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Post by Salandis on Oct 20, 2023 0:51:44 GMT -6
[Moana starts putting stones in holes! Let’s hope the door lasts another round.]
“Well, the doors out are unlocked,” Moana commented, returning to the plaque and most interesting case. It has already repelled a glass cutter and Kail’s dagger, so she didn’t bother to hit it with the wrench. She paused to skim the inscription.
“Oh, birthstones,” she said dismissively at Kail’s comments. “Yeah, those stones are probably right for this. I know those easy enough.”
She passed over her lighter at his request, and with a sly smile. “I’ll want that back, you don’t want know what happened to the last bogun that pocketed my lighter.”
She traded her wrench for the stones back from Sam and started sliding stones into position. Garnet and ruby might give her trouble, and sardonyx was the black one right? But opal, topaz, emerald, amethyst, turquoise - the easy ones were cake. She was focused enough that she didn’t even notice a laser light flicking by.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 20, 2023 2:32:42 GMT -6
(OOC: surprised by the feeling of pain, Samael checks the skin of his wrist. Then, he looks for something they might barricade or block the door to the store they’re in with.)
“What’s with the helmet?” Samael looked up, turning his head so the mirrored visor of the motorcycle helmet reflected Kail’s face. It was unusual for anyone to wear a motorcycle helmet indoors, but he had really hoped he wouldn’t have to explain it to anyone. After all, telling people you were a walking, headless corpse usually never ended well. “It’s better for everyone if I keep it on”, he explained noncommittaly, shrugging.
As shock tore through his veins and numbed his arm, Samael pulled away with a quiet curse, clenching and unclenching his hand. The confusion that had been steadily brewing throughout the night reared it’s ugly head again, and this time, the implications were even worse than he could have imagined. To confirm his theory, he pulled up the sleeve of his leather jacket slightly, baring the skin of his wrist. If everything was as it should be, he should be met with greying, discoloured skin, bruised and stuck in a perpetual state of decay. But what would he do if that wasn’t the case?
Regardless, Samael wasn’t given much time to linger. The flesh amalgamation roared and banged against the door, meaning it was only a matter of time before it got to them. He handed Kail the small bottle of oil, as he realized what the youth was doing, then he got to work himself. He searched the room for any furniture they might be able to move in order to barricade the door. Anything that might buy them time, should the pile of flesh decide to become a problem.
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 20, 2023 4:21:27 GMT -6
Inside the Mystic Eye, Kail and Samael ready themselves to deal with the creature in the storeroom.
Kail borrows Moana's lighter and takes Sam's bottle of oil, then goes about making himself a torch with one of the readily available lengths of driftwood and the ripped-off fabric from his sleeve. Once it's all wrapped and assembled, he drenches the head of the torch with the bottle of oil and holds it and the lighter at the ready.
Meanwhile, Samael checks his wrist and finds it as he feared - his skin isn't discolored by death, instead it is pale and living. His skin is cool to the touch, but if he searches for it he can find a pulse at his wrist. Pulling his sleeve back down, Sam busies himself with trying to find things to barricade the staff door. He could easily pull over one of the shelves, although he'd likely knock all of the stones and incense on them to the floor in doing so. While he is dealing with trying to barricade the door, perhaps he would notice Casmir's laser (and not get blinded by it in the process).
Moana sifts through the stones in her bag - there are t0o many in it for the puzzle, but some of them are definitely the right ones. The Turquoise, Pearl, Opal, and Bloodstone are easy enough to find and place in their respective holes. The black Sardonyx is correct as well, and the diamond is easy as well, being the only clear and colorless gem. With those placed, she's left with three red stones (two are deep red, the third is slightly magenta-toned), two yellow stones (one lighter and the other edging toward orange), two green stones (one a deep cool green and the other lighter and yellowish), three blue stones (one light, two deep blue), two purple (one warmer, the other cooler), and one stone that fades from green to purple. There are a total of 13 stones left-over and she only needs 6 of them: Garnet, Ruby, Topaz, Emerald, Sapphire, and Amethyst.
In the hallway, Casmir and Stenson can see that the door is beginning to splinter and bend under the assault on the other side. Whatever is behind it seems strong and tireless, although they can also see bright red blood leaking under the door. The door won't hold long, but maybe the thing on the other side is injured? It sounds bigger than Grandma downstairs, if just as angry.
Casmir gives Stenson his Bug-B-Gone spray and his lighter and tells the agent to try the door to the south, while also trying to use his laser pointer to get the group in the Mystic Eye's attention. It will be much more difficult if they close the door - but maybe if they barricade it, it will bar the creature long enough for them to escape. Or maybe, with Casmir closer at hand, the creature will turn for him instead. That might also buy them time, but certainly wouldn't be a pleasant outcome.
Stenson takes the items from Casmir and heads down the south hall. There are only two doors and the first one he passes is locked. The one at the very end of the hall is fortunately unlocked and it opens easily. He steps through the door into the main hallway of the second floor. There is a closed shutter to his left - this one says "Sorry! Undergoing Maintenance!" To his right there is a railing overlooking the fountain below. For all the signs downstairs, it doesn't look 'under construction' - it looks finished, although there is no water in it yet. There are five people down there in the shuttered off area around the fountain - he can hear them talking quietly from where he is, although he can't make out the words. They are dressed in coveralls - perhaps construction workers? Or there to get the water running? All he can really see from here is the tops of their heads and shoulders. They do seem to be moving with purpose rather than stuck in a loop like the other people he had seen - or maybe their loop is just longer.
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Post by Salandis on Oct 20, 2023 20:20:17 GMT -6
[Moana attempts to finish the gem puzzle]
Moana studied the gems and sockets thoughtfully. Three red gems, and Garnet and Ruby to place. She at least new garnet and ruby held next to each other, ruby would be redder, and neither should be purplish. Aware of the time pressure, she flicked in the two deeper red ones as best she could, then moved on.
Purple – she thought of Amythest crystals on display, and placed the cooler purple in place. Similarly with the emerald – those gems could range widely, but the purer ones were always the deep cool greens. Agata and topaz also was easy, with topaz being one of her least favorite gems. She put the lighter yellow stone in November and the orange one in June.
That only left Sapphire, and here she hesitated. Sapphires could range widely, being one of her favorite gemstones. She looked at the three blue stones for a long moment, hearing the thump of the door, and finally placed one of the darker blue stones in place. At the end she could only guess.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 20, 2023 20:49:20 GMT -6
[OOC: Kail waits to light the torch only when flesh-pile breaks down the door.]
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 20, 2023 23:32:07 GMT -6
[Stenson will run down to see if he can find the store containing the voices, mostly to see if it is the others. If it is, he will try and open the door for them.]
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 21, 2023 1:22:35 GMT -6
(OOC: Disappointed but not surprised by the whole “being alive” thing, Sam prepares to move the shelf, so he can barricade the door the moment the flesh thing breaks through the storeroom door. During this, he motions for Stenson and Casmir to get away from the storeroom door.)
Instinctively, Samael’s hand went to his throat, finding a pulse there as well. Leather creaked as he clenched his hand. Would he have some kind of face beneath the motorcycle helmet? The thought was unsettling. Another curse sounded from him, this one older and more intelligible than then last- this explained why he felt so weird, why his senses felt dull, and it presented a glaring issue. Living flesh was fragile, easily damaged, making it practically useless to him. His dead body never faltered, whereas this would suffer under the damage inflicted on it.
So, he’d have to think differently than he usually did. Samael attention returned to the room around him, more specifically a shelf by the door. It wouldn’t make the best barricade, but they couldn’t be picky. As he moved over to prepare, he noticed a small laser light on the door, blinking in morse code. Hello, over and over. He doubted any of the strange mall goers had enough presence of mind to communicate via morse, so perhaps it was Stenson, or the loud blonde? They were outside, in the hallway and were no doubt aware of the horrible sounds coming from one of the storerooms. Samael’s mind quickly ran through their options.
The door to the storeroom was barely holding, so trying to get the two men to come over to where they were holed up would be a big risk. They’d need to put distance between themselves the pile of flesh, not push their luck. Sticking his free arm out the door, Samael waved his hand to get the two men’s attention. He motioned for them to back away, turn around, anything to get them to stay away from the storeroom door. Then, he closed the door to the store they were in and braced against the shelf, ready to push it the rest of the way the moment he heard the flesh creature break through the other door.
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Post by luscen on Oct 21, 2023 2:23:22 GMT -6
[CASMIR takes the southern exit, examines the space briefly for the source of the red light, then follows after STEN.]
Casmir saw the gloved hand stick out of the door, waving in acknowledgment of his light. it had to have been Jones’ coworker, the one with the helmet. He gestured to back away, and another loud crack at the nearby door convinced the Hunter that discretion was the better part of valor, here. Moreover, a quick glance to the south told him that Jones had successfully opened the to the south, and proceeded to exit out to the second floor atrium.
The scarred man frowned, ducking low to the ground and hurrying across the way, wary of the holes in the wall. He ducked outside, peered briefly over the side for the source of the red light, from earlier, then quickly hurried after Jones, not wanting to alert anyone that might hear him.
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 21, 2023 3:09:43 GMT -6
Quickly, Moana places gems into slots but... nothing happens. She reaches for the ruby and garnet first, thinking to switch them, but finds them stuck in their sockets. Most of the others seem stuck too. The 'amethyst' and 'sapphire' slip out, however - they must have been the ones she had gotten wrong. She quickly swaps those with the warmer purple for amethyst and the other dark blue for sapphire. The result is immediate - at least for her - she feels a brief rush of some sort of magic - it feels good, restful and calming. And then it is gone and, she realizes, so is the glass case. The Plasma Torch is there for the taking.
Kail waits near the door while Samael finishes barricading it with the shelf. Just in time too, as the both of them can hear the door in the hall cracking open and something large and wet slithering into the hall. Samael shoves the shelf more firmly in front of the closed door and in a matter of seconds he feels the thing hit the barricaded door, causing the whole thing to shudder. There are noises coming from it, rough guttural groans, and a wheezing that almost sounds like its trying to form words but can't quite manage. For the moment the barricade holds.
In the hall, Casmir follow's Sam's order to get away. Just as he rounds the corner to turn to where Stenson had gone, he hears the door shatter and the wet thump of the thing on the other side pouring out into the hall. He glances back briefly and sees something red and wet with shining white glints of bone interspersed. Whatever it is it's moving surprisingly quickly toward the door Samael and the others are behind.
Casmir hurries down the hall away from the creature, following after Stenson. He exits the staff hallway and comes out next to a closed shutter. Before him is a railing looking down over the waterless fountain, and the group of people down below. Most of them are near the southern side of the fountain, near another shutter. They seem to be discussing something. One is nearer the fountain itself, and that one, a dark haired man in coveralls with black marks on his face - worm holes? - is looking up toward the second floor, perhaps having heard the commotion.
Neither Casmir or Stenson have time to further examine the people below, however. Stenson has already bolted down the hall to the glass front doors of The Mystic eye. He can see the other three inside - Moana near some sort of pedestal with a flashlight on it, Kail and Samael near the shuddering, barricaded door in the back. If he tries the glass doors he will find that they open easily. Casimir isn't far behind him, hurrying to catch up with him.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 21, 2023 17:47:31 GMT -6
(OOC: Samael keeps the door barricaded and tells Kail to be ready with the torch.)
Samael quickly pressed his back against the barricade, providing as much resistance as he could. Suddenly acutely aware of his breath- how had he not noticed this before now- he inhaled sharply. Perhaps it was his stubbornness or pride speaking, but he wasn’t about to let this mortal body he had been forced into get in his way. Though not as easily utilized, if there was strength to be found in this flesh and he intended to use it. Outside, the pile of flesh wheezed and groaned as it tried to tear down the door. It would have been a pathetic situation, if the attempts weren’t clearly working.
Looking up, he noticed that Kail had managed to fashion himself a torch and Moana seemed almost done with the torch puzzle. Hopefully it would be useful. His visored gaze scanned the two of them in turn, the mirrored surface an unsettling void in the darkness of the room.
“This door won’t hold for long”, Samael stated calmly, as if talking about the weather, “are you ready?”
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Post by Salandis on Oct 21, 2023 22:07:29 GMT -6
[Moana joins Kail and Samael at the door with the Plasma Torch to hand]
For a moment Moana simply stared. No opening mechanism, nothing, just a breath of magic and the case was gone. And the Torch was there.
She swept it up immediately and joined Kail and Samael at the barricade. She added her weight to the shelf, giving the torch a look over to see if there were any oddities about its function.
“I’m ready,” she said with a grin. “I said right when I saw it we should kill it with fire. Hopefully that’s just what we’ll do.”
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 22, 2023 14:33:18 GMT -6
The creature slams into the door again and Samael and Moana can feel it giving - if not for the barricade providing a little extra protection, the door might have broken on that one. More and more blood is seeping under the door with each shuddering strike.
The Plasma Torch that Moana picked up looks for all intents and purposes like a heavy duty flashlight. The only interesting things about it are the lens, which appears to be made of a thick, clear purple-tinted crystal, and a slider on the side labeled 'focus'. Somehow after picking it up, Moana immediately knows that it can only be focused three times before the battery dies. If she intends to use it more than that, she'll need more batteries. Otherwise, it seems to function as a normal high-quality flashlight perfectly fine.
For now Kail waits near the door, a bit behind the two of them. He keeps his lighter and torch at the ready, but does not intend to light it unless the creature breaks in.
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Post by luscen on Oct 22, 2023 16:56:14 GMT -6
[CASMIR catches up to STEN, warning him to stay low, while doing likewise. Knowing the glass door won’t stop the BLOOD MONSTER, he suggests they think of an escape plan while watching for activity below.]
Casmir’s timing was impeccable, as the door gave way just after he’d gotten out of sight. The acrid, rusty smell of blood and viscera assaulted his nose, and he thought he spied a pale bit of bone, as well. Without getting a proper look, however, the Hunter wouldn’t be able to identify it, so formulating a countermeasure was out of the question. The best course of action, therefore, was to get around to the other side of the stores.
The blonde guessed Jones’ trajectory, but kept himself low to the railing, out of sight. He could see some men in overalls down below. Construction workers? Were they normal? One of them looked up, and Casmir thought he saw a dark patch on his face, which made him think of the old woman. Best to avoid them, for the moment.
He caught up to the Agent, using hand signals to warn him to stay low, as there were unknowns below. Looking into the store, he could see Sam holding a door barricade, Moana with some kind of plasma torch, and Kail hiding in the back. The door shuddered heavily, that blood monster trying to get in.
“If that door won’t stop it, these sure as hell won’t,” Casmir said quietly, taking another look below for signs of movement. “We need an exit strategy.”
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 22, 2023 18:22:40 GMT -6
[Stenson gets the store door open and calls to the others. He urges them to come out the front of the store where they have plenty more escape options.]
The moment he reached the store, Stenson was relieved to see Sam's familiar helmeted shape, as well as two others seemingly working with him. He slammed a fist against the storefront's glass door to get their attention before grabbing the handle and pulling it. It opened easily enough, the latch giving a satisfying click as it released, allowing the door to swing open.
"SAM! HEY!" He called the moment it was open, "Something's coming out in that back hall, you need-" His words were interrupted as whatever was behind the store slammed heavily into the door just behind the group. It was loose, and it had one more door to go. "This way!" Stenson continued, waving an arm frantically in a 'come on' motion.
As Casmir caught up, Stenson heard is words to stay low but the officer was already in a crouched and ready position. "We'll be better off out here in the mall. If that thing gets through, we have plenty of options." He reassured the blonde, looking around at all the other directions and stores available to them. "Maybe we can lose it, trap it in another back storeroom if it comes to that."
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 22, 2023 18:46:32 GMT -6
[Kail exits the store after Moana and Sam, still holds back on lighting the torch until it’s broken through the door]
Kail held the lighter at the ready, knowing that the burn-time of the makeshift torch wouldn’t be all that long. He adjusted his stance, ready to lunge forwards once it broke through the door - but there was noise from behind, and when he glanced back he saw the Hunter and officer had circled around to the glass doors.
They slid open, and Kail looked back to the splintering wood of the staff door. It wouldn’t hold much longer, barricaded or not. They had the Torch, and their odds of killing the thing were better in a more open space.
“Go, go,” He urged Moana and Sam. He flashed a bloodthirsty smile at the taniwha as she turned. “Gimme some space to torch this fucker.”
Tense as he was, his tone was almost teasing. He faced the door, stepping backwards only once the others were out. The driftwood gave him a bit of room to swing, and he tightened his grip in anticipation.
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