Return of the Hall of Horrors

[cardio_swindle]

[From the outside, when you open the door, the room looks like a warm, inviting tavern, smelling possibly of mulled cider, mom's apple pie, hearty stew... A cozy seat by a roaring fire with spirits just behind the counter for the taking, and that fresh pie cooling on a table.]

Comments

[healershand]

[He stares at his surroundings with a wary frown and starts out to the left. Allen is cautious despite the urge to fight like he used to. His body can't do it anymore.]

[cardio_swindle]

[The liquid gets gradually deeper as he goes. Something slimy coils around his ankle and retreats, and there's another, weaker scream, followed by a choking set of sobs that are abruptly cut off. Just a little closer, or maybe that's a trick of how the hall echoes.]

[He remains alone, for the moment.]

[healershand]

[He trudges through it, determined to find whoever was crying to administer help. In the silence he starts to draw on his sorcery in case resistance arrives.]

[cardio_swindle]

[The lights in this hall are dim and they flicker sporadically. Now and then Allen will pass a door. Most of them are shut, sealed, barred, chained, battered. Some are warped, or burned. During a few seconds of darkness something heavy crashes through a door just ahead, smacking into the opposite wall and the liquid with a splash and a pained grunt.]

[More splashes and the lights flicker on, to reveal Tyki trying to gain his feet and a creature that looks like something made of pure darkness oozing from the doorway.]

Don't let it get to the water! [Tyki croaks hoarsely, slipping in the dark water, either loosing his footing or something dragging him down.]

[healershand]

[Allen lets out a cry at Tyki's disappearance but sinks his hand into the water to grab a hold of him. He has to think before he can unleash his arcane powers,. Instead of lighting up the darkness (an idiot move in his opinion) he tries to attack whatever it is going after the Noah.]

[cardio_swindle]

Not me you idiot, in the doorway!

[Tyki shoves at Allen, pushing him away as he's tugged under again. There's a moment where the water froths and turns with strife and then Tyki's on his feet, grabbing Allen and hauling him back as the shadow creature slips from the door to the water fully.]

Shit.

[healershand]

[He curses but his hand slaps down on the floor and words pour forth from his lips, cold northern chill pouring down into the waters to freeze it solid. He seeks to bind and trap whatever it was Tyki was so worried about as he keeps one hand in a gesture exactly like his master's binding spells.]

What the hell is going on?!

[cardio_swindle]

[Well that's new. Allen gets a sideways look from Tyki--another magician or something? He's only seen that necromancer lad cast elemental spells. But now is not the time to ask, because the black, murky ice is beginning to crack.]

You've wandered into the lady's box of nightmares near as I can figure. Less questions lad, more running.

[Whatever it is beneath the ice Tyki doesn't want to tangle with it a second time, apparently.]

[healershand]

[By the time Tyki is suggesting less talk and more running, Allen is bitting his thumb and drawing a rune with his blood on the doorway. Rock rises up to seal the way back and he rams a knife into back by the water as he retreats. He reaches out to grab Tyki and haul him after him while hissing low to him.]

Lead the way, I'll keep stalling it from the rear.

[cardio_swindle]

I don't know where the hell I'm going.

[Tyki warns, yanking a random door open and pulling them both through. The magic binding the shadow begins to break apart, too quickly.]

[healershand]

[He moves quickly after Tyki and pauses in the room at the center.] Stop here a moment.

[He's quick to pull a bundle out of his clothes and flip it open to reveal a chain sickle with runes etched into the metal blade.]

Give me your hand, I need to prick your finger.

[He smears his own blood into one of the runes, breathing in to draw on energy. He hasn't used magic in battle in a while but binding and traps come as naturally as seeing.]

[cardio_swindle]

[Tyki only hesitates a moment, in another situation he'd question, but in the slightly brighter room it's apparent he's actually bloody. Whatever that shadow is it's powerful enough to harm him, enough to make him run instead of fight. Then again the monsters in these halls don't obey the laws of his powers, he can't necessarily fight them like he would humans.]

[So he gives Allen his hand, one eye towards the other door and their surroundings, letting Allen deal with covering their trail.]

Make it quick, would you?

[healershand]

[Allen is quick to cut a thin cut on Tyki's hand and run the blood over the other rune on the blade. He chants something that makes the weapon turn a gold color and cuts a pentagram in the ground. Chains erupt from the symbol and create a net before fading, yet he feels it.]

Let's go.

[cardio_swindle]

Don't have to tell me twice.

[Tyki's already moving, opening doors and leading them through a maze of rooms and corridors, each more ominous than the last. But it's not long before Allen can feel his magic shattering apart, breaking, failing, being consumed and the hunted feeling returns.]

[healershand]

[He curses while moving s swiftly as he can, noting how fast the spell broke. At this rate, he might have to use his more powerful abilities. Allen didn't want to do that on the off chance Tyki might find it in him to kill him while he was vulnerable. As they move he lays small traps here and there, one left on purpose to gauge if the thing was getting stronger on his spells.]

[cardio_swindle]

[The traps do seem to be breaking faster. And there's a few monsters in the occasional room now, enough to slow them further as Tyki deals with them. The shadow is getting closer and fast.]