Haunting House

[Saber Sloth]

It is messy. Blood, gore, sinew-meat. The winds sharpen to fine serrated points as the Monkey presses on, the Pursuer had to die, so she and Sera didn't.

The skin flays, and eventually Sonnie can see muscle, then bone, and then grey matter.

This monster is dead.

Now, will the continue to explore the second floor, and discover what had lead this house of horrors, or will the Lost attempt to leave, regroup and come back....?

Sera 5L 1B, Sonnie 2L

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie stood there, catching her breath and staring at the puddle of gore on the floor before her.

Damn, she felt alive! The thrill of battle was always exhilarating! Victory brought an lovely endorphin rush, too! Her Spring Mantle was practically vibrating! She didn't feel bad about killing this thing. It wasn't a person. Not really, and it was the only way to keep Sera safe. The Claviger had done her duty.

"Stay back!" she warned Sera, not wanting the Fairest to accidentally get cut by her tornado cloak. The Beast stepped back from the corpse and released the Contract. The spiraling air around her dissipated, the whistling sound going silent. The dust and debris that had been caught up in the winds fell to the floor.

"Sorry," she spoke again, "Air magic. Touching me would've been bad." Her voice changed a bit as she calmed down, losing that growling, feral edge, "Contract from Elementals, bit of a bitch for me to learn." She glanced back at the dead Pursuer. "Worth it!"

She plucked the three throwing knives out of the body, wiped them off on a clean spot on the corpse's clothes, then pocketed them. Sonnie proceeded to dig in her bag, and came up with her murmurleaves. Healing goblin fruit. They were in a dried state for storage, in a zip-lock baggie. She pulled one out and popped it in her mouth, her teeth crunching the leaf before swallowing it. Her remaining gash, on her arm, partially healed up, now looking more like a mild cut.

She held the remaining leaf out to Sera, "Eat."

Sonnie eats a murmurleaf, healing 1L. Armor of the Elements' Fury ended.

Hedgespun Staff and Pendant active.

Sonnie's DEFENSE is 6, 1 ARMOR against Bashing Damage (Kung Fu Merit).

Fang & Talon 2: Beast's Keen Senses active. Sonnie has +4 dice to all Wits-based perception rolls for the rest of the scene.

Health 8 (1L), Willpower 2/4, Glamour 2/12

Hedgespun Boots (+2 SPD), Hedgespun Staff (+2 DMG), Hedgespun Coin Pendant (+2 DEF), baggie of goblin fruit (1 murmurleaves), thermos of coupnettle tea, smartphone, 3 throwing knives (concealed), some Halloween candy.

[Seraphina]

There was a look of disgust as the blood and gore became more apparent.

She had no sense of loss at seeing the thing die, death was natural. Especially when the subject was actively trying to murder you with a machete.

Stopping abruptly in her tracks at the warming, she carefully watches Sonnie. The tornado whipping around her clearer now. And Sera was ok with not getting cut up again.

A shake of her head, “No need to be sorry. And I am ok with not getting hurt again.” A nod then, “I’ve been studying water myself. But let me say, that was freaking amazing! You, you were amazing!” she gushes through a wince of pain.

No argument from Sera as she accepted the leaf, “Thanks.” Popping the leaf in her mouth and leaning against a wall. “That, well, that took a lot. Are you ok? Sorry I couldn’t help more.”

Sapphires looking at the corpse.

Hedgespun Necklace(+1 singing), dagger, 1 bottles of water, bag of Reese’s Pieces, gauze and medical tape, compact with mirror, cell on silent
Health 4L / 3
WP 2
Glamour 7/10

[Saber Sloth]

The goblin fruits do their thing, sealing up wounds, and replenishing the blood they'd lost.

They still had a decision to make.

Sera 4L 1B, Sonnie 1L

And oops from me, Sonnie's going to need to roll for Clarity. 3 dice please, if you get at least 1 suxx you don't need to roll for derangement, but if you fail please include the derangement roll. You can post the results here, or in your charsheet if you want it to be private

[Sonnie Wu]

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-04-07 19:07:59	Sonnie Wu rolls 3 to Clarity check (10 Again)	5, 6, 8	1 success

It was a threat. It tried to kill her. It tried to kill Sera. Self-defense. She didn't hunt it down for sport. She was not HIM.

Sonnie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then her eyes turned towards the Fairest.

"I know we gotta find Rhodes, but let me check and see if this asshole dying has changed anything?"

She closed her eyes and tried to feel if that void of nothingness outside was still there. She had a hope (maybe a hunch?) that the Pursuer was the cause of their being trapped here. If he was dead, might they be free?

4 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-04-07 19:18:12	Sonnie Wu rolls 10 to Perception: Wits + Comp + Contract (10 Again)	5, 1, 4, 9, 6, 9, 1, 7, 10, 9, 3	4 successes

Hedgespun Staff and Pendant active.

Sonnie's DEFENSE is 6, 1 ARMOR against Bashing Damage (Kung Fu Merit).

Fang & Talon 2: Beast's Keen Senses active. Sonnie has +4 dice to all Wits-based perception rolls for the rest of the scene.

Health 8 (1L), Willpower 2/4, Glamour 2/12

Hedgespun Boots (+2 SPD), Hedgespun Staff (+2 DMG), Hedgespun Coin Pendant (+2 DEF), thermos of coupnettle tea, smartphone, 3 throwing knives (concealed), some Halloween candy.

[Seraphina]

She feels the Fruit work, some of her flesh mending itself. While she wasn’t as bad off as she was, she still wasn’t one hundred percent. She needed a bath and long rest.

At the mention of Rhodes, she looked eager, but then heard the rest of what Sonnie had to say.

Biting her lip and looking sad, defeated, worn out, she nods, “Maybe he was the key to unlocking wherever the house took him.” A bit of hope in her voice. And she would cling to that right now.
Hope.

No matter what, she had to hope he would come back. That whatever took him would release him. Her mind wouldn’t even begin to think of what if’s.

“I’ll try and see if the Path is clearer.” It had been all confusing earlier.

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-04-07 20:05:37	Seraphina rolls 7 to Pathfinder(Int+Wyrd) (10 Again)	10, 4, 5, 8, 9, 2, 4, 6	3 successes

Hedgespun Necklace(+1 singing), dagger, 1 bottles of water, bag of Reese’s Pieces, gauze and medical tape, compact with mirror, cell on silent
Health 4L / 3
WP 2
Glamour 6/10

[Saber Sloth]

The chest that had propped her up collapses under her. Disappearing into cloth and straw and other Fetch materials, like the women from before. And like the women from before, the mess of the head remains, but she's not focused on that her sense turn outward, beyond the pulpy mess of the severed head and to the room, and the windows and the nothing beyond. Concentrated like it had been downstairs, by the window. Like the House had been plucked and placed into a void.

Something was keeping them here, and it wasn't their finally fallen foe.

Sera, draws upon her Clause and focuses on what the it's telling her, like before it crashes over her, the same and different then the last time.

There were enemies in the House. There were not enemies in the House. The way out was on this floor.

[Sonnie Wu]

Fuck. So much for that hunch. Sonnie looked at Seraphina and shook her head.

"We're still in the nowhere place. I thought maybe this guy was the cause, but I guess... not?" Her statement trailed off into an unintentional question as she witnesses the body fall apart. "Another Fetch?!" She hissed in frustration. "How many more are there? I dunno how many fights to the death I can have in one day."

Sighing, she wondered what to do. "Okay, we gotta find Rhodes and the exit. That hasn't changed..." she said this more to herself than to Sera, thinking out loud. Otherwise, she waited to see what the Spring Queen's magic could tell her.

[Seraphina]

Eyes widen as the giant thumpy became like the poor girl downstairs.

A husk…nothing more then a Fetch. Least, that’s what they were calling them.

Looking around as she gathered information, she frowned once again.

“I got pretty much the same, that there are enemies in the house, there are not enemies in the house.” Why so confusing? “But, the way out is on this floor. So…bonus?” she didn’t know if either of them had it in them to keep going.

To Sonnie, “I don’t think either one of us have it in them to fight like that again. My resources are very low. Maybe another heal or two in me, then I’m out.” Well, except for her Entitlement, but Sonnie would have to be unconscious, and she would rather not have that.

“We do need to find Rhodes, but we also need an exit. I’m not sure either one of us can help him, wherever he is, in our state.” Well, the Beast looked like she was in better shape, but she didn’t want to chance it. She wanted to find her husband, more then anything, but they needed to be smart.

Hedgespun Necklace(+1 singing), dagger, 1 bottles of water, bag of Reese’s Pieces, gauze and medical tape, compact with mirror, cell on silent
Health 4L / 3
WP 2
Glamour 6/10

[Sonnie Wu]

"Question is," Sonnie said, trying to be logical, "If we exit now and go get help, will Rhodes be... okay by then?" She didn't want to say 'still alive' to Sera. "Worse, can we even get back in?"

The Beast took another deep breath, "I'm your Claviger. My priority is your safety. I want to take you out of here right now. Rhodes is... a secondary goal." She shook her head, "Sorry, I want to help him, but I know where my duty lies. Still, you're the Queen. The decision is yours."

Sonnie, overall, seemed okay. Only a minor cut on her arm. But she looked tired. Low on Glamour, and her mental focus was somewhat spent. Speaking of which, she removed a small thermos from her bag and proceeded to pour a dose of a bitter-smelling tea into the plastic cap-cup. She swirled it a moment before drinking it. She made a face, suggesting it tasted as bitter as it smelled. "Woo! That sure unclogs the sinuses!" The thermos, now empty, was put away.

"So," she continued as she went about slipping her throwing knives back into their hidden sheathes, "what are we doing?"

Sonnie drinks her coupnettle tea, regaining 1 spent Willpower point.

Hedgespun Staff and Pendant active.

Sonnie's DEFENSE is 6, 1 ARMOR against Bashing Damage (Kung Fu Merit).

Fang & Talon 2: Beast's Keen Senses active. Sonnie has +4 dice to all Wits-based perception rolls for the rest of the scene.

Health 8 (1L), Willpower 3/4, Glamour 2/12

Hedgespun Boots (+2 SPD), Hedgespun Staff (+2 DMG), Hedgespun Coin Pendant (+2 DEF), smartphone, 3 throwing knives (concealed), some Halloween candy.