[center][i]The Forgotten Ruins - Subterranean[/i][/center]

The sewer tunnels beneath the ancient city had long since been drained of its unnatural waters, and only thin puddles remained. Rainwater and simple condensation in this humid underground sat as tiny mires where vibrant green mats sprung up through the cracks in the earth. Drains dotted the curved walls of the tunnels, funneling light from the surface down into the otherwise dim realm.

A pair of boots and the tiny pitter-patter of a small creature's limbs snapped through the echoing tubes. Short black hair dashed around corners, following after a diminutive red blob-thing. Annabelle, a title-less lady, made her way through the sewers of the Forgotten Ruins, wary of the sounds of clashing above ground. Navigating the place was frustrating, given its propensity to collapse into impassable walls of rubble, but with some testing, determination, and boundless energy to continue running, she made relatively short work of the labyrinthine tunnels.

When she had come upon a pile of rubble stacked to the ceiling, her dynamic little friend did its best to dislodge enough for her to slip over. The familiar, a blood elemental dubbed 'Carpenter' squeezed and slunk, morphing into fine threads of bright red blood as he coursed through the spaces in the rubble easily. Within its rocky prison, a push her, a snap of a whip there, and the pile tumbled in further on itself. Annabelle was not above squeezing herself through claustrophobic spaces, and some help from Carpenter tugging her through made for a simple experience. On one occasion she had to fit herself through a narrow tube in the wall of the sewers to reach the other side. She folded her arms up, stuck her feet in, and let the morphing familiar do the work of pulling her through. That must have been what a cannonball felt like, she imagined.

There were others down in the sewers, too, but only after she had already put in a considerable amount of time down there. Few were able to make it through the sewers from her starting position, but it seemed as though several groups had decided to venture below ground only once they'd made it deeper into the Ruins. Annabelle avoided confrontation. She was but one woman, even if she could profess having two capable allies always at her side.

Inwards she headed, following the pipelines directions only insofar as they pointed towards the city center. She was lucky that she hadn't yet had to ascend to continue on, but her luck was soon to run out.

A dead end.

Not a pile of rubble or a too-narrow continuation, but a genuine end to the pipe. A flat, solid wall stood before her. Perhaps out of a disappointment, or perhaps out of a fleeting hope that she was looking at some kind of trap door, she touched the wall softly. Finding it just as impassable as expected, Annabelle sighed.

A boisterous voice caught her ears, ringing sharply from above ground down into the sewer. Annabelle approached the steel-barred drain, eyes slowly adjusting to the light outside as she peered up to the ground-level. Carpenter bounced up with surprising agility for his rotund and stubby stature, and hung onto the ledge of the drain beside her.

Two groups had encountered one another, and stood at odds. To her right was a group of three; individuals that appeared of nobility, a man, and two women including a mounted horse. To her left was a group of four; a loud-mouthed and jovial man accompanied by a barbarian woman, a bowman, and a particularly generic-looking mage. She could tell by his hood and wooden staff.

[quote]"Now then! I know not who you are, fine ladies and gent, but I can assume we're all here for the same reason, yes?"[/quote]

They appeared to be considering joining forces, though Annabelle could easily note by the trio's body language that said proposal was under considerable scrutiny. She listened in silence as they spoke back and forth, dutifully noting down the names of the trio as they introduced themselves. If they did decide to join together, they'd certainly be the biggest group she'd seen thus far. A troublesome band to try and navigate around.

Carpenter prodded Annabelle's cheek, drawing her attention. A stubby red arm pointed towards a peculiar object that had jutted out just beside the sewer drain. A small, sharp crystal grew from the corner where earth met ruined wall, and sparkled with a hue she was unfamiliar with. At the very least, it appeared the sewers led her to a promising location within the ruins. She would have to surface, but the group's presence worried her. She took a gamble.

If they were forming up, perhaps they would be more receptive to taking on another random while still in the 'team-forming headspace'. Annabelle knew people liked her, so she had some confidence in following through with her decision.

Annabelle took a step back from the drain, her back nearly pressing up against the opposite wall. She retrieved a dagger from the belts hanging from her back, itself saddled alongside the long leather sheathe of her main sword. With a quick spin in her hand, she drew it across her palm, letting blood droplets flow. She did not need much for what she intended.

As the crimson bead fell upon the water with a barely-audible 'plop', a silent phantasm began to fade into reality before her. Wordlessly did it understand her intents, and without bidding, it lifted a skeletal hand from beneath its red cloak towards the metal bars sealing the sewer from the sunlit world.

A red bolt was cast out, crashing into the drain and blowing it to smithereens. Thin weaves of lingering magic coursed through the remaining material surrounding the open hole, and as they faded, left behind trails of minute vegetation. Its task done, the spirit faded away, and Annabelle briskly jogged up to the hole, throwing herself up with a hop. It was too narrow to simply crouch through, and so she performed one final prone shimmy to get out of the sewer and onto the Ruin grounds. Carpenter leaped up beside her, easily making it up and over.

Annabelle stood amidst the low dust cloud that billowed outwards from her feet, patting herself down, and lifted her gaze to the group. Now that she was actually standing before them, she didn't know what to say.

And so, she said nothing. Would a smile suffice?