Nightshift 26: Experimental Treatments Laboratory

[rappigs]

[from here]It was somehow strange to have an unlocked door this far in the building, but Peony guessed that if there had to be a key to get in as far as they did, there was going to be comparatively little security past that point

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[gald_digger]

"My, it looks good on you, Dr. Peony!" Anise laughed. At this point, the emperor looked absolutely ridiculous with all of his unusual accessories. But his attitude was encouraging, and helped to keep the fear and anxiety away. And that was important! No way were they going to give in to the grim mood of the night. Anise had to do her part to keep everyone in high spirits, too.

The talk of weapons got her thinking a little. Anise wasn't really into swords or syringes, or anything like that. She wanted Tokunaga, but unfortunately for her, there wasn't anything quite like Tokunaga anywhere in the world. She couldn't even hope for a substitute! It looked like she would be using the pipe for a while.

Cyrille was right--while a needle wasn't exactly big or durable, it was sharp enough to do some serious damage if it hit a vital spot. It was too bad Anise was a little too small to reach most vital spots on a larger opponent.

Looking around, she didn't find much else worth taking. It was a little disappointing, seeing as Anise was really looking forward to robbing her captors blind. Oh well! She could do that later, when they found better stuff. Time to move on! "Interesting is right!" she chimed in. "It feels like there could be some huge secrets just behind any one of these doors!" Or a vault, if they were really lucky. Both thoughts were beyond appealing.

[noblewhite]

"Well," Cyrille spoke. She placed her hand under her chin as she thought. "Stethoscopes... aren't those used to hear a person's heart better? I wonder if we could use it to check for noise through thin walls..." It was an interesting idea in theory, Cyrille never liked it when she had to go for checkups herself. She preferred all doctors to keep those things away from her, they were cold against a bare chest! Not that Peony would get a chance to live that experience, oh no.

"I... guess you can think of it as a precautionary action." Her voice sounded flat, but she really was trying to be positive, honest!" It might just be too much trouble in the end." She shrugged and let go of the idea now, so far so good. They hadn't encountered any trouble as of yet, but it was probably not a good idea to push their luck either way. They were, after all, just a pair of girls and an old man that seemed too happy to be up and about at this hour.

A yawn escaped Cyrille. It was getting rather late, and she knew that fatigue was the first step in making a fatal mistake when you're in dangerous lands. She shook her head quickly and tried to snap out of it. Perhaps this looting was a good idea, it would keep her mind busy and alert for the time being. She secretly began to admire Anise, she seemed to be perfectly fine for such a young girl. Cyrille wasn't that much older than her, but her stamina was something she began to feel jealous for. Maybe she was athletic, her slightly tanned skin hinted at it. Maybe she likes to swim. Swimming... now that'd be something nice to do, it's much nicer than being here, that's for sure.

Still holding the syringe, she sighed and continue to look around. Everything looked like utter junk, but it was probably best to find anything and everything that could be considered useful. Her efforts were in vain, perhaps the next room would find better 'treasures' for them to be satisfied with.

[damned_monsters]

Were they tired? They were certainly loud for tired things, loud enough to draw in the creature wandering the halls. A bulky feline's body on scorpion's legs, the only warning before it pounced was a sharp growl that belonged to no natural animal.

It landed in the middle of the group, the impossibly large head of a squirrel grotesquely twisted upside down, glaring at them all, open mouth revealing a row of jagged teeth. But that wasn't all, no, for along it's spine were two twisting mounds, where leeches had been attached. A patchwork of life, and all of it hungry, eager to feast on broken and bleeding flesh.

It shifted its weight back, and eyed its prey before rushing at Peony, teeth gnashing, ready to devour.

[Tad]

[rappigs]

Peony was about to comment on Cyrille's yawn, perhaps give her a nice pick-me-up hug, but then .. that growl. And Peony could have expected something like this - the closer they got to the good stuff, the more formidable foes they'd have to face.

He'd had no time to reply before he'd shifted the light of his shine-tube on to it. His body hadn't been trained for battle at all in the past few years, though - as if it'd been trained much in the first place! - and all Peony could do was shake his leg uselessly as the foul beast pierced the flesh of his calf.

Calling out in pain, a strained sound that no one ever expected to exit Peony's lips, he tried to lodge the hard end of the mop into one of the thing's eyes, but he kept - missing! Well, if he just struck the monster enough, maybe he'd hit paydirt...

"Anise!" he said urgently, the pain apparent in his voice. "The pipe!"

[gald_digger]

The attack came so quickly, Anise was only able to utter a gasp before the creature lunged at Peony. The pained cry that followed alarmed her. The emperor was hurt!

How could she have been so careless!? The colonel and Guy had trusted her to protect him, and here he was already injured! There was no time to dwell on that, however. She had to get that creepy thing away from His Majesty!

Tossing her flashlight aside, Anise gripped the metal pipe with both hands, raised it, and charged. That bastard was going to pay for interfering with a Guardian's duty... and most of all, for interrupting her time with the emperor! With an enraged cry, she swung the pipe at the beast with all the force she could muster.

[noblewhite]

Cyrille, on the other hand, let out a shrill scream as the beast entered the party. It was absolutely horrifying, truly a work of alchemy or a forbidden art. This was what was waiting for them? They surely had let their guard down and now it was time to pay the price. She had thought that with skillful maneuvering, the rather defenseless trio could make it out of their adventuring in one piece.

She was wrong, but she wasn't about to let her mistake cost the life of someone that had helped her. Though her legs quivered with fear, Cyrille knew she couldn't freeze up now. She had seen greater beasts in her life, but none so putrid as this one.

As Anise hit the grotesque beast, Cyrille felt like she had to do something. She wasn't about to let Peony suffer like this! Sure, he was a dirty man, but he was a dirty man that took the time to help her!

Syringe in hand, she needed something heftier for this beast. Something, something, something! Anything at this point, she thought. The only blunt object she could think of was the table that was near them. It would have to do, those teeth looked like they were causing serious damage to Peony.

With all her strength, Cyrille slammed the table they were inspecting onto the monster. If anything, it would hopefully deter attention from Peony. If they could get away, it would be a miracle at this point. These adventures were far more dangerous than anything she had imagined. What kind of institution is this!?

[damned_monsters]

The creature let out a howl as the impact of the pipe forced it to let go far too soon for it's liking. It's jaws were bloody, lips curled back to show it's jagged teeth as it regained it's balance, could such a thing be attributed to such a creature. It turned on Anise this time, ready to pounce, to tear into the one that had hurt it, when Cyrille pushed the table onto it. Another cry of pain came from the thing's unreal mouth as one of the leeches on it's back was smashed, putrid fluid exploding out onto it's back. Snarling, growling, it thrashed beneath the table, pinned for the moment, but not for long, far too eager to thrash all three of the fleshy things to stay trapped for long.

[rappigs]

Peony had to admit that he was impressed both with the skills of the Fon Master Guardian and the little dream - he probably wouldn't have thought to turn a table onto the thing and would have run if the monster hadn't decided to attach itself to his leg.

Ohhh. Battle maidens. The best kind.

The emperor was bleeding heavily, but he didn't even notice anymore. The jagged teeth had ripped through the Tyvek suit and painfully into his calf, but there were cute girls to protect. It was all Peony could do to grab the mop and, yelling, throw his weight into his attack as he aimed for the thing's mouth with the round end of the mop.

If all went right, he could lodge the mop end in the thing's mouth, right? Maybe even push the janitor tool back through its throat into its brainstem.

His battle cry? "Get the heck away from my cute girls, man!"

[gald_digger]

While smashing monsters in the head was something Anise did a lot of back home, she wasn't used to being so close to an opponent. Tokunaga always kept her high and dry in battle, so directly striking a foe with her own might, and actually feeling the force of the weapon crashing down against the creature's head was a new experience for the Fon Master Guardian. It wasn't a particularly pleasant experience, she decided.

There wasn't time to complain, however. As the creature reared its head to face her, it became apparent that Anise was its next target. Good! That meant Peony was safe.

But as it bared its pointed teeth, she realized that maybe good wasn't the word for it. Now she was the one in danger! Holding the pipe in front of herself defensively, Anise waited for its attack. When the beast opened its maw, she was certain it was about to try those teeth against her! But instead of lunging and snapping at her as she expected, the mouth let out a wail of pain.

Cyrille! While the monster was distracted by the emperor and Anise, she had struck it from behind! Using the table was pretty resourceful of her, and it even restricted the creature's movement! ...Not that Anise was impressed or anything.

Normally, when an enemy of hers was pinned like that, Anise would finish it off with a flashy fonic arte. But the colonel had warned her against relying on those artes, and the colonel was always right. So brute force was the only way to go? Fine by her!

But before she could move, the emperor made his counterattack! While having a handsome ruler fight bravely for her sake was the kind of thing Anise always dreamed about, this was really troublesome! If Peony Upala Malkuth IX didn't make it home in one piece, Anise was going to be in big trouble! Not to mention, well, the entire Malkuth Empire.

What could she do? If she interrupted the emperor's attack, it would just create an opportunity for the monster to counter. As quickly as she could, she edged closer to His Majesty, prepared to intercept the monster's next strike against him. There was a chance that Peony could get lucky and kill the beast, but she couldn't afford to risk him getting another nasty wound.

[noblewhite]

Cyrille was trying her damndest to keep her breathing under control, it wasn't the easiest of tasks for someone as inexperienced in up close battle as she was. She was always and would always be a distance fighter. Her specialty was throwing magic at enemies or the use of a crossbow, not something or anything like this! She stepped back from the monster in order to regain her balance and composure. It certainly was a hideous beast.

Anise, on the other hand, she was a different matter all together. Her resolve was fierce and strong. If she had time to think, Cyrille would be envious of her amazing composure and will to fight. Such a young girl was much more mature than she made people believe she was!

Cyrille's attention directed towards Peony, was he seriously trying to counter the enemy? What a Fool! He's hurt! The reaction time to fight a monster is weaker when you have to worry about your own bodily injuries! If they were to live through this, Cyrille was certainly going to chew out Peony for trying to act all macho during such a dangerous time.

At least, she thought with a bated breath, they knew this monster wasn't immortal or protected by a shield. Its movement seemed to falter a little, Anise must have hit critical points. Good. Just keep it up, they'll be fine if they don't make any more glaring mistakes.

With the syringe in hand, Cyrille focused on the monsters eyes. Whoever he was going to lunge for, they would have to be ready to counter, and fast.

[damned_monsters]

The emperor's strike hit home, making the creature gag and vomit a rancid mess onto the floor before them. Deep shades of black and brown, the patients could only wonder in horror what, or who, the more solid chunks might be. But this only made the thing more determined, its stomach forcefully emptied of its earlier meal. It whipped its head wildly even as it expelled the last of the spew, squirrel jaws splintering the mop handle with a sharp snap as the pure need to devour overrode all else, even it's own pain.

What followed was a worse sound, far worse than the mop breaking. The table trapping the creature slid, scraping loudly along the floor before falling back on the thing. It was their last chance to kill it or run before the thing freed itself, each passing second making it more eager to pounce.

[rappigs]

Watching the monster vomit was almost as sickening as the putrid smell, and Peony found himself automatically moving a few steps back. He'd never smelled anything so bad in his life, being surrounded by perfumes and splendor as he had been in all thirty-seven years of his life. Even his rappigs smelled beautiful all the time, being taken care of as well as they always had.

It was just ridiculous, how Peony could have a bleeding hunk bitten out of his leg and still manage fight back, but the consequences of his actions hit his own personal weakness harder than he'd even expected.

He dropped the broken mop and clapped a hand over his mouth, his stomach spasming. He'd throw up his own dinner soon, it looked like, from the way his mouth was watering and the way his knees were going weak.

"Little beauties," he said with more urgency than he'd said anything else tonight, his face green. "We should skedaddle." He'd really said it for more than one reason - the thing looked like it was almost free again, but that-

-that smell

He stumbled back behind one of the beds, one hand holding his hair back as he began to vomit on the floor with a sickening splatter. He'd never done something so shameful where others could see him, so he'd tried to hide himself.

But all he could think about at that time was how that dinner tasted sooooo much better going down than it had coming up.

[gald_digger]

Anise had seen a lot of abominable sights in her travels, but this took the cake. She knew it wasn't wise to take her eyes off an opponent, but she couldn't help but turn her head away in disgust, taking a step back to avoid the mess. Risking death for her duty was one thing, but getting in any sort of contact with that was just too much!

With the mop rendered useless, they were down to one real weapon. Well, "real" for adventurers on a budget, maybe. In any case, the situation wasn't looking good. His Majesty was in bad shape too, although Anise had the courtesy to keep her eyes averted.

The frenzied creature was almost free, and looked like it was about to lunge at any one of them in a matter of seconds. They had to act quickly. Fortunately, making safe retreats was a Fon Master Guardian's specialty!

How was Cyrille faring, anyway? For a civilian, she had proven herself pretty useful against the monster. Hopefully she was still doing well enough to be counted on to run. "Cyrille! Take Hi... Take Peony and get out of here!" Did Anise just nearly let her tongue slip? Her voice came out in a more uneven tone than she had intended, too. The sickening stench was making her slightly dizzy, and the creature's thrashing was making her considerably nervous, but she had to keep it together! At least for a little while longer.

"And hurry! I'll be right behind you!" Anise had had enough of this rotten place and that rotten monster and its rotten smell. But as the only one armed in the group, she couldn't allow herself to be the first dashing out the door. Hopefully the others wouldn't waste any time!

[noblewhite]

Cyrille's legs quivered immensely. It was as if all the bones inside of her had magically disintegrated, it left her feeling like she was going to topple over at any moment. This monster... it was much more horrifying and sickening half-dead then it was alive. The putrid smell made Cyrille choke on her own saliva, she placed her hand quickly over her mouth to prevent anything from leaving her mouth.

The last thing she possibly wanted to do at that moment was faint, but with such a noxious smell around, Cyrille's body was considering the option. Upon hearing Anise's voice, Cyrille concentrated to move. Step back, step back, step back - a little more to the right - grab Peony's arm and leave whence they came from. It should be easy, but in such a situation, the shock of seeing that horrific monster made Cyrille's responses slow and clumsy.

She felt weak and useless without her magic, this would have been much easier and less grotesque if they had just blasted or froze the creature. She swore to herself, this place was insane! They were going to die here! How much longer would they have to put up with these tortures?

They were slow at first, but the tears began to stream down Cyrille's face at a continuous rhythm. She wouldn't be aware of their presence until everyone was safely out of danger's way, it wasn't like the others would be paying attention to her face at a time like this - oh, right. Peony. Never the less, she quickly understood Anise's orders and put them into action. Grab Peony, run. Even if her mind was full of fear and incredibly hormonal adrenaline, she was still the navigator. She quickly recalled the steps they had taken to get here, and she would not lose a moments time to cry or choke. It could be an opportunity for another strike to happen.

[ To Here ]

[damned_monsters]

It's prey was getting away, and the creature couldn't accept that. With a final heave it managed to free itself from the table. Now there was only one left, the one who hurt it, the one it would want the most, had it a mind capable for revenge.

Hunger was enough though, more than enough to make it dangerous. The scorpion's legs clicked on the floor as it began to circle the girl, putrid stomach contents still dripping from it's lips. The creature snarled, then came at Anise, moving fast, intent on taking down this girl and devouring her.

[gald_digger]

Had the others gotten away? It looked like it. With them gone, the only real light source in the room was the flashlight Anise had left on the floor which, aimed at no particular object, allowed her to see little more than silhouettes in the darkness.

Clenching the pipe in her hands, Anise did her best to follow the movements of the creature as it circled her. With the others safe, she could finally make her escape! But Anise knew she would be dead the second she turned her back. How could she create an opportunity to run in a situation like this?

She didn't have time to think on this, as the monster's movement suddenly changed--it was coming at her! Unable to properly see the enemy, Anise panicked. Letting out a scream of terror and surprise, she swung the pipe at the approaching shadow. With her eyes squeezed shut in fearful anticipation of the pain she may be about to receive, she could only pray the weapon would make its mark.