|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 4:52 pm
The soft, steady sound of dripping water combined with the sensation of cold stone against bare skin roused Sailor Saiph from her date with darkness. Opening her eyes slowly, she blinked and sat up. Then, she blinked some more, trying to figure out why she couldn't see anything but a dim flicker surrounded by a deep darkness around her. And why she seemed to be in her fuku when she'd been heading to the museum and not on patrol.
Sitting up she reached a hand up to rub at her face, only to gag slightly as a thin film of cold and dirty slime came away on her glove. Pulling her knees to her chin, she sat and tried to figure out what had happened. She'd been walking to the museum, yes. Nothing odd had happened, that she could remember. Her head didn't ache, so no one had mugged her. So. So so so.
With a sigh, the girl stood and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dark. And once they had, she wished devoutly that they hadn't. Slime coated stone, rusted chains and bits of what had once been people surrounded her. Choking back a noise somewhere between a sob and a scream, she closed her eyes and shuddered.
After a moment, she scolded herself mentally and taking a deep breath of the musty, dank air, opened her eyes and strode forward resolutely. Ancient instruments of torture dotted the floor and she shied from them, half convinced that should she touch them, they would open and spill out things she'd rather not see.
"Hello?" she called, listening to her voice echo back eerily. "Is anyone there? I'd really like out now."
No answer except the steady dripping. Shivering, she found herself watching the empty and not-so-empty skulls that peeked out of the shadows at her. She WAS alone, right? She had to be, no one had answered her. Still.
Saiph normally considered herself fairly brave. But that bravery crumbled when confronted with bones, darkness and slime. She looked around before nearly running over to one of the far walls. To the rusted chains and manacles that didn't have anything still trapped. Seizing the chains, she tugged experimentally, feeling them give, hearing the faint, whispery sound of rotten and crumbling mortar. After ten minutes of panting and tugging, the chains finally came loose in her hands. Hefting them, she decided that they'd make a decent weapon. Just in case.
Well, she thought, time to find out if anyone can hear me and get me the ******** out. With that thought, she gripped her improvised weapon grimly and strode out, calling loudly to anyone who might hear.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 4:56 pm
As Saiph walked across the floor her footsteps echoed loudly across the dim walls -- even more of an echo than expected, it seemed. But there was little to be made of that so far.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 5:22 pm
Ji-Yeon was notorious for abusing her snooze button. That being said, her reaction to the change in environment was not immediate. In fact, her initial thought process was that she had fallen off her bed, a daily ritual. This was what she was certain of, until the monotonous and steady soundtrack of dripping water played in the theater of her mind. To Ji-Yeon's dismay, this particular alarm had a mind of its' own.
It seemed like an eternity before her eyelids fluttered open, and her eyebrows furrowed in an attempt to assimilate to the new scenery. Wait a second. She had been taking an afternoon nap, shades closed, shrouded under thick pink comforters. Rigid, chilled rocks was the polar opposite of fluffy, warm down feathers. Sheer instinct told her to get up. This was not the time to be whining about places she'd rather be. Slightly stumbling over her own legs, Ji-Yeon grasped at the solid wall, gasping as her hand grasped the remains of a previous victim.
Only then did she realize the predicament she was in. Her vision wasn't completely lost, slight beams of hope lit the scenery, and for this, Ji-Yeon was thankful. It was a dungeon. Drip, drip, drip. Perhaps if she found the source of the water, there'd be a way out! No need to be pessimistic. Surely, there'd be an explanation. Something told her, she shouldn't be sparing a single moment to fretting about the 'what ifs'. But, what if, Ji-Yeon wasn't alone? She might have smiled, though she wasn't quite sure if the situation would allow even a brief moment of relief.
"Hello?" a shaky voice called out. Surely, even the most brightest of ears wouldn't have picked up on that. For a moment, Ji-Yeon could have sworn she had heard a reply. Or perhaps the sound of water had been distorted. Regardless, she had gained some courage, and gave it another try. "Is anyone there?!" Ji-Yeon yelled this time. Drip, drip, drip.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 5:30 pm
As Saiph walked, she found herself thinking of those old Loony Tunes cartoons where Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck would be walking through a haunted house and the ghost or monster would always mimic their steps. She'd always laughed at those cartoons.
Saiph was not laughing now. Maybe it was nerves, maybe it was just the strange, empty way this stone room echoed her own steps. Her brain assured her she was being silly and imagining things. Her gut, on the other hand, was telling her the exact opposite. Loudly. Clutching her makeshift weapon closer, she decided on an experiement.
Speeding her steps, she made sure they echoed loudly and irregularly. Then, she stopped and listened.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 9:54 pm
There was a dull pain pulsing in the back of her head, deep within the mass of thick dark hair and just barely above the nape of her neck. The faint throbs were the first thing that wrestled her from slumber, before the instant chill on her arms and the rancid smell creeping into her nostrils. What was going on? Her eyebrows furrowed as she attempted to both open her eyes and remember the last thing that had happened to her. She was on her way to grab Imo from her dorm room to potentially go for a joint walk in the park. And then...?
Sailor Alcyone's eyes flickered open, but only darkness welcomed her worried gaze. And then...what? She was clearly not in Crystal Academy. As her eyes began to adjust, she concluded with terrified conviction that she could no longer be in Destiny City, either. She was surrounded by the kind of contraptions one would find in a book entitled The Dark Ages and the Torture Devices Built Then. Various spikes gleamed menacingly from all the moisture that had built up in time, all braced by wooden bases, cracked from...the humidity? from use?
She caught the scream mid-throat; No, no, there was no making noise for now. The only sounds audible to her ears were the constant, monotonous dripping noises that echoed throughout the empty dungeon halls and the heavy beating of her own heart. It would be best to stay silent and see if--
Hello? Is anyone here?
The words were nearly lost within the echoed drips, though luckily she'd managed to hear them. Somebody else was in here with her, though who they were and why they were near was a mystery to Alcyone. A mystery she intended to solve. It would be better if I found them before they find me, she thought as she braced herself against the cold stone wall and pushed herself up. She hoped her steps went unnoticed as she creeped towards the voice. This scenario felt entirely too much like a nightmare, although distinctly different from the ones that had been haunting her recent nights. She was almost sure it couldn't be one because of it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 3:21 am
Shrugging to herself as no hint of an extra echo reached her, Saiph gave a shaky laugh and continued to explore. She passed by empty and not so empty cells and even a battered rack stained with what she devoutly hoped was only mold. She didn't dare to pause to examine the cells. Knowing her luck, the one she looked at would have a dead-but-not-quite guy in it like the Sloth dude from Se7en. Saiph was pretty ******** sure she didn't need that kind of fright on top of everything else.
Gathered her fraying courage around her, she once again began to call out.
"Anyone here? Preferably anyone who isn't going to turn into some creepy theme killer?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 6:13 am
She had passed several skeletons clinging to the stone walls as she continued to follow the noise. Alcyone had been lucky, as it had called out a second time and made it much easier for her to pin-point the direction to go. She wanted to call out that no, she wasn't the sort of person to creep up, face covered in a hockey mask, but she had to be sure that it wasn't a trap. And if it was...Well. She wasn't quite prepared for it, was she?
Bracing herself, she turned to look back at the hanging skeletons, wrists lifted by rusted clamps. Dank strips of cloth hung loosely around the spine and collar and nothing more. She pressed on, trying very hard not to slosh around the water with her heels. Alcyone feverishly wished she were wearing boots instead of the sandals.
At last, she found what she was looking for. Without any light to shed it was difficult to fully see what stood only a few feet away, though a few key features stood out. There was a clump of bright blonde hair tousled and pulled up, and a bodice very similar to her own was worn around the waist. Another senshi?
She carefully crouched down to keep herself from being seen (too easily, anyways), and gambled. "Who are you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 1:23 pm
As badly as she had wanted someone to answer her, Saiph had not expected to hear a voice reply back with, "Who are you?"
Trembling slightly, she began to swing her chain slowly, just in case what was answering her wasn't well... nice. She was swiftly coming to the conclusion that a girl couldn't be too careful in this place.
"I'm Saiph," she answered with a hint of aggressive bravado. "Who're you?"
As she answered, she was turning and studying the shadows around her carefully. After several moments of careful scrutiny, she thought she saw someone crouching a few feet away. Several more moments reassured sure that this person was whole and seemed to have no bony bits sticking out. Still, she didn't let down her guard and moved so that whoever it was could see that she was armed with a few feet of metal that would hurt should it connect to flesh.
"Okay, so, you don't look like something that might try to eat me," she finally said. "But I'm more than willing to shove this chain up your nose if you try. Just sayin'."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 2:20 pm
For a handful of minutes, Sirona had walked along the grimy walls, cautiously avoiding menacing torture equipment and the bodies of the deceased. In the privacy of her thoughts, she whispered each a swift prayer of peace.
Her optimism supply was beginning to dwindle. The atmosphere resembled an act in one movie of the eternal Saw series. Her brief moments of hope was now at the rock-bottom level in her pyramid of emotions, overwhelmed by layers of sheer fear.
Sirona heard before she saw. There were two voices, both evidently female. For all she knew, they might be her very opponents, but she would have to check it out. Creeping against the wall, pink-panther style, Sirona stuck her head out from one wall, both hands gripping icy stones.
From her viewpont, Sirona couldn't see much. That being said, they wouldn't be able to see her either, unless she made her presence clear. In a brief moment where the dim light struck both females, it was made definite that the two in front of her were not her opponents. Their fukus told her this. Then again, there was another question; when had she changed into her fuku? Stupid question, for there'd be no one to tell her an answer.
Ears perked like a canine, Sirona's eyes gleamed as she eavesdropped. Unfortunately, she did not possess the hearing capabilities of a dog. The few words she had managed to trace were Saiph, eat, and chain. Did that say something?
Regardless, Sirona was positive these two weren't that dangerous. There was strength in numbers, right? Raising her hands to signal that she was not trouble, she slid away from the guise of darkness. "I'm here as well?" her tone was obscure, both a question and a statement. "I'm Sirona!" This was followed by a horrible attempt at a amiable smile. And for a split second, she was glad there was not much source of light.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 3:06 pm
Come to think of it, there were wall sconces and torches in them, potential light sources that guttered a little but could be of use in navigating the expansive, grimy darkness: however, they appeared to be just out of reach of their hands, even on tiptoes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 4:28 pm
"Sailor Saiph?" Alcyone inquired, squinting her eyes to get a better look at her current 'opponent'. She could just vaguely make out the gleam of Saiph's make-shift weapon as she twirled it around like a nun-chuck, though her eyes fell onto something much more important than a chain. While simple and smooth in form, it was the biggest indicator to Alcyone that the person infront of her is very much a sailor soldier: the brooch.
"You don't have to worry about doing any such thing," She said while standing up and stepping around the objects she had been hiding behind. "I'm Alcyone. I believe--"
She believed that what was once a very quiet and hopeless room was beginning to figuratively brighten up as another voice made her presence known. Just how many people were in here?
"...We definitely need some light if we're going to see each other properly. I'd found some torches on the wall, but I'm ...ah, embarrassingly too short to reach them. Nor do I know where we could find something dry enough to start a fire around here, but at least having the torch could be useful."
"If someone could lift me or another person up, I'm sure we'd be able to reach one. Or, if someone's tall enough to reach on their own could work just as well."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 4:36 pm
Saiph had uttered a startled yip as another voice came from behind her and spun around, chain at the ready when she saw it was a rather petite senshi. Well, okay, she wasn't so alone now. And senshi didn't normally go in for ritual cannibalism. She was safe for now.
Sighing and relaxing visibly, she listened as Alcyone spoke and smiled appreciatively. There was sense in the suggestion. And as neither looked to be much taller than she herself was, she shrugged and passed the chain to Alcyone for a moment.
"Hold this for me, would you," she asked as she sized up the other two before pointing to Sirona and waving her over. "You look nice and tiny. C'mon, I'll give you a boost up, you can grab a torch, pass it to Alcyone and then we'll have some light."
Saiph knew herself to be reasonably strong. And since her leg cast had come off, she'd been forcing herself to work out every day to regain the muscle her convalescence had lost her. Bracing herself, she held her hands out for Sirona to step into.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 4:49 pm
Sirona had made the right decision by introducing herself. If it had been otherwise, she'd still be mumbling to herself in a damp corner, with bones and dust as quaint company.
Previously, the shadows and horrible lighting had given both Alcyone and Saiph murderous appearances. Now that they were near the torches, it was clear that they too, were confused senshi thrust into the same situation as her. With a genuine grin that stretched from one ear to another, Sirona cautiously climbed onto the platform that was Saiph's palms, truly grateful to be jumping into action.
The wall sconce was antique, on the verge of breaking. In a swift and confident moment, Sirona quickly grabbed the torch, pupils dilating in excitement at their new source of light. This was only the beginning! "Here you go!" Sirona whisper-shouted. Although she gained confidence in the presence of her new acquaintances, Sirona didn't quite yet trust the dozens of hidden chambers. Ignoring her present fear, Sirona handed the gleaming torch to the olive-eyed girl.
It came to her mind to insure the utmost safety of the trio, they should each have a torch. Who knew what could be lurking in the umbras? "Here, let's get two more. So we each have one!" she informed the two others. She trusted that Saiph was strong, and so Sirona leaned towards the right, stretching her arms for them. Years of figure-skating helped steady her balance, and Sirona skipped down from the Saiph's sturdy hands, two torches in hand, exclaiming a "Thanks!" She handed one two the green-haired senshi with curious eyes.
Time to explore...?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 5:01 pm
"Sure thing." Alcyone took the chain, warm from Saiph's previous thrashing, before leading the pair to the torches she had passed before. She was relieved to see them easily hoist and reach the burning light source; there was one problem solved. Her hand stretched out to grab at the handle of the burning light source, its dry and hot air welcomed after trudging around in the muck.
While the two other sailors sorted themselves out, Alcyone leaned forward and moved the torch into a wide arc to get a better look at the room. This was definitely where she had woken up. There were chains and wooden surfaces covered in long, rusty spikes stained a dark brown from blood. In the corner...was that a miniature guillotine? Her entire body shivered at the sight. "It looks like this room hasn't been used in years....I hope."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 5:33 pm
Saiph took the torch and then collected her chain from the other girl before nodding her thanks to each. At least now they had a chance of seeing enough to find some way out of this place. As she held her torch up and peered around, she was again struck by the apparent age of everything.
"Looks like this place came right out of a Robin Hood or King Arthur story, doesn't it?" she whispered. "Except as I sure as hell don't remember either story involving racks and iron maidens and who knows what."
She still had no idea how she'd gotten here and it didn't look as if she was going to find the answer standing around and staring at ancient blood stains.
"What say we loo for a door or window out? Sound good?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
