Side Story V: The Great Crusade

[Sark]

"Hold on and stick together." Was his only warning as he went into the Avatar State and attempted to gather whatever water he could from deeper in the cave and bring it down on the worms, and if the cave continued to collapse he would do his best to protect those who hadn't retreated yet by bending falling rocks away from them and at any worms still alive that may get too close.

"We're not dying!" Matrix grunted, aiming his gun at the worm threat. He had stayed behind out of a sense of obligation and wanting something to shoot. His synthetic eye did a scan on the ceiling above, looking for weak points to shoot, either to bring down some rocks on the threat or find some kind of escape route.

E X P E D I T I O N
It all happened so quickly. A flash from the Avatar's eyes. A spark from Matrix's gun. A wave of dusty and the roar of falling stone. Your senses were besieged. Overwhelmed. In the wake of the crescendo, darkness crept. The cries of the Worms grew muffled. The screams of your solders faded into silence.
Darkness.
Nero revved the hilt of his sword. A crimson flame illuminated the chamber.
Aang and Matrix's efforts to clear the falling stones had been successful, at least in part. The Kings and Generals of the Expedition- those fortunate to have been standing in proximity to the deflectors- were sheltered beneath a canopy of rock. The chamber was closer to a crawlspace than a cave now. Anyone taller than the Avatar would be confined to their hands and knees if they wanted to move around the cramped, safe-zone. Any attempt to so would force a King to crawl over his fellow men. There was barely enough to stretch your arms wide, let enough room to breathe freely.
"Put that out..." Chrom muttered, gesturing towards Nero's sword. "We need to conserve our..." The General winced as he adjusted his mangled leg. Never one to complain, he did his best to set his twisted knee. His efforts only brought him further discomfort. "Our oxygen..."
"I think we've got bigger problems..." Nero pressed his hand against the canopy's wall and closed his eyes. The stones still trembled. More and more stones were falling atop the pile that pinned the party to their hiding hole. The dulled rumble accompanied the screams of the worms to form a twisted symphony. The creatures were drowning in the waters called forth from an underground spring by the Avatar. "The Avatar is the only thing standing between us and the weight of a collapse mountain. Matrix brought us some time, but sooner or later, Aang's strength is gonna fade, and we're gonna be pancakes. That's if---"
A pebble struck the back of the demon's head. The Demon turned as best he could to find it's source. A crack was forming in the canopy's hull. A small stream of water forced its way through the crack. A moment of shock. A moment of panic. Nero cursed. He pulled his jacked from his shoulders and pressed it against the stream. Even his strength couldn't hold back the stream in its entirety. A small, slither of water dripped down around his coat and pooled at the base of the crawl space. Another crack forced its way through the canopy, piercing the other side of the air bubble. Another pressurized stream added to the pool. Chrom did his best to plug it with his cape, but his injury kept him pinned to the floor. Another crack erupted from the ceiling. Another from the right. Another from the left. The water was slowly rising.
"As if we didn't have enough fucking problems..." Nero snarled. "Where's the Assassin? The bald one, not the guy with the tats-"
"He's... concussed..." Chrom winced, doing his best to pull Adewale's limp head up above the rising tide, surveying his gash on his forehead. "He can't help us..."
"Lucky guy..." Nero muttered to himself. "Bet he won't even feel the drownin'..."

"Yeah, he's right! We're getting out of here!" Assassin wasn't about to let this worm ruin this expedition. If this was how he met his end in this life, how could he show his sorry face to the Throne of Heroes? Especially with his Phantom abilities...damn, this sucked!

Either way, the Heroic Spirit vanished into thin air. "I'm taking my Spirit Form," he called out to his allies. "Try not to die for a few seconds, okay?" With that, he would attempt to explore in his incorporeal state, trying to spot possible escape routes or terrain to use to their advantage.

It was as if the Assassin's worlds had jinxed the situation. As soon as his spirit slipped beyond the boundaries of the cave, is could do little but bear witness to the mountain's complete implosion. With its foundations crumbled by the gluttonous worms, the behemoth was toppled like a house of cards. With an ear-popping boom, the mount's peak transformed into a humble gravestone. The Party's worst fears were true-- there were no passages or pathways to lead them out of their crawl-space. They were pinned, well and truly. In the distance, across the desert and at the lip of the nearby canyon, distant figures loomed. Flickering in the haze of the heat, the figures appeared humanoid. Unless, of course, it was a mere trick of the light, a mirage born of heat and stress.

@Atomic Knight @Takumi @Yun Lee @Jeremi @Lucky @Capri @Crunch​

 

[Takumi]

E X P E D I T I O N
It all happened so quickly. A flash from the Avatar's eyes. A spark from Matrix's gun. A wave of dusty and the roar of falling stone. Your senses were besieged. Overwhelmed. In the wake of the crescendo, darkness crept. The cries of the Worms grew muffled. The screams of your solders faded into silence.
Darkness.
Nero revved the hilt of his sword. A crimson flame illuminated the chamber.
Aang and Matrix's efforts to clear the falling stones had been successful, at least in part. The Kings and Generals of the Expedition- those fortunate to have been standing in proximity to the deflectors- were sheltered beneath a canopy of rock. The chamber was closer to a crawlspace than a cave now. Anyone taller than the Avatar would be confined to their hands and knees if they wanted to move around the cramped, safe-zone. Any attempt to so would force a King to crawl over his fellow men. There was barely enough to stretch your arms wide, let enough room to breathe freely.
"Put that out..." Chrom muttered, gesturing towards Nero's sword. "We need to conserve our..." The General winced as he adjusted his mangled leg. Never one to complain, he did his best to set his twisted knee. His efforts only brought him further discomfort. "Our oxygen..."
"I think we've got bigger problems..." Nero pressed his hand against the canopy's wall and closed his eyes. The stones still trembled. More and more stones were falling atop the pile that pinned the party to their hiding hole. The dulled rumble accompanied the screams of the worms to form a twisted symphony. The creatures were drowning in the waters called forth from an underground spring by the Avatar. "The Avatar is the only thing standing between us and the weight of a collapse mountain. Matrix brought us some time, but sooner or later, Aang's strength is gonna fade, and we're gonna be pancakes. That's if---"
A pebble struck the back of the demon's head. The Demon turned as best he could to find it's source. A crack was forming in the canopy's hull. A small stream of water forced its way through the crack. A moment of shock. A moment of panic. Nero cursed. He pulled his jacked from his shoulders and pressed it against the stream. Even his strength couldn't hold back the stream in its entirety. A small, slither of water dripped down around his coat and pooled at the base of the crawl space. Another crack forced its way through the canopy, piercing the other side of the air bubble. Another pressurized stream added to the pool. Chrom did his best to plug it with his cape, but his injury kept him pinned to the floor. Another crack erupted from the ceiling. Another from the right. Another from the left. The water was slowly rising.
"As if we didn't have enough fucking problems..." Nero snarled. "Where's the Assassin? The bald one, not the guy with the tats-"
"He's... concussed..." Chrom winced, doing his best to pull Adewale's limp head up above the rising tide, surveying his gash on his forehead. "He can't help us..."
"Lucky guy..." Nero muttered to himself. "Bet he won't even feel the drownin'..."

It was as if the Assassin's worlds had jinxed the situation. As soon as his spirit slipped beyond the boundaries of the cave, is could do little but bear witness to the mountain's complete implosion. With its foundations crumbled by the gluttonous worms, the behemoth was toppled like a house of cards. With an ear-popping boom, the mount's peak transformed into a humble gravestone. The Party's worst fears were true-- there were no passages or pathways to lead them out of their crawl-space. They were pinned, well and truly. In the distance, across the desert and at the lip of the nearby canyon, distant figures loomed. Flickering in the haze of the heat, the figures appeared humanoid. Unless, of course, it was a mere trick of the light, a mirage born of heat and stress.

@Atomic Knight @Takumi @Yun Lee @Jeremi @Lucky @Capri @Crunch

Brows furrowed, Aang didn't so much as move for a second, keeping the rocks that kept them buried in place as best as he could with his bending. He could hear the worms muffled screeching through the rocks if barely, meaning that the plan to drown the beasts was at least working on the bright side.

"How many are injured?" He inquired, frowning. He couldn't clear a way out without potentially causing the rocks to cave in on them, and the water was an issue. Trying to carve out a tunnel with his bending may cause the same effect if he wasn't careful, especially if the rocks kept coming down as they were.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Atomic Knight @Expedition

Suki heard the voice, and as acting head of the Fire Nation in Zuko's stead while he was busy with the Pirate Problem and without the Avatar present with her, she made a small hand gesture to the Kyoshi Warrior beside her before silently slipping out to head to the meeting place near the stairs while Ghetsis gloated. The Regent resisted rolling her eyes at that, since Ghetsis had an air about him that irked the brunette. The Kyoshi Warrior tasked with staying behind stood vigilant, ready with an excuse or two for her leader in the meantime if anyone even bothered to say anything.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Lucky @Jeremi @Rescue Crew @Everyone