WEEK 5: CYOA

[probe]

flashes the lights off and on

Comments

[fisherwoman]

[Frowning at the vent! And also holding Aoi back. After a few moments of thought:]

If there really is something dangerous in the vent, I think the more experienced fighters should go in front... So I can go first, then Medb, then Shi Qingxuan, then Aoi in back?

[But she'll wait to see if SQX can get the door open, though she has very little faith in this place making it so easy.]

[fergalicious]

[ Well, they can try to dress Aoi up later. They need to get out of this room first. ]

These reports say that all the doors keep getting stuck, so we might have to find alternative ways to get around.

[ She frowns. ]

If there is something in the vents, we should probably take something that can be thrown as a distraction just in case.

[ Throw the skull, make lots of noise in the vents, get wrecked.

But Medb will set the skull down, so she can pocket the rubix cube instead. ]

[probe]

[the door doesn't unjam. it is stuck like a jammed thing is stuck.

there's a moment, where all of you are standing in this room suddenly feel like this isn't worth it. maybe you should just give up? maybe you should go back to bed. it's so comfortable there. sleeping is nice.

and then it's gone. the room hums, like the way old CRT tvs do.]

[shiftingwinds]

[no, i'm kidding.

she looks down to pull her fan out of her belt, intending to use it as a weapon somehow in the vents, but - nope. it's not there.

she makes a face.]

It doesn't seem as though we have any other choice.

[time to head into the vents in the order endorsi suggested!!]

[gamerbrain]

[ aoi will comply with that order. she will head in once everyone else does! ]

[fisherwoman]

[In we go! She's pulling the black dress on over her clothes and the jacket on over that so her hands are free in case she needs them, moving into the vent first.

and since flurry is wonderful and ara holds the braincell, she's shining her phone's light in front of her.]

[fergalicious]

[ Following! With everything she picked up in the room. It's fine.

Honestly, Medb is probably trying to haul too much stuff to easily use the phone flashlight, too, but it's on for more light even if it's not shining directly in front. ]

[probe]

[you know, i don't even question how medb is getting into the vent with all her stuff, she's just doing it.

it's very dark in here, but endorsi's light manages to push the worst of it back. they have to sort of crawl to get through it, but it's not a tight fit, really. they keep going...

there's a thudthudthud ahead of them in the vents, followed by a shuddery clicking sound.]

[shiftingwinds]

[BAD. DON'T LIKE THAT.

shi qingxuan goes tense, white-knuckling her phone (which she is also using for light), and peers ahead.

does the clicking sound more like the click-clack of nails on metal, or the clicking of a camera shutter? i can't get that sound from last curfew out of my head fml.]

[gamerbrain]

The skittery monster...

[ she is in the back so she is subject to everyone else's stopping or moving. she would like to just bravely keep going though! ]

[fisherwoman]

[Pausing as well! And turning to hold a finger to her mouth as she looks directly at Aoi.

Is it possible to tell what direction that noise is coming from? And if so, are there any branching vent paths that move away from the direction of the noise, or is it completely straight?]

[fergalicious]

[ Oh, Medb hates this. She tenses as she stops behind Endorsi, looking straight ahead, too. She holds tightly onto the skull, just in case she needs to make bad life decisions and throw it. ]

[probe]

[it is much more similar to the camera shutter sound, but not quite that. just close.

it seems to come from in front of them first, and then off to the right. it's a heavy thudding noise, like something big banging around in the walls. there's a path - it goes straight, mostly, but they can probably see a path off to the right a few feet ahead of them.

also all of you roll a d20 for me, real quick.]

[shiftingwinds]

[cries in our terrible dice rolls

why is the direction of the noise changing. how can it be going from in front of them to off to the right? maybe if they're very still and quiet whatever it is won't notice them??]

[gamerbrain]

[ aoi stays still and quiet! ]

[fisherwoman]

[endorsi is hoping for the same thing as sqx, so she stays as still as she can - but she’s listening carefully, tense and ready to move at any second if she has to.]

[fergalicious]

[ Yeah, Medb hopes the thudding noise gets farther away instead of closer. She also stays still and silent but is ready to take off any moment.

laughs in terrible dice rolls ]

[probe]

[for those playing along at home, none of these losers got above a ten.

there's another thud. endorsi's light goes out. silence, for a long, long moment, and then the dinky little flashlight on endorsi's phone comes back on - and there's a monster, curled right in front of her. a monster with, uh. a fun and inviting face. the beak opens, and it shrieks, warbling and awful, and all four girls feel an intense pain in their ears as the noise rattles around in the vents. their hearing is now damaged.

the monster snaps forward and tries to take a bite out of endorsi, claws out and raking at her. the rest of the girls are right behind endorsi so it's likely they're not safe for long.]

[shiftingwinds]

[wow i wish i could be surprised that you gave us a furby monster


anyway, sqx puts her hands over her ears at first - ouch! - and then backs up rapidly, trying to block aoi in case the monster gets closer and bringing one of her hands down to tug medb back. hopefully medb will grab endorsi??]

[gamerbrain]

[ WHY IS IT A FURBY

anyway there is not much aoi can do from back here. i assume the vents are not big enough for her to push her way past anyone, so she's just - wincing and holding her head. ]

[fisherwoman]

[she’s been tensed, ready to move, and as soon as she sees the creature, she starts to move back - but there isn’t much room to maneuver with everyone else right there, and the horrible noise stops her before she can move more than an inch, anyways. she’s thrown off enough by the sudden pain in her ears that she doesn’t dodge as effectively as she wants to - the bite sinks into her shoulder and the claws sink into her side, but she’s immediately trying to shove it off, aiming to dig out one of its eyes with her hand.

more than anything, she’s trying to make sure it doesn’t move past her, but the intense pain in her shoulder means she can’t hold it back as effectively as she’d like (because i, eli, support equal opportunity maiming for everyone). as this happens, though, to the others:]

Go back into the room! At least we’ll have more room to fight it there if it follows!

[can they even hear her clearly anymore? a mystery.]

[fergalicious]

[ unfortunately, the sharp pain and damaged hearing only serves to anger medb, and while she appreciates sqx's gesture, she shakes it off and motions for her to keep moving back.

With her ears ringing and the limited mobility from being in a vent, she can't do this with as much force as she wants, but she lifts the skull she took and tries to smash it against the furby's head over endorsi's shoulder - the opposite side that endorsi is trying to damage. ]

How dare you, you fursuit freakshow!

[probe]

[why wouldn't it be a furby is the question

with a successful bite and claw, the monster tries its luck with taking a bite out of medb too! a second furby beak shoots out of the main one, aliens style, and tries to rip a piece off her. ear? a chunk of her shoulder? ara gets to decide.

however, endorsi fights back - she claws at the eye, and it's very much a real eye, actually? it feels that way, it's not hard plastic. between that and medb smacking the skull against the monster's face, it's finding that what it thought was its dinner is not going to be as easy to get at. it makes a sound like... well, like batteries in a furby toy dying, actually, and then skitters backwards and away. the vents rattle as it escapes further into the dark, leaving the four girls with bleeding ears and flickering light.]

[shiftingwinds]

[well



that's unpleasant.

shi qingxuan grits her teeth, torn between trying to keep herself between aoi and the monster and wanting to yeet in there to help. endorsi and medb get it to back off, though, and as it skitters away, she slowly brings her hands back up to her ears.

blood. disgusting.]

Are you two okay...? Is it gone?

[gamerbrain]

[ aoi is just looking up ahead to see how the others are faring.

the last instructions she (thinks she?) heard were to back up, but she doesn't want to - especially now that the monster has been fought off. for now. ]