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Post by Steinerman on Apr 12, 2011 3:35:53 GMT -5
Joe kept a wary eye behind them, but at least for the moment it seemed the Bandit wasn't going to follow them. He spotted a tunnel that went lower and directed Krystal towards it.
"I seriously doubt he's going to let us get out without trying to stop us." He muttered as he stalked down the hallway, wincing in pain from the bruises he now carried. "But hey...something else could go right for a change. Guess you never know."
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Post by Evil McBadGuy on Apr 12, 2011 13:45:10 GMT -5
She had to resist from chuckling a bit. Now wasn't a good time for pleasantries. "So... how long do you figure we got until they start trying to rush us?" For this she was actually concerned. Timing would probably be a big factor once Joe and Krys found the other captives.
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Post by Steinerman on Apr 12, 2011 14:40:23 GMT -5
Joe shrugged, then winced in pain as a previously hidden bruise upon his shoulder made itself known. "I think we've got a few minutes at least, hopefully we can get Laramie and Dara and get out of here before they mount any sort of effective counterattack." He replied.
Up ahead of them was a fork in the tunnel, both off-shoots were poorly lit and looked roughly the same. He frowned at the fork, unsure of which to take. A moment later he nodded and indicated the right fork, "Think that's the way. Getting..." he paused, realizing he'd sound very silly when he spoke next. "Getting a feeling, that path feels right. Normally I'm not one for feelings. But having a telepathic partner makes feelings a little more trustworthy."
"Besides," he added with a smile, barely seen in the dim light. "You can't go wrong when you go right, eh?"
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Post by Evil McBadGuy on Apr 12, 2011 17:32:03 GMT -5
"Huh? Sorry, what?" While Joey was busy babbling, Krys had been doing 'eene-meenie-minie-moe in her head the whole time. "I think we should go with Moe." she said, pointing to the right. "Need a lift? You look pretty banged up." She obviously had no idea how much her fellow soldier weighed, but she figured she was strong enough to lift Skinny over there anyway.
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Post by Steinerman on Apr 12, 2011 18:43:10 GMT -5
Joe suppressed a sigh, she hadn't heard a word he'd said. Probably for the best though, he decided. He had sounded a little weird, going on about telepathic friends and feelings. The important thing was she had decided with the right tunnel as well.
He headed down that branch, and then paused and rolled his eyes at her question. "No, thanks though. I'll walk out. Some sleep would be nice in the next few hours. But I don't need to be carried quite yet." He replied lightly.
Now that they were a little farther into the tunnel, his eyes adjusted to the new level of dimness. It appeared they were heading for a dead end, the main tunnel ended suddenly about forty feet away. A single bright lantern lit the end, revealing what looked to be a pair of doors along one side of the tunnel. As he got closer, he noted the doors were solid-looking and had bars. It seemed they'd picked correctly, hopefully Laramie and Dara were both here, most likely they were separated, one to each cell.
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Post by Evil McBadGuy on Apr 12, 2011 19:53:10 GMT -5
"Here's to hoping some armed guards aren't behind there." As if with little care, Krystal stepped forth, firmly gripping the handles and doing what she did best. Forcing her way into things.
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Post by Risk on Apr 24, 2011 9:35:38 GMT -5
Zandara looked up at the sound of footsteps nearby, wincing as she shifted in the far corner of her cell. The darkness prevented her from seeing far down the alley and she channeled magic into her eyes, preparing to at least put up a small fight should the bandits have come for her.
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Post by Steinerman on Apr 24, 2011 15:08:50 GMT -5
Joe waited a few brief seconds for Krystal to clear the door, then swept inwards, the stolen bladerifle couched against his shoulder in a firing position as he scanned the room for threats.
This particular cell was fairly small, and as poorly lit as the rest of the complex. But nothing jumped out to kill him, and in the corner he spied a figure crouching. A flash of blond hair in the dim light and he knew which of the women occupied this cell.
He instantly lowered the rifle and sped forward, "Dara, it's me, Joe." He said hurriedly. "We don't have much time, are you okay? Can you walk? Have you seen Laramie?"
Meanwhile, in the cell next to Zandara's, Laramie raised her bowed head slowly from where she'd been vacantly staring at the dead body she currently straddled. Her memory of what had just happened in her cell was murky at best. She knew that Calhoun's magical binding had dropped several minutes before, and that the unknown presence had immediately made itself known in her mind. She'd fought it, trying to keep it at bay, afraid of what it would do if it gained control of her body as it had wanted.
But finally something had snapped, the presence had wrested at least partial control from Laramie and spoken through her. The guards had...freaked out. That was about the best way to describe what they did. Then one of the fools had grabbed for her, and everything went blank.
Something must have happened though, Laramie shuddered as she slowly took in her surroundings. She stared down at the body beneath her and gave a yelp of surprise, truly noticing it for the first time. The big man was dead, definitely dead. Blood was everywhere, covering his body, pooling in the dirt around them and, she realized with dawning horror, covering her as well.
The second guard lay against the wall by the door, equally covered in blood, his expression frozen forever in a rictus of dread. She shook herself slowly, trying to will herself to stand up, to get away from the dead man. But her body refused to move, locked in place by mounting terror of her surroundings.
It was then that she heard a murmur of sound from the cell next to hers. She blearily recalled that Dara was in the next cell. Someone was talking to Dara?
Someone is talking.
She understood with a foggy realization, her brain still reeling from whatever had happened. It was hard to tell, but the voice...sounded like Joe, perhaps he'd come to save her.
Yes, he would. He's always there to save you. A part of her brain told her gently. She concentrated on working her mouth, trying to utter some cry, a shriek would even suffice, anything to let him know she was in this blood-spattered room, alone with a pair of dead bodies.
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Post by Risk on May 14, 2011 13:17:14 GMT -5
Zandara's gaze softened and her muscles relaxed. If Joe had come back it meant that he had come to get them out. She struggled to her feet, holding her leg just off the ground. Even with mild relief from the bandit mage's magic, pain from the earlier gunshot had begun to worsen. She winced and bit her lower lip, pointing to the cell next to her in response to Joe's question. Her voice came out in a soft, pained whisper, "I'll need some help but I can walk."
She took a quick look over his body and sighed, focusing her magic and murmuring a soft word, sending the magic forward to ease the pain of the man's injuries. She could tell that he'd been harmed, but he would need as much strength as he could get if they were to get out quickly. She locked her gaze onto his body and eased magic into him. It was all she could do to help.
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Post by Steinerman on May 14, 2011 14:39:25 GMT -5
Joe wanted to grimace, to play the stalwart hero and tell Dara that her ability wasn't needed. But . . . that would be stupid and arrogant, they'd need all the help they could get, and already the soft warmth of her ability was relieving the pain from his wounds.
He smiled graciously, (as graciously as possible, considering the circumstances) and slipped an arm up under Dara's own arm to help her walk. As he did so, he nodded towards Krystal by way of introduction, "Dara, meet Krystal. She's an agent from my government, sent to rescue us."
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Post by Evil McBadGuy on May 14, 2011 15:04:49 GMT -5
Krystal gave a small nod toward the prisoner. "Good to meet you. Don't mind the odd fashion sense, it's a one-time thing." Now probably wasn't the best time for jokes, but still, best keep things from getting too heavy in a situation like this. "No offense, Joe, but we might wanna get a move on right about now." There was still one prisoner left, and then the issue of getting out of here before the bandits arrived.
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Post by Steinerman on May 14, 2011 20:12:57 GMT -5
Joe nodded, "yeah, good thinking." He agreed. With that, he led Dara out of the cell and over the few feet to the next door. He grunted in effort as he raised the bladerifle with one hand and placed the barrel against the lock at an angle (to avoid it accidentally firing straight through).
A moment later he had pulled the trigger and kicked in the door to reveal a royal mess inside the next room. His eyes widened in shock as he took in the devastation. The cold, copperish smell of blood wafted out of the room, filling his nostrils and making him want to gag.
Inside, a shivering, terrified Laramie straddled one bandit, both she and the body covered in blood. Another bandit was propped up next to the doorway, also covered in blood.
"Holy . . ." Joe muttered, unsure of what else to say.
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Post by Evil McBadGuy on May 14, 2011 20:44:07 GMT -5
The armor-clad woman began to slightly twitch once the new room had been opened. 'No, now isn't the time to freak.' she kept thinking to herself. "Grab the girl and let's go, Joe." was all she managed to say before turning around and walking back a bit, acting as though she would be a guard. She hated situations like this; They brought back too many painful memories.
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Post by Steinerman on May 15, 2011 0:06:25 GMT -5
Aww great, now Krystal is going to freak out too? Not good. Joe thought with dismay. He was barely able to help steady Dara and keep his own battered body going at the same time, he very much doubted that he could drag Laramie along with him as well.
But there was nothing for it, he had to try at least. "Laramie, kid, we need to get going."
Laramie shuddered in response, but otherwise made no movement.
He grimaced and tried again, "Laramie, snap out of it, come on, Wish, get yourself moving. I have to help Dara, and I don't think our friend is going to be much help for a bit, you need to stand up, and get moving. Now, Wish."
Repeating her nickname seemed to bring her out of whatever dream she'd wandered off into. Laramie shook some more, and then shakily stood to her feet, her eyes locked on Joe like he was the only thing in the world.
He nodded encouragingly, "That's it, just focus on me, we'll walk out, okay?"
She nodded shakily, but followed as he and Dara backed up into the hallway. When Laramie reached the door, she catapulted through it and slammed into Joe's side, grasping tightly, her entire body shaking with unbridled terror at whatever had happened in that room. He awkwardly patted her back, trying to reassure her even though he wasn't quite sure what had happened. He'd never seen Laramie act dangerously before, not counting when she'd nearly killed Dara.
To see her covered in blood in a room with the dead bodies of two men twice her size? It was unsettling. But all he could do was get them out of the mine and away from the Bandits, hopefully without a fight.
"Alright, let's get to the surface and get as far away as possible." He muttered to Krystal, hoping whatever reason she'd had to suddenly leave the cell was now dealt with, at least until they got somewhere safe.
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Post by Evil McBadGuy on May 15, 2011 11:00:50 GMT -5
Krystal shook her head a little, as thought to snap herself out of something. "Right, let's make a dash for it." As the group ran, Krys couldn't help but feel as though something were amiss. Their path held little resistance, if none at all. But as they got higher, the girl had remembered the stunt she'd pulled earlier. "Hey, lemme know when we get to the top floor, and I'll blast us out of here."
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