for skremisher

[ben_hassrath]

[ The crumbling walls of Summerswind Palace are far from welcoming. The noblewoman that lived here is long dead, her heirs, long dead, every servant that every set foot inside this place, long dead. And here they are, tasked with being nothing more than scavengers, rummaging among the ruins for heirlooms and secrets. They were the sort of secrets the Ben-Hassrath would be interested in as well, the beginnings of many noble lines, weak points for more than one well-to-do house in Orlais.

Still, that didn't stop the place from giving him the creeps. There was something that just... wasn't right about it. It was a crypt in castle form, and in crypts there were spirits, and where there were spirits, there were demons. This does not deter him, if anything it gives him all the more reason to puff out his chest in front of his Chargers, lead the way into the ruined keep. Everything was draped in cobwebs and dust, and it's far less exciting than the sort of his excursions his men are used to. Still, it's a job that pays in both gold and information, and those are the more valuable, in the end. Bull signals Krem to him, pointing the others off in different directions. ]

We'll split up, cover more ground, that way. You all know what we're looking for.

Comments

[skremisher]

[Krem sure as hell wasn't touching that thing either - and he turned towards Bull, shining a piece of glowstone around them, another set of stairs nearby - almost obscured by one of the bookshelves.]

You really want to go deeper? We might be going a lot deeper than necromancy here, Chief. Would be surprised if we say all kinds of nasty--

[Krem suddenly froze up, a shiver going through his back. His body tensed sharply, eyes wide. His breath came in short, shallow gasps as he looked to Bull, swallowing hard.]

...There's something on me, Chief.

[All this talk of spirits and necromancy was quickly apporaching blood-magic levels. Who knew what kind of terrors lurked down here? Who knew what otherworldly beasts could be watching them, eyeing them? What kind of creatures could be trying to burrow into their skin and take possession of them? Krem was a Vint - he'd heard of magic that could do that. Now that they were in the dark reaches of a spooky, scary Orlesian ruin with Nevarran skulls, his imagination was starting to run.]

G-get it off me, Chief!

[His voice waved a little, pitch going higher as his eyes came up to Bull, pleading for the man to save him. He kept the arm he held the glowstones in up, slowly turning around, trying not to disturb whatever manner of unholy creature had chosen to latch on to his back. Slowly, slowly he turned --

And upon Krem's back was a larger than average spider - though it was still smaller than Krem's own hand. It was tangled in a cobweb, all but dancing all about the young warrior's back trying to get it off.]

[ben_hassrath]

[ Krem shouldn't feel too bad about the outburst, because it had set Bull on edge, made him alert, ready to strike. He was still looking for something deadly as Krem flailed, and is actually relieved to see that it's just a spider, despite the outburst. He swats at it with one hand, managing to knock the creepy crawly to the ground and swiftly stomping it beneath his boot. Sorry, spider. ]

I think I just saved your life, again.

[ He says it with a sort of shit eating grin, as if he hadn't been on high alert himself moments ago. He wants to laugh about it, but the cold feeling in his stomach prevents him from doing so, and the grin will have to suffice. He has another comment lined up, but it dies on his tongue, as the sound of a child crying echoes through the room. Bull turns his head sharply, thinking (hoping) that perhaps he was just imagining things.

The sound does not persist, and as far as he can see, nothing has approached them. But it has put him back on edge, and Bull looks to Krem, hoping more to be told that he's hearing things than for any sort of confirmation. ]

You... didn't hear anything just now, did you?

[skremisher]

[Krem could have retorted. Krem could have swatted at his friend, given the Qunari a push and told him precisely where he could've shoved that spider he just swatted off. He didn't though - because his head immediately jerked in the direction of that wailing child, feeling a very steady and very real chill climb up his back.

He swallowed hard and slowly nodded, staring into the black abyss that was one of the rooms further down. He could feel his pulse quickening, breathing out through his nose as he slowly nodded, breaking his gaze away from the direction he heard the cry.]

I think I did. [If Bull was on edge, Krem was on edge. He took a small step forward, knowing they needed to investigate. Bull wasn't going to let that one go. Neither was Krem for that matter.

Nevarran skulls, wailing babies, random spiders - this better be worth it in the end. He glanced over his shoulder again towards Bull, moving forward with his glowstones, towards the stairs that led down further - where that crying had been heard.

He swallowed again, not yet ready to take that first step down. It was maybe a foolish thing to ask but it was out of his mouth before he could even scold himself for asking-]

Y'think there's ghosts here, Chief?