Ancient Fates

It was a very mild morning, outside of a scrap dealership just on the edge of Central City. Just above a relatively small building, with large fences either side, was a wooden sign, with the words "Odds 'n' Ends" painted on in a relatively rushed way. Bits of the paint had chipped away, and the wooden sign already showed signs of rot. Clearly the maintenance of the sign was not a priority to the busy man that ran the place.

Or, at least, many would think he was busy. Instead, he was sat down, feet up on his desk. He was Titus Magnus, a brown fox with a claret eyepatch over his left eye. His bushy tail was draped over the chair behind him, ending in a clear white tip. He was dressed quite stylishly, with an open leather jacket, matching his eyepatch in colour, and a pair of brown boots, polished so much so one could almost see their reflection in them.
A tuft of white fur stuck out on his chest as he lay back, counting money from a recent transaction. 

TINGLE DING

A bell situated just above the door rang out as someone walked inside. Titus looked up, speaking quickly "Welcome to Odds 'n' Ends, the best-" he cut himself off, and his face cocked to the side slightly as a smirk came across his face "oh, it's Mr. World-Saver himself. What d'ya need?" He asked, the same smirk staying on his face. 

"I'm here for the quest you submitted to the guild," the newcomer said, a red hedgehog, dressed in a long blue coat, and brown boots, as well as black gloves. "You wanted us to search out an archeological dig?" He asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Huh, well colour me impressed, I didn't think you'd join a guild like that. And why'd you choose my request? Lookin' to make back summa that half a mil?" Titus replied, grinning arrogantly.
"No, I'm making sure you don't swindle my fellow guild members."

Before Titus could reply to that statement, the bell, once again, rung out, signalling another's entrance to the shop. He looked up, "Ah, welcome to Odds 'n' Ends, what can I do for ya?"

"Well helloooOOOO darlings~! OHOHOHO!"
Oh no. The door hadn't just opened, it was slammed open with a sudden force. Following Caen's footsteps into the store was another individual. But it wasn't just an 'individual' - this person was decidedly distinct. Decidedly garish. Decidedly loud and obnoxious. Once you encountered them, you'd never forget. Stood in the doorway was a white griffon. Their clothing of choice was pink, frilly and full of hearts. Some would say the pink was a little too much. A pink frilly dress that reached just above her knees, a little pink heart bow in that pink, flowing hair. Their pink eyelashes fluttered, and their pink eyes gazed upon the scene. Her pink heels slammed into the ground with a loud, signalling CLACK! for attention. And a smirk formed on that pink beak.

"What can you do for me? Ooooh what a bold, generous gentleman..." walking forward with a wide sway on her step, giving a cheeky wink to Caen as she passed by, her hand slapped upon Titus' desk, "Oh but sweetie I'm not here for me. I'm here for yooouuu~!" Reaching into the cleavage of her dress, the griffon pulled out her guild ID card. It had recently been sparkled up with little pink rhinestones, "See this, hon? You sent out a cute little quest for the delightful, ever-talented Maxie, didn't you? Well, I answered! How LUCKY! Ohoho! And I'm aaalll yooouuurs~" Resting both her arms on the table, she gave the man a sultry wink. Her lion tail swayed side to side, and a confident grin formed on her face. Of course, it wasn't sent directly to her. It was an open quest. But she still claimed otherwise. Maxie still continued to give bedroom eyes to this brown fox, but this time her speech was directed towards Caen as an afterthought, "Caen honey, are also you joining me on this little baby sandbox excursion?"

Not too long after the hedgehog and the griffon had entered, a rather fluffy individual entered the shop as well. They had quite a blank expression, not showing a lot emotion other than impatience. The loud and pink woman in front of her had already started to annoy her. 'Why do these people always have to be the center of attention?' the new individual thought to herself.

This individual was a feline, a Pallas's cat to be exact. They were mainly purple and beige, with pink, blue and beige markings all over her body, most of which were hidden by her clothes. These clothes consisted of mostly black pieces. A tight fitting t-shirt with their chest fur flowing out of it at the top, a pair of stretchy, yoga-like trousers and firm shoes that would support them while running and jumping. Over all of this, they were wearing a short, leather jacket to stay warm in the colder weather. They didn't need much to stay warm due to multiple factors, one of them being her excessive amount of fur. 

The cat quietly stayed in the background, waiting for the griffon to stop her rambling. Her tail twitched slightly as she turned to the man behind the desk and briefly showed him her Guild ID. "Name's Winter. I'm here for your quest." She was straight to the point and wasn't up for any chitchat. She was here for a reason and she wanted to get the job done, cash in the money and leave.

Caen was startled by a certain griffon's entrance, though this surprise quickly turned exasperation as her obnoxious voice filled the air around him. Why must she always be so... so LOUD? He sighed, looking towards her "hello, Maxie. A... pleasure to see you again..."

Titus, on the other hand, was overjoyed at her entrance. The garish colours, the loud, bombastic personality! Oh, she would be a gold mine. He stood up from the desk, smiling "a pretty girl like you, dealing with people like Caen, here? Naw, that can't be. Tell me, how do you deal with 'im? Duct tape?" He asked, before laughing loudly and slamming his hand on the table. 

His laughing stopped when a third entered the store, she was decidedly more... Quiet, and reserved than the other female. An almost mysterious air hung about her. 
"Oooookay, Winter! Welcome aboard!" Titus said, grinning a little.

Caen sighed, again, looking at Maxie "it's an archeological dig, Maxie. Something tells me there's going to be a little more than just sand,"
"Bingo, my friend!" Titus replied, clicking his finger, "I wouldn't have so much money ridin' on it if all you'll find is sand an' rocks. They say there's a few... Interesting artifacts down there, and I've got nothin' back from my guys in the field. As the request said, I want you all to head in there and retrieve whatever they've found," Titus continued, before pointing to all three guild members "So that's one, two, three. I'm tellin' ya, now. I'm expectin' everythin' back in one piece."

Titus reached underneath the desk, pulling out three rather hefty-looking, but otherwise relatively small sacks. He dumped them on the desk. "Here's the advance payment. A hundred thousand, each. 'Course, I'm accompanying you there, to make sure ya don't just run off," he said, chuckling a little.

The final entrant into the scene was blunt, cold, and to the point. That cat had no time for games, it seemed. Sadly, Maxie just wanted to keep on playing this one. Those kind of people were so boring, they lived their lives with a stick up their asses, unable to have fun or have a good time. You couldn't go through life treating everything so seriously, and Maxie certainly wasn't going to slow down for her. Just like how she wouldn't slow down for anyone. This griffon was a ride that never ended.

With a 'hup!', the woman twirled and sat on the surface of the desk.That way, she could see everyone! And more importantly, they could see her. "Oh Caen honey, you KNOW it is~! It's ALWAYS a pleasure to see me!" she boldly declared in her shrill voice, waving a dismissive hand at his less-than-enthusiastic tone, "But I'm just sooooo happy we can go on another quest! Ohoho, I've missed your cute faaaaace~!" She brought her hands together and pressed them against her cheek, exhaling a longing sigh. Fluttering her eyelids, the woman finally decided to address the matter at hand. The mission. You know, the whole reason she was here. Finally shutting her yap for a few seconds, she allowed Titus to explain the situation. It wasn't a situation she didn't know about - it was all on the quest form. Still, she couldn't help but raise her brow all the same.

"Run off?!" she repeated with an offended gasp, "What kind of woman do you TAKE me for, you naughty boy! I'm a well-respected tournament fighter, I will have you know! HUMPH! Thinking I'm some... petty... THIEF!" Hopping off the table, Maxie glared at Titus with her hands on her hips and a puffy pout, "The! Nerve! Ooooh you're just! SO lucky! That you're paying me! Else I'd pull your ear and give you a RIGHT scolding! Calling me a lawless thief! HOH! Awful, AWFUL!"

The woman outstretched her hand in an effort to bop him right on the nose for his naughty insult. Regardless of if she succeeded in this little boop, she'd turn around anyway and address her team members. In the motion, she'd grab her payment and hold it close to her chest, like cradling a small child. A small child made of money. "Men always make the worst presumptions! He's lucky he's rich."

The cold reply of the griffon, or better said, her way of ignoring the cat, regarding Aleks's entrance and speech couldn't bother her any less. The feline fixed her shirt, stood up a bit straighter and walked further until she was standing next to Caen instead of right in front of the door, where she was previously stood. The hedgehog's remark about the archeological digsite made the cat chuckle slightly. A grin formed on her face and despite trying to hide it, it was visible. 

It quikly dispapeared as soon as Maxie and the man behind the desk started talking again. Maxie's voice was just the worst. It was sweet, she stretched words so much, and it seemed like an act. Then there was the man's comment on his lack of trust in them, asusming they would run off with what they might find there. As if they were a bunch of kids. Maxie and she were thinking the same, except the griffon actually said it out loud. Winter was low-key grateful for that and despite her annoyance towards the woman, she nodded towards her.

Winter stepped forward, taking one of the bags on the table and feeling its weight. 'Seems about right.' She put the small bag in one of her jacket's pockets before turning to the door. "Shall we go then?"

Titus held up his hands, his cocky grin unwavering, "ladies, ladies, please, I have no doubt in my mind that you're all perfectly upstandin' members of society, but I gotta take every precaution. I've worked with a few... Less than reputable people in the past, and y'know, 'fool me twice', and all that."
"You're not exactly the most reputable person on Mobius, either..." Caen muttered under his breath, earning a much wider grin from the fox.

Titus turned away from the three, just as Caen picked up the bag of rings. "Alright, folks, I got a car lined up out back. Not exactly the most glamourous vehicle in the world, but it'll get us there. Shouldn't be too long of a drive," he said, just as he opened a door in the back of the store, holding it open, mainly for the two ladies. When they walk through, he would close the door on Caen, earning an audible sigh from the hedgehog, who would open the door to join the fox and the two fellow guild members out back, where a rather old-looking pick-up truck stood. 

"That... That isn't the same one you gave me, is it?" Caen asked, raising his eyebrow.
"The one and the same, kid. Just had to pound out the dents and clean up the paintjob, but she's a sturdy one, and I can't let her go to waste, can I?"

The acceptance of the others, as waning as it was, allowed her the passage to continue this tirade. "Hmph! Well, you better not treat us with the reputation of a bandit! Or I'll smack you upside the head, you ruuude thing!" she scolded, tucking the coins away in her little bag and putting her gloved hands upon her hips. With her head raised high, the woman led herself outwards into the back. Even insulted, the griffon swayed with a sultry walk. It just seemed to be one of her staple characteristics.

And reaching the back and seeing the truck, the woman huffed loudly, "Oh you will not catch me caught DEAD in that junk pile!" she sniffed, turning to look at the others. With a gracious spin and a raise of her hands, her large wings expended outwards, "Why soil my gorgeous looks when I can fly? I'll be taking to the air, my darlings~" Indeed, the woman planned to fly above them as they travelled. She was never fond of cramped, stuffy vehicles for such short trips. She was faster in the air, and it allowed a lot more freedom for manoeuvring. It was her element, why shouldn't she use it?

As the four of them made their way over to the car, Maxie started complaining about the looks of the car and how she would fly in the air, while Caen appeared to be really confused about this car in particular. Apparently he had crashed it or something? And he assumed it would've been beyond repair? Aleksandra was confused, to say the least.

"Just shut up already.." she mumbled to herself, barely audible, when she got into the car. It was not directed towards anyone in particular, more a way of letting her annoyance not get the better of her. Or well, to not let them build up too high. She didn't want to have to restrain herself from lashing out at anyone. 

Once actually in front of the car, she slightly raised an eyebrow and inspectedt the car. It wasn't what she had been used to in her.. 'previous life' in the slightest. It looked a lot more modern, but it also seemed to be worn down again. The woman felt tempted to ask if she could sit in the back of the car, out in the open. She contemplated for a few seconds and decided to just throw it out there. "Mind if I sit in the back? I'd like to not feel crammed." She referred towards the rather small sitting places inside the truck that didn't offer a lot of legroom. Before anyone even could answer she had already made her way over to the back, jumped in and sat down, holding herself in place by holding on to the edge of the boot.

"Naw, 'course I won't treat ya like a bandit!" Titus replied, his grin unchanging as he looked towards Maxie. He put his arms on his hips as he looked upon the truck, again. "Yeah, planned on gettin' rid of this thing, but Caen's little stunt with knocking a motorbike off a bridge certainly proved its durability!"

Caen roller his eyes, muttering "you make me seem like some reckless brute..." The hedgehog sighed as Maxie began to complain about Titus' choice of vehicle.

Titus waved his hand "don't worry about it, sweetheart. You fly to your heart's content. Start close, though, so you don't lose your way." He soon turned to Aleksandra, still keeping that same self-indulgent grin "and how can I say no to a pretty lady, hmm? You just hold on tight, 'cause there's no seatbelts back there, 'kay?"

Caen, meanwhile, had strapped himself in, sitting in the back passenger seat. He lay his two blades on the seat next to him, before leaning his head back a little. He sighed "this mission is going to be tough if Titus sticks around much longer..."

"Mmm... lovely..." the griffon purred with satisfaction, running her hands down her own waist as she revealed her large white wings. As she extended them to their full height in one swift motion, there was a small whumff! of windy blowback from her person. Her dress lightly swaying in the small breeze she had created, Maxie gave a smug, confident grin at Titus, "Daaaarling, do you honestly think I can't keep up? Don't you worry about a silly little thing like that! Please, lead the way! I'll be riiiiight behind yooouu~!"

Giving another flutter of her wings, she watched the others get into the vehicle with a face of disgust. She couldn't imagine what it was like in there. Filthy, cramped, smelly and sticky... probably. The idea of it revolted her. So, with more firm flap of her feathery wings, she took to the sky and left it behind her. 

It was a graceful movement, a simple vertical ascend with a deft twirl. She could feel the breeze against her feathers, see the endless sky beyond, there were no limits here. It was perfect. Flying higher still, the worn-out van with the party inside seemed smaller and smaller. She didn't want it to be a dot, she didn't want to lose track of it. But it was also a lot more difficult to follow something directly below you - it'd cause some serious strain on her neck! - so she allowed them to get a decent head start. Titus was leading, after all.

Aleksandra watched as Maxie took off to the skies. Someone engaging into flight had always seemed a tad mesmirising to the cat, and she happily watched people soar through the sky. Sometimes she would even feel a bit of jealousy bubbling up inside her, jealousy towards their freedom to go anywhere they wanted to, not limited by the means of transportation offered by vehicles. A small sigh escaped from her, but she was abruptly brought back to reality by the rumbling sound of an engine and the slight shake the truck made as Titus turned on the engine.

The woman quickly glanced behind her, through the tiny windown, and noticed Caen sitting next to the fox. She looked up, and noticed that as the vehicle started moving, Maxie was staying behind. Why was she doing this? Was she bailing after collecting half the money they were promised? The cat didn't take her as someone who would do such a thing, seeing as how she reacted when Titus had commented on how trusting he was towards people.

During the ride, Aleksandra got lost in her thoughts again. Never had she thought she'd end up in the back of a truck like this. Making her way over to an archeological digsite, to check up on what's going on there, for money. She had always hoped she'd be able to live a normal life, get married, maybe even get some children with the man she loved. Unfortunately that dream had been shattered years ago, when she got betrayed and locked away for decades, only to wake up in a world where everything and everyone had changed. 

Not like she could do anything about that now. She should've been more careful. She was reckless and young, now she knew better. She knew not to trust people so quickly, to open yourself up to others like that. This time she would careful. A bump in the road brought her back to reality. It startled her slightly and she shook her head to clear her mind, only to rest her head on her knees, staring off into the distance, where Maxie was flying.

The truck, contrary to Maxie’s belief, seemed to have been well taken care of, it was clean, had a fair amount of room, and there was no stickiness to be spoken of! Though it did smell a little of cigarettes and alcohol, but that was probably down to the driver, rather than the vehicle itself.

Soon, Titus had started the truck, and Maxie took to the air, following close behind, which made sense to Titus, considering she had no idea exactly where she was going. She’d better stick to the route, though, or he’d be forced to... Titus shook his head. There’s no way a pretty lady like that would run off with his hard-earned cash, right?

Caen, meanwhile, rested his head against his arm, which was propped up against the door. He, too, had thoughts running through his mind. Just what was at this dig site, to cause a bunch of archaeologists to disappear? Sure, they could have simply ran off with it, but the fact that Titus had called for back up suggests there would be something much more... Sinister... Going on behind the scenes. He sighed, looking out of the window. Just what had he gotten himself into?

Soon, the truck pulled up, outside of a cave entrance. It was relatively small, and out-of-the-way. It looked like your normal, ordinary cave, possibly home to a couple of feral bears or other such creatures. “Right, kiddos. This is the place. You can make your way in at your own pace, though I’m stayin’ right here. Can’t have you bailin’ now, can I?” He said, smirking. 

Caen stepped out of the vehicle, stretching his arms, before reaching for his blades, and strapping them to his sides, again. “Shall we wait for Maxie, first, um... Winter, was it?”

"No need, my pretties~!" Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long at all! The avian woman came swooping down, giving a singular flap of her large wings to nullify her momentum before them. A gust of wind flew from her body, blowing away any dirt and rolling away pebbles as she landed. From her close proximity, the hybrid had no trouble in keeping up. Indeed, she was enjoying herself throughout the journey! Twirls, loops and showing off was what she did. Even if there was no-one looking, the freedom of the air allowed her to do as she wished.

Her heels against the ground, the woman let out another one of her signature boisterous laughs. She examined the cave entrance with a smirk, pressing her hand gently against her own chest as she spoke, "Oh I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle! Honestly! I'm more worried about getting my cute clothes all... soiled up... with filth. I wouldn't want to ruin my good looks!" she commented, resting her hands on her hips with a small 'harumph!', "Mmmm... nevertheless I don't have a light source on me. Caen, daaarling? Are you going to be a gentleman and light up the cave for us lovely ladies?~"

Despite her confidence, internally she was honestly worried. She thought an expedition would have more space, she imagined excavating on a burial site or something, in an open field. Freedom was who she was, and she hated the idea of bumping into people and people getting in her way when fighting in an enclosed space. She wasn't incredibly claustrophobic, but it was less than ideal. She just hoped that none of these small worries would come into play.

As soon as the car came to a halt, Aleksandra jumped out of the back and inspected the environment closer. They seemed to be in front of a cave. Great. The perfect place to do digging. What if the roof collapses? What if they get trapped there? Her fear of a closed space slowly started to creep up on her, gnawing away on her in the back of her mind. It made her feel very nervous, and extremely uncomfortable. The rest of the environment seemed to be fine, but it didn't matter, seeing as they were supposed to head into that damn cave. Great. 

Maxie's comment about getting her clothes soiled by the dirt, made Aleks roll her eyes. Who in heaven's name would go to an archeological digsite, knowing they would have to inspect what had been going on there, but still expecting to keep clean clothes? If you don't want your clothes to get filthy, then don't wear them to these kinds of missions. It's impractical and just straight out dumb. The feline wanted to comment on the, in her opinion, idiocy of the griffon's own remarks, but she managed to keep her mouth shut.

The woman then continued to comment on something about Caen lighting up the way? Did the hedgehog have a torch or something? Because that seemed to be the only logical explanation for that. Unless the guy had some form of powers, of course. "How would you assume he's supposed to do that? I don't see any torches or lamps here or in the truck." There maybe were some form of lamps or lanterns inside the cave entrance, but one: the truck was blocking the biggest part of her sight and two: from what she could see there weren't any there.

Regardless of her doubts and fears, she confidently and quickly walked around the truck and made her way towards the cave, not looking back, trying to ignore the faint, nervous tickle in her stomach.

Before either he or Winter could answer, the echoing of a familiar laugh, as well as a rather powerful gust of wind, signified Maxie's returning to the group. Soon, the griffon was examining the cab entrance, talking of how she didn't want to soil her 'cute clothes', garnering a sigh from Caen.
"I think any dirt would be the least of our problems, depending on just what has happened, here..." He muttered, before walking ahead.

With a click of his fingers, a small flame was summoned in the hedgehog's palm. "Right. Stay close." Caen ordered as he walked towards the cave, ahead of both women. 

As they walked along the pitch black, twisting caverns, there was the faintest smell, which seemed to grow as they walked further in- the smell of death. Something has happened here, and it made Caen feel sick to his stomach. 

The hedgehog stopped suddenly when he felt his foot kick something in the darkness. He moved his palm around, revealing the face of a fox, slumped against the wall. His face was contorted into a look of sheer horror. Caen covered his mouth "oh, Christ..." he said, before taking a deep breath, and stepping over the fallen Mobian.

How will he light the way, she said? Caen's demonstration of his pyrokinetic abilities was enough to prove Maxie right, and she said nothing but instead simply crossed her arms in her own smugness. It seemed that Winter, the cold and stoic feline, was eager to get going regardless of a light source. She attempted to charge ahead, but thankfully Caen had intervened - that was smart. As such, since those two were so eager, Maxie had decided to tag along last. Giving a content chirp, she walked after them with her usual sway in her step, turning around to give a final wink towards Titus. "We'll be back soon, handsome~" she called.

Of course, the moment she entered the cave and her body was consumed by the black void of the entrance, her seductive swaying and smug facade dropped immediately. Her hand lightly pressed against her chest again, feeling the metal of her hidden weapon. Right, enough about that, time to get serious.

A quick summary flew through her head of what she knew about this quest. So it was based within this cave system. Something was discovered, and then there was complete silence from the team. There was the casual mention of monsters, but 'monster' is a vague term. There were currently two alternatives - either whatever they found had effected the team and caused their disappearance, or they were unable to fend off these monsters.

As the group moved, a tiny gasp exhaled from her beak. It wasn't loud and dramatic; it was short and horrified. That smell, that stench... Equally indescribable as it was specifically definable. The moment that sickening stench hit her nostrils, her mind immediately fell to a single conclusion on what happened to the team.

It was confirmed when Caen came to an immediate halt, taking a moment to shine his light elsewhere... and there she caught a glimpse. That was all she needed. That man was dead. He wasn't injured, he wasn't unconscious, he was dead. Her feathers bristled at the sight, and she held a hand over her beak.

"Wait," she whispered sharply as Caen began to move onwards. What was he doing?! You can't just... you can't just dismiss someone like that! They were on a quest, but this person was dead! They could have a family, friends, who were wondering where they were right now! Not to mention, the body could have clues on what's down there - what to prepare for.

The woman knelt down before the body, her expression equally sorrowful and horrified. The rancid smell was overpowering, and she felt a light-headedness just looking at them. Their face was pure fear, contorted eternally to express the moment they died. Raising a shaking hand, she lightly closed his mouth and eyes.
"Before... we go on, we should check the body. It could give us clues on what's down there."
She was a tournament fighter and a dancer, she had dealt with hooligans and bullies, but very rarely death. Death wasn't something she could get used to. It wasn't something so easily dismissed, something to scoff at. She shuddered. It felt... wrong to examine them and touch them. It wasn't her place to put her hands all over the body of a deceased man, even if she was gloved.

But... as horrible as the thought was, they were probably going to find more dead. If this was just the start, she didn't know what else awaited. She should do this! It was just... touching a corpse up and down. What was the problem?

The problem was that she hesitated.

The griffon stood up, turning to Winter. Caen had his hands busy - they needed the illumination of the cave to continue and see what they were doing. He couldn't do it. And, honestly? Neither could she. Fighting was fine, fighting was an art to her. But this? This was beyond her comfort zone. The moment she raised a hand and couldn't move it forward was the moment she knew she had to get someone else. Maxie knew her strengths and weaknesses, and therefore knew that she'd just slow this group down if she were to attempt to analyse. The other woman, meanwhile, seemed pretty apathetic and dry. She held herself strongly, and she could probably stomach this better.

Taking a step back, Maxie motioned towards the corpse and nodded at Winter, "Can you examine them?" she asked. That obnoxious laugh was nowhere to be heard.

The small flame that was summoned by the red hedgehog answered all questions immediately. So he was a pyromancer. That would come in handy. A fire bender, a cryokinetic and a... uhm.. what was Maxie? Aleks just realised she didn't know what Maxie was and wasn't capable of and she should probably ask. Before she had the chance to, however, they were already somewhat deeper into the cave. It wasn't too late, however, and just as the feline was about to talk, an incredible stench hit her right in the face, almost as if she walked into a brick wall of filthy air. It took the woman a few seconds to realise what it was, but then it hit her. That was the smell of decay. 

Not too long after she had figured out what the smell was, the source became visible as well. It was a body of a man, a man who seemed to have been a fox. On one hand, Aleksandra wasn't surpised to see what they had just found, considering the place had been completely silent for a rather long time now. On the other hand though, she didn't expect it to be this close to the entrance. They had only been walking through the tunnels for what. Three minutes? Three or four minutes at most. 

The expression on the poor man's face was the most unsettling of it all. It seemed as if his last moments were spent in the biggest fear a Mobian could ever imagine experiencing, something the woman wasn't happy about to see. 

She was used to death. She was the bringer of death, even, to the enemies of those who paid the highest prices. It was literally her job. Yet, these people had been innocent. They didn't deserve to die because one man had been too greedy and dug in dangerous places. Maxie seemed to be kneeling down next to the man. She agreed about having to properly inspect him, and not just leaving him behind, unregarded and unacknowledged. However, the griffon seemed to be extremely uncomfortable, and maybe even scared of examining the body, or maybe she didn't know where to start.

The girl got back up and took a step back, nodding towards Aleksandra, asking her if she could do it instead. This usually wasn't part of her job, but this wasn't a regular job. This was a guild mission and had nothing to do with her outside job at all. It made her feel slightly uneasy, but she kneeled down regardless. A simple "Sure." was all she said before she started inspecting the wounds on the vulpine's body. 

The main injuries seemed to consist of bruising and cuts. His arm looked slightly dislocated, and when the feline lifted it to check what had happened, she could feel the bone shifting under its own weight. It had been broken, most likely by a rock the size of what the man was holding in his other hand. Or maybe a sledge hammer or other tool. The feeling of the bone shifting made Aleks physically cringe slightly, her face scrunching up into an expression of extreme uncomfort. She slowly moved his arm back down again, resting it against the boulder it had been resting on before. 

She then moved on to the man's face. His pupils were as small as pinpricks, leaving nearly only his irises and a lot of white to be seen. It was as if he had gone insane before passing away. Whatever had attacked him wasn't pretty, that was for sure. His face had a few scrathes and one side of his head had been burned severely. The cat couldn't look too long at it so she quickly turned her head, breathed in deeply and continued to inspect the rest of his body. A few ribs seemed to have been broken as well, there were some bruised on his throat and wrists, and his torso and legs seemed to have been cut a few times. 

Aleksandra closed her eyes a few seconds, took another deap breath and stood back up to turn back to the other two guild members. "Looks like whatever got to him, had either really sharp claws or a knife. It also seems it was really strong or had good aim. His arm was broken, along a few ribs and his face is burnt." She gestured towards the poor man on the ground. It must've been a horrible way to go. A slight shiver could be heard in Aleks' voice as she spoke. "I hope he went fast, this is a cruel way to leave the world." It was somewhat ironic coming from her, a mercenary of all people, but she couldn't help but feel horrible for the guy. She was cold and stoic, but that didn't mean she didn't have any feelings or compassion. 

She had also noticed Maxie wasn't doing really well. In a whim, she put her hand on the woman's shoulder and patted it. "Are you okay? You seem a bit stressed out." She wasn't stupid, even if the hybrid was trying to hide her fear, the feline did notice it and wanted to make sure the girl knew she wasn't alone in this. After all, what use is it to go into combat all startled and scared? 

The cat thought for a second and remembered she still had to ask Maxie about her own abilities. That might be a good distraction for the girl to talk about, to try and get her mind off of the poor man they had just discovered. "I forgot to ask, what can you actually do in a fight?"

Just as Caen was about to continue down the narrow passage, he heard a sharp, almost hostile whisper behind him. He felt a pit in his stomach form. That was one way to make you seem like the most callous person on Mobius. 

He turned, kneeling down on one knee next to Maxie "I-I'm... I'm sorry," he whispered "I-I didn't want to seem like I was dismissing them... I..." Caen stopped excusing himself when he could see how much the griffon was shaking.

His eyes soon met the fox's, the transfixed face of pure, unadulterated fear causing the pit in his stomach to grow. His breathing faltered for a moment, and it was regained when Maxie reached up, and closed the man's eyes and mouth. He suddenly felt extremely nauseous, but resisted the urge to vomit with one deep breath, even with the lingering smell of rot. 

Maxie had stood up, asking Winter to look, who did as she was asked with a surprisingly calm composure. When she had finished looking, Caen gently leaned over, gently touching the broken arm, and cringing slightly as it shifted. He looked to the rock held in the other hand, and raised his eyebrow "but, still, the shape of the bruise on his broken arm... It almost perfectly matches that rock... It almost looks... Self-inflicted." He said, his voice shivering even more than Winter's.

Finally, Caen stood up, standing up, and away from Maxie, to ensure that she didn't feel too... Crowded. He shook his head "l-look, if either of you want to stop this quest, we can... This is far beyond our call of duty, after all..."

So that was that. Mutilation and potentially self-harm inflicted by a maddened state. She rubbed her arm, looking away into the darkness. She wasn't scared of what was in here - she was incredibly confident in her fighting abilities. But the inevitability of death, and knowing that something like this had happened to someone else? She'd heard millions of stories of death, but to see it in person... was...

"I'm fine," Maxie quickly replied to the feline, breaking that thought process. She had a horrible feeling in her stomach, but she was still able to fight. She was still able to act, able to defend herself, able to rationalise. She just... didn't want to look at what was before them. Despite her quick answer that was snapped out, her beak did soften significantly and she gave a tiny laugh. Maybe she'd been too rough on her opinion with Winter? She thought the woman wouldn't want anything to do with the group, yet here she was comforting them. That was commendable and much appreciated. "But thanks, hon."

Taking Winter's hand, the woman gently removed it from her shoulder, properly turning to the group. "That lovely Caen over there already knows this - but I'm an aerokinetic~! I enhance my moves with a push of the wind, and slow down enemies. Pluuus I..." her hand went to her chest again with a smug grin, "Have a weapon up my sleeve~! My retractable halberd! ...Hopefully we won't come to an encounter where I'll need it..." It seems that her boastful, obnoxious demeanour was back. However, it was blatantly more tame, and seemed to have her shrill voice dropped for the moment. She was trying her best to keep her facade up, but the corpse had shook her enough to break it for a moment.

And then she looked at Caen. He had stepped over the body a moment ago, but was now terrified and was blatantly worried and didn't want to be here. She raised a brow, crossing her arms. She didn't say anything, mainly because she had no right to. She was actively refusing to look at the corpse longer than she needed to.
"Mmm... And you're going to let this... thing... monster, whatever... wander these caves and potentially escape, Mr World Saver?" It was a harsh jab, but she still felt... underachieved compared to him. And someone like him was scared. The idea of leaving and letting this beast fester wasn't something she could allow. "We're heroes, darlings. We save people and this..." she went to outstretch her hand towards the corpse, but froze mid-way and just hugged her arm instead, "...can't be allowed to pass. This defenceless man didn't know what struck him but..." she grinned, "We're coming for it. Specifically. And we're going to get justice for him, for his family, and anyone else who's perished down here."

Maxie was, in the end, a bringer of justice and a protector of the weak. She hoped that her little speech had brought the group's spirits up a little, because right now? She needed to convince herself that she wasn't scared. The griffon crossed her arms and her voice hardened.
"The quest has changed. Forget what that man said. Getting the items down there isn't priority. Our goal, as heroes, should be to clear out the dangers this place holds. And that's exactly what we're going to do."

Maxie seemed to be calming down slightly, which came as a relief to the purple cat. She really didn't want to have the griffon storm into battle whilst being so unsettled. It would be dangerous for everyone and more danger on top of what was already waiting for them was something the group didn't need. The woman then continued to explain about her own powers and skills. An aerokinetic, a cryokinetic and pyromancer. It certainly was an interesting, and most of all very dangerous combination. 

Aleksandra couldn't believe her ears. Caen wanted to quit. He wanted to run from whatever was hiding in these caves. She could understand his fear as she herself was fearful as well, but her feeling of honour got in the way. She wouldn't just run from something she was assigned to do. She was on a mission and she would sit it through till the end, even if that meant fighting till her last breath. She was stubborn and had her mind set on going through with this. 

Before she could say anything however, Maxie was one step ahead of her, being someone who was more likely to speak her mind whenever she felt like it and thought she needed to. Aleks quietly listened to her speech, crossing her arms while staying silent and once again rather reserved. She didn't like how much she and Maxie seemed to think alike. The girl was loud, obnoxious and very full of herself, things the feline couldn't really appreciate. She couldn't help but feel some connection to her though, seeing as they seemed to have the same sense of honour in a way. 

Aleksandra quietly nodded in agreement when the griffon finished talking. She felt it was her own turn to say something so she coughed quietly and thought carefully of her words. "Maxie is right. It would be wrong to abandon these caverns and to leave the deceased behind to rot, without trying to take any action. I refuse to run and I hope you two feel the same way. I know you are scared, Caen, but so am I. I'm terrified. However, I won't let that get in the way of this mission. It is important to overcome these fears." She sounded as if she spoke from experience, almost as if she had let herself be guided by her own fears in the past. As if she would never let such a thing happen ever again to herself, as if she would never run from any challenge or obstacles again but instead would face them with all she had in her. "We should get going." 

And with that, Aleksandra too stepped over the body of who once was a normal man, heading deeper into the cave.

Caen’s question was almost immediately met with a calm, but realistic response by Winter, and outright disgust by Maxie. Caen stepped back, opening his mouth again, mostly at Maxie’s rather... Harsh words. “I-I haven’t seen anything like this before... I-I’m not a hero...”

Caen shook his head. What was he saying? Why would he suddenly abandon the ideals he had held for so long now? People were in danger, and there still could be people alive! He couldn’t leave this. No, not at all. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, before allowing his muscles to relax.

“You’re right. We need to defeat this creature, and... and we need to save anyone still left alive, if there is anyone...” He turned around, looking down the rest of the tunnel. “After we’ve cleared this place, I’m going straight to the police. Their families need to be told,” he said, finally stepping over the cadaver, again. “We can’t stop to pay our respects to everyone, though. As cold as it sounds, we leave ourselves vulnerable every time. I can’t say it would be good for morale, either,” Caen continued, though it sounded like he was talking to himself. 

Finally, Caen clicked his fingers, summoning another flame in his palm. “Winter, Maxie... Let’s go.”

The woman coukldn't help but give a soft smile towards Winter, her face twisting into an expression of appreciation before immediately shifting back into a serious demeanour. She was always happy when others backed up her points, or when others saw things as she did. It meant less hassle and less conflict in the future. The griffon too steeled herself for what was to come, her hand once again pressing against her chest. It was an instinctive thing, but she liked to check that her weapon was there when she was nervous.

Of course, the moment that Caen spoke, her face fell a little. It's not that she didn't approve of the words, but the proclaimed World Saver himself was stating he wasn't a hero. He had willingly signed up to a Guild to be a hero. They all had. A comment like that didn't make any sense, and it irked her. In addition, the hedgehog had taken up a leadership role and told them to go, and yet moments before he wanted to flee with his tail between his legs. She sighed. She was planning on saying nothing, but...

"That was what I just said, yes," Maxie stated towards Caen, a slight hint of annoyance in her tone. It just slipped out, a tiny comment before staying quiet altogether. Maybe it was just the revelation of the situation at hand that made her riled up, maybe it was staring death in the face that had caused her to become more emotional and on edge, but she didn't want to keep talking about this. The two of them had already set off, and all Maxie could do was follow.

And all she wanted to do was follow. She wasn't a coward, she wasn't going to run. Whoever or whatever was murdering people had to be brought to an immediate halt, that was clear. As she walked, she gave a final glance towards the corpse.

Caen was right, they couldn't stop for every single body in sight. He was also right in that doing so would leave them vulnerable and open for a potential attack. Her face soured at the idea, but she knew it had to be. If she just... ignored the potential other bodies, she could stay stable. She just... didn't want to look at them. She could only stomach so much.

She continued on, the wind swirling at her fingertips, her eyes narrowed and ready.

Caen mentioned they wouldn't be able to stop at every fallen man to pay their respects. Alekandra wasn't really planning to do so to begin with, but that was a completely different thing. One of the main reasons she had stopped this time was because she wanted to know what had happened, or at least get clues to what had been the cause of death, as well as to acknowledge people had indeed fallen. She knew there were going to be more dead people, she felt it and it was only logical, but knowing she didn't stop at any of them to think about what had happened would just be wrong to her.

Regardless of what everyone was thinking about the whole thing, Maxie seemed to be more than annoyed at Caen for what seemed obvious reasons. Aleks herself too had to admit that she wasn't the happiest with the hedgehog's previous comments on abandoning the caves and leaving it for others to take care of, but something about her snarl not too long ago stuck with her. 'Mr World Saver.' What did she mean by that? Had the hedgehog been in other situations where he had to fight for his own and others's lives? If that was the case, and he came out alive, why would he dismiss the whole hero thing? Especially since he had signed up to the guild for a hero role? 

Okay, admittedly, the feline herself had only signed up because she heard it was easy cash, not to be a hero specifically, but that was besides the point. Caen didn't seem to be the guy to only be in it for the cash from what she had gathered. The whole current situation was strange and loaded with tension between the three group members. It wasn't a good situation to continue in, and the woman needed to get it off her chest. Her cold attitude came back, regardless of her own fear for what was coming. "Look, I don't know what's up with the two of you, but I could cut this tension with a knife, it's that thick. Spit it out. Both of you." 

She stopped walking. This had to be solved before they jumped in head first. In the meantime, while she waited for the two others to actually talk about what was on their minds, she focussed on her environment, picking up on some noises of dripping water. This was good, this meant she could draw water from the cracks in the walls and the ceiling to create her weapons and other items. In preparation for what was coming, she started to draw water towards her, cooling it down and forming icecicles around her fingers in the form of extended claws. She would later on reshape these to form a larger poleweapon such as a spear or battleaxe, but for now kept them like this as to not obstruct anyone.

As they finally began to walk again, Caen felt the pit in his stomach grow. He could tell what they were thinking. He could tell that they both thought he was a coward, their confusion about him joining the guild, all of it... Maxie mostly just seemed annoyed at the hedgehog, like he was wasting their time. He took another deep breath of the stale, and rancid air as the tunnel curved to the right, the stench only seeming to get worse as they walked.

Caen stopped when Winter did, her finally mentioning the tension that had begun to build between him and Maxie. He turned around, speaking quietly, in a fashion that was rather out of character for the calm and collected hedgehog. "I-I... Look, I understand your frustration. I'm just... I've never seen a death quite so... So grisly before... W-well, I have... It... It reminds me of..." He shook his head, turning around again "nevermind... It-it isn't important."