as i said, ive never been down here before. i am only going off of anothers knowledge. Matt snaps over his shoulder.
Pushing forward, he moves on down the tunnel, appearing to not care if others follow him or not.
"We don't know if those things are still following or not, so let's keep moving!"
As if to accent Rhoekk's point, a scream sounds from the way you just came. Loud, assaulting the ears, the cry of something dying, but in the most horrific way imaginable. The cry lingers in the air, and then is cut off.
Shaken to your core, you realize where you had heard a cry like that once before... Out on the hillside, when that gray fog rolled over the rabbit.
OH NO!!!! Matt cries out in a panic. It followed us, somehow. we have to go! Turning, he sprints down the tunnel, fear lending him speed.
Alathea needs no additional motivation. Holding onto Kodokura's hand, she runs into the strange city after Matrim.
Fia runs easily alongside the others, keeping her position on Ryland's heels.
Ryland runs. Keeping ahead of the others as scans the area.
Kodo keeps pace with Alathea, his sword at the ready.
Rushing down the tunnel, you suddenly hear Matt scream in surprise, and then suddenly vanish from sight. Three steps later you hear a thud, of someone falling.
Blood and ashes that hurts!!! Matt screams out loud, his voice echoing.
Stepping carefully, you approach an end to the tunnel, and see how he could have mistaken the length, for matt has fallen into a circular room. Opposite from where you stand, another tunnel enters the opposite wall. Amazingly, the wall appears to have some sort of illusion to it, making it appear to be closer than it is.
Kodo skids to a halt, throwing his arm out to stop Alathea as well. "What..?"
Fia scans the room, looking for anything that sticks out.
As Rhoekk reaches the point where the tunnel falls away with the illusion, he turns back and faces back down the passageway, keeping watch for any sign of danger creeping up from behind them. His bow is held at the ready, and he flexes his back just enough to feel the reassuring presence of his spears wedged between his body and quiver.
"Whatever you are doing, make haste."
Rhoekk, you hear an odd, wind like noise come softly from the way you came. It is just at the edge of your hearing...
Blood. Blood. WE wantsss the bloodsss
"Something is coming, and it does not sound friendly."
"Something is coming, and it does not sound friendly."
"I smell people, but it is old. I have never smelt such as this."
Kodo looks back over his shoulder as everyone stalls at the edge of the drop. That thing will be here in no time. Light help me, that I should have to lose everything I've just gained - but if someone has to buy time for the others, it may as well be the man with half a soul. I pray it doesn't come to that, but...
"Let's move!" Kodo growls. [b]"Move and live, or stand here and die!" The diminutive Shienaran moves to the back of the group after giving Alathea's hand a quick squeeze.
Alathea puts Kodokura's words to action and carefully drops down the short ledge. Pausing to pull Matrim to his feet, she snaps, "I will look to your arm later, but not here while we are in danger!" Once he is on his feet, she runs across the room to the far exit.
Kodokura peers down the corridor behind the group, looking and listening for any signs of imminent pursuit.
Alathea steps into the room, attempting to rush to the far side, and is immediately encased in a large cube of hardened air. The air covers her from head to toe, preventing her from breathing.
Seeing her friend suddenly halted as if frozen in mid-run, Fia growls and surrenders herself to saidar.
She weaves a razor sharp flow of spirit and attempts to slice open the block of air encasing Alathea.
As Alathea enters the room, she feels the very air around her harden into a prison. Although her mind races at the though of being caught in such a manner, her years of Tower instruction serve her well and she pushes down her fear. Thinking quickly, she draws as deeply as she dares upon the sa'angreal belt and fashions a blade of Spirit to cut the weaves that seek to imprison her.
Kodo glances over his shoulder, and thanks to the orb, sees Alathea's powerful weave slice toward the hardened air. His eyebrows raise at the power of her channeling. She is... Probably stronger than I ever was, even with her sa'angreal. Despite their predicament, the corner of his mouth quirks with pride as the Cutting weave is about to strike.
Before anyone can react to the sudden encasement of Alathea a thread of Spirit, thicker than the oldest oak in the forest, slices through the weave of network of air, destroying the entrapment.
From behind, though distant, those creatures wail out, as if responding to a dinner bell.
Freed from the Hardened Air surrounding her, Alathea falls to the ground. Picking herself up, she looks about wildly for the source of the attack. But the chilling wail from the One Power-devouring creatures rings out, and she starts into motion. Rushing to pull Matrim to his feet, she cries, "We must run, yes!"
Fia gapes slightly at the immensity of Alathea's weave. Light! Is that all from the angreal or has she grown? As the hardened air collapses Fia springs into action, changing the flows of spirit meant to free Alathea and warping them into a single small thread which she sends into Kodo's orb. She then hardens some air of her own - a bridge over the uneven (and apparently unsafe) ground below and connecting the ledge where she stands with the tunnel opposite her. The flows she weaves now visible to all her companions thanks to the orb.
"Quick, get across!" She tells those near her, then pitches her voice for Alathea. "Grab Matt with Air. I will lift you up to the bridge!"
Assuming Alathea nods her agreement, she will lift the other woman with Arms of Air up onto the bridge.
Alathea nods wordlessly and puts Fiallain's words to action. Wrapping Matrim with cables of Air, she gently lifts him to the other woman's bridge.
Ryland looks around as the others speak gibberish. "Burn me~! What is going on?"
Fia turns and gives Ryland a level look, then turns back and begins weaving again, lifting Alathea up onto the bridge and answering Ryland as she works. "The floor below is trapped. We are going over it. Hurry! Before those things catch us.
At the back of the group, Kodo starts shepherding forward those in front of him who are not already making their way across the bridge of Air. "Peace, let's move!" he barks.
Rhoekk follows up from the back with Kodo, helping everyone in front of him move forward. If it helps their speed, he tosses Mat and his broken leg up over his shoulder.
Sprinting across the hardened air bridge, now illuminated for all to see the intricate lace pattern of weaves that forms the solid structure, Ryland runs full force into the tunnel only to slam into another wall of air. As he rebounds, another wall of air encases the tunnel entrance, cutting him off from the group.
A voice suddenly comes to life, loud, deafening. Ahh, welcome to my lair, fair wanderers. it has been many months since the last one to come through. And before that...why, i do believe the Dragon himself still lived.
The man laughs, a wicked cackle, filled with malicious mirth. Ah, i see that you have met some of those ferocious Sam Rai, or in your tongue, the death of kings. But wait! I sense something else...something different. An abomination. Something that should not be. HOHO! This shall be interesting to watch. But, you cannot die in here, oh no. That would be too quick. So, i shall give you a hint.
A long moment of silence, and then he speaks again. A dark, ominous tone is heard Before you are 5 doors. 4 lead to death, one to life. Guess which one leads to life and you shall live. Guess wrong...and die. HAHA! A hint that isnt a hint! Oh i am clever.
Suddenly 5 shapes light up with an outline of fire around the room, 2 square, 2 circular, and one just a small hole, barely large enough for a person to fit through.
Guess wrong...and die the voice says simply once again.
Kodo moves close to Alathea while peering frantically around the chamber. "This is not good, sweet one," he murmurs to her. "That is the voice of a madman. I should know, I've seen a few." Then, raising his voice, he addresses the gloom. "Who are you? What do you want with us?"
Eyes narrowed, Fia takes a calming breath and searches, looking for anything that might give clue as to where these weaves are coming from and how they might bypass them. "Alathea, can you cut your way to Ryland?"