Plotlogs
A Monolith Of A Problem Sr Elias 250209
In the midst of a quest for the Monolith Shard near the Naica Mines, adventurers Jess, Trevor, Sam, Castiel, Victoria, Juniper, and Elias find themselves navigating an intense and deadly environment. Within the cavern's sweltering heat and amidst towering selenite crystals, the team faces an elemental guardian created from the very crystals they marvel at. As Jess, Trevor, and others launch a coordinated attack, they quickly discover the guardian's resilience. Despite Jess's acrobatic attempts to bind it and Trevor's sharpshooting aiming to blind it, the guardian regenerates faster than they can inflict damage. Even Sam's magic and Juniper's spirited charge only seem to momentarily halt its advance.
In a critical turn, Castiel employs a blend of holy and unholy fire in a daring assault that finally breaks through the guardian's defenses. Yet, as victory seems within grasp, the guardian makes a desperate move towards the Monolith Shard. Elias, understanding the impending loss, leaps towards the shard and guardian, only to be swallowed by a rift that suddenly engulfs them both.
The aftermath leaves the team in shock and despair, particularly hitting Juniper hard as she cries out for Elias. The cavern, once alive with the resonant battle, falls eerily silent, save for the sounds of grief and frustration from the adventurers. They are left in the oppressive heat of the caverns, with the Monolith Shard and Elias both lost to an unknown fate. The battle is over, but its cost is immeasurable, leaving the adventurers to grapple with the sudden loss and the harsh reality that their mission has taken an unexpected and tragic turn.
(A monolith of a problem(SRElias):SRElias)
[Sat Feb 8 2025]
In Outside of the Naica Mines
The entrance is unassuming, often appearing as a typical mining operation access point. It consists of a reinforced tunnel that extends into the earth, lined with metal beams and heavy machinery. Large ventilation pipes and industrial lighting fixtures run along the walls, providing necessary airflow and illumination. The air is thick and humid, and temperatures begin to rise almost immediately upon entry.
It is about 75F(23C) degrees.
Jess arrived in a jangle that materialized him about ten minutes away from the destination. It was a two minute run- and his form could be seen in a long shot sloooowly approaching view.
Jess takes a shot of mandrake then tucks it away into his belongings, "Evenin', everyone."
Trevor marches in - looking like he was on a bit of a hike of sorts. He's got a few bundles of rope tied around his waist, and a headlamp on his head, because, Trevor unfortunately needs one of those. Due to his lack of being able to see in the night! Criminal behaviour that.
A slight hiss is heard as the air shimmers, and Sam, clad in field gear, steps out. He nods some to those present, adjusting his gear some as he cracks his shoulders back.
"Ey, Jess!"
While the other start arriving through pathing, standing outside of a shaft entering into an old mine shaft near the Naica mines, this specific one appears to have been abandoned sometime ago. Waiting outside of the entrance to the mine is a few familiar faces, Elias and Juniper. Clad in his adventuring gear, the black tactical uniform he often wears, he finishes up securing his gear when he turns to look to those that arrived, "Thank you for coming. Hopefully this one won't be to challenging considering what we have faced already. This one could just be an easy walk into the caves and walking out. We are looking for something known as the Monolith Shard. Legends speak of it being part of the pillar that supports the elemental plane of Earth from colliding with the other planes, but I believe that is exaggerated. Regardless though, it is clearly something that has powerful elemental energies imbruing it and will be one of the last few pieces I will require for me to get the Heart of Winter. The shard is grey stone with precious metals and stones running through it. What we will find down there, I don't think will be too dramatic, since these caverns are pretty well known. If there was anything too strange going on down there, I think they would have closed them off long ago." Something about Elias' tone suggests he doesn't completely believe his words in this, but perhaps more a touch of optimism.
Jess gives a salute to Trevor, situated much the same!
"Hey, Sam. A long twenty minutes that was."
"Any expectation of hostiles, or is it just enviroment?" Jess inquires.
Chuckling lightly, Sam nods to Jess. "It is what it is, sometime."
He pipes down as Elias briefs them, and he nods slightly. "No intel of other parties innerested in--" He nods firmly to Jess. "What he said."
"Every relic we've gone after has had a guardian," Juniper relays to Jess with a serious and thoughtful tone. "We might meet only them. We might meet more than that. It's hard to say. Though, Elias seems to think it will be a sight-seeing event."
Fast enough to catch the tail-end of Elias' words, Castiel arrives via a path, surely - but it is a comet that appears overhead, in the distance far above the sky. It descends like a streak of fire, or lightning descending, with an audible and similarly loud crack upon landing. Something completely covered in feathers of folded in wings.
When it unfolds, right before Elias starts his explanation, is the sight of Castiel and Victoria - the latter that he lets out of the inner circle of his wings to fold them once more upon his back, where they slide and shimmy into a sheath within his clothes.
As for the task at hand, Castiel remains quiet - even if poised and inspecting.
Jess gives both a nod as he rests his thumbs into the coil of rope about his waist.
"Other interested parties? This relic has been here for... Well, I have no idea how long. There are native legends about it, so I would suspect those that have gone for it before have never returned or failed to find it. The caves get very hot down there." Elias explains as he runs his fingers through his hair, "I don't expect rival parties, but we don't know for that sure I guess."
"There's always something we don't anticipate," Victoria shrugs in agreement with Juniper.
Juniper sighs begrudgingly as she looks over at Elias beside her, the one person who really shouldn't be dragging them into heated environments that somehow always is. "So we have to be tough as nails and dumb as them too to go for it," she explains with a little shrug. "Tends to be our specialty I suppose. With the exception of Elias here, who actually knows what to do with these things."
Jess take the vest low, though what bullets it's going to catch, he doesn't know. The modern marvel of wearing something that stops one from being shot is too hot to pass up, however.
As the explanation happens, Trevor pulls a vest from his rucksack, tugging it on carefully and making sure it's in place. Then his hands come up, and pulls down on the neckline of his vest, letting his arms hang comfortably in a resting position. "I've got the dumb as nails part down," he comments with a smile, "So, hopefully the rest of you are smart as.. a hammer?"
Jess waves four Gatorade bottles and gestures to two masks. "I've got drink and spare mask with a tank should the air be poisoned."
"Yeh, was about to say. If I didn't know better, U'd say you hate the cold, Elias." Sam nods some in agreement with Juniper. "I can do headstrong and brave-stupid." He nods some to Jess. "The tank would be very welcome, I imagine, if that does turn out the case."
"Sure," Victoria enthuses to Trevor with a slow smirk. "We're something, at the least." Her eyes flick over the group, and she leans on Juniper in a friendly manner. "I think we'll be good."
"There could be possible parts that have toxic air. What makes the caves special is that they are near volcanic activity. This place is a tourist attraction, but we are entering sealed shafts." Elias explains, returning his focus to the mine entrance, "Shall we proceed?"
Juniper smirks at Sam, knowingly and gives a nod to Jess. "Perfect. Good thinkin'." A little grin is offered to Trevor as she lifts the shoulder not leaned on by Victoria, putting her arm around the woman briefly. "Some of us can hit hard, given the right motivation."
"Fun," Juniper states with a thumbs up to someone.
"Fun," Juniper states with a thumbs up to Elias.
"Into the earth and such." Sam nods some to Elias, and cracks his knuckles toward Trevor. "Just say the word when ya need to get hammered."
"I'll handle the light." Castiel tells everyone - though he's really only brought a sword with him that hangs at the back of his waist. His hand extends, palm-open at his side while fire roils and grows within his fingers. It's something acrid, with the scent of sulphur prevalent in its wake - but without any smoke, as it seems to consume something entirely else than air to survive. It casts an ominous light at first, one that shivers and then flickers with a radiant gold. Tamed hellfire, wrought with the divine flame.
Trevor grunts at Sam, nodding to him, "Will do," he tells the man, nodding towards everyone in his confirmation of readiness. "Yeah, good to go."
Jess gives two thumbs up and a nod.
Moving into the tunnel which at one time was used for industrial mining, the air becomes warmer and thicker as the path narrows, the scent of sulfur and minerals growing stronger with every step. Ocassionally, there is an electric lamp hanging, flickering, casting shadows through the dark shaft. Finally, at the end of a shaft, there is a mining elevator designed to carry up minerals and lower miners down into the shaft. Stepping into the elevator, it groans as it descends into the Earths bowels, plunging the adventures thousands of feet below the surface. The walls of the shaft seem to close in, and the sound of machinery fades, replaced by an eerie silence broken only by the hum of underground vibrations. When the elevator halts, a reinforced door looms ahead, sealing the caves from the upper tunnels. Beyond it lies the unknown. Upon opening the door, a wave of intense heat and humidity floods out, like stepping into a furnace. The transition is immediate and shocking, and the sheer weight of the atmosphere presses down on the lungs. The first glimpse of the cavern reveals its awe-inspiring scale. Selenite crystals the size of skyscrapers crisscross the chamber in all directions, their smooth, translucent surfaces refracting light into a dazzling spectrum. The silence is absolute, save for the occasional drip of condensed moisture striking the floor with an echo that seems to reverberate for eternity. The ground is uneven, littered with jagged shards of crystal that glisten like broken glass. Navigating the cave requires careful footing, the polished surfaces are treacherously slick. The heat is oppressive, each breath a struggle against the thick, mineral-rich air. Elias breaks the silence as he reaches up to grab his collar at the intense heat nearly overwhelming him, "Gah... I feel dizzy..." He mutters, looking to the others, "I am going to need a lot of help down here I think."
Jess hands over a Gatorade bottle to Elias, then steps back to run his hands through sweat-laden hair. This room is full of sexy military miners and none can argue.
He looks with aw at the sight of something merely worldly, not far from home, and yet still spectacular.
As the air begins to get thicker, Sam pulls on a black gas-mask, and speaks hollowly from beneath it. "We gotcha, Stormcaller." He looks around the cavern, briefly touching one of the crystals as if announcing his presence to the earth itself, briefly closing his eyes to let his unseen senses get a bearing of the place.
"I heard warm, not temperatures of Hell," Victoria murmurs, twisting her hair up and away from her face. She casts a concerned look over Elias, and then to Juniper before squinting at the surroundings.
"I heard warm, not temperatures of Hell," Victoria murmurs, twisting her hair up and away from her face. She casts a concerned look over Elias, and then to Juniper before squinting at the surroundings.
"Elias, I have a mask," Juniper says near instantly, keeping to his side to catch and wobbles or wavers. "I don't... I don't know if it would help though or just suffocate you further in this heat." In fact, the blonde is already stripping off her uppers to try and mitigate the oppressive humidity and heat. The beauty is almost lost on her as her eyes rarely waver from the dark-haired stormcaller.
Trevor slips off his gloves, tucking them into a pocket of his vest. And sticks a hand underneath said vest, fiddling around to unzip his jacket a bit, and then roll his sleeves up.
In following others, Castiel's hand remains held out and palm-up, carrying his embering flame throughout. The exit into the selenite cavern does little beside lend a drop of sweat to the edge of his features - but that is the extent of it, because even under the duress and weight of heat, Castiel is undisturbed. His own body-heat is only stacked atop it, at a constant smolder and searing perpetually. "It would be helpful if we had someone that could cast frost," Castiel's eyes skip over at the resident winter mage, but otherwise, his attention is mostly upno the surroundings - watching the cavern with a narrower look while the light in his hand shivers when he moves it to be cast upon all directions.
"The veil between worlds is thin here." Sam speaks, opening his eyes again. "We're on the right track. Close proximity to the plane of earth... sadly not my forte." The jock speaks, his breathing labored under the humidity even as his mask's filter cleans the air somewhat for him.
"Sure would." Jess 's voice hisses through his mask as he sorts an unsteady foot atop a crystal structure.
The dark haired 'winter mage' looks over to Castiel with a grunt, admitting, "I can try. I am a shaman though, not a sorcerer. I work with what is presence and.. well.... He pauses for a moment at the dense humidity, "You know, there might be something I can work with here." He admits with a moment of thought. He holds his hands out from his sides, pulling the moister from the air towards himself and the seemingly drawing the heat from it. The temperature does start to cool some, but something about the overwhelming heat here, it doesn't seem like it cools as much as it should, but it becomes more comfortable overall.
Pressing on into the caverns, the adventurers are immediately dwarfed by the towering selenite crystals that stretch high above, their jagged edges and translucent bodies creating an atmosphere of quiet reverence. These crystals stand like ancient, frozen pillars of light, piercing through the ground and the cave ceiling alike. Their irregular angles make the scene feel as though an explosion of crystal had taken place, with massive spikes and shards jutting outward in chaotic directions. Underfoot, the ground is a glittering sea of smaller crystal fragments, scattered across the cavern floor. These shattered pieces reflect the light like a thousand diamonds, but the jagged edges make the path treacherous. Each step echoes with the soft crunch of crushed selenite, and the glimmer of light off the fractured pieces creates shifting reflections that can disorient even the most seasoned spelunker. The air itself feels thick with moisture, adding to the otherworldly sensation of being in a realm entirely separate from the surface world. The intense heat radiates from the crystals, amplifying the cave's already sweltering temperature, creating an atmosphere where every breath feels dense and humid. Above, the twisting formations of the crystal branches seem to create archways, narrow passages, and enclosures that invite exploration but also trap the unwary in their sprawling maze-like arrangement. In some places, the crystals align to form small caverns or openings where travelers might pause for respite, but these areas are also where the forests beauty hides its most dangerous secrets. Despite the splendor, there is an unmistakable sense of unease, this forest, while beautiful, feels alive with elemental power, and every step taken deeper into the caverns carries the weight of something ancient and immense, waiting to be uncovered."
The dark haired 'winter mage' looks over to Castiel with a grunt, admitting, "I can try. I am a shaman though, not a sorcerer. I work with what is presence and.. well...." He pauses for a moment at the dense humidity, "You know, there might be something I can work with here." He admits with a moment of thought. He holds his hands out from his sides, pulling the moister from the air towards himself and the seemingly drawing the heat from it. The temperature does start to cool some, but something about the overwhelming heat here, it doesn't seem like it cools as much as it should, but it becomes more comfortable overall.
Pressing on into the caverns, the adventurers are immediately dwarfed by the towering selenite crystals that stretch high above, their jagged edges and translucent bodies creating an atmosphere of quiet reverence. These crystals stand like ancient, frozen pillars of light, piercing through the ground and the cave ceiling alike. Their irregular angles make the scene feel as though an explosion of crystal had taken place, with massive spikes and shards jutting outward in chaotic directions. Underfoot, the ground is a glittering sea of smaller crystal fragments, scattered across the cavern floor. These shattered pieces reflect the light like a thousand diamonds, but the jagged edges make the path treacherous. Each step echoes with the soft crunch of crushed selenite, and the glimmer of light off the fractured pieces creates shifting reflections that can disorient even the most seasoned spelunker. The air itself feels thick with moisture, adding to the otherworldly sensation of being in a realm entirely separate from the surface world. The intense heat radiates from the crystals, amplifying the cave's already sweltering temperature, creating an atmosphere where every breath feels dense and humid. Above, the twisting formations of the crystal branches seem to create archways, narrow passages, and enclosures that invite exploration but also trap the unwary in their sprawling maze-like arrangement. In some places, the crystals align to form small caverns or openings where travelers might pause for respite, but these areas are also where the forests beauty hides its most dangerous secrets. Despite the splendor, there is an unmistakable sense of unease, this forest, while beautiful, feels alive with elemental power, and every step taken deeper into the caverns carries the weight of something ancient and immense, waiting to be uncovered. (fixed)
Jess takes out his compass, setting it still on the ground for a moment. Even as the squad moves ahead of him, it's easy to call through the echo. "We think we'll feel an attraction to a gate!?"
Juniper nods to Sam, giving him a thankful look before setting her jaw in concentration once more. "I can't sense a damn thing other than the sweat rolling down my chest and my growing concern," she tells the man. "So thanks." Always hovering near Elias, particularly after already drawing upon his magic, she treads carefully over crystals and tries to show an overall reverence for the space, just in case some guardian is watching and finds her wanting.
Trevor lets out a low whistle as he takes in the scene of the towering crystals - though he only glances briefly, eyes searching the space - a shiver running up his spine, despite the heat. It's more than likely not from the weather. He blinks once, then twice, grunts and clears his throat.
Jess says "Compass catches Other, Wilds and such. I don't cain't tell the airplane of Earth from dirt, but I figure compass'll point out, huh?"
"Well, I see the general just fine.." Jess comments to Juniper, light of the man casting a shadow on his own face.
Peering down at Jess's compass, Sam pauses. "Yaknow? That might very well be possible."
He looks down at that compass, seemingly trying to get a read on it. "I'm sure I could draw upon the plane of earth to at least temporarily will it to be our guide..." He looks over to elias. "Doubt there's a lack of gate magic to draw upon here, no?"
"I'm talkin' about magic," Juniper mutters, a little extra spicey tonight it seems in her additional worry and possible relic hunting fatigue.
"They seem sharp, that's about the only part I like," Victoria shrugs a shoulder, wiping the back of one hand across her eyes. "There had better be one artifact on this list that is in someplace with a neutral temperature," she huffs, looking to Sam with a perk of interest.
Elias' shamanism is appreciated, surely - by everyone who is ailed by the heat. Castiel moves around the group, slowly strides in a semi-circle to get through - but his steps are light enough to not fracture any glitter underfoot while he does it, and takes helm at the forefront of the party. The sword at his back is taken by the hilt, drawn out and held aside - and with the fire lighting up the road in his other, Castiel glances towards the exits, inspects them quietly, while staring into the abyssal darkness that's only minutely illuminated by the rays of light reflecting off of precious stones. He doesn't move further - as he's not a seasoned spelunker. He's but a creature of the sky, currently trapped under the ground. "I'll take the helm just in case we need a shield - guide me in what direction we must go."
While Jess' theory about the compass is not a bad one, it just spins in circles. While this place might be heavily imbrued with the elemental plane of Earth, it doesn't seem like there is an active gate currently. At least, not one that the compass can detect right now. Elias himself, seems like he is straining to keep the climate bare-able for the others, consuming much of his energy and thought process as the others work around them. Once the adventurers feel effectively lost within this disorienting 'forest of crystal', they encounter a strange barrier in front of an entrance to a tunnel running deeper. The texture of the barrier is dynamic, it is not a smooth, static surface but rather one that seems to bend and flow, like molten glass or shifting sands. As they approach, they can see veins of raw energy running through it, veins of raw earth energy that occasionally flicker with brighter flashes, hinting at the immense power contained within. These veins of light surge in waves, their patterns occasionally resembling crackling lightning or the intricate web of tectonic fault lines that run deep within the earths crust.
"Huh," Trevor lets out - voice a little rougher than normal. "That looks like a big clear, do not entry sign to me," he tells the group in the most obvious way he can muster. "So, that means we're going the right way, then."
Plucking Sam by a sleeve, Victoria moves him in front of her, wrinkling her nose. "Stay here so I can just use you to..." she moves him about as best she can, attempting to use him as a barrier.
"Reckon magic's thirsty work for the both of ya." Jess tips his mask to Sam.
Juniper shows obvious abhorrence to the barrier, despite its visual beauty. Bristling visibly with tense movements and irritation written in her features she looks to the others gathered with her. "This is... not where I shine," she admits nodding towards Victoria who shows the same sort of preservation at least, to put something between herself and the thing pulsing with unknown nergies.
Jess throws a rock into the moving barrier.
As perhaps the group's less tired, albeit no less sweaty, arcanist, Sam steps forward, tilting his head aside, and sniffing the air. One hand rests on his knife, then he chuckles as he is kid-napped as Victoria's human...oid-shield.
"Well, I was gonna poke the earthern barrier to see if I can't understand it, but if ya have a better idea?" He pulls off his mask, crouching down to place his palms on the floor below, muttering a soundless incantation to himself.
"It would seem elemental... spiritual in nature." He pauses a little. "I don't exactly know any kind ways to deal with barriers like this, only very aggressive middle finger ways."
When the rock thrown by Jess hits the barrier, it ripples violently and the piece of stone disintegrates.
Jess's frown is a stoic nod. "Shoot. Glad I saw that."
"Oh. Good." Juniper observes, deadpan.
Perhaps Castiel would've touched the barrier. He won't, now.
"Yeah, uh," Trevor tells Sam. "Don't go poking it," he points out, lifting a hand to gesture towards the violent ripples.
"We've gone from do not enter, straight to fuck off it seems," Victoria muses with a lifted brow.
"Well. Cain't say I know how large the fort is here-" Jess flicks a finger at the barrier, moving about in a careful circumference. "But I reckon I don't got the right shovel."
With a mutter, Sam shakes his head. "Okay, now I feel challenged." He looks around at the gathered people. "Anyone wanna be my hammer, here?" He pauses. "I need someone more stubborn than the earth itself."
Jess says "We got some, uhh.. lightning-electronic human-stuff we cain't throw into this mess?"
Still holding his hands out from his sides as small flakes of snow form, drifting down to the ground only to melt, Elias seems totally absorbed into his work at this point as sweat beads down his face. The temperature outside of his little zone of comfort could easily be over a 130 degrees at this point.
Trevor grunts, "Am I getting tossed into that fucking thing?" he asks Sam, taking a single step forward.
"I-" Juniper moves to speak up but then silences, watching Trevor step forward with a quired brow of interest.
Jess says "Uhhh.. I reckon we could use a big rock instead. I don't know."
Jess says "That rock ain't a rock no more, Trevor."
Jess says "I don't reckon you'll be Trevor anymore either if ya' get thrown. Unless you've got some anti-magic man-doo about ya."
Victoria says "No arguments from me on that one."
"You've got more than one of us at your disposal," Juniper tells Sam with a casual sort of shrug while still casting furtive glances at Elias while he strains to keep them in a bubble of temperature that allows them to function.
Jess turns on his flashlight, pressing the button thrice until it's as bright as it can go. Technology, the fear of magic! Huzzah!
This too, throw into the field.
"Don't ask questions to uncomfortable questions, ya dun want the honest answer to." Sam takes a hold of his knife, an oily, strange material making up it's blade. "I reckon we match the energy, but inverse, and..."
He removes his gloves, cutting open his palm as blood oozes from his palm onto the ground, slowly forming a scarlet, triangular form around Trevor.
"Okay. I want you to square your stance... get ready to shout out a challenge."
The jock places both palms onto that triangular shape, whispering softly as he winces, shadows slowly starting to ooze into that form. "Trevor, I want ya to look at that energy, will it this way... and maybe be ready for a punch or several." The jock starts whispering an incantation, the human-looking finger-bone around his neck glowing an angry red.
"We don't know what we will see within, or what may happen." Castiel tells others from his vantage spot not too far from the barrier himself, leaning upon a spire of crystal that he's deemed appropriate enough. "This seems like it will be painful." And as Sam begins to work, someone with a keen eye and somewhat bated breath - casting a glance between the barrier and Trevor, as if waiting on the moment to intercept should anything go wrong.
In an effort to show the magical barrier what's what. He throws his flashlight into the field. With a sizzle and pop, the flashlight disintegrates!
"We don't know what we will see within, or what may happen." Castiel tells others from his vantage spot not too far from the barrier himself, leaning upon a spire of crystal that he's deemed appropriate enough. "This seems like it will be painful." And as Sam begins to work, waits with a keen eye and somewhat bated breath - casting a glance between the barrier and Trevor, as if waiting on the moment to intercept should anything go wrong.
Victoria decides a step back from Sam is in order, still looking incredibly disturbed. She falls into place near Juniper, nose still wrinkled in distaste.
Trevor glances over to Victoria. "You're going to have to explain it to her," he tells the woman before stepping up to Sam and just doing exactly as he's told - squaring his stance. Planting his boots into the ground, digging them into the cavern floor with a little bit of a grinding motion. Despite the fact he's probably not actually going to be punching anything, he does raise his fists though - defiant. "What the hell am I yelling?" he replies, low, eyes just locked onto that energy barrier.
Jess looks at Trevor and lets ou a concerned hiss of his teeth.
A step back from the triangle made around Trevor is taken by Juniper, out of abundant caution. She keeps her eyes on the pair though, alert and coiled in readiness as they continue to meddle with the unknown.
The jock kneels, hissing soft words towards Trevor as he seems to be pouring his very shadow into that triangle, the floor beneath Trevor slowly filling with a darkness deeper than the night as Sam trembles, clearly straining to summon forth whatever it is that powers the rite.
The energy starts to bend and warp at Sam's manipulations. Whatever he is doing, indeed seems to make a difference as it looks like bending molten glass towards Trevor and then it lurches out and strikes the muscular man. Intense heat hits him and pain surges through his body. Yet strangely, that feeling starts to fade. Not because of actual damage to his body, but because the warding Sam is doing actually seems to be working.
Trevor cocks his head a little bit at Sam's words, "Oi!" he calls out, clearly not well versed in yelling at magical barriers of energy that may or may not fry him like a mosquito to a bug lamp. "Come here! Just reach out, you definitely seem to enjoy melting rocks, so..." Trevor brings one hand out, gesturing to a side. "I'm here!"
Sighing, Victoria drops her face into her palm.
Juniper lets out a hiss as that barrier lurches out towards Trevor. Her own response is a quick jerk forward that is just as quickly halted when Trevor remains un-disintegrated.
Sam's voice is soft, like a serpent's hiss as he maintains the barrier, eyes flicking between glaring at that barrier, staring at Trevor, and looking into the darkness. The jock definitely is sweating pearls, and he seems to be slumping forward slightly as the toll of the rite is extracted from his essence, though he does not relent, instead balefully willing that magic to pour into his rite, around Trevor, and into that pit below.
The energies start to disperse into a mist around Trevor, turning into raw elemental energies as it starts drifting towards Sam, which seems to start to absorb into the smooth-skinned man's body, causing his clothing to smolder.
Jess takes the time to put on a new pair of socks, discarding his old ones.
His hair slightly singed, Sam wipes off his face, and very slowly, he lifts his hands from that triangle, the shadows instantly dispersing, like the very location itself refuses them to exist. Shakily, the jock pushes to his feet, and grins. "Good job."
He looks to the barrier, or at least, the empty air where that barrier used to be. "Okay. Not doing that a whole load." The jock seems to be shaky, despite the lack of external wounds.
Fastidiousness, told in cold and damp mud, hits like a nicotine habit for Jess as he squeezes nothing out of his dry socks, just to be sure, before wiping his feet off on his knees and lacing them over.
"Sam..." Juniper says, her voice a simmering command of concern and warning. She glances to Castiel and Jess next, the only other two who aren't currently embroiled in some sort of action but without aversion to magics quite as strong as her and Victoria. But then, Sam is rising once more and the blonde woman exhales audibly with a strained rub of her hand over her face. "Don't do it again," she tells him sternly. "At least not tonight."
Trevor runs a hand through his sweaty hair, letting out a long exhale of breath.
Jess pats Trevor on the back. "Shoot- glad you're still with us. I were savin' my prayers until you died, so I'm damned glad I ain't gotta save 'em."
With the barrier overcome, it is apparent what they have been searching for is just right there, not far off. Elias himself, seems to be struggling against the torrents of heat just several paces away from them, but for now he keeps it back. However, it seems with disturbing the barrier, something else has been triggered. A deep, resonant hum begins to pulse through the Crystal Forest, vibrating through the ground and walls, growing louder with every beat. The towering selenite formations around the Monolith Shard begin to tremble, their angular surfaces refracting light in chaotic patterns. Then, with a sudden surge, the largest crystals nearest the Monolith crack and shift, splitting apart in a shower of glittering shards. From the fractures, a faint, golden glow spills forth, casting an eerie light over the chamber. The shattered crystals begin to reassemble, moving with deliberate purpose. The fragments rise into the air, pulled together by invisible forces. The pieces collide and fuse to form limbs, a torso, and finally a massive head. The creatures jagged, crystalline arms stretch outward, their razor-sharp edges catching the dim light and reflecting it in dazzling, almost hypnotic patterns. As the crystal guardian takes shape, its glowing veins pulse brighter, running like molten rivers through its body. Its angular form is both beautiful and menacing, a perfect balance of natures artistry and raw, unyielding power. When the head finally forms, the hollow sockets of its eyes ignite with a golden brilliance, like miniature suns glaring down at all who dare to trespass. The guardian takes its first step, and the ground beneath your feet quakes. Its movements are deliberate, each step accompanied by the grinding roar of stone against stone. It lifts its crystalline arms, the air shimmering around them with a strange, resonant energy. The crystals embedded in its body hum in unison with the Monolith Shard, creating an overwhelming harmony that reverberates through the cavern, pressing into the bones of anyone nearby. Energy resonates with the crystals, rippling outward causing nearby formations to glow and vibrate, as though the entire crystal forest is alive.
Jess says "Ain't gonna jinx nothing, nope."
"Well, son of a..." Sam steps aside, turning to use Victoria as a shield now. "Okay, I think I'm squishier than you, at the moment, yeh?" He does pull a crossbow from his back, though it's clear the jock's movements are slow and sluggish, like he's fighting exhaustion, or his muscles are aching all over. "June... On your mark." He does have the sense not to aim that crossbow at the thing... maybe it's friendly.
"Contact!" The solider in Jess calls easily, ripping about a piton and looping his coiled rope through it. With a flick of his middle finger to his thumb he sends out the piton to rip into the crystal giant's leg as he proceeds around to the right, holding an arm and and twisting through narrowed glass.
Victoria slides Sam a brief look of amusement, nodding to him. "I think you upset it," she tells him.
Trevor grunts, steps back, letting other people, and this is apparently Jess, to give Trevor a moment to yank out a rifle and a sword from his ruck. The rifle is slung over his front, the sword sheathed at his side - but well, it doesn't seem like Trevor is going to be much use in a fight of crystal versus bullet.
Whereas Sam takes shelter behind Victoria, Castiel steps closer only now once the gust of manifestation and the sweltering heat dares to actually snuff out the candle-wick of infernal light in his hand. While the creature towers and professes its great strength outward, Castiel steps closer to the group again, at the helm, ahead of others with his sword held at his side. It extends outward soon enough, placed in a path between others and the creature while his own eyes of a molten hue look up upon the visage of a stone monster. He asks but one thing; "Does anyone have a hammer?"
"It's definitely a 'fuck you' situation," Juniper echoes Sam with a clipped and almost angry tone as yet another guardian just... well, does its job. She considers her weapons at hand but seems to opt for something experimental, picking up a solid shard of humming crystal that could make for a fair sized dagger. "No," she answers again in terse response. "But maybe I /can/ fight fire with fire this time." Now she's moving up with Castiel, taking a slightly flanked position behind his shoulder while Jess makes a wild first move.
Juniper ansers in terse response to Castiel, to be clear.
"Unfortunately no," Trevor tells Castiel, "Left my hammer in my truck.." There's a little frown from him, "Didn't think I'd need one of those," he explains to nobody in particular - perhaps he's just talking outloud now, waiting for everyone else to act and to see how they deal with these guardians, because obviously Trevor is not the most prepared for this experience.
"No hammer," Victoria's eyes are straight ahead while her head shakes. "Daggers, sure." With that, they're slid from a sheath, as she clicks her tongue on the roof of her mouth.
Like a bullet... Or a railgun? Jess launches a piton at it at near lightning speeds. It indeed lands where he had hoped, lodging into its joint. However, it doesn't seem to impede the crystaline guardian's movement. Elias himself turns, to try to stop the rumbling guardian as it bares down on Sam and Victoria. He arcs both hands out towards the guardian, lightning arcing between his fingers and a blast of cold lightning strikes the guardian. However, it just leaves a frosted glaze on the crystal, not harming it at all. The massive guardian, standing roughly fifteen feet tall, it is awe inspiring, but at the same time, horrifying. In a quick swipe, probably too quick for something its size should be able to make, it sends Victoria through the air and she hits painfully against the wall. It is nothing that the she-wolf can't shake off now, but this one is going to be rough. It focuses it is glowing gaze upon Sam, hatred in its miniature sun-like eyes.
"IT WANTS ME!" Sam pulls his kris knife from it's sheath again, and crosses his arms over one another, trying his best to brace himself. He seems to realize that he will need to dodge, block, or at least deflect the guardian's blows, and as he prepares himself to suffer a simular swipe as Victoria just did, a dark, sickly light envelops him, blazing bright in the dark of the cavern. "Someone best have a good idea, or I'm in for a LOTTA hurt!"
, rope coiled about his waist, and carried by a stifled 40mph sprint of shards and glass, reels the rope in with both hands and then runs past it. Just a few steps until it grows taut, and Jess yanks and jumps, swinging from the rope and attempting to get on the creature's back.
Since it seems the plan is to be 'just attack it' Trevor can do that. Trevor shoulders his rifle, and takes aim.
His sights are aimed at the eyes of the guardian, squeezing the trigger of his rifle in a short round burst - an attempt to blind it?
An abrupt exhale is given when Victoria hits the wall, and she hisses in annoyance. Several interesting words and phrases are muttered under her breath, and as she pushes herself upright, she decides on an arrow, notched toward the offending being in question.
"Shoot it in the fucking eye," Juniper barks out, her only advice in the moment for the otherwise seemingly impenetrable wall of crystal coming at them. Still, there's nothing gained from nothing ventured, and so the blonde rushes in at it to stop its descending upon Sam. As Trevor follows through and Jess leaps in like a rodeo master, she barrels in to try and do an old favourite of hers - trying to stab the towering creature in the back of the knee.
When Victoria is smacked aside by that colossal hand, Castiel fades from view in a single motion of haste. He is launched, willfully by his own action, into a wall himself - landing squarely and side-ways upon it to use it as a more firm stepping-stone. There is every bit of calculation in his gaze while others work - waiting and biding, until he catapults yet again.
A bare thread of light streaking through the air before he collides with the monster's head - practically flies past it like a bolt of thunder - but the sword in his hand is no longer there, left instead in an attempt to lodge it in the skull of the monster, however shallow while he runs through the barrage of bullets without harm. Lacking a chisel and a hammer, it seems he intends to make one himself - because as soon as he lands, he calls out towards Juniper.
"Hammer it in from the hilt, use your rock-" Then he nods, towards Jess. "Or his head."
Castiel flourishes his legs.
Through a hail of bullets, flying angels, Jess finds him like a rodeo star soaring through the air tethered to a monstrous death machine of a crystalline creature, but indeed, he lands on the back of it. The creature's mighty fist comes down upon Sam, sending a shockwave of crystalline debris flying all directions like a shotgun blast, pelting everyone nearby. As for Sam. There is a crater... Is he turned into a fine paste? Looking pale as death, Sam finds himself standing next to Victoria, managing to pathway just at the final seconds avoiding certainly a sure death. Bullets hit the creatures eyes from combined fire, but it is certain every shot from Trevor hits its mark. In a blur of angelic might, Castiel lodges his blade into the skull of the creature. The crystal cracks, breaks open and falls away. This would seem like a fatal blow... But it isn't. The crystal starts to reform and a rumbling roar causes chucks of the crystalline forest to shatter. It is truly angry now. Elias, starts pulling frozen mists around himself, getting ready to hurl another attack at it, which might seem futile.
Sweating profusely, Sam doubles over, barely managing to keep his gaze upon the beast. "Y-ya aight?" He trembles, clearly maybe also asking himself the exact same thing. He narrows his eyes, looking at his crossbow, then up at the crystal monstrosity, then to his knife... back to the giant. He just opts for stumbling away from Victoria, at least trying to not have two people in the same attack's general blast radius. A glance is given to that crater, and he swallows.
"Fuck!" Juniper lets her expletive out like a bullet herself as the guardian rebuilds. "So what? Brute strength isn't going to cut it? MORE brute strength is required?" She moves to fling the sword that comes loose from the broken skull back to Castiel with an angry chuck. "Elias!" she barks next. "Save your strength - Gods!" She's clearly frustrated but never standing still, always trying to keep out of its immediate path but looking for some kind of vantage point. Jess is, of course, still on its back but the creature rebuilds, and is 15 feet tall, and the blonde woman isn't getting up to do any hilt hammering without a rodeo stunt of her own.
Jess immediately cuts away the waist rope tied to the piton down below- it only serves to yank him now. Loosing the second around his shoulder he ties a wide noose around the creature's neck as the head shatters. A miracle misses him the shrapnel of its exploding head. Balancing on either moving shoulder, gripping onto a protusion with on arm as he's yanked forwared by the slam he takes a deep breath, holds the rope newly tied, and yells "PEEKING, YOUR RIGHT SIDE, OVERHEAD, CHECK FIRE!" And vaults off to use the forward momentum to loop around the creature's right shoulder and under its left armpit to tie and tense its arm up and obstruct the weight.
"I'm good," Victoria affirms to Sam, with a glance over her shoulder. "Front's not a good spot to be," she tells him as an aside, pausing when Juniper speaks to glance at her.
While Jess flies, with a telekinetic touch of his ring finger and thumb, he yanks to the falling sword of an angel to send it back up in the air to be caught by Castiel
Trevor just does what he's told, taking aim and letting off another short round burst aimed directly at the eye of the crystal guardian. Though, he's pausing when Jess shouts.
There. It's an opening, which Trevor takes advantage of, squeezing the trigger tight. Rattling off shots after shot into the guardians eye. It's not the most effective attack that exists in the moment, but it's the one he's able to do, and one he's able to provides. "Does anyone carry explosives?" he shouts, calling out to whoever may be listening.
"People do that?" Victoria asks Trevor with a bit of disbelief. "Just, walking around with them?"
"Yes."
His calmness rings out eerily within the cacaphony of the vehement struggle. The sword flung his way, Castiel catches it easily, near effortlessly like the thing is guided into his hand at will. One swing aside, it is as if he brandishes it, while setting his eyes over at the reforming portion of its skull.
"If mundane strength doesn't cut it, more ought to."
And perhaps he does carry an explosive, of a nature. The blade is twirled once, twice, the tip tapped methodically against the ground while those unblinking eyes stare with a will and weight of their own like they may burrow into the living stone -- and when he does come upon the decision to act, it his his wings that unfold, tucked close into his body.
The last tap of the blade rings it with holy fire, catching like oil touched by a spark, spreading over the length of the tattered weapon while he brings it forth again, and in his other hand lies that acrid hellfire once more dancing through each digits. They find seams and holes within the holy to imbue it with the infernal, and the light of it becomes intensified.
"Hold steady."
One more leap - straight at the behemoth, and Castiel's wings beat with it this time. A blur of an image, of cracked earth below and scattered dust in the wind he creates while only the glow of light from his weapon is seen -- When he's back in sight, it is to drive with all the speed and strength gathered, bury his blade exactly where he did earlier, but without skipping past it. Castiel sets both feet down on the colossus' shoulders, and twist his weapon into any crack he might create.
To then fuel it with fire, both holy and unholy - feed it until an inferno blooms a stone face.
There is a series of attacks with hilt pounding, bullets, and the like against the guardian. Crystal cracks, pieces break off, but they reform almost as fast as it is being broken off, but each time, it reforms slower and the glowing from within gets dimmer. It reaches to dislodge the man that is crawling all over it, grabbing firmly upon Jess. It looks like it might just crush him in his grip, but instead, it throws him off at Sam, sending them to collide painfully, the rope Jess securing snapping with ease. Then comes in Castiel with the unholy hellfire. The guardian roars in pain as the crystal continues to crack, breaking off in chunks.
As the battle reaches its climax with the guardian of the Monolith Shard, its massive crystalline form fractured and crumbling, lets out a deep, resonant roar that shakes the entire cavern. The glowing veins of elemental energy within its body flicker erratically, pulsing weaker and weaker with each passing second. Chunks of its body slough off, floating weightlessly before dissolving into drifting embers of golden dust. Yet, even as its strength wanes, the guardian refuses to fall without fulfilling its final duty. With a desperate lunge, the guardian stretches its jagged arms toward the Monolith Shard, its fingers of fractured selenite clamping around the relic in a crushing grip. The crystals of the cavern hum violently in response, as though screaming in protest. A deafening crack splits the air as a rift suddenly tears open behind the guardian. An unstable, writhing wound of ochre and amber light. Winds of raw elemental power surge outward, pulling loose shards of stone and crystal into the growing vortex. Elias sees what is happening before anyone else can react. His grey-blue eyes widen in realization that the Shard shard is slipping from his grasp, his instincts screaming at him, he cannot let the Monolith Shard be stolen, not now, not after everything. He drives forward, surging past the falling debris, moving as fast as his body will allow. Frost spreads in a wave after the stormcaller as he leaps towards the retreating guardian. As its towering frame begins to dissolve into the swirling void of the Elemental Plane of Earth, Elias reaches for the Monolith Shard, fingers grasping for the fragment of power.
Then, the rift pulls him in. The force is inescapable, a tidal wave of raw energy dragging him forward. His body is wrenched from the ground as his outstretched hand brushes against the Monolith Shard, just for an instant before both he and the Guardian are swallowed whole. A blinding flash erupts from the rift, consuming the cavern in golden radiance. The very fabric of space quakes as the portal shudders and collapses with an earsplitting roar, sealing itself in a violent implosion of light and wind. The shockwave ripples outward, sending dust and crystal shards scattering in all directions. And then, silence. The cavern is still. The air, once thick with the weight of battle, is now eerily empty. The Monolith Shard is gone. The guardian is gone. And Elias is gone. No trace of him remains. The oppressive heat returns without the stormcaller holding it back, the only evidence of what transpired is the faint shimmer of elemental residue where the rift had been, sparkling like dust in the dim cavern light. The Crystal Forest stands in solemn quiet, its resonance now hollow. The battle is over, but its cost has yet to be understood.
Without pausing to think, Victoria heads toward Juniper, reaching for the blonde.
There is an oddly natural sensation at being flung, the first quick rush of stale hot wind, and then the jolt as 15,800 pounds of tensile strength rope snap before Jess does and something awful cracks and is yanked inside his shoulder Jess doesn't see what happens to someone. He sees a flash of blond, a faint blur of crystal, and hurdles into Sam with a tumble.
There is an oddly natural sensation at being flung, the first quick rush of stale hot wind, and then the jolt as 15,800 pounds of tensile strength rope snap before Jess does and something awful cracks and is yanked inside his shoulder Jess doesn't see what happens to Elias. He sees a flash of blond, a faint blur of crystal, and hurdles into Sam with a tumble.
Collapsing against a wall with Jess , Sam tries hard to remain standing, then... the rift... Elias... the shard...
Silence. The jock crumples, the adrenaline fading from his body as he lets out a pained hiss, and he just leans back against the wall. He pauses, then lets out a trembling, frustrated laugh, devoid of humor, and full of impotent rage. He does not move, instead looking to Juniper , and Victoria.
"... F-f-FUCK!" He exclaims. Nothing more.
"No, no, nononono NO NO!" Juniper's panic runneth over when chaos subsides and whatever peanut butter her body had moved through kept her from getting anywhere in time, like trying to sprint in a nightmare. But when everything is done, sprint she does - hopelessly - to the place where the monolith, guardian, and Elias once were. "Elias!" She screams his name, raw and uncaring about the echoes of that reverberate of the cursed selenite and reveal her pain. Oppressive heat builds and Juniper pants from the exertion of battle, environment and overwhelming frustration. She begins touching everything she can, every surface of crystal - anything that might hum with magic that she can make angry enough to consider spitting him back out again - OR consider taking her too.
Trevor watches in almost horror as Elias is yanked, slurped and sucked into that rift. It all happens way too fast for Trevor to really do anything, and by the time Elias is gone Trevor has only just gotten the rope on his waist untied, tossing it - way, way too late - at the spot where the rift was. "Eli-" Trevor words are cut off when he realizes he's not going to be of any help here. So, his eyes trail across the room towards Juniper and Victoria.
"June," Victoria's hand reaches, grasps Juniper's shoulder. "Hey," she says quietly, tugging on her in an attempt to break her panic.
Adrenaline and noises crumble Jess to his feet. And it is that- not a triumphant rise, but shaky shiver of arm that isn't ready to help with weight before he disperses onto his feet. A sharp shattered crystal was just an inch to right of where his neck fell. Funny, that.
He looks up and wonders at the enemy. Where to charge, what to push and pull, but there's nothing but loss at the end of the battle.
He settles easily into that feeling, and begins to tentatively prod his shoulder.
No matter how much wishful thinking, searching for signs of a portal, or whatever else. It seems that none of them make a difference. While opening portals to the elemental planes are possible, it takes specialized rituals that no one present knows how to perform, at least, not how to open one in this place. The oppressive heat and humidity pummel those that do not have resistances to such. The caverns are deadly silent, save for the adventurers remaining.
Sam's voice is soft, laced in pain, and perhaps some other emotions that a tough jock like himself would never admit to. "... F-fuck. He had a plan." He nods to himself. "He had a plan." He just mutters it to himself, or perhaps a little to whoever is listening. He does not really try to be heard, instead sort of sitting there, against the crystal. His tongue flicks against the roof of his mouth. Copper.
"... Fuck." He shakes his head.
In a critical turn, Castiel employs a blend of holy and unholy fire in a daring assault that finally breaks through the guardian's defenses. Yet, as victory seems within grasp, the guardian makes a desperate move towards the Monolith Shard. Elias, understanding the impending loss, leaps towards the shard and guardian, only to be swallowed by a rift that suddenly engulfs them both.
The aftermath leaves the team in shock and despair, particularly hitting Juniper hard as she cries out for Elias. The cavern, once alive with the resonant battle, falls eerily silent, save for the sounds of grief and frustration from the adventurers. They are left in the oppressive heat of the caverns, with the Monolith Shard and Elias both lost to an unknown fate. The battle is over, but its cost is immeasurable, leaving the adventurers to grapple with the sudden loss and the harsh reality that their mission has taken an unexpected and tragic turn.
(A monolith of a problem(SRElias):SRElias)
[Sat Feb 8 2025]
In Outside of the Naica Mines
The entrance is unassuming, often appearing as a typical mining operation access point. It consists of a reinforced tunnel that extends into the earth, lined with metal beams and heavy machinery. Large ventilation pipes and industrial lighting fixtures run along the walls, providing necessary airflow and illumination. The air is thick and humid, and temperatures begin to rise almost immediately upon entry.
It is about 75F(23C) degrees.
Jess arrived in a jangle that materialized him about ten minutes away from the destination. It was a two minute run- and his form could be seen in a long shot sloooowly approaching view.
Jess takes a shot of mandrake then tucks it away into his belongings, "Evenin', everyone."
Trevor marches in - looking like he was on a bit of a hike of sorts. He's got a few bundles of rope tied around his waist, and a headlamp on his head, because, Trevor unfortunately needs one of those. Due to his lack of being able to see in the night! Criminal behaviour that.
A slight hiss is heard as the air shimmers, and Sam, clad in field gear, steps out. He nods some to those present, adjusting his gear some as he cracks his shoulders back.
"Ey, Jess!"
While the other start arriving through pathing, standing outside of a shaft entering into an old mine shaft near the Naica mines, this specific one appears to have been abandoned sometime ago. Waiting outside of the entrance to the mine is a few familiar faces, Elias and Juniper. Clad in his adventuring gear, the black tactical uniform he often wears, he finishes up securing his gear when he turns to look to those that arrived, "Thank you for coming. Hopefully this one won't be to challenging considering what we have faced already. This one could just be an easy walk into the caves and walking out. We are looking for something known as the Monolith Shard. Legends speak of it being part of the pillar that supports the elemental plane of Earth from colliding with the other planes, but I believe that is exaggerated. Regardless though, it is clearly something that has powerful elemental energies imbruing it and will be one of the last few pieces I will require for me to get the Heart of Winter. The shard is grey stone with precious metals and stones running through it. What we will find down there, I don't think will be too dramatic, since these caverns are pretty well known. If there was anything too strange going on down there, I think they would have closed them off long ago." Something about Elias' tone suggests he doesn't completely believe his words in this, but perhaps more a touch of optimism.
Jess gives a salute to Trevor, situated much the same!
"Hey, Sam. A long twenty minutes that was."
"Any expectation of hostiles, or is it just enviroment?" Jess inquires.
Chuckling lightly, Sam nods to Jess. "It is what it is, sometime."
He pipes down as Elias briefs them, and he nods slightly. "No intel of other parties innerested in--" He nods firmly to Jess. "What he said."
"Every relic we've gone after has had a guardian," Juniper relays to Jess with a serious and thoughtful tone. "We might meet only them. We might meet more than that. It's hard to say. Though, Elias seems to think it will be a sight-seeing event."
Fast enough to catch the tail-end of Elias' words, Castiel arrives via a path, surely - but it is a comet that appears overhead, in the distance far above the sky. It descends like a streak of fire, or lightning descending, with an audible and similarly loud crack upon landing. Something completely covered in feathers of folded in wings.
When it unfolds, right before Elias starts his explanation, is the sight of Castiel and Victoria - the latter that he lets out of the inner circle of his wings to fold them once more upon his back, where they slide and shimmy into a sheath within his clothes.
As for the task at hand, Castiel remains quiet - even if poised and inspecting.
Jess gives both a nod as he rests his thumbs into the coil of rope about his waist.
"Other interested parties? This relic has been here for... Well, I have no idea how long. There are native legends about it, so I would suspect those that have gone for it before have never returned or failed to find it. The caves get very hot down there." Elias explains as he runs his fingers through his hair, "I don't expect rival parties, but we don't know for that sure I guess."
"There's always something we don't anticipate," Victoria shrugs in agreement with Juniper.
Juniper sighs begrudgingly as she looks over at Elias beside her, the one person who really shouldn't be dragging them into heated environments that somehow always is. "So we have to be tough as nails and dumb as them too to go for it," she explains with a little shrug. "Tends to be our specialty I suppose. With the exception of Elias here, who actually knows what to do with these things."
Jess take the vest low, though what bullets it's going to catch, he doesn't know. The modern marvel of wearing something that stops one from being shot is too hot to pass up, however.
As the explanation happens, Trevor pulls a vest from his rucksack, tugging it on carefully and making sure it's in place. Then his hands come up, and pulls down on the neckline of his vest, letting his arms hang comfortably in a resting position. "I've got the dumb as nails part down," he comments with a smile, "So, hopefully the rest of you are smart as.. a hammer?"
Jess waves four Gatorade bottles and gestures to two masks. "I've got drink and spare mask with a tank should the air be poisoned."
"Yeh, was about to say. If I didn't know better, U'd say you hate the cold, Elias." Sam nods some in agreement with Juniper. "I can do headstrong and brave-stupid." He nods some to Jess. "The tank would be very welcome, I imagine, if that does turn out the case."
"Sure," Victoria enthuses to Trevor with a slow smirk. "We're something, at the least." Her eyes flick over the group, and she leans on Juniper in a friendly manner. "I think we'll be good."
"There could be possible parts that have toxic air. What makes the caves special is that they are near volcanic activity. This place is a tourist attraction, but we are entering sealed shafts." Elias explains, returning his focus to the mine entrance, "Shall we proceed?"
Juniper smirks at Sam, knowingly and gives a nod to Jess. "Perfect. Good thinkin'." A little grin is offered to Trevor as she lifts the shoulder not leaned on by Victoria, putting her arm around the woman briefly. "Some of us can hit hard, given the right motivation."
"Fun," Juniper states with a thumbs up to someone.
"Fun," Juniper states with a thumbs up to Elias.
"Into the earth and such." Sam nods some to Elias, and cracks his knuckles toward Trevor. "Just say the word when ya need to get hammered."
"I'll handle the light." Castiel tells everyone - though he's really only brought a sword with him that hangs at the back of his waist. His hand extends, palm-open at his side while fire roils and grows within his fingers. It's something acrid, with the scent of sulphur prevalent in its wake - but without any smoke, as it seems to consume something entirely else than air to survive. It casts an ominous light at first, one that shivers and then flickers with a radiant gold. Tamed hellfire, wrought with the divine flame.
Trevor grunts at Sam, nodding to him, "Will do," he tells the man, nodding towards everyone in his confirmation of readiness. "Yeah, good to go."
Jess gives two thumbs up and a nod.
Moving into the tunnel which at one time was used for industrial mining, the air becomes warmer and thicker as the path narrows, the scent of sulfur and minerals growing stronger with every step. Ocassionally, there is an electric lamp hanging, flickering, casting shadows through the dark shaft. Finally, at the end of a shaft, there is a mining elevator designed to carry up minerals and lower miners down into the shaft. Stepping into the elevator, it groans as it descends into the Earths bowels, plunging the adventures thousands of feet below the surface. The walls of the shaft seem to close in, and the sound of machinery fades, replaced by an eerie silence broken only by the hum of underground vibrations. When the elevator halts, a reinforced door looms ahead, sealing the caves from the upper tunnels. Beyond it lies the unknown. Upon opening the door, a wave of intense heat and humidity floods out, like stepping into a furnace. The transition is immediate and shocking, and the sheer weight of the atmosphere presses down on the lungs. The first glimpse of the cavern reveals its awe-inspiring scale. Selenite crystals the size of skyscrapers crisscross the chamber in all directions, their smooth, translucent surfaces refracting light into a dazzling spectrum. The silence is absolute, save for the occasional drip of condensed moisture striking the floor with an echo that seems to reverberate for eternity. The ground is uneven, littered with jagged shards of crystal that glisten like broken glass. Navigating the cave requires careful footing, the polished surfaces are treacherously slick. The heat is oppressive, each breath a struggle against the thick, mineral-rich air. Elias breaks the silence as he reaches up to grab his collar at the intense heat nearly overwhelming him, "Gah... I feel dizzy..." He mutters, looking to the others, "I am going to need a lot of help down here I think."
Jess hands over a Gatorade bottle to Elias, then steps back to run his hands through sweat-laden hair. This room is full of sexy military miners and none can argue.
He looks with aw at the sight of something merely worldly, not far from home, and yet still spectacular.
As the air begins to get thicker, Sam pulls on a black gas-mask, and speaks hollowly from beneath it. "We gotcha, Stormcaller." He looks around the cavern, briefly touching one of the crystals as if announcing his presence to the earth itself, briefly closing his eyes to let his unseen senses get a bearing of the place.
"I heard warm, not temperatures of Hell," Victoria murmurs, twisting her hair up and away from her face. She casts a concerned look over Elias, and then to Juniper before squinting at the surroundings.
"I heard warm, not temperatures of Hell," Victoria murmurs, twisting her hair up and away from her face. She casts a concerned look over Elias, and then to Juniper before squinting at the surroundings.
"Elias, I have a mask," Juniper says near instantly, keeping to his side to catch and wobbles or wavers. "I don't... I don't know if it would help though or just suffocate you further in this heat." In fact, the blonde is already stripping off her uppers to try and mitigate the oppressive humidity and heat. The beauty is almost lost on her as her eyes rarely waver from the dark-haired stormcaller.
Trevor slips off his gloves, tucking them into a pocket of his vest. And sticks a hand underneath said vest, fiddling around to unzip his jacket a bit, and then roll his sleeves up.
In following others, Castiel's hand remains held out and palm-up, carrying his embering flame throughout. The exit into the selenite cavern does little beside lend a drop of sweat to the edge of his features - but that is the extent of it, because even under the duress and weight of heat, Castiel is undisturbed. His own body-heat is only stacked atop it, at a constant smolder and searing perpetually. "It would be helpful if we had someone that could cast frost," Castiel's eyes skip over at the resident winter mage, but otherwise, his attention is mostly upno the surroundings - watching the cavern with a narrower look while the light in his hand shivers when he moves it to be cast upon all directions.
"The veil between worlds is thin here." Sam speaks, opening his eyes again. "We're on the right track. Close proximity to the plane of earth... sadly not my forte." The jock speaks, his breathing labored under the humidity even as his mask's filter cleans the air somewhat for him.
"Sure would." Jess 's voice hisses through his mask as he sorts an unsteady foot atop a crystal structure.
The dark haired 'winter mage' looks over to Castiel with a grunt, admitting, "I can try. I am a shaman though, not a sorcerer. I work with what is presence and.. well.... He pauses for a moment at the dense humidity, "You know, there might be something I can work with here." He admits with a moment of thought. He holds his hands out from his sides, pulling the moister from the air towards himself and the seemingly drawing the heat from it. The temperature does start to cool some, but something about the overwhelming heat here, it doesn't seem like it cools as much as it should, but it becomes more comfortable overall.
Pressing on into the caverns, the adventurers are immediately dwarfed by the towering selenite crystals that stretch high above, their jagged edges and translucent bodies creating an atmosphere of quiet reverence. These crystals stand like ancient, frozen pillars of light, piercing through the ground and the cave ceiling alike. Their irregular angles make the scene feel as though an explosion of crystal had taken place, with massive spikes and shards jutting outward in chaotic directions. Underfoot, the ground is a glittering sea of smaller crystal fragments, scattered across the cavern floor. These shattered pieces reflect the light like a thousand diamonds, but the jagged edges make the path treacherous. Each step echoes with the soft crunch of crushed selenite, and the glimmer of light off the fractured pieces creates shifting reflections that can disorient even the most seasoned spelunker. The air itself feels thick with moisture, adding to the otherworldly sensation of being in a realm entirely separate from the surface world. The intense heat radiates from the crystals, amplifying the cave's already sweltering temperature, creating an atmosphere where every breath feels dense and humid. Above, the twisting formations of the crystal branches seem to create archways, narrow passages, and enclosures that invite exploration but also trap the unwary in their sprawling maze-like arrangement. In some places, the crystals align to form small caverns or openings where travelers might pause for respite, but these areas are also where the forests beauty hides its most dangerous secrets. Despite the splendor, there is an unmistakable sense of unease, this forest, while beautiful, feels alive with elemental power, and every step taken deeper into the caverns carries the weight of something ancient and immense, waiting to be uncovered."
The dark haired 'winter mage' looks over to Castiel with a grunt, admitting, "I can try. I am a shaman though, not a sorcerer. I work with what is presence and.. well...." He pauses for a moment at the dense humidity, "You know, there might be something I can work with here." He admits with a moment of thought. He holds his hands out from his sides, pulling the moister from the air towards himself and the seemingly drawing the heat from it. The temperature does start to cool some, but something about the overwhelming heat here, it doesn't seem like it cools as much as it should, but it becomes more comfortable overall.
Pressing on into the caverns, the adventurers are immediately dwarfed by the towering selenite crystals that stretch high above, their jagged edges and translucent bodies creating an atmosphere of quiet reverence. These crystals stand like ancient, frozen pillars of light, piercing through the ground and the cave ceiling alike. Their irregular angles make the scene feel as though an explosion of crystal had taken place, with massive spikes and shards jutting outward in chaotic directions. Underfoot, the ground is a glittering sea of smaller crystal fragments, scattered across the cavern floor. These shattered pieces reflect the light like a thousand diamonds, but the jagged edges make the path treacherous. Each step echoes with the soft crunch of crushed selenite, and the glimmer of light off the fractured pieces creates shifting reflections that can disorient even the most seasoned spelunker. The air itself feels thick with moisture, adding to the otherworldly sensation of being in a realm entirely separate from the surface world. The intense heat radiates from the crystals, amplifying the cave's already sweltering temperature, creating an atmosphere where every breath feels dense and humid. Above, the twisting formations of the crystal branches seem to create archways, narrow passages, and enclosures that invite exploration but also trap the unwary in their sprawling maze-like arrangement. In some places, the crystals align to form small caverns or openings where travelers might pause for respite, but these areas are also where the forests beauty hides its most dangerous secrets. Despite the splendor, there is an unmistakable sense of unease, this forest, while beautiful, feels alive with elemental power, and every step taken deeper into the caverns carries the weight of something ancient and immense, waiting to be uncovered. (fixed)
Jess takes out his compass, setting it still on the ground for a moment. Even as the squad moves ahead of him, it's easy to call through the echo. "We think we'll feel an attraction to a gate!?"
Juniper nods to Sam, giving him a thankful look before setting her jaw in concentration once more. "I can't sense a damn thing other than the sweat rolling down my chest and my growing concern," she tells the man. "So thanks." Always hovering near Elias, particularly after already drawing upon his magic, she treads carefully over crystals and tries to show an overall reverence for the space, just in case some guardian is watching and finds her wanting.
Trevor lets out a low whistle as he takes in the scene of the towering crystals - though he only glances briefly, eyes searching the space - a shiver running up his spine, despite the heat. It's more than likely not from the weather. He blinks once, then twice, grunts and clears his throat.
Jess says "Compass catches Other, Wilds and such. I don't cain't tell the airplane of Earth from dirt, but I figure compass'll point out, huh?"
"Well, I see the general just fine.." Jess comments to Juniper, light of the man casting a shadow on his own face.
Peering down at Jess's compass, Sam pauses. "Yaknow? That might very well be possible."
He looks down at that compass, seemingly trying to get a read on it. "I'm sure I could draw upon the plane of earth to at least temporarily will it to be our guide..." He looks over to elias. "Doubt there's a lack of gate magic to draw upon here, no?"
"I'm talkin' about magic," Juniper mutters, a little extra spicey tonight it seems in her additional worry and possible relic hunting fatigue.
"They seem sharp, that's about the only part I like," Victoria shrugs a shoulder, wiping the back of one hand across her eyes. "There had better be one artifact on this list that is in someplace with a neutral temperature," she huffs, looking to Sam with a perk of interest.
Elias' shamanism is appreciated, surely - by everyone who is ailed by the heat. Castiel moves around the group, slowly strides in a semi-circle to get through - but his steps are light enough to not fracture any glitter underfoot while he does it, and takes helm at the forefront of the party. The sword at his back is taken by the hilt, drawn out and held aside - and with the fire lighting up the road in his other, Castiel glances towards the exits, inspects them quietly, while staring into the abyssal darkness that's only minutely illuminated by the rays of light reflecting off of precious stones. He doesn't move further - as he's not a seasoned spelunker. He's but a creature of the sky, currently trapped under the ground. "I'll take the helm just in case we need a shield - guide me in what direction we must go."
While Jess' theory about the compass is not a bad one, it just spins in circles. While this place might be heavily imbrued with the elemental plane of Earth, it doesn't seem like there is an active gate currently. At least, not one that the compass can detect right now. Elias himself, seems like he is straining to keep the climate bare-able for the others, consuming much of his energy and thought process as the others work around them. Once the adventurers feel effectively lost within this disorienting 'forest of crystal', they encounter a strange barrier in front of an entrance to a tunnel running deeper. The texture of the barrier is dynamic, it is not a smooth, static surface but rather one that seems to bend and flow, like molten glass or shifting sands. As they approach, they can see veins of raw energy running through it, veins of raw earth energy that occasionally flicker with brighter flashes, hinting at the immense power contained within. These veins of light surge in waves, their patterns occasionally resembling crackling lightning or the intricate web of tectonic fault lines that run deep within the earths crust.
"Huh," Trevor lets out - voice a little rougher than normal. "That looks like a big clear, do not entry sign to me," he tells the group in the most obvious way he can muster. "So, that means we're going the right way, then."
Plucking Sam by a sleeve, Victoria moves him in front of her, wrinkling her nose. "Stay here so I can just use you to..." she moves him about as best she can, attempting to use him as a barrier.
"Reckon magic's thirsty work for the both of ya." Jess tips his mask to Sam.
Juniper shows obvious abhorrence to the barrier, despite its visual beauty. Bristling visibly with tense movements and irritation written in her features she looks to the others gathered with her. "This is... not where I shine," she admits nodding towards Victoria who shows the same sort of preservation at least, to put something between herself and the thing pulsing with unknown nergies.
Jess throws a rock into the moving barrier.
As perhaps the group's less tired, albeit no less sweaty, arcanist, Sam steps forward, tilting his head aside, and sniffing the air. One hand rests on his knife, then he chuckles as he is kid-napped as Victoria's human...oid-shield.
"Well, I was gonna poke the earthern barrier to see if I can't understand it, but if ya have a better idea?" He pulls off his mask, crouching down to place his palms on the floor below, muttering a soundless incantation to himself.
"It would seem elemental... spiritual in nature." He pauses a little. "I don't exactly know any kind ways to deal with barriers like this, only very aggressive middle finger ways."
When the rock thrown by Jess hits the barrier, it ripples violently and the piece of stone disintegrates.
Jess's frown is a stoic nod. "Shoot. Glad I saw that."
"Oh. Good." Juniper observes, deadpan.
Perhaps Castiel would've touched the barrier. He won't, now.
"Yeah, uh," Trevor tells Sam. "Don't go poking it," he points out, lifting a hand to gesture towards the violent ripples.
"We've gone from do not enter, straight to fuck off it seems," Victoria muses with a lifted brow.
"Well. Cain't say I know how large the fort is here-" Jess flicks a finger at the barrier, moving about in a careful circumference. "But I reckon I don't got the right shovel."
With a mutter, Sam shakes his head. "Okay, now I feel challenged." He looks around at the gathered people. "Anyone wanna be my hammer, here?" He pauses. "I need someone more stubborn than the earth itself."
Jess says "We got some, uhh.. lightning-electronic human-stuff we cain't throw into this mess?"
Still holding his hands out from his sides as small flakes of snow form, drifting down to the ground only to melt, Elias seems totally absorbed into his work at this point as sweat beads down his face. The temperature outside of his little zone of comfort could easily be over a 130 degrees at this point.
Trevor grunts, "Am I getting tossed into that fucking thing?" he asks Sam, taking a single step forward.
"I-" Juniper moves to speak up but then silences, watching Trevor step forward with a quired brow of interest.
Jess says "Uhhh.. I reckon we could use a big rock instead. I don't know."
Jess says "That rock ain't a rock no more, Trevor."
Jess says "I don't reckon you'll be Trevor anymore either if ya' get thrown. Unless you've got some anti-magic man-doo about ya."
Victoria says "No arguments from me on that one."
"You've got more than one of us at your disposal," Juniper tells Sam with a casual sort of shrug while still casting furtive glances at Elias while he strains to keep them in a bubble of temperature that allows them to function.
Jess turns on his flashlight, pressing the button thrice until it's as bright as it can go. Technology, the fear of magic! Huzzah!
This too, throw into the field.
"Don't ask questions to uncomfortable questions, ya dun want the honest answer to." Sam takes a hold of his knife, an oily, strange material making up it's blade. "I reckon we match the energy, but inverse, and..."
He removes his gloves, cutting open his palm as blood oozes from his palm onto the ground, slowly forming a scarlet, triangular form around Trevor.
"Okay. I want you to square your stance... get ready to shout out a challenge."
The jock places both palms onto that triangular shape, whispering softly as he winces, shadows slowly starting to ooze into that form. "Trevor, I want ya to look at that energy, will it this way... and maybe be ready for a punch or several." The jock starts whispering an incantation, the human-looking finger-bone around his neck glowing an angry red.
"We don't know what we will see within, or what may happen." Castiel tells others from his vantage spot not too far from the barrier himself, leaning upon a spire of crystal that he's deemed appropriate enough. "This seems like it will be painful." And as Sam begins to work, someone with a keen eye and somewhat bated breath - casting a glance between the barrier and Trevor, as if waiting on the moment to intercept should anything go wrong.
In an effort to show the magical barrier what's what. He throws his flashlight into the field. With a sizzle and pop, the flashlight disintegrates!
"We don't know what we will see within, or what may happen." Castiel tells others from his vantage spot not too far from the barrier himself, leaning upon a spire of crystal that he's deemed appropriate enough. "This seems like it will be painful." And as Sam begins to work, waits with a keen eye and somewhat bated breath - casting a glance between the barrier and Trevor, as if waiting on the moment to intercept should anything go wrong.
Victoria decides a step back from Sam is in order, still looking incredibly disturbed. She falls into place near Juniper, nose still wrinkled in distaste.
Trevor glances over to Victoria. "You're going to have to explain it to her," he tells the woman before stepping up to Sam and just doing exactly as he's told - squaring his stance. Planting his boots into the ground, digging them into the cavern floor with a little bit of a grinding motion. Despite the fact he's probably not actually going to be punching anything, he does raise his fists though - defiant. "What the hell am I yelling?" he replies, low, eyes just locked onto that energy barrier.
Jess looks at Trevor and lets ou a concerned hiss of his teeth.
A step back from the triangle made around Trevor is taken by Juniper, out of abundant caution. She keeps her eyes on the pair though, alert and coiled in readiness as they continue to meddle with the unknown.
The jock kneels, hissing soft words towards Trevor as he seems to be pouring his very shadow into that triangle, the floor beneath Trevor slowly filling with a darkness deeper than the night as Sam trembles, clearly straining to summon forth whatever it is that powers the rite.
The energy starts to bend and warp at Sam's manipulations. Whatever he is doing, indeed seems to make a difference as it looks like bending molten glass towards Trevor and then it lurches out and strikes the muscular man. Intense heat hits him and pain surges through his body. Yet strangely, that feeling starts to fade. Not because of actual damage to his body, but because the warding Sam is doing actually seems to be working.
Trevor cocks his head a little bit at Sam's words, "Oi!" he calls out, clearly not well versed in yelling at magical barriers of energy that may or may not fry him like a mosquito to a bug lamp. "Come here! Just reach out, you definitely seem to enjoy melting rocks, so..." Trevor brings one hand out, gesturing to a side. "I'm here!"
Sighing, Victoria drops her face into her palm.
Juniper lets out a hiss as that barrier lurches out towards Trevor. Her own response is a quick jerk forward that is just as quickly halted when Trevor remains un-disintegrated.
Sam's voice is soft, like a serpent's hiss as he maintains the barrier, eyes flicking between glaring at that barrier, staring at Trevor, and looking into the darkness. The jock definitely is sweating pearls, and he seems to be slumping forward slightly as the toll of the rite is extracted from his essence, though he does not relent, instead balefully willing that magic to pour into his rite, around Trevor, and into that pit below.
The energies start to disperse into a mist around Trevor, turning into raw elemental energies as it starts drifting towards Sam, which seems to start to absorb into the smooth-skinned man's body, causing his clothing to smolder.
Jess takes the time to put on a new pair of socks, discarding his old ones.
His hair slightly singed, Sam wipes off his face, and very slowly, he lifts his hands from that triangle, the shadows instantly dispersing, like the very location itself refuses them to exist. Shakily, the jock pushes to his feet, and grins. "Good job."
He looks to the barrier, or at least, the empty air where that barrier used to be. "Okay. Not doing that a whole load." The jock seems to be shaky, despite the lack of external wounds.
Fastidiousness, told in cold and damp mud, hits like a nicotine habit for Jess as he squeezes nothing out of his dry socks, just to be sure, before wiping his feet off on his knees and lacing them over.
"Sam..." Juniper says, her voice a simmering command of concern and warning. She glances to Castiel and Jess next, the only other two who aren't currently embroiled in some sort of action but without aversion to magics quite as strong as her and Victoria. But then, Sam is rising once more and the blonde woman exhales audibly with a strained rub of her hand over her face. "Don't do it again," she tells him sternly. "At least not tonight."
Trevor runs a hand through his sweaty hair, letting out a long exhale of breath.
Jess pats Trevor on the back. "Shoot- glad you're still with us. I were savin' my prayers until you died, so I'm damned glad I ain't gotta save 'em."
With the barrier overcome, it is apparent what they have been searching for is just right there, not far off. Elias himself, seems to be struggling against the torrents of heat just several paces away from them, but for now he keeps it back. However, it seems with disturbing the barrier, something else has been triggered. A deep, resonant hum begins to pulse through the Crystal Forest, vibrating through the ground and walls, growing louder with every beat. The towering selenite formations around the Monolith Shard begin to tremble, their angular surfaces refracting light in chaotic patterns. Then, with a sudden surge, the largest crystals nearest the Monolith crack and shift, splitting apart in a shower of glittering shards. From the fractures, a faint, golden glow spills forth, casting an eerie light over the chamber. The shattered crystals begin to reassemble, moving with deliberate purpose. The fragments rise into the air, pulled together by invisible forces. The pieces collide and fuse to form limbs, a torso, and finally a massive head. The creatures jagged, crystalline arms stretch outward, their razor-sharp edges catching the dim light and reflecting it in dazzling, almost hypnotic patterns. As the crystal guardian takes shape, its glowing veins pulse brighter, running like molten rivers through its body. Its angular form is both beautiful and menacing, a perfect balance of natures artistry and raw, unyielding power. When the head finally forms, the hollow sockets of its eyes ignite with a golden brilliance, like miniature suns glaring down at all who dare to trespass. The guardian takes its first step, and the ground beneath your feet quakes. Its movements are deliberate, each step accompanied by the grinding roar of stone against stone. It lifts its crystalline arms, the air shimmering around them with a strange, resonant energy. The crystals embedded in its body hum in unison with the Monolith Shard, creating an overwhelming harmony that reverberates through the cavern, pressing into the bones of anyone nearby. Energy resonates with the crystals, rippling outward causing nearby formations to glow and vibrate, as though the entire crystal forest is alive.
Jess says "Ain't gonna jinx nothing, nope."
"Well, son of a..." Sam steps aside, turning to use Victoria as a shield now. "Okay, I think I'm squishier than you, at the moment, yeh?" He does pull a crossbow from his back, though it's clear the jock's movements are slow and sluggish, like he's fighting exhaustion, or his muscles are aching all over. "June... On your mark." He does have the sense not to aim that crossbow at the thing... maybe it's friendly.
"Contact!" The solider in Jess calls easily, ripping about a piton and looping his coiled rope through it. With a flick of his middle finger to his thumb he sends out the piton to rip into the crystal giant's leg as he proceeds around to the right, holding an arm and and twisting through narrowed glass.
Victoria slides Sam a brief look of amusement, nodding to him. "I think you upset it," she tells him.
Trevor grunts, steps back, letting other people, and this is apparently Jess, to give Trevor a moment to yank out a rifle and a sword from his ruck. The rifle is slung over his front, the sword sheathed at his side - but well, it doesn't seem like Trevor is going to be much use in a fight of crystal versus bullet.
Whereas Sam takes shelter behind Victoria, Castiel steps closer only now once the gust of manifestation and the sweltering heat dares to actually snuff out the candle-wick of infernal light in his hand. While the creature towers and professes its great strength outward, Castiel steps closer to the group again, at the helm, ahead of others with his sword held at his side. It extends outward soon enough, placed in a path between others and the creature while his own eyes of a molten hue look up upon the visage of a stone monster. He asks but one thing; "Does anyone have a hammer?"
"It's definitely a 'fuck you' situation," Juniper echoes Sam with a clipped and almost angry tone as yet another guardian just... well, does its job. She considers her weapons at hand but seems to opt for something experimental, picking up a solid shard of humming crystal that could make for a fair sized dagger. "No," she answers again in terse response. "But maybe I /can/ fight fire with fire this time." Now she's moving up with Castiel, taking a slightly flanked position behind his shoulder while Jess makes a wild first move.
Juniper ansers in terse response to Castiel, to be clear.
"Unfortunately no," Trevor tells Castiel, "Left my hammer in my truck.." There's a little frown from him, "Didn't think I'd need one of those," he explains to nobody in particular - perhaps he's just talking outloud now, waiting for everyone else to act and to see how they deal with these guardians, because obviously Trevor is not the most prepared for this experience.
"No hammer," Victoria's eyes are straight ahead while her head shakes. "Daggers, sure." With that, they're slid from a sheath, as she clicks her tongue on the roof of her mouth.
Like a bullet... Or a railgun? Jess launches a piton at it at near lightning speeds. It indeed lands where he had hoped, lodging into its joint. However, it doesn't seem to impede the crystaline guardian's movement. Elias himself turns, to try to stop the rumbling guardian as it bares down on Sam and Victoria. He arcs both hands out towards the guardian, lightning arcing between his fingers and a blast of cold lightning strikes the guardian. However, it just leaves a frosted glaze on the crystal, not harming it at all. The massive guardian, standing roughly fifteen feet tall, it is awe inspiring, but at the same time, horrifying. In a quick swipe, probably too quick for something its size should be able to make, it sends Victoria through the air and she hits painfully against the wall. It is nothing that the she-wolf can't shake off now, but this one is going to be rough. It focuses it is glowing gaze upon Sam, hatred in its miniature sun-like eyes.
"IT WANTS ME!" Sam pulls his kris knife from it's sheath again, and crosses his arms over one another, trying his best to brace himself. He seems to realize that he will need to dodge, block, or at least deflect the guardian's blows, and as he prepares himself to suffer a simular swipe as Victoria just did, a dark, sickly light envelops him, blazing bright in the dark of the cavern. "Someone best have a good idea, or I'm in for a LOTTA hurt!"
, rope coiled about his waist, and carried by a stifled 40mph sprint of shards and glass, reels the rope in with both hands and then runs past it. Just a few steps until it grows taut, and Jess yanks and jumps, swinging from the rope and attempting to get on the creature's back.
Since it seems the plan is to be 'just attack it' Trevor can do that. Trevor shoulders his rifle, and takes aim.
His sights are aimed at the eyes of the guardian, squeezing the trigger of his rifle in a short round burst - an attempt to blind it?
An abrupt exhale is given when Victoria hits the wall, and she hisses in annoyance. Several interesting words and phrases are muttered under her breath, and as she pushes herself upright, she decides on an arrow, notched toward the offending being in question.
"Shoot it in the fucking eye," Juniper barks out, her only advice in the moment for the otherwise seemingly impenetrable wall of crystal coming at them. Still, there's nothing gained from nothing ventured, and so the blonde rushes in at it to stop its descending upon Sam. As Trevor follows through and Jess leaps in like a rodeo master, she barrels in to try and do an old favourite of hers - trying to stab the towering creature in the back of the knee.
When Victoria is smacked aside by that colossal hand, Castiel fades from view in a single motion of haste. He is launched, willfully by his own action, into a wall himself - landing squarely and side-ways upon it to use it as a more firm stepping-stone. There is every bit of calculation in his gaze while others work - waiting and biding, until he catapults yet again.
A bare thread of light streaking through the air before he collides with the monster's head - practically flies past it like a bolt of thunder - but the sword in his hand is no longer there, left instead in an attempt to lodge it in the skull of the monster, however shallow while he runs through the barrage of bullets without harm. Lacking a chisel and a hammer, it seems he intends to make one himself - because as soon as he lands, he calls out towards Juniper.
"Hammer it in from the hilt, use your rock-" Then he nods, towards Jess. "Or his head."
Castiel flourishes his legs.
Through a hail of bullets, flying angels, Jess finds him like a rodeo star soaring through the air tethered to a monstrous death machine of a crystalline creature, but indeed, he lands on the back of it. The creature's mighty fist comes down upon Sam, sending a shockwave of crystalline debris flying all directions like a shotgun blast, pelting everyone nearby. As for Sam. There is a crater... Is he turned into a fine paste? Looking pale as death, Sam finds himself standing next to Victoria, managing to pathway just at the final seconds avoiding certainly a sure death. Bullets hit the creatures eyes from combined fire, but it is certain every shot from Trevor hits its mark. In a blur of angelic might, Castiel lodges his blade into the skull of the creature. The crystal cracks, breaks open and falls away. This would seem like a fatal blow... But it isn't. The crystal starts to reform and a rumbling roar causes chucks of the crystalline forest to shatter. It is truly angry now. Elias, starts pulling frozen mists around himself, getting ready to hurl another attack at it, which might seem futile.
Sweating profusely, Sam doubles over, barely managing to keep his gaze upon the beast. "Y-ya aight?" He trembles, clearly maybe also asking himself the exact same thing. He narrows his eyes, looking at his crossbow, then up at the crystal monstrosity, then to his knife... back to the giant. He just opts for stumbling away from Victoria, at least trying to not have two people in the same attack's general blast radius. A glance is given to that crater, and he swallows.
"Fuck!" Juniper lets her expletive out like a bullet herself as the guardian rebuilds. "So what? Brute strength isn't going to cut it? MORE brute strength is required?" She moves to fling the sword that comes loose from the broken skull back to Castiel with an angry chuck. "Elias!" she barks next. "Save your strength - Gods!" She's clearly frustrated but never standing still, always trying to keep out of its immediate path but looking for some kind of vantage point. Jess is, of course, still on its back but the creature rebuilds, and is 15 feet tall, and the blonde woman isn't getting up to do any hilt hammering without a rodeo stunt of her own.
Jess immediately cuts away the waist rope tied to the piton down below- it only serves to yank him now. Loosing the second around his shoulder he ties a wide noose around the creature's neck as the head shatters. A miracle misses him the shrapnel of its exploding head. Balancing on either moving shoulder, gripping onto a protusion with on arm as he's yanked forwared by the slam he takes a deep breath, holds the rope newly tied, and yells "PEEKING, YOUR RIGHT SIDE, OVERHEAD, CHECK FIRE!" And vaults off to use the forward momentum to loop around the creature's right shoulder and under its left armpit to tie and tense its arm up and obstruct the weight.
"I'm good," Victoria affirms to Sam, with a glance over her shoulder. "Front's not a good spot to be," she tells him as an aside, pausing when Juniper speaks to glance at her.
While Jess flies, with a telekinetic touch of his ring finger and thumb, he yanks to the falling sword of an angel to send it back up in the air to be caught by Castiel
Trevor just does what he's told, taking aim and letting off another short round burst aimed directly at the eye of the crystal guardian. Though, he's pausing when Jess shouts.
There. It's an opening, which Trevor takes advantage of, squeezing the trigger tight. Rattling off shots after shot into the guardians eye. It's not the most effective attack that exists in the moment, but it's the one he's able to do, and one he's able to provides. "Does anyone carry explosives?" he shouts, calling out to whoever may be listening.
"People do that?" Victoria asks Trevor with a bit of disbelief. "Just, walking around with them?"
"Yes."
His calmness rings out eerily within the cacaphony of the vehement struggle. The sword flung his way, Castiel catches it easily, near effortlessly like the thing is guided into his hand at will. One swing aside, it is as if he brandishes it, while setting his eyes over at the reforming portion of its skull.
"If mundane strength doesn't cut it, more ought to."
And perhaps he does carry an explosive, of a nature. The blade is twirled once, twice, the tip tapped methodically against the ground while those unblinking eyes stare with a will and weight of their own like they may burrow into the living stone -- and when he does come upon the decision to act, it his his wings that unfold, tucked close into his body.
The last tap of the blade rings it with holy fire, catching like oil touched by a spark, spreading over the length of the tattered weapon while he brings it forth again, and in his other hand lies that acrid hellfire once more dancing through each digits. They find seams and holes within the holy to imbue it with the infernal, and the light of it becomes intensified.
"Hold steady."
One more leap - straight at the behemoth, and Castiel's wings beat with it this time. A blur of an image, of cracked earth below and scattered dust in the wind he creates while only the glow of light from his weapon is seen -- When he's back in sight, it is to drive with all the speed and strength gathered, bury his blade exactly where he did earlier, but without skipping past it. Castiel sets both feet down on the colossus' shoulders, and twist his weapon into any crack he might create.
To then fuel it with fire, both holy and unholy - feed it until an inferno blooms a stone face.
There is a series of attacks with hilt pounding, bullets, and the like against the guardian. Crystal cracks, pieces break off, but they reform almost as fast as it is being broken off, but each time, it reforms slower and the glowing from within gets dimmer. It reaches to dislodge the man that is crawling all over it, grabbing firmly upon Jess. It looks like it might just crush him in his grip, but instead, it throws him off at Sam, sending them to collide painfully, the rope Jess securing snapping with ease. Then comes in Castiel with the unholy hellfire. The guardian roars in pain as the crystal continues to crack, breaking off in chunks.
As the battle reaches its climax with the guardian of the Monolith Shard, its massive crystalline form fractured and crumbling, lets out a deep, resonant roar that shakes the entire cavern. The glowing veins of elemental energy within its body flicker erratically, pulsing weaker and weaker with each passing second. Chunks of its body slough off, floating weightlessly before dissolving into drifting embers of golden dust. Yet, even as its strength wanes, the guardian refuses to fall without fulfilling its final duty. With a desperate lunge, the guardian stretches its jagged arms toward the Monolith Shard, its fingers of fractured selenite clamping around the relic in a crushing grip. The crystals of the cavern hum violently in response, as though screaming in protest. A deafening crack splits the air as a rift suddenly tears open behind the guardian. An unstable, writhing wound of ochre and amber light. Winds of raw elemental power surge outward, pulling loose shards of stone and crystal into the growing vortex. Elias sees what is happening before anyone else can react. His grey-blue eyes widen in realization that the Shard shard is slipping from his grasp, his instincts screaming at him, he cannot let the Monolith Shard be stolen, not now, not after everything. He drives forward, surging past the falling debris, moving as fast as his body will allow. Frost spreads in a wave after the stormcaller as he leaps towards the retreating guardian. As its towering frame begins to dissolve into the swirling void of the Elemental Plane of Earth, Elias reaches for the Monolith Shard, fingers grasping for the fragment of power.
Then, the rift pulls him in. The force is inescapable, a tidal wave of raw energy dragging him forward. His body is wrenched from the ground as his outstretched hand brushes against the Monolith Shard, just for an instant before both he and the Guardian are swallowed whole. A blinding flash erupts from the rift, consuming the cavern in golden radiance. The very fabric of space quakes as the portal shudders and collapses with an earsplitting roar, sealing itself in a violent implosion of light and wind. The shockwave ripples outward, sending dust and crystal shards scattering in all directions. And then, silence. The cavern is still. The air, once thick with the weight of battle, is now eerily empty. The Monolith Shard is gone. The guardian is gone. And Elias is gone. No trace of him remains. The oppressive heat returns without the stormcaller holding it back, the only evidence of what transpired is the faint shimmer of elemental residue where the rift had been, sparkling like dust in the dim cavern light. The Crystal Forest stands in solemn quiet, its resonance now hollow. The battle is over, but its cost has yet to be understood.
Without pausing to think, Victoria heads toward Juniper, reaching for the blonde.
There is an oddly natural sensation at being flung, the first quick rush of stale hot wind, and then the jolt as 15,800 pounds of tensile strength rope snap before Jess does and something awful cracks and is yanked inside his shoulder Jess doesn't see what happens to someone. He sees a flash of blond, a faint blur of crystal, and hurdles into Sam with a tumble.
There is an oddly natural sensation at being flung, the first quick rush of stale hot wind, and then the jolt as 15,800 pounds of tensile strength rope snap before Jess does and something awful cracks and is yanked inside his shoulder Jess doesn't see what happens to Elias. He sees a flash of blond, a faint blur of crystal, and hurdles into Sam with a tumble.
Collapsing against a wall with Jess , Sam tries hard to remain standing, then... the rift... Elias... the shard...
Silence. The jock crumples, the adrenaline fading from his body as he lets out a pained hiss, and he just leans back against the wall. He pauses, then lets out a trembling, frustrated laugh, devoid of humor, and full of impotent rage. He does not move, instead looking to Juniper , and Victoria.
"... F-f-FUCK!" He exclaims. Nothing more.
"No, no, nononono NO NO!" Juniper's panic runneth over when chaos subsides and whatever peanut butter her body had moved through kept her from getting anywhere in time, like trying to sprint in a nightmare. But when everything is done, sprint she does - hopelessly - to the place where the monolith, guardian, and Elias once were. "Elias!" She screams his name, raw and uncaring about the echoes of that reverberate of the cursed selenite and reveal her pain. Oppressive heat builds and Juniper pants from the exertion of battle, environment and overwhelming frustration. She begins touching everything she can, every surface of crystal - anything that might hum with magic that she can make angry enough to consider spitting him back out again - OR consider taking her too.
Trevor watches in almost horror as Elias is yanked, slurped and sucked into that rift. It all happens way too fast for Trevor to really do anything, and by the time Elias is gone Trevor has only just gotten the rope on his waist untied, tossing it - way, way too late - at the spot where the rift was. "Eli-" Trevor words are cut off when he realizes he's not going to be of any help here. So, his eyes trail across the room towards Juniper and Victoria.
"June," Victoria's hand reaches, grasps Juniper's shoulder. "Hey," she says quietly, tugging on her in an attempt to break her panic.
Adrenaline and noises crumble Jess to his feet. And it is that- not a triumphant rise, but shaky shiver of arm that isn't ready to help with weight before he disperses onto his feet. A sharp shattered crystal was just an inch to right of where his neck fell. Funny, that.
He looks up and wonders at the enemy. Where to charge, what to push and pull, but there's nothing but loss at the end of the battle.
He settles easily into that feeling, and begins to tentatively prod his shoulder.
No matter how much wishful thinking, searching for signs of a portal, or whatever else. It seems that none of them make a difference. While opening portals to the elemental planes are possible, it takes specialized rituals that no one present knows how to perform, at least, not how to open one in this place. The oppressive heat and humidity pummel those that do not have resistances to such. The caverns are deadly silent, save for the adventurers remaining.
Sam's voice is soft, laced in pain, and perhaps some other emotions that a tough jock like himself would never admit to. "... F-fuck. He had a plan." He nods to himself. "He had a plan." He just mutters it to himself, or perhaps a little to whoever is listening. He does not really try to be heard, instead sort of sitting there, against the crystal. His tongue flicks against the roof of his mouth. Copper.
"... Fuck." He shakes his head.