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 Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 8:51 pm
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Who: Yves, Xiu
Where: Durem Manor, an old and fabled mansion that has been there for as long as anyone can remember.
When: Approaching nightfall, about 6:00.
Weather: Overcast and cold, growing colder still with each passing hour.
┈━━━━━━━━━━━━┈
Much like with Lab 305, a flyer had caught the attention of a short man with sandy blonde hair. This time, however, the flyer had not been posted outside for him to chance upon; when he had gone to retrieve his mail that morning, Yves had received a peculiar piece of paper amidst the usual bills and junk mail. It read:
Dear Resident,
With the changing of the leaves and the coming of Autumn, it is our honor to welcome you to Durem Manor's first ever open house! Located near the deep, dark woods of our bustling town, Durem Manor has been a presence in Durem for as long as Durem, itself, has been. All are welcome to join us in taking in the splendor of one of Gaia's most fabled and controversial properties, as well as partaking in food and drink and learning of the rich history of our beloved city.
The open house will begin at 5:00 P.M. and will continue until 8:00 P.M., where we will be closing the doors to Durem Manor until the next time. Don't miss this chance to step foot in the untouched doorway to the past!
We hope to see you there. Remember, mansions are large - there is room enough for everyone.
Sincerely,
Durem Manor
Yves had read it over and immediately gulped. Durem Manor. He had never been inside, but he had heard stories of it all throughout his childhood. The mansion was extremely large and old, and it belonged to the city of Durem and was never for sale. Many had tried to make (extremely generous) offers, whether wanting the land or for other obvious, historical reasons. But the mansion always stayed put, its only residents being the officials who kept it from falling apart and the descendants of its previous owners who would come by occasionally to make sure nothing was amiss or tampered with.
As a child, he had wondered what it would be like to live there. Was it truly haunted, like the stories always said? The closest he had ever come was the outskirts of the backyard, where he could see the looming, dark building but never be close enough to touch it. They said that children who got too close never came back. He'd believed it, growing up, but now that he was older he knew it was more likely to have just been a rumor to keep anyone from vandalizing the building or getting hurt.
That last line was certainly ominous, though. He had hummed and hawed and decided, why not? He needed something fun to do, something to keep his mind off of other, more troubling things. And so it was just nearly six o' clock, and Yves found himself standing in the doorway to the Durem Manor, and he felt a little scared.
Despite its outward appearance - ominous, dark, creepy - the insides were indeed lit up and he could hear the lull of conversation from within. As he took the steps toward the giant front door, one by one, he did one final check to make sure he looked presentable. Not that he had a mirror on hand, but a simple adjustment of his scarf and knowing how his hair could be was a simple enough fix. Was he vain? Yes, he had finally come to admit that.
"Welcome," an elderly woman said politely to Yves as he walked through the door. He smiled and thanked her, and on his way in he made certain to deposit a small donation to the city into the large box by the door. It was't required, but it was the polite thing to do.
Inside, it was just as he had imagined: regal, exquisite, dark. Not dimly lit, but... dark. It gave him chills just to regard the old paintings on the walls, the eyes that stared down at him as he made his way through the entrance hall. The chandelier overhead was such a beautiful antique, it made his breath catch in his throat when he saw it. Then, because this house was clearly haunted, he imagined it falling on him and he quickly walked away from it.
From what he understood, nearly the entire mansion was open for exploration. There were guards stationed everywhere to prevent theft, and cameras had been set up where needed. Alright, so the brochure had lied a little - it wasn't untouched, but he understood why the changes were necessary. A table near the middle of the spacious entrance hall bore a stack of maps that detailed the insides of the mansion. He grabbed one and stared at it as he made his way through the hall and into the grand main room, which had quickly opened up to be the size of a ballroom. A spiraling staircase was to his left and right, leading up to the balcony and then more rooms. He glanced back at the map. There were so many rooms.
Being so engrossed in the map, Yves did not see the figure right in front of him as he took another step and bumped into someone. Startled, he gripped the map to his chest and backed away a few steps, sputtering, "Oops! Forgive me, monsieur! I did not mean --"
He stopped and blinked once, twice. Floating in front of him was, unmistakably, a raevan. A pale raevan with long, beautiful hair. Yves took a moment to gather himself and apologized again.
"I am so sorry," he began, trying to smooth his own map out. It had become terribly crinkled when he nearly squeezed it to death. "You, ah.... You're a raevan, aren't you?" he added, quietly. He didn't want to sound creepy, but he also didn't want to assume in case, er... the gentleman in front of him wasn't a raevan. He still felt very new to all of this Lab 305 business and was certain that there would be plenty more opportunities to embarrass himself in the future, no need to do it all at once.
"I'm sorry, sometimes I do not think before speaking. My name is Yves," he said, offering a hand.
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 2:00 am
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There were certainly better, more productive things that one could do with one’s time but the Sigel did not feel particularly inclined to do them. Mostly because they were mundane and could be addressed with ease when one was not on a day off.
Indeed, Xiu would have preferred if he could have spent some time with Lazarus but the Fire Raevan had other business to attend to so the white Raevan found himself currently unoccupied on his day off. Which was aggravating to say the least. It would be simply depressing if he’d had to admit that he spent his holiday doing accounts or cleaning shelves.
Which was why the open invitation to the Durem Manor caught the Sigel’s eyes. It was historic, the public had limited access to it and if nothing else, it was something to do.
Blue eyes pondered over the invitation once more and took note of the word “controversial”. That usually meant some kind of disgrace or death within the building’s walls right? A quick internet search provided most of the information he needed to know about the house. From paranormal rumours to purported hauntings and attacks.
…
Was this really something you’d do on a day off?
Blue eyes looked thoughtful. It was… worth a try. Goodness knows he needed the practice and well…surely no one would object to having one less spook in the house right?
----------------------------------------
Despite the numerous security guards posted throughout the house, actual security was lax. Or perhaps no one expected you to carry a sword concealed within a blueprint carrier. Either way, the Sigel got through the checkpoints pretty easily. In fact the security personnel were more amazed that a half-formed floated creature decided to pay the manor a visit.
Obtaining a map of the place was a simple enough process as well and the Sigel soon found himself floating after the many curious visitors to the place. Despite the bright lights and the audible conversations from visitors and staff, the building had a stale feeling to it that did not sit well with the Raevan. It was by accident that a human male bumped into him.
“No, I should have been more aware of my surroundings too,” admitted the Sigel as he turned to the apologetic man. “I was just caught up with the manor,”
At the mention of Raevans the Sigel looked genuinely surprised. “Ah yes, yes, I am,” said Xiu as he took the other’s hand in his in a friendly handshake. “Pleased to meet you, Yves,” said the Sigel, pronouncing the human’s name with some difficulty. “I’m Xiu,”
“Are you perhaps… in some ways associated with Lab 305? Seeing that you seem to know about us raevans,” said the Sigel with evident interest. For a moment, the manor and its gloomy surroundings were forgotten. “Or are you a guardian of a raevan?” |
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 11:04 pm
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"It is a pleasure to meet you, Xiu," Yves responded easily, although he couldn't help but give the raevan a quick once-over. He didn't mean to stare, and he definitely didn't want Xiu to feel uncomfortable or awkward, but every raevan was born of something different, and he would wonder often what his own would look like. Being made of bones and a wolf would surely yield interesting and fascinating results.
He looked up and into the sigel's blue eyes - Xiu seemed to radiate a feeling of serenity, somehow. The very mood of the mansion had seemed to shift somewhat with his presence. Was this the power of a raevan, as well?
"Ah! Well, I am a guardian, but... my raevan is not here just yet." He smiled and looked down at the floor, brow furrowing. He was always thinking of his future raevan; he had raeven-proofed the house as much as he could think of before actually meeting the raevan and accessing its individual needs. The biggest hurdle would probably be helping his small dog, Peanut, to adjust to the newcomer, but he had been bringing friends over more steadily to try to help him adjust to new company. All in due time, he told himself.
Finally he looked back up and gestured out to the mansion's walls, adorned with old portrait paintings and vintage wallpaper. "My fel essence was... creepy, kind of like this place. I think that is what drew me here. I mean, Living Bone... I guess I felt that maybe I could get a sort of indirect feel for my raevan by visiting a place like this. Is that weird?" He shrugged at his own question and gave Xiu a helpless look. "What brought you here? Hoping to find a ghost, perhaps?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 8:48 pm
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Yves instinctively held up both hands and waved them in front of himself, looking a little flustered. "No, no ghost souls! Er, wouldn't that be... immoral?" he asked, with a nervous laugh following. He couldn't imagine taking the soul of a person, but he had heard of there being mythical spirits and the like. But how would one know unless they were a medium or something? He adjusted his scarf, his embarrassment making him feel a little warm.
It took the french man a moment to realize the room had cleared, save for the two of them. It was suddenly much quieter, and it felt much larger and foreboding than it had when it was full of guests. He was unnerved by the feeling, but the side of him that loved Halloween also kind of liked it, in the cause-the-hair-on-your-head-to-stand-up way.
"Um, but honestly, I do have my soul already." Yves sighed and rolled his shoulders, casting a wayward glance toward the tall windows. "I sent it and the essence back a couple months ago. Just... just waiting, now." He clasped his hands together in front of himself and smiled, deciding it best to not stand there and prattle endlessly about his future child. "Oh! But it is a wolf, by... by the way. By pure chance, I swear I did not go out and hunt one."
The sun had already begun its descent across the sky, and the lights were fading beyond the window. Soon it would be dark, but the open house did not end for some time still. Why did they keep it open so late? Perhaps they wanted to trap some stragglers inside and keep them for their own nefarious purposes? Yves laughed at his own thought and then shut his mouth, staring at Xiu.
"Sorry. Funny thought. Anyway, it seems the crowd has moved on. Would you like to sneak off and see whatever dark secrets this mansion is supposed to be hiding with me? Safety in numbers, right?" He paused, and then added, "Er... sorry. Another joke. I keep thinking that there is a bad feeling in this house, but I wouldn't know any better than anyone else about that."
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Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2015 7:02 am
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Xiu tilted his head slightly when the word “immoral” was uttered by the Frenchman. Why was it immoral to use the soul of a human yet perfectly fine to use souls of animals, plants; - even angels and demons?
Of course, the Raevan understood what the consequences might be if a human soul was allowed. But surely that would be more of an ethical concern? For example, it would certainly not be ethical to kill a human to obtain their soul.
But why not a soul that has already been liberated from its flesh? As Xiu understood it, if these souls are still stuck wandering the earth, it was probably be an act of mercy to give these souls a second chance at life ;- rather than being forced to spend an eternity being mournful and depressed.
But such an argument was neither here nor there in its relevance since Yves has already obtained a soul for his Raevan (a wolf’s soul no less!) and so the Sigel merely nodded at Yves’s explanation before looking around the empty room. “It is eerie isn’t it?” said Xiu, voicing Yves’s thoughts. “And you aren’t wrong in your intuition,”
The Sigel was silent for a moment as he contemplated this. The feeling that the mansion was giving off, it was a familiar one. Stale energy trapped within its aged walls brought to mind old crypts, forlorn antique shops and just out of the corner of one’s eye …
Blue eyes turned quickly towards a darkened hallway leading to the mansion’s depths. There, the Sigel perceived a blackness against the fading light that was not entirely natural. As though sensing the Sigel’s gaze, the black silhouette flickered for a moment before vanishing through a wall.
“Tell me, Mr. Yves, do you believe in bad spirits?” asked Xiu softly. “Because those are the only kind that I can see,” |
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Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2015 1:03 pm
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At the sigel's question, a cartoonish shiver ran down Yves' spine. He might have frilled if he were a lizard. "Bad.... spirits?" he asked, warily. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but he couldn't deny the chill that he felt in his chest, either. Perhaps he had simply watched too many horror movies in his day. An old mansion was the prime place for something sinister to happen, the perfect place for restless spirits to wander.
Pulling himself out of his strange feeling, he shrugged his shoulders, his map still gripped - perhaps a little too tightly - in his hands. "I mean... of course. You must have the good with the bad, non? There are bad people, after all..."
Thinking more on that, his gaze fell. One thing he had always believed was that there were no bad animals. Xiu had given him a strange look when he had mentioned using a human's soul, and Yves had immediately regretted even talking about soul use around a raevan like that. How callous could he be? The sigel had brought it up, but Yves felt he had approached it badly.
Searching for purchase against the wall, Yves leaned back and onto the edge of the fireplace, which had been sealed away from use with a black, sharp, iron cage. Some used glass, but whoever built the mansion seemed to have been going for "as creepy as possible" the entire way. He eyed it briefly before continuing.
"I... you know, it keeps me up at night," he said, slowly. "To think about... about his soul. George. That -- that was the wolf's name, George. I took it without his permission, you know? Do you think... do you think he would ever forgive me if he knew?" He looked up and into Xiu's eyes, his own looking beyond him, somewhere far away.
Before awaiting a response, another thought dawned on him, startling him slightly out of his funk. Xiu had mentioned that he could only see bad spirits, but it had seemed like a strange time to mention something like that. Slowly, Yves looked over his shoulder and back to Xiu, an eyebrow raising. "Wait... did you... see something?" he asked, pointing toward the wall.
The fireplace's mental frame groaned against his weight, echoing in the otherwise empty room.
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2015 8:26 am
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Xiu winced slightly at the grating sound the fireplace made when Yves leaned against its metal guard. It was a sharp jarring sound that reverberated across the empty room. It was a wonder that none of the staff had come over to investigate. Perhaps they were not too concerned about the strange noises this old mansion made. Xiu had heard that old houses tended to be noisy houses. Perhaps that was what the staff told themselves whenever an unexplainable noise occurred.
By this time the French man had gone on to elaborate on the nature of his raevan’s soul. The white Sigel listened politely to Yves’s explanation.
George
The creature had a name. That meant that Yves knew the wolf or at the very least, the wolf was not completely feral. But something had happened. An accident maybe, or perhaps sickness? Judging by the French man’s expression and tone, the wolf’s death had not been intentional; which was not surprising since Yves did not look like the type of man who enjoyed hunting and killing for sport in the first place.
"I do not know,” answered Xiu truthfully and carefully. He knew Yves probably felt bad about the whole ordeal and now that he come to think about it, soul capturing seemed like a pretty shady business. It went against the morals of many religions for one. But more to the point, who knew what exactly went on in the minds of wolves? Even dying ones. Do they even understand the concept of death and the soul in the first place?
“But if it helps, your raevan should not remember the incident that let to its death. A fresh start, for the both of you, if you will,” said Xiu.
“And yes,” said Xiu, glad for the change of topic. To be honest, the talk of soul capture and its implications was a bit beyond the Sigel’s knowledge. Floating over to the part of the wall the shadow had melded into only moments before, the Sigel gingerly inspected the cold stone surface. “There was something here a moment ago. It has…disappeared now,”
Seeing Yves’s worried expression, the Sigel felt that he owed the human an explanation. “It is something I am born with,” said Xiu softly as he studied the wall. “I can see bad intentions. Be it from a human, animal or…ghost. For the latter, it is unfortunate that I am unable to see anything but the bad ones,”
“It is best if you return to the group of visitors, Mr. Yves,” said Xiu as he turned to the man. “I can’t guarantee how things would go from here on out,” |
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Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 12:39 pm
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"Ah," was all Yves managed at Xiu's suggestion - that he leave and return to the herd. It was a simple request, but it was also foreboding and made the hair on the back of his neck raise up. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and gathered himself, a half-hearted smile forming.
"That's probably a good idea," he said, echoing the sentiment in his tone. He didn't particularly feel like being possessed, or haunted, or... murdered, that day, or any day, really. Using both of his palms to brace himself against the fireplace, Yves went to push himself up and away from it when the unthinkable happened.
As he pressed his weight into the intricate metal frame, which he had intended on lifting himself from swiftly, he heard a quick and startling sound like metal breaking. The ground seemed to lift from beneath him and he felt himself falling back, back, down. As he fell, his eyes grew wide and he instinctively reached out and grasped for the closest thing - Xiu's long, flowing shirt sleeve - and caught hold of it before tumbling down the hidden door in the fireplace and down the tunnel.
The bottom came slower than he anticipated, and Yves fell with a soft thud onto a sizable haystack. Thankfully, it had been there to catch his fall or else he had no doubt his bones would have just crumbled upon impact. He rolled onto his side and coughed, choking on the dust and feeling extremely disoriented from the whole affair.
"Aaahhh, my god," Yves groaned, rubbing his back. The fireplace had caught onto his shirt on the way down, and although he didn't feel anything akin to blood on his shirt, his back was definitely smarting. He squinted and blinked against the sudden darkness that surrounded him, and the silence. Where was he?
It wasn't until a few moments later that Yves realized he had been holding onto something the entire time - notably, Xiu's sleeve - which he immediately let go of and croaked, "Oh my god! Ohhh my god. I am so sorry! Xiu, I..." He stammered and tried to feel about in the darkness, adrenaline causing his head to spin. "Xiu, are -- are you alright?"
Wherever they were, it had been a long fall down, and if there were any malevolent spirits about... this was the last place he wanted to be. More importantly, though, he had to make sure Xiu was alright. Even if a ghost decided to eat or possess him in the meantime.
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 5:17 am
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Xiu nodded. While this haunting might turn out to be nothing more strenuous than a quick stab at the spook (as is the case with most hauntings) , the Sigel could not deny that there were those occasional times when one encountered a supernatural entity that knew how to how to put up a fight when cornered. And when it came to such scenarios, Xiu proved to be not a very good swordsman. It was embarrassing sometimes.
So having Yves move on with the group would be beneficial in two ways. The first would be that the human would not be in any danger while the second would be that…should a prolonged fight occur, he would not be there to witness it.
As Yves pushed himself off the metal grate, old grille have a tortured screech as though in protest of its mistreatment. “Careful there!” cautioned Xiu as tried to reach out and stop his friend from stumbling backwards. What occurred next was beyond anything the Sigel was prepared for although he had seen it often enough in Scooby-Doo cartoons. A trapdoor had opened and Yves was falling right through it. Incidentally, the man had also managed to grab onto his sleeve as he fell and Xiu found himself being dragged after the Frenchman.
After a very brief passage through a narrow but slippery tunnel, the two of them found themselves being hurtled out of the narrow chute and onto a stack of stale hay where they lay stunned for several seconds. Yves was first to speak out, expressing his shock and dismay to the shaken Sigel.
“It is fine, I’m not hurt. I hope you aren’t too badly shaken yourself?”
The room would have been pitch black had it not been for the soft glow that emanated from the Sigel’s rune. Floating gingerly off the musty haystack (how long has it been there?), the Sigel took a quick survey of his surroundings before flying up to the approximate area of exit. If needed, he could lift Yves back up and out of this dank cellar or underground room…whatever this place might be. It seemed huge and rather foreboding. Xiu was hoping that it would not be the family’s mausoleum … or something of that nature.
“I’ll be gone for a second, Mr. Yves,” the Sigel called out. “Don’t worry. I am going to check if the trapdoor is still open,” |
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 2:56 am
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"O - okay," Yves called back, apprehensively. Everything about this situation screamed murder film and Yves wasn't really raring to die just yet. He laughed bitterly at the idea of his own soul being captured and used for a Raevan. Who would want a short, surly Raevan? At least it would have impressive eyebrows.
Unfortunately, the trap door had been designed to do just that: trap. After Yves and Xiu had tumbled through, the door had come back together like a fine mechanism and sealed itself; the door would only open one way. Yves crawled off of the disgusting hay stack and tried to resist the urge to smell himself. Xiu had been the only source of light and he was gone, trying to check out the trap door to see if there was a means of easy escape.
After waiting a few moments, Yves, felt his way along a wall and waited. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called, "M - monsieur Xiu? Is... is everything alright?"
It was hard to feel optimistic about the situation. Yves shuffled his feet and tried not to let himself panic. A thought suddenly struck him like lightning and he reached into his jacket pocket and extracted his cell phone. When it lit up it provided some light, but not nearly enough. He needed a torch or something. Sadly, there were no bars available - no service. Yves groaned.
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 5:38 am
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Xiu gave the trapdoor an experimental shove to see if the old contraption would budge but no luck. It was shut tight and seemed that it would only open inwards when triggered from the outside. As Yves has inadvertently done.
“Yes! I’m coming,” called Xiu in reply as he made his way down the grimy chute to where Yves was. “Unfortunately, exiting the way we came seems unlikely. It is bothersome,” said Xiu after a brief pause. “We have to find another way out,”
But the situation turned out to be easier said than done. Apart from the small circle of light emanating from Xiu’s rune and Yves’s phone, the room they were in was pitch black on all sides. Worse still was the stagnant and stale air and the utter silence that seemed to envelope the place. There was nary a squeak nor scurry of rodents that usually came with places such as this.
But things started getting truly bizarre when Yves’s phone, which had been turned on, began flicking erratically while the ambient temperature of the place seemed to drop by several degrees. In the distance, the sounds of items being violently tossed about could be heard and it was fast approaching the duo.
“Mr. Yves, stay calm,” said Xiu quietly. In the gloom of the setting, the Sigel’s rune glowed brightly. “It is a farce…probably,”
But just in case it wasn't, the Sigel carefully unslung his blueprint case and extracted his sword.
Just in case. |
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 2:52 am
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When Xiu came floating back down, Yves felt a sudden relief; even if the Sigel ended up not being able to protect him from whatever may happen, at least he wasn't alone. He nodded slowly, even if Xiu couldn't see it, when it became apparent that they wouldn't be able to exit the way they came.
He checked his phone again; still no signal. Without warning the light from his phone began to flicker, as if something were interfering with it. He gasped and looked up at Xiu, about to say something about it until a heavy chill ran down his spine.
Had it been this cold when he had first fallen? Instinctively, Yves hugged himself and rubbed his upper arms, not because it was terribly cold but because it had been noticeable and it gave him the heeby-jeebies.
The icing on the cake had been yet to come, however; he heard it faintly, at first, and then the sound began to pick up, as if it were coming closer. The sound of something thrashing about.
From the sound of it, Xiu had unsheathed his sword, but Yves still did not feel particularly safe. It was dark. Would Xiu be able to even see what was approaching? Were they really going to die like this? What would happen to his pets? His future Raevan?
"No," Yves mumbled between tightly clenched teeth. Grabbing Xiu by the sleeve yet again, Yves all but dragged the Raevan to the side, his free arm held out in front of him to feel for any walls or obstructions. No, no, no, no, no, was running through his head as Yves felt for a door, anything, his heart pounding in his chest.
After feeling along a wall in the darkness, Yves' hand found no purchase and he knew he had stumbled upon either a hallway or an open door. Without wasting any time, he dragged the two of them in and collapsed behind the wall, gasping for a breath.
"So... sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I didn't... I don't want... what was that?"
That, and how would they find their way out of this dungeon? Yves finally let go of Xiu's sleeve when he realized he had been gripping it still. So much for a good first impression.
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2016 12:12 am
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The sound was coming ever closer and Xiu was (oddly) prepared to face it. Perhaps it was the experience of having to face something quite terrifying back when he was a frei or perhaps it was the events of the fear filled jungle two years ago that steeled his nerves. It might even be because there was another with him and Xiu did not quite know if fleeing would excite the spook more or cause it to lose interest in them. Regardless, it was best to confront the source of their aggravation as soon as possible. After all, was this not the reason he had decided to visit the haunted mansion in the first place?
But it would seem that the Frenchman had a different idea. Taken by surprise, Xiu found himself being dragged through a series of dark hallways beneath the mansion. When the Frenchman finally stopped to catch his breath, Xiu noticed that their retreat had led them to yet another darkened chamber. But unlike the previous room, the smell of mildew was strong here and there was an uncomfortable dampness to the air. Close by, the drip dripping sound of water could be heard.
“… If I were to hazard a guess at this point in time, I would say poltergeist,” said Xiu as he sat beside Yves. “Unless of course it manifests itself, then we’d be dealing with something a little more powerful…,”
The sound of trashing items had stopped by this time and for a brief moment, the silence that surrounded them felt oppressive and the dripping water added a sinister underwater timbre to the gloom. Then it started. Low at first but gradually building up in strength, the anguished wail of a creature that could not possibly be human. On and on the wail continued to reverberate across the damp stones, casting horrific echoes along the forgotten hallways and abandoned cellars.
Then there came the sound of sniffing… |
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Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 4:55 pm
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The sound did not go unchecked by Yves' ears; sniffing, something was... sniffing. Smelling them. Hunting them? Yves drew his knees to his chest and tried to decide if it was better to die in the dark or with the meager light from his phone to illuminate whatever beast was about to kill them.
As if on queue, the single, solitary light that hung from the ceiling of their room clicked on. It was a dinghy lamp that suspended itself from the ceiling with a rusty chain, and it swung back and forth with quiet creaks by an unseen wind. Yves dropped his phone in shock.
Now he could see where they were.
The room was small - cramped, even - and it held one table toward the middle. Otherwise it was surprisingly empty. But it wasn't the decor that upset Yves and made his skin crawl.
It was the dark stain that led from the table too the doorway, where they were crouched by.
Yves immediately stood up and backed away from the stain, instinctively reaching out to try to grasp at Xiu's sleeve again. He didn't know the Raevan very well at all, but he felt like he could protect him, maybe.
"We -- we have to go," he stammered, but his voice dropped off when he noticed it; the dark stain on the floor seemed to be increasing, and it was now slowly spreading up the wall. A dark rot that snaked up the stone walls like ink on paper. At the top where the wall met the ceiling, something was coming out.
It rose from the dark stain as more darkness, sludgy and dripping. The creature had no eyes, its face ending in a sharp point. It opened its gaping maw and a gargled, terrible screech emitted from its blackened mouth. Before Yves could even process what was happening, the creature shot a stream of jet-black sludge from its mouth and straight toward the two of them.
All Yves could do was raise his arms up to shield himself as the creature dove forward to seal the attack.
Rapidashtrainer OHHHH MY GOD SORRY FOR TAKING SOOO LOOONG. LET'S DO THIS RAPID WE GOT THIS
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