Haunted House (IC)

[Syrax]

Conner
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As you walk towards the door, the entire hallway seems to first expand, then shrink, and suddenly you are standing at the two sets of doors. You have not taken more than three or four steps.
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Opening the door, you see a rather small room. Or perhaps a better word is closet. Inside all you see is a broom, an empty pail, and what looks like a red rubber ball.
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Annie
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The woman shakes her head, and now you two have the attention of the entire room.
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"No, that won't work. As soon as a door closes, anything behind it may move." She sighs, looknig down. "Dining room, you said? I wished you had the chance to enter. In each of the four phases dwells an owner. The Mistress is the one in charge of the days phase. The only place we really can talk to the Mistress is in the dining room. That's where we learned of the phases and such. As for the details of the phases, I don't know. I just know that in this one, we each have a different part of the day. And we need to get out alive."
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A group of about six men now are standing at the door that you came in. You notice that none of the six glow like the midday. They all have either a dimmed glow or the shadowy glow. They're weilding their weapons defensively, and are carefully studying the door.
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"Midday attracts monsters. You won't fight for us, as you're the prime target. But monsters don't like dawn, and usually don't see dusk. That's why they're the ones who fight." And sure enough, and the dawn people were standing to one side of the door. Suddenly, the door handle turns and these gray rabbit-rats come pouring through. They run to one side of the door, realizing the dawn men, and straight into the dusk men. This allows all six to beat the group of 8 or 9 rats senseless.
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"And that's how we live or die," says the woman. Before you can say anything else, there is a pounding on the ceiling above. A few of the men swear, and point their weapons to the ceiling. Then, you hear a faint "Hello."
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Vanessa
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You hear a scuffle underneath as you're about to call out. But that soon subsides, and the talking continues. Then, as you call out, the voices go silent and you hear movement under you. As of the moment, it is silent now.

[NarayanK]

Conner raised an eyebrow. A closet? Out of all things? He had expected something along the lines of an office or a lobby. Looking through the 'room,' the man decided to take everything. Putting the red rubber ball into the bucket, he really did take everything. With both hands occupied, the man slowly closed the closet door. He wondered what he could do with the tools he had at his disposal; maybe he could suffocate someone with the ball? Or shove the broom into their guts? Or maybe make some rotten ketchup-flavored flesh cookies with the pail? The things one could do in life scared even him. Preparing for the worst once more, he decided to enter the door on the other side.

"...Now that I think about it, I think I walked a little too quickly. Weird."

[SilverRain]

Annie backed off into a wall when she saw the rabbit rats. It was the unknown she feared and she wondered if they were flesh eating. But luckily the men around her smashed them to smithereens. This now piqued her curiousity and she slowly crept up to those... those things. She wanted to find out what they were and what anatomy they had, if any at all. And maybe she could team up with the others because of their skills. But would they team up with her?

The greeting from above them startled Annie. She looked up in the direction of the voice. A few thoughts went through her mind. First, it could be a chance for her to interact with the controllers of this house. Wait, did the voice belong to the owner or just another bunch of players? And was this voice the same as the eerie ones coming from the walls earlier? The ceiling was different to the walls right? Maybe the walls were the bad voices and the ceiling were the good ones? The pounding was a sign of hostility, but the hello was not.

Annie gulped as she plucked up the courage to talk to the voice. "...Hello... are you here to help us?" she asked. Annie hoped to at least steer the conversation in a certain direction, if not gain more information from it.

Dman, why was her thoyghts getting all mesed up like this? She used to have streagety and boldness, butnow itseemd as if thse was reduced to an avergare, mouse fearing civilian.

[Syrax]

Conner
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As you reach to take the broom, your hand meets empty air. The broom seems to still be there, but your hand just doesn't reach it. Not thinking about that, and take a step forward to reach the broom, and it seems to stretch out beyond your grasp. In fact, as you are now inside the little closet, it was now looks to be as big as a residential living room. The broom is across the room, and bucket and ball are about 3 feet to your left. The doors behind you remain forgotten for the moment.
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Annie
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You hear a response, but it's too hard to make out what it was. However, the voice sounds cheerful and somewhat relieved. Without further ceremony, you hear footsteps run out of whatever room is above you, and then to one side.
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"Sounded like another victim. I think she said she'll come find us," spoke one of the men pointing his weapon at the ceiling. "Players never come alone. They always come in groups." The men lower their weapons, then quickly head to one of the tables. Then, the woman who sat you down speaks up again.
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"Those players, we often try to contact them if we find them. Sadly, only a couple ever find their way there." She gestures to the table. "We're getting another raid put together. We have a good stock of food and water, but we always try to keep much more than we need. It's for if a raid doesn't come back, or if the room has gotten a lot of attention. A recent raid led to information that the next step is through what is called the Blue Room. We don't know the room's purpose, but we're sure it's a progressive step. If a raid comes along this room, they are to forget about intel and supplies, and instead get their abused butts out of this nightmare. The next raid takes place in about 4 hours.
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Do you want to come along?"

[SilverRain]

Annie looked up to the voice, somewhat glad that it wasn't one of the scary ones. There was a flicker of paranoia in her. For a moment, she wondered if the voice inthe walls could mimic humans and whether the thing coming was human or not. But the other people's reactions reassured her that the ceiling voice was indeed human. And another survivor too.

The mention of the raids confused Annie a little. She didn't get the full picture till she heard the whole thing. So they had to raid for supplies? That was something she could be good at. It reminded her of the children's tale called Fantastic Mr. Fox. She didn't rreally understand the bit about getting their abused butts out of the nightmare part though. So there was a way out of here? To ask the question would seem a bit moot, as if there was a way out that the others knew about they would not be here. Or something like that. So much had been happening already Annie couldn't think straight. She would just do as she was told and hoped she would survive.

"Yeah, I'd like to come along. But what do I do? Attack, defend, search? Is there a struture to our uh, exploration team?" said Annie hoping for more information. She still felt a bit lost and hoped things would clear up soon. "And can I ask what is meant by 'If a raid comes along this room, they are to forget about intel and supplies, and instead get their abused butts out of this nightmare'"? asked Annie. She hoped what she just asked wasn't a stupid question. Maybe she forgot something somewhere?

[Syrax]

Annie
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The woman sighs. "You haven't been here long, have you? Our entire goal is to get out. That, and survive. And it seems that there is only one way out, but we don't know where it is. As far as we know, though, there are sections of the house. For some, this section is their first. For others, their fifth. We just keep making it through until we get out. We believe that the Blue Room is the path out of this section."
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"As for the raid, we send about five people out. Any more, and we attract too much attention. We usually send about three or four raids every day, trying to get out and get supplies. Your position will just to find anything of value and stay away from monsters or anything that looks dangerous. Things of value include food, weapons, and any scrap of paper you might ever find. Usually there are clues on them. Clear? However, if you come across the Blue Room or any other room that seems to progress or is of serious interest, focus on getting out of here."
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As the woman talks, you see a group assemble near one of the doors. There are two guys and two girls in the group, and each is equiped with the most lethal weapon this band of survivors seems to have: a metal pipe. You see another metal pipe on the table right next to them, and assume that'll be yours if you join up with them. The two guys glow with dawn, and the two girls glow with dusk.

[SilverRain]

"Understood 'Mam!" went Annie with confidence. She then smiled at the woman, who she now considered as the squad leader. Annie wondered if there was a chance for her to come back here. Did one of them say that the rooms changed every time? But if the others could gather here, then it would possible right?

As for inventory, Annie gladly took the metal pipe. Making a bit of space for herself, she gave it a few swings to get the feel and speed of it. She remembered her time when she was younger and would go swinging around a pipe in the garage as if it were a sword. Forward, backward, X, thrust and backpedal. It all came back to her fondly. She could use her jacket to carry the supplies she found.

Annie then looked a bit doubtful. She wondered if she would be able to come back to these guys or if she would be lost out there forever. She eyed the bottles of water and bread. She hastily took a loaf of bread and woofed it down, followed by an entire bottle of water. This made made her hiccup once and the slightest burp was heard from the ex-military girl. She guessed that if she was going to go out and scavenge, she would have to be full and ready. Who knows when her next meal or water would be? Annie took the now empty bottle and tucked it into a larger pocket of her jacket. She would be able to use it as a distraction or container to hold things too.

"Sorry about the delay guys, I just wanted to be prepared" said Annie as she went to the door. "Oh, by the way, I don't know if it would matter much, but can you tell me your name or a title I can refer you by in case we run into other people?" Annie asked the woman.

Whether or not the woman would tell Annie her name, Annie would perform a navy salute. "Annie Mace, new officer in Taskforce Piper leaving for duty!" said Annie with a proud smile before she headed out the door.

[Syrax]

Annie
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As you make your preparations, the other squad members are doing the same. They eat their fill and seem to mentally psych themselves up. As you address the woman, one of the men in the squad scoffs.
"I doubt there'll be anybody out there. The house is made so that only rarely do people meet up. The fact that we're holed up here is offense to the house itself."
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The woman then speaks up: "I'm Carmody. Though Patrick there is right; there'll be nobody friendly out there unless we find whoever was speaking up above. The house throws its own raids at us, trying to get us to move or die. Be safe."
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With that, the man who spoke up, Patrick, opens the door and leads the group out. You fall third in line, directly in the middle. As the last person leaves, she shuts the door. Then, after a second, opens it again. But instead of a room being behind, you see a solid brick wall. "Yup," she says. "Only way back is find a way to the bedrooms." You get the feeling that the house doesn't want you to find the parlour again.
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You are in a hallway that is padded with a blue and purple carpet. The other members head forward recklessly to the door on the other side.

{OOC, I hope someone else posts soon. This might end up being moved to 1x1.}

[SilverRain]

Annie gulped when she saw the wall of bricks that appeared after the door was reopened. She never thought that she would be so scared of them. They sort of signified death in a way. Annie didn't know if she would be able to return to where Carmody was or if they would still be there. But there was a bit of reassurance in that there were other people here. with so many of them, the rules of play and tactics could be developed. Given that so much had been uncovered already then it could mean that these tests were more like trials than death games. Annie wasn't alone. And even if she didn't see Carmody again, then there would be other people. Maybe when she got out she could... well given the ghostly nature of the place, she doubted anyone from the outside could investigate. Those who were here were trapped here till they were shown the exit. Annie wondered what time it was and what the world outside was like.

Annie looked at the carpet for a moment. Blue and purple - what nice and posh colours. "Bedrooms? What do the doors look like? Do they follow a certain style?" She wondered if it would be useful to take any of it with her. She didn't have too much inventory after all. But even so, what was she to do with them? Fling them like frisbees at rats? They would be useful as markers maybe. Annie crouched down to see if squares of the carpet could be removed. She would take three pieces if she could. Then again the carpet could just be glued down. Annie also wondered if she would be able to drill down to the next floor. Was this house bit as a tower or a dungeon?

Annie turned to face what was ahead of them. "Hey guys, do any of you have rope? We can tie it around the door and yank the door open. We don't know what's behind there after all. What other monsters have you seen apart from the rat things?" she asked in a low whisper as she stood to the side, albeit a bit farther away. She gripped her bat tightly.

[Syrax]

Annie
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You inspect the carpet, but it is one long roll and does not give. There is no way to remove it. As you speak up, the other four turn back to look at you. The woman you closed the door responds.
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"I like the way you think, but we're safe right here. See the carpet? Every written report we've seen says that this hallway is like a checkpoint. This hall is safe, and so is whatever room we're about to enter. But after this, anyone can die at any time."
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She looks back to the door ahead of the group. The man who was identified as Patrick answers your second question. "Most everyone here has only dealt with the rats. But on a different raid, we encountered a minotaur. Out of our group of four, only two of us survived." He shakes his head slowly. "The more we break the rules, the deadlier the house gets. If we stay holed up in the parlour for too many more days, the house might just kill all of us outright. Now, let's keep moving."
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With that, he opens the door. The room inside is brightly lit with silver candles. The flames from these candles emit no smoke. There is a single, expertly carved wooden door on the other side of what looks to be a very formal greeting room.