Mapping the Labyrinth: full up.

** Oh dear, it seems I posted at the same time as you Jok101. Whose shall we go with?

~Incognito

(Are the two unnecessarily incompatible? Let's just say that Jonathan shot at the roar, everyone else is now intent on investigating?)

I would agree- how about Johnathon shot at a noise, and the rest of us (minus him) are going up that fork to have a look?

BTW, Helpful, "sorcerous walking-stick?" I should be offended!

Fortunately you can't read thoughts.

At least... I hope? XD For Mallory's sake, poor man?

Elizabeth Herm~

She was just setting her lantern on a flat boulder to examine the area when a roar broke out. She jumped only to realize, Chip, Jonathan's dog was becoming increasingly anxious. She followed Jonathan's gaze toward a shadowy figure behind ferns and gasped just as his gun went off. The gunfire echoed through the silence and continued through the tunnel.

"What the Bloody hell was that for!"Elizabeth screamed grabbing her lantern off the stone and moving to his side, just as everyone else did the same.

"Chip, knew something was there, so I saw no reason not to shoot,"He hissed back at her.

"Perhaps next time you'll find the courtesy to warn us before making us all die of fear, Jonathan."Mallory warned from Jonathan's left.

"There's probably nothing there anyway,"Elizabeth said sternly, trudging near the ferns, then slowing.

~Mallory~

"Sorry, sir," said the guard, stiffly; he was already moving after his partner.

Mallory sighed; he hadn't intended to be so rude himself - the guard was, after all, just doing but the gunshot had shocked him and a little more warning would have been nice. He shoved his hands in his pockets and edged after them at a healthy distance; most of the party was, at this point, migrating towards the hall down which something had made that dog bark. He became conscious that there were no screams of pain, which might have meant anything; and he couldn't see the woman properly, although occasionally he caught glimpses of her vivid hair, or the dog - and wherever the dog was, well, the man Jonathan couldn't be far behind, at least.

"See anything?" he called out at last, when the silence was growing sharp and unbearable.

Benjamin Lawrence

Everything seemed terribly overexaggerated to the young philospher, as he peered around at everyone with little amusement in his features. Just a bored expression of someone who had lost much excitement. He turned back towards his notes which were marked with scienticfic notations and slots of information that would seem like chicken scratch to anyone but himself. In fact, reading back on it, he was having a hard time understanding how he got to his final products.

Of course, he knew that his solutions were correct so there was no need in fixing them, but the fact that nothing was peeking his curiousity here was not making him any happier. For once, he was actually fully regretting his actions.

Still, there was work that needed to be done with prior engagments, and if this attempt at something new turned out to be fruitless, he would at least have something completed.

His eyes scanned over the people he had been travelling with, and without much thought, he turned away. They were all silly creatures if such a thing could stir them up so. For now, he would stay quiet.

*No, I can't... yet It did make me giggle though... I did think myself that putting a nineteen year old with a Gandalf staff might be a bit... weird... but also quite cool...

BTW, jok, tá tú as Eireann freisin? Go hiontach! Cén háit sa tír? *

Alyssia-

Seeing little point in continuing, I was sure the two guards and the dog could deal with whatever they found by themselves, that is, if they found anything. They were just all slightly tightly wound, anything could set them off.

I took a quick scan to be sure, no foreign auras, and turned back. Mallory was standing in the entrance of the tunnel, peering in.

"Anything there?" he asked.

"Not that I can see. If they find any big monsters, I'm sure they'll tell us."

"You're not going to help them?" he said.

"My job is not protection, it's... well, I'm not exactly sure, but for the moment, it's sitting down." I plomped down on a rock near to where we had put our bags. The natural philosopher glanced at me, before going back to his studies. I pulled my own pack towards me and took out a small notepad and a piece of charcoal. You never knew when this sort of thing could come in handy. I drew the pentacle I had seen and frowned. The diagram was much less complicated than those my master had taught me.

"I'm going for another look around," I said, standing up and lighting my staff. Mallory looked at it pointedly.

"What happened to 'saving your energy?'"

"Well, saving it for myself, of course. I'm hardly going to use it on you," I said, and went back down the main tunnel.

*Helpful... I sense there's going to be some tension between our two characters...

Jonathon Ashford

Jonathon tried grimly to peer into the darkness with no success. Elizabeth had grabbed his lantern before they entered, and it seemed apparent that John still had his. This chamber seemed apparently large, and ambling his way through the darkness wasn't the safe way to go. He kept his musket pointed ready to shoot any sound that would symbolize that shadow he had seen before. The dark green ferns were growing in abundance in this room, Jonathon not being able to reckognize the type. He turned and looked at the light that shed from both the lanterns, Elizabeth and John easily seen.

"Chip." Jonathon called softly. "Attack." The dog had not stopped growling since they entered the chamber but he still dutifully stood at Jonathon's side. At these words, Chip lunged into the darkness, snarling and growling, obviously knowing where the monster was.

Jonathon stepped farther into the darkness, his eyes trying to adjust never shifting his attention off the snarls from his dog, which by now were accompanied by other growls and roars coming from the other creature. A peircing squeal of pain echoed in the room, and automatically Jonathon desperately called Chip to return.

Chip staggered out, limping, his leg sliced across, four lines parallel to each other. Jonathon shot into the darkness from where Chip had come and to his surprise there was a connecting squeal. The thing was injured.

Elizabeth leapt forward, sword in hand, and soon he was able to see the shadow. It looked like an overlarge cat, brown and tan, spotted lightly like a leopard. Jonathon would have thought it a leopard other than its gigantic size. To Jonathon's dismay, the animal seemed to be only injured at the paw, because it held the arm close. There was other bite marks along the cats sides but none looked death threatening.

"Aw, it is just a cat. It would hurt a fly." John said smuggly holding out his lantern farther hoping to shine a little more light on the animal. The animal seemed more intent to shrink away from it, obviously not accustumed to the bright light.

"We could experiment. I'll give you a whole months salary that there cat will kill you with one bat of its claws." Jonathon said, reloading his musket quickly, pulling out a satched of powder and sifting it through the end. The bayonet was attached to the side if there ever was a chance of attack.

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~Incognito

John

I laughed at Ashfords comment.

"I think I can handle a little cat" I said stepping forward their was and earth trembling raw and a giant tail whipped out from the darkness hitting me in the chest it catapulted me backward and I slammed hard into the wall and dropped my pistol. Ashford fired blindly into the blackness but the tail wrapped around him and threw him at me. I rolled to the side avoiding him and picking up my pistol. I fired as the tail shot towards me but Elisabeth cut the end of just as it was about to hit me.

"thanks" I said smiling at her.

"it's coo-" The tail came out of no were hitting both of us we flew threw the air hitting the wall on the other side I stood up and took a step backwards falling down a flight of stairs. I could see light coming from were we had set up camp through another corridor and tried to gasp for help but felt the tail curling around my ankle it painfully and quickly dragged me back up the stairs before throwing me at Ashford his dog was sitting at his side whimpering. We both got up and Ashford sent the dog for help. Their was a scream and seconds later Elizebeth crached into us.

"that's either a monster or a really big fucking cat" I said as the light shone on the creatures face.

Alyssia-

I looked at the other pentacle, the one with the circle in the middle of it. That was more like the ones I remembered. I brushed my hand over the chalk, when the barking dog came out of the tunnel. Benjamin stood up and Mallory stared at me.

"Well, it's clearly looking for help," I said, running back up the tunnel. Benjamin stood up and drew out a little dagger unsurely.

"Because that's a lot of help, yes dear," I said, smiling sweetly at him like you would a little child. My gaze travelled to Mallory.

"I am no help whatsoever in these situations," he said simply. He was sweating. A lot.

"Oh, for mercy's sake," I mumbled, putting the light out on the top of my staff out, preparing it for whatever I might need.

"If I don't come back out, tell my parents I loved them," I said, going into the tunnel.

Jonathon Ashford

"It is going to be a dead cat soon." Jonathon said gruffly, jumping to his feet. The ground was unsturdy below his feet and he felt the world gently whirl around him. A minor concusion. Truly not bad for being tossed up against the wall. The cat was bunched up in the corner, most of its fur sticking up on end, its deadly tail still plummed even though there was a piece missing from it. It released a hiss, which to their ears sounded more over like a roar than anything.

Jonathon pulled its dagger out of his sheath. The dagger was longer than a usual dagger but certainly not as long as a sword. Picking up one of the fallen lanterns, he shown it towards the creature obviously noticeing the creature twinge and squint its eyes.

"I believe it is more scared of us that we are of it." Elizabeth said, getting to her feet soon. "It is just a scared animal. I don't think it means us harm."

"But didn't you see that! It could have easily killed us just then!" John spoke, glaring at it unimpressed. "I say we should kill it."

"John, I want you to go back to the others and tell them to extinguish their lights. Make them press up against the walls." Joshua ordered sternly. "Elizabeth and I are going to try to scare it out of the tunnels through the only door way we know."

"And how do you expect us to do that?" Elizabeth spoke patiently, obviously slightly intrigued.

"By light. Grab John's lantern before all the oil is spilt out of it." His voice came out solemn and sturdy, obviously trying to calculate ways to get the animal out of her and to protect the others from danger.

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~Incognito

John

I limped back up the stairs wiping blood from broken Jaw.

"bloody cat" I mumbled to my self. Half way along the path I saw the soccer coming along.

"are you okay" she said and I gave her a sceptic look.

"we just have to turn the Light off and hopes a little cat runs away" I said smiling at how stupid it sounded.

"oh god" she said turning around quickly.

"those symbols they mean that when looked upon in darkness it is big but when it is in the light it hides it self in a smaller self" I looked back down the path taking out my gun sure enough seconds passed before their was a gun shot and a roar. We both ran along the corridor as we got to the clearing in the Maze the cat looked at us and roared the roar knocking us backward onto the floor.

"that's new" I said.

"the cat's just a defence but the longer it's used the stronger and more skilled it gets" She finished and I sighed.

"great, can we kill it" She nodded a half nod.

"in theory" She said and we both got up making another charge for it. This time getting through I fired two rounds into the creature before it's tale whipped out again knocking me over to Elizabeth.

"it's probably more scarred of us than we are of it" I said putting on her voice.

"your kidding right" I said she shrugged and stood up skillfully dodging the cats attacks before stabbing it in the chest. The cat roared and I felt my ears pop at the same time as I saw Elisabeth flung across the room the cat licked it's chest and the sword came out falling to the floor covered in blood. I took out both my guns and shot the cat until my guns clicked empty. It was followed by a shot from Ashford musket and the he ran at the creature stabbing it with his bayonet.

"we shot you we stabbed you what more do you want, just die" I yelled at the cat as it head butted me and I was flung up I heard a crack I hoped it would be in the cave but I doubted it. I slumped down to the floor defeated and drew my dagger as a last act of defiance. I could swear I heard a kind of hiss of a laugh as I did this but suddenly a burst of light came from Alyssia staff and it urned into a small cat. I, Ashford and Elisabeth all threw are daggers at it and they hit it. the cat fell to the floor but it was still giving off a slight hiss and was beginning to grow again but before it could The dog ran up and shaked it around violently until the rasping ended.

"good dog" Alyssia said coming over and helping me up.

"I don't suppose you could use any magic to heal me eh" I asked feeling the pain in my ribs come as the Adrenalin wore of.

"sorry that took it out of me have to wait for a recharge" she said.

"typical" I replied picking up my pistols and my dagger.

Elizabeth Herm~

I stared at John as I trudged over to my fallen sword and retreived it. He glanced at me for a second then did a double take.

"Now, why for all bloody hell, are you giving me that look?"John turned to me shoving his dagger back in its sheath.

"You know why,"I answered, still glaring, but whiping the remaining blood from my lip, and jerking my own dagger from the carcuss.

Sensing an argument Alyssia spoke up,"Well I guess since the beast is dead we're due for a celebration!" All eyes went to her with skeptical expressions and her joy defalted.

"No, I can't say that I do."

"It's your fault the cat reacted like he did!" I replied.

"Look, little Princess, I don't see how this is my fault at all. If anything it's your fault,"John said jabbing a finger at me.

"Lady's and Gents I think Alyssia's right, we-"Jonathan was cut off.

"ME!"My voice rose three octaves causing Joshua to jump."You're the one who barged in here like a maniac, when I was trying to make no noise and force it down the stairs!"

Just then Benjamin came up the stairs, dagger in hand,"Is everyone alright? I heard the demon beast just now. Where's the creature who has the scream of a witch?" I glared at him and John chuckled.

Jonathon Ashford

"If you guys had listened to what I had to say, there would be no other injuries right now." Jonathon growled, nudging the cat lightly. "It didn't have to die."

"It would have killed us!" John interrupted, but he couldn't really continue because he fell over onto his side, obviously in pain. He still grasped the pistol and the dagger foolishly.

"We had lighting on it." Jonathon spoke calmly. "We could have flushed it out of the tunnels. It was too afraid of the light to enter before. I do not care if it would grow in darkness. We did not have to kill it." His tone slowly morphed into a more angered tone, but it was subtle. Nobody would notice.

Chip limped over towards him, whining lightly and nudged Jonathon's hand. Jonathon only nodded at him breifly and looked over towards the tunnel wear their camp was established.

"I am going back to tend to my injuries. I recommed all of you to return."

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~Incognito