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<blockquote data-quote="Aristoi" data-source="post: 2547243" data-attributes="member: 32975"><p><strong>Crimson Menagerie: Act 4</strong></p><p></p><p>It took nearly a half an hour for them to make the Chamber of Blood, the torture chambers where the blood of the beast was siphoned away to…*somewhere*. It was rumored Bloodtwist used the blood for foul experiments where he created artificial life and other rumors had it that he sold the blood to Vampire connoisseurs who in turn funded much of his hateful experiments in other areas. Whatever the case, nobody knew for sure and if anybody really did know, they weren’t telling. </p><p></p><p>The secret door opened up onto the observation platform that sat astride four theatres, a comfortable couch and opulent cushions with a chilling cabinet for wine and delicacies and a strange contraption with lenses and cones that brought sounds and images to him of what was being down in any direction and allowed him to send his voice to issue commands. </p><p></p><p>So neat and beautiful up here, so terrible and horrific down there. </p><p></p><p>The two eunuch attendants saw them emerging and scurried away, jumping the rails to the theatre floor below to escape. Ayanna merely gestured for them to follow and she led them across one of the four causeways and through a series of doors and down a flight of stairs. At the end of a short corridor was a iron grate with a winch beside it, allowing it to be withdrawn. A sharply-sloping shaft fell away from the edge into darkness that extended beyond the range of their sight. </p><p></p><p>“Here it is,” Ayanna indicated, pulling the winch herself and pulling the gate all the way open. The opening was large enough to throw a hill giant down, blood and other less-identifiable stains on the lip and wall. “Who’s first?” she asked, looking at the others. </p><p></p><p>“Ugh,” Adama rolled his eyes and flattened his ears and hopped up on the edge. If their cells were nasty, this was a hundred times worse. “’Nothing for it,” he muttered and jumped. With a screeching grind Adama slid down the shaft and they could all hear a distant bleating scream for an entire two seconds before a meaty-wet impact. </p><p></p><p>The sounds of retching and coughed could be heard along with shouted curses. Obviously he wasn’t happy. </p><p></p><p>Elim hopped lightly up to the edge and hopped into the shaft, sliding down the grimy shaft and into the open fetid air a few moments later, feeling something odd catching at him. Spider webs? His dark-sight revealed the shifting mass below him and at the last instant he called upon his Will once again, halting his plummet so that he fell gently into the shifting roiling filth. </p><p></p><p>He breathed through his mouth and tried not to pant, knowing that in this filth even his supernatural body would be subject to virulent sickness. He looked in all directions, showing that the cavern was enormous, the edge of another cavern opening onto the left just within the range of his sight. Looking up he thought he saw movement, something large perhaps, a spider?</p><p></p><p>He shivered violently. He HATED spiders!</p><p></p><p>Quickly he moved, knowing that whomever would be coming would come down on him and followed Adama who was already making for ‘high ground’. A stone ledge and a lip with a metal slab that blocked a huge opening had a stone projection above it that glowed softly. Adama was alright on the ledge and seemed to be trying to climb onto the stone projection but the slithery grime on him made the climb difficult. </p><p></p><p>Kilmor fell into the mush with a huge splash, showering Elim and Adama with filth even as far away as they were. The big bovoid rose to stand, his long hair and fur matted to his body. “EUGH! He retched, trying not to vomit and barely succeeding. He was spitting out things Elim resolutely turned his mind away from. </p><p></p><p>Next came Ayanna who’s slippered feet barely touched the muck before she was skipping along it, not soiling herself or even her dainty shoes. She skipped to the ledge and stood balanced there effortlessly, making even Elim look like a clod. </p><p></p><p>Yolen came next and hit with a satisfying splat, making Elim grin as he rose and quipped, “’A little muck between friend my arse.” </p><p></p><p>S’lan, of course, popped his wings and dropped down last, taking flight in the vast open space. </p><p></p><p>And saw it. </p><p></p><p>“SPIDER!” he screamed even as he dove towards Adama, “BIG SPIDER! BIG BIG BIIIIIIIG SPIDER!!” </p><p></p><p>“GREEEaaat!” Elim growled and immediately pulled his bow and nocked two arrows, ready to fire. He could vaguely see movement, something was moving across the ceiling, but he could see it clearly enough to fire. Especially since arrows were precious for the moment. </p><p></p><p>S’lan latched onto the wall next to Adama as the latter swung his legs up on the stony projection, slathering the entire thing with filth and muck, riding it like he would a horse. </p><p></p><p>And the soft rosy glow of the projection changed color, shifting to a vibrant green even as a distant bell began to clamor. A dull rumbling began and the entire mass of floating garbage shivered, a small wave rippling from the direction of the rumble, to the left. </p><p></p><p>Looking up, Elim saw the spider heading back to the corner it had been in before, quickly. Stealth had been set aside. That meant trouble. “Uhh, guys? I’ve got baaaad feeling about this!” </p><p></p><p>As if to punctuate his words, the metal door began to rise, rumbling up and exposing another large cavern with a slight gushing of water spilling into a huge rock basin with a huge hole in the middle. </p><p></p><p>Adama leaned over the projection to look through the opening. “Oh cra-a-a- !” and the world exploded around them! Roiling filth, slithering muck and a tidal wave of rotted meat washed over them and forced them all out onto the basin, where the hole created an immediate whirlpool that roared as it sucked the swirling liquid mess down it’s throat. </p><p></p><p>“Take a deep breath!” Ayanna called to them all as she, sitting cross-legged and floating on top of the muck, slid straight into and down the hole. Without any ado she disappeared through the vortex. Elim and the rest did their best to get that breath, grabbing into the Yak as he floated into the vortex, far more buoyant than the rest of them. Shutting eyes and ears as tightly as they could the four remaining disappeared into the roaring throat and the unknown beyond.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Aristoi, post: 2547243, member: 32975"] [b]Crimson Menagerie: Act 4[/b] It took nearly a half an hour for them to make the Chamber of Blood, the torture chambers where the blood of the beast was siphoned away to…*somewhere*. It was rumored Bloodtwist used the blood for foul experiments where he created artificial life and other rumors had it that he sold the blood to Vampire connoisseurs who in turn funded much of his hateful experiments in other areas. Whatever the case, nobody knew for sure and if anybody really did know, they weren’t telling. The secret door opened up onto the observation platform that sat astride four theatres, a comfortable couch and opulent cushions with a chilling cabinet for wine and delicacies and a strange contraption with lenses and cones that brought sounds and images to him of what was being down in any direction and allowed him to send his voice to issue commands. So neat and beautiful up here, so terrible and horrific down there. The two eunuch attendants saw them emerging and scurried away, jumping the rails to the theatre floor below to escape. Ayanna merely gestured for them to follow and she led them across one of the four causeways and through a series of doors and down a flight of stairs. At the end of a short corridor was a iron grate with a winch beside it, allowing it to be withdrawn. A sharply-sloping shaft fell away from the edge into darkness that extended beyond the range of their sight. “Here it is,” Ayanna indicated, pulling the winch herself and pulling the gate all the way open. The opening was large enough to throw a hill giant down, blood and other less-identifiable stains on the lip and wall. “Who’s first?” she asked, looking at the others. “Ugh,” Adama rolled his eyes and flattened his ears and hopped up on the edge. If their cells were nasty, this was a hundred times worse. “’Nothing for it,” he muttered and jumped. With a screeching grind Adama slid down the shaft and they could all hear a distant bleating scream for an entire two seconds before a meaty-wet impact. The sounds of retching and coughed could be heard along with shouted curses. Obviously he wasn’t happy. Elim hopped lightly up to the edge and hopped into the shaft, sliding down the grimy shaft and into the open fetid air a few moments later, feeling something odd catching at him. Spider webs? His dark-sight revealed the shifting mass below him and at the last instant he called upon his Will once again, halting his plummet so that he fell gently into the shifting roiling filth. He breathed through his mouth and tried not to pant, knowing that in this filth even his supernatural body would be subject to virulent sickness. He looked in all directions, showing that the cavern was enormous, the edge of another cavern opening onto the left just within the range of his sight. Looking up he thought he saw movement, something large perhaps, a spider? He shivered violently. He HATED spiders! Quickly he moved, knowing that whomever would be coming would come down on him and followed Adama who was already making for ‘high ground’. A stone ledge and a lip with a metal slab that blocked a huge opening had a stone projection above it that glowed softly. Adama was alright on the ledge and seemed to be trying to climb onto the stone projection but the slithery grime on him made the climb difficult. Kilmor fell into the mush with a huge splash, showering Elim and Adama with filth even as far away as they were. The big bovoid rose to stand, his long hair and fur matted to his body. “EUGH! He retched, trying not to vomit and barely succeeding. He was spitting out things Elim resolutely turned his mind away from. Next came Ayanna who’s slippered feet barely touched the muck before she was skipping along it, not soiling herself or even her dainty shoes. She skipped to the ledge and stood balanced there effortlessly, making even Elim look like a clod. Yolen came next and hit with a satisfying splat, making Elim grin as he rose and quipped, “’A little muck between friend my arse.” S’lan, of course, popped his wings and dropped down last, taking flight in the vast open space. And saw it. “SPIDER!” he screamed even as he dove towards Adama, “BIG SPIDER! BIG BIG BIIIIIIIG SPIDER!!” “GREEEaaat!” Elim growled and immediately pulled his bow and nocked two arrows, ready to fire. He could vaguely see movement, something was moving across the ceiling, but he could see it clearly enough to fire. Especially since arrows were precious for the moment. S’lan latched onto the wall next to Adama as the latter swung his legs up on the stony projection, slathering the entire thing with filth and muck, riding it like he would a horse. And the soft rosy glow of the projection changed color, shifting to a vibrant green even as a distant bell began to clamor. A dull rumbling began and the entire mass of floating garbage shivered, a small wave rippling from the direction of the rumble, to the left. Looking up, Elim saw the spider heading back to the corner it had been in before, quickly. Stealth had been set aside. That meant trouble. “Uhh, guys? I’ve got baaaad feeling about this!” As if to punctuate his words, the metal door began to rise, rumbling up and exposing another large cavern with a slight gushing of water spilling into a huge rock basin with a huge hole in the middle. Adama leaned over the projection to look through the opening. “Oh cra-a-a- !” and the world exploded around them! Roiling filth, slithering muck and a tidal wave of rotted meat washed over them and forced them all out onto the basin, where the hole created an immediate whirlpool that roared as it sucked the swirling liquid mess down it’s throat. “Take a deep breath!” Ayanna called to them all as she, sitting cross-legged and floating on top of the muck, slid straight into and down the hole. Without any ado she disappeared through the vortex. Elim and the rest did their best to get that breath, grabbing into the Yak as he floated into the vortex, far more buoyant than the rest of them. Shutting eyes and ears as tightly as they could the four remaining disappeared into the roaring throat and the unknown beyond. [/QUOTE]
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