Quintus holds the object in hand as he stares down at it. The very sight of it fills him with a subtle dread as he recalls the battle against the necromancer. Could something so terrible have come from his own mind? Even the moth from before seemed strange as if it was separate from the rest of the dream. What is this thing anyway? I can't quite describe it besides that it's kinda shiny...

ooc: My apologies, but food calls. Take this time to gather yourselves, and I shall return shortly.

[The Heir cautiously takes the object, examining its glassy structure.] "This... If I'm not mistaken, this is one of the four pieces I was looking for. This must be the body." [He taps one of the six spikes protruding from one side.] "These are the body's legs... and this up here is where the head should go... Ah, I'm getting ahead of myself. One of the reasons I sent you to the Ruins was to retrieve this part of a magical statue. The writings my ancestor left explained that the curse laid upon this place can be lifted if all four parts are put together."

Rider stumbles out of the inn, fashionably late as always. They have tied the Necromancer's robe around their neck, wearing it as a cape as they approach the group Alright, yesterday's quest went awesome. What have you got for us today boss-man?

Kotori exits the Inn, holding her head Ugh..... of all the days....

*Diego, on Silver Bullet, approaches the group from the direction of the ruins* "Finally, you guys are awake."

"Boss-man... Never thought I'd hear that from one of you. Anyway..." [He hands the bag to Kotori.] "I assume you're familiar with the Cove. It's marked on a map in there, and this expedition is different than last time. To get to the depths, a certain mechanism must be activated. That's where the next piece resides. You may or may not get this done in one day. It's fine if you wish to retreat after succeeding with opening the passage. Anyway, I put the necessary item in there you need to activate this mechanism."

Quintus Looks down and laughs a bit at Diego's comment. Yeah, I'm sure "awake". He turns back to the heir as he observe the statue piece once again. So a statue? What's the significance of a statue exactly? It's just rock, right?

Heh. Kotori chuckles as she takes the bag Well, we ready to go? Buff? Meat Shield? .............. I don't have a name for you......... Generic looking man? GLM? Glom.

"Not exactly. It possesses a strange energy... Magic, to put it bluntly. It may seem ridiculous, but magic isn't out of place compared to the horrors here. I'm not entirely sure of the ins and outs of it, but it's meant to summon something that can cleanse the corruption."

*Sigh* "Are you guys going on another quest?" *Diego hops off of Silver Bullet*

Quintus just kinda stares at Kotori with a annoyed look. I have a name you know. It's Quintus, I don't need people giving me weird nicknames.

A young girl wearing a hat on her head walks into the area, for some reason she pulls the hat down and mutters to herself before walking up the group. If it get's dangerous she'll show herself but hopefully that won't be needed. "Um hello everyone nice to meet you, I'm Filia and I couldn't help but hear something about a quest? I don't guess you could use some help? I may not look it but I'm pretty good to have around, and I've been meaning to practice fighting some more lately anyways!" Filia waves at them and grins, hopefully things will be worth looking into here... Even if it has been a little while since she's done anything too serious.

[The Heir nods, pulling their hood up farther over their head.] "Yes, you heard correctly. The more help we can get, the better. Now, everyone should have what they need, so feel free to move out."

Hahaha, that's funny Glom, it's almost as if you think your opinion matters. Looks at the newcomer Kotori, me and buff are pretty much the only useful people here. Guy who keeps talking about games is Meat Shield, and the generic looking guy is Glom. Prove yourself useful and I won't use you as bait.

The idi.... I mean Rider jumps up and laughs brightly before bounding towards the cove. Their previous mishap having granted them knowledge of the way Alright!! Lets get this quest started. The sooner the start, the more loot we get.

Begins walking ahead I'LL lead Meat Shield, last time you took forever to get there.

Quintus decides to ignore Kotori. He has no need to argue with the narcissistic or any desire to. He follows the rider as he already knows he can trust them. Hey, Rider. Wait up for me!

*Diego follows Kotori* "I was thinking of just staying at the inn for today, but I changed my mind."

Filia balls up her fists for a moment before taking a breath, this girl sure is trying to make her angry isn't she... People aren't just meatshields even if they're not very effective. Tch, part of her wants to tear off that hat already... But no. Attacking people for being jerks isn't right. "I'm pretty sure they've got actual names ya know, there's no need to be so rude is there? Even if they're not so good at fighting and such it's no reason to act like they aren't people, Kotori... But either way w-I am plenty useful when I try to be." The girl walks off towards Quintus with that, hopefully he's not such an asshole because she doesn't feel like dealing with more than one of those tonight. She speaks to him quietly enough one would need to be listening to hear. "Hey, so uh what's your actual name? I don't know her problem, but I at least won't dismiss people on the word of someone else."

[As the ragtag group of adventurers moves forward, they eventually find themselves at the foot of a cliff. Waves crash against the rocky shore, and off to their left is a dark, soaked cavern. Yet again, it seems that torches will be needed... Especially with the sinister feeling coming from the cave's maw.]

Quintus responds to her in a hushed tone as well. He seems to smile as he's happy that someone cares about the thoughts and feelings of others. My name is Quintus Geminus. I'm not sure why I'm here to be honest. I guess this is just where this dream is taking me, at least I think this is a dream.

Kotori infuses her sword with fire, using it as a personal torch Hey, you wanna hang out with the delusional people, go right on ahead. You better hope Meat Shield doesn't get you killed. Enters the cove cautiously

*Diego lights matches and mumbles to himself* "Damn, why is she so negative to others?"

Rider considers running forward, but instead hangs back, motioning for Quintus to do the same You know, we did pretty well without them. We might want to wait a little, then try going a different path. It'll be much faster, plus I don't have to hear them all the time.

Quintus stops and hangs back next to rider. He sees his point as he'd rather just go it with those he trusts than with someone who just spouts negativity 24/7. Sounds like a better idea. We don't really need them as much as they think we do. Wouldn't want to hold the "competent" ones back, afterall.

She looks at Quin curiously... A dream huh? That sounds unlikely given things, but she guesses if he's not from a place with things like magic gems that make you immortal and Skullgirls this world might seem very dream like indeed. "I hope it's not a dream Quintus, if it were everyone but one person must just be figments right? And I'm pretty sure that's the case... I guess it might be a dream of many people at once? But after all I've seen? My best guess is some kinda weird magic is going on here, I've seen the dead rise up from their graves and even so... This place is weird." In spite of not wanting to split up... Filia is more inclined to stick with Quin given the fact he hasn't said he'll use her as a distraction or anything, besides if he's as normal as he seems the guy will need her and Samson to help out most likely. So with that settled she hangs back as well.

[...And because of circumstances beyond the narrator's control, this must be delayed to tomorrow.]

OOC: Oh, I'm afraid I have work tomorrow so I won't be able to do this after all.

[Now that the narrator has returned, they can explain that Quintus and Rider wait outside as the others enter the Cove. Filia has wandered off to do something. It's probably something important. There isn't much going on aside from the waves... at least, until some people arrive. They're more like fish than people, actually. One has reddish-brown scales and carries a staff, while the octopus-like one is twice its companion's size and sports large, golden gauntlets. They haven't noticed the humans yet as they shuffle towards the Cove opening.] --- [Water steadily drips from the ceiling as the other group enters. Saltwater trickles along the floor in small streams. The hallways are lined with a few puddles, and even a few structures. One of these is a disk-like stone structure with a few markings on it. What even is it...?]

Kotori Cautiously examines the Stone Structure Tch. They wanna get killed splitting the group, they can go right on ahead.....

[The more Kotori looks at the structure, the more open her mind becomes. To her, the symbols seem to depict a struggle of man versus a fish-like species. In the end, is man really a superior species? Both civilizations produced great things, according to the symbols. Perhaps she could hold back less against humans...] [Something changes within Kotori.]

Kotori continues on, seemingly alone Pfft, of COURSE we're superior, Can fish blow up entire universes?

[As she talks to nobody in particular, Kotori literally runs into an... octopus... man... thing. It stumbles back, not entirely sure what to make of her either, then gurgles and clangs its gauntlets together.]

It's at this point, that Kotori realizes she's all alone H-hey!... Where did everyone......... O-oh no....... She nervously readies her blade, infusing it with Lightning Charges Flame: 4 Lightning: 4

[The octopus-person roars and punches with one of its sharp gauntlets, cutting deep into Kotori's arm. That's gonna leave her with quite a bit of bleeding. Ouch.]

Geh..... She Rushes the Octo, Slashing at it Stupid..... Stupid! F:3 L:3

[The octopus screeches in pain, too distracted by the flames and too stunned by the lightning to act.]

C'mon... Die! Die Faster! She once again rushes the Octo, trying to kill it as fast as possible F:2 L:2

[The blow hits, although it's slightly mitigated by a fast block from the octopus. It fights through the paralysis and slams its gauntlets into her sword, knocking it aside enough to get a good hit in.]

Rider, the beautiful fool they are, shifts their weapon to blade form and immediately dashes forward to stab the staff-carrying fish-man Here we go, our first encounter already!!! come on, its loot time!!!

Uuu..... Should have ran when I had the chance....... Kotori gets in a defensive stance, looking to deflect and parry the next attack F:2 L:2

R-right... Quintus grabs his knife tightly as he nervously prepares to assist the Rider. Noticing a second enemy he decides to keep them distracted so that the Rider doesn't get ganged up on. He charges toward the Octopus trying to get around it before attempting to stab it in the back of its head...uh, sac thing?

[The octopus slams its gauntlets into her with full force. The sword wards off most of the blow, but still does some damage to her. It leans in close and breathes heavily. Kotori finds herself wondering how a fish has lungs.] --- [The staff fish falls flat on its face from the blow. It panics and hides behind its octopus friend, chanting something in an unknown language. Rider feels a wave of panic wash over him.] [Quintus strikes one of the sacs, and the octopus gurgles. It takes a defensive stance in front of its shaman friend.]

Breathing heavily, Kotori leaps back and unleashes the fire in a ranged attack, trying to keep the monster at bay M-maybe.... I can.... slowly make my way to the exit...... Lightning: 2

Awww, hiding behind your buddy? Lets see how you two like this!!! Rider shifts his weapon into pistol form and moves to the side, hoping to get a bit of an angle on the shaman fish. He then fires a few shots at both creatures, hopefully finishing the shaman Can't guard yourself and your buddy, can you? I.... I don't actually know how these mechanics work

Quintus stays back as he lets Rider fire his pistol while staying out of the way. He didn't want to be in the line of fire after all. After the Rider's attack finished he would strike at the Octopus once again this time aiming for the side of his head/sac/you get the picture. I won't even give you monsters a chance to recover!

[The fire, while incredibly painful, doesn't stop the beast. It charges straight through the flames and slashes her chest. Kotori's barely standing at this point, although the octopus isn't doing so well either.] --- [Rider's guess was spot on, and the bullets strike both creatures. However, the Shaman is sturdier than expected, and begins another chant to stress Rider.] [The Octopus can't move or it'll leave its friend unguarded, so it takes the full force of the attack. It's breathing heavily now... however a fish breathes.]

F-Fuck off! She leaps back towards the exit, firing off her lightning at the octo in a desperate attempt to stun it and escape

Rider begins to chuckle faintly, they never actually looked at the shaman before. not really. Its hideous. We should fix that. N... Not much more, right? Lets give 'em what for. Seeing the success of their previous tactic, Rider repeats the maneuver to keep the pressure on the likely squishier shaman.

[The lightning blast blinds the octopus long enough for Kotori to dash out of the room. However, she's not even at the strange structure from earlier when her body gives out, unable to withstand all the damage and bleeding it has taken. Her vision becomes dark....] [...] [She swears she can feel something nearby in the blackness...] --- [The Shaman stops mid-chant as a bullet strikes through its skull. It falls to the ground with a wet smack. Its octopus friend momentarily mourns its companion before Quintus strikes it with a few quick stabs, soon piercong its neck for a fatal blow.]

F-fucking...... Assholes...... With her last breath, she burns the supply bag, along with all the supplies

ooc: what the fuck kotori

Like a good, oblivious adventurer, Rider immediately runs over to the fish-people's bodies in search of loot You know what would have been convenient. If a menu just opened up after the battle to tell us all the items I get. That seems like a cool feature. Is that standard? I think that's normal for a game. But then again, this is a pretty weird game.

Quintus sits on the ground before giving out a breath of relief and laughing at the rider's words. I guess this is just one of those more immersive games. Built more for realism rather than convenience. This victory almost assured him that this was nothing more than a dream. Even if these monsters were nightmarish him and the Rider made it out this time with barely any scratches. He briefly wonders what became of the ruse girl from before but sure she's fine as she's nothing more than a figment of his mind most likely he stops worrying and instead observes as the Rider looks for items.

[Kotori lies on the ground, not quite dead, but rather close to it. Fortunately, none of the inhabitants of the Cove have come...] --- [Rider finds some coins and two green vials in the Shaman's bag. What the latter are for, who knows?] [Out of the corner of his eye, Quintus notices a white moth flying towards the Cove entrance.]

Quintus stands back up as he sees the moth before approaching it nervously. He has some questions for the moth that he feels he deserves answers to and isn't going to let it ignore him. Hey! You're that moth from before! What was that about telling me there were no dangerous creatures left in the ruins! I want answers now! Who are you? And why are you in my dreams?

Built for realism huh? I guess that's why this green stuff doesn't have any indicator...... Guess there's only one way to learn Due to the fact their helmet is still on, Rider's attempt to drink the vial doesn't work very well. He does his best to use it in order to discover what the vial is done, but armor considered, it might not actually work very well. Why can't these things just have a use button? What, am I gonna have to turn it off in order to use items? That would be dumb.

[The stuff tastes awful, but otherwise has no effect. But as for the moth...]

Well... that was kinda a tiny lie. There was a necromancer, but all the creatures that normally roam the halls were killed or in hiding. Plus, I kinda wanted to make you go in there! To give your friends all the help they could get! The moth does a little loop in the air. And I'm just here as a little guide. I can't fight, but I know stuff! Like how that girl is in really big trouble in that cave thing.

Quintus sighs at the moth's answers. He feels he's used to people dodging questions in a curious way though, so he decides to let the moth be for now. As for the girl, he's unsure of how to respond to that. She went on her own after all and besides... So what about the girl. She doesn't need help from "useless" people like us. Why should I help someone who doesn't even acknowledge my existence? If Rider goes then I'll help them but I don't need to budge otherwise. It's not really my problem.

[The moth seems to understand their indifference, and flies off into the cave alone.] [Rider immediately feels very, very sick. Eating a raw fish monster is not good for your health. Food poisoning and all.]