Fantasy Ascent into Madness

[C.DEX]

Once Cyell had seen that Kniges was calming down, he lowered his guard, though his eyes shifted back to the dragonborn every few moments to assure that he wasn't going to be blindsided again. He looked to Maple.

"It's a helmet. Like a hat, but it's designed to protect you from impact, or..." Cyell looked to Gniss, mouth turning in thought. "Something else. I'm not really the one that should be explaining it to you." he said. Of course, he found he wasn't really able to. Despite his past within the Guild, there still were many subjects that had eluded him. Advanced protective gear was one of them. He didn't know how it worked, just that it would stop them from dying. As a last note, he repeated the cursory explanation that the Professor had given him in the days previous.

"Something about shielding us from mana ... too much mana, or maybe too little? I'm not sure." he admitted, never one to necessarily hide his ignorance of the situation. "All I know is that it's essential to our survival. If it weren't, then I doubt any of us would be wearing them."

As Gniss elaborated on how their shares wouldn't grow if any of them were to die, Cyell managed a brief chuckle. "I could think of a few reasons other than the shares. Regardless, it's not something I'm interested in. That means keep your distance, bat, and for the gods' sake, keep your bodily fluids to yourself."

Shielded by his helmet, the infernal human didn't seem to be affected by the rocket's fumes. Luckily, that had been accounted for by his suit. He peeked over the edge of the metallic bridge, stopping to assure that the dragonborn had been trailing behind, lest he find himself plummeting. Not that he'd felt the small creature would have the strength for it, but there was always a risk. He followed behind Kytrek and Gniss, looking hesitantly to the rocket in front of them. There was an eerie feeling in the pit of the blood mage's stomach that had told him this all wasn't a good idea, but he forced it down. He stepped into the bright light, hoping that the expression was only figurative.

Totorokoro Jeda Teq Lyro

 

[Totorokoro]

MAPLE​

Maple mused at the Drow's reactions and kept silent. She realized that it would be better for her not to talk, both, for his sanity and her safety. "It's a helmet." The Infernal Human named Cyell explained, catching her attention. Maple tilted her head as she listened to his explanation with rapt attention.
"A helmet?" She gaped inquisitively,
"Like a hat, but it's designed to protect you from impact, or... Something else. I'm not really the one that should be explaining it to you." he said.

Maple nodded lightly as she grasped the idea. It made sense, they would be in unfamiliar territory and this would protect them. Cyell went on further to explain about his opinion that it would shield them from mana, how much or how little, he wasn't too sure. "All I know is that it's essential to our survival. If it weren't, then I doubt any of us would be wearing them."

"O-Oh," Maple replied, looking down at her own helmet. Everyone else had theirs on, she must put it on too. While everyone began to exit the tiny space, she tried to put it on... But it wouldn't sit, it wouldn't even get past her antlers. Uh-oh...

"Um..." She whimpered as she ran up to join the others, "I-Is there a switch to get these past my antlers, or something?" She asked. Maple was beginning to panic mildly. What if this meant that she could die out there. WAIT! What if this meant she couldn't go at all?!?

Oh dear... Should I cut them off? She wondered drearily. Either way, this might end badly for her.

Stats

Open for Interaction? Yes
Tagging: -

 

[Jeda Teq]

Kniges wiped the tears from his eyes and puffed out his chest to hide his childlike frustration. He gave Cywell the bird. It looked weird since one finger of the five finger glove drooped and flopped. Walking into the rocket he pulled his helmet off of the clip that kept it on his hip. After placing the helmet on his head and locking it in place the miniature dragonborn instantly became limp in the knees and appeared to be visibly sick. "I du...I don't.... fell...I dun fwee..." After stumbling a couple of steps he passed out falling onto the Faun who was making an inquiry about her horns and the helmet.

C.DEX Totorokoro

 

[Lexielai]

Vaila Sonata

Vaila took in the ascent to the rocket with curiosity. She rested her forearms against the railings while her eyes darted about, observing the many workers skittering to and fro in preparation for launch. The sheer scale of the machinery was awe-inspiring. In the past Vaila had seen, and even helped design, some of the elaborate set-ups prepared for her concerts, which often were notable feats of engineering in of themselves. But this was different from all of those. Different in complexity, yes, and in size, but there was an air of scale to this endeavor beyond mere physical dimensions. This moment was going be history. People were going to remember this for years and years to come.

That sort of scale was something Vaila wanted to achieve with her music for a long time. Only she didn’t know it until now, when it appeared right in front of her. She couldn’t resist the smile that emerged across her face as she thought of that no more than she could stop the excited butterflies in her stomach. Without prompting her voice hummed outwards with a pleasant softness to it, mimicking the traditional Dwarven music for a man’s coming-of-age.

She slipped on her helmet and stepped inside the rocket.

 

[Lyro]

.

.

Day 1

Inside the Rocket

Fourth Level

Prof. Kytrek Rhodius
Mentioned: C.DEX Dalamus Ulom Jeda Teq Lexielai Totorokoro ​

Once the dragonborn had been dragged into the rocket and the half-faun's helmet dealt with through the use of sliding panels on the top of her helmet, the assembled mananauts took their seats aboard the ship. Space was at a premium once inside, and the group was split over two stacked cabins connected by a small metal ladder off to one side. Tiny portholes to their sides offered only a limited view of the cavern beyond, but as they were sat it became apparent the cavern was being evacuated. Several vehicles could be spotted, ferrying equipment and personnel away from the launch zone as the engine's fumes grew in intensity.

Throughout the procedure, Gniss watched over the adventurers, assisting them with their belts and equipment as needed. Once satisfied with their safety, she nodded to herself and performed a second round of inspection, this time flicking several switches on the back of the suits, where a bulky set of electronics was situated. Having done so, she grabbed a small rectangular device that was attached to the wall by a coiled cable and spoke into it.

"Right. You should all be able to hear me right now, as well as each other. You are linked to the ship's internal radio system - as long as you are within operational range, we will be able to stay in touch. Isn't that lovely."

The diminutive pixie proceeded then to clear her throat and straighten her posture as her tone became more commanding.

"Pay attention now. I may not be one for speeches, but this is my ship and you are my passengers, so you had damn well best listen to my rules if you don't want me to toss you overboard for insubordination."

As she spoke, Gniss began to climb up a tiny set of rungs leading up to a small trapdoor in the ceiling of the topmost room, all the while still holding on to the transmitter box in her left hand.

"One: my ship, my rules. So long as you aboard, when I give you an order, I expect you to follow it. Two: you do not move from your current seat or remove any of your gear until I give you leave to. Once the ship's manadrive engages, every compartment will be bathed in potentially mind-lethal doses of radiation; if you value your sanity, relax and wait. And lastly,"

she finished with a pause as her gaze swept between Cyell and Kniges,

"absolutely no fighting during transit. If you can't work things out amicably, let me know and it will be my pleasure to drop you off at the next stop. I will not be taking questions."

Her speech concluded, Gniss attached her box to a nearby hook and quickly climbed the rest of the distance to the hatch above. As she opened it and squeezed through, the passengers below were afforded only a brief glimpse of a tiny room filled with all manner of electronic devices before she closed the entrance shut behind her. Almost immediately the rocket seemed to spring to life, as the entire frame of the rocket began to shake. On each floor a small red monitor sprang to life:

3:30
3:29
3:28
...

CLEAR

 

[C.DEX]

"I can amicably ignore him. Will that suffice?" Cyell asked, his question rhetorical. "Not that I wanted to be involved in any of this in the first place ... it's hard enough to go on an expedition where the chance of death is 99.99%, if we're going by how many people have survived it before, let alone having to listen to the sound of babies crying throughout it. Not the way I want to die." he said, voice admittedly a little wavering as the rocket began to shake.

He took a deep breath in, not appreciating the pixie's words as much as he might have if he were calm. He gripped his seat's handles, tinge of fear getting to him. It was mostly unnoticeable under his masked helmet, however, something he'd been happy for.

"Uh... Gniss?" Cyell started, unsure if his message was getting through at all. He fussed with the buttons on his helmet until his voice had staticked in, in all of its unsureness. "Will the radio still work when we're off of the rocket? If we're someplace outside it, saturated with mana, or do we have to be near it? Is there any way to track each other if we get separated?" he asked, a little more nervous now that the launch sequence had started. He looked partially to Kytrek. "Do 'signals' work through mana irradiation?"

 

[Jeda Teq]

Everything had slowed down yet seemed to move quickly as well. Was he being left behind in time? Pushed into a realm that was worthy of his presence? No, that's what he told himself keep his fear in check. He felt his body being moved by outside forces but could not resist it despite his best efforts. His movements were further restricted once he was strapped in the chair.
His mind clouded, vision blurred, and body lethargic. His heart beat hastened and his breathing was shallow. Silent panic set in. This suit was suffocating him. This was all an elaborate plan from the long beards back at the Guild to off him. Where the others in the same situation as him? Trapped in a coffin disguised as armor.
His head bobbed as he struggled to maintain consciousness. He had to get this thing off of him. Need to be free. His arm moved to the neck of his suit in an attempt to release it, but the glove limited his dexterity and he lacked the strength to properly use his muscles so it appeared as if he was just rubbing himself.

 

[Lyro]

Prof. Kytrek Rhodius
Mentioned: C.DEX Jeda Teq ​

The rocket's vibrations could no longer be ignored by any of its passengers, much to Kytrek's dismay. An attempt to close his eyes had only made it worse, and he was now staring unflinchingly at the countdown in front of him. Not much time left now before it presumably got immeasurably worse, so he gritted his teeth and prepared for the worst. This also turned out to be a bad move, and he promptly un-gritted his teeth and twisted his mouth into a snarl.

Beside him, the dragonborn was stirring again, though he still seemed somewhat out of it; his arms were moving as if to undo the clasps of his helmet. Glad for the opportunity to take out his discomfort on someone else, Kytrek awkwardly moved his left arm around his restraints and swatted at the creature.

"Whatever you're trying to do, give it up. In case you haven't noticed, your entire suit is attached to the rocket, just like the rest of us. The only way you're wriggling out of this is if our gracious captain obliges you or our trip is cut short by the whole thing blowing up. So quit squirming; I'm trying to pay attention to the doomsday clock in front of us and you're distracting me."

2:01
2:00
1:59
...

"And as for signals, of course they work, boy, except in the very upper levels where the static interference becomes too strong."

Gniss's voice chimed in then to respond to Cyell's query.

"Quite so, in ordinary circumstances. But whenever you stray too far from the rocket, I will activate the long-distance transmitter. It is sufficiently powerful to cut through even the most heavily irradiated areas, but I am told it is hazardous to most lifeforms which get too close. Now, if you would excuse me..."

​

Her voice cut off just as a shudder went through the entire ship and the shaking became sufficiently intense to make normal conversation impossible. There wasn't much time left on the clock now, and was it just him or was the room getting hotter by the second? That was probably normal. And if it wasn't, he was going to find out soon enough anyway.

0:03

The rumbling below them also sounded perfectly normal. The fact that he had never heard anything like it before in his life spoke to how sophisticated this all was.

0:02

A little less rumbling would have been nice, though.

0:01

Gods he hoped they didn't explode.

0:00
LIFT

A force unlike anything they had withstood in their lives began to press against the rocket's passengers as the machine lifted off the ground. The cavern around them, as seen through the tiny windows to their sides, seemed to scroll by faster and faster, a vague blur of shapes and colors growing darker as the rocket took off into the darkness above. The noise was deafening, a constant roar coming from below them, but at least the vibrations the engine had been causing had subsided somewhat.

Then they collided with the ceiling, and their ascent lurched to a quasi-halt. Their bodies lunged upward upon impact but remained fastened to their seats, thanks to the complex arrangement of straps holding them down. Above them, a terrible sound began as the rocket resumed its progress and the drill went to work. Unlike the dull roaring of the rocket boosters below, this was the piercing, grating sound of metal boring into the rock above them - slowly at first, then increasingly quickly as Gniss seemed to gain confidence in the drill's abilities, until they reached a suitable cruising speed. Soon, the entire rocket had passed into the cavern ceiling; beyond the windows, only darkness and small pieces of falling rock illuminated by the rocket's light could be seen. The mananauts' entire world now consisted of their small cabin, the unending noise above and below, and the darkness beyond.

A good time as any to pass out, Kytrek opined, as his vision darkened and he fell unconscious.

CLEAR

 

[C.DEX]

Cyell held onto his own suit, reaching for anything in particular that would give him some feeling of steadiness. It was a fritless effort, but he'd beared down regardless, knuckles turning white underneath his gloves. What little he was able to move his head, he did, although with gravity he had found his neck resistant, attempting to violently find itself back in a neutral position. He managed to look toward Kytrek and Kniges, if only slightly.

He saw shaking - violent shaking - as his eyes failed to adjust with how the rocket had been moving. Through it, he'd gotten a barely legible image of both Kytrek and Kniges, both failing to fight against gravity. He couldn't tell if they had just failed to move - and that would be completely understandable, of course - or if they had given into the very real feeling of unconsciousness that was creeping up on him, as well.

He fought it, trying valiantly to remain awake. There was no real pain, of course, but the pressure was enough to halt his breathing. Then, as the drill of the rocket hit the top of the cavern and a horrible sound had taken up place around them, the pressure had stopped. The bloodmage had survived it. Or so he thought. In reality, though his thoughts certainly had seemed connected, he'd passed in and out of consciousness, evident by the fact that his hands no longer clasped to the straps that had held them in.

The noise was enough to wake him up, regardless. But not Kytrek, nor Kniges. Whether it had been out of plain curiosity or need to not be alone on a rocket that he'd sworn for a moment he'd die on, he reached out, limbs feeling particularly weak. He knocked on Kytrek's chest, arms feeling a little too loose to reach his helmet. When he'd found the man didn't stir, he looked to Kniges.

"Are you guys ..." he started, pausing to catch his breath as he'd realized just how much the wind had been knocked out of him. "...Awake?" he asked, unsure entirely if the comms could even be heard over the noise.

 

[Jeda Teq]

The deprived dragonborn tried to fight against Kytrek's helpful hand but lacked the mental strength to do so. His arms dangled at his sides soon after. Kniges was left to his fate and trapped in his mind thinking he was going to die.

The aggressive shaking of the rocket jostled in his seat. The spikes on his tail dug into the inside fabric of his suit, thinning the protection from mana radiation. This allowed a small amount of mana to seep into his suit which was like a breath of fresh air to the dragonborn. The fog on his mind had been lifted and he finally noticed the bold red font reading "0:00"

"What's goin.., AIIIEEEEEE!" Before he could finish his sentence in a wobbly voice, the rocket blasted off. He screamed until the drill crashed into the ceiling of the cavern. His eyes grew wide with pain and regret for having an open mouth as he bit down on his tongue from his head and free limbs lurched forward. The helmet muffled the intense sounds from the drill and the boosters. However, there was one horrific noise that he could now comprehend. "Are you guys.... awake?"
"GET OUT OF MY MIND!" Kniges yelled at Cyell. However noone could hear Kniges for he had not turned on his comms on to speak out.

 

[Lyro]

Prof. Kytrek Rhodius
Mentioned: C.DEX Jeda Teq ​

Pull yourself together old man and wake up,

is what Kytrek would have thought if he had been sufficiently awake to think. Had he been awake, of course, there would have been no need to think such a thought - a fact which would have interested him if, again, he had beeen awake to consider it.

As the rocket continued its upward advance, its erratic movements began to subside. It was still far from a pleasant experience, but as its constant vibrations turned to occasional shudders and the noise cancelling enchantments progressively began to switch on as the rocket gained altitude, it seemed like the experience might at least become bearable.

It was about five minutes after launch when Gniss's voice cut in through the intercoms.

"Attention,"

she announced, her voice sounding slightly strained but otherwise quite clear.

"This is your Captain speaking. We have just cleared the Fourth Level and are now entering the Fifth. It will be half-an-hour before we arrive at our first destination. Our ascent should become easier from then on. Until then... Try to pass the time. Play charades or something. Out."

Next to Cyell, Kytrek groaned and began to stir.

CLEAR

 

[C.DEX]

Cyell looked down to the straps adorning his torso. Well, it was easy to look down. It was simply that he hadn't really considered them until then. Despite the noise calming down, and the rocket turning into a gentle roar rather than an unbearable loudness, there was something still inherently chaotic and panicking about being on-board, helplessly strapped to the chair with the encumbering suits limiting their movements. It was almost akin to being in a dream; the bloodmage hadn't ever imagined being on board a rocket, at one point in his life not even understanding what one was. Rash decision or not, he was stuck.

He looked to the right of him to Kytrek again. Kytrek, who had gone absolutely limp in place. He'd briefly hoped that Kytrek hadn't simply had a heart attack and died there, but dismissed the thought. That would be an anticlimactic end to their story, and he was shifting. But then again, so would dying in a horribly loud Dwarven contraption. The mage brought his arm back to his chest, sticking his fingers under the X-shaped strap that adorned the front of his suit, tying him to the chair. With a whole lot of fuss, and several minutes of struggling, he had managed to free his arm just a bit looser. Not enough to jettison him out of his seat if it had just so happened they slam into the top of a cavern again, of course, but enough to reach over, and slap the front of Kytrek's helmet.

Smack, smack, smack.

"I think they're both knocked out." Cyell grunted. He imagined that their Captain couldn't see him slipping out of the safety restraints. One loose arm wouldn't hurt, anyways. "Is that ... normal? Maybe - we need to stop?" he asked, the slightest hint of worry in his voice.

 

[Jeda Teq]

Kniges had begun to knock on his helmet to get the voices out of his head. He was too delirious to catch the instructions of how their comms worked. With his constant knocking he managed to flip the switch that allowed for two way communication. "I SAID GET OUT OF MY HEAAAAAD!" his voice blared through the speakers of the other crew members helmets.

 

[Lyro]

Prof. Kytrek Rhodius
Mentioned: C.DEX Jeda Teq ​

Kytrek's eyes fluttered open as Cyell slapped him. A low groan came from him as he shifted in his seat.

"...ow dare y..."

His mumblings were interrupted as the dragonborn's bellow spread through the intercom, instantly bringing Kytrek back to full wakefulness. Swivelling his head, he looked past Cyell and levelled a stare at the struggling form of Kniges.

"Oh, be quiet you pathetic jumped-up lizard!"

Kytrek tried to raise his arm to his head only to come up against his helmet. Only then did he seem to remember where he was, as he looked around the area. He groaned once more and shifted in his seat.

"This trip is going to be painful enough without your help. Cy, how long have I been--"

Kytrek's question was cut off as the the rocket unexpectedly shuddered and sped up. The windows around them which, until now, had displayed nothing but the darkness of the surrounding rock suddenly seemed to clear as the darkness was replaced by the soft glow of a cavern's artificial lights. The entire frame of the rocket seemed to shake then as it found itself surrounded by air, but before long it stabilized and halted its ascent. The whine of the drill over them was abruptly cut off as the roar below diminished, allowing the rocket to begin to float back down. Smaller thrusters to the side began to fire, nudging the rocket away from the hole it had emerged from and towards another area of the cavern.

With a final, heavy shudder, the machine made contact with the ground once more. The main thruster's noise subsided to a light rumble, and then silence, as various electronic components around them powered down. Indicators began to light up around them, displaying various metrics such as the ambient temperature, the background level of radiation ("Upper Fifth Level" read the corresponding annotation) and the presence of any eventual threats (

Probably some mixture of heat tech and enchantments,

Kytrek thought to himself).

"First pit stop. Won't be long."

The tiny latch on the ceiling opened and Gniss emerged, climbing down from her ladder and then leaping to the floor.

"Feel free to stretch your legs, but don't wander off the rocket,"

she said as she walked around, unfastening the restraints on the mananauts.

"This is a restricted, high-security cavern that doesn't exist, as far as you are concerned. We will no be lingering. As soon as the fuel is loaded and the system integrity is complete, we are off."

She finished freeing the last passenger, then turned and left without another word, exiting through another of the small latch on the floor, leaving the mananauts alone with each other.

CLEAR

 

[C.DEX]

The blood mage stood, instantly wobbling as soon as he had. His arms flailed out as realization took that maybe he should have been biding his time, but as he fell back into his seat, he came to the conclusion that it was a little late. While not vomitous, or physically ill, his head spun. On the outside, it had simply looked like he stood up and then sat back down, but everyone on the ride up could understand and empathize with his plight.

Sitting for a while and letting his head rest, the mage finally took another shot at standing up once again. He made it, balancing himself on the arm of his chair and slowly letting go, as if edging off onto a bridge. It was almost a humorous display. When he had finally found himself standing placidly, he turned his attention back to the others.

"Just wanted to make sure you weren't dead. People at your age are susceptible to heart attacks." Cyell reminded him, his chiding half-hearted as he leaned over to catch his breath. He propped himself up on his knees. "I'm not sure how long you were out, because I think at some point I passed out, too." he said, stifling his nausea.

He looked around. What light had filled the cabin seemed dim compared to the massive cove that had housed the rocket in the first place. Almost suffocating. And he had a screeching dragon in his ear, to boot. The thought of snapping back at the dragonborn had crossed his mind. It was an incredibly tempting one. But the dissappearing form of the fairy, and the knowledge that his mood was for the most part due to a particularly rough ride, reminded him that he should probably stifle his words.

"It's the comms system, dumbass." Cyell said, hoping an explanation would cause him to stop shrieking.

 

[Lyro]

Prof. Kytrek Rhodius
Mentioned: C.DEX ​

Old man Kytrek groaned and got to his feet along with Cyell.

"You'd be surprised what people at my age are still capable of doing to smart-mouthed little s--"

The sound of a latch being flung open stopped Kytrek mid-sentence as Gniss emerged from the same trapdoor she had left through. Unlike before, however, there was a new urgency to her step as she hastily climbed out and slammed the latch shut behind her.

"We've been ambushed,"

she said as she walked towards Cyell.

"Upper spies got wind of our little adventure, and they're on their way here."

Having reached Cyell, she leapt into the air and shoved him roughly back into his seat with unnatural strength.

"I'm advancing our schedule. No time to fully refuel; we're going to have to hope the magic drive is strong enough to get us to the top on its own."

Moving to grab the various belts and restraints around Cyell, she began to tie them back quickly and efficiently.

"Next stop was supposed to be on level 7. That's out of the question now. We'll chart our own path.

Her job finished, she turned to Kytrek who quickly put his hands in front of him palm outwards as he started to stutter something.

"The road's going to be bumpy,"

she continued as she jumped and grabbed Kytrek by his collar, dragging him back into his seat as she went back down.

"Good news for you is that you'll all be out for most of it."

Kytrek winced as the restraints were tightened around him once more but didn't say anything, and before long he was secured in place once more.

Gniss looked around as if to check that everything was in its place and seemed about to make a pronouncement when the rocket shook. Her eyes widened as she turned and scrambled to look out the window. Turning his head as best he could, Kytrek tried to catch a glimpse of what was going on outside while Gniss muttered curses beneath her breath. Outside, the cavern was mostly featureless; the rocket seemed to be enclosed by thick, tall concrete walls that formed a perimeter around it. Beyond lay only featureless blackness, save for a winding road that led from the gates of the perimeter to a distant light at the far edge of the cavern. And along that road, only a few feet away from the gates to the compound, several vehicles could be seen lying in wait, though they were too far away for their features to be visible. And as they watched, a bright light came into existence and shot towards them.

"We have to go,"

shouted Gniss as the light reached them and she was thrown to her feet by another tremor.

"They're trying to stop us from leaving."

Scrambling back up, she quickly clambered up the room's ladder and returned to her cockpit. Around the mananauts, the general hum of the rocket resumed, along with the louder, deeper roar of the engines below. The entire structure began to shake once more, significantly more violently than before. And yet, even as the pain of being jolted around became harder to ignore, something seemed to change in the rocket, smoothing out the rougher edges.

A faint undercurrent of something softer began to mix with the violent thrashings of the engine below. Its effect was subtle, but as the rocket's shudders became more constant and the mananauts were pressed against their seats, its presence became undeniable. As the machine rose into the air, an inexplicable grace seemed to help it along, one which it had lacked down in the Fourth Level. The difference wasn't dramatic, but it was just enough to be appreciable: the manadrive was online.

And then everything went black for Kytrek. Again.

CLEAR

 

[C.DEX]

Cyell's eyes shot open as Gniss buckled him in, the whites of his eyes showing from behind his helmet. He had caught the same glimpse that Kytrek had, the vehicles of their supposed pursuers sitting in rest outside of the rocket. In that moment, he felt particularly helpless as Gniss pushed him back into his seat and buckled him in, the shock of being taken out of near-unconsciousness only for the rocket to kick back into gear again being more than a little overwhelming. Then, as the pixie began to ascend back into the cockpit, he nearly shouted out. "Wait, wait! You can't just say that and then -"

SLAM.

The small cockpit hatch shut.

"I guess you can - wait, we're starting up again?! What's happening? Upper spies?" The rocket began to shudder again, stirring them back into panic and near-unconsciousness as the force put upon their bodies became a little too overwhelming for the blood in their heads. There was an uncomfortable middle-point in which his mind had still been conscious but the feeling had been sapped from his limbs, leaving the blood mage to lose control of his arms, legs, and neck, while his mind raced on the thought that they could very well be killed with no real control over what was happening. But at least the ride had been less bumpy.

The force of the rocket was oppressing, both on the denizens of it and their organs. Again, panicked thoughts cursed the mage. Ones of a half-lucid brain that didn't make sense; what if their organs were being liquified? He couldn't breathe; what if they just suffocated where they were? What if - he looked to Kytrek - the old man really did have a heart attack, and he was left alone in a seiged rocket with only a pixie and his own magic to protect them? He spent his time between thoughts - unable to verbalize them due to the pressure - and unconsciousness, never really being able to differentiate between the two. A blood-deprived mind had caused the mage to slip into significantly murkier dream-like thoughts.

There were points in which the rocket hit particularly hard patches of rock and metal that allowed the forces of gravity to lessen on the passengers, and allowed the mage to wake up and breathe. The feeling of being in a constant loop of not understanding just where he had been and why, along with the realization of those facts, and then promptly passing out and starting the loop again, had ended. For a moment. And he had to prioritize a thought.

"Are we ..." again, it hurt to breathe. "... going to die?"

 

[Lyro]

"You're not going to die," came the reply from within Cyell's suit, a tone of exasperation still perceptible through the constant crackle of interference of the manadrive. "Not on my watch, at any rate. And quit worrying about the old man - don't deny it, I see you trying to turn and look at him. It's touching and all, but he was fully profiled before our departure. As you all were. He can handle t--"

The ear-splitting noise of metal screeching against metal interrupted her and the rocket shuddered to a near halt as it hit something far more resistant. Kytrek's eyelids twitched and his brow furrowed at the sound, mumbling something indistinct as he did so. "Damnit. Old structure of some kind. Not on my maps." The whine of the drill grew louder as Gniss spun it up and it attempted to bore its way through the obstacle, serving only to produce more painful noise. After a few more seconds without any noticeable progress, Gniss sighed in frustration and the drill's noise ceased entirely. There was a pause, during which Gniss could be heard adjusting several controls in her cockpit, after which the noise from the engine began to abate. The rocket's equilibrium shifted as its thrust was abated, but just when it seemed like it was about to plummet back down the vertical shaft it had dug out, a secondary mechanism was heard activating throughout the ship, and Cyell was just barely able to see what was happening beyond the ship's portholes.

All throughout the length of the rocket, a series of metallic protuberances shot out in all directions and embedded themselves in the surrounding rock, using small drills to dig themselves in deeper. Once they were all securely attached, the engine quickly finished winding down before abruptly cutting out entirely. There was a brief, worrying interval during which the rocket bounced ever so slightly up and down as it stabilized, but eventually it seemed to find its balance and the world was still and quiet once more.

"Cut it out, boy," came Kytrek's sleepily muttered indictment as he twisted weakly in his restraints and his eyes remained shut. The bang of Gniss's metal hatch opening abruptly jolted him awake with a start and an indistinct expletive. He turned to Cyell with a dazed look and opened his mouth to say something, but Gniss was already talking.

"Right, here's the situation," she began as she climbed down her ladder, her facial expression a studied blank. "There is some kind of ancient settlement above us right now. A big one. Abandoned. This would not normally have been a concern, but there's some kind of enchantment over the stones they used. Eighth Level magic. I can't break through it with the drill. So, two options." She moved to Cyell and began unfastening his restraints as she reached their floor. "First option, we go around it. I'd have to chart out a new path, which will take some time - time that's at a premium right now. I doubt they'll find us here, but it gives them more time to reach the last rendez-vous point. It will also burn up more of our fuel, which should be fine... if nothing else happens on this journey."

Having freed Cyell, she moved to Kytrek, who was still looking at her like he was trying to figure out if he was still dreaming. "Second option, you two figure something out. You're the magic experts here, after all. Especially you, professor. Find a way to break that barrier or to get us through it. I've deployed the external ladder rungs to the top of the rocket. Climb up there and have a look. I'll be downstairs, working on a new route. Don't bother me unless you've solved it. Sorry for being rude." With that, she removed the last restraint, and turned to face them. Her expression seemed to soften momentarily. "I am sure you have questions. But between the time available to us and what I am allowed to tell you, you won't be getting answers any time soon. I promise to explain more eventually. Just not now. So hop to it."

And with that, the pixie hopped over to the port hole leading downwards and disappeared through it, stopping only to press a button on her way. With a creak, the large metal hatch door through which they had entered the rocket swung open, revealing the dimly lit rocky exterior beyond.

 

[C.DEX]

Cyell staggered to his feet, steadying himself on the armrest of the chair he had pulled himself up from. His eyes drearily shifted to the side, though they had been mostly moving on their own as gravity seemed to shift itself down and to the right. He caught himself again, instilling the utmost sense of security in their fairy pilot as the both of them had looked like toddlers after a hard night of drinking. Between that and the suits, it seemed that their only hope of not being 'captured' (which was a strange thought - after all, who was even chasing them?) was two men in marshmellow-esque suits that didn't seem to be able to tell the ground from their eyes.

The blood mage reached up, feeling for the external controls on his suit. He pressed around, until a small hiss had come from it for a fraction of a second, and then he panickedly sealed his suit again. Of course, they weren't in the extreme Upper Levels, but that didn't mean that he'd wanted to be exposed to anything. A small hint of actual, non-stagnant air had made its way into his helmet, tempting him, but ... no. He reached for the intended button, turning off the intercom that connected him to Gniss as she clambered through the port hole.

"...Whatever we're doing is important enough for 'Upper Spies' to ... what ... I hope it isn't attempt to kill us." he said, his voice muffled by his helmet. "I don't feel like being both a traitor and a war prisoner. Can we do anything about this?" he asked, making his way toward the exit - where they had entered the rocket. He heaved a deep sigh, though it was mostly just to get air in his lungs. The seriousness of the situation had made sense to him at face value, though there was a distinct lack of tightness in his chest that he attributed to the ride up.

He pressed another button on his suit, the controls actually coming to him this time, and a light had appeared in front of him, illuminating the cavern. When they looked up, they were greeted with the sight of large paving stones above their heads, making up a mass ceiling. The ground around them still shook and shuddered from the effect of the rocket tearing through it. It caused them to stumble, but there had been a slew of rock around them to brace themselves on now that they were on solid ground.

Odd patterns decorated the stones, though the two of them were barely able to make them out through the dusty rock. They weren't meant to be underneath, but the soft glow that permeated through them had certainly indicated that they were enchanted. Deciding that he'd seen enough from below, Cyell took first to the ladders. His hands were strangely tight around the rungs, and he made no effort to look at anything but the metal of the rocket once his feet had left the ground.

When he had finally gotten to the top, he stuck like glue to the rocket, not intending on falling off anytime soon. "What ... what class are these?" he asked, reaching up to smack the dry, sticky dust of the cavern away.

 

[Jeda Teq]

The last thing Kniges remembered was attempting to unbuckle himself to explore the cabin. As he came to his vision was blurry. Maybe it came from the skew of the helmet he wore or his mana deprived eyes. He felt his senses and strength begin to return to him as his body began to take in more of the ambient magic in the air. Most of which was radiating from the magic that protected the structure.

As his mind cleared up Kniges recalled mention of spies. He smiled exposing his gnarly teeth in his helmet, "DID someone say we got enemies? Let's squash them!" He cracked his knuckles and made his way to the exit door of the rocket.

 

[Lyro]

The answers came to Kytrek piecemeal as he watched the little pixie spout words at him. First was that he was not dead - he refused to believe the afterlife would permit headaches such as the one that was currently clouding his thoughts, with no signs of improving. He reached down to his side to grab some medication from his coat pockets only to be met with the thick, impenetrable fabric of his suit. Of course. They had had to leave quickly... for some reason (spies? Was that what Cyell had said? He was having a hard time remembering the circumstances of their departure, but that didn't seem right). And now something was in their path. Good. All caught up. Had he missed anything?

"Let's squash them!"

His confused look instantly faded, replaced by his characteristic surly expression as he watched the dragonkind stumble gracelessly through the rocket's door. "Lovely, the whole team's up and running now," he grumbled as he made his way out, hitting a button to make his helmet's visor slide up as he exited. The cool, slightly damp cavern air was a welcome change after the sterile processed air of the rocket's interior, and he paused just long enough to breathe it in a few times before turning on his helmet's beam light, swivelling to look up at the cavern roof.

The rocket's drill had embedded itself in one of several large, stone blocks above them. The initial shaft created by the rocket had destabilized the surrounding rock, creating a funnel-like cavern around them. It was just big enough for them to appreciate just how massive the above structure must have been. "Some kind of old city, I'd wager. Or a fortress. Right. Let's take a closer look. Out of my way, scales," as he shoved his way past Kniges and began climbing the rocket with the confidence of the experienced adventurer.

"What ... what class are these?"

Kytrek paused and sighed at the muffled voice. "Cy, tell me you're not using your suit's respirator. You know where we are. Don't be ridiculous. Now move aside, let me get a good look." Kytrek finished climbing and stopped once he was just underneath his apprentice, his head straining to catch a glimpse of the sigils adorning the rock. Belatedly he remembered what he had read about the suit's lighting system and he flipped a switch. Instantly, the area illuminated by his beam was plunged in a strange darkness broken only by the faint glow of the inscribed runes. "Alright, let's see here."

The beam swivelled to and fro as he deciphered the writing. "It's not just one set of writing. I can see at least two layers. One is older, the more fundamental one. Class A. Strong stuff. Or it was, once. It's barely active anymore. The other layer looks like it was tacked on much later to patch the cracks. Some derivative of Hillunish, from the looks of it. E class. Poor workmanship. This civilization, whoever they were, must have regressed a fair bit by then. That, or they were conquered by lesser magic users."

He switched off the light and turned to look up at Cyell. "That's good for us, though. It's all very weak by now. Just a bit of a mana siphon should help break it apart, if you think you can handle that." Reluctantly, he turned his head to look back down at Kniges. "Some amount of physical pressure would help too. Here's a chance to make yourself useful - get up here, I see another set of ladder rungs a few meters to the side."
OOC: Glad to see you're still with us Jeda Teq !

 

[C.DEX]

Cy reached up, hitting a button on his suit and switching his voice to once again broadcast to everyone with a disgruntled sigh. His words had mostly passed the addled Kytrek, who had been too disoriented to understand much. He wanted to ask just what they were getting themselves into, to turn right around and go home, but ... there really wasn't any time for that now. Unfortunately, Gniss had been right. If they were getting answers - which he presumed they weren't - they certainly wouldn't be getting them now. Then, there arose another issue. The stones. With what only could be described as a glare, the mage looked up to them, determining the proper course of action.

He had seen the manual, and he'd known that some sort of incredibly diminished version of magic was possible from within the suit, but ... this wasn't exactly the eleventh level. It was the eighth. Where he lived. That was ... a strange thought, to say the very least. Where he was used to magical technology, not rocket ships and magical isolation suits. The thought left him feeling rather stupid in light of Kytrek's comment, and feeling stupid was the first step to feeling brash. With another press of a button, he had unfastened his suit, unlatched his helmet, and popped his arm out into open air.

Air. Air trickled in from the outside, feeling like a wanted fresh breeze in the midst of the hot, humid respiration of his own recycled breath. What was a dry anti-oasis turned suddenly into a well, the mage used to (at least in the recent months) the lower levels and mana vacuums. He tried not to dwell on the thought too much, as much as he had missed it. His bare hand reached up - a hilariously skinny thing compared to the bulk of the suits they had worn - and touched the stones.

It felt like a tingle. Slowly, the stones around his hand blinked out, and a faint glow that had once occupied the runes could be seen from underneath the cuff of his clothing, emanating from the tattoos underneath.

"It's gonna take a second." He said, with no strain in his voice whatsoever. It was the opposite, really. "Since all you did was say it was okay for us to work, you could try helping with some 'physical pressure' too, old man." He said, a toothy grin cropping up from behind his mask. "If you think you can handle that."

 

[Lyro]

The old man was already on his way down again by the time Cyell's chiding came. "No, you got it right the first time, boy," he replied. "I puzzle out what needs to be done and you take it from there. Besides, somebody needs to tell our pilot I've solved all our problems; something tells me she can speed this up. So get started on that siphon." The professor alighted on the small ramp extending from the doorway, ignoring any eventual retorts from above, and walked up to the small hatch inside. Hesitating for a moment, he kicked it gingerly yet forcefully with his foot. "Captain, care to come up here for a sec? I-- we have found a way through, but it'll go faster if you help."

There was a pause before the latch swung open, causing Kytrek to jump back in surprise as he suppressed a yelp of pain from the impact of the hatch on his foot. Gniss's expressionless face stared up at him, her black eyes as unreadable as ever. Except... was he imagining it, or was there some faint shimmer deep within the inky darkness that hadn't been there before? "Good. But you're the wizards. What do you need me for?" There definitely was something different about the eyes, he thought to himself as the pixie hoisted herself up and looked up at him. He blinked and cleared his throat. "Technically, we don't; it's a simple - elementary, really - runic system, from a long-dead civilization. My apprentice is already working on it, getting rid of what magic is still bound to the glyphs." As he explained, Gniss walked swiftly out the door and began to climb, the professor trailing behind her. "Thing is, the rock's density and the natural high levels of mana lend it a natural strength that is much harder to sap." A pale blue glow bathed the cavern now, interrupted by occasional flashes of green and yellow, as Cyell's hands trailed the ceiling, a wispy cone of mana pouring into him. "But if one applies a counter-acting natural strain to a few key locations once the overall structure has been weakened," the professor continued, his tone slipping into lecture mode as he gave his lesson, "the core arcanic bonds will sever, leading to a sub-optimal harmonic redistribution that will propagate and dissipate the--"

"I get the picture," the pixie cut in impatiently as she reached the top of the rocket, her tiny hands clutching the last, thick metal rungs of the ladder. She came to a stop on a level with Cyell's shoulders, the ceiling of the cavern not far above her. "You want me to smash something up because it's all my kind are good at." She cut off Kytrek once more with a shush as he started to protest. "I'm joking. Or something like that. Just tell me where to strike." Abashed, Kytrek pointed to a section of the ceiling about two meters away from Cyell's head, half-mumbling out a description of the rune she was to look for. Gniss's wings fluttered into action as she leapt off the rocket and flew over to the designated area. She searched for a few seconds, pointing out several runes that seemed to match his description but only getting a negative from Kytrek every time. Finally, she spotted a rune that was carved slightly deeper than the others and pointed it out. "That's the one." Nodding to herself, she flew down a meter or so, gauging the distance. "You may want to get back into the rocket," she told Cyell, turning to glance at him. "Or put your helmet back on in you have faith in your grip on that ladder. Your choice."

A few seconds passed as Gniss waited for Cyell to choose, then, without warning, she curled her right hand into a tiny fist, drew it back, and raced toward the targeted glyph. At the last second, she stopped and swung her fist with all her strength and momentum.

There was an audible crack, and Kytrek thought for a moment the pixie had broken every bone in her arm, as he peered out from the entrance to the rocket. Then he noticed the spreading giant crack in the ceiling, along with a number of smaller cracks radiating outwards from the point of impact. Small chunks of rock began to tumble from above, followed by bigger and bigger chunks as the cracks spread to the whole structure. Then, with another audible crack and a flash of violet light, the whole structure seemed to come apart, as the entire ceiling collapsed over them. Kytrek immediately ducked back inside the rocket, watching with a mixture of awe and horror as the remnants of the enchanted barrier fell around them. It wasn't long before the sounds quieted, revealing the darkness of the tunnel once more. After waiting a few more seconds to make sure it was well over, Kytrek carefully poked his head out the opening and looked up.

Where before there had been nothing but solid rock there was now a gaping hole directly above the rocket - not quite big enough for it to pass, but it could always widen it now that the magical bonds were broken. And beyond... well, it was hard to say. More darkness, it seemed. And as for Gniss... "Captain?" he ventured uncertainly, looking around for her diminutive form. Where was she? Had a piece of rock fallen on her? Pixies were tough, but all creatures had their limits. For all he knew she had been knocked unconscious and was now hurtling downwa--

"Here," came her faint reply. He squinted, and finally saw her. She was looking down at them from above the hole. And behind her... "Tell me, professor - how sure are you that this civilization is dead?" High above her, a faint orange glow wavered and flickered.

 

[C.DEX]

"One second." Cyell said, having descended the ladder again in fear of having rocks collapse onto his head. It was an anti-climactic end, after all, and while ideally he didn't want to die at all, if he did, he didn't want it to be because he was too stupid to put his helmet back on or take cover. After all, he wasn't a pixie. But he didn't come back up empty-handed; in fact, he had gone into his own trunk, pulling out his weapon. It would work here, after all, and there were apparently ... what was it? Upper-Level spies chasing them? It was better safe than sorry.

After a short delay, he reappeared, climbing back up the ladder he had taken down. He had gotten to the top quickly enough, out of breath but still there. He reached up, grabbing the portion of 'ceiling' that they had collapsed and pulling himself up all the way, surprisingly agile when it had come to the practical emergency they had been in. Soon, the entire party had made it through the ceiling.

He looked up, squinting his eyes at the glow. It was ... indeterminate, to say the least. It seemed to flicker and twist, like the light of a flame or a campfire. He looked all around himself.

Dilapidated, ancient buildings dotted the area around them, most collapsed in on themselves. It would make sense that the place had been ancient, abandoned, and bioluminescent things existed, as well as creatures that glowed, but ... there was something about the orange glow that piqued his curiosity. Was it even worth investigating while they were being chased? The answer was 'probably not', but it never hurt to look into whether they were digging straight through someone's home or not.

"It looks abandoned to me." Cyell said, chambering an orb into the pistol he'd had on his person. It glowed brightly with magical energy, probably a result of what he'd taken from the runes protecting the ceiling. "What is that light, though?" he asked, realizing it had been sitting on the balcony of a still-intact building.

Then, just as he had stepped further to look, it went out, and smoke wafted through the air.

 

[Dalamus Ulom]

Eyes wide, Dalamus had sat in the chair in that trance like state that is the closest thing to sleep an elf can reach, watching himself conquer the city of Amus over and over again. Though conscious of his surroundings, he simply chose to ignore his true senses for the feeling of triumph from the visions in his mind, only noticing a few minor things every now and then.

Upper Spies, Level 7, a barrier, and a rune. These words and phrases, along with but a few others were all his mind picked out from the little speaker in his suit.

Finally, after several minutes, he would "awaken", opening his mind fully to his surroundings whilst simultaneously disppelling his pleasant trance, only for a terrible cacophony to reach his ears that sounded as if an entire city had fallen into the level below it. Exiting the rocket, Dalamus would couph lightly from the dust in the air as he would see the scholar and his daemon spawn assistant nearby, looking up into a ragged hole in the ceiling above, revealing a city of vaguely familiar architecture.

Gnomish, perhaps? Bah, it was no matter, for whoever built it seemed to be long dead, just as the city was. Much like a grave.

But mayhap this grave has itself a mourner, he thought as he would notice the soft oranges seemingly cast by some sort of open flame. Or a graverobber.

Quickly, the group climbed it's way into the city, revealing more silent, dusty streets of shaped stone. Being inside the city proper sent a chill down Dalamus's back, as he wondered as to the fate of the city. Was it's end brought on by War? Disease? Starvation? Dehydration? The latter three may end up killing more towns and cities of all the Levels than any war or battle between the nations, but places such as this still made one wonder at the possibilities.

Again, his eyes would be drawn to the flickering light of the hidden campfire. Perhaps they are just explorers, or even descendents of the original occupants of this grave city he thought to himself, before the flame would become quickly extinguished. Doubtful.

Moving forward with the lithe grace of a panther, Dalamus would draw his wand, ready for anything.