forum The Night Is Rising // O/O // Closed

Started March 21, 2020 by @MarDeColores this is not it kids

tune

"For sure." Laurel pulled out the map and inspected it. "You know, I bet we're going to need a magnifying glass to find this thing." She squinted at the map, trying to find the thing they were supposed to get. "And I didn't think I would need one of those in the apocalypse." Laurel laughed to herself. It took her way too long, but she finally spotted something that might be the second part they were looking for. "Uh…" Laurel spun the map around, then spun it back. "That way." Laurel pointed a direction, checked the map, and pointed slightly to the left. "That way." She started in that direction, moving slowly as to not miss anything.

"Aw man, if only I brought my magnifying glass along for the jump in the water," Ana said, watching the area around them, feeling unusually tense. Maybe it was the fact that they had just escaped from a weird vacuum-lake, but somehow, she didn't think so. She was probably just being paranoid.
She followed Laurel, hoping that this was the correct direction to go, that they were reading the map right.

Laurel laughed at Ana's comment, eyes darting between the scenery around her and the map. It seemed as though they were going in the right direction… but she couldn't see anything that looked like what they were looking for. Granted, she didn't know what she was looking for, but it couldn't be that hard to find something out of the ordinary, should it?
"Do you see anything?" Laurel asked, eyebrows slowly drawing together. "Stupid Alina. She could have given us a drawing of the thing, at least."

"I don't see anything," Ana admitted. "Do you really expect this to be that easy? You know how difficult Alina likes to make these things. Maybe if you ask her, she'll tell you? She seems to like you more than me." There was no bitterness in this statement, it was simply fact. Neither Alina nor Endor seemed to like her, which was fine. They were both irritating and clearly had some sort of plan to use Laurel.

The brown-haired girl felt a sudden surge of protectiveness that surprised her. She had met Laurel only a little while ago, and yet she didn't want some strange super-powered hags to turn her into a pawn. It was a strange feeling, and Ana wasn't sure how she felt about it.

"No, I didn't. I had hoped, but there were no expectations that this would be at all an easy expedition." Laurel shook her head. "Maybe…" Laurel had to agree that Aline seemed to like her more. She didn't like that one bit. "Hey, Alina. Where the hell is this magical second part, huh?" Laurel would have yelled, but she didn't want to draw the attention of any of the monsters. This was really just a shot in the dark, so Laurel wasn't surprised when no one answered. She was surprised, however, when she actually saw something that looked like something they were looking for. There was something out-of-place sticking out of the side of a nearby bush. "Huh. You think it's over there?" Laurel pointed at the thing, giving it a careful once-over. Just in case it was a monster trying to trick them. Though she doubted they were that smart.

Analaya followed Laurel's gaze, saw what she was pointing at, and shook her head. "No. Too easy." If it were the second part of a magical boomerang staff, she would be incredibly surprised. "Unless Alina is trying to mock us, in which case, it definitely could be."

She moved slightly in front of Laurel, just in case it was something bad that could hurt her - wait, what? Ana made her way over to the thing, nerves on alert.

"I wouldn't put it past her," Laurel grumbled, following Ana over to the thing. On closer inspection, the thing ended up looking suspiciously like a hand. "That is not a good sign," Laurel muttered, her grip tightening on the staff.
"Ah, good, you've finally arrived!" Someone popped out of the bush, almost making Laurel scream. She managed not to, but it was close. "I was waiting here a while. You certainly took your sweet time." The blonde man glared at them as if this was a big inconvenience for him. "Anyway, if you're looking for the second part of that dastardly weapon, it's down there." He pointed at what looked like a hole in the ground– not something Laurel wanted to jump into. "Good luck getting it! I'd be surprised if you did." He cackled, muttered something about cats to himself, and disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Laurel blinked, then looked at Ana. "What the hell just happened?"

When the man had appeared, Ana's heart had went into her mouth, and the magic knives were immediately in her hands, pointed at him. He vanished just as suddenly, and she stared blankly at the spot, before flushing slightly and tucking them back away.

She glanced at Laurel and shrugged, trying to act like nothing had happened out of the ordinary. "I think the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland gained human form and tried to get us to follow his path," she said, saying the first thing that came to mind. "Either that, or we just met one of the Shadow Lord's minions, or Alina's bastard helpers."

"Wonderful. Just what we needed!" Laurel exclaimed, her voice dripping with fake enthusiasm. "Well, he didn't try to kill us, so I'm guessing he was one of Alina's people. And it makes even more sense when you think about how completely unhelpful he was." She laughed, then peered at the hole. "Ugh… I do not want to jump into… that." Laurel gestured at it in disgust. She didn't want to, but it seemed like the only way forward. "Well… for the good of the world, I guess." Laurel crouched down next to the hole, trying to figure out if she would have to just jump in, or if there was some sort of ladder. Luckily, it seemed like there were some vines or something that would let her get down without risking a broken leg. "Here goes nothing." She swung her legs into the hole, casting a glance at Ana before she started climbing down.

"This is a really, really bad idea," Ana mumbled as she followed the other girl. As soon as her head went below the ground, the hole suddenly sealed off. There was still a sort of weird light coming from… well, somewhere, but she didn't know the source. But she wasn't thinking about that, she was thinking about how there was no natural light. They might as well be trapped.

Although, with Alina, there was probably some sort of bizarre way out that would seem so obvious except for the fact that no rational human being would create something like that.

"Uh… did you do that?" Laurel asked, looking up from the floor towards where the exit used to be. The weird light was unnerving her, but it did illuminate the room. It was small, with a doorway opposite leading into another space. Laurel glanced around, grip tight on the staff. She wanted to make a snarky comment, but somehow she felt like breaking the silence now would be a really bad idea. Laurel crept towards the door and peeked into the next room. It was lit by the same strange light and much larger than the room they'd come down in. On the wall opposite the doorway was a pedestal, and on that pedestal was a crown. Laurel was about to walk into the room when she noticed a strange black shape on the floor between her and the crown. The black shape slowly stood, revealing a huge, shadowy tiger. Or some sort of huge cat. It hadn't noticed them yet, which was good. Laurel didn't want it to notice them.

"That wasn't me," Ana said grimly, watching the rungs she was using to climb down with, as if they would vanish the moment she put too much weight on them. She finished just after Laurel, hopping to the ground lightly, knives at the ready.

They walked for a little way, and when she saw what was in the room, she shook her head, glancing at the girl with her. This isn't worth it, she tried to communicate with her eyes. This was clearly a teaching moment, a time to get the crown and kill the shadow creature. However, the crown was most likely about as useful as the staff.

Laurel nodded, lips pressed together. She'd guessed as much, but she just had to make sure. She saw Ana's head shake, which she wholeheartedly agreed with. There was no way she wanted to fight the giant cat for a crown that probably didn't even do anything. Laurel started looking around for an alternate exit, but her gaze kept straying back to the crown. She didn't want it to, but it just kept happening. Something… something about it was calling her. Hmm, no, this was not it. She did not like this at all. Against her will, Laurel took one step into the room.

(Coolio, thanks lol)

Ana noticed the change in Laurel right away. Her eyes had changed, going slightly blank, and she could only seem to be able to focus on the crown. The other girl took a step into the room, and the brunette grabbed her by the collar and yanked her back into the hall.

The damage was done, though. The cat had picked up their scent, and it snarled. Ana hadn't known that cats could snarl like that, but apparently when one was the size of a lion and magical, it could snarl like that. It crouched in the corner and eyed the doorway with glimmering feline eyes.

"Well… this doesn't look good," she said sarcastically. "What do you think? Should we leave and try to find a way out, or fight this demon cat somehow?"

Laurel yelped when Ana yanked her back. She was very grateful for it, though, because she was pretty sure she would have just kept going until the cat ate her. Not a good thing.
"Oh, really, what made you think that?" Laurel laughed dryly. "I would love to not fight the demon cat, but our exit," she gestured to the place where the hole used to be, "has disappeared. I don't see anywhere else to escape from, either." She was really trying her best to keep her eyes on Ana, but they kept wandering back to the crown. Her feet were also attempting to take her towards the crown. Thankfully Ana's hold on her collar kept her from going anywhere. "I hate that I'm saying this, but I think we have to fight the demon cat." Laurel tore her eyes away from the crown for the thousandth time. "Maybe you could distract it while I grab the crown? It has to be more useful than that staff, right?"

"That crown seems even less useful than the staff," Ana said grimly, "since you seem so drawn to it. Do you think it could be one of the parts of the staff?" That would make the most sense, since the brunette didn't feel the pull that Laurel seemed to feel. Laurel was the one who was getting all the weapons and the approval of Alina and Endor, so it wouldn't surprise her.

She looked at the scene in front of them, giving a long sigh, before she nodded. "Alright. I'll distract the cat while you get the crown. But if anything happens, I'm going to try and blow out of this place."

"Yeah, I'm not enjoying it." Laurel sighed, giving up at not looking at the crown. "It could be. I would appreciate it if it was." Although she was hoping for it to be part of the staff, she was expecting it to be just as useless as the staff. It was probably also missing some vital piece. "Sounds like a plan." Laurel nodded. She was praying nothing bad would happen. But she believed Ana would be able to deal with the crazy monster cat if it attacked her.

"Alright." The brunette took a deep, steadying breath, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to do, straightening her shoulders. She could do this. It would be just like dealing with a dog… that was actually a cat, possibly magical, and enormous. But you know, basically the same. "Go!"

The word burst out of her mouth just as she stepped into the room. The cat was instantly on alert, snarling, fur bristling so that it seemed to be almost twice the size. Can't turn back now, Ana thought grimly, although there was a dark smile on her face. The cat was pacing in front of the pedestal with the crown on it. She needed to get it away. She flung the knife at the cat, the blade arcing through the air like a streak of silver.

The cat dodged it and leapt at Ana, roaring.

She ducked and rolled, coming to the side of the room, drawing the beast from the door and from the crown, so that Laurel could get it. She needed to distract it, so that her friend could stay safe.

"Here kitty kitty," Analaya cooed, backing. The cat hesitated, looking back at the crown, which gave her enough time to call her knife back and slice at it. She was aiming for the throat, but it had sensed the movement and turned, causing the blade to cut across its unprotected snout. It roared in pain and pounced at her, knocking her to the ground. She rolled away from its claws and tried to get to her feet… and failed. The cat's claws sliced across her thigh, drawing blood. She clenched her teeth and, as it stood above her to maul her, dove her two knives into its chest, feeling hot blood pour over her as it collapsed.

And there she lay, stuck.

Laurel waited as best she could for the cat to leave. Whatever force that was pulling her towards the crown didn't seem all that invested in her personal safety. She kept taking steps towards the crown, even when the cat was still near it. Laurel sucked in a breath as the cat lept at Ana, but quickly turned her attention to the crown. Ana would be able to protect her, she had to believe that. Her steps quickly took her to the crown. As she got closer, Laurel noticed an amber stone sitting in the center of the crown. Her hand reached for it on its own. It was strangely warm but gave her a very bad feeling. Laurel slipped the stone into her pocket and turned her attention to the crown. It was surprisingly light, but now Laurel had no idea what she was supposed to do with it. She didn't really feel like putting it on, but that seemed like the only way forward. Otherwise, what was the point of getting it? Carrying it around seemed like a terrible idea. Laurel sighed heavily and placed it on her head. At least it was light. She didn't have to think about the fact that she was wearing a crown on her head. As if she didn't have enough weird things going on. Laurel turned back towards Ana, a triumphant grin on her face. It disappeared the second she saw what had happened. "Ana!" Laurel exclaimed, sprinting over. "Ana, are you alright?" She was terrified Ana'd been seriously injured or even killed, but thankfully she was still alive. "Oh my God." Laurel let out a huge sigh, running a hand over her face. Now she had to get this dead cat off of Ana. It looked really heavy–and it was–but she managed to shift it enough so Ana would be able to climb out from under it. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Laurel asked in a slightly panicked voice, sinking down beside Ana.

Analaya groaned and pulled herself out from under the cat, panting and flopping down on the floor once she was free. "I hate cats," she decided. "Especially the big ones. If this Shadow King has a lot of cats like that, I'm screwed." She looked up at Laurel and smiled at the crown on her head. It looked like it belonged there. "You got it. Feel any different? Will Alina and Endor show up and tell you how it works now?"

When she pushed herself to a sitting position, she was reminded of the wound on her outer thigh, which smarted painfully. She grimaced and glanced down, noting the four gashes deep in the flesh. Those would scar. Wonderful. She shrugged and started tearing up strips of her pant leg to bind up the wound. This wound be great. It hurt, too, and wouldn't make things easy for walking around, but it wasn't like she had a choice.

At least it wasn't her driving leg.

"I need a shower and new clothes," she told Laurel, laughing slightly, motioning to her blood-stained clothes and messy, sweaty hair.

"Oh, yeah." Laurel reached up, fingers brushing over the crown. "Not really. I don't even notice it, which is both very nice and concerning. 'Cause, you know, it's supposed to be a powerful weapon." She glanced around at the mention of Alina and Endor, but there was no sign of either of them. Laurel grimaced at the sight of Ana's wound, wishing she could help her in some way. But she had no idea what to do, and besides, Ana seemed to know exactly what she was doing. It would be best to let her do her thing. "Ha, yeah. Any idea where to find those?" Laurel asked, laughing weakly. She stood, offering Ana a hand up. "I know I'm not as…" She trailed off, waving at the mess that was Ana's clothes, "bloody as you, but a shower sounds wonderful."

Ana laughed. While what Laurel said was moderately funny, the mixture of relief and adrenaline exploded through her, and she laughed, clear and bright. She shook her head, still smiling, trying to get herself under control, and took the other girl's hand, letting her pull her to her feet.

"Not a clue. Where do you think the exit is? We might be able to find one if we can get the other two to tell us. Don't they usually show up by now?" She looked around mock expectantly, trying not to put weight on her leg.

(Sorry for the lengthy wait! Things have been happening. :)
"Oh, right." Laurel glanced around, looking for somewhere to leave this death trap of a room and finding nothing. "They do… it's suspicious. Maybe I could summon them with these things since they're so obsessed with them." Laurel carefully tapped the staff against the ground, then opened her mouth and started yelling. "Hey, Alina, Endor, can you please show up? Or at least show the way out?" She paused, waiting to see if they would show up. "Come on, we're going to end up starving to death down here."
"Oh, no need to be dramatic!" Alina appeared right in front of her, making Laurel yelp and jump back. "The exit's right there." She pointed towards a very plain, very blank wall with a smile. "You got them! That's so nice." She turned her attention to Laurel's new head accessory.
"Alina, there's nothing there," Laurel sighed heavily, looking from the wall back to the queen. "Stop playing games with us. Ana's hurt. We need to get out of here."
"I'm telling you, the exit's right there. Use your imagination." Alina waved once again to the wall. "We'll meet up again once you activate the staff." With that, the queen disappeared again, leaving Laurel quite angry.
"Oh my God, she could not be more unhelpful!" Laurel shook the staff angrily at the space where Alina had been, then let out a breath and turned to Ana. "You stay there, I'll go look for the door."