Entry Three, Day Three: Beastiary
This entry is written with pain-staking care, clear and legible in an effort to be read easily. Each monster's entry has a sketch of the creature being written about; drawn with skill but no particular inspiration, with a definite emphasis on being as accurate as possible.
Children
I discovered a group of three 'Children' in the last Institute, before the Shift to our current location. Their eyes were a cloudy blue, with long black hair- both males and the female had such- and abnormally pale skin. Their blood was dark when it was cut, their tears tinged a soft grey. More importantly, they spoke and understood what I said; they complained of being locked in their room for so long, and begged me for aid. In this manner I was ensnared, having not yet understood how this place twists everything to its own end.
While their touch was soft, their grip was quite strong; though I am considered one of the strongest in my own world, only breaking their joints was enough to free me from their grip. Even then it was a difficult ordeal; their touch drained my strength even as I fought, and though I had a spear and a trustworthy ally, it took both of us almost everything we had to defeat them.
The lesson to be drawn is simple. The three Children acted in concert; when one was hurt, the other two joined in the cacophony of pleading and wails. Yet they never ceased their attack until they were finally defeated. While the sound of their screaming still rings in my ears, and the six flashlight batteries we won from them still feel like lead in my pocket, I am not ashamed of how it ended. I showed but a moment's hesitation, and because of that nearly paid for my mistake with my life. It is imperative that those who go forth at night be prepared to face their convictions twisted in such a horrific manner, or travel with one who does not share such hesitation. To do otherwise is to invite disaster.
While I hear many rumors of various sorts of Nurses, I have encountered only one group. It was in a hallway just outside the patients' rooms, before the Shift: since that time I haven't seen any. They resemble humans only vaguely; their forms are twisted mockeries of what they were.
All four of them were dressed in tattered and filthy versions of what they wore during the day, all four of them with oily skin that oozed with every motion. Their blood was a sickly green, and I shudder to think of what it might have done if it mixed with my own. Unlike the Children, the Nurses seemed to communicate only on a primitive level, more like animals than people. However, unlike animals, their bodies were morphic; they could stretch or contract their limbs at will. Moreover they seemed to have merged their bodies with the tools they used during the day; while the reader might scoff at the description, they used paring blades and scissor-like hands to great effect, to say nothing of scalding liquids, heavy weights, sharpened wires, and any other number of utensils. It is imperative not to underestimate them; of the half-dozen of us who were in that battle, four ended up critically wounded and bore the injuries for days thereafter.
Again, it is imperative not to underestimate these monsters. While the rewards are significant, with keys being the primary prize of note, they do no good if the searcher is incapacitated or worse. Attack with numbers and without mercy, and only if there is a way to cure their damage and to attack them without relying on bare fists and feet. A bright side exists, however; they seemed to be quite flammable, a weakness that might be exploited.
Pyramid Head
I call this monster such a name because it is the only way I can think to describe it. It can barely be described as humanoid; while it has the rough body of a man, its musculature is beyond imagining in its scope. It seems to go about clad in a butcher's smock, stained with blood- from what, I can not say. But the most gripping part about the creature is its helmet; formed in the shape of a pyramid and out of solid metal, with no obvious means of sight. The creature is immensely strong; with the strength of its neck alone, it could withstand my weight and the full momentum of me attacking from the air. And while it has a lumbering gait most of the time, it is capable of rapid movements when they are most advantageous. It should be pointed out that its weight- great enough to leave clear imprints in the outside grounds where I fought it- seems to be no hindrance to it, not as its bulk would were it truly human.
Its strength and resilience are also far more than human. Despite having an ally, and the both of us being strong well above the human norm, nothing we attempted could faze it for more than a few moments at a time. The most powerful move in my repertoire, something that could normally incinerate a man and have enough strength left over to blast the stone wall behind him, barely stunned it enough to allow us to escape. Its grip was just as implacable; when it grabbed me, my best efforts couldn't free myself.
Worse of all, it seems to know memories that I'd considered known only to myself. Nor did it hesitate in making sure I knew this; it re-enacted the scene just as I remembered it, and didn't let go until I had done the 'correct' response. Even now I can recall the incident perfectly, and the implications... they are not pleasant.
I can offer no advice for how to defeat this creature; if it had wished, I would not have survived the encounter. And if my companion had not had beyond-human regenerative capabilities, he too would have perished. The only advice I can offer is to be prepared, and to run the moment that lives are endangered. 'Pride comes before a fall,' as it's commonly said.
Chimera
Though I have encountered only one of these creatures, I say with a reasonable amount of certainty that there must be others of the same sort. This one was a combination of a frog, a dog, and a human; notice the two heads, one canine and the other amphibian. Notice also the clawed front limbs; almost feline in their structure. Whatever process created this creature, it seemed to be imperfect; it was stitched together, and its ichor was sickly black and nauseating. I encountered it in the morgue on the second floor, it seeming to guard a cache of supplies.
Again, the Chimera must not be underestimated. The frog head used its tongue to great effect, managing to dislocate my arm when I pitted my strength against it. The claws are sharp as blades, cutting to the bone with a clean hit; as well, the legs are capable of great leaps, and its common tactic was to use its superior weight to pin me against the ground.
But the most dangerous part of the creature was the simple fact that it was intelligent. It knew that the rapier I used was the most dangerous threat, and so it dislocated my arm in an attempt to remove that weapon. It used the terrain to its advantage, and it also used its advantage in reach to hold me at bay until it could line up a leaping attack.
The key to defeating it may be, again, in teamwork and overwhelming power. However, I can not say that with any certainty; my only advice is to attack as strongly as possible, and to aim for what vital spots there may be on its twisted body. Do not let it cripple you, or the battle will end most unpleasantly.
Children
I discovered a group of three 'Children' in the last Institute, before the Shift to our current location. Their eyes were a cloudy blue, with long black hair- both males and the female had such- and abnormally pale skin. Their blood was dark when it was cut, their tears tinged a soft grey. More importantly, they spoke and understood what I said; they complained of being locked in their room for so long, and begged me for aid. In this manner I was ensnared, having not yet understood how this place twists everything to its own end.
While their touch was soft, their grip was quite strong; though I am considered one of the strongest in my own world, only breaking their joints was enough to free me from their grip. Even then it was a difficult ordeal; their touch drained my strength even as I fought, and though I had a spear and a trustworthy ally, it took both of us almost everything we had to defeat them.
The lesson to be drawn is simple. The three Children acted in concert; when one was hurt, the other two joined in the cacophony of pleading and wails. Yet they never ceased their attack until they were finally defeated. While the sound of their screaming still rings in my ears, and the six flashlight batteries we won from them still feel like lead in my pocket, I am not ashamed of how it ended. I showed but a moment's hesitation, and because of that nearly paid for my mistake with my life. It is imperative that those who go forth at night be prepared to face their convictions twisted in such a horrific manner, or travel with one who does not share such hesitation. To do otherwise is to invite disaster.
While I hear many rumors of various sorts of Nurses, I have encountered only one group. It was in a hallway just outside the patients' rooms, before the Shift: since that time I haven't seen any. They resemble humans only vaguely; their forms are twisted mockeries of what they were.
All four of them were dressed in tattered and filthy versions of what they wore during the day, all four of them with oily skin that oozed with every motion. Their blood was a sickly green, and I shudder to think of what it might have done if it mixed with my own. Unlike the Children, the Nurses seemed to communicate only on a primitive level, more like animals than people. However, unlike animals, their bodies were morphic; they could stretch or contract their limbs at will. Moreover they seemed to have merged their bodies with the tools they used during the day; while the reader might scoff at the description, they used paring blades and scissor-like hands to great effect, to say nothing of scalding liquids, heavy weights, sharpened wires, and any other number of utensils. It is imperative not to underestimate them; of the half-dozen of us who were in that battle, four ended up critically wounded and bore the injuries for days thereafter.
Again, it is imperative not to underestimate these monsters. While the rewards are significant, with keys being the primary prize of note, they do no good if the searcher is incapacitated or worse. Attack with numbers and without mercy, and only if there is a way to cure their damage and to attack them without relying on bare fists and feet. A bright side exists, however; they seemed to be quite flammable, a weakness that might be exploited.
Pyramid Head
I call this monster such a name because it is the only way I can think to describe it. It can barely be described as humanoid; while it has the rough body of a man, its musculature is beyond imagining in its scope. It seems to go about clad in a butcher's smock, stained with blood- from what, I can not say. But the most gripping part about the creature is its helmet; formed in the shape of a pyramid and out of solid metal, with no obvious means of sight. The creature is immensely strong; with the strength of its neck alone, it could withstand my weight and the full momentum of me attacking from the air. And while it has a lumbering gait most of the time, it is capable of rapid movements when they are most advantageous. It should be pointed out that its weight- great enough to leave clear imprints in the outside grounds where I fought it- seems to be no hindrance to it, not as its bulk would were it truly human.
Its strength and resilience are also far more than human. Despite having an ally, and the both of us being strong well above the human norm, nothing we attempted could faze it for more than a few moments at a time. The most powerful move in my repertoire, something that could normally incinerate a man and have enough strength left over to blast the stone wall behind him, barely stunned it enough to allow us to escape. Its grip was just as implacable; when it grabbed me, my best efforts couldn't free myself.
Worse of all, it seems to know memories that I'd considered known only to myself. Nor did it hesitate in making sure I knew this; it re-enacted the scene just as I remembered it, and didn't let go until I had done the 'correct' response. Even now I can recall the incident perfectly, and the implications... they are not pleasant.
I can offer no advice for how to defeat this creature; if it had wished, I would not have survived the encounter. And if my companion had not had beyond-human regenerative capabilities, he too would have perished. The only advice I can offer is to be prepared, and to run the moment that lives are endangered. 'Pride comes before a fall,' as it's commonly said.
Chimera
Though I have encountered only one of these creatures, I say with a reasonable amount of certainty that there must be others of the same sort. This one was a combination of a frog, a dog, and a human; notice the two heads, one canine and the other amphibian. Notice also the clawed front limbs; almost feline in their structure. Whatever process created this creature, it seemed to be imperfect; it was stitched together, and its ichor was sickly black and nauseating. I encountered it in the morgue on the second floor, it seeming to guard a cache of supplies.
Again, the Chimera must not be underestimated. The frog head used its tongue to great effect, managing to dislocate my arm when I pitted my strength against it. The claws are sharp as blades, cutting to the bone with a clean hit; as well, the legs are capable of great leaps, and its common tactic was to use its superior weight to pin me against the ground.
But the most dangerous part of the creature was the simple fact that it was intelligent. It knew that the rapier I used was the most dangerous threat, and so it dislocated my arm in an attempt to remove that weapon. It used the terrain to its advantage, and it also used its advantage in reach to hold me at bay until it could line up a leaping attack.
The key to defeating it may be, again, in teamwork and overwhelming power. However, I can not say that with any certainty; my only advice is to attack as strongly as possible, and to aim for what vital spots there may be on its twisted body. Do not let it cripple you, or the battle will end most unpleasantly.