Outside 43: Where the sun hurts your eyes and burns your skin

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

Mental attacks? What mental attacks? He can't mean this wonderful sound.
'Keep on going'

The tunnel starts curving noticeably, the floor sloping down to become more and more flat.
The markers start to get a little sloppier. They're out-of-line, a little off 10-meters. Clearly left by different later trips.

Then there's the body. A human man, maybe 22, 23 years old, broken and thrown into a small niche in the wall. Looks like he fell here from quite a height. Not a bit of decomposition, fresh as when he hit the ground.
A message comes a bit late.
'You're about to see something unpleasant. Before we got the ropes and harnesses, there were some...accidents.'
Of course, this guy here doesn't have a suit. Doesn't look like he ever did.

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

"The body hasn't even begun to rot. How long ago was this? No one gave him a suit?" he asks. What was up with these people?

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

'Couple weeks ago. Don't have enough suits to have left it with him. The body - he's where he should be'

Carrying on, Nick should get to where he can just manage to stand. There's a narrow apparently natural crack in the wall, where a wind softly whistles out of, but he main melted passageway is hard to miss.

A new thing is painted on the walls a little past that. in the marker pigment. Eight lines, radiating out in a circle.

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

"Okay. Looks like someone drew a little sun here or something? What's that?" he asks, just letting their dismissiveness of the state of the body go.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

'Someone showing a little creativity on that trip.'
The radio sounds faint. Distant.

'Oh, you know what it is, we just got why you're asking. There's nothing to decompose anyone down there. No bacteria, no mushrooms. It'd take a monkdillo to get to him.'

And indeed, the markers are, at ten meter intervals still, replaced by the eight-ray sun. Steadily though, they are added to. Little birdlike impressions, two lines, sometimes a third, start to surround the sun-shape with each iteration.
The song changes. It sounds sad.

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

"The noise in my head just changed, did it change for you up there? " he asks.

Pff. Yeah, don't like fliers. Sure. Someone likes birds fine.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

'Song's still the same. You're just getting deeper.' 'Closer in! How exciting!'

Ten markers later, it's different. The birds are all marked through with a dark red line. Blood.

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

Nick stops for a moment. Wonderful.
"That would be blood. Has anyone else died in here that I should know about?" he asks testily.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

The song becomes faster. Not just sad. Angry. Fearful.
'People have-' 'get a little crazy sometimes'

The sun gets drawn, from there on, in a different hand, with an increasing number of lines.

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

"Well if that's the case then I can still hold out hope that there's nothing unfriendly down here. Do you know what any of these marks mean?" he says, slowing down a bit out of caution.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

Nick may feel a sudden tug on the rope at his belt. Looking back, there's nothing there. Ah, looks like it was caught on the curve for a moment, now it's slipped to a smoother part.
'unfriendly? of co*static*ot.''just markers. people get inspired'

The marker symbols change again, just a wiggly ring.
After a minute or so he might think he hears footsteps behind him. Because he does.

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

Nick flattens himself against the wall. He doesn't go for his gun, but he is not prepared to be paying attention to this spookyness on all sides. He waits for the footsteps to catch up before he does anything.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

Waits for them to catch up? Why, they stop right after he does. It was probably just an echo, right?
'*staticky* okay? 've stopped moving. Wh-*static* feel?'

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

Nick takes a few steps back, trying to get better reception and to test the "echo."
"I thought I heard movement behind me. I don't think I'm in deep enough to get Echoes." he comments into the comm.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

His steps do echo again. Except for the first one.
'you're sure that's not the song changing?'

No, the song is the same as ever.

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

"I'm sure. A sound and the Song are different, even this loud. "
It's really not what he would call music, but if the singer is offended he would remind it/him/her that he has never had good taste.

He sidesteps to the other wall. It's a different gait and a different sound, harder to mimic on the spot. And he looks for that missing-the-first step pattern. The tunnel didn't curve so much that he can't at least partially look back. He checks carefully.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

It happens again. One step missed, then the echo, not quite changing as fast as his position.
Nick catches a glimpse of motion well behind him, something the same color as the walls smoothing itself into the curve of the floor.

If he takes any other steps, they won't echo at all.

'maybe keep on. Never know what might be underground near the pit.'

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

Nick takes his finger off the comm button and looks at the melty thing.
"Hey! I saw you! I'm not hurting everyone, so if you understand you better come out." he calls.
He means those words, too. His ideal scenario is that the thing, whatever it is, was like how Maria said it felt: trapped, hurt, and desperate, and he could solve everyone's problem by just pulling it out and letting the techs find somewhere it can be happy. Maybe it isn't even the source of the radiation. That would be fantastic.

[Arkhosia]

[Sie Sind Die Jaeger]

Mimi gives her neck one more jab before pushing off. For someone her size it's easy to fly through the little gaps between Sophia's fingers. The pixie gives a whoop as she slips through and she circles around to the front of Sophia's face. "Gotcha, slowpoke!" She laughs and shakes her butt in the shape changer's face.

The shifter simply blows a gust of breath at Mimi, and the sound of flesh ripping echoes through the air. The great giant's form slumps to level the nape with Mimi as Sophia emerges partially, sinew straining to stick to her cheeks and chest as she leans upwards.
You may of hit my nape, but you couldn't kill me. your blade couldn't cut deep enough, and no chunk of flesh was removed. Let me show you how my people do it.
She offers, grinning.

[Catgirl and Coquette Adventuring Co. - 'L' is for the way you look at me!]

Blanche doesn't need to beckon Nicole twice! One tug of the chain that bonds Blanche to Nicole and Nicole rushes to Blanche's side to bask in her radiance like a moth to a flame! Nicole boldly attempts to go where no person has gone before, romantically attempting to wrap her arms around Blanche's midsection from behind and comfortingly coo to her.

"Don't be afraid, Blanche. I promise I won't let anything in there hurt you."

Her word is her bond, just like this GORRAM CHAIN!

"If it pleases you, I'll take point."

Nicole considerately answers, attempting to let go of Blanche (assuming her arm wrap maneuver was a success and that she didn't pay for it with a slap) and trudge deep into the tepid waters, daring something, anything to come at her, bro!

Blanche visibly reddens as her midsection is hugged by her chained-with companion, growing greater in scarlet hue as Nicole speaks.
She nods, following Nicole into the lake as she tries not to stare at her ass.
As the women walk through the shoulder-high water, Nicole may feel a tendril of some sort wrap about her ankle....
Do these adventure-planners have any originality?!

[Khyli's Spaceship - Celica!]

When Khyli hears Celica speak, she's the only other person who exists in the whole wide Nexus. The soldiers beating a hasty retreat back to their posts are forgotten in a heartbeat. Lovingly, Khyli loses herself in Celica's eyes. Tenderly, she runs a hand through her one true love's hair as she caresses her cheek. A single kiss awakens long-dormant passion. At once, despair is vanquished and spirits are uplifted. Life pours into Khyli's haggard face; tears fall freely from her tired eyes. Emotion overwhelms the hard, battle-forged fleet commander. She cries without reservation.

"I'm so s-sorry, Celica! I couldn't- I couldn't protect you! I should never have left your side, not for an instant! I didn't want to put you in harm's way by taking you with me, but I was wrong! I'm sorry, Celica! I'm sorry!"

Celica, looking extremely perplexed, pulls Khyli into a worried hug in attempt to comfort.
Khyli, what are you talking about?? nothing whatsoever has happened to me?
the worried lagomorph inquires with great concern for her lover's mental state

[Earl of Purple]

The Tower- Second Floor

The smoke-bomb causes much spluttering and coughing, but the tazing doesn't work as well as planned. One of the raiders is wearing a pair of heat-vision goggles, which means to him, the smoke is no hindrance. He avoids the tase, the only one to do so, and aims a swing with his club at Hotaru.

Doesn't matter, anyway; the hostage's brains are leaking. He's dead, Dave.

The elemental fate charge to Mister Hammer's neck accelerates the ageing process of his neck, until eventually it crumbles to dust, the inevitable fate of all mortal matter. This, naturally, is fatal.

[Cyber Punk]

[The Tower- Second Floor]

The club just barely misses Hotaru, thank goodness. Then she catches sight of the brained hostage and gets so angry she attempts to cut off the club raider's arm.

The mosquito tries desperately to needle his skin, that is now rock hard, then tries to fly away, but finds it cannot even do that.

"No, it is not." Judy says with a frown. "To be honest, I much prefer the city to....." she slaps a mosquito of her won, that dared land on her neck. "these annoying creatures." She begins walking toward a dense area to the left. "Let's find you a nice boar or a tiger to fight, and get out of here." she says, unenthusiastically.

[Not-North Forest]

"The city is annoying, polluted and full of drek. I don't care for it, but each to his own."

((Hey, this font seems to make better sense.))

When she offers to find a nice animal to fight, his face brightens until the gears turn in his head and he notices her lack of enthusiasm. This annoys him. "I can tell you're an assassin by your gear, so you should love this suggestion instead: let's spar."

A pause, then he tells her why he said that."You're not enjoying yourself. Let's change that. After all, the peacock cannot travel with the lizard unless one learns to crawl on walls."

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

'what do you see? Do you fee-' The radio cuts off, and the original sun-song starts coming over the comm channel.
The melty thing peels itself back from the wall and walks towards Nick's ropes.
It's generally humanoid, with a swooping crested head and heavy clawed hands. It seems to be made of cooling lava, blue lines of heat showing through its cracks. There's a wiggly icon shining where a face would be, in the same blue.

It reaches for the ropes that trail down the tunnel to Nick, and lift its claws up to sever them.

[Nalix]

The Tower - Second Floor

Phil considers tearing off his mask because of the hole in it and in his face, but the smoke is enough for him to keep it on for now, holding one hand over the hole and putting pressure on the wound, the other hand ready to cast another low grade charge. He heads up the stairs following the noise of Hotaru fighting through the smoke.

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

Panic. Tempered and held by discipline, but still panic.
Nick grabs the rope with one hand and pulls it as hard as he can to the side in an effort to get the rope out of the thing's swing for a moment, of course doubling as the wrenching rope-pull signal.
"You get away from that! I swear to God!" he roars, not waiting for the rope to pull him up as he runs (he can't sprint due to the low ceiling) back out.
He knows full well that this will require him to pass the creature on the way out, but he considers the risk worth it. He has a lot of experience dodging claws.

How much radiation is the Geiger counter reading? That might be important.

[Earl of Purple]

The Tower- Second Floor

The tazed individuals are writhing and moaning on the floor, recovering from their shocks. The guy with heat-vision goggles, however, sees Hotaru's attack coming and interposes his club between his arm and the sword, using his other hand to try and punch Hotaru's face. The club is sturdy enough that the sword bites in, but does not slice through the weapon.

Phil sees lots of smoke with two people fighting in, and three others lying incapacitated on the ground. Details are hard to make out, however.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

The rope is briefly jerked out of the magma-monster's grasp, flipping above its head as Nick runs.
Currently, the counter reads 'you really shouldn't be here but it'll be an hour or three before you really need to worry'.

The magma monster, of course, is none too happy about this, and - forget about claws - tries to tackle Nick as he passes by.

[Cyber Punk]

The Tower- Second Floor

A sword that can cut anything fails to cut a club? Ah, that's right: she didn't enhance her cut with electricity. Then she is punched.

For his troubles, the raider gets a knee in the side that causes his diaphragm to begin haemorrhaging.

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

Nick leaps out of the way of the grab, coming out just short of the thing, yanking the rope a few times.
"If that was supposed to be something other than eating my face better let me know now!" he says, not even in sarcasm.

[Recaiden]

[Pit]

The ropes start being reeled in with quite a hurry, slack coiling up.
The waves of the sound in his radio echo and overlay, crackling speech emerging.
'you are different'
'curious'
'no leave'
The magma creature stops still, turning to hold its hands out upraised towards Nick.

[Deathkeeper]

Pit

Nick reluctantly gives the slack signal for just a moment. Or rather, once the rope is tight enough that he can pull it again. That might be a few seconds.

"I'd love to talk to you and work all of this out. But please, no more moves at me, my suit, or my rope. I need those to get back. I don't know if it's you or something around you, but the air will kill me if I stay here too long." he explains. Yes! Communication!