Player Plot: Sewer Quest Part II

[forcegalactic]

Who: Barkeep and anyone else who signs up on the OOC post.
What: Exploring the Aqures Ixen Sewers in search of a hidden room
Where: Aqures Ixen Sewers
When: May 12th-15th
Warnings: n/a

[It’s that time again. The morning of the 12th, the Barkeep collects the Heroes that volunteered to explore the sewers of Aqures Ixen one last time and reviews their supplies at the entrance. Last time was a blind scouting mission, but this time, they’ll surely find something. He can feel it in his bones.
Candles, potions, ethers, whistles, dry food – these things the Barkeep has brought. He has a bag of his own things and leaves some of those supplies for the others to take.
The sun is shines bright as the group prepares to enter the filthy streams that run underground.]

Comments

PRE-QUEST MINGLE

[forcegalactic]

Rukia Kuchiki - OTA

[damn_juicebox]

[It's a beautiful day. The sun is bright. The birds are singing. The flowers are sweet and fragrant.]

[And Rukia's preparing to go on a camping trip in the sewers.]

[To be quite frank about her reasons, she considers Barkeep to be a good friend. He's gone with her on dangerous missions before, and even played a hand in keeping her alive too. She owes him. If he's planning a dangerous expedition (and the sewers ARE dangerous), then she absolutely must go.]

[The tickle in her throat is obnoxious, and doesn't seem to go away no matter how often she clears her throat, but she's sure it'll be fine once she drinks some more water and gets a good decent night's sleep. Arriving early, she checks her supplies once more. Hopefully there aren't any ghosts still lingering. There shouldn't be, really, but she's already mastered the Ghostbuster job and she doesn't have an Experience Orb, so she didn't equip that Job. Ninja/Beastmaster will have to do.]

[She clears her throat noisily again before tapping at it with her fingers with an annoyed grimace. She's not getting sick, is she? Impossible, she hardly ever gets sick.]

Re: Rukia Kuchiki - OTA

[zodiac_brave]

[Oblivious to Rukia's discomfort, Ramza arrives on the scene, in the peak of health and eager to adventure. If Uncle Barkeep is going to be going anywhere potentially dangerous, of course Ramza is going along to help.]

Good day, Rukia. Are you packed and ready to go? [Ramza starts to rifle through the communal supplies that Barkeep has brought for them. Candles, how smart. Any group would be foolish to go into a darkened corridor without a light source.]

/COUGHS RIGHT INTO HIS PERFECT FACE

[damn_juicebox]

I believe so. Half of the weight is probably due to the clean water I brought. And soap.

[She hasn't forgotten that one of the ghosts used poop as an attack. Poop. Rukia shudders at the memory, pulling on a pair of gloves. This is another reason why she's got the ninja robes on, she doesn't want feces clinging to the fur trim of her beastmaster uniform.]

What about yourself? It's been some time since we last spoke with one another.

[And that prompts a little grin, for she remembers their awkward not-date all too well.]

How have you been?

OTA

[red_planet_blues]

[Guess who's getting handed a lantern? YOU'RE GETTING HANDED A LANTERN. Because we're not having a repeat of last time. Everyone's getting one. Maybe two if you really want.]

Take this. Hold on to it. Don't drop it down there.

[forcegalactic]

[Well that makes his bag of candles he brought more helpful.]

Great. You got enough for all of us, I take it?

[red_planet_blues]

And then some. Ain't havin' a repeat of last time, Barkeep. Came prepared. Lanterns. Hip waders. Galoshes. If this world had hazmat suits, I'd be wearin' two. Not that I'm afraid of gettin' dirty. But, uh, that smell is one that sticks around 'n wears out its welcome might fast.

[So many showers. And it was never enough!]

Re: OTA

[damn_juicebox]

Oh. Thank you.

[Rukia blinks in surprise. To her, this seems like a present, and it's well-received at that. How thoughtful! In that case...]

[Setting the lantern aside, Rukia slips her pack off of her shoulders to set it down and rummage inside. She pulls out a bar of soap shaped like a seashell.]

Then you should have this in return.

[HE'LL NEED IT.]

[red_planet_blues]

[He takes the soap and after a moment, nods resignedly.]

Yep. Thanks. Gonna need, like, a dozen of these again. At least I came better prepared this time.

[He's wearing rubber boots and waders. Over his armor, somehow.]

Cuz let me tell ya, the smell last time... It did not wanna go away.

[shinra_dog]

[Reno looked at the lantern, now in his hand, then back at Sparks.]

What the hell am I supposed to do with this?

[Besides the obvious. But Reno was a close-quarters fighter. If they ran into ghosts or monsters again -- which was likely, since they had last time -- what was he supposed to do with the lantern? Grow a third arm?]

I can't fight with this. How -- how did you even bring so many damn lanterns?

Are those lanterns for everyone?

[red_planet_blues]

You wear it like a hat. C'mon, whattaya think you do with it? Last time we went down there, no one thought to bring one. So I brought a bunch. Better too many than not enough.

You ever walk around a sewer? In the pitch black dark? Trust me. You'll be thankin' me later.

[He folds his arms. SO THERE.]

Yuffie - OTA

[thegreatninja]

[Yuffie isn't thrilled with the idea of going into sewers but she is interested in what they might find. Really? She's been in worse places, not that she's about to regale the group with her travels.

She waits for others with her hands pressed into the pockets of her shorts. There is a small bag tossed over her shoulder and unlike her usual outfit, which involves a fair amount of skin showing, she's covered her legs and arms in tight black fabric that might keep some of the grossness from her skin. She's also packed a change of clothes.]

Do we have a plan or is it wander around until we find something?

Re: Yuffie - OTA

[forcegalactic]

Don't worry, I got a plan!

[The Barkeep rushes in front of Yuffie and holds out a hand drawn map in her face. The tunnels have been drawn with a ruler, with rooms laid out, notes about traps, and a huge section left blank. He points to that area.]

We're gonna be checkin' this place out first, seein' that it's far away from the entrance, meanin' it's the most hidden place to put a secret place, which means we're likely to find somethin' there if we go in deep enough.

Yuffie - OTA

[thegreatninja]

Oh, you have a map.

[Yuffie peers at the drawn map with curious dark eyes. It's drawn well and she's a little impressed with Barkeep, hopefully it's accurate.]

That does sound like a plan.

[It's more than she usually has to go with.]

What do you think we'll find?

[zodiac_brave]

I think that is the plan. That, and keep an eye out for danger.

[Not that Ramza does not have faith in Barkeep's mission, but he has quested in underground dungeons before, and there really is not much too it other than that.]

[shinra_dog]

[Reno shrugged.]

We mapped at least some of it last time. So we better not be jus' wanderin' around like idiots.

It's Mordecai, though -- I'm sure he's got somethin' in mind.

TRAVEL AND CAMPING

[forcegalactic]

[Most of the corridors look familiar now, only with zero ghosts, but that ease if counterbalanced by the fact that they’ll have to travel farther and likely camp out in a relatively clean alcove.
This kind of sucks.]

Yuffie - TRAVEL AND CAMPING

[thegreatninja]

[Clean is good and honestly Yuffie isn't expecting them to find a clean area to take a break. She really isn't expecting much though because they are in a sewer. She also hadn't been on the first trip which made her curious.]

What did you find last time? Or was it nothing?

[She wants to eat a snack but everything just seems to taste awful down here.]

Re: Yuffie - TRAVEL AND CAMPING

[damn_juicebox]

Ghosts, foulness, and a constant cycle of floating boards to hop across primarily.

[Rukia has peeled open a wrapped sandwich and taken to eating it. Her sense of smell is almost dead, which means she can't taste much either. But she needs to fuel her body, so she eats primly and properly.]

I'm not sure what it is we're expected to find this time, but there was much we did not explore.

BOSS FIGHT

[forcegalactic]

[The peaceful crossing one of the rivers of sewage is one that doesn’t last long. As they reach the other side, some of the more astute party members would notice the liquid underneath start to bubble…

((OOC: Please keep this to one thread!))

BOSS FIGHT

[damn_juicebox]

Be still!

[Rukia might be sick as a dog, but that's probably why she's the first to notice the bubbling sewage. Her head was down and her shoulders slumped from an aching and weary body. Now, despite her illness, she's fully alert and throws out her hand to guide the others back.]

[Using her invisibility crystal, Rukia vanishes, and her clone appears close by. The clone she dispatches to walk a little closer to the water's edge. If there's something hostile lurking beneath those fetid waters, it will surely lunge for Rukia's false double.]

BOSS FIGHT

[thegreatninja]

[Yuffie instantly becomes still, her limbs freezing at Rukia's quick command. She doesn't always listen but Rukia isn't one to yell unless it's needed. Her eyes then fix on the water which continues to bubble ominously and her face twists in a look of disgust.]

Eww!

[They're going to have to fight some slug thing aren't they...]

HIDDEN ROOM

[forcegalactic]

[The corridor is neverending, yet the Barkeep insists that there has to be something this way. This is the furthest they’ve ever traveled from the entrance, and with each passing minute, it seems that there has to be something this deep underground.

The dark end of the corridor eventually ends in a metal door, and the stone wall around it seems much more well-kept than the rest of the sewers.]

((OOC: Please keep this to one thread until otherwise noted!))

HIDDEN ROOM

[damn_juicebox]

[Cough cough. The stillness is broken by Rukia's hacking against her fist before she pulls in a sniffle. Yeah, she's not doing well, but she's not turning back until they find what they're looking for. And this is probably it.]

[Sheathing her sword, Rukia steps forward to brace her palms against the stone, examining it carefully. The fact that it remains clean draws her suspicions. That thing they fought...was it merely serving as a guardian? Has someone actually chosen to live down here?]

[Rukia withdraws and frowns before turning to give a single nod at the others. It's time to open the door and see what lies beyond. Grasping the handle firmly with both hands, Rukia leans back and pulls with all of her strength. And if that's not enough, she'll plant her foot against the wall and push with that too. She will get this done, so she can go home and rest in bed surrounded by rabbit plushies and ridiculous roommates.]

HIDDEN ROOM

[thegreatninja]

Let me know if I need to pick it.

[Yuffie pauses as she steps up next to the struggling Rukia.] The door. [She quickly adds.

She is feeling the sickness too and up until now it's been sheer will power that's pushed her forward. With each passing second however that will power chips away and begins to fade. She shivers but her face feels warm and her skin feverish. At least she isn't coughing like Rukia... though that isn't much of a bright side.]