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Post by luscen on Nov 22, 2023 16:10:19 GMT -6
[CASMIR warn STEN to be careful about touching things, then continues to the exit. Once out of the doll shop, will proceed to check the blade shop for the sword, then check the back access hallway behind it.]
Casmir frowned at the doll, his stomach panging in the echoes of hunger. He already distrusted this place, quiet as it was and devoid of any signs of the same issues he'd seen in the other areas- no holes, no scurrying insects, no glares, no statues with flesh dripping beneath the stone surface... It was setting off warning bells in his head. And the existence of the ominous dolls with their familiar faces did little to dissuade his concerns. At least he hadn't seen a familiar redhead among the lot, yet. Though, one of the white-haired ones looked familiar, he just couldn't place from where.
"No," he replied in a terse whisper. "Put that down. We don't know what might set off whatever's in here."
He turned away, trying to put the figurines' features out of his mind. His flashlight illuminated their exit just a bit further beyond. "The door's just ahead," he pointed out, looking back at Jones. "Let's check the blade shop first. If it's already been secured, we can head into the employee hallways and try and catch up with the others. Hopefully, they're not too far ahead."
And hopefully, the Wendigo hadn't done anything stupid to get himself killed or otherwise butchered. The Hunter wanted to make sure he got out of this intact, at least.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 22, 2023 16:32:50 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam tells Moana to call on him if she needs help. He’ll then check the wall by the staircase looking for weak points and attempt to break it down. If Moana needs help he will move to assist.)
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Post by Salandis on Nov 23, 2023 1:12:48 GMT -6
[Moana tries the escalators at a run]
Moana hadn't liked the last escalators they had been to, and these ones less. The black stuff brought to mind oil, which she wasn't a fan of at the best of times. When Kail paused on the way up she was convinced they would have to find an alternate route - but then he booked it up the stairs, making it safely to the next level.
“The stairs are sinking.” He shouted down. “I dunno if they’ll hold for the both of ya.“
“So what you’re saying is, run fast?” Moana yelled back, and grinned. Seperating was a bad idea anyway, they were the more sane two of the group, and if he made it up she should also.
“It’s real slippery, be careful.” He yelled back. “And that black stuff feels…not good. Try not to touch it.”
"That's why I have these boots," she called up, and took a few steps back from the escalator.
Sam murmered that he would help if she needed it, not that she thought she would. Focusing on the stairs and getting up, she ran at them full tilt. What other way would there be to break in new boots?
If she makes it up, fine - she'll call down to Sam to find out what store to get to. If she runs into trouble... well, at least she'll get down to help break a hole in the wall, right?
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Post by kilnarak on Nov 23, 2023 18:26:56 GMT -6
Everyone feels a rumble roll through the mall, like an earthquake, and the staticky music rises in volume then abruptly shuts off. A few of the dolls in Things Remember'd tip over, and things can be heard shifting or falling in other areas - pieces of loose floor falling into the dark to crash somewhere below. The mini-quake only lasts a few seconds, then the mall settles and the 'music' resumes - more static than pop at this point. It sounds heavenly to Stenson.
Once everything has settled, Sten resumes looking at the dolls, pointing them out to Casmir. They feel... indicative of something, but he's not sure what. Certainly the fact that they share likenesses with the people in the party must mean something - perhaps they're some sort of voodoo dolls? But if so then who was using them - there was no sign that anyone was in, or had been in this store recently - not even the bugs.
Casmir is relieved that he does not see a red-haired doll with a crocodilian tail. None of the dolls are especially familiar to him, although perhaps one or two of them were reminiscent of individuals he had seen around the WDSA offices. But not Sara. Not Aaron. Not the Director. Agents, perhaps, or office workers maybe? There were at least a few of those working with the WDSA, that were pale with white hair...
After telling Sten to put down the doll, he made to leave Things Remember'd. Shining his flashlight around, he might spot Samael and Moana across the gap, near the escalator - but he might miss them, with his thoughts turned to checking the Pure Blades store for the magic sword. He makes his way around the holes and gaps to the store and pushes the unlocked door open to investigate inside. There are, certainly, weapons here - mostly decorative, but some functional. There are some nice knives in a glass case, and a variety of metal weapons hung on the walls and in cases around the room. No sign of anything magical, nothing that stands out any more than the rest. If the sword had been here, it was gone now.
When he checks the door at the back he finds it unlocked, leading into the dark staff hallway. Only a foot or so from the door, however, there is a dark hole in the floor, spanning somewhere between 7 and 10 feet. It blocks the intersection in the middle of the hall.
-
After a brief discussion - yelled from upstairs on Kail's behalf, and more quiet and calm from Sam's - Moana decides to take her turn at the escalator. She backed up a bit, giving herself a bit of space for a running start, then took the stairway at a sprint. She could feel the stairs sagging beneath her feet as her weight hit them, and her speed sent splashes of black ichor to splatter her legs, weighing her down, but she joined Kail at the top without any other problems. Where the ichor clung to her, it felt heavy and cold, leaving a crawling sensation where it soaked through and touched her skin. She and Kail are quick in working to get it off, using Kail's knife where they can to scrape the stuff up and allow it to splatter on the floor.
The third floor is... quiet and dark. The only sound is static from the speakers - neither Kail nor Moana can make out any hint of the music anymore. There is a bit of light leaking in from the skylights, but it's a murky sort of light that shifts like clouds covering the sun - or maybe like being under water. There is a staff door to the north, and to the south the main hall leads past the staff entrance to Secondhand Treasures into the main walk way. From where they are, they can see Lakeview Bank across the hall.
Downstairs, Samael can clearly see that the escalator is sagging, it's steps loose and slipping in the ichor coating them. Is there even anything connecting them together? Were they just floating on that black fluid? They haven't entirely fallen, but he's not sure he trusts it, and so he turns his attention to the wall behind him. It should lead into the stairs they took earlier, to get up to the second floor. Knocking on it it feels... well, like painted cement. There are a few crumbly patches - perhaps places the bugs had begun burrowing. He might be able to punch through those areas, but it might prove difficult to make an opening big enough for him to get his body through...
He could try it, but it seems time consuming. He could also try the escalator - or make his way back to the other escalator they had passed earlier and see if that one was any better. Or perhaps, even, make his way back through the staff halls, the way they had come - perhaps the glare and the shadows were gone now? Sten and Casmir were still on the other side of the gap, as well - he had probably seen Casmir's flashlight as the hunter had looked around. He could regroup with them if he did not want to try following Moana and Kail...
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Nov 24, 2023 7:20:51 GMT -6
[Stenson checks for a ladder to bridge the gap, or will offer to jump first]
Stenson places the dolls back on their shelves, still wondering about them but figured he'd be wondering about this entire place if he let himself. Following Casmir to the sword shop, he noted that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. So the others probably obtained any special swords of there was one.
Just then, the ground began to shake and Stenson braced against a nearby display case. It ended rather quickly and Stenson carefully pulled away from the case and gave the Hunter a nervous shrug of they exchanged glances. He did notice the beautiful notes of static from the speakers, much better than the pop from earlier.
As they made their way to the hall, Stenson frowned at the open gap in the floor. Thinking, he checked the sword shop for any ladders. Surely the staff would need something to hang and display their merchandise. If he found one, he'd bring it out to use to bridge the gap. If not, he would suggest they try to jump, but it would be quite a leap. If the Hunter agrees, he would offer to go first unless the Hunter insisted otherwise.
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Post by luscen on Nov 24, 2023 10:07:46 GMT -6
[CASMIR takes a damascus steel shortsword from one of the store cases, then urges STEN to forget about finding a ladder and following him to Koneneko Cafe. If the door is locked, he shoots the glass out with his firearm, and makes a beeline to the employee hallway door at the back.]
"Leave it," Camsir said, guessing that Jones was looking for something to use to bridge the gap with. "There's another shop next door, it should have another way into the access hallway."
He pulled his firearm out and used the butt of the handle to smash one of the cases open, grabbing the short sword laying on the display case. It was far past time for them to be gone, and caring about any alarms wouldn't matter, now. Given those tremors, this place was likely starting to fall apart, and they didn't have time to waste. He took a moment to examine his find: a Damascus blade of traditional Viking design, the double-sided edge still retaining its sharpness, stout and stable with a good weight at the other end for balance. It was no enchanted sword, but if they encountered any other trouble, the Hunter wouldn't have to worry about running out of bullets. He returned the weapon to its sheathe, then affixed it to his belt.
"Come on," he said, looking back over his shoulder at the other man. Still mindful of any shades or other threats, the blonde made a beeline to the Koneneko café. He tried the door, testing the lock. If it proved stubborn, he'd simply have to resort to shooting the glass out. The clock was ticking, and they needed to find the exit.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 24, 2023 16:03:49 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam takes a running start and dashes up the escalators. If he makes it up, he’ll use his hunting knife to scrape off any eventual goo.)
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Post by qhostqrowls on Nov 25, 2023 5:48:22 GMT -6
[Kail heads to Pet Corner, but will stay and help haul Sam to safety if within reach]
Kail placed a steadying hand on Moana’s shoulder, his touch fleeting as he crouched to scrape the black gunk from her legs and boots.
“You good?” He asked, wiping the last of the gunk from his blade. “That stuff felt foul.”
He cast a suspicious glance over the dark third floor, eerily silent despite the crackling static from the speakers. His gaze flicked from the silent storefronts to the figure at the bottom of the escalators. Despite his lack of care for the agents well-being, Kail found himself holding his breath as he watched the man sprint upwards. He was brave, he’d give him that.
He wasn’t going to risk his own well-being for an agent, but if the man got close enough, he’d help haul him to safety.
Regardless, he would head for Pet Corner, ready with the axe to break the storefront in should it prove to be locked.
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Post by Salandis on Nov 25, 2023 22:25:51 GMT -6
[Moana will also try and help Sam, and quiz him on what's supposed to be up here]
Moana worked with Kail, shuddering a little as the black stuff clung to her, even seeming to sink into her skin. "That stuff is foul," she agreed. "Ugh, I could use a shower after this. Won't find one of those in a mall though."
She looked around the mall with him, the eerie dark stores giving a menacing feel, and then turned in time to see Sam running at the escalators.
"Shit, I should have brought the rope," she muttered. "He's the one with any idea of where things are up here, so he better not fall." She checked the stability of the handrail - if it was more stable, maybe it would be used as an anchor to pull him up if he struggled.
She would wait for him to make it, if he did, and then quiz him on the next location, as Kail headed towards the Pet Corner. If he didn't make it she would join kail in his destructive entry (trying the door first), plasma torch at the ready.
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Post by kilnarak on Nov 26, 2023 0:43:10 GMT -6
After taking a few more moments to examine the dolls, Stenson sets them back down and with a final glance leaves the store to follow Casmir. After the quake, he made his way into and through the sword store, following Casmir into the dark staff hall. It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust, but he sees the dark gap in the floor that has stopped the Hunter.
Back into the sword store, he can't find anything like a real ladder - he does find a folded up step ladder stashed under main desk, but while it's enough to place up and take down the wall-decor weapons it definitely is not big enough to bridge the gap. He begins to search for something else, anything that might be useful, but Casmir stops him and suggests they try the cafe nextdoor.
Stepping out of Pure Blades they ignore the staff door and move straight to Koneko Cafe. There is another gap beside the door, but this one has part of a railing hanging off it - an intentional gap, meant to view the lower floor, though now it had fused with the fallen sections of floor into a larger hole. The sign above Koneko Cafe shows the name in cutesy cursive with a latte in a teacup to the left and a smiling black cat to the right; the glass storefront has more decals of the cat playing, along with coffee cups, stars, and crescent moons. The door is... locked. Casmir did not bother trying to pick this lock, instead he took his gun out and shot the door. The gunshot is loud in the dark, as is the sound of shattering glass, echoing in the dark halls. Shortly after the shot, while Casmir is reaching through the glass to turn the lock and unlock the door, the floor begins to shake again and they watch as big chunks of the floor crack and fall away into the dark below. They can't even hear the crash - is there even floor down there?
There is a hush following the fading echoes of the gunshot, broken only by the crackle of static. The two step carefully past the broken glass and into the cafe. In another reality it might have been a calm space - small tables and elegant looking chairs with cute cat-print cushions, a pillowy cat bed on a little ledge against the window looking out into the mall, walkways and cat-furniture circling the room. As they move further into the room - Casmir already headed for the staff door in the back, there is a sharp feline scream and a host of small black shadows suddenly rush through the room, converging on the pair. They feel the ghost of small claws and teeth savaging their legs and the pain is sharp and sudden, but no wounds are left in their wake. The ghostly cats scatter when the flashlight passes over them, disappearing into the corners of the room.
Shaken by the strange encounter, Casmir quickly moves to the back of the room to try the staff door - locked, as the front had been, and this one needs a key. This time he takes the keycard out to pick it - he's getting used to using it for that, and it opens easily into the staff hallway, just to the side of the gap he had spotted before. He notes that the gap has grown.
-
Moana and Kail find themselves holding their breath as they watch Samael take a shot at climbing the sagging escalator. The masked agent's running steps splash black ichor high into the air and it splatters across his legs and chest - the thought comes to him that it looks... a lot like his own blood. As that thought hits him, a gunshot shatters the quiet and then the floor begins to shake. The escalator sloshes and gives, and he finds himself sinking with it. He has a moment to reach toward Kail and Moana, and then it entirely gives and he finds himself falling, black ichor spattering his whole body as he falls. He has a moment to think this is the end, dropping down through endless black, and then the floor below rushes up to strike into his back hard enough to knock all the air from his lungs.
It hurts and he wonders if he has any broken bones, but he is able to draw another breath and after a moment pick himself up. His head is ringing, but the helmet protected him from cracking it open on the floor and the jacket has dulled the fall at least a little - it kept any sharp bits of concrete or metal from puncturing his skin. As he picks himself up he finds himself in the ruins of a bookstore. Inky ichor coats almost everything here, and the shelves have fallen over spilling books onto the soggy floors.
-
Unable to help Samael, Moana and Kail watch him fall with the crumbling escalator into the dark below. With him goes their map of where the items are, as well as their route back down - but there had been other stairwells, other escalators, even elevators; perhaps one of those would let them back down. Kail at least remembers that one of the items should be in Pet Corner and he leads Moana toward the store. As they round the corner they are greeted by destruction - the murky light filtering from far above shows them more fallen floor, perhaps recently so in that last quake. Luckily, there still seems to be a path to the pet stores, and and the pair carefully make their way there.
The door does not prove to be locked, and they step into the pet supply store gingerly - wary for monsters. There is an immediate change in the ambience of the room, the static almost drowned out by a chorus of bug noises - chirping crickets, shrill buzzing wings, chittering. It's more the sounds one would expect from a jungle than a mall. Aside from the noise, the petstore appears fairly normal - there is a small pen near the front, perhaps where animals up for adoption might be kept, though it's empty now; and there are shelves and shelves of pet food and toys, leashes and collars, garments, bedding. In the back, where the sound is coming from, there is a section of aquariums and terrariums.
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Post by luscen on Nov 26, 2023 21:53:17 GMT -6
[CASMIR manages to disperse the cat-like shadows assaulting him and STEN, opening the door and stepping into the hallway past the cafe. He tries the door to Aldo, then will head north and to the west, taking note of the message SAM scribbled on the wall. Seeing the Escalator is out, he will head towards Sa-weet to try and get back around to the stairwell upstairs.]
Casmir slowly stepped into the empty café, frowning as he took note of the various bits of furniture and upholstery meant for those of the feline persuasion; of course he'd known there had been humans here, at one point. Or what had passed for them, anyway. He hadn't, however, considered the idea that animals might have been here as well. Didn't some malls have pet stores and the like? Had they fallen victim to whatever had been here, as well? The only reply was a sharp, distorted warble of the radio.
The Hunter put aside the thoughts of the animals' fates for the moment- he couldn't do anything for them, even if there were any still trapped here; the best thing he could do was to eliminate whoever was responsible for this farce as quickly as possible, before any more harm was done. The corona of his flashlight fell across the metal handle of the staff door at the back, and he began to cross over to it. About halfway through the room, however, there was a sudden shift in the atmosphere, and a literal cacophony of caterwauls howled from the darkness, a mass of shadowy shapes flooding from the darkness. Casmir braced himself, feeling the slash of claws and the bite of fangs nipping and rending his flesh- he could feel the injuries, but there was no weight to the attacks, they seemed to wash over the pair like water.
The Hunter resisted the instinct to reach for his newly-acquired sword; a normal blade, even if it was of high quality, wouldn't do anything against this threat. Neither would the bullets. So, lacking any other recourse, he flipped the flashlight around in his grip, arm high and wrist angled downward to sweep the beam across as wide an area as possible. The writhing shadows hissed and yowled angrily as they swiftly withdrew from the light's touch.
"You alright?" Casmir asked Jones, without looking over at him. He could feel the shadows' malice permeating the darkness. The light was keeping them at bay, but for how long? They needed to get out of here. "Follow me. Keep your light up high, so it covers a wider space. Once we get into the hallway, we should be okay."
He made his way towards the door, making sure to sweep the flashlight across any thick or agitated portion of shadows that seemed about to pounce again. The door was locked, but he still had that ID card from earlier, and a short struggle neatly popped the portal open for them. Ducking inside, he saw the gap behind them had widened- there was no going back that way, so the only way to go was forward.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 27, 2023 0:46:47 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam cleans himself up as much as possible, then begins exploring the store carefully, looking for anything useful or a way forward. He eats a health bar.)
There was a stubborn kind of tenacity to Samael as he forced himself to move from where he had fallen, forced his limbs to obey despite pain, forced breath into his lungs even as his mind resisted the notion. He would not be hindered. As he rose, he looked over himself, filled with a profound sense of wrongness as he noticed the black ichor splattered across him, trailing down his back and legs, dripping from his fingers - how much it looked like his own blood. But it couldn’t be, that was impossible. What even was it? Did it serve a purpose? Either way, he cleaned it off to the best of his abilities, not wanting to drag a trail behind him.
A hoarse sigh left him, echoing in the empty bookstore. It would not help him to linger. This had taken him far away from his goal. Tedious. With that, he began to search the bookstore, looking for anything useful, any way forward. He tried to avoid the ichor everywhere as best he could, navigating the mess quietly.
His body protested the movement, as much as he would allow it at least. He was hurt, and as much as he wanted to ignore it, to push through it and keep going, he couldn’t deny the pain that laced his steps. Vaguely, he remembered that Moana had said that the health bar made her feel better. She had offered him one, perhaps it would help? Even if the idea unsettled him, he couldn’t allow himself to be picky. Lifting his helmet up somewhat, he tried to ignore the feeling of actually eating, ignore how wrong it felt. It’s cloying. It was almost funny how being alive during these strange happenings really made him appreciate being dead.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Nov 27, 2023 1:49:23 GMT -6
[Kail heads to the back of the store where the noises are, searching for anything useful. Will try the staff door if there is one]
“Christ. What a way to go.”
Kail turned his back to the escalator, wincing. He hadn’t exactly liked the agent, but he hadn’t deserved that. If he was lucky, the fall would’ve killed him.
He was alert as he stalked into the depths of the petstore, the moonlight sword swinging at his side with each cautious step. Had the beetles and worms of the mall come from here? He wasn’t sure any of their weapons would do…well, anything, against a thousand tiny monsters.
He scanned the store methodically, looking for anything of use, anything that stood out.
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Post by Salandis on Nov 27, 2023 2:04:12 GMT -6
[Moana followed Kail to the back of the pet store.]
"Jesus," Moana said softly, watching as Sam vanished into the darkness below. "Not exactly how I wanted to ditch him. Hope he landed soft."
She turned to follow Kail to the pet store, finding the door open. The noises when she walked in were a breath of home, reminding her of the loud insect noises of home - but she kept her guard up as she followed Kail to the back of the store. The bugs they had found so far were no kind of fun, whatever was here would surely be worse... right?
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Nov 27, 2023 18:37:04 GMT -6
[Stenson lifts his flashlight up over his head for maximum light cone while Casmir unlocks the door. Once unlocked, he will continue to keep the cats at bay with his flashlight, following back to back with Casmir into the hallway until he can close the door.]
Stenson took a curious glance around the quiet, dark cafe. The interior was charming, probably a place he would've brought Kit as both a joke and casual date. But no sooner had he let his mind wander than the charm of the place turned to a nasty whirlwind of howls and feline wails. He gasped, pulling the incense down and in an arc as if to brush away the sudden onslaught of ghostly cat claws that now attacked at his legs. But even as he did so, he could see nothing actually attacking him, nor any sort of damage to his pants or skin. Still, the pain was there, and that was enough for him. His flashlight shone down where the incense passed, trying to see where both what they were dealing with and also where they were going. Whether the smoke from the incense deterred them or the light itself, it seemed the phantom cats retreated some as the duo made their way towards the back staff door.
"You alright?" The hunter asked, also sweeping the room with his light.
"Yeah, let's get the hell outta here." Stenson said through gritted teeth.
"Follow me. Keep your light up high, so it covers a wider space. Once we get into the hallway, we should be okay." Casmir said and Stenson gladly obliged. He held the light over his head, allowing as much of a cone of light as he could to cover the portion of area surrounding the two of them while Casmir worked on the lock. Once the door was open, Stenson kept his back to Casmir's so that he could ensure the phantom felines remained at bay before closing the door.
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