---

---

Mayhaps his mind wondered at the stage that had been presented before him, but the giant felt as if surrounded by ants in a closed room. Many squirmed at the intervals and not much space gave the brute an opening to unleash his fullest without causing some damage to structure and ruin. But perhaps that was exactly what he needed for this situation, there was a stranger that beckoned their arrival and invited to deliver the flurry of battle hence forth to these hell spawned serpents. Garrett took first blood, displaying what capability he had as a Serim, and now it was the turn of this brute to unleash his impregnable muscle. That stranger screamed that he needed a distraction and such he would get, Hafrbjǫrn inched forward and thrashed towards the center where he would clutch the serpent warrior by it's torso, tightening grip so potently it's screech adorned silence and replaced it with agony. Lifting it above his head, a slam towards the earth was met to this creature's spine, followed a second and a third, before the attention of its companions were now at the behest of Hafrbjǫrn's might. As they charged, the giant held not quarter before delivering the body of its companion with a massive lunge, colliding with them to the point that there were met without footing, sent to the sort distance away, and fell to the earth beneath their heels as their companion that was met the brunt of Hafrbjǫrn strength struggled to keep a foot. Their blades at the ready, now three would stand at his wake. The hiss of their threats meant nothing to this giant.

As he sought the attention of them all, death was naught something he'd easily abide to. He finally could grip his mighty Axe with the grip of his right hand. Its weight would dismantle a regular knight as soon as he laid hands upon it, but this weight was just perfect for Hafrbjǫrn. He could sense the temper of the steel, the aloofness of the grip, the details of the swing. A savant in weapons in armor, it was time to demonstrate that meager skill could not overpower unrelenting might! A scream from his part, two of the Serpent men retaliated by running back, while the one who was dealt the heaviest hand could not do much other than to force himself to guard. Without a shield the effort was useless, with an overhead slash, the blade bent under his might, and the serpent knee crumbled at the impending force that was unleashed upon him. Once more he was at the ground, pulling a smaller axe, Hafrbjǫrn immediately met the monster with another swing, he was persistent. Although clearly hurt, it still struggled to keep itself alive, another overhead of his larger axe, and this creature was sent to its maker.

Immediately lifting its corpse, he prompt it in front of him, to met the pierce of the wayward arrow aim at his heart. A meat shield was as good as any steel on if the resources were available to him. The beast were everywhere, and their strength was to be admired. However, to this giant, that was but a stepping stone that he would need to overcome.

[♪] Nanami watched as the rush of events unfolded before her, starting with the thundering of Yui's gun, to seeing all the warriors rush, ending with an interruption by the appearance of a giant of a man swinging his axe wildly. There was something to be said about the flow of battle, the thoom of war drums in the background as blades clashed and lives were ended and it was enough to give Nanami pause. She wasn't scared mind you, but acutely aware and it felt like the battle field was unfolding slowly before her eyes as the steady beat whispered in her ears.

There were only four warriors left and a single archer, whom were all distracted by the giant, though the archer would soon be taken care of she was sure, with the aid of Pox and his smoke cover. Instead, it was time to focus on the warriors at hand and Nanami felt it best to do what only she could do - she took off and darted around the field until she could clearly see the last of the snake men warriors, who mostly had their attention on Hafrbjǫrn. First she spun, catching most of the front liners in her song, which radiated a soothing and calming song contrasting the heat of battle. She wasn't absolutely sure that no one had gotten hurt, so this would heal their minor wounds or at least keep them from bleeding out before Pox and Gwen could give them proper treatment.

Then without hesitation, she weaved her blade like a writer would with a quill, pointing it to the remaining warriors, catching at least two of them in the sharp, harsh tones of her songs. Though it wasn't enough to make them panic or retreat on their own, only they could hear the hissing dark tones, causing them to falter in their strikes. One of them shook it's head, looking right at Nanami and hissing in anger, but it wouldn't matter because one of the other warriors would probably deal with him before he had time to exact his revenge for her interference.

Octavia wasn't sure how much time had passed. Her interaction with Gwen had left her dazed and scarcely comprehending. She wiped the tiny beads of sweat that pooled at her temples and pushed the loose hair out of her eyes. So many questions spiraled through her mind, but pondering only led to more questions rather than answers. She shook her head and tried to focus on her mission, dragging her attention away from her thoughts. Octavia's gaze wandered across the barren land as she drew in a deep breath. And she froze. At the edge of her vision, she spotted a group of...?

"Gasp!"

In one swift motion, Octavia ducked and concealed herself behind the large boulder. She stuck her head out and peered, quickly noting that there were about 15 of them. A majority of them were armed with swords and the rest of them with bows and arrows. She could run for the entrance, but she wouldn't be able to avoid a direct confrontation. Her odds of winning against 15 snakemen in her current sate would be one percent. Even one percent was too generous. Way too generous, she repeated, almost laughing at the ridiculous thought of a one percent chance. It would be suicide at best. Octavia would have to wait for the beasts to enter the tomb and ambush them from behind whilst the others engaged with them upront. The Bloodrose Irregulars were in for a surprise, but she had to think of a more positive scenario. Maybe Alm spotted them before heading back.

As the beasts approached the entrance, she took this time to tighly wrap her ankle with a piece of cloth she had ripped from her robe. Her ankle had been aching for days; it made her footing unsteady. When they entered and disappeared from her line of sight, she carefully followed suit. A headache throbbed behind her eyes the moment she got close to the ancient tomb. The entire thing practically vibrated with violent emotion. She eased a step further along the path, but her ability to feel the violent history didn't fade. She had to stop momentarilly. Octavia worked to relax while she kept her focus. Much as she longed to back away, she resited the urge.

BANG!

Hearing the gunshot was all that it took for her hesitations to fly out the window. She quickly entered the tomb, purpose in her stride. Everything had happened so fast. Shots were fired and blades were swung. Octavia noticed the two strangers (mostly the large man) who were fighting alongside the others, but she had no time to discern the situation. She quickly reached for the knives that were hidden under her robe, sheathed on a belt loop that was wrapped around her leg. She aimed for the snakeman who had his arrow pointed at Pox, and in a fraction of a second, the knife whizzed through the air and stabbed the beast in the spot where its jaw met its neck. Octavia reached for a second knife, but a sudden sharp, stabbing pain in her skull caused her to drop to her knees. She could hear the loud screams of the damned, and they came from inside her mind. She clutched her head and groaned in agony. Mustering every strength she had left, she retreated behind the nearest pillar. "This damned ancient tomb is cursed", she said through gritted teeth, her hands still clutching her head. Dark thoughts began to plague her mind, and Octavia would have to spend the next few moments fighting the curse that ran through her veins, but it was a losing battle.

@Athol

Yui's first shot sounded the real start of the battle the Snake-man hit was easily killed and the shot itself put a bit of fear into the rest this allowed for the Irregulars to swarm in and nearly annihilate the group. Her second shot although not exactly an immediate kill shot but it hit the beast in the lower abdomen dropping it from the pillar, Luckily it was meet by one of Shion's arrows as the beast tried to get back up after its shot. Her third shot came with about the same effectiveness her shot veered off to the side striking the snake-man in the shoulder and literally disarming it. A feat which was quickly followed up by Stephan taking his knife to the wounded Creature's neck and quickly dropping it.

The battle was progressing quickly Alm had been in the clash and although he hadn't gotten a good hit in yet he had been helping as he could. As things started to slow down he noticed Octavia off to the side crouched down, and he noticed one of the Archers had seen this as well and was moving in for the kill. HE quickly made his move breaking off from the main combat to intercept the archer. As its blade started to drop down on her it was caught by Alm's own blade knocking it up. Luckily he had made it on time and after his flailing attempt to deflect the Snake-man's blade he used his momentum to ram the snake dropping his shoulder into the creature's face. This move sent the snake man sprawling on the floor and before it could get back up it was Torched by Gwen who seemed to also had noticed and moved to help the young girl. "She can't stay in here. Get her out now." Gwen commanded and Alm didn't question. He quickly scooped up Octavia and started to rush the girl outside followed by Gwen watching and providing support as the three retreated.

Jing and Allant worked together to slay the final warrior and Sybille had turned the final Archer into a pincushion with shards of ice. As the battle drew to a close Jing turned is attention to the knight and the giant who had joined in at the start of the battle. He lowered his weapon, but not his guard as he faced the two newcomers. "Thanks for the help, although I don't know if we needed it all that much. What brings the two of you out this far into the desert?" He asked while giving the signal for the rest of them to return to their work before the Snake-men attacked the group. But with the intimidate scene of danger removed things were a little easier. Allant and Shion went to remove the corpses of the humans and Stephan started to check the Snake-Men's bodies giving each of them a quick stab to ensure they were dead before searching for anything of value. Sybille stayed next to Jing prepared to use her magic if the two newcomers proved to be a threat.

After getting Octavia outside Alm set the girl down in a shaded area of the entrance. "This should be better. What happened to you in there anyway?" Alm asked concerned for the girl, It was never a good sign when a team member became incapacitated in combat but before Alm could get his answer Gwen had caught up and shooed him away. Once Alm was away Gwen turned to Octavia. "I didn't realize before just how serious your condition was. It seems we may have to take some more serious measures here." She said to Octavia talking more to herself than to Octavia. "Well little one how are you feeling outside the tomb did the voices quiet?" She asked starting to think over her next moves to help Octavia.

---

Just like that, the fighting was over. Yui sighed, and coughed a few times to clear the gunsmoke from her lungs, before sheathing her sword. Returning to her rifle, she reloaded it before de-tensioning the hammer spring and slinging it over her back. ”Well that was fun,” She said to no-one in particular. ”Puts a bit of a damper on the chance that Lord Whoever is still alive though.”

She spotted the Boss, and back up, going over to talk with the new arrivals so she left him to it; besides, she would be far more useful at range should the Man Mountain and his friend do something stupid…assuming they lived long enough for her to bring weapon to bear. Instead, she joined Stephan in checking dead Snake Men. ”Find anything good?” She asked, poking at the headless body of the first archer she hit. Desert dwellers rarely had anything that was of great value to the civilized world, but if she lucked out one of them might have a vial of the poison they used, and she was pretty sure she knew a guy who would pay well for that; what he wanted it for wasn’t her concern.

Not finding anything worthwhile on the first body, she moved on to the next one. ”HA!...shit…” The next body did have a little vial of sorts, but when she lifted it to her ear and shook it, it was pretty clear that the vial was essentially empty; still, she stuffed it into a belt pouch just in case, before moving on.

@Arthanus

@Lyla

After being Shooed away Alm returned inside the Tomb. Things seemed to be calming down from the fight so he decided to check up on Nanami. He approached her with a wave. "So little Song Bird, looks like you survived your first real fight since joining up. How you holding up?" He asked while giving her a bit of a look over to make sure she wasn't injured in some way. "It has been a few years since we ran into snake people. They are usually much deeper in the desert normally don't find much more than Orcs in these parts." He added with a smile. Alm almost sat next to her but noticed the others actually working to clear the dead and moved to the nearest corpse with the intention to move it with the rest of them. "You didn't get clipped did you?" Alm asked just making sure the Little Songbird was alright.

---

---

And with that, the battle had quelled as swiftly as they arrived. The giant felt relieved, not more bloodshed had to daunt on his blade and he could cast away worry if only but momentarily. Putting his axe away, Hafrbjǫrn eyes trailed to the source of the voice that called upon his attention. Indeed, he needn't speak on the behalf of that he merely ran an errand for a man needing protection. Garrett would secure levity in such conversation, as for this giant he would remain wordless. Scanning however, those whom wore naught protection over their skulls and adorn only trinkets instead of steal caught set giants attention. They were young, much younger than what Hafrbjǫrn was accustomed to travel with. Though perhaps their talent flourished in their respective areas, like the seeds in summer's time, some of these had still hadn't shed the green of their eyes. Among such inexperience there underlay a certainty of prowess. After witnessing what course this battle took he could not question their ability, however, he could question coordination. Some were injured, and another he thought he witnessing in pain. Yet no discernible injury could be demonstrated from where he stood. They gowned a peculiar brand on their arms, Blood Rose Irregulars. That staved away some sense of curiosity, they were warrior of their own caliber, perhaps this ambush was something they themselves could not anticipate. Hafrbjǫrn counted himself lucky, getting captured by bandits was mayhaps the most fortunate event the could've come across to. If anything, he could've been another number in the pile of corpses on the way here.

He stepped away, not a word spoken and began to see if anything of worth could be scavenged from the bodies of these creatures. The men were already at the task, but the spoils would belong to their guild if they caught whiff of their worth, if so, Hafrbjǫrn would be left with only the lingering sense of battle, with is oh so faint and fragile. And would soon leave him the next camp they make. The armor these serpent wore were nothing you'd take privy to during the time, yet craftsmanship was at a league of its own. They facilitated movement without obstructing the bent of the joints, a lather sturdy enough to be worn under the chain mail, tightening muscle enough to not restrict the bends and more over with the quality of steel they could defend efficiently to the sharpest of blade for more a duration than many other armors. Pacing his hand on their pockets, nothing of interest on this one. It held several flasks, he believed that perhaps this was the poison that they doused the tips of their arrows with. Or even the blades.

Hafrbjǫrn couldn't shake off this feeling that these ruins were home to creature of an unknown. The bandits were wholly unaware of their demise upon forming camp on these lands. Meaning, they did not privy the thought of these creature being around. That arises the question, however. Where do they spawn from? Hafrbjǫrn absentmindedly thought as he proceeded to the next body, this one being the one with the knife pierced at its neck. Ah, what accuracy, this was from that odd one that seemed to be troubled by something. Hafrbjǫrn did not proceed the thought, it was not his place and more over not something he had much interest in furthering, yet a lingering worry boiled at the peak of his thought. What would that symbolize? Did these Guild Mate-- Something caught his interest, a blade... Such wonderful craftsmanship! Although the giant's mien would not shift from its deadpan stare, he carefully visualized each individual detail from the sword, at time lifting it above his head and noting the temper from it, was this really some beast's choice? If it was such a waste! Hafrbjǫrn mayhaps should write the details he witnesses here, as to utilize at his forge later.

---

---

Jenramo cleaned the blood from his blade, the essence of the fallen had stitched the wounds that he had sustained during the fight, yet he knew that he would need to be careful moving forward, the poison that the beastmen used could kill him still, even with beloved memory holding him together, after the battle if he did not gather an antivenin or recieve aid from Gwen... he shook the thought, magic was still not something that he was comfortable utilizing like that, the corruption he had seen in mages, these people were good, but they don't stay that way long.

The large man and the knight that assisted them were looting like the rogue, some mercenaries have no decency. Jenramo moved back to the group and reconvened with their leader, "Well, now we have more to contend with, how would you like to proceed?" Jenramo did not sheathe his weapon, the two strangers, while they had helped them, they are unknown, and not to mention, a possible drain to the reward. Jenramo held onto his stance maintaining a preparedness he needed in case the behemoth of a man attempted to charge them.

@Arthanus@Sync

[♪] And thus the battle was over almost as soon as it began - truly the mercenary company was not to be underestimated, which on some level, gave Nanami a sense of pride, but she knew her father had an eye for true talent. That was probably the reason he ended up letting her tag along, even as protective as he was, but now wasn't the time to dwell on such things, for she had the heart of a scholar locked away behind a warrior's training.

She soon found herself sitting on a piece of old, fallen pillar, sliding the journal from before and scanning it over once more. She figured most might have forgotten the find in the scuffle as well as the introduction of the strangers, though father was taking care of that. This is what she was good at, after all. Her eyes traveled back towards deeper in the ruins, guessing they had a little ways to go before finding anything of worth, since the pair had come from within.

To her mild surprise, she heard Alm's voice and glanced over with a soft smile. While most of the company more or less waved her presence off as one of the new recruits, she had known Alm for a little while now. They had not spoken at great length, but it was enough to be familiar and it was unlike the protectiveness of a father, which made her a bit more comfortable. Though a part of her could not help but smirk, but only in the slightest. 'Ah, not really my first fight, but...' Twas a fleeting thought though as she nodded. "I'm doing quite well, actually and no, my wings were not clipped." She smiled again, enjoying the title she had somewhat earned and the play on words.

"I was just thinking about the puzzle referred to in the journal... and it's hard to say. It could be nonesense, something worth looking into it of course, but then one must wonder - is it a trap or are there creatures awaiting us inside?" She let out a soft sigh. "When it comes to the ruins of the old world, there is no telling sometimes. What I had to go through to sing my songs with my blade was... certainly not something I expected. So a part of me hopes to see something truly fantastic while the other part of me hopes it is nothing, for the safety of everyone - not that we cannot take care of ourselves, of course." She paused, glancing to Alm, reading his face. "What do you think?"

A warrior met a rather nasty end being coated in the burning Firedust. Scales designed for such oppressive heat were not that great against straight up fire. Following that, Pox aimed another of his weapons, a clay canister filled with potassium chlorate, lactose, and a dye topped a charge to disperse its contents. The concussive blast would be with smoke and mixing with the dust of the sands. It was enough to get them scattered and quickly dispatched from his companions. In his moment of attack, he barely noticed that his life was spared via the quick actions of Octavia, but sadly the action went unnoticed.

"Hahah! Feel the power of science!" He proclaimed not expecting his alchemical concoctions to work as well as they did. Though the charred remains of the snakeman attempted to come forward before succumbing to its wounds. It looked like a heap of burnt leather and smelled a little like poultry. "Eww.... Father forgive me." He remembered getting back into the mindset.

The battle did not take much longer after that. Namely it was just mop up and the two new companions proved their metal and fighting prowess. When the noises stopped, Pox would be the first to move, running back and forth to every able body person. While they looted the spoils of the fight, he shuffled from one to the next, inspecting up and down, around. First he went to Nanami... unharmed and he sighed happily for that.

Yui, tough as nails as always. Jing, Allant, Alm, even the new comers would be inspected like cattle at the auctions as legs and arms were observed. Just dings, little bit of scraps. Pox's hands glowed green as he would wash his hands over each, not even needing to touch their dings. The magic was just a simple disinfectant. Their scraps could hardly be considered wounds, and it was only infection that could cause a problem. Then he came to Jenramo... the man who specifically stated to ignore him should he be wounded.

@RoccanIronclad

Pox approached with an unused dart. He jabbed it casually in the back of one of Jenramo's arms. "Poke." Pox had antivenin to spare after the attack and he was the only one who he could see that was potentially injured with one of those arrows. Pox's deftness with avoiding the nerve centers of body would actually make the sliver of sharp metal more of an irritation than an actual bit of pain. In, plunger, out. Quick as a whistle. If this still would get on Jenramo's nerves, he'd raise his shoulders to look sheepish. "Safe than sorry." He said stepping back, since the man still had his weapons out.

He wondered if he was missing someone... then he saw that Gwen and Octavia were not here. He began to move fast, casing the edges of the battlefield until he found them outside.

@Arthanus@HowlsOfWinter

Pox approached them with some haste, seeing the signs of obvious distress. He already had a hand on his medicine back he kept strapped over his black apron as he approached them. "Lady Gwen! Lady Octavia! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" The doctor could really move when the need seemed great.

Octavia must have blacked out momentarily. When she opened her eyes, she saw the blue sky—and two concerned faces. It took a few moments for her mind to recap the events that had just transpired. She recalled that there was some sort of dark energy that engulfed her entire being, and it was unpleasant. It almost felt as if she was being possessed by something evil. It was a given that the tomb would have over a thousand of miserable souls lingering inside of it, but she felt that there was something more. She couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something residing within the tomb; something dark and malicious. It must have gotten drawn to the dark energy of her curse and tried to use her as a host.

Octavia took a deep breathe and sat up straight, shifting her focus towards Gwen. "I'm fine, there's just something really off about this tomb," she replied. Her eyebrows were knitted together in deep thought; she looked frustrated. "This is just mere speculation—maybe even paranoia—but it felt as if something was going to possess my body."It was just a feeling, of course, and she tried to brush it aside. It seemed like a good idea to get some sleep after the day ends. The paranoia tendencies and the dark shadows under her eyes were only getting worse. She felt as if she was going to go crazy from exhaustion.

"Lady Gwen! Lady Octavia! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Pox still seemed to be full of energy, as always. He radiated a warm and positive energy—the complete opposite of her. She almost envied him, but she admired him just as much. If only she could be less miserable and more like him. "Just a bad headache," Octavia assuaged his worries with a sheepish smile, but she almost looked embarrassed. She wanted to help them as much as she could, but she ended up getting carried outside instead. That was uncool. She bit the inside of her lip, a habit she did whenever she was embarrassed or in deep thought. "I think I might have injured my ankle, too. It hurts when I walk." She undid the bandage and examined her ankle. "It doesn't look sprained, but walking on deep sand is straining," she commented. She couldn't wait to walk on grass and cement; she was starting to really hate the sight of sand. Maybe she just wasn't meant for the desert, and she wouldn't choose to return if she could help it.

Octavia was starting to feel homesick, but her journey was just beginning. She joined the Irregulars so she could explore the world and hopefully find a cure for her curse. Keyword: hopefully. A cure for a curse that has been passed down for many generations was unheard of, after all, they have committed a serious taboo and it was retribution. The Crestkeeps married within the family just to keep their family secret safe, but in the end, the estate was raided and they were all killed. As the last Crestkeep alive, she inherited the curse of everyone who had died that day. She was the only one left alive to pay for all of their family's sins, and to make matters worse, their souls haunted her dreams every night. They couldn't find peace in the afterlife.

It was Octavia's life mission to find an end to the curse, so she could live a normal life and put the souls of her family at rest. However, she knew deep down that it was an impossible feat, and the best she could do was not to give birth to a child, so that the curse would end and die with her. Growing old and starting a family was out of the question, she'd only have 10 years to live at best, but her lifespan would probably be much shorter that that. The thought wasn't all too depressing, it seemed so much better than the idea of living a long life filled with only suffering.

A long sigh was dragged out of her lips as she shook her unnecessary thoughts aside. She had been losing her focus a lot more lately; a sign that she wasn't getting proper sleep—or any at all. Octavia suppressed a yawn and adjusted her eyepatch.

@Athol

Stephan was searching through the possessions of the Snakemen when Yui came up asking if there was anything good. "These weapons are near ancient, and of fine quality as well, they could fetch a nice price on the market, otherwise I don't see much of value." he said while looking at one of the blades and placing it to the side before drawing his own knife and carefully started to remove the Monster's soul stone. One quick cut at the top of the chest cavity, a loud pop as he broke the manubrium then digging his hand inside until he drew out a three inch diameter pale green stone. "Very decent Soul Stones. Might be worth more than the weapons." he added the note as he cleaned the blood off the gem and his hands before pocketing it. "Take what you want, Jing does not regulate what we keep from the kills, although if something magical comes up he might take notice and allocate it to whoever would use it the best." Stephan added while moving on to the next corpse taking the sword with him as he got up.

@RoccanIronclad@Sync@Valorous

After a quick chat on their intentions Jing agreed to allow Hafrbjǫrn and Garrett to stay with the irregulars at least for the time being. Although he saw potential in the two he wasn't willing to wright up a contract in the middle of some desert ruins with only seeing them in action for such little time. After that was taken care of Jing turned his attention to Jenramo "Looks like Snakes this time... You know how much I hate snakes right?" Jing asked half joking. "But either way we have to press on, a lone journal entry won't pass as evidence of his death. With our numbers bolstered a bit we shouldn't have much problem though. Lets let everyone rest a bit then we shall press on and continue deeper into the ruins" he continued a returning to his more serious mood then placed his hand onto Jenramo's shoulder, "You need to be more careful out there, that sword is powerful, but it makes you reckless. You can't just allow yourself to be hit, one of those hits may well end you old friend." Jing scolded him a bit, this wasn't the first time he would have this conversation with Jenramo and it probably wouldn't be the last. Even then Jing had to voice his concern. The two had fought together for years and the man was the closest thing Jing had to a little brother so Jing couldn't help but worry for him at times.

@Lyla

Alm listened to Nanami's response and gave a small smile, "Personally I think there will be traps, which sadly I hope those who came before us fell into instead of us. And there will certainly be more creatures, these type usually answer to some patriarch probably resting deeper in these ruins. Aside from the danger though this place is magical. Just think of how this place must of looked in its prime." He said moving over to one of the stone pillars and whipped some of the dirt off of it revealing an ornate carving surrounded by a jade border. "It would of been wonderful to see this back before the dirt... It must of been some palace. And that of course also means there should be a good bit of treasure deep within for those willing to brave it." Alm continued. "These missions... no Adventures are so amazing we get to peak into the world of the old age before we were abandoned and hunted when mankind was truly great." he said letting a little bit of his philosophy out before reigning it back in. "Don't worry little Songbird by the time we leave these ruins you are sure to see a wondrous sight, although there is a good chance of a terrible and terrifying sight as well so keep up your guard and remember if you end up flying to high your wings won't get clipped as long as I am around, although I would appreciate it if you don't make me jump into the fire to save you." He said sending her a grin for a moment before clapping his hands together to get the dust off of them. "Well I better get back to work before Jing scolds me." He said giving a little bow before taking his leave.

@ShwiggityShwah@HowlsOfWinter

Gwen listened to Octavia's thoughts and was about to comment when Pox came to interrupt. She didn't say anything as Octavia gave her little lie and tried to put the doctor's nerves at ease. "Nothing to worry about Sir Pox," She said in a calm voice. "I'm sure you can take care of this little bit. Now if you will excuse me I have to go work on a little spell for miss Octavia here. It seems the poor girl hasn't been able to sleep well lately and all the natural means don't seem to be helping so I'll go cook something else up for her. Until then please watch after her for me." Gwen said as she walked past Pox and went back into the tomb to let the two talk. She would return some time later to offer Octavia a choice. Gwen had taken the time to look through her Grimoire and found a spell that would protect Octavia from many forms of Possession but it wasn't a guaranteed fix so she could either use the spell to proceed in with the group or Gwen could get Shion to stay back with her for protection while the others proceeded deeper into the tomb if she wasn't wanting to take the chance. Gwen would of stayed herself, but things inside the tomb were uneasy and she felt her magical skills would be needed later on.

[Everyone]

Jing let the group rest for a bit after the battle before getting everyone ready to move deeper into the tomb. The path they would take was clear as the tracks left by the snakemen were fresh and easy to follow. As they went deeper into the tomb more corpses were found but not in the magnitude of the entrance, these ones deeper in seemed to put up a fight as the signs of battle were clear and there were places where you could tell a body was removed meaning some of the snakemen had fallen to these soldiers, Stephan commented that they might of been the Noble's personal guards after a quick rummaging and searching through their belongings. There were plenty of side paths that begged to be searched but yet the group pressed on for what seemed like hours until coming across a grand ornate door laying open. In front of the door a group of corpses sprawled out in a semi-circle with a single corpse in the center. Jing moved forward checking the man in the center finding a journal in the man's hands. The last entry reading "We have finally solved the puzzle. I now record this moment when Mankind finally reclaims their lost heritage! Soon all mankind will know the name Frances Darkwing!" Jing sighed while taking a ring off of the Nobles finger. "Well he is dead, looks like the Snakes came from behind the door." he said while putting the ring and the journal into his pack. "Now we are left at a bit of an crossroads. We completed our job, we can leave here and now and get paid as is. But that leaves these snakemen who could easily kill any who attempt to use this tomb as shelter or come to study its secrets in the future." Jing explained almost as if trying to convince himself to stay. "So with that said I'll put this up to a vote. We can stay find the Snakemen Patriarch slay it and turn them against themselves as they will fight for control of the clan leaving them weakened and possibly even eliminating them from this area, or we can turn around and head home." He asked with the slight hope that the group would choose the ladder so he could get back to a nice bed. Alm was the first to speak up after the question was posed. "We can't just sit back and let these things kill whoever comes here I vote to press on." He said in a bit of a determined voice trying to coax the others to his side.

[♪] Nanami shifted to look at Alm, starting to study him as he spoke, raising both eyebrows in a look of slight surprise. She had never heard him talk like that before, especially the fascination of the old world really caught her attention as most people wrote it off as ancient history and just looked to live day to day - which wasn't a bad policy by any means. Furthermore, his comment about his apparent guardianship of her well-being had also caught her off-guard, leaving her to simply watch as the man wandered off. A part of her ego puffed just slightly, telling her that she didn't need protection, but mostly she felt a strange sensation of safety and after a moment she smiled softly to herself. It was nice to know her back was being watched and that he apparently thought as high of her as he did.

As the group rested, she took the time to causally look over the ruins and thought about what Alm said, slightly regretful that they could not spend more time here. She was sure she could find secrets here and lore and it gave shivers of excitement to think what could be found. Before too long though, they were on their way and mostly Nanami was quiet and simply observant as she always was - not that everyone knew or cared, but her attention to detail was quite excellent and so she spent her time analyzing her environment until finally they were upon the later door, which left her gasping slightly in awe. She almost wanted to run to it like a little girl and marvel at it!

Alas, her father gave the group two options, which Alm was quick to offer an opinion. Again, she was a bit impressed! Though a part of her simply wanted to know what secret the man supposedly found that might unlock mankind's past - was it true or simply a fool's errand? Even she in her studies, had so much to learn from her blade songs and that had a rich and strangely mysterious lore on its own - so it was truly hard to say what truth this man thought he found. She still wanted to know what it was, but Alm also had a very valid and ethical point. "I agree," she said quickly. "Beyond the idea that he did find something truly wonderful, I am not keen on being irresponsible by letting them do as they please. Normally I may chime in with the idea of talks, but they clearly don't care." She shot a look Alm's way with an approving nod.

---

Yui replied to Stephan’s words with a grin. “Boss is a man after my own heart.” Taking up her camp knife, she took to extracting the Stones out of the three Snake Men she could make a claim for; bad form to poach off another’s kill after all. As she did so, she also inspected the weapons they had been carrying.

She hadn’t even really looked at the blades before, but after Stephan’s comment, she did so, and found herself agreeing; whom ever had crafted these had been an expert. Yui contemplated taking a sword, but after testing the weight of one, she decided instead to just take a couple of small daggers; she was pretty sure she could get some good coin even for them.

---

_@Arthanus

After a quick breather, they were on the move again, heading deep into the temple. Deeper they went, passing side halls that made her a tad nervous about being cut off; but there was nothing to be done about that, they lacked the numbers to leave a watch at each crossing. Eventually they found their mark, dead in front of an open door and surrounded by this fallen guards. ”Surprise, surprise. Rich boy got his ass killed…” She muttered disdainfully, watching Jing collect their proof-of-death.

As Jing laid out their options, Yui found herself automatically checking both her sword and her rifle, to make sure they both would be ready at a moment’s notice. Alm and Nanami both voted to go one, and she was a touch surprised when she realized she’d raised her own hand in agreement. ”The merc in me says ‘Let’s get out and get paid, we got what we came for’…but,” She waved her raised had to what was left of the Lord and his escort. ”I can’t leave and risk that happening to someone else. I vote we push on.”

---

---

Scouring the monsters was in it of itself a means of survival. Something had to reveal a weakness, their armaments were in fact ancient and it spoke heavily of their effervescent nature and talent for murder. In the middle of their chest there it laid a marvel of a gem, glistened with a strength Hafrbjǫrn had not peered in almost a lifetime. His hands cradled its form and turned it to sunlight, allowing it to reflect through its limpid surface. Perhaps this could be infused with a weapon. An alchemist or even a rune expert could detail its qualities, if not, it could make a lovely ring for someone else. Regardless, such made its way into the giant's pouch. Standing, it seemed like it was about time to proceed further into the depths of this ruin. It was unwise to continue forwards without much strength in distance combat, this was an opportunity the giant would be foolish to pass up. He pulled the quiver and bow off a snakemen that hasn't tattered it enough during their squabble. Laced still with the poison, he carefully strapped such to his waist, as he couldn't on his back due to size, adjusting the belt as well as he could, he perforated another whole with his carving knife, broke an arrow and strapped the wood upon it well enough to sustain its sturdiness on his hips. Calmly following the now, large crow of people down their desired destination. The walls still held lingering traces of history, some faded into the stone unable to disclose any tales of secrets rites or passages of these places.

Hafrbjǫrn had a looming sense of dread pestering him. Although he had been assigned to protect Garrett something about everything of this screamed dangers. Though their trek seemed endless and they have not met even a single sneakmen, but a myriad of bodies and corpses was enough to bellow that whatever was here was not keen on letting its secrets known. Hafrbjǫrn however wore his silence like a piece of fine tempered armor. It was not his place to speak, but follow. Their feet continued and continued what seemed to be an endless path through this place. Hafrbjǫrn couldn't tell how far or deep their were underground or above ground anymore. The present smell of dust, mold and death surrounded them in an embrace before they made it to the end, with more dead men at their feet, but what Hafrbjǫrn had captured as to be this party's leader spoke about their tardiness of arrival to save these men. Hafrbjǫrn crossed armed heard what he had to say, and one of the younger ones decided to voice his discontent on the idea of leaving. Another young warrior clad in foreign armor. Not a whisker in sight and jet-dark hair which naturally flowed down to his shoulders.

Next was a young woman, hair shorter than the man who spoke, her set of armor strangely resembling that of a rouge, yet there was far too much clad involved to be anything of the sort. These two have been talking quite regularly, but that had to be expected of the seams when traveling with comrades. She too, seemed to have agreed to proceed. Hafrbjǫrn on the other hand felt it wiser to leave before the terms turned for the worst. The greed of men fashioned many forms, one of them in the selfless cloth of aid. To help those that perhaps do not need the help is in itself a form of greed. A need to satiate a hole upon their center, something Hafrbjǫrn couldn't agree with. But then he peered on himself, certainly continuing this journey for a couple Soverns was in itself greedy. Another one spoke however this did not seem as young as the previous one. Her weapon, ah what an intricate craft indeed. It is not something Hafrbjǫrn had the luxury to assemble quite yet. It was a marvel to behold, but his mien did not disclose this. If perhaps he would be a better conversationalist he would've praised such craftsmanship, however all that was handed was a quick glance. Now, what to do?

Hafrbjǫrn wanted to turn, perhaps this was it. This was the end for his journey with these people who seemed banked on their own interests. No, not that, there is some altruism behind this. Something that might herald a benefit for passerby's. However, any who venture this far into the area certainly does not expect to find anything that is not treasure. Bandits were ones who captured them and held them prisoners. This place reeked of unsavory deceit. Yet, the giant merely remained silent.

---

---

Jenramo looked to Jing as he spoke to him, "Perhaps some day one of the blows will kill me, but it wasn't today." he grinned at his old friend, "I'll be careful, you'd be lost without a decent smith." He chuckled as he spoke, but soon the laughter halted as they spoke of what to do next. A patriarch of the snakemen, while it wasn't their concern Jenramo was already feeling quite resolute about the whole situation, his whole goal was to slay the powerful beasts and rid this world of that pain. Jenramo held his head high as he spoke, "A grand foe will always meet a grand end, I will press on as long as it takes,"

Jenramo could tell that the others in the group were of a like mind, none here would say to back away and allow such beast to roam freely among the living, they were the sort to put forth that kind of kindness, even the mages, he sometimes felt as though he were too harsh on them, too distant, most of them seemed fine, but he could never tell, still, a level of trust had to be maintained, and that it would.

---

@HowlsOfWinter

Pox stepped back letting Gwen pass, going back to the group back in the tomb in a hurry, his mask nodded quickly. He was submissive to his superior, perhaps a bit too eager to please and do as he was instructed. "Of course Mistress Gwen." he said, giving her a step of birth before passing her and making his way to Octavia. He gave her a few feet of room as he went to he knees in a kneel, his hand setting to his pouches that lay on his apron while his other went for his hat. He began to woft it in her direction, just to give her a little bit of breeze. He was still concerned with the heat.

She complained of a headache, and Pox knew there was more to it than that, but he wasn't going to pry. It was neither the time nor the place to find out secrets. He just needed to make sure she was okay, that was the most important thing in the world right now. [color=green]"Here Salix Alba extract. It helps with headaches and pain. Chew on that." It was a tiny vial of what looked like, plant fibers. It would be rough like bark, but eventually it would soften. She then complained of ankles being hurt. Something Pox treated with equal importance. He slung himself over, just to be able to reach her ankle. He inspected it, scratching his beak a moment. [color]"Bit of bruise on the muscle and youre getting a blister from your footwear. You're right, its the sand. Dreadful stuff. If I may?"[/color] He laid his gloved hands on her ankle, a soft light emitting from them as he attempted just a quick bit of magic to repair internal damage. "My bandages are made of wool weave, it might be a bit more cushion for them if you want."

Regardless, as he focused on his work, she would yawn and he took notice. "I know it's not my business, but I notice you haven't been sleeping very well." He released her ankle in a very shocked defensive pose, raising them up as if he said something wrong. "I know that sounds weird, but its my job to notice." He sounded quite sorry for talking about it. "But, just because, well, I know Lady Gwen is probably treating you at the moment, and I mean no disrespect, but if what she is attempting doesn't work. I'd like to help you too if you don't mind. We are comrades after all. No point in suffering when you got a doctor on command. We're expensive." He chuckled trying to joke. He released her foot. "That should do it."

He stood up in front of her, shaking the sand from his apron as he leaned over, offering her a hand to help her up. "Looks like they're going to delve a little deeper. Shouldn't be much longer until we're done with this." He tilted his head, one could imagine he was smiling at her behind those green lenses.

---

Pox grimaced as one by one everyone said they wanted to keep going even after the discovery of a second tragedy. Pox was mourning the dead, and the fact he wasnt going to win any bets, though thank goodness they decided against it last minute. Pox thought about the donkey he would never have.

And then just to add insult to injury, the call was made to delve deeper, or go. Pox of course would say: Quest finished, lets go, its the healthier option. One by one, his companions agreed to go deeper. He raised his hands, looking nervous as he tried to stop one, then another, then another, until finally he lowered his beak in defeat.

He raised his hand and in sadness he proclaimed. "Lets keep going...."

Octavia's eyes followed Pox as he did his work, watching in mild amusement as he did this and that, no doubt very much experienced with his actions as a healer. She had nearly jumped in surprise when he suddenly raised her ankle to strike a defensive pose, but before she could get a chance to react, he apologized sincerely for prying — not that she had considered it to be prying in the first place. Octavia raised her eyebrow, before a grin consumed the lower half of her face. His intimidating exterior was far-removed from his jovial nature, and she broke into a hearty laugh. "I'd like to help you too if you don't mind. We are comrades after all. No point in suffering when you've got a doctor on command. We're expensive," Pox joked. His genuine display of concern compelled Octavia to open up a little. Maybe it was his gentle nature and easygoing personality that drew people toward trusting him. "Then if you don't mind, I'll be taking advantage of your free services," she shot back with a wry smile. "I'll be in your care," she said, before thanking him and accepting his outstretched hand. Octavia rose up and dusted the sand off her clothes. Her body noticeably felt lighter, maybe it was the vial he had given her. "Shouldn't be much longer until we're done with this." Octavia couldn't see the face he was making beneath the mask, but she imagined he would be smiling. "I hope so. The last week has been too hot for my liking, albeit ludicrous if I have to admit," she frowned, before they marched toward the entrance of the tomb.

--

Octavia noticed that Pox had felt the same way she did. It was the smarter choice to leave and go back home; they couldn't afford to have any casualties. However, everyone seemed set on their decisions to continue. Wordlessly, Octavia obliged, but a bad premonition gnawed at her gut.

@ShwiggityShwah

As the members of the Irregulars stepped forward it was abundantly clear the group was going to press on. A few outliers remained Stephan and Gwen both gave their push to head back, but their votes were far out outweighed by the others. So the decision was made and the group pressed on.

Behind the doors the Ruins took on life. The sand covered floors turned into beautiful brick covered with gold leaf, The walls now clearly showed ornate drawling and pictographs telling the long lost stories of those who originally lived in the structure, even the ceiling had magnificent artwork to be shown. It was almost like walking back in time and it took all of Alm's being not to break ranks to go explore, there would be time for that later. But now more so than ever their was an eerie feel to the place. The group was defiantly being watched, every so often a snakeman would shoot past on one of the sides of the group just barely in sight and to quick even for Shion to get off a shot. It felt as if the group was being lured, ahead was another set of open doors and behind them what seemed natural light. It was clearly a trap, but the current halls were to dark for a real fight and Jing wasn't about to get his people killed in the dark, so whatever this trap was all the group could do was hope to overcome what the Snakemen had planned.

With caution the group pressed forward and once entering the room the doors slammed shut behind them. After the bit of chaos that would follow calmed the group got a chance to look around the room. It was a large dome like room with a single sky light in the Roof providing the light that filled the room, once there had been two other doors into the room one to either side, but the door on the right hand side of the room had collapsed some time ago. There was an elevated throne of sorts in the middle of the room surrounded by a pool of water with seemingly only one path up from the rear of the pedestal, and atop that throne stood the Snakeman Queen her bow drawn and letting an arrow fly. Jing was able to swat the arrow out of the air, but that arrow seemed to be the signal for the others to move. Four Armored Snakemen and 4 other sword wielding Snakemen pored out from behind the Throne rushing the Irregulars, at the same time Two more Armored Snakemen, 2 Sword Wielding and 2 Archer Snakemen came through the open door and began to advance as well. Jing quickly sized up the situation and gave out orders. "Alm take Shion, Pox, Sybille, Nanami, Haf and Garret. Go cover that door prevent more of them from coming in! Everyone else we are going to kill the Queen." he shouted and began to move forward to intercept the group coming from the Throne.

_________________________________________
@Lyla@Sync@ShwiggityShwah

Alm and Garrett quickly fell into their places taking up the front line and ended up engaging the two armored Snakemen coming from the doorway. Alm's blade locked with the Snake's but the lock was short because with a quick adjustment of his grip Alm was able to push back the snakeman and followed up making a slash at the Snakeman's Torso. Garrett meet the other armored Snakeman trading a few blows each parrying the other's attacks until Garrett was able to knock aside the Snakeman's blade and moved in to elbow the snake in the face.
Shion knew the archers would be a major threat quickly knocking an arrow and sending it at one of the archers while Sybille sent a few ice shards at the other The final two snakemen on this front moved to the sides attempting to flank Alm and Garrett and attack from their sides.

________________________________________
@Athol@RoccanIronclad@HowlsOfWinter

Jing was the first to meet an Armored Snakeman in his fight using the length of his weapon to keep two of the Snakemen at bay (one armored one normal). Each time one tried to move Jing would quickly alter his movements to force it back. Stephan used this as an advantage and moved behind Jing to strike at one of the Snakemen as soon as Jing made an opening. Allant was able to engage another of the Armored Snakemen using one blade to Parry and attempting to attack with the other. This tactic would of worked if there hadn't been other foes present as one of the Snakemen swordsman was able to stop Allants second sword and a second Swordsman moved in the gap coming at Allant with a stab from his left side. Gwen knew her target and immediately launched a fireball at the queen, but the snake was to fast and quickly hid behind the throne allowing the fireball to explode against the hard stone doing little more than scorching it. This was quickly followed by a shot from the queen aimed directly at Yui. The final two armored Snakemen moved around the sides avoiding the front line and moving after the ones in back. One made his way around Jing's spear launching an attack on Stephan, a low fast strike from it's sword. The other moved on Octavia coming at the girl with a strong diagonal slash. The Final Sword wielding Snakeman made his way after Jenramo atempting a quick slash at the man from his left side.

(Battle Stats)
Doorway
- 2 Armored Snakemen Engaged in combat, under attack need Response!
- 2 Sword Wielding Snakemen Not engaged moving to flank!
- 2 Archers Under Fire Need Response!

Throne
- 2 Armored Engaged in Combat
- 2 Armored Not Engaged currently moving to attack Octavia and Stephan need Response! @HowlsOfWinter
- 3 Swordsmen Engaged In Combat, Allant under attack need Response!
- 1 Swordsmen Not Engaged Currently moving to attack Jenramo. Need Response!
- 1 Queen Attacking from Elevated Position, Yui under fire need Response! @Athol

---

Moving deeper into the Temple, Yui had slung her rifle, figuring that if they were ambushed, her blade would be more useful; but the snakemen were content to merely make their presence known, without actively harassing them…that made her nervous. An enemy that did that was certain that whatever plans it lay ahead of its foe would be enough to carry the day.

As they pushed through another set of doors, the trap was sprung, and enemies began to boil out on the attack. With practiced ease, Yui brought her rifle forward and took a knee, bringing her weapon to bear on the Queen. Cut off the head and the snake dies. A nice thought, but obviously the Queen saw her intention and flashed an arrow at her before she could steady her aim. With a ‘yelp’ as she ducked the arrow, barely, Yui took a snap shot. Riding the recoil like before, she reloaded. One more… Another snap shot at the three that were pressing on Allant, then she grounded her gun and rose with her blade. Moving into the fray, she went to improve the odds Allant was facing.