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Post by Lawnmower Joe on May 17, 2015 6:24:31 GMT -5
The cave-in had happened so suddenly. Where the old tunnel Adder and her companion had followed used to be, there was now a pile of rocks and earth. Adder cursed herself for letting her fear of the moment push away the ever present danger posed by the undercity's unstable caverns. Without a word she pulled out the plastic-wrapped map they had been using to navigate the ancient tunnels.
"This is worse than I thought" she said after examining the map, "we took a wrong turn while we were being chased by those nosalises. This tunnel doesn't show up on our map."
She sighed and looked up. Only a few luminescent mushrooms and the light of her and her companion's lamps lit up the tunnel. All she could see were featureless walls of carved rock covered in fungi. Apart from her breathing, the only sound was that of water dripping down from the ceiling. Stalactites reached down from the ceiling like an ancient beast's teeth.
"And nobody knows we're here either..." She said, wiping water and dirt from her face, "These tunnels aren't exactly frequented. There no way we can move all those boulders and earth by ourselves either."
She turned back to face Oleg, her eyes catching the light of his headlamp and glowing an unearthly green. Her slit pupils had expanded well beyond the size of normal human pupils, obscuring almost the entire iris. "The only thing we can do now is move onwards and hope we can find a way out."
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Post by The Karcolith on May 17, 2015 13:43:19 GMT -5
Taking a deep breath of the musty air Oleg looked over the pile of rubble in dismay, but Adder was the one to speak, illuminating the hopelessness of the situation. Looking around but there was no way but to push on into the unknown.
"The only thing we can do now is move onwards and hope we can find a way out." Adder said.
Oleg nodded his head in agreement, "Agreed, here's hoping we don't encounter any nasty surprises." He commented, his voice reverberated against the ancient stones.
Spying a path he pointed towards it and cautiously made tot he opening and peered in while shining his light in, the enveloping darkness seemed to suck the light in but showed nothing. The occasional mushroom glowing in the distance gave enough light to unveil a little patches of the cave. "Well..." Oleg started looking back to Adder and shrugging, "This tunnel is as good as the next."
Drawing his worn blade he dragged the base of the hilt against the stone wall, making a distinct mark on the wall to help identify in case they ended up back at the same place later, sheathing the blade he set off, weapon at the ready on the chance they encountered something hostile.
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Post by Lawnmower Joe on May 17, 2015 14:24:43 GMT -5
Adder followed Oleg, their boots scraping on the damp floor. She drew her old revolver and checked the drum. The bullets within lined up in perfect order, ready to be fired at the squeeze of the trigger. With a click she locked the gun back into place. As she and Oleg advanced, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Usually she was at home anywhere underground. The Metro's tunnels and chambers were her extended home, their laws familiar. But the undercity was a different matter. Here she felt like an intruder in galleries that wished only to be left in peace.
"These tunnels" she said in barely more than a whisper, "they're not the Metro. I can feel it in their walls and floor and smell it in the air. These tunnels are their own entity. We're trespassers here."
The wanderer reviewed what she knew about the undercity, and came up with surprisingly little. Even before the War the city's underbelly had been a mystery, a warren of ancient tunnels and forgotten caves that appeared on no maps. Before the War some had ventured there and brought back stories of lost wonders and hidden mysteries, but those were little more than snapshots, tiny snippets taken from a picture so large that a single human couldn't hope to comprehend it in his or her lifetime. After the War, the undercity had remained in its shroud of darkness. Few were those who dared enter it, and fewer were those who left alive.
After what seemed like an eternity, the two arrived at a fork. The tunnel split in two, both ways fading off into the impenetrable darkness. Adder stepped up and examined the area for any directions, but found only the rotten remains of a wooden sign and a black inscription on the right hand wall, too smudged by water to be readable.
"Left or right?" She said, "La destra o la sinistra? The righteous path to the light, or the dark path of the occult?"
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Post by The Karcolith on May 19, 2015 13:52:48 GMT -5
As they crept in the darkness Oleg responded to Adder about the tunnels and there ancient origins.
"I've heard that things lurked here even before the world died." He replied, his voice low and deep, as slight shiver ran through him. "Men would disappear while working in the tunnels. But that's a handed down rumor from the south, an old man told me they used to say 'They were taken.' and that was all they were told."
Oleg shook his head snorted.
"Personally I think the company was responsible. But who knows, I've never believed in ghost stories."
Oleg looked at the two paths neither seemed to other any sort of clue to where they lead, just leading to darkness. Digging out an old coin he flicked it up.
"Heads left, tails right." He said, catching the coin and showing it to Adder.
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Post by Lawnmower Joe on May 20, 2015 12:21:16 GMT -5
With Oleg's chilling tale still echoing in her mind, Nadya watched him flip the coin. The rusted disc of metal, token of a dead world, spun briefly before landing back on Oleg's hand.
"So?" She asked once Oleg had slapped the coin onto the back of his hand. Heads flashed beneath the dull gleam of their torches. "Left it is", she said, and headed slowly down the left hand tunnel. The two lost companions walked in silence for a time, until Nadya noticed the floor becoming increasingly damp. Soon, they were both wading through shallow muddy water, and Nadya could hear the distinct rush of an underground stream.
"There's water up ahead!" She said. The roar grew louder, drowning out all other sounds. Finally she emerged at the mouth of the tunnel, and found herself facing a much wider cavern, the floor of which was filled with rushing water. She shone her light around to see how high the ceiling was and how far the opposite bank was.
"What do we do?" She yelled to Oleg, "Cross or go back? I can see another tunnel up ahead, but it's ten or fifteen meters away!"
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Post by The Karcolith on May 22, 2015 7:30:16 GMT -5
Watching the rushing torrent of water Oleg looked around for something to gauge the depth but there was nothing nearby that would be suitable or strong enough. Kneeling he gingerly pulled the glove off his left hand and dipped into the rushing water, the force of the stream was significant but it would be possible for them to wade through if it wasn't too deep. Standing and wiping his hand thoroughly he slipped the glove on again turning to Adder.
"We should be able to wade through, but I can't tell how deep it is, maybe we should go back the other way and keep this this path as a back up should the other way prove unsuitable." He said over the sound of the water.
Taking the front they waded back to the fork in the tunnel and continued the tunnel that went the other way as they went down the narrow cave opened up slightly, each side was lined from the floor to the ceiling with neatly craved gaps, about six foot long, peering into one Oleg took a step back in surprise but regained his composure. The ancient remains of an unknown person lay sadly forgotten on all sides, examining the skeleton again he noted damage to the skull.
"Looks like an ancient crypt, all that remains are their bones, even those look frail." He said in wonder as he shone his lamp around. "I wonder if they belonged to an order of some sort?"
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Post by Lawnmower Joe on May 22, 2015 12:56:06 GMT -5
Adder looked around, resting her eyes on each niche and its occupant. Skulls smiled back at them, their empty orbits pools of darkness. As Nadya gazed at one of the skeletons, a small centipede scurried out of its mouth and disappeared in a crack in the wall.
"We should go through" she said in a hushed voice, "without disturbing anything. The dead don't take kindly to having their sleep disturbed, especially the ancient dead."
She took a few cautious steps forward, but as she glanced up at the ceiling she stopped.
"Oleg, look!" She said, pointing upwards, "there's something written on the ceiling! Old Russian, I think. It says 'beware, beware, deep in this earth you may find...and the rest is unreadable."
Nadya sighed and looked away. She had hoped that, perhaps, the men who had dug these tunnels had left some indications. Sadly, time had made sure that any useful information the inscription might have held was gone forever. She set off again, walking in silence past the mortuary niches until they entered a large circular room. Nadya looked around and saw that the room was a finely carved construction, with many alcoves and paintings faded by time. However, her instinct told her to be careful; something unseen was lurking in these parts. Nadya entered the room, and her apprehension was confirmed when their lights fizzled and went out, plunging them both in total darkness.
"Chiort!" Hissed Adder before pulling out her old Zippo. With a flick of her thumb, a small flame leaped from her lighter. This was enough for Adder's mutated eyes to pierce the obscurity.
And what she saw made her blood freeze.
"Oleg", she whispered, "We are not alone."
The circular room was filled with shadows, shadows of men, women and children. Some kneeled before empty alcoves, doubtless worshipping holy icons that had long since turned to dust. Others walked in silent contemplation. Adder felt her senses reel, and she knew she and Oleg could meet their doom in a heartbeat if they weren't careful.
"Follow me, Oleg, do not stray from my path and do not let your eyes linger on any shadows."
With that, Adder began to walk slowly past the shades, a chant rising from her lips: "Casto noi lapide asterium manto, alaum raum om."
The shades continued to move or pray, not noticing the two humans passing through them. The air was freezing, and Adder felt like some unseen hand was pressing a pillow against her face. Nevertheless she continued to chant over and over, fighting the choking pressure.
"Casto noi lapide asterium manto, alaum raum om. Casto noi lapide asterium manto, alaum raum om."
They had almost reached the end of the room when a shade rose in the doorway, blocking their exit. Adder stopped and saw the shade raise a small cross. She glanced around her and saw that the other shades had gathered around the tall shade and were kneeling.
"Kneel, Oleg, we must pray and be blessed, or they will never let us leave" she told her companion before dropping to her knees. The ground felt hard and cold beneath her, but it also radiated some unknown power. The tall shade made a few movements with its cross and vanished. Adder looked around her again and saw that she and Oleg were alone.
"We're safe now" she said with a relieved sigh, "let's go, and continue to tread carefully. These tunnels are unlike anything I've ever seen before."
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Post by The Karcolith on Jun 3, 2015 8:22:49 GMT -5
Despite his urges to look around Oleg simply crept along following Adder's footsteps, the room's shadow occupants gave it a frigid air. Stealing a glance into the gloom he spied countless shades praying and wandering around the circular room, he looked ahead and saw the leader of this flock. Almost bumping into Adder he knelt, wincing as the cold stone seeped into his leg. Shutting his eyes and bowing his head he didn't move until he heard Adder speak up.
"We're safe now"
Looking around the now empty chamber Oleg stood with a slight groan, rubbing his knees stiffly, the room's temperature was still frigid.
"I wonder how long ago they were here?" He said quietly as they continued picking their way through the catacombs deep beneath.
As they went around another tight corner to come to shaft, the wooden scaffolding led up into the darkness and down into the murky unknown. An old tattered rope hung from above. Snatching up a smallish rock, Oleg dropped it and listened as it fell silently into the depth below. Finally it splashed into a pool after about 20 seconds, shining his torch into the shaft he also gave the rope a hesitant tug, but it frayed in his hand. The wooden scaffolding seemed intact and reasonably strong.
"Perhaps we can climb up?" Oleg said unsure what to do, the still air adding to the hopelessness of their situation.
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Post by Lawnmower Joe on Jun 4, 2015 6:48:03 GMT -5
"I don't know" said Nadya in answer to Oleg's question, "these tunnels seem to be very, very old..."
When they reached the shaft, Adder looked up and down, using the light from Oleg's torch to see further. Unfortunately, even her eyes couldn't see anything beyond the narrow shaft and the old scaffolding. A rock dropped by Oleg confirmed that the lower end of the shaft was flooded.
"Up it is" she said at Oleg's suggestion, and began to climb up the scaffolding. The wood was slick with mould and water, and was extremely slippery. Water dripped from everywhere, and Adder tensed whenever a drop found its way down her neck.
Suddenly, distant grunts echoed through the shaft. Adder froze and listened intently. The noises had come from below.
"We'd better move fast and quietly" she told Oleg, "I don't think we're in a position to fight mutants."
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Post by The Karcolith on Jun 14, 2015 10:39:10 GMT -5
"Definitely not the place for a fight." Oleg said quietly as they climbed. the first opening was so clogged by cobwebs that he didn't dare ignite them so they continued climbing, the grunt of some mutant unseen was louder this time.
Oleg grabbed one beam, but his hand slipped on the damp wood. Scrambling for a hand hold he grabbed another hastily, taking a couple breathes to compose himself, turning to Adder he gave a nod and they continued to ascend the shaft until they cam to another opening. The ground damp with moss and the occasional clump of mushrooms with a faint glow to them, pulling himself up he extended his hand and pulled Adder up too. The narrow corridor twisted off to the right barely 10 metres from the old shaft they'd just climbed.
Looking back out into the shaft the he could hear the sounds more clearly now.
"I guess we'd better move on." Oleg commented quietly, stepping ahead to navigate the narrow path. "I've always wondered, do you think the creatures at the zoo in Moscow evolved after the war or died out?"
After sometime of traversing the narrow corridors of the deep. "Ughh, what's that smell?" Asked Oleg screwing his face up.
The air had taken on a foul tinge, taking out a rag he tied it around his nose and mouth which helped for a bit, but the smell was steadily getting more and more rank. Eventually Oleg switched to his gas mask to block the smell out, the ground was a brown colour, more like a smudge than the dull gray of the stone of the walls and ceiling. The sound of scampering could be heard, flicking on the brighter torch on his rifle he crept around the corner to the sight of ugly gray, creatures. Their saggy bodies and bug like eyes were as revolting as the fetid smell that lingered. Passing the bright beam over a group of the creatures they made inhuman howls, that weren't as loud any other mutant he'd encountered.
The area was wider than the narrow halls they'd been traversing earlier, but the clutter of bones picked clean made it cramped. Strangely the creatures didn't attack, they seemed hesitant to leave the grisly area but were obviously cowed by the people or mutants they perceived as predators. Jumping over themselves to move away from the two invaders, but never looking away from them.
"Corpse eaters," Oleg muttered, "I've heard of them but never seen them for myself. They must have an exit nearby since they scavenge from the surface."
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Post by Lawnmower Joe on Jun 29, 2015 6:23:16 GMT -5
"Well..." said Adder, wondering if Oleg was really expecting an answer to his question. "I have seen some strange things around that zoo..."
Like trees being smashed and bushes getting trampled, she thought, but did not voice anything as Oleg took the lead. After moving through the darkness (or semi-darkness for Adder), they were hit by an overpowering stench. So rank was the smell that Adder felt her stomach lurch. As she breathed through her mouth she looked at her feet and found the floor was covered with bones.
"Corpse eaters. I've heard of them but never seen them for myself. They must have an exit nearby since they scavenge from the surface" Muttered Oleg. Adder nodded as she took out her lighter.
"If there's an exit nearby, there'll be a draft" she said, and her words rang true when the flame flickered with the caress of an imperceptible breeze. "Now all we need to do is follow that draft as best we can..."
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Post by The Karcolith on Sept 8, 2015 16:07:54 GMT -5
"If there's an exit nearby, there'll be a draft" Adder said, and her words rang true when the flame flickered with the caress of an imperceptible breeze. "Now all we need to do is follow that draft as best we can..."
"Agreed, if we can get to surface that'd be ideal." Oleg said, his voice muffled by the gas mask. "But I have no idea far below the surface we are. Let's follow the draft and see what we find."
Looking at the wavering flame, Oleg determined that the wisp of wind was coming from another part of the fetid crypt they were traversing, stopping to check occasionally and adjusting if the flame was pointing in a different direction. After a while he came to the conclusion they were near the draft since the flame from the lighter was changing every time they checked. He turned his bright torch on, and swept it over the room, the grisly remains scattering the floor were an uncomfortable reminder that their fate could be a lot worse.
Pushing the dark thought aside he noticed an old grate with some of the bars bent back from the rust, others had snapped off, a thick layer of grime stuck to the beams and a tuft of hair snagged on one of the snapped bars gently waved back and forth from the weak flow of air. Picking his way through the remains he crouched to inspect the gap, it was narrower than he expected, but the air coming from the opening was slightly less foul than the surrounding area. He gave the grate a nudge with his boot, it was still solid in parts despite it's appearance.
"I don't fancy climbing up through that opening if I'm honest, I don't think I'd even fit through the gap." Oleg said, the last thing he waned to do was to get stuck in a filthy pipe and get eaten. "Maybe there's another way out of this pit? Heh, maybe we'll find Ivan the Terrible's lost library?"
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Post by Lawnmower Joe on Oct 12, 2015 7:01:30 GMT -5
Adder looked down at the pipe and frowned. "I don't think crawling through there would be worth it either..."
She stood back and looked around. They had come into a small, black cavern that seemed to be more natural than man-made. Large stalagmites and stalactites cast strange shadows in the light of the two wanderers' torches. Suddenly, she saw what appeared to be another tunnel blocked by several stalactites.
"Oleg, look!" She said, shining her light on the exit, "we could try through there, but we'd have to smash those stalactites. I hope they're not too solid."
She went to the tunnel entrance, and in doing so something on the floor caught her eye. When she went to examine it she saw it was a pick, its metal head thick with rust. Its plastic handle, however, was unaffected by the surrounding humidity. She quickly saw some other tools lying nearby.
"Grab one of those" she told Oleg before going to the stalactites blocking the way. She swung her pick and brought it down on the closest stalactite, but the point skidded off the mineral formation with a screech of metal. Sheepishly Adder stood back, an embarrassed half-smile on her lips.
"I'm not very good with such tools, I must admit" she said, before swinging her pick again, this time with more care, and bringing it down on the stalactite. The pick bit into its target, and some broken rock fell away onto the humid floor. With a grunt Adder swung again, the metallic noise of the pick crashing into the rock soon filling the echoing cavern.
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Post by The Karcolith on Jan 29, 2018 1:29:07 GMT -5
Taking up an pick, Oleg swung the rusted tool and little chips danced from the area he hit showering over him. After several minutes they had broken open a sizable gap for them to squeeze through. Chucking the pick to one side he stepped through the gap, brushing the dust and fragments off his vest as Adder crept through afterwards.
Shining his light into the new tunnel, the ground was uneven and scattered with debris from a long time ago it seemed this tunnel had been sealed for sometime and had an eerie stillness to it. Clicking on his torch the area appeared to have been bored or dug out by creatures of some sort, but they had long abandoned said tunnel. Moisture had marred the surface leaving a rough, pitted finish. Stalactites and stalagmites were developing but didn't hinder the way.
"Well, looks like we might have found a way out." Oleg commented, dimming his light, noticing the light in some of the formations lingered momentarily. "Interesting. I'll take point."
Carefully picking his way forward, avoiding possible tripping hazards Oleg's mind started wandering. Thinking on old stories he'd heard as a teenager or even while a member of the Reich, about brave adventurers and explorers, and the stories about super natural occurrences they sometimes encountered. Being quite the skeptic however, Oleg assumed they were tales spun until they were farfetched exaggerations of what were probably just long, lonely trips. But the characters interested him more than the stories. Feeling Adder and he were on their own adventure, seeing as the simple intel gathering mission had quickly taken a turn after the cave in.
"This reminds me of the tales I heard as a I young man. Two unlikely heroes fighting against the unknown." He said, as he glanced about the winding tunnel. "The air here is seems, different.The air seems stale, but not tainted like the other tunnel." Even though the smell of the other tunnel still to lingered.
Turning a rather sharp corner they came upon a thick cobweb with long dead husks of spiders clinging effortlessly to the still sticky web. After igniting them Oleg looked in amazment, they had come across another catacomb, but the stonework was considerably more regal. The wall had collapsed but not nearly enough to climb through. Cautiously giving the rubble a nudge it seemed strudy enough.
"Help me shift some of this rubble." Oleg said as he grabbed a largish rock.
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