Into The Silent Dark Below [Open]

[Miss Blonde]

They were brave men and women, something that you often found lacking within the seething underbelly that was the underworld. Those stoic and at times death defying people who knew the difference between fear and danger, they were to be commended for it. But Blonde, Blonde knew she may very well be sending these people to their deaths. Most importantly she could of been sending Nate to a demise of madness and blood, but it was best not to think about that. What mattered within this moment was figuring out if they had been infected or exposed to any vile or dangerous virus or pathogen that lay in wait here. So it was with a deep and somewhat melancholy tone that the criminal queen uttered her next sentence.

"No heroics, alright? If you see something down there, I don't care if it's those miners and soldiers. You book it, you head topside right away. So be sure to take soil and rock samples while you are in the mine." Blonde then stood from her seat and would access a map on the wall.

Locating the area in which the lifts were stationed, she would scan the wall copy and upload it to her data logger. From there it was just a matter of digitizing and creating a quick multi-dimensional map that would chart the pathway to their descending doom.

"I'm sending you all coordinates to the lifts and a map of the facility's lower floor. Should be right down the hall. Now I mean this, no heroics. We're not the good guys." She said with concern still in her voice.

With the map delivered, Blonde then sent them on their way. She knew not what wait below, what horrors and madness crept within the darkened mines of this barren fringe world. She knew not the ancient and elder things of cursed aeons that slithered up from the pit of the unknown and screamed and cried on behalf of their victims. All she knew was that of rationality, and the idea of events and beings such as these were all but a fleeting enigma to her. But soon, soon they would become well acquainted with those of her team.

"Good luck." She said softly and under her breath.

Whenever the teams decided to mount up and head downward into the darkness below, when they approached the lifts the doors and gates were unlocked to them as if inviting the felons and soldiers of fortune to enter. To welcome and join those who had come before them, and while they were just hunks of metal and repulser lifts, they had a strange and almost other worldly suggestion to them. As if speaking the words "come to me." softly within their minds. It was time to face the darkness.

[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] [member="Xiarr Sair"] [member="Darkul Elahad"] [member="Vigil"] [member="Savitor Draay"] [member="Halifax McCade"] [member="Jynx"] [member="Tanya Thiran"]

 

[Matreya]

Wiping his mouth clean of blood, Dark rose then nodded at Miss Blonde. No words were said, none were needed. He sensed that Blonde knew they likely were all heading to their deaths. It was obvious in her words. However, she would likely find that their escape would never be so simple. They just were not easy. When it came time to retreat, situations turned hectic.

Plain and simple. Though he guessed she too knew this, why else say on the first sign of danger to run?

Though he wouldnt do this either. Not to be mistaken, Dark was not one to die for just any small cause, but he held honor in battle to the highest degree. If blood could be shed, his or an enemies, it would be. There would be stories of his combat, more than those already told in his family.

"Vos mii bo ativ un daan. Zin kos wah mii pah." Dark said as he moved onto the nearest lift. Rolling his shoulders, Dark maintained the looseness of body. Tightening, tensing, it was a bad thing. Move around while readying for combat, it plainly was a good idea.


[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] [member="Xiarr Sair"] [member="Miss Blonde"] [member="Vigil"] [member="Savitor Draay"] [member="Halifax McCade"] [member="Jynx"] [member="Tanya Thiran"]

 

[Nate Phantoms]

[member="Miss Blonde"]


Sensing something troubling his older leader, he replied to the Boss, wanting her to feel some reassurance. Or at least anything close to that. "I'll handle it Blonde, I'll even smack them around if they try to pull anything for ya." Pulling his hood up, he took off at a light jog to make it into the same lift as [member="Darkul Elahad"], if this man was going to be taking point with him they needed to lay down some foundation.

Sizing the man up, he got a sense of honor, and a lot of history with battles. Someone who could compete with himself? Most likely. Someone that could win that said fight? Maybe, maybe not. Burning eyes glowed from underneath his hood as he extended his hand. "Names Nathan, many call me Nate for short." In his mind, it sounded a lot less threatening, but when it came out of his mouth, his voice made it sound deep and dark. "If we're taking point we may very well be the first ones to get the chit when it hits the fan. I'm ready to risk it, are you?"

[member="Xiarr Sair"], [member="Vigil"], [member="Savitor Draay"], [member="Halifax McCade"], [member="Jynx"], [member="Tanya Thiran"]

 

[Vigil]

Vigil hummed, checking his weapons as he contemplated. The choice was obvious, of course. He had to collect data on whatever had occurred, but to do so would be risking his body, and it would be such a pain to rebuild. Granted, his dear friend would likely be more than willing to provide... but even so it was a costly risk. Yet the value of knowledge was well worth such a risk. So, 'Orwell' gave Blonde a nod, and went off to find the way down. He was, of course, constantly prepared to record everything he noted, with perfect accuracy.

It would be interesting to see what he found, down below. He joined up with Darkul and Nate, offering them both a nod. "Be sure to take notes of anything you see. I'm quite interested in cataloging what we find."



[member="Miss Blonde"] | [member="Darkul Elahad"] | [member="Xiarr Sair"] | [member="Vigil"] | [member="Savitor Draay"] | [member="Halifax McCade"] | [member="Jynx"] | [member="Tanya Thiran"] | [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"]

 

[Matreya]

Dark shook the offered hand, "Darkul, like dar-cool. Feel free to call me Dark." At that moment Dark too sized up Nate. They both could be considered intimidating, each had a darker aura. Both were hunters obviously. But was Nate in his league? Who knew. With the added bonus of his Sanguinius genetics, he could best most.

Did that even matter? No. For all he knew the man would slay him with a thought.

"I am, at all times. It is honor to my opponents of future battles, myself, and Dinok," He held up the massive blade, "-to be ready whenever the time comes." Just then another approached and Dark stiffened.

A silent inhale through his nose led him to realize, with a certainty, that he disliked the newcomer. He couldnt explain why. It was just how it was. However, he still was point with Nate, and therefore would be protecting this being. He would need to keep being civil.

[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] [member="Xiarr Sair"] [member="Miss Blonde"] [member="Vigil"] [member="Savitor Draay"] [member="Halifax McCade"] [member="Jynx"] [member="Tanya Thiran"]

 

[Miss Blonde]

With the team now set and loaded, the time had come for them to enter the mine. The deep darkened caverns of ancient and foreboding ethereal unknown had called out to them, and in response the brave souls had answered. Once in the lift the platform's steel grid gate closed and locked before the thrum of repulser lifts activated above and below to guide the box into the Cimmerian shaded abyss. Slowly it went at first clanging and clacking against the walls of the mine shaft scrapping and causing a few sparks to fly out into the dark when screeching metal met iron and alien ore to pierce the veil of silence and eternal night. Steadily the lift continued to putter its way down below, and as it did so the air grew more still. It began to become colder and colder, nothing near that of the burning surface above. For here in the deep, one could see the breath leave the body and feel the cold shiver of frost run down their spine.

When the lift did hit the bottom of the mine, the party would be lost in pitch black darkness. A complete and utter lack of light in any shape or form. Yet through feeling and a sense of intuition and I instinct, they were not met with the feeling of unfamiliarity of their location. A quick scan of the area and the activation of personal lights or NVGs would show that around them was what once was the staging area for expeditions into the mine. Only instead of seeing just the large borrowing machines and tools of man and intelligent life, there was a sinister and near frightening aspect to go along with it.

Strewn across the landscape of the dark below covering that of machine and technology were the webs and sticky ichor of perhaps some arachnid creature that called this twisted place home. But there was not only the webbing found here, there were corpses. Corpses of miners and soldiers who were placed up against the walls, the machines, in webs that hang from over head, some of them moving in unnatural fashions seething with horror and ill-content. And it was that horror in which our party gave witness to these sacks of flesh give birth to this unknown creature's spawn. For out of the bodies and chests of these people came the shuttering and skittering feet of hundreds upon hundreds of spiders the size of an adult man's fist.

But the worst had yet to come. All around them slowly climbing over the mining machines were the full grown adults of the species. Creatures so terribly alien in appearance that it was difficult for even the most talented of scribes to depict their evil.

And what had made matters worse, before they could turn tail and head back up the lift, the doors of the machine would close on their own and lock firmly in place. As if whatever had called them here did not want them to leave, for they were his now. For now until eternity.


[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] [member="Xiarr Sair"] [member="Vigil"] [member="Savitor Draay"] [member="Halifax McCade"] [member="Jynx"] [member="Darkul Elahad"] [member="Tanya Thiran"]

 

[Jynx]

[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] | [member="Xiarr Sair"] | [member="Vigil"] | @Savitor Draay | [member="Halifax McCade"] | @Drakul Elahad | [member="Tanya Thiran"] | [member="Miss Blonde"]

The bodies all were strewn across the area. Whatever beauty or dignity in death was completely violated. Abominations spat in the face of whatever beauty was held in nature and violating all that seemed sacred.

But now wasn't a time to be thinking or sympathising with the dead. It was time for Jynx to avoid meeting the same fate. She opened up the droid and searched for the right tool, ever becoming more aware of the spidery creeping drawing near.

"Oh. I didn't pack the flamethrower."
The response was a descending note of disappointment from the droid.

"Well, there really isn't any situation where one would happen to think to bring a flamethrower is there?"
This time she was met with a series of passive-aggressive beeps and boops.

"I only bought it because I thought it'd be cool to have. Still, at least we've got something." After rummaging through the contents of the droid she managed to pull out some grenades and a relatively long force pike. Any weapon with a shorter range and she'd probably be coming back drenched in eldritch goo - that is, if she does come out of this.

 

[Nate Phantoms]

"Hm." Smiling as he knew his eyes were one of the few things visible, he pulled his saber of his belt, the blade casting an orange light a few feet in all directions. "Watch your step." Holding his saber out before him, he nodded at [member="Darkul Elahad"] before moving forward. Seeing all of the gear and corpses thrown about only piqued his interest, but soon, the only thing that was on his mind were the low hanging webs that decided to wrap around his arm every time he wiped the others away.

"God da-" Hearing something over his curse, he looked down, a corpse below him moving, expanding, before it finally tore open, the miniature horrors screeching. Mentally, he let a line of curses fly as he swung his saber in a wide arc underneath him, even though more just replaced the slayed. Realizing that wouldn't work, he turned to look at [member="Jynx"] her words calling at his creative side. Kicking at the full grown adult that hissed at him, he deactivated his saber, thrusting him into darkness. That was, until he summoned forth his pent up emotions in the shape of a white hot stream of fire.

Instantly, the flames sent the spiders scrambling, the adults took a little more to exterminate but he took pleasure in stomping on them with his black combat boots. Turning around, he blasted a gout of flame at more oncoming spiders, hoping the others would see the large man spraying flames.

[member="Miss Blonde"], [member="Vigil"]

 

[Vigil]

Curious indeed, while others might have looks of disgust on their faces, Vigil only found himself growing intrigued. as to what caused these men to die in such a way, and indeed what could be learned from dissecting them. Amusingly, such would be made easier, as their chests opened up to reveal spider like creatures, things born from whatever slew the soldiers and miners. No doubt, the larger of the brood had at the least assisted in such a massacre, nature was such a peculiar thing wasn't it? Between them, and his own visible lack of any breathing, why it was as though some things simply weren't real.

He chuckled, and cut down one of the corpses, hefting it over his shoulder even as he began to fire his slugthrower, the Series 9 variant, with inhuman accuracy at the approaching arachnid like creatures. Well, perhaps the accuracy itself wasn't inhuman, but his lack of a flashlight, or visible night vision, certainly didn't help. Most of the nearby light was restricted by equipment, making progress through this staging area quite difficult.

Approaching one of the unimportant, unnamed mercenaries that had come with, he tossed him the corpse of the man he'd cut down. "Carry that for me." He chuckled and exchanged his weapon. You'd be amazed at how fast it could empty itself. "And see if you can kill one of these things and keep it mostly intact. I'd appreciate the specimen to work on later." Of the assembled group, he was one of the more, calm members. Sure, he was disgusted and abhorred by the situation, but his analytical mind was still overwhelmingly curious.




[member="Miss Blonde"] | [member="Darkul Elahad"] | [member="Xiarr Sair"] | [member="Vigil"] | [member="Savitor Draay"] | [member="Halifax McCade"] | [member="Jynx"] | [member="Tanya Thiran"] | [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"]

 

[Matreya]

Dark drew Dinok from its home, and with speed so quick he was blur, began skewering the skittering bodies that moved toward them. He had not even activated its Imbued aura, simply was using the razor qualities of the blade already found there. The bugs probably came as a shock to the others, but for him, there was never a belief what he would stumble on, leading to never being shocked by an outcome. Instead he rolled with punches, fought what came his way, and never complained when it wasnt what he wished.

Raising a hand, Darkul concentrated for a moment before swinging the appendage in am arc starting from across his chest toward the outside. The result was a cast burst of telekinetic energies that had been condensed down until the wind acted as a razor, slicing clean through the insectoids in a sweeping fashion. The result was multiple hundreds of the small creatures suddenly slipping top half from the bottoms.

Yet, with his predatory eyes being keen in pitch darkness, he could see that even such a devastating force hardly effected the numbers. Where two died, three more ran over its corpse to approach them.

"We might wish to take this forward." Dark said to Nate, and without waiting for a reply began to do just that. Standing in one place would let them be pushed into a corner.

[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] [member="Xiarr Sair"] [member="Miss Blonde"] [member="Vigil"] [member="Savitor Draay"] [member="Halifax McCade"] [member="Jynx"] [member="Tanya Thiran"]

 

[Miss Blonde]

Streams of blazing white hot flame not only scorched the arachnid flesh of these creatures, but the bright light it produced caused others to shriek with inhuman cries of agony and cautiously back away from its searing beauty. The newly born creatures backed away and skittered into the safety of the darkness, the adults however while still bothered by the light did not make their fearful exodus. For this was no longer about catching a few humans on their turf, it was about the survival and feeding of their young. So in great numbers these eight legged monstrosities began to swirl and coalesce into one cohesive front to attack and rush within unison. Then with a mighty and ear piercing shriek of bloodlust and hunger, the monsters went forth and charged over mining machines and corpses alike.

Though it was at that moment a loud and thunderous stomp caused the ground to shake with a solid thump. The spiders had ceased their attack, and slowly they began to back away and hiss. And to most people this would be a good thing, the foe had ran. But to more seasoned hunters and people who had experienced the harsh wilds knew that this was a sign of something larger approaching. Something much much larger, and it was only confirmed with each monstrous thump that grew and grew with every passing fleeting moment of time.

When the great stomps grew to almost deafening levels the team could feel something pass over them. A lumbering and mighty indifference of their existence that soared overhead and payed their minuscule lives no care. For what was passing over them was an unholy abomination of something beyond the understanding of nature. Something that existed here deep within these spacious otherworldly caverns of rock and death.

Slowly the loud thumps and rumbling began to fade as the monstrosity passed over them without care or bother. Though despite the fact that this massive creature had driven off the droves of arachnid horrors, there was still an extreme sense of danger down within the darkness. Danger that was lurking within the shadows of this evil pit.

"Pssst! Hey! Over here!" There was a small screaming whisper of a man calling out to the group.

Soon coming forth from the darkness was a man covered in blood and holding a makeshift spear made of pipe and mining tools. His face had concern and fear written on it, but below that there was a small twinge of madness. His bloodstained clothes read that he was a miner here and perhaps he had some inkling of knowledge as to what the hell this place was.

"I'll take you to safety! We must go now! The skin wolves! They're coming! We must run now! Hurry hurry we must run! We must not keep him waiting!" The man was a bit off his rocker.

Turning around and running into the darkness, this gave the team of volunteers a choice. Follow the man into the dark, or try to find their own way. Because it was clear that they were trapped down there, and soon they would begin to be picked off one by one until this placed claimed their lives or their sanity.

@Nate the Hunter [member="Xiarr Sair"] [member="Vigil"] [member="Savitor Draay"] [member="Halifax McCade"] [member="Jynx"] [member="Darkul Elahad"] [member="Tanya Thiran"]

 

[Xiarr Sair]

When Xiarr reached the mine along with the rest of the mercenaries, he was met with total darkness. Unsurprisingly, whatever had come through or infested this mine had likely destroyed most of the power to the mine if not all of it. Xiarr activated his lightsaber which lit up the area around him and the other mercenaries also provided light with their own light sources. What the lights revealed was revolting and shocking, to say the least. Metal, arachnid creatures burst out of the chests of the dead miners and other artisans. Xiarr looked back at the lift to see that the doors to the lifts had closed on their own, as though these creatures had control over the machinery. The creatures then rushed the group, their hordes seemingly endless. Xiarr cut down a couple, and then a few more would come to take their place. Xiarr used the force to push at least a dozen of the creatures back, but it was too little avail, as they kept on coming back, no matter what he did. They would surely perish to the endless horde.

But then, one of the mercenaries shot out a stream of silver flame, which scared most of the spiders away, with the exception of the adult spiders. As they rushed toward the group, a giant thud shook the mine. The creatures screeched and ran off, and this obviously showed that whatever creature made was approaching was more of a threat than the other creatures. Fortunately, the sound of this larger creature slowly faded away, as though it had passed the group. Then, a voice called out to the group, this voice belonging to a man who was holding a makeshift spear, and he promised them he would take the group to safety. Xiarr had no other option, and he would follow the man, no matter where he took him.

[member="Miss Blonde"]
[member="Darkul Elahad"]
[member="Vigil"]
[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"]
[member="Jynx"]

 

[Matreya]

Dark stared at the man whom approached, honestly surprised now, after the massive creature had moved beyond them. The newcomer would likely be leading them into a trap at this point, else he would have left the mines should the chance as such apparently allowed. Before anything, Dark held the blade of Dinok in his hand, gripped it tight, then slid his palm down the metal edge. The sting of the cut was sharp, but he splattered the blood flowing on the wall and floor behind himself. His own scent, his blood, it was his means of finding his target. Should they be led deep inside the cave, they could return, or know which way they had come from.

However, it did not mean that he had already decided the fate of the others, "Nate, we take point, so we make the decisions. Go after the lunatic, or make our own path? I believe our own would be the best. We could follow the big thing that just went by. Clearly it brings fear into the heart of things down here. Walk underneath it, be careful not to be stepped on, and we can have a path forged the whole way to wherever we need to go."

As he spoke, the blood trickling down his fingers from his palm slowed, then stopped all together. Soon it was retracting back up his tips, then inside the wound once more before it sealed with no scar to be found. A benefit of his Sanguinius blood.

[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] [member="Xiarr Sair"] [member="Miss Blonde"] [member="Vigil"] [member="Savitor Draay"] [member="Halifax McCade"] [member="Jynx"] [member="Tanya Thiran"]

 

[Nate Phantoms]

[member="Miss Blonde"]


Picking up a adult that had gotten too close, he held it up, pulling apart its mandibles at it screeched. "Oh shut up." Turning, his arm shot out, smashing the creatures head against the wall, green goo exploding all over.

Everything else that happened passed without his knowing, and he turned, nodding at [member="Darkul Elahad"]. The sudden appearance of the small man surprised him. But what the hell were skinwalkers? And where was [member="Xiarr Sair"] going? He intended to find out both, but first he had to make a choice. "Alright, take the droid" Pointing at [member="Vigil"], he turned back to the man. "And her. Unless you'd prefer to go scouting while I grab the man and our missing groupie." Implying a question to [member="Jynx"], he inclined his head towards the way the man went. "If you want to come with me to get the man c'mon. If not follow Dark and make our own path deeper into the cave. I will be behind you with the other."

 

[Nate Phantoms]

Ignore.

 

[Tanya Thiran]

Tanya failed to understand what was happening. She had only just entered, feeling slightly weak at the presence of... Something... when the spider came. Any that got near Tanya cut down, but she still felt off. Seeing Orwell so nonchalant didn't help. It made sick to be honest. But when the monstrosity had passed over her, she lost all understanding of what had and what was happening. Still, seeing the madman brought her back to her senses somewhat, and, with e promise of knowing what had happened, she followed him and [member="Xiarr Sair"] into he dark, keeping her saber lit and ready.


[member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"]
[member="Darkul Elahad"]
[member="Miss Blonde"]
[member="Vigil"]

 

[Jynx]

[member="Vigil"] | [member="Miss Blonde"] | [member="Darkul Elahad"] | [member="Nate the Bounty Hunter"] | [member="Tanya Thiran"]

"Well, I am quite curious as to what this man has to show us. He seems to know quite a bit about this place" And despite whatever event that caused this being so recent too. It was strange that he'd already know what creatures were to attack too. But, it was either that or go further into the darkness and probably end up at a dead end with hundreds of those spider-things closing in.

"And who is it exactly, that we shouldn't keep waiting?"
It was strange, the way this man referred to whoever this 'he' was. It was as if it were plain fact, at least not to the group, but to him. It didn't seem that having them know who this 'he' was, was of any significance to the man. Jynx watched his body movement. He wasn't stable. Most in a similar situation wouldn't be. But yet he maintained a strange level of composure, like a balloon so full of air that it was on the brink of bursting. It was suspicious indeed, but there wasn't much of an alternative.

 

[Matreya]

Dark brought his gaze about, too the one he found now was a droid, the man he didnt like. That explained it. He couldnt smell anything off the man, nor did he hear a pulse. The being was not alive. Hence the hate. But the other he could clearly smell was a woman. She, he didnt mind. Thus with a gesture, he said, "You two, we are going to go forward, attempt to find a route out via following the bigger creature out there." With that he turned and began a careful steady walk.

With his eyes adapted for low-to-no-light vision, Dark had no problem seeing ahead of them as they moved. Not to mention he kept his senses peeled, touch via his feet on the ground feeling vibrations that originated from the massive body ahead, sight obviously tracking distant movements, smell as the being had passed over head had caught onto the lightest of excreted odors. They could stay in its wake, or move up under it...

"Droid. What should we do? Underneath the behemoth and we risk being squashed, trail it and we risk being over run by other predators." Dark asked, he knew the thing had a mechanical mind and would be able to process likelihoods faster and more precise than he could, "Not that I do not wish your opinion, Miss. Rather that mechanicals have the ability to precisely dictate numbers. I want to know from his opinion which to aim for." Then Dark sheathed Dinok so he would have a proper draw when the time came.

[member="Vigil"] [member="Jynx"] [member="Miss Blonde"]