• Graded • CitW: The Curiously Spooky House

[Pegasus]

Any way the wind blows

Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see

I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I'm easy come, easy go
A little high, little low
Anyway the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me, to me
Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life had just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away

Mama, oh oh
Didn't mean to make you cry
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters
Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine
Body's aching all the time
Goodbye everybody I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, oh oh (anyway the wind blows)
I don't want to die
Sometimes wish I'd never been born at all
I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouch, Scaramouch will you do the Fandango
Thunderbolt and lightning very very frightening me
Gallileo, Gallileo, Gallileo, Gallileo, Gallileo, figaro, magnifico
I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come easy go will you let me go

Bismillah, no we will not let you go, let him go
Bismillah, we will not let you go, let him go
Bismillah, we will not let you go, let me go
(Will not let you go) let me go (never, never let you go) let me go (never let me go)
Oh oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no
Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me for me for me

So you think you can stop me and spit in my eye
So you think you can love me and leave me to die
Oh baby can't do this to me baby
Just gotta get out just gotta get right outta here
Oh oh oh yeah, oh oh yeah
Nothing really matters

Anyone can see
Nothing really matters

Nothing really matters to me

Any way the wind blows

120th Ashan, 719. Midnight

The First Shard.

The Curious

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow —
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand —
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep — while I weep!
O God! Can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

And like that, it was done. They were on the path to the dark and dismal house, Nightshade, Ari'sora and Tio. There was no one with them, no guide to show them the way. Just them, and the Spooky House. The path was in front of them, clear and easy to walk, but it was dark and the trees hung ominously overhead. The house looked empty, abandoned and unpleasant, yet as they got closer, there was the smell of cooked food.

And the sound of a party.

As they approached, there was definitely the sounds of life and cheer, and yet the house looked abandoned and cold and dark. All their senses, except for sight, agreed that this house was lively and probably in the midst of a party of some kind. But their eyes were adamant.

Which was the truth?

Assuming that they went in, they would see that both were. For the house was filled to the very brim with a packed party of happy revellers. Of course, they were all ghosts, translucent beings floating around and going about the business of having fun with the kind of focus that meant it was a really good party ~ or had been. None of the ghosts would interact with them, but it was a busy, bustling place. And, in any and every room they went there was dust of centuries, ghosts having fun, and some of the strangest objects ~ things which seemed really out of place. In the Entry, for example, there was a goldfish bowl on a plinth in the middle of the entry hall. Inside that bow was water and swimming in the water was what appeared to be a snorkelling mouse.

The House

The three of them entered through the door and, together, they had a chance to explore the Spooky House.

Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see

Objectives & Rules

Righteo. The three of you can be together, or you can split up, that is entirely up to you. PLEASE be clear in your posts.

!	Message from: MUST DO OBJECTIVES
	Pick a room (let me know which number) You must describe the room you are in (entirely up to you what it is) and two "out of place" items you see. These will be very important (potentially). It is vital that you let me know how you interact with the room and the items - and let me know if you stick together or split up.

!	Message from: OBJECTIVES MET LAST ROUND
	Ari'sora wrote the longest post This will have consequences, either during the thread or in the review.

!	Message from: CAN DO OBJECTIVES
	There are 4 hidden objectives here. I'll let you know if you meet them. You may move to ONE other room. If you do - please let me know which one (the number) and the same "Must Do" objectives apply to that room. You get to decide what kind of a room it is.

Dates & Deadlines

You need to post here by Monday 4th March. If you have not done so, you've missed the round. I will be locking the thread at that time.
I will post on Tuesday 5th March.

[Tio Silver]

Tio led the way up to the spooky house, torn between his common sense telling him to keep an eye out for danger and his immature side telling him to flail excitedly at the spooky house. Who wouldn't find a terrifying, run down house awesome?! It was the perfect setting to find some sort of monster or insane murderer, and with Cassion's curse over his eye the chances of him finding them were practically a hundred and one percent! How cool would that be?!

As he drew nearer to the door a peculiar smell caught his nose. It was the distinct aroma of roasted meats, warm bread and sweet, sweet beer. Not exactly the sorts of things you'd expect to be coming from a decrepit old house, but there was no denying what his nose told him. Nor the muffled sounds of raised voices his ears could detect coming from inside. What was going on inside? Some kind of cooking show?

Tio flung open the door and let out a half-chocked gasp of overwhelming delight at the scene playing out before him. The house was full to the brim with ghosts! Honest-to-the-spirits ghosts! Pirate ghosts, priest ghosts, ghosts in armor, ghosts on horseback... the list went on and on! And they were having a party! He was gatecrashing a ghost party! This had to be pretty high up the list of the top ten most awesome things he'd ever done! After standing awestruck in the entrance for a dozen or so trills Tio rushed off like a giddy schoolgirl to look around, following the sound of the music into room 6.

Inside room 6 a small ghost band stood in the corner, playing an upbeat swing tune to a room of cheerful specters. There was a singer, a guitar, a cello and a set of drums all as ethereal as the people playing them, but the sixth band member was playing a beautiful black piano just as tangible as him. It was the only thing in this room that actually seemed to be real, and unlike the rest of the house didn't have a speck of dust on it. As the ghosts didn't seem to notice him Tio walked over to the piano and ran a finger over it. It was eerily cold, with a tiny hint of moisture clinging to its surface, and just gently touching it made an urge to play it rise up in Tio's fingers.

"Hey Tio, come take a look at this!" Fred called over the music, bringing Tio's attention over to him. He was stood by a corner, looking at what seemed from afar to be a large patch on mold. As he walked over however Tio began to notice splotches of red dotted within the mold. Was that writing? Yes, when he got closer to it he could see it was definitely writing. It seemed to be some kind of runic dialect he'd never seen before. Maybe the same kind as was in that book from the waiting room? Pulling his notepad out of his pockets, Tio copied down the strange symbols. Maybe he'd get an opportunity to translate them again later.

[Rei'sari]

Nothing was what it seemed. It was strange. When she had been living under Ren'zar's rule, her life had been a living nightmare. But for all of that, it had been predictable. Live by the rules, and survive. Disobey...and suffer the consequences. And the rules had been simple. Do what you were told immediately, and without complaint. Do your work quickly, and well. Obey your betters. Obedience earned her precious reading time. Failure to please Ren'zar...brought pain. Simple.

Freedom from Ren'zar was wonderful, amazing, and terrifying all at once. But she had quickly come to learn one thing; nothing was what it seemed. The rules no longer applied. She was the one who made the decisions. And the world outside Ren'zar's house was as fascinating and complex as any of the fantasy stories she had read when she was younger. Her best friend, and the person she loved most in all the world was a talking cat that she had met in a Maze created by a dream. And now she was in a strange world she had found in a crack in reality. Which one was the real world? This one? Or the one she had been in before? Could they both be real? Ari'sora had no idea what to believe, or how to tell what was real, and what was not. Or even if "real" and "unreal" had any real meaning. The one thing she did know was that nothing was what it seemed to be.

And this haunted looking house was no exception. It looked old, and run down. Her eyes told her than it had been abandoned for a very long time. But her ears and nose told her a very different story. As they walked along the path, they could hear the sounds of a lively party. Music filled the air, and they could hear the sounds of people talking. Their voices were muffled so she couldn't understand what was being said, but she could hear a lot of different voices. And the scents! She could smell the scents of cooked food coming from the haunted looking house. Delicious food that made her mouth water. Which was real? The "reality" her eyes were showing her, or the "reality" her other senses told her was true? Clearly, nothing was as it seemed.

When Ari'sora followed the man into the the house, she learned that both realities were true; there was a lively party going on in the house...but all of the people attending it were ghosts. From the looks of things, they didn't even know that they were dead. What had killed them? And why? Was whatever has killed them still around? Was it a threat to them now, too? Ari'sora shared an uneasy glance with Shadow as they moved further into the entry way. One thing was clear; they needed to be very careful as they searched for the broken mirror shards.

The man ran off like an excited child, but Ari'sora lingered in the entry way to look around. It looked normal enough for all that it was inhabited by a large number of ghosts that were having a party. Well...mostly normal, at least. As she looked around, she saw a plinth in the middle of the entry way. On that plinth was a bowl filled with water. It looked like the kind that one might keep a pet fish in. And in that bowl was...a mouse. Snorkling.

Shadow stared at the mouse.

"You don't see that every trial." she said slowly.

Ari'sora thought that they could say that about everything they had seen since going through the crack in reality, but she simple nodded in agreement.

"I would like to take a closer look at it, if you don't mind?."

Ari'sora was happy to oblige. Shadow jumped up onto her shoulder, and she moved closer to the fish...err...mouse bowl. They peered down into the bowl for a few bits, watching the mouse intently. Ari'sora absently reached towards the bowl, planning to touch the water, then hesitated. Nothing was as it seemed. What if the mouse wasn't really a mouse at all? Leigh had told them that monsters lived here in the houses, after all. What if this mouse was one of them? Maybe it had razor sharp teeth, and was poisonous. Or maybe it could grow huge whenever it wanted to, and eat whoever was bothering it. And what if it didn't like its water disturbed? There was no reason to risk making it angry if they didn't have to. So she pulled her hand away quickly.

"Can you tell us anything about this place?" she asked the mouse politely.

It couldn't hurt to ask...could it? And if cats and caterpillars could talk, why not mice, too? Ari'sora would wait to hear any answers the mouse might give if it was inclined to speak before she continued with her exploration. When she peeked through the first door on the left hand side of the entry way, her eyes widened in wonder. It was a library. She looked around to see if the other winged woman had followed her into the house, and was still around. If she was, she would tell her of her plans to explore the library, and ask if she wanted to come with her.

The library was huge. To Ari'sora's wondering eyes, it looked like a treasure trove of knowledge just waiting to be discovered. The walls were lined with shelves of books from floor to celing, and the space between the walls were filled with more book cases of equal height. All of them were filled with books. And Ari'sora's fingers itched with the need to read them all. But she was mindful of the fact that the books in the last place had seemed to be alive. These ones might be too, and she had no desire to anger them by reading them if they did not wish to be read.

In the center of the room, there was a giant blue crystal that appeared to be growing out of the floor. Growing was the operative word because it had a "trunk" that was taller than she herself was. Starting at a height roughly equal to her shoulders, the trunk branched out into branches much like a tree. The "tree" was complete with small green crystal leaves, and palm sized purple crystal fruit. As she watched, the crystal tree began to glow. The light started at the base of the tree, and spread throughout the branches, leaves, and fruit in a matter of trills. Once it did, light burst from the branches in rays, shooting into the room like arrows. One touched one of the books on a shelf directly opposite the crystal tree. Another touched a shelf on the book case that lined the far wall. A third touched a cat that had wandered into the room while she had been looking around. And there were others; too many to count. A ray of light had burst forth from each of the branches of the crystal tree.

It was a beautiful sight...and a disturbing one. It was disturbing because everything that the light rays touched...changed. The book case along the far wall vanished entirely, revealing a door that had been hidden behind it. The cat turned into a book. One that walked around on four legs and miaowed like a cat, to be precise. The book on the shelf opposite the tree turned into a winged cat that began reciting poetry in Common. Other books that had been hit turned into crystal fruit, or real fruit. Ari'sora and Shadow simply stared.


"...Maybe the cat used to be a book of poems...?" Shadow asked faintly.

It made as much sense as anything else did. And through it all, ghosts came and went, talking animatedly about something that Ari'sora couldn't make out. When she looked at the crystal tree once more, it was back to being nothing more than a crystal tree.

Ari'sora's attention drifted back to the books once more. She really wanted to read them. And what if that was exactly what she was supposed to do? What if the books could tell her where the broken mirror shards were hiding? Her curiosity got the better of her.

"Umm...Mr Book? Or Ms. Book? Would you mind if I read you? You see, I am looking for some broken mirror shards, and I am hoping that the answer to where they are hidden is written in your pages..." Ari'sora asked the book closest to where she was.

She didn't get an answer. Maybe this particular book was just a book after all. Or maybe it was just pretending to be a normal book.

"Umm...Ari'sora? The crystal tree is glowing again..." Shadow called out in alarm.

Ari'sora didn't know if the light rays would change her if one hit her or not, and she didn't want to take the chance that it would. So she scooped up both Shadow, and the winged cat who had once been a book, and bolted towards the formerly hidden door as the glow began to spread throughout the tree. Fortunately, the door opened when she turned the knob, and she ran through to the next room.

The next room was filled with books as well. But the books in this room had a feeling of great age. Some filled the large number of book cases that were in the room while others lay in piles on the floor, or in boxes. As Ari'sora moved further into the room, she set the book turned cat down gently, and stroked its back a few times. This caused it to purr, so Ari'sora continued to pet it until it indicated that it had had enough by moving away from her hand.

"Maybe this is where the rare books are kept?" Ari'sora mused out loud.

As they continued to look around the room, Ari'sora saw a man sitting at a desk in the far corner of the room. Sort of. The "desk" was a giant turtle that seemed to be pretending to be a desk. The man was a ghost, of course, as were all of the other inhabitants of the house from what Ari'sora could tell. He was busy writing something, but it wasn't in any language that Ari'sora knew. His words were runes. The runes he...wrote? Drew? Ari'sora wasn't sure, but she wasn't sure that it mattered either. the runes looked like they might be the same kind that had been in the room with the talking stair cases, but she couldn't be certain that they were the same.

Further exploration of the room uncovered yet another book case lining the wall that the door was in. It was almost hidden in the corner, and it was smaller than all of the other book cases she had seen in either of the rooms. It was also made entirely out of glass. And so were the books that were shelved upon it. Each glass book was a different color. The titles of the books were clearly visible on the spines of each book, but they were written in more runes.

Were the runes important in some way? If Ari'sora was right about them being the same kind of runes she had seen in the first room she had found herself in, she thought they might be. What if they were a clue to finding the broken mirror shards? With that thought in mind, Ari'sora pulled out her notebook, and began trying to copy the runes that she saw to the best of her ability.

Off Topic

Ari'sora enters room one to start with. Out of place objects from room one are the glowing crystal tree and the winged poetry reciting cat. The second room she explores is room two. The out of place objects in room two are the giant turtle pretending to be a desk and the glass book case filled with glass books.

[Nightshade Eld]

Never jump to assumptions, never believe reality is one thing until you can prove it. Even then, continue to doubt.

Reality was such a subjective and fickle thing. That's something the half-breed had learned throughout her life. One person's reality could be entirely different from another's. Even her own reality could differ wildly. Senses disagreeing on seemingly simple details. Touch never quite being the same as sight, or smell and taste disagreeing violently in regards to certain foods. That's why she tried to always be cautious and aware, leaving her beliefs about any given situation flexible.

Nightshade brought up the rear as the trio approached the house. She was constantly on alert in case the surrounding forest proved to be just as dangerous as the house. She had to hold back the urge to surround her companions with her wings like they'd offer some kind of protection or shield. Thinking about it, wasn't that a habit she'd picked up from Noth? He'd done that for her a couple of times, wrapping his solitary wing around her form. Noth. It was weird how the name could rest so foldly in her thoughts and yet elicit a rather bitter taste in the back of her throat.

When her eyes decided to disagree with her other senses, she tried to take each other's assessment with a cautious grain of salt. The three would know soon enough which source proved to be accurate. The only thing that kept the half-breed from going completely on the defensive was Tio's poorly shrouded delight in the face of the abandoned house.

The man was the first to push his way into the building. Night couldn't even consider herself phased. A little confused, but honestly, she'd been expecting far worse than a party of ghosts. She reacted in a way that was ultimately... well, fairly mundane. When she'd approached the building with her other two companions, she'd honestly been expecting some form of madness. She didn't trust this place, this world. Even if she wasn't outright on the defensive she was observant and cautious, keeping her wits about her without worrying too much that she stilled on the path forward. Moving on without rushing into things headlong like an idiot.

That's how she approached this house.

Tio was the idiot, who rushed into the building like some kind of child. "Guess we're splitting up," the half-breed said with a groan when Ari'sora focused on her own investigation of the entrance area. Nightshade refused to run around like a mad woman, but she wasn't going to completely stall out. Resolving to explore the house and finish their task quickly, she started down the hallway, going straight until the first left turn.

The door she finally stopped in front of was made out of black palm wood and marked with a silver 9 that sat on the door at about eye level. The doorknob as well was made of silver. Pushing against the knob, the woman entered the room. It was dimly lit, the only source of light existing on a candle which sat upon a desk at the very back of the room. The wasn't to say the corners were pitch black. Just dim. Almost as though there was some kind of unseen light source that existed for the express purpose leaving the room looking shadowy while still making the objects around the room visible.

The candle because of that shown all the brighter, casting brilliance skittering across the two forms which stood in front of it. Before the desk stood two creatures that didn't quite look like they belonged.

The first was a golem made from crystal, its figure standing at 9 feet tall. It didn't move, didn't react, didn't acknowledge Nightshade in the least. Instead, it just stood, the faintest hues of blue glinting as the flame reflected through it and cast little spots of light across the walls.

The second creature couldn't have been more than 3 feet tall and looked almost like a kangaroo when it came to its body shape alone. It sat on its hindquarters with its arms crossed in front of its chest. It glared up at the crystal being, yelling at it in gibberish that Nightshade couldn't understand. Two very long ears sat on the top of its head, giving it an extra foot in height if you were going to count them. Its tail was very thin, whip-like and covered in a very course looking fur.

Neither of these creatures immediately looked or seemed harmless though. Quite the contrary in fact. The golem held flowers in its large hands and the kangaroo-like creature could barely move on its own, suddenly holding out its arms and making a demand of some kind. The golem complied, picking up the much smaller creature with a kind of gentle nature one wouldn't expect from a golem made of crystals and setting it on the desk. Afterward, the kangaroo now closer to eye level with the golem continued to yell at it.

The half-breed risked trying to speak with the pair. "Excuse me, have either of you seen a piece of a mirror?" She asked, making sure to keep the group's original goals in mind. It didn't really matter if they answered her or not. As long as the pair didn't seem aggressive she'd search the room after trying to speak with them. If they did seem like they were agitated by her presence or at risk of attacking her then she'd try to flee since she didn't have any idea on how to fight them.

Off Topic

Nightshade went to room 9 where she found a crystalline golem and a kangaroo-like creature talking in a language she can't understand. She tried to speak with them and is entirely prepared to flee if either seems aggressive.

[Pegasus]

Event Wiki

You're fighting for your life

Ahahahahahahahaha
It's close to midnight
Something evil's lurking from the dark
Under the moonlight
You see a sight that almost stops your heart

You try to scream
But terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze
As horror looks you right between your eyes
You're paralyzed
'Cause this is thriller
Thriller night

And no one’s gonna save you
From the beast about to strike
You know it’s thriller
Thriller night
You’re fighting for your life
Inside a killer thriller tonight, yeah
Ahahahahahahahaha
I'm gonna bring it tonight
Ahahahahahahahaha

You hear the door slam
And realize there's nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand
And wonder if you'll ever see the sun
You close your eyes
And hope that this is just imagination
Girl but all the while
You hear a creature creeping up behind
You're out of time
'Cause this is thriller
Thriller night

And no one’s gonna save you
From the beast about to strike
You know it’s thriller
Thriller night
You’re fighting for your life
Inside a killer thriller tonight

Ahahahahahahahaha
I'm gonna thrill ya tonight
Get up, get up

Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y'all's neighborhood
And whosoever shall be found
Without the soul for getting down
Must stand and face the hounds of hell
And rot inside a corpse's shell

I'm gonna thrill ya tonight
Ooh, babe
'Cause this is thriller
Get up, get up (I'm gonna thrill you tonight)
Cause this is thriller

120th Ashan, 719. Midnight

The First Shard.

The Curious

The stream is shrunk — the pool is dry,
And we be comrades, thou and I;

With fevered jowl and dusty flank
Each jostling each along the bank;

And by one drouthy fear made still,
Forgoing thought of quest or kill.

Now ‘neath his dam the fawn may see,
The lean Pack-wolf as cowed as he,
And the tall buck, unflinching, note
The fangs that tore his father’s throat.

The pools are shrunk — the streams are dry,
And we be playmates, thou and I,
Till yonder cloud — Good Hunting! — loose
The rain that breaks our Water Truce.

"How Fear Came"
by R. Kipling

All of You!

Tio was more than a little bit delighted, happy to find a slightly damp but very beautiful piano. The sound from it was unbelievable - certainly more than he had ever heard from a piano before. It was like each press of the keys spoke to the soul, so beautiful was it. Then, he got busy and started writing down runes.

For her part, Ari'sora spoke to the mouse and he replied, in a little squeaky mouse-voice (which was quite clever, considering he was under water) "Oh it's lovely here! Always fish for supper!!"

Nightshade, however, did not speak to the mouse. She moved cautiously, very aware that they had goals in mind. She asked her question, had either of them seen a piece of a mirror and the answer from both the golem and the kangaroo was the same. "Nope. Nope. Not seen. Not yet."

But, for Ari'sora, things were not yet over. She had asked the Book and, unheard by her, the Book answered. So wrapped up in her exploration of this strange world was she that, for a moment, she didn't see it. But she copied the runes from the glass book and, as she closed it, the mirror shard slid out and lay there, on the table in front of her.

And as that happened - they all heard it.

The low, deep growling from the corner of the room they were in. As the place stopped being .... inviting, ceased to have any semblance of friendly. As midnight descended and darkness fell, the creatures started to appear from the corners of the room they were in, each of them.

It's close to midnight
Something evil's lurking from the dark

Objectives & Rules

!

Message from: MUST DO OBJECTIVES

Ari'sora said or did exactly the right thing. This means that the shard is in front of her. However, all of you start to see Nightmare Beasts coming from all four corners of all the rooms you are in, all hallways etc. You have literally seconds to act before combat will start. You might be able to run, but if you stop and do anything (even pick up the shard) then you are cutting that time down and are likely to have to fight. Please be VERY clear what you are going to do. You have a minute timeframe. Any stopping at all will increase the likelihood of combat. Don't assume the outcome here, let me know what you're aiming for. Thanks!

!	Message from: OBJECTIVES MET LAST ROUND
	Tio found a musical instrument! Ari'sora examined the snorkelling mouse. Ari'sora discovered the first shard

!	Message from: CAN DO OBJECTIVES
	There are 3 hidden objectives here. I'll let you know if you meet them.

Dates & Deadlines

You need to post here by Monday 11th March. If you have not done so, you've missed the round. I will be locking the thread at that time.
I will post on Tuesday 12th March.

[Rei'sari]

As she closed the book, Ari'sora heard the soft tinkling sound of glass falling. Startled, she looked down to see what had fallen. There, on the table was a mirror shard. In that instant, she heard a low, deep growling coming from the corner of the room.

"That doesn't sound good. I think we need to leave...now!"

Ari'sora agreed with her friend. The book the mirror shard had fallen out of was still in her hand. In one movement, she grabbed the mirror shard that had fallen out of the book and the notebook she had been writing in. At the same time, Shadow leaped from Ari'sora's shoulder into her arms, and dug her claws into her chest for better purchase. One arm wrapped around Shadow tightly to make sure that she didn't fall, and for added protection. She would have grabbed the winged poetry reciting cat too, but it was already in the air, and headed towards the nearest door.

Three steps was all it would take for her to get enough momentum to get into the air. Maybe five. As the monsters emerged from all four corners of the room, she ran, wings spread wide. If she gained enough momentum before the monsters reached her, she would be in the air. There wouldn't be much room to maneuver with the book cases spread around the room, but she was faster in the air than she was on the ground, and every trill counted. Not that it would help much if the monsters could fly.

Now that she had the shard, her one and only goal was to escape if she could. The door she had just come through was further away than the one that the winged cat was heading towards, but the room she had come from before this one was a lot bigger. She would have more room to maneuver if she could get there. And the crystal tree might turn the monsters into something harmless if its light rays hit them. Or it might turn them into something worse. It was a chance she would have to take. She didn't know where the door the winged cat was headed for led to, but the entrance to the larger library was close to the front door. If she could make it that far, she might be able to escape. And with the winged cat giving the monsters a second target, some of them might decide to go after it instead of her. That too might buy her some time to make her own escape.

Off Topic

Ari'sora grabs the shard and her notebook while Shadow moves into a more secure position. This would take a few trills at most. Then Ari'sora runs for it, attempting to fly. Her current room is big enough to allow that, but the book cases will make it difficult. If she makes it into the larger library (room one), she will have more room to maneuver, and the crystal tree might help or hurt her. The winged poetry reciting cat might provide a second target.

!	Message from: Peg
	Actions noted. Nice box code!!!

[Tio Silver]

As Tio scribbled down a copy of the final room Fred's nose suddenly twitched. The fox stood on his hackles and looked around the room suspiciously, sniffing the air experimentally.

"Fred? You alright there buddy?" What's wrong?" Tio asked, slipping the notebook back away in his pajama pockets as he stood up and walked over to him. Fred didn't answer, but gave a hard stare at the nearest corner of the room. There was a black, tar-like smoke pooling out of the floor, bubbling up into the beginnings of some kind of shape. No, it wasn't just in forming in that corner of the room but in all of them! What was this stuff? Trouble? Luckily Tio was officially an expert on how to handle dangerous unknown substances. Slowly he reached a hand out to touch it...

"Don't try to touch it you moron!" Fred shouted, snapping out of his thoughts in an instant and shooting him the angriest glare he'd ever seen an animal pull. "Are you brain dead? It is clearly evil! Why would you think touching it is a good idea?"

Tio's eye glinted with pride. "Oh you'd be amazed how often touching random things ends up working out well for me."

"I don't even-... No, look now is not the time! These are nightmare beasts! We need to run away now!"

"Nightmare who's?" Tio chuckled, entirely uncomprehending of the danger he was in. "Never heard of them. But I'm a mage remember? What harm can a couple of bad dream bunnies do to m-."

A very loud, very familiar growl resounded out from the space the nearest black smog was forming in, causing Tio's head to whip around to face it like a lasso. It was only half-formed, but the shape this beast was adopting was huge, muscular and horrifyingly dog-like. At the mere sight of it Tio flinched back like he'd been struck, the parts of his face still visible around his mask rapidly turning a distinctly pale shade of white.

"On second thoughts running away sounds pretty good right now. He squeaked out, his voice as high as a choir boy with their nuts in a vice.

Without another seconds hesitation the duo turned and legged it back towards the door as quickly as they possibly could.

[Nightshade Eld]

One of the benefits of being combat orient almost her entire life long was the fact she was mostly unflappable when danger started to rear its ugly head. It wasn't often that she feared for herself. Her priorities were usually focused entirely on others.

When she started searching room 9 her thoughts kept wandering to her companions, hoping that they were okay. When she searched the room she searched for a shard but also for weapons. She needed a weapon. The half-breed felt bare and underprepared without the familiar weight at her hip, a constant in her life that was off-putting to be missing. A low-quality sword, a sword of any type, anything would really do. But, oh, how she wished to feel the familiar weight of a scimitar in her grip. It would be preferable to have Love Struck or Red Brand with her. She'd been carrying Love Struck when she entered the damned portal which made it all the more upsetting to not have the sword.

When the shadow beasts began to appear without much warning, she only really had a couple of trills to decide on action. The best thing for her right now would be weaponry, but she wasn't shabby when it came to unarmed. A blessing of sorts indeed. It had been a wise decision to start studying other martial areas as soon as she'd mastered her way around a blade. What else did she have at her disposal besides her fists and talons though?

The part that really worried her was the number of opponents in the room. Four wasn't a number she hadn't fought before. Of course, the only time she fought larger amounts of enemies was when she had a sword. There was almost a little worried voice in the back of her mind that kept asking over and over if her teammates were going to be okay. She could handle her own. Tio could at least mildly handle himself from what she remembered about him. Ari'sora was the wild card in this regard, her combative skills being entirely unknown the half-breed which simultaneously also made her the largest potential liability.

The half-breed didn't really need to think more than half a trill to know what needed to be done.

The beasts had yet to block off the door as they started to emerge from the corners of the room, hissing and growling like the feral monstrosities they were. The golem and the kangaroo-like thing apparently didn't like these creatures either. The kangaroo made a series of sharp noises at the golem and the golem started to approach one of the beasts. The half-breed couldn't hesitate to see the outcome though. She booked it from the room and started rushing down the halls. She needed to find her teammates. That was her first priority. She could deal with monsters after, but she needed to find her teammates.

Hoping she could detect them from the sounds of a struggle, she did her best to rush to their aid, flapping her wings obtrusively at any creatures that might get close to her. She was not going to stand by and let the other two get hurt if she could help it, a spark of bitter resilence lighting up in her chest.

A scimitar would be really nice right now.

Off Topic

Night left room 9 in an attempt to find Tio or Ari for the express purpose of trying to help them. She came to this decision almost immediately, so she didn't linger in the room for more than a couple trills at most.

[Pegasus]

And so it goes, and so it goes....

In every heart there is a room
A sanctuary safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lovers past
Until a new one comes along

I spoke to you in cautious tones
You answered me with no pretense
And still I feel I said too much
My silence is my self defense

And every time I've held a rose
It seems I only felt the thorns
And so it goes, and so it goes
And so will you soon I suppose

But if my silence made you leave
Then that would be my worst mistake
So I will share this room with you
And you can have this heart to break

And this is why my eyes are closed
It's just as well for all I've seen
And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows

So I would choose to be with you
That's if the choice were mine to make
But you can make decisions too
And you can have this heart to break

And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows

120th Ashan, 719. Midnight

The Moment.

The Curious

Master of human destinies am I;
Fame, love and fortune on my footsteps wait.
Cities and fields I walk. I penetrate
Deserts and seas remote, and, passing by
Hovel and mart and palace, soon or late,
I knock unbidden once at every gate.

If sleeping, wake; if feasting, rise, before
I turn away. It is the hour of fate,
And they who follow me reach every state
Mortals desire, and conquer every foe
Save death; but those who hesitate
Condemned to failure, penury and woe,
Seek me in vain, and uselessly implore.
I answer not, and I return no more.

~John Ingalls~

Different things happened in that house, that trial. Some good. Some bad.

Some, very bad.

Ari'sora grabbed the shard and her notebook. As she did, the Nightmare Beasts descended on her. She didn't make it out of the room she was in, for the doorway was ~ in those few trill ~ blocked by shadow creatures spawned from her nightmares.

And they attacked.

Tio, meanwhile, ran for it. He did nothing but run for it - although his run for it was a nightmare chase, where a number of large, black, shadow-like dogs were snapping at his heels. He got out, feeling the hot breath of one of them literally tugging at the back of his collar and yet, he just made it.

Then, there was Nightshade. She was in a room on the exact opposite side of the house to Ari'sora. As she turned and ran, Nightshade got out of the room as the beasts behind her tore and ripped and into the golem and the kangaroo. There were the sounds of screaming and fighting. Or, more precisely, the sounds of screaming and mauling.

Ari'sora was in a room with four of the Nightmare Beasts.. Four of them, approaching her and, as they grew into full size, exiting the shadows, they leapt at her. She had her book, the shard, and Shadow moved in front of her to try and protect her. But Ari'sora heard the screams from Shadow as the Nightmares tore through it, without stopping. Almost without breaking stride. Yet the screams from Shadow were cut short as the creature died. And, as Ari'sora felt the first of them scrape long claws down her arm, tearing open the flesh there, there could be very little doubt that she was in a lot of trouble.

Night, too, got only half way to the sounds of screaming before seeing Tio leg it past her, chased by the creatures. And she discovered, very quickly, that swooshing her wings wasn't doing it in terms of stopping them or putting them off. As claws ripped down Nightshade's back, and she felt the warm rush of her own blood, she thought about how great a scimitar would be. And that was good, because one was in her hand as she thought it.

But she was still very... very... very outnumbered.

Things were not going well in the Spooky House.....

And every time I've held a rose

It seems, I've only felt the thorns......

Objectives & Rules

!

Message from: Individual Situations

Ok lovelies. We are in something of a pickle here. Arisora You are being attacked by four Nightmare Beasts. One moderate, three minor. Shadow has been ripped to pieces trying to protect you. In your next post - they are attacking you. Please work with that, and only that. Nightshade You were in Room 9. Ari'sora was in room 2. You have made it to the corridor in between Room 5 and 7. You have just "willed" a scimitar into your hands. That took an action (even though you didn't know you were doing it) - however, Night also has four beasts currently. For her, it's three moderate and one minor. IF you choose to go and help Ari'sora, then you will face AT LEAST another 4 before getting to her room. You could change your action and run out of the house. If you do that, the four you have on you will attack. Tio You get out. As you do, as you put one Tio-toe outside the door, you are out in sunshine and bright light. There are no shadow beasts / nightmares. There's just you and... oh look. There, in front of you is a plinth. On that plinth is a shard of a mirror. You may go back in the house (nightmare beasts x 4), explore the dream area or, if Tio touches the shard, then he will immediately find himself in the room with The Generous. Up to you.

!	Message from: All Of You
	As stated at the beginning - this thread is high risk. At least two of you are currently in very genuine, very significant danger of being dead. Please be clear in your next posts exactly what you're doing.

Dates & Deadlines

You need to post here by Monday 18th March. If you have not done so, you've missed the round. I will be locking the thread at that time.
I will post on Tuesday 19th March.

[Tio Silver]

Tio ran as if the hounds of hell were after him (which, in a sense, they actually were.) Like a runaway chariot he careered through the house, bouncing off the walls as he turned the corners in his hast to get away, with Fred hot on his heels. The howling of the pack of nightmare hounds behind him was chillingly close behind, so close in fact that Tio could almost feel their claws scraping against the floor a fraction of a second behind his feet. Yet that fear served to give him the push he so desperately needed to sprint with all his might. The entrance was in sight right in front of him, a tantalizing beam of light spilling in from where it had been left slightly open, and with one big burst of strength Tio surged forwards and barged his way through it just at the moment he felt a claw scrape against his neck.

But the claw vanished as light filled his vision, and before he could stop himself Tio had ran out past the door, stumbled, and collapsed into a messy heap of tangled limbs. Some back part of his mind noted that it was daytime outside, but was overshadowed by the sheer relief filling his head that the hounds were gone! He wasn't going to become a chew toy for a pack of demonic doggos! Thank the spirits!

"I think I saw one of the others as we ran past. Should we go back and help?" Fred panted, trying to catch his breath as well. Luckily it didn't seem like he'd been harmed either. Tio looked back to the doorway of the house, frowning at the thought of the literal nightmares inside. On the one hand those nightmare creatures were dangerous, and the girls could probably use a hand fighting them off. They might not have been damsel's in distress but they were his teammates, and teammates didn't just abandon each other. He'd have to be a right craven git to just leave them to face their peril.

On the other hand... dogs...

"Meh, they'll be fine. I'm sure they can handle it. He replied dismissively, giving a lazy wave of his hand and turning his back on the house. He'd rather live a coward than die a brave man, and the simple fact of that matter was that he wouldn't stand a chance against those beasts. It was only once he'd turned away that Tio finally noticed the plinth a few steps away with a mirror shard resting atop it. Hold up, was that the same shard they'd been tasked with finding? So it hadn't been in the house the whole time?! Well wasn't that a kick in the bloody teeth!

"Oh well, guess we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth." He said to Fred, reaching out a hand to take the shard. The moment he touched it however the reality around Tio and Fred folded in on itself, and the duo disappeared from sight.