[sub] a few hours later[/sub] The sun had set by the time that they arrived and an almost full moon was slowly rising. The church was one of the largest Emiliah had ever seen. A couple of stories at least. The had a strong feeling that it also extended far below. [color=bc8dbf]"So," [/color] She said, eyeing the area. [color=bc8dbf]"What is our course of action?" [/color] Fenros came to a stop and looked up at the old church, it's ancient gothic steeples looked ominous in the moonlight, The lights were all out in the church...which was never the case. Fenros's horse let out a snort, as it grew uneasy in the shaddow of the building. He calmed the horse with a few pats. To the right of it, the cemitery was clearly defiled as all the grave's were dug up and headstones smashed. The group had stopped by the tavern to learn more, but not much. The Church was left alone a few weeks before as the graves were all dug up over night. The villagers took it as a bad omen, especially when the priest of the church went missing a few days before that. They said that they heard screams and demonic sounds coming from behind the doors. And while waiting for a new priest to arrive, they barred the doors... hoping that it would keep what ever evil was in there from coming out. So far nothing... but each night it felt worse and worse. Fenros shifted, and slowly got off his horse, the leather from the saddle straining as the leather stretched and he dropped to the ground. Answering Emiliah. "We take it slow. If all of those graves were used, then we would assume the church is filled. We take it room by room, make sure nothing double backs on us." Yuri's eyes traced their ways up the walls of the church as his horse pawed the ground nervously. Gripping the reins Yuri kept control over it before it's pawing turned into a more panicked response. Slowly dismounting Yuri tugged at the buckles holding his scythe to his saddle, pulling it free and giving it a quick jerk to ready the weapon's blade Yuri led his horse over to a sutible location to tie it up. After that was accomplished he returned to the group, his eyes trailing up the churches walls. It was hard not to marvel at the thing's size, but then again that was often the point of churches and cathedrals wasnt it? To make you feel small, a mind game of sorts. Yuri slowly spun his weapon a couple times absentmindedly as he continued his observation of their hunting ground. A more religiously inclind person would most likely feel outrage at the desecration of such a place, but to Yuri it was just another stone building, only this one was filled with rotted and profaned corpses. Yuri nodded, his face hard to read under his hat and overcoat [color=f7941d]"Agreed, lets make this thorough. Less chance of becoming one of their number that way."[/color] Taking his eyes from the walls he look twoards Fenros [color=f7941d]"Who shall take point?"[/color] Mat gazed up at the church as they approached it, giving a short whistle. [color=ed1c24]"Why do these things always gotta look creepy at night?"[/color] He asked whiling looking around. [color=ed1c24]"It would make the intimidation factor cut in half if they had some kind of optimistic sign or something but no, they just gotta be all creepy and weird."[/color] The young hunter pulled next to Fenros then hopped off his horse, tying the reins to a nearby cross gravestone. He then pulled the weapons off the horse and equipped them onto himself. He left in his hand his spear so that it could help steady him, though the leaves Emiliah had given him did really make the pain go away. Mat stepped up to the front of the doors, giving them a look. [color=ed1c24]"Well, this'll certainly be interesting. Someone brought a lantern right?"[/color] Elizabeth dismounted her horse silently, she took the dagger from her knapsack and slipped it into a sheath on her armor. She took the horse's reins and tied her next to a patch of grass so she could graze. Giving the horse a firm pat on the back, she smiled and made her way back to the group. [color=ff00ff]”So, are we pairing up into groups? It would be faster, but probably not as safe.”[/color] Elizabeth looked around at them, considering their options. [color=ff00ff]”I suppose whatever plan we have is a good one. Fenros should take point, if he feels like volunteering, who wants to be last?”[/color] The moment Andri spotted that the other hunters intended to travel on horseback, he got worried. It wasn't about him not being able to ride properly - in fact he was a fairly adept rider, but carrying him was a challenge most horses weren't up to. The farmstead he came from was far away, so he would have to pay for what he required, not only in coins, but also in people that were owning horses telling him to get off. What Andri finally came up with was a Clydesdale one could hear coming from afar. Such horses were primarily meant for heavy work like plowing, but one could ride them as well. For him, its sheer size and muscularity were just perfect. However the assassin would have to return to the animal's former owner and repay his remaining debt in labor... When the question came up who would come in last, Andri's answer was straightforward: "I volunteer." One could already see him reaching into one of the larger pockets on his leather clothing. What he pulled out was a thin string reflecting the upcoming moonlight. The last half inch on either side was crimped into a small, circular and hollowed piece of steel that was flattened behind the wire's ending. A hole in that area allowed it to be hooked up with the handle. Being the last one probably was disadvantageous for survival, but it offered more mobility as he would not have to make his way around all the other hunters. The cathedral was very big outside, but who said that every room and every hallway [i]inside[/i] would be spacious as well ? Strangling undead likely wouldn't work, but holding their throats in place while kicking one's boot in their necks would. [color=bc8dbf]"Okay then, Boss Man," [/color] said Emiliah, turning to face Fenros. [color=bc8dbf]" What's our course of action? I favor Liz's partnering up plan. It'l be harder for anything to sneak up on groups. It'll also make it harder to leave a man behind should things fall apart," She looked over at Andri, who volunteered to enter last, that would leave six to split into no more than two teams. [color=bc8dbf]" That would be....three with two plus Mat," [/color] she said, counting the injuried hunter as slightly less than a whole. Fenros looked at the others as they prepared themselves. Reaching into his pack he untied three torches and passed them out to the group, to who ever would take them. He then said, "We will split up like suggested." He didn't know who was the most experianced or the least. He looked over the group and thought for a moment, "Emiliah will go with Mat, Yuri and Marcus, Elizabeth and Andri," Just pulling the names out of the air. He walked over to the doors and pulled his massive sword off his back. He then reached under the massive piece of lumber they had used to blocked the door and lifted it up and shoved it to the right, causing it to flip 180 degrees before clattering to the ground. He looked to everyone. "Are you all ready?" The doors slowly opened on their own, as the stench of death and rotting corpse drifted from inside the church. [h1] The Parting of the Ways [/h1] Yuri looked over at Marcus, his eyes darting up and down as he sized the hunter up. If he had any reservations, he made no move to voice them, in fact he seemed to approve of having a stout sword watching his back. Gripping his weapon, Yuri returned his gaze to the church's main door, the bar holding it closed fell away. He gritted his teeth, thankful for the coverings over his mouth and nose as the stench found its way to him. Still he breathed deeply and answered Fenros's question "As ready as I'll ever be." turning his head slightly, Yuri spoke in a quieter voice to Marcus "So which one of us wants to go in first?" Marcus looked to Yuri, the man with the scythe with interest. He had yet to fight alongside anyone who used the weapon. It would be interesting at that. Though he did regret not getting the chance to go with Elizabeth or Emiliah. For...Obvious reasons. When the man looked over to him, asking which one wanted to go first. He unsheathed his Bastard sword and slipped his kite shield from his saddle onto his left arm and grinned. [color=ed1c24]"You sound scared my good sir. If you like I will go in first." [/color]He spun his blade in his right hand warming up as he made his way to the door. The Door Bursted open as a rush of humid fowl smelling air rushed out, with a unholy demonic scream that seemed to consist of hundreds of voices, Spooking all of the horses near by. But....Nothing came out from inside the church. No shambling death, no rotting corpses. The air inside was unusually heavy and dark, after the scream had dissapated there was an erie, and unholy silence that seemed to surround them all, even outside where no sounds from any creatures of the night. Alltia crouched and tucked her tail low...whining at the feeling she was getting from inside the church. Mat felt a small shudder pass through him as the doors opened up, then he gave a questioning look. [color=ed1c24]"Uh...so we gotta go to the skellies?"[/color] He asked the group. [color=ed1c24]"Lovely...I always dream of walking inside creepy churches at night with the lovely thought of never leaving. If I trip I swear I'll be pissed..."[/color] He looked over at Emiliah and grinned. [color=ed1c24]"Well, ready to go through the haunted maze of horrors?"[/color] [color=bc8dbf]"Course," [/color] She said, taking the torch from Fenros and look at Mat[color=bc8dbf] "I will admit that...if the 'skellies' are chasing us, I'm not dragging you out of there like I did in the alley," [/color] She then followed Marcus and Yuri into the church. Right away there was a fork in the road. Left. Right and Down. There used to be an up, but the stairs had recently crumbled away. [color=bc8dbf]"Left, right...down," [/color] she muttered to herself, setting her spear straight up and setting it in the ground. She let the spear go and it clattered to the left. She pointed[color=bc8dbf] "That is the way we should go. I can tell," [/color] She then picked up her spear, heading off into the darkness. Fenros had taken a step back as the doors slammed open, Raisng his sword up ready to fight the possible flood of undead. But the fact there was nothing that came out gave him an uneasy feeling. He glanced at Mat as he made a sarcastic remark about the situation he was in. He reminded him alot of his younger brother Flint. Emiliah had trudged in first, much to all the mens pride that went out the window when a woman headed into the darkness first...alone. Fenros quickly followed suit, his sword in his right hand, raised and rested on his shoulder for easier carry. He found another torch on the ground, lifted it and lit it off of Emiliahs. Looking up to the Alter at the center of the back of the chaple, everything looked as it should, nothing was desicrated...it all looked as if the priest was coming back in just a few moments. However, the massive cross was crooked, the image of Christ seemed...darkened...and his face masked in darkness. As if reafirming the fact that this holy place of the lord was desicrated. When Emiliah allowed her spear to choose the direction for her, Fenros only raised an eyebrow in a queer look. But thought nothing of it. He looked down at Alltia, who looked to him, her eyes gleaming with the torches light so close. [i]Down of course.[/i] she said to him mentally. Fenros looked to the others and said, "Be safe." Before heading down the darkened stairs. "I sound scared?" Yuri muttered to himself as he moved with Marcus into the building "You wish." Still he couldn't help the hair on the back of his neck rise as the unsetteling nature of the seemingly untouched building. Calming his trepidations Yuri noted the direction the others begain to move towards "Looks like were taking right." Yuri said to Marcus as he begain to move past him, moving his weapon to a readied position, with the blade positioned slightly beside his right calf with the shaft crossed his body, held near the end by his left hand and in the middle by his right. Even his body moved into a readied stance, a slightly hunched posture, almost like he expected a fight at any moment. As he did this however a cold feeling flickered at the base of his spine, just a momentary flicker, but it was enough to make him set his teeth again. Marcus nodded as Yuri stated about taking the right. As they turned, Marcus lifted his own shield acrossed his body. He lifted his blade and rested on the top of his shield. Personally he would have rathered of going first, as he had the shield, tactically it made more sense. As they walked through the darkend halls, Marcus could swear he heard whispering. so soft enough that he assumed it could only be from the dead...yet not there at all. They came to the first doorway on their right, "Wait here, while I clear this room." He said as he awkwardly twisted the old iron ring and pushed the door open. He stepped in, it was the priests chambers...He looked around the room and found it empty, save for the bed. [color=ed1c24]"I think I found the priest." [/color]he said to Yuri. It looked like he was sleeping when killed... He looked away, as the entire bed was soaked in blood, including the walls beside him as his intrails were draped over the wall and bed posts. Mat watched as Emiliah had her spear choose the way for them. As it landed towards the left, Mat shrugged his shoulders. [color=ed1c24]"Hm, seems legit,"[/color] he said as he began to follow Emiliah down the path. [color=ed1c24]"Just remember, if there happens to be some scary skeleton monster thingy, be sure to let me know before it murders you OK? I'll be sure to pick up your bones. Then again I suppose we could just kill the undead skeleton guys..."[/color] Mat began trailing off in his speech about dying but not dying and even lost track himself on what the hell he was talking about. Mat had begun clutching his spear more tightly, listening to everything around them.