[IC] Defiance

[Jensoman]

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.

[Seraphin]

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.

[Zyngard]

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.

[ArkmageddonCat]

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.

[Hokum]

@Seraphin

Crossing the Road

---

It wasn’t a conscious decision to be lacking in certain emotion. Devlin’s inability to feel as much fear as other people was a product of the non-human half of her; that small amount of which was stirred when the oncoming bear horde started in their direction.

Devlin also wasn’t too big on laughter, yet the more she got to know Ren the more amusing he became. It was just his overall demeanor that seemed to tickle her somehow. She liked it. But she had to suppress a smirk while he frantically signed for her to follow him into the catacombs and, of course, heading into the catacombs was the obvious course of action at this stage. That, or climb a tree, but climbing a tree wasn’t going to get her any closer to her long sought after prize.

While Ren fled with the others like a frightened animals into their burrow, Devlin walked casually in their wake, even though she too was feeling a little anxious by the stampede encroaching from behind. Maybe it was a pride thing, like a man who insists on keeping a casual pace while crossing a road, even though he is only inches away from getting trampled by the fast approaching traffic of horses. Like such a man, the internal screaming for her to forsake her pride and run was causing her head to angle awkwardly as she kept to her strict, casual pace. The short walk seemed to take an eternity.

She escaped being tramples by mere inches, as the stampede of giant bears arrived just an instant after she passed through the threshold and into the catacombs.

[Dartbored Fairy]

@Valkon@Polaris North@Hokum@Seraphin@Jensoman

---

As the group manages to narrowly escape the horde, the darkness of the catacombs makes for a sub-optimal refuge.

The staircase leading down into the depths of the catacombs are wet and uneven, and the walls are cold and rough, almost as though the catacombs were dug into the ground by someone who cared not for what the end result looked like.

After a short, but potentially dangerous walk down the stairs, the groups arrives on a level surface once again. They have arrived in what appears to be some sort of burial chamber, judging by the several stone coffins that fill the room. Three in each corner, making for a total 12 solid stone coffins. Unmarked, and undisturbed, whoever was buried here is likely to still rest within their coffin.

The room, however, is not a dead end, nor is it quiet. There are two seperate hallways, one to the right of the stairs, and another across from them. The distant sound of running water echoing through one, while a heavy wind blows through another.

But perhaps most disturbing is the fresh puddle of blood at the bottom of the stairs, while no body is in sight.

---

@ArkmageddonCat@Zyngard

---

Nona walked up to the Elf, standing on her toes in an attempt to roughly match their heights.

"Mister or Miss Aelih, why do you know nothing of your companions?" Nona asked, grinning. "Do you perhaps plan to rid of them when you see the opportunity?"

As the knight emerges from the bush, Nona turns their attention to them instead, seemingly amused by their response to Nona's 'threat'.

"Oh please, Mr. Knight, the fire's sole purpose would be to drive the prey to the pot. Yet I don't eat Human so there is no need to worry about ending up in my stomach. Metal tastes bad anyway." Nona responded cheerily. "So, what brings you to this little clearing of... mine I guess? Are you here to explore catacombs as well?"

---

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?

[Valkon]

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."

[Jensoman]

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.

[Zyngard]

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?”

[Polaris North]

Interacting with: Fauve, Corc, Ren, Devlin, Jack
Mentions: @Candy @Jensoman @Seraphin @Hokum @Valkon

---

Gabriel took care not to slip and fall and end his trip right there - though through the others' eyes, it seemed like he was tthe most reckless person on the world right now. His steps had a sort of skip to them as they descended the stairs and eventually came upon a room. He scanned the room quickly. A burial site... though that much was obvious since this was a catacomb. If there wasn't a single dead body here, then it was a cause for alarm.

What did set off him off was the fact that there was a fresh pool of blood beneath their feet once they got off the staircase. That meant someone or something was in here before them, and he doubted they went out. Gabriel walked forward and looked towards each hallway. So, water or air... but they didn't exactly know which one was where. Hey, maybe it came from the same cave right? Though that was certainly unlikely.

Jack had lit another torch and asked them whether or not they should split up. "I'm not exactly fond of splitting up." Gabriel said honestly. The last thing he wanted was having a small group split up into smaller groups. But it is true that they would cover more ground that way. He rubbed his chin as he thought about the subject. It was a matter of should they or should they not? The pros and cons were rather equal in his eyes, taking away personal safety of course.

"Well, how about you guys?" He turned to Devlin and Ren. While Gabriel does feel more comfortable with more numbers, he wasn't about to push his own opinions onto the two who they really haven't truly met before. He couldn't even get a read on them properly anyway so he'll learn more about them through this. "You guys want to stick together or just split up and see what we can find?"

[Seraphin]

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.'

[Hokum]

@Seraphin@Valkon

&

@everyone in the catacomb

---

Light me up, friend

---

The damp, foreboding atmosphere of the catacomb seemed to weigh down time, it almost felt like two weeks had passed since Devlin had entered that house of death. It wasn't the first time she had found herself in a burial chamber, her occupation had a way of luring her to the darker recesses of existence, but in the past she had always been alone, a far cry from the diverse company she now had.

She kept her weapons sheathed and studied her companions, them and the details of the chamber they had entered, while keeping a keen eye on her closest friend, Ren, while he proceeded to gracefully, yet somehow awkwardly, convey his muted sentiments.

"In case logic forsakes anyone here," She loosely began relaying Ren's message to the group; "it's smarter if we stick together. We're stronger that way. Ren and I will do our best to protect you, and I think I'm correct in assuming we all share the same sentiments in that regard."

She paused to allow Ren time to further his analysis of the blood, and confirmed;

"We'll choose a direction and move forward together. We'll see this through... come what may."

It was now that Devlin drew her sword once more. Her nostrils flared as she deeply inhaled the stale odor of death. Electrical energy surged her system, manifesting itself in the form of violet tripod legs that crawled their way down the weapon and dispelled in a series of sparks at the tip of the blade. She then placed her free hand on Ren's shoulder and gently kissed his cheek. When her lips made contact, he would have felt the short, tickling sting of electricity against his skin.

"Stay close to me...." Her whispered words brushed warm against his ear.

She regards Jack, Gabriel, Corc, and the others more briefly, before nodding her head in direction of the hallway across the room, and suggests;

"I feel that's the direction we should take. If no one objects, we should keep moving now."

Allowing a moment for the other members to voice their reply, and regardless of their opinion on the matter, Devlin calmly makes her way to Jack and takes one of his torches without asking, but gives him a slight nod to convey her cold gratitude. Having the torch in one hand and her sword in the other, she proceeds into the hallway on the other side of the chamber.