They had walked in darkness for too long.
Sounsyy's torchlight cast a wide beam of light on the floor behind where they walked, but it's distance was severely lacking and all it seemed to do was blind them to what lay beyond the shroud of swirling dust that their shuffling feet disturbed as they crossed the ancient Allagan tomb. But turning off the beacon would have been as equally futile. There was no light for her eyes to adjust to, however dim. So she kept stepping back carefully in line behind Ryanti, her rifle at the ready and scanning side to side in the darkness.
Periodically she would whisper something into her linkpearl, hoping for a response, but Marjanie's replies were scattered and often unintelligible. So she resigned herself to listening to Ryanti's explanation, though most of it went above her head. A people who sailed the stars? How low they must think of the denizens of the Seventh Astral Era. If the Allagan truly was some sort of distress signal on repeat throughout the ages, did it even know how hopelessly deprived these futuristic survivors were? What did they hope to accomplish here? Only Ryanti seemed to know... and Sounsyy suspected Jonathan knew far more than Ryanti.
Sounsyy heard a thumping noise above their heads and she whipped around with her rifle. Ryanti had heard it too, but there was silence now. The captain's heart was pounding in her ears, almost making her dizzy from the volume.
"Just... more old, breaking ship... right?" Sounsyy words hissed out between her teeth. Ryanti kept moving forwards and Sounsyy slipped back into her flanking position, even more on alert now. They kept moving along the far wall for what seemed like several minutes more before the captain was taken by another unwelcome surprise. Ryanti had stopped to scan an adjacent wall and Sounsyy had unknowingly backed into him causing her to give a short yelp which fortunately caught in her throat out of fear. She whipped around and saw he was training his torchlight on a distant catwalk.
"Yeh wanna climb up that?!" She said in an incredulous whisper. But Ryanti's attention was already snatched away by the discovery of the small airship. Small being a relative term, of course. Sounsyy gawked at the sight even as Ryanti started making his way over, leaving her by the wall.
"This is... an airship hanger?" She looked baffled, looking about the expansive darkness around her as if she was trying to imagine what this place looked like with lights. She lowered her rifle a bit, raising her hand out in protest of Ryanti climbing the Twelve-damned thing.
"I- I don't think that's a good-"
"Sounsyy! We might not be alone in here!"
Sounsyy pulled her rifle up into position instantly and ran full tilt towards the airship's nose even as the thumping drummed overhead.
"<Hissss.> Keep yer voice down Twelve-damnit!"
No matter where Sounsyy flashed her torchlight, she could see nothing in the darkness, but she could hear. And that thumping, it sounded like something - right? Then to her right, she caught what looked like an inky black wisp of dust slip out of her light and into the shadows. She tried to focus her light, but it was gone. Her lips parted in silent exasperation.
Did she just imagine it?
The thumping had receded and fallen silent. Sounsyy kept perfectly still in her crouched position at the nose of the airship. Her good hand was trembling slightly and she had bitten her lower lip when she noticed her own ragged breathing disturbing the musky air. There was no sound for several minutes, save for the quiet drags of air Sounsyy and Ryanti drew. Then a far distant clamor deeper into the bowels of the ship caused the captain to jump slightly. It sounded as if the ship were groaning under the pressure of a thousand fathoms of icy water. Had it all been just that? Were they truly alone?
Sounsyy stood and sighed, "This ship. It's tryin' to drive us mad."
She looked at Ryanti, but seemed to be looking past him and into the backpack he wore, where the Allagan key lay dormant. This was all its fault. Maybe Jonathan was right - it did warp minds.
"False alarm," Sounsyy whispered into the linkpearl, though she was unsure if anyone up above could hear her. She felt incredibly alone. And no longer was she sure if that was comforting or terrifying. She looked at Ryanti, "Yeh good? Let's get the Hells outta this room."
Sounsyy's torchlight cast a wide beam of light on the floor behind where they walked, but it's distance was severely lacking and all it seemed to do was blind them to what lay beyond the shroud of swirling dust that their shuffling feet disturbed as they crossed the ancient Allagan tomb. But turning off the beacon would have been as equally futile. There was no light for her eyes to adjust to, however dim. So she kept stepping back carefully in line behind Ryanti, her rifle at the ready and scanning side to side in the darkness.
Periodically she would whisper something into her linkpearl, hoping for a response, but Marjanie's replies were scattered and often unintelligible. So she resigned herself to listening to Ryanti's explanation, though most of it went above her head. A people who sailed the stars? How low they must think of the denizens of the Seventh Astral Era. If the Allagan truly was some sort of distress signal on repeat throughout the ages, did it even know how hopelessly deprived these futuristic survivors were? What did they hope to accomplish here? Only Ryanti seemed to know... and Sounsyy suspected Jonathan knew far more than Ryanti.
Sounsyy heard a thumping noise above their heads and she whipped around with her rifle. Ryanti had heard it too, but there was silence now. The captain's heart was pounding in her ears, almost making her dizzy from the volume.
"Just... more old, breaking ship... right?" Sounsyy words hissed out between her teeth. Ryanti kept moving forwards and Sounsyy slipped back into her flanking position, even more on alert now. They kept moving along the far wall for what seemed like several minutes more before the captain was taken by another unwelcome surprise. Ryanti had stopped to scan an adjacent wall and Sounsyy had unknowingly backed into him causing her to give a short yelp which fortunately caught in her throat out of fear. She whipped around and saw he was training his torchlight on a distant catwalk.
"Yeh wanna climb up that?!" She said in an incredulous whisper. But Ryanti's attention was already snatched away by the discovery of the small airship. Small being a relative term, of course. Sounsyy gawked at the sight even as Ryanti started making his way over, leaving her by the wall.
"This is... an airship hanger?" She looked baffled, looking about the expansive darkness around her as if she was trying to imagine what this place looked like with lights. She lowered her rifle a bit, raising her hand out in protest of Ryanti climbing the Twelve-damned thing.
"I- I don't think that's a good-"
"Sounsyy! We might not be alone in here!"
Sounsyy pulled her rifle up into position instantly and ran full tilt towards the airship's nose even as the thumping drummed overhead.
"<Hissss.> Keep yer voice down Twelve-damnit!"
No matter where Sounsyy flashed her torchlight, she could see nothing in the darkness, but she could hear. And that thumping, it sounded like something - right? Then to her right, she caught what looked like an inky black wisp of dust slip out of her light and into the shadows. She tried to focus her light, but it was gone. Her lips parted in silent exasperation.
Did she just imagine it?
The thumping had receded and fallen silent. Sounsyy kept perfectly still in her crouched position at the nose of the airship. Her good hand was trembling slightly and she had bitten her lower lip when she noticed her own ragged breathing disturbing the musky air. There was no sound for several minutes, save for the quiet drags of air Sounsyy and Ryanti drew. Then a far distant clamor deeper into the bowels of the ship caused the captain to jump slightly. It sounded as if the ship were groaning under the pressure of a thousand fathoms of icy water. Had it all been just that? Were they truly alone?
Sounsyy stood and sighed, "This ship. It's tryin' to drive us mad."
She looked at Ryanti, but seemed to be looking past him and into the backpack he wore, where the Allagan key lay dormant. This was all its fault. Maybe Jonathan was right - it did warp minds.
"False alarm," Sounsyy whispered into the linkpearl, though she was unsure if anyone up above could hear her. She felt incredibly alone. And no longer was she sure if that was comforting or terrifying. She looked at Ryanti, "Yeh good? Let's get the Hells outta this room."