A Dangerous Glimpse: Part 3

Prompt #4 - Baas

Baas is a tall, bipedal creature with digitigrade legs and the head and paws of a parkat. He stands guard before an ancient temple that holds emergency reserves for the local Tura temples. His efforts have been long since forgotten, and when you find him, his legs have turned to stone. He begs your help to return to the local cities and tell the citizens of his plight. Only by remembering him and his guardianship will he return to life. If he is forgotten entirely, the stone will not stop spreading until he is no different from the sculptures he protects. Show your character going on Baas’s mission. Your piece must include your character interacting with Baas or telling his story through words or art.

 

Winter Break was in effect.  That could not have been timed better, except perhaps if it was Summer Break for the sake of a longer relief.  Miss Yarieal could hardly focus on her studies.  No, she couldn’t focus on her studies.  She was supposed to be finishing a non-fiction historical piece but instead, every afternoon and night, she’d sit there on her gold and gray bed sheets: laptop on crossed legs, typing up theories and notes about the recent experience.  

The student contemplated writing some kind of study to submit in one of the extracurricular events for the college.  She preemptively decided that would only spell disaster later.  If she wasn’t ridiculed for fantastical delusions, she’d be hounded by malicious opportunists… probably both.

Miss Yarieal’s jacket–her poor slime-soaked, expensive, valued, signature clothing–had not regrown a goo creature.  It had been three days since her second visit to that sewer entrance.  She decided that it was safe to clean.

Of course, the student wasn’t about to put it in the complex washing system.  She didn’t need anyone tracing the aftermath to her.  Luckily there was a laundromat her bus passed on her way to college.  And of course, it had to pass by that taunting park.  

With the jacket tucked into a basic plastic grocery bag, Miss Yarieal headed out to the snow-outlined city.  She kept a spare bag tucked in her pocket just in case.  Her t-shirt showed off her much more expressive feathers lining down her arms: mixing browns and vanilla tans previously pressed into her sleeves.  It helped dilute some of the fresh coldness.

Miss Yarieal kept her eyes closed when the bus passed the park… at first.  Survival instincts forced her to keep her surroundings monitored.  It wouldn’t have been the first time she’d have an unpleasant encounter on public transportation.  While she tried to keep her eyes away from the park, it inevitably caught her gaze.  She tried to focus on the cackling kids–rebelling against social structures by trying to climb up the slides–but the fence leading to the sewer seemed brighter than normal.

The student had to wonder, was it open again?  The portal?  The bus creaked to a halt in front of the park.  Miss Yarieal closed her eyes and held her breath as two passengers got on.  She kept her ears alert but the new riders were talking on their way to the opposite end of the bus.  Their conversation was about some kind of hobo with a stylish hat.

The bus started moving again.  The student breathed out.  It was over… for the moment.

 

Another bit of perfect timing was the student’s day to visit the laundromat.  The business was closing down soon.  It wouldn’t be around in a month’s time.  Barely anyone came by and that was fine with Miss Yarieal.  She couldn’t look inconspicuous if she tried.

It was too bad really.  The building wasn’t particularly dirty.  It had nice tile floors, good air conditioning, and plenty of cheap washers/dryers.  She’d miss the aesthetic it added to the city.  Hopefully she wouldn’t have a need for covert jacket-washing in the future.  Though, as she watched her expensive fashion-gear spin in place, she had to worry about its afterward condition.  Just because she could afford another didn’t mean she wanted to replace it.

The jacket was clean and dry an hour later.  After some thorough inspecting, Miss Yarieal slipped her comfort zone back over herself and relaxed more in the psychological relief rather than the post-dryer warmth provided.  Nothing felt or looked damaged so it was time to head back.  It was good to be out and about honestly.  It actually distracted her a little.

Just as Miss Yarieal was heading for the door, she received a reminder text.  Professor Nowergeen had requested to see her while he was at the hospital.  He couldn’t still be there so what was the point of visiting?  That was the logic used to avoid visiting the old man at least.  Any other thoughts were firmly pushed away and the text was swiped from view: out of mind.

The day had gotten later once again on the way back to the apartment.  There was the park, and there was the… brightness.  The late-day contrast made it impossible to ignore now.  Someone else had to have noticed it.  

Miss Yarieal left the bus.  She couldn’t tell if she was forcing her to confront the sewer or trying to resist at this point.  No one was supposed to climb the fence so she went a half-block away before scaling over and investigating.  The brightness remained steady no matter the distance, that is until she actually entered the sewer.

The college student was tired of being back here already.  She wasn’t going to spend any more time than she needed.  There was the portal and no one else… Wait.  Wait, it was much bigger.  And it was clear.

What had once been a blazing white was a wide clear window into some other landscape.  As the student drew closer, her hand tingled.  The stem had receded since her last visit but she could feel the growth spreading again as if feeding off–or into–the frame.  Before she could so much as retreat with a firm, “Nope,” her arm erupted with discomforting nerve activity.  It rapidly spread across her shoulder and down her chest.  

The student thought she was about to explode into some living plant–a fate less preferable to having a burned arm–but instead, her body was gripped by the sensation and dragged toward and into the frame without a chance to resist.  Her powdered gloves sizzled against the edges of the frame as she tried to stop herself but there was too much energy.  The powder burned out in areas and the feathered woman went flying into a foreign landscape.

 

Miss Yarieal couldn’t tell if she had passed out.  Her clothes were unluckily stained again.  At least this time it was mud rather than alien slime.  As with the slime, her mask was left untarnished.

As the student got to her feet and wiped her attire down, she cautiously took in her new surroundings.  While her first priority was avoiding a potential swarm of slimes, she was instantly taken in by the scenery.  She was in what would typically be described as a magical rainforest.  Greens, blues, and pinks suffocated every corner just as much as the potent natural fragrance.  Muscular vines enthralled sturdy, mossy trees: speckled with varieties of blossoming flowers.  The sky was splattered with faint sunlight through the canopy, but the sapphire tint covered everything.

It was spectacular for the first minute but when Miss Yarieal noticed a distinct lack of portals nearby, her appreciation vanished.  A small whimper leaked out alongside some shaky breathing.  There were worse places to be stranded on for what could very well be eternity… but that didn’t mean she wanted to be stranded.

There were creatures moving in the flora and the college student wasn’t confident that her personal taser would protect her.  She caught sight of some pink fuzzy thing with six legs, charging from one tree to the next.  It looked adorable but that didn’t mean safe.  The student started toward the most open part of the rainforest.

It only took a full minute to find something promising, or someone.  The figure was humanoid for the most part.  He had these digitigrade legs and a muscular form.  His arms ended with wide webbed paws and his head was feline.  Vine-like antlers crowned a crystalline protrusion on the top of his head.  He had no weapon that the student could see but that seemed to be the least of his problems.  The man thing was petrifying.  His legs were stone and the process was slowly spreading upward.  The fact that there was a garden of humanoid statues surrounding him made things very clear.

Survival instincts and general intimidation fell to one side for just a moment.  Miss Yarieal pulled out her phone and typed away.  She didn’t need Wi-Fi for her text-to-speech app.  Just as the man thing caught sight of her, she was already approaching him.  She hit play. 

 

“Are you okay?  Why are you turning into a statue?”

The fantastical creature was caught off-guard by the robotic voice but he had no qualms about divulging his situation.  “My name is Baas.  I am the guardian of Aridin’s Tura Temples.  And…” he gestured to his lower-half, “that is a fact being quickly forgotten.”

The explanation seemed to only confuse the student as she leaned back with a tilted head.  The guardian clarified, “The people have begun to forget me.  And the more I am left to become history, the more that will become very literal.”

The guardian waited patiently as the stranger tapped away at her phone.  Miss Yarieal paused mid-sentence when she noticed that her gloves were streaked with black.  The majority of their powder had been dissolved.  This delay only confused Baas further but the college student didn’t delay long.

“Were you cursed to be like this?” she prompted.

“In a way, yes.”  The guardian cleared his throat.  “I don’t mean to be rude but you happened upon me at… well, I hope you did.  Um, there is a religious event happening.  A–at least I think– Time is hard to keep track of when one is kept still for a very, very long time.”  His breath fell heavy at those last words.  “It’s called ‘Tura Doraci’.  The cities celebrate the gods of this world by contributing magic.  The streets should be heavily crowded and that means a great many people you could reach to tell of my plight.”

The student had already started typing something halfway through this request.  She only waited until the guardian had clearly finished before responding, “How do I know you aren’t evil?  You could be trapped here for a reason.”

The guardian looked a little offended but after some thought, he nodded understandingly.  “You could ask anyone about me.  I saw a farmer pass by not that long ago.  He could tell you if he’s settled not far from here.  It would be more efficient to hurry to the nearest city and confirm with them.  And if you’re still not convinced, they can come inspect for themselves and you’ll have your proof.”

The masked student took some time before she responded.  “Can you make portals?  I need to go home.”

“Oh…” Baas instinctively went to step closer and nearly toppled himself with a grim reminder of his situation.  After readjusting, he answered, “I can help for certain.  Of course, it depends on which world you hail from but even if I don’t have your answers, someone at the city is bound to know.  Even if you don’t believe me, portals aren’t an uncommon matter.  You should be settled in no time.”

Another long silence followed.  The guardian stared into the blank mask of his visitor for a straight minute.  While her lenses did not move, Miss Yarieal’s attention was on the stone feet the guardian suffered.  “If you’re telling the truth, I hope you can be restored.  I’ll see what I can do in the city.  Which way is it?”

Baas smiled warmly but his eyes were sad.  He gestured to his left.  “If you trave–”

“Is it long?  I’m not much of a hiker.”

“Oh– um, yes.  Well, I suppose that depends on your perspective but you should reach the city before the day is over.”

The college student groaned.  No, wait, that was her stomach.  She didn’t bother typing.  It was like she wanted to preserve that energy.  So she nodded and started down the road.  Given how casual the cat-headed man was about it all, it seemed that the fauna wouldn’t be much of an obstacle.  

 

Meanwhile, something else had begun back in Kalendelor.  Someone had arrived at Miss Yarieal’s apartment complex.  Someone walked up the stairs and down the hall toward her door.  All the while, they sniffed loudly, like an animal… tracking.  The sniffing stopped at the door.  A hand reached for the knob.