[center][B][U]The Vault and its Horrors[/U][/B][/center]

The Vault Door slammed closed behind Solus with an earthly bang, sealing itself again. Any light that was emitted through it was now gone. Leaving the Chimera and his companion in pitch black darkness. The flames in Solus' eyes grew brighter, dimly lighting the room they were in with a dull green hue. Four doors, similar to the main one, lay ahead of them, each labeled above with concrete signs, with words written in old language that Mairyell would not recognize, but Solus definetly would. Restoring power was a priority, so Solus headed towards the door on the far left. "This way..."
 
Solus placed his cut palm on the door, and just like with the last one, its symbols and sigils lit up, its stone rings twisting as it unlocked. It slid open to reveal a long, dark hallway. Beyond, an eerie darkness.
 
Shaking his head slightly, his eyes already perfectly adjusted to what others would find pitch darkness, Mairyell glanced at the doors an then to Solus. He moved and beckoned him, and so Mairyell followed, wondering just what the hunter kept down here that it required such rigorous amounts of security. Then again, he supposed he'd find out.... Walking into the door as Solus did, Mairyell's senses began to alert him of all kinds of rather bizarre essences. They were all vague and hazy at best, but he could still detect their strangeness despite their hazy nature. It was like a myriad of things were blocking them somehow. [B]"So...what exactly do you keep down here?"[/B] He asked, an eyebrow raising slightly, not that Solus could even see him properly in this darkness.
 
"Anomalies. God's imperfections. Creatures that shouldn't exist. Anomalious Artifacts. Etcetera and Etcetera... I even have a tiny self sustaining black hole in here somewhere." What Solus meant by all that, was that this... facility... was built to contain the strange things that came to be through nature, science or arcane. Things of a godly nature, but not made by Aaurus' own hands. Things that could bring about the Apocalypse if held by the wrong being. He continued down the hall, taking careful steps as his eyes acted as a candle light.
 
[B]"I see..."[/B] the vampire responded, sound a bit incredulous. Though, if Solus wasn't messing with him, which he probably wasn't, then that begged the question of just [I]how many[/I] such artifacts existed here. It sure felt like an awful lot, and he was fairly certain he was only sensing a very small fraction of the things. [B]"Well, seems like quite the collection. This something of a hobby?"[/B] A smirk had rested itself on his features, though he was plainly just being snarky and thus not at all serious in his questioning. Glancing around, and away from Solus' back, he surveyed their surroundings, which seemed to be stone walls and ceilings for the moment. The green light from Solus' eyes gave the place an eerie appearance, which he figured was probably rather fitting considering what was held here.
 
Then, as if to further prove his point, Mairyell began to notice the essence signatures in their direct vicinity. He'd been so distracted, and in the dark (aha) that he hadn't initially noticed them. [B]"Um...there are things in here with us, aren't there?"[/B] Mairyell glanced to the side, noting the shape of a few seemingly out of place objects. [B]"Wait...is that a door to a cardboard box?"[/B] There was an amused and incredulous tone to Mairyell's voice as he said it. However, oddly, he noticed that there seemed to be quite the complex apparatus holding the thing. Raising an eyebrow, he stopped, practically staring through the door, which in a way he was.
 
Solus passed the door a few paces as he carried on, completely missing what Mairyell said, only for his brain to snap him out of his focused trance. "Oh... uh..." He walked back over to his companion, joining in staring though the port hole in the door. "Oh that... I never even got a chance to make up a name for that bloody thing. But yes. It's a cardboard box."
 
Frowning, Mairyell glanced at Solus, and then back through the port hole. [B]"Why exactly is something as mundane as that in here?"[/B] His frown deepened and he momentarily questioned Solus' sanity. He then rethought that and shook his head a bit, remembering that in terms of norms he wasn't exactly without fault either, far from it actually. [B]"Where'd you even find this thing?"[/B] He questioned once more, looking to Solus for answers.
 
"Found it in a sewer. Was following a lead on sewer monsters spewing out of the Loom shitter en masse. That was their origin. It's basically a monster spawner. Everything that comes out is always different. It's like a chocolate egg, you don't know what you're gonna get. How it works... I don't really know. Didn't put much time into a studying it. But about every thirty minutes a twisted abomination comes out." Solus then chuckled to himself. "If the Fleshshaper was still around he'd kill to get this thing. But that contraption in there keeps it closed. If the thing the box makes doesn't come out, the box dissolves it and uses the materials to make a new one. The box is easy to contain. But it's the abominations that are dangerous."
 
Nodding a bit, Mairyell shook his head, [B]"That had to be a bit strange to come across, though knowing you, it might have been standard procedure at that point."[/B] Turning away from the room, Mairyell gestured for Solus to continue on, and he followed. [B]"How many things have you collected over the years anyways? I mean, this place [I]feels[/I] huge. I can't even get a good grasp on its size with my senses, which is saying something."[/B]
 
"The place is 200 floors that go deep into the mountain. It has multiple entrances that are well hidden all around Mt. Jigger. As far as how many things I have here?" Solus let out a strained sigh as he tried to fathom the amount of things he had here. "Probably in the thousands. Some I found. Some I purchased." There were several more doors ahead before the end of the corridor was in sight.
 
Nodding in response, a small smile came over the vampire's face as the passed another door. He glanced into it, seeing a pitch dark room. His eyes didn't pick up any physical objects or the like in the location, but his essence-based senses noticed a strange fluctuating oscillation therein. It was almost like the inside of the room was...filled with sound and nothing else. Yet there was plainly essence inside of the enclosure, it was certainly an odd occurrence, that was for sure. Then, as he took his eyes off of the port he saw something from his peripheral vision, and glanced back again, to see a set of 12 eyes peering out from the room, causing him to move away from it, and for a moment, form his claws. He quickly regained his composure and let them retract as he stared back at the glowing eyes. For a moment he thought he heard a cacophony of voices screaming at him, only for his eyes to narrow and his mind be shut off from outside influence, something he'd learned to do after one two many encounters with a certain nightwalker.
 
Appearing to notice this shift in mentality, the eyes multiplied and began to vary in color. The essence inside the room seemed to intensify its oscillation before Mairyell promptly shut his eyes and gestured at Solus before turning away. [B]"This place does nothing for my nerves,"[/B] he stated, rubbing his eyes and glancing back for a moment only to see that the eyes were gone. Shaking his head he decided to walk alongside Solus, rather than behind him, he kept getting distracted. [B]"Btw, what was in that empty looking chamber a few doors back?"[/B] He was referring to the one where he'd seen the eyes.
 
"Lost Souls. That's all you need to know..." Solus seemed almost sad as he said that.
 
[B]"Oh..."[/B] he decided not to ask any further questions, even though he was curious as hell. Still, while he felt curious, he also had a sense of unease after seeing whatever that had been. A sense of wrongness had pervaded it and he felt especially nauseous. He actually had to stop for a moment to catch his breath. It wasn't like him to be squemish, but this was plainly something different. [B]"Ugh, wish I'd never looked in there,"[/B] he shuddered and did his best to clear his head again.
 
"You're lucky you haven't seen their father yet. Just looking at him would have turned you inside out... Literally."
 
[B]"Disgusting,"[/B] he stated, sounding a bit like he was gagging for a moment before the sensation finally began to fade. [B]"That wasn't just one thing in there..."[/B] he shook his head, [B]"...that's for sure."[/B] Shuddering again, but less this time, he took his hand off the wall and grabbed Solus' arm, the same one he'd cut earlier. He lightly poked the cut and drew a bit of the blood out, which was promptly absorbed into his skin, after which he looked considerably better. [B]"Sorry,"[/B] he stated a bit apologetically before letting him go and walking ahead a bit.
 
Solus squeezed his bleeding hand shut and continued. "It's fine." The two passed a few more doors before reaching an elevator, right at the end of the hall. He pushed the call button and the doors slid open with a hiss. They both stepped in, and Solus inspected all the floor buttons on the panel, all from -0 to -199. "Shit..." The man breathed out as the doors automatically closed. "I don't remember what floor the Power Core was on..."
 
Opening his mouth slightly, Mairyell leaned against the back of the elevator, looking up at the ceiling for a long moment before he swiftly hit Solus in the arm. [B]"You seriously had us come all the way to the elevator without thinking about that? Ugh, you piece of work,"[/B] shaking his head, Mairyell glared at the buttons a moment. [B]"What kind of power source we talking? Electrical? Magical? Both?"[/B] He seemed a bit annoyed by the hunter's blunder, but nonetheless he might be able to find it if he knew what he was looking for. Still, 200 floors was quite something to search in.
 
Solus focused heavily on his memories of the last time he was here, ignoring Mairyell entirely. A number came to mind. Ninety-nine. It made sense. With the core being slap bang in the middle, it evenly distributed power throughout the whole facility. His thumb hit -99, and the elevator jerked as it took the last of the emergency power that was left. "This is going to be a one-way trip if I got the wrong floor. It just took the last bit of power..." He stepped back and leaned against the back wall
 
There was something of a deadpan expression on the vampire's features, but he decided to say nothing, instead he closed his eyes and reminisced as the elevator took them down to the floor that hopefully held the generator. It was weird to think he'd live 200 years now, strange to think that he'd more or less outlived everyone he'd once known, with only a few exceptions. Granted, he hadn't lead a very lavish life, even considering his travels and the like. One could say that he had met a lot of people, but didn't really get to [I]know[/I] most of them. Sighing a bit, his sister's face flashed in his mind a moment, causing him to furrow his brow and open his eyes. He didn't like remembering her, while she had always brought him comfort and happiness when she had been alive, remembering her and that she was no longer with him, did just the opposite.
 
[B]"Let's hope that it's there then,"[/B] Mairyell said, almost as if he was distracting himself, rather than making conversation.
 
The elevator stopped and pinged, letting its occupants know that they had arrived. The doors slipped open and they both stepped out. They were presented with a large blast door. Nothing unusual about it, though it did seem to be of a military specification. "Yes... This is it." Solus noted as his memories flashed images of this very door. On the right, was an alphanumerical keypad. With numbers and all the alphabetic letters of the English language. Millions of different possible passwords. Solus just hoped he remembered.
 
Looking over the door, a question came to mind and Mairyell looked to Solus, who seemed to be attempting to remember the passcode. [B]"How did you build this place?"[/B]
 
"The original facility was an underground military complex that was built to... well, contain something... It was later when something went wrong and the facility was abandoned, shut off and forgotten about. It was a few decades later when a Protected Demon bought the land as a nice getaway from the troubles of the world, and he was unfortunate enough to uncover this place. And then I took over, and with a lot of favors from the Illuminati, when I used to work for them, I built this [i]small[/i] Pandora's Box." He keyed in what appeared to be an entire sentence, and the door suddenly hissed and slowly began to open. "They were willing to invest an entire blank cheque just to see the thing buried under here contained..."
 
[B]"And what exactly is it that is being contained...aside from the other things you've gathered?"[/B] He watched the door open, listening as he did so.
 
"We'll pass through there soon anyway. It's... just better if I show you." He walked through the gap the door made and was presented by what appeared to be a control room, and a massive bulletproof window, showing what appeared to be a a Black Sphere, with milliones of cables, big and small, plugged into it. The walls surrounding it were strange and impracticle in their design, covered in tubes and appeared to be sculptures of human body parts. Not actual body parts, just scultures. It was like a massive piece of abstract art. "The Power Core." Solus stated. "There it is." He stepped over the control panel, that seemed, alien in design. It had no buttons, just holes for pushing fingers into, hundreds of them.
 
[B]"Very well,"[/B] Mairyell stated incredulously as he began humming something to himself. As they entered the control room, he noticed the strange architecture, and even alien nature of the technology. There was an inquisitive look on his face now, and a certain curiousity in his eyes. Still, he was wary of the place now as, in some ways, he held a certain respect for it, as it obviously contained some of the most potentially dangerous creatures and objects on surface, or perhaps in all three realms, though Heaven was hardly a contender at this point. Looking through the window, Mairyell beheld the massive black orb. He wasn't sure if the cables suspended it, fed from it, both, or had some other purpose all together. However, what he was sure of was that the thing was magnificent, in its own right. It was not only huge, but it had a certain majesty to it, plus the thing powered the whole facility, which was quite massive as he'd come to realize. [B]"Well, I suppose the generator would have to be something of that size to power this place,"[/B] one thing he wondered, was if this was also the thing that the Illuminati had sought to isolate at all costs. If so, what exactly [I]was[/I] it and why in the hell would they still use it to power the very facility that kept it contained?
 
"Behold Demonic Technology at it's finest. It's a Soul Sphere. Uses Essence as an infinite source of energy. But with it, comes a cost, or a benefit, depending on a person's perspective. Sentience." Solus began pushing his fingers into seemingly random holes, tiny mechanisms within the panel clicked, whirled and buzzed. One by one, the cables removed themselves like snakes with hiss as the Sphere slowly began to spin. Two 1 meter thick rods, one from the ceiling and another from the floor, just as abstract and misshapen as the rest of the chamber, raised towards the Sphere, nearing each of its poles. Eventually they stopped just short as arcs of lighting began to spark from the Sphere towards them. The lights, suddenly started to come on. [I]Vault Systems booting.[/i] Stated a booming voice within both minds inside the control room.
 
Having shielded his mind earlier, Mairyell was caught off guard as his mental defenses were circumvented by the voice, causing him to shudder for a moment before regaining his composure. "Um..." he started, but shook his head, watching the massive sphere begin to spin. "Well, it's certainly impressive...and sentient too? Weird, a sentient object. I haven't seen too many of those before. I'm guessing the Illuminati helped you with this thing too?" He continued to watch it, intrigued by the patterns of essence he was sensing.
 
"Actually the Blood Reavers built this. A gift for me, if you will. They called the old power station inefficient and two weeks later this thing is floating above my house." The Chimera grasped something that appeared to be a weird looking microphone and spoke into it. "Status..."
 
There was a pause for a few moments. And then... [i]Systems through floors -0 to -199 are nominal...[/i]
 
Solus let out a repressed sigh of relief. Then he spoke again. "Alpha Chamber status..."
 
Another pause. [i]Alpha Chamber nominal. Subject has shown increased activity...[/i] Solus narrowed his eyes at that. "Right..."
 
Mairyell raised an eyebrow, a small smirk on his lips. [B]"A gift aye...seems you had plenty of friends in high places, so to speak."[/B] When the system replied the second time Mairyell's smirk shrunk and disappeared. [B]"Alpha chamber?"[/B] He queried.
 
"The thing that everyone was so desperate to contain is housed there." Solus turned on his heal and headed back towards the elevator. Pushing the call button, stepping in and pushing the button for the -199th floor.
 
[B]"Ah.... I hope it's not the father of those [I]things[/I] I saw earlier."[/B] Mairyell said as he followed Solus dutifully.
 
"Well... Actually..." Solus left that thought hang in the air.
 
Left hanging, Mairyell just shook his head and sighed, [B]"If you have no intention of telling me, then you shouldn't have even brought it up."[/B] The vampire then closed his eyes, which had briefly become slightly red from annoyance. While Solus was essentially his only friend, he was certainly no easy man to get along with, especially in moments like these. He was generally rather troublesome, though so was he, which he had long come to terms with. So it wasn't so bad, rather, it was fairly fitting that they be compatriots, considering their strangeness. As the elevator took them the rest of the way down, Mairyell contemplated what exactly could be so feared by an organization like the Illuminati while simultaneously trying [I]not[/I] to think about the 12 eyes he had seen earlier...and the possibility of viewing their 'father'.
 
Eventually, the elevator arrived at the bottom and pinged just like before. Its doors slid open to reveal a well lit metal corridor. It was long and eerily silent as Solus stepped out of the elevator, the echoes of his footsteps only making the atmosphere worse. Solus didn't seem as confident as he was earlier. He appeared uneasy, and was constantly looking at the walls rather than watching where he was going, as if inspecting them for something.
 
Frowning slightly at Solus as they descended, noticing his gradual decrease in confidence. Mairyell could have cut the tension with his claws as thick as it was getting. Nonetheless, the vampire followed after Solus, noting the echoes of the corridor and trying not to become unnerved himself, despite his companion's obviously worrying behavior. So, after a few moments he asked a question, [B]"What has you so worked up?"[/B] There was even a tinge of worry in his own voice as he asked the hunter.
 
"Sometimes its influence escapes the Chamber and corrupts the hallways. If I see any evidence of that, it means we have a huge problem." Solus continued walking, his pace gradually slowing as they got closer to the metal door at the end labeled; [i]Alpha[/i]. Eventually they reached it.
 
The door itself was a high steel block with electromagnetic locks. To its right, rested a biometric scanner. A port to scan an eye, a panel to scan a hand, and a microphone. Solus stepped up to the security system and began the process, placing his head close to the port, aligning his right eye to it. After a couple of seconds it let out a low ping and the hand scanner lit up. The Chimera placed his undamaged hand onto it, and let it do it's thing. "Why the hell did I hide my gear down here...?" Solus asked himself quietly as he waited. The device pinged again. The old hunter sighed to himself and spoke into the microphone. "Beyond..."
 
The door clanged as the magnets keeping it closed deactivated. Solus placed his palm on the metal and pushed. The metal slab of a door creeked wildly, screaming after 200 years of abandonment. The man stepped in, and waited for Mairyell to follow.
 
Staying close behind Mairyell's instincts and the small amount of paranoia he was feeling, caused small droplets of blood to bead like sweat over his hands, hardening slowly into his claws. While he did notice them, he decided to keep them active rather than retract them entirely. One could never be too careful, especially in a place such as this. [B]"Well, doesn't seem there were any signs, then we should be fine right?"[/B] He asked, walking up beside Solus and following him closely.
 
"Not necessarily..." Replied the man as both he and Mairyell were greeted by a room with what appeared to be a sealed window, covered by somekind of blast panel, and two more doors, one on the left and the other on the right. Below the window was a desk with a few buttons and a closed black box. Solus approached the desk and placed his hand on the box, pulling the lock open with his thumb and lifting the lid. Within, was a pair of rusty rings.
 
Mairyell grumbled a bit as Solus replied. When they came to the black box and Solus unlocked it, he raised an eyebrow as he stared at the rings, wondering what they were. However, he'd tired of asking questions, so instead he simply remained silent, waiting for Solus so they could get this whole ordeal over with.
 
Solus pulled one of the rings out of the box and put it on his ring finger. Flexing his hand, he simply stated. "Put the other one on."
 
[B]"Mmm..right,"[/B] Mairyell said simply, reaching into the box and putting the ring on his right ring finger. He wasn't sure what it was for, but Solus likely knew best and would continue to until they left this accursed place. [B]"What now?"[/B]
 
"You wanted to see this thing... so here goes..." The Chimera reached for a lever on the control panel and pulled it down. The blast panel that blocked the view of the window began to rise, only to groan to a halt after moving a mere centimeter. "Argh... It's jammed." He pushed the lever back up, with the blast panel lowering back down by that measly one centimeter. "Looks like you will get a good look at it first hand..." And with that statement, he walked towards the door on the left.
 
The corner of his mouth moved into a small frown as the nausea from before returned for the briefest of moments. He pushed it down and followed Solus, his eyes glancing sidelong at the blast panel before returning to the hunter. Catching up, Mairyell didn't speak, unsure if his voice would fail him as they approached the door. There was an ominous feeling about it all, that was for sure. Still, he'd have to see it through now, he supposed. No use turning back now.
 
Solus pushed a big red button beside the door, warning klaxons went off as the door slowly opened, and the Chimera already knew what they meant. "Whatever you do, do not use your powers here, their [i]blood[/i] is... a lot more infectious than yours... You don't have a ranged weapon of any kind, do you?"
 
Mairyell's frown deepened and then his eyes narrowed somewhat. [B]"I have Brisn, but that's still magic. Though it doesn't invovle my blood at all,"[/B] he said simply, his bloodforged claws retracting via the pores of his skin. He considered that it also wasn't exactly a ranged weapon.
 
Synthorian: Solus quietly groaned. "A shame..." He stepped through the doorway, beyond of which, was a staircase to the right that lead to a much larger door, a hanger door, to be exact. He went down the stairs in twos, before reaching the blast door and punching in a code into the keypad beside. So many damn codes, it was a surprise Solus remembered them all. The door rose slowly, but was strangely silent as it moved. Behind it, a rays of green light beamed towards the pair's feet, and a black, goopy soot leaked towards them.
 
One of his eyes twitching slightly at Solus' comment, Mairyell made a note to not use any of his abilities, non-blood, or otherwise. He trusted Solus at least that much. However, without his blood or Brisn Mairyell had to resort to his pure physical superiority, so that might be...interesting. He grumbled under his breath a bit and then Solus opened the door. There was an eerie green light and a disgusting sooty substance beyond, and he didn't like what he sensed either.
 
It was so sickening that he decided to intentionally drown a portion of the feeling out. Nonetheless, he followed, or simply watched, depending on what was to happen next.
 
By now the door has fully opened and Solus stepped in, with Mairyell quickly following. As quickly as they stepped, Solus raised his hand towards the door, and a strange green chain flew out of his sleeve, grabbing the bottom of the door and pulling it closed in a blink of an eye. Yet despite that, the door did not groan, of make any mechanical sound, or even a bang when it crashed to the ground.
 
They were in a massive room, big enough to store a jumbo jet inside. It was covered entirely in the strange black soot. It was dripping down the walls and from the ceiling. There was no clean spot to be seen. In the dead center of the room, was a green ball of light... no... a rip, a tear in the universe, just floating there. "Don't make any sudden movements, and don't make too much noise." Solus said quietly as he gestured towards the corners of the room. In the corners, sat humanoids, covered in the same black tar, with what appeared to be tendrils and teeth all over their bodies. They sat in fetal positions, gently rocking back and forth. And they whispered in twisted, gurgling voices the same words over and over. [i]The Beyond.[/i]

Feeling another wave wash through him, Mairyell took a deep breath and fended it off as he continued to follow Solus. The rift however, or at least looking at it, made him somewhat more nauseous. He just hoped it wasn't going to get any worse, but he doubted it....

Solus took careful steps towards the Breach in the center of the room, making sure he did not make too much noise. Sound tended to echo here. Slowly the duo approached the rift, and as they got closer, the vision of what was Beyond was clearer. It was at its clearest when both Nekro and Sanguine stood inches away from it. Beyond the Breach, was an infinite wasteland, with a single, massive mountain in the distance. Surrounding it, were thousands of the same creatures as the ones in the corners of the room, sitting on their knees with their arms stretched out towards the peak of the distant mountain in worship. At the peak of the mountain, there was something there, but it was too far away to tell just what it was.

Mairyell's senses were not liking any of this, and while getting nearer to the Rift didn't make him feel more sick, it did increase the sense of dread that had gradually been building up since they entered the room. He wasn't exactly looking forwards to this. Hopefully Solus would answer some questions later, but for now he would keep his mouth shut and watch his step.

"My 65 year old self was a dumbass for hiding my stuff in there..." Solus muttered to himself right before he raised his leg and pushed it though the rift, stepping into a world far beyond his and Mairyell's comprehension. A world so far away yet so close.

His own foot stepping into the rift, Mairyell entered...and then collapsed. The pain was overwhelming and the psychic pressure even worse. It felt like his body was being imploded and ripped apart at the same time. Every nerve in his body was sending pain to his brain, and every muscle screamed for release. Still, after several moments of the agony, he found himself able to begin getting back up. There was sweat running over him and he noticed that his hunger was rising from within him. His Brisn didn't work here, it seemed, and that was not a good thing, not in the least.

Glancing at Solus, and then around, he clenched his teeth. He would punch the hunter later, for now he needed to get out of this place as fast as possible before his senses killed him for walking into a situation that so strongly reeked of danger and fatal consequence.

"You alright...?" Solus asked quietly.

The vampire twitched and glared at him, balling up his fist a bit and shaking it slightly. He then looked away, [B]"I'll be fine, but let's not linger, this place is...wrong."[/B] He then fell silent.

"Right..." Replied the Nekro, noticing the Vampire's struggles. He had to hurry before the Vampire got a little too hungry. He continued with care, avoiding the creatures that surrounded him and his companion, keeping his mouth shut. Eventually, after a tense and lengthy amount of time tip-toeing, the two eventually reached the base of the mountain. Solus craned his head back to look up towards the peak. All the way up at the top, was a large black sphere that continuously shifted and changed in size.

Only allowing his eyes to linger on the orb for several moments at a time, Mairyell felt his stomach churning, more from nausea than from hunger. [B]"Ugh..."[/B] he muttered, looking away from the thing for a final time. He didn't know what this place was, but he knew he didn't like it. This was for sure. He wanted to ask what the thing was, but he would rather wait, perhaps there was a better place. [B]"I presume you're going to tell me what's going on at some point?"[/B]The vampire whispered even as his senses dulled considerably so they wouldn't drive him mad from the sensations of the place.

"Just a little further. Gotta climb that mountain..." And with that statement, Solus began the trek up. The mountain itself wasn't as steep as it looked. Only the power of their thighs was needed to reach their destination, which was a metal door, oddly placed in a cubby hole in the side of the mountain.

Not at all perturbed by the door's appearance, or the fact that it didn't really belong here, Mairyell followed Solus up to it, not feeling tired in the slightest...just hungry. With any luck the effects of this place's essence would be somewhat dulled behind that door, if he were at least that lucky.

"We're here..." Nekro stepped up to the door, and keyed in its code, which seemed abnormally long. The door opened, silently, just like the blast door back on the Surface World, and Solus stepped in with Mairyell in tow. The door closed behind them, and the lights began to come on one by one, revealing a massive room the size of an expensive penthouse apartment, its walls covered in neatly placed weapons. Guns from a time long passed, and a time yet to come.

A sigh of relief exiting his lungs as the door silently closed, Mairyell let himself collapse onto one of the lazyboy chairs before looking around. He felt his Brisn activate somewhat here, and also the effects of the surrounding location become dampened slightly. Once he'd regained his wits, Mairyell looked to Solus and spoke, [B]"Well, what exactly is this place? what are those things, and...what was that black orb?"[/B] As he waited for Solus to respond as he glanced around at the various types of weaponry in the place. All long range, but some quite odd...things he'd never seen before, which was saying something since he'd been all around the world in the last 200 or so years. It was also a strange place to keep your weaponry, that was for sure.

"Ugh..." Solus grunted to himself in thought as he too, took a seat on an old rickety chair. "Hard to explain what this realm is..." He scratched his head for a moment. "It's a prison of sorts, built by someone to contain that... uh... orb, that you saw. The orb is... um..." Solus froze for a moment, taking some time to think.

[I]A prison...they'd built a prison around this thing, but why[/I] he wondered. Shaking his head, he waited for Solus continue.

Solus sighed as he looked towards Mairyell. "Look. How specific do you want me to be?" He asked. "Because, this place is quite hard for me to explain."

The vampire frowned slightly and glanced away, as if looking through the walls of the room and at the orb again. Shivering a bit he looked back, [B]"I'd love to tell you, but I've no idea myself."[/B] Sighing he shook his head and glanced around the room. [B]"All I know is this place feels excessively...wrong. I feel like there's a better word for it, but I can't recall it at the moment,"[/B] sighing he remembered how quiet Solus had made sure to be on their way here and so decided to query him on that instead, maybe it'd lead somewhere. [B]"Why exactly did we have to be so quiet on the way here anyways?"[/B]

Solus leaned back in his chair, which forced it to creek. "The beings down there don't like the noise. You see... they are 5th dimentional beings. They see every moment of every day, from both the past and the future, and multiple timelines, all at the same time. They need silence to observe, to watch, and comprehend. Otherwise you distract them. And they don't like being distracted..."

[B]"What...exactly happens if you distract them?"[/B] Mairyell asked, seeming slightly disturbed by the thought. The things didn't exactly look too...friendly.

"They chase you, till the end of time until you are either one of them, or torn to shreds at their feet..." Nekro replied.

[B]"Oh,"[/B] he said, looking not at all pleased by the hunter's response. [B]"That's certainly not a way I'd like to spend the rest of eternity,"[/B] he shook himself and then considered something. [B]"So, what of that orb? What's the link between it and those...things? They seem quite enamored with it."[/B]

"Ascended, or enlightened, would be better words. They looked upon it and became what they are. Their body was forced to change almost instantaneously to compensate for what they saw. They believe that their bodily changes are a gift. I think anyway. One can't really converse with those things."

[B]"I guess not,"[/B] he said almost solemnly, this place bothered him more now. For awhile he sat quietly, considering it all. The whole place was...Eldritch. That was the only word that seemed to fit. He wasn't sure what else to say even though he still felt like he had a poor grasp of the place and its inhabitants.

"Anything else? We don't really have a lot of time here..."[/B] Asked Solus.

Mairyell shrugged, [B]"Maybe later, I rather get out of here than have you explain what this horrible place is while we're still in it."[/B] He rose from his seat, glancing around. He figured he ought to procure a weapon or two.

"Right then..." Solus got out of his seat and moved towards the end of the room, clattering some stuff around as he began to search for something.

While Solus searched, Mairyell picked up what looked like a Maledictory Eagle, though a newer version of the one that he remembered Solus wielding all those years ago. Smiling he found a holster and fastened it to his belt. The thing might be useful at some point, perhaps he'd keep it. Glancing about he saw an odd disk shaped object and picked it up, calling back to Solus, [B]"Hey, hell's this,"[/B]he asked rather bluntly.

A chain reaction of guns falling off their hooks echoed through the room as Solus hit his head on something. "Damn!" He breathed out as he turned to Mairyell and took a look at what the Vampire was holding. "Oh... that's a Black Hole Grenade." He turned back around and continued his search.

[B]"So throw it far away and it'll activate. Get too close and i'll be collateral, got it,"[/B] he found an over the shoulder strap and fastened the thing to his back before glancing around to see if he wanted anything else. Tilting his head slightly as he looked over a set of rather futuristic looking handguns, Mairyell picked one up and gestured at Solus again, [B]"and this one?"[/B]

Solus returned out of a side room that Mairyell may not have noticed before, dressed for the occasion in his old trench coat. On his back was a massive drum, in his left hand he held a large duffle bag, probably filled with weapons, while on his right was an enormous 20mm Gatling Cannon, a loaded belt of shells ran all the way back to the drum. "That is a Gatling pistol. 2400 rpm. Sure you can handle it?" He gestured towards the three barreled pistol with his bag.

Mairyell glanced at it and then back at Solus, smirking, [B]"Damn right I can handle it,"[/B] he found a holster and then promptly fitted the Gatling pistol into it. [B]"I presume you're ready then?"[/B] He said, smiling ever so slightly despite the hunger that still built inside him. The faster they were out of here, the better.

"Yeah... let's bounce..." Nekro replied with an undertone of dread. He stepped up to the door, and opened it. He stepped through, and began his trek back. However, as Mairyell stepped out, a voice, dark, yet sweet, echoed in his mind. [I][b]Your illness...[/b][/i]

The moment his mind was intruded upon he stopped walking, standing stock still several feet behind Solus. He wasn't sure if he'd heard that properly, but regardless his defenses were now as up and on high alert as they could be. After he felt secure in those he followed after Solus, catching up with him and walking just barely behind him, [B]"I just heard something..."[/B] he whispered to the hunter.

[i][b]Your hunger...[/b][/i] The voice continued. Solus was completely oblivious to it, as it was only audible in Mairyell's mind. "Heard what?" Asked the Chimera.

[B]"A voice..."[/B] he said, glancing at Solus with a look that spoke volumes more than those two words. He was worried and while it was apparent in his eyes, the rest of his face was serious, showing how much he was concentrating. He had heard it again despite his efforts so rather than attempt to bar it from his mind, which appeared to be impossible, the vampire instead steeled his nerves and began taking deep breaths so as to focus himself even more. He made sure not to respond to the voice, that might just allow it another way in, so to speak.

[i][b]You can end it...[/b][/i] It wasn't letting up. This time, Solus turned to Mairyell. "A voice...?"

The moment Solus looked at him he'd notice Mairyell's eye twitch, for it had spoken again. He took another deep breath and then exhaled just as slowly...quietly. [B]"Yes, in my mind,"[/B] he heard his stomach rumble a bit and his bloodcore ached slightly. Twitching again the vampire began to allow the blood in his core to spread through his body, feeding him with the blood he'd typically save for combat. [B]"We need to get out of...fast,"[/B] he was confident that he could ignore it for that long, but it seemed to be playing on some of his weaknesses. Weaknesses that he had dismissed hundreds of years ago. It'd take the thing a bit more effort than that to manipulate him.

"We can't move too quickly, just hold out." Solus said as he looked out towards the orb, and continued walking again. [i][b]You have to do but one thing...[/b][/i]

He nodded at Solus and continued trekking, his breaths deep and his mind focused. When it spoke again he almost wanted to growl, but he repressed the urge, knowing that any sound might provoke one of the orb's disciples.

The image of a syringe with a purple fluid appeared vividly in Mairyell's. [i][b]A cure... Find it...[/b][/i] The Breach back to Progaia was now in sight. Only just a few minutes longer.

Gritting his teeth, Mairyell saw the breach and for a moment his head swam before he regained his bearings. Though he never once stopped moving behind Solus, he didn't think he could afford to. Whatever that voice was, the fact that he could hear it was not a good sign.

[i][b]If you do not... Your hunger will end you...[/b][/i] The voice stopped, having relayed its message, its advice, just before Mairyell stepped through the Breach, returning to the soot covered room.

A shiver ran through his body as they stepped through the breach and the voice was cut off from him. He said nothing, noticing that his hands were shaking slightly. He clenched his fists to stop the shaking and followed Solus back out the blast doors of the sooty chamber.

The doors shut behind them as they reached the metal stairs. Solus sighed to himself, glad that he was finally out of there. He glanced at his vampire companion, noticing that his hands were on the verge of discharging laser beams. "You alright...?"

When he heard the doors shut, he leaned against the wall and let out all the air in his lungs before breathing in again and finally looking to Solus, his shoulders having slumped. It was a relief to feel Brisn running through his body again, a relief from the hunger that had plagued and tortured him for so many years, the hunger that he'd thought he had learned to control. He shook his head a bit, looking away. [B]"I'm...alive and sane,"[/B] he said, partially avoiding the question. He increased the amount of Brisn that he was channeling through himself, amplifying its potency so that it calmed his nerves as well as his hunger. He then glanced at Solus' hands, noticing his complete lack of a ring.

His arm rose up so he could look at the ring, which he did for a long moment before talking. [B]"What is this for exactly? Because if it was supposed to ward off whatever was [I]really[/I] past that breach, I don't think it did its damn job as well as it should have,"[/B] there was far more than annoyance in his voice, there was fear. He hadn't felt fear in a long time, not real fear. Not since he'd lost his sister.

"The ring creates an Illusion of the Beyond..." Solus began. "If you saw it for what it truly was, what the being truly was, you would have become like those creatures, in mere moments. The transformation is... excruciatingly painful..."

He nodded, [B]"Well at least it did that much, though I'm almost certain that whatever I heard just now was this [I]being[/I] you speak of. I don't know what the hell else it [I]could[/I] be."[/B] He shook his head, pushing off the wall and standing up fully again. [B]"Also, if that's what the ring does, then how is it that you're not currently worshiping that Abominable thing at the foot of the mountain right now?"[/B]

Solus was about to go up the stairs when Mairyell asked him that. He stopped. "Exmortis, my inner demon, has more answers than I do..."

Mairyell sighed, following him up the stairs. [B]"Of course he does. Let me guess, we can't talk to him can we?"[/B] Despite the relief of being out of that place, he was in something of a foul mood, he really hated it when things invaded his mind, especially when there was nothing he could do about it.

"Maybe one day you will..." And with that, he continue up the stairs

Raising an eyebrow at that, Mairyell shook his head, essentially dismissing the whole topic. He followed Solus, but at a more brisk pace than before, this place was starting to get on his nerves. There were simply too many things in the place that reminded him of Szayeis and his...predicament, if you could call it that. Though he'd rather the demon just die, preferably by his own hand. Regardless, he hoped they'd be out of this place sooner than later.

The rest of the rise back to the surface was in silence for after their ordeal, there was nothing else to say.