The Portal at Hill House 4
Solo Play Part 4
Did you know that The Guyver just got a 4k release? It did. My childhood nostalgia demanded that I buy it and rewatch it for the first time in decades.
It was so bad. I kinda love it.
Those costumes and practical effects though… so good.
Anyway. Session four, let’s see another room.
EDIT: Sorry, forgot to link to the game: The Portal at Hill House
Room 5 - 1/2 Bath
Cards Drawn: King of Hearts, 3 of Clubs, 6 of Diamonds
Ambience: Ancient, Hungry
Objects in Location: A Ladder in the Floor
Condition of Location: Ignored—The Flame of Fhu
The door creaks open to reveal what was probably once a cramped half bath, if the medicine cabinet is any indication. The rest of the bathroom has either been ripped out or disappeared down the gaping hole in the floor. A ladder rests against its lip, beckoning a descent into the darkness.
I pause, distracted, before I can even reach for the top of the ladder or take that first step down. A faint glow seeps from the seams of the medicine cabinet. If the room were any brighter I would have missed it.
I step lightly. The floor has a little give here, weakened by whatever ruin ripped through the plywood and into whatever lay beyond. I don’t want to explore it head-first. I hug the wall. Reach for the medicine cabinet.
The door swings open without a sound. It could have screamed, neglected hinges struggling against time and rust, and it would not have mattered. My ears fill with the roar of fire, as if an inferno had engulfed me. I have to squint against the brightness. I feel no heat, but I do feel an itch.
I reach out. Compelled. I know this to be the last item I need to close this damned portal, but I don’t know how to interact with it. Do I wrap my hand around it? Is there some core to this roiling mass of flame? Do I try to contain it?
I see my fingertips graze the flame, but I feel nothing. Still I yelp in surprise and rip my hand back when the fire makes the jump from the medicine cabinet and adheres to my hand, spreading to my forearm before halting. I want to panic. I fear blistering skin and burning flesh and all the pain that comes with it.
The pain never comes. The flesh I am able to see when I hold my flaming hand in front of me is unmarred—normal despite the rollicking fire.
This is the the last piece to the puzzle—a flame to go with the candles and saltpeter. I need to put the puzzle together though. My eyes go to the ladder, the gaping hole in the floor, and that thick darkness below. I have a torch to light my way now.
UH… Well, ok. I wasn’t expecting the end to come so soon. The spade has been pulled and nothing hinders my exploration. Tomorrow we venture down the hole to an unplanned room and end this.