World Tree MUSH

    It's a terrible start to the night...
    The sun is setting in the horizon, and dark clouds are rolling in, promising the beginnings of storm on the way. The location is far afield from a small town in a world that is somewhere in the medieval era of technology and magic, and the locals hard warned to leave the old wizard's tower alone. But that is not going to stop certain nosy adventurers anyway. Or in this cas a Guardian.
    This expidition was not made without careful thought, nor planning, and Thanatos-4, even with the superhuman abilities of a Guardian, is not so foolish as to go right in without assembling a fireteam. Several messages were dispatched, postings were filed in varied cities, or the Guardian reached out personally to an acquaintance here and there; and now here he is.
    The Exo stands at the entrance to a decrepit and crumbling tower, falling to pieces over the course of time and weather beating it down. His helmet is held in the crook of one arm, red long-coat fluttering in the wind as he scribbles into the pages of a battered leather-bound book, waiting for his impromptu fireteam to arrive, while a small cycloptic floating robotic orb hovers a lazy orbit around his head, reading over his shoulder.

    Honestly, raiding dilapidated towers of crusty old wizards isn't high up on the list of Cayde's top things to do. The moment he and his Ghost had arrived in the world in question, whatever hopes the Hunter Vanguard might have had in this venture seem to be given an adequate depiction what with the dark clouds that are coming in. He sighs. Well, he can hardly turn a fellow Guardian down, especially if it's a personal request. 

    It also can't hurt to get extra brownie points with Ikora whenever they do manage to find out how to get back to their Earth and put in the inevitable report. 

    "This where the party's at?" Cayde calls out as he approaches Thanatos, his own Ghost trailing after him, semi-distracted as it glances about, its vertices twitching in curiosity around its glowing core.

    EARTH

    Dante wasn't expecting the signal to be on Earth, but then he didn't expect this planet to BE Earth either. It looked like something out of a weird sci-fi movie, the way people looked and dressed. All the proper nouns didn't help; Fallen, Guardians, Cabal, Hive...it was clear to the Devil Hunter he had a shitton of catching up to do if he was gonna understand what was going on here.

    Given the climate, Dante helped himself to a wool jumper and a nice, thick police vest under his red coat when he followed Cayde to the other robot monk lookin' dude.

    "Yo, partner." He greets Cayde, recognizing him from the other fight on Aloy's world. "So what do we got here?"

    Given the trailing red coat and guns, he fit the bill for a Hunter, if not for the massive, gothic greatsword on his back. Still, Rebellion doesn't seem TOO out of place for something that was found in a dungeon someplace.

    Adventure calls! An expedition to an old wizard tower to get the secrets within!. The promise of such an adventure was enough to get Luke's attention, after all, how can he call himself a pokemon trainer if he would refuse to visit an old, forgotten and mysterious ruin... that's where all the cool mythical pokemon end up hiding after all.

     And thus, the young teen was making his way through that old building, backpack securely strapped, riding Dynamo, the round looking electric type seeming quite happy in the stormy weather, glancing up at the dark clouds now and then, and mrowling at Luke. "You really like thunderstorms, don't you crazy cat." is the trainer's reply, chuckling as they get close to Thanatos and Cayde, waving a hand. "This is the tower?" he asks outloud. In all honestly, the only reason he was riding Dynamo was not to look short, or weak, to the potential adventurers. The only bit of gear on him was a belt holding several red and white orbs.

     A lone horse and wagon rides up on the scene the canopy on the wagon rolled back to reveal a figure dressed up in a dark blue pinstripe suit and hat with a massive brim designed to perfectly match. His cool blue eyes look out into the darkness as he hand loads munitions into a magazine for some sort of pistol though at a glance with the massive shoulder pads of his suit and the general bulky nature of it under his trench-coat to keep rain off of it, it's hard to tell if he's got any actual guns on his person.

     As the wagon rolls up the figure hops off to the side his boots polished to a mirror shine in spite of the conditions. Walking away he tosses a bottle of hooch from the pocket of his suit over a shoulder into the hands of the driver who starts to pull back off the way that he came.

    Someone sending out feelers and queries for help can reach surprisingly far! Though, is anything really that far away in this strange place? Terra gets the message, at least through a mutual acquaintance. No doubt a break from spoiling dangerous animals and coddling equally dangerous children is in order! Besides, the ever sympathetic half-esper can hardly refuse a request of aid concerning the retrieval of lost knowledge.

    Not quite the same as her own plight but nevertheless, she deems it important enough to present herself. She arrives astride a bright yellow chocobo, the bird chirping in acknowledgement as she pulls it up short of the assembling company. She recognizes that man that frightened Zelda before and noone else. Okay.

    She hops from her mount, offers one grateful pat and then offers little more than slightly awkward silence. Well, it's probably best to pay attention at first right?! Surely there'll be some manner of briefing or presentation of important information! Right?

    The chocobo leaves on its own, drawing her gaze as she watches it go. Oh, right. Didn't think about that. "..."

    The request caught someone else's eye. Moreso because of who was attending, even, and the peculiar nature of the name. Athena's run into Cayde-6 before, so that Guardian isn't a surprise. She's also showed up dressed for possible combat, with a lightweight suit of power armor that is light enough to move in without batteries, and a helmet with the face shield up. As is typical, her rifle is an energy rifle, and her sidearm a slugthrower.

    Sauntering up to the rest of the group, Athena surveys the tower curiously. "Any idea how dangerous this place is?" She nods at Dante, giving him a little two-fingered wave of greeting, and sizes up Benito and Thanatos, before giving Terra a small smile.

    A small tweeting noise announces Little Owl's intention to join the hunt, pestering Dis. It's finally then that she notices Luke. "You're a curious one, aren't you?"

    Cayde-6 has priorities?
    In an instant though, Thanatos' Ghost whirls around, glowing cycloptic eye widening at the sight of the other Exo and his Ghost before flitting right over.
    "Cayde!" She greets WAY too chipperly, practically bouncing in the air. "It feels like it's been forever, hello! Thanatos was just grumbling about how you'd probably invite yourself over anyway, so he decided to pre-emptively send you the message to come!"
    The red-clad Warlock heaves his shoulders in a heavy sigh, slamming the book in his hand shut as others begin to arrive.
    "First of all, Dis, I did not grumble about that, *SPECIFICALLY*. Secondly, Cayde, this is no party."
    "This is, in fact, the tower." Thanatos replies to Luke, while slipping on the faceless visor of his helmet and locking it into place. "Specifically the tower of Azoros the Beneficent." He explains, head turning to regard the new arrivals, but with his helmet on it's difficult to ascertain whatever expression the Warlock may be wearing beneath it as he regards the Hunter, the Mobster, and the silent Half-Esper.
    "Acquaintance of yours, Cayde?" He asks in regards to Dante, as he tucks his notebook into the folds of his coat, as he continues.
    "Azoros the Beneficent was a powerful magic user, and the only on in this particular region. He passed away with no successors and no pupils. Which means all of his studies, notes, works, and accumulated knowledge are all buried here with him." The Guardian explains, growling gruff voice attenuated with a tinny edge now that his helmet is in place. ... Or was it always like that?
    But Little Owl immediately has Dis' attention, the Ghost just as curious as her Guardian, floating over to the AI drone, her boxy-plated shell swivelling and winking in an almost curious 'blink'.
    "Possibly very. Possibly not at all." Thanatos answers Athena. "Keep vigilant, stay in groups at all times, and we will all come out of this alive and enriched, and you will be compensated for your time, in payment or in items of interest from the tower. A dead man has no need of them and his knowledge should not be left to rot with the dead."
    Unslinging a kinetic auto-rifle from his shoulder, Thanatos makes for the ancient door. Though large and heavy, time has not been kind to it. It is locked and several ancient runs and sigils glow just faintly on the wood, enchantments that have worn down in time with the age of the wood. All it takes is a thrust of his palm, a flare of violet energy erupts from his fingertips, evaporating the wood in an instant and allowing him to push it open as it evaporates, opening the path into a large and darkened foyer. Wind howls through holes in the brick walls, the last rays of the setting sun illuminating three paths.
    Crumbling stairs upwards.
    An ajar door deeper into the fuirst floor.
    And a trap door visible under the tatter remnants of a rug that wasn't quite placed properly over it.

>> SUMMARY[Thanatos-4] >> Inside the tower. Three paths. Up. First Floor. Down.

     Sliding the last few rounds of 45 caliber ammunition into the magazines Benito shifts open his rather expensive suit jacket revealing a belt loaded up with similar magazines each one given less then an inch between it and the next. There's even part of a bandolier of further magazines strapped to his person, and the glint of metal caught by the light shows the potential for even further munitions he may potentially be strapped with. With a deliberate motion he places the two freshly loaded magazines into open spots on his person, two snug little spots ripe for the rounds. 

     After they go where they belong he allows the suit jacket to fall back shut quietly. He speaks with a somewhat graveled voice worn down over the years with a hefty grit. "Last time I was in a place this ritzy was Wiesbaden." As he makes his way into the tower. The only light he brings is the light of a cigar orange glowing into the darkness as he makes his way to the rest of the group, a short quick trip to them. "So, this the meet and greet or am I at the wrong dark ominous tower?" 

     Smoke rolls up from his cigar into the ceiling as he looks about at the potential pathways. There's a smile on his face as he nods to the group.

    "There's a group of people here, isn't there? That's the classic definition of a party right there," Cayde points out, his metal face somehow conveying a smirk. He waves fingers at Dis, his own Ghost floating over to give his own greetings in turn. 

    "Heya!" This is to Dante as the Hunter turns, brightening in recognition of the other. Likewise he gives a wave at Luke as the kid arrives. "Heh. Fancy seein' you guys here." And then there's an abrupt pause as he watches Terra ride in on her chocobo. It's not the first time he's seen one, but he hadn't much time to ask about it before. Now as the creature dashes off again, he points after it, glancing at Thanatos. "I want one."

    Looks like the party (for that is what Cayde's officially calling it no matter what the Warlock's opinion is on the matter) is growing steadily. He eyes the guy in fancy suit that he's only seen people in pictures wear from a time well before the Golden Age. "Dunno him. Oh, heya 'thena! See? What'd I tell you? Par-tay."

    Likely only half-listening as Thanatos begins to dish out the background of his findings for whatever drew him to this in the middle of nowhere place, Cayde turns to look back at the tower, elbows akimbo, fists on his hips. 

    "Finders keepers and all that stuff?" 

    Oh, they're on the move. Watching as the Warlock starts for the door, Cayde waits until it's been open. While he's not first in, he pokes his head inside not long after. Trying not to look too disappointed.

    "Well. This looks fun."

    "Yo! I'm Dante." The devil hunter greets cheerfully enough, first to Thanatos and also the others. "Good seein' you guys too. Cayde, right? Robo-cowboy. Recognize you from the tussle with the robot dinosaurs with Aloy." The white-haired hunter grins to Cayde. He recognizes Luke and Terra easily enough, and nods to the other guy that shows up, the one with the '20s getup. "Big tower full of possible nasties, what's the worst that could happen?" Dante says confidently, drawing both his custom .45s. Ebony and Ivory definitely fit the bill as 'hand-cannons' with their muzzle weights and countless other modifications...and that's without Dante powering them up magically. He follows Thanatos, pistols in hand, as they make it through the entrance.

    He opts to go for the ajar door without hesitating, ready for whatever's waiting within.

>> SUMMARY[Dante] >> Dante goes for the first floor, acting way too damn chill for this kind of mission.

     Luke sees one familiar face!... well, three really, but he didn't really get to interact much with Dante, beyond having his pokemon be used as a springboard once, or Cayde. He seems relieved honestly. He 'dismounts' and approaches Athena, "I am a pokemon trainer, aspiring to become the champion, helping with expeditions and explorations is something all trainers should do." of course, he does not mention he both wanted the reward, and also, was really, REALLY curious about magic. The answer to his question is well received as well, Dynamo stretching and sniffing the air curiously, padding towards the entrance, "The beneficent." repeats the boy, before realizing his pokemon was padding forward on its own, "Hey Dynamo, don't get away.". The boy gives enthusiastic waves to everyone, especially Dante, who seems so cool in his eyes, then again Benito seems like something from a movie... 
     He approaches Benito, "Hi, I am Luke!", before his train of thought is disturbed by the sight of the chocobo, tilting his head and reachign for a weird device he had in his pocket, poking some buttons and quickly stashing it away, "That's a really cool bird." he says outloud, smiling to Terra and introducing himself again, before walking to the door. He tries his best to look confident.

    "Cayde," Athena greets, before listening to what Thanatos says. "Well I've never been one to say no to finding knowledge. Ell-Oh, stop pestering and get over here so we can take a look." Little Owl beeps at that, and whizzes over to land on her shoulder and dock with the port on the armor. She checks the charge on her laser rifle, then nods to the others again.

    Luke gets a grin, "Looks like you're in the right place then. Let's try to coordinate a little better this time. Especially with these new faces." She doesn't sound critical of Luke, just hopeful. "At least I know what you can do, so we can work together a little easier."

    Benito's comment gets a chuckle. "Yeah, looks like this is the place. Athena, nice to meet you. I'll see if I can't keep an eye out for dangers." By that she means using her tactical awareness. "But first we need to-"

    She was going to say 'figure out where to go' but Dante is solving the Door Problem, making it moot. A shrug, and she tucks her rifle behind her and draws the slugthrower for the close-quarters fire combat. "Fortune favors the bold." Following the demon hunter is good with her.

    A dark, ominous Ruin is what the group is faced with. Terra is really more worried about the group and managing a way to be useful. Athena gets a look, then another. Yep, she remembers. The smile she's offered is reassuring, at least, and she returns with a nod.

    Everyone gathered looks like they're quite capable of handling themselves! Then Luke is greeting her! She manages a smile, "Oh?" She turns after the chocobo as it makes its unerring trip homeward, "Yes, they're very nice." She leaves off mentioning that she'd really rather that it waited a bit before leaving but it isn't hers or anything! "Are you here to help too?"

    With only a moment of pause, she decides to keep an eye on the youngest member of the party. Wherever Luke goes he's going to have a green haired shadow. Pocket healer, too. Sorry tanks!

    A hand drops down to rest on the hilt of her curved sword, controlling the swing of the weapon as she walks so it doesn't bang into things and possibly set off any alarms, traps or whatever else her mind conjures up as potential hazards in a crumbling old magic ruin.

    Before deciding on any further course of action aside from following Luke like an overprotective hen, she glances around at the group searchingly. Will we be moving together and searching everything methodically or trying to finish this as quickly as possible with a possible risk of added danger or being less, ah, thorough? She can only guess; the potential loot isn't terribly interesting to her personally. Ah, the first floor it is! She hopes. There's no telling what these danger loving children are going to do.

    Damn. Cayde, of all people, has him on semantics. That was not expected. Even though the Warlock is fully aware of how cheeky the Hunter Vanguard can get, it makes Thantos grumble slightly under his breath as he levels his rifle at shadows in a healthy display of ruin exploring paranoia. "Yeah. Finders keepers."
    When the entryway looks clear and everyone files in, the Warlock continues his briefing on the hoof.
    "According to fragmented local records, Azoros was purported to be incredibly knowledgable in the studies of life. Healing, medicine, curing disease." He mutters, rattling off studied details with a perfect memory. "I wouldn't call this Ritzy."
    Sarcasm. It flies over his head like his Ghost, now that he's locked in tactical 'clear and hunt' mode. Dis 'blinks' once, before her eye flares to life in a beam of bright light, to cut through the darkness.
    Introductions though. Her should handle that. Being so focused on getting into the tower and discovering what lies within, he had forgotten to do so, and Luke so heartily giving his name to Benito reminds the Warlock that he should do the same for all others present. "Thanatos-4. I make it my life's work to study this kind of thing."
    Annnnd off goes Dante. Athena following right after him.
    "Careful." Thanatos warns as the two move into the next chamber. It's... It's a much larger room on the inside than the tower appeared to be, on the outside. The grand hall in the next room couldn't possibly fit into the lonely spire that everyone had seen from the outside. It's more of a castle than a tower now, and it looks like the time-space altering enchantements haven't worn down, like the lock. There's just a slight problem.
    There's a chittering from above. Motion the rafters. And then a sudden shrill shriek.
    They're not bats, if that's what you were thinking. Though they are the approximate size of bats, the brown and black *THINGS* that drop from the ceiling on leathery membranous wings look more like a hideous cross between bats and gigantic mosquitos with their needle-like beaks.
    Beaks that they try to pierce and stab with, and suck the blood of anyone they can latch onto.

>> SUMMARY[Thanatos-4] >> Suddenly: Stirges

    Dante nudges open the door just in time for him and Athena to get greeted by buzzing mosquito bat things. "Ah, crap! Stay behind me!" He tells Athena, before he rushes the horde of buzzing pests. His pistols raise and open fire, letting off deafening blasts that sound more like a cannon than twin pistols. A dead-on hit with these things are gonna blow most enemies apart, especially these buggers.

     "Just call me Mr.Bontade" Benito kneels down slightly to Luke. "Ey kiddo, look at you along for the ride." There's a genuine smile across his face in spite of that cigar, as he kneels down ruffling the boys hair. "Tell you what, you do your part?" He reaches into his pocket pulling out a pack of bubblegum cigars that have the sugar in the center to make it look like you're puffing clouds. "I'll toss you a whole pack of these badboys as a bonus." A lighthearted wink. "My treat." Before tossing one of them to him. 

     He stands back up tossing the pack into his jacket still in something of a good mood. "My kind of entrance." Not being snide or snarky but seemingly completely genuine as he walks along not yet drawing any of his weapons. "Could use a bit more show to it though. I find a quick shotgun blast usually does the trick, or a quick dive kick through it." 

     He puffs away one long drag after another looking up as his hands duck down into the pockets of his long trench-coat seemingly for warmth in the midst of the tower. "You know when I was his age me and my brother'd just jacked our first horse, beautiful mustang, rode that baby all the way out int-" Then the bats drop. 

     The jacket falls off of Benito's shoulders revealing the large silver plated Thompson SMG on his back. In either hand as the jacket hits the floor is a silver plated colt m1911. "and here I thought this would be easy." The safety already flicked and the man running before coat hits the floor. Already opening fire right next to Dante.

    Robo-cowboy. Heh. That gets something of a smirk from the Hunter as he saunters along, casually bringing out his favorite hand cannon. As Thanatos goes on with explaining, he makes little hand-talky gestures behind the other Guardian's back. Warlocks. 

    Well, at least if they come across any trouble, Cayde knows that most of them are more than capable of fending for themselves. He's been on at least one battlefield with most of them, anyway. Athena on more than one occasion. Maybe he should ask her out some time.

    "Eugh, what did you find?" he blinks as things come dropping down towards them. "Great, the place is infested." Not that he's -too- bothered by it. Really, it just means he has something to shoot after all. If he gets the chance. Looks like a good number of them carry some firepower. Emitting a whistle at Benito's weapon, he shakes his head and then starts taking aim at the incoming bat-like creatures, blasting away with his Ace of Spades.

     Some young teens might resent being talked to as if they were kids, but Luke is not one of them, at least, as long as they don't understimate him!. He grins to Mr. Bontade, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Bontade." and smiles at teh offer of the candy, "Make sure you remember that!" he says, even as Dynamo sniffs curiously at the man, glancing back at Luke after Benito moves ahead. 
    Of course, he is content to stick near Terra if the half esper wanted to keep him company, nodding at the question, "I am!, You can call me Luke, I am a pokemon trainer, and he is Dynamo." he introduces the thunder cat, electricity sparking again from it's fur. He follows inside of course, quite eager for the adventure, and blinks as they are suddenly attacked by giant bugs, while Dynamo lets out a surprised noise from the gunfire.
     "Dynamo!, thunderbolt at those big bugs!" the tiger quickly rushes ahead, snarling at the attacking creatures, suddenly glowing brightly with energy and releasing a large bolt of electricity at the closet of the monsters.

    Athena isn't one to rush in normally, but she'd rather deal with the surprises than split the party. Dante is tough, she knows this, but it's just a bad idea to split up too much. So she will just have to deal with the things! The bat-creatures diving get her to dodge before she even looks up, her spatial awareness kicking in, but one still glances off her armor, and another manages to cause a splatter of blood erupting. Dante's deciding to tank most of it so she doesn't have to worry about a swarm though.

    One quick shot on the one against her arm, and then Athena ducks back, picking off some of the ones farther away. "Guess it's not exactly abandoned, huh? We should be more careful!" The goddess sounds more amused than anything though.

    With the party forging ahead, Terra is all to happy to keep pace with everyone. Of course, she hovers a bit close to the youngest of the group. "I'm Terra," the half-esper offers, her gaze switching from Luke to the rounded electrical cat-thing. It'd be so easy to fawn over the pokemon but no, this is no place for coveting people's adorable animals! Focus!

    It's a good thing she can muster the discipline to maintain her awareness in this cavernous room- She grips her sword tighter when the noises start, then chaos erupts! Bug-like creatures begin to swarm about and she draws her weapon, slicing at any that flit about within her reach while being mindful of her companions.

    It occurs to her that she could perhaps disperse the swarm with a blast of fire but without being certain how that might impact the structure of this place she refrains. Everyone else seems to be dispatching these things with relative ease. The smell of these things being exploded and eviscerated makes her frown but of course she doesn't complain. "Let's keep moving!" Woh, a suggestion, out loud, from the quiet one?

    The stirges immeditaely make for a plentiful and target rich environment. Though they are small and hard to hit, all it takes is one shot, one kill, per horrifying mosquito-bat. Though they explode in messy splatters, it's not difficult work for combined fire from Dante, Benito, Athena, Cayde, and Luke's pokemon, to shoot or electri-fry most of them out of the air. The surviving members of the stirge swarm are cowed by the storm of violence and loud noise, retreating to the rafters where the decide to hide and wait for less deadly prey to suck on. But the floor is now a bloody sticky mess.
    Thanatos also did not see Cayde doing the hand-talky thing. Though it looks like he's actually done with the briefing for now. Which is all well and good if the group is progressing this way, as everyone's bootsteps echo and reverberate in the grand hall. The only way to go is through the lone door at the back, leading through a series of halls and rooms. Guest rooms from the look of them, though eventually they lead deeper into the sprawling innards of the tower. The path splits, eventually, but an ajar door promises what looks to be a darkened library, while a door off the hinges reveals a shadowed room that may have once been a laboratory at one point.
    The only reason Thanatos doesn't choose the path is because he's taking up the rear of the group, keeping an eye out for anything that may sneak up on them. And keeping an eye on Cayde to make sure he doesn't do the hand-talky thing anymore.

>> SUMMARY[Thanatos-4] >> Stirges repelled. Which way, team? Library or Laboratory.

    "Woo! Teamwork! Or something." Cayde twirls his gun, eyeing the gooey mess left in the wake of their itchy trigger fingers. And deceptive looking deadly pet pit fighters. Then he gives everyone a thumbs-up. 

    While he's not all too crazy about having Thanatos behind him, the Hunter refrains from comment (for now) as he glances at Terra and then nods. "Um. Moving. Yeah. Sounds good. Don't look like there's anything else fun in here. Ummm...." He looks towards the open paths before them and peers between the partially open doorway. 

    "Ooh! Books!" What? He likes books. Sometimes. Okay, defacing one of the Speaker's in the mysterious one's extensive collection doesn't necessarily prove anything but...

     Having started in the center and fanned out the m1911's click the last bullet fired from each. It's a swift singular motion for Benito to slide out the magazines effortlessly dropping them down his suit and into waiting pockets for empty mag storage. Slapping the guns against his hips he slots in brand new magazines the barrels of his gun still smoking. 

     Lifting a gun to his mouth Benito quietly puffs out a low breath of air clearing the smoke from the end of each gun. He spins them around his fingers before quickly smacking them down into a holster each with an audible click. "Now, that's what I call team work." Spoken as he looks to the rest of the group. 

     "I'm just here for the ride." Added on as he takes stock of where the group might travel to next.

    The Stirges are pretty easily taken out, and Dante blows the smoke from the muzzles of his pistols. "Phew." He deftly twirls his guns as he glances to Benito. "Nice heaters." He says with a sly grin, clearly approving of the retro firepower. "Okay, so we got rid of the pests. What next?" Dante strolls toward the laboratory absently, making his way into the shadowy room. "Hellllloooooo? Who's here?" He calls into the room, eyes peering about with his guns in hand. Any significance of whatever he finds is lost on him, but he can guess there was some dark shit going on here.

The boy relaxes as the bugs seem to change their mind about trying to eat them, with Dynamo snarling at them and zapping one last thing before they get out of sight. "Dynamo, stay close!" calls Luke. The pair head to the darkened room, and he points at it, the tiger taking a step to the darker room and peeking inside, "Which way should we go?, did we want to get books or something else?"

    Athena also reloads, even though her slugthrower has a much larger clip than the 1911. The goddess does a quick change of magazine while following with the group, taking a few looks now and then. "Maybe don't rush in so quickly next time, Baby Oil." Is she picking up a few modern mannerisms less suited to the goddess?

    People are already splitting though. Cayde's already going to the library, while Dante to the lab. She stops outside long enough to nod, "Well you're a good shot, Benito. Luke, try not to get in front. You're a leader, not a shield." A mild note of concern there, before Athena decides to head in toward the lab. "Let's see what he was working on."

    Then the bugs are gone! The bugs, driven by superiority of firepower, leave the group to their own devices and the ringing of ears from all the well-placed but perhaps overly excited gunfire! Terra, relatively unperturbed despite several seconds of generous and very loud violence, glances to Luke. Good. Then everyone else. Seeing nothing but splattered bug guts, she feels reassured and then falls in step as the group moves on.

    She grimaces at her sword, decorated with at least a little stirge funk- enough that she frets about what to do about that. She won't be making any decisions about where to go other than sticking closer to Luke. "She's right, of course." The half-esper then turns. Labs, books, it's all the same to her; mostly because she doesn't understand any of it!

    The group splits. Though it's a large enough group that there's still the benefit of safety in numbers regardless of which path is taken. Worse comes to worst, everyone can meet back in the hall outside.

    The library is expansive. Wall to walk, books, books, books, and aisles and rows of books as far as they eye can see. Though it looks like no one's been here in ages. A heavy pattina of dust covers everything, from the ancient leather bound tomes to the chairs, and desk at the head of the room. The books here are varied and wide in range. From magic to alchemy, treatises and theories, to even the occasional book of mnor spells. Nothing major, but just what one would expect to find in a wizard's library. But where does he keep all the good stuff?

    The lab is a room of tables, glass beakers, flasks, vial racks, and jars. This too is all dusty; though it seems a little colder than the rest of the tower for some reason; an odd breeze floating through the room and... Is that the smell of formaldehyde? Though it looks like anything that may have been in the alchemical equipment has long since dried up.

    Both rooms bear room for further investigation, naturally.

     To most people this library would seem as little more then a collection of dusty old books, but to someone like Benito this is a gold mine. A bag is taken out of his suit pocket and he begins collecting some of the oldest looking tomes dollar signs in his eyes. It doesn't matter if they're in a language he understands, this could catch him a hundred big ones easy. Could be enough for him to open an orphanage or two no problem. 

     "Well good thing he won't be missing these."Spoken as Mr.Bontade starts to fill the bag with what he considers valuables. "Might be able to snag a new car or five with some of this." Giving little more then a cursory look over the titles. "Been wanting one of those fancy new Duesenberg Model J's, hear it's got a radio and everything."

    Luke stops as he hears the warnings from Terra and Athena, blinking and nodding a few times, "You are right... i got a bit carried away." he says softly. "Maybe I should call Agni, he is good at playing the tank... but I am affraid to cause a fire if something happens.". While he said that, Dynamo poked its snout into the lab, sniffing inside and sneezing from the mixed scents there, taking a few steps in, the electricity sparking around the tiger's frame making it glow more brightly. "I'll follow you then." he says softly, waiting for the Athena to get in before following.

    Cayde doesn't seem too concerned about potential dangers as he swings the door to the library open further and steps on in. He keeps his gun handy as he looks around while his Ghost brightens its light, beaming it through the darkness over the shelves and old books and furniture that make up the contents of the room. And dust. Lots of dust. At least he doesn't have to worry about lungs anymore.

    "Looks like no one's been home for a reeeeal long time," he mutters as he pokes around. Glowing blue eyes skim what he can make out of the tomes, and he pulls one out now and then to flip through before stuffing it back into place. "And probably not even one volume of fiction or romance." He says that mostly to himself as he turns away from those shelves and his Ghost beams its light further into the dark room. 

    "How about you guys? See anything interesting?" he asks as he looks over at whoever else had followed him in.

    Dante pokes through the lab, careful not to touch anything. The lab looks like Dante expected, musty and sketchy as hell. He smells something he can't name off the top of his head, likely alchemical stuff. "Huh..." He holsters Ebony and Ivory, before he begins to gently inspect the science equipment. He's not touching a thing yet, for obvious reasons.

    What an odd looking room. Athena taps a beaker, then nods, "Alchemy. I was hoping more for technology. This isn't my specialty I'm afraid." She looks up and tries to figure out where the cold is coming from. "Little Owl... take pictures and see if you can't find anything while we look for the cold."

    The drone whistles and detaches, just circling around to take pictures and analyze, while Athena moves about slowly to see what is causing the lower temperatures. "I doubt he had a technological refridgerator, this is probably magical."

    The lab. Someplace that stirs Terra on a level just slightly more conscious than primal. She glances around at the hardware, wrinkling her nose at the sharp scent of chemicals- though everything appears as dusty and dried up as one might expect.

    "It's nothing to be worried about. Nobody was hurt and everything worked out." So far. She attempts a comforting smile, though perhaps it's a bit wan due to her own discomfort with the lab. Still, she searches around with her eyes- Most of the equipment is stuff she's only seen in passing - most of the lab equipment she spent any time around was considerably more 'modern'.

    At least here she's willing to step a bit further away from Luke and actually give the boy and his electric cat some space! She looks to Athena, then Dante. She'd considered the chill in the air to be her own nerves. She leans down near a jar, peering to see if it even contains anything. A finger wipes down the side, clearing away some dust.

Luke seems quite curious about the lab, both him and the electric pokemon looking around, with the tiger moving to sniff at random tables and jars. "A real wizard's lab." he says softly, rubbing his shoulders. "How is this place cold?"

    The jars and beakers of the lab are all grimey with long dried out residue and dust. Whatever was in them evaporated on its own a long time ago. Though the chill of the room isn't quite unnatural. It's a breeze. Though it's not coming from the ceiling, that becomes highly evident when a chunk of stone, loosened by time falls and... Lands harmlessly by Athena. The fact of the matter is that this tower is in utterly poor condition and it would probably be for the best to get what the Warlock came for and leave.
    Except the source of the breeze becomes a bit more obvious after that rock falls and Little Owl should easily pick up on the structural anomaly very fast afterwards. Looking up reveals a seam where that section of ceiling joins the wall-- the hallmark of a hidden door that would have gone completely unnoticed, before, if not for the new cracks and missing hunk of masonry revealing it.

    Thanatos has followed Cayde and Benito into the library. The Warlock pulls his helmet off in the lull, the black metal plating of his skull-like face shifts with a motorized buzz into an obvious skull-faced scowl as the gangster starts grabbing books left and and right and stuffing them into a bag. Those books SHOULD be worth a fair bit though, the knowledge they contain would pique any collector's interest, let alone the applications they could be used to benefit herbalists, early budding doctors, or a fledgeling wizard. Sold to the right person Benito could make a decent buck, easily.
    Until he finds a book that is seemingly locked onto the shelf. When pulled hard enough it ratchets out with a rusted metal rasping, as he... Yanks on the switch that opens up a nearby wall, revealing a staircase leadimg down.
    Thanatos looks to Cayde.
    Dis looks to Cayde's Ghost.
    "Did he, really?" The Warlock grouses.
    "Wow! Look at what he did!" The Ghost chirrups.

>> SUMMARY[Thanatos-4] >> Spooky Secret Doors. Probably lead to closets with spooky scary skeletons.

    "Tch. Go figure. I go through the Speaker's entire library and don't find a single switch, and this guy's book-looting triggers one." Cayde shrugs at Thanatos, but if the Warlock expects an explanation forthcoming on what the Hunter was doing in the Speaker's library, he's not getting one.

    "Ah, looks like there's more secrets to this place after all!" his Ghost pipes, bobbing a nod at Dis.

    Looking between Benito and Thanatos, Cayde then points towards the door. "So, shall we?" Because obviously that's the way to go. And who knows, there might be TREASURE.

     Benito takes a step back as the door opens taking a few puffs from his cigar. "Well I guess that's what pops always meant when he said I should hit the books." Spoken as he steps to the side. "Hey call it what you want, it worked didn't it?" 

     "You don't always need to comb over every little thing with a fine tooth, if you're willing to take whatever isn't nailed down." Said with words of wisdom, as he starts walking right down the steps.

    "Go figure, secret door in the lab." Dante mutters. He sees a hidden doorway that has enough cracks that it convinces him he can open it with a swift, firm kick. Might be true, might not.

    Dante wants to kick it, but Athena winces at that. "Be careful, Abs, we don't know if there are any traps. Let Owl use his laser to clean off the masonry first, then we can pry or kick it open. No point in destroying it if we don't have to." Dante is strong and basically built like a greek adonis, but he's a bit straightforward.

    Athena hits the radio to talk to those who have radios, "Found a secret door in the lab. We'll take a quick look and regroup."

    Terra wrinkles her nose at the array of totally dried up sample jars, turning away at the sounds of stonework plinking down from the ceiling. "Hm?" It draws her eyes up but of course most everyone's a bit faster at noticing that kind of stuff than she is. Much less realizing what it is she's looking at. A door? Oh. Then Dante moves to kick it and she trots over to stand by Luke once more. Just in case! Let her fret- at least she's not breaking anything /or/ protesting to it!

    Luke is happy to let Dante be the one trying to kick open creepy doors in abandoned labs, moving back to Terra's side when she approached, while his fluffy round tiger moves to join Dante in inspecting the new opening, ready to try to zap whatever monster might poke through.

    Nope, Dante is kicking it, that's what's happening. It happened. It's too late to stop him. The power of the half-devil's abs is mighty, and lends might to his kick, even if they are covered and he's wearing a shirt for once. The wall caves under Dante's boot, revealing a dark room beyond. As soon as the door is so soundly opened a blast of chill air floods out of it. Along with that rush of cold comes a wave of nauseating chemical smell. Like formaldehyde that has simply been overpowered by something rotting inside it.
    The walls are lined with jars containing murky fluid, yellowed by time, and... Parts inside them. They look suspiciously human in nature. Then again, the large tube at the back of the room holding a floating cadaver says that Azoros the Beneficent may not have been so beneficent.
    What's worse is the man in the tube twitches. He's long been dead, but the runes and glowing sigils at the base of the glass probably had some relevant purpose.

    Meanwhile, back at the ranch; that is to say the library...
    <<We found a secret door here, too. We're going to look into it and will catch you up.>> Thanatos replies to Athena over radio.
    It looks like the way onward is down, and Dis clicks into orbiting flashlight mode again as Thanatos starts heading down the stairs, locking his helmet back into place, he pauses only briefly.
    "You went through the Speaker's library?" He sounds incredulous. Then again Cayde is both Cayde and said he was looking for switches. So it's not that hard to imagine, as the Guardians and mobster reach the bottom.
    A chill mist floats over the cold damp stone floors, and the smell of mildew and old crypt mold hangs heavy on the air. Then a chain rattles.
    Then there's motion in the dark.
    Then there are shambling corpses staggering from the gloom, so old they're no better than withered husks that start reaching for the three...
    The sound of Thanatos' auto rifle beginning to bark will probably reach the lab.

>> SUMMARY[Thanatos-4] >> This is where it goes from spoopy to spoopier.

    "HAH!" Dante boots the door down because that's how he rolls. "Nah, I got this, Hecuba." He winks to Athena teasingly before he rips open the entrance. Digging his way through, the Devil Hunter wanders into the mysterious hall. "Brrr, chilly..." He mutters, finding some very, very disgusting stuff in the tubes he finds. "What in the shitting hell is this?" He wonders aloud, examining the floating cadavers. Those runes indicate this was some kind of science/magic stuff of a nature that should've been left untouched.

    He whirls around, hearing the sounds of rifle fire. "What the-Thanatos!" He takes off without a second thought, to find the stairs where the library was at.

    At least they have two lights to go by between the Guardians' Ghosts. Not that what they find at the bottom is anything they probably want to see.

    "Um. You picking something up?" Cayde asks his Ghost. The blue light swings around towards the sound and the movement. And reveal just what happens to be lingering in the dank darkness.

    "Uh..."

    Yeah. Thanatos has a good idea, and the Hunter Vanguard's not far behind as light flashes with each shot of his hand cannon as he fans the hammer of his Ace of Spades. Shoot all the things! "So I'm thinking that wasn't what you were looking for," he comments towards the Warlock as he pauses briefly to eject a spent cartridge and slam another in its place. Spin, lock, click. Fire.

     "If it's a big issue for you I'll put it all back" Benito comments walking down the steps. "I just figure if the guys already passed we might as well put his books to good use." Each of his guns holsters are unlatched quietly as to allow for quick drawing. "Can't take any of it with you when you're gone after all." 

     Then come the zombies and instead of unholstering the pistols out swings the Thompson. "Evening boys, I'd like to introduce each of you personally to a little friend of mine." Without even flicking the silencer off. "Careful, he bites." Before holding down the trigger and opening fire the blasts from the gun enough to light up the room almost completely with each shot. It's a lean mean machine that rattles out almost unnaturally loud, less like the fire of a Thompson and more that of a canon. "I think he likes you!" Called out over the thunder of guns, tore them apart.

    "This doesn't look like what we were supposed to expect," Athena says wisely. She is the goddess of wisdom, after all. She's already stepping forward with a sigh at the shattered frame of the door, getting ready to examine these, when the sound of gunfire rattles the halls.

    "Dante, wait! They found a secret room too!" Oh no. Looks like the other one might be defended. Athena's pistol is out as well, the goddess rushing after the hunter with a sigh.

Luke Gray was glad he was on the back this time, even if his pokemon did rush behind Dante, and almost inmediatly stops, overwhelmed by the stench in the air, growling and splaying it's ears, clearly not pleased by the sitaution. "what is down there?" he says softly, moving inside for a moment, only long enough to see what was inside, before rushing away, shaking his head, "Is that gun noises?" he calls to Athena, Terra and Dante, moving out of the way to the rushing half demon, and starting to follow.

    The door comes down, Terra winces at the spectacle of it. The rumble, the inevitable dust- the wave of nauseating chemical reek. The half-esper frowns, "I-" The jars with actual contents, the twitching cadaver in the capsule, the chill in the air- It all comes together in a way that almost makes her want to flee from the place immediately.

    The sudden clattering report of echoing gunfire makes her jump and turn. Then Dante's gone, Athena trailing behind and even Luke rushes off toward danger. She can't leave them and she certainly doesn't want to be left herself! So, she breaks into a trot, bootheels clicking as she grips her sword a little tighter. One last fearful glance behind, then she's head down trying to catch up!

    There are a a lot of terrible things in the darkness. Shuffling out, reaching for the trio with decrepit claws. For every one that is shot down, another emerges from a side path in the crypt under the library.
    "Not what I intended, no." The Warlock replies, voice ice calm even as one grabs his wrist. The purple light emanating from his hand disintigrates it as he starts backing up.
    "Fall back. We are falling back. Now." He decides, as Benito lays down a respectable suppressing fire and Cayde fires with his usual respectable accuracy and speed. It's a backwards trek up the stairs, and guns are blazing the whole way.
    Dante, Athena, Luke, and Terra make it into the library just in time to see the trio cresting the stairs.
    "--Book on the third shelf. Yank it." The Guardian growls over his shoulder.
    Assuming someone indeed tugs the book, the door will slam as soon as the three are out and leave the whispering, scratching, clawing things locked on the other side.
    The silence that follows is oppressively awkward.
    Naturally Dis makes it worse.
    "SO! Turns out there were undead monstrosities in the basement. HAHA who knew?" She's not entirely chipper there, because the little ghost is hiding herself in the collar of Thanatos' coat.
    Thanatos simply goes through the motions of taking a breath, even though he has no lungs.
    "I'll be returning in a few days to clear this place of Darkness. I need a fireteam."

>> SUMMARY[Thanatos-4] >> Return next time for Spoopy Tower Part 2: The Spoopening.