Christmas Eve

[skeleton_king]

Jack doesn't attempt to leave the custody of Gene as he leads the search party into the forest, map in hand.

There are a great many more doors now, each with a pumpkin, and as Jack comes into the vicinity they seem to give a little click.

He turns to the search party.

"Spread out and search each area of the forest." he says. "There is likely to be monsters behind these doors, preventing the retrieval of the first Santy Claws. Your Santy Claws is, I think, in the hands of a creature called Oogie Boogie, the former king of Bug Day, who appears as a big sack full of bugs. If you find him, or you get into trouble, shout for help at once. The other monsters should not hurt you too severely, but they will attack, so your best bet is to force them back into the door."

Comments

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[face_in_the_moon]

Something howls.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[a1enzo]

Gripping Dani's hand tightly with his right, Enzo readies his gauntlet on the left as they charge on to the end of the tunnel.

If this turns out not to be the right tree after all, he is going to be very cross.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[ami_imperfect]

He's not going to be the only one.

Dani resists the urge to build up an ecto blast in her fist as they reach the tunnel's end; it'd give their position away.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[face_in_the_moon]

The dark cavern at the end of the tunnel is -- a casino?

There's a roulette wheel in the middle of the room, there are blackjack cards as decoration, and there are -- chains?

A casino dungeon, then, inhabited by a living potato sack which is walking around the roulette wheel.

And the chains contain a jolly old man with a white beard, in his underwear, on a sloping poker table, head down.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[a1enzo]

Enzo's hand tightens around Dani's, and his breath hisses between his teeth. He wants to rush to the rescue immediately, but that's not the plan.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[ami_imperfect]

As Enzo's hand tightens on Dani's, so does Dani's on Enzo's. It's taking everything she's got to not let go of him and rush right in there, guns (or fists) blazing.

"How do you want to play this?" she whispers to him. And prays that Mr. Potato Sack doesn't have supersonic hearing.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[a1enzo]

"I stay to keep an eye on things here, you go fetch the others?" he suggests.

She can move faster than him. And he knows she can make herself heard, if necessary.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[ami_imperfect]

Even though she knows he can't see it, she nods.

"Stay safe," Dani whispers.

She squeezes his hand, reluctantly lets go and then flies back down the tunnel they way they had come like the proverbial bat from hell.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[a1enzo]

Enzo, now visible, flattens himself against the side of the tunnel and keeps his eyes locked on the occupants of the chamber hardly blinking.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[ami_imperfect]

As soon as she's sure that she's far enough up the tunnel to be out of line-of-sight Dani goes visible again, and lets loose a Ghostly Wail once she's clear of the entrance.

Hopefully that will be enough to draw everyone's attention.

Re: Team 3 - Dani and Enzo

[face_in_the_moon]

And soon, everyone will indeed converge here.