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 Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 7:51 pm
Aphismet couldn't say he was as giddy as Ebony anymore as he watched her skip over to the treasure piles, playing her fingers through them and laughing like a schoolgirl. The chef turned his attention around the room, noticing things among the treasure that seemed rather... rather odd.
Near that statue, a water canteen. Near that other statue, a whole backpack, dropped as if in haste. And there, a gun! It was then that the purple-haired woman moved away, investigating the statues, looking less than pleased all of a sudden. "Ebonyyy..." Aphismet's voice wavered slightly with unease as he made his way back to her side, glancing at the swords and shields and other antiques lying around the place. "This is an OLD treasure, isn't it? But there's modern things... like that..." He pointed to the cellphone near their feet, cracked and pulverized into pieces. Aphismet's eyes widened as he noticed the trailprint of what had crushed that cellphone. Large, animalistic, like no animal Aphismet could recall...
"Errr.... Maaaybe we should get the hell out of here?" he offered faintly, quietly.
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 8:08 pm
For once Ebony wasn't annoyed or wanting to throw Aphismet's caution to the wind. It was like the air in this place had grown heavy with tension and the woman fell immediately back into her role of the serious teacher. Whispering back, "I think you're right. Let's go."
As they began to make their way cautiously back the way they had come, another rumble shook through the whole room. Yet this one wasn't the same as the one that had happened during the cave collapse. Ebony stopped and grabbed Aphi's arm, eyes and ears on high alert now. Another rumble was heard followed by something of a low hissing.
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 8:17 pm
Aphismet was damned glad Ebony agreed for once, but that only served to drive home the DANGER of this place. If Ebony wanted to get out, then... Then something was REALLY amiss! She was even leaving all this treasure behind, treasure she had been so happy to find? As quickly as he could, the chef followed his teacher to the side of the caves, intent on climbing back up that crumbled wall.
The second rumble made Aphismet's eyes slide wide open, but he held his breath instead of gasping. Something told him he should be veeeery quiet. Ebony's hand on his arm was hardly needed, as the white-haired man froze in mid-step.
A hissing then... Aphismet felt a shiver run down his spine and the adrenaline began pumping again. All Aphismet could think was "protect"! Although protect himself or protect his friend wasn't clear; just protect. Very slowly, the man reached for a nearby sword that had been stuck in a pile of gold, its iron blade having lost most of its shine with age. He placed his hand on the hilt, gripping it, but didn't move more than that, waiting for -... for something. Either silence and they would just LEAVE, or...
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 8:35 pm
You know how people sometimes saw their lives flash before their eyes when faced with death? Well it was something like that as Ebony's mind flew through the last several minutes of their exploration, her mind quickly making connections to all the unusual things they'd witnessed. All that gold, the statues, the fires, the statues, the huge boulders at the back, the gold again, the statues, the hissing, the statues, the statues, THE STATUES! Oh god, that horrible look of absolute fear, something that had to be painted on their faces now.
She was surprised when her student instead of running, grabbed whatever weapon he could find. He intended to do what he could to protect them from whatever it was that was coming for them now. "Aphismet I don't think..."
She was suddenly cut off but what could only be assumed was some sort of hissing roar and the ground shook like a giant had stomped his foot down hard. A crushing waterfall of coins and treasure was coming down upon them now. "RUN!" Ebony shouted as she half sprinted, half shoved the male to move.
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 8:44 pm
Ebony talking was a BAD idea. Aphismet winced at the sound, and an instant later the thundering footstep and cacophony of falling coins sealed their fate. Ebony's scream to RUN was instantly obeyed, although Aphismet kept his hand wrapped around the hilt of that sword, pulling it with him as he dashed off towards the crumbled wall.
He instantly knew they couldn't possibly make it. The rocks were loose, crumbly, as proven by the way he'd slid down on the way in; they would take way too long scrambling up that slope! Gritting his teeth, Aphi grabbed Ebony's arm and swerved to the right, running full-tilt behind a large pile of treasure, screaming at Ebony. "Where do we go?! That thing will have time to gobble us up easily if we try to climb that broken-down wall!" He wouldn't stop running, and he wouldn't DARE look behind him although from the corner of his eye he thought he spotted a huge TAIL...
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:03 pm
She could plainly see the broken wall the chef had used to come down, they could make it! They just needed to go faster damnit! Before anything could be discussed, Ebony was yanked off course as the pile of treasure swamped towards their exit covering up a good portion of their escape route. Well now it was pretty clear what they had to do wasn't it? But that seemed nearly impossible. What could two small humans do against a behemoth like that?
"Go? Go where?! We'll be turned to stone before we can do anything!" She hissed at the other which did not help when the beast hissed loudly itself then, probably knowing its prey still lived. "Remember those statues? They weren't statues! They were people! Real people! That THING is a Basilisk! Do you understand what I mean by that? DO YOU?!"
The woman shook her violet head as she held her face in her hands. She wasn't crying, just overcome with what was awaiting them. Death or eternal petrification? Oh why did she have to be so greedy? They would have never been there if it hadn't been for her.
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:17 pm
It was rare that Aphismet was the one to be cool and collected, and he certainly was the brave one even LESS than that, but when the pressure was on this white-haired chef stood strong. He blinked at Ebony's descriptions of that monster; a Basilisk. Turning people to stone. They were going to die here?
...They were going to die here. Isi and Rivener would be alone forever.
NO! Aphismet frowned. He wouldn't just LET that happen, and neither should Ebony! "Come on, get up! I don't know about you, but MY statue isn't going to be cowering in fear and looking terrified. If I'm going down, I'm going down fighting! YOU taught me that, so come on! We can at least TRY, right?" The hissing was coming closer, the gold mountain hiding them was starting to tumble down, a small wave of coins that preceded the tsunami.
s**t! Aphi thought, kicking up a golden shield from nearby and propping it behind them, protecting the pair from the things that tumbled down around them. "Ebonyyy!" he called, desperate.
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:39 pm
Wide eyes stared up at her student, her friend. In the face of possible death, he stood proud and strong. Ebony couldn't contain a tiny smile at that. She had taught him well. And he was right! Who cared if it was a two ton overgrown snake that could turn people to stone just by looking at them? They hadn't meant to invade its territory and she sure as bloody hell wasn't going to go down without a proper fight.
Suddenly a mass of green scales slammed into two stone figures nearby. Seemed the snake was calling them out to fight or something. "All right!" She cried as she grabbed the sword from Aphismet. "I'm pretty sure you've never fenced, so I'll attack. It should be weak beneath it's under belly. But it means we have to get closer. We'll use the shield to protect us from its eyes. Whatever you do, do NOT look directly into its eyes."
She nudged him forward, one hand gripping the ancient blade, the other helping him keep the shield firmly in place in front of them. For added protection, she closed her eyes since she was behind Aphi and not the shield itself. As long as she could hear, they would be fine. "Oh and don't stop moving!"
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:51 pm
Aphismet startled as coins exploded around them along with the sudden strike of a green-scaled body mass. Many tink-ed harmlessly off the shield, and Aphismet groaned as he grit his teeth, trying to think of what to do.
An instant later Ebony spoke up, snapping out of her funk and drawing a grateful grin from Aphismet. He eagerly handed over the sword; he could only have swung it around randomly, it was true. He'd figured their enemy was large enough that he'd get lucky, but if Ebony actually KNEW how to wield such a weapon, all the better.
The Brit barked out her instructions and Aphismet nodded, slipping his arm securely into the straps of the shield, holding it up above them, blocking them from the Basilisk's eyes. "Follow closely!" Aphi called, taking off at a rather brisk pace and just in time too, as the mountain of treasure they were hiding behind suddenly all came showering down, the monstrous Snake letting out a hiss as it shoved it down. The cacophony was a good indication of the thing's general location so Aphismet headed that way, waiting for Ebony to tell him where to go more precisely; her senses were much better than his own.
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:08 pm
Yes her senses were slightly better than his, yet only though the magic of nanotechnology. Something of which Ebony had never confided to him. Why have him think she was some super human? It wasn't like that at all really, but most often jumped to the wrong conclusion. Besides, he didn't really need to know.
Listening very carefully, Ebony allowed her movements to melt with Aphismet's. The moment he shifted direction, she did as well without hesitation. She listened even closer, past their own thumping heart beats, past the pounding of their feet, past all the hissing and treasure bouncing off every surface of the room. There it was, the low scrapping of the serpent's scales upon the rough floor as it moved. It was slow at first, but it sounded like it was gaining momentum.
"APHI!" She yelled his nickname, no time to use the full as she normally would. "VEER LEFT! IT'S ATTACKING!" No sooner had they moved than did another explosion go off, coins raining down upon them. The snake gave another of those hissing roars and Ebony urged the shield bearer towards it quickly. There was no time to waste! They had to get closer before it geared up for another swing.
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:22 pm
Aphismet was amazed at how well Ebony was matching his movements. Not for one second did she hesitate or almost go the wrong way, and all with her eyes closed? After the surprise had worn off, Aphi learned quickly and shed the last of his own hesitations; he'd been going just a little slower to allow for her to follow, but now he knew she needed no such handicap. He ran as fast as he could, veering to avoid obstacles as they came up, until suddenly she screamed for him to veer.
And he did. Aphi ducked to the left instantly, reflexes faster than his mind could process, so used to doing what his teacher said immediately that he simply followed the order like a good soldier. No sooner had the rain of coins began that Aphismet felt Ebony's hand on his back, prompting him forward towards their enemy. Hoping she knew what she was doing, the white-haired man accelerated to full-tilt, dashing forward as fast as his legs could go.
He could HEAR it above them, the snarling hissing of the monster's face! Those teeth Aphi could only imagine, the eyes that had rendered so many people trapped forever in stone, mere FEET away above them! Green scales filled Aphi's peripherals, the wide snake's body appearing to the left and right. "Ebonyyyy!" Aphi called her name again, a warning, unsure of the safe path OUT of here now that they were so close!
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:40 pm
"STAY PUT!" Her British tones roared as she yanked him to a stop and pushed the shield down upon his head. She wasn't trying to be rude or anything, she just wanted him not to be tempted to stare up at the beast's head.
She could almost feel the giant snake's body slowly coiling on itself as the upper half swayed from side to side, enjoying its entertainment before the big finale. The thief immediately jumped out from behind the shield and went straight for what she hoped was its upper half and its exposed belly.
Ebony felt the sword drive into something tough, but somewhat soft. With as much strength as she could manage, the purple haired woman twisted the sword and slashed it the other way to draw the sword out. The snake bellowed out in pain, its large body hitting the ground in anger.
Just as quickly as she'd darted out, Ebony dove back to Aphismet and the shield. Her hands overlapped his and kept the shield in place over their heads. "Keep still!" Dear lords above she hoped this worked and that they didn't end up getting squashed instead.
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 10:52 pm
Aphismet skidded to a stop as Ebony ordered him to stay put, letting the smaller hands guide the shield to above, and now that Aphi didn't need to move he closed his eyes just as his teacher was doing. A second later Ebony was dashing out of the relative safety of their shield, the chef gasping but knowing better than to reach out and try to stop her. She knew what she was doing, surely. Aphi was left to listen, gritting his teeth at knowing he couldn't help but keeping his shield up; that was his job. Be the shield. Any minute now Ebony would come back.
There was a strange slashing-crunching noise, a ripping followed by a roaring bellow, and then Ebony was back. Aphi let out the breath he'd been holding, gripping the shield tightly and kneeling under it, prompting Ebony to do the same. The smaller they were, the more the shield would protect them.
All around was the great, ear-shattering din of that great body thrashing, crashing into treasure mounds and sending the items scattering about the room. There were more than a few dull crumbling noises as stone statues that were once people were thrown about and reduced to rubble.
Please don't let that be us! Aphismet prayed to whatever diety might deign to listen.
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:39 pm
Every time the ground shook or something crashed against the wall, Ebony thought she was going to see them instead, perhaps some strange out of body experience brought on by their own tragic deaths. She squeezed her eyes tight and gripped the shield closer still even though they'd already become as small a target as they could. The woman just hoped Aphismet couldn't feel the slight trembling that was emitting from her hands then, it wasn't something she could stop even if she wanted to. Despite all her brave words, this was quite a frightening moment.
After what felt like a million years, the basilisk's movements had become sluggish, its roars coming out more as slurred hisses. This is when Ebony dared to open her eyes and peer out from under the shield. Bold yes, stupid no. Grey eyes looked to the direction opposite of where she'd attacked. She gasped at the sight before her. "Look!" The woman exclaimed, pointing towards the lower half of the massive body. Gradually, emerald green scales were turning to a chalky grey shade. Her plan had worked! The snake was tricked into using its ability on the shield which reflected right back at the beast.
With a sigh of relief, Ebony fell back into Aphismet, too tired and relieved to even care about student teacher boundaries. "Aphi...no more caves...promise." She mouthed breathlessly, the adrenaline rush dying and all her wounds reminding her of their presence.
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:39 pm
Aphismet did his best not to open his eyes, convinced that everything would be okay if he could somehow make himself realize that this was all a horrible dream. He was going to wake up safe and sound any moment now. But at the same time he was all too aware of how REAL everything was; the rumbling of the world around them, the thrashing of those green scales he could sometimes see in those flashes of moments when he peeked, the roaring and hissing so damned close to their ears!
The room was already shaking too much for the chef to notice the slight trembling in Ebony's fingers, and thankfully by the time the rumbling slowed Ebony had removed her hand to point instead, calling for Aphismet to look. Wary, he cracked open an eye to spot the scales turning a rocky gray color. Gasping, Aphi dared to smile hopefully. "Is it done? Is it safe now?" he asked, not yet confident enough to move the shield from above them.
Ebony's breathless promise a moment later made the white-haired chef scoff, smirking at her. "Hrmph, I really was looking forward to having FUN on this trip, but I guess I can now say that for once I was the one who was right?" The man laced an arm easily around Ebony's shoulders, giving her a friendly hug, laughing with all the relief of the stress that poured out of him. "Oh god. I thought we were going to die. ...Can I move the shield, do you think it's okay?"
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