2025-08-16-session

Opening

The session opens at the Toys R Us, the group has just finished up at the Hard Rock Cafe. As the group looks to the parking lot, they notice that it is completely destroyed. There's severe damage to the gym. Katrina is missing several parts, arms, a lot of her chest, her leg is twisted, and more.

Katrina pulls out a Cigar, cuts the tip, and lights it. She takes a big hit, and she appears to regenerate quicker. The cigar smells like a strong health potion instead of a normal Cigar.

Kate is shocked by the amount of destruction. While she's aware of what high level Monday Night Combat looks like.

Nathan is taking notes on Katrina's regeneration as he observes her tissue regrow in real time. He is aware of Druid's Delight, but he's seen it in different forms. He knows that the Druid's Delight is only usually seen as a potion because it will often kill anyone who drinks it in other ways due to how powerful it is as a metabolism stimulant.

Kate comments that the group has a lot of work needing to be done with the parking lot. Yokai Moki remarks that Moki could help mend, but she's not willing to come out just yet. As they talk, emergency vehicles arrive at the scene and artificers, police officers, firefighters all approach to help mend the parking lot. The mall's insurance is good.

The group is left with some downtime while Katrina recovers. She then asks how things went at the Hard Rock Cafe. Kate responds not well, as she thinks she saw an illusion of her dad, and was cursed. Katrina also sees Moki's hands, cut by shards of glass, and blows some of the cigar smoke in her direction, which manages to heal her but not to the point it'd kill her.

Kate asks if Katrina knows any powerful Clerics. Katrina flips through her thoughts and remembers that Kate has a patron. Kate tries to contact Lorelai, but can't reach her. Yokai Moki tries her phone as well, but the line goes dead after ringing.

Kate turns to Yokai Moki, and asks if she has anything that can cure curses. Yokai Moki doesn't though.

Kate walks off dejected. Yokai Moki follows, as she has some questions to ask, namely about the curse. She asks about what the curse said to her. Which she responded that it told her she wasn't worthy to wield the sword. He then takes a part of her sword from her.

Kate also notes that it could be her father or even an ideal of him. Moki prods further, asking what she feels worthy is

After the two part ways, Kate can hear the sound of dragging metal. No matter where she looks, she can't find the source. She dons headphones to drown it out, but the cold at the back of her neck never leaves.

Kate paces around every few minutes as anxiety keeps hitting, but the rest of the night is uneventful.

Morning comes and Kate is up early. She heads out to the parking lot, and appears to be keeping guard, but is trying to get fresh air and calm her nerves, but she hears the sound of dragging metal once more. It's gotten louder, and now finishes with the sound of a sharpening knife. Kate feels as if an anomaly has hit the mall once again. She heads in to find Moki.

Moki wakes up and asks what's going on. Kate asks if Moki can feel that. Moki also feels the anomaly and gets up. They check on Katrina who is passed out in her chair.

They leave a note to explain that they're going to find an anomaly.

Kate and Yokai Moki head to the roof to see what they can find. A thick fog has enveloped the area as far as they can see. As the pair don't know what the source is, they try to wake others to see keep an eye on the place. Yokai moki tries to nudge Kimmy, but finds that she's not there. They panic and head into the Toys R Us and call to ask if anyone's up.

Ken responds, groggy, but he's here. Kate and Moki notice that Nathan is also missing.

They freak out and then head to wake Katrina, but find she's gone too.

Kate, Yokai Moki, and Ken vouch to stay in line of sight at all times, and head out towards the mall. The fog has grown notably thicker. They grab each others arms and trudge through the fog. It feels off, as it no longer feels like the group is walking on concrete. There's a metallic crunch below them. It's barbed wire, which snags Yokai Moki's legs, but it disappears just as quickly as it came.

As they keep going, they see a glowing yellow neon sign in the fog. The building ahead is much smaller than the mall and is illuminated with two yellow signs. The building has a blue hue to it. They arrive at a blockbuster at a foreign time period. Yokai Moki checks her phone and notes she's in roaming and time is fully non-sensical just as it was on Route 66.

Kate peeks through the window, and it looks like business as usual. They decide to head in, but notice that Ken is no longer with the pair. Kate however, sees that he's already in the store. Kate heads in to give him a piece of her mind, but when Kate gets to where she thought he was, he's not there.

An elf employee greets Kate and Yokai Moki and asks if they can help find anything. Kate expresses they're looking for their friend, but the employee remarks he didn't see anyone come in with them, or a single person before them.

They look through the aisles to see if they can find anything off. They also get a look at the other employees. One of them is a human man, who is charming. There's a good number of people at his register. The elf is a little darker skinned. Another man is an aging human in the back doing managerial work. Everyone appears relaxed.

Moki remarks that it feels too normal. That she doesn't really see anything to solve this time. Kate responds that the anomalies usually aren't visible when the pair arrive. it takes a bit.

Kate also considers that the fog perfectly masks anything that could be coming their way, as it doesn't envelop the blockbuster, but the surrounding area.

Kate overhears some conversation between the staff, and knows that the blond cashier is an adventurer. Kate strikes up a conversation to ask what role he is. He replies he's a fighter. Kate asks what the address of the place is, but it's like the conversation is fuzzy in her mind and the address isn't conveyed to her.

Eventually Kate asks what year it is, which they respond that it is 2014. A little boy also comes by, with a shake. His uncle refers to her as "Little Kenny". Yokai Moki pulls Kate aside and checks her phone, pulling her phone camera out and checks each other. Both of them have not age regressed. Kate decides to go try and watch the ken to see if it's the same one they know. He's playing the games, and Kate opts to play one beside him.

As she does this, Moki notices the fog begin to rapidly encroach on the blockbuster. Moki runs to tell kate, and the fog envelops the blockbuster. They feel a strong breeze wash over them, and the blockbuster goes out of sight.

Eventually they're taken back to the entrance of the blockbuster on a bright sunny day. They head in to check the place and see the same employees. They greet each other and Yokai Moki asks how long it'd been since their last visit.

Staff responds it's been a couple of months. Moki then asks for action movie recommendations to pass the time. They recommend Fast 5. A small discussion occurs about the amount of Fast 5 copies they have.

Eventually, a tall older man heads into a managerial section of the store. He places an envelope with an intricate seal into the returns box. Moki cannot make out what the seal is, but Kate uses an incantation that lets her see somewhat inside the package. She can make out that there's no DVD on the inside, but a declaration of Inquisition inside.

Kate's eyes are oddly dilating from the ability as she pulls Moki aside to inform her about what they saw. Moki doesn't know what a Declaration of Inquisition is. But Kate recalls that the document is something the Retail Reaper would send to dying business as a notice that he'll be claiming the business and taking things of value. Kate wonders if this is something they need to witness or intervene in.

Jimmy comes in behind them to ask if they're expecting a fight. He attempts to reassure the pair that Ben has it covered.

As it happens, the fog closes in once again, and Kate and Moki are returned outside the blockbuster, this time with several store closing signs on the windows.

They head in and greet the staff, who is in a team huddle as they figure out a game plan. Kate interrupts to ask if everything is okay. They explain their issue with the Reaper and that they have a game plan where they trap him in this store, but use the time to travel to the other store, the final blockbuster, which they cannot touch. Unfortunately it means giving up the location they're at.

The situation seems grim, and it's unclear why the group is doing what they're doing. Moki asks why. They respond that if they don't, he'll kill them before they get the chance to make it to the last location. An older person in the store chimes up to say that the Reaper is always looking for something in every place he takes. It's always a search for more power. Moki opts to head into an aisle to pull her shard of excalibur. She tries to feel if another one is close, but doesn't.

She does, however, feel a familiar feeling, much like the one she gets from Skab.

As she heads to Kate to tell her what she felt, a woman in a brown trench coat, pale skin, and designer sunglasses. She makes a beeline for the pair and immediately flicks Yokai Moki on the forehead for pulling out her shard in a place like this.

Yokai Moki says she'll keep it in the bag next time. Azami is not seen by anyone else in the store, as if this place wasn't made with her in mind. Yokai Moki asks what day it is. Azami responds that it's March 14th, 2014. And then questions why they're in 2014.

She responds they have no idea

Azami tells Yokai Moki and KAte they're going to watch the events of the fight. Jimmy has just finished setting everything to lock the reaper in.

An older man with heavy boots steps in