Between Sixth and Broadway

"Hold on," Mjol interrupted, raising an arm to clasp her right ear. "Yeah. Alright, I'll bring 'em along."

She looked over at the players before her. "Alright, everyone. I think we've waited long enough. Who's still hungry?"

The dwarf shrank at the deadpanned stares pinning her down. "Alright, alright. Rhetorical question. Ish."

She turned to the metal door behind her, the frame slamming open and fell over with a thud.

Mjol chuckled sheepishly and rubbed at the back of her neck. "Ehehe. Whoops?"

Stepping in, she gestured to follow.

Cliff glanced between the group's members. They seemed hesitant to make the first step. He smiled back, climbing up the cement stairs.

"Food won't walk into your stomach!" The Bard chuckled. Once inside, he waved to the sorry-looking lot standing in the street and picked up the door with Mjol, leaning it against the wall. "Will this be alright?"

"Yeah, I think so." Mjol leaned back, her armor clunking from the motion. "Don' wanna attract too much attention. Thanks, Cliff."

Roy follows behind the necromancer, holding his spear ready.

"I'll cover the anchor. Incase of ambushes and such. Just tell me if anything large is ahead of us though."

With that he took his first step.

"No need."

The soft murmur came from their side, raising goosebumps as the air shimmered.

Faint clicking rang through the half-lit building complex, the sound of something hard repeatedly tapping on porcelain steadily coming closer. The weak beams of light come from the fluorescent bulbs overhead slowly dim into blackness. All was quiet except for the approaching footsteps and the still buzzing lightbulbs.

A svelte girl appeared, donning a frilled ribbon skirt, interwoven with arcs of deep reds and pinks. Slitted crimson eyes appraised the group, stopping at Mjol. She shook her head, causing shoulder-length purple hair to sway back and forth. Her alabaster skin nearly luminescent in the dimness of the building. At the collar of her neck hung a scarlet brooch, radiating a small surge of energy before dissipating.

A spin of his heels twisted Cliff towards the startling voice. Its owner looked painfully young for such a terrifying world; she couldn't be much older than ten or eleven, he thought. But her pale skin, bloodshot irises and unique breastpin told a different story, one of an Adventurer's tale.

He steeled himself and called a greeting. No response. Given the current situation, Mjol should make the introductions. The dwarf missed the cue, however. They simply stared at one another, Cliff's friendly face versus the girl's stone gaze. What was in her eyes? Boredom? Disappointment? Disinterest? These thoughts ran through his mind while the dollish demon bore into his skull. Don't break, don't break, don't break.

It felt like he was on trial, that there would be no second judgment passed on him after this moment. An eternity passed, and then another. The increasingly uncomfortable air became heavier and heavier. Finally, she turned her attention to another member of the party, the cowboy apparently no longer worthy of her attention. He let go of a sigh.

Roy turned around, hearing the voice. When he saw her he had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, he was holding back a laugh on the little girl in front of him. On the other hand, he was afraid of her rare gear. He bit his tongue to not comment about it.

"Who are you little girl?" He said after the necromancer greeted herself. It wasn't the most polite thing to say but it might certainly catch her attention. He glanced at the little girl before trying to see what's behind her. He believes that she wouldn't be interested at looking at him.

He saw Cliff tense up and grips his spear more tightly, ready for something to suddenly happen with a determined look on his face.

The purple-haired girl gave Royoko a deadpan stare and then looked to Mjol, arching her right brow.

Said dwarf sighed in exasperation. "Boys and gal, this is Violet."

A HUD flashed into display besides the newly introduced Violet.

"Adventurer Name: Violet Tepes
Level: 90
Class: Swashbuckler
Race: Human"

Mjol went by her right side and pointed her thumb at the Swashbuckler. "She's been with us the whole time, watchin' ya from... Iunno where, to be honest. Sneaky one, she is."

"Greetings, bottomfeeders." Violet said in a dead monotone.

Mjol blanched at that. "Now now, Violet," She raised plated hands in a placating manner. "Dem folks are hungry and cranky as it is. No need to antagonize 'em any further."

"As my associate said", Violet went on, ignoring the dwarf guardian. "I am Violet Tepes, your second escort this evening."

She slowly turned to the male Guardian of the group. "And the little girl that decides whether or not to spit in your meal."

"Cliff." He tipped his hat, greeting her once more. "Thank you both for your kindness." His HUD slid in for the third time that day, confirming his identity. One by one, introductions were made with the sixth member of their party, each one seeming to detach her more and more from the room.

Not only was Violet not completely human, but an aura of wealth, for a lack of a better term, surrounded her. Word selection, choice of attire, treatment of others, and simpler, smaller tells gave away her educational background as one of homeschooling and private tutors. It would be difficult to impress this one. Still, his thoughts rambled on, she was willing to address us, so we mustn't have completely failed her inspection. His demeanor calmed to normal levels.

"I am ready to depart if everyone else is."

Roy glances back at Violet with stern eyes, quickly looking away again. He loosens his grip on his spear. Great ... a rich one. He'd usually love working for the rich for gold and such, but sense the Apocalypses, he hasn't seen one. He revealed to her his HUD to show her his identity. He growled to what she has called him and the others. "Bottomfeeders." He knows that he can't be starting a fight now and kept his anger to himself.

"The damn Lander smells better than this girl's attitude," He thought to himself. He looks at the female guardian and waits till he can get on with his life. Never seeing Violet again.

"Right," Mjol said as the introductions concluded. "Follow me, we're goin' down this way."

She pointed towards a staircase leading down to lower levels. The handrail was covered in patches of rusted browns, creaking ominously when Mjol gripped it.

Violet gestured the group to go first, standing by the side of the staircase.

The passageway reeked of mildew, cracks leaking trails of mud onto the steps.

They had arrived inside a corridor, both walls adorned with portraits of various adventurers. The inscription beneath the frames were illegible, most of them scratched out horizontally by several thin cuts.

Mjol stopped before an overarching doorway at the end of the corridor, turning around. "Before ya we go any further, I'm gonna have to ask ya trust me on somethin'."

She held out four strips of thick black cloth. "We're gonna have to blindfold ya, if that's alright?"

The cowboy nodded. He'd already accepted the trap, if there was one. Taking the leftmost piece of cloth, Cliff wrapped it around his head, covering his eyes. A small, tight knot held it in place. Finished, he held the handrail and waited for the others to follow suit.

A trap ... it's obvious. But, he thought that if he were to fall back, the little girl would certainly kill him. With a loud sigh, he put his spear on his back and knotted a bandanna to his head.

"I'm going to regret this," He muttered.

Roy placed his hand on a handrail. He was trying to mental calm down with various good thoughts.

Once the blindfolds were secured, Mjol went on. "Y'all hold onto that gruel in your belly, it's gonna be a rough ride."

A bright line shone past the cloth covering their eyes, penetrating into their eyelids and blinded them with its radiance.

Their center of gravity started to drop until a weightless plummeting sensation took hold.

Senses blurred into one another. Sight became sound. Smell became taste and so on.

When the world around them had stopped spinning, Mjol gasped out, "Oh-okay." She gasped deeply. "We're here."

They were now in a large and luxurious room, the walls and carpet a luscious deep red with gold trimming. A sparkling chandelier hung above an ornate dining table, covered in a white tablecloth. To the wall in the right was a lone door, wooden and rectangular with a single brass knob.

Fruit, bread and an assortment of basic foods and ingredients sat in a lone basket with stacks of plates and silverware to its side.

However, there were no chairs to be found.

Mjol was leaning onto the wall, shuffling something away into her breastplate. A thin sheen of sweat glistened on her peach-toned skin.

Save for slightly heavier breathing, Violet stood behind everyone else blankly.