Something Unexpected

[animusmods]

Characters: characters selected to go into the elevator
Setting: the admin levels
Format: any
Summary: The admin elevator has been left open, its destination preprogrammed. Where is it going to take you?
Warnings: general horror warnings for now

The elevator doesn't announce itself when its doors slide open. There's no alarm, no message to be found about it. It sits open and waits for anyone curious enough to enter. There's a barrier on it that locks out anyone without a collar, and it isn't going to stay long, but aside from that there appears to be no security. There's nothing stopping someone--or multiple someones--from climbing into the elevator and going down.

Where's it going? Who knows.

Hub Area
A lounge area with sofas and chairs. It's large enough to hold the entire group, constructed similarly to the dorm rooms, and is connected to five doors.

Door One
???

Door Two
???

Door Three
???

Door Four
???

Door Five
???

Comments

[warriorscribe]

*Enoch rolls the table down the path, and goes to help Felix try to lift the Deathclaw's corpse off of Sheba. Hopefully between the two they can roll it off her.

If they manage to push it off, Enoch will try to lift Sheba and get her onto the table. Leaving her anywhere here alone doesn't seem like a good idea.*

Would you mind if I hold onto this until my own weapon is useful again?

*He's still holding Sheba's staff, in the crook of his arm at the moment to aid in pushing and lifting. He'll give her staff back if she wants it, of course. He just doesn't like the idea of facing these things completely unarmed...*

[animusnpcs]

[More retrieval units show up--the ones who had previously been in tubes on the other side of the door. Much like the first set, they aren't fully recharged.

Unlike the first set, however, they're armed with large hammers, impossible for a normal human to lift, which they swing about as if it were made of styrofoam.

Getting hit wouldn't be a fun experience.]

[uzuki]

How many of these are there..?

[Shion ceased her shooting for a moment, and took to ethers again. It was hard to know what would and wouldn't work, but she cast slow, which would affect all of the enemies nearby, if it worked.

After that, she began shooting sleep ethers at the retrieval units, rapidly firing them off at any units that approached the group.]

[animusnpcs]

[The units seem momentarily addled, if not entirely affected by, the ethers, but with a wave of their hammers they seem to dismiss them.

They charge forward, bringing their hammers down on anyone or anything within reach.

That table, for example.]

[seekinganswers]

[Felix and Enoch will hear muffled sounds from under the corpse of the Deathclaw, until they manage to free Sheba and she's not muffled anymore]

--hate Jason, I really hate Jason!

[She is enraged. Beaten half to death, nearly crushed to death by a disgusting, bleeding corpse - this is just not her day.]

Of all the places we could have been exploring why did it have to be JASON'S?!

[She continues her tirade as Enoch pulls her up onto the table, stopping only when he addresses her.]

Go ahead. I don't think I could really go hand to hand right now anyway. My best bet is going to be to hang back and cast--

[And then the next batch of retrieval units appears. Sheba gasps, shuffling back on the table and then wincing with pain because movement hurts, but if she stays in one place she's a sitting duck and she has to do something and--

She glances at her allies. Felix, Enoch, Shion - they were going to need as much help as they could get in this place. She brings her hands together and focuses her Psynergy as best she can with the retrieval units getting closer and closer. Knowing they're there is terrifying, it makes her heart pound and her breath catch in her throat, but she still manages to call out -]

High Impact!

[Felix, Enoch, and Shion will feel strength surge through their limbs as the spell activates.

A moment later, they'll hear a sharp scream as one of the retrieval units makes it to the table - and the girl sitting on it.]

[animusnpcs]

[The impact cracks the table in two.

And mashes Sheba's chest to a pulpy mess.

But maybe that's a lucky break, in an awful way--the retrieval units are built to retrieve, and they hesitate in their attack as they try to resist the impulse to retrieve the body now presented to them.]

[lighthousediving]

[Felix has to fight the urge to vomit as he's momentarily paralyzed by what he just saw. Even knowing this place could bring people back to life after any atrocious death, he couldn't shake the disbelief. Revive wouldn't even help here.

Those feelings are finally replaced with a seething anger. Yes, he had kept going after being forced to destroy his own parents, he could keep going now.

He starts swinging his blade with his right hand at the mid-sections of any nearby units, trying to make any times when Vengeance didn't appear count. But really, she was more appropriate now than ever...]

[uzuki]

Sheba!

[Shion started forward, but it was too late. She felt sick, but she didn't have time to dwell on that. She made sure not to look at what remained of the girl, and the energy blade on her MWS extended again.

On the bright side, Shion's strength and speed were already augmented by her weapon, and Sheba's spell added to that. So Shion clenched her fist and used a beam ether on the group of distracted units. Each tendril of beam energy that descended would hopefully slice right through them. Then she rushed at the ones that remained, slicing at their heads and abdomens with her blade. Trying her best to avoid their hammers... Or having her collar touched.

Then she called back to Enoch.]

If you can find an opening, go! Don't worry about me, or fighting. Just get to that room!

[animusnpcs]

[As before, while the retrieval units are often resistant to pure supernatural attack, blades of most kinds work much better. The retrieval units are sliced to pieces while they hesitate.

And then it's quiet once more.

Enoch's powers return to him.]

[warriorscribe]

*Enoch tightens his grip on Sheba's staff as his armor reappears. He'll keep it safe for her until she's back. It had all happened so fast that the retrieval units had been killed before he could move...*

...Let's...let's hurry. So her death wasn't in vain.

*Time to move. He puts a hand on Felix's shoulder in passing though. He knows what it's like.*

[lighthousediving]

[Felix silently makes eye contact at that gesture. Showing any sort of gratification was the last thing he felt capable of doing right now. His chest felt a lot like his friend's now looked.]

Right. We have to investigate that other hallway.

[It's not hard for him to turn his head away from the grisly sight, but actually walking toward the door doesn't seeming to be coming as easily. Still, he's on his way to the doors.]

[uzuki]

[Shion stayed behind for a moment, then quietly followed after the others.]

[animusnpcs]

[The trip to Jason's central office is quiet. When they get there, they will see the point where the white light stops, trapped from going any farther. The three ChuChus linger here--it may be possible to sneak past them and into the hallway. Maybe.]

[warriorscribe]

I've never seen those monsters before. Do either of you know anything about them?

*Enoch keeps his voice low, lingering back in the doorway.*

[lighthousediving]

[If there's one thing Felix is good at, it's being quiet. He merely shakes his head "no".]

[uzuki]

No... I haven't encountered that many of the monsters here. They don't seem as alert as the other things though.

[As in... they aren't chasing us down yet.]

[warriorscribe]

Let's move carefully, then. Along the edges of the room, in a line. Stow anything that is a light source. If they see us, attack from a distance.

*And Enoch will lead the way inside, moving very carefully along the perimeter of the room.*

[lighthousediving]

[Felix nods, securing his blade in its sheath. It wasn't that it made light, but if he was going to use Psynergy it wasn't required that he have it out. He just had to hope these things didn't have the ability to see Psynergy. He follows Enoch just as carefully.]

[uzuki]

[Shion's energy blade was powered down, and she followed the group. She also might have made a mental note to remember to request traps along with medkits... When she finally got around to that.]

[animusnpcs]

[The ChuChus, not being the cleverest of creatures, don't notice as they pass. Soon they're in the hallway out of sight of the monsters. There's a button at the end of the hallway.]

[warriorscribe]

*Enoch makes his way to the button, still along the wall, and still moving quietly. If he's unimpeded, he'll press it, but if there's any signs of an obstacle he'll hesitate.*

[animusnpcs]

[As soon as Enoch presses it, a white light shoots out from it and rushes down the hallway. It travels all the way back to the hub, where the area in front of Jason's door glows white.

It also lets out a siren.

The monsters will be following the sound soon.]

[lighthousediving]

[Even though it doesn't look as immediately dangerous as last time, Felix is pretty sure they should save time getting out of here to avoid more casualties. Fortunately, he's already in the middle so he grabs Shion and Enoch by their arms and closes his eyes.]

Retreat!

[The multi-colored orbs of light surround them once again.]

[animusnpcs]

{They return to the door they arrived through before any monsters have the chance to tear them into any more pieces.

From here, making it back to the hub will be easy. They are the fourth group to do so.]