Fantasy The Hanging Garden

[Aristasy]

Was that actually him? It didn't occur to Miki until she was on the road with the rest of the group, walking towards what Butcher describing as a spooky abandoned mine. Well, I guess I can find out later...

Al-Zahrani, whom Miki has decided to call "Mister Desert" in her mind from now on, was definitely the chatty type. Despite his warm banter with Butcher, Miki could see he was tense, hand at rest with his weapon. She felt the same too, to be honest. Though her profession necessitated "being one with the darkness", she was far from immune to fear of the supernatural. Instinct was instinct, whether good or bad.

Miki had been walking towards the back of the group, perhaps intentionally as it would be an advantageous position assuming the probability of danger was higher from the front and sides. If one were to be completely honest though, it was simply due to her legs being shorter than the others. Butcher had been leading the way fairly confidently, but for some reason started drifting back. Soon, he was walking next to her.

"You got something on your mind Miki? I don't know what happened when you left before us but it seems you're a bit... Let's say, unenthusiastic now. Am I wrong?"

"..." It was too early for Miki to decide whether Butcher was jeering or actually making innocent conversation. Her previous impression of him was of the strong, silent type. Of course, her previous incursions with him were mostly brief and involved attempts at killing him. Staying around him for longer than ever, Miki realized how different he actually was. It was a bit jarring, so she couldn't help feel some unease. "I'm fine... Shouldn't you be leading the way?"

As soon as Miki asked the question, she realized something that she noticed earlier, but filed away as an insignificant detail. "You shrugged earlier... are we lost?"

 

[Axion]

Luckily, the moon was bright enough for Josef to see what was in front of him or he would've been talking higher than he should be to Miki but even then, the moon wasn't enough for the usual crickets to chirp. The only ambient sound was a small breeze that rustled the leaves of the trees.

"If you say so and don't worry, the road will take us to mines. It's just a matter of time if we make it or not." A matter of time and possibly a lot of luck if they get there without any roadblocks in their way, but who knows, night is where hell comes from nowadays, "Lost? Not a chance. Its merely hidden from plain sight. Wouldn't want anyone to find it that easily, especially since its a infamous mine that no one goes to anymore now. But looks like we're gonna be the first ones in a long time to enter such a "dangerous place" Hehehe~"

Butcher looked around their environment again, making sure that they were taking the right route, but the trees all looked the same and the just the sheer height and density of them made it impossible to tell if they were getting closer or not to their destination, "Damn... Maybe we were supposed to take that left. Eh, too late now. I'm sure the road definitely goes to the mines." Hassan then scuffed at Josef's story, telling of a tale involving a man's skin hanging from a flagpole. Josef was more interested than disturbed of this event, "Really? Do you happen to know who hanged their skin? I'd love to personally meet them, maybe they're just as brutal as I am. If so, I outta tell them, there can only be one. Hehehe~"


Aristasy idalie Angelofwishes7

 

[Angelofwishes7]

Mahala Rayn

Mahala quickly finished her ale then went on to followed Josef as he led her and the others out of the town. They all traveled for some time, not a word spoken to each other as the sun had gone below the horizon and covered the word with the horrors of the night, darkness. Luckily the moon was out, but it didn't help with the fact that Mahala wished she had brought some sort of light source. The yellow glow of a light or the warmth of a fire would be grateful right about now.

Mahala let out a soft sigh of boredom as she looked around the area, it was dark, silent. Things she once enjoyed before she had met the evil that hid in the darkness. Though, the silence didn't last much longer as Josef opened his mouth and started to tell the group that they were going toward an abandoned mine of some sort. Listening to Josef tell stories about the place made her skin crawl, but she tried to make it look like the stories didn't phase her much. She took a deep breath as she began looking around once again. She was beginning to wonder if they had gotten lost, it was dark, and every tree they passed made Mahala wonder if they were going in circles. She looked toward Josef and was about to ask when she heard the girl, Miki, ask instead, but hearing Josef's reply didn't help with her nerves.

"Josef, why don't we camp out and wait till daybreak to continue onward?" She paused wondering why they would have left when it was getting dark either way. Wouldn't that make the trip much more difficult? "If nothing else maybe we should pause and try to gather where we are." It seemed pretty obvious to her that they had gotten lost, or at least, that was how Josef was making it seem.

idalie Aristasy Axion​

 

[Axion]

Whether or not the the world would end up in eternal night and that daylight would soon be non-existed, Josef's mind kept juggling the idea of the Hanging Garden, moreover, what he would do after he had fulfilled his promise. He never thought that far ahead at the time, when he remembered, he couldn't stop thinking about it but that one memory that had resurfaced made him, somehow different than he'd usually be. But who would notice? He hadn't changed that much other than having to lower his head or it would've been cut off.

When he stopped thinking about the little trivial things, Mahala had asked Josef if they could camp and wait out the night, "The night is dangerous indeed, but right now at this very moment, we are in the middle of a battlefield. And like the soldiers we are, we must keep moving or we may end up like them." Josef didn't want to spell it out nor say they were lost but they weren't. They definitely went in the right direction. Or did they?

"Like I said, we're not lost! It's just hidden! Look, there's a sign behind these bushes. I'm gonna walk up and cut them up so we can get a direction of where the mines are." Butcher was now talking out of his ass, his assets had probably mentioned bringing a map to make sure where there going but Josef insisted there was no need of one. As he walked up to a random plethora of bushes near the road, Butcher brought out his infamous black axe out of its sheath. Even at the dead of night, the aura that surrounded it when it was drawn out was that of uneasiness and possibly doom. With no hesitation, Butcher began swinging wildly at the pushes to make it look like he was trying to find something when unexpectedly, his axe chopped into something other than leaves and branches.

When he moved away some of the bushes, he found a sign, specifically an arrow pointing off-trail with the words labeled "Mines of Erezen" imprinted on it. As Josef pulled out his axe out of the sign, he called out to the rest of the group, "What did I say? We were definitely on the right track. Look, its pointing this way, you can faintly see what used to be a path that lead to the mines before it got overgrown by mother nature. Other than that, there's only way to go and that's down. Deep within the mines." Butcher then began cutting away the branches and vines that hanged from the trees, now pushing forward deep into the forest itself.

Angelofwishes7 idalie Aristasy

 

[Axion]

Upon arrival at the mines known as Erezen, it was unsurprising that the place would be a total mess from just looking at it. There were three railways that junctioned into one, leading through a boarded up entranceway. Most of the equipment that were used for mining purposes were left collecting dirt inside or outside of boxes, from pickaxes to small bundles of dynamite. Nature had also grown their way here but for some reason it stopped growing towards the entrance, in fact, it was withered with traces of sand covering the floor of the entrance into the mines.

Josef knocked on one of the mine carts making a low echo in response, "If these carts weren't rusted we could've just rode all the way down. Looks like more walking for us then." Butcher walked towards the boarded up entranceway and immediately drew out his axe, violently chopping and prying the boards off. It didn't help that he was doing it very loudly, in the middle of the night, when a gust of wind blew in, revealing the contents of one of the carts that had some oil lamps of some sort, "See if there's anything we use as a torch while we get rid of these planks. Wouldn't want to go in something that's even darker than night itself, right? Hehehe~ Mahala, come help me get these boards off. Our little adventure is gonna take us deep within the mines, are you prepared to face nightmares that you've never seen before? Cause I can't wait for it."

Angelofwishes7 Aristasy idalie

 

[idalie]

Hassan Rakim Al-Zahrani
Oh, the mindless walking and unsociable travel companions (alongside the insane one) made Hassan almost sigh with contempt. Once lost and then again found, Josef revealed the sign toward the mines and off they went with that overhanging damnable silence. Al-Zahrani followed the small group, his arms crossed, playing games with an imagination he'd forgotten he had. He was itching to impale something on his blade by the end of it all. At least they'd make his day furthermore exciting; instead of searching for ridiculous gardens that had been a thing of children's stories, legends, and a religion that had stories of dragons and magic. Hah! Magic! Such a thing was long gone and here, a madman chased after the wisps of it.

Alas, perhaps he was being too harsh. Legends had seeds of truth. Although the silence between them really was suffocating. Pulling his headscarf up overhanging his face, he lifted his jaw to stare upwards at the sky. Deciphering constellations whilst the occasional grey streak of cloud drifted across to curtain the black velvet. At last. it seemed they'd reached their destination. However, Hassan questioned Josef's logic of arriving during the night. What possibly could be gained from it? They were venturing underground anyhow. No need for stealth. Nonetheless, his questions would go unanswered it seemed.

"Oh I love walking, this group makes walking a delight." He drawled but threw in a roguish smile for good measure. "Why not wake up everything in this damned forest whilst we go fetch you a torch too?" Hassan muttered, nodding to Miki. "I suppose this is our character arc, where we learn about one another?" His grin widened partially, yet somewhat of a gentleman he dropped the jeers and turned to look about the wreckage that was left by the miners. Sizing up planks for the torch. "So, Ms Chevarie, how good are you at looking for torches?"​

Axion Angelofwishes7 Aristasy

 

[Aristasy]

Miki wasn't fully convinced Butcher knew where he was going anymore, but it seems luck was still with him as always. The brush revealed the partially hacked sign, thanks to Butcher's frantic chops with his axe, pointing into the darkness. "Mines of Erezen" it plainly asserted, as if proud to be withstanding the test of time. Miki followed the group as they went off-trail, flicking a clawed finger at the stray twig or leaf that escaped Butcher at the front, but was unfortunate enough to near Miki's face. They finally reached the entrance, Butcher was remarking about the rusted cart and asking for Mahala's help, while Hassan unexpectedly spoke to Miki.

"I suppose this is our character arc, where we learn about one another?" Grinning initially, Hassan seemed to drop it as Miki glanced at him with no change in her bored expression. "So, Ms Chevarie, how good are you at looking for torches?"

As if secretly placed the moment it was asked for, a pile of prepped torches, long forgotten, came into Miki's view. Her vision was significantly sharper than most, having lived most of her life spending her waking hours under the moonlight, so it was no surprise the others haven't noticed them. Miki pointed towards them. "I will let you be the judge of that... how good are you at starting fires?"

 

[idalie]

Hassan Rakim Al-Zahrani
"...I'll be damned." He seemed to run his hands through his curls, rubbing the side of his head before laughing. A delightful chuckle which resonated within his chest. "I suppose Josef picked the right person for the job. Do you usually have strokes of luck? Because considering where we're headed, it could come in useful." Hassan commented, starting onwards toward the torches. Gathering up a bundle of four to check the oiled rags were still in prime condition. He glanced up at her comment with a smile, reaching for his flint and steel. Clipping the two together with some force, sparks emerged. And with careful precision, the secondary hit ignited the flammable rags. "I will let you be the judge of that." Hassan imitated with a wink, pulling his scarf forward from the disarray of his hair.

Stretching upward, with the torch in his hand, Al-Zahrani offered the flickering flames to Miki. "Don't burn yourself." Came a friendly warning, somewhat playful - but from her passive expression that never seemed to change, Hassan had resigned to the fate of being paired with those permanently bored eyes that revealed little. Nevertheless, he made it his mission to coax some sort of humanity out of her by the end of it all.

"You know, you have the most wonderful smile. It leaps out at me as your best feature yet. Really emanates warmth, I feel it could be a portrait I'd hang in my hallway. You have such - spectacular expressions." Hassan teased, jokingly leaning on his hand as if adoringly. "Between you and me, strong and silent is my type." At this point, trying to elicit a reaction was by far his new enjoyment. One might call it annoying, although you had to admit to an extent it was amusing. "I'll stop, I'll stop. Maybe after we've been stuck in a mine together for how many hours Josef decides."
​

Aristasy

 

[Angelofwishes7]

Mahala Rayn

When Josef had found the sign pointing the direction to the mines, Mahala was almost surprised. She was sure they were lost by the look of every tree looks the same as the last, but somehow Josef had kept them on the right track. Afterward, the travel over to the mines was quite, very dull since there wasn't much to look at and the chat among everyone was long gone.

When they finally made it to the mines Mahala found herself almost tranced by the surroundings. She always loved finding old abandoned places like this with her caravan. And with this place being abandoned so long, not only was there high potential for adventure, but they never knew what sort of hidden treasures could be lying around, just out of plain sight. Mahala's attention was quickly brought back Josef as he began pulling down boards that were blocking their way in. "Why not make some more noise Josef? It's not like there are demons looking for a snack or anything." Mahala said almost sarcastically as she walked over to his side, pulling out her blade from her boot and beginning to wedge it between some of the boards to help get them pried off. It didn't take too long, especially since most of the wooden barrier seemed to weaken over time from natural deterioration. "With how the woods deteriorated like this, it makes you wonder how long it's been since these had been put up." She let out a soft sigh as she pried off another plank and gently threw it to the side, trying not to make any more noise than she had to. The last thing she wanted was to be caught off guard by some creature who found from the noise that had caused.

"Nightmares I've never seen before?" This made Mahala chuckle softly. "I've seen quite a lot Josef," She paused prying off one of the last boards. "And I doubt anything in here will change what my nightmares look like." Mahala smiled toward Josef, she couldn't help but feel somewhat excited.

idalie Aristasy Axion​

 

[Axion]

With the criticism Josef was getting, all he could do was just chuckle to himself, "Well these boards aren't gonna pry themselves now are they? Just be glad there wasn't anything waiting for us or this would've been a drag." After he said that, immediately afterwards, the rustle of the trees followed by the sound of the forest moaning around them was bound to catch everyone's attention. Once Mahala had pried off the last board, the sight of the entrance leading into the mine seemed like an abyss that harbored pitch blackness and most undoubtedly, danger. Butcher looked around his surroundings only to smile mischievously when an idea popped into his head.

"Let's see then if this will change your mind about nightmares. Be a dear and check those dynamite next to you. If they still got a fuse, hand them to me. Hassan! Miki! You've got the torches ready? I'm gonna need them for a little plan of mine I've thought for our grand entrance and exit." Josef picks up a abundance of rusted pickaxes, placing them inside one of the carts before checking on his side for any leftover dynamite as he finds only about three bundles of them, "Good enough." He places those specifically under the mine cart filled with pickaxes, laying them where the fuse were aligned with each other. Soon after, a distant sound starts becoming clearer little by little, the sound of what could be described as... Wings flapping accompanied by a low rumble.

Angelofwishes7 idalie Aristasy

 

[Aristasy]

"I will let you be the judge of that."

Miki mentally rolled her eyes at the imitation of her previous reply.

"Don't burn yourself." Hassan playfully jousted in an attempt to get a reaction from Miki, though he had found nothing but a cold barrier to push against. Miki accepted the torch, which immediately brought warmth to the chilly surroundings. It was only then that Miki realized how cold she was. Mahala and Butcher were conversing while ripping out the rotten boards covering the entrance proper, so it seemed Miki was stuck with the overly friendly desert man.

"You know, you have the most wonderful smile. It leaps out at me as your best feature yet. Really emanates warmth, I feel it could be a portrait I'd hang in my hallway. You have such - spectacular expressions." Arms crossed with the torch casually tilted away in her claw-less hand, Miki wasn't expecting Hassan to continue with such fervor. Almost dropping the torch, Miki managed to tighten her grip, preventing a potential forest fire. Glaring at the obvious provocation, Miki turned her head away with a slight huff.

"Between you and me, strong and silent is my type."

If it were brighter, one would see a slight shade of pink around the cheeks. What is his deal?? Miki wondered. She quickly calmed down as she didn't want Hassan to have the satisfaction of seeing her flustered. Before Miki could slash back with a sharp reply, some rustling, definitely not caused by any wind, brought her to alert. Butcher and Mahala must have finished clearing an entryway for the group, as Butcher called to Hassan and Miki, hinting at some psycho idea such as exploding some dynamite.

"... are we supposed to be inside the mine when your plan starts?" She wasn't exactly on board with it, but whatever it was out in the forest didn't sound like mere wolves. Miki's night vision would have most certainly picked out the glowing eyes and tufts of silver and gray fur. "Well, whatever."

Calmly strolling over to Butcher, Miki offered her torch. "Here you go..." As it was accepted, Miki started briskly walking into the mine. Loud noises would surely affect her more seriously than most.

 

[idalie]

Hassan Rakim Al-Zahrani
Holding his own torch, Hassan tucked the two spares away. One in his belt, the other in his pack. He was certainly getting somewhere with Miki, a thought which made him bite the inside of his cheek to avoid a smile. But, her huff was almost as good as a worded response in his books. As Butcher called out with the completion of his task, Al-Zahrani snapped his head toward the rustle. The swordsman stood stock still momentarily, turning on his heels in a full circle before slowly following Miki's lead toward Josef and Mahala. Nevertheless, the moment he saw the explosives and the madman's face, Hassan was wary. Were they to be trapped in the mines? Or suffer whatever was approaching.

Retaining his torch, to keep an eye on the rear of the group, Al-Zahrani glanced back and forth between the mines and dynamite. "You do know how old these mines are, don't you? If you're planning to blow them up - which I'm guessing is correct, how do we know it won't disrupt the rest of the structure? Because I'm nervous about entering places that have the possibility to collapse tonnes of earth on my head. Have we learned nothing from the stories of trapped miners?" He lifted his hand, till the movement in the forest occurred for the second time. "Then again, being eaten isn't preferable," Hassan added. Pointedly staring at Josef for an answer of sorts.

At the sound of wings, he sighed. "If I die, I'm making sure we both end up in the seven hells." Reminded Al-Zahrani as he faced the entrance of the mine, lifting the flames to the inky blackness that accompanied the void like tunnel. Lifting his hand up, he brushed it along the timber braces on the rock, checking how sturdy they were, right as he strode into the dark, with only his torch managing to combat enough so his features were still visible - if not theatrically accentuated by the shadows. Hooding his eyes and seeming to push his cheekbones higher (as if it were possible).

"Ms Chevarie, don't go too far." Came the echoey call, rebounding off the empty mineral deposits. However, he turned again to Mahala and Josef. "Are you finished with whatever insanity you're planning?"​

Aristasy Angelofwishes7 Axion

 

[Axion]

Grabbing the torch offered by Miki, Josef quickly tossed one last pickaxe into the cart before dusting himself off, clearing his throat, "Well either that or enjoy the fizz of a string and a ka-boom afterwards." Like an entertainer on a stage, Butcher presented himself as if he was one, holding a sly grin as he stood near the mine cart that had the dynamite placed under them with torch in hand hovering over them, "Ladies and gentlemen, I present you with the grand entrance yet exit of the party that shall find the Hanging Garden. At this very moment, you have doubt about my plan, that it will end in disaster and I say to you: When did I say there wouldn't be disasters? When you're with me, danger is always after us."

Soon the setting around everyone became suddenly darker than usual, to the point where it was just as pitch black as the insides of the mine, leaving only those who had torches on hand be the only light to let them see in front of themselves, "It seems our guest has arrived yet unfortunately. It won't be alive after this, and the same could be said about us but not to worry, just follow my directions and you'll won't die, probably..." Josef pointed to the sky, as you could barely see the silhouette of what looked like a bird coming closer at a alarming rate, which at first some would doubt, but it solidified more when the cry of a aviary boomed from the sky. Once Josef saw it, he lit the dynamite without hesitation, "If I were you, I would run inside as fast and far as you could." And just as Josef had said he ran, with torch in hand, inside the mines which was followed by the sound of dynamite exploding as the sound of metal clanging with each other and a screech from the supposed bird monster collided together to make a cacophony of whatever horrible event just happened outside.

The only problem was: There was no way of seeing it as the entrance had collapsed due to the aftershocks of the explosion. The torch he had, went out, it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything, but Butcher knew he had dived onto the ground but as he tried to get up, he felt like something was on his back since he couldn't get up, "Ughh, somebody light a torch up I can't see anything! Mahala! Hassan! Miki! You alive!? You didn't get your head blown off now did you? Who's on me seriously?!"

(At this point, after Josef said to run inside, everyone should be inside the mine now. Finish whatever you were doing outside, followed by having to run inside the mine then describing/reacting to where you are now inside/along with the rest of the group)

Angelofwishes7 idalie Aristasy

 

[Angelofwishes7]

Mahala Rayn

Mahala let out a soft sigh, placing her blade back into the hidden holster of her boot she smiled. She honestly didn't fear what could be in this cave, though she felt the need to be cautious. She nodded to Josef as she looked over toward the dynamite and began to check them. Most of the bunch that was near her still had the fuse, only two or three seem to no longer have them. She quickly handed the bunch with the fuses to Josef and watched as he twisted all the dynamites fuses together. She was about to ask what he was planning on doing with the dynamite when the sounds of the creature coming from the forest seemed to be getting louder.

Mahala brought her eyes to the sky, trying to find what was going on, she was surprised to see a large bird-like creature, much larger than any she had seen before. Instinctively she had reached and pulled out her blade once more, readying herself, but she froze hearing Josef telling them to run into the dark abyss of the cavern. She quickly turned, seeing that he had lit the combined fuse of dynamite. "Josef, you insane fool." Mahala would smack Josef, if he wasn't a genius, insane, but a genius none the less. Seeing that she had no time to argue, she made her way into the cavern, tripping as the dynamite exploded behind her, sending her tumbling, only stopping as she landed hard on her right side. He blade had left her hand, sliding across the cold stone floor, but the darkness made it hard to see where it could have gone. Mahala cursed under her breath in a foreign language as she slowly sat up rubbing her sore side. That's gonna bruise.

Though her attention was mainly on the pain in her side she perked up and looked around as she heard Josef call out for the three of them. "I'm alive" Mahala called out, noticing that she was further away from him than she first thought. "A bit sore, but nothing that will kill me." She continued as she aimlessly looked around, she couldn't see anything in the darkness of the cave, not Josef, Hassan, or Miki. She tried to look for where Josef's voice came from but the cave walls made his voice echo back and forth between them. As Josef brought up that someone was on top of him, Mahala let out a soft chuckle. "Josef, you've only bought me one drink, I'm not gonna get on top of you that easily," Mahala's usual charming, yet sarcastic tone of voice softly echoed throughout the cave as she hoped someone would light a torch so that the darkness would ease. She was beginning to wish that she would have grabbed one for herself.

idalie Aristasy Axion​

 

[Aristasy]

Ugh... Head throbbing from the earlier explosion, Miki leaned against the wall to recover from the dizziness. Loud sounds affected her a bit more severely than others, a drawback to her hyper-sensitive hearing.

"Ughh, somebody light a torch up I can't see anything! Mahala! Hassan! Miki! You alive!? You didn't get your head blown off now did you? Who's on me seriously?!"

Butcher was definitely still alive. Miki was still trying to fully solidify this new image of Butcher in her mind. The more time she had spent in his company, the more she understood that he was quite full of emotions after all. I should try harder too... after all, I'm only good for short-term missions where all my targets and information are prepped for me... The really high-pay ones all require long stints undercover...

"I'm alive. A bit sore, but nothing that will kill me." Mahala was fine too. "Josef, you've only bought me one drink, I'm not gonna get on top of you that easily,"

That last part was quite unexpected to Miki. Managing to cover her giggle before it fully escaped, a weird sneeze-like whimper fluttered out. However, the next sight to her eyes broke the dam and she burst out laughing.

"Ah hahaha!! Ha..ha..." Approaching the tangle of limbs, Miki picked up a fallen, unlit torch that most likely came from one of the two when they rolled on in. She flicked her clawed forefinger with the thumb a few times, finally causing a spark to fly. The flame burst up and shed some light to the mystery of who was on top of Butcher.

"Hmph... I thought strong and silent was your type...?" She couldn't help but kill two birds with one stone.

 

[idalie]

Hassan Rakim Al-Zahrani
The blast threw him, torch tumbling from his hand and sputtering out; smothered by the Earth. In the twist of mid-air flight, Josef had collided with him and Hassan landed on top. However - he had to admit it was a softer landing than hitting the floor. The brunt of which, Butcher would have to deal with. Disorientated, Al-Zahrani glanced about in the inky darkness. His ears ringing, trying to decipher what the voice beneath him was saying - and that of Mahala. His arm was trapped behind Josef's back, legs tangled. A series of light superficial cuts across his cheek that had faced the collapse of the entrance; splinters of rock reaching the corner of his eye - but thankfully nothing had pierced it. Only irritating amounts of dust which caused involuntary tears to try and flush the grains out.

Then there was light, Hassan wincing upwards into the flames that Miki held. Only to hear her laughter. To think it took him being made a fool of to elicit an emotion - well, he'd had better situations with women. Coughing and wiping at his face with a spare hand, Hassan only gave a wry grin. "Who said anything about it being you?" He joked with a wink, rolling off Josef before wrenching his arm from under. "I didn't know Butcher liked being on the bottom." Al-Zahrani added, clicking his tongue with a feigned suggestive expression. Dusting himself down, 'San thus proceeded to pluck the pieces of slate from his face with an occasional hiss.

Patting himself down, the swordsman found the spare torch on his belt; reaching his feet wearily to ignite it off Miki's flame, adding more light to the small pool of it which collected upon the walls of the mine. That dark tan skin, now disguised beneath a mask of dust, smudged and patchy with little blood and marks where his hands had wiped against his cheek. Not to mention his beard.

"What was that thing anyhow?" Hassan cocked his brow, crouching somewhat to offer his hand toward Josef so the man could stand. "I almost missed spontaneous adventures. Almost. And then Josef turned up." Turning his head, he added - "But really? You won't laugh at my jokes but you'll laugh at my expense?" Hassan huffed toward Miki comically.​

Aristasy Axion Angelofwishes7

 

[Axion]

Hearing Mahala's sense of humor hadn't changed confirmed she was alive as well. What he didn't expect was the sound of Miki laughing when the spark of a torchlight blinded Josef before his eyes started to focus again, and from there, he could only scoff in annoyance seeing that the Sultan was the one who had used him as a landing pad from the blast. After Hassan had gotten off of him and the chuckles that echoed down the mines started to calm down, Butcher accepted Hassan's hand, getting up and stretching back his shoulders blades until he heard a slight crack and sighed in relief, rotating his arms afterwards, "Just your everyday bird monster of the night looking to swallow you whole. And it looks all of your sense of humor hasn't changed either. What good luck we have." The way he said it didn't fit him when he was gritting his teeth, Josef then looked towards his party, most of them had a few cuts or bruises from either the blast or from landing, but none that were considered dangerous. His eyes were soon drawn to the rubble behind them as dust was still settling down along with the few drops of small stone falling from the ceiling, "Heh, now wasn't that a blast?"

Butcher turned to the opposite of the rubble, looking at a straight path down the tunnel, his eyes also caught sight of a sword on the floor as he recognized the design of it and preceding to pick it up, "Seems you lost something of yours Mahala. Here, maybe that will change your mind about me." Giving back Mahala's sword, Josef checked his equipment as well before nodding to himself, "Looks like there's only one way from here. Shall we go?" He chuckled, walking along the rail tracks into the dark hollow abyss. There was the occasional webbing that sprawled out but were easily cut away. The tunnel seemed never ending as the air within began to reek of an old stench unknown to the eye but horrible to the nose. But as they traveled for about fifteen minutes or so, the air began to smell, fresh! Even light. Soon the tunnel and the rail tracks lead down into a opened ledge overseeing a dark, large mined room. You couldn't see anything until the torches gave a new inside. Though the tools and equipment were left collecting dust as always, the underground floral was another story. The ones that attracted the most attention were four giant red, green vivid flowers stemming from the center of the room followed by yellowish-red mushrooms half the size of Miki growing out from the center, covering the entire floor of nothing but flora. That was where the rail tracks ended up in, being covered underneath the growth.

Butcher leered overed the ledge, though he didn't know if the mushrooms would cover his fall, unlike someone, he jumped down from the ledge either way, safely landing on top of the mushrooms that spurted out some kind of pollen on impact, "Tch, floral like this are bound to be nothing but trouble. Especially if it grew over the shrine. Check around the room for anything abnormal. And if I were you holding the torch, I'd be careful starting a wildfire, inside." Josef then began walking around the room in search for whatever they were looking for. Though Butcher was entirely focused with finding the relic, he had a ominous feeling that they were being watched from everywhere and the sight of the giant flowers with their buds closed deepened the ominous feeling but he turned his attention back to the ground when he found a small container of some kind half buried in the ground underneath the plants. Obviously locked, Butcher pulled out his knife and effortlessly broke the lock revealing the contents of what seemed to be old documents, the ineligible writing was hard to tell but it seemed to be a diary of a miner who used to work here.

idalie Aristasy Angelofwishes7