Back in his prime, sir Arthur Chastibul would have expected to see gleaming knights riding in on horseback, eager and determined to slay Asaroth and gain favor with the King. They would pull out their enchanted, golden swords and return the land of Olde back to the way it used to be. The rivers would flow fresh clear water again and the mines would be cleared of the monsters that dwelled within. Ash would've became a great city, with Arthur at the helm as mayor. Instead however, he peered at the motley crew from a shattered window, before cautiously taking a step into the deserted street. The only sounds to be heard were his steel tipped boots clacking on the cracked cobblestones and the old cart, creaking silently behind the group.

Quietly he looked over the crew, distaste evident in his tired eyes. He was mildly surprised to find a Templar in the lot of them, wondering just how much misfortune it took to force such a noble to these forsaken lands. "Dirty half breed." Arthur muttered under his breath, eyeing the half vampire like a pawn broker would eye an ugly doll. Finally he glanced over at the priest, quickly taking a step back and tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword. The seal of Shee'l Tor swinging from a chain around his neck. "What's a fucking necromancer doing on a quest to slay a demon. " he said, hatred almost billowing out from him.

Arthur spat a brown glob of something onto the cobblestone before addressing the group. "Right then, so I'm guessing there's no gold plated knight in that cart behind you?" His vain hopes were quickly dashed as with a squeal of protest, the cart turned around and began trundling its way back from whence it came. "Guess not" he muttered quietly before continuing. " c'mon then, let's head to my office. It'll be safer in there. " he gestured toward the slowly setting sun "when the light dies, so does anyone caught outside. " . Quickly Arthur turned on his heel and shouted to the town guard, which as of now only consisted of 2 burly men, one armed with a pitchfork and the other with a farming scythe "keep an eye on that necromancer there! Run him through if he tries anything! " One of the men, whose wife had been eaten in the last zombie attack, aimed a deathly grin at the dark robed figure before nodding silently. The other man, superstitious of all gods but his own, took one look at the grim faced figure and immediately took a couple of steps back.

It had been many a moon's passing since he had seen such a place in such poor, fallen state. Not quite true to its namesake, Father Cross considered, as there was far too much left to be considered the Ash of a village long past its time. No one could argue it was a place anyone would wish to go, without good reason, but then again, they were here for a very good reason. Even if the other two cared for little beyond coin, there was work to be done here. Of course, just as he was about to more closely analyze his peers here, a knight approached them. Considering how little was left here? This man was likely the Sir Arthur Chastibul, and the man's rather disappointed reaction towards the group spoke volumes about the kind of man they were dealing with here.

Firstly, he seemed to have not expected a Templar, holy warrior of a given god, but had nothing to say. Curious, though given the fact that he had yet to ever know the existence of Templars that swore to any God but Borealis and Ragnarok, another lady that would not take kindly to his existence. Nothing new there, he considered with a silent, mental laugh. The disgusted response to the half-breed was, while not surprising, disappointing. Some argued that those of vampiric nature were the daughters of Shee'l Tor, given his common association with the dead and the fact such beings were undead. In fact, undead were mockeries of life, and perversions of death, so most followers of his own God viewed them poorly, more so than the uninitiated outsiders. Yet he could ill afford enemies when so many were ready to take up the mantle, and beings of death and undeath did fall within the realms of Shee'l Tor, distaste aside.

Lastly, the unbridled and unrestrained hate, coupled with a remark on Necromancy, announced the man had finally deigned to notice him. Rather, it solidified such a thing, the quick backstep and grasping of blade announced it first. Rather than make some cheeky remark towards the 'King's Squire', he merely glanced as the orders were given to 'Run him through' should he try anything, and settled on sarcasm instead. "Would that include following you to your office, then?" The sarcastic remark towards such a hateful figure was a common response for him, they hated what they didn't understand, so he would treat them like the children they were. Children hated the unknown, adults found a more reasonable reason than 'I don't know what it is, hate it!' sort of approach. The one man, face twisting into a death's head grin, got a feint smile in return from the priest. Death haunted them all here, and even if he had not arrived to seek out the core problem, a Priest of Shee'l Tor was desperately needed here regardless. The other? God fearing man, fearing any but his own, stepped away from him. Classic response, fear of the unknown, another child in a man's trappings. He found himself speaking to no one in particular, though not muttering since that would earn him a running through. "Death haunts this place, like a living soul haunts a favored tavern, or perhaps a beloved brothel is more apt. It is a fondness, a loving routine of visitation and satisfaction, which is rather clear in your faces."

"Though I must disappoint, despite the trappings, I am no necromancer. While Necromancers carry the name of Shee'l Tor upon their lips, not all of Shee'l Tor's Priests are Necromancers. Just like a Templar and a Warrior. Templars are warriors, though not all warriors are templar." If nothing else, this Priest of Shee'l Tor was a talkative soul, sometimes plain in speech, other times not so much. His tone was calm and intentionally soothing, inviting trust and relaxation despite all received hostility and distrust thus far. His kind were hated and reviled, that was nothing new, but they filled a role most vital, and took solace and pride in such things. Turning his gaze away from the town guard, devastated as it was, he considered this Sir Chastibul and his mannerisms thus far before speaking his next piece, having assumed the man was indeed this 'King's Squire'. "It would be safe to presume this beset village has a problem with the unquiet dead, or, 'King's Squire', is such a thing unfair to presume so soon?"

The Olde now that was a forsaken land if she ever saw one. Alliana quietly looked out the carriage as they neared the hamlet of Ash. Well calling it a hamlet might be an overstatement in her opinion. The place was as rotten away and broken as the rest of these lands. Truthfully there wasn't much hope for this settlement in her opinion. She even found it rather surprising people were still living here, judging by the faint light coming from some windows.

As the carriage had pulled to a halt, she picked her sword and hopped outside with the rest of the people she rode with. A woman templar and a priest of Shee'l Tor of all things. The irony was not escaped on the vampire's mind. In difference from the rest though, she didn't hold any special feelings towards the priest. She simply didn't care about it. She knew the priests were not necromancers, but that was a story for a different time. With her backpack on her back and her sword on her hip she didn't carry much other luggage. The edges of her dress were now getting dirty and wet from the bad weather and the frankly dirty streets. Well it was her fault for dressing in it really. She was going to have to change into her adventuring attire proper before they get anywhere later.

She kept on smiling as Sir Arthur Chastibul appeared and called her a dirty halfbreed. Which while true... was not the way to address someone you just met and someone who's going to fight for you that is. The priest received even less of a good welcome than herself which she found absolutely hilarious. Seriously that were your guards? Two farmers with farming tools? She sighed as they moved towards his office. At least one of the men appeared to have a grasp of not messing with priests be they of Shee'l Tor or not.

“Any words you have will be wasted upon those who don't want to hear them, priest.” She said quietly, not really caring about it much though. As such Alliana simply pulled the hem of her dress a little as to keep it from get it any more dirty while they were getting to the office of this 'fine' gentleman.

“Piece of advice though, get someone to straighten the blade upwards. A battle scythe as they call it... It should at least make your guards more effective. The undead aren't some weeds you need to cut.” She threw in a remark towards Sir Arthur with a smirk.” Unless that is the case and you have no need for us?” She didn't really like his attitude from earlier.

For the briefest moment Kiera was glad to finally stretch her legs after the longest and most tense carriage ride she'd ever been in. For a moment she almost let her guard down knowing that she was finally back in civilisation and would be protected should the half-breed turn or the priest take exception to her. She was quickly disillusioned.

A quick glance around and she realised Borealis' light was a long way from here. She straightened her back and corrected herself. No, she was Borealis' light, and as long as she was here there was hope. The three of them were greeted by a strong, if worn thin looking man who stood with confidence, flanked by two peasants armed with farming tools. She guessed it was pretty easy to look strong when you were the only one with any sort of protection. He regarded the group with a mixture of surprise and disgust, and she took a dislike to the man immediately. What right did he have to mock help, no matter where they came from? Treating darkness with darkness irritated her, but she let it slide for now.

He ushered them in, ominously saying before hand "When the light dies, so does anyone caught outside." She could only guess at what he meant by that, though she'd rather not have to. Before he fully turned around he said to one of his cronies "Keep an eye on that necromancer there! Run him through if he tries anything!". The necromancer surprised her, opting for a light response she'd expect from one of the younger acolytes "Would that include following you to your office, then?" She certainly didn't smile at his comment, but it endeared her towards the man. There were many tales of the monstrous priests of Shee'l Tor, but the small gesture like that definitely seemed at odds with his sombre colours and hooded visage. He also went a length about not in fact being a necromancer, something a Templar like her was aware of already otherwise she would have challenged him before they left.

Kiera moved behind the group, giving a stare down the path they had come from in some forlorn hope that they wouldn't be the only ones to roll up tonight. Alas, all movement along the road had died down, the carriage's frantic pace had carried it far away from this forsaken corner of the world. She followed behind the other two, not willing to turn her back to them just yet. She caught a friendly quip from the vampire “Any words you have will be wasted upon those who don't want to hear them, priest.”. Wise words, Kiera reflected, though the way the half-breed carried herself in a courtly manner made Kiera doubt her place. If she was worried about muddying her frock now what would she be like later?

The next comment surprised her though, the vampire spoke up to Sir Arthur “Piece of advice though, get someone to straighten the blade upwards. A battle scythe as they call it... It should at least make your guards more effective. The undead aren't some weeds you need to cut.”

Kiera took this as her turn "I would listen to her, Sir. She likely has the most experience with the fiends." she gave her response in a guarded fashion, and had no love for this half-breed, but that was a well called suggestion. Well, assuming they had a skilled enough blacksmith to not weaken the metal. She addressed this Arthur again, "So we're all you've got so far? I would have thought my kind would flock to a call like this."

If there was one thing Barrington had to say about the land around them it was opportunity, also inhospitable and dour, but beyond that he saw a place where his talents might be quite appreciated. The cart ride was admittedly less than comfortable for him having crammed some of his blueprints or other documents nearby for quick access though it was an acceptable loss for the cost of preparation. The inventor was the last one to exit the carriage scrambling to replace the papers in some order before exiting the ramshackle transport to unload the rest of his belongings quickly. He had no intention of forgetting any of his gadgets this time, never usually ended well for the unknowing recipients so better to prevent any accidents ahead of time. In the meantime he kept ears open as to what was being said by his compatriots as well as who he presumed to be one Arthur Chastibul mentioned on the parchment.

Certainly wasn't a welcoming greeting the others received despite the travel to what equaled a large shanty town in its condition that had wanted help in the first place though said condition led him to believe things had not been going well up until now. Honestly he suspected a joke on the part of Kessel given just who they all were as this just the sort of thing a god of luck with a sense of humor would delight in making. However his two less 'savory' companions certainly did not lack for wit or sharp tongue in kind to answer the insults or provocations sent in there direction. After all if even the pious Templar could see the reason in their words without trying to outright denounce them it made an impression for certain. If anything it was amusing even if the guards were pathetically armed farmers, he hoped considering the implements, in a dead end almost ruin of a hamlet. The lady Templar made an interesting point about more of her kind being strangely absent but he never entirely got the more serious god's worshipers nor the motives at the best of times.

Barrington finished his equipment check deciding to actually make his presence felt instead of remaining a bystander considering he would also be part of this venture. The Engineer walked himself over in line with the rest of his associates with a light smile on his face still having a sense of the positive for the moment. "Seems a waste to chastise us now before we've had a chance to make our mark good or bad as the situation might be. Besides old Kessel is just ribbing us a bit with such a chance encounter." Barry said in a swift pace giving his early thoughts on the predicament, "I quite think the offer to get out of this weather sounds wonderful what with the luggage and timing if your words about the night are as dire as true. This is just my opinion however I cannot speak for my compatriots." The inventor certainly couldn't force anything but a few words never hurt to get the thoughts flowing. He quite expected a rather cold reception if the pattern held true especially since he likely seemed the least threatening or harmful of the bunch but that thought could be remedied soon enough.

Hearing the muttering behind him,and not unaware of the pointed comments directed his way Arthur slammed open the door of his one room office, the tiny building groaning in protest. The room was in various states of disarray, with the desk being dominated by crumpled and torn papers and a chair with a broken leg facing it. He hastily sat down, sending a quick prayer of thanks to Kessel that the entire party managed to squeeze into the room. Noticeably, there was a 4th member to the group, but he quickly dismissed him as some sort of traveling inventor/charlatan, tricking people out of their money for some fancy doodads and gadgets. Taking a deep breath, he began what he thought to be a graceful and eloquent speech.

"Listen up you lot, I haven't got all day and I'm only saying this shit once so shut your traps. You vagabonds "quest" is to head down into those dungeons over the hills, and clear out all those fucking monsters inside. Obviously facing your worst nightmares might rattle those tiny brains of yours, so either pray to whatever God you fancy at the church, or drink yourself to oblivion I don't care which. All the loot you bring back you can sell to graves. He'll rip you off, but no one else is going to buy the shit you dig up and no one else can spare the supplies you need on your ventures. You better bring torches and food or I can get Zachariah to start carving your tombstones already. And I don't care how much you love shadows priest, you're a dead fucker if a monster catches you out of the light. Although I suppose you'll probably just walk off and worship your demon master, sacrifice some people from the village or some shit. " he pointed at the half vampire sullenly "you, vampire girl. You try and suck the blood of any of those monsters and your sanity will drop like a sack of rocks. You might get some insane battle skills but you better measure what you want more, your sanity or your life. " he gave a quick grin at the Templar before focusing his advice on her. "You're the only one I suspect will survive more than the first dungeon. Just bash em and smash em, I don't know whatever you fancy as long as it keeps you and everyone else alive. This group is barely worth defending, but you should stay in the front lines. " lastly he briefly glanced at the engineer before dismissing him almost completely, only half muttering "just stay out of the real fighters way, and don't bother with your tricks or fake magic. "

He stood up suddenly and grinned at the group, staring each of them in the eyes for a couple of seconds Before saying "alright, so who wants to go clean out a crypt?"

'Ohhh... right.' Was Allaina's reaction to the engineer that was with them. She had completely forgotten about him as they were led into an office sort of thing that apparently was where this rude man...guard...knight...squire sort of thing was spending his time in. It was in the same state as the town. Crumbing and decaying. A monument of entropy in all forms. She was kind of genuinely surprised this place was still existing on the maps and operational with people living here. Be they as rude as him.

"I personally prefer my blood fresh and tasty of the human variety." She threw in casual smirk." Not that I require it the same way full vampires do, mimd you. No need to worry about me going frenzy about it." She didn't really care about that now. She was not a true vampire at least not in the complete sense of the word. She was vampiric in nature yes. She could drink blood and draw strenght from it and sustain herself on blood. In her case though she still retained most of her living functions so she could also feed on regular food. Granted way less satating and restoring less than blood, but still it was something. Having some vials of blood was going to be a nice thing though... She was going to have to find someone willing to part with some blood. It could safe her life from serious injuries in the future.

"Hmmm, aren't you eager to have us rush to our dooms now?" Alliana asked jokingly and reached into her bag, taking it off her shoulder and pulling a white shirt form it. Moving a little to the side as much as she can, she pulled the strings of her corsait top, causing the entire dress to fall from her body. Without making any sounds or minding the other 3 people present in the room, she put on the shirt, pulled a leather reinforced skirt form her bag and also put it on. Once that was in place, she started to casually buttom up the shirt, before putting on a leather vest, quickly putting that one also. She didn't change her leather boots though those were by default sturdy and ready for running even with her dress. Always keep a little something in case was her motto." Alright, I'm ready." She said, folding her red court dress into her bag, putting it back across her shoulder and securing her sword to her belt.

Father Cross had frankly forgotten that the engineer had existed, unsurprisingly considering the fact their two professions crossed paths nearly never. Of course, he didn't give the fact he had overlooked the other man too much thought, there were far more important things to consider than overlooking someone who mixed magic and technology. He didn't see it as wrong or misguided, there was something to be said for taking the advantages of both worlds, but the question that had yet to be answered was whether or not he could mitigate the drawbacks of both. The office of the 'Knight's Squire' was as run down as the rest of the village, which was rather fitting really. If everyone else had such poor dwellings, why should their glorious leader, with great sarcasm attached, do any better than the rest of them?

The fact that the squire was referring to him as a Priest now was a small improvement, and one that Cross would settle for, at least for the time being. The comment on shadows and worshipping daemonic masters got an idle shrug from him. There seemed to be little that would help assuage the simple man from his fears. Such was the trials and tribulations of men who followed their true calling earnestly. "Rest assured, I have no qualms standing in the light, I've nothing to hide. I like you though, King's Squire, so I'll spare you for last." His tone carried an obvious joking, mocking response alongside the wry grin on his face to the idea of him running off and worshiping some daemon. His god was no mere daemon, after all, and he would rather be dead than abandon a deity that had protected him thus far. That, and any uses that he has now would be gone should he abandon his god, so running away to worship another would accomplish nothing.

Thankfully Cross was not facing the vampiress when she decided to abandon her clothes and change into an outfit more fitting to the set a crypt of abominations back to their proper rest. Such was one calling of the priesthood, ensuring the dead remained at rest, which made the dichotomy of necromancers and priests of opposing ideals even more. But that was a discussion for another day, and while he faced away from the half vampiress as she changed, not that he was facing her to begin with thankfully, he commented on her response to drinking the blood of the things in the crypt. "You might find willing donors rather difficult to find this far out, they tend to fear what they don't understand."

The half-breed decided now was a fantastic time to make a joke. "I personally prefer my blood fresh and tasty of the human variety." she said, and Kiera instinctively flexed her hand quickly in front of her, ready to dart to her blade before realising she was just trying to bait the captain. ." Not that I require it the same way full vampires do, mimd you. No need to worry about me going frenzy about it." Well Kiera would hold herself guarded as always until proven otherwise, after all vampires were known for their deception

What happened next Kiera was not sure anyone could have predicted. With a gesture too quick to give anyone the chance to look away her dress dropped away from her. Despite her misgivings, Kiera turned to give the half-breed some modesty, keeping her in the corner of her eye though. She also noticed that although many were given the chance to look away, they didn't take it. As soon as they were sure she was looking away the pair of militia kept glancing back to her scantily clad form and probably drinking in the sight of their lives. Kiera shook her head

Interestingly their priest was merely shrugging off most comments in regards to his dark magics. She didn't like his comment of "I'll save you for last." but she was getting used to people's poor sense of humour in a place like this, and even if it wasn't a jest she would do all she would to stop him from getting that far.

"Captain, we won't be off tonight will we? And perhaps you'd like to tell us what you warned us about when you said anything in the darkness dies?" She was no coward, but she would not throw her life away. "As ever, my sword always stands ready to guard against the darkness." she followed quickly with to affirm her previous thoughts, but also a slight jab towards her more gloomy companions

Barrington was not entirely surprised at the King's Squire seeming to dismiss him on the spot since others like him tended to lie profusely to sell devices, it was quite distasteful really and gave the rest a bad name. Upon following along with Arthur to his office he couldn't help but feel some pity for the man despite the rough and tumble nature he seemed to possess with such small accommodations. The inventor had the smallest of his boxed luggage leaned up against his side and favorite side arm tucked under his belt, the 'pistol' hardly qualified the term because of its larger size overall as well as more open barrel, the contents of the box from what was visible where small glints shined out from underneath the cover. His eyes shifted between his companions once again wondering about the Priest and Half-vampire in more of a curious nature than anything, this seemed like a fight neither would be apart of but yet here they were, as for the Templar only an imbecile wouldn't expect one to show up to fight demons or otherwise. There were questions he might brooch at a later time as to who they were beyond the guise projected in a group though it was purely out of curiosity should he even get an answer.

Barry turned to the knight as he started speaking rather not wanting to miss details or information about the 'quest' as he called it. The man made some simple but effective points if not in the most elegant terms but better to say it in layman's to have it understood by all. The engineer made some mental notes about how the squire instructed the others for later reference finding some insight here or there though it was clear the man had quite limited expectations of a traveling intellectual to which his response was a noticeable sniff of disapproval."Tricks maybe. However if I lacked conviction in the success of them there would be but three standing before you." He said calmly holding the ground of his usefulness. It was a contrast to the dark humor which he found silently amusing but was in no rush to make a further enemy for such a thing though he could tell the lady Templar was on edge.

The inventor was mildly surprised Arthur decided to take them out so quickly given his lack of faith but he suppose it was to figure out who was the wheat among the group sooner rather than later. Apparently this was the cue of the Half-vampire to trade some modesty for practicality in dress which while it did hold his attention for a moment the gentleman in him quickly had him avert his gaze unlike the two 'guards' behind them. Simple pleasures for simple men. He thought drawing out his pistol to make some final checks on it. Afterwards it was a matter of deciding what else he would be taking along though he had an idea to bring a bit of everything so to speak as they had only inkling as to what they would face. A fact brought up by the Templar to which he gave an approving "Knowledge is power." In the end he decided on bringing a couple of hand made explosives, he had heard the term 'grenado' thrown around and quite liked it, fire bombs of similar make but in small ceramic/glass pots to be shattered on impact and finally something he called a 'springrazor' which essentially propelled sharp wire in a short lived whirlwind around the device shredding flesh to ribbons even if it wasn't always immediately lethal.

"Quite ready for a test run." Barrington said having finished securing all of his 'tricks' in place for easy access while the trekked through the crypt.

It wasn't every day a man of stature would see a vampire undress before them, and Arthur considered it to be an opportunity that no man would ever waste. Of course, whatever sense of decency he had left in him forced him to look away, though not without an eyefull or two. Clumsily pushing his way through the crowded office, Arthur just barely managed to squeeze outside and retain his dignity. Not really bothering to check if the group was following him, he set a brisk pace down the dusty path flanked by his two thugs. Surprisingly enough the town of Ash was bigger than one might expect, though every section except the innermost circle was barren and uninhabited save for the collapsed buildings and distinct smell of death.

Clearing the town led the group through a stark, grey flatland pockmarked with valleys and caves. In the distance shambling beings could be seen in ones and twos, aimlessly wandering the cracked earth. Arthur briskly led the group to a set of worn iron doors, placed into the ground. "Alright, this the place" he said, slightly coughing from the grimy and diseased air that permeates the outlands. "I'll lead you through this just once, and then you ruffians are on your own." There was an air of expectation, but that was quickly dashed when Arthur unabashedly kicked open the doors. Peering inside, he quickly lit one of about a dozen torches he had with him, illuminating a slick cobblestone room, ruined bookshelves and books lining the walls. "Alright" he said grimly "who's first?"

Father Cross quietly followed the King's Squire out of his office, still not having bothered to learn the man's name yet or use it even if he had, staff making a resounding thud with each other step he took. The thuds matched with his left foot falling, masking the sounds of one foot step with the sound of a sturdy, if plain, traveling staff. Monks were fond of them, simple, useful, and could do some serious damage with a well placed smack. Still, he was anything but a frontline fighter, he left that to the crusaders and warriors of the world. Of course, his suspicions on the death of this place was confirmed as they discovered how large Ash truly was, and how much of it was abandoned and reeking of death. It was a familiar smell, but he spared the party his ruminations and chattering for now. They were on a mission, after all, he might as well pretend to be somewhat professional.

It did not take nearly as long as the Priest expected for them to reach a set of iron bound doors, and at the word of of arrival from their temporary, angry guide no less. Before he could say a word about opening the doors, a boot was put to them and sent them crashing open. Well, that was certainly one way to open the doors and announce to anything within earshot that new arrivals had decided to come calling. Upon the question of who's first, Cross finally spoke up, speaking his suggestion in his own manner. "I would recommend our noble Crusader lead, as you mentioned her prowess in the lead. Then, our exhibitionist friend here, followed by this humble priest, and lastly our man of science. You can fit in wherever you see fit, good King's Squire." For now, at least, his tone was calm and collected, letting the assembled decide on his suggestion however they saw fit.

The place they were led by the King's Squire was rather dark of atmosphere indeed. There could even be seen shambling corpses in the distance too! What a perfect darkness ridden land this was! Who would have believed there was a place so filled with the horrors that crept in the shadows? Well the iron doors didn't invite much optimistic thoughts in their situation. They had to get inside so... As the doorway was opened and torches lit, it seemed this was it.

“I'd dare ask you to watch the way you brand people, priest.” Allaina stated with surprisingly happy and not really irritated voice, somewhat looking forward to this adventure.” Exhibitionists are people who find sexual pleasure in being seen naked by people in usually public places.” The vampiric woman stated, as she pulled her sword from it's sheath.” I'm not one... When you are a hunter or an adventurer you just need to learn that modesty is not a virtue that's going to help you any. Creatures of darkness care not for it. If your clothing is tattered or you are caught unprepared in the middle of a bath let's say, you need to be able to fight even if you are completely naked. Or are you telling me I should call you necromancer because you resemble one?” She stated, throwing a look at him. It was a very clear friendly and slightly sarcastic. Considering the misunderstanding around his kind, she was slightly surprised he would speak like that.

“That said I do believe there's some merit to our lady Paladin to enter first mostly because she's in possession of the heaviest armor of all of us.” Allaina smiled and threw a look at the other woman.” I could also take if if need's be though. I'm not putting the possibility of enemies appearing from side tunnels that were hidden or from behind us as impossible.”

Barrington did his level best to make way for the King's Squire as the man pushed by swiftly following after him figuring they would not be getting to waste time sitting around if there was work to be done. He spent his time double checking his equipment on the way wanting to be certain everything was ready but also noting just how much of the town had been lost or simply abandoned in all of this darkness. It was quite a sobering thing tempering out some of the building excitement in the inventor who was beginning to realize they might be in for quite the fight to reclaim this place. Far be it for him to back down just yet though as he wasn't alone in all of this, couldn't just leave the rest to fend for themselves like a coward. It definitely proved to be mildly unsettling to see the figures shambling around them in the distance but if that was part of the problem the feeling would have to be pushed down until later.

The engineer was kind of surprised Arthur was going in with them after having opened up the large iron doors with a solid kick. Certainly would come in handy though he had no compulsion to put himself in any major danger as he was likely the only real defense the remnants of Ash had left so he might well hang at the back. Something to consider as the priest made some valid suggestions about positioning with the two of them being in the back and the two ladies being up front. There was a little talk of the half-vampire going first if need be also the possibility of side attacks which while troublesome gave him open and clear shots given the spread of his Dragoon not to mention space for his rather volatile tools. "Provided there aren't too many up close the sides or rear should be manageable, I may be of some assistance with such a thing and can provide support up front with a toss or two should it be needed from the back." Barry said letting the others know his approval of the priest's suggestion as he was not well equipped for a drawn out close and personal fight but quite well off at some range.

"Of course that belies trusting on my throwing arm but I have quite some practice with delivering these smaller bits to a target. Well multiple targets preferably but no telling numbers from out here."

Sir Arthur proceeded to lead the group down a dusty path as the dusk's light waned. Kiera kept her eyes on her 'companions', there was no real point in trying to peer into the darkness. As much as she followed the god of light she doubted her night visions was as good as this cursed priest and half-breed, who would see any threat coming long before she would. She took a moment to study each member's armature. The first was the most intriguing, the nobleman seemed to have some sort of weighty pistol, much bigger than the standard for firearms. He might be an inventor yet, but she expected him to be flighty. Most nobles outside of military service were. She assessed that if he wanted to run it wasn't worth stopping him, she didn't want to risk his weapon. She'd been shot before, and wouldn't care to repeat the experience in god knows where.

The priest marched strongly along with the help of a staff, typical of his kind. Likely he had little experience with it, dark god or not, but she knew that his strength was not in arms, but in his mind. She cursed at the thought there was no way to assess how the two of them would fare if a confrontation was inevitable, so she prayed briefly that she would have no reason to try and fight him.

Any other musing was cut short by arriving at a midpoint in their journey. She was quickly prompted to take the fore, and lit her own torch off of Sir Arthur's. "Then, our exhibitionist friend here, followed by this humble priest, and lastly our man of science." Kiera couldn't help but chuckle at the jibe directed towards the half breed, who promptly refuted it. "There's a difference between practically and flaunting, half-breed." Kiera added after, a smile on her face. It was amazing how the grim situation was inspiring her to reach almost camaraderie with this grim group. The paladin wasn't keen on the idea of letting these monsters move behind her in a combat situation, but it made sense. She would just have to trust them

"Sir Arthur, thank you for showing us the way. But we need a goal to aspire to, a light at the end of the tunnel. What are we to do once we are down there? Any ideas on how to lure this demon out?" she moved her own light to the doorway and peered into the gloom awaiting an answer

Arthur scowled in disgust as he realized that he has forgotten to explain the ever so small detail of exactly what they were doing in the middle of nowhere, about to enter a dark and foreboding passageway. He began speaking at a rapid pace, clearly impatient to get back to the (relative) safety of his desk.

"Guess you free loaders care about the backstory of this dead hamlet huh..?" Arthur muttered quietly before beginning. He rapped on the metal doors, causing a harsh echo to resonate through the dimly lit hallway ahead. " This here used to be the storage area for Ash, back when it still had enough things in it so that a storage cellar was necessary. Ever since the monsters started getting closer, this was one of the last places they've holed up in. As far as I know, you should expect some flesh eaters down there, with a big brutish something or other at the end. But then again, who really knows what's down there behind the black shadows and foreboding corners? " he chuckled grimly before continuing " anyways, the objective is to go down there, beat the living hell out of whatever rears its ugly head, and scavenge anything that they haven't torn to shreds. Sound good? " he quickly said " don't answer that " immediately after, all too aware of the groups sharp wit.

Before anyone could retort, he unsheathed his broadsword, a surprisingly fine, if worn weapon made of banded steel, with a leather hilt and studded pommel. Again not bothering to see if the party was following behind him, he walked casually into the first room, which appeared to have been a book repository of some sort before the monsters had arrived, most of them being torn to shreds, burnt beyond recognition or molded over with strange blue fungus.

Kiera was just about getting sick of this so called Sir Arthur. It was because he wasn't hostile, nor friendly, he was just plain rude. She could have dealt with the other two, but as it was she just wanted to hit him on the head. As a holy paladin however she restrained herself and proceeded to listen to their objective.

"Sound good?" he shot another glare at the group and followed with "Don't answer that." Kiera could only shake her head in frustration. Before anyone could ask any questions about layout or where to meet up if things went poorly he drew his sword and ducked in through the doorway. Kiera knelt down and lit her torch quickly, employing a secret method known only to the followers of Borealis and proceeded after, drawing her own sword. She would much prefer to have her shield, but if light was to be there instead she wouldn't mind overmuch. She started to mumble a holy song dedicated to her god, as to not disturb any of the others. If she was in a group of paladins they would all be chanting together, all the good pantheon's verses combining and providing a powerful chorus to strike fear into their enemies, with followers of the dark gods chanting making it discordant when battle was joined. This time there was only one of her, and her companions were not trained to hear over any chanting so she kept the noise low.

The first room looked like some kind of library, kept near the door to keep the room well ventilated from moisture and to stop the books from going mouldy. Despite such procedure there was a strange blue fungus collecting over them despite, and monsters had ruined much of it. She felt on edge, and interrupted her mumbling to say to the group "It would be good to burn this room before we leave this place. I don't like the look of those mushrooms." before picking up her mumbling in perfect timing.

She looked behind her and saw that everyone was following. That was good, though maybe they were just staying behind because they knew that otherwise they'd have to walk back to the village alone in the dark, which was not a good prospect.

Great a book depository first thing when entering a underground storage dungeon. That by itself raised a few points in her mind. These types of things were usually supposed to be locked in deeper. Knowledge was a very valuable thing and most tried to protect it well. She held her sword in one hand and moved closely behind the more heavily armored paladin. She wanted to be close enough to pull the other woman from a trap situation she might miss and her senses might not or simply provide her sword as help if monsters showed up. The low chanting the palading was doing wasn't really getting to her all that much.

"Yeah... I agree." She said, her eyes locking on a lot of the fungus." Fungi could be deadly." She simply said with a frown." Better not disturb it until later though... also we should make a point to wear masks in the future." She added as she started to look about for any books that might have escaped any of the devastating effects the majority had suffered. Naturally she didn't really leave the formation, but still looked about. With it being so close to the exit, there could be a chance to check it out later.

"Anyone seeing something that escaped unscratched?" She asked, since well everyone had his sigh and sources of light. WIth the four of them looking about the chances to notice something was greater even if they didn't remove themselves from the safety of the formation.

Barry found himself in agreement with the paladin as to what the purpose of this bit of delving was but he figured if Arthur cared enough to speak of it he would. Apparently the man hadn't considered telling them what they were after first in such a place but he was more forth coming once it was mentioned. ~An old storehouse off from the town...quaint but useful to them, maybe to us as well if anything is left.~ He thought wondering might have been stored in the old tunnels and rooms as well as where it might've been. As it happened they were most likely looking for the more practical of supplies in the state of everything outside, supplies would only get scarcer as time went on after all and not everything could be eaten. There wasn't long to think about it before the king's squire readied a sword and moved up ahead of them into the first room.

The engineer fell into formation readying a torch of his own in the back of the group. Unlike those of his companions in the front a torch was hardly an impediment as he only needed a single hand to be fully operational in a fight, admittedly having the other available for quicker reloads and the occasional toss was nice but he could do without it. This was something he considered as they got into the first room unscathed though it appeared the books in said room did not make it nearly so well. He quite wondered what they had kept in this repository, couldn't be of critical importance being so out in the open but maybe some were records of what was stored. If it was used by the town most who would end up in there could have easily looked up anything if they had forgotten or if it was expansive down here to find specific goods. The state many of the books were in was disappointing, loss of knowledge usually was to the inventor, but there was a slim chance some documents or books could have survived and like the Half-vampire he kept an eye out for the moment but he was still keeping rearguard watch on the off chance something came from outside.

"Not the most pleasant of fungus to be sure, much as curiosity strikes me I do not like the look of them. Shame to burn all of this but not much better use now." Barrington said starting to wonder where the unsightly fungus came from in the first place but also hearing the query about intact books. "Nothing as of yet, seems like where the public records might have been though, might have been a couple more interesting reads beyond that if they had survived."

The inventor shifted a foot or two leaning into to get a better view of the shelves under torchlight but staying close to the others nonetheless. If they were particularly lucky they might find a recent record book which would help with direction in the tunnels.