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

[forcegalactic]

There is somethin' down here, I just know it.

[He's irratable, both because that fever is giving him a headache and no one has any faith in his clearly needed expedition. To prove his point, he waves his staff and casts Watera on the doors.

A wave of clear water splashes on the doors, shaking them enough to almost break them down but they remain standing. And now the group is ankle deep in water. Good job, Barkeep.]

Great idea. Got anythin' stronger we can use?

[thegreatninja]

If we cast together?

[She has her Ninjutsu's among other things she can use.]

Everyone just go on 'go'

[Yuffie nods at barkeep and then regrets that because it makes her head spin.]

Barkeep can count down...

[forcegalactic]

Alright, then. [HE takes in a deep breath to steady his spinning head.]

Ready? On "go". Five, four...

[red_planet_blues]

[Might as well ready one of those armor-piercing shots, then. Hopefully Sparks will be able to see the lock with all the magic getting spewed at it in a moment.]

[damn_juicebox]

[Suddenly there's a velociraptor standing there in front of them. It makes a series of clicks in its throat, chittering before it hunkers down and flings itself at the door, using its Shield Bash attack. Then it retreats, tapping one large hooked claw on the floor.]

[Rukia blinks, her expression just as startled as everyone else's.]

...I had meant to call Chappopo.

[Why did the dinosaur show up instead? Her Moogle is the one that can cast Watera.]

[thegreatninja]

Three!

[Yuffie smiles feeling more excited about possibly blowing up the door as she ready's her water attack.]

[forcegalactic]

[Barkeep lowers his arm and takes a few seconds to watch the velociraptor run at the door before the countdown is over. Well, isn't that rude. He didn't even wait until "go!"]

...Two.

[Right. Back to counting and preparing a group attack.]

[zodiac_brave]

One. [Ramza is the loser of the group that actually has no skills to add to the effort. He has a canteen full of water, though, so he uncaps it and prepares to splash it on the door at the end of the countdown. It's more a symbolic gesture than anything else.]

[shinra_dog]

[Reno scowled at Barkeep -- now his feet were wet -- but the plan seemed as good as any. The doors did move after all. With any luck, they'd cave with this plan and not drown themselves.]

[He didn't have a better idea, so he steadied Yuffie and prepared Ninjutsu.]

Go!

[forcegalactic]

Watera!

[With a thin sheet of water still on the ground, he swings his staff at the door as hard as he can.]

[thegreatninja]

Heya!

[Yuffie joins in with the casting, her water splashing with the others. She wonders if the force will be to much but they'll only know when their finished.]

[red_planet_blues]

Here goes nothin'.

[Sparks lets the armor-piercing arrow go. He's fairly confident it hit the target, but not so sure about it being effective or not.]

[damn_juicebox]

[Rukia backs up a little, urging her dinosaur to do the same. Chappopo is the one who can cast Watera, but she feels a little bad summoning a Moogle, with fur, into the sewer. She'll just use her Ninjutsu again. She puts an arm around the velociraptor's neck for support and extends her hand toward the door. Water Ninjutsu is go!]

[forcegalactic]

[If the last water attack was a wave, this is a dam breaking loose. Sparks' lone arrow is nothing compared to the massive waterfall that appears right in front of the door. The force of all the attacks rattles the locks for a few seconds before ripping one of the doors off its hinges and washing it down the tall, dark hallway that leads upwards behind it. The other door swings open, but remains connected, though it bangs against the metal wall loud enough that everyone has to cover their ears.

Not that they could, because all that water has to go somewhere, and whatever didn't flow up the new hallway washed back to knock them all to the ground.

The poor Barkeeps' clothes are soaked wet. He's sick, cold, his head hurts, and he thought he would drown for a second. He sits up in knee-deep water and coughs the water out of his nose.]

Now that was a bad idea if I ever heard one.

[thegreatninja]

[Yuffie stands, trying her best not to touch the walls while regaining her footing.]

That's disgusting!

[She regrets encouraging the idea.]

[red_planet_blues]

Gross.

[Sparks is glad he wore those waders, but it doesn't really do much for the top half of his body.]

Well, I mean, it worked.

[zodiac_brave]

[Hey, the way before them is now open, so Ramza sees nothing wrong with how their plan worked. It is not like like they could expect to come out of the sewers smelling of roses, after all. He wipes some droplets of water from his eyes with the back of his hand.]

Well done, everyone. Shall we proceed?

[shinra_dog]

[Reno coughed and groaned. He tried to stand, slipped, tried again... Third time was the charm.]

Never. Again.

[He hated being this wet. And it smelled like shit.]

There better be somethin' really damn good behind these doors.

[damn_juicebox]

[At least the majority of the magic water is clean. Or at least, it was, before it washed up whatever filth was clinging to the walls and floor of this particular sewer tunnel.]

[With the voluminous ninja robes now clinging damply to Rukia's small frame, she resembles a malnourished drown rat. She squeezes her sleeves to wring out some of the water, then tosses her head to throw back her soaked raven tresses. She hopes the water assault hasn't damaged whatever's in the room, but she doesn't voice these thoughts for Barkeep's sake. Instead she nods at Ramza.]

Agreed.

[She takes out her lantern, but it's soaked. It's not about to be lit again any time soon. With a sigh, Rukia holds out her palm and uses her Flame Ninjutsu, just a little, to summon a globe of heat and light just above her fingertips. The spell won't last long, but hopefully they won't need it once they reach the end of this hallway. She moves forward, and the velociraptor trots along just beside her, long tail lashing with irritation. Kashikoiko apparently didn't enjoy the impromptu bath either.]

[forcegalactic]

It worked, alright. [He plans a foot on the slipper floor and pushes himself standing, then grips a corner of his sleeve and twists out some of the cold, hopefully not infested water. If anything, it gave him the sniffles.] Looks like we did the owner a favor and cleaned up their place.

[One soaked, squishy step forward, then another. He was smart enough to wear rubber boots for the journey, but that didn't stop a river from seeping in and soaking his feet anyway.]

Keep movin'. We don't all wanna catch cold. [He eyes Ramza and waits for him to catch up before moving forward.

The pathway is inclined, leading the party somewhere above the sewer level, but the dark hallway eventually gives way to light.]

[thegreatninja]

[Being drenched in water isn't good for Yuffie's health but she swallows her complaint and steps forward. Her boots go up to her knee and she has them tied tightly enough that very little water managed to drizzle through. That doesn't change the uncomfortable feeling as her clothes begin to stick to her skin.

This really sucks and she knows that her change of clothes, which are in her pack, are probably also soaked through.]

Thank Leviathan, light.

[She breathes a sigh of relief, hoping that light means some measure of warmth. She's starting to shiver.]

[red_planet_blues]

[Seeing as he thinks he's the only one in the party not coming down with that annoying flu going around, Sparks decides to be the one to take point and lead this crew down the hall.]

Huh. Don't tell me someone's actually been livin' down here.

[damn_juicebox]

[Rukia shares Yuffie's sentiments. As soon as there's light, she lets the Flame Ninjutsu go, and quickly presses her singed fingertips against her wet sleeve to soothe the mild burn.]

It seems that way. Or perhaps it's merely a secret entrance that leads to another place in the city, such as an emergency evacuation route.

[Rukia hesitates. ...Please don't let this tunnel lead to Cid's luxurious bathing chambers, there's just no way they'd be able to explain themselves.]

[shinra_dog]

[Reno was chilled, wet, and grumpy. So when Sparks took the lead, he couldn't help but mutter,]

Where's your lantern, Sparks?

[He totally knew they were going to be lost, or broken, or something by the end of this. Ugh.]

[In any case, he was really hoping this was some big secret passageway, and not an evacuation route. Because if it had been, and there had been a real emergency, everyone would have been totally screwed with the door shut so tightly. It had obviously been closed for a long time, and it seemed like it had been locked deliberately.]

[forcegalactic]

[The barkeep lets Sparks take the lead. If something jumps out at them, he'll be the first to face it.]

A lantern's not gonna warm up all up, Reno.

[Besides, there's light at the end of the hallway and he needs something else to complain about. From the look of it, it would be well-lit and not as filthy as the sewers.]

Least we're headin' closer to the surface. Wonder how far it is back to the city?

[It won't be far, as Sparks will immediately reach a vast room filled with papers, desks, and pieces of machinery.]