XYZ Storyline Part 1 (Clean)

- Sling's First Encounter with the Monster when it tried to break into the House. He was Home Alone with Arrow, Titus' dog, when the attack occurred. Titus wasn't home, he was out finishing a delivery of firewood the two had chopped for Orange Busrt's stop. This includes the entire encounter and Titus' return to the home and Ti and Sling's conversation on the encounter.

Titus and Sling's Home, Marked with the Red X: http://tinypic.com/r/f9qd1x/8

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[17:06] <GMC> A gust of wind makes the door of Swivel's hut whine and shake as if it were being rammed by an invisible force. From inside, the stallion observes this with concern, and hears the roar of Winter coming from the snowy barrens of the North. Living so close (After all this is the North region) to a ridge is dangerous during this season, sometimes not only because of the weather...


[17:08]  * Sling_Swivel pauses from his cooking to check the locks and take a peek out the window, back towards town. Titus was out making the last delivery of Orange Burst's firewood order and hadn't returned yet, "Damn, that's nasty... hope he gets back alright," he mutters to himself.


[17:09] <GMC> Time and time again the wind blows against the seemingly frail house, menacing to take it away with stallion and all his scarce things with it. The noise becomes so unnaturally loud for a while that is hard to say what's going on. It's as if a hurricane were taking place just behind the door, a cold pandemonium waiting to unleash inside the comfy place. Then it goes down, suddenly, leaving a silence similar to the one in a graveyard, almost solemn and ominous.

[17:11] <GMC> *CRACK!* *THUMP* A noise interrupts, briefly, the peace brought by the end of the strange blizzard. The sound of branches snapping drags the attention of Swivel back to outside the house once more. Facing uncertainty, he's left to decide weather or not to leave safety...


[17:13] <Sling_Swivel> "What the fuck's goin' on?" he mumbles, straying way from his pot of stew on the stove to check over the home once more. He takes a moment to peek back out towards town when the wind suddenly... stops... "Er..." he looks around the living room for a moment, then jumps at the sound of something moving outside...

[17:16]  * Sling_Swivel stands very, very still, listening for a time. Ears shifting this way and that, trying to track the sound. Maybe all of that stuff Able had tried to scare him and Titus with the night before... was true.


[17:17] <GMC> Through the window that faces West, Swivel can spot a few mounds covered in white that precede the frozen shores of the river. Only a few trees are scattered here and there, and without their foliage they help the snowy landscape to look even more desolate than the usual. *SNAP* A burst of timber and sparks kills the silence again when the stallion gets up. From outside comes nothing, not even the wind can be heard, at least for now...


[17:19]  * Sling_Swivel swallows hard, "Fuuuuck," he mutters, before quickly darting across the room to fetch his only real weapon - a dagger - hung up in its cheap leather holster near the mantel.


[17:22] <GMC> The flames in the fireplace seems to go along with the mute ambiance now, not snapping again and even diminishing when Swivel begins to move. Then it reaches his ears; something drags on the snow... or is it being dragged? He can't tell for now, but it's happening close to the house, so close indeed that he can hear the heavy breathing of whatever is trying to scare him. A noise persistent, eerie, even cliche for such a moment, and it comes from the other side of the front door... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ofm6PARSVM


[17:25]  * Sling_Swivel dagger in hoof, he backs away from the door slowly... "Er... hello?" he asks, meekly.


[17:29] <GMC> The thing beyond the door doesn't reply vocally, it just makes a grunt or similar and continues breathing loudly, like through giant nostrils from which wind enters and leaves hurriedly. *TACK* *THUMP* Wind blows against the door again, or perhaps is the creature outside. All Swivel's knows is that it happens with the same strength as during the blizzard, only that more focused, and to the pony's bad luck, on his front door. The next blow is so strong that it looks like if he doesn't do something about it, it'll strike down the whole entrance soon


[17:33]  * Sling_Swivel looks at the door in terror, "H-hey! Th-this is a Private Domicile! I-I will not be..." he stops abruptly as the thing strikes the door with incredible and damaging force. He freezes for a moment, then takes the dagger in his teeth and darts across the small room, griping the couch with his forehooves and yanking it away from the wall, before shoving it with all his might up against the front door in an attempt to barricade it!


[17:37] <GMC> The quick thinking of Swivel saves his entrance door, helping it endure the terrible strikes it is taking from the mysterious force outside. The wooden house creaks and whines from all this action in a cacophony that terrifies the worried and lone defendant of the place.

[17:43] <GMC> The relentless attack persists, gaining strength at feeling Swivel's resistance. Then it happens again, it fades away in a sudden change of ambiance. Observing the now deadly quiet room, Swivel can see how a few things fell from their places due to the strikes. Outside there's no noise to hear or sight to behold beyond snowy fields and dead woods. Everything looks so still, so picturesque even, that is as if living the eye of a storm, where everything is as if stopped in time. Maybe is safe to go out now?


[17:49]  * Sling_Swivel remains braced against the couch, still holding it in place with all of his strength, the dagger held tightly between his gritted teeth, eyes squinched shut in terror and concentration... He remains still even after the last blow is struck, waiting... waiting.

[17:49]  * Sling_Swivel finally eases off of the end of the couch, opening his eyes again as the unearthly silence persists... His ears swivel, this way and that, listening... for anything. Eventually, he musters the courage to move around the couch and closer to the door, ears perked, uncertain if the thing is still outside or if it is just trying to fake him out.


[17:52] <GMC> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt7KeshGMpI Suspense grows at unnerving rate by every silent second Swivel spends with his ear pressed against the door. The wooden surface doesn't reverberate a thing: Outside is dead silent. The house creaks again, in the normal way a wooden hut does after having been struck so ferociously, but somehow, Swivel knows he's not alone. He feels it, pressing against his chest, oppressing his mind, the presence of something alien to him and maybe to this wacky world he's fallen into. The fireplace snaps a few more sparks. Surrounded by unfamiliar normalcy, Swivel is again left to his own in a mute existence.


[17:57] <Sling_Swivel> "WhoooAah! Leave me alone!" He shouts in fear, dagger clattering from his teeth. He jerks away from the door, shaking his head wildly, spewing a stream of high-pitched profanity, trying to force away the "presence."


[18:01] <GMC> A whistly breeze resounds, as in a reply, and stays for a good while before more natural background noises return gradually. Looks like having yelled at the presence did a good job, as Swivel feels a great weight abandoning his spirit. Slowly, snow falls down outside, broadening the layers of white that cover everything. Now more than ever, the house feels like a warm and comfy fortress against the dangers of Winter.


[18:05]  * Sling_Swivel feels the “presence” lift and gradually calms down, though he still remains more than a little on edge... He stands silently for a time in the middle of the room, panting, listening and looking slowly about as everything seems to return to normal... He quickly realizes that he is unarmed and darts across the room to recover his dagger.


[18:06] <GMC> It happens softly, noiselessly. The flames keeping the place hot and lightened doesn't make it for long on the new found peace. This quickly drags cold into the house, and for some reason the windows are covered now in a thin layer of frost, at least from the outside, in pretty and complex patterns.


[18:10]  * Sling_Swivel rearms himself and moves back into the center of the room as... the temperature begins to drop gradually, but steadily... the windows frosting up strangely... “Oh my God...” he mutters, in exasperation at the sight. It wasn't over.

[18:10]  * Sling_Swivel quickly grabs and dons his Moon-made cloak and rolls another log onto the fire, trying to intensify it's warmth.


[18:15] <GMC> Swivel notices how the fire has gone down almost completely, and shoving logs to it will do nothing more than suffocate it: He'll have to turn it on again. This becomes vital when cold creeps forward and into the house. Now Sling can see his breath in quick and small steam clouds. Without the fire, the room is suddenly darker. There's no Sun to help soften this, and is already pretty late. Swivel is soon shrouded by shadows, in a place that seems to shrink around him when wind, yet again, makes it whine and creak (At least this time softly). The peace lasts enough to let him hear a mutter before the heavy and ominous breathing from before returns to the exterior ambiance, weakly muffled by the wooden walls. "...--nely"


[18:21]  * Sling_Swivel watches the fire's light dwindle "Shert..." he hisses, through the dagger's grip, as the log rolls into cooling coals. He tries blowing on the coals for a moment, trying to get the fire to start back up... but abruptly stops as the breathing from before returns..

[18:21] <Sling_Swivel> “Gert Lerst!” he snaps and leaps to the couch again, to brace it against the door should the thing try to batter its way in again.


[18:22] <Titus> Arrow walks into the living room, confused as to why Sling is swinging a dagger around and why everything is cold.


[18:25] <GMC> Something drags around the house again, in circles around it. In fact, this time Sling can see the blurred silhouette of the creature, strangely amorphous, through the frozen windows whenever it happens to creep near them. The breathing persists, and the dog that was awaken by it and the other weird events feels menace coming from everywhere. There is no ramming against the door, only the presence still lurking around, waiting, or maybe searching for another entrance... [You may both roll perception (Aural) now]


[18:28]  * Sling_Swivel 's eyes widen at the sight of Best Dog, "Erroo!" he says, still braced against the couch. He quickly takes the dagger from his mouth, "Something's outside! Trying to get in!" he explains, before going silent to listen as the thing seems to move around the house... He catches a glimpse of it moving, through the frosted window and jerks a bit, startled...

[18:28] <Sling_Swivel> !roll 1d20+1
[18:28] <GameServ> Sling_Swivel rolled 1d20: 7  <Total: 7(+1) = 8>


[18:30] <GMC> Sling hears only the breathing fading away on the outside.... moving away? He thinks he heard a voice before the noises abandoned towards the woods, but he can't make what the voice said. A big silence follows this, only broken at parts by the breathing of both Arrow and Swivel...


[18:33]  * Sling_Swivel stands still for a long while, staring at Arrow, still listening... The breathing fades away and Sling soon moves over to his favorite dog, hugging her for a moment. He can't be certain if it's really over... but getting the fire going again is the real priority and he sets to it.


_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


[21:29]  * Sling_Swivel sits curled up in his cloak, seated upon his haunches directly in front of the now-raging fire in the fireplace, dagger within easy reach and Arrow at his side. The front door remains barricaded by the couch, as well as Titus' chair, just to be sure. Sling sits silently, watching the flames, ears swiveling every so often.


[21:30] <Titus> Arrow whines, nuzzling Sling and scratching the ground with her paw.


[21:31]  * Sling_Swivel slowly turns his gaze away from the fire and looks to Arrow, stroking her with a shaky forehoof.


[21:31] <Titus> Arrow pushes her face up into his, licking his muzzle worriedly.


[21:33] <Sling_Swivel> "Mmmph," he mutters, turning his head away a bit, "S-sokay, Arrow... It's okay," he says, trying to reassure her, though he, himself, grows increasingly worried waiting for Titus to return home... What if that... thing got him?


[21:34] <GMC> Wind whistles outside... as it's done all these windy and chilly Winter nights. The terror from earlier hasn't appeared again in a while now, but the memory is still too fresh for the stallion. Perhaps, only perhaps, it wasn't a good idea to live so close to the EastWoods.... [Only setting some mood taking the chance I'm GMing other stuff, no compromises ;3. but if you want more spoopy stuff]


[21:35] <Titus> Arrow continues whining, laying her head on his lap and panting. If Sling were listening, he could hear the familiar heavy trudging of Titus' hooves, trotting towards the place.


[21:36]  * Sling_Swivel sighs softly and pets Arrow, looking back to the fire for a moment before a faint sound reaches his ears and they perk up...

[21:37] <Sling_Swivel> "Something's coming, Arrow," he says, heart beginning to pound. He eases her head off and grabs up his dagger, quickly and quietly moving to the couch to reinforce the barricade with his own meager strength.


[21:40] <Titus> Arrow whines for a moment, then barks, rushing to the door! The sound of Titus slowly gets closer... and closer...


[21:41] <Sling_Swivel> "Fuck" Sling snaps, taking the dagger in his teeth and bracing himself against the couch,


[21:42] <Titus> Titus trots up to the door, and tries the knob... He grabs it and slowly turns it, trying to push it in.

[21:42] <Titus> Arrow barks, again!


[21:44]  * Sling_Swivel yells incoherently through the dagger's grip, preparing for an impact against the door or the "presence" to return...


[21:45] <Titus> Titus groans. "Sling, would y' open th' fookin' door?"


[21:46]  * Sling_Swivel 's yelling stops with a squeak and he pauses for a moment, thinking. "I-is... that you, Ti?" he calls out, over the couch.


[21:48] <Titus> "Y'bet 'yer arse it is, lad!"


[21:49] <Sling_Swivel> "Y-you... say something that only you would know... so I can be sure!" he replies.


[21:51] <Titus> "I caught 'yer sleepin' with Orange Burst."

[21:51]  * Titus rolls his eyes, trying the door again.


[21:52]  * Sling_Swivel blushes and grumbles "Kay... yeah, that's you. Hang on a second, man..." he replies, before setting his dagger aside and pulling the chair down and then moving the couch out of the way. He soon unlocks the door and opens it up for Titus.


[21:53]  * Titus tries the door again, stepping through. "Any reason there's a bunch'a imprints'a frost on th' front of ther door, then, lad?"


[21:54]  * Sling_Swivel rears up abruptly onto his hind-legs and hugs Titus with his forelegs, "Oh, Fuck, man... am I glad to see you..."


[21:54]  * Titus groans, hugging the buck back. "What happened? Y'looked real spooked, an' so does Arrow."


[21:56]  * Sling_Swivel clings to the big Unicorn for a moment, before releasing his grip and dropping back onto all four hooves, "Dude... something... tried to get in..." he says, shaking his head and quickly shutting and re-locking the door.


[21:56]  * Titus sighs and sits down onto the couch, calling Arrow up with him. "Really, now? Issat what th' whole frost prints business was?"


[21:57] <Sling_Swivel> "I... I dunno, I didn't go out there... shit was crazy, man," he says shaking his head vigorously.


[22:02] <Titus> "Well, y'look like you could use some fookin' sleep, lad."


[22:05] <Sling_Swivel> "I-I... dunno if I could at this point... Man... it go so windy... like out of control... then it was silent... then... there was something outside... and it tried to get it. Banged and banged on the door like Crazy!"

[22:07] <Sling_Swivel> "I barricaded it with the couch and it just Wailed on the door... then, like, it was quiet again and... I felt this... presence come over me and it got hella cold, man. The fire died and everything... I screamed alot and it went away... then it was back outside and..."

[22:08] <Sling_Swivel> "It... it... was at the door, then it went around and..." he pauses, shivering visibly, "...and I saw it go by the window... then... it left."


[22:16]  * Titus nods. "That's... That's real unsettlin', lad. Issat why 'yer had th' door locked tighter then a nun?"


[22:17]  * Sling_Swivel nods vigorously, "Only thing keeping... whatever that was out!" he replies, quivering.


[22:19]  * Titus sighs again. "I'll keep watch, YOU need to get some gorram rest. Take Arrow with 'yer, she seems t' like 'ya a bunch."


[22:21]  * Sling_Swivel glances towards the open door to his bedroom for a moment, then back to Ti, "Er... maybe... Uhm... so did you see anything out there?" he asks, meekly.


[22:25]  * Titus shakes his head. "Not a thing. Not a thing at all. 'Yer don't need t' worry."


[22:26]  * Sling_Swivel 's ears flop anxiously, "Well, was the door damaged? It beat on it really... hard. You said something about frost and footprints, too, right?" he asks, still all spun up.


[22:29]  * Titus nods. "The door ain't damaged. Just got some frost on it is all."


[22:31]  * Sling_Swivel nods, then looks around the room for a moment, "What about prints in the snow? And... there were..." he trails off and moves to the window that faces the town, "There were these weird patterns in frost on the windows when the thing tried to... do whatever it was trying to do to me," he says, inspecting the glass pane for the patterns.


[22:33] <GMC> The patterns, by now, look pretty much disfigured due to the time being. The cold outside made sure to change them into more regular and less impressive designs, practically re-arranged them to look completely different than they did during the spooky event.


[22:33]  * Titus shrugs. "I didn't see anything like prints, lad. I just saw a bunch'a frost on th' front of the door."

[22:33] <Titus> "An' I sure as shit haven't seen any patterns."


[22:36]  * Sling_Swivel squints at the glass for a moment before his ears droop... "Well.. it was there... all the windows in the front room here... crazy patterns, man. Right when it got wicked cold and the fire died..." he replies, looking back to Titus.


[22:37]  * Titus shakes his head. "Don't worry, I believe 'ye, lad. If it were nothin', you wouldn't look like 'ya had just nearly died."


[22:38]  * Sling_Swivel nods slowly, glancing to Arrow for a moment, then back to Ti, "It was just... like nothing I've ever experienced. Not here or anywhere... Makes that spider look like puppies..." he says, wincing.


[22:42]  * Titus pats him on the back. Arrow jumps up and licks his cheek, stiiiiill whimpering. "I understand, lad, I understand. Don't worry 'yer head about it. If anything happens overnight, I'll tell 'ya. Consider it my thank you for letting me sleep so late."


[22:48]  * Sling_Swivel whines faintly, "Man... if that thing comes back, you won't need to tell me, it'll wake me right up..." he says, slumping back onto his haunches, wearily. He lets Arrow lick at his face and puts a foreleg over her withers, half-hugging her. "Thanks, man... I dunno what I'd do without you and Arrow," he says, sighing.


[22:51]  * Titus shakes his head. "Best not t' think what you'd do without, an' t' instead think what you'll do with."


[22:55]  * Sling_Swivel peers down at his free forehoof for a moment, thinking, then looks back up to Titus, smiling faintly, "Strawberries?" he asks.


[22:56]  * Titus chuckles and nods. "Aye, that's certainly something we could get t' doing. Ain't a salad without a strawberry, innit?"


[22:58]  * Sling_Swivel chuckles softly, "Indeed," he replies, stroking Arrow gently. Seeming to grow calmer.


[22:59] <Titus> Arrow nuzzles him, happy that he's calming down. Loving little dog.


[23:02]  * Sling_Swivel closes his eyes for a time, breathing slowly as his hyper-perked ears droop a bit, "Well... least Orange got her Firewood, huh?'


[23:15]  * Titus nods quickly. "Got tha' all finished up!"

[23:15] <Titus> "Mostly thanks t' 'yer. Wouldn't have been able to figure any of tha' m'self."


[23:16]  * Sling_Swivel grins, "Was still a pain pulling that wheelbarrow through the snow," he says, swishing his tail.


[23:17]  * Titus chuckles. "Aye. Now, why don't y' sit down, relax, unwind a bit."


[23:21]  * Sling_Swivel looks to the locked up door, then the couch and nods, "Yeah... that'd be nice, I think," he says, rising and moving over to hop up and onto the couch, getting comfortable.


[23:25]  * Titus shrugs and yawns. "Bloody fookin' tired from hauling all that shite."


[23:26]  * Sling_Swivel yawns, "Me too... and plenty sore as well. Don't suppose we could rig the wheelbarrow with a ski or something, do you?"


[23:27]  * Titus shrugs. "It's possible. It'd take a bit of work, though."


[23:28]  * Sling_Swivel nods, "Might be something to look into sooner or later," he replies, resting his head upon the "arm" of the couch, his tail flopping one, twice.


[23:31]  * Titus yawns again, nodding. "I might turn in, soon. Try not t' let anything burn th' house down, aye?"


[23:36]  * Sling_Swivel sits back up abruptly, "Er... can we barricade the door first?" he asks, looking somewhat concerned again.


[23:37]  * Titus chuckles. "Whatever floats 'yer boat, lad."


[23:39]  * Sling_Swivel hops down, off of the couch, "Trust me, it'd be wise... and we should really look into some sort of way to really close up the windows and get a stronger door with better locks or something.. just in case..."


[23:45]  * Titus rolls his eyes. "Wanna know how tough that door is, lad? When I put it in, just t' make sure you'd need a bloody battering ram to get through it, I gave it me best buck. Didn't budge a damned inch."


[23:47]  * Sling_Swivel balks, "Man... it was about to come off the hinges with that thing wailing on it..." he replies, ears lying flat.


[23:49]  * Titus chuckles at that. "Well it's a damn good thing y' barricaded it, innit?"


[23:52]  * Sling_Swivel swallows hard, "Yeah, I guess so..." he says, before turning to the couch, "Wanna help me push this back into place?"


[23:57]  * Titus nods quickly, getting on one side of it. "Right here, lad. Push on 3?"


[00:01]  * Sling_Swivel nods, "Two," he replies.


[00:04]  * Titus pushes the couch in front of the door as he speaks. "Three."


[00:07]  * Sling_Swivel assists the big Unicorn, finding this alot easier with help! With the couch back in place, Sling steps back and looks back to his room for a moment, "Er, this might sound really stupid... but, uh, can I sleep in your room tonight, Ti?"


[00:14]  * Titus chuckles. "Scared of the ghosties? Sure, why th' hell not."

[00:15] <Titus> "Hell, y' can take th' bed if y' like. Got a chair in there that's plenty comfy."


[00:16]  * Sling_Swivel rubs one foreleg awkwardly with the other, "Er... I just... it was unsettling... as all get out..." he replies, before looking back up at the kind fellow, "Oh, no, don't worry about it, I'll roll my bedroll out on the floor."


[00:17]  * Titus shakes his head, smiling. "Nah, mate, take the bed. I'm spoiled enough as-is."


[00:18] <Sling_Swivel> "Aww... I couldn't kick you out of your own bed like that. I'll be fine. I've slept in worse places, Far worse. Here..." he says, zipping into his room to fetch his trusty bedroll.


[00:19]  * Titus tilts his head. "Y'know there's a bed in there, right?"


[00:19] <Titus> "I kinda hid it in the closet because I didn't think I'd actually have a guest over, but..."


[00:21]  * Sling_Swivel returns with the bedroll, nodding, "Yeah, your bed... What'd'you mean hid in the closet? I thought my room was a guest room."


[00:22] <Titus> "Not MY bed, the bed in the guest room. There's one in the closet, just gotta open it up and it should fall right out."


[00:27] <Sling_Swivel> "That's the one I've been sleeping on since I got here," Sling says, before shaking his bedroll a bit, "Was gonna roll this out on your floor so you could sleep in your bed. I'm not gonna force you out of your own bed, man."


[00:28]  * Titus finally sighs and shrugs. "If 'yer gonna be insistent on it, I guess I'll let 'ya. C'mon, then, b'fore I fall asleep standin' here."


[00:30]  * Sling_Swivel nods vigorously and trots into the bedroom, finding a nice open spot on the floor beside the bed to roll out his bedroll and start getting comfortable.


[00:31]  * Titus just silently trots to the bed and lays down, almost instantly falling asleep.