Descent.

[shimmermods]

CHAMBERS.

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You've been down here for such a long time.

It's difficult to tell, perhaps, exactly how long it's been; the lack of need to sleep or eat has become more and more prevalent as time goes by, and it's made it difficult to keep to any sort of schedule - and while the darkness remains unyielding and unchanging, the same can't be said for yourself, now, can it? The further you go, the more it feels like maybe you could belong here; the longer you're within this place, the less it seems to want to let go of you.

It begs the question, really: Is it the mine that's making you feel that way, or is it the Shimmer itself?

Something is different today.

There's a sudden feeling that you've found a chamber, that the shaft you've been wandering down has opened up in a way that's more noticeable than the occasional offshoot leading to an eventual dead end - this feels massive, open in a way that clears the air and spreads out far enough in front of you that it's difficult to tell how far out it actually goes. There are a few promising signs here, however, even if you can't see them very well - the sudden clearing of the air's stagnation is one, but the sound of running water trickling through here somewhere is also promising.

There's also a feeling that should be familiar by now; namely, it's the general sensation that you aren't alone, wherever you are.

You've found something, but perhaps more importantly, you get the feeling that you're coming far closer to your goal than you were on the outside; don't get too excited, though, as you still want to be careful - after all, this chamber opens downward as well as outward.

You can get down to the lower level if you pick your way down; it shouldn't be too challenging, and you'll probably have an easier time seeing once you're down there. Just don't fall.

code by vuvuzela

Comments

[atrueheroine]

[....well. Page still hates mines, but the shaft opening up to a chamber is certainly a nice change of pace. Even if the sensation of something else being in here is a strong one (but that isn't surprising, at this point).

So it's time for the usual; gun and torch out, sweeping the area.]

Let's not fall on our faces, shall we?

[Everyone try not to like...die either, all right, that'd be a bummer. Anything of note for her to spot, as she heads toward that lower area?]

[blunders]

[...on one hand, Felicia cannot make any promises, but she's not just gonna say that--]

Understood, Page!

[Felicia's doing her best to keep an eye on everything too, gun out instead of the shuriken this time at least.]

[bornandbread]

I’ll keep the light up, if you’ve got the gun.

[Certainly easier than dual-wielding the way Page does, especially while trying to keep your balance down a rock face(??) and they do not in fact want Felicia to find their new destination with her skull.

With his flashlight and the other members who have them out and on hopefully it’s pretty bright in here unless they’ve grown crystal night vision also.]

[blunders]

That would be very appreciated, Jean. Thank you.

[Operation: Let's Not Fucking Fall Today is a go.]

[atrueheroine]

[YOU ESPECIALLY, FELICIA but goodness look at this #growth-]

How does the gun feel?

[It's. It's a much better choice than the shuriken. She's proud of you.]

[blunders]

[she's doing her best!!]

It's actually much easier to wield than I would've thought! I was a little nervous at first, but now it feels almost natural...it's nice.

[Felicia beams at that, though.]

[atrueheroine]

[That gets a vague smile, even if Page isn't taking her eyes off the path ahead.]

Good. As far as I'm concerned, the more of us who know how to use a gun, the better.

[because there is definitely Some Weird Shit down here Felicia, of that she's certain...]

[shimmermods]

[Just that the area you're in is very large, and very dark.

There are more of those large crystals jutting up out of the ground here and there, though, glittering in pale translucent colors; they look more like formations than lone structures down here, though.]

[atrueheroine]

[Very large and very dark? Lovely. Comforting. Bodes well.

...ugh. At least in the towns it was still creepy but it wasn't dark...she'll forge ahead, though, even if she's never wished more than she was in research or a medic....

If she sweeps her torch around as she goes, does anything pop out as suspicious or notable? She'll leave the crystals to the others to investigate.]

[pr159]

I think this goes without saying, but don't think about letting your guard down once we get there. There's usually some sort of elite monster or other in the depths of these places.

[ He will take note of the crystals as he goes -- is there anything that stands out about the formations they're growing in here? ]

[shimmermods]

[They seem smoother than the ones that were present in the mineshaft itself; there's also notably no water source coming in from above, or any other source of liquids immediately around them. They seem to have just...formed from nothing, somehow.]

[shimmermods]

[The sound of water is a bit stronger down here; it sounds almost like a stream of some sort. It's steady, which is possibly a good sign; it has to be coming from somewhere, after all.]

[atrueheroine]

Water....

[An underground river? That's something, at least, even if she's wary of them filling their bottles from it. But that's her body's problem.

...

...when did she start thinking of her body as a separate entity? Oh, never mind; if she presses on, will that water come into view?]

[shimmermods]

[It will. There's an area that appears to be sunken into the ground a little further than the rest - everything else seems to be more or less even, but this seems like it's been worn in. The water flowing through it doesn't seem to have that powerful of a current; it sounds gentle enough. It also doesn't seem all that deep.

There are also things near the water's edge that will come easily into view - it doesn't look dissimilar to the camping supplies and belongings you've all had with you. It looks like people may have been staying here for a while.]

[instrumentalized]

[ Cool, he hates this. Time to raise the gun with some more vigilance because if there are survivors here...? They might not be friendly. ]

We are retracing group after group.... Just what happened to these?

[blunders]

...I wouldn't be surprised if the Shimmer got to them.

[if we come across another diddly darn circle of people she swears to the gods--]

[pr159]

[ If we do, he'd like to not be a part of it this time, please. ]

[atrueheroine]

Nothing good, judging by how they decided to leave all their belongings here.

[She's definitely of the same mind as you, Garma; the belongings could easily mean they're still in the area. Guns up!]

Let's be cautious. We might not be alone.

[....

....are. are they alone....Page won't be looking at Garma at the moment, let's put it that way.]

[bornandbread]

If they left them...

[He’s keeping alert, but with the combat team all guns out and not-quite-yet-blazing he’s going to also duck his head down a little and check out the spread.

Anything notable about the supplies sitting there?]

[crestological]

...at this point, I would really have to wonder if they were aware of us long before we were aware of them.

[It’s said a bit wearily, though... perhaps he should clarify a bit.]

Well, perhaps not, if they are still themselves.

[shimmermods]

[Still checking the immediate area, Page?]

[instrumentalized]

[ Well. Last time he went on a mountain climb with a lot of equipment, he fell down a slope and broke his leg. That truly... bodes well. Maybe it's a good thing that his body does not really feel like it is part of him anymore because the fear of breaking a bone yet again feels distant, barely reaches him. ]

The combat team moves first. One can stay behind to guard the rear. Let's go.

[ So. Climbing. Down we go? ]

[shimmermods]

[Down we go. Try not to break anything, Garma... At least there's nothing major obstructing you.]

CONCLUSION.

[shimmermods]

[The tree burns.

There isn't any screaming that accompanies it, mercifully; there's just the sound of flames and the rush of wind around it as it takes in oxygen, but thankfully the area is open enough and the flames are sending enough light around the area for a few things to become apparent.

There's an exit to this chamber, just across from where you're standing; it's broad and looks decidedly more open than the mineshaft that you just left, though it seems there's something off about it as well - the walls are heavy with calcification, pouring thick and white down the side of the chamber like roots, like veins, like the last remnants of an area that's sick and dying but still doing its best to hold on. It doesn't look welcoming, but it's somewhere to go, somewhere that's possibly better than here given that it seems to be where the current airflow is coming in from.

There's also, however, the matter of the Shimmer itself.

Her grip is tight over her chest as she watches the tree burn; judging from the way her hand is twisting into the fabric of her dress, fingers digging into her chest, it seems almost as though she's in pain. She doesn't look away, however, just watching the fire, the tree, and her expression hasn't changed from the usual blankness; the odd pressure from earlier is back, only this time it's accompanied by sound - something harsh and grating, not unlike metal being scraped together, with a far lower frequency below it that can be felt in your chests. It varies in pitch, arching upwards in tone before dropping back down and bottoming out, only to start to rise up again, and doesn't seem to be originating from anywhere - not from her, not from the tree, not even from the chamber itself; it's just something that your body is intensely aware of, vibrating through your system and reverberating inside your skulls, and it echoes long after the sound itself stops, the sort of thing you aren't likely to be able to forget easily now that you've heard it.

She doesn't move; if she's noticed it at all, she doesn't seem affected. She simply remains where she is, her breathing heavy and pained, seemingly unable to look away from where the tree is being reduced to nothing but ash.]

I have done nothing to keep you here.

[Her words are quiet; you can hear them just the same. As though she's standing right next to you, regardless of where you are.]

I don't...want to harm you. If you continue like this, you have no one to blame but yourselves for what happens.

[And like that, she's gone; as it was before, she was there and then she quite simply wasn't anywhere.

There's enough airflow to make it obvious that you won't die if you stay here; whatever happens next is your decision.]

[skelkro]

[Emma... frowns a fair bit when she sees that it does in fact harm the Shimmer it seems, at least in some way despite their apparent insistence that they didn't mind whether or not they destroyed the tree.

But, in this case, it's what the minds trapped within the tree wanted, where as if they had been blinking "no, don't destroy us", then Emma would have argued to keep the tree as is. And the Shimmer is still alive, at least. So... it might be okay not to dwell on it too much? For now, anyway.]