Suddenly the two groups are facing each other. On the upslope are two men. One is Hispanic, with a distinctly French mustache. He is carrying a machete and has a pistol on his hip. The other is a very tall white man with a short beard and a mop of unruly hair. This man carries a short-barreled shotgun.
On the downslope are three men and a woman. The first man is a hard-faced character with an M-1 Garand rifle slung over his shoulder and a Colt 1911 pistol in his hand. The second man is a young Indian with intense eyes. He also carries an M-1 Garand, but at the moment is armed with some strange device that consists of a silvery tank strapped to his back and a long nozzle held in his hands. The third man is Hispanic and bearing a shotgun. Despite the intense heat and humidity he wears the clerical collar of a Catholic priest.. The woman is white, petite and wearing a fedora. She bears both a machete and a huge .45 pistol. Her green eyes reveal a swift and shrewd appraisal.
Chakos, being careful to make no sudden movements, looks at the others, and in Latin, he states, ”Father Peña I presume?”
Antonio responds in Latin. "Yes? I am Antonio Peña." He steps forward to see the men more clearly, switching to English. "English, please, for my friends. You say Caduceus sent you? How did you find us here? What do you know of this place and our mission?" He leans in closely, appearing to look carefully at their faces and skin.
Chakos looks a little confused at first, but in broken English he struggles to respond, "Chakos not know much. Know Caduceus needs medical," he gestures to the bag he is carrying that displays a prominent red cross. "They hire me. They no tell you we was coming?"
He looks to Elliott, and in Latin he asks, "your English is better than mine, yes?"
Antonio nods at Chakos. "Habla español, señor?" The man looked Hispanic, but he had been fooled before in his life. He could be Egyptian or even Greek.
Antonio switches to his native language.
"Claro que sí Padre. Soy de Puerto Rico."
After Father Peña asks his questions, Chakos continues in Spanish, "I am not as good in English or French. We were hired and sent here by Caduceus, although not much of the mission was described, and certainly nothing about snakes and sword blade traps." He looks around, "My skills are those of a combat medic, although I am considerably better trained than most in the medical arts, and learned Latin in school. I see that a number of you are injured, can I tend to your injuries?"
Elliot grins at Chakos in response to his grasp of English, speaking in Latin so he is understood by his new friend.
When the medic begins chatting with the shotgun-toting Hispanic gentleman in their native tongue, Elliot turns to the hard-faced man - figuring him to perhaps be the leader here. At the very least, he doesn't want to offend the intimidating fellow and speaks in English.
"My friend here is Chakos Hyluan, a combat medic. We were sent here by Caduceus to help your team. I'm Elliot Sorenson. Archaeologist-trained, but I'm afraid many of those in the field would not be inclined to agree with that idea. Still, I've got my degree from Penn, so I figure that counts for something." He glances around the interior of the place and shakes his head in wonder. "I'd suspected a temple nearby, but I don't think this is Tiahuanaco architecture."
If permitted, Chakos will try and treat the injuries on his new companions...
Father Peña
Enoli
Minerva
As Chakos tends to wounds, Elliot moves around the passage they're currently traversing, speaking about how, though the engineering is like nothing he'd expect of any of the great Pre-Columbian civilizations, there are similarities that cannot be denied in their choice of decoration. Specifically with regard to the snake-based themes. He is eager to move onward and explore this place further.
"Thank you Chakos, the stitches in this gunshot wound in my shoulder had torn, I appreciate the help." Enoli remarks to the new ally, partially to hide the other reason for his sudden fatigue and sullen look. After firing this strange contraption, causing the green fire, he feels drained, a heaviness in his soul.
Chakos rinses his hands off after fixing Enoli up a bit. "I'm glad I could help. Enoli was it? I have more questions than answers now. How did you get injured? Bullet wounds are my stock in trade, to be sure, but I didn't expect to see them on this expedition."
He waits for Enoli's response.
"Later on, when we get back to camp, come and see me, and perhaps I can do an even better job of repairing that damage, but for now, that is as good as I can do with the materials at hand."
Chakos would likely make similar conversation with the other two as they tell him how they got injured.
Abraham uses a little space in the wall to lift his rifle up, taking up a sight back at the hallway. There were little places to hide. Sweat dripped down his brow, threatening to sting his eyes. Latin began to reach him just as the groups met one another. He maintains his aim for just a moment while the groups assess each other but slowly lowers the muzzle of the rifle when it appears that they both were sent by Caduceus. Wiping his brow, he lets out a breath before Elliot speaks to him. The shotgun was an unusual sight but it wasn't completely foreign to him. A favorite of those that went over the top to assault German positions.
"Name's Abraham Pierce. I was a detective back in New York City, doing some security work here for Caduceus. You arrived in one hell of a mess." He flickers his light behind them, making sure that there are no others coming down behind them. "It is good to have someone else use to combat situations with us. We were ambushed upon first arriving here by soldiers. The team lead was killed and we received their instructions; seems that Caduceus is here for more than humanitarian needs." While the others were treated by Chakos, Abraham would update them on the mission that had been assigned to them.
They were sent to investigate this ruin itself and extract a mummy from inside of it. There have been strange happenings in it; nothing that Abraham would get into but it was enough for Chakos and Elliot to realize that the usually stone-faced man was shaken. Elliot's description of this place being entirely focused and built for snakes only seemed to put the man into a deeper scowl as he shares a look with Enoli and the father.
"We've been hearing sounds of combat and I believe that the Bolivian soldiers are a threat. There...there is something wrong with them. Like shell-shock but worse. This temple only appeared after these other structures were destroyed; we've not been doing the destruction so someone is trying to get in here. Then there've been this odd weapons, something R&D had to have come up with." Abraham mentions, gesturing to Enoli's flamethrower pack and the strange, silvery pistol holstered at his side. "If we move fast, we could secure our objective and get the hell out of here before anything crazy happens. If not, we may have a gunfight. I hope you two can use those weapons well."
Once the party was checked over for any further harm, Abraham would take the lead with his Colt 1911 in hand and flashlight in the other. Moving a bit more trepidatiously, he kept his eye out for anything that could hide another trap like the blade that had stopped right at his neckline.
Chakos finishes up his repairs on the injured and repacks his bag. He takes a quick swig of water, swishes it around in his mouth, and spits it out in a stream between his two front teeth.
"Here for more than humanitarian reasons you say? I should say so if stealing mummies is part of their plan? What humanitarian need could be served by that?" Chakos shakes his head, and draws one of his pistols, checking to ensure it is loaded. "I have spent too many years at war to be an idealist about such things. For now, what seems most important is to survive. As for the Bolivians, I hold no animosity towards them, but I have seen those fatigued from combat act very strangely, and there IS a war on down here after all."
He waves his pistol towards the hallway and suggests, "shall we go find this mummy of yours?"
[ooc]How long has it been since I used the pistol against the unholy abomination that we met at the one pit? I believe I get back a point of magic an hour so I need to replenish what little amount I got.[ooc]
Call it five hours.
Elliot seems mildly startled at Abraham's observation, then winces as he glances at the stock of the shotgun rising over his shoulder. "Oh. That. Uh... well, Mr. Shapiro suggested we go armed, considering the situation down here, and I'm not terribly good with handguns. I've gone hunting many a time though, and the shotgun caught my eye. Never been in a war, though. Is it really that bad here? We avoided the soldiers, but I heard some explosions and shooting out there in jungle before we slipped through the door back there."
The archaeologist moves forward to look over the 'odd weapons' he mentions, before nodding his head in agreement. "Yeah, good plan. Let's find this mummy and get out of here before this place gets crowded with soldiers." He takes the shotgun in both hands, as if expecting an enemy soldier to jump out from behind a corner at any moment, and follows behind Abraham.
”Yes, yes, he said armed, but he said nothing about snake-kabobs, or death blade traps!”
Minerva studies the newcomers. "Glad to have a new medic. Our last one lost her mind, and is waiting for us to take her out of here when we leave. Don't know how I'm going to tell her parents what happened. I'm Minerva. Lately of New York. I'm a...Well I'm a Jill of all trades. Let's leave it that for the moment." She says in a crisp Upper Crust British accent.
"I hope you have strong nerves. Nothing is normal around here. Nothing." she reloads her weapon and turns to face down the stairs again.
Chakos turns to Elliot and gestures towards Minerva, ”She seems nice, but her reaction to the combat environment seems a little extreme, even for the weaker sex.”
”Yes, yes, he said armed, but he said nothing about snake-kabobs, or death blade traps!”
The priest jerks his head as Chakos mentions snakes, but then takes a deep breath to steady himself. They do not know. How could they? But perhaps now is not the time. Besides, they would never believe there are real demons walking the earth. I would not unless I has seen it myself. The image of the Captain floats to the forefront of his mind and Antonio squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, trying to will it away.
He opens his eyes a moment later. "Come, we need to find this mummy and leave before the soldiers find us. Lady Ashford is correct though. Nothing is as it seems." He follows Abraham down the tunnel.
Down, down, down you go as the passageway winds ever downward into the great screw-like temple, ending at last into a vast chamber some two hundred feet across. Pillars on each side of the entrance to the Grand Chamber curve up and intertwine, combining into a snake's head with two green gems for eyes. Each of the eyes is the size of a human fist!
In the center of the Grand Chamber stands a twenty-foot tall stone helix, reflectign the spiral design of the temple, topped by a figure seated on a throne. Each step of the helix-shaped dais is the height of a man’s waist. The throne is carved from a single huge block of jade and decorated with fine metal filagree ornamentation depicting strange forests and curious beasts. The seated figure has a female humanoid body but the head of as serpent. She is dressed in fine crimson robes edged with golden thread. The body is still, its eyes closed as if sleeping.
Chakos piers at the architecture and the motifs in the room for a while before stating, "I didn't spend eight years at Miskatonic without taking a few classes in this stuff..."
"...but none of it seems familiar to me."
-1 luck then, and what can I tell about this place?
Elliot grins at Chakos and murmurs a reply. "Yeah, she's quite a dame! Seems a bit tense, though. Of course this whole group seems to be all worked up."
He trails off thoughtfully, still watchful as they make their way downward, until they reach a vast chamber. The archaeologist's eyes focus on the serpentine pillars, his eyes gleaming as they fall upon the gem-like eyes. "My God. Are those real emeralds? They're enormous!" He breathes reverently.
Then his gaze shifts to the room itself, the twenty-foot tall helix carved into a dais with enormous steps and the throne carved of jade. The seated female doesn't appear to be human at first glance, but of course that's impossible. The serpent head is likely an incredibly crafted mask of some kind. But her flesh is not desiccated in the least, nor is she wrapped in linen. Elliot's voice is a strangled whisper as he speaks. "Is uh... is that the mummy we were sent to find? It looks... almost as though it were simply asleep. The preservation is unlike anything I've ever seen or read about in all my life. And the mask... The craftsmanship is exquisite. As though it is her actual head instead of a mere covering."
Elliot begins to move forward, in order to study this amazing find more closely.
Abraham enters into the room, his flashlight shining around the room for a moment to take in the incredible sight. He was no archeologist but he knew that the value of this room was priceless in the terms of both knowledge as well as wealth. The gems up above glimmered in the weak light, glowing like the snake the carved stonework was made to resemble. The solid throne of jade caught his attention next, followed by the figure resting upon it. A humanoid woman with a snake head, her eyes closed and body unmoving. A chill ran down his spine as he looked towards Lady Minerva.
The newcomers doubted the woman's expertise and skill but his previous run-ins with her and the events that had transpired since they arrived had certainly earned the gumshoe's respect. When her eyes met his, even for a moment, she could see the momentary dread in them. He remembered Enoli's supposed visions and the strange sight that Father Antonio said of the captain back at camp. Taking a breath, he would step forward.
"Keep an eye out Elliot. That blade in the tunnel nearly took my throat. There could be more traps." It had to be a mask right? It couldn't just be the woman's head. The grip on his pistol tightened as he moved closer, checking the ground ahead of them for danger.
"Not unlike some Egyptian or Asian iconography. You know how the Egyptians had images of like human bodies with bird heads, or what about the Greek minotaur?"
"Oh! Right..." He pauses at Abraham's warning, approaching no further just yet. In his excitement, Elliot had forgotten to look for traps - and this seems a good place as any to put one.
As he gazes around, he nods emphatically at Chakos' statement. "Oh yes, the Egyptians had an elaborate mythology involving humanoids with the heads of animals." His tone is one of eager enthusiasm on the subject, and he discourses at length about his knowledge of the subject matter. Though anyone knowledgeable as well might wonder if he's even read a history book at all. And how can someone talking so much possibly be paying attention to his surroundings anyway?
At the mention of traps, Chakos also looks around for such things...
Father Antonio ignores all the grandeur of the room and even the snake carvings. He simply stares at the statue of the woman. His hands tremble, but he can't seem to look away from the image. It is just a statue, right? How many more demons could walk the earth? Finally, he is able to turn back to the others. "I think that body is what we have come for. Quickly, we need to get up there and examine it."
Unless one of you is hiding a stretcher, we will need to build a travois. I know nothing about how to handle such delicate antiquities.”
As soon as Abraham sets foot into the temple, all hell breaks loose. The eyes glow green for a moment, alerting Abraham, Chakos, Enoli and Minerva. Then a horrid ray blasts from the eyes, targeting each of you!
Those struck by the ray feel intense pain and a burning sensation and their muscles lock up.
Surprised at the furiousity of what had just occurred, Chakos wasn’t one to buckle under pressure. If the bolts of light came from the twin gems, then the gems needed to go. ”Madre de Dios,” he cried out. He presented his .32 and snapped off three rounds at the snake’s eyes…
If those first two shots take out the eyes, Chakos wouldn’t shoot the third time, he’d start assessing his damaged companions.
I believe those would cause the first and third shot to become failures, but the second shot is still a hard success, with the chance to spend 8 luck points to make it into an extreme success, if needed.
The Padre screams as he is struck by the rays that he failed to even notice. His body locks up and his momentum tips him over to the floor.
The Padre screams as he is struck by the rays that he failed to even notice. His body locks up and his momentum tips him over to the floor.
Abraham brings his pistol up to take a shot at the glowing eyes but fails to get out of the way of the beam of light. Pain shoots through his body before he becomes numbed, his gun aimed up high.