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Post by Jules on Sept 1, 2008 2:58:52 GMT -5
Camilla sighed and began walking down the tunnel to the right. So much for a derring-do attitude, this guy was going to have her suicidal within the hour. "We're going to make it out just fine." She tried to reassure him. "Surely you've been in worse scrapes then this?"
She was trying to keep him occupied, maybe get him telling more stories because she couldn't stand more pessimistic comments about how they were going to die, go to hell, never get out, etc. It was enough to make her consider the weight of the gun in her hand. "Life and death situations? Of which this isn't."
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Post by Princess Katie on Sept 1, 2008 3:18:26 GMT -5
“I suppose. But usually, I have something I can fight. That’s easy. Fight and win, and you’re out of trouble. This is different entirely. There is no clear enemy to fight here. Just some rocks and uncertainty. How do you win out against those?” Victor questioned more to himself than Camilla. Maybe later he could go see The Wizard about some courage. It would make his life a lot easier, it really would.
The sound of crumbling rocks, like something had kicked some loose stones, resonated through the cavernous tunnel. Victor jumped, grabbing Camilla’s upper arm, in case he should have to drag her away in haste.
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Post by Jules on Sept 1, 2008 3:28:04 GMT -5
"By keeping calm." She said irritably as he gripped her arm like a scared cat clutching at curtains. She put her hand over his and pried his fingers loose before marching onwards. It was only a few feet away that she came to a violent halt and almost tipped forward into a rip in the cavern floor.
Camilla got down on her knees and peered over the edge of the chasm, wondering how deep it went and then if they could manage to jump over it. The distance wasn't that great and they'd already walked so far it would be a waste to turn back now.
She stood and backed up a few paces, then a few more to be sure. Picking up a run, Camilla closed her eyes as she jumped, she landed on her ass on the other side, but clean across, at least, if a little sore.
"It's not a big deal." She called back, wondering if this would phase him. "If I made it, you certainly can."
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Post by Princess Katie on Sept 1, 2008 3:42:03 GMT -5
Victor eyed the chasm suspiciously, but didn’t make too much of a fuss. He knew he could make that jump. With finesse. He’d rather not have to do it, but, he physically could. He backed up a couple of steps, and jumped across the gulch with ease while holding onto the flashlight and his gun at the same time, and landing with an action-roll that just sort of proceeded the jump naturally.
He stood and dusted himself off; his usual expression of heroism was replaced by one of consternation. But, he was still, basely, the same Victor. He still had the same morals. He offered Camilla a hand up, “Are you all right?”
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Post by Jules on Sept 1, 2008 3:56:54 GMT -5
Camilla laughed. Of course his was all neat, acrobatic and heroic. God how she missed instant transportation. She was never, ever going to let anyone touch her wand again. She took his offered hand and hoisted herself up with a small sigh.
"Let's just hope we're going the right way." She said, her first sign of pessimism since this whole excursion began. But no sooner had she spoken then the flashlight wasn't needed quite so direly. There was a natural source of light somewhere near by. Which meant an opening unless someone had installed electricity.
"Hey Victor." She called excitedly, "We may be getting our lucky break."
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Post by Princess Katie on Sept 1, 2008 4:16:48 GMT -5
Victor looked, for the briefest second, like he might just cry with joy. Lucky break? Yes!
He was encouraged, buoyant again, ready to be a near-super hero once more. He jogged over to Camilla, looking all around him for a light source. “Ah-hah!” He exclaimed triumphantly. “Here, hold these.” He passed her his weapon and the flashlight, running over to a crop of stalagmites. Victor used these like a foot stool, reaching upward toward a football-sized hole in the ceiling.
Clearly, neither of them would fit through a hole that small. Luckily, the stone that formed the opening was weak; he was able to crumble some of it away with his hands alone. “Watch out,” he warned Camilla as he pulled a machete out of a sheath on his belt. As he hacked at the edge of the opening, gravel spilled down on him, but he seemed okay with it. The end was within sight.
Finally, the hole was large enough for a grown man to climb through. He put a hand on each side of the fissure, pulling himself upward from a dead hang with ease.
“Okay,” he called down to Camilla, “climb up on that rock formation. You can just leave the guns and the flashlight. It’s fine, I have more. Okay, climb up, and reach as high as you can, I’ll pull you out!”
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Post by Jules on Sept 1, 2008 4:24:47 GMT -5
Camilla watched him work with interest and decided she couldn't figure out if he was a fake or not. Some of his stories seemed a little off, as had his behavior during most of the cave-walk, but here he was, all action hero all over the place again. She dropped the flashlight and gun willingly and followed his instructions, climbing up as best and high as she could. She checked to make sure she had her balance before reaching up to him.
There was no way she could pull off the neat little maneuver he had. She didn't have that kind of strength anywhere on her body. Despite the fact that they'd have to backtrack all the way back to the plane in the open when they'd gone decidedly more west, Camilla was smiling.
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Post by Princess Katie on Sept 1, 2008 4:50:55 GMT -5
“Allez-oup,” Victor said cheerfully, pulling Camilla up through the hole. “Hurry, down this way, I don’t know how long this roof will hold us,” he instructed. He tried to locate their coordinates on the map, spreading it out on the ground. “Let’s see, we entered here, and we walked for about…and turned south west here-ish, and walked here for about…hmm...” Victor walked his fingers along their estimated route, circling their supposed current location with a pen.
“If we head this way, over this little foothill, we can probably cut our walk in half, distance and time-wise,” He made sure to take extra charge now, he had to erase the image of him acting like a pansy from Camilla’s mind.
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Post by Jules on Sept 1, 2008 10:41:34 GMT -5
"Are you sure?" She asked, looking over the map, but it was certainly not giving her any ideas as to where they were, just where they should be. And she didn't want to spend too much time around these mountains, they had the oddest feel to them, a malevolence, stronger now that they'd traveled farther west.
But he seemed rather confident and he was the better cartographer out of the two of them so she nodded and shot a quick glance around looking for anything paticularly threatening, Even tree branches. She would never, ever underestimate tree branches so long as she lived. "This place gives me the creeps."
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Post by Princess Katie on Sept 2, 2008 0:27:01 GMT -5
“Of course I’m sure, I’m Victor Y. Valiant.” He flashed a smile at Camilla over his shoulder, “and if you’re too creeped out, you can hold onto me.” Man, was he ever charming.
He got them back to the plane relatively quickly, with surprisingly no whines or pessimistic comments. It was a huge turn from what he was acting like in the cave. Victor helped Camilla into the plane, and took off. “Shall I drop you off at your home?” he had to yell to make his voice heard over the sound of the propellers.
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