Duty Session 299: Spinner's Deep

It doesn't really matter what the weather is. That is one of the fantastic perks of being underground.

It's also one of the only perks of being underground. Not that Robert is claustrophobic, but there's that oppressive sense of everything closing in, of meters if not miles of earth pressing downwards. Of stale air, that never -quite- allows one to breathe properly. And we haven't even gotten to the skittering of little, or not-so-little, arachnid feet just yet.

Robert approaches, booted feet thudding against the mine's packed earth, with the neurotic punctuality of one who has a watch--or a system clock--and times one's entrance to occur precisely at the agreed upon time.

Ayame is still there beforehand, her shield in hand the wand gleaming just enough to cast light out to precisely 20 feet. It seems to be a thing. Dressed as neatly as usual, fitted skirt, shirt, gloves and boots, means she's nicely covered against the dust and the dark.

She nods to Robert as he arrives, smiling politely "Thanks for coming" She offers "This looks to be a good chance to see what type of things are about. Maybe find something interesting" She grins a little, gesturing in, and then hefting her shield "But do stay close, yes?"

"My pleasure," Robert answers with a tiny bow, though the glance he gives the surrounding cavern strongly suggests that this is more of a mixed-pleasure. For his part, he's opted for fairly standard gear. A bit of torso protection serves for armor, but there's not much else of note, save for a length of coiled rope at his side. He draws closer, though whether this is to take advantage of her shield, her light, or both is an open question.

"What were you thinking to run into," he queries. "Any instructions for engagements? Especially if we get flanked?"

"Try to neutralise any climbing advantage" Ayame says after a moment "So either very high or relatively low ceilings. Any corner is going to be a good holding point. I don't think they can fly" She reassures with a small chuckle

She moves ahead, to take point, swinging on with a shrug and twirling the wand in her fingers, sending scattered shadows through the caverns.

The pair descend deeper into the bowels of the earth, past flickering torches and shadows, past countless battles of yesteryear. But they encounter nothing and, ultimately, emerge into a cavern. Or perhaps it is a temple. The ceiling and walls vanish off into the darkness, but what little can be seen hints at a potentially complex system of worship. Or at least a sophisticated system of worship. Scripts and paintings line the walls, and what little can be easily deciphered suggests the chamber's former inhabitants likely revered arachnids. At the center of the room is a raised dais, lifeless and dark.

Robert is completely and utterly silent, stifling even his breathing. Only once he seems convinced that there is no skittering in that darkness beyond does he speak. "I seem to remember that spiders are symbols of patience and wisdom," Robert remarks from his position a few steps behind Ayame's back. "Tricksters, clever. Symbols of interconnectedness."

"Also," Robert adds with an amused quirking of his lips, "about a third of the population is terrified of spiders."

"Carriers of luck" Ayame says with a faintly odd glance at Robert, gripping her wand more tightly as she moves to poke aroune, tiny flares of magic used to illuminate, and a distant tone as she studies the scripts without any sign of recognition "Both good and bad. They bring it, and they take it" She smiles a touch, staring back "Well, there are only two of us. I assume the third stayed behind"

SpritesHero doesn't seem to have much more luck with the runes. He does look at them occasionally, but isn't putting in much effort into deciphering them. He knows his strengths. This ain't one of 'em. "Probably terrified of wisdom too," he agrees, suppressing the smile. "Or possibly just of eight giant, clawed, hairy legs creeping up in silence, of eight eyes glowing in the darkness, and the only warning one has in when it brushes up against. One's. Neck." There's the barest little breeze that wafts across Ayame's skin. But Robert isn't stupid. He keeps his distance. After all, she has a giant metal shield, and his face is quite a bit softer. Sometimes air magic is wonderful.

"Funny" Ayame says. After brushing at the bare back of her neck with a gloved hand, her hair pinned up "You're a very funny guy" In that tone that suggests, no, this wasn't funny "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were the one scared of them" A slight teasing, as she moves to the dias, and shakes her head "I can't say I understand much of this" She sighs

"Regular spiders, no," Robert answers, filing her response away for future reference. He at least has the good sense to try to look a bit contrite. "Massive god-spiders, yes. And might I suggest that it might actually be a rather good idea to be afraid of them." He too approaches the dais, then, lips tightning. He glances around. Glances up. Finally ends up just shrugging. "I've got nothing. I guess we brute-force it together?"

"That was more or less my idea" Ayame smiles a touch, bringing her wand down and beginning to tap the dias. It's a simple pattern, nothing complex, as webs of energy crawl over the dias.

"Being afraid before you see seems a touch counterproductive, though"

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Robert allows absent-mindedly, thorned tendrils of dark magic flowing from his palm into the dais, superimposing a black-rose motif atop Ayame's web. "It can have drawbacks, I'll allow, but I never bet against evolution. If millions of years have somehow selected for abject terror, I figure I should at least look at it twice." At which point the teleporter flares to life, wrapping the pair in light that slowly erases them from existance.

And presumably reassembles them elsewhere. Or at least moves them elsewhere, thankfully, or this adventure would already be over. Robert remains close, but perhaps not quite as close as he ought to be. "I've got webs, but normal-sized," he announces after surveying the torches. "Some fresh, nothing out of the ordinary."

"I have ... some sort of statue" Ayame says. She gestures Robert in, holding up her wand and flinching ever so slightly from the face "Mmm. Yes. Ah." She notes with a nervous laugh "I believe if it's asking for something ... well, yes. I believe that may be carrying luck away" She sniffs, glancing away towards the sound of water "Definitely things could live down here."

SpritesHero crosses the chamber to stand just behind Ayame, gazing up at that monstrous pincer-mandibled statue. "I'm starting to think we may not be dealing with a benevolent cult here," he agrees after a long pause. "There's definitely an element of tyranny." Another pause. "It probably wants a human sacrifice." Presumably Robert is joking. -Hopefully- Robert is joking. His expression is dead serious, though.

"No, I think you may have a point" Ayame agrees, as she moves to look around "We should offer something, though. As a sign of respect, if nothing else" She gives him a faintly surprised look, before commenting "Sacrifice is not something even such would usually do. No, I think they'd just eat us" A tiny pause "They are spiders, after all"

"It could be one of those trick-sacrifices," Robert hypothesizes, turning away to search for something. Anything. "You know, where the sacrifice is usually the weakest link. So it gets punted outside, while the healthy and well-fattened adventurers get invited to dinner." Dropping to his knees, he scoops up something and deposits it on the altar. It's a rock. An admittedly shiny and nicely-striated rock, but a rock nonetheles. Perhaps he respects the spider-gods less than Ayame does.

Ayame, meanwhile, chants softly, calling on light down here in these depths. From a crack in the rock, she coaxes a flower, blooming in the magical light. A sliver of a slash of a barrier from her wand, and she takes the flower and lays it respectfully on the altar.

"It's not about what you give, necessarily" She says, as she follows the pointing claw "It's about the effort you make in giving it"

SpritesHero looks tempted to offer a snarky comment, but there's really no arguing with results. "Overachiever," he accuses her softly, even if it's with a quiet, grudging sort of admiration. The statue swings inwards, revealing a downward flight of stairs into the darknes beyond. "I feel like there's some grand metaphor here about the different way in which we live and treat our lives. But I -cannot- think what it could be." He is indeed careless as he starts down the stairs in front of her.

The smoothened walls turn rough, the quality of the torches diminishes. Spiderwebs--some fresh, some fragmented, time-decayed, dust-coated choke the corridor--and Robert gamely pushes them aside with his hand, leaving a Robert-shaped path for Ayame to follow. Here and there the wall is gouged, and not in any natural way. Finally the tunnel opens into a room that essentially appears to be one giant spider-nest. Robert glances over his shoulder in concern. "Do you think you can get through these webs without triggering them?" he wonders. "I'd burn them all, but I'm concerned about what that would do to the air here."

"Gas pockets are apparently a thing" Ayame agrees, as she moves on down, using her shield to brush the cobwebs away from herself and tug them down. "Though if you want to see a metaphor; it's really just a large part of society. Did you not know?" A little genuine surprise there "Showing respect to even those you disagree with."

She doesn't move to overtake Robert, letting him go first if he chooses. She glances at the webs, and now she shivers, just a little, peering down into the chasm "I think" She says "As long as we can see no movement ... move between them the outcroppings?" As she moves to step onto the webs, to make her way

"Courtesy or respect?" Robert counters before gesturing for silence. He neatly slides between and over web-strands, effortlessly picking his way from outcropping to outcropping. The glances he offers over his shoulder, in order to track Ayame's progress, are pehaps a bit too frequent to really be considered wise.

He only speaks again once he reaches the opposite side of the cavern. "Disagreement, in good faith, merits respect," he offers, though he still keeps his voice low. "Different lenses and understandings are perfectly acceptable, and enrich life. But there are some arguments that are better than others. And there are arguments, or even ideas and philosophies, that are simply put forward in bad faith. Should one respect them?"

"I would not assume such are put forward in bad faith" Ayame seems genuinely surprised by that, blinking as she follows, her arms out. Her jacket is slung over one arm, and her little wings flutter as the Sylph steps lightly along the webs, having to tug her boots free as she goes. "That would be rude" She shoots him a puzzled look, as she keeps talking.

"The two are rather intertwined" As she pauses at the outcroppings, before continuing "Though I think you may be using the word differently to me. I can respect your opinion without entertaining it" She notes with a touch of a grin.

Meanwhile, the webs bounce and vibrate as the two pick their way across. Here and there, little things fall from above - dust, scraps of things too far too see - but never come close as they find solid ground, and a hole deeper into the dungeon, the webs no longer cobwebbing but thickly layered and coccooned about boulders and other unidentifiable things

"Assume, no. But I do find that bad-faith arguments show their hand very quickly. By that I mean intellectual bad faith," Robert clarifies softly. "An argument in service of a conclusion, rather than an argument intending to delve through the complexities of a situation to arrive at the conclusion. I..."

And he gets a face-full of very sticky, very fresh webbing. To his credit, he does not lose his calm. He simply freezes in place, and begins picking strands of web off himself as best he can. The tunnel extends beyond them, and is definitively more web than space. "I have no doubt that they -mean- well. That they feel the ends are worth it." Becoming increasingly freed, he glances over his shoulder at Ayame. "But that doesn't mean the argument itself is good, or that it is worthy of respect. But perhaps we are using the word differently. I consider respect to be afforded to that which has quality. I almost wonder if you conflate it with kindness?"

The vibration in the webs as Robert picks at them, plucking himself free, only begins to pick up, and then even as he frees himself, soft and subtle shakings of the web come through now, from that hidden and concealed darkness below.

Ayame, meanwhile, continues to chatter, using her shield to push through the webs and help to clear him "Not really?" She responds with a blink and a note of confusion "Courtesy, perhaps? While I may disagree entirely with you, if I do not listen to what you have to say, how am I to know whether your arguments hold any merit? It is polite, as much as anything, to listen when another speaks"

"Just as long as you appropriately categorize one of my ideas as being incredibly dumb, if it is," Robert opines. "And I never said not to listen. But judgement comes into play at some point. And..." He trails off then, brow furrowing. Did he feel something?

Nah. He's not a spider. He doesn't sense through webs. But something -did- set the hairs on the back of his neck erect, and for the briefest moment a chill tingled his fingertips. "I expect we're arguing about semantics at this point. We are in agreement that all arguments, regardless of the source or perceived quality, should be permitted to be voiced?"

"Of course. If I did not, that would also be a lack of -" Ayame begins. The thought does not finish, as the spiders slide through the webs, parting them with delicate movements of their long forelegs. Silent, deadly, they cut at Robert and the sylph, as more and more slide from the webbing, clambering up that dark and narrow spiral staircase to assail the pair!

Indeed, this argument will have to wait for later. Robert neatly steps back behind Ayame, allowing her to do her job as wand-and-tank. For his part, he wordlessly clears webs away from the tunnel at their back, allowing for space to retreat if it is needed. This obviously comes with some amount of risk; his attentions split equally between monitoring the darkened tunnel beyond for signs of activity, and providing covering fire in the form of the occasional hail of compact, razor-sharp shards of dark magic angled over Ayame's shoulder at the approaching spiders.

Ayame, meanwhile, is quick and light on her feet, even as the spiders fling webs and hunt the two. She brings her shield up, which is quickly yanked away from her - the sylph muttering about idiocy - and she resorts to barrier magic, desperately blasting the webs away.

Robert's blasts of dark magic riddle the spiders. Their long, sharp forelegs bat at the two, trying to drag the pair into gnashing teeth. Then, one falls, legs severed and pixelating into nothing. Then, another. The other spiders pause, their silent motions frighteningly still for a few moments, before they slowly fall back, scurrying back up walls and away from the two.

Ayame goes to retrieve her shield, bending forward to wrestle it free of the remaining webbing

SpritesHero sends a few additional bursts of magic at the retreating spiders for good measure--though at this distance it amounts to little more than giving them an encouraging swat on the bottom. His hand lifts, runs through his hair, as though he could draw out his nerves and cast them away with as much ease. He does not help Ayame with her shield, but he does stick exceedingly close to her, keeping an eye out for any additional visitors. "And we agree that the argument presented should be given all possible consideration?" he continues, once his breathing rate has settled a bit. "And that even if it is poorly presented, the -spirit- of the argument should be considered, the argument itself strengthened as much as possible for internal consideration?" There's an ominous rumbling, then, from down the tunnel, followed by a languid creak. Something, or someone shrieks, the sound a knife over a whetstone.

"Mmm" Ayame murmurs, scraping off the webbing from her shield with distaste, aspects of it sticking to her shirtsleeves as she begins to descend, her wand giving off fitful flickers of light as the darkness pushes in, close and tight, around the two

"Somewhat" She agrees finally, the buzzing of her wings stilling to a settled, less nervous pace, her heels squelching into the ground as she trots down "Again, courtesy. Dismissing a suggestion due to the poor presentation of it hardly speaks well of the listener"

SpritesHero gives Ayame a confused look. "Isn't that what I said?" he wonders. "I mean, I suppose I could have phrased it better, but the suggestion was to make the argument as strong as possible, even if its mouthpiece has shortcomings."

Woosh. Woosh. Woosh. The sound of something whistling through the air sounds from somewhere down the tunnel, steadily increasing in pitch and volume.

Robert's own wings are quite still. But then they usually are. It's as though they were the forgotten appendage, and his instincts were not quite properly operational. They catch for a moment in some webbing, and the woosh turns to a roar as a glob of....something massive and sticky hurtles down the tunnel towards them, knocking web-strands aside in its wake.

Ayame yelps. The Sylph actually lets out a shocked sound, bringing up her shield frantically at the oncoming webbing, and heroically leaping in front of Robert! So protective! Such a good tank! If only she learned ... sometimes you should let go of the shield.

-Thud-. The something smacks into Ayame's shield with bone-crunching force, flattening, sending its sicky tendrils dribbling over the edges of Ayame's shield. It nearly gets as far as her arm before it stops. There's a momentary pause, and then a yank. Whatever it is on the other end pulls and pulls hard. Hard enough to send several adventurers flying if need be.

And Robert? Robert's just...sort of standing there in shock, eyes saucer-wide. It's only at the last moment that he has either the presence of mind--or the suicidal impulse--to grab at whatever the closest bit of Ayame might be. If the spider gets off a good pull, and if Ayame doesn't knock Robert out for his impudence, both will get yanked into that gaping maw of a cavern.

Pulled forward by her arm, the webbing having not only swallowed the shield but half of her arm as well, Ayame flails frantically, even as Robert's arm curls around her waist. Staring in shock as she's pulled in, she kicks frantically at the approaching maw, yelling "Robert!" With a mixture of terror and fury "Blast it!"

She twists, letting the webbing wrap around her arm and back, to let Robert have a good view of the spider-beast.

SpritesHero isn't particularly sure whether she's happy or mad, whether that's a curse or a suggestion. Fortunately, he's also not inclined to muddle the matter over at the moment. "Can't see it yet," his voice can be heard to murmur into her ear, even as though he holds on to her like an abalone stuck to a boulder.

It's probably a good thing he couldn't see it either, or he mightn't have managed to grab on to her at all. As they whip through the cavern's opening, their assailant is revealed in its full glory. Tanned, covered with close brown hairs, it stands on its rear four feet, its armored, humanoid torso erect. In its muscled arms it grips a thick strand of spider-silk. Which it need grip no longer. Momentum is enough for what it desires, and as the pair hurtle ever closer it picks up a cruelly barbed spear, aiming to swat them, hard, out of mid-air.

Closer, closer, and -finally- Robert lets loose with a devastating blast of dark magic that burns away its eyes and half its face. Or at least leaves a censored out sheet of red there. The rest is up to Ayame.

"How about now?!" Ayame yells. There might be a touch of sarcasm, as she kicks the blasted thing as they close, punches at it, and tries to tear her shield away from the webbing.

Tear would be the appropriate word, as it slowly ripped and ravaged everything it touched, a glutinous mass that had swallowed half her arm and the shield. Finally, it's freed, and she slams the metal into it, holding those slashing arms against the sticky surface of the shield "Now!" She calls for Robert, looking back frantically

Not much need to look back, really. Robert's still right there behind her, though to be fair she seems to panicking and there's rather a lot going on. Furthermore, for his part he's completely silent, though the grip around her waist is still firm enough.

But then he doesn't need to say anything. A blade of deepest black extends from his forearm, over her shoulder, and sinks deep into the drider's chest. It stays there, black and corrosive, the tissue around it seething a furious red as the drider screams, legs writhing, hp-bar plummeting towards zero. Robert keeps his sword firmly in place, leaving it up to Ayame to keep the legs at bay, until the critter is reduced to shiny little hexagons.

By the time the monster finishes pixellating out, Ayame is practically panting. She looks down, at her torn short, and at the arm around her waist, and says, with a rather strained politeness "You can let go" She suggests, before twisting to indicate the small case fastened to her back, normally hidden by shield "Actually, could you get me a fresh top?"

She sighs a little, looking at the cavern, and looking slightly amused, finally "That was effective. Thank you" She says sincerely, smiling back

"Ah. Apologies. And sure," Robert responds, almost automatically, arm snatched back almost as though burned. His blood seethes with adrenaline; it sings in his ears, pounds in his brain, and he remembers not what happened before. He simply reaches in, pulls out a top, hands it to her. Yes, without even looking. He doesn't even have the grace to look away, being rather caught up in that smile for the moment. "You too," he continues quietly. "Good work with its legs and your shield."

"Mmm. The kill was definitely yours" Ayame notes, reassuring. She meanders a little, picking out some of the armored plates and stashing them in her menu "At least the reward was good, even if we can't go further" A weak chuckle "It doesn't feel good to know we're not even level 25 yet" As she taps her menu, changing into the new clothes as well, nodding and stretching her back and wings

SpritesHero's hand lifts, momentarily pats the top of Ayame's head, then retreats. "It doesn't," he admits under his breath, gaze dropping to the floor. "But on the other hand, it does mean we were able to take out the boss that was presumably supposed to be a challenge for level 25 adventurers?" His gaze lifts then, smile playful. The smile freezes. He double-takes. It's not...horror, exactly. It's not like last time. She's not wearing his heart. She's just wearing the crazed temporary delusions of his subconscious. He glances away. He glances back. "You okay?" he asks at last, horrendously vaguely.

"I'm fine. A little embarrassed about trying to block that web shot, but I'm fine" Ayame reassures. She slings her shield back to her arm, and pats Robert on the elbow "Come on. Let's head back up" And she turns her back to him, keeping her shield ready, beginning to head back up those stairs

SpritesHero silently walks out behind her, gaze definitely not fixed on the path in front of him judging by the number of times his feet seem to hit errant rocks, walls, clumps of anything, et cetera. Reckoning will come. But he will enjoy this moment.

It's a long climb. Up a spiral stair. Along a web-filled chasm. And then, back through a teleporter. Along a rising mineshaft, out to the air, where Ayame sighs, wings fluttering, bowing her head under the sunlight "That's better" She murmurs, rolling her shoulders a little. Then she shoots Robert a look, a glance down, and another look. Her foot taps.

No comment is made.