---

Holly lived in a small apartment on the edge of the West End, where the lights of the bustling city in the East barely grazed the windows and rooftops. Housing wasn’t cheap in the metropolis; the closer to Downtown, the more costly it becomes. Her home was barely a home. She spends most of the day in the East End, exploring and interacting with its residents to her heart’s content, only to return to her abode to sleep. The place had hardly a sign of the previous tenant. In fact, the entire building had been abandoned for ages, save for a few squatters and a family of rats, and no indication of turn-over for low-income housing cooperatives. It probably would’ve been easier to go without a home, but she didn’t fancy living like a stray cat when she’d rather be a part of civilization.

Ever since Holly got a job at the OIA, she’s been excited by the idea of living in the concentration of people and technology in the East End. She still wasn’t sure what else she’d do with her apartment: decorate, perhaps? It was the location that mattered the most to her; she wanted to feel the energy of the world around her as she slept.

Holly wasn’t thrilled about being studied at the OIA as part of her employment. Her R&D handlers were too cold for her taste. Though they have started to treat her as more of an equal the more they observe her behaving like a regular human, she was happy to be out of their grasp once she’s on the job. On her first day of work, she boarded the van in the morning, around the same time as her team members boarded theirs, but got off much later. She was frustrated about it but said nothing.

Holly eagerly parted from the R&D van after uttering a short “Thanks. See ya.” and headed to the building she was assigned to. Her eyes scaled the height of the wall of decay and overgrowth as she approached it, just to see if she could catch any trace of intrigue before going inside. The Precinct Chief, a woman by the name of Daza Sendros, was waiting for her at the entrance. After Daza gave her a rundown of their investigation so far, the two entered the building and moved quickly through the desecrated halls. Holly let her eyes wander as they walked. She had hoped that she’d get the chance to explore the area more but she wasn’t about to protest. Thankfully, where they were headed she knew would be much more interesting.

At the top of the stairway that led to the basement, the same candlelight spell was casted on Holly, who was overjoyed. She inspected the ball of light over her shoulder and looked into the abyss beyond the steps she could see from above; she giggled in excitement. The way down was something that Holly never experienced in this world, yet it was familiar. The biting cold, the smell and taste of death, and the all-consuming blackness wrapped around her like a warm blanket. She felt conflicted. Her life on earth thus far has given her many other sensations she has grown fond of. In her previous existence (to call it a life would be too generous), she had no ability to be fond of anything. These thoughts stopped in its tracks when they arrived at the bottom.

Holly tasted the room’s atmosphere: bitter and sweet - a gross kind of sweet. She could hear her team members remarkably clearly; the dark was an excellent amplifier.

“Good morning!”

Nothing was said by Serene, even as she caught the whiff of fresh blood, turning her attention to Aria, the source of the smell. After confirming that she wasn't actually badly injured, Serene paused, her brow furrowing. Then she glanced back, seeing...Holly. Whether or not Serene knew their name was unknown, but she knew the other was, like her, not normal. Not that any of them were. After a few moments, she grunted, somehow telling the statement was a greeting, her grunt a response. She scanned the room again, before running over to the cabinent, mindful to not step on the black areas as able. Not that she understood what Aria had asked, but rather, she found it suspcious. Assuming it wasn't now nailed down, it would be picked up off the ground, and set down a short distance away. Now, she stopped, staring at where she'd removed the object, waiting, as if just studying. What lay in its place? What had she exposed? She really...didn't like this place.

---

Everything happened pretty quickly from the moment the grenade was launched at the creature. There was first the man coming up and grabbing Katherine by the neck. It was all he could do to prevent himself from instinctively punching the man straight in the face. He was quite surprised Katherine had not taken the man down for even daring to touch her, but apparently he did not need to worry about that, as the moment the man started running away, the creature in front of them instantly snagged and dragged the man back into the dark and killing him.

That proved to be the right assumption as he heard the screams of the man, then followed by flesh being torn and bones being broken. Judging from the amounts of waste around here, Kharon could easily guess what had just happened to the man before them. The creature then started speaking of Kaiwan, or rather to Kaiwan himself considering how he was speaking. Minos only sighed in response in the sight and used the time that the beast was monologuing to prepare himself further for combat.

When combat did start and the tail started coming for him, Kharon could not help but grin. This creature did not have any idea with what people it was messing with right now, but it would find out soon and it would regret. Minos moved the aim of his AT gun from the creature's head to it's tail and fired the incendiary projectile in his gun straight for it. If it would not damage the creature's tail, the force of the blast would at least knock it back enough for him to dodge whatever attack it was launching.

Then, the minotaur charged, not for the beast itself but past it, he wanted to get behind it ti get a clear shot to the back of it's head and if not, at least distract it for long enough so that Katherine would be able to take some potshots at the thing's head. "Do you think you can keep this thing distracted a bit for me, Katherine?" He asked the girl through her telepathic powers. "I may or may not have an idea."

Wendigo hovered close to its handler Devora, moving about on all fours to avoid hitting the ceiling with its considerable bulk. The dozens of bloody symbols tempted the creature to reach out and taste the succulent red but ignored that baser impulse in favor of further protecting Devora. Its curiosity would have to wait. Lacking the investigative skills the others possessed it bent its every effort to watching corners and hallways for signs of hostility. Every shadow was an enemy, every doorway was a threat, and every being in the room could mean doom for Devora and thus Wendigo by extension. Even as a slave, a pet, however they called it, it would live on and fulfill a purpose.
Even if that purpose was to die for a human whos kind had burned its grove and corrupted its soil, thus its soul.

Purpose.

The stairway was cramped and pitch black but Wendigo showed no concern for itself, snuffing out the light with a grasping hand. The forest cared nothing for lights and darkness was the time of predators. Now was surely no different. Unable to lead the way, Wendy followed along in the center of the group till they hit the basement floor. Something foul was in the air. It was a horrible stench like rot but unfathomable to its sensibilities, at first believing it to be the smell from above. When Serene moved the staircase before it could, it pounced on the opening to fill the frame with its considerable bulk and act as the bulwark between the group and the others. If something meant to strike it would be now and its armor of petrified wood and bone would see it through any meager assault. Protect Devora.

The Monolith
One by one the detectives spoke and although Isaac was listening, his actions would have you believe otherwise as he furiously inspected the crime scene. With each of the bodies he subtly placed a hand on each of them, peering into the void before returning to the walking world, each time with a fresh look of melancholy on his face. By the time Douglas had finished naming the roles of the bodies, something clicked in Isaac's mind.

"If a cult had purchased a large amount of this fabric, after manufacturing the cloaks they'd distribute them, perhaps from a central location. I doubt they'd pick up the fabric themselves and risk being spotted on security cams, they probably ordered them to a location. I have a feeling that if we find the fabric order it'll lead us where this whole thing is being orchestrated.

Douglas, that tome was first discovered in Syria by an archaological team from the University of New Carcosa wasn't it? Why don't you and Darc head over there and look around, dont let them know you're investigating them unless you see our guy. If you see him, dont hesitate to bring him in for questioning but be careful, he probably wont be alone. Nova, call it in to HQ, any fabric stores that have sold a bulk amount of yellow fabric within the last two months, from that list if any have made repeat orders. Once they get back to us we'll follow that lead but till then let's finish up here"

The Basement
With the cabinet gone, the once hidden passageway had been revealed. A strong metallic smell rushed out of the entrance and filled the air of the basement. The candlelight spells revealed the passageway to have been recently dug out and not an original design of th building. Tall enough for the average human to walk through with a slight hunch to their step, more blood runes lined the walls of the tunnel. Looking all th way down from the entrance one could almost make out the shape of a human laying at the far end. It was a woman, naked and floating unconscious in a pool of blood. She was deathly pale with ashen hair that spread out across the pool. Her lower body sunk slightly beneath the crimson as she floated lifelessly about the chamber.

The Beacon
The blast from Kharon's AT gun burned away the serrated tip of the behemoths tail, causing it to recoil away as the creature continued to rush Katherine. As she evaded, firing shots into its sides, the entry holes seemed to close almost instantly. At the same time, the blood of its victims that had flooded the floor began to disappear wherever the creature stepped. The monster's tail had regrown its bladed tip and at this point had wrapped itself around a crumbled pillar. In one swift motion, the tail of the beast whipped away the pillar, sending it hurtling towards Kharon with enough force that to miss him would cause debris to go flying in all directions. At the same time, the abomination had continued to advance on Katherine, th momentum of its tail whip causing it to spin violently towards her, like a tornado of claws and teeth as it tried to slash at her. "Pathetic slaves, you shall not delay your master's arrival", its voice was calm yet stern, like that that of a commander. As it danced across the basement towards Katherine, the demon snatched a large piece of rebar and hurled it at her like a javelin. Not once stopping to catch its breath, a tireless onslaught of hate and malice.

---

As the cabinet was removed, Devora wasn't entirely surprised to see a hidden passageway, considering how on edge the rest of the team was regarding it. Nor was she surprised by Sir Fluffles' reaction to the the small tunnel. His eagerness to protect her was only natural at this point.
"Stay here. Sir Fluffles, make sure nothing sneaks up behind us." The elf whispered as she moved past her wooden companion, finding a small gap between his body and legs. Her gaze locked onto the body of the woman as she slowly inched toward it, her revolver aimed at the woman's center of mass. As much as she wanted to bring Sir Fluffles in with her, his massive physique couldn't possibly fit in this passageway, and she wasn't about to ask the detectives to back her up.

Her gaze flicked from side to side as she took notice of the bloody runes that lines the wall, but such symbols didn't mean anything other than trouble to her at this point. Devora stopped halfway through the passageway, a singular shade rat skittering from her shadow. The rat sniffed the air for a moment before running over to the woman in the pool of blood. It was best for the operative to not get too close..

---

Ephielle placed a hand on her head as the last traces of yesterday's hangover still stubbornly clung on. Whatever drink the minotaur had given her, it was strong enough to get even her wasted. She really wondered what the hell the drink contained, however, now was not the time to think of the ingredients of some supernatural alcoholic drink, now it was time for her mission... which consisted of her standing around and waiting for something exciting to happen other than just a raving cultist shouting about THEIR lord and savior, whoever it was supposed to be this time around.

It felt like a really bad re-run for the demi-goddess, yet another cult trying to summon some sort of eldritch being into the world. For some here it may have been the first time, for Ephielle, it was more like the hundredth time she witnessed such a thing. Well, whatever they were going to summon meant something fun for her fight and defeat, or at least so she hoped. The last creature she fought had been thoroughly disappointing when it came to its combat capabilities, it had barely even landed a scratch on her.

Ephielle would have started to daydream once more about the battles of her past, however, now she saw something, or rather someone she was interested in walking all by his lonesome, none of his teammates in sight. A sly, flirtatious smile appeared on her face as she approached Henry. It was not the first time she had met him and talked to him, however, the man was quite obsessed with job. Calling him a workaholic would be a severe understatement, the man needed to loosen up a bit, and Ephielle would be more than glad to help him do so.

"Well, hello there, my handsome little man!" Ephielle said as she moved towards him. "What are you doing here all by yourself, where is your team?" She asked, moving uncomfortably close to the masked man. "It doesn't matter, maybe I could keep you some company?" She asked, looking him straight in the eyes through his mask with a seductive smile.

The moment she stopped talking however, a voice came to Thompson through the comms. "Thompson..." A groan could be heard. "Change of fucking plans, get your ass down here and bring any reinforcements the boss can spare, and quick before we all die down here!" And with that, shots being fired could be heard through the comms before conversation ended abruptly.

---

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---

Kharon cursed as he saw the monster regenerate. This would certainly make things that much more difficult for the two of them. The bull aimed his gun once more to try and hit the beast again, with an incendiary shot this time, one that would hopefully set it on fire and at least prevent some of the regeneration process taking place. At least enough that the two of them could actually hope to even take down whatever this thing was.

However, with the pillar pieces coming straight for him, Kharon quickly moved to aim his gun at the largest of the pillar pieces coming for him and fired, shattering it into minute little pieces, however, before he could fire a second shot, an assortment of much, much smaller rocks rained down on him, the largest of them all knocking him straight in the head and knocking him and his weapon down.

Yeah, no, this was impossible, the two of them could most definitely not defeat this thing by themselves. So, while the thing was still a bit busy with Kat, Kharon spoke through his comm piece to the only reinforcements they could call, Thompson. "Thompson..." He groaned as he got back up, bleeding from several spots on his body, including his head. "Change of fucking plans, get your ass down here and bring any reinforcements the boss can spare, and quick before we all die down here!" The moment he spoke the message, he gritted his teeth and once more began firing at the creature ahead of them, this time with incendiary ammo.

---

@Simple Unicycle Get in here and post!

---

Thompson had been spending the last fifteen minutes in front of the hotel. After Minos had sent him to join the roof team, he had went, only to be told that they couldn't welcome one more member into their ranks. Something about there being too many of them to safely breach the hotel and still maintain the element of surprise, so he'd have to rejoin the OTOs in front of the hotel.

Which lead to now, with him wandering around grumbling about his circumstances and how it was the reserves situation all over again. That was just how it was for him: always on the sidelines, waiting for his chance and never getting it. To be fair, he was a normal human in a line of work where they didn't have a long lifespan, so maybe him getting put back outside saved his life. Still, he signed up for this job knowing the risks, and he'd be damned if he had to sit aside instead of doing his job.

His silent brooding was interrupted when he saw a woman heading towards him. He had met her once before, though he didn't know much about her aside from the fact that she also worked with the OTOs. Her name was Ephielle Okairos, and he didn't know much about her save for her impressive capabilities; nothing about how she is able to pull of those feats or what her true strength is.

And here she was, coming up to him and trying to... Banter with him? It was the friendly sort from what he could tell. But he was still hung up on one thing, that he just couldn't wrap his head around, and his normally cold and distant tone was remarkably confused as he made his reply. "... Handsome? That doesn't make sense, I'm wearing a mask, you can't tell what I look li-"

His confused reply was cut off by his radio coming to life, with Sergeant Minos' voice coming through. His commander was panicked and calling to him for back up. Instantly, Thompson went into mission mode, turning to face the woman next to him. "Okairos, you're coming with me. Have to help my team." There was no time to wait for the boss to give the okay on who he brought with him, and from what he had seen this woman was powerful. "Let's go. If I remember, they're in the basement."

With that, the operative double checked his equipment before going on his way to the basement rear entrance, ignoring any protests from the woman he had decided to drag into this situation.

Wendigo bristled at the smell assaulting its senses. The sheer concentration of old blood pooling in the center of this room brought out a feral hunger and fear to the beastly soul as it eyed the floating corpse, its body hunching into the ready position for a pounce that would put it right in the middle of the soup. Every moment of exposure to this dark place was aggravating its already agitated spirit. Sir Fluffles did as they were told but, while it blocked the other agents from entering, it kept a firm watch on the body.

"This... place..." Wendy breathed, every word came out slow and was punctuated by the sound of creaking bones and bending wood. "Offends me... The body..." Wendy lifted one massive arm to point a bony claw at the blood fountain, specifically at the one floating in it. "They are.. vile.." Its voice came heavier as it heaved great 'breaths' and each exhale brought up a purple miasma of decay with it. "You must.. DESTROY it!" If Devora did not act, Wendigo would. They both knew it would disobey orders if it meant protecting the 'pack'.

Any progress further had been cut off by the hulking mass that was the corrupted tree, but even before that, the smell had made her take a step back. The dragon's gaze narrowed, displeased at the stench ahead, but she knew that pressing on or going back were the only options. This felt more and more wrong, and they either needed to retreat out of the building, or keep going, staying was a bad idea. Through what gaps in Wendigo's body she could see into the other side, she attempted to see if anything lay beyond that probably dead woman, such as where the tunnel went, if it connected anywhere else. Anything to get out of this hellhole. A place like this...the Flamemother would burn it, and the monsters who had made it, to a crisp, she was certain of it. She growled just a tad at Wendigo, to show her own displeasure, hopefully he'd understand it, and not mistake it for an insult or something...