damned_institute | NIGHTSHIFT 41: OUTSIDE THE INSTITUTE

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NIGHTSHIFT 41: OUTSIDE THE INSTITUTE - SOUTH

[from here]

The fog was waiting outside, cold and thick enough that even if it hadn’t been dark there wouldn’t be much to see. The ground was freezing beneath Walter’s bare feet. It was almost familiar, reminding him of the forest near Silent Hill. The air wasn’t the same though; it felt emptier.

He glanced behind himself when the door clicked shut to see if Michael was following. Whatever had brought Walter here did not seem very interested in keeping him. As he started down the path away from the institute, holding the metal rod in front of him, he wondered aloud:

“It seems so simple, doesn’t it. Are you coming?”

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Once you've spent a few nights inside uninsulated caves and freezing East-European wastelands, you can deal with the cold. Still, Michael couldn't help wishing he'd brought a jacket as he stepped out into the fog. And why did he always get roped into helping other people with their stupid missions? Fiona and Sam back home, and now Walter here. He really needed to work on being less of a nice guy.

"It is simple. Whoever runs this institute doesn't expect us to get very far in the wilderness, so they haven't invested in state-of-the-art security."

Michael clicked on his flashlight again, angling it down so as not to blind them with the reflection off the fog.

"Chances are they'll send a patrol out down the road as soon as they notice the door is open, which should be right about ... now. Get off the road now, and stay quiet. Stay within a few feet of my light."

Michael might get roped into helping people, but he did it on his terms. He stopped walking and waited for Walter to do as he said.

Walter caught up with Michael. He might have just walked down the road on his own, but his new roommate did have the light. But while he did have the light, Walter had a weapon, even if he didn’t intend to use it right now. He tried to peer back through the fog at the road and then back to the lightsource.

"Which way is the town?"

Get to town, get a map, get home. It really seemed that simple.

Michael sighed. He was far enough away from Walter that it couldn't be heard, and the other man DEFINITELY couldn't see the look of exasperation on his face.

"Right now I'm thinking the town is somewhere near the end of this large road. And I think I asked you to stay quiet."

So there were downsides to having a roommate that spoke. Walter's fingers curled a little more tightly around the closet rod as he stalked quietly on through the fog after Michael. As long as the man continued to help him return to the Holy Mother he didn't intend to do anything; there were more important things that couldn't be risked by an indulgence like that.

[from here]

Chise shivered as the chilly, cold air nipped at her skin. They managed to make it outside without any obstacles(except for the crowd in the entry room). It would've been pitch black outside if it weren't for the moonlight in the sky. There were two guys nearby and luckily, no monsters in sight.

"Okay, we made it outside and it doesn't look like there's any security defenses around," she addressed to the others. "We managed to complete our first objective."

Kagura would have sang on until the bitter end, but it was hard to sing and run at the same time. Granted, she tried but she ran out of breathe somewhere along the way.

They got outside, a cold, dark forest like what you see on those horror movies. If Gintoki were here he'd be really scared but he wasn't, and neither was Kagura. She was just a bit cold, and very disappointed about the lack of food and monsters.

"Captain, what are we doing outside? Are we going home?"

It might seem like an accomplishment to Chise, but Evangeline was well aware than people had ranged much farther afield than this... though exactly how far she had no idea. The girl had at least proven she had the composure to lead when danger threatened... but Evangeline wouldn't be satisfied that she had a place out here until she had seen her discard that quavering shell completely, and fight.

"And what's our second?" she sort-of-echoed Kagura's question. If they scouted outside the walls they might genuinely achieve something... but Evangeline didn't exactly want to head into the unknown with company she considered a liability.

"Unfortunately, I don't think we're strong enough to find a way back home," Chise replied, letting out her thoughts. "I had a small theory that if we went outside the building some of our powers would return. Right now I don't feel any change. What are your status?"

Giving the rest of them a minute to check themselves, Chise once again, attempted to connect to any electrical network. She was disappointed when she received the same results from two nights ago. Speaking of results, they should start on the second objective.

"Our second objective is to examine the institute's borders...and it's defense system if there's any." She quickly added. The building didn't appear to be heavily armed, so there shouldn't be any need for extreme defenses. Unless there's some top secret activity going on. "Anyway, if nothing comes up we can go back inside and then head for the kitchen. Is that okay with you?"

Boo. No new episodes of Ladies Four for Kagura then. Upon the mention of the word powers, without even thinking about what this implies for her team mates, Kagura lifted up her shirt to see if the wound was still there. Pretty faint, but yes it was.

"Captain, the sword wound I got from last last night still hasn't healed. And I don't think I could take on a bear, captain." She scratched her stomach before putting her shirt down.

Kagura nodded enthusiastically. "Especially if we go to the kitchen."

As if anything so convenient would happen. "A proper sealing effect won't just let you wander out under your own power," she began to lecture Chise. After fifteen years subject to one of the more powerful active enchantments in existence, she knew all kinds of things about this kind of effect, let alone basic theory like this.

"The real 'borders' aren't the walls or whatever, it's the area they can confine us to. The serious defenses are probably around the system that's maintaining their barriers."

The depressing truth was that Landel or whoever was really behind this game had been able to violate the original terms of Nagi's curse to bring her here... so the system here was probably as well or better put together than her old prison, and that she hadn't been able to break out of in fifteen years.

[and nothing is cooler than talking about blood-soaked environments O_O]

Chise gave Kagura's wound a quick glance and--wait, there were stray enemies with swords around? Well, at least she could take them out as long as she was out of range. However, the time when Kagura received the wound and it's faintness didn't add up. It would've taken at least a few weeks for a would like that to heal. Did Kagura have super healing abilities?

When Evangeline started lecturing about the concept of power sealing, Chise listened intentively and nodded in understanding as if she was in history class. "Do you have any idea or guesses where the barrier system might be?" If they destroyed the system then everybody's power would return to them and they'll be able to escape from this place.

Suddenly without warning, a heavy blanket of fog covered the entire area. In a matter of seconds the ground turned into a dark shade of red that obviously looked like blood. She started to panick as everything dissolved into the fog. "W-what's going on? I can't see anything! Where are you guys? Are you alright?" Blindly reaching out into the fog Chise tried to grab onto her companions to see if they were okay, but the blood-soaked ground caused her to slip, leaving a loud thwump!

What the-

The separation made Kagura uneasy. It was surreal. She had never seen fog this thick before, and her surroundings stank of blood. She had to find Chise and Evangeline.

"MARCO!"

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NIGHTSHIFT 41: OUTSIDE THE INSTITUTE - SOUTH

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POSTING CUZ I WAS FAIL IN IDEAS/PLOTS & CLASSES

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