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Post by Salandis on Nov 2, 2023 1:23:13 GMT -6
[Moana agrees with Kail that they should try and get behind the shutter, picks up burnables on the way out]
Moana stood up in her new boots and stretched as Kail made his way through the same pile. “Hiking supplies,” she said, “These boots were made fer walking,” she chuckled. In the darkened store she felt safer than she had any other time in the mall.
She listened to Kail’s reasoning, impressed with his reasoning, and then nodded. “The light… could be something,” she admitted unhappily. “Given what that store was like, it could just be a trap though. This whole place seems actively hostile, and lighted stores being dangerous while dark ones feel safe…” She trailed off and then nodded again. “Let’s go see if we can get around the shutter. We can at least check all the stores opposite the fountain.”
She pauses to pick up some additional fire starting supplies – actual firestarting kerosene blocks if she can find ‘em – and will leave behind the ski-pole if that makes her backpack too heavy to carry.
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Post by luscen on Nov 2, 2023 5:08:15 GMT -6
Casmir raised an eyebrow in bemusement- he seemed to be correct, or so he thought, as more of the symbols lit up. More, but not all. 'It seems that it's not legs...' he mused, looking over the pictures again and trying to figure out what the last piece of the proverbial puzzle was. He tilted his head as he looked at the image of the Centaur, Sagittarius; four legs, yes. But two arms. Could it be that simple?
The Hunter gazed back at the dials with a piercing glower. He adjusted them again, though he paused when he came to Cancer's- it sat over two dials, and yet, if his theory was correct, what did that mean? His eyes flitted from the symbol to the dials, over to the image of the crab, then back. He quickly adjusted the knobs, having made a decision.
0 - 0 - 4 - 1 - 0 - 6 - 4 - 8
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Nov 2, 2023 17:32:09 GMT -6
[Stenson notices Sam's odd behavior and remembers the camera in his backpack. He takes it out, ensures it is on and the flash is active, and begins taking photos of the store to see if whatever was bothering Sam might be affected (or at least show up on in the photos).]
A simple thumbs up was all Stenson got from Sam as the other agent continued his search of the bike store. But that only eased Stenson's tension a small degree, and the longer he lingered outside of the store, the more uneasy he began to feel.
Just then, a flash blinked inside the store. Stenson turned almost instantly at this, his mind flashing terrified images of the red lights, but found that it was still only Sam in the store. He had now started taking...photos? That was strange, but the more Stenson watched the dullahan, the stranger the dullahan's motions and behavior seemed to become. It was almost as if he were reacting to something that wasn't there. Or at least wasn't visible?
"Oh great..." Stenson whispered. Something else, perhaps unseen, but very likely as dangerous as the rest of the mall. This place had no shortage of surprise hostilities lurking within it. Still, whatever the flash camera setting on Sam's phone was doing, it could be working. Stenson pulled the backpack to his front and unzipped it open, and began digging around until his hand grasped the object he was looking for. It was the new digital camera, he'd nearly forgotten about it. If whatever was harassing Sam could be deterred or captured with photos or flash, Stenson wanted to add to it.
Returning the backpack to his shoulders, Stenson turned the camera around in his hand until he found the 'on' button. It was a simple camera, nothing fancy like Kit's professional and interchangeable flash and lens setup. No, this one was all built in, but hopefully it would suffice. After a quick check on the settings to ensure the flash was on full power, Stenson stood in the threshold of the store's entrance and brought the camera up and began to take picture after picture, ensuring that the bright flicker of light captured as much of the store's dark interior as he could. He gave each photo a cursory glance as he worked, trying to spot what might be bothering Sam.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Nov 2, 2023 21:44:01 GMT -6
[Kail heads to Potato Hut to see if he can get into the staff hallway behind the shop. He will attempt to lock pick if the staff door is locked, and then break it with his axe if that doesn’t work]
“Alright, let’s get the hell outta here.”
Kail flashed a somewhat uneasy smile, hefting the axe so the shaft rested over his shoulder. He glanced down the hallway, not particularly concerned with how the others were faring, but wanting to see where they’d ended up and what they’d found.
Stenson was the only one visible - was taking photos, of all things. After a moment of unimpressed staring, the wendigo decided they should at least attempt to regroup at some point. Safety in numbers and all.
“We’re gonna find a way around the shutter through the staff hallways.” He whisper-yelled to the agent. He didn’t wait for a reply, and began to prowl towards the closest store to the shutter, Potato Hut.
He’d head straight for the staff entrance, and if it was locked, would attempt to lock pick again. If that didn’t work, he had an axe to break it down with.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 2, 2023 23:51:13 GMT -6
(OOC: as Sten is taking pictures, Sam exits the store, using the camera flash himself if necessary. Once out of the store he will hold the door closed, if possible.)
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Post by kilnarak on Nov 3, 2023 1:23:25 GMT -6
Casmir's next attempt at the code was almost entirely correct - all of the symbols lit up save the first, which remained dark. Libra. How many limbs did a scale have, then? It certainly didn't have arms or legs, but did it have something else that might count as limbs? Well, if he couldn't suss that out, then there was always the brute force method - he could try every number until one lit up, if need be.
In the end, Casmir would discern the code: 2-0-4-1-0-6-4-8. When all the symbols lit up there was a shift in the room's lighting, the ambience of night gradually lightening back to the blue skies of day, the symbols fading from the walls. And the chest lid clicked open, lifting easily. Inside, laid upon a black velvet pillow, was a delicate looking skeleton key made of clear glass. When Casmir reaches to take it, it feels slightly warm in his hand, and he knows immediately that it will open any door here - anything with a keyhole can be unlocked. However he also knows that it is a delicate thing, and there is a good chance that it will break after any given use.
The view outside the glass storefront has changed again, the void replaced with the familiar sight of the upstairs hallway. Casmir sees movement outside, toward the central well - Moana and Kail are making their way up from the south west corner toward Potato Hut, a vendor near the metal shutter.
There was still a bit of room in Moana's pack, and she had been able to stuff in three of the blocks before following Kail away from Mountain Gear, to Potato Hut. The halls are still dark, and there are faint noises somewhere below, coming up from the well - clanging and a distant shout. The voice is vaguely familiar to her, although she can't place from where.
Kail reaches Potato Hut first - the unlit sign shows a yellow potato that turns into fries, with green text reading the name of the shop over it. The door into the place is unlocked, although the customer area here is fairly small - perhaps 10 feet of space, then the counter with a register where the cashier should be. Behind that is a swinging door leading into the kitchen, where there would most certainly be a number of fryers. Kail and Moana move into the store and around the counter, past the swinging doors into the unlit kitchen behind it. They ignore the friers and move straight to the staff door in the back. It appears to be locked, and Kail immediately pulls out his zipties to begin trying to pick the lock.
It takes him a little bit to get it open, and while Moana waits she sees dark shapes skittering about the kitchen - more of those bugs. They don't seem to be getting close, but they are certainly more active in the dark. The hallway it opens into is pitch black, the walls riddled with holes; they see more of the scurrying bugs fleeing the movement of the opening door - vague dark shapes against the only slightly lighter floor.
-
Stenson's camera flashes seem to do a decent job of keeping the shadowy things off of Samael and the dullahan is able to hurry out of the store. He shuts the doors and holds them closed, but even as he does he feels a cold slithering something brush against his ear, and hears the whispering as it rushes past him. It raises goosebumps on his skin. Behind him, Stenson now sees the the black shapes - a blur as they rush out of the bike store into the open hall. They're harder to keep track of now, and he feels them moving near him, can hear their whispering. The sound is unnatural and unnerving. He cannot understand what they are saying, but whatever it is, it doesn't sound the least bit friendly.
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Post by luscen on Nov 3, 2023 2:04:13 GMT -6
[CASMIR takes the skeleton key and carefully pockets it. Once he sees SAM and STEN, however, he rushes back into the Mystic Eye, wary of the FLOOR GORE's corpse, and searches for several sticks of incense, his experience with the arcane suggesting that it might help ward the other two from whatever spirits are trying to attack them.]
Casmir's guess was right on the mark; it wasn't legs, but limbs. Every sigil on the case flashed to light, save the Libra. 0 hadn't worked, and neither had 1, which meant it would either be 2 or 3. And, sure enough, once the dial hit 2, there was a click and the lid opened, revealing its contents. The Hunter raised a hand to his face to shield himself from the sudden flash of light, before lifting up the lid and peering in. He saw a clear glass key, picking it up and examining it. Despite it's fragile-looking nature, it had a bit of heft to it, more than a normal key would. Beyond that, it had a toothless shaft, with only the bit at the end remaining.
'A skeleton key...' Casmir mused thoughtfully. This would certainly come in handy, if they came across something that couldn't be bypassed using brute force or a riddlemaster's wit. Yet even though it felt sturdier than the material it seemed to be made of, something told the scarred blonde not to try pressing his luck with it. So, carefully wrapping it in some protective cloth from the desk, he pocketed it in his utility belt, and exited the store, making a beeline back to Jones and Sam, noticing Kail and Moana entering into the Potato Hut across the other side of the atrium. They'd need to head there next, hopefully after he snatched a machete from the Fish Pro.
Or, that had been the intention; as soon as he rounded the corner, he saw the helmeted agent push his considerable frame against the door, while the other man was flashing his camera wildly at the air around them. "Cholera," came the muttered expletive, as he quickly dashed back and into the Mystic Eye, hoping that the corpse inside yet remained a corpse. Slipping quietly into the shop and wary for threats, he immediately began looking through the incense sticks for dragon's blood, rue, and myrrh, knowing they were the most potent defenses for driving off evil spirits, which he figured Sam must have somehow encountered. While he couldn't be sure of the countermeasure's efficacy, they wouldn't be able to fight off intangible threats swinging their fists around, and the camera flashes would only do so much. Better to try the seasoned approach and hope for the best.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Nov 3, 2023 10:47:25 GMT -6
[Stenson will urge Sam to head south, and also shouts 'food area, staff halls' towards Casmir hoping the hunter knows where to meet back up with them. He then makes a run for it, snapping photos behind him as they go to hopefully discourage the shadow things from following. He intends to run to and find Kail/Moana's current position.]
The moment Sam exited the store, Stenson was quick to assist with closing and holding the door shut with one free arm while he held the camera at the ready with the other. Their efforts seemed promising, except for the fact that Stenson could now see black shapes of many 'somethings' now passing out of the store and into the hallway around them. Stenson turned, aiming the camera at the bulk of them and snapped a few more flash photos in their direction before grabbing Sam's arm and pulling him south. "C'mon, time to go!" He urged, insisting Sam follow him down the hall and around the corner towards the food area. He had heard Kail call to them just before Sam had exited that they were going in that direction to find a staff room, so at least he knew where the others were headed. Casmir was still uncertain, at least until he saw the hunter appear at the north end of the hall. He stood for a moment and made to run back, but Stenson called after him before moving to escape with Sam.
"FOOD AREA, STAFF HALLS" He shouted after the hunter as Casmir ran back the other way. He could only hope the other man heard him, wherever he was now running off to.
With no time to waste, Stenson made his way down the hall and towards the food area where he intended to catch up with Kail and Moana. Every so often, he turned and flashed a photo or two at the black shadows, unsure if they were following but wanting to discourage them from doing so regardless. The camera's flash would hopefully hold out a little longer, at least until they could put some distance between themselves and the phantoms.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Nov 3, 2023 23:12:05 GMT -6
[Kail asks for Moanas ski-pole so he can make another torch, tearing cloth from the other arm of his hoodie and dipping it in the deep-fryer oil. He then turns on his flashlight, continuing straight down the staff hallway and trying the right door, will proceed with his usual lock pick to bashing it down procedure]
Kail felt a rush of smug satisfaction when the lock clicked open, pleased he hadn’t had to chop the door down and blunt his new weapon. He held it open for Moana, ushering her inside with a sarcastic flourish.
He glanced down the length of the infested corridor, glancing at the ski pole Moana had bought.
“Hey, can I use ya ski pole? We can make another torch with the fryer oil.”
If Moana relinquished her makeshift weapon, he’d make a torch the same way he had before - cutting the other arm of his hoodie off, and tying the fabric around the pole before dipping it in one of the many deep-fryers of the kitchen.
His high spirits faded when he heard shouting from Stenson, and he scowled in the direction of the noise before slipping into the dark, bug-infested corridor. He passed the unlit torch to Moana with an eye-roll.
“It’s like these dumbasses are trying to attract attention.” He hissed beneath his breath, clicking on the flashlight and sweeping it across the pitch-black of the corridor, over the shiny carapaces of too many skittering insects.
“If these little fuckers start tryna get closer, fire should keep them back. I reckon these are what the worms turn into, and I doubt they lose their appetite for flesh.”
He continued down the corridor, trying the right door.
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Post by Salandis on Nov 3, 2023 23:48:21 GMT -6
[Moana backs into the staff rooms with Kail, but is watching Sten's approach with the plasma torch at the ready]
Moana strode in through the door with a smile and a swagger. “Careful, I’m impressed,” she commented. When he asked, she handed over the pole quite happily. “I think the heat does as good a job as the light keeping the things away,” she said quietly. “Probably makes sense they’re linked with the worms, it’s probably the only reason they aren’t eating each other.”
She stayed quiet while Kail made a torch with the apparent ease of long practice. She turned to look when Stenson loudly headed towards them though. “Dammit, is he trying to get us killed to?” she muttered. She grabbed the plasma torch at the ready, following Kail into the corridor while keeping ready for… well, whatever the fuck had Sten so wound up. Was he running from ghosts?
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Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 4, 2023 0:28:16 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam goes with Sten following Kail and Moana’s path, will keep his phone’s flashlight pointed behind them.)
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Post by kilnarak on Nov 4, 2023 1:42:55 GMT -6
Upon seeing Sten and Sam reacting to something he cannot see, Casmir bolts into The Mystic Eye to retrieve some incense. His sudden entrance startles a mass of bugs that had been gathered around the gory carcass in the back. The swarm quickly breaks and scurries off into various holes, but he can easily see that they have been devouring the carcass and leaving white worms in it's place - what red flesh remains is riddled with small squirming white bodies. The gore hadn't been why he had come in here, however, and he busies himself with finding the incenses he wanted as quickly as he could. It takes a bit to find the rue - that was stashed in the counter beneath the register - but the dragon's blood and myrrh are gathered quickly enough.
His incense gathered, Casmir hurries out of the store toward where he had last seen Sten and Sam. He arrives in time to see them turning the southern-most corner, fleeing after Kail and Moana. He also sees something black flitting through the air after them - the briefest hint of a blurred form, and then nothing but the dark hallway. While he is deciding whether to follow them directly or to head back down the jewelry hall and regroup at the central well, he hears a soft whispering approaching him, getting louder as it grows closer. It gains on him quickly, until it feels like the sibilant voice is hissing words directly into his ears and he feels a cold touch brush his cheek. As the hissing grows louder he feels something in his mind snap. The hissing whispers begin to sound like laughter as they withdraw from him.
As the sound fades and he is left standing in the hall, uninjured, but with something strange stirring inside of him. He realizes he is hungry, and he thinks back on the mess the bugs in the Mystic Eye had been devouring - the blood and viscera, the rotting flesh, even the worms. He wonders how they would taste, how quickly they would fill his belly. He wants to eat them - perhaps in this situation it might even prove a boon to him. While this one was an enigma, weren't some monsters' flesh considered delicacies? They could bring immortality, neutralize poison, give newfound strength... What might that creature's flesh grant him? And why did the bugs so greedily gobble it up?
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Stenson and Samael flee to the south. They can hear the creatures hiss in displeasure as Stenson's camera flashes at them, can see brief glimpses of them in the light - vague humanoid shapes that are tattered at the edges, an impression of hollow eyes and gaping mouths with gleaming obsidian teeth. As they hurry down the corridor and around the bend, toward the Potato Hut, they can feel the shadow-creatures following them, their voices a hiss like static in their ears, each brushing touch cold as ice. While the light does seem to hurt them, the phone flashlight doesn't seem to do quite as well as the camera - they slip around the light to brush the fleeing agent's flanks with their incorporeal claws. Both feel a fresh surge of terror as they rush to the dark restaurant that Kail and Moana have slipped into.
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Kail and Moana move into the staff hallway behind the Potato Hut. They can hear a commotion back out in the main hall - the two agents making a run for their location. Kail quickly moves down the hall to the south-eastern-most door, figuring that will be their best bet at getting into the shuttered off section of the second floor. As he reaches for the door, he's already thinking of what he'll do if it's locked - it's probably locked, every other door seems to be. He hesitates just before touching the doorknob, however, as he watches small darker black holes appearing in the presumably-white surface of the door. They're hard to see in the darkened hallway, but he's sure he can see them, and he can see the inky black worms crawling through them, riddling the door like they had that body downstairs. Should he blink or glance away, when he looks back again the door is just a door and should he turn the handle he will find it unlocked, leading into another dark hallway.
Moana does not see anything aside from a door, presumably-white but the darkness of the hall has painted it gray. She can hear the bugs moving through their burrows in the walls, however, but none of them approach her or Kail. The larger bugs seem skittish and unwilling to approach - but there are so many of them, it's easy to imagine a swarm of them washing through the hallways.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 4, 2023 21:14:37 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam enters the staff hallway asks Moana for the plasma torch, or that she at least focuses it into the potato hut store and the creatures.)
Samael didn’t stop as they entered Potato hut, heading directly for the staff door and doing all he could to ignore the return of the creeping dread. There was no doubt that whatever those things were, they were right behind them, and nothing they had done seemed to hold them back. His lungs burned. Useless
Swinging open the door to the staff hall, Samael’s gaze landed on Moana. “Unless you feel like entertaining much worse company than me, I need to borrow that plasma torch”, he breathed, then, realizing what he had said, he added, “or you can shine it into the store we came from. Nothing I did could stop those things. That might.”
There was something almost apologetic about his tone, though he didn’t have time to linger on anything like that. He could apologize if things calmed down, right now, they once again had to focus on not getting torn apart. It was getting tedious this second time around.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Nov 4, 2023 22:05:08 GMT -6
[Stenson is close behind Sam, gives the shadows one final flash photo treatment before moving aside to allow Sam or Moana to plasma torch them.]
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Post by luscen on Nov 4, 2023 23:09:11 GMT -6
[CASMIR tries and fails to stave off the assault. He returns to the Mystic Eye, but before he can attempt to consume the bloody, worm-infested remains of the FLOOR GORE, he briefly remembers the Skeleton Key he picked up, and the fact the others might need it, as well as the OLD WOMAN from earlier. Perhaps some remaining part of his will trying to shake off the madness. Regardless, he pulls out his lighter and begins to roast the “meal” in front of him before partaking of it.]
Casmir grimaced as he saw a swarm of cockroach-like bugs flee from their feast of the blood ooze’s remains. Out of a sense of morbid curiosity, he drew closer, to get a better look at what lay beneath. He beheld a writhing mass of sickly pale white, grotesquely wriggling through the fetid mire, like maggots on the underside of a trash can lid. It was enough to turn the stomach, even for someone like him.
The Hunter tore himself away from the repugnant display, his concerns over the corpse now mollified. Deftly, he plucked out the dragon’s blood and myrrh incense from the racks, but there was no sign of the rue, the space for it barren. He checked behind the counter, and was met with success with a spare package behind a storage flap.
The sound of squeaking boots across linoleum and Jones’ call reached Casmir’s ears- no more time to waste. He gathered the incense together in one hand, using his lighter to ignite the sticks. A sweet smell filled the air after a few moments, and as quickly as he dared, the scarred man went back to the northern hallway. Jones’s form disappeared around the southern corner, along with a dark shape he could barely see.
On guard, the Hunter raised the incense, letting the aroma fill the air around him like a ward. He took a tentative step backward as he felt, rather than heard something approaching, sibilant whispers reaching his ears, growing louder with each passing moment. Eventually the whispers become deafening, drowning everything else, even his own thoughts. With a guttural, wordless yell of defiance, Casmir fought the assault, but there was a sudden sense of vertigo, and everything went numb.
Casmir pushed himself up from off the floor, he mouth dry. What happened? He was trapped, in the mall, he’d… gone to get some incense- the Hunter winced suddenly as a painful cramping assaulted him. His goddamn stomach was killing him! He staggered to his feet, grabbing the scattered incense sticks, while his free hand clutched his abdomen. He needed some food, but there’d been nothing in this bloody place worth eating!
Well, almost nothing… He saw the Mystic Eye to his left. Remembered the fat little grubs wriggling gleefully in the muck left behind by the blood ooze. Certainly, it wasn’t the most appetizing of meals, but he’d eaten worse. He shambled over to the shop, growing hungrier by the moment, and found the squirming pile right where he’s left it. He hesitated, however; he needed to catch up to the others- they’d need his skeleton key, wouldn’t they? But one bite wouldn’t hurt? But then the image of the old woman came to mind, the bullet hole in her head, and the sight of something crawling underneath, almost like-
No. No, Casmir couldn’t just eat all this raw… So, he pulled out his lighter, instead, holding the torch over the wriggling mass. Grubs tasted better with a little browning, after all! And the blood and viscera would just help lock in the flavor, too.
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