Ranae
_Almann continues to hold the figures in place, ducking his head low and then holding his breath to get to a more strategic position facing the undead._
John
*As you all remained cornered waiting for the wall to slide all the way down, the undead with their superior numbers are you able to land scratches and bites on all your guys flesh. However with your combined efforts you all are able to clear them out once more. The door would eventually slide all the way down, allowing the smoke to thin out, but it is clear that you all are pretty exhausted having to use alot of the oxygen in your bodies to fight.*
*Looking past the door into the next room, you all would be filled with unease to see that it is rather small as the smoke quickly starts to fill it up as well. It would appear to be a round chamber with a single stone door in the back. However, infront of this door were 7 stone statues, matching the description of the warriors that were on the previous door: the ranger, the berserker, the knight, the mage, the martial artist, the rogue, and the warrior.*
Thomas
"Jackal! Heal yourself and Almann first. Then Arthur and Alex. Heal me last"
Roger
*Kaisa would look down to the ground. She had nearly killed them all, using fire in an enclosed space. It was only right that she was the one to take on the burden, of not only failing to protect the others, but actually endangering them*
Stanley
*Alex coughs and splutters nastily. Even more so, as, you know... Vampirism. It's inherently horrific to him, and it fills him with dread.*

"Oh, Gods Almighty, you bloody idiots are gonna suffocate us all... What now?"
Thomas
*Coughing, almost seeming to be sobbing* "We continue. Jackal heals us along the way"
Ranae
_Almann coughs up some of the phlegm brought up by the smoke and sits against a wall near the doorway. It's black. The smoke and ash had gotten to his lungs. He's battered to say the least. The smoke and the continued attacks by the undead are slowing him down._

_He's also bleeding more than he ever has before. Almann understands that his kind don't bleed out that fast, but this was worse than what he'd encountered previously. He'd been in fights, but always avoiding ones that would put him in serious trouble like this. Almann figures if he continues to get beat up like this he wont make it out alive, much less collect a reward._

"I say we rest for a second." _Almann croaks._

_He takes out a water skin and gulps what he can down. He just realized how much the smell of burning flesh seeps into your clothes, and seemingly through the water skin. Foul._
Brandie
"Damn, DONT GO IN YET!" Arthur yelled. 

He felt a foreboding sense of dread from those statues, like by choosing what statues they held up to the wall figurines, they had chosen the opponents they would face. It was ominous, making Arthur slightly weary to go back to the surface. Coughing, he would sit down on the floor, attempting to control his breathing. He lay down his halberd next to his right side, looking at the black blade while he took breaths in and out. Looking to the ceiling, he didn't really expect much, but he wanted to sort of take his mind off of fighting, even if if was for a little bit.

"Almann, hand me some of tha-" *Cough* "Ahem, that when you're done."
Roger
*Kaisa would nod, then go and huddle in a corner. Her helmet would shrink down. If anyone got closer, they would hear faint sobbing. She was a protecter, but she had done the opposite. She had actually gotten them injured, all of them, and Almann following her advice hurt him even more. Her heart would ache and tears would stream down her face as she hunkered down in the corner*
Brandie
"Yo, Kai-" He paused, allowing some saliva to build in his throat before he spoke again. "Kai'sa, you ok? You don't seem to well."
Thomas
"I-I'm fine." *It would be pretty obvious that she wasn't fine though*
Ranae
_Almann finishes his water._

"Arthur."

_He tosses it to him, then fishing in his robe for the flask he keeps for special occasions. Liquor doesn't foul among the smell of the dead. He'd go ahead and take a couple of healthy swigs of the drink as well. It would help dull the pain and slow his heart rate down a little, perhaps even slowing the bleeding further._
Brandie
"Wow, thanks. It's great that you left me such a *Substantial* Amount."

*He would hold the flask up to his mouth, shaking it up and down as he attempted to drain it of any water he could. It wasn't much, and the droplets that touched his tongue only left him thirsting for more. He felt famished, he could feel the inside of his mouth dry up with the passing moments, but chose to pay no mind to this fact. Besides, he was already beginning to salivate slightly again, a sign that he wasn't completely dehydrated, which was good. He felt his beating heart slow to a normal pace, and changed into a criss cross sitting pose, back hunched over. He felt only slightly better, but it was better than nothing.*
Stanley
*Alex sighs when he watches everyone else drinking the water. In hindsight, there's a lot of things you miss when you don't have the capacity to imbibe anything except blood...*
John
*As Alex leans against the wall he is met with a sudden smash to the face. His vision would start to dim as his world spins before falling to the ground unconscious. As everyone else turns to look they would see the martial artist statue standing over Alex's body with a bloody fist. They would see the 2 metal miniatures that Alex was hold drop from his hand, revealing the knuckle breakers and the axe. The statue would pick up the knuckle breakers and throw it back into the room before returning to its pedestal. The berzerker statue would walk over and seemingly for good measure bash Alex's head a second time with his foot. He would then pick up the miniature axe and also throws it back into the room before returning to its pedastal*
Roger
*She would run over to him and check his pulse and breathing*
Brandie
"Shit, we lost Alex!"
*Arthur turned to the berserker and the martial artist statue, staring at them in fury. Somehow, for some unknown reason, they had emerged and sprang to life from their pedestals and had just decked Alex twice in the face. The statues... Were they made out of metal? Was there some other kind of riddle they had to solve in order to get past? Contemplating on whether or not to take up arms, Arthur scanned the room for a hint of how to progress further from where he was standing. Seven pedestals, seven statues, each matching the ones they he held up to the walls. What could this mean? Was it another riddle they had to solve to pass?*
Roger
*Kaisa would feel a pulse, and he would be breathing. She sobbed in relief and hugged his unconscious body. She would lay him gently on the floor.*
Ranae
"Two things:"

_Almann turns to the others_

One, we need someone on healing ASAP, and two, drop the miniatures. Perhaps holding them while standing in this room triggers something in those statues. If you have them on you, put them on the ground."

_Almann paces back and forth, then proceeds to move closer to the martial arts statue for any sort of movement or clues._
Brandie
"Kai? Wolf? I know one of you guys healed me, so you could do something to bring us back up to a somewhat refreshed state before we get knocked out like Alex here?"
Neal
*Syele would toss the little figures back into the other room for the time being and considered how to handle all the healing to deal with. They had one man already down and three others in similar state of affairs... She was a tough little oriate, so she considered in the best interest to start off with Arthur.* "I'll start with Arthur, then onto Kaisa, and then finally I'll heal Almann. I can last for a good while with my injuries." *She whizzed out each word and then finally casts the spell onto Arthur.*
```Casted walk it off| 50/100 mana```
Thomas
*She would shake her head* "Heal me last. Most of these injuries were caused by me anyway. I should be the one to take the burden"
Brandie
"Please, and thank you."
*Arthur would feel his internal breathing come to follow a slow, trancelike rhythm as it regulated into a normal pace. He felt moisture in his mouth again, and intuitively knew that he was basically all fixed up. Standing up, he would continue to stare back down at the open passageway; the statues lied ever so still, not a trace of their animation being shown.*
"Thanks, Jackal."
Ranae
_Almann would simply wait to be healed. The more he moved around the more he would bleed. The less blood he had the slower he became, the alcohol would dull the a pain a bit, but it wouldn't be enough to make him drunk. He puts away the flask in his robe and crosses his arms with a raised eyebrow._
John
*You all simply wait for your turn to receive healing from Syele and perhaps recover your stamina. The statues don't seem to move, even after Jek entered it. Jek's hypothesis about the miniature would seem to be right. As he approached the martial artist statue he would notice a rune circle around it and it would begin to glow yellow. Jek would see an inscription on the pedestal*
 
"I, the warrior of the fist, shall grant you the key of quickness, but only if worthy. Catch my fist or be struck with lightning. Only then the answer shall be revealed"

*The martial artist statue would then turn its head to face Jek and slowly get into a martial arts stance*
Neal
*Syele simply waited for the others to finish what they were doing, she'd cast walk it off on Almann in the meantime.*
```Casted walk it off| 25/100 mana```
Ranae
_Almann slowly backs off from the statue._

"Seems like there are sort of trials perhaps for each statue? How did the guild manage to get a well guarded hideout like this? How powerful are the rest of the guild members anyways?"

_Almann pauses for a second._

"I think we need to pass these trials before we open the next door. Seven different keys from seven different guardians to open the next."

_He slowly realizes they may have bitten off more than they can chew here. If they're this beat up after the first trial, how can they survive the second?_
Thomas
"I'll catch the fist. I'm the fastest here besides Arthur, and he needs to be on fire to do so. Which isn't something we want"
Brandie
*Hearing the statue's challenge towards the group, Arthur scanned his teammates. Almann looked apprehensive at first, looking a bit hesitant as the statue turned its head towards him. He heard Almann's spiel, as well as Kai'sa's, but he turned them both down with a wave of his hand.*

"My fire, the one from my ability, anyway, doesn't emit any sort of smoke. Its the reason why the room didnt start filling up with the gas when I lit myself up. Ive got a pretty good amount of speed on my side as well, so I figure I should take the shot. Sorry, Kai."
Thomas
"That's a relief" *She would start to cough violently*
John
*As Almann steps away from the statue the runic circle on the ground would stop glowing yellow and the statue would slowly revert to its original stance. While everyone now has some breathing room, the room was still small with no ventilation and thus smoke was still filling it up. The room would now start to look a bit foggy from the smoke starting to condense in the area*
Roger
*Kaisa would continue to cough violently, and it was starting to get worrisome. She wasn't going to get any better throughout this trial*
Neal
*Syele would simply flop down to the ground and laid on her back for the time being waiting for someone to solve the puzzle so they could continue on with the journey. She wasn't particularly one with the interest of puzzles and she started to wonder if those of the guild haven't already figured out that they were coming and fled by now.*
Brandie
"Are you fucking serious right now? Damnit..."
*Arthur would look all around him, trying to find an exit. The runic circle on the ground that Almann had stepped off had shut off; maybe it reacted to pressure of some sorts? He didn't know what he was to do. Was he supposed to take Almann's place in the trial? He had volunteered to, anyway. 

He heard Kai'sa's endless spasms of coughs, starting to worry Arthur. For some reason, Syele's healing magic had seemingly no effect on the macen, which led Arthur to wonder why. However, these thoughts could not be realized in time if they wanted to escape the room, so Arthur leapt onto the runic circle, setting himself ablaze once more. He turned and faced the statue, raising his arms up in a sort of boxing position.*
"Lets dance, you father-fucking steel brained asshat."
``` Burn Up! Cast. Remaining mana: 128.75/170 ```
Ranae
_Almann walks up to the Barbarian statue, wondering what the trial might be for it. Hopefully it's something that he might be skilled in._
John
*As Arthur would approach the martial artists statue the runic circle would start to glow yellow once more and the statue would pull its fist back in a fighting stance. Then with terrifying speed it sends a punch straight toward Arthur's gut with electricity cackling behind it*

*As Lmann approaches the barbarian statue he would find that it would also have a runic circle around it and inscription on the pedestal.*

"I, the warrior of the axe, shall grant you the key of vitality, but only if you are worthy. Endure my blow or your blood will paint the earth. Only then the answer shall be revealed" 

 *The runic circle would then glow red as the barbarian statue turns to face Jek, slowly lifting its heavy steel axe over it's head*
Neal
*Syele just simply blinked a few times as she watch both statues about to slap the shit out of her teammates. And then she considered for a moment and spoke out in among the situation.* "You know, I just realized that half this stuff is really only here to slow us down and wear us down... If not kill us altogether. By the time we actually reach those guild guys they'll probably be gone or we'll be in too bad of a shape to fight." *She whizzed a little in between her chatter, but still continued to rest on the floor just a pinch away from the statues.*
Brandie
*Arthur, who had already had a preconfirmed notion about an attack, knew that something was about to happen as the statue pulled his fist back, getting prepared to strike. The second this happened, Arthur sensed something was about to come and strike him, and he watched as the martial artists statue launched a punch, seemingly aimed towards his gut. Reacting accordingly, Arthur bent his knees slightly so that his arms were where his gut once was, and used both of his arms to form an X shape as a means of blocking the statues attack, hoping to catch the fist where his left and right arms crossed.*
Ranae
_Almann stood still. Is this where he dies? He can't turn down another challenge, he isn't a coward. Does he have to take the blow bare? Or can he attempt to parry with his sword? These thoughts go through his mind as he steps forward. He utters a prayer under his breath to the elven gods he had believed in as a child._

"Either way I want to see if there are any secrets here. This is a peculiar hideout, one with very powerful guardian magic. I want to see if they have anything hidden here they don't want found."

_Almann shifts so that his bone-plated shoulder faces the axe. His bones should be able to absorb the blow as he turns towards the statue. Either way this is going to hurt._

"Come."
John
*As Arthur crosses his arms to block the attack, he would hear a loud crack as the fist makes contact with his right forearm followed by intense electricity coursing through his arm, rendering it limp. However, the statue keeps on going. It pulls back its punch and with its arm goes for a jab toward Arthur's face with electricity flowing behind it as well*

*As Almann shifts to the side and lets his shoulder take the blow the axe would stop a few centimeters before making contact with him. The barbarian would then sheath the axe over its back and from the pedestal Almann would hear something drop. Looking down he would find a rune with a red axe image on it and the runic circle would stop glowing*
Neal
"Hey arthur, it said to catch it's fist, not block it. Go for a grapple or a solid grab to catch it entirely instead of trying that again." *Syele spoke out calmly while watching poor arthur get his ass shocked.* "Also, I would agree with the need to look about this hideout, but that's not our job." *Syele swore to herself if that idiot tries to take another hit head on she's cutting off his manhood while his paralyzed, because by then her thought process would be that arthur's too dumb to ever be allowed to reproduce.*
Brandie
"For crying out loud, I figured that out already, Jackal." He grumbled.

Reeling back from the blow the staue dealt to him, Arthur stared at his now limp right arm. Ok, maybe a head on block wasnt the trick. Surely it didnt mean that he would literally have to *Catch* Its strike, right? Sensing the force of the wind from the speed of its strike, he knew the statue was going to go for another attack; but where? His gut again? His chest? He looked up, glancing for a moment at the menacing figure drawing back his arm before sending a punch directly at him. He suddenly knew as he saw it; it was going for his head. In a rush of adrenaline and panic, Arthur, seeing that he had no other options, sidestepped to his left, pivoting on his right foot as he did. His shoulder locked with the statues, Arthur used his left arm to forcefully hyperextend the statues arm once the the punch had reached its fullest extent. Once he had accomplished this, he used his right foot to kick the statue down from behind, hopefully having it fall down to the floor while its arm was caught in that position.
Ranae
_Almann picks up the rune and rubs his shoulder. Looks like it cleaved through his garment and some skin, but his shoulder stopped it._

"We can't go back empty handed to the boss, I'd rather not be followed until I die by criminal kingpin, just hope they haven't escaped after this or they leave some of the cargo behind thinking we've died or failed. It's either we risk our lives now or risk our lives for the foreseeable future when we look behind our backs."

_Almann now walks up to the Archer, waiting for it's trial._
John
*As Arthur would twist to avoid the jab at the last second, the excess electricity would make contact with his hair and make it stand on end, but otherwise no serious injury. Locking his shoulder with the statue and attempting to hyper-extend the arm would suddenly result in the runic circle to stop glowing yellow. The martial artists would revert back to its neutral stance and as with Almann, Arthur would hear something drop to the ground nearby the pedestal. Looking down it would be a runestone with a yellow fist*

*As Almann approached the archer statue he would suddenly find the area around him starting to glow green. It would appear the runic circle for this one was farther out than the other two But the distance wasn't so far as to prevent reading of the inscription*

"I, the warrior of the bow, shall grant you the key of the fearless, but only if you are worthy. Stare danger in eye, else you shall be blinded by it. Only then the answer shall be revealed"

*The archer then pulls out a steel arrow from its quiver and somehow pulls it back on its steel bow, aiming for Almann's head*
Brandie
"Well, would you look at that."

*Gazing into the statue, he felt his hair stand on end as the runic circle stopped glowing yellow. The statue paused for a moment, seemingly suspended within time, and reanimated into a neutral stance. Arthur couldnt help but smile at this fact; he, a complete martial artists newbie, had defeated what seemed to be a master. He found this thought amusing, but let it slide as he pocketed the rune with a glowing fist. He was about to walk towards the figure with the swordsman on it, but decided first to face back at the statue, bowing low and respectfully towards it. He would let his flames naturally die out, and would walk over to Syele.*

"You want to go next? Swordsman's all yours."
Neal
"Two out of seven complete... Hell I might as well get up and give one a try here... Eventually. Actually, on second thought if I were to be knocked out then we'd be pretty much fucked from here on out for anymore injuries." *But regardless she stood up and walked over to the swordsman statue.*
Brandie
"Go get em, tiger. Dont trip on your sword. Ill watch from the sidelines."
Thomas
"I'll help too" *She had just recovered from a terrible coughing bout, and felt pretty useless right now*
Roger
*She would walk towards the nearest statue*
Neal
"Question, if I succeed in the first try may I have two gold from your payment, Arthur?" *She her voice didn't betray any emotion as she spoke out and glared over to him with her typical dead eyes.*
Brandie
"Be my guest. I have some to spare."

"A peon like you could use some better equipment, after all."
Ranae
_Almann knew what he had to do. He couldn't flinch, break, dodge, block, or perhaps even blink. He had to take the arrow. He had one rune so far, he was confident he could get another. He was no coward. This is another test, one that would determine who he becomes in the future... If he doesn't die here. To be fearless against and enemy will be needed once he attempts to achieve his ambitions. Almann makes sure to face the bow directly. Hopefully the archer misses and hits the thick bone in the front of his skull._

"Come!" _Almanns face turns into a defiant snarl_
John
*As Syele approaches the swordsman as with all the other statues the runic circle would glow orange. The description on the pedestal would read* 

"I, the warrior of the sword, shall grant you the key of honor, but only if you are worthy. Treat those fairly as how you wish to be treated, else be punished for your disgrace."

*The swordsman would then seemingly summon a katana into his hand matching that what Syele wields and holds it infront of him*

*As Kaisa approaches the nearest statue, it would turn out to be the Knight statue. As she approaches the runic stone around the statue would glow blue. The inscription would read*

"I, the warrior of the shield, shall grant you the key of sacrifice, but only if you are worthy. Put on the line what every knight does for their liege, else it shall be taken from you "

*With that the knight statue holds its shield up infront, leaning over Kaisa with its towering size*

*As for Almann, as he stood there with raw determination the arrow flies through the air aiming straight for his eyes. But as he had resolved himself, he keeps his eyes open the entire time. Just as the arrow makes contact with his eye it disperses into dust. The green glowing would seize and the archer would put its bow to its side. A runic stone would then drop to the ground with a green bow on it*
Brandie
"Hey, whaddya know! It wants you to stop acting like you crawled your way out of some hyena's intestines, and learn some proper manners for once! Exactly what you need! Man, I'm glad I stood out of this one." *Arthur exclaimed, holding his arms up in the air as he spoke. He sat down, picking up his halberd he left on the floor. He watched as Almann faced the archer's arrow with resolve and steel befitting that of a most courageous hero; he knew that he himself could never do such a feat. He found it pretty funny that Syele had gotten the trial that she got; the jackal oriate needed that comeuppance, eh?*
Neal
*Syele didn't speak a word out to arthur in reply as she simply examined the sword for the time being. She thought deeply on it's words of to treat others fairly to how she wished to be treated, she considered long and hard for the time being and finally her words whizzed out of her still damaged lungs as she rested her essentially stolen katana onto the ground out of respect of the statue.* "You ask me to treat those around me fairly as how I would wish to be treated. Thus, I don't know if you can hear me or even react words or just simply actions."

*Syele knew she'd either make a fool out of herself by surrendering her weapon, but if the statue was asking the question wholeheartedly, then she would want not to even strike the statue, not out of fear nor a cowards intent. Simply for the fact that it is what she would want in return that is fair for both of them since neither of them would be harmed and if the statue would still strike her then it would disgracing the very question it asked.* "But I must say, I wish to not strike something needlessly and rather have a sense of respect for whatever you represented in your past, if it be all swordsman who lived or an actual person, thus I hope you would respect that as well and treat me the same for what I am now as a living being who knows pain and sorrow." *Her eyes didn't portray emotion nor a spark of color, her words however was filled with a genuine sorrow, to be treated by others kindly is how she always wanted in a way, but rarely did that ever happen. So, she simply took a honorable bow before it on one knee waiting to see if it would show her similar treatment or at least strike dead out of her own misery of the world.*

*In a cruel sense, if the worse was to happen and it did still strike then it would just be how the world was in her eyes. She thought would a statue show her more respect then the world itself or just end up being as cold as the very stone it was made out.*
Ranae
_Almann bends over and puts his hands on his knees, letting out a deep sigh. He didn't notice he has holding his breath waiting for the arrow to come. His sweat is dripping on the floor. Too close. Must be alcohol. Now he's glad he developed a taste for it. They do call it liquid courage after all..._

_Almann chuckles to himself. He had two runes, and almost died twice. Is the third time the charm? Next was the battle mage. He walks towards the statue of the mage and faces it, waiting for it's trial._
Mary
`he told me that he'd continue tomorrow as well, so I assume he's sleeping.`