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 Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 1:26 pm
Riley seemed a bit disappointed, but in the dark there was no way for Jericho to see it. All right. I'll be your eyes then. She took his hands, and turned, placing them on her shoulders. The steps are approximately two feet in length, and they dip approximately six inches, give or take - they're not all even. The corridor curves, around the inside of the mountain. If I see any steps that might cause you trouble, I'll let you know. I'm going to assume we're headed for the center.. it's a good thing heat doesn't bother you.
She glared around her, at the close corridors, and sighed. And a good thing I'm not claustrophobic. Let's go.
As soon as she'd taken a few steps, however, the shuffling sounds around them had stopped. Whatever it was seemed to be alerted to her their presence..
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 1:48 pm
Nodding quietly, Jericho took in a breath and started to trek forth carefully. He trusted that Riley would guide him in the dark, but he still had to watch his step since the ground wasn't all that even. He was also keeping his ears open to try and listen for anything out of place as well.
he added. Even if the flames didn't happen to damage any hostiles, it might at least startle them to give the two some time to retaliate in some other fashion.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 1:50 pm
Riley stopped.
It wasn't clear why, but Jericho would feel her sudden anxiety hit him like a wave.
Oh. Ah. Now would be good.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 1:51 pm
Jericho didn't waste any time before taking in a deep breath and unleashing a plume of fire in front of him. He couldn't see what he was attacking since the flames were currently in the way but he took Riley's word for it.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 2:08 pm
Jericho wasn't necessarily attacking with his fire, though the flames did lap around the monsters that were crawling up the stairs. One by one, in a perfect line, they were illuminated by the flame that revealed, and then enveloped them. Unfortunately, as the flames began to die out, the last thing Jericho would see before it all went dark again was that his flames were harmless.
Fire Ants.
Giant, humanoid sized Fire Ants. Marching in a line, up the stairs, pincers snapping open and shut with a clacking sound.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 2:12 pm
Once he was able to see, Jericho saw the large ants there. Aside from the incredibly large insects, he took note that his flames did absolutely nothing to them.
he shot towards Riley, standing rather still now. Ants.. usually didn't take to intruders all too well from what he knew of the critters. Then again, it was hard to tell if they were being hostile at this moment. Either way, he was rather concerned about their presence.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 2:17 pm
Once again, Jericho couldn't see Riley's expression, though the way her eyes slit in determination was visible through their glow.
Maybe you can't. The sound of her knuckles cracking echoed dully in the quiet. But I can.
The clacking came closer. Riley turned to face the multitude - but at this angle, all she could see was the ant who led the charge. She chuckled firmly.
Ever played dominoes?
The ant stopped a foot away, curious as it felt her voice in it's head, and it's head tilted to the right as if it was struck in surprise. She didn't give it any further chance to respond. Jericho felt her body press against him as she leaned back, rose her leg, and kicked the ant square in the chest, causing him to slam into his comrade behind him.
Which cause that one to slam into the one behind him.
And so on.
And so on.
Eventually, there were a line of confused ant people lying on the floor.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 3:09 pm
Jericho couldn't see what was going on, but he certainly heard it.There were a number of thuds as he imagined the ants falling over one by one.
<...That was.. ridiculously easy,> he blinked,
Grimacing, he started moving ahead, stepping on the faces of a few of the ant people in the process.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 3:29 pm
Jericho wait-
She had been pressed against the wall when he moved past her, and couldn't get a hold to grab him with, but it didn't matter. He didn't manage more than a few steps before the fire ants, who were no more than stunned by their downfall, snapped into action and began grabbing at his legs and trying to pull him down. One of them received a swift kick in the face from Riley. That one stayed particularly still, afterward.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 3:41 pm
As he felt his leg getting grabbed, the dragon let out a snarl before stomping down at whatever was underneath him. He was fairly glad for his newly scaled feet as they did pretty well to protect them from a number of things.
He stumbled once and Jericho responded by trying to slam his fist into the next thing under.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 7:05 pm
They were giant fire ants, with dangerous pincers, but they weren't really very good at fighting. A few solid minutes filled with Jericho's punches, and Riley's kicks, managed to break enough of their spirit. The survivors retreated with angry hisses and clicks, and Riley pushed herself up and dusted herself off. She hopped down two steps, and immediately settled her hand on Jericho's shoulder in a comforting touch.
They're running. She told him quietly. Whether they're leaving, or getting reinforcements, is to be determined - I believe we should head down the stairs quickly, before we have the chance to find out.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 7:12 pm
Letting out a huff, Jericho got back up to his feet, dusting his hands off. It was nice to get in a good beat down, but Riley had a very valid point.
he agreed while descending the stairs at a faster pace,
His gait was a little rocky, seeing how he was running down the stairs blind, but he was using his wings as an attempt to counter balance himself. The dragon just hoped there wasn't going to be any sharp turns or anything like that.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 7:29 pm
She hadn't expected Jericho to continue down blindly, and when he did, she stumbled quickly down the steps to catch up, resting her hands on his waist to direct him. She rolled her eyes, but if he wanted to lead, at least the narrow hallway wouldn't let him stray too far.
Of course, as soon as she thought it, the walls splayed open and disappeared before them, leaving them on a thin ramp. Below, more spirals dipped down into the heart of the mountain - but they were nowhere near those particular ones. They were walking across a long, side-less bridge of sorts.
The plus side was that there was a dull light emanating the walls, where torches lit the worker ants as they dug into the mountain. Those particular ants ignored them as if they did not exist.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 7:49 pm
Jericho continued on down the hall, carefully but quickly. With Riley kind of guiding him from behind, he was at least having a little better time of it. Eventually, he noticed that the area was now very dimly illuminated. He still had difficulty seeing, but he was able to see some faint outlines of things in the area.
It seemed that the ants in this region could care less about their presence as well, which was a good thing.
Though, a part of him had to wonder if they could really find the ore here. This was practically a giant ant hill rather than a true mountain.
Pausing, he suddenly realized that the area had opened up vastly. He extended his wings a little more but felt nothing on either side.
"..."
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 8:40 pm
Riley, on the other hand, seemed to have stiffened in caution at the sudden open walkway. Still, she walked behind him, her hand resting against his waist more for her own comfort than his, at this point. She hadn't realized she was holding her breath until they reached the other side, and she pressed one hand against the wall before releasing her breath.
Then, she finally took a look around, and realized what she was looking at. They're digging. She whispered quietly, as if they could hear her voice. Suddenly the scratches on the outside of the mountain started to make sense. The hand that was on the wall brushed against it's length, and felt the indentations of insectile grooves along it's surface. They dug this entire place. Or, rather, built it..
Her eyes lifted up to the tiny hole above them. We're not in a mountain. We're in a giant ant hill.
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