Mission: What Lies Underneath.

Gate would laugh, lightly amused. “I was sorta expecting something a bit more uh… Intimidating?” He’d smirk for but a moment before letting the seriousness of the situation take over him again as he lead the newly formed group though the back corridors of the First Floor Fleet’s base of operations. The group had arrived as per his request and he unfortunately had no time to be wasted on introductions nor pleasantries, as much as he hated to send people he didn’t trust down there, right now all that really mattered was that they had the powers he was looking for. If they did then they should have no issue taking care of whatever was down there, if they didn’t then well… Hopefully the next group would. He was surprised to see Nagami back down here again after their last exchange. Whether it was a pleasant surprise or not was yet to be seen.

“So, just a pre-warning for courtesy's sake, a few of my boys who saw the beast and made it back said it looked kinda human, but with big long knives for fingers. Frankly compared to the other hellspawn down there it doesn't sound too bad but what do I know.” Gate ducked under a fallen crossbeam and around a sizable pile of rubble in the middle of the path. “Oh, don’t forget, bring back any scrap you find, if it’s any good I’ll pay you extra for it. If you guys prove to me you can do a good job, be sure to tell any other seeker buddies you know they’re welcome to come  to the under provided they know what their getting into and… You know, they bring me scrap. The upper levels are all but picked clean and my boys aren’t equipped to handle the freaks that live deeper.”

The group would walk a little further, going down all the while, until they came to a large iron bulkhead, roughly the size of a two story house. “Well then… Here she is, the Gate herself. From here on out you’re on your own. My boys will open up the door once you give the go ahead, just don’t take too long getting prepared. Makes the creeps anxious.” Gate would turn to take his leave with little reason to stay, waving as he left. “Just radio in on the intercom I gave you when you get back, good luck down there. Give it your best not to die.”

Shinji listened keenly.
"Knives for hands, huh? It's like that horror movie guy, Freddy Kultur. he remarked.
Salvaging was important too.
He nodded at the instructions. He wondered why the people would freak out if you took too long to prepare before considering the possibility of monsters.
He watched the gate open, eyes filled with wonder.
Would this voyage lead to a hope filled with treasures, or a despair-filled end of death?
As A certain person once said, "Stare into then abyss, and the abyss stares back at you."
That abyss was past the gate.
He took a deep breath... then stepped into it.
Into the darkness...

Well this wasn't what he'd been expecting himself to ever do, especially voluntarily. Like, maybe if he was kidnapped and shoved down here against his will could of been a way he'd of ended up down here, though the pink fluff hardly enjoyed entering the Slums let alone dare to step foot in the Under with everything he'd heard about it. Though, if he was classed as one of these new found seekers... He had a little more confidence in himself, Denki should be able to keep him safe right? Or at least safe enough to run the hell away when stuff goes south. Even more so now there were quite a few of them here! He was the smallest so totally the least likely to be noticed in the midst of chaos to just slip away. H-heh, not that he even slightly hoped that would happen. To be fair, he was just glad there were some familiar faces here, the two he'd helped take down that big ol' water dino. If they'd managed to do that together, and now they had another pair of people helping them out, they should be fine. Should being the best word in that scenario.

"Ew, ew, ewwww!" Kuzi would suddenly cry out as they were walking towards the Gate itself, he didn't have to worry about ducking under things but with his small height and the dark area around him he hadn't noticed a strange spider web that hung across the way and had gotten it all covered around his face. "I hate bugs, stupid bugs, getting stuff on my face and making me feel all icky and gross. Ewww. Why'd there have to be bugs, they're not even the bad guys here! They just hide in dark places too. Stupid bugs." The small creature would rant to himself, wiping his face with one paw to remove all the webbing from him. The sound of the Gate opening was probably the worst part, and the part that finally got him to realize exactly what he'd gotten himself into and made him question the pros and cons of walking into the dark void beyond. Quite frankly, there were many, many, many cons. And only around one vague pro. The Dreedle would stand there contemplating calling it off and turning back now when he looked over his shoulder to see a massive twelve legged spider slowly inching its way down on a web from the ceiling behind him. With no further hesitation, Kuzi shrieked and dashed past the Gate. That was motivation enough for him.

The creature that had joined the group was black in color and quite the frightening sight to behold. Despite having a form that was more or less human, there was a constant puddle of ink about him and the acidic scent that came off his body would probably do nothing to help if anyone was on edge down here. As for their location, he was unafraid of it as his eyes gazed about as the one giving instruction spoke. He would take in all that was said not seeming to be bothered by the leading comment when the guy that said they didn’t look intimidating enough. The comment would flow off of him like water as he follow the group to the actual Gate. As he moved, he would hear the comment of one of the new comers his mind auto flipping through movies when the guy mentioned the creature. He had heard that name before, but for the moment couldn’t place the movie. Oh well it mattered not, knife fingers or not, he would be sure to sink his own claws and fangs into it when they found it...though he was a bit sad about having to turn over scraps. He could probably do his own research on them or maybe even eat them later, but then again...the guy did offer coin so perhaps the deal wasn’t so bad after all. That aside though, he would blink as Onyx spoke.

“Purrhaps. Then again purrhaps not. We shall see once we are face-to-face with it whether it is all bark or if it actually has bite. We do hope for the latter. We’d hate to come down here only to be bored,” the demon would say his familiar and disturbing grin being flashed as he spoke. While the demon was quite aware of the danger, he was actually looking for something that would make him work his butt off down here. He hated easy kills so he was quite excited to meet the creature though one here was not so eager to do the same.

The grin would fade a bit as he looked at the pink fluff that had helped them before. He seemed to be having a hell of a time with the webs and all. And look the poor thing was even scared of spiders. The demon would actually pause to look at the spider from a distance his head tilting with curiosity as he counted the legs. Twelve. Huh. How strange, but he couldn’t stay staring forever lest he get left behind. So pulling his eyes away from the spider, he  would look back at the last of the group. “Come. Come.” He would say gesturing for the guy  named Nagami to come along before turning to follow after the fluffball and the others. As he stepped in the darkness, he was pretty much at home as his usual black eyes became white and glowed and even the tip of his tail glowed white as he flicked it casually in the place. As he walked he would speak to the fluffball.

“LIttle one would you purfurr to be off the ground and purhaps higher? We can carry you if you like,” the demon offered being surprisingly nice, but then again maybe he had his own motives for doing this. Who knew.  Either way, he’d give the little fluffball the chance to make up its mind as he continued to move along with the others.

I was in a surprisingly chipper mood as I stuck close to Gate as we walked, even as he explained the dangers that would await I was filled to be brim with excitement. It was finally here! After so many years of waiting I had the opportunity to explore the one place that no regular citizen of Junction had touched! Maybe this power had it's upsides after all. Although logically speaking it did feel a bit off, even for me to take this mission. I mean, there's a lot of risk and danger while there was a clear opportunity to go to the new planet we had jumped to which had a job description of lush greenery and a nice day off. However, I felt... drawn to this place, like something pulled me towards it, beckoned me to explore it.

Either way I was snapped out of my daydreaming as the ominous vault gate slowly slid upon, revealing the dark abyss that it had kept sealed. As the others made their way in I knelt down and checked the functions of the Magnum Opus one last time. Having this in my hands filled me with a sense of confidence, even though I knew it wouldn't make that much of a difference with all the other tools I had at my disposal. I begin to check the myriad of different dials and fidget with screws, making sure pressure levels were stable, mechanisms were fluid. It seemed that the group this time would be just as diverse as the last with some sort of... creepy black doll? A furry pink creature, an man with horns, and another average joe. As they began their traversal down into the depths one by one I couldn't help but make some idle conversation with Gate. "You know, next time I come to the office I could kill for some refreshments, like a nice cool soda or something" I say, grinning as I looked down the scope of my rifle. It was quite ironic, talking about the next time we'd be able to shoot the shit when I could go down there and be obliterated into a bloody pulp. However, this was finally my chance to make something of myself, to live out what were only dreams until now. Even if this sudden swell of courage was irregular I couldn't pass up this opportunity. As the weird black creature left I flashed Gate a thumbs up as I began moving myself. My adventure begins here...

As soon as the party passed through the threshold of The Gate, the large cold steel door behind them shut much faster then it had opened, leaving the group in silence after a loud banging clash. The sudden  sealing of their exit rout would leave the group in total darkness for only a moment, before  a sparking pop lit florescent tubes above them, eliminating their path.


"Alright, lets see where did I put-ah here we go..." Gate's voice was clear from the other end of the speakers. He would let out a sharp cough before continuing, clipping the mic. "We who seek knowledge, and we who seek truth. We who seek the secrets of the journals, call out to you. We seek to hunt, and we seek to be hunted. We seek the first Aspect, the Aspect of Flesh... Let the Hunt begin."


Dungeon Key:
Blue Stars: Entry Point. The Gate is still there, but it is closed for now, it seems you may be stuck here for a while...

Red Stars: Enemies who wish to end your hunt.

Green Stars: Scrap Piles and Treasure. Will be reviled when entering a room or when skills are used that revile treasures.  

Purple Areas: Obstacles that require RP to cross. Entering one of these spaces will prompt the puzzle, there are many solutions to these puzzles, but they must be completed before you can pass through the space.

Yellow Star: Stairs down.


(You have entered a Hunt. Hunts are one of a Seeker's many responsibilities. During a hunt you will track down and destroy an Aspect. The rules of engagement are never quite the same, depending on which Aspect you hunt. Like any exploration of the under, however, you are welcome to explore and grind. Just don't loose sight of why you are here.)

So a hunt, huh?
Looks like the game was afoot.
Shinji smiled.
"Well, well. How many aspects are there...? This sounds very interesting. Elpis, you'd love this sort of thing..." he muttered to himself as he spoke.
He would be taking the lead, wether anyone liked it or not.
This should be the first clue that things are not going to go exactly as planned.
But then, do they ever?

He rushed on, eager for adventure.
"Come on guys, keep up! Move to slow, and you're gonna be monster meat!" he said with a dissonant amount of cheeriness.
After all, so long as a bit of his corpse got back to his parents, Elpis could take it as a back-up within ten years if his current host body could no longer be used.

It was the only thing, actually, he had written into his will, which he had composed in the wake of the fungeon fiasco.
His parents had been on the verge of hysterics, his mother's usually stoic expression changing to one of tears, his father breaking down.
Apparently, they had only lived because of Elpis saving them, something he had thanked him for.

After all, if they died now, he'd only have much, much less money to inherit, for one thing.
Yes, one could react with horrified looks on hearing this. But so what?
He was content with waiting for them to pass, as the statics favored him outliving them.
It's not like he was breaking the law in doing that, was he?

Shinji knew that the way he saw things was that he was selfish above all other things, a stark contrast to his father and mother, but so what?
He could be as charitable as them, provided he was satisfied. It was easy as well to come off as a man of virtue.
Heck, if he did it right, by interpretation, doing enough good deeds would earn him a place in heaven anyways, even if they were done with selfish intentions.

That, and at the end of the day, isn't it every human being for themselves?
In his eyes, people could disagree with him, say otherwise, but so what?
He wasn't going to hurt anyone so long as they didn't give him a reason to. It was simple like that.
Simple enough for anyone to understand.

Action:

Shaking his entire body from head, through his body and down to flicking his tail, Kuzi shook off all the remaining webbing that had gotten caught around his fur. "Stupid bugs..." He'd whisper to himself one more time before looking up as the area around him was lit up and the thud of the Gate behind him making him jump. H-heh... Well, too late to turn back now. Which... Uh... Sucks. Cause this place is really creepy, and dirty, and the ground had sharp points sticking up all over the place he had to watch out for. The last thing he wanted was to suddenly stab his paw on a scrap piece of junk and not be able to run away if needed. Maybe he should get some of those paw shoes? Hmm...

"Hey! Where are you going?" The small creature would shout out confused as one of the unknown people who'd joined them suddenly rushed off ahead at a speed Kuzi probably wouldn't of been able to keep up with even if he tried, instead deciding not to even try and stick with the rest of the group whom seemed to have the same idea of rushing off being... More than stupid. And he was meant to be the one with a small head and brain. The pink fluff would shake his head disapprovingly and sigh, silently making a prayer that this would all end up okay.

Opening his eyes again from his prayer, Kuzi would look toward the inky fella with a light tilt of his head. He was fairly sure he could trust them, and he was just complaining about how horrible the ground was to walk on, though was their shoulder or however they were suggesting to carry them all covered in ink too? Would it ruin his fur...? Welp, beggers can't be choosers. "Uhh... Sure! That'd be cool, the ground is quite sharp in places and I'd prefer not to hurt myself by accident on any jagged piece of metal or something, plus yeah I can't see a lot from down here so that'd help too. If you're offering, I'm game." He'd smile respectively to the inky man before fluttering his tiny wings as he jumped up onto the guys shoulder and threw one paw forward.

Action:

“We like risk, but not ones that would get us killed. Maybe a bit beat up, but that is all. Do you not like fun, Onyx?” the demon would ask the other his usual grin in play as he kept a surprisingly low amount of aggression for the time being. He was excited alright, but not dumb that was for sure. He couldn’t have fun and enjoy a kill if he was dead now could he? No. No. It was best to enjoy this with caution he could agree there, but one didn’t need to be so serious about it either. He liked being enthusiastic about it all and so he would. That aside though as they entered the new area, the demon took note that the gate had slammed shut, his white orbs narrowing a bit with glee in the darkness; however, the darkness did not stay forever as with a crackle and pop lights came on and illuminated the area. The demon squinted as his eyes shifted back to their normal color and the glows on him from before faded. As the world came back into focus, the demon actually would stop grinning as he tilted his head at the sight before him more intrigued than anything. This place was so odd. He couldn’t help, but to drift over to the wall nearest to him and reach out a gloved hand to touch it, kind of curious as to what sort of material this was made of. Was it regular metal or something more?...And more importantly how long had it been there? And where did it come from? He would ponder this for only a few seconds before a static sound would distract him before he was focusing on the voice of that guy - Gate - who let them down here to begin with.

As he listened some things began to stick out to him that he made mental notes to dig into further later. So they were to hunt Aspects, huh? The demon would absorb it all before blinking as the scene changed before him. Okay well that was new and eh? His eyes went to the kid that questioned how many they were - a valid question; mentioned something about an Elpis making the demon wonder if that was a food or pet; and then promptly ran off at the speed of light and expected them to follow? The demon who had moved to rejoin the group blinked at this one not quite sure what the rush was. Look even Little Bit was confused too. Honestly, he was more curious about where they were and seeing if there was something small to nom on before the big kill, but okay. If the guy wanted to run off then that was his deal? Anywho, the demon would not follow him because honestly, he didn’t think he would catch him. Blinking again, he would look at Onyx as he spoke. “Purrhaps. Aspects...certainly sounds like pieces of something or keys of a sort don’t they?” he would hum as his tail flicked and a gloved hand went to his chin. “We say we collect what we can find and see if something can’t shed some form of light on this,” the demon would look at the place they were in and smirk. “Lovely place we are in.”

Quite happy with the situation, he would shake his head to Onyx’s question of running off ahead before becoming distracted by the little one taking his offer. Why did this cause the demon so much delight, one may never know. “It is a purrfect deal then,” the demon would say as he let the other settle on his shoulder. The little one would find outside of the odd scent on the demon, he was pretty solid for something made of ink and the ink was not sinking into his fur either. It seem to keep close to the being it covered, so maybe it wasn’t normal ink after all. In any case, the perch would be comfy enough for the little one as the demon nodded and shifted slightly to look back at the last of their group. “What be your name?” he would ask the boy as he shifted to follow the Onyx.

Movement:

As I secured my rifle to my back I would glance back and forth between adjusting the straps and the rest of the group. "Hmm seems like a pretty straightforward pa-" I would get out before one of us would dart off down the corridor. "Hey! Do you have a deathwish or something!" I yelled as he bolted. I lift my rifle and look down the scope and managed to catch a glimpse of him before he turned the corner. "Why are idiots always the ones with the fastest legs" I grumble as I put away my weapon. It's barely been 2 seconds and already I'm getting flashbacks of the fungeon where Gisele decided to bolt off with Heather to find the secret treasure.

The other members of my group was an interesting bunch as they seemed to know each other a bit. Made me feel a bit left out but what can you do but roll with the flow. As the pink fluff jumped on the ink creature's shoulders I did a brief stretch before following the one it referred to as Onyx. "My name's Nagami, what's yours?" I ask as the duo trudged ahead of me.

Movement:

Hm. Three to one, huh?
In his head, he finally felt the rush of adrenaline that he longed for.
This was how one truly lived in the moment...!
"This is going to be epic...!" he exclaimed gleefully.

Action::

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