Tomb Raiders (Kerry)

[lance]

If Lance were more like his past self he might have scoffed at the fairly simple task he and his sister were being given for their first official assignment, but their lack of experience meant that this was the best they might have expected given the circumstances and their parents being apprehensive over allowing them to enter the game several years earlier than any of their other siblings had. Isaan had given Lance a strict lecture on watching his sister's back, not that he had to be told to protect his twin and he even felt a little insulted his father had seen the need.

The duo left early for the planet Asuren to find the ancient stone doors that opened into the abandoned cities beneath the Draken Mountains, they had long been abandoned by their occupants and now were merely ruined tunnels filled with molten magma. It was a testament to the builders that they still held firm, the supports keeping the large chasms where the cities dwell from caving in on themselves. It was here, thousands of years prior that their parents had found the pendant which gave Nova the ability to become the weapon made to kill Baelze.

Now in the present their children delved into the city depths on orders to find and bring back any artefacts of worth they might find, there had been no time to send others to check whether anymore objects of great power had been hidden in these cities and the task was relatively safe - or it should be. Lance stepped out of the entry passage into the first great chasm, filled with towering city spires surrounded by magma if they had not been immortal they might have found the severe heat stifling.

"Magnificent," Lance said, unable to keep in his awe at the cities the ancient Draken had built before being driven from them by some unknown force that had made them make new cities in the ice cold of Asuren's southern pole which the mountains encircled like a natural wall. "The vaults are deeper down, far beneath the cities. I have the map here."

Reaching into the single fairly large rounded leather pouch on his belt, he pulled out the folded map their parents had given them and opened it up. The tunnels were more than extensive, they were a literal maze of turns and corners that would get anyone lost in them. "What's this room?" he asked, pointing out one that their parents had not explained, it seemed far from the others and deeper down as though it was not meant to be delved into. Lance felt his curiosity taking over and was sure his sister would not like that, his curiosity tended to get them into trouble.

[kerry]

She looked around the vast empty city as impressed as her brother. The sight was indeed grand and the flowing lava provided enough lighting for even the mortal races in most of the areas. She was as impressed as her brother, but more in a manner that made her want to study the ruins rather than just admire them.

She looked at the map as he brought it out. She had already looked at it before they had even left home to devise a route for them to travel so they could get most exploring done in one day. The small room her brother was pointing out was defiantly not on their route.

"It's not on the route I planned though. See we go down this way, then turn..." she continues for a while, explaining all the rooms they would be checking and what she believed them to be, dinning halls, sleeping quarters, kitchens. She wasn't sure if Draken didn't had but she felt like adding it anyway. However all the rooms she described would likely sound boring to Lance.

[lance]

The long explanation of the area made Lance glaze over until it was over. Once it ended he gave her a smile as though he had been listening, though she would likely see right through it he just looked at the map and then pointed in a direction. "Then let's go!"

He walked on ahead of her and then turned a corner, a moment later he returned around the corner and pointed behind her, acting casually about it. "I meant this way, was just... making sure you were on the ball." The way he had gone was a dead end because of a cave in which was marked on the map, meaning that their parents had encountered it in their own venture into these vast underground caverns.

The city was magnificent the more of it you ventured into, totally abandoned and clearly in a hurry as there will still dusty old tomes and carts just left places some of them even open as though they had been being read. Lance picked up a tome in a house they were passing through on Kerry's pre-marked path, looking at it and the words in Draken changed to be in High Immortal so that he could understand it completely though if anyone else were to look the writing would seem to still be as it was.

"A book of fairytales." he said, reading down the page slowly and chuckling. "The handsome prince and the princess get married and live happily ever after." He closes it and puts it back on the table, moving on further into the abandoned city, he hadn't yet sensed any hostile presence - or presence at all for that matter. "It's kind of eerie around here, with things just left there as though they'd been in use."

[kerry]

She rolled her eyes knowing full well he hadn't listened to her plan but could see little point trying again when he would just phase out what she said. She followed him a short way before stopping at the corner and folding ehr arms, knowing the path he walked was a dead end and he would soon be returning.

She smirked and nodded slightly as he came back, "Of course you did. Now how about we actually stick to the map this time?" She shook her head with a small smile, clearly somewhat ammused by her brother's bumbling,

Heading deeper into the city she looked around at the ruins and remains of those who once lived here. It must have been very impressive in its day as the quality of some of the lost items was of high quality indedd. She picked up some form of jewlery, similar to a large thick necklace inlaid with dazzling emeralds while her brother picked up the book.

After a while of studying, she realised there was likely little in the way of important artefacts this close to the surface that would remain. "We should head deeper, this seems more like a communal area for important objects to be kept here. The rare things are likely deeper down."

[lance]

"Mmm, you lead the way then." he said, deciding he would let the one with the map go first this time considering he had not been listening when she had described the path they were meant to take. He was a lot more like his father than he even realised at times, in fact as he followed her he had his head in what appeared to be a dirty novel and was snickering at it. Before Kerry could see what he had been reading though, he dropped the book behind him as they left this house and headed back out into the street.

The view of the city whenever you were 'outside' was always awe inspiring, that the Draken had to abandon this great city was a crying shame but perhaps they might come across the reason for their evacuation while down here. As they went on, Lance stared down the passage that led to the room he had pointed out, it was a long path down and in the opposite direction to the vaults they wanted to reach but he put his hand on his sister's shoulder. "I know it's not on the path, but I can't help but get a nagging feeling that room is important."

He nodded in the direction of the passage in behind them both, as they had of course been walking in the direction of the other for the vaults. "Our parents didn't go there before, so that in itself makes it worth looking at, right? There might be something useful down there and if not you can blame me." He grinned at her in the manner he used to when he got her to go along with those ideas of his that got them into trouble.

[kerry]

Kerry sighed and shook her head slowly. She had expected this ever since he had mentioned the passageway. Even though he had said that she would lead the way, he wouldn't stop nagging her about it until they did what he wanted. It had been like that for as long as she could remember, even as children. She looked back down the passage as she felt the hand on her shoulder and sighed, some childhood habits didn't break easily it seemed.

"We can have a look then I guess, " she reluctantly agreed. She did not want to go down there or deviate from the route but she knew he would nag and pester her until she gave in, which she unfortunately had always done. "But not too far alright? We still should check the vaults like we came here to do..."

She looked down the corridor and frowned slightly. As it went deeper it was not lit by lava flows but rather in the past appeared to be lit by long burnt out torches on the walls. Closing her eyes she waved her hand in a casting motion as a small orb of light appeared to float above her. They may see well in the dark, but pitch blackness wouldn't be welcome. "Fine, lets get this over with."

[lance]

Lance felt a momentary pang of guilt when she gave in to him so easily, they had spent their youth this way and he wasn't sure how he felt about continuing down that path. But he did know how he felt about going down the path he was pointing out, so despite his brief guilt he began in the direction of the passage once she had agreed but he was sure she would notice the lack of the usual smirk or grin over getting her to agree.

The path descended deeper and deeper, now they were in it they would find it fairly straight forward, it did not deviate from its course but it did wind unnecessarily which was probably something the Draken did with defence in mind, enemy forces would find it hard to fight through narrow passages that curved and sharply turned so often.

"These Draken knew how to build things strategically," he said as they turned the fifth sharp corner on the downward path. Just a little further and they emerged into an ante-chamber which was filled with towering pillars and nearly as large as the main city chamber. Lance let out a whistle of surprise at how large the room that had seemed small on the map actually was, he took a few steps forward and paused.

"There's a strange smell..." he whispered, sniffing the air and the undeniable stench of sulphur filled his nostrils which caused him to make a face. "Eugh, sulphur? It smells like Hell."

[kerry]

She frowned as she sniffed the air shaking her head. "Sulphur isn't a good sign, it usually means demons." She looked around slightly nervously, but shook her head, the idea of a demon being here was unlikely, but still a possibility. If so, they would easily be able to bring down a minor demon. Most likely a scout if anything. If demons had such things.

"Just in case it is a demon... you know," she said as she closed her eyes, her form glowing softly for a moment as her form shifting into a long elegant rapier, floating in the air, the hilt pointed upward for Lance to take it. Although she was now in a form, to those would high enough sense, mostly immortals, she would still be 'visible' in a sense. Although she couldn't be seen, her image filled Lance's mind as well as his head, "Ready."

[lance]

Lance took hold of the elegant rapier his sister had transformed into, the blade at this point felt even more familiar to him than his own, if anything she was his weapon of choice. As they continued into the huge hall, his eyes alert as the smell of sulphur grew stronger the deeper they ventured inside. Eventually he stopped and raised his free arm up to his face to shield his nose from the smell, even to an immortal the stench of sulphur was strong because of what it represented, the taint of Hell and its daemon occupants.

"We're not alone," he said quietly, the grip on the rapier grew tighter and he lifted the point of its blade from aiming at the floor ready. "It's coming."

No sooner had he said it than a huge, fiery fist came flying at them from the darkness around the edges of the hall, if they were mortal the fist was easily big enough to leave them a stain on the floor. But unexpected Lance raised the point of his sister toward the oncoming fist, his training had made his senses react much faster than they had when his father had played his silly 'dodge' games. Focusing all his force at the point of his sister's blade, he skid across the floor a fair distance carried by the force of the blow, but eventually came to a halt.

The daemon in the shadows let out a thunderous roar, a blast of superheated air causing his hair to rustle, but causing no harm as it wouldn't to their kind. The beast finally revealed itself in all its blazing horror, a monstrous being that nearly stood as tall as the high ceiling of the hall, large enough to step on them if it wanted to and it was enraged - feral even. Lance could feel sentience from this daemon, it was intelligent and yet so long seemingly imprisoned down here had made it more the beast its appearance made it seem.

"Shit, I'm sorry." he hissed, talking to the vision of his sister still standing beside him while he wielded her in her rapier form. "I should've just stuck to the route you planned, this is my fault."