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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 6, 2022 18:07:51 GMT -6
Bruse watched as both Jed and the winged man moved between himself and the wendigo. But not before the Wendigo got one quick return swipe of his own. Claws raked across the wide front of Bruse's form, missing an eye by inches. Bruse growled in response, flinching his eyes shut and turning to the side as five thin lines of green appeared against the dark of his form. He blinked, shaking his head and glaring at the Wendigo. The other two still stood in the way, and Bruse simple retreated back, raising one paw up as if to wipe away the scratches. Internally, he fought his rage, the room flickering in and out of his vision as the blood red aura swirled in his mind and around his body.
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Post by Vaitris on Oct 6, 2022 18:16:59 GMT -6
[OOC: Kazan tries to shake off the ants and goes to investigate the right hand path.]
Instead of swarming the bird as he had hoped, the insects slipped off, dropping to the ground and onto his back. They crowded around his hooves as well, climbing the smooth surface to bite at his pasterns. Their mandibles dug into his skin, cutting and burning and drawing blood.
Kazan cursed under his breath, stomping his feet to shake them off, dancing back towards the treeline. He swept his hands over his back, pausing intermittently to pull them off one at a time like fattened ticks.
From nearby a crow made another announcement about some obscure ‘they’ and the centaur threw one of the dislodged ants in its direction. “I do not need your cryptic messages.” He told it crossly, tone tight with thinning patience.
The right hand path skirted the edge of some swampland and cool water would certainly ease the ache in his feet. He headed cautiously in that direction, well aware there was probably something more to be wary of than some cattails and moss. So he wouldn't step hoof in the water yet, but he'd try to get an idea if anything was in it, and take a close look at the muddy banks as well.
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Post by MP on Oct 6, 2022 21:22:10 GMT -6
[Kazan]
"I do not need your cryptic messages." The crow croaks back at him.
It clacks its beak, preening at its chest. With a sudden ruffle of feathers, it takes wing into the woods.
The insects wriggle in Kazan's flesh as he steps into the swamp. Their legs flail impotently in the water, which proves surprisingly deep. Kazan sinks legs, chest, nearly up to his withers as he wades forward. The muddy bottom drags at his hooves, a wet sucking sound with every step, but he finds the terrain stable enough for the moment. Cold and slimy though it is, it eases the pain of Kazan's bites a little.
The insects still clinging to him wriggle and snap their pincers in agitation. One manages to twist and bite hard into his side. Through the thick layer of mud now coating him, however, Kazan doesn't feel a thing.
The tiny red spots on the grey marsh and on the muddied centaur have drawn unfriendly eyes. A quiet shadow wheels back toward the marsh, heading toward Kazan. The deep marsh water may offer some protection, or else the tall cattails around him. A third option lies in the long empty stretch toward the great stone, although with the cold mud dragging at his coat and coating his hooves, Kazan finds his movement slower than ideal.
[Everyone else]
Over the chaos of the cabin, over the hollow beat of the clock, the boom of booted footsteps comes. It is a heavy, hollow sound. It is on the path outside, approaching the door and your one way out. Closer now.
Closer.
The sound prickles at some instinctive dread in the back of your mind: don't be seen. Don't be caught. The booted footsteps are outside the cabin. They are at the door. Silence. Glancing outside, your party sees nothing but the woods and the dark at the door. Nothing there. No one coming.
And yet something moves the knob. It stirs again. Then it begins to turn, the movement slow but inevitable. It does not seem to have heard the commotion yet. It does not know you're here. In a few moments more, the door will open, and it will be inside.
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Oct 7, 2022 9:47:39 GMT -6
[OOC: Jedidiah is spooked by the footsteps, Hurries over towards the mounted heads and at Bruse's instruction, He places the wolf at the lower left, wolverine at the lower right, Deer at the median left, bear at the median right, and crow at the top most pedestal in that order. Noticing the blood in the crows mouth and on the wolf, he carefully handles the heads as if they could lash out considering that this may be a trap? He is using his right hand to make the rearrangement.]
Jedidiah:
The sound of boots near by startled him still. . . is there another exit? He was so focused on the chaos at hand it did not occur that this cabin may of had an owner prior to them entering. He quickly looked around, before his ear twitched at the low rumblings of Bruse's voice. He glanced over, then to the mounted heads on the wall. In a quiet understanding he walked with a stride of urgancy and moved to remove the heads. . .
This was a puzzle. Failure cost parts of the body.
He noted the blood within the beak of the crow before deciding to do this one last. . .seeing it may be the trap. Carefully he treated each head as if it were alive, not carelessly placing hands where it would be easier to bite his hands. . . Wolf was placed at the lowest left most portion of the set of 5 on the wall. . .Wolverine was placed at the lowest right most portion of the wall. The deer at the left most just above the wolf, and the bear at the right most just above the wolverine. with the crow at the highest point of this 5 point arrangement. His right hand had the crow just behind the mechanical portion of the jaw before he let go. .
Hopefully this works. . .
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 7, 2022 16:19:07 GMT -6
(OOC: Edge grabs his cut off fingers and looks around for another way out, somewhere to hide, or something they might be able to defend themselves with. Makes sure to tuck his wing behind his back.)
“A’re! Cut it out!”, still stuck between the strange creature and the wendigo, despite their attempts to push him out of the way, Edge flicked his wing in annoyance. The normally gentle man usually didn’t speak like this, but the significance of this was lost on a room of strangers. “This place is already trying to kill us, let’s not kill eachother. Please.” Seriously, first Luca and now this-
Purple gaze fell on Kail, making sure that the young man at least wouldn’t attack immediately, before he lowered his wing, tucking it securely against his back. The Darai rolled his shoulders, groaning as he tried to work out the stiffness. His wing really couldn’t take the beating it used to be able to. “Now, let’s-“
The sound of steps outside, hollow and unnatural, silenced Edge instantly. Dread washed over the room barely a heartbeat later, undeniable. Whatever was coming was worse than what they had already seen. They needed a way out.
Cursing silently to himself, Edge got moving, picking his useless fingers up from the floor, grimacing at the feel of blood against his skin. Then, he set to searching. Considering how his spatial awareness had proven less than useful before, he didn’t want to waste time gambling on his spatial awareness working. If only it could’ve been that easy, then he could have just made them a way out of here or blocked off whatever was entering the cabin. What had this place done to him? He’d have to figure that out later. The Darai scanned their surroundings, looking for anywhere they might be able to hide, items they might be able to use to defend themselves. Next, he looked to the windows, checking if any of the windows not on the same wall as the door could be opened. Instinct and experience told him that they would want to avoid making sound.
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Post by Vaitris on Oct 7, 2022 16:47:01 GMT -6
[OOC: Kazan covers himself in mud and goes back to the left hand path to knock down some of the mounds, hoping to attract the bird to land.]
The water appeared safe on the surface and Kazan couldn’t hold himself back from stepping into it. The mud beneath felt cold and soothing against his legs, numbing the bright stinging pain from the many ant bites. He allowed himself to sink further, letting the dirty water close over his back. Perhaps the remaining pests would dislodge or drown.
When he pulled himself back out the thick mud held tight to his fur, turning his beautiful tricolor coat a dark uniform brown. His mouth ticked down in a slight frown. It was necessary for relief here, and crucial for camouflage in the field, but he had never become accustomed to the feel of dirt caking his skin. There were a few spots of orange and red wriggling about where some of the ants still doggedly clung to him, but he couldn’t feel their bites any longer. That gave him an idea.
The bird still circled above him, threatening to swoop. Kazan hurried back to the left hand path and the mounds where he carefully lined his hindquarters up with one of the tall anthills and began to kick. The colony would swell and seethe around his muddied feet, they couldn’t let this assault on their home go unanswered. And that should attract the bird’s attention. If he could get it to land among the swarm then he’d have the distraction he needed to get to the other end of the field. If not, the remaining anthills would be his only protection from the giant talons.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 7, 2022 17:13:41 GMT -6
[Bruse sees the placard and reads it. He hears the footsteps outside, and relays his answering thoughts for the riddle to Jedidiah. As the boots approach, he moves to the door and grips the doorknob so that whomever turns it might think it locked, in order to buy the others time. He then waits to see if he'll need to stand his ground or deal with whatever was on the other side.] Note - This comes slightly parallel to Okami's post
Bruse's gaze trailed distractedly across the room, still phasing in and out of a red haze. Every time it loomed towards the Wendigo and the winged man, the red thickened, the room seemed to close in, and a fire burned hot in his chest. He wanted to kill...
But no. He needed to control it. Bruse looked instead towards a wall, and noticed the empty mounts and the placard. He read it slowly, taking it in word for word. As he did so, the storm in his mind seemed to dull ever so slightly, and the more he mulled it over, the more it seemed to distract him from his rage, like an ointment lifting the heat of a fresh burn. To the others, he seemed transfixed and the red aura swirled lazily around his torso and legs but he was otherwise deathly still.
Then, something in the distance. Something outside? Footsteps, boots. Bruse looked for a moment to Jedidiah and began to speak to the giant in a deep, rolling voice.
"....The crow, would seek food from above and take wing." He started, still looking at Jed.
Footsteps approached the cabin. Jedidiah, understanding, began to work.
"The stag, a proud beast, would stand with the slow bear beneath the ever searching crow."
Closer...
Closer....... Boots clomped heavily down the dusty path and approached just beyond.
Bruse turned to the door and moved slowly towards it.
"The wolverine would find no challenge against the others. Not even the wolf." He finished, and then reached out to the door with a massive paw. The moment the boots stopped, silent just on the other side, the spirit gripped the doorknob tight. If whomever it was began to turn it, they would find stark resistance.
"You should hide." Bruse then said to them all. And waited, ready to charge the person in the next instant if they overpowered even him and made themselves a threat.
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Post by MP on Oct 7, 2022 18:51:54 GMT -6
[Cabin Dwellers]
Edge's search for a hiding place turns up several likely places. The table is a solid piece of wood, its legs connected by thick beams that make it hard to see underneath from a standing position. The space, while small, can likely accommodate two humans side by side.
Beside the door, the stuffed beast offers some shelter. Large as a bear and posed on all fours, the beast makes a tent with its legs, the space obscured by shadows, shaggy black fur, and a serpentine tail that coils about its legs. Large as it, its bulk means that only one body is likely to fit underneath.
The bed offers another hiding place. The cot lies on a raised bedframe, which might just accommodate a body lying underneath.
The clock counts your remaining seconds, the odd boom of its ticking echoing in the small space. Its hand trembles at the 6 o'clock position, quivering like a horse at the starting line. Pushing forward. Springing sadly back.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 7, 2022 19:14:35 GMT -6
[Kail looks around for any makeshift weapons, including the kitchen for knives, and encourages Jed and Bruse to fight the thing at the door. Gives Edge his broken antler as a makeshift shank]
Kail looked like he wanted to swing again, but didn’t. Chest heaving, he felt a flicker of satisfaction deep beneath his anger at the sight of the ghosts blood. And then, a slow, building dread at each hollow footstep.
The group scattered like roaches, beginning the desperate search for a hiding place. He felt a flash of annoyance, beneath the creeping fear. He and Edge might have gotten away with hiding, but now they had a huge, bull-like ghost and a giant human cramped in here - they weren’t all going to be able to squeeze in somewhere, and his pride already stung. If they all cowered in seperate hiding places, it would only be a matter of time before they were dragged out and killed one by one.
“Why the fuck are we hiding? There’s four of us and one of it - come on, big guy, you’d probably be able to knock him out with one swing! We ain’t all gonna be able to hide.”
He hissed at Jed and in the ghosts general vicinity, the words a sharp whisper that carried across the small space of the cabin. The wendigo followed Edges lead, scooping his broken antler from the floor. When the Darai next passed by him, he wrapped a cold hand around his upper arm and backed up towards the table, half crouching behind it, looking ready to both bolt and attack.
Wordlessly, he pressed the wickedly sharp tine, which was almost as long as his forearm, into Edges good hand. It was as good a weapon as any other. His pale eyes scanned the kitchen, the walls of the cabin - the owner was a hunter, there would have to be weapons somewhere.
He wasn’t going to start swinging until he saw what it could do to the giant and the hulking ghost. He did hope they’d be able to kill whatever it was, but if it ripped either apart, the carnage would be enough for him and Edge to escape into the woods. He didn’t care enough about anyone here to want to fight whatever it was.
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Post by MP on Oct 7, 2022 21:00:18 GMT -6
[Kazan]
There is a rush of wind over Kazan's head, and the sky blots out as talons stretch to seize him. Then the downstroke of the massive wings meet the thick reeds and muddy waters. The shadow passes overhead, followed by a wailing scream as the great black body crashes into the bog. It struggles upright, wings nearly clipping Kazan as they flail free of the mud. Every wingbeat sends the muddy soil flying, staining already dripping feathers.
The centaur is able to retreat from the bog and return to the mounds. As before, the insects swarm at his approach. His assault on their home only incites the insects further. Red bodies boil up from the ground, nearly covering his legs and working their way upward. Their nipping pincers are unable to pierce the layer of mud, but this protection seems limited. Little by little, the pincers shear off miniscule globs of mud. It is only a matter of time before they get through to flesh.
Thankfully, Kazan doesn't have long to wait. A dark shape rises above the field once more, winging toward the sounds of churning earth. Is it just Kazan's imagination, or is its approach slightly slower than before? Are its wingbeats harsher?
Black wings tuck against the sleek body. The shadow picks up speed. It comes down on the mound Kazan is kicking - too heavily, its black wings flaring too late. The mound and several neighboring ones are crushed as muddied plumage crashes over the tops. Red bodies fly through the air, raining down on muddied black plumage. The bird beats its wings, but the mud weighs it down, and the movement churns up more soil and insects as it labors back into the air.
A pair of smaller crows alight in the tree line near the mounds, watching the scene with Kazan.
"Mistakes? Have we made a mistake? Ah..." One croaks.
“My name is Ash," the other replies. "Do you two have names?"
The bird is swarming with red bodies. It wings a short way away and lands on the central path, insects falling from ruined plumage, shaking its feathers out.
[Cabin Crunchies]
As before, the heads stand on their plaques for a long moment before things begin to go bad. The crow seems to strain downward, the dead, greedy eye fixed on the heads below. The stag, conversely, has its neck arched back as if in pain, its wild eyes turned skyward. The wolverine's face, already posed in an unlovely snarl, bristles as if to tear itself from the plaque and leap at the bear above it.
And as before, a mysterious force strikes the heads from their plaques. This time, they fall more violently from before - almost thrown rather than falling naturally. The crow's beak tips as it falls. Neat as a knife, hot as a flame, it tears a line of pain down the side of Jed's face. Something strikes the ground, and it's a moment of staring before Jed recognizes his own severed ear on the ground.
The group finds no weapons, or even loose objects, save for the bestial heads, a dull silver spoon and bowl on the table, and the bubbling soup on the stove. Bruse, ready at the door, finds that a monstrous force pushes against his weight. The door opens as easily as though Bruse were a kitten, shunting him sideways and against the wall, pinned behind the door. It is in the cabin with you. Booted footsteps echo on the cabin floor.
You see no one. No shadow cast, no stir in the air. But the floorboards shake with an unseen weight as it crosses the room. The bowl rises from the table. The bowl and footsteps continue toward the wood stove. It hasn't noticed Bruse, who was blocked by the opening door. It hasn't noticed Jed, still standing beneath the plaques and shaded by the bulk of the stuffed beast. Kail and Edge are in the most immediate danger, now crouched on the same side of the table as the footsteps. The footsteps stop in front of the wood stove. The bubbling soup lifts from its spot, and a hearty serving pours into the hovering bowl. If the spoon on the table and the waiting chair is any indication, it will soon turn back to the table - with line of sight to all of you.
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Oct 8, 2022 5:04:13 GMT -6
[OOC: Jedidiah picks his ear up and at the foot fall of the unseen force after it had just picked the bowl up, he matches and carefully steps out the door and tries to get out of sight, if it sees him he will act as bait, this way so bruse has a hiding spot. ]
Jedediah
He winced and turned away at the hot pain before a wet plop took his attention. . . .his ear. . . As much as his face stung, he's in no position to reattach the disembodied ear. . .since it was off it no longer hurt, granted the area stings painfully, it was detached. He grabbed the disembodied ear a tad mournfully, there was no way in hell this was getting reattached.
Morbidly he could use it at bait. . . .assuming he gets out of here. . . That was incorrect in the pattern for this puzzle, but something tell him they do not have time to fix that.
He witnesses how easily the unseen force shoves bruse aside like a discarded toy. . . It is way too strong for them to take on. . . .he did not shut the door, either. . .
So at the foot falls of the unseen force right after the bowl was lifted he waited for the first before taking a step at each foot fall to get out of the cabin. He hopes the others follow suit per say. . If they can or hide.
If it sees him he will just have to keep its attention while the others run. . .he goes to try and immediately take a side of the outside to get out of the line of sight and get to the mud the second he gets to the open threshold.
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Post by Vaitris on Oct 8, 2022 17:39:00 GMT -6
[OOC: Kazan shakes off as many bugs as he can and heads towards the tower at the other end of the field.]
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 8, 2022 20:12:05 GMT -6
[OOC: Kail hopes Jed will serve as a distraction and moves under the table to the side closer to the door]
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 8, 2022 20:40:11 GMT -6
[Bruse is pinned for a moment, and then follows Jed's lead in leaving the cabin while the thing is distracted with soup.]
Bruse braced himself, but not for long. The boots stopped at the door, and the knob turned despite Bruse's grip. He released the doorknob in surprise, and in seconds, Bruse was pushed effortlessly to the side. Ghostly claws and hooves skidding roughly across the wooden cabin floorboards until the spirit was effectively pinned behind the door. A deep grunt escaped him, and only when the thing that entered let go of the door to continue in did he finally feel the pressure release from his sides.
But there was no one there. It was neither a person, nor a ghost, from what he could tell. But it was there, its footsteps thumping across the cabin, the floorboards sagging slightly under the weight of each step. Bruse watched its progress with quiet intensity, the swirling red aura about his form picking up ever so slightly.
Jedidiah was effectively spooked, it seemed. From his hiding spot, the giant had begun to make his way carefully towards the exit. When he was near to Bruse, the spirit decided it would be best to follow the large man. He stood as well from where he had been pinned and made to follow Jedidiah. The other two...well, Bruse could care less for the Wendigo. The winged man had defended the Wendigo, and therefore would also be left to his own devices. The spirit's focus was now on Jedidiah and keeping him safe as best he could, as well as finding his way back to Wathais and Sara. Whatever the cabin, the puzzle, and everything else inside of it had to offer to them, was a loss for now. Perhaps, if they could make it outside, they could at least keep watch if the invisible being decided to leave.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 8, 2022 21:28:22 GMT -6
(OOC: Heart in his throat, Edge moves silently with Kail under the table to the other side of it.)
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