Closed [Guest ST] Dug Too Deep

[Kaie]

She should've been far more confident in her unofficial role. She was born for this, trained for this, and yet Kaie was still being stalked by lurking uncertainty in her soul. It was like some terrible pestilence hiding in the darkest corners of her thoughts. Its frail, bony complexion standing behind her where its cold lips whispered just behind her ear. It was manipulative and smooth. It was terrorizing her with the foul end of leadership. Through its eyes she could see everything that could possibly go wrong. Trying to plant that seed of self doubt to grow by her own fears.

But it would never find fertile soil. Kaie would make sure of that. She was a Myrian and a woman at that. Leading and facing the most perilous of threats in the dark was what she was born to do. It was the expectation of her society and the preconceptions of the outside world. Myrians were known for their prowess in battle and tactic. They were the cannibals, the savages that haunted the nightmares of the Deyhan. She could play the part. Live or die, it did not matter. What she needed to focus on was what she could do and do well. Remember what she had been taught and capitalize on what the hostile world let her learn through experience. To be confident, focused, and alert. All else would fall in the hands of Myri, and that had to be enough for her to continue forward.

When the mysterious man with the blackened eye spoke up, choosing to follow her into the depths, she nodded. Caves and spelunking were completely foreign to her. Though he had once taken her feelings of ease, Kaie would be happy to have him down there if he did have experience. Her eyes then flickered about the rest of the group. Some stared directly at her, others were shifty and nervous. It seemed a few of their peers were wearing a tough armor that was beginning to crack under the realization of possible danger. She could not make that assumption about them all, however, because the next set of eyes she found were much steadier in their gaze. They belonged to the tall tan man.

"Not a bad idea, actually. Best to even out our skills, hm? I guess that settles it. The rest of you will guard up top then?" She agreed with a shrug of her narrow shoulders and grin creeping up one side of her face. It seemed the more their little expedition was discussed, the more real it became. Naturally she hadn't a clue what would befall them all when they went down there, but thus far the ride was entertaining enough. As soon as she finished her response, she swiveled her head toward the younger man for input. The one the previous speaker suggested should lead the pack with her. Luckily she didn't have to ask.

His ramble was somewhat amusing to the savage woman. Once or twice she stole a glance back toward their employers, especially at the mention of the "tent for a shirt." It's not like she could really fight him on that necessarily. There was a reason they were all hired in the first place. Had they all been fit and ready to battle their way toward their own wealth, they would've saved their coin. All in all Kaie couldn't agree with him in the long run.

If only we had the time and the opportunity to secure as much as he thinks we can...

"You have to have explorers to map the inside of a cave to have a layout don't you? Well here they are. If us four go down, the rest are securing camp up top to guard the entrance, supplies, and our horses," Kaie explained as she tapped her fingers rhythmically over her gladius hilt. Muddy brown hues scanned the blonde guy's face, her ebony steed stomping impatiently at her side. It seemed everyone was starting to lose sight of the dangers in the unknown darkness they were about to descent into.

"Don't forget we're not just here to ward off some rouges and mountain men. We're here to kill whatever ungodly thing might be down there, too. That's how we earn our keep when all is done."

[Razkar]

One by one, they watched the odd group vanish down the proper hole. Wilhelm supposed there was some logical reason that one in particular had been chosen, but he neither knew nor cared what that was. A cave was a cave to him, and in his business, they were places to hide until interest in you had dimmed, not locations for fascinating subterranean jaunts.

Such was the life of a sellsword: one man's hired muscle was another man's bandit.

"Wadaya think they're looking for?"

The bearded mercenary shrugged and kept his eyes on the jagged peaks around them. "Something valuable, maybe. Jewels. Gold. Buried treasure. Or they're professor-types, y'know? After... bugs and stuff..."

Ambry crinkled his nose in mingled confusion and distaste. "Bugs? Petch's valuable about bugs?"

"Depends on the bug," Bravos' thick, accented voice rumbled over to them as he finished tying up the horses, brawny arms easily leading two mares each to a useful outcrop, "In Wind Reach, some places would pay for rare things. Pay in mizas."

"Yeah, well, hope for gold." Donal's voice was as much a cynical grumble as his brother Ambry's was a nasal whine. Like Wilhelm, he kept his mind on the job and eyes on their surroundings. "We're getting paid to sit on our arses and be bored off our minds for a day, might as well be a sodding bonus."

"Maybe..."

++++++++++

Bare rock seemed to stare back at them, but seemed was an accurate description. From a dozen hidden crannies and nooks peppering the ring of wind- and rain-blasted rocks, thousands of feet tall millennia ago, now "only" several hundred, eyes as cold and hungry as jackals or vipers stared at them. They observed weapons and stances; attitudes and voices; the horses, the packs... everything.

"Most of 'em are down in the cave. We could do it now."

"Not yet. Give the ones underground a nice lead. We go now, they might hear the others die. But... we leave it a few chimes... they'll be none the wiser..."

Impatient breathing from his left and right. Blades too long in sheaths and eyes too long starved of proper thievery and honest sadism surrounded him, and the leader sighed.

Such are the tools I have to work with. Amateurs. Maniacs. Animals. But useful, until I have enough to go home...

++++++++++

"These formations, they're... they're very... odd."

Uniform groans rose from three of the eight making their way through the damp, dripping darkness of the Everstone Forest's underworld. Lamps sputtered and hissed as water that had seeped through rock and earth for decades finally died on their flames, to be reborn as mist. Clanking tools belts rattled down silent passageways, the only illuminations, save for...

"You think these are a new breed?"

Lared just frowned as Mathias tore his eyes from stone and fixed them on the growing, wriggling worms struggling to escape the ultimate outside context intruders for their world. Tiny faces without eyes shied away from the flame, from the unseen face that crinkled and frowned behind a beard, staring at one of the dozens of worms lighting their way.

"I dunno, Mat, now can we please find something fun down here?"

"We may yet!" Jacen said with a faintly manic smile, licking his lips as he heard the faint whisper of... something that could be challenging. "Down here! I think that's water." Experienced hands dropped and brushed over a rubber suit, climbing pitons, picks and ropes. "C'mon, let's not waste time!"

++++++++++

They did not slumber. That implies they were once awake.

They were not. But what birthed them... that never slept. It may have been vaguely aware of the unexpected visitors far from the surface, but only in the way an elephant was aware of a flea or an ocean was aware of pod of whales.

Noticed, but irrelevant.

One by one, they came into creation. Life? Well, one could debate that. Seeing them in that inky, perpetual darkness, dirt and rock and soil crunched and crushed around them as sapient awareness was breathed into misshapen forms, yowling silently into the pitch of their earthen wombs... one would not associate such things with life.

But they were... they had, arrived. Under eager feet that slipped closer over wet rocks, plunging deeper into the caves and caverns, they were taking form... and their ineffable, unknowable sire was soon to wrench them up to greet the world...

OOCHehe, hope you liked everything gone on, guys! Feel free to post a bit of exploring, talking, spelunking, once you've had a round or posts or two I'll move it on again.

[Kaie]

The savage woman quirked a brow at the group when she had finished her response to the blonde. Her eyes flickered between her four volunteers almost expectantly, waiting for further protest or consent. Pink lips parted accompanying a sudden smile as if she were about to tell some sick joke. Like she were about to break the tension of their predicament with some wildly inappropriate statement. Yet whatever foolish amusement she intended to spread was halted at the sound of a voice.

"Myrian! We're ready!

And just like that she pursed her lips and reverted back to her most primitive form. Lost from her comrades was that one chink in her steel armor. Replacing any friendliness or vulnerability she might've displayed prior, the soft features of her face seemed to harden. There was thickness to the dark density of her muddy eyes. Once again she was that jungle warrior. The savage woman whose harsh accent mirrored the brutality of her home world. Like an untamed animal, her instincts slowly came back to life with the sudden transformation. It was time to begin their work, and despite her ignorance with caves and their descent, Kaie wasn't the type to become skittish. After all she had an unearned reputation to uphold.

"Hope none of you boys get nervous in tight spaces..." The Myrian teased a bit cynically, showing her teeth in a smug grin before leading her horse toward the explorers.

Several Ticks Later

Goddess, she was glad to rid her body of foreign gear the moment her feet firmly planted into solid ground. The descent itself was awkward and completely uncomfortable. Never had she felt so...Vulnerable. So exposed. Yet that displeasure was over and there was no time for her to whine like some Deyhan housewife. This was the time to get her head on straight and focus. She needed to get acquainted with her new surroundings first of all.

Well it would certainly help if it wasn't so petching dark down here...

The Myrian blinked a few times irritably, her eyes unaccustomed to the lack of sunlight. Quickly it became clear this space was forever in Akajia's reign. Luckily this fact was far more comforting to the jungle woman than it probably should've been. Completely blind to the world around her, she must've looked like a damned idiot if anyone could actually see her. Then again she wouldn't have expected anyone else to understand. Kaie's relationship with the Goddess of Night was between herself, her clan, and mentioned deity.

Finally they began to settle in one by one. At her comrade's suggestion, Kaie decided to lead the group through the caverns. Wandering firelight from the lamps bounced off the smooth edges of the gladius held in Kaie's hand. Half of her bronzed features were visible in the radiant light, while the rest laid in the shadows. Though she strained as they ventured, Kaie could never truly see through the eternal night in the caves. All that was visible was whatever was graced by the lamp light (or poisoned depending on one's outlook). Therefore, Kaie proceeded cautiously. Her footsteps were slow and deliberate. Quiet. Calculated and watchful was the Myrian woman. She did catch most of the explorers' conversations along the way though.

Yes. Fun. Something like an enormous supply of underground gold to mind, or diamonds to cut.

Such odd creatures were these men. Fascinated by bugs and creatures of the dark, dumbfounded by the way underground stones fused together. It all seemed so trivial in her mind. What was the use pondering over the difference between one worm and another? None that Kaie could see. That's when the one they called Jacen hustled off into the dark rambling something about water.

"Hey, I don't think that's such a good..." Kaie began to protest in disbelief at the man's rashness before trailing off when it was clear he didn't plan on stopping. She whipped around to search for the faces of her fellow mercenaries, her face riddled with utter confusion at his hate. Did he not remember why they had hired them in the first place? Wasn't there some taboo on running off into the dark before having a sword check it out first? The Myrian woman supposed nothing mattered much anymore. He was going and she would be surprised if his own men didn't follow.

Might as well follow the crazy bastard before something gets the jump on him...

[Senghor Vilhjalmr]

A devilish tug at the corners of his lips caused Senghor to lower his head slightly, whilst he let his mind wonder on her remark, tight spaces, he'd become accustomed to them very much so. Yet the before the smile could manifest, the warrior's features hardened once again as he now thought of the dangers lurking below, the earth beheld many secrets, farther beholding many variations of death as well. A low hum of thought seemed to escape from him as his ears picked up on the sounds of the myrian's footsteps moving farther away, soon after they all scattered to prepare themselves Senghor went back to his horse and watched the stubborn beast trot off slightly with subtle arrogance, the ebony skinned human clenched his fists momentarily before thinking, his thoughts trailed off as he raised his head an let this nostrils ingest the air... A unearthly shroud of uncertainty embraced Seng causing him to look down and feel 'off', it was but human nature to feel uncertainty, to feel as if though something or someone was there, intuition or instinct? Senghor didn't know, yet what he knew was that he was here too get paid and whether this feeling was true or not, he'd have to take on whatever came his way with the rage and skills bestowed onto him by his ancestors. Letting a sigh slip from his lips was dragged and long as he slowly walked over towards the horse, he spent most if not all of the time there before their descent struggling and conserving with the beast, arguing to better say and when Seng left it alone he walked around constantly in thought, his mind was gripped by... Something, something one couldn't define with mere words or act upon with mere action for it was indefinitely void. "I've to stop thinking like this..." Senghor said to himself as he looked around shortly and watched the rest expedition go about their doings. It was only a few moments later that the selected back row of the sellswords descent down into the hole one by one, he left to guard from the back only to be met by the eternal smothering of the bosom of the cosmos, darkness. As his eyes strained momentarily he closed his eyes and let his breath bounce off the walls of the entrance, shortly after light was conceived from the front and flickered off their features, the aggression of the light flickering playfully off their faces was somewhat seductive yet Seng swore below his breath as he was soon after groped by the face of night once more. Incandescent was a heavy word that fell to their situation, yet as they walked their words and carefully paced footsteps dug into the earth and cried out the crunch of stone and boots, the occasional sounds of metal's cling abruptly washed over their pathway whilst they kept moving to wash away the sounds of a these stuck up explorers Senghor fell deeper into his thought patterns. To him what seemed like a eternity was but a span of minutes and guarding from the back allowed for him delve deeper into what his genetic fruit was, their rage coursing through him was, a 'disorder' scientifically speaking... Once again he ship of thought was plundered and destroyed by the sounds of one of the explorers hollering and his footsteps collectively echoing lowly as he went farther, no soon after did the myrian call out and follow him, instinctively Senghor's arm raised and his fingers brushed the blade of his hilt. Inwardly he could hear his dark subconscious speak to him, its remark caused Senghor to frown as he let himself try to compose his rage and frustration, so soon and something stupid had already happened, damnit...

[Crypt]

The anticipation Crypt was feeling was nearly palpable. An enjoyable feeling it was - knowing that there could be something beneath them as they spoke, knowing that there was the possibility of uncovering something long lost, Crypt relished the feel of descending into the unknown, of traipsing old, makeshift paths, of... Well, he had ran out of adequate adjectives and metaphors to use.

He looked around him, watching the expressions on his temporary companions' faces change as they readied themselves for the underground. Kaie's expression grew more grim, more like a Myrian in the tales he had heard of - bloodthirsty and steadfast in their fanatical devotion to Myri, goddess of War.

"'Twould be a pity if we found nothing. Ah well, such is life."

~~~~~~~~~

Darkness. Petching, petching darkness.

The torches made it better, but there were still a few incidents where the lack of light nearly caused Crypt to stumble over loose rocks and the like. At least it was not like the Sands in the Underground - life wasn't being leeched out of you every second you remained there.

But the Streets Below were far worse. Danger was ever present, and even in the heart of the old families' strongholds creatures of magic, potent and with a tendency to attack all within sight, could be found every now and then. The experiences Crypt had there made him immune to the darkness here, but it was still rather annoying.

He remained silent for the most part, choosing to let his eyes wander over the walls of the caverns that were lit briefly by the torches that went past, catching scraps of what appeared to be faded symbols and rudimentary charcoal sketches of curious figures. It appeared that there had been people here before, but they were long gone. The further they went into the caves, the fewer the number of such signs of civilization.

He picked up a glowworm, bringing it close to his face, examining the internal structure closely. The epidermal and dermal layers of the glowworm's skin was translucent in nature, and as such afforded an interesting view of its innards. A simple digestive system, from top to bottom, without any non-essential organs attached to it like in humans. There was something already inside - perhaps it was the fungus that covered the surfaces of some of the rocks inside the cave?

A fascinating creature. Simple, but still functioning perfectly. The large number of glowworms is testament to that fact. I wonder, does it remain as a worm, or does it blossom into a butterfly like the caterpillar - or rather, a mockery of the flying insect? Can I replicate this effect?

He activated his Auristics again, grinning slightly as the information from its miniscule aura began seeping.

Yes, my theory about the sizes and complexities of auras depending on the relative sentience of living things is once again given proof. This aura is small. Simple. Monochromatic, even. But there are still different shades of grey, indicating limited - very limited - sentience.

He stopped for a moment before continuing to walk, disgust evident on his face. He made sure that he was constantly watching the ground, not wanting to experience a fall into the middle of the glowworms.

Oh, that's disgusting. I did not need to know what that fungus tasted like.

Back to business. From what I can see, two liquids are excreted and mixed from two different types of... small, squishy stuff. Both spread all over the body. Oh, and there's no blood vessels or anything like that in the worm's body. Just a tough epidermis, and the rest's just goo. Goo, goo, goo. So when they mix with each other, they react, and this light goes on. The match is struck and held to the candle wick. Now, if I want to replicate that effect, I must concentrate on both of them.

The more he stared at the glowworm, the larger its aura appeared to be, magnifying itself as he understood more of its body mechanisms and its structure.

Yes, the digestive juices appear to eating away at the fungus, reducing it to something finer than I can see. Nothing prevents it from just escaping through the end of the digestive system, but it simply spreads around the body and is absorbed. The excretory organs for both substances are evenly distributed around the body, but there is a high concentration around the bottom.

A chime passed before he obtained the required information.

Hmm. Quite a complex little thing, that. I suppose I could try to replicate it. I'll need to ensure that whatever I excrete isn't too much. My body mass must remain essentially the same.

He placed the glowworm on his palm, allowing the strange cooling sensation to spread. Deactivating his Auristics, he winced as he experienced a slight migraine, along with dilated pupils (Which, thankfully, also made it easier for him to see in the darkness, though at the cost of decreased visual acuity). His Djed usage was not very much, and he still had access to more than half of it.

Allowing the glowworm to remain in the middle of his palm, Crypt, now at the back of the team, having fallen back when he was studying the glowworm, used the feeling of the worm as a focus, allowing him to concentrate most of his attention on his palm.

Using his other hand's index finger to poke at the middle of his palm, Crypt drew out an outline of the two glands with the tip of his nail, repeating the pattern as an ersatz focus. The indicated area slowly grew in size, utilising his knowledge of the glowworm's bioluminescence mechanism to develop itself. It could not be expressed in any words he could use, but the concepts were there.

Two substances reacting together to form light. Each from different organs. But there's more.

He placed the glowworm onto the floor of the cavern, taking care to ensure that it was not directly in the path which the others would take. It had served him well - even piqued his interest, and he would not simply throw it away.

Let there be light!

He smirked. A small, faint glow presented itself inside his palm, and he could see it flowing through his blood vessels to spread around his hand. He could feel the small organs producing the strange liquids, and he would be able to maintain it for quite a while, given its small size (even if it was complex).

Then the blasted Jacen shouted, and Kaie and Senghor responded shortly after, moving after him. His concentration was disrupted, and there was an almost violent snap-back. His grin slipped from his face, and he clenched his fist, enduring the pain for a few seconds until it faded.

Minor overgiving already. I was distracted. Sodding Morphing.

He looked up from where he was staring at his fist, already seeing the others a distance away from him.

"Oh, petch. What an excellent time to forget why I'm here. No fun, no games..."

He grumbled under his breath as he followed the others.

[Faval]

Faval’s gaze did not seem to shift from it’s perpetually bored form, but a particularly astute person would probably feel his body language shift. Faval was no longer bored and bemused as he played with his rock, but instead his eyes were boring into Kaie’s as she gave her retort to his concerns. At that point she had sparked the first kernel of doubt in Faval’s mind. She was making it out to be far, far more simple than it was in reality. She either knew something she wasn’t bothering to share with the class or she simply did not understand basic strategy. Running down there, swords drawn, was the least effective method for invading an enemy territory and that’s exactly what they were doing if they needed mercenaries. The air around the group meant that they were not telling their employees everything they needed to know to ensure everyone’s survival and that angered Faval immensely. The enthusiasm showed by the others however reminded Faval that despite his occupation, he was rather alone in the mercenary world. There is a dramatic difference between a warrior and a soldier. Based on nothing but their exchanges and stereotype of her race, Kaie was a warrior. She focused on the strength of self, she was headstrong, bordering on belligerent and she was going to fight every challenge that came her way simply because she felt she was strong. If people were with her, great, but it was adding on to her skills and not contributing to a whole. She sought violence and combat, which was not what Faval’s training taught him. He was a soldier, he was trained to function as part of a unit. Tactics, stratagem and cohesion all took precedence over individual skill. They weren’t a unit right now, they were a group of warriors who were being sent to fight a foe they knew nothing about, there was no tactics, no plan, no strategy. Their entire gameplan was “run in to the cave until something menacing appears and stab it.” Faval was not comfortable with that and if any one bothered to pay attention, it showed.

Unfortunately for Faval, another defining characteristic of a soldier was to follow orders and he had his, he was going down there, but before he could object to their haphazard disregard to proper planning, the group sped off toward the caverns beneath them and Faval was forced to follow along. He descended with the group into the darkness below, not bothering to dignify the enclosed spaces joke with a response as the young man did his best to survey the people he was working for. Faval was born in Zeltiva, so he was rather familiar with the educated individual and he was a naturally curious person himself, so the glow worms fascinated him quite considerably and for once he found himself actually enjoying himself on this little venture. He wasn’t nearly as high strung as his employers but angst wasn’t really necessary for the inquisitive mind. That inquisitive mind had more important things to focus on however, like feeling out his employers and teammates. The giant man for instance seemed rather lost in his own thoughts...or perhaps he was just scared of the dark, Faval probably shouldn’t judge, and Kaie seemed...well...apprehensive. It was interesting, she was moving with incredibly deliberate, slow, and methodical steps. It was almost as if she was an animal stalking her prey...or an animal hiding from its predator. He couldn’t make out much with the limited amount of light he had, but just from the sound of her steps and the few glimpses of her posture he could make out through the lamp it had seemed like that earlier swagger was no longer present. That was fine for Faval, some apprehension on her part did a lot to assuage his concerns about how seriously the threats down here were being taken.

The inquisitive mind switched targets rather quickly though as he noticed the heterochromiac was no longer fully with the group. Faval stopped before swinging his lamp around the path they just traversed to see Crypt, staring intently at one of the many glow worms that they had found scattered around the tunnel. Faval completely turned around, slowly stepping toward Crypt as the boy just watched the wheels turn in his head. Magic was not something Faval was knowledgeable on, in any capacity, so he had no idea what the man was doing as he stared at the captured glow worm. Was the creature really that interesting that it deserved such focused attention? A small step forward was taken as Faval slowly tried to approach to get a better look at Crypt’s...well...look. It was then that Faval saw something he couldn’t have seen. For a brief moment it looked like the glow worm’s luminescence expand. No, that wasn’t it, it was Crypt’s hand, it mimicked the worm. How did he do that? What even was that? The glow was gone as quickly as it had shown up, and left Faval unsure whether or not he imagined the phenomenon. Before he could properly inquire further however, he heard the scraping of excited feet and the exasperated admonition from their fearless leader before she followed. Faval was reminded again that strategic planning and logic was not going to be at the forefront of their little expedition and foolish detours such as this were most likely going to be frequent. Faval quickly slung his bow off his shoulder and quietly followed behind them, staying as subtle as possible. If something was going to jump on them, he wanted to make sure he was ready to jump on it.

[Razkar]

"Oh, you've got to be petching joking!"

"C'mon, where's your spirit of adventure?"

Lared liked to think he certainly had one. He'd been coming in these exhilarating jaunts for months now, partly to bond with his buddies, partly to assuage the boredom of his life as just another merchant in Ravok, and yeah, he'd dangled off his share of precipices and squirmed down forgotten crevices in the world.

But scaling a waterfall?

Jacen grinned up through foam and mild insanity as two additional faces bobbed into view next to Lared. Darick and Matthias wore different expressions: the former had the same look of slack-jawed disbelief he usually donned on these occasions, but Matthias' older, weathered features were a little more reserved.

He just shook his head and sighed.

I'm going to have to go down there, too. Wonderful.

"Jacen, this-this is a little-"

"Extreme?!" He boomed joyously above the rush and roar of the waterfall and hammered another piton into the rock under it with the energy of a madman. His clothes were already soaking through. The icy water was shocking him into life and numbing him into nothing, often in the same tick... but the first one was what mattered. "Told you this one was going to be different!"

More shuffling and clanking from behind them. Mathias turned to see their quartet of escorts jogging to meet them, stooped to avoid the low tunnel ceiling and Jacen gave them a broad, cheery wave.

"Earning your mizas today, aren't we?" He pointed to the pitons he'd already hammered into the slick and shining stone, leading in a rough line to the middle of the waterfall. "You'll have to find your own handholds, but the ropes are laced through the pitons! Safety lines are up to you! Darick, show them how!"

"Jace, this is-"

"Oh, c'mon, lads!" Now Jacen's face twisted into something more akin to disappointment than anger. "What did you think we'd be doing, huh? Scraping through mud and glow worms and playing it safe all day?"

"There's a different between excitement and stupidity, Jace." Mathias said in his usual calm, collected and fucking infuriating tone. He looked down and saw nothing but empty air, flecked with endlessly falling water... and at the very bottom, looking more like a puddle than a pool, was the water that human eyes had probably never seen. "This is the latter. Come to the side, we'll go down the safe way."

"Safe, safe, safe," Jacen snorted, already looking away and down, squinting to find his next handhold, "S'what happens when you take along an oldFUCK-!"

Worn by centuries and certainly never expecting to have a foolhardy human nestling on it, the rock under his feet gave way with a crash and into the blackness. With a shriek and a jerk downward Jacen was suddenly freefalling, plunging, hands scrabbling, scratched bloody over sharp stone-

-until his safety line finally caught, an invisible hand holding him, saving him-

-for the moment.

"It won't hold!"

Darick's trembling find pointed to the creaking piton, shaking and twisting already in the hole Jacen had forged into the waterfall for it. But it wasn't designed to deal with his full weight squirming at the end of it, and was slowly... slowly... working its way loose.

"You've got to help him!"

++++++++++

He staggered into the darkness with the screams of his friends ringing in his ears... if he could call them "friends", anyway. Which he didn't. He had bigger problems to worry about: like the broken crossbow bolt lodged in his side.

"Useless... bastards..."

Ah, if every there was a fitting epitaph for his trio of helpers, it would be that. Bolts and arrows rained down from places they should have checked, should have scouted. Donal and Ambry went down like shrieking pincushions, Bravos leaping behind a rock and looking for the attackers-

-right before Wilhelm saw something that was once a man drop onto him like a bolt of black lightning and sink its teeth deep into his shoulder.

The huger man bucked and leaped and whirled in stunned, pained anger, but the half-naked brawler refused to let go. Wilhelm saw one of his arms piston back and forth, closed fist a blur... until the spurts and jets of blood started to truly bloom in the clear, bright sun.

Bravos went down to one knee. His attacker snarled with a mouthful of sharp, bloody teeth.

Wilhelm opened his mouth to scream and the crossbow bolt took him, his whole world spun and shook and there was nothing but pain and screaming horses and begging men and merciless shadows dropping down from the rocks.

He let himself fall backwards into the cave entrance scrambling to his feet and plunging into the darkness. Uncomprehending little glow worms watched his progress without even passing interest; the affairs of man were, ironically enough, beneath their concern.

Wilhelm did likewise, but appreciated their illumination. Grunting, gasping, every step grinding the steel bolt against his bones, he walked on and on, ignoring it as best he could. Whoever those motherless fuckweasels were, he knew their mentality: no survivors, no witnesses, no loose ends.

They'd be coming after him.

++++++++++

There was... movement. Shifting in the earth. In the air. They could feel the vibrations of panicked, frenzied... life. There had to be life. Movement always meant life of some breed. A glacier, an ocean, a struggling cave-diver... all were life. Things that existed and made their way.

Soundless screams rose from dozens of throats (if that was the right word for their biology). Human wouldn't have heard them at first, but dogs would have been driven mad... and then the earth shook. The cavern - still and serene for countless millenia - suddenly swelled at its base... and grasping hands clawed their way to a new and waiting world.

That which birthed them granted one final boon. A purpose. A drive, without which all life was merely awareness.

Hunger. Twisted, malformed, still spasming as nerve endings fired for the first times and with dirt and mud pouring from frames like a madman's nightmares of humans... they hungered. The pitiful handful that were too premature to crawl from their wombs were butchered and devoured, but it was... poor fare. No struggle worthy of the name, and their rapacity only increased. Tempted, but not satisfied.

One among them, taller, broader, eyes gleaming with the embryo of low cunning... looked up... at caves and passageways hidden above them.

As one, so did the rest.

In the darkness, they began to swarm higher. Towards The Feed.

[Kaie]

Kaie came to an abrupt halt at the sight of the men and the waterfall. One look at Jacen's enthusiastic, insane expression, and she had a feeling she knew exactly what he was planning to do.

Petching adrenaline junkies...

Thus far, she hadn't felt nervous in the close quarters of the caverns. In fact she was almost awestruck with the innards of the structure. Cold and damp, and plenty of humidity building the closer they came to the falls. Stalactites hung overhead haphazardly, covering the ceiling in clusters of natural chandeliers looking more like spears waiting to drop. The eternal darkness brought a wave of calm to the savage, with it an air of mystery. The black abyss brought thoughts of a Goddess she would not speak of to her mind. It was if Kaie felt the mistress lurking in the absence of light, just outside the reach of their lanterns. Yet all the twisted tranquility Kaie sought on her adventure was shattered as soon as one barbarian decided to make a daring feat.

Thank the Gods someone from the group was protesting the fool's demands. Kaie wasn't too apprehensive when it came to climbing, but slippery stones were far different from mossy branches. She'd never needed equipment to climb in Falyndar. The jungle had been her playground with plenty of places to hold on. Now she was expected to saunter over there and strap herself to come rope? There was a difference between abiding duty and falling into a trap of stupidity. The line between those two right then was a very fine one indeed. Yet whose leadership was she obliged to follow other than her own? The answer to her uncertainty came in the form of a cursing explorer and crumbling stones.

She raced toward the space the man had once been, falling to her hands and knees to peer over the side after him. He was too far gone for her to have tried to catch him. Fate would just have to have its way with him. Dira did not come that day though, for Kaie saw the line tighten far below. Perhaps she shouldn't have spoken so soon, for the creaking of the supporting piton tilted the man's odds in an unfavorable direction. A man yelled the obvious, but there was nothing the Myrian woman could do. Nothing but wait and see what the Fates allowed.

"Guess we outta send after him," Kaie said while easing up into a crouch just a foot or so from the edge. She looked down into the pit where nothing but darkness, water, and stupid men fell. Someone had spoken of a safer route earlier, and she supposed that was what their next step should've been. It's not like they could leave the poor bastard down there could they?

The shaking of the earth brought the Myrian woman falling back on her hands, scrambling from the edge, a precaution to be sure the quake didn't send her down the falls. And when it stopped, Kaie returned to her feet and faced the rest of the group with a quizzical expression. Something told her their eyes would mirror the concern in hers. Hopefully this wasn't an odd occurrence in caving? "What the petch was that?"


OOC:Sorry for the delay, guys! I had a few things to take care of but I shouldn't take so long to reply again. Let's get the ball going.

[Senghor Vilhjalmr]

Every entity has its superstitions, even those whom believe they don't often do question whether things around them, as the warrior son of Cagn Vilhjalmr followed the myrian with a observant eye suddenly he felt as if though he was carrying a weight on his shoulder, though that was somewhat true due to him protecting the 'explorers' he felt that the phantom weight was of something else. He trailed his globes to the side and gazed at the walls momentarily, a mass of crevices and dreary tones of earth millennia old, before he looked ahead and saw the myrian halt, the air around them now heavier, deeper and shallow to the presence of the water yet maybe that was only him as the cluster of humanly flesh and breath suffocated the fibres that bound oxygen together, the more they all took breath it seemed the more Dira's lips grazed their skin and lungs, closer and closer as each grain from the sands of time fell. As Senghor halted as well, his macabre thoughts ceased to exist for what short little time they could before he saw one of his employers immersed with his stupidity and lust for adrenaline. A swear of pure disgust slipped from the son of Sunberth's lips as he looked up at Jac- damn it he really didn't care about some stupid kid's name after this dumbass stunt. 'Oh Lhex, please let him fall...' thought the Vilhjalmr's tainted subconscious as it watched through the eyes of the lithe body of its master, and is if its prayers were directly intertwined with the threads of fate and coincidence a deafening wail of fear coupled with a thunderous groan so feral it tore through the ears of the members expedition was abruptly ignited as the slab of rock gave way to the weight of its tormentor. Senghor's senses all rushed into his brain and caused traffic, it'd seemed that the entire events that were unfolding fell dead to him as he looked up and merely blinked, his features stoic and flat whilst the world around him fell silent, fell dead. To him, their screams and shouts were muddled words that slipped from one ear to the other, even their moves seemed like a blurred mass of colors that lacked texture for a moment. Slowly, they all began to register as a single sense to him, as the adrenaline and confused faded and logical thinking took their place it was all to late. All Senghor now saw was the myrian began to stand and her lips move, they said something that only registered a second later. The lup-dup rhythmic song of his heart went back into its proper tune, a slow yet unsure nod seemed to come from the mercenary as he looked into the morbid eyes of the rest of his employers, Senghor knew that even the casualty of one would sway his pay, yet he knew that a little 'persuasion' would make them think twice before blaming the actions of one of their own on him. It was than the bowels of the earth shifted, a quivering within the womb of all living rock and earth's flesh shook them slightly off balance, yet Seng retained his footing even though it was about as a butcher stripping the flesh of a carcass, it was only than that Senghor's hearing cleared and he heard the myrian Kaie question what'd happened, he to could only ask the same if he were in her position...

[Crypt]

My impression of that bloody fool being an actual bloody fool is yet again reinforced.

Crypt resisted the decidedly tempting urge to slap his forehead and groan at the sheer folly of Jacen. There was a safer way to do this - he couldn't think of anything right now, given that he was being distracted by the early senility Jacen appeared to have contracted - but this was not what he signed up for. Unfortunately, there was a contract. And he had to stick to it.

"I will give that man one thing. When it comes to idiocy, he is second to none."

And there. Further proof that Jacen was an imbecile of the highest order. He fell, he petching fell after the rock gave way to his weight.

Crypt retained no sympathy for that man; he at least didn't die from a foolhardy nature, and Jacen had to be thankful enough for that.

He didn't have any clear idea about how to save the man - his Morphing skills were too rudimentary to Morph anything useful to pull him from death, and Flux would only damage his muscles and render him useful for the duration of the expedition. What he did have, though, was a surplus of rope.

"I'll be throwing you a rope. Grab it, and we'll pull you back."

He threw it over to the unfortunate ignoramus, gesturing for the others to hold onto sections of the rope to reel the dimwit in to safety. Meanwhile, as they held the rope and began to pull him in, he closed his eyes, muttering to himself.

"Forty two. Twenty one. Fourteen. Seven. Six. Three. Two. One."

The Djed in his body surged as he completed his impromptu incantation, flowing towards his left arm. He gathered Djed from his right arm, leaving part of it to allow the affected limb to function fully. He nudged some of it into the tendons of his elbow joint and wrist, toughening them. Crypt moved the rest into the muscles of his arm, strengthening them and enhancing his strength. He had to struggle to maintain even that amount of control over his Djed, and he could not use enough to trigger overgiving. Overgiving, even if mild, was not something to joke about. He had heard the Sweet Whispers only once, but it was enough.

Crypt raised a hammer and continuously slammed it onto the top of a large piton placed on the hardened floor of the cavern, dirt that was almost rock, sharp end pointed downwards, until a respectable length of it was embedded within the ground. He released the effects of the Flux, wincing as he detected an ache within the muscles he had used. He would still be able to swing a sword, but using Flux again for a long stretch of time - to him, it was about a few minutes - would start causing minor internal injuries.

He looped the rope around it a few times, before pulling it such that the coils would tighten around the piton. The Drykas then made a simple figure-of-eight knot with the end of the rope and the length of rope that led to the others, repeating it thrice. The entire set-up would not hold Jacen there, dangling until he starved and died, but it was sufficient if there were any distractions. He then returned to aiding the rest.

Dira's mark tingled, and he paused in his actions, even as the others worked to lift Jacen up.

I smell death in the air. It comes from above.

He looked back at where they had came from, even though he knew that they were deep underground. It wasn't just the death of the curious glowworms. Their deaths under the expedition's feet were too minor for him to be concerned about. This scent that he had caught was faint, but it was enough to make him suspicious.

No use dwelling on that. Best get to work.

The miniscule earthquake surprised Crypt, but he managed to retain a hold on Jacen. The screaming nincompoop fell a few lengths, but he was still attached to the rope.

He had no reason to suspect that Yukmen had awoken.