damned_institute | Nightshift 35 - Walk-In Refrigerator

[From here with RAID GROUP]

A blast of cold air greeted him.

Moving quickly, the Jedi retraced his steps, moving past the racks of frozen meat and feeling, if not quite seeing, the feel of evil go stronger. Qui-Gon's breaths came in white clouds, but he wasn't as cold as he'd been before: the extra layers of his clothing helped keep the cold at bay, for now, at least. He didn't intend to stay here any longer than he had to. Heading deeper inside, Qui-Gon searched out the discolored tile on the floor, kneeling next to it and running his fingers on the edges until he could get a grip on it. Straining, he eventually had it lifted enough that he could shift it over to the side, uncovering the black depths of the staircase that would lead him to the basement.

The Jedi Master lowered himself first down the shaft, bringing his flashlight to bear on the dark staircase, stepping moving back and angling his flashlight to help the others. He stood by in case they needed his help climbing down.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The tiny glow of curiosity over the weapons was quickly stamped out while Celes thought of a proper way to take on the creature beyond the door. Strategy before pleasure, after all. Ren was their 'weak link', so it was probably correct to keep him as far from the fighting as possible. That left the rest of them; and with the exception of herself, Celes assumed they were all close-range fighters. As the only person with any sort of long-range attack immediately at her disposal, it would leave her in the background as well.

The General frowned deeply, considering. "Do you have any sort of long-range attack, Archer? I've a little magic left to me, it seems, and it would be best if I used it wisely. I would rather not waste it on a smaller monster and risk being unable to heal, or heal one of us and not have enough to properly defend myself." Especially if she was without a sword for Runic.

"I got them from exploring the basement, specifically the elemental obstacle course in the south eastern area and the labyrinth in the south west," he said, responding to Ren's question. Then he handed a smaller sack to him."You should also keep the artifacts bundled up in this sack. Although they look pretty, I wouldn't rely on them in combat, since they seem more decorative than practical."

Turning to Celes, he said, "Yes, I have my bow and five arrows, which I'm proficient with." Boy was that an understatement. In his normal state, there was no way he'd miss unless he wanted to. If he shot at the target a hundred times then he'd hit the bullseye a hundred times. Archer wasn't the heroic spirit of the bow for nothing. And like he thought, the general brought up some good points.

"Right. I was thinking that I'd offer long-range support while you covered short to mid-range. That's why I think you'll be needing this," he said, extending the handle of his sword to her. Somehow, he had a feeling she'd prefer it over the bat. "Then you could give Ren the bat for self-defense, just in case."

Finishing up, he spoke, "Like the Celes said, we should try to conserve our energy. Our goal is to get past the monster, to the southern hall; not to defeat it."

He was very pleased that no one mentioned backing out, after he gave them the choice.

Celes smiled as she took the blade and tested its weight and balance and then handed the bat to Ren. "Perfect, this is definitely an improvement and my natural element. Thank you, Archer." Celes hoped that it too could still channel from an enemy's ability and channel it into her. Perhaps she'd be able to use a more powerful spell, a more potent heal.

"Well, then. I'm ready when you are."

Was that so... Was that part of the whole basement's purpose? Another cat and mouse game with locks and keys? He had to smile a bit at the advice that followed, though he said nothing, and instead slipped both items into the bag, shortening his grip on the mouth so that they'd be easy to retrieve.

The servant was all right with being taken only at face value. He'd just have to support them if or when it came down to it.

And on that note, he wasn't all that surprised to hear that both used magic and stuff, though maybe he should've been. If only a little. Long, mid, or short, those were all ranges easy enough to handle with certain kinds of supernatural capabilities, but since he wasn't being asked, he kept his mouth shut about it. An 'Archer' with a specialty in archery, huh? Definitely fitting.

The bat was something he eyed with some scepticism, though he took it all the same. It wasn't going to do him much good, but if they weren't enlisting him for any ill-matched battles, it was probably better he carried it than Archer or the girl, right? "Thanks. I'll try and get it back to you in one piece." Baseball had never been his sport.

As long as the goal was to avoid the monster, not get in its face, Ren figured it was well enough that they didn't get into a discussion of what that she-thing could do. It wasn't like he knew firsthand, anyway. Running worked fine, if they were attacked while waiting for Brook.

He nodded and gave a half-smile to show he was ready. Glancing at Celes, he added, "By the way, I never got your name."

"No problem, general," Archer replied to Celes. Switching over to Ren, he said. "Thanks, I'd appreciate it. Oh, yeah. Ren this is Celes Chere."

With that finished, Archer stepped forward and descended into the darkness.

Nightshift 35 - Walk-In Refrigerator

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject