Arcane Tales

Derek: <Then...>

*He pulls the lever and waits for the gate to open.*

Derek: <we just keep going forward!>

*Beyond the tunnel is a cave, except it has floor of large shiny blue tiles and pillars supporting the rocky ceiling. Down a couple steps is some sort of artifical waterway, a large pool that goes on further into the cave. The margins are pretty narrow and the water is anckle-level. It is light blue clear water that seems to glitter a bit every now and then. Allina starts walking down the cave on the right side of the pool.*

Allina: <This looks pretty.>

=====

*The gate opens up quite quickly and the water starts flowing in, dragging them along. Kelphy holds on to the lever on the other side and pushes it down, closing the gate while the water is still waist-level. They're inside a large empty circular room, with white walls of metal. There is a large black window up near the ceiling and a metal ladder leading up to a door next to it.*

Kelphy: <...What did they do here? Well, I'm glad we're safe for now. Do you think Crone made it out in time?>

Derek: <That doesn't matter. He's no longer an ally...>

*He walks over to the ladder and gives a slight bow.*

Derek: <Ladies first.>

*Kelphy climbs up to the door and opens it. Up there is obviously the observation room, and the window is actually transparent from that side. There are truckloads of buttons all around, and a door with a dusty plate that reads "Cafeteria" Just as she climbs through the door, they hear an extremely loud noise as every hall they have walked through until now, as well as the two labs collapse and sink down to the seabed, making the sealed gate a direct access to certain death and cute fish.*

Kelphy: <I was actually hoping he didn't... But I guess that's not right either.>

The trio follows Allina.

Derek: <Um... Princess!>

*He seems a bit tense as he scurries up the ladder and approaches Kelphy.*

Derek: <I just thought you should know, ah... I worry about you.>

*A ways dawn the tunnel they arrive at a wider space, where the pool is also wider and deeper. This time there is no path around it. Instead, there is a narrow rock path across its surface going down the tunnel. Two Blizzard Howlers come running across the path towards the group as a Glacier Cobra emerges from the water and hammers its head down towards Kentaro. A group of three Ice Trodents jump down from small holes on the walls near the ceiling, all of them curling up in ice spheres that fly into Creed, Allina, and Kari.*

Allina: <Surprise!>

=====

*She stares at him, widening her eyes.*

Kelphy: <T-Thank you...>

*She pushes the door opened. The cafeteria looks like any school cafeteria. At the other side is yet another door, except this one has a large framed map on the wall next to it.*

*Derek takes down the map and looks at it.*

Derek: <Do you see any landmarks on here?>

"What... what just happened?"

Kentaro:<Cover your ears, rabbit.>

*Kentaro shoots whatever it is that's attacking him. Being in an old cave, the shot echos real loud-like.*

Alto and Creed rush towards the incoming enemy hoard while multiple Luciens appear all over the room.

*The Howlers leap towards Creed and Alto, slashing at them. The shots fly right through the Cobra's head, killing it, but its head is still falling down onto Kentaro. The curled up Ice Trodent hits Kari in the belly and Allina casts a shield to stop the one tackling her. The three gather up and blow a barrage of ice crystals at the girls & a few Luciens.*

=====

*It's actually a map of Verte, with all three continents, and most relevant towns and other important locations. A big red cross near the Northwestern Aldanian shore marks their location, a couple dozen miles of sea away from Alda.*

Kelphy: <Oh, no...>

Derek: <What's wrong, princess?>

The real Lucian appears behind the howlers and shadow claws them in the back, the fingers of his hands sharpening.

Alto and Creed block.

*Kari clutches her stomach and starts coughing. Kentaro pushes whatever the hell he just shot aside and shoots the Ice Trodent.*

[Stupid poorly written line.]

*Kentaro kneels in front of Kari and fires at the monsters.*

*The Howlers screech and trip, rolling into Alto and Creed, bleeding profusely from their wounds. The Glacier Cobra Returns and Allina holds her right arm out, extending it into a light sword much like Crone once did, and slashing at one of the Ice Trodents. It is chopped in half and Returns, the remaining two blowing ice shards at her and Kari.*

Allina: <Stupid squirrels!>

=====

Kelphy: <We're far from the continent. And don't even know if there's conection to it from here. And we can't go back. This is terrible...>

*Her back slides down the wall as she drops to her knees, staring at the floor.*

Alto and Creed jump back with Alto firing off a few light arrows off into them.

Creed defends.

And Lucien attacks the next available monster.

*Derek kneels down next to Kelphy and puts a hand on her shoulder.*

Derek: <I'll get you home safely, if it's the last thing I do.>

*The two Howlers Return and Allina casts a magic barrier to stop the shards. She slashes at one of the Trodents, killing it. The last Trodent darts into her face, clinging onto it with its claws.*

Allina: <Ahhhhh! Get it off, get it off!>

*She stumbles around, bumping into Creed and pushing him towards the water.*

=====

*She blushes and stands up, clearing her throat.*

Kelphy: <M-Master Derek... (Thank you.)>

*She stares at the door behind them over her shoulder.*

*Derek gets up and approaches the door.*

Derek: <Princess... I won't let you down.>

OOC: Damnit stop trying to put the moves on Kelphy T.T

---

Creed almost falls but Lucien stops him with a shadow hand and Alto blows the trodent off Allina's face with a weaker light arrow though it still leaves some minor comedic singeing.

*The monsters gone, they proceed across the path. A few minutes down the tunnel, they arrive at a large circular room with no visible ceiling. The room is full of water, which is obviously deeper in this room as they can't see the bottom. The path sinks back underwater, leaving them all on a single circular rock platform at the center of the room. They hear a muffled roar coming from the water as a rock wall appears and blocks the tunnel like it was never there. Allina walks to the edge and stares at the water, somewhat nervous.*

Allina: <Are we gonna die? I'm way too young and beautiful to die.>

=====

*Through the door is yet another hallway a small room with three doors with plates: "Bathroom", "Hangar" and "Archive".*

Kelphy: <Where to next?>

Derek: <The hangar if you want to get out of here right away, and to the archive if you want to get some more infromation.>

*He shrugs a bit.*

Lucien sends his shadow hands into the water to test its depth while Alto and Creed prepare for what comes next.

*The shadow hands can't reach the bottom. The Jade Rabbit shrieks as though foreseing someone getting naked eminent danger and, seconds later, a large grey slimy serpent-like monster bursts out of the water and hammers its head down onto half of the rock platform. Allina stumbles back, staring at the creature's large round yellow eyes with a small black pupil. They're somewhat cartoonish, which only makes them twice as creepy, really.*

Allina: <Holy shit!>

=====

*Kelphy nods and reluctantly steps into the hangar: it is (quite obviously) a cover for an active strip club a very large room. Kelphy turns on the lights by pulling yet another trigger, revealing a large grey airship resembling a bird. It has long wings, a pointy nose and a tail that looks like a row of long metal Buster Sword-shaped plates, probably representing feathers. There is a massive blue half-sphere popping out of its underside, as well as a large metal dome on top of its otherwise flat top, closer to the the nose than the tail and apparently replacing the usual windshield or window or whatever. A staircase by the entrance door leads up to a set of weird switches and shit of the like, most of which are related to the lights.*

Kelphy: <An airship? It looks so... strange.>

Derek: <Hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to fly it.>

*He looks over the machine and tries to understand how it works.*