The Chosen [IC/PG-16]

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"I was in the neighborhood anyway, figured I shouldn't let you all be eaten. Though it is a shame those things have to attack travelers for food. What even are you all doing here anyway?"

 

"We're here on a, frankly suicidal, mission to close off a demon gate somewhere in this desert, although we always ended up being distracted by many things throughout our journey."

 

Anis saw no reason to lie about their mission. If this man was an ally of the group's enemies, he'd attack them sooner or later anyway. Might as well tell the truth for the small chance of being assisted in some way. She had finished dealing with Reinaan's poisoning, removing most of the poison concentration from his blood circulation while also getting several samples she could test out for herself. Keres ended up dealing with closing the wound in the meantime. Once she was sure that Reinaan wasn't in as bad of a condition as before, Anis stood up.

 

"While this sandstorm continued to rage, we would need to decide our next destination and course of action. The scorpions will still be there when the sandstorm's done, so we might need to find a way to safely pick off them from safety.

 

Otherwise, maybe we can explore this place more I guess?"
 

---

[Andx]

The Draken sat still as the Nature Chosen began her work. She had initially been opening the wound a bit more which he had been unable to feel due to the poison. But that changed very quickly as she started withdrawing the tainted blood and replacing it with clean blood created by her magic. The boy twitched as the pain of the wound itself was the first thing to return. Sensation slowly started creeping out into his back and shoulders from there. Keres joined the efforts and started pouring water into the wound in an attempt to soothe the pain. While he behaved himself overall, the boy grunted as the process went on. Several times what sounded like the start of a cry of pain escaped his mouth but the Water Chosen's help would cause it to subside quickly enough to stop the full noise from sounding.

 

Meanwhile the newcomer engaged the group in conversation. Reinaan eyed the man down suspiciously once or twice but otherwise was preoccupied with his treatment. He didn't particularly want to speak to this man anyway after his outburst toward him earlier. Anis had finished her process and Reinaan could finally move his arms again. With the Nature Chosen's work concluded, Keres took over patching up the injury. She apologized for the rough nature of the patch but commented that it wasn't bleeding anymore which was more than enough for the boy. Reinaan released the tension in his back that had built up during the treatment, putting his hands to the floor to support him as sat and leaned back, nearly into Keres in the process. He turned himself about on the ground, careful not to sweep the girl's legs with his tail in the process, so he could face her.

 

"Don't worry about it." he said smiling in full force despite the fatigue from the battle and treatment of his wound. "That felt like it would of hurt a lot worse if you weren't here. Thank you Keres."

[Alaina]

Ryia had sat back against the wall, as the mystery man had begun to ask his question. The girl didn't feel like answering at first, both because she figured she'd leave it to the others in addition to not being sure how much of their quest they should just unload onto strangers that they had met. However, this worry was either alleviated or exasperated, she wasn't sure which, as Gilly began to explain their quest to close the demon...fences. Anis had followed up as well, explaining the situation more in full and asking about the place they were in. 

 

The man then whistled. "Guess that's why something felt weird. Not gonna lie wouldn't have expected this," he gestured at the group "to be the heroes of our time." To Anis he spoke directly. "Not a good idea to explore right now anyway. No idea how much of this place there is. Never really tried. Dunno even if there's any way to go farther." He leaned back. "Might as well rest up. Those things will have to find other food eventually."

 

Ryia didn't have any objections in merely sitting down and resting for the moment. They last fight had taken quite the toll on her stamina, and so she was fine just sitting around and recovering, rather than exploring some unknown building that could potentially have others in it as well. Yet still, the man seemed to have some familiarity with what they were doing, though whether that was simply by common knowledge or if knew of it personally. So, with a curious expression on her face, she asked, "U-um, do you know anything about the Demon, uh, Gate here?"

 

"No clue. I've been wandering around looking for where the moon went."

 

With a pensive expression, the girl seemed to be thinking about something before asking, "well, do you uh know anything about a gathering of uh, sharks around here?"

 

"Yeah, school's been in session for a while over yonder." He lazily pointed off in a general direction. "Maybe they're confused with this sun thing going on too. Didn't feel like jumping into shark jaws though."

 

Thinking about what he said, the girl wondered how associated the two happenings were. It was certainly possible that whoever had stolen the shrine's artifact had also been in control of the sharks, especially if they had both been going on for awhile. Yet, if that were the case then how did that associate with demon gate? Unless it didn't and it was just another independent occurrence in of itself. The girl continued to sit there in her thoughts, trying to make sense of what was happening in this desert. 

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Having responded to three of the group the mysterious swordsman seemed to be content that he had told them all he could. He settled back down and watched as they went about their business. It seemed he was examining them. Though he'd flash a carefree smile to anyone who looked his way. His eyes settled most on the most silent of the group. Oddly not Keres it was instead Lindow. There was something off about that one...

 

"That felt like it would of hurt a lot worse if you weren't here. Thank you Keres."

 

Keres had to be careful to avoid the Draken bumping into her. He was so...relaxed. He clearly was used to being around people a lot more than some others here. The girl nodded at him. "You're welcome." She stated simply. Though it was a step up from her usual silent responses. She was glad to have helped.

 

Ryia had gotten some information, though it wasn't much, out of the stranger and for the first time Keres looked over at him. He was unusual. She wasn't sure how he showed up when he did. If he had been just around or if he had come there because they had arrived. Then again it seemed he used this place to rest so perhaps that was why. But then why did he never go into the city?

 

She didn't think she'd find an answer but she couldn't help but mull it over.

 

They were all worn out and, after some time, Keres made the suggestion of resting for a few hours. It would be difficult to tell what time it was and how long had passed but they certainly couldn't set out while the sandstorm was going and while they were all so worn out.

 

[spoiler=OOC]So basically if there's any more interaction you want to do or anything you want to get set up before setting out and such then do that now else we'll be resting and moving on.

Also Hollow needs to post before next week or else Lindow will get some form of penalty.

 

[Hälō]

Lindow simply nodded to the water chosen's request. Though when he finally moved towards Gilly he sensed that he was being watched by their new ally. Unbothered, he quickly placed himself behind the Ice Chosen with a playful scoff.

 

"Though the help is appreciated... I'm afraid you're not my type." The witch hunter glanced at the other man whilst placing his hand firmly atop Gilly's head to stop her from moving whilst she rambled.

 

"I'm sure that'll change once you get to know me, eyepatch." The man responded slyly, drawing a smirk from Lindow. Returning his attention to Gilly, the Thunder Chosen studied the halfling for a moment to get a gauge of her injuries before raising his free hand and hovering it about an inch from her body.

 

"I couldn't help but notice your blade. I've only ever heard of Elves wielding katanas." Lindow spoke conversationally in an attempt to block out the preaching whispers that began to echo in his mind as he called forth the magic of Light.

 

"It's not like anyone can't pick it up and swing it about." The man replied again. "It came from the forest but now it's here."

 

"And where might it be going next?" As the spoke, Lindow watched as the Light's spirits gently glow began mending Gilly's injuries.

 

"Dunno, guess it'll be here for a while until ya know...the moon comes back."

 

"Well, well." When he was confident that the girl was back to full health, he shifted his full attention to the stranger whilst still squatting affectionately at the Chosen of Ice's level.

 

"It seem's we've stumbled across another hero..."

 

He shrugged. "Got nothing better to do."

 

"It would appear that our goals are in line..."

[Sethera]

"It seem's we've stumbled across another hero..."

 

"Got nothing better to do."

 

"It would appear that our goals are in line..."

 

"No! No no no no no! That's no way for a hero to behave." Gilly shook her head vigorously, arms crossed now that she was healed. "A true hero is valiant and daring! Of course there is nothing better to do, because being a hero is always the best thing to do." She turned to Mr. Lindow. "Oh and thanks for the healing, Mr. Lindow," she grinned, before turning back to Edgy McEdgePants, who sounded more and more like a Mr. WishyWashy to her. "See, Mr. Lindow is always willing to help others, even if they can do it themselves," she mumbled the last part, "and that's what makes him a true hero!"

 

When Keres suggested they rest, Gilly jumped up and said, "A hero needs no rest!" before getting up to explore the area. Hob, on the other hand, took that suggestion gladly, flopping onto the ground and tucking his front legs underneath like a cat.

 

Snow, on the other hand, left the safety of the bag to peer at the mysterious swordsman. While the man didn't seem nefarious, it was always good to keep an eye on any unknowns, just in case.

[Andx]

A yawn escaped the boy's mouth almost as if on cue as Keres suggested the group rest while they could. He had been watching the others, the new person in particular. Lindow and Gilly seemed to have little to no issue interacting with the man and the Draken would have joined them under normal circumstances. But the hesitancy to trust him dominated Reinaan's thoughts on the man. He had talked about trying to figure out what happened to the moon here and the idea had been on the back of the Fire Chosen's mind since he had first been told there was no night here. Regardless he left the man to the others and turned to Kloqah who still seemed grumpy from fighting the scorpions. The boy got himself up off from the ground and went to her side and began unloading her to let her rest more comfortably.  He went through his belongings, inspecting their condition. Most everything was in order, short a weapon though he was. He sighed however as he spread out the cloak from the council and his own signature jacket. The tears in the cloak and now ugly hole in the back of the jacket called to him with a deep sadness over their diminished coolness.

 

"Don't be sad Reiny, you look much better without them." a sudden happy voice sounded in Reinaan's ear. He twitched as he realized it was Ziiyol at his side and then promptly groaned a bit.

 

"What would you know about what looks good on people?" came the reply. Mentally he tried to prepare himself for whatever ridiculous idea his spirit would concoct for this conversation.

 

"Your scales are much more wild than any article of clothing could be." she said, her obvious appreciation for things that reminded her of fire showing. "You know this is a good time to test my theory-" she started.

 

"Yeah yeah, bad stuff happens when I wear clothes, you don't have to remind me..." Reinaan said dismissively as he held the jacket closer to his face to inspect the hole. There was some hope in him of repairing it but it would take a human knowledgeable in sewing to do such a thing. "Guess I don't got much of a choice but to test it now." he said as he began folding the garments to put them away. Clothing was all about the cool factor for him. And ugly holes and tears weren't cool. As he was more than comfortable being naked as it was, and none of his fellow Chosen had raised any complaints thus far, this ultimately changed very little for him other than giving him an errand to run at the next village they encountered. The Fire Spirit seemed giddy at the idea, eliciting another sigh from the boy. She was going to have too much fun with this.

 

With everything in order and off of Kloqah's back the mount had already curled up to begin sleeping. It was time to sleep off another battle for the Draken and so he leaned up against the lizard's side to begin resting himself. The constant sound of the sandstorm outside made one last scanning of the area pointless, and it wasn't long at all before his eyes were to heavy to look around anyway. All he would have found was the Great Gilly attempting to explore the room while the others did what chatting or resting they desired anyway.

[Alaina]

As the group continued to rest, Ryia merely continued to sit around and catch her breath, wiping off her brow to keep it clear of sweat. While there was a momentarily lull in conversation, the girl suddenly noticed some kind of odd tension between Lindow and the mysterious boy, which only seemed all the more apparent as they began to exchange conversation. As Lindow had finished his piece, the girl looked figured he was trying to invite the man along and said, "um, about that." Turning to the mysterious boy, she continued, "we uh, we think the gathering of sharks might have um, something to do with that. So um," the girl began twiddling her fingers, made only even more nervous asking as Gilly began to walk around in her usual cheery manner, but eventually said, "would you um, uh, like to come with us?" 

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

Her offer to start checking out the area was rejected, and so Anis returned to where Ileca was resting and lie her head on her soft feathers. Shirin continued to keep an eye of the new person, while Anis' consciousness drifted around as the fatigue from taking the poison out of Reinaan's body finally took its toll on her. It was the most crude way of doing it, but she didn't have the luxury of developing an antitoxin just yet, not when she didn't even know about the content of the beast's poison. Well, she had a vial of it now, she could analyze it later and use it for her advantage. But that would only come for later.

 

For now...

 

Well, it's not like they would be going anywhere in this sandstorm.

 

Anis then closed her eyes, resting with a serene expression while the rest interacted off with each other.

 

---

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

"It would appear that our goals are in line..."

 

The swordsman raised an eyebrow at this. Goals... "Is that so..." he muttered. Then he was assaulted by Gilly's sudden lecture.

He listened intently to what she said and nodded along. "Well then that's that, I'm no hero. Not like you, Gilly right?" Aaand she was gone soon after, exploring the room despite the futility.

 

There was rubble anywhere and anything that resembled an entrance to another part of the building seemed to be caved in and would take much effort to get to. She would notice that the room seemed to slope downward at some point, as if the building were sunken into the sand....

 

"would you um, uh, like to come with us?"

 

And then there was this one. He sat up straighter and leaned forward, eyeing the girl up. She seemed afraid for some reason. "Well, I guess there's no reason not to. I'll tag along for now. Just don't expect me to become a hero like that one." He gestured over at Gilly before leaning back and closing his eyes to rest.

 

It seemed most of the other were also settling in and so Keres sat with her back against a wall. She had been watching the interactions going on with some interest, not that you could tell from her face, but as things started to slow down she decided it was time to rest.

---

Magic

She could feel it

She could taste it

It had been so long

It had been an eternity

She must have it

They must have it

Her children are hungry

 

It slithered through the tomb, using passages only it knew of, only one who had been here for centuries could have hoped to uncover, making its way to the surface for the first time in years. The magic had awoken her. The magic had drawn her. And she would have it.

 

There, in the robes, that girl...she was filled with the magic. The magic she needed for her children to thrive.

 

With a quick motion she bit into the girl, who had been keeping watch, and her venom quickly caused the girl to seize up. Unable to speak. Unable to move. She dragged the girl with her down the tunnels.

---

When the group woke, be it from someone waking for their turn to keep watch or otherwise, they would find Keres had gone missing. It seemed there was no sign of the girl and all of her stuff had been left behind. After some looking it would be Hob who would find a clue. Her boot, wedged between some rocks, by itself. And if the group were to look closer they'd notice that the rocks could be moved to show a hole in the floor of the building. It appeared that something had disturbed the rubble in this area enough so that it would only take a small amount of time to clear it out.

[Andx]

As one of the first to sleep, Reinaan found himself among the first to rise. He let out a groan that seamlessly transitioned into a yawn as he stretched out his arms. Kloqah had stirred before him and had been watching the small sleeping lizard fairly intently but shifted her head away as he moved and began to shift about to get him to get off her side. The rest had done the Draken well, as the fatigue of the battle seemed to have left him. His injury seemed to be in decent shape as well from the aid Keres and Anis had provided him. More importantly, his arms moved unimpeded by any sort of scorpion venom. The boy sat for a few minutes, simply allowing himself to wake up and take in his surroundings again.

 

This process of scanning the room felt off. Perhaps he was still half asleep but they seemed a man down. Or maybe the number was just what it should be. But then the newcomer was still here and he counted five others beside himself and the mounts. After patting at his face some he took another look and it clicked who was missing. "Where'd Keres go?" he mumbled out loud. It seemed unlikely she would have gone outside on her own given the ever present danger of the desert scorpions. But there weren't exactly any other rooms in this building she could have gone into either. The boy got up and, after brushing himself off, walked over to where the Water Chosen had settled down. All her belongings were still as she'd left them. That made even less sense. If for some reason she had gone outside she would have naturally thought to bring something to defend herself with.

 

"Guys, wake up!" he called to the perhaps still sleeping group in an attempt to rouse them. "Keres is gone!" he added. The only thing that made sense to him thus far was that the girl must have gone outside and so he naturally began moving toward the entrance hoping to find some trace of her. But looking out into what little part of the bright as ever desert was visible without putting himself in danger yielded little but a view of the same old sand dunes. A touch of anxiety seemed to be setting in. Keres wasn't exactly defenseless but lots of things could overpower her physically if she'd been caught off guard. Where would she have even gone on her own in the night and why?

 

The Draken would continue to search with a mounting frustration over the limited possibilities of what could have happened. But eventually came Hob's discovery of one of the girl's boots wedged between some rocks. The mountain-cave-dweller hadn't thought tunnels to be even remotely possible in this sand but the area looked like something had recently closed an entrance to one. The boy quickly got down on his knees and began clawing away at the rubble, hoping to find the opening he believed to be there.

[Sethera]

Had Gilly stayed to pay attention she would have been overjoyed to have somebody agree with her, proving yet again that she was a great hero. Alas, for her attention span would not allow that, and the halfling proceeded to explore the area, before eventually giving up and proclaiming it "boring" with a huff.

 

It seemed she had slept for half a second when she woke up to Reiny boy's shouting. While she grumbled a bit at first at the interruption to her "heroic nap," Gilly sprang to life when he said Mute Girl was gone, seeming to have regained even more of her cheer and energy during her sleep.

 

"Whaaat?! A hero's work is never done. Detective Gilly on the scene!" the girl struck a noble pose, and then scurried hither and yon, on the lookout for any clues. Her trusty steed found one first, though. "Oh me oh my, a boot!" she cried as Hob held it up triumphantly. He would recognize that scent anywhere, and in fact, while the halfling expounded upon the tragedies of Mute Girl's terrible kidnapping, he started to munch on it.

 

Only to have the boot swiped from his mouth as Gilly held it up, "And the criminal always comes back to the scene of the crime!" she shouted. "We only need to wait."

 

"Or we could just...search," Snow said, pointing at Reiny boy who had already begun to dig away at a suspicious patch of rubble.

 

"Right you are, Snowy blowy! Let's roll!" and with that, Gilly started to tear energetically at the rocks as well, ignoring Snow's mutter of "Snowy blowy?" However, her smaller size and weaker hands meant that she had less success than Hob, who had also started to paw at the debris.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"Guys, wake up! Keres is gone!"

 

After what felt like an eternity, Anis woke up to an unpleasant news. The Water Chosen had gone missing while they were asleep. At first she thought that Keres simply left earlier, but then Hob noticed that one of her boots was lodged in between some rocks. That was surely a bad sign. As this happened, Reinaan, Gilly, and Hob had went forward and start digging on the debris before them, seemingly hoping to find a way forward. It's not like they could move on if they lose another member like this anyway. Anis and Ileca went forward and started to help the other three to dig in too.

 

"Shirin." As Anis continued to displace the rocks. "Once there's any hole open, can you move forward before us? This task is surely made for you."

 

---

[Alaina]

The girl was made a bit uncomfortable, more so than normal, as the man leaned in and seemed to be eyeing her up. Her eyes seemed to be unable to make contact with the boy, but all the same she was glad that he accepted her offer to tag along with them. He already proved to be a formidable combatant, as demonstrated against the scorpions, and having someone who was more familiar with the desert would certainly help them out. And there was also....Looking back to him, the girl merely nodded her head, saying, "th-thanks. The help will um, be- will be appreciated." With that done, the group had eventually gotten ready to go to sleep, and removing her armor from herself, the girl tried to find comfort as best she could when it came to finding a place to rest. 

 

The girl was awoken to a rather distressing sound. As she woke, she saw that Reinaan was worried and proclaiming that Keres had gone missing. While she wasn't sure what was going on at first, trying to rouse herself from her slumber, as she looked around and saw that Keres was indeed not there at the moment. Picking herself up with more urgency, with a worried look on her face she tried to look more frantically around. It didn't take her long to realize that everyone else was gathered around a large pile of rubble. Presuming that to be a clue to their missing party member, the girl walked over and looked over to Gilly, seeing that they were trying to dig through the rubble but to little effect. Saying, "um, here, let me." The girl then went to start helping clear the rubble out of the way as well.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

The swordsman woke up second to last and, upon seeing the others moving about and figuring out what was wrong, called out to Lindow to wake up. That being done he wandered around trying to figure out what could've happened. "I've been here a while and nothing's ever bothered me in my sleep. Dunno what changed."

 

When they found the opening the man was surprised. He would've helped to move things about but it seemed the others had it handled. Soon enough there was a hole large enough for the snake spirit to crawl through.

 

He'd find that the tunnel was about a dozen feet in length and opened up to, though it was hard to tell, a staircase. With a bit more widening the Chosen would be able to fit through the tunnel. However their mounts would not have any space to get in.

Thus the swordsman offered to stay behind with them to make sure nothing happens to them. "I know we just met but I don't want to leave them alone, I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

 

Whatever the group decides to do, those that enter the tunnel will emerge onto a decrepit stone staircase. There would be no light so if they wished to see they'd need to make their own. The area they entered would be just below the top of the stairs and behind them were more rubble. Moving downward, however, they'd find the path relatively clear.

 

As they continued downward they'd find themselves walking through a door and emerging into a long room. The ground was stone but covered in sand and in the middle there was a slightly raised dais and, on that dais, an obsidian pedestal. If anyone were to go to the pedestal they would find the top of it to be flat with a strange puzzle atop of it.

 

On both of the longest walls the group would spot the most disturbing thing about the room. Two rows of golden sarcophagus were lined up in small alcoves along the walls. 

 

Searching the room more revealed a stone doorway at the far end that seemed to be sealed shut.

 

[spoiler=OOC]PUZZLE TIME. Okay so I was trying to find something fun for a puzzle and stumbled across a site where I made a thing. I HOPE this works so whoever sees this first let me know if the link works.

https://www.proprofs.com/games/puzzle/sliding/tomb-puzzle/

I want whoever solves it to to screenshot the entire screen (include the solved puzzle and the time/score/moves/etc).

Also whoever solves it first if they wish for a different character than their own to be the one to actually solve it then please say so.

Oh and Hollow, you've missed every other deadline lately, careful please.

Also decide among yourselves who's going down into the tomb and if you guys trust the swordsman to stay with the mounts.

 

[Andx]

With the help of the others, Reinaan's efforts to remove the rubble moved much faster. Sure enough an opening appeared. As soon as it was wide enough, the Nature Spirit entered it and returned with information about what was below. The Draken began exerting himself more to get the opening wide enough for the rest of them to pass through. This had to be where the girl had gone, or was perhaps even taken. Now while the group would be able to enter in search of Keres, it was obvious the mounts and the mule would have to stay behind. Reinaan would need to take everything he felt he would need with him seeing as Kloqah wouldn't be on hand. After tearing a bit of the torn cloak the council had given him the boy had formed something of a makeshift belt, not that there were any pants to hold up. Rather the boy tied it around his waist so as to have a means of carrying the sheathed sword he had slain the bandit leader with while he would take in a javelin by hand. Looking back at the tunnel the need for light was apparent. They had a few stray sticks and the boy could tear the torn cloak to shreds to wrap them to make torches which he began to do in case Lindow's light magic proved insufficient or too taxing on him to maintain. A simple puff of flame breath and they'd have torches he could distribute among the group.

 

"Someone should have the amulet on them... just in case." he posed to the group. Whatever had taken Keres may simply have been physically stronger than the girl, but knowing as little as they did every precaution felt appropriate. As preparations were coming to a close, the newcomer's invitation to stay with the mounts was presented. Eyeing the man quickly and looking back to Kloqah, the Fire Chosen felt nothing but apprehension at the idea. "Someone else should do it." he asserted, making the distrust plain. The stranger might just as well run off with the mounts, Kloqah in particular due to her ease of traversing the desert, to leave them and go on his way with all their possessions.

 

"Or at the very least one of us should stay here with him." he said addressing the group and trying not to directly acknowledge the man. There was some merit to not sending everyone in at once, perhaps in case something went wrong or the tunnel collapsed behind them. The cave-dweller had little experience with sand but he felt very little reason to trust its structural integrity.

[Alaina]

As the group was getting ready to go through the opening they had cleared, Reinaan didn't seem pleased with the idea of letting the newcomer watch the mounts on their own. While Ryia wasn't entirely opposed to the idea of him staying alone, she could see the distrust apparent with the rest of the group, or at least most of them, and knew that nothing would get done if their minds weren't at ease. And feeling that sooner was better in finding their missing party member, Ryia responded quickly saying, "um, I'll um, I'll stay with him. If need be." Looking to the rest of the Chosen she continued with, "just um, be careful down there and um...yeah, stay safe." She was sure that the group would be fine if she wasn't around them but....one could never be too certain. 

[Sethera]

"I've been here a while and nothing's ever bothered me in my sleep. Dunno what changed."

 

"Well, obviously," Gilly said, "It was us! It's cuz we're awesomesauce heroes and so the dastardly villain decided to strike against us!" she nodded sagely as if all questions were now answered.

 

After the snake spirit investigated the tunnel, it was soon apparent that the mounts would not be able to follow. Mr. Talks-About-Moons decided to stay behind, but then so did Pinky, so Gilly wasn't too worried about him doing something bad. If he did do something bad, Hob would probably take care of it though. Hob was good like that.

 

When they did eventually enter the tunnel, they went down some stairs and then through a door, and then into a long room filled with a bunch of golden statues...or boxes. Box statues? In the middle of the room there was a raised platform and on the platform, a strange puzzle. The halfling took one look at the puzzle and lost interest. "Yuck, icky nerdy things," she scowled, before moving to investigate the doorway at the far end. But no matter what she did, it stayed shut.

 

"What do we do now?" she pouted, annoyed at both the situation and the lack of butt kicking.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

You think you can trust him, Shirin?

Ryia's also staying behind. If he tries something funny, both her and Ileca should be able to deal with him.

 

That still doesn't inspire confidence.

 

Up to you. I'm not that convinced either about whether he's trustworthy or not, but we can't afford to waste time in saving Keres.

 

---

 

"I suppose it wouldn't be that much of an issue if Ryia's here too. Try anything funny and you'll end up as scorpion food."

 

Anis was still really unsure about this decision, but they were strapped in time. Whether they like it or not, they have to rush to get to the bottom of this place. She considered to have Shirin stay behind, but at the same time she doubted that Shirin would be able to last long without any contact with her. Ah, if only Ileca was the chosen rather than her...

 

"Keep the amulet for yourself or give it to Lindow. Usually the two of you are our frontline fighters after all."

 

Coming down to the bottom of the complex, Anis ended up in a long room. At one point, she noticed a puzzle was there. It seemed like it was the key to proceed from here on. Anis was not really good at puzzles, but for the time being, she decided to move forward and try solving it, hopefully until someone else had a more fool-proof way of doing it than her.

 

---

 

[Hälō]

Having been awoken to the news that Keres had been kidnapped, Lindow's fox-like features arched irritably as he gathered his gear and aided the others in clearing the rocks. Of course the little witch would be the one to allow herself to be captured during their short slumber...

 

Before entering new area, Lindow walked over to party's stash of bolts and quickly filled the quiver he had been using earlier. Slinging the 12 bolts onto his back, Lindow made his way down into the room bellow. There his eyes settled on what appeared to be some sort of puzzle connected to the door on the far side of the room. 

 

"..."

 

It didn't take long for Lindow to come to the conclusion that with Keres gone, he was the one responsible for this sort of thing. So as the rest of the Chosen discussed the best way to deal with the mount situation, Lindow silently worked on solving the puzzle, and by the time the others joined him, the man's work was a little more than halfway completely. 

 

 

"Keep the amulet for yourself or give it to Lindow. Usually the two of you are our frontline fighters after all."

 

Hearing this, Lindow raised waved his hand dismissively without looking away from the puzzle. "I have experience fighting magic, and my shadow will defend me if that fails..." He spoke in a distracted tone. "Strategically I'd like my odds better than young Reinaan's without it. Best he keep it so we don't run the risk of a nasty surprise knocking him out of the fight when we need him."

 

Moments later small semblance of a smirk formed on Lindow's lips as he touched them thoughtfully with the side of his index finger. "Done." His words were followed by a click, signifying that he had in fact completely the task. 

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

The swordsman smiled as the group decided that Ryia would stay with him. He seemed to approve of their decision, though it wasn't clear why, and he sent them off with a wave and a "Good luck."

 

When they had left, he returned to his spot in the corner again. Sitting down he looked at the mounts, making sure they all were okay, then turned attention to Ryia. "So why'd you decide to stay behind anyway? You must be worried about your...friend?"

-----

Down in the tomb, meanwhile, things were moving. A click sounded as Lindow solved the puzzle and the top would be able to be removed from the pedestal. Inside was a small figurine made of gold and with gems encrusted in it. It was modeled after the image on the puzzle and, when it was taken out, a grinding noise sounded. The doorway they had came from slammed shut and the other one started to, agonizingly slowly, raise.

 

However that wasn't the last of it. Four of the sarcophagus, two on each side, opened up. From them came human-sized creatures. Their bodies were wrapped in aged bandages. What parts of their body were visible through these bandages resembled a long-dead corpse and they all had an oddly sterile, albeit musty, smell to them. The creatures, ancient mummies, lumbered out of their sarcophagus and headed for the group.

 

[spoiler=OOC]I'm not going to make a map quite yet because I am unsure where in the room you all are. I should've asked before but feel free to place your characters wherever makes sense. If they wouldn't be by the puzzle don't put them there just because of it being tactical.

map

Just a reminder that the mummies have come from the spots at the far ends of the room on both sides and will head towards whoever is closest.

The doorway is opening at a very slow rate and won't be able to fully open for several rounds.

 

[Sethera]

Gilly was pounding away at the doorway fruitlessly when a click resounded throughout the room, followed by a grinding noise. Then the door finally, finally started to open, and Gilly tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for it to inch its way upward. Then, oddly enough, came the sound of something else opening.

 

Turning her head, the halfling saw what looked to be people wrapped head to toe in moldy, smelly bandages, covering up rotting skin. Gagging, the girl looked to the other Chosen. "What the heck are these? People that were left outside for too long?" then she grew excited as realization hit her. "Ooh yeah, it's buttkicking time!" and materialized an ice spear in her hand. She then lunged toward the nearest...whatever it was, a war cry bugling from her throat.

 

[spoiler=OOC]

Gilly started right next to the exit and is moving toward one of the two mummies on her end of the room. Not sure where that would be since I'm not sure where the exit is from looking at the map.

 

 

[Andx]

With none of the others clamoring for the amulet Reinaan held onto to it to await their input. With everyone's preparations made the group began to descend into the pits. Reinaan looked back at Ryia who had chosen to stay behind with the stranger to watch the mounts. He couldn't help but worry about and hoped that if something went wrong she'd get away alright. The place was indeed dark and the boy was glad for his torch preparation. With a quick inhale a small puff of flame erupted from his mouth, illuminating the darkness as it burst forth and lit the torch. The draken kept toward the front to make sure the others could see. Anis' input on the amulet came that either he or Lindow should use it as they were typically more on the front lines and thus in more direct danger. The thought was almost lost to the Fire Chosen as the awe of the new room they found themselves in set in. They had been walking down stone stairs meaning someone had actually built something under all this sand. The idea seemed ridiculous. But now they were in a long room with something sticking up in the middle.

 

As the group approached it they saw a strange contraption on top. There were several sliding pieces all with part of what seemed to be a scrambled picture. Lindow added his thoughts on the amulet now, stating his experience with magic made it better that Reinaan keep it to himself. The boy set his javelin down so that while still keep the room lit with the torch in his left hand, he could place the amulet about his neck with his right. It felt cold on his chest and the sensation was strange to him. But even in the low lighting he liked the look he had going. A belt-like sash with a sword at the side, a javelin in one hand with a torch in the other and a magic necklace. All the clothing and gear a boy needed to look like a proper adventurer. He looked on curiously as Lindow moved the pieces about. It confused him at first but as the man went about it he thought he had begun to figure out something of the method to it. He was glad the Thunder Chosen was the one trying to solve it though as he'd have been frustrated several times over just trying to figure the picture out at first.

 

Finally the last click sounded as the picture was fully revealed. The top removed itself and revealed an actual piece of gold with inlaid jewels that the puzzle had depicted. But something was shifting in the room and it took the Draken's attention. Without warning the entrance they had taken to the room slammed shut. He ran back towards the entrance to see if they had really been trapped when more noises continued. He couldn't get a good feeling of what was going on. The room wasn't a natural cave and it didn't echo like he expected one to. The man-made mechanisms threw in a whole new element toward to it. While sticking relatively close to the top of the wall Reinaan took note of strange boxes, large enough to house a human-sized creature. The one as the end began to open as he approached and revealed what looked like a man wrapped in bandages. With it came a strange smell that, combined with the glimpses of long dead flesh, repulsed and confused the boy, causing him to stagger back a step or two before regaining his balance. Gilly's war cry sounded from the opposite end of the room, indicating some had emerged from over there as well. Now that he took a look there seemed to be another one on this side of the room as well.

 

"What are these..." he mumbled aloud, unsure if he really wanted an answer. He began approaching the nearest of the grotesque creatures. At the very least he could light up the room some more. The boy inhaled deeply as between his movements and the creatures he only a few yards away before unleashing a full on stream of fire from his mouth. The stream would last the full five seconds. Whether this was wise or not he didn't debate in his mind. He'd get more back in a few minutes if they lived that long between the torch and the hopefully soon burning collection of bandages they'd have all the light they'd need to finish the fight.

[spoiler=OOC]
Reinaan was at the lil podium thing lighting the puzzle but once stuff went down moved back toward the entrance along the top wall. Ended up spitting fire at mummy from sarcophagus 1.

 

[Alaina]

As the group had delved into the depths below, Ryia was left with the mysterious man and...a bunch of animals. While a bit worried about the group's well being, she couldn't do much about it now, and merely stood around uncomfortably. As a small amount of time had passed, the man soon spoke up, asking if she was worried about her missing friend. Nodding her head, she responded, "well, of course I am. I just, um, felt that someone would have to an- and it'd probably put everyone's minds more at ease if they weren't the one staying so...yeah. It just left me." After saying that, the girl only felt more uncomfortable, beginning to look towards the floor. Feeling a bit bad for the man due to the distrust the group was giving him, the girl felt the need to apologize, saying, "um, sorry that you're uh, stuck with me. Here."

 

There was a slight pause in the conversation, before the man responded. "...Are you flirting with me?"

 

While this was done in an playfully teasing tone, said tone was lost on the girl as she went red in the face from the statement. Putting up her hands, looking to the boy though immediately looking away she stammered out, "n-no! Not at all. Just uhhh- ummm, uh-." Being at a clear loss for words, the girl had absolutely no idea how to continue the conversation and so, in the least smooth manner possible she said, "so those stinger things! Yeah. Never seen those before. Haha, hah." Her laughter was obviously both forced and nervous. 

 

Giving her a wolfish grin, the boy said, "I take it you're not used to all this stuff are you? Travelling with people and all that."

 

Still not daring to look at his face, the girl said,  "we-well, I've done a lot of monster fighting and um, stuff before. But uh...It was never uh, far from home and these people are kind of new...so, um, yeah."

 

"What do you think of them anyway? You don't seem all that close for people who're supposed to save the world."

 

Calming a bit as she thought about them, the girl said, "we-well, um, I don't know. They seem reliable and not like bad people or anything. Just, um, a bit...." Ryia seemed to struggle with a way to phrase it before saying, "w-well, I've also just never been great with- with new people. An all."

 

"Really?" He said, leaning forward. "I think you're doing just fine so far." He winked.

 

The redness in her face did not leave, as she merely stammered out, "o-oh, th-thanks. Yeah. Um, uh, um-" twiddling her fingers around, she tried to deflect the attention from herself. "Do uh, do um you travel- a lot."

[Hälō]

"This is a new one..." Lindow sighed at the sight of the shambling thralls that appeared after the puzzle's completion.

 

Watching his fellow Chosen move to engage the new threat, Lindow carefully placed his crossbow down against the nearest wall before moving towards the mummy that had arrived with Reinaan's target.

 

The swordsmen's gaze danced around the creature's form as he closed in quickly, only to sudden pivot his entire body to attempt to slice at the creature's left leg with the Bandit Cleaver. "Here!" Following through with his initial draw slash, Lindow continued the offensive by taking another step forward and grabbing the Bandit's Cleaver's hilt with both hands. In the same motion he then proceeded to swing the cleaver into the back of the monster's head with all of his might.

 

[spoiler= OOC]

 

Naturally Lindow was at the puzzle. He engaged the mummy paired with Reinaan's current target.