Under the Night Sky (Closed Freestyle RP)

[JoshuaDurron]

Kaname watched as the others puttered about, feeling somewhat out of her depth.

Patience. Look for clues you've missed. The old man and the dwarf seem to be onto something. Start with the old man, he seems to think clearer.

With that thought, Kaname walked over to Andy, holding the light in such a way as to hopefully not cast shadows on what he was looking at. "Find something?" She asked casually.

[Uncle Pervy]

Andrew would note but one footprint at the end of the mud, as though the walker had just clipped it while going around, rather than plowing through it. The print seems to be angled toward the corridor before him, leading into unexplored portions of the catacombs.

[Choark]

"A young clue" He said with a chuckle. The joke was old and lost to those around him but it amused him somewhat to be able to use it once more. "There, you see it?" He nodded to the footprint in the mud and then looked to where it was headed.

"If it is the sisters I'll have to chew her out for not looking where she was walking, 'trapsing' mud all over the Chruch. Too much dirt being thrown around these days" He said with a shake of his head, noting they probably hadn't meant too step in the mud to begin with.

"Heads this direction..." Then he turned his head to the rest of the party. "If you've all seen what ya seen and can see no more, get over here for we have a direction and a purpose. Important, you must agree, I'm sure. If you have found anything relivant to locating the sister then say it now, if not we're heading further down these blasted cold ruins."

To Andy's dismay he was slowly relising he was getting a cold. Who made these ruins so chilly!?

[JoshuaDurron]

Kaname glanced around and spotted Finn still examining the rock face. "Find anything interesting, brother?" She sang out.

[KingOfDoma]

<span style="font-family:century gothic; color:maroon;">"Trying, trying..." He waved Kaname over, and showed her what was written. "Can you make sense of this missing word puzzle?"</span>

[NebulaQueen]

"Sorry," said Mina, a bit belatedly, as she looked at the footprint. Unable to recall any useful clues that haven't been pointed out, she responded, "I don't think I know anything else that'd help-well, at least, nothing you all don't allready know."

Noticing Finn and Kaname, she asked, "What about you two?"

[JoshuaDurron]

Kaname stepped over and took a hard look at the wall, studying it to the best of her ability, borrowing the stone from Finn for a moment.

But I'd be surprised if any carvings this old deal with our current, more pressing problem... She mused as she studied the wall.

[Uncle Pervy]

Kaname is not able to translate any more of the mural that Finn was.

But, she is able to pick out a bit of detail from the erosion. At first, she nearly mistakes it for a cloud formation, but there seems to be some form of batwinged creature atop the mountain. There seems to be a bolt of lightning striking near it. Or is that somethng it's holding? Perhaps it's something falling toward it? It's hard to tell where the clouds end and the creature begins.

Those looking around the footprint don't seem to be able to find anything new.

[JoshuaDurron]

Kaname tapped the portion of the rock face, pointing it out to Finn. "Looks like an illustration of the dragon. But I don't see anything beyond that."

[KingOfDoma]

<span style="font-family:century gothic; color:maroon;">"Bah! Another unsolvable clue!" he said, with a bit of sorrow. "None of this gets us closer to Marissa!"

He stood. "I say, enough of these clues. Forge on ahead to find our missing sister! Who's with me?"</span>

[Choark]

Andy was gone. Or was gone until he reappaered out of the darkness and back into the light.

"Sorry, are we still here?" He said it with a slight chuckle in his voice, so it was perhaps a joke. "Move on, move on, as no one said anything then I take the silence as golden and all agree to move. Let's go."

And so he dissapeared again, following the direction of the footprint, though slowly and carefully, or at least until the light catches up with him once again.

[JoshuaDurron]

With a muttered curse, Kaname hurried after Andy. "Old man's hearing must be going..." She murmered just loudly enough for Finn and Mina to overhear.

Does he want to wind up in an early grave? The irony of that comment didn't catch up with her until a moment later, and then she chuckled slightly to herself.

Alright old man, play by your rules. But damned if we will. With that thought in mind, she slowed enough that the others would stay in reach of the light, rather than leave them behind while trying to catch up with Andy.

[Justice Augustus]

Jifael stood just beyond the circle of light, at the back. Keeping up so that the others wouldn't queston him further his hand strayed to the side of his robe where the gem was nestling. He rubbed it gently, staring up at the murals in mock appreciation, feeling every smooth surface, every edge, every line in the stone. His mouth slightly open, his tongue running along his teeth...it felt so good.

Then something brought him out of his daze and with a shake of his head he returned his hand to his side and hurried over to join the rest of the group. "Brother Andrew, why do you think this entire area is forbidden? Surely there is nothing down here of danger to the entire brotherhood?"

[NebulaQueen]

Catching the hint, Mina followed along after him, careful to stay in reach of the light. However, she kept her ears open on the conversation of the Brothers Andrew and Jifael...after all, the elder clergyman may know something interesting about the place.

[Uncle Pervy]

Brother Andrew found that marching outside of the light very quickly made it difficult to see. Marching into pitch blackness, with no clue at all to what lies ahead without a doubt takes a far deal of bravery.

Thus did Brother Andrew bravely run facefirst into a soild stone wall. This was not a very comfortable state for his face, but at least it didn't feel like anything was broken by it.

Kaname soon reveals, as she catches up with the light, that the tunnel curves to the left. This seems to be a fact that Brother Andrew missed.

Jifael, coming along so he isn't left behind, stumbles over a crag he didn't see, being outside the light.

[Justice Augustus]

Most people when they fall stick their hands out to catch themselves. Jifael's instincts, however, caused him to clasp his hands to the gem, turn his shoulder, roll with the fall, and come back up on his feet. He dusts himself down before calling out. "Wait a minute please, I seem to have fallen behind while admiring all these murals."

[Choark]

Brother Andy gave off a curse that any holy man probably shouldn't know or utter as he rubbed his nose. Ah good, still feeling left in the old snozzer then, now a little too much feeling.

It was amusing however and he couldn't help but chuckle over what happened.

[JoshuaDurron]

Kaname had to keep herself from both backtracking to see what had happened to Jifael, and running forward to see if Andy was alright. In the end, she just wound up walking even slower, so that Jifael would have more of a chance to catch up.

Idiot. If he didn't have his head in the clouds all the time, maybe he wouldn't stumble so much. Still, it didn't sound like he just tripped... well, as long as he's not hurt.

"Watch your step, Brothers. It's not wise to stray to far from the light, and not just because you can't see your path. There could be others here besides members of our faith."

[Choark]

Andy grumbled something about worrying more about the others then he did himself but nothing said loud enough to hurt feelings or cause an argument. He honestly wasn't worried about himself, the old man had enough pride in his swinging arm with an Axe not to worry about the odd stray animal looking for an easy meal.

"Ergh, worry not about me. My eyes are as sharp as they were not twenty years ago, can spot the difference between a pebble and coal in even the blackest night. Or was that a tiger and a panther?" He said, wondering back into the light stroking his chin. "Chocobo and a chicken? Blast it all. Why ask me silly questions?.. Up lad. " He spurted out at Jifael grabbing his arm and pulling him up slightly. "Young boy like you should be leading this expedition instead of skulking about at the back playing on the floor."

[Mechanisto]

Andy and Jifael heard a polite cough from just behind them; Nieb, who had been hanging back for quite some time, patted Andy's shoulder (in a strangely reverant fashion), and nodded.

"N-ûtor rudæ rôá?"

He paused only to glance at the both of them, then marched onward, as closely to Mina as possible without emerging from the shadows. He seemed to be paying equal attention to the girl and the carved frescos.

[Uncle Pervy]

Sadly, Nieb ignored the lessons of both Andrew and Jifael's error. Staying outside the light, he found it impossible to see.

Soon, he is unhappily introduced to a rough area of the floor, which left him stumbling. A fraction of a second later, he hits the floor. Curiously, he doesn't feel stone beneath his hands. Instead, it feels curiously soft. Then, it feels itchy. Very unpleasantly itchy.

as the light catches up to him, it seems he has found a patch of rogue algae that has made it's home here, not too far from the mud and the exit. And, as Nieb finds, it is very very itchy. If he has experienced the joy of falling in a poison Ivy patch, he will feel this is very similiar. It seems that this algae induces a very similiar allergic reaction. And it seems that he has managed to get it all over his hands, arms, and face. The itching quickly becomes quite maddening.

If nothing else, his brave sacrifice allows Mina and the others to see the algae and avoid it; it does look rather mucky to step in. And it seems that Nieb's skin is becoming reddish.

[NebulaQueen]

Noticing her fallen comrades brush with the rather..."interesting" temple vegetation, Mina set out to help her fallen comrade up. However, instead of helping him immediately, she stopped in midstep as she remembered something-a pair of gloves she had brought earlier, to prepare against the cold. She quickly pulled them out and put them on, and then reached to Nieb with her covered hands, careful that if he grabbed out for her, none of his rash would touch her skin. After all, who knows how contagious this could be?

[Mechanisto]

Nieb made a concious effort to wipe the muck off his skin as softly and gently as possible; no doubt the slightest irritation would only make things far worse. He shook his head, and waved a hand as Mina reached for him. He offered an apologetic smile, but stood back up on his own, being cautious not to touch her.

He focused the power of his mind; his body was, after all, conditioned to resist all forms of pain and distraction. I can control the sensation. I am the master of my body. I can ignore the heat of this plant... I am a rock of calmness...

He winced as he tried to stand, failing to keep the tears from his stinging eyes. A very... itchy... rock. Lights above, what would my master think? He forced himself to stay close to the others. The temptation to examine the carvings had now completely vanished...he gradually began to bring his self-discipline to bear, though he caught himself about to scratch his rashes several times. At one point, he was distracted enough to actually slap his hand, like an unruly child reaching for a cookie jar.

He sighed. I see problems ahead.

[KingOfDoma]

<span style="font-family:century gothic; color:maroon;">Finn did not stop walking, simple as that. He was tired of looking at rocks, words, puzzles. It was time for solid action, and moving forward.

It couldn't have been his lady's will for his sister to be gone...</span>

[JoshuaDurron]

Nieb felt a touch on his shoulder, and when he looked, found Kaname offering him a roll of bandages from out of her bag (since they were a fundamental part of her wardrobe, replacements were handy to have on hand.)

"Here," she said. "It'll help keep you from scratching. Although it won't help you too much with the actual itching part." A second later, reality caught up with her, and Kaname remembered that Nieb couldn't understand here. Wonderful. You're talking to yourself.

[Mechanisto]

Despite their lack of a common tongue, he seemed to get the idea; he took the roll with an appreciative nod, and a grudgingly embarrased sigh. He quickly began unrolling the cloth, wrapping it tightly around his forearms and wrists. All four of his arms moved at once, with an almost hypnotic grace.

After a moment, she realized he was wrapping his knuckles, in a manner she would have expected from a bare-knuckle boxer before a fight... it gave a sudden relevance to the probing gaze she realized he was giving her.

"Utór ?t'tênæ kân, Octåna?" He said to her, sounding curious. He gestured at her again, emphatically. "Octåna, rôá?"

[JoshuaDurron]

Oh great. He either thinks I'm challenging him, or that I expect a fight soon. He totally missed what I had in mind...

Kaname smiled nervously, momentarily forgetting that the expression was hidden by her mask. The creases in her eyes that resulted could be taken in many ways, something that clearly didn't occour to her.

Finn was getting ahead, and Kaname didn't want to risk any more incidents like this.

Why did I have to be the only one who thought to take a light?

There was still the matter of Four Arms though... In a calm tone, she replied, "Well, I hope that helps you some, anyways... whatever suits you..." She reached up with her free hand and scratched the back of her head nervously.

I sure wish I knew for sure why you're looking at me funny, though. And I hope it's not why I think it is...

"So, uh... shall we keep going?" Kaname lead by example, and followed Finn, hoping she didn't look to nervous. Anything that would draw a fight would be bad. She didn't want to get in a scrap here. It would probably get her thrown out of the temple. She didn't want to get run out of town again...

[Uncle Pervy]

Travel down this corridor is mostly ununteresting. Keeping with the light, people are able to avoid making the mistakes that Brother Andrew did. The walls here are smooth, no doubt the result of the same floods that destroyed a fair deal of artwork in the chamber before.

Finn, and those ahead with him, soon see that another corridor merges with the one they are in. It leads back roughly the same direction that they had come, but goes more to the east, presuming that the direction they are taking is true north.

After the side corridor merges with the main on they are in, the main one continues ahead.

[JoshuaDurron]

Obviously, to Kaname, there were two ways to go. Personally, she would have pressed on down the main corridor rather than turning back, but Sister Marissa might have thought differently. The pale woman came to a stop and knelt by one side of the corridor, carefully examining the area in an attempt to determine which way the sister had gone. Granted, it didn't look like there was much that could have left a trace of her, but one never knew...

[Uncle Pervy]

Kaname could see a faint, fresh imprint in some old dried mud. It was just at the end, and impossible to tell what the sourse was or where it was going. But. it was a sign of recent passage.

[Choark]

"Corridors and more bloody corridors" Andy said, more then rather irritated. Andy saw Kaname looking at something so he went over to her and looked down as well.

"Ah, another one then?" He said, more then a little pleased there was some sign of the sister. Maybe not a too helpful sign but it was still a good sign.

He stroked his chin and thought a little. Too many directions one could take, they could be on the verge of finding her and one wrong turn could prolong the search for hours. Well no point in worrying too much over this sort of thing, he reasoned, you were lucky or you weren't.

"Shall we continue head on then?" He said simply, while catching his breath in the cold air.

[JoshuaDurron]

Kaname nodded once. "If you were the sister, you would keep going deeper, yes? You could always take the other corridor on the way back. If you made it back..."

[Choark]

The old man chuckled. "Now, now, less of the drama, this isn't a theatre. Too real for a start. I know that corspe may have spooked you but fear not, being an old man I've learned a few things..." Here his eyes caught the light and seemed to sparkle for a second.

"... and one of them is we Humans aren't the best meal out there. Less meat then most, not that tasty, normally too much bother to catch. Not many wild animals are willing to give chase for something like us." He chuckled again as he moved a little forward, but would this time wait for the light. This old dog learns new tricks.

"And a fresh corpse is a good sign, long as it's not ya own. It means whatever is out there has already eaten. A monster with a full belly is a monster napping or cleaning itself. No, do not worry, this old man is going to get you all through this, if only so I can tan that sisters hide once we're done here."

[JoshuaDurron]

You assume there's only one monster... ah well.

"Just think it's best to consider all possibilities." Kaname moved to follow the old man, her interest in the situation waning once again. And only partly due to the four armed man who kept looking at her queerly.

[KingOfDoma]

<span style="font-family:century gothic; color:maroon;">Finn simply followed the footprinted trail, not saying a word...

I swear, if ONE of them takes a look at ONE hieroglyph...</span>

[NebulaQueen]

"Well...we don't have a lot options, do we?" asked Mina. "She probably went down deeper...and if we don't see her, we can always backtrack."

[Uncle Pervy]

Finn found there wasn't enough of a trail to follow, or to make sense of which was it was going.

This leaves the question of the was he decides to take.

[KingOfDoma]

<span style="font-family:century gothic; color:maroon;">Finn seemed flabbergasted for a moment. "Duh! Uhb... gaaaaah..." With the stubbornness only a dwarf can muster, he decided the left path MUST be the correct one, and took it, without hesitation...</span>

[Mechanisto]

Nieb eyed the patch of floor the others had examined, after they were done with it.

*footprints? They're looking for someone? A thief perhaps, stealing their secrets?* He stood, with a thoughtful frown, and glanced at the markings on the wall. *What is this place? What power does it hold?*

He took a step towards one of the walls, but hesitated as he eyed the shadowed floor. "Octåna; udô?" He was gesturing at her, then towards the wall where the corridor split.

[Uncle Pervy]

(Chuck: Read the posts by other people, please. The last two you made show that you seen not been paying much attention. )

Finn finds that there is no left, only right and forwards. But forward was good enough for him.

Thus did Finn go forward, drawing ever closer to the edge of the light and the darkness past it.