Crossover Escape: Gotta be more than Lucky to survive

1.33 Riddles Answer

[Lucky: That is the million dollar question.]

[Rӓv: The only thing I can think of  for that would be like gods, but no way we’ll guess the right gods now without more information.]

[Lucky: I don’t think it’s a god either for one thing I don’t think the Fey are normally considered cousins of the gods. No I think its another monstrous or maybe mythic race.]

As they began to cross options Luca felt like the room was starting to get colder. Unlike what he’d expected given the heat the cube had been radiating the corridors had been a pleasant temperature. Now though he felt the temperature in the room dropping. There was also a moist dust dirt like smell in the air. It somewhat smelt like that moment just before or just after rain.

[Rӓv: I smell snow.]

[Ghost: Da.]

[Holy: Rain]

[Tails: Rain.] Luca narrowed his eyes and wondered if they’d had someone for a more arid climate whether they would have smelt a sandstorm. He personally hadn’t really thought about whether different whether smelt differently. It was just something that was and that you got out of where possible.

Something to stay out of… Luca blinked twice and went back over the riddle clues again.

[Lucky: Harsh, swift and need to seek shelter from. That matches a storm.]

Tails: Endless might could apply to the duration and strength of a storm like cyclone. A strike might be lighting, which would work for killing vampires as fire is a common use for destroying the undead.]

[Rӓv: You got a vampire fetish or fear you haven’t mentioned since you seem to be a full bottle on the subject.] Luca forced himself to keep a straight face but the deadpan look that Tails gave Rӓv just made he want to snicker.

[Tails: yes that’s it I have a fetish for an imaginary creature that likes to drink blood and is only not a rotting corpse by virtue of some unknown re-animation magic.] That was a rather specific description. It would seem that Tails did have an opinion on the topic, largely negative to popular portrayals but still a definite opinion.

[Holly: Freedom of movement is a storm blowing with the wind, ravage and rage the destruction of punishing rain or maybe a fire after a lightning strike which means that after the storm nothing but scorched earth remains?] Luca nodded with Holly’s reasoning that seemed fair conclusion suitable abstract for a cryptic clue.

[Ghost: Last not fit. Storm not fey cousin either.] Luca watched as Holly and Tails slumped where they stood. He felt a bit like that himself it was like they were so close to the finish line only to have some mean person move the marker.

[Lucky: Alright then if we work backwards, for Dwarfs sheltered embrace would normally be the earth.]

[Tails: We are sure they are Dwarfs?]

[Lucky: The term used in English was deviser.]

[Holly: Inventor.]

[Ghost: Creator.]

[Lucky: So needs to be something that makes things normally that’s dwarfs or gnomes or the like and they all typically live underground.]

[Tails: Fair point.]

[Holly: Then the Fey’s cousins…]

[Lucky: Fairy’s, brownie, sidhe, leprechaun,]

[Rӓv: none of those match the first two passages.]

[Lucky: alright then what are typical stories about the fey]

[Tails: powerful, beautiful, enchanting.]

[Holly: Are we sure that we are focusing on western versions? I mean to be fair there are some similarities to equivalents in most cultures.]

[Lucky: I picked the western version because it is disgustingly commercialised and something that all of us understand. Since English is the language, we have in common. Cursing in other languages doesn’t count Ghost. And linguists are a special exemption Rӓv.] Luca cut the other two off with a dark look as soon he spotted their hands moving. Ghost pouted but obediently deleted what he had been about to send.

[Holly: So long as the creators are as accommodating.]

[Lucky: Then let’s check the translation, Rӓv you put up an English of what you heard.]

[Rӓv: Roger that.] Luca waited and when the English version came up Luca blinked it was identical to what he’d heard which was interesting he’d honestly expected Rӓv to translate something differently. The only difference was that she’d added in brackets next to some of the descriptors some similes that would apply such as with deviser.

[Lucky: Anyone hear anything different?] head shakes all round after Luca sent the message which was what he wanted to see. Though there was the tiniest bit of regret that he couldn’t get more information by virtue of translation associations since all the other languages normally had nuanced meaning to phrases. Luca supposed it was a special skill for whatever was doing the translating to be able to keep it so cryptic in several translations. Though maybe Luc a should be surprised that there were just corresponding word references for the same sentences.

[Lucky: No other nuances that people want to add?]

When everyone had shook their heads look sighed slightly that was just really weird…

[Lucky: Wait. Can anyone assure me that they heard that translation with their ears?] The group gave sharp head nods before they stopped with puzzled faces. Without waiting for confirmation Luca just set the last passage going again. This time specifically concentrating Luca realised that he wasn’t hearing the words with his ears rather he was hearing the voice tone and all in his head. Luca noticed the same realisation in the eyes of his friends as he looked around. At least the identical translations made sense whatever it was sending the meaning into their minds and their brains automatically read it out in their native tongues.

Luca shivered slightly at the implications though. Since that meant their preparation against mental interferences that they thought came through their ears were useless. Though actually Luca hadn’t heard any of the whispering voices while they had moved around with the background music on. So maybe it wasn’t totally useless. Though apparently turning it off had been pointless. A fact the Rӓv must have realised as she flicked the music back on with a slight nod.

Once again faced with something Luca couldn’t do anything about Luca just forced his mind to shift back to the original topic.

[Lucky: Alright let’s refocus from this. Back to the topic that will get us out of this room.] Luca wrote quickly and smacked Tails on the shoulder as he finished. Luca stares hard at Tails until the slightly wild look to his eyes faded. Tails blinked twice and then offered a sheepish smile to Luca as he shook his head.

[Holly: Well the most obvious thing that comes to mind when I think of the fey is power and typically like an elemental preference like in one book, I read they were born from and bound to a specific element.]

[Tails: Really, I read that they could easily manipulate all elements.]

[Rӓv: I thought it was that they could free work with a set of linked elements.]

[Lucky: That is an interesting theme there. That fey power is tied to elemental manipulation in some way.]

[Holly: They’re called the children of nature after all.] everyone froze in place and stared at Holly on the other hand seemed unsure what the fuss was about. It wasn’t till he started and re-read what he’d just messaged that a look of realisation passed over his face.

[Rav: Is there a mythical race of natural disasters no wait that still doesn’t account for the final passage.]

[Ghost: Is spirits.] The sudden message from Ghost had Luca blinking. Give how sparingly Ghost had been commenting Luca had begun to suspect that he wasn’t paying attention to the conversation at all. Apparently, he was wrong. Trust Ghost to come up with an answer out of the blue.

[Lucky: That seems like a solid answer, but I think if we say spirits it might translate as the Ghostly type. Anyone got a word for the same thing that doesn’t also mean something else?]

[Holly: In English?]

[Holly: Never mind even in Japanese all the words have other connotations than the fantasy fire spirt thing.]

[Rav: Maybe we just say elementals. Since it is the manipulation of natural elements that is the key factor, we are basing our guess on? Hopefully whatever the translation thing is that will be understood?]

Luca nodded slowly as long as he reacted fast enough if the guess was wrong, they should be able to avoid serious injury. The guards had proven that in the footage.

“Is Elementals.” While Luca was taking a breath to prepare himself Ghost just went ahead and spoke. Luca froze and then jumped forward to tackle Ghost. As they rolled across the floor Luca waited for a trap to activate. Instead he was treated with the grind of the door opening.

It was the sound of the door that snapped Luca’s attention around. They hadn’t decided how to stop the other door yet.

Flipping off Ghost, Luca swung his head to look at the door they had come in. It had crept up by a half a foot and he could see black shiny pointed foot. On reflex Luca grabbed to step knifes and tossed them hard at the top two corners of the door. The hit and the points shot out. The grating continues and the base of the knifes snapped off. The door crawled another half foot before it ground to a stop the points of the blades remaining embedded in the top corners at an angle that effectively jammed the door in place.

Luca swiped up the two broken handles and put them away with a wince. He should have packed more. In his defence though they were not originally intended to be disposable.