In Search of the Source of the Creeping Darkness Main Story

"Anger and Madness are Brothers."

He ould feel it below him, dead, and a sick sort of appeasement filled him. Pulling his clawed hands free of the gore, he sat back in the quiet of the room, licking off the mess that now defiled his hands, occasionally spitting out pebbles and dirt that hand mingled with the likely-red substance.

For a while after his triumphant cries, there was relative silence. He could hear noisy children faintly through the doors, but he would ignore it, instead sitting there quietly, and scratching the floor with one of his chopsticks in an idle fashion.

His mind mulled over drifting thoughts as he hummed a little tune he had once heard... what was it called.... 'Here Come the Clowns'? It had been a while, was one of the first muggle songs he had listened to.

He paused in his tune, calmer now, but still on edge, then a random thought crossed his mind.

"I should make you a physical form... then maybe I'll look less crazy. Talking to seemingly yourself isn't very subtle."

A beat of silence, then the voice whispered an answer only he could hear.

"And how do you propose we do that?"

Good question. Selim mulled over it mutely for a bit, before thinking of something. "Maybe a hand puppet? Marionette would be hard to control on an everyday basis."

Another moment of stillness, "That could work. So you're going to learn ventriloquism? Make a hand puppet? Hard to buy any good ones these days."

Selim could really go for a spot of tea at that moment.

"Could work, would take some time." A hum of agreement from Aku. "Human hand puppets are creepy though, I'll make an animal one for you... maybe a rabbit."

"A rabbit?"

"You'll be less frightening if you're a little rabbit. People think rabbits are cute right?" Selim reasoned.

"Wasn't your first kill a rabbit?"

A stretch of quietness disrupted the flow of the conversation at the solemn memory. SLowly Selim spoke again. "Guess it'll just have more meaning to you and I."

For a while they remained motionless in agreement, then Selim stood. This place was booby-trapped, staying still was the best option, but he didn't have his bookbag, or his tome to read, nor did he have the light to read by. Being alone with his thoughts always had bad outcomes.

He had only intended to explore tonight, not hole up in a dark corner without anything to occupy himself with. Shifted he felt along the wall behind him, if there was a door there he'd attempt to open it if there wasn't he'd open the next nearest door.

Something was probably going to spring out at him, more rats, a flour bomb (Honestly unexpected, smelling flour did not mean that there was a flour bomb nearby though, maybe it was someone baking bread? Who knew)

Either way he'd try to pen one of the doors, fingers feeling along the edge of what he knew was there, looking for purchase.

Who made this place? Why put random doors anywhere? there was nearly any space between each one so either they all led to one large room, they all led to very narrow passages in the stone, or they led nowhere.

... Well, time to find out.

If there was ever a time to facepalm, it was now. Most of those present were acting like complete idiots and she was just about done with it. @Mathias Pride seemed to be getting a lot of hate for what he did but he was not wrong. His intentions might not be the purest - she did not trust that they were. However, his actions themselves were not wrong in the slightest. @Jack Burnett was hellbent on just ignoring her presence as though that would make her think he was not actually there.

Hjørdis stayed quiet, silently getting angry by the second as she scanned the room and those in it. This was ridiculous. This was bad. And most of them did not even care. They seemed to be more interested in finding trouble or creating it than to actually get out. She had a lot she wanted to say in response to these ridiculously moronic behaviours. However, Pride summarised a lot of it for her in his few lines as he pointed out the truth. They needed help.

What caught her attention the most was @Bridget Collins. Two unconscious children in the dark? Great, how badly could this go... All of the others in Room two seemed more interested in getting themselves hurt and going into further danger. She wanted to race after them and stop them from doing anything dumb. To immobilise them, drag them out of the dungeons and send them home the very next day. But there were more others. From the sounds of it, far too many others.

Whether or not she saw @Flash Holmwood or Burnett or Decipio (who had been pointed out specifically to her), she did not care anymore. If they wanted to sacrifice their lives, that was their choice. She could not be in two places at once and her priorities were those who were not in a position to help themselves. It was not a decision she wanted to make but one had to be made.

Nodding to the girl, she had made her decision.

"Pride, I won't tell you where to go. But the dungeons aren't safe, don't trust anything here. Remember, just stay in the light - and be bloody careful, okay? Get out of here as soon as you can," She warned him, not telling him that he had to go back to the common room or find further help. Those things were things he could do - things she would recommend he did. But if he chose to follow those she had deemed to be 'idiots', she somehow felt that the first year had a better chance of actually keeping them out of danger than they did alone. "If you need me, I'm going that way," She pointed in the direction of where she would be headed with Collins.

She hated the fact that she could not split herself into two. A clone - or fifty - seemed to be the only way for this to work. This was why time-turners were essential. But for now, she had to just trust Pride had enough sense to not get himself hurt. So far, he seemed to be one of the few who had any sense and that was worth trusting. At the very least, he had earned that. She would try to find them later. But first...

"Let's go, quickly," She instructed, placing her free hand on the girl's shoulder to indicate she was with her. Hjørdis gripped her lit up wand, quickly following her to try and assist in the situation. The unconscious students had no way of getting themselves out, they needed her far more than those who chose to ignore using their brain. How the bloody hell were they going to get everyone out of here? She had no idea but she had to prioritise those who needed help and Santario and Starlee needed far more help than the others did if the expression on Bridget's face told her anything.

ACTION: Maintaining Lumos Duo, following Bridget Collins to Room 3 to try and get Santario and Starlee out of the well

OOC: I'm really sorry for the delay in responding. Feel free to ignore this till the next mod post, Lear, I know it's super late >.< Feel free to also godmod if needed.

Room 2

@Mathias Pride continued to antagonize his peers. Slytherin was known as the 'mean' house but Mathias seemed to take the trope to heart. Mathias would likely have to contend with his dormates at a later time, when there were less witnesses. That day would not be today.



"We may have needed help, but Burnett is correct. Why lie Pride?"

Percival would be among Mathias' future ebemies it would appear. Hopefully whatever his reasons were, it was worthwhile.

"I'll see you later Pride."

A threat he would have to make good on later. There were more pressing matters to tend to besides crushing Pride.

Returning from room 3, unseen by the naked eye, the clomp of feet could be heard as Jack rushed the other direction, towards Room, well passageway 10.



Bridget would be passed by Jack but she would pay the near teen no heed. She did not have time for his shenanigans, she was on a mission to get help where jack was in the process of getting himself in a situation where he would need saving.

"Professor!" That would be Professor Jensen although it had been some time since she had last taught any class. Semantics aside, there was help here. She was likely the only one grateful.

"Professor Jensen, we need help. There's a well and Santario and Starlee, they fell down it. They're both unconscious... We can't get them up safely."

The abbreviated story. An odd scenario, but at least the girl had some steps above Lassie. Timmy was stuck in the well but she was able to say something and lend a hand, not just bark and howl about it. She just needed the right hands there quick.

Jack having run off, Piper was still in need of help. She was under attack and while Burnett had fled, Ileen would intercede. While Bridget demanded help, Ileen did also.

“Hey, we need some help here!”

Her intention was Percival, Evelynn, even Professor Jensen. Anyone, there were so many others but they seemed content to be either bystandards or were off to satisfy their personal ambitions or curiosities.

Wand out she would launch an attack with the intention of sending the rat back into the next life. “Flipendo!”

Ileen cast Flippendo.
Roll: 19
Attack 10
Evasion 7

"Flippendo!" a second voice echoed, Percival Rainwood. Yes, he had lended a wand to help.

Percival cast Flippendo.
Roll: 19
Attack 6
Evasion 5

They would both hit the mark, hitting the rat once, then twice. The rat wound bounce against the wall and then as it fell it would strike the wall a second time for good measure. Talk about team-work. The only rats left were the two in the room adjacent where poor Piper remained.

Refer to Room 4

Things were settled in the immediate room, Jensen would have to move forward. Either in pursuit of Burnett and Holmwood, in the care of Clark or to the rescue of Starlee and Santario. She chose the later - the most critical from what little she was able to gather in these first chaotic moments.

"Pride, I won't tell you where to go. But the dungeons aren't safe, don't trust anything here. Remember, just stay in the light - and be bloody careful, okay? Get out of here as soon as you can."

He would be fine, his peers were his greatest threat at the moment. The anomosity fostered by his choices, his statements be them lies or truth, none really seemed to care enough to understand. Perhaps he was a monster. Born bad.

"If you need me, I'm going that way." she pointed the passageway Bridget was leading her to.

Room 3

The drama did buy Flash time, time to escape Nora's immediate wrath but she knew where he slept. Jack would not remain at Jensen's side either, there was an adventure to be had and Flash was not going to explore it on the own. Jack would start to depart, he darted off in the direction of room 3. Not that room three was his intended destination nor did he seem to notice or care about the students gathered tightly about the well that gave off a faint light. He would quickly swish his cloak over his adolescent form like some old school vampire as he disappeared.

Could those in Room 3 see Jack disappear?
Henry L. -- deactivated account, not rolling.
Henry Knight 16 (+10) Noticed
Starlee (ko)
Santario (ko)
Cassandra 9 (+6) Noticed
Bridget 7 (+9) Noticed
Illowy 13 (+9) Notied
Jack B. 3 (+10)

Jack might be clever but he was not very stealthy either, those gathered in the room would see Jack run off. There was no door, the passageway was open to the next room. Of course Jack likely had the intelligence to dip behind the wall and move out of sight. Perhaps that would be enough to avoid their house mother's piercing gaze.

Could Nora see Jack B disappear?
Jack B. (+10) 5
Nora (disadvantage)(+20) 14, 11 Notices

Jack was seen disappearing with a singular dramatic woosh! He would then dash out of the room 3.



Henry and the girls did not have time to deal with whatever Jack was doing or psychologically contend with his abandonment. The girls were still trapped at the bottom of that dry, indoor well.

" the effort was still brilliant Red and you had ideas with how to get Starlee and Santario out from the well,"

There was still that faint scent of blood, a troublesome aroma he had to think about. Fainter here than it was in the previous room, he had still not found the source.

"Red, after we get Starlee and Santario I'm going to head deeper in, there was a smell blood which means someone else is either hurt or needs help to possibly."

“Okay. We just have to think of something first.” Henry L. replied. He would have to wrack his brain. Of course he did not need to try something new, he could try again where they had failed before also.

"Red if anything bad happens then get yourself out, I don't know what I would do if you got injured."

Henry would look down into the deep pit. A bit of light would give him a clear view of the dio injured and crumbled on the floor. The room that they were standing in was comparatively dark.

“Erm, right. I could, er, get help, if we can get them out.” Henry L. offered. They had resources, resources such as Miss Jensen who had just arrived and would discover them sooner or later. Preferably later for the most part but her help would be incredible at this moment.

"Once their both out, we could get them to the hospital wing for help since they will definitely need it from the fall they both took,"

“I dunno if all spells are above our experience. I have this bracelet we could use as rope, if anyone knows the enlargement charm. I could even see if I could unbraid some string so we can have several ropes.” A unqiue potential solution. He would start to pull apart his bracelet, it was something. it was better than nothing.

"We'll get them both out don't worry Cash."

An empty reassurance until they were both safe.

"I smelled blood earlier, I think someone may be injured somewhere here."

That being one of the safer possibilities, there were others as well. Blood was more than a sign of the injured they would eventually come to learn.

"Any ideas on how to get them out? Any spells that could help is above our years so magic is out which means we need a creative solution."

Knight's wand already drawn he had run low on ideas. All he could do is shed light on the matter literally. "Lumos Maxima!"

Henry K. casts Lumos Maxima.
Roll: 20 Critical Success

A small paper airplane would bounce off the side of the well and fall uselessly onto the ground from room 6b.

Refer to Room 6b

Jensen and Bridget would arrive, help was finally here!

Room 4

Piper Clark was no longer on fire but she was not safe from the rats. She did nothing to defend herself any longer despite the fact that help was there. The rat that had rushed off into Room 2 was dealt wkith swiftly by a pair of her peers.

The rats would lunge at Piper once again with hungry open maws.

2 rats would attack Piper.
Attack 14
Evasion 17
Attack 16
Evasion 4

One of the two rats would sink its teeth into the poor girl once more. She was barely standing at this point, she would soon share the floor with Starlee and Santario.

Room 5A

Selim was alone in the dark but he did not seem bothered. In fact, he seemed to prefer it that way. He was having a perfectly civil conversation with himself. He probably would have enjoyed a word in by someone he was not in control of, but there is something about madness giving one a sense of power, a sense of control by having none. The fault is in the cracks, the fissures, not ones heart when you can give it a diagnosis, a prognosis, a claim.

In truth he would eventually find himself to be terribly lonely. There was nobody here besides that which he could make -- a friend of felt and leather, found scrap and possibly sinew. A macabre creation that would reflect a number of facets of Selim's own will and psyche he was too cowardly to explain.

Selim would tarry onward, blindly search until he could grasp a door. The door would resist his tug but in the end it would comply as all inert things do to the conscious will of man. An inward tug, he would not see it as there was no glint of light to reveal it but he would feel iot as he pulled the door open. Something pulled, dragged, became taut and then ultimately BROKE. Like a trip wire.

Only he could hear something vault, or perhaps SPRING.

The power sent of cleaning chemicals would fill the air. Ammonia and Bleach, a potentially deadly combination. Yes, this was the creation of a toxic, invisible GAS in the room he had just opened. A single breath and his lungs would feel as if they took in fire. The urge to cough. The stinging pain that would travel from his lungs to his throat to his nares. Like being parched and the areas of chapped flesh were doused in alcohol. [-50]


Hallway 6B

From the shadows Kaewgen would watch. The Slytherins were in trouble, the fall might have done them harm initially but the rescue attempts had worstened their condition significantly. People he would have known in passing, perhaps not personally but they were there in uniform. They belonged as he did, in this school. They donned the same uniforms, took the same classes, ate meals at those same grand tables. A veritable feast supplied by the elves, free food even if he failed to stay. Neighbors in the classroom where he had to at least occassionally frequent to continue to progress academically, to learn the curriculum.

He had to help.

He would tear a page from his notebook, the sounds of a page being torn from the binding and the gentle sound of a quill scraping paper were the only sounds that he made.


It was not much of a message but it would offer them an alternative, perhaps some direction.

There's another way into the well. 3rd stone from the left, 2nd from the ground. hurry!

[insert drawn map bit here]

A small, feeble airplane would stagger into a landing from Hallway 6B into room 3. Kaegen would attempt to bury himself like a fish on a stone floor. Covered in dust, he was poorly hidden but nobody in their right mind would want to handle the filthy child either.

Hallway 10

Flash would find himself at a fork. He could go either left or right -- in one direction Alexander had rushed off and in the other Koko had wandered. There was this common trope that warned players that splitting the party was a bad plan. A lesson that did not translate to their choices now.

"It's an invisibility cloak," Flash explained to Evelynn. "If you wear it, there's a chance you won't be seen. I hope it works, at least." Well, mostly. It was a bit complicated, there were a number of creatures that did not need to SEE to know. There were a number of people clever enough as to reveal their presence.

"Varellion is going left, Miss Koko went right. Maybe we should both make sure neither of them is alone."

He could have stayed with the girl that was not running off on her own, alone into a known-to-be-dangerous setting. His survivability would have been much higher but holwood had a bit of Gryffindor in him afterall. "I'll follow Miss Koko, you check on Varellion?"

Koko's path would be obvious - follow the light. @Koko Riddle's wand illuminated the space relvealing a collection of bottles that made the trek through the space perilous. It was truly luck that she had gotten this far. Had her sister fared even better? There was no word from her sibling, but she felt that Saphhire would endeavor onward into the unknown. A dangerous belief, but one she not only held but sought to emulate. She would move onward into the darkness and the unknown.

Koko maintains Lumos
Roll:16 Success

That was the least of her worries, abstract fears of death and injury in a dreary pleace such as this were less of a threat than being punished. Punishment for a child was something that they were much more accustomed to -- detention, forced labor or learning, temporary isolation or being withheld from the things she loved such as Quidditch. The idle hope that her title of authority would garner her some protection, even in the absence of certainity she would continue into the darkness calling out her sister's name. "Sapphire..." hardly more than a whisper swallowed by the darkness. "I came here to help you, and I will help. So don't get yourself killed before I find you."

The only way to go was forward.

Koko enters Room 12

Room 11

Alexander had found a strange space.

"Curious, very curious." he commented as he started to look around the room. Of course, he was not alone. "Mother?" A single voice would echo.

"Mother!" A second voice would call out, muffled but nearby.

Alexander would wander around the room with a white knuckle grip on his wand. It was some sort of workshop - tables and benches, tools and furnaces. A strange location, isolated and dark but that was not the oddest thing he found about this setting. No, it was the pictures shown prominantly on the wall. A familiar face because he had seen it before. He had seen the face many times, only the faces there belonged to several youths.

"Mother loves us not," another voice claimed. "For we are all but skin and bone."

"Wood and clay." A scraping noise.

"Steel and sawdust." A skitter, something would dart across the room lit by Alexander's wand in the periphery as Evelynn entered the space. A rat? A roach?

"We laguish here!"

"Forsaken and forlorn..."

Alexander would run his fingers over the top of the workbench and note a thin layer of dust collected on his fingerpads. Work had been done in here but nothing recent.

Were the voices an illusion? A delusion? What sort of grip on reality could an amesiac have? "But HIM?"



"No, not yet."

"Brother."

"Sister?"

"Self!"

Clutching onto a handsaw plucked from the table, well worn but oddly enough a peachy-pink satin ribbon was tied to the handle. He would take the handtool with him and approach the kiln. With a poke with the end of the saw, he would hear a clang followed by a rattle and a series of rough noises from within.

"Yes, and we search for ourselves..."

Nothing would come from the furnace, not even the trio of voices but there was a scattered giggle that could be heard. That and a scamper from behind.

Upon closer inspection of the kiln he would see simply baubles within. Decapitated barbies, yes muggle barbie. Something Alexander even without a sister would have a vague notion of. These unburnt, just left resting there. Their painted blue eyes looking back at him. His hands might dig, rummage about becoming soot-covered in the process. Yes, there were legs and torsos, even those high heeled shoes babribe would somehow be able to be an astronaught or president while still maintaing the highest standard of fashion.

"Have I found us?"

"No."

His hands would be wiped off on his pants, a black smudge on his thighs. It would stink like burnt plastic. The only problem with all of this was, he was trying to do too much. Observe the room, search the furnace, take the photographs. Too much in a single round, which is when things go terribly wrong after the first.

"Now where? Now where!"

So when he went to take the pictures from the wall, at least try to snatch one or two, as he did so the cork board that hoised them in the air was tugged loose. The tinkerer in this dark, forbidden space was certainly not an engineer. How unfortunate. The board would fall down before he could grab any, landing face down on the ground, bashing into the teen before it clammored loudly on the ground. His forearm bashed during the descent, he would have to scavenge what he could after. [-100 damage]

He would look about the room, his greed getting the better of him. Nothing of note found, less himself?

He would just see some wooden pinnocio failure lunge at him and attach itself to his face. No charming attire. No tuff of hair or even bright eyes. Just a form, like the ones used to help artists draw human poses only it was not made of merely wood and wire, but also leather. A rubbery, incomplete countenance adhered to the 'face' of the doll.

"Tis I! Tis I!"

Bite and claw. [-300 damage] Alexander was under attack.

Room 12

Koko would find herself before a large, heavy door. It was the sort of door that would appear far too heavy for a little girl such as herself to open. Made of a grey-colored good that had a green moss growing on it less that handle and the space immediately surroundging. The large heavy brass doorknob was tarnished a similar green-ish hue. The iron hinges appeared well-worn and were likely origional with the door, making the passageway centuries old.

Koko Attempt to open the door.
Roll (Strength) 13 +3

It would take some effort for her to open the door. The swollen wood fit snuggly into the frame. A turn of a hesitant knob and a push alone would not be enough, rather a blow with a shyoulder or a hip. The door would open inward. The room had a stale scent, as if nobody had breathed the air in some time. There was also this faint aroma of decay.

Flash would arrive behind her, too late to stop the girl from opening the door. Too late to stop her from taking a step inside. Her Lumos casting a grand light both before her as well as in her wake.

Flash Observes
Roll: 2 Failure
Sixth Sense Success!

The room was unlit, no windows, no sources of light including an unlit torch or sconce. The only light cast would be that from the girl's wand. The room itself large and empty, less several discarded mason jars which were cracked and overturned. The rotted, metallic scent only Flash would specifically discern as blood due to its pungent presence that would quickly become overpowering. That being the least of their concerns, they would see something just past the penumbra of her wand's light. Something moved, something writhed, something thrived...

Does Koko see it?
Roll (Wisdom) 18 +6

Flash already observed it but he was not in the lead. It was not a man or a beast, it was the very darkness, shapless and without form but moving and tangible. An amorphous blob that seemed to have enough awareness to shift in the presence of light. A fearful and terrible legacy of cursed pain, often the darkness took the forms of vermin but not in this case. In this case it was shapeless and larger. The size of a beachball, by far the largest darkness anyone had seen.

One would think that the light would be enough. That light could repeal darkness but the greatest shadows require the greatest light. Jensen would have been aware,she could have warned her that the darkness here was different, that it was more dangerous, that light alone was not enough.

The darkness would wobble into the light, with a shudder and a twitch it would stretch and almost yawn. A pseudopod, indeed a false foot. A foot and claw, no hand... it would move towards the girl, into the light and it would not decay. It would not disappear. The light was not enough.

There was but one thing that should be suggested at this point -- RUN.

Darkness claws at Koko.
Attack: 16 + 10
Evasion: 7 +6

The darkness would stretch, having an almost gelatenous quality. curled phallanges of featureless darkness would lash out at Koko. She would try to back away, try to defend herself perhaps. Stand behind her wand, the brightest of light. The claws would slash and cut into her, leaving in their wake a trio of black marks across her forearm. Black marks with a deep sting, like salt or lemon in an open wound.

Koko's health has been reduced by 300. 1200/1500 health.

Room 1
@Percival Gray never posted. [Room 1]

Room 2
@Mathias Pride causing trouble [Room 2]
@Michael Miller never posted.[Room 2]
@Jack Burnett ran to room 3 where he put on his Invisibility Cloak where he was not stealthy at all and seen by those there. Then he ran back into Room 2 on his way to Room 10. [Room 10]
@Søren Silverwood never posted. [Room 2]
@Thora Larkson never posted. [Room 2]
@Bridget Collins attempting to lead Professor Jensen to Room 3. [535 health remaining] [Room 3]
@Opeila Winters never posted [490 health remaining] [Room 2]
@Violet Carrington never posted. [Room 2]
@Hjørdis Jensen Lumos Duo maintained. Follows Bridget into room 3. [Room 3]
@Percival Rainwood cats Flippendo at a rat (hit!) and threatens Mathias subtly. [Room 2]
@Ileen Knight cats Flippendo at a rat (hit!). [Room 2]
@Astrea Soleil Neptune never posted. [Room 2]
@Dan Palmer never posted. [Room 4]
@Sarah Lightwood never posted. [Room 2]

Room 3
@Henry Llewellyn is a deleted account per his request so will not be actively moderating him after this post.[Room 3]
@Henry Knight would cast Lumos Maxima Critical Success. [Room 3]
@Bridget Collins attempting to lead Professor Jensen to Room 3. [535 health remaining] [Room 3]
@Starlee Kennedy trapped at the bottom of a well. Broken leg, shoulder and pelvis. Failed death saving throw x1. Unconscious. 0/400 health [Room 3]
@Santario Martin Unconscious at the bottom of a well. 0/600 health [Room 3]
@Cassandra Ironwoods never posted. [Room 3]
@Illowy Magnard never posted. [Room 3]
@Bridget Collins entered from room 2. [Room 3]
@Hjørdis Jensen entered from room 2. [Room 3]

Room 4
@Piper Clark never posted. Attacked by 2 rats, 1 missed and the second would bite her forearm. [-50] There are a total of 2 rats in the room with her, the other in Room 2 is dead. [135/600 Health remains] [Room 4]

Room 5A
@Selim Faust opened the door to the nest mystery room. A trap was springed, there is a toxic gas that he is now breathing in! [-50] 400/500 health remaining. [Room 5A]

Room 6B
@Kaegen Deathmote sent Room 3 a paper airplane and then poorly covered himself with dust and cobwebs. The dirtiest of boys. [Room 6b][/quote]

Room 10
@Evelynn Decipio never posted. [Room 10]
@Flash Holwood moved through Room 10 and moved to Room 12. [Room 12]
@Koko Riddle maintains Lumos successfully and moves to Room 12 [Room 12]

Room 11
@Alexander Varellion maintains Lumos. He searches the workship, noticing some dust onm the surfaces, barbies in the furnace, knocking over the bulletin board with the pictures of 'Henry Knight' and getting his face attacked by a doll. [-400] 300/700 health reamining. [Room 11]

Room 12
@Koko Riddle moved to Room 12. She has been attacked by the darkness in spite of having Lumos on. *Cursed* [-300] 1200/1500 health [Room 12]
@Flash Holmwood would see Koko get attacked by the darkness in spite of having a light in her hand. He is behind Koko, Koko took the brunt of the attack. He would be able to identify the scent in the room (blood). Room 12

"My death has not yet quite arrived, but it is near and inevitable, as the night follows the day." - George Washington

A mistake.

Many things in his life could be summed up as a mistake.

Selim didn't often consciously do foolish things. Unintentionally, yes, everyone makes unintentional mistakes in their lives, right? Selim had been making more of those these days, his lack of sleep drowning his logic as it struggled above the waves of instability in his mind. He forgot things often, it was getting worse, but he tried to stave it off, tried to remember, to think.

The thinking part was hard though when your mind lacked motivation and was ruled by fear.

This mistake though, it was a bad one, it could cost him his life, and it wasn't unintentional. He knew it was trapped, knew there were snars and nets, tripwire and trip hooks, he knew everything was rigged by some mind so similar yet so different to his own... but he had ignored that.

"An idle mind is the devil's playground."

His mind had been idle, so his curiosity was tempted by the darkness. Even if he hadn't done anything though, he would've slowly been pulled into a much darker mental space. He had been between a rock and a hard place.

Still, it had been a choice, and this choice had landed him in drop to his death.

He heard the tug of string or wire, the shifting of something inert being moved by physics that somehow still existed in the world of wizards. It had been too late though, momentum had begun, had carried his tired arms, the urge of something mindless to complete its movement.

Selim heard a snap, and in that brief instant his amber hues had widened with primal, instinctual terror, face taunt with a nightmarish blend of fear and anticipation. he jerked his hand away but it was far too late.

A clattering of once-full containers that had been keeping two dangerous liquids from ever meeting falling. A splash of unknown fluid, the door opened enough to allow the two concoctions to mix, unseen, unheard gas accompanying the faintly familiar stench of chemicals.

Selim remained frozen, his body knowing something was wrong before his brain could catch up and comprehend that. There was a moment of eery stillness, the only sound being the ringing in his ears and the thudding of his heart.

A slow dripping of something that wasn't water hitting the stone floor.

A chemical reaction unseen.

His lungs expanded, natural motor movements continuing despite the overwhelming feeling of something being off.

A stinging.

Inhale, exhale.

Burning

Inhale, exhale.

Fire.

Inhale, exhale- no, something was wrong-

Acid, pain-

A statement that echoed inside his empty skull.
.
.
.

"You fool."

Then, it began, a harsh rattling of his lungs as they tried to expel the poison from his system. Selim coughed, again, again, he couldn't breathe. The stench of chemicals raked his respiratory system with white-hot claws of suffering.

Selim collapsed to the ground as his whole body shuddered and heaved, the fit of coughing giving him no time to breathe, and when he did breathe, the pain just increased. There was something in the air, not caused by magic, just one component away from being a concoction even the muggles refused to use in the heat of battle.

A deaths sentence for someone so alone, so trapped, like he was.

The coughing was wet, the breaths rattling as if he were an old man on his deathbed. He couldn't breathe, and the gas was simply continuing to grow, to overtake the oxygen in the air. Tears streamed from his eyes as he felt like he was suffocating, drowning in a lake of liquid hellfire. If he could see, all he would see would be a blur of greys and browns, as if his contact lenses had been harshly removed.

He knew he couldn't remain on the ground, the gas was likely heavier than air, but his attempts to stand were halted by his coughing fits. His rolling nausea growing with every passing moment as his breath grew shallow in attempts to lower the exposure to the homemade toxin. His chest was burning, tight, it felt like it was being restricted, squeezed in a giant fist.

He had to get out, he had to survive.

It burned.

It burned.

He crawled toward the exit, as far away from the invisible cloud of death as he could. Hand reaching out, faltering as the hacking coughs shook his already-sickly frame once more. He placed it on the door.

It wasn't opening. He couldn't open it. Every motor function on his body was focused on the futile attempt to expel the poison from his lungs. He felt like they had been torn from the inside by merciless talons, lances of pain, electricity setting his nerve alight with useless warning bells.

He couldn't get out.

Somebody get him out before death finishes him off-

He stumbled as his chest heave again, rattling, shuddering. The air was stagnant, there was no breeze here, nothing to give him relief from the torture. His mind was alight with a convoluted mess of fear and misplaced memories of pain, as if his body was trying to pointlessly remind him that this was wrong. He had been sent into a panic-stricken rollercoaster whose destination was depths of his primal mind space.

Desperation.

His fist curled, nails biting the skin, and he slammed them against the door he had entered from, ignoring the shockwaves it sent up his arms.

Not enough, dig your way out, dig through the wood before it becomes your coffin's lid-

Hands opening into talon-like tension, he did just that, clawing against the door despite the pain it caused his nails. He kept clawing, balance swaying as if he had been struck in the jaw by Erin once more. Lack of oxygen driving him to the end of his rope.

He had been dipped into fire, everything screamed in physical torment. His blood pounded, body in overdrive to try and clear it of toxins, but this was much, much more than it could handle. The acid eating away at his lungs was far worse than smoke. It was a hungering beast that craved his flesh and feasted on his hysteria.

There was nothing in his mind other than a storm of terrorized panic and occupied only by the thought, the want, the need to get out

Because he could feel him. He could feel death, he had come back, he was on his doorstep, and he had no intentions of mercy any longer.

Survive

Interacting:@Cassandra Ironwoods
Mentioning: @Bridget Collins | @Hjørdis Jensen | @Jack Burnett
Languages: English | French | Italian | Arabic | Russian
Outfit

Action: Going to the hall between Room 3 and Room 6a/6b, Maintaining Lumos
Free Action: Panicking, Hoping the professor and third years can get Santario and Starlee out of the well, wondering if there is someone else injured in the dungeons

Looking around as he parted with Evelynn, there was not much to see in the dungeon hallways. That, or he was far too preoccupied with how filthy it was, or how his head of house was waiting to pass judgement on him just a few rooms away. All he really wanted to to make sure Miss Koko and Varellion didn't run off completely alone. He wouldn't be against people splitting up in more normal circumstances, but this place was clearly rigged with traps and infested with rats. It was likely Koko hadn't seen any of the other children getting hurt, since she had lept forward so quickly. Flash could envy her naivety, if not for what was behind the door she opened.

"Wait!" He started, before being struck by the stench of blood.

Covering his face and cringing instinctively, he felt disgusted chills down his body at the revolting smell. There were plenty of rotten smells abound, enough that one would think noting a distinct one would be near impossible. There was no mistaking it though, it poured out of the door like opening a fridge full of rotten food.

As omnious as that was, the reality of what was behind the door wouldn't strike him until he looked back up again after recoiling. Illuminated by Miss Koko's wand was a mostly featureless room, something moving inside of it. A shadow, a creature, yet it didn't recoil from the light. Then, he would panic.

It was like that night in the Slytherin common room. Like the night in the woods behind the stables. Terror. The fear of death tickled at his insides like a manic devil. Revulsion, nausea, it all hit him one after the other. He wasn't sure he could move, he knew his wand was at his side, but his mind was blank. Not that it was still. It was cranking out thoughts at an alarming rate, only they were all useless. I don't want to die. I shouldn't have come here. I'm such an idiot! It would be of no use to him, let alone Koko, who was actually being attacked.

It was ironically good that someone else was there, or Flash might have frozen completely, letting himself become a victim. Instead, something else clicked to life in him-- adrenaline.

"Get out of there!" Flash said, stating the obvious.

"Don't worry Miss Jensen, I plan to act responsibly," Mathias smiled like a child more innocent than he. She would part company, pulled away by a desperate snake. Surprise - surprise, things went wrong in the dungeons. There was a reason these passageways were unoccupied. In a school where the darkness can strike one down, the self-destructive Slytherins saw evidence of an intruder in a dark place and decided to defy every horror trope and investigate.

He would meander in a different direction -- Room 4, home. The obviously booby-trapped room with a screaming girl housed within. He saw a rat vacate the room that was swiftly quashed. He was not a fan of playing 'hero' but there were rules even he would abide by. "Girl!" He would call into the room. "Get out of the room!" Not that he expected her to listen. He would approach the room none-the-less. The simplest solution was to allow the girl to run out of the room and then slam the door behind her, trapping the diseased vermin behind the door.

That would likely be a non-option. So Plan B it was. He would thrust his hand into his pocket and draw a piece of jerky in his hand in a way similar to how his contemporaries would hold a wand. Draw the rodents away from the useless girl. With a sigh he would enter the room and wait to be attacked. If, when a rat lurched in his direction he would attempt to snatch the rat in mid-air and throw it down into the ground as hard as he could. He would not take a bite out of the questionable meat. Merlin knows where those have been.

Action: Enter Room 4, attempt to attract the rats with the jerky and try to break one with his bare hands.

Interacting with | @Piper Clark | @Percival Rainwood
Mentions | @Mathias Pride

Ileen squinted her eyes as she aimed at the rat. It was a tiny creature and dark dimmering light in the room made it hard to keep the quick moving target in focus. But somehow she managed to hit the rat with her spell. And she was not alone. A familiar voice shouted the same incantation just a few seconds later and Ileen’s eyes widened in surprise as she watched the rat flopp on the floor after it was hit by another flipendo.
Ileen normally had a soft heart regarding animals - so much more than towards humans. But in this case, the danger was still too close to make her feel guilty.
She quickly glanced over her shoulder to see who followed her cry for help and her heart skipped a beat as she noticed Percival. A warm smile curled her lips, hopefully showing how thankful and relieved she was that he was here to help. She didn’t even wonder about the fact that she felt that way. Her mind was too focused on the current situation and what she had to do next.

Because it was not over just yet. There seemed to be cries for help all around her, but Ileen knew Piper was not safe yet.
“There are more! We have to get her out of here!” She pointed at Piper and offered her a hand. “Get out of there. Come to us.”
She was not the only one who came for the rescue of the girl. A boy stormed by right into the room, also giving the same advice.
Ileen gripped her chestnut wand and aimed at another rat. Hesitant to use another spell that caused damage, she decided to go for a rather harmless but effective one. She just needed to hold them back long enough for them to get the injured girl out of the room. Maybe there were enough people here in this room to scare them off anyway. “Immobilus!”

Action: Casts Immobilus at rat
Ability: Sixth Sense, Prodigal Charms Learner
Stats: Sta:6 | Ev:8 | Str:3 | Wis:9 | Arc:6 | Acc:9
Location: Room 2

Interactions: @Hjørdis Jensen and @Henry Knight
Mentions: Starlee Kennedy, Santario Martin, Mathias Pride, and Jack Burnett

There was a pause before Professor Jensen gave her an answer. She had no doubt the Head of House would help them, so why the indecision? Oh. When Bridget had come into this chamber with a single goal in mind, she'd blocked out everything else, had tunnel vision to the very person she needed. Now it started to rush to her attention, colors and shapes and sounds sharpening from the background blur. A call for help from Ileen; a glance in that direction showed a girl being attacked by rats, a few others firing off spells to get them off of her. The room she was in was less populated than before. That meant people had gone further in. That could mean things were even worse than what she could see. It was overwhelming. She understood Professor Jensens's moment of indecision, because what were they supposed to do? It was too much; coming down here was a mistake.

What were they supposed to do when so much was going wrong? Professor Jensen answered that question with a nod to her: prioritize with what information they did have. Right. Santario and Starlee, from what she could see, were in the worst condition. Jensen gave instructions to the red-haired boy, Pride, warning that this was a dangerous place, to be wary, that it was crucial to stay in the light. The Head of House surely had a better idea of what was down here, all but confirming that she'd seen correctly, that the shadows really were wrong, which added a whole new layer of dread to this situation. But at least they had an adult now. For that, she gave Pride a nod of thanks. His decision to follow his gut and get a teacher had proven incredibly fortunate.

Jensen's hand on her shoulder was steadying. Yes, speed was still important. With a nod, she retraced her steps to the well, a rather short journey. She'd found help much faster than anticipated. In some ways, she felt better returning: this hadn't taken very long at all, they had an adult, Jensen's wand emitted the safety of light. All the same, her heart was in her throat as she neared the lip of the well. What if something had happened in the past few minutes? Please don't be worse, please don't be worse.

A quiet exhale, things looked about the same as she'd left them. Henry had also relit the space with a Lumos Maxima, warding off any shadow creatures. "They're down there." If it wasn't obvious already, she pointed at the well and to the two crumpled forms below. Henry reiterated much of what she'd already said, expressing similar relief. Though she'd grown out of the belief adults could fix everything, she did have hope their Head of House being there would help, would open up solutions they could only dream of.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" She had her fingers crossed Jensen could get them up; she didn't know a spell that would do what was needed, but the adult no doubt had something more appropriate for the situation than Wingardium Leviosa. Perhaps Bridget could light her wand since Jensen's Lumos Duo would go out once she cast something else? Or she could go find another Professor, extra help might be needed to get this situation under control. There were plenty of things she could think of--even just staying here to help get the girls to the Hospital Wing once they were out of the well--but she was going to wait for instruction. With Jensen's presence, she was less decisive; she didn't want the pressure of making the right call anymore. The stakes were too high, mistakes would be costly.

For the time being, she swept the area, just to be safe. Constant vigilance was necessary down here. Brown eyes landed on a paper airplane; had that been there before? Not as far as she remembered, though she'd been a little occupied with the well situation. She stooped down to pick it up, turning it over in her hands. The shape as a plane probably wasn't important, because it was almost certainly just the means of transporting a message. That's how it would work in school, anyhow, though notes were more commonly passed along by hand. Unfolding the paper, it seemed she was right. There were words here. Directions. A map. Another way into the well? "Was this here before?" she asked, holding up the note. Because if it wasn't, they were being watched.

By who? Who could have left this for them? Being around to see the paper airplane fly in would have been useful. Maybe Jack Burnett? He'd made a move this way before disappearing under what had to be an invisibility cloak for reasons unknown. Would he know this area well enough to give such directions, though? And why not just help them outright? Could it be from whoever was down here, because evidence seemed to suggest there was someone down here? Too many questions. She peered down into the well again to remind herself what was important. Santario and Starlee were still her priority, the biggest problem to solve right now. If Professor Jensen asked about it, Bridget would hand the message over.

The light in the area shifted. It was instinct, the glance towards the movement. She was met with the sight of a retreating figure. What was Henry doing? Where was he going? "Henry!" She took half a step after him. "Henry, wait!" Going off on your own was dangerous, plunging deeper into this place was dangerous, being here period was dangerous. Combined, whatever Henry was doing was a bad idea. And Bridget? She was caught in-between. She had no interest in following but wasn't particularly keen on just letting him wander off alone. Hopefully calling after him would be enough, but what if it wasn't? She looked back over her shoulder to Jensen. Too many moving parts, this was a mess.

Action: Keeping an eye out
Location: Room 3
Stats: STA: 7 | EVA: 9 | STR: 7 | WIS: 9 | ARC: 7 | ACC: 8
Abilities: Sixth Sense | Evasive Maneuvers | Prodigal DADA Learner

| Outfit |

Percival’s eyes lit up as a rush of light exited from his wand towards the now dazed rat. His heart soared as he watched the spell hit its mark. He could not help but find the situation invigorating. Ileen and him taking on a similar enemy and succeeding together. He felt invincible as he watched the rat bounce against the stone walls like a ball. A smirk full of hidden malice crossed his features as he watched the rat crumple to the ground unmoving. His gaze snapped up as he heard scurrying from deeper within the room. The sounds were far too close for comfort. Especially for the hurt girl. It seemed that there was more than one rat within this room. Though, thankfully Ileen was already on it as she shot out another spell on one of the creatures. Percival had an inkling suspicion that rats were the worst animal to ever be created. They were not even cute to look at.

The boy quickly grabbed Piper’s left arm using Ileen’s recent spell as a chance to grab the girl undisturbed. He gritted his teeth as he slowly dragged the girl over the threshold into the main area. It did not contribute much to the situation, but the chance to move the girl further away from the remaining rats seemed like a good idea. Besides, it was not like she could really protect herself in her current situation. So anything was better than nothing.

Percival stood up from his hunched-over position that he had been in while dragging the girl. Leaving her only a few feet from the threshold. Unsure of an actual good place to bring her. The boy stepped back a step or two, frowning, as he glanced towards Ileen. “That is good enough, right?” he asked hoping she would respond with an affirmative answer. Thumping graced his ears ever so faintly. Causing him to turn around in a fairly quick manner to look behind himself. It seemed that the sound was coming very faintly from across the room. Behind another door. That sound hadn't been there earlier. So what had changed? Curiosity burned at his mind as well as a feeling of apprehension. Though, he ignored it forcing his body to cooperate. Percival frowned before slowly moving a couple of steps away from Ileen. “Do you hear that?” he asked her before moving towards the door. He didn't really care that he was leaving behind Piper. It wasn't like she was in any immediate danger. Each step the thumping grew louder. As if someone were smacking a textbook against the table. The boy would walk into Room 4 unless stopped.

Open to Interactions

Location: Room 2
Action: Entering Room 4
Free Action (I think): Dragging Piper into the entryway of Room 2

Interacting with: @Ileen Knight, @Mathias Pride
Mentioning: @Evelynn Decipio, @Selim Faust, @Piper Clark

Reducio

|Sta 6 | Eva 6 | | Str 8 | Wis 5 | | Arc 8 | Acc 7 |

Inventory: ⋅ Metal Lighter ⋅ Scrap of Parchment / Fountain Pen

Foulplay ⋅ Lovely Creature