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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 20:45:54 GMT -6
((Note: I don’t know what a ‘good’ post is, so please let me know if I need to rewrite these. XD)) Wearing: Name: Mouse Level: 4.0 Loyalty: 2.0 Stamina: 2 Strength: 3 Resistance: 2 Dexterity: 3 Mentality: 0 Special Abilities: None Moves: Crunch The introduction of Mouse to the rest of the Sentinels had gone less…pleasantly than she hoped. She held his stiff body in her arms as she walked out at the end of her shift, her armor having done as little to protect her against the verbal barbs as the seeker’s skin failed to protect him against the stronger custom. The healer had fixed him, with a half-joke that a common seeker likely was not what was needed as a Sentinel, and Alma had sat seething at a desk filled with paperwork while Mouse spent the last few hours trying to scrape the muzzle off his mouth. He was not particularly rare, no, and neither would he ever reach the strength of one of tougher species the labs had released, but- Alma sighed, placing the seeker on the snowy ground. His muscles thawed almost immediately, failed to refreeze as he lunged at a passing snowflake, booping it with the metal basket holding his jaws shut. “At least,” was all she got out before his red eyes turned to her, kicking off with four stubby legs only to freeze in the air much like the snow around him. With another sigh, Alma scooped the frozen seeker up. “Hope the amulet doesn’t damage you.” Not that it would be very difficult to get a new seeker, maybe even a pinkmuzzle so that her pricey pet didn’t have to spend the majority of its life as a statue. 1
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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 20:47:28 GMT -6
The quest board caught her eye as she passed it, and she stopped to see what jobs had opened up recently, stomping her way through clumps of snow that had yet to be salted or shoveled. Perhaps even another mousing job, or some other vermin extermination that would let Mouse tire himself out in the bloody way he liked.
But the papers held little interest. There were wishes for folks to have a good holiday, “Nice thought, even if not what the board is meant for,” Alma grumbled, things asking for toys to be donated, a usual assortment of job openings and so on. Nothing about hunting mice, the little rodents likely getting snapped up as their homes were invaded by predators who were meant to live there. She paused as she read one of the fancier ones, written in swirling text that made it a bit more difficult to read, and admired the little drawings of toys. “Might see about picking up some of these later,” she told the seeker, holding him tightly to her chest armor as though to keep him from freezing. And was it her imagination, or had his legs twitched?
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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 20:48:24 GMT -6
Alma walked quickly through the cold breeze, feeling it slip under her gloves and sinking into the gaps of her armor. Hard to wear a lot of warm clothing when the plate was already molded to fit over a much lesser amount of clothing. She had put the seeker on the ground, dragging him over shoveled dirt as he sought to kill every snowflake that dared float by him, and was considering picking him up to just sprint for the kennels when she recognized the address of the nearest building.
Contrary to the note on the board, with its fancy letters and classy artwork, the building was a squat, blank thing with hundreds of new footprints having trampled the snow in front of it. No sign nor window broke the blank gray surface, only the iron-wrought numbers addressing it in a single line at the door. Alma hesitated, wondered if she should go in just for a quick warm up and maybe to buy a toy, then a young man burst through the door with a scream. 3
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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 20:49:14 GMT -6
Alma stepped away with a shout of her own, yanking back her fist as the seeker tried to rush the man. Mouse reached the end of the chain in a heartbeat, his momentum sending his hind quarters swinging to the front as the chain held.
The man paid no attention to either of them, slamming the door shut on a cacophony of noise, then beating at his burning sweater with more wordless exclamations, his hand a shiny, cracked mess as the flames finally died.
Before Alma could do anything else, he seemed to recognize her, the uniform at least, and his face broke out into a broad grin that was at odds with how he cradled his claw-bent hand.
A couple of minutes later, they had established a few things. One, the factory, not a shop as Alma had first thought of it as, had become a death trap that needed to be shut down ten minutes ago. Two, Alma was not here as an on duty Sentinel officer, and was in no way compelled to assist him beyond pointing down the road to where he could find one of the offices. Three, the most important point, he was more than willing to pay in quest points and possibly something special thrown in.
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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 20:50:26 GMT -6
As to what the special thing was, the man refused to say, only hinting that it would be something amazing and rare. Alma had spent a good ten seconds considering it. The quest points he offered were tempting enough alone, especially as the job only required her to run in and slap a big red button down. Or they would have been if not for that brief sight of the factory she had seen when he had barreled out into the snow, choosing to slam the door shut over dealing with the flames licking up his clothing immediately.
“Alright.” That was all she said before looking down at the seeker, Mouse shivering behind her in the snow as he tried to find some new slack in the chain. “Can’t leave him out here though.”
The man assured her he could look after the seeker, but Alma shook her head. She was not about to hand the stop word over to some lunatic with a murder building. Instead, she crouched beside the seeker, reeling him closer as he shook his head and dug his claws into the snow. When he was close enough, and he realized there was no fleeing, the collar took effect and halted the seeker’s attack. Alma grabbed the frozen seeker, pressed down on the clip holding the muzzle in place, then tossed the basket of icy metal to the man.
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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 20:51:06 GMT -6
“Catch!”
He caught it with his claw-hand, hissing in pain as the metal slipped through his fingers to the floor. While he cradled his hand and glared down at the muzzle, Alma scooped up the seeker and stood up. “Just keep an eye on the muzzle for me. He’ll need it back once we’re out, but I’m not leaving it on while in there.” The man voiced a question, tearing his eyes away from the metal in the snow. “No, he’s just an average seeker. He ain’t damaging anything important.” Then it was her turn to ask a quick question. “Though, how many other people are in there? The board notice had been up for a couple of days if the date was right. Do I need to watch out for other folks?” If that was the case, she’d shove the muzzle back on. She didn’t want the headache of her seeker eating someone’s finger while dealing with the…well, he had been vague on that. Apparently the machines were acting up, and causing the toys to not work right either?
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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 20:51:44 GMT -6
The smile on the man’s face took a decidedly sickly tone, and Alma hugged the seeker tighter to her chest. “I was towards the back of the shop when it started. If anyone else was in there,” he looked over his back to the sealed door and shuddered, “They are not going to be in any shape to fear that little thing.”
Alma took an involuntary step away from the door, and the man swiveled his head back towards her with a forced laugh. “But I’m sure they all got out. Just go in, hit the button, and it will all shut down. With that armor you’ve got on,” he waved his claw hand at her, “I’m sure even the pointiest of our toys will be unable to harm you.” Alma took a deep breath, steadying herself to say something, but the man quickly interrupted again. “I promise, the company will pay you adequately.” He smiled brightly at her, the effect somewhat spoiled by the sweat on his brow and the glazed look coming into his eyes.
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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 20:52:50 GMT -6
She should have left then. If all the people inside were out, if it was as dangerous as he seemed to desperately downplay it being, even a hefty chunk of quest points would not be worth setting foot in the facility. But the secret prize intrigued her, and, well, the Sentinels had a robust revival plan.
“Alright, I’ll go in and hit this button. Just make sure you get my payment ready for when we come back.” Her voice projecting a confidence she could not bring herself to feel, the man’s happy confirmation failing to hide his own relief at her agreement, Alma stepped up to the door and opened it with one free hand. Hearing the man step behind her, she walked quickly into the facility before her nerve could fail.
It failed a second later as the door was slammed shut behind her, the loud click of a lock sealing her in. She whirled around, the seeker growling for an instant in protest as she raised one gloved fist to- what, exactly? Bash the door down? Demand the crazy man out there let her out? 8
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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 20:53:48 GMT -6
And then she would never get the special prize he refused to reveal, she told herself as she shoved aside the thought that her armor could not prevent her from being cooked to death.
Clinging to that thought, Alma put the seeker on the ground, winding the loose chain links around her arm as he unfroze. She turned her back to the locked door with a speed inverse to how little she wanted to do so, and looked at the inside of the hellish factory floor.
She could not see the source of the flames the man had carried out with him, but the inside of the factory was sweltering, sweat already beading under her armor as she tried to pick out where the red button could be between the monstrosities of clanking steel and plastic that filled the place beyond the small entry hallway, streams of white goop filed with sparkling metal chips spilling from the nearest.
The seeker made no move to rush in the space before her, but whether he was frightened by the noise or just frozen from another collar-prevented attack she was not certain. 9
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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 20:54:59 GMT -6
What she could not see was what the machine was doing, the dangerous toys, or even the far wall where the man had promised her was a button to shut down the entire plant. She held the chain tightly with one hand, the other pulling loose a long knife strapped to her waist as she dragged the unwilling seeker, not that she was anymore willing at that point, into the noise.
The first thing she found as she entered the main floor was just what a magical toy factory smelled like. The white stuff was rancid, and she could see it spraying from hoses at metal drills that jerked downward to dance around slabs of metal laying on the table of the machine. A crate nearby was filled with the same shiny metal, each now a metal donut of a wheel. Alma moved away from it quickly as the pitch of the grinding metal rose to a shriek, the drill-thing jerking through the metal to send large chips sailing through the air, several sharp pieces lodging themselves into the leather encircling her upraised arms. 10
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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 20:56:10 GMT -6
The seeker did not complain at the sudden jerk as he was lifted into the air, his eyes tracking some small shape scurrying nearby as his claws tapped against the cement floor. He remembered the mice, knew them to be better prey than the big one that dragged him, but he found his claws sliding away from the prey as the big one dragged him away.
“Don’t trust magic,” Alma muttered to the seeker, her words lost in the noise of the shop. Her head was swiveling back and forth as she tried to avoid moving too close to either side of the machines. Here was one with needles like teeth, dipping down into a reddened mess that revealed her patron had not been the last one left inside. There was one with blades and arms, cutting into pieces what appeared to be badly boiled leather, and another that blew sweet-smelling steam as she neared it, a frothy mess of white foam erupting from a series of copper tubs. Was it her imagination, or was one of them a bit pink?
Alma gave those two a wide berth, slipping around a pile of sealed crates instead. 11
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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 21:00:11 GMT -6
The seeker had been busy watching the little things scurrying around him, his interest in trying to take down the big one dropping to only the most basic of snaps in her direction. These things scurried and flashed through the shadows of the machines, some with skin like that of the machines they hid under, others covered in all shades and patterns of fur with eyes that glinted, unblinking, in the light. None of them ever came close enough for him to snap up, and their numbers kept him from darting into the shadows to chase them.
Alma had almost found her way to the back twice, a large cart piled with nailed shut crates blocking her way both times.
The third time it happened, Alma glared at the pile of boxes. “What is this Chaos-tainted workshop!” Alma snarled as she looked at the cart from several meters away, picking out the a crate that had a suspiciously similar half-worn out sticker as the first. The crates were oil-stained, shimmering iridescently under the swaying lights above it-
The walls had been solid concrete, hadn’t they? Where was the air coming from to send them swaying?
Alma backed away from the cart slowly, glancing up at the shapes twitching behind the light. 12
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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 21:00:53 GMT -6
He saw one of the things.
Well, he had seen many of the things scurrying and hopping across the ground, ducking into curtains and clambering onto machines as he was dragged along by the big one. But this one was the first thing that came out of the shadows while the big one paused to lean against a blank wall, looking up at the lights and the machines. He alone saw the thing that emerged from behind the crate nearest to them, his red eyes meeting the red eyes of the creature, opening his mouth in an unheard growl as the thing stalked closer.
It was black-skinned, a geometric pattern of blue glowing symmetrically on its sides as it stalked closer. It had fangs like his, the mouth open to reveal the pink fabric stitched inside as it drew closer. It was leaner than him, the body smaller with longer legs, but it looked enough like him that he knew it to be another seeker. Confused, his growl shifted to a hiss.
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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 21:02:03 GMT -6
“I hate this place, Mouse. Damned carts keep popping up, only way around them is over them or through one of those machines,” Alma spat, “and I’m not interested in getting eaten by a hunk of metal.” She wanted to inhale deeply to sigh, but could only manage shallow breaths as the smell of rotten coolant and metal and stench of who knew what cycled through the air. “Damned reward better be a good one. Maybe it’ll be a fancy ‘lung or somethin’.” Alma held the leash tightly, looking down her current path where a cart, the sticker the same as the other ones, had inched to. “Really don’t wanna go through whatever’s pushing those things around.”
The other seeker came closer, light glinting on its black hide, revealing the oddly straight corners of its body. It paused a few feet away, head dropping to just below its shoulder blades. The onyx seeker tensed, unsure what to do. It was the first seeker he had seen for as long as he could recall, and his instincts warred within him. 14
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Post by Alma on Jan 1, 2022 21:03:07 GMT -6
A pack to join? Somehow he knew the blue ones were more vicious, more deadly. He should run, he should lay on the floor and show submission, he should fight to show he was not easy prey and worth joining whatever pack this other was from. He stepped back as it drew closer, tensing and relaxing the muscles of his legs.
It charged, glinting jaws aiming at the ankle of the big one, completely ignoring him. At that instant, his instincts sorted themselves out, screaming that this was an intruder, a challenger, and he leapt forward with a squeak-screech that could be heard over the banging of the machines. Startled by the sound as much as the sudden pull against her arm, Alma yanked on the leash as she danced in place to keep standing, something heavy scraping against her boots as it bashed its way past.
Alma recognized it for being the smallest ancient seeker she had ever seen, the sloppily painted patterns dripping on its sides as it’s box-like head opened to reveal metal teeth showing it to not realize it was just a toy.
An angrily charging toy though. 15
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