Into the Cave

Caz only sighs, mumbling, "I'll be fine, don't worry," and then listening to Archelaus' briefing. It sounded like a mess, but Caz wasn't really thinking about it. He was busy weakly fending off the growing thought in his mind, the dark, twisted, tangled, brilliant idea. It would be easy enough... the others would never suspect. With his arm around Zyria, his princess, it was easy to picture. The solution was so simple... so tantalizing...

Zyria looks up at Caz. Not worry? Zyria could laugh. "You know that'll never happen." She stands on her tiptoes, kisses Caz's cheek, and resumes listening to Archelaus.

Most of what Archelaus says makes sense. There's so much, though, it's hard for Zyria to make it all out. All I need to know is be prepared for enemies, really. Zyria pulls out her knife, and it extents into the sword, the blue energy bright, as though it had rested, and was fully charged again.

Dreston appeared moments before Archelaus began his speech, but had stayed hidden, not wanting to startle any of the ordinary soldiers. He had transferred responsibility of keeping the creatures away to one of his more intelligent creations and was now focusing on the dangers ahead, since he assumed he would be journeying with the group. But when Archelaus mentioned electronics not functioning well in the Cave he was hesitant. Maybe I shouldn't go in with them. It might not be the best plan. As soon as the Alteriian finished, he approached the group where they stood outside the Cave's entrance.

>If electronics don't work well, do you think I should go in? Much of my body is clockwork, which shouldn't be affected, but the parts that operate my functioning processes are more modern. I could try transferring some of it over to the solely clockwork cores. But I still can't guarantee that I'll be able to follow.

Ma'at had stood to the side as he listened to the High Druid's speech. He shivered when it was done, monsters. That didn't sound like something he wanted to get into, but Caz needed him, even if he was exchanging flirtatious looks with that Plutonian princess...

Ma'at shook his head, jealousy wouldn't help anything. Instead of dwelling on the pair of them, he walked over to a make-shift supply tent. Within he found several weapons and many pairs of armor. Only one set, however, was large enough for an Alteriian. He picked it up with a sigh, the blueish leather glinting in the light that snuck in through the tent's opening.

After a few minutes, Ma'at stepped out of the tent. He looked completely different from the man who had entered. His violet and gold hair was combed back and his face was clear of grime, leaving the light blue markings swirling around his eyes and cheekbones unobscured. He had a duel-bladed ax strapped to his back and the armor he had found fit him almost perfectly. Yes, he thought, This is it. I'm ready.

Klyde grinned this would be easier than expected, although he still didn't fully understand what it was HE was doing here. That is...until he heard the words Aurora. 'Tam? As in The Queen Eris-Tam? She's involved in all of this? What the hell have I gotten involved in??!!' Nevertheless he stood there quiet relieved at the fact he did not have to tote this backpack, -dropping it on the floor- he made a huge sigh then rose a hand. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Lets do it!"

((Um... well... someone needs to respond. Dreston asked a question, mostly directed at Archie, so... um... yeah. Caz has nothing to say. -_- ))

[OH! Yeah, reminds me. Robless is in St. Louis for a robotics thing. He won't be on much, if at all.

So, that /does/ leave Archelaus to answer the question. Zyria could suggest something, since she was already looking for Dreston, but I don't know what suggestion could work.....Other than that, yeah. No one else can really post. ]

Archelaus' gaze turned to Dreston.

"Hmmm...

If I recall Dreston, your electrical components are not constructed using typical magnetic-friction/motion technology... I believe you were constructed with auxillary plasma conduits in case of EMP, correct?

You should be find inside the cave, but you may want to find a way to defend and arm yourself.
I take it you have stealth modifications Dreston...? Hiding any signatures of your presence will be of the utmost importance. Heat, noise..."
Archelaus stood up a little straighter, hefted his Katranka as if it was weightless, and then turned to face the entrance of the cave.
"Oh, and he have a mile or two of hiking before we reach the croach... So let's get going."

"Equipment check." Robless muttered, and both he and Cassus began to run inventory of their equipment and tools they'd need.

Initiative power suits (think Halo ODST armor, not Fallout power armor) did not run off standard power sources, but was synchronized with its user's biochemical processes to enhance its abilities, much like transplanted organs depend on the blood of its host. The suits would greatly improved physical strength, speed, and durability, along with combat awareness, sensory signals, and overall visibility. Robless ran combat diagnostics through his helmet and prepared it for a low-light environment.

Chemical flares were abundant and served various purposes. White illumination flares simply provided illumination and could be dropped or thrown and stuck to surfaces with adhesives. They had a fairly long burn time and could last several hours under normal conditions. Colored flares were mostly used for signaling and marking areas, which would be useful in case they needed to backtrack or locate each other. They burned much longer and would last many times longer than they would be in there. Cassus struck one to make sure it worked and dropped it at the front entrance.

Ranged firearms were in good condition and would suffice to take out most of the opposition. Cassus packed the most firepower, with a high-power sniper rifle and a rapid-fire carbine to operate at all ranges and against just about any enemy short of a massive battle mech. Robless used his standard gear, an assault rifle and heavy pistol. Both carried legendary Khvir blades and were well-trained in the art of using them.

"Ready."

"Let's move."

Ma'at sighed, he hated walking. The endless trudging through the cave would be tantamount to torture. Oh well... he thought, At least this gives me a chance to talk to Caz. He grabbed a sniper rifle from the assortment of weapons near the cave entrance and strapped it to his back.

As the group descended into the seemingly impenetrable darkness, Ma'at shivered. He had never been a fan of enclosed spaces, no matter how large. There was just something about being away from the sunlight and open, red plains of Mars that scared him on a deeper level.

Suddenly, Caz brushed up against his arm in the darkness. At least he assumed it was Caz, judging from the warm, tingling sense the touch produced. "Hey," Ma'at whispered, for some reason unwilling to break the eery silence.

Caz had spared no time with weapons, suits, or fancy equipment- instead he simply changed form, into a lizard race called the Dahnue. ((Yes Dreston I just used your race! :3)) It was a nearly extinct race, but agile, nimble, and strong. The toxic gas might come in handy as well... He armored himself, constructing light but extremely durable outer plating, as well as a device that would give him information about his surroundings and the creatures he would fight. He didn't need any sort of night vision apparatus, he simply altered the structure of his eyes slightly to improve his vision even more. His view was much better, almost as good as in normal daylight. He altered them again, allowing for very rapid adjustment to sudden light after learning that it might be necessary when Robless almost accidentally blinded him in lighting a flare. Caz would continue making adjustments as necessary- completely unused to having enough energy to simply alter certain parts of his anatomy with barely a second thought. But I could get used to it... he thought.

No. No, I can't. That has to end, and end soon.

His mind was practically made up.

"Hey."

The cave entrance was only the surface, and they slowly descended down the huge cavern that led deeper into darkness. The ceiling now seemed to go up for miles and was no longer visible; the ground expanded in all directions and disappeared into a foggy darkness that would have disoriented any lesser man. Dozens of flares lay distanced apart from each other, spaced out far enough that you could only see two at a time looking back. This would be almost more stressful than the rest of the trip; stress levels and tension seemed to spread through the group. Only the drive to save Aurora, Eris-Tam, kept them going.

Blackness engulfed them all again, Robless struck yet another green colored flare and tossed it on the ground behind him. Cassus continued to scan the horizon with his suit's scanners and optimized zoom. It was going to be a long walk. Neither of them spoke; it was if the cave had an aura of silence and suspense. They both sighed and continued on, walking slowly with the rest of the group, unable to focus on their actions.

Archelaus put on his blueish-battle armor, custom designed for fitness, flexibility, durability, and all the other qualities a good set of Alteriian armor possessed....
Except that it was rather heavy, by most standards. But that was acceptable, given the size and disproportionate strength of Alteriians compared to most of the universe.

Archelaus gripped his Ratranka grimly, not enjoying the prospect of entering the desperate cave once more, but highly motivated to do so.
Archelaus cast a long glance in Emerik's direction, hoping to draw him out of his disembodied stupor. Arch spoke, at length.
"Just like old times, eh Emerik? Except this time we have more firepower."
Emerik glanced up at Arch, but said nothing.

The High Druid was worried about his old friend... it seemed as if ever since the shuttle left from Dragar's ship that Emerik was disinterested in everything that had happened, but Arch didn't blame him... -after what we had all been through,- the Alteriian reasoned, -I wouldn't be surprized is we are at our wits end. Functioning, but not truly conscious.-

The Alteriians called this "Gro-Doshna" (Or, "Battle-Shock") much as the humans of the Terra system called their soldiers "Shell-shocked" when they expressed such emptiness after seeing so much carnage.

"Old friend, I am counting on you in this place of evil..." Arch gently intoned, hoping to draw Emerik out from his self-made shell. "We are going to ba facining evil again, back to back. Just like the glory of the elder days, when all our men had but subatomic liquifires and freeze-rays... Now with all this Plasmic-Conductor technology, it will be like walking through a field of Tangeida, (A white flower, known for its sweet and spicy smell) No?"
Emerik did not respond, but he did smile slightly.

-Good,- Arch thought, -I'm making headway at least...-
But then Arch saw the tiny dart like object in the side of Emerik's neck, between the plates of his armor...

"-##$%#-" Arch thought,

"EVERYBODY DOWN, NOW!" Archelaus said, forcefully but not extremely loudly. Like a harsh whisper-warning.
"Check everyone for the small darts, perhaps a centimeter in length, for the nerve toxins! They don't act immediately, but if you don't remove them they are deadly...! I had thought... I thought we had cleared out the Dal' Maroth...! We are in much more danger then even I had imagined. Weapons at the ready as well, check the fog at our feet... Even I am unable to sense when they come..."

A moment of silence ensued, broken by Emerik's falling form clanging against a rock on the ground, then the cave was a hive of activity as the away-team checked themselves and each other for the darts, and others raised their guns to their shoulders...

Robless and Cassus were two of the first to react. Darts pelted their armor but could not penetrate the hardened carbon polymer carapace designed by Black Legions armorers to withstand anti-infantry gunfire. Even then, they could risk taking a nerve toxins dart with suits capable of pumping out poison.

Now out-of-range of the last flare, Robless fumbled with an illumination flare in the dark while Cassus tried to provide suppressing fire with his Excalibur rifle.

Attempting to pinpoint their aggressors, Cassus released the touch-identification safety and settled the sniper rifle on his shoulder. The first shot thundered and echoed through the cavern, but the storm of toxic darts did not relent.

"Flare up!" Robless gave a brief warning to his pinned down comrades and prepped the illumination flare that he was able to retrieve. He set the flare to 'parachute', armed it, and threw it on the ground a few meters in front of him. It popped and shot up into the air, sizzling with luminance as it lit up the cave. What he saw was completely unexpected.

((Hey Tam, idea- maybe Caz and Ma'at could get separated from the group now, with all the confusion n' such... just a thought))

As Archelaus had instructed, Ma'at dropped to the ground. He felt around himself clumsily, feeling dizzy. He found the source of the dizziness at the base of his neck; a small dart which he quickly removed.

He tried to stand up, but collapsed almost immediately. The nerve toxins were working their way through his body, but had not reached his heart. He sluggishly turned his head to see if Caz was okay, but all he could see were dust and many peoples' boots.

"Caz?"

Caz spun as he heard his name, a dart whistling just past his ear. He did a quick mental check by fluctuating matter control through his body and making sure there were no darks embedded in his scales. He dashed towards Emerik's body, yanking out the small dart before the toxins could spread even further and then placing a finger on the small red dot of blood on Emerik's neck. He was about to try something risky. Very risky. He flowed his consciousness into Emerik's bloodstream, then slowly changed the tiny poison molecules into energy like he would with part of his own body, and removed enough to allow the Martian to survive.

Then he redirected his attention. Now could be his chance. He pushed towards Ma'at, faking that he'd been hit by a dart and putting his hand on the back of his neck like that's where it hurt. He stumbled in the Alteriian's direction, somewhat dizzily helping him up, and then, still holding the man's arm, stumbled back, over the edge of one of the deep scars in the cave floor. He tumbled down, taking Ma'at with him, then hit the bottom and lay dazed on the ground, trying to recover, seeing that there was no way they could get back up, or back to the group. Well, not no way, but very little possibility. It was dark down there, and Caz doubted that the others had even realized their sudden disappearance.

Ma'at groaned. His body ached all over and there was something digging into his back... What was it? He tried to remember, but his brain wouldn't focus right. Caz.. something about Caz...

He opened his eyes slowly, and briefly wondered if they were actually open. The world above him was pitch black, only a sliver of light showing through a crack in the ceiling. He sat up slowly, his spine barely supporting his torso. He took a breath in to steady himself, and began coughing violently- the air was laden with dust.

Suddenly, it all came rushing back to Ma'at. The cave, the darts, the fall. He searched frantically around him for Caz. Finding nothing, his brain went into panic mode. He scrabbled in the dust, look for a sign- anything!

He yelled out again- he was getting into a habit- "CAZ!!!"

In the confusion Klyde stumbled but fired his standard rifle until a dart him him in the arm. Shit I got hit oh damn, oh damn He backed up trying to see what it was firing at them and in doing so, caught his land in a rock-slide and went toppling down into some shallow water. It was dark, nothing was visible at all, Klyde stumbled through a small knapsack and pulled out some glowsticks. He took them, tying them to some rope and putting it around his neck then he walked on.

"Hey? Is that anyone?" He heard movement in the water, it wasn't his, he tensed prepared for whatever might come sloshing forward and standing 6 feet from him barely visible was a 7 feet tall lizard. Drool came from its mouth as it stared at Klyde, who started to reload his gun when............, it charged him, in a flurry of claws his gun was ripped from his hands and his suit ((He got one too)) had taken a hit to the back, a large ripple where a metal layer was once. Dammit this fucking suit is slowing me down, if i abort it i'll leave myself wide open but...isn't that what I am right now? No time I do it now or die!

The sound of air leaving a socket sounded as Klyde popped out of his suit revealing his jacket and furry face. "Okay big guy lets dance!" He sprinted towards it but not before taking the helmet from his suit, he had only tried this once but figured it would work again. The helmet disappeared from his hand replaced by a bony, black, skeletal hand along with his arm, also made in that fashion.

OFC (lol, I left it open on purpose so that you guys could post without me in case I couldn't get back to post in time Oh well. Here we go...)

IC

The Dal' Maroth...

Encyclopedic entry, Alteriia Galactica:

The Dal'Maroth are a highly intelligent form of animal life resembling a cross between a preying mantis and a wolf, except that it has three protrusions extruding out of the three sides of it's foot wide triangular head, covered in a light-weight and flexible yet strong armor. Each protrusion shoots a small dart coated in nerve-toxin, designed to incapacitate enemies, but keep them alive, because the Dal'Maroth prefer to feed on victims with still-warm blood using fangs half the size of kitchen knives, and many times sharper.
The Dal'Maroth posses multi-jointed arms, each bearing a scythe-blade made of an ultrahard bio-metal, which can flex and reform at will. This combined with their striking speed, and ridiculous reaction time mix to create a 300 pound monster of destruction and death.
---
Archelaus rolled to one knee, and using the light set by Robless, struck out brutally with his Rolxan, damaging one of the Dal'Maroth as another four of them took its place. Then the next several seconds were chaos, as Arch relief on his reactions to keep him alive. Dodge, dodge dodge, strike, punch, strike, dodge... in a few seconds, a Dal'Maroth sat crushed, dead upon the ground, and another three circled him, each damaged in one way or another, as other Dal Maroth appeared into the light of the flare.

Archelaus stole a quick glance at his allies, seeing roughly twenty or so of the beasts, each in various stages of fighting with his allies, and several grayish forms upon the ground... human forms. Probably not the leaders, but members of the team...
Archelaus roared, and sprung at the nearest Dal'Maroth, sending it's wretched body to the abyss.

Robless barely had time to react as his Khvir sword narrowly parried a blow from one of the Dal'Maroth's bladed arms. Breaking proper military etiquette, he struck out at one of the creatures, stumbling it, and then pulled out his heavy pistol and shot an anti-material round directly into its gaping maw.

Something metallic and armored bumped into him. "This is not the time, Cassus--"

Metal screeched against metal as Robless went flying back, landing in the sand several feet from where he stood a half-second ago.

"Damn it, that's not you--" The breath was knocked out of his chest when the attacking Dal'Maroth jumped on him, throwing the Khvir blade aside and pinning down his pistol-wielding arm. It hissed in his face, spattering the visor of his helmet. The bug-like creature proceeded to raise its bladed arm into the arm. It came crashing down and Robless' vision went black.

Am I dea-- He was nearly blinded by the illumination flare when Cassus shoved the dead Dal'Maroth off his chest and left him staring at the ceiling. I need to stop getting interrupted...

Robless picked himself up and let the helmet sweep the viscera from his combat visor before jumping straight back into the fray, pistol roaring, blade glinting.

Caz felt a sharp pain in his temple, a broken leg, and a few broken ribs. He had landed with a sickening thud- the chasm was much deeper than Caz had expected, and much darker. In fact, even with his extremely enhanced eyesight he could barely see a thing. He groaned as he shifted positions, head throbbing, body aching, and the noise probably alerted Ma'at to Caz's location. He rolled a little, attempting an upright position, but didn't put much effort into the action and so, naturally, he failed. He had the idea that if he gave Ma'at the illusion that he was very weak and had been badly injured, the Alteriian would not be expecting attack. They would travel for a while, trying to find a way back to the group, and once they were closer Caz would do it. Then he would turn up in the group again, looking badly beat up. He would play it off flawlessly- they had fallen and in the darkness and confusion Caz had only barely been able to protect himself, let alone Ma'at. He could see it now. Ma'at would just be another casualty, another victim of the monsters in the Cave.

And in a way, that would be right.

Archelaus fought ferociously, but he was unable to keep the persistent and cunning Dal'Maroth from encircling him, and cutting him off from the group. Half a minute later, the flare Robless had shot out was a good fifty yards away, and Archelaus' blood-wetted Retranka only dully reflected its light.

It was a part of their tactics... separate and remove the resistance one at a time.

Archelaus however, was not a typically threat. The Alteriian, swinging a wide arc of his blade which caught the edge of a protrusion of one of the attackers, and used his momentum to swing himself to the flank of the majority of the creatures. Immediately following this move, Arch spun backwards to escape the incoming counter attacks. Now Archeleaus was behind the Dal'Maroth... at least some of them...

Rolling to avoid any more of the neural darts, The High Druid leaped out of the fog near the flare, aglow and wreathed in a blue energy. Landing on all fours, the Alteriian searched out his next target...

Fels Tamired was struggling.

His training hadn't prepared him for anything like this. He didn't have any idea what to do against these creatures, the Dal'Maroth, and he had already been hit twice by their darts. Neurotoxin... he thought. If that's the case, and I've been hit twice, then I won't last long... His training had taught him to avoid thinking that way, but somehow he knew it really wouldn't matter. But he kept fighting, doing his best to stay with the group and keep himself alive.

But as Fels watched the people all around him, leaders, people hundreds of years older than him and with inpercievably vast knowledge and skill, he lost a little more hope. Even they were struggling. He had watched one of the important ones driven off a cliff, accompanied by a second one. He watched the big Alteriian, Archelaus, separated from the group. Yes, he recovered, but he was one of the strongest. Fels had watched the Martian leader drop when the fight began, and he watched now as his commander nearly died. It was too much, just all too much. There were fleets outside waiting for him, so even if he did make it out of the cave, he still would never make it home to see his wife and daughter again.

It was while he was thinking of them, of his family, of his homeworld, that he lost his focus. Searge would have laughed at him- this was exactly why they weren't supposed to allow soldiers with families to join the specs. They just got distracted too easily. "You have to prove yourself, soldier. You have to be better than all the rest of your rank if you want to succeed. I will do my very best to stop you from doing that." The Searge's voice echoed in his head.

But he had succeeded. He had made it this far, Fels had made it through all of the training and all of the missions, but... he feared- no, he knew this would be his last.

Fels spun as another of the bug-like creatures lunged at him, aiming his pistol and taking off its jaw, but another dart struck him in the back. Three. He turned, noticing one behind the small princess of Pluto, and sent it sprawling with three shots- two of its apendages and one near the neck. Then another dart hit. Four.

His vision was getting blurry, but still he pressed on. He took out two more before the last dart hit him. Five.

He fell to his knees, then, his pistol sent spinning across the rough stone floor and his mind fogging. Fels finally collapsed, unable to feel his hands or his feet, his system overloading with the toxins in his nervous system. His brain started to shut down, taking out almost all motor control, sending his body into spasms where he lay on the verge of unconsciousness. The fighting around him continued, but suddenly it was not his wife's face pictured as the last thought in his mind, nor his daughter's. It was the face of a stranger.

A woman. Her eyes glowed violet, and her skin was translucent, pulsating, constantly in motion like raw energy. Her hair flowed long, and her face looked... worried. Desperate. Devastated...? She reached out to him, putting her hand on his chest. No, through his chest. She placed her hand on his heart, right around it, right inside of him. He could feel it, when he could feel nothing else. It was strange, so very strange...

She squeezed, and released. Squeeze, release. Squeeze, release. Again and again. And he bled. He bled from his many wounds as his heart only barely continued to pump, the odd woman squeezing his heart into life, and he bled. He bled more than he should have. More than he would have normally. He bled all over the ground until he was lying in it two inches deep. It felt like he had bled every drop of life out of his broken-looking body, but somehow he was not dead. Or... was he? He felt dead. But his mind was still there. Why?

Oh... The woman had moved her other had to his forehead. She was pressing, like she was holding him there, keeping his soul from escaping his body. Why... why are you doing this? But Fels knew why. Memories of his life flashed before his eyes- ones full of his wife, Beldre, in all her glory, and full of his daughter, her birth and her entire existence. He could no longer see the blood or the fighting, but he felt the life giving fluid... seeping back into him. He could feel it pouring back into his body, like it had never been gone to begin with. He felt a shock as feeling returned to him- as pain returned to him.

It had been so blissful to lose himself in the memories, all the pain washed away, but now he had to return. The darts were still embedded in his flesh but their sting was small and the toxin was gone from their tips, like something had soaked it all up. His vision cleared as he opened his eyes, and he could see that the group was starting to move on, away. The bugs had left him where he fell- no doubt to focus on taking down their other prey and planning to come back later.

But Fels would not be bug food.

Control oozed back, almost with reluctance, and the woman's image was starting to fade. She was smiling, but in the smile there was a sadness that he knew could never be cured- not for her. He owed her his life, whoever or whatever she was, so he would carry out her wishes. Protect her friends.

Fels rolled over. He put his hands underneath his shoulders and pushed up, continuing the motion until he was on his feet. He scooped up his pistol and launched himself back towards the group, back towards the fray, right into the battle, protecting and defending and attacking and blocking and sidestepping and assisting, light on his feet and relentless in his attacks.

She had saved him.

Fels was no longer afraid. It seemed that along with the toxins, she had also swept away all his fear. He felt... unstoppable.

He felt brave. He felt fearless. He felt like it didn't matter what happened because even if he died, he would die doing what was right. He would die a hero and would never be forgotten. He would die for his friends and for the people who would protect his family...

So it didn't matter.

This must be what she feels like. It feels... amazing.

Fels was back from the dead, and now he knew what he needed to fight for.

((^Fun little deviation. I figure someone will notice that he was among the fallen, and maybe notice the five darts sticking out of him, and then maybe will say something later.))

The creatures claws/bladed hands collided with the plating of Klyde's own hand creating scuffs in it's plating. He danced around it now free from the boundaries of the suit and being just as nimble as it, neither had a place to hide. His eyes had adjusted the moment they entered the cave, everything seeming as if he wasn't in the dark. From its mandibles darts flew and Kylde dodged them within a centimeter of contact. Sheesh, just don't give up do they. Maybe I can...It's a risk, no I can't.

Klyde lashed at it swinging his katana towards its neck and accompanying it with a kick from his right leg. The creature jumped at Klyde and created a gash across his chest. Klyde winced in pain and wanted to grab at his wound but knew it wouldn't help the situation so instead, he did what any sensible person would do, and threw some of his blood in the creature's eye. ((LOL!)) The creature screeched for a second attempting to clear its eyelids but that second was all Klyde needed.

The Creature fell, knees to the ground with Klyde's hand through its stomach blood dripping onto it. He twisted and broke something inside of it, just as a precaution then tossed its body aside. "Asshole...sheesh, AHHH!!! Shit you got me good didn't you?" He grabbed at his wound then awkwardly walked to where his small pack lay in the water, pulling a few needles and a gauze wrap out of it. He did a shabby job of patching himself up and then leaped back to his feet preparing to search for everyone else.