Corc smiled at Jack as he lit his torch. He didn't know the man too well yet, but he seemed reliable. As Fauve entered and the rumbling noise started, the giant orc turned towards the incoming horde of bears. The orc considered meeting the creatures head-on, which was typical orcish behaviour. Orc's were strong and rough, and they respected strength. Fortunately for Corc, he had a good deal of combat experience and was intelligent enough to decide against it. These weren't undead skeletons this time, but strong, bulky enemies in a group.

The orc turned to Jack as he told them to move on, and he nodded. "Corc follow Jack!" He stated, and bolted down the catacombs after him, right behind Gabriel. The orc wasn't a fan of running away, but sometimes it was just nessecary. And in a sense, he wasn't completely fleeing. He was still going down pitch-dark catacombs, that most likely held dangerous traps within. So it didn't bother him too much. Thanks to Jack's guiding torch, he was able to prevent himself from tripping over the steps. Considering how bulky and large he was, it would have been difficult for him to move in complete darkness, especially while needing to rush himself to escape the large undead bears behind him. "Corc thankful for light!" He told Jack.

Major Interaction: @Hokum
Minor Interaction: @Polaris North

Oh, come on,

Ren snapped his neck backward, his eyes gazing at the skies shrouded in shadows. The spine-chilling roars echoing from the rampaging undead bears charging towards them only served to entangle fear around the boy's heart. His hands crept up to his face, fingers digging into his flesh before clawing down with a tremble. The dirt and soot stained Ren's face, his teeth gritting in frustration at their sordid luck. Choked tears ran warm down the lad's face before he looked at the catacomb entrance behind him and Devlin. There was only one answer-- an answer so given that it seemed as if the gods themselves dictated that they say 'yes'.

Ren turned to his companion with a stern gaze. No actions were necessary to convey the doom of the situation. Hell's wrath bared upon them with claws and maws made from Morrun's bones, and there was no honor in dying to a bunch of marionettes that are being pulled along by the strings of a puppet master, filled with too much cowardice to face them in person. They were not the most effective of teams, but they were the only ones they had left.

'Let us go, Devlin,'

A burst of cells flooded through Ren's system as all traces of fatigue and exhaustion left him in an instant. He breathed out heavily before sprinting over to the catacomb entrance with surprising speed. He took a second to examine the gaping jaws of the doorway, almost as if it was a living creature opening up its mouth to devour them into a bitter end. However, Ren knew-- and everyone should, too-- that he refused to enter completely without his companion. He spared a scowl at the archer's expense as he began mumbling about what an interesting day this turned out. There was nothing to laugh about their predicament-- especially, when their lives were at stake. Though, he was secretly thankful that one of their unlikely allies brought along a torch to guide their way. The orc would do good as a powerhouse should push come to shove, but Ren wanted them to avoid a fight as much as possible.

Ren looked at the rogue once again as he reached out his hand to Devlin in order to assure that she would make it with them. He knew not of the shadows which haunted her, but he damn well knew that the only way he could help her stave away the tendrils of night was to help her find the nemesis plaguing her every thought. And, for that to happen, they needed to stay alive.

Fighting against those undead bears would go against that prerequisite.

This was a bleak step, but, Ren believed, that it was a step in the right direction.

Aelih continued sitting down by the tree, murmuring barely loud enough for Lui to hear "Not really, but don't let her know that."

The elf then speaks up for Nona to hear "Well, truth be told, I don't know them very well myself, the only one I've really talked with would be Lui here, other than that, I don't know much other than names. As for me... Aelih. Fighter with a spear. Not sure what else you really want to know, but if you do, you can ask more specific questions."

Aelih really didn't feel in the mood to trust Nona, especially how she said 'flammable' to the man who, as Aelih had suspected, was hiding in a bush.

Darren's eyes followed the bottle as it rolled to the bush at his feet, adjusting his head only when his helmet's visor got in the way. It was almost as if the glass container possessed some form of clairvoyance, for when Darren looked back through the bushes he found another set of eyes looking right back. An explosion of words ensued as that same person to whom those eyes belonged addressed him directly, and very loudly at that, revealing his position quite publicly. His cover was blown, which was of little surprise to him, but the theatrics were rather uncalled for.

Darren then saw Fauve stretch her legs into stilts, which was... odd... to say the least. Her little trick didn't appear to phase him, though he would continue to regard her with wary glances. If she could do that, which was presumably due to some ability to bend her body to her will, then there was no telling what else she could do - perhaps she could do anything. Or, perhaps, her abilities could be far more limited than Darren thought. There simply wasn't enough information to make that assessment yet, but the fact that Darren did not know these people is what prompted him to regard quite a few of them with wary glances. He remained in the shrubbery until he was noticed once more, this time by the witch herself.

"I was never particularly good at hiding anyways." Darren spoke in response to the witch's threat as he stood up from the brush, making a dismissive gesture as he walked into the clearing rather nonchalantly. "I will admit the armor doesn't help much, what with it being made of shiny metal and all, but this armor was not made for me to hide in it." He continued as a hand eased itself onto the hilt of his sword, his eyes peering through the visor of his helm at the witch before him.

"Judging by the looks of you, I'm tempted to believe you've cooked with a cauldron before. It takes a while for the water within to start boiling, and I doubt that a few bushes will make adequate fuel for that fire." Offered the knight in retort, holding his sword firmly though it still rested in its sheathe.

---

Foeldar stood in silence amongst the other trees as the knight appeared following the disappearance of the others. A few moments earlier the tree-being had figured it a better idea to wait here, but now that there was talk of fire he was having second thoughts. Turning to the elf nearby, Foeldar decided that a better course of action might be to follow the others - though he had not seen where they'd gone off to, as he hadn't really been paying attention. "Where did others go? Foeldar rather help them, now. Not much like fire." He asked, his eyes drifting to the small frame peering out from behind the tree that the elf was resting against.

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Lui, who had been hiding behind a tree watching the conversation, suddenly notices Foeldar. The massive tree towered far above her, and asked about the others.

Cautiously, she points in the direction the others went. "T-that way... to some kind of catacombthing..." The massive creature was kind of scary, but somehow less scary than some humans Lui had seen. Perhaps because the tree was made out of wood?

Jack watched as the rest of the group made their way into the stairwell, managing to evade the horde of bear-like monstrosities. "Well..." he starts, turning to look down the stairwell, "Carrying on." With that, he begins making his way down the crudely carved out steps, careful not to slip on the wet stone surface.

Upon reaching the burial chamber below, Jack took a good look around. Twelve coffins, three in each of the four corners of the rooms, with their path splitting off into two separate hallways. He took a few steps forward, reachign into his pack and drawing another unlit torch; lighting it with the flame of the first torch, he extended each out on opposite sides, increasing the area which they lit up to get a better view of the room.

"Looks like we've got a choice to make: Split up and explore both paths at the same time, or stick together and explore one at a time. Or we could just wait here, with the corpses..." Jack glanced down, staring at the fresh blood on the floor as he continued, "...and whatever it is that was here recently."

Corc looked around at the coffins within the room, and at the two hallways. Then, he looked at the blood that Jack had mentioned. "Corc not sure about splitting up...but is fastest way to stop monster threat." He stated, and began to head towards the hallway with the heavy wind. "Corc strong and big enough to block wind for others while moving here...and prevent torch from going out!" He stated. He held his mace firmly in his hands, but he waited in the light of the room until someone would get behind him with a torch.

"Corc not afraid of wind...Corc not lose!" He stated to the wind that kept challenging him and kept brushing against his rough skin. He seemed quite excited about pushing against the wind, despite the fact that it was just wind. But this way, he'd be able to aid his allies as well. As such, he saw no immediate harm to this idea. The giant kept his guard up as he stood near the hallway, though. They could be jumped at any time, by whatever might be lurking in the darkness. He couldn't be careless here. If something came, he'd be ready.

Aelih raises an eyebrow at the witches remark. Probably a witch anyways. ...mostly based on the hat. “Considering we’ve been together for maybe a quarter of an hour... besides, what I do know I doubt I would divulge to you. And if I were plotting to get rid of them, would I tell someone else?”

Major Interactions:@Hokum & @Polaris North

Ren turned to his companion, signing to her in hopes that she would express his thoughts to the unlikely ensemble gathered in front of them. His arms rapidly moved in the air before he cast his glance on the archer who reveled within the shadows of uncertainty and demise.

'We are strong together. We need to protect each other, because I do my best to protect us.'

Ren gazed at the torn sleeves of his habit, his head tilting in curiosity at the mild stinging sensation. The trickles of blood crawling down his arm as well as the crimson drops from his feet drew a shiver from the boy. He wondered whether his haste to run towards the cave contributed to this; though, he remembered slamming a bit against the rough, stone-encrusted entrance as he sped past the threshold of their salvation and demise.

A puff of air escaped his lips as the gashes and sores lining his body let out a hiss before being sewed shut, replacing the boy's sickly pallor with a healthy shade. Ren's eyes sharpened in the darkness, a burst of confidence fueling his steps as he crouched over to the puddle of blood. He dipped his fingers into the coagulating red liquid, and judging from how he could still feel the cells moving within the pool, Ren judged that whoever did this was not far ahead. The dangerous shadows still loomed around them, weaving webs of deceit and pulling them along like puppets on strings.

'The person responsible for this is not far. Blood is fresh. Maybe, the danger here is greater than the one outside.'

Ren stood up before facing the party in front of him. His fingers pointed to his left chest before moving to his right, followed by his hands moving from his chest forward a few inches. Next, Ren brought his hands together, moving it in circles. Without stopping, Ren pointed to his left chest to his right chest again before he gestured to his eyes, only for it to be followed by his left hand making a space between his middle and ring finger where his right hand passed through.

'We move forward together until we see it through.'

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