Elijah's Bullshit

i cannot rest now, there are monsters nearby

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Unwitness Protection Program OC rp blog

I think introduction posts are meant to be a thing.

hi, I'm Elijah, he/him.

I just moved to Deadwood. I'm in 10th grade.

I don't really know what to put here? I guess I'll update it if I think of anything.

OOC STUFF!

hi this is my first oc blog. this character is a minor and so is the person running this blog, so don't be weird like that.

asks are very welcome!

tag navigation stuff:

#rainefallingthoughts — general posting

#lightningstrikes — replying to asks

#friendorfoe — interaction with other rp blogs

#starryspeaking — ooc posts

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[familiarityupp]

(he wouldnt find a /door/.. but he could find a smashed in Window he could climb through...)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

careful to avoid the sharp glass, he climbs through the window and into the building.

[familiarityupp]

(he would see a production line-- almost entirely on fire) (rubber conveyor belts melting and dripping onto the floor.. a great hole in the ceiling letting the evening light shine through.) (and lastly, a huge patch of that same pink liquid in the centre, still consumed in a swirling flame-- almost resembling a whirlpool of flame-- clearly the source that sustains the rest of the building's fire.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"ouh what the-"

a hand comes up to shield his face from the searing heat, eyes narrowing against the light and the sting of the smoke. he scans the area for a fire extinguisher or anything that might suggest what happened.

[familiarityupp]

(no fire extinguisher.) (but he does see bodies.) (all around the room.. he sees what was made of those police.) (their bodies are split, smashed, or pierced,, all killed in precise, single movements.. in a circle around where the blood sits.. they appear to have been dead a while, and some of the bodies are on fire.) (he can tell though-- this was not the actions of a man.) (whatever did this.. was huge.. one of the cops' head is just.. gone..) (in the centre of the room, near the blood, is a pit, leading down into the basement.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's legs buckle, and his knees crunch against broken glass on the floor as he collapses. he can't look away. the scene barely even processes in his mind as he stares around blankly, eyes wide but hollow, hands trembling by his sides, blood drained from his face.

today isn't the first time he's seen a body. but not like this.

he dimly processes the pit, processes that it may hold answers. yes, answers is what he needs to find. in the back of his mind is a sensible voice telling him this is a bad idea, but he already knows, and it doesn't stop him, it rarely does.

the heat of the fire singes the hairs of his arms as he approaches. he keeps his eyes away from the corpses and stands by the edge of the pit, peering down into that darkness.

[familiarityupp]

(two more bodies sit in the pit-- it leads down into a storage room.) (theyre wearing suits.. clearly not cops.. but one of their heads is entirely gone- turned to pigments upon the wall.. the other's neck is snapped all the way round.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

emetophobia warning: gagging and almost throwing up

as his eyes land on that horrible twisted neck, Elijah gags roughly, almost collapsing again, violently shaking hand coming up to cover his mouth as he dry heaves.

this is stupid. this is a bad idea. this is a horrifically bad idea. this is maybe one of the worst ideas he's ever had.

but he's been more scared of other things. so he starts trying to find a way down to investigate.

[familiarityupp]

(the pit is atleast 10 feet down.. but he could see light shining in from some outside door.. he could leave the building and enter from the basement staircase?)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he momentarily considers trying to jump or climb down, but that's an even worse idea than coming here at all. so he climbs back out of the window.

another emetophobia warning: somewhat graphic description of throwing up.

as soon as he exits that awful room, Elijah stumbles a few feet away and vomits into that stupid ditch. his stomach is practically empty and he knows he can't afford to throw up now, not when he knows his next meal is uncertain, but he can't stop himself from shuddering and heaving up his insides.

stomach acid burns his throat and leaves his sinuses raw and stinging. he wipes his eyes and mouth and drags himself off his knees again, moving around to search for the basement door.

[familiarityupp]

(a long staircase down the factory's side leads him down to the basement... the door is ajar..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"oh... yay..."

he whispers hoarsely to himself as he descends the stairs and listens at the door. that deathly silence isn't reassuring, but at least there's nothing moving to hurt him in there.

he gently opens the door.

[familiarityupp]

(. . . ddlc..?) (anyway anyway) (he sees the two bodies.. one of a woman, laid toward the far corner, her head entirely destroyed, the other of a man, laid with his neck snapped, facing under a desk which has been smashed into pieces.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

:3

he continues into the room, looking around and trying not to gag at the sight of the corpses again.

hard success on spot hidden

[familiarityupp]

(there are multiple sets of footprints visible, patterned in the dust on the floor, one set of trainers, three sets of oxfords.) (strangely.. two of the three match the bodies laid around him.. but the third walks into the room , and then just ends below the pit, the trainers do the same, leading toward the thirds', and then leading nowhere else.) (its clear that 4 people were in this room-- 3 of a more business focussed attire, and, judging by the size of the footprints, one kid.) (whatever happened here, Elijah knows he didnt find a third body matching these footprints-- nor did he find a kid.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

a sick relief floods him upon realising that he has not found a potential kid's corpse. he takes note of the footprints.

a strange sense of detached calm has settled over him. the nausea has faded, his hands are steady, his legs no longer weak. he walks with a solidness to him over to the headless body to examine the markings of what might've killed her.

[familiarityupp]

(the wound is a clean slice.. something huge, fast, strong, literally splattered her head across the wall in a single motion..) (no normal weapon could be this precise.. and a gunshot would leave a rougher wound)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"mmmmmokay"

he whispers to himself as he turns his attention back to the footprints. his gaze travels upward, considering the possibility that those two unmatched sets of footprints could've disappeared up through the opening.

[familiarityupp]

(009 on intelligence soo...) (one is a set of clean, unmarked oxford shoeprints, the other a pair of trainers... a size.. shape.. he could recognize..) (recognize as belonging to one William Wisp.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah pauses with this realisation.

"Jesus fucking christ"

he mutters. William really wasn't kidding when he said this town was fucked up, or that he investigates. what the hell was William Wisp doing here???

[familiarityupp]

(All Elijah knows right now.. is that seven people died here.. and William Wisp is the only person he knows made it out alive.. disappeared in the centre of it all.) (and one person remains unidentified-- the murderer, or another victim.. simply escaped..?)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he wonders vaguely to himself if he's made sort of friends with a potential murderer. but how could a teenager have done this? Elijah knows he has to talk to William about this.

his half a pencil scratches in the silence as he writes down his observations. he notes the seven bodies total. he notes the two corpses in the basement but four sets of footprints. he notes that one of those unaccounted for sets of footprints is William's. he notes the strange nature of the deaths.

he glances around one more time to see if there's anything else he should check out before he gets the hell out of here.

[familiarityupp]

"Elijah." (a voice speaks to him from out the basement door- seemingly up the stairs) "Elijah, come out here wont you?" (it sounds like William..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah flinches so badly he almost falls onto a corpse. he takes a second to breathe.

"William?"

he calls out, voice hoarse and raspy. he takes a step towards the door.

"fucking hell, you scared me."

William doesn't know that Elijah knows whose footprints they are. he won't let William catch on just yet, he decides. Elijah walks towards the door to meet him.

[familiarityupp]

(William stands at the top of the staircase, face entirely obscured by shadow..) "you scared me-- i didnt think youd come back here." ".....we're friends, right?"

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his eyes narrow at the shape of William. the hairs rising on the back of his neck and the cold feeling in his gut are telling him something is wrong.

"I know I- wasn't meant to go into the woods. and- I mean- we've spoken once before, but I'd- like to be friends. I'd say we're friends? would you?"

he stays stood at the bottom of the stairs for now, still staring intently at William.

"you okay?"

[familiarityupp]

"I'm alright." "Why dont you come up here.. its not safe down there." "mm.. yes. we're friends."

(he just keeps staring down at Elijah)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

extreme success on pushed Spot Hidden.

"yeah, what the hell happened in there?"

at first the light filtering down towards him blocks his vision, but he moves a couple of steps up the stairs to get a better look at William.

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[familiarityupp]

(he wouldnt find a /door/.. but he could find a smashed in Window he could climb through...)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

careful to avoid the sharp glass, he climbs through the window and into the building.

[familiarityupp]

(he would see a production line-- almost entirely on fire) (rubber conveyor belts melting and dripping onto the floor.. a great hole in the ceiling letting the evening light shine through.) (and lastly, a huge patch of that same pink liquid in the centre, still consumed in a swirling flame-- almost resembling a whirlpool of flame-- clearly the source that sustains the rest of the building's fire.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"ouh what the-"

a hand comes up to shield his face from the searing heat, eyes narrowing against the light and the sting of the smoke. he scans the area for a fire extinguisher or anything that might suggest what happened.

[familiarityupp]

(no fire extinguisher.) (but he does see bodies.) (all around the room.. he sees what was made of those police.) (their bodies are split, smashed, or pierced,, all killed in precise, single movements.. in a circle around where the blood sits.. they appear to have been dead a while, and some of the bodies are on fire.) (he can tell though-- this was not the actions of a man.) (whatever did this.. was huge.. one of the cops' head is just.. gone..) (in the centre of the room, near the blood, is a pit, leading down into the basement.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's legs buckle, and his knees crunch against broken glass on the floor as he collapses. he can't look away. the scene barely even processes in his mind as he stares around blankly, eyes wide but hollow, hands trembling by his sides, blood drained from his face.

today isn't the first time he's seen a body. but not like this.

he dimly processes the pit, processes that it may hold answers. yes, answers is what he needs to find. in the back of his mind is a sensible voice telling him this is a bad idea, but he already knows, and it doesn't stop him, it rarely does.

the heat of the fire singes the hairs of his arms as he approaches. he keeps his eyes away from the corpses and stands by the edge of the pit, peering down into that darkness.

[familiarityupp]

(two more bodies sit in the pit-- it leads down into a storage room.) (theyre wearing suits.. clearly not cops.. but one of their heads is entirely gone- turned to pigments upon the wall.. the other's neck is snapped all the way round.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

emetophobia warning: gagging and almost throwing up

as his eyes land on that horrible twisted neck, Elijah gags roughly, almost collapsing again, violently shaking hand coming up to cover his mouth as he dry heaves.

this is stupid. this is a bad idea. this is a horrifically bad idea. this is maybe one of the worst ideas he's ever had.

but he's been more scared of other things. so he starts trying to find a way down to investigate.

[familiarityupp]

(the pit is atleast 10 feet down.. but he could see light shining in from some outside door.. he could leave the building and enter from the basement staircase?)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he momentarily considers trying to jump or climb down, but that's an even worse idea than coming here at all. so he climbs back out of the window.

another emetophobia warning: somewhat graphic description of throwing up.

as soon as he exits that awful room, Elijah stumbles a few feet away and vomits into that stupid ditch. his stomach is practically empty and he knows he can't afford to throw up now, not when he knows his next meal is uncertain, but he can't stop himself from shuddering and heaving up his insides.

stomach acid burns his throat and leaves his sinuses raw and stinging. he wipes his eyes and mouth and drags himself off his knees again, moving around to search for the basement door.

[familiarityupp]

(a long staircase down the factory's side leads him down to the basement... the door is ajar..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"oh... yay..."

he whispers hoarsely to himself as he descends the stairs and listens at the door. that deathly silence isn't reassuring, but at least there's nothing moving to hurt him in there.

he gently opens the door.

[familiarityupp]

(. . . ddlc..?) (anyway anyway) (he sees the two bodies.. one of a woman, laid toward the far corner, her head entirely destroyed, the other of a man, laid with his neck snapped, facing under a desk which has been smashed into pieces.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

:3

he continues into the room, looking around and trying not to gag at the sight of the corpses again.

hard success on spot hidden

[familiarityupp]

(there are multiple sets of footprints visible, patterned in the dust on the floor, one set of trainers, three sets of oxfords.) (strangely.. two of the three match the bodies laid around him.. but the third walks into the room , and then just ends below the pit, the trainers do the same, leading toward the thirds', and then leading nowhere else.) (its clear that 4 people were in this room-- 3 of a more business focussed attire, and, judging by the size of the footprints, one kid.) (whatever happened here, Elijah knows he didnt find a third body matching these footprints-- nor did he find a kid.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

a sick relief floods him upon realising that he has not found a potential kid's corpse. he takes note of the footprints.

a strange sense of detached calm has settled over him. the nausea has faded, his hands are steady, his legs no longer weak. he walks with a solidness to him over to the headless body to examine the markings of what might've killed her.

[familiarityupp]

(the wound is a clean slice.. something huge, fast, strong, literally splattered her head across the wall in a single motion..) (no normal weapon could be this precise.. and a gunshot would leave a rougher wound)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"mmmmmokay"

he whispers to himself as he turns his attention back to the footprints. his gaze travels upward, considering the possibility that those two unmatched sets of footprints could've disappeared up through the opening.

[familiarityupp]

(009 on intelligence soo...) (one is a set of clean, unmarked oxford shoeprints, the other a pair of trainers... a size.. shape.. he could recognize..) (recognize as belonging to one William Wisp.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah pauses with this realisation.

"Jesus fucking christ"

he mutters. William really wasn't kidding when he said this town was fucked up, or that he investigates. what the hell was William Wisp doing here???

[familiarityupp]

(All Elijah knows right now.. is that seven people died here.. and William Wisp is the only person he knows made it out alive.. disappeared in the centre of it all.) (and one person remains unidentified-- the murderer, or another victim.. simply escaped..?)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he wonders vaguely to himself if he's made sort of friends with a potential murderer. but how could a teenager have done this? Elijah knows he has to talk to William about this.

his half a pencil scratches in the silence as he writes down his observations. he notes the seven bodies total. he notes the two corpses in the basement but four sets of footprints. he notes that one of those unaccounted for sets of footprints is William's. he notes the strange nature of the deaths.

he glances around one more time to see if there's anything else he should check out before he gets the hell out of here.

[familiarityupp]

"Elijah." (a voice speaks to him from out the basement door- seemingly up the stairs) "Elijah, come out here wont you?" (it sounds like William..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah flinches so badly he almost falls onto a corpse. he takes a second to breathe.

"William?"

he calls out, voice hoarse and raspy. he takes a step towards the door.

"fucking hell, you scared me."

William doesn't know that Elijah knows whose footprints they are. he won't let William catch on just yet, he decides. Elijah walks towards the door to meet him.

[familiarityupp]

(William stands at the top of the staircase, face entirely obscured by shadow..) "you scared me-- i didnt think youd come back here." ".....we're friends, right?"

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his eyes narrow at the shape of William. the hairs rising on the back of his neck and the cold feeling in his gut are telling him something is wrong.

"I know I- wasn't meant to go into the woods. and- I mean- we've spoken once before, but I'd- like to be friends. I'd say we're friends? would you?"

he stays stood at the bottom of the stairs for now, still staring intently at William.

"you okay?"

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[familiarityupp]

(he wouldnt find a /door/.. but he could find a smashed in Window he could climb through...)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

careful to avoid the sharp glass, he climbs through the window and into the building.

[familiarityupp]

(he would see a production line-- almost entirely on fire) (rubber conveyor belts melting and dripping onto the floor.. a great hole in the ceiling letting the evening light shine through.) (and lastly, a huge patch of that same pink liquid in the centre, still consumed in a swirling flame-- almost resembling a whirlpool of flame-- clearly the source that sustains the rest of the building's fire.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"ouh what the-"

a hand comes up to shield his face from the searing heat, eyes narrowing against the light and the sting of the smoke. he scans the area for a fire extinguisher or anything that might suggest what happened.

[familiarityupp]

(no fire extinguisher.) (but he does see bodies.) (all around the room.. he sees what was made of those police.) (their bodies are split, smashed, or pierced,, all killed in precise, single movements.. in a circle around where the blood sits.. they appear to have been dead a while, and some of the bodies are on fire.) (he can tell though-- this was not the actions of a man.) (whatever did this.. was huge.. one of the cops' head is just.. gone..) (in the centre of the room, near the blood, is a pit, leading down into the basement.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's legs buckle, and his knees crunch against broken glass on the floor as he collapses. he can't look away. the scene barely even processes in his mind as he stares around blankly, eyes wide but hollow, hands trembling by his sides, blood drained from his face.

today isn't the first time he's seen a body. but not like this.

he dimly processes the pit, processes that it may hold answers. yes, answers is what he needs to find. in the back of his mind is a sensible voice telling him this is a bad idea, but he already knows, and it doesn't stop him, it rarely does.

the heat of the fire singes the hairs of his arms as he approaches. he keeps his eyes away from the corpses and stands by the edge of the pit, peering down into that darkness.

[familiarityupp]

(two more bodies sit in the pit-- it leads down into a storage room.) (theyre wearing suits.. clearly not cops.. but one of their heads is entirely gone- turned to pigments upon the wall.. the other's neck is snapped all the way round.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

emetophobia warning: gagging and almost throwing up

as his eyes land on that horrible twisted neck, Elijah gags roughly, almost collapsing again, violently shaking hand coming up to cover his mouth as he dry heaves.

this is stupid. this is a bad idea. this is a horrifically bad idea. this is maybe one of the worst ideas he's ever had.

but he's been more scared of other things. so he starts trying to find a way down to investigate.

[familiarityupp]

(the pit is atleast 10 feet down.. but he could see light shining in from some outside door.. he could leave the building and enter from the basement staircase?)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he momentarily considers trying to jump or climb down, but that's an even worse idea than coming here at all. so he climbs back out of the window.

another emetophobia warning: somewhat graphic description of throwing up.

as soon as he exits that awful room, Elijah stumbles a few feet away and vomits into that stupid ditch. his stomach is practically empty and he knows he can't afford to throw up now, not when he knows his next meal is uncertain, but he can't stop himself from shuddering and heaving up his insides.

stomach acid burns his throat and leaves his sinuses raw and stinging. he wipes his eyes and mouth and drags himself off his knees again, moving around to search for the basement door.

[familiarityupp]

(a long staircase down the factory's side leads him down to the basement... the door is ajar..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"oh... yay..."

he whispers hoarsely to himself as he descends the stairs and listens at the door. that deathly silence isn't reassuring, but at least there's nothing moving to hurt him in there.

he gently opens the door.

[familiarityupp]

(. . . ddlc..?) (anyway anyway) (he sees the two bodies.. one of a woman, laid toward the far corner, her head entirely destroyed, the other of a man, laid with his neck snapped, facing under a desk which has been smashed into pieces.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

:3

he continues into the room, looking around and trying not to gag at the sight of the corpses again.

hard success on spot hidden

[familiarityupp]

(there are multiple sets of footprints visible, patterned in the dust on the floor, one set of trainers, three sets of oxfords.) (strangely.. two of the three match the bodies laid around him.. but the third walks into the room , and then just ends below the pit, the trainers do the same, leading toward the thirds', and then leading nowhere else.) (its clear that 4 people were in this room-- 3 of a more business focussed attire, and, judging by the size of the footprints, one kid.) (whatever happened here, Elijah knows he didnt find a third body matching these footprints-- nor did he find a kid.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

a sick relief floods him upon realising that he has not found a potential kid's corpse. he takes note of the footprints.

a strange sense of detached calm has settled over him. the nausea has faded, his hands are steady, his legs no longer weak. he walks with a solidness to him over to the headless body to examine the markings of what might've killed her.

[familiarityupp]

(the wound is a clean slice.. something huge, fast, strong, literally splattered her head across the wall in a single motion..) (no normal weapon could be this precise.. and a gunshot would leave a rougher wound)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"mmmmmokay"

he whispers to himself as he turns his attention back to the footprints. his gaze travels upward, considering the possibility that those two unmatched sets of footprints could've disappeared up through the opening.

[familiarityupp]

(009 on intelligence soo...) (one is a set of clean, unmarked oxford shoeprints, the other a pair of trainers... a size.. shape.. he could recognize..) (recognize as belonging to one William Wisp.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah pauses with this realisation.

"Jesus fucking christ"

he mutters. William really wasn't kidding when he said this town was fucked up, or that he investigates. what the hell was William Wisp doing here???

[familiarityupp]

(All Elijah knows right now.. is that seven people died here.. and William Wisp is the only person he knows made it out alive.. disappeared in the centre of it all.) (and one person remains unidentified-- the murderer, or another victim.. simply escaped..?)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he wonders vaguely to himself if he's made sort of friends with a potential murderer. but how could a teenager have done this? Elijah knows he has to talk to William about this.

his half a pencil scratches in the silence as he writes down his observations. he notes the seven bodies total. he notes the two corpses in the basement but four sets of footprints. he notes that one of those unaccounted for sets of footprints is William's. he notes the strange nature of the deaths.

he glances around one more time to see if there's anything else he should check out before he gets the hell out of here.

[familiarityupp]

"Elijah." (a voice speaks to him from out the basement door- seemingly up the stairs) "Elijah, come out here wont you?" (it sounds like William..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah flinches so badly he almost falls onto a corpse. he takes a second to breathe.

"William?"

he calls out, voice hoarse and raspy. he takes a step towards the door.

"fucking hell, you scared me."

William doesn't know that Elijah knows whose footprints they are. he won't let William catch on just yet, he decides. Elijah walks towards the door to meet him.

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[familiarityupp]

(he wouldnt find a /door/.. but he could find a smashed in Window he could climb through...)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

careful to avoid the sharp glass, he climbs through the window and into the building.

[familiarityupp]

(he would see a production line-- almost entirely on fire) (rubber conveyor belts melting and dripping onto the floor.. a great hole in the ceiling letting the evening light shine through.) (and lastly, a huge patch of that same pink liquid in the centre, still consumed in a swirling flame-- almost resembling a whirlpool of flame-- clearly the source that sustains the rest of the building's fire.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"ouh what the-"

a hand comes up to shield his face from the searing heat, eyes narrowing against the light and the sting of the smoke. he scans the area for a fire extinguisher or anything that might suggest what happened.

[familiarityupp]

(no fire extinguisher.) (but he does see bodies.) (all around the room.. he sees what was made of those police.) (their bodies are split, smashed, or pierced,, all killed in precise, single movements.. in a circle around where the blood sits.. they appear to have been dead a while, and some of the bodies are on fire.) (he can tell though-- this was not the actions of a man.) (whatever did this.. was huge.. one of the cops' head is just.. gone..) (in the centre of the room, near the blood, is a pit, leading down into the basement.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's legs buckle, and his knees crunch against broken glass on the floor as he collapses. he can't look away. the scene barely even processes in his mind as he stares around blankly, eyes wide but hollow, hands trembling by his sides, blood drained from his face.

today isn't the first time he's seen a body. but not like this.

he dimly processes the pit, processes that it may hold answers. yes, answers is what he needs to find. in the back of his mind is a sensible voice telling him this is a bad idea, but he already knows, and it doesn't stop him, it rarely does.

the heat of the fire singes the hairs of his arms as he approaches. he keeps his eyes away from the corpses and stands by the edge of the pit, peering down into that darkness.

[familiarityupp]

(two more bodies sit in the pit-- it leads down into a storage room.) (theyre wearing suits.. clearly not cops.. but one of their heads is entirely gone- turned to pigments upon the wall.. the other's neck is snapped all the way round.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

emetophobia warning: gagging and almost throwing up

as his eyes land on that horrible twisted neck, Elijah gags roughly, almost collapsing again, violently shaking hand coming up to cover his mouth as he dry heaves.

this is stupid. this is a bad idea. this is a horrifically bad idea. this is maybe one of the worst ideas he's ever had.

but he's been more scared of other things. so he starts trying to find a way down to investigate.

[familiarityupp]

(the pit is atleast 10 feet down.. but he could see light shining in from some outside door.. he could leave the building and enter from the basement staircase?)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he momentarily considers trying to jump or climb down, but that's an even worse idea than coming here at all. so he climbs back out of the window.

another emetophobia warning: somewhat graphic description of throwing up.

as soon as he exits that awful room, Elijah stumbles a few feet away and vomits into that stupid ditch. his stomach is practically empty and he knows he can't afford to throw up now, not when he knows his next meal is uncertain, but he can't stop himself from shuddering and heaving up his insides.

stomach acid burns his throat and leaves his sinuses raw and stinging. he wipes his eyes and mouth and drags himself off his knees again, moving around to search for the basement door.

[familiarityupp]

(a long staircase down the factory's side leads him down to the basement... the door is ajar..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"oh... yay..."

he whispers hoarsely to himself as he descends the stairs and listens at the door. that deathly silence isn't reassuring, but at least there's nothing moving to hurt him in there.

he gently opens the door.

[familiarityupp]

(. . . ddlc..?) (anyway anyway) (he sees the two bodies.. one of a woman, laid toward the far corner, her head entirely destroyed, the other of a man, laid with his neck snapped, facing under a desk which has been smashed into pieces.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

:3

he continues into the room, looking around and trying not to gag at the sight of the corpses again.

hard success on spot hidden

[familiarityupp]

(there are multiple sets of footprints visible, patterned in the dust on the floor, one set of trainers, three sets of oxfords.) (strangely.. two of the three match the bodies laid around him.. but the third walks into the room , and then just ends below the pit, the trainers do the same, leading toward the thirds', and then leading nowhere else.) (its clear that 4 people were in this room-- 3 of a more business focussed attire, and, judging by the size of the footprints, one kid.) (whatever happened here, Elijah knows he didnt find a third body matching these footprints-- nor did he find a kid.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

a sick relief floods him upon realising that he has not found a potential kid's corpse. he takes note of the footprints.

a strange sense of detached calm has settled over him. the nausea has faded, his hands are steady, his legs no longer weak. he walks with a solidness to him over to the headless body to examine the markings of what might've killed her.

[familiarityupp]

(the wound is a clean slice.. something huge, fast, strong, literally splattered her head across the wall in a single motion..) (no normal weapon could be this precise.. and a gunshot would leave a rougher wound)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"mmmmmokay"

he whispers to himself as he turns his attention back to the footprints. his gaze travels upward, considering the possibility that those two unmatched sets of footprints could've disappeared up through the opening.

[familiarityupp]

(009 on intelligence soo...) (one is a set of clean, unmarked oxford shoeprints, the other a pair of trainers... a size.. shape.. he could recognize..) (recognize as belonging to one William Wisp.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah pauses with this realisation.

"Jesus fucking christ"

he mutters. William really wasn't kidding when he said this town was fucked up, or that he investigates. what the hell was William Wisp doing here???

[familiarityupp]

(All Elijah knows right now.. is that seven people died here.. and William Wisp is the only person he knows made it out alive.. disappeared in the centre of it all.) (and one person remains unidentified-- the murderer, or another victim.. simply escaped..?)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he wonders vaguely to himself if he's made sort of friends with a potential murderer. but how could a teenager have done this? Elijah knows he has to talk to William about this.

his half a pencil scratches in the silence as he writes down his observations. he notes the seven bodies total. he notes the two corpses in the basement but four sets of footprints. he notes that one of those unaccounted for sets of footprints is William's. he notes the strange nature of the deaths.

he glances around one more time to see if there's anything else he should check out before he gets the hell out of here.

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[familiarityupp]

(he wouldnt find a /door/.. but he could find a smashed in Window he could climb through...)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

careful to avoid the sharp glass, he climbs through the window and into the building.

[familiarityupp]

(he would see a production line-- almost entirely on fire) (rubber conveyor belts melting and dripping onto the floor.. a great hole in the ceiling letting the evening light shine through.) (and lastly, a huge patch of that same pink liquid in the centre, still consumed in a swirling flame-- almost resembling a whirlpool of flame-- clearly the source that sustains the rest of the building's fire.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"ouh what the-"

a hand comes up to shield his face from the searing heat, eyes narrowing against the light and the sting of the smoke. he scans the area for a fire extinguisher or anything that might suggest what happened.

[familiarityupp]

(no fire extinguisher.) (but he does see bodies.) (all around the room.. he sees what was made of those police.) (their bodies are split, smashed, or pierced,, all killed in precise, single movements.. in a circle around where the blood sits.. they appear to have been dead a while, and some of the bodies are on fire.) (he can tell though-- this was not the actions of a man.) (whatever did this.. was huge.. one of the cops' head is just.. gone..) (in the centre of the room, near the blood, is a pit, leading down into the basement.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's legs buckle, and his knees crunch against broken glass on the floor as he collapses. he can't look away. the scene barely even processes in his mind as he stares around blankly, eyes wide but hollow, hands trembling by his sides, blood drained from his face.

today isn't the first time he's seen a body. but not like this.

he dimly processes the pit, processes that it may hold answers. yes, answers is what he needs to find. in the back of his mind is a sensible voice telling him this is a bad idea, but he already knows, and it doesn't stop him, it rarely does.

the heat of the fire singes the hairs of his arms as he approaches. he keeps his eyes away from the corpses and stands by the edge of the pit, peering down into that darkness.

[familiarityupp]

(two more bodies sit in the pit-- it leads down into a storage room.) (theyre wearing suits.. clearly not cops.. but one of their heads is entirely gone- turned to pigments upon the wall.. the other's neck is snapped all the way round.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

emetophobia warning: gagging and almost throwing up

as his eyes land on that horrible twisted neck, Elijah gags roughly, almost collapsing again, violently shaking hand coming up to cover his mouth as he dry heaves.

this is stupid. this is a bad idea. this is a horrifically bad idea. this is maybe one of the worst ideas he's ever had.

but he's been more scared of other things. so he starts trying to find a way down to investigate.

[familiarityupp]

(the pit is atleast 10 feet down.. but he could see light shining in from some outside door.. he could leave the building and enter from the basement staircase?)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he momentarily considers trying to jump or climb down, but that's an even worse idea than coming here at all. so he climbs back out of the window.

another emetophobia warning: somewhat graphic description of throwing up.

as soon as he exits that awful room, Elijah stumbles a few feet away and vomits into that stupid ditch. his stomach is practically empty and he knows he can't afford to throw up now, not when he knows his next meal is uncertain, but he can't stop himself from shuddering and heaving up his insides.

stomach acid burns his throat and leaves his sinuses raw and stinging. he wipes his eyes and mouth and drags himself off his knees again, moving around to search for the basement door.

[familiarityupp]

(a long staircase down the factory's side leads him down to the basement... the door is ajar..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"oh... yay..."

he whispers hoarsely to himself as he descends the stairs and listens at the door. that deathly silence isn't reassuring, but at least there's nothing moving to hurt him in there.

he gently opens the door.

[familiarityupp]

(. . . ddlc..?) (anyway anyway) (he sees the two bodies.. one of a woman, laid toward the far corner, her head entirely destroyed, the other of a man, laid with his neck snapped, facing under a desk which has been smashed into pieces.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

:3

he continues into the room, looking around and trying not to gag at the sight of the corpses again.

hard success on spot hidden

[familiarityupp]

(there are multiple sets of footprints visible, patterned in the dust on the floor, one set of trainers, three sets of oxfords.) (strangely.. two of the three match the bodies laid around him.. but the third walks into the room , and then just ends below the pit, the trainers do the same, leading toward the thirds', and then leading nowhere else.) (its clear that 4 people were in this room-- 3 of a more business focussed attire, and, judging by the size of the footprints, one kid.) (whatever happened here, Elijah knows he didnt find a third body matching these footprints-- nor did he find a kid.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

a sick relief floods him upon realising that he has not found a potential kid's corpse. he takes note of the footprints.

a strange sense of detached calm has settled over him. the nausea has faded, his hands are steady, his legs no longer weak. he walks with a solidness to him over to the headless body to examine the markings of what might've killed her.

[familiarityupp]

(the wound is a clean slice.. something huge, fast, strong, literally splattered her head across the wall in a single motion..) (no normal weapon could be this precise.. and a gunshot would leave a rougher wound)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"mmmmmokay"

he whispers to himself as he turns his attention back to the footprints. his gaze travels upward, considering the possibility that those two unmatched sets of footprints could've disappeared up through the opening.

[familiarityupp]

(009 on intelligence soo...) (one is a set of clean, unmarked oxford shoeprints, the other a pair of trainers... a size.. shape.. he could recognize..) (recognize as belonging to one William Wisp.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah pauses with this realisation.

"Jesus fucking christ"

he mutters. William really wasn't kidding when he said this town was fucked up, or that he investigates. what the hell was William Wisp doing here???

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[familiarityupp]

(he wouldnt find a /door/.. but he could find a smashed in Window he could climb through...)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

careful to avoid the sharp glass, he climbs through the window and into the building.

[familiarityupp]

(he would see a production line-- almost entirely on fire) (rubber conveyor belts melting and dripping onto the floor.. a great hole in the ceiling letting the evening light shine through.) (and lastly, a huge patch of that same pink liquid in the centre, still consumed in a swirling flame-- almost resembling a whirlpool of flame-- clearly the source that sustains the rest of the building's fire.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"ouh what the-"

a hand comes up to shield his face from the searing heat, eyes narrowing against the light and the sting of the smoke. he scans the area for a fire extinguisher or anything that might suggest what happened.

[familiarityupp]

(no fire extinguisher.) (but he does see bodies.) (all around the room.. he sees what was made of those police.) (their bodies are split, smashed, or pierced,, all killed in precise, single movements.. in a circle around where the blood sits.. they appear to have been dead a while, and some of the bodies are on fire.) (he can tell though-- this was not the actions of a man.) (whatever did this.. was huge.. one of the cops' head is just.. gone..) (in the centre of the room, near the blood, is a pit, leading down into the basement.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's legs buckle, and his knees crunch against broken glass on the floor as he collapses. he can't look away. the scene barely even processes in his mind as he stares around blankly, eyes wide but hollow, hands trembling by his sides, blood drained from his face.

today isn't the first time he's seen a body. but not like this.

he dimly processes the pit, processes that it may hold answers. yes, answers is what he needs to find. in the back of his mind is a sensible voice telling him this is a bad idea, but he already knows, and it doesn't stop him, it rarely does.

the heat of the fire singes the hairs of his arms as he approaches. he keeps his eyes away from the corpses and stands by the edge of the pit, peering down into that darkness.

[familiarityupp]

(two more bodies sit in the pit-- it leads down into a storage room.) (theyre wearing suits.. clearly not cops.. but one of their heads is entirely gone- turned to pigments upon the wall.. the other's neck is snapped all the way round.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

emetophobia warning: gagging and almost throwing up

as his eyes land on that horrible twisted neck, Elijah gags roughly, almost collapsing again, violently shaking hand coming up to cover his mouth as he dry heaves.

this is stupid. this is a bad idea. this is a horrifically bad idea. this is maybe one of the worst ideas he's ever had.

but he's been more scared of other things. so he starts trying to find a way down to investigate.

[familiarityupp]

(the pit is atleast 10 feet down.. but he could see light shining in from some outside door.. he could leave the building and enter from the basement staircase?)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he momentarily considers trying to jump or climb down, but that's an even worse idea than coming here at all. so he climbs back out of the window.

another emetophobia warning: somewhat graphic description of throwing up.

as soon as he exits that awful room, Elijah stumbles a few feet away and vomits into that stupid ditch. his stomach is practically empty and he knows he can't afford to throw up now, not when he knows his next meal is uncertain, but he can't stop himself from shuddering and heaving up his insides.

stomach acid burns his throat and leaves his sinuses raw and stinging. he wipes his eyes and mouth and drags himself off his knees again, moving around to search for the basement door.

[familiarityupp]

(a long staircase down the factory's side leads him down to the basement... the door is ajar..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"oh... yay..."

he whispers hoarsely to himself as he descends the stairs and listens at the door. that deathly silence isn't reassuring, but at least there's nothing moving to hurt him in there.

he gently opens the door.

[familiarityupp]

(. . . ddlc..?) (anyway anyway) (he sees the two bodies.. one of a woman, laid toward the far corner, her head entirely destroyed, the other of a man, laid with his neck snapped, facing under a desk which has been smashed into pieces.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

:3

he continues into the room, looking around and trying not to gag at the sight of the corpses again.

hard success on spot hidden

[familiarityupp]

(there are multiple sets of footprints visible, patterned in the dust on the floor, one set of trainers, three sets of oxfords.) (strangely.. two of the three match the bodies laid around him.. but the third walks into the room , and then just ends below the pit, the trainers do the same, leading toward the thirds', and then leading nowhere else.) (its clear that 4 people were in this room-- 3 of a more business focussed attire, and, judging by the size of the footprints, one kid.) (whatever happened here, Elijah knows he didnt find a third body matching these footprints-- nor did he find a kid.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

a sick relief floods him upon realising that he has not found a potential kid's corpse. he takes note of the footprints.

a strange sense of detached calm has settled over him. the nausea has faded, his hands are steady, his legs no longer weak. he walks with a solidness to him over to the headless body to examine the markings of what might've killed her.

[familiarityupp]

(the wound is a clean slice.. something huge, fast, strong, literally splattered her head across the wall in a single motion..) (no normal weapon could be this precise.. and a gunshot would leave a rougher wound)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"mmmmmokay"

he whispers to himself as he turns his attention back to the footprints. his gaze travels upward, considering the possibility that those two unmatched sets of footprints could've disappeared up through the opening.

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[familiarityupp]

(he wouldnt find a /door/.. but he could find a smashed in Window he could climb through...)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

careful to avoid the sharp glass, he climbs through the window and into the building.

[familiarityupp]

(he would see a production line-- almost entirely on fire) (rubber conveyor belts melting and dripping onto the floor.. a great hole in the ceiling letting the evening light shine through.) (and lastly, a huge patch of that same pink liquid in the centre, still consumed in a swirling flame-- almost resembling a whirlpool of flame-- clearly the source that sustains the rest of the building's fire.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"ouh what the-"

a hand comes up to shield his face from the searing heat, eyes narrowing against the light and the sting of the smoke. he scans the area for a fire extinguisher or anything that might suggest what happened.

[familiarityupp]

(no fire extinguisher.) (but he does see bodies.) (all around the room.. he sees what was made of those police.) (their bodies are split, smashed, or pierced,, all killed in precise, single movements.. in a circle around where the blood sits.. they appear to have been dead a while, and some of the bodies are on fire.) (he can tell though-- this was not the actions of a man.) (whatever did this.. was huge.. one of the cops' head is just.. gone..) (in the centre of the room, near the blood, is a pit, leading down into the basement.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's legs buckle, and his knees crunch against broken glass on the floor as he collapses. he can't look away. the scene barely even processes in his mind as he stares around blankly, eyes wide but hollow, hands trembling by his sides, blood drained from his face.

today isn't the first time he's seen a body. but not like this.

he dimly processes the pit, processes that it may hold answers. yes, answers is what he needs to find. in the back of his mind is a sensible voice telling him this is a bad idea, but he already knows, and it doesn't stop him, it rarely does.

the heat of the fire singes the hairs of his arms as he approaches. he keeps his eyes away from the corpses and stands by the edge of the pit, peering down into that darkness.

[familiarityupp]

(two more bodies sit in the pit-- it leads down into a storage room.) (theyre wearing suits.. clearly not cops.. but one of their heads is entirely gone- turned to pigments upon the wall.. the other's neck is snapped all the way round.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

emetophobia warning: gagging and almost throwing up

as his eyes land on that horrible twisted neck, Elijah gags roughly, almost collapsing again, violently shaking hand coming up to cover his mouth as he dry heaves.

this is stupid. this is a bad idea. this is a horrifically bad idea. this is maybe one of the worst ideas he's ever had.

but he's been more scared of other things. so he starts trying to find a way down to investigate.

[familiarityupp]

(the pit is atleast 10 feet down.. but he could see light shining in from some outside door.. he could leave the building and enter from the basement staircase?)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he momentarily considers trying to jump or climb down, but that's an even worse idea than coming here at all. so he climbs back out of the window.

another emetophobia warning: somewhat graphic description of throwing up.

as soon as he exits that awful room, Elijah stumbles a few feet away and vomits into that stupid ditch. his stomach is practically empty and he knows he can't afford to throw up now, not when he knows his next meal is uncertain, but he can't stop himself from shuddering and heaving up his insides.

stomach acid burns his throat and leaves his sinuses raw and stinging. he wipes his eyes and mouth and drags himself off his knees again, moving around to search for the basement door.

[familiarityupp]

(a long staircase down the factory's side leads him down to the basement... the door is ajar..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"oh... yay..."

he whispers hoarsely to himself as he descends the stairs and listens at the door. that deathly silence isn't reassuring, but at least there's nothing moving to hurt him in there.

he gently opens the door.

[familiarityupp]

(. . . ddlc..?) (anyway anyway) (he sees the two bodies.. one of a woman, laid toward the far corner, her head entirely destroyed, the other of a man, laid with his neck snapped, facing under a desk which has been smashed into pieces.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

:3

he continues into the room, looking around and trying not to gag at the sight of the corpses again.

hard success on spot hidden

[familiarityupp]

(there are multiple sets of footprints visible, patterned in the dust on the floor, one set of trainers, three sets of oxfords.) (strangely.. two of the three match the bodies laid around him.. but the third walks into the room , and then just ends below the pit, the trainers do the same, leading toward the thirds', and then leading nowhere else.) (its clear that 4 people were in this room-- 3 of a more business focussed attire, and, judging by the size of the footprints, one kid.) (whatever happened here, Elijah knows he didnt find a third body matching these footprints-- nor did he find a kid.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

a sick relief floods him upon realising that he has not found a potential kid's corpse. he takes note of the footprints.

a strange sense of detached calm has settled over him. the nausea has faded, his hands are steady, his legs no longer weak. he walks with a solidness to him over to the headless body to examine the markings of what might've killed her.

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[familiarityupp]

(he wouldnt find a /door/.. but he could find a smashed in Window he could climb through...)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

careful to avoid the sharp glass, he climbs through the window and into the building.

[familiarityupp]

(he would see a production line-- almost entirely on fire) (rubber conveyor belts melting and dripping onto the floor.. a great hole in the ceiling letting the evening light shine through.) (and lastly, a huge patch of that same pink liquid in the centre, still consumed in a swirling flame-- almost resembling a whirlpool of flame-- clearly the source that sustains the rest of the building's fire.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"ouh what the-"

a hand comes up to shield his face from the searing heat, eyes narrowing against the light and the sting of the smoke. he scans the area for a fire extinguisher or anything that might suggest what happened.

[familiarityupp]

(no fire extinguisher.) (but he does see bodies.) (all around the room.. he sees what was made of those police.) (their bodies are split, smashed, or pierced,, all killed in precise, single movements.. in a circle around where the blood sits.. they appear to have been dead a while, and some of the bodies are on fire.) (he can tell though-- this was not the actions of a man.) (whatever did this.. was huge.. one of the cops' head is just.. gone..) (in the centre of the room, near the blood, is a pit, leading down into the basement.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's legs buckle, and his knees crunch against broken glass on the floor as he collapses. he can't look away. the scene barely even processes in his mind as he stares around blankly, eyes wide but hollow, hands trembling by his sides, blood drained from his face.

today isn't the first time he's seen a body. but not like this.

he dimly processes the pit, processes that it may hold answers. yes, answers is what he needs to find. in the back of his mind is a sensible voice telling him this is a bad idea, but he already knows, and it doesn't stop him, it rarely does.

the heat of the fire singes the hairs of his arms as he approaches. he keeps his eyes away from the corpses and stands by the edge of the pit, peering down into that darkness.

[familiarityupp]

(two more bodies sit in the pit-- it leads down into a storage room.) (theyre wearing suits.. clearly not cops.. but one of their heads is entirely gone- turned to pigments upon the wall.. the other's neck is snapped all the way round.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

emetophobia warning: gagging and almost throwing up

as his eyes land on that horrible twisted neck, Elijah gags roughly, almost collapsing again, violently shaking hand coming up to cover his mouth as he dry heaves.

this is stupid. this is a bad idea. this is a horrifically bad idea. this is maybe one of the worst ideas he's ever had.

but he's been more scared of other things. so he starts trying to find a way down to investigate.

[familiarityupp]

(the pit is atleast 10 feet down.. but he could see light shining in from some outside door.. he could leave the building and enter from the basement staircase?)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he momentarily considers trying to jump or climb down, but that's an even worse idea than coming here at all. so he climbs back out of the window.

another emetophobia warning: somewhat graphic description of throwing up.

as soon as he exits that awful room, Elijah stumbles a few feet away and vomits into that stupid ditch. his stomach is practically empty and he knows he can't afford to throw up now, not when he knows his next meal is uncertain, but he can't stop himself from shuddering and heaving up his insides.

stomach acid burns his throat and leaves his sinuses raw and stinging. he wipes his eyes and mouth and drags himself off his knees again, moving around to search for the basement door.

[familiarityupp]

(a long staircase down the factory's side leads him down to the basement... the door is ajar..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"oh... yay..."

he whispers hoarsely to himself as he descends the stairs and listens at the door. that deathly silence isn't reassuring, but at least there's nothing moving to hurt him in there.

he gently opens the door.

[familiarityupp]

(. . . ddlc..?) (anyway anyway) (he sees the two bodies.. one of a woman, laid toward the far corner, her head entirely destroyed, the other of a man, laid with his neck snapped, facing under a desk which has been smashed into pieces.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

:3

he continues into the room, looking around and trying not to gag at the sight of the corpses again.

hard success on spot hidden

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[familiarityupp]

(he wouldnt find a /door/.. but he could find a smashed in Window he could climb through...)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

careful to avoid the sharp glass, he climbs through the window and into the building.

[familiarityupp]

(he would see a production line-- almost entirely on fire) (rubber conveyor belts melting and dripping onto the floor.. a great hole in the ceiling letting the evening light shine through.) (and lastly, a huge patch of that same pink liquid in the centre, still consumed in a swirling flame-- almost resembling a whirlpool of flame-- clearly the source that sustains the rest of the building's fire.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"ouh what the-"

a hand comes up to shield his face from the searing heat, eyes narrowing against the light and the sting of the smoke. he scans the area for a fire extinguisher or anything that might suggest what happened.

[familiarityupp]

(no fire extinguisher.) (but he does see bodies.) (all around the room.. he sees what was made of those police.) (their bodies are split, smashed, or pierced,, all killed in precise, single movements.. in a circle around where the blood sits.. they appear to have been dead a while, and some of the bodies are on fire.) (he can tell though-- this was not the actions of a man.) (whatever did this.. was huge.. one of the cops' head is just.. gone..) (in the centre of the room, near the blood, is a pit, leading down into the basement.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's legs buckle, and his knees crunch against broken glass on the floor as he collapses. he can't look away. the scene barely even processes in his mind as he stares around blankly, eyes wide but hollow, hands trembling by his sides, blood drained from his face.

today isn't the first time he's seen a body. but not like this.

he dimly processes the pit, processes that it may hold answers. yes, answers is what he needs to find. in the back of his mind is a sensible voice telling him this is a bad idea, but he already knows, and it doesn't stop him, it rarely does.

the heat of the fire singes the hairs of his arms as he approaches. he keeps his eyes away from the corpses and stands by the edge of the pit, peering down into that darkness.

[familiarityupp]

(two more bodies sit in the pit-- it leads down into a storage room.) (theyre wearing suits.. clearly not cops.. but one of their heads is entirely gone- turned to pigments upon the wall.. the other's neck is snapped all the way round.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

emetophobia warning: gagging and almost throwing up

as his eyes land on that horrible twisted neck, Elijah gags roughly, almost collapsing again, violently shaking hand coming up to cover his mouth as he dry heaves.

this is stupid. this is a bad idea. this is a horrifically bad idea. this is maybe one of the worst ideas he's ever had.

but he's been more scared of other things. so he starts trying to find a way down to investigate.

[familiarityupp]

(the pit is atleast 10 feet down.. but he could see light shining in from some outside door.. he could leave the building and enter from the basement staircase?)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he momentarily considers trying to jump or climb down, but that's an even worse idea than coming here at all. so he climbs back out of the window.

another emetophobia warning: somewhat graphic description of throwing up.

as soon as he exits that awful room, Elijah stumbles a few feet away and vomits into that stupid ditch. his stomach is practically empty and he knows he can't afford to throw up now, not when he knows his next meal is uncertain, but he can't stop himself from shuddering and heaving up his insides.

stomach acid burns his throat and leaves his sinuses raw and stinging. he wipes his eyes and mouth and drags himself off his knees again, moving around to search for the basement door.

[familiarityupp]

(a long staircase down the factory's side leads him down to the basement... the door is ajar..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"oh... yay..."

he whispers hoarsely to himself as he descends the stairs and listens at the door. that deathly silence isn't reassuring, but at least there's nothing moving to hurt him in there.

he gently opens the door.

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[familiarityupp]

(he wouldnt find a /door/.. but he could find a smashed in Window he could climb through...)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

careful to avoid the sharp glass, he climbs through the window and into the building.

[familiarityupp]

(he would see a production line-- almost entirely on fire) (rubber conveyor belts melting and dripping onto the floor.. a great hole in the ceiling letting the evening light shine through.) (and lastly, a huge patch of that same pink liquid in the centre, still consumed in a swirling flame-- almost resembling a whirlpool of flame-- clearly the source that sustains the rest of the building's fire.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"ouh what the-"

a hand comes up to shield his face from the searing heat, eyes narrowing against the light and the sting of the smoke. he scans the area for a fire extinguisher or anything that might suggest what happened.

[familiarityupp]

(no fire extinguisher.) (but he does see bodies.) (all around the room.. he sees what was made of those police.) (their bodies are split, smashed, or pierced,, all killed in precise, single movements.. in a circle around where the blood sits.. they appear to have been dead a while, and some of the bodies are on fire.) (he can tell though-- this was not the actions of a man.) (whatever did this.. was huge.. one of the cops' head is just.. gone..) (in the centre of the room, near the blood, is a pit, leading down into the basement.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's legs buckle, and his knees crunch against broken glass on the floor as he collapses. he can't look away. the scene barely even processes in his mind as he stares around blankly, eyes wide but hollow, hands trembling by his sides, blood drained from his face.

today isn't the first time he's seen a body. but not like this.

he dimly processes the pit, processes that it may hold answers. yes, answers is what he needs to find. in the back of his mind is a sensible voice telling him this is a bad idea, but he already knows, and it doesn't stop him, it rarely does.

the heat of the fire singes the hairs of his arms as he approaches. he keeps his eyes away from the corpses and stands by the edge of the pit, peering down into that darkness.

[familiarityupp]

(two more bodies sit in the pit-- it leads down into a storage room.) (theyre wearing suits.. clearly not cops.. but one of their heads is entirely gone- turned to pigments upon the wall.. the other's neck is snapped all the way round.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

emetophobia warning: gagging and almost throwing up

as his eyes land on that horrible twisted neck, Elijah gags roughly, almost collapsing again, violently shaking hand coming up to cover his mouth as he dry heaves.

this is stupid. this is a bad idea. this is a horrifically bad idea. this is maybe one of the worst ideas he's ever had.

but he's been more scared of other things. so he starts trying to find a way down to investigate.

[familiarityupp]

(the pit is atleast 10 feet down.. but he could see light shining in from some outside door.. he could leave the building and enter from the basement staircase?)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he momentarily considers trying to jump or climb down, but that's an even worse idea than coming here at all. so he climbs back out of the window.

another emetophobia warning: somewhat graphic description of throwing up.

as soon as he exits that awful room, Elijah stumbles a few feet away and vomits into that stupid ditch. his stomach is practically empty and he knows he can't afford to throw up now, not when he knows his next meal is uncertain, but he can't stop himself from shuddering and heaving up his insides.

stomach acid burns his throat and leaves his sinuses raw and stinging. he wipes his eyes and mouth and drags himself off his knees again, moving around to search for the basement door.

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[familiarityupp]

(he wouldnt find a /door/.. but he could find a smashed in Window he could climb through...)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

careful to avoid the sharp glass, he climbs through the window and into the building.

[familiarityupp]

(he would see a production line-- almost entirely on fire) (rubber conveyor belts melting and dripping onto the floor.. a great hole in the ceiling letting the evening light shine through.) (and lastly, a huge patch of that same pink liquid in the centre, still consumed in a swirling flame-- almost resembling a whirlpool of flame-- clearly the source that sustains the rest of the building's fire.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"ouh what the-"

a hand comes up to shield his face from the searing heat, eyes narrowing against the light and the sting of the smoke. he scans the area for a fire extinguisher or anything that might suggest what happened.

[familiarityupp]

(no fire extinguisher.) (but he does see bodies.) (all around the room.. he sees what was made of those police.) (their bodies are split, smashed, or pierced,, all killed in precise, single movements.. in a circle around where the blood sits.. they appear to have been dead a while, and some of the bodies are on fire.) (he can tell though-- this was not the actions of a man.) (whatever did this.. was huge.. one of the cops' head is just.. gone..) (in the centre of the room, near the blood, is a pit, leading down into the basement.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's legs buckle, and his knees crunch against broken glass on the floor as he collapses. he can't look away. the scene barely even processes in his mind as he stares around blankly, eyes wide but hollow, hands trembling by his sides, blood drained from his face.

today isn't the first time he's seen a body. but not like this.

he dimly processes the pit, processes that it may hold answers. yes, answers is what he needs to find. in the back of his mind is a sensible voice telling him this is a bad idea, but he already knows, and it doesn't stop him, it rarely does.

the heat of the fire singes the hairs of his arms as he approaches. he keeps his eyes away from the corpses and stands by the edge of the pit, peering down into that darkness.

[familiarityupp]

(two more bodies sit in the pit-- it leads down into a storage room.) (theyre wearing suits.. clearly not cops.. but one of their heads is entirely gone- turned to pigments upon the wall.. the other's neck is snapped all the way round.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

emetophobia warning: gagging and almost throwing up

as his eyes land on that horrible twisted neck, Elijah gags roughly, almost collapsing again, violently shaking hand coming up to cover his mouth as he dry heaves.

this is stupid. this is a bad idea. this is a horrifically bad idea. this is maybe one of the worst ideas he's ever had.

but he's been more scared of other things. so he starts trying to find a way down to investigate.

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[familiarityupp]

(he wouldnt find a /door/.. but he could find a smashed in Window he could climb through...)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

careful to avoid the sharp glass, he climbs through the window and into the building.

[familiarityupp]

(he would see a production line-- almost entirely on fire) (rubber conveyor belts melting and dripping onto the floor.. a great hole in the ceiling letting the evening light shine through.) (and lastly, a huge patch of that same pink liquid in the centre, still consumed in a swirling flame-- almost resembling a whirlpool of flame-- clearly the source that sustains the rest of the building's fire.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"ouh what the-"

a hand comes up to shield his face from the searing heat, eyes narrowing against the light and the sting of the smoke. he scans the area for a fire extinguisher or anything that might suggest what happened.

[familiarityupp]

(no fire extinguisher.) (but he does see bodies.) (all around the room.. he sees what was made of those police.) (their bodies are split, smashed, or pierced,, all killed in precise, single movements.. in a circle around where the blood sits.. they appear to have been dead a while, and some of the bodies are on fire.) (he can tell though-- this was not the actions of a man.) (whatever did this.. was huge.. one of the cops' head is just.. gone..) (in the centre of the room, near the blood, is a pit, leading down into the basement.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's legs buckle, and his knees crunch against broken glass on the floor as he collapses. he can't look away. the scene barely even processes in his mind as he stares around blankly, eyes wide but hollow, hands trembling by his sides, blood drained from his face.

today isn't the first time he's seen a body. but not like this.

he dimly processes the pit, processes that it may hold answers. yes, answers is what he needs to find. in the back of his mind is a sensible voice telling him this is a bad idea, but he already knows, and it doesn't stop him, it rarely does.

the heat of the fire singes the hairs of his arms as he approaches. he keeps his eyes away from the corpses and stands by the edge of the pit, peering down into that darkness.

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[familiarityupp]

(he wouldnt find a /door/.. but he could find a smashed in Window he could climb through...)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

careful to avoid the sharp glass, he climbs through the window and into the building.

[familiarityupp]

(he would see a production line-- almost entirely on fire) (rubber conveyor belts melting and dripping onto the floor.. a great hole in the ceiling letting the evening light shine through.) (and lastly, a huge patch of that same pink liquid in the centre, still consumed in a swirling flame-- almost resembling a whirlpool of flame-- clearly the source that sustains the rest of the building's fire.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"ouh what the-"

a hand comes up to shield his face from the searing heat, eyes narrowing against the light and the sting of the smoke. he scans the area for a fire extinguisher or anything that might suggest what happened.

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[familiarityupp]

(he wouldnt find a /door/.. but he could find a smashed in Window he could climb through...)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

careful to avoid the sharp glass, he climbs through the window and into the building.

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.

[familiarityupp]

(the outside doesnt appear to have one aaanywhere,, he could check inside if he could find a spot without flames tho..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he scours the exterior of the building, searching for somewhere safer to enter.

that is an 009 on spot hidden. extreme success.

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

the flashlight is solid in his hand as Elijah wanders beyond the treeline. it's approaching noon and he likely won't need it, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious. all seems peaceful so close to town.

he continues to walk deeper into the forest. his map is folded carefully in his pocket, his compass alongside it, first aid kit tucked into the top pocket of his backpack.

this is almost certainly a bad idea. most people he's spoken to since arriving in Deadwood have told him to beware the forest. but why?

@familiarityupp

[familiarityupp]

(as he progresses further and further into the woods... the grass appears dying.. as if it were choked by drought.. despite the relatively cool and wet weather.. this region of the forest appears strangely dry... im sure thats fine though.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices, and frowns at the unusual state of the woods here. is this what they meant? surely there's something causing it. Elijah forges onward.

[familiarityupp]

(he hears a strange cawing in the distance... it sounds kinda distorted? maybe its just his hearing?)

(roll spot hidden :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his free hand drifts to his jacket pocket, fingers carefully wrapping around his Swiss army knife. he follows the sound.

(fail lmao.)

[familiarityupp]

(he continues to hear cawing and fluttering in the canopy.. but he cant see anything around him too well)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's brow furrows, and he pauses in his tracks, bringing up a hand to shade his eyes and peering more intently into the canopy above him.

(regular success on pushed roll.)

[familiarityupp]

(a streak of red light flickers across his vision.) (he sees the vague shadows of birds circling overhead..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

feeling vaguely unsettled, Elijah continues deeper into the woods.

[familiarityupp]

(he would spot a bird in the trees..) (it looks sortof like an albino crow or raven,,, but he cant make out its features too well-- even in the light it appears,, strangely murky.. and its eyes gleam a pale red.) (it might just be the torchlight reflecting.. or it might be something else)} (whatever it was, he doesnt have the time to figure it out, as it caws at him and alights above the trees.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he glances at his torch, still off, then back at where the bird just was. he cannot shake the feeling they are watching him.

still he continues onward, hoping to find the source of this strange drought in this area of the woods. or something else interesting.

[familiarityupp]

(he starts to see a glittering, orange light in the distance..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

progress! he picks up the pace a little

[familiarityupp]

(as he approaches.. he starts to hear crackling-- aand walks straight into a fence.) (its clear by now that what he's looking at is a raging fire... but he's first blocked by a chainlink wire fence.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah's eyes widen in alarm. is there just a wildfire out here? he walks along the fence, peering in, trying to see if the fire is at all contained or what's going on.

[familiarityupp]

(he sees a large, multi-structure industrial complex, entirely beset with swirling flames.)

(Elijah would come across a sign-- denoting the area onward as Private Land, property of Enclave (ltd.) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he tries to figure out if there are any people around to control the fire at all, or if he's totally alone with the burning building.

[familiarityupp]

(noone is around.)

(something feels off about the building however.. the roof is smashed through, along with an open wall- like something huge battered against it.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"hello?"

the sound of his voice rings out over the crackling of the fire.

"is anyone in there?"

[familiarityupp]

(.. noone calls out to him.. but the same birds circle the building..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

he notices how the fire doesn't spread from the building. whatever is causing it must still be active. Elijah wanders around behind the property, to see where it connects to the road.

the sight of a police car makes him immediately duck back into the cover of the trees before he peeks out again.

4 police cars. an ambulance. a black rover with tinted windows. all empty. only when he confirms that no one seems to be returning to the vehicles does he emerge from the trees to get a closer look.

the engines are still idling, even though Elijah would guess they've been here for maybe 2 days. the singular set of tire marks peeling away implies that at least one vehicle got away. and by the width of them he matches them to the ambulance that remains here. so one ambulance left the scene, possibly before these other vehicles showed up, and everyone seems to have vanished.

he approaches the still open gate and slips inside, hand on his Swiss army knife.

[familiarityupp]

(as he starts to approach the building.. a second smell catches his nose- not just the burning... but he smells rotting from nearby.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his focus wavers at the new sensory information, and he instead decides to try and follow the smell of rot, pushing down the cold creeping dead in his gut.

[familiarityupp]

(it gets stronger and stronger as he follows it..) (the taste almost feels to settle in his mouth.. until he finds its source.) (a charred, blackened corpse left splayed out in the dirt.) (a victim of something awful... something.. supernatural.)

(aand.. go ahead and roll sanitty for me :) )

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

HAHHHHHHAHAHHA JUST A FAILURE 2 DAMAGE

that feeling of dread keeps clawing up his stomach as the smell gets stronger, as the taste of blood-tinted ash weighs on his tongue.

Elijah stops dead. the air freezes in his lungs, the edges of his vision seeming to fade until his gaze is zeroed in on the corpse and the corpse alone. the sound of his own heartbeat hammers relentlessly in his ears, reminding him over and over that he is alive and this person is not, that he is just as fragile, just as susceptible to such suffering.

just a child. need a reminder of how weak you are?

he snaps himself free of the panicked daze. he gets breathing again, takes stock of the situation. he grits his teeth and forces himself to get a closer look in an attempt to figure out or understand the supernatural aspect of this person's death.

[familiarityupp]

TW// VERY EW GENERALLY-- im describing a charred corpse so, just ew, its just very very ew its a body :(

(the body is... unrecognizable.. but he can discern some details.) (its of a small frame, dressed neck to toe in a sort of fabric uniform-- now mostly ash but still vaguely discernable.. he cant make any conclusion of who this was...) (the grass around it is caked not just in his own blood, but in a dark and supernatural pink liquid.. said liquid still burns just a little) (the top of its head is sliced open- though based on the way the burned, hardened skin adheres to the wound's reshaping, it looks as though this injury was caused /far after their death/,the body left for some time before its brain was accessed.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

his hands shake as he gingerly crouches down near the pink liquid, grabbing a stick and poking at the smouldering substance a little. it must be what's sustaining the fire in the main building.

he takes note of the opened skull, managing not to gag.

[familiarityupp]

(the stick instantly ignites upon contacting the entropyne's blood-- obviously he doesnt know what it is but that is infact what this substance is.)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, but doesn't startle and drop the stick. he carefully stands up and moves away. he then places the stick on dry ground and looks around for something like a fire extinguisher, planning to test on this small sample, hoping to figure out how to douse the flames.

[familiarityupp]

(there could be a fire extinguisher in the building.. but said structure is also on fire right now soo..)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

sighing, he moves a little closer to the building, hoping luck might be on his side, thinking maybe he'll find a fire extinguisher nearer the outskirts of the building.

guess who rolled a fumble:3 on luck:3

[familiarityupp]

(he finds nothing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand falls into a ditch :P)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

"shit-"

he curses as he stumbles and falls, a twinge of pain shooting up his right ankle as he twists it uncomfortably. he pulls himself upright and limps out of the ditch.

[familiarityupp]

(hes hurt,, bit muddied, but hes okay, and can go back to searching)

[elijah-raine-is-trying]

Elijah wanders around the building, looking for a fire extinguisher still, hoping he might get luckier than he just did.