ic Sand and Water IC

[RocketLord]

No Atlanteans, then? Cassidy was honestly a bit disappointed, but what could you do? Dinosaurs and prehistoric animals roaming around, then? Fine, he had done that before. Hopefully there wouldn't be any snakemen, at least. 

 

"We better get going, then." He motioned towards the exit. "Any sand near your friends? Got a trick where I can travel through that. Could bring you along too, if it comes to it." It probably wouldn't be that easy. Besides, maybe he could finally get to punch a dinosaur. That wouldn't be too bad. Cassidy waited a bit for Tsunami's response before asking another question. "So, what's your story with this place? Sounds like you've been here plenty of times."

[Thevshi]

Tsunami

 

Tsunami shook her head at Dust Devil's first question.  "No, I am afraid there is little in the way of sand near where they usually are.  They tend to reside in tree top structures in the jungles."

 

At his second question she was quite for a few moments before she replied.  "Yes, I have been here on three prior occasions.  The first two times where when I…attended a school for teens with abilities such as ours.  The trips were arranged by the school, but in both instances ended up being more than they had initially intended.  During the first time, my fellow students and I helped stop a plot by the Serpent People to conquer the various settlements here using an army of dinosaurs.  During the second, we encountered a group of super-villains that had made their way here and uncovered an ancient power that had been sealed away by the Atlanteans ages ago.  The most recent was when my friends here sought assistance in stopping an invasion from an outside force."

[RocketLord]

"Figures. Nothing is ever that easy, is it?" Cassidy's tone was a bit joking. He really hadn't thought it would be that easy, after all. Still, tree top houses. He'd like to see that.

 

So, Tsunami had attended a super hero school. That would've been useful starting out, but then again, he was too old for schools, wasn't he? He kind of wondered where it was, but it didn't really matter right now, did it? Still, school trips to lost lands would've beat his own school. "Wait, Serpent People? Was it Lemurians? Or is there some other kinda snakemen out there?" He paused a moment, and looked around. No, this place was not the place he had travelled to before. It was too different. Still, it seemed like Tsunami here had done a lot more super hero work than he had. Just casually throwing out going to a place like this three times, fighting dinosaurs, super villains and invasions.

[Thevshi]

Tsunami

 

"No, things are rarely so easy."  Tsunami says in agreement with a small grin.  As Dust Devil asked his follow up question about the Serpent People, the Asian young woman gave a small nod.  "Yes, from my understanding, the Serpent People are the same as the Lemurians.  No one quite knowns why they exist here in the Lost World as well, but they tend to be rather primitive."

 

As she finished, Tsunami seemed to halt a moment, raising one hand as if to motion for Dust Devil to hold off on any further questions for a moment as her head cocked to one side slightly as if she was trying to hear something.  Just a moment after Tsunami made this gesture, Dust Devil heard the faint sound of voices coming from somewhere outside the opening to the chamber that led outside.

[RocketLord]

Lemurians. Should have figured. He was just about to make a comment about Setho when he Tsunami raised her hand. The meaning was clear, and he stopped himself. Staying completely still, he simply listened. There were voices, coming from outside the chamber. Friend or foe? Who could tell. It could be anyone or anything out there. The voices were too faint to make out, anyway. 

 

His moving to Tsunami, he pointed at himself once, then towards the doorway. I'll go. Hopefully, it would get his meaning across. Letting go of the cohesion in his body, Cassidy let himself becoming nothing but a loose group of sand that lightly flew across the floor towards the exit, as he did his best to stay hidden while trying to find out who the newcomers were.

[Thevshi]

GM

 

Tsunami moved forward quietly as well, slipping into some shadow with practiced ease.  Dust Devil's sand form quickly allowed him to move outside of the chamber the pair had arrived in, coming out onto a narrow stone platform of sorts.  Much of the stone was grown over with plants, but the stone steps leading down were still mostly visible. 

 

From the platform, Dust Devil could see a small valley, filled with large trees and other vegetation.  The jungle canopy raised dozens of feet up into the sky above, but there were large enough gaps to allow in ample sunlight.

 

As Dust Devil moved along the platform some, he saw a pair of figures moving down among the foliage below.  The pair were male humans, dressed in similar uniforms of an olive khaki pants with a light brown/khanki long sleeve shirt and similarly colored hats.  The uniforms seemed somewhat familiar to Dust Devil, but he could not quite put his finger on it at first.  But then one of the men turned slightly, and the new hero was able to see a red arm band on the man’s right arm, emblazoned with a white circle in which sat a black swastika.

 

The man that had turned around called back to the other man, clearly speaking in German…

[RocketLord]

Nazis. Those men were freaking nazis. And those uniforms? Was that something historic, or just trying to look the part? Was time weird here, too? Cassidy doubted it was something Tsunami would have forgot to mention, but still... this was just weird. Red armbands and everything, and they spoke German, at least as far as he knew. 

 

Cassidy knew that he hadn't been in the game a long time, but nazis being bad guys should be rule number one, right? But attack, or stay back? He couldn't understand what they were saying, so trying to get information from them was probably not gonna work out either. Great. 

 

He looked to Tsunami, his form turning at least somewhat humanoid, he pointed to them, then tried to make a shrug with his shoulder. Bad guys. What do we do? He wasn't sure if she got his meaning or not, but he really didn't want to try alerting them before they knew what to do.

[Thevshi]

GM

 

Tsunami seemed to get the basic meaning of Dust Devil’s message, holding a finger up to her mouth and gesturing with the hand in a motion that seemed to suggest waiting to see more.  The Asian heroine then disappeared into some shadowy underbrush nearby and out of Dust Devil's vision. 

 

Down below, more than half a dozen more Nazis appeared from the jungle, following after the first two as they drew closer to the ruin in which Dust Devil and Tsunami had arrived.  One of the men in front called out in German, turning back and signaling to the others.  They all speed up to a jog, closing the distance to the base of a vine covered stone set of stairs that led up to the ledge where Dust Devil and Tsunami were located. 

 

As the gathered men looked up at the ruins above them, several started talking excitedly in German.  Now that they were closer, Dust Devil was able to make a more details.  Each were wearing uniforms similar to what he believed the Germans had worn in Northern Africa during World War II.  The uniforms also appeared to have at least a few patches in them, although the same material, so they blended almost seamlessly from a distance.  Several had holsters at their belts, but they also carried spears in their hands, or machetes.  Each of the men wore a sturdy rucksack on their back, clearly filled with some sort of supplies.

 

After a few moment, the Nazis began climbing the stairs towards the entrance to the chamber where Dust Devil and Tsunami had first appeared.  So far, they appeared to have not caught sight of either of the heroes….

[RocketLord]

Stay silent and wait then. Fine by him. And then she was gone. Cassidy had to admire that somewhat. She knew what she was doing, moreso than him at least. Not that he was going to let that show if he could help it. So, he stayed where he was, splitting his sand to make him harder to see, and less humanoid. 

 

The number of Nazis just kept growing. Just something about seeing them was pissing him off. And they were getting closer. There were about 8 or 9 of them. He wasn't quite sure. A lot of spears and machetes, which wasn't really what Nazis was known for using as far as Cassidy was aware, but he admitted that history wasn't his strong suit.

 

So, Tsunami had hidden herself, and they were getting closer. Great. Try and take them out, hope they don't radio for help? Or stay hidden?

 

For now, he followed her idea from before, and moved closer to the growth around them, while making sure to get close to the ground. Stay hidden, just pretend to be some random sand.

[Thevshi]

GM

 

The Nazis continued climbing the steps, reaching the small platform outside the entrance to the interior of the ruins.  Several moved up and peered down into the sunlight room for a moment, scanning the dark shadows.  Another pair removed torches from their packs and set to work lighting them with some flint. 

 

Once they had the torches lit, the Nazis moved into the chamber beyond and started off down the dark tunnel that led further into the ruins.

 

As the sounds of their voices grew a bit more far off, Tsunami reappeared from the undergrowth, moving slowly over near the opening and looking around for a sign of Dust Devil.

[RocketLord]

"I'm here." Cassidy kept his voice low as he rose up from his position, assuming a human form again. It must look crazy, a bunch of sand becoming a man, but at least it worked. The bad guys had moved closer into the ruins, and the way they had pulled out torches and everything, it seemed like they had actually planned to go here. That he and Tsunami was here already was just coincidence. Or maybe not. Who knew how all this worked?

 

He looked into the ruins. If they had planned to go there, they were either exploring the place, or looking for something in there. Did it really matter? Whatever they were doing, they were Nazis. There couldn't be any question about them being bad guys, could there? "That place looked Atlantean, right? Doesn't sit right with me to just leave a bunch of Nazis to roam a place like that."

[Thevshi]

Tsunami

 

Tsunami moved up next to the entrance to the chamber inside, listening to the Nazis as they began to move further in for a moment.  "I have never been told anything about Nazis here, but Lord Zandar has mentioned there were representatives of a number of other civilizations other than the Romans and Incans who tended to be more reclusive."

 

The Asian young woman shook her head when Dust Devil mentioned his discomfort with allowing Nazis to just roam around the ruins.  "No, from my experience, Atlantean ruins located here are places best left undisturbed.  For the moment we follow them, just outside the edges of their light, see what they might be doing."

[RocketLord]

"You'd know about it than me," Cassidy admitted about the ruins. He agreed with the plan, so he had little reason to argue the semantics. Follow them close by, stay at the edge of their light. Simple enough. "Any idea what they might be looking for in that place?"

 

After receiving his answer, Cassidy turned to sand and dust again, and floating into the ruins in pursuit of the Nazis. For one particular reason, he started thinking about grandpa Joe. He'd fought the Nazis back then, and he had told Cassidy plenty of stories about it. He wasn't sure how true they were. According to grandpa Joe, his squad almost singlehandedly won the war, after all. Still, the stories had left their mark on him. The Nazis were the bad guys, and even if he wanted to know why they were here, Cassidy was more than ready to knock them into next week.

[Thevshi]

Tsunami

 

"It is my understanding that Atlanean ruins here can often house dangerous magic within them."  Tsunami replied in a quite tone.  She then started down the dark tunnel after the Nazis, following after their fading light as they continued their path ahead.  The Asian young woman moved like a whisper, hardly making a sound as she moved forward, eventually catching back up to the edge of the Nazis’ torchlight.

 

Dust Devil had little trouble catching back up as well, his sand form moving quietly along the ancient stone hallway.  Up ahead the two heroes could make out several of the Nazis as they moved carefully down the passage, stopping from time to time to examine some of the writing or otherwise search a section of the hall. 

[RocketLord]

Dangerous magic. Just great. Probably what those Nazis were looking for, then. And not something Cassidy would feel good about letting Nazis get their hands on, anyway. Still, better to find out what it was, instead of taking them out right now, as much as he wanted to. Cassidy was quickly distracted by Tsunami as she moved into the tunnels. He was made of sand, could split apart his entire body if he wanted, but from what he'd seen, Tsunami was full flesh and blood, and yet, she made no sound, moving like she was barely even there. 

 

Cassidy followed her, his loose form of sand flying through the air with little trouble. It was easy. So much easier than it had been when he first got these powers. Besides, who cared if some sand moved around? Nobody, that's who. Plenty of sand in the world, after all. And so, he drifted after Tsunami, moving as close to the Nazis as he dared without them noticing him. They were careful. Could they read the writing on the walls, or was it just markings pointing in the right direction for them? 

[Thevshi]

GM

 

Dust Devil and Tsunami moved quietly down the stone hallway, following after the torch light of the Nazis ahead of them.  The Nazis continued to move cautiously, stopping as they came to an intersection of hallways for a few moments.  Dust Devil could hear a conversation among some of the group, but once again it was in German, leaving the subject of the conversation unknown.

 

After a few minutes, the Nazis chose the hallway to the left and started off once more.  They continued on for several more minutes before the light ahead of the two heroes stopped once more.  From where they were it appeared to Dust Devil and Tsunami that the Nazis had entered a room, though how large it might be they could not tell from where they were.  There was an echo of more conversation in German, as the lights ahead were now stationary.

 

Tsunami looked over to the side, trying to spot Dust Devil in the shadowy darkness around them.  Not entirely certain where he was, she pointed toward the end of the hallway and made a hand signal that seemed to suggest trying to move up quietly  The Asian heroine then started creeping forward, moving into the shadows to conceal her presence in addition to avoiding any sound.

[RocketLord]

To be honest, Cassidy didn't really like sneaking around like this. He was good at it, but he was still more for some direct action. He'd much rather bash some heads together than sneak after. And listening to the Nazis, not really understanding a word of what they were saying? Now that was a pain in the neck. It didn't seem like Tsunami understood anything either, which didn't really make Cassidy feel better in any way. Figuring out something about what was going on would be preferable to going in blind, at least.

 

When Tsunami looked over and pointed, Cassidy materialized slightly, giving just the impression of a body made of sand, before splitting apart again as he moved forward. A hint of where he was, and the had understood. Not needing to touch the ground was a plus when he tried to move silently, at least. Being made of sand only made it easier.

 

Moving forward into the room, he tried to stay to the side, just a swirl of dust and sand moving about.

[Thevshi]

GM

 

The two heroes moved forward, Dust Devil being able to move further into the room than Tsunami given his present form.  Inside the pair found the group of Nazis spread out through a large room with a ceiling that rose up to over twenty feet above them and just visible in the light of their torches.  At the end of the room opposite the hallway they all had traveled down was a large pool of water along a wall covered in more of the unusual Atlantean writing.  To either side of the pool were two open archways, seemingly leading further into the ruins.

 

A pair of the Nazis had waded into the water and where holding a torch near the writing covered wall, apparently trying to read what was there.  The others were keeping an uneasy watch on the two other doorways. 

 

Now that he was able to better get a look at these men, Dust Devil noted that their complexions appeared slightly darker than one might expect for a German.  Additionally, their uniforms were slightly faded, with apparent patchwork to them in places, giving the impression that they were rather old.

 

After a few minutes, the two men reading the writings on the wall near the pool of water appeared to find what they were looking for.  One of them turned back towards the others, stating something in German and then pointing toward the archway toward the right.  The others turned in that direction and started to move toward the archway.

[Thevshi]

Tsunami

 

Tsunami was crouched down in the shadows just outside the room in the hallway that had led them all here.  Unfortunately like Dust Devil she could not understand what these men were saying, so instead she just focused on observing them, paying particular interest to the two men that were studying the Atlantean writing on the far wall.

 

Once one of those men spoke to the others and indicated one of the other exits, the Asian young woman decided it might be time to take a more direct approach in finding out what was going on.  She presently had the means of stopping the Nazis from making their way further into the ruins, so this might be the time to learn what it was they were searching for.

 

Raising up one hand, Tsunami pulled most of the water from the pool in the room into the air, quickly guiding it over toward the archway the Nazis appeared to be preparing to enter.  Once the water reached the archway, is spread out to form a barrier covering the exit, once again taking a solid appearance as the water had that had protected the store clerk during the robber back in San Diego.

 

Standing up, Tsunami took a few steps forward into the light, her watery forcefield once again in place, shimmering across her body.  "I hope that you can understand English."  She said aloud.  "I would like to know what it is you are doing in these ruins."

[RocketLord]

Well, the Nazis were clearly looking for something here. Cassidy was the first to admit that he had no idea what any of the weird Atlantean text on the walls meant, or what the Nazis were saying for that matter, but he was not going to let that get in the way. They were Nazis in full uniforms, and you didn't try to reason with Nazis. Even if they weren't exactly the pure white and blonde Nazi stereotype that he'd expect, but did it really matter?

 

And then Tsunami decided to make her move. The water rose up, blocking the path and she stepped into the light, addressing the Nazis. Right, no issue there. The question was how would they react? Cassidy had an advantage here. While Tsunami might have announced herself, he was still hidden, and if the Nazis proved hostile? Well, better to get into the right position, then.

 

The sand moved across the floor, as if a wind was blowing. Slowly, almost impossibly, moving in between the men, right in the middle of the group. Time to see what they'd say to Tsunami, then decided on what to do.