AChapter 20
Thr Party have reached the Necropolis, the towering city of Sephulcher, Mausoleums and tombs... gravestones, bells and the quiet rest of the dead. It is quite pleasent here beneath the morning sunshine, the tall towering city of graves is well kept. With trees and shaded walks, benches and streets that curve this way and that. It isn't all told a very bad place to be, serene and rather beautiful. Except for the massive door the party are stood in front of. The gigantic portal is open revealing a large Octaganol entrance chamber with many paths radiating away from it... That.. that is rather gloomy like and foreboding.
"All right," Silmeria says as the party reaches the portal, "before we go in... THere are things that *must* be understood." Drawing in a deep breath, she steps before the portal, turning to face the party. "This is the Path of Shale, my friends... THis is the path your soul will take, once you've finally passed on, and it is also our way into the Catacombs of the Tonberry King. Make little sound, do *nothing* to agitate the dead if you can at all help it... And once we've left the Path, *do not seek out the lanterns.* The TOnberry King exists to punish *all* for their wickedness... And I'd really rather avoid upsetting His servitors with our presence."
Azar has been enjoying the sunshine and peace offered by the monolithic city, but this giant door has Azar wary. She listens carefully while Silmeria speaks, and holds up a hand when the blonde woman finishes. "Er. It sounds awfully like we're uhm.. going somewhere else. Like, a different dimension. And uhm.. why do we have to take this particular path?"
Marduke walks along with the part to the door. Eyes glancing up the door and then into the pathways within. "I... have no clue where or which way to go." Glancing to Silmeria. "Have not studied these spirits to carefully." Nodding to her words listening carefully and making mental notes. Glancing to the others and then back to the path, staying quiet now. Ainsley is already clamming up, having no input to provide to this leg of the adventure. She was not comfortable being here in the first place, and she's even less comfortable when Silmeria gives her warnings. The lizard girl nods a couple of times, and clings to Lee's side that much closer.
Lee walks with the group through the peaceful city, seeming impressed enough by the vistas and architecture, though hardly an afficianado of such things. The sunlight isn't his favorite part, naturally, but that's just something he deals with, hence his propensity for large hats and such, and he makes excellent use of the shade as he finds it. He stops in front of the door with everyone else, tilting his hat back as much as the presence of sunlight will safely allow to get a look at it in it's entirety as he stands close by Ainsley's side, even draping an arm comfortingly around the scholar's shoulders as she sidles closer still to his side in her discomfort. His attention focusing on Silmeria as she says a few words of explanation, he takes them in and nods, "So, bit offa preview trip, then... 'Ope that dun complicate wot-all we needs ta do, both fer Ainsley an' ta cover m'debt ta Carbuncle." He doesn't elaborate, instead looking down at Ainsley, "Dun fret, luv, I'll watch out f'ya."
"Complications... well, we'll just have to deal with them as they come up," Silmeria sighs. "Just... do be careful of disturbing the spirits... I've only *just* made up for disrupting this path once, mh?" Shaking her head, she turns to Azar. "It does, because it is. We're traveling into the realm of the SPirits... The realm of one SPirit in particular, who redresses *any* harm one has visited upon another. Lady Mateus may be the SPirit of Law... but King TOnberry is the spirit of *Justice.* Remember that, my friends, and all should be relatively smooth. Mind we don't lose our way." ANd with that, she turns, drawing in a deep breath and stepping across, into the portal.
Azar trembles just a little to hear Silmeria tell it, and there is fear in her eyes, mixed with determination. "What if we don't know we've wronged someone?" The breath she draws before entering is deep and forced, as if her throat were constricted. "Is he just going to strike us down?"
Marduke sets his staff to the side of the door before they enter. Carefully removing the bells off it, very hard to walk quietly with such things on. Clasping them up so they no longer jingle and putting them in a pouch. He glances to Silmeria and nods his understanding. Then picking back up his now quiet staff he turns to start into the path. "We shall deal with that when it happens, best to tread carefully." Glancing back, then turning forward again.
"Oh no," Ainsley murmurs when Silmeria talks about King Tonberry redressing /any/ harm done to another. She has lit quite a few people on fire during her adventures, after all! She shakes her head once or twice, and then steels her heart, stepping along to follow Silmeria. "You'll be fine," she assures Azar, despite her contradictory feelings.
Lee can't bring himself to chuckle, though it looks like he wants to, and can't seem to come up with any additional quips either, or perhaps just restrains himself from uttering them out of respect for the mood, entering in-step with Ainsley, only adding, "I'm guessin' th'iea is ta be in an' gone afore 'E knows we been there."
Silmeria picks a path and starts walking down it, the walls are dotterd with plaques and signs, stone grave-markers, inscriptions, the odd stained glas window. The corridor is tall and arched and made from dressed flagstone and then a turn.. a stair... and the corridor is red brick with iron grills guarding embrasures with large coffins in them. Then another turn.. another passage... and it is Wood... with small niches filled with Candles and a name... but the Lady Esper seems to know which way to go... ) [Spoofed By: Silvante]
The Esper seems comfortable in this place, rows upon rows of corridord and memorials, gesturing the party to follow in her path. At the moment, despite the heavy pall her words cast before, she seems confident that the way is known, if not entirely clear.
Azar sticks very close to Silmeria, a hand nervously squeezing at the hilt of one of her blades. She does take the time to look around though, with the vague notion of being to find her way back. "How many times have you been through here, Blue?", she whispers to the woman ahead of her.
Marduke walks along quietly. Holding his staff so he doesn't tap it into the ground, fighting his normal walking habits the whole way. he follows fater Silmeria having confidence she knows where she is going, at least appears to have that. Eyes glancing along the decorations and designs as they go. Showing appricaition for it all, despite the morbid nature. A sharp glance over to Azar and shakes his head holding a finger up to his lips.
Ainsley reaches over and /swats/ at Azar, glaring at her. She also does a shush motion, putting her finger to her lips. After this she returns to Lee's side... and quietly observes their surroundings. The fact that it's so varied fascinates her... but she still seems uneasy, as her tail curls up and around Lee's wrist.
Lee spends some time looking at the scenery with mild interest as he follows after Silmeria, and almost chuckles as Ainsley swats at Azar before glancing down at where he finds a tail around his wrist, giving Ainsley a smile as he takes hold of her tail in return. Something else draws his attention after a moment, though, and he fishes the compass Carbuncle had given him from his pocket once more, the object now glowing softly, casting amber light, in his hand as he checks it's face to see what direction it's pointing...
Just as Lee reaches into a pocket and removes the compass they reach a crossroad, to the right the path enters a shaggy natural looking cave. Straght ahead is the direction Silmeria is taking where as as soon as the Compass is out a large amber arrow points left with a shower of sparks. It is hard to miss but very peculiar... the left hand path is just a door that is currently shut made from Lapis Lazuli...
"Once," Silmeria answers in a hushed whisper, after the rest of the party is done 'voicing' their displeasure. "...Technically twice, I suppose. But my last trip was... well. Eventful." As the compass is brought out, the Esper frowns at the direction it points, looking from door to corridor. "...That's not right..."
Azar nods, keeping quiet.. until something swats at her. She yelps, covering her mouth, and turning to glare at Ainsley. She frowns and looks back to Silmeria, "The door is new?", she whispers. "Or is it usually open?"
Marduke comes to a stop at the path, not following after Silmeria. Instead he glances over to Lee, the compass and then peers at the door. he has no clue what it is, but does not ask. At least for now. Instead he starts for the door. "Right or not right." His voice soft, "I suspect we should go this way." Reaching to open the door. "Lee what is that compas?"
Lee looks from compass to door, then shoots a glance at Silmeria and Marduke, a hint of a grin tugging at his lips as he whispers, "Right, s'not right; technic'ly, is' left, if'n y'must nitpick." Having not missed the opportunity to joke a little, he looks to the door again, eyes scanning for a handle or latch or way to open it, or hinges to see if he can tell which *way* it's supposed to open, even as Marduke reaches for it, while absently answering Marduke, "S'a li'l sumfin' I were loaned ta 'elp me find sumfin' I was asked ta retrieve as payment fer a favor." Not the clearest answer, perhaps. "A side-task, as it were, though important fer me pers'nally, an' not tha main reason fer us comin' in 'ere." He leans down to whisper a bit more quietly in Ainsley's ear, "Wot'chu think, luv?"
As Soon as Marduke touches the door-handle there is a soft chime and the doorway melts in two.. revealing a tight set of spiral stairs made from some sort of glowing blue crystal... There is no hand-rail and there is just a black void all around the stairs. But the choicew now lies before the party, take the stairs or carry on.
"Oh," Silmeria whispers, blinking. "That. Well... I suppose if we remember our way, it shouldn't be too much of an issue, and you *did* promise..." Taking one last look around, to commit the room to memory, she gestures toward the now-open door. "Let's be off, then."
Azar swallows, looking from Marduke to Silmeria and back. She takes a deep breath and follows after the blonde woman. "Is everything alright then, Blue?" <OOC> Azar says, "Sorry for short poses, Mother Nature is trying to kill me. Aka lightning. :3" Marduke watches the doorway melt at his touch. Glancing to his fingers he then peers back to Lee, offering only a nod to what he has said. Leaving it at that, as he starts down onto the stairs, not sure quiet sure how he got in front but will stay that way until they come to a turn. "Let us know if the compass gives us a new direction Lee."
The detour puts something of an uneasy look on Ainsley's face, but she doesn't offer any verbal protest. She just clings to Lee's clothing some, and tries to get a better look at the compass by standing on her tippy-toes. She looks at the door warily, frowning.
Lee helps Ainsley by lowering the compass so she can get a good look, while looking around at everyone else and nodding, whispering, "Like as not, if we don' do it now, there's no promise we'll be able t'come back and get it done later..." Giving Ainsley's tail a small squeeze where he has hold of it, he starts after Marduke, nodding, "O'course, good summ'ner, o'course."
The party start down the spiral of blue crystal stairs... they are odd... they glow with this blue light and yet the edges seem to have this black line running along them which makes it hard to see... most peculiar but so very sparkly! As they descend the stairs the spiral grows wider and they seem to hang suspended in the air all around them and out in the darkness very faintly glimmering lines of light can just about be seen....
"As much as it gets, Red," Silmeria whispers, smiling some. "As Lee said... This is something of a side errand, for Lord Carbuncle. Just in case we're edging into his domain... Just... try not to touch anything that we don't need to get. Lord Carbuncle has *very* strict rules about taking what you're not given."
Azar stays in the dead center of the stairs, not budging an inch towards the edges. "Do you do this on a regular basis, travelling into other realms? And uhm... I won't be taking anything at all, except breaths, we're allowed those yes, Blue?"
Marduke makes his way down slowly, and carefully. NOt wanting to overstep or miss a step since he is in front. In fact most of his focus in just on that, making sure he doesn't slip. He listens to everybody else and just nodes ones, "Indeed, nothing you could take is worth what you would lose. Remember that." His voice serious on that. "Lee its getting odd, the compas show anything?"
"Considering the purview that Carbuncle has," Ainsley mentions, speaking up for the first time in a long stretch, "It does not surprise me that punishments are harsh for trying to take something that is under his watch. Memories, was it? If they look like gemstones, though, I wonder the wisdom of trusting ordinary people not to touch anything. A test of willpower, I guess." And with that input done, she clams right up again, looking out into the gloom. Well, one more comment: "Walls seem to be thirty feet out. This is definitely someplace special..."
Lee continues down after Marduke, glancing from the compass to the apparent void of the space surrounding the stairs, a frown slowly growing on his pale face, nodding at Ainsley's observation, "Aye, good eyes, luv..." He even glances back at Silmeria and Azar, while his grip tightens anxiously on Ainsley's tail, "Marduke, stop. S'not gettin' odd, s'been odd from th'get-go. We don't find a way t'turn on th'lights, then we'll go on 'ere fer'ever, an'..." He looks back at Silmeria and Azar, or rather, past them, "there ain't no goin' back." He looks to the compass again, and recites, "'Tha Heart Below, Tha Key Above, tha Darkness Surrounds. Light th'Way using wot is remembered'r the stairs go ever on.'" Then, thoughtfully, "Wot is remembered..."
As Lee calls a stop the steps the party are on seem to shift and flow and meld forming a larger platform of the odd blue glowing crystal... there are more steps leading down and none leading p! Just the dark glimemring void....
"'What is remembered," Silmeria murmurs, brow furrowing as she stands on the platform, arms crossed over her belly. "Oh there was *so* much to remember about that... What *was* it? The concert?"
Azar slows and stops, looking behind to see that the stairs have vanished? "Hummm, we don't have to go back, yes?" She looks back and forth between the four obviously reminiscing, and she crouches down, crawling to the edge to peer over quietly.
As Azar crawls to the edge and peers down into the dark blue tinted darkness of the Abyss the rest of the party continue to try and work out what to do next when a faint chime seems to echo out of the Abyss from fair, fair below....
Marduke comes to a stop. Glancing up to Lee, and then peering around as the steps reform. Shaking his head slowly as he glances back to the others. "I see." Leaning into his staff, watching and waiting. There is little he can do to help at this point. A frown to Azar, "Umm I wouldn't do that miss. Spirit realms you generally want to avoid looking into the horizons. This one could be the Abyss, and that does things to the mind." Pausing a blink as he hears a faint chim, peering to the others and moving over to Azar.
Azar goes quite pale, even for someone who is as fairskinned as she. Her eyes widen, and move about, as if watching something below. Something moving closer. She screams then, cowering away from the edge of the stairs, to end up clinging to Silmeria's legs, weeping and hiding her eyes.
The scream startles Ainsley. She looks at Azar, and frowns lightly, but walks over to pat at her shoulder... "It's fine. You're okay," she says, trying to be soothing. And then she lets out a sigh, looking up to Silmeria... "Yes. The, uh... the play. I hope you remember your part." She then begins humming the opening notes to the introductory number for the play. "You too, Lee," she says, in a pause in the music.
Lee furrows his brow, wracking his brain as he tries to remember, glancing to Silmeria, "Th'play? Yeah, there was *sumfin'*, but... Dammit all, wot *was* it?" Unintentionally copying Silmeria's question as he thinks... Until Azar starts freaking out, that is, her trip to The Edge having gone unnoticed by him until now, even with Marduke's warning to her, so deep in thought over trying to remember something that seemed, frustratingly, just beyond his reach, but now giving Azar a concerned frown as Ainsley moves to comfort her a bit, "Oy, you all right there, gehl?" And then, at the answer Ainsley provides, which triggers the memory, the pale man groans, head falling back as he sends pleading eyes to the dark void overhead, as if to the heavens, "Y'mean I'mma have ta *sing*?! Oh bloody 'ell." But, what must be done is what must be done, and he takes a breath, closing his eyes to mentally rehearse his parts, and preparing. And it seems he's not exactly a stranger to performing, exactly, which makes sense given who and what his mother is, and he seems determined: if he's gonna do this, he's gonna do his level best to be just as camp as the fellow who played him on stage, it seems, for the sake of role-authenticity.
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