1238/The Realm in Death's Absence

The Realm in Death's Absence
Date of Scene:	31 December 2014
Location:	Great Painting of Ariamis <PoA>
Synopsis:	To retrieve the second Lordsoul, Priscilla, Oscar and co. venture into the depths of the Tomb of the Giants to speak to the Gravelord himself.
Cast of Characters:	Tomoe, Priscilla, 151, 168, 183, 560, 570, Lezard Valeth, 642

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Priscilla has posed:
    By now, the strange sensation of being summoned as a phantom may well have become entirely routine for many of the Elites joining Priscilla. As always, the surroundings filter in one sense at a time, making it difficult to be overwhelmed by each, strange new locale the circle finds itself drawn in. The majesty of Anor Londo has been left far behind by now, as have the light of the moon and the sun. The phantoms appear inside a flat, elongated room of extremely roughly hewn limestone, the floor of which is awash in shallow water where the tiles have worn away into shallow depressions. The head of the room is lit by a pair of steadily blacing torches ensconced on the wall, casting an island of light around a gargantuan pile of books, stacked haphazardly on one of the few patches of dry earth into great, precarious heaps. A desk sits before them, covered in papers and surrounded by bloodstains. A rusty old ladder is easily missed a short distance away. The distant sound of echoing dripping gives the otherwise silent place a subterranean feel, as does the smell of stale air and stagnant water.

    Aside from Priscilla, Oscar is already present, which makes sense seeing as he must have picked at least one of four locations. He stands by what appears to be a dead body on the floor, surrounded by fresh blood, and covered in black robes like a human, but bulging unnaturally in several directions; wearing a trio of polished metal masks in three different places that don't correspond to where a face should be. He leafs through the pages of what appears to be a journal or logbook, intermittently making noises of disgust between the relatively loud slip of pages, before throwing it back down on the desk angrily. Priscilla speaks to her allies first.

    "Sir Oscar expected to find Sir Samuel within these catacombs, built as a mausoleum to the distinguished dead of New Londo, but it seemeth that they do not end at this room. The way opens ahead still, deeper into the earth; most likely the Tomb of the Giants that we seek. If Sir Samuel hast gone so far ahead, I wouldst appreciate it greatly if thou were to look out for him on our way. Aside from that he may know the things ahead of us, it wouldst not do for our Chosen to continue to lose companions."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko arrives, in the form of a gold phantom. She is not sure whether anyone here has not seen her before, so this may be no surprise--unless someone was expecting her to have stayed dead since the battle with Gwyndolin. In fact, she shows neither wear nor wariness. She is the same, calm young woman as before.

    She takes a few moments to look about the room, and then to stalk about, soon finding the ladder and also determining the lack of any other easy exit. She largely ignores the books, but goes to look more closely at the misshapen corpse, nodding in passing to Oscar.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    When Ainsley manifests, she gets up from a kneel at a slow pace. Her tail unfurls behind her, and her eyes open last. She draws her longsword from its scabbard in a languid motion, and flexes her opposite hand, which glows with electricity. This electricity is easy to see because it contrasts the black aura surrounding her. She has shown up as a Black Phantom.

    "I will keep my eyes out for him," Ainsley replies to Priscilla, her tone somber and slightly distorted by her manifesting as a Phantom. She nods at the tall half-dragon woman, offering a hard-to-see smile, and turns to regard the pile of books.

    She approaches the pile, and reaches down to pick up the one that was thrown down, possessing a mild curiosity about what could draw that kind of reaction out of someone. She does this with the full realization that she could be reading some pretty horrific stuff.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard is present once more, still glowing deep crimson. The Necromancer of Midgard has no objections to arriving as a phantom, as the process gives him another layer of protection from the dangers of Lordran.

Lezard looks around through the room, pausing for a moment as he considers the situation he finds himself in. "Hmm... One wonders at the decor. Water is not the best friend of books."

He strides forward through the water to give Priscilla a deep bow once more. "It is good to see you in good health, Milady Priscilla." He also bows to Oscar, though less so. "And to you as well, Sir Oscar." He straightens, and kneels down next to the slain masked being as Priscilla talks, inspecting the body intently. What is he seeking?

"We will of course seek out the man of which you speak, milady." Lezard assures her, and then stands. Whatever he was looking for, perhaps he does not see it. Or does he?

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    With all the pain and suffering Shirou's endured since joining Priscilla's quest, one might wonder just what drives him to keep coming back. But he appears amidst the group as always, a shining golden phantom of justice. The magus takes a few moments to glance about at the odd surroundings... "A crypt?" ewww. Not too tasteful, but what could anyone expect of Lordran...?

    The strange, fallen figure though.... THAT gets him backpedaling away a few steps. "What happened here?!" Well, Priscilla has an explanation of some sort at least. Aventure happened, huh...

    "Tomb of the Giants... don't tell me anyone would go off alone to a place called that...!" is this Samuel crazy?!

    Even Shirou knows that anywhere giants were entombed is a BAAAAD place to be in a land of the walking dead...

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Rust and corpses, stones and slabs.

    All surrounded by a putrid concoction that could likely not, by the murkiest reckoning, be considered 'water' any longer.

    Usually a tomb is exactly the sort of place where one might expect to see Mizuki, really, but her taste for the dramatic is really clashing with the odors and the atmosphere here. It was far easier to muse and romanticize back in Anor Londo when she was surrounded by beauty, but it is far less so here where she is forced - constantly - to experience the whole, grisly sensation of death. Not for herself this time, though, no no -- this time, that 'sensation' is a secondhand thing. Beholding a corpse that has been ravaged and ruined by nature rather is quite different than seeing one caressed in bandage and oil, and the lady is not entirely sure that she fully appreciates this rendition of a burial. Quite for the same that she typically prefers to review history after the introduction of Civil Service and other such niceties into the world, you know? Things are fairly rancid without that.

    Regardless of her feelings of unrest, though, she would still arrive with her body wrapped in the same slim, pitch cloak that she had been wearing some time prior in her (perhaps shoddy) attempt at solemn observance of the dead. To comfort herself in light of the circumstances she appears in to, though, she would squeeze the front of the cloth of her clothing, hold it to her face, and...

    ... promptly remember that she does not necessarily have to participate in the visceral biological game of 'smell'.

    Ah.

    Yes, things are much better when she turns off her sense of smell, really. That hadn't been as bad as it was when she walked into that ungodly 'blighted' place -- no, she still has not forgotten that venture and nor will she ever -- but it had been quite... pungent enough to merit a shutting off of her mercifully voluntary senses. If she had to put a word to it, she might've called it 'musty' taken to the Nth degree.

    And on that note, the atmosphere does very little to contradict that, though she can better tolerate visuals. -Much- better. Just so long as she's able to find some adequately preserved artifacts here to appreciate. Otherwise this trip mind end up being a bust. (Did you get that one? Ancient artifacts? A bust? Ahahaha... ha.)

    Ah! But she's probably missing something as her mind continues to wheel in its circles. Priscilla is speaking. Yes? Yes. Another of the Chosen's party lost? That might garner a sigh, but she would be extremely careful to hide this gesture from Oscar. Instead she would quietly nod, perhaps adding, "I don't mean to imply disrespect, nor to overlook the difficulty of travel in this realm, but 'safety in numbers' is a saying with quite a lot of power in this world I should think. If any of your number ever believe it might be a good idea to send one person out scouting, it might... not, in reality. Ah, though I'll certainly remain vigilant of any hints to their presence."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    "I am not nearly optimistic enough to hope that he is in a better mood than he normally is." Nathan says, after shaking off the brief sensory vertigo. He is, as ever, a plain old white phantom, and gives Oscar a wide berth. He does not like corpses, and stoically suppresses his nausea at the unusual form at the floor. There's a book there, though. He keeps glancing at it, 'cause it's a book. There's others here, though, too!

    "For those who do not recall or did not have the pleasure of meeting him, Samuel was a somewhat gruff Delta farmer. He may or may not still be wearing his militia gear, but may appear to be otherwise underequipped. Please try to keep alert for him. It is possible that circumstances may have forced his advancement beyond intended areas of meeting, and as such, keep alert for those sorts of things." Nathan says, to the rest of the group. He's also going to idly go examine the books to scan for subjects of substantial interest before he intends to set off, getting the group going. Which way is Forward? Something between the torches, maybe the ladder? He's gonna head wherever Oscar and Priscilla guide him.

    Speaking of Oscar... "You have my gratitude for working with us from the beginning of this. Collaboration from the start is a good approach for this." Nathan says, droning in his usual monotone.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     It isn't likely that the Prince of Ramuh will ever get used to this sensation. Indeed, he's not sure he wants to - the last time he experienced it, it almost ended with the horrific sensation of his stomach being removed from his body by the Tyrant Sun (not that one). He certainly intends to do better this time...but at least the knowledge that he is capable of dying without death claiming him here allowed him to take greater risks to protect the others. Of course, it also meant that the others could die without death claiming them, too, but Landon was ever the sort of man to prefer his own pain to the pain of others. It was easier to deal with failing when the only person it cost you was you.

     How rarely that was true for the Prince.

     The shining golden Phantom phases in. Landon shifts in his heavy armor, not uncomfortably, as a shining Law Card springs to life around him. It spins, orbiting like a tiny golden moon as he looks from Oscar to Priscilla. He's silent as she speaks. The tomb has more than enough to look upon, after all. It's full of...well, it's a tomb. Tombs like this, dungeon-tombs, are adventurer crack. There's always something interesting in them, besides just corpses and dead bodies. There were treasures in tombs like this. There were things worth seeing. Things worth finding. And, even more important, someone was in trouble.

     Landon al Cid was that kind of man, too, after all. The idea that someone was in trouble came before anything else. He was the sort to walk into Hell if it meant he could save even one soul.

     "We will find this man," Landon confirms, his voice firm and confident. He means it, too. He'll do everything in his power to save the man. Was it reckless to go deep into the tomb alone? Probably. But that was irrelevant right now. He needed help.

Tomoe has posed:
Sometimes it's hard to keep her own sense of self right, given the nature of her power but Tomoe Iron Lily was here once more. The Salamander seemed to be ready she also towered over six feeet too she was waiting for the otehrs s they formed up. She had to wonder how far they needed to go, yet? Pris had done a lot to help her and she'd see thing through to the end. She does notice OScar and she smiles a bit, she makes note of the arrivals as they arrive.

Shge turns to LAndon as he arrives and smile she's looks to him in agreement.

"We will find him, Landon it's only a matter of time."

She look his phantom over and has found she's starting to take a liking to the prince from another world. He puts his gil where his mouth is and she like that.

Priscilla has posed:
    "One who didst dabble in the dark arts of resurrection. A necromancer, with some extreme task towards which he must have toiled ceaselessly if the number of failed attempts walking around as monsters here art to be trusted. It is near impossible for a human to resurrect something without possession of its soul. I do not know for what reason he sought to do so, but it is fitting that this place shouldst be his tomb, as quick was he to make it with violence." Priscilla says to Shirou. Lezard and Kimiko might find the assertation that the body is human a little strange considering that it certainly doesn't look like it. On closer inspection, the body has not only three faces, but six arms as well, all gaunt and skeletal and corpse white. It takes a few minutes of close examination for the strange details to click together. Looking at it carefully, it appears to be a human body, with another one clinging to its back, and then a third, much smaller body held to that one. If Ainsley notices it too, she only needs to read the first passage she lays eyes on. "The book was useless. Their bodies are going to decay before I can find a new one. There's only one thing I can think of that will buy me more time, but I won't be able to go back to the library in that state. I won't be able to go anywhere. If anyone sees me, they'll know what I've done. I'll be killed on sight. It could take years before I figure out the right way to do it. The thought makes me want to simply go and join her, but our son deserves a chance to grow up. To live life. I'll get by. As long as I can see their faces again in the end, nothing else matters."

    Oscar replies to the others. "The idea was that each of us would only go so far as to scout the location, and then the rest of the group would follow up, but after what happened to Adalbert, I'll no longer be surprised by what manners of devilry in the Lordsoul's domains caused them to be unable to return. Samuel is a brave man, but not stupid. He wouldn't go any further than this unless he had to." He simply nods towards Nathan, who will find that each and every single book is either a manner of text on biology and anatomy, or a grimoire of some sort. The knight moves to the ladder, climbing up the rickety, corroded frame to the next level as it squeaks and shudders under his weight. Anyone following him will find themselves away from stone carved by hand and instead surrounded by that carved by centuries of water; slick, smooth and natural, and of granite rather than limestone. Turning back towards the room they had emerged from puts a completely different perspective on it. Rather than a roof, the room is covered by a decorately engraved lid, sat slightly ajar, as if intended to be removed. Aside from that frightful implication, the way ahead is pitch black, save for a set of tiny, twinkling lights of seemingly random colours; resting one by one against the ground such that each one is just barely visible in sequence, forming a tenuous trail in the crushing darkness.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     The scenario is...unpleasant. Landon doesn't look too long at the threefaced, six-armed 'hume'. It's a grotesquerie, as far as he's concerned. Necromancy in and of iself is useful for a lot of things, but he'd never known a necromancer to look like that, so he assumed this was something...well. Other. Or something that went horribly wrong. That's not really important.

     "Something I imagine most parents want for their children," Landon observes ofhandedly as they start moving. He follows Oscar up the rickety ladder, trying to adjust for his heavy armor as best he can. It makes him a bit nervous, but at the worst, he'd just wake up with a sore neck if he fell, so he really has no reason to be.

     Then again, tell a seventeen-year-old on a rickety ladder clad in heavy plate mail that he has no reason to worry...

     He looks around the cave for a moment, the Law Card in front of him pulsating a dim gold. The coffin theme was...discomforting...but that's a great deal of Priscilla's world. Still, at least now they were in a domain he understood. Caves, like tomb-dungeons, were natural adventurer magnets. The Prince has little fear as they move, watching the tiny lights carefully. He wished they had a Thief on hand to check for traps, but...given the circumstances, the best he could do was just be ready to react to anything. Anything might hit them in this world, after all.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley regards the book with a soft sigh at the contents. She doesn't seem depressed by it, only that the tone of it was sad enough to draw a mild reaction out of her. She carefully closed the book and set it aside, having a great respect for literature, even the kind that is grotesque. "A tragedy," she murmurs, "Nathan, I do not recommend perusing those, if they are anything like what I just scanned through," she tells the other book-loving person in the group, "That should save you a great deal of discomfort."

    Ainsley is one of the last to travel up the ladder. She doesn't actually use the ladder, instead floating up with some care to avoid knocking any of the others off of it. When she lands at the top, she generates an orb of electricity and holds it up, casting a great deal of light around her. Mostly this is for the sake of the others, who may have a hard time with the oppressive inky black that surrounds them.

    "Into the dark we walk," she murmurs, her way of maintaining her confidence.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "..." Shirou, at first, grimaces when he finally make sense of Priscilla's explanation. "Is there any part of this land that's friendly?!" He mutters aloud. Poor Priscilla! Her homeland is such a mess...

    Nothing to do about it though. While there are futzes with books, Shirou listens to Oscar and ends up accepting that. "Then we'd better et ready for anything. There's no telling what we'll find down there with someone like this right here." He gestures at the fallen... well, Necromancer.

    And then heads on into the dark. "Trace.. ON." Although very appreciative of others' efforts to light the area, Shirou needs his own. And hey, it'll make him easier to see if he gets separated.

    Grunting and straining through the effort, he focuses his mind on the holy sword of the sun, the treasured weapon of Gawain - Excalibur Galatine.

    Golden prana surges from his palms in arcs and streams, a crude and wild display of poorly controlled Magecraft and lots of wasted prana. Poorly controlled it may be, but the holy sword appears whole in his grasp when the light dies down. the silver and blue longsword ignites with solar fury to cast thick, radiant sunlight in all directions.

    Gawain, Shirou is using your sword as a fancy torch again!

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko takes enough of a look to have some idea of what this is. Based on thte context in which it was discovered, necromancy is actually her first guess as to the being's reason for being here, though she doesn't understand the full story--and has no particular desire to. He, they, or it... is dead.

    With Oscar and Landon quick to move, she waits for anyone else eager to go ahead, with the intent of bringing up the rear. Better to have the more armored members of the party spaced about, as much as the phantom summoning diminishes the worst case scenario. Not /all/ of them are summoned.

    Into her hands, she summons a spear. Nothing particularly fancy--for her, that is, the thing still being wrought ornately, seemingly of steel and silver--but good for prodding the ground ahead or to the side of her, to be wary both of the darkness and of uncertain stability. One hand she keeps free.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
"Ah, so close... But so far. A poor soul." Lezard comments, standing up as he adjusts his glasses, turning away with a flourish of his cloak. He seems to not really care for the fallen merged being any more than he was. He lingers near the books, a quick examination causing him to arch an eyebrow. He turns away from them. They will be there when he gets back.

He climbs the ladder to leave the area, standing at the top of the rocky lip over the huge coffin, for coffin it was, with pursed lips. "A fascinating place. Truly, it deserves the name." He turns away once more and begins proceeding towards the Darkness beyond. He looks over the glowing rocks and picks one up, looking at the glowing stone curiously. "A clever marker." she mentions, and places it back down on the ground. "It will likely be the only light we have for some time." Lezard says, reaching into his cape and pulling out his ruby-tipped scepter. Of course, then Ainsley provides light, and he glances in her direction, before shrugging and turning away as Shirou uses his own talents. Lezard does not seem to offer such things. At least the way forward is lit.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is taking note of what Priscill ahas to say, there's quite a bit o take in she nods once more. She nods she kinda get generally the dead stay dead. She also takes note of what Oscar has to say and nods once before making ready to move out with everyone else.

"Tragic? I see..."

She notes to Ainsley trusting her on that as she moves.

"That I get, Landon. My father did everything he could while I was trapped in SAO. I fear what he'd have done had I died."

She is only a few years older than Landon but he strikes someone whose had to go through quite a bit.

She fall in with him keeping her sword dawnbreaker ready.

"No Shirou, this entire land is very hostile."

She nearly fell into quoting an old meme but was able to control herself as he moves on deeper.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan Hall sets off. "I do not like this place, and I hope that man did not continue his work further on." There's a quick nod to Ainsley. "They are academic, but the implications they carry were troubling." He goes up the ladder second-last, likely, rather slowly, and advances on into the new chamber with some caution.

    As he advances, he looks up ponderingly. "It is like an urn." He says. He makes a "hmmm" noise. Then he moves on. "Are these something Samuel would have been in possession of? He may have left us a trail, if so. And if that is the case, we should continue on with much haste." Nathan says, widening his stride and walking a little faster down the poorly lit path. The others have covered their personal light generation for now, Nathan doesn't need to compound that. He's just closely observing the path and the area around them for any signs of something that might have forced Samuel onwards.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Having received no opposing comments, Ainsley levitates off of her feet so that she doesn't make any sound, and dispels her light, for now. Then she hovers past the party. Her eyes emit a soft light as she travels through the dark like a ghost, likely to be lost in the abyss of black. But for her, she is navigating using a sphere of odd magical sight. She's trying to map for walls or edges, recording them in her mind. She's also looking for things that might ambush the party, moving at a slow pace so that she isn't caught unaware if something lunges at her from the dark.

Priscilla has posed:
    Priscilla doesn't seem particularly moved by curiosity to pick up the book. Perhaps she is simply heeding Ainsley's warning, or more likely, she just isn't interested. Instead, she waits to be the last up the ladder, though she allows Kimiko to take the rear once she arrives at the top. She produces something from her sleeve, crushes it in the palm of her hand with a glassy crackle, and adds a faint, floating light to that cast by a glowing stone Oscar uncovers from a pouch at his side and lets hang at his belt. Altogether however, even with the radiance of the mighty Excalibur Galatine, the resulting illumination is left wanting at best. After only a moment, the light takes on a washed out hue and contracts down to a fraction of its total area, as if the dark were actively pushing down against it, leaving only perhaps a dozen meters of rock visible in each direction. It certainly makes it easier to see each stone along the trail, but unnervingly provides no idea of the dimensions of the caves around them.

    Moving along in an island of feeble light amidst the yawning blackness, the group is lead not through tunnels and caves, but across massive spars of rock that crisscross across the length of a singular, monolithic cavern; intersecting and splitting, twisting and spirally, passing over and under each other. It seems as if the only solid ground is merely the leftover slivers in the gaps between underground rivers. Most of the time, falling off the edge would invariably prove fatal, but the ground is rough and relatively dry despite the constant sound of dripping and the dull thrum of air moving miles away, echoing into a faint but constant subterranean roar. Deeper in, they begin to pass by more memorable features than pillars, cliffsides and stalagtites. The place is named "Tomb" for a reason, as carved, solid stone sarcophagi line the paths at every other twist; scattered on the ground, propped up against the odd wall, or wedged halfway into centuries of dust and gravel. Some of them are nearly human sized, while others are far larger, and some are even the size of small houses. Despite the great number of coffins, the ground swiftly becomes littered with bones of equally varied types, crunching underfoot if one isn't careful. There is no rhyme or reason as to where the remains lie. They don't appear to have been shovelled in or dumped anywhere specifically, and very few of them are arranged in any kind of intact skeleton. It's as if thousands of beings had gone seeking out somewhere to be buried, and dropped dead before finding an empty coffin.

    It is much later along this journey that other lights appear in the darkness. Though they are not too dissimilar from the prism stones that light the way, the fact that they can be seen at all levels of the tomb, and always come in pairs, makes it quite obvious that they are not. Several times, the group comes within inches of seeing one, only for them to back up out of range of the light. Ainsley is able to grasp the sight of dim silhouettes behind them; alarmingly large for how silently they move, and corresponding to no shape of any typical creature. More than that is almost impossible to see in the tomb's supernatural darkness, but she can tell that they're being followed. It is only once they reach what might be the floor of the cavern, or at least some sort of plateau, do they return in numbers. In addition to the omnipresent bones littering the floor, the material remains of the dead are present as well. Cloaks, trinkets, lanterns and weapons, not yet corroded and covered in dust. The majority of them appear to be clerics of some kind, with a small number of armed bodyguards, much like Lady Rhea's.

Priscilla has posed:
    Before anyone can do much of anything, the ground begins to shudder. What had appeared to be simply lighter coloured rock reveals itself to be a thick, tightly packed layer of sandstone and bone dust as it explodes outwards in cloudy chunks. Rising from the ground are what at first appear to be tentacles of some kind, but instead resolve into serpentine towers of skeletal pieces fused with some sort of dark, unindentifiable material. Popping up two or three at a time, they swiftly surround the group from all sides, teetering precariously as they glide forward; carried by hundreds of scurrying fingerbones at their base.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko keeps a keener eye out to the rear of the party than to the front, trusting others for that, in particular for finding a reasonable path through the cave. There are many possible dangers. As they go on without any direct encounters, the feeling of impending danger naturally grows. Something following, Ainsley said? Not close enough. She has no particular talents in seeing through the night, and certainly not through supernatural darkness. She looks, but sees no more than occasional pairs of lights.

    "'Ware." A needless warning, given that when trouble comes, they're quickly surrounded. On the one hand, she has no knowledge of the enemy's capabilities. On the other, the situation will surely worsen if she lets the bone towers approach without hindrance.

    Can they speak? Unlikely. There seems as if there could be little intelligence in such an amalgam of remains. Perhaps some other creature controls them; if so, it seems similarly unlikely that it could be human, nor anything close.

    Her spear lashes out, leaving her hand as it arcs for the nearest, to be jerked back to her by a trailing chain of steel wire whether it impacts solidly or is somehow deflected. Back to her waiting hand, only to be thrown again, her motions quick and precise. She'll strike in sweeping slashes with the bladed tip only should the bones close.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     The skeletons draw Landon's attention. There are bones everywhere; it's difficult to step without crunching something, which makes him uncomfortable. Disrespecting the dead is something rarely done on Galianda. Certainly, Necromancers *raise* the dead for agreed-upon purposes, but just outright mutilating the corpses...no, that's something only serial killers and lunatics do.

     Landon pauses to look at the bodyguard corpses, but he doesn't get much of a chance to inspect them. The serpentine bone towers emerge from the ground, shaking and quaking the earth beneath their feet. Landon immediately looks up - the reflexes of a veteran adventurer. A cave-in is more dangerous than any monster. You can kill monsters. You can't kill a rockslide.

     The Judge Blade springs to life in his hand, the heavy crystalline blade forming of his own stores of MP and the Law Card's focus. It lights up the area around him - and immediately he wishes it hadn't.

     But you don't have time to gape and jaw as an adventurer. Gaping and jawing gets you murdered. The Judge Blade flashes out of Landon's hand as he draws up another Law Card, preparing a barrier for the inevitable counter-strike on his side. Other people will protect their own sides.

     But...just in case they can't...

     A second Law Card joins the first in orbit around the Prince.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley peers into the dark, grimly aware that the group is being tailed. She is not sure by who, but she's sure there's something there. She quickly finds her stomach tightening with fear at the oppressive nature of the dark, that smothers even sight that has no basis in light or shadow. The longsword is held ready for a fight with something that is, perhaps, humanoid, but that will have to be for later.

    She sucks in a breath as bones come from the stone around them like tentacles, and skitter toward them in a mind-boggling way. She doesn't waste time even thinking about them, only that they are approaching the party and deserve a good stabbing just for looking so horrifying. She ducks away from one of them, and tries to slice it with a good and violent chop or two of the longsword.

    Her eyes are widened in shock. This particular area strikes more fear into her than any of the previous, just by the look these things put in her eyes, to those who can see their dim glow past the murk of the supernatural dark.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe has learned to touch nothing here if she can help it, that much she does know. She know just how lethal this world is. If you feel comfortable and safe? You will be dead shortly. She gets that she's feeling like she's on the death floor of SAO, that was just twisted. Seeind the avatars of the dead players used like that. Ugg she'll find the mad man behind that someday she cares not for his attempts of atonement she will see him face the results of what he has /done/. That however is another tale for another time for the Salamander is on edge more so than anything given this place. She kept with Landon and she too is moving ith high speed at this point as the rockslide and she starts chanting badly accented in norse, golden glyphs appears as she casts a spell to aid in the effort.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Darkness is, in earnest, quite a welcome thing when the spectacle of the world around you is so... dismal, so Mizuki has mixed feelings as Shirou's blade illuminates the room. She would make no more note of her feelings than this, though, beyond perhaps a passing glance at the blade bearer in question, and yet another, tiny sigh.

    But the sighs turn to almost whispered gasps when the Earth beneath her begins to quake, and, instinctively, she makes her sword manifest in her hand. It's some time yet before the bones congeal, but as they do, Mizuki... really does not have the faintest clue how to react. She's seen her fair share of Roman columns and ivory statuettes, but never anything like this. And never anything of its ilk that is quite so... mobile. She might grimace faintly a moment, but then her attentions are drawn to the 'toes'. Tiny, writhing, skeletal toes that propel the body of the unliving creature(s) around the room. Rather than finding this especially hideous, she actually thinks that the idea of disembodied bits and bobs putting themselves to use in this fashion is quite novel. Enough so to merit a smile and several minutes of attention, at least.

    "This world is a absurdly creative in its evil." All the words that are really needed here. Bearing in mind the earlier movements of the ground, she would sprout her wings to hover slightly above the sediment and preserve herself from any ghoulish limb attacks here, or any subsequent tremors there.

    Then she would take the initiative, for once, flying toward the furthest of the spinal towers to capitalize on her mobility. She would attempt a few quick passes and whirls around the thing before she's satisfied with her foe's confusion, following up with an adjustment of her sword's position so that the flat end is facing the column in question. Then she would sweep by its base, attempt a full stop, and, chance willing, give it a smack that would knock the whole 'structure' off kilter.

    There are so many horrible ways that this could go wrong, but there technically always are, in any situation. They're just vastly more likely here, probably.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard moves on, feeling the darkness pressing in on them. "Can you feel it?" Lezard speaks out into the blackness. "It is a denial of Light... The power here is quite strong. It shrouds everything, drawing unto itself." Lezard travels over the coffin-bridges without comment, leaping upon one tilted downwards and sliding along it towards the next marker. He lingers over the bones as hs eees them, pondering them for several moments. "A place of rest, perhaps? But they could not reach it..." He walks along, stepping between the bones when possible.
     Time passes, and Lezard squints as he notices the lights beyond the edge of the pale vision they have. But before he can say anything, here comes the bone towers. Lezard stares at them for a moment, and then laughs. "My, how clever!" He calls out. "The forms these lost souls take in their search is fascinating indeed." He steps backward, giving himself more room to try to remain in the center of them all, and he levels his scepter. "Fire Storm!" He pronounces, and there is a flash of billowing fire as the air simply detonates with burning force before one of the pillars. Physics and all-consuming fire should take their course.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou's summoned blade lasts all of two minutes, for all of the grunting and groaning he went through creating it. Excalibur Galatine eventually evaporates from the tip down. Shirou's simply not skilled enough to maintain such a miraculous weapon for too long...

    "The dark here's--" Whatever Shirou was going to say is interrupted by the sudden appearance of SKELETAL HORRORS!

    His own face goes as white as the bone their foes are made of... and the urge to PANIC rises up only to be squashed down with everything he's got. Can't panic here, can't panic here... "Tr-trace on!" White light in one hand, a dark purplish-red in the other, prana flares to action and solidifies into KANSHOU AND BAKUYA.

    They don't STAND in his grasp too longg though. SHirou winds up and HURLS them in an arc out at a group of the bone-golems, only to project a second copy within the next few seconds. As always, the act of Projection takes quite a toll on him - or rather, his poor skills doing so is. A bit of blood leaks from Shirou's lips... yeah, he shouldn't have tried using Galatine for something so trivial, probably.

    The flung pair of married swords spin like boomerangs. Their size is deceptive - the enchanted blades will strike with tremendous force, easily enough to cleave bone as they arc around and are drawn to each other amidst the bone monsters!

    If they MAKE it to each other, they'll just clang together and shatter...

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan Hall is as Nathan Hall always is: Averse to corpses. He does /not/ enjoy the sarcophagi and is vaguely distressed by the close proximity to so many corpses. Stepping on them is even worse. When the ground explodes, it's with Nathan doing much coughing and trying to not inhale it before he realizes the full extent of what is going on. Massive... Corpse tentacles? Oh jeeze.

    The group is suddenly surrounded! The others are PREPARING TO STRIKE. Nathan himself is backing up, and it's likely that he'll wind up in the middle of the prepared formation.

    Trying to get between the assorted combatants, Nathan does his best to be out of the way at the moment, and also mostly covered by the others. He's not going to attack them, obviously. He's just going to mostly keep out of the way.

Priscilla has posed:
    Kimiko's spear flying into the first enemy confirms the typical suspicions. The weapon punches straight through without much effort, before becoming lodged in the mud-like substance gluing it together. Yanking it back pulls the bone tower along with it before it comes free, causing it to topple wildly before crashing into the ground and falling to pieces. The second one that is tugged along however, manages to stay upright, and as soon as it is within arm's reach of her, it twists along its vertical axis like a wound rope, and then begins to spin wildly on the spot; its base crashing to the floor and allowing it to move like a top. It'd look almost comical were it not for the fact that it results in a swirling blender of jagged, broken limbs, liable to rip someone open should they stand too close to the bizarre amalgamations. Ainsley is treated to the same as her longsword cuts down the one closest to her, only allowing two more to close in; writhing at her from both sides to try and trap her between them and mince her in a thresher of shattered bones.

    Mizuki is more fortunate, as the towers can't reach her in the air; an advantage surely possessed by nobody else who had come here. Arms and legs rattle and flail at her as she passes, but they overall lack enough agility to catch her, anchored so deep in the congealing substance that binds them. The final sweep opens up a sizable hole in the surrounding circle; one through which Oscar charges to capitalize on. The knight dives under the nearest vortex of whirling remains and hacks out one of the columns from the bottom with a flash of his enchanted sword, before whirling around to take the next blow on his shield, and retaliate with a bisecting strike. The towers on either side of him are blown to pieces rather than simply cut in half by Kanshou and Bakuya, which allows Priscilla to run through and take yet another one down with a sweep of her scythe.

    Lezard's firestorm going off destroys most of the remaining circle, but he may wish he hadn't used it. In the brief flare caused by the burst of flames, everyone can see up to the lip of the cliff that encircles the edge of the floor on which they stand, where a handful of those pale lights are clustered. The light is too brief to make out much, but the sight is unsettling all the same. The lights are set into what appear to be enormous human skulls, but the skeletal bodies behind them are only humanoid in the loosest sense in the word. Gangly, twisted and deformed, with overlong arms, massive shoulders, low hanging ribcages and strangely bent legs, they crawl over the floor like an imitiation of some sort of four legged beast; baring jaws full of massive, finger-length fangs rather than teeth.

    The creatures up on the cliff split the rattle of moving bones with feral, gutteral roars; bounding down from the precipice like predatory animals. Three of them crash right into the middle of the clearing, stomping and thrashing in wild, spastic motions so ferocious that they lose and regain their own footing several times through each furious charge. They crash against the joint barrier between Landon and Tomoe like freight trains, causing the ground to quake and rumble as they clamber against it and begin biting and pounding it with their fists.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley is sorely unprepared for this whole chaotic throng of violence. She tried to chop one of the horrible bone towers, only to find TWO more coming in close to her and whirling at her violently. And she had no real way to evade, especially not with her mana alignment being the one that isn't too great at fighting. She attempts to parry one of the bone towers only to get struck by the other one. This wouldn't be quite as much of a problem if it wasn't for the new friends coming in to play.

    One of the giant skeletons lands right on top of Ainsley with a sickening CRACK. She doesn't even make a peep, her phantom body flattened against the cave floor. And then she fades from sight in a puff of mist.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     The force of the tentacles hits the barrier like a hammer. Landon fights down a swear as he holds the Law Card in his free hand, pouring energy into it just to keep the thing steady. Too much MP and he'd have nothing left. Too little MP and he'd be killed by the impact.

     So he braces as best he can, relying on Tomoe's barrier to make up for what he can't. The onslaught is just too much, though - the creatures smash their way through, skeletal tendrils hammering against the ground. Landon barely rolls out of the way in time.

     He banishes the Judge Blade a moment later, drawing two Law Cards into his hands. Light whirls around him, intricate patterns swirling to life. The patterns whirl around him for a moment as he raises the Law Card-

     -and then it vanishes, and the patterns disappear.

     The card reappears above the tendrils. Landon's voice rings out, strong and true.

     "In the name of the al Cid family, I hereby pronounce you guilty! The sentence..."

     "Slow!"

     The rings move to constrict, to slow, to keep the tendrils from moving quite so fast. It won't stop them completely, but Landon's not sure that's within his power. He's not sure *SLOWING* them is within his power...but if it does work, it should lead into his next foolhardy trick.

     With his free hand, he flips up his mPhone. He needs to make certain they're slowed, first. He's only going to get one shot at this.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
There is a flash of flame, and the power of Lezard's sorcery lights the Darkness for a brief moment. The lurking peace of the Dark is shattered by terrible bright Fire as the towerer is shattered.

In retrospect, perhaps that wasn't the /best/ idea.

Lezard's teeth clench as he catches the sight of those horrible undead beasts in the rapidly dying light. "Tch! A more worthy opponent!" He says, bracing himself for the rush. The huge Undead Beasts come, and Lezard looks unsure of what options will be available to deal with it until they hit the barrier. He has no idea how long it will hold, so he will have to act quickly.

There is a flash as Lezard holds out his hands, and a growing circle of Power etches itself before him in light. There is a flash, as the area grows chill.

The air sizzls as clumps of blue light begin forming, drawn out of the Darkness and striking down upon the giant Undead Beasts. Upon striking, it attempts to glom onto them and harden, forming into a gleaming hunk of ice-crystal. More and more begin to grow as Lezard attempts to encase them. It probably will not last long, but he does not NEED too long for his next plan.

He just needs long enough.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "There's all these monsters... even with someone else coming in before us?!" What did Samael do? just CHARGE? There's not been a spot of blood or any sign of disrupted ground or even a scuffle. Not so much as a discardd bone from a tussle with these things...

    The moment Shirou sees the GIANTS as the risen dead, he knows two things. First, their chance of finding OScar's companion down here just plummetted. Second, OH CRAP they are in for a horrible time.

    This is enough to even momentarily forget that most of the people here are phantoms who can't even die if they're killed, himself included, and backpedal a step or two. "Giant skeletons!"

    What is he going to do about THAT?!

    Well the first thing he does is HURL Kanshou and Bakuya at the strange charging creatures without too much thought.

    And then he takes an action based on Lezard's own words. Need there be someone behind this? Can these creatures not just be miserable lost souls?

    "... Begin full trace. Grasp maker's intent, replicate structure, produce materials and mirror craftsmanship..." Shirou chants, time all but frozen in the chaos for his perceptions.

    A shape appears in his mind. A long haft, a gleaming and curved blade no human smith ever touched, let alone forged. Born from humanity's collective urge for there to be something more to life than suffering and for death to be more than just a miserable end.

    His mind rapidly replicates the legendary implement from the ground up, millions of images coming together in a process beyond even his own conscious comprehension. He's taking extra time for a good reason. This trace must be perfect as he can get it. "Grow through experiences... Not one deviation or flaw is permitted. Freeze processes, finish out!"

    Whatever the hell all that yelling-chanting was about, it quickly comes to a head!

    For dark prana flows wildly in his grasp. It stretches out and solidifes as a gleaming and ominous-looking scythe. But it's not Priscilla's scythe at all...

    THANATOS, Noble Phantasm of the GRIM REAPER is in Shirou's hands... and the redheaded Magus himself LAUNCHES off the ground with tremendous force to go rolling in for a strange high-speed slash across one of the creatures!

    The scythe's touch does indeed cut rather nastily... but it brings peace to the dead and dying. Lost souls can find peace and be put back onto the path they belong on!

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko takes note of how one tower topples--so they can be defeated that way. The second attempt proves less successful, and from the fact that she's armored in a flash as it attacks, it's clear to anyone very familiar with her power set that she's been hit, even past the spear she's trying to use to parry the thing. It probably isn't too much damage, but it's hard to tell through her armor without looking for the scrapes, rents and furrows--and her magic heals those over far more quickly than it work on her own flesh.

    A slashing blow at the spear's full range should let her finish this one in relative safety, trying to take it out by tearing out a chunk of the base, backed by the Puella's power at arms. She turns to see what others remain in time to see Ainsley be taken down. Ah. Difficult decisions.

    "General, excuse me."

    Kimiko doesn't leap for the monster. Instead, she goes straight for Nathan, grabbing him by the shoulders and taking him to the bone-covered ground. Armor swiftly covers his form, though he's going to have trouble moving in this. It seems primarily built just to cover his back, offering little range of motion--once he does reach the ground, though, it blends in to some extent, the patterns on the metal rough and uneven, entirely contrary to Kimiko's usual aesthetics. The covering is complete enough to include a grilled helmet.

    Thus hiding him from view and doing her best to camouflage him against the cavern floor, Kimiko leaps back again so as to cease drawing attention to the spot. Acrobatic even in heavy armor, she manages a fair distance, tossing her spear in flight--and this time, neglecting the wire. Hands free, she summons a great, single-edged blade, at least half a foot from edge to back and more than her own height from hilt to tip. She raises it high, waiting for the moment a beast should leap on her to bring it down--though if they do not cooperate, she shall have to go the more dangerous route of bringing it to them.

    The trick is to gauge the distance and the timing.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Are Nathan and Kimiko retreating? Well, then Mizuki can probably help a bit. Recovering with unusual ease from her last few strikes, she rides on the stagnant, likely semi-poisonous winds of the cavernous crypt to a point slightly above the God Librarian before trying something just a bit different. Rather than summoning her usual, temporal spheres, Mizuki applies one such bulb to her blade and carves, for lack of a better word, a shell-shaped stasis field in front of him. With any luck, this should slow any of the beasts that come near the pair and give Kimiko all the time she needs to get them both to safety. Unless they happen to jump over the wall, of course; they aren't as high as they probably should've been.

    Beyond this, Mizuki would move on to tackle another of these marauding things on her own. Expending a bit more energy to summon four, smaller spheres, she would use these like shackles to bind one's most prominent limbs to the floor, hopefully keeping it in place while she sneaks around behind it for a vertical 'helicopter' slash intended to obliterate its ribcage. She would attempt to bind the limbs of the several being targeted Lezard as well to be absolutely sure that his maneuver works as it's meant to.

    Throughout all of this she would remain airborne where, hopefully, she would be able to swerve out of the way of any oncoming hellbeasts.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan, for his part, remains calm. "Ainley is down. Remain alert. Samuel was likely driven further on by these entities. Watch for existing wounds created during their combat, take advantage of them." Nathan is almost sort of rambling, in a way, but it's all insightful in its own sense. He lets himself be pulled down, though, out of the way potential future barrier-breaching violence. "I understand." He says, simply, to Kimiko, and allows her to cast the heavy armor over him. There is no way he's going to be moving.

    And then he's just sort of lying there, one supposes. Very well-protected, even if it would be /completely impossible/ for him to meaningfully stand up. This should keep him protected, unless those giant skeletons can manage to pick him up or something.They'd have to get through Mizuki's shield, though, of course, and Nathan gives a quick, muffled "thank you" to her too.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is going to be busy with Langon helping to keep the barrier going for the moment to make sure that things are going to get a bit nuts but Landon seems to have a plan in mind. She however is going to have some time keeping the barrier up to help hold them back. She's going to do her darnest as now Landon does something else she's got an idea she casts once more trying to keep the barrier up and there's that lovely nordic chantingm in an accent that would make inga likely cry.

Priscilla has posed:
    Though horrific to see in motion, the bone constructs are not especially powerful entities. Landon's Slow spell works on them at full efficacy, reducing their wild spinning to a sedate, slow motion glide, leaving them unable to pick up enough speed to cause injury. Priscilla and Oscar take advantage of the opportunity, moving to opposite ends of the semicircle and hacking and slicing through tower after tower until pieces of bone are flying slowly through the air in every direction, leaving the party free to deal with the newer threat. Lezard has less luck dealing with the skeletal beasts. Though the bolts of his spell strike directly, one after the other, the frenzied crash and slide of the monsters' ungaily movements causes the ice congealing on them to shatter against the rocky floor over and over again, allowing two of them to escape from its area of effect completely, leaving one one actually trapped in frost, still thrashing in place.

    Frozen in place is all it needs to be however. Unable to run down Shirou in the process of tracing Thanatos, the young man is freely able to approach it without interruption, hacking one of its arms clean off with the edge of the scythe. Damage like that should barely even phase a non-living creature, but the instant the limb comes free, the lights set into the skull's sockets vanish like snuffed candles, and the parts of its body not trapped in ice fall to pieces. One of the beasts chases Kimiko as she diverts for Nathan, running her down with thundering, irregular steps; just barely unable to catch her due to the slowing field it runs into halfway there. Either not seeing, or else ignoring the general, the creature lunges from the cave floor, leaps bodily into the air, and then comes crashing down on the puella magi with the force of a speeding car. With its own momentum crashing against her blade, the huge sword splits straight through the joint of its open jaws, smashes through several of its ribs, and then embeds in its spine, bringing it to a complete and final halt, but not before its weight slams her against the ground in return.

    The last one turns in place, falling head over heels, rolling over onto its front, and then leaping after Mizuki; grabbing at her to try and pluck her out of the air, but only succeeding in raking its claws down her back. Its spastic motions only serve to work against it as she anchors its wrists and ankles in place; crashing onto its back in the midst of writhing against the temporal restraints. It lets loose one last bellowing roar before her sword smashes straight through its upper torso and cleaves it in half; the force of the blow dealing enough damage that the skull falls loose from the spine and rolls off into the darkness, gnashing its teeth pointlessly. Oscar moves back to pick up Nathan off the ground and haul him as long as he needs until Kimiko can dismiss the armour. "Quick." He utters between breaths. "Before more of them follow the sound."

Lezard Valeth has posed:
The aftermath of the battle causes Lezard to look slightly irritated, his gaze turning to Shirou and resting upon Thanatos with a certain level of malice. He does not, however, comment at this stage, turning away and simply following the others. "These beasts are quite vigorous for being dead for such a great time." Lezard comments offhandedly. "I concur with Sir Oscar, we must make haste."

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     The beasts thusly dispatched, Landon apparently doesn't need to try his idea. That's probably for the best - he wasn't entirely sure it would work anyway. It might have horrific consequences. It might've /hurt/. It might've hurt someone else. It was best not to do such things when they weren't necessary.

     Landon shifts a bit and nods. "We should keep moving. Standing around is simply asking for whatever might be here to be drawn to the sounds of battle."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe nonds in agreement to the prince.

"Sitting still is just going to let whatever heard that fight? Come in and make a go at us. So shall we get moving and yes they are."

She has to admit Lezard is right about the monster and thus she's moving on with the rest of the party and keeping alert as she can.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki's temporal wall would fall as soon as she confirms that the coast is clear and, at least for the moment, her sword and revolver are put away so that she can focus her attentions elsewhere. An exceedingly thin temporal wall is fashioned with whatever remains of the energy she may comfortably expend to address Oscar's concerns about 'sound transference'. There's really not much that she can do to dull sounds made by others, but she can, at least in theory, delay when they will arrive elsewhere. So that's what her thin wall is for: to act as a net to catch any sounds that have yet to reverberate throughout the area. Probably a complete waste, but it's worth a shot.

    Afterwards she would (at least mostly) silently follow along behind the aforementioned Chosen, Priscilla, and Nathan to the next cavity of the crypt, still keeping herself a safe distance from the ground in the event that some other creature - perhaps something like those columns - gets the bright idea to strike at her from the ground.

    As for her wound, she would most certainly have winced as her back was struck, but oddly enough recycled blue flecks of her magical energy are able to recombine at the site of the wound to mend where her dress was 'torn'. This doesn't really help her in any practical way, no, but it keeps her looking prim for whatever horrors they've yet to encounter.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "Hrrrrungh....!" Shirou diced up one of the restless dead handily with the Grim Reaper's scythe, but at a nasty cost to himself. After some rather stylish swings and slashes, he topples to the ground, using the shaft to support himself much like a staff. Breathing hard, excess prana flickering around his arms, the Projection already beginning to fail. Not bleeding but only because he didn't get struck.

    But gathering his strength, he stands back up and readies the scythe again. "How many... more of those are down here?!"

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko is a sturdy fighter, but massive she is not. Her strength carries her through the swing to dispatch the beast, after which there's nothing but the force of her bent knees to resist its impact. She's knocked back, momentarily staggered, her blade out of position before she can retrieve it from the creature's spine. Still, her recovery is quick, and then she's running back to Nathan and Oscar. Dismissing the armor takes only a thought, and then the general will find his limbs again unencumbered. Given some time, she might be able to do more, but Nathan does not seem the type used to such equipment, and time there isn't.

    The grill-visored helmet remains, for the moment.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan is deadweight. With the amount of UNdead weight in this world, that's rare, and honestly probably better on Oscar. He does his best with his EXTREMELY limited range of motion to be easy to carry. "Ah, thank you." He says, muffled by the grated plate over his face. When the armor disappears, he slips off of Oscar's back and follows along in the run.

    "I believe at this juncture that haste is more important than caution, as the latter offers more substantial risk. Let us move as swiftly as we can." He slips the grill of the remaining helm up and adjusts his glasses urgently, still trying to bring the group along the path the shining lights offered... Assuming they've not lost track of it, or it hasn't ended, anyway.

Priscilla has posed:
    "I know not how many of them hath becometh animate, but there shouldst be hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dead remains within this domain." Priscilla says to Shirou. "Either a limited number hath been halfway resurrected, or a number of lost souls art moving between the dead and possessing any intact bones that they find." She follows quickly after Oscar, who seems less preoccupied with the reasons for there to be walking skeletons, and more with the reality of how they are to get past them. He lets Nathan down as soon as Kimiko removes his heavy armour, though he himself seems unbothered by running in his own.

    It takes a little bit of looking to find the path again. There is a brief, panic-worthy period where nothing can be glimsped in the surrounding wall of darkness, before a few moments of running in the right direction turn up a glittering purple light on a sharply sloping pathway down. Each person incapable of flight is forced to more or less surf down on a layer of dust and gravel, over a drop that would probably be alarming could anyone see the bottom. A number of eyes can be seen moving in the distance; steadily gathering from the walkways above and across the chasm, filling the air with the echoing sounds of irregular, thumping footsteps. Priscilla deliberately leads the group across narrow ledges and around tight corners to prevent anything larger than a human from following directly behind them, which keeps the sounds of approaching beasts an uncomfortable but relatively safe distance behind them. Shortly before turning one last blind corner, the crossbreed simply utters. "We art arrived."

    She might as well not have, because that fact is plainly visible after a minute of walking. A narrow tunnel has been dug into the wall of the cavern at an oblique angle, from inside of which unmistakable firelight shines in weak, flickering pools. Venturing inside shows that strange, rickety arches have been built along the way, formed of a seemingly pointless tangle of sticks and bones, and draped in tattered red cloth. The tunnel twists upon itself as it traces around another, completely different chasm, before terminating into a room that looks as if it was formed naturally, but broken into artificially. Torches spaced at regular intervals around the room light up a convoluted splay of age-worn ramps and paths overtop a knee deep layer of clear water at the bottom, but it is the perhaps welcome sight of a Bonfire in the center of the room that illuminates the majority of it.

    The room itself seems to have been the sight of a battle, though not recently. Dead bodies, all in black robes and silver marks, can be seen slumped over the damp stones here and there, amidst a series of crater and scorch marks obviously made by force. The blood seems to have washed away or dried by now, but the candles lit around the circumference of a massive spell circle are still burning. Two details elicit confliction reactions about this room. The first is that a man in shoddy, hand-me-down militia clothes is sat at the Bonfire in the center of the room, staring vacantly into the flames. The second, is that the lower level around him is a writhing mess of tiny skeletons, not even large enough to come up to someone's knee, with oversized heads and undersized limbs.

    Human infants.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko approaches with some caution, but the man at the bonfire doesn't seem to be under attack. What are the skeletons trying to do, then? Is it only because of the bonfire?

    She still has that single-edged greatsword with her, though now she's hooked it rather securely against some feature of armor on her back. The water comes up slightly more than knee-high on her frame.

    "Do you need help?"

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley manifests at the Bonfire, standing up from a kneeling position. She opens her eyes, showing the faint blue glow in the black silhouette of the Phantom form she has. She turns her head to examine her surroundings and regain her bearings... then pauses her gaze on the figure ot fhte man in militia clothing. Her eyes blink once, slowly...

    She walks around the room to get a look at the motion, and regrets it immediately.

    "My god," she murmurs in Spanish, bringing a hand up to her mouth in obvious horror. She steps away from that with some haste and back to the party as a whole.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Never has Mizuki been quite so glad to possess wings as she is right now, because even if she's generally protected from things like 'dirt' and 'grime' and other assorted forms of 'ick', it doesn't make the experience of having her concept briefly link with those things any more pleasant. She's more than glad to gingerly hover down, in her naturally flaunting way, the side of the soot-cliff. Similarly, she elects not to test her dexterity by walking along the narrow edges of the cave and instead flies astride the group, body rigid, arms tucked behind her back as she usually likes for them to be. Earnestly, with the backdrop of corpse mounds and othersuch, she really only needs a scythe for this whole 'angel of death' visual to be complete. But alas...

    Mizuki alights beside the bonfire soon enough, giving the mounds of skeletons... an almost disturbingly brief look apiece. Rather than fixating on those, she saves her look of severity for the still living individual beside them, oh whom she is skeptical to say the least. Now, it might just be that her surroundings have drained her of any of her usual, lingering sentimentality, or it could just be that she's finally begun to see the value of caution, but either way she knows enough about this world to be certain her wariness is not misplaced. Those vacant eyes remind her of the hollows, and by her reckoning someone who has just been made to do battle with the corpses of infants, likely after many other experiences that would've stabbed at their soul, would be in a particularly precarious position of sanity on a good day, in a favorable world.

    Clearly this is not a good day, nor is it a favorable world.

    So rather than speaking at all, her sword simply appears in her hand with a gentle glint of light, and she waits. She won't jump to conclusions, but she'd rather not see anyone suffer for a lack of foresight this evening. If she can help it. There's still the 'first of the dead' to contend with, after all, and they need to be at full strength - or as near to full strength as they can come - before he is approached. Certainly Nathan would agree, yes? If he weren't focusing on maintaining his stoic facade in the face of all these dead things, at least.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan swiftly moves down the sloping path, sliding clumsily. He could fly, but it's rare that he does. He goes down in a way that utterly and completely failing to capitalize on this Cool Moment.

    When he reaches the bottom, it's with far too much dust and he's a bit nauseous at the idea of what the dust is more than likely to be made of, but he maintains his stoic, stick-in-the-mud behavior. And with clumsy steps he follows Priscilla after a clunky, heavy landing, unnerved by being unable to see it before it happens. Set completely off-kilter, he's maximized his caution now as he enters the room, entering only after the others.

    When he enters, it's with more caution, and he sees the scene last. His nausea hits him harder, and his intense, powerful aversion to corpses and death makes him use much of his stoicism to fight back the urge to leave the room and vomit. His face, however, remains an expressionless mask, and his body moves in its usual robotic ways. His eyes go slightly wide when he sees the skeletons, but there's no more reaction, despite many disgust reactions going off in his mind all at once.

    He notices Mizuki's caution, and realizes what it could mean. His mind flashes to how Adalbert was handled. He whispers, softly, to Kimiko and to anyone else who chooses to approach Samuel. "Keep alert. If he is close to Hollowed, he will be like Adalbert. Responding best to validation of his defining psychological elements. Adalbert's was protection, but Samuel's is isolation. Give him any space you can, and let him speak to you before you speak to him whenever you can."

    "Oscar," He asides urgently. "How long ago did Samuel depart? Was he likely involved in the battle here?" If so... He may have died several times, possibly. Nathan is very cautious about this potential confrontation... But he'd like to not offend Samuel if he's perfectly fine! For now, he cautiously stands, clasping his hands in front of him patiently, and clearly in sight. It's obvious to any observer that he's waiting for Samuel to speak first, and will patiently wait as long as it takes for Samuel to want to.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     This is...

     This is disgusting. That's the only thought in Landon's mind as he looks across the room full of infant corpses. The walkways, the unnerving chasms, the undead, the twisting tunnel, all of that he could deal with. All of that was standard Adventurer fare. You went into ruins and you fought monsters and you found treasure and all that stuff was just part of life as an adventurer. Alexander Academy *prepared* you for that. Being the Prince of a nation of adventurer-types who stood against the oncoming darkness itself prepared you for that.

     But nothing prepares you for seeing the writhing mess of children's skeletons. Nothing can. Nothing could.

     Necromancy is not unknown on Galianda. Quite the opposite - Necromancers are favored among law enforcement and magistrary work, as they are without a doubt among the best at unravelling murders and untimely death cases. Even the resurrection of corpses is not unheard of; Necromancers generally ask first, of course, but many people donate their bodies to necromancers in order to help out the Guard and bolster the ranks.

     But this? Mass, infant necromancy? Squirming masses of child corpses?

     It's all Landon can do not to throw up. No, scratch that - it /was/ all he could do not to throw up. He's dignified enough to turn away, first, but the sight of it chills him to the bone in a way he's never felt before. This is surely among the most abominable sights the young man has ever been witness to, and given the stress sitting upon his shoulders, it's frankly amazing that /all/ he does is throw up discreetly in the corner, and not break down weeping in horror and sorrow. He might have a strong will, but he's not inhuman.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
The path through the Darkness is oppressive... But for someone such as Lezard... Comforting, in a way. He moves quickly with the others, proving that even he as a mage is more than capable of swift action should it be necessary. He hits the gravel ramp and begins skidding down, his hands flailing for a moment a he steadies himself during the descent, and hits the bottom with a low slide, his worn traveler's boots gaining quick traction on the rock lip below, but still carrying him far closer than he'd have liked. "Tsk! This place is most treacherous. But there is nothing ventured, nothing gained in this place."

He turns, walking forward and stopping at the arch. He peers at the red cloth, and picks at it, examining it closely, and then the stick and bone tangle, as if looking for something.

He turns away from it, not saying a word, as he looks up and around the area, continuing to follow through the tangle of pathways. His hand remains holding his Ruby Scepter tightly as the tension continues on and on, seemingly endless.

Finally, it is broken up as they reach the bonfire. Lezard steps forward towards the pleasant warmth of the Bonfire, but stops as Nathan speaks out about the nature of the Hollow. He remains distant from the man at the bonfire, but... Then his gaze in inevitably drawn towards the spell circle... And then towards the skeletal infants.

"Oh my." He breathes.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "....." Arrived, huh? Shirou's expression, after taking in most of the sights, suggests... he's not really sure this is a place worth any great regaling. He doesn't oice this concern however because of the person who is already here. His first glance is a short one, for perhaps his mind subconsciously knows better than to look and let it Understand what it just glimpsed. No, better not to see. Better not to think. Better not to know.

    But Shirou's a strange one who always acts against his instincts in cases like this.

    So he does take a look...

    And his face goes as white as some of the bones in these parts. He doesn't approach though, sticking close to Mizuki and Nathan just long enough to hear the warning.

    If he didn't hear that, he might charge forth in a blundering half-panic to warn the guy. As it is he's just staring out at the mess without any idea WHAT to do.

    Dead bodies don't often bother Shirou. It's not that there are bones everywhere. It's that these ones ARE MOVING.

    By the time he's reached this place, the summoned scythe has long since vanished. He is unarmed. That probably won't last in a place like this though... "Now what?"

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe looks to Priscilla with a look of concern as the number of possible things to animate as undead come up.

"We shouldn't linger too long then."

She makes a move after Oscar She keeps her weapon ready as they move down and she's surfing down so to speak she can't really fly under ground but she seems ot manage it well enough as they arrive. She pauses looking at this place and she stops for a moment with a look of horror on her face.

"...What...no..."

Priscilla has posed:
    The moment Ainsley appears, Samuel hauls himself up from his sitting position, grabbing hold of his spear, and then without a word, thrusting it straight for her chest, missing her only by centimeters as she retreats back to the party. In the dim light of the barely lit room, everyone can see the baleful embers smouldering in place of his eyes as he turns towards Mizuki with a silent, unthinking motion, and a completely expressionless face. He begins to descend the ramp, splashing into the water around it, and straight through the field of tiny, thrashing bones. The baby's remains crawl through the water and cling to his feet, letting out chilling little gurgles and cries that reverberate from every wall, but ultimately, they do nothing against him, sensing him as more among the dead than the living. He seems completely unaware of their presence, only speeding up after several steps, and then lunging at Mizuki with both hands on his weapon, aiming simply to skewer the closest thing in view.

    Oscar doesn't seem intent on answering Nathan. The moment he sees Samuel act, he shoulders his way through the front of the group, taking a running leap off of one of the ramps and landing with both boots in the water, smashing one of the skeletons as he interposes himself between Samuel and Mizuki. Unlike Adalbert, Samuel isn't simply 'close' to hollowing. Whether it be the mental pressures of being stranded alone here, the horrors that he had witnessed the now-dead necromancers commit, having died several times holding just this one room, or a combination of all three, the man has already crossed that threshold. He had always been the one most under equipped, under prepared, and frankly too old to be adventuring, and though it is an incredible accomplishment to be sure that he had come this far despite suffering more deaths than any other member of Oscar's party, not everyone can be the main character. It was only natural his soul had to give out sometime.

    And yet, all things aside, as Oscar gets between his spear point and Mizuki's body, the knight simply calls out his name. "SAMUEL!" And Samuel stops. He halts the motion of his weapon reflexively, lowering it slowly as he recognizes Oscar by his voice or by his armour. The farmer begins mumbling to himself, returning to his seat by the bonfire, muttering the words "They'll be here any time.", "Got to hold the way." and "Can't let them get them." Whatever the knight of Astora feels is only able to be guessed at. The helmets commonly worn by the pilgrims of Lordran are adept at hiding their misery. It is when Priscilla moves over to him, struggling to find the words, that he speaks up in a choked, but even tone. "We will come back for him. Once this curse is lifted. Nothing will bother him in this place."

    Oscar unslings several pouches from his belt and pack, placing them by the fire on dry ground; most likely provisions for the day he expects Samuel to awake from his hollowed torpor and make his way back out. Priscilla leaves something else. A tiny talisman in the shape of a skull, from the mouth and eyes of which issue a ghostly blue light. Simply dropping it on the floor seems to take the hollowed man's attention; transfixed entirely on the sight rather than anyone else who might approach. "Come." She gestures towards the only remaining arch at the very back of the room. "Let us conclude our business and be gone."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Of all those here, Kimiko is less perturbed than nearly all at this sight. The reasons for this are not revealed by her lack of reaction, but as ever, she is focused on the task at hand, whether it is to destroy what she sees, or to avoid it. This is a tomb of the long-dead, and she spares no sorrow for them.

    When Samuel acts, she moves--but not before Oscar reaches him with his shout. The Puella Magi pauses, then, looking between Oscar, Priscilla, and Samuel without expression. She nods, once, and removes her hand from the hilt of her weapon, leaving it there on her back.

    She avoids the skeletons. If they're slow enough through the water, she'll have no need to cut her way through--though she won't hesitate should they bar the party's progress. If there are no further interruptions, she rejoins the others, opting to give the bonfire a wide berth as they make their way onward.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou's more than a little shaken by this display. If OScar didn't suddenly take action, he would've done more than simply begin to mouth the words of his familiar chant and summon up an image to project - he would've intervened. But his half-step forward doesn't become a full charge. Just a half-stagger and then stepping back with a sad and disgusted look on his face. This is too awful. Another person he probably cannot ave, and could not have. "Maybe he'll get his wits back if nothing bothers him..." He whispers, with some hope. "Yeah. Let's hope something works." He answers Oscar, then heads on following Priscilla...

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley gave Samuel a look of even higher horror, the state of the man immediately occuring to her the moment he started lurching toward the group with violent intent. She floated up off the ground and out of immediate reach, practically up near the ceiling, staring down at the terrible sight below her with wide eyes. She tries to shield her emotion in a similar manner to Nathan, but being built of different stuff, she can't hide the frown as it sneaks past the neutral gaze and the way her eyes stay widened.

    Once the threat passes, she doesn't calm down. She stays in flight above the party, her hands clasped up near her chest. Her Phantom state makes it hard to read the lingering horror in her gaze from afar. Even the idea of getting away from this place doesn't soothe the feeling.

    Because she will always know this place exists.

    "Yes," she replies to Priscilla, echoing the sentiment of just getting this done and getting out by the eagerness she has in following along.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    For the first time in far too long, Mizuki can feel as though she's successfully forestalled some horrible mishap through her own senses of prediction. It might appear bizarre, even inhuman, but all she can really think in that moment, even before the fact and as Samuel is charging at her, how glad she is to have called this so well. She lets this self-satisfaction guide her hand as she slowly raises her hand to parry Samuel's blade, and the other to fire her revolver --

    -- only to, in the nick of time, be interrupted by Oscar. As the man leaps in front of her, there's a rather profound dysfunction visible in her movements: her gun flails and a bullet ricochets off the sealing, and her sword likely *chinks*, painlessly thank heaven, off Oscar's armor. Needless to say, she had not been expecting that, but within moments she's able to grasp that it was a blessing he did. She would not have shown him any mercy, had he come lunging; not with where her mind had been lost. Funny to think that someone's overabundance of joy at finally feeling as though they have a situation 'under control' could've ended so horribly, but in hindsight, it's a rather staggering thing for her to behold.

    So for a rather lengthy spell, her body freezes, and her arms slump. She might mumble a "thank you" to Oscar under her breath, but it's plain to any and all that something knocked the wind out of her sails, if not her lungs. Just more evidence of how human she is, in spite of all her many attempts to go 'beyond'.

    But now -really- is not the time for that, is it?

    She manages to mentally unlock her joints after a while, stumbling back from Oscar and affording the swordsman a supplemental bow before allowing her sword to vanish, and her revolver to slip back into its holster. Then she would take several more paces backward in attempt to use the darkness of the room as a shield, all while likely cradling her forehead in a hand. She's just glad that people will probably assume her exasperation stems from the fact that she was almost stabbed.

    Some time later, after she has already begun to follow behind Kimiko - bless her for giving her a model of stoicism to follow - she's finally able to give her few words of commentary: "Indeed. Let us find this 'Lordsoul' forthwith, and never return." Though those words might not be imbued with all malice she'd intended -- too nervous.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan makes a soft sort of grim noise as the events ensue, but still seems completely emotionless in expression. A pang of despair strikes briefly within, but can't be seen. He casts his eyes down slightly and begins to move to the back entryway, giving a wide berth to the corpses. "He will have the time to himself that he wanted. We will lift the curse, and he will join us again." Nathan says, nodding firmly. And he shuffles forward, speaking softly as he does. "I am beginning to understand the nature of Hollowing. I am not certain, now, if it is their life or their death which matters more, though."

    "In life, it seemed like Samuel was more isolated, and in death, he is unable to perceive anything but his own isolation, just as Adalbert seemed noble and protective and had trouble perceiving anything but. And yet, their means of death seem so close at hand to those. It is becoming harder and harder to tell if the curse returns them to life or seals them in their death." He shakes his head, gently. "I ramble. Let us focus on what is next. I hope Nito indulges fewer horrors than his neighbors." He makes a gentle worried noise and continues on.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
When Samuel begins attacking the others, Lezard raises his scepter... but doesn't attack. Oscar seems to have things well in hand. He does, however, watch the actions of the Hollowed man intently. "So this is what it looks like when a man succumbs to the curse? It is like his soul has been pared away, it is almost like there is little left within that body."

He turns away. "Yes, no need to spend time here. We have soaked overlong in this place of darkness already." Perhaps this place disturbs even Lezard slightly. He turns, leaping from a rock ledge towards another to attempt to reach the arch without having to risk getting skewered by the Hollowed man and the undead infants below.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is now moving ahead with the rest an then well there's Samuel and she pauses she looks at the thing for a moment and she wonders as she looks at them she get s avery bad look on her face and nods a little bit.

"Understood Priscillia."

Dhe gets the idea they have to handle the big stuff and then get out with him. She moves onwards and is rteady to act as tank and be the one to take the worst of what lays ahead for everyone.

Priscilla has posed:
    The creepy little reanimated waddle and totter through the water after Kimiko and those who follow her as she starts leading the way, but they aren't even fast enough that they'd catch up to a brisk walk, and so pose no actual threat, despite whatever kind of obscene magic might be placed on them. The back of the room, past the spell circle, transitions back into a tunnel, which then terminates into a hole in the floor; the kind that looks like it was smashed into the roof of an existing cavern. The drop is steep and unforgiving, but for some reason, the feeble light cast by the various sources of illumination the group possesses penetrates all the way to the bottom; showing the deep, grey-blue stone beneath.

    Oscar unslings a coil of rope and a climbing piton from his pack, looping the former around the latter and then slamming it into the rock with a few strikes from the pommel of his sword. Gripping it tightly for a few experimental tugs, he leans into the breach and then begins to rappel down, swinging several times back and forth before reaching the bottom, and motioning for the next person to come down. Anyone who can fly will find ample space to simply hover down, but otherwise, Priscilla insists on going first, and then waits at the bottom for the last of the party to join them.

    The cavern beneath is relatively small and unimpressive. The unnatural darkness the smoters all forms of light elsewhere in the Tomb of the Giants seems nonpresent here. The roof itself is extremely high, but there is nothing noteworthy save for the obsidian column that runs from it down to the floor, and the sole unnatural object in the room: a sarcophagus that dwarfs every other one seen so far in size. Resting up against the wall at an angle, with the lid askew on the ground, the thing must weigh a hundred tons judging by how much stone has been used to construct it.

    At first, it appears that it has simply been packed full to bursting with a mound of skeletons, dragged from other portions of the tomb and stuffed together until they stopped falling out. Looking at it for more than a few seconds however, starts to reveal a pattern. The remains seem to be arranged in such a way that they mostly radiate from a single point, and they appear to be almost eclusively upper halves. Arms, skulls and ribs, fused together at the base of the spine like some unholy, skeletal boquet. The bones fuse either more at the arrangement's edges, twisting together to form a set of much larger and more obvious arms and legs, though neither of them look human. Staring very closely, one can see a single skull that is larger than the rest, placed in such a way so that it is at the top center of the mass, facing forward.

Priscilla has posed:
    The moment this arrangement becomes obvious, the conjoinment of skeletons begins to move. The giant arms, made of dozens of smaller ones, move to grasp the edges of the coffin, sifting off what might be centuries of dust from their joints. The strange, reverse knee'd legs move next, stepping out of the bottom of the container, lifting the bizarre amalgamation above them forward. No sudden spark of light or demonic fire burns to life in that most prominant skull's sockets. There is no thread of necromantic power that binds these bones together or bids them to move. It stands fully upright, dwarfing even Priscilla's true height, and with a sweep of its hand, an explosion of rippling shadow washes over the cave, momentarily extinguishing all light as it surges in from the walls themselves; congealing around the giant figure and wrapping around its body; solidifying into the shape of a ragged, midnight black cloak, fluttering gently on a nonexistant breeze. Where there was none before, an overpowering pressure settles into the room. The kind that makes blood run cold, hearts skip several beats, sight contract into dark tunnels, and every nerve in one's body to burn from overuse.

    Priscilla, possibly at a loss of what else to do, kneels.

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     This place is awful. It took Landon time to clean himself up after the baby room, but eventually, he joined the rest of the group, catching up to them rapidly. He didn't want to be left alone here. Even if he couldn't really die here, he didn't...want to be alone here. It was a nightmarish and awful place. Though he was a courageous young man, he wasn't fearless. It was a grim reminder that there were things out there he wasn't meant to know or see, that there were nightmarish entities and nightmarish worlds that weren't nearly as fun as the ones the others had been in. There wasn't much to learn here - or, at least, nothing Landon had seen that he'd like to learn about - and there wasn't much that could be done to help this place. It seemed like it was rotten to the core, a dead place full of strange people.

     *But*...it was important to his ally. So he would soldier on, not for himself, but for Priscilla. He would force the horrors down and deal with them, and stand proud against the darkness, for that was the duty of every Galiandan, in the end. And while some might be forgiven for breaking and running in the face of Evil, the al Cid family never would.

     So it is that he finally makes his way down to look at the massive shadow thing. He looks at it carefully, forcing down the feeling of his blood running cold into the deepest parts of his body. He watches it for a long moment.

     He does not kneel. He is the Prince of Ramuh. He would no more kneel and pay homage to another king than he would ask a king to do the same for him. He is not so arrogant a man as to demand fealty from alien royalty, and he expects the same treatment in kind.

     And should it decide to strike him, as so many things seem willing to do, then he will respond in kind.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard travels. He moves with the others, coming down the rope with them to drop into the massive cavern. When he gets down there, he looks around and takes a deep breath.

"Fascinating." He simply comments, and approaches the massive casket with the others.

The great being moves, and Lezard vanishes, Darkness spreading outwards en extinguish all light for a moment. As the cloak pulls away, There is a faint gleam of light from the lenses of Lezard's glasses, as he stares upwards at the Gravelord with a studied, almost abstract expression. The presence is overwhelming, causing him to adjust his stance, the hair rising on the back of his neck as the undead being brgins to confront them.

But he does not kneel. He stands there, a spreading smile on his face as his countenance seems to grow darker still. Still, for the moment, he waits.

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko splashes on through the water, and then into the next tunnel, scuffing her feet in the dust to dry them. She places one armored boot onto the piton, more as insurance than for lack of faith in Oscar's mountaineering. When she follows afterward, toe spikes formed on her armor enhance her purchase, and she moves swiftly and with a lightness belying the weight of her armor.

    At the bottom, her first thought is for further exits. Are there any? She can't see any--but that means little, without a chance to explore. If this is a dead end, and they have no strayed on their path, then here they must have reached their destination. That would make this figure the bearer of the Lordsoul--or else a guardian of it. Still uncertain.

    At the dark magic, she tenses--but no attack materializes. The tension remains, and it's only the knowledge of how quickly she /could/ be armed that keeps her hand from her weapon. There is something great and terrible about this gathering of remains, yet still unlike any horror she'd yet met.

    If this /is/ the one they seek, or companion to it, she cannot afford to strike first. She can scarcely afford to speak. She saves that for the more capable.

    She remains, halfway into the ready stance of knees bent and arms spread of one prepared to move, whether forward or back.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Spotting the strange amalgamation of dead bodies rising out, Emiya SHirou for whatever reason reacts without disgust or horror. A cold sweat has begun trickling across his skin, he's got a horrid gut feeling about what will likely become a battle... seeing Priscilla kneel all of a sudden does not fill him with much confidence, but maybe, just maybe, the one called First of the Dead still has some sanity and reason...

    ... maybe...

    He doesn't kneel. He steps forward brashly, but isn't exactly showing confidence he doesn't feel. For the moment, no, all he does is ask...

    "Are you Nito the Grave Lord, First of the Dead?" Though boldly addressing him, Shirou fills his Circuits with prana and calls up an image to use... just in case.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe pressing ahead and she takes a moment to see the rope beore nodding once she'll let the others head down, she's climbing yes, why? Underground means no flight for her so way she goes moving to shimmy down the rope, which she seems to be pretty good at given she's in partial plate armour really. She waits for a moment as she moves upon her way as they hit hte Cavern blow she notices the darkness and is /very/ worried about it. This place does make her very much on edge. It's wants to kill her more than SAO /did/ which is saying sometyhing she looks about at the skeletons and watches as they fuse she's about to pull her weapon as that's the biggest skeleton she's seen in a while.

She's about to go for her weapon but when Priscilla kneels? She follows suit and does the same. Tomoe kneels out of respect as she gets these are things to not fight.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki, again finding within herself better judgment, does not redraw her weapons at any point from there onward. Instead she picks up her pace to match Priscilla's. She receives a very slight advance warning in the form of a combination of talents: the first, her foresight, the second, her temporum. In conjunction, these two things allow that rush of pressure to hit Mizuki early which gives her just a few more moments than the rest to adjust, and to know precisely what it is that she's walking in to. For this reason, for her own comfort, she wanted to be nearest to the person that she knows best of all those she finds herself in the company of this evening.

    And before she knows it, said friend is kneeling to this... most glorious of piles of death. Really, there are few terms that might make Nito out as something more glorious than that; this 'First of the Dead' reeks more of putrescence than he does of any kind of divinity. And yet, there is a sort of nuance to that that she appreciates -- it's almost humble, she thinks, and it comforts her all the more to know that this most exalted necromancer would likely not care a whit were he to hear every thought she is having this moment. Ah, and that thought brings one of her classic smiles to her countenance. Can he hear her, indeed? Or could he assume? Truly, it's always an interesting thing for her to meet other Gods, for she herself has never known whether she belongs more among mortals, or... something else. But still, meeting a so-called 'immortal' is usually enough to inspire a fairly profound reaction.

    And this one could certainly be called 'profound', by her standards. She kneels with Priscilla which, to her, is a gesture of incredible respect. Her small bows and curtsies are always tinged with a hint of mocking when they're given to someone with whom she is not well acquainted, and so this really, truly, signifies some feelings of respect. Maybe it's because he's a Lord of Death? She does seem to care more when things begin to involve philosophical things of that ilk. Or maybe it's because she wanted to make Priscilla more comfortable? Well, that is less likely, given that she has never done such before and she would likely guess it wouldn't help at all for her to do so. Really, the 'why' is up in the air, and is even to her, but regardless this greeting is far more solemn than people usually receive from the lady.

    Or it would be, if she would stop freaking smiling. Good God.

    Ah, though it doesn't last long, and her head has soon risen to behold the likely still forming mass that is the First of the Dead. It's clear by the look on her face that she's contemplating some witty remark, but it will likely not make its way into the realm of audibility before Nito himself responds, in some way or another, to his visitors.

    Here we go, huh?

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan will always avoid flying if he can, and so he rappels down when the others do. And when the group finally does reach the sarcophagus -- and only then -- Nathan removes the helm that Kimiko left him, in preparation to see what comes next.

    Fear surges through him as the huge form emerges and cloaks itself. Pressure on his mind functions quite well, and most other people like him would be in enough fear to force him to flee right back up that rope! But, no, Nathan remains staunchly emotionless and unreactive, controlling his breathing and harshly locking down any chance of trembling. The result looks almost brave, as the sweeping waves of magic flutter his robe. Instead he takes a few steps forward and kneels. He speaks up in a very nonthreatening, gentle sort of tone. "Salutations." He says. "We intend no harm, and if the creatures found in the areas before were yours, we sought only survival." He's trying to follow Priscilla's lead here and get some bearing on the situation, despite the intense, powerful pressure in the room. He's looking for some indication of whether this thing is Nito, but... That cloaking motion, at least, seemed intelligent. And if anything is a gravelord, this might be it.

    Yeah, he's about to get stomped on by giant skeleton feet.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    And so the group advances away from the awful sight behind them, and descend into the dark. Ainsley regains a stoicism that struggles to match that of the others, the creature practically raised to discard emotion having the hardest time doing it out of those who favor a steady gaze. She is one of the last to travel down to the bottom, simply because she can fly and it lets her float down with a silent grace.

    When she lands, and the place they arrive in is no longer filled with an oppressive dark, she looks around the walls with a distant stare, like she isn't sure she's still awake or not.

    The thing that comes out of the coffin makes her eyes fixate. She stares at it without blinking, the First of the Dead getting a watchful stare that smothers any curiosity she has for the rest of the room. Unlike a couple others, she does not kneel. She just watches, like a startled beast, waiting to see if this god of death is a threat or not. Ainsley hates the concept of death and this whole adventure has frayed her nerves pretty severely.

    The only thing polite about her right now is that she isn't drawing a weapon.

Priscilla has posed:
    Left behind in the great stone sarcophagus, now visible with its occupant out of the way, is the visage of a colossal sword larger than anyone present; a curved blade of equal parts fused, skeletal structure and gleaming black metal. The figure that can only possibly be Nito could reach for it at any time and clear a fifth of the room in a single sweep, but the gigantic blade is left dormant in its place. Instead, Nito looks down to the phantoms, the undead, and the crossbreed assembled before him, and sensing all that seperates them from anything else in all of Lordran, deigns to speak. There is no thunderous boom, ethereal echo or powerful psychic presence associated with it. The sound is a rushing cascade of whispering voices. The noise of hundreds of thousands of people speaking over one another in hushed, muted tones. Men. Women. Children. All of an equal volume and presence, to the point where a singular, dominant emphasis is impossible to perceive.

    "I am." Nito states to Shirou in a chorus of voices like the rising and passing of an ocean wave. "I see one of the Undead, with the possession of a Lordsoul. A creature who is neither truly alive nor truly dead, and a host of phantoms outside of the cycle of the world. Strange centuries have passed in my slumber." It might occur to someone that it is impossible to tell anything about Nito from looking or listening. Bones are bones, no matter who they came from, and the dead are the dead, no matter who they were. "The things that now roam the Tomb in my absence. I can feel them. They are not dead. The one that came here before. He has brought servants, and they have abused the powers of this place. But now they rest amongst its numbers."

    The gravelord lifts one hand and curls its fingers of bone into its palm, and the light dies once more as a howling, freezing wind sweeps through the cavern, carrying a wave of blackest shadow along with it like a sea of ink tossed before the gales of a violent storm. The pulse of darkness passes, and then a brief few moments pass, before the walls start to glow. One after the other, the frail and pallid flames of lost souls begin to phase through the solid rock; casting the room into ghastly twilight as they surge inwards in greater and greater numbers. The tide blends together into a swirling white fog, rushing past everyone gathered like a whirlwind, but without disturbing so much as their clothes. They congeal into a single point above Nito's palm, amassing into a single, massive pyre of colourless fire, and then as the very last one joins it, it bursts, plunging the room back into its barely lit state. "Now, they rest."

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko moves slowly, taking one step, then another, and another, her stiff stance shifting little. There's more involuntary tension than intentional wariness in her, now. She does not relax because relaxing in this state is not possible.

    She comes to stand by Nathan's side, and very purposefully straightens, clasping her hands behind her back. She does not speak.

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley sucks in a breath, as the souls of the many unnatural creatures that fill the caverns are torn out and brought into Nito's grasp in a matter of seconds. The effect her skin crawl and her mouth hang open in some shock and unease.

    Her mouth slowly closes, soon after. She at last turns her gaze away from Nito and turns it to Nathan, who seems to be as eager to negotiate as always. She watches to see how he will handle this, because she is utterly baffled on how to tell this being that they need the Lordsoul he possesses.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki would begin to stand. "Well, it is good to see you are properly cognisant of yoursel --" But there's an utterly bizarre sensation to sweep past her, and immediately before she can breathe that last syllable, her body goes rigid again. Not because of some thoughts that she's having this time, either -- this is the more standard experience of perceptual astonishment. She is given pause by something she interprets as awe-inspiring rather than thought provoking, and that truly impresses her in an earnest capacity. Again, though, this is just somewhat gratifying: perhaps she did not waste that kneeling gesture after all. Pray, this one might've deserved it. This one...

    ... Creation bless, this one may actually -cooperate- with them. Maye actually -help- them somehow. The thought excites her beyond what she has words available to express.

    But she had best not get ahead of herself here, either. That did very little for her earlier. She she breathes instead -- a deep, rejuvenating breath for her even in such a stagnant environment -- and exhales before straightening her posture and beginning her overture. For even if Nathan has the Voice of Consequence in this chamber, she has the almost as valuable Voice of Interest. And pray you, she -will- say her piece. Only, she is scrambling at the moment to parse in her mind exactly what that piece is, quite; she's still reeling from earlier.

    So she gives herself a moment of respite and curtsies again as Nito finishes speaking, taking just a few steps forward to separate herself from the group. "Greetings, First of the Dead." Another, quick, miniature curtsy, accompanied by steps both forward and back to her place. "Allow me first to say: it is extremely refreshing to know that there are beings of great power in this world with the sapience to converse sensibly with us. I cannot express, for whatever it may be worth, how exuberant I am to have the opportunity to know your mind, or otherwise your collective self, in any capacity. Whatever comes with our ensuing conversation, I am honored and humbled to see you - death personified - in a world where mortality is so... omnipresent. There is much you must know, and much we would seek to gain from your knowledge... and though I realize there is exceedingly little my feelings and our quest may hold for you, I implore you to hear us even so."

    She would pause, here, just to be sure that he wouldn't bid her to quit before she begins. If he doesn't, though, she goes on.

    "As you may have surmised - and as others have told and will tell you - we seek your Lordsoul. Not for power, and not for control, but only to do as you fought to do in the past: to banish the dark, or at the least suppress it for a spell. We seek to restore the sensible and orderly systems of death and life that you represent, and to better define the boundaries between light and dark. We seek order, so that this world may stay the course it has been on since the endless ones were last defeated. It is our hope that, in so doing, we may find an even more definitive solution to this problem, but if that is not to be, we are compelled to do at least this."

    "It is my hope that you still hold, with some degree of clutching veracity, the convictions you had then. That is, if indeed you had such a conviction to begin with. If so, we beg that you bequeath to us any knowledge that may aid us in our dealings. If not, we are equally eager to ask you where your thoughts conflict with ours, and what you would have us do - or not do - instead. Though we seek to change for the better, we are students of this world first, and pledge to be such until we are absolutely certain that our choices are to be the most conducive to the future stability, peace, prosperity, and other favorable aspects of the future for this world."

    With that, she would give one, last bow, before sinking back in with the larger crowd. Phew.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard was getting ready for an entertaining battle against a corpse-god, too. An expression of frustration and profound disappointment crosses Lezard's face, decides it likes the area, and settles in.

He is about to speak, but a look of extreme irritation crosses his face. He turns, staring directly at Priscilla for several tense moments, and simply turns away, crossing his arms.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    This is hands-down one of the weirdest meetings Shirou's ever experienced. With Nito putting on the spookiest lightshow in existence, Shirou can only shudder where he stands - not kneels - not quite sure what to say for a while. But he finds his voice after clearing his throat.

    Apparently trying to ignore the matter of those souls being... whatever Nito just did with them. He's about to speak up anyways, but then Mizuki does a thousand times better than he could've. Stunned by the eloquence he just gapes through the speech, awed...

    When he finally does speak... it's just a simple addition. "All we're after is bringing some hope back to this land. Where did the Gods like Gwynevere go? Were there no options but things getting this bad?"

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan stands in a single, fluid motion, and strides forward. He is TINY compared to that titanic mass of bone, and overcome by INTENSE fear and overbearing mental pressure, to say nothing of how intimidating it is to see his demonstration of Nito's command over the souls of the dead. It is the kind of fear that makes most people scream and run, or cower in some corner incoherently.

    And then he locks his arms behind his back, hand to elbow, and speaks in an absolute monotone. "Salutations, Gravelord." He repeats a greeting, this time, much more properly. "We are happy to know that our self-defense was no offense to you. And you are correct: We are phantoms hailing from beyond your world. As you may guess from the presence of an undead bearing the Lordsoul, we come with the desire to procure another, and the greater intent to open the way to the Kiln of the First Flame and ease the blight of undeath that creates so much... Unrest, for those who would die." He's not sure how much to focus on that part of what Nito said, but it's the only hook he has.

    "We do not wish to engage in combat with you. I rather suspect we may have interrupted your slumber, as first of the dead. If there is a means by which we may procure the Lordsoul in your possession without violence and with mutual benefit, we seek to do so, in as swift a timespan as may be viable so as to interrupt your own rest as little as we may."

    He's intentionally being rather concise and direct, efficient in his words to create a sort of contrast with Mizuki's approach, and because too much wordiness on his part can't be done without too much extrapolation; he needs to see what Nito is willing to say, for now...

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe feels very tiny right now as they are before Nito she looks at the thing or the moment he has not proven hostile uyet she is just trying to get an idea of the scale of the gravelord and images of one of the last floors she was on in SAO comes back to her the floor of the dead. She listens more and pays attention to everything about her for a moment, she watches as they put many of the undead top their rest and she's not sure what to say not. She listens as te other speak over the comm and she's with Nathan's plan.

As those better spoken than her spoeak she remains silent for the longest time, what's she to say to a being like this?

Landon al Cid (642) has posed:
     Landon watches the monster carefully. His own world's Guardian of the Dead was a kind thing. It was a gentle thing. Fenrir and Phoenix and Raiden were things of majesty, true, but they were ever allies of Humekind. What need did they have to express dominance? What need did those gods have to rule the living, when they had power over the dead?

     Nathan steps forward. Landon does the same. His eyes lock onto wherever Nito's eyes ought to be, careful and steady. He's not afraid. He's not willing to be afraid. He probably is, in fact, terrified, but at this moment - at this point in time - pride has already surpassed his desire to be afraid. It's a trait the al Cid line inspires, the storied bloodline of his family - a pride in himself, and a desire to live up to those countless stories.

     Landon forces himself not to be afraid because his ancestors wouldn't be afraid. He forces himself to bury the feelings of fear in the pit of his stomach because he won't show weakness in front of these people again. He already embarassed himself in the child-room. And they already killed one so-called god with enormous power. What's two, if it came to that?

     "Your world is a madhouse," Landon declares, his voice firm, "You must have noticed that. The dead rise from their graves, ill at ease. I cannot imagine a creature such as you condones such a thing - a creature who claims dominion over the graves of the fallen, who claims lordship over the dead. A king..."

     Landon bites his lip for a moment, then continues, his voice strong. "A King who permits the suffering of his people has no right to call himself a King. That you are willing to talk to us, that you are willing to speak with us and reason with us when the last Lord we faced was too wrapped up in its own self-righteousness to do the same, that you display a measure of compassion for the restless dead, tells me that you are one who deserves the title."

     Landon takes a step forward. "If that is the case, then help us. Help us grant to this world the peace, the rest, you have granted to others."

     "And if you are instead a Tyrant of Death, then know that our reluctance to face you does not stem from fear, but from hope. From the hope, as Sir Hall states, that we can resolve this situation without violence. From the hope that you are a good and worthy King. From the hope that we would bring to your suffering world. For there are always better ways to solve a problem than violence..." Landon's golden-armored spectral fist tightens.

     "...but if it be necessary, we will rise to the occasion."

Priscilla has posed:
    Whether or not the other Elites feel any reverence for a Lord of her world, Priscilla remains on her knee, where Oscar has joined her, raising her voice only after Mizuki, Shirou and Nathan have said their piece. "Great Lord Nito. I am Priscilla, relation of the Princess Gwynevere and . . . the Duke Seath. I cometh here with the Chosen undead, at the bidding of the Kingseeker Frampt. He possesses the Lordvessel." Prompted thus, Oscar rummages for a few moments before producing the very thing, unwrapping it from a folded, royal blue Astoran flag in order to present it to the Gravelord as proof. "These art cohorts of us, and they speak truthfully. I beg thee, hear their words as those of one bearing a task handed down by Lord Gwyn, thine comrade in arms."

    Nito looks to Priscilla, and then the Lordvessel, each motion accompanied by the subtle rattling of bone and the fluttering of shadows. The cavern fills with a thousand voices once more, louder than the first time, but still barely more than a murmur. "I know you bring the Lordvessel, for it would not be possible to reach me otherwise. A thousand years ago, the Lord of Sunlight departed with his faithful knights, and made known to the Witch, the Duke and I, his intentions to link the flame, for he wished to forestall the Age of Dark with his power. If the undead still exist, then both the Witch and the Duke's efforts have failed, as mine did. Though humans dwell within the realm of death more than any other race, it was not I who created them. The one who did is long gone, and whatever flaw of his it is that brought about the Darksign, it is not something I could undo. I was unable to bring more than temporary death to those souls afflicted by it. I sealed this room so that it would not be possible for any to find it until either the next age began, or all other efforts failed and lead to the rite of succession, left as the last resort. If the Kiln did not need to be reopened, you could not be here."

    "As it is, I have little use for this soul. The great races are all but extinct, humans are unable to die, and I have left my own people, the Finito, to govern the few remaining dead in my absence. The Lordsoul's power is weak and untapped while the laws of death are bent and distorted so." The Gravelord holds out its hand, and the cavern is suddenly bathed in a harsh, blinding, golden-white light as a soul is produced that is so powerful that it burns to be in the same room as it. The Lordsoul is dropped from Nito's hand like a discarded pebble, falling onto Oscar beneath him, and momentarily consumes him in cascading waves of fire. When the light fades, Oscar seems no different than before to those unable to sense souls like a native, but then, Nito seems the same as well, despite having given up his soul. "Whatever comes of the next age, it is inevitable that something will die. The first death will give me shape, and I will inheret the title anew. This will find its way back to me."

    There is a brief pause in the surge of myriad voices. "If there is one thing I will ask in return, it is that you speak to the Kingseeker and the Darkstalker both. I know not where you will find the primordial serpents in this age, unless they have retreated to the Abyss itself, but it is important that you hear both brothers. Neither tells the entire truth, and neither tells entirely lies. It is not for me to decide what the Lord of Sunlight's successor will do with the world otherwise."

Ainsley (151) has posed:
    Ainsley watches the passing of the torch, as the light bathes the room in a way that washes over the very aura that flows over her. The power warms her without her ever being near it or touching it, making her relax some when she realizes that this has been resolved without violence. Nito's words are comforting to her, the more he talks.

    "Thank you, Gravelord," she finally says, the first of only two phrases he is ever going to receive from her. She curtsies to him, smiling. She has to show her gratitude, because it's quite genuine.

    With their business concluded, she only has one thing in mind, after all that she has seen the past few hours.

    "Is there a simple way to depart this place?"

Kimiko Shinobu (570) has posed:
    Kimiko raises her hand before her eyes, palm out, to block the sudden flame from her sight. She looks to Oscar, afterward, but lacks that native sense--still, that he seems unchanged is good, as it would mean he is unharmed. She's taken a half step back in the process, but now brings her feet together, lowers her hands to her sides, and bows to the Gravelord, formally and respectfully, if in her own, foreign manner.

    They managed it. They found someone in this land that willingly cooperated with their necessary task. The tense waiting was worth it, and their effort vindicated.

    She remains, now, only to hear an answer to Ainsley's question. For the phantoms, leaving should be simple, but it woud be unconscionable to leave Oscar and Priscilla at this end of the Tomb of the Giants, with all the danger that came in reaching this place.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
    Nathan steps to the side as the soul is given. "Whatever value it may have for you, Gravelord, a peaceful exchange is its own value. That we both do not resort to violence is an easing of our minds. We are grateful." He listens further, and gives a firm nod. "You do not know us, and me especially, so perhaps these words have little value. But I will say with the utmost confidence: If there is one thing you can count on more than the inevitability of death itself, it is that I will, always, do my best to listen to those who will speak. We will seek the other primordial serpent, and we will learn what each has to say. I have no doubt that each message will be weighed appropriately." He has the feeling he's missing something. Something about cycles, something about dark ages, but he's not quite aware enough of the bigger picture to ask for more detail.

    Then a look to Oscar, confirming he has the prize. A glance to Priscilla, and a quick nod. "Our business here is concluded. This place is meant for the dead, not for the living." He'll patiently wait for an answer, to ensure that Priscilla has a way out, and then give her a firmer nod, confirming that she may dismiss his phantom at any time.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe rises up at this point and speaks for the first time to the Gravelord.

"Thank you for everything."

It's funny the incarnation of Death for this world more or less was willing to talk, and not fight. She looks over to Oscar for a moment and trives ti give him a smile they got out of this without of fight.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    For once, they don't have to fight. Shirou is awed. He relaxes... and ends up siling slightly. Why is it the dead uy is the only sane person around here, more or less? Ironic, kind of disturbing, but relieving nonetheless! "..that's a relief. ... After the reception Seath gave us I was worried the other Lords might be as beyond hope. Thank you, Grave Lord!" Short and simple. Shirou's not super formal to begin with!

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Once he has finished speaking, Mizuki remains almost reverently silent. Her eyes might gleam in a faint, almost invisible way for several minutes after, and her head would almost autonomously nod. Her respect has elevated within the span of just a few paragraphs into something akin to admiration, and to Nito's words she offers no more of her own. Just another, final, deep bow to serve as thanks. Afterward she would just sink into the crowd and follow the others as they make their way out, satisfied.

    Her thoughts linger briefly to the other undead still by the bonfire, but all the same she manages to find more hope in the Gravelord's council than almost anything else in this whole world thus far.

Priscilla has posed:
    Oscar has to be pulled upright by Priscilla before he'll actually move from his spot, leaving Nito a little longer to speak. "I have little stake in what form this world will take. My contribution is and was far more primevil than something that can be seen to rise and fall. Regardless, it pleases me to see that the Lord of Sunlight has found those such as you to carry out his last will. I have no words for the Witch that would mean anything, but I trust she will meet you well. There is no easy way to leave the Tomb of the Giants, as it was meant only to receive, never to depart. However, Death is a deep peace. The dead have no reason to trouble the living, provided they are allowed their rest. Death accepts all people, whether they be old or young, weak or powerful, or virtuous or sinners. Judgement is not my calling. Only to provide comfort and rest at the conclusion of the lives of the mortal. You will find nothing to obstruct your way." The moment the last person leaves the room, the hole in the ceiling seals over with a wall of featureless blackness, cutting off any way back in.

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard listens to the conversation, and simply waits. He does not speak, instead simply removing a black crystal from his cloak. With a simple motion, the crystal activates, rising around him. "This will not be forgotten." Lezard says, simply, his phantom vanishing as he separates from Priscilla's world and returns to where he came from with the power of the Crystal.