Ruin and Reward [Samantha]

[Jess]

RUIN AND REWARD

CHAPTER ONE : KEEPING SECRETS

A plume of steam or more than that seeming to rise into the sky like a pillar thanks to the windless environment that was the calm belt, on the back or more accurately the deck of a paddle driven craft Samantha Stephens found herself hard at work, or as hard as once could be when researching ruins and the relics that came from them. In her hand a shard of history which would have looked rather lovely as a piece on anyone's mantle, to most one would assume that such an ornate item was a simple objed'art, but here on this ship there was at least one person who believed otherwise, and soon, there would likely be two.

“Hmmmm…” The blonde belle currently on the road or the rail toward appreciation of that fact as she turned the grapefruit sized bauble over in hand and noted the symbology which it carried, Miss Stephens had been told by the figure who had opted to loan her this item and the support of both his ship and his chequebook for this expedition that that it was the key to a ruin long thought lost in the nest of sea kings, and now steadily as she inspected it and realized that there was something of far greater import than the characters inscribed was starting to accept that fact.
These markings…? Humming as she pulled herself back from a dictionary of ancient linguistics which she now felt she knew backward and looking over the rolling indentations that surrounded and swelled from the base, they seemed to be interwoven like the work of wicker in the way they twisted and turned toward one another in a way that did not seem accidental, and yet was also not entirely regular or predictable.

Could they be… Like the teeth on a key? There seeming like some intelligent design went into the sculpting of it and beyond the intention of mere artistry, Samantha ran her fingers through a few and tilts her head, noting that some of these tiny trenches seemed a little deeper than others, and on the whole began to think that the whole thing was meant to fit into something pretty specifally. Lock into it, one might say.
Quite a literal 'key stone', perhaps? For that reason the fox rapidly reasoning that this was meant to be far more than a simple ornament and perhaps a little more complicated than the typical block one used to access ancient doors, she couldn’t help but admire a sense of ingenuity which seemed so close to their own level of advancement as her awareness grew, and the feeling of disappointment that she would be so very unlikely to meet the person clever enough to think it up.

Fascinating~ Sitting back in her chair with a smirk all the same and placing the item back down before lifting her teacup in its place, Miss Stephens was left to savour a little satisfaction in her studied as she sipped on a relatively warm cup of tea, and found herself looking across the deck around her as she leaned back in her chair and opted to take a little break from her research accordingly.
The boss… And his bosom pal? Seeming to spot a couple of familiar figures loitering near the wheel together as she did, it was only too easy given how long they had been aboard the craft together to recognise them as the man who had talked her into joining this foray, as well as the lead of his hired guns as well.

Always chatting, and leering? Those blue eyes lingering on the pair as a result, from where Samantha was sitting she could see that they seemed to be discussing something and glancing toward her as they do so, but appeared only to eager to divert their interest when they saw her looking back toward them.
I suppose I can hardly blame them for fancying me, of course, but… Sighing and shaking her head because of that, while ordinarily she might have dismissed their tendency as something that a fetching fox like herself was used to, with them she couldn't help but there was a little more going on than admiration for her face or figure.

There's something about the look in their eye…? Something I don't like? Narrowing her eyes into a squint in return, that sense of suspicion had Miss Stephens wondering if she has made a mistake coming along her without much backup beyond the faithful hound who was snoozing in the sun next to her, and wrinkled her nose a little because of that.
Can't help but wonder what they're talking about~? I wonder if I can… That sense of curiousity and her self-interested seeming to compel her to go a step further than that in fact, almost literally, the flaxen fox begins to rise from her seat even and opted to see if she can find an excuse to stand a little closer in an effort to listen in on their apparently enthralling discussion to see what it was they seemed so interested in talking about in regard to her, but before she gets a chance to do so found the ship caught up in a commotion which would distract all from the moment.

"Bossssss! Boss!
Scouts're saying they've seen the island on the Horizon!
Should be there before sunset!"

Deprived of her opportunity to indulge a little eavesdropping by the 'intrusion' of a squalling soul lurching from the top of their mast and seeming to scramble across the deck, it seemed that the destiny of their destination had come sooner than she ever could have hoped, and just at the time when she wanted it the least as well. Though on the positive, at least it would also mean she would have a whole island to put between herself and the pair that alarmed her, as well as a delightful distraction in the puzzle there as well…

SAMANTHA STEPHENS - 1000 Words

 

CHAPTER TWO : THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS

The symbols and style certainly match, but… The fair femme found once more hard at work even a none too small space of days later, she stood in a room in the heart of the ruin she had sought to explore with a table set up before her and the curious 'key' within her hand, and yet as she compared the runes around her against the book she had brought along she still felt no closer to rewarding the effort she had put in thus far.
There doesn't seem to be anywhere…? Days and even weeks of exploration having led her to this place and yet for every step forward that Samantha had taken the woman feeling like she had took at least one back as well, her hair and face and the rest of her as well was dirty and dishevelled and the blonde was even carrying the beginning of a bags beneath her eyes, all of which reflected the frustration that her recent experience had been building up within her.

Is this really the right place? Sagging as she started to suspect that she was on something of a wild goose chase as her every effort and act of exertion had seemed to fail to bring her closer to the truth, Miss Stephens let loose a sigh as she rested the only piece of the puzzle she had solved on the table in front of her, and then ran her hands back through her hair to shake the cobwebs from it, and hopefully her mind as well.
We've searched every room, but none of them seem to have what we're looking for? Recalling the time that she had spent here in vivid but vexing detail, the sapphire eyed siren knew that she had been over everything with a fine tooth comb, and clicked her tongue because of that.

No alter or keyhole or anything… Seeing herself probing every inch of the walls and rechecking every translation she had for the symbols she found upon them, it felt that her only course of action was to fold her arms over one another and puff her cheeks out in a fashion perhaps a little unbecoming a woman of her level of customary maturity, before she huffed and shook her head and began to pace back and forth across the floor as her restlessness got the better of her.
And here I am, in the belly of the beast with nowhere to go…! This very act and her next one seeming to draw the eye and head of her ever faithful hound as he stirred from the nap he had taken while watching over her, Remy sniffed at the air softly as he seemed to idly seek an idea that would comfort his comrade, but all too quickly found himself thrown into a greater state of concern when the woman threw her arms into the air and flopped backward onto the ground beneath her.

“Don't worry, boy… Mummy's okay.” Overwhelmed by the growing feeling of inadequacy she felt and perhaps that building fatigue as well and for that reason the lass feeling she would be well suited to letting her mind cool while staring at the ceiling above her, Samantha was ill afforded the chance to do the latter as she found her pooch probing her shoulder and cheek with the tip of his snout in an attempt to rouse her, and seemed to provoke the woman into lifting her hand to his head in an effort of comfort and affection.
“How are you doing, eh?” The fair femme frankly happy to have something other than the maddening puzzle which surrounded her if only for a minute or so and for that reason eager to dote of her darling dog, in an odd way it was just as soothing for her to run her fingers through that fur and toy with those perky ears gently, but happily, and then look into that mysterious and yet somehow knowing and wise golden gaze as he laid down next to her and she rolled over to meet him.

“Not fond of those mean old men, are you?” Glad to have him with her for that reason and the security that he brought to her beyond even the sharpness of his fangs and the bullets he could belch, even if she could see that he was perhaps less than thrilled to be here, she knew that he's been yelled at a few times by the mercs for his possessive attitude or the growls he had given and honestly wished she hadn't been fool enough to join this doomed foray. However, she had, and it seemed the only way out of that fact was through success.

“With any luck we'll be rid of them soon, okay?” Cuddling him close all the same and offering a silent apology for the stress and worry that this occasion was causing him, Samantha moved in close and kissed the top of his head with a smile before cuddling him like child, and allowed her gaze drift from her doggo idly once she had done so. And then, then was when she saw it.

Wait a second… This slab? Noting something small but significant when she saw a tiny difference in the shading held by the surface she was now laying upon and creasing her brow because of that, though most would have been happy to overlook a detail like that perhaps a force of boredom or simple vain hope compelled her to sit up and inspect the issue more carefully. Initially just for the sake of distraction, but soon after, for something more significant.

It's newer… A lot newer? Running her fingers across the surface slowly as such a trivial item appeared to fascinate her puzzle addled mind and realizing something as she did, she can't help but observe that it feels a lot coarser as well, unlike the polished but worn stone that makes up the rest of the ground around her. One was ancient and survived eons, and one felt more like concrete of a far more recent moulding, didn't it?

Ten, maybe twenty years old as most, and a different kind of stone? Paying closer attention because of that simple but sizeable difference between the two, Miss Stephens pulled out the knife she kept on her belt and scrapes it across the slab and then the one next to it, and all too easily seemed to show that while one seemed to brighten beneath the surface, the others looked darker and drabber by comparison.
This wasn't here originally, was it? Shaking her head because of that fact and crawling around the room on her hands and knees as she scratched others to prove that the one in its middle had a reason to stand out from the pack, the blonde belle found herself perking up because of such a juicy piece of new information, and all too quickly was starting to suspect the reason there was such a stark difference between this and the rest.

Did someone beat us here? Perhaps no expert in masonry it was true but such an oversight seeming as if it could never be a coincidence, for all the expertise that the ancients who once lived here could boast the ability concoct this kind of concrete lay beyond them simply for the absence of available resource or documented information, and so Samantha was left to suspect that the reason for this lay in an outside party.
But then… Why would they cover something up? Needing confirmation for that fact however and perhaps just as puzzled for the time being as to why a visitor to this place would make such a significant effort to change something in it, all she could guess was that there was something in here that a party did not want the world knowing about, and so hopped back to her feet and scooped up a shovel with every intention of deciphering why and what that was.

Only one way to find out, I suppose? For that reason driving the head of her tool into the gap between the slab she sought to expose and one of the ones next to it, the flaxen fox took a deep breath as she drove it down deeper with her heel, and found her eyes seeming to find a little more of their light as she did so.
Let's see if we can't…? Finally feeling like she had learned something at last that was worthwhile and hoping that this was only the real start of her adventure, she smirked for a moment as she buried her spade as deeply as she could and then grunted as she shifted her inertia into a pulling move, and as she did so hoped to prize the thing free well enough that she could see what lay beneath it…

SAMANTHA STEPHENS - 1500 Words

 

CHAPTER 3 : TREADING OLD GROUND

Well, well, well… Happy to have the slab now lifted and shifted enough that she and her faithful companion could slip through an admittedly narrow but useful gap to what was beneath it, with a lamp in one hand and the intriguing item she had deciphered in the other Samantha made her way down a narrow set of stairs which dipped beneath the 'bottom' of the ruin curiously, and crucially seemed to expose a whole new area of the structure they had yet to find.
The plot thickens, eh? Cautious enough in her efforts to have her belt now equipped and sword waggling behind her like a tail as she stepped smoothly and slowly in descent, next to her Remy seemed to sniff at the air curiously and react accordingly, though frankly all that the shapely scholar could detect in it was the kind of mustiness which made her wish tombs and temples had much better ventilation than she did.

Boot prints…? Distracted from that fact however when she swayed her gleaming source of light around and was able to see the floor covered in a thick layer of dust and grime but also something else, thanks to the aid of the brightness she can see several sets of large prints shaped like the soles of shoes, and seemed to find such a fact only confirming the suspicion she had about the place.
Looks like someone definitely beat us this far…? Crouching down to spy the specifics of the marks and quickly suspecting from their design that they looked far too modern to have somehow survived from the locals days, especially when most of them wore sandals or nothing at all, Miss Stephens frowned as she realized she might be far from the first person since the natives to see this apparently hidden area, but felt compelled to explore it all the same.

Come to think of it… Our intrepid leader never did say how he got his hands on this, did he? The mind of the minx doing overtime as she did so as well, quickly did Samantha seem to realize other interesting details had escaped her notice in her fervour to attend this opportunity, especially when it came to the man responsible for it and his explanation for his interest.
I'd assumed an auction or something, but with the company he seems to keep… Maybe something a little less honest, hm? Seeming to present himself as a wealthy collector of lofty stock but perhaps the enterprising explorer showing she was still a little green in her assumption and acceptance of that fact, she only felt a greater note of suspicion given the people he seemed so well acquainted with as well given his choice of expedition party, and more and more began to recognise that he might not quite be as sincere as he had claimed before this.

Look what we have here… Unfortunately that track of her mind having to wait when the huntress of history found herself distracted by something ahead of her, Miss Stephens paused the presence of a large pair of stone doors which seem to have a hole at their centre, though given what she held in her grasp did not do so for too long.
Time to test the theory, hm? Checking the size and noting that the object and recess seemed a rough match from where she was standing, the flaxen fox couldn't help but smirk at her quick realization at such correlation, and winked at the animal alongside her before guiding the end with the sculpted channels into the nook she had found betwixt the doors.

Let's see… Narrowing her gaze as she did so and guessing from the shape of the grooves upon it that this would take a little more effort to unlock than the average tavern, the touch of the temptress was tender as she twisted and turned it to find the correct alignment, and frankly found herself feeling like she was trying to work a corkscrew that was working against her. However, that didn't mean she was to be met with failure.
Sounds like… A perfect fit~? Patient and persistent and not about to pressure anything more than to fight off the scantest resistance of dust and dirt, a low and long breath escaped the blonde as she felt it finally click into place and found the 'wall' before her clunking because of that, and then wiped her brow as she worked up the nerve to test the door she had seemingly defeated.

“Hnnnnggggffff!” This no easy task of course given her size and shape and as such the slender scholar forced to place her lamp down and press her shoulder and cheek against the stone in order to force it apart, it certainly seemed to feel like this obstacle was none too keen on being bested by someone so slight, but eventually and after a few grunts and groans did it warm to her and slide open, albeit in a somewhat grating fashion.
One thing about these ancients… They certainly knew how to make a door, eh? Left panting by the effort as she guided one of those large doors clear and looked into the darkness beyond her, once more the humidity seemed to send her hand across her brow to wipe away the sweat, but all too soon was she scooping her lantern back into hand and marching forward to see what waited for her. Though, it seemed the secrets of the temple were not done fighting back just yet, from the looks of things.

“Wah!” Glad for her reflexes soon after she had stepped inside as she felt one of the stones beneath her feet shift, instinct seemed to compel her to duck backward and just in the nick of time as an axe-like head whizzes past her nose as a result of a trap she had triggered, the fright of which saw her landing on her rump soon after.
“Gosh…” Stunned by the act and watching as some effort of clockwork or something seemed to reset it as well, the blue eyed beauty took a breath and rubs her behind as she stood back up, before looking to the ground to inspect what had sent such wickedness into action.

What… Set if off? Running her fingers across the stones beneath her and able to quickly surmise they weren't too dissimilar from the tiles which one found in a fancy kitchen or bathroom, Samantha wiped the grime off them to reveal their mosaic-like motif as much as she did discover what she had tripped, and she did so seemed to spy a tiny bit of difference between some and others.
Symbols? Like the stone…? It appearing that the effort of decoration had been as much intended to conceal a shape or more accurately a symbol on each, the scrutinizing scholar could see that the majority matched the one she just stepped on, while a trail seems to be forged of ones styled slightly differently.

Stepping stones, eh? Touching the ones that differ and pressing them to note their stability in comparison to the one which had tried to trip her, Miss Stephens then moved her hand to one of the more dangerous options and pressed it with only the lightest pressure, and once again finds herself gasping a she sends another trick blade whizzing over her head once more and seeming to claim a lock of her hair as it did so as well.
Someone didn't want the wrong people poking around here, did they? Frankly impressed by that feat given how long she could have guessed that such an edge had been sharpened since, that very fact and the ferocity with which they moved was impetus enough for the fair femme to step forward slowly and cautiously, and left her checking the ground carefully as she inspects each forced her steady her path ahead.

A few more have been triggered? The guests before…? Noting the presence of dark stains and even the remnants of skeletons as she proceeded as well, it was clear that people had been caught out before by the traps which had tried to claim her as well, and Samantha was left to guess who that might have been.
“Careful Remy. Might be better to let me carry you from here?” For that reason cautioning her furry friend to be wary and taking him into hand as he whined but ultimately obeyed her instruction to assume his compact pistol form, the cautious heroine slid him into her belt for the time being as she pressed onward curiously, but carefully.

Death… Death… Death… Noting as she did so the cheek of the one-time locals in the fact that the symbols she seems to have to follow appear to have a rather ironic piece of iconography upon them, Miss Stephens shook her head and sighed as she spotted the resemblance between the icon hiding in the patterns and the steps she was taking, and found an initial sense of irony in how she was proceeding.
Makes sense I suppose? These people viewed their god of death as a shepherd rather than a reaper, meant to guide one to comfort rather than condemnation? Steadily seeming to realize the implication therein however as she idly allowed the repetitive act to guide her mind to wander, though she found the solution in a somewhat backwards fashion compared to what was likely intended by those who created it, ultimately she couldn't help but admire the ingenuity both of the method and the mantra behind it.

This one's different? Finding one that seemed to stand out from the pack as she proceeded, however, Samantha paused as one stone seems to define itself from the rest with a starker manner, and leans closer to inspect it carefully because of that.
Damnation? I'd hate to see what that one does…? Cleaning it fully and noting that this one has a far more jarring implication than the simple message of flowing to the next form of life, while she was tempted to press it to test the effect, she ultimately thought better of the notion and elected to leave that one be, whilst obviously remembering it for the future of course. After all, she really didn't need one of those mercs bringing the roof down or something, did she?

“Whew… I think that's the last of them~?” Eventually getting past them and more than happy to let loose a breath and dusts herself off as a result, after checking around herself to ensure she wasn't about to spring any other kind of trick the blonde beauty beamed and plucked her prized pooch from her belt, and eagerly allowed him to return to her side proper now that they were back upon terra most firma.
“Stay close, okay? Who knows what else is lurking for us?” Still not sure what other kinds of surprises might be waiting for them however and so offering up an order that seemed unnecessary given how tightly he liked to follow her anyway, rubbed the head of her pooch gently, and then proceeded further on with her metaphorical leash short and eyes open.

“Well, well, would you look at this~?” Shaking her head as she pressed onward but finding the corridor beyond extending none too much beyond where they had come to, Samantha lifted her lantern up into the air to spread that incandescence around her, and caught quite the sight to behold as she did so.
“I'd say someone's been stocking up?” The light it could give off none too overwhelming but still enough to illuminate her surroundings enough to help the gold within them glow as a response, those blue eyes of the belle widened as she took in more than a dozen barrels and chests dotted about the place and an old and broken throne at their centre, and was able to account for at least some of these discoveries.

Did someone find this place before, and use it to build their hoard? Shaking her head again as she does so and guessing that this not so little treasure trove had been built by those of more recent ilk, she can see precious metals and gems spilling from boxes which were gathering dust, and only felt more intrigued because of that.
Must have been at it for years…? Able to guess that someone had left all this here with the intention of coming back for it one day, while perhaps it was a little disappointing to realize she hadn't been the first to find this particular trove, ultimately the revalation of the truth more than made up for it in her mind, and she could only imagine just how much was stored here…

SAMANTHA STEPHENS - 2150 Words

 

CHAPTER FOUR : TIPPING ONE'S HAND

A king's ransom, and his seat to go with it…? The fair femme found unsure of how much time had passed since she had begun rifling through the room, perhaps some spirit of compulsive obsession had sent her to survey the contents of the carriers which flooded the room, and revealed a horde of gems, metals and good old fashioned hard currency within them worthy any would-be pirate lord.
Hell, this could keep a dragon happy, couldn't it? The chests moved about by her activity and certainly the back of the blonde liking her less for that fact, some of them old and worn enough to have broken as they did so, all in all Samantha felt tempted to tip them all into a heap and dive into the pile she created as a result, but reckoned that would be a more enhcanting prospect in her mind than it would be in reality.

“Nice little chest…” Intrigued most however by the smallest box in the room simply because of how out of place it looked, while the other crates and barrels seemed to have been broken down by their time here this small one still appeared constructed sturdily and splendidly enough to look like it was in good condition, and frankly given the size seemed almost good enough to give to a wealth man's daughter to keep something special within.
A little out of place in a collection like this, eh? For that reason and the overwhelming curiousity she felt at the fact that this seemed the only box here that was locked Miss Stephens found jamming the tip of her knife into the lock and using it as a lever to wrench it open, once more she was found grunting and groaning as she attempted to force the thing open, but as she did so found her effort entirely worthwhile as well.

Could it be…? In fact enchanted as she discovered something entirely different to anything else piled up around her waiting within and feeling all the more valuable for that fact, for a second Samantha found herself lost in a realm of confusion as she groped what felt like a clammy bunch of grapes upon a stalk, but found her sense of appreciation growing as she brought the gathering closer to the light.
Swirls and strangeness…? It certainly looks that way? Tilting her head and lifting it clear to hold next to her lamp and finding her lips curling upward as she did so, a woman who had been on so many adventures as this one would not fail to know the legend of the humble devil fruit, especially when the pooch that once again seemed happy to snooze beside her was blessed by the use of one, but all the same found fascination in seeing such an object in its dormant state.

Good grief, it actually seems real? Knowing from the stories that men far older and more wizened than her had searched their whole lives for such remarkable items and came up short, the fair femme could hardly believe her fortune in her discovery, and with that also couldn't help but feel an urge to really test just how lucky she was as well.
I've always wondered about these things…? Idly tugging at the orbs which seem to make up such an item, she can't help but feel tempted to pluck one from it and taste it both for the experience and admittedly the impact that it could have upon her, but before she made her mind up about whether or not to give up on a life beneath the waves she found her attention drawn to an echoing voice which entered the room around her.

"Well, well, well…
You've certainly been a busy little bee, haven't you?"

Almost jumping out of her skin as her 'sponsor' appears at the end of the great and broad hall she had found her way through and leaving her heart racing, Miss Stephens wheeled around to see him waiting for her in his own source of lamplight close to the doors, both of which had now been parted, by his friends she would assume.
Well, well, if it isn't Lionel… And company~? Not failing to notice the fact that her would-be lord and master had opted to appear now at the climax of their adventure with the ranks of the hired guns he had brought along for the mission, while their leader seemed absent and was presumably overseeing something or other elsewhere in the ruin the woman could see plenty in the threat presented before her, especially with what he expected to happen next.

"Lucky for all of us, I suppose.
Grab her, and the treasure!"

It seeming that her mistrustful instinct would prove itself right on the mark as her employer suddenly seemed to see fit to set his men upon her, Remy growls angrily at the betrayal that afflicted him and the blonde, but the woman herself instead offered out her hand and shook her head to stay him as her allies turned adversaries lurched toward her. Well, they would have done, had they known this room like she did.
“I wouldn't do that, if I were you…?” Instead remaining firm and urging her furry friend to do the same as she watched those blades fly across the hall to mangle and maul the first few people who made any attempt to rush down and grab her, the rest of them flinched as their friends were cut down, and their leader looked around in confusion at a defence he had not expected given how the distance and darkness had hidden the skeletons of their forebearers.

“The people that built this place seemed apt at keeping people out of the vaults~?” Shrugging as she points out their mistake in a fashion which was as nonchalant as her apparent absence of ire for how her patron had seemed to turn against her, though Samantha could feel her innards burning with anger and disgust toward those who had turned on her, right now she knew it was better to keep a cool head if she was ever to have a hope of triumphing against the odds.
“Most people, anyway?” At the very least happy to see that the traps were now working in her favour but still only one woman and the secrets of a temple up against a team of trained and experienced fighters, she eyes the group who remained after the setback warily, though dismissively given the comment that followed.

“Some of us are smart enough to figure it out, at least?” Hinting at the trick that had seen her safely through the ruins but not about the share the details with a gang who had opted to discard her at the first opportunity, perhaps the feeling of outrage that Miss Stephens felt showed a little in the smugness her success had brought her, and so too did sadistic satisfaction as she watched the man in charge looking about to try and figure out how to get to her and apparently failing for the moment.
“So, did you know about all this?” Distracting him for that reason in order to buy herself more time to work a way out of this but also to sate her own curiousity about the matter, slowly the pieces of this puzzle fall into place in her mind as more of the real mystery of their visit to this place revealed itself, but all the same she was happy to bait a little clarification.

"Of a sort?
The man we took the keystone from claimed there was more money in here than there was in the treasure rooms of most kingdoms?
Nice to see he wasn't embellishing too much?
Especially with what you have in your hand there~?"

Told little that would surprise her as a result of her inquiry, though she still couldn't help but wonder how the guy had first heard about the horde, but guessed Samantha was a little pressed for opportunity to interrogate him at length, and so instead opted to play to her strengths or at the very least the biggest 'card' she currently held in her deck.
“This old thang?” Glad to be holding onto what seemed to be the most notable bargaining chip at this table when he had come up and showing off that fact, she held up the fruit to her lantern to show it off and ensure their was little misunderstanding between them, and even at this distance could note the look of avarice in both the eyes of her new enemy and the men who worked for him as she did so.

"Yes. There are men in the world, powerful men, who would pay the price of a small country to have something like that?"

“Oh? Well then, it must be worth a lot to you…” For that reason knowing she would need to 'sell' her advantage here well, while it was tempting to stuff her maw with the item and gamble on the power it contained within it against the steel and shot her enemies carried, instead Miss Stephens elected to play things smart, and so she tosses her lamp at the ground in front of her to kick up a nice roaring fire from it as yet another 'tool' to bargain with.
“Be an awful shame if I… Got careless~?” With that the woman only too able to hold the only too delicate riches that she held within her grasp above the heat and the cruel lick of flame to intimidate the boys at the other end, she was found smirking as she heard an audible mix of gasping and wincing as a result, and then lifted the item high enough that it wouldn't be too badly singed whilst also being only too easy to drop in the flames if negotiations went against her.

"Wait! Wait…
I know we've had our disagreements on this expedition, words said in the heat of the moment, but even you aren't stubborn enough to throw that away, are you?"

“I suppose not. But, it'll cost you a lot?” Seeming to feel a sense of sadistic satisfaction as well when she called his bluff and saw the panic that seemed to seize him at her little game of chicken, she knew that the gang could probably rush her en masse or even take pot shots and get the better of her if they really wanted, but as her hound grumbled next to her she was happy to see them wanting to preserve the fruit at all and perhaps any cost.
“Their weapons… Have them throw them my way, as assurance of my safe passage? Then I'll give you this?” For that reason offered at least a foot in the door when it came to the concessions that were to follow, she knew that the second she gave up her hold here she was going to have the fight of her life on her hands, and as such wanted to make sure she was armed with every advantage she could and her enemy quite the opposite.

"Tch. Fine…
Do as she says."

It seeming that the man was also placing rather a lofty price on the item she held in hand as well, enough to go with her plan at least, once more she felt a feeling of fulfilment as he clicked his tongue and agreed to her offer with a sense of contempt and impatience. Though something told her even then it was best to have a little 'insurance' even with this supposedly pleasant outcome, and so, she narrowed her gaze and thought up a fallback for herself. Or even two…

SAMANTHA STEPHENS - 1950 Words

 

CHAPTER FIVE : RUIN AND REWARD

“Well, well, well… Looks like there is honour among thieves, isn't there?” Smirking smugly once more as she found swords and pistols and more than that being hiked over to where she was standing or at the very least as closely as they could, Samantha nodded in satisfaction at the success in her negotiations even as the blades before her seemed to whip by angrily for the attempt, and tilted her head to one side once she had done so as well.
“I'm impressed, Lionel.” Shaking her head and retaining her smile as she picked up the box from which she had plucked the fruit and put it back inside carefully, she shut the lid with a smirk and narrows her gaze as she began the exchange, and found herself and her loyal hound on tenterhooks as she did so.

"We've given you what you want, now… Hand over the fruit?"

“Yup, I'm true to my word as well, see?” Shaking her head at the request and then bringing the item she had lifted and secured back to the floor, Miss Stephens rested her foot upon the case and then flicked it forward with the kick of her heel, and sent it skidding across the trap tiles low enough that it doesn't get mangled by the blades that her action would provoke.
“All yours~” Tilting her head and grasping the hilt of her sword as she knows she will soon have the rush of her life on her hands as a result, she waited for one time employer to inspect the item and see that she had been only too true to her word, and more because of her feeling of principal rather than duty offered him one last chance to show a little decency toward before she made more of a reckless escape.

"Good…
Very good, now…"

This act of charity seeming to cost her however as she watches him opens the lid and smile at what he saw inside, even a woman like Samantha couldn't help but flinch as she saw him snap his hand up and make something crack within it as she did so, and for a moment was left to anticipate a rather severe sting upon herself as he sent something red hot and round whizzing through the darkness. However, it seemed the aim was off, at least for her.

On this occasion some manner of cruelty or perhaps the understanding that her canine companion was not only well armed enough to make it through the hell that awaited but also loyal enough to never forgive him shooting her master, Miss Stephens felt herself shudder as a far more pronounced injury seemed to strike her; the sound of her prize pooch yelping as a bullet caught him by surprise and sent him to the ground.
“No!” Crying out in denial because of that and snapping about in an instant to see the remarkable Remy wounded and oozing redness in the light of the flame before her, the blue eyes of the beauty stung as she lunged toward her pet and wrapped her arms around him, and one would have likely also seen tears start to fall down her cheeks as her head turned back in the full ferocity of a glowering rage at a man who was now smirking happily toward her. It seemed he had won, or at least, soon would have, by his reckoning.

"Loose ends and all that…
Heaven knows a crafty girl like you would have something up her sleeve~?"

“Yeah, that's…” Bragging because of that and seeming to shrug as he now seemed to hold the flaxen fox on the floor by the use of the tight barrel he kept within his grasp, Samantha could feel her pulse pounding in her ears and breath hitching as every fibre of her being called for her to lunge for that bastard and have her revenge, but for the moment she chose not to obey such a reckless course of action in favour of something she hoped would be equally satisfying.
“Just the sort of girl I am, isn't it~?” For that reason found showing off her own smug smile as well as a small stem and a sphere upon that looks white in the dimming light, the eyes of her would-be attackers widened as they realized she had kept just a little something of what she had given them for herself, and then ever more as she pushed the lone berry within her grasp and the stalk it was attached to and vengefully swallowed all of it whole.

"You… Didn't?"

“Just one bite, right~?” Unable to really process the awful flavour which seemed to cling to her tongue even after doing this, she flashed the fool a wink as he turn his own portion of the fruit over in the light of his lamp, and yet another shiver as he seemed to spot a small stub where she had plucked her share from to confirm her deed. A gal had to have a back up, after all, and this was just the start of it really.
“Lucky for me, there was a whole bunch of them~” Shaking her head and grinning as she boasted herself of the her good fortune in finding one of these fruits she could filch from without making it obvious, in all honesty the look on his face would have made it worth it to be riddled with bullets and pass on right here and now, but with her best friend bleeding next to her you better believe that this blonde bitch had absolutely no intention of doing that.

"You stupid…
To hell with you!"

Her deed certainly seeming to set the cat among the pigeons as well and that fact seeming to make her foe quiver as he lifted his gun up again, this time the heat of his emotions seemed to make that aim and trigger action that bit more difficult to command, and now that she was ready for it enabled the response of Miss Stephens, and her wounded ally.
“Remy!” Calling to her floored friend and compelling him to transform into his own pistol form, while it was tempting to pull him into her grasp properly and lay out a line of shots to fell the 'obstacles' ahead of her the worried woman had no idea how it might have hurt him to do so now that his animal form had been injured so, and as such was happy to instead have him morph into a form that had no blood to spill and was easier for her to haul through the corridors as well for that matter. After all, she had quite a bit of running to do now, didn't she?

Just got to… Rushing forward with the wind at her tail so to speak once she had rolled out of the way of the delayed reprisal from the man opposite her, while Samantha was sure that she would set off the traps beneath her, their nature meant they swing behind her rather than in front, and so missed her by mere millimetres as she charges back toward where she had come from.
“Rnnnnggg!” The bullets of her betrayer less kind by comparison however, the sprinting siren was left to groan as one of his rounds seemed to skim or even break her ribs as it whipped past her side, and stumbles down onto one knee to see a particularly fortunate symbol in front of her. Looks like today really was her lucky day, huh?

Suddenly… Damnation doesn’t sound so bad, does it? Smirking as she spotted the trap that she had elected not to test or trigger earlier on and finding herself seized by a sadistic sense of curiosity as she did so, Miss Stephens slapped her hand upon it and sets it off with a grim sense of gusto, and finally had her intrigue sated by what happened next. The whole room seeming to shudder as a result, as if everything which held it up was suddenly giving way or more than that everything that held the whole building up began to work against that effort, and yet strangely, seemed to spur a sense of hope from the woman who had birthed the effect.

"What… What did you do?!"

Everyone in front of her seeming to wobble and stumble and question what had occurred and none doing so more loudly than the man in charge, finally the fox found herself wanting to unleash the fury that had been bubbling inside her, and through that and sheer force of will did she find the strength and stability to surge forward once more. And with only one, wicked thought in her mind as well.

“A tomb is a bad place…” Only too happy to show that too as she flung herself into the air and pulled her sword from its sheath, that righteous rage seemed reason enough to swing it in an arc of silver fury at the neck of her former employer once she found him in her reach, and as adrenaline and seething spirit saturated her system all she could do was shiver as she found it meeting its mark as well.
“…To fight an archaeologist!” Hitting the ground with a wince as he drops to the floor behind her, Samantha glared at the faces of the stunned and confused mercenaries as they found their every advantage falling away, and then nodded to the door when more than that dropped as well. The whole roof was coming down, and no one would want to hand around in that, would they~?

SAMANTHA STEPHENS - 1600 Words

 

CHAPTER SIX : ADRENALINE RUSH

Hopefully… Staying in this form will stem the bleeding? Clutching pooch turned pistol tightly in her grasp as the room shook around her, Samantha could feel the wound she had taken on her ribs throbbing as she charged forward, but wasn't about to let that fact slow her down one little bit.
Assuming any of us make it out of here alive…! Unsure of how badly her marvellous mutt had been wounded but taking no chances, she hoped that his dormant form would do enough to limit the damage he had suffered from the bullet he had taken, and prayed to anyone who was able to listen that she might escape to get him the help he needed

Good grief… And it seemed like a maze before? Unfortunately that no easy task when one was currently in the process of forcing their way clear of a building which was already weaving and winding to begin with, and made all the more difficult with how parts and pieces of it seemed to be dropping from the walls and the ceiling, Miss Stephens needed her wits and more about her as she rushed onward with everything she had in the desperate hope of escaping before the whole lot came down.
Lady luck, don’t fail me now! Not knowing exactly what had caused the whole thing to come down or more accurately the mechanism behind the collapse that she had triggered, all she could do was hope she had the skill and swiftness to beat whatever clock was counting down to total destruction, but she wasn't alone in that.

I'm faster than they are, but will I be fast enough? The figures of her one time allies sprawling through the corridors and hallways with her but seeming not quite as fleet and flexible where she was, perhaps it was callous to skip over them when they fell or turn her head in a different direction when they were dropped by debris, but ultimately right now it was every man or woman for themselves and she had enough trouble trying to keep herself and her wounded pet alive.
Gotta… Make it! For that reason surging toward every opening she remembered and every bend toward the outside with everything she had and only the scantest mercy in mind, the minx could only wince as she watched stone toppling down and crushing persons in the plural, and dug her heels in as much as she could as she spied the sight of a doorway before her being steadily overcome with what seemed to be raining from the heavens. Though today it seemed she was a few steps short of what she needed.

No…! NO! Skidding to halt as she found a support pillar spilling and seeming to separate her from her path by a margin that seemed discomforting to squeeze through in this sort of scenario, the bounding blonde could only spin on her heel in the hopes of finding a way around the obstacle behind her, but sadly found no option in that direction either.
NOOOOOO! Instead it seeming that she was being chased by an avalanche of rubble which seemed to be gaining on her fast, all the fair femme could do was watch as the route from which she had come was crushed behind her and then look up to see the same about to happen to her, and likely would have been turned to a pancake or worse if not for the effect of a new response that had been given to her body.

Some sort of instinct seeming to take hold and guide her as Samantha flinched at the sight of all manner of debris bearing down upon her and acting to transform her from the vulnerability of flesh, bone and blood to something a little more malleable, her face and form grew pale and then further still seemed to look like it was evaporating, before being pushed apart by the force of what fell atop her. Yet, the metamorphosis she had undergone meant that the fleeing fox did not need the dust to settle around her for her to know she was all right.

Welll… Stretched thin by the weight her body had been forced to endure but it feeling nothing close to her limit, instead the act of expansion seemed more like how one might limber up for an exercise, even if involuntarily so.
This is different, isn’t it? It seeming to take a little getting used to of course and for reasons beyond that mere feeling of extension as well, Miss Stephens had seemed to lose her eyes and her ears and everything else which made up her human ability to recognise her current scenario, and yet she could still tell exactly where she was all the same.

They always talk about the curse of it all, but this… Able to know somehow that she was currently permeating every little nook and cranny in the crushed corridor that was provided by the randomized descent of debris, and even happier to realize that some effort of defence had also squeezed the hand in which she held Remy's pistol form was currently in a spot free from damage, she flowed toward it in an almost fluid-like fashion, and now found the obstacle which had once barred her path only too easy to overcome.

Feels like a blessing! Surging forward in fact in a way that seemed and yet still so effective, suddenly whatever portion of her that had felt threatened by the chaos and carnage which abounded around now seemed calm, and she was only too happy to spill through the temple almost at her leisure. I mean, she still moved rather briskly, but also, with her urgency seeming to feel like it had been stifled now that her peril had been so suddenly and strongly removed from any area close to concern.

“Whew!” All too quickly it seeming that she was able to lurch free of the structure as well now that she had both her safety assured and all manner of freedoms in her movement as well, the sight of the sun and feel of the fresh and free air only seemed to calm Samantha all the more, and the effect she had undergone seemed to recede because of that.
“Sweet freedom at last!” Coalescing back into something more solid and shapely and shivering a little as she did so, though she was covered in dust and grime and the wound in her side was throbbing all the while Samantha couldn't help but raise her voice and her hands as she found herself freed from what could have very easily been her tomb, and let loose a cry of victory in doing so.

No time to dally though, Remy needs a doctor, and I do too, probably? The mind of the misty minx never clearer however and that clarity quickly seeming to remind her of the peril which her prized pooch continued to face, once more did Miss Stephens lift the weapon she clutched in her hand to make sure it was okay, and found herself happy to see it was none too worse for wear for the effort of their escape.
The ship had one, right? The same not said for the woman who carried it however and all of a sudden all manner of scrapes and bruises which she seemed to have suffered in her effort prior to transition reminding her of the danger she had just faced, every inch of the blonde belle seemed to ache after her ordeal and she felt like she could nap for about a week as well, but either concern was to come second to what happened next.

"Hah… Hah… Kaffhaffhaffhaff!
That was…
YOU!"

Standing in front of a now ruined tomb which was only growing worse with every rumbling moment which passed behind her, it would have been easy for Samantha to surmise that she had been the only survivor given what she had witnessed and the means that was necessary for her escape, but suddenly a surly soul seemed insistent on reminding her that certain examples of the human spirit were a hard thing to break, even if a body was less so.
The ape king survived, it seems? That latter fact clear in how the 'boss' of the merc group seemed to stumble around following his exit and ever more so the blood that seemed to be pouring from the hellacious wound on his head, some manner of adrenaline and sheer stubbornness had seemed to see him clear of the structure which had seemed to claim not only his reward but all of his men as well, but cruelly seemed to turn against him as well.

"I'm… Gonna… kill YOU!"

That same force of body and mangled mind now seeming to twist his emotions and instincts and guide him to draw a rotten looking pair of blades from his back as well, perhaps in another circumstance Miss Stephens might have been happy to simply go her own way and ignore the outcome, but even if she wanted to it seemed like a scant option here. Not with how he was howling, and ever more so, the look in his remaining eye as well…

SAMANTHA STEPHENS – 1550 Words

 

CHAPTER SEVEN : THE BOSS

Away from the ruins and the chaos and carnage that was inflicted both upon and within it the deck of the ship which had brought Samantha and so many others seeming both busy and entirely idle as well, those who had been charged with maintaining the craft and those who had been reckoned to be safer aboard her now found themselves stalled in whatever they had been up to by the sound and sight of the destruction beyond, all they could do was watch and wait as the once proud ruin had rumbled and collapsed in on itself, and sent shockwaves through the land doing so. Both physically, and otherwise.

"Do you think... Anyone survived that? It was like an earthquake or something? Took the whole ruin down..."

The faces who were left behind through it all no doubt more confused by what had occurred than anyone and left only with the power of speculation, what was once a hired crew transporting their patron and his mixed team of cronies now stood with their fates and futures in limbo, no doubt unsure of whether they should stick around for the sake of survivors or make a break for the ocean before the whole island was swallowed up by whatever had claimed the temple in the distance.

"Maybe we should go and check? The told us to wait with the ship, but... After something like that?"

Lacking someone to lead them and therefore little more than indecision and hesitance left to rule the roost here, some seemed struck by charitable spirit but uncertainty seemed to curb their response, as well as the fear that their generosity might cost them their own life as well. Hard to act when you weren't sure what you should even be looking for, and more so, expected to find danger waiting beyond the beachline.

"Look! There... Someone's coming! It's... That lady!"

For that reason it probably coming as something of a welcome surprise when someone or anyone finally lurched clear of the treeline even if they were limping as they did so, even the sight of Samantha resting an elbow on a palm and then shaking her head as she opted to limp on was likely to prove a source of relief, at least for a moment before she showed the shape she was in. Not good on that matter in fact, even with a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other, it seemed that even after her triumphant and miraculous escape the woman was covered in dust and now more than one fresh bloodstain she had suffered in her battle with the brute, which only seemed to be making her feel that bit woozier as a result.

"Did... Did anyone else make it?"

The people on deck looking among themselves likely because of this as she pulled herself onto the deck of the ship in spite of the redness which was dripping from her frame, the effort of which left the beyond worn out panting and wiping her brow with the hand which continued to hold onto the pistol form of her pooch, and in desperate need of a second or two to support herself before she continued onward, let alone answered the query. Goodness, couldn't these people see the state she was in, hm?

“No. I'm the only one who got out.” Shaking her head at the question all the same as she pushed herself forward and seemed to half stumble over to the table from which almost all of this adventure had begun, even with such wooziness and a quivering in her grip Miss Stephens was careful to lay her companion onto it carefully and cautiously, before permitting herself a moment and opportunity to slump into the chair next to him and finally answering what was asked of her.
“Fetch the doctor, and… Get us ready for the off?” Running her fingers over her pet's odd transition and hoping that she did the right thing by having him switch to a more immobile and portable position to get him help, the blonde belle barked out orders as she placed her now free hand upon her ribs and checks the bullet wound she had been given as well, and was hardly surprised to see it covered in redness as a result of her act.

"What about the boss…?"

“He… Didn't make it.” The people on deck still hesitant to follow her direction however, especially in light of the loss of their patron and the man he had hired to lead them as well, Samantha could see that they needed a little clarity on the situation that they found themselves in and so lifted the sword she had been carrying and tossed it onto the floor nearby to show it off, and in doing so reveal it to be one of the bosses she had taken in their fight.
“Now I'm… The boss…!” Twisting into her chair shortly afterward and giving a grunt and groan as she tries to stem her bleeding as best she could with her mitts, it wasn't long before the usually simpering siren was shooting the deck hands a glare to get them working, and left them with no doubt who is in charge of the ship now. The woman who had survived that hell…

SAMANTHA STEPHENS - 900 Words
10600 Total