Fable - Ask In The Rubble[Dreadlords]

[Edric]

Vel Acan

"So much for the new Vel Anir." Edric said as he kicked the head of a marble statue that lay scattered across the now destroyed Courtyard.

Once upon a time Vel Acan had been a center of power within the Anirians lands. The city had been small, but important. It was here that many Dreadlords had retired to, here that much of Vel Anir's magical knowledge had been stored. It had been an archive of sorts, a place where old secrets thrived and new ones wormed their way to the surface.

After the Revolution in Vel Anir itself, Acan had turned on it's mother state.

Ruled by Governor Lilen Aldereth and backed by Archon Tremir Dwen, the city had gone into revolt against the new Republic. They had taken a stance, declaring their support for the King and the Houses, and executing a dozen Dreadlords who had come out in support for the revolution. Their rule had been short, but extremely brutal.

Thousands who had sought the advancement of the new Republic had been imprisoned or killed, and in short order the city became nothing less than a despotic hell-pit. Within a months time the new Republic decided that Acan was simply too valuable to be left alone, and quickly a siege began. Through the combined strength of the Anirian Guard, Revolutionary Dreadlords, and the assistance of some of the 'reformed' Great Houses Vel Acan was brought to heel.

The campaign took only a month, but it's devastation was more than clear as Edric and the others stood in the rubble.

None of the new Generation had been allowed to take part in the fighting of course. They had still been squared away at the Academy as the war began and even ended, yet now that it was done they were here for the cleanup. The Proctors had told them it was important for them to see the consequences of war, but in truth Edric was pretty sure they just thought of them as easy labor.

It had been three days now since they'd arrived in the City of Vel Acan, and their duties had been everything from cleaning up rubble to helping pass out food for the civilians.

All of it had been grunt work, all of it better suited to regular soldiers than Initiate Dreadlords.

"Doesn't a Republic mean personal choice?" Edric asked some of his fellow as he stalked through what had once been a library, his muscles flexing as he pushed aside what had once been a bookcase. "I mean if Vel Acan didn't want to be part of Anir anymore maybe they should have been allowed to leave."

He contended, a loud crack of earth ringing out as the book case crashed onto the ground. "Even then, they could at least have let us fi-"

As Edric spoke a loud crack echoed out. His head jerked to the ground beneath him, and then suddenly the earth gave way. The ground shook, splinters of marble falling as the floor of the library collapsed beneath him and the other Initiates around him.

Casting them down into the darkness below.

 

[Noel]

Vel Acan had been a testament to the strength of Vel Anir, an example of what a successful Dreadlord could achieve or hope for once their service had ended. Now it was a pile of rocks.

It was strange to behold. Almost like a metaphor of their situation as a class. That everything they worked for could be leveled in the blink of an eye by idealists and the winds of change.

Noel wasn’t one to complain but it had been an insulting assignment and it was growing more difficult every day to hold her tongue. They were being forced to clean up the mess the republicans who had destroyed Vel Acan caused because they wanted to teach the next group of Dreadlords humility. Or worse, it was a demeaning exercise to demonstrate what would happen to them if they ever got out of line in the way Archon Tremir Dwen had.

”They did have a choice,” Noel quipped as she lifted a stack of ruined books and prepared to walk them towards the bin, ”they just didn't pick the state-approved option.”

A sneer formed as she crossed the room. It wasn’t something she’d have said in the presence of Proctors but while it was just them…

In an instant her thought process was interrupted by a thunderous noise as her feet fell through the floor. She reacted quickly as her body twisted and a pauldron on her armor enlarged itself and braced the entire right side of her body. Landing with a metallic thud Noel kept her eyes tightly shut as fragments of marble and various tomes rained down on top of her.

Once the debris had finished falling on her the trainee rose upwards and made certain she hadn’t broken any bones. Aside from a soreness in her shoulder the onyx-haired girl hadn’t come to any harm. Reducing her pauldron back to its normal size she called into the darkness, ”hello? Is everyone okay?”

A quick glance to the light far overhead led her to believe the collapse had swallowed them all.

 

[Davi]

Davi had actually been quite enjoying the assignment.

His powers meant that he wasn't the one lifting rocks or putting buildings back together again. He'd been tasked with putting the books back into their proper places on the shelves of the library and collecting those tomes which needed repair. It had been meant as an insulting job, he knew, but when he had moments to himself or with just the other students he had been able to take the time to read a few pages here and there. He wasn't very good at reading but he was a damn sight better than a lot of the Dreadlord recruits. His mother had attempted some form of education before Vel'Anir had taken his city and swallowed it in their broadening kingdom. Whatever level it was at, it was enough that he could read a few pages a day and learn something of interest. He hoped they were asked to stay a while longer. How much could he learn from just stacking shelves?

The Proctor had left them for a few hours now and he'd taken the liberty to sit down with his back against one stack and read a particularly interesting beastery whilst the others played football with bits of rock or had a whiny moan about their dratted lives. He'd tuned it out until the quip about the republic. Slowly he glanced up over the pages in front of him to one of the other lads in his class. Announcing your own side or opinion on the revolution was as likely to get you killed as a student as it was if you were a Dreadlord. Davi pursed his lips and considered saying something himself, mainly something to shut the other student up, when the day turned upside down.

Hello? Is everyone okay?

Davi groaned as consciousness slammed back into him and he stiffly begun to move under the rubble. The light above seemed miles away what had they fallen - four? Maybe five stories? He touched the base of his skull and frowned when his fingers came away covered in blood. Perfect. Shoving the rest of the debris off in a quietly churning rage he staggered to his feet.

"Fine," he spat some of the dust in his mouth onto the floor then wiped his mouth. "Just peachy."

 

[Silka]

Silka listened to the others complain, but whether or not she agreed with their complaints or had any of her own, she didn't say so. She didn't speak much, and always found herself on the outside of things. She heard how her fellow students got along with one another, became friends, or foes, but Silka had become more of a quiet presence, generally accepted but barely approached. She supposed it unnerved them not to be able to see the entirety of her face as much as it unnerved her not to be able to see theirs at all. Still, she listened to everything, logging little bits and pieces of information in her mind. She was good at remembering...

Every few steps she took came the disquieting little clicks of her tongue as she moved around the library. For one who couldn't see her surroundings, Silka had developed her own way of sensing them, and she rarely stumbled or faltered. She wove her way around the debris of shelves and piles of books, a stack of old tomes cradled in her arms and piled up to the end of her nose, and she paused suddenly.

She sensed the shift before it happened, could feel the fine tremors under foot and hear the creaks and cracks before the floor gave way. Rather than scream, she drew in a sharp gasp of air as she felt herself free fall - an all the more frightening sensation for one without the sight to see what she was falling into, or how far, or when she should expect to hit a surface. The air in her lungs was thrown violently out of them as she landed hard on her back, and her mouth opened wide in effort to drag it back in.

Books clattered on top of her one after the other, and before she could shield her face, one of the tomes came down on her and her mask clattered to the floor. Now she let out a sound, a mingled breath of cough and cry as she flailed, her eyes squeezed tightly shut as she searched the rubble for her mask, lacing frantic little clicks into her panted breaths and whimsical whispers.

"Where -click click click- is it where is it -click click- where is it where -click- is it -click click-"

Stop panicking. Proctor Pallatrix' firm voice reminded her at the back of her mind. Focus.

"Shhhhh Sil.. Shhhhh. -click click click- it's okay." her childlike voice whispered, all to herself. She could feel something wet on her cheeks, and she knew it wasn't tears. The only thing she could cry was blood. Another few clicks and she knew there was someone close to her, with the sound of his voice she knew it was Davi, but she wouldn't dare ask for help, regardless of the pain she was in.

Finally, her hand settled on something metal and she let out a squeal of a sound, the pain ebbing as she slammed the mask onto her face and breathed.

hello? Is everyone okay?

"Yes thank you." her odd little voice echoed, telling her she was in a tunnel. "Just peachy too." she curled her lips, having no idea what in the abyss it meant, but if the cool kids were saying it..

 

[Dorian]

"Same shit, new day, Ed." Dorian dryly remarked from the back of the group. Lightly dressed in drab colors, the brightest thing about the slightly-built Apprentice were his hair and eyes. Several knives and daggers were tightly strapped around his waist, and one could only guess how many more hid under his padded jacket. "If we really had a choice in all of this, you think they might have asked if we wanted to- you know- fucking quit."

Dorian snorted and spat on the rubble beneath his feet. Then the floor caved in.

The trainee turned, intending to flee, but he only managed a single step before solid ground gave away. Hands outstretched, he was just a hair away from reaching the pit's edge, but he, too, plummeted into the abyss below.

Edric had been kind enough to break Dorian's fall as the latter fell right on top of the muscle-bound Apprentice.

 

[Eleanor]

Edric had been complaining nonstop for three days now and, honestly, Ella was tired of hearing his voice. She had not voiced this opinion yet and she felt herself being drawn to the edge of the cliff with every syllable that came out of his mouth. She agreed, this sucked, everything sucked, blah blah blah.

She was about to yell at him to just shut the fuck up when she heard the crack. Her first instinct was to turn and run except the shaking ground was causing damage faster than she could move. She felt herself fall backwards into the darkness, she rose her hands and slowed the debris that was trying to fall on top of her. She hit the ground with an umph and the debris lightly hit the ground around her.

Ella reached back to feel the back of her head that had hit the ground way harder than it needed to. It did not feel like there was any kind of wetness so she took that as a sign that she would be fine. She slowly stood up and looked around. Darkness. She could not see anything. Fuck.

Hello? Is everyone okay?

Ella heard Noel call in the darkness and she realized that she was not very far from her fellow initiate. She also heard the collection of replies and added her own to it. “I am fine. I am near you, Noel.” She did not know how near though.

 

[Sable Pembroke]

"You lot should really think about this from a different perspective," A deep, near rumbling voice had called out to those who had complained whilst ground had remained solid. A titan of a young man had occupied a space near one of the demolished shelves, picking through for anything that might've met his particular interests. Duty or no, there was always some room for a good story, if one was to be found.
"One could argue that Vel Acan gave up that choice when they started slaughtering innocents."

Sable plucked a book from its moldering place in a pile, one titled Of Knights and Knowledge - The Vel Acan Compendium of Fables. By it's title it was just what he was looking for, and the perfect way to pass by a bit of the boredom of their current task. He, unlike some, hadn't felt the creaking in the floor.
"Besides, I'm sure there will yet be some chance for us to pro-oooo-OOOHHH!" Was what Sable had managed when the boards gave way.

There was no grace in his fall. He was a tumbling mass of muscle, and he barely had the good sense to do the one thing he was particularly excellent at: raise a magic barrier around himself before impact. It did little to actually soften the impact, but at least it stopped him from being impaled at upon some wreckage at the bottom. With a great, dusty SLAM, Sable joined his comrades at the bottom, his ward shimmering into nothing just moments after.

Immediately he cursed himself. He had the power to protect, yet he'd only managed to use it on himself. If any of his classmates were hurt - or worse - he already felt it would be on his head.
The titanic trainee pulled himself to his feet with a groan and tried to listen to the sound off. Only four other voices so far out of six, but at least he recognized the voice of Silka among them. He knew little about her, but she was the smallest out of the bunch, and he likely would have made the mess a lot worse if she'd died on the way down.
"I also am--urgh...alive." Sable grunted, still trying to get his bearings. "I believe I packed some first-aid supplies if anyone is hurt..."

 

[Henk]

"For somebody so confident in their abilities as a Dreadlord, you never cease to gripe about doing what you're told, Edric."

It was a rare barb from Henk's mouth, the usually quiet and reserved young man affixing orbs of light to the ceiling of the dilapidated library that he and his fellow initiates labored in. Vel Acan was a dreary place, and the poor lighting wouldn't be an acceptable excuse should they miss anything vital. "What's been done has been done. The reason that this place has fallen to such disrepair is irrelevant, our task has been set before us and we must complete it." It wasn't that Henk was overjoyed about being on cleanup duty, but a mission was a mission.

"Ah, Noel, If you'd like to set that bunch over there for now, I'll get them when I come around to that side of the room." Henk had an oddly soft and gentle voice when compared to most of the other male dreadlords, but then he rarely spoke outside of missions. Consequently, he couldn't claim to be close with many of his peers, but then some woud consider that a good thing. He only hoped they would finish before Eleanor blew her top and killed Edric, Dorian, or both.

Henk had only just finished the lighting and was wrapping his bare hands back up in their bindings when he heard the sickening snap of wood beneath their feet, a thunderous warning that would come far too late for any of them to escape the inevitable submission of the aging structure the students had stuffed themselves into. He felt his feet loose their grip on the floor, his legs kick helplessly in a vain effort to regain support as he shouted. "Collapse! Tuck!"

A useless piece of advice; He couldn't tell how which way he was facing or where he should brace or tuck in the darkness that swallowed them up as they fell far beneath, and he figured few if any of them would fare much better. Henk closed his eyes, tucked his head and hoped for the best.

It seemed he was a deal luckier than some of his fellow Dreadlords, as his head was spared the brunt of the impact. Instead, Henk landed on his right shoulder, a sharp growl of pain leaving his lips as he felt the joint pull out of the socket. A dislocation, but he could manage that. What was more important was discerning where they were. Regaining his breath with a few coughs, Henk climbs to his feet shakily, using his good arm for leverage.

Once back on his feet, the killer-in-training grasps the arm he'd injured in the fall, seething in pain as he raises and pushes his shoulder back into place with a pop; a temporary fix, but one that would allow him the use of his arm until their return to Vel Anir. "Give me a moment, everybody."

This was Henk's wheelhouse, and quickly he set about removing the wrappings from his arms, tossing them aside before raising both of them skyward. Ribbons of light leaking from above would snake down the sides of the pit like growing vines, heeding Henks call as the light bent and amplified to light wherever it was they'd fallen into, Henk's arms acting as the focal point; essentially making him a walking lantern.

 

[Cersi Llewelyn]

...The sky parted and wept,
O'er red grass fields.
We are Death;
And come to collect
the Butcher's Bill.

Cersi walked through the remnants of a ruined city. Vel Acan had thought to keep to the old ways in the face of revolution and for its hubris now lie broken, barely a husk of its former self. For three days, she and her fellows had walked its ruined remains, handing out food - as if they were kitchen hands, and clearing rubble- like common laborers.

The lesson therein, Cersi thought, was clear. They were the last of the old bunch, weaned on violence and torture, brought up in ways that were anathema to the new regime. This demeaning assignment was to teach them humility, implore upon them cost of war, and to show them what might happen should they seek to champion the old ways.

Cersi found that she didn't mind the work. Not really. Clearing rubble was child's play with her strength, and the gratitude in the eyes of the civilians made her feel strangely warm inside. She had almost smiled, and more than once!

Edric led them to the broken husk of a library. They had been conscripted to clear it. Shattered statues littered what was once a beautiful courtyard- even the fountain had been smashed to pieces. Edric, the lout, punted the head of a statue across the yard where it landed with a dull crash. "So much for the new Vel Anir," he said.

Inside the library was a precarious maze of fallen columns and shelves, ruined books and crumbling walls, and a deep, deep silence. Shafts of light slanted down from the broken ceiling, dust wafting in the sheen. Some of the students immediately set to work, Cersi among them. She flew up to the second level of the libary to assess the damage- the stairs were all but ruined, a twisted mess of stone and wood.

"Doesn't a Republic mean personal choice?" Edric continued as he shoved aside a book case. His voice echoed up from below. "I mean if Vel Acan didn't want to be part of Anir anymore maybe they should have been allowed to leave."

Stupid boy. That is not how nations work.

”They did have a choice,” Noel said, ”they just didn't pick the state-approved option.”

Cersi liked Noel. She didn't cause much fuss, she was damn good with a polearm, and she wasn't an idiot.

"Same shit, new day, Ed," came Dorian's dry voice. "If we really had a choice in all of this, you think they might have asked if we wanted to- you know- fucking quit."

Cersi frowned. She'd never taken Dorian for a pussy.

"For somebody so confident in their abilities as a Dreadlord, you never cease to gripe about doing what you're told, Edric," said Henk. Cersi was surprised to hear him speak. He was always so silent. "What's been done has been done. The reason that this place has fallen to such disrepair is irrelevant, our task has been set before us and we must complete it."

Well said, Henk. Cersi rather thought the quiet boy should speak up more. Not that she was one for talking.

"You lot should really think about this from a different perspective," said Sable in his customary baritone. He was a massive man, and more honorable than most, but Cersi found him annoying. He was a bit too much sometimes... but still not as annoying as Edric."One could argue that Vel Acan gave up that choice when they started slaughtering innocents. Besides, I'm sure there will yet be some chance for us to pro-"

There was a great crack, like a massive tree snapping in half, and then a thunderous crash. A thick column of dust whooshed into the air.

What the fuck?

Holding a hand over her nose, Cersi flew down to the first level, hovering over a gaping hole in the floor. None of her classmates were to be seen, but she could hear them groaning below, and then finally, voices. Light slithered down from the ceiling as if alive, pooling into Henk's raised hand. Cersi could see the dusty faces of her fellows illuminated below.

"You lot all still alive down there?" she called down.

 

[Edric]

"Get off of me." Edric grunted as he grabbed Dorian with his right hand and shoved him onto the ground. He didn't take the least bit of care that the fall didn't hurt for Dorain, pushing him away like a sack of garbage that had been sitting for too long.

Seconds later a grunt escaped his throat. Muscles ached and a pain lanced through his shoulder.

The darkness still surrounded him for the moment, his eyes not properly adjusting. A scowl pulled at his lips, fingers reaching up to feel at the wound that now sat in his shoulder. He found a length of steel sitting there, pierced through his flesh and half pinning him to the ground. A scowl pulled at his lips, head shaking.

He could hear the others call out now, some barking in pain and others, trying to find themselves. Even the weird clicking girl had made it apparently. Her strange noises echoing through the darkness.

The Initiate let them answer each other.

Edric took a breath, bracing a hand against the floor behind him. Then he jerked forward. The sound of a fleshy squelch echoed out as the Initiate yanked himself off of the piece of steel. As he came to his feet the wound began to knit itself shut, a subtle string pulling at the life around Edric as he healed himself. "Fuck me."

He complained, his hand rubbing at his shoulder.

"Where are w-" Before he could finish, Henk the living lantern answered. Light poured into the darkness of the tunnel, bursting out and illuminating their surroundings.

The cavern they found themselves in was near five stories below the ground of the temple. They stood within what appeared to be a cross section, three tunnels all splitting in different directions. None of them appeared natural, in fact they had all been built with an exquisite masonry; distinctly Anirian Masonry. Edric blinked, staring at the pristine walls, damaged only by the cave in and not by the battle that had occurred over the last few days.

"What the hell…" Edric said softly, not quite grasping that they had apparently fallen into some sort of hidden bunker.

 

[Noel]

From the sounds of things it seemed like half the class had fallen through the sinkhole into the darkened basement they now found themselves in. Between the "peachy's" and "alives" and Edric's crude bitching she ascertained that no one appeared to be seriously injured. Perhaps just a few scrapes and bumps.

Silka's clicking grated on her nerves as it usually did. The whole blind charade was getting extremely old, did any of the students really think someone could get through the academy while lacking sight? At least Davi and Ella were alright and by the sound of things Sable was ready to play hero so business as usual there too.

A bright flash caused Noel to squint as the sudden light from Henk's magic illuminated the darkness around them. An arm rose to her forehead, attempting to limit the sudden explosion of light. Eleanor wasn’t joking about being nearby, she was surprised the other girl hadn’t landed on her.

Hearing a call from above the midnight-haired initiate looked skywards to see Cersi suspended in the air. Such a useful little trick. ”I think we’re all okay!” she shouted at the gravity-defying student above.

”Hey Ed, try using complete sentences,” her voice lower now and with a biting tone. Although his sentiment was perfectly capable of describing the situation they now found themselves in. Three tunnels in an extravagant basement that the library didn’t have.

Perfect. Just perfect.

Noel narrowed her coffee-shaded eyes glancing down each of the pathways. Where had they fallen into? ”So, we’re definitely going to explore these hallways right? I mean, we’ve got to get back to the surface somehow.” A sly grin curved upwards at the thought of doing something, anything, that didn’t involve cleaning.

 

[Dorian]

"Get off me."

Dorian rolled over broken rubble with a grunt.

"Stars above, you are one bitter shit," he said as he clambered to his feet, and as light filled the pit, he scanned around at his compatriots.

Just then, Noel presented a notion that displeased Dorian. It sat in his mouth like a bitter raspberry.

"Wait, wait, just-" it was rare that Dorian stepped or, let alone, voiced up. He was aware that many considered him cowardly, but it was hardly up for debate that he was a consistent voice of reason among them. Ever calm, ever calculating. "Wait."

"Nobody here was aware this existed." Fact.

"Look at the walls. Untouched. Looks like the Republic was unaware, too." Fact two.

"Also, the battling ended a month ago." Fact three. They were adding up now, and he could go on.

As Henk shuffled about, light danced off of Dorian's pallid complexion. His eyes, like stained glass, shimmered with an ethereal splendor. The boy's head canted to one side and he shrugged. Edric aside, he hoped at least some of the others were catching on.

"There could be enemies of the State down here." Hypothesis.

"Those enemies could be far too much for the likes of us to handle." Conjecture.

"We absolutely should not treat this so casually." Opinion.

They would need to find a way out. Save for Cersei and himself, Dorian wasn't aware of any others who could go right back up the pit. Their search for an exit wouldn't be a stroll in the park.

 

[Sable Pembroke]

As Sable got his bearings he began to run a mental checklist.
Fellow students relatively safe and unharmed? Check.
Reliable light source filling the new space, courtesy of Henk? Check.
Someone up above, namely Cersi, who knew what happened and where they are? Check.
Edric right back to bitching? Check, check, check again.

With all those fundamentals out of the way Sable was free to let himself lighten up. He eyed up the room as best he could. Even with Henk's magic floodlight making out the details of their surroundings. He could make out the tunnels, sure, but as for the exact quality of the architecture down here...well, thankfully he didn't have to spend too long examining it for himself.

Instead, Dorian was kind enough to summarize the situation. Rather concisely as well. In fact, every pointed sentence brought a slightly bigger grin to Sable's face. By the time he'd said the word 'casually,' Sable had trudged over to him and scooped him off the ground with a single arm and into a sideways half-hug.
"Ahaha! Bloody brilliant!" Sable bellowed, shaking the smaller initiate about a bit before letting him drop back onto his own feet. "Noel, Dorian, I admire your spirit!"

He laughed a hearty laugh, almost assuredly misreading both of their intentions. Sable's mind didn't even consider that, though. He was far too invested in the realization that this was like something straight out of one of his stories.
"A mysterious catacomb beneath the ruins of a library, the uncertain possibility of deadly foes lurking just around the corner? What more perfect opportunity could we ask for?"

The mammoth young man spread his arms wide as if to gesture at the wide open paths that lay before the group.
"I agree with Noel, that our only path out is forward. Let's venture on with diligence and courage, as Dorian suggests!"

Again the heavyweight mistook their meaning, but he was far too swept up in the moment by now to care. Danger be damned, this was a chance for a little adventure.

 

[Edric]

"Fuck off, Noel." Edric said, rolling his eyes and offering up a rude gesture.

The rebuke sounded more matter of course than truly angry. Truth was, among the lot his peers Edric found Noel to be one of the less annoying. One might even say she was outright tolerable. Not the least because in that moment they shared the exact same desire. "Complete enough for ya?"

Edric finished, his gaze flickering to Dorian besides him as he quivered on about the situation.

He was about to open his mouth when suddenly Sable broke into the conversation and all but swept Dorian into the air. Edric took a long side step away from the pair, not wanting to be caught up in the hulks glee. A tight smile forming on his lips as he watched Dorian being man-handled.

"I agree with the tin man" Edric cut in. "We were supposed to clean this place up."

A shrug rolled across his shoulders. "Let's clean it up."

Edric didn't mention that he could feel the pull of life from two of the hallways. Flickers of creation that were too distant to pull from, but large enough for him to sense even from here.

 

[Cersi Llewelyn]

"I think we're all okay!" Noel answered.

Cersi drifted down into the hole to reconvene with the others, hair fluttering as she flew. The underground warren they'd fallen into was strangely pristine considering the state of the city; the only damage she could see was from the floor caving in.

They were already debating what to do when she reached them. Noel wanted to explore and find and exit, but...

"If all you want to do is leave...I can just fly you up," Cersi said, hovering just above their heads.

Dorian, ever the thinker, exercised caution considering the circumstances, and Cersi was loathe to agree. Anyone or anything could be lurking down here, perhaps an enemy battlemage or three, or some monstrous, forgotten magical creation. That wouldn't stop her from exploring, of course, but she'd be careful about it. It'd been a while since she punched something, and the urge to do so was becoming overwhelming.

Sable had a different idea entirely. The big doofus wrapped Dorian up in a single-armed hug and lifted him clear from the ground. "Ahaha! Bloody brilliant! Noel, Dorian, I admire your spirit! A mysterious catacomb beneath the ruins of a library, the uncertain possibility of deadly foes lurking just around the corner? What more perfect opportunity could we ask for?" He spread his arms, seemingly overtaken with excitement. "I agree with Noel, that our only path out is forward. Let's venture on with diligence and courage, as Dorian suggests!"

Wait, what? That's not what he meant.

"I agree with the tin man," Edric said. "We were supposed to clean this place up." He shrugged. "Let's clean it up."

Cersi put her hands on her hips, eyes narrowing. "You've been complaining about cleaning for days... but now you're all for it? And what happened to all that shit about choice? Everyone might not want to explore a possible death trap."

 

[Davi]

Davi had found a relatively large bit of debris to sit on whilst the others bickered about what to do next. Naturally, for the most past, they seemed eager to explore the tunnels which they had unwillingly revealed in their short trip several feet down under. They were tired of the dusty tomes upstairs and sweeping up bits of debris. They wanted adventure, action! He personally wanted to go for a lie down. His head was throbbing and whilst another had offered up medical supplies he couldn't shake the training of the last 10 years which whispered not to trust a single one of them here. Instead he peeled off his jacket and ripped off a part of his shirt sleeve to act as a wad and stop the slow trickle of blood. He was just putting it back on when Sable scooped Dorian up into a bear like hug.

Durian was one of the new other students from the same city as he who had survived the brutal training over the last few years. Davi felt an odd... kinship to the other lad because of it and as such gave him a sympathetic look before standing up and offering his two coppers worth.

"If we don't explore it we'll be told to when the Proctor gets back," he said finally in response to Cersi with a casual shrug. "It seems sensible to do a preliminary sweep to ensure we've not woken something up that might attack the remaining civilians," he twined his fingers together and put his hands behind his head. Then, randomly, he turned towards one of the tunnels and ambled over to it.

"Meet back here in an hour."

 

[Eleanor]

Eleanor blinked as Henk lit up the area and she realized that she was right next to Noel. Way too close for her comfort, but they had bigger problems at the moment. The illumination had revealed that they had not just fallen through the floor, but they had fallen into a weird cavern with tunnels. Oh goodie, Ella thought with huff.

Ella looked between Edric and Noel. She definitely agreed that they needed to go explore. The majority of them could not go up and they needed to go somewhere. When Dorian started listing off facts, Ella just looked at Noel and rolled her eyes. She felt like snapping at him that they were not idiots who were just going to go running down mysterious hallways without being ready for a fight.

She was the strong, silent type who just took in everything that was being said. I agree with the tin man. We were supposed to clean this place up. Let's clean it up, from Edric followed up by Cersi quipping, you've been complaining about cleaning for days...but now you're all for it? And what happened to all that shit about choice? Everyone might not want to explore a possible death trap. Ella snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. She was very much over all this talking.

Thankfully, Davi spoke up and picked a tunnel. Ella looked at Noel for a moment before picking the tunnel that was to their left. She was unsure if anyone would join her down this way, but she had made her choice.

 

[Noel]

"Stuff it Ed," she said rolling her eyes.

Enemies of the state? Meet back here in an hour!?!

There was a lot happening all at once. Suddenly students that Noel considered weaker than herself were running off on their lonesome to explore these very dangerous caves and no one had even batted an eye at what Dorian had said.

As Davi and Ella walked off in opposite directions Noel shouted back, "if you encounter hostiles, take them prisoner, don't kill them!" If they brought back living captives it was likely they'd receive bonus marks from the proctors, maybe even some extra credit.

Thinking quickly Noel shifted her head back-and-forth between the three tunnels before coming to a conclusion of exactly how this should play out. There was absolutely no way in hell she was going to wander down with one of the other two. That'd be following a lesser student's lead and as the obviously best student here she wasn't going to go for that.

No, she'd head down the middle tunnel.

But if she did so, there was no doubt that most of the other students would follow her. After all, it was obvious that she was the only person here with any clue how to handle this situation. On the contrary though, if she let her classmates abandon Davi or Ella they'd surely die. And while she didn't care that much for them you always needed students below you if you wanted to be the top of the class. There wasn't any real point of being on top if the pile consisted of three people.

"OK, we're clearly splitting up," she said as firmly as possible, even if she thought it was a bad idea. "Sable and Cersi should stick with me, we’ll follow Ella,” they'd be the group least likely to stab her in the back. "Henk, Edric, and Dorian should go down the right tunnel with Davi," that pairing seemed the least likely to get horribly mutilated and maybe Davi could handle keeping Edric from doing something horribly stupid.

They could meet back in an hour, as Davi said, and explore the third tunnel together.

Noel didn't wait to see if anyone listened as she bounded down the left tunnel after Ella.

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Proctor Andre Magomo had a unique way of terrifying Kristen. Like all of the other Proctors, he very rarely smiled, and when he did smile it was never something good, but he always spoke in this tone of voice that sounded as though he was smiling. His eyes were intense, and he never seemed to blink. He could go from speaking normally, levelly, to barking and bellowing instantaneously. He had aura of discipline, of steadiness, yet was somehow unpredictable at the same time.

The two facts that remained immutable about him? That he loved his military work and life, and he hated politics. Politics, of which he most certainly included Kristen within.

"How come you're not sweating, Initiate Pirian?" said Proctor Magomo.

She was standing before him rigidly at the position of attention. "I...I did as the Proctor instructed, Proctor Magomo."

Proctor Magomo leaned slightly to his left. Looked past Kristen. Looked down to the garden of rocks and rubble he had bid her to make. She was...baffled as to why he made her do that. And why before that he made her rake neat lines in the dirt around Vel Acan. And why before that he made her move what amounted to several buckets' worth of water from a well on one side of the city to the other, only allowing her cup the water in her two hands for transport. What was the point of all of it? Weren't the other Initiates actually doing useful work?

Proctor Magomo smiled. And it wasn't good. "I think you dragged your heels, Initiate Pirian. I think you weren't moving with a purpose. You get your orders, you carry them out."

"Yes, Proc--"

"A PURPOSE! Do you understand me, Initiate Pirian?"

"Yes, Proc--!"

"Face about! Turn all of the rocks in my garden over to the other side. DO IT! LET'S GO, INITIATE PIRIAN! No, your orders are not to fix your hair, your orders are to fix my rocks! NOW! You have two minutes, Initiate Pirian! Move, move, move!"

As soon as Kristen crouched down in the dirt and laid her hand on the first rock and flipped it over, there came a loud CRASH from the adjacent library, just across and slightly down the street from them. It was where the other Initiates were. The ones Proctor Magomo wasn't giving special attention to.

Proctor Magomo looked toward the library. Placed his hands on his hips and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. And said, "Initiate Pirian, what in the hell did you do?"

Baffled, Kristen stammered out, "I-I was proceeding to do as--"

Proctor Magomo belted out a single laugh. "Button up, Initiate. Fall in behind me."

She did, walking stiffly and with quick, nervous, rabbit-like steps that didn't take much advantage of her long legs, somehow keeping up with Proctor Magomo's sweeping strides. As they neared the steps of the library's grand entrance, they met up with Vance--whose headstrong tendencies had also garnered the special attention of Proctor Magomo and his seemingly pointless drudgery. Kristen hadn't spoken much with him. Nor many of the other Initiates for that matter. After what happened with Bull, even if she wanted to make a friend here or there, she was skittish about being the first one to approach the other. It remained true that many of them had known one another since they were but small children, and that Kristen had stepped into their world much in the same way a tailor fashioned a new, perhaps unnecessary, adornment on an already finished dress.

Inside the library, it became evidently clear what had happened. There was an enormous hole in the floor, as if the earth itself had opened up and swallowed what lay above the dirt. How ghastly!

Kristen stepped toward the edge of the sinkhole, peered over the edge. Said with a measure of awe, "Aionus be praised...!"

From behind, Proctor Magomo. "Initiate Pirian. Initiate Calgrave."

Kristen turned back around and faced the Proctor at the position of attention.

"This is what is called a 'teachable moment.'"

Kristen briefly flicked her eyes over toward Vance. Somewhat bewildered.

Proctor Magomo continued, "Your fellow Initiates are not cleaning. They're down in that godsforsaken hole without permission. However. If you're going to be wrong, everybody needs to be wrong together."

"Proc--?"

"So join them."

And Proctor Magomo placed one hand on Kristen's chest and one hand on Vance's chest and twin arcane bursts of force shoved each of them off from the edge of the hole and plummeting down into it. Kristen yelled in surprise and alarm all the way down, stopping only when she landed solidly on her back at the bottom and the wind was thoroughly knocked from her lungs. The impact left her groaning, left an impression of every rivet of her chainmail and every edge of her plate armor on the flesh beneath (arming garments be damned), and left her seeing twirling stars before her eyes. Her back was hollering in agony.

Above, Proctor Magomo was gone.

Vance Calgrave

 

[Dorian]

As Sable lifted the wiry boy into his large arms, Dorian's contempt was nigh-palpable. His arms and legs limply flung about as the thick-skulled oaf shook him in the air, and he wore a flat expression, one that presented his defeat and acceptance of the current situation.

Why, why was it always him?

As Dorian was set down, he straightened out his clothes with a huff and mumbled profanities under his breath. The young Apprentice was always noticing things. Ever aware of his surroundings and of subtle changes that people showed in their body language.

However closely people kept their cards to their chest, they would let slip even the tiniest hints. Edric would always reliably give off those tells.

Now, Dorian couldn't say precisely what the larger boy could do, but he had a general idea. So, when Edric's gaze lingered just a tad bit longer over two of the three hallways, Dorian knew he would be better off heading down that third one.

Of course, things have a way of crumbling apart in his hands. Noel took it upon herself to decide everyones' paths.

"Wait, do not just..." And they were off. "decide things for me. You fuckers." He grumbled and followed his group.

 

[Henk]

Henk's eyes narrowed as he scanned over the walls of the pit they'd fallen into. It wasn't a natural formation; the walls were manmade, structured in a way that seemed to suggest this was built by the same hands who had constructed Vel Acan. Catacombs that stretched far into distant darkness, beyond the reach of the light that radiated from him. He didn't like this; unknowns always added too many wild possibilities for his liking, but he knew that his peers would not hesitate to seek out the hidden secrets of this place.

Well, most of them wouldn't, anyway. The whines of Dorian were already bouncing off the walls even better than his light. Still, he couldn't deny that some of the points he was making were not without merit. There absolutely could be enemies hiding in refuge in the safety of these tunnels; the sheer depth of them would be apt to protect from the fires of the Revolution. In what little experience Henk had with Dorian, he was often cowardly, but he was far from foolish. The analytical mind his sarcasm often hid was a great weapon.

Regardless, the rest of his fellow learners were every bit as eager as he'd expected them to be, with Noel seemingly choosing to take charge of the group. Henk didn't care, so long as they were smart, safe, and effective about this. "I have to agree with Davi and Edric. It's likely we'll be in more trouble for sitting on our hands rather than thoroughly assessing the situation." Turning to look at Dorian and Cersi, who seemed reluctant. "While I understand reservations, it's not likely we'll be receiving proctor assistance any time soon as it is. It's up to us to find our way out. Dorian, I know you're aware of that fact as well. Cersi, have a little faith in me here.

Noel had taken to divvying them up into groups, though Henk did somewhat question the choice. There were enough of them to split down all three tunnels, and the chance that they would be in any mood to loop around to explore the third seemed minimal. Still, the others seemed to accept her plan, if not begrudgingly. "Very well, Noel. Take this with you." Henk brought his hands together, pulling a sphere of light from his palm, causing his own to dim just a bit. Flourishing his arm towards Noel, the sphere slowly floated over to her, hovering around her head.

"It's concentrated, but it won't last forever. I implore you to make your trip quick, lest you are lost in the choking darkness of this place."

Gritting his teeth and closing his eyes, Henk lets out a soft grunt as he refocuses the light coursing through him into his palms alone, extending his hand outwards in the direction Edric and Davi walked, sending beams of light down the long hallway ahead of them. "Let me take point."

 

[Sable Pembroke]

Thankfully, it seemed that the rest of the group shared the same sense of adventure and intrigue that Sable did, even if they didn't readily admit it. Hell, Edric did outright agree with Sable, and that wasn't something that happened very often. The towering lad couldn't help but give a big grin to his comrades. One way or another, this would be an invigorating experience, of that he was certain.

Davi and Ella seemed the most enthusiastic of the bunch as they immediately made their way into separate tunnels. Noel was quick to pick up the slack in terms of leadership, once again showing that initiative and spirit he so admired. He was quick to agree with her assessment; he knew that Eleanor and Cersi were both telekinetics, and Noel a metallomancer. In his mind, they were all offensive specialists, and thus they'd need a proper defender if they were to be at maximum effectiveness. Sable was both proud and glad to be their wall.

The other group was far more diverse. He knew Dorian to be the more mobile skirmisher type, but Henk, Edric, and Davi had highly versatile abilities. A feeling of excitement surged within Sable's gut -- that Noel could be so keen on her assessment of proper groupings! He'd need to train and study diligently if he wanted to match that wherewithal.

"Right, then it's settled. Let's do thi--" Sable began confidently before being interrupted by a loud crash for the second time today. Two more capable bodies had come barreling down into the pit, eager to join the group it seemed. The imposing initiate wheeled about in place, then stepped over to the duo that had come crashing down. Ah! He recognized these two! With a *hup!* he grabbed each by a shoulder and hauled them back to their feet and brushed them off.

The fiery redhead could only have been the equally fiery-tempered Vance Calgrave. Chipper fellow, if a bit temperamental. The other, however, took him aback for a moment. The transfer student, a bona fide noble of a Great House, the Kristen Pirian. Sure, many of the other initiates inherently despised her for having effectively skipped the entire system, but come on. A gods-be-damned noble practically just fell in Sable's lap, this day couldn't get any more tale-worthy if he'd written the day's events himself. She had to accompany his party, if for no other reason than to bear witness to his noble deeds.

"Ah, Kristen, Vance! So eager to join in that you jumped right down, eh? Can't say I wouldn't have tried to find a safer way, but fortune does favor the bold!" Sable chuckled, planting his hands on his hips. He thought he'd try a bit of that assertive initiative Noel had displayed just prior. "Our groups were just about to venture into these forsaken depths. Come! You, Vance, will go with Davi's group, and Kristen will come with ours!"

Not one to take "no" for an answer, he patted Vance on his way and ushered the spindly Pirian girl towards the tunnel Eleanor and the others were making off to, a giant mitt on each of the young noble's shoulders. Off to adventure, indeed.

 

[Eleanor]

Eleanor had stopped at wait a little ways into the cavern. It was dark and she hope someone would come with some light before she started to run into things. She heard Noel decide for the group that she, Cersi, and Sable would be joining Ella. Goodie, she thought with some sass. She just loved spending time with Noel. It got worse though when Sable told Kristen that she would join them. She rolled her eyes as she stood there with her arms crossed impatiently.

"Please, take your time, guys! It's not like we need to get out of here or anything." She was thankful that Noel had the sphere of light from Henk and she had heard his words about the light not lasting forever. They needed to move and they needed to move now.

Ella started to move as the four other apprentices joined her. The dark eerie cavern did not sit well with her and she kept her focus on anything that seems extra unusual.

 

[Edric]

"Who died and made you Queen?" Edric bit at Noel, his head sweeping to the side as he watched Davi traipse down one of the halls.

It was one of the two in which he could feel the pull of life.

A frown touched his features, and then he finally spoke again. "Fine, but only to keep these idiots alive."

His gaze flickered back, searching for his sparing partner only to quickly be blinded by the Henk's light. Eyes quickly scrunched close, head swiveling to turn back towards the tunnel. A hand rubbed at his eyes.

"Alright alright." Edric motioned with a wave. "Go on then human torch."

As the group stepped into the tunnel the Architecture around them held the same sort of ornateness it had before.

There was something deeply familiar about it, the stones placed in the same way as the grand halls of Vel Anir. No banners hung here however, no statues or art decorated their way. Instead it seemed almost clinical, clean. As though a part of a surgery or infirmary.

It did not take them long to reach their first obstacle, a huge double door carved from wood. Behind it Edric felt those pinpricks of life.

 

[Cersi Llewelyn]

Edric didn't bother to defend himself. The other students were more than happy to share their opinions. Cersi fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"If we don't explore it we'll be told to when the Proctor gets back," Davi said, shrugging. "It seems sensible to do a preliminary sweep to ensure we've not woken something up that might attack the remaining civilians." He meandered off almost casually, hands clasped behind his head. "Meet back here in an hour."

"That's not what I meant, idiot," Cersi grumbled. She watched with something like dismayed bemusement as several students followed Davi's lead, randomly wandering off into tunnels. Even the frail ones!

"OK, we're clearly splitting up," Noel announced. "Sable and Cersi should stick with me, we’ll follow Ella. Henk, Edric, and Dorian should go down the right tunnel with Davi."

Cersi didn't mind following Noel's lead for now. They weren't friends- Cersi didn't have friends- but they weren't enemies. Associates, perhaps?

She might've ignored a lesser student. It was difficult to accept orders from someone you could snap in half like a toothpick.

One by one, and sometimes in twos, the others picked their tunnels. Noel had already turned to follow Eleanor after her announcement; Cersi drifted down in her wake, her golden armor still spotless despite the dust.

"I have to agree with Davi and Edric," said Henk, his hand still alight. "It's likely we'll be in more trouble for sitting on our hands rather than thoroughly assessing the situation. While I understand reservations, it's not likely we'll be receiving proctor assistance any time soon as it is. It's up to us to find our way out. Dorian, I know you're aware of that fact as well. Cersi, have a little faith in me here."

She scoffed. Another man missing the point. I don't mind investigating this dump. I just don't trust Edric. He'd figured something out, or he knew something, or he sensed something. Whatever it was, it was most likely bad news.

But perhaps that was a good thing? If there was a fight to be had somewhere in these dank, dark tunnels, she wanted a piece. The academy had been too tame since the revolution; she hadn't been able to truly let loose in ages.

Just then, there was a loud crash. Cersi turned to see that they had been joined by two more students, Pirian and Vance. Joined was a bit of a misnomer- it looked like they had been pushed into the hole, and none too gently. Had Cersi been paying attention, she could've caught them and perhaps saved them a bit of pain, but, well-

What didn't kill you made you stronger. Or so the proctors said.

"Ah, Kristen, Vance!" Sable rumbled. "So eager to join in that you jumped right down, eh? Can't say I wouldn't have tried to find a safer way, but fortune does favor the bold!" The massive man struck a ridiculous pose, hands on his hips. "Our groups were just about to venture into these forsaken depths. Come! You, Vance, will go with Davi's group, and Kristen will come with ours!"

Cersi just barely managed not to roll her eyes and flew into he tunnel. Sable was a special breed among the students, and she didn't really mind him in small doses, but the less said about Kristen Pirian, the better. She was just so pathetic. Granted, she hadn't been a student for long, but that was a negative in itself- she hadn't suffered like they had, hadn't been broken like they had. Spoon fed, spoiled, and weak: three things that Cersi despised, she who had been given to the dreadlords as a young child, barely more than a babe. In the old Vel Anir, she might've ripped Pirian's spindly little arms from her shoulders and beat her to death with them, or just punched her head clear from her body, but now...

Now they were meant to be comrades.

The tunnel looked as if it stretched forever. Noel's light could only reach so far- the darkness beyond Ella's frame seemed all but impenetrable, a canvas of thick shadow like the endless maw of some ancient, eldritch horror. Cersi considered the deep black as she flew above the others, twirling lazily in the air. "Sure you wanna take point, El? Sable's a lot tankier than you- it'd be smarter to let him lead." Cersi could take a few hits herself, but Sable's defensive wards were top-notch. It was one of his few redeeming qualities.