Teams 1, 2, 3: From the Hook in the Egalgina

[_monsters_]

You find yourselves in a strange, impossible dome. Enormous, with red ribbed peeling walls and a harsh red light streaming down from a hole at the very top of the thing. Your voices echo, though your footsteps do not, and there is the loud and distracting sound of a heartbeat coming from what seems to be all sides of you. On the wall ahead of

Comments

[governmentninja]

And Leon enters the dome, looking around a bit. His first concern was locating Warren. He really didn't want to tell Liz that Warren may have gotten himself killed because he couldn't stop the boy from being stupid.

When he gets there, though, he surprised and somewhat relieved to see other team members milling around.

"Hn... looks like I'm a little late to the party."

[derek_bliss]

"Better late than never, man. Glad you could make it," Derek greets Leon with a slight smile.

Good. Two left. They were doing good.

[governmentninja]

"Yeah. Kate and Hellboy should be right behind me. Who else are we missing?" Leon scanned the room, trying to remember who was there at the start of all of this.

[derek_bliss]

"That's it."

Derek looks like hell, by the way--almost like he did at Raccon by the end of it, only, with added burns to his left sleeve and arm.

"Not-Liz's Henry and I been talking. Those ghosts might be back. He says last time there were swords that could deal with them. We might have to go find them."

Announcement

[unbroken]

He hates that he has to do this. That he can't just send them home, that he has to ask more of them...but it can't be helped. And he'd better get it done soon, while they've still got time. Hellboy's still missing, but he was with them the last time they did this- he'll at least know what's going on

Re: Announcement

[derek_bliss]

"We're here until it's over, Henry. We'll just have to do what we can," Derek looks at the others, "We should start looking for those knives before things start up. Once they're into the ritual, they're open, and if there's no one to watch their backs, they're screwed. And so are the rest of us."

Re: Announcement

[onlyroger]

Roger nods, looking unhappy. Hellboy and Kate... are they still alive? He hadn't had the chance to ask anyone on their team what had become of them.

"You know what's going on here better than the rest of us. We won't let you down."

Re: Announcement

[lina_inverse]

"What you said - when there's an expert in the field, follow the expert."

Into the Labyrinth

[domina_igne]

The very last thing Liz wanted to do in here was actually seek Walter out, because she has spent enough time with him to last her for several lifetimes, thank you.

But this is what they have to do, and as the ritual goes, fire comes first. She casts what she fervently hopes is not a last look at this band of buggered happy few and moves, telling her feet every step that yes, of course this is the direction they want to be going, toward the doors.

They swing open with a yawning shriek before she can touch them, which is definitely not a good sign.

Beyond the double-doors lies darkness, and multiple pathways before them. This is something of a labyrinth, of wet flesh underfoot, rusted grating and walls, and the omnipresent suffocating atmosphere.

Of course this is how it is. Maybe at this point brightly lit, linear hallways would have just caused her brain to implode. She looks at John and Warren and wants to tell them to be ready, but there is no ready, and there never was. Now there is not even the illusion.

"This is it."

Re: Into the Labyrinth

[red_rooms_child]

"Yes."

The sound of guns being cocked beside her.

"IT IS."

Re: Into the Labyrinth

[thefireofasaint]

Tapped out? John grimaces and unleashes an abrupt spray of fire, not unlike the result of wrenching the cap off a fire hydrant. It really hurts to do this, and not in a helpful way, but the satisfaction of burning Walter -- even if it does very little -- is what he's focusing on.

Re: Into the Labyrinth

[red_rooms_child]

Walter is knocked against a wall by the flames, his only shot fired going off in a wild direction. He pushes himself up and takes aim again, from farther away, firing rapidly at them.

Labyrinth, Group Battle

[_monsters_]

The group that passes through those double-doors is quite a bit more bloodied than the group that jumped through that hole in the island, what feels like years ago. But at least everyone's standing, and more or less alert. As badly off as they are now, it's likely to be about to get worse

Re: Labyrinth, Group Battle

[derek_bliss]

Derek busied himself stripping away the sleeves of his jacket. Burned and ruined as the one side was, it was pretty much useless and in the way. The other sleeve followed just to keep the amount of concentration needed to know what his clothing was doing in a fight on an equal footing from side to side

Re: Labyrinth, Group Battle

[htownshend]

He had rushed past Derek, following Eileen closely. And about a minute later, he rushes back through the gateway again. He stops and looks confused, angry, and tired. "Damn!" He rubs at his face. "I lost her again..."

Re: Labyrinth, Group Battle

[derek_bliss]

Derek pushed away from the wall, "She went down that hall, I think," Derek said quietly, "Roger went after her."

He's watching as the others start to go off, also keeping an eye on Henry as well.

"Want to go see if we can find them?"

Exit Ritual

[bprds_righthand]

With Walter dead, his world can no longer support itself. The walls of the maze begin to collapse and everything starts to tumble down. There's no telling how long they have before the place they're in simply ceases to exist.

"Is everybody here?" Hellboy looks around and does the quickest headcount he can. He goes over it again, paranoid about being wrong, but they really don't have time. He looks to Kate who still carries the book from the church.
"Here's hoping that escape plan works and wasn't just a clever poem."

----------------
Kate gives HB a worried glance, but it's the only way out that they have and she trusts him. She opens the giant book to the correct page. "But...the sacred object..." When Hellboy simply holds out his stone right fist and gives her a reassuring nod, she accepts it. In part it's because she trusts him, and in part it's because it's the only hope they have.
She keeps her focus on his raised hand and recites the ritual text:
"Bless my mouth that these words read

Re: Exit Ritual

[lobsters_claw]

Lobster Johnson comes running out of the Labyrinth, carrying the diminutive and unconscious form of Lina Inverse. He pulls up short as he sees the gate open in the floor, then looks around.

Seeing Walter lying dead, he says, "So. There it is. Justice." He tries for his usual tone, but it's worn down some by the weariness that this place can induce in even a spirit without a real physical form, shown in the ways that his presence is darker even than what it was before the Otherworld; darker, and bloodier.

Lobster looks at Hellboy and Kate. "It's done, then. We just need everyone to get here so we can leave."

Re: Exit Ritual

[lina_inverse]

Lina has seen better days.

Many better.

She's just going to stay mostly unconcious, carried as she is. She does, however, whisper at least one word under her breath.

"... rry..."

Re: Exit Ritual

[eileen303]

Eileen Galvin and Henry Townshend emerge from the dark. She wobbles with every step, saved from stumbling over herself and crashing to the floor by Henry's support. For anyone who'd seen her earlier in the battle, though, she's noticeably more clear-headed, if every bit as tired.

She looks alarmed seeing that Lina's out cold. "Oh... God, is s-she all right? Hey, listen, go on through, get, get her some help."

(( Just to clarify, in case: You guys don't need to wait for all the characters to exit to exit yours. Some muns may not actually be done until tomorrow! So please do go ahead and send your character out once you're done. Your character can go to the predesignated post-mission rendezvous + medical aid on 713, here, or if you've had your fill of RPing, they can turn up back at their home. ))