'Children of The Shroud' - A Dark Fantasy RP (Interest/Recruitment - CLOSED AND STARTED)

[JokerboyJordan]

"There lies the way forward, take it or leave."

Kaim was hardly satisfied with the robed man's cryptic answer, although the way that he had specifically addressed him was actually relatively clear compared to some of the messages he gave others.Everyone soon began to move forward of their own accord, although they were also partially spurred on by the cloaked man's assurance.

Some of the group were, much like Kaim himself, somewhat suspicious of the whole arrangement, with one girl in particular seeking out William's thoughts on the matter. She was a small, scrawny looking child; an obvious inhabitant of the drowned district, yet her smile was such that when she asked, it seemed to give the dingy tunnel they were in a glimmer of sweetness. The syntax of her speech was also strange, as it implied that she was older than she looked, as well her being rather above the usual street urchins from the Drowned District

Despite the sailor answering the query to the best of his ability, he bemoaned the situation itself.

"Unfortunately, the tunnel he's taking us to is the only way."

As Kaim was left behind as others pressed on into the unknown. He could have sworn that he had heard faint cries of anguish echoing through the labyrinthine tunnels. However the rest of the group seemed to separate as they each moved at their own pace, Will staying behind to study this 'Ezrah' further.

Suddenly there was a commotion at the front of the group, prompting many to move forward. Kaim himself was too far behind to have a clear look, but he did manage to glance at the woman responsible. She seemed bewildered to say the least.

Don't these people know that the Drowned District is full of hags like this one?

 

[Ruedyn]

"The Shroud, to me, seems to be some sort of gang or group or cult. What they intend, I've no idea."

"... Oh gods, I'm signing up for a cult." Giles buried his face in his hands, rubbing his temples. The rest of the group seemed to hear something in the tunnel, if he strained enough he could too, but it was probably nothing. Or something very stupid, a test from this alleged 'cult.' The magician decided to at LEAST see if they had any fancy goodies he could take home, after all they did give him the best meal in weeks in PASSING. Seemed like a neat group.

He was torn from his thoughts by a woman, shrieking and running towards them. She ran into someone, and both got knocked flat on their arses Giles noted with a snicker. The newest comer made a noise, and looked around. She whispered something, and Giles charged forward.

"[sub][sub]Can't go back that way.[/sub][/sub]"

"Excuse me, Madame." Giles said, stepping in front of the group to look at her. His eyes were mostly readjusted, and while not the hottest thing he'd ever seen, she was better looking than most around the group. A crushed and dirty bouquet of roses fell from his sleeve, and he offered it to her, "For you. Now, what are you running from in such a hurry? I assure you, I can take care of it."

 

[Rufio's Ghost]

"T'bloody hell are you?!"

Langston snapped out of his stupor,

'It's a child! It's only a child... What is it with me tonight? I suppose I will spend the whole night jumping at the approach of women and children. Splendid'

The girl's shrill wail had terrified Langston, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. He watched petrified, as the young girl came careening through the tunnel in and straight into a... little boy? This one a bit younger by the looks of it. Langston scanned over the group that had gathered near him, he hadn't noticed before, but a lot of these recruits were young- far younger than him at least.

'That makes sense. It's easier to indoctrinate children than adults... Now really isn't the time, is it?'

Langston pushed the thought from his mind, there were far more pressing matters to attend to and he couldn't afford to get lost in thought.

He took a few steps towards the group that had gathered near him, in an attempt to illuminate the area and give himself a better view of the situation. The other travelers were tightly huddled around the girl barking out questions in quick secession. Once again their questions hung in the dead air, lingering as they awaited reply. Langston directed his attention towards girl.

A small, pathetic looking creature. She rose to her feet still panting, her tiny frame shaking wildly as she attempted to catch her breath.

"Can't go back that way."

She winced suddenly, clearly in pain from the injury on her shoulder. Her eyes remained wide, filled with an almost primal terror as they darted from face to face- searching for something familiar, something safe. Langston felt a pang of sympathy, seeing his own fears mirrored in her eyes. He knew she just needed a second to herself, a chance to regain her composure.

"For you. Now, what are you running from in such a hurry? I assure you, I can take care of it."

The poor girl was still clearly in shock and this classless brute decides to shove mashed flora in her face? Who would be so insensitive? He just scared her more, if anything.

Bastard.

Langston stood at the edge of the crowd keeping a distance between him and the girl, his face was red with anger. He squared his shoulders and began speaking in a calm commanding tone. "Give her some space, she needs a moment to catch her breath."

He looked to Andra, addressing her softly, "Would you mind talking a look at her shoulder? She's been wounded."

 

[Arrogancy]

There were echoes in the darkness, more, now, Blaize considered. Something was moving, quickly too. He eased his hand back to his dagger. Whatever was making that sound was coming toward them, somewhere on the path ahead. That wasn't good.

"I guess that's the Shroud's teeth." He said under his breath. Ahead, something ran into Sparrow, knocking the kid down. Blaize got out his own dagger, ready for whatever it was. Taking a moment to look at what just ran at them, he lowered his dagger somewhat. It was a woman, one in a clear state of shock and terror. Someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or was this another candidate for the Shroud.

Some others began fussing about the woman and what was wrong with her. Blaize couldn't care less, he'd heard enough. The woman said that the way ahead wasn't safe, and he thought that was good advice. The sound of movement ahead bolstered the suggestion to abandon this path. Whatever it was, he didn't fancy charging at it if there was another way around.

He began taking out his map once more, there had to be another way to the Shroud. Scanning over the map, he looked over to Sparrow, still brushing herself off from the collision with the new woman, "Got any ideas of where to go next?"

 

[Daystar Clarion]

As everyone began to fuss over the sewer hag, Sparrow silently brushed herself down, slipping her dagger back into her sleeve. The woman was clearly distressed, whether that was from something that actually existed, or something in her head, was a another matter entirely.

This wasn't good, there was something down there, something she had no desire to see, let alone confront. Just what the hell was she doing?

'I could just turn around and leave, what's stopping me?' However, despite her anxiety, her curiosity demanded she find out just what the hell the Shroud were, and why they needed to hide in such a place.


"Got any ideas of where to go next?"


Crossing her arms across her chest, Sparrow stepped towards Blaize, looking down at his map. No good, only one way, it was down the tunnel the sewer hag had just came down.

"Looks like that's t'only way, I dunno 'bout you, but 'am not too thrilled t'meet whatever's down there."

 

[Dogmatic99]

It was all so strange, they were all paying her so much attention. Maggy didn't like it. It was bad. She'd most of her memorable life trying to avoid attention. That lead to horrible things like getting knifed, robbed or... or worse. But this was turning out to be that kind of night. After all Maggy was breaking every other basic rule of survival that she knew in the last few hours.

In a matter of hours she'd wandered into a derelict set of tunnels alone and unequipped and stirred up more trouble than she'd ever wanted to try and find in her whole life. This was one of those moments where you either had to laugh or cry, and frankly, Maggy had no idea what to do right now. That thing and its cold dead eyes. It looked like there was nothing behind them, no feeling or soul.

'No, no there has to be. It's just an animal that's all.'

"What happened to you? What's back that way?"

"It's a demon." Maggy whispered, trying not to cry.

All this just for some free food and from bloody religious maniacs at that. "For you. Now, what are you running from in such a hurry? I assure you, I can take care of it." AND THEN THERE WAS THIS! Were those flowers? Was he being a dashing rogue? Which part of the sewers was more more insane right now?

Maggy absentmindedly reached out and took the flowers. Simply because... that was what you did when someone offered you flowers. She even sniffed them as she tried, and failed, not to laugh. A small titter escaped her lips. All of this was so far from what she had expected of tonight.

"Give her some space, she needs a moment to catch her breath." Well that was something that sounded like sense at least. Maggy's arm still throbbed from the burn but at least the agony had faded away to simply the afflicted area. Clearly she'd been luckier than the rats, if only by a margin.

"I don't... I don't even..." Then it hit - 'That map lead me there. Those religious bastards.' "You here for the shroud?"

 

[lacktheknack]

Andra shuffled forward, pulling the ever-shrinking roll of linen and the alcohol from her ever-lighter bag.

"This will -"

She stopped. Whatever had burned the girl wouldn't be stopped by alcohol. She sniffed... it was acid.

Shoot. Andra didn't know how to treat acid.

In her bag was a small vial of distilled, impurity-free water. It was something that you simply couldn't find in the Drowning District, she got it from her clients in other districts where it was plentiful. Andra didn't know how to treat the acrid awfulness that was still sizzling on the girl's exposed muscle, but she knew that water washed everything away.

"Here, dear. I don't know if this will hurt."

She uncorked the vial and poured it over the girl's arm. It seemed to work, and she doused the area with a tiny splash of alcohol and wrapped it liberally.

"You said there was a demon down there...?" Andra's voice was filled with incredulity, but she trailed off. The girl was staring at her with a touch of panic and revulsion.

Dammit.

Andra lowered her head to obscure the lower part of her face, only to catch a glimpse of her bust. Her dress hadn't been buttoned properly, and the awful mottling and scarring was clear for all to see.

Dammit again.

Looking away from the girl, who's arm was adequately bound, she announced to the others: "Whatever is down there has acid. Strong acid."

 

[EnigmaticSevens]

Ezrah cocked an eyebrow as Selena explained herself. Her situation was not particularly unfamiliar, many of the Drowned thought themselves trapped, locked into their place at the bottom of Kragenau's refuse pile by forces beyond their control. It was all so much bullshit as far as Ezrah was concerned, though he didn't waste his breath on debates over principles, not here, not now. The Marked knew the truth of things though, knew that the greatest honor a man could hope for was to Make or Unmake himself, to shape and determine his own way, his own course. If Demeter's attentions became less of a boon or more of a burden, it was the girl's responsibility to move the stone from her path, somehow, someway. Considering his last trade with Risa, Ezrah suspected Demeter might not be a factor for very much longer. The boy kept that information to himself as a matter of courtesy.

Something sounded from the darkness, a slurry of flesh against stone, a deep sonorous growling, the frantic squealing of rats and then... silence, abrupt and pregnant with the most acute sort of danger. Selena's words seemed to die in her throat and Ezrah kept silent, rising up slowly onto the balls of his feet as every muscle whispered to him and told him to flee. The lad snuffed the urge as best he could. He'd anticipated this hadn't he? Why else go through the trouble of this ruse? All the bait had been gathered together and set on the path ahead of himself, now Ezrah need only wait and see what rose to snap at it.

The boy's patience paid off as something fast and low to the ground hurtled out of the darkness and took the small boy child down. Ezrah hadn't asked the boy to go first, and he didn't mourn him, just squinted to make out the shape of the beast that had taken him down and thus perhaps avoid his fate. A moment passed, but Ezrah heard no tale tell tearing of flesh and snapping of bone, merely very human groans and mutterings. The others who surged forward were not screaming either, merely chattering away. So the darkness bore no beast, merely a frightened gutter child, a girl's form visible beneath the pale boy's torch. The children pressed about this new arrival, so eager to help, perhaps buoyed by the hope that the sewer's darkness was not so sinister as they'd feared. Yet Ezrah stayed back, less concerned for the girl child's health and more concerned about her warning and her babbling on about demons. Ezrah wasn't sure these dark places contained anything truly infernal or otherworldly, but he well knew a thing didn't need to be supernatural to be monstrous, and something had put the fear of the Gods in this street rat.

One girl moved to attend to a wound on the smaller one's arm. Ezrah noted the appearance of the flesh, raw red and angry, but without the blistering of a heat burn. Acid then, a powerful one at that to leave so ugly a wound. Lye in tenths powder, should lessen the sting and clean the wound, and Ezrah kept lye in tenths, lye in fifths and even a small portion of the Marking Powder, lye at its purest, but he was in no hurry to spend that coin. The attending girl confirmed his suspicions nearly before he'd thought to conjure them. His focus honed in on the young woman even as he shrank back all the more. How many Drowned knew enough of acids and the High Arts to name such a burn and name it true? She had her own bag, her own tools. What reagents lay within and, more importantly, had Ezrah sold any of them to her? Selena was a painful enough surprise, he didn't need another recognizing his face and weakening his ruse all the more, not this near to the pay off.

Ezrah sank to his haunches and froze, still as stone as the hair on the back of his neck rose, a memory of the hackles no human had any longer. Something was wrong, something was horribly, horribly wrong, and a body conditioned to survive amongst the Drowned knew it even if the mind was sluggish. Ezrah forgot about the wounded gutter girl and the one attending to her, forgot about the other searchers after the shroud, for a moment, even forgot about Selena. His senses strained, searching now, desperate to find the source of the fear that gnawed at his belly and groin. Ezrah waited one moment in silence, then another, and realization settled like a stone in the pit of his stomach. The silence, the silence of the living. The only noises in the tunnel were the rush of the water, the crackling of the pale youth's torch, and the voices of the children, stupid children led now as cattle to something... something horrible, something that caused the silence. Ezrah gripped Selena's wrist, fingers steely and probably none too tender, rigid with the terror that shone so bright in the pits of Ezrah's eyes. He turned to her slightly, voice a hoarse whisper, barely audible," I can't hear any rats... they're always here, but I can't hear them.... It comes."

 

[The Funslinger]

"I can't hear any rats... they're always here, but I can't hear them.... It comes."

Looking around at the group at large, Will gestured with the sharp stone he'd picked up. "If it's big enough to get rid of those rats, we're dealing with something fairly massive."

For a moment, he glanced back the way the noises were coming from. Then he spoke again, with a clear ring of authority in his voice. "Everyone spread out. If we need to run, it won't do to be tripping over each other. Anyone with a knife or other such weapon, get it ready, but don't think of it as anything other than a last resort."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Kriggur's gait was slow and lumbering above water, but when nothing in these tunnels came close to her size and strength it hardly mattered. She had taken he time, first pursuing the girl, and then stalking ever closer to the multitude of new sounds and smells that were blundering around in her domain; but now, finally, she rounded the corner and peered down the passage at her prey. The light from the torch reflected of the slick walls, showing her scales to be more grey than green, and her dark eyes seemed to swallow the light entirely. However, she took on a brighter hue when she puffed out the deep red frills on her neck and spine in excitement Her teeth were black, row upon razor-sharp row and laced with bits of rat viscera caught between them. As she salivated, the strips of meat still caught between her teeth smouldered visibly, making acrid smoke culr upwards from her mouth as if she were a dragon of legend

In the shadows where the Children waited, another hooded figure joined them out of a puff of smoke, crouching next to the one in green, practically skipping as she hopped from one foot to the next, gnawing on her fingernails.

The beast's battle cry was one, low hiss, before she took the first plodding steps towards those who waited in her path. One, two, three steps, and then Kriggur slithered into the water, all of a sudden graceful. She knifed her way through the stagnant stream towards the motley band of surface dwellers with terrifying speed.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Sparrow heard something at first, like leather being dragged across the ground, or a large sack, while the sewer hag was being treated, the girl shuffled a few feet towards the bend, peering around it slowly. It was too dark to see anything in detail, not that she needed to in order to recognise the immense trouble they were about to be in.


"Bloody 'ell..." Sparrow whispered to herself, her eyes widened as the beast was touched by their dull torchlight. Taking a few steps back, her eyes never left the beast's as terror began to raise in her throat, it was nothing like she had ever seen before, this wasn't an animal, it was a monster.

"What in Maeverniss' frigid **** is that?!"

Sparrow was rarely touched by panic, this was one of those times, her breathing grew shallow as it quickened, instantly regretting her decision to take the lead, she backed up slowly, until she bumped into someone, she daren't take her eyes off the beast to find out who. "What're we doin' people, what're we doin'?!" Her voice was quiet but, understandably, heavy with urgency.

As the beast took to the water, her heart leapt into her chest. She could run, she could easily outrun the majority of the group, and why wouldn't she?

'Because you're not Badger, that's why, you don't leave people for dead.'

Was it drawn to the light? Is that what led it here? No, why would something that lives in complete darkness be drawn to light? Unless...


"It's eyes, we need t'blind the bastard!"

 

[lacktheknack]

What. What the hell.

The lizard creature was in the water. "What're we doin' people, what're we doin'?!"

Running, I hope!

Andra slowly began stepping backwards as the... thing... sped towards them.

"It's eyes, we need t'blind the bastard!"

Without even thinking, Andra pulled the gun from her boot and aimed. The creature rose from the water, exposing its enormous bulk... and face... and eyes. Andra took aim as the others dashed out of the way... squeeze the trigger... STOP SHAKING!... squeeze... squ- BLAM

The gun recoiled with immense force, more than Andra had ever remembered it having. It was because she was shaking, it amplified the effect.

She had missed. The bullet burrowed itself into the side creature's head, beyond the eye. It let out a positively mind-shattering howl and turned its head towards Andra. Andra stumbled backwards, fishing another precious bullet and package of gunpowder from her dress and desperately trying to reload the gun with her aching, quivering fingers. The creature extended its head towards her as she shoved the powder into the muzzle with manic speed and began to struggle to add the bullet. She wasn't going to make it.

 

[The Funslinger]

The gunshot was deafening in the enclosed space, and Will turned to the source of the noise. Andra was fiddling shakily with the pistol, trying to reload. The huge creature was lunging towards her. Still moving backwards back up the tunnel with the others, Will grabbed Andra by the scruff of the neck and hauled her away from its maw. Leading her by the arm, he carried on moving, out of reach of the creature.

"Near miss! If you don't find it presumptuous, may I? I've had training with firearms." He tried to keep his voice relaxed, despite the fact they were running for their lives.

 

[lacktheknack]

Andra handed the pistol and bullet to the sailor and continued scrambling back, cursing. Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit! Why didn't you let literally anyone else have the pistol?

And what makes you think you'll get it back again!?

Andra turned, "comfortably" far from the creature, waiting to see if the sailor would get the eye. It would be one of the world's true wonders if guards weren't swarming the tunnels by the end of it all.

 

[The Funslinger]

Spoiler: MEWZICK

Gritting his teeth as he bowed his head, he thumbed the bullet in, and closed the chamber. Right...

He turned, having to backpedal furiously to stay ahead of the beast as it pounded down the tunnel after them. Cocking the pistol, he raised it, cursing the fact that running backwards was throwing his aim off. Just breath...

He breathed in... he aimed... he breathed out... he fired. The gun's muzzle flashed. There was an almighty fountain of blood as the creature's right eye exploded in a mess of gore. Sudden weightlessness as his backpedaling caught up with him and his worn boot heel skidded on a wet patch, and he landed on his back. The creature was attempting to rear in agony, hampered by the ceiling. Turning its ire on the source of its pain, its jaws opened wide as it snarled, coming at Will with fresh fury. Pushing himself away, the jaws barely missed him and he lashed out, kicking it in the snout as he scrambled to his feet and kept moving. "NO YOU FUCKING DON'T!"

Managing to catch up with the back of the group, he called out, "unless someone has a better idea, I hope you have more bullets!"

 

[JokerboyJordan]

This lizard creature chased the group with extraordinary tenacity. Kaim could smell its breath as it approached them, stinking strongly of death as stalked its prey - them. The fact that they were able to notice it before it pounced was a miracle in and of itself, with members of the group quickly taking initiative as they thought up stratagems whilst directing evasive maneuvers.

A shot rang out in the dark as they sprinted away, as someone acted on the advice "t'blind the bastard".

*BANG*

Another shot fired, this time followed by a squelching sound a roar of fury. Kaim looked over his shoulder as he continued to run, seeing the blood spewing onto the floor as he realised the creature had just become a cyclops. Turning its attention directly to its aggressor, the reptile's maw sought out Will's flesh, but he was quick enough to land a surprise hit to the beast's snout, sending it staggering in shock at further pain (and probably annoyance).

As William scrambled to once more run alongside the group he cried "unless someone has a better idea, I hope you have more bullets!"

Kaim's breath grew ragged as the monster continued its pursuit. It wasn't necessarily out of pure exhaustion, as he had run for longer than this before, but more the sheer terror of the situation exasperating his already malnourished body. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer however, and knew they had to bring down this beast sooner rather than later. He felt his wits begin to abandon him as he grew light headed from insufficient oxygen, his vision begninning to grow dark.

Wait... how did creature become attracted to us in the first place? It must have been that light...

A distinct thought emerged from the mess inside of Kaim's head, as he remembered back to what William had called the substance that had drew them together.

"..dragon silver..."

His eyes were drawn to the hooded figure that said they had represented "the Shroud", yet they were still running in fear like the rest of them. He had expected more of a representative of the organisation that had invited them, but now was not the time for idle pondering.

"Hey, you in the cloak! Got anymore of that flash-fire?"

 

[Fappy]

"I can't hear any rats... they're always here, but I can't hear them.... It comes."

A chill ran up Selena's spine as Ezrah's words hung in the air. A brief moment of silence followed. A harrowing silence. One of the men upfront didn't seem all that frightened, however.

"If it's big enough to get rid of those rats, we're dealing with something fairly massive."

And so it was.

What followed was a blur of action. Screams, gunshots and a lot of splashing around in muck. Ezrah remained frozen as the second gunshot rang out as if waiting for something. Or perhaps he was scared? Selena wasn't sure which it was, but she knew she was scared out her wits herself and wasn't about to run into the darkness alone. Wide-eyed and trembling, her survival instincts kicked in causing her vision to sharpen as she frantically searched for a way out.

There!

She spotted a narrow passage cut into the masonry not too far from where they stood. It couldn't be more than a meter-wide. Confident the beast would pursue the men who had wounded it, she grabbed Ezrah's forearm and pulled him int the alley with her. She watched a man nearly lose his head as the beast passed them by.

"Hey, you in the cloak! Got anymore of that flash-fire?"

They were speaking of Ezrah. Selena peaked around the corner to see the enormous beast's tail lash about in the water before turning back to Ezrah. If that candle was what she thought it might be... A plan began to form in her mind. Her eyes found their way to his knife before she spoke, "I-Is that the candle that makes the bright light?" She muttered through panicked breaths. "G-g-give it here, I have an idea!"

 

[Ruedyn]

"Give her some space, she needs a moment to catch her breath."

Giles mumbled something crass under his breath, smiling at the girl who giggled at his flowers. Everyone was worried about what injured her, he was too of course... he promised he'd stand in it's damned way. He was sometimes a man of his word, and he would gladly fuck up some acidic rodent of the night. Everyone began panicking, or something close at the mention of acid, the wound apparently scared them. Giles saw more grotesque things when he looked down in the morning! He got too close behind the brat, the second littlest girl and least adorable one kept backing up, bumping into him.

"What're we doin' people, what're we doin'?!"

"Maeverniss' frigid ****, we fight the damned thing!" He said, his words almost immediately drowned out by the sound of a pistols discharge, the first volley of an attack on that stupid lizard thing that was swimming among the turds in the shitty water. He heard the sounds of a fumbling sailor landing on his arse through the ringing, the sounds of an angry lizard thing beginning it's charge. Giles scrambled to his feet, looking around and finding his target quickly. A deck of cards slid out from his sleeve, he gripped them tightly as he approached the one who pulled him off the wounded one, he held fire in his hand in a torch to light the path, but Giles saw a better use for it.

"Gimme that, ya little shit." He snatched it, puffing out his chest and trying his best to look heroic. He slid and scrambled to the beasts side, lighting a card in ablaze, between two fingers he pinched the cool side of his card, aiming over his shoulder he did his card throwing, he was okay at it but it was meant to distract here, hoping someone with a dagger charge this thing, stab the bad eye.

"HEY, YA CUNTY, SCALEY PRICK! FIGHT ME ONE ON ONE, I SWEAR ON ME MUM I'LL BASH YOUR FUCKIN HEAD IN!" He lit up another card, tossing it into the beasts side, and ducking into an alcove with his torch bearing, pale 'friend.'

"... I'm mostly sure that it can't get us in here." Giles mentioned, nonchalantly.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

As the sailor shot at the beast, grabbing it's attention, Sparrow looked around for a means of escape. A blood curdling roar pierced her ears as she presumed the sailor had hit his mark, as the beast gained on them Sparrow noted an alcove on the side of the tunnel ahead, glancing to her side, she grabbed the arm of the blonde girl "In 'ere, quick!" pulling her into the alcove, pushing them both up against the inner wall as tight as possible as the beast rushed past them.

Without saying a word, Sparrow moved herself away from the girl, peering back out into the tunnel. It seemed the Lashani woman had the same idea, as she and the 'Shroud representative' were stood in an alcove on the opposite side of the tunnel.

Glancing to her side, she looked at the blonde girl, she was a bit shaken up, but seemed okay. Sparrow furrowed her brow before stepping out of the alcove slightly.

"You 'rate there?" She asked, as she peered after the beast. Was... that street magician flicking cards at the thing? "What t'bloody 'ell is he doin'?" She muttered, completely perplexed.

Shaking off her confusion, she looked back across the tunnel, Sparrow waved a hand to get the Lashani woman's attention "They can't outrun that thing, we need t'get it back down 'ere, I reckon t'magician's gonna get 'imself et, we need another plan." She paused for a moment, doubting she was the only one who came to the same conlusion. "I 'eard somethin' 'bout the flash-fire thingy? That the Dragon Silver? I reckon it ain't too fond of light, we should be able t'fuck it up good an' proper if we can draw it's attention."

 

[Rufio's Ghost]

Langston kept his back to the group as he watched Andra approach, unfurling her shrinking roll of gauze.

'Shit, I said all of that out loud... Why did I have to be so short with him? Am I going to turn around to find that cad's shiv sinking deep into my belly? I should have kept my damn mouth shut. Idiot.'

As Andra passed he fell in step her his mind still awhirl. He didn't want to get any closer to the scoundrel, but Andra would need good lighting in order treat the girl's injury.

"Here, dear. I don't know if this will hurt."

She poured a generous amount of water over the shallow gash and then proceeded to pull out her bottle of alcohol. Langston winced remembering its sting. He felt the soles of his feet burn anew, it was such a nasty chemical- and to think that people actually drink that? Does it not burn the throat, or the stomach? Langton's train of thought was suddenly interrupted

"I can't hear any rats... they're always here, but I can't hear them.... It comes."

Langston's attention was immediately drawn toward the dark passage ahead

"Everyone spread out. If we need to run, it won't do to be tripping over each other. Anyone with a knife or other such weapon, get it ready, but don't think of it as anything other than a last resort."

Langston drew his torch closer to him, it's crackling almost deafening in the thick silence. A low hiss cut through the darkness, ending the silence.

"What're we doin' people, what're we doin'?!"

This creature sped towards them, gliding effortlessly through the water. It's scales glistened, shining brighter and brighter as it neared its prey. The tunnel erupted into a choir of discordant sounds. The other initiates rushed past Langston, stumbling and crashing into one another. Langston wanted to move- he wanted to run but he couldn't, it was as if his feet were made of lead. He parted his dry lips, letting the word "Maralilth" escape before he shut his eyes. He stood still hoping that he would just disappear.

BOOM

Langston's eyes snapped open to see Andra standing a few feet in front of him holding a pistol above her head. She hit the beast, but the monstrosity did not slow. It lunged toward her, it's red frills bristling as it closed in on a kill. She panicked falling as she attempted to reload her pistol.

'DO SOMETHING'

Langston began to step forward, but the grizzled gentleman already had her on her feet and running back towards cross roads. Langston turned and raced alongside them deciding to follow their example. He kept his mind blank, now was a time for action not thought and this fellow seemed to know what he was doing. When the man slowed Langston slowed as well, letting the light show on the beast and guide his shot. The man raised the pistol, taking in a deep breath as the fiend edged in closer, lifting its maw out of the water.

'Why isn't he shooting it? DAMNIT FIRE Th-'

The gun discharged hitting the creature in the eye. When It reeled back from the shot Langston turned and began to run. He was running full tilt when two hands hit him straight in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. He doubled over, gasping for air as he was pulled into an alcove. The torch was pried from his grasp.

"Gimme that, ya little shit."

It was that damn scoundrel. Langston tried to straighten out, but he just couldn't get enough air. He didn't want to get killed, not by that lizard and certainly not by that bastard man. He took a deep breath and rose to his full stature... The man was gone?

'Gods be praised.'

Langston leaned against the wall, placing his hands over where the man had hit him. The pain radiated through the area, tingling maliciously throughout his chest. There was some yelling out in the tunnel followed by the pounding of feet, and then he was back. He scooted in towards Langston wielding the torch haphazardly.

"... I'm mostly sure that it can't get us in here."

Langston focused on the light as he spoke, hearing his but not listening. The man was uncomfortably close and just full of odor, he smelled of sewage and his sour breath reeked of booze. Langston suddenly perked up, surprised that it could be so simple. He pulled up his jacket and ripped off a part of his sleeve, rolling it into a think strand. Stumbling back into the tunnel he began to call for Andra, the boorish man following behind.

'Cloth, Alcohol, Fire.'

He looked down the passage seeing nothing but darkness. There was no response from Andra, guttural hisses and yells echoed back in response to his call. Langston choked back tears,

'Nothing? Is she dead?'

He remained standing in the tunnel listening as the beast roared and flailed about in the darkness. Even with a plan there was nothing he could do, there was never anything he could do but accept his fate.