Welcome to Gaia! ::

The group that left the Castle was the largest--and perhaps such was best for a place as large and unexplored as the Rift. After all, should one agent fall, there would be another to step into their place and see this mission through. This was a land no longer touched by man--it was dominated by youma. The group of agents venturing into its depths were a small minority compared to their numbers.

All would have to pass through the Hall of Shadows, through the eyes of those dark guardians that stood watch over those who entered and exited the Rift. From there, the journey was a...simple one. At least, it was for those who chose to ignore the youma clearly following them in the shadows. It was not often so large a group entered the Rift; they were curious. Overhead, the group was being circled by some distant, winged youma. But not all youma were simply curious; there were those that followed in the wake of the group, territorial and protective of their home.

Metallia had given this group a task that sounded simple enough in nature: follow the directions she had given them to the Graveyard and retrieve the crystallized bone of a long-fallen Greater Youma. Metallia’s pressed that it was important to retrieve it: tonight. However, there was only one way to find this special bone...they had to physically locate it. Metallia had warned that their eyes would be their greatest tools; the bone itself would likely not give any special aura to aid in its location.

Luckily for them, the majority of the walk after leaving the Hall of Shadows was ...uneventful. There was no time for party members to explore of the path towards the Graveyard. They had a deadline and an impatient mistress waiting for their return. The walk took nearly an hour just to arrive, and the deeper into the Rift, the more the landscape seemed to change. Rocks and Crystals began to give way to a flat surface, and the place seemed strangely barren of life. Even the crystals that illuminated the land seemed to give of a weak, sickly glow. It wasn’t long before the flat, dusty land suddenly ended..

The edge of the cliff face came unannounced and any misstep would send the person down the hard and fast way! But if you carefully peered over the edge, you could see them: bones.

Piles and mountains of bones, laid all over the valley. Some gave a clear idea what the creature might have looked like, but most of them looked like sloppy pieces haphazardly discarded. Youma usually turned to dust when destroyed, but something must have been strong enough in these that left remains. There was no doubt that the power of such ancient and powerful creatures would have been noticed by the rest of the youma population, and a good eye could see that the shadows down there seemed to shift and peer to see their new arrivals.

But there was still one obstacle--getting down to the Graveyard.

Jumping would be problematic, but if they were careful, they could probably slide down the slope of cliff’s edge--if they were careful. It was a steep drop, and to fall could mean a dangerous tumble to the bottom.

General Xenotime

"Lovely scenery, don't you think?" The general quipped to her band of merry misfits, pearly whites flashing in the unsure light as she grinned at Marcasite. The newest in their group, she'd be the least likely to have seen any shred of the rift that didn't lie immediately beyond the walls of the castle. Hell, even those that had been with them longer may not have ventured far out, and they had gone well beyond the point the general herself had dared travel. You needed numbers on your side, even as soldiers of the Negaverse, and the reason why could be spotted lingering and lurking in the shadows around them.

She didn't say much after that, not for the remainder of their long walk. It was better to stay focused, to pay attention to where they were and what was out there. If she treated this seriously, so would her agents. Or at least, that was the logic.

At the cliff she paused to glance over the edge at the bone pile below. It was a steep incline, but not impossible. Granted, she could simple teleport down, as could Typhoon. The other three she could have taken along, and probably would have, but there was a competition going on between at least two of them. She'd give them a chance to work this one out without her help.

"I'll see you all at the bottom," she purred, smiling as she reached up to brush her fingers along Marcesite's chin. Then she was gone, appearing again at the bottom just below then. Arms crossed and head ripped up to watch them.

She had been following the group quietly. It wasn't a difficult feat, considering much of the negaverse weren't interested in talking. As they had progressed down their path, a feeling of unrest, and mild fear had settled into the very bones of her being. She made a habit of staying out of the rift, not feeling the particular need to deliberately face against life-threatening creatures. Although that wasn't currently in her favor..

During her stroll, she accidentally bumped into Captain Wolfeite's back when General Labyrinthite stopped his crew. A slight wince at the slight pain, but moreso at the thought of her face being a casualty -- considering it was one of her best assets, she would have preferred to keep it safe (more or less). That shallow thought quickly disappeared though, as soon as she heard the General's directions and awareness of her presence. His questioning stare had her feel slightly embarrassed, having little interactions with such high-ranking officers. Even more so, to have her weakness pointed out.

Though she should have been aware that she was intruding on a general's crew -- after all, each officer was under a specific direction of a commanding officer.. But for a lieutenant whose general had been amiss, Zink, she hadn't exactly had a helping hand or tutelage in regards to the organization. Not that she faulted him, it simply made her unprepared for large-scale missions such as these.

"Lt. Serpierite." Her manners prompted her to introduce herself with a graceful bow and confidence she didn't currently feel. His offer of help caused a flicker of surprise in her eyes. "General Labyrinthite.. that is kind of you to say so. But I don't wish to become a hindrance." Her rank and inability to teleport had already stopped their plans, and she had no desire to see them suffer a failure due to her incompetence.

Corrupt Eternal Chrysocolla

Chrysocolla self-consciously patted down her hair, knotted her fingers, and took a look around to make sure she wasn't the only corrupt here. (If she was, well, that would have made this the stupidest decision she'd ever made.) At least there were two others...? Well. She recognized the blue-haired boy from General Osumilite's meeting, all that time ago.

...He probably wouldn't be much help. Eugh. From what she remembered, he'd been kind of a self-obsessed jerk. The sort of millennial that people thought typicalized them all.

The other one, though...whoever she was, she looked -- grown-into her power. Not still uncomfortable in it, in the way Chrysocolla was. Her tight dress, her tightly-curled hair, the bright green sash...well. She'd need to talk with Eternal Mystery, later. Or if they had free time. She didn't want to seem needy.

Chrysocolla cleared her throat and stated, calm-voiced, clear-voiced, definitely not shaking: "Does anyone need a teleport down to the bottom of the cliff? If it's safe, I can take people with me."

[Chrysocolla is open for interaction!]

General Labyrinthite

He was impressed with the way Serpierite greeted him and while his expression was still relatively stoic, there was a shine of pride evident in his amber eyes. "You won't be a hindrance," he stated confidently. It had been no secret that this trip was best suited for the combat strong and if the woman decided that it was worth risking, there had to be something he could use and direct. And if not?

Well, General Labyrinthite was confident enough in his own abilities to be certain that at the very least he could handle whatever obstacle they faced.

"This will be but a learning experience for you, what better way to acquaint yourself than to get right into the thick of things?" He asked. The man had always preferred a hands on approach to lessons and thought that this would be a perfect training outing for new blood, depending on how active the woman had been prior to the calling.

That was when the solider made a note to look in on the lieutenant, perhaps, if she proved herself useful, he would keep tabs on her after. It never hurt to expand his circle of those he could call upon as needed.

"I can take her, it'll expend less energy than if you or the other captains do it. My ability to teleport is not as limited as yours," he decided offering his half-youma captain a nod of approval. The restraint he was showing was more than Labyrinthite had expected and it pleased him.

Perhaps a reward was in store for Wolfeite if the behavior persisted. "I could take you both," he looked between Serpierite and Wolfeite before glancing at Zircon and her much larger companion. He was certain that he didn't need to extend the offer to Zircon, who would want to do it on her own or at the very least that the generous man carrying her would assist her once again. "Expend less energy, I'd rather you keep your strength for battle."

General Leucite

The walk had not been nearly as long as his week long foray into the Rift, but it had been relaxing all the same. There was a strange peacefulness to the Rift in Lecuite's opinion. Why, yes, everything there did want to tear you apart and devour your soul, but that was just part of the deal. He'd managed to survive a week there, with some minor injury in the pursuit of spiritual purification. Entering the Rift now felt like entering the Garden of Eden. Peaceful and Serene.

When they reached the cliff that lead down into the graveyard, the concept that he could easily teleport down did not escape Leucite. However, that left the two Lieutenants in his care forced to climb or slide down on their own, and that did not sit well with him.

Removing his sashes he tied them together, and then shrugging off his coat, he cut several long strips from the bottom with his spear. Tying them all together he tested the knots and the strength before finally tossing one end to Raspite and the other to Stibnite. "Stibnite, tie up and help Raspite if he can't get a good knot. I want you two to belay down there. I'll climb solo."

With that, he walked to the cliff face and looked down, looking for some decent foot and hand holds before turning and lowering himself down to start to climb down. "See you at the bottom!" He called to them both, before starting his climb. If he slipped, he could always teleport before he hit the ground.

Half Youma Captain Wolfeite


He disliked having to play the obedient hound, but there was no other choice for it. In order to get what it was that he wanted, he wold have to have Labyrinthite as an ally, not as an enemy, and to have that would require submitting to him in more ways than one.

It was aggravating, angering, loathsome. But he did it anyway, because sacrifices were necessary to achieve one's goals.

The black fabric covering the lower half of his face hid Wolfeite's snarling sneer from view, though his eyes glittered a little as he shifted his attention briefly from his general and Serpierite to look out across the wide expanse of the graveyard once more.

"There are more youma down there," he said, golden eyes narrowing slightly; the shadows were nothing to him with his new abilities, the darkness merely a small facet, never a hindrance. "I can see them moving, but I don't know what kind they are."

Wolfeite's gaze turned back to the girl, and he gave her a slow once over, scrutinizing her without comment, ears once more pointing straight up, no longer flat against his hair. He gave a dutiful nod and turned to look at the destination, tail flipping behind him.

There was no I'll meet you down there. That was unnecessary. Wolfeite simply shifted and teleported.

Lt. Stibnite

Being this was Stibnite's first time in the Rift and if she had to be honest...she didn't see why in the world this had been Leucite's choice of spot to disappear to for a week. It was dark, creepy, everything looked the same. And she had a deep feeling that something was tracking them...alot of something.

For someone used to being the Hunter, Stibnite did not enjoy this feeling.

Nor did she enjoy standing on the edge of a cliff listening to Generals and Captains leave or guilt the lieutenants they were with that lack the ability to teleport. But she kept her mouth shut as her eyes moved back from the cliff to the actions of Leucite. It took her two seconds to dawn on her what was going on.

Silently, she death glared into the back of the General's head. It wasn't that she didn't like Raspite. It was more she didn't like being tied to anyone. Stibnite could climb...she had general knowledge of it. Heck, she had enough knowledge and the flat shoes that she would have been more than happy to just slide down the cliff face.

But she kept her mouth shut, took the make s**t rope and handed one end to Raspite. "If he walks out of here, I recommend sleeping with earplugs tonight..." Stibnite snipped. "Anyway, as long as we go slow, we will be fine." She added with a half smile. Her annoyance wasn't at Raspite after all but the big lug before them.

"Climb next to me and make sure you test every hole your hand or foot goes into. At all times consider the potential that one of us will fall. So you have to be prepared to cling to that wall for one hell of a jerk."