flamingprick | Quiet Mounds: heart game

[So you fell asleep! It's okay, that happens. Everyone's gotta sleep, after all.

But what's important here is that, instead of waking up wherever you were, you will wake up in a rather dark hallway. There are no windows, so the only light comes from the occasional chandelier hanging down from the tall ceiling, casting long shadows that may look like they're moving if you catch them out of the corner of your eye.

Despite how long this hallway is, there are only five doors in total. Two on the left, two on the right, and one right at the end of the hallway. On the left there is a simple wooden door with '1-F' written on it, and a little further down is a sliding rice paper door. On the right there is a steel gate leading to what looks like a dark forest, and then further down is a wooden door with a cross on it. The door at the end of the hall looks like it's made of gold, and there is a bloody handprint on it.

The first four doors are unlocked, but the fifth can't be opened for the time being. You also can't go backwards down the hall, it will eventually end in a solid wall.

Where do you go?]

((OOC: the first four rooms can be explored in any order, so feel free to go about this in whatever way you want! There will be differences depending on the order in which you explore things though.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

flamingprick

"The second-oldest one."

[As if that is descriptive enough. Though it might be, if the demon hierarchy is the same in Kevin's world.

Amaimon bites down on the sucker he had been sucking on, crushing it between his teeth.]

"Go rescue Okumura. I need someone to bother, and all the figments in his mind are boring. They just disappear anytime I try to torment them."

From:

rightwingman

[Second oldest Nephilim, second oldest Fallen angel, second oldest pure-born demon... He has too many lists to sort through.]

Aren't you also a figment?

From:

flamingprick

[That sure is a creepy grin spreading across his face.]

"That's how I can get to him. He's full of self-loathing, it's so easy to bring up memories that upset him. It's so exciting!"

[YEAH...]

From:

rightwingman

You know I can't approve of that.

From:

flamingprick

"What choice do you have? You can't leave until he's free anyway."

From:

rightwingman

I could remove you while I'm here.

From:

flamingprick

"You could. But I would just come back."

From:

rightwingman

[sighs, disappointed]

That's true... Our fears and self-doubts always rear their nasty heads back up.

From:

flamingprick

"Yep~"

[He sounds entirely too happy about that.

But oh look, further down the path into the dark forest, there's the flickering of blue lights! Which catches Amaimon's attention, actually.]

"Ah, that is waiting for you. If you figured out the swords then you should be able to figure out that one too. But be quick about it, I'm getting impatient."

From:

rightwingman

I'm getting to it.

[starts heading down the path again]

Do I need to make a full introduction to Rin, or are you that dumb on your own to take a tone like that with an archangel?

From:

flamingprick

[Amaimon just grins in response.

Yeah, he's that dumb on his own. And that bloodthirsty, at least in Rin's mind.]

From:

rightwingman

[sighs. demons.]

[waves him off, ignoring Amaimon now]

From:

flamingprick

[It's probably for the best. Amaimon is pretty annoying, though his older brother is definitely worse.

But anyway, if Kevin follows the blue lights, he'll eventually find the source of them. Plain white candles have been left around the path, and each candle has a blue flame dancing at its wick. The further along the path Kevin goes, the more candles he will see.

Will he keep going, or will he inspect the candles?]

From:

rightwingman

Blue?

[he's not going to relight it like he did the shrine's candles, but he will try to snuff one out experimentally]

From:

flamingprick

[It will go out, but as soon as Kevin pulls his hand away the candle will relight.

Also, the warmth of the flames will feel familiar, since Kevin already did the sword puzzle.]

From:

rightwingman

That's interesting...

[moving on further down the path]

From:

flamingprick

[Eventually Kevin will find a clearing with two specific items in it: three unlit candles in a row, and one long match.

There is no path to exit the clearing, and if Kevin looks for the path he used to get to the clearing he will be unable to find it. It looks like he will have to solve this puzzle if he wants to progress.

Kevin might be able to find clues to help solve the puzzle if he inspects it more closely, or he could just try to strongarm his way through it.]

From:

rightwingman

[he'll give a try at solving it first. going to pick up the candles first.]

From:

flamingprick

[They can be picked up! They are not attached to the ground. However, there are imprints in the ground where they just were, like they are supposed to be there.]

From:

rightwingman

Just candles...?

[sets them back down, and picks up the match, checking that over too]

From:

flamingprick

[Yep! Ordinary candles.

The match has three things on it. On the match head end, 'Proverbs 14:29' is written. On the other is '2 Timothy 1:7'. They are written in such a way that you have to turn the match around entirely to read either bit of writing. And at the very center of the match is the impression of a thumbprint. If Kevin were to match his thumb up to the thumbprint, the match head would be to the right of his thumb.]

From:

rightwingman

Hah. Proverbs 14:29 is good advice, but none I've ever practiced.

[turning the match over to the Timothy side instead and going to light it]

From:

flamingprick

[It lights on fire! It looks a little weird, since it's the end someone might normally hold when lighting a match, but it will burn alright.

If Kevin is using his magic to light it, then the fire will appear however Kevin's fire would normally appear, by the way. But other than that, nothing happens. Kevin will have about 5 minutes before the match burns completely through.

What now?]