Welcome to Gaia! ::

Abbi was given the sassiest, least impressed expression he could muster after dealing with her Kansas joke.

"Sounds good!" It seemed Stormy had a plan of attack, and her full team worked out rather nicely. So far anyway. Hopefully, this would go relatively well.

Something started to bubble up inside Sherry as the portal clicked through various destinations. Luckily it was just emotion; nerves or excitement or anxiety, some mix of the three most likely. Pre-mission jitters. It didn't help that even though she'd been warned about the dark, that is was so very, very dark on the other side of that portal.

The sound of water sent a chill down her spine, reminding her of the last time a portal had dumped her somewhere dark. At least this time there was a whole group of them, not to mention the barrier from the gizmo Otto held. It's light was somehow a small comfort. As did the torches. A cave. A wet cave, with bugs inside. Insects also brought back memories, another small shiver.

"Bug out?" Sherry asked, quietly as she could. Had Stormy just... Sherry had to smile. Even with the strange sounds around them.

Momentarily, Jake would find Sherry wrapped one of her arms around one of his. She wasn't losing her partner this time. It was even in Stormy's orders.

After another couple steps, she was pulling him towards the edge of their barrier. She was in a group, they had light, and a fancy barrier. Her curiosity was beginning to squash her fear. Caves were...neat. And actually less scary than old houses.

"Any idea how deep we are?" she asked, while peering out into the darkness.

S-schrondinger? He was guessing Eclipse was referring to the sun/moon duo, but really, it didn't seem like there were any decent names for Life/Death. Not that... that was really a concern right now.

He nodded at Stormy, hoping it wouldn't have to come to that. Despite most if not all the missions they've had pretty much ending up horribly, there could... always the chance that one runs smoothly... right? At least one could hope.

As the portal to their destination opened, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Pre-mission jitters, as one would call it, he supposed. It wasn't that long since his last one, but even then, he wasn't really looking forward to what they'd run into.

The surrounding was also given a grimace as he noticed several pairs of eyes illuminated by the torch, and the sound of skittering. Exactly the same. He felt Sherry's grip around his arm, and turned to her, giving her an uneasy smile. Right. It might have seemed the same, but this time, it'd be different. He wouldn't let harm come to her. He wouldn't lose anyone. He just had to be more aware.

With Sherry clutching one arm, he raised the other arm with the torch closer to the wall.

The shield seemed to briefly pulse inward the more certain fears were thought about.

"None," Stormy told Sherry in an undertone as she squinted ahead. "Not specifically. There's no light coming in at all, so I assume deep enough." It was said with the absent tone of someone who didn't want to know the cold hard facts of just exactly where they were, nor about the layers of rocks and dirt and God only knew what else sitting above them.

As they scooted through the narrow space between the walls and waded through the fledgeling floor spikes, another hiss could be heard, much closer than before. In fact, it originated from right under Abbi's fingers: she had disturbed a dust-covered bug about the size of her index finger and the width of two, black and brown and twitching. There was something off about its structure, though it scuttled away from the light as fast as possible before it could really be identified.

Jake's torch shed a little more light on the subject: Several shiny carapaces glinted dully, embedded in the wall like a series of uneven scabs. Opened scabs. Up and ahead, at the limits of their vision, the group could see many more protruding from the uneven stone, each similar to the casings left behind post-metamorphosis.

Alarm bells were going off in Stormy's head as a longer, lower hiss echoed in the cavern. "Weapons out," she instructed, as if one needed to be told at this point. The hissing, at first occasional, began to grow louder and more frequent the further in they went. Their next point, a natural bridge with jagged edges that stretched over a chasm, laid ahead. It appeared stable enough.

The barrier throbbed again a split second before a piercing shriek was made above them.

Something was shifting. Many somethings were shifting, actually: when the horde of insects came into range of the runic torches, the very walls teemed in waves with their numbers. They were like cockroaches in bodies, but each varied in size (some only as big as the one Abbi had accidentally unearth, others closer to the length of their forearms), shape, and even body parts, some biologically impossible, others grotesque. Some sported a fine array of legs that scuttled in waves, others had half-sprouted second heads that spat and hissed, even more had body horrors to numerous to list in full: slinking worms, organs that had no business being there to begin with dragging along, eyes misproportioned and glaring with an almost intellectual glint, jaws fused open with pincers, engorged abdomens too large for their forms that dragged dark fluid, mouths jutting from bellies, tails that looked suspiciously like spines, even a few half-crushed already by their brethren and bleeding . . .

The lights made them easy to target.

They lurched forward with purpose and quickly invaded the floor in a matter of seconds. Some could be smashed underfoot, while others still required a weapon to properly kill. A green-faced Stormy cut a row of them out with a swing of her broadsword and burned several more with her torch (noting that fire seemed to make them back off, if temporarily), but one thing was clear: the number of Fear-mutated insects was far more than could be calculated. "We have to get across!" she shouted over the skittering and scraping of rock, her voice higher than usual as she crushed a bug promptly under her boot. "They don't like the torches, so use--"

The piercing shriek from before resounded, this time from the wall to their left. Something large and dark sprung at them--

-- and bowled them over as easily as a wrecking ball through a brick wall, sending runic torches (and possibly even weapons, though that was not as horrifying a thought) flying.

Otto and Abbi were simply thrown back, the latter further than the former. The sound of their thuds was a dinner bell as they were immediately set upon by the insects. Jake and Sherry, however, were half-pinned under the massive creature.

It could have been made by a child's worst fears: the size of a minivan, it had two sets of multifaceted eyes set into what looked and felt like organic armor, its body a mesh of what looked like a hissing cockroach's overall design, a spider's segmented, spine covered legs (several engorged or shrunk, two fused, and one that was actually more snakelike than anything else) and hidden fangs, a chitonous horn springing from its nose and one eye, and a maligned scorpion tail. As if the fetid stench from the horde wasn't enough, it was especially foul coming off of this one: like rotten meat and sewage combined with swamp mud. There was a vertical split along its belly that the pair would notice was actively chewing through their shield with bleeding, cracked teeth, drooling digestive juices.

Knocked hard but not caught under the mutant, Stormy was almost immediately set upon by several of the larger insects. Rather than actively attack, however, these seemed keen on dragging her towards the cliff like a horrible, misshapen boat bearing her over the sea of smaller bugs. Temporarily stunned, the most she could do was flail with fiesty, ineffectual punches and kicks for now until she remembered her senses as her partner roared in her mind to act. Her torch had fallen by the wayside, a small ring of light the swarm parted around like the rest.

The group needed to act and act fast, or the mission would fall apart before it truly began.

Stormy HP: 50 - 10 = 40



((With that doozy done (thanks a lot, dice!), here's your damage by post order! Hopefully that wasn't too confusing (it's past 3am idk), but you can always im/pm me with questions/alternative options!))

HP: 40-8= 32

There was so much movement and noise from all around that at first Abbi hadn't realized what was moving under her hand. For a split second she thought it was just the dirt resettling from her touch, but quickly discovered the truth. A small, but PG rated, swear left her as she stumbled back and up, quick to try and stomp on it a second later without success. Disgusted by the things all around, she flailed around for a second or two in the manner of one who is terribly squeamish before the instruction from Stormy sunk in. With no flourish Abbi summoned her scythe and clutched it close, trying to focus on the somewhat soothing scold from Viveca rather than the noise and general sense of dread.
That was, of course, impossible a moment later when the bugs seemed to get curious about their guests.
As disgusting and terrible as they were, she was glad they were not centipede-like and clung to that small consolation... At least until she noticed how absolutely dreadful the creatures were.

A second later the girl was on the ground, the wind knocked out of her painfully as she clattered down and then back up, grasping for her weapon with clumsy, frightened hands. Logic dictated that assessing the situation came before action, so the girl quickly scanned was she could as she rose to shaking feet.
Sherry and Jake were under the very terrifying looking bug, Stormy was about to be tossed over the cliff and Toto was--
"Cheesus on toast."

Careful not to be too sudden, Abbi hustled over to Otto and showed him the palm of one hand, a peace offering made obvious with her lack of time.
"I know that look, bro. I've worn that look a lot and like, I'm so sorry but this is not the time for that. We-- You... You are a full hunter! And we don't have-- Hey! Hey, Toto, hey Toto listen to me, ok? In for three counts, out for four. You got that?" It felt odd to speak so brusquely, but even in her firmest voice it half sounded like she was going to laugh. But the teen did nod at him encouragingly before she breathed in for three and out for four, expectantly looking at him to mimic her.

After that, she gestured quite quickly to the thing on his arm.
"Keep breathing, ok? You've got to breath for me, but this is just a minor thing... Full Hunters can handle this, amirite?" Afraid to put anymore pressure on him, she did reach out quickly to squeeze his arm, hating to take time like this but knowing if he gave himself over to the panic that glinted in his eyes they'd all be done for.

Her own panic rose in her chest like thick cotton that threatened to stop up her throat if she didn't do something else. As much as she wanted to run away, Abbi knew there was nowhere to go. The instinct still kicked around uselessly in her mind but it was easier to ignore with the help of a particular head mate who growled whenever the thought pushed forward.
Initially she flinched when Otto yelled, even if she figured out he wasn't yelling on account of her. But the way he was poorly trying to breath wasn't putting the teen at ease and his less than stellar standing around wasn't either.
There was no time left to stand around. If Abbi stood anymore she would lose Stormy to bugs (again) and then Sherry and Jake would be devoured.

Though she didn't want to, the girl rushed right up to Otto and took his forearms in her hands.
"OK. OK. In for three, do it right now or... Or I'll tell Ripley that um you... You did something dumb I'll think of later, ok?" She gave him her most serious look and lead him through breathing one more time before she tried a smile.
"Remember who we're here for, OK?" That might add more pressure, but it was all she could do at the moment. Her hands shook him gently, more a gesture that she didn't want to touch a veritable stranger than to rouse him, before they popped off him and took back up the scythe she had momentarily shouldered.

One more nod was given to Otto before Abbi turned around and ran over to the parade of bugs trying to literally overthrow Stormy.
"Batter up!" She shouted as she swung the blade down and through the crowd of bugs. "Not my best, both joke-wise and for damage, but hey! Just warmin' up here!" Yes, she would continue the jokes. Sorry not sorry.

HP: 32
Attack: 4
Attack Target: Bugs Loves Stormy :T

Upon seeing the insect unearthed by Abbi, Jake couldn't help but give a disgusted look. Seriously, why was it always bugs? He turned to look at the wall which had been illuminated by the torch, and stared at the shells embedded in it. What the-

"Weapons out."

He heard Stormy's voice, and while he hadn't seen any immediate threat yet, he did as told, glad that he was still able to hold the torch while doing so, but it was a small relief.

The piercing shriek that followed shortly nearly made him drop it, and he stared wide-eyed at the abomination before them.
"Holy shi-"
And then they moved, and he quickly pushed Sherry away so that he could stand in front of her, slashing away at some and scorching others that got too close.

But of course, things always went from bad to worse. He barely registered the second shriek before the creature lurched forward, knocking the wind (and torch) out of him, nearly crushing him underneath its weight. He cursed loudly, trying to shove it off, but froze when he heard a strange sort of sound. Kinda like...


He looked up to see a row a bloody, serrated teeth mere inches above his face. The only thing that seemed to be preventing it from chewing it off were his weapons, raised the the blade facing the creature.


A blade suddenly appeared out of nowhere, piercing the abomination, and Jake turned, seeing Sherry. s**t, she got pinned too?
He didn't want to leave her, but... she was right. If one of them didn't do something, they'd both be eaten alive.

And so he pushed, gritting his teeth as he tried to force his way out, slashing at it as he did so. Thanks to Sherry, he managed to get out, but she...

HP: 50/60
Damage to Boss: 5

GrnGriff

QQ

Ol-j-man