others all head down the path, the creature quickly begins to move again. If the group ever got too far from it, it would stop and wait for them to catch up, making it very clear that it wants them all to follow. The path leads them through the city streets in a manner that takes everyone across the varying, strange landscapes of the island, and eventually into deep caverns beneath the city.
Even Cteno doesn't seem to know what lies ahead.
Do you still follow?