Cabin in the Woods

Taiyo quickly pushes through the crowd to get to Euryale.

Taiyo: "Please be okay. Because of you this ordeal was a little more bearable."

Mimiru waits another minute or so before moving from the door, turning around to face it.

"Haven't you people ever shot fire with deodorant before?" Hector said quietly, frowning deeply. Eduj continued to stand next to the door with his knife, and Astarte continued to sit crying on the couch.

Eve:<Maybe it decided we're not worth the effort.>

*Tirea goes over and pats Astarte on the back*

Tirea:<Don't cry, it's going to be ok.>
===
Cameron:<Honestly, I have no idea what that is. But if it's a god, we're royally screwed.>

Astarte shook her head and said nothing, but continued to cry.

R"We're going to go out to the living room & try to do something about...that. Let us know if you need anything, okay?"

*Euryale nods. Roatha turns to leave, but stops & turns around.*

R"I'm sorry, I just...you haven't been struck mute, have you?"

*Euryale shakes her head. She then points to her throat & winces.*

R"Well...okay...get well soon, I guess."
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T"Someone should go find Vanessa, ask if she's seen this thing."

Cameron:<I'll go.>

*Cameron heads to the bathroom to see if Vanessa's still there*
---
*Tirea hugs Astarte*

Tirea:<We're all really scared here...but if we want to get out of here alive we're going to need to be in the best shape possible.>

Astarte tried weakly to return the hug and Hector sat next to them both, running a hand through his hair and sighing, "Come now, Astarte, don't cry, I won't let anything happen to you. Nothing at all."
Eduj stood sentinel by the door, knife in hand, while Stefan lingered in the kitchen.

Azuma leaves the towel and cloth and leaves. Taiyo sits by the bed.

Mimiru: "What the hell happened?"

*Euryale uses the cloth to clean her face, then slumps into the mattress, exhausted. She looks over at Taiyo.*
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R"We were attacked by a monster, quite frankly."

N"There was this shadow figure creepin' in the woods, then that girl tried to brain it, & it laid her out without even moving."

R"It got close enough before we could get inside that we could see its features. There weren't any. It was just a solid black mass."

*He waves the book.*

R"I borrowed this occult book from Euryale, I figure if monsters are real, maybe anti-monster spells are, too."

*He lowers the book & looks at Nero.*

R"That sounds much stupider when I say it out loud, doesn't it?"
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*Vanessa is indeed still sitting in the tub.*

Stefan moved to the doorway of the kitchen and looked out at Roatha and Nero with an expression caught between confusion and anger.

Taiyo stares at Euryale, quite worried and frightened.

Azuma: "Quite. Especially as we probably lack shit needed to cast a spell. Probably also lack things that ward monsters off like salt. In its pure state rather than in the spam."

Eve:<True. But if we can figure out the rules that govern this thing, if there are any, we're much closer to beating it. Did the book mention anything close to what we saw outside?>

*Tirea hugs Astarte tightly*

Tirea:<He's right! No one's going to die.>
---
*Cameron shakes his head then sits on the ground near the tub*

Cameron:<You saw it, didn't you.>

<Yes.>
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N"We could pour the liquid from the beans on the ground, wait for it to evaporate. I'm sure it has a ton of salt."

R"Nah, that won't work. It says here that it has to be an unbroken ring. As for the monster...."

*Roatha flips through the book, then turns it around briefly to show an illustration of a shadow, shaped like a basic humanoid silhouette, before turning it back & reading.*

R"'Shadow Men are variously reported by all known belief systems. Sometimes believed to be departed souls, they are usually attributed to more specific phenomena. In Christianity, they are believed to be manifestations of demons. Islam considers them to be a form of Djinn. Some Native American traditions have linked them to the Trickster God, Raven. Similarly, some New Age traditions link them to malicious magic-users or curses resulting from dark magic. Though they are associated with disappearances & disasters, & almost always considered malevolent, they have some followers who claim to be protected by them.'"
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*Euryale grabs Taiyo's hand with her own, forcing a weak smile. She then points at the towel with the other hand.*

Cameron:<What can you tell us about it?>
---
Eve:<I doubt we could kill a soul with weapons. Does it say anything about any weaknesses?>

[I can't believe I'm actually considering the very idea that something paranormal could exist.]

"Why would a Demon be here?" Stefan whispered, mostly to himself. "What have I-... No, what have they done? Why am I with them? This is a bad dream, or something, I should be in the light..."
As Stefan trailed off, Hector sat in sullen silence and Astarte returned Tirea's hug, burying her face in her shoulder.

*Roatha looks up while Nero points at Stefan.*

R"I just read the whole damn thing, what more do you want from me?"

N"Does Nancyboy know that we can hear him?"
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*Vanessa just glares at him.*

"What's wrong with you, Nero?" Hector spoke up. "He's scared. Obviously. If anybody here isn't scared of what might be out there, they're fools. He's just not taking it--"
"Shut up!" Stefan snapped and stormed back to a room, flinging the door open and closed.
Astarte sobbed.

Eve:<Everyone needs to calm down. If that's all the book says, it'll be harder, but we still have to try and find any weaknesses we can.>

*Eve turns to Roatha*

<I'm not into religion, or the paranormal, but aren't dark things supposed weak to salt and silver?>

*Tirea pats Astarte on the back*

Tirea:<Don't cry.>
---
Cameron:<Do you want to live?>

R"Neither of which we have."

T"Silverware isn't actually made of silver. It's usually stainless steel."

*Roatha flips some more pages.*

R"I guess we could try to do a basic, cheapo blessing. We've got water. That's about the best we can do."

N"Our real concern should be Nancyboy sacrificing us in the middle of the night to a goddamn shadowmonster. You heard the book, it protects its followers."
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*Vanessa continues to glare at him.*

V"...The only way to live is to get out of the forest."

"What should we do if all of this fails?" Hector asked. "If none of this occult stuff works, and that thing gets in here, do we all try killing it with our hands and knives? Do we just run?"
Astarte's crying ceased after a few more quiet sobs and whimpers, but she remained hugging Tirea tightly and with her head buried in her shoulder.

Eve:<If it can enter. This may sound really stupid, but if I recall some myths state that creatures have to be invited in before they can enter a dwelling.>

Monu:<If it gets in here, we'll have to try and kill it. And if anyone's sacrificing anyone, I'm sacrificing you all to this thing.>

*Monu smiles and laughs, making it clear he's only joking. Tirea continues at pat Astarte on the back while hugging her*

Tirea:<See, it's going to be alright.>
---
Cameron:<Very true. But to get out of this forest, we need to know what we're dealing with here.>

*She just continues to glare at him.*
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R"We can't run. We can't leave Euryale behind."

N"Okay, you do that. I'm not fighting a monster I can't beat to save some dead weight who can't be saved."

T"Enough! Right now, we have to focus on making sure everyone is safe. If we do that right, nothing will get in here in the first place."

*Cameron stares right back*

<I understand you don't like us, you probably hate us, but no one can survive alone. If you want to get out, you're going to have to work together with the rest of us.>
---
Eve:<If we did run, we'd probably get lost in the forest, and that thing could pick us off at his leisure. Until we know how to get out of the forest, I think we should focus on trying to figure out how to stop the creature.>

"Well, is there anything I could do?" Hector asked. "I don't believe in this occult business, but I don't want to sit around and watch everyone else do the work."

Meanwhile, Stefan was on his knees by the side of his shared bed. He had taken the golden cross from around his neck and held it clasped between his hands before his face as he muttered prayers and pleas into the dark.

<No. That will just get me killed with the rest of you losers. I just have to be better than all of you. Now go away.>
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T"Well, there's nothing to barricade the doors or windows with. And it's too early to check up on..."

*She digs out the roster they retrieved from the beginning & skims through it.*

T"...Euryale. So all we really have to go on is the blessing plan."

R"We need Euryale for it. She's the closest thing to a devout expert that we have."