Dark Dimension: Ambush
Oct. 8th, 2017 10:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsOne team sets out, and finds themselves facing a seemingly harmless old man.
It was...impressive. Large, gigantic, it was hard to figure out a word that would adequately describe the castle. Stephen wasn't sure he'd ever been in a place that was quite this big. Room after room passed them by, window after dreary window as the teenager found himself starting to lose his focus. As he stepped from room to room he had to shake his head, refocusing himself as he peered from room to room. "Isn't there an easier way to find them? A faster way?"
"Not unless you've got a handy 'find my kidnapped friends' app on your phone," Jubilee quipped, her body held in a tightly controlled state of readiness. This entire place set off her 'we're in an Aliens movie' heebie Jeebies. "Which, by the way, would be an awesome app."
Artie shook his head. He was working up a map, keeping it running on a projection in front of them - something he didn't need, but the others did. As they moved, the blank spaces in the map began to reduce, as he extrapolated the location of rooms based on the halls they'd covered and the distances.
Julian's hands flew in either direction down the side halls, keeping high and hopefully out of sight of any of the castle's residents. From the hands, which had (almost) become extensions of his body, telekinetic waves were pinging anything they came across. The technique was a variant of something he'd employed many times before, but those times had always been centered off him. Though he'd been working at trying this out in the training room, he'd not yet truly perfected it and the feedback he was getting was, admittedly, fuzzy. When the hands had reached their limits, he recalled them, "I'm...I'm not," he took a breath, not realizing that he'd been concentrating so hard- was the sweat from the heat, or the mental workout he'd just undergone. "Damn, I'm not finding anyone," he finally managed to get out.
Artie added in the data Julian fed him and the map grew further.
"I'm not havin' any better luck either. I got nuthin' scent-wise or anythin' else." Logan said. His senses weren't helping anyone right now. All he could smell was the interior of the castle and the people around him. No hint of the rest of their friends or any new scents at all. It smelled like unused rooms and the goop from the Mindless ones they'd fought. Interdimensional travel sucked.
"Stephen, Amanda used to be able to cast a spell to locate people. Is that something she has taught any of you?" Marie-Ange asked. "I think even a vague direction would be helpful."
The teen closed his eyes, the light of magic sparking to life between his fingers before fading away as he shook his head. "This entire place is saturated with magic, it's like someone built it, or enchanted it to bounce the spells back. I'm getting echoes, I know they're here, in kinda that direction," he gestured ahead of them, "but nothing more than that.
Julian's hands returned, and he took a moment to collect himself. Inhaling a deep breath he sent them out again, together this time, focusing everything into mapping the area. Rounding a corner, he gasped and fell the few inches to the floor he'd been hovering over, "There is someone over there. I almost ran into them," Julian whispered, looking to Jubilee and Logan for direction through tired eyes.
“Dude, don’t look at me for advice. I’m like, the least adult adult I know.” Jubilee said as she caught the look, but even so she started forward in the direction Julian’s hands had taken. “Just stay here and I’ll go take a sneaky look. If I don’t come back, get the hell outta here.”
From around a conspicuously placed statue stepped Orini, hands clasped and bright smile on his face. "Ohho! More guests! Welcome, welcome! It has been quite some time since the castle has been this busy, yes it has. Now, I simply must know: who are you?" he questioned, sounding somewhat as though he stepped directly out of Alice In Wonderland.
As soon as he'd recovered from the shock of the sudden appearance Stephen narrowed his eyes, staring suspiciously at Orini, "How long have you just been standing there waiting?" He queried as he instinctively took a step closer peering around, "Hey you haven't seen our friends? Two girls running around in here?"
Logan glared at the new figure suspiciously and slipped toward the back of their little group. He didn't like unknown beings acting so happy to see them. The scent was also weird. It reeked of this dimension and was barely distinguishable from the rest of the castle. He figured keeping his mouth shut right now was the best thing for them all. Saying something offensive was the last thing they needed. He glanced at Jubilee and Marie-Ange to see if they were as suspicious and wary as he was.
Marie-Ange flashed a quick handsignal at Jubilee, and narrowed her eyes as she nodded once in response to Logan. Nothing that excitable was trustworthy. "Yes, by all means, lead us to your other guests. I am sure we will have a happy reunion. We will be glad to send you handwritten thank you cards." Amazing how someone could sound utterly sincere while tucking a knife into a sleeve and palming a handful of cards to hold at the ready. Unless you knew her well. And knew that Marie-Ange saying "Happy" "Glad" and "Handwritten thank you cards" was likely signal for "I have a bad feeling about this."
"Splendid, splendid!" Orini clapped his hands, smiling brightly. "Come, come, please, and welcome to my home. Your friends are this way," he said, walking towards the large double doors that dominated a far wall. "I'm certain they will be ever so happy to see you."
And with that, once again Orini led his guests away from the entrance and deeper into the mansion.
It was...impressive. Large, gigantic, it was hard to figure out a word that would adequately describe the castle. Stephen wasn't sure he'd ever been in a place that was quite this big. Room after room passed them by, window after dreary window as the teenager found himself starting to lose his focus. As he stepped from room to room he had to shake his head, refocusing himself as he peered from room to room. "Isn't there an easier way to find them? A faster way?"
"Not unless you've got a handy 'find my kidnapped friends' app on your phone," Jubilee quipped, her body held in a tightly controlled state of readiness. This entire place set off her 'we're in an Aliens movie' heebie Jeebies. "Which, by the way, would be an awesome app."
Artie shook his head. He was working up a map, keeping it running on a projection in front of them - something he didn't need, but the others did. As they moved, the blank spaces in the map began to reduce, as he extrapolated the location of rooms based on the halls they'd covered and the distances.
Julian's hands flew in either direction down the side halls, keeping high and hopefully out of sight of any of the castle's residents. From the hands, which had (almost) become extensions of his body, telekinetic waves were pinging anything they came across. The technique was a variant of something he'd employed many times before, but those times had always been centered off him. Though he'd been working at trying this out in the training room, he'd not yet truly perfected it and the feedback he was getting was, admittedly, fuzzy. When the hands had reached their limits, he recalled them, "I'm...I'm not," he took a breath, not realizing that he'd been concentrating so hard- was the sweat from the heat, or the mental workout he'd just undergone. "Damn, I'm not finding anyone," he finally managed to get out.
Artie added in the data Julian fed him and the map grew further.
"I'm not havin' any better luck either. I got nuthin' scent-wise or anythin' else." Logan said. His senses weren't helping anyone right now. All he could smell was the interior of the castle and the people around him. No hint of the rest of their friends or any new scents at all. It smelled like unused rooms and the goop from the Mindless ones they'd fought. Interdimensional travel sucked.
"Stephen, Amanda used to be able to cast a spell to locate people. Is that something she has taught any of you?" Marie-Ange asked. "I think even a vague direction would be helpful."
The teen closed his eyes, the light of magic sparking to life between his fingers before fading away as he shook his head. "This entire place is saturated with magic, it's like someone built it, or enchanted it to bounce the spells back. I'm getting echoes, I know they're here, in kinda that direction," he gestured ahead of them, "but nothing more than that.
Julian's hands returned, and he took a moment to collect himself. Inhaling a deep breath he sent them out again, together this time, focusing everything into mapping the area. Rounding a corner, he gasped and fell the few inches to the floor he'd been hovering over, "There is someone over there. I almost ran into them," Julian whispered, looking to Jubilee and Logan for direction through tired eyes.
“Dude, don’t look at me for advice. I’m like, the least adult adult I know.” Jubilee said as she caught the look, but even so she started forward in the direction Julian’s hands had taken. “Just stay here and I’ll go take a sneaky look. If I don’t come back, get the hell outta here.”
From around a conspicuously placed statue stepped Orini, hands clasped and bright smile on his face. "Ohho! More guests! Welcome, welcome! It has been quite some time since the castle has been this busy, yes it has. Now, I simply must know: who are you?" he questioned, sounding somewhat as though he stepped directly out of Alice In Wonderland.
As soon as he'd recovered from the shock of the sudden appearance Stephen narrowed his eyes, staring suspiciously at Orini, "How long have you just been standing there waiting?" He queried as he instinctively took a step closer peering around, "Hey you haven't seen our friends? Two girls running around in here?"
Logan glared at the new figure suspiciously and slipped toward the back of their little group. He didn't like unknown beings acting so happy to see them. The scent was also weird. It reeked of this dimension and was barely distinguishable from the rest of the castle. He figured keeping his mouth shut right now was the best thing for them all. Saying something offensive was the last thing they needed. He glanced at Jubilee and Marie-Ange to see if they were as suspicious and wary as he was.
Marie-Ange flashed a quick handsignal at Jubilee, and narrowed her eyes as she nodded once in response to Logan. Nothing that excitable was trustworthy. "Yes, by all means, lead us to your other guests. I am sure we will have a happy reunion. We will be glad to send you handwritten thank you cards." Amazing how someone could sound utterly sincere while tucking a knife into a sleeve and palming a handful of cards to hold at the ready. Unless you knew her well. And knew that Marie-Ange saying "Happy" "Glad" and "Handwritten thank you cards" was likely signal for "I have a bad feeling about this."
"Splendid, splendid!" Orini clapped his hands, smiling brightly. "Come, come, please, and welcome to my home. Your friends are this way," he said, walking towards the large double doors that dominated a far wall. "I'm certain they will be ever so happy to see you."
And with that, once again Orini led his guests away from the entrance and deeper into the mansion.
