Estylwen

Backrooms: The Thing that Breathes

New post is up! :)

Backrooms: The Thing that Breathes

E.Y.122, The Endless Store

@Squirrel98

---

Amanda did indeed cover herself in the dried blood found at the locked automatic doors. However, she also found herself in the center of the only source of light in the entire vicinity.

To her ultimate end.

The glowing eyes and smile twisted at an unnatural angle as it approached the light, eventually coming into view. The smiler was a dark, gangy entity, with massive teeth formed in a smile and long, clawed limbs. It's body was made entirely of a scratchy darkness, hard to make focused.

It loomed over Amanda, white eyes staring as she sat there, covered in old blood. One step, then another, as it approached, massive teeth unwinding, gaping maw aiming to swallow her whole.

Except,

It didn't.

Instead of devouring Amanda, the smiler instead began licking her face, neck, and hands, removing the blood. It hummed in satisfaction, finding sustenance in this.

As the smiler took its fill of the old blood, licking Amanda clean, the door she had initially entered the store with unlocked. The way back was open.

Additionally. Near the locked automatic doors, a metal ‘Employees Only’ door lit up, with an exit sign over it. A way out.

---

B.?.117

@Xandrya

---

Michelle's goodness paid itself forward, indeed. It was as if the room itself reacted to her kindness.

What had once been an ominous well of ethereal water, now changed. The water slowly drained thirty feet, revealing a horizontal door painted in red. On top of the door was a soaked basket, filled with a bottle of water and zip-loc bags full of cotton candy, elephant ears, and corn dogs.

Above the door, embedded in the stone, was an exit sign, glowing a soft green.

Whatever she hoped to glean from Mr. Squiggles, at least she could do it in a new somewhat safer environment.

---

C.G.106

@Vertigo

---

There was a strong sniffing noise that split the air. The monster, the smiler was sniffing the air, it's head twisting this way and that in the darkness, looking for the one that hurt Hazard.

”Don't be shy, oh please. Come out, won't you? I won't hurt you. Much.”

It stepped forward, as if attracted to the fear dripping off Abel. There was a brush of something on plastic, and a crunch as a part of what may have been the plastic castle becoming crushed under a smiler's hand.

Giggling. Almost maddeningly happy, confident it had Abel pinned. With fear, as well as confusing him to a corner of the room.

The glowing eyes came closer, surveying the darkness, alerted slightly by the shuffle of plastic balls as Abel removed himself from the pit. A head turned sharply, the smile widening.

“I got you…”

And massive hands in the darkness reached out, groping for the source of the sound, searching for Abel, in the murkiness.

---

F.Y.119

@Ocelot79

---

Alas, before Lucas could take another step towards Zuzu, before he could inflict a blow that the poor ponycorn just could not handle, the room rumbled in response.

A splash of water.

And then, jaws enclosed upon Lucas as, from the water, erupted a massive eel, yellow eyes staring angrily, hungrily, at Lucas.

Its teeth tore into the upper levels of flesh and clothes on Lucas’ wet form, before it yanked back, and pulled Lucas back into the water.

And the eel began to sink into the water, dragging Lucas down with it. Down, deep, the light of the water leaving, diminishing, seeping into darkness.

Iris Ascendis

Ciara Ventura

Iris Record, Stairwell to the Third Floor
@Nanaya, @AThousandCurses

---

“Seeing that you are here, I'm assuming that you have come to rescue Davil. I will assist you.”

Chunji

Ciara flinched, turning abruptly despite the pain lancing through her body. The most unlikeliest sight: Chunji. Her half-delusional mind thought Iraleth had already caught up with her, but this?

Her eyes narrowed, sweat dampening her forehead. The entire Iris Record knew about her. Especially how the Head Advisor had so poetically labeled her an Umbralist. The guards were mobilizing, Iraleth was in a rage, likely Hidegunde too if she could move.

The world had it out for her.

Chunji had to know. He had to know she was considered an enemy of the state at this moment. So why? Why wasn't he automatically trying to detain her?

“You will be needing my sight as I can see past this veil of darkness. Additionally, I will heal the wounds you have accumulated that you have received on your journey here."

Chunji

Ciara glanced momentarily at the upper floor, seen at the end of the stairs. It was, indeed, pitch black. Like a heavy, scratchy blanket.

Her gaze quickly returned to Chunji, watching him for any sudden movements. He said he'd heal her, but could she trust that. Could she trust him?

"If you refuse, I will proceed without you, even if it means dealing with the potential Umbralist by myself. They are of no mere foe as they can control multiple leylines and teleported themselves into the Iris Record."

Chunji

Ciara's brows knitted in confusion, and a muffled groan escaped her, her emotions fluctuating between fight or flight causing pressure on her bullet wound.

Chunji didn't know she was the umbralist? The labeled one, at least. The one everyone in the building was after. There was no way Chunji couldn't know. There was no way she could afford to believe he was speaking the truth.

Was he lying to make her feel more secure, to drop her guard? To capture her eventually?

"Will you accept my help?"

Chunji

Ciara stared for a long moment, silent, her gaze caught between him and the hand offered to her.

Help. Help was what she needed, what she was desperate for. But what was the cost of accepting help from Chunji? Could she really put her faith in him, even for a moment?

“You're dying, little Hunger. Accept their help, find a way out, and betray them for a moment of being free.”

“That's not good business.” Ciara half-chuckled weakly, the loss of blood truly making her delirious.

“Drop your guard and be captured. And don't cry to us when it happens.” The Voices admitted coldly.

A sigh. Eyes refocusing on Chunji, momentary tension, hesitation… Before, her grip on her bullet wound loosened, and she accepted Chunji's hand.

“Yes…” Ciara said, sucking a pained breath through her teeth.

The healing magic was quick and painless. Ciara blinked in surprise; she had no idea Chinju could do this. As she felt her senses return to herself, strength returning to her, she undid the bandage wrapped around her waist. A bullet hit the floor, rolling down the staircase. The bloodstained bandage too, fell to the floor. Ciara ran her fingers over the hole in her jacket; the skin underneath was fully mended.

Amazing.

“...Thank you.” Ciara said, before her hand reached out for Chunji's, and allowed herself to be guided through the darkness.

For now, she would play along, and find Davil. There was no going back now, anyway.

As they moved, shadowy tendrils like fingers seeped out from Ciara's feet, feeling the ground, the walls. Nothing would, or could, catch her by surprise here. She wouldn't allow it.

Find Davil. Find her salvation. And avoid being captured.

These were her three desperate tenants, in this moment.

Iris Ascendis

@Nanaya Permission to post once more before the GM post? :)

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

Of course! I'm waiting for you/others to add to the collab pad. It will be posted as a collaboration. Then the timeskip post will be posted, and then everything will progress as IC posts.

Backrooms: The Thing that Breathes

I'm a bit delayed on my end, it'll be tomorrow ideally. Thanks for your patience!

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

@The Otter 100%. Absolutely. xD

@ERode Oh yes, that's exactly what I mean. ICly input. The collab sheet is ready and waiting. :>

ArrowFell: The Wizard Queen's Court

@ERode I agree with your thoughts on teleportation. I'll include it in the OOC post.

I am currently working on the timeskip post, which has a few collabs in it. So @The Otter is waiting for me, and Im waiting on @Donut Look Now and @Irradiant. I'll give a timeline for it in a couple days. Besides that, there's just Sev's execution. I think I'm mainly waiting on your input for that, @ERode.

Very excited for us to arrive in Athius, and for Rhinecliff's treasure to be discovered. >:)

Iris Ascendis

Oops, lemme fix that.

Fixed!

Iris Ascendis

Ciara Ventura

Iris Record, First Floor Eastern Halls -> Third Floor
@Nanaya, @ERode, @AThousandCurses

---

“Don’t bother with the entrance. Third door to your left is still open.”

Otis

“So you mean to trap me within this god forsaken tower. Is that it?” Ciara thought back bitterly, turning away from Hildegunde's pathway, her eyes falling on the third door. Quickly, she darted in, throwing down a smoke bomb to block out the diffusing light. It stung her eyes, but it was enough to manifest a hefty black fist, shattering the wall in a couple swings.

Hand pressed against the bullet wound in her abdomen, Ciara half-hobbled, half-desperately ran, the bulkhead closing behind her, snagging her robe-like jacket. She tore the fabric free, leaning against the shut bulkhead for a brief moment, feeling the lightheadedness catching up with her. A few breaths, ignoring the lethargy sinking into her muscles.

Growling, she pushed off, hobbling down the hallway, westward.

The loss of blood in her system scattered stars across her squinted vision, but she saw it. Otis had spoken truthfully. The stairs. She could see them. She couldn't teleport to them like normal; the diffused light made shadows near imperceptible.

Otis’ doing?

It didn't matter. She had no way of getting back. No way of making it to the entrance. She had to continue her ascension upward. Perhaps her salvation was upward, with Davil.

Ciara dragged herself up the stairs, one at a time, stopping briefly to catch her breath. When she reached the top, however, an unexpected sight stopped her.

Upon the second floor of the Iris Record, in front of the stairwell to the third floor, was a rat.

Ciara stared at the rat for a moment, thoroughly perplexed. The Iris Record had some of the best security, didn't it? Perhaps even more than the government buildings in the big cities.

So how did a rat end up all the way up here?

There wasn't much time to deliberate it, as Ciara could still imagine an angry Iraleth still hot on her tail.

With the camera still emitting their cursed light, Ciara was forced to hobble on her feet all the way across the floor, leaving a trail of spotted blood behind her, to the stairwell to the third floor. She still had her eyes on the rat, wholly expecting it to run from her presence. Alas, rats were a common occurance in Vaal Kastrix, and she wasn't entirely bothered by it.

No, what was more pressing was surviving the next few minutes. The next few hours.

Leaning against the edge of the upwards stairwell, Ciara tore at her loose sleeve, wholly separating it from the rest of the robe. With her teeth, she tore the fabric into stripes, and fashioned a makeshift bandage that she wrapped around her waist, covering the bullet wound on both sides.

Something that would slow down the bleeding, hopefully.

With that done, she slowly hobbled up the staircase to the third floor, eyes alert for any sign of Davil.

Any sign of escape.