The Bridge to Nowhere

[VAN]

Terik looks the door for a moment and then knocks it gently before enters since he doesn't want to go inside the big house uninvited.

[Zilfer]

The knock gently echoes inwardly. Silence ensues... but only momentarily before Dexter gives out a call.

"Anybody home!" shouts Dexter through cupped hands before putting a hand to his ear and listening to it echo back at them. "Sounds pretty empty."

Lin shakes her head proceeding inward before striking a torch she finds inside on a scone. "Well if something is here, I doubt it would be this close to the entrance anyways. Now that you've let it know we are coming, I guess steal is out of the options," said Lin half glaring at Dexter who shrugs.

Angelo seems to be standing back a ways looking at the door and then down to his palm before placing the contents of his hand back in his pocket and proceeding forward. As he approaches the darkness of the room he stops just outside of the light closes his eyes and then places a hand on the end of his 'walking scythe'. Light appears on the end as he brings his hand away and then he turns to face the party.

"Why am I getting a bad feeling about this...." muttered Dexter loud enough for other's to hear before grabbing another torch off the wall and lighting it with Lin's.

[VAN]

Terik chuckles at Dexter's comment.

"I think it's just our destiny...better be cautious and watch our steps we don't know anything about this place."

[Metaflux]

Tammerin looked at the elf, whose feet were padded with soft boots for stealth. Then, he looked at the wizard who wore basic shoes or something of the sort, since clothing seemed to block them from view. Finally, he looked at his own feet and found the metallic ringing on stone not to his liking. "You're the one with the bad feeling? Why don't you stay to the shadows? At least, in this manner, you won't be attracting whatever the nine hells and the abyss has to offer." And with that, the paladin began walking through the doorway.

[VAN]

Terik looks the paladin's metallic boots and then nods to nobody in particular.

"That is actually a good idea, Dexter can you go scout a bit ahead of us and make sure that we don't step in an ambush? From all of us I think you are best skilled for this task."

[Zilfer]

"That's why I was getting a bad feeling," commented Dexter as he started forward into the blackness with only a torch to accompany him. He slowly began to fade as he rounded a corner, the hall itself to the end was large and seemed to split into a left and right hallways. You wait in silence for Dexter to return, and for at least five minutes he is gone, with no sign of returning light. Occasionally you think you hear laughter. Then you see light returning along with two figures! One is Dexter, but the other is a thin figure dressed in oddly colored cloths! Dexter has his long dagger drawn and is leading the way back to you while the other man seems to be 'skipping' along side him.

"Ah! Your friends yes!? yes!?" asked the man ending his skip with his backside turned to the group. As he speaks he looks between his legs at the group, and bells jingle from the top of his head as they hang down nearly touching the floor. The man wears a mask stuck in the form of a smile. Dexter looks down at the man shaking his head slightly.

"This fool, I found wandering the hallways. He says he knows where the king is..." says Dexter though it's clear that Dexter doesn't believe him.

"You forgot the most important part! You almost went.... KABLOOWEEE!!!" says the jester as he purposefully mimics an explosion and falls onto his back laughing with apparent glee.

"Yes... well I'm sure I would have seen that trap if I had gotten closer," says Dexter not amused.

"If you had... gotten any closer... I'd have called you the fool!" says the jester between laughs. Making a show of getting up he rolls backwards onto his feet and brushes his shoulders off. "At last company! I haven't had company is suuuuuuuch a looooooong time. I grow bored in this halls."

"Is this guy for real?" asks Lin under her breath to the rest of the party. Angelo just stares at the man blankly as if deciding what to do.

[VAN]

Terik tilts his head to the right as the jester is talking trying to figure out if the man is insane or a threat. Rose's words about a man with a smile always at his face that was able to defeat an entire army and shouldn't be underestimated comes to his mind. Narrowing his eyes the wizard says:

"Thank you for helping our friend. I'm Terik and these are Lin, Tammerin, Angelo, Sebastien and Fox. You have already met Dexter. We came to see King Tobi. Could you be so kind and tell us why this palace is abandoned? and why exactly someone is wandering in there?"

[ash]

Fox didn't like this fool the instant he laid eyes on him. His bastard sword was in his hand when they walked though the doors, not trusting anything in this place. His left hand was held empty, ready to cast any number of spells he knew and had ready. He listened to what the jester had to say, and measured everyone else response. Something didn't seem right, then it clicked to Fox when Terik asked about King Tobi.

Terik... unless that fool is Tobi, then the King isn't here.

Fox raised his sword, pointing it at the Jester, a serious look on his face.

Who are you, and where is Tobi?

Of course, Fox could always be wrong, and if so, then so be it, but what the Jester said... Things didn't add up to Fox.

[Zilfer]

"King Tobi? Do you mean the fabulous, and extravagant King Tobi!" asked the smiling Jester looking about them. "Yes he is indeed here but I wouldn't visit him oh no no no no no!"

The Jester starts to move about the group hiding behind people and popping out to talk before moving to the next person examining you like he's never seen strangers before or that you are wearing odd clothing.

"He is a foul mood as of late, yes yes. I have a feeling it may have to with loosing his late wife! But enough if you want to meet the grumpy moody King, who is merciful enough to spare poor poor Rellik...." says the jester as he stops spinning on one foot around in circles.

"I think he got hit too many times in the head," says Dexter before looking to the others. He shrugs not quite sure of anything it seems save for the sour look on his face as he sees the jester prancing about.

Angelo seems to be passively watching the scene neither annoyed nor interested in this character. Lin has a hand on her face shaking it before lifting it up.

"Let if everyone's in agreement I think we should have the fool take us to see the King... the looks of this place is large and we might not want to get lost," says Lin putting out her arms in a shrug.

"And a good fool I am!" says Rellik cackling as he waits for the group to decide.

[VAN]

Terik studies the joker as he speaks, Rose has warned them about a man with a smile at his face but this fool seemed neither capable to defeat an army nor threatening at all. Terik has lived enough to know to trust his instinct which was telling him that things aren't always as they appear to be and many times there was more underneath a pretty face or a smiley one in that case...His curiosity gets the upper hand though so even if he doesn't trust Rellik even a bit he nods in agreement and says:

"Well, if my companions agree I would like to get inside and seek a meeting with King Tobi regardless if he is moody or not. But before we get going, may you tell us how do you know the King Tobi, what has happened with his wife and when?"

[Metaflux]

At the site of the jester, Tammerin became quite dumbfounded, for he did not know quite what to make of the man. Bright colors and a sinister maniacal laugh was something the paladin was not used to in the least, and so, he decided to fall into himself and study the current scenario, since otherwise, he'd much rather lodge his gauntlet into the clown's face in order to make him seize what seemed like a force that was rotting away at his mind.

As he stood in the doorway, the knight could tell a few things. One, there was no one to be seen. Two, a king was very very angry because of his deceased wife, and three, the group had to figure out why the king was summoning black doors rather than assist his people. Obviously, the king was some kind of wizard or sorcerer. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to summon doors. Either that, or he has a servant who can. Maybe this jester can, but Tammerin wouldn't know unless he learned more about the man.

The lack of people could be explained in many ways. King Tobi went as mad as the jester and used the same magic that summons the doors to kill the people within the keep. Maybe the jester twisted the kings mind, and the king let the clown loose on the people. In either case, it really did not matter, for the jester was telling nothing and Tammerin cared less and less as the devil-man spoke.

Rather insistently, Tammerin pitched in, "And would you mind doing so while you showed us the way?"

[Zilfer]

"Yes, ha ha! To the king we go then," exclaimed the Jester doing two summersaults before jumping up and down at the end of them. The group follows him through the twists and turns of hallways and up a grand spiraling staircase about twenty feet wide. He holds a torch leading the way, and he talks incesantly the whole way.

(going to edit later have to go darn it!)

[VAN]

Terik waits for someone else to pass first and then follows, he doesn't want to be the first one behind the jester.

"I just hope he knows where he is going..."

Says the wizard while walking cautiously and looking around.

[Zilfer]

“Picture this… young love, and two wealthy and powerful families. Their wedding is such a hit with the commoner that river’s are full of fish, flowers bloom even well into winter, and all those foolish things that commoners attribute to royal weddings. I’d have heard a million of them and better poets exist outside of courts! But, I digress,” said the Jester half sighing through his mask.

“Alas, King Tobi’s love was not to last as all good things must come to an end. It is unfortunate, that it had to end while she was with child. Lady Emily’s death marked both a great triumph and a great sadness. You see she died in child birth the day King Tobi rode to his success against the army of another of his Kin. Peasants say it was the day that ran with blood, but not just normal blood but also royals,” said the Jester skipping and hopping around to face them. “When Tobi returned from his glorious victory he immediately ordered an investigation into his death. He had hired the best healers to oversee her! Well things were crazy at first, and poor, poor Rellik was caught by guards while visiting the newly born lord! They thought I did it! Rellik the king’s most faithful servant! Me! Oh woe is me, that the guards were unnecessarily rough! They thought since Rellik had blood on his hands that he was the killer! Said it was an accident I tripped on my way to the throne room! Lies, all lies!”

“And why did you have blood on your hand’s Rellik?” asked Dexter not entirely convinced of his apparent innocence.

“The babe’s blood of course! Such a silly question, I had been waiting to see the new lord and dress him up for the occasion! No doubt the king would enjoy a laugh of the boy being dressed as fool! I just know we were going to be bestest of friends,” said Rellik starting to continue on and starting to make wide sweeps of his hands while explaining things.

“The baby was alive then? And you didn’t know…. Lady Emily was dead?” asked Lin questioningly. The Jester waved his hands in front of himself in a ‘your misunderstanding motion’. “No no no! Of course Rellik didn’t know! Though I had wondered why they would leave such a beautiful baby alone,” continued Rellik. “I knew my King… My Just King. My only friend in this world, would know that me, Rellik could never kill Emily. That Rellik was innocent!”

“My king said, ‘What is the meaning of this.’” Rellik said before stopping in front of a double door. His voice changed when he spoke as the king and though whether it was an accurate representation of the King’s actual voice remained to be seen. “The guards then told the King all sorts of lies! Rellik couldn’t believe that Lady Emily was dead in the next room and the hand maidens and healers had abandoned her! Only the most vile of venomous villains would attempt something so villainous! Not poor Rellik…”

Rellik seemed to mop at this part his shoulder’s drop and no longer was there a bound in his pacing. Sniffles came from underneath the mask as if he was getting highly emotional. “The King after conferring more of the details was able to discern my innocence but only when they had found one of Emily’s hand maidens with the help of the Smiling Man. She claimed the baby was ugly! His birth was an omen, signifying corruption had come to this land. King Tobi ordered the rest of them found, and asked the Smiling Man for his help in the search. I was brought with the King to see his young, and he looked upon his baby. Surprise was writ on his face, and I thought he might have seen the most beautiful thing he had seen. He ordered Emily’s body removed from the room over to be buried but instead of keeping the child he… Well needless to say the child had such a beautiful smile. Now beyond this door is King Tobi, though I should warn you he does not smile any more, and hates those who do. For your own sake do not smile, smirk, laugh, or even chuckle in his presence! Rellik can for he is the fool, he has to laugh, sing and cry! Not outsiders though… the last one was put to death. Or at least I think he was….”

“Anyone having second thoughts yet?” asked Dexter.

“Come now, King Tobi is a splendid ruler! Once you get past the brooding….” Finished Rellik laughing heartily.

[Metaflux]

"Well, we've come this far, and the fool keeps his mouth working, of which I do not think it will end anytime sooner. Let's go."

Trying to keep a track of their location within the castle, Tammerin let his gaze fall over their surroundings in an effort to get an idea of exactly where they were besides just the entrance to the throne room or bedchamber or whatever this next room would be.