The Dawn Sage

A Journey Through Darkness (Zepta / Dawn)

The marten was already midway through turning around when he spoke up, having gleaned that something must be behind her from the way the feline had leaned forward to look past her. Not that she didn't trust him to warn her of danger, but the male was rather inexperienced and might not recognize something dangerous when he saw it. As such she already had her machete in her paw raised up defensively when she turned, the lantern skipping slightly off the stones as she hastily lowered it to pull free one of the tomahawks from her belt.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, and in that time the slug-like creatures managed to move forward till they were only several yards away. The mass of creatures continued to advance from the darkness of the tunnel. Voska paused, considering the ramifications of cutting her way through them, then decided against it. She sheathed the tomahawk and picked the lantern back up, slowly edging back away from the advancing slugs. They left a trail of sticky slime along the walls and floor behind them, which had started to smoke a little, creating a slight haze in the tunnel behind the front line of the creatures.

"I have no idea what they are." She spoke up, eyes picking out each mass in the dark. "I do know that I don't have enough bullets." She added.

One of the creatures along the floor rose up at the sound of her voice, revealing a lighter colored underside and a dozen spiny appendages a few inches in length running down either side of its fat body. It had a thin, lip-less mouth near the front that dribbled more of the slimy substance. The creature's mouth shifted slightly, and it spit a glob of clear-viscous goo several feet outward, landing off to one side of the pair, which began to smoke against the stone on the cavern. The splattering noise the goo amde on impact cuased several of the creatures on the ceiling to drop down and begin spitting in their direction as well.

Voska made a face when the creature rose up, one which contorted with further disgust when it spit at her. She also began to turn a slight shade of green, and it took a large amount off willpower not to un-shoulder her rifle to rid the world of the hideous little things. However, she became preoccupied backtracking when the slugs began to open fire, which just made her look more and more ill. "Go..." She hissed, waving a paw at the feline. She stumbled a few more steps before her stomach contracted and she made a gagging sound, though she never fully stopped moving. She didn't know what that disgusting slime would do if it hit them, but she could guess it wasn't good. Even if it was.... just no.

A Journey Through Darkness (Zepta / Dawn)

I'd say anything is fair game, really. I guess that depends on what sort of equipment his guild uses? Also don't worry about the post time, I've been busy at work so haven't had enough time to write much :p

A Journey Through Darkness (Zepta / Dawn)

Making her way back down the tunnel, Voska could hear the sounds of breathing long before the light illuminated the feline. She hid her snarky smile with some amount of effort, figuring that had their positions been reversed she probably would have been no better off. Even the toughest of fighters would be lunch for any critter down here without a light to see by. It was a rather cruel trick to play on the man, but she didn't feel terribly guilty for it. He was a pain in the ass, after all. The sound of his voice when he spoke up made her flatten her ears slightly. How does such a meek creature hope to survive down here?

The mercenary stopped just in front of him and cast her eyes beck down the tunnel at his question, her paw resting easily on her slightly cocked hip. "Nothing particularly dangerous or plant-like, if that is what you're asking." She replied, her voice low in the near-silence.

She stood there for a moment, stock still and looking over her shoulder, then with a deliberate motion she turned back to look at the feline. "Could be a dead end, actually." She raised a brow, obviously wanting to see his reaction. As odd as it seemed to the huntress, the inexperienced feline was the one heading the expedition so it was his call whether to proceed or not. She figured somebody must have some rope, but the rest of the group was some distance behind and she didn't particularly feel like waiting... or dealing with the noisy rabble. "Unless you're feeling brave?" She questioned, a sly smile creeping onto her features.

"There's a sharp incline just a short walk around that bend. Chances are it leads down to the deeper tunnels which will be much more dangerous and less-traveled. Much more dangerous, but also a good chance for you to see some of the bigger, nastier creatures that live in this hellhole." She smirked. "There could also be some treasure in that direction, artifacts maybe. That steep incline is treacherous, even with climbing gear, I doubt many groups have attempted to take that route." She left out the part about how much more difficult it would be to flee should they run into any trouble up ahead. That was something anyone exploring the catacombs should always keep in mind, there were some things down in the tunnels that no amount of bullets would bring down.

She shrugged, lifting her paws half-heartedly. "Your call, boss." She said the last word in an almost respectful manner. Almost

---

Lurking just behind the dark wall of shadows, dark shapes moved along the walls of the cavern, slowly creeping around in the dark. The sound of footsteps brought stillness to the horde of dark masses, a light shining down the entrance to their ancient home. The light didn't reach the cavern, didn't illuminate the piles of bones carefully picked clean, or the giant stalks of the mushrooms growing around the cavern, the slime-covered walls or the dark waters pooling silently in the center of the cavern.

Soon the light faded as the footsteps retreated, and the horde crept slowly back into motion. It had been a long time since any new food had come this way, and the dark shapes began to slowly creep from the tunnel, sliding silently along the walls, ceiling, and floor.

---

As Voska stood there, obviously eager to move ahead with their venture despite the danger, she shifted the light from one paw to the other. The shifting shadows flickered across the cavern walls, revealing dark shapes moving across the walls behind her. Silent as the darkness itself, they moved at a slow and steady pace. As the light touched them several of the creatures froze, but a few more ventured onward, oblivious. They looked like slugs, but each one must have weighed at least five pounds.

A Journey Through Darkness (Zepta / Dawn)

I have the mage pretty much squared away, still thinking up a healer.

NPCS:

Name: Rio Arcadius
Age: 36
Race: Human

Appearance: Usually wearing a white robe with blue and gold embroidery along the seams, the 5'10" man looked the part of a priest. However, such was not the case. His black hair stuck out from his head at odd angles, clumping into small spikes. He had a narrow face with smooth features, defying his age. His eyes were the vibrant crystal blue of ocean water. He was a thinner man, though he carried himself with an almost stately ease. His hands were covered in black gloves, the backs of which held bright yellow gemstones. A red belt keeps his robe in place around his waist, flaring out around his legs.

History: Member of a once-powerful noble family, who fell from grace some fifteen years ago after an attempted assassination against another noble house failed and they were found out. Stripped of their estates and most of their power, most of the family now live in poverty. Rio, one of the few who had a respectable potential for honest work, took to treasure hunting as a way to maintain a higher standard of living. Anything to keep him from the pits of the Rat's Warren.

Abilities/Skills: A respectable spell-slinger in his own right, Rio specializes in water and lightning magic, often chaining the pair together for devastating effect. he is, however, fairly useless in hand to hand combat.

Gear: Focuc Gloves- The gemmed gloves he wears act as focal points of his magic, this he often uses hand-motions to cast spells. His particular brand of magic can be used without the hand motions, but without the focus gems to channel the power the spells lose a good bit of effectiveness.

Steel Mourning Star- A weapon that is mostly for looks and only used in emergencies, it is often strapped to the belt at his waist.

---

Name:
Age:
Race:
Appearance:
History:
Abilities/Skills:
Gear:

Attack On Titan: Flight of Freedom

Well there's four of us...

A Journey Through Darkness (Zepta / Dawn)

No worries man, I'm not in any hurry. xD

The Merge (with Dawn Sage)

Did you want to make character sheets so we have some point of reference? This is still a WIP obviously. Not in a very creative mood today. I Do have about half a post written up, but I want to get the idea of this character down first.

Name: Ronald "Rebel" Benson
Age: 26
Race: Human

Appearance: (Top-Bottom) Short, reddish-brown hair topped the man's head, kept in a slightly messy style. His forehead was somewhat large and bare, lending the severity to his heavy brow. Eyes hard as steel looked out from slightly sunken sockets, watching everyone with a silent rebuke, denying the world. Bits of metal were visible around his left eye, tiny enough not to attract notice unless they caught the light, raising just above the level of his skin. His nose was thin and rounded, though his mouth was often turned into a small frown. A thin stubble outlined what would have been his beard, giving his face a dark red shadow across his jawline and chin. He had a heavy neck and large, powerful shoulders that almost seemed to bristle with strength when he moved. His arms were corded with muscle, though they were the muscles of heavy lifting and hard work and looked natural on the human's larger body. He had a barrel-like chest, sitting atop a flat stomach. His thighs were as big around as a man's head, capable of supporting the muscular man. He often keeps wrapped in a cloak of some sort over-top of slightly baggy camo pants and a tank-top.

Abilities/Skills: Rebel possesses no magical abilities, coming from a version of earth without magic. He has augmented himself with a few bits of technology from Merge to make him capable of competing with the more advanced raced and powerful creatures of the universe.

Occular Implant- Functions like a HUD in his left eye and allows him to remotely interact with certain electronics, has zoom capabilities and can switch to both night vision and infrared. When performing an action it becomes visible as a slowly spinning ring in his pupil, but otherwise is invisible save for a pair of metal studs near his eye. The studs are manual connection ports.

History:

Gear:
Firewall Ring- A band of metal with interlocking gears and some fairly advanced electronics. It's not of human-make, but has been adapted for human use. When worn it prevents the wearer from being affected by the Merge events, which will keep you from being phased into a wall or ripped from existence. It won't stop a house from falling on top of you or you form being buried inside of a hill, since it only protects a small area around you. It can also be programmed to copy certain magical energies

Attack On Titan: Flight of Freedom

Still waiting

A Journey Through Darkness (Zepta / Dawn)

Voska's eyes rolled the moment she heard the sound of pages being rapidly flicked behind her. Her slender fingers shifted her grip on the machete slightly as a mental image of spinning on the male and taking a few swings flashed through her head. They were in a dangerous, hostile environment and his primary concern was collecting some man-eating grass.

She slowed to a stop and slipped her blade into the sheath at her side when he asked her to stop, giving him a rather critical look as he sat down to slip on his boots. Her ears could pick out the echoed and heavily distorted noises of their group far behind them, no doubt alerting everything within miles to their presence. Then again, if anything came running at them, the marten and the feline would be first in harms way. So far she had only found one branching cavern and it had seemed empty... likely a dead end. The lack of plant life usually meant a lack of traversable terrain, since the plants themselves had to rely on mobile prey to come near... to be strangled or poisoned, killed and turned into a livable patch of nutrients for the greenery. Some of the larger gardens of the catacombs were along the main trade routes, built on the bones of long-dead adventurers and lost animals.

"I have no idea what a teridoom is..." She replied, grossly mispronouncing the word. "That was a small version of a plant that would normally have snapped my leg in several places and left me for dead after I passed out from the pain and blood loss, then planted more babies on my corpse." Her voice was accented rather heavily in the style often associated with the nomadic tribes of the tundra, probably had it in her bloodline too if one would guess. "So, if you want a pet, maybe try a dog first?" She shrugged nonchalantly, "Unless you only like creatures that want to turn you into a corpse for breeding, in which case, feel free." Her eyes roved around their area before she scratched at the tip of her nose with a claw and began walking again. They were about to round a bend in the tunnel and it became apparent that she was going to go poke her head around the corner.

"Stay still until I come back with the light." She prompted, giving him a pointed look over her shoulder as she strolled away, leaving him in the encroaching gloom and silence. She smiled to herself as she walked away, sure that the feline would probably be having a panic attack by the time she would return, but she did need to scout around the corner before he came walking up with her and made any noise. Light was less likely to alert creatures in the catacombs as a poorly placed footstep. Most of the plant-life wasn't even sensitive to light, and it would blind a good portion of the animals down here. She unslung her rifle from her shoulder as she came upon the bend, which curled not only sharply to the right by at a steep incline downwards. She adjusted the rifle slightly and pulled it up to her shoulder to view down the sights, hoping to get a better view, but she could see little past a few dozen yards, and it seemed as if the slope may become steeper.. dangerously so.

She clicked her tongue mentally, and shook her head, turning to begin walking back towards her scholarly companion. This direction might be impassable, in which case they would have to double back for several miles. not that she cared much, she was getting paid either way.

A Journey Through Darkness (Zepta / Dawn)

Yeah I was thinking of bringing a mage, perhaps, and some sort of medic if you're bringing a melee fighter. If not I'll probably do a warrior and a mage. :p

Also Voska's accent is similar to modern Russian.