(5:56:32 PM) Prof: So! Vriska contacted the people who actually agreed to play her silly game with her, and asked them all to convene at a certain place and time. It's about midnight, in front of an old, grim-looking building just outside the city border.
(5:56:36 PM) Prof: Who arrives on time?
(5:57:04 PM) Badge: Hiroshi is just one of those types who probably chronically comes on times to things.  He's not sure why; he's pretty sure this is all going to be pretty ridiculous.
(5:57:17 PM) Prof: Also who doesn't?
(5:57:38 PM) Dani: Kousuke arrives pretty much on time, maybe a minute or two late at the most. He looks pretty unenthusiastic, but then again he's just here for the anemoi.
(5:57:54 PM) Lisa: Danny tried coming on time, he honestly did! He just... underestimated the amount of time it would take him to get there.
(5:57:55 PM) Wighty: Due to being five years old, Palom is going to be narcoleptic and fall asleep and arrive 10 minutes late looking like death and mumbling something about getting a lot of prizes out of this.
(5:58:18 PM) Lisa: So Danny actually ended up arriving maybe two minutes late.
(5:58:22 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  Don't blame me.  I tried to wake you up.
(5:58:35 PM) Prof: When Hiroshi arrives, the gamemaster is not present!
(5:58:42 PM) Wighty: Palom: *snores, sets Hiroshi on fire*
(5:58:46 PM) Prof: Nor is she there when anyone else shows up.
(5:59:20 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  *Yeah, that was pretty much the size of it.  Good thing it was just a small fire.*
(5:59:21 PM) Prof: Is she really going to be the last one to arrive for an event she scheduled herself?
(5:59:40 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  This is pointless.  I knew I shouldn't have bothered listening to her.
(5:59:41 PM) Lisa: Danny: ...are we too early? I thought I was actually late! Where is she?
(6:00:16 PM) Prof: Then, via voice on your communicators...
(6:00:18 PM) Dani: Kousuke: Tch. She better not've set us up...
(6:00:20 PM) Prof: [arachnidsGrip (AG) began trolling Flarp Party (4 users)]
(6:00:28 PM) Prof: AG: So you all finally showed up!
(6:01:02 PM) Prof: AG: I'm glad. I thought half of you might have given up on me
(6:01:02 PM) Prof: .
(6:01:15 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  *adjusts his glasses*  That would work better if you weren't later than the bunch of us combined.
(6:01:27 PM) Prof: AG: I'm exactly as here as I need to be.
(6:01:36 PM) Wighty: Palom: Don't worry!  I just got here, so you couldn't have started without me, anyway.
(6:02:05 PM) Prof: AG: Anyway, I can't really use the full ruleset without a lot of explanations and a second Clouder, so I'll have to simplify the game a bit...
(6:02:20 PM) Prof: AG: But it'll still be true to the spirit of the game!
(6:02:54 PM) Prof: AG: It'll begin once you go into that hiveblock over there. You might even find something nice!
(6:03:06 PM) Wighty: Palom: ...Does that mean building?
(6:03:09 PM) Lisa: Danny: 'hiveblock'? What's that even mean?
(6:03:12 PM) Prof: The houseish building you met in front of... might be what she meant by hiveblock?
(6:03:15 PM) Prof: The door's open at least.
(6:03:21 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  Seems like it.
(6:03:23 PM) Dani: Kousuke: ...So we just have to go in here?
(6:03:24 PM) Prof: AG: That door! Right there! Go in it.
(6:03:36 PM) Wighty: Palom: *starts to push Hiroshi* C'mon, you should go in first.  I think you're the oldest.
(6:03:37 PM) Prof: There's something glinting in the dim lighti nside.
(6:03:52 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  Aren't you the one with the oh so fantastic powers?  Geez.
(6:03:56 PM) Lisa: Danny: ...this is kind of creepy. Are games like this supposed to be this creepy?
(6:04:05 PM) Badge: He goes in anyway, though.  That glint catches his attention.
(6:04:20 PM) Dani: Kousuke: It's just a light. Worry about things when they come.
(6:04:26 PM) Lisa: Danny follows closely behind, also just as curious, but concerned as to what might happen.
(6:04:26 PM) Wighty: Palom: That means if I get hurt, you're all in trouble!  So I've gotta be in the back, uh-huh.
(6:04:28 PM) Prof: Right through the entrance, on some kind of credenza thing in the main foyer...
(6:04:30 PM) Prof: is a pile of anemoi!
(6:04:36 PM) Dani: Despite his words, Kousuke is definitely on guard.
(6:04:48 PM) Badge: Hiroshi walks over and stoops down, picking one up.  "So that's what they look like, huh..."
(6:04:58 PM) Wighty: Palom, true to his words, enters at the rear.  He holds up a fireball to illuminate the mansion more brightly.  ...Then immediately dashes towards the anemoi.
(6:05:00 PM) Lisa: Danny: wait, seriously? A pile of anemoi? Something doesn't feel right about this.
(6:05:13 PM) Prof: They indeed seem to be legit!
(6:05:18 PM) Wighty: Palom: If you don't want yours, I'll take 'em!
(6:05:37 PM) Prof: But once you're inside, there's a blur of movement by the door, with a pair of yellow horns!
(6:05:43 PM) Prof: Vriska grins, then slams the door shut.
(6:05:50 PM) Dani: Kousuke makes a run for the anemoi as well, though he pauses when he sees that blur.
(6:06:15 PM) Lisa: Danny was about to pick up some anemoi himself, deciding to give it a shot, but paused when he saw something out of the corner of his eye.
(6:06:16 PM) Badge: Hiroshi spins; for a moment, the "bored teen" look cracks as he looks shocked, then annoyed.
(6:06:19 PM) Lisa: Danny: ...what was that?
(6:06:50 PM) Badge: Hiroshi walks over and checks the door on a hunch.
(6:06:53 PM) Wighty: Palom will turn back towards the door.  ...Then back towards pocketing as many anemoi as he can.
(6:07:07 PM) Dani: Kousuke: Hey, don't take it all!
(6:07:15 PM) Prof: The door won't open! How strange.
(6:07:23 PM) Wighty: Palom: I'm saving them.  So they're all in one place.
(6:07:23 PM) Dani: He begins pocketing as much as he can, too.
(6:07:38 PM) Badge: There's something horribly familiar about this.  "The door's... locked," he says, his voice slightly tense.
(6:07:42 PM) Prof: AG: The campaign has begun!
(6:07:45 PM) Lisa: Danny: huh.
(6:07:48 PM) Wighty: Palom: Hey!  That's not fair, your hands are bigg -- Wait, what?
(6:08:01 PM) Lisa: Danny: Well, it doesn't matter that much. If you hold on to me, I can just take us through the door to the other side of it.
(6:08:09 PM) Prof: AG: You've acquired your treasure already. Can our intrepid adventurers bring it to safety intact?
(6:08:35 PM) Wighty: Palom glances at Danny suspiciously.  "Why's that?  Can you teleport or something?"
(6:08:36 PM) Prof: AG: Discovering what obstacles lie between you and victory is up to you!
(6:09:07 PM) Lisa: Danny: Well...no. But I can go intangible and make anyone who's touching me go through too! It's a ghost thing.
(6:09:32 PM) Dani: Kousuke: ...Ghost?
(6:09:36 PM) Badge: Hiroshi grunts in annoyance.  "With all due respect, I think I'll try to find the way out myself."  The idea of having these powers touch him still freak him out.
(6:09:37 PM) Wighty: Palom's expression goes wide... then he points a finger in glee.  "Oh!  Hey!  That's right, you're the ghost I was talking to earlier!"
(6:10:16 PM) Lisa: Oh god, he was right. Danny remembers talking to this kid. Danny facepalms.
(6:10:28 PM) Lisa: Danny: Yeah. Yeah I am. And if you want to get past this door, you can take my help or leave it.
(6:10:54 PM) Badge: Hiroshi looks around, taking in the layout of the foyer.  "I suspect she'll have left some way out of here.  It's just a matter of finding it."
(6:10:54 PM) Wighty: Palom beams.  "Yeah, the bad guy who brought us all here in the first place then wiped his memory and now you're pretending to be a good guy."
(6:11:13 PM) Wighty: "You should get us all out so you can trick us even more."
(6:11:15 PM) Prof: There are, for the record, exits to the north, west, east, and a staircase leading up.
(6:11:32 PM) Lisa: Danny groans.
(6:11:38 PM) Dani: Kousuke: Ignoring the kid, what were you doing being scared before? If you're really a ghost, shouldn't this be nothing?
(6:11:47 PM) Badge: That deja vu feeling is occuring again, but he doesn't remember why.
(6:12:09 PM) Lisa: Danny: Just because I'm a ghost doesn't mean I'm totally okay with creepy stuff.
(6:12:19 PM) Wighty: Palom: We can talk about how he's a scaredy-ghost after we're back home.  C'mon already!
(6:12:42 PM) Dani: Kousuke: Fine. So which way are we going? Are we getting ghosted out, or finding the way on our own?
(6:13:18 PM) Lisa: Danny: well, I can ghost you out if you guys want. So?
(6:13:35 PM) Lisa: Danny crosses his arms. Palom is already annoying him, he doesn't have that much patience any more for questions on his nature as a ghost.
(6:13:35 PM) Badge: Hiroshi hides an internal shudder.  "I'll pass."
(6:13:59 PM) Wighty: Palom: We'll just open it from outside once we're through, sheesh.
(6:14:26 PM) Lisa: Danny: I'll take that as a yes, then.
(6:14:52 PM) Wighty: And Palom will, in a somewhat undignified manner, grab Danny's hand and continue to beam.
(6:15:26 PM) Badge: Hiroshi finds himself watching the east, for whatever reason.
(6:15:40 PM) Lisa: With a sigh, Danny floats upwards with Palom in his grasp, turning almost see-through as he starts going through the wall.
(6:16:02 PM) Prof: Mysterious ghost powers, activate! Danny soars majestically towards the closed door...
(6:16:02 PM) Wighty: Palom: This is so cool.
(6:16:07 PM) Prof: ...and smacks into it.
(6:16:11 PM) Lisa: And boy, can he go through that wall well! The two almost sink into the surface, but...come out into the same room, just on the other side.
(6:16:14 PM) Prof: Or that.
(6:16:19 PM) Prof: Let's go with that.
(6:16:34 PM) Wighty: Palom: Or lame.  What was that?
(6:16:46 PM) Lisa: Danny: I--I don't know! That doesn't usually happen...
(6:16:48 PM) Prof: AG: "By the way..."
(6:16:52 PM) Dani: Kousuke gives a small start when they end up on the other side of the room. "What the-"
(6:17:02 PM) Prof: From the west, there is the sound of something falling off of a shelf.
(6:17:16 PM) Prof: AG: "I should probably mention that you aren't alone in there."
(6:17:27 PM) Lisa: Danny is distracted from his confusion by...more confusion! He turns his head towards the sound, curious to see what caused it.
(6:17:28 PM) Dani: Kousuke: What do you mean, we aren't alone?"
(6:17:35 PM) Prof: AG: "Hahahahahahahaha!"
(6:17:36 PM) Badge: Hiroshi jumps a bit and looks in the other direction.  Why is this so...
(6:17:45 PM) Wighty: Palom: There are people with more anemoi inside, right?  .......Right?
(6:17:53 PM) Prof: AG: "Hahahahahahahaha!"
(6:18:13 PM) Lisa: Danny: This...can't be good.
(6:18:18 PM) Wighty: Palom squirms in Danny's grasp before letting go and bouncing to the floor.  "L-Laughing means you're happy that I answered it right!......."
(6:18:22 PM) Badge: He puts up a heroic effort to look calm and composed, but he's clearly shaking, and he's not sure why.  "This seems..."
(6:18:45 PM) Dani: Kousuke: Stop laughing! Just what kind of 'game' is this?!
(6:18:56 PM) Badge: He begins to run in the direction of the dropped item.  "I'm checking it out!" he calls.
(6:19:08 PM) Prof: AG: "It's the best kind of game!"
(6:19:14 PM) Prof: Hiroshi heads to the west!
(6:19:20 PM) Prof: He finds himself in a dusty but sizeable library wing.
(6:19:33 PM) Prof: There is a stack of books on a table, but several of them are lying open on the floor.
(6:19:42 PM) Lisa: Danny: h-hey, wait!
(6:19:44 PM) Wighty: Palom's expression is sullen.  "You're just gonna run back and steal the rest of my candy, aren't you?  This game is lame."  He'll glance at his roommate and tentatively follow at a distance.
(6:20:20 PM) Dani: Kousuke follows! He's getting more and more tense as this goes on.
(6:20:21 PM) Lisa: Danny: Aw jeez.
(6:20:39 PM) Lisa: He follows towards the west, flying, both curious and worrid.
(6:20:39 PM) Badge: Hiroshi approaches the table cautiously.  He feels as though something should be there...
(6:20:43 PM) Lisa: also worried.
(6:21:11 PM) Prof: AG: "Oh, I guess there's one more tiiiiiiiiny hint I should give you."
(6:22:24 PM) Prof: AG: "At your probably-low levels, if you happen to encounter something in there..."
(6:22:36 PM) Lisa: Danny squints, trying to make out what the vague shapes are. He can spot some books, but there are some shapes he can't quite work out, and some that certainly don't look like they belong in a library.
(6:22:59 PM) Prof: There is the sound of heavy breathing, and one of the bookshelves starts to tilt.
(6:23:13 PM) Prof: AG: "I would deeeeeeeefinitely recommend absconding."
(6:23:30 PM) Dani: Kousuke: "--Shit."
(6:23:31 PM) Prof: The bookshelf is pushed over, and something enormous and bizarre is behind it. ( http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110527213109/fanball/images/e/e5/Ao_Oni.png )
(6:23:56 PM) Prof: It looks directly at you, rises to its formidable full height, and begins to advance.
(6:23:56 PM) Badge: Hiroshi spins towards the sound -- and his mouth opens, wanting to scream, but can't quite.  The face from his dream --
(6:24:01 PM) Lisa: Danny: oh. This...is definitely not good.
(6:24:12 PM) Badge: And he's running before anybody knows it, getting away from that thing, that horrible thing.
(6:24:15 PM) Wighty: "WHAT'S THAT MEAN?!  You said there wasn't gonna be a word game!  Hey!  Where are you even talking f -- AAAAUUUGHHH!"  Palom screams and immediately, a fireball is on its way towards the abomination.
(6:24:32 PM) Prof: The fireball hits it in a burst of flame and smoke!
(6:24:42 PM) Dani: Kousuke isn't far behind, although he's got a string of curses going as he runs.
(6:24:45 PM) Prof: The monster continues to advance, not even slowing down, out of the flames - there's not a mark on it.
(6:25:11 PM) Lisa: Danny is floating on the spot, ready to fly off should that thing come close and try to attack him. Intangibility and invisibility? Not really the best for full-on fighting.
(6:25:22 PM) Lisa: Danny: wha--that didn't do anything!
(6:25:35 PM) Wighty: Palom screams again and the following spells are slung over his shoulder as he flees as quickly as his stubby legs can manage: Blizzard, Thunder, Sleep, and Poison.  They probably all miss, anyway.
(6:25:41 PM) Prof: It continues to move directly towards the non-absconded party members! Danny, do you feel like figuring out if that thing can hit ghosts?
(6:26:07 PM) Badge: Hiroshi continues running, all thoughts of anything else turning off.  He's looking for a room, any room.
(6:27:15 PM) Lisa: Danny is actually thinking more of what's going to happen to Palom. Annoying as the kid is, he doesn't want him to fall prey to whatever this...this thing is. So his first action is actually to grab Palom under the armpits and fly him to the other end of the room quickly, the furthest point that Danny can see in this room.
(6:27:33 PM) Prof: You all abscond back out where you came in, the building suddenly looking mighty claustrophobic and hostile...
(6:27:35 PM) Prof: (EVERYONE: East, North, or Up! Pick quickly, no OOC conferring allowed!)
(6:27:48 PM) Badge: Hiroshi goes up!
(6:27:49 PM) Dani: Up!
(6:28:20 PM) Wighty: Palom flails a little in Danny's arms, but ultimately has no decision on which direction to go.  He doesn't even thank the ghost.  Probably 'cause he's having a heart attack.
(6:28:51 PM) Lisa: Danny, in his panic, doesn't even notice that there is an up, and instead flies north.
(6:29:29 PM) Prof: Danny and Palom are lucky! The oni strides up the stairs, which groan under its weight - it's only walking, but its stride is long enough to keep pace with running humans.
(6:29:37 PM) Prof: On the second floor, there are doors to the east and west!
(6:29:43 PM) Prof: (Hiroshi, Kousuke, pick a direction)
(6:29:52 PM) Badge: Damnit, damnit, damnit!  Hiroshi immediately heads to the east door!
(6:30:09 PM) Dani: Kousuke decides to split and go west. Maybe it'll go after Hiroshi.
(6:30:19 PM) Wighty: Palom merely waves weakly at the fleeing Hiroshi and Kousuke as he watches in horror.
(6:30:28 PM) Prof: Hiroshi also hears the sound of footsteps receding!
(6:30:40 PM) Prof: Kousuke, you're in a bedroom - there's nowhere to run, but there's an open cupboard.
(6:30:41 PM) Prof: (Kousuke)
(6:30:52 PM) Lisa: Danny flies a bit further before setting Palom down. "I think we got away. But...where is everyone else? Are they behind us?" He looks behind him.
(6:31:21 PM) Dani: Fuck, to the cupboard it is. He crams himself in and shuts it as best as he can, holding his breath.
(6:31:42 PM) Prof: The door bursts open the instant he gets his cupboard closed.
(6:31:49 PM) Prof: He can hear it pacing around the room, and breathing heavily.
(6:31:56 PM) Prof: It seems to go on for an eternity...
(6:32:05 PM) Prof: ...then the sound of a door closing, followed by silence.
(6:32:19 PM) Badge: Hiroshi still ducks into the room anyway, holding his breath, his back to the wall.
(6:32:21 PM) Prof: Dare you open the door?
(6:32:31 PM) Dani: ...Yeah, he'll stay in that room for a while, still keeping incredibly quiet. Better safe than dead.
(6:32:42 PM) Prof: Getting ahold of your surroundings!
(6:33:06 PM) Wighty: Palom lies on the floor panting for a while.  "...........What was that?!"  He looks genuinely terrified.  "I've never seen something like that!  Ever!"  This goes on in the same vein for five minutes or so before he seems to calm down.  "....The thing chased them up the stairs.  They're probably dead."
(6:33:22 PM) Prof: Danny and Palom are in a small room - the only thing in it is a hatch leading into some sort of basement.
(6:33:30 PM) Prof: It's locked with a rusty padlock.
(6:34:08 PM) Prof: When Kousuke emerges, the oni is indeed gone - the bed and cupboard appear to be all that's here... no, wait, there's something on the wall.
(6:34:14 PM) Prof: It looks like a safe, with a 4-digit combination lock.
(6:34:16 PM) Badge: Hiroshi shakes.  That thing.  THAT THING.  Why does it exist?  Why?  Why does he REMEMBER it?  His world is normal!  Normal!  No monsters, no magic, nothing!  There's no reason that thing...
(6:34:36 PM) Badge: He forces himself to calm down.  Panicking right now will just get him killed.  He takes in the room around him.
(6:34:48 PM) Lisa: Danny: Wait, up the stairs?! There was an up?! Oh man. We--we have to look for them!
(6:34:54 PM) Prof: Hiroshi is in a room split in half by a row of iron bars! There's a door in the bars that can be slid open or closed, or locked shut. It's currently open.
(6:35:10 PM) Prof: On the far side of the room are some scribbles, and a painting on the wall, obscuring some of them.
(6:35:20 PM) Prof: To all of you, there is no sign of the oni.
(6:35:24 PM) Wighty: "And how did she get this house?  And a monster?...  'Snot fair..."  Palom mumbles to himself as he continues to get his breath.
(6:35:27 PM) Dani: Kousuke goes to check that 4-combination lock, and even tries inputting a few random numbers - though he knows it probably won't work.
(6:35:34 PM) Lisa: And just like that, Danny picks Palom up again and flies back, looking briefly for where there might be an 'up' before flying vertically in the air in search of the others.
(6:35:40 PM) Prof: (Combinations tried?)
(6:36:02 PM) Dani: (7942, 4892, 8941)
(6:36:09 PM) Prof: None of the combinations work.
(6:36:17 PM) Prof: Danny finds the upstairs! The others are here, miraculously unmurdered.d
(6:36:17 PM) Wighty: Palom screams a little.  "Wait!   What are you doing?!  H-Hey, you can't go that way, we'll run right into it!"
(6:36:17 PM) Badge: Hiroshi adjusts his glasses.  All right.  Not wasting any time, he goes in through the door in the bars -- and then, as if somehow prescient of something, closes the cell door before he approaches the painting.
(6:36:44 PM) Prof: (Locations for recap!)
(6:36:49 PM) Prof: (Kousuke: Upstairs bedroom)
(6:36:54 PM) Lisa: Danny: Well, I'm not just going to leave them behind with that thing!
(6:36:59 PM) Prof: (Danny and Palom: Upstairs foyer, connects to bedroom and cell)
(6:37:06 PM) Prof: (Hiroshi: Upstairs cell, cell door closed)
(6:37:33 PM) Wighty: Palom: But.... But.......... Fine.  But if I get eaten, my ghost's gonna haunt you.
(6:37:48 PM) Prof: AG: "Well done, Flarpers! An expert handling of your first trial."
(6:38:07 PM) Dani: Hearing people in the other room, Kousuke moves to meet them, although he pauses when AG pipes up.
(6:38:10 PM) Prof: AG: "I can tell you're freaking geniuses at absconding from things."
(6:38:11 PM) Lisa: Danny: Well...if anyone's going to get eaten, it'll be me! I'm dead already anyway.
(6:38:13 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  You... where did you even find that thing?  Why is it here?  Why the hell is it even an existing... THING?!
(6:38:44 PM) Prof: AG: "You can ask your pointless questions once you're done escaping!"
(6:39:00 PM) Wighty: Palom, somewhat surprisingly, ignores her.  "...So which way do you think it went?"
(6:39:41 PM) Dani: Kousuke: It went after me and left when I hid. No idea where it went after that.
(6:39:43 PM) Badge: He grits his teeth.  God.  Damnit.  He wills himself to focus again.  Painting first.  There's a reason it's there.  He approaches it and examines it; if he sees nothing about the painting himself, he'll remove it.
(6:39:51 PM) Dani: He's still paying half-attention to AG, though.
(6:40:05 PM) Lisa: Danny hears Hiroshi from the cell and decides to investigate... "I don't know, but I think one of us is in here." He points towards the cell.
(6:40:19 PM) Prof: Behind the painting are some strange symbols!
(6:40:41 PM) Prof: They look like gibberish, but it almost looks like there's something to them...
(6:40:49 PM) Prof: Danny, Palom, Kousuke, anyone moving?
(6:40:55 PM) Badge: He frowns.  Symbols...  He turns his head one way, then another, trying to make sense of them.
(6:42:59 PM) Wighty: Palom spins towards the voice.  "...You're alive."  He almost sounds disappointed.  "But if the monster went after you..."  He won't finish the thought.  Obviously, there's nothing between the hallway and that direction.
(6:43:21 PM) Wighty: "Yeah, OK, let's go in, then."  And he'll wait for Danny to enter the cell because what is being brave?
(6:43:34 PM) Badge: He squints a bit, and then holds a hand up, fingers splayed, and looks at the symbols that way.
(6:43:45 PM) Prof: The rest of the party comes up behind Hiroshi while he's squinting!
(6:43:56 PM) Prof: Hiroshi appears to have locked himself in prison.
(6:44:11 PM) Prof: There's a row of bars between the three of you and him.
(6:44:25 PM) Lisa: Danny edges closer. "Uh...is this...a prison cell?"
(6:44:38 PM) Dani: Kousuke just gives a half-hearted shrug in response to Palom, before going in and checking out the room.
(6:45:15 PM) Badge: Hiroshi seems too involved in whatever he's looking at on the wall in the cell to notice you guys.
(6:45:18 PM) Prof: There are some symbols on the far wall on Hiroshi's side.
(6:45:26 PM) Prof: He's looking at them from various angles and stuff.
(6:45:36 PM) Dani: Kousuke: "...How'd you get stuck in there?" Though the fact that Hiroshi's concentrating so hard is enough to make Kousuke look at the symbols, too.
(6:45:40 PM) Wighty: "We're all alive!"  ...Palom states the obvious, then walks up to the cell doors and rattles them.  "Hey, what're you doing in there?"
(6:46:18 PM) Badge: Hiroshi jumps a bit.  Shi -- oh, it's just these guys.  Actually...  "Do me a favor.  Can you see these symbols over there?"
(6:46:37 PM) Wighty: Palom: The tiny weird squiggly things on the wall?
(6:46:43 PM) Lisa: Danny: Yeah, kinda. A little hard to see from over here, but sure.
(6:46:56 PM) Badge: Do they look like anything if you move around a bit?
(6:47:05 PM) Badge: (Hiroshi said that, obviously.)
(6:47:19 PM) Lisa: Danny looks at the cell door. He wants to get closer and pass through it into the room, but after that first incident...he's a little wary.
(6:47:22 PM) Wighty: Palom will blink for a few moments before starting to rotate his head around like a bobble doll.  "......Oh!  I know!  It's a potato!"
(6:47:30 PM) Dani: Just to see, Kousuke tries shifting a bit while staring at the symbols.
(6:47:44 PM) Badge: Hiroshi facepalms.  Give me a break...
(6:47:45 PM) Prof: Kousuke notices that, as he shifts, certain parts of the symboles are covered by the bars... !
(6:47:57 PM) Prof: at just the right angle, they stop being gibberish, and start reading:
(6:47:58 PM) Prof: 9615
(6:48:19 PM) Dani: Kousuke: "...Hey, wait a minute. This is-"
(6:48:23 PM) Prof: Step.
(6:48:25 PM) Prof: Step.
(6:48:26 PM) Wighty: "If you look at it like this, it's a hippo."  Palom is almost standing on his head.
(6:48:28 PM) Prof: Step.
(6:48:34 PM) Badge: Hurk.
(6:48:39 PM) Prof: Something's coming.
(6:48:42 PM) Wighty: ...Palom falls over.  "...Does anyone else hear that?"
(6:48:43 PM) Prof: This room only has one exit.
(6:48:44 PM) Badge: Hiroshi dashes towards the cell door and flings it open.  "GET IN HERE!  NOW!"
(6:49:00 PM) Lisa: Danny: into the cel?!
(6:49:07 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  JUST TRUST ME!
(6:49:16 PM) Prof: The steps are getting louder.
(6:49:35 PM) Wighty: Palom has no qualms about scrambling in and hiding behind Hiroshi.  "Lock the door lock the door!"
(6:49:47 PM) Lisa: Oh god. Oh god! Danny panics and doesn't even move.
(6:49:49 PM) Dani: Kousuke: "If you want to be the bait, be my guest!" He too goes into the cell, although part of him is wondering if this was really the best idea.
(6:50:01 PM) Prof: AND IN COMES THE ONI.
(6:50:02 PM) Lisa: Thankfully, he at least manages to go invisible at the last second. At least that still works.
(6:50:16 PM) Prof: It walks right up to Danny--
(6:50:17 PM) Badge: Damnit, there's no more time!  He slings the door closed and locks it as best he can.  Damnit, that other guy --!
(6:50:19 PM) Prof: --and right past him.
(6:50:39 PM) Prof: It stops at the bars, its huge, dark eyes shifting back and forth between the three kids behind them.
(6:50:42 PM) Lisa: Danny holds his breath, worried that the oni might hear him do even that.
(6:50:45 PM) Dani: Meanwhile, Kousuke moves back as far away from the bars as he can.
(6:50:48 PM) Badge: Hiroshi rushes to the back wall.
(6:50:57 PM) Prof: It slowly lumbers to one side, grabs the door, and tries to open it.
(6:50:58 PM) Prof: It holds.
(6:51:04 PM) Prof: It paces back and forth a few times...
(6:51:14 PM) Prof: then stops and looks directly at Hiroshi.
(6:51:31 PM) Wighty: "Don't look at it!"  Palom hisses.  "It'll prolly turn you to stone...!"
(6:51:34 PM) Badge: Hiroshi holds his breath, shaking.  Oh God...
(6:51:44 PM) Prof: Moving with slow, careful deliberation, it wraps its huge hands around two of the bar...
(6:51:45 PM) Lisa: Danny floats over closer to it, holding his breath and concentrating as hard as he could on staying invisible.
(6:51:48 PM) Prof: ...and starts rattling the cage.
(6:52:05 PM) Badge: Hiroshi turns his head, eyes shut.  Gh...
(6:52:12 PM) Prof: Harder and harder, as if it's trying to tear the bars out with brute force.
(6:52:28 PM) Badge: Hiroshi: ["Hold... HOLD..."]
(6:52:30 PM) Prof: Then, as Danny gets close!
(6:52:34 PM) Prof: It suddenly stops, and looks up.
(6:52:48 PM) Lisa: Danny jerks back, clamping his hands over his mouth. Did it somehow hear him?!
(6:53:00 PM) Prof: It looks around, as if searching for something...
(6:53:05 PM) Prof: ...then walks back out of the room.
(6:53:08 PM) Prof: The footsteps fade.
(6:53:23 PM) Wighty: Palom: ...I'm not coming out.
(6:53:26 PM) Badge: Hiroshi slumps, sliding down to the ground.  Ha ha... haaaaa...  "It's gone for now..."
(6:53:39 PM) Lisa: Danny fades back into view, letting out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh man...!" His voice is shaky.
(6:53:46 PM) Wighty: He proceeds to curl up into a little ball in the farthest corner of the cell he can manage.
(6:54:04 PM) Dani: Kousuke lets out a breath, resting a moment to calm down. "We're going to need to get out of here if we want to move on," he says eventually.
(6:54:19 PM) Prof: AG: "Hey! How's it going in there?"
(6:54:27 PM) Wighty: Palom: It'll melt when the sun comes up.  We can wait here for eight hours.
(6:54:47 PM) Badge: Hiroshi nods, pushing up.  He shakes his head.  "It won't.  It won't... it'll keep chasing.  Keep it up until we leave.  There's no stopping it..."
(6:55:18 PM) Lisa: Danny: Oh, you know, just the usual! Playing games, finding anemoi, trying not to get caught by a freakish stalking monster! (Directed towards Vriska of course)
(6:55:32 PM) Badge: He grasps his head.  "Why... why is that thing in my memories?!  Why?!"
(6:55:37 PM) Prof: AG: "Hahahahahahahaha, awesome! Sounds like you're doing a great job!"
(6:55:51 PM) Wighty: Palom: This game stinks!  You said it was fun!  ............And not just for you!  I quit!
(6:56:02 PM) Prof: AG: "Uh oh, did I hear that?"
(6:56:05 PM) Lisa: Danny stares at Hiroshi, just catching the outburst of his outburst after his own. "Uh...are you okay?"
(6:56:09 PM) Prof: AG: "Are you trying to abandon the session before it's complete?"
(6:56:17 PM) Prof: AG: "That wouldn't be any fun at all!"
(6:56:18 PM) Wighty: Then he'll whip his head back to Hiroshi.  "Wait, this thing is from your world?!"
(6:56:57 PM) Badge: He shakes his head, his hands clasped to his ears as if he's trying to shut out the memory.  "No... no no no, there's no way, no way... it's not a scientific possibility.  It was a dream!  A DREAM!  Not a memory -- !"
(6:57:16 PM) Lisa: Danny: Hey! Look, we--we have to just hold it together long enough to get out of here! Okay?
(6:57:33 PM) Wighty: Palom: Who cares about scienwhatever!  You've gotta know how to get rid of it!
(6:57:56 PM) Dani: Kousuke sighs and goes to the door of the cell. "Then freak out here all you like. I'm getting out of here."
(6:58:01 PM) Lisa: Danny: ...do you?
(6:58:08 PM) Dani: He will begin heading for that lock he saw earlier.
(6:58:29 PM) Badge: Hiroshi shakes... "I don't.. don't remember more than the face..."  He seems to freeze, for a moment, and then in a remarkable show just... recompose himself.
(6:58:45 PM) Badge: "I'm sorry.  You're right.  We need to be rational about this.  Let's just focus on getting out for now."
(6:59:06 PM) Lisa: that...is pretty weird. But Danny brushes off the sudden change in composure. "Uh, right. What do we do now?"
(6:59:31 PM) Badge: He points in the direction Kousuke headed.  "He knows.  I can tell.  Let's follow him."
(6:59:34 PM) Prof: The upstairs foyer is devoid of any signs of the damn thing.
(6:59:41 PM) Prof: And the safe is still where it was!
(7:00:01 PM) Wighty: Palom scowls.  "I know I'm never gonna forget that stupid face."  ...He will clamp onto Hiroshi's hand this time, and it may take some force to drag him out of the cell.
(7:00:03 PM) Lisa: Danny turns towards the direction that Hiroshi pointed, and begins walking towards Kousuke and the safe. "What's over here?"
(7:00:21 PM) Dani: Without even waiting to see if the others followed, he inputs the code he saw: 9615
(7:00:39 PM) Badge: Hiroshi drags him along -- with some effort -- and over to the room Kousuke went into.
(7:00:44 PM) Prof: The safe opens!
(7:00:50 PM) Prof: Inside is HUGE PILES OF RICHES
(7:00:51 PM) Prof: okay not really.
(7:00:56 PM) Prof: But there's a rusty key in there.
(7:00:57 PM) Lisa: Danny walks by and catches sight of Kousuke just as he opens the safe. "Whoa."
(7:01:27 PM) Wighty: Palom looks immensely relieved.  " Try the door, try the door!"
(7:01:47 PM) Badge: Hiroshi holds a hand up.  "Hold on.  Don't jump the gun.  Look at the condition of that thing."
(7:01:50 PM) Dani: Kousuke: You know where this goes?
(7:02:11 PM) Wighty: Palom: ...It's gotta be the front door, right?
(7:02:31 PM) Lisa: Danny stares at the key for a few moments, trying to think.
(7:02:35 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  That'd be too easy.
(7:02:54 PM) Lisa: Danny: hey--wait! I think--I think there's a door that we passed by earlier before we came up here!
(7:03:09 PM) Wighty: Palom: It's not like there's anywhere else.  ...'Cept where the two of us ended up.
(7:03:52 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  We should try to get the rust off first, though.
(7:04:04 PM) Wighty: Palom scowls.  "...You know if it's not upstairs, then it's gonna be downstairs where we came from, right?"
(7:04:38 PM) Lisa: Danny: ...you think that's where the thing went?
(7:05:13 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  ["They're not even listening to me..."]
(7:05:39 PM) Dani: Kousuke: If it's down there, we'll just run back to the cell since it can't get in there.
(7:05:48 PM) Wighty: Palom scowls again.  "If we get eaten, I'm haunting all of you."  He'll look back at the key.  "So what?  We should wipe it off?"
(7:06:07 PM) Dani: ...Not that he's looking too happy about another encounter with the thing.
(7:06:29 PM) Badge: THANK you.  "That rust will probably cause problems if we don't."  He crosses his arms.  "Let's think.  Downstairs, we've gone west.  We went up.  Which way did you guys go?"
(7:06:45 PM) Lisa: Danny: I don't know...it might've been east?
(7:07:30 PM) Wighty: Palom blinks.  "....How do you even know which way is east and west?  We went straight ahead from the library.  I know 'cause I was screaming and watching you guys getting chased."
(7:07:56 PM) Badge: Straight from the library.  Right.  "Which leaves North."
(7:08:13 PM) Lisa: Danny: so...if the library's west, then we did go east, right?
(7:10:32 PM) Badge: "If you guys went straight, and we orient ourselves with the idea of the front door being south, then yes."  He pushes his glasses up.  "All right.  We'll head that way, then.
(7:10:41 PM) Wighty: Palom: I 'unno.  ...Let's just go.
(7:10:49 PM) Prof: (East or North?)
(7:11:02 PM) Badge: "Hopefully, we can find something to clean the rust off in that room."  And Hiroshi, unusually direct, begins to head for the stairs down.
(7:11:18 PM) Badge: (He'll be heading East under the fail directions.)
(7:11:24 PM) Prof: Immedaitely upon going down stairs, Hiroshi is confronted with the horrible visage of--
(7:11:26 PM) Prof: --nothing.
(7:11:29 PM) Prof: Coast is clear.
(7:11:37 PM) Dani: Kousuke follows, hanging back some.
(7:11:46 PM) Lisa: Danny follows behind, keeping an eye out for creepy creatures that might pop out at random.
(7:11:51 PM) Prof: To the east is... a bathroom!
(7:12:04 PM) Prof: No padlocks in sight.
(7:12:12 PM) Badge: "...this is where you guys went?" he asks, looking around with skepticism.
(7:12:13 PM) Wighty: Palom: ...When I said straight ahead, I actually meant straight ahead the directoin I was facing.
(7:12:15 PM) Lisa: Danny: ...huh? This isn't where we were earlier...
(7:12:20 PM) Prof: There's a cabinet of bathroom stuff in here, though, if you feel like checking it.
(7:12:21 PM) Wighty: Which was, um.  The other way.
(7:12:24 PM) Badge: ...twitch.
(7:12:48 PM) Lisa: Danny: uh...heh. Have I mentioned it's kinda hard to tell if you went east or not without a compass?
(7:13:04 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  You SHOULD at least be able to tell if you went STRAIGHT!
(7:13:39 PM) Dani: Kousuke will go ahead and check the cabinet while everyone else argues, looking a mite annoyed.
(7:13:56 PM) Prof: There's some dusty containers of various forgettable substances in there.
(7:14:04 PM) Prof: one of them is labeled "Vapo-rust".
(7:14:08 PM) Lisa: Danny: Come on, it's not that big a deal! We just have to go back and go the other way!
(7:14:39 PM) Dani: Well, that sounds helpful. He'll go ahead and grab it. "Hey, found something for the rust."
(7:14:44 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  Remind me not to ask you for directions.  Ever.
(7:14:58 PM) Badge: He turns towards Kousuke.  "That's one good thing, at least.  Let's see if it does the trick."
(7:15:13 PM) Wighty: Palom sticks his tongue out.  "Fine.  I won't give you any."
(7:15:31 PM) Prof: The vapo-rust does the trick!
(7:15:36 PM) Prof: The rusty key is now a polished key.
(7:15:38 PM) Prof: Ish.
(7:16:01 PM) Wighty: Palom: Can we go before it comes back and we have to hide in the bathtub?
(7:16:40 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  I doubt that would work.  But yeah, let's go the other way.  We should take that bottle with us too, just in case.
(7:16:47 PM) Lisa: Danny: I just hope we don't run into it while we're in a hallway with nowhere to go...
(7:17:03 PM) Wighty: ...And upon hearing that, Palom is the first out the door so he's not cornered in a tiny room.
(7:17:08 PM) Dani: Kousuke: If that happens, all we can do is run. Stop thinking about uneccesary things.
(7:17:10 PM) Prof: Back in the foyer!
(7:17:52 PM) Badge: Hiroshi follows.
(7:18:05 PM) Prof: Exits are east, north, and west, but not dennis.
(7:18:19 PM) Lisa: Danny, too, follows. "Okay, so...the stairs are there, the bathroom's there, so...that way there must be the door!" Danny points towards the north this time.
(7:18:22 PM) Wighty: Palom leads the way straight ahead towards where he was facing.  ...North.
(7:18:31 PM) Lisa: (Of course, whether you trust him for directions now is another thing entirely.)
(7:18:36 PM) Prof: There's a basement door here!
(7:18:39 PM) Prof: It's padlocked shut.
(7:19:02 PM) Badge: Hiroshi crosses his arms.  "It's the first real lock we've found, so it's probably our best bet."
(7:19:46 PM) Wighty: Palom: Then try it already!
(7:22:03 PM) Dani: Kousuke eyes the door warily as he tries the key.
(7:22:21 PM) Prof: Click!
(7:22:23 PM) Prof: The padlock opens.
(7:22:29 PM) Prof: You may now advance to the down.
(7:22:47 PM) Badge: Hiroshi opens the door carefully.  "...I'll go first," he offers.  He's not sure WHY he offers.  It just feels... right.
(7:23:15 PM) Prof: Below is a crude basement area, looking like it was carved out of the living earth!
(7:23:22 PM) Lisa: Danny follows behind Hiroshi carefully.
(7:23:28 PM) Prof: There's an open path to the north, a closed but unlocked door to the south, and a locked door to the east.
(7:23:36 PM) Wighty: Palom peers around Hiroshi with wide eyes.  He sandwiches himself in the middle of everyone and lights a fireball just to be sure.
(7:23:40 PM) Dani: Kousuke is again in the back of the group. Hell if he's going first.
(7:24:29 PM) Wighty: Palom glances north.  "That way looks easiest..."
(7:24:30 PM) Lisa: Danny: ...more doors. Okay.
(7:24:38 PM) Badge: That's never going to not unnerve Hiroshi, Palom, sorry.  He checks the east door and establishes its locked status.
(7:25:17 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  Let's not assume the easy way is the right way.  But we'll still need to check.
(7:26:03 PM) Lisa: Danny points to the east door. "do we even have a key for this door though?"
(7:26:18 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  If we don't, we'll find one.
(7:26:55 PM) Lisa: Danny: Then...I'll go looking in the other room for some stuff. Maybe there's another key in there!
(7:27:03 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  NO.  No splitting up.
(7:27:13 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  I just... I think it's a terrible idea somehow.
(7:27:36 PM) Lisa: Danny: What's the worst that could happen?
(7:27:44 PM) Wighty: Palom nods a little to Hiroshi.  "...I don't think he has much to worry about, though."
(7:28:07 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  Did you seriously just say that without any irony at all?
(7:28:12 PM) Dani: Kousuke: I'm with this guy. If we have to, we can split, but until then we might as well stick together. Otherwise it could pick us off one by one and we'd never know.
(7:28:43 PM) Lisa: Danny: ...a little. But come on, I'm already dead. It's not like anything much worse can happen to me. I might as well go check out the other room!
(7:30:21 PM) Badge: Hiroshi scowls.  Nothing's going to talk him out of it.  "I'm going to go with you, then.  If we HAVE to split, we're sticking in groups of two."
(7:30:43 PM) Wighty: Palom: No!  That's what we did last time!  We'll all go in the stupid room together!
(7:31:01 PM) Wighty: .Palom: Actually, maybe someone should stand guard this time so we don't all get cornered again.
(7:32:05 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  Oh, good idea.  That way while the guard screams as the Oni gets him, we can all find a place to hide.
(7:32:13 PM) Badge: Sarcasm mode, activate.
(7:33:24 PM) Wighty: Palom: We'll leave the door open!  Geez.
(7:33:50 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  I'm GOING.
(7:33:57 PM) Badge: He heads towards the south door.
(7:33:58 PM) Lisa: Danny: are we going to get moving or what? The longer we wait around, the more likely it'll just find us here!
(7:34:00 PM) Prof: To the south!
(7:34:13 PM) Lisa: Danny, after speaking, turns to go to the south door as well.
(7:34:15 PM) Prof: This room seems to be some sort of... shrine? It looks religious, but you can't identify the denomination.
(7:34:19 PM) Prof: It's shadowy.
(7:34:32 PM) Prof: And in the middle of the room, on a pedestal, is a shiny silver key.
(7:34:49 PM) Prof: (Is Palom following or keeping watch?)
(7:35:15 PM) Wighty: Palom skitters after as well, though he fearfully glances back and forth as he takes one step inside the room.  ...That was good enough 'guard' for him.
(7:35:50 PM) Prof: The key isn't even in a box. Isn't it nice to not have to solve a puzzle for every damn thing?
(7:36:00 PM) Lisa: Danny walks towards the key. "Well, I guess we found it."
(7:36:03 PM) Badge: Hiroshi frowns.  They've already fallen for something like this once, haven't they?  "...Palom.  I'm not always going to ask this, so don't get cocky, but... can you light up the room?"
(7:36:42 PM) Wighty: Palom nods.  "It's gonna explode when you touch it."  And he'll hold up his fireball and increase its power.
(7:37:07 PM) Prof: Nothing appears to be lurking in here!
(7:37:41 PM) Lisa: Danny hadn't even noticed the shrine earlier, as it was too dark. "Whoa. What is all this?"
(7:38:50 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  Does it matter?
(7:39:45 PM) Lisa: Danny: I don't know...just didn't notice it at first.
(7:40:25 PM) Wighty: Palom glances around nervously.  "How did she even find this place?"  And he takes a few more steps in, looking at the shrine.  So much for guarding.
(7:42:15 PM) Lisa: Danny moved a bit closer and picked up the key, examining it. "You think it goes with that door we found earlier?"
(7:42:22 PM) Prof: BANG
(7:42:29 PM) Prof: That was the sound of the door tot his room slamming shut.
(7:42:38 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  Shit!
(7:42:40 PM) Lisa: Danny: what.
(7:42:42 PM) Wighty: Palom: I TOLD YOU!
(7:42:49 PM) Dani: Kousuke: Damn it-!
(7:43:20 PM) Lisa: Danny drops the key to the floor, holding his hands up almost as if surrendering.
(7:43:24 PM) Badge: Hiroshi runs to the door, jimmying the handle.
(7:43:30 PM) Prof: It won't open!
(7:43:48 PM) Prof: What a surprise.
(7:43:53 PM) Wighty: Palom: T-Try the key!
(7:44:11 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  No no no, don't give me this crap...
(7:44:14 PM) Lisa: Danny leans down to pick up the key again, rushing towards the door to try it.
(7:44:25 PM) Prof: The door doesn't even seem to have a keyhole.
(7:44:40 PM) Wighty: Palom launches a fireball at the door.
(7:44:45 PM) Prof: Bam!
(7:44:50 PM) Badge: Hiroshi just barely backs away in time.
(7:44:57 PM) Prof: The door doesn't go down, but it does shake some dust from the ceiling...
(7:45:00 PM) Dani: Kousuke's moving back as quick as he can.
(7:45:01 PM) Prof: ...is that a trap door?
(7:45:18 PM) Prof: You should be able to reach it if you move some benches.
(7:45:32 PM) Wighty: Clearly, more fireballs are the answer here.  At least they would be if Palom didn't sneeze.
(7:45:42 PM) Lisa: Danny looks up as the dust falls. "Th--there!" He points up at the trap door.
(7:45:43 PM) Badge: Hiroshi blinks.  Then runs to one of the benches and begins shifting them to provide a boost.
(7:45:51 PM) Prof: Boost provided!
(7:46:17 PM) Prof: But... the door won't open more than a sliver. Something's blocking it from above.
(7:47:13 PM) Wighty: Palom turns to Danny.  "Hey!  Can you get through?"
(7:47:34 PM) Lisa: Danny: I'll try, but...my powers aren't really working right here.
(7:47:53 PM) Lisa: Nevertheless, Danny flies up and tries phasing his arm through the door to see what is happening above the trap door and if he can open it.
(7:50:01 PM) Lisa: Danny pushes his intangible arm through the trap door, fishing around for a lock to open the trap door, or...something. Instead, he just feels air. "I don't feel anything..."
(7:50:59 PM) Lisa: He waves his arm around up there a bit more. "Ah, wait, I think I've got something!" He grins, grasps onto something, and yanks. (Spoilers: that something is Palom's leg.)
(7:51:10 PM) Badge: Hiroshi looks down out of habit.  "Uh..."
(7:51:12 PM) Wighty: At that moment, Palom screams (again), collapses and begins blasting the floor.  "Something's got me!
(7:51:38 PM) Badge: Hitoshi closes his eyes and massages his temples.  "Danny, just... let go of Palom's leg, will you?"
(7:52:05 PM) Dani: Kousuke actually jumps when Palom screams, but once Hitoshi points out what happens, he gives an exasperated sigh.
(7:52:19 PM) Lisa: Danny looks down, his grin quickly dissolving. "Uh...oh. Right. Whoops." He lets go and brings his arm back out of the trap door (and thus, the floor). "Sorry."
(7:52:34 PM) Wighty: Palom sniffles.
(7:52:48 PM) Lisa: Danny: Guess it's still not working, then.
(7:53:48 PM) Badge: Hiroshi sighs, and begins to explore the room a little more in depth.
(7:54:14 PM) Prof: Just the pedestal, some benches, the door, and the trap door. Nothing else leaps out at him.
(7:54:28 PM) Wighty: After sniffling some more, Palom glances up, squints, and shoots a bolt of lightning through the sliver entirely out of spite.
(7:54:39 PM) Prof: It's very satisfying.
(7:54:41 PM) Badge: Hmm... He tries pushing the pedestal anyway.  Try everything, after all.
(7:54:48 PM) Prof: Doesn't budge.
(7:55:00 PM) Lisa: Danny: Whoa, jeez! Watch where you're throwing your lightning bolts!
(7:55:10 PM) Wighty: Palom: ...Watch where you're sticking your hands.
(7:55:16 PM) Dani left the room.
(7:55:19 PM) Badge: Figures.  "Look... Danny, just try it again.  With your whole body instead of the arm."
(7:55:29 PM) Dani entered the room.
(7:55:50 PM) Lisa: Danny: Well...alright.
(7:55:59 PM) Lisa: Danny turns his entire body intangible and goes up through the trapdoor.
(7:56:10 PM) Badge: Hiroshi hides yet another case of the heebities.
(7:56:28 PM) Wighty: Palom jumps onto a bench and stares at the floor.
(7:59:00 PM) Prof: Danny emerges!
(7:59:03 PM) Lisa: ...and Danny disappears this time for real into the area above the trapdoor.
(7:59:04 PM) Prof: He's in the main foyer again.
(7:59:17 PM) Prof: It looksl ike the reason the trapdoor won't open is because it's under the credenza.
(8:00:47 PM) Lisa: Danny: Oh. Heh. That explains it.
(8:00:56 PM) Lisa: He tries pushing the credenza away from the trap door to reveal it.
(8:01:04 PM) Prof: It's heavy, but he succeeds!
(8:01:11 PM) Prof: The door swings open.
(8:01:27 PM) Prof: Someone should get that key before you escape the room, though.
(8:01:39 PM) Badge: Hiroshi, meanwhile, takes another look at the top of the pedestal, and mulls the timing.  Hm.  He pushes down on top of it.
(8:01:45 PM) Prof: The door opens.
(8:01:56 PM) Lisa: Danny peeks back in through the trap door, looking at everyone else down below. "I think I got it!" He grins.
(8:02:07 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  So that's... Hey, do you still have that bottle?
(8:02:44 PM) Dani: Was that a flicker of relief on Kousuke's face? Couldn't be. At Hiroshi's question, he'll turn with one eyebrow raised. "Yeah. What about it?"
(8:02:55 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  Could you give that to me for a bit?
(8:03:03 PM) Wighty: Palom glances up and to the side.  "We're gonna use up all of our good luck, stop wasting it."  He'll head for the door and try to keep it open.
(8:03:36 PM) Dani: Kousuke hands it over, glancing between the pedastle and door. He's got an idea where this is going.
(8:03:54 PM) Badge: Hiroshi carefully puts the bottle on the pedestal before removing his hand.
(8:04:00 PM) Prof: The door stays open!
(8:04:02 PM) Prof: Fancy that.
(8:04:07 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  Clever.
(8:04:09 PM) Prof: You now have two ways you can go.
(8:04:26 PM) Prof: Which shall you take?
(8:05:02 PM) Lisa: Danny: I think we should check out that other locked room. Going up here just leads up to a place we've already been.
(8:05:27 PM) Wighty: Palom would say something about trying the lock to the front door again, but decides not to since he was wrong the first time.
(8:05:35 PM) Badge: Hiroshi nods.  "And having this be the front door key would be way too easy.  Might as well confirm things while we're down here."
(8:05:55 PM) Prof: While Hiroshi monologues
(8:05:58 PM) Wighty: He does, however, adopt an annoyed expression on his face.  "Easy?"
(8:06:00 PM) Prof: Danny hears something coming from upstairs.
(8:06:03 PM) Lisa: Danny: Let's just...leave these doors nice and wide open.
(8:06:21 PM) Lisa: Danny suddenly jerks his head up, alert and looking concerned. "Um..." He begins whispering. "I don't like the sound of that."
(8:06:32 PM) Prof: HEY LOOK WHO IT IS.
(8:06:37 PM) Prof: Think fast, Danny.
(8:06:43 PM) Wighty: "CLOSE THE TRAPDOOR CLOSE THE TRAPDOOR."  Palom shrieks.
(8:07:15 PM) Lisa: Danny dives through the door back underground and slams the trap door back into place.
(8:07:27 PM) Lisa: And just for reinforcement, he presses his body up against it as hard as he can.
(8:07:28 PM) Prof: The door is thrown back open seconds later!
(8:07:30 PM) Prof: THE CHASE IS ON.
(8:07:31 PM) Badge: Hiroshi yelps, "Run!"
(8:07:34 PM) Dani: Kousuke bolts for it.
(8:07:46 PM) Badge: Hiroshi follows behind.
(8:07:47 PM) Lisa: Danny is thrown to the floor from the force, but scrambles to his feet and bolts out.
(8:07:55 PM) Prof: Back in the main basement!
(8:08:00 PM) Prof: That door is still locked.
(8:08:48 PM) Dani: Yeah, Kousuke isn't bothering with that. He's taking the open passage.
(8:08:52 PM) Wighty: Being closest to the door, Palom is already out... and heading for that open area.
(8:10:20 PM) Lisa: once everyone is out of the room, Danny exits himself and then grabs teh door on his way out, slamming it shut as well. Hopefully it'll lock this time too.
(8:10:42 PM) Prof: It doesn't!
(8:10:48 PM) Prof: Gonna follow the rest of the party?
(8:10:58 PM) Badge: Hiroshi doesn't have that sort of hope.  He thinks about it looking at him...
(8:11:14 PM) Badge: "Hey, you big blue bastard!  Come on!  Over here!"  He shouts.
(8:11:24 PM) Badge: The rational part of his brain is telling him he's nuts, but...
(8:11:37 PM) Lisa: Danny doesn't even stay behind long enough to see if teh door shuts this time. He just runs to the others. But--what is going on? "What are you doing?!" Danny shouts at Hiroshi
(8:11:53 PM) Prof: You seem to have its attention.
(8:12:05 PM) Badge: Hiroshi waves his hands, his scarf, and darts... up through the trap door.
(8:12:14 PM) Prof: It follows him.
(8:12:23 PM) Wighty: And hearing the screaming, Palom will also half-skid to a halt.  Since there were people between them, he feels confident peeking back at the scene.
(8:12:32 PM) Prof: The other three are safe!
(8:12:35 PM) Prof: Hiroshi is very very not.
(8:12:37 PM) Prof: Where you headed?
(8:12:59 PM) Badge: Hiroshi runs, his breath panting.  He heads south, towards where the door in the foyer was.
(8:13:24 PM) Dani: Kousuke hears the fading steps and stops, feeling reasonably confident that the blue demon isn't chasing anymore. Time to see the results.
(8:13:34 PM) Prof: The door is still there!
(8:13:37 PM) Prof: And still closed.
(8:14:01 PM) Wighty: Palom will run back towards Kousuke and Danny, looking alarmed.  "What's he doing?  ...Who's got the key?"
(8:14:05 PM) Badge: He looks around for something he can grab en route.
(8:14:54 PM) Prof: One of the books from the first chase has winded up here. Will that do?
(8:15:29 PM) Dani: Kousuke: I don't.
(8:15:31 PM) Badge: He doesn't question things.  He snags it, and darts towards the trap door, flinging it open and jumping down.  He runs towards the other door, flinging that one open too, then moves out and... just outside it.
(8:15:47 PM) Prof: The oni comes back again. You're going in circles, dude!
(8:15:52 PM) Prof: It's in the shrine room now.
(8:16:10 PM) Badge: That's the plan!  He chucks the book from his current position not at the oni... but at the BOTTLE.
(8:16:21 PM) Prof: the bottle is knocked from the pedestal!
(8:16:24 PM) Prof: The door slams shut.
(8:16:33 PM) Prof: And the oni starts knocking against it.
(8:16:37 PM) Badge: Hiroshi backs away from the door, watching it with a tense hope.  Did it...
(8:16:45 PM) Prof: then, even more ominiously...
(8:16:47 PM) Prof: it stops.
(8:17:00 PM) Wighty: Palom glances back at the door leading to the North room in horror.
(8:17:33 PM) Wighty: "G-Good job... You do have the key, right?"
(8:17:39 PM) Badge: Hiroshi pants.  This is no time to gloat.  He pulls the key out from his pocket.  "Yeah."
(8:17:52 PM) Lisa: Danny: So is it...just standing around in there now?
(8:18:04 PM) Badge: Hiroshi:  I doubt it.  Let's hurry.
(8:18:05 PM) Wighty: Palom: No, it's probably coming back around the same way!  Hurry up!
(8:18:09 PM) Dani: Kousuke: Can we just get through the door instead of talking?!
(8:18:15 PM) Badge: He heads over to the east door to unlock it.
(8:18:19 PM) Prof: The key works!
(8:18:25 PM) Prof: Behind it is some kind of earthen tunnel.
(8:18:32 PM) Prof: And you can hear the oni getting closer again.
(8:18:41 PM) Badge: "MOVE!"
(8:18:51 PM) Badge: He motions for the others to go ahead.
(8:18:57 PM) Dani: Kousuke does not need to be asked twice! He's running for it.
(8:19:02 PM) Prof: As you turn a corner, you see two things!
(8:19:06 PM) Wighty: Palom is in right behind Kousuke.
(8:19:17 PM) Lisa: Danny rushes in alog with the others.
(8:19:19 PM) Prof: the first, and closer, thing is what appears tob e some kind of upward opening in the tunnel, with a rope ladder dangling from it.
(8:19:23 PM) Prof: The second, beyond that...
(8:19:26 PM) Prof: is another oni.
(8:19:35 PM) Badge: Hiroshi follows behind, and -- oh, son of a BITCH.
(8:19:37 PM) Dani: Kousuke: SHIT.
(8:19:48 PM) Prof: This one has long, greasy hair, no legs, six arms, and the same horrible face.
(8:19:58 PM) Prof: It starts crawling towards the party like some kind of dreadful blue spider.
(8:20:41 PM) Wighty: Palom screams.  Instead of throwing a fireball, this time, though, he'll try to freeze its legs solid.  Not that it'll work either.
(8:20:55 PM) Dani: Kousuke pauses for all of a split second before running to the rope. Dammit, if he can make it before the oni--!
(8:21:00 PM) Lisa: Danny: forget fighting it, just run!
(8:21:04 PM) Prof: It doesn't have any legs! But those arms are pretty leg-ish.
(8:21:10 PM) Prof: He might have slowed it down a bit, it's hard to tell.
(8:21:17 PM) Prof: And the other oni is gaining fast from behind you!
(8:21:19 PM) Badge: Hiroshi runs, grabbing Palom as he does and darting towards the ladder.  He boosts him up over him.
(8:21:56 PM) Prof: Kousuke makes it to the ladder first, followed by Danny, then Palom, then Hiroshi!
(8:22:11 PM) Prof: You can see stars up above!
(8:22:18 PM) Wighty: Palom's legs are feeling rather rubbery, but he'll try to climb as fast as he can.
(8:22:24 PM) Prof: The two oni reach the bottom of the well at the same time.
(8:22:27 PM) Lisa: Danny: We're almost out!!
(8:22:38 PM) Prof: the first one grabs the bottom of the ladder and starts shaking it, trying to make you fall.
(8:22:40 PM) Dani: Almost almost almost... Kousuke is climbing faster than he has ever climbed.
(8:22:54 PM) Prof: Meanwhile, the second one just starts digging its fingers into the walls and slowly climbing up.
(8:23:04 PM) Badge: Hiroshi yells in fear, grabbing the ladder as tightly as he can, then continuing his ascent.  Up up up up up...
(8:23:12 PM) Prof: CAN YOU MAKE IT...
(8:23:13 PM) Lisa: Danny gives up on climbing altogether and flies up fast as he can. Maybe if he can get up fast enough, he can help the others get out quicker!
(8:23:14 PM) Wighty: Further incentive to climb faster!  ...Sadly, he may impede Hiroshi a little as he shakily does his best.
(8:23:20 PM) Prof: Danny reaches the top!
(8:23:22 PM) Prof: Then Kousuke!
(8:23:25 PM) Prof: Just two left!
(8:23:48 PM) Lisa: Danny floats at the ready at the top, offering a hand to whoever will come up first. "I can pull you up!"
(8:23:59 PM) Prof: Palom's first!
(8:24:15 PM) Dani: Kousuke looks for something to shut up the hole with.
(8:24:19 PM) Badge: Hiroshi focuses on climbing.  Just climbing.  He's nearly at the top...
(8:24:31 PM) Prof: Palom's out, Hiroshi's almost there--
(8:24:35 PM) Prof: the ladder breaks.
(8:24:38 PM) Prof: CAN SOMEONE GRAB HIM?
(8:24:59 PM) Lisa: Danny freezes for a moment, but then dives in, arms still outstretched to grab someone.
(8:25:05 PM) Wighty: Palom... just screams again.  This time, it's his roommate's name, though.
(8:25:09 PM) Prof: It's a last-minute rescue!
(8:25:27 PM) Badge: You know, the sad thing about moments like these in a place like this, is that there isn't much of a life to flash in front of you -- and then, a hand around his wrist.
(8:25:49 PM) Prof: You're all out!
(8:25:55 PM) Prof: Gonna hang around, or what?
(8:26:14 PM) Badge: Like.  Hell.
(8:26:18 PM) Lisa: Danny wants to stand, catch his breath, and never do that again, but first. "Is it--is it closed? Are they gonna follow us?!"
(8:26:32 PM) Wighty: Palom will stop screaming long enough to create a icicle just the size of the opening, ram it in, and start running.
(8:26:36 PM) Dani: Kousuke: You want to stick around to find out?
(8:26:44 PM) Lisa: Danny: ...that works!
(8:27:10 PM) Lisa: Danny is going to get the hell out of here. He'll start running, but switch to flying to give himself a speed boost.
(8:27:13 PM) Prof: They...
(8:27:14 PM) Badge: Hiroshi runs.  Away, away... get away...
(8:27:20 PM) Prof: don't seem to be following you.
(8:27:21 PM) Dani: Kousuke finds Palom's plan agreeable enough to follow suit. Running running running
(8:27:22 PM) Prof: You made it.
(8:27:31 PM) Lisa: Danny looks behind to see if they're coming, but...coast clear.
(8:27:35 PM) Prof: Finally, a message from AG!
(8:27:42 PM) Lisa: Danny slows down a bit and then lets out a sigh of relief.
(8:27:45 PM) Prof: AG: "Congratul8tions! To the victors go the spoils."
(8:27:46 PM) Prof: [arachnidsGrip (AG) ceased trolling Flarp party (4 users)]
(8:28:03 PM) Prof: MISSION COMPLETE
(8:28:05 PM) Dani: Kousuke: Were you trying to kill u--
(8:28:09 PM) Dani: Kousuke: ...Damn.
(8:28:18 PM) Prof: [3% Anemoi for each of you]
(8:28:19 PM) Lisa: Danny: oh my god.
(8:28:32 PM) Lisa: Danny: I never want to do that again.
(8:28:44 PM) Badge: Hiroshi stares at the PDA, a while longer.  And then... falls to his knees, mentally and physically exhausted.  The escape, and the memory...
(8:28:50 PM) Dani: Kousuke: Screw that. It's not worth the memories.
(8:28:52 PM) Lisa: He leans over and rests his hands on his knees and pants. Not so much from physical exhaustion as the constant fear.
(8:29:02 PM) Wighty: Palom seems to have lost the ability to form coherent words, and collapses when everyone else does.
(8:30:01 PM) Dani: Kousuke has somehow managed to stay on his feet! And on them he will stay, since as far as he's concerned, he is done. No more oni crap for him.
(8:30:17 PM) Dani: "Later." And with that, he leaves.
(8:31:43 PM) Wighty: After a little while, he crawls towards Hiroshi.
(8:32:18 PM) Wighty: And wordlessly hands him a large handful of the anemoi he found at the start before shakily standing up to go as well.
(8:32:36 PM) Badge: Hiroshi, for the time being, seems to have had his usual facade crack.  The handful of anemoi is the only thing that gets him to stop staring at the ground.
(8:32:44 PM) Lisa: When Dany has calmed down, he stands up and then starts floating a few inches off the ground, not sure his legs are strong enough to support him much longer.