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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 25, 2023 16:34:55 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam drags Casmir out of the store and motions for Sten to follow, then suggests they head to the central area overlooking he fountain to get a lay of the land.)
Without a word, Samael dragged the blonde out of the store by the collar of his jacket, the same way some might carry a cat by the scruff of its neck, and made a quick motion with his head, signaling for Sten to follow along. He released the blonde man unceremoniously as they excited the store and dusted off his gloves. Almost unconsciously, he took a step back and away from the human, old habits reminding him to keep his distance.
Looking at the ragtag group now, it was good to see them mostly unharmed - or at the very least still alive and capable of movement. He couldn’t speak of their mental states, and frankly wasn’t keen on lingering on something like that now.
Samael nodded as Moana spoke, crossing his arms. They needed to keep moving, to either find a way out or find a way to stop this madness, whatever was going on. For a moment, he wondered if any of this had anything to do with the fountain, considering that it seemed entirely inaccessible. Was it important, or just coincidence. “How about that way?”, he suggested, gesturing to the area overlooking the fountain, “it might help us get our bearings.”
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 25, 2023 16:57:59 GMT -6
[OOC: Kail replies to Moana and asks Casmir if he’s alright before agreeing they should leave]
Kail watched the thing burn, chest heaving as he looked down upon the blackened flesh of the beast. He smiled crookedly at the taniwha when she approached, forgetting about the lingering feel of rot from where it had touched him.
“Yeah, I’m good.” He said, his tone overly nonchalant for the situation at hand in an effort to impress her. “Gonna take more than a pile of angry offal to get rid of me.”
He fished the lighter from his hoodie pocket, glad he hadn’t dropped it in the fight.
“I’m not gonna test my luck with you, though. Here’s ya lighter back, as promised.
With another smile he trailed after the woman, watching the Hunter get unceremoniously dragged out and dropped to the ground. His pale gaze flicked over the human. The man was clearly not coping with the panic-inducing effect of the monster, and the wendigo’s expression was unreadable as he stared down at him.
He couldn’t bring himself to thank him for his help, and instead crossed his arms over his chest.
“You good?” He asked instead, his tone carefully neutral.
“Yeah, let’s just get the hell outta here.” He agreed with the rest of the group.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 25, 2023 18:06:37 GMT -6
[Stenson will warn them about the 'others' in the mall, before helping Casmir to his feet. He does recognize Kail, but chooses to remain silent and focus on the group's survival above all else.]
The moment the flames engulfed the creature, it relented its grip on the hunter and shriveled where it stood into a blackened heap of sizzling flesh. He kept the stream of fiery bug spray trained on the thing until the bitter end, at least until it finally spluttered out empty. By then, Sam had managed to drag the hunter to safety, depositing him coldly onto the mall floor just outside. Stenson backed quickly out to follow, tossing the bug spray can at the burnt mass for good measure. Afterall, it was spent.
The others were already discussing which way to go, to Stenson's relief, and at the mention of the central area overlooking the fountain he spoke up.
"Agreed. But be careful, there's...." He thought of how to describe the others, "There's more of them over that way. They're unpredictable. Not sure if it's some kind of spell holding them here, making them act the way they are, but they're not right in the head." He tapped his own temple to emphasize his point. As the others made up their minds, Stenson reached a hand to the hunter to help him to his feet so they could move towards the center area. His eyes also passed briefly over the face of the thinner man in their group as he did so. He felt his breath hitch for just a moment, externally it might've seemed more like an exertion of effort from helping the hunter up, but it was recognizing the Wendigo. His mind raced in that fraction of a second between "wanted criminal" and "focus on survival". The choice was obvious, however, it wasn't worth starting anything with the wendigo right here and now. Surely by now the other would have recognized him as well, especially since he'd been in cohorts with the very vampire that had ruined most of Stenson's present day life, but in the meantime the wendigo seemed uninterested in addressing his own familiarity. Plus, they needed to get out of the mess they were all in currently. Law and justice could wait.
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 26, 2023 0:39:38 GMT -6
With the immediate threat dealt with, the group has a bit of time to catch their breath. With Samael dragging a shaken Casmir in the lead, the group leave The Mystic Eye and move out into the hall. At Sam's suggestion, they carefully pick their way back toward the central well overlooking the fountain.
Glancing down, they will find that the group that Stenson and Casmir noticed earlier are no longer down there. Perhaps they had moved on to one of the other stores. What is there, however, are some tools laid out on the floor, shaping letters: "HI". Slowly making their way around the railing, the group can see that downstairs, the fountain seems to be completely surrounded by closed shutters. The southern-most one, however, is propped open a crack with an abandoned toolbox.
The halls up here appear to be largely empty - at least at a glance there aren't any mall people moving about the halls, or visible in any of the nearby storefronts. The area they had just left appeared to be dedicated to jewelry and watch stores, whereas here around the central well, the stores seem to be snacks and candies. To the south is another out-of-order elevator, nestled amidst what appear to be accessory stores. To the east, on the other side of the central well, there is another closed shutter barring the eastern hallway.
There is another directory nearby for them to check stores. It looks like to the west, there is a 'sports and outdoor goods' section, and in the shuttered off section it appears to be a grab-bag assortment of miscellaneous stores - including a cafe, a blade shop, a golf shop, and a candleshop. Both sections may have things that they would find useful, or they could just try to move on.
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Post by luscen on Oct 26, 2023 2:01:19 GMT -6
[CASMIR quits freaking out, then addresses the others, asking about what all they found. He points to the Pure Blades on the map, suggesting they find a way to go there to get the moonlight sword. Lastly, he checks his amulet.]
Casmir managed to collect himself, with some effort. He still felt like vomiting, but there was nothing to come up, so it'd just be dry heaving. 'Need some water,' he thought, shakily grabbing the railing and hoisting himself up. A cigarette wouldn't be unwelcome, either. Right now, however, they had other priorities, so he forced himself to focus and tried to wrangle his senses back in order.
Casmir looked from Kail to Jones; whether it was intentional or not, the latter seemed to recognize him. Made sense, given that he was an Agent, and Sara had mentioned something of a manhunt in place for him, at one point. Seems that was still ongoing, and the Wendigo had managed - by sheer luck, if nothing else - to stay one step ahead of them.
"I'm fine," he replied evenly. He should have let the thing eat Kail- it would have been poetic justice, if nothing else. But he was Sjira's friend, and that had to mean something. And while the Hunter was concerned Kail would be a bad influence on him, it was possible that the inverse could have been true- that Sjira might, somehow, make him less of an man eater.
And perhaps when they got out of this mall, he'd find a nice juicy pear on a willow tree.
"We need a sitrep," Casmir said, changing the subject. He frowned down at the words "HI" spelled in tools on the floor below. Cheeky, and not the work of mindless golems. Furthermore, since the construction workers weren't down there, they could be on their way up here, and who knew what would happen if they were found.
"The humans here aren't human at all," he explained, looking at each in turn. "They're possessed by... something. But whatever it is, they're hard to kill. Headshots won't stop them. But I think they can still be impaired, so if you find yourself the target of one, try aiming for the legs."
He examined the mall map with a frown. "I saw a note downstairs mentioning a sword that shone like moonlight. It might be there," he said, tapping the store on the eastern side that seemed to sell weapons. "I think we'll need it to stop whoever's in charge, here. But there may be some key we need. Did anyone here come across any puzzles, or special items, or anything of that sort?"
A thought occurred to him, and he reached into his shirt, drawing out the medallion he'd found, earlier.
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Post by Salandis on Oct 26, 2023 2:25:41 GMT -6
[Moana joins the group out to discuss where to go and suggests “Be Prepared”]
Moana stepped back a half pace as the Wendigo straightened, and then caught the lighter with a sly smile of her own. “Well, I see I’ll keep you around a while then,” she said, slipping the lighter back into her own pocket.
She followed the others out to the plaza overlooking the fountain. “HI” was a little strange – but everything was strange here. It could just as easily be a trap of some kind.
Moana looked at the hunter thoughtfully as he briefed them on what he had been up to. She still didn’t trust him – or like him, for that matter. He made some sense, unwilling as she was to admit it. Still, maybe she wouldn’t have rushed back quite so fast if she had known it was him on the other side of that door. Then again, with it grabbing Kail – well, maybe.
She hefted the torch, showing it without giving any impression of giving it up. “This was in a magically strong case,” she said. “Took a riddle and some hidden gemstones to get it out, but it’s some kind of laser. Only three shots, then I need batteries.” She looked at the mall map Casmir was using, and tapped a store along. “Be Prepared is probably the sure bet to have those. As for other things,” she indicated the necklace she was wearing. “It feels nice to wear, but the last person with it still came to a pretty grisly end.”
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 26, 2023 16:32:05 GMT -6
Halloween 2023 [Stenson is concerned that the workers will find them, urges everyone to move. He suggests he and Casmir try the sword shop, Kail and Moana try Be Prepared, and Sam to decide what he thinks is best - lookout, or accompany one of the two groups. Once the group has decided, he will follow them east to the two shops.]
Once the hunter had his feet underneath of himself, Stenson let the man be so he could pull himself the rest of the way up by a railing. He seemed fine for the most part, if only a little shaken up and queasy. Stenson couldn't blame him, after their encounter with that nightmare. A flesh golem or construct perhaps, Stenson wondered if a necromancer of some sort might be behind this entire ordeal.
Either way, they had more work to do. Leaning cautiously over the rail to peer at the fountain below, Stenson took note of the tools spelling the word "HI", brows furrowing slightly at the crude message. Whoever was down there earlier, they know we are up here....probably on their way right now... He thought to himself. The message was undeniably intentional and gave the officer an immediate sense of impending danger. After Casmir finished explaining more about the 'people' here, Stenson chimed in. "The ones down there are different. I would bet every penny I own that they're on their way here right now. We need to move." The urgency in his voice was apparent, tension priming every muscle in his body for what might come next. He also noticed the single propped open barrier from their vantage point, and everything seemed to point to this fountain as the keystone to this entire place. Whatever was needed to escape this, he had a very strong hunch it would need to be completed there.
At the mention of their two best options, Stenson nodded towards the sword shop. "If there's some sort of magic sword, I agree, we should check the weapons shop. And I bet it has a puzzle like the gem store." He looked the strange torch up and down, intrigued. It was a useful tool, but not quite a main key. Hopefully the sword was their best bet. The woman then mentioned "Be Prepared", their other viable option. "Both stores are right next to each other. If we split up, we wouldn't be far. Casmir, why don't you and I search the sword shop, and you two search Be Prepared. And Sam....well, you seem to have things handled regardless of where you are. Wherever you feel you are needed most, bud." Stenson offered the Dullahan a complimentary smile before asking everyone, "Any objections?"
Once they'd made their group decisions, however they planned to proceed, Stenson took up the rear of the group as they headed east towards the two shops, keeping his eyes and ears trained to any dangers that might try to flank them. He kept his taser in one hand, while his other rested on the hilt of the knife at his belt.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 26, 2023 19:43:06 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam points out that conventional weapons haven’t seemed to do much damage to anything here, but agrees that the blue area on the map is definitely worth checking out. He suggests they go to the area with sports goods to see if there’s anything there they could use to open the shutters or that maybe there’s a staff entrance that can get them past it.)
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 26, 2023 21:40:33 GMT -6
[Kail agrees to search Be Prepared, informing Moana that Stenson and Sam are WDSA agents]
Kail side-eyed the agent as he spoke, his expression shuttered and faintly antagonistic. It would be stupid to pick a fight with him now, but he wanted nothing more than to do just that.
And even though they were only suggestions, he bristled at the instructions , and being told what to do.
“Yeah whatever, let’s make this quick.” He snapped, walking a few paces away and waiting for Moana to join him.
“The one with Casmir is an agent.” He said quietly to her. “And he knew Helmets name, so my bet is he’s one too.”
It had his hackles up, knowing they were stuck in this place with a Hunter and two agents. But at least they would all know what to do in a fight, and they certainly weren’t leaving this place without one.
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 26, 2023 23:58:49 GMT -6
The group spends a little time discussing how to proceed. Occasional sounds drift up from the central well - more mall people and creatures moving about? Or perhaps the group of construction Stenson and Casmir had seen before? There is distant shouting, and then a clangor from one of the kitchens below, but the sound fades out into the staticky pop-music playing over the speakers. There is no indication that the nefarious construction workers (or are they necromancers!?) are coming upstairs - the only sign that they had ever been there at all is the simple greeting left spelled with discarded tools below.
Casmir checks his amulet. Nothing about it seems to have changed. It still gives him a vague warm, safe feeling. It feels magic, although without his eye to see he can't be certain. Whatever magic clings to it isn't especially strong or outwardly apparent - it feels good to have it near to his person, near to his heart, but when faced against the filthy touch of the monster earlier, it's warmth is quickly drowned.
The group decides on a plan: to search the Sporting goods stores first for anything of use, then to split up and have Stenson and Casmir search Pure Blades and Moana and Kail search Be Prepared while Samael keeps watch. Of course, first they need to find a way to get past the shutter...
Samael leads the way, absently checking doors as they pass them. He leads the party back to the north-west, following the main pathway - although he will note that the northern staff door that leads into the section of staff hallways behind the sporting section does appear to be unlocked. At about the same time as they reach the long north-south stretch of hall leading to the sporting goods stores, the lights flicker and go out. Unlike previously, this time they do not come back on again after a few moments. The staticky music is still playing, so it can't be a power outage. There is still some light filtering in from the windows to the outside and the skylights far above - so it isn't pitch black like the staff windowless staff hallways, at least. A few lights remain on that can be seen: Pandora's Riddle, a jewelry store back the way they had come, is still lit; and down the sporting hall, Fish Pro and Big 5 are both still lit, while the other stores appear to be dark.
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Post by Salandis on Oct 27, 2023 2:06:57 GMT -6
[When the lights go out, Moana warily heads towards Big 5 in search of batteries]
Moana followed Kail away from the group slightly, her eyes narrowing at his murmured commentary.
“Not agents I have run across myself then,” she commented quietly. “I’m not exactly legal, mind, but I’m fairly sure I’m under the radar.” She grinned at him and gave him a smack on the shoulder. “I’ve got your back if it comes to it, but let’s get out of here first, yeah?”
Unfortunately they were quickly stymied by the barrier. They had little choice but to walk with the group back around, until the lights flicked entirely out.
“Well, those look like perfectly safe havens and not any kind of trap at all,” Moana said dryly, as it became clear not all the stores were black. “On the other hand, my night vision appears to be lacking, and I have no desire at all to find out if those beetles are cuddlier at night.”
She started towards Big 5, which still had its lights on. “At least one of these places should have batteries,” she said, “And I’d bet the fish shop even has knives on hand.” She hefted the plasma torch as she approached, cautiously expecting some kind of trap.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 27, 2023 4:20:32 GMT -6
[Kail turns on his flashlight, and goes into Big 5 with Moana]
“I ain’t playing it smart like you - I’ve fought him a few times, but it don’t seem like he’s gonna do anything. Yet.” He shrugged, glancing briefly back at the three men.
He turned when she smacked his shoulder, smiling widely, very much distracted when she smiled back.
“Y-yeah. I got you too. Thanks.” He said haltingly, feeling his face grow hot as he stumbled over his words. In a stroke of luck in that regard, the lights flicked suddenly off. In every other way, though, the darkness was not a good omen.
“Yeah, christ. More blades aren’t gonna hurt if we come across anything like that thing again.”
He was on high alert as they approached, fingers curling around the knife in his hoodie pocket.
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Post by luscen on Oct 27, 2023 4:29:18 GMT -6
[CASMIR suggests he, STEN, and SAM examine Fish Pro, to stay within helping distance if things go south for MOANA and KAIL. He gives KAIL a warning to be careful.]
The medallion didn't seem cracked or damaged, as far as the Hunter could tell. His rune-inscribed items were not permanent in nature, so he knew a fading spell when he saw one, but this wasn't the case for the necklace. Instead, it seemed it simply couldn't hold up to the amount of malice and malignance present in that particular monster, once it had made contact. Which meant it was a minor protection spell; again, part of the game.
But what game? What were the rules? How much could they actually trust the things given to them? Again, Casmir found himself asking these questions, and again he had no answers, a position he didn't like. Best to just make due and keep an eye out for anything that stood out. He trekked behind the two agents, while being mindful of the the maneaters behind them murmuring to one another. He couldn't quite hear what they were discussing, but he could take a guess; Kail knew Jones was an Agent, which likely meant Sam was one, too. Paired with a Hunter, this wasn't a good situation for the two of them, but given they needed each other to get out, there wouldn't be any kind of double-crosses on the table.
Yet.
Just then, the lights went out. Casmir frowned up at ceiling, hearing the radio still going. "I don't think that's our friends from downstairs," he said, loud enough for the others to hear. "If they're maintenance, they would have just shut the lights off. Whoever's in charge of this place is responsible, and I don't think we should stick around and see what happens."
Moana started to go off towards Big 5, which was right near the out of order escalators, which meant that meant Kail was likely to follow. "We should try Fish Pro, then," Casmir suggested, turning to Sam and Jones. "So we're within hearing distance." He wasn't exactly pleased about splitting up, but they needed to move quickly, so this was how things had to be.
"Keep yourselves out of trouble," Casmir warned the Wendigo as he followed Moana. "You can't turn Sjira into a monster if you're dead, after all." The teen was unlikely to listen to him, even in this sort of circumstance, but perhaps some motivation would do the trick.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 27, 2023 17:26:49 GMT -6
[Stenson agrees to head to Fish Pro with Casmir and Sam. He explains the blade store could hold a magical item that could help them escape. He also tells Casmir and Sam they should keep an eye open for other things such as batteries, fire items, first aid, bug or pepper spray, etc. As they enter the store, he is immediately looking around for any of these things, but especially any area that may have useful weapons or firearms.]
As the group came to their decision, Stenson followed along, but spoke up about the weapons. "I don't think it's regular knives we're looking for there. As Casmir here said, there was mention of a magic blade. That might be our key out of here."
They were headed first to the Big 5, and Stenson nodded at Casmir's suggestion to check out the nearby Fish Pro. He certainly wouldn't mind upgrading his kitchen knife to something with more punch. After all, they'd just gotten done discussing how useless blades probably were in this situation.
There was also the chance of finding other useful supplies as well. "We should keep an eye open for anything we might need. First aid, batteries," He listed, looking back at Moana. Kail certainly seemed taken by this woman, that much was apparently. Funny, he never would have imagined the cold blooded beast he remembered to be one for romantic feelings towards any other living creature. He felt the temptation to make a comment out loud, but decided it was best not to. Then....the lights cut out, causing the group to go into momentary fearful silence. Overhead, the radio continued to mumble its pop-tunes through struggling speakers around the mall.
Instead he turned back to Casmir and Sam as Kail and the girl headed towards Big 5. "More fire, maybe more bug or pepper spray." He continued, and as they made their way into the store, he immediately began to look around for all these things himself as well. He was immensely thankful that the lights in this store were at least still on.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 27, 2023 21:10:08 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam investigates fish pro, looking for any items that may be of use.)
Though Samael wasn’t sure if it was a good thing that this upper floor was so devoid of people, he appreciated it none the less. For him at least, it made the experience a little easier not having to mimic humanity here. When the lights went out, Samael made a sound akin to a sigh. Though he was apparently in a living body now, his voice was still strange, not quite as worn down as usual, but he still couldn’t reallly use the vocal chords properly.
There were discussions in the group, talk of what to look for and which stores to search. The tension between different individuals gave the clear impression that they knew eachother before hand, and most likely didn’t see eye to eye. Samael made the conscious decision to ignore this. First of all because he hadn’t been given reason to care, second of all because unless it got in the way of their escape or actively lowered their chances of survival, it would be a waste of time.
Quietly, he headed into the fishing shop, wandering among the shelves looking for anything that might be useful, tools, strange items, supplies. He never had been expected to take an interest in fishing, but here they were. Unconsciously, he tugged at his gloves, making sure they covered his skin properly, allowing himself the respite of at least feeling mostly like himself, even if he knew he wasn’t.
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