14xx/07/02 Johannes Calendar
62 days since arrival…
We arrived at the Tartarus Rift at the Southern Ilias Continent with no problem at all. The weather was wet though, so the road was extra muddy much to Latina's displeasure. The overall atmosphere of the research site was even gloomier than before. A conversation with the foreman was enough to vanish all doubt.
The group here is the replacement group, because the first one has to go back and sent their reports to the superior, and rest their ass as well. The new group, their group thought that it would be an easy conquest, but instead of glory, they found doom instead. Half of the expedition crew were lost down there, and it seems that it has been teeming with more monsters than it was before.
And not being content with just having a look, the captain wanted to go down there!
I did warn his ass, I did. Told him about the demons we will face, bitches that would actually murder him on sight. And guess what? That makes him even more excited. He whipped out his cutlass, then start yelling to the boys in the back about wanting to go down there and clean up some mess, and would appreciate some help.
For some reason, we have like 6 people joining in our little troupe. 4 of them wore armour and carried spears and kite shields, 1 is a magician in robe and magic staff in hand, and 1 more is a hunter in leather gear and armed with a longbow. Each of them has a sash wrapped around their arms which has the logo of the guards from Ilias Temple. Apparently, they volunteered for some action, got more than what they deserved, and instead of losing hope, got fucking pissed off instead because they left some of their boys down there.
Mad fucking respect.
Even then, I ain't going down there with no plan, especially with a group this big, so the first thing I did is to try and use Sophie's scope to peer through the void. There's a lot of them clustered together closely, can't take them out without lost half of my ammo stock or in silent. It'll be a brutal slog one way or another, its just the matter of how we throw the first punch.
So, the plan is simple; Magicians cast Blind first to disorient the monsters long enough for our men to secure a foothold at the base of the ladder. We kill as much as we can and then we dig in. After we thin their ranks, we move forward.
The first phase went well. They were far too busy snacking on the few corpses left when the guards pulled back. We caught them lacking, and they all fell from our blade flailing in the dark. The sound of other monsters coming from beyond warned us of our next battle. We dug in, and prepared for phase two.
Phase two is simple really; once those eldritch rejects pop up, Kael and the other magician will cast Blizzard to slow them down, or maybe freeze them completely. I flirted with the idea of electrifying the blizzard as well, but then I realised that half of the crew wears metal armour. Then when they're slow as fuck, we can just take our leisurely time popping their skulls off with bullets, arrows, whatever else we have.
Those monsters didn't have a chance. Kael's blizzard was like a compressed tempest, and with two magicians casting the same spell, some of them even froze on the spot. The tempest makes it hard for our arrows to go through, but the distance is short so all we need to do is to compensate our aim.
We kept up our defence until the screams of our foe became few and their corpses piled high, broken, and filled with arrows and bullets. Few were right in front of the shields, cut down by spears and sabre. We were unharmed mostly thanks to Oskar's blessing. A quick round of mass healing makes us good as new.
In the lull, I observed the guards whom insisted on following us. They shivered in the cold air, but duty calls, so they march forward to retrieve their friend's corpses with grim determination. They have regained their pride and their kin, but to what end? Such questions can be seen in their faces, a dark cloud of doubt marring their features as they collected the dead. How long will this lull last?
I don't know, and the captain thankfully has enough tact to accompany them in their effort to retrieve the dead. One of them climbed upward to send the message, and returned with a makeshift lift made of rope and wooden panels. We helped them move the dead to the surface first, then we make an effort to continue our journey deeper.
More corpses graced the hallway, men and women in several state of rot and desecration. They were laid in a pattern leading toward the ladder, a macabre proof of a failed retreat. Natsuki asked the captain if going deeper is a necessary, the captain said yes. Spurred by lust for knowledge, we set forth into the unknown.
As we turned around the corner, we found another set of corpses. One is a man in a large grey cloak, perhaps an old monk of an ancient monastery. How does a monk have an access to a Tommy gun is beyond me, but there he lies still, a nearly empty Thompson in his hand and his face burned to a crisp. Beside him is a young Japanese schoolgirl, black hair in ponytail with a schoolbag at her side. In her hand is a simple pocketknife coated with dried blood. Her stomach a mess, with guts draping the monk's left leg.
However, the most haunting of all is the item behind her. A pair of yellow hats fit for a child.
Suppressing the rage that threatens to surface, I looted the corpse much to Oskar's surprise and indignation. The old man has a bundle of dynamite tucked into his belt alongside an ornate dagger and a spare drum mag full of bullets. His bible however was in gibberish that Kael only understands, so he took it for himself.
The young schoolgirl is…disturbing to say the least. Underneath the uniform, her little 'accessories' wouldn't look too far out of place with the other denizen in this land. The more I looked, the more disturbed I get. Whatever she is doing before her death, it's clear that she's a pro.
That wasn't even the end of it. Her schoolbag is chockful of adult toys and accessories, no doubt well-used and well-loved too. Her smartphone is full of battery and somehow has no lock on it, so it was easy for me to access her galleries. It was even worse in there.
Well…smartphone and power bank seem to be working and my suit is compatible with them, so I took them as trophy, alongside the Tommy gun and its ammo. Was running low on pistol ammo, so it was fine for me. Gave the dagger to the captain as a keepsake. The captain told me to grab the toys, so I reluctantly grabbed the schoolbag. The advancement of smartphone appears to be too much for people of this era, so they were more interested to the vibrators in the schoolbag.
I mean, the only thing a vibrator do is vibrate, not much else.
After that, not much else happened. We went back to the surface, briefed the officials up there of what we found, explained to the rest of the crew of what stuff we just found, then make camp for the night. The captain is interested with the rift, so we will be sitting here for a couple of days before we set forth to Pornof.
For now, I'll get myself some sleep. Need a fresh mind and eyes to fully explore the rift tomorrow.
New Item Acquired!
Tommy Gun.
A classic and iconic SMG chambered in .45 ACP. This particular model employs the popular "Gangster" configuration which consisted of a 50-round drum mag, vertical foregrip and Cutt's Compensator. A suit and a bowler hat are optional, but highly recommended accessories.
Misericorde.
A long and thin dagger designed specifically to slip between the gaps of armour to inflict a mercy kill.
Dark Tome.
A black book filled with malicious incantations and hateful curses for the use of an unscrupulous mage.
Child's Hat.
A yellow cap designed so that kindergarteners can be seen easily from afar. Stained slightly with blood.
Exhibitionist Rig.
A network of wires and strings wrapped around the body that powered the myriads of bullet vibrators positioned upon the sensitive female genitals. Can be worn underneath normal clothes without being detected.
Immoral Schoolbag.
An innocent schoolbag unfortunately chosen to carry an arsenal of sin. Contains vibrators, dildos, lubricants, and other smaller items better left undescribed.
Lecherous Smartphone.
A smartphone filled to the brim with homemade smuts. The power bank is the only accessories untainted by foul lechery. No screen lock, as if the owner wanted to be caught red-handed. Useless without connections.