Xindyra unstraps Zendara. Once the seat is vacant, she sits down as well.
"Would you secure them for me?"
Zendara smiles and straps her in, glad that she is brave enough to go through the pain to get the reward.
As she does, she examines the controls to see if she can offer her any additional options... now that she can read them without trouble, she hopes she'll be able to understand the controls better.
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Yukarii definitely didn't like the looks of what the device, especially with that large spike, and she wanted to warn them against using it. At least Dr Munroe and Marek seemed leery of it which was better than they had been behaving since they got down here. Obviously AZendara was still affected and Yukarii had no idea what she could do to snap her out of her foolishness.
Yukarii grasped Marek's hand as the machine whirred to life and the instant the spike slammed itself into Zendara's skull Yukarii screamed and turned to Marek, hiding her face against his chest and shuddering. She could still hear the sounds of the machine working and then after a few moments Zendara getting up and Xindyra strapping into it.
"Nonononono, do not do it no," Yukarii sobbed against Marek's chest as she clung to him. She was utterly terrified of what was happening and what it might mean for her friends if they went through with this, especially without knowing what effects it would have on Zendara in the long term but she felt they wouldn't listen if she tried to reason with them and so she tried to endure.
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As Zendara secured her bonds one by one, she couldn't help but think.
No pain, no gain. But for the amount of imminent pain, there had better be a serious gain.
A crying Yukarii though, saying it'll be fine wouldn't do it.
How did that elven song go? No idea if she knows it, but maybe?
While the restraints and machine were getting ready, she slowly starts to sing, a short elven lullaby about perseverance and hope, giving a comforting (hopefully) wink to Yukarii.
When she was almost into the last two lines, the needle struck, and her face twists in a painful grimace, "Nghh"...as her hands grip into the seat's arm support. She tries not to scream at one quite painful moment, but lets out a mix between a shriek and cry, before she loses consciousness.
Some time later, Yukarii hears, in a tone giving off discomfort, the last two lines of the lullaby, as a groggy looking Xindyra looks back at the group.
"Youwch.....definitely the most painful thing i've done for the sake of learning and adventure. Zendara, could you uncuff me please?"
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Zendara sings along with the song, and removes the restraints when she is done.
Yukarii wasn't much comforted by what was sung, she knew elven but it wasn't a language she used much growing up and her father didn't speak it as his language was quite different and darker. The songs she knew were from her Mother's side and in the language of her home nation. It wouldn't have mattered much to Yukarii just then as the needle brought to mind other, terrible, things that had been done to her by piercing her flesh, things that ultimately cost her both of her parents.
There was little from that dark time that Yukarii could remember, not that she wanted to remember any of it, but the feel of sharp things stabbing her neck, of wet warmth being taken from her leaving her cold on several occasions, had not left her to this day. The sound of the giant needle as it pierced the flesh and bone was far to like that of the needle sharp fans stabbing into her neck. Yukarii's right hand came up and rested over her neck, as if covering something she wanted to hide or that hurt, as she continued to sob into Marek's chest. If anything the second round of the needle entering someone's head had pushed her even closer to the edge of a mental break.
:(
"Thank you.", she says to Zendara.
Seeing her effort was in vain for Yukarii, she got up a little woozy, but walked up to Marek and Yukarii.
She taps Yukarii on the shoulder, and if she'd turn, Xindyra gives her a warm hug for a few moments, before returning her to Marek's custody.
Giving a nod, she turns and takes her journal to start sketching and taking notes, right back into her curious explorer self.
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Marek couldn't believe it when Xindrya hopped onto the couch after hearing Zendara's screams from down the corridor. To Yukarii he whispered, "What's gotten into the girls?! They're insane!"
He wasn't entirely wrong. The procedure went as before but nothing could have prepared Xindrya for the pain, it was sudden, complete and all encompassing. Perhaps mercifully she didn't recall more than a fraction of a second before passing out but the others in the room would remember that scream to the end of their days.
Some of the lustre of their environs had been wiped away from Dr Munroe by repeated soul wearing screames. Rather emphatically he implored, "Please nobody else try that today! We need to be sure there's no unexpected effects like um psychosis or death."
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What's gotten into the girls?! They're insane!
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Well, we should check out that refrigeration room, like we were sent here to do, but also I think we can probably contact Doctor Taoroot again. We just need... hmm. More power and an indrium amplifier. There has to be a generator or a major power conduit around here somewhere. Let's look for a hardware store, or if anyone sees a nano-tech printer module, that could totally work too...
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Xindyra nods.
Yukarii, are you going to be okay if we continue? Maybe walking around a little will help, and you can observe us and make sure that we are really okay. ... Don't worry, no one is going to ask you to do it if you don't want to, I promise.
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Yukarii began to panic even more when she heard the needle plunge into Xindyra and it nearly drove her over the edge into mindless panic as the horrors she experienced and largely forgot floated to the surface. It became so bad that Yukaari separated from her on her own and glared at Zendara and Xindyra as she snapped out angrily, "Of course Yukarii-chan is not 'OK'! What you two idiots just did is make her start to remember the trauma that made us split!" The spirit shuddered at the emotions washing through Yukarii and moved forward, the slimy ectoplasm she had used to form herself this time pushing through the two woman in the most disturbing way and leaving a slimy coating on their clothing.
Yukaari then turned and smacked both of them in the back of the head right where the needle had been shoved into them, "Remember this sight, both of you! She tried to tell all of you your minds had been influenced since we got down here but you wouldn't listen. Now your foolishness has nearly gotten us killed by a killer robot but upset my Yukarii-chan and that is unacceptable!" The spirit moved back through the two leaving more slime before reaching around Yukarii and gently embracing her from behind. It seemed that Yukarii was starting to calm down but she wasn't there quite yet.
"That's not entirely fair?", Xindyra adds in a surprised tone, casually swiping off a piece of gloopy slime.
"If we were under an influence, then it would explain why we'd be inclined not to listen as carefully.
You're mentioning trauma now, but this is the first i believe i've heard mention of it? But that raises my next question, as i am not looking to deliberately inflict harm upon your other half."
"Is there anything you could plausibly share, that could help us avoid inciting more of her repressed memories?"
Edwin was very uncomfortable with the the strange contraption, and
Xindyra and Zendara's willing embrace of the use of it. And clearly Yukarii had found the whole thing extremely upsetting. He was inclined to agree with Dr Munroe, "Indeed, we should be cautious: we don't know what side effects this process may have.
"Investigating the refrigeration room seems like a good idea; why don't we do that?"
Zendara was very angry that her personal space and self had been violated by Yukaari, which bothered her much more than the machine had, because she had *chosen* the machine... but she managed to keep her mouth shut for Yukarii's sake.
She cast Prestidigitation angrily, cleaning herself off and Xindyra if she wanted it, though she just asked with a raised eyebrow since she didn't trust herself to speak.
When Edwin spoke up, she was grateful to him for distracting her from blowing up and making things worse, and she nodded and left, walking off without a word in a random direction, hoping to find something to engage her mind so she could calm down.
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She cast Prestidigitation angrily, cleaning herself off and Xindyra if she wanted it
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Walking along, just contemplating the signs and the words that she was reading started to calm Zendara down right away, and she realized that it was something that the language was designed to do. It didn't even have words for some of the things that she was contemplating, and that kind of made the mind leap to other thoughts and admittedly better choices. She took a deep breath and paused to really look at where she was now, away from the others.
As you idly consider this you glance out of the window and to your alarm you notice three spider kill-bots outside the front door. Weirdly the seem to be still as statues, they defiantly weren't there before, you'd have noticed that...
The slime disappeared surprisingly quickly when it was wiped at and Yukaari continued to hold onto Yukarii. She did look back at Xindyra as she asked about what happened to Yukarii in the past. Yukarii seemed not to be coming out of her disturbed state anytime soon the spirit let go and turned to Xundyra.
"I do not know what happened, I came into being after it all, when her mind fractured into near insanity. I know she was captured by something deep beneath the ground that took pleasure in puncturing her flesh and drinking her blood." Yukarii shuddered as Yukaari spoke but the spirit didn't let herself be stopped by it, "She had a spigot punched into one of her veins so the monster could get her blood at will and it used her sexually for some time." The details were vague but each thing Yukaari said made Yukarii shudder even as she began to exhaust herself. The spirit looked incredibly sad and said, [b}"Her parents were killed by the thing while saving her, though they ended the monster in return."[/b]
Yukaari looked back at Yukarii and seemed to flicker as Yukdarii's sobbing calmed, "And there we go, she will be alirght when she sleeps." Yukaari looked at Marek firmly, "Take care of Yukarii-chan... With that the spirit vanished, a glob of goo falling to the ground and rapidly evaporating, as Yukarii passed out.
.......
"Sorry to hear that. At least you are with companions and...other.", she can't help but accent the latter, as she looks at Marek with a teasing look in her eyes.
Can't think of more to say that wouldn't get her sobbing again.
Well, that isn't good thinks Zendara, seeing the spiderbots waiting at the entrance, presumably they were trapped here as was mentioned before.
She pulled herself together and went looking specifically for something that would help them reaccess the message from Doctor Taoroot. Hopefully there would be more information in that message.
Dr Munroe sighed deeply when Zendara stormed off, this place was starting to get underneath everyone's skin, literally . Considering Edwin's suggestion Dr Munroe agreed saying, "Yes we should try and find the refrigeration room, perhaps now the girls will be able to fix it. Also if we can find the stuff needed to restore contact with Dr Taproot that would be great, but to be honest I don't really know what we're looking for. Words were said, but uh I don't have a clue what they mean."
Most of the archeologists where feeling rather wary, except for the girls who went searching with gusto! Somehow Dr Munroe found this amusing and worrying at the same time, who knows what those implants had done to their heads?!
Anyway Xindrya found a secret stash of what her implant informed her was drugs paraphernalia in a locked drawer in the downstairs office marked as confiscated. There was no actual drugs but apparently the ancients had a cornucopia of pharmaceutical agents...
Later she found something very interesting in the basement, a doorway that had been blasted open long ago - the far side of which led out onto what her implant informed her was an underground railway, the tracks of which lead off into darkness unknown.
Zendara returned to sift through boxes and boxes of belongings in the few apartments that were open, finding mostly fliers advertising strange sounding foods and medicines and services for things she had no ides people needed services for! She did however eventually find something rather interesting, a paper printout of an engineering map of the city of vesta, showing the location of network cables and power conduits. Originally it was vast and much of the grandeur the map hinted at had been obliterated by the builder's sun, but she was able to find the portion that charted their current location and spotted a repair shop a few blocks away that was part of the Technological University of Vesta. If anywhere was to her indrium amplifier, as a bonus the map suggests the facility has an ample power supply.
Zendara looked for her communicator to let the others know about her find, only to realize that they weren't a thing anymore... her mind was expecting some of the luxuries of the ancient world, but she had to live in this one.
She considered her options... go to the repair shop alone, or circle back with the group? She decided that going back to the group was safer, and her anger had cooled enough that she decided she could handle the social aspect of the whole thing again. Maybe the whole group would agree to go now that she had a map... or if not, at least Xindyra might.
She heads back to the group with her new information.
If yes to the above,
Xindyra devides the stash across her pack and pockets, then heads back to the rest of the group.
"I've found something interesting. Two things, actually. The first is a stash of drugs i don't know the properties of yet. And a blasted passage to a railway."
"A railway? What's that? Some secret of the ancients?" asked a somewhat excited Dr Munroe.
Edwin had no idea what a railway was. "Is it something that will get us out of here?", he wondered.
"I got the impression from that fellow we where talking to, that someone or something might come after us!"
A railway is a way to travel, but I doubt it is actually working. Correct me if I am wrong Xindyra. ... Could be another way out though. The entrance is blocked by some of those spiderbots.
I did find a map that shows a repair shop. If we go there, we might be able to get the stuff needed to repair the holo... well, to get that fellow we were talking to working again. We might be able to get more information.
Zendara beats her to the explaination.
"Correct."
"A map? Neat. Must we travel far to this repair shop?"
Edwin suggested, "Let's try to figure out where the refrigeration area is. Then we can visit the repair shop first, if it's on the way."
There's a meat processing factory labeled that's about a block away, you think this might be the room Mr Lyrinz spoke of. You think you can direct the group there easily now you've seen the map.
Okay, the place where they had refrigeration is probably the meat processing facility. I can get us there... who all is coming?
For the time being poor Marek was stuck carrying Yukarii. She hadn't come to again just yet and was at least in a semi-dozing state as they went. Fortunately Marek didn't seem to be too burdened by carrying her since she didn't weigh all tha much.
Dr Munroe listed the options on his fingers and whistled, "A repair shop, a meat processing facility and a railway... Wow hard to know we're to begin." He glanced at Marek who was carrying the comatose form of Yukarii and frowned, "Marek before we go anywhere we need you to wake her up, can you give it a try?"
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Sounding rather uncertain, Marek replied, "I'll try..."
He gently put Yukarii down and stoked her cheek as he whispered to her and very gently kissed her forehead.
Yukarii finally managed to wake up as Marek spoke in her ear. She smiled sleepily and then said, "It's nice to hear you say that Marek-kun." She was a bit wobbly but otherwise Yukarii seemed OK. She looked around and asked, "What did I miss?"
Edwin said to Yukarii, "There's a repair shop close to here. We could stop in there on our way to the refrigeration room. We want to get parts to repair the device that we used to talk to Doctor Taproot."
"Sounds like a good idea Edwin." replied Dr Munroe. He looked around, "Any other ideas or shall we do it?"
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Zendara leaves, taking them first to the repair shop, then theoretically if nothing goes wrong, she plans to help the group get to the refrigeration area. Then, when everyone was there as a base perhaps a few of them could come back here without Yukarii, because if she discovered a way to unlock additional abilities or knowledge, she was definitely doing it.
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Misliking the spider attack bots out front, Dr Munroe suggests finding a rear exit. Zendara and Xindrar have little trouble locating something called a fire escape, and the expedition team find themselves on a catwalk outside of the 6th story of the sleek black bonded glass building wondering how to get down.
It's then that Xindrya makes a discovery, the building had weighted stairs that usually swing up in line with the 3rd floor but they smoothly rotate when stepped on to bring you down to ground level.
From there, Zendara lead you through several back alleys daubed with slogans in Marin saying things like: Resistance is hopeless, Only through sacrifice may we know salvation, and worryingly The Darkness Crawls!
Walking through a narrow street brings you to what appears to be a service entrance to a low boxy three story building. It reminds you of warehouses back in Essex Island's docks and there's very peculiar door. It's made of a 12' tall band of horizontal segments of builder's metal. Each segment is about as wide as your hand and at least 15' wide, at the top it disappears into a long box.
(pass)
Zendara sees that the door can be lifted with a hidden mechanism.
(pass)
She sees a concealed keypad, and wonders if she can guess the code.
--Follow up on the code: (? No DC listed)
(pass)
She also sees a loose paving stone, and finds a tin with a small device.
--Follow up on the device: (fail)