Pure Adrenaline. (Finished)

[Caedis Clepta]

She didn't get that far into the cave before she heard the telltale signs of a flying dragon. The loud claps every time it flapped its wings, the rapidly changing air currents that played with her hair. Honestly this boy did not know when to give up. Unfortunately, he was likely to catch up with her.

Caution outweighed everything here. Everything in this cave was ancient, and she'd figured that out the hard way, namely when she found a torch hung into the wall in a bizarre way, and when she tried to remove the torch to get a better look at the holder, both crumbled. Not that they were lacking -- there was a torch and holder roughly every so often, especially as she got deeper into the cave -- but she was afraid that anything else would also crumble in the same way. Especially when he got here. Especially since he probably wouldn't think anything of the musty smell of decay and the dampness. He'd charge in and ruin everything.

And Caedis did not want that. Not at all.

However, with a few muttered curses that she heard echo and was sure he heard, she picked up the pace a little, glad that the ground was even and that she hadn't stepped in some age old nasty yet. Of course, this was a cave to a god. It'd be treated with respect.

It only took a few minutes and a wrong turn from the only tunnel leading off the main one that she thought may have led to the altar room, but she was sure that he was catching up. Caedis was paranoid about it. He shall not catch me. He shall not catch me. "He shall not catch me."

With a wince she realize she'd said the last one out loud. No matter. It'll confuse him slightly and buy her more time. A few long strides later she was in the altar room, almost surprised at what she found.

The altar itself was made from an odd, almost spongy blue stone that seemed alive. She wouldn't touch it unless she needed to. Some things in old ruins like these aren't exactly friendly. The walls were smooth, and she realized the only reason she knew this was because the rock was glowing too. Right. No touchy. Of course, the decorated sword on top that was likely used to slit the throats of whatever they were sacrificing down here was probably safe to touch...

Cautiously she picked it up, testing its weight and balance. It was actually nice for something used for sacrifices. She was almost tempted to keep it, though it would only weigh her down. Then again, blades were rarely cheap and not nearly as well craft- were those gemstones in the hilt?

Glad she'd worn her gloves and that the blade was dull from age, she wrapped her hand around the stabby part and brought the hilt to her face, examining the decorations in it. They were so detailed, so exquisite that she didn't have words for them; the symbolic meaning they had likely made them even more beautiful. The decorating took her mind away from the current situation, and she had to force herself to stand as she looked, as the altar suddenly looked as if it would make a nice chair.

[Al Kinney]

[/size]Tia managed to turn around. Al looked at the cave suspiciously. He wasn't much of an explorer; rarely did he actually enter caves or anything of the sort. That wasn't his cup of tea, for sure. How he was actually going to enter the cave to follow the girl was beyond him. All of this would be tricky business. To think at he was only planning to return her knife. Perhaps chivalry was not the best option, it was probably better to just give up and go find other things to do. That, however, was not how Al was.

"Tia, just land back on the cliff. I'll have to Climb down the cliff face as she just did. It seems to be the safest option..... Unless you can think of anything." Tia flew back up to the too of the dockyards and Al jumped off. Running around for a few moments like a headless chicken. Once finished, he had around fifty feet of vine. He quickly tied the rope around his waist and handed the other section of the rope to Tia. She bit onto it, trapping the vine between her powerful jaws. As long as she didn't snap the rope with her teeth, tongs should be fine.

Al moved and started scaling the cliff. Tia watched him cautiously, ready to pull him back up if she needed to. Taking the easy way down, he simply pushed off the cliff with his legs and Tia let the rope slip. In a matter of seconds, he was at the entrance to the cave. Removing the rope from his waist, he looked around. Of course it was dark. It had to be dark. This place was going to be everything he hated wrapped into one little ball of damp grossness.

Feeling his back, his sword was still in place. Thank God for that. He had e feeling that a weapon would be necessary. Unsheathing the blade, he carried it in his left hand. Even though his right was dominant, he thought he performed better with his left. The dagger that had been thrown at his earlier was stashed away in his boot, waiting to be returned to it's master.

Al set off into the cave. This was bad. He was probably going to end up being a complete baby in the dark. That wasn't going to help his case any. Everyone loved a man who cried for his mom my because it was dark. Sucking it up, he shoved the paranoia to the back of his mind. He began to move forward. It was so... Icky in here. This wasn't a very welcoming place. Why did she have to choose to go here? Stepping into a puddle accidentally, his boot was soaked. After a mumbled curse and a few more steps he realized that he hadn't stepped water. Whatever it was, it was burning through his boot. He quickly sheathed his sword.

Yelling, he ripped the boot off. Tins was no fun. Throwing the boot to his left, he glared at the wall. Stupid cave. Stupid puddle. Stupid girl, making him do this. He didn't care if this was his choice, this wasn't cool.

Taking his other boot off as well, he was almost positive he had heard a voice. Walking forward barefoot, he realized just how cold this rock was. Maybe there were some boots here somewhere?

Letting his mind wander for a moment, he stopped dead in his tracks. Listening for only a few seconds, he took off at a dead run. There was someone, something behind him. Not good. Taking a random turn, a feeling of relief swept over him. She was here. He'd found her. The relief was quickly consumed by the panic he had felt moments ago. "There's something in here. It was... It was following me. I swear it."[/center] [/size]

[Caedis Clepta]

His appearance snapped her from her trance. With a smooth motion she grabbed the hilt, again surprised by how natural it felt in her hand, and leveled the tip at him. The rest of her form slowly followed suit, building a strong stance from the feet.

Not for him. For him, Caedis doubted she would have to try hard. He didn't seem like the kind to guard his backside and that would be her advantage. And the fact he wasn't wearing boots was another. Though she didn't ponder that, since, honestly, did she want to know?

If what he said was true, and that something was following him, it was either a ghost or his imagination. She'd dealt with spirits of the dead before. She could honestly say that she never wanted to do it again. And since apparently a few dumps in the dark was enough to startle him, she would probably have to deal with it. If it actually is a ghost, anyway.

She didn't want him to sense her unease at her words. Only a fool would be calm and happy after hearing that something was following the person following them. Though she hadn't heard anything since he came bursting in here like some demon was on his heels. Maybe he was overly paranoid; caves did that to some people. Raising an eyebrow, she stated, "I believe something is following me as well. It's about a foot taller than I and twice as large. And seems to be without shoes."

With a roll of her eyes she lowered the sword, but didn't put it away nor loosen her hold on it. Honestly, the glowing rock showed there was still signs of magic in here. And where there was old magic there was nasty things. With practiced ease and calm she strolled around the room, looking for anything else that would sell well. After all, the sword might have found a home already.

[Al Kinney]

[size=1"Here."Remembering the reason he had came here, Al pulled the girl's dagger out. He held it out to her carefully, sure not to stab himself or her. Wouldn't want to cause any physical harm, now would he? That was questionable....

"Dude! That thing has been following me, too! Weird how it decided to--" Al stopped talking. She was referring to him. Dear Lord, he was a fool. He had always had diarrhea of the mouth. Feeling a little ashamed, he hung his head. This was ridiculous. He couldn't believe that he had actually thought that she was talking about the same creature as he was. Maybe it was just his paranoia; he just didn't feel comfortable in a cave. Perhaps she had a point. That wouldn't be a surprise.

A thoughtful frown made its way across Al's face. Listening as hard as he could, his ears picked up another faint sound. He pointed a finger accusingly out the door. "There it is again. You have to believe me now." Inching a little more toward the girl, he felt safer near her than he did near the entrance. Whatever that thing was, he didn't like it. If Tia was there, it would be okay. Since she wasn't, he was screwed.

Even though he had his sword and he wasn't exactly an amateur, he still felt safer with a dragon at his side. Right now all he had was this random girl who he didn't even know. She was liable to kill him, stab him mercilessly, and just leave him to die. He was hoping she wouldn't do that, after he had been so kind to return her dagger. Then again, he couldn't put it past her. She did seem like the type to go around brutally murdering idiot boys.

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[Caedis Clepta]

Ah, so his mouth did work faster than his brain. Amusing. Instead of mocking him further, though, Caedis simply took the dagger and replaced it, unsure whether she was glad to have it back or if she was annoyed at the reminder of her uncharacteristic showing of annoyance. Still, she wasn't going to say no to a blade.

That roar did sound oddly... not normal, though. He may yet be right. With a sigh, she tossed the sword, catching it so the blade ran up her arm. Another practiced thing from her work with daggers, but she was sure she would be able to also do it with a sword. Right? Besides, it felt a lot more natural to her.

"I don't have to believe anything," she grumbled, tempted to bang her head against the wall. That roar could have been caused by anything. His dragon, first off, trying to scare her. Or a bat. Or something. Caves were known for echoing; the sound could probably be coming from miles away. There was nothing to be scared of.

... Until she heard that slithering, anyway.

She froze, every muscle in her body tense as she waited to see if it would happen again. The place was haunted. Shit. This was not good. Especially not with some paranoid kid who was all brave one moment and whimpering the second something startled him.

"... And now is the perfect time to leave." She readjusted the sword so she was holding it correctly, forgetting that it was twice as long as the knives she was used to and almost cutting herself as she did so. No time to swear; she wanted to get into the night as soon as possible, and swearing would only take time. Valuable time.

But Caedis couldn't just leave him. Which was a problem. Would he even try to get out, knowing there was something big and nasty out there. Somehow, she thought the altar was eviler, but who knew what he thought. There was light and light meant safety to so many creatures.

"Come on kid. I don't want to be here much longer, and I'm not leaving you down here to rot," she stated, almost cursing herself as she did so. He would only waste time. But she couldn't just leave him.

Survival. Right now there was only survival and, like it or not, both of them were going to survive this.

[Al Kinney]

Al felt shunned. He was going to neglect to say anything until they got out of this stupid cave. If she didn't want to believe him, fine. When she got ate by some creepy cave dweller, he wouldn't care less. Keeping his eyes on the floor below, he stayed quiet. Right now, speaking wouldn't be all that great of an idea. He did, however, try to communicate with Tia. He wanted her to be ready for when he made his way out of the cave. If she had done as she were told, there would be a rope for him to latch onto. He'd be gone in no time.

He had no idea why he was still standing here. He would've been better off leaving, running away, doing something that would have been better. She was perfectly fine there by herself. She had seemed to have proved that thought to him already. Sending a message to Tia to be ready, he planned to make his way out of here alone.

That is, until she mentioned something about not leaving him here to rot. Glaring at her quietly, he shrugged. "Whatever you say, lady."

Al drew his blade and took the liberty of leading the way. He really wished his vision was more suited to places like this. His mouth stayed shut and his ears were open, listening for signs that something bad was going to happen. Instead of being the freaked out child he was ten seconds before, he had put his big boy pants back on. Whatever was in here wasn't going to kill him, nor would it be killing her. Even though he didn't have a dragon by his side, he couldn't chicken out and act like a child. Definitely not in a situation like this.

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[Caedis Clepta]

Awww, cute. He thought he could lead. No, don't let the thief who is used to sneaking around in dark places take the lead. That wouldn't be smart at all! Just take the lead and run into every wall whenever there's a turn. Then again, he didn't actually know any of this. Hopefully he didn't know any of this.

With a hiss of annoyance, Caedis caught up and stopped him, making what she hoped to be a rather snarky gesture that she would lead, as she could see better. And, you know, be quieter. It was a mercy he wasn't wearing his shoes; he would turn from a lumbering bear to a bull in a glass shop with them.

Her new position as line leader allowed her to slow down and listen. She was surprised he didn't hear the hissing that happened periodically, along with the sound of hard scales on even harder rock. Probably not a ghost, since it was silent. A snake?

A very large, very hungry snake maybe.

Whatever it was seemed to stay a certain distance from them at all times, which suited Caedis fine. Easier for her to keep her slow pace to keep from alerting any more of the big and nasty creatures down here and for her to try to track the one that was on their tail. It was times that she actually decided to try to track when she realized how bad she was at it. The fact they were in a cave didn't make it much better; every little noise echoed, and she couldn't tell if it was in front or behind them. All she knew was that it was some distance away.

That was, until she thought she saw something moving. Not caring that the rider would likely be behind her, she jumped back and that warm thing she bumped into was definitely his chest. The sword was pointed in front of her in the general direction of whatever it was. After a tense moment of no movement she tentatively stepped forward, stopping when she saw it again. No, not moving.

Gleaming.

From something. A change in the lighting? There were occasionally little connections from the cave to the surface. Was there one in the area that was reflecting off whatever this was? With a quick motion she stabbed whatever it was and brought it closer. She almost dropped the sword.

A snake skin. Part of a snake skin. A really big snake skin. The damn thing was playing with them. Caedis was sure that the only reason they were still breathing was because the thing was amused. See how amused it would be when she stabbed it or something.

Turning, snake skin still on the sword, she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I believe I found part of your monster." There was little use being quiet now. It already knew where they were.

[Al Kinney]

Al rolled his eyes and chose to satisfy her need to be in charge. It was probably the smarter idea, though he wasn't all for it. Even though it was likely she was much more capable than she appeared, something in Al made him want to take the lead again. Something in the back of his mind told him that his hopes weren't very likely.

Following closely behind the small girl, Al tried be as quiet as possible. IN his frail attempt to do so, it only ended up being a bit louder. Once he had decided to stop trying to be quiet, he was stopped dead in his tracks.

Why was her head there? What was going on? This was awkward. Despite everything, Al blushed. It was probably a good thing that it was dark in the cave. Ignoring her position, he looked ahead. What in the world was that? This escapade just got curiouser and curiouser by the moment. Before long, he wouldn't be going into a cave for anything, period. This place gave him the creeps, and they were being stalked.

Al didn't like being stalked. Stalkers were a no-no. They gave him the heeby-jeebies.

Still unsure of what was going on, he looked at the object she held curiously. "What... is that?" It bewildered him that this was actually happening.

[Caedis Clepta]

"This," she stated, looking down at the skin, "is part of a snake's skin." She really hoped that further explanation was not needed. Even she, who had few reptilian friends to speak of, knew it was a snake skin. Snakes shed in a very obvious manner. And he was bonded with a bloody dragon. They shed scales too, she bet, and while it wouldn't shed all of them at once each scale should look similar to the large bunch she had. Right?

With a nose wrinkled of disgust she pointed the sword at the ground, letting the skin fall off and lightly land. She wanted to tell him to continue on and run for the entrance but she doubted that would work. Caedis had a feeling it put the skin there to try to make them do that. Or at least to make them frightened. It wouldn't have fazed her if it had done that for both reasons.

Drawing herself up she slowly relaxed every muscle, trying to keep calm. Trying to keep herself rational and her body under control. This snake will not win. It won't. Simple as that.

Finally she looked back to him, not noticing the red in his face and continued on. "I have a feeling that it is following us. Or, tracking us. Playing a cat and mouse game with its prey, some would say."

She began moving again, forward, knowing she would probably regret it but not wanting to linger or go backwards. She would rather have a creepy giant snake than a glowing altar. With a sly glance that probably went unnoticed in the dark she looked back at him, to see his expression.

"Unfortunately for it, I don't think ancient sacrificial sword or spider venom are very appetizing. Or good for one's health."

[Al Kinney]

Of course it was snakeskin. No wonder it looked like that. Damn, did he have crappy eyesight. Though maybe he just wanted to blame it on something else. So now they were having to deal with a giant legless reptile, that knew how to navigate the cave, that could see well in the poor lighting, and on top of that was probably very hungry. Once again, Al wished that Tia was here. She'd know exactly what to do here. He was still green and inexperienced. That probably wasn't good for the things to come.

Staying silent for the time being, Al was listening closely for more signs of movement. His minds was assessing his options. What was the best way to slaughter a snake? Nay, a giant snake? Normally he would just squash little ones, but that wasn't an option here. A sharp weapon could be of assistance. He still had his sword.

"Maybe that's what the acid was from..." Merely thinking aloud, he didn't realize that he had forgot to mention what had happened to his boots. Oops. Oh well, it didn't really matter now, unless the snake could shoot balls of poison. That'd be bad. They'd both end up skeletons on the cold rock floor. Not really his cup of tea.

Snapping out of his slight daze, he found himself listening to her speak. Cat and mouse? He liked that game, sometimes. As long as he wasn't the mouse. This situation was definitely about the smarter beings. The two scrawny beings, or the huge reptilian beast. So far, the odds weren't really in their favor.

"Wait... spider venom? What does that have to do with anything?" Al was confused. He didn't see any spiders around here. He would rather stay away from the eight legged little fiends.

And then, he began to put the puzzle together. Slowly, but surely. She was definitely not as she seemed.

"I hope you're talking about a pet tarantula, there, lady," Al shuddered unintentionally, "But I don't think biting a snake is going to work all that well. Considering it's size, your spider's gunna have to have some wicked jaws on it. Some powerful poison. So the best bet would be to get an open wound on the creature before doing anything too... complicated."

[Caedis Clepta]

Did the idea of spiders creep him out? Well, then, she would have fun with that. Unfortunately it would mean stopping for a minute, but that hardly mattered. There were worse things to fear right now than spiders.

Like, you know. Giant snake from hell or something.

A grin curved her lips and with her free hand took the leather strip from her hair, letting it fall down like usual. Spinning on her heel she headed back to him, stopping inappropriately close and standing on her toes to attempt to make herself taller. But, then again, it would be the only way for him to see her hair. Well, hopefully. Caedis had no idea how strong his eyes were.

"Did you know," she began, softly and in a way that was intended to get his attention, "that the black widow is one of the world's most venomous spiders? And did you also know you can tell it from its friends by its black and red coloration?"

She should probably step away. It would be the right thing to do and, well, the likely dangerously amused look in her eyes was probably startling him. If he was even looking at her. But, for whatever reason, she couldn't let herself back away. She wanted to crave whatever expression of horror or understanding he had, since, well, it would be completely amusing.

And, despite the whole giant snake thing, she enjoyed making him squirm.

[Al Kinney]

Al swallowed hard. This was awkward. Very awkward. So awkward, in fact, that the awkwardness he felt was vividly clear in his facial expression. In fact, it could very well be read as something completely different; disgust. Though that most certainly was not the case. He was oddly intrigued by her sudden behavior, and planned to try his best to seem collected.

Though at the mention of nasty spiders, every inch of him squirmed. Blech. The expression on his face changed over quickly; from his awkwardly disgusted face to an expressionless mask that he had suddenly chose to use. He could only hope he'd be able to pull off the facade. For in the end, it would be well worth it to see the reaction on her face that was a bit to close to his for comfort.

"I couldn't care less about random information on poisonous arachnids. So, if you would, please step away and get focused," Al took the opportunity to be a cocky little brat; he rather enjoyed doing so. "Though, if you'd like, you could still stay that close. Little bugs need protection, after all." An arrogant smile crossed Al's lips, and he held back the laugh he felt brewing. He was much too self-absorbed for his own good, especially at a moment like this.

On the inside, he was laughing like a madman. That plan had backfired. Tia probably would've ruined his moment with some snarky comment, but she wasn't here at the moment, stealing his thunder. He expected an unpleasant reaction to his words, perhaps a slap, some harsh words in return. He wouldn't mind; it was plenty worth it. A small voice in the back of his head was wondering how the giant reptile was feeling about this whole conversation. Maybe it was laughing in it's own way.

It was then that a thought struck Al. Something that he had learned through his experience with reptiles. Where was this beast getting it's heat from? Being cold-blooded, they needed some kind of warmth to be slithering about. If they didn't, they'd be slow, clumsy. So if there was some way to take the creature's heat, or to find the source of that heat, it would be much easier to handle the task at hand. As soon as they got off of the topic of spiders, of course.

[Caedis Clepta]

Well, she was glad they were on the same page. Based on his expressions, anyway. First the disgust which was pretty mutual and then the blank stare. Oh yeah, he didn't really care for spiders. Somehow that fact made this little conversation more amusing.

"I wouldn't worry about me," Caedis stated, a laugh in her voice. Oh this was great. Not only did he think he was being all smart ass-y by the last part, but he actually seemed satisfied he was able to get it out.

Like she needed protection from a snake. Hah! It was only a few minutes earlier that he was whining about something following him.

A smirk curled its way onto her face, an oddly devious look in her eyes. "Strange that a 'little bug' who eats her mate once she's finished with him would need protection from a man," she said, in a way that suggested it was more her thinking out loud than actually answering him. Of course that was the plan. First the creepy fact that would likely freak him out. And then...

"Besides, weren't you the one scared when you thought something was following you earlier?"

[Al Kinney]

Dear God, no. She seemed serious about this. Was she.. Al clapped his hand over his mouth. He pointed a finger at her accusingly and turned around. He made a feeble attempt to sort things out. She had to be messing with his mind. If she wasn't she was some kind of a creepy little spider that had just put two horrible things into his mind. He removed his hand from his mouth.

"I... You know, you would've been a little freaked out as well." Al had went into pout mode. He wasn't going to look at her again for as long as was possible. If she was a creepy spider, he didn't even want to be around her. That was just weird. He didn't want to accept the reality of her words, or even what the reality of them could be.

Sighing quietly, Al was done with this conversation. He was bound determined that he was going to get out of here alive. It was just a snake, after all. A huge, man-eating, venomous snake.... And in their arsenal was a venomous arachnid and his sword.

Suddenly, a link in his neurons occurred. He immediately turned around and looked at her. "I can... I could.. you know, I can.... We need to get that snake close enough," he shuddered, "And then you need to go all spider. I have a plan." It could work. If she wasn't kidding about being a spider. If she could do what he expected her to.

(Dear Lord, he has a plan.)

[Caedis Clepta]

That was the reaction she was waiting for. He honestly couldn't even look at her! It took everything to keep from laughing, to ruin this serious shield she had thrown up. The straight face would be long gone and unable to return. And once she realized he was trying to work something out she almost did laugh. And want to tell him to stop thinking or he might hurt himself.

Both, actually.

When he turned back around he seemed serious though. Focused, like he'd thought of something. Scoffing at his tone, which she believed to seriously challenge her being a shapeshifter, she decided she would do something to prove it. After all, one does not meet a spider every day.

Caedis always hated the process. The feeling of her shrinking, of her bones popping and coming to the front of her skin and hardening, the feel of a strange third body part and four new limbs and six new eyes. It probably startled her much more than it would startle him. The sensations were all weird, seeing in fragments and broken and otherwise wrong.

It was still instinct to see like this. Hidden down somewhere inside her. Somewhere far inside her where she rarely ventured. Without too much of a problem she was able to start forward, towards his feet, only tripping over her extra legs once and poking herself in an eye once before she reached it.

Was he taller all of a sudden? If she could talk, Caedis would have cursed, but settled for climbing onto his foot and up, over his clothes and eventually -- after what seemed like forever -- reached his shoulder. No this wasn't natural at all. She could just casually make a web to the wall and climb down and appear again and leave it at that. But no, she was going to see this through. Unfortunately.

She moved around, walking on his shoulder until she was sure she had his attention and that he could see her. Then she lifted a spidery front leg (or, one of them at least) and moved it up and down, rather lamely and in a way that suggested she wasn't used to the movements of this as a spider.

She was waving.