The occasional drip of water was the only sound that interrupted the steady rhythm of quiet footfalls in the dark tunnel. The area around the pair was lit only by the light of a gently swaying lantern, held easy at the side of the female of the pair. Her orange eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, reflecting what little light was there to aide her vision. Her other paw held a long machete, deadly sharp, though swinging almost haphazardly in her grip. She seemed perfectly at ease in the darkness, though her carefree posture was betrayed by the way her eyes flicked at every shifting shadow and every abnormality in the cavern around them. The casual act was more for her companion, whom she was nearly certain would jump out of his skin should they actually run into any trouble.

Thus far it had been an easy trek, but such was often the case this close to the city. Enough travelers departed into the Catacombs from this direction that very few wildlife remained, and even most of the plants had been trimmed down to manageable levels. The Catacombs were notorious for their carnivorous plant-life, and while none of the species near the city were dangerous, novices to the area often chopped them down on their way through just to be safe. These were usually the same groups that wouldn't light lanterns for fear of being spotted by some wild animal, and instead ending up walking over a cliff in the darkness... Voska had little respect or sympathy for them.

She felt something brush her ankle and glanced down to see one of the small, weed-like plants growing from a small crack in the stone. it wasn't big enough to be harmful or even slightly dangerous yet, but the dumb thing was still trying to latch itself to her leg. A casual jab of her machete made it recoil, and split the tiny fern nearly in half at the base. No reason to let it continue growing.... pesky thing. No doubt her new "friend" might have a complaint about killing the weed... she had detected that he had some sort of weird fascination with the greenery. She wiped the tip of her blade of the edge of her coat in a smooth motion and kept walking, unconcerned. Her cherubic face, which people often (mistakenly) assumed matched her personality, was kept in a carefully maintained mask of minor contempt and indifference. She was trying to dissuade the man near her from talking to much. She had decided she didn't particularly like the scholarly male.

The rest of their merry band was somewhere behind them, no doubt being useless and making all kinds of ruckus. It was something of an advantage to be away from them, that noise would no doubt attract some nasty critters... but she still did not fancy the idea of being the first to walk into any pitfalls or plant tangles... or spider webs. She shuddered slightly at the thought. Spiders....

Majir glanced over his shoulder at the moving wall of darkness behind him and shifted his large backpack on his back to a more comfortable position. The cave only seemed to have the small lantern held by the guard ahead to light it. Every step she took shifted the small sphere of safety forwards a few feet. It felt like the group had waked for an age before the two of them had split off to venture on ahead. His logical mind however pointed out that they had hardly stopped, it was the eternal darkness and lack of people which was damaging his internal clock and leaving him bewildered. He really didn't mind the lack of people, the constant flow of footsteps and din of conversation he could do without, it was the absolute silence that he had never been exposed to. The shadows shifted again and Majir jumped slightly as his imagination placed strange creatures from his childhood books into the sides of the tunnel. He forced himself to calm down, his eyes returning to the bodyguard ahead. He watch for a minute or two as she looked about the tunnel's sloped sides, her eyes constantly scanning the surroundings for danger. She seemed to be on-the-ball at least. The only noise apart from the occasional drip of water from some far-off underground creek was the oddly distorted sounds from the main group far behind.

The two of them had split off some time ago. Majir looked down and watched where he put his feet as they crossed over a slightly rougher patch of ground and counted off time since they'd wandered ahead on his clawed fingers as best he could. Nope, he had no idea. It felt like they'd been out for a good two hours at least, but time was playing tricks on him down here and he could only turn to the strange younger woman in front of him for guidance on when they ought to head back. Majir has thought it would be wiser to pair off with Voska than stay with the troupe. He'd wanted to pick her brain for information about the things they could encounter out here, but he'd quickly grown tired of his questions and bid him silent. Her answers had been growing lacking in details as he'd gone on, so he supposed she'd had enough for one day. Yet his head was still swimming with questions, it was becoming harder and harder to just continue walking in this strange silence. She clearly had a lot of experience by how she'd been acting so far. Not to mention that Majir had stolen a look at her file before they'd headed out. She looked like she'd been out a fair number of times, although they were all more recent trips. He'd assumed that she'd been transferred from another area to here, for better opportunities or a new contract were common reasons, but one look at her age implied that her file was perhaps complete. But the guild trusted her, and so he'd have to submit to their judgment of her abilities.

Voska slowed ahead and Majir instinctively stopped in his tracks. There was a short flash of concern as her machete was gripped tighter in her hand, before he spotted the reason for her concern. Majir's heart fell as he watched her flick her machete, likely killing the small fern where it sat. He hadn't even noticed it until she'd acted, though it looked somewhat familiar. The botany book was out in a flash and he instantly flipped through to the carnivorous plants section. Ahh yes, he'd seen one of these before. The guild had an actual live specimen in the library, he'd spent countless hours simply watching it feel about it's small glass jar. He'd helped the plant specialist on more than one occasion re-pot it when it had gotten too big. He'd come in one day and walked over to greet it as he always did to find a far smaller, almost sapling in it's place. Apparently the 'parent' plant, once it had reached some designated size, was almost killed to force it to spend it's energy on regrowing crucial parts before it could waste it on getting to large. The larger specimen's were of course not allowed except under special circumstances. He'd wanted one for a while, but found out he'd need to prove that he'd take proper care of it before he could even apply. What better way to do that than to discover a new species? Or at least, if fortune didn't smile on him, bring back more samples than the guild

The two of them began to move on past the now-limp fern. It seemed small enough to not pose a threat. He wondered silently why she'd bother killing it. He decided after a few moments mulling the thought over that he ought to deffer to her judgement. As he gave the stump a wide berth he looked it over carefully as he passed. It looked like one of the legally permissible species, assuming the owner had the right papers of course. He wondered what the odds of running into another one around that size on the way back to the city after all this was over. He wouldn't mind surprising them with a few live samples, they always were worth immeasurably more to the researchers anyway. Majir cleared his throat weakly.

"Uh, could we stop for a moment? I think I'll need my shoes now, the rocks are getting quite sharp." Majir had stopped close by the small vanquished fern and had already slipped off his pack to dig out his boots before he'd finished speaking. He chose a larger boulder to sit on while he sorted out his shoes and socks. His mind cast about, looking for something to break the unnatural silence. "Um, was that a Carnivorous pteridium?" He ventured, already somewhat regretting his choice to speak. "I wouldn't mind a few live samples on the way back if we could." His tail swept back and forth at the thought of actually being allowed to keep one if he brought back enough.

Voska's eyes rolled the moment she heard the sound of pages being rapidly flicked behind her. Her slender fingers shifted her grip on the machete slightly as a mental image of spinning on the male and taking a few swings flashed through her head. They were in a dangerous, hostile environment and his primary concern was collecting some man-eating grass.

She slowed to a stop and slipped her blade into the sheath at her side when he asked her to stop, giving him a rather critical look as he sat down to slip on his boots. Her ears could pick out the echoed and heavily distorted noises of their group far behind them, no doubt alerting everything within miles to their presence. Then again, if anything came running at them, the marten and the feline would be first in harms way. So far she had only found one branching cavern and it had seemed empty... likely a dead end. The lack of plant life usually meant a lack of traversable terrain, since the plants themselves had to rely on mobile prey to come near... to be strangled or poisoned, killed and turned into a livable patch of nutrients for the greenery. Some of the larger gardens of the catacombs were along the main trade routes, built on the bones of long-dead adventurers and lost animals.

"I have no idea what a teridoom is..." She replied, grossly mispronouncing the word. "That was a small version of a plant that would normally have snapped my leg in several places and left me for dead after I passed out from the pain and blood loss, then planted more babies on my corpse." Her voice was accented rather heavily in the style often associated with the nomadic tribes of the tundra, probably had it in her bloodline too if one would guess. "So, if you want a pet, maybe try a dog first?" She shrugged nonchalantly, "Unless you only like creatures that want to turn you into a corpse for breeding, in which case, feel free." Her eyes roved around their area before she scratched at the tip of her nose with a claw and began walking again. They were about to round a bend in the tunnel and it became apparent that she was going to go poke her head around the corner.

"Stay still until I come back with the light." She prompted, giving him a pointed look over her shoulder as she strolled away, leaving him in the encroaching gloom and silence. She smiled to herself as she walked away, sure that the feline would probably be having a panic attack by the time she would return, but she did need to scout around the corner before he came walking up with her and made any noise. Light was less likely to alert creatures in the catacombs as a poorly placed footstep. Most of the plant-life wasn't even sensitive to light, and it would blind a good portion of the animals down here. She unslung her rifle from her shoulder as she came upon the bend, which curled not only sharply to the right by at a steep incline downwards. She adjusted the rifle slightly and pulled it up to her shoulder to view down the sights, hoping to get a better view, but she could see little past a few dozen yards, and it seemed as if the slope may become steeper.. dangerously so.

She clicked her tongue mentally, and shook her head, turning to begin walking back towards her scholarly companion. This direction might be impassable, in which case they would have to double back for several miles. not that she cared much, she was getting paid either way.

Majir worked on carefully clipping and strapping his boots onto his legs as Voska spoke. Well it was clear now if it wasn't already that he wasn't going to get any civilized conversation out of the guard on the topic of plants. She'd spoken to him with almost nothing but disdain since the group had departed from the city. Majir also decided that she might have some sort of vendetta against the plant life around here, if the most recent display was any indication. He was no fool, he knew the statistics regarding the size and danger the fully-grown plants could pose to the unwary traveler. Yet her responses so far seemed to only indicate that she was some-what unreasonable, seeing as the only things he'd seen so far could probably be snapped in two with a good tug by something his size. If she'd posed that it would render a threat to future groups, and couldn't be left to live, then he'd accept their sacrifice. Yet he could only detect some level of hate from her voice and eyes when she slew everything in their path. Majir had already begun to question the guild's choice of guard in this case. It was possible that she would be of more use when faced up against something actually threatening, yet Majir had begun to doubt her usefulness. She could clearly swing that knife about with skill, but was she going to be any use for anything but that?

Majir's muzzle wrinkled with distaste at the suggestion of getting a dog. Smelly unclean things, who in their rightful mind would pick a dog when a man-eating plant was an option? Plants eating animals just seemed normal to him. He'd grown up with the tales of vicious plants surprising his hero's in the 'night'. The smallest twitch of a smile played about his lips as he remembered his favorite hero, Xerion the white feathered avian, being chased by a tribe of barbarians and only surviving through his quick-witted trap by luring them into the tendrils of a particularly large plant. Majir was particularly alert by the fact that Xerion had been betrayed by his assistant to the tribe. He hadn't heard of anything like that actually happening in a long time. But it paid to be careful, he was in the wilds now, not playing some game in the city whacking the other kids with sticks.

It seemed only natural that the lower species of animals were feasted upon by plants out here. The great burden of sentience on the many races of the world lifted them up from the common beasts. It was only this that gave them the rights to harness and study the plants. To come to an understanding over the plants would give them power over them. The fact that it seemed that Voska disagreed with him on this point, set Majir's mind into confusion. That type of fern was cute anyway. Majir finished putting his boots on and shouldered his pack as Voska began to head off again.

"Stay still until I come back with the light." Majir did a mental double-take as his guard took off with a measured stride over the uneaven ground. His mouth opened and shut as his brain tried to process what he ought to say to that before he finally decided on staying silent. His tail swished back and forth in slight agitation as the light quickly vanished, enveloping him into the wall of shadows.

Stay calm Majir, you saw with your own eyes that there was nothing around here that could hurt you. He took measured, steady breaths but his paw's tight grip on his pack's shoulder-straps betrayed his concern. Majir stood stock still for over a minute before his composure began to break. He'd never been in such a level of dark before, not to mention the dangers that he'd spent countless hours studying that lurked about in these kinds of areas. Let's just sit down for a bit and wait. Hadn't there been a rock over there? Majir's right paw released it's grip on the shoulder-strap and felt about in the dark. He considered using his light to catch a glimpse of his surroundings, but decided after remembering the detailed warnings degrading wasting light to refrain. Besides, it took concentration to get the thing running properly. In a blind panic it would work with no problems, but running it for any length of time in such a state would only burn through his reserves of magic in a matter of minutes.

Majir's paw made contact with a rough stone boulder which had been sheered from the wall at some point in the past. He sat up onto it, pulling his feet up and wrapping his tail around his midriff out of the way of any potential grabbing tendrils. The group had only given them one light, did they not expected them to split up? He wracked his brain for the correct protocol regarding spitting up when only one member had a stable light source. He couldn't get a fix on any particular rules, but then again section three of the rule-book for guild explorers had emphasized care and restraint when searching new areas. He decided that he ought to consider memorizing the entire novel, he hadn't before heading off simply because it had been far too immense for such a short space of time. But now he thought it was apparent that such information could prove invaluable if his guard ran off and left him to his own devices.

The first sign that Voska was returning came with the slight shadows cast from the lantern from around the bend. Majir's ears were pricked upwards as he strained to hear her light footsteps against the rubble-filled ground. His light was out, though not on at the time and he quickly tucked it back into the folds of the clothes. Majir let out a soft sigh that he hadn't quite realized he'd be holding as the guardwoman finally came back into view. One would be hard-pressed to call him panicked from the darkness, though he had most certainly been scared even if he would never admit it.

"S..So, anything worthwhile up ahead?" He asked tentatively to the slightly younger Marten.

Making her way back down the tunnel, Voska could hear the sounds of breathing long before the light illuminated the feline. She hid her snarky smile with some amount of effort, figuring that had their positions been reversed she probably would have been no better off. Even the toughest of fighters would be lunch for any critter down here without a light to see by. It was a rather cruel trick to play on the man, but she didn't feel terribly guilty for it. He was a pain in the ass, after all. The sound of his voice when he spoke up made her flatten her ears slightly. How does such a meek creature hope to survive down here?

The mercenary stopped just in front of him and cast her eyes beck down the tunnel at his question, her paw resting easily on her slightly cocked hip. "Nothing particularly dangerous or plant-like, if that is what you're asking." She replied, her voice low in the near-silence.

She stood there for a moment, stock still and looking over her shoulder, then with a deliberate motion she turned back to look at the feline. "Could be a dead end, actually." She raised a brow, obviously wanting to see his reaction. As odd as it seemed to the huntress, the inexperienced feline was the one heading the expedition so it was his call whether to proceed or not. She figured somebody must have some rope, but the rest of the group was some distance behind and she didn't particularly feel like waiting... or dealing with the noisy rabble. "Unless you're feeling brave?" She questioned, a sly smile creeping onto her features.

"There's a sharp incline just a short walk around that bend. Chances are it leads down to the deeper tunnels which will be much more dangerous and less-traveled. Much more dangerous, but also a good chance for you to see some of the bigger, nastier creatures that live in this hellhole." She smirked. "There could also be some treasure in that direction, artifacts maybe. That steep incline is treacherous, even with climbing gear, I doubt many groups have attempted to take that route." She left out the part about how much more difficult it would be to flee should they run into any trouble up ahead. That was something anyone exploring the catacombs should always keep in mind, there were some things down in the tunnels that no amount of bullets would bring down.

She shrugged, lifting her paws half-heartedly. "Your call, boss." She said the last word in an almost respectful manner. Almost

---

Lurking just behind the dark wall of shadows, dark shapes moved along the walls of the cavern, slowly creeping around in the dark. The sound of footsteps brought stillness to the horde of dark masses, a light shining down the entrance to their ancient home. The light didn't reach the cavern, didn't illuminate the piles of bones carefully picked clean, or the giant stalks of the mushrooms growing around the cavern, the slime-covered walls or the dark waters pooling silently in the center of the cavern.

Soon the light faded as the footsteps retreated, and the horde crept slowly back into motion. It had been a long time since any new food had come this way, and the dark shapes began to slowly creep from the tunnel, sliding silently along the walls, ceiling, and floor.

---

As Voska stood there, obviously eager to move ahead with their venture despite the danger, she shifted the light from one paw to the other. The shifting shadows flickered across the cavern walls, revealing dark shapes moving across the walls behind her. Silent as the darkness itself, they moved at a slow and steady pace. As the light touched them several of the creatures froze, but a few more ventured onward, oblivious. They looked like slugs, but each one must have weighed at least five pounds.

Majir smiled weakly as Voska approached. "Nothing particularly dangerous or plant-like, if that is what you're asking." The mercenary said nonchalantly. Majir's ears fell slightly in disappointment. It wasn't like he particularly wanted to see the larger specimens that the underground caves had to offer, yet at the same time he did. It wasn't a particularly large problem that he hadn't encountered anything yet. It probably would turn out to be beneficial in the end. He could save space in his pack for the trip back and collect more complete samples, not to mention fresher. He was sure however that any sight of the local fauna would be something to be avoided. Animals had never entertained his curiosity like a plant could. The odd silence propagated by the Marten was broken by her careful glance over her shoulder into the murky gloom of the tunnel behind her. "Could be a dead end, actually." At those words Majir's ears drooped further. It was always bad news to hear that they had wasted their time up here. A quick glance over the evidence assured him that no official would doubt his judgement at the choice of this particular tunnel, he had taken everyone more experienced than himself's advice. The fact that that included everyone in the group was something that slightly bothered him. He was glad for the experience and lessons he was sure to learn of course, but the fact that he'd clearly gotten his position as group leader due to his connections to the guild and the fact that he was trustworthy in their eyes rubbed him slightly the wrong way.

He hated the idea of having to tell the group to turn back. He supposed that was why the two of them had scouted ahead, yet he assumed it would put a slight damper on their excitement for the job. He had discussed the idea of a new protocol for guild parties heading into the twisting networks of caves some time before leaving. He'd suggested placing signs on the fully explored sections and perhaps a higher investment in map-making specialists. He was sure that re-discovering areas was not currently as much of a problem, but future explorers would no doubt thank their guild profusely. Not to mention that the other guilds and more loosely-defined groups were sure to pay top dollar if they thought that the maps could be of use. It seemed plain that he ought to investigate, just to be sure. Voska had only been gone for a short while after all, though his reckoning of time down here was still shaky.

"Unless you're feeling brave?" Majir looked up from around the Marten's belt where his eyes had fallen during his self-contemplation, his ears pricking up at the sound of hope. He wasn't sure he liked the look of that smile, but the opportunity to prove himself would no doubt be valuable to accept the groups trust. Majir listened with rapt attention to Voska as she outlined the terrain ahead. He liked the sound of artifacts, though he was not so keen on the idea of the creatures that could be lurking in the dark out there.

"Your call, boss." Majir's tail twitched slightly at the slight disrespect. He'd had continual problems with the hired help since he'd set off. He couldn't blame them really, he'd probably be a bit miffed if he was in their shoes. The problems with his lack of experience was the core reason for him volunteering to go scout ahead with Voska to begin with. Not to mention that he'd wanted to pick her brain on plants and general conditions down here again, though she'd quickly dispelled any thoughts of that.

Majir caught the flickering glimpse of a shadow shifting out of the corner of his vision as Voska tossed the lantern between her paws. He dismissed it as a simple illusion of the light at first, yet after the second and third appearance of such shadows he began to pay more attention to the sides of the cave. He slowly lent out from his perch on the rock and looked beyond where the Maten stood towards the dark where she had appeared from. "Uh, Voska, what are those called?"

Majir's mind automatically listed all the creatures mentioned in his botany book. There were only a few actually listed; very few explorers had ever seen any of the local animals actually eating the plant life in the wild. It was generally assumed that there were more herbivores out there, yet sparse evidence for their existence remained other than odd tracks around some of the more benign plant life or signs of damage on the larger plants in the caverns. Majir's first thought at the sight of the shadowy slug-like animals was to think of beetles. Such thoughts were quickly dispelled as he saw one move under the light of the lantern.

Majir's golden fur fluffed up slightly at the sight of the moving mass of animals along the cave wall and he lifted himself up to his feet in one swift motion, ready to move if ordered.

The marten was already midway through turning around when he spoke up, having gleaned that something must be behind her from the way the feline had leaned forward to look past her. Not that she didn't trust him to warn her of danger, but the male was rather inexperienced and might not recognize something dangerous when he saw it. As such she already had her machete in her paw raised up defensively when she turned, the lantern skipping slightly off the stones as she hastily lowered it to pull free one of the tomahawks from her belt.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, and in that time the slug-like creatures managed to move forward till they were only several yards away. The mass of creatures continued to advance from the darkness of the tunnel. Voska paused, considering the ramifications of cutting her way through them, then decided against it. She sheathed the tomahawk and picked the lantern back up, slowly edging back away from the advancing slugs. They left a trail of sticky slime along the walls and floor behind them, which had started to smoke a little, creating a slight haze in the tunnel behind the front line of the creatures.

"I have no idea what they are." She spoke up, eyes picking out each mass in the dark. "I do know that I don't have enough bullets." She added.

One of the creatures along the floor rose up at the sound of her voice, revealing a lighter colored underside and a dozen spiny appendages a few inches in length running down either side of its fat body. It had a thin, lip-less mouth near the front that dribbled more of the slimy substance. The creature's mouth shifted slightly, and it spit a glob of clear-viscous goo several feet outward, landing off to one side of the pair, which began to smoke against the stone on the cavern. The splattering noise the goo amde on impact cuased several of the creatures on the ceiling to drop down and begin spitting in their direction as well.

Voska made a face when the creature rose up, one which contorted with further disgust when it spit at her. She also began to turn a slight shade of green, and it took a large amount off willpower not to un-shoulder her rifle to rid the world of the hideous little things. However, she became preoccupied backtracking when the slugs began to open fire, which just made her look more and more ill. "Go..." She hissed, waving a paw at the feline. She stumbled a few more steps before her stomach contracted and she made a gagging sound, though she never fully stopped moving. She didn't know what that disgusting slime would do if it hit them, but she could guess it wasn't good. Even if it was.... just no.

Majir stood, perched on the back edge of the rock, his strong legs ready to spring given the slightest hint of an attack from the strange slug-like animals slowly making their way towards the pair. He watched, unsure, as Voska made the decision not to initiate the attack onto the interlopers yet didn't immediately back off from the growing swarm. "I have no idea what they are. I do know that I don't have enough bullets." The guard said softly, keeping her eyes trained on the massing targets before them. Majir's paw rested on the hilt of his sheathed sabre as he focused his attention back onto the slugs. It was clear that the pair were in some sort of trouble. The fact that neither of them had even heard of such animals before bode ill to their chances of continuing down this path.

Majir's mind quickly returned to the thoughts of his books and his earlier studies on the caverns. He honestly had no idea what these strange things could be. The idea that the pair had discovered an entirely knew species was exhilarating, yet it was entirely possible that they were not the first, with all the bad implications that came with that. It would be great for him to learn about these ugly things, yet it was apparent that now may not be the best time.

Unexpectedly, one slug among the masses slowly rose up and took a lobbing spit towards Voska's rough position. It missed by a wide margin yet the resulting bubbling rock and clear attack set the adrenalin pumping through Majir's body. He sprung from his rock backwards, keeping his eyes firmly on the swarm of animals before the pair, and landed gently on the hard uneven surface. Despite his efforts to be quiet, his boots almost always made more noise than his bare paws. His right hand drew his sabre from it's scabbard quietly and held it between him and the slugs, waving it back and forth menacingly. A soft deep growl emanated from Majir's throat as he backed off from the approaching slugs. It was apparent from their pathetic shots that at least most of them were blind, yet at the increasing rate that the burning slime was being sent in their general directions, it was only a matter of time before one of the pair was hit.

While desperately sorting through the mass of files on cavern animals in the back of his mind, Majir suddenly remembered a short report filed some years ago which had remained within the guild. Some scholar had proposed that the patterns sometimes found on the cavern walls were perhaps formed through chemical weathering through either water or perhaps some hitherto unknown reaction. Majir watched the spit bubble up the rock below it in genuine surprise. He hadn't noticed the small wisps of smoke and light hissing coming from the swarming mass of slugs before, but now it was apparent exactly what had formed those markings on the caverns.

Majir glanced over to Voska as she seemed somehow affected by the sight of the slugs. He immediately assumed some sort of potent gas was perhaps affecting her and his left paw shot up to clamp over his muzzle and nose. His dark eyes snapped to attention onto the smoke wafting up from the smoldering floor. "Go..." Voska waved him back towards the distant sounds of the rest of the group before gagging.

Majir backed further away from the guard, taking his paw from his face to fish out his personal light but still holding his breath. It was immediately apparent that he needed to get back to warn the group, that was why they always split off into at least pairs. Majir hesitated, glancing back to Voska, before taking off into the darkness, his small crystal lighting his way in a gentle yellow-ish hue. She had vastly more experience in the caves than he did, if she was ordering his retreat, then he ought to get out of here so she could do her job.