Start Ups Immortals

[Alolan Ninetales]

"I'm just here to heal injuries if needed," Alexis spoke up.

"I have no idea what I can do honestly," Rose sweatdropped.

 

[Yun]

Wren smiled a bit at Don, then she turned to Rose. "We'll figure it out as we advance. Staying here, though, wouldn't do us much good."

--

In the end, the group was set to split up. A map of the area given to the group by the person who employed them for the mission showed that the cave system wound for miles underground, eventually ending up at the beginning of a chasm. This chasm was their destination.

However, above ground was actually far less dangerous than below if the group was smaller. Thus, Wren made sure to split the groups up.

Taking the cave system would be Rose, Raku, Ken, and Xavier. Above ground, Wren, Nicolette, Don, Kei, and Alexis would be taking point. Splitting up Raku and Nicolette would ensure that if one of them gets harmed, the other necessary person for the mission wouldn't be taken down.

----

The interior of the caves were labyrinthine. However, the goal was simple, the group was to follow the map and maneuver through the caverns below. At some points, going to lower elevations would be necessary, but the end goal was an opening at the very ends of the caverns that would bring them to the chasm's edge.

Of course, they would find threats beneath the breach, but it most likely wouldn't be anything they couldn't handle together.

Either way, one thing was for sure; the temperature in the cave was very comfortable.

----

Above ground, Wren had started the group's trek across the wastelands. She groaned lightly at the beating the heat was giving them.

She was sure that the cave was much better. Unfortunately, her powers didn't work too well in enclosed spaces.

 

[Prez]

Nicolette attempted to fan herself using her hand. It didn't work too well. So instead, she just kept on adjusting the rifle on her back. Maybe she didn't think her gun choice through too well.

 

[Hector]

"Well upside to the caves, at least we're not overheating anymore." Xavier quipped. He'd plugged the map into his phone and thus Juliet was giving them directions in real time.

Keep going down this path Master Xavier. You're going to see a number of paths branching off in about five hundred feet. There's going to be a drop off to the right, you're going to want to head that way. Juliet instructed him out loud, using her holographic form.

"You heard the lovely lady." Xavier remarked.

 

[Alolan Ninetales]

"Thank you, Juliet," Rose replied, perking up as the heat was no longer a threat to her. She enjoyed these cooler temperatures.

Alexis panted as she wished she had brought an elastic to tie her hair up with. The heat was awful.

 

[Flaze]

"Five hundred feet is pretty far," Ken pointed out as he walked alongside the others, holding his sword to his shoulder as he looked around.

***

"This is way too hot," Don sighed in annoyance as he walked, why did dragons have to leave in such a hot place to begin with. He started to feel his clothes weighing him down too, as thus he began to take off his jacket and shirt, the shirt itself had been covered in sweat due to the increasing heat.

 

[Prez]

"You know," Nicolette said. "That's not a bad idea." She began to take off her cloak and jacket.

 

[Flaze]

"Well, it's better than walking drenched in sweat and weighed down right?" Don pointed out as he glanced at Nicolette, stretching his arms a bit to try and recover some of the movement that had been dulled by the clothes.

 

[Prez]

"Which is why I agreed, lover boy," Nicolette only answered, now carrying her cloak over her back.

 

[Taengoo]

"Hardly," Raku muttered in response to Ken, pressing forward as her skin finished mending itself. "Let's just get this shit over with. I don't plan on dying just yet, not when I spent my money on decent vodka."

 

[Flaze]

"How do you know if it's decent?" Ken asked curiously.

***

"Also, is it me or is this place really empty?" Don asked curiously as he looked around. "Like I can't sense any presences."

 

[Taengoo]

She gave Ken an incredulous stare, as if he'd questioned the very existence of alcohol itself. "Do me a favor and never, ever say that again, I'll be damned if you insult my choice in liquor and I don't do shit about it."

 

[Flaze]

"Oh no, I'm asking because I don't know myself," Ken pointed out as he kept walking, not really seeming shaken by Raku's statement. "How do you know when one drink is better than others?"

 

[Yun]

Wren, too, had taken off her shirt, leaving her in something much lighter. She stretched, tying the shawl around her waist.

Don was correct. "Yeah. For a valley of dragons, it's surprisingly devoid of them," the Celestial said. Was that a good thing, who knew?

 

[Taengoo]

"Just how you can tell if one variant of food is spicier or sweeter than another," she explained, continuing on through the cave at the head of the group. "Or, in your case, you can tell if one person's blood is sweeter or thicker than another person's. Variables like these determine how well the alcohol has aged."

 

[Prez]

"Probably hidin'... the bastards," Nicolette commented.

 

[Flaze]

"They must be pretty good if neither Wren or I can sense them," Don pointed out, looking around once more. "Though I guess it wouldn't be surprising either."

***

"Oooooh," Ken stated in realization as he glanced at Raku. "Interesting," he added while scratching his chin.

"You know that explanation totally flew over his head right?" Lorenzo pointed out with a smirk towards Raku.

 

[Yun]

"Or they're just not here," Wren said, jumping down a ridge to a lower elevation. The destination they wanted was still miles from where they were, and the heat wasn't letting up. "Dammit... Kei, can you sense anything?"

 

[Taengoo]

It seemed as if Kei hadn't even heard Wren in the first place. Her one-eyed gaze was fixated on the ground before them, and she suddenly moved her hands to the medical eyepatch, removing it from the cursed iris. At first glance, it would seem like an empty socket, completely blackened out, the surface of her skull visible. Blue flames flickered to life, however, and she twitched.

Suddenly activating Pluto, she teleported into the air upon identifying a massive signature of malicious aura beneath their feet.

"So much...death... There's so much malignant energy here..." she muttered aloud, her free hand beginning to glow a transparent blue. The rest of her body followed suit not long after.

~

Raku simply shrugged. "Not my fault he doesn't have a very large attention span."

With that, she kept walking.

 

[Hector]

Xavier felt a drop of blood dripping from his nose. Frowning as he wiped it aside he listened to Raku and Ken bicker. He turned to Lorenzo. "Remind me to teach Ken the art of the bar man when we get back." He muttered. "Will save the poor kid so much trouble."