[IC] The escape from Wolfwing's lair

[Lord of Evil]

Derrick followed the others. He would've liked to take point but he didn't want to push past either. There would be plenty of room later on. Although if he thought about it, he sort of didn't want to be at the front so much.

He didn't want to admit it, but he was still somewhat scared of the Wolfwing, and the Jailor, and who-knew-what-else. He'd always hidden behind his brother when they went monster hunting, but now he was gone, and there was certainly nothing he could do about that. He supposed that it was Kenza who had a shield this time, but he felt bad for letting her be in one of the most dangerous positions. They didn't have the flexibility of numbers, so if one of them got taken out of commission, it would be a considerable loss. Derrick didn't exactly think he was useless but he wasn't exactly much of a leader, and he felt like the group's survival chances as a whole would drop less if he was the first to go down. With that logic, to maximize their survival chance, he should've taken up the shield himself and defended the team so that, even if he was wounded, or worse, the rest would have a better chance of surviving.

He knew all that, but he was still afraid. Afraid of the Wolfwing, the Jailor, and the strange magic that occupied this fortress. Ultimately, though he didn't exactly want to admit it, he was sort of glad that Kenza had picked up the shield. It made him feel safer, but also anxious. He was anxious because if Kenza went first and encountered something that put her out of commission, it could spell disaster for the rest of the group.

Nevertheless Derrick decided to trust her judgement. He tightened his grip on the halberd and powered on.
@Dusksong@Hekazu

[Hekazu]

Deciding to backtrack, the hunters headed back down the stairs. Trying to climb or heading into the direction in which the Jailor had somehow surpassed them did not sound all that appealing and who could blame the poor souls? While their descent was quite simple for them, something in the upper floor shifted. It was not happy there was someone on the move. But it would not show itself. All the hunters noticed was the odd feeling of something watching and a strange relief of not having chosen either of the alternatives.

Having passed the window again, they returned to the middle one of the three floors they had noted down. It was quite similar to the upper one, only there was but one suit of armour, this one gripping a halberd furiously right next to the door to what could be presumed to be a hallway. This somewhat bigger door was closed though. Otherwise nothing really stood out: There was a broken cabinet here, as in one that had been crushed to identifiable pieces, and a pile of moth ridden fabrics on one side.

@Dusksong@Lord of Evil

[Typical]

Kenza was the first to pick it up, mainly due to her speed. Having been born with fast reflexes, the hunter honed her inborn talent both because it was her first weapon and because it was her best one. From her first hunt to the last hunt she'd gone on before she'd signed up to hunt down the Wolfwing, Kenza had counted on her speed and her instincts to keep her out of death's jaws and secure her bounty. So, when the ominous feel of bloodlust seeped down from the upper floor, Kenza's senses put her on high alert, prompting her to draw her sword. We would have died if we'd gone up, she realized with a shudder, goosebumps speckling her skin when she realized how narrowly the hunters had just escaped death.

Mistletoe noticed it a split-second after Kenza, owing to her experience from years of hunting alone with just her senses to stave off death. That death was closer than she'd predicted scared her, especially since she wasn't one to take risks. Taking risks, especially as an archer, meant you lose the chance of having a secure upper hand -- something that Mistletoe dreaded since she prided herself on her foresight and decisiveness more than her sheer combat power. Brain over brawn was something she fully bought into, but such wouldn't be true if brain was not given enough time to utilize itself.

Looking back and meeting the other two hunters' eyes, Mistletoe saw her panic and fear reflected back, and without a word all three hunters quickened their pace down the stairwell. Upon arriving at the bottom, Mistletoe allowed herself to relax a little, taking in her new surroundings carefully. In the room was another suit of armor with a halberd, a doorway, and a smashed cabinet with fabrics piled messily beside it. Her initial reasons for choosing the halberd over the shortspear were still there though -- the weapon would be too heavy for her to handle one-handed, and she didn't want to put any strain on her injured hand if she could help it.

Kenza arrived beside Mistletoe, remaining just as panicked as she was before. Although the ominous presence hadn't made chase for the hunters, its bloodlust reminded Kenza that she was so very defenseless and mortal in this barrack-prison she was trapped in. As much as she hated her fear, she couldn't smother it completely, and so she was eager to put distance between herself and the stairwell.

"I'm sticking with the sword. You two grab what you need and let's move on," Kenza said, moving towards the doorway beside the suit of armor. Mistletoe nodded, understanding her fellow hunter's agitation even though she didn't feel it. Having been a solo hunter most of her career, the oldest hunter was used to keeping her emotions in check -- calming herself down and riling herself up was part of the job description when it was her against the world, and her experience in this aspect shined through in comparison to Kenza's. Although the other hunter was clearly a charismatic leader, she lacked the years of experience that Mistletoe had seen in some of the older hunters she'd been on hunts with.

"I'm going to stick with my shortspear -- lighter and more like a dagger," she told Derrick, pausing to wait for the boy to respond before following Kenza to the doorway.

@hekazu@lord of evil

[Lord of Evil]

Derrick didn't really need anything that he couldn't have gotten from the room above, although he really wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to take the time to put the breastplate on. He decided against it for now, as he figured speed would be more useful against the whatever there could be in here. It wasn't just about the Wolfwing anymore. The Jailor had reportedly gone ahead but he still felt as if he was being watched. A quick glance to his other teammates showed that they felt it too.

He decided to check the fabric. Maybe it was a flag of some sort that could give a hint of where they were. He didn't really know, but he didn't think that the pile of wood that may-or-may-not have been a cabinet would yield much. While he investigated, he checked the floor to see if there were any fresh footprints in the dust. Theirs was certainly evident, but he wanted to know if there were any other tracks, so he could see if they needed to be careful or not.
@Dusksong@Hekazu

[Hekazu]

While the only man of the group moved to rummage through the pile of fabric, the women approached the larger door. It didn't seem to be locked and a brisk shove indeed caused it to creak on it's hinges as it opened into another hallway. There were no lights in that corridor, thus leaving most of what they otherwise could have seen into the darkness, but judging by the piling of dust and a slight windy breeze coming towards them, there was some connection to the outside over here. An all too familiar blue light was barely visible at some distance into the hallway where the roof probably should have been, but no sign of the creature itself for now. As a matter of fact, the light seemed to be dimming even further now and had they not noticed it earlier they surely would not have done so now.

As for what Derrick found, hidden beneath the cloth which barely had recognisable colour at this point lied a flimsy wooden chest. This one was locked though and the lock looked sturdy enough and they had no winged monsters slamming things open for them this time... although that was probably for the better, given there no longer would be a cell door between them. The chest was unwieldy to lift, but surprisingly light as Derrick raised it to judge what it might contain based on weight.

@Dusksong@Lord of Evil

[Typical]

Kenza pushed open the door to the hallway, peeking around cautiously. When there seemed to be no immediate danger, she opened it completely and stepped out into the hall. It was silent, and a slight breeze could be felt on her skin.

"There's a light coming from that side," Mistletoe said, motioning towards the fading light. Kenza vaguely made out the bluish hue of a light, but it could have just been her eyes. Trusting the archer's words -- Mistletoe, being a seasoned archer, would likely have better eyesight than herself -- Kenza nodded, turning back to call Derrick over. Instead, she spotted the boy holding a wooden box of sorts -- a chest.

"Can you open it?" she asked, walking over. Upon seeing the lock, she looked over at Mistletoe. "Close the door -- we'll have to smash the chest, and less sound we make, the better."

Mistletoe nodded, swinging the creaky door close slowly before walking over to the other two hunters.

"Derrick, since you found it, do you want to do the honors?" Kenza asked, taking a step back to give the other hunter some room.

---

@hekazu@lord of evil

[Lord of Evil]

Derrick thought for a moment. The lock looked strong, but he couldn't say the same about the rest of the box. He was curious as to what the box had inside, and it seemed he could open it if he broke the box itself. Stomping might've been a viable idea but he wanted to know what was inside, and he didn't want to risk damaging it. He supposed he could stomp it, maybe, but that still carried some risk. But he supposed there was something he could do instead.

Derrick set the box down on the ground and used his foot to push it up against the wall, keeping his foot there so the box wouldn't move. With that done, Derrick lifted his halberd carefully. He lined it up with the box before slamming it down. This way, he might be able to limit potential damage to whatever was inside. He lifted his halberd to check how he'd done, before he brought it down again. Even if that didn't do it, he didn't want to rush it. Just like that he carefully bashed the chest, hoping it'd break before what was in it.
@Dusksong@Hekazu

[Hekazu]

Derrick set on his attempt of procuring whatever it was inside the wooden chest hopefully wholly intact and brought the halberd down on the right side of the container. The first hit had been too careful, even a box as weak as this did not seem to have much more than a slight dent in it. The second hit brought the sound of cracking wood to the mixture of sounds as the shoddy construction seemed to be giving way. The third and the final hit nearly blasted the right side of the chest off, sending it on a brief flight to the distance of about a metre away. With it, something had flown out, but a quick inspection revealed that another item remained within.

The one on the floor was a brass locket, housing an inscription that was difficult to read in this light as well as a piece of parchment folded many times over. Once opened, it looked like a hastily drawn picture of a young man, made with nothing more than an ink pen. Then when it came to the contents of the chest, the item seemed to be a little stuck but a brisk pull brought it out of it's wooden prison. It was a ring, housed within a (now slightly damaged) transparent crystal box. Seemed valuable, silver with several purple gems embedded, not to mention the box it was in.

@Lord of Evil@Dusksong

[Typical]

Kenza pounced on the box when it flew across the floor, picking out the previously contained objects from the rubble. Her search yielded a locket -- some metal, most likely brass, by the feel of it -- and a crystal box with what seemed like a gem-studded silver ring inside. Treasure -- any other hunt, and I would have been thrilled to uncover something like this. But right now, this all is about as helpful as a pebble, she thought, sighing and rising to present the spoils.

"A locket and a ring in a crystal box," she said, holding the items out to the other hunters.

Mistletoe immediately went for the locket, holding it up by the chain to examine the brassy locket itself. It appeared old and worn with time, not exactly rusty but well-aged nonetheless. Taking ahold of it, Mistletoe carefully pried the casing open with her nails, careful not to drop whatever was inside. A folded paper! she thought, a thrill of excitement running through her. Discovering treasure was nice, but discovering something else -- a message, a note, or even a map -- was even more amazing. Such items were messages that crossed time and space to reach out to her, communicating the mind of someone she'd never met.

"I'm going to open it," Mistletoe said to the hunters by her side, taking care not to rip the paper as she smoothed out the tight folds. The browning paper yielded with clarity the likeness of a young man in his early twenties or so. Sketched in ink, the portrait was -- while clearly not of immediately apparent value -- breathtaking for Mistletoe. Was this a lover, a blood-relative, or a dear friend? Or, perhaps, was it a piece of previous self from before some life-changing event stripped away one's identity? The drawing was in pen, suggesting that it might very well have been a self portrait, although Mistletoe couldn't fathom of who.

"He... looks rather common," Kenza said, losing interest as soon as she saw that she didn't recognize the inky features. "What of the locket then -- anything else on there?"

Mistletoe checked, rubbing her fingers over the inside to feel for any insignia. She felt, instead, words, and excitedly brought the locket level to her face to try and make out the etchings.

"It's too dark," she said, frowning. "We'll need to find a light source."

---

@hekazu@lord of evil

[Lord of Evil]

The contents of the box were interesting, considering Derrick had found it under old fabric. He carefully picked up the slightly-battered crystal box. He hadn't wanted to avoid damage but he supposed it couldn't be helped. It looked rather valuable, which made him worry about holding it. The thing looked like it was worth more than everything he'd ever owned combined.

There were only a few things that made Derrick uneasy, and one of those things was having something valuable. Maybe it had something to do with his early childhood, but whatever the case, he could never not worry about dropping or losing whatever it was that he had. No one would say that he was uncoordinated but valuable things tended to have a much higher risk of being dropped when he held them, and that just wouldn't do.

"Um, Mistletoe, can you keep this?" Derrick asked, offering her the jeweled box. "I don't have any pockets right now, so..."
That wasn't exactly true. He had his back pocket, after all, but his pants were old so the pocket could break and it could fall out. In general, it would probably be better if he didn't have it so that he wouldn't worry about it. Because it looked sort of important, and he didn't want to lose it.
@Dusksong@Hekazu

[Typical]

Kenza was equally unimpressed with the boxed ring, not bothering to offer a comment. Mistletoe, on the other hand, had picked up on how oddly Derrick was behaving around the small but valuable piece of jewelry. Where Mistletoe was fascinated and excited, Derrick seemed almost nervous -- uneasy. Kenza was clearly uninterested in the new discoveries, but Derrick didn't seem to share the other hunter's apathy.

"I wonder who left this here, and why," Mistletoe said, attempting to rouse some conversation in the silence.

"Maybe they used to live here or something," Kenza said, shrugging. "Does it matter? It was left here, and they're most likely gone."

"I guess not," Mistletoe said, seeing the other hunter's point. Although this was a bad time, she was intrigued by the possibility of mystery. Still, Mistletoe knew restraint and control, and she saw the sense in Kenza's argument.

Hearing Derrick's request, Mistletoe turned and nodded, taking the jeweled box. "Sure. It'll be safe with me," she said, tucking the box into one of the pockets on her clothes. Hunting solo meant being prepared to face anything and everything alone, and doing so wasn't possible if one didn't carry some extra supplies. Thus, Mistletoe had an abundance of small- and medium-sized pockets scattered on her outfit, Some just holding some cloth or balm whereas others held some loose pieces of coin or gold in case they were needed. "So, where to next?"

---

@hekazu@lord of evil

[Lord of Evil]

That would be a weight off Derrick's hands. Considering the thing wasn't particularly heavy, though, maybe not. Still, he couldn't let it bother him. Or rather, he could, but that wouldn't help him do anything. Derrick figured it would safer with Mistletoe than anywhere else, so he decided to move on.
"We should just keep going for now, right?" Derrick said, gripping his halberd.

He moved towards the door that went ahead and stood beside it.
"Are we ready to go?" He asked.
@Dusksong@Hekazu

[Typical]

"Let's go," Kenza said, joining Derrick by the door. Opening it, she looked around the hallway and made sure it was still empty before heading out. "The light was in this direction, right Mistletoe?"

"Yep," Mistletoe said in confirmation, walking over to the door. Kenza nodded, leading the way down the corridor quickly but carefully as to not break the silence.

---

@lord of evil@hekazu

[Hekazu]

The door opened to the very same hallway as it had opened to when they had peeked behind it prior to smashing the little chest. This time there was no light to be seen in the upper floor though, no matter how hard one looked for it. That also meant there was no way to tell where the hole in the roof would be then, but since that wasn't the floor there should be nothing to fear, especially since they were moving forward as carefully as they were.

On the floor did lay some sort of a carpet, but since it was really dark they could only tell it by the fact the weapon they used to probe their route did not make much sound as it hit the ground on those spots. Some distance into the dark they could start hearing an odd sound, however... it seemed to be coming from the left side, maybe behind a wall and a door, but it was as if someone was... shivering? It sounded much like a human in early stages of hypothermia indeed. A brief check-up confirmed that it indeed was in a room along the hallway, behind an iron-reinforced door.

@Lord of Evil@Dusksong

[Lord of Evil]

Derrick looked out into the hall as it opened, and shortly slipped into the dark corridor. He couldn't see very much, so Derrick waited for the others, so that he could also giving his eyes time to adjust. As he stood, he noticed a faint odd noise that seemed to be coming up ahead. He edged out into the hall to try and hear it better, noting that it was somewhat close.

It was a fairly strange noise, somewhat unfamiliar to Derrick. Try as he might, he couldn't really identify it. He turned to see if the rest of the team had come through yet. When they neared his position, he whispered quietly to them.
"Do you hear that?" Derrick said, keeping his voice low.
@Dusksong@Hekazu

[Typical]

Although the dark obscured her vision and left her rather defenseless as an archer, Mistletoe was used to the black silence that came naturally with travelling alone. Though mysterious and sometimes dangerous, there was also something of comfort in the blackness, knowing that your enemy would have the same hindrances as yourself. This, of course, only applied to Mistletoe's human bounties, since there were many a nocturnal terror that she was sent to hunt down.

"Something's moving," Kenza whispered, alarmed as she registered the sound. Finding that it came from behind a wall, she was just as confused as Derrick -- what was it?

"It sounds like... shivering," Mistletoe said, thinking back to the icy cold hunting trips she'd been on. With a long career came a wide variety of experiences, including ones that she wouldn't want to relive. "But... it's not that cold in here."

Nodding at Mistletoe, Kenza crept closer to the door behind which the sound seemed to have been coming from and pressed her ear to the cold iron.

---

@hekazu@lord of evil

[Hekazu]

Pressing her ear against the iron cooled by the breeze was probably not the best of ideas as it was painfully cold to Kenza's ear. It soon began warming up though and she could get on with listening. The sound remained the same, which meant it was not being distorted by the walls and the door between them. But there was something she could tell... it was too regular to be something as reflexive as shivering. It sounded like it, but it followed a pattern too closely to actually match the picture.

This left the hunters stumped. What might it be? None of them had heard of a creature that breathed in shivers and it couldn't be wind... it was indeed too regular to be air flowing through cracks. Only way to find out would probably be to open the door. But were they going to take such a risk?

@Lord of Evil@Dusksong

[Lord of Evil]

Derrick was getting a little weirded out. The sound was somewhat familiar yet irregular in its regularity, sounding more alien the more he listened. It was rather strange, but it also made him curious. But, as they often said in his village, curiosity killed the butcher's cat. Poor Mr Johnson, he'd loved that cat so much.

There was quite a number of reasons not to explore the source of the noise. For one, it was behind an iron door, as good an indication as any that whatever inside might be dangerous. Secondly, they sort of had somewhere to be, and this was at best a distraction; there was only a small chance that this would benefit them in some way. A very small chance it was, but it was there at least.

Ultimately, though, Derrick was curious. He supposed that it was the strange allure of the forbidden, the feeling that even though you're not supposed to do it, you want to know what will happen if you do. He sort of really wanted to open the door, but it wasn't just his decision to make.
"...Should we open that door?" Derrick whispered after a pause.
@Dusksong@Hekazu

[Typical]

The sound rattled Kenza more than she'd like to admit. On one hand, it was just a sound -- one that wasn't loud or threatening and could very well be from something utterly harmless. On the other hand, it was also a sound, but it was a foreboding sound, pacing out the final moments until the hunters' deaths. Opening the door would be what a brave leader would do, but it was also what a foolish one was. The fine line between bravery and folly grew thinner with questions, and Kenza hesitated to make a call.

Sensing the other hunter's hesitance, Mistletoe figured she'd pitch her two cents in. "Best case scenario, it's some way out of here, or some useful stash of tools. Worst case, it's the Wolfwing," she said, "but I doubt the beast is capable of being so synchronized with its breathing, and it doesn't seem like it would be one to shiver." She paused, shrugging. "I honestly don't see how opening one door could worsen out situation all that much. Other than the Wolfwing -- and perhaps the winged beasts we met a while back -- this place should be empty. There was dust and there was mold, so I doubt anything's alive. Plus, it's not even locked, so whatever is in there -- if alive -- should have been able to come out already," she concluded. "So, I say open the door."

Kenza paused, thinking over the other hunter's words. Was she correct?

Mistletoe has the most experience out of any of us, and she has a point. How much worse can it get?

Meeting the other two hunters' eyes, Kenza inhaled, readying her weapon. "I'll open the door on the count of three," she whispered. When the other hunters got in position, Kenza pulled the door open wide enough for a large dog to pass through comfortably. Through the dim light of the hallway, the hunters peered into the room.

---

@hekazu@lord of evil

[Hekazu]

The door opened silently into a room as full of darkness as the hallway. However, there was a single similarity to the room where they had awakened the Jailor: There was a curtain at the other end of the room, this time it was obviously to cover a window though. In the little light they had, they could just barely see what this room was... it was a bedroom. The sound was coming from something snoozing away on the bed, but due to the lack of light there was no easy way to tell what it was. It seemed to be quite bulky though... and covered in fur.

@Dusksong@Lord of Evil