#kasperranstrom.talk

[dxrkenedheights]

The way into the museum had been easy. Too easy. A side door already unlocked, swinging open with just a gentle nudge like it had been waiting for someone to step inside. But Kasper barely has time to register the how. That thought vanishes as soon as he crosses the threshold. The air inside is heavy, thick with a hum. It's loud, constant, like a bell struck over and over. His magic feels strange in his veins, but his instincts hone in on the sounds. A gunshot cracks through the air, followed by shouting, then the grind of stone dragging against stone. His pulse spikes, and without hesitating, Kasper bolts toward the noise.

He moves quickly, feet skidding on the polished floor as he nearly slams into the path of someone else. He feels it instantly. A vampire. He stops short, the tension between them instantaneous, but there's no time to assess whether she's a threat or an ally. There's no time for anything. A scream tears through the museum, sharp and unnatural, rattling the air around them. Glass shatters in the distance, shards raining like jagged stars and the ground trembles beneath his feet. Kasper meets the vampire's eyes for only a split second, and in that glance, an unspoken agreement passes between them. Tonight, there won't be questions or suspicions.

Before he can move again, someone stumbles into view, colliding with the light of his path. A woman, frantic and panicking and waving a blade wildly in the air like she has no idea what to do with it. Kasper's instincts kick in before the vampire can react. He closes the distance almost out of instinct, his hands coming up, steady, though his mind races. Her words are a frantic jumble. Half sentences that are barely coherent but his attention locks onto her hands, the blade. Jakob's blade. He recognizes it instantly. "We heard it, I heard it, okay? I believe you, I believe you!" Kasper says with an encouraging nod, reaching out to take the weapon from her trembling grip.

"Shit." he mutters and doesn't wait. There's no time. Kasper is moving again, bolting in the direction the small woman came from, the path already feeling more like chaos than anything else. The air shifts as he runs, colder, sharper. His heartbeat and his magic pulse in tandem, driving him forward as the sounds ahead grow louder. He rounds the corner just in time to see Jakob, wielding a medieval sword of all things. "What the f-" but across from the older Ranstrom stands the monster. Twisted, gaunt, like it's crawled out of a nightmare.

Kasper doesn't stop. He shouts to make himself known, the sound cutting through the chaos for just a moment, and the creature's head jerks toward him, its shriek building again. But Kasper is ready. With a quick flick of his hand, his magic surges forward, forming a shimmering barrier that blunts the ear piercing wail, the thing's jaw unhinging to drop low with the scream. The museum trembles under the force of it, but Kasper holds steady. "Now!" Kasper shouts, his voice sharp for Jakob to strike.

@gloriouswhispers

“Seems like it!” Jakob shouted in return, his focus on getting them to safety. He had half a mind to simply pick up the shifter and tuck her under his arm like he might Liora. But he didn’t have time to get that far as stone cracked and scraped against marble floors. Like nails on a chalkboard, the hairs on his arm stood up as they sprinted into the next gallery.

Ordinarily, he would have laughed at her attempt to keep the door shut. But given the seemingly life-or-death situation they found themselves in, Jakob settled for a smirk as he leaned against the door beside her. “You’re really making a difference here.” With all five feet nothing of her. Five foot five his ass. He ran a hand over his face, gritting his teeth as the door rattled a bit and shook his head. “I don’t fucking know. But that humming is really starting to piss me the fuck off.” They had to figure out where it was coming from.

After a moment, he pressed his good ear to the door. There was no sound from the other side. “We gotta keep moving, that’s how. Can’t go back.” Which would have been the closest way to an exit. “Think this is karma for breaking in?” Jakob snorted at his own humor before remembering that he wasn’t with Felix and that whatever her name was might not find it so amusing. “Hey,” he nudged her shoulder. “We’ll be okay.” Jakob reassured and adjusted the podium by the door to ensure the blockade held. He was running through a myriad of possibilities in his head. Maybe rogue witches had lured them here? No. This felt different from any witches he’d encountered. 

The humming still reverberated through the museum and Jakob was convinced it was something worse. Something more sinister than any magic he’d encountered before. He had just finished inspecting the door when she tapped him repeatedly. “One sec, I just–” but the tapping didn’t stop and Jakob frowned, turning to see the stricken look on the shifter’s face. His neck prickled as his senses set off warning bells and he followed her shaking hand. Jakob’s eyes adjusted to the dark corner she was pointing at and he froze. For the first time since his parents died, he felt a surge of genuine fear turning his blood to ice. 

The figure was tall and gaunt, weathered skin stretched over bones. Grotesque in every way, its mouth flashed with large teeth as its emaciated frame shuddered with pain. Very slowly, Jakob’s hand went to his side and he extracted a curved knife. Just as slowly, he extended it to her, placing the hilt in her hand.

“When I tell you to run, you fucking run. Get out of here. Break a window. Find an exit. Anything.” It was a warning and a plea as the creature opened its horrible mouth and Jakob didn’t have time to think. He moved faster than he ever had, practically tackling her to the ground as the monster let out an ear-piercing scream. Jakob reacted, covering her ears with his hands and bracing his good ear to his shoulder as glass shattered around them and armor fell to the ground in a loud explosive clang. 

His vision swam slightly as the ringing in his bad ear grew louder but he clambered to his feet, firing his gun at the beast. “RUN!” Jakob shouted, head pounding as he sought to draw its attention for the little shifter who was scrambling to her feet. “NOW!”

[dxrkenedheights]

There's a split second when the little shifter scurries and scrambles in front of Kasper that his focus falters, his grip loosening easily from the curved blade as she snatches it from his hand. He manages to regather quickly, reforming the shield so Jakob can slice and dice with all the anime glory. "That," Kasper's eyes snap to the shifter momentarily. "That was really stupid, don't do that. I could've fucked up." his tone comes sharper than it usually would, but he is a Ranstrom after all and it takes not even a second for him to register that...she's adorable. "You're just lucky I'm good." he adds with a faint smirk, his hands bracing against the air to keep the muted shield strong.

The creature's jaw stretches open into a wail, and Kasper can feel the force of it even through the magic, his head tilting with a groan of pain as the piercing scream still reaches him. These days, he doesn't bat an eye at Jakob's cinematic fighting. But, even Kasper notices that it's slightly more anime than usual. Is he...showing off? Kasper's brows quirk when the creature is struck, the sword slicing through it as it collapses to the ground. Kasper doesn't falter to keep the shield up until the very moment the thing turns to dust, but his eyes find Jakob's, sharing a quiet glance with his brother. You were literally showing off to the shifter.

But, the shifter's panic cuts through the moment and his eyes move to the rattling doors. "They don't have heads?" he mutters, confused and horrified at once. He moves closer to the doors, gravitating instinctively to the shifter and he notices the way Jakob's footing does the same. And at that, the younger Ranstrom is looking at his older brother again with a knowing smirk. "I think everyone's freaking out, but...on the inside." he says to her with a hint of teasing, still looking at his brother. "Jakob here is probably terrified." but the doors rattling harder makes Kasper's attention snap to them.

The hum is just as loud as before, ringing like a bell and Kasper's mind cycles through endless possibilities. "I think whatever that is," his finger points to the air. "We need to find where it's strongest. And...that's all I got but, at least it's a start." he shrugs, turning to focus his attention on the sound's direction. It seems everywhere and nowhere, his lips forming a thoughtful frown. "Are there tunnels or anything under this place? A basement?" @gloriouswhispers

while felicity may not have known what to expect from the strange hum emitting from the museum, she certainly expects things to go far smoother than tonight has been. her arrival into the met is seamless enough, slipping in through an unlocked side door. but once inside? the air carries a scent of chaos, panic. fear. it's practically an adrenaline fueled silver platter, but she resists the faint pull of hunger. she follows the sounds for a different reason. certainly not altruism. but because where the most chaos lies, is where the most answers sit.

the collision with another doesn't surprise her. not really. it's something that was bound to happen. her eyes dart over the witch with curiosity and sharp suspicion. but there isn't any time. not when panic fills the air. not when some small, stumbling and panic stricken thing comes barreling into their pathway, trembling with fear. 'who is this child?' is all felicity can manage, but her words are lost in the sheer chaos. fuck sake. playing a fucking hero isn't something felicity bet on tonight, but she finds herself with no choice as she rushes to follow. all the while, she thinks how she can double back on her own footing. to find an easy enough way to slip free from the forming group.

but once she turns the corner, the sight freezes her in place. it's not the medieval sword that she focuses on. although, that's certainly noted. it's the creature. how vile and feral it is. it's mouth long, razar sharp teeth practically glistening in the dimly lit room. there's no other word for it. it's a horror come to life and her heightened senses are still reached, even with the barrier the witch casts. for a moment, the creature's scream is strong enough to make her hunch over with a hiss of pain. it's not loud, but it strikes. 'fuck!' felicity snarls, pushing through the discomfort.

before she can think, the doors of the room rattle. violent and desperate against the chairs keeping them closed. behind it the groaning sound of heavy stone and marble. felicity moves to the doors with a lightning speed, pushing her weight against them. 'how many things are in here? do you know?' she asks, her tone sharp and hurried, leaving no room for hesitation as she looks to the younger woman. for a moment, her attention catches on the struggle with the creature. the tussle that calls on her instincts to help as the doors rattle under her strength. her mind splits with two choices. no, three. you could just leave them. but...the girl. felicity looks to her again, sterner now. 'what's behind these doors?' @ofwrxth