Within The Dark

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

In truth, Val started to feel more and more uncomfortable as they wandered through the Temple. It wasn't the bolt in his side, it wasn't the lack of food in his stomach, it was the idea that a single man could have done all of this. He had taken a peaceful people, a group of healers and twisted them into something dark and broken. He had broken these people for his own gain, and then when they'd no longer been useful he'd tossed them aside like trash.

The very idea disgusted him.

"This place is getting to me." He said quietly. The statues peered down at him, the walls seemed to get closer, and the bolt in his side had begun to throb. His head felt like it was spinning, and slowly his steps began to take on a more measured and slower pace. Val could still keep up with Ryssa, she was after all tiny compared to him, every one of his step was two of hers, but he could feel...a weight settling in on his shoulders, something he couldn't quite describe.

A frown settled on his lips as they moved, everything seeming to get a bit smaller.

He cast a glance down at the bolt in his side, eyes wandering towards Ryssa. The tips of his fingers began to prickle slightly, as if they had fallen asleep. He frowned for a moment, gently letting his digits curl as he tried to retain some of the feeling in them. His head shook slowly, as if he made a decision. Val refocused himself, falling back into step and moving quicker besides Ryssa. Within the center of the hallway a small indent began to form.

At first it remained empty, but within a few steps a gradual stream of water began to flow from several openings along its side. Slowly it washed forward, running down towards something ahead of them. Val frowned, still dizzy but fighting through it as they slowly came to an end of the hallway.

There they found what they had been looking for. As they stepped through the arched end of the tunnel Ryssa and Val found themselves standing before a massive grand hall, ceiling carved with intricate murals, floor non-existent save for four massive bridges spanning over a massive basin of water. At the very center of the room was a large circular platform, in it's middle stood a statue with fingers outstretched towards waiting visitors, upon its hand sat the gauntlet.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Talk about being served on a silver platter.

A part of Ryssa thought this was too easy. No way it would be this easy. It had to be a trap. Some way or another something was going to happen to make her regret even attempting to pull the gauntlet from its perch. As always, Fate had other priorities. Like the fact that cultists of the Omnious Fist were still chasing them. How long had this gauntlet been missing? Lost in the decades of time? The cultists must have been mad to find it.

And odds were, they would fight to the death for or. Some had already sacrificed their life.

"You ain't the only one," Ryssa replied, getting a closer look. "Look!" She pointed out with her hand, using her other arm to brace the big lug against her.

"Seems like we struck jackpot."

Now was the time to check for traps.

"Hat, try to sit down, I'll go check for traps and try to collect the gauntlet." She said, conveynin het eyes for the tall, broad shouldered man. They'd been through so much. With that bolt in his rib cage he needed attention.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

The bolt had nearly been forgotten by now, he was more consumed with the feeling of unease that had settled in on him. His head spun, and everything around them seemed to be...sliding. Val frowned for a moment and placed himself against a wall, not quite sitting, but not quite standing either.

"Go." He waved her off.

The gesture wasn't rude, and the tone of his voice denoted that he was simply...tired. There was no edge of anger or annoyance to the way he spoke, just an urgency. He still understood the necessity of what they were doing, and he still understood that they were being chased by cultists. Ryssa was better suited to the task of actually getting the Gauntlet, and if it also meant that Val could get some rest while she did so? Well then he would more than take the opportunity.

"I'll hold them off if they get here." His voice was somewhat strained. "Get the Gauntlet and find a way out."

He let out a breath. "Then come get me."

Val was getting woozy, his head tipping back so that he could stabilize himself for a few moments. It was becoming more and more apparent that the bolt had been poisoned with something, though what the substance was he had no idea. Yet he knew the symptoms readily enough, had he been a normal man he likely already would have dropped dead.

"I still want my reward." He winked at her with a smirk.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

"Yeah you think on that reward there bud." It was as much as an attempt to keep him conscious as anything else. He looked worse for wear, Ryssa could see it in his eyes. There was little time to waste. Didn't matter what he thought his reward was as long as he stayed coherent and comcuous. They could hash it out later. As of now, Ryssa could see that this was all starting to wear on Val. They had to get the gauntlet and then book it as soon as they could.

"Rest, Big guy."she told him, encouraging him to sit. There wasn't much to perch upon but there was a statue he could sit by. "Ima check for traps. Try to think happy thoughts!"

When she was sure he would keel over, the cerulean female darted over to the statutes. Taking a deep breath she used her visit to take the thirty seconds for security sakes. She searched for anyyhing that could be a trap.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

There wasn't really a lot for him to do at this point.

Well, except for think.

Not surprisingly this thoughts turned towards the cultists, or rather, the Temple that they had constructed. Mostly he wondered if they had created this place at the bidding of their new lord or if it had been here before Moridin had ever shown his face. It would surprise him more if it was the latter. By all accounts it was the water that the Healers had presented themselves around, and if this giant basin was any indication of things...well then the healing was all sourced from here.

Perhaps Moridin had just co-opted this place.

It made sense, any good leader built upon the ideas that were already there in a civilization. It helped reinforce the path, helped keep everyone in line. Val searched the basin wonderingly, eyes tracing from statue to statue, bridge to bridge, trying to find anything of note to help Ryssa. Briefly he thought he saw movement within the water, though in truth he wasn't quite sure if he could trust his vision. A hand came up to rub his eyes, trying to clear what he saw.

"Alright Val." He said with a deep breath. "Focus."

This wasn't any worse than the synox venom he'd been stung with. He could survive this.

His fingers gently wrapped around the bolt still embedded in his ribs, gently moving it to the side. A spike of pain lashed through him, a deep breath pulling into his lungs as he forced himself to be more alert. He had a job to do.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

It didn't help that Ryssa was now not only half distracted due to the wounded male, but because they were on limited time. Down the corridor they could hear the distant cries of pain along with the swosh of more bolts. So while the modern cult might have worshiped the gaunlet of Moridin, they also were not up to date on all the potential traps.

"Damn," came her curse, the petite woman riding on adrenaline. She could practically hear her heart thinderongbin her ears. Approaching the nearest bridge that connected to the platform, Ryssa used her visit to check for any traps or weak points. So far so good.

"Odds that this bridge will collapse once i get on it?" She mused aloud, crouching diejnto see if there were pressure points on the actual steps.

One could miss it if they didn't look closely. However, Ryssa managed it with her visor. One had to take specific planks across it.

"Really hope that's just water down there." She added, taking the first cautious step. She tested it out, barely placing any pressure. When it supported her entire weight, she skipped the next one and went one plank over. A bit hard when you had short legs to begin with.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

Moving the bolt certainly helped. Pain, adrenaline, it was a nice shock tot he system when you weren't really sure what was going on anymore. It was like the bolt was giving him a moment of...clarity. His lips turned up in a smile as he regained some of his composure, his vision clearing, his ears no longer ringing. Val righted himself slightly, eyes wandering to follow Ryssa for a moment, then passing down the hall to where they had come from.

He still leaned against the wall, waiting.

In his head he began to try and solve his own puzzle, mostly what the poison could have been. It hadn't been anything too deadly, likely not Dxun Viper or anything of the sort, even he would have been dead if that had been the case. Synox was unlikely, if only because he'd have known exactly what that felt like. Half of him wanted to guess that it was something less lethal. Perhaps the cult hadn't sought to kill with their traps, only wound.

It was an odd theory, but one backed by the fact that part of the cults primary purpose was to provide sacrifices.

What better way to supply them than when they came wandering in.

Within the darkness he heard something, his eyes quickly locking onto the abyss. He saw nothing of course, the odd cloaks would keep the cultists hidden. Yet slowly he pushed himself away from the wall, reeling slightly as another spike of pain rushed through his ribs. "Hurry!"

Val urged Ryssa.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

"Doing my best here, Manbun." Ryssa's voice carried over the bubbling pool of water under the bridge. Having the large chamber along with the water did wonders for the acoustics of the place. "I can only go so fast and if I take one wrong step --" a half grunt came out of her mouth as she skipped another plank, her long ponytail swinging at her back. "Then I might go for a long term swim here."

Breathe, breathe, jump. It was a routine, something to keep her focused. Arms up in the air for balance, the tome raider made her way skipping across the bridge to the center platform. As she took that last step, she turned to glance over at Val. He was slouched over, face pale. He was not doing so good. Damn.

"Hey, don't pass out there!" it would be a lie to say if she wasn't worried. The guy had grown on her in the short time. If he could still quip and make jokes then he should be fine. Maybe.

Turning back to the pedestal, she had to crink her neck back to really get a good view of the massive statue extending out his hands. Right there was the gauntlet.

"How much you want to bet that's on a pressure switch..."

They always had a tendency to be.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

He saw the flutter of a cloak.

It was never an exact thing to tell where they were in the darkness, in fact it was nearly impossible to tell, but the glimmering light helped. The small sheen that the end of the cloak gave off, the tiniest reflection, it was clue enough to tell him something was there. He frowned slightly and let go of the bolt in his side, knowing it was a vulnerability but also knowing that he had no other choice. he drew back slightly to stand at the end of the bridge Ryssa had crossed.

"They're here." He called out to her, voice steady, calm. His armor seemed to weigh heavily on him, and he slowly took another step back. A breath filled his lungs, and slowly he took another step, stopping as he stood just a few feet in front of the odd plates Ryssa had crossed so easily.

A flash of light jumped forward.

It was no blaster bolt however, instead it was a silvery quill launched from a crossbow. His eyes popped open, and instinctually he brought up his armored hand to bat the bolt away. There was a loud ping and a bright spark of metal against metal as the silver bolt bounced off of Val's armor and flew into the massive basin below.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

"Hell." the curse went ripping from her mouth, eyes growing wide under the visor. Shit, shit, shit! There was no hesitation now. No time to wait.

Bounding from the last plank, Ryssa landed hard on the platform. She landed in a crouched position, thighs about to jolt her forward when three silvery bolts came flying in her direction. The first struck the ground beside her with a plink, startling the woman and causing her to jump with a small cry. The next managed to hit at her upper thigh, glancing along the muscle with a piercing burn.

Ryssa gave a small stumble barely managing to avoid the third as she darted to the right. Her wrist went snapping up, pointing the cuff that shot out a small grappling hook. She aimed it at the ceiling, where the wire went sailing high until it lodged into the stone.

With a grunt, she locked the wire in position and ran through the pain, moving to use the grappling hook and line to swing her towards the outstretched statue's hands where the gauntlet lay.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

He needed to keep them busy, he needed to give Ryssa enough time to get the gauntlet. A sigh escaped his lips, his eyes following the shifting figures within the darkness. He felt the bolt in his side every time he moved, felt the pressing pain on his ribs and shifting muscles. Val took a single step forward, and then they came.

There was three of them, at least that he could see.

The first was armed with naught but a vibro-blade, the shrill and piercing sonic of the swords generator screaming out as the cultist rushed towards Val. The Warrior shifted, moving forward and against the Cultist instead of trying to avoid him. Val dipped beneath the blade, grasping the man’s wrist and twisting it to snap his limb in one go.

The cultist let out a cry of pain, dropping the vibro-blade with a loud clatter of metal. Val followed up snapping the mans wrist with a punch to the throat, bringing the first cultist to his knees before the second quickly came at him.

Val stepped back sliding away from the first cultist and scooping up the fallen vibro-blade. The shrill screech of the sword sounded out as Val slashed the blade forward, catching the other cultist by surprise and cutting through his stomach. A splash of blood shot out, catching the final cultist and marring his cloak with a dark red stain. Before the man could get off another silvery bolt Val was upon him, he planted the vibro-blade in his throat, rending the cultist from near head to toe.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

All Ryssa could hear was the groans and guttural screams. Don't look now, she told herself, working through the pain that prodded her thigh like a hot iron poker. Landing upon the extended hand, the clawdite braced for impact. Pain shot up her legs, and a half stumble passed before she straightened. There was no pause, no hesitation. The woman ran up towards where the gauntlet lay, dusty and seemingly tinged by age.

"Please don't be trapped." she uttered to herself, reaching in to make a grab for it. The heavy weight was a welcome in her fingers, but the pit of her stomach fell as soon as she removed it from its perch.

The entire cavern began to tremble.

"Bloody hell." there was simply no rest to be found. The statue shook, trembling as the small pedestal where the gauntlet lay at sank down onto the ground. A pressure switch.

"TIME TO GET OUT!" she yelled down.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

Val was fighting hard not to collapse. His head had begun spinning again, the bolt in his side hurt like hell, and everything...everything seemed to be shaking. He frowned slightly, looking down at the vibro-blade in his hand.

He saw more figures in the dark, but he had no idea whether or not they were real.

Then he heard Ryssa scream. Her yell echoed throughout the chamber, loud enough that Val’s attention was caught. Without a moment of hesitation he turned, looking up towards her and squinting slightly as he tried to look through the blurr in his vision. For a few moments he wondered what the hell was going on, but then his brain somehow managed to piece together the meaning of her words.

”How?!” He yelled back at her.

It was a good question.

Val had no idea how exactly they were supposed to get out of here. He hadn’t seen an exit, and well...he wasn’t sure that he could even reach one at this point. His face drained of blood, his eyes grew weary, and then slowly he looked down at the massive basin of water. He saw a current there, a slow swirl. Could they?

No...

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

The woman took hold of her wire again. Time for some acrobatics. At the very least the woman was small and she had plenty of experience spelunking. With a grunt, the woman locked on the wire then shoved herself off the statues hand with a thrust. Aireborne, Ryssa felt the dusting and pelting of cavern debris as she swung down towards Val.

How?

Well, in the same manner she'd originally thought of earlier. The fountain. The water.

With a grunt and a small burst of wind, she landed hard beside the space viking. The ground rumbled beneath them, and Ryssa caught sight how he was swaying back and forth. That had nothing to do with the shaking of the cavern. His face was pale, clammy, vision blurry.

Shit.

"The underground river!" she pointed out. Something that he had apparently considered himself when he swung his gaze over towards the flowing water.

"The mine map showed the water ways, they lead out towards the main river outside of the mine!"

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

Well, he wasn’t going to argue that.

”I’m going to jump!” Or fall, at this point the latter option was probably far more likely, his head was spinning and his balance felt like he was about to keel over at any minute now, perhaps the water would wake him up a bit more and let him regain some more of his focus. ”Follow me!”

Under normal circumstances Val was actually a pretty good swimmer, but at the moment he was hardly at his best form. He shifted slightly, dropping the Vibro-blade and undoing the straps on his armor. He knew that if he went in wearing his armor there was no way he would make it.

He tossed the heavy plate into the basin below, hoping that it would wash up down river somewhere.

”Be careful!” Ryssa’s fall was far further than his, and she was carrying the gauntlet. Without another second of hesitation Val took a breath, and then jumped into the water below.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Ryssa didn't have any more time to react other than this; shove her hand into the gauntlet and hope for the best. Hopefully it won't turn her into some evil being or kill her on the spot. There was little time to react. More bolts came down range at them as Val made the first jump. She saw him fall, the massive splash of water following his submersion.

"Come up, come up." she muttered, glancing back to see the cultists come at her. Turning back, she took a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing." with a lurch she shot herself forward, her body freefalling. Her scarf came undone, fluttering up behind her before she lost it. She hit the water with a solid splash. Bubbles rose, and the current was surprisingly strong. More bolts struck the surface of the water, the woman attempting to swim away. She barely popped back up for air before another struck about a foot from her.

Coughing, she took another breath, sinking below the water for protection as the current took her.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

Val was swept away almost immediately.

The current was strong in the patch of the basin that he had hit, and as soon as he touched the water he felt a rush of waves taking him beneath. It happened suddenly, and quickly, but he was swept into the flow of the current and taken into a massive underground tunnel.

He flipped end over end, thrashing violently as he tried to gain control of where he was going. His eyes popped open, and then suddenly he felt the bolt slide from his skin.

Panic consumed him.

He knew that without that bolt he would quickly bleed to death. His hand reached towards the wound, seeking to apply pressure. His finger slid over his skin, searching...and finding nothing. His head turned, looking down even as he tumbled through the currents. The wound was gone, the bolt was gone, it seemed everything was...fine.

Confusion reigned in him, but in that moment he decided it was best not to question. His arms flailed out, and in the distance he saw something sweeping towards him. It was Ryssa’s tiny form, rushing towards him as she was dragged beneath the currents. His last breath escaped him as he launched himself towards her, catching her in his arms.

Together they were thrown down the underground tunnel, until eventually, a bright light swept over them.

With another kick off from the floor he popped up, taking in a deep breath of air as Ryssa and he emerged in a naturally luminescent underground cavern.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Her small body struck Val's larger one, and she flailed and coughed as a thick arm wrapped around her. She latched herself to him, the burn on her thigh slowly melting away. It was the oddest sensation, but one missed in the adrenaline rush of simply trying to stay alive. When they broke the surface of the water, Ryssa's mouth burst open witih a gasp, her head tilted back as lungs sucked in air. She immediately sank down again, held up only by the sure strokes of Val's body.

Her hair tie had come undone, leaving only the dark visor slung up her head as the only thing keeping her wet hair away from her face. Around them a faint blue green luminescence seemed give off enough light to discern where they were. The current was still fairly strong here, but off to the right one could make a faint shoreline along the cavern's edge.

However, her concern was for the man holding her. Eyes wide, she turned up to him. Before he jumped off into the water, she could have sworn he was about to fall flat on his face.

"Val? You okay?!"

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Ryssa Rourke"]

"I." He began as he slowly dragged them to shore. "Am fine."

Surprisingly, he meant it too. The wound in his side was gone, the dizziness had dissipated and in truth he felt like a millions bucks. His fingers flexed slightly as he stood within the shallows, picking Ryssa up in his arms. He still wore the undergarments he'd had on underneath his armor, so at the very least he wasn't completely nude. She would immediately see that the wound in his side was gone, the cuts he'd had were also healed, and everything else was...well normal.

He frowned slightly. "No idea what's in that water."

Val chuckled to himself, apparently more than glad to be out of his less lucid state.

The poison, he determined, had likely been something based on a fungus rather than an animal. He would have felt more tingling from paralysis or nerve damage if it had been from a creature, and thus it would make sense that the poison was more plant based. Val doubted that he would ever know for sure, though perhaps he would be able to get someone to test his blood. Either way he was rather glad to be alive. "So..."

He started slowly.

"About my reward." A smirk crossed his lips.

 

[Ryssa Rourke]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Now they were both saturated, and it didn't help matters that Ryssa's own were clinging to her figure. Which could be a good or a bad thing considering all matters.

"Well if it is anything from what we picked up from the murals..." she began, attempting to slide out of Val's grasp only to be lightly held in turn. Her eyes grew wide only to cast him an upward expression of amused disbelief. Well, I'll be lying if he isn't quite the looker, she mused. Without the armor and dripping wet, the broad shouldered man was.. well.. quite the specimin indeed.

"How about we wait until we are actually out of the mines big guy, and are able to determine just what this gauntlet really is." for emphasis she brought up the gauntlet for him to see. Still no dice or anything particularlly off about it. However, she was no Force user. There was a big of unease she could at the very least sense from it. All Darkside artifacts held some measure of aura that would radiate from it.