The Legend of the Labyrinth

[shisteer of nothing much]

Waiata winced at the exclamation of pain and subsequent cursing. If there was anything that annoyed the cheerful bat, it was cursing.
"Don't swear, don't swear. It's just an old mining tool; nothing to ruffle your spikes over, spikes over. You should pick it up, it up. It could come in handy later on our journey, journey."
Waiata realised that she'd snapped at the hedgehog a little more than she'd intended to. Still, he had sworn and she wouldn't apologise to him until he apologised to her.

[Verdauga]

Ara stopped and looked back at the group, focusing on Brink and Waiata. It didn't seem like a fight would break out, but he could never be fully sure. He took a few paces down the corridor and peered round the corridor to the right before coming back to the group, hoping to discourage infighting.

[MathLuk]

Seeing Waiata's temper flare up, Algirdas sighed. "Can everyone keep a cool head for a few minutes?" Discord between partners in an adventuring party was common during Algirdas's earlier days, and the squirrel supposed it still is.

After all, the last time he and Chycer worked together the exact thing happened. The hare was one of the beasts who could out-pretentious him, and tensions simmered under the surface. The little wage disagreement was the last straw.

[shisteer of nothing much]

Waiata looked apologetically at Algirdas, more than a little ashamed of herself.
"Sorry, sorry. I'll try and keep a positive attitude, attitude."
The bat bit her lip in frustration as she looked at Brink's still unrepentant features and fell back beside Pekepeke. Swearing really annoyed her.

[Verdauga]

Chycer rubbed his eyes with a paw. "Brink, me braw beastie," he said, eyeing the hedgehog, "Where've most o' the traps been? Ah figure, that anybeast comin' down the hall we could easily see. We're passing fah-- far fewer doors along these halls."
With that Ara strode down the corridor and turned the corner.

[Ebantu the Kararehe]

Pekepeke moved quietly to her sister's side and whispered to her. "Are you alright?" She had seen the brief clash of tempers between Waiata and Brink. She hoped her sister wasn't too upset.

[shisteer of nothing much]

Waiata grinned at her sister to show she wasn't bothered by what had just taken place between her and the big hedgehog.
"It was nothing to worry your pretty ears about, Peke, Peke. I'm fine; more annoyed at myself for letting it get under my fur, really, really."

[Kade Rivok]

Despite himself, Dantin had been laughing at Waiata's echoing imitation of an angry dragon when Brink had whacked his footpaw, and thus missed whatever it was the hedgehog said that had upset the bat.  He was glad that Algirdas had stepped in before the disagreement managed to go anywhere; interpersonal confrontations wasn't something Dantin really knew how to deal with.  As the group continued on, Dantin picked up the item that Brink had accidentally kicked.  It was an old, but sturdy pickaxe, somehow in decent condition.  He really wasn't sure that it would be of any use, but took Waiata's advice and decided in the end to carry it along.  He could always drop it later if need be.

The mouse moved over to bat sisters, wanting to continue his conversation from earlier.  "If, if you all have been down here long enough to form such a, uh... such a well developed community, then surely somebeast has found a way out as well... right?"

[MathLuk]

Algirdas decided that this was quite a good question. After all, should there not be a way out if there happened to be a way in?

"There must be a way out of here," said the squirrel. "But where?"

[Ebantu the Kararehe]

"I wouldn't know," Pekepeke huffed. "Because I'm not allowed to go anywhere." She glared at the older bat. "Well, Waiata? Is there a way out?"

[shisteer of nothing much]

Waiata sighed apologetically, though she couldn't help but smile at her sister's glare. The younger bat would be very intimidating if she was a bit bigger.
"I don't know, don't know. I'm sure there is a way out but I haven't managed to find it and my however many great grandparents weren't very good at keeping records of their history, history. I've searched for an exit but, until now, I've had to go home every morning so I never really got very far, very far."

[Booklover]

"If there's a way in, there should be a way out." The shrew said, with optimism rare for her. "Or there might not." She added under her breath.

[Verdauga]

As the group chattered behind him, Ara found ample time to check the map and verify it with the landmarks and runes. He rounded the corner first, into a large hall, adorned with columns on the sides, engravings on the walls, and more decorative tiling on the floor, culminating with a door at the far end. "According to the map, we are alongside the hall leading to the center," Ara mused. "Why is such a grandly decorated hall right here, if it isn't the main one?" The door itself was a rich red, boasting concentric rings in its center. Ara, after some moments spent analysing, rotated the rings back and forth. Fortunately, age was on his side, and the party could clearly hear the tumblers coming loose. Ara shifted the innermost knob, until it locked into place. Looking back at the other beasts, he gave a slight smirk and pressed in.

Instead of the door opening, a mechanism on the ceiling came screeched into action, and a wall fell, sealing off their part of the corridor. Ara hardly had time to think as the ceiling, walls, and floor of the chamber fell.

The fall took long enough that Ara almost asked when they would land. He got out the words, "Well, cha--" when they hit the lower level. The ground vibrated, the sound of the impact deafening, reaching into the farthest corners of the Labyrinth, and their momentum knocked the party to the floor. Ara rose to his knees, scanning the torchlit corridor as far as he could see. Something was very, deeply, wrong.

[shisteer of nothing much]

Waiata groaned aloud and picked herself up from the floor, shaking herself thoroughly before settling back on the ceiling, looking down curiously at their new surroundings. It was too bright. Why had somebeast lit more torches? Her companions' torches had been snuffed in the fall and now they had new torches. There wasn't any point to going through that entire process if she was still being blinded by the light of fire.
Sighing, Waiata looked at her companions, most of which were still groaning on the ground.
"I didn't know there were so many traps in the labyrinth, labyrinth. I suppose whoever built this place didn't like ground huggers, huggers. At least we're still alive, right?"
Waiata smiled brightly, trying to stay positive despite the sounds she could hear and sense. This place felt dangerous. Very dangerous. Still, there was no point in making the other beasts nervous. There was always a bright side.

[The Skarzs]

  Deep in the darkest recesses of the Labyrinth, the tremors from the floor falling could still be felt. Rocks and dirt fell from the ceiling, and a low rumble was heard.
  But that rumble did not stop as the collapse eventually did, for it was continued in the throat of a now-awakened creature. Its eyes opened, eyes like two droplets of blood glowing dimly in the pitch black void. The rumble subsided, and the creature listened. Though it was silent, there was no doubt: Something was in its lair.
  The creature came to its feet, its squat head nearly touching the top of the chamber. There was a crunching, grinding creak as it took a step, and the ground shook slightly under the weight. It would find this perpetrator, and it would take them.
  It had been so long since anything new had come down into the Labyrinth. . . So long. The offerings had stopped coming even longer before that. Then there were the doomed souls who were driven there by desperation or by force, but they, too, eventually stopped. And so, it had waited. For time unknown, it had waited, and slept.
  But now, the Stoneater was awake. . . and it hungered.