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It felt a bit odd and strange, but the guy she approached didn’t talk or anything even though she did hear him say something. She just sighed in frustration and wondered what had happened to this world, that someone would ignore her so badly. It made her feel like this world is hell, and all she is doing is awake in that nightmare. ’Guess this guy is too afraid to even answer to his name… I would be, too, since this place is hell. I hate trying to interact with people when they just blatantly ignore me. But I guess I am responsible for this lack of interaction… I am a failure. My sisters are so much better at this...’ She thought, definitely beating herself up in her mind, and she sighed about everything.

Gloria did hear something that made her heart skip a beat, which was the howling all over, but it sounded very distant. It made her think about that was probably what the hell they are in to make you think. She just froze for a bit and was utterly afraid since she doesn’t want to become the food of whatever that was, but she was too afraid to move right now. ”...Crap, what’s that howling for? Don’t tell me there are Cerberus creatures in this place?” She questioned aloud, talking to no one particular since the guy next to hasn’t said a word since she met him. It would make some sense if there were terrifying hell creatures like Cerberus and other foul beasts. Her mind was full-on imagination about what would happen to her if those creatures came towards her. It terrified her much more than usual, and she was shaking by these thoughts.

When the howling started to get closer, it was definitely terrifying, to say the least. She had to think of a way out since this is the one place she doesn’t want to be in anymore. However, she had no idea how she appeared in this Hellscape in the first place. It took her to realize someone was approaching them, the silent male and the terrified religious woman. By the fact, there were footsteps in the distance that were coming closer, but the Howling sounds coming closer as well. Felt a bit like whoever was running towards them was running from the howling and Cerberus creatures. ’Ah, shit… don’t tell me I won’t be ever able to see my older sister. I don’t want to die… but I am too afraid to move... She thought with her legs shaking and was deathly afraid of dying.

Gloria noticed a vaguely humanoid shape coming towards her specifically, which was also much taller than her. He was running really quickly, like he was deathly afraid of the howling of whatever creatures lived in this hell. She blinked slightly when the taller British man ran right past her towards the door, which made her a bit feel like an idiot. However, what he said made her follow him because that was the only thing that finally got her to move from her stationary position. It was slightly embarrassing to her that she didn’t really focus on the area around her. She decided to speak out towards the British Man, who ran past her, rushing the door. ”W-Wait for me, I don’t want to be involved with whatever is coming.” She spoke with a definite fear in her voice. Cerberus, or whatever foul creature is in this place, wouldn’t be the best idea to deal with. It was like her instincts to live overridden her instincts of trying to understand this scary place, which it felt like hell, and that wasn’t going to change. ”A-Also, my name is G-Gloria.” She added towards the British man, who is utterly afraid of the things coming towards them.

Fortunately, I was not punished by my hasty assumption that the door would swing inwards upon impact, which it does. I rush to hook my hands around it as it revolves, preparing to reverse its motion and slam it shut in the face of hell outdoors. Then I hear an actual voice reply to my aimless venting of fear. And for better or worse, I had hoped to die in the company of someone else out here who could respond to me in a language other than guttural, and leave me in a last, rational state of mind instead of bewilderment.

I hold the door long enough for a petite figure to slip in, and finally shut the lid on the encroaching fog. The howls subside under the rhythm of my heavy breathing, and my body thumps to the floor, leaning every which way in exhaustion. I look up to check on the state of my companion, Gloria was it? Wait, long blonde hair to the thighs, American accent, and that ridiculously weighty purple earring...

"...You're my flatmate, aren't you Gloria? The Yank-er Miss Hathaway, down the hall opposite side from my door?"

With that realization, time slows down as my head races in possibilities. They all lead to the same conclusion however, the creeping realization that I really, possibly could not be in a dream. I was never religious, though my parents did each sit on pews in their childhood before skipping Sundays, but now I draw on every bit of paranormal, supernatural knowledge I can muster, where math, science, and God knows economics cannot help me explain now this unfortunate twist in my life. Again, London is nowhere near the coastline for this dense a fog, nor did it reek of chemical pollutants attributed to smog. What canines would also exist in the entirety of Great Britain, less so let loose to terrorize the populace, unless the immortality memes about the Queen have just been proven to involve lycanthropy? What did I do to deserve an early glimpse of Hades?

I refocus on Gloria while still struggling to comprehend just the space we occupy even. The building walls here look complete instead of haphazard, jagged jigsaw pieces, but the walls dull any light, and seem to absorb the empty space around us further into the room edges cloaked in darkness. If not for the sheen of Gloria's blonde hair helping to outline her, my eyesight tracking indoors would have been compromised as much as the haze had done outside.

"I-I don't know where to pick up, from when we last met. But I think we could start by retracing our steps today. I honestly thought this is all just a dream, though not to count out the chance I could be having a dream with you in it, er..."

@Landaus Five-One

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Gloria couldn’t help but feel like she had met this British man from somewhere but couldn’t quite pinpoint where. If anything, it's better to be with someone more familiar than completely a stranger or those creatures that are chasing them. At least, the door opened when the tall British man slammed into the door, which was a great relief. ’Hell or not, I don’t want to die in here and thank god for the little things.’ She thought with relief on her face and a definite fear of what would come next. Hopefully, she won’t have to find out any more of this terrible Hellscape of Fog, creepy aesthetic, and those howls are god awful.

When he held the door open for her, she definitely followed and was grateful he shut the door on the fog outside. She felt her heartbeat racing since she was utterly terrified of whatever foul creatures were outside. However, she gasped in shock when the British man collapsed from utter exhaustion, probably because he was running much more than she had. It didn’t help; she was exhausted from all the thoughts going into her head about how the hell beasts would kill her. However, she took a much better look at the man who fell to the floor in exhaustion. It hit her, finally where he felt familiar, it was why he’s also on the same floor as her in the flat. This made her smile and sighed in relief to meet Thomas, a weird place to meet someone. ”Yeah, I am your flatmate. Yes, on that too. This Hellscape is a weird place to meet another person.” She responded to both questions with a definite tone of a bit of what the fuck is going on here.

If anything, she feels like this is the literal embodiment of hell because it really gives off those vibes from her being religious. Never-ending fog is utterly terrifying to deal with, and this is an experience she doesn’t want to be a part of anymore. However, if Thomas is here, there must be others from the University. It is definitely not a trick of her imagination since Thomas, and those howls definitely are real. ’This isn’t a perfect first day at the University if this happened. Ugh, Hellscape aside, it's nice to see another person that actually speaks. Instead of being utterly silent like the other one was.’ She thought with a worried look on Thomas's face since he is definitely exhausted. It would be curious to know what those creatures looked like, but they had howls of dogs, which a Cerberus would be the best bet on what they are.

She did notice Thomas looking at her; it was a bit of an embarrassing endeavor. However, she wanted a way out of this Hellscape more than anything. It was a confusing endeavor to figure out that exactly, but she tried to think of away. When Thomas spoke, it made her blush; it was a bit embarrassing to say, but he did have a good point about retracing their steps. She took a bit to respond since it took her off guard, which’s definitely something. ”I do agree with your retracing our steps since it would be lovely to get out of here. U-Uhh, I am a bit lost for words… W-What, kind of dream could you be having with me in it, Thomas? A-Also, guess this makes it not a dream...” She spoke with a tone of embarrassment, and a bit of is Thomas a pervert written all over her face. On her hand, this feels like the sixth time someone tried to hit on her, but this time was a slightly different time to be hit on by Thomas. Her embarrassment was obvious with how bright red her face was. It would be better to wait another time to ask Thomas what creatures made those howls or whatever else there is in this Hellscape.

While Liam went to sling his molotovs, Kirsty limped along the wall back closer to where the real nightmare began—the end of the street where the false idol and the Raven bitterly exchanged blows. For a moment Kirsty just watched, grappling with the spectacle's intimidation under the pretext of scoping out the current scenario. After all, it took only a brief moment and the most meager power of observation to understand how bad things were. Even with the bizarre Tomapoe on her side, the Raven could not hold a candle to the beautifully horrific monstrosity.

Though possessed of great alacrity and a keenly honed hunter's instinct, she commanded the false idol's full attention, and could scarcely find footing in between Shadow Kirsty's wide-ranging dark attacks to launch her own offensive. By now her sidearm constituted little more than a menacing accessory, its ammo spent. The Raven's attempts to get in close to deliver or position Tomapoe for a physical blow proved that the idol's cow legs could kick just as well as the real thing. So far those rock-hard hooves dealt her glancing blows, but one to the collarbone, ribcage, jaw or head would end the fight messily.

Liam's molotovs embroiled the shadow in flame, but just a moment of her focus rewarded him with a wave of dark energy potent enough to send him rolling across the ground, his strength spent.

And it was this terror that Kirsty intended to face, unarmed, unable to walk on her own, and utterly outmatched. Trying to actually fight her was a non-option. Yet strangely, Kirsty felt no urge to run. Her heart beat in her throat she she felt more than a little crazed, but she'd already accepted the end of the road. Her destiny, the most important thing in her life, lay before her; she felt sure that anything but facing it would leave her a hollow shell. She watched a wave of dark force plow the Raven through a number of tables, the nebulous outline her Tomapoe growing faint, and knew she had to move. The poor girl couldn't take any more. “Can you move?” She asked Liam. “I need to get over...to the fountain. Then run away.”

A few moments more and she stood against the decoration, leaning against a gargoyle bent over the water. Though hammered by the shadow's dark forest, it stood strong enough to bear her weight. Kirsty took a deep breath, then another, then bellowed at the top of her voice, “Over here, monster!”

The idol looked over, smiled, and dropped the battered Raven to fall upon a table. She hovered over, the legs of her wings outstretched in anticipation. “Ah, my lost lamb.” Her face fell, concern painted across her features. “Oh, my poor precious thing. You're hurt. Without my guidance, my subjects are a danger to themselves and all those around them.” She descended before Kirsty, allowing her split legs to touch the ground. “You understand, then, that humans need a savior? One whose grace and glory will deliver them from darkness? Whose immaculate example will inspire them to strive for beauty and goodness?”

Kirsty steadied her breathing and choked out a reply. “I won't turn away.” She stared herself in the face, and found in her nearness to destruction a rush of courage. “In a way, you've helped me realize that something was wrong. It's a messed-up analogy, but that look really hits the nail on the head. I really was like a cow, no will of my own, just getting drained by everyone around me day after day and living off whatever generosity they decided I was worth. And when I'm used up, will they care for me? Or butcher me?” She let slip a somewhat deranged chuckle at the repulsiveness of it all. “So here I am. If you eat me, the world will be better off.”

“Here you are,” the false idol repeated, nodding sagely. “In sweet surrender.” She leaned forward, her face splitting wide open to reveal a cavernous maw lined with teeth.

Kirsty gritted her own. “But maybe things can change...” she growled. “Mayble I'll eat you instead!”

With a scream she lunged forward off the fountain gargoyle, using its tail like a springboard with her good leg. Her arm shot up, a piece of a wrought-iron fence clenched in her grip like a sword. It bit into the idol's left eye, releasing a spray of black ichor, but not nearly deep enough. The monster lowed as it spasmed. “Ooooooogh! YOU! YOU VILE SLIME, YOU WRETCHED WORM! How DARE you!?” The false idol lurched forward kicked Kirsty onto her back. The girl stuffed a wad of silk into her mouth just as the idol promptly brought a hoof down on Kirsty's left elbow. She paused a moment to listen as Kirsty howled in muffled agony. “Like that? You've chosen suffering, after all. Faced with my mercy, and you choose torment? The INGRATITUDE!” She brought down her hoof again and again, destroying flesh and bone, until Kirsty's forearm lay lifeless on the pavement. “Now, my precious, let us try again. Even after your blasphemy, I will still grant you mercy. The blessing of becoming a part of me!”

”Stuff it already, you twat!” came an enraged shout from behind the idol. Before she could react, the Raven landed on her back between her wings. ”Tomapoe!” Her Persona appeared and slammed its foot down on the shadow's neck. Kirsty, tears streaming across her face, pulled her right arm out from beneath her, the Raven's knife in hand, and thrust it upward. Its blade sank into the monster's lowered face. A hideous cry resounded, but the Raven wasted no time drinking it in, instead bidding her partner stomp down on the false idol's head again and again, burying the knife deeper. With a final stomp the aberration shuddered, then plopped down and dissolved into darkness. When it faded, two wounded Kirstys lay on the ground side by side, one ordinary but missing a forearm and the other draped in a tattered dress.

Whether or not the original could hear her made no difference to the shadow. As her form dissolved, returning to darkness bit by bit, she gave a pronounced hmph. “For all your insolence...you will never...be rid of me. I'll be watching...from the mirror.”

With that, the doppelganger was gone. The last of Kirsty's strength burnt away and she blacked out.

Interacting with Kirsty @Lugubrious, Liam @CriticalHit, and The Raven @LetMeDoStuff

She'd done nothing.

'Worthless. Useless.'

She had seen Kirsty fight off those creatures, and she'd done nothing. She'd seen her trapped by flames, watched Liam save her, seen them both run back to fight the cow angel thing, and she'd done nothing.

'Cowardly Alina. You're awful.'

Eventually, the sounds of fighting died down. Eventually, Alina couldn't sit idly by any longer, now that it was over. She forced herself to stand, to slide up the wall and walk back around the corner where combat had been taken.

'You could have helped. You should have- should-'

That. That was Kirsty. She'd lost an arm. She. Oh.

'Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.'

Suddenly, Alina was running to her side. This was what her lack of support did. She could have stopped this from happening. Kirsty's arm, she reckoned the real Kirsty, was - it was meat. It didn't look like it could be fixed, that was for sure.

'Do you two have any ice?'

Stupid question. Worth asking. She knew it needed to be kept cold. If a body part was lost, it'd die quickly unless they were kept cold enough. That wasn't a chemistry thing, but it was in every bit of media she could think of that featured it, and it wasn't a stretch to say it was due to nerves more than anything else.

And for the stump, she needed to stop the bleeding. How did she... yeah, okay. She had to put pressure on it, right? That wouldn't work- oh, wait, there was a knife right there! Could she... maybe. How did they do a torniquet on TV? Cloth, and something to tighten the cloth before the point of blood flow?

Well, they had both. Taking the knife, she cut off the excess sleeve on Kirsty's destroyed arm, and wrapped it around the arm above where it had been ruined. Shit, how would... twist the cloth until it's tight, she supposed, then wrap it around the knife handle, turn that in the same direction as the first twist... was that working? Maybe? She was twisting a knife around to try and stem the bloodflow on somebody's arm, shiiiit. She had no idea what she was doing here. Fuck it, she'd just use her hands to keep it twisted, the knife had done its part there.

'We need to find a doctor. Or a hospital or something.'

That was stupid too. There weren't doctors in here. This place was devoid of anyone other than themselves and the death dogs from earlier, and whatever Kirsty's evil version had summoned. But they had to do something - she'd already maimed Kirsty by proxy by not helping, it was the least Alina could do to keep her from dying outright.

I blink back to process what had been said. Then I sputter.

"Pfft-f-for fock's sake, that's not what I meant! I just fell asleep, and next thing I know my flat's a wreck and London's a mire. How else would I've thought when I find myself sat down before you? I'm not trying to be cheeky here either!"

I ruffle my hair in exasperation, but turn my head away sharply to hide my embarrassment, and ramble on mainly to myself as my thoughts churn further.

"Let's see, I woke up to my alarm this morning, fixed breakfast while no one else was using the stove, met no one as I left my flat, crossed campus to my microeconomics class, had that...wait..."

It strikes me, a faint clue in a murky, interrelated web. This dense fog, this chill I now discern sinking into my bones, and a head of long strawberry blonde hair sharpening into focus as I peek back at Gloria's face, I've experienced in retrospect. But was that not a dream...?

I slowly turn back and utter my question, "...Have you dreamed of a ship at sea, in fog as thick as this?"

@Landaus Five-One

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Gloria noticed Thomas’ blinking, but what he said afterward made her sigh in relief slightly. It took her a bit to process what to respond with, which she started to think about everything that has happened so far. This caused her to giggle slightly since it would make some sense to think this is a dream. ” O-Oh, yeah… This is all strange and freaking me out all honestly. London is a beautiful city but this Hellscape makes it seem as if it's in anarchy or something. S-Sorry for assuming...” She spoke with still a tone of embarrassment. It is not the same type of embarrassment, but more like she utterly assumed incorrectly. She noticed that Thomas ruffled his hair and turned his head sharply away and she kind of giggles. It meaning that she got Thomas to be embarrassed as much as her.

When he started to go through retracing his steps, she had like trying to figure out how or why she appeared in this Hellscape. She had a few interesting thoughts in her head, but it would be better to retrace her steps too. However, she heard him say wait, which stopped her thought process on her retracing, which was embarrassing since she doesn’t really know the layout that well. ” What do you mean wait…? Kind of made me lose focus on the retracing of my steps.” She spoke a bit annoyed slightly. It was pretty rude to interrupt a girl that had to think about how many steps she took before getting into this hell.

She couldn’t help to be slightly annoyed, with a sigh of annoyance at what’s happening. However, her heart sank when he spoke about that one dream, she has been having for a while now. It is like ever since she moved into the dorms or even earlier than that. That one dream has definitely been annoying her more than what’s going on now, she even had it when she woke up this morning. ” Y-Yes, I did have that dream when I woke up this morning… but it has been happening for a while now. D-Don’t know why though or any real significance it means… confused on what those cards mean.” She spoke with a slightly confused and a bit terrified tone to her voice. Obviously, she wonders what that dream means since it's been getting really annoying to sleep and listen to a man with a horribly long nose talk about things. It makes little to no sense in what that means, in all honestly, but this Hellscape isn’t what her family paid for.