Nightshift 24: Recreational Field

[radiant-howl.livejournal.com]

[from here]

Something told Luke that he really shouldn't have followed Masaru. It was that little voice, the little voice that told you not to touch that button, or pull that lever, or use that Fonic Arte when Tear was trying to sing a Hymn and possibly interrupt and doom your party to a loss, but Luke was still uncertain of this place. He had but a few newfound friends to place his trust in, and Luke knew that he couldn't go alone.

That said, Masaru looked so confident in knowing where the Sun Room was that Luke didn't think he could possibly be wrong. So Luke followed, like a good sheep, to the door that Masaru was leading them too.

Opening it, Luke was expecting to see Larsa and That One Girl, awaiting them with news of what would happen next. Instead, he was greeted by darkness. His eyes eventually adjusted to the weak moonlight to show a field.

"Uh, Masaru? Are you sure this is the Sun Room...?" Luke asked, sounding very worried. Now that he thought about it, that shed in the corner seemed kind of... familiar...

... Because this was the same field that they were in just hours ago!

"MASARU! I THOUGHT YOU KNEW WHERE YOU WERE GOING!!!"

Comments

[burningdigisoul.livejournal.com]

Masaru had his head up and was looking generally arrogant the whole time there. Most people were intelligent enough to figure they wouldn't automatically end up somewhere by nothing but stupid luck, but not him. Nope! It had saved his ass so many times that when Luke opened the door, he was half-expecting to Larsa standing there himself.

Of course, there was nothing like the sight of your own failure to wipe the stupid smirk right off a person's face. Oh, crap. He'd been found out.

"Sh-SHUT UP! It's not like you know any better than I do, jerk!" The boy snapped. How the hell was he supposed to get around an unfamiliar place so easily, anyway? Tohma had always done the navgating for him since he was intelligent enough to realize just how dense Masaru could really be. "Anyway, since it's obviously not here, we just have to keep going."

Once again, he was walking. Aimlessly.

[radiant-howl.livejournal.com]

Oh no, Luke wasn't going to fall for this again. He ran in front of Masaru and stuck his arms out, indicating that the other redhead SHALL NOT PASS!!11 wasn't going to be giving the tactic of aimless wandering a second chance.

"Masaru, you have a map! Just look at it and get us going in the right direction!" Luke pointed to the object in question. How could they get lost when they had a map?!

Besides, Masaru had to be the one to do it. Luke couldn't read maps very well, which he painfully found out when he was trying to re-fine Belkend. A simple trip that cost the party hours.

[intoindra.livejournal.com]

The two boys were further off their course than, perhaps, they could possibly imagine. It was not just grass and nightfall which awaited them; the monsters of Landel's were awake now, and ravenous with hunger.

Far off in the distance of the Recreational Field, a brand new monster couldn't wait for the first arrivals. A massive figure stood crouched over the shattered body of a Gnome: a face mask was open, baring row upon row of razor-sharp teeth as it tore the tiny snack apart, the entire creature disappearing into that maw in a matter of seconds. Only a feeble squeak of agony escaped before those teeth finished the grisly task, the mask snapping shut as soon as the first course was concluded.

Then Indra slowly stood up to its full height, its eyeless face seeing its next meal, its earless head nevertheless trained on where those loud shouts and arguments were coming from. With a silent gait, the Demon of Thunder began striding towards the two boys. It was still ravenous. It still wished to feed.

[burningdigisoul.livejournal.com]

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?!" Was this guy seriously blocking his path? What, was he trying to get punched or something?!

Okay, maybe not. He sort of had a point there. But still...

"I know that!!" he practically snarled, opening the thing. "See, the Sun Room is right there! If it wasn't this way, then it must be back the other way!"

See, even Masaru had some logic. Maybe he'd get lucky and Luke would assume he'd misinterpreted which way was north or something like that.

[radiant-howl.livejournal.com]

"Well, if you knew the Sun Room was that way, why did you make us go this way?!" Luke argued, not appeased at all by Masaru's explanation. It was right, but... how in the hell could he mix up north and south?! They were only two completely opposite directions!

"Did you even look at it? Or are you making stuff up again?!"

Needless to say, Luke wasn't sure if he should trust Masaru's sense of direction. Even backtracking was starting to sound scary to him. And the whole time, Luke had no idea that a monster was slowly creeping up on them.

[intoindra.livejournal.com]

The monster advanced on them with heavy, yet quiet steps: the discs on its feet dug into the ground and provided balance, its weight carefully distributed so as to not make a sound. Its strides were long, filled with eager anticipation.

As it came near, the demon's blades slowly slid out of its palm and elbow; Vajra was drawn, dark and invisible in the night, and the edges shivered with anticipation. At this rate, the two boys would be easy prey...

[i-slay-giants.livejournal.com]

(From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/118925.html?thread=7977869#t7977869))

Jack stepped into the field and looked about. Without a flashlight, there wasn't much to see, but that didn't mean the injured Fable didn't take in his location. He could smell the grass and hear it beneath his feet; even if he was somehow confused about the place, it was at least outside, and outside meant a way out. Now, he just had to locate one of those vine-covered walls Haku had mentioned...

[repolarization.livejournal.com]

(from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/118925.html?view=8007309#t8007309))

Ginji stepped outside, surprised to actually find that he had made it outside.

"Wow!" he said, a little too loudly before covering his mouth. The looked around and then up, looking for monsters that might attack him. He shined his flashlight around and caught sight of a blond man that seemed to be hurt.

He went to him with a worried but cautious expression. "Are you okay?" he asked.

[intoindra.livejournal.com]

Prey.

Indra had received nothing since the failed hunting attempt of earlier. The meager pickings of outside weren't enough. There was never enough.

This time, however, the demon was going to try something different. From its position far back in the corner of the Field, its massive bulk hidden behind the equipment shed, it slowly raised a blue hand towards Jack Horner. Magic, of a quieter sort than before, gathered around its monstrous fingers before seeming to disappear.

And suddenly? Suddenly... Jack might begin to feel drowsy. Sleepy. His body was injured, wouldn't it be a good idea to rest? The night was made for sleep; why contradict the natural order and stay up? Just a few minutes of rest would do wonders...

...whether successful or not, Indra began silently gliding towards the two humans, the razor-sharp discs on his hand and feet slowly beginning to spin in anticipation. Soon it could rip, and tear, and devour...

[i-slay-giants.livejournal.com]

Jack turned to the light and the voice that suddenly appeared. "I've been better. Are you here to make my night a hell as well?"

Well, at least this one seemed like a friendlier sort than Recluse had been. He also had a flashlight, which was something Jack was sorely lacking. He walked towards the new guy and smirked, unaware of the monster that was watching him. "You don't seem to be the type to start fights with strangers, buddy," He stuck out a hand, hoping that the other would be quick for friendship. "What's your name?"

...why was he suddenly so tired? Oh, right...he had lost alot of blood, probably more than he realized...maybe he should sit down and rest for a few minutes...

[repolarization.livejournal.com]

"I'm Ginji," he said as he went closer to Jack. He didn't know what to say to the rest of what the man said so he didn't say anything, only smiled. He saw Jack sit down and got even more concerned, rushing closer to the stranger. He was also unaware they were being stalking, his concern overwhelming his sense of caution, at least for a while. He moved to help Jack up.

"Do you need me to get something? Don't pass out or anything. I don't know if I could drag you back inside without hurting you more." He felt a strange prickling on the back of his neck, the sensation of being watched and looked around. "Can you stand up?" he asked, looking back to the other blond, his voice had a bit more urgency to it.

[intoindra.livejournal.com]

Perhaps it was working. Perhaps it was not. In either case, the massive demon continued towards the two men, its great lance sliding into position, the three prongs now extending from its right arm's palm and elbow, the sharp edges pointing right at the drowsy human.

Its blank face made no sign as to whether it was pleased by this turn of events, nor did it betray its quiet gait with an incriminating sound. Jack need only wait for a little longer, give in to the strange lethargy for a minute more, and Indra's insatiable appetite might yet be appeased.

And there was even another to add to the feast. Surely, the demon would feed well this time!

[itneverwas.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/119309.html?view=8053005#t8053005)]

After navigating through the many hallways, Xemnas finally reached the door that led to the recreational field. The cold breeze brushed on his skin as he stepped outside. Closing the door, he immediately scanned his surroundings.

He took note of the other patients on the field, but chose to disregard them for now. They were no direct threat for the moment, after all.

With that, he headed for the courtyard.

[idolism]

_{[done attacking Claire over here]}

Despite now knowing that second floor hall didn't hold what he desired, Aidou considered going back up to that level. For now, though, he backtracked up the hall - away from the scene of the crime, so to speak - and kept going out the doors to the "recreation field."

Aidou was, more or less, once again interested in blood. The commingled scents didn't grab desperately at him now that he had a full stomach, but it caught his attention nonetheless.

What could be out on this ridiculously small field that was causing such trouble...

He stopped, just outside the door off to the right side of the field. Well, that was interesting. Recognizing only one, and a stranger to him at that, Aidou stayed where he was, no motivation whatsoever to move closer. The creature behind the maelstrom of lightning was foreign and butt-ugly; now that he was here, Aidou wanted to at least watch and see what such a fantastical creature like that could do.

[unseenlmages.livejournal.com]

D followed the boy--yes, he could see it was a boy, now--out onto the field that he'd been relaxing in earlier that day. Quite an interesting creature... He couldn't help but admire him from afar for just a few seconds.

The other thing out in the field, D couldn't place. Another one of those odd human/non-human things. What was this place that such things could exist?... It had been a long while since he' met something he couldn't name.

"What an amazing creature, wouldn't you say?" D remarked, approaching the boy. His demeanor was calm and elegant as always, that same polite smile fixed on his lips.

[idolism]

Aidou turned his head at the voice of another; he'd sensed a presence but had little care should company find him or not. Witnesses wasn't something he was concerned about, either. If there'd been eyes on him earlier, he never would have acted. That was just common sense. He'd long ago licked away any traces left on his lips.

He noticed the fair, effeminate face first, the violet eye color, or... Mismatched? He noticed the nails second, approaching 'talons' if he were being kind.

"It's certainly something. I'm not sure if I'd use 'amazing'."

[unseenlmages.livejournal.com]

"Oh? Then what word would someone like yourself use?"

It was a gentle prod, to see if the boy would react. It was always better to test the waters before jumping in. Something most normal humans didn't think of doing... 'Look before you leap' was a common saying, yes?

But a vampire this young...D couldn't say he'd come across one before. There was that tragic incident a year ago, and then Norma came to his shop, but those two had both been well into their years, even for their kind. After all, they were his grandfather's friends, if that said anything.

[idolism]

"Someone like myself?" Aidou reiterated. That word combination deserved more attention then any predictable greeting; it was just the way in which it had been spoken. "Macabre, really. Or maybe just outlandish."

The boy grappling with the creature fought like a berserker, but the blood flowing freely from his wounds was human, the thing smeared with it, and the blood of his other victim, that 'John Trick'. But his blood... smelled slightly different. That Aidou was suddenly having to mind what blood smelled human and what didn't was not something he was used to, not at all. It was either human, vampire, or animal, and the widening grey area wasn't supposed to be part of it.

Aidou watched the injured man sit down at the feet of the other, while the youngest of all three continued to push back, the amount of lightning built up between the two bodies more than enough to saturate the air with the sharp tang of ozone. He was certainly impressed the kid wasn't dead yet.

It was like watching extreme extreme sports.

"But you choose 'amazing'. Should that say something about you?"

[unseenlmages.livejournal.com]

"Not at all. 'Amazing' by its definition is something that inspires awe or wonder. I see nothing wrong with being in wonder of something as peculiar as that."

It was strange. But as there were still firm traces of humanity in each of the observed subjects, D wasn't about to rush out and step between the different sides to stop the fighting. Watching the fight and observing this boy were much more interesting. And he was in no hurry...

"Under those guidelines, such a word might be suitable for yourself as well." D's smile grew into a smirk, his fey eyes narrowing on the boy just a little.

[dancingdagger.livejournal.com]

[climbed down from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/128465.html?thread=8104913#t8104913)]

Climbing down the wall was just as perilous and nerve-wracking as climbing up the wall, Penelo thought. She had no idea what was waiting for them in the field, and she hoped with all her heart that they wouldn't find anything worse.

So why was she feeling a strange sense of dread?

Maybe because she could feel the ivy starting to feel not so firm anymore. In fact, Penelo was dangerously aware of how her weight was pulling at it and weakening the plant. Maybe it wasn't a good idea for her to climb down first, but someone had to do it and -

Her thoughts were interrupted as her feet hit the ground. The ivy held... for now. She wasn't sure if the next person would be so lucky.

"I'm down! It's all clear here!"

She could see the rapier and a flashlight in the dim light. Penelo had kept a deathgrip on her flashlight, not wanting to lose it in the chaos, but it looked like throwing it over the wall was a good idea.

[entrust-to-few.livejournal.com]

Once he was sure that everyone made it to the other side, Larsa pushed himself off the patch of grass in which he landed, idly wiping whatever blades clung stubbornly onto his hands and knees. Knowing their luck this evening, the child wouldn't put it past him to expect something else lurking nearby. It took him a moment to focus in the darkness, but there was no doubt something large was attacking what appeared to be more patients not so far away.

It pained him to feel so helpless to those in need, but…

…And that was when he remembered.

"...!"

If royalty hadn't bind him to his strict diction, now would've been the perfect time for Larsa to curse. Scrambling towards his fallen flashlight, he managed to scoop the instrument up and point it towards the direction of the building.

"I agree, we must make haste back inside." Larsa responded, already taking several steps forward. He could only hope that Luke and Masaru were knowledgeable enough to choose their battles wisely. Which they frankly weren't, but that wasn’t the point.

[devils-tactics.livejournal.com]

Kazuo shone his flashlight around briefly and noted the positions of other people, not really caring about them. The thing on the other side of the wall didn't seem to be moving, but Kazuo suppressed an urge to go peek through the hole and see what it was doing.

"Come on, I'm getting out of here," Kazuo said, and started off toward the nearest door at a brisk walk.

[judgemagister.livejournal.com]

Noah could hear the sounds that had caught Larsa's attention, and only a vague outline. It seemed that was all one could catch in the darkness. The night air was cool, and it was nice to be outside, even in the dark... but apparently the worse creatures were there, as well.

He squeezed the rapier's hilt, turning his back to his party. Making sure to keep watch on their backs, he kept close to Larsa - hearing his urgent words - in case whatever was in the dark decided to make way for the easier targets.

[dancingdagger.livejournal.com]

Squinting at where everyone was looking at, Penelo finally saw it. Not again... they had run from one monster and ran straight into another. This one was occupied, and Penelo wished that she could help, but she had to worry about the people she was with.

Kazuo had already started towards the door, so Penelo followed, quietly in the hopes of not drawing attention to the group.

[entrust-to-few.livejournal.com]

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/118925.html?thread=8468109#t8468109).]