Plotlogs
Night At The Museum Sr Aristotle 240605
The scene unfolds at the Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, a harmonious blend of the ancient and the modern. Aristotle, Ryan, and Harriet converge on the museum after hours, each arriving in their own, unique fashion. Aristotle drives up in a police-issued Dodge Charger, Ryan arrives packed with gear and books in a 1977 Dodge Van, and Harriet accompanies Ryan, both ready to assist with the retrieval of a dangerous relic. Their mission: to recover an artifact on display in the museum's Egypt section before it can fall into the wrong hands or cause catastrophic damage.
As they cautiously make their way into the museum, they're immediately engulfed in a chaotic cacophony of gunfire, screams, and the unnerving silence that paradoxically seems to blanket the building. Despite Aristotle's initial belief that they might face "run-of-the-mill mall security," they quickly find themselves pitted against something far more perilous—an onslaught of living flame elementals and a cultist seeking to use the relic to invoke otherworldly destruction.
Ryan, armed with "Arcane Rituals for Dummies" and a mishmash of both practical and arcane knowledge, suggests a desperate plan involving a large quantity of ice, hoping to establish a counter-elemental circle to bind or banish the fiery entities besieging them. Meanwhile, Aristotle and Harriet attempt to navigate the museum's dangers, including the fiery elementals and the malevolent cultist wielding the artifact's power.
In a dramatic confluence of events, Ryan performs a ritual that inexplicably succeeds, quelling the fire elementals' fury through a sheer force of will , despite his subsequent knock out from the ritual's backlash. Aristotle is seriously injured, taking a gunshot wound and suffering burns while attempting to fend off the elementals. Harriet, demonstrating quick thinking and significant physical prowess, manages to incapacitate the cultist with the very artifact they sought to secure, albeit causing it some damage in the process.
As they escape the museum, now swarming with arriving police, and the fire suppression system douses any remaining flames, Harriet takes the driver's seat of Ryan's van, ensuring the safe extraction of the artifact and her companions. They leave behind a scene of bewildered law enforcement and a museum caught between the cusp of the ancient magical realm and modern calamity.
The mission concludes with the artifact in safe hands, albeit with Ryan and Aristotle facing a long road to recovery. Their extraordinary night at the museum is marked by a blend of chaos, courage, and a touch of arcane intervention, encapsulating an adventure that braids the threads of the mundane and the mystical.
(Night at the Museum(SRAristotle):SRAristotle)
[Tue Jun 4 2024]
In Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
The Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology stands as a harmonious blend of classical grandeur and modern sophistication, its limestone facade evoking the strength of ancient ruins while expansive glass panels stretch skyward, symbolizing the ongoing journey of discovery. The grand entrance, marked by an arching portico supported by fluted columns and adorned with a frieze depicting scenes from various ancient civilizations, exudes regality and historical significance. Tall, narrow windows inspired by ancient architectural forms punctuate the facade, allowing natural light to flood the interior. At the center, a striking glass atrium filled with greenery and a bubbling fountain serves as the heart of the museum, its modern lines contrasting beautifully with traditional elements. The meticulously landscaped grounds feature winding paths through gardens of native and historically significant plants, interspersed with replicas of archaeological artifacts and sculptures. An adjacent outdoor amphitheater, built from the same limestone, hosts lectures and community events, while interactive exhibits and a contemplative sculpture garden enhance the visitor experience.
It is about 70F(21C) degrees.
OOC: Hello everyone! Go ahead and emote how you arrived, and we'll get started! :)
A blood-red, Dodge Charger makes it's way down the road. It would be rather innocuous were it not for the fact that it's driving up towards a Museum after-hours. There are police sirens on the hood, but decidedly they are -off-. It seems the driver, Aristotle, parks some distance away, and as he exits he makes the short trek up towards the front(ish) portion of the museum as he waits for others to arrive.
Inconspicuous as always, Ryan rolls up in &117a &123197&1597 D&195od&194ge &193Van&192 w&155ith&156 a &191be&227ach&228 mu&229ral&w loaded with a duffel bag of weapons, gear, and a pile of Order Archive reference books. He doesn't know what he'll be doing, but he followed Harriet on this goose chase to assist, and dealing with an artifact is right up his alley as an Order Librarian, so he's ready to go. "You want any of these Orange Slices I got at the last gas station, Miss Harry?" he asks as he takes a few of them and holds out the small plastic container to her.
Inconspicuous as always, Ryan rolls up in a 1977 Dodge Van with a beach mural loaded with a duffel bag of weapons, gear, and a pile of Order Archive reference books. He doesn't know what he'll be doing, but he followed Harriet on this goose chase to assist, and dealing with an artifact is right up his alley as an Order Librarian, so he's ready to go. "You want any of these Orange Slices I got at the last gas station, Miss Harry?" he asks as he takes a few of them and holds out the small plastic container to her. (oops, repost)
Belted into the passenger seat of Ryan's van, Harriet rides along, gazing ahead and being the backseat driver despite not being in that locale. She's quick to point out stop signs and stop lights, even if Ryan is fully aware of their existence. This woman is clearly not used to not being in control of a vehicle, and she's grasping for any bit of that she can acquire. The offered oranges get accepted, though, and she's snacking on one politely. "Thank you, dear Ryan," she tells him, enjoying the sweet citrus, and then once they arrive, she's grabbing her gear from the back.
Aristotle, from where he waits, watches the beach mural of a van pull up. He nods, slowly, as if to acknowledge that subtlety was missed in the memo. But, aside from that little gesture, there's no complaint given. He's lifting a hand up, assuming he's visible to flag them down briefly, before withdrawing a flashlight from his belt to click it on and off to reveal himself. He doesn't leave the light on, just in case there's still stragglers inside, but given the time of day - with a quickly approaching dusk, it's clear this is a retrieval attempt to be made under the cloak of night.
As he parks, Ryan steps out and opens the passenger door for Harriet like a gentleman, then rounds the back as he opens the back doors to show Aristotle what all they have. "So...what all do we need for this retrieval, my dude? I got armor, guns, burglary equipment, lockpicks...maybe some ritual stuffs? I wasn't real clear on what all is going on."
Aristotle offers to Ryan a warm smile as he draws himself nearer to their van. "Hey, Ryan. Good to see you again." He says to him, and that same warmth of a greeting is given to someone, too, though silently. He sets his eyes to the wares that Ryan brought, and can't help but snicker a touch. "Okay, so, probably not... -everything-" he says. "The only downside to what we're trying to do tonight, is that it's not really by the books." He explains. "No one was able to set everything up for an easy retrieval since the process to do that runs the risk of someone else feeling like an opportunist." He says. "So... armor and guns and the like? Probably not. We're not gonna shoot anyone, just sneaking in, doing some light sightseeing, safely acquiring a dangerous relic, putting it in storage until it can be transferred probably to the Watchers, and then going home."
Aristotle offers to Ryan a warm smile as he draws himself nearer to their van. "Hey, Ryan. Good to see you again." He says to him, and that same warmth of a greeting is given to Harriet, too, though silently. He sets his eyes to the wares that Ryan brought, and can't help but snicker a touch. "Okay, so, probably not... -everything-" he says. "The only downside to what we're trying to do tonight, is that it's not really by the books." He explains. "No one was able to set everything up for an easy retrieval since the process to do that runs the risk of someone else feeling like an opportunist." He says. "So... armor and guns and the like? Probably not. We're not gonna shoot anyone, just sneaking in, doing some light sightseeing, safely acquiring a dangerous relic, putting it in storage until it can be transferred probably to the Watchers, and then going home."
The tall, lithe brunette hardly looks like she belongs in such a scenario. Rather, the woman is dressed to perform in a dressage arena. Perhaps she just finished riding back at the manor... Either way, this is Harriet, and she's slipped into her coat, fastening its front and then smoothing palms down over its sides. The flashlight use by Aristotle is noted, and then she looks to Ryan, listening to what he says. Her long arms fold across her modest chest and she nods a bit. "Hello, Ari," she says to Aristotle warmly, if not quietly, and then takes in the plan.
The three of them would find themselves a relatively safe distance away from the actual front entrance, but of the vehicles in the parking lot, there are few, with the inclusion of the Beach Van and the Charger. A few others are parked, likely belonging to evening staff at the Museum and any particular overnight security. The area remains quiet, save for the whispering that comes from the trio.
Looking over at Aristotle, Ryan says, "So...do we know where it is and what kind of security is in there?"
"Honestly, I kinda feel like it'd be run of the mill mall security." Aristotle opines, nodding at Ryan's question. "I /do/ believe it's on display right now. But, there's a shit ton of relics in here, obviously." He says, gesturing about the building as if the theme of the place alone would explain why the quantity. "But they set up everything here pretty clearly. We probably can't just walk in like we own the place," he warns, "Because I don't want local law enforcement called on us. But, navigate it should be labeled and on display in their egypt section. Main thing is probably cameras. I don't really have a... thing for that."
"I've taken a few security courses, maybe I can make sure they're on a looped recording?" Ryan asks with a shrug. "Just need to get patched into the system somewhere."
"Man. Smash and grab would be so much easier." Aristotle points out, chuckling absently and quietly as he then turns his eyes to the building itself. "Yeah, we'll see what we can make of that if we can find a security place." He says. Then, he's glancing to Harriet. "Hey, Harry. Any opinion before we head in and... hope for the best?"
Harriet listens quietly as Ryan and Aristotle discuss what is known and what is not. She nods slowly, taking note of Ryan's claim and she mentions, "He is fairly good with computers," to the Wilson. "Smash and grab would be much easier," is admitted to Aristotle with a quick grin before her somber facial expression returns. "Goodness, I think I am just about ready for anything, and I am certainly hoping for the best. I am fairly good at sneaking around, so unless you two feel you are better at it... I can head in first?"
Putting on darker suit and tie, Ryan nods as he rifles through his pockets and finds his lockpicks. "I can also see if I can break into some of the outer doors, so we don't walk just right in the middle of things."
"Alright." Aristotle nods at Harriet. "You'll lead the way. I feel like you're probably sneakier than I am, so, ladies first." He motions towards Harriet to lead, and his eyes studiously look about the building. Eyes set on the front, brow furrowed as he's searching. Ryan's suggestion is heard with a nod, "Yeah, that's a good plan." He says to Ryan. "Just keep an eye out for cameras."
Ryan nods as he sets up to follow Harriet, falling in next to Aristotle.
A bow of her head and then Harriet makes sure that Aristotle and Ryan are ready. She asks, "Which entrance are we to take?" before heading anywhere, though. "Do you know the layout of the building?" gets wondered next. "I am pretty good at doing things on the fly, but if you have any insight to, well, anything, I will gladly soak it all in." She flashes another quick smile, and then glances up and down the street, assuring there is no one else around.
That glance up and down the street reveals - there is no one else around. The Museum, while not secluded, is very quiet given the time of night. What was dusk when they arrived has now fallen to night, and the odds of being spotted, at least in this moment, has decreased significantly.
"I feel like if a robbery were to happen, no one would really expect going in through the front." Aristotle supposes, but then he's motioning about the side of the building. "I don't really want to be the first one to test that theory, so lets go to the side up this way." He motions towards the immediate left of the building, starting to walk in that direction but not so fast that he loses track of the others. "I don't have a good idea of the layout, but I know things'll be labeled. Most Museum's are unless this one is fancy and complicated."
"Yeah, this'll be just like sneaking into a library and stealing library books. Those librarians never know what hit them." Ryan says as he looks around, then up and down, trying to see if he finds any cameras in the parking lot or along the walls of the building.
Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Harriet returns her gaze to Aristotle. A nod of understanding is afforded the deputy, and she follows his direction. Ever aware, she's looking about, absorbing her surroundings and continually checking to assure that nothing seems 'off,' but she does it all in a very subtle manner. There is no flashlight in use, but she seems more than capable of seeing. "Do you often break into libraries to steal books?" the Warden wonders of Ryan curiously as they head about the side of the building.
"Gonna steal /so/ many library books." Aristotle chimes in, glancing back at the group before stepping back to let Harriet lead. "It'll be like middle school all over again."
There is nothing 'off' that can be spotted visually about the property. It's silent. There is nothing of note that would stop them from maneuvering towards the side of the building towards where there's another door to enter, unmarked. There are cameras, though, the old-school ones that have a red light to signify they're recording. Curiously, the light isn't on. If one were to stop and listen as they get closer, they would, again, hear nothing. The door is approached eventually, ready for anyone with the equipment to try and force the lock into compliance.
While there is nothing 'off' about the place, there's a feeling that something /is/. Unplaced, perhaps? Unfounded?
Blinking back to Harriet as he shrugs, Ryan says, "The Order Archives doesn't have everything, and some of these things they aren't going to miss. How often do people go to restricted sections of the Library anyway?"
"I mean, the restricted section is the only place to be." Aristotle opines, glancing to Ryan after a beat. "Just like in Harry Potter. That's where all the good stuff is."
Peering up at the cameras, Ryan says, "Huh...those lights aren't on those cameras. I wonder if they've been turned off for some reason."
Harriet openly confesses, "I never read Harry Potter, nor have I seen the movies," to Aristotle, but says to Ryan about the books, "Fair enough." She takes in a slow, measured breath as hazel eyes sweep about the area again. Feeling that something is /off/, she cannot quite place a finger on it. A glance is given to Ryan when he mentions the lights are not on the cameras. "Interesting," gets murmured. Retrieving a lockpick, she quietly tries to get into the building.
Lockpick in hand, Harriet goes to set onto the lock. But, the door creaks open at the slightest touch. It seems the door was already unlocked. An easy explanation would be that one of the employees forgot to lock it. Paired with the fact that seemingly the cameras are not in operation certainly means someone is about to get fired. The door creaks open to reveal darkness on the inside. The lights are off - at least in this particular section of the museum. It's still silent.
Much to Harriet's surprise, that door does not even need the assistance of her lockpick, and as the door opens, she very carefully steps inside. Her breath is held, and she's as silent as she can possibly manage, intent on not getting caught to the best of her ability.
Aristotle glances up towards the camera as they're pointed out. He doesn't say anything, but the furrow of his brow suggests some suspicion he has at the sight of it. Eyes flicker towards the door when Harriet goes to pick the lock. "The cameras look a little old. I wouldn't be surprised if maybe they're only here as a bluff. Reckless, but, not unheard of." He says. When the door opens, his brow raises. "Wow, you're quick."
Crouching down as he follows Aristotle and Harriet inside, Ryan checks his pockets for anything of use. "I should have made one of those fake badges in case we get caught by the security. I could say that I'm some kind of inspector."
"Well. I'm an actual cop. I have my own badge if it helps." Aristotle says. He watches as Harriet breaches, and when Ryan follows, he brings up the rear, moving slowly.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Ryan exclaims quietly as squeezes himself against the wall, looking around for where the gunfire is coming from and quickly attempting to find cover while he pats down his messenger back for his backup weapon, a revolver.
Harriet's hazel eyes widen. A look of terror crosses her facial features and she stops for a moment. Her right hand pats at her coat, ensuring her bulletproof vest is there, and it is, and she crouches down, trying to figure out where the gunfire is coming from. Retrieving her revolver, she readies it, giving a quick glance to ensure both Ryan and Aristotle are all right.
When Aristotle brings up the rear, stepping into the building, he then hears what both Harriet and Ryan have heard before him. Sounds of terror - screaming, yelling, and lots of gunfire. He startles, crouching low and backpedaling once. It's only one step but it has him outside the building. A hand goes to his holster, and he starts to withdraw his pistol before stopping. He looks... remarkably confused. He reaches for the door to hold it open, and quietly whispers, though loud enough to reach the ears of Ryan and Harriet. "...Guys it's quiet outside." He says.
As for the gunfire inside, that, along with the screams and yelling, come from deeper in. Unfortunately, there's still no light source. For Ryan and Aristotle, visibility occurs only when flashes of gunfire can be seen in the distance. For Harriet, it's continuous, but there's nothing before her except for a hallway.
Harriet holds her breath as her mind races and she tries to figure out what to do, and where to go from here. She stays close to the wall, moving along it and trying to get nearer to the fighting, even if it's going to be the long way, trying to find some kind of cover should the need arise. A confirming nod is given to Aristotle, and she's confused by the way the audio is working within this place, and yet not outdoors.
Reaching for his headlamp, Ryan asks quietly, "Should I turn on a light? It'll make us as visible as them, and I don't know if I want to get shot without a vest."
Aristotle brings himself inside properly now, flinching once he's hit with those sounds of gunfire and screaming. He gets closer to where Ryan and Harriet are, holding his pistol in one hand, tightly, but his finger is off of the trigger for now. "That's so fucking jarring." He says. "You can't hear any of this outside." He points out.
As Harriet guides the trio closer towards the sounds of the fighting, it's at the expense of both Ryan and Aristotle being able to see clearly. There is a smaller light source in the distance that starts to show, flickering a bit like a flame or candle obscured behind a corner that displays the shadow it's close to. Whoever it is is moving very, very swiftly.
Ryan nods as he crouches down behind Harriet, flicking on his headlamp as he holds his revolver, making sure he's behind cover as his vest is back in the car.
The light from the headlight fills the area with illumination. But... only for a few moments before it starts to dim, and dim, and dim, until they're cloaked in darkness once more.
"What the...fuck?" Ryan says as he takes it off and shakes it. He shucks the batteries out and tests them on his tongue. "These can't be dead, can they?"
There are swift footsteps that can be heard further down the hall, approaching closer and closer at a rapid pace. Panting can be heard accompanying it only a beat later. Something is moving very quickly this way.
Harriet continues to take her time, making no effort to rush or chance making any mistakes. "It is," she confirms quietly to Aristotle about the silence outside, and what sounds like a warzone interior wise. "They look very fast." After pointing out the obvious, she's continuing on at her careful pace, keeping low, and focused on the gunfire ahead. "Are you all right, Ryan?" is asked of Ryan, but then she catches sight of something, and her head turns back towards that corner. A hand is held up to signal 'stop' and likely 'silence' in a warning.
Aristotle crouches down lower, pressed against the wall as he squints his eyes in the darkness. He registers, somewhat, Harriet's hand signaling, and he stills himself. "Who is it?" He quickly whispers over to Harriet.
Harriet quietly answers Aristotle's question with, "A security guard," in a whisper. She stays perfectly still, not trying to cause any alarm to the fleeing guard. "Something is after him, but I cannot tell what it is yet."
It wouldn't be long before Aristotle, Harriet, and Ryan are graciously given a bit more visual clarity. Something rounds the corner - it moves at a different pace than the other thing that's charging towards them. But, the light from this other source seems to provide more illumination. It looks like walking fire. The light from its very being shows, in flickering darkness, the thing sprinting towards the trio is a fleeing security guard, as confirmed by Harriet. The being of fire moves what could be considered a limb, and a blast of flame shoots from it to engulf the guard. The scent of burning flesh nauseates, and he falls a wretched flame before the tree. He's dead, and made quick work of, but his burning body does provide a clear view of what's going on. Or at least, what was chasing him.
"...Holy shit." Aristotle whispers, his exclaim quietly given as he watches, wide-eyed, at the guard served before them like an unwanted addition to a surprise barbecue. He looks over towards the creature of flame, pointing his gun at it. "...Holy fuck. What the hell happened here?" He's ready to fire, but waiting for both Harriet and Ryan, first.
Murmuring out to Aristotle and Harriet, Ryan says, "That's a fire elemental, What the fuck? Who's summoning from the elemental planes? We have to banish it or some shit. Does anyone have any ice? Uh...fuck." he says as he rifles through his bags to try to find anything of use.
Harriet knows absolutely nothing about magic nor the occult. All in all, this woman is a warrior and huntress, and seeing that fire walking thing of a beast surprises her as much as it would surprise anyone else, and she has absolutely no idea what to do about it. As burning human flesh floods her senses, she swallows thickly and uncomfortably, and witnessing the sudden death has her gripping that revolver a bit tighter -- not that it would likely do anything to a creature of flame. "I do not have any ice." This is murmured very quietly in response to Ryan's question.
"...Shit, we're too late..." Aristotle realizes once Ryan fills them in with the murmur. "Okay, someone... someone probably beat us here and took the relic. Or... maybe one of the guards got too curious and deciphered it, or... shit. We have to move. We're... we're exposed."
The flame that engulfs the man starts to move unnaturally - not like any flame would. It takes a shape as it continues to consume. There is no face it has, but in the way it turns feels much like it's turning to look at Harriet, Ryan, and Aristotle. The other elemental - the one that spawned it for the guard to be made a meal of, starts to lumber towards them.
Harriet isn't intent on joining the poor security guard, so she's backing off, perhaps bumping into Aristotle and Ryan in the process, and attempting to get back outside. She isn't wasting any time. "I do not know how to fight against such magic," gets confessed by the tall brunette. "I let Sam handle that sort of a thing."
"What do we do? Do we run? Try and fight it? Our bullets won't do anything, and I'm not prepared with any ritual things. Does the artifact contact the Elemental Plane of Fire?" Ryan exclaims as he look from Harriet to Aristotle and then across at the fire elemental. "Shit, shit, shit. Maybe some kind of ward...or a...uh...uh...containment circle?" he says as he keeps looking through his bag for some chalk or ink or anything that can make a mark.
As Harriet bumps into Ryan and Aristotle, the latter points his pistol at the elemental and fires. The bullet ripples into the being and does jack shit. It penetrates, but just kinda spreads the fire around before sparking. "Shit." Aristotle exclaims. He then looks to Ryan as he's questioned, and he nods. "To my knowledge, the whole reason we're here? Yes." He says. "I don't know what other worlds it can touch, but as you can see, very dangerous." He glances over at the charred corpse for a moment, stowing his gun away before gesturing towards the elemental as his head jerks towards the door's direction. "Outside. We need to try something else."
The charred corpse twitches for just a moment, before flying off towards the elemental by some unseen force. It collides into the creature, and it's flames engulf the rest of the already crisped dead man. It's stalled him enough, it seems, whatever it was that caused the corpse to fly.
Ryan nods to Aristotle as he takes a sprint for the door, murmuring, "Maybe the sound barrier outside is some kind of containment put on the building?"
There isn't any reason for Harriet to disagre with Aristotle's idea to get outside. That has been her plan ever since seeing the flaming thing kill the guard, and as the was-a-security-guard gets flung at their enemy, hazel eyes widen and she's taking off as quickly as she can for the exit.
Soon, the trio find themselves outside. The moment they cross through the threshold, they're hit with what would feel like a deafening silence given the stark juxtaposition. There's no gunfire. No screaming. No yelling. No charring of flesh or the sounds of it burning. Surprisingly, the moment they're outside, Ryan's light starts to flicker back on. For now, it doesn't look like they are being pursued - they've the time to regroup while whatever implodes inside, well... implodes.
"Gas station! I'm going to need as much ice as I can fit in the back of my van. We can make a ritual circle of it by just dumping it all over the floor, and.....it'll sort of draw the magic from the elemental plaen of ice? I'm not sure...I'm not great at this stuff." Ryan admits.
Relief is had once Harriet gets outside and it is quiet. She does look back inside through the door, though, making sure that the fire elemental cannot charge out after them. "Does ice work on something like that?" The woman honestly has zero idea, and she looks between Ryan and Aristotle.
"I mean it is anathema, not exactly magical ice...but it has a symbolic tie to the Elemental Plane of Ice...so uh...kind of? I mean maybe if we can shoot it with a fire hose it'll douse it a little." Ryan adds.
"Do we even have the time for that?" Aristotle wonders, his eyes back on the door as he furrows his brow. "And is that even something you can do?" He then asks. "I'm... wondering if it might just be better to try and go back in, dodge some... fire or whatever the fuck else is inside and shoot who or what has the relic."
"Oh, so the relic...someone is invoking that thing? I thought it had escaped from it or...the artifact was consumed and that came out? Hold on...let me get my ritual book." Ryan says as he pulls out "Arcane Rituals for Dummies, second edition" from his bag.
Harriet listens intently to Aristotle, and then to Ryan, and she's simply no help at all in this matter when it comes to ideas for dealing with an arcane based foe. "All right. If you two feel confident in this, I will do my very best to fight alongside you."
Flipping through it frantically, Ryan murmurs, "I found this on a bottom shelf of the Order Archives, and it's helped me plenty. Let's see...Incubus...Harpy...Hippogriff...no wait...wrong way...Ice...ice......Gangrene?...Fire...fire...I'm not seeing elemental things in here, it's probably in third edition."
"You can see why we need to grab it." Aristotle says, nodding at Ryan. "I know Haven's pretty... 'other world accessible'" He says. "Something like this makes one of those here. Imagine if the wrong hands got it in Haven. Way too close." He says. Though, he falls silent once Ryan begins to read off from the book. There's a touch of disappointment on his features when Ryan pulls nothing up, and so his attention then turns to the Warden, looking to her for her opinion.
The area in which they rest, is still ever silent. There is without a doubt, an immense level of noise coming from inside the building, but until the three step back inside, they're blissfully ignorant to it.
Harriet waits for Ryan to find the right chapter, until it seems there is none. She inhales sharply and her lips thin further. "Mm," gets hummed out in agreement with what Aristotle has said about Haven. "We certainly do not want that." This one is so far out of her league here. Shooting things and blowing them up are her specialties, and she doesn't seem so sure that 'blowing up' fire is going to benefit them all too much. "Should we try and split up, and each yell at the fire to try and get its attention in all directions? Goodness... Magic is not my strong suit."
It takes Aristotle a long moment to contemplate. He presses his lips into a little line as he does so, and then suggests. "...Well. Here's an idea. It's a bad one, but here's an idea." He says. "Ryan can try and do the... magic thing he wanted to do." He says, looking to Harriet. "And then we can try for a smash and grab. Thoughts? If we did that, do you have a safe-ish place you could try?" He asks of Ryan.
Ryan nods to Aristotle, "So I'm going to run to the cast station, unlead one of those whole ice cooler things into the back of my van and then back my van up to that door we were at. I can just throw so much ice on the ground that some of it will end up in a circle, as long as I throw down this first." he swipes on his phone, bringing up a picture of the back of his van where he's got a net with lots of little criss crossing woven lines. "I think the net will connect all of the ice and Hell if I know...maybe it'll work? Maybe not? I'll just try to invoke some magic and see what it does. I'll try binding first and then banishing."
Ryan gas station even.
Harriet simply stands there, taking it all in. She nods slowly at Ryan and his gas station visit idea. "All right..." is all she can say, a bit dumbfounded by it all, but who is she to judge? This woman still knows nothing about the arcane other than the fact she knows she doesn't want to end up a pile of ash tonight.
"Invoking and seeing what it does. Alright. We got little other option aside." Aristotle says, huffing quietly as he nods at Ryan. "How long do you think that'll take?" He asks. And then, he's looking to Harriet. "Do you want is to try the front while he works on that? Worst case scenario he's our Deus Ex Machina if some shit hits the f-- if... if /more/ shit hits the fan?"
Ryan nods as he pulls up his GPS on his phone, "I dunno, man, like...10 minutes? Maybe less? The gas station's just up the road."
Harriet gives Aristotle a confirming nod. She's got her revolver in hand, and then as Ryan is intending to head to the gas station, she's jogging off towards the front of the building.
Sprinting to his van, Ryan jumps in the driver's seat and tears off down the road towards the gas station.
This area of town, nestled by the Museum, wouldn't find much traffic to house it, especially as it draws closer and closer to midnight. The trek might actually be a swift ten-minutes, pending any odd lines in the gas station. Which, unlikely. The only sound that continues to fill the area is the quiet chatter of the trio. Though, there's a little rumble that can be felt.
As Harriet jogs off towards the front of the building, Aristotle gives Ryan a little wave before following after her.
The front of the building has a setup similar to the side door in a few aspects. First, there is a camera at the door, but the light is off. Whatever is influencing the lack of electricity and silence is likely interfering with the security feed. There's darkness from inside the building from what can be seen through the windows, but even pressing an ear to the glass would send no audio. The door seems primed for Harriet to unlock, or, as the side door, push open. Meanwhile, Ryan finds himself speeding down the road. Not very subtle or conspicuous, but then again his Van is a moving beach. It isn't long before he's out of view from the two that remain on site.
Harriet does not even get out her lockpick. She simply tries the door itself with just her hand, and she easily pushes it open. A nod is provided to Aristotle and then she's stepping inside of the museum once again, bracing herself mentally for the noises that will likely greet her.
Tearing into the first gas station he finds, Ryan rolls in, and then carefully backs up his van to the ice machine, not caring if he's in a proper parking spot or not as he parks the car and pulls his wallet out. He first opens up the ice machine and counts all of the bags quickly, in small and large sizes. He nods as he does some mental math and then closes the door and jogs to the entrance, trying to get in line at the gas station to make his purchase.
Surprisingly, the door was locked. But pushing it open no effort for Harriet. It opens after a little crunch, and she paves the way for both herself and Aristotle to enter. As they do, the sounds hit them again like a brick to the face. Screaming. So much of it, further into the museum. It echoes off of the walls, but can be followed easily enough. To the left, some distance away, is a flickering light of fire in the direction the trio was, previously. There isn't any gunfire - at least not as frequently. Someone far in the distance is crying out for help, before swearing in frustration. An effort was probably made into a cell phone or walkie, to no avail. For now, the pair remains unspotted.
Parked like a total douche, Ryan is met with an angry look and gesture from a car he cuts in front of in his haste. The person honks and flips him off, before angrily backing up to go around. Pointedly, this snubby little guy would attempt to make eye-contact with Ryan the whole time. There's only one person in line at the station - and they seem to be bickering with the cashier about the cigarettes behind him and how their preferred ones aren't available for purchase. The cashier looks grossly uninterested and also like he doesn't get paid enough to listen to this bitching.
Harriet is too strong for her own good, it seems. The audio inside of the museum is also too strong, and she grimaces a bit. That supernatural hearing can be a pain in the ass sometimes -- being able to hear so much, so clearly -- so far away. She sneaks onward, heading towards the direction of the screams, carefully and deliberately.
"Hey dude. I'll give you twenty bucks if I can cut in line. I'm in a huge hurry! Got an emergency here." Ryan says as he motions to the guy in front of him at the register. He glances back at the person honking and waves to him as he makes a pantomime of a big belly, as if saying to the dude that he's got a pregnant woman in the van, and then frantically points at the register before waving a twenty dollar bill around to the person in line with him.
Aristotle flinches as he crosses the threshold. Even in his line of work, the screaming is getting under his skin. He follows along after someone in the direction of the noise, which only increases in volume as they get closer. "You alright, Harry?" He asks, quietly, as they walk towards the noise. The screams seem to take them towards the Egyptian section of the Museum, where the artifact is on display. Hopefully. As they walk closer, the temperature seems to rise, and the scent of flame and flesh intensify. The sensation of being watched seems to spur, here.
Aristotle flinches as he crosses the threshold. Even in his line of work, the screaming is getting under his skin. He follows along after Harriet in the direction of the noise, which only increases in volume as they get closer. "You alright, Harry?" He asks, quietly, as they walk towards the noise. The screams seem to take them towards the Egyptian section of the Museum, where the artifact is on display. Hopefully. As they walk closer, the temperature seems to rise, and the scent of flame and flesh intensify. The sensation of being watched seems to spur, here.
The person in front of Ryan snaps at him, turning around, "Excuse you - /excuse you/ I am in line and I have rights just as any--" The person stops, however, looking at Ryan. He notes the prosthetic arm, and immediately does a hard 'first-impression' backpedal. "Oh. Oh, uh... sorry, no, you can keep the money." He says, before stepping out of line for Ryan to pass. "Thank you for your service." He seems to think Ryan's injury is military related. Presumptive, but... fortunate, one would suppose.
"I am all right," Harriet replies to Aristotle, and if those screams are real screams of people suffering, then this brunette is going to be beaming, unfortunately. If they are not real and no one is suffering, then Harriet is just pretty somber looking. She scurries along, ensuring to the best of her ability that she is not drawing any attention to herself. When she sees the artifact, she stops and surveys the area, crouched low and trying to figure out if anything is waiting for them. The smell is enough to make her gag a little.
"Yes...uh...thanks." Ryan says as he strides purposefully forward to the counter as he says, "I'm going to need all of the ice in your cooler. I counted them up and it's 20 large bags and 30 small ones." Ryan says as he takes a knife hand and uses it to point back outside, "My van is already parked there to load, sir." he says in a military-like fashion as he gets ready to pay.
She practically glows - the suffering is /intoxicating/, even the angelic pain stemming from Aristotle, at his own discomfort at the noise. He nods at Harriet, "Yeah. Me too." He says, lying. The sounds take them through the Egyptian exhibit, largely uneventful, though there are more elementals of flame the pair have to sneak past. The task isn't terribly difficult, as the flames consume the flesh of some of the guards unlucky enough to cross paths. Eventually, the pair hit a clearing. The focal point for the events of the night. What was once a beautiful exhibit is now covered in living flame. Many of the relics are damaged by the touch, save for one - a stone tablet, small enough to carry, held untouched and unmarred by someone who has their back to the pair. There's a rippling in the air just in front of this person - by shape, they look male. Tall. Strong. Sensitive hearing could pick up through the suffering cries the person reciting quietly from the tablet, and as he does so, flame seems to appear from the ripple. A portal, perhaps? The fire takes shape, and begins to spread through the exhibit to other parts of the museum. The chanting stops long enough for the being at the tablet to say, "Consume all you find."
"...Damn? The whole cooler?" The cashier asks. He watches Ryan walk up, but, again, he doesn't get paid enough to care. He shrugs, "Yeah, okay." He rings it up - not as expensive as one would think. "You have a good day." He says, handing a receipt over to Ryan in the process. "Er, I mean, night. You have a good night, and uhh... what he said." He points towards the previously departing customer. "For your service and all."
Raising up his prosthetic arm as the other one shoves his wallet away, Ryan gives a nod and a salute to both of them as he says, "God Bless America, and the US Marine Corps, OORAH!" he dashes out the door and flings open the back of his van as well as the ice container, shoving bag after bag into the back of his van quickly.
The gas station, aside from the cashier now, is empty. Nothing stops Ryan from gathering as much Ice as he bought.
Harriet is glowing! Even the greatest, high quality facial one can get a spa cannot compare to the way she looks right now. She is making faint little sounds that are an awful lot like moans, mostly... because they are moans. It all feels so good, and she just cannot help it as the suffering continues to wash over her. The feeling is intoxicating for this demonborn who has learned to associate suffering with some interesting subjects, and it simply translates into something kind of awkward -- the moaning. At least she's trying to keep it quiet. Well aware that Aristotle isn't okay -- since she's literally drowning blissfully in his suffering, she still nods at him as if she agrees with his claim that he is fine. Once the two are able to see what is going on with the being and the tablet, she is really, really trying to contain herself and not succumb any further into the absorption of all the suffering that surrounds her, but her blood doesn't allow her to. It's like she's high on the stuff, even when she hears that command spoken by the being.
Yeeting as many ice bags as he can as quickly as he can, Ryan takes as long as it does to load them and then closes up the van and tears off through the parking lot, heading back as time allows to arrive at a narratively appropriate moment.
Moaning - the most subtle of noises that one can make in the most inopportune time. It's noticeable by Aristotle, but he doesn't speak on it. He knows the deal. It is /also/ noticeable, by the man whom claimed the tablet. He stops, stiffens a little, and slowly turns. This tall, built man, has dirty blonde hair and is dressed in all black. There's a symbol on his shirt, though: A fractured, tear-shaped blue sapphire. He spots Harriet and Aristotle easily enough in the flickering flame that envelops the room. "...Well, well. You two don't look like guards." He says. He leaves the tablet behind him for now, and with little fanfare, pulls a gun from his waistband to fire at them.
The sound of screeching tires resound in the gas station as Ryan peels off down the road, heading back swiftly towards the Museum. Unfortunately, that display of his departure at the gas station, and the speed at which he drives, catches the attention of a nearby traffic police. It is only moments after Ryan peels off, that the dreaded flash of blue and red lights appear in his rear view mirror.
Harriet does not look like a guard at all. She looks like a freaking equestrian, because, for one she is one, and for two, she is wearing horse back riding attire. Her revolver is already out and ready, and she's firing a shot as soon as the man is reaching for his gun. She's already trying to get to anything she can find to be used as cover, though, while she points and shootws.
Looking in his rearview mirror, Ryan doesn't have time for it, so he gauges how far he is from the Museum and sees if he can still make it to the Museum before the police calls a bunch of backup. He slows down slightly, rolling down his window to wave the cop around as he gives the cop room to pass, hoping his deception will work.
Ryan says "Shit, shit, shit, shit!"
"FUCK!" Aristotle exclaims. On the list of things to expect when dealing with powerful relics and elemental monsters, getting /shot at/ was not on the bingo card. Both he and Harriet end up splitting up. Harriet to the left, and Aristotle to the right. A few of the bullets seem to slow, just slightly, as if something in the air around both Aristotle and Harriet is resisting and pushing back at it. It seems to give them enough time to dodge, but only barely. And, quite likely, not as perceptible to the eye. The bullets hit the wall behind them as Aristotle ducks behind a glass exhibit, and Harriet behind one of stone.
A command is spat out in Arkadian from the man, and with it, the most recently summoned elemental begins to make its return. With each passing moment, the area gets hotter and hotter - more are coming to descend on them. "Come out, now and I'll make sure your death from this intrusion is quick. I cannot promise painless, but I can promise for a swift end."
Unfortunately for Ryan, it is /not/ a deception that works. Alongside the lights, the sirens turn on for a short second, and then, "Driver pull over!" Is heard. As far as estimating how far away? Ten minutes between the station and Museum, and Ryan only left the station three minutes ago. He can still see it in the distance if he looked.
"I'm in an emergency, sir! There's a gunman at the Museum! My wife is there!" Ryan shouts out the window as he waves his phone around, "I need your help!"
Harriet ducks down beind the stone cover, and she reloads the chamber of her revolver, knelt and trying to see if she can find Aristotle. Her lips purse, and she just has to cling to hope that the deputy is all right. She makes no attempt to speak to the man. Leaning forward some and with her gun held steadily, she tries to peek around the corner at where the voice is coming from.
Meanwhile, Ryan stows his gun as he drives out of sight of the cop, making sure that he isn't caught with a loaded weapon on him.
Ryan's shouts go unheard, assuming both of them are still in their vehicles and moving down the road. It at least brings them a little closer towards the Museum though, by about a minute. The officer stays on Ryan, sirens flicking on again, as a brief warning, as he petitions him to stop the vehicle.
Peeking around the stone corner, Harriet is able to catch this man in her eyeline, especially with her aptitude for seeing in the dark. But, before she's able to react to seeing him, leaping out directly in front of her, is a creature of flame. Amidst the already living flame in the area, as well as the smoke from it and noise, it's unsurprising it was able to sneak up on her. It lunges, fully attempting to engulf the woman in flame.
Aristotle is quietly swearing at the cover he's found. Glass. The true weakness of the bullet. He's crouching himself low to the ground, holding his own weapon as he peers in the darkness. He's unable to clearly see much save for the moving flame, but where he can recall where the voice came from, is where he blindly fires.
Slowing down slightly as he pulls towards the side of the road, Ryan is waving frantically out his window as he motions for the cop to pull up beside him, pointing at the museum as he waves the cop forward as if to come with him.
Harriet loves fire. She has a natural attraction to the stuff -- and if anyone has seen her with that bigass flamethrower she owns, they can have no doubts. However, this elemental monster of a creature is not a flamethrower, nor any sort of thing she can play with. She is caught off guard by how quickly it has come up on her, and her initial reaction is to try and roll away, while also attempting to fire a shot at it.
AristotleRyan's frantic waves are noted by the officer, and the lawman looks over towards the quiet, serene looking museum in the distance. He doesn't make a connection between the two, so he flips his sirens on. He stays behind Ryan. Whether he's following him, or pursuing him, is a matter of perspective, depending on if you ask Ryan or the police officer.
Ryan's frantic waves are noted by the officer, and the lawman looks over towards the quiet, serene looking museum in the distance. He doesn't make a connection between the two, so he flips his sirens on. He stays behind Ryan. Whether he's following him, or pursuing him, is a matter of perspective, depending on if you ask Ryan or the police officer. (Fixed)
The swift action from Harriet is successful in evading the living flame, for now. She's able to roll away, firing off a few ineffective shots at the creature that spit fire from what would possibly be considered a wound. The man who called them, merely laughs at her attempt. "Fine. A slow death it is." Some of the blind shots fired off by Aristotle strike a few elementals that were beckoned by his previous call, stalling them and revealing them at the same time. The temperature rises, continually, as more and more descend. The entryway they used is now blocked by living fire. There's another past the man who summoned them, but it doesn't look like it'll be open for long, and getting there would require moving past him. The gunfire pulls the man's attention to where Aristotle hid for cover, and he fires off a return shot that breaks through the glass with ease.
Harriet is a bit frantic in trying to see if there is anything in the museum she can use for a diversion tactic or an improvised weapon that might do more damage than her revolver. She considers her surroundings, moving as swiftly as she can in that roll. The fact that there is metal, stone, and glass here give her at least some peace of mind since those things are not flammable. Her eyes search the walls, trying to find a fire extinguisher.
Driving into the museum parking lot, Ryan has the police in hot pursuit as he tries to find the door that Harriet and Aristotle entered, turning around to back up the van right to the door, in case the police start to get frisky with a gun so he at least has cover from the van.
After parking, Ryan begins to scramble into the back of the van, doors locked.
From what Harriet can see in her evasive maneuvering, there are plenty of things she would be able to get her hands on, and use, considering her strength. Stone relics behind glass, broken pieces of wood, and various signage that may or may not be burning to the touch. There is a fire extinguisher, but it's on the wall next to the entrance they used - the one precariously close to the wall of living flame that blocks the way and grows to envelop the room.
Ryan, in hot pursuit with policeman behind him, speeds his vehicle up towards museuem. There is very little regard for the property as he goes up a curve and runs over some beautiful greenery. The cop doesn't follow in that regard - property damage to be considered, it seems. Ryan is able to maneuver the van sideways to reverse against the door they were at.
There's a cry of pain that leaves Aristotle once that glass cover is shattered. It's likely, given the noise that so immediately accompanied gunfire, that he was shot. He exhales, brow covered in sweat from the flames, and he scrambles up to his feet. His jacket, for anyone who catches a glimpse, as a growing pool of blood developing from his back on his left side. He's mobile still, though. He looks over towards where the man is, firing off a shot with his gun before recklessly gesturing as he turns to run off towards the side, as if the motion would help his body pivot in light of the newly minted, and probably very painful injury. He scrambles towards the nearest stone pillar, hopefully more bulletproof than the glass display.
The man whom claimed the tablet and began to use it, seems to laugh only more maniacally at the display, but his laughter is cut short as he's pushed back by something - an unseen force perhaps, that seems him stumbling back and tripping over debris behind him until his back is on the floor.
Harriet's main priority right now is to try and maintain a safe distance from the fiery elemental. She shoots at the glass that houses a stone relic, running straight towards it, and if she's able to break the glass, she's going to grab the relic and... well, she's not sure what she's going to do with it.
Given the time he has, hopefully Ryan can begin his ritual, kicking open the doors as he drags the net out, hoping that the criss cross pattern will make some sort of circle that he can dump piles of ice on to make a symbolic ritual invoking the elemental plane of ice in a binding wave, using his will through the net as a symbolic magical association of capture.
Unless stopped, Ryan will be laying the net down and then slicing bags of ice open and yeeting them all into the net.
In Harriet's franticness, her bullets manage to strike a few relics nearby, including the stone tablet everyone is here for. It takes a bullet, chipping it on the side. The damage to it causes the man to scream out in a violent rage, but it takes him a moment to scramble to his feet. In the meantime, he's spitting off commands in Arkadian that sees the rippling in the air grow more and more volatile. Fire sprouts from it. Another starts to form near Harriet. A ripple in the air. Nothing comes from it, yet, but Harriet can feel a little spark of static electricity in the air that sees some of her hair standing up.
Aristotle, in the meantime, is wincing something fierce as a hand is pressed behind him to where he's nursing an injury, but his free hand is raised in the direction of the man. He's firing still, but finds his efforts halted when he's ambused by living flame. He's scrambling, though his movements aren't as swift as they wound be, considering the injury to his side. Each lash from the creature has him flinching, which sees the elemental's attacks slowing somewhat before striking the place where Aristotle was. He continues to scramble, leaving a trail in the process.
The officer watches Ryan park the van, but doesn't see him enter given the vantage point. He speaks out into the radio, brandishing his pistol at the van and beckoning him to come out with his hands up.
Ryan finds himself inside, and as he does so, he can hear the gunfire and screaming that comes from the scuffle his comrades are in. There's no fire elemental in this hall, anymore, but the scent of the charred guard from before is nauseating. He's the time to set his circle that he's dumped piles of ice into - and so starts his ritual.
Harriet normally has a pretty good aim, but she is in the middle of a shit show right now, so who can really blame her for striking the coveted artifact with a cartridge? Oops. She feels that electricity and she's moving in to try and pick up that artifact that she just accidentally shot a piece off of. So far, she's unaware of Aristotle's state with all of the action going on around her.
The other entrance to the Egyptian area of the Museum, where the action is, is now completely closed off by flame. It's suffocating, and the proximity threatens to welt the skin. The elemental flame accosting Aristotle is soon in the air. Either it's levitated on its own, or something else as done so, but either way the change in its positioning gives Aristotle enough time to fire off some shots at it. Unfortunately, it does nothing but spit bits of fire down at him from the bullets, which causes him to stop shooting so he can frantically extinguish the flames before the engulf. The elemental takes the time then to wind up a blast of fire down at the Wilson, which is /narrowly/ avoided. He rolls, only to find himself flanked by another. He seems exhausted.
Harriet is able to reach for the artifact, but the moment her hands grab onto it, she finds herself tackled by the man behind summoning these beings. He's able to get off a few punches to her before she can catch her bearings. The fire continues to close in, as Ryan continues his ritual.
Those bags of ice that Ryan cuts into and yeets is time-consuming, but he's nearing the end of unloading it all.
Covered with shards of ice as he looks like a serial killer with that knife, stabbing it deeply in the bag and ripping it in half before tossing -most- of a bag through that door so that it scatters literally everywhere, Ryan is sweating up a storm as this physical labor is getting to him, but he powers through, attempting to weave his will into the ice and the net, chanting loudly as he does so.
As Harriet gets punched, she's trying to use her arms to block the incoming blows, and once she has a moment, she's fully attempting to take the man out. She has quite a punch, after all, but she's trying to use the artifact as a weapon right now. She's also quite the grappler and martial artist, so her body is trying to make use of that training as she's rolling around on the museum floor with the man.
Aristotle finds himself surrounded only moments after noticing he's been flanked. Whatever has that initial elemental levitating sees it dropping back down beside him. The two elementals he's near, turn to four, and the engulf in on him. He screams, panicked, and whatever he's done to keep them at bay seems to be failing him in his exhaustion as they get closer and closer, starting to char the flesh and consume his resolve.
Harriet lands a punch on this man that has him reeling, but his rage dulls the pain he'd feel from it. He's grappled by her, though, but manages, with a headbutt, to disorient the woman as she rolls around with him long enough for him to free his hands and wrap them tightly around her throat. She can feel that he's strong. Very, very strong, and he's making quick work of that strength as the world gets kinda gray for Harriet. The fire closes in on both of them, but this man is focused on dispatching Harriet, first.
There's a wave of force that pulses through the net that Ryan has chanted over. In no way should this have worked, but perhaps his emotional desperation was enough of the catalyst to see this sacrifice go through. The force hits him like a ton of bricks, the completion of the ritual sending him flying back /into/ the back of the van. For now, he's out like a light. The shockwave from the ritual blast has the officer firing off a shot in his panic before he's flung back.
In the room where Harriet, Aristotle, and the man are surrounded, the fire seems to lose its vitality, and its suffocating weight lessons. It begins to dissipate into the air. Aristotle is left a panting, somewhat burned mess on the ground as he bleeds. For what its worth, the burns charred his clothing to his wound, so he's not bleeding dangerously anymore. The man strangling Harriet finds himself distracted as the fire begins to dissipate. He looks confused, and it lessens his grip on Harriet's neck long enough for her to retaliate should she be opportunistic enough.
Falling into a number of things in a clatter of a mess, the sound of a deflating pool floatie is heard as Ryan's ragdoll body falls on it, amongst other things like surf wax and a few bags of gas station snacks for the road trip.
Harriet struggles while she's being strangled, but as soon as the man gets distracted, she's gripping that artifact firmly, and with that solid hold, she's preparing to use it as a weapon. With such an optimal moment here with the man's attention diverted, she makes use of this crucial timing to perform a counterattack. She swings with as much force as she can muster, aiming for the man's head, right at the temple, quick and sharp.
Also, the 'Arcane Rituals for Dummies' book gets flung from Ryan's hand somewhere hidden in the van, under a number of things which will be a bitch to find later.
With Harriet's counter attack comes the sound of a crack. Two of them, actually - the tablet itself, and the man's skull. He slumps over on top of her, breathing, but out like a light. When he falls still from that assault, a few things begin to occur in the Museum - First, alarms go off - jarring and sudden. Second, the fire prevention system kicks in, causing sprinklers in every area to go off. Any lingering flame is snuffed out as all three of them are covered in moisture, now. As for Ryan, that pool floatie took a bit of the impact, but he'll be feeling that physical exhaustion and mental fatigue for /days/ considering the feat he was able to accomplish. The lights flicker back on in the museum now - what's left of them, anyway. It seems whatever was causing the silence and prevented the electronics from working, ceased the moment this man became unconscious.
It isn't long before, amidst the alarms from the museum now operational again, that sirens can be heard in the distance. Police are en route, now - appropriately so. If there were any attempt to flee, this would be the moment to do so if bearings can be gathered quickly enough.
Dozing unconcious, Ryan is in the back of the van, sprawled out with the snacks and random shit he keeps in there.
Harriet has the artifact in her hand, and she pushes the man's body off of hers. She rises, and runs to grab Aristotle, not able to be too careful with the poor fellow, but taking him up in her arms and making a run for the exit.
The lack of care given to Aristotle as Harriet hoists him up causes him to grunt out in pain, but he doesn't resist the woman. He's exhausted, and much of his running is really him being half-dragged half-carried. There is nothing stopping the pair from heading to the side door, thankfully, where Ryan has parked his definitely 'hard for an officer to track down' beach van. When Harriet and Aristotle arrive, they find the beach bum knocked close to unconscious in the back of his van from the ritual, and given Aristotle's state, it's likely that Harriet will be behind the wheel.
Looks like Harriet got her wish of front seat driving on the way home! The snacks are next to the driver's seat in easy reach as she gets to change the radio from 'surfer tunes' and Aristotle gets shotgun as Ryan dozes in the back.
Harriet is at least careful when she places Aristotle in the passenger seat of the van, and she glances at the knocked out Ryan. She finds the keys, and then moves into the driver's seat, not wasting any time. She's headed to the clinic with both of them. Driving the beach on wheels like a boss.
The Museum is moments from being swarmed with police, and likely a bomb squad given the shockwave that the officer reported. As Harriet drives off, there's some pot shots fired from the officer, but he does not pursue. This likely would've been a worse problem for them to try and solve alone were it not for her connections with The Order, and the fact that a mutual friend is both an officer and a Wilson. The artifact is secured in Harriet's possession, and both Aristotle and Ryan will probably be in a world of painful recovery in the morning, but the ordeal is over.
OOC: Thank you guys for partaking in this with me! We went over a little bit, but I truly hope you enjoyed the twists and turns! Let me know if there's any particular rewards you'd like. Otherwise, stalk up with a good place for me to summon you!
And Harriet is just beaming the entire drive as poor Aristotle suffers.
As they cautiously make their way into the museum, they're immediately engulfed in a chaotic cacophony of gunfire, screams, and the unnerving silence that paradoxically seems to blanket the building. Despite Aristotle's initial belief that they might face "run-of-the-mill mall security," they quickly find themselves pitted against something far more perilous—an onslaught of living flame elementals and a cultist seeking to use the relic to invoke otherworldly destruction.
Ryan, armed with "Arcane Rituals for Dummies" and a mishmash of both practical and arcane knowledge, suggests a desperate plan involving a large quantity of ice, hoping to establish a counter-elemental circle to bind or banish the fiery entities besieging them. Meanwhile, Aristotle and Harriet attempt to navigate the museum's dangers, including the fiery elementals and the malevolent cultist wielding the artifact's power.
In a dramatic confluence of events, Ryan performs a ritual that inexplicably succeeds, quelling the fire elementals' fury through a sheer force of will , despite his subsequent knock out from the ritual's backlash. Aristotle is seriously injured, taking a gunshot wound and suffering burns while attempting to fend off the elementals. Harriet, demonstrating quick thinking and significant physical prowess, manages to incapacitate the cultist with the very artifact they sought to secure, albeit causing it some damage in the process.
As they escape the museum, now swarming with arriving police, and the fire suppression system douses any remaining flames, Harriet takes the driver's seat of Ryan's van, ensuring the safe extraction of the artifact and her companions. They leave behind a scene of bewildered law enforcement and a museum caught between the cusp of the ancient magical realm and modern calamity.
The mission concludes with the artifact in safe hands, albeit with Ryan and Aristotle facing a long road to recovery. Their extraordinary night at the museum is marked by a blend of chaos, courage, and a touch of arcane intervention, encapsulating an adventure that braids the threads of the mundane and the mystical.
(Night at the Museum(SRAristotle):SRAristotle)
[Tue Jun 4 2024]
In Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
The Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology stands as a harmonious blend of classical grandeur and modern sophistication, its limestone facade evoking the strength of ancient ruins while expansive glass panels stretch skyward, symbolizing the ongoing journey of discovery. The grand entrance, marked by an arching portico supported by fluted columns and adorned with a frieze depicting scenes from various ancient civilizations, exudes regality and historical significance. Tall, narrow windows inspired by ancient architectural forms punctuate the facade, allowing natural light to flood the interior. At the center, a striking glass atrium filled with greenery and a bubbling fountain serves as the heart of the museum, its modern lines contrasting beautifully with traditional elements. The meticulously landscaped grounds feature winding paths through gardens of native and historically significant plants, interspersed with replicas of archaeological artifacts and sculptures. An adjacent outdoor amphitheater, built from the same limestone, hosts lectures and community events, while interactive exhibits and a contemplative sculpture garden enhance the visitor experience.
It is about 70F(21C) degrees.
OOC: Hello everyone! Go ahead and emote how you arrived, and we'll get started! :)
A blood-red, Dodge Charger makes it's way down the road. It would be rather innocuous were it not for the fact that it's driving up towards a Museum after-hours. There are police sirens on the hood, but decidedly they are -off-. It seems the driver, Aristotle, parks some distance away, and as he exits he makes the short trek up towards the front(ish) portion of the museum as he waits for others to arrive.
Inconspicuous as always, Ryan rolls up in &117a &123197&1597 D&195od&194ge &193Van&192 w&155ith&156 a &191be&227ach&228 mu&229ral&w loaded with a duffel bag of weapons, gear, and a pile of Order Archive reference books. He doesn't know what he'll be doing, but he followed Harriet on this goose chase to assist, and dealing with an artifact is right up his alley as an Order Librarian, so he's ready to go. "You want any of these Orange Slices I got at the last gas station, Miss Harry?" he asks as he takes a few of them and holds out the small plastic container to her.
Inconspicuous as always, Ryan rolls up in a 1977 Dodge Van with a beach mural loaded with a duffel bag of weapons, gear, and a pile of Order Archive reference books. He doesn't know what he'll be doing, but he followed Harriet on this goose chase to assist, and dealing with an artifact is right up his alley as an Order Librarian, so he's ready to go. "You want any of these Orange Slices I got at the last gas station, Miss Harry?" he asks as he takes a few of them and holds out the small plastic container to her. (oops, repost)
Belted into the passenger seat of Ryan's van, Harriet rides along, gazing ahead and being the backseat driver despite not being in that locale. She's quick to point out stop signs and stop lights, even if Ryan is fully aware of their existence. This woman is clearly not used to not being in control of a vehicle, and she's grasping for any bit of that she can acquire. The offered oranges get accepted, though, and she's snacking on one politely. "Thank you, dear Ryan," she tells him, enjoying the sweet citrus, and then once they arrive, she's grabbing her gear from the back.
Aristotle, from where he waits, watches the beach mural of a van pull up. He nods, slowly, as if to acknowledge that subtlety was missed in the memo. But, aside from that little gesture, there's no complaint given. He's lifting a hand up, assuming he's visible to flag them down briefly, before withdrawing a flashlight from his belt to click it on and off to reveal himself. He doesn't leave the light on, just in case there's still stragglers inside, but given the time of day - with a quickly approaching dusk, it's clear this is a retrieval attempt to be made under the cloak of night.
As he parks, Ryan steps out and opens the passenger door for Harriet like a gentleman, then rounds the back as he opens the back doors to show Aristotle what all they have. "So...what all do we need for this retrieval, my dude? I got armor, guns, burglary equipment, lockpicks...maybe some ritual stuffs? I wasn't real clear on what all is going on."
Aristotle offers to Ryan a warm smile as he draws himself nearer to their van. "Hey, Ryan. Good to see you again." He says to him, and that same warmth of a greeting is given to someone, too, though silently. He sets his eyes to the wares that Ryan brought, and can't help but snicker a touch. "Okay, so, probably not... -everything-" he says. "The only downside to what we're trying to do tonight, is that it's not really by the books." He explains. "No one was able to set everything up for an easy retrieval since the process to do that runs the risk of someone else feeling like an opportunist." He says. "So... armor and guns and the like? Probably not. We're not gonna shoot anyone, just sneaking in, doing some light sightseeing, safely acquiring a dangerous relic, putting it in storage until it can be transferred probably to the Watchers, and then going home."
Aristotle offers to Ryan a warm smile as he draws himself nearer to their van. "Hey, Ryan. Good to see you again." He says to him, and that same warmth of a greeting is given to Harriet, too, though silently. He sets his eyes to the wares that Ryan brought, and can't help but snicker a touch. "Okay, so, probably not... -everything-" he says. "The only downside to what we're trying to do tonight, is that it's not really by the books." He explains. "No one was able to set everything up for an easy retrieval since the process to do that runs the risk of someone else feeling like an opportunist." He says. "So... armor and guns and the like? Probably not. We're not gonna shoot anyone, just sneaking in, doing some light sightseeing, safely acquiring a dangerous relic, putting it in storage until it can be transferred probably to the Watchers, and then going home."
The tall, lithe brunette hardly looks like she belongs in such a scenario. Rather, the woman is dressed to perform in a dressage arena. Perhaps she just finished riding back at the manor... Either way, this is Harriet, and she's slipped into her coat, fastening its front and then smoothing palms down over its sides. The flashlight use by Aristotle is noted, and then she looks to Ryan, listening to what he says. Her long arms fold across her modest chest and she nods a bit. "Hello, Ari," she says to Aristotle warmly, if not quietly, and then takes in the plan.
The three of them would find themselves a relatively safe distance away from the actual front entrance, but of the vehicles in the parking lot, there are few, with the inclusion of the Beach Van and the Charger. A few others are parked, likely belonging to evening staff at the Museum and any particular overnight security. The area remains quiet, save for the whispering that comes from the trio.
Looking over at Aristotle, Ryan says, "So...do we know where it is and what kind of security is in there?"
"Honestly, I kinda feel like it'd be run of the mill mall security." Aristotle opines, nodding at Ryan's question. "I /do/ believe it's on display right now. But, there's a shit ton of relics in here, obviously." He says, gesturing about the building as if the theme of the place alone would explain why the quantity. "But they set up everything here pretty clearly. We probably can't just walk in like we own the place," he warns, "Because I don't want local law enforcement called on us. But, navigate it should be labeled and on display in their egypt section. Main thing is probably cameras. I don't really have a... thing for that."
"I've taken a few security courses, maybe I can make sure they're on a looped recording?" Ryan asks with a shrug. "Just need to get patched into the system somewhere."
"Man. Smash and grab would be so much easier." Aristotle points out, chuckling absently and quietly as he then turns his eyes to the building itself. "Yeah, we'll see what we can make of that if we can find a security place." He says. Then, he's glancing to Harriet. "Hey, Harry. Any opinion before we head in and... hope for the best?"
Harriet listens quietly as Ryan and Aristotle discuss what is known and what is not. She nods slowly, taking note of Ryan's claim and she mentions, "He is fairly good with computers," to the Wilson. "Smash and grab would be much easier," is admitted to Aristotle with a quick grin before her somber facial expression returns. "Goodness, I think I am just about ready for anything, and I am certainly hoping for the best. I am fairly good at sneaking around, so unless you two feel you are better at it... I can head in first?"
Putting on darker suit and tie, Ryan nods as he rifles through his pockets and finds his lockpicks. "I can also see if I can break into some of the outer doors, so we don't walk just right in the middle of things."
"Alright." Aristotle nods at Harriet. "You'll lead the way. I feel like you're probably sneakier than I am, so, ladies first." He motions towards Harriet to lead, and his eyes studiously look about the building. Eyes set on the front, brow furrowed as he's searching. Ryan's suggestion is heard with a nod, "Yeah, that's a good plan." He says to Ryan. "Just keep an eye out for cameras."
Ryan nods as he sets up to follow Harriet, falling in next to Aristotle.
A bow of her head and then Harriet makes sure that Aristotle and Ryan are ready. She asks, "Which entrance are we to take?" before heading anywhere, though. "Do you know the layout of the building?" gets wondered next. "I am pretty good at doing things on the fly, but if you have any insight to, well, anything, I will gladly soak it all in." She flashes another quick smile, and then glances up and down the street, assuring there is no one else around.
That glance up and down the street reveals - there is no one else around. The Museum, while not secluded, is very quiet given the time of night. What was dusk when they arrived has now fallen to night, and the odds of being spotted, at least in this moment, has decreased significantly.
"I feel like if a robbery were to happen, no one would really expect going in through the front." Aristotle supposes, but then he's motioning about the side of the building. "I don't really want to be the first one to test that theory, so lets go to the side up this way." He motions towards the immediate left of the building, starting to walk in that direction but not so fast that he loses track of the others. "I don't have a good idea of the layout, but I know things'll be labeled. Most Museum's are unless this one is fancy and complicated."
"Yeah, this'll be just like sneaking into a library and stealing library books. Those librarians never know what hit them." Ryan says as he looks around, then up and down, trying to see if he finds any cameras in the parking lot or along the walls of the building.
Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Harriet returns her gaze to Aristotle. A nod of understanding is afforded the deputy, and she follows his direction. Ever aware, she's looking about, absorbing her surroundings and continually checking to assure that nothing seems 'off,' but she does it all in a very subtle manner. There is no flashlight in use, but she seems more than capable of seeing. "Do you often break into libraries to steal books?" the Warden wonders of Ryan curiously as they head about the side of the building.
"Gonna steal /so/ many library books." Aristotle chimes in, glancing back at the group before stepping back to let Harriet lead. "It'll be like middle school all over again."
There is nothing 'off' that can be spotted visually about the property. It's silent. There is nothing of note that would stop them from maneuvering towards the side of the building towards where there's another door to enter, unmarked. There are cameras, though, the old-school ones that have a red light to signify they're recording. Curiously, the light isn't on. If one were to stop and listen as they get closer, they would, again, hear nothing. The door is approached eventually, ready for anyone with the equipment to try and force the lock into compliance.
While there is nothing 'off' about the place, there's a feeling that something /is/. Unplaced, perhaps? Unfounded?
Blinking back to Harriet as he shrugs, Ryan says, "The Order Archives doesn't have everything, and some of these things they aren't going to miss. How often do people go to restricted sections of the Library anyway?"
"I mean, the restricted section is the only place to be." Aristotle opines, glancing to Ryan after a beat. "Just like in Harry Potter. That's where all the good stuff is."
Peering up at the cameras, Ryan says, "Huh...those lights aren't on those cameras. I wonder if they've been turned off for some reason."
Harriet openly confesses, "I never read Harry Potter, nor have I seen the movies," to Aristotle, but says to Ryan about the books, "Fair enough." She takes in a slow, measured breath as hazel eyes sweep about the area again. Feeling that something is /off/, she cannot quite place a finger on it. A glance is given to Ryan when he mentions the lights are not on the cameras. "Interesting," gets murmured. Retrieving a lockpick, she quietly tries to get into the building.
Lockpick in hand, Harriet goes to set onto the lock. But, the door creaks open at the slightest touch. It seems the door was already unlocked. An easy explanation would be that one of the employees forgot to lock it. Paired with the fact that seemingly the cameras are not in operation certainly means someone is about to get fired. The door creaks open to reveal darkness on the inside. The lights are off - at least in this particular section of the museum. It's still silent.
Much to Harriet's surprise, that door does not even need the assistance of her lockpick, and as the door opens, she very carefully steps inside. Her breath is held, and she's as silent as she can possibly manage, intent on not getting caught to the best of her ability.
Aristotle glances up towards the camera as they're pointed out. He doesn't say anything, but the furrow of his brow suggests some suspicion he has at the sight of it. Eyes flicker towards the door when Harriet goes to pick the lock. "The cameras look a little old. I wouldn't be surprised if maybe they're only here as a bluff. Reckless, but, not unheard of." He says. When the door opens, his brow raises. "Wow, you're quick."
Crouching down as he follows Aristotle and Harriet inside, Ryan checks his pockets for anything of use. "I should have made one of those fake badges in case we get caught by the security. I could say that I'm some kind of inspector."
"Well. I'm an actual cop. I have my own badge if it helps." Aristotle says. He watches as Harriet breaches, and when Ryan follows, he brings up the rear, moving slowly.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Ryan exclaims quietly as squeezes himself against the wall, looking around for where the gunfire is coming from and quickly attempting to find cover while he pats down his messenger back for his backup weapon, a revolver.
Harriet's hazel eyes widen. A look of terror crosses her facial features and she stops for a moment. Her right hand pats at her coat, ensuring her bulletproof vest is there, and it is, and she crouches down, trying to figure out where the gunfire is coming from. Retrieving her revolver, she readies it, giving a quick glance to ensure both Ryan and Aristotle are all right.
When Aristotle brings up the rear, stepping into the building, he then hears what both Harriet and Ryan have heard before him. Sounds of terror - screaming, yelling, and lots of gunfire. He startles, crouching low and backpedaling once. It's only one step but it has him outside the building. A hand goes to his holster, and he starts to withdraw his pistol before stopping. He looks... remarkably confused. He reaches for the door to hold it open, and quietly whispers, though loud enough to reach the ears of Ryan and Harriet. "...Guys it's quiet outside." He says.
As for the gunfire inside, that, along with the screams and yelling, come from deeper in. Unfortunately, there's still no light source. For Ryan and Aristotle, visibility occurs only when flashes of gunfire can be seen in the distance. For Harriet, it's continuous, but there's nothing before her except for a hallway.
Harriet holds her breath as her mind races and she tries to figure out what to do, and where to go from here. She stays close to the wall, moving along it and trying to get nearer to the fighting, even if it's going to be the long way, trying to find some kind of cover should the need arise. A confirming nod is given to Aristotle, and she's confused by the way the audio is working within this place, and yet not outdoors.
Reaching for his headlamp, Ryan asks quietly, "Should I turn on a light? It'll make us as visible as them, and I don't know if I want to get shot without a vest."
Aristotle brings himself inside properly now, flinching once he's hit with those sounds of gunfire and screaming. He gets closer to where Ryan and Harriet are, holding his pistol in one hand, tightly, but his finger is off of the trigger for now. "That's so fucking jarring." He says. "You can't hear any of this outside." He points out.
As Harriet guides the trio closer towards the sounds of the fighting, it's at the expense of both Ryan and Aristotle being able to see clearly. There is a smaller light source in the distance that starts to show, flickering a bit like a flame or candle obscured behind a corner that displays the shadow it's close to. Whoever it is is moving very, very swiftly.
Ryan nods as he crouches down behind Harriet, flicking on his headlamp as he holds his revolver, making sure he's behind cover as his vest is back in the car.
The light from the headlight fills the area with illumination. But... only for a few moments before it starts to dim, and dim, and dim, until they're cloaked in darkness once more.
"What the...fuck?" Ryan says as he takes it off and shakes it. He shucks the batteries out and tests them on his tongue. "These can't be dead, can they?"
There are swift footsteps that can be heard further down the hall, approaching closer and closer at a rapid pace. Panting can be heard accompanying it only a beat later. Something is moving very quickly this way.
Harriet continues to take her time, making no effort to rush or chance making any mistakes. "It is," she confirms quietly to Aristotle about the silence outside, and what sounds like a warzone interior wise. "They look very fast." After pointing out the obvious, she's continuing on at her careful pace, keeping low, and focused on the gunfire ahead. "Are you all right, Ryan?" is asked of Ryan, but then she catches sight of something, and her head turns back towards that corner. A hand is held up to signal 'stop' and likely 'silence' in a warning.
Aristotle crouches down lower, pressed against the wall as he squints his eyes in the darkness. He registers, somewhat, Harriet's hand signaling, and he stills himself. "Who is it?" He quickly whispers over to Harriet.
Harriet quietly answers Aristotle's question with, "A security guard," in a whisper. She stays perfectly still, not trying to cause any alarm to the fleeing guard. "Something is after him, but I cannot tell what it is yet."
It wouldn't be long before Aristotle, Harriet, and Ryan are graciously given a bit more visual clarity. Something rounds the corner - it moves at a different pace than the other thing that's charging towards them. But, the light from this other source seems to provide more illumination. It looks like walking fire. The light from its very being shows, in flickering darkness, the thing sprinting towards the trio is a fleeing security guard, as confirmed by Harriet. The being of fire moves what could be considered a limb, and a blast of flame shoots from it to engulf the guard. The scent of burning flesh nauseates, and he falls a wretched flame before the tree. He's dead, and made quick work of, but his burning body does provide a clear view of what's going on. Or at least, what was chasing him.
"...Holy shit." Aristotle whispers, his exclaim quietly given as he watches, wide-eyed, at the guard served before them like an unwanted addition to a surprise barbecue. He looks over towards the creature of flame, pointing his gun at it. "...Holy fuck. What the hell happened here?" He's ready to fire, but waiting for both Harriet and Ryan, first.
Murmuring out to Aristotle and Harriet, Ryan says, "That's a fire elemental, What the fuck? Who's summoning from the elemental planes? We have to banish it or some shit. Does anyone have any ice? Uh...fuck." he says as he rifles through his bags to try to find anything of use.
Harriet knows absolutely nothing about magic nor the occult. All in all, this woman is a warrior and huntress, and seeing that fire walking thing of a beast surprises her as much as it would surprise anyone else, and she has absolutely no idea what to do about it. As burning human flesh floods her senses, she swallows thickly and uncomfortably, and witnessing the sudden death has her gripping that revolver a bit tighter -- not that it would likely do anything to a creature of flame. "I do not have any ice." This is murmured very quietly in response to Ryan's question.
"...Shit, we're too late..." Aristotle realizes once Ryan fills them in with the murmur. "Okay, someone... someone probably beat us here and took the relic. Or... maybe one of the guards got too curious and deciphered it, or... shit. We have to move. We're... we're exposed."
The flame that engulfs the man starts to move unnaturally - not like any flame would. It takes a shape as it continues to consume. There is no face it has, but in the way it turns feels much like it's turning to look at Harriet, Ryan, and Aristotle. The other elemental - the one that spawned it for the guard to be made a meal of, starts to lumber towards them.
Harriet isn't intent on joining the poor security guard, so she's backing off, perhaps bumping into Aristotle and Ryan in the process, and attempting to get back outside. She isn't wasting any time. "I do not know how to fight against such magic," gets confessed by the tall brunette. "I let Sam handle that sort of a thing."
"What do we do? Do we run? Try and fight it? Our bullets won't do anything, and I'm not prepared with any ritual things. Does the artifact contact the Elemental Plane of Fire?" Ryan exclaims as he look from Harriet to Aristotle and then across at the fire elemental. "Shit, shit, shit. Maybe some kind of ward...or a...uh...uh...containment circle?" he says as he keeps looking through his bag for some chalk or ink or anything that can make a mark.
As Harriet bumps into Ryan and Aristotle, the latter points his pistol at the elemental and fires. The bullet ripples into the being and does jack shit. It penetrates, but just kinda spreads the fire around before sparking. "Shit." Aristotle exclaims. He then looks to Ryan as he's questioned, and he nods. "To my knowledge, the whole reason we're here? Yes." He says. "I don't know what other worlds it can touch, but as you can see, very dangerous." He glances over at the charred corpse for a moment, stowing his gun away before gesturing towards the elemental as his head jerks towards the door's direction. "Outside. We need to try something else."
The charred corpse twitches for just a moment, before flying off towards the elemental by some unseen force. It collides into the creature, and it's flames engulf the rest of the already crisped dead man. It's stalled him enough, it seems, whatever it was that caused the corpse to fly.
Ryan nods to Aristotle as he takes a sprint for the door, murmuring, "Maybe the sound barrier outside is some kind of containment put on the building?"
There isn't any reason for Harriet to disagre with Aristotle's idea to get outside. That has been her plan ever since seeing the flaming thing kill the guard, and as the was-a-security-guard gets flung at their enemy, hazel eyes widen and she's taking off as quickly as she can for the exit.
Soon, the trio find themselves outside. The moment they cross through the threshold, they're hit with what would feel like a deafening silence given the stark juxtaposition. There's no gunfire. No screaming. No yelling. No charring of flesh or the sounds of it burning. Surprisingly, the moment they're outside, Ryan's light starts to flicker back on. For now, it doesn't look like they are being pursued - they've the time to regroup while whatever implodes inside, well... implodes.
"Gas station! I'm going to need as much ice as I can fit in the back of my van. We can make a ritual circle of it by just dumping it all over the floor, and.....it'll sort of draw the magic from the elemental plaen of ice? I'm not sure...I'm not great at this stuff." Ryan admits.
Relief is had once Harriet gets outside and it is quiet. She does look back inside through the door, though, making sure that the fire elemental cannot charge out after them. "Does ice work on something like that?" The woman honestly has zero idea, and she looks between Ryan and Aristotle.
"I mean it is anathema, not exactly magical ice...but it has a symbolic tie to the Elemental Plane of Ice...so uh...kind of? I mean maybe if we can shoot it with a fire hose it'll douse it a little." Ryan adds.
"Do we even have the time for that?" Aristotle wonders, his eyes back on the door as he furrows his brow. "And is that even something you can do?" He then asks. "I'm... wondering if it might just be better to try and go back in, dodge some... fire or whatever the fuck else is inside and shoot who or what has the relic."
"Oh, so the relic...someone is invoking that thing? I thought it had escaped from it or...the artifact was consumed and that came out? Hold on...let me get my ritual book." Ryan says as he pulls out "Arcane Rituals for Dummies, second edition" from his bag.
Harriet listens intently to Aristotle, and then to Ryan, and she's simply no help at all in this matter when it comes to ideas for dealing with an arcane based foe. "All right. If you two feel confident in this, I will do my very best to fight alongside you."
Flipping through it frantically, Ryan murmurs, "I found this on a bottom shelf of the Order Archives, and it's helped me plenty. Let's see...Incubus...Harpy...Hippogriff...no wait...wrong way...Ice...ice......Gangrene?...Fire...fire...I'm not seeing elemental things in here, it's probably in third edition."
"You can see why we need to grab it." Aristotle says, nodding at Ryan. "I know Haven's pretty... 'other world accessible'" He says. "Something like this makes one of those here. Imagine if the wrong hands got it in Haven. Way too close." He says. Though, he falls silent once Ryan begins to read off from the book. There's a touch of disappointment on his features when Ryan pulls nothing up, and so his attention then turns to the Warden, looking to her for her opinion.
The area in which they rest, is still ever silent. There is without a doubt, an immense level of noise coming from inside the building, but until the three step back inside, they're blissfully ignorant to it.
Harriet waits for Ryan to find the right chapter, until it seems there is none. She inhales sharply and her lips thin further. "Mm," gets hummed out in agreement with what Aristotle has said about Haven. "We certainly do not want that." This one is so far out of her league here. Shooting things and blowing them up are her specialties, and she doesn't seem so sure that 'blowing up' fire is going to benefit them all too much. "Should we try and split up, and each yell at the fire to try and get its attention in all directions? Goodness... Magic is not my strong suit."
It takes Aristotle a long moment to contemplate. He presses his lips into a little line as he does so, and then suggests. "...Well. Here's an idea. It's a bad one, but here's an idea." He says. "Ryan can try and do the... magic thing he wanted to do." He says, looking to Harriet. "And then we can try for a smash and grab. Thoughts? If we did that, do you have a safe-ish place you could try?" He asks of Ryan.
Ryan nods to Aristotle, "So I'm going to run to the cast station, unlead one of those whole ice cooler things into the back of my van and then back my van up to that door we were at. I can just throw so much ice on the ground that some of it will end up in a circle, as long as I throw down this first." he swipes on his phone, bringing up a picture of the back of his van where he's got a net with lots of little criss crossing woven lines. "I think the net will connect all of the ice and Hell if I know...maybe it'll work? Maybe not? I'll just try to invoke some magic and see what it does. I'll try binding first and then banishing."
Ryan gas station even.
Harriet simply stands there, taking it all in. She nods slowly at Ryan and his gas station visit idea. "All right..." is all she can say, a bit dumbfounded by it all, but who is she to judge? This woman still knows nothing about the arcane other than the fact she knows she doesn't want to end up a pile of ash tonight.
"Invoking and seeing what it does. Alright. We got little other option aside." Aristotle says, huffing quietly as he nods at Ryan. "How long do you think that'll take?" He asks. And then, he's looking to Harriet. "Do you want is to try the front while he works on that? Worst case scenario he's our Deus Ex Machina if some shit hits the f-- if... if /more/ shit hits the fan?"
Ryan nods as he pulls up his GPS on his phone, "I dunno, man, like...10 minutes? Maybe less? The gas station's just up the road."
Harriet gives Aristotle a confirming nod. She's got her revolver in hand, and then as Ryan is intending to head to the gas station, she's jogging off towards the front of the building.
Sprinting to his van, Ryan jumps in the driver's seat and tears off down the road towards the gas station.
This area of town, nestled by the Museum, wouldn't find much traffic to house it, especially as it draws closer and closer to midnight. The trek might actually be a swift ten-minutes, pending any odd lines in the gas station. Which, unlikely. The only sound that continues to fill the area is the quiet chatter of the trio. Though, there's a little rumble that can be felt.
As Harriet jogs off towards the front of the building, Aristotle gives Ryan a little wave before following after her.
The front of the building has a setup similar to the side door in a few aspects. First, there is a camera at the door, but the light is off. Whatever is influencing the lack of electricity and silence is likely interfering with the security feed. There's darkness from inside the building from what can be seen through the windows, but even pressing an ear to the glass would send no audio. The door seems primed for Harriet to unlock, or, as the side door, push open. Meanwhile, Ryan finds himself speeding down the road. Not very subtle or conspicuous, but then again his Van is a moving beach. It isn't long before he's out of view from the two that remain on site.
Harriet does not even get out her lockpick. She simply tries the door itself with just her hand, and she easily pushes it open. A nod is provided to Aristotle and then she's stepping inside of the museum once again, bracing herself mentally for the noises that will likely greet her.
Tearing into the first gas station he finds, Ryan rolls in, and then carefully backs up his van to the ice machine, not caring if he's in a proper parking spot or not as he parks the car and pulls his wallet out. He first opens up the ice machine and counts all of the bags quickly, in small and large sizes. He nods as he does some mental math and then closes the door and jogs to the entrance, trying to get in line at the gas station to make his purchase.
Surprisingly, the door was locked. But pushing it open no effort for Harriet. It opens after a little crunch, and she paves the way for both herself and Aristotle to enter. As they do, the sounds hit them again like a brick to the face. Screaming. So much of it, further into the museum. It echoes off of the walls, but can be followed easily enough. To the left, some distance away, is a flickering light of fire in the direction the trio was, previously. There isn't any gunfire - at least not as frequently. Someone far in the distance is crying out for help, before swearing in frustration. An effort was probably made into a cell phone or walkie, to no avail. For now, the pair remains unspotted.
Parked like a total douche, Ryan is met with an angry look and gesture from a car he cuts in front of in his haste. The person honks and flips him off, before angrily backing up to go around. Pointedly, this snubby little guy would attempt to make eye-contact with Ryan the whole time. There's only one person in line at the station - and they seem to be bickering with the cashier about the cigarettes behind him and how their preferred ones aren't available for purchase. The cashier looks grossly uninterested and also like he doesn't get paid enough to listen to this bitching.
Harriet is too strong for her own good, it seems. The audio inside of the museum is also too strong, and she grimaces a bit. That supernatural hearing can be a pain in the ass sometimes -- being able to hear so much, so clearly -- so far away. She sneaks onward, heading towards the direction of the screams, carefully and deliberately.
"Hey dude. I'll give you twenty bucks if I can cut in line. I'm in a huge hurry! Got an emergency here." Ryan says as he motions to the guy in front of him at the register. He glances back at the person honking and waves to him as he makes a pantomime of a big belly, as if saying to the dude that he's got a pregnant woman in the van, and then frantically points at the register before waving a twenty dollar bill around to the person in line with him.
Aristotle flinches as he crosses the threshold. Even in his line of work, the screaming is getting under his skin. He follows along after someone in the direction of the noise, which only increases in volume as they get closer. "You alright, Harry?" He asks, quietly, as they walk towards the noise. The screams seem to take them towards the Egyptian section of the Museum, where the artifact is on display. Hopefully. As they walk closer, the temperature seems to rise, and the scent of flame and flesh intensify. The sensation of being watched seems to spur, here.
Aristotle flinches as he crosses the threshold. Even in his line of work, the screaming is getting under his skin. He follows along after Harriet in the direction of the noise, which only increases in volume as they get closer. "You alright, Harry?" He asks, quietly, as they walk towards the noise. The screams seem to take them towards the Egyptian section of the Museum, where the artifact is on display. Hopefully. As they walk closer, the temperature seems to rise, and the scent of flame and flesh intensify. The sensation of being watched seems to spur, here.
The person in front of Ryan snaps at him, turning around, "Excuse you - /excuse you/ I am in line and I have rights just as any--" The person stops, however, looking at Ryan. He notes the prosthetic arm, and immediately does a hard 'first-impression' backpedal. "Oh. Oh, uh... sorry, no, you can keep the money." He says, before stepping out of line for Ryan to pass. "Thank you for your service." He seems to think Ryan's injury is military related. Presumptive, but... fortunate, one would suppose.
"I am all right," Harriet replies to Aristotle, and if those screams are real screams of people suffering, then this brunette is going to be beaming, unfortunately. If they are not real and no one is suffering, then Harriet is just pretty somber looking. She scurries along, ensuring to the best of her ability that she is not drawing any attention to herself. When she sees the artifact, she stops and surveys the area, crouched low and trying to figure out if anything is waiting for them. The smell is enough to make her gag a little.
"Yes...uh...thanks." Ryan says as he strides purposefully forward to the counter as he says, "I'm going to need all of the ice in your cooler. I counted them up and it's 20 large bags and 30 small ones." Ryan says as he takes a knife hand and uses it to point back outside, "My van is already parked there to load, sir." he says in a military-like fashion as he gets ready to pay.
She practically glows - the suffering is /intoxicating/, even the angelic pain stemming from Aristotle, at his own discomfort at the noise. He nods at Harriet, "Yeah. Me too." He says, lying. The sounds take them through the Egyptian exhibit, largely uneventful, though there are more elementals of flame the pair have to sneak past. The task isn't terribly difficult, as the flames consume the flesh of some of the guards unlucky enough to cross paths. Eventually, the pair hit a clearing. The focal point for the events of the night. What was once a beautiful exhibit is now covered in living flame. Many of the relics are damaged by the touch, save for one - a stone tablet, small enough to carry, held untouched and unmarred by someone who has their back to the pair. There's a rippling in the air just in front of this person - by shape, they look male. Tall. Strong. Sensitive hearing could pick up through the suffering cries the person reciting quietly from the tablet, and as he does so, flame seems to appear from the ripple. A portal, perhaps? The fire takes shape, and begins to spread through the exhibit to other parts of the museum. The chanting stops long enough for the being at the tablet to say, "Consume all you find."
"...Damn? The whole cooler?" The cashier asks. He watches Ryan walk up, but, again, he doesn't get paid enough to care. He shrugs, "Yeah, okay." He rings it up - not as expensive as one would think. "You have a good day." He says, handing a receipt over to Ryan in the process. "Er, I mean, night. You have a good night, and uhh... what he said." He points towards the previously departing customer. "For your service and all."
Raising up his prosthetic arm as the other one shoves his wallet away, Ryan gives a nod and a salute to both of them as he says, "God Bless America, and the US Marine Corps, OORAH!" he dashes out the door and flings open the back of his van as well as the ice container, shoving bag after bag into the back of his van quickly.
The gas station, aside from the cashier now, is empty. Nothing stops Ryan from gathering as much Ice as he bought.
Harriet is glowing! Even the greatest, high quality facial one can get a spa cannot compare to the way she looks right now. She is making faint little sounds that are an awful lot like moans, mostly... because they are moans. It all feels so good, and she just cannot help it as the suffering continues to wash over her. The feeling is intoxicating for this demonborn who has learned to associate suffering with some interesting subjects, and it simply translates into something kind of awkward -- the moaning. At least she's trying to keep it quiet. Well aware that Aristotle isn't okay -- since she's literally drowning blissfully in his suffering, she still nods at him as if she agrees with his claim that he is fine. Once the two are able to see what is going on with the being and the tablet, she is really, really trying to contain herself and not succumb any further into the absorption of all the suffering that surrounds her, but her blood doesn't allow her to. It's like she's high on the stuff, even when she hears that command spoken by the being.
Yeeting as many ice bags as he can as quickly as he can, Ryan takes as long as it does to load them and then closes up the van and tears off through the parking lot, heading back as time allows to arrive at a narratively appropriate moment.
Moaning - the most subtle of noises that one can make in the most inopportune time. It's noticeable by Aristotle, but he doesn't speak on it. He knows the deal. It is /also/ noticeable, by the man whom claimed the tablet. He stops, stiffens a little, and slowly turns. This tall, built man, has dirty blonde hair and is dressed in all black. There's a symbol on his shirt, though: A fractured, tear-shaped blue sapphire. He spots Harriet and Aristotle easily enough in the flickering flame that envelops the room. "...Well, well. You two don't look like guards." He says. He leaves the tablet behind him for now, and with little fanfare, pulls a gun from his waistband to fire at them.
The sound of screeching tires resound in the gas station as Ryan peels off down the road, heading back swiftly towards the Museum. Unfortunately, that display of his departure at the gas station, and the speed at which he drives, catches the attention of a nearby traffic police. It is only moments after Ryan peels off, that the dreaded flash of blue and red lights appear in his rear view mirror.
Harriet does not look like a guard at all. She looks like a freaking equestrian, because, for one she is one, and for two, she is wearing horse back riding attire. Her revolver is already out and ready, and she's firing a shot as soon as the man is reaching for his gun. She's already trying to get to anything she can find to be used as cover, though, while she points and shootws.
Looking in his rearview mirror, Ryan doesn't have time for it, so he gauges how far he is from the Museum and sees if he can still make it to the Museum before the police calls a bunch of backup. He slows down slightly, rolling down his window to wave the cop around as he gives the cop room to pass, hoping his deception will work.
Ryan says "Shit, shit, shit, shit!"
"FUCK!" Aristotle exclaims. On the list of things to expect when dealing with powerful relics and elemental monsters, getting /shot at/ was not on the bingo card. Both he and Harriet end up splitting up. Harriet to the left, and Aristotle to the right. A few of the bullets seem to slow, just slightly, as if something in the air around both Aristotle and Harriet is resisting and pushing back at it. It seems to give them enough time to dodge, but only barely. And, quite likely, not as perceptible to the eye. The bullets hit the wall behind them as Aristotle ducks behind a glass exhibit, and Harriet behind one of stone.
A command is spat out in Arkadian from the man, and with it, the most recently summoned elemental begins to make its return. With each passing moment, the area gets hotter and hotter - more are coming to descend on them. "Come out, now and I'll make sure your death from this intrusion is quick. I cannot promise painless, but I can promise for a swift end."
Unfortunately for Ryan, it is /not/ a deception that works. Alongside the lights, the sirens turn on for a short second, and then, "Driver pull over!" Is heard. As far as estimating how far away? Ten minutes between the station and Museum, and Ryan only left the station three minutes ago. He can still see it in the distance if he looked.
"I'm in an emergency, sir! There's a gunman at the Museum! My wife is there!" Ryan shouts out the window as he waves his phone around, "I need your help!"
Harriet ducks down beind the stone cover, and she reloads the chamber of her revolver, knelt and trying to see if she can find Aristotle. Her lips purse, and she just has to cling to hope that the deputy is all right. She makes no attempt to speak to the man. Leaning forward some and with her gun held steadily, she tries to peek around the corner at where the voice is coming from.
Meanwhile, Ryan stows his gun as he drives out of sight of the cop, making sure that he isn't caught with a loaded weapon on him.
Ryan's shouts go unheard, assuming both of them are still in their vehicles and moving down the road. It at least brings them a little closer towards the Museum though, by about a minute. The officer stays on Ryan, sirens flicking on again, as a brief warning, as he petitions him to stop the vehicle.
Peeking around the stone corner, Harriet is able to catch this man in her eyeline, especially with her aptitude for seeing in the dark. But, before she's able to react to seeing him, leaping out directly in front of her, is a creature of flame. Amidst the already living flame in the area, as well as the smoke from it and noise, it's unsurprising it was able to sneak up on her. It lunges, fully attempting to engulf the woman in flame.
Aristotle is quietly swearing at the cover he's found. Glass. The true weakness of the bullet. He's crouching himself low to the ground, holding his own weapon as he peers in the darkness. He's unable to clearly see much save for the moving flame, but where he can recall where the voice came from, is where he blindly fires.
Slowing down slightly as he pulls towards the side of the road, Ryan is waving frantically out his window as he motions for the cop to pull up beside him, pointing at the museum as he waves the cop forward as if to come with him.
Harriet loves fire. She has a natural attraction to the stuff -- and if anyone has seen her with that bigass flamethrower she owns, they can have no doubts. However, this elemental monster of a creature is not a flamethrower, nor any sort of thing she can play with. She is caught off guard by how quickly it has come up on her, and her initial reaction is to try and roll away, while also attempting to fire a shot at it.
AristotleRyan's frantic waves are noted by the officer, and the lawman looks over towards the quiet, serene looking museum in the distance. He doesn't make a connection between the two, so he flips his sirens on. He stays behind Ryan. Whether he's following him, or pursuing him, is a matter of perspective, depending on if you ask Ryan or the police officer.
Ryan's frantic waves are noted by the officer, and the lawman looks over towards the quiet, serene looking museum in the distance. He doesn't make a connection between the two, so he flips his sirens on. He stays behind Ryan. Whether he's following him, or pursuing him, is a matter of perspective, depending on if you ask Ryan or the police officer. (Fixed)
The swift action from Harriet is successful in evading the living flame, for now. She's able to roll away, firing off a few ineffective shots at the creature that spit fire from what would possibly be considered a wound. The man who called them, merely laughs at her attempt. "Fine. A slow death it is." Some of the blind shots fired off by Aristotle strike a few elementals that were beckoned by his previous call, stalling them and revealing them at the same time. The temperature rises, continually, as more and more descend. The entryway they used is now blocked by living fire. There's another past the man who summoned them, but it doesn't look like it'll be open for long, and getting there would require moving past him. The gunfire pulls the man's attention to where Aristotle hid for cover, and he fires off a return shot that breaks through the glass with ease.
Harriet is a bit frantic in trying to see if there is anything in the museum she can use for a diversion tactic or an improvised weapon that might do more damage than her revolver. She considers her surroundings, moving as swiftly as she can in that roll. The fact that there is metal, stone, and glass here give her at least some peace of mind since those things are not flammable. Her eyes search the walls, trying to find a fire extinguisher.
Driving into the museum parking lot, Ryan has the police in hot pursuit as he tries to find the door that Harriet and Aristotle entered, turning around to back up the van right to the door, in case the police start to get frisky with a gun so he at least has cover from the van.
After parking, Ryan begins to scramble into the back of the van, doors locked.
From what Harriet can see in her evasive maneuvering, there are plenty of things she would be able to get her hands on, and use, considering her strength. Stone relics behind glass, broken pieces of wood, and various signage that may or may not be burning to the touch. There is a fire extinguisher, but it's on the wall next to the entrance they used - the one precariously close to the wall of living flame that blocks the way and grows to envelop the room.
Ryan, in hot pursuit with policeman behind him, speeds his vehicle up towards museuem. There is very little regard for the property as he goes up a curve and runs over some beautiful greenery. The cop doesn't follow in that regard - property damage to be considered, it seems. Ryan is able to maneuver the van sideways to reverse against the door they were at.
There's a cry of pain that leaves Aristotle once that glass cover is shattered. It's likely, given the noise that so immediately accompanied gunfire, that he was shot. He exhales, brow covered in sweat from the flames, and he scrambles up to his feet. His jacket, for anyone who catches a glimpse, as a growing pool of blood developing from his back on his left side. He's mobile still, though. He looks over towards where the man is, firing off a shot with his gun before recklessly gesturing as he turns to run off towards the side, as if the motion would help his body pivot in light of the newly minted, and probably very painful injury. He scrambles towards the nearest stone pillar, hopefully more bulletproof than the glass display.
The man whom claimed the tablet and began to use it, seems to laugh only more maniacally at the display, but his laughter is cut short as he's pushed back by something - an unseen force perhaps, that seems him stumbling back and tripping over debris behind him until his back is on the floor.
Harriet's main priority right now is to try and maintain a safe distance from the fiery elemental. She shoots at the glass that houses a stone relic, running straight towards it, and if she's able to break the glass, she's going to grab the relic and... well, she's not sure what she's going to do with it.
Given the time he has, hopefully Ryan can begin his ritual, kicking open the doors as he drags the net out, hoping that the criss cross pattern will make some sort of circle that he can dump piles of ice on to make a symbolic ritual invoking the elemental plane of ice in a binding wave, using his will through the net as a symbolic magical association of capture.
Unless stopped, Ryan will be laying the net down and then slicing bags of ice open and yeeting them all into the net.
In Harriet's franticness, her bullets manage to strike a few relics nearby, including the stone tablet everyone is here for. It takes a bullet, chipping it on the side. The damage to it causes the man to scream out in a violent rage, but it takes him a moment to scramble to his feet. In the meantime, he's spitting off commands in Arkadian that sees the rippling in the air grow more and more volatile. Fire sprouts from it. Another starts to form near Harriet. A ripple in the air. Nothing comes from it, yet, but Harriet can feel a little spark of static electricity in the air that sees some of her hair standing up.
Aristotle, in the meantime, is wincing something fierce as a hand is pressed behind him to where he's nursing an injury, but his free hand is raised in the direction of the man. He's firing still, but finds his efforts halted when he's ambused by living flame. He's scrambling, though his movements aren't as swift as they wound be, considering the injury to his side. Each lash from the creature has him flinching, which sees the elemental's attacks slowing somewhat before striking the place where Aristotle was. He continues to scramble, leaving a trail in the process.
The officer watches Ryan park the van, but doesn't see him enter given the vantage point. He speaks out into the radio, brandishing his pistol at the van and beckoning him to come out with his hands up.
Ryan finds himself inside, and as he does so, he can hear the gunfire and screaming that comes from the scuffle his comrades are in. There's no fire elemental in this hall, anymore, but the scent of the charred guard from before is nauseating. He's the time to set his circle that he's dumped piles of ice into - and so starts his ritual.
Harriet normally has a pretty good aim, but she is in the middle of a shit show right now, so who can really blame her for striking the coveted artifact with a cartridge? Oops. She feels that electricity and she's moving in to try and pick up that artifact that she just accidentally shot a piece off of. So far, she's unaware of Aristotle's state with all of the action going on around her.
The other entrance to the Egyptian area of the Museum, where the action is, is now completely closed off by flame. It's suffocating, and the proximity threatens to welt the skin. The elemental flame accosting Aristotle is soon in the air. Either it's levitated on its own, or something else as done so, but either way the change in its positioning gives Aristotle enough time to fire off some shots at it. Unfortunately, it does nothing but spit bits of fire down at him from the bullets, which causes him to stop shooting so he can frantically extinguish the flames before the engulf. The elemental takes the time then to wind up a blast of fire down at the Wilson, which is /narrowly/ avoided. He rolls, only to find himself flanked by another. He seems exhausted.
Harriet is able to reach for the artifact, but the moment her hands grab onto it, she finds herself tackled by the man behind summoning these beings. He's able to get off a few punches to her before she can catch her bearings. The fire continues to close in, as Ryan continues his ritual.
Those bags of ice that Ryan cuts into and yeets is time-consuming, but he's nearing the end of unloading it all.
Covered with shards of ice as he looks like a serial killer with that knife, stabbing it deeply in the bag and ripping it in half before tossing -most- of a bag through that door so that it scatters literally everywhere, Ryan is sweating up a storm as this physical labor is getting to him, but he powers through, attempting to weave his will into the ice and the net, chanting loudly as he does so.
As Harriet gets punched, she's trying to use her arms to block the incoming blows, and once she has a moment, she's fully attempting to take the man out. She has quite a punch, after all, but she's trying to use the artifact as a weapon right now. She's also quite the grappler and martial artist, so her body is trying to make use of that training as she's rolling around on the museum floor with the man.
Aristotle finds himself surrounded only moments after noticing he's been flanked. Whatever has that initial elemental levitating sees it dropping back down beside him. The two elementals he's near, turn to four, and the engulf in on him. He screams, panicked, and whatever he's done to keep them at bay seems to be failing him in his exhaustion as they get closer and closer, starting to char the flesh and consume his resolve.
Harriet lands a punch on this man that has him reeling, but his rage dulls the pain he'd feel from it. He's grappled by her, though, but manages, with a headbutt, to disorient the woman as she rolls around with him long enough for him to free his hands and wrap them tightly around her throat. She can feel that he's strong. Very, very strong, and he's making quick work of that strength as the world gets kinda gray for Harriet. The fire closes in on both of them, but this man is focused on dispatching Harriet, first.
There's a wave of force that pulses through the net that Ryan has chanted over. In no way should this have worked, but perhaps his emotional desperation was enough of the catalyst to see this sacrifice go through. The force hits him like a ton of bricks, the completion of the ritual sending him flying back /into/ the back of the van. For now, he's out like a light. The shockwave from the ritual blast has the officer firing off a shot in his panic before he's flung back.
In the room where Harriet, Aristotle, and the man are surrounded, the fire seems to lose its vitality, and its suffocating weight lessons. It begins to dissipate into the air. Aristotle is left a panting, somewhat burned mess on the ground as he bleeds. For what its worth, the burns charred his clothing to his wound, so he's not bleeding dangerously anymore. The man strangling Harriet finds himself distracted as the fire begins to dissipate. He looks confused, and it lessens his grip on Harriet's neck long enough for her to retaliate should she be opportunistic enough.
Falling into a number of things in a clatter of a mess, the sound of a deflating pool floatie is heard as Ryan's ragdoll body falls on it, amongst other things like surf wax and a few bags of gas station snacks for the road trip.
Harriet struggles while she's being strangled, but as soon as the man gets distracted, she's gripping that artifact firmly, and with that solid hold, she's preparing to use it as a weapon. With such an optimal moment here with the man's attention diverted, she makes use of this crucial timing to perform a counterattack. She swings with as much force as she can muster, aiming for the man's head, right at the temple, quick and sharp.
Also, the 'Arcane Rituals for Dummies' book gets flung from Ryan's hand somewhere hidden in the van, under a number of things which will be a bitch to find later.
With Harriet's counter attack comes the sound of a crack. Two of them, actually - the tablet itself, and the man's skull. He slumps over on top of her, breathing, but out like a light. When he falls still from that assault, a few things begin to occur in the Museum - First, alarms go off - jarring and sudden. Second, the fire prevention system kicks in, causing sprinklers in every area to go off. Any lingering flame is snuffed out as all three of them are covered in moisture, now. As for Ryan, that pool floatie took a bit of the impact, but he'll be feeling that physical exhaustion and mental fatigue for /days/ considering the feat he was able to accomplish. The lights flicker back on in the museum now - what's left of them, anyway. It seems whatever was causing the silence and prevented the electronics from working, ceased the moment this man became unconscious.
It isn't long before, amidst the alarms from the museum now operational again, that sirens can be heard in the distance. Police are en route, now - appropriately so. If there were any attempt to flee, this would be the moment to do so if bearings can be gathered quickly enough.
Dozing unconcious, Ryan is in the back of the van, sprawled out with the snacks and random shit he keeps in there.
Harriet has the artifact in her hand, and she pushes the man's body off of hers. She rises, and runs to grab Aristotle, not able to be too careful with the poor fellow, but taking him up in her arms and making a run for the exit.
The lack of care given to Aristotle as Harriet hoists him up causes him to grunt out in pain, but he doesn't resist the woman. He's exhausted, and much of his running is really him being half-dragged half-carried. There is nothing stopping the pair from heading to the side door, thankfully, where Ryan has parked his definitely 'hard for an officer to track down' beach van. When Harriet and Aristotle arrive, they find the beach bum knocked close to unconscious in the back of his van from the ritual, and given Aristotle's state, it's likely that Harriet will be behind the wheel.
Looks like Harriet got her wish of front seat driving on the way home! The snacks are next to the driver's seat in easy reach as she gets to change the radio from 'surfer tunes' and Aristotle gets shotgun as Ryan dozes in the back.
Harriet is at least careful when she places Aristotle in the passenger seat of the van, and she glances at the knocked out Ryan. She finds the keys, and then moves into the driver's seat, not wasting any time. She's headed to the clinic with both of them. Driving the beach on wheels like a boss.
The Museum is moments from being swarmed with police, and likely a bomb squad given the shockwave that the officer reported. As Harriet drives off, there's some pot shots fired from the officer, but he does not pursue. This likely would've been a worse problem for them to try and solve alone were it not for her connections with The Order, and the fact that a mutual friend is both an officer and a Wilson. The artifact is secured in Harriet's possession, and both Aristotle and Ryan will probably be in a world of painful recovery in the morning, but the ordeal is over.
OOC: Thank you guys for partaking in this with me! We went over a little bit, but I truly hope you enjoyed the twists and turns! Let me know if there's any particular rewards you'd like. Otherwise, stalk up with a good place for me to summon you!
And Harriet is just beaming the entire drive as poor Aristotle suffers.