open Occult in the Swamps

[SilverHeart 741]

(OOC: Man, so many updates, so fast. Depending on what happens this may be my last post for the day. Feel free to control Mirror if need be.)

 

Everything happened too quickly for Mirror to make sense of the situation. Being introduced to Sabel, then shoved into a room. What were they hiding from? Why was Wish with the bully? Sabel looked scary but was nice? She looked over to her friend and then back to Sabellah, What are we hiding from...should I ask Miss Sabel? Mirror opened her mouth to speak but a loud crashing sound interrupted her. She could only watch in horror as the griffin was attacked by....something. Something strong. Mirror continued to watch on in horror until the creature pulled Sabel and the door out into the hallway. Mirror followed the others into the hallway, sparing a glance at the useless stallion. Mirror moved behind both Sabel and Wish. She hadn't never fought with anything before but maybe her magic could still be useful...She had read plenty of books on practically applying Illusion magic. Using it to help others in a fight wouldn't be too much different from using it on stage...would it?

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

@,

@@SilverHeart,

@,

 

Every fibre of her body: every inch of her was on fire with a cruel conflict that she didn't understand. She was petrified and just wanted to curl up and pretend she was back home, but there was another feeling somewhere in her heart that scared her more, however small and insignificant it might be.

 

She was thrilled!

 

"We've got to make sure th... " She started to say: cutting off abruptly as the sharp sound of metal on wood signalled the knife falling as she spoke - driving its point into the ground close enough to her hoof that she felt the vibrations as the metal shook with the impact.

[Umbreon 569]

Sabellah & Murloc

 

@,

@@SilverHeart,

@,

 

"Careful with that," Sabel muttered quietly to Wish.  "I have a feeling you'll need it again..."  The creature still wasn't approaching, most likely because of the way its wounded arm was hanging limply at its side, but something told her it wasn't going to stay that way for much longer.  "I don't think talking with this thing is going to be an option...  Listen, if it charges again, I'll try and keep it distracted.  One of you try and find an opening while it goes after me, alright?"  

 

There wasn't time to see if the others agreed to her plan or not - almost as though on cue, the wounded creature lumbered forward in an effort to rush their group.  Sabel snaps her wings outwards, wincing at the pain in her wounded one but using them to push herself up off the floor to try and make it over the larger monster.

 

The feathered beast was going for his head - that was the one who had tried to blind it, it had to protect its other eye.  With a vicious hiss the creature pauses in its charge to swipe at the griffoness with the arm that still worked.  Odd, something with wings should have gone much higher...  It must have been wounded already...

 

Sabel cried out as she felt the monster's claws cut her - thankfully not very deep, but enough that it left a red stain on her otherwise white feathers.  She fell to the ground behind the creature, staring at it defiantly and flexing her talons.  At least what she'd tried to accomplish had worked - she'd distracted it away from the ponies.  Hopefully they'd be able to take advantage of that. 

[Mickey Taker 347]

"Maybe I better take another look at that register, can't seem to re-call the room numbers those ponies were staying in", After already sneaking past one fish monster and searching a few corridors Golbez was starting to get anxious having not yet found neither the missing guests or his friends, doubt was beginning to set in his mind, "They couldn't have all been taken so quickly, could they?".

The Magician stopped in his tracks as he heard a faint rumbling noise above him, momentarily distracting him from his own thoughts but quickly dismissed it, currently this was not the best time to jump to conclusions right now, technically it could have been anything.

 

Golbez only lifted a talon off the floor to press on when the chandelier above him began to noticably shake vigourosuly, followed much louder noises coming from upstairs.

He was more certain this time and he turned around abruptly to find the nearest set of stairs, "Oh Bugger, that's them! I gotta get up ther-".

 

*WHAM*

 

Golbez opened his eyes and immediately noticed a sharp pain running across his forehead, instinctively placing a talon over it as he looked up, the next thing he noticed he was now lying flat on his back with his to hat lying beside him.

 

@

The last thing he noticed was a tall grey Pegasus sitting directly opposite him, still rubbing his forehead Golbez gets up to hiss feet and address the pony as he picks up his hat, "A Mr ...Swiggly I presume?"

Edited January 10, 2014 by Sparx

[Stormbringer 346]

@,

 

Storm rubbed his forehead and then shook his head. "Nu-uh, I'm Stormwing. You looking for Swiggly?" His pupils dilated as it slowly registered that this could be the source of the creepy voice he heard earlier. He rubbed his back hoof against the other. "You're...uhh... You're not gonna kill me, are you?" He seemed to be shaking just a tad bit, after wandering the hallways and letting his mind run. He seemed to get edgier at each moment, due to the fact he heard that sickening sound of a wet, meaty slap coming towards them...

[Mickey Taker 347]

@, @

 

Golbez pauses from dusting his hat with a talon as he looks at the Pegasus with a raised eyebrow,"No, but if we don't all get out of this hotel sharpish that might be a fair possibility...now would you kindly...."

The feathers along his back abruptly stood on end as he heard something disturbingly unfamiliar behind him, timidly the griffon turns his head slowly and looks down the corridor behind them...and observes a fish monster whom had just come around the corner..and was looking directly at them.

 

"Oh Bugger, Fly for it lad!"

Edited January 10, 2014 by Sparx

[Umbreon 569]

Murloc

 

@,

@,

 

The creature gives off a low gurgling sound at the sight of the pegasus and griffon - it had finally found prey!  It could detect that one of its brothers had been wounded - that was stupid.  Anything that was taken down by prey deserved to die, it would only slow down the pack.  He would show the rest of his pack how it was done...  Well, now that he'd finally found prey.

 

The fins along the side of the creature's head would flare out as it hisses loudly, starting to take a few steps towards the two of them.  It could smell the fear - it couldn't let them run now, not when it was so close to taking prey.  What slowed its approach now was the decision on which one it should take first - the pony was smaller, which told the creature it would be easier to take down...  But the feathered one had larger wings, which suggested it could fly further.  It wanted to take them both - so which order would serve better?  It thought about calling one of his pack brothers, but no, that wouldn't do...  These ones were HIS. 

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

@,

 

Desperation laced with something darker spurred the young mare on - wrenching the knife out of the ground and seeing the faint trickle of blood on her leg where it must have clipped her on the way down... she didn't stop. Once hadn't stopped it before and something in her head told her that once wouldn't stop it now.

 

She had to do what needed to be done. As the world seemed to move in slow motion, she leaped - or rather, fell - into the fray.

 

In all honesty, once would probably have been enough. As the mare bore down on the back of the grappling creature and followed through with the knife... even the most inexperienced would have been likely to at least incapacitate their target. Bringing the blade back down a second time couldn't have left any doubt about the amphibians chances of survival.

 

Blood spattered upwards - far more than she had ever seen in her life as the blade plunged in a third time... and a fourth... The mare seeing red in a progressively more literal sense with each drawn out second that passed.

 

It wasn't pretty, but sometime after the twelfth loathsome, hacking, blow into the butchered aggressor, she pulled back without her borrowed weapon. Not trembling. Not sobbing or even thinking, she just stared at the unidentifiable with a blank expression smeared across what traces of her own face weren't covered with the creatures blood.

[Umbreon 569]

Sabellah

 

@,

@, 

@@SilverHeart, 

 

Sabel had watched, somewhat dumbstruck, when Wish had collided with the creature from behind.  After watching the fish creature get stabbed over a dozen times, the griffoness had time to pick herself up from the ground and make her way over to Wish.  She placed a talon on the small mare's shoulder, muttering quietly "Looks like you've saved me twice now...  Thanks..."

 

She was looking at Wish, and the blood covering the mare's face, when she blinked in surprise.  She wipes a talon through the blood on Wish's face, bringing the talon up to her eye level and watching it drip off of her claw.  "What the...?"  The red color that would have been expected was rapidly fading into nothing, and it wasn't at all the consistency blood usually was...

 

The griffoness turns back to the dead creature, pausing at the monster's body.  It was rapidly losing all trace of color, she could see the floor underneath it.  In fact, it looked practically transparent...  Almost shimmering...  With her curiosity getting the better of her, Sabel reaches out to touch the corpse.  With a sound similar to a bursting water balloon the 'body' shudders and collapses into a pool of crystal clear water...  As far from the stagnant, smelly water they'd risen from as could be.  Sabel stares at the puddle before turning back to Wish, confirming that the blood on the mare had also turned to water.

 

"Okay...  What in Equestria ARE these things!?"

 

 

Savoba

 

Something was happening, Savoba's cauldron was bubbling violently.  The masked zebricorn leans over the bubbling liquid, his hooves on the rim of the cauldron, trying to get a closer look when...  

 

FWOOSH!

 

The sudden burst out of the cauldron was like a geyser, leaving the zebra's wooden mask steaming.  Falling backwards, Savoba starts to cackle and clap his hooves together excitedly.  "Oh ho, dey 'ave some fight in dem!  Dis is good, dis is good!  It been so long since Savoba 'ave any real fun..."  The insane unicorn didn't even seem to be concerned with the fresh burns under his mask - or the huddled shape that had been launched out of his cauldron as one of his minions 'died'.

[Hive King 2,001]

@, @,

Skuldaf stepped back away from the blood. 

"Was killing it really necessary?" Skuldaf asked, looking at the broken beast with remorse. The blood ran across his hooves and Skuldaf cringed before it evaporated. Blood, how horrible. Skuldaf let his head hang low, muttering a few words for the animal's soul

[SwigglySwiggly 358]

@,

Swiggly finally realized that the creature was not as friendly as Swiggly had thought.

Swiggly levitated a boat paddle from the dockhouse and waved it around "Here fishy fishy fishy..." Swiggly lined p the boat paddle horizontally readying to launch it as a projectile weapon.  Swiggly glanced over at the Hotel Staffs "All day I've been waiting for room service..... and your show up now?"

[Stormbringer 346]

@,

 

Storm didn't know what to do. A thousand things flew through his head a second. 'Run, fly, fight, cower, hide', they said. Confused, he hesitated for a second, then said, "What the heck IS that... that THING?" he seemed to be genuinely afraid of the fishy thing. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Stormwing spread his wings out, then took off over the quite short space between the Murloc and the ceiling. He decided in a split second to try to score a hit to the beastie. 'That may not be a good move,' his conscience told him. He could easily be grabbed by the fishy. He decided to try anyway...

[Umbreon 569]

Murloc

 

@@SwigglySwiggly,

 

The creature had frozen, seemingly forgetting about the pony currently struggling in its grip.  It didn't seem to see the panicked employees scattering back towards the hotel, or the pony that seemed either brave or foolish enough to try and stand up to it...  In fact, it didn't seem completely there at all.

 

One of its brothers had been slain - how was that possible?  These were prey, they weren't supposed to fight back...  Even if they struggled, how could one of his brothers have been slain by these puny ponies?  It was confused, and its gaze slowly drifted to the oar that Swiggly had levitated.

 

Was that what had happened?  The ponies used tools - prey that used tools needed different tactics.  The pack should gather, in that case...  It at least had to get back to make the pack aware of this.  That meant getting back to the building...  The one that the pony levitating the paddle at him stood in front of.

 

The monster fans out its fins again before letting out a sound somewhere between a croak and a roar, taking a tentative step forward.  It was wary of the thing the pony levitated - it wasn't familiar with the weapon.  Was it lethal?  If not, then there was little to fear...  But what had killed its brother?

 

 

@,

@, 

 

The creature that had been approaching Storm and Golbez had frozen much the way the one on the docks had - distracted by the death of its pack mate.  Storm's hoof making contact with its head was enough to snap it out of the trance though, the monster hissing loudly as it lashed at the pegasus with one of its long arms.

 

It knew where its brother had died - it would deal with these two quickly, and go learn what had happened.  The creature's gaze locked on the pegasus that had kicked it.  It was indecisive before; it knew which one it would go after first now.  As though to reassure itself of its decision the creature attempts to leap into the air after Storm.  It couldn't jump well on those short legs, but its arms were long enough that it didn't think it would need to.

[Stormbringer 346]

@,

 

Storm was caught by the creature. He yelped as he was brought down to the floor mid-flight. He had absolutely no idea what to do. His first instinct was to play dead and see if that did anything, and that was just what he did. He stopped moving and went completely limp. Any breathing he had to do, he did slowly and unnoticeably. His wings lay sprawled as did his legs. He closed his eyes and moved not a single muscle.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Wish panted - blank expression marred with horror and exhilaration, as the fish-thing started to... she could only describe it as melting beneath her. The spatters across her face and body seemed to grow less thick and gory - more like water or something.

 

She recoiled, still grasping the knife firmly in her teeth - she wasn't about to drop it like last time - back until her back was pressed firmly against the wall - sinking down into a sitting position.

 

What had she done? How? How could she? What would her family think if they found out? Sabel's thanks fell on deaf ears as she slowly took the knife in her forehooves and held it in front of her face: clean.

 

"Wh... what just..." She stammered in a harrowed tone - was it real then? If had... it had felt so real!

 

She shakily replaced the knife in its sheath and pulled the rope from her bag - pulling it taught and releasing, coiling it around in various shapes... memories of home not really helping her forget but, it was comforting.

 

Useless, but comforting, holding something from home.

[SwigglySwiggly 358]

@,

Swiggly watched as the hotel staff retreated "Honestly! This Is The Worst Hotel EVER! Even the staff run away!" after Swiggly had his go at insulting the hotel's staff he realized that he was alone on the pier with that ...thing.

"First day here..... and things have already gotten this bad" Swiggly levitated another paddle and levitated it horizontally. 

"Back away! or else I'll make seafood skewers out of you!" Swiggly's threat went unanswered... maybe the thing doesn't understand language. Swiggly launched one of the paddles at the pier about a hoof away from the thing to shoo it away.

"You Shall Not Pass!" Swiggly thumped his other paddle on the pier as if it were a staff.

Edited January 10, 2014 by SwigglySwiggly

[Mickey Taker 347]

@, @

Golbez spread his wings ready to take take flight down the corridor away from the monster, he had assumed Stormwing, as he now realized who he was, had the same idea, but as he merely glanced at the Pegasus he gawked with his beak hung wide open as he witnessed Stomwing flying towards  the monster, "NOT THAT WAY YOU FO-...Ooooh..", too late...the griffon couldn't help but slap a talon over his face after witnessing Stormwing being stuck, in irritation he slammed his talon to the floor.

 

Noticing the Pegasus pony lying on the floor Golbez knew he was in trouble, they had to get away now, but first he had to get past the monster somehow in order to reach Stormwing, putting his thumb and fore-talon to his lips he let loose a shrill whistle in an attempt to get the monster's attention whilst subtly slipping his other talon inside his tuxedo and taking out a few small red pills, and flung them at the monster's feet.

 

*BANG, BA-BA-BANG BANG BANG, FWOIIIIIIISH*

 

With a flash and a bang each pill exploded against the floor and expanded into a thick red cloud, engulfing the monster in the red fog and slowly expanding along the entire corridor.

Spreading his wings Golbez instinctively shot across the floor, keeping low to the floor to best evade the beast as he dove head first into the fog.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Sparx

[Umbreon 569]

Murloc

 

@,

@,

 

The creature had been about to finish the task - for some reason the small pony had simply collapsed rather than trying to run away, it was as if it were asking to be caught, but the larger griffon had done something...

 

The beast had turned at the sound of Golbez's whistle, and when the red smoke began to fill the hallway it roared in anger.  The creature took a few flailing steps backwards, trying desperately to wave the red mist away from its eyes - the downside of not having eyelids, its vision was completely vulnerable to the strange cloud filling the hallway.  This kind of thing never happened where they were from - why had the masked one called them here!?

 

 

@@SwigglySwiggly,

 

The beast on the pier grinned - or well, at least it tried to.  Their lips didn't exactly bend that way.  The bubbles in the water next to the dock were getting stronger, and after a couple seconds another bulbous head broke the surface.  His new sister was here.

 

The one on the dock tosses the now limp pony in its hand towards the one in the water, and the pony's body disappears below the water's surface.  The water began to bubble again - the pack had to regrow its numbers, the masked one could complain later...  Now for the one who seemed to believe he could stop them!

 

The creature on the pier takes a step forward to pick up the oar that Swiggly had launched towards it, picking it up and in one motion snapping off the broad head.  It was left with a long stick with a jagged end - a crude spear, but it would suffice.  The creature croaked again in pleasure before it started to advance, holding its new weapon out ahead of it.  Behind it his new sister was climbing to the dock, the water already bubbling again beneath her...

 

 

Sabellah

 

@,

@@SilverHeart,

@, 

 

Sabel sighs, wincing slightly but trying to ignore the red stain ruining some of her feathers.  First her wing, now a scratch from one of those things...  Today was not a lucky day for her.  At least she'd had her friends around to keep her flank intact.  

 

"I don't...  Think we should stay here.  We made a lot of noise just now, more of them might come...  We should go find Golbez and the others, then maybe we can come up with some kind of plan...  What did that freak with the mask say?  We had to survive the night?"  

 

She didn't like that they didn't seem to have a lot of choice other than going along with what the zebra wanted, but she couldn't see much else to do at this moment...  Maybe one of the others would have some kind of idea...

[SilverHeart 741]

(OOC: Sorry I haven't posted sooner.)

 

Mirror could only watch as Wish attacked and quickly murdered killed the fish-thing. It was like a scene from a play she had seen once. Wish was so cool, she almost beat that evil mosnter by herself. Moving closer to Sabel and her friend, "Are you two alright?" she asked quietly. 

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Satisfied that she had recalled what to do correctly, Wish quickly shoved the length of rope into her bag - looking up from her daydream and nodding as she once again became aware of the others around her.

 

@@SilverHeart,

 

"I'm okay." She breathed, checking that everything was securely tucked away where it wouldn't be seen - or worse, grabbed. "I... It's gone, I think."

 

@,

 

Sabel wasn't looking too great, but the cut that Wish had sustained when she dropped the knife was superficial at worst - it had already stopped bleeding and was nothing more than a damp, red stain.

 

"I think... we should go. Just... find the ferry, or go out into the swamp even! We might find help or... or something!" The mare responded desperately. "I don't like it here - what if he's lying? Villains always tell lies, it's in all the books!"

 

@,

 

She spared a glare for the bully... Useless - all mouth until it came to dealing with something that fought back... then cowering while everyone else did the work. Typical.

[SwigglySwiggly 358]

@, 

Swiggly fired off his next paddle directly at the fish thing and turned around before the paddle hit, "I think I just armed the enemy" Swiggly made a dash for the hotel, since fighting the fish things didn't seem as a good idea "Hey hotel staff! Wait for me!". 

Swiggly burst through the door and slammed it shut behind him, "anypony mind telling me what those are?"

[Mickey Taker 347]

@, @

Emerging from the thick red fog, albeit in a coughing fit Golbez landed close to Stormwing, looking back he could see flailing claws peeping in and out of the red mist, the fog wouldn't last long...they had to move, NOW!

Not taking the chance to check on Stormwinds condition, Golbez abruptly scooped his talons under Storms forearms, his claws would be digging into his skin as the griffon hastily lifted both of them with a strong flap of his wings as they slowly, but surely made their way down the hall, the momentum of their speed gradually increasing..

The mind of the Griffon was racing too much to take notice of Storm's reactions, but he did notice how surprisingly heavy he was, despite flapping furiously Golbez couldn't prevent Storms hind hooves from dragging along the floor, the magician would settle to deal with the Pegasi's complaints another time, right now they needed to get away.

[Stormbringer 346]

@, 

 

Storm was now back to moving around, sure they were away from the...the thing. He looked up at the griffon. "I can fly now." He dropped out of his talons and flew down the hall, not far behind him. He looked back towards where the monster was. The red fog was getting frighteningly translucent. He kept looking back to make sure it didn't have super speed or something - and at the same time, he didn't notice the wall in front of him that was the event of a turn in the hallway. He turned his head back around and thus smacked straight into the wall, falling limp. He was out cold.

[Umbreon 569]

Sabellah

 

@,

@@SilverHeart,

@, 

 

Sabel gave a small nod.  Wish had a point - the zebra didn't seem like the kind they wanted to put their trust in.  "You've got a good point....  Getting out of this place sounds like a good idea.  I don't know if I like the idea of being in the swamps with those things after us though...  Just a guess, but they look like they'd be more at home in the water..."  Granted, they seem to be doing well enough here at the hotel too.  If Wish hadn't been here, that one would have had me...  

 

"Either way, we need to find the others...  We don't want to leave anypony here by themselves with those things stalking the halls, right?"  Sabel tries to put on a confident grin - she was scared, but she felt like it was important that the others still see her as though she knew what she was doing.  The griffoness turns to head back towards the staircase, towards the direction where they had left Golbez.  After a few steps she stops and winces, clutching at where the monster had scratched her, but she quickly shook it off and started walking again.  That's going to hurt for a while...

 

 

-------------------------

 

Random Employee

 

@@SwigglySwiggly,

 

"W-w-we don't know!"  The pony is visibly shaking, one would likely guess he's well beyond just panic at this point - he's truly terrified.  His uniform would suggest he's just a simple laborer; in fact, all of the visible employees would appear this way.  There doesn't seem to be any sign up upper management, the only ones around are the peons responsible for the grunt work at the hotel. 

 

"W-w-we...  In the basement...  A pony with a mask, then...  Then...  They took Mister Silver!"  He was having difficulty getting out a coherent thought - all he could really think of right now was where he was going to hide.

 

 

--------------------

 

Murloc

 

@,

@,

 

It was angry now - angry and almost blind.  Being unable to close its eyes, the strange smoke had gotten into them despite the flailing of its arms.  The beast's eyes weren't meant for exposure to air, after all...  It could still see blurry shapes though, and it could still smell...  It knew the direction they had gone in - that would have to be enough.  It COULDN'T let these smaller creatures escape like this!  The pack would make it a fool!

 

With a guttural croaking sound, the monster starts to lumber down the hallway they had gone in.  It wasn't exactly fast, but it did have long legs which made up for it somewhat.  If they had been in the water it would have been a different story; as it was it had to hunt on land.  The creature eventually gets close enough that it can see the blurry shape of what it takes to be one of the ponies, laying near the ground...  Still half blinded, the monster ducks its head down and starts to charge.

[Stormbringer 346]

@,

 

Storm twitched, then sat up. He shook his head for a second, then looked behind him - and saw the fishy thing charging after him. He let out a loud squeak and then took off down the opposite hall. His wings flapped but he didn't take off; part of his left wing was all messed up. He began to sweat a little. He didn't know if he should try to get to a room, or if he should go to the lobby. There may be more of the fish things there, as it was the main entrance. He thought he heard more wet, slappy fishyfeets from the adjoining halls. That was enough evidence for him. He looked around as he ran, searching for the Griffon that had saved him. "I hope that fella's okay," he said worriedly. Perhaps he would have to return the favor of life-saving. He'd do it if his new friend was in trouble. Looking down the other halls, he finally came to a janitorial closet.