Journey to the Center of the Dome (Hito and Ciro graduation)

Alrighty, here's you guys' last assignment. Both of your first posts will be explaining your character receiving notice from a Domerii that Orysius is ready to give his final test, and that you should report to room 845B to begin it. Your character will find this room located a good ways from their own room, but straight down the same passageway. When they open the door, they will be in a dark cavern with two torches on the walls. Beside each torch is a big red arrow pointing deeper down into the cave. There will be no more arrows like this, but this should be all that is necessary to reassure your characters that Orysius is deeper within.

Ciroton, you will go first. You will end your post with your character grabbing a torch from the wall and preparing to go deeper in. Hito, you will have Joker head down after that and find Ciro's character there, and end your post. Together, beginning with Ciro's second post, they will then go in search of Orysius.

There will be twenty posts in this thread excluding any I make, ten from each of you. You will maintain the same order throughout the entire thread. What I want to see here is your best attempt at utilizing everything you know as a writer--dialogue, action, good diction for the setting, everything. This cave is full of perils, and what they are is completely up to you. Be creative! I may give pointers as you go along, just some final words of advice before you leave my tutelage.

Good luck, and let it be known that I have had a fantastic time teaching you both!

OoC: Hopefully, this is good enough to not be used a toilet paper. ^_^;;

BiC:

A few days passed since her rather disrespectful display in front of the Grand Fairy. In that time, she managed to find her room in the dome, but beyond that, nothing else happened. Lying on her soft bed, the half demon stared blankly at the White ceiling out of sheer boredom. Sure, a television and a connection to the Internet lay in wait in this abode, but she just didn’t have the drive to do anything today. However, she would need to find that drive soon for what lie in wait.

Upon first finding it, the half demon could not help but find herself awed by the exact match between this place and her room back home. In fact, if she didn’t know any better, she could have sworn that the door was a portal to her room at home. Alas, soon the novelty of it all wore off, leaving her in her current bored and listless state.

Suddenly, a loud pop broke the long-standing silence, causing the lunar demon to literally jump to the ceiling, holding on for dear life. Rolling over so that her back pointed toward the ceiling, she looked down and saw a strange creature. It looked around, as though looking for something, or someone. Its intentions, however, remained a mystery.

“Oy!” The creature spoke after finding her on the ceiling. “What are you doing up there?”

“Hanging around,” Aleena replied spitefully. “Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here!?”

“My, my we are the saucy one, aren’t we? I am a messenger of the dome, a Domerii if you will, and I have come here today to deliver a letter addressed to you from Master Orysius. Now, please come down so I can give it to you.”

Cautiously, the lunar demon floated down to her bed, sitting neatly on the edge beside the strange creature. He promptly handed the letter over to her before vanishing in a plume of colourful smoke that dissipated by the time she ripped the envelope open, and began to read.

My newest Student,

Please make your way to room 845B as soon as you can. Despite your very short stay here at the dome, it is time for your final test. Pass it and you graduate.

See you then,

Orysius.

Immediately, the half demon’s interest peaked. Graduation also meant that she could leave and go about on her life journey, despite it being as boring as hell. Jumping to her feet, she quickly collected her trusty sword and ran out the door, into the expansive halls of the dome. Looking around, she saw numbers over each of the doors, the one above her being number fifty-seven. Finding the next number up, the lunar demon began sprinting in that direction, knowing it would take a while to walk there.

Whizzing past doors and people alike, she had no intention on stopping for anything. Like a runaway train, she plowed through patches of wet floor and small puddles of blood. Nothing could stop her from getting to that room and graduation, except, maybe, a cry for help. Thankfully, none came as she plowed into the eight hundreds, now slowing down so she didn’t miss 845B.

An imposing set of medieval, wooden doors marked the space beneath the sign of 845B as Aleena approached it. Grasping the iron ring of a doorknob in her hand, she pulled on it, opening the door and allowing sunlight and the light from two torches to blend with each other. The reunion lasted only until she closed the massive doors behind her, the door hitting the frame heavily.

On the walls, she notices two bold, red arrows painted on the walls flanking a set of stairs that descended into darkness. Satisfied that she had all her equipment, Aleena grabbed the closest torch and pulled it from its holder. Looking down the dark chasm, she had no idea what lie in wait. Obviously, if this were really graduation, it would be quite difficult. Suddenly, just as she was about to descend down the stairs, the door behind her began to squeak and open.

Late afternoon a few days after Joker had found his room found him sitting on his window sill and staring out over the expansive grounds before him. Perhaps to a few people the sight of a forest on fire as a dragon soared above it bugling might have been slightly disconcerting. Even the fact that in another section of forest bright lights and trees toppling over as though hit by a great force should have made someone uneasy as to what else could be residing in those woods.

No, to someone of Joker’s ilk the view before him was tame to those witnessed in the Dream Realms where imagination ruled. The only thing that could cause discomfort was that what he watched now was all real… and even that was trivial when his own powers allowed him to make his dreams reality.

What caused a slight frown to mar the usual geniality upon his features was the fact he was getting bored. Joker liked to have little things amuse him, things to keep him active and moving so that he would have no time to think on serious issues or events. It was one reason he had amassed an army of squirrels who made bombs out of acorns.

A small sound jarred him from the pyrotechnics blazing uncontrollably before him, his purple eyes moving towards the doorway where it stood inching open. His catlike eyes flicked down, a smile breaking across his features as he turned fully to the entrance of his abode and what creature had decided to pay him a visit. He only hoped it wasn’t the same creature that had brought him to his room; a wall climbing individual would ruin his plan.

The door swung fully open and in its open mouth stood a small creature garbed in black hooded robes that concealed its body completely. All that was visible to Joker was the small paw-like hands that gripped a letter between them.

“I come on behalf of-” the words were soft spoken but cut off abruptly as the being stepped forward into the portal Joker had created within the entryway to his room… that led to a portal in his ceiling that would drop whoever was in it into another portal in the floor in a cycle that would inch them closer to where Joker sat.

Joker sat and smiled as he saw the little messenger drop from the ceiling ten times before arriving lightly before him on solid ground, upon which it swayed.

“Greetings and welcome to Joker’s abode, denizen of these parts!” Joker threw his arms out and gave his best show-man’s grin, looking down at what had to be a woozy resident.

All his response earned was a paw with a letter rumpled by its deliverer’s fear tightened grip shoved in his direction.

“Message. From Master Orysius.”

Those terse words delivered, the being vanished into smoky swirls, leaving Joker with a bemused expression on his face.

“Well now, if he could vanish whenever he wanted why ever did he bother going through all those portals?” Giving a little snicker, the Dream Weaver opened his letter, hoping that whoever this Master Orysius was, he would explain exactly what Joker was doing in his domain.

Dear Student,

Get your ass down to room 845B now. You will face your final test there.

Orysius

Joker blinked at the short, terse note. Really, it didn’t explain anything at all. For one thing, Joker had yet to face any tests at all, let alone a ‘final’ test now. Unless dealing with a wall climber and a now traumatized messenger were tests.

“Ara, what an odd place Joker finds himself in~ Nothing for Joker to do but go to this room and see what it holds…” Standing up he checked that both his daggers were upon his person and deciding they were all he needed to survive he departed.

Figuring no real rush was needed, he proceeded down the corridors aimlessly, checking room numbers every now and then to ensure he was travelling in the correct direction. When he got lazy from walking, he created portals to the end of whichever corridor he happened to be in to lessen the distance. It was more fun when he created portals in the floor to sink down various staircases faster.

Eventually, he found his way to the designated room, raising an eyebrow at the heavy wooden paneling and iron ring that served as a handle. Grasping it, he pulled it open and was surprised at the dark interior lit only by two torches… one of which was held in the hands of a white haired girl.

Thoughts moved in Joker’s head swiftly, all possible situations and conclusions forming then being dismissed as nonsensical and incoherent until he settled on the only reason that girl could be there.

“YOU BE JOKER’S TEST!”

Upon his declaration, he pulled a dagger and brandished it towards her, the smile on his face seemingly at odds with the fact she could be a threat to his life.

OoC: It's not very long because I had nop idea where to run with it. Oh, and I hope my portrayal of Joker is more accurate then it was in Underground Twilight, Chibi. ^_^;;

BiC:
Allowing her initial startle to subside, the half demon stared at the strange man brandishing a dagger in front of her. What the hell is this guy’s problem? She thought. One could hardly blame her for her reaction; it wasn’t everyday a random stranger burst into a room, calling you his final test. Shaking all of this out of her mind, she finally managed to voice her opinion of him. “Are you nuts?” The half demon asked.

“No, silly,” replied the strange man. “Joker be Joker~!” His voice sounded unrestrained and carefree, almost as though he never had a bad word spoken to him in all his life. It sickened the half demon to her very stomach, having faced discrimination when she could barely even walk. Thank goodness those days ended a while after moving, but they still left their scar.

“Who the hell do you think you are, bursting into rooms then declaring people this and that!?” She spat angrily. “Besides that, what the hell are you doing here!?”

“Humph! You’re not very nice,” Joker replied mockingly. “Joker would never tell you that he got a letter from a guy called Oryrsius. Not even if you hurt him!” Sticking his tongue out at her at the end, Aleena could not help but think this guy really was crazy. However, she suddenly realized he mentioned the name of her teacher.

“Wait, your teacher is Orysius?” Aleena asked. “But… My teacher is Ory…” However, before she could continue Joker suddenly jumped at her with his dagger drawn, probably intent on getting the first hit in.

Reacting instinctively, she ducked down from his sudden leap. Then, just when he passed the right spot over head, she threw herself onto the stone floor. Using the energy of the movement to aid her, she used her legs to push the one named Joker away from her, into the air. This caused the insane jester to catapult past her, down the deep, dark stairs.

“I’m not your challenge! We both have the same teacher!” Aleena shouted to him all throughout her counter-assault.

OoC: You got Joker done well, and hopefully I got Aleena alright XD I'm basing her off all those times she beat up Joker for some kind of errant comment =P

Many thoughts whirled through Joker’s mind as he plummeted down the stairwell, the most pressing being the pain he would no doubt feel when he finally deigned to make contact with the unyielding ground. He didn’t like pain, probably because it was, as the name suggested, painful. He knew he went out of his way to annoy people, and that was certainly asking for some form of punishment, yet it seemed he had landed himself with a woman who was quite willing to deal it out as she saw fit.

Hence leading to his current appointment with The Floor; after he had finished with the hastily scheduled Undetermined Drop of course.

Rude though it would be; and even though he was sometimes called a public nuisance he did endeavor to be polite, Joker sadly realized he would need to cancel his meeting with The Floor. After all, he had left what he assumed would be his partner all on her lonesome.

Those thoughts, minus the trivialities brought on by his eccentric thinking patterns, took all of a few moments, with the solution to portal his way back to the starting point of his journey an added bonus.

A swirling purple vortex opened up before him, linked to the beginning of the stairs at an elevated height and angle. Those precautions became obvious as Joker hurtled through the portal with open arms, appearing above and behind the white haired girl. Though he had control over the portals, he could not check his speed and as such he fell upon the girl heavily, in an impromptu tackle hug.

“Did you miss Joker~?” The question came out of his mouth with such good cheer; he could practically feel the girl’s hackles rising in response. Obviously one with issues, Joker thought to himself.

That would have been an understatement, for the girl gave an incoherent yell, flipped Joker over her back and proceeded to acquaint her elbow to his stomach with punishing force.

“What the hell is your problem!?” she yelled at him, her eyes blazing with fury.

Joker sucked in a breath, his stomach protesting the beating it was taking. He would have loved to answer that question but alas, she had driven the much needed air from his lungs.

Snarling, she rose, clutching her torch as though it would keep from doing him anymore harm, “I assume you are here to find Orysius as well and are a … fellow student?”

Perhaps it was only in Joker’s head, but he got the distinct feeling she wanted to have nothing in common with his esteemed self.

Nodding, Joker crossed his legs as he stayed on the floor looking up at her with amused eyes, ignoring the pains of his body, “Joker only got to this place and suddenly received a note saying he was to come to this room and face his final test. Joker could only assume it was you when he entered, but Joker sees he was mistaken,” that was the closest he would come to apologizing, his smile at odds with his intended meaning – he had obviously enjoyed surprising her.

When the white haired girl continued to glare at him stonily, Joker got to his feet and sighed, “That big arrow means for us to go down, yes? Joker has already travelled some of that distance with your aid so if you wish…” he trailed off, indicating the portal he had come out of. It had lowered to the floor to provide easy access.
Seeing her mistrusting gaze, Joker stepped into the portal himself, appearing on the other side on the stairs far below. Turning, he called up them, waving his torch to the speck of light he could see at the top of the stairs, “Joker be safe and waiting! Hurry so we can find this test!”

Even as he spoke he felt a sudden chill brush down his spine, causing him to half-turn towards the shadows leading down the stairs. Darkness was thick, and he realized all too abruptly that there was a final test, and no doubt other smaller – or not so small- tests before they would reach it.

A slow deadly hissing gurgle seemed to answer and confirm his thoughts, as he stood with torch upraised and dagger firmly in his grip…

Despite her instant distrust for the idiot, Aleena secretly applauded their shared eagerness to get the test over with. Of course, she would never tell him that. Looking down the steep, jagged staircase she saw only a small point of light that was Joker’s torch. Sighing quietly, coming to the realization they would be working together no matter what, she slowly descended the treacherous stairs.

The thick veil of darkness quickly choked the light coming from her torch, allowing her only a small bubble of light, save for the second torch at the bottom. About half way down the stairs, a deathly hissing noise like that of an angry snake reached her ears, growing louder with every step. It couldn’t be a snake though; the sound was too inorganic.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, she saw the tunnel ahead took a steep angle downward, as though towards the pits of hell themselves. Fungus and mold grew on the damp stone walls, giving the impression that a source of water lay nearby. Indeed, the odd drip of water reached her sensitive, elf-like ears as they echoed through the abyss.

Suddenly, a loud crash and a plume of ancient dust flew from behind them, startling the half demon enough for her to shout in surprise. “Hehe,” Joker chuckled. “Joker thinks it’s funny you got scared by a slamming door.” His chuckling turned to full-blown laughter as blood flowed into her cheeks, tinting them a distinct shade of red.

Curling her fist, she struck a smart blow to the idiot’s head. He yelped in pain as he clutched a small lump that began to grow, saying, “Ow! Why you hit Joker!? Can’t Joker laugh at your expense?”

“Of course not, you idiot!” Aleena scolded. Turing around, she saw his assumption was right on the money. A large, stone wall slammed on the top step, blocking the path to the door. “Well, there’s no going back now. We’d better press on,” she said grudgingly, still enraged that a person like him had to tag along.

Taking cautious steps forward, with Joker trailing behind, the half demon could hear the hissing noise grow louder still. “Just what the hell is that?” She asked aloud.

“Joker think it be an angry Wampletinger!” he said gleefully, as always.

“A what?” Aleena in inquired.

“A Wampletinger! A large bunny rabbit that be a vicious demon!” Shaking her head, the half demon thought to herself, Note to self: Never ask what something is with the moron hanging around. Eventually, the duo made it down the steep tunnel, coming to a flat section that led to a sharp 180-degree turn. Beyond that lay another steep downward section, the hissing becoming predominate against all other noises.

“Joker be bored~!” The idiot spoke over the loud hissing. “Joker also wonders what that noise is! It’s hurting Joker’s ears!” Ignoring him, their torches soon revealed a greenish haze that covered the path, spanning beyond the thick darkness.

“It could be poisonous,” The half-breed reasoned. The source of the antagonizing noise appeared to come from the hoses that ejected the green mist. Looking over to joker, she looked at him and said, “I know! You cold make a portal over to the other side, then we won’t have to worry!”

“Nope,” replied the man. “Joker can only make portals to places he’s visited before.”

“Damn,” She cursed. “I guess that means we’ll have to run across.” Reaching into her pocket, the half demon withdrew a bloodstained handkerchief she used to clean her sword. Wrapping it across her nose and mouth, she hoped the cloth and blood would cancel out whatever that gas did to people. Looking over, she saw Joker do something similar. “Rea-?” Aleena started.

However, before she could even finish, Joker bounded off into the gassy darkness. Groaning, the half demon reluctantly gave chase, entering the gas as well. “Wait up!” She shouted to him. Alas, he continued his sprit, disregarding whatever she said. That idiot is going to get himself killed, she thought angrily.

Only after a couple of minutes of running could Aleena tell her handkerchief did nothing to stop the gas. Her vision started to become blurry, somehow turning the dark tones of the corridor into a bright myriad of colours, some she’d never seen before. Looking ahead, Joker split into to two, each moving at the same speed and moving the same way. Everything, including herself, began to slow down the deeper they went.

The ground suddenly began to tremble and shake, as though an earthquake rocked the earth around them. Looking back, the half demon saw a mighty locomotive barreling down on her. Her eyes went wide, causing adrenaline to pump through her system, making her run faster. All concepts of the train being an illusion fled her as the gas continued to take effect.

Tripping on a large pothole, the half demon twisted her body in mid air, causing her to roll along the hard, cold stone floor. Rolling across the floor, the dungeon slowly melted away, turning into a beautiful field full of strawberries and butterflies, the sun shining brightly overhead. Coming to a stop, she lay on her back in the field, not wanting to move from her spot due to the lethargy that swallowed her brain.

I don’t know what happened, but I don’t care, Aleena thought happily, staring at a cow flying in the sky. Bliss and calm replaced all thoughts of anger and malice, bringing her peace for the first time in ages.

OoC: I don't know what you had planned for that hissing noise, chibi, but I though it would be funny if it was a gas that effected different people in different ways. (In Aleena's case: A hallucinogenic drug-like gas. ^_^ I know, I'm so mean. >=3

Joker paused, his hand falling to his side as he came to two realizations. One was that the gas was not deadly, and as such he no longer bothered with holding his oxygen converter over his nose and mouth. The second was that he was no longer with his partner.

“Ara, Joker has blown it this time… Joker should not have ventured forth without asking her NAME!” Shaking his head he pouted and folded his arms, “How is Joker meant to call for her if he does not know what to call out? The rudeness of the girl to not introduce herself, was she brought up in an uncivilized time?”

Sighing and knowing that his monologue would not help him find her sooner, he turned and tried to make his way back up the stairs.

“White haired girl! Where did you go? You’re starting to worry me!” Joker walked a few more steps then froze as his words echoed around him. No… he wouldn’t have said that.

“I…I’m talking… normally?” his words came out half whispered and cracked in horror.

“The gas… it’s having an effect on my speech patterns? No not just that… it’s… my thought patterns. I’m thinking as I did before I encountered the Dream Realm, back when I was…” blinking he stretched one hand forward and tried to summon a portal.

“Damn it! It’s like it reset my mind to a time where I couldn’t do such things, and as such I can’t think, speak or do anything that I learned after that point!” Frowning hard, he began to pace up and down a short distance of flat earth.

“I’ve become a normal person, bound by normal rules. That’s the effect this gas has on me. Does it have the same effect on that girl? I really have to find her, she might be in danger and if we both have no powers or skills at our disposal…” groaning, Joker slammed a fist into the wall. How he hated being normal of all things. To be common place, mundane. It threatened to throw him on a mental loop.

“No no no, I’m beginning to wallow in my own self pity. I never do that anymore! For God’s sake, did I lose the teaching Kinrei gave me on not being such a self absorbed prick?” Growling at himself, he made his way back upwards, his hand on the wall beside him a guide to know he was ascending and not venturing further into the gas. Hopefully, his companion wasn’t too far behind otherwise it would be too bothersome trying to find –

“Argh! I was about to think she wasn’t worth going back for! Even my thinking is becoming selfish again!”

Slapping himself, he continued his trek, determination set on his face. He would find the girl and they would go forth through the gas til it ended.

Pausing, he looked around seeing no real change. Stamping one foot however, made him realize that the sound echoes as if he was within a large room. When he had done the same earlier, the sound had been the shorter echo of a stairway.

“White haired girl? Are you here?” Joker moved forwards slowly, squinting in a futile effort to see through the gas. Nothing changed for what seemed to be a few meters and then the haze became a little clearer.

“Lady? If you hear me, say something!” wincing as his language was starting to become more formal, Joker was suddenly afraid that the gas was constantly making his mind move backwards. It was a frightening thought as it meant if he didn’t find the girl within a certain amount of time, he might well revert to the mind of a child.

A glint of white at the corner of his eye, and he spun around to see the girl sprawled out on the floor and staring upwards at something with a transfixed yet slack look upon her face.

“Milady, thank the powers that be, I’ve found you! Are you injured in any way?” as he knelt beside her, her face tilted towards him her eyes dazed looking, the pupils dilated.

As he felt her forehead, she giggled, “Stop that, you’ll disturb the cow and it’ll fall if I don’t keep watching it!”

Joker blinked, her words making no sense to him at all. It annoyed him since he might have understood it had he been his old... or should he say his new self.

“What on earth are you talking about, woman? There are no cows, nothing but rocks and that noxious gas that seems to be making you giddy.”

“Noooo, peaceful. I’m peeeeaceful. It seems new, I like it and want to stay here. With the peaceful.”

Joker frowned at her, a muscle in his jaw ticking at her nonsense words, “Milady, I must insist we depart from here swiftly. This gas is nothing that will bring you real peace.”

Her eyes focused on him suddenly, narrowing dangerously, “You wants it all for yourself!”

“No I- Oh what ever. You may keep your peace.” Joker threw his hands up and stood, glaring down at this girl who had changed so drastically from the one who had near spat acid at him before.

Seemingly placated by his sudden change of heart, she settled back to watch her cow – only to have her view obstructed then upended on her as Joker’s shoulder invaded her sight as he hauled her up in the air.

“The cow! He’ll fall!!!! Don’t you care if he dies?!” her cries for the safety of a cow did nothing to restore Joker’s humor, though he was glad she was still ‘peaceful’ and not attacking him.

“Milady, after we make it through this mist, I do hope you’ll have forgotten the way I speak at this moment… that is all I care about – oh and having my mind restored to its original state.

So saying, he tuned out her words and walked down the staircase, hoping the gas would end and that his new found lack of patience would last the journey. It wouldn’t be polite for him to dump the girl on her head after all. She was addled enough already."

Did he just say that all aloud?

As swiftly as her concerns came, so too did they take flight from the addled half-breed’s mind as the changed Joker hauled her over his shoulder. Finding her protests falling upon deaf ears, she resigned herself to the fact that the flying cow, in all it’s majesty, would fall from the warm sky and hit the cold ground below.

A new wave of blissful peace rolled over her as they descended the winding stairs, the noxious gas slowly thinning out the further on they went. None of that mattered to Aleena, considering a new illusion had taken hold of her. Gone were the rolling fields of strawberries, now replaced with endless sky. Since the cow died she, apparently, took on its roll. Soaring through the azure blue sky, all negative thoughts fell to the wayside.

“Wee~!” She said giddily. “I’m flyyyyying!” A broad grin plastered itself on her face, lifting her head and limbs, still resting on Joker’s shoulder. Giggling loudly, she began to flap her arms, trying to imitate a bird in flight, taking no care to avoid Joker’s head.

“Milady,” started Joker, in between exclamations of pain. “Please stop hitting me, or so help me…” Slapping himself, the addled half demon giggled again, this time at his antics.

“Why you slap yourself?” Aleena started. “You’re silly and dwessed funny tooo~!”

Despite his cool look, the half demon returned to her happy place amongst the kitten-shaped clouds, her body falling limp on Joker’s shoulder. The sensation of flying kept a hold over her mind, envisioning herself as a shooting start, rocketing toward the earth. Along the way, she happily gobbled down on the smaller meteors and space debris, filling her stomach so she would bounce on impact.

However, impact never came, for at the last second of her free fall she pulled herself out of the dive, flying toward the wild and untamed sky once more. Lakes became nothing more then puddles to her, and oceans naught more then giant bathtubs. For the first time in years, Aleena felt like she could do anything, go anywhere, and be anything.

Lost in the bliss, the young half demon began to sing to herself, although her serenade penetrated her partner’s ears just as easily. “I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together. See how they run like pigs from a gun, see how they fly. I’m crying…” Aleena sung gleefully, obviously too displaced from reality to notice she actually sung.

In her addled mind, she could see her words escape from her mouth, flying with her and encircling her like children do to their parents. Feelings of comfort and joy surrounded her, causing her to lust for the positive feelings to stay with her for all eternity. Never again did she want to go back to being angry and distant towards people, for it didn’t help in the friendship department.

Meanwhile, in the real world her body hung limp on the shoulder of a Dream Weaver, running down the tight, narrow staircase towards an eluding speck of light far below. A look of extreme concentration etched itself on his face, so intent on reaching the bottom of the spiral stairs that he did not notice the unusual amounts of drool coming from the demons’ mouth.

“Finally!” Joker shouted as they exited the dark staircase. “At last, we have emerged from the treacherous gas. Are you okay, Milady?” Looking down, only then did he see how much she drooled on his clothes. Shouting in distress, he pulled her off his shoulder and onto the green grass. “Wait a minute,” he spoke. “We’re underground…”

Turing away from the stone wall, the addled jester found a beautiful, puzzling, and intriguing sight all rolled into one. In fact, he could not help but allow his jaw to drop at the sheer might of the images reaching his tired, still adjusting eyes. I wonder what his problem is? Aleena thought dreamily as visions of reality came back, although the bliss refused to leave.

Everywhere he looked, the picturesque landscape never wavered. It stretched far into the horizon, a sea of green grass that swayed on a warm gentle breeze. Spots of color in the form of wild flowers grew abundantly, the rainbow blossoms almost joyous as their fragrances mingled to create a bouquet of smells that made the mind think of summer days. Above, the sky was a blue that was nearly piercing to look upon, the clouds floating across the vista fluffy and harmless.

“I don’t trust it,” the words hung in the air with foreboding, a dark counterpoint to the perfect day.

Aleena, still affected by the gas as was Joker, looked at him blearily before spinning to look around, “I don’t see what your problem is, everything looks fiiiiine to me~!”

Purple eyes cut to hers, the eyes nearly slitting in their annoyance, “Milady, after being subjected to that noxious gas earlier, I must admit I am a tad wary of what this place might hold – especially as we are currently underground and yet there is a sky above us!”

The demon refused to care, clinging to that bliss that still permeated her mind, “It looks harmless to me!”

A hand stabbed forward, narrowly missing her nose as it pointed into the distance, “Perhaps, milady, you failed to notice THAT.”

Seeing her glare at his finger, Joker could almost imagine her contemplating biting down on it, and quickly pulled it away, not missing the way her mouth pulled down in a pout before she finally turned to see what had upset him.

Her eyebrows rose, and she stared in what seemed to be awe. Joker couldn’t be sure, he still doubted her ability to think clearly and indeed, what he mistook for awe could indeed be something more akin to incomprehension.

“There are bubbles. In the air,” Aleena said this triumphantly, almost as if to prove Joker wrong on his derogatory imaginings of her mental faculty.

It was true, there were bubbles all over the landscape, each one surrounding a bit of land or air and piled together with their sides connected. It reminded Joker strongly of his times as a lad, playing in the bathtub and making piles of bubbles and seeing them become square when another was surrounded. What he never had, was land within those bubbles. Nor was he ever inside one of them with what looked to be a giant eel floating high above with nasty looking barb at the end of its tail.

“How you failed to see that giant… snake… amazes me!” Joker nearly snarled at her, his eyes focusing on the said snake.

“Wha- oh! I saw it. Just because I didn’t say anything about it doesn’t mean I didn’t see it,” Aleena frowned; her eyes also following the sinuous path the serpent wove high above them. What happened next was something that was all too predictable.

“Milady…,” Joker gripped her arm tightly, ignoring the hiss that came from her direction. His eyes were transfixed as the monster casually nudged one of the bubbles, separating that piece of land from all the others. It circled it almost lovingly, rubbing its whole length against the clear surface.
Then with a whip like motion it slid away, its tail zigzagging in the air to slice faster than comprehendible. The bubble burst, and that piece of land within became frost white before disintegrating. Even as it fell, Joker could see the light bouncing off the dust, making the scene of horror almost beautiful.

“It… froze?” the question was uttered softly, and Joker glanced at the girl to see her watching the scene avidly. Her features had lost that vacant look and her eyes were slit.

“It would appear so… the bubbles protect us. That thing… destroys them,” Joker clenched his fists, his eyes now looking everywhere for a means of escape. The staircase from which they hadn’t strayed far from was behind a thin wall of transparent bubble skin; Joker had not even realized they had passed through one of the invisible boundaries.

“Perhaps we should go back and find another way…” he passed a hand through the bubble, and found it went through easily.

“MOVE!” Aleena’s yell was swift, her hand grasping him from the back of his shirt and pulling him with more strength than he would have given her credit for. She threw him back, just as the black and orange scales of the serpent slid into view just a meter away. It nudged the bubble with their exit, pulling it away and both Dream Weaver and Lunar Demon knew what would happen.

“We have to find another exit, before it destroys it!”

Almost as if that was a signal, the land beneath them shook. The serpent snake had rippled and as a result the bubbles all quavered beneath its influence. Many of the bubbles separated, floating freely from one another.

Joker cursed, falling to one knee as he lost his balance. One hand automatically clutched a dagger and he looked at the demon beside him.

“I have yet to fully recover from the gas. I’ll have to rely on you until I can at least portal us to the next bubble we see which has the exit in it, especially if it’s separated!”

He paused and his expression lightened abruptly, regardless of the situation they were in, "From here on, Joker is depending on you, senpai!"

Worry began to replace euphoria as the effects of the gas started to wear off. Looking around, with the limited time they had, she could only guess that another exit lay on the opposite side of the immense room. As the land began to freeze she had to act fast. If all else failed, they would have to kill the creature to allow a safe escape.

Grabbing the collar of Joker’s shirt, she pulled him along as she ran away from the entrance, building speed for a leap over to the unaffected section of the field. Swiftly, the threshold between dying land and endless void came upon them. Pieces of land began to fall away, creating potholes that could slow them down and lead to an uncertain end.

Seeing larger and larger chucks fall away, the half demon took a great leap of faith. Jumping to the air just as the whole section fell she adjusted the rooms’ gravitational pull to bring them to the other end quickly. Once there, she relaxed her hold and let gravity resume as normal; giving the illusion of a powerful leap that spanned the immense gap.

The lunar demon took no time to rest though, continuing her sprint to the end of the room instead. However, with dozens of pieces of land, all incased in bubbles, floating around them, finding the exit would be nothing short of a miracle. With the serpent making short work of each stray bubble, it would only be a matter of time before none remained.

Squinting her eyes, the half-demon could make out a small door hundreds of meters away from any of the bubbles. “Damn it,” she cursed. “There’s no way I could make a jump like that, and it looks like there is no path to it either.” With more bubbles popping every few minutes, the pressure began to build. Suddenly, the massive eel began to circle the area of land they stood on.

“Great,” Aleena said as the bubble started to drift away from the others. Bending her legs, she used all the force she could muster to propel themselves to a bubble floating just above, conveniently equipped with a ladder on the underside. Breaching the skin of the bubble, the sickening pop sounded that spelled that area’s doom. Alas, there was nothing the half demon or joker could do for the moment, aside from running.

With her arm extended to grab the ladder, the white-haired woman looked down to see the giant eel bearing down, or up as the case would be, on them. However, it didn’t look like it was actively chasing them. Instead, it appeared as thought the creature was merely curious of these creatures in it’s domain. The colours etched on the skin of the beast shined brightly, nearly made the half demon forget to grab the ladder she aimed for.

OoC: I had no idea if it would be a good idea to fight the eel, or to flee since I have no idea what it's able to do. Also, I had no idea if joker was beginning to recover, or not. =P I promise my next post will be much longer.

Joker almost felt ignored as Aleena single handedly ran through the bubbles, intent on her goal as she towed him along behind her with considerable strength. Indeed - he felt as though with her taking initiative once more he could feel free to let her run the show.

That belief wasn't taken seriously though as the bubble they had just escaped dissolved into nothing beneath them, the serpent's eyes watching them cling to the ladder on another piece of land.

"Arara, hurry up lady! Joker doesn't like hanging beneath you like this with a snake below him!" Joker head-butted her foot, urging her up the ladder as she stopped to stare at the snake's bright scales.

"Stop that!" Aleena snarled, her foot instantly slamming down on Joker's head and causing the young man to reel on the ladder. Muttering about idiots, Aleena quickly reached the top of the ladder, glaring at Joker who meekly followed her.

Rubbing his head and looking at her forlornly, Joker surveyed their new surrounds and where it was in relation to the exit. The exit was on a piece of land hovering below them and between them and it was the serpent itself.

"Ara, is that the way it is..." Joker peered over the edge and down at the scales the shimmered beneath. Really, this was just too troublesome.

Aleena frowned, "Do you have an idea or not? Otherwise we're going to have to navigate our way around that snake."

Smiling, Joker pointed beneath Aleena's feet in answer. Glaring at him, she looked down into a swirling purple mass that was Joker's portal.

"YOU BASTA-" her cry was cut off as she fell into it and Joker merrily leaped in after her.

"Joker has his powers back~ Joker has his powers back~!" he sang as he fell to the grass beside her and the exit. Above, the serpent seemed to confused, wondering where its prey had gone.

In answer, Aleena grabbed him by the collar and threw him through the exit, following after him swiftly before they grabbed the serpent's attention once more.

OoC: woohoo we're half way through this~! Joker has made a complete recovery and now tis your turn again to come up with some form of catastrophe.

OoC: You wanted a catastrophe, so I hope I delivered. =P Oh, and the music is the backround music from the Forest Temple of OoT. I thought it felt fitting. xD

BiC:
She would later regret her decision to fly face first into the portal door, actually, more like instantly. Dashing in revealed a solid stone wall right in front of her, which, going at her speed, she could not help but ram into face first, Joker nowhere in sight. However, events quickly transpired as the dazed half demon began to plummet down the damp, dark shaft into the cold abyss.

The drop seemed to last an eternity as single stones blurred into an incomprehensible blur of gray. Wind rushed past her elongated ears, nearly deafening her from the sheer pressure it exerted on her tender eardrums. Falling headfirst, she had the pleasure to see the black wall come at her in full detail. A wall of water slammed into the already drenched Joker, who stood on the edge of a water-filled pit that rested at the bottom of the long vertical shaft.

“Ara~!” He shouted. “Why you wet Joker more?”

Breaching the surface of the water, Aleena found herself too emotionally drained at the moment to deal with the idiot, so she cast his comment aside. Pulling herself out of the wet abyss, she counted herself lucky that spikes, or something even worse lay at the bottom instead.

“Let’s just keep going,” the half-demon sighed as she grabbed a new torch conveniently placed just a few feet from the water’s edge. “I have a hunch things are only going to get harder from here on out, so I think you should shut up, and stop acting like and ass!”

Joker tilted his head inquisitively at her comment. “Lady, you be crazy if you think joker be a donkey.”

Aleena’s palm quickly met her face as she sighed and groaned at the same time. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” she stated before moving on.

Indeed, the half -lunar demon had the right to worry about things becoming more difficult as time went on. The dome itself could makes rooms anywhere or even take them away and replace the doors with portals to other realms. There would be on telling what kind of things they could find this deep underground of such a magically powerful and ancient structure.

The path before them sloped significantly, so much so that the once smooth ramp turned into stairs akin to when they first entered. However, halfway down, Aleena stopped cold in her tracks. “Shh,” she spoke to Joker. “Don’t you hear some faint music? It seems to be getting louder.”

“Joker doesn’t hear a thing!” He shouted as loud as possible, causing his voice to echo tenfold.

The half-demon winced at the sudden rise in volume, clearly straining her ears to hear the music. Without thinking, she let loose a wild punch that nailed Joker square on the nose, causing him to grasp in and yelp in pain all the way down the rest of the stairs. “Now can you hear it?” Aleena asked. The music had grown in strength and volume since their last spat, now clearly audible over her words.

“Joker hears it, and Joker things it’s nice~!” Replied the idiot.

“Well, I don’t. I think it’s kinda creepy.” Shrugging her disposition aside, the two continued down the descending path. She had no idea where she heard the music from before, but it felt eerily familiar in addition to just plain creepy. As much as she tried to shrug it aside, nothing worked.

Alas, all thoughts on music fled her mind as soon as the pair found themselves upon the threshold of a massive room. Going into it, which seemed like a trap at the time, quickly showed it was just that. A stone door slammed down behind them, sealing them in. More disturbing then that, a low growl reverberated off the stone walls, telling her a creature dwelled in this room with them.

She swore under her breath as the torches hanging on the walls suddenly came to life, showing off the whole room, plus a peculiar spot covered in snow on one of the far corners. It struck her as odd that snow could form down here when things were beginning to get a little warmer just a while ago. Perhaps something frigid awaited them up ahead? However, she spared no time thinking about it, and looked upon the mass in the middle of the room.

A large green glob with a single, well-protected eye gave a huge roar that caused the whole room to shake. Its eye looked red, as though they awakened it from a peaceful sleep. In its rage, it threw a glob at Aleena and Joker, looking like a freshly swat fly after it landed. What surprised her the most, causing her to shout, was that as soon as it made contact with the ground, it burst into flame and burned as though it were oil.

It slowly crept toward them, running into a pillar that stood in its way. However, the pillar disappeared as soon as it entered the transparent mass, dissolving from existence. She figured the creature consisted entirely of this highly corrosive material, and took note to not let it touch her. “Well, any plans, smart-ass?” She asked Joker.

Joker stared at the giant blob, his mind working as fast as it could to try and determine the best way to defeat it.

The corrosive nature of its body was worrisome - it made physical battle near impossible as getting that close would no doubt give it time to fire a glob at the assailant as well as the matter of a weapon not being impervious to the matter.

Joker was certain his daggers could withstand it, but Aleena's might not be able. And he wasn't willing to attack unless they were both able to do so, therefore one would be sure to get a hit in... and assuming one did manage to hit the beast, Joker had the sinking suspicion it would just multiply.

"Well, any ideas yet?" Aleena snarled, looking at him impatiently. Joker realized they had been in a dead lock - neither side moving.

"Ara, Aleena ruined it!" So saying he sprang forwards, the monster reacting as he'd hoped - by slinging a glob of its acidic matter at him. Flipping over its attack, Joker swung his dagger, the blade extending as it whipped forward, aiming for that pulsing red eye.

Alas, his plan did not succeed, the blob flattening abruptly on the floor so that his blade missed. Joker cursed, seeing that a majority of the floor was now covered and he had no where to land.

The dagger's blade shot up into the ceiling, hooking in and reeling Joker up so that he clung upside down.

"Aleena! We need cold! Don't these things deal badly with cold? Joker has no magic for it!"

OoC: I suppose we should let this drag on for longer than the two posts it takes us to get over a task... =P

OoC: Yeah, I kinda forced meself to churn out SOMETHING, so excuse the quality. Also, I has three posts left. Woo!

BiC:
“Well, neither do I, you idiot! What do I look like, a refrigerator?” Aleena snarled at the hanging joker. The glob of goo barely missed her when it spread out, leaving her with just a small pocket of floor protected from the burning acid. The creature began to focus in one spot again, however, a thin layer of acidic goo remained on the floor much to her disdain.

Being the self-designated brains of the duo, even she could not figure out a way to beat it. Sure, joker’s idea of freezing it would work, but only one tiny corner of the room showed any signs of sno- Wait! That’s it! Aleena realized. If there is a cold are above us, maybe I could destroy the wall or floor to make the cold come to us! Yet, there remained the problem of how to get to that small corner.

Before she could figure it out, Joker went back on the attack, distracting the monster for the time being. He used his daggers like picks to dig in the ceiling and swing forward, taking slashes at the monster as he grew close. However, the goo would throw exploding globs, destroying the path behind him. If they didn’t kill it soon, the whole room could collapse and kill them both instead.

With the monster distracted, the half-demon knew this was now or never to make her way to the cold corner of the room. “Damn it!” She swore, her feet remaining firmly on the ground after she tried to lift off. “I must have used my powers so much that I can’t float right now…” She sighed at the only option left to her. “I guess there’s no helping it.” With that, she began to sprint across the slick, highly acidic good, the smell of burning rubber quickly meeting her nose.

The white streak was the only warning Joker had for Aleena's sudden desperate dash across the coated floor. He lacked the time to look properly as his continued attempts to stab the monstrosity in it's baleful eye were keeping his own two well occupied. He was also finding it tiresome not being able to land upon the floor properly - were it not for his acrobatic training he was sure his arms would have fallen off from the strain of hanging from ceilings continuously.

"Ara~ra~ra..." Joker muttered as he clung to the ceiling for the brief moment it took to push off again as goo exploded where once he had been. What he didn't expect was the tentacle that was suddenly swinging towards him.

"ARA~!!!" he yelped, his arm flinging out so it latched to a wall and pulled him sideways, out from under the deadly swing. Cursing, he realized that for all his dodging, the monster had been getting used to his movements and was slowly learning how to best counter them.

"So Joker must change how he's doing things..." a quick glance to the side and he blanched - Aleena was making steady progress but even he could see her shoes were about to give up against the acid. The amount of smoke she was trailing made that blatantly obvious.

A sudden smile bloomed across his face, "Time for Joker Tag-Team~!" with that happy cry, he pushed off the wall once more, diving straight for the blob mass. Twirling mid air so he faced the ceiling, he opened a portal and shot his dagger up simultaneously. Going through the portal he evaded the grasp of the tentacles, and his dagger anchored into the ceiling, giving him time to locate Aleena as he was reeled up.

"Aleena!" he yelled, his other hand extending his second dagger until it wrapped around her waist.

"What the hell?! What are you doing!?" her surprised yelp echoed within the room.

"Giving Aleena a lift!" So saying he swung his arm, using the wall as a brace as he needed his whole body to swing Aleena. Halfway through the arc, however, Joker ran out of time as the monster had located him from his portal vanishing act and was moving for him once more.

"The rest is up to you Aleena~!" Grinning, Joker released Aleena, the force still enough to send her flying forward, as he dropped into yet another portal to evade the oncoming attack.

OoC: Woohoo~ I love having time to post now =3

Next thing the half-demon knew, blinding white took over her field of vision like a sheet of paper, or the crest of newly fallen snow. Coincidentally, the portal joker made flung her headfirst into the snow bank, so he first thoughts weren’t far off. Yet as the monsters roar echoed in her ears and around the room, she knew that time was quickly running out. Some way, somehow, she had to use the snow to freeze the liquid beast solid.

Pulling herself out of the cold blanket she saw the beast taking wild swings at Joker who could only just dodge the lightning-fast attacks of the beast. ****, I can’t think of anything, she thought as the sounds of battle filled her elf-like ears, causing them to ring a little.

“Ara~! Hurry up, snowy head! Joker can’t keep this up forever!”

Frustrated by his whining and the pressure of everything going on, she lashed out angrily. “Shut the **** up and keep it distracted you bloody ****ing idiot!” With a lack of flesh for her fists to pummel, instead, she opted to take out her aggression on the wall behind her, subconsciously aiding it with gravity.

The solid stone crumbled into dust, causing the female lunar demon to cough lightly. However, a literal chill ran down her spine as the dust settled, revealing a black canvas in front of her dotted with specs of white strewn about. Somehow, a vast wasteland of ice rested right beside the damp, hot cavern with the ravenous goo monster trying to digest them.

“Of course,” she spoke aloud, surprised at her own surprise. “If there can be giddy gas, bubble popping snakes and a goo monster, then there has to be a vast ice field on the other side of a wall with not even the slightest drop in temperature.”

Shaking her head whilst shivering to the wind’s icy grasp, she turn around and addressed the strange jester in shallow breath. “Hey, idiot! Lure it over here so we can freeze it and go home!” With that, she swiftly went to work by making the hole big enough for the three to fit through and pass to the tundra beyond.

OoC: Sorry for the long wait, Chibi-kitty. School and lack of inspiration are to blame. v_v

Joker was clinging to the ceiling at Aleena’s call and he turned to see what she had done. Impressive, he thought, noting once more that Aleena was not one to anger unless the angerer was quick on his feet. Luckily Joker fell in with that category.

“Lure the beast she says, does Joker look like a goo charmer? Joker admittedly is a charmer but not of goo!” leaping from his perch he flipped over the thing, behind him he heard the roof quake as thin tendrils shot up from the beast, stabbing just behind Joker’s moving form. The Insidious Goo had learned that more arms were better against someone like Joker.

Then Joker realised something. For all his leaping about the room, the Insidious Goo had not moved from its place in the middle. Sure at the start it had charged them but after spreading itself on the floor it had contented itself with sitting and playing with its prey. Luring out didn’t seem to be a likely option to bring it to the cold.

“Aleeeeeeeeena~! Joker needs you to move so he has a clear view out the cold spot!” he called out a bit desperately, calculating some things in his head.

Aleena turned, fist raised to break down yet more of the wall, “What?”

“MOVE YOUR ASS OUT OF JOKER’S SIGHT!” Joker roared back as he scuttled across the ceiling.

Glaring at him, Aleena cursed as she bound through the hole she’d made and at last Joker had an idea of what his final destination would be.

Turning to stare at the Sinister Goo, Joker plunged his daggers into the walls adjacent to himself. He was in a corner opposite the one Aleena had opened with the Goo between them.

Glaring at it, Joker quickly opened up the biggest portal he’d ever had to make. Instantly he saw the trouble, the portals usual size was big enough for Joker to walk into with no trouble but to digest a thing of that size…

Grunting, Joker mentally urged the portal to grow, stretching it and himself to a new limit. Outside in the cold, another portal opened and the bottom of the Goo could be seen, squeezing through by it’s own weight.

Then Joker stared as another arm shot out towards him. He couldn’t dodge, holding open a portal that at the same time was sapping his mental reserves.

“Aleena!!!” He yelled, for the first time desperate. He had to trust her to do something that would push that thing into its hole before its arm hit him. If he closed the portal now, there was no way he would be able to open another, thus losing that chance of killing the Acidic Goo.

It all came down to her.

Standing amidst the ice and snow, hair whipping almost unnoticeably in the piercing wind, she had to act, and quickly at that. There was only one thing to do in a situation this desperate and it made her flinch just thinking about it. After all, if it didn’t fit in the hole, she’d have to make it fit.

Dashing through the wind-swept tundra, the partially melted souls of her shoes came into contact with the goo for just an instant before she changed the pull of gravity. Landing on the ceiling, she quickly straightened out and made for the goo monster, swiftly drawing her sword and running for the tendril that threatened Joker.

There was no way she could push the thing in before striking and killing him. Even though she detested him immensely, she didn’t want him dead, at least not yet. Quickly, she cut the menacing tentacle with her sword, the blade moving quick enough to receive only minor damage as it cleaved the sack of acid cleanly in half. She knew it could just regenerate it, but at least it focused its attention on her instead of the dream weaver.

“Well, come on and get me!” She shouted as she sheathed the sword and turned herself around. The change in perspective had her disoriented a bit, turning the wrong way for a split second, but she was soon back on track to the monster’s main mass.

With its undivided attention, the half-blooded lunar demon found getting to the monster exponentially more difficult then when it launched its assault on Joker. Still, she just barely managed to dodge the many tendrils darting up towards the ceiling. However, accumulated experience from the two prompted the monster to fire up before she got there, causing her to nearly run into the burning limbs many times over.

Sensing her intention, the goo quickly shot tentacles to the ceiling, forming a cage above it to prevent her from knocking it to certain doom. She exclaimed angrily once she noticed, uttering a demonic curse in frustration while dodging the relentless attack. “Aleena, hurry up! Joker can’t hold the portals open for much longer!” Joker cried out in desperation.

There was no helping it. It needed to happen, and it needed to happen then, otherwise they’d be dead.

Cringing, the white-haired young woman ran straight for the cage of tentacles. Nothing else mattered to her except to block out any pain she might get from this endeavour, but if it worked, they’d be home free… at least until the next disaster.

Just before she hit the wall of acidic goo, she twisted her body and jumped through, feeling a slight stinging sensation along her back as she flew. It didn’t matter. Standing right above the monster, she quickly changed the direction of gravity as she jumped, twisting her body upright while lowering her right foot. “Go to hell, you bastard!” She screamed as she delivered the blow. Her weight, plus the enhanced force of gravity caused the monster to shoot through the hole and out to the cold tundra.

Landing on the rim of the portal, a fresh wave of pain rolled over her back and her right foot. Looking under her shoe, she saw naught but the raw flesh of her foot, burning in pain and bleeding slightly from the brief contact with the monster. She surmised her back must’ve grazed a tentacle. Ah well, at worst, she’d need a new pair of shoes, shirt and what goes underneath.

She paid the creature no more mind, even though its death throws echoed through the room.

OoC: My next is my last in this thread. =P

Joker slowly slid down the wall, his arms aching from having held him up for so long. His whole body shook from exhaustion, unused to straining itself so much in such a short time. He could tell his mind was weary as well, what little remained of his humor was tattered and sarcastic.

Staring at the floor, he was surprised to see that with the death of the Goomeister the acid was dissolving from existence. A plus side in this state of affairs.

Seeing that Aleena stood on the edge of his portal, Joker limped over to her in a not so very straight path until he was beneath her.

"Alee-lee, you has to come down now, Joker needs to clos-" before he could finish his words, the portal closed on its own and Aleena fell into Joker's arms and toppling them both over, Joker crying out in surprise and Aleena in pain as her injured foot was jostled.

"Ah dammit, can't you even catch someone properly?" Aleena muttered darkly, glaring down at Joker.

"Please, no more. Joker is too tired and glad that there be no acid burning his hair away," he sat up on his elbows, grinning tiredly at Aleena, "at least Aleena was able to save Joker from certain death for which Joker is grateful."

Aleena seemed a bit surprised that Joker was one to say 'thanks' but she nodded anyway before looking at her raw foot, "Not sure it was worth the pain, though."

Joker looked at her foot and winced; it wouldn't be fun walking on that injury. Shifting her off him, he grabbed his dagger and muttered, "Exhaustion, begone."

Aleena watched as Joker then dragged the dagger through his arms and legs, a slow process as it moved as though through thick glue. Wherever the dagger passed, the shaking in his body ceased.

Sighing, Joker took a deep breath then turned to the Lunar demon, "Joker cut off exhaustion from Joker's body and can do the same to the pain in your foot. That way Aleena can at least walk without hurting and Joker can help carry you."

The demon couldn't help but be dubious but before she could really protest and assure him she would be fine, he went ahead and stabbed her foot. She'd expected to feel cold metal at least, but it passed through her skin with no feeling at all, leaving no pain.

"How does that work? I didn't feel anything," Aleena stared at her foot. She could move it and no pain twinged. She could feel pressure against where the heel rested on the floor but no ache.

"Joker's magic." Grinning weakly he grabbed her and lifted her up, wordlessly slinging one of her arms around his shoulders.

Then he stopped, "where do we go? Are we meant to walk across the ice?" Looking around at the unforgiving tundra, he admitted to himself he wasn't quite ready to deal with blistering cold and Aleena's foot would probably fall off.

"Hey! Are you going to ignore me now?" The way Aleena yelled in his ear meant she'd been trying to get his attention for some time now and Joker stared at her, wide eyed.

Jerking her chin to the left, she said, "That portal opened up after we killed that thing, but you were too busy staring off into the distance."

The portal she spoke of wasn't purple like Joker's but a greenish yellow.

"Safe bet that's where we're meant to be heading, I mean how much more can they throw at us?" Aleena pointed out, even though she was inwardly cursing Orysius and these painful tests of his.

Knowing what she said to be true, Joker half carried her to the portal letting it's light bathe them with calming energy before the glow built up, blinding him and causing him to close his eyes against the brightness.

When next they opened, they were standing in a dark cavern with blue crystals embedded in the walls shedding a non-piercing light upon the two.

OoC: My last post in this thread, and as an official student of Safer's. It's been a pleasure, and Chibi too. After nearly a year, we can finally end this.

BiC:
“Welcome to the Center of the Dome,” came a voice from the distance.

From around a corner in the cavern came the lankly silhouette of a man, even if the lunar demon still dwarfed him. What else was new? Immediately she knew the voice, and figure, belonged to their combined teacher, Orysius.

Aleena breathed a sigh of relief; at last, that nightmare, both obstacles and dealing with Joker, was now over with. Surprisingly, the tingles of pain in her back vanished, and looking at her foot caused her to gasp a little. Looking at it now, she never could of guessed it looked as bad as it did just mere seconds ago, although her shoes were still ruined beyond repair.

“This room is the closest to the dome’s core, so of course the magical properties would have some effect,” Orysius replied to her expression.

“Ara~! It doesn’t make Joker and whitey crazy like before, right?” Joker asked.

“Do you feel crazy?” He replied with the same stinging sarcasm that irritated the half-breed so. She rolled her eyes at the idiot’s comment, holding herself back only because of how grateful she felt for finally being rid of him. Still, in the back of her mind, she admired him a little, just a little. After all, he did save her life back there, which commanded at least a little respect.

“So, I take it we graduate now? Not a moment too soon either. You made us go through hell and back, so you’d better make it worth our while,” Aleena spoke with a hint of a threat.

“Yeah, you get to graduate, if it means so much to you. But first, I have a piece of advice for you, if you want to hear it,” replied the teacher.

“Eh, what have I got to lose?” She shrugged.

“Alright, just listen for a minute,” He started. “You need to learn to open up to people. By working as a team, like you did with Joker, shows that you’re capable of trust. Otherwise, you’d be dead. So, as my final piece of advice, I say this to you: Not everyone is out to get you.”

That was it? That was his big piece of advice? Why, anyone could’ve told her that! Heck, lots of people have told her that before, why should his in particular hit home like it did? Yes, there was no denying she had a deep distrust of humans, possibly even hatred, but why would this same message keep popping up? Shrugging, she figured the answer would come in time, and only time.

“Well, thanks for nothing,” she spoke truthfully as she approached the portal back to the surface. After all, he’d done absolutely nothing except that letter and those few sentences. Hard to be grateful for only that right? “Bye Joker, I hope your flamboyant stupidity doesn’t rub off on me… I’ll see you around… maybe.”

At the moment, that was as close to an apology as she could get. Keeping her back turned to them; she stepped through the portal, and arrived where she entered the garage that swallowed her and her car whole.

Turning the ignition, and backing out of the drive, she couldn’t help but feel a little wiser from her short experience in the dome. Sure, it was a living hell, but it did teach her a thing or two. Patience, tolerance, and maybe even teamwork came to mind as she drove out and back onto the open road. Who knew? She might even one day be able to leave this *****y shell she crafted for herself and let her true personality shine. Only time could answer that question.