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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Apr 4, 2007 2:02:07 GMT
"A safe?" Kadaj was nonplussed, and he hated being nonplussed. And when he hated being nonplussed, he got... mad. "I thought we were down here looking for prisoners. What the h**l is this safe?" He held his sword non-threateningly at his side, prepared to defend himself with it at a moment's notice...
Loz shrugged. "Weiners." He moved ahead of the others. "Get behind me." He pulled the heavy door aside as if it were made of plywood and braced himself for whatever could be down there...
Yazoo pushed past Tariel instinctively and joined Fituna, stopping her with a hand on her arm, pulling a pistol from its holster and lining up the sights, looking as far down the hall as he could... he was so instantly and completely consumed by his inground defensive programming that he failed to realize he still had not removed his hand from her arm...
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Post by *~Nikkole~* on Apr 4, 2007 2:27:36 GMT
Jeremy looked at him as he put in the code and unlocked it. He pulled out a few folders. "Our lives... records of our existence.... and those who have died or been transfered." He held them out to Kadaj for him to see. "I don't know about you... but being a nobody is hard enough when you are confined. Let alone out in the real world.... And if you ever want to find the rest of us, you'll need those lists and codes." He was calm and monotone now, watching Kadaj carefully.
Lekki stumbled back as did Kamen, getting behind Loz. As soon as the door opened there was snarling and growling and before either of the back two could react they jumped out through the door and at Loz. Large and vicious canines, starved and most likely rabid....
Tariel moved back out of habit and blinked at Yazoo, confused. He looked around before backing up and then running back down the corridor, he had to get out of here before these people really give him the creeps.
Fituna saw him go before looking at Yazoo, slightly startled. She stopped and watched him as he looked down the corridor. Her gaze traveled down as she saw his hand on her arm. She smiled faintly before pulling herself out of it and looking back forward.
There was a soft clinking and footsteps coming from around the corner....
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Apr 4, 2007 2:46:36 GMT
Yazoo didn't like the sound of the clinking. His other hand, now empty, reached for his other gun. "Show yourself!" Yazoo demanded, pointing the guns in the direction of the footsteps' source. He was focused now on defending his ally... was it his training, his ancestral instincts... or something else?
Loz yelled in surprise as the dogs leapt at him. He yanked the knife from where it had been waiting in his belt all the while, shielding himself from the rabid jaws with his pile bunker and stabbing his furry attackers, somewhere between panic and fury...
Kadaj took the folders almost gingerly, flipping through them... "Wait one minute, now. Find th others? You've got me all wrong. I didn't come here to get involved... I only came to help my..." His voice waned when he came to the last folder in the stack. Kamen Wati. "Came to help my brother..."
He took it from the stack and handed the rest back to Jeremy. "If you don't mind, I'll be borrowing this. There is ONE thing I don't know about Kamen... this could tell me about it."
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Post by *~Nikkole~* on Apr 4, 2007 3:04:06 GMT
Fituna watched him more, curious to his now more rash actions. What is this sudden change...??
The footsteps stopped and a shadow displayed on the wall. A large and scraggly dog came around the corner, it snarled and growled low as it saw them. Blood dripped from its jaw as its teeth showed white and its hackles went up....
The dogs snapped and bit at him before one whined and fell back, injured. The other jumped back and regained itself before leaping at him again. This time it got hit and then fell down dead.
Kamen went to get the other but there was a shot and then silence. Lekki stood, arm out and lowered slightly. He had a small gun and a glare on his fine face. "I remember Vikktor bringing these dogs in a few months ago... that one bit me." Kamen blinked in surprise.
Jeremy stepped back and looked at him. "Who cares. It would be better if I did it by myself anyway..." He blinked at him and took the folders back. "Oh... okay?" He looked at him before frowning. "I thought you said you knew everything..??" He was sounding slightly angrier but his voice still calm.
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Apr 4, 2007 3:17:01 GMT
"I know everything he knows," Kadaj countered. "All he knows about himself, everything he could tell anyone. But I want to know what even he doesn't know... yet." If his ancestry is Seraph... or if he was experimented on as a child... either way I have to know. He placed the file into his coat and looked back at Jeremy. "Anything else this way, or shall we turn back now?" The way he asked, it sounded almost like a challenge.
Yazoo glared into the animal's feral, fierce eyes. You don't look away... the fearlessness of madness. He fired at the creature, blasting away at its disease-ravaged body. Someone should have put you out of your misery long ago, Fido.
Loz looked back at Lekki, nodding appreciation of his skill. "Nice shot, kid." He twisted a finger in his ear... that shot had been LOUD, especially sounding off in this confined space. He glanced through the door... nothing seemed to be coming out of the darkness to meet them, at least not yet. "You two OK?"
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Post by *~Nikkole~* on Apr 4, 2007 3:29:25 GMT
Jeremy glared distrustingly before looking down the hall. "Its a dead end. Nothing else down there but dust and ugly portraits." He looked back. "And if you want to look at those then you've lost your mind..." He almost smiled but stopped himself as he shut the safe and started walking back, passing him silently.
The dog jumped back and whined, backing up and then falling over dead. Fituna blinked before stepping forward to get a better look. It was dead. She showed only a sliver of sadness as she looked at the dead animal. She looked to Yazoo. "Care to explore the rest of the hall or do we want to head back? I'm not sure if there are any people down here... Vikktor never liked it down here."
Lekki put the gun back in its concealed holster. "Thanks. Took practice though..." Kamen blinked at him but nodded to Loz. Lekki nodded as well. "Lets go. There can't be too many traps down here..."
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Apr 4, 2007 3:55:02 GMT
Loz couldn't help remembering the seemingly innocent room where he had trained as a small boy... sure, it had looked nondescript enough, but traps and so forth came springing out of every orifice as soon as he was inside alone. And people wonder why I never like to go anywhere by myself. "Don't be too sure about that, kid..."
He led the way inside, pausing for a moment to jam his knife under the door, making sure it wouldn't slam closed on them again. He paused over the dogs. "R-I-P, B-I-N-G-O." He stepped over the animal and made his way down the hall, keeping an eye peeled for any suspicious movements. Man, was it dark down here...
Yazoo moved forward. "Let's continue for a while. If we find no one else after a few minutes, we'll turn back." He sensed Fituna's sadness and looked down at the dog with a detached attitude. "It was rabid. It's better off now. Et Canus Requies, Amen." He searched for Tariel and saw no trace of him. "Hmm. That friend of yours certainly scares easy."
((Roughly translated, the Latin phrase Yazoo just said means, "And the Dog is at Peace."))
Kadaj watched Jeremy go, but didn't go after him. "Ugly portraits, hmm?" I won't take the chance there's something down here he doesn't want me to see. Either way, it can't hurt to look, so long as I keep an eye our for laser trips. He moved off into the darkness, not bothering about making the kid follow him.
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Post by *~Nikkole~* on Apr 4, 2007 4:09:22 GMT
Lekki blinked but followed behind Kamen who followed Loz into the dungeon's hall. It was dark and dreary, dripping water and scuttling rats. Lekki clung to Kamen, this wasn't the place he remembered....
Fituna looked at him and nodded before looking back. "Ha... wimp." She looked to Yazoo. "He'll head back to his sister in Midgar.... no need to fret about him." She looked down the corridor before nodding. "Alright... lets check it out." She smiled at him.
Jeremy knew he wasn't being followed out but didn't mind. Kadaj would most likely get lost and die down there like everyone else. That darkness will consume you if you weren't careful. He made it back to the security trip and decided to wait for him there....
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Apr 4, 2007 4:27:20 GMT
Kadaj saw nothing out of the ordinary, but he definitely didn't see any portraits yet. He decided to go a little farther... Why did he even bother lying about this place? There's nothing here. He tapped on the walls to see if he could find any hidden compartments but turned up nothing.
Yazoo barely kept himself from smiling back at Fituna... he nodded to her instead. Suddenly it hit him, why she looked so familiar to him. She looked strongly like his mothers, like an amalgam of Lucrezia Crescent and Jenova u'd Gaia. The smile had tipped him off-- he knew it from all the visions Jenova had sent him. And the hair, it was the same color and length as Lucrezia's had been, before she died. The resemblances were almost frightening, and so obvious he didn't know how he'd missed them earlier. He forcibly looked away and started walking again. I can't have her notice that I'm staring at her... then will come all the funny questions...
Loz saw nothing more threatening than a few scurrying rats. So what was the kid scared about? Wonder if he knows something I don't... "You sure you're all right, there?" Some water dripped down onto his head, and he swiped it away irritably. He glared upwards. "Somebody up there needs to call a plumber."
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Post by *~Nikkole~* on Apr 4, 2007 4:44:14 GMT
There were no portraits but it was almost too dark to see. All of a sudden the walls shifted and moved, the floor dropping and breaking apart from under him. The walls creaked and whined as they came to a stop. It was pitch black and he was somewhere completely different.
Jeremy heard the noises and sighed. "Great... I should probably go help him get out..." He started walking back grudgingly.
Fituna blinked but followed him around the corner. There were portraits everywhere but they were hard to see fully. There were doors on both sides and the hall way was rather long... Fituna sighed in frustration.
Lekki nodded. "I'm fine... its just a lot darker in here. And the rumors..." Kamen gave him a funny look.
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Apr 4, 2007 4:58:08 GMT
Kadaj found himself on the floor of a rather large hole. "Whoa..." He shook his head to clear it. "What the..." He illuminated his hand and found that he was in an entirely different room, that the walls had literally changed around on him...
He sat up and felt his head stinging. He touched where the sting was about found that he had a scratch there, bleeding. He cursed quietly, not about to give Jeremy the satisfaction of hearing his frustration. "Now where the h**l am I..." One way to find out.
He picked himself up and began to walk, but suddenly realize just how foolish that idea was... if the walls could change, there was no reason to believe he could ever find his way out of here. He stayed where he was and decided to wait a minute... If the walls don't move back to where they were in a minute, I'll just blast back through them again. Easy. Still... He looked into the dark. I can't help wondering what else is down here...
Meanwhile, Yazoo suppressed a groan at the length of the hallway and how many doors they would be forced to check before they left... He decided standing there mentally griping about it would be no help and shot out one of the door locks, swinging the door open.
Loz stopped abruptly and turned to Lekii. "Rumors? What rumors? Tell me about these rumors." Sometimes even false rumors can reveal important secrets...
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Post by *~Nikkole~* on Apr 4, 2007 5:13:20 GMT
Jeremy stopped when he reached the wall. He knocked on the black wall. "Hey... Kadaj! Can you hear me?" He put his ear to the wall and waited. He hoped Kadaj wasn't hurt too bad. He may not like him but he did safe his life... why not return the favor?
Fituna shook her head at his slight frustration before going and opening a door. Nothing. She went to the next patiently. Nothing. She sighed.
Lekki stared at him. "They told me when I first came here that master killed his wife years ago. He buried her body under the floor of the mansion. And they told me she walks through the lower levels and mainly the dungeon, even after death...."
Kamen looked away. He had been told that same rumor by Jeremy and Fituna. The woman haunts the castle and sometimes you could hear her crying... but it was only a rumor....
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Apr 4, 2007 5:39:07 GMT
Loz gulped. "A ghost, huh?" He hated ghosts... he'd been a ghost once and it wasn't really too bad, but still, it gave him enough insight to realize ghosts could be dangerous. He inched a little closer to the othr subconsciously. "Yeah... well, that's dumb," he insisted unconvincingly, shuffling onward.
Kadaj heard Jeremy and approached the wall. "I can hear you," he called back. "I'm fine. Just got a scratch. Is there some way to put the walls as they were?" He prepared to blow them open in case there wasn't...
"This is ridiculous," Yazoo sighed a few doors down the row. "All right, I've already had enough of the conventional way of doing things." He summonded up six Shadowcreepers and sent them barreling through a row of doors on the left side of the hall, figuring if someone screamed or yelled in surprise he'd know the room was occupied.
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Post by *~Nikkole~* on Apr 4, 2007 5:59:10 GMT
Lekki nodded. "Very dumb." He looked around as the saw the many cells and bars. He was nervous and wary to go forward, he almost clung to Loz as he scuffled behind him.
Jeremy nodded. "Thats good... I need you to stay put, alright?" He looked around before moving down the wall a bit. "If you can I need you to follow me down the wall. I have a feeling I can get to you." He trailed off as he moved along the wall, hoping he was right. If he wasn't Kadaj could be stuck there awhile... its not safe to destroy one of these walls....
Fituna blinked but said nothing as she watched the shadowcreepers go down the hall. There was a shreik and a younger woman ran out of the farthest down door. She fired a few shots before yelling and looking over at them. Her blond hair shone in the darkness as she walked towards them.
Fituna squinted slightly before grinning. "Glad to see you survived so long, Cironia. We thought you would have run out of food by now..."
The younger woman stopped in front of them and holstered her guns and smirked. "You doubted me, Fituna? Ha... It was a piece of cake hiding out here..." She looked at Yazoo, inspecting him before raising a brow at Fituna.
The other woman rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Cironia this is Yazoo, Yazoo... Cironia." She looked to Yazoo. "Lets go back up. There are no more down here..."
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Post by Amnesty Lazuli on Apr 4, 2007 6:36:12 GMT
Yazoo nodded to his ally's acquaintence. "Don't worry about the 'creepers. They're harmless... unless I tell them not to be." He looked around at the few doors left unopened, and down the length of the hall still unexplored. "Are you certain, Fituna?" Something within him felt strange when he said her name... What the h**l is happening to me...
Kadaj let his energy blast fade back to a dull glow. He tapped on the wall to signal he was still following Jeremy's voice. "Keep talking, kid." He tapped harder with the sword hilt. "I think I could break this wall if I halfway tried. I mean, if it's thin enough to hear you through..."
Loz barely even noticed Lekki clinging to him. He was too busy keeping his ears open for the sound of weeping... peering into cells for prisoners and for white shrouded figures... his pile bunker humming quietly as he held it at ready...
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