Arias didn't even have the basic allotted time to even meet the prestigious Alchemist o the Fate Guard. They had exchanged a few words, and just as he was about to take off to finish the task he had been set, the floor fell out. Like a gurgling spitting monster of the depths. His pale blue eyes betrayed him as he took a moment looking around to try and understand everything that was happening. Arias was new to any of this, sure he had helped; when the Dragon had attacked, and had kept everyone safe and sound, in places the Fate Guard could not see. He had done that, and faced evils of this city on his own time, but the world? he looked confused as his name was called, almost frightened by the gaping hole that sought to close, and spit up the foulest wretch of a smell he had ever had experience with.
Almost as if a divine hand touched him he came to from his confusion, a little slow, but he did his best wedging all of his weight into the branch to hold open the gaping monstrous hole. Dirt spit up at him making the dirty light bronze hair even worse than it had become. The chain mail and plate armor that set over a leather robe; was now almost soot gray, but still he braced himself ont he wedge and held his ground. A grunt passed his lips as he worked to force the hole at its widenst. If nothing was done, it was possible that he would never see the companions he so admired again; he understood that above all else in that moment.
Unfortunately the hole had other ideas of what victory might look like for the boy, and with a sudden lurch as if the thing responded to his courage, it cast a foul wind and Arias lost his footing. He heard the young Alchemist call to him out despair, and could only hope that the hole would not close, and he tumbled deeper and deeper into the unknown abyss. At first he screamed, of course who wouldn't terrified, having never see the true evils of this place outright, he was terrified beyond belief, and the thought I am going to die, first week even into the Fate Guard, and I am already going to d..
He suddenly felt instant impact, that nearly took every bit of wind from his lungs. He spit up whatever was accumulated between his lips at that point and then felt his conscious fail him before hitting the bottom floor of the abyss and laying there like a rag doll. It figured, he would be the one to slip up on his very first assignment; to screw up a delivery job. What was worse, is he had no idea where he would wake, whether it would be in the heaven that rose above, or the abyss he'd fallen into. It was comically ironic when he really thought about it, to wake up in Heaven or Hell. All he could do was wait though, drifting between what he could only assume was life and death. he was just waiting for the end, resigned to whatever came next, after all it was out of his hands right? No, no it wasn't out of his hands, would Corben say that after falling in some gaping hungry hole? Would Alexander? What about Derek, or even Alyss? She would have even landed like a cat most likely and be dashing off into the darkness without fear, those were the heroes he looked up to; and here he was laying here like some useless log, he couldn't accept that.
With that Arias eyes shifted open, though it wouldn't seem like it. Pure darkness betrayed the pale bright blue hues, and he was lost without knowing it. His armor weighed heavily on bruised muscle and with a little bit of bitting his lip he found the strength and courage to push himself to his knees, then again to one foot and the next, until he stood up and faced the darkness with hand at the ready. Arias scanned the darkness, for something and with a soft huff of a breath started a slow pace down what appeared to be some form of tunnel. Of course some rocks preferred to obstruct his path, and he pushed them out of his way, nothing would stop him at this point, he might even be able to join with the others and confirm that they were alright. Arias continued, though the path was becoming wider, he could tell as he had to stretch further out to touch his hand to a wall while walking, but suddenly out of the corner of his eyes, a small bit of light shone through the absolute darkness, and he followed that light.
It got brighter, and brighter; though only in small increments as he passed the darkness and found his way to the source. Voices became apparent as much more thn whispers, Corben was yelling to his men, almost alerting them and guiding them as a true leader. and Arias couldn't help but feel his pace quicken almost in perfect tuned response to the mans call. he pushed through the hole and what he found would lay a scar on innocent eyes for the rest of their existence.
Rotted creatures, Skeletal Demons has the mass of what appeared to be a sunken church, or monastery. Flesh hung off of their bones, but no blood fell from their bodies when weapon met so intimately. Their blood had long been dry, and their bodies had long sat in rest in wait to rise and take such vengeance. If he thought fear had grasped his soul before this, surely he was wrong, to know that things that lingered between life and death such as this existed, and under the very ground they slept upon, it was a shadow of fear that sought to long loom over him as he stood there helpless.
Everyone was in great danger, he knew it, and if he didn't Alyss made it very apparent with her call to the Poisoner. Arias found his eyes met her position directly now, and he panicked, thinking up a thousand different ways of possibly approaching this, with even four thousand or more different outcomes. This was the way he was, he was not a fighter, in fact in a situation such as this, he was close to helpless it seemed, but he couldn't help but figure the probability of success and try at his best to figure out a plan, a way to help his companions survive.
He was scared though, terrified, to take light and be face to face with these demons, he was scared to disappoint them, to let down those that had given him a chance and included him in their ranks. His legs trembled, and his mind was fairly the same as he forgot and remembered, and forgot once more of any half way decent plan he had. Anxiously he scanned the room, searching for anything that might help, taking note of pillars, and their formations, and the pews, the tombs, all of it, but nothing helped directly. To take out the pillars might mean a collapse within the city of one of the houses, and lives lost to save their own, that was not acceptable, in any form. he had to think of something, do something though; he had to!
"Malwin!"
Arias heard it loud and clear, as if the word took all precedence. Alyss, was truly in danger here, her skills with archery would do little to face corpses, she was like him in that sense, but that didn't matter anymore. Arias knew it for himself, he had to do something, He was a Fate Guard now; a protector of this city, and these were his allies, he had to help them. "Corben!" he called out a light tone of divinity clearing all of the chaos as if Angels sung their songs in that moment through his voice. he felt wrong even thinking to give orders to a leader, it seemed outright arrogant but if it gave him any hope of saving them, he would accept any punishment for his arrogance. "The Pillars are set for structures to be over the amount of what they need to support the ceiling. " he stopped for a second as he noticed some of the attention of the undead averting directly on him. "If you take one Pillar for every one that still stands there is still enough support to hold the Ceiling!" he was hoping the leader would understand his tactic, even the slightest bit of bought time would allow them what they needed to get where where they were going. The question, was to decide on which of the pillars would be best, and without crushing any of his allies.
He had given his thoughts, as much as he could and in that time had already drawn his weapon and moved to where the others were. Of course Arias was still peering over the room waiting for something to click for him. "Small quarters, using the pillars would be tricky, and if done incorrectly a domino effect would be applied, but he was trying to think hard one what to do, all the while standing at guard ready with the rest of his allies that were cut away from Corben's group, and making his way towards Alyss.
His thoughts were disrupted soon after, having cross a thresh-hold gotten to the right of where Alyss had found herself. She was surrounded, cut off from everyone else. He saw it, a way around this to save them all and get through them, and it could be done with only one pillar, but could he do it alone? Corben had made an opening for the clustered group and even for himself, but it would leave Alyss to simply run, which was impossible in her situation. He called back to one of the more able fighters, and Tahan, who was covered in armor. Pleading in his voice May I borrow your aid, we must help Alyss!" He nodded to the woman and the route he was talking about. If the two would follow him they could make a round about turning their back to where Malwin should of been and circling around in the intersection middle point of the structure. They could save Alyss and get to the opposite side, he just needed more bodies, muscle to push where the horde was weak and break and opening. If he was right Corben would understand his motive when they started moving and start hacking at the Pillar closest to his current position , if they pushed that at a very sharp angle then it would allow for a single entrance point where they could hold their stand. That entrance point would be where Arias was leading his group of three, and four after they saved Alyss. Circling around at the safest points with a shield around Alyss between himself and the other two, so that they could break the horde while progressing forward. If they started now it would only take a minute at max for the pillar to be ready to fall, at that point if Arias and his groups job went great then they would be past the point of where the Pillar would fall. It would crush some skeletons in the immediate first row and the impact would push back some others, they could slip in the gap, and then they could hold the line long enough to buy the time they needed.
This was all Theory, accurate theory from assessing the position they were in, if Malwin was still here, if he hadn't disappeared then he could be saved with Alyss he would only need to move as they did. It was the only way he could see survival coming of this. Arias voice run out with his plans as swiftly as he could as he hacked off one of the creatures arms, and kicked another away from him. he had already started to make that round about to get Alyss, but without the support, it would be impossible to reach her in time. He wouldn't leave any of them, he would be the Shepherd that he had been proclaimed, and guide them back to the light of the sun. He would, or he'd be damned trying
(Really Hoping this wasn't pushy, or arrogant. I plan to make a repeat of Asmo's map and map out the directions I took so that the post makes more sense too. Ill edit if need be.)
"I fear that faith will be our soundest weapon in this place," Corben uttered, and listened to his voice echo round the cathedral vault. He was crouched by the body of the cleric who had given his life to ward the doorway. 
The sight awaiting Arias was at once disheartening and reassuring. Malwin's house was a den of desecration, where dark sigils shared the walls with spiderwebs and mildew. A labyrinth of candles, some no more than waxen puddles, covered the floor, and even with the bodies of Malwin's wife and child removed their death-scent lingered.
Whatever terror had frozen Jenra to the spot was broken when Eric gripped her shoulder. "Let's move." The old veteran's sword was at the ready in his other hand. He pushed her forward, and as they advanced Eric yelled over his shoulder. "Dimaethordis! Come on!"
any who got past the swings of her mentor.