[WEEK 3: Tuesday evening, the library; Jay, Yukina]

[nowyouseeit]

[he can still feel it. the sting from yesterday's sacrifice lingers in his index finger, a tiny ghost that can't be exorcised. the memory of his stomach dropping and turning inside out at the news of Dave's death is as fresh as the memory he's making now, as he walks up to the locked library with Yukina and Jay in tow. but even clearer than any of that, and what Kaito had decided to hold onto, because fuck it if he would ever let this place get to him, are Craftly's words]

["The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. That... that is what you must contend with. Your contract is binding and thus, until the very end... you must face the unknown."]

[he never thought this job would be easy. not from the very beginning, when it was obvious he was going to have the point a gun at a living being and pull the trigger in order to end this farce of a game with as many survivors as possible. so even with the pain from yesterday-- physical, and emotional-- still lingering in his mind, Kaito manages to hold his head up high. he promised he would, and he is if nothing a man of his word]

All right.

[a head that he tilts towards Jay and Yukina once they're standing in front of their target building, of course]

According to Jay's map, this is the library. Are you guys ready?

Comments

[nowyouseeit]

[LOOK HE DIDN'T WANT TO WAKE UP THE SLEEPING MONSTER 8( don't judge him meta text!!]

Interesting. . .

[he mumbles underneath his breath, before he puts the portraits back to where they were. without a word (because he's still trying to be quiet), he nods towards Yukina and Jay and quietly creeps further into the library]

[it's a good thing he's an expert at sneaking around, huh]

[ninjay]

[ he only wishes they had more time or else he'd attempt to scribble down the text but alas.

jay follows kaito, on high alert since he's the one with more fighting experience (he assumes) and he doesn't want kaito to use the spare bullet right away because it'll be embarrassing if he like, shoots and misses ]

[thawedheart]

[She's following along quietly! What is there for them to find further on in the library, friends?]

[abhoth]

[The Library, on the inside, is as massive as it looks. Hundreds upon hundreds of bookshelves greet them as they walk past the entrance and into the next room. Some of them have been knocked over and broken in half, while others have survived the rampage of whatever beast lurks inside the building. On the ceiling is a large hole, allowing them to see a grand chandelier that hangs from the second floor's ceiling. There are two metal staircases; one on the library's east wing and another on the library's west wing. For now, it seems like the creature is taking a nap to the south.

All three of then will catch a glimpse of an enormous, dark green tendril between the bookshelves. It's large enough to crush them should they engage.

As they walk past the entrance, however, they'll immediately find the receptionist's desk. A few drawers have been left open, and a metal cart filled with books sits next to the desk chair. It seems like whoever worked here intended to return these books to their proper place, before whatever happened here... well. Happened.]

[nowyouseeit]

[holy shit]

[gives Yukina and Jay another concerned glance as they pass the tendril, because holy hell he is suddenly really glad they didn't break those windows even if they are locked in here now. otherwise, he goes straight for the reception desk, immediately digging through the drawers for anything useful]

[ninjay]

[ listen... jay is no stranger to fighting extremely large monsters but he usually have rpg powers to back him up so this is Concerning.

jay will go to the cart to look through the books. ]

[thawedheart]

[wtf why does cthulhu's library get a chair at the reception desk, we just have to stand at work :c

She follows the two of them over, and while Kaito is occupied with the drawers and Jay's looking at the books on the cart, she looks for any informational items that might have been at the desk to give out to library patrons. Bookmarks with the library policies? A written code of conduct? A map, since this place is pretty big?

Or maybe just stickers to give out to well-behaved kids. Maybe she can bring one back for Mabel!]

[abhoth]

[On popular demand, Kaito will find a drawer full of crumpled up rate our services cards. Ranging from good to not-so-good, it seems like the Library was frequently criticized for having terrible acoustics. On one note, the receptionist seems to have written down: "Can furniture fix this? Please investigate ASAP." Below that, someone seems to have added: "That's not how it works, Janet."

The cart contains assorted books, included but not limited to best sellers such as How Cthulhu Ate Christmas, Where's My Shoggoth, and Blood Sacrifices for Dummies.

Finally — if there was a map, it's not here anymore. Yukina will find traces of transparent tape on the desk, along with a rectangular mark untouched by dust and discoloring. It seems reasonable to assume that someone removed a document that was taped there very recently.]

[nowyouseeit]

[. . . mutters to himself]

That's not how it works, Janet.

[though the request cards kind of concern him, and he makes a mental note to be even quieter if he can. he waits until Jay and Yukina are finished before he whispers]

East or west?

[two stairwells, two options, and he doesn't think it's a good idea to split up]

[ninjay]

[ ... jay has to stop himself from snorting at the janet comment. it's funny, okay.

glancing between the two staircases, he points west. he's sure that no matter which way they go it's going to end terribly though. ]

[thawedheart]

[She brings her hand up to her mouth to stifle a giggle. Poor, long-suffering Janet.

Yukina starts to point east, but upon seeing where Jay is pointing, she points west instead. This is no time to have a divided front, after all; with that in mind, the three of them will likely head up that stairway.]

[abhoth]

[West they go, then.

As they move through the carpeted floors (thank god), they'll slowly but surely get a better view of the monster that resides in this building. Curled up in a mess of sharp claws and slimy tentacles, an impossibly large collar around its neck, the beast sleeps blissfully unaware of the three intruders.

The first step they take up the metal staircase, however, echoes through the library. It may as well be thunder, the sound bouncing off the walls and shattering the uneasy silence.

From the south end of the library, the monster goes quiet.]

[nowyouseeit]

[JESUS]

[FUCKING]

[CHRIST]

[freezes like a thief who just had his disguise ripped off by his girlfriend from whom he was trying to hide his secret thieving identity, gaze swiveling towards the monster's form]

[please don't wake up]

[ninjay]

[ STYX THAT'S TOO SPECIFIC


jay just... sloooowly turns to look at where they have the best view of the monster, wondering just how stupid their deaths are gonna look to the others?? probably very stupid??? they should probably like, try to find a hiding spot but if they move too quickly they might make more noise and what is with the acoustics in this damn library ]

[thawedheart]

[Yukina brings both her hands up to her mouth to keep from making a sound. This is bad. This is very, very bad.

Maybe they should have taken off their shoes and just walked around in socks before trying to climb the stairs.

Hindsight is 20/20, but it won't stop them from getting killed. She stays silent and wills the beast to go the fuck to sleep.

(That picture book was more prophetic than she knew.)]

[abhoth]

[Their deaths are, indeed, going to be stupid as heck. They should have totally taken their shoes off before braving the stairs, but it's too late for that. The monster is uncurling, it's beady eyes glancing around the library before settling on them. Immediately, it reveals its mouth — a maw full of sharp teeth located on its torso as opposed to its head. The sound it produces is so foreign and vile that it will give all three of them a sharp pain in their inner ears for the next 10 hours, almost as if their eardrums were rejecting what they were being forced to hear.

This is quickly followed by subtle vibrations in the ground around them. The carpet will begin to shift, small bumps moving beneath it until something breaks through to the surface. Hundreds of grotesque creatures rush towards them, black foam frothing from their mouths as they move in eerie synchrony.

The gang should probably like, you know, super duper run for their lives. Maybe run up the stairs and pray the weird man rats are allergic to steps.]

[nowyouseeit]

[they hecked up]

[they hecked up so bad]

RUN!

[Kaito bellows the word without thinking, deciding right then and there that he isn't going to wait and see what those creepy man rats are. he reaches out to snag both Jay and Yukina by their wrists, bolting up the stairwell seconds later, totally dragging them with him. it's. it's instinct, mostly, Kaito please they can run on their own]

[ninjay]

[ HE CAN DEFINITELY RUN ON HIS OWN, THANKS, and normally he would make a bigger fuss about that but he's too busy concentrating on getting ready to play whack-a-rat with his cleaver in case any get too close. also normally, he would take note of the fact that these are probably the same creatures that jake mentioned, but the horrible pain ringing in his head now is making it hard to concentrate on anything but getting the fuck out. ]

Should we try hiding somewhere?!

[ he has no clue what the heck is even going to be up these stairs so who knows if they can even find a hiding spot ]

[thawedheart]

[THIS IS THE WORST.

Yukina's sort of used to getting dragged along, though, so she manages not to stumble when he pulls her - though she's finding, very quickly, that a kimono is not the greatest thing to be in when moving quickly. It's definitely slowing her down.

Her grip on the knife tightens, and she makes a small noise of terror as the rats get closer. Up the stairs, up the stairs...]

We have to get out! If we die here-

[Why did all three of them come at once?

...was this some kind of a plan to get them all killed? Why didn't Craftly stop them? How are the others supposed to survive without Kaito's gun to kill the prophets-?]

A window. Kaito-san, we have to find a window, we have to get you out of here...!

[abhoth]

[The creatures are too fast, gaining on them far too quickly for comfort. Though Jay and Yukina will be able to take out some of them with their blades, there is nothing they can do to stop them from leaping at them and latching onto their flesh. Jay, in particular, will get multiple bites from the creatures before the three of them can make it upstairs. His skin will bubble and burn, black foam seeping into the injuries and quickly being absorbed into his bloodstream. The affected area will gain a sickly, green color within the next few hours — and by Friday morning he will have gained dozens of small eyes around the injury. Each of them will move independently of each other, and none will move under his command. The affected area will smell distinctively putrid, like an eye infection gone septic.

Fortunately(?) for them, the larger beast stomps forward, causing several books and shelves to fall. Many of the small creatures will be crushed under them, but the rest will remain skittering around the first floor. Hissing and snapping their teeth at the group, it's definitely not advisable for them to return downstairs.

On the second floor they will find a multitude of old desks, tables and chairs. Toppled over and damaged, they may serve as a hiding spot if they can get to them quickly enough. There are, strangely enough, no shelves or books in this area. Instead, an elegant chandelier hangs high from the ceiling. Glass windows illuminate the room, but it's quite a drop from here to the ground. They won't get away unharmed if they try that right now. In the middle of the room is the same hole they were able to spot from downstairs. The hole which, now that they're up here, looks like it was made by something large breaking through the ground from below.

Something large, like the monster downstairs.

From above and around them, they can hear the telltale sound of hissing. Below them, the beast's sickening roars and the "rats" as they move around. And the more noise is produced downstairs, the more trouble manifests for them. Particularly, spiders the size of their heads. They drop down from the ceiling, covering the windows on the west wing and obscuring their most immediate way out. Some of them may even drop on top of them.

It's fight or die now, kids.]

[nowyouseeit]

All three of us have to get out of here, not just me, so both of you keep running. . .!

[that's in response to Yukina's yelling, and before he can say anything else those gross man rats start leaping at them. Kaito has no sharp weapons, but he does have a handgun and he knows how to pistol whip things!! don't ask how, guys]

[he lets go of Jay's wrist and yanks the firearm from his belt, swings it around and knocks as many of those creepy things aside as he can as they run. he curses audibly when some of them latch onto Jay, does his best to whack those ones as well (if Jay doesn't get them first with his sharp weapon), but at least by then the vibrations of Fluffy's stomping knocks bookshelves over, crushing the. . . things. . . before they can follow them up the stairwell]

[Kaito's panting by the time they reach the second floor, and his eyes light up when he sees the window. he's dealt with harsh falls before, managed to descend from second story windows and come out of the plummet unharmed, so he thinks he can handle it. . . but then he remembers the other two are with him, and-- well. they'll have to figure something out. the window is their only choice, if they don't want to die here]

Look! Through there!

[and he bolts for said window, Yukina's wrist still in his grip. but the brief flicker of hope is crushed as the spiders suddenly descend from the ceiling and block their closest exit. he slams on the breaks and practically trips, skidding across the ground as he tries back up back up back up because fuck spiders]

[fuck this whole library, honestly]

[ninjay]

[ the bites come as a surprise, but not too much of a big one. he's gotten bitten in fights before, living on an island filled with monster, so for now he doesn't pay too much mind to it. it hurts, but as long as he can fight and as long as it doesn't slow him down too considerable, it's fine. he'll deal with it once they're out of here.

unlike kaito, who stops, jay immediately goes to attack the closest spiders. while he's not as fast as he normally would be because of his injury, he's still quick and he's still good with a blade. he prefers long distance combat, but he only has one weapon on him (two, if you count the scalpel in his pocket) and he doesn't think he'd get them back if he throws them.

he doesn't really move too far from kaito and yukina though, mostly just trying to get rid of the spiders that are too close?? but, you know, injured and there's a lot of them, so who knows how well that goes. ]

[thawedheart]

[There's a window, it's just ahead of them, they're going to make it -

Those hopes are utterly dashed as the spiders descend from the ceiling, and she barely manages to muffle a gasp before Kaito is backing up. She's not so quick to change direction, and it unbalances her, sending her to the ground before she can catch herself.

She yanks her wrist out of Kaito's grasp - after all, she doesn't want to slow him down.

A moment later, one of the spiders lands on her, and she lets out a shriek as she slashes at it with the knife. It's easier said than done, and she doesn't know if her attack will hit - all she knows is that she needs to get back on her feet, to regroup, to get out of here with Kaito and Jay before something terrible happens.

Yukina isn't ready to die yet.]

No—!

[abhoth]

[The spiders, while not numerous, are large. Large enough to overtake them if they don't move quickly, and while Kaito and Jay will be able to fend off their attacks while relatively unharmed... the same cannot be said of Yukina. The last swing of her knife takes the spider's head clean off, but that only causes blood to spill out of its carcass and onto her body. Viscous and thick, the "blood" turns out to be a potent acid. It will burn through layers of her skin, giving her first and second degree burns on several areas of her body. Arms, collarbone and whatever else is in range of the acid — Yukina's going to come out of this experience with some scarring. But for now, she needs to focus on staying alive.

The spiders continue to descend as Fluffy stomps around in the first floor. He's moved to the west wing now, tentacles and claws trying to reach for them through the staircase. They're fortunate enough that it hasn't put those wings to good use by leaping up the chasm on the ground, but their luck will run out if they don't move quickly. Between the large beast, the spiders and the man-rats slowly filtering upstairs, remaining on the west end will only result in their deaths.

What now?]

[nowyouseeit]

[Kaito had been swinging at the spiders with his weapon, trying to keep them at bay as much as possible. but then Yukina trips, and one lands on top of her, and the flash of her knife takes off its head, and he darts to her side in an instant.]

East! We've got to move east!

[the windows there aren't blocked, they still have a chance, they just need to move]