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Nemesis was not fond of the idea of working in such a large group of people she did not know, but it had been that way when the Dream Team had started up. She had come to like her teammates... in time. She knew that Charonite, and now the librarian, were right. That didn't mean she wouldn't look absolutely reluctant to entertain the idea of working all together (really, it couldn't be worse than just working with Charonite alone... actually, this could be a step up).

She tilted her head back, staring up at the ceiling with an utter look of dismay upon her face. Righting her posture, she then made her way over to the group after Charonite. Her arms were still folded over her chest, and she still looked irritated... but she certainly seemed a little more agreeable close-up. "Oh, well, that's certainly more useful than what Dude and I gathered..."

A map.

He had a map for a prison, but not for his own ******** library? Oh, librarian, she was on to you.

"I think our experience can be summed up with: Magic, and Dude wanting to make out with a door." A teasing grin flashed across her face, and she carefully stepped out of the reach of Charonite's arm... just in case. She'd leave the real explinations to Charonite, he seemed better at it, anyways.

Ian shook hands with Sailors Sirona and Alcyone, and nodded to the others as they were introduced or introduced themselves in turn. He was curious about who precisely "Dude" was, finding the name a bit strange, but dismissed it as a nickname; it was more surprising anyway that he appeared to know Abigail. Still, he was not about to question the large man dressed in white.

His attention shifted to Nemesis (she looked enough like the Sailors in her style of dress, but then did not introduce herself with the title?), then, making a mental note both of the description of Damon, and the girl's own tangible sourness. The red-haired boy agreed that sticking together seemed the best idea for the moment, but did not voice that for fear of attracting her attention or anger. Perhaps through the stone pillars would be a good idea anyway and they could all remain one group....

He shivered a bit as Sailor Sirona mentioned the torture chamber, and offered a weak but sympathetic smile. "By Mister Darrow's map, we were one floor above you, I guess. At least we could all find our way down here. Air's a bit fresher." The boy glanced between her and Sailor Saiph. "And you came out alright, right?"

Then, stepping in on the conversation between the two adults, the boy chimed in, "We also found a map in Sir Benedictus's room, but it was too big to take with us. And, well, I guess also not much use until we get out of here." His finish was a bit more hesitant, and he paused momentarily to chew his bottom lip. But then, "I should be able to remember the general layout of the major landmarks, at least, once we do get out."

... Wait, magic? Ian's mind tended to ignore innuendo, because it generally just caused him to feel awkward. "What sort of magic was it?" Most likely the sort that could be somehow explained, but, well ... much as he still wanted to believe this was some sort of elaborate lunatic's game, Ian was getting more and more willing to believe in such things.

Charonite gave Nemesis a look. It was a tired, old look. It was, in fact, the look you gave to a younger sister who was doing impossible younger-sister things again, and he had already shifted to look at the map that Anthony was carrying.

"Benedictus was an evil man," he said flatly. "The prisoners were left abandoned. So was everyone else. I don't know why, and I don't know why there was a rebellion -- how did he die." That was aimed at Tony and the others who had seen his body, though his eyes were still on the map. "When you found him, how had he died -- "

Maybe he thought better of his question, because he bit it off. After another breath he said, "No magic. She's exaggerating. There was a ghost who haunted those halls and helped us escape, and if you talk about the door I'll put you over my goddamn shoulder, Nemesis. Let's keep going forward, into the hall."

Her gaze flickered to Abigail, as if the suspicion was creeping up on her that the girl obviously wasn't good if she seemed to know Charonite. Momentarily her expression hardened, but she decided to dismiss her suspicions. What good would they do her? They were all in the same situation, after all. When they got out of this, she was sure things would change and go back to how they were before. But, for now, they were on the same side... Nemesis just had to tell herself as much repeatedly.

"I guess a group is... better than traveling alone," she admitted, though she was not keen to do so.

Her lips curled up into an even more wicked grin when Charonite sent her that look. It was only further temptation to tease the older man. "Her name was Elaine - she and Dude became rather acquainted with one another. The medium was the door." Because she expected Charonite to follow through with his threat, when Tony stepped forward, she fell in step beside him. If the General-King of the Negaverse tried to throw her over his shoulder, she'd throw Tony in his path instead.

The mental image was only slightly amusing.

"Elaine of Astolat."

Charonite did not say it with love nor nostalgia. His voice was flat and shut, and for a long while he'd just looked at Tony as Tony had described how they'd found Benedictus. After a moment, he nodded, as though suffocation was somehow an acceptable way to have found the man. "We were down in the jail," he said. "They'd left the prisoners to die -- a knight, Tristan. Political prisoners. One man escaped. The rest didn't. Elaine could write to us through the door that Nemesis keeps goddamn going on about."

He shot his words as though they were bullets, and didn't mince them. "If the map's no good, let's just go forward."

And that was that -- he'd stepped alongside Anthony, not following but not standing against him. Unlike Tony, he didn't wait for the others.

A great hall lay before them.

No sign marked it, no inscription held any clue as to what it was, but these two things were certain: it was a hall, long and rectangular and extending into the darkness beyond what they could see, and it was great. Their footsteps echoed in the darkness on the stones as they walked forward, through the archway flanked by huge pillars and into the massive chamber. The ceiling was too high and too dark to see -- the walls were barely visible, on one side and the other, and the outlines of massive crowned statues were also just visible.

This was a hall of kings, and no living footsteps had trod it in a very, very long time.

It was very silent here.

There was no further light here, save their own torches and the eldritch glow, so the hall was all the darker and more devouring for it -- it was impossible to see very far past themselves, certainly not into the hall beyond. As their eyes adjusted, though, they could perceive the faint outlines of rows of boxes on either side of the room. Boxes? No, coffins. Stone tombs, it looked like.

This was more than a great hall: it was the great hall of ancient, underground catacombs.

Did they investigate the tombs, look for another source of light, or stay where they were?

[The thread is now LIVE. This is a Choose Your Own Adventure -- participants act freely, but must take one of these actions in their post, and indicate clearly which one. Participants are allowed and encouraged to take different actions from their teammates. Every participant has a shot at dying. Please reply within 24 hours. Contact codalion if there is a problem regarding this!]

She took the torch without complaint, though it might seem odd that a girl so sour was going to listen to anyone right now. The dark was discomforting, the thought of going close to even more dead bodies was disturbing in itself. Nemesis had dealt enough with looking over corpses for the day, and if she could avoid further contact with them, she would. So, she held the torch just off to the side of her body, allowing it to illuminate some of the way for them.

Squinting, she tried to make out more of their surroundings, but it was simply too dark. They were in some large hallway, and Nemesis wanted to get to the end of it. Damon had to be in here somewhere, and it would do no good sticking around in one spot to wait for him to find her. Damon, though she loved him, could be incompetent when he was panicked, and surely he was panicking over losing track of his sister.

What would their mother say? Actually, what would their mother throw at him first, the kitchen microwave or one of the steak knives? Nemesis would easily place her bet on the steak knife.

"You don't have to tell me more than once," she replied with a slim smile that no one was likely able to see. Charonite had not led her astray so far. They had gotten to this point by sticking together, and so whatever he did, she would follow suit. Nemesis would search for another light source.

Zan watched the conversation proceed not having all that much to add to it. She had shown them the flask, and after everyone hand gotten a good look at it she slipped it back down the front of her dress. After that she just held onto Rufus and listened. It seemed like everyone was agreeing to stay together and head on past the pillars. She didn't have a problem with that, past the pillars meant a possible exit.

When the adults started to move the bluenette moved Rufus to her shoulder (who promptly scurried down to hide in the space between her chest and the flask where he had been before) and followed after them, sticking close to Mr. Darrow for now. She kept an eye on Charonite as well, just in case he needed her for some reason.

Stepping into the giant room her eyes widened, it was even longer than the previous room and she couldn't even see the the ceiling. She paused for a moment amazed by the scale of the room but then she hurried after Mr. Darrow. The tombs on either side of them gave her the creeps, she felt no urge to get any closer to them, though she would follow Mr. Darrow if he approached them.

Luckily for her it seemed like Charonite wanted them to find more light, and Mr. Darrow seemed to be of the same mindset. So, sticking close to the librarian she began to search for more light. She hoped they didn't expect her to get a torch of a wall the way Ian had gotten his torch, she wasn't nearly tall enough for that. It didn't seem like there were wall mounted torches though, so it seemed she was saved from that humiliation.