apocalypsehowcomm | Event - Appalachia: Into the Pines

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Event - Appalachia: Into the Pines

Appalachia: Into the Pines

Footage plays on the television as a new story comes on, showing a series of sweeping vistas, intercut with clips of wolves that have clearly been filmed at some local wildlife sanctuary. "As far as anyone knows it, the last wolf to ever freely roam the Allegheny Mountains was slain in West Virginia in 1897. Daniel Stoffer Hamrick saw to the beast's passing, and the woods in our part of the world have gone quieter ever since. Appalachia does not forget its history, though. It buries it beneath coal and flyash, debts and white powder and pills. And the blood of people taken before their time, by the mines, by the mountain, by things we don't have names for, just hurt. But Appalachia does not forget.

"This is Cindy Parsons with Channel 5, Wolf News." Footage cuts to a newscaster standing outside a gated apartment complex with FYRE's logo emblazoned on it. "As we know, our beloved Wolf Pen is home to one of the biggest FYRE worker housing complexes in Wyoming County. It is a monument to the history of our town, and this week, we'll be on the lookout for visitors from all over the country, coming to see the grand re-opening of the historic Bluestone Mine as a museum."

Footage cuts to a nondescript businessman, identified by the news footage as Carl Watts, CEO of FYRE. He's smiling blandly as he stands at a podium and gestures to the entrance of the mining tunnel behind him. "The Wolf Pen community has been a partner to us for decades now, and we knew it was finally time to give something back to all y’all. We'll have our soft opening on Monday with a full Rumble Down Under party in the old mines scheduled for June 15th. We'll have a live bluegrass concert and anticipate a huge influx of tourists to the area to help out our neighbors itching for a few more pocketbooks to tend to." A wink.

The footage returns to Cindy. "FYRE has stated that this new museum will provide an educational tool and tourist attraction for those wanting to learn about West Virginia, Wolf Pen, and the hard-working men and women who have made this beautiful part of our nation their home. Time will tell. Time is always telling when it comes to the promises of people who have used our land and our bodies to line their pocketbooks. They fill our blood and our lungs with black tar and-"

Cindy cuts out and is replaced by in-studio anchors. "Thank you, Cindy!" a blonde woman says, smile just a little strained. "I think we're all looking forward to seeing the big opening by FYRE on Sunday and that rocking good party next month. It should be a gneiss one! Now to Tim with the weather. Tim?"

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[Well, that certainly isn't a suggestion or request. Hunter still nods though and starts to head into the trees, since it isn't a bad idea.]

It's a good idea to do some reconnaissance. We might be able to track those things to confirm they aren't coming near the town, or at least the hotel.

[Since the hotel is Hunter's first priority.

Flapjack flutters off Hunter's shoulder and starts flying from branch to branch, trying to peer through the darkness to find any evidence of the creatures. Hunter follows after him, glancing over at Hickey.]

What was it you thought these were? Tuunbaq?

[ Hickey follows Hunter, keeping an eye on everything as he does so. He doesn't want to be taken by surprise, not when who knows what the situation might entail.

At the question, though, Hickey nods. ]

Tuunbaq. It's something from where I'm from—a god in the shape of a bear. Nasty thing, bigger than any bear I've seen. It's mean and spiteful, smart as a whip, and can suck out a man's soul.

A god. [Can you hear the derision in his voice, Hickey? Can you? Hunter is even snorting for good measure.] I seriously doubt a god would ever make itself look like a bear and run around in the trees like this.

[He pauses, then stoops to examine some crushed plantlife on the ground. It's dark and hard to see, but it looks like something big stepped on it.]

You say that, but I heard something in those mines, [ he points out, eyes scanning the horizon. Hunter's focused on the ground, Hickey's focused on the treeline, making sure that if there's something coming at them, he sees it first. ]

That voice could be a god. Or it could be something else. We don't know anything about this place.

It could have been a fake, it wouldn't be the first time I've seen people deceived by something they found in a mine.

[Honestly, it's weird that it seems to have happened twice now.

Hunter stands back up, follow the crushed plant life further into the woods.]

You haven't heard anything from the local residents, have you?

I haven't, [ he admits. ] But there's something in the mines. I don't know what, but I know it's something.

[ And it's something he wants to learn about. Christ, how he wants to learn about all the different things in this world. All the monsters, the madness, all that and more. ]

It spoke to me.

[Note to self: check out the mines for supposed gods. It's likely another fool's blood situation, so Hunter isn't concerned about running into an actual god, though he does glance over at Hickey.]

What did it say?

It sang at me, [ he admits. ] It sang at me, telling me to go further down in the mine. Everything went dark and it felt like I was going to be swallowed up.

[Well, that's unsettling. Hunter being Hunter, he tries to rationalize Hickey's description.]

That sounds like someone or something was using bardic magic. Bard use soundwaves to cast spells, either by playing an instrument or singing. [So that's the most likely explanation.] What happened after that?

It stopped. Just as suddenly as it started. And there's the kid who was showing me around, looking at me like there was something wrong.

[ Which, yeah, there was, but he doesn't have to be stared at like that. ]

I want to go back there, [ he admits. ] I want to see what's down there with my own eyes.

[That all sounds pretty strange. Hunter can understand why Hickey would want to go back there, if only to sate his curiosity.

He opens his mouth to ask more, but there's a low rumbling - an inhuman rumbling - coming from their left, further into the trees. Hunter freezes and Flapjack immediately flutters back to him.]

I think we found something.

[ Hickey reaches into his pocket and pulls out a knife. It won't do much against something big, but he holds it like he knows how to use it. And honestly, he'll take any help he can get to give himself a fighting chance. ]

Want to find it or want it to find us? [ he asks, keeping his voice low. Because as far as he's concerned, he and Hunter are in this together at the moment. ]

[Hunter really wishes he had his artificial staff. He isn't a fan of using Flapjack so openly - not because he has anything to hide, it's just safer for the little bird if they're both cautious - but he doesn't have any other weapon on himself. There's also that small hiccup of him not being able to use magic, but when he glances over at Hickey and sees that pitifully small knife....

Right. He doesn't want to die here and he doesn't want to be responsible for anyone else's death, so with a shimmer Flapjack shifts to his staff mid-air and Hunter catches him.]

We have a better chance of surviving if we find it first.

[He doesn't have all that much magic in his reserves, so he'll have to use it sparingly. That doesn't stop him from cautiously stepping in the direction of the rumbling, keeping his footsteps quiet.]

[ Hey, this pitifully small knife is perfectly fine for stabbing ~~annoying lieutenants~~ things that are smaller than a murderous bear.

But as Hunter starts to walk in the direction of the rumbling, Hickey follows as well, keeping his footsteps as quiet as possible. They're of the same mind on this: it would be best to be quiet. But he can't help it: there's a glimmer of interest in his eyes as he walks towards the rumbling. He really wants this to be what he hopes it is. ]

[The creature is certainly something. It isn't quite a tuunbaq, not quite a slitherbeast, but something white-furred with aspects of both. Huzzah, they're both right!

Oh no, they're both right.

It's big and mean looking, with too many pointy teeth that would be great at crunching down on human or witch bones. Hunter stops when it comes into view, watching it root around in the dirt for a few moments, formulating a plan in his mind based on what he knows about humans and his own low magic reserves. There's no way they can take that thing head on.]

Get ready.

[He's saying that quietly before suddenly banging his heel against a nearby tree. The noise is enough to get the creature's attention, its head snaps up and it only takes a beat before it turns and charges towards them.

And then in a flash of gold Hunter is suddenly gone. Have fun, Hickey!]

[ Hickey takes a stance, ready to fight. Because yeah, he also knows there's no way they can take that thing head on. But maybe with the two of them, if they both work together then perhaps—

—oh goddammit where did that kid go.

Hickey only manages to get out a loud and annoyed, ] You little shit! [ before the creature lunges at him. He manages to get a few hits in with his knife. It's small, but Hickey knows how to use it. Unfortunately, the creature will obviously win this fight and Hickey lets out a sharp yelp of pain as he feels teeth and claws dig into his stomach. ]

[Hunter's timing is off.

Normally, it would be impeccable. He didn't train for years, day in and day out, for it not to be. But the combination of using wild magic (something he's still getting used to, since any training with Flapjack has to be done in secret, away from the eyes of his uncle) and his incredibly low reserves means that his teleportation strategy is knocked off-balance. He means to reappear before Hickey can get hurt but this one jump is draining what little magic Flapjack has built up, and so he doesn't until the creature's claws are sunk into Hickey's flesh.

But he does reappear, at least! There's another flicker of gold and Hunter is suddenly several feet above the creature's head, bringing down onto it the butt of his staff and his full weight via the heels of his boots. He slams into it and the thing yowls, stunned, and Hunter scrambles to fall sideways onto the ground and into a roll, so that he doesn't break anything.]

[ Hickey has a few good points. One of them is that he's surprisingly focused when dealing with quite a lot of pain. He can feel himself start to bleed but he keeps himself close to the creature. And when it's distracted, when Hunter's boots are connecting with the thing's head, Hickey thrusts his knife into the thing's chest, in and out, as quickly and rapidly as possible, trying to get as much damage in as short a time as he can.

He's not saying anything. But there's pure and simple fury in his movements as he tries to just stab the shit out of this thing. ]

[Hunter is very quick to scramble to his feet, clutching his staff. He doesn't have much in the way of magic left, but he's still capable in a fight, and apparently Hickey is too. The guy gets points for facing down the creature and continuing to attack it. He might only have a small knife but he definitely knows how to use it.

He watches as the creature roars in pain, staggering back as blood pours from its new wounds. That looks like an opening to him, so he darts over to Hickey, grabbing his unarmed wrist.]

Let's go!

[ Hickey staggers to his feet, still very much bleeding at this point, and lets out a small yelp as Hunter grabs his wrist. There's a brief moment where it looks like he's going to stab Hunter instead but he realizes that's the kid, not the bear, and he starts to run. ]

Keep going! [ he calls out. ] Don't check to see if it's behind you, just run.

[Just as quickly as Hunter grabs Hickey he lets go, both because he's gotten his attention and because that look in his eyes likely means he needs to stay out of stabbing range. That's easy enough to accomplish, though, as he nods and starts running. They should have a good headstart on that monster, though booking it through the trees isn't the easiest thing to do. He's hating not having enough magic for Flapjack to go back into staff form so they can fly out of there.

Thankfully, that closed-in feeling of the trees lets up as soon as they get far enough away from the creature. Its roars echo through the trees, but it's growing fainter.]

[ When they're far enough away from it, Hickey stops to catch his breath. He pants for a moment, putting his hand up to his wounded chest...that is not wounded anymore. Those wounds have faded. ]

You saw that, right? That thing got a few good hits on me.

[ And yet here he is. Unwounded. ]

[Hunter stops when Hickey does, his staff shifting back into a little bird that flutters over and flops onto his head. He leans back against a tree, glancing around to make sure they aren't followed.]

I did. [He straightens up, turning to give Hickey a longer once over.] You don't even look scratched. That thing had felt solid when I landed on it, so it couldn't have been only an illusion. How real did its attack feel?

Real as anything I've felt, [ Hickey nods, frowning slightly. That's what weirds him out the most about this. It felt real. Everything about this felt real. And yet, obviously, it wasn't. ]

Stung like a bitch. The only reason I managed to hang on was because I've got experience dealing with things like...that.

[Experience, huh? That helps quite a bit, it means Hickey has a bit more knowledge in describing the attack.]

What do you mean? Did that tuunbaq attack you? Or some other creature? [He doubts those claws could be compared to an attack by a human.]

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