Stage Four: Into the Deep Unknown

[houllow]

[ 22: Close calls! ]

He continued onward, keeping an eye and ear out for whatever it was specifically they were looking for. This really should have been the time he paid attention considering the location everypony found themselves in, but the Suli still was just deeper in his head than anywhere else.

In fact, it was that sad fact that lead him into danger as a collapse happened, the loud noise yanking him rapidly from his thoughts. He was trapped - but not entirely. Certainly not trapped enough to panic, to call for others to free him from a situation that was probably 100% self-inflicted.

Thankfully he was able to get out no worse for the wear, expect perhaps a bit dirty.

 

[houllow]

[ 14: A well worn walkway. ]

His hide felt a little itchy, and as he continued along the walkway Wei Ying paused to scratched at his haunch with one of his antlers. The relief was welcome and in turn it gave him pause to actually look down at the path beneath his hooves. It took him faintly by surprise, as he hadn't expected to see such a well worn path in this area. The guide had mentioned something (really, truly he wished he'd paid attention more) but the Suli hadn't assumed it to such a degree.

He tapped a golden hoof against some of the marks, wondering just how long ago they'd been made and just how many ponies it must have taken to make them.

 

[Sesshiyasha]

39: Someone's Cranky

Nememus was wandering through the tunnels. He had been searching for the things they were looking for and hadn't quite found them yet. He did manage to hear some voices so he followed them. It sounded like they were fighting? Oh... He should probably leave them alone. He stayed back a ways and just kinda listened to the voices for a bit as he rested before continuing on his journey.

 

[ChexaRain]

The eerie surroundings only seemed to get even more eerie the further she travelled, though it wasn't until she swore she could see her breath that she realized it had dropped in temperature in an unusual way. Hoping this was a sign she was on the right path, Lydia pressed on, pausing to snap a picture of a weird rock formation when it hit her.... the shutter hadn't made a sound. She made a sound of displeasure, but the sound never emerged from her lips and she quickly realized that sound seemed to be cut off. Okay that was.... she quickly backed up and looked for the way she'd come from, heading back to everyone else and the safety that came with sound.
Just something about not being able to hear screams.....

 

[ChexaRain]

Wandering with a goal in mind was great and all, Lydia surmised, but the pathways could only do so much as far as entertain. She found herself counting the pebbles as she walked, only pausing once in a while to snap a picture or two of the more interesting ones. Thank goodness for digital cameras, she mused silently, though a good old-fashioned flashing beast that required a red room was a delight all on its own. What pebble was this one again, 362? Eugh, whatever..... click, click, and we're walking.....

 

[ChexaRain]

Her path had brought her to a rather risky-looking cave, but shrugging it off she followed it along anyway. That is, until the deep rumblings of tumbling stone alerted her to something caving in. Thinking quickly, she had a choice here: go back the way she'd come, or risk going forward and be cut off from everyone else. Despite her brain screaming at her about the missed chance to encounter a ghost alone, she chose the former and quickly darted back the way she'd come, and just in time. No sooner had she reached the cave entrance, the walls had collapsed, and she found herself coughing up dust and digging herself the last few inches to freedom in the dirt.
That was way, WAY too close for comfort.

 

[Natty-chan]

Though the guide assured you the caves were definitely safe, you disagree; one wrong turn finds you trapped behind a wall of mud and rock! Thankfully, it doesn't seem like the collapse was terribly large, and with a bit of effort you free yourself - but wow, that could have been a lot worse.

Still rather excited from his last experience, Reaper ventures a bit longer… once again… not quite paying attention. With a bump against a wall when he turns another corner, the Pegacorn is suddenly pinned between mud and rock… rock and a kind of hard place. He whinnied like a mare in is surprise, inwardly hoping no one was around to hear that after it had passed. It took a few moments, remaining in his ‘containment area’ a little while to give himself time, but he eventually squirms his way back out. Besides some ruffled feathers and dirty fur, he was otherwise unharmed. He looked to where he was trapped and snorts, I need to be more careful he thinks and moves on his way.

 

[Natty-chan]

In a moment of insight, you wonder if there might be some merit to writing this whole adventure down. Sure, you haven't done anything spectacular yet, but it still makes for a weird story, right? Maybe you'll get your big break and become a famous author - Journey Into The Unknown: a Queen's Venture. You can see it now!

Once again, though he didn’t really know why he was thinking about this particular subject, the idea of that book came to mind. Reaper would have to add nearly getting trapped in the afterlife by mud and rock, gussying it up that he barely escaped with both his wings. He DEFINITELY had to add his meeting of a spirit, that had to be told to the world. In fact, even if he doesn’t write a book, he was talking about that… for years to come.

 

[Natty-chan]

The walls seem to be narrower and narrower, until you're quite literally squeezing through spaces to continue. It's only once you start to go through an even narrower space that you realize this is absolute madness; fearing being stuck, an intense sense of dread wells up inside of you - but thankfully, you manage to back out before really getting trapped.

Reaper pressed on, looking for anything of significance. He doesn’t seem to be having much luck though, walking onward. Down this certain path, he didn’t see anything important, nor did it seem any different than the rest. It was only as he kept going that he gradually noticed a change. More and more, the walls got closer to him; up to the point where his wings were trapped to his side and the Pegacorn was nearly stuck. His heart raced at the thought of getting stuck… again! Wiggling, he eventually freed himself from his cramped space, quickly turning and trotting away from that path.

 

[Reoakee]

A part of the path you're on is weirdly slippery; only after you've made a good show of catching your balance do you realize there's some kind of liquid dripping from the ceiling here.

Still very concerned she slipped and almost fell in the cave. She was glad she could catch herself as echoes could be heard from her crash would have been just as unnerving as the mimicry she heard earlier. She looked around ensuring she was still alone and shivered. The humming had stopped which was nice but she wasn't back at the group yet. In fact she was quite sure she was going to get even more lost. Closing her eyes tightly she cursed several times and wished she had taken the magical lock not to talk about things and had stayed behind. She had come as to her she had not choice based on what those queens had said. it was go and face possible death or other or end up letting them mess with her mind and possibly if they peeked in they might see her family and she couldn't let that happen

 

[Reoakee]

moving along, you come across a small lump of fuzzy floor. Uncertain if it's moss, mushroom, or something else, you curiously toss a rock at the mound - only to be rewarded with the sudden knowledge that the mount isn't floor at all, but instead a collection of furry arachnids that shuffle and scuttle at your action, but soon settle back into the same roadblock they were in before. The path continues beyond, but that would mean stepping over - or into - the horde.

In the end, you choose to turn around. Who knows if those things are dangerous?

Continuing her lost adventures she could hear echoes form other in the groups. At least they were still alive then she came across the fuzzy mound. she didn't remember it being there but was sure she had come back through this way before. She sighed and hocked a stone at the mound in more then a little annoyance only for her eyes to bug out very large when the spiders broke apart and then came back together. swearing again she thought this may be the most she had sworn in her lifetime. Turning around she thought being lost was going to be better then risk a super spider in some other world biting her and killing her.

 

[Reoakee]

You wonder what you're going to have for dinner. This is taking a while - did anyone pack snacks?

After what felt like forever she was interrupted by a noise at first she couldn't place it until she realized it was her own stomach. She was glad she had not lost her pack. Time felt off here but that might have been the blue hue on everything. She sighed and slid her bag off her shoulder and dug around for a small snack. she was paranoid enough that she had insisted on supplies which included food. Still she ate sparsely as she didn't want to run out of snacks latter.

 

[SwordOfTheNagas]

1/3
Shiny stones ::
Along one wall, you notice a slight glimmer; upon further investigation, you realize that it's coming from the wall itself! A small seam of glittering material seems to be buried inside or - well, maybe just within the stone itself. You follow it for a bit, winding up in a small, but beautiful little cavern whose walls positively shimmer with the metallic flecks and streaks within. You have to wonder if this is some kind of valuable stuff, but with no way - or time - to take it with you, you're left only with the memory as you continue onward.

First visit only: +1 AP

He gave a low growl at the back of his throat as he started out again. This entire place was made to keep ponies from doing anything worthwhile. As he wandered further in, he spotted a glimmer. His dragon blood sparked greedily as he crept closer to it. Raising a claw to play in the scattered light. "Oooh....shinies." His ears flickered as he started to follow it. Stepping out into the cavern he paused a moment to take it all in. He sighed in bliss before he continued onward...

 

[SwordOfTheNagas]

2/3
Someone's cranky! :: You come across two others from your group engaged in a heated argument over ... something involving voices or something? You're not entirely certain, but you gather that someone heard something creepy in one of the side tunnels. You listen for a while, finding the sound of real voices preferable to the silence of the cave for a bit.

He let out a squeak as he heard the other voices. Creeping to the corner as he listened in on the other two. He sat there for a moment or two. Curious as to how these whispers were affecting the others. "Curious...at the end of all of this some of us may turn out a tad insane..."

 

[PeterPan_da144]

A well worn walkway.

As they continued through the tunnels, Bloodless found their eyes wandering aimlessly. Looking at everything and nothing at the same time. Their head bobbed back and forth slightly, tail swishing. The roller coaster of emotions, from anxious to relaxed, curious to frightened. It was starting to take its toll on them. However, they had to push on. As they did, they noticed that their hooves felt slightly smoother ground beneath them. Upon further examination, they found the path was riddled with pockmarks from hooves long ago. "Well, I think we're on a good path. It seems this was used really heavily for quite some time, even if it was a while ago."

 

[PeterPan_da144]

The path continues ...

Though they seemed to have found something productive, conducive to their search even, Bloodless soon found themselves rounding a corner straight back into an area they recognized. "Wait..." They stood there, tail twitching, wings quivering. "Either we are going in circles, or these tunnels are changing on us as we go along......." Either one wasn't favorable.

 

[PeterPan_da144]

The path continues ...

Even after their revelation, and the thought to mark down pathways they had been before, nothing seemed to change. Or rather, they couldn't ever guarantee they found the marks they had left, but they still felt like they were looping back on where they had come. Hoof steps left everywhere, most old, some new. What in the world was going on here?

 

[SwordOfTheNagas]

3/3
The path continues ... :: Nobody told you that you'd be roaming through grubby caves today, did they? Royalty, you swear.

He continued on from that little spectacle. Taking a long breath through his nose as he started to feel irritated. He was worried about Alastor that was for sure. Was the Circus Master okay back there? Did he need more healing...Passhon would check on him once they were done here. No need to panic. He could return to his charge. He blinked at the thought then laughed to himself...his Dad would be so proud of him right now...

 

[houllow]

[ 41: A forgotten prize. ]

Were they even close to finding the end? It certainly didn't seem like it and Wei Ying was wondering just how much of all this adventure/problem solving was going to involve walking. He was pretty sure they should be looking for clues or something by now instead of still, just walking, but what did he know? If he wanted it to work in his favor he needed to abide by the rule - what was that?!

Something startled him, though thankfully the Suli didn't think anyone happened to see it. Carefully sliding the piece of paper (was it?) away, he continued on.

[ Spector Ticket + 1 ]

 

[houllow]

[ 42: The path continues ... ]

Now what? Literally, now what? It seemed like things just went on and on and maybe he should have just went on ahead and ignored everything else. He'd likely get smote for his transgressions however, the Queens did not seem the joking sort, and so Wei Ying more or less kept it under control.

For now.