damned_institute | Night 49: Weapons Range

Entry tags:

edgar,
gren

Night 49: Weapons Range

[From here.]

Edgar had half-expected the same dizzying feeling he'd felt all night as he entered the room, but the sensation never came. No matter. There were other concerns on his mind: this room was as well-lit as the last. Were they meant to be connected? The last doors had taken them from one random room to another without any discernible explanation beyond being an enchantment set by Landel as another part of his game. It seemed the large, wooden doors they'd just passed through hadn't been enchanted in the same manner for one reason or another.

Well, oddities aside, he couldn't lie that he was pleased to have such a fine weapon in his possession. It would undoubtedly run out of fuel eventually, but he decided to forgo worrying about where he'd find more for the moment. To simply have such an instrument in his hands was a pleasure he'd not had since his arrival.

He glanced over his shoulder toward Gren, curious as to what he thought of their new predicament. "I've got to say that it's nice to see some rooms with decent lighting at night."

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The cats that roamed the grounds were commonplace, but this one, this one was different. Its much larger, long canines and patches of short, tanned fur marked it as very large mountain lion as opposed to an oversized housecat.

Though the place was lit, the big cat had no problem sitting squarely visible, so quiet and still, it was a statue that almost blended in with its surroundings except for the twitch of the tail when the room's occupants entered.

When it stood, its body stretched to almost nine feet in length. Aside from the rotting patches of fur, its eyes were so bloodshot the irises might as well have been red. It didn't concern itself with hiding in wait, instead standing there patiently as it tracked its prey.

Thankfully, when Gren stepped through the doorway this time, the laws of physics and logic seemed to be behaving themselves. There was no nasty lurch in the pit of his stomach, just a seamless transition from one room to another, doors working the way they were meant to work.

It was just as bright in this room, which he supposed was a blessing. No worrying about things lurking in the shadows. He opened his mouth to reply to Edgar when he caught a glimpse of something just past the blond man's shoulder. What was--

Right. Monsters. There were apparently monsters in this place. Well, that explained the terrifying jungle cat... thing that was staring at them like they might be fun to bat around the room until they were nothing but mangled corpses.

"I... really hope that thing has gas in it," he managed, wondering just how frightful the expression on his face was at the moment. It was probably a sight to see.

"Hm?" Edgar turned, his eyes landing on something he hadn't seen in his initial scan of the room: a giant, cat-like beast was now standing on the far side of the room, its body in a state of decay. He returned the beast's gaze, knowing better than to trust it to be tame.

"No time like the present to find out," he said, his hand finding the starter cord, his eyes still locked on the beast. Most times, he'd at least give the sneaky approach a try, favoring a quiet attempt to peacefully pass through the room over one that involved violence; however, given the circumstances and on-goings of the institution, he had no doubt this monster wasn't going to let them pass without some sort of resistance. Better safe than sorry, especially when in the company of someone who was ultimately unarmed.

He gave the cord a quick pull, then one more- the chainsaw roared to life in his hands, announcing his readiness to fight.

In response to the growling chainsaw, the lion let out a sound that should've been the natural roar of a big cat, but instead sounded like the piercing screams of a dying woman. A chilling echo remained even after the cat shut its jaws again.

It stalked closer, carefully circling. Its paws left smears of red on the floor, only it moved in a way that made it clear it wasn't injured, or at least that it didn't consider its flayed paws an injury.

One second it was still, and the next it shot off like a bullet. Other predators might've taken out the easier prey first, but this one had no such reservations. It aimed straight for the one with the chainsaw, darting left and launching at the man's side. It covered the distance in a flash with an easy leap, sharp claws ready to tear the flesh of whatever it caught hold of.

Gren couldn't help but cringe a little as the cat... thing... got closer. He was used to dealing with men with guns, not wild animals, and certainly not with ones that looked this gruesome. It was embarrassing to admit, but he was grateful when the thing focused its attention on Edgar and not him. A flashlight wasn't going to do a thing against something like that. It was making him regret not grabbing a weapon of his own in the other room, however. He was totally useless like this, and was going to simply have to hope that his roommate could handle that thing.

Since he couldn't help fight, he decided to stay out of the way. He could see another door down at the far end of the room and decided to make that his goal--gut instinct was telling him that moving back the way they had come wasn't going to get them anywhere. He started moving slowly along the wall, watching to make sure the giant cat's attention was on that chainsaw, and not him.

Perhaps words like 'beast' and 'monster' were too generous to aptly describe the abomination that shrieked before them- Edgar could already tell this was far worse than some simple prairie cat or undead mongrel. He kept on his guard: despite its manged appearance, the abomination prowled as though its ruined body was all it'd ever known.

Even though he'd prepared himself for the chance the cat would try an attack, Edgar hadn't expected its speed. He leapt sideways at the last second, swinging the chainsaw as he turned in case of a quick second attack. He felt sluggish at first, his body readjusting to the feel of combat. It had only been a few days since he'd been taken, and he already felt rusty. He took a deep breath in and out- it was coming back to him, but it was taking more time than he had. From the corner of his eye, he could see Gren making a move toward the guarded door- if he was going to make it, he'd need a diversion.

Well, Edgar was always ready for a challenge. The chainsaw rumbled in his hands, its roar echoing in the room as he launched an attack of his own. Weapon in front of him, he ran for the abomination and prepared to thrust the rotating blade into its body.

The lion was indeed sufficiently distracted by the chainsaw.

For now.

Its food didn't usually run at it, the opposite, really, but this would save it some trouble of chasing. It dodged the giant blade, but in its greediness to not just get away, but to get at the patient, the blade slid close enough to shave off a patch of fur.

The animal paid no mind. Instead, it hooked its claws into the nearest surface--a leg--with every intention of next biting down on the limb.

Gren continued his movement towards the door, but his attention stayed fixed on the cat and Edgar. It seemed like the animal was more concerned with getting at the blond than it was with preserving its own skin, which really wasn't a good scenario for anyone involved.

He was really sorry he hadn't grabbed that rifle now.

There wasn't much he could do. All he had now was the flashlight, and while he trusted his aim well enough to theoretically smack the creature in the face with it from a distance, it wasn't going to do more than annoy the thing, and it was the only means of defense he had, and using it up right off the bat would be foolish. For now, he was just going to have to hope that Edgar was good enough to keep himself from getting mauled.

Edgar hissed through gritted teeth, pain running through him as the abomination got the first hit; the issued attire offered no protection against the beast's claws, which cut through the fabric and his skin with little effort.

He filed away a mental note to complain about the cheap and impractical clothing later- for now, he had to be on his guard. Large tools like biohazardous blasters and chainsaws could be devastating, but if he wasn't careful, they could leave him vulnerable to attack; this had unfortunately been one of those cases. He cursed his own carelessness: it was only his leg this time- it could be far worse on the next swing.

He brought the chainsaw down in arc, aiming for the abomination's back, ready to spring to into a more defensive stance should it release its grip on his leg or decide Gren might be a better target.

The cat was too occupied in keeping a grip on its prey that it didn't let go until too late, and the blade sliced along its flank. Thick, black blood spilled from the wound. If either of them were to look closely, they might've spotted a maggot or three, writhing in the flesh, as though they had been living inside the creature all this time.

It might've been injured, but that didn't seem to deter it. Blood had been spilled. It was hungry.

But the hunger didn't make it stupid. The chainsaw had hurt it, and it didn't like that. When it sprang forward again-all 250 pounds of it--its teeth were clearly aimed at the man's arm or shoulder, If all else failed, it could at least knock him down on to the ground.

Gren cringed a little as the animal got the first hit in. It looked like it hurt, and he could only hope that it wouldn't hamper Edgar too much--there wasn't anywhere in the room to take cover. Gren could have undoubtedly tried to save himself by bolting for the door, but he wouldn't even consider abandoning the other man. Not when Edgar had taken the trouble to help him out this far.

Things looked a little better when the chainsaw managed to get a hit in--the wound was nasty, but unfortunately, it didn't seem to be slowing the cat down very much.

"Look out!" He shouted when it lunged again. Not that the warning was likely to do any good, but it was all he could do under the circumstances, short of making some sort of suicidal gesture and tossing himself in harm's way. And he'd already died once, so doing it again was not high on his list of priorities.

The chainsaw dug into the beast's side, forcing it to release his leg, but did little to hinder its overall threat- Edgar hardly had time to assess its condition before it leapt at him with full force, taking him by surprise. Its massive paws connected with his chest, knocking him to the ground. The handle of the chainsaw escaped him as he landed heavily, the tool landing out of reach as the the beast's teeth found his left shoulder.

For a moment, he was in complete agony, pain overriding all other senses. He brought his hands to the beast's throat, his feet trying to push its bulk off him; it was apparent he didn't have the strength for it, certainly not in the position he was in.

Its teeth sank deeper- he had to think fast. Unable to reach the chainsaw, he used his resourcefulness instead, quickly pulling the flashlight from his pocket and ramming the end of it as hard as he could into the beast's eye.

Letting out another of its chilling shriek, the animal retreated, taking a second to regain its balance. Blood trickled from its eye, vision damaged at least temporarily.

Its prey was down, though, so it wasted no more time than necessary. Its long claws scrabbled on the ground and left deep gouges as it leapt again. There weren't a lot of people who made it down into this area. Food was scarce.

In its rush to get back into the fray of things, though, it might've forgotten the other patient in the room--and the chainsaw on the ground that could easily be picked up.

If Gren were actually taking the time to think about the situation, he probably would have classified his actions as 'insane.' He'd never actually handled a chainsaw, after all, though he at least had a vague idea of how the machine worked.

Of course, he didn't think, he just acted. One moment he was watching as the beast sank its teeth into Edgar, and the next he was moving to scoop up the dropped weapon, even as the animal reeled back from the flashlight's blow. Thankfully, even after so long, instinct had taken over. There wasn't any fear, just the need to act as he scooped up the chainsaw and hesitated just long enough to adjust his grip and get it roaring back to life before he was lunging in between the cat and his injured roommate, swinging the blade towards its body.

As the beast retreated, Edgar immediately worked to get back on his feet, pain be damned. Knowing it would pin him again in a heartbeat if given the chance was enough incentive to ignore everything else. He left his bloodied flashlight on the ground and turned over quickly, landing on his hands and knees and spinning to retrieve his lost weapon.

No need- his eyes fell on the form of his roommate, who had retrieved the chainsaw and was already advancing on the abomination, wielding the weapon with determination. Edgar smiled darkly as he rose to his feet, putting a hand on his bleeding shoulder- he knew Gren had some fight in him, despite his earlier admission.

He retrieved his light quickly, just in case he needed to put out the beast's other eye. At least he was making good use out of it.

The lion heard the chainsaw close by, but it was already injured and beginning to tire out. It wasn't used to fighting this hard for something to eat.

It twisted around in time to catch the chainsaw right along its side, deep enough to spill thick black blood immediately. It snarled, and when it moved again, it was obviously slow and crippled.

And angry.

One of its hind legs was useless, but the others worked just fine. The cat lunged in for one last time, at the one with the chainsaw now, closing its teeth around the nearest bit of flesh it could find.

There were things less pleasant than having a giant zombie-cat sink its fangs into your upper arm, Gren was sure, but he was hard pressed to think of any at the moment.

Instead, he uttered a string of words not usually seen in his vocabulary and swung the chainsaw one handed into the animal's side again--not exactly a safe maneuver, but he'd take the risk of injury over certain death by giant cat.

This scenario had not been covered in boot camp. Thankfully, he didn't have time to think too much about any of that, just act, and hope that Edgar was getting himself out of reach of the thing. It would be a shame if he'd gone and gotten himself mauled for nothing.

Black blood splattered across the area as the chainsaw found it's way to the abomination a second time. Its blood was thick and vile- that couldn't be natural. In good news, it seemed to be seriously injured by that last blow, moving slower than before, but no less vicious.

Edgar started to circle around Gren, preparing to attack the beast with his flashlight if it came to it, but found himself stepping backward to avoid a wild, one-handed swing of the chainsaw as Gren retaliated against an attack. It was an unorthodox way to wield such a dangerous weapon, but as long as it got the job done (granted he didn't lose any limbs along the way), he couldn't complain.

He walked to the side, his teeth clenched as pain show through his leg with each step. He refused to let his guard down, but couldn't get close enough to land an attack of his own. All he could do was wait, ready to strike.

The chainsaw sliced through the mountain lion a final time, tearing through skin and flesh with a sickening splatter of blood and God knew what else.

Its hind legs collapsed first, and then the rest of it followed--but at least it'd let go of his arm. Blood continued to spill out of its injuries. It twitched once, but was otherwise obviously dead. That also meant that it wasn't going to be moving anywhere on its own anytime soon.

The full weight of its mangled, rotted body rested right on top of Gren and there it stayed.

Thank God that was over. Of course, now he was stuck under two-hundred plus pounds of very dead, very decayed cat. Ignoring the pain in his arm for the moment, he shoved and squirmed out from under it until he was free, albeit covered in quite a bit of gore. He didn't even want to think about how disgusting he probably looked at the moment.

He stared at the cat for one long moment, making sure the thing really was dead before turning to Edgar. "You okay?" Obviously, 'okay' was a bit subjective at this point, but hopefully he'd be able to keep moving. "I don't think I want to hang around here." He'd take the time to properly assess his injury once they were somewhere else. As paranoid as it might have seemed, he wasn't convinced the thing wouldn't come back to life.

A moment after the beast collapsed onto Gren, Edgar made his way to his roommate's side, pulling as much of the weight off him as possible. He dropped the beast once Gren was free, his wounded shoulder burning from the stress. He stepped backward, looking over the entire scene. Blood covered him: thick, dark splatters from when the chainsaw had torn into the monster's flesh mingled with his own as the deep bite continued to bleed. He cursed his lack of armor and foresight- despite his experience, he should have known to be more cautious in a fight. The weapon wasn't what determined the winner in a fight: with strategy, even someone ill-equipped could be the victor.

"I've been better," Edgar said grimly, straightening his posture. He looked at the chainsaw, giving it a disappointed look. Even if there was a chance of finding more fuel for it, he wasn't sure he could safely carry it with a wounded shoulder, especially if there was a chance they'd be attacked again. "I've got to say, for someone who said he didn't like fighting, you are dangerous if given the opportunity."

He walked a wide circle around the corpse, heading for the door. "I agree that we should get moving," he said, hearing pain in his own voice. "Surely this creature isn't all Landel has to throw at us. I'd prefer not to stick around and see what's next on the agenda."

As he neared the door, something caught his eye: a pedestal bearing a small, silver sword, a miniature as detailed as the full-sized weapons from the room before. Had it been there the whole time? It would have been easy to miss with what they'd just faced. Still, it seemed strangely out of place.

Pausing only a moment to listen for anything else prowling in the room, he took the curious object, turning it over in his hand. He raised an eyebrow as he showed it to Gren. "A reward? Something this brilliant would have been spotted earlier if it'd been here the whole time."

"Yeah, well. I couldn't just stand there and let you get eaten," he replied. He generally liked to avoid fights, but he had the training, and the instinct was all still there, even it had been a long time since he'd been in quite such a physical confrontation.

There was blood running down his left arm and dripping from his fingertips, but he did his best to ignore it while Edgar picked up the object on the pedestal. "That definitely wasn't there earlier." Hopefully it was a trophy, and not a sign that something worse was waiting for them. "Well, if we run into anything else nasty, at least you'll be able to stab it."

Not that he thought they were going to get very far in the state they were in. He knew he was better off than Edgar was, but his left arm was pretty much useless at this point. He was just lucky the cat hadn't bitten down any harder, or he'd be significantly worse off.

Edgar smirked at the idea of fighting any sort of beast with the small, ornamental sword. "At least I can put its eye out," he said, giving the door a try. His breath caught in his throat- his leg was in decent shape, but it seemed his shoulder was more wounded than he'd initially thought. The heat of battle had allowed him to ignore his injuries temporarily; with the adrenaline wearing thin, they were proving to be an annoyance already.

While trinkets were nice, he'd have been happy for a few potions as a reward. He sighed, wishing he had more knowledge of first aid and medicines. He knew how to weld metals together, but stitching human skin was an entirely different field.

He pressed into the door with his right shoulder, keeping his flashlight in hand. "Let's see if this leads to somewhere safer."

[Rolling]

[To here.]

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Night 49: Weapons Range

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