|
Post by Salandis on Nov 10, 2023 1:57:06 GMT -6
[Moana stays with Kail as he attempts to gain access to the end door, Torch ready if the mystery red orb gets closer to them. Will follow Kail if he gets through, or follows Sam.]
Moana cursed as she found both doors Locked. She ran down with Kail to the last door, also wary as Sam ran past. The high sound was unbearable, and she found herself looking away from the light as much as possible as Kail tried picking the lock, standing between him and it to give him some space to concentrate.
"God yes," she agreed with him. "This is damn near perfect, if not for the deadly glowing light." Would her torch do anything against another form of light? She kept it ready anyway. She had one charge, and if that thing got closer she would damn well find out.
|
|
|
Post by kilnarak on Nov 10, 2023 15:44:03 GMT -6
Casmir tells Stenson to wait near the door while he moves further in to investigate the sound. He follows the max of crates until he finds the source - in what is roughly the center of the room there is an open space, and in the middle of that space there is a statue of a woman. She looks... familiar, but he can't place from where. Something about her face, twisted in a scream of terror, tugs at his heart. Pieces of the statue are broken, the worst being an arm that is completely shattered - what's worse, inside the broken chunks are blood and flesh, as if it were a stone case around a living person. White bone glints in the broken stone arm on the floor, fresh blood pooling around it. Whoever, or whatever, had broken the statue woman does not appear to be here anymore.
-
Samael moves to the staff entrance into Things Remember'd only to find more of the matte black substance marking the door. It does not cover the handle on this door, at least, and when he turns it it appears to be unlocked but... it does not open. Perhaps the black stuff is holding it closed?
Kail and Moana watch as Samael moves past them to try to get into Things Remember'd. He seems to be having some trouble, so they turn their attention back to the door they are standing near, the door Moana had tried and found locked. After a bit of futzing with the ziptie, Kail manages to get the door unlocked, and they open it to move into Requiem Oddities, closing the door behind them.
The store is dark - the walls, floor, and ceiling painted a dark hue. There are wood and glass cases set up around the room, and shelves on the walls. Peering inside the closest with her flashlight to light it, Moana sees a puzzle box of some sort, black with gold trim, as well as some jewelry: a tarnished gold ring with a blood red diamond-cut stone, a silver ring with an unworked chunk of blue crystal, and a pendant necklace with light blue stone trapped in a cage of silver. Other displays have a similar assortment of oddities - there is a lot of strange jewelry, as well as oddly formed chunks of crystal, strange dolls and toys, masks, even a shriveled monkey's paw...
|
|
|
Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 10, 2023 18:58:32 GMT -6
(OOC: Samael heads to requiem oddities, not wanting to waste time on the blocked door. He looks through the store for anything that could be the items he is looking for. Also checks if the store entrance is unlocked and what’s immediately outside if possible, heads for pure blades as Moana leaves with the puzzle box)
Samael didn’t linger on the blocked door, knowing he didn’t have the tools to pry it open. Noticing that the two youths had gotten through another door, he made the quick decision to follow, if nothing else then to hopefully gain access to more of the mall. As he entered the store, he raised his hands, palms facing outward. A quiet, placating display to the two young supers, showing that he had put his makeshift weapons away. Not that he really needed them any more. Of course, he didn’t expect either of them to trust him, but clearly they had bigger threats to worry about than one another. For now at least.
Samael looked through the store quietly, noting the seemingly random collection of objects. Crystals, dolls, toys and masks. Everything easily fell in the category of oddities. But if it didn’t help them survive or leave this place, it held no value. He drifted towards the door, checking to see if it was unlocked and curious about what was immediately outside. Would there be more pits in the floor blocking their way, more strange flesh creatures? He didn’t want to get his hopes up in regards to an easy way forward.
|
|
|
Post by Pearl Dragon on Nov 10, 2023 21:17:39 GMT -6
[Stenson will adhere to Casmir's request to stay and will keep an eye on the red hue currently seen through the crevices of the door.]
|
|
|
Post by qhostqrowls on Nov 10, 2023 22:20:14 GMT -6
[OOC: Kail exits the store and makes a beeline for Pure Blades. You know the drill, lock pick and then axing the door if it won’t open]
Kail strode through the store, only giving the odd collection a cursory glance. There didn’t seem to be anything of real value, and he was focussed entirely on the store directly across from them - Pure Blades.
The Sword would have to be in there, and if not, something better than a climbing axe.
He looked Samuel up and down as he entered, scowling at the man’s silent attempt to placate them. His expression and body language was distinctly aggressive, and he pushed past the man to leave before him.
“Let’s get some proper weapons, hey?” she said to the taniwha, smiling toothily, his pace swift as he headed for the store.
|
|
|
Post by Salandis on Nov 10, 2023 22:32:02 GMT -6
[Moana attempts to take the puzzle box with her, and will hustle out to catch up with Kail.]
Moana looked over the jewelry with some interest, but found herself drawn to the puzzle box. As Kail strode to the exit, she pause. “Yeah, let me just grab this,” she said, stepping around the display case for an access. “Y’know, for those boring moments when I need something to do.”
She gave Sam a nod as she did so. “Try not to bring any more death to us,” she asked pointedly, indicating that he was at least tolerated for now. “And maybe don’t grab the monkey paw, those things are cursed in every reality.”
Moana will collect the puzzle if it’s possible to do so, either by case opening or, in the event that it’s locked, giving it a solid kick with those new hiking boots. Otherwise she will hustle over to where Kail is headed – finding a nice edged weapon in this place has a lot to recommend it.
|
|
|
Post by luscen on Nov 11, 2023 6:03:26 GMT -6
[CASMIR ponders over the STATUE. He tosses a marble at it to see if it prompts a response, while avoiding direct eye contact and watching for whatever caused the statue to show up, here.]
Casmir quietly made his way through the proverbial forest of crates, thankfully still able to make out the door, if just barely. Eventually, he wended his way to the middle of the storeroom, his flashlight shining on the feet of what appeared to be a statue. The Hunter scowled at the sight of it, approaching carefully, but only close enough to make out the details. Sweeping his light slowly up the height of the statue, he could see it was of a woman; her face was contorted in terror, obviously trying to recoil from whatever she'd last seen. Strangely, he felt he'd seen that face somewhere before, he was sure of it.
Taking a step back to hide behind a crate, while still retaining a view of the statue, he pulled out the ID card he'd found to use as a lockpick. Flipping it over, he carefully studied it, looking at the statue's face with a frown. Another careful sweep showed a broken limb, but where he'd expected to see solid stone, the visceral gore and the glint of bone glistened back at him in gruesome detail. The scarred man's lips twisted unpleasantly, suddenly wary; a victim of a gorgon? A cockatrice or stone spider? Or perhaps it was some form of curse? There were other items here, the idea that some of them would be hexed wasn't unreasonable... But if this was the source of the sound, was the statue really just a statue? Or had she been transformed in the span of only a few minutes?
Taking out a marble from its pouch, he flicked it towards the statue's head. Perhaps it was playing possum, or perhaps there was more than appeared. But the Hunter wasn't about to make contact with or speak to this thing until he could discern whether or not it (or the thing that had been responsible for its sorry state) was a clear and present danger.
|
|
|
Post by kilnarak on Nov 11, 2023 16:48:36 GMT -6
Stenson finds the storeroom eerily quiet after the scream. He can still hear the glare, muffled through the walls and door, and can see it's red light leaking under. It's still out there, and doesn't seem to have moved, if the angle of the light leaking in is to be trusted.
Looking at the ID card... No, Casmir decides, it's not the same woman. But still she looks familiar. Someone he had known in his previous life, outside of this otherworld. Someone that he had cared about, perhaps, given the way seeing the damage to her makes his heart twist. But the name doesn't come to his mind. As he flicks a marble at her, it plinks off the stone and skitters across the floor, lost in the dark. The statue doesn't respond in the slightest - just a statue, albeit one with a flesh-and-bone body for an armature. It's eerie, and the sense of paranoia - what had done this? was it still here? - kept him on edge.
-
Kail was the first out of Requiem Oddities, not caring much for the assembled miscellany, no matter how strange it seemed to be. He didn't want to be beaten to Pure Blades, didn't want to relinquish the prize to the agent. As he stepped in, the door closed behind him, and should anyone try it they will find it immovable. He is not visible through the windows from the outside, and inversely, he cannot see anyone outside - from his point of view, however, the space outside the window has become a blue-black void filled with stars. The interior of the store has changed as well - from outside it had appeared to be a normal store, with clear glass cases and a variety of weapons hung on the walls. Now, however (at least to Kail) the store appeared empty - no cases, no swords hanging on the walls, not even a register. Instead, there is now a circle inscribed in the center of the floor. Around it, there are depictions of different phases of the moon, each inlaid with a different material: the full moon is made of reflective silver, the waxing gibbous a purple gem with whitish inclusions of stone, the first quarter is a clear light blue gem, the waxing crescent appears to be bone, the new moon is an opaque blue gem, streaked black and flecked yellow with an iridescence like butterfly wings, the waning crescent is opaque white with a pearlescent sheen, the third quarter is semi-opaque white with an opalescent bluish tinge, and the waning gibbous is a deep saturated blue with flecks of yellow like stars throughout. Scrawled in red lipstick in the center of the circle are the words: "The True Moon."
Moana is a bit behind Kail, as she stopped to smash-and-grab the puzzle box (as the case was locked). The box is lighter than it looks and the means of opening it are not immediately obvious. As she hurries after Kail, she is in time to see the door close behind him. Should she try the door it does not open, and she cannot see Kail inside, or... anyone inside, really. It's just an empty store with cases for swords, daggers, axes - a variety of weapons meant more for display than use, although some might be functional as well.
Samael is not far behind Moana, but he too finds the store to be closed and locked, and notes that he cannot see Kail inside. While they had been inside the Oddities shop, almost all of the items had felt... strange. Perhaps most of them bore enchantments, but without touching them or testing them, it was difficult to discern what they might have done.
Thusfar the hall is empty and dark, none of the stores here lit. Now and then eerie noises sound from the holes in the floor, but they sound far off and echoed.
|
|
|
Post by Pearl Dragon on Nov 11, 2023 19:31:40 GMT -6
[While Casmir explores the storeroom, Stenson worries that time is escaping them. He settles to try and see where Casmir had gone, and what he might've found. He also notes that there are other paths around the crates as well, and wonders about other potential escape routes.]
As he guarded their main exit, Stenson began to worry that the light might remain where it was indefinitely. It certainly didn't seem to have any intention of teleporting like it had in the other store. He looked back over his shoulder in the direction Casmir had gone, he could hear the hunter moving about, even what sounded something like a small pebble bouncing off a rock, and wondered what on earth the other had found. The scream had stopped, and the hunter didn't seem to be reacting to anything in particular.
Perhaps there was another way out...
Moving away from the door, Stenson looked around the crates until he spotted the hunter, and made to try and get a look at whatever the hunter had found. He noted the crates also seemed to form other paths as well, so perhaps there might be another way out.
|
|
|
Post by Salandis on Nov 11, 2023 23:04:03 GMT -6
[After a moment's sorrow, Moana proceeds to Be Prepared in order to check what's in there and potentially investigate a back door into Blades.]
Moana was shocked as she got to the door Kail had just entered only to find it locked. Peering in there was no sign of the wendigo, and she felt a stab of worry – and unexpected amounts of sorrow. It was clear she couldn’t get in – and even if she could, he wasn’t in there. She spent a moment hoping that he was at least safe wherever he ended up.
She knew better than to stay long in the open. The eerie noises coming from the holes, the screaming red lights from the staff halls… nothing here was any kind of friendly.
“Well,” she commented to Samael. “I’m going to see what’s in ‘Be prepared.’” She smiled dryly. “It might be interesting to see just what this place considers preparing you for, and perhaps there is a back door into the blade store from there.”
So saying she heads to ‘Be Prepared’, torch held cautiously ready. Maybe there will even be more batteries in there. If nothing else it might be a place out of the way enough to tinker with the puzzle box.
|
|
|
Post by luscen on Nov 11, 2023 23:32:19 GMT -6
[CASMIR warns STEN to search the storage room, keeping the statue in line of sight as much as possible, and to keep an ear out for threats. He then begins to search the area.]
The marble bounced harmlessly off the statue’s face. The Hunter waited for a moment with bated breath, but there was no secondary scream, no movement, no response at all. Which meant that this woman was another unfortunate victim of whatever this place was. A familiar, if unknown victim. It also meant that whatever had done this, did so when that scream had happened. And if it wasn’t here, where - and what - was it?
The Hunter had no immediate answers. “Let me guess,” he said quietly upon Jones’ approach. “The glare’s still there, and we can’t get out.”
He turned slightly, keeping the statue in his peripheral vision. It could still be bait for the real threat, after all. Scanning the area, he noticed like the other man did that the boxes were arranged like small walls, just low enough to peek over. If they couldn’t get out here, maybe there was another way out.
Or maybe they’d run into whatever had caused this, and wind up in a similar state. Then again, it might already be moving through the half of the mall the other three had gone to.
The blonde, still keeping his eye on the statue, slowly circled around it, until he could see Jones on the other side of it. He pointed to his own eyes, then to the statue, as if to say “eyes on it.” He then took a deliberate step backwards, to indicate how he felt he and the Agent should move until they’d broken line of sight of the statue. For a last suggestion, he tapped his ear, indicating they should listen for danger. Once finished, he began a silent three-count, using his fingers, then carefully moved further into the storage area, looking out for threats, exits, or anything that might help them.
|
|
|
Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 12, 2023 1:15:24 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam heads to Be Prepared with Moana, agreeing that the store is probably the best bet to investigate, now that Pure Blades is off limits for the time being. Looks out for anything that could match the items he is looking for or could otherwise help them progress.)
|
|
|
Post by qhostqrowls on Nov 12, 2023 7:31:05 GMT -6
[OOC: Kail is unhappy about having to use his brain. He figures true moon means whichever material most closely resembles the actual moon, and settles on the bone one. He will touch/press/investigate it to see if it can be moved or changed around]
|
|
|
Post by kilnarak on Nov 12, 2023 23:20:31 GMT -6
After spending an unhappy moment trying to think about what the hell the 'True Moon' was out of all these mostly-valuable marks on the floor, Kail chooses the least valuable of the bunch: bone. When he touches it the room seems to dim a moment, then slowly brightens with moonlight as a pedestal rises out of the floor. On it is the source of the light: The Moonbone Blade. It glows with moonlight and when he reaches for it he knows that it has one purpose: to sever. He also knows that while it can be used as a regular sword, it's abilities can be enhanced three times before it loses its magic and needs to be laid in moonlight to recover them. Given the current environment and the weather outside, it's... unlikely he will be able to recharge it. When he takes the blade, his vision seems to shiver - it's an uncomfortable feeling and he blinks against it. When his eyes open again he is in the normal store. He is standing near the register in a semicircle of display cases.
-
Unable to immediately reach Kail, Moana and Samael head into Be Prepared next door. It appears to be a survival prep store, offering a selection of goods somewhat similar to the sporting stores on the other end of the mall, with a bit more emphasis on food. There are solar generators, tanks for water filtration and storage, a variety of campfire cooking gear, and so many different types of dried foodstuffs and MRE's... It would certainly be useful for a survivalist, although probably not much use for fighting monsters. At least there doesn't appear to be anything in the store, aside from some of the timid black bugs at least, but those seem to be everywhere by now.
Searching the shop for anything unusual, Moana finds a box of 4 HEALTH+BARs near one of the registers, and Samael finds a roughly drawn map left sitting on a camp stool at the back. It appears to depict all three floors and has X's marked in Radio Hut on the first floor; The Mystic Eye, Pandora's Riddle, Pure Blades, and The Locker on the second floor; and Pet Corner on the third floor.
-
Keeping a close eye on the broken, bleeding statue, Casmir directs Stenson to search the room for anything of use, or another way out. While the agent moves to do that, he backs cautiously away from the statue until he breaks line of sight with it, then begins his own search. There are boxes full of candles, of small glass figurines, golf balls and clubs, and graphic tees. There are also sealed crates marked for the Requiem Oddities shop that are otherwise unmarked - who can say what they contain? While they spy small black things skittering under and around some of the crates, they aren't accosted by either the statue or the skittering creatures. A full search of the room would suss out three total exits from the room - the one they had come through in the south-east, another they had passed in the south-west, and another that they had passed in the main hallway, in the north-west.
|
|
|
Post by Salandis on Nov 13, 2023 1:46:12 GMT -6
[OOC Moana will eat one bar, offer one to Sam, and keep two for if they get back in touch with Kail. Will explore the back of the store to see if there is a staff entrance, and if it is locked or not.]
|
|