Venturing: Underbeats

Upon the single room we stand, scanning the area around for anything that interest us or at least caught our eye. We had assigned everyone to their own corners of the larger room. Kyro and Natty on one corner. Zander on the opposite side. Me and Yang at the center. We stared interested at the walls surrounding us. Looking upon the depths where darkness had overtaking our sights and prevented us from even looking further on. As I heard footsteps walking in the distance, I motioned to Yang and pointed to the middle of one wall that was ahead of us. A strange drawing emerged before our eyes. Exposing the entire map before us. Strange markings were upon that drawing too. Some of which we could not understand. As me and Yang tilted our heads to one side, our ears flickered upon hearing Zander calling out towards us. That we turned our attention to them and blinked, walking over to his line in interest and curiosity of what he had wanted.

We soon met up with Zander very quickly that we had saw him upon the wall. He was pointing to something. We looked to where he was pointing at and was taken back surprise. Before us stood a huge rectangular shape. Three symbols stands within the boundaries of the shape. Yet all of them were to one line, descending. “This must be the key towards that map we saw." I heard Yang muttered, Zander tilted his head to one side and questioned “What map?" I pointed to the middle of the wall that was facing us initially. Zander looked and nodded his head, having seen it. “I get it." He looked towards the key above me, “This must be the legend for that map. The symbols are all there. Corresponding to here." I nodded as Yang studied the map. “Yeah." “Where are Kyro and Natty? Have they found something yet?" I shrugged in response, looking over my shoulder and staring down onto the abyss darkness that awaits for us on the other side of the room. We still had not seen them yet and I was a bit worried for them after all.

With a shrugged, I exhaled silently as Yang pulled her eyes back and lowered. Facing both me and Zander as she commented, “Done.""That was fast." Zander responded, I chuckled silently before Yang motioned us back towards the center. “We should catch up at least towards the other pair. They might have gotten farther than usual." I suggested as we walked, Zander seconded that. Yang, on the other claw, sighed and dropped her wings before nodding back toward us. Her eyes closed then opened after nodding as we raced towards the opposing side of the room. We entered into the depths very shortly afterwards. We watched as the darkness engulfed us quickly. Surprise that we had ventured farther than we needed to be, Yang stepped back from our line a bit and fished into her pocket for a miniature flashlight that she always keep with her at all times. As she does, Zander shifted his vision and glanced around the area a bit. “It is too dark in here." Zander commented after a brief pause of silence, “Very dark." I responded to him as his eyes turned to me and questioned, “How did Kyro and Natty get through here anyway? Neither of them had any torches or flashlights?" “Kyro is as fire type dragon." I started, Zander nodded before gazing away. It took a second maybe longer for Yang to finally bring out that flashlight that she had with her. Both me and Zander were getting a bit impatient with her however. As she pressed the black button upon it, the light broadcast and shines a distance away from where we were standing. Me and Zander, turned our attention to the light as Yang took over leadership and led us through the depth darkness ahead.

A few distance into the darkness and we ended up upon hallways that were filled with lightbulbs. Five in total were in front of us. All of which were adjacent to one another. All the lightbulbs were turned off. Preventing anyone from seeing what was ahead. In addition, it was to converse power and electricity. As our attention were to the sections of lightbulbs, Yang turned her attention towards the left. A wall appeared before her. But also a white switch was there too. She flicked it on. Before turning her attention to the sections of lights. Pleased with herself momentarily before she was a bit surprise that the lights would not turned on at all. Both me and Zander looked a bit disappointed, our wings shuffled inching to fly over and see. Yang noticed and shook her head before rejoining our group once again. I stared out towards the sections of lights once more, then peeled away and turned towards the opposite wall of the room. Seeing another switch there, I walked over to turn it on.

In surprise, the lightbulbs were warm except for one. We all turned our attention towards it, seeing a row of broken lightbulbs settled in our eyes. Yang smiled faintly. Me and Zander frowned in response as we all walked forth towards the broken lightbulbs ahead of us and entered in. We heard a click and another. The lightbulbs turned off afterwards in response as we walked through the broken shards underneath our feet. It felt crunchy suddenly. No pain. No nothing underneath. We were a bit surprise at this point too however. Walking through the broken glass, My attention was turned to the walls surrounding us. Two rows of broken lightbulbs were attached to the walls on either side of us. The first of the many had something in it. But it was already gone by now. Guessing that Kyro and Natty had already taken it and brought it with them towards the goal, I felt pleased and settled with them. But at the same time, felt nervous and wondering with thoughts as to what they were doing. Though glancing over to Zander, he does not seem too worried about his friend. For a fainted smile drifted from his face. It was all I got when we reached the end of the halls where a brown opened door stood before our wake. Immediately, Zander and Yang walked through the door. I followed right behind them.

The door closed behind us as we were lead into another hallway. A staircase settled before our eyes, descending to the darkness right below us. A set of railings were to our right. Yang and Zander walked towards the staircase, starting to descend into the darkness below us. As I watched them in silence, my ears flickered upon hearing a foreign sound. I turned to the brown door behind me. Walked closely towards it and grabbed onto its knob. A low growl entered my mists after opening the door. Peering out onto the darkness distance. I saw nothing but an island ahead of me. A palm tree was adjacent to the fire place where smoke rises from it towards the ceiling above. I blinked, a bit surprise. Remembering before that the previous room was suppose to be sections of lights instead of… this. I did not know what else to say about what I was seeing right now. I was tempted to head back through the brown door. Pondering slightly if it was indeed the right path instead of the set of stairs that were now behind me. With my eyes closing and a brief exhale escaped my mouth, I grabbed onto my pistol and dive straight through the door with it closing right behind me.

I walked straight through the short hallway. Towards the small room where the island was once held. I drew closer towards it, then reached out with my claw towards the island. It just phased through. A shock of amazement exposed upon my face as I waved through the island before me, watching it flicker every time it does. I paused and stepped back, allowing my claw to drift back onto my side. My pistol was aim towards the horizon again. Yet I found myself staring at what I was seeing around me. Colorful controls were settled upon a series of boards. All organized into squads or segments. Black thin lines emerged between these segments as I watched the lights flickered upon the buttons before me. I pondered in silent and stared in response. Gazing down onto all of the buttons and things that were there. A thought entered my mind. But it was gone when the door was opened and shout emersed from the depths of silence. Already driving it away as I stepped back and looked towards the brown door ahead of me, noticing quickly Zander and Yang. They were huffing deeply, their pants was already noticeable however. As I waved to them, their heads already hung and eyes closed as if they had gone through a marathon or something along that line. My concern was exposed. Yet I never said anything straight towards them. Instead, I walked to them. Grabbed onto their claws or arm and dragged them across the short hallway towards the small room. They were surprise. Maybe shocked.

Yet no words were exchanged as their eyes shifted towards the important parts of the room. Their attention were elsewhere. But I was curious as to what they were running from. For my attention was to the brown door again behind me. I stared onto it. I stand in place. But my thoughts urge me to go and find out. So with a pounding heart against my chest, I stepped forward to the brown door ahead of me. Grabbed onto the knob and tilted to the side, already opening the door. A creak emerged from the doorway as I peered through the cracks and gaze on the opposing side. Empty. The stairway, railings were the same and in their place. The light flickering above the flooring at a distance from me. Everything else was the same. I closed the door immediately and locked it. A brief sigh escaped from my mouth while I lifted my head towards the ceiling above me. My eyes closed. But that short silence I had to myself was broken afterwards when I heard Yang spoke out something that caught my attention. To my surprise, Zander grew interested as well and we found ourself drifting towards the dragoness as she shifted her attention towards whatever was interesting towards her eye.

A red big button. Words were drifted above it. Whatever it said, we would never know. As our attention was towards the button, I quickly turned to the island behind us and stepped towards it in silence. With a signal from my claw tips, I urged Yang to hit the button which she does immediately and in response. Zander was shocked. But he kept that to himself as curiosity took over his face instead. He and Yang turned their attention towards the island. We watched. Curiosity and in interest of what would happened. As the entire room was showered with the bright red color, sirens wailing out from the sides of the room. The walls and floor rumbling and vibrating violently. The island started flickering. Pieces of it started falling. Disappearing into the abyss below. We watched it all in action until nothing was left. Yet in the place of the island, a scroll up map stands. We stared onto it in silence. Yang was the first to react and grabbed onto the map immediately and quickly. As she snatched the map, something clicked. Me and Zander turned our heads towards the right side of the room where the door opened before our eyes. We ran through it and shut the door behind us. Yang opened the scroll and peered onto the contents hidden inside.

The contents were blank. Nothing was written onto the scroll itself. We were surprise. But never expressed it however as our ears turned towards the sounds in the coming distance ahead of us. We looked to the horizon, staring up ahead. Where we spotted Kyro and Natty already waving at us, I and Yang waved in turn. Zander grumbled and said nothing while his arms were crossed. We gathered up upon one another, finally reuniting at last. Yet before we could leave, Yang tilted her head to one side and spoke wondering what had happened to them. Kyro was the first to respond to us, explaining everything since our separation. Thus as he does, the walls started crumbling again. The flooring below us vibrated as rocks fell from the ceiling, creating holes where the sunlight exposes itself from the skies above it. Zander started yelling, we all immediately ran with the intentions of not getting hurt, lost or dying through the death that was surrounding us. We started running. Through the halls that we had entered through. Finding light on the opposing side of us which was shouted by Zander who pointing up ahead. We ignored him and kept pushing. Finally through the tunnel we exited from as we turned our attention towards the sealed cavern behind us.

We all had escaped. But there was something missing. I motioned to Yang, Zander and Kyro to bring their stuff onto the floor for everyone to see. They nodded in response, saying nothing in response as they brought their stuff. Dropping it onto the flooring below, unwrapped and exposed. We all form a circle. “Interesting." I muttered, fixing my gaze towards Kyro's and Natty's. Already having noticed about the small miniature map that unwrapped itself upon the ground. I stepped forth into the circle and snatched the map from the ground. Raising it into the air, I twisted the map so the legend at the top of the map was pointing downward. I looked onto the map while Kyro spoke “So with all of these clues settled before us. Do we have any understanding as to what was happening?" “Little." Responded Zander, shaking his head as his eyes shifted back towards the flooring. A brief silence loomed over our heads while i dropped the map onto the ground again and spoke towards the rest of them “There is something however." “Do tell." responded Natty, crossing her arms as she smirked staring at me. I explained to them about the map, the legend and the island that I had saw before my coworkers. All in sequence order of events it seems. As I explained, Yang and Zander also input their own thoughts onto it. Answering any questions that Kyro or Natty had anything about the topic at hand. This conversation went on for so long that our stomachs started growling.

Yang was the first to break into a laugh. Followed by the others in counter clockwise motion. Till we all died down was when Yang urged us to escaped from the caverns and headed home to eat something at the headquarters. With Zander and Kyro shouting out their respectives foods, glaring at one another and arguing maybe bickering. We reached the end of the tunnel. Much to most of our surprises however. Thus when we exited, our eyes widened and we had a looked of shock upon our faces. Because, standing before us was Vastertown. But it is a little different than the normality of our precious town. The buildings that we had once knew were a combination of skyscrapers and regular buildings. The streets were exchanging dirtiness and cleanliness. Most of the dragon citizens were gone from the streets, having nothing to do with the dirty streets. In the mists of the dragons came canines such as foxes, wolves etc. The citizens of Vaster were a bit surprise into seeing species other than their own. Even us were surprise by it too when we saw it. Yet Yang was angered. I could see steam coming from her ears; her face pure red. Zander and Kyro worked to calm her down while me and Natty went around town to see what had changed.

Indeed, the streets buildings and citizens were changed. Or rather intertwine some how. We ended up with taller buildings, dirty streets and canines all around the square. Me and Natty decided to walk a bit faster, with false hope of wondering if the Chaos' R7 had anything to do with this. Thus as we speed walked across the sidewalks and exchanging them for streets. Ignoring the other dragons rumoring about the canines that walked amongst us and their dirtiness that carrying along with them. We ended up upon the street where our headquarters were at. I was a bit relieved that the street was still here. However, shifting over to Natty. She was stumbling over her words. Her form started vibrating as she shakingly raised her claw into the air and pointed towards the only building missing. My head was tilted to the side, unsure of what she was pointing at. But at the same time, becoming pure innocent at her words and phases. As such, I just laughed and chuckled alongside of her. My wings started spreading, I urged Natty to come along with me. She nodded, but just slightly enough for the acknowledgement before we ran through the street again. Flapping our wings as we takes to the skies once again. Thus gliding a short distance away where we landed in front of…

“What happened to our building?" I started with shock. My eyes bugged out. Mouth hanging from the side as I heard Natty whispering quietly towards me, yet she was pointing towards some wolves that were hanging about. They were dropping sticks upon the grounds. Molten was hanging in the air, I smelled it. Groaning at the displeasure that hovered underneath my nose, I grunted yet walked towards the group of wolves. Growling at them. As the wolves turned their attention to me, the rest of the unit gathered up with Yang. Only Zander and Kyro were the first to notice the molten smell hovering as Yang went to comfort Natty.

“DId you guys do this? Who are you guys and are you in any way affirmed to the Chaos' R7?" I grumbled at the wolves. Yet a few of them whimpered and stepped back, away from our burned headquarters. One of the wolves stepped forward and cheerfully respond to me, “Howdy! We did not burn your headquarters. We are merely setting a boundary to help the construction workers fixed up your building. At the same time we kinda ran out of…" He went on and on about the burned stick, building and the construction that it was already starting to hurt my brain a bit. I roared in his face, he shut up immediately as I spoke calmly at him. Yet raging at the same time, perhaps frustrated at all. “Shut up about the rambling and other details. All I want is your name, your pack and your reason." “Name, pack reason. Got it." He started, a small grin formed across his face. Hopping onto his feet, he explained who he was, his pack and reason. “My name is Hunter. We formed a pack called the 'Hunter's pack'. Our reason? Well we just got here. Good enough reason? Good. We are do-" “Not quiet yet." Yang sternly responded as I held his shoulder.

“Where are you guys from?" “Oh… er… Emerald Forest." He answered, our eyes widened at that moment before looking down onto him in response. Silence loomed over our heads then I started growling, “Leave." “Got it got it. We are going…" Hunter remarked, nudging his head towards the other wolves as they departed from our sights. For once they are gone, I exhaled a stern breath and shook my head. My thoughts infiltrated my head, wondering why would the R7 hire them. “Man… are they that dense?" I heard Zander loudly rudely remarked, crossing his arms with a smirk from his face as his wings shuffled in the following silence. “Perhaps. But I like to think that the R7 of Chaos had hired them." I answered him, he turned his attention to me blinking. “Why would the famous group hire them?" “Perhaps to annoy the others into submission?" Kyro suggested, we all bursted laughing at that point.