First Reply The Haunting

[Valery Noble]

The Mansion

​

Outfit: Vampire Costume
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Jenn Kryze Irwin Vuull

"Hey... you back with us?" Her voice was softer when she asked him that, and devoid of any desires to tease him or make fun of the situation they were in. She could tell that something had been pulling away at his being, and it was worrying to her. But when she realized why he had snapped out of it and resisted it so decisively, Valery couldn't stop herself from blushing. With rosy cheeks, she turned around and tried to hide it, but she was clearly a bit flustered.

"We're safe now, but I was attacked and something just tried to possess my husband," Valery said, unable to hide the worry in her voice. "The two of us can deal with these types of threats, depending on what exactly it is. But it's not easy to figure out, and there's one big risk — there are a lot of other people here who can't defend themselves." What if others had been possessed? Or worse, if they were killed?

"Love, should we try and go through the other guest rooms, maybe?" Valery asked before she blinked and paused, "Oh and Jenn? Did you hear anything from the other guy who was with us earlier?"

...
As fast as he could, Irwin turned and ran away from the skeleton, the music and the haunting place he had just entered. The further into the darkness he went, the fainter it became, but no matter how far he ran, it never truly disappeared. Even as darkness suddenly transitioned into a hallway withing the mansion, he could still faintly hear that music playing in the back of his mind. He had escaped whatever place he was in, but it was calling him back.

He was safe, for now.

Looking around, Irwin would find himself close to the staircase leading down into the lobby, and if he listened closely, he'd hear a few familiar voices. Valery, Kahlil, and Jenn were all down there.

But even with other people nearby again, would he feel safe?

"Kill them."​

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

LOCATION: The Mansion, Main Lobby
Objective: Link up with the Nobles
Equipment: Has claws and is not afraid to use them!
Tags: [ Valery Noble Kahlil Noble Irwin Vuull ]

"Possessed?"

Well, that was certainly something new. New, and difficult to face, no doubt: how did one resist against possession? Strength of will? Some sort of Jedi technique? Stars, but she hoped the truth lay somewhere closer to the former than the latter. Massaging her temples with her claws, the Ersansyr inhaled deeply through her gills, pouring her efforts into keeping her cool. Valery did mention that she could deal with such supernatural threats, and so could her husband: by sticking close to the pair, she might just avoid having her body hijacked by some nightmarish being from beyond the corporeal world.

Valery's question, however, brought her attention towards the rather eerie implication of how quiet the main lobby proved to be: only the three of them had made it down. Surely, the other guests must have heard the commotion! Why would they remain silent? Were they even still alive? Perhaps locked in a trance of sort?

"Irwin? I haven't heard a peep from him - on the comms or in person. Or from... anyone else, really. And that can't be good."

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Mm. Spirits, most likely. That's a problem, if they can actually get a host."

Like he'd almost been. He let out a sigh, thankful he had at least had a moment of clarity to get the demon to piss off. And yes, he was still grumbling about that. Attacking Valery or his family was the last thing he'd ever let happen. He glanced briefly over Jenn, mostly because, well, she certainly didn't look human as she had before. Something to talk about another time, likely. Not now.

"Let's go check on them. Any one possessed, I'll handle it."

Valery Noble | Jenn Kryze | Irwin Vuull

 

[Irwin Vuull]

Tags: Jenn Kryze | Kahlil Noble | Valery Noble
Weapons: Blaster

​

Irwin ran as fast as he could, the music seemed to be chasing him. No matter how far he ran the sound would be there. When he stopped to take a breathe he put his hands on his knees and gave out large gasps. Upon blinking, the floor turned from the black abyss to the floor of the upstairs.

The sound of music was gone and he was left in silence. He collapsed to his knees his hands coming up to his face, he was in mental shock, his mind not comprehending what just happened. The sounds of voices snapped him back to attention, bringing his mind back to reality. Looking down at his hands they were a little wet, probably from tears of mental anguish.

Wiping his eyes with his sleeve he stood back up, his eyes would look a little bloodshot on the edges but no puffing or significant discoloration. He looked to where the voices could be heard from down the stairs in the lobby.

Another voice sat at the back of his mind, quieter than the people down stairs but impossible to miss,

"Kill them."

Irwin stood up and walked down the stairs, a sense of relief washing over him as he saw them. Though as he spotted them, the voice returned slightly louder this time, but still very quiet.

"Kill them."

 

[Valery Noble]

The Mansion

​

Outfit: Vampire Costume
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Jenn Kryze Irwin Vuull

Her eyes turned to Kahlil, who explained that they were likely dealing with spirits of some kind. Just the thought of something like that taking him over sent a shiver down her spine. But... he wasn't so easily messed with, especially not when something tried to turn him against his own family.

Reaching for his hand, Valery quickly squeezed it and refocused on Jenn afterwards. There was a lot to figure out and address still, so seeing her having changed wasn't really on her mind that much. Something to explain her husband later.

"I can help you," she then told Kahlil with a faint smile. "Well, actually..." She frowned and hesitated now. She was extremely effective against Sith Spirits, or other corrupted entities. But was that really the case here?

Would she be taking a risk if she were to try and handle it?

"No, you're right. I might not be that useful against these spirits." She nodded to Jenn, then looked at her husband. "I'll leave them to you until it's necessary that I help." With that said, her eyes turned over to the sound of approaching footsteps. Had someone else made it out?

"Irwin? Are you okay?" She asked, as she picked up on his more strained mental state through the look in his eyes.

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

LOCATION: The Mansion, Main Lobby
Objective: Stick together, find the threat, handle it.
Equipment: Has claws and is not afraid to use them!
Tags: [ Valery Noble Kahlil Noble Irwin Vuull ]

"I am afraid such a threat is beyond me - but I will do my best to help you nonetheless."

As ever, the Mandalorian spoke truly: she would be of little help in facing a threat beyond the corporeal world. A Mandokarla could have, but she was no shaman: hers was a voice of certainty, of tangible things she could hammer into shape or assemble into a weapon of sorts. If she could not reach out and feel it, Jenn was entirely clueless as to how to handle it. A shortcoming of hers, to be sure, but it had never really mattered - not before this unexpected and terrifying experience. Not that she would let anything like this stop her from providing assistance to the Nobles in their efforts to sort it all out.

Looking on over to Irwin as he came down the stairs, the Kayatr'ade frowned. Something felt... off about him. Was she about to get a first-hand demonstration of just what possession meant for the unlucky person getting their body hijacked? At least it might be an illuminating experience. Polite as Irwin had been, he was the least likely of the unlikely companions to commit immense damage if something took a hold of him. After all, the thought of the Sword and Shield of the Jedi being overtaken by spirits and chasing Irwin and herself through the Mansion was chilling: neither of them needed weapons to cause some serious damage.

"We've all had odd run-ins, I think. Irwin, get over here, I think we're chatting up a... plan, I suppose?"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"You help more than you know."

If not for her, he likely would've been possessed. He smiled faintly, giving Valery an encouraging thumbs up before looking to Jenn.

"Don't kill the living. Just kill the dead. Easy."

No, no it wasn't. But he wasn't going to stress Jenn out over that. Instead he just smiled and gave her a thumbs up. It'd at least be easier to tell who was alive and who wasn't for them. Ghosts were pretty clearly ghosts. He glanced to Irwin as he heard them approach. Frowned, just a little. Another that had been tormented, then? Multiple spirits. Not just one or two, but many. That wasn't good at all.

The whole place was likely haunted then.

"As much of a plan as we can. Spirits are.. Tricky. Easy to deal with when you can find them, but that's the hard part."

Valery Noble | Irwin Vuull | Jenn Kryze

 

[Irwin Vuull]

Tags: Jenn Kryze | Kahlil Noble | Valery Noble
Weapons: Blaster

Irwin walked down stairs and saw the group. Upon Valery asking him a question he waved dismissively, "I-I'm fine, don't worry about me." His voice was hesitant and he was clearly a little distraught.

The voice came back to him in the back of his mind, still quiet.

"Kill them."

Irwin regained focus on the conversation that was being had. Turning to Kahlil he said, "How do fight something that you cannot hurt or kill?"

The idea of ghosts and demons weren't new to Irwin but the existence of them were. He couldn't fathom how one would even start to begin killing or exorcising a demon. Though as long as the voice went away he didn't really care what it took.

"Kill them."

 

[Valery Noble]

The Mansion

​

Outfit: Vampire Costume
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Jenn Kryze Irwin Vuull

Leave it to her husband to still make her feel helpful and appreciated.

The thumbs up and smile were met with a smile of her own, before she dipped her head. They were going to have each other's backs, and make sure that they couldn't be possessed. If either Kahlil or Valery were to be taken over — or worse, both — the people in the Mansion would be in serious trouble. There would be no way to stop them without Jenn, Irwin or someone else trying to kill them.

Which she knew they wouldn't want to do.

"The only way to fight these spirits is to drive them off with the Force, so it's wise to stay close to us," Valery told Irwin, who seemed a little distraught. "For now, let's head up and see what we can do for the other people," Valery added, before she started to lead them back upstairs. The hallway had been very quiet when they last left it, with only the three doors of their rooms being opened.

But as they stepped into the hallway this time, several other doors were open, but with no sign of the guests.

And once more, Irwin would feel that nagging sensation, as something otherworldly clawed at his soul for control. It became far more vivid, but faint enough to remain hidden from the others. Once again, there was a voice, though clearer this time, "Kill her first," it said, as he felt his focus being drawn towards Jenn Kryze .

"She must perish or she'll kill you."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

LOCATION: The Mansion
Objective: Stick together, find the threat, handle it.
Equipment: Has claws and is not afraid to use them!
Tags: [ Valery Noble Kahlil Noble Irwin Vuull ]

How in the Manda am I supposed to kill what's dead?

Rather than venting any ill-placed frustration, she gave but a nod in answer to Kahlil's words. The Nobles could handle the supernatural threat: her knowledge of close quarters combat would allow her to handle any unfortunate soul who found themselves possessed until they could be exorcised. A train of thought she had a hard time believing she was having, yet, here she was.

Following the rest of their odd party of would-be heroes, the Mandalorian felt a shiver run down her spine. Something, or someone, was watching her, and she knew to acknowledge her gut feeling. With several doors now open, but no signs of the occupants within, the Kayatr'ade felt ill at ease, claws at the ready as she followed closely behind the pair of Jedi ahead of her. The anticipation was worse than any sort of confrontation with a demon, spirit, or whatever else the Nobles might call the threat lurking within the Mansion: she could scarcely remember a time when she had been so... on edge before.

Pride heals quicker for the victor. Are you not a warrior?

What is honor to a decisive victory?
​

They are distracted. Kill them. Kill them, and save your people.
​

Whatever those voices were, they knew her fear, her doubts, the thoughts that kept her awake at night. And that terrified her more than anything else. Jenn refused to become a monster, for victory or anything else- but the more she pushed against the idea, the fiercer the voices became, until her hands, covered in scales as they were, flew to her head with a groan. She felt feverish, and even the cool feeling of her scales could do little to help.

"I won't do it - get out of my head!"

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil stayed close to Valery. They were going to be the two who'd help the most, all things considered. Though he did glance to Jenn with concern. Concern that quickly turned to focus as she seemed to start freaking out. He reached up, tracing a rune in the air. Protection. It wasn't much, but it'd seal her mind from the whispers trying to influence it. For now, that was the best he could do.

At least without exhausting himself.

"Breathe. Don't listen to what they say. You'll be fine."

Valery Noble | Irwin Vuull | Jenn Kryze

 

[Irwin Vuull]

Tags: Jenn Kryze | Kahlil Noble | Valery Noble
Weapons: Blaster

Irwin nodded at the instructions while the voice still getting louder in his mind.

"Kill them."

While not at a volume to bother him, it was getting louder with every time it spoke. He was hoping that the situation would dealt with before it drove him to a state of minor insanity and he attempted to get rid of it.

He followed her upstairs to where it seemed empty besides the party, the rooms seemed to be vacant from where they were standing. He suddenly turned at the outburst from Jenn. Another voice came to him, of different dialect and pitch.

"Kill her first,"

It paused for a second and Irwin thought it was gone.

"She must perish or she'll kill you."

This caused him to put a hand to his head, a headache starting to form. All the voices in his head were slowly making him lose it.

"Kill them."

The original voice came back, as loud as the other ones. He realized he was still holding his blaster, and looked at it with sad eyes. He didn't know how long he could handle the extra voices in his mind.

 

[Valery Noble]

The Mansion

​

Outfit: Vampire Costume
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Jenn Kryze Irwin Vuull

"Do you think we should split up or stay close?" Valery asked when she noticed that Kahlil was staying very close to her. "We can both handle these spirits, I think, so we cover more ground if we're not together. But... we also take a bigger risk." The idea of splitting up wasn't actually one she liked. She much preferred staying close to her husband because he'd be able to protect her, and she could protect him.

The wife part of her liked that idea the most. But was it the best option they had?

The sudden outburst behind her drew Valery's attention back to Jenn — was she getting possessed as well? Worry flooded her mind, but Kahlil was quick to act with his runes. Valery's mind had been trained during her time with the Shadows, but it wasn't so easy for her to shield other people. Not without it being extremely demanding if there was a lot of pressure from these spirits on them both.

"Jenn, stay close to us and tell us if you feel or hear anything... off," Valery said, unaware that someone else in their group was suffering from the same whispers. So, with that said, Valery turned back and walked to one of the open doors. She looked inside for a moment, and upon seeing nobody, she decided to walk into the room. Either alone, or with others joining them.

But once more, Irwin would hear the voice.

"Isolate them and kill them. Or you will die. She's already losing her control."​

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

LOCATION: The Mansion
Objective: RESIST. RESIST. RESIST.
Equipment: Has claws and is not afraid to use them!
Tags: [ Valery Noble Kahlil Noble Irwin Vuull ]

Perhaps the most frightening part of the unwholesome impulse she felt was... how the voices were already somewhat winning. Her formidable battle sense could already imagine a scenario in which she merely had to shove her claws into Irwins neck, take his blaster from him whilst he bled out, then fire point blank at one of the two Nobles before they could brandish a lightsaber and make themselves capable of answering her-

No, no, I won't do it-

Kahlil's runes silenced the voices singing to her of glory everlasting as a reward for abject betrayal. The Mandalorian let out a sigh of relief, all too glad to follow Valery's instructions to stay close to the pair. If she went off on her own, she feared she might be overtaken by the voices again- the voices held at bay only through the efforts of a Jedi. The galaxy certainly had a way to make things interesting. Or perhaps this was another test to see if she was deserving of ever returning to the Manda.

"Voices. They wanted me to kill all three of you. I- thank you, Master Jedi." Her voice betrayed a great deal of relief and gratefulness: few fates were worse than one's own will being twisted against them, even more so for a proud warrior like herself, so certain of her actions, trusting in her judgement to do the right thing. So it was that she followed into the room, closely behind the pair.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kill them all, huh?

"More ground doesn't mean much if these voices can overpower people. Stay close, stay together. Sides, people who split up in the horror movies are the first to die usually, right?" The last thing he wanted was anyone to die, but if the spirits were adamant about people killing each other there very well could be a good number of dead bodies to stumble upon. His jaw tightened further as he looked back to Valery.

He still smiled, but he wasn't too happy where this was all leading.

"Let's move quick. All of us."

Valery Noble | Irwin Vuull | Jenn Kryze

 

[Irwin Vuull]

Tags: Jenn Kryze | Kahlil Noble | Valery Noble
Weapons: Blaster

Irwin looked at his blaster once again, the voices in his head getting louder with each yell.

"Kill them."

They caused him to buckle to his knees, close his eyes, and hold his hands up to his ears shaking his head. The voices were just getting so loud and kept insisting that he kill his companions.

Suddenly Irwin felt a falling feeling, he opened his eyes and looked around. The voices had stopped, but he was falling in a dark abyss not able to discern his surroundings. It felt like there was wind pushing up against him with a dread that the non-existent ground was getting ever closer.

Outside of his trapped mind it appeared the demon had taken over. The pounding in his head had finally given the spirit an opening to take hold. In the real world he stood up and opened fire on Jenn. His body had unfound strength but Irwin was not in control.

 

[Valery Noble]

The Mansion

​

Outfit: Vampire Costume
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Jenn Kryze Irwin Vuull

"Really? You're comparing this to a horror movie?" Valery couldn't stop herself from snickering a little, even after something fairly serious had just happened. But he was probably right — they'd be much better off not getting caught alone by one of those spirits. So rather than heading into the next room alone, she waited at the entrance and turned around to look at the others approaching.

That's when she noticed something was off.

Irwin stood frozen, and after just a split-second, he drew his pistol and raised it up towards Jenn to open fire. "Watch out!" Valery yelled, but before she could do anything, a figure suddenly appeared behind her from within the room and tackled her to the ground into the hallway. She hit the floor hard and turned just in time to catch a knife being stabbed down towards her face by grabbing the woman's wrist. It was one of the other guests, likely possessed as well, and she was now on top of Valery with a knife in her hand.

"Snap out of it!" Valery called out to her, as she used her superior physical strength to keep her from stabbing her. But nothing she said seemed to get through to the possessed woman.

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

LOCATION: The Mansion
Objective: Evade, engage, neutralize.
Equipment: Has claws and is not afraid to use them!
Tags: [ Valery Noble Kahlil Noble Irwin Vuull ]

Jenn froze.

Some would call it a gut feeling. Others, a well-honed warrior's sense. Perhaps even a sixth sense... or the Manda reaching out to warn her. Whatever it may be, she grew tense, an overwhelming sense of danger lingering about her. In her hurry to follow the Nobles to the room, so afraid was she of being possessed, the seasoned warrior overlooked the most important rule of combat.

Never turn your back on a potential foe.

And with the risk of possessions, all but the two Jedi were targets for the malevolent spirits, herself included. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Irwin raise his blaster, and a low, downright animalistic hiss escaped her as she threw herself down, the carbon scoring on the wall leaving very little doubt as to what might have become of her, had she not followed her Force Sense the warrior's equilibrium alerting her to danger. And her response was... perhaps a little brutal.

Rationally, Jenn knew Irwin to be under the influences of the very same voices that wanted her to murder her unlikely companions. But, giving in to her nature as Ersansyr, often kept in check thanks to her formidable will... she proved to be a vicious thing, reaching over from her position on the floor to grab the man's leg and yank him down with her. Should she be successful, well-

A brutal mauling with her claws would follow.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"It does feel kind of like a horror movie, you have to admit."

That, and it made it easier for him to remain calm about the scenario. Detachment from the situation was a good idea to keep him from falling to the possession of the spirits that were actively trying to take control. Even as Irwin turned and lifted a blaster for Jenn, he remained calm. Another had joined. More that were possessed, if he had to take a guess. He glanced as Valery was tackled, and for the briefest moment his calm shattered.

Through those cracks, the voices returned.

Kahlil raised a hand as the Force was swiftly pulled under his will. The woman lifted from Valery, suspended and frozen in an invisible grasp. Not just the woman, though. Everyone would feel it. The crushing, binding weight as he went to take hold of them all. The voices had learned.

They want to hurt her. Kill them all.

His hand tightened as he glared at the woman. Air was cut off as he actively began to crush her throat. He was no longer in control.

Valery Noble | Irwin Vuull | Jenn Kryze

 

[Irwin Vuull]

Tags: Jenn Kryze | Kahlil Noble | Valery Noble
Weapons: Blaster

Irwin continued to fall in the black void, not really understanding what was happening. A shock of pain went through him, and then stopped very momentarily and then another shot along his body, this repeated for a few seconds. His body ached from the pain and he coughed out a little blood. He couldn't feel or move his right arm. He was in distress and not understanding what was happening.

In the outside world the demon possessing Irwin had opened fire, missing the woman. While Irwin may have not been able to dodge the attack, the demon was.

The demon jumped back continuing to fire, but it slipped at the top of the stairs and started bouncing down them, each step letting out a loud thud when he hit them. Irwin's body lay at the bottom, his right arm in an unnatural position. The demon got up like it was nothing and continued firing an angry look on its face.