Re: [Zorolo] Aegis Spade's Training
Not able to react quick enough the ground dropped out from under Aegis' feet, and sent him plummeting into the darkness below.
"What the fuuuuuuuu..."
Spade landed with a splash, as the floor above him closed up. He was a foot deep in water, in a dimly lit stone tunnel. It was about seven feet high, and four feet wide. A series of flickering lanterns were fixed at intervals along the walls, illuminating the waterway enough to make out his surroundings. He rubbed his back as he stood up, "Damn kids..."
'right, time t'get movin'.
Aegis began to walk in the direction he was currently facing, which was following the current of the murky, and no doubt quite unsanitary water which he stood in. After his time in Kukulu's cavern, this stench wasn't all that bad. With a quick swig from his flask, he walked on.
After a good ten minutes, he heard a new sound over the ambiance of slowly moving water. It was an odd scuttling noise, like a two rocks being tapped together in rapid succession. Not about to take chances already, he drew one of his two Ebonies and kept moving, his senses a little more alert. Up ahead, there was an intersection, three directions to chose from. All three were lit the same, and generally identical. He picked his left, but was quickly met with a sharp drop no less than thirty feet down the path. He glanced over the edge and let out a low whistle. Ain' no way I'm makin' it down there. The pirate turned around, and made a left at the intersection, continuing the path he originally had chosen.
Again, the scuttling noise returned. Aegis froze in place, handgun at the ready. He pivoted, looking behind him and in front several times before continuing his advance. "Souns like'a big crab'r somethin'." He came to another intersection, and turned right. The current at his ankles began to pick up pace as he walked down the flickering tunnel. Up ahead, he could make out some sort of drop off, and what looked like a large room. Curious, he picked up his pace. Twenty feet later, he skidded to a stop at the edge of a massive cliff.
The square end of the tunnel met with the wall of a massive cylindrical room. At steady intervals all around the room's walls were holes exactly like the one Aegis now stood in, each one with a small waterfall of green liquid. The flow of water under his feet simply fell off of the ledge, plummeting to the massive reservoir of sewage water at the bottom. Spade held on to the wall's edge and leaned out over it. He whistled again, "Nope, not makin' that one, either." He glanced to his left, and right outside of his tunnel-hole was a metal ladder. His eyes followed the ladder up, and up, and all the way to the top, where it reached a somewhat-strong looking catwalk that crossed the room. At its apex was another ladder that reached up to a small iron door on the ceiling.
Aegis shook his head, "Not takin' this one without a good drink'a three." He quickly downed what seemed to be the entire contents of his flask in several large gulps, before closing the lid and wiping his mouth with his jacket's sleeve. Spade holstered and secured his Ebony, muttered a few prayers to El Dio, took one long look at the black spot on his palm, and let out a long breath. He knew all too well that a fall like this would be lethal.
"'s showtime."
Captain Spade reached his arm out, and grasped onto the first rung of the ladder. He swung himself out, and put his full weight onto the metal construct. It held fast, much to his relief. He glanced upwards, it looked like a good two hundred feet before he'd reach the catwalk. He started climbing, hand over hand. It wasn't so bad really, once he got used to the sound of rushing water all around him. At about seventy feet however, he heard a sound he didn't want to be hearing, that damned scuttling-crab noise. But this time, it sounded much, much bigger. Aegis didn't risk a look behind him, and hurried up the ladder.
The sound of screeching rock was joined with a bubbly "Csh-csh-csh", which sounded very much alive. At about a hundred twenty feet, Spade glanced down behind him just in time to see a giant greyish pincer, easily fifty feet across reach into the room far, far below. It was followed by another larger one, which were both connected to a wide, flat disc shaped armor plated body. Two small beady eyes sat on elevated stalks which were fed into slots on the creature's armored shell. It floated out into the center of the pool below, hundreds of lets skritching and splashing to move it along. Spade's eyes widened, and he climbed with renewed vigor. It's salright, that big ole' thing can't climb up here, I'll be fine...
More scritching. Aegis glanced back down as he climbed, and saw that the "Crab's" legion of legs were more than capable of pulling it up the wall. The beast csh-csh-chs'd louder as it ascended, holding it's gargantuan pincers high in the air. Its grey armor was covered with small holes which looked like they were decayed due to some sort of nasty infection. They pulsated a sickly looking purple as their host moved. Spade's boots clanked against the ladder's rungs loudly as he climbed. Looking up, he was a mere thirty feet away from the long catwalk.
Within twenty seconds, he pulled himself onto the grated metal surface of the catwalk, and leaned over the rail. His pursuer was still moving, and was gaining on him. It was already past the point where he had started his climb. Cursing under his breath, he sprinted across the shaky catwalk as fast as he could, praying desperately that the thing didn't fall out from under his feet. The constant csh-csh-csh grew louder, and now Spade could hear the crushing force of the beast's pincers as they reached higher and higher.
He was at the last ladder, which was only about fifteen feet and ended at the heavy looking iron door. Not bothering to check his surroundings, he bolted up it, reaching the hatch in seconds. Grunting with exertion, he pushed up at it with all his might. It didn't budge. Csh-csh-csh.
"Damn thin' must be old!"
He struggled again, but the blasted thing didn't move at all. Spade cursed vividly, and glanced below him. The crab's pincer was only fifty feet down now, and it snapped menacingly up at him. Starting to get rather worried, Aegis grabbed one of his revolvers, aimed it at what looked like the hatch's hinge, and pulled the trigger. The bullet ricocheted with a metallic ding, not effecting the door's surface in the least bit. He fired again for good measure, but it was no use. Frustrated, he stomped down on the ladder hard and let out a exasperated shout. Below him, the monster was getting closer, much closer.
Csh-csh-csh.
"Dios damn this! 'wish this bloody catwalk'd have fell down when I firs saw it! Then I wouldn' be....stuck up...Thass'it!"
A grin cracked over Aegis' face, he'd found a way out. Or at the very least, a way to get rid of this damn crab. Without pausing, Aegis took aim at the far end of the room, where the catwalk's supports met the ceiling. He fired off two shots, one for each support. His revolver kicked in his hand as he heard the sound of breaking metal over the sound of his impending death. Quickly, he swung around the ladder, and took another shot at one of the supports on the far side. Now, he waited.
A huge armored claw swung in Aegis' direction, smashing into the stone ceiling above him. The beast growled bubbly in frustration, and large chunks of stone plummted down from the ceiling. Spade held onto the ladder tightly with one arm, and aimed downwards with his pistol with the other. He squeezed the trigger again, sending his fifth bullet towards the monster below.
The round struck one of its huge black eyes, splattering the shell behind it with a bloody pulp. The crustataion screamed in anger, its grip on the wall slacking, letting it slide down a bit in recoil. Blood streamed from the eye stump, as the beast stabbed its claw forward with great force and speed. Aegis braced himself, clinging to the ladder for his life.
The point of the beast's pincer slammed through the iron door, mere feet above Aegis' head. The ladder shook wildly as more stone was dislodged, but it held fast. A column of light shined down into the room, illuminating it for the first time in ages. The monster screamed in agony, averting its remaining eye from the blinding light. Spade swung around and took aim at the final catwalk support. He fired, knocking the last support free.
With a tremendous screech, the iron catwalk fell free, and smashed directly into the monster below. The force of its fall cracked the beast's armor, and tore its legs from the stone wall. The beast let out one more scream and it fell from the wall. Aegis hung from the ladder, his revolver still smoking in his grip, and watched the creature's long trip down, not breaking his gaze until he heard the colossal splash as it hit the pond's surface.
"I realleh gotta stay'way from places tha' smell. Tha' must be what that damn kid was tryn' teach me..."
The pirate let out a relieved sigh, and climbed up the remainder of the ladder, into the bright light above.