1.1 - In Search of Sanity - Prison of the Mind

He stepped into the courtyard, breathed deeply, and looked up. The sky was a welcome sight even if overcast, and his spirit felt renewed by the open air.

"Forward, lady and gentlemen, before we catch our deaths of cold in wet clothes."

Taking a cue from hat-man, he also loads his crossbow, and heads down into the courtyard in a defensive position. The downpour felt nice at the moment, a reprieve from the cramped filth he had just experienced.

The rain beating down on them, everyone exits into the courtyard, with Elias approaching the western door.

As they take a moment to allow the cold, cleansing rain wash over their bodies and they ruminate over continuing through the western door, Grim spurs them on with his statement about psychos being on the loose.

Just then you all hear a loud *THUD* as something quite heavy strikes the roof of the eastern building, some 30-or-more feet above you. You look up just in time to see a large, winged silhouette pass across the moonlit sky. Whatever fell tumbles down the sloped roof, then drops the long distance to land, hard, on the ground only a few feet away from Axon, striking and cracking a wooden bench.

From where he's standing, Axon can now make out the torn and mangled form of a humanoid creature of some sort. It is bald with flesh of an indeterminate color: a pearlescent-like effect mimicking natural skins tones that seems to change as you look at it from different angles. Its skin lacks any fine details or texture and seems almost like an unfinished canvas upon which a face should be positioned. It's eyes are pale, white, and, now, lifeless. It wears the familiar clothing of the female tormentor from the basement.

Whatever that is...is wearing the jacket of our escaped psycho. See the sleeve? It's ripped where I grabbed it when we were back down in the cells. Elias says as he looks at the body. Reflexively he looks up into the sky, trying to see if what dropped it is still around.

"Yeah. You're right." Grim agrees with chainmail guy and glances over to the feral woman beside him. "Well, that explains why she didn't go down after you pummeled her hard. It's not even human."

Razhel nods in acknowledgement and gestures toward the stormy sky. "Unfortunate for us the doctor's kind do not appear to be at the top of the food chain here."

The impact startled Axon but the thing being dead lessened the shock.

"A shapeshifter? Something wouldn't let it leave, not even by flying," he said, aware now that the open sky was more threat than momentary salvation. "Inside, quickly."

"Cayden's tits!" he exclaimed in panic, hearing the clamor behind him. He took some deep breaths to calm himself once more, aware of the threat above, but too curious for his own good about the body. He racked his brain trying to identify anything he could about the now-deceased creature.

Neither Iosef, nor anyone else, knows precisely what this creature is, but you all agree that it is inhuman and seems to have some ability to change its form.

A sharp flash of light hits your eyes, then is gone in the blink of an eye. Several seconds later a loud crack of thunder ripples through the air.

While the open air has a quality of freedom to it, you simultaneously cannot shake a feeling of vulnerability.

"Agreed. Inside. If you would, please, sir comet-knight." he spoke curtly while keeping the sky and the door under watch, crossbow at the ready.

With two of the others wielding loaded crossbows Elias raises hishand and draws his sword. With his other hand he slowly opens the door and peers in. Raising his shield, Elias prepares himself in case there's trouble in the room.

He took one last look at the stormy sky, enjoyed the rain on his face, and prepared to defend himself and his new companions against whatever came next.

Elias cracks the door to the inside. Broken lanterns and several battered doors line this cold rubble-strewn hall running north and south.

Most of the hallway to the north fades quickly into the extreme darkness of a room without light and it is difficult to tell how long the hallway extends in that direction.

To the south, a pair of swinging doors lies shattered upon a 4-foot-high heap of wrecked furniture clogging a broad doorframe. The blockage sections off the northern portion of this hallways from what lies beyond. Lanterns flicker in this direction, casting shadows upon several closed doors and beyond the ramshackle barricade.

Beyond the blockage you can make out at least three individuals. They seem to be casually looking to the north while talking amongst themselves. You're unable to make out much more than that, as the wreckage keeps you from seeing anything from about chest-height down. If they are armored, it must be fairly minimal. They do not appear to notice you yet.

Elias leans his head back and let's the others know what he sees. We got a hallway with several doors. I saw three individuals behind some blockage in the south. I say we investigate the trio before we check the other doors.

"Agreed. They may be like us... but at the first sign of aberrancy, we strike," he suggested.

"It looks a bit dark in there.Wait a moment."
He approaches the door, opposite the Knight, makes a polishing motion to his focus, and says "WBḪ." strongly as he taps the ankh-embossed beetle to the front of the Knight's shield. It glows with starlight as bright as a lantern, and he gives the man a stern nod, raising his crossbow once again.

Grim listens to Elias gives details of what he sees within the hall, then shields his eyes as the sorcerer uses his magic to light up the man's shield. "Well, whoever is down there, they know we're coming now."

"It's better to get a good look at them than to sneak up on the unknown," he replied, the words somehow resonated with him in ways he couldn't understand but which made him shiver nonetheless. "Let's move forward and announce ourselves... and get out of the rain."

At the grim man's announcement, Axon stood ready for fight or flight but knew the only real option of those two was fight.

Elias nods his head in thanks as the man cast the spell on his shield. As the other one talked about announcing themselves, Elias knew it was their only option.

Moving forward and into the corridor, Elias readied himself for the upcoming fight.