**The acid wasn't having a whole lot of an effect; the acid, although far from wimpy, wasn't amazing either. The ice sheathing most of the ground was probably helping it as well.**
**Jougo does, indeed, simply walk past the turtles. He mask reveals an older man slumped against the far wall of the ransacked study; Akane can confirm that that the man is just another old, ice-covered corpse. None of the bodies are fresh. He also hears the sound of rain stopping.
There is an open portcullis leading into yet another room, this one filled with several completely soaked humans armed with pickaxes and other tools. The appear to have been digging a tunnel through the stone floor of the otherwise empty room. The only figure not wielding a tool is the man completely wrapped in bandages standing in the center of the group.**
Bandages - "Greetings. What brings you to this ruin?"
"I'm here to kill a thing." Jougo said smiling as he started to juggle his grenades. "But you don't look like the thing. So I have no reason to kill you. Why are you here?"
Spiky Haired Human (How is it still so spiky!?) - "None of your business!"
Bandages - "Now, now, no need to be secretive. The dead man over there - who we took no part in killing and who has no next of kin to claim anything here - was involved in mutagen research. Those rhinocerwargs, for example." **Motions towards the warg pile**
Man with a nice, if very wet, hat - "This isn't our specialty though, we were just going to be near the coast anyway to mee-"
Spiky - "SHH!"
Bandages - "Must we give in to those fishermen's paranoia? Pardon their chatter; there is some fear a fire breathing monster will find them. I assume you're looking for the beast?"
"Indeed! Tell you what, we leave without seeing anything you're doing or even remember your faces and I don't make something explode, and I really want to make something explode, if you tell us everything you know about the beast. Sound good?" Jougo asked in a chipper tone.
Bandages - "Certainly! A fair enough deal. The owner of this place was trying to create a pit fighting arena where the underworld wealthy could enjoy a bloody show of slaves vs beast." Spikey - "Sure, keep undermining me. Maybe we can wear some tutus next, give 'em a back massage." Bandages - "What this has to do with your fire-breather is that there is already a monstrous pit-fighting ring. The Harrowing Pits, if you've heard of them. I would bet that your monster was sent from there, although I can't say I know for sure; we truly were not involved in the attack.
Jougo turned to look at spikey. He then cast Ignite in front of his eyes, "I'm sorry, but the adults are talking now. If you have a problem with that, then speak up or shut up." He turned back to Bandages. "Good plan, bad location. You seem like my kind of people though, so tell you what. If you need some help with something going boom get in contact with me. Name's Jougo." He turned to leave with Akane and intercepted the others who came past the acid. "Don't mind them, they are of no bother to us if we just ignore them. The monster looks like it was sent from a competitor..probably."
Snake - "How can you be sure that there isn't anything back there that could help us? I say we do a thorough investigation. If the fools resist then they've probably something to hide. If not then we all go our ways. Plus if they want a fight then you get to make explosions. It's a win win really."
Jougo shrugged. "I'm not going back there. Weirdo was way too calm. Either means he's crazier than me or just that strong. I would recommend if you feel he urge to investigate that you dont take anything they might want. Unless you want to fight by yourself. He started juggling again as he waited for snake to make up his mind.
Snakeitsu shrugged back. He didn't need to kill them... But he did hate having them at his back. He turned around and walked back towards the room that they didn't enter before.
Jougo smiled as the other man turned his back. He liked it when people did as he told without much resistance. He followed them back and used Repel to let everyone pass under the acid that needed the help. He resumed juggling as they left the acid.
**Searching the 'holding' area reveals a room filled with craters and the burnt and blown apart corpses of a massive hoard of large spider-tigers. Possibly golden orb spider-tigers, if one fancies themselves an expert on arachnids. What few tigers weren't blown to bits were a mix of impaled, skinned, chewed on, and otherwise stabbed and chopped.
There was a passage from the holding area to the 'staging' area as well, the latter room being a sandy arena containing the bodies of two bear-wargs. The bear-wargs looked a combination of burnt, stabbed, and impaled.There was a large boulder as well, but further searching didn't reveal anything of interest.**
"Oh right, forgot to mention. This place was trying to become a new gladiator arena. Apparently there already was one called The Harrowing Pits that didn't like it. The firebreathing monster probably came from there; assuming there is a logical reason for the attack and not some crazy angry thing. Mu opinion on searching the other area is still the same." Jougo said offhandedly.
Snake - "I'll agree we should follow the lead... But I'm not leaving without finding out what those other two are here about. Whatever they're after is either valuable in knowledge or in material value, and either way I want it. You can stay behind if you want jakari, but don't expect any of the spoils for sitting on your ass."
He spun and headed back to the cave regardless of if the others followed.
**Snake eventually finds himself standing before the room beyond the protillicus. A pool of water, maybe 1' deep and 10' wide, had been formed by 2' barriers of ice that sectioned off the wet and dry portions of the room. The two water aspects stand guard in the pool. The excavations were continuing in the dry section, at least until Snake's arrival prompted the six working figures and a man wrapped in bandages to look his way.**
Snake - "You could say that. Turns out I'm not as easily satisfied with what you told the Jakari. I want to know exactly what you are doing down here and why."
A green orb appeared in his hand held loosely at his side.
**The spiky haired one's hands tighten around his pickaxe at the sight of Snake popping the mysterious orb into his hand. Three of the other workers follow suit.**
Spiky - "Are we really just going to-"
Bandages - "Sure. We think he had more notes and possibly samples hidden in the room below us. We're here to pick them up for a friend of mine. Are you a researcher, by chance?"
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).
There is an open portcullis leading into yet another room, this one filled with several completely soaked humans armed with pickaxes and other tools. The appear to have been digging a tunnel through the stone floor of the otherwise empty room. The only figure not wielding a tool is the man completely wrapped in bandages standing in the center of the group.**
Bandages - "Greetings. What brings you to this ruin?"
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).
Go ahead and run, you'll only die tired.
Those who might never meet are pooled together
---
Spiky Haired Human (How is it still so spiky!?) - "None of your business!"
Bandages - "Now, now, no need to be secretive. The dead man over there - who we took no part in killing and who has no next of kin to claim anything here - was involved in mutagen research. Those rhinocerwargs, for example." **Motions towards the warg pile**
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).
Man with a nice, if very wet, hat - "This isn't our specialty though, we were just going to be near the coast anyway to mee-"
Spiky - "SHH!"
Bandages - "Must we give in to those fishermen's paranoia? Pardon their chatter; there is some fear a fire breathing monster will find them. I assume you're looking for the beast?"
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).
Spikey - "We'll show you-"
Bandages - "Certainly! A fair enough deal. The owner of this place was trying to create a pit fighting arena where the underworld wealthy could enjoy a bloody show of slaves vs beast."
Spikey - "Sure, keep undermining me. Maybe we can wear some tutus next, give 'em a back massage."
Bandages - "What this has to do with your fire-breather is that there is already a monstrous pit-fighting ring. The Harrowing Pits, if you've heard of them. I would bet that your monster was sent from there, although I can't say I know for sure; we truly were not involved in the attack.
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).
Snake - "How can you be sure that there isn't anything back there that could help us? I say we do a thorough investigation. If the fools resist then they've probably something to hide. If not then we all go our ways. Plus if they want a fight then you get to make explosions. It's a win win really."
Go ahead and run, you'll only die tired.
Those who might never meet are pooled together
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).
Go ahead and run, you'll only die tired.
Those who might never meet are pooled together
Come on and check it out. You know you want to.
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).
There was a passage from the holding area to the 'staging' area as well, the latter room being a sandy arena containing the bodies of two bear-wargs. The bear-wargs looked a combination of burnt, stabbed, and impaled.There was a large boulder as well, but further searching didn't reveal anything of interest.**
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
Come on and check it out. You know you want to.
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).
Come on and check it out. You know you want to.
Snake - "I'll agree we should follow the lead... But I'm not leaving without finding out what those other two are here about. Whatever they're after is either valuable in knowledge or in material value, and either way I want it. You can stay behind if you want jakari, but don't expect any of the spoils for sitting on your ass."
He spun and headed back to the cave regardless of if the others followed.
Go ahead and run, you'll only die tired.
Those who might never meet are pooled together
Bandages - "Are you with the previous group?"
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya
Acelin's Characters (since her sig won't work).
A green orb appeared in his hand held loosely at his side.
Go ahead and run, you'll only die tired.
Those who might never meet are pooled together
Spiky - "Are we really just going to-"
Bandages - "Sure. We think he had more notes and possibly samples hidden in the room below us. We're here to pick them up for a friend of mine. Are you a researcher, by chance?"
Nervada - 98% fat free, high in fiber.
Eizen - Collected
Yack - Walking
Miko Wydberg
Tanya