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

[Dogmatic99]

Looking over the map again Maggy couldn't help but think that she'd chosen a much more complicated route than she needed to. Her eyes had adapted to the light by now and she was finding it easier to trace her steps with the map as she went. Unfortunately it had also lead to her noticing the wealth of other ways she could have gotten to her destination, tunnels that were tall and wide with plenty of walking room and headed there in more or less a straight line. She wondered if there were others going to this stupid group meeting too, no doubt they'd chosen the better way too. Most of the paths seemed to converge on that larger passage as well, she bet they'd all found each other and been able to walk along having nice little chats about their favorite fucking scriptures.

Maggy could only grumble to herself in the dark and be thankful that no one could see her shimmying through these cramped conditions. It was one of the few times that being so poorly fed had come in handy. Still, she had no one to blame but herself for this situation. Why couldn't Pa have shown her how to read a map properly?

The drowned district was still awake and lively at this time of night and echoes of various antics were leaking in through the grates and floating through the dank sewer air. Maggy heard more than her fair share of muffled muggings and brawls as she made her slow progress, the cries of victims and the roars of attackers bouncing down the tunnels. Not that that was all, the drowned folk weren't all about violence, snippets of conversation made themselves known as well. At least she assumed it was conversation, most of it was unintelligible.

The only time when real words made an appearance was when Maggy got stuck in a particularly narrow downwards slope of her tunnel path, these passages must have been out of use for years to have gotten so bad.

"Don't lie to me! You worthless pig, why don't you go back to your wine soaked whore?!?!" Maggy gave a little pause, caught by surprise as she glanced around trying to work out where the outburst was coming from.

A muffled response came in reply but she couldn't really make out the male half of the argument. It was mostly drowned out by a female voice ranting and raving about how he never helped out and kept sticking it to some drunken prozzy. "I can smell her fucking stink on you!" was followed up by some beautiful gems like "Course you'd have to pay someone not to laugh at it!" along with classics some of the classics "I should have listened to my mother." It was enough to make Maggy grateful that she'd never had any experience in the world of sex.

They couldn't keep their volume up for too long though and Maggy's world fell back into its dark quiet again with nothing but dripping water and the scuttling of the smaller rats to fend of the silence. She had managed to knock some loose stones free and was about to squeeze through the enlarged gap when an ungodly moan rushed through the passage from on high. It was followed by grunts and cries and moan after moan after yes after yes after yes, yes, GOD YES!

Even one of the rats stopped its scuttling. Maggy's eyes darted from side to side and she hesitated to move on out of sheer awkwardness. "Guess they made up." She said to a nearby rat with a shrug and she slipped through into a much more open area of sewer. That was an improvement at least. It was only as Maggy headed deeper down into the darkness that a vague shapes began to form like darker blobs amongst the black. The sounds were different as well and on the edge of her hearing something moved in the darkness.

Every instinct she had screamed out to turn back and go back to the light and the open air. But still part of her held on stubbornly, saying she'd come so far, who knew what was att he end of this. She could beat this challenge, accomplish something for once in her damn life.

What am I doing here?

 

[Rufio's Ghost]

Their voices seemed to ring out in unison, questions mingling and blending in the stagnant air. Talking was pointless, Langston wanted the truth and he knew exactly where to find it. He watched the stranger's hands intently, one firmly gripping a splintered torch and the other resting freely at his side, the palm obscured by shadow. Langston could wait, if he was anything it was patient- eventually the busted torch would become uncomfortable and the man would have to readjust his hold, or he would foolishly raise his arms to gesture theatrically- then the answers would be revealed, cradled in the center of the stranger's hand.

Langston strained his vision, trying to distinguish shadow from ink. The cloaked figure's voice rose in response to the accusations, his sharp words cutting through the still air.

"How does a man come to possess anything? How does a tool come to possess its function? A fool, his questions? How do the highborn find themselves in the filth beneath filth? All answers are the same."

Langtson's face turned bright red, it was as if this man had seen straight through him. He pulled his hood over down over his face, hoping that no one had seen his shame.


'Does he know how I ended up in this sorry state? Of my cowardice? Of Sandra?'

Langston took a deep breath attempting to regain his composure. He leveled his gaze, looking back to the man's hand- his palm
was exposed.

'It's bare... a fraud, a charlatan, but what does it matter?'

Langston wondered why he had cared in the first place. So the man was lying, what of it? Langston wasn't about to call him out on it and have his words twisted against him, or worse. No, he wouldn't challenge him, or anyone for that matter. As always, Langston was resigned to inaction.

'Coward'

Bodies began to brush up against Langston as the other travelers moved past him and into the tunnel. Langston shuffled along with them, afraid to be picked out of the crowd- content to allow everyone to be led to salvation or slaughter... well maybe not everyone.

A familiar voice rasped at Langston's side,

"Do you think all of these Shroud fellows are that odd."

He had forgotten about Andra. He looked over to her, a radiant smile creased her scarred round face, she didn't seem to have any idea that his could be a trap and, if she did, she hid it well.

Without thinking, Langston dove his free hand deep down into his pocket. Pulling out a piece of crumpled parchment, he handed it to Andra whispering, "His hand was bare"

Langston began walking ahead as she straightened the paper. He wanted her to understand their situation. She had already helped him a great deal and he hoped to return the favor.

Spoiler: Parchment

 

[lacktheknack]

"Tell me, how is it that someone in the Drowned District has come to possess Dragon Silver?"

So not only was the bright light a mere single-material parlor trick, it was a parlor trick from someone who was able to afford it.

Clearly, the Shroud were not the poor and forgotten that they seemed to make out that they were.

"You there! In the cloak! If you really do represent this 'Shroud', why bother giving us maps, if you were planning on lighting up the whole damn sewer?"

This was bothering Andra as well. What kind of "Shroud" were they if they seemed to be OK with allowing everyone near a sewer grating exactly where they were?

She listened to the gibberish that poured from the man's lips in response to these questions, and began to swallow her doubts. Why bother with them? The Shroud had given them food and invited them to something different. Something bigger. Something better. For those surrounding her, death surely would be that option. Andra didn't want to die, but if all went badly, she still had a loaded gun and was easily mistaken for something ghastly in the dark.

As she filed into the tunnel behind the cloaked man, she sidled up to Langston, who had turned so pale that he could be mistaken for having no blood at all. She suddenly felt bad, imagining the stress and wounds on his feet must be getting to him, plus his nose... She smiled, almost grimacing with the effort and sharp pain, hoping it would make him feel better.

I imagine personalities like that are out of his league. "Do you think all of these Shroud fellows are that odd...?"

Langston fixed his eyes on her as if she had grown another head. "His hand was bare"

He pulled a parchment out of what seemed like nowhere and gave it to her. Baffled, she surreptitiously unrolled it, avoiding the attention of those around her.

A skull.

The skull on the hand of the man who gave her the parcel.

Gilliajlia preserve us all.

She rolled the parchment back up and tucked it into her dress. She could see that Langston was staring straight ahead, and she could almost hear his brain crackling. She almost turned to look back at the man who had lit up the water, but a sudden stab of terror made her keep looking ahead. She took another step, feeling the pistol's familiar weight knocking against the back of her ankle.

You may be using that pistol sooner than you had hoped, Andra. Keep alert.

 

[Terratina.]

"I am nothing, no one. You were called, you were summoned. Now you're gathered, guided."

Well, that wasn't a particularly informative answer and Skylar pressed the man for the more details. But not before looking around at the gathered persons. They were certainly a strange bunch, but she couldn't really comment on that. After all, because of her freakishness, she had been hidden from the world. Nevertheless, she was no longer hiding. This 'Shroud' had baited with the little mouse with bread and cheese and a map. The same had happened for others, by the looks of things. Here they were, questioning the self-proclaimed guide and mentioning something called Dragon Silver. Skylar had vaguely heard of such a material, but she could put one and one together. Her sense of wonder shrank as the trick was revealed.

In fact, many little tidbits of information had been mentioned. The one had talked about the Dragon Silver in the first place had raised a good point, why would a guide be needed if they were given maps? Even little children could understand an array of symbols drawn in such a fashion to represent an area of the world. Her father, while distant, had been keen on testing Skylar and would often pose problems to her. That was before her little brother had been born. It was probably just preparation for taking over the family business, since she was the only heir back then. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable. Skylar had to admit she missed that those little father-daughter bonding sessions. But that had taken place in another time and almost in another world.

Her copy of the map was slightly damp and creased, but still legible. Skylar made her choice and chose to stay with 'Erzah', the sailor and the drunken woman, rather than charge ahead. The girl pulled her copy of the map out and began to study it intently, if the man's words didn't matter. She would stay and see if the other two would get any more information of the self-proclaimed guide as she didn't have the strength to intimidate or anything to seduce the man with, though she doubted that was going to work. In the Drowned District, men usually made it clear when they wanted a women. Of course, Skylar had escaped such a fate. It was a small blessing. Wait. Sailors? Maps? Well, well, there was an opportunity there...

Of course she didn't plan on standing and doing nothing!

She turned to the sailor and tapped her map, "Greetings, Mister. I assume you have experience with cartography? Yes? Then I am sure you know the correct way forward. I think we can disregard what that gentleman is saying as it is possibly a little trap constructed to throw people off. After all, you know what these mystic types are like."

 

[The Funslinger]

"Greetings, Mister. I assume you have experience with cartography? Yes? Then I am sure you know the correct way forward. I think we can disregard what that gentleman is saying as it is possibly a little trap constructed to throw people off. After all, you know what these mystic types are like."

Standing to look over the girl's shoulder, he reached to point at places on the map she held. "Unfortunately, the tunnel he's taking us to is the only way. The other three all lead to other places under or within the Drowned District. This tunnel seems to be the first step to going... somewhere different. Now, the map's been reliable so far, although that could be as far as it needs to to lure us into some sort of trap. Maybe those tunnels will get us where we need to go."

Straightening up, he said, "but then, the majority of those brought here are going with this man. A lot of them are young. Like yourself, even and I'd like to be able to keep an eye on them. Besides, for the moment, we outnumber our friend here. If he even is a Shroud member. I'm afraid I'm going to see this through. What about you?"

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"We're getting close."

"Aye, that we are." She didn't know how close, but Blaize wasn't asking. "Keep ya wits 'bout yer, I haven't actually been past this point before." There, exonerating herself from any future complications was easy enough.

As they progressed further into the tunnel, the sounds of the District above began to fade, furrowing her brow, Sparrow picked up her pace. She didn't want down there any longer than she needed to.

The sound of running water was a consistent one, laced intermittently with the scurrying of rats.

At least, she hoped they were rats, gods help her if they were spiders.

Sparrow really disliked spiders.

Hellspawn, the lot of them.

 

[Ruedyn]

Nobody noticed Giles, everyone was worried about some guy, likely the one who dropped the gods damned flare. He seemed to flounder for a bit before pointing them in a specific direction. Seems a bunch of people around his age-ish. Mostly younger. Weird group of people hanging around the fucking sewers at night, though that described any group doing that. They'd all gone mad, perhaps. Or maybe just Giles. If his mind snapped and made him go on a scavenger hunt, he'd be pretty disappointed in his mind, though.

He sighed, seemed they were clearing out, leaving into the tunnel. Almost in a group. Giles held his map up to the light, 'Dragon Silver' made for an excellent torch. On the bright side, he met the people who took it. Arseholes. They were following the map to adventure as well! Would they end up killing each other or.... What the actual fuck was Giles even doing here.

"Going with the flow, I guess." Giles shrugged, following after the group, lagging behind. He didn't know if he wanted to talk to someone, though. He heard something behind him as he turned to leave, though.

"-but then, the majority of those brought here are going with this man. A lot of them are young. Like yourself, even and I'd like to be able to keep an eye on them. Besides, for the moment, we outnumber our friend here. If he even is a Shroud member. I'm afraid I'm going to see this through. What about you?"

"... Wait, what's a Shroud member? I got a map and all that, but what the hell is even happening?" Giles finally burst out, not wanting to be kept in the dark.

 

[EnigmaticSevens]

Some believed, most did not, but all obeyed, and that was all that mattered. What did it matter if the lambs sniffed out a wolf if they marched merrily to the slaughter anyway. Ezrah chided himself for the thought. Slipping too far down the darkened road would do him no good now, he was in it to the finish. pessimism and regret were things for weaker creatures. Ezrah would deal with this reality, the now of things, and make his fortunes from whatever the Now brought him. The children plodded forward, one by one, most of them desperate creatures by the look of them, most of them underfed, even more of them ragged. To what lengths would they go for a scrap of bread and the promise of more to come? Who could tell? True desperation showed a man his limits, and sometimes helped him crawl pass them. Ezrah wondered at himself as the thought slithered through his mind. He'd held himself separate from these children as part of the sham, yes, but it came too easily to be just an act. He probed gently at the place within and found his suspicions confirmed, he didn't count himself among the hungry and the desperate. Ezrah hadn't gone to bed with an empty stomach for years, no mean feat in and of itself, but more than that, Ezrah couldn't recall the last day where his belly had dictated his schedule.

The hungry man makes his own magic, reaches beyond himself into a universe of chaos, of infinite possibility, and thus he could accomplish anything. Ezrah shuddered and wondered whether or not he'd lost the hunger that drove men forward. The thought put an aching sort of chill in him, a hollow place full of echoes and worries. The boy focused and silenced the inner murmurs before they grew too loud to bear, smothering them, shunting them aside to be dealt with at another time. For now, there was work to be done. Most of the rag tag group had shuffled into the tunnel, though one paused, one lingered....

"E-Ezrah? Ezrah, is that you?"

A brief thrill of fear shot up Ezrah's spine and danced along the base of his neck as his mind turned over the voice and conjured up a face. Dark eyes bore down on the figure who'd spoken, examined the young woman and found their fears confirmed. The woman seemed a bit wobbly on her feet, and the color of her face suggested she'd tasted the back of Demeter's hand rather recently, but there was no mistaking her identity. Ezrah did what he could to pitch his voice for her ears alone, offering the young harlot a harsh whisper as he pushed back the hood of his cloak," Maeverniss frigid ****, Selena?! I'd call ya daft for wadin' into this mess iffin I tweren't stuck in the muck with ya...."

The fear in Ezrah coiled tight and hardened into a resolve of sorts. Keeping breath in his own lungs was a tried and true sort of game for Ezrah, but now he'd need to extend that particular skillset to encompass another because... because why? Who was Selena to him? Just another harlot? No... no she was no mere slattern. He knew her, had spoken with her and heard even the darkest parts of her tale. He'd tried to help her... and failed. She was owed, owed so much more than she'd received, from him, from the world. Their business had only ever been conducted in coin and barter, never a trade of flesh, but perhaps in some odd way he could name her a friend. He was bound to her through Risa and he found her conversation enjoyable, appreciated the glimpses into a world he could barely fathom. She was a treasure in her own way, she was a friend, and friends didn't let friends waltz into the maw of a trap if they spotted one. Besides, Selena was no starveling either, her situation was far from ideal, but she did have options... and she'd chosen this one. The Marked boy wondered what hungers drove her....

Ezrah beckoned the young woman be still for a moment, to allow the distance between them and the others grow for a bit. He reached into his pack and brought forth a little sack full of a fine powder, the Sea Candle's counter. He doused the small, furious flame in a few liberal shakes of the powder and darkness swallowed up the sewers once more. A stray thought floated through his head, warped enough to bring a rueful grin to his face. A proper counter for Dragon Silver, now there was a real magic, a substance that none could craft save the Marked, all other men left with not but dirt as a means of smothering the flame. Who would gasp in awe of this little magic though? Few and fewer, perhaps no one, this magic wasn't pretty and flashy after all. Ezrah shook the wry thought from his head and focused on more pressing matters. He'd kept his eyes from direct sight of the flame and they adjusted to the darkness easily enough. He started forward after the others, but kept his pace deliberate, cautious, black eyes scanning for the first horror to befall this lot even as he offered Selena another whisper, "Don't pull ahead, let 'em go first. Every bone in me says this is fool's work, but we're committed now. I conjure its slavers at the end of all this, who else picks out only the young and fresh. Two paces from the thick of them's good by my figure. Close enough to see the fist that hits 'em, far enough away to steal a breath, turn and run. If anythin' comes sneakin' from rearwise, I should hear it, the sound shouldn't get lost in the clutter of their steps.... Why'd you come along, anyway? Things sour with Demeter?"

 

[Dogmatic99]

'There's something out there, there's definitely something out there.'

Maggy was certain. There was no way it was just the sound of her own bare feet padding against the damp stone floor. It certainly wasn't the echoes of her own ragged breathing were bouncing off the wall and whirring around her ears, setting her nerves on edge and her heart aflutter like a bird in a cage of ribs. No, paranoia had never steered her wrong before, ironically it was the only thing she really trusted.

She was moving further into the catacombs now and the light was becoming almost nonexistent. Things like direction were meaningless so far down here in the depths. She'd lost track of how many turns she'd taken in these winding passages, all Maggy knew was that she had been heading down. Always down. Maggy's eyes may have started adapting to the dark but that would only help her so much, she needed a torch, a light, something to guide her way or she'd be stuck down here forever, left to go mad with the rats as she withered away into some warped cave creature that lived of rats and sewer water.

That thought alone was enough to send her into a nervous flurry of motion as Maggy groped her away along in the underground depths, cursing how unprepared she'd come. 'Stupid girl.' The dark was closing in now, Maggy could feel the walls surrounding her, binding her, crushing her.

WHAT WAS THAT? There was something moving out there! There had to be! She wasn't mad! She was never mad! It was there! It was watching her! She needed light, she needed a weapon!

Maggy clutched a larger rock tight in her fists. She wouldn't go quietly, she wouldn't let it take her. Maggy went low to the ground, spreading her feet out to shoulder widths apart as she braced herself against the seemingly empty blackness. All the while she scrabbled along the ground with her free hand, squinting with determination. There had to be something, a torch, some flint, anything to make a light.

'How the hell do you make a light!?'

Maggy couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so cold and so, completely, small.

 

[Arrogancy]

Blaize blinked a few more times, sticking close to Sparrow. Damn the Shroud, and damn every light in this sewer. He thought. He could see well enough in the dark, but not when everyone and their damn mum lit the place up every five fucking minutes. Slowly, though, his eyes were readjusting. It wouldn't be too much longer now, not if he was reading the map right.

"Aye, that we are. Keep ya wits 'bout yer, I haven't actually been past this point before." Sparrow said.

He didn't doubt it, but didn't say anything. They needed to get to the Shroud soon. Putting another hand to the wall, Blaize tried to make out the path ahead. There wasn't much to see. Who the hell built these sewers? He mused to himself. From the map, it seemed that they went every which way with no semblance to them.

The odd rat scurried by, and more pawed their way through the waters, the sounds echoing off the not-quite-empty tunnels. Everything was covered in filth, the air stank, and his boots were now thoroughly waterlogged; but if that was the worst of this trip to whoever the Shroud were, that'd be fine. And that bothered him.

"Seems like we haven't met the 'teeth' the Shroud were talkin' 'bout earlier." He said, turning back and checking behind them, "We need ta be careful."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

A dead end. Their long walk, stretching below the bowels of Kragenau had led them here. A cramped and low ceilinged hallway that terminated at, apparently, nothing. The masonry in this tunnel was ancient, hundreds upon hundreds of years old; and yet the stonework at the end was older still. This one, forgotten wall, all that remained of the First City, the cradle of a civilisation. Here stood some of the first stones laid in reverence of the God's, by their chosen (or rather, by those the chosen held in thrall), decades before the first Temple, centuries before the first Empire, and more than a millennia before the Chantry was even an idea, they are trampled over every day by descendants who have come to take their gifts for granted. Would even the God's, who's minds could see through time infinite, and know truths not even the most learned mortal could hope to comprehend, remember these stones, some of their finest work. How could they? If they knew what these stones now concealed, and if their power was any more to this world than influence over the servile and superstitious, then how could this wall still be permitted to stand? Perhaps their ignorance was willing, and like their followers they would rather bask in the vanity of grandeur than remember their first steps.

As one, the two men raised their bare hands in front of them, pressing their tattooed palms against the rough, dusty stones. The chamber was already pitch black, and yet somehow the darkness seemed to grow... thicker, as if the black was some foul substance being drawn from a wound. In response to the opaque air, the stones began to shift, either singing or bulging outwards as the flat of the wall morphed and twisted into the shape of a petrified skull. Through the empty cavities of its mouth, its eye-sockets, and the triangular hole that would have housed a nose, the skull drank the darkness away, until once again the two men in the passageway emerged from it.

"After you, brother." The hooded man said to his bald companion, and together they stepped through the open maw of the skull, crossing the threshold into the Sanctum.

=========================================================================================================================

From the shadows, another robed figure watched as the lone urchin groped in far for some kind of guide or direction. This one had good instincts, knowing that danger lurked near. However, she was not yet capable of doing anything more than recognising the hackles on the back of her own neck. The Child could smell the fear on her, and it was not the coursing, spiced fear that sprung one into action. This fear was sour, rancid with the knowledge that it's owner did not know which direction, if any, meant her safety. While standing ready to assist, the Child hoped that he would not be called upon to act so soon. If he must do something, he would at first be subtle. From beneath his dark cowl the figure focussed his gaze of the frightened child. Focussed with a start that was other-worldly, that burrowed through flesh and bone into the tangled, heady pathways of conciousness itself. For a second, the urchin ceased to fret, experiencing the warm, lazy feeling as another's mind draped itself over her own, a feeling that she could not trace or understand, not while still uninitiated. Before he withdrew, the Child stopped to plant a single, short suggestion.

'Do not disturb the water.'

It was then that a sewer-dweller, emaciated, naked and pale, with eyes wide and milky, almost knocked the urchin flat on her face as he sprinted passed her, gibbering with terror.

"Come too far! No way back! Can't get out! Oh God's help m-ARRRGH!"

As qucikly as he had appeared out of the darkness, the man was now frozen mid-stride not five feet away from where the urchin had been standing, having collided with something sticky that stretched across the entire height and breadth of the sewer tunnel ahead. Recovering from the shock of his sudden halt, the man began to thrash wildly, attempting to extricate himself from the tendrils of silk that bound him. It was no use. The more he struggled the more he cocooned himself, and now something was stirring in the arches above.

The spider emerged slowly, in no rush to grapple with a prey that was already doing an admirable job of exhausting itself. As it's full span was revealed, stocky and shining black, the creature looked to be the size of a goat, despite how effortlessly it apparently suspended itself vertically upon its web. The man had been so busy trying to free himself from the surprise trap, he did not even see his death encroaching until it was almost on him, whereupon his shriek curdled blood.

"OH GOD'S NO!! PLEASE NOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

His killer did not care for his protestations, as the enormous arachnid slowly, methodically, caught the man in its forelegs and drew him closer, rolling him upwards towards its head, before sinking its mandibles deep into his flesh. As he died, the man's wails became racked, choking sobs, and the flailing of his limbs turned to twitching spasms. The devourer did not remain undisturbed in it's meal, however. Form every direction, attracted by the screams and the stench of death and fear, they came swarming. Rats. Rats the size of dogs, dozens upon dozens of them, sniffing and squealing excitedly as they encircled the scene. In seconds this crossroads of tunnels became a sea of filthy, bedraggled fur, black, grey, brown and even a few dirty white, with glistening red eyes. Leaving the now half-dessicated corpse, the spider scuttled down to ground level to defend its catch. It was a valiant defence, but despite out-weighing them the spider stood no chance against so many, as they all rushed forward hungrily to join the feast. A couple of the rats died, but before long the huge spider was on its back, having its limbs torn off its still living body and devoured. The Child, still hidden in shadow, had begun to move in order to get the urchin out of the way of harm, but she had been as quick as him, darting up against the wall, and standing stock still as the horde charged passed her. Perhaps their would be ample opportunity to escape before the rats turned their attention towards her.

One what remained of the spider, and of the own fallen grew scarce, the rats began tearing into each other in their frenzy to get at the few scraps left, and one particular tussle sent tow rats tumbling over each-other, splashing into the rancid stream that ran down the centre of the tunnel.

'Run girl, run!'

Their was an almighty noise, as the well of sewage where the crossroads met exploded upward, splashing its contents over all who stood near. From the centre of this eruption, a figure, wet, scaly, and four-legged, rose with a low, angry hiss. The lizard was the size of a horse and cart combined, and almost filled the entire tunnel as it lumbered out of the water. The rats fled in terror from it, though a few were not fast enough. Again and again, in monstrously quick succession, a thick, gluey tongue shot out of the beasts mouth, yanking the smaller creatures clean of their feet and into the lizard's mouth, where she chomped down greedily. Saliva dripped from the monster's mouth to fall on the flagstones, that smoked and spat at the touch of it, as the acid burned through. It was just the three of them in the space now, and Kriggur's head was turning towards the girl.

=========================================================================================================================

As the other group watched their charges finally begin to make progress deeper into the network of tunnels, the woman in Khaki green clapped her hands to her mouth, with a look in her wide eyes that was at once fear and delight.

"Ooooh, she's coming! I can feel her, and she's sooooooooooooo hungry!"

 

[lacktheknack]

Splash.

Splash.

"Hrrrrrrrrrrnnnng!"

Andra froze in place. There was a truly awful sound up ahead. She couldn't make out what it was, but Andra suddenly felt an intense desire to be back in her bed at the tailor shop. Maybe she'd prefer to be under it.

Splash.

A sudden rise in the water level. No... waves. Small waves.

"Hrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnng!"

Andra quickly pulled her pistol from her boot. Thank Gilliajlia that I reloaded it...

 

[The Funslinger]

"... Wait, what's a Shroud member? I got a map and all that, but what the hell is even happening?"

"The Shroud, to me, seems to be some sort of gang or group or cult. What they intend, I've no idea," Will replied. Then did a slight double take at the tunnel ahead of him. He fancied he'd heard some sort of squealing. Almost like cats dying. Was it his imagination?

He wasn't sure, but paused regardless to scoop up one of the pointier looking rocks that littered the ancient sewer floor. He really wished he still had his boarding knife. Or better yet, his sword and pistol.

 

[Fappy]

"Maeverniss frigid ****, Selena?! I'd call ya daft for wadin' into this mess iffin I tweren't stuck in the muck with ya...."

Grinning ear-to-ear, Selena almost stumbled as she came closer to him, "It really is you!" She stopped short in her approach as he did something with his hands she couldn't quite make out in the darkness. And then, the bright, blinding light was all but extinguished.

Ezrah turned down the tunnel the others had disappeared into, offering Selena a place by his side. Hesitating but for a moment, she followed.

"Don't pull ahead, let 'em go first. Every bone in me says this is fool's work, but we're committed now. I conjure its slavers at the end of all this, who else picks out only the young and fresh. Two paces from the thick of them's good by my figure. Close enough to see the fist that hits 'em, far enough away to steal a breath, turn and run. If anythin' comes sneakin' from rearwise, I should hear it, the sound shouldn't get lost in the clutter of their steps....

Selena nodded along, committing his words to memory. Despite her current condition, she was well aware of the potential danger they'd all found themselves in. Still, him spelling it out in such a way was sobering. Listening to his words had given her a renewed sense of clarity. Every step from them on was made with more understanding.

"Why'd you come along, anyway? Things sour with Demeter?"

Selena shrugged, "You could say that. I'm just tired, I suppose. This life... it's, well, I've been finding it harder and harder to get up in the morning lately. Booze just ain't a great motivator after a few hundred blackouts. A strange man approached me in the cover of night and offered me a way out. I figured I may as well see what he has to offer before I let myself whither away under Demeter's heel."

She offered Ezrah a weak smile, though he couldn't likely see it, "I'm glad I ran into you down here though. You're---" Selena's words trailed off as strange noises began to echo down the tunnel. "D-did you hear that?!"

 

[Dogmatic99]

'No, no. no NO!'

There had to be a way, there had to be a way out of here to safety. Maggy's mind was racing as she searched for possibilities. Maybe she should have just turned back, there was nothing for her here. This was all just some sick joke. How could she have been so stupid?! No doubt that hooded prat was having a good laugh about all this.

It was all piling up on top of her one piece at a time, Maggy's heart and hopes were about to sink under the weight of it all. Until she let out a sigh... and it was as if all that despair simply floated out of her onto the breeze. The dank sewers almost seemed warm and bright for a moment, the running stream was a tranquil little center piece in a dimly lit but cosy cave where adventure awaited. Maybe she could do this after all.

"-Oh God's help m-ARRRGH!"
"ARRRGH!"

Maggy nearly leaped out of her skin as a thing shaped like a man came charging by her, gibbering at the top of it's lungs. She raised her arms in an instinctive attempt to shield herself. Lucky for her it didn't seem to care about her as it went barreling past her, nearly knocking Maggy flat on her face. She staggered past, managing to keep her balance and rounded on her would be attacker.

Except they weren't trying to attacker, they were just flailing around. They really were mad. It was only as it got closer that Maggy could make the great big black shape that was closing in on the poor sod.

'Oh gods no.' Maggy couldn't even make a sound as she stared in horrified disbelief at it. It wasn't that the kill was gory, she couldn't see the blood though no doubt it was there. It was how cold it all was. he just kept screaming and screaming and screaming but it didn't care. The spider just kept going cold and calm as could be. Maggy had never seen the cruel impassiveness of nature, besides the sea that is but the sea was different. It didn't have a face, it wasn't like this.

The screams gargled off into nothing now but they'd gone on long enough to attract the rats. Just how big did the animals grow down below Kragenau? Quick as a cat Maggy pressed herself against the nearest wall and desperately searched for higher ground. All these terrors would only be distracted by one another for so long until they sniffed her out and started baying for her blood instead of each other's.

Whatever sick spirit was watching over Maggy right now it seemed it wasn't done yet. The rats were done with the spider and had started to turn on each other in their excitement, being the moment to moment creatures that they were. It was all Maggy could do to stay perfectly still, frozen to the spot with her breath caught in her chest. Their eyes were glinting in the darkness all around her like sea of tiny murderous stars. Maggy was sure this was her end until two of the rats went hurtling towards the stream and crashed beneath it's surface with an almighty splash.

'Don't disturb the water.' It seemed so obvious to her before but why?

Her answer came soon enough as a great scaled head rose up from the water and the rest of the beast lumbers slowly and surely to the shore. The calm that had come over her had done wonders for Maggy's focus. Everything seemed so much clearer now. She could pick up on all the little sounds and sights that pervaded the cave with wonderful clarity... and right now she really wished she couldn't.

The monster opened it's maw, scorching the rock under its claws. The rats followed their instincts and ran for their lives. Maggy wasn't so wise. Her mouth went dry and her hands colder and clammier than before. Some of the rats were too slow and the beast set about tearing them apart, its tongue darting through the air like quicksilver. The rats squeals were all cut short as razor sharp fangs sliced them apart and dark ichor sizzled their flesh. This was so much worse than the spider.

The stragglers were killed all too quickly until there was only the two of them left. The only sounds were the running water, Maggy's shallow breathing... and the sound of rock roasting in the monster's warping drool. Neither one seemed to move at all. Until the lizard's tongue flicked the air and its head slowly turned to face her. It was even worse than the spider, those eyes they were so empty and they were looking right through her.

'Run girl, run!'

And she did. Maggy ran faster than she ever had in her life. The tongue lashed out at her glancing her arm and burning her skin. Maggy cried out in pain but she didn't slow down, her whole being was given over to running, to surviving. The floor was slick under her heels and Maggy nearly slipped a few times but her momentum just turned her slips into stumbling sprints. The sewers twisted and turned until Maggy rounded a corner. The next thing she saw was small and hooded, that was all Maggy could take in before she collided with it, a victim of her own momentum. The two of them crashed to the ground and sprawled out like drunks. All Maggy could manage was a pathetic groan as she slowly righted herself and crawled to her feet.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Sparrow tilted her head slightly as she heard some strange and rather disturbing sounds in the distance. From the direction they were currently heading.

If she had learned anything, it's that it was usually a good idea to walk away from those kinds of sounds.

"Anyone else hearin' that?" She clenched her jaw, a worried look in her eyes. "What t'hell are we walkin' into?" She muttered to herself. They slowed as they approached a turning, the strange noises still in the distance, Sparrow could hear another sound, a pitter patter, it was growing louder.


"Are those footst-WAAGH!" White light flashed in front of her eyes as something collided into her, sending her small frame tumbling to the ground.

Sparrow quickly came back to her senses, shaking her head slightly, she got to her feet, the back of her clothing now damp with gods knows what, the small light of the torch glinting off the dagger in her hand.

"T'bloody hell are you?!" She exclaimed, looking down at what appeared to be a woman. A pretty ragged one at that.

 

[Terratina.]

Sklyar felt silent as she heard the sailor's words. Of course this was the only way forward, why didn't she realise that? Her head was in the clouds as always, perhaps fear clouded her mind? The occasional rat was enough to make her jump, let alone the talk of slavers... And what was that? The other seekers of The Shroud had noticed those noises as well. At least she could probably hide behind one of them like the coward she was if anything threatening came their way. Skylar hated the situation: her clothes were soggy, her skin was covered in goosebumps and the group seemed to be getting nowhere. Even if there was just one route forward. Skylar almost jumped back as something bumped into one of the people in the front. She tiptoed forward for a closer look. It was a woman, but was she a sewer hag or perhaps another seeker?

 

[lacktheknack]

The small girl in the front had suddenly gone down, with a larger figure sprawling by her. Andra pointed the gun at the figure, fingers tightening... no! It was a young teenaged girl, clearly scared out of her mind. Andra relaxed, pulling the gun back towards herself, but leaving it pointed at the girl.

Everything was suspicious down here.

Andra flicked her eyes over to Langston, then back to the intruder. If anything bad happened, she was ready to knock the torch from his hand and run.

 

[Dogmatic99]

"T'bloody hell are you?!"

"Nnngh." Maggy groaned and grumbled as she staggered to her feet. She rubbed her head and leaned against the nearby wall, there was light again... that was something but there were people too. That was bad. With beasts at least you knew where you stood but people... they were shifty treacherous things.

But what could Maggy do? She tired, bruised and beaten. The adrenaline was fading and all the pain was sinking back in, along with the cold. Maggy winced, sucking in air through her teeth. She grasped at the burn on her arm as it flared up, sending pain through her arm. Maggy's eyes darted around this strange group. She didn't know if they could be trusted but right now she didn't have many options.

"Can't go back that way." She whispered to herself.

 

[The Funslinger]

Pressing his way to the front at the sound and sight of the new arrival, Will crouched down in front of her. She was a ragged thing, nursing a burn on her arm. She looked scared out of her mind and appeared to be babbling to herself. "Can't go back that way."

Speaking gently, he put a hand on her shoulder. "What happened to you? What's back that way?"