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Post by luscen on Nov 7, 2023 18:28:39 GMT -6
[CASMIR sees MOANA and KAIL, first. He asks them about STEN and SAM, while wary of any kind of possessed antics. He sees the two a moment later, and informs them about his skeleton key. Once they make it clear they're not going to attack him, he'll follow them to the next area.]
Casmir was rewarded with the hissed whispering being cut off sharply as his impromptu light grenade did the trick, banishing one of the spirits and sending the other fleeing through the door. The Hunter hurried forward, though kept his noise to a minimum, and collected the spilled marbles in case he might need to make use of them, again. He'd seen the door, earlier, and testing it proved it to be unlocked, but before he stepped through, he drew his sidearm, bringing his flashlight hand to the side of his jaw, while keeping the pistol extended in front of him- the bullets might not be effective against shades, but there might be something else lurking in here he didn't want to tangle with.
His suspicion proved correct when the corona of his light caught Kail and Moana dead ahead of him. Rather than lower his weapon, he kept it trained on them; the shade had fled through this door, after all, and he had no idea whether or not it could possess anyone. "Where are the others?" he asked, his blue eyes darting from one to the other. The tone was neutral, rather than hostile; while he wasn't overly fond of anyone here, being needlessly antagonistic would get them nowhere. "Didn't have a bad run in with a ghost or another blood pile, did they?"
His question was answered a moment later when Jones stepped into view, followed by his coworker in the motorcycle helmet. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about them seemed... off, compared to how they'd been before they got separated. As such, he didn't quite feel like putting his weapon down until he knew for certain that one of them wouldn't trying "convincing" him to put it away.
"Looks like everyone's fine, for the most part," he remarked evenly. "The jewel shop had a puzzle with a skeleton key, but I don't think it's going to work past more than one use. There must be a specific purpose for it. Anyone else find anything of note?"
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Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 7, 2023 21:39:09 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam follows the group back into the staff hallways. He finds that he feels a sense of relief.)
Like lightning from a clear sky, realization dawned on Samael. Suddenly he understood, understood this place better and more importantly what he could draw out of it. He flexed his hands, already feeling the weight of his whip in it as if it was eager to be summoned, drawn, used. Blood rushed through his veins and he became acutely aware of his own structure, of the way his bones, muscles and sinew yearned to be something different, something more.
A dissonance began to settle in his mind and absentmindedly, Samael rubbed at an invisible line around his neck, just below the jaw. The feeling of leather agains his skin strangely distant. Still, a sense of clarity settled over him as he recognized this living flesh for what it was.
He considered drawing his weapon now, just for the familiarity of it, though the unspoken promise of some kind of pain kept him from doing so for now. But it was just a matter of time. Though caught up in thought, he vaguely registered the blonde mentioning having found a key and wondered if it was the same as the one mentioned in his note. Time would probably tell.
As the group moved through the staff hallways, Samael followed, calmer than before. The tension finally gone from between his shoulders. He felt relieved for the first time since coming to in this place.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Nov 7, 2023 22:46:24 GMT -6
[Kail suggests he and Moana split from Stenson and Samuel. Snaps at Casmir, but warns him the other two aren’t normal.]
Kail rolled his eyes, turning away from the agent. A shame he hadn’t entirely lost his survival skills. He looked away just in time to witness the shadow slide into Samuel, and he sent Moana a sideways glance of concern.
He swiftly fell into pace with her, getting some distance between them and the possessed duo.
“You saw that too, hey?” He said to Moana in a whisper. “We gotta split from them.”
He pushed the door open, hissing and narrowing his eyes at the sudden blinding light. He could make out the hazy silhouette of the Hunter and the weapon in his hand, and took an aggressive step closer, putting himself between Casmir and Moana.
“Get that fuckin’ gun outta my face,” He snarled, his grip tightening around the handle of the axe. But they only had seconds until the agents would walk through the door behind them, and he wasn’t going to waste that time cussing Casmir out.
“Us two ain’t the ones you should be worrying about - they ain’t normal.”
He stared hard at the man, not looking away even as the agents entered behind them.
“We ain’t found shit but a big-ass hole. We’re circling around.”
His tone was distinctly hostile, but all he did was step backwards and begin to make his way down the corridor. There was only one direction to go, left, and so he would. The agents and Hunter had better weapons than him or Moana, and he knew he’d have to get the jump on them if it came to it.
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Post by Salandis on Nov 8, 2023 2:00:02 GMT -6
[Moana agrees with Kail, suggests waiting until they are among stores again before trying to split the group.]
Moana was no happier than anyone else at having a gun pointed at her, particularly when she was holding a weapon herself. In damn near any other circumstances the hunter would be doing the “I’m on fire” dance. For a moment the spell that had burned itself into her mind came into focus, but she remained calm. God knows, a Maori woman in New Zealand learned to deal calmly with hostility… and how to make them hurt later.
“A shadow came through,” she asked the question calmly, with just a hint of venom. “I burned it with the torch. And if you don’t put your gun down, hunter, I’m happy to offer you the same.” He wouldn’t expect less from her, honestly.
She followed Kail into the halls as Casmir’s attention shifted, taking in the wendigo’s whispers. “I saw it, and I agree,” she said, leaning close to him as they paced ahead of the others. If they mistook it for something else, more power to them, but it let her murmur low enough they couldn’t hear while she kept her eyes ahead for danger. “And yeah, we do. But natural like, we don't want them to start something." She paused to scan the corridor. "They aren’t dangerous yet. When we get a chance, we can split again. The dark shops seemed more friendly, and we can always leave them behind in the next patch of trouble.”
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Post by kilnarak on Nov 8, 2023 6:40:43 GMT -6
Tensions run high as the group makes their way back into the staff hall. Kail and Moana lead the way. They pass two unlocked doors as they move down the hall - glancing inside, it's hard to make out much in the dark, but given the crates near the door, it seems to be a large storeroom. As they continue past the storeroom, they come upon something strange. There's a door marked 'Stairs' but chunks of it, including the handle, seem to be covered in a strange black substance - not bugs, although it does look a little like the beetles' carapaces if they were flattened out in a sheet that was shrink-wrapped to the door. Should they touch it, they will find it is hard and unmoving, it does not allow them to turn the handle. Glancing up the hall to the north, they can see that there are three more doors on their right and that two of those are also covered in patches of shinyblack film.
Stenson and Samael follow a short distance behind the taniwha and wendigo, and Casmir brings up the rear, his gun and flashlight still in his hands. At this point, he doesn't especially trust any of the group. His gut grumbles and an intrusive thought springs to mind: How might they taste? As delectable as the worms-and-gore? But no, they were alive - living flesh wouldn't taste good at all.
As he shakes off the thought, a by now familiar high-pitched keen and red glow washes over the hall as a glaring ball of light forms a short distance behind Casmir, effectively blocking their retreat. The light bathes the hall in bloody hues and makes the bug-holes in the walls and black substance on the doors stand out in sharp contrast.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 8, 2023 18:34:08 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam encourages people to stick together and keep moving to break line of sight with the red glare. Will continue to move with the group.)
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Nov 8, 2023 18:37:08 GMT -6
[Stenson reacts to the light by immediately darting into the storeroom. He will not hold the door shut in case others nearby need to take cover as well, and will remain there until the red glow outside fades, or follows them in.]
Stenson kept tabs on the group as a whole, continuing along behind them and listening as they whispered low to each other. He had a sneaking suspicion that THEY had a sneaking suspicion that perhaps something was amiss with the group as a whole. But that was fine. Stenson still felt much better about their entire situation overall, and was sure that even if Kail or the other made a stink about anything, at least most of them would be fine if they just went to their goal.
Stenson examined the doors, watching through the cracked doors that were open and noting the large storeroom as he passed by. He paused momentarily to glance inside, but soon the hall filled with an all-too familiar red hue as he was examining the large interior. Without even a backwards glance, Stenson opened the storeroom door and darted inside. He didn't hold the door shut, but instead kept it cracked just enough to allow a miniscule gap between the door and frame to at least keep an eye on the residual glow. Also, he didn't want to keep others from taking cover as well, if it was needed. From their past experience, he could only hope that Casmir and Sam would know that if they moved, he expected the light to move as well, perhaps even into the storeroom with them. If that happened, they could once again dart back out and make a quick escape down the hall around the bend towards where Kail and Moana were.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Nov 9, 2023 0:46:56 GMT -6
[OOC: At the appearance of the light, Kail runs straight down the corridor and attempts to open the back entrance of Spencer’s, and then Golfsmith of the first is locked]
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Post by luscen on Nov 9, 2023 2:58:18 GMT -6
[CASMIR speculates on the group's cohesion, wonders how Moana would taste. When the RED GLARE appears, he follows STEN into the Storage Room, hiding behind the door so he can make a quick escape if there's another threat inside.]
Casmir took up the rear, allowing him to keep his flashlight oriented ahead of the group so they could see ahead, and he could see them in turn. He examined each of the four of his "team" in turn; Kail was the biggest risk, as he was a loner and a kid, besides, and didn't trust any of the others here, save perhaps Moana. The māori, in turn, while equally hostile, was a little older than her peer, and an important member of the local kingpin. She'd have a better head on her shoulders in regards to getting out, but that also meant she wouldn't trust the Hunter or the two Agents as far as she could throw them. Her conspiratorial actions with Kail all but screamed that the two would likely attempt to ditch the others the moment they got the chance. O'Carrick, meanwhile, was stoic as ever, and there was little the blonde could parse from him. And lastly, Jones seemed rather more upbeat, given the situation. One would almost say optimistic, which was a bit troubling, all things considered. This was an alliance of necessity, its bonds weak and easily broken at the first sign of stress. And while Casmir wasn't going to abandon anyone, he wasn't about to let himself be stabbed in the back, either.
'Could stab them, first,' came the idle thought, followed by musing what taniwha tasted like. The Hunter blinked in bemusement at the intrusive thought, frowning. He'd eaten cryptids, before, certainly. If not for nourishment, than for medicinal or magical reasons. But this was... different. Though he couldn't quite form an argument as to how or why, which also troubled him.
The blonde touched his temple, flashlight still held near his jaw. The thought was concerning, but he decided to let it go for the moment, keeping his eyes on the others. Jones had poked his head into one of the doors, but whatever was there didn't seem to garner much interest, as he began to turn away. Just then, however, there was a familiar red glare, and the sound of screaming inside his skull again. The others immediately took off at a run, while Jones ducked into the door. Casmir swore, following him in as well. Being the closest to the light, even that short run down the hall would have been too much to bear with the pressure pounding inside his brain. Better instead to try and put something solid between himself and that demonic light.
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Post by Salandis on Nov 9, 2023 3:04:37 GMT -6
[OOC: Moana follows Kail, past him as he attempts Golfsmith to attempt Requiem Oddities on her own. However, if one of his doors opens she will follow him out]
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Post by kilnarak on Nov 9, 2023 11:44:39 GMT -6
With the appearance of the red glare, the group begins to panic. Samael tries to keep the calm, insisting that they stay together, move as a group, and don't look at the light. Sadly, none of the others chose to listen to him. Even as he was speaking, Stenson was going through the storeroom door with Casmir close behind him. Kail and Moana also bolted, rushing down the hall away from the light.
Samael is left standing in the hall for the moment, pointedly not looking at the light but undecided which pair to follow. He notices something, as Casmir's flashlight disappears into the storeroom. The black patches on the door had looked a little as if they had begun to flake when the light had been directed near them, but now with it gone, they had become smooth and matte black, losing their shine.
Kail and Moana rush up the hall, ignoring the storeroom doors to their right and heading straight for the back entrances into stores ahead of them. Kail immediately tries the door nearest the hall, into Spencers, but he finds it locked. Moving to the right, he and Moana try the last two doors at the same time - but they find both Golfsmith and Requiem Oddities locked as well. They could try to pick the locks or force the doors, but there were at least two more doors to the west: The back entry into Things Remember'd and what is likely a storeroom. There is also a door back out into the main hall at the end of the hallway. It had proven locked from the main hall side, but perhaps they could unlock it from this side.
Stenson is the first into the storeroom, and he moves away from the door and into the maze of crates and boxes stacked in this room. Perhaps there was something useful in them - but most of them are only marked with the names of the store they're for, and are nailed closed. Perhaps the lids could be pried off but would it really be worth it? He hears the door open and close again, and looking back toward it sees Casmir bolt in and firmly close the door behind him.
They can faintly hear the droning of the light outside the door, and see a hint of it's light leaking in through the cracks. It doesn't seem to be letting up any time soon. Abruptly another noise cuts through the room, a woman's cry, mournful and terrified. The sound is sudden and startling, setting the hairs on the backs of their necks on end. It sounds like it's in the room with them, perhaps near the center of the room, but any sight of it is blocked by the stacks of crates and the darkness of the room. If they meant to investigate it, they would need to move further into the room.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 9, 2023 15:00:00 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam heads towards Things Remember’d and tries the door there, is ready to force open the door if need be. He will head into the store if possible.)
Samael hadn’t even realized the heavy sigh that left him before everyone else had already darted off like startled deer. This was why he preferred working alone.
Still, he couldn’t waste time. The Call, the Echo, the Blade, the Cone. If everyone else was so determined to run off without restraint, finding those items took priority. With that decided, he moved swiftly down the hall, towards the door that had looked most promising on the map. Things Remember’d it was called, and hopefully, it would give him access to the other stores he had wanted to check out. Not once did he look behind him, pointedly ignoring the red glare. With his realization, it had become easier to focus, somehow. But then again, through his centuries of existence, he had always drifted towards clear purpose.
When he made it to the door he had been looking for, he tried the door handle first, hoping it would simply open and allow him passage, that he wouldn’t have to cause a scene. But he was prepared to use force if he had to.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Nov 9, 2023 19:02:48 GMT -6
[Stenson notes that Casmir has joined him, offers a silent nod before he is slightly startled by the cries of a random woman. He opts not to bother with the crates, but he looks to the hunter with his revolver now drawn and held at the ready. He will wait for the other's consent before moving to see if he can peer far enough around the obstacles obstructing what or who the woman was. But if Casmir seems disapproving, he will opt to stay by the door and wait for the light to disappear, although he will keep an watch for anything approaching from behind.]
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Post by qhostqrowls on Nov 9, 2023 22:55:42 GMT -6
[Kail tries the door at the end of the hallway, will first attempt to lock pick and then bash it down with the axe. If Samuel is able to get into Things Remember’d, he’ll opt to go through there instead]
Kail swore under his breath when the door rattled - locked. Moana wasn’t having any luck either, and he glanced over his shoulder to see if the red glare was growing any brighter.
Samuel was approaching, and he held the axe at the ready as the man ran past. He was trying the next door, and the wendigo cast Moana a conspiratorial look, waving his hand to urge her forwards and down the hall.
“This is our chance to split.“ He hissed, already rummaging for a ziptie. They’d worked well so far, but he’d cut the door down if needed. Time was absolutely of the essence. “They’re all acting off. Let’s get some blades and get the hell out.”
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Post by luscen on Nov 10, 2023 0:22:58 GMT -6
[CASMIR silently tells STEN to stay and watch the GLARE. He then stealthily creeps to where the crying came from, flashlight and firearm at the ready, and watching for threats or items of note.]
Casmir gave a flat look that told the Agent in no uncertain terms "Don't even think about it." Clearly, he hadn't forgotten what happened the last time Jones had done him the bear's favor, whether the Agent had intended to or not. Besides, situations like these never ended well, in his experience; if it wasn't an imitator, like Kail, then it was someone who'd already been dealt a bad hand and was probably too far gone. As such, the Hunter figured that the Agent wouldn't want to be the one to have to make that call, if it came to that. Indeed, he'd rather tackle this himself, and spare the other man any unpleasant decisions.
Besides, there might be something he could use to stave off this hunger. Or perhaps whoever had screamed was indeed fine, relatively speaking.
The Hunter used hand signals to tell Jones to wait here, and keep an eye on the glare. He then made a motion to convey that he'd stake out the area the disturbance had come from. As it was, they couldn't afford to waste much time here, and if the glare did manifest in here, they'd effectively be trapped with little solid cover. That done, Casmir altered his stance, gun arm extended, but with his other hand placed against it, the back of each hand touching so that he could maintain a proper field of vision, while also being able to fire if it came to that. His stance thus prepped, the scarred man stealthily moved forward, towards the sound of the crying, careful to keep his body compacted and ready to retreat if it turned out they'd inadvertently learned they'd hopped out of the frying pan, and into the fire.
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