Betrayal at House on the Hill

[angelcage]

[ You sleep, the ground cold beneath your cheek. The ground is hard as stone, cold marble beneath a fine layer of dust that doesn't come anywhere near acting as a cushion. The dust stirs with your breathing.


>> Wake up ]

Comments

ORGAN ROOM - GROUND LEVEL

[angelcage]

[ A large pipe organ dominates this room, taking up one entire wall, pieces of scattered sheet music all across the floor. Six pews are in here, as well, a battered copy of the bible with half its pages torn out lies on one of them.

The pipe organ is playing itself, levels and pedals working, keys depressing as it plays a funeral dirge.

There is one exit to the north, one to the west. ]

[angelcage]

[ The two of you proceed to the Organ Room.

The madman follows, leaving some distance between him and the knight, sniveling. ]

Re: ORGAN ROOM - GROUND LEVEL

[withintreason]

Why is he following us!?

[ with a snarl, gripping the sword in agitation ]

Re: ORGAN ROOM - GROUND LEVEL

[runawaystory]

[stepping in very cautiously. what fresh hell awaits???]

[angelcage]

Oh, yeah?

[ This ain't the sound of a convinced man. ]

Take it out and show it to me, then.

[ From beneath the table, he pulls out a shape— same gelatinous texture, but unmistakably a tommy gun. ]

[angelcage]

[ in the light, you can see though he has blood smeared where you cut him, all wounds have healed.

he says, incoherently, in your direction: ]

Lead us, king. Lead us.

[dishonestliving]

Look at me, is there really space to hide money in this dress?

--Look, it's not here, it's at home, in the safe. But I've got it, so no need to get crazy, I've just been holding it for you. Let's go back together, pick it up, maybe have a few drinks... It'll be like old times.

[withintreason]

[ uughhHHhhhHHhHhhhh ]

BURNING MAN

[angelcage]

[ The north door opens, and a man on fire runs through the room. His skin bubbles and cracks, falling away from him and leaving a fiery skull that clatters to the ground, bounces, rolls, and disappears beneath a pew. ]

Re: BURNING MAN

[runawaystory]

[SCREAMS]

[angelcage]

You always make such pretty promises, Ivy.

But me, I've gotta better idea. Old times? Stay here, you and me can have them old times forever. Nothin' but old times.

[ The slime silhouette gives no indication of facial expression, but she can almost hear the grin as he levels the gun.

Now is not the time for negotiations. ]

[angelcage]

[ It feels warmer in here— you can't stay. Not in here, not near that. You can feel your own temperature rising. You have to get out. Where you started? It might be the only pace far enough. Nothing happened there, but nowhere here is safe. ]

[angelcage]

[ The muttering trails off incoherently, and he sits down, head curled to his knees. ]

[trashenough]

[ Yuma and his still-unconscious companion make it back down to the first floor. He takes deep, deep breaths, trying to get the scent of blood out of his nose and dust out of his lungs. His cuffed arm is starting to ache a little, but he bears the rest of III's weight well enough.

More nervous now than before, his glance shoots from statue to statue, uneasy. ]

We're getting out of here.

[ He picks a door at random, one to the right (east) of the staircase. ]

Through here?

[withintreason]

[ SO ANYWAY I'M ALSO GOING TO CUT DOWN THIS MAN ]

[runawaystory]

[YEP, IMMEDIATELY BACKTRACKING TO THE PREVIOUS ROOM AT TOP SPEED whether or not Mordred & Miles follow her or not.]

MYSTIC ELEVATOR - FLOOR ???

[angelcage]

[ You step into a cage-- it falls slightly with your weight, the scrape of rusted metal forced to move. Or no-- an elevator? There's a pulley. Up and down, just as there should be. And on all other sides, large wheels to allow it… side to side?


But there's no floor button-- and the doors are shutting behind you. ]

[angelcage]

[ Yuma has found the Mystic Elevator ]

[angelcage]

Return to the entrance hall ]

[dishonestliving]

[she sighs; the sound is much shakier than she'd prefer. she tries backing away towards the door; there's not enough cover in here, and the small knife in her garter isn't much good against a gun, slime or no]

You don't want to shoot me, Joey. Dead people don't pay for much. And we had something, didn't we? Something good...

[jesus, this is how she's fallen, having to sweet-talk slime monsters. it's been a while, but she'll try to tap into her 6th sense, to try and sense if this is like... a spirit, or some bullshit imagination something or other, or what...]

[angelcage]

[ Mordred's sword swings down in an arc to slice into what remains of the flaming skull.

The flames travel up the sword, and spread to the rest of Mordred's armor. It's like an oven in there— burning, searing. You're enveloped in flame. ]

[withintreason]

[ LMAO @

KEEPS, CUTTING AT THIS SKULL, ]

Re: ENTRANCE HALL - GROUND LEVEL

[runawaystory]

[Returning from the organ room.

finally. safe. feeling a bit guilty about having abandoned Miles since...he'd been really helpful and stuff...but...

having a conscience sucks, do not recommend.

maybe she should at least go back and check on them...? maybe just. peer inside but not actually re-enter.]

[trashenough]

[ He wheels around, III's boots kicking the cage walls. ]

Hey, what—

[ He tries sticking his foot in between the doors before they close, but doesn't quite get it in time — he winds up instead kicking it furiously. ]

Hey! Knock it off!

[angelcage]

[ she could take a leaf outta rosalie's book. ]

[ A rotten rattle of a laugh hacks from his throat. ]

I'm dead, and here I am askin' for payment. Funny how that works.

[ Her sixth sense seems deadened, somehow. But with focus, she can pick up: he's dead. Definitely long gone, but he doesn't quite seem like a spirit. More like something long gone that's latched onto a memory, malice that remembers the card games, malice that's looked into her head and latched onto what it found.

It might not be true, but for now, it definitely believes it. ]

Now look, sweetheart, I'm gonna give you to the count of 10.

1. . . 2. . .