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Post by qhostqrowls on Nov 4, 2023 23:27:49 GMT -6
[OOC: Kail pushes the handle down with his elbow, and then nudges the door open with a boot. Shines the flashlight into the interior of the hallway before proceeding to the next door.]
Kail paused, narrowing his eyes and staring at the door. He could have sworn it was worm-riddled just a second ago, and felt a flash of irritation that he could not see through the dark as he usually could. He shone his flashlight over the wood, suspicious. But it looked normal now, and he was aware of Moana’s eyes on his back.
Hesitantly, he pushed down on the handle with his elbow, making sure his skin didn’t make contact, and then nudged it the rest of the way open with the toe of his boot.
“Thought I saw worms. Maybe don’t touch it-“
He was cut off as Samuel and Stenson barrelled down the hallway, scowling as the helmeted man spoke. He hesitated on the threshold, waiting to see what the taniwha would do - to see if they needed help, or if she’d actually use the previous remaining charge on whatever had the agents running.
“Nice work leading them straight to us,” He snapped, turning his back to shine his torch on the interior of the next hallway, slinking towards the first door he saw.
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Post by Salandis on Nov 5, 2023 0:06:04 GMT -6
[If Moana see’s the ghosties, she will apply plasma torch treatment. Not convinced anything is back there though?]
Moana held up the torch, but… she didn’t see anything. It seriously looked like the two agents were running from nothing at all, and for a moment she considered using the torch on them instead. What if they had been contaminated somehow?
But the door was open behind her, Kail muttering about it being full of bugs – and boy was that hallway packed with them. The black skittering mass was like a carpet, and Moana was devoutly grateful she had found better boots. But before she could go further inside the staff corridor, the agents arrived instead.
Sam paused, breathing heavily, asking for the torch – or to shine it behind them, while Stenson simply threw himself to the side, expecting its use. Moana looked into the Potato Hut behind them, turning on the Plasma Torch and with her thumb poised on the focus slider. Was there anything to kill back there? Were there cold shadows with black teeth chasing in their wake? “What did you bring to us?” she snapped, echoing Kail as she scanned the darkness for… anything.
Needless to say, if she saw anything chasing the duo she absolutely will blast them. She’s only used one charge, and has a fresh battery to hand.
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Post by kilnarak on Nov 5, 2023 4:22:31 GMT -6
Stenson's camera flashes at least seem to be causing the creatures some distress - they can hear their whispering turn to hissing as the flashes of light catch them. Still, he and Samael can feel the shadow creatures doggedly pursuing them. As he they reach Kail and Moana, Stenson's nerve finally breaks. The whispers are loud in his ears and instead of ducking aside to make room for the plasma torch, he stumbles into the wall and falls. The whispering begins to sound like music to him, the crackling static and pop music playing on the speakers a beautiful choir's song, the melody an ever-changing constant in his mind - it calls to him, bidding him to come to her, the siren, to make an offering... And he wants to go to her - the siren, the mermaid of the fountain - he needs to reach her and make her song known to the others. His resolve strengthens and his head clears with this new focus.
Moana is at first unmoved by the panicked agents, but as Stenson falls she begins to hear the whispering as well, to see the things flitting at the edges of her vision. She sees one hovering over Stenson a moment, before darting back into the gloom. It's enough to convince her, and she slides the focus up, letting the light flare at where she had last seen the one that had brought down Stenson. The creature screams as it's caught in the focused light, the sound loud and piercing, but it darts quickly to the side. The Plasma Torch didn't kill it, but it definitely hurt it gravely.
Kail moves into the newly-opened-and-no-longer-wormy door into the dark hallway. He reaches the first door, on his left, and tries it. He finds it locked and almost gets out his zip-ties again to pick it before he realizes the lock is on this side. He turns it and the door opens easily onto the unlit main hall. He can see no electric lights here on this side of the shutter, although there is some ambient light coming from somewhere - a skylight, maybe? Or windows along the eastern wall, overlooking the parking-lot? Immediately next to the door he came out of there are a pair of restrooms, as well as a phone area. He can also see a sign indicating an escalator ahead of him and... darker black against the light colored floor. Is there a hole there?
-
The unnatural hunger twisting his gut, Casmir finds himself headed back into The Mystic Eye. He crouches down near the mess of gore on the floor and stops himself just short of shoveling it raw into his mouth. The urge is there, but some small vestige of sanity insists that he at least sear the flesh, the worms that writhe and emit small high-pitched shrieks as he sears them with his lighter, before putting it into his mouth. The rational part of his brain expects disgust, the vile taste of rot, but strangely the worm-ridden flesh is... succulent? The taste is difficult to describe but it's pleasant. What's more, as he swallows he can feel some of the wounds on his body knitting closed...
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Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 5, 2023 15:43:58 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam urges Sten to get up and keep going, but is unnerved by his behavior. He tries to explain what he encountered and urges the group to keep going.)
“Get up”, Samael urged his fallen colleague, looking him over for wounds, “are you hurt?” Something had changed. Though he hadn’t worked much with Stenson, he knew the man didn’t make a habit of running into walls, and he hadn’t missed the way one of those shadow… things had hovered over his body. So what had it done? Was it a creature capable of possession perhaps? Or something worse? There were still far too many unknowns. At least the plasma torch had worked, bought them some time…
Samael looked to Moana, who stood with the flashlight pointed at them still. “I take it you saw them. I don’t know what those things are, but that torch seems to be the only thing that can harm them”, he still spoke calmly, controlled, but something about his tone had changed, a wariness curling around his words, “we have to keep moving. Maybe we can loose those things.” It was a stretch, foolish optimism perhaps, but they couldn’t just stick around and wait for those things. If they made it out, he was never visiting a mall again, that much was certain.
“And I know it isn’t much, all things considered, but thanks”, Samael said to Moana, inclining his head in a small nod.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Nov 5, 2023 19:38:17 GMT -6
[Stenson knows the answers, he knows they need to find the fountain. He tells the others they're on the right track, and he is all hope and relieved about it.]
The world began a violent spin under Stenson's feet as he moved to avoid being in the way of the plasma torch. The sensation was so sudden and unexpected, the agent had only a moment to see the wall as it rushed to meet him and the next thing he knew he was on his side on the hard ground. He pushed with one arm against the floor, rolling over onto his back and looked up at the shadowy silhouette hovering over him. He heard it in his ears, his mind, the crackling pop music mixed with the strange whispering voice as he fought against it. His breathing hissed through clenched teeth as he tried to ward it off but soon the voice broke through. It was like cold water on a hot wound, the words drifted through his broken mind like a welcomed disease. It cooed and explained, its nonsense a perfect harmony among his fractured senses and as Sam urged him to stand, he felt completely at ease. It all made sense. Even the music currently playing overhead seemed...better. Beautiful even.
Stenson sat up, his body relaxed and stood to join the others. Everyone around him seemed tense, and Sam's visor was aimed at him, almost as if concerned. "Are you hurt?" the other asked, and Stenson looked at him with complete calm. He smiled and shook his head. "No. I'm not, I'm fine." He said, his voice uplifted, his spirit humored by the events around him. "We've had it wrong all along. I know what we need to do. They told me everything." He said. But had they? He tried to recall the voice, the words, but mostly he could only think of one thing. There was a woman somewhere, she was the answer. "We need to find her. I....she's the answer."
His eyebrows furrowed for a moment, still trying to recall the exact words, but it didn't matter. If the others asked him what he meant, he would look at them straight in the eye with a focused expression and tell them likewise. "It doesn't matter. We're right, the fountain. We need to find the fountain. We're going to be alright." He breathed, placing a hand on each shoulder of the dullahan and looking around at the others like someone giving a comforting pep talk. He smiled, a wholehearted expression of relief and hope. For those who knew him, it would seem totally natural, his old self even.
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Post by luscen on Nov 5, 2023 21:59:51 GMT -6
[CASMIR has himself some stir-fried worms in a blood-and-viscera sauce, then hurries to rejoin the others, still clutching his lit incense sticks.]
Casmir began to hum to himself as he watched the flames catch across the blood's surface, the light dancing madly in his eyes as he watched the pale shapes on the floor writhe, their bone-white flesh searing. A heavenly aroma filled his nose, shrieking reaching his ears from somewhere. It took him a moment before he realized it was from the worms, and he gave a short chuckle; there was a time where those screams would have been sobering, kept him up. But now it was like the sizzling of succulent strips of meat over a hot fire. Just the right amount of ambience to whet the appetite.
The Hunter frowned as he deliberated on just how to eat this, however- scooping it up off the floor with his bare hands would be wasteful, after all. But then, he spied a pair of letter openers nearby, and snatched them up, using them like chopsticks to scrape the food up and into his mouth. He savored the texture, rolling it around in his mouth, letting his tongue travel all along the dish. It was certainly unlike anything he'd had before, but it was... quite delectable, after a fashion.
He consumed more, and as he did, he felt more at ease, wiping his mouth once he'd polished off the last of it. Standing, he sighed contentedly, then rolled his shoulder, where the woman had scratched him. Taking off the coat for a moment, he removed the makeshift bandage he'd made of the ripped shirt, and saw that the wound was good as new! He gave another chuckle, then frowned as he realized he needed to get to the others- he'd had his meal, now he needed to get out.
Putting his coat back on and setting the letter openers down, the Hunter quickly hurried off towards the Potato Hut across the way. Hopefully, the incense still clutched in his hand would deter any further spirits from bothering him.
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Post by Salandis on Nov 6, 2023 0:45:30 GMT -6
[Moana moves the agents through the corridor and into the area behind the shutter, following Kail. Open to suggests on working around from here.]
“Thanks later, that thing isn’t dead.” Moana said abruptly, helping Sam pick Stenson up and then pushing them both back into the corridor. Taking one last look into the darkened store, torch at the ready, she closed the creatures out. If a door would even do that anyway. Any further attacks would prompt her to use the remaining charge, but her focus is on out, not fight.
She worked around the agents as Stenson gushed about the fountain, and snorted. “I think we should go for the sword first, then the fountain,” she commented, trying to look – well, everywhere for threats in this darkened staff hallway. “The fountain’s downstairs, and I don’t recommend any of the escalators. With luck, the sword should be…” She trailed off as she emerged near Kail, looking at the hole in the floor. “Bugger.” She said calmly. “That makes things a bit difficult. Do we go into the other staff corridor? I could probably make it near the barrier with a running start, unless we can get behind the Convenient.”
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Post by kilnarak on Nov 6, 2023 4:19:49 GMT -6
There were two of them, Moana decided, as she watched the shadows flitting at the edges of her vision, trying to keep track of them in case she needed to use the Plasma Torch on them again. She would rather not use up another charge on them - that would mean she'd need to change the battery, and she only had the one. She heard before she saw one of the things slipping forward, its movement a blur and it's breath cold on her skin, and she swung the flashlight toward it, ready to blast it - but the normal, unfocused light sizzled through it and it hissed and withdrew before it could manage more than the lightest touch. She swept the flashlight toward the other and it also withdrew, hissing - but when the beam was on one, the other would creep forward, she couldn't keep both of them in the beam at the same time.
Instead of letting them take turns coming at the group and getting swept with the beam, she hurried the two agents through the door into the other staff hall and closed it behind them. It was questionable whether it would keep the creatures at bay - Sam had tried to close a door on them earlier and they had simply phased through the glass storefront - but for the moment it seemed to be working.
Samael helps the newly-calm Stenson into the hall and through the door Kail had opened, worried about the other agent's state of mind. Calm was definitely an improvement over panicked, but also the change was so sudden... And then there was what the other agent was saying, talking about a 'her' and the fountain below... What could that mean?
The trio emerge into the main hall in time to see Kail approaching the edge of the nearest break in the floor, peering down into the dark below. He should be able to see the first floor below, but there was nothing but darkness down there, almost like a black fog. Given the size of the break, it was surprising more of the floor hadn't fallen away... Still, if they were careful about it, maybe they could jump the gap. Or maybe they could go through more of the staff hallway and through one of the other stores? There were the escalators as well, just behind him and to the right, but those had looked just as suspicious as the ones in the sporting goods section - odd black ooze coming up between the steps...
-
His hunger momentarily sated, Casmir wipes the blood from his mouth and hurries out of The Mystic Eye. He skirts around the central well and makes for Potato Hut, where he had last seen the others. The doors are open, and as he moves through the kitchen and into the staff hall, he hears a familiar whispering. A little further and he begins to see the shadows at the edges of his vision again. At least for the moment, they don't seem to be paying him any mind. It's hard to focus on them, but they seem to be near the door to the south.
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Post by luscen on Nov 6, 2023 6:00:16 GMT -6
[CASMIR lays a trap for the ghosts in the hallway, using half his marble bag and his flashlight to bathe the spot he can hear them whispering from in light, so he can get past them.]
Casmir’s jaunt through the dark mall was thankfully free of any more unpleasant encounters. And while he’d considered going back for a machete, there was no telling how long that would last. So instead he made a beeline for the Potato Hut, finding it unlocked. The access hallway was similarly unlocked, and there were no signs of any malevolent specters. If only he had his eye… then he could pluck this worthless orb out of his head, and put it to better use…
’Don’t get distracted,’ the Hunter chided himself. He quietly pushed the kitchen door open, silently slipping in. To his left was another door, but further down the south he could hear a faint, familiar whispering. Best not to push his luck again… the amulet might not protect him a second time.
The others had to be past that area, but to get to them, he had to clear the hallway. He still wasn’t sure if the incense would work, so what other options did he have? He recalled that Jones was snapping photos on his camera like there was no tomorrow… were they vulnerable to light, then?
Casmir checked his pocket- the high lumen flashlight he’d grabbed from Fish Pro might do the trick? But could he up the odds in his favor? The Hunter searched and came up with the bag of eyeball marbles he’d grabbed, earlier. That sounded promising…
The blonde carefully doled out half the marble bag, then with a controlled motion, he rolled them down the hallway, listening to them quietly click, clack, and clatter as they scattered around the floor of the hallway in the darkness. He wasn’t sure if that would get the spirits’ attention, so he quickly clicked the flashlight on, and angled it towards the floor, the marbles’ polished surface refracting the light and bouncing it all around that portion of the hallway, bathing it in light. Hopefully, that would snare them long enough for him to dart past. If not, then with luck the incense would keep them at bay long enough for him to try a direct hit.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 6, 2023 17:48:03 GMT -6
(OOC: while the group decides what to do, Samael fishes out the note and deciphers it. He is now wary of Stenson and considering what his course of action will be if he get more insistent on going to the fountain. Suggests that they check out the staff hallways and might be able to find a way around the pit through the other stores and connected hallways.)
While the two youths were debating jumping over the pit and Stenson raved about the fountain, Samael’s gloved hand absentmindedly found the scribbled note again. With everything that had been happening, he hadn’t exactly had the time to study it too thoroughly and it irritated him, an itch in the back of his mind. As he studied the nonsensical scribbles, having a moment of relative quiet, a pattern became clear to him and allowed him to rearrange the letters. The message that appeared was as cryptic as everything else, answered little to no questions.
Samael, This place is not what it seems. Look for the Key, the Call, the Echo, the Blade, the Torch and the Cone. They will help you. It isn’t what it looks like. It’s not a fountain.
It’s not a fountain. Behind the mirrored visor, his gaze drifted to Stenson - his colleague’s ramblings, though already disconcerting, took on a more sinister quality. Carefully, he tucked the note back in his pocket. Samael already wasn’t keen on going to this fountain, considering what had happened to Stenson to make him suggest it, but if his colleague became more insistent, he would need to be prepared to handle it. He could hopefully knock him out or restrain him if need be, though he’d much prefer not having to do so.
And how much of this should he tell the others? Would they even trust him and this note he woke up with? Why did he trust it? It was the closest thing he had to a lead or a goal, but that was about it. He considered the items mentioned and the name of the various stores. Assuming they had the torch, there were still other items to find, though some were horribly vague. The most concrete was the key and the blade, the latter of which seemed to point towards a store they had already considered, Pure Blades. A store which was not located on the other side of the pit in the floor.
“Before we go jumping over pits, wouldn’t it be worth checking out if the staff hallways provide a way around?”, Samael suggested, nodding towards the staff hallways doors they hadn’t checked, “if some of the floor is intact here, it might also be the case for other stores, like Be Prepared or Pure Blades further down the hall.”
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Nov 6, 2023 19:24:05 GMT -6
[Stenson is still thinking about his latest epiphany as he follows the group, and acts interested in whatever the group is interested in. But he is thinking of her, and what he thinks she might need when the time comes.]
Stenson's pep talk ended as quickly as it had begun, and soon he was being forcibly pushed into the waiting staff halls. He did not resist, and Sam was quick to join him as the woman with the plasma torch ushered them along. She was quick with keeping the shadow figures at bay, and thankfully they seemed to remain on the other side of the door. Although, Stenson seemed unconcerned with the shadows now, focusing instead on what he now considered their priority. At Moana's mention of the sword, Stenson only gave a half-hearted nod of acknowledgement and repeated "Yes, of course, which I would still bet all my money the fountain and this magic sword are what we need. Especially with how heavily closed-off this fountain is...there's something important there."
Or someone. Her.
Yes, of course the sword, whatever. That was "before", but he would try to ensure they get to their primary target. At this point, whatever encouraged the group to head in the fountain's direction, he would play along.
He moved with the rest of the group, mind still mulling over the female, mermaid, siren, whomever, who was their goal. He was still certain she was their solution, and he knew she would need something in return for their freedom. A sacrifice, and as the group looked down through the broken floor, he acted interested in what they were looking at but instead he was taking inventory of what....or who....would make a good sacrifice. Maybe the sword, maybe not. He could only hope she would guide him once they got there, and he'd made up his mind that whatever she wanted, he would do his best for the group's sake and his own, to satisfy her demands.
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Post by Salandis on Nov 6, 2023 23:53:32 GMT -6
[OOC: Moana opts the less probably risky approach of opening the staff door maybe. Apologies for short post, OT today]
“That is fair,” Moana responded to Sam. “I was going to argue about the amount of, well, death in the back hallways. But that’s not floor down that hole is it?” She shook her head slowly. “Whatever the hell this place is, it’s not a mall. I can’t even remember where it is, and trying to figure out what I was doing right before I got here only draws blanks.”
So saying she walked towards the staff doorway, throwing the occasional anxious glance back the way they had came. Those shadows weren’t a joke, but hopefully they hadn’t followed along.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Nov 7, 2023 4:15:18 GMT -6
[Kail agrees to try and skirt around The Hole using the staff doorways. He encourages Stenson to go down the escalators to reach the fountain faster to see if the black ooze is dangerous]
Kail stood at the edge of the hole, staring down into the inky black. A part of him wanted to drop something into it, hear how long it took to hit the bottom. The other wanted to try and jump the gap, but with the apparent loss of his supernatural abilities, he wasn’t about to risk falling to his death or worse.
The cannibal nodded his agreement to the suggestions to try the staff hallways, taking a step back from the jagged edge of the broken floor.
“Yeah, we ain’t gonna be able to jump it.”
He side-eyed Stenson as he skulked past. His sudden chipper demeanour was getting on his nerves, and ringing various alarm bells. The sudden obsession with the fountain wasn’t normal, but…
He stepped close to the agent, his pale eyes cold and analytical as he looked the man up and down. His half-hearted agreement made it all too obvious his mind was elsewhere, and Kail would bet any amount of money it was on the fountain.
“If ya go down the escalators, you’re gonna reach the fountain way faster than us if we take the hallways, big guy.”
He tilted his head a little, all cajoling innocence.
“We don’t wanna waste anymore time, yeah?”
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Post by kilnarak on Nov 7, 2023 4:23:21 GMT -6
Casmir set up his trap and flashed the shadows with the reflected light, bathing the door, if briefly, in a shifting array of lights. One of the two presences faded away, but the other fled the light with a hiss, passing through the door and into the next hallway. Gathering up his spilled marbles, he cautiously opens the door - wary that the shadow would be waiting for him.
The group on the other side had no time to react as the whispering entity abruptly shot out into the hall and settled firmly over Samael. It clung to him, it's grip tight and cold, whispered words a hiss of static in his ears. He had been looking at his note at the time, trying to puzzle through it, and now it sounded like the entity was whispering the words directly into his ear, their newfound meaning clear. As it spoke, the ink on the page began to bleed out from the letters, slowly staining the entire note black. When every hint of the original paper has been blotted out, a realization dawns on Samael. A truth about the nature of this place, this otherworld, and with it he realizes how he can call his whip, a coil of spinal bones, out of the aether and into this reality. The knowledge is painful, sharp and stinging, and as it dawns on him he also realizes that summoning his whip will hurt - if not physically then mentally. But perhaps the hurt would be worth it, to have such a powerful weapon on hand...
Stenson doesn't notice the shadow swooping into Samael, intent on puzzling through the meaning of the fountain, the siren, what she would want from them. A sacrifice felt correct - but what would she want? An item, a trinket, something befitting of a beautiful creature? Or would she want blood?
Moana does see the shadow, having turned to comment on Sam's idea of using the staff hallways to get where they needed to go. Her hand is on the Plasma Torch already and as she turns it's unfocused light on Samael, the clinging dark almost seems to melt away. There was no sign, at least no physical sign, that it had ever been there at all. She held for a moment, bathing Samael in the beam of light - trying to see if anything else moved in her peripheral vision, straining to hear any further whispering.
When all seemed clear, she and Kail (after making his suggestions to Sten) lead the way back into the staff halls. Both doors nearest them seemed locked, but if they remembered the maps right, the hallway should circle back around. Entering the hall, they see Casmir to their right, just coming through the doorway.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Nov 7, 2023 18:06:39 GMT -6
Halloween 2023 [Stenson declines the offer to go down the too-easy escalator path, not trusting the wendigo. He follows the group, hoping the halls loop back around.]
Stenson sensed the wendigo eyeing him skeptically, though he showed no reaction. The group seemed to be in agreement that moving over or down through the broken floor might not be the best idea, and at Kail's cool suggestion for Stenson to try the escalator, the gargoyle simply offered the wendigo a disarming smile. "No, noooo." He replied, waving his hand dismissively, "No sense in splitting off, it's best we stick together. Strength in numbers, right?" He winked at the Wendigo and followed along down the hallway. Just like the restaurant on the first floor that seemed to let right out at the center fountain area, the escalators seemed too...easy. Though perhaps if they passed one, he might try and make a judgement for himself whether they looked safe or not. If the floors themselves were breaking through into unknown, dark abysses, who knew how sturdy an escalator or any other mechanical device in this place would be. Probably best to stick to good old fashioned, sturdy stairs. Plus, Stenson hadn't felt the urge to trust the Wendigo since his arrival, that much was still certain. He was at least remaining civil, and Stenson was more than happy to keep that charade up if it meant making progress.
As the group made their way through the staff hallways, which if he remembered correctly, should circle back around, Stenson noted the hunter to their right scanning the halls with his sidearm out. Ah, so the group was back together again. That at least was good. He otherwise continued to think through their situation and the apparent solution that he may need to convince the others to go. Worst case, he could head there himself and hope he had something of worth that he could offer. He supposed he would know it when he saw it.
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