Across The Street From The Museum of Folklore

Already the night was flying by as you swung through the air for the final time before landing on the ledge of the Andersteen Rural Art Gallery. The vantage point from the four story complex gave you an ideal view of the museum. The Acropolis City Museum of Folklore was the original sight of the art gallery until they decided to move to a new structure they had built across the street. The new owners repurposed most of the interior for exhibit displays, and have since kept the museum focused on multiple mythologies and local American legends. Less of a museum and more of an interactive historical center. Still, it drew in a regular crowd seeing as some heroes (and villains) had origins tied up in some of these legends.

However, tonight saw the usually calm establishment surrounded on all sides by a series of active cop cars. At least five in total. All of them flashing their lights, all of them completely empty. One of them is precariously parked along the front steps leading up to the now smashed in double doors. Smashed probably isn't the right word for their condition. It would be more accurate to call them eviscerated. It looks as though something rushed up to them and tore them to shreds with several large slashing implements before tearing them off their hinges just for the Hell of it. Most worrying of all though, there isn't a single cop or hero in sight.

The Tier 5 should have been here by now, but as far as you can tell no one has arrived yet to help. You were hoping someone would be here to take this one for you. The flapping of your bow just seems to get more energetic. You'll have to go in there alone.

"Look, you need to be more quiet." You cup your hand over the elated cloth. "Let's try to take a stealthy approach this time around, hm? No telling who's in there or why, and I'd rather figure that out before we have to go toe to toe with them."

The bow slows in its movement but doesn't stop entirely. Another fling of your wrist deploys a rope of silk that attaches itself to the roof of the museum. You leap from the gallery and allow the weight of your body to send you swinging right towards the front entrance where you break the link at the last second. You push your hands against the front steps before flipping into the ticket room. Luckily you've had plenty of practice. From here, it's a matter of keeping low to the ground and sticking to the edges of the room. Your first test of this is slipping under the wrecked turn style to the museum proper. The first floor is split into two sections by an additional plaster wall in the middle. One side pertaining to the Greek era myths while the other is designed entirely for ancient Egyptian legends.

Oddly enough, most of the exhibits had actual items and artifacts on display along side their dramatic depictions. You hug the railing of a display for Dionysus and trail just below the plaque that went with it. So far there aren't any signs of internal destruction. Just a few knocked over mannequins and some a misplaced fake carrot from the Demeter exhibit sitting on the floor. Maybe the problem was already dealt with? That thought is quickly proven false by a distant crash followed by a muffled scream. You duck back and fall under the fake fire from the Hades display for cover before another sound draws your attention: the sound of a savage growl. It's almost like a massive wolf just stood it's ground against an intruding rival. Except this growl has words mixed into it.

"Speak damn you! Grrrrrhh..." The voice demanded, it's distance indicating it wasn't directed to you. "I said speak! Grrrrhh... Or else you can join the officers in the broom closet!"

You rose from your hiding spot and pressed on through the building. Leaving the Greek displays, you come to a cross section leading into several different exhibit areas. Just before you are about to take your pick of the hallways, the Medieval Europe section echos another utterance in that same beastial masculine voice.

"Once more, I will ask. Where. Is. The. Crown?!" Following this demand, another male voice is heard. While not as authoritative as the first, it trumps the other in volume by a shrill cry of pain along with a pop and metal chain click.

Through constant whimpering, the other man tries to plead their case. "I... I don't know! I'm sorry! I just work the night shift, please!"

You follow these voices into the next exhibit. The Medieval Europe section seems to dip heavily into the fantasy aspect rather than the actual folklore of the area. The first thing you are greeted by as you enter is a rising gate entrance, behind which sits a massive dragon display in the center of which sits a supposedly genuine dragon scale behind a glass box. Everywhere else is made to look like the interior of a stereotypical castle with banners, torch sconces, and red carpets acting as the only variations in the cobblestone wall design. Thankfully, most of these ridiculous displays are destroyed from some kind of scuffle. A turned over replica of a witch burning is shattered across the left side of the room. Several bullet holes dot the body of a Merlin look alike mannequin and a sword in the stone test not far from its railing. Definitely signs of a fight. No doubt a shoot out with the local police.

"No! No, please! Don't!" More cries leave the far end of the room, exiting another section that seems to be made specifically for kings and dungeons. This time, a bit of cracking comes in before the crying and metal chain clicking.

You can't waste anymore time looking over the nonsensical layout and exhibits. You quietly crouch sprint through the room to make it to the other side. There, you plaster your back to the left side of the doorway just as a feminine voice joins in the conversation. It is a bit gutteral, but it is most definitely the voice of a woman, yet something seems off about the way they speak. Their sentences are rapid. One after the other almost like they are talking over themselves.

"Hey, go easy on the guy Lyc." "Yah, what good would he be to us dead?" "Plus, we still need to wringe out a few juices from this chump if we're gonna get someone to watch the door~ hehehe~" It's just bizarre how the woman talks. They manage to make it sound like their voice is coming from multiple different places at once while shifting it to drastically distant inflections.

Fuck it. You are close enough now. You shouldn't be taking so long to get this done anyways. You are on a bit of a personal time limit. You should at the very least peak around the corner to see who these perpetrators are.