I'm Daisy Eaglefeather.... Nice to meet you, Clean!
Daisy extends her tan hand to Darius....
Mikey shrugs, a sad smile on his face....
I'm not sure.... Kind of afraid to find out, ya know? .... We divorced shortly before the poo hit the fan.... I moved out into a one-bedroom apartment and embarked on an odessy of man-whore sexual conquests that wa rudely cut short by Cthulhu going Godzilla on the world....
He pauses after seeing her fully and hearing her greeting. Blake darts past Mikey suddenly and over to a table next to Daisy and back flips onto it offering a sly wink and a grin upon landing, extending a hand and a wide grin to Daisy.
Well hello. He pumps his bushy eyebrows at her. You know... Most people call me Clean. Others call me Blake. But you can call me... Anytime.
With a lewd wink, he takes her hand in his and kisses the back of her hand before looking back up at her, his eyes almost disappearing behind his wide smile.
Daisy giggles, smiling back at Blake....
I have a feeling we're gonna get along just fine, Mister Clean! You are adorable!
Daisy plants a kiss on Blake's bald pate....
His mustache and beard bristle again having expected a slap over a kiss on the noggin. His cheeks go red as he slumps down onto his rump on the table. The expression immediately sifts to pain as he realizes he just dropped heavily on a surface covered in shards of glass and debris. He rolls off the table rubbing his back side clean and pulling a few sharp pieces of whatever that nearly bore a hole through his jeans. As he walks back over to Marcus he grumbles under his breath bout hating this derelict place and how it was ruining his cool streak.
Yingzen looks at the newcomer as he speaks to daisy. His gaze holds no emotion just a gaze of studying
Radsworth and Derrick I shall be careful. If I see anything I will return to the group.
With that said he melds into the shadows
Where is the bird goin? He sure seems in a hurry. HEY BIRDY! WHATS YOUR... He's gone. Or is it a she. I hope I didn't insult her by calling her a him. So you two are Radsworth and Derrick. In what order? Which is which?
As he speaks offering his attention to Radsworth and Derrick, moves forward and around the two men almost inspecting them. In reality though, he was moving to get a better vantage point of where Yingzen is moving, his eyes scanning the shadows from beneath his shades in an attempting to tracking the sneaky fellow.
I'm tellin ya. Shifty. Where is the bird goin off to.
Marcus shakes Mikey's hand and introduces himself.
"Uh, hi there. My name is Marcus. Marcus Greer and-shush, honey, I'll introduce you in a second-I have NO clue what I'm doing here."
He waves off to the side, and smiles.
"This is my wife, Marie. Say hi Marie."
He blinks and looks around.
"Where'd the guy with the, uh, bird beak and all go?"
Mikey smiles, blinking, at the empty spot inhabited by the ghost of Marie....
Um.... Heheh.... Nice to meet you, Marcus.... And Marie.... Don't mind Yingzen.... He's a ninja-birdy.... Heheh!
"Ohhh...okay then..."
These people are strange. he thinks to himself.
He leans close to Marcus and whispers though it is still quite loud enough for everyone to hear.
Come on now Marcus. We talked about this. I don't go shootin' people... Ya know... Down stairs... And you agreed to pretend she was invisiable. It tends ta be easier this way. Your gonna scare off these guys like ya did the last team we joined up with.
Blake straightens up and smiles a bit awkwardly. He clears his throat and dusts himself off.
Ahh! So the birdy IS a he. Well, that's good to know. Don't want him peckin out my eyes or nothing like that. Birds are vicious like that. I'm not a huge fan of birds. They are vindictive little buggers. Vindictive and vicious.
Blake will go on like this for about an hour touching on the drawbacks of being around birds, their weaknesses, the reasoning behind their bad dispositions. He just goes on until he either hears something out of the norm, or someone stops him.
"You're right, he sighs but it's just so FRUSTRATING, you know? Why can't anyone else see her? She's RIGHT THERE!
The really dank thing about Yingzen is.... He's no ordinary bird.... It's believed by the Navajo people that he is the living incarnation of their trickster-god, Raven! Pretty sweet to be traveling with a god, don't ya think? .... And Derrik here is actually King Arthur reincarnated! Pretty effin' balls, yeah? And I'm supposedly Hercules, and Radsworth here is Odysseus.... More than likely, since Merlin brought you to join us, you two have at least one, probably more, heroic past lives.... It's a lot to wrap your noodle around, I know....
Marcus laughs for a second, and then stops.
"Wait...you're serious? Oh."
He thinks for a minute.
"Well who could I possibly be then?"
Maybe these people really ARE crazy...
No telling, really.... Levinson told me after this epic party we had at Pandora's Box the other night.... But, obviously, she's gone, now.... Hope she's alright....
Again, a look of sadness crosses MJ's usually smiling face....
Daisy shrugs....
Apparently, I was once Mary Magdalen, and in one life, Derrik and I were married when he was Arthur and I was Guenevere....
Levinson. Kailin. Koran.
Those three meant more to humanity than every saved captive they had mustered so far. The might of them combined was a terrible blow that the resistance could never replace. Intense calculations on the odds of finding other gifted humans settles heavily on the old teachers mind. Then of course, Merlin enters, and shatters mathematical odds like a rock does glass.
Radsworth looks at the newcomers for a good long time. The gnome seemed crazy. The other, Marcus, defined it. He twitches as he pulls a terrycloth to clean the residue from Traveler, his arcane gun.
He looks at Arthur, clearly distressed. He had just gotten a handle on their group, their tactics, and how they could as a unit proceed through to the Master of the Tower and his servant. Then this... a paranoid midget and a man with an invisible friend. But he had the utmost respect for Merlin...and if the old Wizard had brought them these two...
Fine. He would test them in the next few rooms, observing their worth to the fierce ones. They were all that stood between Cthulu and human kinds extinction. If it took insanity to fight insanity, he would bolster their ranks with every madman who could wield real power in the face of the foe.
"Pleased to meet..all of you. I am Professor Radsworth. We value your aid, especially with the sudden loss of the others. Please feel free to exercise your power without restraint. I need to witness your capabilities so we can figure out how we all fit in to scheme. I fear of course, that the nature of chaos runs through you both, in which case I may as well spend my future planning sessions seeking counsel from a magical 8-ball."
He sighs, then removes his tophat and gestures.
"I am unsure of your mental fortitude. Survivors in this age are a mixed bag. This fellow is Chesterfield. He is an artifact we have recovered from this place. In other words, he is a talking hat that is probably smarter than all of us combined and I have the pleasure of him choosing to be my companion in this place. I do not want anyone attacking him thinking a mimic is eating my head. I hope I have made myself clear."
"Pleased to meet you as well, Professor. You know, I was a teacher myself before, well..."
Marcus gets a far-off look on his face for a moment before shaking his head clear.
"But I suppose none of that matters now."
He gives a weak smile and pats the air next to him absently, as if he's holding a hand.
His eyes light up with a wild light as he begins to speak again.
"Power, though, that I can demonstrate if you'd like." he says as his body starts to writhe sickeningly under his skin, hints of wings and other non-human shapes appearing and disappearing for a moment before stopping.
He gets a look of pure fury on his face.
"I hate those...THINGS with every fiber of my being. Don't worry about me holding back where they're concerned."
His mood swings back to jovial.
"So, a talking hat, eh? That's pretty interesting."
Blake opens his mouth like he is about to reply, then closes it. He does it again, and closes it again. He then pauses for a few more moments, his eyes scrunched up as he scrutinizes the gentleman holding the "smarter than all" top hat. He then leans toward MJ.
Why does your friend talk like he's got a thesaurus shoved up his a@@. He ain't a robot is he? Robots are shifty. You can't trust robots.
He straightens up and move a few steps forward eying Radsworth. When he is close enough, he jumps up to grab Radsworth's wrist and bring the had down to below his own chest and looks into the depths of the hat with scrutiny.
Chesterfield huh. Nice ta meet you Chesterfield. Why does your hat have a dude's name? You should be really careful puttin dudes on your head. They tend to f#@k with your mind. Chicks. Now chicks do the same thing, but at least they are pleasant to listen. When you ain't gettin nagged at anyway. I guess that is pretty bad too. The nagging. You know what?! You made a good choice. I guess a dude on your head IS better than a nag in the ear.
He releases Radsworth's wrist and moves back a bit smiling genuinely.
Thank you for clarifying. I appreciate your help Prof. No wonder your a professor. You help people figure things out. You are like a shrink that I don't have to pay. That is pretty glorious. Maybe you can help my friend back there. He sees dead people. Well, one in particular.
He finally backs away and smiles looking at the assembled group.
Well now, is damn pleasant. All of us gettin along and all. Well, aside from bird man who skulked off into the night and... I take it you are Derrik. Ya know, by process of elimination.
He approaches Derrik with his had outstretched for a hand shake.
A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister Clean, and Professor Greer! I do hope our association lasts longer than that of the adventurers Merlin chose you to replace....
OH S#*T! IT DOES TALK!
Blake starts at the sudden exclamation of the hat. Staring at it dumb founded, he scratches his polished, smooth head slack jawed and gaping.
Well color funny. I thought you were just joshin me bout that whole "this hat is smarter than all of us" crap. Damn. I think I am speechless for the first time ever. Well, obviously I AIN'T actually speechless, jus damn surprised. Do ya do tricks Mistuh Chesterfield? Can ya spit us out some rabbits or somethin? That sure as hell sounds like an awesome trick. Not to mention I AM kinda hungry and rabbit sounds good right 'bout now.
In fact, Mister Clean, I can do that very trick, in addition to several others.... Though I'm afraid rabbits are not on the menu, and the type of animal that I can produce is rather random.... But if you are hungry for bat, rat, cat, weasel, or dog, I can see what's mucking about inside, if you please.... A tasty boar sometimes emerges, in fact.... But trying for the boar runs us the risk of producing a wolverine, wolf, or leopard, instead, I should forewarn you....
yingzen creeps along the tower's hallways keeping hidden in the shadows. He looks around ever alert. Thoughts of the strange incidents that just happened danced in his head. He is stunned over the lose of his companions and subspecies of the two new ones
Radsworth glares at his gnomish assailant.
"Tiny sir. Do not assume that touching me is permitted. Unless by some miracle you are highly resistant to fire and lightning, it would not behoove you to manhandle me or my possessions a second time."
Despite his bark, Radsworth raises an eyebrow in what might be considered a sign that he was joking. Or perhaps not. It was hard to tell.
"While we wait for Yingzen, that "bird man" you mentioned, perhaps you could tell us what exactly your preferred method of killing cultists are? What skills do you bring to the Fierce Ones?"
Blake's gray bulbous head turns rosy at the "Tiny" comment as he glares at Radsworth. His teeth gnash as he seethes a slight mumble escaping his lips that sounds like counting backwards from ten. He shoots a looks to Marcus a few times reminding himself of what the mystic was able to accomplish and staying his hand against Radsworth. He may have been short tempered, but he was not stupid. The mention of fire and lightning offered the insight to see a mage was speaking with him. He took a deep breath calming himself then.
A damn shifty lot.
Well now, Radster, you sure got a pair of brass ones, don't ya! That is a good sign. Look, in the interest of gettin along, I will say this once more. I am not small, tiny, minuscule, a midget, a munchkin, and definitely DEFINITELY not a filthy f#$&!#g dwarf. Don't ever mention my stature, hint at it, or elude to anything pertaining it. In turn, I promise to respect your personal bubble. That goes for the whole lot of ya. Now I promised Marcus here, and our old pal Merlin, that I would refrain from shootin people I am supposed to be workin with and I intend ta keep that promise. So push me. That bein said, apologies for da bad touch Rad'man. It won't happen again.
Blake takes another deep breath and nods with satisfaction.
As for the method of killin the baddies, I would think it was already obvious. A shot to the face usually is a pretty effective method. After all, No Brain, No Gain. Apparently works on monsters and zombies too if the movies are true.
Yingzen begins stealthily scouting the fourth floor....
He soon spies a group of 4 Morays lounging around in an office in the southeast corner, playing a card game....
Perception check vs Yingzen's 28 Stealth.... .... Auto-fails....
Perception check vs Yingzen's 28 Stealth.... .... Auto-fails....
Perception check vs Yingzen's 28 Stealth.... .... Auto-fails....
Perception check vs Yingzen's 28 Stealth.... .... Auto-fails....
Proceeding around the fourth floor counter-clockwise, Yingzen's keen ears detect the sound of power-saws buzzing on the floor above, and occasional hammering, cracking, thudding, and other sounds suggesting some kind of demolition occurring on the floor above....
Another group of 4 Morays are sitting in an office in the northeast corner, flipping through magazines....
Let's have another Stealth check from Yingzen, please....
Radsworth nods.
"A gentleman's agreement then. Too many bad things can come from direct contact, as we have learned through Cthulu and his minions. Poison. Disease. Magical compulsion. It can serve as a focus for spellcasting, and some of his minions can learn everything they need to know to destroy you with but a touch. Some can in fact, skip the knowledge, and opt to destroy you outright with a touch. It is something I am adamant about.
He readies his gear, specifically withdrawing one of his lightning bolt scrolls. This latest group of enemies were resistant to fire. A thought tickles his brain.
"We have encountered a large number of creatures today resistant to fire, if that is a method of attack either of you employ. To make matters worse, they are being paired with cultists using a Necklace of Fireballs. Be careful not to get bogged into a group."
Wow.... No point in rolling Perception.... Yingzen moves like a ghost--invisible and inaudible--past the office where the four Morays lounge....
What of what now? They have burning genitals on strings around their necks? What the hell is wrong wit these people? What the hell have I been brought into? And what does that have to do with a resistance to fire?
He shakes his head in minor dismay as he mulls over the time it and sheer number it would take to make a whole necklace. Then, in swift order, his mind moved to "The Christmas Song" as the line "Chestnuts roasting over an open fire". A grin then spreads over his face at the amusing line. The thoughts finally fell into place as he realized what Radsworth was talking about.
OH! Necklace of Fireball! Ahh. I now understand your... Right! I get it. Makes sense. Shoot the b@$#@*%s with the necklace first.
"Oh, yes, I suppose I forgot to ask. Um...where exactly are we? And why are we here?"
Proceeding west along the north side of the fourth floor, Yingzen passes a large conference room with a long oval table and ten chairs. File cabinets and smaller tables line the walls, and a water cooler stands in the corner. A large dry-erase board hangs on the far wall, with disturbing and obscene images drawn crudely in red and blue marker.
A storage room filled with boxes of old files and paperwork occupies the northwest corner of the fourth floor....
yingzen carefully makes sure it is safe to enter the room before he checks out the files
A quick perusal of a few of the files reveals that they are mostly files pertaining to businesses that occupied the offices of The Silver Tower prior to the apocalypse....
There are a few more offices....
The central two offices on the west side both contain Morays, four in each, who couldn't detect Yingzen if he rolled a 1 on Stealth and they rolled 20s on Perception, so I won't bother making you roll.... He sneaks past them undetected, of course....
The western stairwell is empty....
The southwestern corner office contains a large desk at which sits a human man of middle age in black robe and cowled cloak bearing the stylized octopus-headed, bat-winged, corpulent-bodied form of Cthulhu on the back and front in golden embroidery.... He is studying an ancient-looking tome of impressive size that seems to contain hand-written Latin text and evil-looking drawings of otherworldly monsters and arcane diagrams, but it is difficult to tell from where Yingzen peers from the doorway....
The south side of the fourth floor has two more offices, and a black-robed priestess sits at a desk in each, writing notes in journals, apparently....
That completes Yingzen's quick scouting of the fourth floor....
So, in total, Yingzen finds 16 Morays, a male wizard-type, and two cult priestesses on the fourth floor.... And no apparent traps or tricks.... Plus audible evidence of remodeling taking place on the fifth floor in about the center....
Yingzen creeps his way to inform the group of what he found
Radsworth is correct.
A total of 20 minutes passes before Yingzen appears out of the shadows to report his findings to the others....
Sounds like the fourth floor should be easy pickings for us.... Except, maybe, the wizard-type.... Hopefully he isn't too powerful, and we can catch him off guard....
MJ draws "BJ" from her scabbard and starts to climb the eastern stairs.