How many searches till you find the tombsie center of the tomb

The harsh desert winds washed over the landscape in a dry heat that would normally dry up all hope within its wake. A group of travelers and mercenaries, however, had such determination that the winds were like a cool summer breeze. The location they were headed too, it was filled with ancient promises and a reckoning that was sure to come. It had been a few days of a journey, especially because the location of their destination enjoyed changing places with the sands, a form of protection that kept it hidden from all but the most knowledgeable of individuals. How such simple minded fighters knew of this shifting location was sure to be one of the great mysteries while upon this journey, especially for the one they had hired on. Not wishing to draw from anything under the true protection of the magic council the leader of the group lord von fluffy the third had sent out a request to the guild of Pharoahs call for assistance and one of their number had answered. She was a bit hungry for his liking but she would do, as he figured she knew the deserts like the back of her hand, or possibly paw with such magnificent tails she had. Honestly to him, the entire guild seemed like a load of weirdo's but those are what he needed, a bunch of skilled weirdos.

"We are almost there, the place shall soon reveal itself from the sands and finally our journey will come to an end."

Stopping upon his mount the man with a badass mustache and amazing baller hat looked towards the sands, only to feel them quake beneath him and shift violently. This was it, the entrance he had been searching for all along. As it erupted from the ground the group of twenty or so behind him seemed to either tremble, be in awe, or be indifferent as the brown rock face rose to show the gothic archway they had been searching for.

"Alright, this is our stop everyone check to make sure you are prepared then let us head inside."

Ever relentless the sun beat down upon the group as they traveled, sands kicked up by the desert dwelling beasts. A bulky beast of burden hulked the group’s equipment for them while the smaller, more agile ones plodded along with the people atop them. Upon one such beast rode a girl who, at one point in time, could hardly be paid to spend much time in the desert. Harsh heat left her feeling drained back then and now…well the dark haired woman would hardly claim to adore heat, but found it far more manageable now. Even as they made their way through the sloping dunes and towards an increasingly rocky terrain the girl sighed as one of her beastly fanged gates gulped down a healthy helping of cool water from a distant mountain in Fiore. Hopefully nobody found themselves too spooked, but sitting so close to a glacier it felt marvelous in comparison to the rays trying to slip through her layers of clothing meant to keep it at bay.

A part of her continued to wonder why he’d specifically sought out Pharaoh’s Call on this little venture. Perhaps she shouldn’t question it, but it was hard not to all the same. Despite wanting to see the better in all people Mao accepted many memory cycles ago to view situations and people with at least some suspicion. More than anything she supposed it felt odd because of the purpose, though in the end she tried to reassure herself that these exploration ventures couldn’t always afford too much protection detail either. Ultimately she settled for finding out as they went along rather than let her mind wander in circles over the matter as they finally came onto more solid ground than the soft dunes.

’Impressive,’ she thought as the entrance appeared before them with the shaking of the earth. Did their simple appearance trigger it? How did the people of old rig such interesting contraptions within their temples and tombs? It fascinated Mao compared to some of the civilizations she’d known and to her own, which barely held any ancient structures like this that they didn’t use to this day. Their gloriously dressed leader brought a halt to the band, telling all to make sure they were prepared to enter the premises. ’I suppose someone will stay outside with the….I’m not sure what to call these. Camorses? Hormels? The latter just sounds like food…’

Dismounting the beast Mao pulled her desert cloak more over her head. Even with eyes covered it wasn’t hard to be aware of her surroundings, almost able to taste every little thing. It’d been a small process as even her taste buds changed with the shift in biology and powers, and while some things would never taste “good” other things no longer struck her as repulsive either. The ground merely tasted “earthy” to her, though in turn the woman figured this also stemmed from a different sensory organ considering she wasn’t outright licking the ground. That’d be weird and result in a spitting session.

Compared to the others however she appeared to travel lightly, anything and everything she might need within easy grasp so to speak. She’d traveled enough to know spatially where things were and a small portion of her other realm acted much like a cache for supplies. Even her characteristic gauntlets once brought places hanging from a belt laid in that other realm. She watched as the others checked their things, some grabbing items from the “pack mule” of sorts to further outfit their bags before announcing they were ready.

The band of ruffians prepared themselves for the venture down into the darkness of a long forgotten area, with the leader Fluffy making sure that he had all of his items in check. Today was going to finally be the day that he set things right and made it so his family would be able to finally know the truth, this adventure, an eternity in the making, would finally come to an end. He could taste it, he could feel it, it was all around him just like the war sands, this was it the final journey, after this, he could retire.

As the group of fairly diverse walks of life pulled out their weapons and fell in line, the rather impressive mustache man fluffy addressed them.

"You have come here today to venture down into the tomb, you may keep what you find for yourself split however you wish, just ensure my safety as we reach the main catacombs, there is a piece of families past which we wish to reclaim from this area, a great shame that I shall set right."

His eyes scanned over the ruffians and he began to have a bit of second thoughts about some of them, they might try to betray him, but if they did his skills should keep them back, and that the mage he had hired was apparently a part of a more pacifist guild which meant that she could handle the situation as well, and keep him safe. Money was no issue anyway, this was simply him trying to make his families line healed.

"Lets get a move on, mage, you shall be the first, expect traps but I believe your magic shall help you avoid it correct?"

It really was an interesting contrast to view their employer and…his other employees. For all his refined looking nature and name the others could’ve been called brigands almost, perhaps more on the “rough mercenary” side of things. ’Whatever’s down there must be something of great importance to him…’ It left the woman curious all the more. Normally people were all about the riches, but whatever drove this man stood so great that he’d use the treasure instead as a prize to the others. The way they sneered, eyes glittering at imagined prizes left her a little on edges though she refused to show it. Mao hadn’t completely lost her calm since the loss of her gemstone magic, the trait almost ingrained in her.

Pulling the fabric up to cover her mouth a little more, eyes roving back to the man as he addressed her. First? Well, it made sense rather than potentially losing people to traps along the way. If anyone could set them off – safely unlike one of her family – then it was likely Mao. ’I’ll just have to be careful about the place’s internal structure. There’s no telling of special triggers that might lead to a catastrophic destruction.’ She couldn’t just devour all the traps willy-nilly, not with others to think about.

Merely nodding to Lord Von Fluffy the Third Mao walked past the entire crew, ignoring the way some of the men’s eyes lingered a bit too long for her liking. Even with layers it seemed she couldn’t stave off the occasional imagination as her senses prodded the area around her. ”Stay a few yards from me at all times. My reach is great, but the less traps I have to save everybody from the better. If I stop, then you stop.” She delivered her instructions in a calm and audible manner, voice echoing around her a little through small, imperceptible portals to make sure every last mercenary also understood. If they opted not to listen to her then the tailed woman would still try to save them, but it’d be something she wouldn’t let them forget either.

They entered the domain, the air still a bit dusty as it continued to settle after the great upheaval. Hearing some of the spluttering and complaining even with her distance with the other group Mao could only sigh: a reason she’d made sure her cloth was in place. Things remained okay for a bit, the place free at first as if to put anyone at ease. Mao remained relaxed as she walked through, senses ever on the alert for something, anything hiding or lurking behind the walls. A turn in the hallway and she came upon the first, this one almost scarily obvious unless one’s eyes remained on the ground or glued to some old parchment map. Two skeletons sat on the ground, one further down the hall than the other, though some piles of dust lead her to wonder if maybe there’d been others even longer ago. ’This place is rather dry…I suppose even bones could turn rather brittle quickly here…’

Small holes filled the walls, many hidden by slightly protruding bricks and a few others dusted over by cobwebs some remained in sight. Peering around it was the trigger, or rather triggers, that proved more stealthily hidden. ’It’s a veritable maze of buttons…’ A sound caught her attention, the group already reaching her, some of the men’s chatter echoing down the halls ceasing as they found her stopped. This time she wouldn’t scold them for their lack of awareness, depending on her a little much, if only because this stop came right around a corner. Those who could see the skeletons immediately understood, gulping as their eyes turned to her and those in the cheap seats were left to ask what was going on, informed by a few of their comrades.

Mao’s attention returned to the traps as she felt through the walls, an ethereal presence of sorts slipping into each and every hole in the wall to discover the cache of thin needles stashed in the mechanisms. To the others she appeared lost in thought, eyes staring at the ceiling with a bored look to them. Before the first question could be uttered she murmured, ”They’re even still poisoned despite their age…a good concoction…and doesn’t taste all that bad either.” Each and every needle was systematically being devoured, or rather held in that other dimension in case she should need it for something else. Who knew what might’ve found its home in here after all? Be it on purpose or as another trap considering she’d dealt with mechanical creations before these could at least jam limbs potentially.

One fellow however became cocky, deciding she must be almost done. He managed all of three steps ahead before needles sunk into various limbs, his wide eyes turning back as if in silent question. Limbs crumpled fast, strength leaving the man to fall to the ground as he curled up, lungs hiccupping for air that more and more refused to enter his body. ”Fast acting too…” she muttered sadly. His heart already ceased beating. Concentrated on the plethora of needle caches she hadn’t been able to swallow him up and force him to the back of the group in time. Instead his body vanished before their eyes as the entirety of the needles held the toxic concoction on them and she didn’t need anybody pricking themselves.

”NOOOOOOOO! CAAAAARL! THEY KILLED CARL!”

The one man’s outcry went unnoticed, most others either in too much shock or couldn’t care less about the man’s business partner. ”You may bury him later after I’ve removed the needles from him. For now the traps are needle free, but let me walk ahead all the same if you will.” Forward Mao pressed, tail hovering above the ground as it swished side-to-side in an almost snake-like fashion.

The group had encountered their first obstacle along the road to their founders redemption. Such a step had a misstep as poor Carl was obliterated by one of the oldest traps in the book. Such a small minds to go by the way of the needle, Mao had tried to warn them but alas they were just too stupid to listen, or rather he was too impatient to live. Was this telling of future events or could they overcome and obstacle in their way? One thing was for certain, Mao should could, well her and the main man himself who was busy observing just what was going on. Old traps... yes this was correct. Such crude devices, they were used to trick those entering into believing they were going to get an easy prey, but the man knew better, this is why he had sent the mage up in front in the first place, she could handle traps while the rest of the buffoons were just here to act as extra bodies in case something went south. He would never tell them that, but frankly he knew that there was almost no real treasure here aside from his own, all of these men were dispensable to him.

"Very good miss mage, and let that be a lesson to all of you, do not interfere with her trail blazing unless you too wish to die alright? It isn't worth it."

"What do you know about it huh? You don't know our life!"

"No I don't, but I do know you value it more than he valued his. Now then miss mage if you would, there should be a few more rooms like this if my very old knowledge of this place is correct."

Things went significantly better thereafter, Mao more cautious to force the group to stop further away. Sure a few of them might’ve been a bit unnerved at the dark tendrils and the way her voice spoke around them – though she was careful to hide the mouthy portals – but as long as it prevented them from dying in the silliest of manners then it was a worthy sacrifice. Each time she remained careful in showing them the disarmed trap: holes in both the ceiling and floor meant to bury people alive or drop rocks on them comprised most of the traps. Pointed sticks filled some of the smaller holes meant to maim and injure, a few tripwires attached to rake-sized objects bearing spikes to a flat-out wall meant to impale chest cavities and heads when not the entire body. For the most part people seemed to get the message.

For the most part.

Perhaps it was the slow pace at which they traveled as the man’s fantasies ran away with him at the riches awaiting him further inside, or maybe he simply became overconfident in Mao’s ability to save him. It was hard to say as she stared into the gaping hole that’d once been the man’s chest. Ribs no longer held a connection to anything though she could only see one bone sticking out amidst the gore that hadn’t painted the wall above the felled treasure hunter.

Anger simmered in Mao’s belly as she stared down at him. The grisly, greasy fellow had slipped past her tendrils, perhaps slobbering over his illusions of riches. Maybe she was trusting them all too much? That’d caused Carl’s death and now this fellow…someone called him Melvin. Now they rested in some place, hopefully one that brought them to their heart’s desire of untold riches and gold even if they’d have nowhere to ideally spend it now. Such things shouldn’t matter in the ethereal world.

’You can’t be too hard on yourself,’ came Kasmeer’s smooth and low voice, ’Our abilities are more self-serving than anything. It’s you who seeks to use them for the sake of others. I applaud it, but it’s not always easy saving the monkeys from their greedy ways.’

The tailed woman merely sighed, waving her hand to remove the body as the group approached – his comrades more hurriedly than the others though she didn’t doubt their curiosity. They were met with Mao’s glaring green eyes and a dark red splotch nearly her size on the wall. ”Understand I hold you back not out of personal pleasure, but out of your benefit,” the words dripped almost with disgusted venom though her voice remained even, ”I will see to it that ’third time is NOT the charm’ and any who pass my barriers will receive sprained ankles henceforth. Maybe if you have to hobble to your doom it will give you a second chance to reconsider your choices.” She’d have preferred not to resort to such methods, truly she did. However despite Mao’s more subdued nature she remained a predator at heart, one who knew of pack and pride orders. If they required aggression to keep them in line so be it as the animalistic woman would prefer to see as many return home as possible, than to passively let them all fall like flies.

These people the man had hired, they were so foolish in their ways, but that is why he wanted them. He didn't want anyone too smart except for the mage, otherwise, there might be problems. Still, the mage that was with him and the crew was maybe a little bit too good at her job, he didn't know if push came to shove if she might try and fight him at all, and if she did fight him if he could beat her in combat. Such questions troubled the man to the point of his moustache almost splitting ends, though many around him would perceive this as a bit of weakness at how those he had hired were being cut down one by one in this death trap of a tomb. Thankfully, they only viewed that as the weakness and not his true goal which is all he cared about since if he really wanted to fight he could probably best all of them at the same time, he just enjoyed the facade of needing them. perhaps this is when a bit more of a malicious part of him started to brew within his mind, the part where his goals were all that mattered, he was so close to ending this chapter in his families life, so close to finally coming to the reckoning that he desired, nothing could stand in his way...

Not even skeletons...

Wait?

Skeletons!?

Suddenly the men behind him let out a cry of pain as three of them were cut down, or rather cut right up the butt but a sword made out of bone.

"WE HAVE A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU! OUR BONER SWORD WITH PRICK YOUR PHANNY'S AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHA"

It was a horrifying sight as several Skeletons gracefully waltz their way into the room and up the men's booties. it was like the YMCA for skeletons, and honestly made fluffy question who had designed this trap, and why they had designed this trap. Almost prepared to brandish his sword the man instead allowed those he had hired to begin fighting against them, while he instead motioned for Mao to pay heed.

"Mage, while my men distract these strange creatures I wish for you to lead me into the main chamber, if my memory serves there is not much farther to go, though we must be cautious of any fake passageways down here, those could be worse than any trap, but I suspect your abilities will lead us there in good time."

’Where did they come from?! Teleportation magic?’ She hadn’t sensed them nor really tasted any magic in the air and yet here came the skeleton brigade. Already a few of them fell to the ground, blood slithering along the sandy ground from deep gashes. The dramatic effect fell a little, Mao left to very briefly ponder if the souls inhabiting might be juveniles or if these were the remnants of foolish teenagers…well, no matter. Despite their odd choice of vocabulary and ways about them the possessed skeletons proved fairly good at swordplay, giving the hired swords a run for their money now as the client insisted on moving ahead.

Some of the men went at the possessed beings with a commendable zest, Mao sighing: hopefully some of them would make it out of here then. For now she’d have to leave it in their hands, hoping against hope that Aiyana wouldn’t be upset with her later as she led the way for the mustachio’d man. ”Very well…odd as it may be this time stay close. It’ll be easier to protect and not lose you close at hand…” More likely than naught he’d understand that before had been more a case to keep the brash bastards from meeting their selfish ends. If not then he could just deal with her switching decisions and moods because female or something. No man in their right mind would dare question that explanation/belief.

As they made their way the pair would be forced to stop at forks in the road or in front of branching passageways for a few minutes to give Mao time to explore it mentally more than anything. Each space had to be deemed as the right or wrong way if he wanted to avoid dead ends more than anything, though she was careful to determine such quickly. ”If you don’t mind me asking, just what is down in this tomb that someone would setup such an…interesting trap, let alone such a sequence of them? I hold no desire for more money than what was already agreed upon, but this is definitely an intriguing family heritage you have…” It was hard not to question the skeletons at least a little…she probably wouldn’t be able to help pondering every so often what lead to such odd personalities in the summoned creatures.

"What is down this tomb is redemption for my family, the treasure means nothing to me, it is why I have hired such bodyguards, and yourself if you are interested in it."

it was all true and yet at the same time a massive lie. The man was here for redemption, but it might not have been the kind of redemption that Mao was expecting. Such determination within his voice would give way to his purpose this day, and how it was taking on a more sinister bent. The treasure mattered not to him, the loss of his men mattered not to him, all that mattered was a singular mysterious objective. The robust and stylish man's expressions seemed to bear with a darker tone than before as he looked throughout the hallways, as they approached closer to their destination. The markings, they were like the ones in his old books, the ones that symboled the betrayal of his clan by this one. To fall so low as to deceive others, they were the worst, yet in this thought, he ignored his own deception of the ones who had been left behind for now.

"Unlike those who occupied this tomb, I am not one to deceive on such a level, my clan would have remained strong all of those years ago if this group hadn't betrayed their location in order to gain an advantage. Tell me you are familiar with the dragon wars? 400 or so years ago there was a giant war with the dragons, humanity was subjugated by them and they ruled over the entire planet or at least this land. My family was one of the ones taught by the dragons how to fight back, but this clan who resided in this tomb betrayed them and left them all to die. Few of us escaped and now I plan to see what it was they were trying to keep hidden from us and why they bothered to betray us."

His expression unchanging as he twirled his moustache slowing, they had arrived at the location mostly unharmed, it was a good thing to hire such a mage, but why did his informant have to state to hire one, he was talented enough, no matter they had guided him this far and thus he would continue his little quest. Unlike the rest of the tomb, the doors to the main chamber that were before them were ornate picturing victories over dragons and various heroes of the order. None of that mattered to him, instead what did matter was the contents. Moving in front of Mao to take the lead the man would don a pair of gloves as to not dirty his hands, before slamming his fist straight into the door. The artwork shattered in an instant, the door flew forwards from the slam into the gigantic main chamber.

As he dusted himself off the man wandered into the main complex in this labyrinth, it's walls decorated with various ornate golden figures and various gems. These greedy bastards had taken everything from him and his family and it was all here, but again he didn't care about it, instead all he cared about were the various coffins scattered throughout the room. All of them were made of iron and more like burial caskets than anything, this is where they buried their dead? No this is where they hide, till the time was right.

"Finally after all of these years... How my ancestors would envy me right now. Mage, this is your payment, the walls of this very hall, you may take all of it, it matters not to me, but leave the contents of the caskets in my care."

His voice was different, it was no longer gentlemanly, but rather more savage like he was a drooling animal in front of his prey. One by the one the man would go around to the caskets and stroke them slightly before violently tossing off the lids, the room echoing with each thud.

"No, no, no, dead, no, dead, no..."

The man's voice became more anxious by the tone, till he got to the second to the last coffin in the room. Located directly below the coffin at the highest point, it seemed to indicate that there was a hierarchy in this group that even lasted in death. It was raised by on a large staircase/pedestal that seemed to show it's importance over the rest. Opening it like he had done the others, his expression of rage subsided as his face became filled with a smile. In this luxurious tomb of a room the man had finally found what he was looking for, he found one which was "fresh" compared to the others. Finally, this would be his day of reckoning.

"Mage, there is but one who still lives here, or rather lives against nature, would you enjoy witnessing the death of this poor soul who betrayed us oh so long ago. I shall give you the honor of seeming my familiy redeemed!"

Hackles raised as the man’s tone changed, his determination awe inspiring and yet daunting. The air around him tasted wrong and unpleasant to the point Mao wanted to put some distance between them and yet couldn’t do such at this time. Not with the job nearing its end tempting as it might’ve been. At the same time his change in demeanor worried her, unsure what possessed this man so greatly that it gripped her curiosity to its core and propelled the woman further down the corridor.

Somewhere in her time before freedom she’d stumbled upon some history of the dragon wars. A time when humans might’ve amounted to mere cattle really, an animal of prey rather than rulers of the land. Fearsome beasts instead owned the lands, governing amongst themselves and setting up territories where they may do as they pleased. Yet some dragons it seemed cared little for the way their brethren treated their “food” and chose to instead befriend the race, helping its rise to power in the end albeit with some costs. It was…an interesting time to read about for the woman, unable to help seeing possible parallels down the road.

What could compel such a betrayal?

Various possibilities flittered through the tailed woman’s head from survival instinct to personal gain motives and yet it’d be hard to find the truest reason as they likely hadn’t survived. Humans’ life expectancy wasn’t a grand thing by her people’s standards at any rate though Mao theorized they’d been similar before the introduction of that mythical fountain.

Fluffy’s next actions would’ve made many a historian cry as the door shattered with little remorse, large chunks of slab slamming into the ground as smaller bits of rubble clattered about. A part of Mao wanted to weep at such wanton destruction, understanding more and more that a sense of vengeance fueled the man rather than a true sense of honor. Inside however stood the very treasure the men above them dreamed about. Gold and gemstones that could set one up for a year to life depending on investment and spending habits glittered with only a slight hindrance from dust. Disturbing it by taking the wealth…’I could simply add it to the guild’s funds after all…’ Another part of her tried to find something that perhaps Aiyana might enjoy, Mao often struggling to find gifts as the concept remained a little foreign to her.

Why did he want the caskets so much?

Again Mao felt a surge of wariness raise in her at this man’s wishes. Desecrating the dead might soothe some wounds, but ultimately it’d accomplish little. If he sought to somehow harm them in the next life…had their crimes been so great? ’I thought he wanted to find out why they did it…’ Ears tilted backwards in the mage’s increasing discomfort. This man who ripped the lids from the coffins, shoving them aside with reckless abandon searching for something stood a far cry from the one who’d approached Pharaoh’s Call for assistance. This was a man gripped by his self-proposed purpose, by his dream for a reckoning. Each thunderous slam of the lids to the ground forced her ears to flutter, the short woman wincing at the sound as her eyes narrowed bit by bit.

’Honor my a-‘

“I thought you wanted to know the reason?” her voice boomed in the otherwise empty room. That simple thought continued to jab at her conscious, the woman now demanding to know the reason for all this. Perhaps it partially stemmed from a culture that knew so little death that each one meant a great deal to the family. Even through spats and feuds the death never set foot in the crosshairs or found themselves used as ammo. As she asked the box found itself swarmed with a silky dark mist, the substance consuming the coffin and its contents to hide it in another realm away from this delirious fellow as Mao wanted answers. ”To kill without true knowledge…is your family’s honor truly worth so little to you? There is no redemption there: only cheap and unfilling satisfaction. What if this soul bares no sin against your clan? You would title yourself judge to place the sin with them?” Innocent or not neither of them truly knew, not unless he purposefully hid proof for reasons she could only haphazardly guess at, but Mao refused to see someone harmed needlessly.

"You would stand in my way!? I hired you to assist not to fight me. I already know enough about them, the betrayal happened and they must pay for it, if that is the only living member of the clan who has betrayed me then I must make sure they cannot come back to harm us in the future, don't you get it? I am sure you do, what with your guild being outcasts to most of the magical world, what it means to have yourself left alone to die and had to rebuild from nothing. My family didn't become wealthy and dare I say Powerful mages without the same hard work I suspect you have put into your guild."

The man's expression was cruel, but also tried to be understanding, he wasn't just looking at Mao, he was piercing directly into her eyes with something that seemed to be... otherworldly. His gaze might have been slightly hypnotic if Mao wasn't too careful, his words becoming more and more like honey upon the lips. It was almost as if he was having some sort of influence within the air itself, like his words were being carved into the brain.

"Now then my dear, perhaps we could release that coffin back into the real wor---"

The man suddenly flung his body to his right side, back in the direction of where the coffin had been previously before mao went all om nom nom on it. A red glow overtook the man's arms as he threw them up in front of his face and was sent flying backward in a burst of energy, red strands dancing off of his form and magical shield. Lowering his hands the man's expression returned to that of pure contempt and anger as he looked up to where Mao was, as a figure appeared near her, where the man had once stood but a moment ago. Ragged clothing tattered their body, and they looked as if they had spent one too many hours sunken within a pool, their light silver colored hair glimmering off of the gold within the room. Swaying from side to side as if they struggled to stand, the figure let out some heavy breathing as it's red eyes shifted across the room.

"You...."

"MAGE, KILL IT THIS INSTANT! WE CANNOT ALLOW THAT... THING TO RECOVER IT'S POWER!"

As the final words left his lips his worst fears were realized, one of the rag tag group that he had recruited walked into the door, wounded but alive. His arm was bleeding and his head looked worse for wear, but he was for all intents and purpose alive and only had 2 days till retirement.

"Sir! I managed to beat the last of them, the rest of the men didn't make it, but I beat the last of the skeletons! Damn that's a lot of treasure though, oh man I'm so rich!"

The mans face turned into pure bliss as he looked upon the room of gold with glittering eyes. He was finally going to be able to pay off his mothers loans, he could fund the cure for cancer that his brother was working on, and could find a way to solve world hunger if he put his mind to it.

"Yoink..."

Or not, because the man's expression turned into that of intense pain as the figure next to Mao vanished with but a few crimson colored sparks in its former location. Teeth firmly within the man's neck he quickly went from flushed to pale and fell to the ground, his ability to solve most of the worlds problems gone, because Pik is a dick. Meanwhile, the formerly ragged looking figure began to fill out with a more normal appearance and coloration, almost as if they were becoming "fresh" again, till they looked normal like they could just blend into any society. Fluffy jumped back up onto the stairs in order to regain a foot holding in this fight that would surely break out. Looking towards Mao he held disappointment within his very expression.

"Why on Earthland did you just stand there and do nothing? Now the beast is back up to its strength and we will have to kill the great deceiver."

"Great... deceiver? Wait..."

Looking up from their fresh "kill", the figure seemed to smirk a bit at the thought of being some great deceiver and trickster of this man that they hadn't even met before. As their expression shown within the glint of the room, it became obvious that the, "they" was a she, and the man was filled with a sudden shiver of dread.he knew that face, it was his one of his old renditions, this was bad, that coffin really was due to the hierarchy, the only thing worse would be if the coffin behind him to came to life, the one on the highest level. He hoped that wouldn't be the case, and now Fluffy dare not disturb it for fear of it reviving.

"Me? A deceiver? That's a very... amusing prospect, tell me who are you? You say, deceiver, that must mean you are apart of the... Oh yes, you must be a part of them Right? The clan of the fire slayers, correct?"

"It matters not what you say, liar, I am a part of them, but you are the reason that we lost all of our members but a few, the reason the dragons knew where we made camp!"

Shouting into the room, the woman on the opposite side of the room sighed slightly and looked towards Mao.

"You who had accompanied this man, Do you know why this place moves from location to location? It so that dragons cannot find it will be this man's answer, but the correct answer is because we don't wish for his clan, which told the dragons of our location in order to steal the lacrimas we had obtained from our own captured dragons for their own purposes. I am no deceiver, but he is."

"Such is your way to lie about the past, my dead family is proof enough of what you have done."

"And out cobbled together home is proof of what you have done, companion of this man, what is your choice will you side with him, or with me? Don't be wishy washy there is no middle ground, he's not about to just leave, especially when he could finish the job his ancestors failed to so long ago."

There was a stillness in the air as they both waited for Mao's reply, and the tension could be cut with a knife.

Odd as it may be that one lived Mao persisted in her belief. This fellow…he reeked now compared to when they started. Not in an overt way as though one who’d perspired their deodorant away necessarily nor skipped bath day one too many times, but it tickled at the tips of her senses all the same. Even the way he spoke now jarred her, words rubbing against the grain and causing her lip to curl in annoyance beneath her cloth mask. Her guild may not have been aligned with the Magic Council, but that didn’t mean they lacked friends entirely…though this man’s sights stuck too close to home to know of such matters.

More and more alarm bells rang in her head, eyes moving down to stare at his torso rather than those eyes far too alive with fervent passion. This man wholly and truly believed what he knew as fact with far too little doubt for her tastes. It took a moment, but she came to recall the resemblance: he reminded Mao of Syu. That same, unshakable belief of dominance and superiority with the hunger and thirst to retain it at all costs. A small growl started up in her chest, too low to hear in the distance between them as she began to feel attacked despite the man’s lack of action.

Something else nudged at her though, prodding the woman to release the entity from the other realm on instinct. If it could move and she held no intention to eat or hold it captive then the instinct kicked in to let it do as it pleased. Eyes moved to the figure that now stood next to her, the same being she theorized attacked the fellow and ceased whatever he’d been releasing to make the very air taste wretched and yet sinfully tempting.

After the little tricks he’d tried the man held the gall to demand that she kill another? For a brief moment Mao almost held an iota of the pride her fallen sister once boasted and could’ve snorted at the fellow.

Pupils turned into slits and she hissed: one of the survivors appeared only to find himself breakfast to the raisin woman. Ire rose if only for her lack of ability to protect the fellow, the one fellow who’d felt decent amidst a group of brigands.

Silently she regarded the raggedly dressed woman, curious to know her rendition reversed her employer’s tale. The notion that this all stemmed over powerful items like lacrima surprised her little, and the mechanisms of this place were born of a wish to keep trespassers out…it was hard to fault her there.

There both stood awaiting her decision: who would she side with? This Fluffy fellow wasn’t one to be trifled with necessarily, but the girl wasn’t a pushover either and he feared her rightly so…”Taking the life of another, especially one I’m unfit to judge, is not what I signed up for nor do I wish to insert myself in your family’s treachery,” eyes turned to Lord Von Fluffy as he stood upon the stairs, eyes cold, ”you will fight your own battles on this one. If there is any true honor to be found in your family then may it shine in this moment…but I’ve tasted your wicked side and I will have no part of it. As for you…” Sharp feline eyes turned to the girl, eyebrows narrowing a little, ”Something rings truer in your words…but in punishment for the life you took I won’t help you in this fight either. Other things stand to see…” Though if the fellow flung anymore of his underhanded words then that’d be another matter. Mao refused to be manipulated after finally finding freedom and the fact this man dared try irked her to no end. She’d already placed her bet.

Mao gave a decent answer, she wasn't going to help anyone in this matter, the figure was pleased with that outcome as she didn't wish for this to battle to have some kind of interference, she desired to fight this man on her own terms, as this retribution had been a long time coming. Still, to see this tomb desecrated to such an extent, it violated her to the core, all of her comrades were dead, for some reason which she to figure out, and that meant it was just her and this man, the last of her clan versus the youth, compared to her, of her rivals. Fluffy wasn't a man to be trifled with, he was strong in his own right and knew the power of his rivals, but at the same time he had made one critical mistake, he had assumed that his opponent was weakened after such a long time of slumber. This was true to an extent, she was weakened from slumbering for so long, but just because she was weaker, didn't mean that he was stronger, and that was his error, he had needed the assistance of Mao to claim victory in this instance, mostly because he had lost the rock paper scissors.

His clan along with himself were masters of fire slaying and she was a master of water slaying. Normally her clan would use the lightning element as per the dragon they captured, unfortunately for the man who was facing off against her, she was both from and not from this clan, she was more of a black sheep than anything. She hadn't learned her magic from the same dragon that her clan had captured, but rather a different one, one which had been killed by her and had the information taken out of it, and it was this kill, that made her the second in command of a clan that would have normally shunned her. If there was ever an underdog story, it would probably be about some world series somewhere, but if there was ever a good story, it would be about her rising to power in a clan that was hostile towards her.

Enough of the exposition and build up, this was a fight scene, wasn't it? The two didn't need to mince words, they knew what was about to happen, it was about to be all out war. Fluffy made the first move, his face filled with an expression that spoke of greed towards killing his hated rival clan's last member. Launching a devastating and scorching wave of fire towards his opponent, the room became heated to an extreme, to such a point that the ground became white hot from merely being near the flames. He was starting this battle with a bang, and it showed that there was no joking around, one of them wouldn't leave here alive.

Unfortunately for him, she intended to win this little war. With a flick of her wrist water cascaded upwards to intercept the incoming flames. Steam erupted from the impact and the room became clouded in a dull, yet warm mist that covered up the scorch marks of fluffies flames.

"How..."

"How? Oh, right... you are probably confused as I never engaged in the battle that our clans truly fought, you probably didn't have records of me. Allow me to enlighten you, while the rest of my clan has all learned magic from that of a lightning dragons lacrima we had forced out of them, I learned mine from a different dragon. I could never manipulate lightning magic well and would have been kicked out, if I hadn't managed to kill a dragon and learn it's magic, unfortunately for you that dragon was a master of the water element."

The man's face turned from excitement into a slight form of dread, this wasn't good, and his backup wasn't going to help him at all.

"Oh, and another thing, just because you have learned such a powerful magic, doesn't mean you have the experience. You have made the assistance you brought with you dislike the idea of fighting alongside you, and now you are fighting against one who is far stronger. I am so pleased to learn that even after all of these years...."

Appearing behind the man within the mist in an instant as she teleported, the girl whispered into Fluffies ear with a cruel but whimsical tone.

"The arrogance of your bloodline is still alive and well."

Cloaking himself within flames in an instant fluffy tossed behind in a fire bomb to try and burn her into the ground, but all he hit was the mist floating within the air. A small laughter permeated the atmosphere and echoed throughout the large complex. He wasn't fighting a fair fight with her, he was being toyed with. Had his greed led him to lose this battle? Was he destined to die today at the hands of his most hated of enemies? If you guessed yes then you know the fate of every NPC that comes across a player character, death? Such is the life of an NPC to die horribly all the time for no good reason other than it's funny.

While he twisted and turned to find her, he didn't bother to look underneath him, and that was his error. A hurricane of water came from below and formed around him, drowning out his flames and entrapping him within a water prison, and sadly for him he lacked the ability to create clones of shadow. Struggling to breathe within the bubble the man gasped and grabbed towards his throat, a futile gesture. Appearing from the water below him the girl held a kindly smile towards him and leaned into the bubble towards him. Getting uncomfortably close to his face she placed her hand underneath his chin and gave him a small little kiss on the lips, before throwing his hands off of his neck and chomping down. His body visibly aged as she drained the life from him until nothing but a dried out mummified husk remained. Releasing the water bubble the girl dissipated the mist and emerged from it with a youthful appearance, even though she had the tattered rags still, it was clear that she hadn't quite gotten up to snuff bodily till just now.

"Ah, finally it feels so good to be fresh again. You who didn't fight in this battle? What is your name, and why would you follow such a foolish man into this place, to begin with?"

To say standing there and doing nothing was an easy task would be utterly foolish. A life would vanish, a life that could’ve meant something, could’ve done something – anything – and yet the woman felt it wasn’t her place to come between these ancient foes. A familial grudge bound the two in a way that would rubber band her away, and though she held the power to do something she lacked the will. Their existence simply couldn’t be shared, not with her grudge and his growing insanity in the matter. Instead she was left to mourn for the sacrificial lamb and lament further internally at realizing none of the others survived. No life other than her’s and one of the two combatants would make it out of here intact.

Even as her eyes remained trained upon the two small rifts in space would form over a couple coffins at a time, tendrils slipping out to replace the tossed aside lids. As far as she cared there existed little to no reason to leave them ‘desecrated’ as the fight quickly revealed the favorable opponent. Despite that however, even if the fellow proved the superior in this matter she didn’t want to leave them like that and would’ve ejected him from the tomb forcefully before he could do so again. They were dead, just like his ancestors, and any harm they (likely didn’t do) did died with them.

Fluffy’s end came torturously, dragged out as he drowned in a bubble of her creation. Except just like the man two days from retirement and ready to fix a few world problems the man found himself turned into a human-sized raisin. He likely appeared little better than those locked away in the coffins.

”It came as a request to my guild,” Mao answered evenly, eyes staring at the dried up corpse for another moment before turning to the girl, ”and at the time my abilities seemed to best fit his requirements. I admit to curiosity of this place when he spoke of it, which further cemented the deal. I am Mao…” With “Nakiri” being little more than a pseudonym for this “life” intended by her people, Mao lacked a proper last name to offer and felt uncomfortable offering that of either clan’s. This woman would have to settle for that as she in turn inquired, ”May I inquire as to who you are? And perhaps…why you were slumbering in that coffin?” By now she returned the coffin without so much as a sound, the lid back in place from that other dimension that served both as a holding space and as an otherworldly stomach at times.

"Your guild?"

What on Earthland was a guild, was it some sort of group of people, were they still fighting against dragons or had more happened than she knew? Maybe a guild was the new term for military, actually just how long had passed her by, and just what had she missed. It it was any indication then she supposed people were still around, and not just half human half animal people but real people, so maybe they ended up winning in the end? Hope was the first step on the road to disappointment, but if there was a small glimmer of it, then this was a good time to wake up from the slumber, especially considering one of the betrayers was now dead. Still, there were a lot of questions to be asked and pondered over such as why they still spoke the same language...

"I'm sorry, but I don't know exactly what a guild is, could you explain it to me? I suppose that's what I get for being asleep for a while."

Again, she didn't know how long, but judging by the fact that he said ancestors, she figured she should have some pretty bad bed cramps, the fact that she was still walking just fine was good enough for her to not worry too much about the passage of time.

"Well, I normally wouldn't just give out my name, but you didn't interfere with that fight, and you did let me out of that strange place so I suppose my name is the least I can give. I'm Hecate, judging by all the dead around me, my clan name means nothing now."

She sighed slightly as she looked about and saw the coffins put back into place, which was a nice gesture but unneeded, they were dead so it didn't matter what happened, and half of them deserved worse than this for their crimes against everything and everyone so they probably should have stayed laying down, but Hecate wouldn't bring it up to the girl, there was no point in making someone who had, so far, a respectable head on her shoulders feel anguish for assisting. Still, she could sense it, everyone else was dead here, she was the last one alive, how ironic that out of all of them who claimed to be far superior to her, that in the end, she was the only one who was still standing. In a way, she felt it was poetic justice, but at the same time having no more allies, was a problem.

"As for sleeping, I suppose I could tell you the whole story, it's a bit long and probably boring unless you like dragon fights, speaking of which the dragons don't rule right? I would hate to find out you are an ambassador of them and I have to kill someone who I just started a conversation with."

The newly awoken woman seemed to be getting her bearings about her, or at the very least trying so Mao refused to interrupt. After all what a “guild” was would likely be only the first step in questions for someone asleep for…well…she had a vague idea from the sounds of a dragon war being involved. Undoubtedly the world changed in a myriad of ways compared to the time this woman knew so her adjustment period merely began as she pondered how much to tell and whether or not to ask for that tale now…or maybe later.

”No, dragons don’t rule,” she started with what sounded like the main concern given the girl’s original era, ”they exist to some degree, but not as plentiful as your day by far.” Calling her an ambassador held an intriguing bit of irony, but for now Mao wouldn’t get into her differing lineage and the fact it didn’t exactly come from this planet either. No need to alarm the girl with conspiracy theories about alien invasions or something like that. Stowing the name she’d continue to answer the prior question in the same even tone, ”As for guilds they’re basically groups of mages that’ve come together for one purpose or another. I suppose not unlike a clan, but not blood relations focused. People are able to hire us to perform tasks in exchange for money, sometimes other things.” Perhaps later they could get into some of the finer points, but no need to throw it all at her at once.

”While I would indeed enjoy to hear your story as it comes from a different point in time, and I do so enjoy history, I fear this may not be the best venue.” Pretty as the treasures of the room undoubtedly were the knowledge that the mercenaries for hire laid dead above them and coffins resided in this room left things a bit…well, odd to say the least. At the same time at least some snacks or beverages certainly wouldn’t go amiss for such a recounting, maybe more comfortable chairs than the steps that housed her coffin and that of the leader’s. ”If you like I can have us both out of here quickly…but I feel it best to ask: given your status is there anything I should know to avoid? There are a multitude of legends for vampires and theories so while I’m curious to understand what’s true and not – at least for you – I’d really like to avoid turning you to ashes under direct sunlight for example if that’s a problem for you, Hecate.” Finding a living vampire after once dealing with a clan of lycans wasn’t very offsetting, but she really didn’t want to go accidentally causing the girl’s death either. Not after just waking up. How unfortunate that’d be!

"The dragons aren't in charge... I guess we managed to win in the end. How strange, if it is true then that is a great news that would bring honor to all who are here. If you are lying I will be gravely upset, forgive my willingness to trust you, I just woke up and you were accompanying an enemy of mine. Even if you didn't assist him, you still walked into this place with him."

Hecate stated with a cold expression. She didn't want to sound harsh but she didn't wish to sound weak at the same time since this girl was an unknown to her, and Hecate wasn't all that trusting of individuals she had just met. Blame the time in which she was raised, but she expected everyone to betray her at some point, and this girl was no exception.

"So you are effectively mercenaries for hire? Interesting, so they call them guilds now, or is that just for a specific group? Well, if it is money you want in payment there is plenty here, you might as well take it with you, I doubt any of it will be useful for me, especially with the inevitable change in currency."

Honestly, that was partially a lie, Hecate did value the items around her if only to see how much they would be worth and if at all possible she would try and snatch the money right back from Mao's hands. It wouldn't be too hard if she made sure to shadow the girl a bit, after all, everyone made a mistake sooner or later, and if Hecate was patient she could get anything back when/if Mao made her's.

"I don't mind taking this elsewhere, and I am grateful that you freed me from wherever it was I was held, but if you lead me into a trap, don't expect me to hold back. Naturally, I've expressed that a few times, I just want to make sure the type of relationship we have right now is clearly understood... As for what I am."

Hecate looked around the room a little bit before continuing.

"Unlike my fallen comrades around me I'm not so... frail? It is interesting that you picked up on what I am, so I suppose there are more of mind kind around, naturally all with different variations of the curse. In short, I'll be fine in any environment, I'm not as frail as others you might have known or fought."

Hecate’s lack of trust wasn’t unwarranted, at least not by Mao’s standards. As the woman pointed out she did show up with the once slumbering woman’s enemy – or descendant of them  rather – and though she opted not to side with him could’ve remained a threat. Mao couldn’t recall a place that dragons ruled, at least not in most countries and they tended to keep to themselves aside for one. Even then she couldn’t claim he ruled the lands. She made no face to show ill feelings towards the water mage’s sentiments though, merely nodding to accept them as fact. Besides sometimes Mao could be a bit ornery after waking up.

Eyes roamed over the room and she shook her head, ”No, I’ll chalk this up to a failed venture. The guild master will understand once I explain what happened.” ’I think,’ she mentally amended. Being the sole survivor of this job Mao felt it a failure, though she didn’t think Aiyana would fault her for letting the man decide his fate. He wanted to come here out of petty and likely wrong revenge, and such stories came to bitter or unsatisfactory ends. Besides as far as she cared it belonged to the woman as the only survivor of her clan. She could always come back for it later if she so chose.

”To be expected,” she replied to the defensive slayer. Someone more emotional might begin to take umbrage, but Mao lived a long time in an even state and used to dealing more with facts than emotions. Besides this woman came from a time filled with turmoil and apparently distrust, and down here might’ve even felt a bit like a cornered animal. Lifting a hand from beneath her shawl Mao gave a small wave and the murky cloud covered them only to lift seconds later and reveal a painted sky. Dark purples and blues started creeping on a mostly orange, pink, and golden sky as the sun sunk further and further towards the ground. Even now the moon started to glow in the sky as it’d soon take its place upon the throne. ’I suppose we did take some time to reach the depths…’ It’d been for the sake of pointless caution.

The fact she didn’t burst into fire or a pile of ash relieved her, apparently Mao feeling a lack of confidence in the woman’s information for a moment. Perhaps Hecate’s caution became a little contagious, Mao reminded herself that it’d be pointless to lie about something like that…well, without turning it into a very confusing and obnoxious circle of possibilities. The tailed mage had been unsure how far to take her new “friend,” unable to bring herself to ditch the blood drinker to her own devices in a now alien world and yet not wanting to force her into Mao’s newfound “homeland.” There may have also been a small bit of caution on her side, not wanting to exactly find citizens found in husk forms…

”I won’t fault you for your caution,” she spoke after a moment to let the woman drink in the fresh air, ”as you really have no reason to trust me in the slightest. There is a part of me that can’t bring myself to simply leave you to your own devices either, not when this world has evolved since your time. I’m afraid all I can really offer you is an environment in which to learn and become accustomed to it all…” She paused, gaze hardening as she settled it upon the other woman, tone taking on a similar quality, ”Though I will warn you now as you have kindly done for me: I will not permit you to drink upon the people of my home. We can provide a home if you wish, but its people will be off limits. If any blood will work though…there are plenty of creatures one can find in the desert and nearby lands. I can teach you about some of their habits if you wish.” More than anything though she wouldn’t bring a hunter home if they insisted on attacking as they pleased.