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year 5, quarter 3
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He hadn't seen the guy hold a hand out to help him, or he would have taken it even if most likely he was some kind of hallucination. Caius pulled himself out of the sand and cocked his head to the side, trying to get some of the sand out of his hair and ears with an irritated growl. The newcomer was talking still, and was interacting with the others. So it was safe to say that most likely, Caius wasn't imagining it. But Caius didn't have much chance to say much as suddenly, more stairs would appear.
"Well, it looks like we've gained a way ahead! And a new hand too" The older man, Kahlil, would chirp cheerfully as if they hadn't just nearly died to a golem. He then turned to the newcomer. "So! My crew and I are exploring these ruins, and it just happened that one of my enforcers has... Turned tail as soon as the golems showed up" He admitted. "The deal I have with these two gentlemen here is that so long as they are willing to provide protection and help me through these ruins, and allow me to keep any treasure I find... I will pay them handsomely. The blonde one is Caius, who I believe he told me he leads this guild called the Dragonblades. Quite a famous group too, I'm happy to have their leader amongst my party. And the other lad is Kana-El. Gifted healer, by what I've seen.
As for you, lad! If you are willing to assist me, I will give you the same deal that I was giving to that Amarant fellow before he ran off. Same as with the other two boys. If you're interested... Well, there's the stairs, let us be off!" He chirped as he began to head down the stairs. "If not, well... Best of luck!"
Caius shrugged his shoulders and followed behind their host. He wish he'd have brought his armoured jacket, it would have better protected him from the golem than this. But it was far too hot for that.
My life passes vainly by, as I watch the long rains fall.
This stranger certainly did like to talk. Almost as much as Kahlil. Kana-Ei found himself surprised at how endearing he found the man's seemingly highly earnest praising both him and Caius. Especially as he had gone to the effort of fumbling his way through the prayer in return.
Perhaps it was the dourness of the previous companion or the realisation that someone else might fill in for him in responding to Kahlil's small talk that drove this reaction?
At any rate, it did cause Kana-Ei's face to brighten up for a moment in a smile as he responded to the man:
"You need not thank me, sir. As for the bow, it is a custom where I come from. You won't need to remember it."
Before he could really say anything else to the man, or properly introduce himself, Kahlil - in the characteristic left of center manner he appeared to be recognised for - explained both their purpose and introduced them on their behalf. Kana-Ei shifted somewhat uncomfortably at the compliment he received. More so due to him not believing he had done anything up until this point to warrant it. Though, he did hope nothing particularly required him to demonstrate his abilities.
As Kahlil gave this stranger the ultimatum, Kana-Ei approached the tall blonde while briefly giving the newcomer another once over. There did not appear to be any visible injuries on him that needed addressing at this moment. He noted he would ask the man soon of any other ailment that may have been less noticeable. He also wondered if the man was just a warrior, or was capable of the same strange magic Caius appeared to use. And more so, if he was to be trusted. He certainly made a better first impression than the other member of their party had. But who knew if that was an act?
"Caius, are you in need of any healing?" He probed, following the man as he set about descending the stairway.
As the youth descended the spiralling staircase, a mildewy scent barraged his rather delicate senses. Briefly gagged, he could not hide his disgust as they stepped into another antechamber filled with pieces of rotten wood, and a well in the centre. He did not need to get any closer to it to know that the water was stagnant at best, putrid at worst. Unlike every other room that they had encountered so far, there was nothing barring their progress thus far.
Kahlil set about sweeping the room, humming to himself while inspecting each piece of wood with an analytic furore that he had not seen in anything other than the most academic of minds. For what reason he had no idea. From what the youth could see this was nothing more than just a simple room. The only thing of note that he did see were several sections of the walls on each side of the room that were notably discoloured. Almost like they had been added more recently than the rest of their surroundings.
Placing himself at the back of the group, Kana-Ei observed the other members of his team. All the while almost daring to be quietly optimistic that perhaps they would have a moment of much needed reprieve before venturing further.
Maxi’s arm fell limply when the swordsman--named Caius, he later realized--seemingly ignored his hand. Instantly, he was worried he had done something rude. He briefly considered apologizing, but after taking note of how the guy carried himself, exuding confidence without it seeming like swagger, the brawler quickly assumed that he wasn’t the sort to waste time with pleasantries, which he respected.
Predictably, Maxi’s mind raced with possibilities, most of them quite outlandish--eventually, he decided that the group the old man had mentioned that Caius was a part of, the ‘Dragonblades’, must have sworn an oath of silence or something. It was right out of a comic book Maxi read as a kid, but hell, strange as this world, it wouldn’t have surprised him. It only made Caius seem like that much more of a cool customer, and a guy Maxi wouldn’t have wanted to get on the bad side of.
Thankfully, the other two, Kana-Ei and scruffy guy, were much more vocal and welcoming, which helped put Maxi at ease. “You’re just tryin’ to spare my feelings and not let me know how bad I did that whole routine, ain’tcha?” Maxi responded good-naturedly to the man in robes, a playful smile crossing his lips as he gave him a wink. “Don’t worry pal, I’ll nail it next time.”
He would have gone on, had Mr. Scruff not piped up and summarily explained the situation. In an instant, Maxi’s expression went from happy-go-lucky to looking like a deer in headlights the moment the old man cheerfully made it clear that they were trying to go deeper into the place that had giant, crush-happy rock men rather than out. Thankfully, hesitation only gripped him for a moment before he quickly decided it was best to roll with it. Again, these guys seemed like his best bet out of... wherever this was in the first place, so if they really felt confident in going deeper in this place, it was likely in his best interest to tag along.
“Caius and Kana-Ei...” the large man muttered, a smirk returning to his face as he pointed a thumb at himself. “Name’s Maximiliano Guerva. But y’all can call me Maxi. Here's to hoping we don't die down here, eh?”
Maxi took up the rear as they descended, taking long drags of his cigarette as he observed the intricate stonework of the staircase and the walls it was connected to. Eventually, they ended up in a new room filled with the debris and decay you’d expect of a place that hadn’t been seen by human eyes over a few odd centuries. The chamber seemed to funnel into another space, which he imagined was where they’d want to go next, but for now the party seemed content to catch its breath after that business with the brick bastard earlier. Maxi took the moment to explore, walking toward the center of the area where a well was situation and peering over the edge. Plucking his smoke out of his lips, he called out “echo” into the shaft, taking note of the way his voice reverberated, and furrowed his brow as he straightened himself out and pulled away.
“Don’t think they had to dig all that much further from here to hit groundwater. Hope that means we don’t gotta go any deeper than this...” Maxi contemplated out loud as he placed his cigarette back between his lips. He turned an eye toward a wall, taking note of panels that didn’t match the rest of the stone. Curiosity got the best of him as he walked over ran a hand across the panel, searching for an edge. Without putting too much force into it--he had seen enough movies to know that roughhousing with crap in ancient tombs was a one way ticket to a trap in the face--he tried to see if it was pliable enough to be taken off. All the while, he turned to the scruffy, older guy that seemed to be the brains of this expedition.
“Yo, old man,” Maxi called out, unfortunately realizing just then that he never got his name. “You got any clue what we’re lookin’ for in the first place?”
Caius Dragelion @ephemera //Sorry this took so long, stuff piled up. Let me know if anything needs to be changed!!
Kana-El approached and asked Caius if he was in need of any healing, and Caius shook his head. "I'll live, but thank you. Conserve your magic until we need it" Caius suggested while they slowed and idled to give the newcomer a chance to make his decision. Seeing as Kana-El and Kahlil were acknowledging the man, the odds of him being some kind of heat-induced illusion were steadily decreasing, Caius noted. He watched as the man seemed to show a lack of confidence in his abilities. But seemed calm either way.
It seemed he wasn't a mirage after all. Which meant that Caius had been ignoring him. And seeing as he lacked confidence, likely offended him as well. He'd have to amend that when he got the chance. Once the man, Maxi, introduced himself and indicated he would be joining them, Caius decided that chance came now.
"My apologies for not saying anything. I honestly thought I was going crazy from the heat" He half-joked lightly as he held out a hand to shake, hoping it would make amends and keep things professional. He had no reason to be rude to the man if he was willing to help them out, after all. Either way, it seemed they were ready to get going. With a new party member in tow, the group sauntered down the stairs. Caius jumped lightly when Maxi suddenly called out "Echo" and turned to shoot him a glare.
The room though, seemed more recently built than the others. But it wasn't that much less ancient. There seemed to be rotted wood about, and water poured across the floor in short. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that it was undrinkable, unfortunately. And Caius found himself taking a sip from his canteen unconsciously just from looking at it. Kana-El seemed to be the inquisitive type, carefully inspecting the room around them. Caius looked around, though he was less environmentally observant than Kana. He did notice some discoloring though, but that could be anything. Maxi pointed out that going much further would likely mean they would hit water, meaning there wasn't much deeper they could go.
But the whole group seemed to notice the discoloring, and Maxi was the first to act. When he pulled at it though, the immediate wall in front of it began to crumble, revealing an opening. But the room past it was dark, and they wouldn't be able to see what lay ahead. Kahlil looked to the others. His cheer was replaced with a grim, serious demeanor.
"I'd be ready for anything that could jump out at us in there. If there is anything you need to do to prepare, do it now."
FF XIV
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Seventy? Only seventy thousand? Hells, my subligar's worth more than that!
Okay, so maybe he was playing a little dirty with this whole adventure thing. Namely, he'd read the ad before, but he was admittedly curious about what the big treasure was for himself. So, rather than go and offer some help, he decided to try and look for another way and in, well, boy oh boy did he find it. It's just... "Why are there so many golems?!" He roared to no one in particular as he had to fight his way through. While he didn't have to deal with all the traps the others did, thankfully, he wound up having to deal with the rock monsters roaming the place. Eventually he found his way to the goodies, got himself some more stuff, which he would almost certainly blow on getting more of his old clothes back, food for Ragnabawk, and other things he didn't really need.
But he wasn't stupid. Whatever ruckus he was causing wasn't going to go unnoticed. Nor did it seem that any others would either, if the sounds he was hearing off in the distance was anything to go by. So he figured the best bet then might be to rendevous with the others, assuming they weren't really pissed off sentinels, and then get out. He'd gotten what he came for, for the most part, and the thrill of adventure was its own reward, so he started to make his way to what he hoped were other people. Thankfully, as the door moved away, and Alex prepared himself--Silversnake in one hand, a fire to illuminate himself conjured in the other, and his Star Globe floating by his shoulder, he was a bit relieved to find other people, even if he didn't let his guard down. He did have a bag of goodies slung over his shoulder, after all.
He raised up his free hand, flame moving to the tips of his fingers. "Yo." He remarked, as the bag jingled with riches. "I'd leave if I were you." It was honest advice as he pointed his thumb back behind him. "Whatever you two have done has well and truly kicked the hornet's nest." And it was in no way Alex's fault for smashing and bashing his way to the prize. Nope. Not at all. It all rested with Caius--Wait back up now. Two? Where were the others--Oh, hell. Come on now! It was just one guy! "So this place is starting to wake up." And Alex didn't seem a threat, and really, he seemed entirely at ease here. Then again, he was used to this life, so this was just something he wound up rolling with.
And then they were gone. Caius knew he wasn't imagining it. He knew he hadn't imagined them at all. He could feel his memories of them slip little by little as when Caius turned to face the others during Kahlil's speech, they were gone. Kahlil was just as stunned, his eyes widening as he stared toward where the two of them had just been. And then looked to Caius.
"Wh-what the hell is wrong with this place?"
Caius was surprised to hear Kahlil lose his composure like that. But he calmly shook his head.
"It's not this place. It's this world. Though even I've never seen it happen on this scale... It's very possible that this place has a link to the world beyond. It's very possible that the forces that pulled us in, and can pull us out... Have a very heavy presence here. One of us could be next."
Caius looked to the door, and then back to Kahlil.
"We should leave. We don't have the numbers to face down whatever comes next, if the traps that we've dealt with so far are any indication. You said it yourself. Be ready for anything. And I don't think we're ready for anything. Even with the threat of the time vortex swallowing one of us up wasn't a factor... We are not ready."
Kahlil growled, looking to the door and then back to Caius. "You..." He seethed. "You were hired to protect me. And you will see that contract through, do you understand me? Or do you not want to be paid?"
Caius shook his head and continued to respond calmly. "I'm doing my job. If you are not capable of fighting, then if there are anymore golems in there, I may not be able to protect you. Leaving now and returning later with reinforcements is my way of doing that job."
Surely he could see that, couldn’t he? Caius was not being cowardly, not by any means. While the potential link to the rifts was a concern - he had no intention of leaving Celes and the Dragonblades behind, after all - he would have had no problem trying his luck with the golems by himself. But Kahlil was a massive liability. Caius could not guarantee his safety if they proceeded. But Kahlil didn't seem to see it that way.
"If you're worried about it being too much work for your pay, I'll give you what I was going to give those other idiots. Deal?"
Caius shook his head again. "It isn't about the money. Your life is in serious danger, can't you see that?"
Kahlil let out a resigned sigh. "Fine. How about this? Forget the contract. Equal partners. Help me find the treasure, and help me bring back however much we can both carry, and we'll split the amount when we get out. 50/50. Deal?"
"No. I told you, I can't guarantee your safety in here by myself if we proceed. It's too dangerous for you."
"You have a guild to finance, don't you?"
"Huh?"
Caius stopped, as Kahlil smirked lightly. "I know who you are. Mr. Caius Dragelion. You may not have told me, but I've heard all about you and your startup mercenary guild. And I can see it in your eyes, boy... You have ambition. You have high hopes for that group of yours. But ambition needs funds. Funds that this expedition will get you if we find that treasure. I am offering you a chance to take that step to fund your little battling party. Are you really going to walk away from that? Or was all that about doing everything possible to protect Serentestra and its people a bunch of bollocks?"
Caius glared long and hard at Kahlil, but finally let out a sigh. "No promises that your life is safe. But... If it means that much to you... Deal" Caius remarked as he took Kahlil's outstretched hand to shake. And when he did, he gripped hard. Caius' fierce, stoney gaze pierced into Kahlil's skull, and the man shirked back a bit in fright before he managed to break the grip and dusted himself off.
"Good! Now let's go. Treasure awaits us!" The man chirped as they headed to the door...
And then it promptly opened before they could even touch it.
A man that Caius recognized would step through the door, clutching what seemed to be a few bits and bobs. He told them that things had been kicked up in there, and it was best they leave. "Told you" Caius remarked toward the older adventurer with lowered eyelids. But all that Kahlil was looking at was the treasure in Alexander's hands.
"I knew it! There's treasure here!" The man cried out as he raced past Caius and Alexander into the room. Caius let out an irritated sigh. "Idiot" Caius growled under his breath as he started to head after him. "If what you say is true..." He remarked toward Alexander. "You'd best get out of here, as whatever this idiot's about to do is likely to make this even worse. If you can spare the time though, I'd appreciate a hand in keeping this idiot alive. My job is to protect him, after all."
FF XIV
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251 POSTS
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Seventy? Only seventy thousand? Hells, my subligar's worth more than that!
Idiot was about right. Alexander simply remained quiet as he watched the brief exchange. Ah, to be back in Ul'dah, where only the smell of quick profits got people to do anything. He hated Ul'dah. Hated Thanalan too. The sand was just not for him. It was rough and coarse and irritating, and it got everywhere. Not like... well, no, considering where they were, yes, this place was still rough and coarse and irritating, and it still got everywhere. He was overdue for a bath when it was all said and done. Maybe with some riches. That brought up an issue, too. If he was just trying to be an adventurer again, what happened when he got some recognition--ah that was a thought for another time.
Still, he saw where this one was going. Alex instead looked at Caius, looking back into the darkness. "May as well, can't let someone run off to their own demise, at least." He could practically hear Fray breaking something in his head. And in fact, the complaints had already begun. Not that Fray didn't have his fair share of points, he did. Someone who heard danger, saw treasure, and ran off screaming into the darkness probably wasn't going to live long, anyway. And that was a fair point. Although, with the guy running off, he did wonder. "Going by the theme, it'll probably be some more golems. Water's good at tearing them apart." This was more of an inconvenience and really, what was an adventurer without a moron making things unnecessarily difficult?
So, he spun on his heel, and ventured back in. "Of course, this assumes he doesn't get himself killed by one of the traps around here." Ah, to be an adventurer again, when you went dungeon crawling and brought back the loot. It worked better in his world though, if he had to be honest. Seven world ending catastrophies tended to provide a lot of ruins to scour. "I'm guessing you saw the ad, too, then?" Might as well make some small talk.
Post by Caius Dragelion on May 30, 2020 20:17:48 GMT -6
The Dragonglaive
@tag Word Count: OOC: Dialogue Color: 196fd1
And off they went, after Kahlil. Caius looked back to Alexander when he would ask if he had seen the ad, and blinked a few times in confusion. "Ad?" he inquired. "I got word this shmuck was hiring for an expedition, if that's what you mean. That's why I'm here. Honestly should have gotten my money upfront" he admitted bluntly, no longer caring if Kahlil could hear them. Caius was far from happy with him after he decided to throw his guild in his face like that. If Caius was a lesser man, perhaps he would have just killed him right then and there. Or just left him here and headed home. Caius was a proud warrior, but even he knew when he was outmatched. And with having to protect Kahlil, he was likely to be outmatched here. At least Alexander's appearance might give them a fighting chance.
The group of them would find exactly what they had wanted. A room filled to the brim with treasure. It seemed that the secret passage Kahlil had found was what had been hiding the ruin's treasure all this time. Kahlil had stopped in shock at the piles of gold and other treasures that looked to be worth a fortune. And then the man began to do a little happy dance, and Caius let out a sigh and shook his head at the exaggerated celebration. "Take what you can carry and let's go before any of the golems return" Caius instructed to Kahlil, his voice dulled with exhaustion and exasperation. But Kahlil suddenly stopped. He said nothing at first. Until he began to let out a small laugh. It quickly began to sputter into a long, loud and sprawling laugh as he would pull out the weird, broken rod that they had found earlier. Caius blinked a few times. Hadn't that thing been basically broken and useless, Kahlil had said? When had he picked it back up?
"Ah, Caius, my dear friend... You won't have to worry about that anymore. Or even protecting me. I've decided to honor your wishes, friend... Our contract is forfeit."
Caius didn't know what he meant. But his paranoid senses caused an arm to hang to the side and open his palm.
Then the rod began to glow.
From holes all around the treasure room, Golems began to stomp. There were about six in all, and they moved quite a bit faster than the ones before them. They glowed the same color as the rod, and Caius let out a sigh. For one reason or another, his paranoid mind knew what was coming.
"Your services are no longer required, Mr. Caius. The golems will protect me, and bring my treasure to the surface. As I can't have you trying to steal my treasure... You and your friend are just going to have to die. Sorry about that."
The golems turned and began to advance on the two of them as Caius' sword materialized in his outstretched hand. He knew he should have just gotten out of here when the going was good. He looked to Alexander. "Apologies for you getting dragged into this. But I'll let you have a swing at him when we take care of this. My treat."
FF XIV
31
YEARS
Male
Single
Heterosexual
251 POSTS
WAGA
Seventy? Only seventy thousand? Hells, my subligar's worth more than that!
As he followed on through, he watched as the man began his little happy dance. "You are a sad, strange little man. And you have my pity." He was about to add a farewell on top of that and leave with his treasure, but then the monologuing started. Always with the monologuing. Couldn't they ever just shoot him or something? Emet-Selch did that with G'raha at least. Just shot him in the back and left poor Alex here to become a monster. That was fun. Really, it was only a moment, and began to spread his aether under the floor. Nothing too out there, just enough to get his aetherical hands out there. Stabbed in the back by some wily merchant. How many times had he been down this road? Enough to see it coming, at least. Really, he was more just here to keep Caius and Kahlil from dying at this point.
'Nice.'
There was Fray, ever helpful. Alex just stared at Kahlil with a dull, bored expression as the golems had begun to march out. Six in all? Well that wasn't so bad. Though the adventurer couldn't help but wonder what the guy would even do once they were dead and he had the golems. Honestly from what he'd seen of this world it almost felt like some other blokes would just make a gentleman's agreement to take him out. Partway through, Alex turned his gaze to Caius, motioning slightly towards Kahlil. Are you hearing this? it implied, as he only just quirked a brow at it all. Fortunately, he was just about ready.
That was when Caius apologized, and Alexander nodded. "Nah. Give me a moment." He said with an almost whimsically casual air as he worked his magic, literally. Using his aether spread beneath the floor to expedite the process, he manipulated a chunk of stone to rise up from the floor as a small pillar, and to try and smash it between Kahlil's legs. Stone spells could be so useful if you knew how to work it. If nothing else, it would give the two an idea if the golems were independent or if the guy had to keep some form of concentration. Good luck with that if those stones get stoned, buddy.
Caius supposed he should have seen this coming when they had gotten into their argument. He had begun to learn quickly that people in Serentestra did like to betray other people. Kuja, Darlene, the list went on... And on... And on... And... Well, you get the idea. But while Alexander and his companion were amused by all this, Caius' expression had turned to all business within a split second after he'd issued his apology to Alexander. Now that everything was out in the open... It was time to take care of business.
But Alexander seemed to have other ideas. Claiming that he needed a moment, he would do... Something. And all of a sudden, a high-pitched squeal sounded from behind the golems, before Caius heard a thud. Curious, he managed to peer between the golems to see Kahlil doubled over in pain, with some stones nearby. It didn't take a rocket scientist for Caius to figure out what had happened, and finally... His stone composure broke.
And he laughed.
He laughed heartily, uncontrollably.
"Ahahaha... Hahaha.... AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
After a few moments more, he settled himself, wiping happy tears from his eyes...
"That was good..." he admitted softly, before his eyes suddenly turned to stone again. The glow of the golems had taken less sheen, and Caius would warp forwards, slashing it in the eye area before kicking the golem's head. The impact sent it back a bit, and Caius kicked off its head before it could counter. Its reflexes seemed slower than before, he noted, as Caius landed besides Alexander.
"It looks like while they can move on their own, Kahlil using the wand is powering them up, and focusing them more on us" Caius pointed out as the golems, all six of them, advanced on them. "He'll be up quickly. This is going to be chaotic... Perhaps we can use this chaos to our advantage? Their strikes are powerful, I've felt them myself. If we could use that power against them..."
