Hack-It falls over laughing at Dunklezahn's jokes. "That..." he tries to control himself, but fails. "That's got to be a scene from 'The Virtual Office'! The boss in that is such a clueless git! Oh man! Dunk, you're killing me here."
Oh, I took that course, Janzi says with feigned earnestness. Told me I was being discriminated against based on the fact that everyone else was an a$$hole.
When Gig mentions the need for something more esoteric, Janzi heads over.
Gig chuckles to himself at Dunk’s antics while he looks through the microscope and plays with the dial.
Gig and Janzi combine to conclude that whatever in those slides is unlike anything they've ever seen before. It's some kind of technomagically treated biomass, almost like UPBs for living creatures! It looks like it has some kind of programmable nature, but it it would take months, if not years, to figure it all out without more to go on.
"What do you think, Janzi? I haven't seen anything like this before. This makes me wonder what somebody has in mind to do with them."
"Somethin' to puzzle over later," Booker suggests, and gestures towards the door. "Let's go find the others. Nifri, stay near Janzi, he'll keep an eye on you."
Booker leads the way to the southeast. Once Janzi looks over the door (T10 for 33), Booker opens it.
Nifri looks scared as all get out, and will need some coaxing to do anything other than stay hiding under the desk.
Booker rolls his eyes and looks to Janzi. "You wanna try? I ain't gonna be polite."
We've got ya, friend, Janzi says soothingly. We'll escort you out, but first we need to find everyone else. We can't leave others behind. So stick close, we'll keep you protected.
Gig contributes in a way he knows best.
"Do you see some gum under that desk? If you want a fresh piece, come on out and I'll give you a piece."
Gig takes a pieces out of his cheek pouch and offers it to Nifri.
Janzi's smooth talking is enough, and he doesn't have to resort to mystical influence.
Nifri straight up ignores Gig's strange comment.
Booker sees no reason not to, so he opens the door. This room’s vibrant purple walls subtly expand and contract in a motion eerily reminiscent of a living organ. A network of metal pipes connects three free-standing metal cylinders along the chamber’s northeastern wall. Three metallic examination tables with circular indents at one end occupy most of the room.
The technomagical biomass samples from the other room seem to be the very material these walls are made from. The walls seem to breathe and appear a brighter color than in the rest of the facility thus far.
Two of the cylinders contain the remains of.... something, but it's hard to tell from the hall.
"I think we found your friends," Booker says grimly, gesturing to the cylinders. "Let's get a closer look, but stay sharp."
Nifri, trailing behind winces when the door opens. "There's... a secret door in the east, but be careful. Tell me, do you see the others?"
Booker slips in quietly behind Dunklezahn, angling for a closer look at the shapes in the cylinders.
As Dunk slips into the room two hideous creatures burst from their cryogenically preserved host corpses!
Round 1:
Dunklezahn: Go
Gig: Go
Booker: Go
Hack-it: Go
Hostiles: TBD
Janzi: TBD
Gig follows Dunk into the room and positions himself to support Dunk and Booker.
"Janzi, what'm I lookin' at?" Booker asks calmly, retreating backwards up an invisible staircase . He fires down onto the thing Dunklezahn engaged, the vorpal bullet ripping through thawing flesh.
CRITICAL
General
Hack-It and Hum both move forward. The mechanic punches a few commands into his wrist console, causing Hum's rifle attachment to swivel and fire upon the nearest... thing.
I...Hack-It's progenitors, maybe?
Dunk scores a single solid hit, but he finds his weapon severely muted in its power for some reason. Muted, but not not ineffectual.
Gig pumps his legs into the room JUST in time to see Booker blow a hole in the thing. The whole doesn't seem to include any organs though... and while the wound bleeds, it doesn't seem any bigger than normal
Hum shoots the other, and finds it's weapon slightly less effectual as expected too.
The one toe-to-toe with Dunklzahn tries to bit the vesk on the neck! for and the wound is bad!
The other stares HARD at Booker....
Janzi realizes that these are no normal foes. They're Prexian Mutantspawn demons! Their bites carry potent, supernatural radiation, and they have some spell like abilities to mess with the mind. They're resistant to magic as well as weapons which aren't good (and cold and fire.) While still impressive their reflexes aren't their strongest attribute.
Round 1:
Dunklezahn: Hit
Gig: Move
Booker: Crit
Hack-it: Hit
Hostiles: ATK
Janzi: Go
Red: 52
Black: 12
Janzi relays what he knows as he focuses on Black.
Easy there, big fella. You look tired. Take a rest.
Booker reacts to the blow Dunklezahn took, allowing the entanglement badge to cycle some of the hit to him.
Booker feels everything in his mind scramble as he looses his identity and sense of.... everything.
Janzi punches through the demon's resistance, but the demon resists his spell.
Round 2:
Dunklezahn: Go + FORT
Gig: Go
Booker: Go (Confused)
Hack-it: Go
Hostiles: TBD
Janzi: TBD
Red: 52
Black: 12
Booker feels something crawling up his leg. A big, thick, red-carapace centipede is circling his thigh! He slams the butt of his gun down on his leg.
Round 2:
Dunklezahn: Go + FORT
Gig: Go
Booker: Borked
Hack-it: Go
Hostiles: TBD
Janzi: TBD
Red: 52
Black: 12
”Booker wake up! It’s your friend, Gig! The one who named his bugglegum after you. We need you now! We need you to take these demons out!”
Gig casts Dispel Magic to try and remove Booker’s confusion.
Dunklezahn withstands the supernatural radiation from the attack.
Gig tries a spell he knows he should have, but he stubs his toe as he casts the spell, and fails to break Booker's confusion.
Round 2:
Dunklezahn: Go
Gig: Dispel
Booker: Borked
Hack-it: Go
Hostiles: TBD
Janzi: TBD
Red: 52
Black: 12
Dunk's opening salvo is potent, but it's the only one that hits. The creature continues to shrug off large amounts of injury that it should have otherwise taken.
Round 2:
Dunklezahn: Hit
Gig: Dispel
Booker: Borked
Hack-it: Go
Hostiles: TBD
Janzi: TBD
Red: 76
Black: 12
Hack-It places a hand on the barrel of Hum's weapon. He whispers a few words, causing the weapon to glow...
The drone once more fires upon the nearest foe.
Ugh
Hum's shot is wild, but on target enough to connect! The horrible creature seems to take the hit in stride though, it'll take a lot more than that.
The creature turns on Hack-it with its teeth: for and a FORT save.
The creature facing Dunk continues its wordless assault:
for and a FORT save.
Round 2:
Dunklezahn: Hit
Gig: Dispel
Booker: Borked
Hack-it: Hit
Hostiles: ATK
Janzi: Go
Round 3:
Dunklezahn: Go
Gig: Go
Booker: Go
Hack-it: Go
Hostiles: TBD
Janzi: TBD
Red: 76
Black: 58
"Booker, wake up! We need you right now!!!"
Gig casts Dispel Magic once again hoping to bring Booker out of his confusion.
Wincing from the pain, Hack-It takes a step back. His drone follows, but continues to follow its commands to destroy the... well, whatever it is.
The radiation sinks into Dunk who feels a little weakened. His counter is off target. Though still silent, there is distinct amusement coming from his otherworldly foe.
Gig tries again, and this time he can plainly see Booker regain his senses!
Hum makes another lucky shot, but these things are TOUGH. Unfortunately he too begins to the feel the sickness, same as Dunklezahn
Round 2:
Dunklezahn: Hit
Gig: Dispel
Booker: Borked
Hack-it: Hit
Hostiles: ATK
Janzi: Go
Round 3:
Dunklezahn: Miss
Gig: Dispel
Booker: Go
Hack-it: Go
Hostiles: TBD
Janzi: TBD
Red: 76
Black: 80
Janzi frowns as his spell is shaken off, and tries again, this time on Red.
Now, now. You look hangry. Have a Sn'kurs.
"Ugh, thanks," Booker mutters to Gig, clearing his head. He rains down a volley.
Janzi feels his spell get through, but the creature resists it rather forcefully.
Booker keeps his aim and blasts a pair of holes in the monster. It's shocking that it's still standing, and it can't possibly survive another hit...
Round 3:
Dunklezahn: Miss
Gig: Dispel
Booker: Hits
Hack-it: Go
Hostiles: TBD
Janzi: TBD
Red: 151
Black: 80
"Well aren't you a nasty little jerk."
With a bit of space, Hack-It and Hum fire upon the nasty little jerk.
Hack-it and Hum both connect. The ysoki, beginning to feel a bit sick to his stomach. Dunk feels it too.
both creatures press their advantage. The wounds they've inflicted seem to urge them to more destruction, more death, more sickness...
for
MISS
Round 3:
Dunklezahn: Miss
Gig: Dispel
Booker: Hits
Hack-it: Hits
Hostiles: ATK
Janzi: Go
Round 4:
Dunklezahn: Go + FORT
Gig: Go
Booker: Go
Hack-it: Go + 2 FORTS
Hostiles: TBD
Janzi: TBD
Red: 151
Black: 122
Janzi, his magic thwarted a second time, looks over his shoulder at Munro -- We'll edit that out, he says -- and pulls his combat rifle, leveling it at Red. Better to waste ammo than more spell levels.
Janzi needs another edit as his shot is off target. Dunklezahn violently rips the monster back into place. The hit is solid and the massive vesk twists the weapon into a lethal hit!
Round 4:
Dunklezahn: Go + FORT
Gig: Go
Booker: Go
Hack-it: Go + FORT
Hostiles: TBD
Janzi: TBD
Red: 151
Booker continues to rain down a withering fire from above.