Beneath the Earth [Plot]

Heading forth into the pitch black of the catacombs, I headed out, carrying a flashlight in hand which luckily I'd picked up at the airport, along with one for each of the members of this journey. The light was barely helpful, however; it was so dark down here, the spotlights barely illuminated anything except exactly what they shone on the farther we went down. It was almost as though the darkness were tangible, and as if it was intent to crush and snuff out the light no matter what. Hopefully it was just my imagination, but it didn't make things less frightening. Sounds of various creatures, mostly rats it seemed, also came from the unknown, making things even more terrifying. How infested was this place? It would be safe to say that multiple times, I was almost sure one of them had scampered over my foot, but I couldn't be sure; it had to be my mind playing tricks on me. In addition to that, however, there were definitely bugs... cockroaches and the like, all swarming about off in the corners of the catacombs. Furthermore, there was the sound of the wind that seemed to echo off the walls and sound like a banshee was screaming right beside us. All in all, it was extremely unwelcoming as we walked down, and that wasn't even mentioning the smell. With all the rodent and bugs, it seemed no one had cleaned this place in a long time, and the noxious stench was nearly overwhelming. However, for the same reason I wasn't simply creating a fireball to light our path, I didn't ask anyone to clear the air. We had to save our chi for what lay ahead, for what would possibly be truly frightening. I knew not what lay ahead, but it was likely worse than what we'd encountered so far, at least in comparison.

After a bit of walking, although it felt like an eternity, we finally reached a larger area of the catacombs, where it seemed we could rest for a bit; all signs of life had disappeared entirely, which thankfully meant no rats or cockroaches, but why was that? What kept them from coming down here? For some reason, I couldn't take that as anything other than an omen of evil lurking ahead. This was definitely the time to be on our guard as we continued further.

"Alright everyone, fan out and check out this cavern. See what you find, but don't go wandering off, alright? I want everyone to come back here in 5 minutes," Ivris said, nodding at all of them before heading off to the left side of the room. As she walked, she realized how silent it was now, and it was probably even more terrifying that having to walk along with roaches and rats. In any case, after surveying the left side of the room, she found that there were several tunnels branching off from this place. However, in a few moments she'd reached the 5 minute mark, and began heading back towards the center of the room.

Ami looked around the catacombs before entering, it was pitch black and quite dark. To ease the fear she was feeling she turned on her favorite tunes and clipped on her skates. As she entered, she couldn't even see her hand in front of her, which was only mere inches from her face. For a split second, Ami felt lucky she had white chi. She created a small ball of light in her hand to illuminate her path as she walked. She took deep and slow breaths to calm herself. She didn't know why she was scared. Was it because she was afraid of the dark? Or possible because she was scared at the fact she might die during this journey. "You can do this Ami." She said switching her dialogue to Chinese so she would not be understood by her fellow students or teachers. "You aren't a cowardly bitch, you are a strong and independent woman. You will aid in the rescue of Leo." She said. However, the deeper she went into the catacombs a strange scent entered her nose, it was probably due to the age of the catacombs. Nothing was heard except the eerie dripping of water into puddles, bugs running around, their own footsteps or Ami's skates scratching against the bumpy gravel floor. Around that point professor Ivris suggested the split up check the cavern. She was immediately against the idea however her body mixed up the action due to the apprehension she was feeling. So instead of shaking her head, she simply just nodded in agreement. However when she realized that it was too late.

Sighing she branched off in a path. The ball of light in her palm lit up her way, making her feel slightly better. She began to head off. She completely ignored the bugs and rats that crawled around the ground. They were merely an annoyance to her rather than something she was scared of. There were more logical thing she could be afraid of rather than a few small animals with exoskeletons, they were all simply vermin. She shook her head and searched around to try to find something. Her heart pounded steadily in her chest as she carefully skated around the catacombs. She tripped over a rock at one point and sighed, thinking it would be a better idea to simply walk. She sat down for a moment and took off her skates and placed it in her backpack when she heard a strange sound. It sounded like someone was scratching at the rocks. She looked around and it suddenly stopped. She shrugged thinking it was just her imagination. Looking at her phone's clock she saw that the five minutes were up. She walked over back to the center. She was hesitant to report of what she heard however. It was a trivial detail that could be dismissed as a part of her imagination however, she knew it might have been an important clue. "I heard this weird sound over there." She reported. "It was probably just my imagination however." She said with a shrug.

Lain stepped into the catacombs, running a hand through her hair in uncertainty. As they descended, she realized the emptiness this place seemed to display. It seemed abandoned by everything, probably even by God. It was very quiet aside from the group's own sounds - the sounds of their movements with the occasional vocals. She didn't even hear the scurry of rodents that would typically wander areas such as this. It was nearly unnatural, and it set her on edge. Now gaining small goose bumps, she continued with slight doubt in her mind. On top of the thoughts on her surroundings, she still wasn't too sure about the whole spirit Leo thing, but most of the group seemed to go with it. She really had no reason not to trust their judgment as they were more than likely there at the scene of the crime. Briefly after entering, she had finished her drink and discarded the container to pick up on the way out. Replacing it in her grasp, she held her phone with its flashlight on to illuminate her path - not that it did much good. The darkness, if left untouched, wouldn't have even allowed her to see her hand, even if it was touching her nose. But with the light, she could at least see a few feet in front of her. It was unfortunate that the light didn't ward off the growing stench of rot and the creatures that crawled around. As they reached the larger room, she could've swore that a cockroach had crawled up her leg - though it could've easily been her imagination. She had swatted it off without checking what it was, a small shiver running up her spine due to the grossness of it.

Upon the suggestion that they were to split up, she nodded. Although this was starting to look like a Scooby Doo episode, the professor was leading this quest and she really couldn't argue. It would be fun, surely - and Scooby Doo always ends in a good way. They get the job done. Lain walked straight ahead towards the far wall, her light shining on the stone wall as she grew closer. Nothing really stood out to her upon arrival at the wall. She walked with it, running a hand along the surface. She found a few loose bricks in a large indent in the wall. Upon further investigation, she successfully slid one out, finding an empty space behind it. She placed the stone back as well as she could, leaving it sticking it out of the wall a bit more than originally. As the time passed and the five minute mark grew closer, she had to return to the group. She began her walk back, accidentally stepping on the bone of a rat skeleton and snapping it, evidently fragile from however many years of age.

She returned to the room's center, the dark vibes of the room having not wavered since their entry. She kicked at the ground for a bit, attempting to get off anything she may have stepped on - the bone powder in particular. "I didn't hear it, but then again, I was a bit distracted," Lain stated at Ami's mention of the sound she had heard. "I actually found what looks to be a blocked off tunnel. There was a pretty good-sized impression in the wall with some loose bricks. I managed to pull one out without taking down the entire structure and there's an empty space behind it. I'm not sure if we can get through it though without causing some form of disaster."

Lilianna was slow and deliberate as she entered the catacombs, accompanied by the rest of the group. She had a small torch that had been given to her by the professor. She tapped the flashlight against the base of her palm in a feeble attempt to force the light to get brighter. The soft yellow light attempted to illuminate the area around her though it was extinguished by the deep darkness that flooded the catacomb. It flickered some, before returning to its original lumens. She sighed as she realized that it was useless. She contemplated illuminating their journey ablaze with the use of her chi, but had decided to save her energy for a time that was more important. Perhaps, when they were deeper into the catacombs, and such a display would provide dual purposes.

The ground in which she walked was unsteady, rocks-- or perhaps bones, she wasn't entirely sure-- shifting beneath each step. She shuttered any time her foot would slip on the rubble beneath her. The squeaks of rats echoed occasionally through the tunnel, making the young woman nervous on edge. 'It's too dark and cold for snakes to be down here...' she silently tried to convince herself. Regardless, she attempted to swallow the knot that found its way to her throat.

The professor gave the directions to fan out for five minutes. The silver haired maiden nodded, though the darkness likely made the motion unnoticed by anyone. It seemed that her peers were quick to follow the direction, though Lilianna took a moment to find composure, though such a private moment wasn't verbalized. Instead she let out an exasperated sigh, disappearing in a direction not already occupied by another explorer.

She had managed to get to a far side of the space, her torch casting more shadows than it relieved. She groped at the wall that she had met, blindly feeling around for something, anything... What was she looking for anyhow? Ivris had been criptic in her description. It was an object, that was all the girl knew. She hadn't a clue the size or consistency of the object. She had a feeling that the professor herself likely didn't know either. Fingertips scanned the wall in lieu of her vision. The stone was cool, despite the roughness of its touch. As her hands traversed the stones of the wall, its feeling shifted to damp... and slimy? She retracted her hand. The action was paired with a whimper of disgust. Her head turned back towards the center of the room.

The lights seemed to be returning towards each other. The five minutes must have been nearly complete. She turned on her own heels, returning to the group. It was here that quickly they were discussing what each had found. She listened to the other female's testimonies. A strange noise, and a hollow wall. Both sounded more promising than her find. "I can't say that I found anything remotely near as promising as a hollow wall, but I did find some strange slime coating a wall in the far corner..." She lifted her hand up, shining the cast of light to her fingertips: now hued in red, or at least, that's the color that it looked in the low visibility. She grimaced.

Ivris tapped her foot as she waited a few moments, wanting to make sure everyone was okay and unintentionally filling the tunnel with a tap tap tap that abruptly ended the silence before her charges returned.

"Hmm... creepy sounds, a blocked off tunnel, and some goo? We should probably stay away from all of those, at least for now. I found some tunnels leading off from this main cave, and it's quite possible that they lead to the object we're looking for. No promises, but I think it's our best bet. We'll leave the sealed off tunnel for last - hopefully we won't have to explore it, as there's no telling whether or not removing those rocks could cause the collapse of the entire place. However, we now have a decision to make. We are at a crossroads; would you all like to stay together as a group and search these tunnels, or split up and each venture into one? We could also go in groups of two, if you'd like that. However, I'm worried we might not have the luxury of time, so I don't think staying together in one group is the... best choice. I know you can all handle yourselves - that's why I picked you all for this mission. So far, I didn't hear anything from the tunnels that seemed disturbing, which is hopefully a good sign, but if there is anything down there, do whatever you can to get back here, and here," she said. "Call me on these," Ivris added, handing each of the girls in the group a walkie talkie. "I'll try to drive it off; I will protect you all no matter what. Normally, while I would want us to stay in a group, I believe it would be best if we all explored by ourselves. However, I leave that decision to you all. Do what you feel is best. I don't want to pressure anyone into doing anything they don't want to do. I also don't expect Leo would've led us down here if he didn't think we could handle this. He most certainly would've given me a warning if it was that dangerous, and while I don't believe we will be getting away scot free, I don't think there's anything that will be too much for you all to handle, but it's best to be on your guard. Now then, what is your decision: shall we venture forth as a group, in pairs of two, or each to our own tunnel? There are a few of them, and I'm not sure quite how long there are, so we can expect to be here for a while, although the length of that time will be lengthened if we decide to group up," Ivris finished, sighing.

The decision was left to them, because it wasn't fair for her to force anything onto them that they didn't feel comfortable doing. She just hoped Leo would be okay.

"Just wait a little longer," she muttered under her breath so that they wouldn't hear.

Ami looked at the other members in the group Professor Ivris had brought with her to London. Lain had found a blocked out wall and Lilianna had found some strange goo. She was no detective however, she felt the strange noise she heard, Lain's blocked out wall and Lilianna's strange goo were all connected. And she had to agree with the professor, unless they wanted to die, they should not go to the three paths. However they still had a few paths to choose from. She wasn't sure with path to take. However they had four people altogether. Ami felt confident enough now. She was sure that they were all onto something. And she decided to state her own opinion on this matter
 
"Splitting up may not be the best idea in this labyrinth. If one monster attacks one of us we're dead. There's no way around it. However there are many paths, going down them one by one would take forever. However I can compromise with your negotiation to go down in pairs. That would make sense to me. I agree with Professor Ivris' plan." She said. "Splitting up in pair will give us double the eyes, ears, offense and defense. Its sure in hell not as safe as being in a big fat group however its more quicker." She said in an indifferent voice. "This sure would be a hell of a lot easier if Leo was alive, but we're on a mission to revive him right now. Luck basically hates us all right now." She muttered to herself as quietly as she could.
 
She leaned against a wall. “You can decide the groups; I really don’t care to be honest with you.” She suddenly found interest in her lollipop more than the current situation she was in. She sighed. Her fear was more masked by the false sense of confidence she felt but if it would keep them all in good hopes rather than being scared it was worth it. She avoided their eyes; she knew the fear in her eyes betrayed how she was truly feeling rather than her acting how she was feeling.  She took a few shaky breaths before she then continued talking.
 

“Lain? Lilianna? What are your opinions on these matters? After all I am only one mouth out of all four of us. Should we split up and stay in small groups, should we travel all in one big group or should we just go individually down each tunnel.” She asked. She took a few more deep breaths and silently hoped that they would not choose the latter most option since that was the one that had the highest death chance ratio. Each one of these paths had their own pros and cons but Ami knew that the final was the most dangerous, the former was the safest but would take the longer, the second choice although wasn’t as fast as the last or safe as the first it would be the wisest decision to take.

The pit that had grew in Lilianna's stomach at the site of the red goo on her fingers dissipated as Ivris suggested that they didn't have to investigate it, that instead there were tunnels that they could explore. It seemed that the professor wanted them to each take a tunnel, though she tempted the girls with a choice of their own. The freedom of choosing if they would make the venture alone, or if instead they would tempt the tunnels in teams. Time was of the essence, of course, and any moment that they lingered making a decision was a moment longer that Leo remained dead, and a moment closer to being unable to get him back.

An exasperated sigh was released from the silver haired maiden's lips as she weighed the options for herself, listening to the sophomore talk through her own thought process. Fingers fumbled with her walkie talkie as Ami stated her peace. Soon a shrieking beep came from the small unit, suggesting that it was powered. She pressed the button on the side, listening for the cackle that would shriek from the other walkies in response.

"I'm going down one of the tunnels now." she said decidedly, already walking over towards the many pathways that were in front of her. "If someone wants to join me, that's their decision, but I'm not going to waste time talking around the possibilities of what we could do. I'm fine going alone if need be." She tested the walkie talkie's connection again. "I'll make sure to use this if I find something. Over." She smiled as she heard her own voice echoing back from the other devices that were powered on.

She moved forward at a pace slow enough that someone could easily follow behind her. She paused in front of the various pathways that led deeper into the catacombs. The light of the torchlight flickered on each large entryway. Inside her head, she mused, trying to decide. 'Eenie, Meenie, Minie....Mo." She walked forward towards the winner, her curiosity surging far greater than her fear.

The member 'Lilianna' has done the following action : Dices roll

'Plot Lotto' : 2

(Forgot to roll cx)

The member 'Ivris' has done the following action : Dices roll

'Plot Lotto' : 4

Lain turned her gaze in the direction of the tunnels as they spoke. She couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was down there. It was so quiet outside of the tunnels, the epitome of loneliness. Yet, the paths seemed to call out in a cry for people - at least to her. It was unnatural, the whispers that were caused by some wind source down in this pit of darkness. Or perhaps it was all in the corners of her imagination, mental warnings trying to tell her to run and don’t look back. However, she understood not a thing that it was trying to say. She glanced back at her phone, debating putting on some music to prevent these strange sounds, but shook her head. It’d kill the battery, and she’d need that for the flashlight if they were going down those tunnels. She brought her gaze back to the group, changing her focus.

Lain tapped her foot lightly against the ground to cancel out the creations of her mind, debating the possibilities. Although she was curious at the hollow wall and the gooey substance that Lilianna had found, she could easily admit that they were probably the more dangerous paths to follow. If push came to shove, they could probably come back and check them later. For the moment there were some open tunnels they needed to explore, the thought of which sparked the return of her thoughts for a brief moment. She fiddled a bit with the walkie talkie as the junior spoke through it, shifting her weight as she thought out the options Professor Ivris had given them.

Walking in one group was surely the safest option, but with multiple tunnels there were, it could take them days to go through them all dependent on length. With time being rushed, it could prove quite trivial to find this object before running out. On top of that, Lilianna had already left for her own tunnel. The issue with that is that she didn't have any backup. If they all went their separate ways and ended up in a tight knot, there's the possibility of them dropping their talkie and being unable to contact the rest of the group. Or their light could go out and then they're left in the darkness - there was the possibility of getting turned around in darkness. However, they could cover more ground if they did split, and assuming they didn't drop anything, they could - as the professor suggested - call out to the others if they needed help or found anything of significance. It would cause a delay having to wait on everyone else to get to them.

The best option seemed to be going in pairs. It was safer and cut down some time from the first option. Lain turned on her talkie to allow their wandering companion to hear. Upon its connection with the other, she spoke, “I have to agree with Ami on this one. We should go in pairs. It's a bit more efficient in safety without taking too much time, seeing as going alone could cause a delay in continuing if we find anything. We’d have to wait on the other three of us to catch up with us. This could easily reduce that time, even if we end up going down several tunnels.” She closed her connection with the other devices as she released the button on the little black device. She continued, looking at the group, “So, Professor Ivris, Ami, if we’re at an agreement, who’s going to track down Lilianna? I can go if you two want to pair up.”

(OOC: Finished my wc for this thread so I'm moving on to tunnel 4. If you want to follow me, that's up to your character, but (and this is totally just me OOC lol) it's going to take forever to find this thing, just so you know, if we go in groups as opposed to all splitting up to search. In any case, that's that, thanks to you all for being so active in the plot!)

(OOC: I decided my char change her mind to speed up this process so I'm going to roll)

The member 'Ami' has done the following action : Dices roll

'Plot Lotto' : 4

(Rolling again)

The member 'Ami' has done the following action : Dices roll

'Plot Lotto' : 4

(And again)

The member 'Ami' has done the following action : Dices roll

'Plot Lotto' : 5