First Spark

The door opened easily as though it had just been oiled yesterday. The room beyond it was large and though the flashlight beams weren't able to illuminate the whole room, there appeared to be a large circular pit in the middle and another ornate door on the opposite wall. The group made their way in slowly, not needing to spread out very much to find room for everyone. As the last person entered the door slammed shut, startling everyone. Jesse frantically pulled at the door, jostling the doorknob as hard as he could.

"It's locked!" he cried out, practically dislocating his shoulder in his struggling

"What do you mean it's locked?!" asked Devon as he started to panic.

"It won't be locked when I carve the hinges off!" Jason growled as he readied his axe, moving towards the door.

As all of this was going on, Ross and Marie were investigating the pit and the other door respectively. Marie's light danced across the intricate carvings on the door. Engravings of deer, trees, and vines filled the wooden canvas. Trying the doorknob, she found that it was locked as well. Ross' light shone brightly into the hole and revealed a large pool of roiling pink sliquid, much like the blobs from before were made from.

"Guys! I think we've got a bigger problem!" the stoner called out as he stumbled backwards.

"Oh what now?" asked Randy, seeing Ross almost fall from the speed he was moving.

Almost in answer to his question, light shone from above the door they'd entered in. An unnoticed sconce above the door suddenly lit aflame, bathing the chamber with soft, flickering light. One by one, more sconces around the room flared to life, illuminating the room further and making the dim shadows dance wildly from various directions. A mass of pink slime seemed to heave upwards and drew all attention to the pit. Those closest backed away as a large pillar of slime slowly rose from the center of the pool, excess sliquid pouring off and forming other features of the growing being.

Long tendril-like pseudopods flowed from the top like hair as a neck and shoulders became defined. Two tentacles ending in orbs with claw-like protrusions flowed from the shoulders, drawing fluid from lower on the pillar and making it appear as though it had a slim, humanoid waist. Two glowing spots appeared on the thing's head where eyes would be on a human and a glowing red orb shone from its' torso. The red light was soon further protected by deposits of crystal over it, like a chest plate in the form of a sleeveless crop top. The being seemed to have no lower section, just an extension of the pool it emerged from. A low rumbling noise filled the chamber as it vibrated, a warning to those in the room. Two smaller blobs surfaced at the edge of the pit, slipping over the lip to join their queen in battle.

The group was stunned. Standing stuck in their positions with their mouths hanging open as the creature emerged. One of the smaller blobs leapt at Jesse, barely missing and breaking him out of his stupor. The goth yelled, breaking the spell's hold on the others, and slammed his body against the door in an attempt to bust through it. He was thrown to the side as Devon barreled into him, a massive beam of slime swiping through the air where he'd stood just a moment earlier.

The room was a flurry of chaotic movement. The seniors barely managing to dodge the tendrils of slime and tentacle slams from the huge figure. George managed to bat one of the little slimes directly into the face of the figure, doing nothing to damage either and earning the ire of both. Marie was slammed to the floor, the other blob extending pseudopods to wrap around her waist. She screamed and felt it squirm off of her as Morgan dashed past and the sliquid splashed next to her.

Jason pressed himself against the wall, narrowly avoiding the fingers raking against the ground on their way to George. He felt his axe in his hand, far too small for the task he needed it for, and moved forward. Watching George jump over the arm sailing towards him and Randy cut open the second of the smaller slimes, Jason readied his axe and struck. The entire pit of slime undulated as a deep rumbling filled the chamber. The giant figure of slime turned to look at the hunter as he backed away trembling, the source of the pain clutched in his hand.

One of the arm-like tentacles swung towards him. He closed his eyes and braced for the impact, fully expecting to be slammed into the wall or floor. Instead he heard a strange "shlumph" sound and another rumble. Opening his eye, he saw George with his bat embedded in the hand of the creature. The arm stopped from reaching him by the force of the impact. Another rumble sounded out and the stunned hunter glanced across the room to see Randy stabbing into the trunk of the slimy beast.

The giant slime's head tendrils snaked towards the thug and slashed across his chest. His shirt torn and soaked in the thing's slime he slashed at the pseudopods. The tendrils dropped into the pit and soon reformed, doing nothing to deter the massive thing from turning its focus onto the man with the knife. As he backed away from the edge of the pit Randy nearly slipped on a slimy part of the floor. Taking the opportunity, one of the large tentacles hurtled towards him and froze mid-swing.

A loud rumble echoed through the room and the creature's "face" deformed into a facsimile of a scream. The creature's body locked up as a gnarled spear pierced through its chest, angled up under it's semisolid plating. The burning red core of the creature was shunted out of its body by the point of the branch. Abe's chest heaved from the exertion. The thought that he really needed to work out more shot through his head.

"Will someone," the geek growled out, "smash that fucking core!"

The form of the creature melted back into the pit. Streams of slime reached out to reclaim the crimson gem like tendrils of pink snaking through the air seeking their heart. Randy, thinking quickly, kicked the core across the room just before the streams reached it. As it reached Jesse, he popped it up like a hackysack and quickly met the gaze of George. The jock's eyes narrowed and he dropped into a ready stance. The goth nodded and palmed the core, launching it at the waiting man just before the serpents of slime reached him.

A loud bang reverberated through the room. The red orb made contact with the solid bat and was sent directly into the opposite wall with far more force than it had been launched with. Shards showered Randy, Ross, and Morgan, who reflexively covered their heads. The roiling pit instantly calmed down and the flowing streams collapsed to the floor, spreading out with no conscious direction. The silence was profound, the group unable to breathe from the gasps caught in their throats.

Merely a second later the silence was broken with a click. The entrance door slowly opened, giving them a way back out of the chamber. The group sighed, releasing the breaths they'd been unwillingly holding. One by one they started moving again. Some picking themselves up, others shaking out themselves to soothe aching muscles. Marie moved over to pick up some of the shards of the core. She didn't have anything good to put them in, but she could use her empty water bottle. Just as she thought about it her skin started to tingle, reminding her about the slime still on her.

The group was quiet, too tired, hurting, and numb to speak for the moment. Another click was heard from the other side of the room. The group turned to look and watched as the ornate door decorated in deer and vines slowly swung open. A soft light emanated from the opening and Devon and Morgan moved over to investigate. The door hid a staircase leading deeper into the earth and the light was coming from deeper down. With a look of shared consternation the two started down the stairs.

Descending the steps, they turned a corner and were met by something truly amazing. Sunlight streamed in from the archway; the sight of grass and a packed dirt trail coming further into view the lower they went. A flash of purple light and a chorus of shocked gasps came from the room behind them but they payed it no heed. Stepping through the archway they were met by a forest trail, a crisp breeze making the branches sway lazily. The open sky stretched out above them, bordered by tall trees. Behind them the archway they walked through seemed to be part of a park border fence, the archway taking the place of a gate. The two looked at each other in shock, struggling to make sense of what they were seeing.

The group back in the room looked in shocked amazement at the items that laid next to the slime pit. A small shield made of some sort of translucent crystal material with a bright red gem in the center laid across the pit from a walking stick made of the same material holding up a bright crimson orb at the knob. George moved forward to pick up the shield, watching it resize to fit him as he picked it up. Two stretchy straps and a firm handle appeared on the back for him to wear it easily. Meanwhile Jesse picked up the cane, feeling it flex in his hands but grow rigid and inflexible when he actually placed it against the floor. The two men glanced around at the others, hoping they hadn't overstepped by taking the loot.

The others were too busy coming to terms with what happened to take offense, besides they'd performed the killing blow anyways. They'd just witnessed a purple orb emerge from the slime pit, split into two, then turn into a shield and cane. Then resize to perfectly fit their comrades. Suddenly, Ross and Marie noticed two completely different things.

"Wait, where did Devon and Morgan-" Ross started, looking around.

"Why are you two glowing?" Marie concernedly asked, pointing at Jason and George.

The two men looked at each other and started freaking out. They were surrounded by a barely visible shimmering aura. George attempted to swat it away. Jason was captivated, trying to figure out what was happening but being unable to process it. Jesse noticed that both men looked slightly more handsome than they had when they walked in the room, but decided against pointing it out and giving the wrong idea. He was straight, but he could admit when someone was attractive regardless.

"Guys!" shouted Ross, getting everyone's attention, "we're missing two people!"

The others glanced around, finally noticing that the two were gone. Before anyone could ask where they went or what happened to them, the two of them crested the staircase and drew all eyes to them.

"You will not believe what is down there," Devon stated, his voice as flat as his gaze was long.

"What is it? Prison cells?" guessed Randy.

"Not even close," breathed Morgan, leaning against the doorway.

"Then... what is it?" Jason asked, the shimmer faded from him and George scant moments before the two had reappeared.

"A forest," the two said at the same time, their own voices revealing they couldn't believe their own words either.

"Bull. Shit." Randy enunciated, moving towards them, "Did you two get knocked in the head by that slime thing?"

The shook their heads and Morgan motioned towards the stairs, "you can check it out yourself."

Randy narrowed his eyes and pushed past the two, descending the stairs and moving out of view. The metalhead and witch moved into the room mechanically, their minds struggling to come to terms with the info they'd come into. Surely this couldn't be real. Devon's bruises felt real though. Jesse prodded him with his cane and *it* felt real, albeit oddly soft. Randy came back up the stairs with a look of incredulity on his face and a handful of grass.

That grass was the final straw. Slowly, quietly, the group exited the bunker. The rooms merely a blur as they moved through them. The seniors filed into their vehicles and began the drive back to town.

George Willem - [Level Up]

-[BP Gained - 34]

-Perk Gained: [Class: Warrior - Rank 0]

-Item Gained: [Slimecrystal Shield]

Jason McDougal - [Level Up]

-[BP Gained - 33]

-Perk Gained: [Class: Scout - Rank 0]

Jesse Ramone

-Item Gained: [Slimecrystal Shillelagh]

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Devon Boone

Stats

-Strength - 4

-Intelligence - 3

-Nimbleness - 3

-Acumen - 4

-Physique - 3

-Synchronicity - 2

-Empathy - 4

Skills

-Brawl 3, Dodge 3, Intimidation 3, Driving 4, Sleight of Hand 2, Weaponry 3, Diplomacy 2, Knowledge (High School, Music, Varied) 3, Perception 3, Sense Motive 3, Technology 2, Disable Item 1, Forgery 2

Equipment

-Phone, Wallet, Backpack, Keys, Notebook, Pens, Pencils, Textbooks, Folders, Papers, Snack, Chain Necklace, Lighter, Brass Knuckles, Speaker, Cooler Chest, Water Bottle, Joint.

Description

-Tall, Skinny, Dreadlocks, Brown Eyes, Black Hair, Dark Skinned Anadru. Wears Band Tees, Ripped Jeans, Chain Necklace, Boots, Spiked Cuffs, Ear Piercings.

-Born to a lower middle class family, his dad was a manager at a stadium and he was able to go to concerts as a kid. He discovered his love for metal music at a concert and tried to go to as many as he could. Around his teenage years he started dressing harder and rocking out on his guitar until it broke when he dropped it off a stage on accident. He slowly became part of the outcast group after buying weed from Ross and hanging around them long enough. He discovered he had quite a few interests in common with them and came around even when weed wasn't the focus. Recently he's been questioning his own beliefs in the paranormal and has begun to ask his own questions, occasionally asking Morgan and Ross questions about spirituality and the like. Hasn't had a girlfriend but has gotten lots of action at concerts.

-Kind but excitable. He's reactive and ready to go at the drop of a hat unless he's already doing something or has something planned. Gets ticked off when someone makes snide comments about his choice of music.