|
Post by Salandis on Oct 31, 2023 0:36:50 GMT -6
[Moana recommends getting better boots before trying the back way she found, since she doesn't want to be eaten by worms.]
Moana hurried out of the store, at least taking a moment to make sure there were no worms on the ground before kicking off her shoes, “You should do the same,” she told Kail quickly, having seen crushed and live worms both on her shoes. “We don’t need to get eaten that way.” The memory of the worm-eaten corpse fresh in her mind, she pulls up the stinging foot and holds the lighter near it in inspection – if any trace of worm remains there she will burn it, and her foot, as needed.
Then she takes a moment to inspect – and char – the underside of her shoes, wrinkling her nose at the smell. “When we get out of here, Kail,” she said, grimacing at the worms and worm-eaten hole, “Don’t take me to any malls. A garden, a beach, maybe a club, but no malls.” Satisfied her shoes are safe to wear, she turns to Kail’s and gives them similar treatment.
“There was a light on back there,” she tells Kail,” But more of those worms are all over the ground. If we can get better shoes we could make it, but in these light flats I’ll have worms eating my legs in no time.” She looked around the dark mall, barely lit with misty sunroofs. “We could check the Mountain Gear place? Bound to have boots in there.”
|
|
|
Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 31, 2023 1:13:43 GMT -6
[Kail offers to try and cut the worm out of Moanas heel if fire doesn’t do the trick, then heads to mountain gear. He will search for boots, as well as any fire-starting equipment, and anything like ice picks that can be used as a weapon]
Kail stamped his boots hard against the ground, checking over the soles for any live worms. He nodded, quickly following Moana’s orders, watching with obvious concern as she held the flame to her heel.
“It’s gonna sting, but if that don’t kill it, I can try and cut it out,” He said, hurriedly wiping the blade of his knife clean on the front of his hoodie.
“Duly noted.” Kail said, lifting his boots so Moana could de-worm them as needed with the lighter. “No malls.”
He nodded, flicking on his flashlight to illuminate the path ahead to Mountain Gear.
“Yeah, good plan. They might have ice picks or fire starting shit, too.”
|
|
|
Post by kilnarak on Oct 31, 2023 1:53:50 GMT -6
Casmir's quick glance over the remaining Glare set a fresh surge of panic through him, his mind resisting the overwhelming fear by the barest few threads. His eyes water as he casts about for one of the high-powered flashlights; he flips the switch and aims it hopefully over his shoulder, toward the light. He does not see the light's reaction, or lack there-of, but the ambience of the room does not change. Still gripping the flashlight, he scurries toward the entrance and out into the hallway.
He is followed shortly by Stenson, who made a quick bolt from his hiding spot to the door and out, into the hall. The officer continues his sprint to get what he deems 'safely away' before stopping. Samael is the last out, keeping low and moving the most calmly of the group. From the reddish reflection in the hall, they can surmise that the light has remained in the center of the store without having to look back at it. After exiting the store, the droning siren of the glare abruptly stops, even if the light does not.
The group of them can see Moana and Kail down the hall, just past the escalators leading up. The two are crouched, ridding their shoes of clinging worms. A few had made good progress on Kail's shoes, but none had breached fully through yet. The one that had bitten Moana's foot had not yet begun to burrow into her flesh thankfully, and is easily removed with the flame, then crushed under her hole-riddled shoe.
Kail is on his feet again more quickly than Moana, and makes his way purposefully toward the Mountain Gear store. He tries the door and finds it locked, but seeing that it's glass he decides to try his hand at breaking in. He finds a likely spot then uses the sharp end of his hunting knife and his flashlight as a hammer to shatter the glass window to the right of the door, then confidently steps past the window mannequins into the store.
The store is dark, but it appears to be clear of monsters as far as he can see - no blood or worms, no strange lights, no people that he can see. It's easy enough to navigate to the clothing section to find some new boots. Anything that might be used as a weapon such as an ice pick, however, would take a bit of looking. The store appears to be a mix of clothing and snow-sports - skiis and snowboards - rather than actual mountain-survival. He does find some camping gear with a few different options for fire-lighters, though.
|
|
|
Post by luscen on Oct 31, 2023 3:12:27 GMT -6
[CASMIR is concerned about the light showing up again while they’re dealing with a monster. Seeing KAIL and MOANA breaking into the Hiking Store, he tells SAM and STEN he’s going to try looking in “Pandora’s Box.”]
Casmir somehow managed to get out without his head bursting open. Once he was away from the red light and the blaring claxon in his brain, he took a moment to collect himself, frowning down at the flashlight. It was a tactical piece, with a high lumen rating, but that didn’t seem to matter much to whatever the glare was.
’Not that I expected otherwise, he thought to himself shrewdly. He wasn’t quite sure what he’d been expecting, but if those lights appeared again while they were confronted, it’d be all over without some way to banish them.
Deciding to leave the matter alone, for the present, Casmir looked over to see Kail and Moana breaking into another store whose lights were dark. Strange that it had been locked, while the others with lights on were still open. Stores like Pandora’s Box. It wasn’t a place he wanted to set foot in, but then again…
“I’m going to check the last store,” he said to Jones and Sam. “Maybe there’s some hope left, there.”
|
|
|
Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 31, 2023 16:45:03 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam checks out the bike gear store.)
As soon as Samael excited the store, he composed himself quickly and quietly. There still was an unnatural quality to how he moved - the way he walked and rolled his shoulders, the way his hands flexed, snapping a tendon over bone. Something about it was stiff and forceful, rigorously controlled from centuries of keeping dead flesh animate. Here it only served to make him aware of aches he had acquired. That tension between his shoulders had never ceased.
While his mind cleared, he looked around, seeing that everyone had made it out of the stores more or less unharmed. Clearly shaken, emotionally and mentally drained, but they could still move. For now at least. They all needed to get out of here.
With the obvious stated, Samael turned his attention towards the other stores. Idling would get them nowhere, and the more stores they could search, the better. So he headed towards the bike gear store. The name was unfamiliar to him, but that didn’t say much. If he was lucky, the door would be unlocked, but if not, he had both a glass cutter and a length of chain. He’d find a way in somehow.
|
|
|
Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 31, 2023 17:45:53 GMT -6
[OOC - Sten is glad to be out of the madness and takes a moment to catch his breath and steady himself, but is sure to put at least a little distance between himself and the Fish Pro store. He will follow Sam to the front of the store Sam heads to and will pause for a moment outside of it to collect himself.]
|
|
|
Post by Salandis on Nov 1, 2023 0:49:27 GMT -6
[OOC: Moana heads for the boots, looking for ones that are steel capped for preference but any that are hard leather that also have a good rubber sole. Annoyingly has to actually size them. Also picks up a hiking/ski pole, if she can find one.]
|
|
|
Post by kilnarak on Nov 1, 2023 4:32:56 GMT -6
After making sure there are no more worms clinging to her or any of her clothing, Moana picks herself up and follows Kail into the Mountain Gear store. She is careful not to step on the glass that he broke getting in. After a quick look around, she snatches a ski-pole from a display in the middle of the store and makes her way to the shoes. While she can't find any steel-capped boots, she does find some decent leather boots with a thick sole, although it takes her a bit to find a pair in her size.
Kail, meanwhile, has moved further into the store in his search for weaponry. It takes him a bit of searching, but he eventually finds a light climbing axe with an aluminum shaft near the back of the store. It had been mixed in with the camping supplies.
Both Moana and Kail feel safe for the moment, and have a good chance to catch their breath and regroup.
-
A few stores up the hall, Samael makes his way into the Bike Bandit store. Like the Mountain Gear store south of it, this one is not lit, and Sam finds himself needing to use his phone for light as he looks around the interior. There are displays with different types of bikes around the room, and shelves with bike equipment to one side. Other colors and models of bicycle are hung on the walls of the store. He makes his way deeper into the store, and finds a staff door in the back. A quick check of the doorknob tells him that it is locked - and perhaps that is a good thing as he can hear something on the other side of the door, an even rasping wheeze of breath in and out.
As he eases away from the door, he feels something brush past him and hears another sound, entirely different from the ragged breathing on the other side of the door. It sounds like... whispering, but he can't make out the words. Still it is very close, almost as if it is inside of his helmet with him, breath against his ear. It sends a shiver right down his spine - it wasn't like he was used to thinking about the idea that he had ears after all! As he turns to try to see what whispered to him, he can make out something dark and ephemeral - perhaps multiple somethings - moving at the corners of his eyes, though when he turns his phone's light toward them, he finds nothing there.
Stenson waits for Sam in the hall just outside of Bike Bandit. It's a good chance for him to catch his breath, and he feels a little calmer for it, although still unnerved by the lights he has just escaped. He can see Sam through the glass storefront, shining his light around as if searching for something.
-
After informing the others where he'll be, Casmir backtracks up the hall and into the jewelry area. He spares a quick glance toward The Mystic Eye, although from here he can't see the dead monster in the back of the room. It's only a few more stores down to Pandora's Riddle, which is the only store here with its lights on. The shop has a light and whimsical vibe to it's decor. The walls are painted with blue skies and fluffy clouds. There is a fair variety of jewelry on display on cloud-shaped shelves dangling from the ceiling via fishing-line, or set on clear glass displays with a multicolored iridescent sheen to them. A lot of the jewelry seems to be fantasy themed.
As he explores the store, he has a strange sense of vertigo, as if the floor had shifted beneath him and now he was standing just slightly tilted to the side. Looking around, everything still appears normal, although it is more difficult to see out the glass front of the store from here - it appears to be jet black outside, a featureless void. He checks the door at the back of the store and finds it locked - it should lead into the staff hallway he had been in earlier. When he returns to the front of the store, he finds that door locked as well - odd since it certainly hadn't been locked when he came in.
His attention returns to the room he is in and he finds that there is a new display in the center of the room - an ornate looking chest with an eight digit combination lock on it. The walls of the room seem to have changed as well - earlier the clear blue of a sunny day, now they are the dark indigo of a night sky broken up with glittering stars. Constellations are drawn out among them, with fairytale style illustrations of what they depict overlaid like pale ghosts overtop. A set of scales, a bull, a crab, a pair of children, a ram, a centaur, a lion, a fish-tailed goat, a pair of leaping fish, a serpent, a jug, a scopion, and an angel. Should he examine the chest, he will see a series of runes embossed above the dials to change the numbers:
|
|
|
Post by luscen on Nov 1, 2023 8:19:33 GMT -6
[CASMIR is caught. Taking a guess as to what the puzzle wants from him, he uses his knowledge of Astrology to try and solve the puzzle, matching the Zodiac Signs to their corresponding calendar numbers.]
Casmir kept his motions quiet and compact as he made his way back over to Pandora's Riddle. He paused briefly outside of the Occult shop, wanting to verify the state of the blood ooze, but he wasn't able to make out the interior well enough to verify the condition of the corpse. The thought of the shambling horror made him grouse over not having grabbed a machete from the Fish Pro; it wasn't like his faschinenmesser, but one of the Schrade or Kukri machetes he'd seen hanging on the shelves still would have been useful if he or one of the others got tangled up in tentacles, again...
No matter. Maybe once that demonic glare faded, he could snag one. If they had time. Which the Hunter highly doubted. On that pleasant note, he hurried in a hushed manner towards his destination, slipping inside as the store wasn't locked. He looked around, expecting another trap or threat, given that it seemed to be a running theme, here. And - much to his dismay - it turned out to be no different in this store, either, as the floor suddenly felt like it lurched. He staggered by reflex, and looked outside of the shop windows; what had been clear glass before was now pitch black. And while he didn't expect it to be so easy, the Hunter tried both doors and found them to be locked.
'Seems I've done myself the bear's favor...' Casmir grumbled. He wasn't in any danger, yet. But he wasn't safe, either, not so long as he was trapped in here. Speaking of the store, it seemed to have also metamorphosed from a childish sunny day to a starry night. The scarred blonde frowned, recognizing various constellations among the points of light, even if they hadn't been helpfully highlighted with images above them. And further, as if conjured by some act of conjuration, a chest sat in the middle of the room, a set of symbols on them.
"Huh. Astrology, is it?" There were various schools of magic and alchemy that employed the charting of the stars and their related cosmic energies. For most children picking up a tarot deck or playing with it as a means of finding out how their love lives would play out, it was relatively harmless. But powerful mages and diviners could use the stars to great effect. As such, Casmir knew the signs on the front, and - seeing their relation to the combination locks - took a guess what the puzzle wanted from him. In sequence, he turned each of the dials to a specific number:
9 - 2 - 3 - 6 - 11 - 4 - 5
|
|
|
Post by kilnarak on Nov 1, 2023 13:40:09 GMT -6
After Casmir moves the dials, he finds that one of the symbols lights up: Taurus. The box does not open, however.
|
|
|
Post by Pearl Dragon on Nov 1, 2023 16:00:05 GMT -6
[Stenson calls to Sam to wrap up if there was nothing of obvious use so they could keep moving. He then opts to keep a look out for anything in the halls.]
Stenson rested as Sam went into the nearby bike store. He leaned, back against the cooler wall, and focused on one breath after the next. The wall itself felt ice cold against his body, something else for his racing mind to cling to. Refreshing.
As he took those few moments, he felt his nerves return to him if only slightly. Only the crackling pop music held him in a state of dull anxiety but the edge of panic had at least dulled for the moment. His eyes remained shut, and the red light still seemed to pulse behind his lids, but the longer he stood and focused on other things, the more it began to fade.
Finally, once his mind felt centered, he pulled away from the wall. His limbs still felt jittery, but at least his heart rate and breathing were under control. Inside the unlit bike store, he could see the light of Sam's cell phone flashing about as if in search. Probably looking for anything of use, but the longer the dullahan stayed in there, the more risky it would be. He did remember seeing Kail and the woman further down the hall in a different store, perhaps to widen their search to another store. And Casmir had chosen a different store as well, not far, but they really needed to avoid splitting up as much as possible.
Stenson remained in the hall but moved closer to the bike store entrance. Leaning in, he called to Sam, "Hey, if there's nothing obvious, we should move on. I don't think sticking around is a good idea." He then let the dullahan be to continue and hopefully wrap up his search, while keeping a sweeping gaze on the hallway to their left and right for any signs of approaching danger. The temptation to join at least one of the others in searching was strong, but the last thing they needed was some sort of attack sneaking up on them from the hall and trapping them in one of the stores.
|
|
|
Post by luscen on Nov 1, 2023 22:09:24 GMT -6
Casmir frowned at the unexpected results; if they were going by the corresponding number of months, that should have been correct, and yet only one light had lit up on the face of the stone. Was there a detail he was missing? The Hunter folded his arms and looked around the room again, considering the clues being told to him, whether it was intentional on the part of the dungeon master or not.
'Wait, something's wrong,' Casmir realized, as he studied the constellations again. There were thirteen of them, with Ophiuchus the Serpent amongst their number. Ophiuchus was not an "official" Zodiac, but it still held a measure of significance, both as a constellation, but also as in the field of Astrology. Furthermore, some refined charts did include him, changing the order of months to do so. But that new order would have seen Taurus' position shifted down to number 5, not number 4. So, even in that respect it would have been wrong.
"What am I missing...?" Casmir hummed, rubbing his chin with a bemused frown. He considered a few other angles: Was it the number of stars in the constellations? No, because Taurus had more than 4. Was it to do with Numerology? No, because the numbers still wouldn't line up. What was it, then?
The Hunter closed his eyes, folding his arms over his chest, tapping a finger against his bicep. Riddles. The answer to a riddle was often deceptively simple, which is why it could be vexing for overthinkers such as himself. Best to take a step back, strip everything else away, and consider only the relevant parts. Pandora's Riddle. That much was obvious: he was participating in it right now. The Zodiac originated from Greece, but what else was there? If not the months of the calendar, what was the correct answer?
Thinking about riddles and Greece led him to remember one of the more famous stories about a riddle: The riddle of the Sphynx. "What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?" Casmir muttered to himself. Legs... Riddle... Zodiac...
Casmir opened his eyes again, looking back at the box. The symbol for Taurus shined above the dial, set to the number 4. He looked at the corresponding image above the constellation, a rearing bull.
Standing on four legs.
Casmir turned his attention back to the dials, placing them all under new settings, save for the correct one:
1-0-4-8-4-4-4
|
|
|
Post by qhostqrowls on Nov 1, 2023 22:55:12 GMT -6
[Kail grabs the axe, and heads to Moana to find a pair of boots for himself. He asks her if she wants to investigate the light in Big 5, and then see if they can get around the Shutter through the back entrances of stores nearby it, such as Potato Hut]
Kail hefted the axe in his hand, testing the weight of the weapon. It would have to do for now. Axe in hand, he headed towards the shoe section Moana had been in, browsing the shelves for something heavy duty and his size.
“You reckon the light ya saw in the back of Big 5 is important?” He asked, his voice a low whisper. She’d been the one to see it, not him, and if she wanted to investigate further, he’d go with. But he had the nagging feeling time was slipping away from them - that they needed to get past the shutter.
“I’ll go with either way. But after this - I think we gotta get around that shutter. Some of the stores near it gotta have staff hallways that get around it.”
He shrugged, watching Moana closely.
|
|
|
Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 1, 2023 23:36:35 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam gives Sten a thumbs up and begins backing towards the door. He doesn’t exit yet. First, he will try to take pictures of the room, with and without flash, to see if anything shows up. If there’s nothing, he will leave.)
Cold breath against his ear. Intelligible whispers circling like vultures. As much as he tried to ignore the involuntary shiver, Samael couldn’t deny that he was unnerved, irrationally so. His own irrational, useless reactions to this invisible threat frustrating him just as much as the situation itself. With a muttered curse he tried to force himself to focus and think. Stripped of sight, he couldn’t tell if it was a spirit playing tricks on him. But then again, considering the nature of everything else they had encountered in the mall, this seemed unlikely to be anything as benign as a wandering soul.
Behind him, his colleague called out. Slowly, he raised a hand, sending Sten a thumbs up to communicate that he understood, and began to back towards the exit. With nothing immediately capable of aiding their escape, there was no need to linger.
But a thought struck him then, as he was almost by the door. Turning off his phone’s flashlight, Samael instead turned to the camera function, and snapped a few photos of the store, some with flash, some without, to see if anything would show up. He had heard of entities that only showed up on camera or in mirrors before, so maybe it could be useful. Or it would just be a waste of time. Still, it was something to do, and if nothing showed up, he would leave. It didn’t have to be any more complicated than that.
|
|
|
Post by kilnarak on Nov 2, 2023 0:27:07 GMT -6
Casimir was close, he had to be. More of the signs lit up this time: Pisces, Aries, and Taurus. That left Libra, Cancer, Sagittarius, and Gemini to figure out. Given the position of Cancer, it must have been double digits - the sign was positioned over two of the dials, while the others were all only over one. Thusfar, his code appears to be: #-0-4-#-#-#-4-#. What might it be, if not legs...?
-
In the Bike Bandit store, Samael can feel things that he only sees out of the corners of his eyes brushing past him. The sweeping light of his phone can't seem to catch them, nor can his eyes seem to focus quickly enough before they flit away. He can feel the short hairs on the back of his neck standing up as something unseen brushes against his nape.
When he turns off his flashlight, he feels as though the things - whatever they are - draw closer to him, the whispering louder and more insistent. He has the sense that they are stalking him, predators getting ready to pounce. Then he snaps a photo with his camera and in the flash he sees them recoiling - ghostly humanoid forms, black and ephemeral. In the wake of the flash they disappear again, seen only as flitting shadows at the edges of his vision.
Outside of Bike Bandit, perhaps Stenson can read some of Sam's unease in his body language? Or perhaps he is distracted with keeping watch. He sees Moana and Kail come back out of Mountain Gear, with their fresh hiking boots and newly acquired... weapons? At least the climbing axe looks like it could be a weapon, the ski-pole... is a ski-pole. It would hurt to get whacked with it, or poked with the tip, but it really doesn't look like much as far as weapons go... The pair seem to be discussing where they should go next.
|
|